NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a jibe on opposition late on Thursday while replying to actor-model Milind Soman's wishes for his 70th birthday on social media.

Wishing PM Modi on his birthday, Soman had tweeted, "I wish you good health and a good and proactive opposition, to push you to do better for our great country."

In a perky reply, PM Modi thanked Soman for the messages and for 'wishful thinking'. He also took a swipe at the opposition which had on Thursday walked out of the Lok Sabha in protest against the passage of two agriculture reform bills. In a series of late-night tweets, PM Modi also indirectly accused the opposition of misleading farmers against the bills.

The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 were passed in the Lok Sabha on Thursday amid opposition protests and walkout, followed by the resignation of Akali Dal leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal from the Union Cabinet.

Assuring that the system of MSP and government procurement will continue, the Prime Minister said 'many powers are engaged in creating confusion among the farmers'.

"The passage of historic agrarian reform bills in the Lok Sabha is an important moment for the farmers and agriculture sector of the country. These bills will truly free the farmers from middlemen and all obstacles," Modi said in a series of tweets.

"This agrarian reform will provide new opportunities for farmers to sell their produce, which will increase their profits. This will give our agriculture sector the benefit of modern technology, while empowering the farmers.

"There are many power trying to confuse the farmers. I assure my farmer brothers and sisters that the system of MSP and government procurement will continue. This bill will actually provide many more options to the farmers. They are truly empowering."
Puerto Rico is getting $13 billion in additional federal disaster funding to help rebuild its energy grid and repair schools, which were ravaged by Hurricane Maria.

The money comes a full three years after the deadly storm and just six weeks before the presidential election, with Democrats and Republicans battling for Puerto Rican voters in crucial Florida.

Gov. Wanda Vazquez, R, on Friday called the payment the largest approval in the history of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and said it was thanks to a "good relationship" with the White House and President Donald Trump.

"Our legacy during this administration -- and for the people of Puerto Rico -- is the complete reconstruction of the island, starting with the power company and education," said Vazquez, who recently lost in her party's primary and will soon leave office.

Democrats are raising questions about the timing. Both parties are courting the hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans who have settled in Florida, America's largest swing state. Some came after Maria, when an estimated 3,000 died and some parts of the island were left powerless for the better part of year.

U.S. House Natural Resources Chairman Raul Grijalva, a Democrat with a key role in Puerto Rican affairs, said the funding had been withheld.

"Four years of Trump administration abuse and neglect have caused preventable deaths in Puerto Rico, and today's announcement will not erase Puerto Rican memories of how the president has treated the island and its people," Grijalva's office said in a statement.

In a visit to the Central Florida bastion of the Puerto Rican community this week, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden proposed a debt-relief program for the island, which is also trying to emerge from a historic bankruptcy and a deep economic downturn.

The latest funds are in addition to the $49.9 billion in aid that Congress has approved since Hurricane Maria raked the U.S. commonwealth. Of those original funds, $25.5 billion has been obligated and $16.7 billion has been spent.

The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority -- one of the U.S.'s largest public utilities -- runs the notoriously fragile and expensive power grid. This year, the company signed an estimated $100 million contract with a private consortium called Luma Energy to manage power transmission and distribution for the next 15 years.

Though residents on the island of 3.2 million people are U.S. citizens, they can't vote in presidential elections. The diaspora is seen as critical to winning central Florida.

Some 209,000 Florida voters were born in Puerto Rico, according to 2018 voter roll data compiled and analyzed by University of Florida political science professor Daniel Smith. That's up by about 17,200 since 2016, just slightly more than the 16,700 Cuba-born Florida residents that joined voter rolls in the same period.

While sizable, the numbers of new Puerto Rican voters pale in comparison to some early projections of the Hurricane Maria exodus. Puerto Ricans' turnout in the last presidential election year was just 66%. By comparison, participation was 77% for Cuban-born voters.
Thursday was definitely a very tough day, Don Weisberg told PW yesterday evening following the announcement that Macmillan CEO John Sargent will leave the company at the end of the year. Weisberg, currently president of Macmillan US Trade, will take over responsibility for all Macmillan global trade operations, with the exception of Germany, on January 1. Holtzbrinck announced yesterday that Sargent is leaving the company over disagreements about the future of Macmillan.

Weisberg said the discussions with stunned Macmillan employees yesterday centered around the message that it is okay to acknowledge that Macmillan is losing someone who has meant a lot to the company and meant a lot to many individuals, myself included. Weisberg gave no indication of what disagreement Sargent had with Macmillan parent company Holtzbrinck that precipitated his departure. Whats most important to John is the success Macmillan has had, Weisberg said. He is very proud of the people here and all they have achieved.

Weisberg said that, contrary to what many people thought would happen to publishers when the pandemic hit this spring, Macmillan is having a really good year, even considering the layoffs and hiring freeze implemented at the company this spring. The hiring freeze has since been lifted and salary cuts restored and employees impacted by the salary reductions have since been repaid the full reduction amount.

Weisberg said Macmillan has grown steadily over the last four years, grabbing market share through organic growth rather than through acquisitions and he didnt think that formula will change. Macmillan is a steady company, he said.

Weisberg said that the company is in a good position for the fall and holiday shopping season, pointing to the success of Louise Pennys recent bestseller, All the Devils Are Here, adding that Macmillan has a "solid" upcoming list. He remains confident about the future. I am excited about our prospects for 2021, he said. I think we will do better than 2020, and 2020 has been a good year.

With Weisberg poised to expand his responsibilities beyond the U.S., he said that, at some point, he will likely look for someone to take over some of his current duties. For the present, Weisberg said, he is taking things one day at a time. John and I did talk about our future together at Macmillan and while the talk of succession came up, I was surprised about Thursdays announcement, he said.

This story has been updated.
In August 2020 the U.S. Air Force opened a 5,500 square meter (60,000 square feet) VTTC (Virtual Test and Training Center) at Nellis Air Force base in Nevada. Nellis is the home of the Red Flag operation, where American pilots operate F-16s as enemy pilots would in various foreign fighters. The F-16s are repainted for this and carry electronic equipment that provides the kind of electronic signals enemy aircraft use. Red Flag training has been going on since the 1970s, following the example of the earlier navy Top Gun program, and has proved its worth in preparing pilots for a foe that flies and fights differently. Israel has a similar Blue Flag program and China has also developed a similar program.

As useful as Red Flag and Top Gun are, this sort of thing is expensive. It costs over $10,000 an hour to fly a jet fighter in training. As China and Russia put more airborne EW (Electronic Warfare) gear into service and develop more capable ground-based air defense systems it become much more expensive to provide affordable and realistic opfor (opposing force) training for pilots. Thats where the VTTC comes in. While the $38 million VTTC is ready to go, it isnt going far until it is full of a dozen or more flight simulators that, together, cost far more than the VTTC building.

What made the VTTC possible is cheaper and more capable fighting simulators. Since 2000 computers have become a lot cheaper and the graphics capability of these machines has skyrocketed. That's important in bringing the cost of realistic flight simulators down to a level that any country can afford and that larger nations can afford a lot of.

Until the late 1990s, a realistic combat flight simulator cost about as much as the aircraft it was simulating. While that did reduce the cost (per "flying" hour) of pilots practicing, it was not enough of a savings to make it practical for less wealthy countries to get these simulators and use them heavily. There was a continuation of the situation where countries could scrape together enough money to buy high performance aircraft but not have enough to pay for all that flight time needed to make their pilots good enough to face the well trained pilots. That would include Israelis, Americans and most Western air forces, a category that includes Asians nations like Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore. The new generation of simulators cost 10-20 percent what the aircraft they simulate go for. Suddenly, countries like China are developing and buying many of these simulators and giving their pilots enough realistic training to make them a threat in the air, especially to Western pilots.

The VTTC was created to take advantage of the cheaper flight simulators to make possible large-scale combat operations using F-15E, F-22 and F-35 fighters along with airborne support aircraft against equally large Chinese forces. Not only can the VTTC train a lot of pilots at once but allows examination of variations in known Chinese aerial tactics. VTTC exercises can also include pilots using simulators at other bases. Current Internet speeds and low-latency (delay) are the result of gamers and some commercial users demanding. Such network conditions mean wide area (international) networked simulators allow for simulating major air battles at an affordable price.

Each of these simulators can be run about 6,000 hours a year. While a hundred hours a year in a simulator isn't a complete replacement for actual air time, it's close enough if the training scenarios are well thought out. And another 40-50 hours of actual air time gives you a competent pilot. Add another few hundred hours using commercial (game store bought) flight simulators (especially when played in groups via a LAN) and you have some deadly pilots. The Chinese have, since the 1990s, stressed the use of PCs as a foundation for cheaper and more powerful simulators. In the last decade they been working their way towards the same goals the VTTC has.

Using American aircraft for "aggressor (or dissimilar) training" began in the 1960s. The original "Top Gun" fighter pilot school was established in 1969, by the U.S. Navy, in response to the poor performance of its pilots against North Vietnamese pilots flying Russian fighters. What made the Top Gun operation different was that the training emphasized how the enemy aircraft and pilots operated. This was called "dissimilar training". In the past, American pilots practiced against American pilots, with everyone flying American aircraft and using American tactics. It worked in World War II because the enemy pilots were not getting a lot of practice and were using similar aircraft and tactics anyway. Most importantly, there was a lot of aerial combat going on, providing ample opportunity for on-the-job training. Not so in Vietnam, where the quite different Russian-trained North Vietnamese were giving U.S. aviators an awful time. The four-week Top Gun program solved the problem. The air force followed shortly with its Red Flag school.

Since the 1970s the two training programs have developed differently, and the entire concept of "dissimilar training" has changed. The navy kept Top Gun as a program to hone a fighter pilot's combat skills. The air force made their Red Flag program more elaborate, bringing in the many different types of aircraft involved in combat missions (especially electronic warfare).

After the Cold War ended in 1991 it became increasingly obvious that none of America's potential enemies was providing their fighter pilots with much training at all. In other words, the dissimilar training for U.S. fighter pilots was not as crucial as it had been during the Cold War. Actually, it had been noted that flying skills of Soviet pilots was declining in the 1980s, as economic problems in the USSR caused cuts in flying time. During that period American pilots were actually increasing their flying time. Moreover, U.S. flight simulators were getting better. American pilots were finding that even the commercial game-oriented combat flight simulators had some training value.

In the late 1990s, Top Gun and Red Flag were faced with large budgets cuts as part of post-Cold War peace dividend. In the last decade some of those cuts have been revoked and the programs remain, as does the memory of why they were set up in the first place. If we find that, say, China is continuing to improve its combat aviation, and gives its fighter pilots more flying time and their politicians maintain a bellicose attitude towards the U.S., there will be a need to increase American dissimilar training efforts like Top Gun and Red Flag. The ground and naval forces were also doing more dissimilar training, often using computerized foes but also with other ground units or ships accurately representing potential enemies. Other nations adopted these American practices. After 2010 China and Russia also developed "dissimilar training" programs. All this meant the U.S. Top Gun and Red Flag schools were being restored to their former prominence.

Because Israel has been at war or under imminent threat of attack since the late 1940s Israel has developed one of the best Red Flag operations outside the United States. The Chinese effort to create a Red Flag operation is based largely on the success the United States and Israel have had with it, and shows that they are serious about preparing their pilots to fight and defeat Taiwanese and American pilots. Dissimilar training is how that is done and for many nations Israel is the nearest place to get it.
The colleagues revealed on Thursday that the items they removed included a water bottle that had traces of the Soviet-era nerve agent German authorities said was used to poison Mr Navalny.

Regrettably, what could have been evidence of poisoning was taken away, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Mr Navalny, the most visible opponent of Russian president Vladimir Putin, fell ill on the domestic flight on August 20 and was transferred to Germany for treatment at his wifes request two days later.

A German military lab later determined that Mr Navalny was poisoned with Novichok, the same class of Soviet-era agent that Britain said was used on a former Russian spy and his daughter in England, in 2018.

Members of the Navalny team said they searched his hotel room in the city of Tomsk upon learning that he collapsed on the flight home.

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They said they packed half-empty plastic water bottles and other items and sent them on to Germany for further inspection to help investigate what they suspected to be his poisoning.

Mr Navalnys colleagues said on Thursday that a German laboratory subsequently found a trace of Novichok on a bottle from his hotel room.

Top associate Georgy Alburov noted that the German experts concluded that the bottle did not contain the Novichok that Mr Navalny consumed, saying he likely transferred a tiny trace of the toxic substance behind when he drank from the container after having already been poisoned.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has said the German lab conducted tests on various samples from Mr Navalny, but neither she nor other German officials have not given details of what samples were tested.

The German government had no comment on Friday on the Navalny teams statement that Novichok was found on the water bottle taken from Russia.

Germany has said that independent tests by labs in France and Sweden backed up the military labs findings.

The Hague-based Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons also is having samples from Mr Navalny tested.

German Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Adebahr said those tests were ongoing and Germany had not received any results.

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The Kremlin reiterated that before Mr Navalnys transfer to Charite Hospital in Berlin, Russian labs and a hospital in the Siberian city of Omsk found no sign of a poisoning.

Moscow has called for Germany to provide its evidence and bristled at the urging from Ms Merkel and other Western leaders to answer questions about what happened to the politician.

There is too much absurdity in this case to take anyone at their word, Mr Peskov said Friday.

The Kremlin spokesman charged that Germany and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons have pointed to the other when Russia demanded access to the analyses and samples that allegedly demonstrated his poisoning.

The OPCWs technical secretariat tells us, We dont know anything, turn to the Germans, and the Germans tell us, We dont know anything, turn to the OPCW, he said.

Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of the Russian parliaments lower house, suggested on Friday without offering any evidence that Western spy agencies could have poisoned Mr Navalny to pave way for new sanctions against Russia.

Asked if the Kremlin agreed with Mr Volodins theory, Mr Peskov replied, We can neither agree nor disagree with the claim.

The only way to shed light on this incident is to share information, biomaterials and evidence and to work together in analysing the situation, he said.

Ms Merkels spokesman, Steffen Seibert told reporters on Friday that Germany was in contact with its European partners regarding the consequences Russia might face.

We have urgently asked Russia to explain itself on this matter, and this demand continues to stand, he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 23:14:34|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, speaks with teachers and students at the Yuelu Academy in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, Sept. 17, 2020. Xi on Thursday inspected Changsha. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)

CHANGSHA, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping has called for efforts to blaze a new path of high-quality development.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during an inspection tour in central China's Hunan Province from Wednesday to Friday.

Xi called on Hunan to develop itself into a hub of advanced manufacturing industry of national importance, a hub of technological innovation with core competitiveness, and a hub of reform and opening up in inland regions.

He also asked the province to demonstrate a renewed sense of responsibility in promoting the rise of the country's central region and the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

During the inspection tour, Xi researched coordinating COVID-19 control and economic and social development, and making plans for the economic and social development in the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025).

On Wednesday afternoon, Xi visited a revolution-themed exhibition hall at the village of Shazhou to learn about Party building at the primary level, local tourism, and education programs promoting revolutionary traditions.

The exhibition chronicles the story of an impoverished villager named Xu Jiexiu, who offered shelter to three female Red Army soldiers during the Long March in the 1930s. Before their departure, the soliders cut their only quilt into two pieces, leaving one part with Xu to show their care.

Xi required strengthened confidence in the socialist path, urging CPC members to deliver on the Party's commitments and promises and stand together with the people on the Long March of the new era.

Visiting the village's service center and infirmary, he stressed providing better services to the people.

Xi also learned about the progress on poverty alleviation while visiting a modern farming and tourism demonstration base, and checked the collocations of food in student meals and food safety when he toured a township primary school.

In the home of Zhu Xiaohong, grandson of Xu Jiexiu, Xi said the CPC's goal is to lead the Chinese people to liberation and a better life, and the Party must stick to its fundamental purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly.

Leaving Zhu's home, Xi told villagers and tourists who came to greet him that it is because of the support of the people that the CPC has gone through a glorious course and created great achievements.

He said the Party remains committed to serving the people, which is not only a slogan, but also an action of persistence.

The Party is striving to make people live a richer and happier life, Xi said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, inspects the production line of Sunward, an advanced machinery manufacturer, in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, Sept. 17, 2020. Xi on Thursday inspected Changsha. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

While visiting Sunward, an advanced machinery manufacturer in the provincial capital city of Changsha on Thursday afternoon, Xi inspected the workshop and spoke highly of the innovation spirit of the employees.

Independent innovation is the life of an enterprise, Xi stressed. "Key and core technologies must be firmly held in our hands," he added.

Xi required resolute efforts to support manufacturing and the real economy to become bigger and stronger, and pledged to continue opening up in the new phase of development.

Xi underscored the healthy and continuous development of the cultural industry while visiting a cultural industry park in the city.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, speaks with teachers and students while visiting a university in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, Sept. 17, 2020. Xi on Thursday inspected Changsha. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

He also inspected the thousand-year-old Yuelu Academy in Hunan University. Xi stressed combining teaching and practices, making full use of rich historical and cultural resources to promote the understanding of why history and the people have chosen the CPC and socialism.

He encouraged young people to live up to the expectations of times.

On Friday morning, after hearing the Party's Hunan provincial committee and the provincial government report their work, Xi noted the emergence of new opportunities and challenges while the country remains in an important period of strategic opportunity for development.

Xi stressed the need to nurture new drivers and advantages for high-quality development, advance the modernization of industrial chains, increase effective investment, and expand consumer spending.

He also called for strengthening enterprises' abilities to innovate, breaking deep-rooted institutional barriers, and pushing for the innovative development of foreign trade.

When addressing the prioritization of the development of agriculture and rural areas, Xi stressed the need to steadily raise grain production capability, deepen agricultural supply-side structural reform, activate the internal forces driving rural vitalization, and synchronize poverty eradication with rural vitalization.

Xi called for progress in ecological civilization, and continuous improvement in the environment and rural living conditions.

Emphasizing the people-centered philosophy of development, Xi demanded solid efforts to solve problems of pressing public concern.

He said work should be done to facilitate employment among key groups, including college graduates, demobilized military personnel, rural migrant workers, and urban residents who have had difficulty finding jobs.

Problems concerning inaccessible and expensive medical resources should be addressed, and ethnic solidarity should be strengthened, Xi added.

More efforts should be made to encourage and guide Party members and officials in carrying forward the revolutionary traditions, Xi said, adding that a system under which officials "don't dare to, are unable to and have no desire to commit acts of corruption" must be advanced as a whole. 
A shooting in Indiana that police said apparently stemmed from a college house party left one person dead while two others were being treated at a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The shooting occurred between 1:30 and 2am on Friday, Terre Haute police Sgt Ryan Adamson said on Twitter. He did not say whether anyone was in custody but asked that anyone with information call police. It happened about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from the Indiana State University campus.

Messages left with police was not immediately returned.

Terre Haute is about 75 miles (120 kilometers) west of Indianapolis near the Illinois border.
Coronavirus cases in Colombia's border area with Venezuela have increased ten-fold in the last two weeks, Etienne said in a virtual briefing from Washington with other Pan American Health Organization directors.

Death rates are climbing in parts of Mexico, and similar trends are seen in Ecuador, Costa Rica and Bolivia, with similar patterns also emerging in areas of Argentina, she said.

"Although the entire world is racing to develop new tools to prevent and cure COVID-19, a safe and effective vaccine that can be manufactured and delivered at scale is not around the corner," Etienne warned.

"We must be clear that opening up too early gives this virus more room to spread and puts our populations at greater risk. Look no further than Europe," she said.

Etienne said governments must monitor travel very carefully because reopening to tourism can lead to setbacks. That has happened in the Caribbean, where several countries that had virtually no cases have experienced spikes as tourism resumed.

According to a Reuters tally, Latin America has recorded around 8.4 million coronavirus cases, and over 314,000 deaths, both figures being the highest of any region.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and the police agency he oversees engaged in a public disagreement over his ban on use of tear gas during nightly protests, records show.

In an email the mayor sent to Police Chief Chuck Lovell and other top bureau officials, Wheeler said he expects unity throughout my administration, not the public push-back he got from the law enforcement agency.

A news release the Portland Police Bureau issued last week criticized Wheelers decision to ban officers from using a particularly toxic type of tear gas against protesters.

That prompted a review of the agencys media protocol, according to the mayors office.

A police bureau message criticizing the mayors decision to ban use of CS gas, sent about six hours after Wheelers announcement last Thursday, was a serious breach of protocol and an inappropriate use of city communications resources, the mayor said in a separate statement first reported by The Portland Tribune.

The mayors office wasnt told of the release ahead of its publishing and Wheeler told the bureaus communications staff to come up with new guidelines to improve coordination and awareness.

In a message to police bureau employees the same day as Wheelers decision to ban use of CS gas, Lovell wrote that he understood officers' frustrations and that removing tools from the police limits our ability to serve and protect.

Kristin Dennis, Wheelers chief of staff, said the proposed new guidelines are under review. She said she didnt know yet what the proposed changes are. Wheeler is the citys police commissioner.

We want to make sure theyre communicating with us in advance of sending out some of their press releases, particularly big statements like the one last week, Dennis said.

In response to questions about the Police Bureaus response to Wheelers email, spokesperson Lt. Greg Pashley said Friday, The mayor is the police commissioner and the Police Bureau follows his direction.

Officer Daryl Turner, president of the Portland Police Association, said last week he believes the tear gas ban is going to blow up in (Wheelers) face, forcing officers to use more impact munitions and use more physical force to disperse crowds.

The union on Wednesday announced a petition campaign calling for more support of officers and for the City Council to not divert any more funding from the Police Bureau. The city redirected $15 million from the police bureau before adopting the city budget in June.

Wheeler announced the ban after more than 100 days of protests amid calls for more police and social justice reforms. Portland and federal officers have repeatedly deployed CS gas on protest crowds over the past few months leading to lawsuits against the city and federal authorities over its deployment and widespread calls from the public for the tactic to be discontinued.

Protests have slowed recently as wildfires throughout the state have caused hazardous air quality.

Portland police have been restricted by a federal judges order since early June from using tear gas, except when lives or public safety are at risk. Officers went on to repeatedly use tear gas anyway, citing concerns over some protesters throwing water bottles, rocks, fireworks and other items toward officers.

The Portland police news release issued last week called CS gas a tool needed to protect officers and the community. The message also noted that the gas from city officers has gone into Portlanders' homes and describes that as not something we desire.

However, the community should be asking the rioters why they are committing violence that threatens the very lives of others nearby, the statement said.

The police bureau news release listed what officers have been subjected to by some demonstrators since late May such as anti-police chants and objects thrown at them including rocks, water bottles, paint balloons, fireworks. It also said protesters have broken windows, painted graffiti and set fires in parts of downtown, North and Northeast Portland, including in county and police union buildings.

The police bureau statement said banning CS gas will make it difficult for officers to make arrests for criminal acts during demonstrations without resorting to much higher levels of physical force, and more risk to officers' safety. The statement also notes several Portland-area law enforcement agencies have refused Gov. Kate Browns request to aid city officers with protests given the climate in Portland.

The Police Bureau also said it would take time to research alternative methods.

Removing tools without well vetted alternatives, with policies and training in place prior to their use, places police and community members at risk, the statement said. No one has presented a solution of how officers can stop a rioting group who are threatening the lives of those present, especially given that in most of those cases, officers are clearly outnumbered, sometimes by hundreds.

The day after the police statement, Wheeler sent an email to Lovell, Deputy Chief Chris Davis and assistant chiefs Jami Resch, Mike Leasure and Mike Frome, saying he wanted to make it clear that he expected his decision on the bureau not using CS gas to be followed.

Resch was the chief of police for six months until she stepped down in June about a week and a half into the nightly demonstrations saying she believed the bureau needed a leadership change and named Lovell her successor.

I welcome frank input and thoughtful debate as I formulate specific policy initiatives, Wheeler wrote. However, once I have made a decision, effective implementation of the chosen strategy requires unity throughout my administration.

He went on to say that the police bureau should concentrate on priorities beyond a ground response to demonstrations and focus on efforts and partnerships to do more investigations and arrests of people who commit crimes during protests. Wheeler also set a Wednesday deadline, which has passed, for the police agency to adhere to new media guidelines and provide a plan related to an upcoming Sept. 26 far right rally in the city that would allow the public to safely express their First Amendment rights, prevent violence and stop criminal activity, secure the partnership of neighboring jurisdictions, and abide by the directives I have laid out. The rally will likely draw a counter protest.

Pashley said Friday that police response planning for the opposing demonstrations is still underway.

Wheeler in his statement this week said Lovell took responsibility for the police statement, that it wasnt intended to disobey the gas ban and that they both are still committed to working together to address police reforms.

I made it clear, in no uncertain terms, to the chief that this cannot happen again.

-- Everton Bailey Jr; ebailey@oregonian.com | 503-221-8343 | @EvertonBailey

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Park Sam-duck, second from right, together with Philippine Embassy Charge de Affairs Christian L. De Jesus, right, United National Command Deputy Commander Vice Adm. Stuart Campbell Mayer, third from right, and Republic of Korea Army 1 Corps Deputy Commander Jang Gwang-seon, left, pay tribute to the war dead in front of the Korean War Monument to the Philippine Armed Forces in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province during a ceremony held Friday, to mark the 70th anniversary of the Philippines troops' arrival in Busan, Sept. 19. Courtesy of Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs



By Jung Da-min



GOYANG  South Korea honored the heroic efforts of members of the Philippines Armed Forces who participated in the 1950-53 Korean War, the start of which has its 70th anniversary this year.



On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Philippines troops' arrival in Busan, Sept. 19, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs held a ceremony at the Korean War Monument to the Philippine Armed Forces in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province.



The ceremony was attended by Minister Park Sam-duck, Philippine Embassy Charge de Affairs Christian L. De Jesus, United National Command Deputy Commander Vice Adm. Stuart Campbell Mayer, Goyang Mayor Lee Jae-joon and Republic of Korea Army 1 Corps Deputy Commander Jang Gwang-seon.





Participants attend a ceremony held Friday at the Korean War Monument to the Philippine Armed Forces in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, to mark the 70th anniversary of the Philippines troops' arrival in Busan, Sept. 19. Korea Times photo by Jung Da-min





The Korean War Monument to the Philippine Armed Forces in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, seen in this photo, Friday. Korea Times photo by Jung Da-min
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Libyas commander who rules the eastern half of the country and who was behind a year-long military attempt to capture the capital, Tripoli, said Friday that oil production would restart soon, ending a months-long blockade of the nations vital oil fields.

The Tripoli-based National Oil Corporation, however, appeared skeptical earlier on Friday, and previous attempts to end the crippling oil blockade have broken down.

The commander, Khalifa Hifter, promised in a televised address that oil would start pumping again for the first time since January with conditions that ensure a fair distribution of revenue.

His spokesman, Ahmed al-Mosmari, said the breakthrough stems from a Libyan-Libyan dialogue led by Ahmed Matiq, the rival Tripoli governments deputy prime minister, seeking to resolve the oil paralysis and create a new mechanism to distribute the countrys petrodollars more equitably.

We are ready to open oil fields to secure the future of Libya for a period of one month, he said.

Since Libya descended into chaos following the 2011 uprising that ousted and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi, the North African country has been split west to east. A U.N.-supported administration in Tripoli, propped up by Turkey, holds sway over the west. Hifter, backed by Russia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, controls the east and south, including the countrys major oil fields and terminals.

The U.N. has been trying to steer the rival sides toward peace talks aimed at ending their years-long conflict. Diplomatic efforts gained traction after Hifters campaign to capture the Libyan capital failed in June and the Tripoli-based militias, backed by Turkey, turned the tide of war.

The two sides agreed on a preliminary deal earlier this month that would include elections within 18 months and a demilitarization of the contested city of Sirte, controlled by Hifter and the gateway to Libyas major oil fields and export terminals.

Earlier Friday, the head of the Tripoli-based National Oil Corporation issued a statement indicating the resumption of oil production was less certain. The company had apparently been excluded from the back-door talks between Matiq and Hifters allies.

Mustafa Sanallah said the corporation would not lift force majeure, a legal manoeuvr that lets a company get out of its contracts because of extraordinary circumstances, until Russian mercenaries leave the oil fields and export terminals. Sanallah rejected what he called secret and disorganized negotiations aiming to undercut an internationally-brokered political process to reopen the fields.

Libyas highly prized, light crude has long been a factor in its civil war, as rival militias and foreign powers jostle for control of Africas largest oil reserves.

Powerful eastern tribes loyal to Hifter first seized control of the oil fields in January, cutting Libyas 1.2 million barrels a day to a trickle and starving the country of badly needed cash, to protest the distribution of revenues to the east and the alleged corruption of Libyas Tripoli-based Central Bank, through which oil proceeds flow.

The blockade has deprived the National Oil Corporation of nearly $10 billion in revenue and led to nationwide fuel shortages. Power outages have piled on misery for millions of Libyans struggling to cope with a dire coronavirus outbreak and gutted infrastructure, triggering street demonstrations that have intensified pressure on the parties to reach a deal.

Matiq said the decision to immediately reopen Libyas fields and ports came as part of an economic settlement over revenue, involving a joint committee to form a budget, transfer funds and mediate financial disputes between the rival factions. He did not address the scores of Russian mercenaries from Wagner, a Kremlin-linked private security company, stationed across oil fields that the National Oil Corporation says remain a barrier to the resumption of exports.

The secret talks between Matiq and Hifters representatives come just days after Hifters key rival, Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj of the Tripoli-based government, announced he would hand over power to a new administration in October. There was no formal announcement from the Tripoli-based administration about the deal to reopen contested oil fields, suggesting that Matiq may be positioning himself to exploit the void once Sarraj resigns.

Meanwhile, the U.N. is pressing ahead with political talks between rival delegates, set to resume soon in Geneva. But Russia and Turkey, power brokers on opposite sides of the conflict, have mounted their own diplomatic efforts to forge a political agreement and held separate consultations this week in Ankara.

In Istanbul on Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed regret that his ally Sarraj would soon be stepping down.

To receive such news was saddening for us, he said. Through our intervention ... Sarraj and his team ... were able to evade what I may call (Hifters) invasion.

___

Associated Press writer Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, contributed to this report.
Joe Biden has launched a mocking attack on Donald Trump, saying the president repeatedly says he will reveal an infrastructure plan but never does.

Speaking in Minnesota, a state Democrats narrowly won in 2016 but which the president is hoping to flip, Mr Biden accused Mr Trump of looking down on working people and being perhaps the most selfish occupant of the Oval Office.

He had a plan in 17 ... then he had one in 18. Then he had one in 19. Then he has one for 20, said the former vice president. Just like his nonexistent health care plan that's coming next week. He has no plan.

Mr Trump has often vowed to launch major infrastructure plans but they never get off the ground.

Earlier this year, New York governor Andrew Cuomo urged the president to launch a large scale plan as a means to kickstart the economy.

 Jill Biden Says Her Family No Longer Friends With Lindsey Graham

This is one of the things I want to talk to the president about, Mr Cuomo said, before a meeting in the White House.

You want to reopen the economy. Let's do something creative, let's do it fast, let's put Americans back to work.

Mr Biden also attacked Mr Trump over his handling of the pandemic.

How many empty chairs around those dinner tables because of his negligence and selfishness? I cant think of any president whos ever acted, in my view, so selfishly, he said.

I spent a lot of my life with guys like Donald Trump looking down on me  looking down on the people who make a living with their hands, people who take care of our kids, clean our streets.

Less than 50 days before election day, an average of polls shows Mr Biden with a lead of up to 7 points nationwide.

Yet, the election will be fought and won in a handful of battleground states  places such as Florida, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Arizona.

For a while it appeared Mr Trump was making headway in Minnesota which Democrats have not lost since 1972.

Yet an average of polls collated by RealClearPolitics puts the former vice president ahead of Mr Trump there by 10 clear points.

It's time to reward hard work in America  not wealth, he also said in his remarks.

We don't have to penalise wealth. But its the opposite now; we reward wealth and not work.
Bobby Storey spent more than 20 years of his life in prison. Photo: PA

Mary Lou McDonald says she will absolutely cooperate into the PSNI investigation of breaches of social distancing rules at Bobby Storeys funeral.

But she has also said she doesnt anticipate being able to travel to meet them if travel outside Dublin is locked down from tonight.

If the police want to talk to anyone, obviously people will go and talk to them, she told the Irish Independent. They are carrying out a review. They need to crack on with it.

I would absolutely talk to them if they wanted it. By the looks of things I am not going to be going anywhere, because the special situation in the city now is that we cant go anywhere. I wont be travelling anywhere.

She added: But I have no issue at all in assisting the PSNI with their review. All of us have to assist them in their work.

A number of Sinn Fein politicians have been contacted by the PSNI over their attendance of the controversial Bobby Storey funeral while Northern Ireland was under strict Covid-19 restrictions

The party confirmed a number of the partys elected representatives have received letters from the police this morning asking them to present for voluntary interview.

"They will contact the police and co-operate with the investigation, the spokesperson added.

Asked about Michelle ONeills expression of regret about the funeral, McDonald said: The worst experience of all was families who lost loved ones and had to bury the in the most extraordinarily difficult circumstances.

I am not going to judge or criticise any family for the decisions they make in laying their loved ones to rest.

I am conscious, and I was at the time, that there were big numbers lining the streets for Bobby Storeys funeral. It fuelled comment and criticism. Of course I regret that.

The last thing you want is for people to be upset, and particularly surrounding the whole heartbreak. I dont want to see controversy around a funeral and a bereaved family."

It is understood around 12 members of the party received letters from the Northern Irish police force.

Police said they contacted a number of people, inviting them to attend voluntary interviews with officers at a local police station.

Those who have received the letters have 14 days to respond, a statement issued to Independent.ie states.

The statement was issued on behalf of DCC Mark Webster, Cumbria Constabulary in relation to the investigation into the funeral of Bobby Storey this morning.

He said that an "initial" number of letters have been issued to those who have been identified as being present at the funeral.

Today an initial number of letters were issued to individuals who were identified as having been present on 30th June in potential breach of the Health Protection Regulations.

The letters are inviting these individuals to participate in a voluntary interview with investigating officers at a local police station," he said.

Those individuals now have 14 days to respond.

Upon receipt of a letter individuals will have fourteen days to respond should they wish to take part in an interview.

As this matter remains a live investigation there will be no further commentary at this time.

Hundreds of people lined the streets of west Belfast for the funeral in June and it was also attended by senior Sinn Fein representatives, including the Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill and the Finance Minister Conor Murphy.

Their attendance sparked a row at Stormont, with other parties accusing Sinn Fein of breaching the coronavirus restrictions.

Both Ms O'Neill and Mr Murphy have denied breaching social distancing measures while at the funeral.

It is not yet known if they are among the individuals who have been contacted by police.

The news of the mourners being contacted by the PSNI broke while Sinn Fein TD Louise O'Reilly was on air on RTE Today with Claire Byrne.

"If there is a requirement of any elected rep from Sinn Fein to co-operate with an investigation, that will be done. The job of the PSNI is to conduct investigations and you know, where that happens, absolutely, there will be co-operation.

"Our position remains the same.

"We maintain that there wasn't a breach of guidelines but we will absolutely co-operate with a PSNI investigation," said Ms O'Reilly.

Ms McDonald added: I am very pleased that Michelle and Arlene are working so closely together. All things being equal. I think they have done a good job throughout this period of crisis, and with a five-party Executive it is a complicated enough government arrangement. But I think they have done well.

They have to work together now throughout the Autumn, into the winter and into the New Year, because things are going to be tough for people and what we needed is steady, sure-footed leadership.
High cost of procuring RT-PCR machines might prove to be a hurdle in implementing the High Court's suggestion to ramp up RT-PCR testing in the national capital amid a surge in the cases, officials said on Thursday.

The High Court on Wednesday suggested that the AAP government increase the RT-PCR test capacity to the maximum possible to detect COVID-19 infection, as Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) were only 60 per cent accurate.

The high court asked an expert committee, set by the Lieutenant Governor (LG), to convene a meeting on priority basis to consider the extent to which capacity of testing by RT-PCR should be ramped up.

The bench also noted that in the week from September 8-15, the testing done through RT-PCR was less than one-fourth of the total number of tests and rest was done by the RAT process.

The RAT process is considered less accurate as compared to RT-PCR dueto its high false negative rate. An RT-PCR machines costs Rs 15-20 lakh, officials said.

A senior government official told PTI, "We will need more RT-PCR machines to ramp up testing. These machines are quite expensive. It is not possible to make this kind of investments at this stage. The government can try, but it is already reeling under shortage of funds."



Another official from the city's north district said they have already issued directions to the staff to conduct more RT-PCR tests.

The official said they are following all the guidelines with respect to conducting tests by testing all symptomatic patients, who test negative on rapid antigen, by retesting them using the RT-PCR method.

"We will ask the staffers to follow all the norms and we might start testing mildly symptomatic patients using the RT-PCR method," the official added.

At present, the sanctioned strength of conducting RT-PCR is 14,000 per day in Delhi.

The high court had also expressed concern over continuous rise in COVID-19 cases, with nearly 4,500 new infections reported on Tuesday.

Nutan Mundeja, the head of the Directorate General of Health Services, said, "The court has ordered to do it. We will abide by its directions. We could ramp up the testing with the help of rapid antigen tests, as it is a point of care testing and the logistics is simpler."



"We have been following the ICMR guidelines. RT-PCR tests are being conducted on those having symptoms. These tests are not prescribed for asymptomatic cases," she said.

Also, Delhi has started on-demand testing, wherein symptomatic patients do not need a doctor's prescription to get themselves tested for coronavirus, Mundeja said.

Asked if RT-PCR machines being used for conducting other molecular tests can be diverted for COVID-19 testing, Mundeja said, "We have already diverted CB-NAAT machines meant for detecting tuberculosis. Every disease is equally important. And, other diseases are curable compared to COVID-19."



"If CB-NAAT is being used for tuberculosis diagnosis, ethically and professionally it should be used for TB rather than COVID-19, because TB is curable," she said.

"We will examine it (ramping up RT-PCR testing) and see what best we can do," she said.

While CBNAAT and TrueNat machines test fewer samples in a cycle, the tests are faster than a traditional RT-PCR test and can be used by hospitals' emergency departments.

Dr Alpana Razdaan, Lab Head, Genestrings Lab, said, "The RT-PCR tests are not happening in full capacity. Despite there being a limit of 14,000 tests daily, the number of RT-PCR tests being conducted is less.

"The government has to push for more tests. We have not received any guidelines from the government on increasing the RT-PCR tests. The testing has to be more efficient.

"Last month, 10-20 per cent of the samples were testing positive but now 30 to 40 per cent of the samples tested are positive on a daily basis. We do not know whether it due to the positivity rate going up or due to more testing being conducted.

(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.)
Proscribed group, Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), has bashed Pete Edochie after the veteran Nollywood actor raised alarm early this week alleging his life was being threatened after photos and video clips circulated, showing him playing a role that seemed like that of Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, leader of the IMN, who has been held in detention by the Nigerian Army since December 2015.



In the yet to be released movie produced by Anosike Kingsley Orji, the Islamic Movement in Nigeria was reportedly depicted as a terrorist organisation.



According to IMN, the movie titled Fatal Arrogance was sponsored by the "Nigerian Army to cover up the alleged December 2015 massacre of Shiites by soldiers where 348 people were allegedly killed."



Early this week, following backlash of the movie by IMN members, Pete Edochie claimed his life was being threatened.



I dont understand what the IMN is driving at. The film we shot is not even out, it has not been edited, the production is not complete" Edochie said in the interview released by Sahara Reporters.



If they have complained to the Inspector-General of Police, and the IGP says give me a copy of the film, what are we going to do because the film is not in existence yet, it is not in circulation.



I am supposed to have played a role that ridiculed their boss, chief, whoever is in charge of their group.



I am suggesting that you wait, keep your gunpowder dry, when the film is released, you can now make your grumbles known to the Inspector-General of Police.



Whatever is being done now is premature, it is not proper.



Fatal Arrogance, whatever it is, whatever it deals with, I think the best thing to do is to wait until the production comes out.



"I did not write it, the film was produced by Kingsley Orji Anosike. If you want to express resentment over the production, which you have not watched, direct your grievances to the producer of the film not to Pete Edochie who is a mere actor, it does not concern me.



I thank all those people who out of concern informed me of the campaign of deliberation of my person, the organised threat of my person by IMN, I thank you all. Im a free born of Nigeria, I was born and raised in Nigeria. Im not going to run away from Nigeria because a few individuals think they want things done in their own way.



The IMN have now responded, saying Pete Edochie allowed himself 'to be used' and should stop wailing as he wasn't threatened. The group blasted the actor for his portrayal of shiites in the soon to be released movie.



The IMN also claimed the movie was similar to a book written by Kuanum Terrence, a 'military apologist'.



Reacting in a statement by Ibrahim Musa, its spokesperson, the IMN said the ace actor attempted to give IMN a bad name by attracting cheap sympathy from Nigerians with his narrative.



The sect also said that Edochies explanation was inexplicable, his reasons flawed and his excuses unimpressive, irrational, and at best absurd.



The petition written by the IMN to the Inspector General of Police and the Films Censors Board doesnt threaten anyones life. Issuing of threats has never been in our character, the statement read.



Pete Edochie should be honourable enough to accept that he allowed himself to be used to further vilify victims of one of the worst state-sponsored massacres of its citizens. He could still redeem his name as other actors in the ill-fated film are doing.



If Edochie has any character as he claims, he would not have accepted to act any role in a film that seems to change the narrative and distort history based on a book distorting facts! If he had any integrity, he would not have accepted to appear in a movie tarnishing the image of an oppressed personality like Sheikh Zakzaky and still think he did nothing wrong because the Sheikh was not mentioned by name.



Any serious artist worth the name must, first of all, undertake some kind of serious research to get the facts of any script brought to him right.



Had he been bold enough to cross-check, he would have realized that genocide took place in Zaria in 2015 where over a thousand Nigerian lives were wasted by the sponsors of the film.



He would have come across the very many attempts by the perpetrators to hide these heinous crimes, firstly by the burial of their victims in mass graves, an internationally recognized crime



He would have realized the matter is currently a subject of investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC). The script before him is a continuation of that desperate attempt to distort facts.



The IMF has petitioned the Films and Censorship Board as well as the Inspector-General of police over the movie.

Source: LIB









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Not for distribution to U.S. newswire services or for dissemination in the United States

OAKVILLE, Ontario, Sept. 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Giyani Metals Corp. (TSXV:EMM, GR:A2DUU8) ("Giyani" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the partly brokered private placement financing (the "Private Placement"), as initially announced on September 4, 2020 and increased in size on September 11, 2020, has closed. The Private Placement was fully subscribed and comprised of 9,600,000 units (each, a "Unit") at a price of $0.125 per Unit for gross proceeds of $1.2 million in immediately available new funding.

Each Unit consists of one (1) common share (each, a "Common Share") and one half () of one Common Share purchase warrant. Each whole warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one Common Share at an exercise price of $0.20 per share until the date that is 18 months from the date of issue.

In connection with the Private Placement, Giyani also issued 358,320 finder's warrants which entitle the holders thereof to purchase common shares for 18 months at a purchase price per common share of $0.125.

The net proceeds from the Private Placement will be used for working capital requirements and other general corporate purposes.

Insiders and management of Giyani subscribed for an aggregate of 2,347,668 Units or 24% of the Private Placement, which subscriptions are considered related party transactions within the meaning of TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") Policy 5.9 and Multilateral Instrument 61-101 Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Company relied on exemptions from the formal valuation and minority approval requirements in sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101 in respect of the insider subscriptions.

The Private Placement is subject to the final acceptance of the TSXV. All securities issued are subject to a statutory four month and one day hold period, which will end on January 19, 2021.

Robin Birchall, CEO of Giyani Metals Corp. commented:

"I am delighted with the success of the Private Placement. I believe we are at an inflection point in the awareness of manganese in the battery electric vehicle market and expect increasing exposure in the coming months. We are working hard towards the completion of the feasibility study on our flagship K.Hill project in Botswana, expected to be completed in H1 next year. In the meantime, we continue to fine tune the preliminary economic assessment, last released on 28 April 2020, to include our most up to date assumptions and modified product mix, as announced on 3 September 2020. We will update the market on this work in due course."

About Giyani

Giyani Metals Corp. is a mineral resource company focused on the development of its K.Hill, Lobatse & Otse manganese oxide projects in the Kanye Basin, Botswana, Africa. The Company's flagship K.Hill project is a near-surface deposit currently going through a feasibility study to produce high-purity electrolytic manganese metal and manganese sulphate, both key cathode ingredients for batteries in the expanding electric vehicle (EV) market.

Additional information and corporate documents may be found on www.sedar.com and on Giyani Metals Corp. Website: https://giyanimetals.com/.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of Giyani Metals Corp.

Robin Birchall, CEO

Contact:

Robin Birchall

CEO, Director

+44 7711 313019

rbirchall@giyanimetals.com

Thomas Horton

VP, Business Development

+44 7866 913207

thorton@giyanimetals.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

The securities described herein have not been registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws, and accordingly, may not be offered or sold to, or for the account or benefit of, persons in the United States or "U.S. persons," as such term is defined in Regulation S promulgated under the U.S. Securities Act ("U.S. Persons"), except in compliance with the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities requirements or pursuant to exemptions therefrom. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the Company's securities to, or for the account of benefit of, persons in the United States or U.S. Persons.

Forward Looking Information

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements in this news release, other than statements of historical fact, that address events or developments that Giyani expects to occur, are "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "does not expect", "plans", "anticipates", "does not anticipate", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential", "scheduled", "forecast", "budget" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could", "should" or "might" occur. Specific forward-looking statements and forward-looking information herein includes statements regarding the completion of the feasibility study on the K.Hill project in H1 2021 and an update on work related to the preliminary economic assessment.

All such forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of the relevant management as of the date such statements are made and are subject to certain assumptions, important risk factors and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Giyani's ability to control or predict. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based on estimates and assumptions that are inherently subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In the case of Giyani, these facts include their anticipated operations in future periods, planned exploration and development of its properties, and plans related to its business and other matters that may occur in the future. This information relates to analyses and other information that is based on expectations of future performance and planned work programs.

Forward-looking information is subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause actual events or results to differ from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information, including, without limitation: inherent exploration hazards and risks; risks related to exploration and development of natural resource properties; uncertainty in Giyani's ability to obtain funding; commodity price fluctuations; recent market events and conditions; risks related to the uncertainty of mineral resource calculations and the inclusion of inferred mineral resources in economic estimation; risks related to governmental regulations; risks related to obtaining necessary licenses and permits; risks related to their business being subject to environmental laws and regulations; risks related to their mineral properties being subject to prior unregistered agreements, transfers, or claims and other defects in title; risks relating to competition from larger companies with greater financial and technical resources; risks relating to the inability to meet financial obligations under agreements to which they are a party; ability to recruit and retain qualified personnel; and risks related to their directors and officers becoming associated with other natural resource companies which may give rise to conflicts of interests. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect Giyani's forward-looking information. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in the forward-looking information or statements.

Giyani's forward-looking information is based on the reasonable beliefs, expectations and opinions of their respective management on the date the statements are made, and Giyani does not assume any obligation to update forward looking information if circumstances or management's beliefs, expectations or opinions change, except as required by law. For the reasons set forth above, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. For a complete discussion with respect to Giyani and risks associated with forward-looking information and forward-looking statements, please refer to Giyani's financial statements and related MD&A, all of which are filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com .

GIYANI METALS CORP.

1155 North Service Road West, Unit 11

Oakville, Ontario L6M 3E3

www.giyanimetals.com TSX.V-EMM
A liberal initiative led by a co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement is funded by a group linked to the Chinese Communist Party, it has been revealed.

Alicia Garza, 39, is the principal of Black Futures Lab, an advocacy group she created two years ago that works 'with black people to transform their communities', according to their website.

The New York Post reports, however, that the group is receiving funding from the San Francisco-based Chinese Progressive Association with ties to the People's Republic of China.

Garza has previously been described as a 'trained Marxist' by her BLM co-founder Patrisse Cullors.

Alicia Garza, 39, is the principal of Black Futures Lab, an advocacy group she created two years ago that is funded by a US-based group linked to the Chinese Communist Party

She is listed as its leader on the organization's website

The Black Futures Lab donation page links directly to the Chinese Progressive Association

The link notes that the initiative is funded by the Chinese Progressive Association

'We are super-versed on, sort of, ideological theories. And I think that what we really tried to do is build a movement that could be utilized by many, many black folk,' Cullors said in an interview with The Real News Network.

On a funding page for Black Future Labs, it reveals how it is 'fiscally sponsored' by the Chinese group group.

The Chinese Progressive Association are not listed among the partners on their website yet the donate button on Black Future Labs website links directly to a page on the CPA's own site.

Black Future Labs writes that its goal is to build 'black political power' and change 'the way that power operateslocally, statewide, and nationally'.

Their mission is to 'engage Black voters year-round', to 'use our political strength to stop corporate influences from creeping into progressive policies' and to 'combine technology and traditional organizing methods to reach black people anywhere and everywhere we are,' they add.

On their website, the CPA state that their group 'educates, organizes and empowers the low income and working class immigrant Chinese community in San Francisco to build collective power with other oppressed communities to demand better living and working conditions and justice for all people'.

Yet according to the Post, the group, founded in 1972, also has ties to the Chinese government, where there is a history of the mistreatment of black people.

According to Heritage.org, the CPA was founded 'during the heady days of the Marxist-oriented Asian American Movement'.

It cites a Stanford paper that states: 'The CPA began as a Leftist, pro-People's Republic of China organization, promoting awareness of mainland China's revolutionary thought and workers' rights, and dedicated to self-determination, community control, and "serving the people".'

It adds that it 'worked with other pro-PRC groups within the U.S. and San Francisco Bay Area  Support for the PRC was based on the inspiration the members drew from what they saw as a successful grassroots model that presented a viable alternative to Western capitalism.'

The group has also held events with and supporting the Chinese government.

The Chinese Progressive Association, founded in 1972, has ties to the Chinese government, where there is a history of the mistreatment of black people

Garza, pictured second left, is an organizer and writer. As well as founding BLM, she has worked as the Special Projects Director for the National Domestic Workers Alliance

Alicia Garza is an organizer and writer who co-founded the Black Lives Matter movement

This included support for raising the Chinese flag over Boston's City Hall last year to celebrate the anniversary of the Communist Party's takeover of China. The group now has an active branch in the city as well as in San Francisco.

They also held a joint event with the People's Republic of China to help Chinese nationals renew their passports, the Washington Times reported.

Just this year, the coronavirus pandemic allegedly saw Africans living in Guangzhou, China, targeted with xenophobia, according to CNN.

There were reports that they were subject to random coronavirus testing or quarantined for 14 days in their homes, despite having no symptoms and there being no evidence they had contact with an infected person.

According to an advisory issued by the US State Department in May, there were also reports that bars and restaurants in China were ordered by law enforcement not to serve people of African origin.

'Moreover, local officials launched a round of mandatory tests for COVID-19, followed by mandatory self-quarantine, for anyone with "African contacts", regardless of recent travel history or previous quarantine completion,' the advisory said.

Alicia Garza has been described by another BLM co-founder as a 'trained Marxist'

'African-Americans have also reported that some businesses and hotels refuse to do business with them.

'The US Consulate General advises African-Americans or those who believe Chinese officials may suspect them of having contact with nationals of African countries to avoid the Guangzhou metropolitan area until further notice,' it added.

However, China has voiced support of the BLM movement and used the Chinese Communist Party outlet China Daily to slam US 'racism and police violence'.

The Black Lives Matter movement started with the use of the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter on social media following the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of black teen Trayvon Martin in February 2012.

It grew following a Facebook post by Garza called 'A Love Letter to Black People' published shortly afterward.

It regained traction this year following the brutal police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25.

The three founders of the movement and hashtag are activists Garza, Cullors and Opal Tometi, who expanded the project into a national network of over 30 local chapters between 2014 and 2016.

Garza is also behind the Movement for Black Lives which has described itself as 'anti-capitalist', according to Heritage.

'We believe and understand that Black people will never achieve liberation under the current global radicalized capitalist system,' it has stated.

It adds that in 2015, Garza also stated: 'It's not possible for a world to emerge where black lives matter if it's under capitalism, and it's not possible to abolish capitalism without a struggle against national oppression.'

According to the Maine Beacon, Garza said in 2019 that 'were talking about changing how weve organized this country, so that we actually can achieve the justice that we are fighting for'.

'I believe we all have work to do to keep dismantling the organizing principle of this society, which creates inequities for everyone,' she added.

Garza is an organizer and writer living in California. As well as founding BLM, she has worked as the Special Projects Director for the National Domestic Workers Alliance.
Hospitals and councils have been told to find extra beds for coronavirus patients within two weeks - Peter Byrne/PA

Hospitals and councils have been told to find extra beds for coronavirus patients within two weeks as the NHS braces for a second spike in cases.

With hospital admissions beginning to increase following a steep rise in virus infections, isolation units in which Covid-19 patients can recover are being set up, freeing space on wards for those needing the most care.

More than 10 million people will soon be living in local lockdown areas after the North East became the latest region to impose curfews, with Liverpool and parts of the West Midlands expected to follow within days.

Chaos at testing centres (see video below) continued on Thursday as Baroness Harding, the head of NHS Test and Trace, admitted that up to one million people a day are applying for 230,000 available tests.

It also emerged that Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, is planning to adopt a national "traffic light" system for putting regions into lockdown, with local action being triggered when infection rates reach a set level.

A template for the so-called "escalation framework", seen by The Telegraph, includes provision for "mandatory masks" at the amber level, suggesting face coverings will be legally required in even more settings than they are now.

The Telegraph understands that ministers will on Friday confirm that family visits to care homes will be paused in areas in which infections are highest.

While the proposals were still being finalised on Thursday night, they are expected to be included in the winter care plan aimed at reducing the spread of the virus among elderly residents.

Another 3,395 people tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday, with a further 21 deaths, as infection rates soared in much of northern England.

With cases reaching the highest levels since May (use the graphic below to find out about cases in your area) and the current trajectory pointing towards a second peak in the next two weeks, hospitals are preparing for a possible influx of patients after admissions tripled in a fortnight.

Story continues

The numbers of people in hospital remain low compared with the first peak of the virus, however.

Bolton, the coronavirus hotspot of England, has only two Covid-19 patients on hospital wards, according to the most recent NHS data. Across all 18 "intervention" areas listed on Public Health England's watchlist, 141 people out of a population of more than five million are in hospital with the disease  one hospital case for every 38,000 people.

MPs in London were told last week of plans to increase the number of "step down" beds in which coronavirus patients in the capital who no longer need hospital treatment can recover in isolation.

One MP briefed on the plans during a conference call with health bosses told The Telegraph: "The rate of infection is going up, and I was told hospitals have reserved beds for people coming out of hospital who need somewhere to recover.

"At the start of lockdown they were having to send people back to care homes or back to other facilities, with dire consequences, so they've booked places in respite care or empty care homes. People will go out of hospital, but they won't return to their normal place of living. They just need care before they go back home so that they empty the hospital wards."

A former minister added: "The effort is being made to step up capacity so that if there is a second spike the NHS doesn't fall so far behind with other types of care.

"Different parts of London are looking at different ways to handle that, but everyone has learnt that terrible lesson that you cannot discharge people into care homes if there is any danger whatsoever that they might be Covid positive, so there is a big effort to find extra beds.

"Brent rented an entire care home and they discharged their people into another care home. I think other places will be doing that as part of their efforts to get ready for a second spike."

Another source who was on the call said councils had been given the job of finding extra beds and that disused care homes were likely to be used.

The isolation wards would be in addition to the NHS Nightingale Hospitals, which provide extra capacity for treating people with coronavirus rather than space for them to recover.

NHS Nightingale Hospitals provide extra capacity for the treatment of patients with Covid-19 - Justin Setterfield/Getty Images Europe

Channel 4 News claimed on Thursday night that care home providers in Greater Manchester are being told they must accept Covid-positive patients from hospitals.

A leaked contract from Trafford Council outlines how eligible care homes will receive Covid-positive patients within just two hours of them being identified by the hospital as ready for discharge. It states that "some of these patients may have Covid-19, whether symptomatic or asymptomatic".

Sage scientists have "considered the case" for a two-week lockdown during the October half term, meaning pupils would only lose one week of lessons, according to the Financial Times.

Lockdown measures were being imposed on Northumberland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, Sunderland and County Durham at midnight on Thursday night, forcing pubs and restaurants to close at 10pm and banning two households from mixing.

Almost two million people will be affected by the latest lockdown  bringing the nationwide total under local measures to around nine million  with a further million likely to join them if, as expected, Liverpool and parts of the West Midlands are added to the list.

It was reported on Thursday night that restrictions will be announced on Friday for Lancashire, with the exception of Blackpool.

Senior Cabinet ministers were called to a meeting of the "XO" coronavirus operational subcommittee on Thursday afternoon to discuss more local lockdowns.

In Liverpool, the rate has jumped sharply from 67.5 cases per 100,000 people to 107.8 in the past week, a higher rate than many parts of the North East which are already in lockdown.

Last week Mr Hancock (seen announcing the latest restrictions in the video below) and Baroness Harding attended a virtual "London Covid-19 summit" at which they discussed an "epidemic response escalation framework" that would give greater transparency to decisions on putting areas into lockdown.

Areas with infection rates at the lowest level would be subject to national restrictions such as the "rule of six", while areas above a certain rate of infection would be subject to more stringent measures. Those with the highest rates of infection would face the tightest restrictions.

The infection rates for each category would be made public, enabling people to prepare for the possibility of local lockdowns by monitoring published data on their area.

According to a draft document seen by the Telegraph, areas in the middle band would have "mandatory masks" and "restrict religious gatherings", although the document gives no further detail about what that would involve. Areas with the highest rates would go into local lockdown.




TAIWAN, Sept 18, 2020 - (ACN Newswire) - The Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) announced excellent results achieved at the Taiwan Smart Manufacturing: Webinar & Trade Meeting on September 17. The Webinar captured the attention of buyers worldwide, especially in Europe and Southeast Asia.Taiwan's smart machinery industry has integrated precision manufacturing technology with innovative information and communication technology to provide total solutions for advanced manufacturing. Being the world's seventh largest machine tool producer and fifth largest exporter of sensors with IOT and BIG Data systems, Taiwan has received global recognition as Asia's Silicon Valley in terms of the smart machine industry.Five manufacturers joined the Trade Meeting, and presented their quality products together with effective solutions to customers' technical problems. The Trade Meeting offered good opportunities for building up relationships between buyers and sellers. TAITRA was pleased with the fact that a considerable number of transactions are very likely to be concluded.Accutex was founded in 1991 by a group of engineers. This company has released two leading functions to complete Industry 4.0 intelligent manufacturing. The "probing function" is to work with the controller to reach three-dimensional measurement and complete workpiece alignment automatically; the "final core removal" function is to work with controller software to pick the core when the machining is done. For more information, please visit the website: https://www.accutex.com.tw/.Da Jie, founded in 1973, is a manufacturer of electrical heating upsetter machines and welding machines. Products feature innovative technology with automation and high production capacity. Its extensive application covers automobile, water tanks, aluminum and titanium machining industries as well as whole-plant equipment production line. Da Jie uses the intelligent controls critical system as their core technology. For more information, please visit the website: https://www.dajieco.com/.Since 1998, as a manufacturer of grinding machines, Palmary has produced a wide range of products including centerless grinders, cylindrical grinders, internal grinders and vertical grinders in manual, NC & CNC versions. By adopting TQM (Total Quality Management), Lean Production management, the MES (Manufacturing Execution System) in production lines, Palmary produces grinding machines of superior quality with international standard CE norms. For more information, please visit the website: http://www.palmary.com/.Tailift was established in 1973 by a team of engineer with a management philosophy of "Upgrading Taiwan's Technology; Developing Tailift Brand Products." Since the production of radial drilling machines in 1975, Tailift has developed forklifts, sheet metal equipment, automated equipment and related products. Tailift creates higher product value, and provides not only top-notch fiber laser equipment, but also laser sheet metal technology solutions to customers. For more information, please visit the website: https://www.tailiftgroup.com/.L&L Machinery is a heavy-duty lathe manufacturer, and provides customized and standard lathes to many industries, such as petroleum, steel, aviation, rubber, plastics, textile. L&L introduces smart design PLM, develops LL series and high-class CNC lathes, integrates design information to develop virtual machine tools, adopts remote monitoring system to connect with customers through IOT, and adopts image information to quickly respond to customers' needs. For more information, please visit the website: http://www.llmachinery.com.tw/.See the Taiwan Smart Manufacturing webinar at https://youtu.be/ifqK1Y2TvIw.Please visit Taiwan Smart Machinery at https://twmt.taiwantrade.com, or email the Taiwan Smart Machinery Team at twmt@taitra.org.tw.Media contact:ANDY LUTaiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA)Tel: +886-2-2725-5200 Ext.2614Email: yenfenglu@taitra.org.twWeb: https://www.taitra.org.tw/Ad By BOFTOrganized By TAITRASource: TAITRACopyright 2020 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
A Tory peer said it was 'despicable' to blame the government for thousands of coronavirus deaths - blaming them on fat people.

Former surgeon Lord McColl of Dulwich, 87, said Britain's high Covid-19 death rate is not the Government's fault but partly because the 'majority of people are obese'.

He said attaching blame to Boris Johnson's administration was 'despicable' and 'propaganda (that) simply demoralises the public'.

Speaking in House of Lords debate today he also blamed population density and the country's status as a travel hub for creating a perfect storm of conditions.

He told a debate on coronavirus regulations: 'As a doctor, I am very, very concerned about preventative medicine.

'What was clear about the pandemic early on was that the majority of those afflicted had many medical conditions that made them much more vulnerable to Covid.

'Obesity and Covid is a very dangerous combination and the reason for this is obesity impairs the immune system.

'The reason the high mortality in the UK is because the majority of people are obese, and the population is the densest in Europe and moreover is the travel hub of Europe.

Former surgeon Lord McColl of Dulwich, 87, said Britain's high Covid-19 death rate is not the Government's fault but partly because the 'majority of people are obese'

He said attaching blame to Boris Johnson's administration was 'perverse'.

'Blaming the Government for the high mortality is therefore one of the most despicable allegations I've heard in this pandemic.

'That kind of propaganda simply demoralises the public.

The UK death toll is more than 41,700, with separate figures published by the statistics agencies showing 57,500 cases where Covid-19 was mentioned on a death certificate.

Lord McColl also urged Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer to join Boris Johnson's drive to reduce obesity in order to 'reduce the mortality in future pandemics'.

The per has previously hit out as fat Britons. In February last year he suggested Royal Navy submarines should be equipped with wider escape hatches in future because British sailors are getting too fat to fit.

The Tory blasted the UKs plump personnel, saying that ejector seats on modern fighter jets have also had to be designed to cope with heavier pilots.

The former professor of surgery at Guy's and St Thomas' Medical School, who was a junior health minister under John Major, spoke in a House of Lords debate on eating disorders.
After 5 days in the Staten Island Hospital Burn Center, Firefighter Brian Gill has been officially released from the hospitals care. Brian, a member of Rescue 5, was injured last Friday after searching for any trapped victims in a hot and smokey apartment, pic.twitter.com/MTZ0OScFXJ  FDNY UFA (@UFANYC) September 17, 2020

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Firefighter Brian Gill, who became trapped by a fast-moving electrical fire inside an apartment in the Park Hill Apartments in Clifton last week as he searched for potential victims, was released from Staten Island University Hospitals Ocean Breeze campus today, video posted on social media shows.

The Uniformed Firefighters Association (UFA), a non-profit advocacy organization that represents firefighters and other members of the FDNY, posted the video, which shows the moment he exited the hospitals doors to meet the arms of his family.

After five days in the Staten Island Hospital Burn Center, Firefighter Brian Gill has been officially released from the hospitals care, the FDNY UFA wrote on Twitter.

The FDNY UFA described the scene that took place on Sept. 11 at 9:40 a.m. on the fifth floor of the seven-story building at 260 Park Hill Ave. when a blaze flared up rapidly.

Brian, a member of Rescue 5, was injured last Friday after searching for any trapped victims in a hot and smokey apartment, which suddenly erupted in flames for which Firefighter Gill had to break down an interior apartment door to seek refuge into an another room of the apartment, the tweet said.

Gill can be seen with bandages on both legs exiting the hospital to a resounding applause as his family greets him.

We wish you speedy recovery and we look forward to having you back!", the tweet read.
Collegedale officials announced that the Collegedale/Ooltewah annual Spirit of Christmas Parade has been cancelled for the 2020 holiday season.

After careful consideration, officials concluded that the ability to adhere to the Tennessee Pledge Executive Orders for safely conducting a parade would be challenging to implement with participants and spectators.

Per Governor Lees orders, the inability to distribute items to spectators, trying to keep parade participants at a minimal on floats, and maintaining six feet distancing along the route is complicated, said Traci Bennett-Hobek, director of Collegedale Parks and Recreation.

The City of Collegedale apologizes for the disappointment this difficult decision creates and appreciates everyones understanding.
On Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen Thursday night, actress and political activist Jane Fonda revealed that she once met Vladimir Putin, long before he became the president of Russia.

When asked if she had ever met a dictator throughout her illustrious career, Fonda shared that Putin was once her travel guide.

"This guy," said Fonda as she pointed to Putin on the screen, "was our travel guide. When I was married to Ted Turner and he was going to do his Goodwill Games in Leningrad."

"We landed at the airport and the person who picked us up, and drove us around, was Vladimir Putin. He was the travel guide. He was like our interpreter at the time," shared Fonda, who said that it was back in the early 1990s. Fonda also shared how, even back then, Putin showed his ruthlessness.

"His wife had gotten sick and she was heading to the hospital. He told us that in the car and Ted said, 'You have to go to the hospital. You have to go to the hospital to check on your wife,' and he wouldn't. Vladimir Putin wouldn't do it. He stayed with us," recalled Fonda.

Due to the fact that it is believed Putin deliberately poisons his enemies, host Andy Cohen drew his own conclusion, stating, "He probably poisoned her, knowing him."

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. on NBC.

Watch Ramona Singer getting shamed by RHONY castmates: Its not about wearing a mask you f***ing idiot:

Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:

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The number of stranded Bangaldesh-bound trucks loaded with onions continued to rise at various land borders in West Bengal in the wake of the Centre's export ban of the commodity, official said on Thursday.

"There are 500-600 trucks stuck at the land borders," a Malhadipur Exporters' Association official told PTI.

Land ports of Gojadanga and Petrapole in North 24 Parganas District also reported stranded, onion-filled trucks, the officials said.

The Centre on Monday banned the export of all varieties of onions with immediate effect, a move aimed at increasing availability and curbing prices of the commodity in the domestic market.

"The sudden ban caught all of us by surprise and landed us in trouble. India is the largest supplier of for our country," a Bangaldeshi importer said.

"We are expecting some relaxations for orders that have already been placed. The government may also allow export of certain varieties like 'Bangalore Rose'," a trader said.

Meanwhile, the price of the vegetable eased in the city's Posta wholesale market to Rs 30 per kg on Thursday, agri analyst Sibu Malakar 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.)
More than 200 students at the University of Maryland in College Park have been ordered to restrict their movement around campus and monitor their symptoms after a recent surge of coronavirus cases in their dorm, officials said Friday.

Residents of Denton Hall are not under quarantine, said Natifia Mullings, a spokeswoman for the campus. But "out of an abundance of caution," they cannot attend face-to-face classes or report to in-person jobs for two weeks, she said.

Students in the dorm have been told to stay in their rooms as much as possible and avoid public places. Communal bathrooms in the building can be used by only two students at a time.

In the past two weeks, 23 students in Denton Hall have tested positive for the coronavirus, Mullings said. Those students are being isolated, and nine others who came into contact with someone with a positive case have been moved to quarantine housing. The dorm has 247 students.

More than 150 people across the campus were in quarantine housing Thursday, the most recent data shows.

Students in Denton Hall are allowed to go on outdoor walks and pick up packages. But the guidance from the university prevents them from activities like visiting friends or working out in on-campus gyms. Each student will be provided a case manager and have access to food delivery, Mullings said.

U-Md. resumed in-person classes Monday after holding classes online for two weeks, a delay that allowed officials to expand testing, said Darryll Pines, the university's president.

"We have now conducted 20,000 tests over a 15- to 21-day period, and our positivity rate is 1.1 percent," Pines told state lawmakers at a virtual meeting Wednesday. During that time frame, 212 tests came back positive.

The university launched a second round of testing this week, which resulted in 39 positive cases, the university's coronavirus dashboard shows.

But the union that represents about 3,400 employees on the College Park campus - including housekeepers, librarians and bus drivers - said it is also worried about more than 190 positive cases reported to the university by students and employees who were not tested on campus. College Park officials call these cases "unconfirmed."

This week, 75 students and faculty reported contracting the virus, the school's coronavirus dashboard shows. Those cases have not been confirmed by the university.

Todd Holden, president of the College Park chapter of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, said members and their families are at risk as the caseload of confirmed and unconfirmed cases on and around campus surpasses 400.

The uptick of cases in Denton Hall has stoked the fears of union leaders, who have been asking the university to negotiate new safety standards since the onset of the pandemic. Housekeepers this summer clamored for more protective equipment and mandatory testing.

"They have not come to bargain with us. They are talking to us and telling us about all the problems that are on campus, but they are not coming to any agreement with us," said Stuart Katzenberg, a local AFSCME union leader. "Their know-it-all attitude is what got our members and students and the community sick."
Hailing the passage of three farm sector bills in Lok Sabha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday described these proposed legislations as historic and asserted that they will rid farmers and the farm sector of middlemen and other bottlenecks.

With ruling BJP ally Shiromani Akali Dal joining the opposition in protesting these bills, Modi asserted that many forces are trying to mislead farmers and assured the farming community that minimum support price (MSP) and government procurement of their produce will continue along with a lot of other options for them.

Also read: System of MSP, govt procurement retained: PM assures farmers after passage of agricultural reform bills

These reforms will provide new opportunities to farmers to sell their produce and will lead to increased profits for them, he said.

Modi also urged farmers and those associated with the agriculture sector to listen to Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomars reply to the discussion on these bills.

These agriculture reforms will provide new avenues to farmers to sell their produce which will increase their profits. Agriculture sector will benefit from modern technology and our farmers will also be empowered, the prime minister said in a series of tweets.

Many forces are trying to mislead farmers, he added, while assuring them of the benefits of these reforms.

Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill.

Also read: Congress MPs burn copies of farm bills

It has already passed Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill.

The three bills will now be tabled in Rajya Sabha and become laws after the Upper House also passes them.

They will replace ordinances promulgated by the Union government.

The two bills were passed by voice vote in Lok Sabha earlier in the evening amid protests by opposition parties with SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal also vehemently opposing them, calling these measures as anti-farmers.

The SADs lone member in the Union Cabinet Harsimrat Kaur Badal quit the government, accusing it of not taking farmers on board.
Listen up, you [redacted]: You registered to vote, and now Samuel L. Jackson is going to teach you how to swear your face off in style.

The cursing king posted on his social media accounts Tuesday that if at least 2,500 people used his Headcount link to register to vote, or make sure they were already registered, "I will teach you to swear in 15 different languages."

If you've seen Snakes on a Plane or Pulp Fiction, you probably aren't surprised that many people wanted swearing lessons from Jackson.

The star previously held the trophy for most curse words said on screen, while only recently being dethroned by fellow actors Jonah Hill and Leonardo DiCaprio, mainly for their roles in Wolf of Wall Street, according to a survey from Buzz Bingo.

Still, Jackson has racked up a total of 301 curse words in his films.

"Alright y'all, you showed up and showed out for our voter action goal," Jackson said a couple of hours after his initial post. "Now, time for me to hold up my end of the bargain. Lets do some cussing!"

POLITICS & POLLS: Harris County implementing 24-hour polling locations for one day of early voting

As promised, Jackson went on to teach his Twitter and Instagram followers how to say phrases like "take a hike" and "[bleep] you" in other languages, including Basque, Bemba and Haitian and Swahili.

Many people were pleased with Jackson and his hilarious antics, praising the actor on Twitter for also bringing some attention to their native language.

"Beautiful to hear Samuel L. Jackson fighting the good fight and cussing in fifteen languages--mine among them. Thank you, sir," said Twitter user @punkahoy. Another Twitter user, @BanaJay2, said, "The beauty/paradox of Bemba is that you just can insult and respect someone affectionately in the same phrase. Classic."

Jackson asked his followers to "pass this on," but let's remember: a little kindness goes a long way. Do with that what you will.
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A group of Pennsylvania doctors has taken an extraordinary stance to protect what we all should consider sacrosanct  science and medicine.

An estimated 170 Pennsylvania doctors who are members of the national Committee to Protect Medicare are alarmed at what they see as politics interfering with sound medicine. They also are alarmed at efforts to tie the hands of responsible government officials during a public health crisis of the magnitude of COVID-19.

A sign on the door at Boscov's department store states they are temporarily closed at Fairlane Village mall in Pottsville, Pa., Tuesday, March 17, 2020, because of the coronavirus outbreak. (Jacqueline Dormer/Republican-Herald via AP)AP

Pennsylvania voters elected Gov. Tom Wolf to protect the commonwealth and to take all measures needed to protect its people during an emergency. COVID-19 is nothing short of an emergency that already has claimed almost 8,000 lives in the state and sent thousands of others into emergency room.

More than 153,000 Pennsylvanians have tested positive for the virus, and the numbers continue to mount.

Its worth remembering there is still no vaccine and no treatment for COVID-19, and much about this viruss long-term effects on the human body is still unknown. We still dont know with scientific certainty who will get the virus, but not know they have it; and who will die in the ICU stuck to a ventilator.

These physicians are rightly concerned about politics interfering with the governors ability to respond forcefully to save lives, especially if COVID-19 goes into warp speed again this fall. And they are rightly calling out Republican lawmakers and a 41-year-old federal judge for deeming unconstitutional Gov. Wolfs moves to shut down businesses and keep people home to contain the coronavirus.

Pa. House Republicans announce they will attempt to bring an end to the governor's COVID-19 disaster declaration at a news conference in the Rotunda of the Ryan Office Building at the Capitol Complex. September 2, 2020. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com

U.S. District Judge William S. Stickman IV, who made the ruling, had no judicial experience before President Donald Trump appointed him to the federal bench last year.

Dr. Max Cooper, a Chester County emergency room doctor, put it bluntly: As physicians, were concerned that blind, unquestioning loyalty to President Trump by elected officials in Harrisburg is getting in the way of good public health policies and endangering peoples lives.

Cooper and the other doctors are showing desperately needed leadership and courage in calling attention to what they clearly see as an imminent danger to public health.

Physicians have a responsibility to speak out when we see harm being done, Cooper said, and harm is being done right now to the people of Pennsylvania.

Governor Tom Wolf, Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman, Second Lady Gisele Fetterman and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine visit the York County YMCA to announce the findings of the Wolf Administrations COVID-19 Response Task Force for Health Disparity. August 13, 2020 Sean Simmers | ssimmers@pennlive.com

Gov. Wolf and Secretary of Health Rachel Levine have won acclaim throughout the nation for taking strong action that prevented more people in our state from contracting COVID-19 and dying. Poll after poll has shown the majority of the people of Pennsylvania supported these moves and were grateful for their leadership. Dr. Cooper and his colleagues are convinced the restrictions Wolf ordered prevented needless suffering and saved lives.

The governor already had relaxed most of the shutdown orders Judge Stickman deemed unconstitutional, but the doctors dont want his hands tied in case strong measures are needed this fall.

We thank Dr. Cooper and his colleagues for speaking up. Gov. Wolf has said he will file an appeal and seek a stay to prevent the court decision from being enforced. We urge the Wolf administration to use all measures to curtail his ability to protect Pennsylvanians in times of crisis when decisive and speedy action is imperative.

Gov. Wolf and Dr. Levine have shown they respect both science and medicine. And most Pennsylvanians clearly want them to put public safety above both politics and purse.

Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. You deserve the best. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work.

And please subscribe to Battleground PA to stay abreast of the issues in the 2020 elections!
From the Archive Analysis: Myanmar Still Living with Legacy of 1988 Military Coup

Troops confront pro-democracy demonstrators on a street in Yangon in August 1988.

On the morning of Sept. 18, 1988, as pro-democracy protesters took to the streets of Myanmars cities in their thousands, the recently resignedbut still powerfuldictator General Ne Win summoned a group of senior government and military officials to his home to ask them, Can you take care of the country? At 4 p.m., military leaders took to the airwaves to announce they had assumed control of the country. On the 32nd anniversary of the coup, The Irrawaddy revisits this analysis published two years ago today.

YANGON  Shortly before nightfall on Sept. 17, 1988, the fortified gate of Yangons War Office was flung open to allow an Army convoy to stream out. The city was wearily silent, as if exhausted from witnessing the pro-democracy demonstrations, occasionally bloody, that had been raging across the country since August. In an armored vehicle within the convoy sat the then Military Intelligence director, Colonel Khin Nyunt, and military Commander-in-Chief General Saw Maung. Their destination was a leafy neighborhood near Inya Lakethe residence of their former leader, General Ne Win, the freshly retired dictator of Socialist Myanmar who still wielded power over his subordinates.

Their mission was to report directly to their former boss about the current situation in the country; as President Dr. Maung Maung put it at the time, Hazards to life and limb and property had risen beyond tolerable limits due to what he characterized as violence, anarchy and mass looting by hooligans and thugs. The government was unable to effectively maintain law and order in the wake of the nationwide pro-democracy demonstrations known as the 88 Uprising that had brought the country to a standstill.

Upon their arrival, Col. Khin Nyunt and Gen. Saw Maung briefed the retired general, who replied, I hadnt realized the situation was that bad, according to the spy chiefs 2015 memoir, Lives I Have Been Through.

According to Khin Nyunts account, the meeting was prompted by a discussion earlier that day between himself and then Deputy Minister of Defense Lieutenant-General Than Shwe; the Military Intelligence director was angered by the events unfolding in the streets. The two explained the situation to Gen. Saw Maung, who responded, We need to see Chairman U Ne Win.

The following morning, Sept. 18, the dictator summoned six senior government officials, including President Dr. Maung Maung, the prime minister and foreign minister, to his office to ask them, Can you take care of the country? Col. Khin Nyunt and Gen. Saw Maung were also present.

We cant, sir. We will follow your instructions, was the reply from the government ministers.

Turning to Gen. Saw Maung, U Ne Win ordered him to protect the country in accordance with the laws, saying that no one else could handle the situation.

Only the military can do this. It is obliged to do so, said the chairman, according to the memoir.

When Gen. Saw Maung complained that he had no idea how to proceed, U Ne Win ordered Dr. Maung Maung, a former chief justice of the countrys Supreme Court, to help the general legalize the takeover. The president dictated four orders and notifications to Col. Khin Nyunt, who jotted them down in order to make a public announcement in the afternoon.

At 4:00 pm, a male announcer proclaimed on the state-run Burma Broadcasting Service that In order to bring a timely halt to deteriorating conditions all over the country and in the interests of the people, the defense forces have assumed all power in the state, effective from today. The broadcasters regular programs were then interrupted by strident martial music before other announcements were heard, such as the formation of the 19-member military government, the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC). Gen. Saw Maung was appointed chairman of the SLORC, whose members included Lt-Gen. Than Shwe and Khin Nyunt, who was promoted to the rank of brigadier general and occupied the position of Secretary (1) in the new regime. (U Khin Nyunt was later promoted to general and was one of the most powerful men in the junta until his arrest in 2004 for corruption.)

Later that evening, the phone rang at the Bangkok home of Swedish journalist Bertil Lintner, who was then the Myanmar correspondent for the now-defunct Far Eastern Economic Review. Lintner picked up the receiver and recognized the voice of Denis Gray, The Associated Press Bangkok bureau chief. Gray said, Gen. Saw Maung has taken over. Theres been a coup in Rangoon.

Having already received information about the militarys counteroffensive against the pro-democracy demonstratorssince Sept. 12, unusual troop movements had been reported, with soldiers coming into the then capital Rangoon (now Yangon) from various parts of the countryLintner had sensed that the Army was gearing up for a major showdown, one that he knew could lead to a bloodbath. He had written about the possibility in a cover story for the Review three days before the coup.

So I wasnt surprised, but I was shocked by the brutality of the crackdown that followed on the 18th and immediately afterwards, he told The Irrawaddy, referring to the Armys indiscriminate shooting of nearly 1,000 unarmed people who turned out in Yangon to protest the coup on Sept. 19.

It wasnt random shooting, as in August. More people were killed in August, possibly around 3,000, but the September massacre was carried out with military precision, said Lintner, who documented the carnage in his 1989 book Outrage, which recalls the 88 Uprising and its aftermath.

The radio proclamations announcing the military takeover on the afternoon of Sept. 18, 1988 marked the beginning of 23 years of military dictatorship, an era in which the men in uniform were involved in running every sector of the country from banks to bus lines. The economy was shattered and job prospects were so poor that people would joke about living in a country where soldiers ran the nation while university graduates drove taxis.

In 2011, the military ceded power to a quasi-civilian government led by former generals under the military-drafted 2008 Constitution. The charter has been criticized as undemocratic by many, including the current government, led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyis National League for Democracy, which came to power after a landslide electoral victory in 2015. It reserves 25 percent of parliamentary seats for military representatives and places control of three security-related ministries in the hands of the military.

Thirty years on, Lintner identifies two main legacies of the 1988 coup.

He points out that while the movement didnt cause the fall of the regime, it did force it to end the Burmese Way to Socialism. And although repression was harshit was not until 2011 that some fundamental freedoms and civil rights were introducedthe movement never died.

It survived through underground groups, in the border areas, and in exile. It gave birth to a new generation of Burmese who are determined to defend their democratic rights, he said.

On the other hand, he said, the coup established a culture of military power that has shown no signs of disappearing. People enjoy more freedoms than before, but Myanmar is not yet a democracy. Despite the fact that there is an elected Parliament and government in Naypyitaw, the military remains the countrys most powerful institution.

The military was determined not to give up power in 1988, and that mindset hasnt changed, he said.

Of course, the generals see things differently. Writing about the events of Sept. 18, 1988 in his autobiography 27 years later, Gen. Khin Nyunt insisted that there was no military coup.

The military, he wrote, just intervened for the safety of the people, stability of the country, rule of law and resurrection of the governing mechanism.

You may also like these stories:

When Burmas Cries for Democracy Were Answered With a Coup

Democracy and A Question  Is Aung San Suu Kyi Winning?

The Day Myanmars Independence Hero Tied The Knot
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Childrens cosmetics are makeup kits aimed at children and preteens and contain similar products marketed to adults. Brands are taking the first step in creating an impression on young consumers to stay relevant in their later years. The global childrens cosmetics market report by Market Research Future (MRFR) contains drivers and challenges for the industry during the period of 2020 to 2026 (forecast period). The COVID-19 pandemic and its impact has been described in detail.

Market Scope

The global Childrens Cosmetics Market Trends is estimated to register a CAGR of 6.79% to reach a staggering value of USD 1,795.15 million in value by 2026. The large value can be attributed to the large disposable income allocated for children by their parents. Awareness of cosmetics and their subsequent use by children can bode well for the market. Marketing campaigns by cosmetic manufacturers implying the use of natural ingredients, variety of colors, new package designs, and economical prices can attract consumers and bolster market demand.

Presence of social media sites and influencers on these sites advocating its safe use and consumption of digital content by children due to easy access to electronic devices can drive the market sales over the forecast period. Entry of startups into the marketspace are giving the market a level playing field and lowering prices as a result.

However, the presence of asbestos fibers in childrens cosmetics can restrain the market.

Segmentation

The global childrens cosmetics market is segmented by product type, category, and distribution channel.

By product type, the market has been segmented into beauty kits, lip products, face products, eye products, and others. The others segment includes body glitter, hair chalks, nail polish, and makeup removers. Face products comprise blushes, foundations, and others. Eye products include mascaras, eyeshadows, and eyeliners. Lip products are further segmented into lip glosses, lipsticks, and lip balms. Among products, the beauty kits segment dominated the global childrens cosmetics market with a market share of approximately 50.08% in 2019. The dominance of the segment is due to the increasing demand for beauty kits.

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By category, the conventional products segment dominated the childrens cosmetics market with a market share of 66.77% in 2019. However, the organic and natural products segment is expected to record a CAGR of 7.45% during the forecast period. This can be attributed to the products marketed at tweens and impressionable effort of online Ads.

By distribution channel, the global childrens cosmetics market is segmented into store-based and non-store-based. The store-based channel is further segmented into specialty stores, supermarkets & hypermarkets, and others. The store-based segment dominates the sales of childrens cosmetics worldwide. This is attributed to the availability of various retail outlets for acquiring childrens cosmetics. Establishment of supermarkets & hypermarkets and specialty stores has resulted in the dominance of store-based channels. The store-based channels segment is projected to remain dominant during the review period.

Regional Outlook

Geographically, the global childrens cosmetics market has been categorized as North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), and Rest-of-the-World (RoW).

Europe had dominated the global market accounting for the largest share in 2019. Germany dominated the European market, followed by the UK and France. The large amount of pocket money given to preschoolers and tweens can influence the penetration of the childrens cosmetics market. This can be attributed to easy access to the Internet and online presence of children aged 10 and older.

North America held the second-largest share in the global market in 2019, wherein the US was the largest country-level market, which is projected to remain dominant during the forecast period.

Asia-Pacific is projected to register the highest CAGR of 7.15% during the forecast period. This can be attributed to the large consumer base in the region, especially in China and India. Marketing of products such as perfumes for generation Alpha are likely to culminate in high returns for the global childrens cosmetics market till 2026. Establishment of beauty salons for children as exemplified by Shiseido owing to purchase of beauty and skincare products and huge purchasing power can positively impact the market.

Competitive Outlook

Klee Naturals, Little Cosmetics, Nanjing Miss Beauty Cosmetics Co., Ltd., Candy Color Cosmetics, Townley, Inc., LOREAL S.A., Puttisu-USA, and Foshan Akia Cosmetics Co., Ltd. are key players of the global childrens cosmetics market.

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Note : Our team of researchers are studying Covid-19 and its impact on various industry verticals and wherever required will be considering covid19 footprints for a better analysis of markets and industries. Cordially get in touch for more details.

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A man has been detained by prosecutors in Iasi on charges of being part of a group of Ecuadorian, Colombian and Albanian drug traffickers involved in the distribution of large amounts of cocaine in several European states.

Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) prosecutors, together with judicial police officers from the Iasi Organized Crime Combat Brigade, the Organized Crime Combat Directorate - Anti-Drug Service, the Center for Police Cooperation and the Iasi police officers organized an action to combat high-risk drug trafficking internationally (cocaine).The activities were organized on the basis of a European investigation order initiated by the Italian judicial authorities and were carried out within the international operation "Los Blancos".According to the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT), this action took place on the territory of several European states, namely Romania, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Spain, Albania, France, and the United Arab Emirates and targeted a network of cocaine traffickers operating internationally.The network consists of Ecuadorian, Colombian, Albanian drug traffickers, as well as from other European countries, who have been involved in the distribution of very large amounts of cocaine through cells that were located in different countries.On the Romanian territory, the "Los Blancos" operation targeted one of the members of this group and consisted of conducting two house searches, on September 15, as well as in enforcing a European arrest warrant on his name issued by the Italian judicial authorities.Based on this warrant, the prosecutors of the Prosecutor's Office attached to the Iasi Court of Appeal ordered the detention for 24 hours of the person requested by the Italian authorities, and on September 16 the Iasi Court of Appeal issued a pre-trial arrest warrant for 30 days until he is handed over to the Italian judicial authorities.Financial and logistical support was provided by EUROJUST.The police officers with the Special Actions Service within Iasi Police and gendarmes also participated in the operation.
Community Mental Health for Central Michigan is sponsoring the roll out of a new web program to help residents manage and maintain their mental health.

The program, myStrength, is personalized and consists of tools like health and mood trackers, goal setting, and a sleep diary, as well as access to programs that can help you reduce stress, manage depression, improve sleep and more. It has resources in the form of inspirational images, videos and articles to help with addiction, trauma, parenthood, fitness, chronic pain and other topics.

After you sign up, the program will ask you a few questions about your current wellbeing and what kind of programs you're interested in. Instructions on how to sign up are at the end of this article.

The application is free to all community members within the six-county region that CMHCM serves  Midland, Clare, Gladwin, Isabella, Mecosta and Osceola counties. Individuals can use myStrengths web and mobile tools to support their goals and well-being, overcome challenges, and stay mentally strong.

As a community mental health provider, CMHCM promotes healthy coping skills and suicide awareness. CMHCM is committed to improving the lives of residents and provides resources and quality treatment to community members. September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and CMHCM knows suicide can touch anyone, anywhere, and at any time.

Coronavirus and flooding have had, and continue to have, sweeping effects on the local communities, including lasting negative impact on peoples mental health. The risk of suicide is increased because of this impact.

Research conducted by the Center for Disease Control, following the 2003 SARS outbreak, shows that profound psychological and negative social impacts, including an increase in suicide rates, continued well past the epidemic. Professionals and scholars in the mental health field predict that the same, if not more severe, effects may come as a result of the current pandemic.

To sign up for myStrength:

1. Visit www.mystrength.com and click on Sign Up.

2. Enter the access code CMHCMCares

3. Complete the myStrength sign-up process and personal profile.

4. To go mobile, download the myStrength mobile app, log in, and get started today.

To access mental health services, including 24/7 crisis services call 800-317-0708 for Community Mental Health for Central Michigan.
In Somalia up until 1990, before warlords, insecurity, drought and poor infrastructure over 20 years has led to a collapse of Somali banana industry.

Watering banana seedlings.



Before the beginning of the reign of terror of Somali civil war and drought; Somalia was the largest banana exporter in Eastern Africa. The banana industry was vital in Somalia with exports mainly to Italy and Middle Eastern markets. Somalia is closer to Middle Eastern main ports and can thus provide fresher bananas at lower transport cost than bananas from other countries.

In the midst of one of the worlds worst humanitarian crises, the banana offered a small glimmer of hope for Somalis trying to reclaim economic harmony. Due to the civil war, warlords, poor roads and storage facilities, which result in much spoilage and high prices far from producing areas, hunger and malnutrition were some of the major causes of suffering for significant sections of the population.

Before the civil war, almost all banana agriculture industries were owned or profoundly controlled by the Somali government. All of them were destroyed soon after the start of the civil war. The Juba riverbanks before the civil war had large thriving banana plantations; however, since the onset of the civil war farms have been abandoned. The lower Shabelle riverbanks in southern and central Somalia were the most productive area for bananas, maize, and sesame before the civil war.

Banana Tree

The Somali Warlord Mohamad Farrah Aidid set up a scheme between the banana farmers and an Italian Fruit Company guaranteeing protection from violence, raiding, rape and other threats posed by his followers and other clan warlords for a percentage of the profits.

Aidid felt he was not being paid enough by the banana farmers as well as Italian Fruit Company therefore his followers fired upon ships who came twice a month to pick up the banana cargo. This was a devastating loss for the banana farmers who lost their emerging livelihoods and had to depend on foreign aid instead of growing their own cash crops in exchange for an income. The money from growing bananas could have been sold to buy food that was needed such as beans and corn.

Foreign aid raised the perilous living standards by proving basic needs such as donated food but has no part in creating a strong workforce, and growing Somalias economy. Somali warlords decimated the workforce, from farmers to teachers to civic leaders and in 2011 famine was declared in two regions of southern Somalia in the southern Bakool and Lower Shabelle regions.

The hardworking banana farmer became one of millions of victims during the Somali civil war tug-of-war between rival warlords. There is something special about the gift of food and banana agriculture was an important part of the cycle of life as farming knowledge was once passed down from generation to generation. Somali banana farmers were stewards of the land, with huge potential to restore damaged ecosystems by employing sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices.

Banana farming was a huge benefit to the local economy and provided a sense of proud wellbeing of being able to support family and community alike. With many mouths to feed, banana farming may well have been the most important job in local Somali communities during the civil war.

Earning money was a means that enabled the Somali banana farmer to protect his family, to build a better life, and to give back to the community. In some ways despite warlords and the AK47, banana farmers could have controled their own destiny by placing hands in Somali soil and cultivating a crop that could have help the family relocate to a safe place.
Somany Ceramics Limited in partnership with Times OOH chose the most premium media located in the domestic departure, security check-in of the Mumbai Airport. It captivates the attention of departing fliers with Somany Tiles and Bathwares alluring brand campaign that truly showcases the patented hard coat technology VC Shield.

Recently, Somany had also launched touchless and sensor-operated Somany products where everyone can experience a pinch of glamour and loads of technology. Since they are moving towards a world where everything is technology based so we thought why not bathroom. Lets touch only whats needed and thats the heart of your loved ones.

While developing the campaign strategy we chose airport advertising, Vivek Gupta, Marketing Head - Somany Ceramics says, Airport media is so substantial to us. The premium pillar media located at security check-in area are very strategically placed, and it will give a big boost to Somany as a brand to entice passengers eyeballs when they are waiting for security frisking. The brand campaign with Salman Khan will also showcase Somanys humble and rooted approach with the tag line Zameen se Judey. Moreover, Salmans personality, will help bring forth campaigns essence, which is, no matter how high you soar or how successful you are, you should always be rooted & remain grounded.

We are proud to partner Somany Ceramics in delivering such impactful branding exercise that would have a long-lasting positive association in the minds of the passengers. Airport advertising has offered brands a niche target audience, which no other medium can offer with such low distraction and high dwell time. The current situation has led to even higher dwell times at the airports due to the safety measures. said Sumit Chadha, Times OOH.

Times OOH offers comprehensive media solutions across Airports, Metro and Street furniture in India and Mauritius.

Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
(Newser)  President Trump says he'll sign an executive order to "promote patriotic education" after bashing a New York Times project investigating how the the legacy of slavery impacts Black Americans as "toxic propaganda." In what the AP sees as "a defense of white culture," Trump on Thursday painted the 1619 Projectnamed after the year in which the first slaves arrived in Virginiaas "ideological poison that if not removed will dissolve the civic bonds that tie us together. It will destroy our country." The Pulitzer Prize-winning project, which now offers curriculum for schools, teaches that "we were founded on the principle of oppression, not freedom. Nothing could be further from the truth," the president said during the White House Conference on American History, per Axios.

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He said America's founding had led to the abolition of slavery and "the most fair, equal, and prosperous nation in human history." Trump said the 1776 Commission that will be launched as a result of his executive order will encourage educators to teach "the miracle of American history," per Politico. 1619 Project founder Nikole Hannah-Jones' response: The attempts "to censor a work of American journalism" and dictate what children "should and should not learn should be deeply alarming to all Americans who value free speech." Elsewhere, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos praised the 1776 Unites curriculum, launched this week by the group 1776 Unites as a direct response to the 1619 Project. The group says its curriculum offers "a more complete and inspiring story of the history of African-Americans" in the US. (Trump has banned anti-racism training in federal agencies.)
Attleboro High School had to quarantine at least 30 students after a student with coronavirus turned up to class ((CBS Boston))

The parents of a Massachusetts high school student sent their child to in-person classes, despite knowing he had tested positive for coronavirus three days earlier.

The student at Attleboro High School, near Boston, was tested for Covid-19 on 9 September and got back a positive result two days later, but still went in for in-person classes on Monday 14 September, according to NBC News.

At least 30 people who came in contact with the student on that day are now having to quarantine for two weeks, under Massachusetts coronavirus guidelines.

Attleboro mayor Paul Heroux told NBC that a public health nurse spoke to the parents on Tuesday, and confirmed that they had known about the positive test for three days, but still sent the child to school.

Mr Heroux said he was baffled by the decision and added: There's no question about whether or not the parents knew.

The students parents told the nurse that they believed if he quarantined for three days he would be fine to go in on to school on Monday.

Speaking to CNN about the reasoning, Mr Heroux said: The parents used very poor judgement, it's very frustrating, and added: The school department did everything they were supposed to do.

The school's principal, Bill Runey, told NBC that officials found out about the students positive test result on Tuesday, after the child had already completed a full day of classes.

I knew that we were going to end up having some cases, but I didnt expect they would be on the first day, he said.

The principal added: Long story short, rumours started circulating around town, so someone contacted the bureau of health here in Attleboro and did some checking and found out that it was true, that he had tested positive.

In order to minimise the amount of coronavirus cases, the school is using a model that only allows only one group of students to attend in-person lessons on Monday and Thursday, while another group attends on Tuesday and Friday.

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Mr Runey said that using a contact-tracing system helped school administrators quickly identify who may have come in contact with the student, so that they could be told to quarantine and monitor for Covid-19 symptoms.

I was pleased that our contact-tracing protocols we put in place helped us pretty quickly ID and narrow down close contacts, Mr Runey said.

He added: Thirty is still a lot, but if we didn't have greater degree of certainty with seating charts and things like that, we would have had to err on the side of caution for a lot more kids.

Read more

Coronavirus: US school closings may spur childhood obesity

Majority of Americans say they're 'embarrassed' by US coronavirus response as disapproval over Trump's handling hits record high
The seven high school girls are razor sharp, poised, passionate  and on a mission.

Martha Nyemb is the daughter of African immigrants. Maia Richards parents graduated from a historically Black college. Cheyenne Simon is Black, Asian and white. Madison Davila is white and Hispanic.

Together with Anaya Baxter, Jayln White and Zanyla Marshall, they reflect the diversity of the schools they attend in Humble ISD: Atascocita High School and Summer Creek High School, where students of color make up the majority of the enrollment.

You wouldnt know it by the books they read in school.

Textbooks gloss over slavery, segregation and systemic racism. The whole of African American history is condensed to Frederick Douglass, Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr., and the contributions of Latinos and Asian Americans are barely acknowledged at all. Reading lists are heavy on the white European canon.

The girls are tired of it.

So they joined #DiversifyOurNarrative, an initiative started by two Stanford students, and began a campaign to push Humble ISD to incorporate more voices of color and anti-racist teaching into the high school curriculum. The local petition currently has more than 430 signatures.

The campaign comes at a time when a movement to educate students about the enduring role of slavery and racism in Americas past, and present, is under attack. President Donald Trump has called such efforts left-wing indoctrination and proposed a national commission to promote a pro-American curriculum that celebrates the truth about our nations great history.

That kind of whitewashed spin skips over the nations failings and paints dissenting voices as unpatriotic. Its propaganda, not education. If truth is what we are after, then diversifying the narrative is the way to get there.

I first heard of the campaign when some of the girls spoke at a Humble ISD board meeting via Zoom. Everyones focus that August night was on virtual versus face-to-face learning, but the girls were undeterred.

We urge you to diversify our education, Nyemb, 14, an Atascocita High School freshman whose parents immigrated from Cameroon, told the board. Even simply widening the umbrella of the civil rights movement beyond MLK and Rosa Parks and learning about the Asian American and Mexican American civil rights movements would help us grow as students.

It is extremely important that the students who sit in your classrooms and at your desks are properly educated about race issues and history, said Baxter, 16, a junior at Atascocita High.

Students of color, Baxter added, often feel like neglected children, their struggles and authentic stories dismissed.

I wanted to high-five them through my laptop monitor. For speaking out and being a voice for kids of color. For raising questions of inequity and pointing out gaps in the curriculum.

I also heaved a heavy sigh. In the midst of the racial reckoning sweeping across the country, why does it take teenagers to call for the changes adults should long ago have made?

An inclusive curriculum that doesnt flinch from teaching the hard parts of our countrys history shouldnt be up for debate. It should just be.

Yet, the girls told me later over Zoom that too many schools still fall short. They said they learn little to nothing about the achievements of Black scientists and inventors or Black writers and artists. Little to nothing about Latino, Asian and Native American writers or history.

The message, the girls told me, is that the stories of people like themselves dont matter.

It makes you question what you can do and how great you can be, Baxter said.

No child should walk away from school feeling like that. The goal of education is to lift up, not diminish.

Texas high school students can now take an Ethnic Studies: Mexican American Studies course, passed by the state board of education in 2018 after years of heated debate, and starting this fall, an African American studies course that was approved in the spring.

But such elective courses still treat the stories of non-white communities as marginal or optional  not as integral parts of American history.

White, a 16-year-old Atascocita High junior who remembers getting The Talk about racism from her parents when she was 8, learned about Black history at home long before the first mention in school  in her sophomore year when her class read a piece by Frederick Douglass.

Id read Frederick Douglass before and Ive heard of him before because Im Black, she said. But for these other kids, it may be their first time hearing of those things. Its sad.

That doesnt just fail students of color who dont see their own stories valued and elevated. It fails white students who graduate with an incomplete education and a lack of understanding of the challenges, and achievements, of people of color.

The girls say many of their teachers have been supportive of expanding the curriculum. In the past week, they also finally got an answer from Humble school board members, who want to schedule a meeting.

Thats a good first step. District leaders, in Humble and anywhere the curriculum is incomplete, need to do better. Until the curriculum reflects the diversity of our schools and country, every student is shortchanged.

If the educators need to learn more about what is missing, I know seven girls who would be great teachers.

Rhor is an editorial writer and columnist. Email her at monica.rhor@chron.com
Had someone told me last summer that more than 50,000 people could die this year from a new, killer virus I would have been sceptical to say the least.

Understandably, much of the focus on the Governments handling of an unexpected pandemic has been on examining how many of those deaths could have been avoided  especially in hospitals and care homes where we expect our loved ones to be safe.

Future inquiries will debate where the responsibility lies for any mistakes  and rightly balance that against important achievements such as the fact that not a single coronavirus patient was denied an intensive care bed or ventilator, unlike in northern Italy and New York. A patient is pictured above being cared for in the Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge

On top of which, as the Commons health select committee discussed with Health Secretary Matt Hancock last week, are many additional deaths caused by the interruption to vital services such as scanning and chemotherapy for cancer patients.

Future inquiries will debate where the responsibility lies for any mistakes  and rightly balance that against important achievements such as the fact that not a single coronavirus patient was denied an intensive care bed or ventilator, unlike in northern Italy and New York.

They will also recognise the heroic contribution made by frontline NHS and care staff, without which many more lives would have been lost.

What will be forgotten too quickly, I fear, is that in normal times too we have appallingly high levels of avoidable harm and death in our healthcare system.

The Mail recently highlighted the terrible story surrounding the death of baby Harry Richford at East Kent Trust, but such tragedies are part of a pattern that has gone on for too long  and led the Select Committee to open an inquiry this summer into maternity safety across the NHS.

But the issues dont just affect babies. As we start the new academic year, people will remember the recent spate of student suicides at Bristol and other universities, many of which might have been prevented with better mental health support.

Things are no better when it comes to the older patients. Neglect of dementia patients in particular can lead to more rapid decline and untimely deaths.

So what is the scale of the problem? When I was Health Secretary I asked how many preventable deaths we had in our system.

I was told about a highly respected study by Professor Nick Black and Helen Hogan of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

They said around 4 per cent of hospital deaths were assessed by independent doctors as having a 50 per cent or more chance of being preventable.

That worked out as about 150 deaths every week in the NHS in England alone. If a commercial airline were falling out of the sky every week it would be a major scandal  but in healthcare we seem to just accept it as inevitable.

The Mail recently highlighted the terrible story surrounding the death of baby Harry Richford at East Kent Trust, but such tragedies are part of a pattern that has gone on for too long  and led the Select Committee to open an inquiry this summer into maternity safety across the NHS

We urgently need to change the culture in healthcare. As Health Secretary I ordered all hospitals to publish their own estimates of the levels of avoidable death. But data released today shows that three years on, only a quarter are complying. Much work remains to be done if we are to prevent so many tragedies being repeated.

It would, however, be quite wrong to point to this as an NHS issue. Other healthcare systems have similar problems  and indeed the independent Commonwealth Fund says the NHS has some of the safest care in the world.

But the sheer scale of the issue is illustrated by the World Health Organisation, which estimates that globally, there are 2.6 million preventable deaths every year  which works out as five deaths every single minute. The WHO says medical error is one of the top ten killers in a list alongside cancer, heart disease and stroke.

That is why, however honoured I was to fly the flag for my country as Foreign Secretary or Culture Secretary responsible for the Olympics, it is improving patient safety to prevent these terrible tragedies that has become my passion and principal focus.

Last year I persuaded the WHO to institute an annual World Patient Safety Day which falls this Thursday.

This years theme is the protection of healthcare workers  because if they are unable, for example, to access protective equipment in a pandemic it becomes very dangerous for patients too.

Some estimates said that at the height of the pandemic one fifth of coronavirus patients in our hospitals had actually picked up the infection in their hospital.

But alongside practical challenges such as proper provision of PPE, there are also some major cultural challenges. Lets go back to the baby deaths at East Kent: Typically when these tragedies happen lawyers get involved almost immediately.

Doctors, nurses and midwives worry they could lose their licence if they are found to have made a mistake. Hospital managers worry about the reputation of their organisation.

The one thing that needs to be done before anything else  establishing what happened, learning from mistakes and putting in place procedures across the NHS to stop them being repeated  ends up being bottom of the list. Or even not happening at all.

Thats why were currently spending more taxpayers money on litigation over life-changing maternity mistakes than the entire yearly bill for maternity doctors and nurses salaries. Something has gone badly wrong.

Other countries have found a better way to support frontline medics to learn from their mistakes. If we had the same neonatal death rate as Sweden 1,400 fewer babies would die every year. But in Sweden court cases are virtually unheard of  and all the effort goes into establishing the truth so that the agony of losing a child is not repeated.

In fairness the NHS has made huge strides in addressing these issues. Hospitals are independently inspected and given Ofsted-style ratings, the only system in the world brave enough to be totally public about hospital safety standards.

With a pandemic, our democracy  for all its faults  is open and robust enough to learn the necessary lessons. But will we learn the bigger lessons about the need to change culture in modern healthcare? Staff are pictured above caring for a patient at the Intensive Care unit at Royal Papworth Hospital

Inside hospitals, staff have someone independent to whom they can report any concerns. In areas like maternity safety the NHS has enthusiastically embraced big objectives such as to halve baby deaths by 2025.

But still much needs to improve if we are to make healthcare as safe as other high-risk sectors such as the airline or nuclear power industry.

In my last year as Health Secretary a junior doctor in Leicester was nearly struck off after making a series of mistakes when she was under high pressure. Fortunately the Court of Appeal reversed the decision  but the fact the case went to court at all sent a shiver down the spine of many doctors.

Whilst we cannot have any truck with recklessness, it must surely make sense to allow for the fact that doctors, too, are human beings who are likely to get some things wrong in the course of their work.

With a pandemic, our democracy  for all its faults  is open and robust enough to learn the necessary lessons. But will we learn the bigger lessons about the need to change culture in modern healthcare?

Only by allowing frontline clinicians to learn from their mistakes will patients be as safe as they should be and we will stop the ranks of bereaved families from growing yet further.

Jeremy Hunt was Health Secretary from 2012 to 2018
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 01:26:09|Editor: huaxia

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DAMASCUS, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Islamic State (IS) militants attacked with machine-guns a checkpoint of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the country's eastern province of Deir al-Zour on Thursday, a war monitor reported.

The IS militants attacked the checkpoint in the village of Jazra in the western countryside of Deir al-Zour, causing injuries among the checkpoint fighters, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The UK-based watchdog group said the IS militants also targeted an SDF patrol in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zour after midnight, leaving unknown number of casualties.

The attacks have put the SDF on alert, according to the Observatory.

The IS militants have recently intensified attacks on Syrian government forces and Kurdish fighters in Deir al-Zour as the terror-labeled group has a presence in the desert region of Deir al-Zour and nearby areas in the countryside of Homs province. Enditem
Despite a world still in turmoil over COVID-19 and the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, racism more rampant than ever in our country, fires across the West looking like Dantes Inferno and our American democracy showing signs of unraveling  we Jews will still stop to reflect and repent as the High Holy Days begin Sept. 18

For 10 Days of Awe (repentance), we will look deep inside ourselves, celebrate a sweet new year (Rosh Hashana) with apples, honey and wine and look toward Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement to see who will be inscribed for another year in the Safer Chaim (Book of Life).

Tomorrow is Rosh Hashanah  5780 in the Jewish calendar. The holiday literally means head (of) the year and is the Jewish New Year. The biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah, which is defined as day of shouting or blasting. The blasting refers to the blowing of the rams horn, Shofar, which is one of my favorite parts of the service. But sadly, I wont be there to hear the Shofar.

This year, unlike any High Holy Days Ive ever known, I wont be sitting in a crowded congregation and greeting loved ones and close friends. Instead, there will probably be services with small percentages of congregants in masks, worshipping in person, while others attend virtually. My sense is that if the weather cooperates, many services may be held outdoors in a more natural environment, which I think will be even more spiritual than packed sanctuaries.

Dinners on Erev  the night before Rosh Hashana  will likely be quiet, more intimate gatherings, perhaps on a patio or deck with the sun setting and the need for a warm shawl or jacket. Those meals will help reflect on the beauty of just being with families or a few close friends to share wine, apples and honey along with a specially prepared meal.

The pandemic has taught us that these get togethers can be much more memorable than larger, traditional gatherings. Our dinner on the day of Rosh Hashana will be just family  our daughter and our two grandsons. Of course, I didnt want to forget the delicious round Challahs, one plain and one raisin, that are so much a tradition for our holiday. We have decided to chance only hugs, no kisses, because we just want to hold everyone that much closer.

This Rosh Hashana, we are particularly grateful that our close friend Bob came through his open heart surgery so well and should be coming home very soon to celebrate his and Robertas 54th wedding anniversary.

Pandemics aside, I am always grateful to just be alive and reasonably healthy. And as we reflect on all that has happened during the past year  the miracle birth of our newest grandson, Caleb; my aunts 90th birthday and other good things, despite the loss of two cousins and one of their wives in Chicago and the death of my late fathers sister at 94  my heart remains full.

Have I committed sins this past year? Im sure Ive committed enough to pound my chest as I say prayers virtually and ask forgiveness on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Even if I cant be standing in a sanctuary, hoping to get my confessions out before the gates of Heaven close for another year, I can still pray for forgiveness and a clean slate before committing new sins in the new year.

The other Yom Kippur ritual  fasting  is a little less appealing, hygienically, to me this year because of masks. If I decide to fast, Ill be sneaking lots of pieces of gum to chew discreetly just to feel fresh during the whole day.

More than anything this year, we will miss breaking the fast on Yom Kippur with our close friends Eden and Howard. Our get togethers have always been warm and wonderful, filled with touching and funny family stories, lively conversation and, of course, catching up.

I would be remiss if I didnt mention that Eden has always outdone herself with quiches and desserts that there are simply no words to describe. Feast would be an understatement for her splendid and colorful holiday table.

Sadly this year, given the circumstances of the pandemic, we will have to miss seeing our friends and savoring Edens breaking-the-fast delicacies. But well certainly think about that special meal. Well hope to enjoy everything next year when we can break the fast together again in person.

Despite the restrictions around this years High Holy Days, we are determined to make this a beautiful and sweet new year of warm reflections, enjoying our traditional apples, honey and wine along with round Challah breads. While we still have warm memories of our many years at congregation Bnai Israel, well be enjoying virtual services from a new favorite congregation, Central Synagogue in New York. We love the musical prayers and warmth that the joint rabbis and cantor offer and enjoy sharing their lively Hamish services.

And as always, well try to make the High Holy Days a special time for reflection and family.

Steven Gaynes is a Fairfield writer, and his In the Suburbs appears each Friday. He can be reached at stevengaynes44@gmail.com.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 23:35:19|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called for political will and bold action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Public appetite for transformative change is growing, he said in his opening remarks at the SDG Moment 2020. "But one critical ingredient is still missing: political will. Without it, neither public appetite nor stakeholder action will be sufficient."

The SDG Moment, a high-level event to galvanize global efforts toward the SDGs, will be convened by the UN secretary-general annually till 2030 to match the Decade of Action for the SDGs.

"The science is clear. The people are clear. This is no time to procrastinate. The decisions taken over the next few months and years will have enormous impact on where we will be by 2030," Guterres said.

He called for action in three crucial areas: finance, COVID-19 recovery, and ambition.

Right now, developing countries face the dual challenges of funding the pandemic response and avoiding a major debt crisis, he said. "For the SDGs to stand a chance, we must address the immediate, medium- and longer-term financing challenges that developing countries face."

He encouraged world leaders, who will meet later this month on financing for development on the sidelines of the General Assembly General Debate, to consider policy options, including boosting the resources available to international financial institutions and extending the Debt Service Suspension Initiative to at least the end of 2021.

Inclusive and green COVID-19 recovery plans, done right, can help countries to transition to a more inclusive, equitable and sustainable economy, he said. "As we spend huge amounts of money to recover from the coronavirus, we must deliver new jobs and businesses through a clean, green transition."

"That means ensuring that taxpayers' money is used for a resilient, inclusive and sustainable recovery. It means ending fossil fuel subsidies, making polluters pay for their pollution and ensuring that no new coal-fired power plants are built. And it means reducing inequalities and placing women, who have been among the worst affected by job losses and increased care burdens, at the center of recovery plans," said Guterres.

He called for ambition and solidarity to provide the 35 billion extra U.S. dollars needed so that COVID-19 vaccines and treatments are available to everyone, fast; ambition to cut carbon emissions by half in the next decade, paving the way to carbon neutrality by 2050; and ambition to protect biodiversity, achieve gender equality, end poverty and hunger and fulfill the promise of the SDGs.

"In the midst of the greatest international crisis of their time, the founders of the United Nations raised their eyes above the horizon and planned a better, safer future. The COVID-19 pandemic, the greatest challenge faced by us since the founding of the United Nations has brought us low," he said.

"But we will not be beaten. We, too, must look beyond the current crisis and set our sights high, as we strike out for a world of dignity and opportunity for all on a healthy planet. Together, let us make this a decade of action, a decade of ambition, a decade of transformation, a decade of hope and peace," he added. Enditem
China has published a white paper defending its Xinjiang internment camps for Uighur Muslims and other ethnic minorities following the US announcing it will block some exports from the region over alleged human rights abuses.

Beijings paper, published on Thursday, also gives some indication of the scale of the labour programmes, stating that an average of 1.29 million workers, including 415,400 from southern Xinjiang, were trained annually between 2014 and 2019.

The document does not clarify whether workers have passed through these vocational training centres multiple times.

However, a total of almost eight million people  out of Xinjiangs population of 22 million  may have been through the programme, according to the reports figures.

In the report, the Chinese Communist party government defends its labour programme by claiming it exists to alleviate poverty through employment, saying: Through its proactive labor and employment policies, Xinjiang has continuously improved the peoples material and cultural lives, and guaranteed and developed their human rights in every field.

The document, which has been published in several languages, suggesting it is aiming for an international audience, said the average annual relocation of surplus rural labour was more than 2.76 million people, more than 60 per cent of whom were in southern Xinjiang.

It repeatedly underlines the role of the "training centres" in alleviating poverty. Between 2018 and 2019, the paper says some 155,000 people in southern Xinjiang and the surrounding area found employment outside their home towns and subsequently emerged from poverty.

Beijing has come under fire for accusations of human rights abuses, and even genocide, against the regions Uighur Muslims  allegations it has repeatedly denied.

Other charges levied by human rights groups include re-education and surveillance of ethnic minorities. China has also been accused of forced sterilisation of women.

The government has consistently insisted that mass "vocational education and training" is necessary in the region to combat terrorism and poverty.

The US has compared the Xinjiang detention centres to concentration camps, and this week blocked exports from five entities in the region it claimed used forced labour.

A region-wide ban may still be considered, US officials said.

The escalation followed US sanctions, announced in July, against Chinese politicians who it claims are responsible for human rights breaches against Muslim minorities.

"These extraordinary human rights violations demand an extraordinary response," Kenneth Cuccinelli, the Department of Homeland Security's acting secretary said, announcing the export block. "This is modern-day slavery."

China responded by saying allegations of forced labour were fabricated.

Earlier this week, clothing giant H&M said it was ending an indirect relationship with a supplier in China in light of allegations of forced labour within the supply chain.
CALS Quarterly Issue 10

Read the latest issue of our quarterly newsletter  featuring game-changing judgments, celebrations, our brand new moot court competition and more

The social justice community has been working incredibly hard over the last few months to continue with our usual projects and adding to them many new concerns arising in light of the pandemic and lockdown. The sector has welcomed new regulations on evictions and we and our C19 People's Coalition partners have seen some huge victories through both petitions and court applications. Yet, it can feel like there is no end to the social issues we face.



Like our friends and colleagues, we have had our share of highs and lows recently. In the last two weeks, we have joined the many people in South Africa mourning the loss of a true giant of human rights, George Bizos SC, who lived the struggle for social justice into his nineties. We have also celebrated our younger colleagues whose work and achievements have already been recognised nationally and internationally. In our project work, we have seen a ground-breaking judgment on the rights of communities to access information and others confirming government duties to supply water and ensure animal welfare. We have yet to see, however, if this will translate into change on the ground.



Perhaps most of all, we recognise the importance of finding the next generation of human rights lawyers to bring fresh energy and ideas to this struggle. CALS has been working with student interns and volunteers who make an invaluable contribution to our work and we are now looking for two new candidate attorneys to join our team next year. Our organisation is also partnering with the Student Litigation Society to host a new Public Interest Law Moot Court Competition, the final round of which will take place on Human Rights Day next year at the Constitutional Court. If you would like to support our work directly, you can head to our brand new donations page and make a contribution or pass it on.

Click the image below to read more about these and other recent updates.
At the beginning of the pandemic, the overarching sense among many companies was that working from home was going to be a temporary solution to help mitigate against the spread of Covid-19. As communities implemented stay-at-home orders, companies sent workers home to work for what they hoped would be a few weeks.

Six months later, millions of Americans are still working from home. And there's no end in sight.

The reality of permanent or semi-permanent remote work is starting to set in, even as companies are trying to figure out the best approach to getting their employees back in the office. Some companies, like Twitter, have said their employees can keep working from home forever. Others have extended their remote work policy through sometime in 2021, with an eye toward bringing everyone back whenever possible.

Even Amazon, which announced it was hiring for 33,000 corporate roles that would work remotely, plans to eventually bring those workers into its offices.

But, in many cases, those workers aren't interested in getting back to the office. That's according to a recent survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers, which said that as many as a third of office workers would prefer to never go back to the office. Even more interesting is that 72 percent say they'd like the ability to work remotely at least two days a week.

There are probably a variety of reasons for that sentiment. For example, most people have a level of anxiety associated with the unknown. There is a lot of uncertainty around getting back to the office. Is it safe? Is it even necessary? The longer they work from home, the more they settle into a routine and create their own habits for being productive.

In addition, a big part of the equation for many of your employees is the fact that they have children attempting some version of online learning. As someone with four such children, I can speak first-hand of the challenge many parents are facing trying to imagine going back into an office before their children go back to in-person school.

With this in mind, it might be time to start thinking about a long-term plan for both in-office and remote working. Well, the time to start thinking about a plan was probably a few months ago, but better late than never.

What does that look like? The answer obviously depends on a lot of factors, but it usually involves these three things:

People

The first consideration should be the needs of your people. That includes your customers, but more importantly, it means your team. Any plan for long-term remote working needs to address the unique challenges that your team will face working from home, and should be designed to continue to serve your customers.

Balancing those two things can seem difficult, but one of the keys is to acknowledge that the solution might look a lot different than what you're used to. That's OK. The key is to think through the different circumstances your team is facing and come up with creative ways to empower them to do their work, even if that doesn't look like it did when they sat at a desk in an office building.

Systems

That means it's important to have systems and processes in place to meet those needs. For example, you should think through the way your team will interact with each other, and with customers. It also means being intentional about how you communicate, especially if you end up with a team split between the office and remote. Meetings look different when half the team isn't there in person.

You'll also want to be clear on expectations, in terms of how and when work is done. One of the benefits of working remotely is that it usually comes with additional flexibility in terms of your schedule. That should be balanced with a clear understanding of how you define productivity.

Tools

Fortunately, there are a lot of tools available for managing those processes. Slack and Microsoft Teams weren't invented for the pandemic, but they certainly make staying connected and productive a lot easier. Google Docs makes collaboration a lot less complicated than sending files back and forth via email. And, of course, Zoom makes it simple to meet face-to-face, even when you can't be face-to-face.
Co-owner of Fire and Sole restaurants, Padraic OKane, fears many Dublin restaurants will close their doors for the last time on Friday night after indoor dining was prohibited for the next three weeks.

There is fury among Dublins bars and restaurants after the Government confirmed that pubs and restaurants serving food in the county will only be able to offer only delivery and takeaway services, or serve up to 15 people outdoors.

This comes as a second blow to the sector as earlier this week the Government said that while wet pubs will be able to reopen next week, those in Dublin will stay shut.

Read More

We spent all of Friday preparing for outdoor dining and now weve just been walloped by this restriction to just 15 outdoor diners. We were told for the last number of days that outdoor dining and deliveries would be fine so that came as a shock. Maximum of 15 outdoor diners is in Level 4 for restaurants so really what has been implemented is Level 4.

From an economy perspective, it is going to be a dismal few weeks for the city. No one is going to be staying in Dublin. Its a knee-jerk reaction and I dont think people realise how big a blow this will be to our economy.

I have fridges full of food that are now not going to be used. The Taoiseach referenced avoiding confusion a lot on Tuesday but now were onto a seven-point plan, not a five-point one. We had level two-and-a-half on Tuesday and this is level three-and-a-half. In level three it says indoor dining will remain.

Economically, it would not be worth opening for the next three weeks just for 15 diners outdoors. The industry is just gone for three weeks, he said.

OKane said a lot of his staff will likely have to be laid off due to newly-imposed restrictions.

It beggars belief. The problem I now face is the Wage Subsidy Scheme is down to 203, but the Pandemic Unemployment Payment is 300. So we will have to lay off the majority of our staff that we kept on the last time so they can earn more money. No one has thought any of this through.

My message to the government is restore the 350 pandemic payment and pay it through the employers, as you have just now fired a lot of the restaurant staff in Dublin tonight, he said.

OKane pointed out his two restaurants have catered for thousands of diners since re-opening on June 29th and neither has even had even so much as a referral for contact tracing or any other issue.

Its just devastating, absolutely devastating, OKane admitted.

This evenings formal announcement of the Dublin lockdown has left both restaurateurs and pubs in the county furious.

The capitals wet pubs - those which do not serve food - have endured Europes longest pub lockdown and Dublin bar owners will be closed for another three weeks at least.

Many publicans have spent thousands on protective measures on their businesses, putting in place protective screens, changing layouts of their bars and buying PPE, even though their opening has been delayed once again.

However, in the meantime, they have coronavirus-proofed their businesses, with some even completely redesigning their pubs to adhere to social distancing guidelines.

We put divisions in between all the tables, we have the hand sanitiser, the whole lot, said Dan Smith, manager at Grogans Castle Lounge in South William Street.

We have wooden divisions with plexi glass on top to keep people apart and keep a division between groups, whenever we get groups back in.

Weve spent well over ten grand in the preparations of the place, between screens and sanitisers and even the small things like ordering trays, it all adds up.

Read More

He said they began rolling out these protective measures since Grogans closed in March.

We put a lot of money into it and you have to get the chance to open.

Its heartbreaking. Were at our wits end, between myself and my father and his business partner. Our mental health is in absolute tatters.

In Skerries, Ollie Grimes has completely uprooted his business and merged his snug bar and disco bar Ollies Place into one - renamed The Snug.

This transformation has cost him around 80,000.

I knew the current layout of a disco bar wouldnt work out and people wouldnt be able to mingle like they were before.

I knew the virus wouldnt go away so I decided to work on developing a larger snug bar and allow for the safe distancing, he explained.

I have spent in excess of 80,000, just getting on my hands and knees and built this.

The lounge allows for people to be able to socialise in small groups and the renovations began on March 15 and have only been completed recently.

I had to completely gut the place, ripped up the floors, put in plumbing.

I was able to use a lot of the stuff I had in the original bar to do the refurb, but it still cost in excess of 80,000.

He said that with the reopening of the pubs being delayed yet again, he fears for the future.

I didnt want to put food in because I didnt want to put in a tariff for what should be a real pub environment. A lot of my customers would come in before going out to a nice restaurant or settle in for a drink afterwards.

Im very angry - weve gotten no help from the government. Closing would be the last thing I want to do - but every day weve been closed its closer to doomsday, added Mr Grimes.

In College Green, manager at The Bank Bar restaurant and bar David Chawke said over 20,000 has been spent on refurbishments and protective measures.

We had to buy 30 perspex plastic screens, they cost 11,000 - I know because I only wrote out the cheque for them the other day, he told Independent.ie.

We had to take out 30pc of our tables, put in a contact tracing booth at the entrance, extra signage, train staff, hand sanitiser.

We reopened on June 29 under Failte Ireland guidelines - deliveries are not an option for us because were labour-intensive.

This evenings announcement left Mr Chawke furious.

Our fruit and veg supplier got onto us at 12pm today, theyre a family run business. They asked if we wanted to put in an order for tomorrow - what are we supposed to tell them when we dont know if we will be open tomorrow?

You cant run a business like this, two or three hours ahead of time.

Whats going to happen next - well be closed for three weeks, then open, then the cases go up, then close again? No other industry would be treated like we have, he said.

Read More

Meanwhile, the Vintners Federation of Ireland fears that closing the pubs will collapse the sector.

Its proven that house parties are the source of most infections so how will closing pubs help matters? Government dont have the stomach to tackle the real issue here which is uncontrolled gatherings in private dwellings, said Chief Executive Padraig Cribben.

Nphet is recklessly disregarding the emotional wellbeing of the thousands of people who will lose their jobs as a result of this decision.

A spokesman for the Licensed Vintners Association (LVA) accused the Government of handing control of the country to Nphet, while pushing thousands to the dole queue.

The new restrictions had put pubs that serve food and restaurants into Level 4, while the rest of Dublin is placed into Level 3, the LVA stated.

The LVA had strong words for the Government, saying it now views the new Resilience and Recovery 2020  2021 plan as null and void.

The group said the decision came on the same day that Professor Philip Nolan of Nphet admitted the body has no data to show where in Ireland the infections are originating from.

Donall OKeeffe, Chief Executive of the LVA, told the Irish Independent: Its quite clear now the Government has little say in how this country is being run and were now being ruled by Nphet.

Welcome to Nphet-land. They are closing down swathes of businesses in Dublin, pushing thousands of people out of work - and yet Nphet admits they dont have any data to show where the infections are arising in Ireland.

Despite that lack of data, the Government has empowered them to inflict whatever guidelines they want without challenge.

Thanks to the actions taken by Nphet and Government we have a six-month plan, which is already null and void.

No one can take that document seriously when they have Dublin at Level 3, pubs that serve food and restaurants at Level 4 and non-food pubs at Level 5.

They took weeks to put that document together but they undid it in a matter of three days.

Mr OKeeffe said pubs that serve food and restaurants, had been open for several months without a spike in infections but still Nphet has imposed the most severe, draconian and punishing restrictions on the hospitality sector in all of Europe.

Patricia Callan, Director of Drinks Ireland, said: The hospitality sector should have been allowed to stay open in Dublin, or in the case of wet pubs, to reopen in a safe and sustainable manner.

The Government must stop unfairly targeting an entire industry that is already on its knees, treating the sector as a political scapegoat.

This closure impacts not only pubs, but also drinks suppliers. Beer and cider in particular cannot be kept in storage for lengthy periods as both will go off.

This would be the fourth time drink would be delivered to pubs and left unused, she added.

This would result in a very costly process, she added. The move was, she added ineffective and out of step with the rest of Europe.

Drinks Ireland released a list of 25 European nations where pubs and cafes are open without restrictions.

These include Austria, Belgium and France.

Sunil Ghai, co-owner and chef at the award winning Pickle Restaurant on Camden Street, Dublin, said the news restaurants had to close their doors was devastating.

We were able to bring 15 full time staff back to Pickle when we reopened in July and now I must let 10 of those people go immediately, Mr Ghai said.

We have fridges full of produce to service the full menu here but half of that is not needed for our takeaway offering, so that will go to waste.

We recently placed a large wine order which has arrived and will now not be needed - it's dead money that we have invested and can't make a return on for the next few weeks.

Mr Ghai said restaurants still needed to pay rent and his takeaway business would not provide enough income to meet costs.

Elaina Fitzgerald Kane, President of the Irish Hotels Federation, reacted to the restrictions - which would see Dublin hotels and accommodation, only able to offer limited services for residents.

The tourism and hospitality industry has become the economic frontline of the Covid crisis.

Urgent Government intervention is now required in the form of additional sector specific supports for an industry that has been disproportionately impacted by the Covid restrictions.

Ms Fitzgerald Kane said the package offered by Government falls far short of what is required, not only in Dublin but for the entire country.

She explained the deep impact the industry has suffered due to the pandemic, stating prior to Covid-19 tourism supported 270,000 livelihoods - one in ten of all Irish jobs.

Of these 100,000 jobs have been lost already and a further 100,000 are at immediate risk, she said.

Ms Fitzgerald Kane added: Health and safety must always be the number one priority and we recognise the difficult balance the Government has to achieve.

However, the Government roadmap does not take into consideration the controlled environment that hotels offer in hosting guests safely.
- The city lawyer previously saw his daughter off at the airport in Janury 2020 when she was going to school

- He once again took her to the airport as she returned to school after a short break

- They held each other as they posed for a last photo before she left the country again

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Popular city lawyer Donald Kipkorir is not only an accomplished affluent advocate but a proud dad who has never shied from showing off his beautiful daughters.

The lawyer is known to have heavily invested in his children's education which he showed while sending one of his daughters for studies oversees.

READ ALSO: President Museveni announces he's joined Instagram, sparks reactions online

Lawyer Donald Kipkorir and his daughter at JKIA. Photo: Donald Kipkorir.

Source: Facebook

READ ALSO: Suba community comes out clear, say they are not Luos but Bantus from Buganda kingdom

As schools slowly re-open in England months after they were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the lawyer had to send his elder daughter back as shared on his Facebook page.

Well, the lawyer did not just take her to the airport and saw her off. No! he had a dad-daughter moment and did what any parent would have done - prayed for her safety.

"Seeing off my beloved daughter returning to school in England...so proud of her...May the Lord bless thee, and keep thee," he wrote.

READ ALSO: Mara Ngeche: NEMA shuts camp after its workers were filmed blocking wildebeests

Donald Kipkorir is not only an accomplished but also affluent advocate. Photo: Donald Kipkorir.

Source: Facebook

"The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: the Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace!" he added.

Unlike her initial trip, she wore a white pair of pants, a white top, covered up with a black half jacket and appeared not to be ready for a photo as she faced away from the camera.

The girl, who is a mirror image of her father, had initially posed for a similar photo at the international airport in January 2020 when she was leaving for school.

READ ALSO: Stunning woman celebrates 40th birthday: "Black don't crack"

Kipkorir is one of Kenya's most elite and successful lawyers as his law firm (KTK Advocates) has represented a vast number of clients.

The flamboyant lawyer previously revealed his secrets to success through social media post titled Jabez Prayer: My Life is Abundantly Blessed.

He revealed how he was brought up in a poor family that he actually wore shoes for the first time when he joined secondary school.

READ ALSO: Video of world's 1st android-controlled toilet causes stir online

He added that he once worked for Bungoma Senator Moses Wetang'ula in the 90s and ended up setting his own law firm.

According to the religious advocate, his clients are State corporations, banks, insurance companies, energy companies, universities, high net-worth individuals and ministers.

In his entire life, he said, he has never been a broker, never taken money other than legal fees that are receipted, has no bank loan, debts and pays his taxes.

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Mary Trump has provided her uncles election opponent with some advice on how to wind-up the president during the 2020 presidential debates.

In an interview on MSNBCs The Last Word on Thursday, Ms Trump said the Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden, should address the president by his first name, Donald.

First of all, and I mean this sincerely, I hope vice president Biden refers to Donald as Donald, said Ms Trump. Just because thats an easy way to get under his skin.

Nobodys disrespected the office as much as Donald has, so he doesnt deserve the cover of the respect of the office of the presidency, she added.

The 55-year-old, who released a tell-all book about her uncle in July titled Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created The Worlds Most Dangerous Man, also suggested Mr Biden make sure the moderators call-out Mr Trump's lies.

Even if it feels rude, even if it feels like hes interrupting, its too important for us to sit on ceremony here, she said.

Thursdays interview was the latest given by the presidents niece since the publication of her book.

She told CNN earlier this week that Mr Trump was growing desperate to improve his reelection chances, having falsely accused Mr Biden of using drugs.

"He projects about almost everything," she said of her uncle. "Normalising him  which has been going on for decade  is one of the reasons we're here."

Its "desperation, she added. "He's grasping at straws at the moment."

According to analysis by The Washington Post, Mr Trump has told more than 20,000 lies during his time as president.

His niece has since compared the presidents lies to almost like breathing for him.

The first televised 2020 presidential debate between Mr Trump and Mr Biden takes place in Cleveland on 29 September, with Fox News Chris Wallace as moderator. .
Donald Trump has been ridiculed over plans for a patriotic education commission for American schools, with critics comparing the proposals to Nazi Germanys Hitler Youth programme.

Speaking at what was dubbed the White House Conference on American History, the US president said children had undergone decades of leftwing indoctrination, as he set out plans for a patriotic education programme.

"We're launching a new pro-American lesson plan for students called [the] 1776 Commission, he told an audience. We're going to teach our children the truth about America."

Twitter users soon mocked the president, with one person comparing his speech at the National Archives to straight up Nazi rhetoric.

Others panned the proposals as being on par with the Hitler Youth, as the Nazi youth organisations name trended on Twitter on Friday.

Since people are (correctly) equating Trumps new executive order with Hitlers Youth, here is an interesting factoid, wrote American author and film producer, Tariq Nasheed. Hitlers Youth was actually inspired by the Boy Scouts...Because the Boy Scouts was founded by white supremacist Robert Baden-Powell.

The president, announcing the creation of a 1776 Commission to promote patriotic and pro-America education, had also criticised The New York Times 1619 Project, an initiative educating children on the arrival of the first slave ship to North America.

"There is no more powerful force than a parent's love for their children, said Mr Trump. And patriotic mums and dads are going to demand that their children are no longer fed hateful lies about this country".

The 1619 projects mission statement says it will educate Americans about slavery and the contributions of black Americans to national life, which Mr Trump called warped.
Parents and students at a high school in Dallas are outraged after a school assignment called 'Hero for the Modern Age' named Kenosha gunman Kyle Rittenhouse.

The assignment was given to seniors in an English class at W.T. White High School in Dallas, Texas, and had two parts; first asking students to write a biography for the six people listed and then asking them to write a one-page essay on which of those six people they believed best demonstrated the concept of a hero.

Activist Malcolm X and Mahatma Gandhi were among those listed as people to chose from, alongside Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old who shot and killed two Black Lives Matters protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last month.

Also on the list were George Floyd, Cesar Chavez and Joseph Rosenbaum - one of the two men Rittenhouse gunned down.

An assignment called 'Hero for the Modern Age' named Kenosha gunman Kyle Rittenhouse and was given to seniors at W.T. White High School in Dallas, Texas

The assignment was given to seniors in an English class at W.T. White High School in Dallas, Texas, and had two parts; first asking students to write a biography for the six people listed and then asking them to write a one-page essay on which of those six people they believed best demonstrated the concept of a hero

Among those listed alongside Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old who shot and killed two Black Lives Matters protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last month, were activist Malcolm X and Mahatma Gandhi

The assignment was posted on Google Classrooms with the names of Gandhi and Malcolm X misspelled.

It sparked criticism among students and parents, with the older sister of one student in the class telling NBC Dallas she questioned the integrity of the assignment.

Joseph Rosenbaum - one of the two men Rittenhouse gunned down - was also on the list

'It was just like, ''Oh my gosh, the spelling, Oh my gosh, there are no women on here,'' and then very ardently the fact that a white supremacist murderer's name is on a list with important historical figures,' said Kristian Hernandez.

'The juxtaposition of George Floyd's name with Kyle's name was just astounding,' she added. 'The value of black lives are not up for debate, and that's what it felt like this was sort of getting at  by way of the names that were included.'

Hernandez added that her brother was in 'disbelief' at the assignment.

According data from Dallas ISD for the 2019-2020 school year, the students of W.T. White High School are 81 per cent Hispanic and 10 per cent African American.

The Dallas Independent School District apologized for the assignment and said it had not been approved.

'Racial equity is a top priority in Dallas ISD, and we remain committed to providing a robust teaching environment where all students can learn,' the district said in a statement to CNN. 'It is important that we continue to be culturally sensitive to our diverse populations and provide a space of respect and value.'

According data from Dallas ISD for the 2019-2020 school year, the students of W.T. White High School are 81 per cent Hispanic and 10 per cent African American

'The juxtaposition of George Floyd's name with Kyle's name was just astounding,' the sister of one student said. 'The value of Black lives are not up for debate, and that's what it felt like this was sort of getting at  by way of the names that were included'

In this August 25, 2020, photo, Kyle Rittenhouse, left, is pictured with a backwards cap, walking along Sheridan Road in Kenosha, Wisconsin

Robyn Harris, director of news and information for Dallas ISD, said the assignment has been removed from Google Classroom and students are not required to complete it.

The teacher who created the assignment has not been identified, but the district said it is taking the 'appropriate steps' moving forward.

'We absolutely take these incidents seriously and even though these are personal matters, we are absolutely making sure that the proper and appropriate measures are being taken,' Harris said.

Rittenhouse faces five felony charges including first-degree murder. He shot one of his victims five times including in the head, the criminal complaint reveals.
The National Marine Dredging Company has announced that it has been awarded an AED600-million ($163.36 million) contract for the expansion of Lake Manzala in northeastern Egypt.

The company disclosed the value of the award in a letter to the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, ADX, said a Wam news agency report.

NDMC said the project will be implemented in partnership with Al-Tahadi Egyptian-Emirati Co, and will be completed in two years.
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Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - September 18, 2020) - MinKap Resources Inc. (TSXV: KAP) (the "Company" or "MinKap"), is pleased to announce that at the close of business on September 17, 2020, the TSX Venture issued a Final Exchange Bulletin announcing its final approval of the previously announced acquisition of the Breccia Gold property and the Lightning Tree property, both of which are located in Lemhi County, Idaho, USA (the "Transaction"). The common shares in the capital of the Company were previously halted on February 4, 2020, at the request of the Company in connection with the announcement of the Transaction. Trading in the common shares of MinKap will resume at the open of business on Monday, September 21, 2020.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

MinKap Resources Inc.

Jonathan Armes

President & CEO

Phone 1 (416) 708-0243

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note

The information contained herein contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risks related to the Transaction, risk related to the failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis and on acceptable terms; risks related to the outcome of legal proceedings; political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the maintenance of stock exchange listings; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities or the completion of feasibility studies; the uncertainty of profitability; risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; results of prefeasibility and feasibility studies, and the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risks related to commodity price fluctuations; and other risks and uncertainties related to the Company's prospects, properties and business detailed elsewhere in the Company's disclosure record. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations or projections.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/64167
This year, thousands of California voters will be unable to cast an informed vote in the November election. It will not be for lack of interest in this election, or for lack of access to a physical ballot. It will be because government officials failed to provide them with the language services they needed to understand what and whom they are voting for.

The problem lies in officials overreliance on population data to dictate which limited-English-proficient communities receive language services, such as translation services or translated ballots, in elections. It is well documented that the data is fundamentally flawed, erasing historically marginalized communities.

The Census does not adequately capture immigrant populations, many of whom are people of color.

The Arabic-speaking community of Fresno County stands as a prime example. This year, our advocacy coalition brought this historically marginalized community to the attention of Secretary of State Alex Padilla. His office holds the broad authority under state law to provide language services to people who speak languages from Africa and the Middle East.

Despite our coalition demonstrating that the Arabic-speakers of Fresno are repeatedly erased in government data, Padilla failed to use his powers of office to provide them with the language services they need to vote.

According to interviews that our coalition conducted with community leaders, Fresno Countys Arabic-speaking population is estimated at 6,000-10,000 people, half of whom are estimated to be limited-English proficient.

However, the federal governments American Community Survey 2018 data captures only a fraction of that range, calculating 1,453 limited-English proficient Arabic speakers.

Community leaders note that one of the many reasons that government data erases this population is that it counts Middle Eastern communities as white, and that survey respondents must specifically note Arabic as their first language in order to be recognized in the data. Notwithstanding the many flaws in government data collection systems, the Arabic-speaking voters of Fresno County want their voices heard.

Arabic-speakers have called Central California home for generations and have been engaged in decades-long struggles to have a say in the policies that impact their communities. Yemeni farmworkers started arriving as early as the 1940s and 1950s, and then began to immigrate in large numbers in the 1960s and 1970s. These communities marched alongside Cesar Chavez during the farmworkers movement of the 1960s, and some died on the front lines of protest.

Today, Arabic-speaking American citizens with origins in Iraq, Egypt, Palestine, Jordan and Syria also compose a significant portion of the Fresno County population. Many work on farms; in factories and slaughterhouses; as Uber drivers; nonprofit and faith leaders; and as owners of convenience stores and other small businesses.

The electoral issues that hold power over their lives range across the ballot: from the school board, which impacts Arabic-speaking students; to water contamination, which impacts the Yemeni populations that live in rural areas; to members of Congress, who are able to ensure that immigration policies are inclusive of their background; to the presidential ticket, which has resulted in the Muslim ban and separation of families at the border.

This population exemplifies the work that needs to be done in California to create a strong, multilingual democratic process that serves the multilingual voters of this racially and ethnically diverse state, with its rich history of immigration. Californias Secretary of State has the power to provide this population  and others erased in government data, and consequently in our elections  with translated reference ballots, or translated votable ballots. These would constitute meaningful measures to empower historically marginalized voices with the ability to participate in our democracy.

As former Rep. John Lewis reminded us, the voting rights struggle is a living history, not a fossilized moment in time. Our state and local elections officials must stand as an example for the rest of our nation, making full use of their powers of office to accommodate a wider range of citizens with language access barriers.







Watch Now: California Proposition 17, parolee voting, explained in 1 minute

Sukaina Hussain is the outreach director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Central California office. Christina Fletes-Romo is a voting rights attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California. They wrote this for CalMatters, a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how Californias Capitol works and why it matters.

Sukaina Hussain is the outreach director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Central California office. Christina Fletes-Romo is a voting rights attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California. They wrote this for CalMatters, a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how Californias Capitol works and why it matters.
A 31-year-old shopkeeper Tashume "Happy" Bambore was on Thursday, September 17, sentenced to life in prison for raping a 5-year-old girl who went to his store to buy ice lollies and biscuits in Phakamisa, outside King William's Town. Eastern Cape.



Police spokesperson Captain Khaya Tonjeni, said Bambore lured the girl into a bedroom where he raped her on 11 March last year. "A 36-year-old customer entered the shop and saw Bambore appearing from the bedroom while pulling up his pants. The 5-year-old also appeared from the bedroom with him," said Tonjeni.



"The customer then immediately called a 29-year-old fellow Phakamisa resident and they took the child to her mother. The child then disclosed to her mother what had occurred," National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Anelisa Ngcakani said. State advocate Linda Jekwa asked the Eastern Cape High Court in Bhisho to not deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment for the rape.



"I'm requesting for the court to send out a strong message that such offences will not be tolerated and that the accused should be sentenced to life imprisonment."



Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions, advocate Chanzelle de Kock, said: "I am pleased with the sentence as this will confirm the strong message from the courts that violence against women, and especially our children, will not be tolerated."



Eastern Cape police commissioner Lieutenant General Liziwe Ntshinga added: "As a province we are concerned about regular reports of adult men forcing themselves on young children. We are grateful for the outcome of the good working relationship between our detectives, the courts and the prosecuting authority."













Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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HAMDEN  Quinnipiac University confirmed the first case of coronavirus within the school community Friday.

Through this weeks sample testing of students, the Student Health Services team identified an asymptomatic student, who lives at home with their family, as positive with the virus, according to an announcement sent to students, faculty and staff Friday morning.

The student is isolating at home.

The university has been prepared for this eventuality, relying on the latest science and health guidelines to establish comprehensive health and safety protocols for testing, identifying and caring for students who test positive for COVID-19, David Hill, senior medical adviser of the COVID-19 campus task force, wrote in an email to the community.

Since Aug. 5, the university has performed 9,968 on-campus tests, with this being the first positive case. Quinnipiac has published a dashboard on the university website outlining the schools current risk level, tests performed and confirmed cases.

This level of detailed planning, expertise and preparation gives us confidence in containing the spread of the virus and maintaining the health of the university community, Hill said.

The university has implemented a contact tracing protocol to identify locations and individuals with whom the person who tested positive might have had contact. Hill said any person who may have had contact with the positive case will be called directly.

We appreciate everyones continued vigilance with wearing face coverings, maintaining physical distancing, and keeping our gatherings small and responsible, he said. Everyone should be checking their symptoms daily using our mobile symptom checking app, and please remember to remain home or in your residence hall, suite or apartment if youre not feeling well.

These simple steps will help us continue to protect the Bobcat Bubble and maintain a healthy and safe QU community, Hill said.

Quinnipiac has made use of an app developed in partnership with MyOwnMed called the QU Symptom Checker, in which all members of the school community can perform a daily required self assessment of symptoms.

mdignan@hearstmediact.com
Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Postal Service Changes

A federal judge in Washington state on Thursday temporarily blocked operational changes that new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is making to the struggling U.S. Postal Service (USPS), claiming plaintiffs in a lawsuit will likely succeed.

A coalition of states filed a lawsuit this month seeking to block the changes, claiming they unlawfully interfered with states authority granted by the U.S. Constitution to manage their own elections.

U.S. District Judge Stanley Allen Bastian, an Obama-appointee, sided with the states, ruling they established a likelihood of success.

Although not necessarily apparent on the surface, at the heart of DeJoys and the Postal Services actions is voter disenfranchisement, Bastian wrote in his 13-page ruling. This is evident in President Trumps highly partisan words and tweets, the actual impact of the changes on primary elections that resulted in uncounted ballots, and recent attempts and lawsuits by the Republican National Committee and President Trumps campaign to stop the States efforts to bypass the Postal Service by utilizing ballot drop boxes, as well as the timing of the changes.

It is easy to conclude that the recent Postal Services changes is an intentional effort on the part the current Administration to disrupt and challenge the legitimacy of upcoming local, state, and federal elections, especially given that 72% of the decommissioned high speed mail sorting machines that were decommissioned were located in counties where Hillary Clinton [received] the most votes in 2016.

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy testifies during the House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington on Aug. 24, 2020. (Tom Williams/Pool via Reuters)

Clinton lost to Donald Trump in the 2016 election.

Bastian also said the widespread pushback by Democrats at a local, state, and federal level suggest that the Postal Services actions are not the result of any legitimate business concerns, adding: DeJoys actions fly in the face of Congresss intent to insulate the management of the Postal Service from partisan politics and political influence and acknowledgement that free and fair elections depend on a reliable mail service.

In an emailed statement to The Epoch Times, a USPS spokesperson said the service is exploring its legal options.

There should be no doubt that the Postal Service is ready and committed to handle whatever volume of election mail it receives. Our number one priority is to deliver election mail on-time, he added.

Lee Moak, the election mail committee chair for the USPS Board of Governors, added: Any suggestion that there is a politically motivated attack on the efficiency of the Postal Service is completely and utterly without merit.

An individual deposits letters into a U.S. Postal Service collection mailbox in Philadelphia, Penn., on Aug. 14, 2020. (Rachel Wisniewski/Reuters)

Vermont Attorney General T.J. Donovan, a Democrat who is one of the plaintiffs in the suit, welcomed the ruling.

We need our Postal Service to be fully operational for the General Election, Donovan said in a statement. I am pleased with the Courts ruling. The stakes in this case are too high.

The ruling came just one day after a congressional report found that the cost-saving measures that originally caused a slowdown in mail delivery were beginning to be incorporated into the system, with on-time delivery rebounding from 10 percent below to 2.7 percent below the average levels seen before the start of DeJoys tenure.

Some of the changes were already in motion prior to DeJoys arrival. He ordered trucks to run on schedule, which resulted in mail pile-ups as the rest of the system adjusted. That part of the system also recovered. On-time transportation had increased to 97 percent from 89 percent by late August, according to a fact sheet from the USPS.

Getting trucks running on time created a temporary dip in delivery, which we previously acknowledged. That dip is now largely gone, USPS spokesman David Partenheimer wrote in an email to The Epoch Times.

DeJoys ordered changes included mandating operations meet a 24-hour clock commitment, requiring all trips leave on time, abolishing extra trips, and making carriers start on time, leave for the street on time, and return on time.

Ivan Pentchoukov contributed to this report.
China, which claims the democratically-ruled island as its own, says combat drills are to defend its sovereignty.

Taiwan has said it had to scramble fighter jets to track approaching Chinese aircraft that also crossed the sensitive mid-line of the Taiwan Strait, in an escalation of tensions as a top United States diplomat visited the self-ruled island in a move that angered Beijing.

This came after Chinas defence ministry said earlier on Friday it was conducting military exercises near the Taiwan Strait, adding that the drills were in response to the current situation and designed to safeguard Chinas national sovereignty.

Beijing claims Taiwan as its own and has been alarmed by the increasing willingness of the US to defy Chinas attempts to isolate the democratically-ruled island. Last week, it held two days of mass air and sea drills.

Taiwans defence ministry said 18 Chinese aircraft were involved on Friday, a far larger number than Taiwan has previously announced for such encounters.

ROCAF scrambled fighters, and deployed air defence missile system to monitor the activities, it said in an English-language statement on Twitter, referring to Taiwans air force.

The ministry showed a map of the flight paths of the Chinese jets and their crossing of the Taiwan Strait mid-line, which combat aircraft from both sides normally avoid passing through.

Taiwans Liberty Times newspaper said Taiwan air force jets scrambled 17 times on Friday morning over four hours, warning Chinas air force to stay away. It also showed a picture of missiles being loaded onto an F-16 at the Hualien airbase on Taiwans east coast.

There is intense military activity in and around the Taiwan Strait, ratcheting up tensions, said Al Jazeeras Rob McBride, reporting from Seoul in South Korea.

Chinese defence ministry spokesman Ren Guoqiang gave few more details about the live-fire drills, which he said began in the Taiwan Strait on Friday and involved the Peoples Liberation Armys eastern theatre command.

PLA's Eastern Theater Command conducts a live-fire drill in the Taiwan Strait starting from Friday, Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Ren Guoqiang said Fri, adding that the action is necessary to safeguard national sovereignty due to the current situation in the region. pic.twitter.com/lTOT6Q6WXi  People's Daily, China (@PDChina) September 18, 2020

They are a reasonable, necessary action aimed at the current situation in the Taiwan Strait and protecting national sovereignty and territorial integrity, Ren said, adding that Taiwan was an internal Chinese affair.

Recently the United States and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities have stepped up their collusion, frequently creating disturbances, Ren said, referring to Taiwans ruling party.

When the US health secretary, Alex Azar, visited the island last month, Chinese fighter jets briefly crossed the midline of the Taiwan Strait.

Keith Krach, the US under secretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment, who arrived in Taiwan on Thursday, is due to meet President Tsai Ing-wen in a visit that has angered China [Pei Chen/ AFP]

Keith Krach, under secretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment, arrived on Taiwan on Thursday and is due to attend a dinner with President Tsai Ing-wen on Friday evening. He will also go to a memorial service for Taiwans former president Lee Teng-hui on Saturday.

Krach is the most senior official from the US State Department to visit Taiwan in 40 years.

His visit was swiftly condemned by China, which baulks at any recognition of Taiwan and has mounted a decades-long policy designed to marginalise the island on the diplomatic stage, which has intensified since Tsai first won office in 2016. She was returned for a second term in a landslide election in January.

Lawless bully

Announcing the trip, State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said the visit was to honour President Lees legacy and stressed shared political and economic values.

Taiwans foreign ministry said Krach, who is accompanied by assistant secretary Robert Destro, would also discuss how to strengthen bilateral economic cooperation during his three-day visit.

It described him as the highest-ranking State Department official to visit Taiwan since 1979, when Washington switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing from Taipei.

The US, like most countries, only has official diplomatic ties with China, but it is Taiwans main arms supplier and most important international backer.

The top US diplomat for East Asia, meanwhile, said on Thursday Chinas recent actions around the world were not those of a responsible global actor, but of a lawless bully.





In prepared testimony for a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, David Stilwell said the US was not asking other countries to choose sides, but to stand up against Chinas malign behaviour and to protect their own sovereignty and economic interests.

At the same time, Stilwell said US competition with China need not lead to conflict, and that the US sought to cooperate with Beijing where interests aligned, for instance on North Korea.

Stilwell said in the past several months there had been particularly egregious examples of Beijings conduct.

These included violence on its border with India and aggressive moves in the South China Sea, around Taiwan, and in waters China disputes with Japan.
VALLETTA, Malta  The ritual played out every evening in the capital of this Mediterranean island nation: As the sky darkened, street cleaners swept away candles, photographs and handwritten messages to a slain reporter.

Determined to keep alive the memory of anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia for more than a year, Ann Demarco, 60, replaced the objects at the makeshift memorial opposite the citys law courts. It was a small act of resistance to honor a journalist who inspired Maltese women to speak up, said Demarco, a law firm office administrator.

Caruana Galizia was 53 when a powerful bomb blew up her car on Oct. 16, 2017, in what her supporters say was a political killing linked to her reporting on the Panama Papers, the massive 2016 leak of financial documents about secret offshore accounts around the world.

Image: Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat makes a statement to media on the investigation into the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, in Valletta (Guglielmo Mangiapane / Reuters)

She still inspires people here because of her reporting on criminal and government corruption on her blog, Running Commentary, which reportedly attracted some 400,000 readers in a country of fewer than half a million people.

In 2016, in the aftermath of the Panama Papers leak, Caruana Galizia exposed the offshore holdings of two prominent players in then-Prime Minister Joseph Muscats government. Neither has been charged in connection with the allegations.

The three men accused of triggering the car bomb  Vincent Muscat (no relation to Joseph), Alfred Degiorgio and George Degiorgio  are in prison awaiting trial on murder charges. High-profile businessman Yorgen Fenech also stands accused of commissioning Caruana Galizias killing. All four deny the charges.

Since her death, Caruana Galizia has come to symbolize the battle over press freedom and journalism around the world. Friends, family and a consortium of dozens of journalists worldwide have collectively fought to keep pressure on the Maltese authorities.

The make-shift memorial to her was part of the fight against a government seen as trying to sweep Daphne's assassination under the carpet, said Demarco, who was an avid reader of Caruana Galizia.

Story continues

I think they were hoping to wear us down, she said. Unfortunately, they were dealing with a group of stubborn women.

Image: People leave the church of St Francis, after the Archbishop of Malta celebrated mass in memory of murdered journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia on the sixth month anniversary of her death in Valletta, Malta (Matthew Mirabelli / AFP - Getty Images)

Despite the pending trial, press freedom campaigners remained concerned about those accused of killing journalists across the world escaping prosecution.

Impunity is rife, said Tom Gibson, a lead advocate for the nonprofit Committee to Protect Journalists. It means that other killers in the future can carry out similar crimes, because they know that they wont be prosecuted.

Currently, 9 out of 10 murders of journalists are never solved, Gibson added.

In 2019, at least 250 journalists were jailed worldwide for the fourth straight year, according to the committee.

Caruana Galizia was killed in broad daylight, near her house in Bidnija, near the capital, Valletta. Her son, Matthew Caruana Galizia, also an investigative journalist, had been working from home that day. His mother had left for a trip to the bank, rushing back having forgetting her checkbook. Bye, bye, now Im really going, Matthew Caruana Galizia remembered her saying.

Image: Journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. (Pippa Zammit Cutajar)

Minutes later, there was the sound of an explosion. I knew what it was immediately, Matthew Caruana Galizia said. He ran out the house barefoot and was greeted by a horrific scene  his mothers car, a Peugeot 108, had blown up and veered into a field.

Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics

In that moment when I was standing in front of the burning car, I knew that were going to be fighting for the rest of our lives, Matthew Caruana Galizia said.

Daphne Caruana Galizias death shocked European Union officials. Were not just talking about the murder of a journalist. We're not just talking about corruption and fraud, said Sophie in t Veld, a Dutch member of the European Parliament, who led a mission to Malta to monitor the inquiry into the death, speaking to NBC News in August.

We also see more and more evidence of massive conflict of interest of senior figures in and around the [Maltese] government.

Image: Matthew Caruana Galizia, Daphne's son, at their family home in Bidnija, Malta (Nico Hameon / NBC News)

Europol, Europes law enforcement agency, now has a permanent presence in Malta, she said. "The Maltese police have to know that Europol is looking over their shoulder every step of the way, in t Veld added.

Prime Minister Robert Abela, who took office in January after Joseph Muscats resignation, eventually told the street cleaners in Valletta to stop the daily clearing and leave Caruana Galizias memorial alone  a small victory for Demarco and her supporters.

I believe in the power of journalism and I'm proud of what my mom did, Matthew Caruana Galizia said. I really hope that we can encourage people to fight even when the worst injustice has happened.

Get up on your feet and fight back.
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is presenting a distorted account of President Donald Trumps words on the coronavirus, wrongly suggesting Trump branded the virus a hoax.

In fact, Trump pronounced Democratic criticism of his pandemic response a hoax.

Biden tweeted a video mashup of Trumps rhetoric on the crisis, sampling the many times the president has underplayed the severity of the pandemic.

A look:

BIDEN VIDEO: Trump in public: Hoax. Trump in private: Killer.'

BIDEN VIDEO, showing Trump saying at a Feb. 28 campaign rally in South Carolina: The coronavirus  and this is their new hoax.

THE FACTS: The accusation and the selective video editing are misleading. At the rally featured in the video, Trump actually said the phrases the coronavirus and this is their new hoax at separate points. Although his meaning is difficult to discern, the broader context of his words shows he was railing against Democrats for their denunciations of his administrations coronavirus response.

Now the Democrats are politicizing the coronavirus, he said. You know that, right? Coronavirus. Theyre politicizing it. He meandered briefly to the subject of the messy Democratic primary in Iowa, then the Russia investigation before returning to the pandemic. They tried the impeachment hoax.  And this is their new hoax.

Asked at a news conference the next day to clarify his remarks, Trump made clear he was not referring to the coronavirus itself as a hoax.

No, no, no. he said. Hoax referring to the action that they take to try and pin this on somebody, because weve done such a good job. The hoax is on them, not  Im not talking about whats happening here. Im talking what theyre doing. Thats the hoax.

He continued: Certainly not referring to this. How could anybody refer to this? This is very serious stuff.

The videos reference to Trump in private calling the virus a killer comes from the presidents interview in April with author and journalist Bob Woodward, whose new book Rage contains Trumps acknowledgment that he was playing down the virus threat in public, so as to avoid panic.

But it is incorrect for Biden to suggest, as the video does, that Trump insisted the virus was a hoax before ultimately acknowledging to the author in April that it was deadly and serious.

Trump on several occasions before that did refer publicly to the virus as a plague and a killer, while also falsely dismissing it as something that would go away on its own, in hot weather or otherwise.
Nawaz Sharif

Islamabad: The Pakistan government has sent arrest warrants in London for deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif who has been living in the UK for medical treatment, a media report said on Friday.

Sharif has been in London since November last year after the Lahore High Court granted him permission to go abroad for four weeks for treatment.

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Nawaz SharifThe three-time premier, his daughter Maryam and son-in-law Muhammad Safdar were convicted in the Avenfield properties case on July 6, 2018.

Sharif was also sentenced to seven years in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills case in December 2018. But, he was bailed out in both cases and also allowed to go to London for medical treatment.

He was given eight weeks to return but failed to come back due to health complications, according to his lawyer.

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Nawaz Sharif

The Pakistan High Commission in London has received arrest warrants sent by the government for Sharif, as per the reports.

The documents were received on Thursday but the mission did not make an official comment on the development, it said.

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The sources added that all legal formalities and procedures would be followed.
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Washington, 21 ene (EFE).- El movimiento antiabortista en EE.UU. canto victoria este viernes ante la perspectiva de que el Tribunal Supremo pueda concederles este ano aquello por lo que presionan desde hace casi medio siglo: la posibilidad de prohibir del todo el aborto en la mitad conservadora del pais. Annie Marcellin no podia parar de sonreir mientras esperaba para confesar sus pecados a un sacerdote reclinado sobre un arbol en el National Mall, la explanada central de Washington en la que se celebra anualmente la llamada "Marcha por la vida". "Estoy muy emocionada", aseguro a Efe esa profesora de 22 anos, que suele acudir a la manifestacion anual desde que era nina y esta vez lo hizo acompanada de sus alumnas adolescentes de un instituto catolico de Maryland. A lo lejos, sobre un escenario construido para la manifestacion, alguien rezaba por "el fin del aborto" en Estados Unidos, y la ilusion se encendia en los ojos de Marcellin y de los otros miles de manifestantes, muchos de ellos muy jovenes, que llenaron el centro de Washington. MEDIO SIGLO DE PRESION Despues de casi medio siglo de presion, un movimiento que comenzo siendo relativamente pequeno -y que crecio hasta convertirse en un pilar fundamental del Partido Republicano en EE.UU.- veia por fin cercano su gran objetivo: lograr el fin de "Roe versus Wade". Esa decision del Tribunal Supremo estadounidense obliga desde 1973 a permitir el aborto en el pais hasta el momento de "viabilidad" del feto fuera del vientre materno, un limite que ahora esta en torno a las 23 o 24 semanas de embarazo. En la ultima decada, numerosos estados liderados por conservadores han aprobado normas que violan abiertamente esos parametros, con el objetivo declarado de conseguir que el Supremo revisara y anulara el precedente de 1973. Misisipi lo consiguio el ano pasado con un veto al aborto a partir de las 15 semanas de gestacion, y el Supremo emitira en junio o julio una decision sobre ese caso que promete tener repercusiones a nivel nacional. Los antiabortistas tienen motivos para ser optimistas: seis de los nueve jueces que forman el Supremo son conservadores, y en una audiencia sobre el tema en diciembre, casi todos insinuaron que planean imponer nuevos limites al derecho al aborto. Si los jueces derogan la decision de 1973, se espera que 26 estados de tendencia conservadora tomen medidas para restringir o prohibir del todo el derecho al aborto en su territorio, de acuerdo con el centro de investigacion sobre salud reproductiva Guttmacher. Segun la misma fuente, solo el ano pasado se aprobaron mas de 100 restricciones al aborto en 19 estados gobernados por republicanos, entre ellos el veto casi total en Texas, que lleva casi cinco meses en vigor y no incluye excepciones para el incesto o la violacion. La mayoria de las mujeres que intentan abortar cada ano en Estados Unidos son pobres, y para aquellas que residen en estados conservadores, puede resultar imposible en muchos casos desplazarse hasta aquellos territorios controlados por progresistas, donde se espera que ese servicio siga siendo legal. UNA MINORIA MUY PODEROSA El 59 % de los estadounidenses cree que el aborto deberia ser legal en todos o casi todos los casos, segun una encuesta del ano pasado del centro Pew. Sin embargo, la minoria que apoya la prohibicion total de ese servicio medico ha amasado poder politico en las ultimas decadas, al integrar a mas cristianos evangelicos blancos y convertir su causa en una bandera electoral del Partido Republicano, con el expresidente Donald Trump (2017-2021) a la cabeza. "Estan a punto de conseguir la victoria que llevan (casi) 50 anos esperando", dijo a Efe una profesora de Historia en la Universidad de Oklahoma y experta en el movimiento antiabortista, Jennifer Holland. Protestar contra "Roe versus Wade" -una decision de la que se cumplen 49 anos este sabado- es la razon de la llamada "Marcha por la vida", que empezo a celebrarse en 1974, pero no esta claro que el movimiento vaya a dejar de convocar anualmente la manifestacion si el Supremo tumba ese precedente. "(La marcha del ano que viene) sera una celebracion", pronostico en declaraciones a Efe Patricia Salva, una mujer de 53 anos que acudia a la cita por decima vez, acompanada de dos de sus ocho hijos. Incluso si el Supremo les da la razon, es improbable que el movimiento antiabortista abandone su implicacion en politica, segun Holland. "Ese no es su objetivo final. Su objetivo final es acabar con el aborto legal en todo el pais", recalco la experta, quien cree que los politicos conservadores intentaran aprobar leyes para "criminalizar el movimiento" de aquellas mujeres que intenten viajar a estados progresistas para abortar. Lucia Leal (c) Agencia EFE
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
(Video produced by Ma Tianyi, Du Mingming and Alvaro Lago)

Du'an Yao Autonomous County is one of four extremely poor counties in south Chinas Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Long blighted by vast mountains, lack of farmland, and limited transportation, lifting Du'an out of poverty has been no easy task.

Most of the county is made up of karst mountainous areas, and the per capita cultivated land area is less than 0.7 mu (0.05 hectares). After in-depth research and pilot projects were carried out in many places, a new poverty alleviation model known as "cattle for cattle" was developed in 2016.

Under the program, poor households raise calves of beef cattle provided by livestock companies using small poverty alleviation loans, either by themselves or in cooperatives. The livestock companies then buy them back when they are grown. More cattle are then loaned out, benefiting all involved.

Duan has been focusing on the "cattle industry" in recent years, guiding the local people to get rid of poverty and improve their lives through raising cattle. All the remaining impoverished people in Du'an are expected to be lifted out of poverty by the third quarter of this year.

From family to collective

46 year-old Wei Guiqun is from the Yao ethnic group and a resident of Anning village of Dongmiao Township in Du'an. He has a heavy burden to shoulder in supporting his family of seven, which includes elderly parents and three school children.

The Chinese government began implementing its targeted poverty alleviation measures in 2013. Since then, local authorities have encouraged villagers to increase their incomes by raising cattle. At the beginning, Wei had only one cow to his name.

In 2017, Wei received a calf through the cattle for cattle project. The next year, he sold it for more than 11,000 yuan, earning a net profit of over 5,000 yuan. After tasting the benefits of the program, Wei has expanded the scale of breeding each year.

A farmer feeds his cattle in Anning Village of Dongmiao Township in Du'an Yao Autonomous County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (People's Daily Online/Yan Lizheng)

"I have ten cattle at present. Three of them are pregnant and will give birth soon, Wei said, unable to hide his smile. He now plans to expand the number of his cattle to 30 in the near future.

But not all cattle are bred by farmers in small numbers. The local government also helps villagers carry out large-scale breeding by setting up cooperatives, where modern technologies such as automated feeding can be introduced to cut on costs. 19 township-level cattle farms and 247 village-level cooperatives have been built in Duan, ensuring that all poor households are able to work in the animal husbandry industry.

After many years of hard work, the number of cattle in Duan County has now reached 162,000, lifting 40 villages and 19,000 poor households out of poverty.

6S service model seeks to reduce risk

To help villagers better engage in animal husbandry and reduce the risks involved, the local government has introduced a 6S service model in Dongmiao Township of Duan.

In order to support the families in their work, the government has introduced measures including cattle insurance, spreading knowledge of cattle disease prevention and control, breeding skills training and exchanges, and ensuring forage supply. These measures not only ease poor households worries over cattle raising, but also ensure that development of the industry is stable and sustainable.

For instance, the local authority will pay 400 yuan in insurance fees for each loaned calf. If the cattle raised by poor households unexpectedly dies, the insurance company will provide compensation, and the poor households can receive calves again for free.

A farmer works at a forage grass processing plant in Dongmiao Township of Du'an Yao Autonomous County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Yan Lizheng)

Forage reserves are another crucial factor in cattle breeding. According to local official Lan Ganning, the number of cattle has been increasing since 2018, posing a great challenge in terms of securing forage supplies. Previously, when there was a shortage, farmers had to go to other places to buy them.

To ensure sufficient forage supplies, a forage processing plant was established in Dongmiao. Local people call it the Forage Bank, where forage can be stored and circulated like currency.

Currently, the regular members of the "Forage Bank" in Dongmiao include six cattle-breeding cooperatives and five large-scale cattle breeding households, with a total of 1,700 mu of forage grass farmland, and an annual storage capacity of 5,000 tons.

Key role of leading enterprises

Breeding cattle not only benefits poor households, but also boosts industrial development in many parts of Guangxi, and the continuous improvement of the entire industry chain is also increasing the added value of the cattle industry.

Leading enterprises play a key role in boosting industrial poverty alleviation by coordinating production and sales.

Workers at a beef processing plant at Jiahao company in Duan Yao Autonomous County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Yan Lizheng)

Guangxi Duan Jiahao Indl Co., Ltd, a company that focuses on large-scale cattle raising and processing, invested 200 million yuan in building an ecological cattle breeding demonstration park and 350 million yuan in the construction of a cold chain warehousing and logistics center, seamlessly connecting cattle breeding, slaughter, processing, and cold chain, and selling beef products through cold chain to all parts of China.

The company plays an active role in poverty alleviation work through the "cattle for cattle" project, with 50,000 calves expected to be distributed to 25,000 poor households in 2020.

While playing the role of a transit hub from market to dining table, the company also provides 3,000 jobs directly or indirectly for local people.

A worker stores packaged beef in storage where the temperature is -30 at Jiahao company in Duan Yao Autonomous County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Yan Lizheng)

43-year-old Tang Yuedan works at a beef processing plant of Jiahao company, together with her husband. The couple can earn 5,000 yuan per month, almost twice what they got when working as migrant workers before. This place is near our home so we can also take care of the family, and our life is much better than before, said Tang.

In the foreseeable future, more calves will be raised by poor households, more poor people will be employed at logistics centers, and more beef will be sent to the tables of ordinary people across the country. The innovative "cattle for cattle" poverty alleviation model is paving the way for villages in cloud-shrouded mountains to move towards prosperity.

(Zeng Fan and Zhu Xiaoling contributed to the story)
DECATUR  Remote learning is tough for teachers and students alike. During the challenging times of COVID, community organizations and individuals are stepping up to try to help.

Paula Busboom, a retired teaching assistant for Decatur Public Schools, is helping out a fellow educator by hosting teaching assistant Tara Dyer's two children in her home. Tiara, a sixth-grader, and Cash, a first-grader, are students at the Montessori Academy for Peace.

Because of the unique nature of Montessori, both children are in multiple-grade classrooms, which means the students have video sessions that are just for their grade level, work that is just for their grade level, but also work and sessions for their whole class, and their teachers are juggling more than ever.

It takes coordination, Busboom said. Right now we're waiting for (Cash's) teacher to post the assignments for his grade. When we got online this morning, he didn't have the assignment loaded for this morning. When they don't have assignments, or they're waiting, I do some fill-in.

Her own experience as an educator means she has materials and lessons they can do to keep learning if they have to wait, and that she can help if they have questions or don't understand an assignment.

Tiara said she's having no trouble with remote learning and has been keeping up with her work, but it's a little more of a challenge for Cash, because first grade is when a lot of things are new and he's learning them for the first time. It's also harder for a first-grader to pay attention to an iPad than it is for an older child.

The past six months have presented a series of unthinkable challenges for parents, students and educators adjusting to off-site learning. Gov. J.B. Pritzker in mid-March ordered schools closed as COVID cases jumped, and that was later extended through the spring semester. School administrators over the summer determined whether to have in-person, remote or a mix of classes.

Shemuel Sanders, who started a grassroots effort he calls Making a Difference One Child at a Time, is working on getting a space to offer youngsters where they can come to do their remote learning, with a goal of opening next week. He is actively working with 27 girls and 35 boys in Decatur, finding work for them to do and serving as a mentor and father figure, because many of them have fathers who are incarcerated. He said he goes to their homes to make sure they're there and not roaming the streets, and he calls them to check up on them. He wants to offer them a place to do their school work, too, and emphasize the importance of an education. He considers it a calling to take the kids under his wing. His daughter died in June of gunshot wounds suffered when two groups got into a dispute on East Garfield Street. Paul M. Folks, 41, has been charged with the crime.

Sanders said he doesn't want other parents to go through what he's going through.

I want to know where they're at, and make sure they're not in trouble, Sanders said. That's what we need to do. They need to feel like somebody cares.

He hires them to work in his landscaping business and he said when they've been working hard all day, they're too tired to get into trouble when they get off work.

They need to start working at an early age, he said. They can't do certain jobs, but if they're on that job site and seeing it and catching on to it, I give them a stipend, and they go home and say, 'Mama, I worked today.'

Old Kings Orchard Community Center is providing a place for 15 young men to keep up and catch up with their school work, said volunteer Megan Meyrick. The students are accepted for the program only through referral.

They're able to come and log in through our wifi, access their online classes, and staff is available to help, helping them understand and get caught up, she said. Most of them are super far behind in school, so there's a lot of catch-up especially with virtual learning.

In Clinton, The Vault offers tutoring on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4 to 5 p.m. to any junior high or high school student who needs help, said program director Michelle Witzke. The Vault also offers a safe place for socializing, with pool, foosball, video games, Ping-Pong and crafts, on other days.

The Boys & Girls Club knew that a lot of their members, many of whom are from low-income homes, would have difficulty with remote learning, said executive director Shamika Bond. With parents often at work all day, or unreliable internet service, the club has opened to as many children as they can safely serve.

Jaylynn Norman is a sophomore at MacArthur High School and while remote learning isn't ideal, he's managing just fine.

"School comes easy to me," Jaylynn said. "I'm just trying to help other people out."

American Dreamers STEM Academy seventh-grader Skyler Click's parents are working, and being at the Boys & Girls Club means that her grandpa, who might otherwise have to take care of her, can be free to "do what he needs to do," she said.

"I've been coming here for either two or three years and I want to be here," she said. "It's where I have my friends, and it's where I have everything." She loves the staff and the other kids and after their work is done, the kids have fun activities to do the rest of the day. With the staff available to help with technology and to answer questions, it's where she wants to be.

Fifth-grader Carter Young, a student at Parsons, said his mom is at work, too, and having the Boys & Girls Club to go to helps her out.

It's a safe place for our youth to come to receive homework assistance, quality internet, and effectively do their remote learning, Bond said. They also get physical activity and a healthy meal.

Kids 7 to 17 are separated into rooms based on grade levels, with staff available to help with connection issues and answer questions. They have 80 youngsters, and a waiting list, but 80 is their maximum due to social distancing and the availability of staff, Bond said. Robertson Charter School and Hope Academy send staff to help out.

Most of the students that attend come from working families, and with child care at capacity in Macon County, it's a safe place to be as well as receiving assistance, Bond said. Some of (the kids') questions are over my head, but I'm grateful the kids are here to access resources and get help. I feel sorry for the ones at home trying to complete their work on their own.

She's impressed at how responsible the students are, she added, and that they show up on time and ready to work daily.

I tell everyone to just be patient, Bond said. We're all in this together. This is new to everyone. I don't remember a time learning has been done in this manner. We should give ourselves a pat on the back to make this work and make it as effective as possible. It's not easy for anyone.

21 photos of Decatur high school activities through the years

Contact Valerie Wells at (217) 421-7982. Follow her on Twitter: @modgirlreporter

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Mexico and the United States will continue to ban non-essential border crossings until Oct. 21 due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Mexico's Foreign Affairs Ministry said on Thursday.

Mexico's government recommended extending the ban originally imposed on March 21, after assessing the current state of COVID-19 outbreaks, the ministry said.

"After reviewing the development of the spread of COVID-19, Mexico proposed to the United States extending for another month the restrictions on non-essential ground traffic on their shared border," the ministry said via Twitter.

The nearly six-month ban prevents border crossings for tourism, leisure or shopping but does not affect trade or crossing for work or medical reasons.
The Texas Supreme Court in a new opinion Friday explained its decision to reinstate to the November ballot Green Party candidates who did not pay their filing fees, saying lower courts denied them the chance to resolve the issue while there was still time under the law.

The decision reversed a 3rd Court of Appeals ruling that ordered the Green Party to declare three of its candidates ineligible: David B. Collins, running for U.S. Senate; Katija Kat Gruene, running for Railroad Commission; and Tommy Wakely, running for Congressional District 21, which includes parts of northern San Antonio and a swath of the Hill Country.

The fees at issue in the case were levied on Green Party and Libertarian Party candidates after legislators passed a 2019 law requiring them to gather the same number of petition signatures or pay the same amount as Democrats and Republicans. The Greens, Libertarians and other minor parties have sued over the law in still-pending cases.

Justices acknowledged the strain that adding last-minute candidates may put on county elections officials, who were just days away from sending out their first rounds of ballots before the courts order was announced Tuesday. The court did not publish its opinion in the matter until Friday.

We recognize that changes to the ballot at this late point in the process will require extra time and resources to be expended by our local election officials, the opinion read. But a candidates access to the ballot is an important value to our democracy.

The court earlier this month ruled against Republicans in a similar suit and allowed 44 Libertarians to remain on the ballot, saying the challenge was filed too late. Three justices face Libertarian opponents in November; two of the three Libertarians did not pay their filing fees.

RELATED: Texas Supreme Court rules in favor of Libertarians in ballot case

In the unsigned opinion handed down Friday, justices said Democrats challenging the validity of Green Party candidates failed to prove that the election law requires party chairs to declare candidates ineligible when they dont pay filing fees. The justices also said the 2019 law doesnt include a deadline for paying them.

Justices also said the 3rd Court of Appeals should have given Green Party candidates a chance to pay their fees before they were declared ineligible and tossed from the ballot.

Previous Supreme Court precedent has established that an opportunity to cure should be provided when a candidate could still comply with an Election Code requirement. Without clear guidance in the law, that case stipulated that the courts should err on the side of not removing parties from the ballot.

BACKGROUND: Texas Supreme Court ruling puts 3 Green Party candidates back on November ballot

The clock essentially has run out for Democrats, the justices wrote. Because the Aug. 21 deadline has passed and Green candidates were denied an opportunity to make good on their applications, the candidates can no longer be removed from the ballot.

Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa, in a statement earlier this week, accused the all-Republican Supreme Court of making a decision based on politics and to give them a better chance to hold on to power. Green Party candidates are commonly thought of as siphoning votes from Democrats, while Libertarians are thought of as taking from Republicans.

The Legislature, with bipartisan majorities, passed a law that minor party candidates have to pay the same filing fees or obtain the same number of petitions as major party candidates to appear on the general election ballot, Hinojosa said. The Green Party didnt want to follow the law, and now the state attorney general and Republican Texas Supreme Court have helped them flaunt it.
The Queen will pay the Treasury in instalments this year after her land and property empire fell in value by 552.5million because of a sudden drop in rental income from shops hit by coronavirus lockdown.

Regents Street and St James's in London as well as retail parks across the country are included in the Crown Estates.

It has been revalued at 13.4billion in annual results published today - after a tough year for retail sales, reported the Guardian.

All profits are handed to the Treasury which then passes 25 per cent of the funds back to the royal family in the form of the Sovereign Grant after a two-year period.

But the difficult financial year has left the Crown Estate making staggered payments to the Treasury to ensure it has enough revenue reserves to support itself.

The Queen's crown estates have been revalued at 13.4billion in annual results published today - after a tough year for retail sales. Pictured, Queen Elizabeth on July 17

The Crown Estate's annual report reads: 'The current economic and market disruption has led us to take the precaution, with the agreement of the Treasury, of implementing a staged process for the payment of the whole of our net revenue profit.

'As we cannot draw on our capital account to cover operating expenses, this step has been taken to ensure that we have sufficient revenue reserves given the current reduction in rental receipts.

'Following a careful review of the viability and going concern position, of the 345.0 million net revenue profit, a first payment of 87.0 million was made to the Treasury on 21 July 2020, with further payments to follow as trading conditions develop.

'Our resilient capital structure, established to operate in perpetuity and with no debt, gives us confidence that we can continue to invest for the long term.'

A treasury spokesman confirmed the staged payments would not affect the Queen's income later this year.

They said: 'The Sovereign Grant is paid from the consolidated fund, set to a 25 per cent portion of profits made by the Crown Estate two years previous.

Regents Street and St James's in London as well as retail parks across the country are included in the Crown Estates. Pictured, Regents Street in London in March

'The payment mechanism agreed with the Crown Estate, due to the unprecedented economic crisis brought on by COVID19, will not affect this.'

Figures also showed a profit of 345million in the year up until March 31, when the UK went into a nationwide lockdown to try to stem the spread of Covid-19.

The early profit, which was up 0.4 per cent from last year, suggested the value of the estates would have risen if not for the impact of coronavirus.

The Crown Estates has so far collected 52 per cent of rents from retail tenants in central London and 53 per cent outside the capital this year.

The rental income from officers in central London in 88 per cent.

The St James's area of Westminster is also included within the Crown Estates. Rental incomes have fallen as footfall stagnated amid lockdown

Dan Labbad, the Crown Estate's chief executive, said the country's retail parks were slowly recovering.

'We've seen most of our retail and food and beverage come back and want to open where they are still trading.

'There have been a number of CVAs [company voluntary arrangements] and administrations,' he said.

Company Voluntary Arrangements involve coming to an agreement over how best to settle debts. This could include paying only a proportion of the amount that a company owes to creditors.

Mr Labbad said London's West End was 'slowly filling up again' following the Government's successful Eat Out To Help Out scheme.
A 37-year-old Delhi police constable allegedly ended his life by hanging at his house in south Delhis Malviya Nagar on Thursday night. Police are yet to ascertain the reason behind the alleged suicide. The constable has not left behind any suicide note, police said.

The matter came to light when a call was received at Malviya Nagar police station around 11.30 pm reporting that the constables family had found him hanging from the ceiling of his house.

The policeman was then brought down and was rushed to Max hospital where the doctors pronounced him dead.

Deputy commissioner of police (south) Atul Thakur said preliminary enquiry revealed that the constable was posted in central district as a driver.

His family said that on Thursday, he returned from work around 10 pm and went to his room. After sometime, the family members saw him hanging. Initial enquiry did not reveal why the man took the extreme step. We are waiting for his autopsy report to probe further, Thakur said.

Police said the constables colleagues and relatives are also being questioned to know if he was facing some financial problems, family issues or any other reason that may have led him to death. Autopsy will also reveal if he was ill, an office said.

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
Mexican security officer with jugs of acetic anhydride, the chemical used during the process to turn opium into heroin, made by the J.T. Baker unit of Radnor-based chemical maker Avantor, in November 2010, shortly after the company was reorganized under chairman Rajiv L.Gupta. Avantor said on Sept. 15, 2020, that it stopped selling the chemical in Mexico and destroyed supplies after learning from reporting in Bloomberg Businessweek that its chemical, whose use is carefully controlled in the U.S. and other countries, was sold over the counter by drugstores and other retailers in Mexico City and in opium-growing, heroin-producing states such as Sinaloa and Guerrero. (Photo: Oscar Alvarado / Cuartoscuro.com) Read more

Avantor, a $6 billion chemical maker based in Radnor, this month stopped Mexico sales of a key industrial chemical used by that countrys illegal heroin labs and destroyed its supplies there, the company said.

The decision follows the publication of a Bloomberg Businessweek investigation documenting the easy retail availability in Mexico of acetic anhydride in convenient wine bottle-sized jugs made by Avantors J.T. Baker division there.

Bloombergs reporters found the jugs, each containing enough reagent to convert many pounds of opium to heroin, for sale for less than $20 a liter at drugstores and medical-supply shops in Mexicos capital and in opium-growing Pacific Coast states.

In the United States, Bloomberg reported, Avantor obeyed the tough laws governing its product, but was not required to track its use as closely in Mexico. American manufacturers are expected to report theft, loss or unusual sales of controlled chemicals to law enforcement. In Mexico, though, the onus was on distributors.

Mexico is the primary source of heroin available in the United States," the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency said in a report last year.

Police in Mexico have found Avantors acetic anhydride at illegal drug lab busts, as far back as 2010 and as recently as last fall.

The day Bloombergs report was posted  Aug. 26  Avantors chief executive Michael Stubblefield and general counsel Justin Miller told Mexican managers to end acetic anhydride production and destroy inventory, spokeswoman Allison Hosak confirmed. Five days later, they sent messages to Avantor customers saying they were leaving the business.

The company announced the move publicly only on Sept. 15, after Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador vowed to prevent illegal heroin makers from using American companies' chemicals, and Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero announced a criminal investigation of outlets that resold Avantors chemical to heroin cooks.

One source said Avantor hadnt publicized its move sooner because it feared that drug cartels might try to grab remaining supplies. Avantor isnt accused of any criminal activity under Mexican law.

Avantor chairman Rajiv L. Gupta, a former Rohm & Haas chief executive, didnt respond to calls seeking comment. He is also chair of Aptive Plc (Delphi Automotive), a director of the DuPont Co., and formerly of Vanguard Group, among other large companies, and is the namesake donor of Drexel Universitys Raj and Kamla Gupta Corporate Governance Institute.

Industry data show that 21 tons of Avantors acetic anhydride found its way to retailers in 2019, enough to fill 1,200 jugs and make many tons of heroin, according to Bloomberg.

A little goes a long way. Avantor said its worldwide sales of acetic anhydride total less than $1 million annually, a fraction of its $6 billion in yearly revenue.

Out of an abundance of caution, due to the potential for misuse of acetic anhydride outside of the regulated supply chain, the company chose to cease all production and sales of the product in Mexico, and properly discarded its remaining supply, Avantor spokesman Robert Donohoe said in an email.

Donohoe noted that acetic anhydride is made by other companies for use in chemical research and in making over-the-counter painkillers, as well as by Mexican petrochemical manufacturers. It is also used to make cigarette filters. Avantor produced well under 1% of the worlds supply, he said. The firm has only 100 employees in Mexico.

Bloomberg detailed volume discounts that Avantor gave its salesforce as an incentive to boost markets for the chemical.

Details of the Bloomberg investigation were widely republished in Mexico, including an article in the El Financiero business daily, titled, Breaking Bad a la Mexicana, The Bloomberg articles were written by Cam Simpson, Michael Smith and Nacha Cattan.

The U.N.'s International Narcotics Control Board and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration have listed acetic anhydride as a chemical to be carefully tracked and restricted since the early 2000s, and many other countries have imposed strict regulations.

Should U.S. companies be held to account for what their foreign factories sell under local laws?

Dow Chemical has adopted guidelines for multinational companies, which urge companies to apply standards and processes across the whole company, instead of following lower standards where local law allows. DuPont has embraced United Nations anti-corruption principles, which have similar goals, according to Brad Brooks-Rubin, a former State Department official who is now managing director at the Sentry, a Washington-based anti-corruption nonprofit.

Corporate directors used to think it was enough for the board to practice general oversight, without micro-managing local markets, said Charles Elson, head of the corporate governance center at the University of Delaware.

But court decisions in the last year have dramatically expanded expectations for board responsibility for oversight of the compliance process, Elson said. This includes last months Delaware Chancery Court ruling that investors could sue Chesterbrook-based drug distributor AmerisourceBergen directors for having utterly failed to stop employees from selling thousands of contaminated cancer-drug syringes.

Elson declined to comment on Avantor, saying that he and Gupta have professional ties.
To the Editor:

What happens after the inauguration? This is a question we should be asking as we prepare to vote on November 3, because the answer depends on who we send to the White House and to Congress.

On January 21, we will still be dealing with the effects of the COVID epidemic, including lost or diminished incomes, people in dire circumstances, and disrupted education. Although a vaccine might be available, the distribution must be based on a national, science-based plan that will most quickly end the pandemic, not on the confused COVID response weve observed so far, which had hospitals, cities, and states competing with each other for scarce ventilators and protective equipment. The public will have to have confidence that the vaccine is safe and effective, or we will not achieve the rate of vaccination needed to stop the pandemic. We need the lessons learned from this pandemic put in place before the next one.

President Trump, in recorded conversation with Bob Woodward, said he knew COVID-19 was more dangerous than flu on February 7, but publicly said it wasnt and continues to downplay the threat.

Our representative here in the 13th Illinois Congressional District is Rodney Davis, who is an honorary co-chair of President Donald Trumps campaign. I want Joe Biden leading the country on January 21 and a representative who will support effective public health programs, Betsy Dirksen Londrigan.

Richard Sparks

Grafton
For ECB chief Christine Lagarde there are still too few women in top jobs

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said Friday that there are still too few women in top jobs, and that the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated the problem.

"There are still too few women in management worldwide, particularly in the economic and financial spheres, including central banks," she said in an interview with French economics weekly Challenges.

Lagarde, the first female chief in the ECB's history, lamented that the 19 eurozone central banks are all run by men, and that she and her German colleague Isabel Schnabel were the only women on the ECB's 25-member governing council.

"That's not how it should be!" she said.

Arguing for changes in the workplace, Lagarde said men should be encouraged to take paternity leave, and it should be granted to them for "longer periods than their current entitlement of a few days or weeks."

Noting that the gender wage gap was still 13 percent among the wealthy OECD countries, Lagarde also pointed out that "gender inequality still exists in terms of access to the job market".

And the coronavirus has worsened inequality, she said.

"During lockdown, (women) have been active on all fronts, forced to work while caring for their children, not to mention coping with the threat of domestic violence. As in every economic crisis, they are at greater risk of losing their jobs or of having their wages cut."

Although Lagarde said men were more accepting than before of women in senior positions, the real change in mentality will come "when nobody, male or female, questions the legitimacy of a woman holding a position of power".

On Twitter, Schnabel praised Lagarde for raising her voice.

"It is hard to overstate how hugely important it is to have leaders like Christine Lagarde who openly speak out on these issues in spite of all the dreadful, misogynist comments that will certainly follow. #EmpowerWomen," she wrote.

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Since taking on the top ECB role late last year, Lagarde, 64, has repeatedly spoken about gender issues.

In July, she said female leaders -- including Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel and New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern -- were doing a better job handling the coronavirus crisis.

"I would say that for myself, I've learned that women tend to do a better job," said the former French finance minister and head of the International Monetary Fund, praising the women for their honest communication and for showing they cared.

edf/mfp/rl
Residents in nursing homes across the country will now be allowed to welcome visitors for the first time in six months.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced a ban on family members visiting nursing facilities back in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Exceptions were made only for critical care and end-of-life situations.

But on Friday, the ban was lifted, effective immediately, following widespread complaints that nursing home patients were suffering from anxiety and depression without visits from loved ones.

All nursing homes across the United States must now allow outdoor visits or risk potential sanctions if they refuse to do so.

Residents in nursing homes across the country will now be allowed to welcome visitors for the first time in six months following changes made by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Friday. Pictured: An elderly resident of a Maryland nursing home looks at her granddaughter and great grand-children through a window of the facility back in April

A married couple watch one another through the window at a Tennessee nursing home back in April

Indoor visits will be be allowed so long as there have been no confirmed cases of the coronavirus at the facility in the past 14 days and the county's infection rate is below 10 percent. Pictured: A Texas man sitting outside the window of his wife's nursing home late last month

Some states, including Illinois and Massachusetts, have already been allowing visitors to meet with residents in outdoor spaces for much of the summer.

However, the new CMS rules will also let loved ones inside nursing homes as the colder weather approaches.

Indoor visits must be allowed so long as there have been no confirmed cases of the coronavirus at the facility in the past 14 days.

The infection rate in the surrounding county will also have to be below 10 percent for visitors to get indoors.

CMS recommends that nursing homes limit the number of visitors allowed to see a resident at any one time, and all visitors must wear face masks.

The news has been warmly received on social media.

'Awesome! It's so sad to have to tell people they can't have visitors!' one person stated on Twitter.

'Good news to hear that I will be able to visit my mom indoors especially going into the fall & winter!' another said.

However, nursing home operators will need to remain vigilant, with the facilities often at the center of coronavirus outbreaks.

Most residents are elderly, and therefore at greater risk of being adversely affected by the virus.

Some states, including Illinois and Massachusetts, have already been allowing visitors to meet with residents in outdoor spaces for much of the summer. Pictured: A granddaughter visits her grandfather at a Massachusetts care home in July

More than one quarter of all coronavirus deaths have occurred inside nursing homes, according to CMS data

According to CMS, there have been at least 54,317 confirmed nursing home deaths across the country, accounting for more than a quarter of the country's entire COVID-19 death toll.

Back in June, The New York Times reported that up to 40 percent of all US coronavirus deaths were linked to nursing homes.

In New York state, Governor Cuomo has faced widespread criticism for a policy that ordered nursing homes to take in COVID-19 patients.

There have been at least 6,651 reported coronavirus deaths inside New York state nursing homes and other long term care facilities.

However, the exact number has not yet been revealed and is 'cloaked in secrecy', according to Reuters.
Trump Israel UAE Bahrain Peace Deal

From left: Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, President Donald Trump, and Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain, walk out to a balcony at the White House in Washington, during a signing ceremony for the Abraham Accords, Tuesday, Sept. 15 Credit - Doug MillsThe New York Times/Redux

In a year like 2020where each passing day makes history, and not in a good wayits hard to appreciate good news. We got some this week; on Tuesday, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain officially normalized relations with Israel in a White House signing ceremony. This is a significant win for Team Trump, and it deserves to be acknowledged as such.

Why It Matters:

The fundamental structure of Middle East geopolitics is changing, and in ways that would have been unthinkable just a couple decades ago. Thats no small feat for a part of the world that has been in near-constant war for decades, pulling in geopolitical powers both big and small.

So what happened that allowed for this breakthrough? Three things. The first is that the Palestinian cause is no longer a priority for many leaders in the Muslim world. Much of their attention has instead turned to economic considerations like weaning themselves off fossil fuels and to combatting domestic terrorism at home. Against that backdrop, supporting the Palestinian causewhich has effectively reached a stalematenets them very little in practical terms, and in some instances undermines their own geopolitical position.

Which brings us to the second pointin todays Middle East, Shia Iran poses a much larger and more immediate threat to many Sunni Arab countries than a Jewish Israel does. And no one in the region has the military prowess that Israel does, coupled with their own hostility toward Tehran. This is a worldview that is increasingly taking hold among the next generation of Muslim leaders like the UAEs de facto ruler Mohammed bin Zayed and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS).

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The third major development is arguably the biggest. The U.S. has spent decades trying to present itself as an honest broker in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, when everyone knew that it was anything but. With the Trump Administration, theyve jettisoned that framing and made their loyalties clear, making it easier for countries to pick sides and execute their geopolitical strategies. While Israel is Washingtons most steadfast (not to mention militarily powerful) ally in the region, during the Trump administration Saudi Arabia has become a close second, helping the two countries smooth relations (albeit unofficially). At the same time, theres a broad worry among those in the region with strong ties to Washington that the U.S. is pulling back from the world, and from the Middle East in particular, a trend that started under President Barack Obama and is one of the legacies of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Given that, for many Muslim countries worried about Iran, having a strong military ally like Israel in the neighborhood (and one with its own direct line to Washington policymakers) that largely share their geopolitical concerns about Tehran isnt a luxury, its a necessity.

What Happens Next:

On the surface, expect to see more trade and investment likely between Israel and the UAE and Bahrain. But the real story goes deeper; Bahrain and the UAE have gotten the green light to normalize relations with Israel from Saudi Arabia, which is a testament to MBSs growing power and commitment to a new structure of Middle East geopolitics, one centered around countering Irans revisionist approach to the regions political dynamics (and to a lesser extent, Turkeyssee their relations with/in Qatar, Libya, Syria).

But while Riyadh is content to allow others to normalize relations with Israel, it is less likely to do so itself anytime soon. The current Saudi leader, King Salman, is an old-fashioned ruler, and less willing to overturn decades of long-standing opposition to Israel so easily. His son will respect that so long as his father is still king. Not for nothing, but the Saudi population is also more conservative than others in the region. Thats also the reason that Saudi-Israel normalization isnt a foregone conclusion once MBS ascends to the Saudi throne.

The next three countries most likely to normalize relations with Israel are Sudan, Oman, and Morocco, though obstacles remain for all three. While Omans leadership is also interested in normalizing relations with Israel, for years it has been the go-between for the West and Iran. Establishing official diplomatic ties with Israel risks that privileged geopolitical position by throwing its perceived neutrality out the window. Oman also has a new leader in Sultan Haitham bin Tariq that has been in his job for less than a year, further complicating any attempts to shift long-standing Omani foreign policy. Sudan has an interim government, and so has a tough time taking such bold decisions until it has a fully-functioning government in place, likely in 2022. However, normalizing relations with Israel has direct upsidegetting the country off the U.S.s Terrorism List and out from under sanctions if the U.S. is willing to tie the two issues. As for Morocco, the US can dangle recognition of Moroccos claims over the Western Sahara, though the fact that the coalition government is led by what is essentially an Islamist party thats reluctant to normalize relations with Israel means plenty of complications remain.

Other Muslim countries on the fence will have to weigh domestic considerations against the geopolitical implications of openly aligning themselves with Israel. Countries not interested in doing so (like Kuwait, Iraq, and Tunisia) will mostly keep quiet, in itself a win for the U.S. and Israel. And a word about Israelwhile in ordinary times a foreign policy breakthrough of this magnitude would net the countrys leader major political points, Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu is struggling with the fallout from the countrys insufficient coronavirus response as the country heads into its second country-wide lockdown.

As they say, no good deed goes unpunished.

The One Major Misconception About It:

You know who else in the U.S. is a big fan of this weeks developments? Team Biden. While its no fun for them to admit it, this makes their lives much easier on the geopolitical front should they win November elections (and is not a major enough issue to gain Trump a significant amount of voters that werent already planning to vote for him). As with the increased hawkishness to China, the Trump administration did the dirty work that a Biden administration never could or would. And theyll happily take advantage of that fact if they win.

Relatedly, its possible that Palestinian statehood has been hastened somewhat by this weeks developments, though in a roundabout way. If the Biden foreign policy team attempts to reach out to the Palestinian leadership in good faith and offer to broker a deal for a Palestinian statealbeit one that will be less expansive than they would like and have been offered in the pastit could be seen as the option of last resort for a Palestinian cause that an increasing number of Arab countries are abandoning. That dawning reality might be whats needed for the Palestinians to pull the trigger on a deal with the Israelis.

The One Thing to Say About It on a Zoom Call:

White House Senior Advisor Jared Kushners engagementcoupled with realities on the groundgot this over the finish line. But lets be honest; this isnt going to move the election needle in Trumps favor. Most Jewish voters in the U.S. dont vote based solely on the issue of Israel, and most of them are Democrats (or lean Democrat) in any case. Evangelical Christians who will praise the move are mostly breaking for Trump any way. Still, its an important achievement for a foreign policy novice. He just wont get any credit for it since the mainstream media has a visceral aversion to giving credit to anything positive the Trump administration does. Which is a shame, because we could use more good news the way 2020 is going.


IAF Hercules aircraft carrying military material flies over Ladakh amid border tension with China, in Leh, Friday, Sept. 18, 2020. A PTI Photo

NEW DELHI (PTI): India on Thursday said China should sincerely work with it for complete disengagement of troops from all friction points including the Pangong lake area in Ladakh, as Defence Minister Rajnath Singh asserted no force in the world can stop Indian soldiers from patrolling the country's border in the mountainous region.



Observing it is apparent from China's activities in the border areas their actions are at variance with their words, Singh told the Rajya Sabha the agreement reached by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, if implemented sincerely and faithfully by Beijing, could lead to complete disengagement and restoration of peace and tranquillity in those areas. The Jaishankar-Wang meeting was held in Moscow last Thursday.



At a media briefing, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava asked China not to make unilateral attempts to change the status quo along the Line of Actual Control(LAC), adding both sides should focus on easing tensions in the friction areas by refraining from any actions that may lead to an escalation in the situation.



There have been at least three attempts by the Chinese People's Liberation Army(PLA) to "intimidate" Indian troops along the northern and southern bank of Pangong lake area in the last three weeks where even shots were fired in the air for the first time at the LAC in 45 years.



"The Chinese side should sincerely work with the Indian side for complete disengagement at the earliest from all friction areas including Pangong Lake as well as de-escalation in border areas in accordance with the bilateral agreements and protocols on maintenance of peace and tranquillity in border areas," Srivastava said. "We hope the Chinese side will strictly respect and observe the Line of Actual Control and not make further attempts to unilaterally change status quo.



The assertion by Srivastava came in the backdrop of remarks by the Chinese foreign ministry on Wednesday that it was for India to initiate the process to disengage and restore peace along the border areas.



In Beijing, Chinese Foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin on Thursday reiterated his country's position.



"The most urgent task is for the Indian side to immediately correct its wrongdoing, disengage from contact on the spot as soon as possible, and take practical actions to promote the easing of the border situation," he said.



Wang was responding to a question at a media briefing as to when the next round of diplomatic and military talks for disengagement will be held following the Jaishankar-Wang meeting.



Making a statement in the Rajya Sabha on the situation in Eastern Ladakh, Rajnath Singh said China has amassed troops on the border and in response India has made appropriate counter deployment.



Singh said there is a mismatch between what China says and does.



"Unki kathani aur karni alag hai (their actions are at variance with their words)."



The border skirmishes and face-off in the last few months with China that led to the killing of 20 Indian soldiers and heavy casualties on the Chinese side in Galwan Valley on June 15 were primarily over the issue of patrolling the Ladakh border.



"No force in the world can stop Indian soldiers from patrolling. Our soldiers have sacrificed their lives only for this," Singh said.



He was responding to a clarification sought by Congress leader and former defence minister A K Antony on reports of Indian forces not being allowed to patrol in certain parts of the Galwan Valley.



"I want to make it clear (that) skirmishes and face-off are because of this (issue of patrolling)," he said, adding the patrolling pattern is traditional and well defined.



Singh made the statement in Upper House after the government and the opposition agreed not to have a discussion on the sensitive issue.



Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu, however, allowed members to seek a few clarifications on the statement, which was almost identical to the one Singh had made in the Lok Sabha on September 15.



Singh also referred to the 5-point agreement reached at the Jaishankar-Wang meeting.



The two sides have reached an agreement, which, if implemented sincerely and faithfully by the Chinese side, could lead to complete disengagement and restoration of peace and tranquillity in the border areas, he said.



The minister said India and China are yet to resolve their boundary question.



"China does not accept the customary and traditional alignment of the boundary between India and China," he said.



"We believe that this alignment is based on well-established geographical principles confirmed by treaties and agreements, as well as historical usage and practice, well-known for centuries to both sides."



The Chinese position, however, is that the boundary between the two countries has not been formally delimited, that there exists a traditional customary line formed by the extent of jurisdiction that they claim was exercised historically by each side, and that the two sides have different interpretations of the position of the traditional customary line," he said.



China, he said, continues to be in illegal occupation of about 38,000 square kilometres of Ladakh. Besides it also holds 5,180 sq km of Indian territory in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir(PoK) that Pakistan had illegally ceded in 1963.



"I would like to mention here that as yet there is no commonly delineated Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the border areas between India and China and there is no common perception of the entire LAC," he said, adding more than two decade old agreements call for two sides to maintain minimal forces along the LAC.



On the latest situation, the minister said India has noticed a build-up of troops and armaments by China in the border areas adjacent to eastern Ladakh since April.



"In early May, the Chinese side had taken action to hinder the normal, traditional patrolling pattern of our troops in the Galwan Valley area, which resulted in a face-off," he said.



Even as this situation was being addressed by the Ground Commanders, in mid-May the Chinese side made several attempts to transgress the LAC in other parts of the Western Sector. This included Kongka La, Gogra and North Bank of Pangong Lake.



"These attempts were detected early and consequently responded to appropriately by our armed forces," he said.



Given the growing friction along the LAC, the senior commanders of the two sides in a meeting on June 6, 2020 agreed on a process of disengagement that involved reciprocal actions.



"Both sides also agreed to respect and abide by the LAC and not undertake any activity to alter the status quo," he said.



"However in violation of this the Chinese side created a violent face off on June 15 at Galwan. Our brave soldiers laid down their lives and also inflicted costs including casualties on the Chinese side," he said.



Indian armed forces have during these provocative actions maintained "sayyam" (restraint) and displayed "shaurya" (valour) to protect the territorial integrity of India, he said.



Giving details of the talks held with China to de-escalate the tension, the minister said India pressed for three key principles -- strictly respecting the LAC, not attempting to alter the status quo unilaterally, and abiding by all agreements and understandings between the two sides.


The candidates in the officially nonpartisan race spoke well of each other.

Quick, a 63-year-old retired welder for the Platte Generating Station and former president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers chapter 1597, said he got into politics through his union background because he saw it as a way to improve the lives of those in his community. While in the Legislature, he said, he has worked to improve education and juvenile detention programs in Nebraska.

COVID-19 has affected both campaigns, and Quick said it changed his strategy. He believes that knocking on doors and having face-to-face meetings with voters helped put him over the top in 2016. But for this election, he said, his campaign has relied on remote forms of communication.

Quick has a fundraising advantage over Aguilar. According to the most recent campaign finance filings from mid-June, Quick had spent almost $100,000 and had about $64,000 in cash on hand. Aguilar had spent almost $50,000, with $4,700 remaining.

Quick received a contribution of $21,500 from the IBEW, as well as $4,000 from the Nebraska Association of Trial Lawyers, $4,000 from Nebraska Realtors PAC and $2,873 from the Nebraska State Education Association.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-19 03:46:02|Editor: huaxia

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ADEN, Yemen, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The total number of COVID-19 cases in Yemen's government-controlled provinces increased to 2,024 on Friday, as two new cases were officially recorded.

The Yemeni Health Ministry said in a brief press statement that during the past 24 hours, the number of recoveries in the government-controlled areas increased to 1,221 since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus on April 10.

Also, the government announced that the death toll from the deadly respiratory disease climbed to 585 in different areas under its control, including the southern port city of Aden.

The Yemeni government called on donors and relevant international humanitarian organizations to provide support to help contain the pandemic. Enditem
Keeping on the G theme, we drove to Galena, chockablock with history of the 18th president, Ulysses S. Grant. Our hour at the Galena History Museum barely scratched the surface, but there were chocolate boutiques to explore. A local gave us a great tip: drive to Chestnut Mountain resort for a high vantage point to view the Mississippi River. We arrived when the sun was still high in the west, bathing the expansive river valley in a golden, glorious light. I tried to burn the sight into my memory, so its warmth will last me into the cold weather.
Odisha's COVID-19 tally rose to 1,67,161 on Thursday as 4,241 more people, including a BJP MLA, tested positive for the infection, while 13 fresh fatalities took the state's death toll to 669, a health official said.

The state had reported its highest single-day spike of 4,270 cases on Wednesday.

also registered recovery of as many as 3,607 patients taking the number of people cured of the disease to 1,33,466 which is 79.84 per cent of the state's total caseload.

As many as 2,502 new cases were detected in quarantine centres, while 1,739 people tested positive for the infection during contact tracing, he said.

Khurda district, of which Bhubaneswar is a part, registered the highest number of new cases at 647, followed by Cuttack (389) and Puri (291), the official said.

BJP MLA from Puri, Jayant Kumar Sarangi, said in a social media post that he has tested positive for COVID-19.

The number of MLAs infected with the now increased to 26 besides eight ministers. Three MPs from the state have been afflicted with the disease.

Four fresh fatalities each were reported in Puri and Khurda districts, two in Gajapati and one each in Balasore, Cuttack and Subarnapur districts, he said.

Fifty-three COVID-19 patients have died in the state due to other ailments so far, the official said.

Ganjam district has so far reported the highest number of coronavirus deaths at 215, followed by Khurda (100) and Cuttack (55), he said.

now has 32,073 active cases, the official said.

The state has so far tested over 26.19 lakh samples for COVID-19, including 51,824 on Wednesday, he added.

The Health Department, in a statement, said plasma therapy has been administered to 1,000 patients in the state so far.

Plasma therapy for critical coronavirus patients was launched in at the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on July 15.

Meanwhile, a day after Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik expressed his displeasure over poor enforcement of COVID-19 guideline in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, the Commissinrate of Police divided the state capital into three zones for its better implementation.

One DCP will be in charge of each zone, an official said.

With the deployment of 50 more officers and five platoons of armed forces, enforcement will also be intensified in market areas and specific hotspots, DGP Abhay said.

It was found that the people in the twin cities roam markets without wearing masks and not maintaining social distancing. Bhubaneswar has added around 3,000 cases and Cuttack 1,500 new cases in the list of infection in last one week, health department sources said.

The Bhubaneswar police have penalised 3,872 people for violation of COVID 19 guidelines.

(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.)
SUPERIOR TWP., MI  The Lakeview Estates condominium community has been peaceful for as long as anyone living there can remember.

At more than 130 members strong, its a quiet community where neighbors know one another.

Things changed Wednesday, Sept. 16, when Lakeview resident Nathan Kurt Hardenburg opened fire on a lawn care worker and police officers, leading to a nine-hour standoff that ended with Hardenberg being found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Police identify alleged shooter found dead in home after standoff

Several residents living in the community spoke with MLive/The Ann Arbor News on Friday about the shooting and Hardenburg, but declined to give names.

Witnesses told MLive the shooting first started with a blast from a shotgun toward the lawn care worker, followed by rifle fire shortly after Hardenburg retreated into his home.

It is unclear if Hardernburg and the lawn worker had any actual contact with each other before the shooting started.

Several cars parked outside the home were shot at as well as a neighbors home a few doors down which remains riddled with bullet holes.

I am amazed nobody else was hit in the shooting, said one resident.

Not much is known about Hardenburg, who was described by neighbors as a man who spent most of his time alone in his home with little to no interaction with neighbors.

Records show he has been living at the Lakeview Court home since at least 2012. Family members could not be reached for comment.

One neighbor, who was inside her home when the shooting started, was shocked by what happened but feels safe in saying this was an isolated incident no one could have seen coming.

I never thought I would see something like this happen at all, let alone here, she said. He seemed very alone. I dont think anyone was looking out for him or maybe he had some mental issues that were not being addressed. I really dont know why this happened.

A Twitter page belonging to Hardenburg was found which contains mostly links to news articles, postings criticizing both political parties and, in one post, his belief that someone was spying on him after seeing a drone flying around his home.

Hardenburg indicated he served in the military through one of his Twitter posts, though it is unclear when he served -- if at all.

Records show Hardenburg at one point in his life had a mailing address for an Army transportation unit based out of Fort Eustis Virginia which, in 2010, became Joint Base LangleyEustis.

Hardenburg has no local criminal record to speak of and no recent interaction with police. Only one record was found where in 2007 he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor driving under the influence and reckless driving charge in Arizona.

Police were first called to the condo complex after 911 received reports of a domestic dispute. A Washtenaw County deputy was shot through his abdomen in a hail of rifle gunfire coming from Hardenburgs home shortly after 2:16 p.m., police said. The deputy was dragged to safety by fellow officers responding to the scene, witnesses said.

Multiple police units from throughout the region were called to his residence to assist in securing the area and and trying to make contact with Hardenburg.

At about 10 p.m., movement inside the home stopped and a robot operated by the Michigan State Police entered and found Hardenburg dead.

The deputy who was shot has since been treated and released from the hospital and is recovering, according to the Washtenaw County Sheriffs Office.

Any loss of life is a tragedy and I am saddened by the final outcome, Washtenaw County Sheriff Jerry L. Clayton said. I am also heartened by the fact that our deputy is now home recovering.

Detectives with the Michigan State Police First District Special Investigation Section are still investigating the shooting.

The name of the injured deputy and other deputies involved in the initial response to the scene are not being released at this time.

Anyone experiencing thoughts of suicide can seek help from:

 The 24-hour National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Military veterans press #1.

 The Ozone House, a 24-hour hotline for youth, at 734-662-2222.

 The 24-hour hotline at University of Michigan Psychiatric Emergency Services at 734-936-5900.

 The Washtenaw County Community Mental Health crisis team at 734-544-3050.

More from The Ann Arbor News:

University of Michigan eliminates spring break in modified calendar

Deputy shot by barricaded gunman, UM graduate strike ends: Top Ann Arbor headlines Sept. 12-17

University of Michigan regents support Schlissels handling of the pandemic
Premier Doug Ford says more parts of Ontario will see the size of social gatherings restricted as the province topped 400 new cases of COVID-19 for the first time since early June.

The Ministry of Health reported another 401 infections Friday as new restrictions limited indoor gatherings to 10 people and outdoor ones to 25 in the key breeding grounds of Toronto, Peel and Ottawa, which were home to 68 per cent of the new cases.

Were going to be rolling out other areas across the province from the request of the mayors, Ford told a news conference in Ottawa, calling the leap in cases this week very concerning.

He did not name any municipalities, but London  where there has been an outbreak of cases among Western University students partying in bars, restaurants and private homes  and York Region were expected to be on the list after pleas from both.

Outside the hot spots of Toronto, Peel Region and Ottawa, indoor gatherings of 50 and outdoor gatherings of 100 are still allowed with physical distancing. Fines for violating the limits are rising to $10,000 for party organizers and $750 for anyone in attendance.

In London, Mayor Ed Holder referred to the 47 new cases in the last week  including 30 since Wednesday alone  as the biggest local spike since April.

The reality of where we find ourselves right now is undeniable and unnerving, he told a news conference Friday, warning additional measures could be invoked locally if this recent surge is not reversed.

Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti said Ford did not cast the net far and wide enough by excluding York Region from the lower limits announced Thursday for neighbouring Toronto. York had 40 new cases in Fridays report.

The daily tally of 401 cases is up substantially from 293 on Thursday and the recent high of 315 the previous day as public health officials become increasingly worried over the rapid spread of the highly contagious virus, which has led to long lines at testing centres.

I understand people are anxious, Ford said, noting pharmacies will be providing tests to people without symptoms of COVID-19 by this time next week. That will leave hospital-based assessment centres clear for people with symptoms of the virus.

Opposition parties said Ontario is losing more ground daily in fighting the pandemic despite knowing cases were likely to surge in September.

It should never have come to this, said NDP Leader Andrea Horwath. Now, again, the province is chasing a crisis instead of getting out in front of it. We cant wait.

Ford promised a plan to deal with the rising number of cases will be unveiled next week.

Instead of building up our testing system for this inevitable upswing, the premier spent the summer on a campaign tour patting himself on the back, said Green Leader Mike Schreiner. Fords second-wave plan will be useless if the horse has already left the barn.

With more than 50 per cent of cases now having no known source, infectious diseases specialist Dr. Isaac Bogoch of University Health Network said contact tracing must be improved to get a better idea of where and how COVID-19 is spreading so that chains of transmission can be shut down.

We can be proactive, Bogoch said.

For the first time in several days, no new deaths were reported Friday and hospitalizations increased by five people to 58 across the province, with 20 requiring intensive care and 10 of them on ventilators, well within the capacity of the health-care system.

There were 130 new cases in Toronto, 82 in Peel and 61 in Ottawa, while 15 of the provinces 34 health units had no new cases. There were 19 in Halton, eight in Durham, 10 in Simcoe-Muskoka (cottage country including areas south of Barrie), 12 in Middlesex-London, nine in Waterloo and eight in Niagara.

In keeping with recent trends, 67 per cent of the new cases were in people under 40.

Nine more schools recorded cases of COVID-19, increasing the total to 60 with one in Pembroke remaining closed by the local public health unit following an outbreak. Students there are doing online learning from home.

Other communities with school cases are Toronto, Ottawa, Mississauga, Brampton, Oakville, Ajax, Woodbridge, Maple, Markham, Cambridge, Waterloo, Orillia and Amherstburg.

There are 2,652 people across the province with active cases of the novel coronavirus after testing positive in the last 14 days, the highest since-mid June and almost triple the recent low of 891 in mid-August. Toronto now has 806 active cases, Peel has 566, Ottawa has 437 and York has 247.

Labs across the province processed more than 35,800 tests on Thursday on the way to a goal of 50,000 daily next month. Ford said the province will continue increasing the testing capacity beyond that.

Correction - Sept. 22, 2020: This article was edited from a previous version to correct the description of the area covered by the Simcoe-Muskoka health unit. This unit also covers areas south of Barrie.

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Taipei: China began combat drills near the Taiwan Strait on Friday, the same day a senior American official began high-level meetings in Taipei, as Beijing denounced tightening ties between Taiwan and the United States.

Beijing has watched with growing alarm the ever-closer relationship between Taipei and Washington, and has stepped up military exercises near the island, including two days of mass air and sea drills last week.

US Under-Secretary of State Keith Krach disembarks upon arrival in Taipei, Taiwan. Credit:AP

Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Ren Guoqiang said Friday's drills, about which he gave no details, were taking place near the Taiwan Strait and involved the People's Liberation Army's eastern theatre command.

"They are a reasonable, necessary action aimed at the current situation in the Taiwan Strait and protecting national sovereignty and territorial integrity," Ren said.
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Yangon, Myanmar  Fri, September 18, 2020 07:36 491 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c458f2fe 2 SE Asia Rohingya,Rohingya-Muslims,Rohingya-people,Rakhine-state,Myanmar,atrocity Free

Rohingya groups around the world displayed a rare show of solidarity on Thursday with Myanmar's ethnic Rakhine, who they say are suffering "horrifically familiar" war crimes and atrocities at the hands of the military.

The armed forces are currently locked in battle with the Arakan Army (AA), a militant group fighting for more autonomy for ethnic Rakhine Buddhists in the country's northwest.

The area has long been a tinderbox of religious and ethnic tensions.

Military operations in 2017 forced hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims to Bangladesh in violence that sees Myanmar facing genocide charges at the UN's top court.

Ethnic Rakhine mobs stand accused of aiding soldiers to drive out the long-oppressed group.

But Thursday's announcement from 29 Rohingya advocacy groups around the world showed signs of a potential rapprochement between the two minorities.

"Our fight for justice is a fight for everyone that has been killed, injured or abused by the Tatmadaw," read the joint statement, referring to the military by its Myanmar name.

It accused the military of committing "war crimes and atrocities" against Rakhine civilians.

"For us Rohingya, these crimes are horrifically familiar," it said. "We stand in solidarity with our Rakhine brothers and sisters."

Both the military and AA militants accuse the other of human rights abuses in the ongoing unrest that has seen hundreds killed or wounded and forced some 150,000 from their homes.

On Monday, UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet slammed the military for the apparent targeting of civilians she said "may constitute further war crimes or even crimes against humanity".

'Symbolically important'

The alleged atrocities evoke accounts of the 2017 military crackdown, which Myanmar has justified as a means of rooting out Rohingya militants.

But the emergence last week of video confessions of two former soldiers -- filmed and released by the AA -- could potentially add weight to the allegations.

The soldiers detailed how they were ordered to "exterminate" Rohingya Muslims and "wipe out" their villages before taking part in the massacre of scores of men, women and children.

The military disputed the testimony, saying the confessions had been given under duress -- a claim dismissed by the rebel group.

The Rakhine political parties contacted by AFP declined to comment on the Rohingya groups' statement, though activist Nyo Aye said she welcomed their "support and solidarity".

While the move was "symbolically important", analyst David Mathieson said it was hard to see how it would help bring a peaceful resolution on the ground.

Inter-communal relations in Mrauk U, a town in northern Rakhine, remained as tense as ever, one Rohingya man told AFP.

He described how the Rohingyas' movements were restricted by street patrols of ethnic Rakhine, not soldiers.

"The Rakhine do not mean us well," he said by phone, asking not to be named.
DUBAI (Reuters) - A Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen said on Thursday it had intercepted and destroyed an explosive drone launched towards the kingdom, as Yemen's Houthi group said it had hit a target at Saudi Arabia's Abha airport.

In a statement published by Saudi state news agency SPA, a spokesman for the coalition said the Iran-aligned Houthi group in Yemen had launched the drone at civilian targets in the southern Saudi region of Khamis Mushait, near the Yemeni border.

A spokesman for the Houthi military forces, Yahya Sarea, said a drone had made a precise strike on a military target at Abha airport in southern Saudi Arabia.

Abha airport, near the border, has been a regular target for Houthi drones and missiles in the last two years. Many have been intercepted, but some have hit, causing deaths and injuries.

Yemen has been mired in conflict since a Saudi-led coalition intervened in March 2015 to restore the Yemeni government ousted from power in the capital Sanaa by Houthi forces in late 2014.

The U.N. is mediating a process to try to get Yemen's Saudi-backed government and the Houthis to reach an agreement to end the war and ease a humanitarian crisis in the Arabian Peninsula's poorest country.

Delegations from the warring parties are due to meet in Switzerland this week for talks on a U.N.-backed prisoner exchange deal.

(Reporting by Nafisa Eltahir; Writing by Lisa Barrington; Editing by Toby Chopra and Catherine Evans)
A man walks past a mural that pays tribute to healthcare workers in Toronto (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

With the world anxiously awaiting a Covid-19 vaccine, politicians across the globe are insisting hope is around the corner, but many medical professionals say it could take up to five years.

So where do we actually stand in the search for a vaccine?

Basically, in a state of agonising suspense.

More than 170 potential Covid-19 vaccines are being developed around the world, with some governments relying on their own state scientists and others placing their faith in private pharmaceutical companies.

At least a few of these research teams seem tantalisingly close to finding the silver bullet.

For now, however, the general pattern is that politicians keep claiming a vaccine is just around the corner, while medical experts say it isnt that simple.

Is this confusion happening in Ireland too?

Yes. Last Monday, Tanaiste Leo Varadkar expressed great optimism that a vaccine will be available by next June at the latest.

Theres hope on the horizon, he said. A lot of progress is being made. I think theres growing confidence that in the first half of the new year, well be in a position to vaccinate older people, those most at risk and healthcare workers.

On Tuesday, however, senior sources in the Department of Health were quoted as saying they didnt share Varadkars confidence.

We dont know when well have a vaccine, said one. Were only setting up a committee to decide on how wed roll out any vaccine programme. Hopefully, he knows something we dont.

What about the Oxford University trials that got people so excited in July?

Theyre still coming along, just not as quickly as everyone would like.

Based on injecting a weakened common cold virus that affects chimpanzees but cant harm humans, the Oxford vaccine caused a stir two months ago when tests showed 100pc of volunteers developing antibodies and T-cells that provided immunity against Covid-19.

Since then, researchers have been trying to replicate these results, with more trials in the US, Brazil and South Africa.

On September 8, the process was paused, reportedly because one participant had a worrying side-effect. Following a safety review, however, the tests resumed last Saturday.

Although the Oxford vaccine still looks like one of our best hopes, an early prediction by project leader Professor Adrian Hill, whos from Dublin, that it might be ready by September or October now looks too optimistic.

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock admitted last week that early 2021 is a more realistic target.

Dont the Russians claim to have a Covid- 19 vaccine already?

Yes, but many non-Russian scientists think it sounds too good to be true.

On August 11, President Putin announced that his countrys Gamaleya Research Institute (GRI) had registered a coronavirus vaccine called Sputnik V. He claimed he knew it worked because one of his daughters had received a shot during the process.

Putin now plans to produce 30 million doses of Sputnik V in Russia this autumn and says he could send around 170 million doses abroad too.

However, according to an open letter that has been signed by 38 university scientists from Italy, France, Germany, Japan and the US, the GRIs published evidence shows suspiciously repetitive results for different groups of patients.

The data looks like its been Photoshopped, said Andrea Cossarizza, a professor of pathology and immunology at the University of Modena.

Its too similar and too unlikely from a statistical point of view.

Why is this issue also starting to affect the US presidential election?

Donald Trump clearly believes that finding a Covid-19 vaccine quickly could help him to win on November 3.

Were very close, could be three weeks, could be four weeks, he told a town hall meeting on Tuesday, the latest in a string of hints and promises.

This has been contradicted by some of Trumps own health officials such as Dr Robert Redfield, director of the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, who told a US Senate panel on Wednesday there will be no vaccine until the second or third quarter of 2021. Trump responded by saying Dr Redfield must be confused.

Trump has already spent more than $10bn (8.5bn) on Operation Warp Speed, a collaboration between his government and leading pharmaceutical companies to speed up the vaccine development process.

However, a recent poll found 52pc of Americans dont trust his claims and would refuse to take a government-approved vaccine.

Assuming we do eventually find an effective Covid-19 vaccine, how soon can it be distributed to everyone who needs it?

About four or five years, according to the CEO of the worlds biggest vaccine manufacturer.

Adar Poonawalla of the Serum Institute of India warned this week that pharmaceutical companies simply dont have the production capacity to do it any sooner.

But shouldnt Ireland be near the top of the queue?

Yes, since we would almost certainly form a partnership with our EU partners to buy the vaccine in bulk.

Last month, a poll found that 67pc of Irish people say they would be willing to take it. Thats not a bad start, but the Government must be careful to avoid a repeat of the HPV vaccine controversy.

Finally, arent we entitled to at least some hope that a Covid-19 vaccine will eventually end this nightmare for good?

With so many different reports from different sources, it all depends on whether you see the glass as half-full or half-empty.

In the past 48 hours alone, China has ann-ounced it could have a vaccine by November, while Irishman Dr Mike Ryan of the World Health Organisation has said theres no guarantee well ever find one.

The overall situation was summed up well last week by professor of vaccinology Sarah Gilbert, who is working on Oxford Universitys trials.

I know people are impatient, she said. But its not going to be like its the movies where theres some kind of breakthrough and then suddenly the entire world is protected.
Dallas, TX, Sept. 17, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dickeys Barbecue Pit recently inked a new deal with Aldi to be the exclusive barbecue bean provider in 150 of their Texas grocery locations.

With this partnership, Dickeys brings the total number of grocery locations selling Dickeys barbecue beans up to nearly 3,000 and brings their total number of grocery chain partnerships up to 19, a number that is double what it was a year prior.

We are committed to serving only the highest-quality products and were proud to partner with Aldi to bring our authentic and delicious barbecue beans to more folks right here in Texas, said Roland Dickey Jr., CEO of Dickeys Capital Group.

Dickeys variety of authentic, Texas-style barbecue beans is up 104% in sales year to date and is their fastest growing product line of 2020.

The brand synonymous for serving slow-smoked barbecue since 1941 also offers a wide collection of meats, sides, desserts in addition to spices, rubs and sauces for fans and everyday pit masters to enjoy at home. Fans can find their Dickeys barbecue favorites online on athome.dickeys.com or one of the nearly 3,000 participating retailers.

Visit Athome.Dickeys.com to purchase products and discover exclusive content including recipes, deals and find a participating retailer near you.

Learn more about franchising with Dickeys Barbecue Pit by visiting franchise.dickeys.com or call (866) 340-6188. Find your nearest Dickeys Barbecue Pit location by visiting dickeys.com/locations.

Follow Dickeys on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Download the Dickeys App from the Apple App Store or Google Play.

About Dickeys Barbecue Restaurants, Inc.

Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants, Inc., the worlds largest barbecue concept, was founded in 1941 by Travis Dickey. For the past 79 years, Dickeys Barbecue Pit has served millions of guests Legit. Texas. Barbecue. At Dickeys, all our barbecued meats are smoked on-site in a hickory wood burning pit. Dickeys proudly believes theres no shortcut to true barbecue and its why they never say bbq. The Dallas-based family-run barbecue franchise offers several slow-smoked meats and wholesome sides with 'No B.S. (Bad Stuff)' included. The fast-casual concept has expanded worldwide with two international locations in the UAE and operates over 500 locations in 44 states. In 2016, Dickeys won first place on Fast Casuals Top 100 Movers and Shakers list and was named a Top 500 Franchise by Entrepreneur in 2018. Dickey's Barbecue Pit has also been recognized by Fox News, Franchise Times, The Wall Street Journal, QSR Magazine, Forbes Magazine and Nations Restaurant News. For more information, visit www.dickeys.com.

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A passenger in a pickup truck that was pursued by Massachusetts State Police on Friday was injured after falling out of the vehicle, according to authorities.

A trooper stopped a 2010 Toyota Tacoma in the southbound lanes of I-93 near Route 62 in Wilmington around 12:20 a.m., state police said in a statement.

The pickup truck, which had three people inside, initially stopped but then sped away from police and took Exit 40 to Route 62, according to the statement.

As it did so, a rear-seat passenger fell out of the vehicle, suffering non-life-threatening injuries, the statement said.

EMS took the passenger who fell out of the truck to the hospital, according to state police.

The chase continued on Route 62, and troopers were conducting a follow-up investigation into the people inside pickup truck, state police said shortly after 3 a.m.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- After recording an all-time low in new coronavirus cases in June, Europe is now facing what a World Health Organization (WHO) official described as a serious situation unfolding before us.

Last week, the European region weekly tally surpassed 300,000 cases, exceeding those reported in March, when the pandemic reached its peak, said Hans Henri Kluge, WHOs regional director for Europe.

The response to the crisis has been very effective whenever the actions were prompt and resolute; but the virus has been merciless whenever partisanship and disinformation prevailed, Kluge said. Where the pandemic goes from here is in our hands. We have fought it back before and we can fight it back again.

In Europe there have been 4,893,614 cases overall -- representing about 16% of the global cases -- and 226,524 deaths, according to the WHO.

This tells only part of the story  the impact on our mental health, economies, livelihoods and society has been monumental, Kluge said.

Several European countries are exploring the possibility of another lockdown.

British Health Secretary Matt Hancock told BBC the country has seen an acceleration in the number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, adding that the government is prepared to do what it takes to stop and prevent a second wave.

Meanwhile France recorded 10,593 new cases on Thursday -- one of the highest increases in a 24-hour span since April -- and intensive care units are reaching their full capacities again in Bordeaux, CNN reported.

While there has been an increase among age groups 50 to 64 years old and 65 to 79 years old, the largest proportion of COVID-19 cases remains among the younger portion of the population, between 25 and 49 year olds, Kluge explained.

In order to bring Europe back to a safe environment, Kluge said all 53 member states of the European region must act in an amplified collective effort in order to take a leap forward toward a brighter future for our society.
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MOOSIC, Pa. (AP)  At a Thursday town hall, Joe Biden went after President Donald Trump again and again over his handling of COVID-19, calling Trumps downplaying of the pandemic criminal and his administration totally irresponsible.

Youve got to level with the American people  shoot from the shoulder. Theres not been a time theyve not been able to step up. The president should step down, the Democratic presidential nominee said to applause from the drive-in crowd in Moosic, outside his hometown of Scranton.

Speaking about Trumps admission that he publicly played down the impact of the virus while aware of its severity, Biden declared: He knew it and did nothing. Its close to criminal.

Later, Biden decried Americans' loss of basic freedoms during the pandemic, like the ability to go to a ballgame or walk around their neighborhoods. I never, ever thought I would see just such a thoroughly, totally irresponsible administration, he said.

Biden faced a half-dozen questions about the coronavirus and a potential vaccine early in the town hall from moderator Anderson Cooper and audience members. The pandemic was not just the main topic of the night  it was the cause of the unusual format of the event: a drive-in of 35 cars parked outside PNC Field.

The cars were parked around the stage, each with small groups of people standing outside them or leaning or sitting on the hoods to watch Cooper and Biden on the stage in front of them. The network erected blue and red spotlights over the dirt and gravel parking lot to make it easier to see, and each parking space was marked off with white chalk in large rectangles to ensure that each group of spectators stayed more than 6 feet (1.8 meters) apart.

Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden ]is seen on a video screen as he participates in a CNN town hall moderated by Anderson Cooper in Moosic, Pa., Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)AP

The town hall marked the first time that Biden had faced live, unscripted questions from voters since winning the nomination. Trump participated in an ABC town hall Tuesday in an auditorium in Philadelphia.

The appearances have been seen as tuneups before the three presidential debates; the first is Sept. 29, and the stakes for the matchup will be high. Bidens uneven debate performances during the Democratic primary contributed to his initial struggles in polls and the early primary vote, and Trump has pushed unfounded conspiracy theories about Biden taking performance-enhancing drugs and has raised questions about Bidens mental acuity.

Biden, meanwhile, has promised to be a fact-checker on the stage with Trump but has said he doesnt want to get drawn into a brawl with the Republican.

On Thursday night, Biden said he was indeed beginning to prepare for the upcoming debate, by reviewing Trumps remarks and preparing his own.

The format of Bidens event was a stark reminder of the issue thats been a central focus of Bidens campaign  that the pandemic rages on, affecting Americans' lives in ways large and small, and that stronger leadership in White House could have eased the crisis. More than 195,000 Americans have died of the coronavirus, by far the highest death toll in the world.

Trump and Biden have spent the week accusing each other of undermining public trust in a potential coronavirus vaccine.

As Trump prepared for an evening rally in Wisconsin, Biden seized on the president openly contradicting the nations top health officials to claim a vaccine would be ready as early as next month, just before the Nov. 3 election.

Mark my words  if Im president, Ill always level with the American people, and Ill always tell the truth, Biden said in a statement.

A former Republican official in the Trump White House  Olivia Troye, onetime homeland security aide to Vice President Mike Pence  endorsed Biden on Thursday, citing Trumps mishandling of the pandemic.

Earlier in the day, Biden joined Senate Democrats for a conference call lunch and told allies that he is taking nothing for granted in the race for the White House and the down-ballot effort to wrest the Senates majority control from Republicans.

The 30-minute event was a homecoming of sorts for the former Delaware senator. On the private call, Biden fielded questions, particularly from senators facing reelection, about his strategy win back the chamber and defeat Trump.

He just said, You know what were up against. You know why this is so important, said Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.

READ MORE: Could the return of Big Ten football help President Trump in Pa.? Maybe

West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin said he encouraged Biden to remind workers how much he has been on their side during his many years in government.

Ive said, Joe, people need to know that you recognize the dignity of the work, the people have built this country, Manchin told reporters. They need to know that you fought for their pensions, you fought for their health care ... and youre not gonna leave them behind.

Bidens campaign team has come under scrutiny in recent days over its outreach efforts, particularly for what some see as short shrift with Latino voters. At the same time, Democrats have mixed views over the partys get-out-the-vote effort that largely bypasses traditional door-knocking to avoid health risks during the pandemic, instead relying on virtual outreach.
Police are investigating after a historic arcade in Camden, south-west of Sydney, burnt down overnight.

The roof of Whitemans Arcade collapsed after it was engulfed in flames early on Friday morning.

Whiteman's Arcade in Camden was built in 1889, with a second storey placed on the building in 1936. Credit:NSW Fire and Rescue

Emergency services arrived about 3am, after police patrolling the area noticed the fire.

Whiteman's Arcade was built in 1889, and a second storey was placed on the building in 1936.
Inside Raechon Elahies home hangs a painting of her son, Jonathan Davis. Its surrounded by other pictures and cards of condolences she got from his funeral.

Davis was killed a year ago when he and five other innocent bystanders were struck by bullets during a barrage of gunfire at a Mississauga apartment building.

He was 17 years old and, by all accounts, a good young man who happened to be outside his home on a nice September evening when armed gang members indiscriminately opened fire.

When the shootings occurred around 6:30 p.m., there were a lot of children outside playing and lined up by an ice cream truck with their families.

The other five shooting victims injured, including a 50-year-old woman and four teens between the ages of 13 and 17, were taken to hospital with various injuries. One of those victims suffered life-altering injuries, according to police.

Police recovered 136 shell casings from automatic and semi-automatic weapons fired at the scene on Darcel Avenue.

Coping with her sons death is a constant struggle for Elahie. She spends a lot of time around the painting to remember him.

I have an area where its all set up. Every morning I come to it, I light a candle and give that picture a kiss, she said.

Its how I try to go on with my day. Its tough. I still cant believe its real and Im trying to accept the fact that hes gone.

There is still no making sense of it. A year has passed, she has moved and still has more questions than answers.

Im still trying to figure out how it happened, why it happened? Elahie said while reflecting on the Sept. 14, 2019, shooting that took her sons life.

Why my son? He didnt have anything to do with any of those men who were out there and he got the worst of it. Thats the hardest part.

The shootings shook the Mississauga community and reverberated across the Greater Toronto Area. There were calls for politicians and police to take action to address gun crime and public safety.

There have, so far, been two arrests and a shuttered Malton community police station has been reopened, but police believe seven shooters remain at-large.

Peel Region police deputy chief Nick Milinovich described the incident as one of the most violent local law enforcement has ever seen.

I can only begin to imagine the impact something like that would carry with a community, he said. From an empathetic perspective, it was devastating.

Earlier this month, 12 days before the one-year anniversary of the deadly violence, multiple gunshots rang out again at the same apartment building.

In this recent shooting, a man in his 20s suffered non-life-threatening injuries as several bullets also struck the main entrance of the building.

Its hard not to believe that someone doesnt know something or cant say something. Everybody was outside, Elahie said of the night her son was killed.

I was literally holding my son screaming and bawling . . . Now, its not even a year and almost the same thing happened again.

As the struggle to contain and end gun and gang violence continues in Peel and beyond, Elahie feels the issue has only worsened since her sons death. She believes harsher penalties should be imposed on offenders.

I dont think there should be bail for them. They shouldnt be allowed back on the streets, she said. Where are they getting the guns from?

Trayon Baksh, an artist from Rexdale, who occasionally taught Davis in art classes at the Malton Community Centre, said while he has seen more officers on the streets, he also feels gun violence has gotten worse since last years shootings.

Hed like to see more money invested in job creation for youth and after-school programs for kids.

Deepak Anand, MPP for Mississauga-Malton, agrees that approach would help.

In this case, I think the biggest issue was making sure the kids have resources so they dont have to go toward guns and gangs, he said.

Days after Davis was killed, the Congress of Black Women of Ontario wrote a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Premier Doug Ford and then Toronto police Chief Mark Saunders, expressing concerns regarding the shooting and others in Black communities in the GTA and surrounding areas.

Valerie Williams, parent educator and motivational speaker from the Congress, said politicians should be doing much more in terms of gun and gang control. She believes having meaningful support for families to provide affordable housing, daycare, food security and ongoing well-funded programs for families would help.

When these things are in place, parents can do a better job of raising their children, she said. Many programs that are run by Black-led agencies are not funded for long periods. Sometimes agencies are not sure how long funding will last. Some non-profit organizations have a hard time getting funding due to unreachable criteria.

In an email to the Mississauga News, Mississauga-Malton MP Navdeep Bains said in addition to prohibiting military assault rifles, the federal government is working on strengthening gun control in Canada by bringing forth legislation to stop the illegal smuggling and trafficking of firearms into the country.

Milinovich believes Peel police are better positioned to fight gun and gang violence a year after the shootings.

It certainly was an impetus for us to assess our alignment of resources and different types of things were invested in and consider whether or not we need to add additional resources in that area, he said.

Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie agrees Peel police are better positioned since they have added additional resources to modernize their operations, such as CCTV and bodyworn cameras. She feels these will allow them to better track and convict criminals.

Coun. Carolyn Parrish (Mississauga, Ward 5) said the shootings served as a catalyst for the reopening of the Malton community police station, which was located minutes away from the Darcel complex and closed in 2018 for financial reasons.

It reopened following a push from Parrish, as well as a petition started by Malton resident Ann Barclay that collected more than 4,000 signatures.

Parrish and Crombie also hope the Malton Youth Hub will help youth in the community. The decommissioned Lincoln Alexander pool is being converted into a youth hub that will provide programs and services focused on creative arts, food security, mental health, income security, employment and more, according to the City of Mississauga. Construction is expected to begin in the fall of 2021.

During paint nights conducted by Baksh, he said hed talk with his students about issues going on in society and he recalls Jonathan being engaged during those conversations, saying more than most others.

Baksh remembers Davis often talked about how to fix problems and never associated with troublemakers.

He was a smart guy. I never had to tell him (to stay away from trouble), he said

After the shootings, hundreds from the community attended a vigil for Davis at the Malton Community Centre.

Thats where Baksh presented Elahie with a 26 x 30-inch painting of her son.

It really motivated me (to make the painting) because he was a good kid, Baksh said. He didnt deserve (to die) and the parents (didnt deserve) to go through that.

Anyone with information on the shootings can contact Peels homicide and missing persons bureau at 905-453-2121, ext. 3205 or Peel Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or by visiting peelcrimestoppers.ca.

Iain Colpitts is a reporter for Mississauga News and Brampton Guardian. Reach him via email: icolpitts@mississauga.net

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The Queens Guard may have to make a significant change to their uniforms in post-Brexit Britain by no longer wearing their traditional real bearskin hats.

In 2000, fur farming became illegal in England and Wales under the Fur Farming Prohibition Act, with the last mink fur farms ordered to close by 2003. Two years later, fur farming was also outlawed in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

However, it is currently still legal to sell fur in the UK, a fact that may change in the next year or so following the UKs withdrawal from the European Union.

According to The Telegraph, George Eustice, the environment secretary wrote a letter on 9 September 2020 addressed to Giles Roca, chief executive of the British Fur Trade Association (BFTA), explaining that once the UKs future trading relationship with the EU has been established, there will be an opportunity to consider further steps it could take in relation to fur sales.

Mr Eustice reportedly wrote that the government will want to hear from all interested parties, including the fur sector, as it looks to develop proposals and form views on what the fur trade might look like after the transition period.

He added that the government may choose to consult on this matter, it was reported.

What does this mean for the Queens Guard?

If all forms of fur sales are banned in the UK, then this will mean the Queens Guard may no longer be able to wear their bearskin hats, which members of the army have worn since the early 19th century.

The bearskin hats worn by the Queens Guard are made from Canadian black bear fur and measure approximately 18 inches in height.

The Army buys between 50 and 100 bearskin hats a year. In 2008, it was reported that PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) said the Ministry of Defence had spent more than 321,000 on bearskins in the previous five years.

The hats are worn at events like Trooping the Colour, the Queens birthday, and the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace.

If the Guard are unable to replace their hats with new fur items, they may be forced to reconsider a fur-free alternative. The Palace has not commented on the proposed consultation.

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In 2015, Boris Johnson said he would be open to switching to false fur on the hats after designer Stella McCartney proposed a synthetic maternial.

He said: If Stella McCartney can help save a few bears by making false busbys then I'm with her. I'm not going to fight that.

The BFTA argues that the outright banning of fur imports would damage and set back animal welfare, as the ban would not mean that demand would stop, the organisation states.

Supply would switch from legal furs that come from reputable, responsible and certified sources overseen by law enforcement, replaced by those that do not respect sector or governmental standards including on animal welfare, says the BFTA.

In response to BFTAs statements, Claire Bass, director of Humane Society International UK (HSI/UK) said that they welcome signs from the secretary of state for environment that the government is taking seriously public calls for a fur sales ban.

Recommended Calls to shut down fur trade after mink become infected with coronavirus

Ms Bass said that a consultation would allow [the] government to get the facts behind this opaque industry.

The HSI/UK representative explained that the organisations #FurFreeBritain is not calling for people to stop wearing fur, but for fur sales to cease.

When the US State of California banned fur sales last year it included exemptions for religious and cultural use of fur, as well as second hand fur, so these are all pragmatic exemptions the UK government could consider, and create a ban that would still have a huge impact on an industry that causes immense suffering to millions of animals overseas, she said.

Ms Bass added that while exemptions could certainly be put in place for the ceremonial use of fur like the Queens Guard, the Queen may be open to the Army seeking a fur-free substitute for the bearskin hats.

Since Her Majesty elected last year not to buy any new animal furs into her wardrobe we might speculate that she would be open to the Ministry of Defence phasing out bearskin busbys in favour of cruelty-free alternatives, she stated.

The Independent has contacted Buckingham Palace for comment.
ATHENS, GreeceZainab has spent the past two years living in refugee camps. The first one was in Iran, where she and her husband spent a month after having fled family violence in their home country, Afghanistan. While living there, she had a miscarriage in the fourth month of pregnancy. It was a very bad situation and the baby couldnt survive, she says.

Zainab, who preferred to give only her first name, was devastated but had little time to mourn the loss as she and her husband had to keep moving. Their next stop, several months later, was the Moria refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos, where they had been living for the past year before it burned to the ground in the early morning hours of Sept. 9.*

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Now, Zainabs home is a small, blue tent that her husband pitched on the side of the main road running in front of where Moria used to be. As the fire engulfed the main structures of the camp, many asylum-seekers headed for the hills and have been staying in the surrounding olive groves ever since. But most ended up on this one-mile strip of road, blocked on all sides by the riot police, where they sleep on pieces of cardboard and whatever blankets they managed to salvage before the fire destroyed everything.

Before it burned to the ground, Moria had become synonymous with the failures of the EUs migration policy, which aimed to stem the flow of asylum-seekers from the Middle East, Afghanistan, and parts of Africa after the surge in arrivals from 2015 to 2016.

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With winter around the corner, aid organizations are worried that these structures wont be adequate enough to properly protect their inhabitants from the elements.

During that surge, nearly 1 million people arrived on Greek shores fleeing war, persecution, and economic devastation. Most continued onward into central and Northern Europe, but as recently as six months ago, 20,000 people remained crammed into a space built for less than 3,000.

The cramped and unhygienic conditions of the camp put it at serious risk for an outbreak of the coronavirus. At the time of the fires, and following the first positive coronavirus case in Moria, 2,000 of the remaining 13,000 people living inside Moria and in the surrounding olive groves dubbed the jungle had been tested for the coronavirus. Of those 2,000 tested, 35 tested positive for the virus. About 7,000 people had been relocated to mainland Greece earlier this year to avoid an outbreak, and at the time of the fire, the camp had been under lockdown for the past six months, something that caused great frustration and led to frequent protests by camp residents.

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These frustrations are, some witnesses say, what eventually led a handful of residents to ignite a fire in an area where several families were being quarantined in containers after testing positive for the coronavirus earlier that week. The fire quickly spread to the rest of the camp. On Tuesday, six Afghans suspected of starting the fire were arrested. All were between the ages of 17 and 24.

What Zainab fears most is what home comes next: the new camp whose construction started just days after Moria burned. Hundreds of U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees tents now sit on stony ground just meters from the waters edge. With winter around the corner, aid organizations are worried that these structures wont be adequate enough to properly protect their inhabitants from the elements.

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According to Stella Nanou, a spokesperson for the UNHCR, the new camp is only meant for temporary needs. Its functioning as an emergency site meant to cover the immediate and urgent needs of the population that has been affected by the fires in Moria, she explains. As for the future of the camp, she says its still unclear what the Greek authorities have planned.

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We do support its use as an emergency situation, she continues, but what may be deemed adequate in an emergency situation in terms of shelter and services, may not be regarded as adequate in more permanent structures. Moria, too, was meant to be a temporary facility, but as is often the case with setups that are supposed to be temporary, they often become permanent.

Zainab, now pregnant for a second time, isnt thinking of winter just yet. Shes thinking about her freedom and the six-month coronavirus lockdown she endured at Moria. Im so scared to go there to the new camp, because I dont want to stay [locked in] like in Moria, she says. I dont want my life to be like this in the new camp.

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Her fears are not unfounded. The new camp, which is expanding daily to accommodate all 13,000 left homeless by the fires, will be a closed facility with ID checks for anyone wanting to enter or exit. And that movement would only be allowed once the threat of a coronavirus outbreak has subsided.

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This situation had been left unattended for a long time, problems have grown and I think its very understandable that both refugees and local communities have lost their trust, have lost their confidence that solutions can be found, explains Nanou of the current fears of another indefinite coronavirus lockdown for asylum-seekers in the new camp.

Ever since the center rightleaning New Democracy party came into office in July 2019, it has been aiming to turn Moria into a closed detention center. The coronavirus pandemic, and now the fire that destroyed almost the entire camp, is making that goal a reality.

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Some [people] do not respect the country that is hosting them, said a government spokesperson, Stelios Petsas, in a press briefing on Sept. 10. They thought that if they set fire to Moria they would leave the island indiscriminately. Whatever those who set the fires had in mind, they can forget it, he continued. They are not going to leave because of the fire, except the unaccompanied minors who have already been transferred.

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Within 24 hours of the fire, 406 unaccompanied minors had been transferred off the island, on their way to other European member states. The rest of the 13,000 stranded asylum-seekers, however, will eventually have to register at the new camp, taking a rapid COVID-19 test before being allocated a tent and some basic amenities.

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Like Zainab, Mohammad Reza Shafaei, an asylum-seeker from Afghanistan, does not want to enter the new camp, despite being forced to live on the side of the road with his wife and three children in a two-person tent for the past eight days.

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But his reasons are different. Earlier this week, he and his wife initially decided that they would move into the new camp with three of their children. (Two of their other children, a 10-year-old daughter and a 19-year-old son, have already made it to Finland and Austria, respectively.) But the next day, Shafaei found his wife lying on the ground next to their small tent vomiting.

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I saw my wife laying down on the ground and throwing up, he says. I asked her what happened and she told me she had eaten something. I asked her what she ate and she showed me a yellow bottle. That yellow bottle was Clorox, typically used for heavy-duty cleaning.

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Shafaei wanted to ask her more, but she couldnt speak, so he picked her up in his arms and quickly rushed her to the hospital. Not until he returned to his tent and spoke to his youngest son, who had bought the Clorox to his mom, not knowing what she intended to do with it, did he fully understand what had happened.

For these [past] two months she really changed her behavior and shes been crying so much, especially when shes alone and after our daughter left, he explains. Still, because she hadnt said anything to him about her suicidal thoughts, Shafaei was in a state of confusion for several hours after he left her at the hospital. I was thinking that [maybe] because she had a lot of stress, she drank that [Clorox], but she never said anything to me.

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That was three days ago, and he hasnt been able to see her since. Hes tried multiple times to see her at the hospital, but each time he goes, hes turned away and told that he must first register at the new camp. Only then will he be allowed to see his wife.

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But he worries that if he enters the new camp, his wife wont know where to find him once shes released and will return to the area on the street where they have been staying since the fires at Moria destroyed their only home. Right now, if I go to that other camp, maybe shell come here to find me, he says. Soon, he might not have a choice. In the early morning hours on Wednesday, riot police started corralling people from the street and surrounding olive groves into the new camp.

Realizing that resistance is now futile, Omar, a 29-year-old asylum-seeker from the Golan Heights, knows that he and his wife must also eventually make their way into the camp. Having fled an imminent prison sentence in Syriahis crime: working as a photographer for the humanitarian organization the White HelmetsOmar didnt expect to find himself in a new kind of detention in Europe.

I know that Ill [have to] go to the new camp, but when I go, I wont have anything, I wont have freedom, he says.

Additional reporting and photographs by Annelise Mecca.
Continuing the crackdown on the illegal sale of drugs, the city police have arrested two people, including a Cameroon national, and seized around 70 gms of MDMA (ecstasy) pills.

The Magadi Road police arrested John Erick Asrin (25), a native of Cameroon and staying at Horamavu, and Bovas Shaji (27), a resident of Hennur. Shaji, who hails from Kerala, had settled in Mumbai.

Based on a tip-off, police nabbed Shaji from SSI Area in Rajajinagar around 12 pm on Thursday when he had come to sell drugs. During interrogation, Shaji disclosed that he used to source the contraband from Asrin. A police team arrested John from Hennur. Police have seized their two-wheelers and four mobile phones.

Accused was a college dropout

Shaji had come to the city to study BSc, but dropped out of college. He opened a dry cleaning centre and worked at several companies. Soon, he started consuming drugs and became one of Asrin's regular customers. He eventually took to drug peddling himself. Together, Asrin and Shaji sold drugs to party organisers and private firm employees.

Asrin confessed that he had come to India on a tourist visa, but continued to stay back in the city after his visa expired.

"He is not handing over his passport or visa details. He is tight-lipped about the source of the drugs. We have taken them into custody for further investigation," a police officer said.
A Maoist carrying a reward of Rs 10 lakh on his head was arrested by Madhya Pradesh police in Balaghat district on Thursday morning, said police. Badal Singh Markam, a resident of Chhattisgarh, was nabbed from a forest area of Kanha Tiger Reserve.

Inspector general (IG) of police, Balaghat, KP Venkateshwar said Badal Singh Markam was currently with Bastar Vistardalam unit of the banned ultras. Police also recovered a pistol from his possession.

Police got information on Thursday morning that two Maoists including Markam had come to Bandha Tola village of the district. During an operation to nab him, two people including Markam were spotted. Markam was nabbed from a forest area of Kanha Tiger reserve after a chase while his companion managed to escape, said the IG.

Also Read: Rs 10 lakh hike in ex-gratia for Odisha cops and staff killed by Maoists

He said other Maoists started firing on the police team when it was returning after arresting Markam. Police also fired in reply. Later, the insurgents fled from the forest area. No one sustained injury in the encounter, he added.

According to Balaghat police, this was the polices second recent encounter with Maoists.

On September 6, a tribal was allegedly killed during an alleged encounter with Maoists in Balaghat. A Chhattisgarh minister had demanded a high level probe in the matter calling it a fake encounter. The MP government ordered a CID inquiry into the death of the tribal, on Wednesday. Earlier, a magisterial inquiry had been ordered by Balaghat collector.
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  New Mexicos rolling average of new coronavirus cases crept up Friday, even as Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams administration eased some restrictions on youth activities in a revised public health order.

While the states number of new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths remain below peak levels, the states seven-day rolling average of new cases has increased this week after steadily declining in August and the first weeks of September.

State health officials announced 154 new cases Friday, with several southeast New Mexico counties posting double-digit positive test figures. That brought the states rolling average of new cases to 113 cases per day, according to a Journal analysis.

Lujan Grisham said this week she would like to see no more than 100 cases  or far fewer  reported daily statewide.

In addition, the Department of Health reported five additional deaths related to COVID-19, bringing the states death toll from the disease to 841.

Most of the victims have been elderly individuals with underlying health conditions like diabetes, heart disease and lung disease. However, one of the deaths reported Friday was a man in his 40s from McKinley County with no underlying health conditions.

Meanwhile, state officials also announced Friday four more counties have met virus condition requirements for phased-in school reopenings.

McKinley, Hidalgo, Dona Ana and Curry counties are now able to bring elementary school students back to school through a hybrid of in-person and online schooling, though each school districts plan must be approved by the Public Education Department.

Since early this month, about 65 elementary schools with roughly 12,500 students have reopened in hybrid, according to the state.

However, Catron County has gone from green to red. The state said schools there wont have to close as of now but theyll be monitoring the area.

While Albuquerque Public Schools are slated to remain in remote learning through the first semester, the districts interim superintendent, Scott Elder, told staff in a newsletter that there are some new expectations on the horizon for schools.

He said when educators return to the classroom, theyll be subject to voluntary or random testing and the state expects 5% of school staff to be tested a week.

Journal staff writer Shelby Perea contributed to this report.
Public Interest Law Moot Court Competition

CALS and the Student Litigation Society invite students of law at South African universities to participate in a Public Interest Law Moot Court Competition

To commemorate Human Rights Day, the Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS) and the Student Litigation Society (SLS) plan to host a Public Interest Law Moot Court Competition on 20 and 21 March 2021. The competition will see students grapple with the intersections between the plights of human rights defenders, migrants and incarcerated persons during the COVID-19 pandemic. This will give them an opportunity to model both the soft and hard skills at the core of litigating in the public interest.

Participants will compete against one another other in teams to progress from the initial two rounds of written submissions to the final two rounds where they will make oral arguments. The final round of the Competition will see the remaining two teams making their case before a panel of judges at the Constitutional Court of South Africa.

Members of the winning team will have the opportunity to be preferentially considered for a fully paid internship at CALS.

Find out more and register to participate in the Public Interest Moot Court Competition over here.

Follow #PILMOOT on Facebook and Twitter to follow the developments of the competition.

For more information, please contact:
TORONTO - A crackdown on social gatherings will be expanded to new areas of the province, Premier Doug Ford said Friday as the province's daily virus case count jumped to levels not seen in months.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/9/2020 (490 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A staff member wears a mask as he collects carts at a store in Ottawa, on Saturday, Aug. 1, 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

TORONTO - A crackdown on social gatherings will be expanded to new areas of the province, Premier Doug Ford said Friday as the province's daily virus case count jumped to levels not seen in months.

Ford said the newly announced restrictions  which came into effect Friday in the virus hot spots of Toronto, Ottawa, and Peel Region  have been requested by mayors and medical officials from other areas.

In the face of what have been daily increases in new virus cases in recent weeks, Ford said he will discuss expanding the measures with his cabinet, but gave no further details.

"We're going to be rolling (it) out to other areas across the province from the request of the mayors," he said. "I listen to the medical experts. I'll base this on the health and science."

Under the measures announced Thursday, only 10 people will be allowed to gather indoors, down from the previous limit of 50; the number for outdoor gatherings will drop to 25 from 100.

The government also set minimum fines of $10,000 for gathering organizers and $750 for those who attend, as Ford and provincial health officials blamed the increased COVID-19 rates on social gatherings where people disregarded public health guidelines.

Ontario reported 401 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, a daily increase not seen since early June.

Ford made the comments in Ottawa on Friday alongside the premiers of Quebec, Alberta and Manitoba, as they asked for more federal funding for health care.

He said the spike in cases underscores the need for greater federal support of the health-care system.

"You've seen cases jump from 300 to over 400 just over a few days," he said. "It's very concerning. We need the support from the federal government."

A health-care official takes information as people line up at a COVID assessment centre during the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto on Friday, September 18, 2020. Ontario is reporting 401 new cases of COVID-19 today, a daily increase not seen since early June. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Ford also met with Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson and the city's medical officer of health Dr. Vera Etches to discuss the long waits for testing that have been affecting local assessment centres for days.

Etches said Friday that she believes that city is experiencing a second wave of the virus.

"We're seeing a rise in cases and it's the speed of the increase that concerns us," she told CTV News. "We can't sustain a rapid rise in cases. We need to be able to keep it to a manageable level."

The premier said the province has sent three mobile testing units to help address the situation, and he hopes to expand testing to pharmacies across the province by late next week.

"I am pushing the system," Ford said during a news conference.

On Thursday, the mayor of Markham, Ont., expressed disappointment that York Region was not included in the new restrictions, saying in a statement that he did not want the municipality to become the province's next hot spot.

The Middlesex-London Health Unit requested Friday that the province include it in the new restrictions as well, after it reported 47 new COVID-19 cases this week.

The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit on Friday urged people in that region to begin to lessen contact with others, even within their 10-person social bubbles.

Dr. Colin Lee, Simcoe Muskoka's associate medical officer of health, said there have been 42 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in that region for the week of Sept. 13  the highest weekly total since early May.

"We need people to scale back on their get-togethers/gatherings, and to remember to be cautious with people not in their household, even if they are in their social circle of 10," Lee said in a statement. "Social circles are not invincible to COVID-19."

Ford also promised Friday that his plan to address a possible second wave this fall will be released by the province next week.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said the strategy is coming far too late.

"The Ford government has been chasing crisis after crisis," she said. "They have not been able to get out ahead of COVID-19."

Green party Leader Mike Schreiner said the spiking case count illustrates why the Ford government's second wave plan was needed weeks ago.

"Instead of building up our testing system for this inevitable upswing, the Premier spent the summer on a campaign tour patting himself on the back," Schreiner said in a statement.

The province also reported 11 new COVID-19 cases in schools, including at least five among students.

That brings the total number of schools with a reported case to 60 out of Ontario's 4,828 publicly-funded schools.

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.

One school in Pembroke, Ont., remains closed due to an outbreak.

Canada's largest school board also announced its first student case of COVID-19 on Friday.

The Toronto District School Board said the student was briefly at York Memorial Collegiate Institute on Monday and will not return until cleared by the public health unit.

The total number of cases in Ontario now stands at 46,077, which includes 2,825 deaths and 40,600 cases classified as resolved.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2020.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version stated that the previous limit on indoor gatherings was 25 people; in fact, it was 50.
US President Trump hosts leaders for the Abraham Accords signing ceremony at the White House in Washington - Tom Brenner/ Reuters

Five more countries are seriously considering peace deals with Israel, the White House has announced, as a close confidant to the King of Bahrain claimed Gulf states now regard the Jewish state as their most important ally in the region.

Mark Meadows, the White House Chief of Staff, told reporters on Air Force One that five countries hoped to follow the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in normalising their relations with Israel, but did not name them.

He was likely referring to Oman and Saudi Arabia in the Gulf region, while there is also intense speculation that Sudan in North Africa is close to taking that historic step.

It came as a special advisor to the King of Bahrain said in an interview with the Telegraph that the Gulf states believe Israel could be better suited than Washington in helping them achieve their regional goals.

"I think perhaps there is the beginning of a reduction in the dependency on the US and a shift over to Israel now," said Marc Schneier, who was appointed to the role in 2018.

"Its so much more accessible, to turn to an ally, a regional partner, if there are any concerns - whether its from a military point of view or an economic point of view. And I think youre now going to see that shift."

Mr Schneier, an American Rabbi, added that it was a question of if, not when Saudi Arabia would join Bahrain and the UAE in embracing Israel.

Though Saudi Arabia is a key ally of the United States and in recent years grown closer to Israel, the Kingdoms leadership says it is not ready yet to sign a peace deal.

But President Donald Trump spoke optimistically about Saudi Arabia changing its mind earlier this week, along with up to nine other countries.

Were going to have a lot of other countries joining us, including the big ones," Mr Trump said.

Israeli media reports have also pointed to Oman as the next country that is likely to embrace Israel, though many other countries in the Middle East have condemned the emerging, US-led alliance.

Story continues

US President Donald Trump, flanked by White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, speaks to reporters onboard Air Force One - AFP

Turkey has warned that history and people of the region will never forget and will never forgive the hypocritical behavior of the United Arab Emirates, while President Recep Tayyip Erdogan initially threatened to cut ties with the Gulf state.

Iran has condemned the peace deals as an act of strategic stupidity, though analysts point out that both the UAE and Bahrain have shared concerns about the regimes growing influence in the region.

Under the terms of the so-called Abraham Accords signed on Tuesday, the UAE and Bahrain have agreed to establish embassies, introduce direct flights and increase cooperation on security and trade.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Trump hailed a new dawn for the Middle East, while Benjamin Netanyahu said: The blessings of the peace we make today will be enormous.

The timing of the agreements was particularly auspicious for Mr Netanyahu, who is grappling with mass protests against his leadership, a corruption trial and a severe second wave of coronavirus which forced ministers to place Israel under a second nationwide lockdown on Friday.

The deals have also consolidated Mr Trumps popularity with the Republican Right and evangelical Christians ahead of elections in November.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

The Czech Republic registered a record high of 3,130 coronavirus cases on Thursday, almost matching the total for the whole of March, health ministry data showed on Friday.

It was the third straight daily record for the EU member of 10.7 million people, which has registered 44,155 infections and 489 deaths since the March outbreak.

And it matches a pattern across Europe of a surge in cases since August that has seen many countries move back towards tougher restrictions.

Data cited by the Czech News Agency (CTK) show the country is now the second worst-off in the EU after Spain in terms of daily growth in cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

Most of the patients have mild or no symptoms and only 413 people are currently in hospital.

But epidemiologist Roman Prymula, a government coordinator, said on Sunday the growth was "explosive" and risked pushing hospital capacity "to the very limit".

Ladislav Dusek, head of the Czech Institute of Health Information and Statistics, said on Thursday the epidemic was no longer spreading within closed clusters.

"We are facing a big risk of an exponential spread," Dusek said.

The government has meanwhile closed bars and clubs between midnight and 6:00 am and introduced face masks in classrooms for pupils and students aged over 11.

It already reintroduced mandatory masks on public transport and in hospitals on September 1, before extending the measure to most indoor areas including shops and restaurants on September 10.

Prague mayor Zdenek Hrib said Friday the capital's universities would close next week and switch to distance learning, without giving the exact date.

Also on Friday, the government said it would re-establish its crisis staff as of Monday to coordinate activities designed to stem the virus spread.

The recent spike has seen the Czech Republic cut from the so-called "safe countries" lists several fellow EU countries.

After fending off much of the pandemic with timely steps including mandatory face masks outdoors in the spring, the government lifted most measures before the summer holidays.

"Maybe we should have kept face masks on throughout the summer," populist billionaire Prime Minister Andrej Babis said Thursday, adding: "We just wanted life to return to normal."

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2020 AFP
The Madras high court on Friday declined to initiate criminal contempt proceedings against well-known actor Surya for his comments against the judiciary made in the light of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test.

Earlier, a row erupted after Surya said the court functioned virtually, but asked students to appear for NEET, prompting a Madras high court judge and an advocates associaton to seek contempt action against him, while six former judges took a stand against it.

On Friday, a bench, comprising Chief Justice AP Sahi and J Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy, concurred with the Advocate General Vijay Narayan who declined to give consent to initiate contempt proceedings against the actor.

"This matter, therefore, in our judicious discretion does not deserve to be pursued further and we entirely agree with the opinion expressed by the learned Advocate General," the bench observed.

Surya, while pointing out at the alleged suicides of three medical aspirants on a single day last week, had said"... the court, that rendered justice through video conferencing, ordered students to sit for examination without fear."

Justice S M Subramaniam, in a letter to Chief Justice Sahi, had said the statement "amounts to contempt of

court as the integrity and devotion of the honourable judges as well as the judicial system of our great nation are not only undermined but criticised in a bad shape, wherein there is threat for the public confidence on the judiciary."



Surya "committed contempt, warranting contempt proceedings to uphold the majesty of our Indian judicial

system," the Judge had said.



However, six former Judges of the Madras high court, in a letter to the chief justice, said contempt action, as requested by the judge, was not required.

The court on Friday cited the various initiatives taken by the judiciary during the pandemic to hold hearings, initially through video conferencing and later physical ones, and said the Madras high court Principal seat here and the Madurai bench have disposed of over 42,000 cases between March 26 and September 15.

"Having disclosed the above data, we only wish to point out that the Judiciary was not sitting idle and was itself on trial during this pandemic, where the judges of the high court, of the Subordinate Judiciary, the entire staff and all stakeholders have served to the best of the capacity of the institution."

"This is not self-praise, but to state our humble performance of duty," the court said.

On Surya's comments, the court said, "we have also perused the contents of the statement of the cine actor disclosed in the letter of the learned Judge, his opinion..."

"A language which may, might be perfectly proper if uttered in a temperate manner, be grossly improper if uttered in a different manner. What may appear to be disrespectful may also be short of insult, and may be touching the borders of criticism."

"A reasonable precaution has to be taken in matters of public affairs, particularly courts, judges and their functioning, where fair and temperate criticism should not be contemptuous," the bench said.

It said Surya's utterances may have been absolutely unnecessary or even unwarranted, for being ignorant of the manner in which the entire judiciary of the state has served the interest of its citizens during this pandemic.

Any such statement could have been avoided in a much more sober way, instead of an accusing tone, "which though trivial in nature has raised a storm in a tea cup," the judges noted.

"A person in public life enjoys a position because of the responsibility with which he conducts himself and not by making other human activities look small for perceptibly no valid reason, but we would not say anything further, as we find that the NEET examinations and the dispute around it was not even a subject matter of the courts in the State of Tamil Nadu."

"A self-righteous person should himself be humble enough to acknowledge the contribution of others," the bench said.

NEET has not found favour with Tamil Nadu political parties, with the suicide of four students last week -- three of them on a single day -- prompting them to intensify their demand for its withdrawal.
An election observation group, YIAGA Africa, says the two major political parties, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are inducing voters with money and other gift items ahead of the September 19 governorship elections.

The group in its pre-election finding issued on Thursday in Benin, the Edo State capital, said the findings were gathered from its deployed Long Term Observers (LTO) across the 18 local government areas (LGAs) in the states.

According to the group, these incidents occurred in nine LGAs during campaign rallies.

The governorship election in Edo holds on Saturday with 14 parties on the ballot.

The two major parties and candidates are Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the APC, and the incumbent governor Godwin Obaseki of the PDP, who joined the party after being denied renomination by the APC. .

Electioneering campaigns in the state kicked-off in June and are to end on September 17. But the exercise has since been enmeshed with violence and voter inducement with reports of shooting and disruption of peace rocking the state.

A video had circulated across social media where voters were seen tendering PVC in exchange for fabric ahead of the Saturday election.

Vote buying is a practice of inducing voters to make them vote for a particular candidate during an election. It has remained a major concern during Nigerian elections.

In the run-up to the election, voters inducement has taken centre stage at the expense of issue-based politics. Since Yiaga Africa commenced the PREO in July 2020, voter inducement has been a recurring decimal.

Political parties, especially the APC and PDP, are investing in the distribution of money and gift items as a strategy to swing voters. Within this reporting period, LTOs reported incidences of voter inducement in Igueben, Oredo, Ikpoba/Okha, Etsako Central, Owan West, Ovia South West, Egor, Ovia North East, Esan West, and Esan South East LGA, the group said.

Violence

The report also said that 13 of the 18 LGAs in the state are perceived to be potential hotspots and flashpoints of violence in the state.

According to the group, the 13 potential hotspots include: Etsako West, Etsako East, Etsako Central, Owan West, and Akoko-Edo in Edo North Senatorial district. In Edo South Senatorial district, our reports suggest Oredo, Orhionmwon, Egor, Ovia North East, and Ikpoba-Okha LGAs while in Edo Central Senatorial district, Esan Central, Esan North East, and Esan West are potential hotspots.

While the five LGAs perceived to be peaceful are: Esan South-East, Igueben, Ovia South-West, Owan East and Uhumwonde.

The election think tank said that elections held recently, especially the 2019 Kogi and Bayelsa elections have shown that political actors deploy thugs to disrupt elections in battleground LGAs and polling units in their opponent strongholds.

It, however, described the strategy as deliberately aimed at diluting or suppressing votes cast in areas where their opponents enjoy popular support.

Yiaga Africa is concerned with this entrenched subculture of violence built around well-known strongmen, thugs, gangsters, and cultists and the widespread belief that elections cannot be won without strongarm tactics and the support of powerful thugs.

These concerns are fuelled by the reports of violent arms stockpiling, recruitment of thugs, vandalism, and a surge in cult groups activities in battleground LGAs ahead of the election, it said.

Recommendations

INEC should ensure proper coordination with security agencies for the effectiveness and safety of personnel and materials deployment. This includes ensuring the safe delivery of personnel and materials after the election.

Security agencies must maintain the utmost levels of neutrality and professionalism in enforcing election day security. They must respect the law and citizens constitutional and civic rights and refrain from excessive force.

There should be proper coordination between all the security agencies deployed for the election; proper communication lines and engagement rules should be strictly adhered to. Deployment of personnel and logistics should be all-round and not restricted to certain parts of the state.
New guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows the risk of COVID-19 transmission within a school , using a color-coded scale to show levels of vulnerability.

Some data suggest large portions of the country fall into the highest risk categories.

To determine risk level, the scale relies on a few health-related indicators, like cases of the virus. It also includes a schools ability to carry out key mitigation strategies like use of masks, social distancing, cleaning, hand hygeine, and respiratory etiquette, as well as working with local health officials on contact tracing to monitor transmission of the virus.

The scales release comes well after most states and districts have started schooleither remotely or in-personand well after state and local decision makers have set priorities that have affected case levels in communities. Public health experts have said the national conversation about school reopenings has focused too narrowly on the decisions of school administrators. And theyve said some states sealed their fate early in the summer when governors chose to open bars or ease stay-home orders too early, making it more risky to open schools.

The five-level CDC scale transitions from green, the lowest risk of transmission, to red, the highest risk. The tool is designed to help school administrators and local health officials make decisions about beginning, continuing, or pausing in-person learning, the CDC said in a press release. But the scale does not mandate or recommend a specific response from schools for any of the outlined risk levels.

The indicators reflect the mutually dependent relationship between schools and their surrounding communities, the CDC said. The measures do not set strict cutoffs for individual schools and school systems; they should be used as guideposts for monitoring local conditions and adjusting teaching models as needed.

School administrators have long pushed for more specific and consistent federal guidance about when and how to open school buildings to students. Even as President Donald Trump pressured schools to reopen, they cited seemingly inconsistent or insufficient guidance about issues like social distancing in classrooms.

And clarity may also be hard to come by at the state level, according to an analysis released last week by the Center on Reinventing Public Education, a research center at the University of Washington, Bothell. Assessing state reopening guidance, the organization found that 23 states plus the District of Columbia provide no clear public health criteria to guide reopening decisions. And the states that do provide guidance on health use widely varying criteria to deem when its safe to provide in-person instruction, the reports authors found.

CDC Details COVID-19 Risk for Schools

Click on the CDC scale below for a larger version and a detailed explanation of the health criteria.

The scale uses two primary health indicators:



The number of new cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 residents in a given area within the last 14 days. Some states have adopted similar metrics with slight variations. For example, Washington state says schools can open for in-person learning when daily cases fall below at 5 per 100,000 people in a county, and Connecticut sets the bar at 25 cases per 100,000 people in a county.

The percentage tests for active coronavirus cases that have come back positive in the past 14 days. CDC Director Robert Redfield has previously said schools are in a hot spot and should adjust in-person learning plans if the case positivity rates in their area top 5 percent. The new CDC scale says areas with test positivity rates of 5 to 8 percent have moderate risk of transmission in schools. Areas at the highest risk have positivity rates above 10 percent.

Some states have already committed to health thresholds that are far more lenient than the CDCs. In Iowa, for example, state guidance requires schools to open for in-person learning unless case positivity rates in their county exceed 15 percent. Thats well above the highest risk level on the new CDC scale. The most recent state data show 26 Iowa counties have case positivity rates above 10 percent, which would put them in the most extreme risk category under the CDC criteria.

Theres no publicly accessible county-by-county data source to show how many school districts nationwide fall into the highest risk levels outlined by the CDC. But early analyses suggest many do.

Ashish K. Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, tweeted his reaction to the CDC metrics Wednesday. Using the two health metrics, 56 percent of U.S. counties are at the highest risk level, he found in a preliminary analysis. Thirty-one percent of counties are in the second highest risk category, he found.

Finally, Its a reminder that we had all spring and summer to get our schools ready. And we largely didnt. And new CDC criteria laying out how much of America has not done the job to ope schools safely And by that failure, we are letting our kids down. Fin  Ashish K. Jha (@ashishkjha) September 16, 2020

How are states handling school reopenings? View our interactive m ap.

Photo: Getty

Follow us on Twitter @PoliticsK12 . And follow the Politics K-12 reporters @EvieBlad @Daarel and @AndrewUjifusa .
Chennai, Sep 18 : The Madras High Court on Friday said that cine actor Surya's comments on the judiciary could have been avoided and may have been "unnecessary and unwarranted", but ruled out initiation of contempt of court proceedings.

The issue cropped up after High Court Justice SM Subramaniam wrote to Chief Justice AP Sahi for initiation of contempt of court action against the actor on the charge of criticising the judiciary and undermining the integrity of Judges as well as the judicial system.

Objecting to the actor's statement, Justice Subramaniam said that in his view, Surya's statement amounts to contempt of court as the judiciary has been criticised and the integrity and devotion of the Judges as well as the judicial system have been undermined.

He contended that Surya's statement "... reveals that the Hon'ble Judges are afraid of their own life and rendering justice through videoconferencing. While so, they have no moral (right) to pass orders directing the students to appear in NEET without fear." "The said statement, in my considered opinion, amounts to contempt of court as the integrity and devotion of the Hon'ble Judges as well as the judicial system of our great nation are not only undermined but criticised in a bad shape, wherein there is threat to public confidence in the judiciary.

"Thus, cine actor Surya has committed contempt, warranting contempt proceedings to uphold the majesty of our Indian judicial system," Justice Subramaniam had said.

The High Court said that on pursuing the actor's statement, it found that a language which might be perfectly proper if uttered in a temperate manner can be grossly improper if uttered in a different manner.

"What may appear to be disrespectful may also be short of insult, and may be touching the borders of criticism. A reasonable precaution has to be taken in matters of public affairs, particularly courts, Judges and their functioning, where fair and temperate criticism should not be contemptuous," the court held.

The court said: "We find that the utterances by the cine actor may have been absolutely unnecessary or even unwarranted, for being ignorant of the manner in which the entire judiciary of this state has served the interest of its citizens during this pandemic, and any such statement could have been avoided in a much more sober way, instead of an accusing tone, which though trivial in nature has raised a storm in a tea cup." The court also pointed out that the NEET and the dispute surrounding it was not even a subject matter of the courts in Tamil Nadu.

"A self-righteous person should himself be humble enough to acknowledge the contribution of others," the court held.
The Marine Corps expects to see fewer Marines shoot expert next year when the service fully transitions to a more realistic, combat-focused rifle qualification course.

The new Annual Rifle Qualification (ARQ) will replace Annual Rifle Training (ART) with a challenging new course of fire that forces Marines to apply basic marksmanship skills in a more dynamic environment, which will include moving targets and night shooting scenarios.

The Marine Corps marksmanship community, recognizing the need to focus on lethality instead of standard marksmanship, drafted the new ARQ course of fire in October 2018 at the annual Combat Marksmanship Symposium.

Read More: Army Adds Face Mask, Better Hot Weather Gear to Soldiers' Clothing Bags

"It's more combat-style and combat-situation shooting," Chief Warrant Officer 4 Eric Brown, Weapons Training Battalion gunner at Marine Corps Installations East-Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, said in a news release.

"There was an assessment done, and we realized that the current method of rifle training and rifle qualification was not adequate to meet what the needs were on the battlefield for lethality from the Marine," he added.

The current ART qualification course, which was created in 1907, has Marines engage targets at ranges of 200, 300 and 500 yards from the sitting, kneeling, standing and prone positions. There is also a portion that focuses on short-range engagements within 25 yards.

Marines at Lejeune recently got the chance to test the ARQ course of fire, which is expected to be in use across the Corps by 2021.

During the new course of fire, shooters will wear combat gear, including ballistic helmet and body armor, while shooting their assigned weapon, whether it be an M4 carbine, M16 rifle or the M27 infantry automatic rifle. Starting at the 500-yard line, Marines work their way forward to the 15-yard line, shooting at the same target the entire course of fire.

Marines will now shoot an exposed enemy target marked with lethal zones for the head and chest, instead of the standard "able" or "dog" targets.

"There have been quite a few significant  changes. The sitting position is no longer used in the rifle qualification course of fire," Brown said in the release. "The prohibition of artificial supported positions has been removed, and the shooter can use artificial support throughout. They can use barricades, bipods, magazines or even a backpack."

During firing, Marines will no longer mark the target after each shot; instead, the shooter will fire all rounds in the time allotted. The longest firing period is 45 seconds at the 500-yard line for five shots; the shortest is three seconds to perform a headshot from the 25-yard line.

Qualification badges will remain the same, but Marine Corps officials are still determining the new scoring system, according to the release.

Under the current qualification standards, Marines fire 50 rounds, worth five points each, depending on shot placement on targets. They must earn at least 190 points for the marksman badge; at least 210 for sharpshooter; and a minimum of 220 to earn expert.

For the new ARC system, each shot will be scored as "destroy," "neutralize," "suppress" or "miss," with "destroy" being the only shot counting for points, the release states.

Brown expects that the changes under ARQ will result in a significant decrease in the number of Marines who qualify as expert, compared to 2019, when 65% of Marines scored expert under the ART system.

"I think they have made the range harder," Brown said. "We have seen the effect that the environment, with the heat and the length of time they are exposed in the elements, has had on the Marines."

-- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com.

Related: Marines Overhaul Rifle Qualification to Feature Moving Targets, Night Fire
At 5 p.m on a Tuesday in August, the members of the Manor of Being, an 11-person intentional community in San Francisco, gathered in the living room for their weekly coronavirus meeting.

The member leading the meeting took out a whiteboard and read the agenda to his housemates, who sprawled on a couch, over some chairs and on the floor. The first action item was to discuss whether the house felt comfortable trying out a new mathematical system to stay safe from the coronavirus: a calculator designed to assess risk and help protect the group. It was supposed to make their day-to-day decisions feel more rational, to make dealing with the pandemic feel less exhausting.

But reaching consensus on even a two-week trial run of the calculator was proving tricky. They debated statistical modeling and the limits of their own intuitions. They questioned each others brains, then they questioned the math.

Someone in the house needs a darned good knowledge of this, one of the members said. Otherwise were going to start losing touch with reality.

One housemate, Jessica Watson, posed an unrelated question: Could she spend the night at a friends house? She made her case and the members took a vote  nine hands in the air for yes, only one no. Then another member, Elliot Verduzco, posed another personal request: Could he fly to San Diego to visit family? The meeting had only two minutes left. They still hadnt figured out where they stood on the calculator, but it was starting to seem like the only promising option they had left.

The Manor of Being was trying to do as a group what often felt impossible even on an individual basis  to make rational decisions amid great uncertainty and find harmony in a time of great discord. The coronavirus pandemic meant that even the most mundane activity  getting into a Lyft, going to buy a Gatorade, cuddling with a love interest  now had to be scrutinized and voted on. Every personal choice was subject to a multiplier of 11.

They needed to find a better way.

From the outside, the unassuming black Craftsman home in the Mission District hardly betrays what is inside: a 7-bedroom, multistory compound of interconnected rooms and shared spaces. House amenities reflect community values: a play dungeon on the first floor equipped with a ball pit, a multi-tier palace of pillow forts and low lighting dedicated to cuddling called Squish. Photo galleries of house members and friends line the walls, and a communal costume closet for festivals greets you at the foyer.

Three years ago, Andrii Zamovsky, 32, co-founded the house as an intentional community. The software entrepreneur had just moved to the U.S. from Ukraine and felt isolated. Hed left a large network of friends  many of whom hed met through communal living  to come to the states, but once he arrived, he felt alone.

I had hundreds of friends, and here, suddenly, I was close to zero, said Zamovsky. He and a few new friends decided to create a community house and call it the Manor of Being, or MoB. Their vision was that the house would become a kind of collective oasis  a group of supporters who would help each other cultivate their own personal growth.

Zamovsky is the only founding member that has remained. But the deepest spiritual pillars of the house are still intact: a commitment to psychological health, an embrace of spontaneity, a dedication to direct communication.

Prospective roommates are provided a 50-page document in which current housemates describe their interests, including critical race theory, blockchain, iboga, Foucault and crystals. The household meets weekly to discuss the coronavirus and monthly to talk about everything else. Rent ranges from $750 for a shared room to $1,800, plus $200 per month for an all-you-can-eat food plan.

Elliot Verduzco, 27, who moved into MoB after meeting a former member at a psytrance black light dance party in Santa Rosa, was immediately impressed by how smoothly things ran with such little structure. The house barely had a chores list, but somehow tasks just got done.

We often call it a do-ocracy, he said, meaning that anyone who decides to take the initiative on something is in charge of it. Theres no house leader; people are trusted to act in the best interest of the community, and if others want something different, they can step in.

Many of the people that live (here) are either currently, or have in the past, worked in tech  specifically in gigantic, multibillion-dollar corporations, Verduzco said. So theyre used to sort of being a cog in a big machine that has an overarching goal.

This spring, that goal became avoiding the coronavirus.

Paul Kuroda / Special to The Chronicle

In February, a couple of housemates called a meeting. According to their research, the novel coronavirus was going to be in San Francisco soon and the house needed a plan.

They instituted daily coronavirus stand-up meetings, where they reviewed contingency plans from other community houses and startups to come up with their own. When the number of virus cases in San Francisco reached 1,000, they went into a full lockdown: Except for the members who had to go to work, all outside contact with people ceased. For the next two months, the house existed under a near-hermetic seal: no masked walks, no grocery stores, no seeing partners.

They nominated members to a task force, and designated them czars  a play on SARS-CoV-2  with specific responsibilities. Elena Polozova, 25, a former quantum computing researcher who studied at MIT, was the research czar. She was tasked with verifying all the information the media was reporting and creating an internal, 25-page wiki-type document about the coronavirus. The procurement and inventory czars were responsible for stocking home materials and picking up whatever they couldnt get online.

Zamovsky, the medical czar, made sure the house had sufficient first-aid supplies, studied up on recommended medical procedures and assessed what they would do if hospitals were overloaded. (He ordered hydroxychloroquine from an online retailer in India, but did not get far in building a DIY ventilator.)

The qualintine czar, 29-year-old Simon Wisdom, came up with bonding events, like planking challenges and enrolling the house in a medieval-themed song battle against other intentional communities. He was also the food czar, in charge of organizing gargantuan grocery deliveries from a wholesale supplier and stocking at least two months worth of emergency food supplies.

There were serious fears that the pandemic would result in the complete collapse of society, Zamovsky said.

Appointing czars was one thing, assessing the risk of daily activities was another. Every day, it seemed, a new potential scenario would arise and disagreements over risk would intensify. Was it safe to hop in an Uber or get takeout? Was the sidewalk even 6 feet wide? A lot of our debating was us essentially dealing with our relationships with each other, said Watson, 29. Like, can I trust you?

Some people wanted to see their partners and families; others wanted to go on camping trips or hang out with co-workers; others just wanted to stay inside and isolate until the whole thing was over. Because everyone wanted different things  and had different levels of acceptable risk  making universal rules, or exceptions, proved hairy.

When it came to dealing with exceptions, MoBs usual MO felt so far away. Now, the group would vote by majority on whether someone could snuggle with a friend or take care of family matters. The communities were a part of are so grounded in bodily autonomy and consent and free association, Watson said. The idea of being like, I want to control the way youre using your body, is so weird. It was hard to comprehend that their intimate desires were now subject to the collective thumb.

Paul Kuroda / Special to The Chronicle

Outside of the house, it seemed like the rest of San Francisco was another universe. People were planning casual Lake Tahoe trips and shotgunning White Claws in big groups at Dolores Park. When Verduzco would drive around the city, hed spot groups of young people packed in patios and restaurants, and sometimes wondered if the house had gone too far. Other community houses were forming super pods, but the seal around MoB was tight. And as it squeezed them, burnout ensued.

Months of everyone being at home had made the space start to feel stale and confining. Shared rooms became cramped as workplaces were set up. The Squish room was converted from a cuddling area to a co-working space.

Piles of dishes multiplied, and so did silent grudges, pointed fingers and eruptions. When someone provocatively taped a THIS IS A CRIME SCENE, DO NOT TOUCH sign around a dirty dish, MoB unpacked the incident in a house meeting. They tried to impose stricter rules, like attaching clothespins with members names to abandoned dishes, but that system didnt work. Then they considered a more positive approach  a star chart  so they could focus on rewarding instead of policing behavior. For Zamovskys partner, Ninoa Kamangar, 23  a law student at UC Hastings who researches cooperatives in their free time  watching the dynamics unfold was fascinating. It was like a microcosm of what was going on in society at large.

Their cohesion had started to break down. Some who had been extremely cautious in the beginning suddenly switched risk-tolerance camps and wanted to go on Tinder. Others posed that maybe just getting sick would be easier than all of the cognitive overhead they were subject to now. Built into these discussions was the stark realization that they wouldnt  couldnt  all always agree. Reaching consensus was too expensive, too laborious: It sucked out time, energy, emotion.

The calculator offered an alternative and a viable path forward. Or it seemed to.

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.

Paul Kuroda / Special to The Chronicle

The risk budget calculator was developed by Ibasho, a community house just down the street.

It worked like this: If someone in MoB wanted to do something they previously would have brought up in a weekly meeting, they could log it in their portion of a shared house spreadsheet and check how risky it would be. They would enter important variables, such as the type of mask each person would or wouldnt be wearing and whether theyd be indoors or out. After all the factors were in, the calculator would assign the activity a point value.

To begin using the calculator, MoB had to decide as a group what level of risk was acceptable. Ibasho had decided on 1%, meaning that any given person in the house would have a 1% chance of getting COVID-19 in a given year. According to MoBs models, a 1% risk level per person would not propagate the pandemic, and if every single person on Earth could adhere to the same risk level, the pandemic would be over in 50 days. In other words, it felt safe  conservative, even.

A complicated modeling system worked out each persons monthly risk budget: 250 points. What they did with their points didnt matter, as long as they logged them in the shared spreadsheet so the group could keep track.

Not all of the housemates trusted the system.

There are a lot of logical jumps in the calculation of things, said Keir Sullivan, a 23-year-old professional poker player who joined MoB in March to live with his girlfriend. At the end of the day, its an estimation. And I dont like the buildup of estimations.

Just trying to figure out how to use it accurately was also perplexing. At 25 points, surfing was somehow rated riskier than going to IKEA (20 points), which was only one point more than going to the dentist. They couldnt figure out why visiting family came out to 97 points, but a masked, nondistanced beer with two friends was only two points.

Paul Kuroda / Special to The Chronicle

With some fine tuning, however, they started to log everything they were already doing and to discuss their findings. Members had friends over to MoB and flew to visit family. Even Polozova, the official arbiter of the calculator, went camping in the Black Rock Desert over the weekend that Burning Man would have occurred. It cost her 150 points, so she had to budget carefully for the rest of the month.

A few days later, everything screeched to a halt. One of the housemates was staying with his family and suddenly started feeling sick. He was feverish with chills, had a dry cough and shortness of breath. It was the moment they had tried to avoid  through planning, through debates, through the calculator.

Despite how organized theyd been with other aspects of pandemic planning, the shock spun them into a frenzy. They didnt have a clear protocol they could implement quickly, didnt know how exactly to deal with the news hed given them.

The housemate  and several other MoB members  eventually tested negative. It was more likely tonsillitis, not the coronavirus. The scare didnt change the way they felt about the calculator or what it offered: Meetings were less drawn out, they spent less time arguing, their worlds were opening up and their trust in each other, what they could control, grew. When a new roommate asked for policies about hanging out with friends, the answer was simple: Plug it into the calculator.

The calculator could never be foolproof, but it helped. Through it, they had been transparent, had worked as a team and had improvised their way to next steps. They werent giving up on it.

To me, again, its about direct democracy in action, said Kamangar, the UC Hastings law student. Any group is going to have its differences that seem irreconcilable, but through cooperation, something, some solution usually comes about.

For more than a month, theyve been experimenting. The Manor of Being housemates cant say for certain whether the solution they found will protect them. Maybe they will get sick. Maybe they will get sick of each other. But what feels clear to them is that their dedication to the house, to growth, to health, to communication, has gotten them this far. At the very least, the cohesion that brought them to each other is on its way to being restored.

The explicit rules are almost never the things that keep you safe, housemate Watson said. The thing that keeps you safe is people actively trying to keep you safe.

Annie Vainshtein is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: avainshtein@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @annievain
Elections amid Corona: The Bihar election campaigns are underway amidst the pandemic. While leaders maintain that there is no panic on the ground in Bihar, experts point towards some worrying signs.

The states tests per million is still quite low, with the CM Nitish Kumar saying they aim to achieve 20,000 daily RT-PCR tests soon. This shows that the state is yet to catch up with others like Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Another point of concern is that while the state has ramped up testing since initial months, its mostly driven by RAT which result in high number of false ...
The Two Singapores is an ongoing interview miniseries run by Somatosphere to interrogate Singapores COVID-19 response, in particular in its handling of the explosion of cases among migrant workers living in cramped dormitories. The series aims to shed a light on Singapores reliance on cheap migrant labor in maintaining its image as a glitzy, cosmopolitan city-state, and aims to offer an insight into a more harmonious and equitable post-pandemic future where migrant workers are accorded better protections and access to healthcare systems in Singapore.

So far, we have talked to public health research assistant Amanda Low from the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health at the National University of Singapore, and academic Megha Amrith, who leads the Ageing in a Time of Mobility Research Group at MMI-MPG. On todays edition of the series, we talk to Ivan Ng, a case work volunteer at the Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics (HOME), one of several NGOs dedicated to migrant worker welfare in Singapore. Ng retired from the banking industry after more than 30 years of service, and has been volunteering at HOME for the past five years. His work revolves mainly around providing assistance to migrant workers who face disputes about salary and work injury claims with their employers. Although he finds the work frustrating in the face of much inequality and injustice, Ng appreciates the unique opportunity to accompany workers on their plights and to empathise in their situations.

Wahid Al Mamun (WAM): What has your volunteer work looked like since the outbreak of COVID-19?

Ivan Ng (IN): As a casework volunteer, I helped non-domestic migrant workers solve their issues with salary and injury compensation. Normally, we like to talk to workers directly to understand the issue and to give them some options. But due to the circuit breaker in Singapore, many of the migrant workers were isolated in their dormitories. Our office also had to close because we were not considered as an essential service provider. In the end, only two of our staff members were given permission by the government to walk the ground and meet the workers. I still did my part as a volunteer but I worked from home, and the two staff members would have a hotline which received calls from migrant workers all around Singapore. This includes those in dormitories, but also workers living in the community, scattered in places like Geylang and Little India. Our staff would meet them and would see what their problems are, and my task was to coordinate all this. The style of doing this work may have been different, but we were basically dealing with the same issues.

Some people say that part-time volunteers are less committed, which is somewhat true  you dont have to go to the office every day, and you dedicate fewer hours per week than regular staff. And the pandemic has also limited our physical contact with the workers, which has been a challenge. But it opened up another opportunity for volunteers to help  we use online channels and we have been calling people on their phones much more. On my end, I was actually busier during the pandemic than the time I spent in the office.

WAM: And what about after the Circuit Breaker  how did business resume for you with Phase 2? What did that look like?

IN: After the circuit breaker we gradually reopened the office. I continued to work from home for some time  Im approaching sixty, and the workers are still considered a higher-risk population. I only started to come back to the office last month. We have less workers coming to the office now because dormitories are not fully open yet, even though they are no longer considered isolated  the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) still has many restrictions on migrant workers moving around, so workers need to get approval and let us know before coming to our office. But migrant workers living in residential areas can come to our office, so we have started our business as usual with precautions like body temperature checks, health declarations, and general social distancing etiquette.

WAM: Ive been thinking about the dormitory issue and the restriction on migrant worker movement if they are in the dormitories. Im wondering how that has affected their mental health, and whether youve seen that in the calls and cases youve been getting.

IN: Unfortunately, we dont have any statistics yet about migrant worker mental health. However, during my conversations with workers, especially those who cant come to the office, I always feel the intense stress levels they are facing. Normally when they ask for help, we can immediately jump into the issues that they face  unpaid salaries, injuries, what not. But now there are several occasions where the workers call you because they just want to talk to you. As men, weve grown up to understand that its not easy to open up to other people about how we feel, so Im surprised when they just want to open up to someone.

Along the way, they will share that theyre also worried about their families back home, especially for workers from Bangladesh where the situation is a lot worse. They also worry about financial matters  will I lose my job? Will they cut my pay? These are all mixed up together and they cannot keep all this to themselves. When some of the workers do come to our office, they share their stories with tears in their eyes, which again is not very common among male workers.

Not to mention that the dormitories heighten the situation and make it worse. I was talking to a worker yesterday who had been staying in the community and had been given some accommodation allowance by his employers. Starting this month though, the employer wants him to move to a dormitory because they would not pay his allowance anymore. This was traumatic news for him because he really does not want to go back to the dormitory  he is scared of being infected and of losing his freedom to move around. Of course, he doesnt have money to afford rent so hes been asking us if we can help them. But it shows how real the issue is as far as the dormitories are involved.

WAM: How have NGOs on an organizational level and volunteers on an individual level stepped up to the challenge of meeting the needs of migrant worker mental health?

IN: I think some of our volunteers are trying to just spend more time and to listen. Sometimes our job is very technical  you have a problem, we have a solution. Now we feel that we just need to spend more time just to understand the problems migrant workers face, and to give them the time to voice out how they feel.

At the same time, people are collaborating on projects to gather statistics and information about migrant workers mental condition. Moreover, some of the other [migrant worker] NGOs like Transient Workers Count 2 (TWC2), HealthServe, and ourselves have come together for migrant worker mental health projects. We still need to discuss how we can bring up more awareness at a higher level to get the government to actively step in. But even among ourselves, we are connecting with each other and pooling resources together  both HealthServe and us have several professional counsellors. So, when we feel that some people need to talk to a counsellor, we will refer them to one of these counsellors. Some of the workers will decline, but we will try to really encourage them to talk to someone more professional.

We also need to give more narratives to the Singaporean public  even if you are concerned about your own mental health during the pandemic, the mental health of the migrant workers should not be neglected at the same time.

WAM: I think providing counselling services for migrant workers will be greatly beneficial. However, do you foresee any technical problems with implementation  what about cost, and what about restrictions to mobility for migrant workers?

IN: Of course, there are limitations in resources  we really want more regular counselling sessions for those in need, but it is quite difficult because counsellors are limited in quantity and have very little time to see everyone. There are also strict restrictions in dormitories, which means the workers cannot come out. Weve been trying tele-counselling  I have referred some people to hotlines where you can talk to the counsellor informally. Sometimes, the worker may not suffer from some underlying mental condition, so if there is someone at this moment who can listen to them for a couple of sessions thats fine. But some people may need more. For those in the community, we also tell them to go to the polyclinics and tell the doctor about their problems. Usually the doctors can refer workers to a specialist or the psychology ward, if needed.

I understand that the resources themselves are a great barrier, but many of our counsellors are pro bono anyway, so cost is not an issue. One obstacle we do need to solve is the language barrier. If the worker is Bangladeshi, they may not be comfortable in expressing themselves in English, and may prefer Bengali-speaking counsellors. This is something we may not be able to provide professionally, which is where volunteers can be the first point of contact with the workers, even if they are not fully trained. Sometimes, we even have workers who have already returned to Bangladesh helping out. When we have new workers coming into the office and we cannot communicate with them, we will make a group call with the workers back home to translate for us. The workers back home can also relate their own experiences to share with the worker who had come to our office.

WAM: With reference to your earlier point about involving narratives and investing Singaporean people in migrant worker issues through narratives, I do think that among a lot of my peers on social media just talking about migrant worker issues more. But how do you sustain that energy for the long run?

IN: I think this is a real challenge. At the beginning of the circuit breaker we received overwhelming response from the Singaporean public They were donating money, food, everything. My work also involved matching the needs of the workers  sometimes workers need food, meals, phonecard top-ups, and groceries. I usually found there was an oversupply of donors  we have more people who wanted to help than the pool of workers that we were taking care of! As the condition stabilizes now, Singaporeans also need to face their own issues because the economy isnt doing well. When you have your own issues, it becomes difficult to pay attention to others, and we can see this slowly creep in right now actually. I think we need to accept this fact first and foremost, but at the same time  how can we move ahead?

One thing I mentioned before is we need more like-minded people or groups coming together. We have to continue our project and to publish what we have about what issues migrant workers are still facing, how we can help. Individually, I must not stop sharing all these stories with everyone around me. Of course, its not like Im stuffing this down peoples throats, but whenever the chance to have a conversation, you have to share all that you know with people around you. I think it is a ripple effect, and every individual can do their part. On an organizational level, we need to show the policymakers that we have momentum, and we need to find a way to do something about it from there.

WAM: How do you get to the policymakers? How do you envision a Singapore of the future, post-pandemic? How do you imagine a more equitable Singapore for migrant workers?

IN: People have different ideas about this issue, and I think we need to be open to all opinions. Sometimes  especially in my age group  I hear some opinions that I do not hold. It will be good if everyone is engaged  you dont need to agree with each other all the time, but we need to encourage everyone to speak what is on their minds. We need an open, honest conversation where we can listen to both sides.

Even though we may always wonder if the Singapore government truly listens to other peoples ideas, you can see how the voters can be vocal about their opinions from the recent elections. The government is slowly opening up more channels to listen to the public. Sometimes they may come across as heavy-handed, but they know they ultimately still need to listen to the people because this translates to votes in the future elections.

Personally, as far as the migrant worker population is concerned, it seems we have two populations in Singapore  the local population for whom everything is well taken care of; and the population of more than a million migrant workers, whose welfare is often overlooked at best. I would like to find a way to bridge the gap between these two populations. Of course, Im not saying this can happen overnight, and I dont know if it will be good to totally integrate the two populations straight away. However, we should always ask  are we treating migrant workers as part of Singapore? Do we have a basic level of respect and fairness towards this population? Say, for example, the situation at the dormitories during the Circuit Breaker. While we are staying comfortably in our homes, our foreign workers are crowded in such a small area in the dormitory. This is a main reason for the uneven outbreak  the workers just have nowhere to go. Of course, the government is trying to make more space in the dormitories now, but I think it is part of the issue and offers the immediate solution. In the longer term, I really feel that we have to foster social cohesion and inclusiveness in Singapore.

Another thing I will say is the Employment Act exists to protect workers rights, but we always have been saying that the enforcement of this law is problematic. While the law is not properly enforced and employers are aware of this, they will try to take advantage of the loopholes in the law. And who will suffer? It is definitely the workers. I think you may be aware of this common scenario  the worker comes to Singapore and is given a Work Permit. But if the boss doesnt like you for whatever reason, youre cut and youre sent home. The cost for the worker is immense  they had probably had to borrow money and sell their house to pay the agency fee to come to Singapore. The worker loses almost everything. On the other hand, if the worker is not happy in his job, he cannot do anything about it because he will be sent home if he voices his dissatisfaction. If you look, you can always find the inequality  Id call it an injustice. Will the government do something about it? I am sure they know the issue exists, but they are also keen on maintaining cheap labor and promoting business, so they may just close one eye on the issue.

The views expressed in this interview reflect the personal opinions of Ivan Ng, and do not in any way reflect HOMEs official stance on the issue of migrant worker welfare.

Footnotes

[1] The Circuit Breaker refers to the Singapore governments stay-at-home order, issued in response to the COVID-19 pandemic on 7 April 2019.

[2] Both Geylang and Little India are both mixed commercial and residential areas which have a great population of migrant workers relative to the rest of Singapore. Many migrant workers who do not live in the dormitories live in these neighborhoods. See interview with Amanda Low in this series.

[3] The 2020 General Elections in Singapore were held on the 10th of July. The incumbent Peoples Action Party, in power since 1959, registered only 61.2% of the popular vote, one of its poorest showings in the elections. Additionally, the opposition Workers Party claimed 10 seats in the Parliament  the largest ever representation of opposition-elect in Parliament.

[4] The Employment Act is Singapores main labor law, and delineates basic terms and rights for all types of employees. Read more here.

Wahid Al Mamun is an undergraduate studying Anthropology at the University of Chicago. He is a summer intern at Somatosphere.

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 18)  The government's budget for tuition subsidies will not be able to cover enough students both from the public and private schools, an official from the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA) said on Friday.

Joseph Noel Estrada, executive director of COCOPEA, pointed out that private schools are already struggling to sustain the new online learning system, even as 600 million was allocated under the Bayanihan 2 Law to fund institutions.

Estrada said around two million basic education students and 1.3 million college students are already enrolled in private schools.

"Kung ito'y paghahatian nila 'yung 600 million, maaaring hindi sapat," Estrada told CNN Philippines' Newsroom.

[Translation: If we will divide the 600 million it may not be enough.]

The director appealed to have the government either prioritize subsidizing students who are nearing graduation or completing their studies or those who have failed to enroll.

He reiterated that the pandemic had already taken a toll on the private schools after some 400,000 students moved to the public school system and 865 schools suspended operations, citing data from the Education Department.

Education Secretary Leonor Briones earlier appealed to the schools to reconsider their decision to close when the subsidies were still pending. She assured them that the "economy is improving."
President Trump listens as California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks Sept. 14 during a briefing at Sacramento McClellan Airport. (Associated Press)

To the editor: I'm really curious, if we remove all the undergrowth in the forests, how does the forest feed itself? (Climate change is affecting wildfires. But Newsom and legislators still need to do more," Sept. 17.)

Trees that fall over in the forest become fodder for termites, and then slowly decay. Pine needles on the forest floor become nutrients for the trees and help to hold moisture in the ground, keeping the trees from drying out between rains.

We shouldn't step in the middle of this natural process of a forest keeping itself live and regenerating itself over the centuries of its existence.

I agree that we need to find some better forms of forest management now that we are enveloped in a world of climate change. But simplistic, uninformed answers like "raking the leaves" and promoting scary scenarios like exploding trees (when fallen trees and leaves are actually a lifeblood of the forest) just seems incredibly out of touch.

It is true that stressed and diseased trees can help propagate a fire. These trees that remain standing and dried out can indeed become explosive. But you can not interrupt the ecological process of the forest without changing the health of said forest. If we rake all the leaves off the forest floor, how do we then feed the forest so it continues to exist?

Richard Kelley, West Hills

..

To the editor: Why don't we all just put our heads in the sand and ignore climate change altogether?

Saying that we have to rake our forests of debris is just absurd. That statement ignores the fact that climate change produces drought, which stressed millions of trees. Because of this stress, bark beetles were able to decimate the trees and kill them. Meanwhile, high heat and low humidity produced by continued high temperatures, which have increased in severity and longevity, have produced perfect conditions for large fires to occur. Raking the forests won't alleviate these conditions.

Story continues

Oh, by the way, why isn't the president doing anything to reduce fire danger in U.S. Forest Service areas that own the majority of the forest lands in the whole of the United States?

If we want to adjust to climate change, stop driving so much, convert to renewable energy, drive an electric car, put solar on your house. Put the blame at the doorstep of the president, not California.

Phillip Roullard, San Diego

..

To the editor: I had to read this article several times to attempt to understand the message.

Adjust? If Mr. Skelton or Trump believe the forest floors can be managed by removing dead wood and leaves I have to ask what we will do with the pile of debris the size of Kansas every year?

John R Keller, Santa Barbara
Prince Georges County police said they responded to a report of a robbery and that when they arrived at the scene, they found a man lying in the back of the laundromat. He had been stabbed several times in the upper body, according to police.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) will win the 2020 elections based on the infrastructural development across the country and the various social intervention programmes which are improving the lives of Ghanaians.

Mr Christian Adu Poku, Afigya Kwabre South District Chief Executive (DCE), said the NPP government, led by President Nana Addo-Dankwa Akuffo Addo, had done well in its first term and ought to be retained to continue to transform the nation.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency at Kodie, he said, We are confident that the achievements of the President and the government during these four years is enough, and it also assures us of winning the elections.

Mr Adu Poku mentioned some of the achievements of the government in the Afigya Kwabre South as road construction works, employment, electricity supply, security, educational and health infrastructure as well as sanitation.

He said even though these development achievements provided great assurances for the NPP, the party was not going to be complacent but would continue to work hard to win the 2020 election.

He appealed to Ghanaians to give President Nana Addo-Dankwa Akuffo Addo and the NPP another four years to witness more development in the country.

---GNA
BEIJING, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- 58.com Inc. (NYSE: WUBA) ("58.com" or the "Company"), China's largest online market place for classifieds, today announced the completion of the merger (the "Merger") with Quantum Bloom Company Ltd ("Merger Sub"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Quantum Bloom Group Ltd ("Parent"), pursuant to the previously announced agreement and plan of merger, dated as of June 15, 2020 (the "Merger Agreement"), among the Company, Parent and Merger Sub. As a result of the Merger, the Company became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent and will cease to be a publicly traded company.

In accordance with the terms of the Merger Agreement, which was approved by the Company's shareholders at an extraordinary general meeting held on September 7, 2020, each Class A ordinary share, par value US$0.00001 per share, of the Company (each a "Class A Share") and each Class B ordinary share, par value US$0.00001 per share, of the Company (each a "Class B Share," and together with each Class A Share, collectively the "Shares") issued, outstanding and not represented by American depositary shares of the Company (each, an "ADS," representing two Class A Shares) immediately prior to the effective time of the Merger (the "Effective Time"), other than the Excluded Shares and the Dissenting Shares (each as defined in the Merger Agreement), has been cancelled and ceased to exist, in exchange for the right to receive US$28.00 in cash without interest, and each outstanding ADS, other than ADSs representing Excluded Shares, together with each Share represented by such ADSs, have been cancelled in exchange for the right to receive US$56.00 in cash without interest (the "Merger Consideration").

Registered shareholders immediately prior to the Effective Time who are entitled to the Merger Consideration will receive a letter of transmittal and instructions on how to surrender their Shares in exchange for the Merger Consideration and should wait to receive the letter of transmittal before surrendering their Shares. Payment of the Merger Consideration (less an ADS cancellation fee of US$0.05 per ADS), without interest and net of any applicable withholding taxes, will be made to holders of ADSs as soon as practicable after Citibank, N.A., the ADS depositary, receives the aggregate Merger Consideration payable to holders of ADSs from the paying agent.

The Company also announced today that it requested that trading of its ADSs on the New York Stock Exchange (the "NYSE") be suspended as of September 18, 2020. The Company requested that the NYSE file a Form 25 with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") notifying the SEC of the delisting of its ADSs on the NYSE and the deregistration of the Company's registered securities. The deregistration will become effective 90 days after the filing of the Form 25 or such shorter period as may be determined by the SEC. The Company intends to suspend its reporting obligations under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, by promptly filing a Form 15 with the SEC. The Company's obligation to file with the SEC certain reports and forms, including Form 20-F and Form 6-K, will be suspended immediately as of the filing date of the Form 15 and will cease once the deregistration becomes effective.

In connection with the Merger, Houlihan Lokey (China) Limited is serving as financial advisor to the special committee of the board of directors of the Company (the "Special Committee"); Fenwick & West LLP is serving as U.S. legal counsel to the Special Committee; Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP is serving as U.S. legal counsel to the Company; Han Kun Law Offices is serving as PRC legal counsel to the Company; and Conyers Dill & Pearman is serving as Cayman Islands legal counsel to the Company.

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP are serving as international co-counsels to the investor consortium (the "Consortium"). Fangda Partners is serving as PRC legal counsel to the Consortium. Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP is serving as Cayman Islands legal counsel to the Consortium.

About 58.com Inc.

58.com Inc. (NYSE: WUBA) operates China's largest online market place for classifieds, as measured by monthly unique visitors on both its www.58.com website and mobile applications. The Company's online marketplace enables local business users and consumer users to connect, share information and conduct business. 58.com's broad, in-depth and high quality local information, combined with its easy-to-use website and mobile applications, has made it a trusted marketplace for consumers. 58.com's strong brand recognition, large and growing user base, merchant network and massive database of local information create a powerful network effect. For more information on 58.com, please visit http://www.58.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "confident" and similar statements. Any statements that are not historical facts, including statements about 58.com's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements that involve factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. All information provided in this press release is current as of the date of the press release, and 58.com does not undertake any obligation to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

For more information, please contact:

58.com Inc.

[email protected]

Christensen

In China

Mr. Eric Yuan

Phone: +86-10-5900-1548

E-mail: [email protected]

In the U.S.

Ms. Linda Bergkamp

Phone: +1-480-614-3004

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE 58.com Inc

Related Links

www.58.com


ALBANY  New Yorks ban on plastic bags will go back into effect in mid-October.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation filed a letter in state Supreme Court on Friday saying the department will begin enforcing the statewide ban on Oct. 19.

"New Yorker's use a staggering 23 billion plastic bags each year, many of these bags litter our neighborhoods, parks, rivers and ultimately are swept into the ocean, said Judith Enck, president of Beyond Plastics and a former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regional administrator. The law was supposed to take effect on March 1. It is good that it will finally be enforced. After the law is fully enforced, New Yorkers will see a noticeable decline in plastic bag litter in every corner of the state.

Enforcement of the ban, which took effect in March, quickly met obstacles as the coronavirus pandemic stoked fear of reusable bags carrying bacteria or viruses and plastic bag makers sued the state over the ban.

Many supermarkets across the Capital Region brought plastic bags back to their markets during the height of COVID-19, but have since resumed offering only paper bags for those who dont bring reusable bags.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Yet, it was the lawsuit filed earlier this year by businesses, including Long Island-based bag maker PolyPak Industries, that held up enforcement. The businesses alleged the ban would put them out of business. The pandemic caused court delays, pushing back the ban to June 15. That date triggers a 30-day notification period before the ban would start being enforced.

In early June, environmentalists urged DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos to begin enforcing the ban as soon as the judge issued a decision on the lawsuit. State Supreme Court Justice Gerald W. Connolly in mid-August determined the businesses lacked a persuasive argument for injunctive relief, but rejected the states regulation for thicker plastic bags.
Every time Melissa Siig drives to the business she owns in Tahoe City, she passes the Truckee River. Over the summer, the river seemed to represent a paradox in Tahoe during the pandemic.

The Truckee River is always an ultra-popular float with its gentle rapids and easy access. Because of the pandemic, rental raft companies operated at a limited capacity and Placer County extended an alcohol ban throughout the summer. But people kept coming to the river with their own floaties. Nothing was stopping them from bopping down the river. A typically crowded halfway spot is aptly called Party Island. This summer, locals nicknamed it "COVID Island" because it was always packed with large groups of people.

While people flocked to rivers, trails and beaches, Placer County was added to Californias watchlist, which meant that many small businesses had to shut down. Siigs independent movie theater, the Tahoe Art Haus and Cinema, was mostly closed for six months.

Are we in a pandemic? Are we not in a pandemic? Siig said. I look around and I feel like were not in a pandemic except for the masks. But this is what I know: I know my business cant open. My kids cant go to school and I cant get a haircut. And yet people crowd the beaches, crowd the campgrounds, crowd the river.

Nationwide, the economy is splitting in what some are calling a K-shaped recovery. In short, some businesses are doing extremely well, while others are hurting badly.

Tahoe has been a microcosm of this trend. Placer County was added to the states watchlist just after the Fourth of July. So right when summers business was ramping up  a crucial season for Tahoes tourism-based economy  the state ordered businesses to move outside or shut down. The make-or-break factor depended entirely on whether you could make the transition to the outdoors.

Restaurants and outdoor concessions that could successfully expand to lawns or patios were packed. Some reported record-breaking sales numbers. Meanwhile, other businesses  hair salons, gyms, the arts  were closed entirely.

In addition, business restrictions werent consistent across the Lake Tahoe Basin. El Dorado County, which includes South Lake Tahoe, avoided the California watchlist. The Nevada side of the lake had a different protocol entirely. Businesses in Placer County, though, were restricted for most of July and August.

Siig said this year has been emotionally exhausting.

I just felt like there was a lot of weight on our shoulders. What is the moral, ethical, safe thing to do every day? she told SFGATE.

The Cobblestone Center is a cluster of local businesses located in the heart of Tahoe Citys main street. Siigs Tahoe Art Haus and Cinema is one of its anchor businesses, located in the back corner and tucked away from the road. Above it, on the second floor, Jenna Minnes owns the Yoga Room.

We were one of the first businesses to close in Tahoe City, in the Cobblestone, Minnes said. I was just like, I need to do this. Im not going to put my community at risk, have my teachers get sick or my students.

Tom Hellauer / SFGATE

The Yoga Room shut down at the end of March, and Minnes immediately pivoted her business to operate on Zoom. There were technical difficulties: email confirmations often went into spam, and one of the instructors had spotty internet. But she figured it out well enough to keep offering yoga to students during quarantine.

Minnes said she was disconcerted that Tahoe opened for tourism in the pandemic. The Yoga Room is a controlled environment where were going to make sure were six feet apart, she said. The river, and all those public places, there was no regulation, no control.

The Art Haus and Cinema also closed its indoor theater in March. It still served popcorn in the front courtyard. And during quarantine, it had a contest asking people to submit ideas to put on the theaters marquee. Siig would pick a new phrase every week: Kindness Strikes Back and Live Long and Shelter.

At the beginning of the summer, the Yoga Room and the Art Haus opened again, briefly. But the window to open was so short before Placer County was ordered to shut down again, that both Minnes and Siig said it hardly counted in their books.

At the peak of summer, Minnes said her numbers dropped significantly. Zoom yoga classes werent enough to sustain business. People canceled memberships or wanted refunds on 10-packs they had purchased before the pandemic. She had a PPP loan and continued to adapt her digital classes, recording them so students could take the class on their own schedules. But those efforts hardly made a dent to make up for the lost revenue.

We lost our income potential for all the drop-ins we would have had, Minnes said. Like any business in Tahoe, the income you make during the summer is what floats you through the shoulder seasons.

Tom Hellauer / SFGATE

The Art Haus made its own changes to survive, opening up a drive-in theater in the parking lot. At first, Siig and her business partners borrowed a screen from Homewood Ski Resort, but it was heavy and difficult to set up and break down day in and day out. So the team wound up getting permission from their landlord to install a screen to the outside of the building. The theater was still operating at a significant loss without alcohol sales, and it was only able to host only one showing a day, after dark. But Siig said it felt great to be relevant again.

Siig and her husband, Steven, opened the Art Haus in September 2014 with a business partner, Mark Gogolewski. Steven is a filmmaker, working mostly on action sport and ski movies, and he always had a dream of running an independent theater. The three partners also wanted to revitalize Tahoe Citys community fabric with arts and entertainment.

Tahoe City, especially in the evening or if theres bad weather, theres not much to do, Siig said. We wanted to bring back some of the culture and nightlife and entertainment options to the community.

Over the years, the Art Haus has hosted big blockbusters  Star Wars, Marvel movies. But it also caters to locals, especially in the fall and spring (called shoulder seasons because its a slower time when tourists usually arent as numerous), with ski-movie premieres, dance recitals, live music or DJ shows. One local skier usually hosts an annual screening of his passion project, a ski movie under the label JonBob Productions, that draws people out of their houses in the slowest part of fall for a big community get-together.

The drive-in theater helped Siig and her partners continue their mission, even if they had to shut down the majority of their business. If the community brings us an idea and we like it, well do it, Siig said.

Tom Hellauer / SFGATE

At the end of August, Placer County moved down to the red tier on the states watchlist. On September 9, the countys Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve a resolution declaring the end of the health emergency. State restrictions still apply.

If we look at this based on facts, we currently do not have a health emergency in Placer County, Supervisor Cindy Gustafson said in a statement. I agree with ending the emergency based on the statistics that we have in front of us, but I cant agree with a lot of the politicization of this issue. We do have a virus that we dont understand and we need to protect our most vulnerable.

The end of the health emergency could have been a boon to businesses like the Art Haus and the Yoga Room. But in 2020, things change quickly.

Soon after, the Forest Service closed all forests in Tahoe  and across the state  because of fire risk. The forest closure order has been extended until September 21.

Maybe it was the end of summer, or the fires, or the forest closures, but people seem to have finally vacated the river, trails and beaches  for the most part. Siig has seen a couple of hikers duck the rope at a trailhead across the street from her house and still head into the forest, despite the closure.

Tom Hellauer / SFGATE

After being closed for six months, the Art Haus was finally able to reopen its indoor theater on Friday, September 11th at 25 percent capacity  thats 25 movie tickets it can sell out of their normal 100. It's playing Tenet. Siig watched the movie in her theater on a Sunday night. She wore a mask the entire time. There were about 10 people total in the seats.

Most people are saying they need to see it twice, which is fine with me. Like, come again, said Siig.

The movie theater hasnt yet sold out since reopening, but it's gotten enough sales to stay open. Siig says they'll keep scheduling showtimes so long as a new movie is playing, hoping to entice people to come out.

Tom Hellauer / SFGATE

At the yoga studio upstairs, Minnes is planning to reopen on September 28th at 10 percent capacity  thats four students a class. She will still offer live-streamed classes for those who dont feel comfortable practicing in the studio.

I want to do the right thing, Minnes said. I want to make sure everyone feels comfortable and that Im doing the best thing for my community.

Along the main street in Tahoe City, new banners and signs proclaim the town is Stronger Together. Thats a euphemism that Siig questions.

Im like, are we? Siig said. Some businesses are just flourishing. They are thriving. Like real estate is through the roof and some restaurants are doing really well with this. But those of us who, just by the nature of what our business is  like movie theaters, live events, hairdressers  we are really hurting through this. So I dont think were all in this together.

The Tahoe Art Haus & Cinema and the Yoga Room are both located at 475 North Lake Boulevard in Tahoe City. Showtimes and class times vary.

Julie Brown is a contributing editor for SFGATE covering Lake Tahoe. Email: julie.brown@sfgate.com | Twitter: @imjuliebrown
Raavi Iqbal, EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Greater Philadelphia Finalist Now, we find ourselves in a different world, a place where consumers no longer trust advertising & even influencer marketing is no longer viewed as authentic. Brands of all shapes and sizes are realizing that their biggest asset (their customer database) can be their most powerful marketing channel.

Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) has announced that Raavi Iqbal, CEO and Co-founder of SocialLadder was named an Entrepreneur Of The Year 2020 Greater Philadelphia Award finalist. Now in its 34th year, the Entrepreneur Of The Year program honors entrepreneurial business leaders whose ambitions deliver innovation, growth and prosperity as they build and sustain successful businesses that transform our world.

Award winners will be announced through a special virtual event in early October and will join a lifelong community of esteemed Entrepreneur Of The Year alumni from around the world. This year, unstoppable entrepreneurs who have provided extraordinary support for their communities, employees and others during the COVID-19 crisis will also be recognized for their courage, resilience and ingenuity.

Entrepreneur Of The Year is one of the preeminent competitive award programs for entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies. The nominees are evaluated based on six criteria: overcoming adversity; financial performance; societal impact and commitment to building a values-based company; innovation; and talent management. Since its launch, the program has expanded to recognize business leaders in more than 145 cities in over 60 countries around the world.

"I was humbled and honored to learn of my nomination as a finalist for EY's 2020 Philadelphia market Entrepreneur of the Year Program" said Raavi Iqbal. "Six years ago, when my co-founder Alana Bly and I set out to create a platform for brands to market through their customers, we were pitching a foreign concept. Now, we find ourselves in a different world, a place where consumers no longer trust advertising and even influencer marketing is no longer viewed as authentic. Brands of all shapes and sizes are realizing that their biggest asset (their customer database) can be their most powerful marketing channel. Despite all the ups and downs of 2020, this award is a welcome external validation of how SocialLadder has navigated the COVID crisis to date. "

SocialLadder is a software as a service marketing platform that works with many of the worlds most prominent consumer brands to help them market through their customers and build ambassador communities. The platform enables brands to track performance, streamline communication, optimize operations, and grow the community. Machine learning identifies customers that have the potential to move the needle for the brand and then engage them through a sophisticated system of rewards and challenges. SocialLadder is a U.S. based startup backed by investors from companies such as Facebook and Yahoo. Learn more at http://www.SocialLadderApp.com

Regional award winners are eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards, to be announced in November during a virtual awards gala. The Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner will then move on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year Award in June 2021.

Entrepreneur Of The Year Award winners become lifetime members of a global, multi-industry community of entrepreneurs, with exclusive, ongoing access to the experience, insight and wisdom of program alumni and other ecosystem members in over 60 countries  all supported by vast EY resources.

Sponsors

Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are nationally sponsored by SAP America and the Kauffman Foundation.

In Greater Philadelphia, sponsors also include PNC Bank, DFIN, SolomonEdwards Group, Ballard Spahr LLP, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, Murray Devine & Company and Pepper Troutman LLP.

About Entrepreneur Of The Year

Entrepreneur Of The Year is the worlds most prestigious business awards program for unstoppable entrepreneurs. These visionary leaders deliver innovation, growth and prosperity that transform our world. The program engages entrepreneurs with insights and experiences that foster growth. It connects them with their peers to strengthen entrepreneurship around the world. Entrepreneur Of The Year is the first and only truly global awards program of its kind. It celebrates entrepreneurs through regional and national awards programs in more than 145 cities in over 60 countries. Winners go on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year title. ey.com/us/eoy

About EY Private

As Advisors to the ambitious, EY Private professionals possess the experience and passion to support private businesses and their owners in unlocking the full potential of their ambitions. EY Private teams offer distinct insights born from the long EY history of working with business owners and entrepreneurs. These teams support the full spectrum of private enterprises including private capital managers and investors and the portfolio businesses they fund, business owners, family businesses, family offices and entrepreneurs. Visit ey.com/private

About EY

EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, strategy, transaction and consulting services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities.

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. Information about how EY collects and uses personal data and a description of the rights individuals have under data protection legislation are available via ey.com/privacy. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.
Pompeo becomes the first US secretary of state to visit the two South American states where oil was recently discovered.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has made a direct pitch for fast-growing Suriname and Guyanas new leaders to pick US firms, warning of the risks of China during an oil boom.

Pompeo on Thursday became the first US secretary of state to visit the two small South American nations, long rich in lumber and minerals but where the discovery of oil has drawn a sudden new global interest.

Meeting Surinames newly-elected president, Chan Santokhi, at his Dutch colonial-era residence in the capital Paramaribo, Pompeo said it was an exciting time for the economy and that the United States is eager to partner.

No state-owned operation can beat the quality of the products and services of American private companies, Pompeo told a joint news conference in a tent set up outside in the tropical heat.

Weve watched the Chinese Communist Party invest in countries, and it all seems great at the front end and then it all comes falling down when the political costs connected to that becomes clear, Pompeo said.

And we do our level best wherever I travel to make the case for just making sure everybody understands what theyre getting into.

Guyana trip

Pompeo later flew to neighbouring Guyana to deliver a similar message in a country expected to grow a staggering 85 percent this year  the highest rate of any nation in the world.

Pompeo was welcomed with billboards of his likeness and a dinner in his honour thrown by another new leader, President Irfaan Ali, with a rifle-holding honour guard wearing masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The stops come at the start of a three-day tour that will also take in Colombia and Brazils Amazonian border, part of Pompeos campaign to highlight the economic devastation in President Nicolas Maduros Venezuela.

The trip is a vote of confidence in the new leaders in both Guyana and Suriname, who are seen as turning a generational page.

Ali, 40, was inaugurated last month after defeating an incumbent who challenged the results, prompting US sanctions on members of the former administration.

In Suriname, Santokhi in July defeated Desi Bouterse, a longtime ruler who is challenging a prison sentence for ordering the killing of political opponents in 1982.

Like your neighbours in Guyana, the people of Suriname spoke clearly, choosing a new leader and securing your future as a democratic nation, Pompeo told Santokhi.

The Surinamese leader promised to work with the US in the defence of democracy and strong democratic institutions, the rule of law, good governance and human rights.

But he said he did not see a competition between the US and China, which has invited both Suriname and Guyana into its enormous Belt and Road infrastructure-building initiative.

It was not a topic of discussion, so it is not a question of making choices, Santokhi said.

Ethnic faultlines

Guyana, a former British colony, and Suriname have populations under one million people and long-running ethnic faultlines between descendants of African slaves and indentured labourers from the Indian subcontinent.

ExxonMobil threw a sudden spotlight in 2015 when it announced that it had found one of the worlds largest oil reserves in years in the waters off Guyana.

Alis government is reviewing the arrangement with ExxonMobil, which will provide about half of the revenue to Guyana  a deal that some development activists call too paltry.

Small-scale Chinese investment is already omnipresent in both nations. The first billboard in Pompeos view as he exited the Paramaribo airport was an advertisement for Chinas potent Kweichow Moutai liquor with an image of the Forbidden City.
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Reuters/Arnd WiegmannTheatrical rock superstar Meat Loaf, whose Bat Out of Hell is one of the bestselling albums of all time, has died at the age of 74. Reports say the singer and actor had recently fallen sick with COVID-19.In an emotional statement posted to Facebook early Friday, the performers family said he was with his wife when he died and had said his final goodbyes to his two daughters in the past 24 hours. The star sold 100 million albums in his five-decade career and starred in movie
Photo: Ivanhoe Mines

Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. is confirming a third death after an underground accident Monday at its Platreef mine development project in South Africa.

The Vancouver-based company says the workers were killed when a "kibble bucket,'' commonly used to haul water, ore or refuse to the surface, fell down a mine shaft, striking the side of a platform where four employees were conducting routine water-pumping activities.

Ivanhoe initially reported two workers were killed in the accident while another was injured and a fourth was missing.

The company says a rescue team who retrieved the bodies of the two dead miners on Friday also found the body of the missing fourth person, also deceased.

The injured employee who was taken to hospital in Johannesburg is now expected to make a full recovery.

Ivanhoe indirectly owns 64 per cent of the palladium-platinum-nickel-copper-rhodium-gold mine through its subsidiary, Ivanplats, and is directing all mine development work.

In July, it completed construction of the 996-metre-level station at the bottom of the shaft, positioning it to be equipped as Platreefs initial production shaft if phased development to expedite production proceeds.

Ivanhoe says it has brought in specialist engineers to assist the investigation into causes of the accident and development activities at Platreef have been suspended until safety at the site can be assured.

"The safety and well-being of our employees is our topmost priority and we will work closely with the authorities to investigate this accident fully," Ivanhoe Mines president Marna Cloete said in a statement.
Samsung chief Lee Jae-yong recently met with the Japanese ambassador to Korea, apparently to ask him to lift travel restrictions for Koreans on urgent business in the island country.

According to diplomatic sources on Thursday, Lee met Ambassador Koji Tomita at an undisclosed location in Seoul on Sept. 10.

Lee, who majored in Asian History at Seoul National University, has a master's degree from Japan's Keio University and is fluent in Japanese.

When the Japanese government banned exports of key semiconductor materials to Korea last year, Lee traveled to Japan to meet with businesspeople there.

On Lee's watch, Samsung signed a supply deal with Japan's No. 2 mobile provider, KDDI, for 5G equipment in March.

Japan has been restricting entry for Koreans since March due to the coronavirus epidemic. The two countries are in official talks to ease the restrictions in some cases, especially for businesspeople.


SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Advanced Scientific Concepts (ASC), the leading supplier of Global Shutter Flash LIDAR solutions, announced today that they have been chosen as one of the 178 top participating teams selected from The AFWERX Space Challenge initiative to exhibit at EngageSpace . AFWERX, the catalyst for fostering innovation within the U.S. Air Force, will host the virtual two-day event September 29  30, the premier event for the Space Industry.

The AFWERX Space Challenge initiative is made up of four challenges targeted at creating integrated space operations leveraging the best in technology while maintaining security, being resilient and increasing agility. Four challenges were run concurrently focused on separate topics  Persistent ISR, DoD Commercial Space Partnerships, Global Space Transport and Delivery and Space Asset Resiliency.

Located in Santa Barbara, ASC is competing in both the Persistent ISR Challenge and Space Asset Resiliency Challenge, alongside a diverse group of teams that represent entrepreneurial startups, small businesses, large enterprises, academic institutions and research labs.

"The solutions submitted for these space challenges represent the bleeding edge of space innovation," stated Brennan Townley, AFWERX Challenge Collaboration Lead. "We're excited to highlight these innovators and connect them with opportunities across the Space ecosystem."

Recently deployed resident space object (RSO) pose a serious threat to satellites. These new threats cannot be detected by existing ground and space based domain awareness sensors. ASC's novel global shutter flash LIDAR space based sensor concept has the ability to autonomously detect, identify, characterize intent, and track these new RSO threats. The sensor is scalable and can be deployed on a wide range of space craft.

The EngageSpace event will feature highly engaging opportunities to connect, educate and innovate with other like-minded attendees, industry leaders, individual innovators, academia, investors, as well as military and government leaders. The entire event is designed to transform and accelerate the industry, and enable government buyers to pursue the most promising innovative solutions to the most pressing and threatening Space scenarios.

"ASC is honored to have been included in this elite group of selected teams," said Brad Short, CEO at Advanced Scientific Concepts LLC. "Our innovative flash LIDAR solutions have the ability to address several challenging Air Force space applications, and we're delighted to be able to share our technology at the upcoming EngageSpace event."

To learn more about and to register for EngageSpace, visit https://engage.space. For more information about ASC's products and solutions for Space and other markets, visit: http://asc3d.com

ABOUT ASC

Founded in 1987 and based in Santa Barbara, California, Advanced Scientific Concepts LLC (ASC) invented the first focal plane array based global shutter flash LIDIAR (gsf-LIDAR) sensor. Subsequently, ASC has developed gsf-LIDAR 3D, video camera solutions for a wide variety of applications ranging from space to autonomous vehicles. With a dedicated team of engineering, manufacturing, and business professionals, ASC is committed to best-in-class gsf-LIDAR products for the space, military, manned airborne, and in/through water markets. For more information, visit: asc3d.com

ABOUT AFWERX

Established in 2017, AFWERX is a product of the U.S. Air Force, directly envisioned by former Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson. Her vision of AFWERX  to solve some of the toughest challenges that the Air Force faces through innovation and collaboration amongst our nation's top subject matter experts. AFWERX serves as a catalyst to unleash new approaches for the warfighter through a growing ecosystem of innovators. AFWERX and the U.S. Air Force are committed to exploring viable solutions and partnerships to further strengthen the Air Force, which could lead to additional prototyping, R&D, and follow-on production contracts.

Fast Company named AFWERX Best Workplaces for Innovators on the 2020 List, honoring the top 100 businesses and organizations that demonstrate a deep commitment to encouraging innovation at all levels. AFWERX, U.S. Air Force's innovation arm and catalyst for fostering innovation within the Air Force, came in at #16 ranking in the top 20 alongside brands such as Microsoft, Google, and Amazon. Preview the live announcement with Stephanie Mehta, Editor-in-Chief of Fast Company, unveiled during the AFWERX Fusion 2020 Base of the Future Event & Showcase.

SOURCE Advanced Scientific Concepts LLC
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One of her sisters said Pamela Turner was suffering a mental episode when she was confronted by Baytown Officer Juan Delacruz.

An officer with the Baytown Police Department turned himself in on Tuesday after being charged with aggravated assault by a public servant related to the fatal shooting of a Black woman last year.

Officer Juan Delacruz shot Pamela Turner on May 13, 2019 at the apartment building in which they both lived, reportedly attempting to take her into custody due to outstanding warrants for her arrest.

The police officer who shot and killed Pamela Turner last May is facing a charge of aggravated assault by a public servant for her death. (Facebook)

Authorities allege that it was then that Turner resisted arrest and claim she was able to get hold of the officers taser and shocked him with it. Delacruz then fired his gun and killed Turner.

Last year, civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump said family members checked records and found no active warrants for Turners arrest. Court records showed at least one misdemeanor charge of criminal mischief was filed against Turner on May 2.

Read More: Police leaders pressed Rochester to keep Prude video secret

In an interview last year, one of her sisters, Antoinette Dorsey-Jones said Turner, 44, suffered from schizophrenia and was suffering a mental episode when she was confronted by the officer, with whom she had prior encounters.

The investigation was conducted by the Harris County District Attorneys civil rights division and the Texas Rangers.

Read More: Former NFL player Miles McPherson on third option for police relations: Division is whats killing our country

Ultimately, we presented all of the evidence to a grand jury that determined the Baytown Police officer should be charged with a crime for his actions when he shot Ms. Turner, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a written statement. We respect their decision and we will be moving forward with prosecution.

The news that my family received on Monday is the exact reason why we have not stopped calling my mothers name for the past 16 months, Turners daughter, Chelsea Rubin, said during a Zoom news conference on Thursday. I prayed for this moment numerous times, and I prayed that my mothers death would not be in vain and that she gets the justice that she deserves.

Have you subscribed to theGrios Dear Culture podcast? Download our newest episodes now!

The post Texas officer charged in shooting death of Pamela Turner appeared first on TheGrio.
Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu pose for a selfie with U.S. Under Secretary of State Keith Krach (R) during a meeting in Taipei, Taiwan, on Sept. 18, 2020. (Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs via AP)

China Flies 18 Warplanes Near Taiwan During US Envoys Visit

TAIPEI, TaiwanChinas military sent 18 planes including fighter jets over the Taiwan Strait in an unusually large show of force Friday as a U.S. envoy held a day of closed-door meetings on the self-governing island claimed by China.

Under Secretary of State Keith Krach, who handles the economic growth, energy, and environment portfolio, held talks with Taiwans minister of economic affairs and vice-premier. He also met with business leaders over lunch and was to dine with President Tsai Ing-wen later Friday.

In response to Krachs visit, the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army held combat exercises near the Taiwan Strait, in at least the second round of war games this month aimed at intimidating supporters of the islands independent identity.

Taiwans defense ministry said two bombers and 16 fighter jets from China crossed into Taiwans air defense identification zone. It said it scrambled jets in response and monitored the movements of the Chinese planes.

Taiwans Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (R) meets with U.S. Undersecretary of State Keith Krach in Taipei, Taiwan, on Sept. 18, 2020. (Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs via AP)

Chinese defense ministry spokesperson Ren Guoqiang called the drills a legitimate and necessary action taken in response to the current situation across the Taiwan Straits to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

In a brief message on its microblog, the Eastern Theater Command said the exercises involved naval and air force units in the Taiwan Strait aimed at gauging their ability to carry out joint operations.

Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs also defended the move. Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said China has the firm will, full confidence and sufficient ability to thwart all external interference and separatist actions by Taiwan independence forces.

A Chinese Peoples Liberation Army H-6 bomber is seen flying near the Taiwan air defense identification zone, ADIZ, near Taiwan, on Sept. 18, 2020. (Taiwan Ministry of National Defense via AP)

Beijing views Taiwan as part of its own territory and strongly opposes any type of formal interaction between other countries and the self-ruled island democracy.

Krachs trip follows a visit in August by U.S. Health Secretary Alex Azar, the highest-level U.S. Cabinet official to visit since the United States switched formal relations from Taiwan to China in 1979.

It is one of a series of moves by the Trump administration to strengthen relations with Taiwan, including stepped-up arms sales and support for the islands participation in international forums.

Before Krachs arrival, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Kelly Craft, had lunch Wednesday with Taiwans top official in New York, in a meeting she called historic.

On Saturday, the last day of his visit, Krach will also attend a memorial service for former President Lee Teng-hui, who led the islands transition to democracy and died at age 97 in July.

Analysts say the Chinese military response is a clear message to the United States to stop what it is doing, since the Chinese side took similar actions when the U.S. health secretary visited in August.

I think the Chinese are using this tool to try and stop the kind-of diplomatic relationship between the U.S. and Taiwan. Its very clear from them, said Alfred Wu, associate professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore.

Undersecretary of State Keith Krach walks away after disembarking from a plane upon arrival at an airforce base in Taipei, Taiwan, on Sept. 17, 2020. (Pool Photo via AP Photo)

Tensions between Washington and Beijing have already reached high levels as the governments spar over the coronavirus pandemic, trade, technology, Hong Kong, and the South China Sea.

The frequency of Chinese exercises near Taiwan recalls the last major crisis between them in 199596, when China fired missiles near the island and held war games in a bid to intimidate voters in Taiwans first direct presidential election. Those actions were largely seen to have backfired.

Taiwan said Chinese warplanes entered its airspace over two days last week during large-scale war games that it called a serious provocation to Taiwan and a grave threat to regional peace and stability.

Such actions by the Chinese military threaten the entire region, it said, calling on the international community to respond.

China has increasingly relied on military threats and diplomatic isolation to pressure Taiwan. That follows the apparent failure of its efforts to win over the islands 23 million people to the prospect of political unification under the one country, two systems framework used in Hong Kong, with a large majority of Taiwanese favoring maintaining the status quo of de facto independence.

Despite the frequency of the exercises, analysts said it does not mean imminent war.

The signal from Beijing is very, very clear, but does that mean a prelude to war? No, far from it, said Chong-Pin Lin, a former deputy defense minister in Taiwan.

China cut contacts with Taiwans government following Tsais 2016 election. She was reelected by a large margin this year and her Democratic Progressive Party maintained its majority in the legislature.

By Huizhong Wu
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A special blood bank has been established for dogs at Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU) in Ludhiana. This is the first blood bank for dogs in north India.

The blood bank has been set up after getting approval from the Department of Biotechnology to improve the survival chances of dogs.

Speaking to ANI, Dr Shukriti Sharma of GADVASU, said, We handle at least 25,000 cases every year. Of which, 500-600 cases have low haemoglobin (protein) level in dogs.

ANI also took to Twitter to share images of the facility and some of its patients:

Earlier, blood of one dog was donated to the other. But with this blood bank facility, we separate the donated blood in three parts  Red Blood Cells (RBCs), plasma and platelets: Dr Shukriti Sharma, Assistant Professor, GADVASU #Punjab https://t.co/Fm8Bwubbnk pic.twitter.com/YRPEUJtuAS  ANI (@ANI) September 17, 2020

In one of the cases here, the blood level dropped down to three grams. We had to transfuse blood and the level rose to seven grams, Sharma explained.

The doctor said, A total of 25 different states had applied for the approval of blood bank for dogs. To this, the Department of Biotechnology has approved the establishment of only two blood banks, one in Chennai and the other here in Punjab.

This is the first blood bank for dogs in north India, he added.

Sharma remarked, Earlier, the blood of one dog was donated to the other. But with this blood bank facility, we separate the donated blood in three parts -- Red Blood Cells (RBCs), plasma and platelets.

He further said the institute has conducted 125 blood transfusions in dogs till now.

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MOUNT PLEASANT, MI - When college students returned to Central Michigan Universitys campus in August, Isabella County quickly saw a jump in cases of the novel coronavirus. After three weeks of moderately high case totals, though, new cases have dropped considerably over the past two weeks.

The universitys count of new cases among its students, faculty and staff dropped to 12 over the week of Monday, Sept. 7 and just four so far for the week of Monday, Sept. 14.

By contrast, the university reported reported 54 cases the week of Aug. 17. There were 63 cases reported the week of Aug. 24 and 44 new cases during the week of Aug. 31, for a total of 161 cases.

The Central Michigan District Health Department tracks cases among current and former students and others associated with them. Between Aug. 31 and Sept. 8, the department confirmed 90 new cases, bringing the total related to the return of students to 253. The week after, the department confirmed 13 new cases.

The department stopped providing daily updates on the case totals as of Friday, Sept. 11, instead opting to send updates on Fridays. According to an update sent Friday, Sept. 18, the department found 22 new cases over the past week, slightly up but still far below earlier spikes. The current total identified by the department is 304, including 16 probable cases and 288 confirmed.

Department Health Officer Steve Hall said several factors are contributing to the drop. These include local governments enacting an emergency health order limiting the size of outdoor gatherings, law enforcement working to educate students and enforce the health order, CMU working with the department to coordinate messaging and help with compliance, and CMUs on-site testing helping to find cases faster.

Most importantly, he said, are the students. Most want to do the right thing and are taking the situation seriously, and Hall believes the departments messaging has gotten through to the student body.

While things have been trending in the right direction, it is important that we dont get complacent, Hall said. We need to remain vigilant and take all necessary precautions. If we let our guard down, we can end up back where we were. If we all do our part, we can finish this semester strong.

In a similar statement, CMU Executive Director for Communications Heather Smith concurred. She said suspending in-person Greek life activities and working with landlords to enforce gathering limits contributed to the drop, as well as more messaging and efforts by the community to take proper precautions.

We are pleased to see the sharp decrease in the number of positive COVID-19 cases at Central Michigan University over the past couple of weeks, Smith said.

As of Sept. 11, only 27 of the 196 campus cases confirmed since June 15 were still active, according to a letter from CMU President Bob Davies.

This also means 169 individuals have recovered and were cleared to return to classes and the workplace, Davies said in the letter. We are about a quarter of the way through this semester, and I am proud of the efforts you have made to make this a successful fall at CMU... Thank you for wearing masks, practicing social distancing and taking precautions to keep yourself and others safe.

As of Thursday, Sept. 17, the Ottawa County Department of Public Health ordered Grand Valley State University students to stay at their residences for the next 14 days after more than 600 cases have come from students returning to campus. 39 homes near Michigan State University are under a mandatory quarantine, including 25 Greek Life houses, after a September spike in cases.

Read more:

Emergency stay-home order issued for Grand Valley State University students

Mandatory quarantine issued for 11 more houses near Michigan State

Central Michigan University student activists call for end to in-person classes
Somali Puntland forces receive weapons seized in a boat on the shores of the Gulf of Aden in the city of Bosasso, Puntland region, Somalia Sept. 23, 2017. (Abdiqani Hassan/Reuters)

Suspected Arms Dealers Moved Millions in Somali Money Transfers, Report Says

NAIROBISomali money transfer companies moved more than $3.7 million in cash between suspected weapons traffickers in recent years, including to a Yemeni under U.S. sanctions for alleged militant links, according to a report seen by Reuters.

The findings by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, a Geneva-based research group, could further complicate attempts by Somali transfer companies to retain access to international banking services.

While they provide a lifeline to millions in the anarchic Horn of Africa nation, few banks will do business with them because of the risk of breaking international transparency and anti-money laundering regulations.

Asked about the report, the Central Bank of Somalia, which regulates money transfer firms, said it was unaware of the transfers but would investigate and was in general making progress in countering terrorism financing.

Contacted by Reuters, the four companies said they adhered to global know your customer norms, although some conceded it was difficult since Somalia had no national identity card. The firms also said they used specialist third-party databases of internationally-sanctioned individuals.

The Global Initiative analyzed almost six years of transaction records from the city of Bossasso, matching them with mobile phone records provided by security sources and database searches.

The report identified 176 transactions from the last six years that it said appeared to be linked to suspected weapons dealers in Somalia and Yemen. Nearly two-thirds were over the $10,000 threshold that should trigger an automatic report to regulatory authorities.

They include two transfers totaling nearly $40,000 to numbers linked to Sayf Abdulrab Salem al-Hayashi, after the U.S. Treasury sanctioned him in 2017 for allegedly providing weapons and financial support to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and Islamic State in Yemen, the report said.

Al Hayashi couldnt be reached for comment.

Somalia-based Amal Express and Iftin Express handled the transactions, which used different combinations of his name and nickname, the report said.

Amal Express said a transfer slip shown in the report and allegedly linked to al-Hayashi was a forgery. Iftin Express also said the transaction slip was a fake and added that it reported all transactions over $10,000 to Somali authorities.

Multiple Identities

The report didnt find any instances where the other two companies, Dahabshiil and Taaj, made transfers to any sanctioned individuals. But it noted instances where individuals were able to make transfers with them using multiple names and numbers, a violation of Somali law.

One man used 24 names among the four companies, the report said.

All four companies said they dont allow customers to use multiple identities or phone numbers. Dahabshiil also said it has stopped doing transfers between Somalia and Yemen.

The companies didnt say whether the six men named in the report are in their databases.

Apart from al-Hayashithe only individual under U.S. sanctionsthree others whose names appear in the suspect transactions were identified as suspected arms dealers in public reports by the United Nations panel of experts on Somalia.

Two were flaggedone as a proxy for al-Hayashi, and one as an arms traffickerin a confidential annex to a 2018 report by the same panel.

Few Somalis have bank accounts. Money transfer companiesoften known as hawalasare vital to economic activity and delivering humanitarian aid.

Cutting companies off from banking isnt the answer, said the reports author, Jay Bahadur, former head of the U.N. panel of experts.

Excluding companies from international banking services will punish families that rely on them and drive financial flows underground, he said.

Identity Card

But he said companies must ensure their agents follow anti-money laundering laws and Somali authorities must improve enforcement.

Financial regulatory bodies in Somalia are understaffed, under-resourced, and arent trusted by domestic financial institutions, he told Reuters. They receive limited reporting data and arent able to take many actions with what they do receive.

Abdirahman M. Abdullahi, governor of Somalias central bank, said cooperation was improving. Somalia is working with the World Bank on developing a national identity card, he told Reuters.

He said arrests have been made for breaking anti-money laundering and terrorism financing law, citing the case of a trader convicted in August of running an unregistered bank.

The Financial Reporting Center, a Somali government watchdog, didnt respond to requests for comment.

By Katharine Houreld
Copenhagen, Sep 18 : As coronavirus cases were soaring in the European region, the World Health Organization's (WHO) Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge has called for greater "regional coherence", respect for "scientific knowledge", and asked authorities to embrace new disciplines in tackling "Covid-related fatigue in populations".

Weekly new cases have now exceeded those reported when the pandemic first peaked in Europe in March, Xinhua news agency quoted Kluge as saying at a virtual press briefing here on Thursday.

So far, the overall caseload in Europe has increased to 4,893,614 with 226,524 deaths.

"Last week, the region's weekly tally exceeded 300,000 patients," he said, adding that the rising number of new cases in September "should serve as a wake-up call for all of us".

According to Kluge, the past two weeks have witnessed more than half of the countries in the region reporting a rise of greater than 10 per cent in new cases, with seven countries experiencing their caseloads doubling.

"Although these numbers reflect more comprehensive testing, they also show alarming rates of transmission across the Region." In light of a rising "second wave", Kluge called for "regional coherence, and an amplified collective effort by all European member states, for the sake of all European member states" as a way of dealing with the monumental impact on mental health, economies, livelihoods and society.

Kluge was also concerned that society needed to respect and keep itself updated on scientific knowledge, especially quarantine, "a cornerstone of our fight against Covid-19".

"I encourage countries of the region to make scientific due process with their experts and explore safe reduction options. The concept of quarantine must be protected, continuously adapted, clarified, and well communicated without any ambiguity to the people." Moreover, Kluge expressed concerns that members were reporting coronavirus-related fatigue in their populations, effectively giving the virus a back door into infecting society.

While acknowledging that "fatigue is natural and it needs to be understood and addressed, where it puts us at risk", the regional director called on authorities to make proactive response and to "embrace disciplines outside of the biomedical sphere, such as the social sciences and the humanities" in attempts to counteract fatigue.

Returning to the crucial importance of "regional coherence" and a spirit of collective support, Kluge expressed the WHO's support for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

On Wednesday, von der Leyen, in her State of the Union speech to the European Parliament, commended EU-WHO joint efforts and advocated revitalizing multi-lateralism.

"We share her vision for a European Health Union," said Kluge.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
St Kilda win, and theyre in (it would be their first finals series since 2011).

If they lose they need to hope Melbourne also lose (they play Essendon on Saturday).

The Giants need to win to make it, but they also need the Bulldogs to lose and Melbourne, and to make up percentage.

A loss eliminates the Giants.
A semblance of calm returned to the streets of Belfast's student heartland as police used new powers to crack down on nights of mayhem.

Officers took full advantage of legislation allowing them to enforce Covid-19 regulations in the Holyland area of south Belfast in the early hours of yesterday morning.

Earlier the Department of Health had announced that regulations on the localised Covid-19 restrictions were now legally enforceable.

Read More

The PSNI issued seven Covid notices to young people and issued three prohibition notices at properties hosting parties in the Holyland that evening.

A 20-year-old male who had been previously arrested in the area on Tuesday night, was also arrested on suspicion of breaching bail and appeared before court yesterday morning.

Huge crowds of young people gathered in the area earlier in the week as the build up to the new university term continues.

Local residents and politicians pleaded with those involved in the anti-social behaviour to stop as fears grew over the possible spread of the virus.

Health Minister Robin Swann described the scenes as "deplorable" and said urgent action was needed by the authorities.

"It is vital that action on the ground is co-ordinated and effective," he said.

Mr Swann did not have to wait too long for a response as the PSNI made a concerted effort to put a stop to the street partying in the Holyland on Wednesday night and early yesterday morning.

The crowds were nowhere near the size of those earlier in the week with the majority of young people keeping a low profile. Many of those on the streets were merely observing the partying but a small number were openly drinking outside their properties, and along Agincourt Avenue.

Officers helped a young man home as he lay motionless beside the River Lagan shortly after 11pm before the crackdown on house parties began in earnest.

Police ordered several people in a property on King Street to step outside after it was discovered that the vast majority did not actually live in the house.

One young man was asked if he resided in the property but replied he was just visiting for the night.

After being reminded that he was breaking the regulations and that he could not stay in the house, he said: "We'll have to go get a hotel room for the night then if we can't stay here."

Empty beer tins and bottles, and broken glass, lined the footpaths and roads as the number of revellers began to steadily rise shortly before midnight.

Police Land Rovers with CCTV and spotlights, Belfast City Council wardens and a PSNI Covid-19 enforcement van roamed the Holyland area in an effort to make their presence felt.

Crowds began to build even further between midnight and 1am as many young people took their house parties out on to the street.

Many of those involved were happy to talk to this reporter but declined to comment on the lack of social distancing, street drinking and noise as the crowds became more and more rowdy.

Meanwhile, police officers wearing face masks and gloves continued to target properties which either had music pumping or a large number of people inside or outside.

Those who did not live in the homes were told in no uncertain terms to leave immediately.

It wasn't until 1.10am that the PSNI really made use of their new powers as Tactical Support Group (TSG) officers and local support officers made a concerted effort to clear Agincourt Avenue.

At least 15 officers moved from pocket to pocket of young people along the street, telling them it was home time - with the support of four PSNI Land Rovers.

Most of the young people involved took the advice on board and quietly headed for home around 1.40am.

Officers at the scene admitted it was a quieter night than usual and will be hoping it stays that way as the beginning of freshers week is just three days away.

Chief Inspector Gavin Kirkpatrick said that details of students who are failing to follow the Covid-19 regulations will be shared with universities, who can then consider a range of sanctions.

"Once again, I am warning young people who have moved to the Holyland area and those who are visiting the area, you all share responsibility to adhere to the health protection regulations to protect themselves and others from Covid-19," he added.

"The young people congregating or travelling to this area really need to consider their actions for their own health and that of the community.

"A large number of people are acting responsibly but there are a few who continue to behave recklessly and are causing disruption for the local community."
New Delhi: Senior SAD leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who on Thursday (September 17) resigned from the Union cabinet soon after her husband and SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal opposed farm bills in Lok Sabha, claiming that these proposed legislations will destroy the agriculture sector in Punjab. He also announced that Harsimrat Kaur Badal will quit the government in protest against these three bills.

Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Friday told Zee News said that she feels "saddened" that her voice in support of farmers was not heard and demanded that the government should pause on these legislations by referring them to a parliamentary panel for wider consultations.

A day after resigning from Union Cabinet in protest against farm bills, the senior SAD made her stand clear on the farm bills. Key points of her interview are:

She said, "I kept on protesting ever since these ordinances were circulated for comments in the Cabinet. I was acting like a bridge between farmers and the government to clear all doubts and fears of farmers. I kept on pleading that the government should not bring these bills until all apprehensions and fears of farmers are cleared."

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Harsimrat Kaur Badal further said that she felt saddened about the fact that my voice was not heard in the Cabinet and the government did not send it to a parliamentary select committee for consultations with all stakeholders including farmers, adding "If my voice had been heard, farmers would not have come out on roads to protest."

She said that there is no point in bringing these bills while presenting them as being in the interest of farmers when the farmers themselves have apprehensions about these measures.

On her resignation, she said, "Please don't see this as a resignation, as this was my duty as a representative of Punjab and of farmers."

On Punjab Chief Minister and Congress leader Amarinder Singh calling her resignation a "drama", she said, "He himself is the biggest drama and the biggest liar."

She said that Amarinder Singh and Congress are doing double-speak, and added "When these ordinances were planned, all chief ministers were consulted and he had concurred. Also, these three bills were part of the Congress party's manifesto for the 2017 assembly elections manifesto and the 2019 Lok Sabha elections."

Describing her tenure as minister as "a remarkable and most memorable period of my life", Harsimrat Kaur Badal said that she was satisfied that the NDA-led government delivered on many critical and long-standing issues of the Sikh community, including justice for 1984 riots victims.

She also recounted the historic opening of the Kartarpur Sahib corridor and GST waiver on 'langar', permission granted to foreign donations to the Darbar Sahib as major achievements.

Notably, SAD voted against the three bills -- Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, which were passed by voice vote in Lok Sabha.

Congress and several other opposition parties are also opposing these bills, while SAD is the only NDA member to come out against these proposed legislations that seek to replace the ordinances already promulgated by the government.

Large-scale protests by farmers in Punjab against these measures have put the regional party, which draws its support mainly from peasants, under pressure, culminating in the resignation of its only representative in the government.

BJP and SAD have been seen as natural allies which date back to the days of Jan Sangh, the precursor of the saffron party. Both parties have been contesting elections in alliance since 1997. Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who first became Union Minister for Food Processing in 2014 and retained the portfolio in the second term of the BJP-led NDA government starting 2019.

Asked whether SAD would pull out of the NDA also, she said that it was for the party to decide and a collective decision would be taken on that issue by all senior leaders together. Assembly elections are due in Punjab in 2022. She also recalled this decades-old association between the two parties in her resignation letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 20:05:05|Editor: huaxia

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JAKARTA, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Rescuers will resume efforts Saturday to reach the crash site of a helicopter by air in a deep forest in Indonesia's eastern province of Papua, spokesman of National Search and Rescue Office Yusuf Latief said on Friday.

Cloudy weather hampered the rescuers from moving closer to the scene on Friday, he said, adding that the search was halted and will resume on Saturday.

"A priority has been put on reaching the site through air, because the site is deep in the forest," said Latief.

However, reaching the spot by land has also been considered as a option, would the air transport fail, he added.

The Bell helicopter lost contact Thursday after departing from Nabire district heading to Baya Biru of Paniai district, Latief said.

The helicopter was operated by a utility helicopter company operating in Indonesia, according to him.

Several people were reportedly aboard and their status could not be confirmed yet.

The search operation involves rescuers from local search and rescue offices, soldiers, police, personnel of the air navigation office, among others, he said. Enditem
After receiving a similar threat the AFL, one of the country's most influential sporting organisations, announced last month it would not paint the flag on its playing arenas nor feature its design on its Indigenous-themed jumpers during its annual Sir Doug Nicholls round. This week the political storm surrounding the ongoing stoush was laid bare at a public hearing of a Senate committee established to investigate how the flag can be flown more freely and how, potentially, the Commonwealth could acquire the rights. Minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt, pictured with Prime Minister Scott Morrison, is trying to broker a historic peace deal. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Federal Indigenous Australians Minister Ken Wyatt has committed to doing everything he can to bring about a resolution that would respect "not only the artist of the flag, but a resolution that respects the rights, enterprise and opportunity of all Australians". "We shouldn't bully our way to a satisfactory outcome," he warned. "We must display leadership, and do what we can  we must resolve ourselves to deliver an outcome that respects Aboriginal Australians  both as a community and as an individual.''

Sally Scales, the deputy chair of the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Arts Collective, told the committee this week that the ongoing issue reflected the exploitation that many Indigenous artists were afraid of. Loading "A lot is being said about Harold's responsibilities in regard to Indigenous business, industry and Indigenous communities," she said. "Indigenous artists shouldn't be put in this position. Indigenous artists should be supported to harness the full economic benefit of their artwork." The AFL says its decision to not enter into an agreement with the licensee was one of principle and not because of the financial circumstances arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. Its position remains that it will not enter into a financial deal while other Indigenous Australians and community groups were denied the opportunity because of the commercial terms sought by the licensee.

The league's first Indigenous executive, Tanya Hosch, says the competition had a responsibility to be "very clear about our respect for first peoples" and the flag was one way it could demonstrate that. "To cease doing that, I think, could send a very confusing signal to many people who are still starting to understand what the flag stands for," says Hosch, the general manager of inclusion and social policy. Thomas, now in his 70s, has kept a low public profile since the largely social media-driven movement gained momentum last year. Born in Alice Springs to a Luritja woman and a Wombai man, he is credited as the first Aboriginal person to graduate from an Australian art school and holds an honorary degree at the University of Adelaide. He will not appear in front of the inquiry and instead his lawyers will make a submission while he continues to hold discussions with the Commonwealth about the potential of it acquiring the rights to the flag.

WAM director Semele Moore, who appeared before the hearing, said the discussions were ongoing and Thomas had "specifically requested those discussions remain confidential". Loading She said WAM was the exclusive licensee for a range of clothing and apparel, towels, and digital and physical media products featuring the flag, pursuant to licence agreements granted by Thomas, for "an agreed period of time". In a rare interview with a Darwin Indigenous radio station last year Thomas revealed he'd been stung personally by the criticism. He issued a statement at the time which asserted as the copyright holder he could choose "who I like to have a licence agreement to manufacture goods which have the Aboriginal flag on it". "The Aboriginal Flag is doing its job as it was intended to do, to bring unity and pride to all Aboriginals," he said. "At times we get the few who snigger and are disenchanted. I can't satisfy all black people who wish to break up the Aboriginal unification."

Wyatt was just months into his new job when it emerged WAM Clothing had issued a legal threat against Spark Health. He met with Thomas about the issue in June last year, in what he described at the time as a "warm and friendly" interaction in Darwin. He added the Commonwealth would not be buying the rights. Loading In 2010 Wyatt became the first Indigenous man elected to the House of Representatives and in the decade since reached milestones such as the first to be appointed to the frontbench and then to cabinet following the Morrison government's shock election win last year. Burdened with huge expectations, he has thrown himself in a major overhaul of Closing the Gap, the government's efforts to bridge the social and economic divide between Indigenous and non-indigenous Australians, as well delivering the government's response to the Uluru Statement from the Heart. This week in his home city of Perth, the 68-year-old laid bare some of the challenges he has faced in the role, saying he'd been called a "token Indigenous member", a "coconut" and an "Uncle Tom" on social media when earlier this year he urged Black Lives Matter protesters to stay home and not risk the health and safety of the people they were marching to protect.

"There is never one right answer; complex situations require the ability to test and question ourselves and the way in which we approach policy making," he told The West Australian's Leadership Matters Conference. NSW Labor MP Linda Burney, herself the first Indigenous woman elected to the House of Representatives, led the push for a Senate inquiry this month when she returned from the recent parliamentary break exercised by the AFL's recent decision. Linda Burney said "this is an issue of morality". Credit:Dominic Lorrimer Burney, who has the flag tattooed on her left arm, said people had one simple question: how could this happen? "How could the Aboriginal flag be held hostage?" she said in an impassioned speech in Parliament.
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Major multinational military exercises with troops participating from the United States, the United Kingdom, Poland, France, and the host country Georgia came to an end with a closing ceremony at Georgia's Vaziani Military Base September 18.
The police said that Sharma 'was found to be in possession of some defence-related classified documents'. His bail plea has been listed for 22 September

New Delhi: The Delhi Police on Friday said it has arrested a freelance journalist, who was found in possession of defence-related classified documents, in connection with a case under the Official Secrets Act.

Rajeev Sharma, a resident of Pitampura, has been arrested by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police.

"He (Rajeev) was found to be in possession of some defence-related classified documents. Investigation of the case is in progress and further details will be shared in due course," Sanjeev Kumar Yadav, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell), said.

Police said Rajeev was arrested on 14 September and produced before a magistrate the next day. He was taken into police custody for six days. His bail application has been listed in Patiala House Court for 22 September.
A panel of the World Trade Organization (WTO) recently ruled against the United States in its tariff dispute with China. The U.S. was determined to have violated rules and its own public commitment by unilaterally launching a Section 301 investigation and threatening punitive tariffs against China, which led up to the unprecedented trade war.



In accordance with WTO rules, no member is permitted to take unilateral measures to cancel tariff concessions or forfeit other obligations without the authorization of the Dispute Settlement Body  the WTO entity in charge of settling disagreements.

It is also clear that the United States ran counter to the U.S. president's own Statement of Administrative Action endorsed by the Congress. Internationally, it has also gone against its commitment made in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) treaty with the European Community in 1998. Specifically, it is not allowed to take unilateral action based on its own judgment that another member has violated WTO rules.

The findings, which clearly undermine the legitimacy of the U.S.-led trade war, delivered a blow to those in the United States that wish to see a worsening of U.S.-China relations, and even a decoupling of the two nations.

The United States has three options. First, to accept the ruling merely by refraining from lodging an appeal. Given that the Trump administration has consistently blamed the WTO for failure to treat the United States with "fairness and justice," accepting the ruling would require swallowing a bitter pill, and therefore looks extremely unlikely.

Second, it could appeal against the ruling. From a legal perspective, unfortunately, the ruling does not mean as much as it appears. According to the WTO's Disputes Settlement Understanding, panel rulings are not final. Disputants have 60 days to lodge an appeal to the Appellate Body if they are dissatisfied with a ruling. From a purely legal point of view, ironically, the Appellate Body  which has been at an impasse due to the U.S. blocking the appointment of judges  is still alive as an in-built body of the WTO although it remains in limbo. In this context, the U.S. may choose to lodge an appeal. Since the current Appellate Body will never be able to form a collegiate bench of three judges to hear the dispute, the appeal itself will leave the dispute pending indefinitely unless the Appellate Body were to be resumed after appointing more judges. Therefore, should the U.S. choose to appeal against the ruling, there will not be an opportunity for a final verdict and it will be unlikely that the case will reach the stage of implementation.

Third, the U.S. could ignore the panel's ruling. As the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has been used to dismiss the WTO for failing to deliver fairness and justice to the U.S., the United States may choose to simply ignore the verdict. In recent times, the U.S. has threatened to withdraw from the WTO on numerous occasions. As the USTR considers the ruling to be unfair, the decision has given those who advocate quitting the WTO an extra incentive. If the U.S. were to finally leave, it could surely opt to ignore the panel's ruling.

Nevertheless, while the panel's ruling is a setback for the United States, it is a victory for China, which will never stop working to safeguard its trade interests in a manner consistent with the WTO.

Professor Kong Qingjiang is Dean of the School of International Law, China University of Political Science and Law.

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

If you would like to contribute, please contact us at opinion@china.org.cn.
Weingarten Realty Investors (NYSE:WRI) has had a great run on the share market with its stock up by a significant 6.2% over the last week. As most would know, fundamentals are what usually guide market price movements over the long-term, so we decided to look at the company's key financial indicators today to determine if they have any role to play in the recent price movement. Particularly, we will be paying attention to Weingarten Realty Investors' ROE today.

ROE or return on equity is a useful tool to assess how effectively a company can generate returns on the investment it received from its shareholders. In short, ROE shows the profit each dollar generates with respect to its shareholder investments.

Check out our latest analysis for Weingarten Realty Investors

How Do You Calculate Return On Equity?

The formula for return on equity is:

Return on Equity = Net Profit (from continuing operations)  Shareholders' Equity

So, based on the above formula, the ROE for Weingarten Realty Investors is:

14% = US$252m  US$1.9b (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2020).

The 'return' is the income the business earned over the last year. One way to conceptualize this is that for each $1 of shareholders' capital it has, the company made $0.14 in profit.

Why Is ROE Important For Earnings Growth?

So far, we've learned that ROE is a measure of a company's profitability. We now need to evaluate how much profit the company reinvests or "retains" for future growth which then gives us an idea about the growth potential of the company. Assuming everything else remains unchanged, the higher the ROE and profit retention, the higher the growth rate of a company compared to companies that don't necessarily bear these characteristics.

A Side By Side comparison of Weingarten Realty Investors' Earnings Growth And 14% ROE

At first glance, Weingarten Realty Investors seems to have a decent ROE. Further, the company's ROE compares quite favorably to the industry average of 5.0%. Probably as a result of this, Weingarten Realty Investors was able to see a decent growth of 8.8% over the last five years.

Story continues

Next, on comparing with the industry net income growth, we found that Weingarten Realty Investors' reported growth was lower than the industry growth of 14% in the same period, which is not something we like to see.

Earnings growth is a huge factor in stock valuation. Its important for an investor to know whether the market has priced in the company's expected earnings growth (or decline). By doing so, they will have an idea if the stock is headed into clear blue waters or if swampy waters await. What is WRI worth today? The intrinsic value infographic in our free research report helps visualize whether WRI is currently mispriced by the market.

Is Weingarten Realty Investors Efficiently Re-investing Its Profits?

Weingarten Realty Investors has a high three-year median payout ratio of 66%. This means that it has only 34% of its income left to reinvest into its business. However, it's not unusual to see a REIT with such a high payout ratio mainly due to statutory requirements. In spite of this, the company was able to grow its earnings by a fair bit, as we saw above.

Additionally, Weingarten Realty Investors has paid dividends over a period of at least ten years which means that the company is pretty serious about sharing its profits with shareholders. Our latest analyst data shows that the future payout ratio of the company over the next three years is expected to be approximately 62%. Regardless, Weingarten Realty Investors' ROE is speculated to decline to 4.5% despite there being no anticipated change in its payout ratio.

Conclusion

Overall, we feel that Weingarten Realty Investors certainly does have some positive factors to consider. Its earnings have grown respectably as we saw earlier, which was likely due to the company reinvesting its earnings at a pretty high rate of return. However, given the high ROE, we do think that the company is reinvesting a small portion of its profits. This could likely be preventing the company from growing to its full extent. That being so, according to the latest industry analyst forecasts, the company's earnings are expected to shrink in the future. To know more about the latest analysts predictions for the company, check out this visualization of analyst forecasts for the company.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.



Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
New Delhi, Sep 18 : The Congress is hypocritical in its opposition to the pro-farmer bills introduced by the Modi government as it also wanted barrier-free trade of agriculture produce when in power at the Centre, sources close to the government said.

Sources say that the actions of the Congress in the past demonstrate that when in power it was working in the same direction and while in opposition now, it is opposing these reforms.

"It is evident that Congress also wanted barrier-free trade of agriculture produce. Thus, Congress is hypocritical in its opposition to the pro-farmer bills introduced by the Modi government," sources said.

Congress and other like-minded parties have been vehemently opposing the pro-farmer reforms inside and outside Parliament. Sources say the Congress' actions now are totally opposite to their actions in the past regarding such reform.

Sources say that in different states, the arrangement of contract farming was encouraged according to the local requirement at different time periods. It was not limited to any particular party, different political parties adopted it during their tenure. "Why are the same parties which were in power in the respective states are now opposing the reforms brought by Central government?", they asked.

Various states such as Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana (2007, INC), Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka (2003, INC), Maharashtra (2006, INC-NCP), Madhya Pradesh (2003, INC), Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha (2006, BJD), Rajasthan, Sikkim, Telangana, Tripura and Uttarakhand have made provisions for contract farming under the state APMC Act. Three states including Punjab (2013, SAD), Tamil Nadu (2019, AIADMK), Odisha (2020, BJD) have passed separate Contract Farming Acts.

While giving historic boost to Rural India, three ordinances were promulgated on 5 June 2020 for benefit of farmers and to transform the agriculture sector.

These ordinances were: The Farming Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020 to promote barrier-free inter-state and intra-state trade in agriculture produce;

The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, 2020 to engage with processors, aggregators, wholesalers, large retailers, exporters; and

Amendment to the Essential Commodities Act to liberalize regulatory environment for farmers.

Three respective bills were introduced on September 14 in the Lok Sabha to replace these ordinances - The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020; The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020; The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020.

The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 seeks to provide for the creation of an ecosystem where the farmers and traders enjoy the freedom of choice relating to sale and purchase of farmers' produce which facilitates remunerative prices through competitive alternative trading channels to promote efficient, transparent and barrier-free inter-State and intra-State trade and commerce of farmers' produce outside physical premises of markets or deemed markets notified under various State agricultural produce market legislations; to provide a facilitative framework for electronic trading and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

The contrast is now being drawn with the Congress actions in the past. Congress in its manifesto 2019 in sub para 11 of para 7 mentioned that "Congress will repeal the Agricultural Produce Market Committee's Act and make trade in agriculture produce-including export and inter-state trade-free from all restrictions".

As per reports, Congress just before 2014 Lok Sabha elections publicly announced that Congress ruled states should de-notify the fruits and vegetables from the APMC Act. In pursuance, Congress ruled states of Karnataka, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Meghalya and Haryana de-notified the Fruits & Vegetables.

The UPA government led by Congress after coming into power in 2004 started persuasion with the states to adopt the Model APMC Act 2003 to liberalize the state agricultural marketing laws.

The UPA government also formulated the Model APMC Rules 2007 for implementation of Model APMC Act.

UPA constituted 'Committee of State Ministers, In-charge of Agriculture Marketing to Promote Reforms' under chairmanship of Harshvardhan Patil, then Minister for Cooperation and Parliamentary Affairs, Govt. of Maharashtra.

In its report in 2013 the committee proposed Agricultural Produce Inter-State Trade and Commerce (Development & Regulation), Bill for barrier free markets.

The Planning Commission in its report of 2011 also mulled policy option of enacting a "Inter-State Agriculture Produce Trade and Commerce Regulation Act" under entry 42 (Inter-State Trade and Commerce) of the Union list.

The then Cabinet Secretary while considering the Note for COS suggested in April, 2011 that to promote Inter-State Trade and Commerce of agriculture produce across States/UTs through the instrument of Central Legislation. This time also there was the rule of UPA led by Congress.

In pursuance, DAC in consultation with Ministry of Law, Govt of India prepared the draft Bill titled as "Agricultural Produce Inter State Trade and Commerce (Development and Regulation) Bill 2012". However, it was not pursued further.

Sources say that this shows that the Congress also wanted these reforms but is now opposing the Modi government.

The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 seeks to provide for a national framework on farming agreements that protects and empowers farmers to engage with agri-business firms, processors, wholesalers, exporters or large retailers for farm services and sale of future farming produce at a mutually agreed remunerative price framework in a fair and transparent manner.

The context of the bill is that contract farming has been in practice for many decades in India in various States.

It provides a host of benefits for farmers including better marketing linkage, access to new technology, protection from market volatility as well as private investment in the supply chain and the overall agricultural sector including better quality products.

Contract farming has been recognized as a chief enabler in various reports of the Planning Commission and has been implemented by many states under the State APMC Acts. The 11th Five Year Plan, 2007-12, which was released during the tenure of the UPA government, mentions "Several States have amended the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee Acts to allow private markets to be set up in competition with the existing mandis." "Contract farming, which is being encouraged by many States, also provides a mechanism for improving linkages between farmers and markets through the active involvement of the private sector, which can also serve as a supplier of key inputs and extension advice." The Planning Commission in its report of 2011 mentions that "There is a need to promote both private investment and alternative marketing channels to improving the marketing system of agricultural produce by way of direct marketing contract farming and setting up of markets in private and co-operative sectors, e-trading, etc".

The Model APMC Act 2003 stipulates institutional arrangement for registration of sponsoring companies, recording of Contract Farming Agreement, indemnity for securing farmers' land and lays down a time bound dispute resolution mechanism. Contract farming has been prevalent in various parts of the country for commercial crops like sugarcane, cotton, tea and coffee, etc. There is a need to promote Contract Farming in high value crops with single registration at state-level.

While discussing 'Issues in Expanding Agricultural Marketing and Processing', the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17) prepared by Planning Commission during UPA years states "The introduction of the Model Act in 2003 was directed towards allowing private market yards, direct buying and selling, and also to promote and regulate contract farming in high-value agriculture with a view to boost private sector investment in developing new regularised markets, logistics and warehouse receipt systems, and in infrastructure (such as cold storage facilities)." "This is particularly relevant for the high-value segment that is currently hostage to high post-harvest losses and weak farm-firm linkages. While many States have moved towards adoption of the Model Act, actual progress has been limited. Often the permissions given are subject to unacceptable restrictions which make them ineffective. Vested interests in maintaining the existing mandi system intact are very strong." It is pointed out that PepsiCo started working with farmers in Punjab in 1980s for pulping tomatoes and with orange farmers for making Tropicana juice. Incidentally, from 1987-92, Punjab was under President's Rule i.e. it was run by Central government. It was mostly either Congress party in power in Central government or there were Governments led by V. P. Singh and Chandra Shekhar. From 1992 till 1997, again the Congress party was in power in Punjab.

PepsiCo tied up with the farmers for getting potatoes for their Frito Lay potato crisps in 2001 in collaboration with the State government.

Subsequently, they initiated Contract Farming in several states including West Bengal and Maharashtra.

Many successful contract farming projects have been supported by State governments across the country for more than the last 2 decades.

The Haryana State Government had started the contract farming scheme in 2007 under the leadership of INC Chief Minister Bhupendra Singh Hooda. The CM handed over the first registration certificate to SAB Miller India, which had launched the scheme in three districts of Haryana for barley.

Similarly, in 2003 PepsiCo initiated procurement of potatoes through contract farming in West Bengal over 600 ha. land. By 2011 there was almost four fold increase in the area.

There are similar examples of onions in Maharashtra, cucumber in Karnataka, Barley in Rajasthan etc.

The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020 Bill seeks to remove commodities like cereals, pulses, oilseeds, edible oils, onion and potatoes from the list of essential commodities.

This will remove fears of private investors of excessive regulatory interference in their business operations.

The freedom to produce, hold, move, distribute and supply will lead to harnessing of economies of scale and attract private sector/foreign direct investment into agriculture sector.

As the bill replaces the ordinance to amend the Essential Commodities Act, it is important to note that ordinance provided for safeguarding of interests of consumers. It has been provided in the Amendment, that in situations such as war, famine, extraordinary price rise and natural calamity, such agricultural foodstuff can be regulated.

Similarly, the actions of Congress in the past show that in 2019 Lok Sabha Elections Manifesto, Congress promised to replace the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 by an enabling law that can be invoked only in case of emergencies.

The Mid Term Appraisal of Eleventh Five Year Plan during UPA years states - "Improving marketing conditions and encouraging private sector participation require reforming the APMC Act and abolishing the Essential Commodities Act (ECA).

"Cleaning up these archaic provisions can trigger private sector investment in developing regularized markets, logistics and warehouse receipt systems, futures markets, and in infrastructure (such as cold storage, grades and standards, and quality certification) for large domestic markets as well as imports and exports." UPA constituted 'Committee of State Ministers, In-charge of Agriculture Marketing to Promote Reforms' under chairmanship of Harshvardhan Patil, then Minister for Cooperation and Parliamentary Affairs, Govt. of Maharashtra. In its report in 2013 stated - "...Essential Commodities Act and plethora of Orders promulgated under this Act by the Centre and States prevented development of free and competitive marketing system in the country." The Planning Commission in its report of 2011 also mentioned about reduction of list of commodities from the purview of Essential Commodities Act and recommended for imposition of trade and marketing restrictions only during the emergency.
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...
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A firefighter has died battling a wildfire in California that officials say was sparked by a device used to reveal a baby's sex at a gender reveal party as crews continue to battle more than two dozen major fires across the state.

The firefighter died on Thursday in the San Bernardino National Forest as crews battled the El Dorado Fire.

Authorities say they won't release the name of the firefighter until family members are notified. The cause of the firefighter's death is under investigation, the US Forest Service said in a statement.

'Our deepest sympathies are with the family, friends and fellow firefighters during this time,' Forest Service spokesperson Zach Behrens said.

No other information was released about the firefighter, the agency the firefighter worked for or the circumstances of the firefighter's death.

A firefighter died on Thursday battling the El Dorado Fire in the San Bernardino National Forest as crews continue to battle more than two dozen major fires across the state. Pictured above is the Bobcat Fire in the Angeles National Forest

The fire erupted on September 5 when a couple staged a baby gender reveal at El Dorado Ranch Park at the foot of the San Bernardino Mountains.

Authorities say a smoke-generating pyrotechnic device sparked the blaze after it was set off in a field and quickly ignited dry grass.

The couple frantically tried to use bottled water to extinguish the flames and called 911.

The wildfire has already burned nearly 30 square miles and is about 66 percent contained, according to Cal Fire. The fire has destroyed 10 buildings and damaged six others.

Authorities have not released the identities of the couple, who could face criminal charges and be held liable for the cost of fighting the fire.

It comes as more than 17,000 firefighters continue to battle more than two dozen major wildfires in California.

The blazes are blamed for at least 25 deaths.

A firefighter assesses the evolution of the Bobcat Fire as it continues to burn in the Angeles National Forest near Juniper Hills, north East of Los Angeles, on Thursday

A firefighter truck is parked down hill as firefighters assess the evolution of the Bobcat Fire as it continues to burn in the Angeles National Forest

The Bobcat Fire continues to burn through the Angeles National Forest

A front of humid and rainy weather on Friday aided the efforts of weary emergency crews and brought some relief to a region that has suffered a historically devastating fire season

Crews continue to battle more than two dozen major fires across California - the most populous US state

A front of humid and rainy weather on Friday aided the efforts of weary emergency crews and brought some relief to a region that has suffered a historically devastating fire season.

The deadly wildfires have raged for weeks due to tinderbox conditions created by high winds, lightning and drought.

The region still faces a formidable recovery from the fires, which have burned some 3.2 million acres in California since mid-August and another 1.7 million acres in Oregon and Washington state since Labor Day.

Several small towns have largely been incinerated, with thousands of dwellings destroyed and at least 35 lives lost - 26 in California, including the firefighter - eight in Oregon, and one in Washington state.

Thousands of evacuees, especially in Oregon, remained huddled in emergency shelters, mobile trailers and hotel rooms.

The situation was particularly dire in Oregon, a state unaccustomed to wildfires of such magnitude and lacking sufficient resources to deal with them.

Oregon's firefighting force has more than doubled over the past week, with some 6,500 personnel on the fire lines.

CalFire said more than 17,400 firefighters were deployed against 26 fires in the most populous state.

A firefighter battles a wildfire near a structure while defending the Mount Wilson observatory during the Bobcat Fire in Los Angeles

The region still faces a formidable recovery from the fires, which have burned some 3.2 million acres in California since mid-August
The Ogun State Government has appealed to workers to shelve their strike over the national minimum wage and return to negotiation with it on their demands.

The chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in the state, Emmanuel Bankole, on Tuesday, had declared a one-week warning strike over the failure of the government to implement the new salary structure.

This followed the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum the workers union had issued to the state government on the issue.

But the Secretary to the State Government, Tokunbo Talabi, in a statement on Thursday, appealed to the organised Labour to return to the negotiation table with the government.

He said the negotiation would resolve the grey areas in the workers demand for improved welfare.

The official said the warning strike is most unfortunate and a negation of civility and expected ethos that should underpin negotiations between government (particularly one that has demonstrated in many ways its commitment to staff welfare) and organised labour who are presumed partners in the task of developing the state and catering for the welfare and wellbeing of all citizens and residents.

He also attributed the failure of the government to pay the minimum wage to the inherited outstanding personnel liabilities from the last administration.

In October 2019, the federal government and the labour unions had agreed on consequential adjustments in salaries to be implemented across all boards in line with the new minimum wage law.

As of the time of this report, only 17 of the 36 states in Nigeria are paying the new minimum wage.
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MONTREAL, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Turquoise Hill Resources today announced that the Company's Board of Directors has accepted the resignation of non-independent director Alan Chirgwin, effective September 17, 2020. Mr. Chirgwin's resignation corresponds with his personal decision to leave Rio Tinto.

Peter Gillin, Chairman of Turquoise Hill Board of Directors, said, "The Board would like to thank Alan for his contributions to Turquoise Hill and wish him all the best in his future endeavors."

The Board of Directors is pleased to announce, that Alfie Grigg will be joining the Board of Turquoise Hill, effective September 18, 2020. Mr. Grigg has more than 20 years' experience as a legal executive and senior advisor with extensive experience in joint ventures, governance, stakeholder engagement, business development and capital markets, across the resources, energy and technology sectors. Mr. Grigg is currently chief Counsel, Pacific for Rio Tinto's Aluminum business leading the legal and regulatory activities for Rio Tinto's bauxite mines, alumina refineries, aluminum smelters and associated power generation assets in the Pacific region.

Peter Gillin stated, "We are pleased to welcome Mr. Grigg and look forward to his contributions to the Board."

SOURCE TURQUOISE HILL RESOURCES LTD
By Associated Press

LIMA: Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra's job is on the line Friday as opposition lawmakers push through an impeachment hearing criticized as a hasty and poorly timed ouster attempt in one of the countries hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

Lawmakers appeared to be far short of the two-thirds majority vote required to remove Vizcarra from office, but even if he dodged the impeachment attempt analysts warned that he would not escape the ordeal entirely unscathed.

His ability to carry forward the anti-corruption agenda he has sought to make the hallmark of his short but eventful administration could be further jeopardized if Vizcarra is perceived as having engaged in influence peddling himself.

"His credibility in carrying through that agenda is already problematic. This really hangs in the balance," said Jo-Marie Burt, a senior fellow with the Washington Office on Latin America. The political turmoil rocking Peru has briefly distracted attention from one of the world's worst coronavirus outbreaks and involves a cast of characters that could easily fit into a soap opera.

At the center of the ordeal is Vizcarra's relationship with a little-known musician known as Richard Swing and nearly USD 50,000 in questionable contracts that he was given by the Ministry of Culture for activities like motivational speaking.

A covert audio recording shared by Edgar Alarcon - a lawmaker himself charged with embezzlement - appears to show Vizcarra coordinating a defense strategy with two aides, trying to get their stories straight on how many times the musician had visited him.

Vizcarra insists no illegal activity took place and he has not been charged. Though Vizcarra is entitled to speak to Congress in his own defense, it was widely expected that he would be represented by an attorney.

But while analysts have criticized the rushed procedure in which the impeachment proceeding was initiated within hours of the audio's release, many agreed that the president owed Peruvians an explanation.

"The best thing the president could do is go to Congress, explain the audios and go hibernate. Let his ministers take the spotlight until his government is up," said Alonso Cardenas, a politics professor at the Antonio Ruiz de Montoya university in Lima.

Vizcarra became president in 2018 after Pedro Pablo Kuczynski resigned the presidency under pressure by Congress after the discovery of about USD 782,000 in undisclosed payments to his private consulting firm by Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht, which is at the center of a regionwide corruption scandal.

Odebrecht has admitted to paying some USD 800 million in bribes to officials across Latin America, and nearly every living former Peruvian president has been implicated in the scandal. Vizcarra, at the time a vice president serving as Peru's ambassador to Colombia, is an engineer by training and was considered an unknown political novice.

But he has managed to become a highly popular president, recently getting a 57 per cent approval rating in a poll despite Peru's severe economic fallout from the COVID-19 crisis and the high infection rate.

Many Peruvians see him as a frank-talking leader who has taken on corruption, dismissing Congress last year in a brash move cheered by citizens as a victory against a dishonest class of politicians and pushing through initiatives to reform how judges are chosen and bar politicians charged with crimes from running for office. "He's the only president who - without a lot of power - has faced off against those shameless people," said Pedro Quispe, a retired teacher out selling face masks on a recent day.

Steve Levitsky, a Harvard University political scientist, said Vizcarra has made "some modest steps forward" when it comes to corruption. "He hasn't been able to carry out all the political reform that he and his allies hope to. But corruption in middle income countries is never eliminated in a single presidency," Levitsky said.

Vizcarra tried to halt the impeachment by filing a lawsuit with the Constitutional Tribunal, but magistrates ruled Thursday that the process could proceed, under the belief that lawmakers would not actually be able to oust him.

To what degree the current scandal could nonetheless taint the seven months he has left in office remains to be seen. The president has no majority in Congress, a pandemic still to deal with and an economic contraction that has put millions into poverty.

His presidency, it appears, will be book-ended by crises. "He is very isolated, very alone. I really don't think anyone is winning in this situation," Burt said.
Former Vice President Joe Biden is hoping that barbershop conversations will equate to an increase in voter turnout for the Democratic presidential nominee among Black men in November.

Modeled similarly to LeBron James hit HBO show The Shop, which presents unfiltered conversation and debate from the biggest names in sports and entertainment, Bidens campaign launched his own version, called Shop Talk, last month. The weekly forum is a virtual roundtable discussion with prominent Black men on the challenges they face across the country.

In 2016, 4.4 million people who cast their vote for President Obama in 2012  more than a third of whom were Black  did not vote in the presidential election. Shop Talk is one of several initiatives the Biden campaign hopes to use to motivate those same voters.

The program launched on the heels of the shooting of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man who was shot in the back by police seven times as he opened the door to his car in Kenosha, Wis. Guests for the debut included attorney Bakari Sellers, actor Terrence J, Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-La., and music producer Jermaine Dupri.

This week, participants will include rapper Jeezy and Michigan Rep. Jewell Jones, D-Inkster, and the conversation will focus on how Black mens issues impact the nation.

Joe Biden and rapper Jeezy (Drew Angerer/Getty Images; Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)

[Im looking for] insight, understanding and clarity, grammy-nominated artist Jeezy, whose real name is Jay Wayne Jenkins, said of participating in the series. I am happy to ask questions that I want to know and get answers.

Jeezy said he hopes Shop Talk will achieve its goal of getting more Black men to the polls.

Being a man of the people and a Black man in America, I feel I need to encourage the people to get out there and use the tool of voting, he said. We cant just be upset. We have to get out here. Ive got to get out here and do what I can do.

In June, Jeezy joined the NAACPs "March on Georgia" to demand an end to systemic racism, police brutality and voter suppression. Hes even marched with his son in recent months.

Story continues

My message has been clear, Jeezy said. Ain't no justice, no peace. Im tired of burying my homeboys. Im tired of sending my boys money in prison.  We have to get out here and fight for what we want.

In November of 2008, Jeezy released the song My President in which he celebrated the election of the countrys first Black president in Barack Obama. The song rose to number 13 on Billboards Hot Rap Tracks chart.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - SEPTEMBER 12: Jeezy speaks onstage during day 1 of REVOLT Summit x AT&T Summit on September 12, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Revolt)

Jeezy noted that he voted for Obama twice. He acknowledges now that times are different today than they were during Obamas presidency.

The world wasnt in turmoil, Jeezy said. My neighbors didnt look at me like I was a threat. I didnt have to see my local mall burning down. I value people. Politics is politics. At the end of the day you can run your company how you choose. I can respect that as a man. If a man is running his business, but his family is not doing well. I cant respect that.

Jones, meanwhile, sees the plight of Black America through a different lens. In 2016, at the age of 21, he became the youngest state representative in Michigan history, winning his election when he was still a student at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.

I'm always telling people [in the past], this is the most important election, but this one I think is probably one of the most important ones, Jones said. I think in the Supreme Court and the federal courts, the president has been appointing people that are just blatantly racist. So I think it's important for the Black folk in general to realize that the voting isn't just about the president this year  it's about everyone from the top of the ticket all the way down.

Jones adds that he feels that Biden should focus on pathways for the Black community to create generational wealth.

I definitely think that folks want to hear about guaranteed income for everybody, decriminalizing poverty and the growth of Black business, Jones said. I don't think we want to just talk about justice and fairness and equality, but also equity.  Talk about generational wealth for the Black community.

In 2016, the Black voter turnout rate declined for the first time in 20 years in a presidential election, falling to 59.6 percent in 2016 after reaching a record-high 66.6 percent in 2012. And while 98 percent of Black women voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016, this number dropped to 81 percent of Black men.

While the addition of Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., as Bidens vice presidential pick energized many Black women, the launch of Shop Talk shows he understands that he likely still has some work to do with Black men.

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden speaks about climate change and the wildfires on the West Coast a the Delaware Museum of Natural History on September 14, 2020 in Wilmington, Delaware. Biden has campaign stops scheduled in Florida, Pennsylvania and Minnesota later this week. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

President Trump has aggressively gone after the Black vote this year, often praising himself for the work he has done for the Black community. Trump regularly boasts of having done more for the Black community than any president since Abraham Lincoln.

Jeezy, however, has a different perspective.

Im a judge of character. ... I hear people talk about Trump and say hes a businessman, Jeezy said. If you have a successful business, but the people are in turmoil, are you successful? If people are burning the warehouse down, but youre making money, is that success? We have to have integrity. If you take the money away, what do you have?

Jones admits that he had early reservations about a Biden/Harris ticket, but is now fully on board.

We talk about creating space for people, but from what Ive seen here in Michigan and with the Democratic Party, usually its all a talking point, he said. So I'm happy to see that Shop Talk is actually engaging people from different walks of life and bringing them to the table. ... Black men really just need to hear that the campaign is behind them and that they're going to be supporting us not only right now where they're trying to get the vote, but into the future. I think people just really want to know that they have a voice and that they have somebody who's going to look out for them. Loyalty is important.

But while Jeezy stopped short of officially endorsing Biden, he said hes ready to listen.

Im here, Jeezy said. We have the time.

_____

Read more from Yahoo News:
The partial closure of the Canada-United States border has been extended to October 21, and may be further extended through Thanksgiving in the U.S.

The two countries announced the closure extension on Friday. Trade goods, essential workers and citizens returning home will continue to be allowed across the border, which has been otherwise closed since March in an attempt to stem the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

We will continue to base our decisions on the best public health advice available to keep Canadians safe, Canadian Public Safety Minister Bill Blair wrote on Twitter.

Cases in Canada have started to rise in recent weeks as well, CTV News reported.

Over the last few months, weve learned that we can never let our guard down, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at a press conference this week. The fight against Covid-19 is far from over.

The extension comes amid calls from leaders in border communities to lessen the restrictions.

Rep. Brian Higgins, a Buffalo Democrat, told the Buffalo News he blamed the Trump administrations response to the pandemic for the continued closure.

We miss the free flow of people across the border and the mutual benefits it brings to our neighboring countries, but due to President Trumps irresponsible and chaotic handling of COVID-19, we respect and understand Canadas position, Higgins said. This is just one of the consequences of the Presidents failed response to this pandemic.

In Canada, public safety critic Shannon Stubbs called on Blair and Trudeau to allow more exemptions to the closure to allow people on both sides to live more normally.

We are calling on the Trudeau government to take a compassionate approach to resolve situations where families remain separated, while ensuring the health and safety of Canadians, she said.

Reuters Canada reported that the closures are expected to be extended again next month until after Thanksgiving holiday in November.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed Sen. Jim Stamas bill to ensure students will have flexibility in meeting the states high school graduation requirements.

Now more than ever, its clear that education is not a one-size-fits-all process for our students, said Stamas, a Midland Republican in a news release. This reform ensures that Michigans current and future high school students will have flexibility in choosing the best course of study for them to learn, graduate and prepare for successful careers.
A 50-year-old San Antonio man has been indicted on a charge of murder in the fatal shooting of a teenager in June.

Gilberto Perez, 50, was among the 200 felony indictments handed down this week by two Bexar County grand juries, the Bexar County District Attorneys Office said Thursday afternoon.

Perez is accused of shooting at two teens around 9:30 p.m. June 29 in the 100 block of Aztec Alley on the West Side.

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Witnesses told police Moses Johnson, 17, and an unidentified 15-year-old were walking near the street when Perezs 2005 Dodge Durango turned onto the street and slowly drove up to them, according to an arrest affidavit releases at the time.

Perez is then alleged to have fired a semi-automatic weapon from his SUVs window. He then got out of the vehicle and shot at the teens again, the affidavit said.

According to reports, Johnson, who also was armed, exchanged gunfire with Perez, wounding the man. The teens ran toward Zarzamora Street, and Perez returned to his home on Aztec Alley.

Johnson was taken to a hospital and later died from his injuries. The other teen was not injured, the affidavit stated.

Police said Perez, who also was hospitalized, at first denied shooting at the teenagers, said he did not own a gun, and told authorities he did not know how shell casings from a gun ended up in his vehicle, the affidavit stated.

On ExpressNews.com: Affidavit: Man arrested for opening fire on teenagers, killing one

Surveillance video taken from near the crime scene refuted Perezs account, the affidavit states. Perez later changed his story and told authorities that he fired his gun after being ambushed by three males hiding behind a trash bin.

The District Attorneys Office declined to comment on the pending case. The Criminal Trial Division is prosecuting the case in the 226th state District Court, Judge Velia Meza presiding.

Perez is being held in the Bexar County jail in lieu of $100,000 bail, according to online court records. He faces up to life in prison if convicted.

Elizabeth Zavala covers county and state courts in San Antonio. To read more from Elizabeth, become a subscriber. ezavala@express-news.net | Twitter: @elizabeth2863
Royal Navy warships have been involved in three drugs busts in the Caribbean which saw 81 million of cocaine seized.

Sailors, Royal Marines and the US Coast Guard team on board support ship RFA Argus hauled 11 bales of cocaine weighing 358kg in the first of three busts in seven days.

Patrol ship HMS Medway and the US Coast Guard then carried out two interceptions within 24 hours in the Caribbean, seizing 650kg of cocaine.

Royal Navy warships have been involved in three drugs busts in the Caribbean which saw 81 million of cocaine seized. Pictured: HMS Medway and RFA Argus in the Caribbean Sea

Lieutenant Commander Jim Blythe, the commanding officer of HMS Medway, said: 'The Royal Navy and the US Coast Guard have prevented a significant quantity of drugs crossing the Caribbean that could have been destined for the streets of the UK.'

Armed forces minister James Heappey said: 'The Royal Navy task group deployed to support our overseas territories during the Covid-19 pandemic.

'They stayed in the Caribbean to respond to damage caused by hurricanes and now they're making drugs busts alongside our friends in the US Coast Guard.

'This is amazing work from our people after months away from home.'

Sailors, Royal Marines and the US Coast Guard team on board support ship RFA Argus hauled 11 bales of cocaine weighing 358kg in the first of three busts in seven days.

A Navy spokesman said: 'In the first success, an American maritime patrol aircraft spotted a suspicious vessel riding low in the water and reported it to Argus, which immediately changed course to investigate.

'The 28,000-tonne vessel used squalls as cover to stay out of sight and avoid raising suspicion - while her boarding team of Royal Marines of 47 Commando and the US Coast Guard prepared to strike.

'On approaching the target craft, the Royal Marines were spotted and the suspect vessel's crew started to throw their illegal cargo overboard.'

Because the boat was unrecoverable, soldiers from 24 Commando Royal Engineers used explosives to blow the bottom out of the small boat to avoid it becoming a hazard

'The crew of the intercepted vessel were brought back to RFA Argus along with their seized cargo before being transferred to US Coast Guard cutter Spencer.'

A spokesman added that because the boat was unrecoverable, soldiers from 24 Commando Royal Engineers used explosives to blow the bottom out of the small boat to avoid it becoming a hazard.

Medway was involved in intercepting the other two smuggling vessels a few days later, leading to the arrest of six people, the spokesman added.
As a result of its findings, the council has published two guides as part of its 'Let's talk about consent' series (stock photo)

More than half of young people don't know what the term 'consent' means, according to a National Youth Council study.

Some 58pc of young people don't understand the phrase or how important it is, according to the report.

The research, based on the accounts of what youth workers hear from young people, showed that 23pc had issues dealing with communication and confidence around the issue of consent.

A total of 18pc were affected by peer pressure, 12pc by substance use, 12pc by the law, 10pc by relationship status, and 5pc by pornography.

Some young people did not know how to ask for consent or when to ask.

Some had a "fear of saying no" and of being judged, called names, or rejected.

Others were afraid of being called a prude if they didn't engage in sexual activity.

One note in the report cited the case of "a young girl believing her boyfriend can do anything he wants because he is her boyfriend".

The report highlighted a pressure from social groups to have sex and a concern about fitting in.

The study states: "Some young people try to use sex to gain popularity."

One focus group participant commented on the particular pressure young girls experience in this regard and their inability to recognise this and to be able to say no when they don't want to engage in sexual activity, despite their partner's wishes.

Some respondents were concerned about how easy it was to access pornography and the "lack of attention paid to consent".

A council spokesman said: "Research was based on what youth workers reported they were seeing in their work, with young people aged 10 to 25."

As a result of its findings, the council has published two guides as part of its 'Let's talk about consent' series.

The guides provide information on consent and the Irish law; tools to build confidence and communication; and guidance for youth workers.

Report author Lisa Harold of the Council's National Youth Health Programme told the Irish Independent youth workers had reported young people experiencing "blurred lines with communication".

"Some wouldn't have the confidence what to say or a fear of saying 'no' and feeling rejected," she said.
A majority of President Donald Trump's supporters plan to cast their ballot on Election Day, while about half of Joe Biden's backers plan to vote by mail, a sign of a growing partisan divide over how best to conduct elections in the United States.

Overall, 39% of registered voters say they will vote by mail, well above the 21% who say they normally do so, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The rise is skewed toward backers of the former vice president, 53% of whom plan to vote by mail. Fifty-seven percent of Trump's supporters say they'll vote in person on Nov. 3.

Fifty-four percent of voters say they will vote before polls open on Election Day. In 2016, roughly 42% of voters did so.

Trump for months has denigrated mail voting, and Democrats have expressed concern about postal delays that could keep such ballots from being counted. The poll finds ebbing enthusiasm for mail voting: Only 28% of Americans say they would favor their state holding elections exclusively by mail, down from the 40% who said so in April as the coronavirus pandemic was first spreading in the U.S. and before Trump launched his anti-mail campaign.

Support for states allowing voters to cast an absentee ballot without requiring a reason is higher, but also down since April, from 56% to 47%.

Sherry Santiago, 55, of Palm Bay, Florida, is disabled and cannot drive. The Democrat said she almost lost her chance to vote in 2016 because she couldn't get a lift to the polling place and she's happy to sign up for a mail-in ballot this year.

I don't want to take a chance of missing it, Santiago said of the election. I have total confidence in voting by mail. I don't worry there will be a problem.

But Michelle Harman, 44, a Republican who works in the oil and gas industry in Artesia, New Mexico, plans to vote in person on Election Day.

This year more than any other, there's a lot of gray area about what could happen to your vote, said Harman, who said she didn't question voting by mail in 2016 when she was out of town.

Traditionally, voting by mail has not been a partisan issue. Until recently, Republicans were more likely to do so than Democrats, because older voters have tended to vote by mail more often than younger voters.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended earlier this year voting by mail as an alternative to face-to-face interactions at polling places, which could pose a risk of coronavirus infection. States have scrambled to adjust to an expected surge in advance voting, with nearly three dozen changing their mail or absentee voting rules in response to the pandemic.

The president has since tried to fan skepticism of mail voting, baselessly claiming that its widespread use will lead to fraud. Trump warned that mail voting could lead to so many people voting that youd never have a Republican elected in this country again. He condemned on Thursday the plan in 10 states to proactively send mail-in ballots to registered voters, claiming without evidence it means the result of November's election would never be accurately determined.

Studies of past elections have shown voter fraud to be exceedingly rare. In the five states that regularly send ballots to all voters, there have been no major cases of fraud or difficulty counting the votes.

The poll found that 33% of Democrats, but just 12% of Republicans, favor mail-only elections. That's a decline across the board from April, when 47% of Democrats and 29% of Republicans backed the idea. Seventy-two percent of Democrats, but just 25% of Republicans, favor no-excuse absentee voting.

In swing states like Florida, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, Democrats have far outpaced Republicans in requesting mail-in ballots so far this year.

John Mohr, 58, who works at a Dollar General store in Wilmington, North Carolina, asked for a mail-in ballot, but he plans to drop it off at his local elections office. He's seen videos on Facebook saying  falsely  that mail-in ballots are labeled by party, tipping off postal workers who could throw them out before they reach the elections office.

I don't trust the postal service and I sure don't trust Democrats, Mohr said. Trump in North Carolina this month called for his supporters to vote twice  once by mail and once on Election Day  to ensure their vote is counted, which would be illegal. The president now urges supporters voting by mail to check at their polling place whether their ballot was received, but Mohr said he doesn't want to deal with social distancing rules.

I don't want to stand there with 50 different rules, Mohr said.

The poll shows only 34% of Americans have great confidence in the U.S. Postal Service, following a summer of controversy over slowed service resulting from cuts made by Trump's appointee. Still, 49% say they have some confidence.

Democrats suspect the cuts are an effort to sabotage mail voting, and Trump himself said he'd be happy if the post office got less money to stop Democratic efforts to expand that method of voting.

Robert Schott, a Republican, plans to vote in person because his polling place is 500 yards from his home in Cranford, New Jersey, and is rarely crowded. It's easier than going to the post office, said Schott, 62.

Schott, who dislikes Trump and does not know who he will vote for, spoke as he looked at the ballot that just arrived by mail. Though Trump has criticized that practice, Schott sees nothing wrong with it. Nor does he distrust the postal service.

If they can't handle 50 million ballots but they can handle 2 billion Christmas cards, c'mon, Schott said.

Christopher Roquemore, 47, a Democrat in Montgomery, Alabama, will vote early in person because he's volunteering as a poll worker on Election Day. I figure as long as I wear a mask and I wash my hands and do everything I'm supposed to do, it'll be as safe as going into a grocery store, he said.

But his parents, who live across the street, will be voting by mail.

___

Fingerhut reported from Washington.

___

The AP-NORC poll of 1,108 adults was conducted Sept. 11-14 using a sample drawn from NORCs probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.0 percentage points.

___

Online:

AP-NORC Center: http://www.apnorc.org/
Politicians, like artists, need input in order to generate output.

In other words, they need inspiration, the sense of tangible connection with the world around them, to produce something that really resonates.

Insulated artists create sterile, self-obsessed art. Insulated politicians create bad, out-of-touch policy.

One of the best things about Julian Castros new podcast, Our America, is the way it feels like a travelogue of an overlooked America, a recasting of inspirational stories that the former San Antonio mayor collected while campaigning across the country for president in 2019.

By any conventional standard, Castros bid for the 2020 Democratic nomination was unsuccessful. He languished near the bottom of most national polls, struggled to raise money and dropped out of the race before a single primary vote had been cast.

His campaign didnt feel like a failure, however, because it was always driven by a sense of purpose, a determination to speak inconvenient truths on issues ranging from environmental racism to economic segregation.

Along the way, he listened. The experience deepened his sense of outrage about festering injustices, but also recharged his belief in the power of grassroots activism.

Thats what makes Our America special. It doesnt feel like the phoned-in product of a politician who was looking for a new job. Its undeniably a labor of love, recorded from the floor of a closet in Castros San Antonio home, while he stares at his wife, Ericas, shoe collection.

The podcast has high production values, mixing interviews with bits of narration and archival news snippets, and held together by a bed of ambient music.

In that sense, its more in the mold of an elaborately constructed podcast series like Rachel Maddows historical who-done-it, Bag Man, than political gabfests such as Pod Save America or David Plouffes Campaign HQ.

What really makes Castros podcast special, however, is the way he uses the format  and the political capital he built up during his presidential campaign. He easily could have made it a self-promotional showcase for his own political platform.

Instead, he takes listeners on a tour of the country he saw on the campaign trail, letting everyday Americans tell their stories and reveal their own acts of heroism and resilience.

For example, in Episode 2, which streamed on Thursday, Castro reconnects with Pastor Ezra Tillman and First Lady Catrina Tillman, an African American couple from Flint, Mich., who helped their community survive a water crisis through the creation of water boxes (portable systems that filter tap water).

Castro lets the Tillmans tell their own story. Hes a sharp and unobtrusive interviewer, innately understanding when to step back and let the story breathe.

At the end, he asks the Tillmans what their America would look like.

I would like to see an America that, number one, acknowledges differences, Catrina Tillman tells him.

Because it does something to me when a person thats not Black says, Well, I dont see color. Well, if you dont see color, then you will never see me. You will never acknowledge my history, you will never acknowledge my hurt, you will never acknowledge the beauty that comes with this dark-chocolate, sun-kissed complexion.

The first episode of Our America, which debuted Sept. 10, allowed Castro to explore his own familys history.

The broad details are familiar to most San Antonians: Castros grandmother, an orphan from Mexico, worked in San Antonio as a cook, a maid and a babysitter; his mother, Rosie, became a political activist with La Raza Unida Party; and Castro and his twin brother, Joaquin, made it to Stanford University, Harvard Law School and elective office.

Its a story he has outlined in numerous campaign speeches and detailed in his 2018 memoir, An Unlikely Journey.

But Castros podcast finds new wrinkles in this familiar tale. In conversation with his congressman brother, Castro reveals that their shared youthful competitiveness subsequently made it difficult for them to show each other physical affection.

They share fond memories of their grandmother, Victoriana, who never made it past third grade, reading her beloved Agatha Christie novels with the help of a magnifying glass.

Above all, they ponder the multigenerational work that goes into attaining the American dream.

Their grandmother worked multiple jobs for her entire life, yet never had a bank account or owned a house. She retired with very little and relied on a monthly Social Security check of slightly more than $300 to get by.

She worked hard so her daughter could go to college, and her daughter worked hard so her twin boys could achieve even greater heights.

Its a story of deep struggle, fueled by faith and optimism. Its also the story of America, as presented on Castros podcast.

Gilbert Garcia is a columnist covering the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Gilbert, become a subscriber. ggarcia@express-news.net | Twitter: @gilgamesh470
Priyanka Chopra- Nick Jonas welcome their first child through surrogacy, fans feel she'd already dropped hints
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 11:37:03|Editor: huaxia

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CHANGSHA, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, on Thursday encouraged young students to live up to the times when he visited the Yuelu Academy in Changsha, the capital city of central China's Hunan Province.

"The new era is an era of heroes," he said.

Xi exhorted the students to study hard, master knowledge and skills, foster the correct worldview, outlook on life and values, and contribute their wisdom to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Enditem
The OPEC+ cooperation agreement saw "a record level of compliance" in August, Venezuelan Oil Minister Tareck El Aissami said.

"We applaud the excellent results of the cooperative work of OPEC+," El Aissami said on Twitter on Thursday, adding the level of compliance with production quotas in August was 101 per cent.

El Aissami's remarks came on the sidelines of the 22nd meeting of the OPEC+ Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee, a body made up of the member countries of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and other producing nations, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The projections for the recovery of the world economy for 2021 are encouraging. However, OPEC+ countries must continue to be alert to the negative effects of Covid-19, which continue to impact the world's economies and the global energy industry," he warned.

attended the meeting in the spirit of "dialogue and cooperation as the way to overcome today's difficulties", the Minister added.

The Committee holds monthly online meetings to assess the performance of the oil market and compliance with production quotas by member countries of the OPEC+ cooperation agreement.

Meanwhile, oil prices advanced on Thursday as the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies stressed importance of compliance with output cuts quotas.

The West Texas Intermediate for October delivery rose 81 cents to settle at $40.97 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, while Brent crude for November delivery climbed $1.08 to $43.30 a barrel on the London ICE Futures Exchange.

"In the current environment, the JMMC emphasised the importance of being pro-active and pre-emptive and recommended that participating countries should be willing to take further necessary measures when needed," the OPEC+ Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee said in a statement.

Thursday's market movement followed a massive rally in the prior session that saw both crude benchmarks surge more than 4 per cent.

--IANS

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(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.)
Donald Trump launched a public attack on his FBI director Chris Wray Thursday after the law enforcement chief called antifa 'a movement' and not 'an organization' and told Congress Russia was trying to interfere in the election to hurt Joe Biden.

Wray delivered testimony to Congress putting him at odds with Trump on both violence in the homeland and threats from abroad, prompting a two-tweet rebuke sent from Air Force One.

Trump claimed China is a 'far greater threat than Russia,' which Wray did not, suggested they will send forged ballots, and then claimed the FBI 'protected' antifa.

He also linked Wray - his own appointee - to two of his favorite targets: James Comey and Robert Mueller, the current director's predecessors calling the bureau 'Comey/Mueller inspired.'

The outburst came after the FBI Director warned that Russia is interfering in the 2020 elections with an active campaign to 'denigrate' Trump's rival.

In stark testimony less than two months before Election Day, Wray said Russia was pumping out a steady steam of misinformation aimed at Biden as well as sapping Americans' confidence in the election process.

The threat, Wray said, is ongoing. 'The intelligence community consensus is that Russia continues to try to influence our elections,' he said  nearly four years after an ominous intelligence community warning about Russian measures in 2016.

Moscow is also attempting to undercut what it sees as an anti-Russian U.S. establishment, the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation head told the Democratic-led House of Representatives' Homeland Security committee.

He said his biggest concern is a 'steady drumbeat of misinformation' that he said he feared could undermine confidence in the result of the 2020 election.

FBI Director Chris Wray said Russia and its proxies seek to sow 'divisiveness and discord' and 'primarily to denigrate Vice President Biden'

Wray was also pressed repeatedly by Republicans on antifa, which Trump has repeatedly claimed is an organization behind violence.

Wray did not dispute that antifa activists were a serious concern, saying that antifa was a 'real thing' and that the FBI had undertaken 'any number of properly predicated investigations into what we would describe as violent anarchist extremists,' including into individuals who identify with antifa.

But, he said, 'It's not a group or an organization. It's a movement or an ideology.'

That characterization contradicts the depiction from Trump, who in June singled out antifa - short for 'anti-fascists' and an umbrella term for far-left-leaning militant groups - as responsible for the violence that followed George Floyd's death.

The testimony comes four years after U.S. intelligence warned Vladimir Putin's intelligence agencies were interfering in the elections

Trump tweeted then that the U.S. would be designating antifa as a terrorist organization, even though such designations are historically reserved for foreign groups and antifa lacks the hierarchical structure of formal organizations.

Wray's testimony follows an Aug. 7 warning by the director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center that Russia, China and Iran were all trying to interfere in the Nov. 3 election.

Wray said Russia and its proxies seek to sow 'divisiveness and discord' and 'primarily to denigrate Vice President Biden and what the Russians see as kind of an anti-Russian establishment.'

Wray was confirmed to fill his post after President Trump fired FBI Director James Comey, who played a key role in authorizing probes of the Trump 2016 campaign as well as the Hillary Clinton email probe.

Wray's testimony made clear that Russia's actions were not a thing of the past  ever after the Obama administration imposed sanctions in 2017, and the Trump administration and Congress continued to apply economic pressure.

'We certainly have seen very active efforts by the Russians to influence our elections in 2020,' Wray testified.

Multiple reviews by U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia acted to boost now-President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign and undermine his rival Hillary Clinton.

Trump has long bristled at that finding, which Russia denies. The president, meanwhile, has leveled scathing attacks on the U.S. election system, including mail-in balloting in particular. He also has launched blistering attacks on Joe Biden's mental health  a line of attack that the Homeland Security Department has warned in memos Russia also is promoting.

Trump himself has repeatedly and without evidence questioned the increased use of mail-in ballots, a long established method of voting in the United States which are expected to see a surge in use due to the coronavirus.

On Thursday Trump said on Twitter that without evidence that they could make it impossible to know the election's true outcome.

The hearing before the House Homeland Security Committee - established after the Sept. 11 attacks to confront the threat of international terrorism - focused almost entirely on domestic matters, including violence by white supremacists as well as anti-government extremists.

The topics underscored the shift of attention by law enforcement at a time of intense divisions and polarization inside the country.

Not an organization: Chris Wray, Donald Trump's FBI director, said that antifa is a movement or ideology - putting him directly at odds with the president

Antifa: Self-declared anti-fascist activist Michael Reinoehl, who was shot and killed by US Marshals in Washington State on September 3, 2020, was photographed in protests in Oregon. He was being investigated over the shooting death of a Trump supporter when he was killed

Pictured: self-proclaimed 'antifa' activist Michael Reinoehl

But one area where foreign threats were addressed was in the presidential election and Russia's attempts to interfere in the campaign.

Wray sought to make clear the scope of the threats the country faces while resisting lawmakers' attempts to steer him into politically charged statements. When asked whether extremists on the left or the right posed the bigger threat, he pivoted instead to an answer about how solo actors, or so-called 'lone wolves,' with easy access to weapons were a primary concern.

'We don't really think of threats in terms of left, right, at the FBI. We're focused on the violence, not the ideology,' he said later.

The FBI director said racially motivated violent extremists, such as white supremacists, have been responsible for the most lethal attacks in the U.S. in recent years.

But this year the most lethal violence has come from anti-government activists, such as anarchists and militia-types, Wray said.

Wray also affirmed the intelligence community's assessment of Russian interference in the November election, which he said was taking the form of foreign influence campaigns aimed at sowing discord and swaying public opinion as well as efforts to denigrate Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.

He said that the U.S. had not yet seen targeting of election infrastructure like in 2016, but efforts to sow doubt about the election's integrity are a serious concern, he said.

Not at one: Donald Trump is now at odds with his FBI director over whether antifa is an organization

'What concerns me the most is the steady drumbeat of misinformation and sort of amplification of smaller cyber intrusions,' Wray said. 'I worry that they will contribute over time to a lack of confidence of American voters and citizens in the validity of their vote.'

'I think that would be a perception,' Wray added, 'not a reality. I think Americans can and should have confidence in our election system and certainly in our democracy. But I worry that people will take on a feeling of futility because of all of the noise and confusion that's generated.'

Trump has resisted the idea of Russian interference aimed at benefiting his campaign and has been eager, along with other administration officials, to talk about intelligence officials' assessment that China prefers that Trump lose to Biden.

Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Chad Wolf had been scheduled to appear at the House hearing on worldwide threats but did not testify because of his nomination to be secretary, according to the agency.

The agency said in a statement ahead of the hearing that it would be 'contrary to standard practice' to have him testify while his nomination was pending before the Senate.

Acting Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli said in a statement that he was prepared to appear in place of Wolf but that was rejected by the Democratic-controlled committee.

Rep. Bennie Thompson, the committee chairman, began the hearing by noting there is no law prohibiting the testimony of someone facing a confirmation hearing and that Wolf has given multiple media interviews since the president announced his nomination.

The Department of Homeland Security ignored a committee subpoena issued Friday for Wolf's appearance, which the Mississippi Democrat said should 'appall' any member of the committee.
Coronavirus positive senior BJD MLA Debi Prasad Mishra was raided by the Central Bureau of Investigation on Friday over his alleged involvement in 578 crore Seashore chit fund scam.

A five-member team of the CBI, along with two witnesses, took part in the raid that is being conducted at seven places. The probe agency, in August 2016, has already interrogated Mishras two associates -Prafulla Singha, a BJD leader, and Dilip Mishra.

Seashore is one of the 44 companies that is being investigated by the CBI since May 2014, following a Supreme Court order. The company reportedly raised around 578 crore from gullible people offering 36 per cent interest per annum to the investors against their deposits.

Mishra, former school and mass education minister under home isolation after testing positive for Covid-19, said the CBI officials asked him about the boating project of Seashore on Mahanadi river which was allowed during his tenure as tourism minister.

I had allowed Seashore to set up a boating project in Mahanadi along with a restaurant on the outskirts of Cuttack city. Besides, I had also given permission to the company to manage a government-run guest house at Atri in Khurda district. All this was allowed as per the governments decision. I have already appeared before the CBI and been interrogated in this matter, he said, adding that CBI officials have taken all files from the department.

In September 2017, the CBI had arrested the then BJD MLA Prabhat Biswal in connection with the Seashore ponzi scam. He was later released on bail in June 2018.

The CBI has filed two charge-sheets before a Bhubaneswar-based CBI court - March 2015 and January 2018 - accusing Seashore chief Prashant Dash and his brother Prabhat of embezzling about 578.2 crore, collected from investors between 2006 and 2011. The case is now being tried. The ED is also separately probing the Seashore groups financial transactions.

The Seashore scam has remained a major source of embarrassment for the Naveen Patnaik government after the CBI found that several senior IAS, IPS and BJD leaders were involved in it. Operating through one Subhankar Nayak, the company allegedly paid illegal gratification to some IAS, IPS officers of Odisha and BJD leaders for expanding its business. Nayak was earlier arrested and sent to jail in November 2014.

The company also gained access to Saroj Sahoo, a one-time DTP operator who worked in Naveen Niwas and allegedly played an important role in the regional party. In September 2017, the CBI arrested erstwhile BJD MLA Prabhat Biswal in connection with the scam.

Seashore was started in 2006 by Prashant Dash, an economics professor in a private college in Angul district, with the company raising capital from public without listing itself in stock exchange, mandatory if the number of shareholders cross 50.

It also registered some of its firms under the Odisha Self Help Cooperative Societies Act that allowed it to remain out of the governments checks and balances.

To attract customers, the company offered 36 per cent interest per annum to the investors against their deposits, which was nearly four times the rates offered by nationalised banks.

The Central Economic Intelligence Bureau in February and March 2011 had alerted the Odisha government on how the company was collecting a huge amount of money from investors assuring them of high returns. The commission being paid to agents ranged from 15 to 20 per cent. Using his proximity to former BJD strongman Pyari Mohan Mohapatra, Dash entered into a clutch of partnerships with state government in healthcare, tourism, dairy, pharma, food processing and cooperative sector, it said.

Most of these partnerships did not help the government as Seashore never had the requisite expertise and know-how to run the new business. In 2012, it signed an MoU with Grid Corporation of Odisha, a bulk power supplier for purchase of solar power from the firm.

However, the agreement fell through after Seashore had failed to pay the bank guarantee of 24 crore within the stipulated time. Like Saradha which ran a TV channel in Bengal, Seashore too started a TV channel, STV, in Odisha.

It reportedly recruited the wife of a senior IPS officer for an astrological show at a huge cost to the company. Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif graced the inauguration of the TV channel in May 2011.
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The drop was the result of the change in FDI rules, which was amplified by the border standoff between India and China.

Private equity and venture capital investments from China have dropped nearly 66 per cent so far this calendar year to $909 million from $2.69 billion in the corresponding period last year.

There was also a concomitant fall in the number of deals to 30 till September 17, 2020, from 35 a year ago.

A major chunk was venture capital investments, defined as investments in companies that are less than 10 years old.

According to the data from Venture Intelligence, of the 30 deals reported in the period under consideration, 24 were VC investments and totalled $216 million.

Last year, VCs accounted for 30 of the 35 deals recorded between January and September 17, 2019, and pumped in $446 million.

For Chinese investors, the key bets were in non-banking financial companies, wealth management firms, banks, food delivery and e-commerce firms.

Arun Natarajan, founder of Venture Intelligence, said the drop was the result of the change in foreign direct investment (FDI) rules, which was amplified by the border standoff between India and China.

This can be seen in the fact that China was the third highest source of PE/VC investments in 2019, but it has fallen to the sixth position in 2020.

Natarajan felt investments, especially from the Chinese mainland, would likely to reduce further because of these factors.

Start-ups will likely feel the pinch the most, as Chinese investors are seen not only as alternatives to US-based funds, but also bring additional value as strategic investors, he said.

PE/VC investors operating in India have expressed concerns over the modification in FDI norms, which brings all investments from China under government scrutiny.

They said this would seriously impact inflows.

VCs and global PEs say many of them raise money directly or indirectly from Chinese investors for a portion of their funds.

They also raise money from fund of funds (global funds that pool funds and provide finance to other PE funds), which in turn are financed, among others, by Chinese investors, many of whom are based in Hong Kong and Singapore.

Photograph: Dado Ruvic/Reuters
ANN ARBOR, MI  About 24 hours after the University of Michigan faculty senate was nearly split down the middle in a vote of confidence in UM President Mark Schlissel, the Board of Regents said they support Schlissel and the administration to lead the university through the coronavirus pandemic.

Board chair Denise Illitch read the statement on behalf of the regents.

Our board supports President Schlissel and the administration as they continue to lead our university through these tremendous challenges, Illitch said. We know that the president and the administration will continue to listen and adapt through these challenges, honor our common values and advance the mission of the university.

At the Sept. 16 faculty senate meeting, a motion was presented for a vote of no confidence in Schlissel. The vote was 957 in favor, 953 against and 184 abstentions, but interim senate secretary David Potter said the vote failed because the votes in favor was not a majority of the number of votes cast.

However, according to the senates voting rules, unless otherwise specifically provided for in these rules or in the regental bylaws, all questions put to the university senate shall be decided by a majority vote of those voting.

The faculty senate is reviewing the vote and will issue a statement about any change to the vote, officials said.

Confusion over vote of no confidence in University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel leads to review

Faculty senate also voted on a motion of no confidence in the universitys reopening plan, which failed by a vote of 915 in favor, 991 against and 198 abstaining. Schlissel addressed the vote regarding the reopening plan, saying that the university has always sought to uphold its mission and protect the community.

We may disagree on how weve done that, but I can assure you that the regents and the leadership team have never strayed from these principles, Schlissel said. Its clear, however, that I need to do more to engage with our community during this pandemic, and that trust needs to be rebuilt, and I take responsibility for that.

Schlissel addressing concerns raised by faculty senate regarding reopening of campus: "It's clear, however, I need to do more to engage with our community during this pandemic, and that trust needs to be rebuilt, and I take responsibility for that."  Steve Marowski (@Steve_Marowski) September 17, 2020

The vote of no confidence faulted Schlissel for not using scientific data predicting the risk levels for fall 2020 reopening plans, as well as his handling of the sexual misconduct allegations against former provost Martin Philbert. Schlissel addressed the recommendations made by WilmerHale  a law firm that conducted an independent investigation into Philbert  at the regents meeting, and said the board is working to address each recommendation.

WilmerHales report detailed a long history of sexual misconduct by Philbert, including sexually harassing student employees and several sexual relationships with subordinate employees.

Investigation into former UM provost reveals long history of sexual misconduct

Schlissel also said the university is seeking the assistance of an outside firm that will provide an external perspective and help oversee the boards work.

Timely and effective implementation of the recommendations are priorities for the board and me, and were seeking proposals from consultants to support these goals, Schlissel said.

Schlissel said he hopes to announce the consultant in the near future.

Schlissel also said the WilmerHale recommendations suggested that UM change its policy so that any reports involving senior administrators in the Office of the Provost would be handled by the chief financial officer.

The provosts office is ordinarily responsible for overseeing the Office of Institutional Equity, which investigates sexual misconduct.

We need to grow a culture at the University of Michigan where sexual and gender-based misconduct are not tolerated and all members of the community feel empowered and safe to report such issues, Schlissel said.

Later in the meeting, the regents voted unanimously authorized the university to transact with LynxDx, Inc. for COVID-19 diagnostic, saliva-based, surveillance testing services. Schlissel said the partnership will significantly expand the universitys COVID-19 testing capacity and make it faster and easier to administer tests and get results.

Schlissel said LynxDx is a startup spun off of intellectual property developed on UMs campus.

This is another success story not only of our amazingly talented students, faculty and staff, but for the Office of Technology Transfer, which has enjoyed record-breaking success in helping UM intellectual property get to market, where it can do the most good, Schlissel said.

Regents also voted on updated academic calendars for the Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Flint campuses. The updates delay the start time of the winter 2021 semester in Ann Arbor to Jan. 19 and eliminate spring break, which was scheduled for Feb. 27 to March 7.

For the Flint campus, fall break will be eliminated, and Thanksgiving recess will now be a full week from Nov. 23-29. Remaining in-person instruction after Thanksgiving will resume remotely, and the winter semester will now start on Jan. 19 with no spring break.

The Dearborn campus is moving the beginning of the winter semester back from Jan. 6 to Jan. 13 to provide campus community members additional time to self-isolate if they travel during the winter break.

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Bakken Refiner Wins Another Court Battle

This article was first published on Rigzone here

The developer of a greenfield refinery in North Dakota has scored a victory in the states high court.

The North Dakota Supreme Court has ruled in Meridian Energy Group, Inc.s favor in the final litigation matter regarding the permitting for constructing the Davis Refinery near Belfield, N.D., Meridian reported Wednesday. The company explained the states highest court affirmed a lower court ruling upholding a North Dakota Public Service Commission (PSC) decision to dismiss a complaint on the refinerys siting.

Meridian pointed out the final litigation milestone allows the company to proceed with the refinery project. It noted the ruling marks the latest court victory for the project, whose state Department of Environmental Quality air quality permit to construct was affirmed by the high court on June 30, 2020. The earlier decision clears a path for Meridian to complete engineering, procurement and financing for the Davis facility, the firm added.

Meridian is grateful for the courts decision on this matter, Meridien Chairman and CEO William Prentice commented regarding the most recent ruling. North Dakota will benefit immensely from modern downstream facilities like the Davis Refinery. Supporting value-added industries has always been a key objective for North Dakota. That is more important now than ever as the state looks to recover from the economic impacts of COVID-19.

According to Meridians website, the Davis Refinery site encompasses approximately 150 acres in Billings County east of the Fryburg Rail Facility  and in the heart of the Bakken. The facility would boast a rated crude oil processing capacity of up to 49,500 barrels per day and serve regional markets, stated Meridian. The firm added the Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail line runs through the refinery site, supporting construction of a refined fuels uploading terminal.

Story continues

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The Davis project comes at a critical time for North Dakota, when both the jobs that will be created by Davis and the market that Davis provides to Bakken oil are particularly important, continued Prentice. The refinery will employ several hundred workers during construction, with permanent employment of up to 200 jobs. The overall impact of direct, indirect and derived jobs in the area could be well over 2,000.

Prentice added the refinery will enable North Dakota oil producers to avoid incurring the cost of shipping their production out of state for processing.

When might construction on the Davis Refinery begin? Meridian informed Rigzone that two options are under consideration.

Given the delays on the opinions due to unforeseen circumstances such as COVID-19, Meridian is currently determining the timeline for resuming on-site work with the North Dakota winter rapidly approaching, or opting to break ground when longer-cycle construction can resume next spring, the company stated.

To contact the author, email mveazey@rigzone.com.

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US Undersecretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment Keith Krach will be the latest high-ranking US official to visit Taiwan

A top US diplomat will arrive in Taiwan on Thursday, the highest-ranking State Department official to visit in 40 years, in a further sign of Washington's willingness to defy China and its campaign to isolate the self-ruled island.

Keith Krach, undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment, was heading to Taipei to attend a memorial service for late president Lee Teng-hui on Saturday, the US State Department said.

The trip, the second high-ranking US visit in as many months, is likely to rile China, which baulks at any recognition of Taiwan and has mounted a decades-long policy of marginalising the democratic island.

Relations between the United States and China are at their lowest point in decades, with the two sides clashing over a range of trade, military and security issues, as well as the coronavirus pandemic.

"The United States honours President Lee's legacy by continuing our strong bonds with Taiwan and its vibrant democracy through shared political and economic values," spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement announcing Krach's trip.

Taiwan's foreign ministry said Krach, accompanied by assistant secretary Robert Destro, would also discuss "how to strengthen bilateral economic cooperation" during his three-day visit.

It described him as the highest-ranking State Department official to visit Taiwan since 1979, when Washington switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing from Taipei.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen will host a dinner for the US delegation on Friday.

"We look forward to more exchanges and discussions between Taiwan and the US to solidify the foundation for further collaborations, including economic cooperation, through undersecretary Krach's visit," her office said in a statement.

- Warming relations -

Beijing, whose relations with Washington have sharply deteriorated under President Donald Trump, has warned it "firmly opposes" any official exchanges between Taiwan and the United States.

Story continues

Last month, US cabinet member and health chief Alex Azar visited to highlight Taiwan's widely praised efforts to stop Covid-19.

Beijing considers Taiwan part of its territory, to be reunified with the mainland -- by force if necessary.

It has ramped up diplomatic, economic and military pressure on Taiwan since the 2016 election of Tsai, who rejects its view that the island is part of "one China".

In recent weeks, Taiwan has reported a sharp increase in incursions by Chinese jets into its air defence identification zone.

On Thursday, Taiwan's defence ministry said two Chinese anti-submarine planes crossed the boundary a day earlier and were warned to leave.

Washington remains the leading arms supplier to the island but has historically been cautious in holding official contact with it.

Relations have warmed dramatically under Trump, who has embraced Taiwan more closely as a way to hit back at authoritarian Beijing, especially as he seeks re-election in November.

But the United States has so far not strayed from the unwritten red line on Taiwan, as it has not sent senior officials whose primary responsibilities are foreign affairs or defence.

Lee, who died in July at the age of 97, was a towering figure in Taiwan's history, helping the once authoritarian island transition to a vibrant democracy and later angering China by pushing for it to be recognised as a sovereign country.

When news of his death broke, Chinese state media called him "the godfather of Taiwan secessionism".

Krach, with his economic focus, will be visiting as Taiwan seeks a trade deal with the United States.

Taiwan removed a major hurdle last month by easing safety restrictions on US beef and pork -- welcome news for farmers, a key constituency for Trump, as the election approaches.

sct-aw/jta/jah
Pastors wife known as saint drowns while rafting with church group on Nolichucky River

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Louvella Arrowood, the beloved wife of a North Carolina pastor, considered by some who knew her to be a saint, drowned Saturday while rafting with a church group along the Nolichucky River. She was 63.

Matt Moses, CEO of USA Raft, said in a statement that Arrowood, whose husband is the Rev. Jimmy Arrowood, was on the 2:30 p.m. rafting trip with 14 guests and three guides when the raft she was traveling in was flipped by a rapid.

The trip started at Poplar, North Carolina, and was set to run through Class 3-4 whitewater for 8 miles to the takeout at Erwin, Tennessee.

At the beginning of a substantial rapid, a raft flipped. Two other rafts were positioned downstream as part of standard safety procedures and immediately began recovering guests. All guests were recovered by the other rafts quickly, Moses said in his statement.

Sgt. Gale Wilson with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, which investigates all accidents on state waterways, told the Citizen Times that the pastors wife was under water for about 5 to 8 minutes before she was pulled from the river.

We are heartbroken to report that she passed away, he said.

Arrowood was pulled from the river into a raft and found to be unresponsive. USA Raft guides as well as guests provided CPR until emergency services arrived but they could not revive her.

At this point, we are doing everything we can to support the family and our staff members that were both on the river that day or involved in the efforts from our headquarters in Erwin. What happened Saturday was a tragedy for our guests, our guides and community. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the deceased as well as everyone that was on the trip or otherwise involved, Moses said.

Arrowood was a nurse serving Blue Ridge Regional Hospital and several private practices over the years and she loved spending time with her grandchildren, according to an obituary. It also noted that while she attended Odoms Chapel Free Will Baptist Church she was a member of Middle District Free Will Baptist Church where Pastor Scott Jenkins remembered her fondly.

RIP Louvella. You will be forever loved and greatly missed. You left a wonderful legacy. We are comforted in the truth that we will be reunited in Gods glorious heaven one day, Jenkins, noted in a statement on Facebook.

Smithville, Texas, resident Hattie Belle Crader, who says Arrowoods husband previously served as her pastor, remembered her as a saint.

Rest in Heaven Louvella, hug my daddy for me. Rev. Jimmy Arrowood was my pastor growing up, the man who baptized me in that little creek.His lovely wife Louvella was in my opinion, a saint. She taught me so much more than she ever knew, about life, God, and love. I'll never forget it... I know she's touched a lot of lives, she will be very missed. Sending up prayers for the family and all who are heartbroken by this loss, Crader said in a statement on Facebook.

Along with her husband, Arrowood is survived by her daughter, Christy Cain Adam; son, Aaron Arrowood; sisters Angie Hopson and Elenia Yelton; brother, Eugene Yelton, and several grandchildren.
The land regularlisation norms follow the scheme that was in operation in 2005.

Hyderabad: The Telangana government on Thursday revised the land regularisation rates under the Telangana Regularisation of Unapproved and Illegal Layout Rules.

Chief secretary Somesh Kumar issued orders amending certain clauses in the rules under Government Order No. 135, dated September 16. Under the revised rules, the government provides seven slabs instead of the four proposed in GO No. 131, dated August 31, like in the old LRS scheme of 2015.

Under the new slabs, the government prescribes regularisation charges in accordance with the market value of the plot as of August 26, 2020 (sub-registrar value).

Regularisation charges for sub-registrar value of less than Rs 3,000 per square yard will be 20 per cent, between Rs 3,001 and Rs 5,000 30 per cent, between Rs 5,001 and Rs 10,000 40 per cent, between Rs 10,001 and Rs 20,000 50 per cent, between Rs 20,001 and Rs 30,000 60 per cent, between Rs 30,001 and Rs 50,000 80 per cent and above Rs 50,000 per square yard sub-registrar value will be 100 per cent.

The revised rules specified that if 10 per cent open space is not available in the unapproved layout, pro-rata open space charges at 14 per cent of the plot value prevailing as on the date of registration of the plot will be collected, instead of the prevailing rate as on August 26, 2020.

In the amended GO, the LRS regularisation charges include the NALA fee (for conversion of agricultural to non-agricultural land use) and no separate NALA fee is to be paid by LRS applicants.

After issuing GO No 135, Kumar said the rules had been revised in view of a number of requests stating that the regularisation charges were very high when compared to those in the LRS scheme of the year 2015.

This issue was also raised by MLAs in the Assembly on Wednesday and minister K.T. Rama Rao said the LRS regularisation charges will be revised to make them similar to the ones in the LRS scheme of 2015.
By PTI

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday rejected India's demand that an Indian lawyer or a Queen's counsel should be appointed for death-row prisoner Kulbhushan Jadhav to ensure a free and fair trial in this country.

Foreign Office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri, replying to a question during a media briefing, said India has been consistently making the "unrealistic demand" of allowing a lawyer from outside Pakistan to represent Jadhav, sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court for alleged spying.

"We have informed India that only those lawyers are allowed to appear in Pakistani courts who have a license to practice law in Pakistan. This is in line with international legal practice. There can be no change in this position," he said.

Queen's Counsel is a barrister or advocate, appointed Counsel to the UK Crown on the recommendation of the Lord Chancellor.

Earlier this month, the Islamabad High Court in Pakistan directed the federal government to give India another chance to appoint a lawyer to represent Jadhav and adjourned hearing for a month.

Pakistan's Parliament on Tuesday extended for four months an ordinance that allowed Jadhav to file an appeal against his conviction in a high court as required by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said the government of Pakistan has not been able to fulfil its obligations on implementation of the ICJ judgment in letter and spirit.

"It has not yet addressed the core issues, which include provision of all documents related to the case, providing unconditional and unimpeded consular access to Kulbhusan Jadhav and appointment of an Indian lawyer or a Queen's counsel to ensure a free and fair trial," he said at an online media briefing on Thursday.

ALSO READ | Ordinance on Kulbhushan Jadhav extended for four months by Pakistan Parliament

In 2017, India approached the ICJ against Pakistan for denial of consular access to Jadhav and challenging the death sentence handed to him by a military court.

The Hague-based ICJ ruled in July 2019 that Pakistan must undertake an "effective review and reconsideration" of the conviction and sentence of Jadhav and also to grant consular access to India without further delay.

India has slammed Pakistan for adopting a "farcical" approach in denying available legal remedies to Jadhav against his death sentence in contravention of the ICJ order.

Fifty-year-old retired Indian Navy officer Jadhav was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and terrorism in April 2017.

To a question about elevating Gilgit-Baltistan's status to that of a full-fledged province, the Foreign Office spokesperson said that reforms in GB were an ongoing process that include political, administrative and economic reforms.

"It (granting status of a province) has been a long-standing demand of the people of Giligit Baltistan. These reforms will continue in line with the needs of the people of Gilgit Baltistan," he said.

India has clearly conveyed to Pakistan that the entire union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, including the areas of Gilgit and Baltistan, are an integral part of the country by virtue of its fully legal and irrevocable accession.
She is the latest lawyer to distance themselves from the Government over the Internal Market Bill, which is passed would break international law

Top international lawyer Amal Clooney blasted Boris Johnson's 'lamentable' Brexit plans today as she quit as a UK Government envoy on media freedom.

The top human rights expert and wife of actor George Clooney announced she was quitting the high profile post over Mr Johnson's intention to bring in new legislation that would over-ride part of the Withdrawal Agreement he signed last year.

She handed in her notice after a one-to-one meeting with Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab 'and received no assurances' about the UK's intentions.

She said the UK's actions threatened 'to embolden autocratic regimes that violate international law with devastating consequences all over the world'.

Mrs Clooney said she was 'disappointed' to have to resign because 'I have always been proud of the UK's reputation as a champion of the international legal order, and of the culture of fair play for which it is known'.

'However, very sadly, it has now become untenable for me, as Special Envoy, to urge other states to respect and enforce international obligations while the UK declares that it does not intend to do so itself.

'As the President of the Bar Council of England and Wales has affirmed, undermining the rule of law that ''this country is built on ... will fatally puncture people's faith in our justice system'.

'And it threatens to embolden autocratic regimes that violate international law with devastating consequences all over the world.'

The Beirut-born barrister, 42, is the latest lawyer to distance themselves from the Government over the Internal Market Bill, which is passed would break international law.

The top human rights expert and wife of actor George Clooney announced she was quitting the high profile post over Mr Johnson's intention to bring in new legislation that would over-ride part of the Withdrawal Agreement he signed last year

The Prime Minister (pictured today in Oxford) has faced criticism domestically and on the world stage for pursuing legislation that would defy the Withdrawal Agreement brokered with the EU last year, breaking international law in the process

Mrs Clooney said she was 'disappointed' to have to resign because 'I have always been proud of the UK's reputation as a champion of the international legal order, and of the culture of fair play for which it is known'

The Prime Minister has faced criticism domestically and on the world stage for pursuing legislation that would defy the Withdrawal Agreement brokered with the EU last year, breaking international law in the process.

Mr Johnson was forced on Wednesday to agree to table an amendment to the Internal Market Bill, giving MPs a vote before the Government can use the powers related to Northern Ireland which would breach the treaty.

In a letter to Mr Raab this afternoon Mrs Clooney said: 'I accepted the role because I believe in the importance of the cause, and appreciate the significant role that the UK has played and can continue to play in promoting the international legal order.

'In these circumstances I have been dismayed to learn that the Government intends to pass legislation - the Internal Market Bill - which would, by the Government's own admission, ''break international law'' if enacted.

Amal Clooney and Jeremy Hunt addressing a global conference on press freedom in London in July 2019

'I was also concerned to note the position taken by the Government that although it is an ''established principle of international law that a state is obliged to discharge its treaty obligations in good faith'', the UK's 'Parliament is sovereign as a matter of domestic law and can pass legislation which is in breach of the UK's Treaty obligations'.

'Although the government has suggested that the violation of international law would be ''specific and limited'', it is lamentable for the UK to be speaking of its intention to violate an international treaty signed by the Prime Minister less than a year ago.

'Out of respect for the professional working relationship I have developed with you and your senior colleagues working on human rights, I deferred writing this letter until I had had a chance to discuss this matter with you directly. But having now done so and received no assurance that any change of position is imminent, I have no alternative but to resign from my position.'

Labour's shadow media minister Chris Matheson said: 'It is humiliating that the UK's special envoy on media freedom has felt unable to continue in her role.

'This shows that by threatening to break international law instead of getting Brexit done as we were promised, the Government is trashing the UK's reputation around the world.'
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President Donald Trump's response to the coronavirus pandemic showed a "flat-out disregard for human life" because his "main concern was the economy and his reelection," according to a senior adviser on the White House coronavirus task force who left the White House in August.

Olivia Troye, who worked as homeland security, counterterrorism and coronavirus adviser to Vice President Mike Pence for two years, said that the administration's response cost lives and that she will vote for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden this fall because of her experience in the Trump White House.

"The president's rhetoric and his own attacks against people in his administration trying to do the work, as well as the promulgation of false narratives and incorrect information of the virus have made this ongoing response a failure," she said in an interview.

Troye is the first Trump administration official who worked extensively on the coronavirus response to forcefully speak out against Trump and his handling of the pandemic. But she joins a growing number of former officials, including former national security adviser John Bolton and former defense secretary Jim Mattis, who have detailed their worries about what happened during their time in the administration while declaring that Trump is unfit to be president.

The amount of criticism Trump has faced from former aides is unprecedented in the modern presidency, and it could pose a political risk to his reelection campaign as some of the aides who have spoken out are pressuring other former colleagues to join them.

The White House dismissed Troye as a disgruntled former employee, minimized her role on the task force and disputed her characterization that the pandemic response has not gone well.

"Ms. Troye is a former detailee and a career Department of Homeland Security staff member, who is disgruntled that her detail was cut short because she was no longer capable of keeping up with her day-to-day duties," retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Pence's national security adviser, said in a statement. "Ms. Troye directly reported to me, and never once during her detail did she ever express any concern regarding the Administration's response to the Coronavirus to anyone in her chain of command. By not expressing her concerns, she demonstrated an incredible lack of moral courage."

Deputy White House press secretary Judd Deere said that Troye's "assertions have no basis in reality and are flat-out inaccurate" and that "the truth is President Trump always put the well-being of the American people first," citing the president's efforts to boost the production of medical equipment, his early recommendations on social distancing and the plan to quickly develop a vaccine for the novel coronavirus.

Troye had an inside view of the White House's pandemic response, which polls show is hurting the president with voters, and her review of the effort is scathing. She said in an interview that she would be skeptical of any vaccine produced ahead of the election because of worries that its release was due to political pressure.

"I would not tell anyone I care about to take a vaccine that launches prior to the election," she said. "I would listen to the experts and the unity in pharma. And I would wait to make sure that this vaccine is safe and not a prop tied to an election."

Though Troye played a behind-the-scenes role during her time in the White House, she was a major participant in the task force's work, attending and helping to organize "every single meeting" it held from February until July, she said. She worked closely with Pence on the administration's response, including establishing an agenda for each meeting, preparing the vice president and arranging briefings for him, writing and editing his comments, and dealing with the vice president's political aides.

She was often pictured sitting against the back wall of the Situation Room near Pence in photos posted to social media. Her assistant would send the seating chart to officials across the administration, who in turn would consult with her about the workings of the group and Pence.

She described herself as a lifelong Republican who always voted for the party's nominee before 2016. Troye said she did not vote for Trump, because she disliked his rhetoric. She declined to say whom she voted for in the last election.

"But I got past it and accepted he was our president," Troye, 43, said of the election result.

Troye said that she worked in the administration because she hoped Trump would morph into a stronger leader after a divisive campaign and that she had respect for other Trump officials, such as Pence.

"I still have a lot of respect for the vice president," she said. "I worked very loyally for him to do everything I could for him. I don't want this to become a speaking-out-against-him thing."

Asked about Troye's comments later in the day, Pence said he was very proud of the administration's performance.

"I haven't read her comments in any detail. But it reads to me like one more disgruntled employee that has decided to play politics during election year," Pence said.

The novel coronavirus has infected more than 6.5 million Americans and has killed nearly 200,000 - a toll Troye said has been exacerbated by Trump and his administration's mishandling of the pandemic and by the conflicting messages he and his top aides have disseminated to Americans on masks, social distancing and other public health precautions.

Trump, she said, usually was not focused on the virus but would often "blindside" the task force and administration officials with public comments, such as his support for the drug hydroxychloroquine, his Twitter attack on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention over the agency's guidance on the reopening of schools, his skeptical comments about masks and his public musings about "herd immunity." Many of his comments were the opposite of what had been discussed in the White House Situation Room, where task force meetings were often held, and were at odds with scientific recommendations or the administration's own data, Troye said.

The administration, she said, missed months to slow the spread of the virus because the president and other key administration officials refused to embrace masks, even as members of the task force and health officials "repeatedly begged" Trump to do so. Trump allies note that many of the health officials first advised against masks before advising that they be used.

"The mask issue was a critical one. If we would have gotten ahead on that and stressed the importance of it, we could have slowed the spread significantly," Troye said. "It was detrimental that it became a politicized issue. It still lingers today."

Senior aides to Pence held a contemptuous view of the administration's scientists and tried to project a far too rosy outlook about the virus with cherry-picked data - and key public health agencies including the CDC were marginalized throughout her tenure, Troye said. Advisers were afraid to express positions contrary to the president's views because they feared a public denunciation or "that they would be cut out," she said.

"At some point, every single person on the task force has been thrown under the bus in one way or another," Troye said. "Instead of being focused on the task at hand, people were constantly wondering what was going to drop next or when you're going to get reprimanded or cut out of a process for speaking out."

Troye said the White House did not quickly resolve problems with coronavirus testing in the early months as the virus spread, though she concedes those hitches were not personally Trump's fault.

Trump rarely attended task force meetings and was briefed only on top-level discussions by Pence or the government's public health officials. When Trump attended one meeting, Troye said, he spoke for 45 minutes about how poorly he was being treated by certain personalities on Fox News.

"He spent more time about who was going to call Fox and yell at them to set them straight than he did on the virus," she said.

Troye said Trump was constantly looking to reopen states and schools - even when others feared that doing so would be unsafe - and would regularly disregard what his advisers suggested.

"There were a lot of closed door conversations I have had with a lot of senior people across the administration where they agree with me wholeheartedly," she said of her assessment of Trump.

- - -

With seven weeks until the election, there is a concerted effort by a coterie of former Trump administration officials to push more former aides to speak out, particularly boldface names who can secure national media attention and aides who can tell damaging stories in detail.

The president, for his part, has described many of those critical as "disgruntled former employees" who were not cut out for his administration. Administration officials note that a number of former employees also have praised the president extensively and that the president has overwhelming support in his own party.

Some former and current officials say they do not think ex-Washington officials will move many voters in key states. But Miles Taylor - who worked in the Department of Homeland Security between 2017 and 2019, including as chief of staff - said compelling narrators with first-person testimonials can influence voters.

"Is the voice of an ex-Trump official going to change millions of votes? No. But if you can change the minds of several tens of thousands of people in swing states, it could absolutely impact the election," said Taylor, who has formed a Republican anti-Trump group called Republican Political Alliance for Integrity and Reform (REPAIR).

Troye is joining the group, and on Thursday afternoon she released a video, through Republican Voters Against Trump, detailing her problems with Trump's handling of the pandemic.

Taylor said it had been difficult to secure marquee names to speak out against the president because "the president has done a very effective job of creating a culture of fear."

According to people familiar with their views, those privately critical of Trump include Mattis, former White House chief of staff John Kelly, former secretary of state Rex Tillerson, former top economic aide Gary Cohn and former homeland security secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. These people, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on behalf of these officials. The former officials either did not respond to requests for comment or declined to discuss their views.

Kelly is among those most torn about what to do, according to people who have spoken with him. He describes the president in derisive terms - as a narcissist who does not understand the military, cares only about his political fortunes and is unqualified to be president - the people said. He declined to comment for this article but has told others he is undecided over whether he should speak out more before the election, citing his previous role in the military and his concern about generals speaking out against elected presidents.

Beyond the fear of being attacked, there are other reasons that former advisers have not spoken out publicly.

Some of them are still staunchly Republican - even if they dislike Trump - and do not want to publicly support Biden. Some, like Nielsen, would have to defend their own roles in some of Trump's most contentious decisions.

Taylor said he is encouraging former officials such as Mattis and Kelly to see that now is the time to end their reticence.

"It took longer than it should have for every single one of us," Taylor said. "All of us, myself included, should have spoken out sooner."

- - -

Troye said she expects sharp denunciations from former colleagues in the administration and also expects to be denigrated by the White House and the president on Twitter.

"Honestly, I am scared," she said. "I have never done anything like this."

Troye has long had an obscure profile in Washington - working behind the scenes at the Pentagon as a political appointee during the George W. Bush administration and then as a career official at the Homeland Security and Energy departments during the Obama administration before joining the vice president's office in 2018 as an employee detailed from DHS.

Troye said she was disturbed by the president's handling of myriad issues over two years - most notably his "military dictator, false prophet-like" march to St. John's Episcopal Church for a photo with the Bible this summer after protesters were cleared from Lafayette Square.

Thoughts during her tenure of leaving gave way to other considerations, she said. Troye held a key role on the coronavirus task force but also carried out an array of other duties for the vice president, advising him on mass shootings, immigration, hurricanes and some foreign affairs issues, she said. The vice president would sometimes dial her cellphone, Troye said.

"I was the 24-hours-on-call person for major events for two years for him in the role," Troye said.

In private, she said, Pence would say the "right things" in calls to governors and "was in an impossible situation with the president." Troye also praised a number of the administration's top health officials.

Troye said she and other advisers regularly encountered a desire on the part of the president and his political advisers, along with some senior members of the vice president's team, to move on from the coronavirus even as thousands were dying and to focus on the economy or the campaign. She was asked by senior Pence aides, she said, to help on an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal that minimized the fears of a second coronavirus wave and touted the administration's work on the virus as a success story.

"It was ludicrous," she said of the piece, which ran in June. Troye, however, said she helped write it.

There regularly were suggestions from Pence's top political advisers for his coronavirus remarks "that I could just not support, and it became harder and harder to push back," Troye said.

These advisers, Troye said, wanted to wind down the task force at the end of April. "In the middle of a pandemic, how could you do that?" she said.

She declined to name these Pence aides publicly but said there was consistent pressure from Pence's senior officials to focus more on the economy and the reelection campaign. She added that she felt Pence's top officials often showed derision toward the administration's medical experts.

Asked about her own regrets, Troye said that she wished she had spoken out internally more often and that she had wrestled with many "sleepless nights" about her actions and time in the administration.

"I wished I had been more aggressive in fighting internal forces that were working against the CDC and other policies for the president's personal agenda," she said. "I wish I would have been more aggressive with the staff on the vice president's team and some of the president's staff."

- - -

The Washington Post's Greg Jaffe, Yasmeen Abutaleb and Ellen Nakashima contributed to this report.
The Allahabad University will conduct the UGAT entrance examination from 2 to 27 September, whereas, the PGAT will be conducted from 29 September to 5 October

The University of Allahabad released the UGAT and PGAT Allahabad University Admit Card 2020 today (Firday, 18 September, 2020). Candidates who had registered fro the UGAT and PGAT Exams 2020, can download their admit cards from the official site of Allahabad University on allduniv.ac.in.

The Allahabad University will conduct the UGAT entrance examination from 2 to 27 September, whereas, the PGAT will be conducted from 29 September to 5 October

According to a report in India Today, a total of 1 lakh 29 thousand candidates have submitted their fee and completed the registration process. Out of those who applied, around 68,235 candidates had registered for UG courses like BA/ BSc/ BCom.

Here's how to download admit card for Allahabad University UGAT, PGAT exams:

Step 1: Visit the official site of Allahabad University at allduniv.ac.in.

Step 2: Click on Allahabad University Admit Card 2020 link available on the home page.

Step 3: A new page will open. Sing in with your login credentials.

Step 4:The admit card will be displayed on the screen.

Step 5: Check the admit card for details such as name, course, etc, and download the page and keep a hard copy for the same for future reference.

According to a report in Times Now, 104 test centers in 11 cities have been alotted to conduct the exams. The exams are being conducted through offline mode at 58 centres and 46 centres through the online mode. The exam will be held in three phases.
WASHINGTON  The Trump administration said Friday it would bar the Chinese-owned mobile apps WeChat and TikTok from U.S. app stores as of Sunday, striking a harsh blow against two popular services used by more than 100 million people in the United States.

The restrictions will ban the transferring of funds or processing of payments through WeChat within the United States as of Sunday. In the case of WeChat, the restrictions will also prevent any company from offering internet hosting, content delivery networks, internet transit or peering services to WeChat, or using the apps code in other software or services in the United States.

Those same prohibitions on providing services go into effect Nov. 12 for TikTok.

Todays actions prove once again that President Trump will do everything in his power to guarantee our national security and protect Americans from the threats of the Chinese Communist Party, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in a statement.

The actions follow an Aug. 6 executive order by the president, in which he argued that TikTok and WeChat collect data from U.S. users that could be accessed by the Chinese government. The administration has threatened fines of up to $1 million and up to 20 years in prison for violations of the order.

TikTok is currently in talks to be acquired by Oracle, the U.S. software maker, and could announce a deal that assuages the administrations national security concerns. In its announcement, the Commerce Department said that the president had given until Nov. 12 for TikToks national security concerns to be resolved, and if they were, the prohibitions in the order could be lifted.

TikTok declined to comment. Tencent, which owns WeChat, and Oracle did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Ross, in an interview on Fox Business Network on Friday morning, said that the ban would initially have a much greater impact on WeChat.

For all practical purposes it will be shut down in the U.S., but only in the U.S., as of midnight Monday, Ross said.

TikTok would also face some changes, but would still be allowed to function until Nov. 12, Ross said, at which point it would face the same ban as WeChat if there is no deal that satisfies the administrations concerns.

As to TikTok, the only real change as of Sunday night will be users wont have access to improved updated apps, upgraded apps or maintenance, he said.

The prohibitions raise the question of whether Google and Apple, the major operators of U.S. app stores, could sue the administration.

Tech companies have made clear that they dont like the idea of blocking apps without a more organized policy process and have suggested that they see this as a First Amendment issue, said Adam Segal, a cybersecurity expert at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Segal said it was not entirely clear why the administration had chosen to go after these two Chinese services, and not other similar ones.

A lot of it just feels to me to be improvisational, he said.

Ross portrayed the threat from the apps in stark terms, likening it to a window between the United States and China that allows Beijing to peer into the everyday lives of Americans.

What they collect are data on locality, data on what you are streaming toward, what your preferences are, what you are referencing, every bit of behavior that the American side is indulging in becomes available to whoever is watching on the other side, he said. Thats what were trying to squelch.

In its announcement, the Commerce Department said that both WeChat and TikTok collected information from their users including location data, network activity and browsing histories. As Chinese companies, they are also subject to Chinas policy of civil-military fusion and mandatory cooperation with Chinese intelligence services, it said.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
New Delhi, Sep 18 : The Supreme Court on Friday ordered status quo on the proposed demolition of the iconic Collectorate Building/Afim Ka Bhandar in Patna city.

A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde issued notice notice on a plea, which cited the historical significance, and its Dutch connection.

The petitioner, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage Patna chapter, moved the Supreme Court after the Patna High Court gave the green signal to the Municipal Corporation for proceeding with its demolition.

The High Court had observed that the structure, which the state government had planned to demolish to make way for a new building, had no aesthetic, historical, or cultural significance. The matter is likely to come up for hearing after two weeks.

Today, the petitioner's counsel argued before the apex court regarding the historical significance of the building which was built in 1800, and it was used for storage of opium for commercial purposes. The counsel argued that many Dutch-origin people have already written to the government against the demolition.

The Bihar Government in 2019 had announced it will demolish the building in order to free up space for a new government complex. This decision was criticised and there were campaigns against the demolition of the structure.

The Collectorate building was built by the Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie or the Dutch East India Company in the 18th century. The building was used as a godown for opium. Later, the British used it for administrative purposes.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
(Natural News) Millions of Americans have been duped into jumping on the Black Lives Matter (BLM) bandwagon, believing it to represent righteous advocacy on behalf of the so-called disenfranchised and persecuted. The truth, however, is that BLM is nothing more than a religious cult founded upon the tenets of Marxism, witchcraft and Satanism.

The founders of the BLM movement have admitted to such, as evidenced in newly released audio recordings that divulge the various occult practices, ancestor worship, witchcraft and African paganism that accompany all the protests and activism.

BLM co-founder Patrice Cullors, a self-admitted trained Marxist, actually boasted about her movements demonic agenda during a television interview. She admitted that she and her allies regularly consult spiritual entities that work through them to accomplish the BLM agenda.

Im calling for spirituality to be deeply radical, Cullors is quoted as saying. Were not just having a social justice movement; this is a spiritual movement.

Melina Abdulla, a professor of African Studies and fellow BLM ringleader, agrees. Speaking to Cullors, Abdulla admitted that BLM is very intimate with the spirits that we call on regularly. Each of these spirits, she says, seems to have a different presence and personality.

Creepily, Abdulla even referred to one of them by name, explaining that she laugh[s] a lot with Wakisha.

And I didnt meet her in her body, Abdulla added about Wakisha, a demonic entity. I met her through this work.

More related news about the spiritual elements deeply embedded into the BLM movement can be found at Evil.news.

BLM says its hashtags also conjure up demonic spirits

Following the reported death of George Floyd, BLM staged its Blackout Tuesday event, urging followers to plaster the hashtag all across their social media accounts alongside a black square, which we were told was a simple gesture of solidary with black lives.

Well, as it turns out, this hashtag and others are way more than a hashtag, according to Cullors.

It is  literally almost resurrecting a spirit so they can work through us to get the work that we need to get done, she says. I started to feel personally connected and responsible and accountable to them, both from a deeply political place, but also from a deeply spiritual place.

In other words, BLM hashtags are part of the Satanic ritual process, conjuring up demons in ceremonial fashion to protect black criminals. And those who participate are likewise engaging in spiritual practice, whether they realize it or not.

In my tradition, you offer things that your loved one who passed away would want, you know, whether its like honey or tobacco, things like that, Cullors further admitted, referring to the African paganism aspects of the BLM movement.

And thats so important, not just for us to be in direct relationship to our people who have passed, but also for them to know weve remembered them  I believe so many of them work through us.

Even the say his name trope, which was popularized after Floyds death, has strong spiritual connotations. This mantra, according to Cullors, is a means to invoke that spirit, and then those spirits actually become present with you.

In a nutshell, Cullors and Abdulla agree that spirituality is at the center of Black Lives Matter, and Christians especially should be aware of this because adherence to the doctrines of BLM represents a form of idolatry and paganism that is prohibited in the Bible.

What they are describing is their adherence to the Yoruba religion of Ifa, to where they are summoning dead spirits, says talk show host and Christian attorney Abraham Hamilton III, a black man, about the Satanic underpinning of BLM.

Hamilton added during an interview that the spirituality of BLM is linked to the sacrifice of children to demonic gods such as Molech (abortion), as well as to the summoning of spirits (witchcraft).

Sources for this article include:

TheNewAmerican.com

NaturalNews.com
Former CIA director John Brennan arrives at a closed-door hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee in Washington on May 16, 2018. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Former CIA Director Brennan Says He Would Testify to Congress

Former CIA Director John Brennan said Thursday he would gladly testify to Congress.

Speaking on MSNBC on the same day that ex-FBI head James Comey agreed to testify to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Brennan said: I welcome the opportunity to testify publicly in front of the Justice Committee.

I am happy to talk to them just the way I spoke to John Durham, the Department of Justice, or any other committee on the hill, he added later.

Durham is the U.S. Attorney leading the criminal investigation into Crossfire Hurricane, the FBIs previous counter-intelligence probe into Donald Trumps campaign.

A former FBI attorney pleaded guilty this month to altering an email during the probe as part of Durhams investigation. More charges are possible, according to Attorney General William Barr.

Brennan had begun saying that Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Senate Homeland Security Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) dont have the and appeared to mouth or say an expletive before starting over. They dont have the interest in calling me up in front of their committees and to testify publicly in front of the American people, he said.

The investigations into Crossfire Hurricane are a hyper-partisan, politically corrupt effort to try to create an environment prior to the election that cast Donald Trump in a positive light and Joe Biden in a negative light, he added.

Johnson gained authority on Wednesday to subpoena Brennan and 39 others involved in Crossfire Hurricane.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) speaks during a Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing to examine the Crossfire Hurricane investigation, on Capitol Hill in Washington on Aug. 5, 2020. (Carolyn Kaster/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

Brennan said he would agree to testify if asked, without a subpoena. He has previously said he does not have anything to hide.

Graham said publicly in May that he would call Brennan but has not done so.

The dossier compiled by ex-British spy Christopher Steele and paid for by Hilary Clintons campaign and the Democratic National Committee is a bunch of political garbage, unverified to this day, Graham said at the time. Why was it included in the intel assessment? Did Brennan have anything to do with that?

Johnson has said he was waiting on various documents to subpoena certain figures. He has only subpoenaed one person, former State Department official Jonathan Winer, so far, along with records from the FBI.

Neither Brennan nor Johnson responded to inquiries on Friday.

Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) speaks at the start of a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing on the governments response to the CCP virus outbreak in Washington on March 5, 2020. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

Brennan sat down with Durham at the CIA headquarters in Virginia in August, according to his spokesman. Brennan was allegedly told by Durham that hes not a subject or a target of a criminal investigation.

In the new interview, Brennan said he believes Durhams team was testing various theories that they had heard and were asking for my views as well as my recollections on things.

But it was handled in a very professional manner, he added.

Brennan then expressed concern about the resignation of Nora Dannehy, who was working for Durham.

Dannehys abrupt resignation on Sept. 11 was reportedly due to pressure placed on Durhams team to produce results before the Nov. 3 election. Durhams office declined to provide details on the resignation beyond confirming it and attempts to reach Dannehy, who has not commented publicly on her action, were unsuccessful.

Barr has said he feels no pressure to produce results before the election and that Durhams team is not working on a specific timeline.

Correction: A previous version of this article misidentified Crossfire Hurricane. The Epoch Times regrets the error.
Pope Francis is backing efforts to stop the Mafia from exploiting the image of the Virgin Mary for their own criminal ends.

Mobsters are known for 'hijacking' Catholic tradition, for example by taking part in religious processions, to win support by 'presenting themselves as having God on their side'.

But the Vatican is trying to change that with a new think-tank, set up by its Pontifical Marian Academy, which launched today at a conference called Liberating Mary from the Mafia.

In a message from the Pope read out at the start of the conference, held at Rome's Museum of Civilisations, Francis said the religious and cultural image of the Madonna 'must be preserved in its original purity.'

Pope Francis, pictured meeting worshippers at the Vatican on Wednesday, is backing efforts to 'liberate' the image of the Virgin Mary from inappropriate use by Mafia mobsters

The Catholic Church in Italy has long been associated with the Mafia, thanks in part to their post-war common cause against Communism.

The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project says that the use of the Virgin Mary by gangsters is 'rampant' in Italy.

The 'Ndrangheta crime syndicate is known to use a Catholic shrine in southern Italy to host its meetings, it says.

Elsewhere, religious processions devoted to the Virgin Mary will take detours to salute the home of a local mafia don.

The 'Ndrangheta and other mafia groups use the trappings of Catholicism to 'teach the people that God is with them', Father Stefano Cecchin told Vatican News.

Some Catholic priests have courageously opposed the mob - and paid for it with their lives.

But others have been called to explain their celebration of funerals, weddings and other sacraments for mafia dons, acceptance of their donations and participation in their religious processions.

Pope Francis looks at a Nativity image of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus after presiding over a service in St Peter's Basilica in 2019

Pope John Paul II demanded in 1993 that Mafiosi should convert, change their ways or face the wrath of God's final judgment.

He made the demand on a historic visit to Sicily after the mob slayings of two leading anti-Mafia prosecutors.

Francis has followed in that tradition, declaring that mobsters were 'excommunicated' and saying they cannot live Christian lives because their lifestyle 'blasphemes' God.

He said any popular displays of devotion to Mary must 'conform to the message of the Gospel and the teachings of the church,' and that people participating in them must be true Christians who look out for others, and especially the poor.

Marian devotion is particularly important to Francis, the first ever Pope from Latin America, where displays of such popular piety are common.

Organised crime groups in Brazil and Mexico are also known for using Catholic symbolism to shore up support.

The new think tank includes clergymen as well as law enforcement experts involved in the fight against organised crime.

Francis' message to the new think tank was dated August 15, a major Catholic feast day devoted to Mary.
United Spirits announced the following changes in directorate of the company:

1) As part of the career progression, Sanjeev Churiwala, Executive Director & Chief Financial Officer of the Company will transition into the role of Regional Finance Director - APAC within Diageo group effective 1st October 2020. Consequently, Sanjeev Churiwala has submitted his resignation as Director, Whole-time Director and Chief Financial Officer (Key Managerial Personnel) of the Company effective end of day 30 September 2020.

The Board of Directors at its meeting held today has accepted his resignation from the aforesaid positions.

Consequent to the above, board of directors at its meeting held today approved the appointment of Pradeep Jain as Chief Financial Officer of the Company effective 1 October 2020. Pradeep Jain is currently working with the Company as Executive Vice President - Commercial Finance. In addition to finance, IT & Secretarial functions will also report to Pradeep Jain.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 18 : It was a costly goof up by the authorities at the Palakkad district hospital in Kerala, when a tribal woman's body was handed over to another family, whose member had died and tested Covid positive.

Trouble started when the police on Friday came to the hospital to take the body of the tribal woman who fell into a lake, for completing their probe into an unnatural death.

It then came to light that it was the body of another woman, who was Covid positive,which was kept at the hospital.

By the time the police realised the goof up, it was too late as the last rites of the tribal woman were over, as it was perceived to be the body of the Covid positive patient.

A probe has been launched into the incident.
Mumbai: Actor Sanjay Dutts wife Maanayata Dutt on Friday said she feels blessed to have a close knit family. Dutt and Maanayata recently travelled to Dubai to be with their kids Shahraan and Iqra. Sharing a photo with Dutt and the children, Maanayata wrote on Instagram, Today I want to thank God for the gift of family. No complaintsNo requests just to be together, forever. Amen #blessedbeyondmeasure #love #grace #positivity #dutts #beautifullife #thankyougod Maanayata was in Dubai with their kids during the coronavirus-induced lockdown but returned to Mumbai in August due to Dutts health condition.

Last month, the 61-year-old actor had announced that he would be taking a break from his professional commitments to focus on medical treatment, amid reports that he was battling lung cancer. Dutt has not yet officially commented on the nature of his diagnosis. The actor was most recently seen in Sadak 2 and is currently awaiting the release of Bhuj: The Pride of India on Disney Hotstar.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- President Trump took part in a town hall event that was a forecast of the first presidential debate in Cleveland, Ohio on Sept 29. He was sitting in the Trump town of lies on the bank of denial streaming through the state of delusion.

Washington Post conservative columnist Jennifer Rubin deemed President Trumps performance disastrous. Fox News claimed Trump was a victim of an ambush when in fact he was being questioned by undecided voters in Pennsylvania during the town hall moderated by ABC News host George Stephanopoulos.

Rubin pointed out that while Trump has questioned Bidens mental acuity" he came off as confused, lost and incoherent". She noted the Posts fact checker compiled a list of Trumps nonstop stream of lies in the town hall.

Polluting that stream was Trumps claim that he didnt down play" the coronavirus, he up played it. Yet at the same time he again said coronavirus was just going to disappear, while he misstated the concept of herd immunity.

With time it goes away. Youll develop, youll develop herd -like a herd mentality. Its going to be herd-developed, and thats going to happen. That will all happen... It will go away very quickly.

Only over 198,000 Americans have gone away very quickly from the coronavirus.

Trump seemed to forget Joe Biden isnt president yet when he chastised Biden for not imposing a nationwide mask mandate. Then Trump seemed to forget that he knocked Biden for not imposing a mask mandate when he downplayed the importance of mask wearing telling Stephanopolous: A lot of people think masks are not good. Chief among them, of course, is anti-masker Trump.

Answering one undecided voters question, Trump claimed he was not going to hurt insurance coverage for people with preexisting coverage, when in fact he has sought to repeal the Affordable Care Act providing coverage for preexisting conditions while still failing to produce any healthcare plan of his own.

The town hall was in Philadelphia before real undecided voters, not at a Trump rally before a herd immune to Trumps lies or a Fox News studio. Like the debates, the town halls are the closest to an objective gauge of the candidates for voters.

Early 2021 is the earliest many experts believe a reliable covid vaccine will be available. In the town hall , Trump boasted:

Very close to having a vaccine, if you want to know the truth. Three weeks, four weeks.

If you want to know the truth," fact check everything Liar-in-Chief Trump says.
According to the health ministry, 59.8 percent of the India's active COVID-19 cases are being reported from Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh

India's COVID-19 count mounted to 52,14,677 with 96,424 people testing positive in a day, while the death toll climbed to 84,372 with the virus claiming 1,174 lives in a span of 24 hours, health ministry data updated at 8 am on Friday showed.

Several states including Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh reported their highest-ever single day cases. Karantaka, one of the worst-hit states in the country crossed five lakh cases with 8,626 patients testing positive.

In the meanwhile, the Central Government informed the Lower House of the Parliament that the current phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in India is on multiple trajectories across urban and semi-urban areas with Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Delhi being the most affected.

"Since the country has a huge population, it is expected that there would be a large number of cases every day," Minister of State (MoS) for Health Ashwini Choubey said in a written reply.

He also underlined that COVID-19 cases and deaths per million population in India is among the lowest if one were to compare between similarly affected countries.

Meanwhile, the health ministry Friday said that among the worst-hit states, five states -- Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh -- are also the ones that are reporting a high level of recoveries.

With a record 87,472 patients having recuperated or having been discharged from home or facility-supervised care and hospitals in a span of 24 hours, the total number of COVID-19 recoveries has surged to 41,12,551 in the country, taking the recovery rate to 78.86 percent, while the case fatality rate has dropped to 1.63 percent, it added.

The country has been consistently reporting a very high level of daily recoveries of more than 70,000 for the past 11 days, the ministry said.

"Recovered cases of coronavirus infection are 4.04 times the number of active cases as recoveries outnumber the latter by 30,94,797," it highlighted.

"The top five states with high active caseload of COVID-19 are also the ones which are presently reporting a high level of recoveries," the ministry said.

It said 59.8 percent of the active cases are being reported from Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh. These states have also accounted for 59.3 percent of the total recoveries and 90 per cent of the new recoveries are reported from 16 states and Union territories, the ministry said.

Maharashtra (19,522) has accounted for 22.31 percent of the new recoveries, Andhra Pradesh 12.24 percent, Karnataka 8.3 percent, Tamil Nadu 6.31 percent and Chhattisgarh 6 percent.

Together, these states account for 55.1 percent of the new recoveries, the ministry said.

Maharashtra reports 21,656 cases, two ministers test positive

Among the worst-hit states, Maharashtra reported 11,67,496 total cases on Friday with the single-day addition of 21,656 cases while the fatality count mounted to 31,791 with 405 patients succumbing to the virus in the day, the state health department said.

A total of 22,078 patients were discharged on Friday after treatment, taking the number of recoveries in the state to 8,34,432, it said, adding that the state now has 3,00,887 active cases.

In Mumbai, where the police extended prohibitory orders under Section 144 till end of September on Thursday, 2,283 people tested during the day, taking the overall case count to 1,80,668. The toll from the virus rose to 8,375, of which 52 were reported today.

Pune city added 1,875 COVID-19 cases, which took its tally to 1,38,268, while 28 deaths pushed toll to 3,165.

Meanwhile, two Maharashtra ministers  Nitin Raut (energy minister) and Hasan Mushrif (rural development minister)  on Friday said they have tested coronavirus positive. With this, the number of ministers in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, who tested positive for the infection has reached 11 so far.

Recently, ministers Jitendra Awhad (housing), Ashok Chavan (PWD), Dhananjay Munde (social justice), Sunil Kedar (animal husbandry), Balasaheb Patil (cooperation), Aslam Shaikh (textile), Abdul Sattar (MoS-rural development), Sanjay Bansode (MoS-environment) and Vishwajit Kadam (MoS-cooperation) had tested positive for COVID-19.

AP records 8,096 new COVID-19 cases, to open bars from Saturday

Andhra Pradesh continued to register a dip in fresh COVID-19 cases with the state reporting 8,096 new infections and 67 fatalities at 9 am on Friday.

While the aggregate cases rose to 6,09,558, recoveries increased to 5,19,891, leaving 84,423 active cases after 5,244 mortalities, the latest bulletin said.

Barring the two Godavari districts, East and West, which continue to add more than 1,000 cases each, and Chittoor that has been adding about 900 daily, other districts are reporting relatively less numbers.

However, the state also announced Friday that the bars in the state would be re-opened from Saturday after nearly six months of closure due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown. However, bars would attract a 20 percent 'COVID-19 fee' on the basic licence and a 10 percent additional retail excise tax on liquor.

The state would earn Rs 40 crore in the form of the COVID-19 fee and another Rs 300 crore as additional retail excise tax.

Tamil Nadu positivity rate plunges below 10%

The positivity rate in Tamil Nadu declined below 10 percent from 30 percent "for the first time", state Health Minister Dr C Vijaya Baskar said Friday, with the state registering 5,488 new coronavirus cases and 67 more fatalities.

As of Friday evening, the state had 5,30,908 cases while 8,685 had died of the virus. Of the over 5.30 lakh plus positive cases in the State, Chennai contributed for 1,53,616.

The capital city of Chennai added 989 fresh cases today while Coimbatore (543), Salem (288), Chengalpet (265), Tiruvallur (258,) and Kancheepuram (151) also reported high caseloads.

Karnataka cases cross five lakh

Total number of COVID-19 infections in Karnataka crossed five lakh on Friday, as the state reported 8,626 new cases and 179 related fatalities, taking the death toll to 7,808, the Health department said.

However, the day also saw the number of recoveries outnumbering new infections, with 10,949 patients getting discharged after recovery.

Out of 8,626 fresh cases reported on Friday, 3,623 cases were from Bengaluru Urban alone.

As of 18 September evening, cumulatively 5,02,982 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 7,808 deaths and 3,94,026 discharges, the Health department said in its bulletin. Bengaluru Urban district tops the list of positive cases, with a total of 1,87,705 infections, followed by Mysuru (28,677) and Ballari (28,485).

UP reports 98 more COVID-19 deaths; tally climbs to 3.42 lakh

On Friday, the state of Uttar Pradesh reported 98 more fatalities due to COVID-19, taking the toll to 4,869, while 6,494 fresh cases took the infection tally to 3,42,788.

The state now has 67,825 active COVID-19 cases and 2,70,094 people have recovered from the disease till date, Additional Chief Secretary (Medical and Health) Amit Mohan Prasad said.

Prasad said the recovery rate of COVID-19 patients in the state is 78.79 percent.

Of the 67,825 active cases, 35,124 patients are in home isolation, which is 51.78 percent of the total active cases.

"So far, 1,73,782 people have opted for home isolation in the state and of them over 1.38 lakh have completed their isolation period and have recovered," he added.

Delhi reports over 4,000 cases

The Natioanl Capital Delhi continued to report over 4,000 cases on Friday as well. Delhi's coronavirus tally crossed 2.38 lakh on Friday with 4,127 fresh cases while the toll from the novel coronavirus mounted to 4,907, authorities said. Thirty fresh fatalities were recorded in the last 24 hours, they added.

The active cases on Friday rose to 32,250 from 31,721 the previous day, the bulletin said. The bulletin also said that 2,01,671 patients have recovered, been discharged or migrated so far. The number of people in home isolation stands at 18,701 up from 18,038 the previous day.

The positivity rate is 6.76 per cent, a decline from 7.38 per cent the previous day, while the recovery rate is 84.44 percent, the bulletin said, adding that the case fatality rate stands at 2.05 per cent.

West Bengal reports 3,192 cases, 59 deaths

In West Bengal, the COVID-19 death toll rose to 4,242 after 59 people succumbed to the virus on Friday, a bulletin issued by the health department said.

The state's tally mounted to 2,18,772 with 3,192 fresh cases, it said.

Since Thursday, 2,960 people have been discharged, bettering the recovery rate to 86.86 percent. West Bengal now has 24,509 active cases, the bulletin said, adding, 45,229 samples have been tested in the last 24 hours.

Rajasthan, Gujarat and MP reported highest single day cases

The coronavirus situation in Madhya Pradesh worsened on Friday as the infection count crossed the one lakh with the state reporting its highest single-day spike of 2,552 cases, officials said.

The case count now stands at 1,00,458 in the state, which has been witnessing 2,000-plus daily cases since the last nine days.

State Public Health and Engineering Minister Aidal Singh Kansana on Friday said on social media that he has tested positive for the infection.

The death of 24 patients took the state's fatality count to 1,901, the official said.

Among the fresh cases, Indore alone accounted for 396, the highest in the state, followed by 264 in Gwalior, 224 in Bhopal and 200 in Jabalpur, he said.

Gujarat too reported its highest single day spike on Friday with the state's tally now at 1,20,498 with 1,410 patients testing postive for the virus in the last 24 hours, said a government release on Friday evening.

On Friday, the fatalities rose to 3,289 with 16 COVID-19 patients dying of the virus. At 286, Surat again recorded the highest daily increase in cases, while Ahmedabad was in second spot with 173 new cases. The total recoveries in the state is 1,01,101.

Rajasthan too witnessed its highest single-day surge so far, with 1,817 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total infection count to 1,11,290 while the toll touched 1,308 with 15 more deaths, according to a health department bulletin.

A total of 17,717 people are currently under treatment for COVID-19, the bulletin said.

A total of 90,823 people have so far been discharged from hospitals after recovering from the infection.

Jaipur has seen a total of 307 fatalities linked to the virus, followed by 130 in Jodhpur, 101 in Bikaner, 93 in Ajmer, 92 in Kota, 74 in Bharatpur, 53 in Pali, 49 in Udaipur, 45 in Nagaur, 32 in Alwar, 27 in Barmer and 24 in Dholpur.

On Friday, Rajasthan recorded 1,817 new cases, including 333 in Jaipur, 301 in Jodhpur, 144 in Kota, 105 in Ajmer, 98 in Udaipur, 93 in Alwar besides cases reported in other districts of the state.

Amon other states, Punjab has reported 2,817 new cases taking the state's tally to 92,833 while 62 more patients died taking the COVID-19-related fatalities to 2,708, a state bulletin said.

There are 21,662 active COVID-19 cases in the state as of now, according to the bulletin. A total of 2,645 coronavirus patients were discharged after recovering from the infection.

In Himachal Pradesh, 12 people died from coronavirus on Friday and the state's infection tally went up to 11,623 with 432 fresh cases. So far, the state has reported 109 deaths due to COVID-19.

The total number of recoveries has risen to 7,054, Special Secretary (Health) Nipun Jindal, said, adding that 27 patients have migrated out of the state. The number of active cases in the state stood at 4,430, Jindal said.

With inputs from PTI
The Toyota site at Caringbah in Sydney's Shire district is set to be redeveloped into a hub of commercial and community services with access for local sport and significant job creation.

Aliro Group, through its institutionally backed Industrial Value Fund, AGIVF, bought the former 12.4 hectare Toyota site at 13 Endeavour Road, Caringbah and intends to regenerate it to provide a diverse range of employment opportunities.

Plans are being lodged and with the 7B zoning is likely to include offices and warehouse space with large floor plates.

The former Toyota site at 13 Endeavour Road, Caringbah Sydney, which is being redeveloped

It is also near Shark Park, the home of the NRL club Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, which is also planned for redevelopment to upgrade the stadium.
Mr. DeJoy claimed he had at times disagreed with the president publicly on that particular issue, but he did not offer specifics on his disagreements, according to people who participated in the video conference, which was private and included dozens of secretaries of state from across the country.

After the video conference, Ms. Griswold, a Democrat, said she found it very noteworthy that he says hes publicly in disagreement with the president but suggested she was not fully convinced. I also think actions speak louder than words, she said in an interview.

The frayed relationship between the Postal Service and election administrators has increased concerns about election-time chaos, including the potential disqualification of as many as one million ballots for missed deadlines, as a number of states have introduced new rules to drastically expand the use of mail-in voting and ballot-collection drop boxes.

Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar, Democrat of Pennsylvania, a crucial battleground state, had expressed concerns about warnings from the post office regarding delivery times. Her department sought relief in a court filing.

The ruling in Pennsylvania, which came in response to a lawsuit brought by the state Democratic Party, effectively expanded mail-in voting by ordering that ballots postmarked by Election Day be counted if they were received by 5 p.m. on the Friday after the election. The court added additional relief for ballots received within this period that lack a postmark or other proof of mailing, or for which the postmark or other proof of mailing is illegible and said they would be presumed to have been mailed by Election Day, unless a preponderance of the evidence demonstrates that it was mailed after Election Day.

The court also allowed for the expanded use of drop boxes for mail ballots, an alternative for voters who have been hesitant to trust the Postal Service. Mr. Trumps campaign had sought to block this in Pennsylvania, filing a lawsuit in federal court claiming that it would lead to widespread fraud. A federal judge put that lawsuit on hold to allow related cases to work their way through the state courts.

The decision came as a federal judge in Yakima, Wash., issued a nationwide injunction to force the Postal Service to reverse recent operational changes. A coalition of 14 states sued the Postal Service in August, charging that the changes were carried out unlawfully. Mr. DeJoy reversed several contentious policies on the day the states filed their lawsuit.
Bob Dole

Former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, 97, is working with Armenia to improve its diplomatic relations with the US ahead of strategic talks between the two nations slated for October.

His firm, Alston & Bird, will monitor current events relevant to US-Armenia relations and may conduct outreach to Congress and the Trump administration.

Dole, a special counsel at A&B, was president Jerry Fords VP running mate in 1976 and the Republican presidential nominee in 1996.

The US embassy in Armenia's capital of Yerevan advised US citizens to avoid travel to the eastern part of the country near the border with Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijani forces killed an Armenian soldier on Sept. 16. Armenias Defense Ministry has ordered its troops to maintain high-combat readiness.
The Dolan Fire burning in Monterey County has burned approximately 125,559 acres, Cal Fire officials reported Thursday night.

The fire, which started on August 19, remained 40 percent contained as of Thursday night, officials said.

The fire is burning near state Highway 1, south of Big Sur in Monterey County.

As of Thursday, the fire had destroyed 19 structures and damaged four.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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.
An Israeli court on Friday charged a Palestinian woman from east Jerusalem with membership in a terrorist organization after Israel's internal security service said the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah had recruited her five years ago.

Yasmine Jaber was arrested in early August. The Shin Bet internal security service said she was recruited by Hezbollah operatives at a conference in 2015 and asked to recruit others in east Jerusalem. It said she traveled to Istanbul on a number of occasions to meet Hezbollah operatives and communicated with them via social media.

Her family issued a statement denying the allegations. They said the length of her interrogation and the fact that Israel has not named any other members of the alleged cell show that the allegations are false.

Israel views Hezbollah as its most immediate military threat. The two sides fought to a devastating stalemate in 2006. Since then, Hezbollah has vastly expanded its arsenal of rockets and is now believed to be able to strike virtually anywhere in Israel.

Israel captured east Jerusalem in the 1967 war and annexed it shortly thereafter. Israel considers the entire city to be its unified capital, while the Palestinians want east Jerusalem to be the capital of their future state.
4 migrants dead and 5 rescued off Algeria's Mostaganem Searches at sea continue for other possible victims

(ANSAmed) - ALGIERS, SEPTEMBER 18 - The bodies of four migrants that drowned while seeking to reach Europe onboard a makeshift boat were recovered off the coast of Mostaganem in northwestern Algeria, reported state news agency APS.



Five others were rescued.



The boat used by this group of migrants, all Algerian nationals, capsized 90 km east of Mostaganem, APS said without providing further details on the circumstances of the incident.



The Algerian coast guard continues meanwhile its search at sea to find other possible victims of the incident. (ANSAmed).




good

Its called Say 42 and its a new hull from builder Say Carbon . The first hull under this name was delivered to Ibiza in July this year and is available for charter, and the second one is in construction. Say Carbon is taking orders for more, with the promise of delivering a state-of-the-art cruiser that combines plenty of carbon fiber and impressive horsepower, in order to deliver an experience comparable to that of flying down the highway in your favorite supercar. Wind in your hair, and all that.Say 42 is a day cruiser but, thanks to the fact that it has a full cabin below deck, it can also work as a weekend cruiser for a couple. It stands out for being incredibly fast and luxurious, but also low-emission, proving that these three features dont automatically rule each other out.Future owners can choose from three different engine options, depending on how fast they want their cruiser to be. Theres the low-emission option Volva Penta V8 engine that delivers 860 hp and takes you up to speeds of 46 knots, or the twin Mercruiser 6.2-liter V8 setup with 700 hp and speeds of up to 40 knots. For even more speed, theres the twin Ilmor MV8 7.4-liter setup with 966 hp on tap for a top speed of 50 knots. Hows that for wind in your hair?Whichever engine option ends up on the Say 42, the fact that its lightweight, combined with the hydrodynamic design (the wave-cutter bow and deep-V running surface), makes it a beast. Compared to other go-fast yachts, Say 42 consumes 50 percent less fuel, so itsless bad for the environment  and your wallet.The hull is made of carbon fiber and theres plenty of it inside the cockpit as well, for a more futuristic look. Say 42 is also packed with technology, from the large Garmin displays, to Seakeeper 2 GYRO, CZone CAN Bus Control System, and automatic anchor system. The cockpit comes with swiveling carbon fiber seats with incorporated suspension for a smoother ride, and has enough storage for all your (smaller) water toys.In the back, theres a bathing platform with an electric hydraulic bathing ladder, perfect for dips in the sea or elegant boarding. Other amenities include above-head cold / hot rain shower, and seating that converts into a bed for two in the cabin below deck. Theres also a toilet, a large skylight over the cabin, wet bar with freezer, and optional windscreens or roof to offer some degree of protection from the elements.With seating for 12, Say 42 is quite an elegant and very efficient yacht that can be used to transport large parties from shore to the bigger yacht, or for day-long (or even weekend-long) adventures out at sea. The fact that its so fast is the cherry on top, and should appeal to speedsters looking to get their fix even when theyre no longer on the highway or at the track.We started this new era several years ago with our Say 29, and that bar has been raised to a new level by the Say 42, Karl Wagner, CEO of Say Carbon Yachts, tells The Robb Report of the latest hull. There is a clear connection with automotive design. So much so that Id call the 42 a supercar on the water.Seeing how it was designed by KET in Munich, whose client roster includes Maybach, Mercedes-Benz, Rolls-Royce, Audi and Bugatti, that comparison is actually quite fitting.Say 42 starts at 870,000 ($1,030,120 at todays exchange rate). The cabin below deck can be further customized with a choice of luxury trims and styles, and this will add to the final tally, as will the engine setup.
Too early to speculate on whether President Xi would attend BRICS summit in India

At BRICS NSAs meet, anti-terror planned topped focus

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Sep 18: The National Security Advisors of Brazil-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) grouping discussed a draft anti-terrorism strategy. This is expected to be approved in the upcoming summit.

While there was speculation rife that there would be a bilateral discussion between NSA Ajit Doval and his Chinese counterpart, no such meeting took place. The NSAs of the five nations discussed challenges and threats to global and national security.

External Affairs Ministry, spokesperson, Anurag Srivastava told a news briefing that this was a virtual meeting and the bilateral talks are not possible in this format.

Further, the NSAs also discussed biological security cooperations and information and communications technology security. There was a proposal continue work on a system to counter security threats in the sphere of information.

NSA Ajit Doval attends BRICS meet on security

Concerns were raised over the escalation of tensions around Iran, Venezuela and Syria, according to the Russian statement. The Russian side criticised the deployment of weapons in space by the United States and also the use of outer space for military operations.

After Akali Dal now JJP's Dushyant Chautala under pressure over farm bills row | Oneindia News

Russia proposed the creation of new mechanisms in the field of countering epidemiological threats and to conduct expert consultations on bio-safety in the BRICS format.
According to new research presented at the ESCMID Conference on Coronavirus Disease (ECCVID) reveals that most of the patients who tested positive for coronavirus suffer ongoing fatigue after they have recovered from the illness. The researchers have found that even after 10 weeks of recovering from COVID-19, patients reported persistent tiredness and exhaustion. Dr. Liam Townsend, an infectious disease doctor at St. James's Hospital and Trinity Translational Medicine Institute in Dublin, Ireland who led the study has said in a statement, "Fatigue is a common symptom in those presenting with symptomatic COVID-19 infection. Whilst the presenting features of SARS-CoV-2 infection have been well-characterised, the medium and long-term consequences of infection remain unexplored,"

READ: Study: Ending Census Early Will Cost Florida, Montana Seats

Persistent fatigue after infection

The COVID-19 symptoms include fever, muscle weakness, shortness of breath, vomiting, and diarrhea but Townsend said, "the medium- and long-term consequences of infection remain unexplored." The research is all set to be presented at a virtual meeting of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. It is based on 128 former COVID patients but has not been published in any journal.

READ: Immune System's T Cells Play Bigger Role In Reducing COVID-19 Severity: Study

The study found that 10 weeks after clinical recovery from Covid-19, 52 per cent of the 128 people in the study reported ongoing fatigue. As per reports, the people in that group were typically in the age group of 50 and 54 per cent were female.

As per reports, the researchers analyzed the severity of the patient's infection and pre-existing health conditions. In addition, 71 out of 128 patients had been admitted to hospital and 57 were not admitted but the researchers found that the fatigue levels were the same. The researchers added that two-thirds of those with persistent fatigue were women.

The study authors wrote, "This study highlights the importance of assessing those recovering from COVID-19 for symptoms of severe fatigue, irrespective of severity of initial illness, and may identify a group worthy of further study and early intervention".

READ: Big Ten's Cardiac Registry Aims To Study Effects Of COVID-19

READ: Study Hints Antibody Drug May Cut COVID-19 Hospitalizations
The government doctors in



on Friday called off their strike over salary hike after the government conceded their demand.

The announcement was made by state Health Minister B Sriramulu.

"The meeting with the protesting doctors was fruitful. Approval has been given to meet their demand," Sriramulu tweeted after the meeting with the Government Medical Officers' Association office-bearers.

Praising Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa for his initiative to break the logjam, Sriramulu said, "Congratulations to the doctors on behalf of the government for calling off their strike."



The doctors under the aegis of KGMOA, went on strike from September 15 demanding a salary hike on par with the teaching faculties at the government medical colleges and hospitals.

"We have called off the strike as the government has agreed to all our demands. They said they will earmark Rs 125 crore for this," the KGMOA president Dr G Srinivas told PTI.

According to a district health officer, about 4,000 government doctors were on token strike.

Earlier, Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar too had exuded confidence that the government doctors would withdraw the agitation.

On Thursday, Karnataka reported 9,366 new cases of COVID-19 and 93 related fatalities, taking the total number of infections to 4,94,356 and toll to 7,629.

(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.)
State officials recently announced less than half-a-percent of the estimated 1.1 million students in public schools have tested positive for COVID-19 since students returned to school. New online reports indicate approximately 2,344 students have tested positive for COVID-19 statewide of those attending in-person classes so far this year, Texas Education Agency (TEA) officials announced in a press release Thursday (Sept. 17). A total of 2,175 on-campus district employees tested positive during the same time period. TEA officials say new totals will be posted online daily on the Texas Department of heath and Human Services site via a partnership between the two agencies. Starting Monday, the counts will include counts provided by individual school districts as well a state-wide data. School districts were instructed in recent weeks to upload case data via TEA reporting and information is uploaded every Monday. Antibody tests, which indicate a previous infection, are not included in data collection. In Fort Bend County, area school districts are also sharing information about positive cases among students and stand via am online COVID-19 Dashboard that reports each districts overall total along with the number of positive cases among students and staff reported by campus. Online counts are updated online daily.

Related: Medical adviser warns Fort Bend ISD to prep for potential second wave of COVID-19 infections

Fort Bend ISDs newly-launched COVID-19 dashboard reported Friday a total of 22 positive cases including 18 staff and five students. Nineteen positive cases were reported via Lamar Consolidated Independent School District (LCISD) data, including 13 students and six among district staff and a total of 53 positive cases have been reported by Katy ISD officials including 26 students in on-campus instruction, 10 in virtual classes and 17 district staff.

Both Katy ISD and Lamar CISD previously re-opened campuses to in-person classes. Fort Bend ISD students will begin returning to campuses for in-person instruction campuses by grade level during a two-week period that begins on Monday, September 28. Both online learning programs and in-person classes will be available. During the recent program selection process, approximately 60 percent of the student population opted to continue with online learning with 40 percent enrolled in in-person classes. Currently, only a fraction of the districts students and staff are involved in on-campus activities. Online classes and services are currently provided to a group of roughly 800 special education students and their teachers and more than 1,000 students who attend a district learning center, according to recent school board agenda documents.

Which Fort Bend ISD schools reported COVID-19 cases?

According to Fort Bend ISDs online reports on Friday Sept. 18, a total of 22 positive cases, 18 staff and five students, were reported. Positive cases were reported at each of the following campuses:

Clements High School: 1

Bush High School: 1

Hightower High School: 1

Travis High School: 1

Willowridge High School: 4

Bowie Middle School: 1

Jordan Elementary School: 1

Colony Bend Elementary School: 1

Dulles Elementary School: 1

Heritage Rose Elementary School: 1

Lantern Lane Elementary School: 1

Mary Austin Holley Elementary School: 1

Drabek Elementary School: 1

Settlers Way Elementary School: 1

Sienna Crossing Elementary School: 1

Wood Center for Learning: 1

Fort Bend ISD Police Department: 1

Transportation HB Terminal: 1

What about other districts?

Other Fort Bend County area districts are also posting daily updates of positive COVID-19 cases including Katy ISD where a total a total of 53 cases including 36 students and 17 staff. Lamar CISD officials were reported Friday, Sept. 18.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Katy ISD quarterback charged with aggravated robbery

Nineteen positive cases were reported via Lamar Consolidated Independent School District (LCISD) data, including 13 students and six among district staff. Among the student cases, four were reported at elementary schools, four at junior high schools and five at LCISD high schools.

knix@hcnonline.com
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United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe
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

PRESS RELEASE

Story continues

Nyxoah Announces Commencement of Trading of Shares on Euronext Brussels

Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium  18 September 2020  Nyxoah (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, is delighted to announce its flotation today on Euronext Brussels. This follows a successful placing by Bank Degroof Petercam NV/SA and Belfius Bank NV/SA, raising approximately 73.70 million, or up to 84.75 million (US$100m), assuming the exercise in full of the Over-allotment Option, for the Company before expenses, at a price of 17.00 per share.

Trading of shares will begin at 9.00 (CEST) under the ticker symbol NYXH.

Olivier Taelman, Chief Executive Officer of Nyxoah, commented: Today marks an exciting new era for Nyxoah as a publicly listed company. The money raised will enable Nyxoah to further advance on ongoing clinical evidence development, launch the US DREAM IDE pivotal trial, execute on European commercialization, further invest in R&D and scale-up the organisation to successfully embrace the future.

The full details of the results of the offering are available in the press release issued yesterday and accessible to those eligible to view them on the investor section of the Nyxoah website at www.nyxoah.com .



- 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 risk1 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) and a supplement to the prospectus have been approved by the Belgian Financial Services and Markets Authority. The Prospectus and its supplement are made available to investors free of charge 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 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.





Attachments




The Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) of the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu, on Friday called off its proposed industrial action scheduled to commence next on Monday

The president of the hospitals chapter of the association, Mutiu Popoola, explained that this follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the state government.

He said the state government, after a series of meetings with the association, agreed to commit additional resources towards the enhanced salary package for OOUTH medical practitioners with entry level of CONMESS 3/2.

The state government also agreed to make available personal protective equipment to ensure that health workers are not exposed to any form of hazard.

The chairman acknowledged the state government for approving the commencement date for the enhanced payment for October 2020, adding that they agreed that the payment would not accommodate the payment of salary arrears and that the payment would also be linked to performance and agreed key performance indicators.

While appreciating the state government for its pledge to continue to provide the necessary healthcare inputs from available resources, Mr Popoola said the decision of the state government to continue to monitor the health system in the state so as to ensure that expenditure is commensurate to the quality of health service output is a welcome development.

The secretary to the state government, Tokunbo Talabi, earlier in his remarks, noted that the present administration in the state would continue to give the healthcare sector all the support needed, stressing that the health of the people of the state is paramount to the state government.
Four men have been charged following an investigation into an alleged criminal syndicate involved in the supply of cocaine, methylamphetamine and prohibited weapons across Sydney.

Officers began investigating the alleged syndicate in May. Following extensive inquiries, a 42-year-old Guildford man was arrested during a vehicle stop at James Ruse Drive, Rosehill, just before 5.30pm on September 8.

Four men have been charged following an investigation into an alleged criminal syndicate involved in the supply of drugs and weapons across Sydney. Credit:NSW Police

Police searched the car and allegedly found almost 300 grams of cocaine under the front passenger seat.

The man, who is a Hells Angels outlaw motorcycle gang associate, was taken to Granville police station and charged with supplying a commercial quantity of prohibited drugs.
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US-based biotech firm Moderna is actively preparing for a potential commercial launch of mRNA-1273, its Covid-19 vaccine, the companys CEO has said.

The announcement comes amid an unprecedented race worldwide to bring a vaccine to protect people from Covid-19.

Moderna announced progress across its portfolio of pipeline assets presented at its annual R&D Day on Thursday.

The pipeline has matured with our Covid-19 vaccine in a Phase 3 study and four candidates in Phase 2 studies," Modernas Chief Executive Officer Stephane Bancel said in a statement.

We are actively preparing for a potential commercial launch of mRNA-1273, our COVID-19 vaccine, and we continue to expand the breadth of Modernas platform," he said.

Moderna revealed that the Phase-3 study of its Covid vaccine candidate, mRNA-1273, involving 30,000 volunteers in the US, has enrolled 25,296 participants as of September 16.

The company said that 10,025 participants have received their second vaccination to date.

To provide additional transparency in the context of the pandemic, the company also made Phase 3 protocol available online.

Amid calls for greater transparency by vaccine makers, Pfizer, which is also conducting the Phase-3 trial of its Covid-19 vaccine candidate, joined Moderna in making blueprints of its study available.

The revelations are aimed to address concerns that pressure to bring out a vaccine before the November US presidential election could lead to unsafe products.
GENEVA (Reuters) - Yemen's warring parties started on Friday a new meeting on a United Nations-backed prisoner exchange deal, which U.N. Yemen envoy Martin Griffiths said he hoped would result in the swift release of detainees.

"The Yemen Prisoners & Detainees Committee meeting started today," Griffiths said on Twitter. "I am grateful to Switzerland for hosting it, to

the International Committee of the Red Cross for co-chairing."

"My message to the parties is conclude discussions, release detainees swiftly, bring relief to thousands of Yemeni families, he added.

The meeting is the fourth held by Yemen's Houthi movement and the Saudi-backed government who had agreed to release conflict-related prisoners and detainees at talks held late in 2018 in Stockholm.

Yemen has been mired in conflict since a Saudi-led coalition intervened in March 2015 to restore the Yemeni government ousted from power in the capital Sanaa by Houthi forces in late 2014.

(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; writing by Maher Chmaytelli; Editing by Tomasz Janowski)
A forensic psychologist who worked with serial killer Dennis Nilsen has claimed that he was a necrophiliac because of 'abnormal sexual development' in childhood.

Nilson, known as the Muswell Hill Murderer, died at the age of 74 at HMP Full Sutton in 2018, 34 years into his life sentence for carrying out a murderous spree in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

One of the nation's most notorious murderers, Nilsen is believed to have killed as many as 15 gay men, most of them homeless, at his homes in Cricklewood and Muswell Hill, north London.

Kerry Daynes, from Brighton, who came into contact with the killer in 2008 after he'd spotted her on a crime documentary and got in touch, dismissed the murderer's' previous claims that he killed 'because he was lonely', suggesting instead he was 'attracted to dead bodies'.

She explained on This Morning today that after an irregular sexual development as a child, he wanted to create 'passive partners' who he could 'wash, pose and talk to' and who 'wouldn't ask questions'.

Dennis Nilson, known as the Muswell Hill Murderer, died at the age of 74 last year at HMP Full Sutton last May, 34 years into his life sentence for carrying out a murderous spree in the late 1970s and early 1980s

Kerry Daynes, Brighton, met the killer in 2008 after he'd spotted her on a crime documentary, and dismissed the murders' previous claims that he killed 'because he was lonely'

'I think to understand Dennis Nilsen you really have to look at a series of events during his childhood,' said Kerry, 'and he had a very, very abnormal sexual development.

'I don't believe he killed because he was lonely, I believe he killed because he was a necrophilic, he was attracted to dead bodies.

'But also being around them and being around death made him feel very powerful and created passive partners he could, pose and wash and talk to. Like his dog, who never asked questions and made him feel like he was in control.'

Nilsen had called Kerry to 'give his version of events' after seeing her on television, and stayed in contact until 2012.

Nilsen is believed to have killed as many as 15 gay men, most of them homeless, at his home in Muswell Hill, north London, he is pictured during a TV interview in 1993

He had told her that the act of killing was 'not important' to him, and that his murder spree was a result of events in his childhood.

'He told me the killing was not important to him,' said Kerry. 'In fact he found it very, very difficult. What was important was the ultimate product he made which was these dead men.

'He spoke to me, when he was at school he, was bullied because he was feminine and people didn't accept he was gay, which he felt he could not hide.'

She recalled an incident in his childhood, where he had seen one of the boys who had bullied him being pulled out of the sea, and felt 'supreme and powerful' after seeing his peer so defenceless.

He had told her that the act of killing was 'not important' to him, and that his murder spree was a result of events in his childhood

She was joined on the show by Steve McCusker (pictured), who was a Detective Inspector on the Nilsen investigation and agreed that his murders were pre-meditated

The psychologist told: 'There was one incident where he saw one of the boys bullying him being pulled out of the sea, he lived in a small fishing port in Scotland.

'He found it very sexually exciting, but also he realised he would never bully him again and he had no control. It made him feel supreme and powerful and confident.

'From that point, he would fantasise about dead bodies who had been drowned or pulled from the sea.'

She added: 'He was referred to as a 'kindly killer', there's nothing kind about killing men, but then he would put them in the bath and wash them, and I think he was trying to recreate the scenario with this drowning boy. '

Dennis Nilsen (right), with a prison warden at his side, after he was sentenced to a minimum of 25 years imprisonment after being convicted of six murders and two attempted murders at the Old Bailey

She was joined on the show by Steve McCusker, who was a Detective Inspector on the Nilsen investigation and agreed that his murders were pre-meditated, and a result of the killer being 'pure evil'.

Asked why the killer was able to go unnoticed for so long, Steve said: 'I think probably because the people he approached were vulnerable young men.

'A lot of the people we investigated and identified had left home under sad circumstances and they were people, normally, if they vanished off the face of the earth, nobody would ask any questions.'

He went on: 'I think Nilsen went down to the west end to these bars, with the intention to murder them. I think he was absolutely without doubt evil.'

He added: 'I think evil just came within him, he's just pure evil, a nasty man.'
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Rio Tinto's chairman Simon Thompson was deep in discussion with the board over how severe the sanctions should be for its worst crisis in decades when a question was raised: where does the destruction of a 46,000-year-old Aboriginal heritage site sit on the spectrum of other crises that have rocked corporate Australia? The first comparison, board members agreed, should be rival BHP's 2015 Samarco dam collapse in Brazil that killed 19 people and poured mine waste into the local river. Rio's disaster was different; no one was dead. But they were still interested in looking at what accountability followed. Although BHP to this day is dealing with the fallout of lawsuits, reparations and recovery activities, Rio's board noted that the reckoning for BHP's top brass had been relatively contained. No immediate dismissals. Case Study No. 1. Case Study No. 2 involved more recent events at Westpac (money-laundering scandal, child-trafficking links) which claimed the scalps of the bank's chairman and chief executive last year. But this, too, was different to what Rio was facing, because Westpac's crisis involved something illegal. Rio's board scrambled to find an appropriate response to the Juukan Gorge disaster. Credit:Erin Jonasson A third corporate crisis  sexual harassment allegations that shook AMP  was also being monitored, but at the time of this conference call, was still playing out. Nearly three months had passed since Rio Tinto's ill-fated decision to blast through two culturally significant rock shelters at Western Australias Juukan Gorge for a mine expansion, leaving traditional owners devastated and the Australian public incensed. The miner's board of directors, spanning three continents, was searching for a precedent  any relevant benchmarks  that could guide its accountability response. It could find none.

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But if daily updates and a stream of investor phone calls would make one thing painfully clear, it was that the board's first try at delivering accountability  a proposal to dock the annual bonuses of chief executive Jean-Sebastien "JS" Jacques, iron ore boss Chris Salisbury and corporate relations boss Simone Niven  was not going to satisfy. A chorus of investors was saying: "Heads have to roll". "Some were very vocal in expressing their concerns both publicly and privately, but there were a lot of shareholders who were supportive of the management team and felt they had done a good job," Thompson, the chairman, recalled. "We had to balance a wide range of views. If we feel some critical stakeholders do not have the confidence in the ability of this leadership team to make the necessary changes, then, of course, we have to move on." Thompson, at least for a while, didnt think he had to. Why would he? Shares in Rio Tinto, the world's second-largest mining company, are dual-listed on the London and Australian stock exchanges, where its shareholder registers are dominated by US-based investment giants and the Chinese-owned Chinalco. Australian investors, where the trouble was emerging, account for less than 20 per cent of Rio's stock. It began with the likes of AustralianSuper, HESTA, Unisuper and Aware Super (formerly First State) seeking teleconferences with the board. After it was determined that accountability would be limited to pay cuts rather than dismissals, the calls increased in frequency. The proposed penalties fall "significantly short", is how AustralianSuper's chief executive Ian Silk put it. "We have asked the board to reconsider its response." Chief executive Jean-Sebastien Jacques was forced to resign over the disaster. Credit:Philip Gostelow

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But, equally, the board was also hearing from other investors  investors in the United States, Britain and Europe  many of whom were much larger shareholders, and many of whom held views on appropriate accountability that were vastly different to the Australians'. Rio's American shareholders were said to be furious, and even viewed the proposed bonus cuts as a dramatic overreach against three otherwise-excellent executives, according to a source familiar with the workings of the board. Rio's European funds, too, were more muted in opposition to the bonus cuts proposal. And many fervently supported the boards decision to keep Jacques as CEO. Loading If this was an uprising, it didn't have the numbers. Just a few colonial troublemakers ... wont worry us, is how the head of one large Australian fund characterised Rio's London-focused board's views at the time. Not to mention that the calls were largely coming from industry super funds with links to left-leaning trade unions. There was no single tipping point so to speak. Pressure for action picked up slowly. And two key interventions came at the eleventh hour  from the Church of England Pension Fund and Australias $160 billion Future Fund. Peter Costello, the Future Fund's chairman and a former federal treasurer, told Thompson directly that resignations were necessary.

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"What has become clear," Thompson said, days later, "is that the issue of individual accountability was hindering our ability to start rebuilding trust. On that basis, by mutual agreement with JS, Chris and Simone, we took action." The "rabble" in Australia didn't have the support. What they did have was the ethical arsenal. And in a stark sign of the times the ethical issues fanned out and prevailed. Shareholder democracy  that idea that you get as much say as your vote  had been turned on its head. Everyone's talking ESG Would a coup like this, without the bulk of shareholder support, have succeeded five years ago? In the aftermath of last week's Rio resignations, it's a question that has been raised by several mining and corporate governance insiders, with BHP's 2015 crisis cited as the most obvious benchmark. "Probably not," said one. Samarco is obviously a very different event, but a good comparison for severity of response." "Do you think if Samarco happened today that the CEO would have survived?" asked another. "I am not so sure. Standards have increased. We are all now on notice."

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The $130 billion Aware Super, which joined a coalition of 11 investors to co-sign a letter to Rio's board last week demanding greater accountability, says the outcome was part of a broader, accelerating shift of shareholders and boards becoming more attuned to environmental, social and governance matters  commonly referred to as ESG. 'Just a few colonial trouble-makers ... wont worry us.' Head of a large Australian fund Superannuation investors have been spearheading the rise of ESG pressure amid the growing awareness that companies lacking in their "social licence to operate"  that is, ongoing acceptance of its business practices by stakeholders and the broader public  present longer-term risks to members' retirement savings. "Having engaged with companies over the last five years we have continually heard from them that no one ever asks them the same questions we do," says Liza McDonald, Aware Super's head of responsible investments. "We have a real opportunity to encourage companies to behave in a way that creates long-term, sustainable returns for our members." Few industries are more exposed to such ESG risks than mining, which, by its very nature, has a significant impact on the environment and communities. 'I think we are seeing a significant moment.' Danielle Welsh-Rose, head of ESG at Aberdeen Standard

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The prevalence of dementia in places where more than one language is spoken is 50% lower than in regions where the population uses only one language

As well as allowing us to communicate with other people, languages are the tool we use to convey our thoughts, identity, knowledge, and the way we see and understand the world. Mastering more than one language enriches us, provides a gateway to other cultures and, according to a team of researchers led by scientists from the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) and Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), actively using them also brings us neurological benefits and protects us from cognitive impairment associated with ageing.

In a paper published in Neuropsychologia, the researchers conclude that speaking two languages on a regular basis - and having done so all one's life - enhances cognitive reserve and delays the appearance of symptoms associated with cognitive decline and dementia.

"The prevalence of dementia in countries where more than one language is spoken is 50% lower than in those regions where the population uses only one language to communicate," said researcher Marco Calabria, professor at the UOC Faculty of Health Sciences and member of the University's Cognitive NeuroLab research group and the Speech Production and Bilingualism research group, at the UPF.

Previous work had already found that the lifelong use of two or more languages could be a key factor in increasing cognitive reserve and delaying the onset of dementia, as well as offering advantages for memory and executive functions.

"We wanted to discover the mechanism through which bilingualism contributes to cognitive reserve in cases of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's, and whether there were differences in terms of the benefit gained from different degrees of bilingualism, and not only between monolingual and bilingual people," said Calabria, who led the study.

Therefore, unlike in previous studies, the researchers established a bilingualism gradient: from people who speak only one language but are passively exposed to another, to individuals who have excellent proficiency in both and use them indiscriminately on a day-to-day basis. To create this gradient, several variables were taken into account, including the age of acquisition of the second language, the use made of each language, and switching between languages in the same context.

The researchers focused on the population of Barcelona, where the use of Catalan and Spanish is highly variable, with some predominantly Catalan-speaking neighbourhoods and others where Spanish is the main language. "We wanted to take advantage of this variability, and instead of comparing monolingual and bilingual people, we looked at whether in Barcelona - where everyone is more or less bilingual - there was a certain degree of bilingualism that had neuroprotective benefits," explained Calabria.

Bilingualism and Alzheimer's

They recruited 63 healthy individuals, 135 patients with mild cognitive impairment such as memory loss, and 68 people with Alzheimer's - the most prevalent type of dementia - in four hospitals in Barcelona and the metropolitan area. They used a questionnaire to establish proficiency in Catalan and Spanish and ascertain each person's degree of bilingualism. They then correlated this degree with the age of neurological diagnosis and the onset of symptoms.

To better understand the origin of cognitive advantage, they asked participants to perform various cognition tasks, focusing primarily on the executive control system, as previous studies have suggested that this is the source of the benefit. In total, the participants performed five tasks in two sessions, such as memory tests and cognitive control.

"We saw that the people with a higher degree of bilingualism received a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment later than those who were passive bilinguals," said Calabria, who surely considers speaking two languages and regularly switching from one to the other to be lifelong training for the brain. According to this researcher, such linguistic gymnastics is related to other cognitive functions, such as executive control, which kicks in when we perform several actions at once, for example when we drive, to help us filter out relevant information.

The brain's executive control system is related to the system used to control two languages: it has to switch between them, making the brain focus on one and then the other, to avoid one language intruding into the other when we speak.

Calabria considers that "in the context of neurodegenerative diseases, this system could offset symptoms. So, when something is not functioning well due to the disease, thanks to the fact that it is bilingual, the brain has efficient alternative systems for resolving the problem," also stressing that "we have seen that the more you use both languages and the better your language skills, the more neuroprotective advantage you have. In fact, active bilingualism is an important predictor of delay in the onset of symptoms of mild cognitive impairment - a preclinical phase of Alzheimer's disease - because it contributes to cognitive reserve".

Now researchers want to see whether bilingualism is also beneficial for other diseases, such as Parkinson's and Huntington's disease.

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The Kansas Supreme Court seemed worried on Sept. 16 about the proper roles of the Legislature and courts as it wrestled with whether a state statute that prohibits lawsuits based on wrongful birth claims is constitutional.

Justices heard oral arguments via Zoom on whether the parents of a disabled child have a right to a trial on their malpractice claims. A lower appeals court had earlier held that the statute  signed into law by then-Gov. Sam Brownback in 2013  protects physicians from malpractice suits if they fail to provide information about fetal abnormalities that might cause the mother to get an abortion.

The parents attorney, Lynn Johnson, argued the case was an action for the recovery of damages for negligent injury under common law that had evolved based on advances of technology and a recognition of a womans reproductive rights.

So the Legislature cannot  simply because it doesnt like abortion  simply cannot step in and deprive these folks and others similarly situated of their right to remedy  by a trial by jury of whether the doctor was negligent and whether that negligence ultimately caused their monetary damages, Johnson said.

Alysia Tillman gave birth in May 2014 to a baby girl with a severe brain abnormality that left her permanently disabled and unable to ever perform activities of daily living. Months before the birth, the doctor performed an ultrasound and told the parents it showed a healthy female fetus.

In their petition to the states highest court, Tillman and the babys father argued that they would have chosen to terminate the pregnancy had they received an accurate interpretation of the ultrasound. The child was diagnosed with schizencephaly, a rare birth defect in the cerebral hemispheres of the brain.

Tillman and Storm Fleetwood sued their doctor, claiming Dr. Katherine Goodpastures failure to make a correct diagnosis denied them the right to make an informed decision on whether to end the pregnancy. Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt subsequently intervened in the case to defend the statute.

The doctors attorney, Jacob Peterson, told the court that this is something entirely different than a traditional negligence lawsuit, saying it seems somewhat crass and somewhat wrong to try to award damages because the result is the existence of this child, this living being.

Peterson contended the parents wanted to have a child, they just didnt want to have the specific fetus that was in the womb.

That does implicate certain matters of public policy as the Kansas Legislature has articulated on numerous times they believe that, and the people of Kansas believe, that life begins at conception, he said.

Kansas Deputy Solicitor General Brant Laue also argued the legislative branch has the primary authority to determine what injuries are compensated.

The court took the matter under advisement after listening to the arguments.

Besides Kansas, a dozen other states have similar laws: Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and South Dakota, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports reproductive rights.

The Guttmacher Institute contends these laws are part of the anti-abortion strategy.

False and misleading information is a long-standing strategy employed by abortion opponents, whether it is through a wrongful life statute or through state-mandated abortion counseling, they have the same goal of denying full information to patients as a way to force the continuation of a pregnancy, Elizabeth Nash, a public policy associate at Guttmacher, said in an email.

Nash said she was unaware of any wrongful birth state laws that have been specifically struck down, although there are such cases in some of these states.

Last year, the Kansas Supreme Court declared that the state constitution protects abortion rights when it blocked a state law banning a a common method for ending pregnancies.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Kansas
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

A bill that would withdraw all federally-managed minerals in the Pecos watershed from future leasing or sales was introduced by U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich this week.

We all have different relationships with this river, but whether youre a fisherman or farmer or outdoor recreationist, people understand this river is the thing that ties them all together, the New Mexico Democrat told the Journal. People want to see that protected to the greatest extent possible, and I think this legislation is the most straightforward way to do that.

The Pecos Watershed Protection Act bill would not affect existing mining activities, including a proposal by Australia-based Comexico for an exploratory drilling project on U.S. Forest Service land near Tererro. Comexicos parent company, New World Resources, signed agreements last spring to acquire rights to 20 federal mining claims.

Santa Fe National Forest officials are reviewing the proposal. The agency cannot prohibit mining activity on federal lands.

If people do have valid existing rights to do any sort of mining activities in this watershed, were going to hold them accountable, so theyre not impairing other peoples rights to clean water, rights to irrigate and recreate, Heinrich said.

The region had a $28 million cleanup in the 1990s after a snowmelt sent heavy metals from the old Tererro mine into the Pecos River. The spill killed thousands of fish at a downstream hatchery.

The bill is supported by groups such as the Upper Pecos Watershed Association. Lela McFerrin, the associations vice president, said mining could harm outdoor recreation in the area.

Fishing, camping and hiking is what brings people up here, McFerrin said. The Pecos is also the source of acequia waterflow for agriculture, our second biggest industry in Pecos, so its very important to keep this river clean. We dont want development of hardrock mining in our pristine watershed.

The group has also petitioned the state to declare the Upper Pecos and its tributaries as Outstanding National Resource Waters. That designation would come with high water quality standards and development restrictions.

Similar legislation withdrawing federal lands from new mining has been used in several western states, including on land near the Grand Canyon in Arizona.

Heinrichs bill has been referred to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Theresa Davis is a Report for America corps member covering water and the environment for the Albuquerque Journal.
Authorities in New Jersey on Friday are offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrests of two gunmen who opened fire on a home where two police officers and their newborn baby live.

The shooting in Camden marks the fourth time that law enforcement officers have been attacked nationwide in the span of one week.

The Camden County officers and their 10-day-old infant were inside their home in the 2900 block of Clinton Street just before midnight on Tuesday when six bullets struck it, authorities said.

Two New Jersey officers were at home with their 10-day-old baby late Tuesday when two gunmen opened fire on the Camden residence

Two bullets penetrated the front door of the house but the family were not harmed

Two bullets penetrated the home through the front door, but the family were on the second floor and no one was hurt, reported CBS Philadelphia.

'It shocks the conscience that this occurred,' Police Chief Joseph Wysocki said at a press conference.

He added: 'I do know that this was a targeted attack against this residence and the officers inside.'

The FBI and other agencies have joined the investigation.

Authorities on Thursday located a 1998 Honda Odyssey that they believe was involved in the shooting. They are now trying to locate the minivan's owner and passengers.

The officers remain on family and medical leave following the birth of their first child on September 5.

The police chief said he does not know why the new parents, assigned to Camden County Police Department's Neighborhood Response Team, were targeted.

The male officer has been on the force for four years, and his partner joined the department two years ago.

'We're looking into every arrest that they have had. We're not going to leave a rock unturned,' he vowed.

Camden County Freeholder Louis Capelli did not mince words when discussing the attack, which he said was carried out by 'scumbag thugs,' reported NBC10.

Police have located the getaway car, a 1998 Honda Odyssey, but they are still searching for its driver and two passengers

Police Chief Joseph Wysocki said he does not know why the officers were targeted

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said during his daily briefing on Friday that he was 'shocked and disgusted' by the attack

'You will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,' he said, addressing the gunmen directly. 'If you think you can get away with these crimes under the cover of some unfortunate acts that may have taken place in other parts of the nation or under cover of some national movement, you are wrong.

'You will be prosecuted and you will be spending as much time in jail as you can possibly get because thats where you both belong.'

Speaking at his daily briefing on Friday, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said he was 'shocked and disgusted' by what he described as the gunmen's 'cowardly act.'

Anyone with any information is asked to call the Camden County Police Department at (856) 757-7042 or the Citizen's Crime Commission at (215) 546-TIPS.

There has been a spate of attacks targeting law enforcement officers across the US over the past week, following a turbulent summer marked by mass protests against police brutality.

On Thursday, authorities in Arizona arrested a 17-year-old boy suspected of opening fire on two troopers.

According to an official statement, two Arizona Department of Public Safety troopers were sitting in an unmarked vehicle near 37th Avenue and Portland Street in Phoenix at around 9am on Thursday when a silver-colored sedan pulled up and sounded the horn.

A passenger exited the vehicle brandishing an assault rifle and fired shots at the troopers, who returned fire, according to DPS.

Law enforcement officials on Thursday arrested a 17-year-old boy accused of shooting at two Arizona Department of Public Safety troopers in Phoenix

The troopers were sitting in their unmarked vehicle Thursday morning when the teen armed with an assault rifle stepped out of a silver sedan and opened fire

A bullet hole is seen in the windshield of a vehicle following the shooting; both troops escaped unharmed

The troopers were not injured in the attack, reported Azfamily.com.

Officers were able to apprehended the suspected gunman, who was described as a 17-year-old Hispanic male. The assault rifle used in the shooting was recovered at the scene.

DPS is searching for the getaway driver, who fled during the shooting. He was last seen operating a silver four-door Infiniti with custom wheels and a temporary license plate.

Anyone with information on the vehicle or the suspect is being asked to call 911 immediately.

DPS is looking for the driver of this silver Infiniti. The vehicle sped off from the scene after the 17-year-old exited the vehicle from the passenger's side

Thursday's attack on troopers in Arizona took place less than 48 hours after an unknown suspect fired three rounds at a moving patrol car in Suffolk, Virginia.

The officer escaped unharmed. As of this evening, no arrests have been made in that incident.

Three days prior, two Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies were sitting in their vehicle outside the Compton Metro station when an armed suspect ran up to the cruiser and opened fire.

Both deputies were struck in the head and torso by gunshots but are expected to survive.

Less than 48 hours prior, a Suffolk, Virginia, police officer was shot at three times by a passing motorist

On Saturday, a man approached a Los Angeles County sheriff's patrol vehicle and shot two deputies sitting inside (pictured)

One of the officers, 31-year-old former librarian Claudia Apolinar, was able to render aid to her injured 24-year-old partner and radio in for help despite bleeding profusely from a gunshot wound to the jaw.

A massive manhunt is under way for the gunman in that shooting. A $200,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest.

The Compton shooting sparked outrage as bystanders were filmed mocking the bloodied officers at the scene.

Videos of ill-wishers railing against the wounded deputies enraged critics who said the shooting was the result of a groundswell of anti-police sentiment fueled by a turbulent summer of demonstrations against police brutality sparked by a series of shootings targeting black men and women.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture has been awarded a $500,000 grant from USDA to address a common problem faced in Tennessee agriculture: how to effectively transition grain cropping systems to organic systems while decreasing the dependence on intensive tillage.

"Organic crop systems typically depend on intensive and frequent tillage operations," states Sindhu Jagadamma, assistant professor in the Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science and lead investigator on the project. "However, most row crop producers in Tennessee follow no-till management practices. Developing viable organic systems that do not heavily depend on tillage can help progressive farmers transition to organic systems."

Currently, conventionally grown grains like corn, soybeans and wheat contribute to 33% of Tennessee's gross agricultural income, but the state lags behind in organic production of these same crops.

The research team hopes to tackle several key production challenges that prevent producers from transitioning to organic practices. Starting this fall, four organic grain crop rotations will be tested at two Tennessee locations: the Organic Crops Unit in Knoxville, part of UT's East Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center, and the Experiential Learning and Research Center operated by the Middle Tennessee State University in Lascassas, Tennessee. Tillage and cover crop management for organic corn-soybean-wheat rotations will be explored at both locations to identify changes that can increase profitability as well as environmental sustainability of Tennessee farming operations looking to transition to organic practices.

"Organic systems rely on organic nutrient sources, such as legume cover crops or animal manure, and are expected to limit nutrient loss from the production system," adds Debasish Saha, assistant professor in the UT Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science.

The three-year study is funded by USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture's Organic Transitions program and will investigate the agronomic, economic and ecological outcomes of organic grain production in Tennessee.

The research team is comprised Jagadamma and Saha; Bonnie Ownley, professor in the UT Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology; Aaron Smith, associate professor in the UT Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics; Song Cui, associate professor in the Department of Plant and Soil Science at Middle Tennessee State University; and Ravi Neelipally, Ph.D. student in the UT Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science. The team's project should address the growing demand for organic produce as well as help producers transform production practices to be more sustainable for the future generations.

Through its land-grant mission of research, teaching and extension, the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture touches lives and provides Real. Life. Solutions. utia.tennessee.edu.

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Celebrating Labour Day may have helped drive an alarming rise in COVID-19 infections in Toronto this week, the citys health authority said Friday, as it announced 142 new cases and warned of more increases in the weeks to come.

It is reasonable to believe socializing around this end-of-summer milestone helped to drive the recent rise in case counts, stated a press release from Toronto Public Health, issued just before 5 p.m.

Toronto Public Health data also suggests increasing infections traced to people in bars and nightclubs, warned the health authority, which urged those with weekend plans involving entertainment venues to take steps to minimize the risk of infection.

TPH is warning residents to expect the number of cases to rise in the next few weeks, and advised everyone to limit contact with people they dont live with as much as possible, and to wear a mask and wash their hands often if they must be in public.

The increased number of cases lands during the week students returned to school for the first time since March Break. It takes place amid controversy over class sizes, and a day after the Province announced it was tightening restrictions around the permitted size of gatherings indoors and outdoors, and is increasing fines for scofflaws.

The Province announced 401 new cases on Friday, triggering deep concern among doctors and epidemiologists that the promising lead gained this summer, when the number of infections in Toronto dropped to an average of 15 a day and sometimes lower, has been lost.

Its obviously not good. And when we look at where we were two months ago, its night and day, said epidemiologist Dr. Isaac Bogoch, who added that Ontario is now in the second wave of the pandemic.

There clearly is ongoing community transmission, and we, clearly, need to rapidly pivot to prevent these cases from rising farther, from spreading into more vulnerable demographics and to prevent the hospitalization and deaths that will result if cases continue to climb, said Bogoch, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Toronto and the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute.

According to the Stars daily count, Torontos rate of new COVID-19 infections has been rising at an accelerating pace since the city entered Stage 3 of reopening on July 31.

On Aug. 1, Toronto had seen an average of about 15 cases reported daily over the previous week. The seven-day average has gone up every week since early August. As of Friday, it had reached 93 cases a day.

The pace of that growth has also been accelerating: It took 28 days for the seven-day average to double from 15 cases a day to 30 by the end of August. It took just 11 days for it to double again.

The city is still well below its peak infection rate, reached in late May, of about 230 cases a day. However, if the recent pace of growth is sustained, Toronto could approach that rate by early October.

Cases have also been rising in the rest of the GTA. Peel Region, which entered Stage 3 the same day as Toronto, has seen its seven-day average grow nearly five-fold since then, from 12 cases daily to 59.

York Region has seen its average rise a similar amount, from about six cases daily, to 28.

Durham and Halton regions are each average in around nine or 10 cases daily, up from around one at the start of August.

I think we should be worried; those of us who work in hospitals are worried, said Irfan Dhalla, vice-president and general internist, St. Michaels Hospital, and associate professor at University of Toronto Medicine.

He said there have been small increases over the last few weeks in the number of patients who are being newly admitted to hospital with COVID-19, but the rise in number of younger people being infected is particularly concerning, as it will likely spread to older people, who have tended to suffer more complications, over the next few weeks.

I think we did a number of things right, but it is also clear, looking at the data over the last few weeks, that we didnt have sufficiently well-developed contact-tracing. This whole idea of testing, tracing and isolating  that whole pathway clearly wasnt working well enough to accommodate the re-opening of workplaces, restaurants, bars, increased social gatherings at home, universities, schools, said Dhalla.

He said that provincially, the source of transmission is unknown in about 50 per cent of cases, whereas in countries such as Australia, Vietnam, Thailand and South Korea, the source of transmission is known for a much higher proportion of cases.

I think somebody has to really get in there and see why it actually isnt working as well as it needs to work, said Dhalla.

Fast, efficient contact tracing allows officials to reach out to people who have been in contact with someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19, so that they can advise them to isolate and seek testing, to avoid spreading the virus further.

Bogoch agreed more testing is needed.

Weve come a tremendous way from where we were in March. We were doing 2,500 tests a day; now were doing about 30,000 tests a day, but weve heard from the premier that the target is 50,000 a day.

Joe Cressy, chair of the Torontos Board of Health, said steps to fight the resurgence will be addressed at a meeting of the board on Monday.

He said more testing capacity to support contact tracing is needed; federal government travel quarantines need to be enforced better, and Health Canada needs to expedite implementation of a saliva-based test, already introduced in B.C., that can indicate whether further COVID-19 testing is needed.

I think in recent weeks there was a feeling among many people that COVID was over. That wed beat it. Well, the reality here is that we still have a virus without a vaccine, and without developed antibodies, he said.

Epidemiologist Dr. David Fisman, who has been critical of the Provincial decision not to reduce class sizes, has previously warned that the fall of 2020 could mirror the fall of 1918, when the Spanish Flu infected far more people than it did during the first outbreak.

What is in our control is contact numbers. That starts with class sizes, closing bars, restaurants, malls, museums, houses of worship, said Fisman.

They can do this stuff early and proactively or late and reactive. I assume theyll do the latter.

Mayor John Tory said hed like to see the new limits around gatherings  10 people indoors, 25 people outdoors  extended to banquet halls and other businesses.

The new limits announced this week for Toronto, Peel and Ottawa apply only to private events, not ones hosted by businesses.

In Toronto, where weddings have been linked to at least 22 cases of COVID-19 recently, the Provinces move to limit private gatherings may make little difference.

Enforcement has also been an issue.

City officials have previously said that they cant safely send their officers into house parties and that it can be difficult to ascertain if those gathered in the park are not actually part of the same household.

Enforcement, in general, is complex and challenging. We will, of course, adapt to the new rules as we have throughout the pandemic in our efforts to keep Toronto safe, said the citys head of enforcement Carleton Grant in an email. He added that they were still reviewing the new rules on Thursday.

City statistics show that between Aug. 1 and Sept. 13 there have been no charges related to public gatherings  indoors or in parks.

In total, this year, the City has responded to more than 27,000 COVID-19-related complaints and issued 1,387 tickets. Since August, Toronto Public Health has charged nine restaurants and bars and one grocery store or bakery.

As always, we have done all that we can do in order to achieve compliance through education first and enforcement second, said city spokesperson Brad Ross. Its important we recognize that the public have been asked to significantly adjust their behaviours. Therefore, we must give people the opportunity to understand what is being asked first and to comply second.

On Thursday, Toronto police said again that the City was the lead on enforcement of social gatherings.

The service will continue to work with the City to support enforcement efforts following the most recent announcement of new public gathering guidelines, said spokesperson Connie Osborne. The goal of enforcement is ultimately to limit the risk of spread of COVID-19 and to achieve compliance.

Tory has said he cannot direct enforcement, but said Thursday it was his opinion the time for education is over.

This is a matter of life or death, lives are at stake here.

He welcomed higher fines for breaking the rules around COVID, and he agrees with Ford on the need to throw the book at offenders.

Now our enforcement officials will have a bigger book to throw, said Tory.

I trust that our enforcement officials will not hesitate to use, the heftier fines.

Dont hold your breath!

With files from David Rider and Jennifer Pagliaro

Francine Kopun is a Toronto-based reporter covering city hall and municipal politics for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @KopunF

Ed Tubb is an assignment editor and a contributor focused on crime and justice for the Star. He is based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @edtubb

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Tropical Depression 22 could become Tropical Storm Wilfred in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico.

In a Thursday night update, the National Hurricane Center predicted a tropical storm could form within the next few days.

Shower and thunderstorm activity has changed little today in association with an area low pressure system located over the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, the National Hurricane Centers website said.

Still, upper-level winds were gradually becoming more conducive for a tropical cyclone (if winds at different parts of the atmosphere are blowing in the same direction and at the same speed, thats conducive to tropical cyclones).

A tropical cyclone is a rotating, organized system of clouds and thunderstorms that originates over tropical or subtropical waters and has a closed low-level circulation, according to the National Hurricane Center. Tropical depressions, storms and hurricanes are all considered tropical cyclones.

The depression in the Bay of Campeche was expected to meander in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico through Thursday evening and then slowly move north or northeast on Friday and Saturday.

On Thursday morning, the National Weather Services Houston/Galveston office said its too soon to tell if this storm will impact Southeast Texas.

If this system becomes a tropical storm, it would be named Tropical Storm Wilfred. Thats the last name picked out for this hurricane season, and any future storms would be named using the Greek alphabet.

andrea.leinfelder@chron.com
Syracuse, N.Y.  Four Syracuse men are facing federal drug charges after a four-month investigation found them to be distributing cocaine shipped from Puerto Rico and heroin, according to a complaint filed in federal court.

A federal investigation found the ring to also have ties to New York City, Richard Southwick, a prosecutor in the U.S. Attorneys Office in the Northern District of New York, said in a press release. Since June, 15 people with connections to the ring have been arrested and federally charged, Southwick said.

A major drug pipeline from Puerto Rico to Syracuse has been dismantled as a result of this homegrown investigation, said DEA Special Agent in Charge Ray Donovan.

The local ring, led by Jobany Tirado and Omar Fuentes, was found to distribute drugs to another group that operated primarily in the West Side of Syracuse, according to federal complaints filed in the Northern District of New York.

Tirado, Fuentes, Angel Negron-Collazo and Rahfet Shehadeh were all arrested and charged with conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine and heroin, the complaint said.

Fuentes was also charged with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, DEA task force officer Kelly Baart wrote in the complaint. When Fuentes was arrested, he tried to throw away a .40-caliber Glock that police later found, according to Baart.

The investigation into the ring spanned four months and started in May 2020, according to Baart. The men were arrested on Sept. 16, when police searched three separate houses involved in the ring, Baart wrote.

In all, Baart wrote that the ring involved at least five houses.

Packages of cocaine were sent from Puerto Rico to a house at 2218 Midland Ave. in the South Side, Baart wrote. Syracuse police detective Scott Fura conducted numerous controlled buys of drugs from Fuentes and Negron-Collazo at a house on Turtle Street, according to Baart. The specific address was not included in the complaint.

At three other houses  located at 722 E. Laurel St., 300 Woodruff Ave. and 534 Stafford Ave.  detectives found more than 2.5 kilograms of cocaine and more than 40 grams of heroin that was separated into more than 1,000 bags, according to Baart.

The house on East Laurel Street was identified in the complaint by Baart as a stash house. There, detectives found four guns in a safe, Baart wrote: a Taurus PT 809 9mm handgun, a Ruger revolver, a Highpoint .40-caliber and a Glock handle handgun with no top slide.

Tirado was identified as a drug supplier for Luiz Mendez and Samuel Matos, according to the complaint. Mendez and Matos were previously arrested with five other men by DEA agents and Syracuse police in August on the same drug charges as Tirado, according to a separate federal complaint also written by Baart.

Mendez and Matos operated in the West Side of Syracuse, Baart wrote. The organization run by Mendez and Matos dealt heroin supplied by a man from the Bronx, Southwick said.

Other arrests involving the ring include:

Hector Santiago, 31, of Syracuse

Helbert Calo-Birriel, 31, of Syracuse

John Resto, 25, of Syracuse

Luis Resto, 25, of Syracuse

Jose Medina, 34, of Syracuse

Jikeya McBride, 31, of Syracuse

Aaron Acevedo, 27, of Syracuse

Joel Franco-Ortiz, 34, of Puerto Rico

Claudio Acevedo-Maquita, 55, of the Bronx

Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact Chris Libonati via the Signal app for encrypted messaging at 585-290-0718, by phone at the same number, by email or on Twitter.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has recently suggested various countries work together to foster an open and inclusive environment for cooperation, to unleash the power of innovation in driving cooperation forward and to promote mutually beneficial cooperation.

These ideas Xi shared in his speech delivered at the Global Trade in Services Summit of the 2020 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) held in Beijing on September 4 have attracted great attention from the international community.

Today, with COVID-19 yet to be brought under full control at the global level, all countries face the formidable task to defeat the virus, stabilize the economy, and protect livelihoods, Xi pointed out.

It is against such a backdrop that China decided to hold this important international trade event despite many difficulties in preparation. It shows Chinas willingness to join hands with the international community in this trying time and work together to enable global trade in services to thrive and the world economy to recover at an early date.

Pursuing development against the background of rising instability and uncertainties in the world, China needs to make development plans in pursuit of openness, cooperation, and win-win results, promote more solid progress in the joint construction of the Belt and Road, and advance the building of an open world economy.

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a solid guarantee of stable overall performance of China's foreign trade.

Domestic enterprises made non-financial direct investments of 57.1 billion yuan (about $8.44 billion) in 54 countries along the Belt and Road in the first six months of this year, up 23.8 percent year on year, suggested data from the Ministry of Commerce (MOC).

Meanwhile, Chinese enterprises secured 2,289 new contracts for foreign projects in 59 countries along the Belt and Road during the first half of the year, with the total transaction value of these contracts reaching 424.02 billion yuan, according to the MOC.

During the same period, China-Europe freight trains have played a positive role in facilitating international logistics services and given full play to its advantages in land transportation.

A total of 5,122 trips were made by the China-Europe freight trains during the first half of this year, up 36 percent year on year. These train trips have made valuable contributions to stabilizing international industrial chain and supply chain and promoting the resumption of work and production for enterprises.

The BRI serves as an important path to building an open world economy. World economy thrives in openness and withers in seclusion.

In the face of adverse economic and trade situation where world economy is in deep recession, international trade and investment have shrunk dramatically, and protectionism and unilateralism prevail in some countries, China remains steadfast in opening its door wider to the world.

In the global response to the COVID-19 epidemic, international cooperation among countries along the Belt and Road has increasingly shown its value and advantages.

In this age of economic globalization, countries share economic interdependency and intertwined interests like never before. To treat each other with sincerity and pursue shared benefits holds the key to state-to-state relations in todays world.

The BRI has helped bring trade and investment resources to countries that need them, open up new space and explore new areas for international cooperation, and provide a new platform and way of building an open world economy.

Cooperation along the Belt and Road has injected strong impetus into world economic growth and recovery.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19, international investment has been in turmoil and some countries with weak health infrastructure have been overwhelmed and had difficulty pursuing economic growth due to lack of capital.

Against such backdrop, the joint construction of the Belt and Road has provided an important platform for cooperation in response to the global crisis.

Under the framework of jointly building the Belt and Road, countries have promoted policy communication and economic policy coordination, provided financial support for development of epidemic-stricken projects and enterprises and strengthened the in-depth interconnection between logistics, trade, and industries, thus helping ensure the overall stability of global supply chain and logistics services for trade and bringing hope to world economic recovery.

The sudden attack of COVID-19 may have prevented us from meeting face to face, but it cannot block the growth of trade in services. Nor will it affect our confidence and action as we pursue shared progress and mutually beneficial cooperation, Xi noted.

The fact that all countries share common destiny and become increasingly interdependent has made it all the more important and necessary to jointly build the Belt and Road.

As long as countries join hands to enhance cooperation and promote the high-quality construction of the Belt and Road, they will certainly create favorable conditions and sound environment for global stability and prosperity.
PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN  Allison Arevalo will be among the first to acknowledge the stress level that comes with opening a restaurant. To do so in the midst of a global pandemic, she says, increases the tension ten-fold for a restaurateur whose passion for pasta is meant to bring comfort to those around her.

So when the pandemic brought Arevalos plans for opening Pasta Louise to a screeching halt in March, the Long Island native who moved to Park Slope from Oakland last summer, continued her own pasta-making operation. What started as a good-gestured nod to provide free homemade pasta to her neighbors quickly developed into a stoop-front business that had Arevalo and her children making 65 pounds of pasta twice a week  all of which would disappear in a matter of minutes thanks to a barrage of online orders.

Now, two nearly months after the restaurant she planned to open in April first welcomed neighborhood customers to Pasta Louises brick and mortar location at 803 8th Ave., Arevalo finds herself and her restaurant as popular as ever, all thanks to the good will that started back in the spring.

That ended up being such a great thing for the restaurant because by the time I opened, everybody knew who I was because they were so used to buying pasta from me on my stoop, Arevalo told Patch on Friday.

Allison Arevalo sold homemade pasta on her stoop for three months after having to delay the opening of her restaurant (photo courtesy of Allison Arevado)





The four varieties of homemade pasta that Arevalo was selling for $6 a pound on her stoop for three months, now has a home in the 800-square foot space that Pasta Louise now calls home. In addition to pasta, the restaurant offers sauces, wine, pasta kits and novelties like macaroni masks, all of which has grown out of the imagination of a business owner who wanted to bring part of her childhood to a larger audience.

The recipes all come from Arevalos family and the restaurant is named for her grandmother, who was instrumental in introducing Arevalo to good food and cooking. Arevalo is still amazed how quickly word spread about her pasta, which includes traditional forms like spaghetti and fettuccine, but that also includes more unique shapes, like her popular bicycle pasta. While working from her stoop, Arevalo used colorful chalk art to direct customers to her stoop, where she and her kids would hand out orders for neighbors

Story continues

Pasta Louise offers a variety of pasta, sauce and wine at its Park Slope location (Photo courtesy of Allison Arevado)





Upon arrival, customers would tell Arevalo that the pasta pickup was the highlight of their week, even if it just involved a short walk. Not only were they securing an easy take-home meal, but just seeing other human beings brought happiness to Park Slope residents after being cooped up in their apartments for days and weeks on end.

It really checked off a lot of boxes for people in a time when everyone was really scared and unsure of the future, she said. It was just a positive thing that people could look forward to.

Arevalo, who operated a macaroni and cheese restaurant in Oakland, believes pasta brings familiarity to people. Whether it takes them back in time to their childhood or reminds them of nostalgic, longstanding family dinners, pasta provides a comfort level that is difficult to replicate. Now, after opening her restaurant on July 27, Arevalo and her staff are now cranking out 150 pounds of pasta per day at a new eatery that remains busy each of the six days it is open.

The restaurant also has a community aspect to it, including the Pasta Rose scholarship initiative, which will award a scholarship to a Brooklyn high school student who has lost a parent to cancer and that will assist with college costs. For Avevalo, the purpose hits home after she lost her sister to cancer two years ago. Helping look after her sister's two daughters is part of what brought Arevalo and her family back to New York, where she has now seen her business take shape in Park Slope in a location that suits her almost perfectly.

While I feel like I got a little bit of it on the stoop, forming this community, getting to know the neighbors, now, its just on a larger scale, said Arevalo, who has 22 full-time employees at Pasta Louise.

Its a little crazy because things change so fast  were really trying to adapt to what the community needs right now and its different than what it needed two years ago during normal times.

This article originally appeared on the Park Slope Patch
Debra Malkiewicz

Finding a Virtual Courtroom

A Virtual Hallway

The First Remote Trial

Unanticipated Outcomes

Urgent and Important

Americas courts are gradually making their way back from the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. A recent survey by the National Center for State Courts found that public faith in courts is steady, still at the 70 percent average of the past eight years, but that willingness to set foot in a court is a different matter.For a majority, comfort with reporting to a courthouse in person or serving in person on a jury hovers around 5 on a scale of 10. Two out of three would be willing to appear remotely, up from two out of five in 2014. Given a choice, almost twice as many (44 percent) would prefer remote service to serving in person (23 percent).One of the pioneers of moving judicial functions from physical to virtual is Emily Miskel, who as the administrative district judge for 21 courts in Collin County, Texas, is responsible for sorting out their administrative challenges. Lucky me, she laughs about finding herself in this role during a pandemic.As it happens, Miskel has training, interests and skills that have served her courts well. A Harvard Law School graduate, she earned an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford. She is a member of the computer and technology council for the state bar and the author of a book on wiretapping. I have focused on technology since Ive been a lawyer, she says. When all this happened, I had the tech part lined up, and that made me brave enough to try things.Collin County, situated north of Dallas, might be just the seventh-largest county in Texas, but under Miskel it has emerged as a national leader in implementing technology to provide safe access to justice during a time of public-health restrictions.Collin County saw its first COVID-19 case on March 9. That happened to be during public schools spring break, so court activity was comparatively light, making it slightly easier for the county to consider the best way forward.District judges in the county each get about 2,100 new cases a year, says Miskel. If you break that down, that means that every judge needs to resolve between nine and ten cases every single business day. Court closures had the potential to put judges so far behind that they would never be able to catch up. Ramping up the courts use of video technology seemed the obvious way forward.We already had the capability to do video court appearances if there was a witness outside the country or something like that, but we hadnt done a hearing where everyone was remote, says Miskel. We didnt know what we would be able to accommodate.Miskel started by contacting the executive director of the Texas Office of Court Administration, David Slayton. He loves technology, and he was really quick to help find resources for us to test, she says. The team evaluated platforms including WebEx, Microsoft Teams, BlueJeans, Skype and Discord, eventually settling on Zoom. Within a week after the first Collin County COVID case, Slayton negotiated 500 Zoom licenses for judges around the state who wanted to explore how they might be able to use it.The judges in Collin County decided to cancel anything that wasnt an emergency, and to try to hear everything that was. We didnt want to delay such things as child welfare hearings, protective orders, cases involving family violence, says Miskel. We wanted those to be heard promptly, no matter what.The Texas Supreme Court gave the states lower courts the authority to compel people to appear remotely. With that order and other enabling ones in place and a platform available, Miskel and her colleagues began to address the details of conducting virtual proceedings.Pre-pandemic, Miskels normal practice was to set 10 cases for a daily court period beginning at 9 a.m. It was typical for some to cancel the night before if parties settled their disputes, or for some to be settled in the hallway as other cases were being heard in the courtroom.It wasn't clear how this kind of scheduling could translate to Zoom, so Miskel initially decided to set cases at four time slots during the day. That worked during the stages of the transition, but as operations picked back up and more cases were settled and canceled, Miskel adjusted the schedule accordingly, moving back to a 10-case docket.The number of cases that could be heard wasn't the only issue. Miskel also needed to find a way to re-create virtually that environment in which scheduled cases are settled outside the courtroom. Zooms breakout room function proved to be the answer. The 10-case docket was broken into morning and afternoon sessions. Parties receive a meeting ID and check in with the court coordinator, who makes sure audio and video are working, adjusts screen names if needed and moves them into a separate breakout room for each case. I sign on, go into the first breakout room and tell them Im ready to call the case, says Miskel. I invite them to the main meeting window and we take care of things.Zooms one-button feature makes it easy to stream proceedings to YouTube, enabling the court to meet the requirement for proceedings to be public, and judges were assisted in creating YouTube channels for their courts.Miskel notes that not all were technology natives, and calling on them to preside over a Zoom courtroom being broadcast to the internet was a big ask. I didnt believe any judge would do it, she says, but that concern proved to be unfounded. Im so impressed that our judges have been brave enough to make such a big shift.After operating this way for several months, Miskel found she was able to handle nearly as many cases as before the pandemic, and each of the judges in Collins County has disposed of more than 800 cases during the pandemic timeframe. I cant imagine how I would even go forward if I had taken five months off and still had those 800 on top of my normal 2,100, says Miskel.Given that experience, shes been asked to train judges in Texas and other states who want to conduct remote hearings, and believes those who have not adopted the practice face an uphill battle. But hearings and routine, non-jury cases are one thing. What about a jury trial?In mid-April, Slayton sent a text message to a group of Texas judges who had emerged as leaders with Zoom court, asking for their help in testing approaches to remote jury trials. Immediately, people responded with reasons that it couldnt work, says Miskel. They were legitimate concerns, but that didnt solve the problem that we had.Miskel realized that her docket included a type of case that would be ideal as a starting point. In cases where a jury trial that could take weeks is requested, the court first requires an attempt to settle the case through an alternative dispute-resolution process known as a summary jury trial. This trial includes all aspects of a regular trial, including selection of jurors. You put on an abbreviated one-day version of your case to the jurors, they deliberate and come to a verdict, and then you can talk to them about your case, says Miskel.The verdict is not binding, and the next day the parties go to mediation and attempt to settle the case, informed by what they learned from the events of the previous day and the response from the jury. If a settlement cannot be achieved, a full-scale trial is held.It seemed to Miskel that such a proceeding would be ideal for testing a virtual jury trial, the nations first. No. 1, the litigants were already expecting to go through the process, so it didnt add cost or burden, and No. 2, its a non-binding process, so if the whole thing went down in flames, nobody would be hurt, she says.To prepare, Miskel reached out via Twitter and connected with about a dozen trial lawyers willing to log onto Zoom and workshop a trial with her. We broke the trial down into every phase and talked through each one to make sure we were doing it in a way that would translate into the technological realm.Within a month of the email from Slayton, Miskel was ready, and on May 18 she presided over the nations first virtual jury trial. We did every phase  we did voir dire with a panel of 30 jurors and picked 12, says Miskel. We did opening statements, testimony, closing statements and jury deliberations in a breakout room.The verdict of the summary jury trial is confidential, but Miskel can reveal that every task was completed successfully. Using what she learned in developing her model, a growing number of judges in Texas and Arizona have since presided over their own virtual jury trials, including those with binding verdicts.While virtual proceedings can keep courts moving at a time when parties have more to fear from meeting in person than a bad legal outcome, they also proved to offer some advantages.Courtrooms are intimidating, not least because appearing in one can have life-altering consequences. Many people fear public speaking in any setting, much less in front of a judge, lawyers or a jury. Miskel has found that those who appear before the court are more at ease when speaking from home, work, their cars or the street.Parents who come to the courtroom after their children have been removed by the government are very scared, and typically, they dont speak up in a courtroom, says Miskel. When they participate remotely, they are more likely to talk and we get more information. Attorneys have had a similar experience when examining witnesses or interviewing potential jurors.Jurors say that the virtual format helps them get more out of testimony from witnesses. The jury box in a courtroom faces sideways relative to testifying witnesses, with witnesses 10 or 15 feet away. On Zoom, they got a face-front view of the witness and could really see their facial expressions, says Miskel. They thought they were more engaged with the witness and could better judge their credibility compared to an in-person courtroom.Exhibits, including videos, are displayed on screen when presented as evidence, giving jurors a much better view of their contents than they would get from the jury box. Even though they will have access to these materials while deliberating, there is value in being able to follow along in context.Translation is also greatly simplified. A virtual trial can have a channel for each language involved, and only one translator is needed for all parties. The translator does not have to travel to the courtroom, which can involve significant expense if the only qualified translator for a particular language lives in a distant part of the state. I have access to interpreters no matter where they live, says Miskel. Im excited about that.Many of the parents in the cases Miskel hears are indigent, and virtual proceedings are a significant benefit for them. They cant take a day off work, they dont have transportation to get to the courthouse, they dont have child care, they cant come and wait around for three hours in the middle of the day, and that excludes them from being able to participate, says Miskel. Now they can, and by lowering these burdens you increase the equality of the justice that everyone is receiving. Hearings can be accessed via telephone if no other option exists, but to date, even the poorest parents have generally found ways to connect to the video stream.Miskel began her return to the courthouse in August, one day a week, to accommodate those who prefer to appear in person. The courtroom has been fitted with plexiglass dividers to protect her, witnesses and the jury, though she has yet to preside over an in-person jury trial.Even live hearings generally include participants who appear remotely. The courtroom is equipped with a webcam and a large screen on which the Zoom participants can be seen. Those hybrid proceedings are more challenging than when everybody is on Zoom or everybody is in the courtroom, Miskel says.Its impossible to know what the coming months will bring in terms of public-health orders, and what restrictions regarding public gatherings will be lifted, added or reinstated. But whatever happens, some of the aspects of virtual court that have been piloted may become routine.Jury selection is one example. An online voir dire process could be more efficient and prevent potential jurors from having to spend half a day or longer traveling to the courthouse, then waiting to be picked or excused. Once youve picked the 12, they can come to the courthouse and we can continue with the rest of the trial, says Miskel.Remote trials also can give those in rural areas better access to justice. One of Miskels friends is a judge for six counties in west Texas, a jurisdiction that encompasses 20 percent of the U.S.-Mexico border and with no lawyers at all in some of the counties. If litigants dont have to pay a lawyer to travel to their town to represent them, that can both reduce cost and increase their access to well-qualified attorneys.For now, Miskels virtual courtroom is still open, and shes looking for ways to increase the role that others on her staff can play in virtual proceedings. For example, bailiffs, who play a role in moving people around in the physical courtroom, could be trained to help with checking people in for Zoom sessions, moving them to breakout rooms or assisting them with technical problems.In Miskels experience, even those most apprehensive about technology, worried about making mistakes or looking foolish, have an experience more positive than they expected when they go remote. The oldest judge in the county is now Zooming like a champ, she says. That kind of progress would have been unimaginable had not the pandemic created an urgent need to find new ways courts to conduct their business.If we had tried to do remote hearings in a normal time, this would have taken two years of committee meetings and judges still would have hated it, says Miskel. We were forced to figure out how to do it because we dont want to shut down our justice system. An emergency like a pandemic doesn't change a fundamental truth, she says: We have to have a place for people to resolve their disputes  its urgent and its important."
Corrections & Clarifications: A previous version of this story incorrectly reported Jacob Blake's condition following an August police shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

A conservative gun rights group has raised $50,000 for the Illinois teenager charged with shooting three people, two fatally, during protests last month in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

The conservative National Foundation for Gun Rights, based in Loveland, Colorado, announced Thursday it has sent $50,000 to Kyle Rittenhouse for "defending himself and business owners" amid protests following the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

"I spoke with Kyle's mother this morning to let her know NFGR received over a thousand donations amounting to over $50,000 from folks who support her son," NFGR Executive Director Dudley Brown said in a news release.

'Unapproved assignment': Dallas school district investigating after teacher listed Kenosha shooter as 'hero'

Protesters on Aug. 29, 2020, in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

According to the news release, Rittenhouse's mother responded: "No words can describe what we're going through. Thank you so much  and I know Kyle and the rest of the family would say thank you too."

The gun lobby donation came after GoFundMe pulled down fundraisers intended to support Rittenhouse and refunded all donations, The Washington Times reported last month.

John Pierce, the lead attorney representing Rittenhouse, resigned his position with a Texas defense fund expected to help the 17-year-old because of a troubled financial history. Pierce and his firm have been involved in a series of financial entanglements, failing to pay nearly $70 million to two separate funders.

Pierce said he resigned from the #FightBack Foundation, which he co-founded, to avoid any "appearance of conflict."

Rittenhouse of Antioch, Illinois, is facing six charges, including one count of first-degree intentional homicide. He is being charged as an adult in Wisconsin and would face life in prison if convicted of the most serious charge.

Story continues

'That's the shooter': Witnesses describe the night Kyle Rittenhouse opened fire in Kenosha

The other charges include first-degree reckless homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide, two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety and one count of possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18.

Video footage shows Rittenhouse, who is white, using an AR-15-style rifle. After the shootings, footage shows him raising his hands in an apparent surrender, but police drove past him.

Rittenhouse drove from his home in Illinois to the protests in Wisconsin to defend property from unrest, he told reporters. Protests erupted on Aug. 23 after police shot Blake, a Black man, in front of his children. Blake is now paralyzed.

Contributing: Ryan W. Miller, Ashley Luthern, Sarah Volpenhein, Grace Hauck and Jordan Culver, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kyle Rittenhouse: Gun group raises $50K for Kenosha shooting suspect
As flu season nears, people will be trying to distinguish between the symptoms of a common cold, flu and those of Covid-19.

The current Government guidance states anyone with symptoms of coronavirus can get a test.

Here is what you need to know about symptoms of the common cold and Covid:

Coughing

A new, continuous cough, usually dry, is one of the most common Covid symptoms.

Health officials describe it as coughing a lot for more than an hour, or three or more episodes within 24 hours.

High temperature

A high temperature is described as feeling hot to touch on the chest or back.

While a high temperature is described as 38C or greater, people are not required to measure their temperature.

A high temperature, sometimes called a fever, is usually accompanied by other symptoms including shivering, sweating or warm, red skin.

Loss or change to smell or taste

Another common symptom of Covid-19 is not being able to smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal.

Professor Tim Spector from King's College, London, said these symptoms were less common among older people and children.

A team of researchers across Europe found those with Covid-19 could not detect bitter or sweet tastes.

Sneezing and runny or blocked nose

For those who are sneezing or have a runny or blocked nose, if no other symptoms develop it is likely to be a cold.

Prof Spector said a runny nose, congestion or sneezing is "a sign that you absolutely do not have Covid".

Symptoms in different age groups

According to research from the Covid Symptom Study app, based on data from 198 children with positive tests and around 15,800 negative tests, academics at King's College listed fatigue, headache, fever, sore throat and loss of appetite as the most common Covid-19 symptoms among children.

Additionally, research also found that one in six children who tested positive for Covid-19 also presented with an unusual skin rash.

Prof Spector said that of children who tested positive and had symptoms, around half did not have any of the three main symptoms, while a third of the children showed no symptoms.

Other symptoms

Prof Spector said around 80pc of people across all age groups reported severe headaches and tiredness in the first week of illness.

He said shortness of breath was less common among children.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) listed aches and pains, sore throat, diarrhoea, conjunctivitis, headache, loss of taste or smell, a rash on skin and discolouration of fingers or toes as less common symptoms of coronavirus.

However, some people who become infected do not develop any symptoms and do not feel unwell, the WHO said, and they can still transmit the virus to those around them.

Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, chest pain or pressure and loss of speech or movement are the most serious symptoms, according to the WHO.

These symptoms all require immediate medical attention.

How long it takes for symptoms to appear

A common cold usually passes within a week, with symptoms the same across all age groups, but can sometimes last longer in children.

According to the WHO, on average it takes five to six days from when someone is infected with coronavirus for symptoms to show, however it can take up to 14 days for any symptoms to appear.
Just two weeks after students started returning last month to Ball State University, the surrounding county had become Indianas coronavirus epicenter.

Out of nearly 600 students tested for the virus, more than half have tested positive. Dozens of infections have been blamed on off-campus parties, prompting university officials to admonish students.

University President Geoffrey Mearns wrote that the cases apparently were tied not to classrooms or dormitories but to poor personal choices some students are making, primarily off campus.

The actions of these students are putting our planned on-campus instruction and activities at risk, he said.

Similar examples abound in other college towns across the nation. Among the 50 U.S. counties with the highest concentrations of students and overall populations of at least 50,000, 20 consistently have reported higher rates of new virus cases than their states have since Sept. 1, according to an Associated Press analysis.

On average, infection rates in those 20 counties have been more than three times higher than their states overall rates.

At James Madison University in Virginia, which recently sent students home through September amid a surge in cases, the county is averaging a weekly infection rate of nearly 90 cases per 100,000 people, or more than eight times the statewide average.

Health officials fear that surges among college students will spread to more vulnerable people and trigger a new wave of cases and hospitalizations. Some worry that colleges could overwhelm hospitals already bracing for increasing cases of COVID-19 and flu this fall and winter.

Theres this waiting game. Does it stay on college campuses or will it escape? said Dr. Jeff Pothof, chief quality officer at the University of Wisconsin medical center in Madison, where cases among college students have been climbing.

For many colleges, the return to campus was a carefully orchestrated process that took months to plan and millions of dollars to pull off. But as safe as theyve made their campuses, many colleges have struggled to curb off-campus gatherings that have been tied to thousands of infections.

Other schools have cracked down on parties and disciplined students. The University of Missouri in Columbia announced this week that it expelled two students and suspended three others for violating rules meant to slow the spread of the virus.

The outbreaks increasingly are straining relations between universities and their towns.

Amid a spike in cases at the University of Colorado at Boulder, county health authorities Tuesday urged all students to quarantine for two weeks. Students and others at the university have accounted for 76% of the countys 663 positive cases during the past two weeks, officials said.

Still, residents and officials in many college towns are rooting for universities to work through outbreaks and avoid campus closings that could further hurt the local economy.

Fred Pryce, who manages a series of stores in a strip mall near Ball State, said sending students home would hurt the areas businesses big time.

Thats 20,000-plus potential patrons that will vanish, Pryce said. There are ways to keep students in Muncie safely while they do their classes.

Ball State, roughly 60 miles from Indianapolis, has about 22,000 students on a campus of red brick buildings and sleek, modern dorms in Muncie, where the university is the citys second-largest employer after Ball Memorial Hospital.

Caleb Henry, a Ball State junior who lives off campus, said he and other students have been frequenting local bars and meeting at friends houses but that he and most others are behaving responsibly, with masks and social distancing. He said students are being vilified unfairly.

Everyone seems to be getting upset at college kids right now, accusing us of spreading the virus and making us out to be these highly infectious creatures that need to be sent home, Henry said. What about all the other people around town going to bars  having parties, weddings, whatever? Were only doing the same things they are.

While some colleges have sent students home amid outbreaks, many others are digging in. Some have moved classes online but urged students to stay where they are until cases drop. Among them is the University of Notre Dame, which paused in-person classes Aug. 18 and moved them online amid a surge that saw as many as 89 new cases a day. Weeks later, after a sharp decrease in infections, classes have started to resume on campus.

Other schools are hoping to replicate that success, including the University of Illinois, the University of Wisconsin and West Virginia University, which recently shifted classes online as the virus spread.

In a letter this week to students at Ball State, the university president thanked students for helping reduce virus rates. Still, he warned: This data is not a cause for celebration. Rather, this data is a call for continued action.
We are puzzled.

On Monday, September 14, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan told the Lok Sabha that timely decisions taken by the government had prevented approximately 37,000 to 38,000 coronavirus deaths.

14 lakh to 29 lakh Indians from getting infected, the Swasthya Mantri declared.

Just as we applauded Dr Vardhan's ability to provide the nation within this information came the Union labour ministry's statement in Parliament on the same day that the government had no data on the deaths of migrant workers during their hazardous and long march home, hence no compensation could be provided.

So how does one arm of the government have such numerical prowess and another arm exist in the statistical dark? As we said at the start, we are puzzled.

Unless, of course, the health ministry's claim about avoided deaths and infections was designed to show the Modi government in positive light while the labour ministry's inability to provide information on migrant fatalities during their exodus from the cities was meant to shield the sarkar from all blame.

The previous day, September 13, the Delhi police, which reports to the home minister -- who was being treated at AIIMS the same day for reported post-COVID-19 after-effects -- questioned student activist Umar Khalid about 40 giga bytes of information.

Hours later, Umar was arrested under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for alleged complicity in the riots that erupted in north east Delhi in February.

Uttam Ghosh compares the two events -- the labour ministry's ignorance and a young intellectual's incarceration -- and is mystified as many Indians are by what occurred.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2020 > Moment of History | Suranjita Ray

The nomination of Kamala Harris, the first Asian American woman of colour as the Democratic Partys Vice-Presidential candidate is historic. It marks a moment of celebration for immigrant communities and the black community in particular across all sections. Increasing pressures on Joe Biden to choose a woman of colour after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis on 25 May 2020 reveal the upsurge of minority politics. Not only have black voters played a significant role in Harriss nomination but the demand for black representation in democratic politics has also grown with the renewal of the #BlackLivesMatter (BLM) movement.

We have seen the rise of black political leadership in America over the years (see also Subramanian, 2020: 11). The rise of Kamala Harris like President Barack Obamas reflects the success of providing space for diversities in politics. However, what is ironic is that the identity debate around Harris, whose parents are immigrants  her father is from Browns Town, Jamaica while her mother is from Chennai, India  confirms that America continues to struggle with the diverse, plural, multicultural and multiracial identities of its people.

Contesting Systemic Prejudice

Identifying herself as a woman of colour and acknowledging the contribution of the BLM movement, Harris presents an in-depth understanding of the issues facing racial identity politics in modern day America. Relating her experiences to the long history of systemic racism, she argues that black people have never been treated as humans. She acquitted that none of us are free till all of us are free in contestation of the systemic prejudice, discrimination, and racism that targets the black community. Protesting the prejudice within the broader criminal justice system, she vouched to work for George Floyd, for Breonna Taylor, and for the lives of too many others to namefor our children, for all of us.

During the recent Democratic National Convention, in the most important speech of her political career, Harris elucidated that vision of our nation as a Beloved Community  where all are welcome, no matter what we look like, where we come from, or who we love... a country where we may not agree on every detail, but we are united by the fundamental belief that every human being is of infinite worth, deserving of compassion, dignity and respecta country where we look out for one another, where we rise and fall as one, where we face our challenges, and celebrate our triumphs  together. Today that country feels distant. She affirms the need to care for the people that form a democracy. There is much to do to help black people, to develop healthy communities complete with accessible and affordable schools, health care, food and secure living wages, guaranteed safety and wellbeing. She believes that it is not a coincidence but the effect of structural racism that black, Latino and indigenous people fell prey to the corona virus more aggressively than white people. She has introduced legislation to examine the race dimension of COVID -19 as it has affected the racial minorities the most. There is no vaccine for racism Harris stated in her speech.

Paying tribute to generations of women and men who struggled for womens equality and right to suffrage, she promised equality, liberty, and justice for all. She referred to the tragic racial experiences that have become common today and pledged to bring them to an end, inspiring young girls and women of colour from all walks of life  to go for the big things in life. The existing social, economic, political and cultural inequities marginalise the black community. We find a continuous reminder of the black feminist struggles argument in todays America  all women are not equally subject to common forms of oppression in everyday life. We find that women of colour in particular are more vulnerable to multiple processes of deprivation, oppression, subjugation, exploitation, exclusion and marginalisation as they experience racism from white women as well as from men. Therefore, patriarchy is not divided along the lines of men vs women as black women struggle to be liberated from the traumas of white supremacy. The narratives of black people, and black women specifically, provide insights into the lived experiences of difference which are sites of continuous oppression, conflict and paradox. These entwined systems of oppression highlight the layered confrontation that women of colour experience on accounts of gender, racial, economic and political identities.

Inequality is deeply bound up with race and gender in America, as nearly a quarter of Black women and twenty-nine per cent of black children live below the official poverty line and fifty-seven per cent black people belong to low-income groups (see also Taylor, 2020). The promises for affordable health care, housing, and child care should be fulfilled to secure the basic rights of millions of black people who are without work, hungry and on the brink of homelessness. While the enthusiasm for Harris amongst many black Americans is based on the assumptions that her racial and gender identities will impact policymaking favourably, there are also apprehensions that her class position makes this expectation challenging (ibid). Despite repeated talk about structural racism, BLM activists insist on a real commitment to policy change which will close the gap between symbolism and substance.

While Harris has emerged as a leading voice against the persisting inequalities and injustice based on race, the pro-Trump campaign argues that she does not really care about racism as she is not even Black. She is neither black nor native American. She is Asian American. Despite the best possible political credentials to compete for the vice-presidents post, the identity debate and where Harris comes from is a question that seems to concern the majority in the political system. Though Harris is no ordinary citizen and served as Californias Attorney General for seven years before being elected to the Senate in 2016, she has been portrayed by the current President and his Republican allies as an incompetent candidate who does not belong to the top ranks in politics. Mispronouncing her first name as KAH-mah-lah, and continuing to get her name wrong mark deliberate efforts by Republicans to diminish her as non-American (see also Burnett, 2010:11). Mike Pence, the Republican Vice-President candidate, warned a cheering crowd that the choice in the forthcoming elections is not between Republicans and Democrats but whether America remains America (ibid). These are no simple declarations. The campaigns raise larger questions about representative democracy and the inclusivity of American society. Such statements undermine people of colour politically, alongside their role in the socio-economic and political transformations that have shaped America, the epitomised land of the free and home of the brave. It is concerning that the democratic state itself makes it possible to ignore and suppress any political voice from the black community.

Although Kamala Harris became possible in America, a democratic land, where democracy has been strengthened by an increasing breadth of democratic movements, such stances raise serious questions about the foundations of ideas and institutions endorsed for their inclusivity. Despite the ongoing dialogue against racial injustice and police brutality which has pushed societies across the world to interrogate inherent racism, at this conjecture it is significant to understand the attempts by the all-powerful state not only to depoliticise the black community but also to reinforce white supremacy.

Beyond Symbolism

At the turn of the century, it is pertinent to analyse how democracy is experiencing an incredible worldwide resurgence of voices from the margins. The increasing political consciousness of black peoples rights movements across America reflects the political articulation of the diversities and aspirations of the large masses. What is worrying is that though racial discrimination, subjugation and stigmatisation seem incongruous in a country which claims to be the most liberal, democratic and developed, we come across reported experiences of racial discrimination and injustice (Ray, 2020). This compels us to not only contest the claims of the State, but also to support the persisting struggles of the black community for their right to survive without stigma and subjugation, and their voices in mainstream politics. The struggles for self-respect and dignity remains a significant chapter in Americas political history.

The vice-presidential nomination of Kamala Harris is important as it contests the political strategies that prevent any alteration in dominant power structures. Harriss multiple identities enable her to reflect the voices of diverse sections of American society. Although perceiving racial injustice and wrongs might be successful in mobilising a diverse electorate around issues like racism, it is the political dynamics of the country that will inevitably impact the upcoming election in America and determine what it holds for the black community, and suppressed voices across the country. Without being trapped in the politics of assimilation, and without giving up the struggle side of the powerless, disadvantaged, underprivileged and marginalised, Harris should address the systemic deprivations in policy matters to step towards greater liberation and self-determination. The political voices of black people must be valued as the first step towards combatting racism, conveyed through perpetual, systemic, everyday discrimination and subjugation.

It is also important to comprehend that greater representation in democratic politics should move beyond the politics of symbolism to prevent the emergence of mere political icons. Though descriptive representation and the principle of nothing about us without us have been contested by several studies which find that substantive interests of the marginalised and black have been represented by non-descriptive representatives, the legitimacy of democracy lies in deepening representative institutions. Representatives of the marginalised social groups should champion the voices and concerns of the latter even when it does not reflect the views held by a majority of voters. Or else such moments of celebration will continue to remain emblematic and paradoxical in reality.

Suranjita Ray teaches Political Science at Daulat Ram College, University of Delhi. She can be contacted at suranjitaray_66[a]yahoo.co.in

References:

Burnett, Sara (2020), Democrats see racism in GOP mispronunciations of Kamala  in The Indian Express, 23 August page 11.

Subramaniam, Nirupama, (2020), Their Kamala, not Ours in The Indian Express, 25 August page 11.

Ray, Suranjita (2020), Racism: An Entrenched System in Mainstream VOL LVIII No 36, New Delhi, August 22, Lockdown Edition no.22

Taylor, Keeanga Yamahtta, (2020), Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and the Limits of Representation in THE NEW YORKER, www.newyorker.com, visited on 25 August 2020.
Sinn Fein has confirmed members of the party have been invited to attend a police interview voluntarily for their attendance at the funeral of Bobby Storey.

Police launched an investigation into the events surrounding the veteran IRA man's funeral in June. Cumbria Constabulary Deputy Chief Constable Mark Webster was appointed to oversee the investigation to determine if coronavirus laws were broken.

Sinn Fein confirmed a number of the partys elected representatives have received letters from the police this morning asking them to present for voluntary interview.

"They will contact the police and co-operate with the investigation, the spokesperson added.

Hundreds lined the streets of west Belfast as Mr Storeys funeral cortege made its way to the republican plot at Milltown Cemetery before a private cremation at Roselawn in the east of the city.

The appearance of senior Sinn Fein figures, including deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill, attending the service in west Belfast sparked outrage and further upset was caused over the number allowed to attend the crematorium. Eight other families were denied access due to pandemic measures.

Ms O'Neill has maintained her attendance did not breach any regulations but admitted she "undermined" the public health message.

Mark Webster, Deputy Chief Constable of Cumbria Constabulary said an initial number of letters were issued on Friday inviting a number of people to participate in a voluntary interview with investigating officers at a local police station.

"Upon receipt of a letter individuals will have 14 days to respond should they wish to take part in an interview," he said.

"As this matter remains a live investigation there will be no further commentary at this time."

Expand Close Deputy First Minister Michelle ONeill during the funeral of Bobby Storey (Liam McBurney/PA) PA / Facebook

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Meanwhile, TUV leader Jim Allister has said questions need to be answered over the use of ministerial cars.

After tabling a number of questions at Stormont, Mr Allister said it is yet to be established whether deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill and Junior Minister Declan Kearney travelled to the funeral in their ministerial cars and if the Executive office would be investigating.

Communities Minister Caral Ni Chuilin and Finance Minister Conor Murphy used their official vehicles to attend.

Mr Allister said: I also asked for the first and deputy first ministers for their assessment of whether the deputy First Minister, in attending the funeral of Bobby Storey on 30 June 2020, was supporting the rule of law unequivocally in word and deed, as required by her pledge of office. Again, this question remains unanswered.

Stormont might wish that this matter would just go away but I will continue to press for accountability and have today tabled a number of questions to the Executive Office asking that my questions, which should have been answered months ago, are responded to.

Belfast City Council apologised to the families denied access to Roselawn Cemetery on the day of Mr Storey's funeral and later ordered an independent investigation into the handling of the funeral which is being led by lawyer Peter Coll QC.

It will report in six weeks time.
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.




More than four out of five schools in England have pupils stuck at home because they cannot get a coronavirus test that could allow them to return to the classroom, damning new figures reveal today.

As the Government faces mounting criticism of its testing failures, some 82 per cent of schools reported that they had students quarantining at home.

Almost half (45 per cent) of schools are also missing staff for the same reason, according to analysis by the school leaders union' NAHT.

It came as Health Secretary Matt Hancock came under burgeoning pressure to unclog Britain's bottlenecked testing system in the face of a growth in coronavirus cases.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT, has warned that children's education is being 'needlessly disrupted' by a testing system which is in 'chaos'.

'Tests for Covid-19 need to be readily available for everyone so that pupils and staff who get negative results can get back into school quickly,' he said.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock is under burgeoning pressure to unclog Britain's bottlenecked testing system in the face of a growth in coronavirus cases

As the Government faces mounting criticism of its testing failures, some 82 per cent of schools reported that they had students quarantining at home because they could not get a Covid test

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT, has warned that children's education is being 'needlessly disrupted' by a testing system which is in 'chaos'

'But we are hearing the same thing repeatedly from our members across the country - chaos is being caused by the inability of staff and families to successfully get tested when they display symptoms.

'This means schools are struggling with staffing, having to send groups of students home to isolate or close classes, and ultimately that children's education is being needlessly disrupted.'

Nearly nine in 10 (87 per cent) have children not attending school because they are waiting for test results, while 82 per cent of schools have pupils at home because they cannot access a test to rule out Covid-19.

The majority (94 per cent) of schools have pupils who have had to stay at home due to suspected or confirmed cases of Covid-19 this term - and more than three in four (78 per cent) have had staff who had to self-isolate.

The findings come after organisations representing heads and governors, including the NAHT, have implored Boris Johnson to 'take charge' of tackling the testing delays to ensure schools remain open.

One in seven (14 per cent) of schools have had confirmed cases of Covid-19 since they began welcoming back students for the autumn term, the poll suggests.

The survey, of 736 school leaders over the past 24 hours, found that three in five (60 per cent) have staff staying home because they are waiting for test results.

Nearly half (45 per cent) of schools have staff not at work because they cannot access a test to rule out Covid-19.

Of the schools who have had to send pupils home due to suspected or confirmed cases of Covid-19 this term, nearly three in four (70 per cent) have only sent home individual pupils.

But 7 per cent have had to send home whole classes, 5 per cent reported sending home whole year groups, and 4 per cent sent home small groups of pupils.

Only 0.3 per cent reported having to close their school, the survey suggests.

Mr Whiteman added: 'It is in no way unpredictable or surprising that the demand for Covid-19 tests would spike when schools reopened more widely this term.

'And yet the system is in chaos.

'The Government has failed schools and children.

'It is unacceptable for this to happen when schools have put so much effort into getting their part of the plan right, and when pupils have had to endure so much uncertainty and disruption already.'
Charlevoix man denies wrongdoing despite signing illegitimate election document

Charlevoix resident John Haggard is among a group of Republicans who signed an Electoral College certificate attempting to award the states 16 votes to Donald Trump following the 2020 election  a document now under federal investigation.
The event will be hosted by Dr. Jennifer Caudle, a board-certified family medicine physician and on-air health expert. Special guest appearances to include Kevin Hart, Cedric the Entertainer, Mario Lopez, Kym Whitley, Trevor Stines, Phillipa Soo, Eddie George, Faithe C. Herman, Jamie Chung, Amanda Salas, and musical performances by Lisa Dawn Miller, Aubrey Peeples and Rachel Platten. We will also be joined by WWE's Stefanie McMahon and WWE superstars Kevin Owens and Sasha Banks.

Celebration of Hope Virtual Online Show When: Saturday, September 19, 2020 at 4:00 PM Eastern / 1:00 PM Pacific Where: This event is free to attend, visit www.HyundaiHopeOnWheels.org, or to join the conversation on Facebook: facebook.com/HyundaiHopeOnWheels or Instagram: @HyundaiHopeOnWheels #ENDCHILDHOODCANCER

As part of its efforts during National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in September, HHOW will award 26 new research grants totaling $6.8 million dollars to researchers at children's hospitals nationwide in their relentless pursuit of life-saving treatments. Since 1998, Hyundai Hope On Wheels has donated more than $172 million dollars to pediatric cancer research.

For more information about Hyundai Hope On Wheels, please visit HyundaiHopeOnWheels.org .

Hyundai Hope On Wheels

Hyundai Hope On Wheels is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is committed to finding a cure for childhood cancer. Launched in 1998, Hyundai Hope On Wheels provides grants to eligible institutions nationwide that are pursuing life-saving research and innovative treatments for the disease. HHOW is one of the largest non-profit funders of pediatric cancer research in the country, and primary funding for Hyundai Hope On Wheels comes from Hyundai Motor America and its more than 820 U.S. dealers. Since its inception, Hyundai Hope On Wheels has awarded more than $172 million towards childhood cancer research in pursuit of a cure.

Hyundai Motor America

At Hyundai Motor America, we believe everyone deserves better. From the way we design and build our cars to the way we treat the people who drive them, making things better is at the heart of everything we do. Hyundai's technology-rich product lineup of cars, SUVs and alternative-powered electric and fuel cell vehicles is backed by Hyundai Assuranceour promise to create a better experience for customers. Hyundai vehicles are sold and serviced through more than 820 dealerships nationwide and nearly half of those sold in the U.S. are built at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama. Hyundai Motor America is headquartered in Fountain Valley, California, and is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Company of Korea.

Please visit our media website at www.HyundaiNews.com

Hyundai Motor America on Twitter | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram

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For the study, the researchers exposed the COVID-19 causing virus to various concentrations of povidone-iodine solution for 15 and 30 seconds at a temperature of 22 degrees Celcius.

SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19, can spread through respiratory droplets when an infected person sneezes, coughs or talks. Studies have shown that the virus enters through the nose and mouth into the lungs and both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients have a high viral load in their nasopharynx and oropharynx.

Even though masks reduce the spread of respiratory droplets to an extent, some experts have suggested the use of oral and nasal povidone-iodine (a common antiseptic) to reduce viral load and minimise the risk of transmission of the virus to healthcare workers. The suggestion was inspired by previous studies, which had shown the antiviral effects of the solution on SARS and MERS virus.

Now, a group of researchers claim that the solution indeed kills SARS-CoV-2 and may be used as a nasal wash.

The findings of their study are published in the peer-reviewed journal JAMA otolaryngologyHead & Neck Surgery.

The study

For the study, the researchers exposed the COVID-19 causing virus to various concentrations of povidone-iodine solution for 15 and 30 seconds at a temperature of 22 degrees Celcius. A 70 percent ethanol solution was used as a positive control (which they know works against the virus) and water was used as a negative control (which is known to not work against the virus).

After the exposure time, the solutions were tested for the presence of the virus. It was noted that the povidone-iodine solution (PVP-I) with a concentration as low as 0.5 percent was capable of killing SARS-CoV-2 within 15 seconds. Solutions up to 1.25 percent were suggested to be well tolerated for short-term nasal use as they did not affect the cilia (fine hair) in the nose.

The study suggested that mucus from the nose and other compounds like lipids, extracellular fragments of nucleic acids etc. can act as a sink for iodine and keep it from reaching the infection site. So, the povidone solution concentration has to be kept below the threshold that is harmful to the nose and above the one which is actually effective against the virus.

Previous study

In vitro efficiency of an oral rinse of PVP-I against the COVID-19 causing virus was demonstrated earlier in June by another group of researchers at the University of Connecticut. The study, published in the Journal of Prosthodontics, had similar results - 0.5 percent PVP-I was effective against SARS-CoV-2 when used for a minimum of 15 seconds.

The research team suggested rinsing the patients mouth with a 9.5 mL water along with a 0.5 mL of the commercially available 10 percent PVP-I solution for 30 seconds before conducting any dental procedure. The solution is not to be given to pregnant women, those who are allergic to iodine and those with thyroid problems.

Dr Avinash Bidra, clinical associate professor of prosthodontics at the School of Dental Medicine, University of Connecticut, and corresponding author of that study, had said in a news release by the University, We believe this has immediate and tremendous dental public health impact for patients and for dental professionals, amidst the ongoing pandemic.

For more information, read our article on How to protect yourself against COVID-19 infection.

Health articles in Firstpost are written by myUpchar.com, Indias first and biggest resource for verified medical information. At myUpchar, researchers and journalists work with doctors to bring you information on all things health.
GREENBELT, Md. - The courtroom had been transformed into a plexiglass maze - walls between the judge and everyone else, walls between the prosecutors and the defense, walls between the defense attorney and the defendant, walls between the witness stand and the jurors.

The benches for the public that usually occupy the back half of the room had been hauled out and replaced with office chairs precisely positioned six feet apart. In them sat the jurors, fully masked, and the traditional jury box sat empty.

"Bear with me here while I get geared up," Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Windom told the jury.

He wove between the walls and stood before the evidence stand, which had been moved to the middle of the room and encircled by more plexiglass. He slid on a clear face shield and then pulled off his blue surgical mask before clipping a small microphone to his lapel, so jurors could see his face and hear his voice.

He stood beside an air purifier, just in case.

The trial of Seun Banjo Ojedokun, a 37-year-old Nigerian national accused of participating in a money laundering conspiracy, could finally begin.

The rest of the building felt abandoned, but inside one room on the fourth floor of the U.S. District Court here, stewards of the criminal justice system were attempting to show how a federal jury trial could be conducted safely and fairly during the coronavirus pandemic. The trial for Ojedokun, which began Sept. 9 and ended this week with a guilty verdict, was the first federal jury trial to take place in the Washington region since much of the country shut down in March.

Across the nation, judges, attorneys and courthouse staff are grappling with how to resume in-person operations of the justice system six months into a global health crisis that has killed at least 194,000 people in the United States. Federal and state courthouses in the Washington region and elsewhere have been slowly reopening in phases, moving some proceedings into the virtual world and providing the public with dial-in numbers.

But one of the greatest challenges the courts have faced amid the pandemic is trying to reconfigure the jury trial - an already complex process involving dozens of people - at a time when health officials are still discouraging indoor gatherings involving large groups of strangers.

"It's a mammoth undertaking," said District Court Division Manager Joe James, who worked with a team of courthouse staffers and judges to prepare for the resumption of federal jury trials in Maryland's U.S. District Courts.

- - -

Planning for the proceedings encompassed not just the trial itself, but all the elements that come before jurors are empaneled and after they are sent home.

"We're asking people to come in and to do their civic duty," James said. "We really want to make you feel as safe as possible."

To mitigate risk, the court sent a questionnaire to all potential jurors before summoning them to court. Those who are elderly or at higher risk of experiencing more severe side effects of the novel coronavirus had an opportunity to defer participation.

About 80 people were called to the courthouse for jury selection, which can be accomplished in half a day but instead lasted until 6:30 p.m. for Ojedokun's trial. The court rearranged the jury assembly room to allow for social distancing, placing about 40 jurors there and another 20 in a spillover courtroom. Live-stream cameras connected Windom, U.S. Attorney Robert Hur and Ojedokun's defense counsel, George Harper, to the assembly room so that they could watch the clerk address the jurors.

During a jury trial in pre-pandemic times, the potential jurors would then be taken as a group to the courtroom, where they'd pack into benches and cycle through as the defense and prosecution peppered them with questions.

But for this trial, attorneys questioned jurors five at a time, with one in the courtroom while the other four waited in the hallway, six feet apart.

The court had to rethink even the little things - buffet snacks for the jurors, community water jugs in the assembly room, traffic flow in and out of the courtroom.

"It's a whole process we go through," James said. "And we're learning as we go."

The attorneys arguing jury cases face their own sets of challenges.

In the lead up to jury trials, Harper said, it has become more difficult to meet with the client because jails are discouraging in-person visits. Many times, he said, preparation happens over confidential phone calls - which makes it harder to show a client documents.

Windom and Hur said one of their greatest challenges was collecting witness testimony from the victims in the case, who were scattered across the country and often elderly. To make it safer for everyone, the court agreed to allow the attorneys to conduct prerecorded video depositions and play those for the jury during the trial.

"It takes a lot more effort, it takes some creativity, but the key for me is that it's doable and that it can work," Windom said.

"It's great to know that it can work because it has to work," Hur added. "Even in the middle of a pandemic . . . the crimes don't stop."

For both Harper and the prosecutors trying the case, the plexiglass barriers and masks forced them to fight old courtroom habits and develop new ones. No longer able to lean over and whisper to their co-counsel or client, the attorneys all said they resorted to knowing glances and passing messages on sticky notes and legal pads.

Hur also said he had to fight the urge to stand when addressing the judge - a sign of respect in normal times that has now become a safety hazard because the plexiglass at the attorney tables is only shoulder high.

The pandemic also became the great equalizer in the courtroom, injecting humility and humor into the proceedings.

"I look ridiculous in this outfit," Harper told the jury at one point from behind his face shield, which kept fogging up.

Technology malfunctioned with the mute settings on microphones. The attorneys were their own cleanup crews, responsible for sanitizing everything they touched. And early in the trial, a court staffer ran into the plexiglass around the evidence stand, prompting Hur to mark each side of the doorway with sticky notes to prevent further ego-bruising.

- - -

"As a trial lawyer, you end up doing a lot of things you didn't learn in law school," Hur later joked.

"You do learn to expect the unexpected," Windom added.

After a six-day trial, the jury found Ojedokun guilty of conspiring with others to deceive and persuade older men and women on dating websites to hand over large sums of money. The group then laundered that money by buying used cars and shipping them to Nigeria, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

The trial was also Hur's first since becoming U.S. Attorney. He decided to take it on in part because he had worked many trials with Windom and was eager to team up again, but also because he knew the risks associated with trying a case during the pandemic.

"I did not feel I could ask other people in my office to do that without doing it myself first," Hur said.

The coronavirus hung over the trial until the end. Jurors left the court with instructions about one new, final piece of this civic duty: contact tracing.
New York is facing a $14.5 billion budget gap this fiscal year, federal relief dollars dont appear to be forthcoming, and schools and local governments are facing deep budget cuts. The coronavirus pandemic  and the financial nightmare it created  prompted some progressive lawmakers and activists to double down on a question that New York has been weighing for years: Should we increase taxes on the states wealthiest residents?

For left-wing activists and many Democratic state lawmakers, tax the rich has become a rallying cry over the past few months as the state waits on a federal stimulus package. They argue that rather than withholding billions in state aid to schools and localities, New York should pass a number of bills that would increase income taxes on millionaires, tax vacant second homes in New York City, or even reinstitute sales taxes on private jets and yachts.

But Gov. Andrew Cuomo has made his resistance to increasing taxes on the wealthy well known, arguing that the proposals raised so far wouldnt generate enough revenue to fill the deficit, and on top of that, increasing the tax burden of New Yorks wealthy residents could drive them out of the state. At a City & State webinar on Thursday, state Sen. Gustavo Rivera said just because these proposals wouldnt entirely solve the states budget deficit, it doesnt mean New York should turn up its nose at the additional revenue. Even though we may not be able to tax our way out of it, it lessens the hit, Rivera said, adding that he wanted proposals that would raise taxes on the rich, such as the pied-a-terre tax or wealth tax, to be passed soon.

Recently, Cuomo suggested he might consider raising taxes on the wealthy as part of the solution in a worst-case scenario where federal funding doesnt come through. But he has maintained that a federal stimulus package remains critical to New Yorks recovery. State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, however, have released statements supporting raising taxes on the wealthy.

But when it comes to the actual mechanics of increasing taxes on the rich, the state has a number of options. Of the more than a dozen bills already introduced in the Legislature that would raise different taxes on the rich, some advocates for taxing the wealthy said that six proposals should be prioritized in the states immediate response to the pandemic. We had to give the Legislature something digestible, so what we wanted to focus in on were the six bills that raise the most money, said Charles Khan, organizing director of the Strong Economy for All Coalition, a group of labor and community organizations advocating for policies that address economic inequality. We just wanted to include a combination that a lot of different New Yorkers could get behind, that was really targeted at the very, very, very top of income earners in New York state. Because we know that regular people are struggling, but the really wealthy people are $77 billion richer since the pandemic, Khan added, citing one recent analysis that showed how much New Yorks billionaires had increased their wealth between March and June.

If New York really does want to eat the rich, heres whats on the menu.

Raising income taxes on millionaires

One option for taxing the wealthy would be to increase the income tax on New Yorks millionaires, adding higher income tax brackets for those making over $5 million, $10 million and $100 million annually. Currently, the highest state income tax rate is 8.82% for any individual making over $1 million. While several versions of this kind of proposal exist in the state Legislature, the most aggressive increases were included in a bill sponsored by state Sen. Robert Jackson and Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal. Under that legislation, people who make more than $100 million in taxable income would face an 11.82% income tax rate. Make Billionaires Pay, a progressive campaign urging the passage of this and other taxes on the rich, estimated that this tax increase would raise $2.5 billion to $4.5 billion annually.

On Thursday, New Jersey officials announced that the state would pass a version of a millionaires tax hike in response to widening economic inequality  causing some to put pressure on New York to reassess its own income tax brackets in the wake of the pandemic. Responding to those calls, state Budget Director Robert Mujica noted in a statement Thursday that the 12.6% combined city and state income tax rate in New York City  where he said most of the states billionaires live  is already higher than both New Jerseys new tax rate and what state lawmakers including Jackson and Rosenthal proposed.

Pied-a-terre tax

Another proposal that is hardly new to New York is the pied-a-terre tax  legislation that would tax the owners of vacant second homes in New York City worth at least $5 million. That legislation, sponsored by state Sen. Brad Hoylman and Assembly Member Deborah Glick, came relatively close to passing in the Legislature last year but was ultimately shelved in favor of a mansion tax on the sale of pricey homes that is expected to generate $365 million annually. The pied-a-terre tax, however, was expected to generate $650 million per year.

Khan suggested that the pied-a-terre tax, along with approving higher taxes on most millionaires, may be among the most likely bills in the package to pass the Legislature, in part because state lawmakers were already familiar with them. I think those are the things that are the easiest. (State lawmakers) talk about them every year and say theyre so progressive, and theyre going to do them, Khan said. I would say those are the closest to being passed. They have a lot of widespread support across both houses.

Wealth tax

While the term wealth tax is sometimes thrown around to refer to any tax hikes on the rich, there is a specific proposal in the state Legislature that is technically called a wealth tax. A bill from state Sen. Jessica Ramos and Assembly Member Carmen De La Rosa would create a mark to market tax on New Yorkers with more than $1 billion in net assets. Currently, when the value of someones assets increases, they only face a capital gains tax when the asset is sold. This legislation, however, would tax unrealized capital gains, so that if an asset increases in value by $1 million, that $1 million is treated as taxable income even if the asset isnt sold. The tax would bring in an estimated $5.5 billion per year, and the revenue would fund a worker bailout fund for people excluded from traditional unemployment benefits and wage protections.

Stock buyback surcharge

Another proposal that dates back to before the coronavirus pandemic would impose a 0.5% tax on corporate stock buybacks. The practice of companies using extra cash to repurchase their own shares  thereby lowering the number of shares in circulation and increasing the value of each share  has been attacked by progressive lawmakers and labor advocates as corporate greed, when companies could be using excess cash to increase the wages of workers, for example. This proposal, sponsored by state Sen. Jen Metzger and Assembly Member Yuh-Line Niou would raise $3.2 billion annually.

Stock transfer tax

Similar to the stock buyback surcharge, a stock transfer tax is basically a tax on stock trades. While the tax exists in New York, its currently rebated to taxpayers. Legislation sponsored by state Sen. James Sanders Jr. and Assembly Member Phil Steck would repeal the rebate, allowing the state to collect 100% of the tax on stock trades. But previously attempts at repealing the rebate havent been successful, with many roadblocks including strong opposition from Wall Street.

Corporate landlord tax

Finally, state lawmakers have proposed a corporate landlord tax that would tax real estate purchases by private equity firms and hedge funds, imposing the equivalent of a mortgage recording tax on those purchases. When a person buys a home in New York with a mortgage, they pay a tax for the privilege of recording a mortgage. But because purchases of investment real estate properties are often structured differently  not using a traditional mortgage  an equivalent recording tax does not exist when a private equity firm, for example, invests in real estate. Legislation sponsored by state Sen. Julia Salazar and Assembly Member Harvey Epstein would impose a fee on mezzanine debt and preferred equity  two types of financing used in these kinds of real estate purchases.
NEWS PROVIDED BY

Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights

Sept. 18, 2020



NEW YORK, Sept. 18, 2020 /Standard Newswire/ -- Catholic League president Bill Donohue (pictured) comments on Fox News and George Soros:

On September 16, Newt Gingrich was cut off the air on a Fox News show, "Outnumbered," for merely mentioning the role that George Soros is playing in fomenting the anti-cop agenda of the left. Here is what he said.

"The number one problem in almost all these cities [where riots have taken place] is George Soros-elected left-wing anti-police pro-criminal district attorneys who refuse to keep people locked up."



"Progressive district attorneys are anti-police, pro-criminal, and [are] overwhelmingly elected with George Soros' money."

Gingrich was interrupted by one of the show's regulars, Melissa Francis, who said, "I'm not sure we need to bring George Soros into this." The former Speaker of the House replied, "He paid for it. Why can't we discuss the fact that millions of dollars...." Gingrich was then cut off again, this time by Marie Harf who took Francis' side.

Why is Fox News protecting George Soros? Is there anyone who doubts that he is one of the biggest contributors to left-wing causes in the nation, if not the biggest? We at the Catholic League know the atheist billionaire as the nation's most generous donor to anti-Catholic causes and organizations.

It seems plain that Francis was told by the show's producers (in her earpiece) to cut Gingrich off at the knees. She dutifully obliged.

It didn't take long before left-wing media outlets celebrated what happened. The Daily Beast explained that Soros is "often the focus of anti-Semitic tropes." HuffPost said, "In some cases, his name has been used to evoke anti-Semitic tropes."

Maybe Soros has been used this way, and if so, that would be despicable. But neither left-wing website provided any examples. Are we to assume, then, that because some bigots have attacked Soros that no one is allowed to cite his role in promoting the left-wing agenda without being called an anti-Semite? Does this justify trying to censor Newt Gingrich?

Where did Fox News, the Daily Beast, and HuffPost pick up on the talking point that negative comments about Soros can legitimately be construed as anti-Semitic? From the New York Times.

On October 30, 2018, in a front-page story in the New York Times, reporters noted that "baseless claims" that Soros financed illegal border crossings "carry a strong whiff of anti-Semitism." Two days later, November 1, 2018, another front-page story commented that critics of Soros employ "barely coded anti-Semitism." On March 11, 2019, reporters commented that critics of Soros have "skated up to the edge of racism and anti-Semitism with no consequences."

Is it anti-Semitic to criticize George Soros? If so, then the ADL, which was founded to combat anti-Semitism, is anti-Semitic.

On December 5, 2003, ADL national director Abraham Foxman wrote that Soros blamed the current "upsurge of hatred" directed at Jews on Jews. "Not surprisingly," he wrote, "many Jews are distressed by this tendency, now spilling over to our own community, of blaming Jews for anti-Semitism. That is why I have called Mr. Soros' comments obscene."

Would Fox News consider Foxman's remarks anti-Semitic?

Last year, Fox News host Neil Cavuto interviewed me about the fire that engulfed Notre Dame Cathedral in France. Here is what I said. "Well, Neil, if it is an accident, it's a monumental tragedy. But forgive me for being suspicious. Just last month, a 17th-century church was set on fire in Paris. We've seen tabernacles knocked down, crosses have been torn down, statues."

That was itCavuto had a meltdown and cut me off. "We don't know that. So if we can avoid what your suspicions might be."

In short, even speculating about the guiltyeven though I did not say a word about religious fanaticswas enough to set off the censors in the control room. So much for my free speech.

It is not just Big Tech that is stifling the free speech of conservatives. It's executives at Fox News.

Contact Jay Soroko, executive producer of "Outnumbered:" Jay.Soroko@foxnews.com
Boris Johnson has confirmed that national lockdown measures may be needed to deal with an inevitable second wave of coronavirus, as new figures showed infections could be doubling in the UK as fast as every seven days.

New restrictions come into force on Tuesday across large areas of north-west England, the Midlands and West Yorkshire, bringing the total under some form of local lockdown to around 13.5 million people - more than one in five of the UKs population.

And scientists from the governments Sage advisory group are proposing a two-week circuit break effort to damp down the fast-spreading infection by shutting bars and restaurants and limiting movements nationwide, timed for the half-term period at the end of October to avoid excessive disruption to schools.

But there were calls for faster action, with one member of Sage, Professor Susan Michie of University College London, saying a raft of national restrictions is needed immediately to prevent Covid-19 getting out of control and claiming thousands more lives.

A new estimate put the current R transmission rate of coronavirus for the whole nation between 1.1 and 1.4. Last week the figure - which measures the number of people each contagious person passes the illness on to - stood at between 1 and 1.2. But the figure is rising in all parts of England, with everywhere except the South-West now over the crucial threshold of one, above which the disease can spread exponentially.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures 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 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

The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) said it was concerned that the current doubling time could be as quick as every seven days nationally, and potentially even faster in some areas of the country.

Speaking during a visit to Oxford, the prime minister made clear national action was not being ruled out, though he said he did not want the kind of lockdown we had in March and April and wanted to keep schools and the economy open as far as we possibly can.

Mr Johnson said: Theres no question that we are now seeing a second wave coming in. Weve seen in France and Spain, across Europe. Its been, Im afraid, absolutely inevitable that we would see it in this country.

He added: We want to keep the schools open - that's going to happen. I will try and keep all parts of the economy open, as far as we possibly can.

I dont think anybody wants to go into a second lockdown but clearly, when you look at what is happening, you've got to wonder whether we need to go further than the rule of six that we brought in on Monday. Mr Johnson said ministers will be considering intensifying local lockdowns already in place in areas from Greater Manchester to Birmingham, Leicester and the North-East, but also looking at other measures as well. He promised to keep people informed of the science behind any regional or national measures if or when they are introduced.

The PM was coming under intense pressure to call an urgent meeting of the governments Cobra emergencies committee this weekend, with leaders of devolved administrations demanding to be invited. Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon said that hard but necessary decisions must be taken in the next few days if a second national lockdown is to be avoided.

Sir Keir Starmer backed calls for the committee to be convened, warning: There is mounting concern about whether we have got the virus sufficiently under control. This is the time for swift, decisive national action. We cannot afford to be too slow.

Mr Johnson told MPs as recently as Wednesday that a second national lockdown would be absolutely wrong for the country and disastrous for the economy.

But it was clear that a wave of chilling figures over the following days, coupled with increasing clamour for action from medical and scientific voices, was pushing the prime minister towards tougher action.

By Friday morning, health secretary Matt Hancock was admitting that a nationwide shutdown was not off the table, though he said it was the last line of defence and urged the public to help stave it off by keeping to social distancing guidelines.

Mr Hancock announced restrictions on social gatherings in homes and gardens in parts of the North-West, Midlands and West Yorkshire, along with a 10pm curfew for pubs and restaurants in Merseyside, Warrington and most of Lancashire - excluding Blackpool. Residents of the North-West areas were also told to limit public transport use to essential journeys.

Areas subject to new restrictions recorded infection rates well above the 20 in 100,000 figure which has triggered quarantines on travellers from abroad.

In Wolverhampton, numbers of infections per 100,000 population increased to 61.8, while they topped 100 in Liverpool and rose to 111.2 in Warrington and 145.5 in Oadby and Wigston, near Leicester.

New figures from the Office for National Statistics showed an estimated 59,800 people in England - around one in 900 - have coronavirus, the highest level since May, with clear evidence of rises among under-34s.

Ominously, there was a sharp increase in 2-11 year-olds testing positive a fortnight after the return to schools across England.

An average of 6,000 people in England per day were estimated to be newly infected with Covid-19 between 4-10 September, compared to 3,200 the week before, according to the ONS. And Mr Johnson confirmed that rates were rising in the oldest age-groups most susceptible to severe illness and death from the disease.

Although deaths are currently low, experts expect them to rise, with Sage saying the R number shows that we are moving to wider spread growth in transmission at a faster rate.

Yvonne Doyle, medical director at Public Health England, said: Were seeing clear signs this virus is now spreading widely across all age groups and I am particularly worried by the increase in rates of admission to hospital and intensive care among older people.

This could be a warning of far worse things to come.

Mr Hancock described it as a big moment for the country.

Were watching vigilantly, he said. But we can see the number of cases accelerating and were prepared to do what it takes both to protect lives and to protect livelihoods.

University of Reading associate microbiology professor Simon Clarke said that the data suggested that Covid-19 was not yet uncontrollable but warned that holding it at bay will require strict engagement by the public in social distancing and hygiene rules.

And he warned: In the spring, Covid-19 put a large numbers people into hospital, very quickly, hindering the ability of the NHS to deliver care to people in pain on waiting lists, cancer sufferers and denied pregnant women from having the support of their partners. That could easily happen again.

And Prof Michie said: We need action now. Delaying for two weeks earlier in year was generally agreed to be a terrible mistake. Are we going to repeat it? Thousands of lives are at stake.

We need to do a raft of national restrictions now - waiting till October is too late.

The ONS figures revealed that 59 per cent of all those who died of coronavirus between March and mid-July were disabled.

The chief executive of disability charity Sense, Richard Kramer, said: The stark reality is that disabled people and their families have been forgotten and are not part of the governments to-do list. We now need a dedicated plan in response to Covid-19 for disabled children, adults and their families.

Mr Hancock also announced a new plan to curb the spread of Covid infections in care homes over the winter months by providing free personal protective equipment (PPE) to all residents and staff and providing funding to allow staff to work at only one home rather than risking cross-infection by moving between them.
Here's who has come out of this the best. Image: Getty

Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel has been praised as being one of the best leaders during the Covid-19 pandemic due to her scientific approach.

Speaking at the Yahoo Finance All Markets Summit on Thursday, former New Zealand prime minister and co-chair of the World Health Organisations Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response Helen Clark described Merkel as the standout leader of our time in office now.

Wide-scale testing and a rapid response to the pandemic has helped keep the European countrys cases comparatively low, with 9,452 deaths from 268,000 cases.

Clark, who is tasked with identifying shortcomings in the global response to the pandemic, said Merkels sober measured leadership and willingness to listen to advice was a key element in her success.

She brings her scientific rigour to the job. I think shes absolutely in a class of her own.

What a pity it is that shes announced that the curtain is probably falling on her time at the top.

Merkel has a doctorate in quantum chemistry, and has also used her East German background to connect with those also concerned about restrictions on freedom of movement. The leader has seen her approval rating increase at a time when many other leaders have seen theirs plunge.

However, the German chancellor plans to retire in 2021 after 15 years in power.

Former prime minister Kevin Rudd agreed with Clarks pick, telling the Summit that Merkel brings all the disciplines to bear and approaches difficult questions with a scientists mind.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives for the weekly cabinet meeting at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, pool)

I think her national leadership in what is Europe's largest economy, navigating a crisis  whether its public health and its economic dimensions, and also [being] sensitive to European pan-European realities has been right up there, Rudd said.

Story continues

But he also recognised two other women: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen.

Rudd said Arderns leadership has been a first class example of strong public policy, describing her as: Seriously, very good.

And Tsai, who presides over a population of 24 million, was also praised for her ability to limit the spread of coronavirus, despite there being significant traffic with China. Taiwan has had seven deaths and 503 cases.

[Shes leading] 24 million people adjacent to China with massive traffic between the two parts of China, between Taiwan and the mainland, and she's managed to navigate this thing remarkably well, Rudd said.

So is it a gender-laden comment? Im not sure. But I'm just pointing to the data. The data does or has shown that female-led countries have fared better throughout all this.

Are women leaders doing better during coronavirus?

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen delivers a speech as she inaugurates an F-16 maintenance center at the Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. (AIDC) in Taichung, central Taiwan, Friday, Aug. 28, 2020. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

Analysis of 194 countries published by the World Economic Forum and the Centre for Economic Policy Research found that, statistically, female-led countries have responded better to the public health crisis.

The study, which removed outliers on both ends of the response spectrum like New Zealand, Germany and the US, found that women leaders reacted more quickly and decisively in the face of potential fatalities, said Supriya Garikipati, a developmental economist at Liverpool University, co-author with Reading Universitys Uma Kambhampati.

In almost all cases, they locked down earlier than male leaders in similar circumstances. While this may have longer-term economic implications, it has certainly helped these countries to save lives, as evidenced by the significantly lower number of deaths in these countries.

The research considered population, population density, demographics, health spending, international travel habits, gender equality and GDP in its assessment.

Garikipati said the research indicates that while women were more risk averse when it came to the public health challenges of coronavirus, they were more willing to take risks in terms of the economic damage of shutting down their respective countries.

Another explanation of gender differences in response to the pandemic is to be found in the leadership styles of men and women. Studies suggest that men are likely to lead in a task-oriented style and women in an interpersonally-oriented manner, she said.

Women therefore tend to adopt a more democratic and participative style and tend to have better communications skills, the researchers added.

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China and the European Union (EU) are going to bring the China-EU relations up to a higher level, according to a recent virtual meeting held among leaders of China, Germany and the EU.

During the meeting held via video link on the evening of Sept. 14, Chinese President Xi Jinping, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU, European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had in-depth exchange of views, charted a course for the development of China-EU relations in the next stage, and set priorities for bilateral ties between China and the EU.

They agreed to strengthen communication and cooperation to ensure the success of the upcoming series of major political agenda between China and the EU, enhance mutual trust, seek mutual benefits on a win-win basis, uphold multilateralism and jointly tackle global challenges.

The meeting showed the determination of China and the EU to firmly grasp the general trend of mutual support and united cooperation, and unswervingly promote the sound and stable development of the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership.

This year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of China-EU diplomatic ties. The unexpected COVID-19 pandemic hasnt blocked the high-level dialogues and exchanges between China and the EU.

In fact, Xi has kept in contact with leaders of EU institutions and member states via such means as phone calls and letters since the outbreak, even more frequently than before.

A series of meetings, including the 10th round of the China-EU high-level strategic dialogue, the 22nd China-EU leaders meeting, the 8th China-EU high-level economic and trade dialogue, and the China-EU high-level dialogue in the digital area, have been held amid the pandemic, fully demonstrating the common aspiration of the two sides to push forward their comprehensive strategic partnership.

On June 22, Xi met with Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen via video link, during which Xi stressed that China and the EU should serve as two major forces to maintain global peace and stability, two huge markets that promote global development and prosperity, and two great civilizations that adhere to multilateralism and help improve global governance.

At the recent China-Germany-EU leaders meeting, Xi further emphasized that the two sides should stick to four principles, namely peaceful coexistence, openness and cooperation, multilateralism, and dialogue and consultation.

Xis ideas about adhering to the four principles have pointed the way for joint efforts to push for a more stable and mature China-EU relationship in the post-pandemic era and lift their ties to a new height.

The meeting has injected fresh political impetus into the bilateral ties between China and the EU, according to the Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Over the past 45 years since the establishment of their diplomatic ties, China and the EU have maintained the keynote of cooperation and constantly improved the well-being of their people.

The history of the development of China-EU ties has fully demonstrated that the cooperation between China and the EU is never a choice of expediency made under certain situation, but a strategic one that both sides voluntarily stick to. It has also proven that the China-EU cooperation aims not for short-term interests and gains, but long-term mutually beneficial results.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, China and the EU have supported and helped each other. Meanwhile, the trade and economic exchanges between the two sides have not only withstood the impact of the pandemic, but shown great resilience and witnessed constant expansion of cooperation in many fields.

In August, the number of trips made by China-Europe freight trains reached a record high of 1,247, up 62 percent year on year. These trains transported 113,000 twenty-foot equivalent units of goods, up 66 percent from the same period of the previous year.

China-Europe freight trains maintained double-digit growth in the number of trips and goods for the sixth consecutive month.

All these facts have shown that cooperation between China and the EU enjoys huge potential for growth.

During the recent China-Germany-EU leaders meeting, China and the EU announced the official signing of the China-EU agreement on geographical indications, stated their commitment to speeding up the negotiations of the China-EU Bilateral Investment Treaty to achieve the goal of concluding the negotiations within this year, and decided to establish a China-EU High Level Environment and Climate Dialogue and a China-EU High Level Digital Cooperation Dialogue and to forge China-EU green and digital partnerships.

These important cooperation achievements and consensuses reached between China and the EU have further expanded and deepened their bilateral cooperation, and enriched their relations.

As two major forces, huge markets and great civilizations in the world, what China and the EU advocate and oppose and in what areas they cooperate will have global significance.

The world is going through profound changes unseen in a century, and the COVID-19 pandemic is accelerating such changes. Economic globalization has run up against headwinds; protectionism and unilateralism are on the rise; the world economy is in the doldrums; and international trade and investment have slumped. Such are the unprecedented challenges and tests in the work and life of mankind.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19, China and the EU have maintained close contacts in anti-pandemic and global health cooperation, demonstrating the significance and global impact of China-EU relations.

The two sides aim to strengthen macroeconomic policy coordination and cooperation, and maintain the stability of the global industrial chain and supply chain, jointly helping promote the recovery of the world economy.

During the recent meeting, China and the EU both showed willingness to strengthen cooperation, jointly safeguard multilateralism, resist unilateralism and protectionism, and respond more effectively to various global challenges, which has demonstrated both sides sense of responsibility for safeguarding the common interests of both Europe and China and the international community.

The more firm the strength underpinning China-EU peaceful coexistence, the more guaranteed the world peace and prosperity, Xi pointed out.

Its certain that by remaining committed to promoting the sound and steady growth of the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership, China and the EU can inject more positive energy into COVID-19 response efforts, economic recovery and championing justice.

The year of 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. In such a special occasion, the efforts of China and the EU to strengthen political mutual trust, boost pragmatic cooperation, and forge a more influential comprehensive strategic partnership have infused valuable stability to the world full of uncertainties and are helpful for enhancing global governance and advancing the building of a community with shared future for mankind.
(TNS) - With massive wildfires across the West burning more than 5 million acres and displacing tens of thousands of people, Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon says this is the moment for Congress to reform the nations fire management policies, or brace for more Septembers like this one.I want to be able to call this the day the Senate got serious about fire prevention, the Democratic senator said Monday in a floor speech.Residents in California, Oregon and Washington  many still under evacuation orders or living under a layer of smoke and ash  will probably have to wait longer to see that day.Feeling new urgency from a historic wildfire season, Western Republicans and Democrats have put forward legislative proposals for addressing the regions forests, which are unnaturally overgrown thanks to decades of fire suppression.The crisis has brought to the surface divisions among Democrats about how to address the problem  rifts that are only likely to become more acute if Democrats win the presidency and the Senate next year, and push climate legislation through Congress.On Thursday, Wyden unveiled his plan  a set of changes that would require the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management to use prescribed fire more frequently to preemptively burn off excess vegetation that can otherwise become tinder for out-of-control blazes. The bill would direct new federal funding to this effort, which has been held back by lack of money, limited manpower and risk-averse federal officials.Another proposal, a bipartisan bill from Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Steve Daines, R-Mont., presents a vastly different approach. It would create new exemptions to the nations bedrock environmental law, the National Environmental Policy Act, limiting public review of forestry projects to speed up the removal of small trees and shrubs.It has been endorsed by both California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the American Forest Resource Council, a group that represents timber interests. But most environmental groups view it as an attempt to lock the public out of decision-making, and its likely to face resistance from progressive Democrats in the House.I dont think the House of Representatives will support major new incursions into environmental laws right now, said Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif. Thats what the Senate bill is.House Democrats plan to vote next week on an energy bill that would promote electrical grid resilience efforts to reduce the likelihood of transmission lines starting fires. It would also require the Environmental Protection Agency to research the impact of smoke emissions from wildfire and provide grants to help communities mitigate the smoke. Several Democrats are hoping to add their own proposals, including other plans to strengthen the electrical grid. Democrats have not yet decided which proposals might be added or get an amendment vote.Policy differences aside, there are plenty of reasons to be skeptical that even the worst fire season on record will force Congress to act.There are other pressing issues before lawmakers. In addition to avoiding a government shutdown this month, Democratic and Republican leaders in the House and Senate remain at an impasse over how to help Americans whove lost their jobs during the pandemic. Struggling industries are begging lawmakers for a bailout. And the presidential election is less than two months away.Disastrous fire seasons have come and gone without federal legislative action. In 2018, wildfires killed more than 100 people and burned more than 1.8 million acres in California, a record that has since been broken by this years infernos. But when fires the following year proved less destructive and deadly, Congress interest in overhauling the countrys policies waned.Even if the Democratic-led House and Republican-led Senate each passed separate fire bills this year, they would have to rectify the differences and get Trumps signature by the end of December, an exceedingly unlikely possibility. Still, any agreement or compromise reached this year could form the building blocks of a bill in 2021.Wyden believes theres reason for hope.I do think this year is different, he said. For days and days my small state, unfortunately, has led every newscast in America.  Ive had a tremendous number of people in the Congress come up to me who had no idea these fires had gotten so out of hand.Experts have warned for years that the United States needs to completely change its approach to wildfire.Decades of trying to stamp out every fire to protect the increasing number of homes built outside of cities in wildfire-prone areas has left forests crowded with vegetation. Combined with the increasing temperatures and prolonged droughts caused by climate change, this has contributed to the alarming scale of the fires the West is experiencing now.Most fire scientists agree that theres no such thing as preventing wildfires. But there is growing consensus that certain interventions, such as prescribed fires, can reduce the severity of blazes.Wydens bill focuses narrowly on this issue. It would set aside $600 million annually, split between the Department of Interior and the Forest Service, to pay for controlled burns on federal, state and private land. Under the bill, these agencies would be required to increase the number of acres burned during the off-season each year. There would also be a $100,000 incentive program to encourage state and county governments to carry out their own burns.Another part of the bill would shield federal employees planning or conducting a prescribed burn from a range of lawsuits, except in cases of gross negligence.Craig Thomas, a California conservationist who has spent years advocating for more prescribed fire, called this change incredibly important. One of the reasons controlled burns are still relatively rare in the West is that federal employees fear they could be held personally responsible if the blaze got out of control.It all comes down to the fact that these people are following the rules, they have the training, and theyre trying to benefit us, Thomas said of the firefighters who oversee controlled burns. Why have them terrified?Feinsteins proposed legislation also identifies poor forest management as a problem, but it places much of the blame on environmental regulations, a position that Republicans and the timber industry have advocated for years. An analysis of the bill by the Wilderness Society, a conservation group, found that it would set few limitations on the number of acres that could be logged without environmental review and would give the Forest Service emergency legal authority to bypass public input for certain activities, including the removal of burned trees after a fire, known as salvage logging.It would also create a $100 million grant program to increase the number of biomass facilities in the U.S., propping up an industry that generates heat and electricity  and carbon dioxide  by burning dead and dying trees that have no commercial value.This would help make harvesting dead trees more commercially viable, incentivizing businesses to step in and help reduce the fuel load in our forests, Feinstein said Wednesday during a Senate committee hearing.While Feinsteins bill is unlikely to get much support from progressives in the House, a wildfire bill that has been lingering there is just as unlikely to see much enthusiasm from Republicans in the Senate. Introduced last year by Huffman and Sen. Kamala Harris of California, it would provide $1 billion annually to direct communities to develop plans to protect themselves against wildfires, including improving evacuation routes, increasing resiliency of homes and clearing brush.Susan Jane Brown, an attorney for the advocacy group Western Environmental Law Center, said lawmakers across the West are feeling under pressure to do something about fast-moving fires that have incinerated small towns and polluted the skies. But she urged caution.There is some merit in really taking a look at these bills and picking the pieces we think work and repackaging them, she said. But we have to be really careful about overselling simple solutions. I dont want to make bad policy because were scared.2020 Los Angeles TimesVisit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The Buffalo Catholic Diocese will soon begin making decisions on consolidation plans for its current 161 parishes and 34 schools in Western New York, Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger told The Buffalo News on Thursday.

The first of those decisions could come within months, if not weeks after diocese officials reach out to Catholics throughout the diocese, the bishop said.

While not disclosing any specifics, Scharfenberger said some of the dioceses churches and schools are likely to be consolidated to save money.

I dont want anyone to fear that specific churches have been earmarked, or that any decisions have been made already, the bishop said. But there will be some sacrifices. That is inevitable.

Do three or four parishes that are right next to each other all have to have a 9 oclock Mass every Sunday morning? It could be that, because of economic realities, some church buildings will have to be deactivated.

The bishop added that he favors the consolidation of some parishes and schools, as opposed to elimination.
By PTI

SINGAPORE: A company manager in Singapore was fined Singapore dollars 9,000 on Thursday for wrongfully confining three Indian nationals working for him in a room for around 40 days amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

The workers were first confined from May 12 to 15, and then over a five-week stretch, from May 19 to June 26, The Straits Times reported.

Shaun Pang Tong Heng had earlier pleaded guilty to three counts of wrongful confinement.

The Indian workers are Ganesan Pandi, Pandiyan Jakakanthan and Muthuraj Thangaraj. Three other similar charges involving the same men were considered during the sentencing, the report said.

Lawyer Md Noor E Adenaan, who represented the 41-year-old Singaporean, told District Judge Prem Raj that his client is remorseful.

Shaun saw the men as "troublemakers".

The lawyer said that during the outbreak, Pandi and Jakakanthan had left their place of residence in Tuas to buy alcohol despite being housed near a COVID-19 cluster.

Jakakanthan also drove a company lorry without a licence.

As for Thangaraj, the lawyer said, he was previously caught for drink driving.

The court heard that the room the trio were confined in had clean beds, a bathroom, as well as Wi-Fi connection.

They were also given meals and ample water.

But Deputy Public Prosecutor Eric Hu said it was no excuse for the manager to take matters into his own hands.

Before handing out the sentence, the judge said the manager should have notified the police about the workers.

For each count of wrongful confinement, an offender can be jailed for up to three years and fined.
Civic Chamber member turns to prosecutors about YouTube Beslan documentary restrictions

 RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov

14:21 18/09/2020

MOSCOW, September 18 (RAPSI)  First Deputy Chair of Russias Civic Chamber Commission on Development of the Information Community Alexander Malkevich has filed a complaint with the Prosecutor Generals Office in relation to restricted access to Beslan documentary filmed by Alexander Rogatkin on YouTube, the rights activist informs on his social media page.

Malkevich reminds that Beslan was broadcasted by Russia One TV channel to commemorate the 16th anniversary of the tragedy resulted from a terrorist attack on a school in this Dagestan town; the documentary was also uploaded on Russia One official YouTube channel. Later the provider of video hosting services restricted access to this material.

Russias media watchdog Roskomnadzor demanded that Google complied with the Russian legislation saying the body deemed the restrictions to be an act of censorship, which was prohibited in Russia by law. In its reply Google explained that age-related restrictions were imposed because the documentary contained scenes of cruelty and graphic violence.

The Civic Chamber member notes that many documentaries were made about the Beslan tragedy, but restrictions were introduced only with respect to Rogatkins film.

According to Malkevich, he believes that Google and YouTube violated his rights guaranteed by Russias Constitution by restricting access to Beslan documentary in Russia whereas it contains no information banned in the country; it is a violation of the freedom of mass media, the rights activist says.
# EngageEquitably includes templates for emails to families and staff, website language, phone and robocall scripts, video scripts and news releases. They address COVID-19 situations, such as positive cases, health and prevention efforts, schedule changes, shifts in schools' instructional models, extracurricular activities and school meals. This builds on the EquityByDesign initiative's broader work to promote a healthy, safe, and equitable school year.

"In a public health crisis, communication must be clear, transparent, honest and, most importantly, equitable. Schools need to reach and support the full range of stakeholders in their communities," said Eric Tucker, executive director of Brooklyn LAB. "We hope this free resource will help foster equitable communication with families and students, including those with more intensive and specialized needs for whom this pandemic has been especially difficult."

This work is aligned to and informed by the recommendations of the Parabola Project, a cross-sector health-education partnership between Ariadne Labs and The Learning Accelerator .

"Parents, guardians, and other stakeholders too often receive conflicting and confusing information about the pandemic, decision-making around closure and reopening and the reasoning behind the message," said Beth Rabbitt, chief executive officer of The Learning Accelerator (TLA) and co-founder of the Parabola Project. "Schools must establish strong, consistent public health-informed communications processes. This toolkit offers important starting points for leaders across the country."

Partners of the Educating All Learners Alliance (EALA) contributed to this effort, including the National Center for Learning Disabilities, National Center for Special Education in Charter Schools, Digital Promise' Learner Variability Project and InnovateEDU.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the most complicated school year of our lifetimes," said Joe Donovan, President of the Donovan Group. "We hope this resource helps education leaders as they work to communicate about challenging issues throughout this school year and beyond."

Each communications resource is tailor-made to different audiences and focused on specific situations, such as closing a classroom or section of a school and moving from a virtual to in-person learning model. It also includes examples of communications that address students with special learning needs. Although remote learning has been stressful for many families and students, it has been particularly difficult for students with disabilities who have Individual Education Plans (IEPs) or 504 Plans.

As the school year progresses, the partners will continue to add to these templates and resources.

"This school year is defined by transitions, especially among virtual, hybrid and fully in-person models," said Lindsay E. Jones, president and CEO of the National Center for Learning Disabilities. "Families of students with learning and attention issues and their students often feel the challenges associated with COVID-19 resurgence acutely. School leaders must make decisions and communicate in a manner that best addresses the needs of students with disabilities and their families."

Lack of communication, delayed communication, and unclear or contradictory messages can create stress and more challenges during a health crisis. The #EngageEquitably resource can give schools a head start when new events unfold.

"Schools and districts must engage in clear and proactive communication as their families, students and staff deal with the many stresses and challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic," said Erin Mote, Founding Partner of the Educating All Learners Alliance (EALA). "Clear, responsive communication is an integral way to cultivate the kind of trust, inclusion and equity we need during this public health crisis."

The resources are intended to guide the communication efforts of schools and districts. The specific strategies and messages they use will depend on factors like their reopening plans, guidance they receive from public health officials and the status of COVID-19 in their schools and community.

To access the free resources, guidance and templates available through #EngageEquitably, visit https://www.EngageEquitably.org .

Brooklyn LAB: Brooklyn LAB was co-founded in 2013 by Erin Mote and Eric Tucker with the mission to eliminate the achievement gap by preparing scholars with the academic foundation, digital literacy, and leadership skills necessary to succeed in college and professional life. Brooklyn LAB is dedicated to serving the highest need students, regardless of their academic level, English language proficiency, or disability. Meeting the needs of these students has continued to be our focus as we reimagine what the return to school will look like in the fall of 2020.

Donovan Group: The Donovan Group is a full service communications firm that assists school districts and educational organizations. It serves clients throughout the United States. Its services include crisis communications management, communications planning, content development, graphic design, media training, referendum assistance, surveys, and communications consulting.

EALA: The Educating All Learners Alliance (EALA) is an uncommon coalition of organizations committed to resource sharing and community-building that supports the efforts of the education community to meet the needs of students with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Parabola Project: The Parabola Project is a joint project of Ariadne Labs and The Learning Accelerator. Ariadne Labs is a joint center for health systems innovation at Brigham & Women's Hospital and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The Learning Accelerator is a national nonprofit that is working to make the 'potential' possible and practical for every teacher and learner.

Digital Promise: Digital Promise works at the intersection of education leaders, researchers, and technology developers to improve learning opportunities for all and close the Digital Learning Gap. Because when all learners have equitable access to technology, when everyone participates, and when everyone learns, we all benefit from a more engaged, informed and just society.

NCLD: The mission of the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) is to improve the lives of the one in five children and adults nationwide with learning and attention issuesby empowering parents and young adults, transforming schools and advocating for equal rights and opportunities. We're working to create a society in which every individual possesses the academic, social and emotional skills needed to succeed in school, at work and in life.

NCSECS: The National Center for Special Education in Charter Schools (the Center) is an independent, non-profit organization formed in 2013. The Center is committed to ensuring that students with disabilities have equal access to charter schools and to fostering effective implementation of practices that will benefit students with disabilities in both charter and traditional public schools by proactively working with states, authorizers, charter school and special education advocates, as well as other stakeholders.

InnovateEDU: InnovateEDU is a non-profit whose mission is to eliminate the achievement gap by accelerating innovation in standards aligned, next generation learning models and tools that serve, inform, and enhance teaching and learning.

Please direct inquiries to:

Sarah Pactor, 929-265-2141

[email protected]

SOURCE Equity by Design

Related Links

http://www.EngageEquitably.org


Less than 10 percent of the 2,400 protests that took place in the wake of the death of George Floyd involved violence, according to a report from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project. The report also noted that even in the few cities with sustained unrest, demonstrations involving violence stayed in the same area.Despite the limited impact of unrest, calls for law and order have grown in volume over time, a demand that many may find easier to grasp, or embrace, than dismantling systemic racism. During the Republican National Convention, Rudy Giuliani went so far as to say, Black Lives Matter and antifa sprang into action and, in a flash, they hijacked the peaceful protest into vicious, brutal riots.Its difficult to draw straight lines between cause and effect in the current, combustible mix of pandemic restrictions, illness, economic distress and well-documented incidents of violent behavior by police. But no one in a position to consider or forward the changes BLM protestors are demanding thinks anything approaching a riot will help.A number of recent bills have proposed ways to hold, or define, the line between a riot and a protected assembly, sometimes in the context of other reforms. Here are some examples of proposals since July, with links to the complete details of each bill. B23-0882 , for the, is a comprehensive policing and justice reform bill that addresses a number of issues. It outlines guidelines intended to clarify appropriate response to Constitutionally protected assemblies. It states that officers should not be deployed in riot gear to such events unless there is an immediate risk of bodily injury to them. They may not be used to disperse an assembly if so attired. The act also prohibits riot tactics such as the use of chemical irritants or less-lethal projectiles, including foam-covered bullets and stun grenades, for this purpose. HB6204 makes it a felony for a person to assault a first responder that is attempting to discharge their duties during a riot or civil disturbance, punishable by imprisonment for not more than five years or a fine not to exceed $5,000 (or both). Acts considered as assault include spitting or otherwise transferring bodily fluids. If the assault results in serious injury or death, or involves the use or display of a deadly weapon, the penalty is increased to up to 20 years in prison and $20,000 in fines. HB6158 , another Michigan bill, exempts a governmental agency from liability if engaged in the discharge of governmental functions, including a tactical operation taken to deal with a riot. This protection would not apply if injury or damage result from willful, callous or wanton disregard established by clear and convincing evidence. HB735 requires law enforcement officers to wear a clearly visible badge and identification while on duty. This includes those appointed to patrols by a mayor during a riot or emergency. HB5125 , abill, defines a riot as an assembly of three or more persons with an intent to commit acts of unlawful force or violence that could jeopardize public safety, peace or order. Each person who participated in such assembly would be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. If carrying a firearm or other weapon, including a laser, blunt instrument or shield, they would be guilty of a Class 5 felony. A4432 orders the states attorney general to create a public awareness campaign to promote safe engagement in demonstrations, protests and other forms of public safety. This would include education regarding the permit process, dangers of obstructing traffic and existing law relating to rioting, obstructing public highways, disorderly conduct and failure to disperse.Among other provisions, HF2 asks the commissioner of commerce to work to resolve complaints regarding the handling of insurance claims from businesses affected by riots or civil commotion. Insurers are required to provide details regarding the number of such claims, policies not renewed for businesses affected by these events or rate increases for those so affected or in the geographic area where the riot or civil commotion occurred.
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By PTI

HAMIRPUR: A 46-year-old farmer, who was under debt, allegedly hanged himself in Amireta Dera village in Uttar Pradesh's Hamirpur district, officials said on Friday.

The farmer, Mahendra Verma, allegedly took the extreme step on Thursday, ADM Vinay Prakash Srivastava said.

The brother of the farmer told police that Verma had taken a loan of Rs 42,000 under the Kisan credit card from Aryavrat Bank and Rs 80,000 from Union Bank but had not been able to repay it.

According to the family of the farmer, he was under stress due to the loans, which might have driven him to take the step.

Revenue officials have been asked to look into the matter and further action will be taken after getting their report, the ADM added.
The Belarusian leader, whose win in the latest election is being widely contested, labeled Ukraine "an outpost of political provocations."

Ukraine's Interior Minister Arsen Avakov has said the accusations of President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko of Ukraine's alleged meddling into the affairs of Belarus are "complete nonsense."

"Lukashenko seems to have gone nuts about his power and paranoia around it. He is talking complete nonsense. He probably got the texts [of his statements] from [Russian President Vladimir] Putin. But if someone goes crazy, it doesn't mean everyone should act the same way! We think about Ukraine and wish only peace and prosperity to Belarus," the minister of interior wrote on Facebook.

The minister assures that Ukraine does not interfere in other countries' internal affairs, and that the people of each country have the right to determine their own destiny, without external meddling.

"So go drink some water, Mr. Lukashenko, calm down. Ukrainians are friends to Belarusians, don't manipulate by blaming your neighbors. Look for the beam in your own eye," the minister added.

Read alsoBelarus beefing up security on border with Ukraine, closes borders with Lithuania, PolandRecent developments in Belarus in brief
Maryland GOP congressional candidate Kim Klacik slammed The View co-host Joy Behar for wearing blackface in a heated interview on the daytime talkshow on Friday.

The conversation had largely remained civil until the end, during which Klacik was replying to a question asked by co-host Sara Haines about President Donald Trump telling journalist Bob Woodward that he had downplayed the seriousness of coronavirus during the pandemic's early days.

'Come on, Kim. Excuse me, I have to say something to you,' Behar interjected.

'He told Bob Woodward that it was a very serious issue, and it's airborne and that it was terrible, and then he went out and told the American people: "Don't wear masks. It's all going to go away." You have to put some blame on your president. I'm sorry!'

In turn, Klacik replied: 'Is this Joy speaking? The same Joy that paraded around in blackface not too long ago?'

Maryland GOP congressional candidate Kim Klacik (left) and The View co-host Joy Behar (right) got into a heated argument during an interview on Friday

After Behar said President Donald Trump deserved blame for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, Klacik (pictured) replied: 'Is this Joy speaking? The same Joy that paraded around in blackface not too long ago?'

During a taping of The View in 2016, Behar revealed she had dressed as a 'beautiful African woman' for a Halloween party at age 29 (pictured)

In 2016, Behar admitted during a taping of The View that she dressed up as a 'beautiful African woman' for a Halloween party when she was 29 years old.

She said her curly Afro was natural but that she used makeup 'that was a little bit darker than my skin.'

Behar was angered by Klacik's remarks and denied that she ever wore blackface.

'That's not true. Excuse me, excuse me! The black community had my back,' Behar replied.

'They know that that was not blackface. That was an homage.'

In response, Klacik said: 'The black community has my back as well.'

Co-host Sunny Hostin then stepped in to defend Behar and mocked Klacik's claims that African-Americans in Baltimore support her.

'The Black community does not vote for you! The Black community did not vote for you! What planet are you living on?!' Hostin said.

Klacik attempted to reply to Hostin, but Behar wrapped up the segment and thanked the candidate for her appearance.

Later, Klacik tweeted additional criticism of Behar and her treatment on the show.

Behar lashed out at Klacik and said her costume was an 'homage' and that the Black community 'had her back' (pictured)

Klacik, a staunch Trump supporter, is running against Kweisi Mfume (D) in November to replace the seat left vacant by the death of Rep. Elijah Cummings in October 2019. Pictured: Klacik addresses the virtual Republican National Convention on August 24, 2020

Later, Klacik tweeted additional criticism of Behar and her treatment on the show (above)

Later, Klacik tweeted additional criticism of Behar and her treatment on the show.

'The ladies of @TheView didn't like what I had to say, so naturally they cut me off,' she wrote in a tweet that has been liked more than 26,000 times.

'Why are they silencing Black Women? Hey, @JoyVBehar - I think your White Privilege is showing through your blackface!'

Klacik, a staunch Trump supporter, is running against Kweisi Mfume (D) in November to replace the seat left vacant by the death of Rep. Elijah Cummings in October 2019.

This is not the first time a View guest has called out Behar for wearing blackface. Last year, in November 2019, Donald Trump Jr also attacked the host.

'We've all done things that we regret. Joy, you have worn blackface,' Trump Jr said during his interview.
A vehicle chase involving a Decatur man ended in a wreck and multiple charges after witnesses said he assaulted a juvenile in a car.

Kerry Lee Sutherlin, 20, was arrested Wednesday and charged with eluding law enforcement, domestic violence, reckless endangerment and numerous traffic citations, Mike Swafford, Morgan County Sheriffs Office spokesman, said.

Dispatchers received word about an assault in progress in a car on U.S. 31 in Hartselle. Swafford said a deputy in the area spotted the vehicle and initiated a traffic stop near Walmart. When the deputy approached the vehicle, the suspect vehicle took off," he said.

A chase began but broke off in Decatur as afternoon rush hour traffic grew. However, the vehicle wrecked into cars stopped at a traffic light at the intersection of U.S. 31 and Alabama 67 in Decatur. The driver of another vehicle struck by the suspect was treated at the scene.

The juvenile assault victim received minor injuries.
Moncks Corner, SC (29461)

Today

Expect periods of freezing rain. Significant icing possible. Low around 25F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precip 100%..

Tonight

Expect periods of freezing rain. Significant icing possible. Low around 25F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precip 100%.
Rich nations representing a fraction of the global population have already bought up more than half the stock of promised Covid-19 vaccines, a study showed, as US President Donald Trump pledged to begin inoculating Americans within weeks.

Big pharma is racing to produce an effective jab to counter the coronavirus that has now killed more than 942,000 people around the world and infected almost 30 million.

A study released by Oxfam showed a group of wealthy countries representing just 13% of the world population has secured the lions share of doses.

Access to a life-saving vaccine shouldnt depend on where you live or how much money you have, said Robert Silverman of Oxfam America. Covid-19 anywhere is Covid-19 everywhere.

Click here for complete coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic

The five leading vaccine candidates in late-stage trials will be able to supply 5.9 billion doses, enough to inoculate about three billion people, the Oxfam report said. Some 51% of those jabs have been snapped up by the wealthy world, including the US, Britain, the EU, Australia, Hong Kong and Macau, Japan, Switzerland and Israel.

The remaining 2.6bn have been bought by or promised to developing countries including India, Bangladesh, China, Brazil, Indonesia and Mexico.

Trump on Wednesday said he would begin rolling out a vaccine in America as soon as next month. Were very close to that vaccine... We think we can start sometime in October or shortly thereafter, Trump said.

Over 170 nations join global vaccine plan

The World Health Organization (WHO) said more than 170 countries have joined its global plan to distribute vaccines fairly around the world, but cautioned that a race to develop shots could lead to fears about safety.

We already face challenges with vaccine acceptance for many proven vaccines, WHO chief Tedros Ghebreyesus said. We cannot risk having an effective vaccine for Covid-19 that people refuse because of the perception that it is unsafe.

Also read: Safety first, cautions WHO as 172 nations join Covid-19 vaccine distribution plan

The European head of the WHO has warned of alarming rates of transmission of the virus in the continent. Hans Kluge said the largest proportion remains among adults aged 25 to 49, but pointed to increases in cases in older age groups as well.

Red Cross: Migrants in Asia facing blame

The Red Cross warned that the pandemic is driving discrimination towards vulnerable communities in Asia, especially migrants and foreigners. The humanitarian agency surveyed 5,000 people in Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and Pakistan and found about half blamed a specific group for spreading the coronavirus, with many mentioning Chinese people, immigrants and foreigners.

Meanwhile, New Zealands economy shrank by a record 12.2% in the second quarter due to a strict coronavirus lockdown.

Statistics New Zealand released figures on Thursday that showed GDP fell far more than previously recorded and signalled that the nation of 5mn is officially in recession for the first time in 11 years.
A Melbourne couple has been slapped with a $1,652 fine after driving more than 30km for fried chicken.

The man and woman had driven from Tarneit to St Kilda East - about 34km - when they were pulled over by Victoria Police on Thursday.

The pair told officers they were in the area to to buy fried chicken, despite city restrictions requiring them to stay within 5km from their Melbourne west home.

The couple had driven from Tarneit to St Kilda East - about 34km - when they were pulled over by Victoria Police and told officers they were in the area to buy friend chicken (pictured)

Melburnians are unable to travel more than this distance as part of the city's current restrictions, unless granted permission or they are an essential worker.

Residents caught breaching Melbourne's Stay At Home orders are issued a $1,652 on the spot fine, which can be increased to a maximum of $10,000 through the Magistrates' Court for repeat offenders.

The couple were two of 76 people fined the the past 24 hours for breaching the Chief Health Officer directions.

Others included eight being fined for failing to wear a face mask in public when leaving home for one of the four approved reasons.

The figure also included 10 fined at vehicle checkpoints, 34 for curfew breaches and three men for being in a carpark with no legitimate reason for being there.

The couple were two of 76 people fined the the past 24 hours for breaching the Chief Health Officer directions. Pictured: A police officer checking a motorist at Geelong

Victoria Police confirmed 24,763 vehicles were checked at seven checkpoints across metropolitan Melbourne.

Officers conducted 2,475 spot checks on people at homes, businesses and public places, it said.

There have been 444,121 spot checks conducted across the state since March 21.
Rucha Hasabnis is back in spotlight after a video from her show Saath Nibhaana Saathiya was turned into a rap song by Yashraj Mukhate and vent viral online. The actor played Rashi on the show, who is identified as the real culprit to have put an empty cooker on the gas stove in the kitchen. However, the actor has refused to return for the second season of the daily soap.

Rucha is now married and welcomed a baby girl in December last year. The hands-on mom often posts adorable pictures of the child on Instagram.

On being asked about making a comeback in the current scenario, Rucha told India Today, I am not in Saath Nibhaana Saathiya 2. Doing a daily soap wont be easy for me now because I have a small kid and want to give all my time to her. So, working on a daily soap wont be possible for now.

Meanwhile, two lead actors: Devoleena Bhattacharjee, who had already replaced Giaa Manek as Gopi bahu in the first season, and Rupal Patel, who plays Kokila ben, are all set to reprise their characters in the second season. Mumbai Mirror recently quoted Rupal as saying, I couldnt sleep the night I was approached for SNS 2 as I prefer doing one show at a time. But the channel, Rajan sir and Rashmi maam have assured me that we will figure out a way to ensure that everything proceeds smoothly.

Also read: Saath Nibhana Saathiya 2 promo: Devoleena Bhattacharjee reveals rasode mein kaun tha. Watch

The show will also star Harsh Nagar as Anant and Sneha Jain as Gehna. The new promo of the Saath Nibhana Saathiya 2 arrived a few weeks ago and only featured Devoleena. She is seen arriving in the kitchen to check on the proceedings, while looking for a girl called Gehna. A cooker whistles in the kitchen and she says, Shayad rasode me Gehna ne cooker gas pe chadha dia hoga (Gehna has probably put the cooker on the gas).

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New Delhi, Sep 18 : The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to examine a plea seeking directions to declare the use of artificial reproduction technique (ART) on animals as cruel and illegal.

A bench, headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde and comprising Justices A.S. Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian, initially expressed its reservation on entertaining the case, saying that the court is not a science expert, but then agreed to grant a hearing.

Also granting the request of the petitioner to appear in person, the bench issued notice to the Centre, the Animal Welfare Board of India, the National Biodiversity Authority, and others, seeking their response on the plea, which claimed that the ART is unconstitutional, as cruelty is being meted out to animals.

"Reproduction is a basic natural and biological need as well as urge of all living beings, save and except monosexual organisms. No authority can arbitrarily trample or destroy the rights or needs of any living being, including animals, by means of policy or practice, which in itself is against nature and natural principles," said the plea, filed by Madurai-based S. Venkatesh.

The plea contended that ART performed on livestock/animals are violative of some provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal Act, 1960, the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

The petitioner argued that artificially reproducing as a principle/policy is by itself cruel and through these artificial processes, pain is inflicted on animals. Citing the Constitution, the plea said it has clearly recognised the welfare of animals.
India on Thursday welcomed the signing of the Abraham Accords by the US, Israel, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and reiterated its call for direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians for a two-state solution.

US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joined the foreign ministers of Bahrain and the UAE for the signing of the historic agreements aimed at normalising relations between Israel and the Arab countries.

They came almost 26 years after the signing of a declaration for a peace deal between Israel and Jordan.

We have followed the Abraham Accords signed in Washington DC by the UAE, Bahrain, Israel and the US. As I have said earlier, India has always supported peace and stability in West Asia, which is our extended neighbourhood, external affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava told a weekly news briefing.

As such, we welcome these agreements for normalisation of relations between Israel and the UAE and Bahrain, he added.

Srivastava reflected the fine balance struck by India in its ties with Israel and the Arab states when he said that New Delhi will also continue our traditional support for the Palestinian cause.

India, he said, hopes for the early resumption of direct negotiations for an acceptable two-state solution.

Also Read: What the Israel-UAE-Bahrain accord means for India and the world

Prime Minister Narendra Modi became the first Indian premier to visit Israel, with which India has forged strong ties in the fields of defence, technology and trade. At the same time, the Modi government has worked assiduously to court Arab countries in West Asia, which is home to some eight million expatriates and a key source of energy.

Under the Abraham Accords, the UAE and Bahrain will normalise their relations with Israel and expand engagements in politics, security, trade and connectivity. More Arab states are expected to ink similar agreements with Israel, while some countries such as Saudi Arabia have said they stand with the Palestinian people and sought a comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue.
By Gabriela Baczynska and John Chalmers

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union's Brexit negotiator told the bloc's 27 national envoys to Brussels that he still thinks a trade deal with Britain is possible despite a new crisis in the tortuous four-year saga, diplomatic sources told Reuters.

Britain left the EU last January and is in a standstill transition until the end of the year.

Talks on a new trade deal from 2021 have made little progress ahead of an EU deadline of end-October, while London's moves to undermine its earlier divorce deal have further clouded the picture.

But the assessment from Michel Barnier, who addressed the ambassadorial gathering on Wednesday, was not all bleak, according to EU sources who either participated or were briefed.

"Barnier still believes a deal is possible though the next days are key," said one of the EU sources.

"The hope is still there," added another.

Barnier's boss, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, echoed his view in an interview with the FT.

The first source said tentative concessions offered by the United Kingdom on fisheries - a major point of discord so far - were "a glimmer of hope".

Reuters reported exclusively on Tuesday that Britain has moved to break the deadlock despite publicly threatening to walk away from the Withdrawal Agreement.

Talks on new trade arrangements descended into fresh turmoil this month over Prime Minister Boris Johnson's plans to pass new domestic laws that would undercut the withdrawal accord.

EU diplomats said they would assess the domestic political situation in Britain at the end of the month before the bloc's 27 national leaders decide next steps at an Oct. 15-16 summit.

'TOO LITTLE BUT NOT TOO LATE'

A third source, a senior EU diplomat, confirmed the UK offer on fisheries but said it was not going far enough.

"It is too little but it's not too late," the diplomat said, stressing that London's offer for fishing concessions in the English Channel was largely irrelevant for EU fishermen who mostly trawl the North and Irish seas.

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The diplomatic sources stressed the EU would go on negotiating with Britain, if only to avoid being blamed for jeopardising an estimated $1 trillion in annual trade.

"There is unease about what Britain is doing but Barnier has stressed he will keep negotiating until his last breath," said a fourth EU diplomat.

The person agreed with an estimate by Societe Generale bank, which put at 80% the probability of a damaging no-deal split.

EU states agreed in discussion with Barnier the bloc would not conclude any new trade deal with the UK should it end up approving the Internal Market Bill without amendments ensuring it does not violate Britain's international legal obligations.

The bloc would also take a more rigid line in demanding a solid dispute settlement mechanism in any new UK trade deal should Johnson press ahead with his current plans on the law, according to the sources.

"Most see it (the introduction of the Internal Market Bill) as a ploy to gain a negotiating advantage rather than an effort to sink the Withdrawal Agreement," said a fifth diplomat who also took part in the meeting with Barnier.

A sixth person, also present on Wednesday, said the bloc would sue Britain at the top EU court if it passes the law as proposed.

Barnier was further sounding out his UK counterpart, David Frost, in a meeting in Brussels on Thursday on whether the tentative offer on fisheries meant London was still open to sealing a deal, the EU sources said.

A UK government spokesperson said Britain would work hard to bridge outstanding gaps to get a deal in a month following Thursday's "useful" discussions with Barnier.

"These covered a broad range of issues and some limited progress was made, but significant gaps remain in key areas, including fisheries and (state aid) subsidies," they said.

(Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska, Jan Strupczewski, John Chalmers; Writing by Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by Hugh Lawson, Jon Boyle, William Maclean, Andrew Cawthorne)
An 85-year-old man was stabbed to death inside a southern Michigan supermarket, but his attacker was unable to flee because a witness held him at gunpoint until the police arrived.

The victim was stabbed multiple times in the head and neck Wednesday afternoon at a Meijer store in Adrian, The Daily Telegram of Adrian reported. He died at the scene.

Adrian Police Chief Vincent Emrick said a woman with a handgun ordered the 29-year-old suspect to the floor and held him there until officers took him into custody. Emrick said the woman has a concealed pistol license.

A knife believed used in the stabbing was found on a store shelf. The victim and the attacker entered the store separately and apparently didn't know each other.

"The investigation into the motive for this crime, as well as the events leading up to the event, are still under investigation," Deputy Chief Laurence Van Alstine III said Thursday.

Alarik Guajardo of Adrian was charged with murder and other crimes. It wasn't immediately known if he has a lawyer who could comment.

A commotion in the store drew the attention of some shoppers who didn't witness the attack. Adrian is about 70 miles (110 kilometers) southwest of Detroit.

We were getting in line and we heard people start screaming in the back of the store, said Becky Perez, who was with her husband, Rudy. Then, I see some employees start running and then I see people running from the back. They were screaming and running out the front door.

A code 50 was announced over the stores PA system and employees could be seen running in the direction of the commotion, she said.

A spokesman for Meijer was not immediately available for comment, according to the newspaper.
Dissident republican prisoners in Maghaberry are on hunger strike in support of a Palestinian doctor charged over alleged New IRA links.

The Irish Republican Prisoners Welfare Association (IRPWA) last night said that Dr Issam Bassalat, who has multiple health conditions, was being held in filthy and dilapidated conditions in Foyle House, which houses non-political prisoners.

They demanded that he be moved to Roe House, where republican prisoners are detained.

Dr Bassalat was placed in isolation in Foyle House for a fortnight on his return to the jail from hospital.

The IRPWA said there was room in Roe House to safely isolate Issam until the results of a Covid-19 test is complete.

They said the Palestinian GP had warned he would go on hunger strike, and republican prisoners in Maghaberry and on the E3/E4 landings in Portlaoise Prison would engage in a solidarity hunger strike alongside him for a fortnight. A Department of Justice spokeswoman said: Since the beginning of Covid-19 over 1,000 men have come through the isolation areas and into the main prison.

This is for their safety and the safety of the general prisoner population.

During the 14 days, a person in the isolated area will have access to legal representation, showers, telephones and exercise. Prisoners in separation have previously accepted the need for a 14-day isolation period when they have left the prison for approved purposes.

Dr Bassalat faces a single count of preparatory acts of terrorism in connection with an alleged New IRA meeting in July.
One of them was traffic light information that was displayed both on iPhones and CarPlay. At that point, the feature was only available in the United States, and Apple promised it would bring it to more countries as soon as possible.While no specifics were provided initially, it looks like the new traffic light warnings are now going live in more countries in Europe, with users in the United Kingdom confirming the update has become available on their iPhones earlier this week.Interestingly enough, some say that traffic light info is now displayed on their iPhone even though the new Apple Maps isnt ready just yet, so theres a chance that Apple has made this feature a priority for users on specific markets.Worth knowing is that Apple Maps isnt the only service that adds traffic light information. Google Maps has recently been updated with similar data , so its pretty clear that the competition here is getting fiercer.The good news is that Apple is investing aggressively in Apple Maps, mostly as it hopes that more users would just stick with its service and no longer make the switch to Google Maps or Waze when driving.In the United States, the Apple Maps usage is indeed higher, but as far as Europe is concerned, most people just switch to Google Maps and Waze because of the more accurate map data and the better coverage that Googles applications provide.This is something that Apple is trying to deal with as we speak, as the new Apple Maps is supposed to improve the accuracy in the largest markets outside the United States too.
Christina Ward listens to sound from artist Susan Philipsz's installation at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery in Los Angeles. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Confession No. 1: I wasn't eager to get back into the galleries.

For months friends, fellow writers and artists have been audibly yearning to see art again, but I kept quiet. Looking at art, immersing myself in it and emerging from the deep soak to give shape to a response  this is primary nourishment for me, personally and professionally. Why would I be resistant to resuming my intake of oxygen?

I had an inkling but didnt figure it out for sure until I finally did venture back recently: I had been afraid that going to galleries wouldn't be like it used to be, that like so much else now, the experience would be rudely diminished, brutally compromised, akin to the stuttering Zoom call filling in for a tender embrace.

So when exhibition spaces did start opening up, I didn't rush in. I held tight to memories of the familiar  and what was left of that?

Gallery-goers Farnaz Azmoodeh, left, and Shahdeh Ammadi walk through Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, which limits visits to a pair of people at a time to see Susan Philipsz's show. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Quite a bit, it turns out.

I visited four galleries, three by appointment and one as a drop-in. It wasn't the old normal, of course, but neither was it the hassle nor the heartbreaker I dreaded. At the end of the day, I felt invigorated, quenched  and reassured.

Online reservations were a cinch. Each took just a few clicks. The hardest part is setting a schedule when it's impossible to know how long youll want to stay at each stop. Galleries are typically allotting 30 minutes per visit, but when I did overstay, I was not shooed out the door.

I saw much less in a day than I ordinarily would, because I couldn't pass in and out of adjacent galleries with the usual opportunistic ease. Some venues, though, are keeping their doors open to spontaneous wanderers and limiting traffic flow as needed. Checking gallery websites before visiting is a necessity. Calling is helpful too, although one gallery I tried to contact by phone to set an appointment didn't answer.

The mood, in every place I did visit, was one of careful exuberance and genuine welcome. Mask use was universal, but within my small sampling there was a range of pandemic strategies and degrees of formality. Plexiglass barriers galore were installed in some places but none in others. Some galleries still offered paper handouts (press releases, title sheets) and even a carry-around plastic binder of information, but others made that material accessible only by QR code.

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Did the outing feel risky? Not to me. The only risk I registered was exactly where it belonged: as a generative force in the art itself.

Paired shows at David Kordansky Gallery abounded in material ingenuity and experimentation. Ricky Swallow's sculptures were taut tussles with art history, illusion, wit and metaphor. Swallow remakes the readymade, casting in bronze stagey combinations of familiar objects from home and studio (stepladder, rope, teacup, twine) as self-reflexive musings on making itself. "Step Ladder With Cane (cursive)" mused on motion and fixity, reading as a humble, elegant riposte to Duchamp's "Nude Descending a Staircase."

Swallow, based in L.A., curated the other show at Kordansky, a stirring installation of "Weed Pots" made between the 50s and 70s by the late, under-heralded Southern California ceramic sculptor Doyle Lane (both shows have since closed). The small vessels, each intended to hold a single sprig, bear pocked, matte, metallic, veined and glossy skins, in hues earthen, mineral and fiery. Looking from one of these objects of distilled grace and restless exploration to the next felt like glancing through the pages of the artist's sketchbook.

During this long stretch when galleries were shuttered, I have  confession No. 2  barely stepped foot, so to speak, in the online viewing rooms that have proliferated. OVRs are immensely useful in providing access to a cosmic encyclopedia of possibility, but each entry is just that, an abbreviated reference, too often taken as a sufficient substitute for the thing itself.

The instant consumability of those digital images is what disturbs me most. Spending time moving through and around the work by Swallow and Doyle made me feel the chasm between OVR and IRL experiences even more palpably.

What can happen in the patient, physical encounter with art can only be hinted at in the digital domain. The intimacy of Doyle's pots, the slow-reveal magic of Swallow's quasi-assemblages, the particularities of texture and the bodily resonance of scale  none of this can be adequately conveyed onscreen. Our screens serve as windows but also as barriers and dividers. We do indeed see more, but we perceive less.

Exterior view looking into the L.A. gallery Nonaka-Hill's installation of Kaz Oshiro's work. (Nonaka-Hill)

Exhibition installation matters too, and the sometimes overt, sometimes subtle relationships between works on view are best sensed in the moment, through the flesh. At the L.A. gallery Nonaka-Hill, works by Kaz Oshiro spanning 17 years were assembled with deliberate casualness, in a space that looked either not quite ready to greet visitors or as if the show were already over. (Oshiros exhibition did indeed close over the weekend.) There was cardboard on the floor, and the walls were incompletely painted. A dumpster was parked in the middle of one room. A detached truck tailgate leaned against the wall, near I-beams that criss-crossed on the floor like so many pick-up sticks.

It was all an exquisitely orchestrated still-life tableau, dense with cultural critique. Most of the objects were paintings on canvas, meticulous fabrications slumming as random debris. In this rich twist on notions of value, the Japanese-born, L.A.-based Oshiro engages realism and artifice to the same end. Disillusion fuels his illusions.

Such robust, tightly conceived shows can feel like a generous gift to screen-sapped eyes, distracted minds and defeated spirits. Steve Turner Gallery was featuring a hearty trio of solo presentations: stylized portraits by Paris-based Rebecca Brodskis, assemblage portraits by New York-based David Shrobe and, most engrossing to me, "ceramic paintings" by Iowa City-based Kevin McNamee-Tweed.

One of Kevin McNamee-Tweed's glazed ceramic pieces (9.5 inches by 10.5 inches) on view at Steve Turner Gallery in L.A. (Steve Turner Gallery)

McNamee-Tweeds modestly sized, irregularly shaped panels are glazed, embossed and incised with images and words excavated from the artist's mental attic  art prints, commercial signage, notes to self, calendar pages, flowers, smoking pipes. The neatened jumbles brought to mind Manny Farber's domestic still-life self-portraits, themselves descended from centuries-old paintings by artists who used wall and tabletop as organizing surfaces of the memory and psyche, as well as storyboards of cultural history.

My final stop of the day, Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, brought me full circle with its inadvertently timely, potent meditation on breath. Breath is both carrier of sound and conduit of life. Only now is it regarded first of all as dangerous, the primary vehicle of viral transmission. In the emotionally insinuating work of Scottish-born, Berlin-based Susan Philipsz (on view through Saturday), the artist's own breath is broadcast from inside organ pipes and photographed as condensation on panes of glass.

Anabel Romero and Christina Ward at the Susan Philipsz show at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Presence as breath, breath as fleeting. In the form of Philipsz's work, this essential principle becomes more charged than ever. Experiencing this show in person reminded me that we carry our entire world into every gallery we enter. When ensnared by what we find there, we carry that art right back out with us, where it can continue its necessary, vitalizing work.
The additional staff will bring the total number of NZDF staff at the city's three quarantine hotels, the Ibis, Jet Park and Distinction Hotels to 74.

Waikato-Tainui joined locals to welcome the the group with a powhiri at Hui Te Rangiora Marae in the central city.

Head of managed isolation and quarantine security Air Commodore Darryn Webb says while there were no guarantees someone might get out, the extra staff would strengthen security and make it less likely.

''What we will do here is ensure we will have just the right amount of people fit for purpose for the risks that we observe. They are well trained, they come here a motivated, disciplined force. I have spoken to them many times in the past and they are all looking forward to the experience.''

He says support from iwi made both the military deployment and the care of isolated people much easier.

''The wellbeing and security of all those involved, New Zealanders in general is paramount and they have been strong advocates of that. Karakia at the start of people's journeys, farewelling them after 14 days. So that is a really important part of the overall process.''

Waikato-Tainui Executive Chair Rukumoana Schaafhausen says the deployment of more defence staff into local managed isolation facilities would help protect the Waikato community.

"Kiingi Tuheitia has granted his tautoko and support on that basis. The well-being of all people must be at the forefront of our decision making in the battle against Covid-19. As leaders, we must work with others for the common good.

"Amohia ake te ora o te iwi, ka puta ki te wheiao.

"We have members of our iwi working alongside defence, health and hotel managers as well as security and police to deliver great manaakitanga to our returnees in a distinctly Waikato way. Our kaupapa is very clear," she says.

The officer in charge of the defence contingent, Major Stephanie Craw, says the work while not hard, is different for her team.

''We train our people to solve complex problems.''

She smiled and laughed when asked if they were volunteers.

''Of course, of course.''

Megan Main, deputy chief executive for managed isolation for the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment, says continuous improvement is the mantra for all isolation hotels.

''We've got 7000 people coming back a fortnight so we improve on the go, so sort of fly it as we continue to refine it.''

Megan says people coming into the country did not have a choice where they would be sent to isolate for 14 days.

Waikato District Mayor Allan Sanson welcomed the upgrading of security at the three hotels being used for quarantine in Hamilton.

He says having more defence personnel gave him more confidence in the security.

"Army and police are probably more trained at surveillance and things like that, where maybe (private) security not as much, so to actually have the armed forces there does give me more confidence that they are doing it.''

Air Commodore Webb says his staff will join police and private security as an integrated team at the isolation hotels.

So far 50,000 people have passed through a quarantine hotel in New Zealand, with 1000 of them spending their 14-day isolation in Hamilton.

-RNZ
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Parents of students at PS 42 Annex in Eltingville are venting frustrations after learning that the school will be closed for about two weeks to undergo deep cleaning due to a mold condition.

Parents received a letter, dated Sept. 16, 2020 and signed by Principal Brian Sharkey, saying, "a recent inspection conducted by the Division of School Facilities (DSF) and the School Construction Authority (SCA) determined the Annex should undergo mold remediation, deep cleaning, sterilizing and air quality control.

The notice was issued just before Mayor Bill de Blasio delayed in-person learning, but says that cleaning the Annex  which holds first and second grade classes  will be ready within the next two weeks," which would be just after the anticipated Sept. 29 opening of in-person classes for K-5 students.

A DOE spokesman said he expects the building to be safe in time for the new date set for the opening of in-person learning.

Parents, however, are not convinced the cleaning will be done in time and feel the issue should have been noticed sooner.

Thats a very short timeline to get rid of that amount of mold, said a parent of a second-grade student there. The parent wished to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal. So, the parents dont believe its going to be fixed in two weeks, the parent said.

Construction began on the buildings masonry early this year, but the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak stunted the work and left the building exposed, parents claim.

They up and left and abandoned the job, and they never came back to it, so they never sealed it, never covered it, never came back to check on it ... the building was left to rot from the outside in and just (got) saturated with water for six months, the parent said.

The Department of Education (DOE) confirmed that the exterior masonry work was scheduled to be done in the spring before being put on hold. Mold caused by leaks was then discovered in the school this summer.

While the second-grade parent did not witness the conditions herself, she said teachers informed her that mold was present on the tables and chairs  making the classrooms uninhabitable.

Issues of water damage are not new at the PS 42 Annex building, Department of Buildings (DOB) records show.

There are 17 open Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings/Environment Control Board violations for the PS 42 annex building dating back to 2011, according to the DOB records. These violations are issued when a property does not comply with a part of the New York City Construction Codes and or Zoning Resolution.

When asked, a DOE spokesperson confirmed that the DOB records are out of date. It is not clear how many of those violations have been rectified.

The violations note water penetration through foundation that leads to a gas meter and electrical room and other issues, such as standing water being observed at the time of inspection. The most recent water violation, issued on Aug. 30, 2019, said there was water penetrating through walls, causing peeling and spalling at various locations.

I dont feel confident that our children should have been in there for years, the parent of the second-grade student said. So, to now find out weve been lied to for this long, its the worst, its the worst feeling.

Coryn, a parent of a third-grade student who attended the Annex for two years, wished to have her last name omitted, but said she first noticed mold as an issue on her sons very first day of first grade.

I have pictures of my son in the classroom and the condition of the wall behind him, Coryn said. I took a picture of him and my daughter and you can see it in the background.

You can see something visibly wrong with the wall, she said.

After suggesting there could be an issue with the presence of water damage in the wall and suggesting it be resolved, Coryn said she attempted to file Freedom of Information Law requests to receive air quality reports for the building  all to no avail.

At that point, Im so annoyed that I basically got the run-around for three months, she said.

While Coryns child is no longer learning in the annex, she shares in other parents' concerns that the building could potentially be unsafe, even after students are brought back into the building.

My kids not in there anymore, but I would not want my kid in the building unless I was shown proof that it was safe to go in there," Coryn said. As a mom, who would want their kid there?

Nathaniel Styer, a spokesman for the DOE, said work is being done around the clock ahead of students entering New York City schools.

Our educators and students deserve safe, clean schools during this critical school year,'' Styer said. "Our facilities teams continue to work around the clock to address any concerns and ensure buildings are prepared for reopening. Both the School Construction Authority and School Facilities teams are performing repairs, cleaning, painting and disinfecting work to safely reopen the building with the resumption of in-person learning on the 29th.

Principal Brian Sharkey did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

In the letter to parents, Sharkey wrote, Your childs and my staffs health and safety is our number one priority.


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Shooters Open Fire on Home of 2 New Jersey Officers, Baby Inside

The home of two Camden County, New Jersey, police officers and their young infant was shot six times earlier this week, and officials are seeking the suspects.

Thank God the officers and their baby were uninjured, Camden County Police Chief Joseph Wysocki said during a news conference, according to ABC News.

The FBI is investigating the case now.

Wysocki said he believes the incident was a targeted attack on officers, coming in the wake of several high-profile shootings that targeted officers.

I do know that this was a targeted attack against this residence and the officers inside, the police chief said.

Authorities said in the conference that a Honda Odyssey vehicle pulled up near the home, and someone inside opened fire.

The vehicle has since been recovered, said Wysocki.

Its critical for us to speak to the owner, the occupants, or friends of anybody that operates this vehicle, he added.

The chief noted that both officers, who were not named, are from Camden. One had the job for more than four years while the other had the job for two years.

A $20,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest or conviction of a suspect in the case.

Neighbor Andy Jennings said he was woken up by the sound of gunfire.

No, I didnt come out, I stayed in the back room where I sleep, said Jennings, according to WPVI-TV.

We are determined to get to the bottom of this together, said Mike Driscoll, the special agent in charge of the FBIs Philadelphia Field Office.

Anyone with any information is asked to call the Camden County Police Department at (856) 757-7042 or the Citizens Crime Commission at (215) 546-TIPS.

Other details were not provided.

Earlier this week, two sheriffs deputies in Los Angeles were shot in an ambush attack, said police.

One of the deputies is now out of the hospital, said Sheriff Alex Villanueva.

We at @LASDHQ appreciate the outpouring of prayers and support you have shown for our ambushed deputies. Great news, one of those deputies was released from the hospital today. He has a long road ahead for recovery. But hes not alone. We, as a community, are in this together, he said.

The suspect in that case, who authorities said is believed to be black and between 28 and 30 years old, ran away to a black four-door sedan and sped off, officials said.

A reward for that shooter has ballooned to $675,000.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has released $13 billion for reconstruction of the grid and to help rebuild schools damaged by the storm. The money has become an issue in the presidential campaign as President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden court voters in the crucial swing state of Florida. The state is home to one of the largest populations of people from Puerto Rico in the United States  including many who fled Hurricane Maria.
NEW DELHI: A premature newborn allegedly lost his life due to unavailability of a ventilator at a government hospital in Delhi's Malviya Nagar. After the death of the newborn, the child's relatives created an uproar at the hospital and accused the management of negligence. They also held a female nurse hostage.

The incident took place at Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya Hospital at around 9 pm on Thursday night. The nurse was released after three hours once the police arrived at the spot.

According to reports, the child's family members were not ready to release the nurse despite repeated efforts made by the hospital management. Meanwhile, the police were informed after which they reached the spot. When the CMO of the hospital called SHO Malviya Nagar, he disconnected the phone advising him to dial 100 for help.

Live TV

A complaint has been registered on the matter at around Safdarjung Enclave police station. Police is investigating the matter. However, the case has not been registered yet.

"A child who was born with a weight of around 1 kg and needed ventilation. We transferred the patient to Safdarjung Hospital since we do not even have ventilators. In the midst of all this conversation, the child died. Dr Ashish and nurse Anuradha from our hospital went there. Dr Ashish was beaten up due to which he fled and the family took the nurse hostage," MS Madhav, the CMO of Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya Hospital was quoted as saying by ANI.

He further said that it was due to the issue of availability of beds, the Safdarjung Hospital claimed that they did not have a ventilator bed. "When the staff of Safdarjung Hospital told the family of the child that you have to give consent that if something happens to the child, you will be responsible for it because we are going to shift the child to the general ward. They were not ready to give consent and in the meantime, the newborn collapsed," he added.
During an impassioned call for community healing, a group of faith leaders, advocates, city representatives and officials gathered in front of Borough Hall in St. George on Thursday to herald the September tradition that has become a beacon of hope on Staten Island.

Zulqarnain Abdu Shahid of Bait ul Jamaat, Rev. Antoinette Donegan of the Central Life Center, and Rev. Wayne McDougal, assistant pastor of Mount Sinai United Christian Church. (Courtesy/Staten Island Inter-Religious Leadership)Staten Island Advance

No matter who we are, the color of our eyes or skin or our party affiliation, we are all descendants of common ancestors, a belief maintained by the faiths here today, said Rabbi Michael Howald of Temple Israel Congregation, addressing those gathered at the event sponsored by Staten Island Inter Religious Leadership. When someone on our Island, our neighbor is attacked while the perpetrator hurls bigotry, we too, are attacked, our community is diminished, and we are called upon to affirm our unity.

From the left, Carol Bullock, executive director of the Staten Island Pride Center, and Marcy Carr, operations director. (Courtesy/Staten Island Inter-Religious Leadership)Staten Island Advance

Love Your Neighbor Month began in 2006, after a man on the way to buy milk for his children in Mariners Harbor was killed by two attackers who targeted him because he was Mexican. These kinds of loathesome acts, speakers solemnly noted, have not abated but instead are on the rise. They shared meditations on how to transcend, unite and educate  even in the face of such acts as the beating last month of a Muslim teen in New Dorp.

Talking right, Imam Zulqarnain Abdu-Shahid of Bait ul Jamaat, Rev. Karen Jackson of Staten Island Inter-Religious Leadership and Ruben Sibri, deputy chief of staff for Assemblyman Charles Fall (D-North Shore). (Courtesy/Staten Island Inter-Religious Leadership)Staten Island Advance

Hate is a virus. Hate comes in many different forms, and hate is about all people, not just about the individual being attacked in the moment, said New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, as he referenced the high rate of hate attacks in the 120 precinct. Lets work together to make this city inclusive and strong. All of us are in this together, pandemic or not; lets remember, we love our neighbors.

Rev. Rafael Garcia of Christ United Methodist Church stands with Rev. Karen Jackson of Staten Island Inter Religious Leadership and Ruben Sibri, deputy chief of staff for Assemblyman Charles Fall (D-North Shore). (Courtesy/Staten Island Inter-Religious Leadership)Staten Island Advance

Love Your Neighbor Month has brought Staten Islanders of different backgrounds together at open-to-the-public potluck dinners held in houses of worship across the borough. Community members would meet each other, break bread together and engage in meaningful conversation.

The thing that unites us is love. Love always includes everyone, said Rev. Rafael Garcia of Christ United Methodist Church. Diversity and difference are gifts from God, that are supposed to enrich us. Each one of us, when we open up, when we take the time, build bridges. Meet your neighbor you discover a whole new human being.

New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer. (Courtesy/Staten Island Inter-Religious Leadership)Staten Island Advance

Imam Zulqarnain Abdu-Shahid of Bait-ul Jamaat, asked a pointed question to the crowd who together minister to thousands of people on Staten Island: How can you pray and deny food, or pray and avoid neighborly needs.

I can love my neighbor, but I may not love what they do, he continued. It is the act we have to focus on not the person. We love Gods creation, no matter who. Why do we differ, what divides us, those things outside of uswe all were created with love, and made to look out for each other. Im speaking here today and listening, and thinking, Love Your Neighbor.

Because of COVID-19, the activities this September were planned with safety in mind, but still offer plenty of opportunities to learn about and honor one another.

Frrom the left, Rabbi Michael Howald of Temple Israel, Imam Zulqarnain Abdu Shahid of Bait-ul Jamaat, Imam Tajir Kukiqi ofthe Albanian Cultural Center, Alex Korkhov, New York City Human Rights director of the Staten Island Community Serice Center and Daniela Adames, a human rights specialist. (Courtesy/Staten Island Inter-Religious Leadership)Staten Island Advance

Some of the outreach and events that will take place in upcoming weeks as part of Love Your Neighbor Month include:

 Christ United Methodist Church will be singing a hymn in Spanish.

 The Albanian Islamic Cultural Center is partnering with Project Hospitality to distribute food to hungry neighbors.

 The Central Family Life Center will be providing neighbors at NYCHA with COVID-19 prevention literature and PPE on September 22nd.

 The Turkish Cultural Center of Staten Island served interfaith leaders Noahs Pudding at the press conference, and to the small businesses near their center. It is a cultural expression of friendship.

 The Healthcare Education Project is distributing free PPE to community members across Staten Island.

 Bethel United Methodist Church is hosting a Friday night meal and movie for homeless Staten Islanders.

 The Problem Gambling Resource Center of Staten Island is translating their materials into Spanish and other languages to be able to reach more Staten Islanders through printed materials and on social media.

 The Mt. Sinai Community Center will be giving out produce, clothing, and hand sanitizer Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 382 Jersey St. They will also be hosting an Agape Meal in Stapleton on Saturday Sept. 19 from noon to 2:30 p.m. near the Gerard Carter Center. They recently partnered with Richmond County District Attorney Michael McMahon to do a community clean up in New Brighton.

 The Muslim Leadership Council is helping their neighbors in Mariners Harbor to complete the Census.

 At Temple Israel, Rabbi Michael Howald will be giving a sermon and a teaching on the significance of the command to love your neighbor for Rosh Hashana.

 The Pride Center of Staten Island has planned a series of events focused on COVID-19 prevention for the community, including the Pride Mask Project.

 Bait-ul Jamaat is serving hot meals to Staten Islanders impacted by the pandemic and hosted a backpack and school supplies giveaway with the JCC.

 The Reformed Church of Prince Bay will be distributing pantry bags and hot meals on Sunday evening, while offering an outdoor worship service preaching the message that we are to love our neighbors.

 The Staten Island coalition Communities United for Respect and Trust is planning a multi-evening virtual anti-bias summit to take place in October, with keynote speaker Jerry Mitchell, whose investigations brought four Klansmen to justice.
Community fridges have gained popularity during the pandemic and are helping to motivate people to vote this election.

In April, when New York City was the epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, Mayor Bill De Blasio disclosed a troubling statistic underscoring the deep inequalities laid bare by coronavirus: one out of every four New Yorkers did not have access to adequate food.

Not long after the mayors pronouncement, the city government allocated $25m in emergency funds to social agencies assisting in pandemic response. But the supplement was not nearly enough.

Roughly a third of the citys food banks and soup kitchens reported the number of people accessing their programmes had nearly doubled in April from pre-pandemic levels, said hunger-relief organisation Food Bank for New York City.

Queues of people in need of food aid are still spanning blocks in neighbourhoods across New York City.

I saw more and more people going hungry Anika Forbes, activist

For Anika Forbes, an activist and dental hygienist, that is unacceptable. For the last few years, Forbes has been involved with the Brooklyn chapter of #Hashtag Lunchbag, a non-profit dedicated to feeding the hungry.

I saw more and more people going hungry and the government, which already wasnt looking out for us, was doing less and less, Forbes told Al Jazeera. I had to do something more to help.

Aware of the stress on the citys traditional food banks and kitchens, Forbes suggested that #HashtagLunchbag volunteers install a community fridge in the Red Hook neighbourhood of Brooklyn where local residents could donate food to help their neighbours in need.

I saw community fridges popping up around New York City the last few months, said Forbes. It seemed like a good way to get food out there without worrying about breaking social distancing guidelines.

I saw community fridges popping up around New York City Anika Forbes, activist

No limits, no stigma

Community fridges are becoming more common across the US as people struggle to make ends meet and afford healthy, nutritious foods during the coronavirus pandemic.

Placed outside of apartment buildings, community centres and bodegas, the refrigerators are stocked by the goodness of those who have, and accessed by those who do not have enough who can take what they need, no questions asked.

In February, there were 5-6 community fridges in the United States. Now, there are close to 100, Ernst Bertone Oehninger, founder of Freedge, a non-profit networking platform for community fridge activists, told Al Jazeera.

While community fridges are relatively new to the US, they have been gaining traction across the globe for a decade.

Unlike food banks, community fridges can be operated by anyone including aid organisations, or even just an individual activist.

Groups like Freedge allow fridge operators to connect, share resources, ideas and help spread the word.

Their growing popularity stems in part from the advantages they offer over more formal food bank operations. Small, local and beholden to only human generosity and the honour system, there is no limit on how much or how often people can access them.

A community fridge in Davis, California [Courtesy: Ernst Bertone Oehninger/Freedge/Al Jazeera]

Drawing on the success of community fridges in New York and Los Angeles, New Orleans has grown one of the biggest networks of community fridges in the US, according to Freege.

NOCF (New Orleans Community Fridges) has been adapting existing models, heavily inspired by NYC and Los Angeles, to create networks that specifically support our New Orleans communities, an NOCF spokesperson told Al Jazeera. The work we do is grounded in supporting and empowering our communities by getting the power back into the hands of them.

Forbes believes community fridges are also less intimidating for people who find themselves food insecure for the first time, thanks to the pandemic.

From what Ive seen, many of those who are going hungry never had food security issues in the past and are afraid of the stigma of a food bank, she said.

Building political community during an election year

The fridges have become a vital lifeline for undocumented individuals who are ineligible for most federal assistance, including federally funded pandemic relief aid.

Some 192,000 undocumented workers across New York City lost their jobs when lockdowns were ordered in March, the New Schools Center for New York City Affairs estimates. The number of undocumented people accessing New Yorks food banks and soup kitchens soared nearly 60 percent in April over February levels, according to Food Bank for New York City.

Job losses through the pandemic hit the service industry the hardest and disproportionately in immigrant communities, Eli Dvorkin, policy director for a Center For An Urban Future, tells Al Jazeera.

When disenfranchised communities feel able to focus on changing those are the moments when we see progress Thadeaus Umpster, activist

Beyond helping to ameliorate food insecurity, activists are also finding that community fridges are creating more political awareness during a crucial election year in the US.

The pandemic and its economic fallout have disproportionately affected communities of colour and gridlock in Washington about another round of virus relief aid is only intensifying the pain. Activists said community fridges like the one established by #HashtagLunchbag are a rendezvous point for catalysing low-income citizens to vote.

I do think that when people dont have to worry as much about getting their basic needs met like food, and shelter they can focus more on changing their political situation, said Thadeaus Umpster, an activist with In Our Hearts NYC  a group that helps operate community fridges across the city.

When disenfranchised communities feel able to focus on changing, those are the moments when we see progress, he told Al Jazeera.

Jose M, who asked Al Jazeera to withhold his surname to protect his privacy, is a newly invigorated voter. The father of three lost his job during the pandemic and now makes use of a community fridge in Brooklyns Bushwick neighbourhood.

My community is looking out for my family, he told Al Jazeera. I want to vote for someone who has the needs of immigrant communities at heart, he said, declining to specify which candidate he intends to vote for.

This November will be the first time Jose  a naturalised citizen  will cast a vote in a US election.

According to a Pew Research study, some 10 percent of eligible voters this year are naturalised citizens  a record high. That voting power is not lost on Forbes.

I am confident that if we are looking out for each other and building trust, voter turnout will follow, she said.
GLENVIEW, IL  Like every other municipality in Illinois, the Village of Glenview has been dealing with its own unique data points regarding the coronavirus. According to the Cook County Medical Examiner, 51 people have died due to COVID-19 in Glenview since April 7. That marks no new deaths in Glenview the last three weeks. The last death in Glenview was one on Aug. 26. The most deaths in a single day since the pandemic began was four on April 14.

As of Friday, there have been 923 coronavirus-related cases in Glenview, according to the Cook County Department of Public Health. That marks an increase of 21 cases since Sept. 11. For further comparison, there were 40 new cases between Sept. 4-11.

In addition, 54,081 people have been tested across zip codes 60016, 60025, 60026, 60029 and 60062, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. That number represents an increase of 2,588 tests since Sept. 11. For further comparison, there was an increase of 3,618 tests between Sept. 4-11.

Here is a breakdown of COVID-19 related deaths by date in Glenview:

4/7  1

4/8  2

4/9  2

4/10  1

4/12  1

4/13  1

4/14  4

4/15  1

4/16  2

4/17  1

4/19  1

4/20  1

4/23  1

4/25  2

4/26  1

4/29  1

5/1  1

5/6  1

5/7  1

5/17  1

5/20  1

5/21  1

5/22  2

5/26  1

5/27  3

5/31  3

6/1  1

6/2  2

6/6  1

6/7  1

6/8  1

6/9  1

6/12  2

6/19  1

7/10  1

7/28  1

8/26  1

According to the medical examiner, the age breakdown for the 51 deaths are: 80+ (37), 70-79 (13) and 60-69 (1).

The Illinois Department of Public Health is reporting 14,067 confirmed cases in Cook County long-term facilities and 2,373 deaths. These numbers indicate an increase of 134 cases and one 22 deaths since what we reported on Sept. 4. For further comparison, there was an increase of 192 cases and 22 deaths between Aug. 28-Sept. 4. In the past, the IDPH has twice temporarily removed some cases and deaths since Patch has been tracking these numbers, before including them back in at a later date.

Story continues

Here is a breakdown of reported outbreak cases and deaths at some of these facilities in Glenview:

Atria Glenview  6 cases, 0 deaths

Abington of Glenview - 11 cases, 1 deaths

Belmont Village Senior Living of Glenview  26 cases, 5 deaths

Glenview Terrace  196 cases, 35 deaths

Emerald Place Memory Care  11 cases, 2 deaths

Presence Maryhaven  13 cases, 4 deaths

Vi at The Glen  27 cases, 4 deaths

These numbers include both residents and employees of the long-term care facilities.

State health officials on Thursday announced 2,056 new cases of the coronavirus and 25 additional deaths from COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the virus. The statewide totals now stand at 268,207 confirmed infections and 8,392 known deaths. Another 2,095 probable cases and 232 probable deaths are not included in the official totals.

The latest deaths include:

Cook County: 1male 70s

DeKalb County: 1 male 30s

DuPage County: 1 male 30s

Green County: 1 male 90s

Kane County: 1 female 90s

Kankakee County: 2 males 80s, 1 female 90s

Lawrence County: 1 female 90s

Madison County: 1 male 50s, 2 males 80s, 1 female 90s

McLean County: 1 female 80s

Randolph County: 1 male 70s

Sangamon County: 1 male 50s, 1 female 60s

Shelby County: 1 male 70s

Tazewell County: 1 male 60s

Will County: 1 female 80s

Williamson County: 1 female 60s, 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s

Winnebago County: 1 male 90s

Woodford County: 1 male 90s

As of Wednesday night, 1,588 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 across the state, including 359 in intensive care and 144 on ventilators, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. All three of those numbers have been on the rise in recent days.

Thirty counties remain at a "warning level" for a surge in cases, health officials said Friday. They include: Bond, Bureau, Cass, Clinton, Coles, Crawford, DeKalb, DuPage, Effingham, Greene, Grundy, Hancock, Henderson, Jackson, Jasper, Jersey, Lawrence, Madison, McLean, Monroe, Morgan, Pulaski, Schuyler, Shelby, Stark, St. Clair, Tazewell, Vermilion, Washington and Williamson counties.

See how your region is doing here.

The statewide positive-test rate is currently 3.6 percent. The number is a rolling, seven-day average and represents a decrease of one tenth of a percentage point from Wednesday. In the past 24 hours, labs in Illinois have processed 57,800 coronavirus tests, for a total of more than 4.9 million since the pandemic began.

According to Johns Hopkins University, a positivity rate of less than 5 percent is a good measure of whether enough tests are being conducted, and state officials have said a rate higher than 8 percent will trigger new restrictions in a given region.

The United States now has more than 6.6 million confirmed coronavirus infections, and at least 197,223 Americans have died from COVID-19, according to Johns Hopkins University. Based on the latest predictions by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 205,000 to 217,000 Americans could be dead from the disease by Oct. 3.

Globally, more than 29.9 million people have been infected and 942,631 are known to have died.

As local and state economies slowly emerge from pandemic lockdowns, it's often hard for customers to know the conditions under which local businesses are open. The business center contains easily accessible and up-to-date information about scores of local businesses, including everything from operating hours to the availability of by-appointment services, quick website links and other contact information. It's free to use and free for businesses to join.

Here's what's happening with the coronavirus in Illinois:

Players will be tested daily, and data from cardiac testing used to aid coronavirus research, Big Ten Conference officials announced.

A Plainfield Community School District employee spent last week in the Will County Jail in connection with her Mariano's arrest.

Two rallies are planned Saturday in protest of the governor's stance in Chicago and Springfield.

Over 100,000 tenants and homeowners applied for rent and mortgage grants, but the state can only help about 40,000, Gov. Pritzker said.

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity is set to begin accepting applications Thursday afternoon.

The group gathered along Lincoln Highway, outside the Plainfield School District 202 headquarters on Monday.

Chicago public health officials recommend avoiding travel to Wisconsin, but don't add state to quarantine list, yet.

The owners of Hometown Coffee & Juice  set to reopen Thursday  arranged for tests for all their workers in response to a positive result.

Metra is launching a $1 million ad campaign in an effort to convince commuters to start riding trains again.

The masks were being shipped from China to a company in Manalapan, New Jersey.

A restaurant collapse is on the horizon in Chicago, according to owners who just cant scrape by any longer.

The Salvation Army announces first-ever change to the annual Red Kettle fundraising with 'Rescue Christmas.'

Illinois Coronavirus Helpline:

Illinois officials say a state helpline has been set up to provide emotional support and quick answers to questions about the coronavirus pandemic. Illinoisans can test "TALK" to 55-2020 (or "HABLAR" for Spanish), and within 24 hours they will receive a call from a counselor. Residents can also text keywords such as "UNEMPLOYMENT," "FOOD" or "SHELTER," to the same number to receive additional information about those topics.



Coronavirus by the numbers:

Illinois:

Total number of coronavirus cases: 268,207

Deaths: 8,392

People tested: 4,920,938

Recovered: Illinois does not provide exact numbers of recovered cases, but says the recovery rate is 96 percent.

Nationwide:

Total number of coronavirus cases: 6,649,458

Deaths: 197,223

People tested: 90,710,730

Recovered: 2,525,573

Global:

Total number of coronavirus cases: 29,960,718

Deaths: 942,631

People tested: No data available

Recovered: 20,362,794

Sources: Johns Hopkins University and IDPH

While the best way to prevent illness is to avoid virus exposure, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention generally recommends taking these actions to prevent the spread of viruses:

Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

Stay home when you are sick.

Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.

Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipes.

Wash your 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.

What to do if you're sick:

Call head if you're planning to visit your doctor:

If you have a medical appointment, call the health care provider and tell them that you have or may have COVID-19. This will help the health care provider's office take steps to keep other people from getting infected or exposed.

Stay home unless you must see a doctor:

Stay home: People who are mildly ill with COVID-19 are able to isolate at home during their illness. You should restrict activities outside your home, except for getting medical care.

Avoid public areas: Do not go to work, school, or public areas.

Avoid public transportation: Avoid using public transportation, ride-sharing or taxis.

Separate yourself from other people and animals in your home:

Stay away from others: As much as possible, you should stay in a specific room and away from other people in your home. Also, you should use a separate bathroom, if available.

Limit contact with pets and animals: You should restrict contact with pets and other animals while you are sick with COVID-19, just as you would around other people. Although there have not been reports of pets or other animals becoming sick with COVID-19, it is still recommended that people sick with COVID-19 limit contact with animals until more information is known about the virus.

When possible, have another member of your household care for your animals while you are sick. If you are sick with COVID-19, avoid contact with your pet, including petting, snuggling, being kissed or licked and sharing food. If you must care for your pet or be around animals while you are sick, wash your hands before and after you interact with pets and wear a face mask. See COVID-19 and Animals for more information.

Avoid sharing personal household items:

Do not share: You should not share dishes, drinking glasses, cups, eating utensils, towels, or bedding with other people or pets in your home.

Wash thoroughly after use: After using these items, they should be washed thoroughly with soap and water.

Masks:

CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies), especially in areas of significant community-based transmission. CDC also advises the use of simple cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others. Cloth face coverings fashioned from household items or made at home from common materials at low cost can be used as an additional, voluntary public health measure.

Cloth face coverings should not be placed on young children under age 2, anyone who has trouble breathing, or is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance.

The cloth face coverings recommended are not surgical masks or N-95 respirators. Those are critical supplies that must continue to be reserved for healthcare workers and other medical first responders, as recommended by current CDC guidance.

Face mask instructions  sew- and no-sew masks

To donate personal protective equipment (PPE), email PPE.donations@illinois.gov. For health questions about COVID-19, call the state coronavirus hotline at 800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.



This article originally appeared on the Glenview Patch
(Natural News) The key to successfully terraforming the Red Planet may lie in some terrestrial microbes.

According to microbiologist Jose Lopez and his colleagues W. Raquel Peixoto and Alexandre Rosado, microbes from Earth may be able to jumpstart the creation of a habitable environment on Mars, the same way early microbes kickstarted the creation of the Earths atmosphere.

Life as we know it cannot exist without beneficial microorganisms, Lopez, lead author of the paper and a professor at Nova Southeastern University in Florida, said in a press release, arguing that in order for man to survive in a barren and sterile environment, future expeditions must take beneficial microbes with them.

Life on Earth started with relatively simple microorganisms which have the capacity to adapt and evolve to extreme conditions, which defined Earths habitats in the ancient past, Lopez said, referring to the unicellular cyanobacteria that first produced oxygen as a byproduct of the photosynthetic process some two billion years ago.

According to the research team, once introduced to Mars, the bacteria could help create an Earth-like atmosphere and even establish the foundation of a Martian food chain.

Space agencies must send only the most durable microbes

Should the controlled seeding  which the researchers dubbed the Proactive Inoculation Plan  be enacted, scientists must ensure that only the most durable specimens are chosen.

If humanity is seriously contemplating colonizing Mars, another planet, or one of the nearby moons in the future, then people need to identify, understand, and send the most competitive and beneficial pioneers, the researchers said.

They added that the first microbes to be released on Mars should be extremophiles, a group of bacteria, viruses and fungi that are capable of withstanding space and its harsh, unforgiving environment.

Earths habitat was likely very inhospitable more than 4 billion years ago, but microbial life arose and evolved over time, they explained.

Microbe seeding violates NASA, UN policies and treaties

This unorthodox proposal, however, published in the journal Microbiology Ecology, runs counter to National Aeronautic and Space Administrations (NASA) strict guidelines and policies regarding possible interplanetary contamination.

The policies, enacted and overseen by NASAs Office of Planetary Protection, note that spacecraft going to other worlds must be cleaned thoroughly and freed of all biological contaminants, not just to protect and guarantee the integrity of the search and its findings, but also to protect possible extraterrestrial lifeforms from contamination and infection.

According to the space agency, such policies have been enacted to preserve our ability to study other worlds as they exist in their natural states; to avoid contamination that would obscure our ability to find life elsewhere  if it exists.

In the same way, NASA said, care must be exercised to prevent any instance of backward contamination, which is defined as the introduction of extraterrestrial organisms and other contaminants into Earth, which could have potentially harmful consequences for humans and the rest of the Earths biosphere.

Aside from the NASA policies, the proposal also violates the Outer Space Treaty of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs which compels states to avoid harmful contamination of both space and celestial bodies.

The authors, meanwhile, noted that their suggestion may indeed raise ethical concerns.

One can rightly argue that microbes released on Mars will represent invasive species that are being introduced into an unexplored and possibly pristine ecosystem, the research team said. (Related: Space cooties: Should astronauts be worried about fungi on space stations?)

However, Lopez and his colleagues argue that contamination of other places in the galaxy is inevitable, and that it is impossible for humans to explore new planets and other worlds without bringing along any terrestrial microbial hitchhikers.

Other experts, however, are not convinced.

According to Steve Clifford, a senior scientist at the Arizona-based Planetary Science Institute, while he is not in denial that humans will eventually contaminate Mars, he believes that any mistake made by releasing Earthly microbes could far outweigh any short-term gains.

We must follow the planetary protection equivalent of the Hippocratic Oath: Above all else, do no harm, Clifford said in a statement published on Gizmodo, noting that potentially contaminating an alien biosphere represents a serious ethical concern.

That is a legacy that we carry with us forever more, Clifford said.

Visit Space.news for more stories and articles about discoveries concerning the cosmos and its heavenly bodies.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

ScientificAmerican.com

Academic.OUP.com

SMA.NASA.gov

UNOOSA.org
Military imaging reconnaissance satellite in Earth orbit. (ImageBank/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  Over recent days, officials from the newly minted U.S. Space Force and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence briefed multiple congressional committees on an uptick in Russian military activity in space targeting U.S. defense and intelligence satellites, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

While the sources declined to comment on the specifics of recent incidents, which follow general increases in Chinese and Russian aggression in space, these recent actions were deemed serious enough to merit briefings on Capitol Hill, said one of the sources. Officials also briefed committees on plans to counter the Russian aggression, the source said.

The aggressive acts come amid rising concerns about Russian and Chinese activities in space, particularly when it comes to anti-satellite weapons. Earlier this year the Pentagon stood up the Space Force, a new branch of the military authorized by President Trump, which is supposed to help protect U.S. space assets.

Much of the work related to protecting military systems in space in classified, but during a recent virtual conference, Army National Guard Maj. Gen. Tim Lawson hinted at things coming that would help combat space-based threats, while emphasizing the importance of creating a large, resilient network of small satellites that are less vulnerable than the large military and intelligence satellites currently operating.

Representatives for the House and Senate Intelligence Committees as well as the Office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment. ODNI does not discuss intelligence matters or sensitive and classified communication with Congress, wrote an ODNI spokesperson in an email. Spokespeople for the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, the Pentagon and the Space Force did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A Yuanwang-class Chinese space tracking ship. (Siyuwj via Wikicommons)

Russian meddling in space has long been a topic of concern for the U.S. government, within the Pentagon and the broader national security apparatus. Space has not been a safe sanctuary for several decades, noted Robin Dickey, an analyst at the nonprofit Aerospace Corporations Center for Space Policy and Strategy.

Story continues

The Russians have been doing this shit for several years, explained one former national security official who served during the Trump administration.

Russian military satellites and other spacecraft frequently perform what are called proximity operations, explained the former official, which involve getting close to U.S. satellites to search for vulnerabilities or determine capabilities, not unlike adversaries scanning digital networks for virtual flaws in cyberspace. Its a dangerous game, continued the former official. People need to wake up.

The U.S. governments fleet of spy and defense satellites is worth billions of dollars and helps blanket the globe in near constant coverage, helping U.S. officials spot worrisome developments like a new weapon test or locate a terrorist hideout. Satellites are vital for communication, navigation, weather, environmental monitoring, and defense and intelligence more broadly.

The Defense Intelligence Agency, tasked with collecting and analyzing intelligence for the Pentagon, recently published a lengthy report titled Challenges to Security in Space. According to the report, both Chinas and Russias militaries view space as important to modern warfare and aim to conduct operations there as a means to reduce U.S. and allied military effectiveness.

The DIA authors also noted that both Russia and China are developing jamming and cyberspace capabilities, directed energy weapons, on-orbit capabilities, and ground-based antisatellite missilestechnology that could have direct negative or destructive impacts on U.S. satellites. Russias space weaponry may be able to disrupt or degrade U.S. communications and navigation through GPS, block the U.S.s view of satellite imagery or even destroy certain satellites, according to the DIA.

A mockup of the Russian GLONASS-K satellite navigation system. (Kirill Kukhmar/TASS via Getty Images)

On July 23, the U.S. Space Command announced it had evidence that Russia had tested a new space-based anti-satellite weapon  technology the Russian Defense Ministry had said was designed to run tests on its own space equipment.

Gen. John Raymond, commander of the U.S. Space Command and the U.S. Space Force chief of space operations, had previously warned about similar activities. This is further evidence of Russias continuing efforts to develop and test space-based systems, and consistent with the Kremlins published military doctrine to employ weapons that hold U.S. and allied space assets at risk, he said in a statement at the time.

Christopher Ford, a senior State Department official, condemned that Russian test as an example of Russias hypocritical advocacy of outer space arms control, with which Moscow aims to restrict the capabilities of the United States while clearly having no intention of halting its own counter space program  both ground-based anti-satellite capabilities and what would appear to be actual in-orbit anti-satellite weaponry.

Later in July, however, officials from the Departments of State, Defense and Energy as well as the National Security Council met with Russian counterparts for a lengthy discussion about space policy and security, and expressed interest in continuing these discussions and improving communications.

Cover thumbnail image: ImageBank/Getty Images

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Read more from Yahoo News:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion of his birthday posted a subtle and innocuous reply to a wish that nonetheless had the effect of mightily trolling the Opposition. Bollywood actor and supermodel Milind Soman had wished the Prime Minister on his 70th birthday and while doing so, he also wished for a proactive opposition which would push the Prime Minister to do better for India, to which PM Modi through his personal handle had a witty 2-word response, roasting the Opposition.

Watch PM Modi's reply below:

Dear Prime Minister @narendramodi on your 70th birthday I wish you good health and a good and proactive opposition, to push you to do better for our great country :)  Milind Usha Soman (@milindrunning) September 17, 2020

Thank you for your birthday wishes and wishful thinking. :) https://t.co/cnit2tfVvD  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 17, 2020

READ | PM Modi Unstoppable At 70, And From Everything We've Seen he's Just Getting Started

READ | As PM Modi Turns 70, International Leaders Pen Letters, Send Warm Wishes, Laud Ties

Wishes pour in from Bollywood

Prime Minister Narendra Modi turned 70 on Thursday, a landmark birthday that saw greetings pour in from the Indian film industry in wishing him and lauding his contribution. Akshay Kumar, Aamir Khan, Sanjay Dutt, Shahid Kapoor, Salman Khan, and many more took to their Twitter handles to wish the Prime Minister on his special day.

PM Modi acknowledged the birthday messages and also thanked many others for their wishes. Responding to Anil Kapoor's heartfelt wish, PM Modi said, "Thank you @AnilKapoor Ji. Your fitness regime can inspire many youngsters out there!" [sic] While Anupam Kher, who shared his mother's video message for PM also received a response from him, "There's nothing greater than receiving a mother's blessing on a birthday. Thanks a lot @AnupamPKher."[sic]

A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way

Keep running sir, feels awesome to have you at the lead!

Happy birthday to the youngest 70 year old of India 

Our honourable PM @narendramodi Sir  pic.twitter.com/Ip1iKKFQka  Kartik Aaryan (@TheAaryanKartik) September 17, 2020

READ | On PM Modi's 70th Birthday, Wishes Pour In From Bollywood Fraternity

Hon PM @narendramodi ji namaskar 



Wishing you many happy returns of the day. May good health and happiness always be with you.



With Respect & Regards 



Aamir.  Aamir Khan (@aamir_khan) September 17, 2020

READ | PM Modi Thanks Bollywood Celebrities For Wishes On 70th Birthday

Wishing our Hon. Prime Minister @narendramodi ji a very Happy Birthday. And many more to come.  Shahid Kapoor (@shahidkapoor) September 17, 2020

One to always keep the best interests of the nation & its people in mind and emerge victorious in the toughest of situations,the nation looks up to you for your dynamic leadership.Wishing you a very happy birthday sir @narendramodi ji, love & prayers always #HappyBirthdayPMModi pic.twitter.com/RuD9qcfJak  Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) September 17, 2020

Foreign leaders send their wishes too

International leaders from across the globe took the opportunity to wish PM Modi too. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin were among those to convey their best wishes to PM Narendra Modi.

Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel wrote to Narendra Modi to wish him on his 70th Birthday. She took the opportunity to thank the PM for the 'trustful and constructive' bilateral cooperation built over the years. Angela Merkel expressed the desire to work with India in the battle against COVID-19 while wishing PM Modi success, health and happiness.

Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated PM Narendra Modi while hailing his 'personal contribution' to the stong relationship between the two countries. He also praised the PM for his leadership skills and the changes he brought in the country. The Russian President also said that he wishes to 'work closely' with PM Modi on the issues of 'bilateral and international agenda'.
Photo: (Photo : 4 In-Demand Healthcare Careers You Can Start in 2 Years)

Working in healthcare is a challenging yet rewarding career path. There is a significant demand in the healthcare industry for healthcare workers of all specialities. The Bureau of Labour Statistics identified healthcare as the fastest growing industry in the United States. If you love helping others and have a desire for a challenging role that keeps you on your toes - healthcare might be the right choice for you! In the healthcare industry, there is such a wide range of positions, and not all of them require years and years of schooling. If you are ready to jumpstart your career in healthcare, read on. We have compiled 4 in-demand healthcare careers that you can start in 2 years or less!

1. Emergency Medical Technician

Emergency Medical Technicians save lives every single day. When every second matters, Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) are trained to think quickly and help those who need it most. EMT's respond to emergency calls and provide medical care to patients in emergency situations. If you thrive under pressure and are searching for a career where every day brings a new challenge, this might be a good fit for you. This fast-paced career is in demand and now is a great time to get started. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 7% growth in EMT positions through 2028. City College, for example, has an EMT program in Florida that will set you on the right path to becoming an EMT.

2. Medical Assistant

Medical Assistants work closely with physicians and are responsible for keeping a healthcare office running smoothly and efficiently. Medical assistants may work in hospital settings, doctors' offices, outpatient clinics and other healthcare settings. Medical assistants perform a variety of tasks with a focus on administration. With such a dynamic position, your work options are flexible. This healthcare career is in-demand and growing quickly. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 23% growth in these positions through to 2028. There will be many exciting career opportunities available for medical assistants. City College also offers a medical assistant program.

3. Surgical Technology

Surgical Technologists play a key role in the Operating Room. As a crucial part of the OR team, surgical technologists help prepare the room and maintain a sterile environment throughout, ensuring the surgical team are able to perform surgeries safely. They are considered a "third hand" to the surgeon and surgeon's assistant. This is an in-demand healthcare career that's incredibly rewarding. The City College Associate of Science in Surgical Technology program provides students with the training and skills necessary to join the exciting world of the operating room as an entry-level surgical technologist in under 2 years time.

4. Health IT

Health Information Technicians handle the technological aspects of record keeping and patient data within the healthcare system. Their daily tasks involve creating and managing medical records, billing, and managing insurance to patient information databases. These healthcare professionals ensure accuracy, privacy, and compliance with healthcare regulations. If you love information technology and thrive in a role focused on details and accurate record keeping, this in-demand role might be for you. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects an 11% increase in positions through 2028. With a comprehensive program that is under 2 years in duration, City College offers an Associate of Science in Health Information Technology that can get your career on track.

A rapidly growing industry, healthcare workers can experience long-lasting, rewarding careers in their specialty of choice. Healthcare workers are needed all around the United States, and by all accounts this upward trend will continue for the foreseeable future. The healthcare industry is expected to add more jobs than any other field from 2014-2024. Healthcare is an incredible industry that allows flexibility. Regardless what state you are in, the four careers mentioned in this article are needed and valued.

When considering your career choices, it is important to understand what options are available that give you the education and experience needed to land your dream job. City College offers comprehensive programs that can be completed in two years or less and will set you up for success. The average person spends over 40 hours a week at their job, it is so important to ensure you love what you do.
By John Fensterwald

EdSource

Sensing the timing was right amid a wave of activism over racial injustice, three-quarters of state legislators voted this spring to ask voters in November to repeal the state's 24-year-old ban on considering race, gender or ethnicity in admission and hiring decisions at California's colleges, universities and other public entities.

But according to a poll released Tuesday night, fewer than a third of likely voters say they favor that idea.

A survey by the Public Policy Institute of California of 1,168 likely voters found that 31 percent of voters said they would vote for Proposition 16, as the repeal will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot, while 47 percent said they oppose the measure and 22 percent have not decided.

"I'm surprised by the lack of support, particularly among Democrats and other groups you'd expect," said Mark Baldassare, president and CEO of PPIC, a nonpartisan research and survey organization. "Our recent surveys have shown there is a great concern in California about the state of race relations and a desire to do something about it, but supporters at this point have not connected the dots with voters."

Prop. 16 is one of two measures directly affecting education on the ballot. The other, Proposition 15, would change the rules for assessing commercial properties, raising billions of additional dollars for K-12 schools and community colleges annually, along with revenue for county and local governments. It continues to have a bare majority support: 51 percent of likely voters said they'd vote yes, 40 percent oppose it and 9 percent are undecided. That's down slightly from the PPIC survey in April, when 53 percent backed it.

The initiative, placed on the ballot by Schools and Communities First, a coalition of community groups and public employee unions, would create the first change in Proposition 13, the 1978 initiative that restricts increases in property taxes. And that prospect has stirred opposition from real estate interests, business organizations and anti-tax groups, like the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, which claims the initiative would be a foot in the door to undo Prop. 13's protections for homeowners.

Supporters dismiss this as a scare tactic. Prop. 15's "split-roll tax" would exempt all residential properties and most small commercial properties. Requiring larger commercial and industrial properties to be reassessed at market value at least every three years would, by independent estimates, raise between $6.5 billion and $12 billion in revenue. Schools and community colleges would receive 40 percent of that money. Because of the time it would take to do the reassessments, revenue would be phased in over several years, starting in 2022-23.

Democrats strongly back Prop. 15, while Republicans mostly oppose it, according to the survey, and more voters back than oppose it in every region in the state except for San Diego and Orange counties. Younger voters - those under 45 - and renters are more likely to support it.

Both sides have vowed an all-out campaign in the final weeks before the election. Opponents, including the California Business Roundtable, had vowed to raise as much as $50 million. But as of Aug. 24, the last state filing deadline, the supporters - led by the California Teachers Association, the Service Employees International Union and Chan Zuckerberg Advocacy - have donated $30 million, compared with $11 million by the opponents. Chan Zuckerberg was founded by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan.

A lot of opposition, little time for Prop. 16

Prop. 16 would undo Proposition 209, the constitutional amendment passed in 1996 with 55 percent of the vote. Prop. 209 prohibits preferential treatment on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin in public employment, public education and public contracting.

Democratic legislators favoring its repeal said that Prop. 209 had tied the hands of universities seeking to enroll a more diverse student body. Sen. Holly Mitchell, D-Los Angeles, a sponsor of the legislation putting Prop. 16 on the ballot, said passage would lead to "a more diverse atmosphere that enhances learning and encourages mutual understanding."

The University of California trustees and the board of governors of the state's community colleges have endorsed the repeal. "California is one of just eight states that do not allow race or gender to be considered in decisions on hiring or accepting students into the state's public colleges and universities," said Board of Governors President Tom Epstein after the vote in July. "Proposition 16 and our regulatory action enshrining diversity, equity and inclusion principles will help our system correct historical injustices."

The CSU Board of Trustees will consider a resolution supporting Prop. 16 at its meeting next week.

After voting against placing measure on the ballot, Sen. Ling Ling Chang, R-Diamond Bar, said passage of Prop. 16 itself would be discriminatory. "I have experienced racial discrimination, so I know what that's like," she said in a statement. "But the answer to racial discrimination is not more discrimination, which is what this bill proposes. The answer is to strengthen our institutions by improving our education system so all students have access to a quality education, and give opportunities to those who are economically disadvantaged."

The PPIC survey found that Prop. 16 was behind in every region in the state, although it was nearly even in the Bay Area, 40 percent for, 41 percent against and 19 percent undecided. Twice as many white voters oppose as favor the measure, and Latinos were evenly divided at 41 percent for and against, with 18 percent undecided. The survey did not break out responses for Black and Asian American voters because of the small numbers surveyed.

Most voters under 45, most of whom were too young to vote in 1996, oppose Prop. 16: 36 percent support it, 48 percent oppose it, with 16 percent undecided. Even fewer older voters favor Prop. 16: 29 percent.

Baldassare said it would take a "concerted effort" by the yes side to pass the measure. He said when in doubt, voters tend to vote no, and it's unclear whether voters, many of whom may not remember Prop. 209, are confused, opposed or uncertain what Prop. 16 would do. And it's rare for voters to undo what others before them have passed, he said.

At this point, there is no organized campaign for or against Prop. 16, and little time. With voters worried whether the post office will deliver their votes on time, people will likely put them in the mail sooner than in past years. The next few weeks will be critical for all campaigns to get their messages out, he said.

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.
Third, countries are not even meeting these weak commitments. Australia, Steffen says, is at the worse end of this. If every country acted like Australia, temperatures might rise by close to four degrees. In the abstract public debate, the Paris accord can seem like a series of bureaucratic targets. In reality, it is the difference between the world that we have now  already facing more fire and drought  and absolute catastrophe. So is there a role for gas as a transition fuel away from coal, as the Prime Minister says? Yes, says Steffen  but that means using the gas we already have, not extracting more of it. Illustration: John Shakespeare Credit: If the world simply relied on all the mines and infrastructure already in place  without adding one more mine or one new gas field  we might still hit two degrees. Instead, the Prime Minister is talking about expanding our gas production, which, over decades, would be disastrous. The phrase transition fuel, Steffen believes, is being used as a smokescreen. That is misusing the word and concept of transition. It can sometimes be difficult, in politics, to draw a line between canny leadership and weakness. Is it canny, or weak, to wait for events to move, and then move with them? Theres not one answer: it depends on various factors, including how important the issue is, and how high is the cost of waiting. Climate change is the most important challenge any government in any of our lifetimes will face, coronavirus included. And it is clear, from what Steffen says, that the costs of waiting are disastrous.

This is why Morrisons actions should be viewed as weak. He is failing to take our country where it needs to go. He has managed a shift away from coal partly because he is trusted by his colleagues as a genuine conservative. But he has also managed it simply because time has passed; he has read the politics of the moment, including those of his own party, and gone with them. Loading But consider what he might have done. In political terms, he was handed not one crisis but two. He could have used the fires to argue the matter was urgent; and he could have used the pandemic to make the case that a massive expansion of green jobs was necessary. Facing perhaps the most opportune set of circumstances in which to act on climate that any prime minister has faced, he chose not to use his authority. These are the actions of a weak leader  not so different from Turnbull. And what about Labor, a party of the left, allegedly committed to fighting climate change, the only one of the two major parties to have passed significant legislation to cut emissions? What did Labor do this week? Went along with it, more or less. There were some questions about whether the plan was much of a plan, but there was no strong disagreement. The truth is, Labor has pretty much given up on fighting on climate change from opposition. Here, we quickly come to the same question we did with Morrison: canny or weak? In a sense, Albanese is staying true to his words in 2009. Government gives you power that opposition does not. To really change things, you must win government. Labor has clearly judged that fighting the government on climate will not help it win.

Albanese is presumably hoping that voters will tire of Morrison, and that he can win on other issues. But as with Morrison, we can talk about political strategy, but we also have the right to judge Albanese against the reality of the world: he too is acting from a position of cowardice, unwilling to give Morrison the fight he wants, unwilling to face down the gas-hounds in his own party, unwilling to take a stand on the issue of our time. Loading Perhaps this will prove to be a smart strategic decision; if Labor wins government, and acts on climate, it might seem worth it. But Albanese should remember, too, that you get power by exercising it. And if you avoid major fights for too long, eventually people forget that you can fight at all. This idea that voters might quickly tire of the man who led them through crisis relies to some extent on historical examples, including that of Winston Churchill. The great man lost the 1945 election after leading his country through a war. Voters, it seemed, wanted something new. But two crucial facts to remember are that Churchills opponents also offered something new  and that they were given help in that mission. In 1942 the Beveridge Report was released. That report described the five giants blocking the road to post-war recovery  Want, Disease, Ignorance, Squalor and Idleness  and a comprehensive program to fight them. It was a revolutionary moment in the world's history, the report stated, and therefore a time for revolutions, not for patching". Any election result has many causes, but as some historians have pointed out, while both parties backed the Beveridge Report, Churchill hedged a little. Labour backed it completely.
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) in Kano State, has arrested a 29-year-old housewife, Jamila Abubakar, over alleged murder of her stepson, Muhammad Bashir.

Mr Shehu Umar, NAPTIP Zonal Commander in charge of Kano State, confirmed the arrest in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Kano.

Umar disclosed that the suspect was apprehended on Thursday after she clobbered her seven-year-old stepson to death at Tarauni Kasuwa area of Kano metropolis.

He recalled that the Agency had invited the suspect over alleged child abuse after the deceased was rescued from the suspect in the past few months.

The Coordinator said: We received information that the deceased rescued few months ago was allegedly clobbered to death by his stepmother.

On receiving the information, operatives of NAPTIP swung into action and arrested the suspect.

He added that preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect confined the decease in a room without food when they left home for their daily engagements.

The suspect was invited and the victim rescued by our team. The Agency provided shelter and medication to the victim before reuniting him with his father.

The couple wrote an undertaking that the boy will not be confine again, noting that they also promised to take care of the child protection and wellbeing when they set out for their normal businesses.

Umar added that the case has been transferred to the Police Command in Kano for discrete investigation and prosecution.

Follow Us on Facebook  @LadunLiadi; Instagram  @LadunLiadi; Twitter  @LadunLiadi; Youtube  @LadunLiadiTV for updates
WASHINGTON, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Media accreditation is open for the launch of the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite, an international collaboration between NASA and several partners. This is the first of two identical satellites to be launched sequentially to continue observations of sea level change for at least the next decade. The spacecraft is targeted for liftoff Nov. 10 at 2:31 p.m. EST (11:31 a.m. PST) from Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) in California.

Sentinel-6 will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4 at VAFB. The launch is managed by NASA's Launch Services Program, based at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Live coverage of the launch will air on NASA TV and the agency's website.

Due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, NASA will credential a limited number of media to cover the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich launch from VAFB. Due to COVID-19 safety restrictions at VAFB and quarantine requirements, international media who would be traveling from overseas will not be able to register for this launch. International media based in the U.S. may apply.

Media interested in attending this launch must apply by 4 p.m. EDT Sunday, Sept. 27. Media accreditation requests should be submitted online at:

https://media.ksc.nasa.gov

NASA is proactively monitoring the coronavirus situation as it evolves. The agency will continue to follow guidance from local officials, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the agency's chief health and medical officer and communicate any updates that may impact mission planning or media access, as they become available.

Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich is named in honor of the former director of NASA's Earth Science Division, who was instrumental in advancing ocean altimetry. It follows the most recent U.S.-European sea level observation satellite, Jason-3, which launched in 2016 and currently is providing high-precision and timely observations of the topography of the global ocean.

Sentinel-6 is part of Copernicus, the European Union's Earth observation program managed by the European Commission. Continuing the legacy of Jason series missions, Sentinel-6 will extend the records of sea level into its fourth decade, collecting accurate measurements of sea surface height down to the centimeter for 90% of the world's oceans, and providing crucial information for operational oceanography and climate studies. The satellite's twin, Sentinel-6B, is scheduled to launch in 2025.

The Copernicus Sentinel-6 missions are being jointly developed by ESA (European Space Agency), the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), NASA, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), with funding support from the European Commission (EC) and support from France's National Centre for Space Studies (CNES).

NASA's contributions to the Sentinel-6/Jason-CS missions are three science instruments for each of the two Sentinel-6 satellites: the Advanced Microwave Radiometer, the GNSS-RO, and the Laser Retroreflector Array. NASA is also contributing launch services, ground systems supporting operation of the NASA science instruments, the science data processors for two of these instruments, and support for the international Ocean Surface Topography Science Team. NASA'S Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages NASA's contribution to the mission.

SOURCE NASA

Related Links

http://www.nasa.gov


A video has circulated online of a woman throwing a smoothie at Tanaiste Leo Varadkar in Merrion Square, Dublin.

The woman, who is wearing a mask, approaches a camera crew Mr Varadkar is talking to, before walking up to the Tanaiste and throwing the smoothie over him.

Mr Varadkar stumbles and looks shocked while the woman, who is carrying a skateboard, runs off.

The Irish Independent has requested a comment from Fine Gael.

Gardai are investigating the incident involving the Tanaiste which happened at Merrion Square, Dublin 2, at around 3pm today.

No arrests have yet been made and gardai are attempting to identify the woman involved.

A garda spokesman said: "Gardai are investigating an incident that occurred in Merrion Square today, 18/09/2020, at approximately 3pm. Investigations are ongoing."

Sources said the incident is being treated as an assault and is under investigation by officers based at Pearse Street Garda Station.

Tanaiste Leo Varadkar commented on the incident at this evening's press conference on the latest Covid-19 restrictions in Dublin, saying: I was in Merrion Square earlier on just filming a video to explain to people with some of the decisions that were made today.

The good news is that we got it finished and it will be posted later on today or rather this evening.

I saw someone coming towards me, I thought she was Avril Lavigne because of the skateboard and everything but unfortunately it wasnt, he laughed.

She also had a smoothie with ended up all the way down my face and halfway down my suit, but look I had a spare suit and just got on with the days work.

Havent spoken with Gardai but I think they want to speak to me and thatll be this week.

Former TD for Dublin North-West, Noel Rock tweeted in reaction to the incident: Jesus, this is a poxy thing to do, regardless of your political view.

Mr Rock also shared the video from the park incident. It seemed many people online were in support of Mr Varadkar.

One tweeter wrote: That is disgraceful. Another wrote: This is really sh***y and shouldnt be tolerated

Another said: Theres no need for that at all, well out of order.

And another wrote: shocking unnecessary stuff.

This is not the first time someone on the political stage has been the subject of a member of the publics ire.

In 2013, the former taoiseach Bertie Ahern, was set upon in a bar by a man who swung a crutch at him.

And in 2012, former health minister, Mary Harney was pelted with red paint by a Dublin councillor.

And on the international political stage, in 2008, former president George W Bush was attacked with a shoe.

28-year-old Iraqi journalist, Muntadhar al-Zaidi, threw the shoe at Bush shouting: This is a gift from the Iraqis, this is a farewell kiss, you dog, The Washington Post reported.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 10:23:53|Editor: huaxia

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by Yosley Carrero

HAVANA, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Miguel Menendez, 30, is one of the developers of Cuba's first e-commerce platform to promote tourism industry amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the tightening U.S. embargo against the island.

Talents from the private sector in Cuba have joined a government initiative to improve e-commerce operations and merchandising strategies for the country's second provider of hard currency earnings.

Menendez, a software developer who graduated in computer science from the University of Havana in 2013, believes that the computerization of the Cuban society will improve access to services provided by hotel, tour agencies and car rentals for foreign and local tourists at a time when "physical distancing is more important than ever."

"We have put all the tourist services together. This platform will be operated by many people ranging from tour operators to house owners working in the hospitality sector," he said. "It is going to work as a global distribution center."

Working on the second floor of a colonial building in Havana's historic center, Menendez and a group of some 30 young engineers and designers were busy writing notes, discussing and getting the latest news in the world's tech sector.

"COVID-19 has urged the world to build cashless societies. So, the use of state-of-the-art technologies can make tourists feel more comfortable in the country," Eduardo Bermudez, leader of the project told Xinhua. "Cuba has a high potential to develop software and applications."

The Cuban hospitality sector continues to work on the automatization of processes at hotel facilities and the development of online platforms to minimize physical interaction with clients.

Havanatur S.A., the country's largest tour operator and travel agency, is leading the implementation of the digital platform to draw local and international tourists.

"This platform is 100 percent Cuban," Evelyn Guillarte, director general of Havanatur, said on TV. "It is also connected to online payment systems we have in the country. People will be able to pay online by using their mobiles."

As part of the computerization process of the Cuban society, more than 3.7 million people on the island have accessed mobile Internet since December 2018 after the government invested in infrastructure acquired from different countries, including China.

Cuba has 6.5 million Internet users and 1,600 public WIFI hotspots in parks, avenues and hotel facilities, according to the country's communications ministry.

For thousands of Cubans working in the hospitality sector, the return of international tourists to the island and the launching of the digital platform to promote their businesses are both good news.

The Caribbean nation partially reopened borders to international tourists in early July after easing three-month restrictions, allowing foreign visitors to enter resorts in the northern and southern keys of the island.

"I am looking forward to registering on the new digital platform to promote Cuban tourism," said 37-year-old Gemma Contreras, who rents two apartments for tourists in central Havana.

"We have many things to offer, but not everybody knows about it," she added. Enditem
Three farm bills, passed in Lok Sabha amid opposition protests this week, have also become bone of contention between BJP and its ally SAD, prompting Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal's resignation from Cabinet. Kaur, the Union Minister of Food Processing Industries, was the only SAD representative in Modi government. These bills -- the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill; the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill; and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill -- have been touted as "anti-farmer" bills by opposition parties.

While addressing a rally in Bihar today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacked those opposing the farms bills, saying misinformation is being spread in the name of the bills. "They (those opposing the bills) are forgetting how aware the country's farmers are," said the PM.

Meanwhile, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has said it would rethink alliance with the BJP.

As per the Modi government, these three bills will help small and marginal farms by allowing them to sell produce outside mandis; allowing them to sign agreements with agri-business firms; and doing away with stock-holding limits on key commodities.

As per the ordinances brought in by the government on these bills, farmers can take their produce anywhere -- inter-state or intra-state -- beyond APMCs. The state governments can't levy any fee or cess on farmers. The law also provides provisions for contract farming, meaning farmers and buyers can reach an agreement before procuring harvest. The laws also allow the Centre to regulate or impose stock limits on supply of certain food items under extraordinary circumstances or steep rise in prices.

Also read:Agriculture-related bills 'anti-farmer', AAP to vote against them in Parliament, says Kejriwal

Who are protesting against these bills

Political parties, farm organisations like Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) and big agricultural bodies like the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) and some section of farmers are opposing the bill. They say these bills will help no one, except big corporates and destroy farmers' livelihood.

The other side of the story

These three bills may liberate farmers from the clutches of middlemen, also known as arhatiyas. Lakhs of commission agents in mandis of Punjab and Haryana, both the leading farm producer states, will stand to lose their control over farmers and in turn huge revenue. State governments will lose mandi tax, also a huge source of revenue for them, which is why they seem to be opposing the bills.

These laws also don't do away with the old ones and only give farmers options to seek better prices of their produce. The farmers' bodies are of the view that new laws will slowly end the MSP (minimum support regime) regime, and will lead to huge loss of revenue to APMCs (Agricultural Produce Market Committees), which come under state governments. They also believe that farmers could lose rights to their own land at the hands of companies if these laws will be implemented.

Which party is for or against these bills

The Congress-led government in Punjab has described the legislations as a "blatant attack" on the federal structure. Last month, the Punjab assembly passed a resolution, rejecting the ordinances and subsequent Bills. Apart from Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, Trinamool Congress and Bahujan Samaj Party have also opposed the bill. BJP's previous ally Shiv Sena has supported the bills, while BJD sent them to the Parliamentary Standing Committee.

Also read: Farm bills 2020: 'Misinformation being spread that farmers won't get right prices,' says PM Modi
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-19 00:01:59|Editor: huaxia

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BANGKOK, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Thai prosecutors on Friday announced their decision to indict Red Bull scion Vorayuth Yoovidhya on charges of cocaine use and reckless driving, which caused the death of a junior police officer in the hit-and-run case in 2012.

The decision to indict Vorayuth came two months after public outrage prompted Thai authorities, including the prime minister, to re-launch a series of investigations into how and why a wealthy family was allowed amnesty without having to face the Thai law.

"We want to ensure the Thai public that the judicial system is fair nor flawed," said Itthiphon Kaewthip, deputy director-general of the Department of Criminal Litigation under the Office of the Attorney-General (OAG).

Itthiphon said that new investigations found that Vorayuth had taken cocaine, prior to taking the wheels of his Ferrari and crashing into the junior police officer, leading to the latter's death.

Thai netizens on various social media platform on Friday night lauded the OAG's decision to arraign Vorayuth, with commentaries suggesting "confidence in the Thai judicial system."

Two months ago, a deputy attorney-general and an acting police chief decided to drop charges against the Red Bull scion, citing that compensations toward the family of the dead junior officer had been fulfilled.

There have also been reports that forensic and investigation officers were instructed to "shush" facts regarding the hit-and run case.

Itthiphon said the next step would be to seek the extradition of Vorayuth, as well as to coordinate with Interpol to arrest him.

Vorayuth had left Thailand since the incident. Enditem
Republican Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker waded into the national political scene this week, endorsing U.S. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine in her hotly contested reelection bid.

The video, which was posted to YouTube Friday, was part of a series of ads funded by a GOP super PAC. It featured Baker, who tends to avoid venturing into national politics, attempting to strengthen Collinss image as a moderate Republican.

As governor of Massachusetts, I work with both parties to get things done. Susan Collins does that in the Senate, Baker said in the ad. Shes pro-environment, pro-women, pro-Maine. We need more leaders like Susan. I hope you reelect her.

The 15-second ad was paid for by the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC). The group is also backing President Donald Trumps 2020 reelection bid, calling him a peacemaker in the Middle East.

Other figures featured in the ad series included Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and former Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut.

In the series, Baker, Hogan and Lieberman all defend Collins as a centrist and independent leader, a reputation that has been called into question by Collinss challenger in the Maine Senate race, Democrat Sara Gideon, the speaker of the Maine House of Representatives.

Theres a reason why Democrat and Republican governors and senators are supporting Susan Collins. Its because she believes in doing whats right for Maine, Baker says in the ad.

However, Collinss opponents have claimed she is not as moderate as her supporters make her out to be, criticizing the senator for, among several issues, supporting Brett Kavanaughs nomination to the United States Supreme Court and not standing up to Trump.

The Lincoln Project, a notable anti-Trump PAC, ran an ad earlier this summer calling Collins a fraud," alleging she is not independent and saying she is controlled by the president and Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Gideon has out-raised Collins this summer and is ahead of Collins in the polls, though the race remains tight. A New York Times/Siena College poll published Friday showed a five-point margin between the two candidates.

The four-term Maine state representative has also received support from Massachusetts politicians.

Just a week after the Democratic Senate primary fight in Massachusetts ended with incumbent Sen. Ed Markey besting challenger Rep. Joe Kennedy III, the two joined a Massachusetts Democratic Party virtual unity event in support of Gideon.

Related Content: Election 2020: After tough primary fight, Ed Markey, Joe Kennedy III join forces to push Maine voters to back Joe Biden, Sara Gideon
Two years ago, Tracey Kagan ran for office for the first time. Now she's running again - but this time, "it's a whole different ballgame," said Kagan. "I have learned so much in the past two years that it almost feels like a lifetime ago."

Kagan, an attorney and single mom of three daughters, is one of a historic slate of Jewish women running for office in Seminole County, Fla., this November - including Patricia Sigman, who is running for State Senate, and Moira Dictor, who is running for Seminole County Tax Collector (see article above and article on Patricia Sigman in the Aug. 7 issue)....
Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC). Graeme Jennings/AFP via Getty Images

House Majority Whip James Clyburn on Thursday condemned Attorney General William Barr for comparing to coronavirus-related lockdowns to slavery.

The statement "was the most ridiculous, tone-deaf, God-awful thing I've ever heard," Clyburn said on CNN.

Barr had said that stay-at-home orders, imposed to curb virus transmission, are "the greatest intrusion on civil liberties in American history" since slavery.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

House Majority Whip James Clyburn on Thursday decried Attorney General William Barr's likening of coronavirus lockdown measures to slavery.

"That statement by Mr. Barr was the most ridiculous, tone-deaf, God-awful thing I've ever heard," Clyburn, the highest ranking Black member in the House, said in an interview on CNN's "New Day."

"It is incredible that [the] chief law enforcement officer in this country would equate human bondage to expert advice to save lives," he added. "Slavery was not about saving lives, it was about devaluing lives."

Clyburn, a Democrat from South Carolina, was reacting to Barr's remarks during a Constitution Day celebration at Hillsdale College in Michigan on Wednesday.

"You know, putting a national lockdown, stay-at-home orders, is like house arrest, Barr said. "Other than slavery, which was a different kind of restraint, this is the greatest intrusion on civil liberties in American history."

President Donald Trump chose not to impose a nationwide stay-at-home order, even though leading health experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN that the US "really should be" on a federally mandated lockdown. In fact, Trump in April called on governors to "liberate" Americans and reopen their economies.

"It would have been great if we had a national lockdown, so that people's lives would be saved, and our children will be going on with their lives today, as they should be," Clyburn said.

Story continues

"But that is just what we're up against here: two people in charge of running the law enforcement of this country are absolutely tone-deaf to what it takes to be great leaders," he added, referring to Trump and Barr.

Given the brutal and violent history of slavery, Barr's comparison drew sharp criticism online and Mark Meadows, Trump's chief of staff, tried to distance himself from the comments when talking to reporters.

"I'm not familiar with the quote, obviously we've had a number of times where civil liberties have been trampled on, and certainly, when we start to look down at forced confinement, those are tough," Meadows said on Thursday. "To compare them ... I certainly wouldn't."

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The year 2020 has been all about breathing, it sometimes seems: the life-or-death question of whether one can breathe or has been deprived of the ability to do so.

This week, Aleksei Navalny reported that he can breathe on his own again, without a ventilator, almost a month after the anti-corruption crusader and opposition politician fell gravely ill on a flight to Moscow from the Siberian city of Tomsk, where he had been rallying supporters and pressing his smart voting initiative -- under which voters are urged to cast their ballots in a way that will undermine the Kremlin-controlled United Russia partys results -- ahead of regional elections this month.

Navalny made the announcement about his improved condition from a hospital bed in Berlin, where he was flown -- after a few days of wrangling between his relatives and associates and the Russian state -- after first being hospitalized in another Siberian city, Omsk, where the plane had made an emergency landing.

Hi, its Navalny. I miss you, he wrote in a September 15 post on his Instagram page, adding a heart-eyed emoji along with a photo showing him sitting up in bed -- sort of -- in a hospital gown. I still can hardly do anything, but yesterday I was able to breathe on my own all day. All by myself.

German authorities say tests show that Navalny was poisoned with a toxin from the Novichok group, a potentially lethal series of substances that was originally developed in the Soviet era -- but with one that may have been much more potent than the version that British authorities say left former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter semi-conscious on a bench in Salisbury, England, in March 2018, and also killed a British woman who apparently came in contact with the poison by chance.

Laboratories in France and Sweden also found that a Novichok-group nerve agent was the cause of Navalnys poisoning, the German government said on September 14.

Airport Tea, Hotel Water

Suspicions about exactly where Navalny was poisoned initially focused on tea that he bought at an airport cafe before boarding the Moscow flight on August 20. But Navalnys associates said this week that the source was a plastic water bottle he drank from at a hotel in Tomsk.

The finding that Novichok was the cause makes it very likely that the Russian state was behind it, experts said, but as evidence mounted President Vladimir Putins government continued to deny involvement -- an echo, as Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov inadvertently suggested when he compared the situation surrounding Navalny to the Skripal poisoning and the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over the war zone in Ukraine in 2014, of the back-and-forth over blame for other incidents in which evidence has pointed to Moscow.

Meanwhile, Russian officials and diplomats have come up with some arguments about the Berlin patient -- as a Kremlin that takes pains to avoid uttering Navalnys name has referred to him at times since his medical evacuation -- that seem to have few in the West convinced.

The Kremlins main argument seems to be that the Russian state would have no motive to kill Navalny because polls say he is not popular enough to pose a threat to Putin.

In a September 16 post, the Russian mission to the European Union claimed that Moscow was the target of a rapidly growing information campaign over Navalnys illness and listed what it said were nine inconsistencies in what authorities in Europe have been saying about it.

Citing a July poll by the independent Levada Center, the mission asked why the Russian authorities would poison Navalny, taking into account that his actual popularity level hardly reaches 2 percent.

The opinion survey actually gauged trust, not popularity, and Navalnys rating later increased to 4 percent -- while Putins rose from 23 percent in July to 33 percent.

But in any case, that kind of argument has seeming flaws, both in terms of content and the message it potentially sends about the Kremlins methods.

'Maybe The Goal Was Not To Kill Him'

While Novichok can be deadly, the severity of the effects depends on the dose or level of exposure -- and Vil Mirzayanov, a chemist who was one of its developers in the Soviet era, told RFE/RLs Russian Service earlier in September that Navalny could have received a nonlethal dose.

Maybe the goal was not to kill him but to put him out of commission and leave him disabled, he said.

Such an aim might fit in with the ways Navalny and his backers say the Russian state has sought to sideline him without putting him entirely out of commission -- a level of restraint they contend stems from concerns that killing him or handing him a long prison term in a politically charged case would risk a powerful backlash.

Navalny sought to challenge Putin for the presidency in 2018 but was barred from the ballot on the basis of financial-crimes convictions in cases he asserts were fabricated to keep him out of electoral politics. He has spent hundeds of days in jail for alleged administrative violations, mostly involving street protests, but was given suspended sentences in both criminal cases.

As for the optics, longtime Moscow correspondent Marc Bennetts pointed out that saying one would have no reason to target a rival seen as low-risk could have an unfortunate implication.

Do they realize how bad this sounds? I.e. We only target people with higher approval ratings? he wrote.

The Russian missions argument also echoed what many saw as an almost unfathomably callous remark that Putin made after the murder of Anna Politkovskaya, an investigative journalist who, like Navalny, sought to expose Russian government corruption, and who survived an apparent poisoning but was shot dead in her Moscow apartment building in October 2006.

Denying Kremlin involvement in her killing, Putin said that Politkovskayas death in itself is more damaging to the current authoritiesthan her activities." In other words, the blow to Russias image from the killing posed more of a threat to the Kremlin than the revelations about graft and rights violations that she uncovered.

The pace and extent of Navalnys recovery is uncertain, and so is the depth of the damage his poisoning will end up doing to Russias ties with the West.

There are calls for new European Union sanctions, the fate of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany hangs in the balance, and analyst Dmitry Trenin says that Navalnys poisoning has become a turning point in ties between Russia and Germany -- a relationship that Putin has cultivated assiduously over his years in power.

The incident has prompted Berlin to make a crucial decision for German foreign policy: it will no longer follow a special policy toward Russia, Trenin, director of the Carnegie Moscow Center, wrote in an article published on September 16. Berlin will not try to understand the other sides motivation or strive for mutual understanding and at least basic cooperation. Nor will it act as an interpreter of Russian political language, or take it upon itself to communicate the position of its allies to Moscow.

The collapse of the special relationship between Russia and Germany is the latest and most serious in a series of blows to Russias position in Europe, he added.

Do The Right Thing

Among the German people, Putins star has faded a great deal since his first term in office. According to Pew Research polling, their confidence in Putin to do the right thing when it comes to international affairs has dropped from 75 percent in 2003 to 31 percent earlier this summer -- before Navalnys poisoning.

The result for Germany was the second highest out of 13 countries Pew listed, most of them in Western Europe but also including Australia, Canada, Japan, and South Korea. The median was about 24 percent.

Turning back to Navalny, the anti-corruption crusader scored some small victories in September 11-13 Russian regional elections that were largely swept by the Kremlin-controlled United Russia party amid widespread claims of violations and concerns that a new law allowing elections to be held over three days fuels fraud.



The three-day rule was swiftly approved after a nationwide vote in which Putin secured the right to seek reelection in 2024 and again in 2030 was stretched out over a week ending July 1, with the need to avoid crowding polling places amid the COVID-19 pandemic cited as the formal reason, and the Kremlin apparently liked what it saw.

The regional balloting was seen as a test run ahead of the 2021 election of the State Duma, the lower parliament house, which in turn is seen as setting the stage for 2024 -- and for Putins decision, or the announcement of his decision, on whether he will in fact run for a fifth presidential term.

The Duma elections are expected to be held in September -- or they were, until statements by the top electoral official and Putins spokesman confirmed widespread suspicions that the state is considering holding them earlier -- a change that would reinforce the views of critics who charge that over Putins 20-plus years in power, elections have increasingly been engineered to impose the will of the Kremlin rather than reflecting the will of the people.

While asserting that it would somehow not mean early elections, Central Election Commission chief Ella Pamfilova suggested that the Duma vote could be held during a school vacation in April, rather than in September, in order to avoid inconveniencing pupils, teachers, and administrators whose schools are used as polling places -- a problem that did not exist before the three-day vote law because elections were held on Sundays.



When Putin opened the path to two more six-year terms, some observers assumed that meant he will do so, or at least that he will run again in 2024. Others believe he may not have decided yet, and is keeping open as many options for retaining power as possible.

Weeks of upheaval in Belarus, where the Kremlin has helped long-ruling authoritarian Alyaksandr Lukashenka hold onto power amid unflagging protests over what millions believe was a rigged election that handed him a new term, may have revived Putins interest in one of those options, if that interest ever faded: the idea of leading a more closely integrated union state linking Russia and Belarus.

'Putin's Main Goal'

At their first face-to-face meeting since the disputed August 9 election, Putin threw Lukashenka a $1.5 billion life preserver -- potentially increasing Moscows already substantial leverage over Minsk and strengthening its ability to shape developments in Belarus amid increasing isolation by the West amid a police crackdown that has generated many allegations of abuse and torture.

Putins main goal is to become the head of a unified state [comprising Russia and Belarus] in 2024, Kremlin critic and former Duma lawmaker Ilya Ponomaryov told Current Time, a Russian-language network led by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA, in comments on the September 14 Putin-Lukashenka meeting in the Russian Black Sea resort city of Sochi.

Any such effort by Putin would deepen dismay in the West and could face powerful opposition from the Belarusian people, whom he already risks alienating by backing Lukashenka and his clampdown.

Kremlin support for the unpopular Lukashenka risks fueling anti-Russian sentiment in one of the few remaining countries where a clear majority still favors close ties with Moscow, Hanna Liubakova, a nonresident fellow at the Washington-based Atlantic Council think tank, wrote in a September 16 article.

With protests persisting in the Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk, and their focus gradually shifting from anger over the arrest of the regional governor to criticism of Putins long rule, the Kremlin may also need to be mindful of the mood of the Russian people as it seeks to increase control in Belarus and maintain it at home.

For Moscow, the most important task right now in Europe is not to lose Belarus as it so incompetently lost Ukraine; not to allow Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko to take Putin for a ride; and to make sure Putin does not miscalculate the Belarusian people -- or, for that matter, the Russian people either, Trenin wrote.
Brad Pitt's girlfriend Nicole Poturalski was spotted on a photoshoot in Milan, Italy, on Thursday after the actor and his ex-wife Jennifer Aniston reunited on screen.

The model, 27, was seen arriving at a bar and restaurant in the city as she greeted some of her friends and colleagues.

It comes as Brad, 56, and Jennifer, 51, reunited on screen on Thursday night to perform a risque topless scene during a star-studded virtual table read of 1982 movie Fast Times At Ridgemont High.

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On shoot: Brad Pitt's girlfriend Nicole Poturalski was spotted on a photoshoot in Milan, Italy, on Thursday after the actor and his ex-wife Jennifer Aniston reunited on screen

For her photoshoot in Milan, Nicole cut a casual figure in double denim opting for high-waisted mom jeans and an oversized jacket.

The mother-of-one finished her look with a coral orange T-shirt, cream jumper, canvas bag and beige trainers.

Nicole styled her caramel coloured locks into a sleek straightened hairdo and added a slick of make-up, which included smokey eye shadow.

The model appeared in good spirits as she greeted her friends and colleagues at an outdoor eatery in Milan.

Busy bee: The model, 27, was seen arriving at a bar and restaurant in the city as she greeted some of friends and colleagues

Together again: It comes as Brad, 56, and Jennifer, 51, reunited on screen on Thursday night to perform a risque topless scene during a star-studded virtual table read of 1982 movie Fast Times At Ridgemont High

Nicole was then seen posing up a storm on a motorbike inside the restaurant, which had large glass doors opened outside, in what appeared to be test shots.

The model also took to her Instagram to document her day as she shared a selfie of herself in a car wearing a facemask amid the Covid-19 crisis and later a video of herself waving on a commercial plane.

It is not known whether she was jetting into Milan or travelling back to her home in Berlin, Germany, in the clip.

Earlier this week, Nicole hit back at trolls accusing her of of 'hating' Brad's ex-wife Angelina Jolie and said people should 'stay out' of her relationship after she shared a cryptic quote saying 'happy people don't hate'.

Casual: For her photoshoot in Milan, Nicole cut a casual figure in double denim opting for high-waisted mom jeans and an oversized jacket

Details: The mother-of-one finished her look with a coral orange T-shirt, cream jumper, canvas bag and beige trainers

Natural beauty: Nicole styled her caramel coloured locks into a sleek straightened hairdo and added a slick of make-up, which included smokey eye shadow

Happy: The model appeared in good spirits as she greeted her friends and colleagues at an outdoor eatery in Milan

It comes as Jennifer and Bra had to recreate one of Fast Times At Ridgemont High's most risque scenes, where Jennifer's character walks in on Brad's character 'daydreaming' about her topless in the bathroom as she looks for Q-tips.

The actor took on the role of Brad Hamilton, originally played by Judge Reinhold, 63, while his ex-wife Jennifer, 51, played high school 'sex queen' Linda Barrett, portrayed by Phoebe Cates, 57, in the coming-of-age teenage dramedy.

Jennifer wore a red bikini top over a white tank top for the scene during the live virtual table read and Brad brought a pirate hat for his character's fast-food restaurant employee costume.

Also taking part in the table read for CORE Response coronavirus charity, were Sean Penn - who played Jeff Spicoli in the original, Julia Roberts, Henry Golding, Matthew McConaughey, John Legend, Jimmy Kimmel, Shia LaBeouf and Morgan Freeman.

Work it: Nicole was then seen posing up a storm on a motorbike inside the restaurant, which had large glass doors opened outside, in what appeared to be test shots

Fleeting visit: The model appeared to be jetting straight to the airport as she carried a canvas tote bag and jumper

Friends: Nicole appeared delighted to be catching up with her model pals and colleagues

Sweet: At one stage, Nicole greeted one of her friends with a hug

Reading the script virtually from their homes, legendary actor Morgan, 83, narrated the scene as he described Linda as 'gorgeous', he read: 'Her eyes are filled with desire as she says...'

To which Jennifer as Linda awkwardly said: 'Hi Brad, you know how cute I always thought you were. I think you're so sexy. Will you come to me?'

Brad started laughing as he looked down while the rest of the star-studded cast were left giggling.

Morgan then narrated: 'She reaches out and grabs him for a kiss, pulling him close... then she pushes him away, so he can watch as she carefully unstraps the top of her bathing suit...'

Chilled: The group enjoyed sitting outside the eatery as they had a catch up together

Stroll: Nicole was seen enjoying a stroll in the city before getting into a parked car

Low-key: The model appeared to rock a low-key look in her double denim ensemble

Cheery: The group appeared in great spirits as they were all reunited together

He added: 'They're just about to fall into passionate love making when we hear...'

To which Jennifer's character Linda broke the daydream and asked: 'Hey Brad, do you have any Q-tips?'

Brad's character then had to hide himself and act 'nonchalant', the actor jokingly shook his head and read: 'Wait, just a minute...'

With Jennifer's character replying: 'Oh God, I'm so sorry... I did not know anyone was in here.'

Work it: Nicole knew how to work her best angles as she sat and posed on the motorbike which appeared to be test shots

Updates: The model also took to her Instagram to document her day as she shared a selfie of herself in a car wearing a facemask amid the Covid-19 crisis

Jet-setter: She later posted a video of herself waving on a commercial plane

To which Brad's character exclaimed: 'Doesn't anybody f**king knock in here!'

The event officially titled Dane Cook Presents Feelin' A-Live Fast Times At Ridgemont High served as a fundraiser for the humanitarian organisation CORE [Community Organised Relief Effort] co-founded by Penn, 60, and REFORM Alliance in the battle against the coronavirus pandemic.

This is the first time Jennifer and Brad, who split in 2005, have reunited on-screen for years.

Brad famously made a guest appearance on Jennifer's hit TV sitcom Friends in 2001, a year into their marriage.

Reunited! It comes as Jennifer and Bra had to recreate one of Fast Times At Ridgemont High's most risque scenes, where Jennifer's character walks in on Brad's character 'daydreaming' about her topless in the bathroom as she looks for Q-tips

Setting the scenes: Jennifer wore a red bikini top over a white tank top for the scene during the live virtual table read and Brad brought a pirate hat for his character's fast-food restaurant employee costume with Julia Roberts joining them at one stage

He took on the role of Ross Geller's friend Will Colbert in a Thanksgiving episode with the two discussing their 'I hate Rachel Green [Jennifer's character] club' at high school.

Jennifer and Brad got married in Malibu, California, in July 2000 and announced their separation fives years later in 2005.

He then famously confirmed his romance with now ex-wife Angelina Jolie in 2006 after meeting on the set of film Mr. & Mrs. Smith in 2005. They split in 2016.

Brad is currently dating model Nicole, 27, they were spotted last month arriving in the South of France on a private jet where they visited Chateau Miraval.

Famous: This is the first time Jennifer and Brad have reunited on-screen for years, Brad famously made a guest appearance on Jennifer's hit TV sitcom Friends in 2001, a year into their marriage

Former loves: They married in in Malibu, California, in July 2000 and announced their separation in 2005 (pictured in 2001)

The trip coincided with what would have been his and Angelina's sixth wedding anniversary, they married at the chateau on August 24, 2014.

The former couple had purchased the estate including the Chateau and vineyard in 2011 for $60 million after leasing it for three years.

It is believed that the pair may have been dating for the best part of a year, as they both attended a performance of Kanye West's opera Nebuchadnezzar at the Hollywood Bowl in November 2019.

Nicole, who has a son, is married to Berlin-based restaurateur Roland Mary, 68, with whom she's allegedly in an open relationship with.

History: Brad is currently dating model Nicole, 27, who has a son, and is married to Berlin-based restaurateur Roland Mary, 68, with whom she's allegedly in an open relationship

Brad and Nicole's visit to Chateau Miraval reportedly angered Angelina, with a source telling the Mirror: 'Angie is furious and utterly stunned Brad could stoop this low.'

While last week, it was claimed that relations between the former couple, who share six children, have deteriorated to the point where they are no longer engaging in family therapy ahead of a custody trial slated for next month.

'Tensions have escalated between Brad and Angelina, with family therapy no longer taking place,' a source told Us Weekly.

Tense: Last week it was claimed that 'tensions had escalated' between Brad, 56, and ex-wife Angelina Jolie , 45, with family therapy therapy no longer taking place (pictured in 2015)

The former couple had appeared to reach a cordial understanding about co-parenting their kids, with the Once upon A Time... In Hollywood actor spotted leaving the actress' LA home in June after spending time with the children.

However, UsWeekly claims they are now at odds again over how much time they each get with Pax, 16, Zahara, 15, Shiloh, 14, and 12-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne.

Eldest child Maddox, 19, is allowed to choose his own timetable and is reported to no longer have any contact with his father.

MailOnline contacted both Brad and Angelina for comment at the time.
Press Release

September 18, 2020 Bong Go backs measures providing for the rank classification and organization of key positions in the BFP, BJMP and enhancing fire protection capabilities Senator Christopher "Bong" Go has expressed his support for Senate Bill No. 1833 under Committee Report No. 112 providing for the rank classification and organization of key positions in the Bureau of Fire Protection and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology. "For our uniformed personnel, rank is not simply a rank, it is a symbol of leadership and duty. Therefore, it is just right that we classify the key officers of the BFP and BJMP at par with the rank classification of the PNP," Go explained during his co-sponsorship speech of the measure during the Senate regular session on Wednesday, September 16. Citing the need to address the inequality in the rank classification in these bureaus, Go said that the bill will improve organization efficiency and effectiveness in the BFP and BJMP by eliminating confusion in ranks. "We need to address the inequality in the rank classification and show our fire and jail officers that we appreciate their devotion to their duty and their sacrifice, dedication and service to the country," he said. "It will also uplift the morale of every uniformed personnel in the BJMP and the BFP," Go added. If passed into law, SB 1833 will amend several sections of the Republic Act No. 9263, or An Act Providing for the Professionalization of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), Amending Certain Provisions of Republic Act No. 6975, Providing the Funds Thereof and for Other Purposes. This includes the amendment of Section 3 which provides for the organization and key positions of the BFP and the BJMP; and Section 12 which provides for the standardization of the base pay, retirement and other benefits of the uniformed personnel of the BFP and the BJMP. Meanwhile, the Senator expressed his hopes for the measure to motivate uniformed personnel in the fire and jail service to provide effective and efficient public service. He, then, commended Senator Ronald dela Rosa for sponsoring and prioritizing this measure. Go also requested to be made a co-sponsor of the bill. During the same Senate session, Go also co-sponsored the Fire Protection Modernization Bill, a measure which seeks to strengthen the mandate and capability of the BFP. Go, who is the principal author of the bill, said that now is the right time to modernize the BFP, as he emphasized that the government should be proactive in combating any kind of catastrophe in the country. Under the Fire Protection Modernization Bill, the BFP will be responsible for implementing a fire protection modernization program, which would be beneficial not only to the firefighters, but also to the public. "The said bill will include hiring of more personnel, acquiring modern fire equipment and training for our firefighters. It also mandates the BFP to conduct monthly fire prevention campaigns and information drive in all local government units," Go said. "Thus, it is fitting that our firefighters at the frontlines be given the best tools to ensure their own safety and the safety of our fellow countrymen," he added. Previously, Go also backed a proposed bill modifying the minimum height requirements for applicants to the Philippine National Police, BFP, BJMP, and the Bureau of Corrections, saying that it will help augment and strengthen the country's law enforcement and firefighting forces, and other first-responders in times of emergencies and calamities. "I want to commend the good sponsor for pushing for this measure and I wish to manifest my support and my intention to co-author this bill modifying the minimum height requirement for PNP, BJMP, BFP, and BuCor personnel," Go said in a separate co-sponsorship speech of the bill on September 4. "Malaking tulong rin po ito upang mapalakas at mapatatag ang ating mga kapulisan, bumbero at iba pang first-responders pagdating ng oras ng sakuna," he added. It will give Filipino citizens more opportunities to serve the country, according to the Senator. "Marami pong lumalapit sa akin kahit noong hindi pa ako Senador. Nagpapatulong para ma-waive o mabawasan ang minimum height requirement sa pagiging pulis at bumbero," Go said. "Marami pong gustong magsilbi sa kapwa tao, kailangan lang po natin silang bigyan ng oportunidad na tumulong at magserbisyo," he added.
Suffering from the ashes of wicked family debris, the deck stacked against me. Ultimately, I find my way to Europe. Here in Europe, as you expect, I started raising the stake on property acquisition

My woes are far from over. I had to endure another rounds of betrayals from childhood friends and associates due to my kind-hearted and trusting nature. Monies sent to do property for me were thoroughly used for personal gains and practices of witchcraft and wizardry beckons from beneath to prevent me from coming back to claim my portion

Late in September 2015, while in France, the same Torgbui Agobodzo led a delegation of family members, from Akame and Aflao to my mother, also at Aflao. He explained surreptitiously to my mother that certain strange fellow is claiming the ownership of my property at Hillview Estate at Emef, Afienya Mataheko, Tema Accra and that my mother should come so that they can verify who the person was:

It was with the help of my mother's cousin, Emmanuel Kornyoh Dogbey Ansah Hegan, the property in question came into being. I only took a breeder land permit with me. It is one of the building plans with site plan drawn on it boldly in my name. Needless to say, that, usually, it is out of site plan that the indenture and building are generated. Hence if you have the site plan then you all the documents

Other documents concerning the land were all with Emmanuel Kornyoh Ansah Dogbey Hegan who is currently late. Emmanuel Kornyoh holds masters degree from university of Ghana, Legon

Emmanuel Kornyoh, stole a lot of my money to enrich himself, instead of 4 plots, at this the same location, he bought two and two for himself and the subsequent transfers I made were only mearnt to advance his building structures. He was forced to sell his uncompleted structure to build another at Aflao at cheaper cost

As tired as he was for lack of funds, so was l, giving to much and 'receiving' nothing in exchange. He died six months before those claiming my property also came in the spotlight. Once family members

My property is 80X200ft worth of land. As a Mason, I personally made two single bedrooms at one corner on one of plots. On the other eight bedroom self-contained foundation to the filling level. It was filled. More than 10.000 pieces of blocks were on the plots too. I spent more than 10.000 Euros on the foundation alone

By then, when my mother and a delegation led by Torgbui Agobodzo finally arrived at Afariwa, Accra, close to my property, Wonder Agobodzo already was. There, my mother discovered the alleged claimant is the husband of Sordzine

Sordzine, a wealthy daughter of Koshi, the late wife of Small Agobodzo also late. Small was protagonist in my father's property saga. Also, Small was the elder brother of Torgbui Agobodzo

I tried to report the case to the police at that time but police resisted the report baying the caretaker should, if those claimants encroached the property. But the caretaker never did when those so-called claimants encroached

Instead, he became very good pal of the police. The damages caused to the property runs into millions. It was Justice Moses Aheto, Ph.D, a Bio-statistian at University of Ghana who raised the alarm. I came down and reported the case to the police in March 7th 2018

Six months later, I went to Ghana again. This time, I was requested by the police to hire a lawyer. Ebenezer Ahiator was the lawyer I settled on. I made 700 Euros (Ghcs 3000 then, now 4500) money transfer him to start with.

Note: the case of this nature, is no case. At first, Kotoka alleged Emmanuel Kornyoh sold it to him. This time with sakaw kingpin, Reverend Daniel - a petty thief- they now say it was IC internationals. They later brought a document with the vendor Nii Tetteh. But Nii Tetteh is not the owner of my property when viewed from land commission. That would have ended the case.

The good news, is that the original owner registered the land property before he sold it to me. So his name still remains at land commission when l conducted search there

Officials at lands advised me to hire one of their surveyors which l did. His name ranges from - at least by James Korwu, the man who holds my power of attorney, an uncle - Gyan, Emily. Gyan or Emily is an alias. I believe his real name is Daniel O. Brown because that is what appeared on the fraudulent site plan and indenture he made for me. I just wanted him to finish the documents for Odonkor Awuley family (original owners) to sign which they promised they would

As for the documents, it took him seven months to finish. He started the documents since September last year to February this year but finished counterfeit. Mr. Daniel O. Brown now admitted to my new lawyer that the coordinates of the land is Weija Gbawe instead of Hillview Estate Tema Accra and that he will correct them

Till now, Mr. Daniel has not corrected the documents. Financial ramification incurred: tips to the boys who guided him to the place, his fee T&T, is Ghcs2000.00

Nevertheless, Suprt Agyei, repeatedly brought it to bear, that those making the claim do not have any document to sustain it. Now, without a valid documents nor court order they are back currently destroying my property with impunity while police service, albeit deliberately are helpless. CID Yeboah is unwilling to stop them

Incessantly spewed to bamboozle, rather gas-lighting: we only have to brace ourselves and up whisper, if you like, soliloquize "l haven't gone any where, I am still in Ghana". The preceeding, in its entirety gets me confused every minute that passes by. "Ghana is not Europe or America" ranted the police officials. Had this happened in Europe or America, it would a matter of getting another document from the surveyor department or property registry

In other words, a simple case in Europe or America is complicated in Ghana driven by greed. The ethos of "Ghana is not Europe or America" is criminal undertone meant to instill fear and promote hidden agenda

If not, destroying somebody's property without court order and tendering counterfeit documents to the police are criminal acts. But the police hasn't brought them to book. They are at large destroying more and more property

It was American writer, O. Henry (aka William Sidney, 1862 - 1910) who coined the phrase "Banana Republic" in 1901, to discribe a country without rule of law. Now, what makes the difference between America or Europe is the will to do things right

Those people tried to kill me on several occasions not only spiritually but physically too. You see, when people get away with crimes like this, they become emboldened

Samuel Mensah, my step brother, was mysteriously drowned in a river at Akame, so was Philip Mensah. All coming in contact with Torgbui Agobodzo and his accessories, all over property. And now, Emmanuel Kornyoh Ansah Dogbey Hegan. Later it might be myself

Needless to say, there is high-level of greed-related violence, one of such is Professor George Beneh recently. Per my opinion, police has not clamped down on them

It does not matter who is right or wrong. Those marauding criminals, the property is not theirs but they want it at all cost. They are ready to buy their way through and Ghana police officials simply love the money

Of course, my second lawyer is scrambling to file writ against them in three weeks. As he told me that he or the court is on holidays. Until then, these fiends might have destroyed everything that proves my ownership of the property

I don't understand why the police hasn't taken steps to demand court order before further destruction. Is a shame anyway

As Nigerian politician explains: police has the koboko but the rule of the term is the same for everybody, constitutionally speaking. Is theirs and of course is mine

Note: I don't endorse superstitious beliefs of witchcraft and wizardry but, of course, when you have your own people saying evil things against you, it might affect you

This is petition to IGP James Oppong-Boanuh

CID Boss Ken Yeboah

BNI Director: Mr. Dumfeh

Richard Agobodzo

You can contact: [email protected]

Facebook.com/Richard Agobodzo
Chinese hackers have stolen information from Spanish research centers working on a Covid-19 vaccine, according to sources familiar with the situation.

The cyberattacks were conducted against Spain and several other countries competing to develop a coronavirus vaccine, said Paz Esteban, the head of Spains National Intelligence Center (CNI).

The CNI director said that sensitive sectors such as health and pharmaceutics had been targeted, and that there has been a particularly virulent campaign, and not just in Spain, against laboratories working on a vaccine for Covid-19.

Most of these attacks came from China and Russia, according to sources consulted by this newspaper. In many cases they originated in state agencies, but there were also universities and criminal organizations seeking to cash in on the stolen information.

The cyberattack against Spanish research labs came from China, according to these sources, who declined to reveal the nature or relevance of the stolen information.

But Chinese officials on Friday denied the veracity of the claim. Chinas research and development on vaccines against Covid-19 is ahead of other countries'. We have no need to steal what others are doing in order to have access to a vaccine, said Wang Wenbin, the spokesperson for Chinas Foreign Ministry.

Spains national intelligence chief warned of a qualitative and quantitative growth in overall cyberattacks during the coronavirus confinement period

Speaking at a seminar organized by the Association of European Journalists (AEJ), Esteban warned of a qualitative and quantitative growth in overall cyberattacks during the coronavirus confinement period, pointing to the fact that many people are now working remotely, increasing their exposure to online threats.

In July of this year, a US federal court announced an indictment charging two Chinese nationals, Li Xiaoyu and Dong Jiazhi, with conducting a hacking campaign for over a decade against hundreds of high-tech companies, governments, non-profit groups and human rights activists in the United States, Australia, Belgium, Germany, Japan, Lithuania, the Netherlands, South Korea, Britain and Spain.

Researchers at Spains National Research Council (CSIC) working on experimental Covid-19 vaccines were summoned to a meeting before the summer and told to take measures against potential data theft, according to two people who attended the meeting. But the heads of six Spanish teams working on vaccine prototypes said they were not aware of any data theft from their computer systems.

A CSIC spokesperson said that no theft has occurred at its Madrid research centers. Sources at Clinic Hospital in Barcelona said they were not aware of any intrusion into the computers storing the results of an experimental vaccine based on coronavirus genetic material. Similar responses were provided by the National Institute of Agricultural and Food Research and Technology (INIA) and by the University of Santiago de Compostela, where a team led by Jose Manuel Martinez Costas is working on an original angle based on a strategy involving bird virus.

There are around 10 ongoing vaccine projects in Spain. The most advanced ones are headed by the virologist Mariano Esteban of the CSICs National Biotechnology Center, and by the doctor Felipe Garcia, of Barcelonas Clinic Hospital. Neither one has moved to human trials yet.

English version by Susana Urra.
(Alliance News) - The UK's Financial Conduct Authority on Friday said that recreational cannabis companies are not allowed to list in London, even if personal use of the drug is legal where the firm operates.

The regulator set out provisional advice, ahead of a guidance consultation "which will follow in due course".

"While medicinal cannabis was legalised in the UK in 2018, investment in overseas-licensed medicinal cannabis businesses remains a legally complex area. We consider that there remains a risk that the proceeds from overseas medicinal cannabis business may constitute 'criminal property' for the purpose of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. This includes where the company possesses a licence issued by an overseas medicines or pharmaceuticals licensing authority," the FCA said.

"The proceeds from recreational cannabis companies, even when they are located in those jurisdictions that have legalised it, are proceeds of crime under PoCA. We would therefore not admit the securities of such a company to the official list."

UK-based medicinal cannabis or cannabis oil companies can be admitted to the official list, the FCA clarified, but only with an appropriate Home Office licence for their activities.

For overseas-based medicinal cannabis or cannabis oil firms however, the FCA said it will review the case and the company can list, providing it does breach the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

"For medicinal cannabis and cannabis oil companies with overseas activities, the company will need to satisfy us that their activities would be legal if carried out in the UK. We will also need to understand the legal basis of the company's overseas activities, for example the nature of the local licensing and the licences the company holds," the FCA added.

Back in September last year, Highlands Natural Resources PLC became Zoetic International PLC as it shifted its primary focus to cannabidiol operations from natural resources.

By Eric Cunha; ericcunha@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
The allegations are ghastly: Women held in a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center were given hysterectomies without their consent, with a single doctor performing so many hysterectomies that one immigrant told advocates the facility was like an experimental concentration camp.

A whistleblower complaint made public this week alleged unhealthy conditions and inadequate care for detainees at the Irwin County Detention Center (ICDC) in rural Ocilla, Ga., and raised concerns about the high number of hysterectomies performed on women being held at the facility, saying that everybodys uterus cannot be that bad.

In the complaint, Dawn Wooten, who had worked at ICDC as a licensed practical nurse, said the gynecologist who treated detainees there was nicknamed the uterus collector because everybody he sees, hes taking all their uteruses out or hes taken their tubes out. The doctor, Mahendra Amin, is based in nearby Douglas, Ga. A lawyer for Amin, Scott Grubman, said that Amin denies the whistleblowers allegations.

Licensed practical nurse Dawn Wooten. (Facebook)

Dr. Amin is a highly respected physician who has dedicated his adult life to treating a high-risk, underserved population in rural Georgia, Grubman said in an email.

Amin was investigated in 2015 by the Justice Department for making false claims to Medicaid and Medicare. He and other doctors involved paid $520,000 in a civil settlement, according to the Justice Department.

R. Andrew Free, a prominent civil rights lawyer in Atlanta, said he is representing three women who had hysterectomies or other invasive gynecological procedures while held at ICDC for which they did not provide informed consent.

Based on discussions with people who have been treated by this doctor, a review of their medical records and based on a review of other complaints by women who have been at ICDC, a pattern seems to be emerging, Free said. Almost uniformly, individuals with limited English proficiency feel as though they did not receive proper and competent medical interpretation explaining to them the nature or necessity of medical procedures performed by the facility and its doctors.

Story continues

Free said that since Wooten made her explosive claim, he has seen complaints about gynecological care from more than 35 other detainees held at ICDC. He said women at the prison set up a buddy system under which an English-speaking detainee would accompany other detainees to the doctor to ensure they get the care theyre actually seeking.

Other reports I have reviewed indicate women feel that they did not receive a complete explanation of the procedures performed on them, including surgeries, nor did they receive an adequate opportunity to consider whether they wished for those surgeries to be performed, Free said. A troubling pattern seems to be emerging that bears further investigation, whereby women who complain about surgeries that are planned or have been conducted are shunted into the facilitys mental health system where they issue their complaints and tell the mental health providers they are not making psychiatric referral requests, but rather have fear or regret about surgical procedures performed on their bodies.

Women at the Adelanto immigration detention center in Adelanto, Calif. (Lucy Nicholson/Reuters)

Of the new victims who are coming forward, Free said: These women deserve to be believed, they deserve to be taken seriously, they deserve a full and transparent investigation, and at bottom, they deserve the right to see another doctor.

Van Huynh is also a lawyer for a patient that Dr. Amin treated. She said her client Pauline Binam first told her about problems with the medical care at ICDC in August 2019. Binam, a native of Cameroon who grew up in Charlotte, N.C., was nabbed by ICE after a shoplifting charge was dismissed in 2017. During her time at ICDC, Binam was told she needed a procedure known as dilation and curettage (D&C) to clean the lining of her uterus.

She had been informed she had a cyst on her ovary and that they needed to remove it, Huynh said. Instead, when she woke up the doctor told her he had removed one of her fallopian tubes because he told her it was clogged.

Huynh said her 30-year-old client became distraught because Amin told her she might not be able to have children as a result of the surgery.

Pauline was very clear and adamant about the fact that she did not consent to the surgery and would not have consented to the surgery if she knew what the implications would be for her future, Huynh said. If there were any hopes and dreams she had about having kids in the future, a lot of that is in question.

Binam has not had her period since the surgery was performed, Huynh said, and it is unclear if she will be able to get pregnant. She spent a year before the whistleblower complaint emerged trying in vain to get officials at ICDC to take her seriously.

No one listened to her, Huynh said.

ICDC is run by a private prison company called LaSalle Corrections. A spokesman for LaSalle didnt return multiple calls or an email seeking comment. ICDC has the capacity to hold 1,201 prisoners.

There was a lack of oversight on this doctor and the facility itself, Huynh said. Just the type of recommendations for surgeries that were being provided. I have heard of stories of other women who have undergone surgery without their consent who have now been deported.

ICE has pledged to fully investigate the womens allegations. A statement by Ada Rivera, medical director of the ICE Health Service Corps, said ICE vehemently disputes the implication that detainees are used for experimental medical procedures.

Rivera said detainees are afforded informed consent, and a medical procedure like a hysterectomy would never be performed against a detainees will.

Detained immigrants at the Irwin County Detention Center in Ocilla, Ga. (Reade Levinson/Reuters)

Conditions in ICE detention centers are notoriously poor. Last year, the Southern Poverty Law Center filed a federal class-action lawsuit claiming that detainees were denied adequate health care and disability accommodations while being held in 158 immigrant prisons across the country.

The SPLC lawsuit charged that the for-profit companies being paid hundreds of dollars a day per detainee are not adequately caring for their charges. According to the SPLC, immigrants held inside ICE detention centers are subjected to rampant abuse and mistreatment, including the denial of proper medical screening and care and extended periods of time in solitary confinement.

Last year, House Oversight Committee staff members visited several facilities, including ICDC, where ICE holds detainees. In a letter to ICEs inspector general, acting Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney reported substantial concerns about verbal abuse, sleep deprivation and use of aggressive force at the detention centers.

Many Americans have become inured to reports of poor conditions in jails, but allegations of forced hysterectomies and other inappropriate gynecological care at Irwin captured public attention this week, reminding many of Americas past history of state control over the bodies of poor and immigrant women. In 1927, the Supreme Court upheld a states right to forcibly sterilize people considered unfit to bear children. As many as 70,000 Americans, many of them minority or immigrant women, were sterilized during the 20th century without their consent.

The Irwin County Detention Center has long been on the radar of civil rights attorneys. Elizabeth Matherne, an immigration attorney based near the detention center, told Yahoo News that in the fall of 2018 she had a particularly disturbing experience with a client inside the prison who was both very ill and extremely adamant that she would not see the prison gynecologist.

The young woman, who had recently suffered a miscarriage, had a fever a few days after Mathernes initial visit. Matherne arrived back at Irwin to find her client with extreme pain in her abdomen that radiated to her legs. She was doubled over, tears streaming down her face.

Matherne suspected an infection from her miscarriage not being properly treated, which can be a serious condition. But despite Matherne begging the young woman to see the prison gynecologist, the young woman would not go.

A woman confined to the Adelanto immigration detention center. (Lucy Nicholson/Reuters)

She was afraid that he would hurt her or do things to her without explaining to her what would be done, Matherne said. The attorney told Yahoo News she reported her concerns to management at the Irwin County Detention Center in 2018, when the incident occurred. She said that the prison allowed her client to be seen by a different doctor, but they did not replace the gynecologist they were using even though Matherne said she implored them to stop using that doctor.

Lorilei Williams, a senior staff attorney at the Southern Poverty Law Centers Southeast Immigrant Freedom Initiative, said that ICDC is known among immigration attorneys in Georgia for being a tough place.

Irwin has a history of not providing adequate medical care to people with medical needs in the detention center, Williams said. Theres been several reports about Irwin in particular during the pandemic. ... Weve seen them retaliate against clients in solitary confinement. Weve had two clients in solitary confinement without running water.

Whatever went on at ICDC, lawyers say that they are not confident it has stopped. There is the testimony, for example, of immigration lawyer Tracie Klinke. On Tuesday, Klinke held a Zoom meeting with a client at ICDC who is in her mid-20s and who had been at the gynecologist to have a skin rash examined.

Her client came back and said the doctor told her not to worry about the rash, but to be concerned because she had a cyst on her ovary. The doctor suggested her client would need a procedure to remove the cyst. Klinke said her client got back to ICDC and told the other women what the doctor had said and they were all like, Yes, he always says theres a cyst involved. Were not surprised.

_____

Read more from Yahoo News:
NEW YORK, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- HR technology company, Wade & Wendy, is very excited to be hosting its third, free-to-attend, virtual Recruitment Automation Conference: Talent Experience in Uncertain Times on October 1, 2020 from 11 am to 6 pm ET.

The free event is open to all and registration can be found here .

The current unemployment crisis has impacted everything: diversity & inclusion practices, digital job discovery, career pathing + upskilling, and more. The conference will be a chance to tackle these challenges and understand how TA professionals can make a difference.

"We created the Recruitment Automation Community because after speaking with TA teams across the world, we realized that every company was handling major challenges - from diversity to technology implementation to the unemployment crisis - differently," said Drew Austin, Chief Executive Officer of Wade & Wendy. "This conference is a real opportunity to learn from each other."

The conference will feature several panel discussions, including: Diversity Now: Building Inclusive Candidate Experience Today, Delivering Candidates Feedback in a Crisis, TA's Opportunity - and Responsibility - to Tackle Unemployment, The Future of Job Discovery in a Digital World, and Graduating into a Recession: Approaches in Early Career + Campus Recruiting.

Among the speakers lined up are leaders from BBVA, Keller Williams, Accenture, Greenhouse Software, Sequoia, Intuitive, pymetrics, Talent Board, and more. All panels will take live questions from the crowd from the event chat stream that takes place throughout the conference.

Wade & Wendy will be partnering with RecruitersRecruitingRecruiters  to host an interactive session, aimed at helping TA professionals affected by unemployment find their next opportunity.

The conference will also feature a "Talent Acquisition Talent Show," in which TA professionals will show off their hidden talents. A sign-up form can be found at https://forms.gle/t2LdVdSfSkcaxvq56 !

Conference speakers will include Leslie (Hollingsworth) Vander Gheynst, Kenneth L. Johnson, Nora Miller, SPHR, Gerry Crispin , Gisselle Ruiz, Kevin W. Grossman, TAS, HCS, Matt Alder, Mimi Fox Melton , Roy Baladi, Crystle Johnson, MBA-HRM, CDP (She/Her), Trent Cotton, Frida Polli, PhD, Brad Cook, Steve Levy , Victor P Gaines, II, MS, and more.

To learn more and register, click here .

The last RAC conference - which took place in July - focused on Diversity & Inclusion, and had over 1300 attendees; featuring speakers from T-Mobile, Unilever, and Workday: it also featured SiriusXM host Torin Ellis who had a powerful keynote address ( watch here ) and a heartbreaking tribute to George Floyd in the form of a Q&A session that ended abruptly after 8 minutes and 46 seconds.

If you are interested in having your company participate, or speaking at the next RAC, please reach out to Dave Mekelburg at [email protected].

More about the Recruitment Automation Community:

The Recruitment Automation Community (RAC) is a group of over 3,000 talent acquisition and human resource professionals interested in shaping the evolution of digital recruitment.

The RAC brings the global recruitment community together to learn, grow, and connect around important issues RAC is for recruiters, sourcers, executives, builders, and industry experts: the people that are driving the evolution of digital recruitment - and the people that want to learn more about it.

The group engages regularly at Recruitment Automation Conference events, as well as on the group's LinkedIn community page (to request to join, click here ). You can learn more at www.recruitmentautomationcommunity.com .

More About Wade & Wendy:

Wade & Wendy is an on-demand recruitment automation platform that increases recruiters' bandwidth to make for a better  and more human  candidate experience.

Their AI recruiter platform automates task-driven recruitment processes: sourcing, screening and recommending qualified & interested candidates. In addition, their platform engages diverse candidate communities through the sourcing process and uses its blind AI screening technology to mitigate bias in the evaluation process.

Wade & Wendy also automates scheduling and coordinating the next steps in the process, a digital-first platform that improves collaboration across teams and engages candidates regardless of geography.

You can learn more at wadeandwendy.ai

More About RecruitersRecruiting Recruiters:

RecruitersRecruitingRecruiters is a consortium of recruitment industry vendors and private industry TA leaders who have committed themselves to the art and science of great candidate experience.

RecruitersRecruitingRecruiters.com (RecruitersRecruitingRecruiters) is a collaborative initiative designed to get recruiters working, companies running, and industries back to business. RecruitersRecruitingRecruiters believes talent acquisition professionals are the backbone of surviving this pandemic. If they get back to work, we all get back to work.

The RecruitersRecruitingRecruiters steering committee is comprised of individual industry stakeholders as well as from companies like CareerXroads, SmartRecruiters, Consider, and Red Branch Media.

You can learn more at www.RecruitersRecruitingRecruiters.com

Media contact:

Dave Mekelburg

[email protected]

SOURCE Wade & Wendy, Inc.

Related Links

https://wadeandwendy.ai/


Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 18)  Bayan Muna Representative Carlos Zarate confronted the Department of Justice (DOJ) over a report posted on its website tagging several party-lists as founded by the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

Zarate read part of the 2020 Philippine Human Rights Situationer stating that, In Congress, three resolutions were filed by known CPP-created party-lists, namely, Bayan Muna, Anakpawis, Gabriela, and the Alliance of Concerned Teachers

"We are legally registered party, nagkaroon kami ng Kongreso in 2000/1999 and we were duly elected by our constituencies," Zarate said.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, who led the department in defending its budget for 2021, said he was not aware of the statement in the report.

"We have taken due note of the concern of Cong. Zarate and we would like to assure him that insofar as the DOJ is concerned ay wala naman kaming ginagawang ganong parang policy ng red-tagging or something like that, Guevarra noted.

[Translation: "We have taken due note of the concern of Cong. Zarate and we would like to assure him that insofar as the DOJ is concerned, we don't have any policy of red-tagging or something like that.]

The justice chief pointed out that the DOJ sticks to its mandate in resolving cases based on evidence.

DOJ spokesperson Markk Perete explained that the department's participation in the report is only limited to Administrative Order (AO) 35 mechanism.

AO 35 created the inter-agency committee on extra-legal killings, enforced disappearances, torture and other grave violations of the right to life, liberty and security of persons.

We would like to reiterate that in fact there is no such policy against progressive groups or even those which have been mentioned in the report, Perete said.

Guevarra also cited the DOJs work in conducting investigation in cases of slain members of advocacy groups.

Kahit wala pong nagsasabi sa amin pursuant to Administrative Order No. 35 Kami naman po ay masigasig sa paggawa ng ganung tungkulin ng DOJ as chair of that AO35 committee."

[Translation: Even if no one's telling us, pursuant to Administrative Order No. 35...We are actively fulfilling the duty of DOJ as chair of that AO35 committee.]

Asked if the DOJ will take down the report, Guevarra said he will take another look at it.

We will issue an appropriate statement if necessary," he said.
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Paris, France  Fri, September 18, 2020 07:26 491 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c458e359 2 World France,doctor,autism,antibiotics Free

French prosecutors said Thursday that they had opened an inquiry into dozens of doctors prescribing antibiotics and other drugs as a purported treatment for autism in children, potentially endangering their health.

The investigation comes after an alert by France's ANSM medicines watchdog that doctors were prescribing long-term courses of antibiotics and drugs against metal poisoning to autistic children.

According to Olivia Cattan, who heads the help group SOS Autisme and has written a book on the practice, some 50 doctors in France are thought to be treating up to 5,000 children this way.

Such prescriptions have been linked to controversial ideas from Nobel Medicine Prize laureate Luc Montagnier, honored in 2008 for his co-discovery of the virus that causes AIDS, but frequently dismissed by the medical community for his unconventional ideas in recent years.

The Paris prosecutor's office said its public health department has been entrusted with the probe into charges of "endangering the lives of others" and "offences related to research involving human beings."

On Tuesday, the ANSM said it had referred the matter, flagged by Cattan, to prosecutors after collecting evidence including parents' testimony and prescription sheets.

The watchdog said the children were prescribed antibiotics, anti-fungal, anti-parasitic or anti-viral drugs, as well as treatments for heavy metal ingestion that are normally reserved for use in case of poisoning.

The ANSM "formally advises against these uses, for which these drugs have not shown to be effective and which put these children at risk, particularly with prolonged use."

Effects can include digestive, cardiovascular and skin disorders, while misuse of antibiotics can lead to drug resistance that undermines the effectiveness of future treatments.

The ANSM has also alerted French doctors' and pharmacists' associations.

Montagnier has repeatedly suggested that infection may be what causes autism, and set up much-criticized experiments to prove it.

He has claimed that parents and doctors have observed benefits from long-term antibiotic treatment, but most medical professionals remain skeptical of the assertion.

Montagnier is not the only French medical expert to court controversy with unorthodox treatments.

Didier Raoult, a doctor in the southern city of Marseille, has been promoting hydroxychloroquine, usually used in cases of malaria, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, as a treatment for Covid-19 -- a remedy vaunted by Donald Trump but shot down by clinical research.

Topics : France doctor autism antibiotics
In a major setback to Harsh Vardhan Lodha, the Calcutta High Court on Friday ordered his removal from all position in the Rs 25,000 crore MP Birla Group and its associated entities with immediate effect. Lodha, who is the chairman of MP Birla Group companies, has also been barred from drawing any benefit from the assets of Birla Estate.

Lodha has been locked in a 16-year-old legal battle over Priyamvada Birla's will to retain control of cement maker Birla Corp. The court decision will provide respite to the extended Birla family which has contested the legal validity of Priyamvada Birla's will. In the will, Priyamvada Birla bestowed her estate and control of the (now) MP Birla empire to her chartered accountant R.S. Lodha and his second son Harsh Vardhan Lodha.

The court order means that Lodha ceases to hold all positions in the MP Birla Group, including his role as director on the boards of MP Birla companies, listed entities Vindhya Telelinks Ltd, Birla Cables Ltd and Universal Cables Ltd.

Earlier in May this year, a two-judge division bench of the Calcutta High Court had allowed Lodha's reinstatement as director by rotation in group companies Vindhya Telelinks and Birla Cable, if the shareholders approve it, and also pay dividends to the shareholders of Birla Corporation and Vindhya Telelinks.

In another victory for the Lodhas, the court had also set aside the August 9, 2019 ruling of a single HC judge who prevented these companies from publishing the voting results of the last AGMs.

The Birla family had challenged his appointment in the Supreme Court, but their petition was rejected and the case was redirected to the high court.

The genesis of decade old legal battle between the MP Birla Group companies represented by Newar and the Lodhas lies in the contested will of late Priyamvada Devi Birla, the widow of MP Birla, which was executed in July 1982 after the purported will allegedly transferred the shares of the MP Birla Group, collectively called as the Birla Estate, in favour of the Rajendra Singh Lodha.

The legal tussle began after the July 13, 1982 mutual wills that gave away all the assets to charities but another will dated April 18, 1999 gave them to Rajendra Lodha, now being pursued by his son Harsh Lodha, and other heirs of the senior Lodha.

The legal battle got a new twist in July 2019 when in a 2:1 order on July 30, 2019 the Calcutta HC-appointed three-member administrator's committee (APL panel) headed by retired Bombay HC judge Mohit Shah opposed the board decision of the three listed MP Birla Group companies to re-appoint Harsh Lodha as non-executive chairman.

Also Read: PMC Bank scam: ED attaches 3 hotels in Delhi worth Rs 100 crore
The department of telecommunications (DoT) has proposed that telecom companies undertake network audits to address security risks from spyware and malware, minister of state for communications Sanjay Dhotre said.

In a written reply submitted to the Rajya Sabha, the minister said telecom equipment and network could have backdoor and trapdoor vulnerabilities, adding operators are responsible for the security of their networks.

The proposal for the telecom sector audit assumes importance amid the ongoing India-China border standoff.

Tensions between the two nations escalated in June when 20 soldiers of the Indian Army were killed in a clash with Chinese forces along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh.

Since then, the government has taken several steps to limit trade with the neighbour, including a ban on more than 200 Chinese mobile apps.

The minister said the government has not banned the purchase of equipment from Chinese vendors, adding, however, that an amendment in the General Financial Rules, 2017, allows the department of expenditure to impose restrictions on public buying from any country on the grounds of national security.

This apprehension (of security threat) is further confirmed by the fact that other countries like the US, UK and Australia have also taken parallel recourse against Chinese vendors, citing their close allegiance with the Peoples Liberation Army of China, said Sameer Jain, founder and managing partner, PSL Advocates & Solicitors.

The UK has imposed a blanket ban on Huaweis 5G equipment from the end of 2020, and plans to phase out all gear supplied by the Chinese firm by 2027, Jain added.

Last December, department of telecommunications had directed all telecom operatorsBharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL), Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL), Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd, Bharti Airtel Ltd and Vodafone Idea Ltd to undertake security audit of their networks by an external agency.

Under the Unified License, each licensee has to undertake an audit of their networks or get their networks audited from a security point of view once in a financial year from a network audit and certification agency, Union minister Dhotre said on Thursday.

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The ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has now expanded its censorship from the internet, video, TV, and publications to live performances, such as rap and cross talk.

Live shows such as talk shows, cross talks and stage plays will face content review and on-site supervision, according to a policy recently put out by the CCP. Netizens criticized it with comments such as whatever is good, itll get ruined, and whatever becomes popular, it must be censored.

On Sept. 16, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism issued the Notice on Deepening the Reform of Delegation, Administration, and Service to Promote the Prosperity of the Performance Market, requiring online communication service units to arrange for special personnel to review performance content and comments; and immediately delete, block, or disconnect the content that is prohibited by laws and regulations. Meanwhile, it requires to keep the screen data for at least 60 days for future reference. Individual live channel performances are managed in accordance with the Administrative Measures for Network Performance Operations.

The notice also requires strengthening of the content review of key themes in performing arts, which include major revolutionary and historical themes, major decision-making and deployment themes of the Party and the state, ethnic and religious themes, and heroes and martyrs.

In addition, the notice stressed the supervision of key performance types with a focus on the audit and check of electronic and rap music programs. The requirements for strengthening the supervision and inspection of the shows applies to the details of the content of the on-site display screens and interactive links. If the program is a live broadcast, it needs to be watched by a designated person and the content that does not meet the taste of the authorities should be deleted in time, according to the notice.

In terms of small theater performances, the focus is on strengthening the content review and on-site supervision of language programs, such as talk shows, cross talks, avant-garde dramas, and experimental theaters. For tourism performing arts, music programs and Live House performances, the entities must apply for approval and be included in the supervision.

Large Number of Mainland Shows Blocked

There have been many changes in censorship of live programs in recent months. For example, in August this year, due to Chinese leader Xi Jinpings order to stop food waste, all live broadcasts of eating shows in the mainland were removed. At present, there are no search results for eating show/mukbang on Chinas mainstream live broadcasting platforms, such as Huya and Kuaishou. At the same time, hundreds of prohibited words are added to the blacklist on the live broadcast platform, divided into six categories and dozens of small categories.

In July 2019, the popular online show Great Tang Leiyin Temple was banned after being accused by the authorities for posting articles and videos that contain horror, vulgar and pornographic content, and playing side ball with censorship. However, netizens have different opinions. Some commented on the show, they talk about Chinese social issues. They shock people. I listen to them with great interest, it has great knowledge and skills in storytelling, and easy to the ears.
150 Iranian political and civil rights activists issued a statement on Thursday protesting the execution of the young athlete Navid Afakari in an Iranian prison, with the signees drawing parallels between his hanging and the brutal massacre of protesters during the November 2019 uprising against Iran's clergy-dominated establishment.

The activists issued the letter following the recent execution of Afkari, a 27-year-old national wrestling champion, in Shiraz. Iranian officials had sentenced Afkari to two death sentences after he was charged with participating in Shiraz's August 2018 protests and allegedly killing a member of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).

Afkari was hastily hanged in an early morning incident on September 12, as his family and lawyers tried to negotiate a pardon with the security guard's relatives. Despite a legal requirement, Afkari's family and attorneys were not present when he was hanged in Shiraz's notorious Adelabad prison.

Issuing two death sentences for the young wrestler indicated that the establishment was resolved from the beginning to kill the young athlete, the statement reads.

The mandate to bring Afkari to a swift and brutal death "came from the same headquarters that had ordered the killing of hundreds of protesters in November 2019," the statement says. "The order was carried out with the same purpose as the previous massacre: to intimidate the people and suppress the protesters."

In November 2019, an overnight three-fold increase in gasoline prices triggered an unprecedented uprising against the Iranian establishment, with protests soon spreading to more than 100 cities and 29 out of 31 provinces of Iran.

As ordered by Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, swarms of police forces in riot gear, as well as Special Unit soldiers, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps' (IRGC) members, and plainclothesmen, all stormed into the rallies, directly opening fire into the crowds and killing and wounding thousands, including at least 23 children.

The activists blamed Afkari's death on Khamenei's office and the Iranian judiciary, calling the parties "responsible" for such a "cruel crime."

"Disregarding the public will, the Supreme Leader's office and the criminal head of the Judiciary hastily, and even without legal and humane formalities, executed the young wrestler and plasterer," they wrote, adding that the "establishment's haste in committing such a crime" shows the "depth of the regime's fear of the poor and oppressed people's uprising."

According to the statement, the Iranian leaders responsible for Afkari's death are so hated that another revolt may be on the horizon.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 17:00:12|Editor: huaxia

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A bell-ringing ceremony is held to mark the 89th anniversary of the September 18 Incident in front of a monument at the September 18 Incident History Museum in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 18, 2020. People here commemorate the 89th anniversary of September 18 Incident, which marked the outbreak of Japan's large-scale invasion of China. (Xinhua)

SHENYANG, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Air raid sirens echoed through the city of Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, at 9:18 a.m. on Friday, to mark the 89th anniversary of the "Sept. 18 Incident."

It was on this fateful day in 1931 when Japanese troops blew up a section of the railway near Shenyang under their control and accused Chinese troops of sabotage as a pretext for subsequent aggression.

Apart from Shenyang, 13 other cities in the province sounded air raid sirens while cars came to a halt and honked their horns with citizens standing in silent tribute, to mark this dark chapter of history.

Early in the morning, citizens gathered at a bell-tolling ceremony in the 9.18 Historical Museum in Shenyang. Fourteen representatives from various walks of life struck the bell 14 times, symbolizing the 14 years of fight against Japanese aggressors by the Chinese people.

"We should not forget history and those who sacrificed their lives for us," said Li Weibo, an 88-year-old veteran. "Life is getting better now, but we should exercise caution against dangers even in times of calm and work together to make our country stronger." Enditem
Just two weeks after students started returning to Ball State University last month, the surrounding county had become Indiana's coronavirus epicenter.



Out of nearly 600 students tested for the virus, more than half have been positive. Dozens of infections have been blamed on off-campus parties, prompting university officials to admonish students.



University President Geoffrey Mearns wrote that the cases apparently were tied not to classrooms or dormitories but to "poor personal choices some students are making, primarily off campus."



"The actions of these students are putting our planned on-campus instruction and activities at risk," he said.



Similar examples abound in other college towns across the nation. Among the 50 large U.S. counties with the highest percentages of student residents, 20 have consistently reported higher rates of new virus cases than their states have since Sept. 1, according to an Associated Press analysis.



On average, infection rates in those 20 counties have been more than three times higher than their states' overall rates.



At James Madison University in Virginia, which recently sent students home through September amid a surge in cases, the county is averaging a weekly infection rate of nearly 90 cases per 100,000 people, or more than eight times the statewide average.



Health officials fear that surges among college students will spread to more vulnerable people  older ones and those with underlying health problems  and trigger a new wave of cases and hospitalizations. Some worry that colleges could overwhelm hospitals already bracing for increasing cases of COVID-19 and flu this fall and winter.



"There's this waiting game. Does it stay on college campuses or will it escape?" said Dr. Jeff Pothof, chief quality officer at the University of Wisconsin medical center in Madison, where cases among college students have been climbing.



While universities have emerged as hot spots in nearly every state, many of the worst outbreaks have been scattered across the South and Midwest. Of the 50 college counties analyzed by the AP, James Madison's had the highest infection rate, followed by counties that are home to the University of Georgia, Florida State and Indiana University in Bloomington.



In the 10 counties with the highest infection rates, colleges have reported at least 15,000 cases among students and employees in recent weeks, though testing and reporting practices vary significantly and the actual number is probably much higher.



For many colleges, the return to campus was a carefully orchestrated process that took months to plan and millions of dollars to pull off. But as safe as they've made their campuses, many colleges have struggled to curb off-campus gatherings that have been tied to thousands of infections.



Parties were blamed for dozens of cases at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which brought students back in early August only to send them home weeks later.



Other schools have cracked down on parties and disciplined students. The University of Missouri in Columbia announced this week that it expelled two students and suspended three others for violating rules meant to slow the virus's spread.



The outbreaks are increasingly straining relations between universities and their towns.

Amid a spike in cases at the University of Colorado at Boulder, county health authorities Tuesday urged all students to quarantine for two weeks. Students and others at the university have accounted for 76% of the county's 663 positive cases over the past two weeks, officials said.



"More stringent and mandatory restrictions will be imposed if students do not comply and break the transmission cycle," Jeffrey Zayach, executive director of Boulder County Public Health, warned in a letter to students.



In a letter to students, the school's chancellor, Philip DiStefano, warned that the quarantine will be strictly enforced and that students who violate it could face suspension or other discipline. Already, DiStefano said, more than 400 students face university discipline for violating public health orders.



At Miami University in Ohio, county health authorities ordered all of the school's athletes to isolate for 14 days last month after 27 tested positive for the virus. Last week, local police cited six men at an off-campus house party that included several students who had recently tested positive.



As cases increase at Boston College and the campus runs out of quarantine space, the mayor of nearby Newton is asking the school not to use any of the town's hotels or other property to isolate students.



Some cities have tightened rules at bars to discourage students from gathering. As cases surged at Illinois State, the town's mayor issued an order requiring all bar customers to be seated to be served. He also limited gatherings near campus to no more than 10 people.



Still, residents and officials in many college towns are rooting for universities to work through outbreaks and avoid campus closings that could further hurt the local economy.



Fred Pryce, who manages a series of stores in a strip mall near Ball State, said sending students home would hurt the area's businesses "big time."



"That's 20,000-plus potential patrons that will vanish," Pryce said. "There are ways to keep students in Muncie safely while they do their classes."



Ball State, roughly 60 miles from Indianapolis, has about 22,000 students on a campus of red brick buildings and sleek, modern dorms in Muncie, where the university is the city's second-largest employer after Ball Memorial Hospital.



On campus last week, sophomore La'Tricia Williams, wearing a mask, said she was glad to be back instead of sitting on the couch with her laptop at her family's home, taking online classes.



"But I get that it comes with some risk," she said. "You can give students a whole bunch of rules for what they should and shouldn't do while they're back at the school, but they're not going to stop doing certain things here or going out into the community."



Caleb Henry, a Ball State junior who lives off campus, said that he and other students have been frequenting local bars and meeting at friends' houses but that he and most others are behaving responsibly, with masks and social distancing. He said students are being vilified unfairly.



"Everyone seems to be getting upset at college kids right now, accusing us of spreading the virus and making us out to be these highly infectious creatures that need to be sent home," Henry said. "What about all the other people around town going to bars ... having parties, weddings, whatever? We're only doing the same things they are."



As cases mounted at Ball State last month, the school tried to ban students from visiting dorms other than their own, but officials reversed the rule after a backlash from students. Even so, officials say infection rates have started to subside, and the school has no plans to suspend campus instruction.



While some colleges have sent students home amid outbreaks, many others are digging in. Some have moved classes online but urged students to stay where they are until cases drop. Among them is the University of Notre Dame, which paused in-person classes Aug. 18 and moved them online amid a surge that saw as many as 89 new cases per day. Weeks later, after a sharp decrease in infections, classes have started to resume on campus.



Other schools are hoping to replicate that success, including the University of Illinois, the University of Wisconsin and West Virginia University, which recently shifted classes online as the virus spread.



In a recent call with governors, Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force, cautioned against sending students home, saying that could spark outbreaks elsewhere.



Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has also endorsed Notre Dame's approach, saying colleges that "work through it" and find ways to isolate infected students are more likely to "end up in the best place."



In a letter to students at Ball State this week, the university president thanked students for helping reduce virus rates. Still, he warned: "This data is not a cause for celebration. Rather, this data is a call for continued action."
A high-flying hotel executive who described himself as a 'poster boy for gay employees' has been ordered to pay nearly half a million pounds after pretending to be offended when colleagues called him a 'diva'.

Chee Hwee Tan, who earned 160,000 a year as Senior Vice President at Global Procurement, regularly referred to himself as a 'princess' and a 'bitch' and told the chairman's PA he was a 'diva who always delivers', a tribunal heard.

But after he was made redundant, he launched a string of claims against Millennium & Copthorne Hotels and complained that he felt 'harassed and offended' by others using the word diva in relation to him.

Mr Tan, who was based at the luxurious Gloucester Millennium Hotel in the heart of Kensington, also revealed he had secretly recorded 'tens of thousands of hours' of conversations with colleagues.

However the employment tribunal dismissed all his claims and ordered Mr Tan to pay 432,001 in costs.

Chee Hwee Tan was based at the luxurious Gloucester Millennium Hotel in the heart of Kensington

Mr Tan had tried to claim he was not friends with Dr Catherine Wu, PA to multi-billionaire chairman Kwek Leng Beng, and he felt victimised by her use of the word 'diva' in conversation with him.

But the tribunal heard the pair were actually close friends and messaged and gossiped almost daily.

They speculated on which male film stars were gay, went to a Graham Norton show together and were generally 'close confidants'.

In one of their many WhatsApp conversations, Dr Wu told him 'You also do not be diva, ok' when urging him not to jump to conclusions about other colleagues.

He replied by saying, 'Totally agree. I am not diva', later that day adding 'This 'diva' still faster than most ha'.

The tribunal found Mr Tan had described himself as the 'poster boy for gay employees' at the hotel, in another message to Dr Wu he said 'the diva always delivers' and he happily referred to himself as a 'princess' and a 'bitch'.

He also accused another colleague of 'throwing his diva-ness around' in the office.

When he was asked by the tribunal why he felt it was okay for him to call other colleagues a 'diva', he replied 'it depends on the context'.

Mr Tan told the tribunal: '[I] felt offended and harassed.'

The hearing was also told he made a number of rude comments about senior work colleagues, describing the business's head of Europe as 'useless if not evil' and the Chief Financial Officer as 'having no balls'.

In 2016 Mr Tan was warned he was at risk of redundancy and at Christmas he signed off sick from work.

When he returned he saw a consultant psychiatrist - but decided to 'covertly record' the meeting.

The tribunal found this was something that Mr Tan regularly did and it was revealed he had 'tens of hundreds of hours' of recordings of conversations with junior and senior colleagues.

He recorded chats he had with the chairman's driver as well as the psychiatrist and his other friends at the company.

Mr Tan had tried to claim he was not friends with Dr Catherine Wu, PA to multi-billionaire chairman Kwek Leng Beng, but the tribunal heard they were actually 'close confidants' and even went to a Graham Norton show together

At one stage, Dr Wu suggested to him that he secretly record the chairman, but Mr Tan disingenuously replied 'It's illegal may get caught'.

The tribunal said: 'From this we find two things: firstly, [he] was being deceitful towards Dr Wu implying that this was a new idea about which he had reservations, when he had already made hours of such recordings and secondly, that he was fully aware that this amounted to wrongdoing.

'The further irony was that the claimant was actually recording that very conversation with Dr Wu.

'We find that this showed duplicitous and underhand conduct...he was collecting evidence for the purposes of proceedings.'

As part of his 'scattergun tactic' of making numerous claims against the claims after he was made redundant in 2017, Mr Tan, who is of Chinese/Singaporean heritage, also brought a claim of discriminatory pay, despite having his salary increased from 138,000 to 160,000.

The tribunal report stated: '[Mr Tan] self-described as diva and princess in conversation with Dr Wu and a poster boy for gay employees at the [company].

'[Mr Tan] at no time objected or complained to Dr Wu or otherwise about such terminology and we have found that they were close friends and confidants..'

The tribunal concluded that Mr Tan's claims of unfair dismissal, age discrimination, race discrimination, discrimination because of sexual orientation, victimisation, harassment, whistleblowing detriment and unlawful deductions from wages all failed.

Employment Judge Tina Elliot said that even if his plan of making so many claims had succeeded, his secret recordings would have ultimately still led to his dismissal.

The report added: 'We find that he was using a scattergun approach making reference to every possible claim he could think of, to strengthen his position within the redundancy exercise.'

Copthorne Hotels has 125 hotels in 22 countries across Asia, Australasia, Europe, the Middle East and North America. In 2019 the business was valued at 2.23billion.

A night in the Executive Suite at the four star Gloucester Hotel in Kensington costs at least 360 and the hotel is just yards from the Bombay Brassiere, one of London's finest Indian restaurants.
President Donald Trump has announced plans for a new commission to promote "patriotic education" in U.S. schools.





The New York Post reported Trump's Thursday announcement of the "1776 Commission," which intends to promote "patriotic education."

Trump has accused the New York Times and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden of warping history.

He described America's history and heritage as "under assault" from the left, decrying anti-racism teachings and "cancel culture."

Trump said the Democrats and the Times' "1619 Project" did not give an accurate picture of U.S. history. For him, the project over-emphasized race and the legacy of slavery.

His "patriotic education" proposal was announced during a 17-minute speech at the National Archives Museum. It marked the 233rd anniversary of the Constitution's signing.

'Indoctrinating' Children

Trump delivered his speech in somber tones, said The Hill. He painted a "dramatic and dark portrait" of an effort by liberals to "indoctrinate" U.S. children through the 1619 Project.

He said American values, culture, and faith were being repressed in America's children. He blasted progressive efforts through a race-critical lens as "toxic propaganda," the Forbes said in a report.

He also accused schools of teaching children "hateful lies about this country," the NBC News reported. He said he would take steps to restore "patriotic education."

"Whether it is the mob on the street or the cancel culture in the boardroom, the goal all is the same," he said.

"To silence dissent, to scare you out of speaking the truth, and to bully Americans into abandonment of their values, their heritage, and their very way of life," he added.

'Patriotic Education' under the 1776 Commission

The 1776 commission will be tasked to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the U.S.'s founding. It will encourage educators to teach students about "the miracle of American history."

"Our youth will be taught to love America with all of their heart and all of their souls," Trump said.

The White House did not say when would the President plans will officially start this new commission. Trump took "critical race theory" in particular. It argues that racism and inequalities related to race are a result of systemic power structures.

He called critical race theory a "Marxist doctrine" and added that teaching it to children is a form of child abuse "in the truest sense of the word."

He also swiped at the 1619 Project for trying to "reframe" the history of the U.S. It placed the effects of slavery and Black Americans' contributions at the center of U.S. history's narrative, and Trump did not like it being taught at schools.

Trump said both critical race theory and the 1619 Project were "ideological poison." He added that the two could dissolve the "civic bonds" that tie American citizens together if not removed.

The President and some of his top aides have denied that there is systemic racism in the U.S. This belief is despite protests all over the country in response to the killings of Black people.

Trump has also shown more opposition to anti-racism efforts as he denies it. Earlier this month, he sought to ban 'Anti-American' federal diversity training, as said in a memo.

White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought said such training would only "drive division" within the workforce.

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CHENNAI: Social Welfare Corporation Anguk Zen Center in South Korea has donated one lakh health masks for free distribution through Srinivasan Services Trust, the social services arm of TVS Motor Company, to aid Indias fight against Covid pandemic.

The donation was coordinated by K-Art International Exchange Association in Korea and InKo Centre in India, a release stated. The consignment worth 150 Million Korean Won was handed over to Venu Srinivasan, Chairman, TVS Motor Company, and Managing Trustee, Srinivasan Services Trust. The masks will be distributed to local communities across the country.

Young-seup Kwon, Consul General of the Republic of Korea in Chennai, said the cooperation at civil society level clearly showed how much ordinary Koreans and Indians care for each other and the challenge of the virus can be overcome by standing together, the release added.
BOCA RATON, Fla., Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- From the ocean surface to the deep seafloor, bioluminescent creatures are found throughout marine habitats. This "glowing" energy released from chemical reactions emitted by these organisms is used to warn or evade predators, lure or detect prey and communicate with members of the same species. Research surrounding bioluminescence will soon serve as an important tool to protect the coastlines of the United States.

Florida Atlantic University's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute has landed an $11,179,001 four-year contract from the United States Office of Naval Research (ONR) to develop a next-generation, high-intake, compact, defined excitation bathyphotometer sensor for natural oceanic bioluminescence assessments. The contract will also involve imaging, modeling, and significant field work to better understand bioluminescence dynamics in the ocean. Bathyphotometer measurements of bioluminescence are used to study light emissions from populations of luminescent marine organisms including phytoplankton and zooplankton. Water motion from the movements of fish, dolphins, and whales can stimulate such light emissions and the bathyphotometer measures the total capacity for these emissions.

"It is great news that the U.S. Office of Naval Research has contracted with Florida Atlantic University to develop advanced bioluminescence technology," said U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio. "This research is critical to protecting not only Florida's coastlines, but all of our nation's coastlines. I look forward to seeing the work that the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute will produce as a result of this contract."

The project, "Next Generation Sensor Systems for Natural Oceanic Bioluminescence Assessments," was competitively procured under the "Long Range Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for Navy and Marine Corps Science and Technology," under the purview of the ONR.

Nearly all coastal and open ocean regions, particularly waters with high productivity, have conditions favorable for bioluminescence emission at night. Bioluminescence can be detected remotely, above water, with the naked eye or with camera systems. No current bioluminescence measurement system has the ability to measure the full light emission potential of the organisms in the water column. Existing bathyphotometers with low flow rates are typically relevant only for passive phytoplankton, usually found near the water's surface.

"Technology to determine how bioluminescent organisms are distributed in space and time and how they may affect the light environment at night is lacking. We also need the measurements and models to understand how larger marine animals like whales and dolphins stimulate bioluminescence through their swimming motions," said Michael Twardowski, Ph.D., principal investigator and a research professor at FAU's Harbor Branch. "Working with the U.S. Office of Naval Research and our academic and corporate partners, we are not only developing a next generation 'gold standard' sensor that will be compact and versatile in deployment, but continuing a legacy of research in oceanic bioluminescence and its role in ocean ecology."

The first core goal of this project is to improve assessments from bioluminescence for the comprehensive organism field utilizing the next generation bathyphotometer being developed by FAU's Harbor Branch, which will involve field testing in a wide range of sites. The second goal of the project will be to develop an integrated imaging system payload for autonomous platforms such as high and low altitude drones and surface vehicles. The imaging systems developed by FAU's Harbor Branch will use a novel approach during collection with specific algorithms that are far more efficient at preserving information.

"We are extremely grateful for Sen. Rubio's continued support and for his leadership in assisting us to acquire this significant contract from the United States Office of Naval Research," said Daniel C. Flynn, Ph.D., FAU's vice president for research. "Not only will our project help to secure our coastline from potential threats it also will help to stimulate economic development and growth in this region and create new, high-tech jobs."

Project collaborators are the University of South Florida, St. Petersburg; University of Florida, Fort Pierce; Scripps Institute of Oceanography, University of California-San Diego; Texas Christian University; Florida International University; and Tonizzo Consulting.

"For more than 50 years, Florida Atlantic University's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute has been at the forefront of marine science and technology. This monumental award is a testament to our talented researchers who dedicate their lives to improving and protecting our quality of life," said James Sullivan, Ph.D., co-investigator and executive director of FAU's Harbor Branch. "We look forward to working with the Office of Naval Research and our academic and commercial partners on this vital project, which will further enhance and 'illuminate' our understanding of ocean ecology."

Co-principal investigators are Bing Ouyang, Ph.D., associate research professor, FAU's Harbor Branch; Timothy Moore, Ph.D., research professor, FAU's Harbor Branch; Aditya Nayak, Ph.D., assistant professor, FAU's College of Engineering and Computer Science; Malcolm McFarland, Ph.D., research associate, FAU's Harbor Branch; Fraser Dalgleish, Ph.D., affiliate research professor, FAU's Harbor Branch; Laurent Cherubin, Ph.D., associate research professor, FAU's Harbor Branch; Jason Hallstrom, Ph.D., professor, FAU's College of Engineering and Computer Science and director of FAU's Institute for Sensing and Embedded Network Systems Engineering (I-SENSE); and Siddartha Verma, Ph.D., assistant professor, FAU's College of Engineering and Computer Science.

- FAU -

About Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute: Founded in 1971, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University is a research community of marine scientists, engineers, educators and other professionals focused on Ocean Science for a Better World. The institute drives innovation in ocean engineering, at-sea operations, drug discovery and biotechnology from the oceans, coastal ecology and conservation, marine mammal research and conservation, aquaculture, ocean observing systems and marine education. For more information, visit www.fau.edu/hboi.

About Florida Atlantic University: Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six-county service region in southeast Florida. FAU's world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU's existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit fau.edu.

Provided by Newswise, online resource for knowledge-based news at www.newswise.com

Media Contacts: Gisele Galoustian

Media Relations Director, Research

[email protected]

Phone: 561-985-4615

SOURCE Florida Atlantic University

Related Links

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The Fisher House

A home away from home for veterans' families

by Davi Napoleon

Published in September, 2020

When veterans and active service members need care at a Veterans Administration hospital, their loved ones will often want to be near. But the logistics can be overwhelming and the cost prohibitive--particularly if the patient needs services beyond the scope of nearby VA hospitals. Because the Ann Arbor VA has a partnership with Michigan Medicine, it can treat those who battle unusual and complex illnesses, and it attracts vets from distant states.



Enter the new Fisher House Michigan, a home-style residence on the Ann Arbor VA grounds. Everything is free. And with necessities on hand, families don't have to shop, park, or leave the hospital area for anything else.



The goal is to create a home away from home and an instant community. "The moment you set foot in Fisher House, you see it is not a government building. It is not a hotel. It's the nicest home many have stayed in," says Kate Melcher, executive director of Fisher House Michigan.



Melcher, an Army vet, discovered Fisher House when her then-husband returned from service requiring treatment at Eglin Air Force Base Hospital on Florida's Emerald Coast. They lived too close to the base for her to be eligible for a stay at the Fisher House there, but when she knocked on the door, "a woman with a thick Southern accent hugged me and asked if I take cream or sugar." After visiting for just an hour, Melcher says she experienced the impact of Fisher House. She subsequently moved to Michigan and became involved as plans developed for houses in Ann Arbor, then Detroit.



The first two Fisher Houses opened in 1990 in Bethesda, MD, and Washington, D.C. Today there are eighty-eight at VA medical centers throughout the United States and in Germany. They have something in common with Ronald McDonald Houses, family housing near children's hospitals, but they are smaller. "Fisher Houses have from eight to twenty-one private family suites, with common areas so that families

...continued below...

can get to know each other as they did in the service when they lived on bases," says Melcher.There are sixteen suites in the Ann Arbor facility, plus common kitchen, laundry, dining, and family rooms. In better days, guests at Fisher Houses often favored time in the family room. But Ann Arbor Fisher House opened in June 2020, in the middle of the pandemic. Instead of family style meals, guests distance in the spacious dining room and wear masks in common areas.Melcher is quick to point out that the couple who initiated the project, Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher, were unrelated to the Detroit auto family. "Zachary Fisher built and managed millions of square feet of New York City real estate," she says. Unable to serve in WWII because of an injury sustained in a construction accident, "he adopted the military" to make up for it. The Fishers, now both deceased, donated more than $20 million to the construction of these homes.Formed in 2016, Fisher House Michigan has raised over $7.5 million toward its $27.5 million goal. The Ann Arbor house cost $7 million to build. Private gifts and grants are used to fund the construction of houses, which are then gifted to the VA, which promises to maintain them at the original quality. "If we have 800 thread count sheets when a house opens, we have to replace them with 800 thread count when the sheets wear out," says Melcher. They keep administrative costs low, relying on volunteers for much of the operations, so all donations can meet the needs of families.Donations come from large corporations and private individuals. "A donor from Clinton township sends a dollar a month every month. The Ugly Dog Distillery in Chelsea retooled to make hand sanitizer for every bedroom. Jiffy Mix from Chelsea makes sure pancakes are always available. Individuals, corporations, and veteran groups and auxiliaries provide essential financial support. Our community built this house and continues to take care of the families," says Melcher. "It takes a village." [Originally published in September, 2020.]
Dublin, Sept. 17, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "North Sea Oil and Gas Upstream Market - Growth, Trends, and Forecasts (2020 - 2025)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



North Sea oil and gas upstream market is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 3% during the forecast period of 2020-2025



Factors such as the reduction in the offshore drilling cost by 40% is expected to drive the North Sea oil and gas upstream market. However, the increasing usage of renewable to meet energy needs is likely to restrain the North Sea oil and gas upstream market.

Shallow water segment due to less capital cost of investment than deepwater held a significant market share, in 2019, and is expected to dominate the North Sea oil and gas upstream market.

A large amount of remaining oil and gas reserves in the region, which are expected to be exploited for several more decades, are expected to create many opportunities for the North Sea oil and gas upstream market in the future.

The United Kingdom, due to its several upcoming projects, held a significant market share in 2018 and is likely to dominate the North Sea oil and gas upstream market during the forecast period.

Key Market Trends



Shallow Water Segment Expected to See Significant Market Growth

Shallow water segment due to fewer capital investments and inflated oil prices held a significant market, in 2019. Most oil and gas upstream operations in the North Sea are done by two countries, Norway and the United Kingdom. More than 85% of the oil and gas production in the United Kingdom came from shallow water in the region.

The United Kingdom oil and gas sector is dominated by production from offshore areas, which account for virtually all of the oil and gas production of the United Kingdom. UKCS (the United Kingdom Continental Shelf) production now comes from more than 300 small fields and others that are much more technically complex to produce. In 2019, more than 40 contracts offshore were distributed by the United Kingdom, most of which are for the activities in the shallow water.

By the end of 2019, 87 fields were in production in Norway Continental Shelf, and considerable remaining petroleum resources indicate that there will also be a high level of activity on the shelf over the next 50 years. All the oil and gas produced in the country are totally from offshore operations, most of which are in shallow water.

Therefore, owing to the above points, shallow water segment is likely to dominate the North Sea oil and gas upstream market during the forecast period.

Story continues

United Kingdom to Dominate the Market

In 2019, the United Kingdom held a significant share in oil and gas production in the North Sea region as all of the oil and gas produced in the country are from offshore operations. The United Kingdom, in 2018, produced 50.8 million tons of oil, thus contributing approximately 7% of the total oil production in Europe, which was higher than what is produced in 2017, 46.6 million tons of oil.

In 2019, BP plc completed its Culzean project in the North Sea, and it is expected to produce 200000 barrel oil equivalent per day of hydrocarbon by 2020. Further development in the region is expected to have a positive impact on the North Sea oil and gas upstream market.

In December 2019, UK Oil and Gas (UKOG) conducted a successful reservoir test on Horse Hill Oilfield in the United Kingdom. After the test company now intends to accelerate the start of up to 25 years of continuous long-term production from the field. The company also planned to drill several directional wells in the region.

Hence, owing to the above points, the United Kingdom is expected to see significant growth in the North Sea oil and gas upstream market during the forecast period.

Competitive Landscape



The North America oil and gas upstream market is moderately fragmented. Some of key players in this market include Equinor ASA, Exxon Mobil Corporation, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, BP plc, and Total SA.



Key Topics Covered:



1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Scope of the Study

1.2 Market Definition

1.3 Study Assumptions



2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY



3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY



4 MARKET OVERVIEW

4.1 Introduction

4.2 North Sea Oil and Gas Production Forecast, till 2025

4.2.1 Crude Oil Production Forecast, in Thousands Barrel per Day

4.2.2 Natural Gas Production Forecast, in Million Tons Oil Equivalent

4.3 Recent Trends and Developments

4.4 Government Policies and Regulations

4.5 North Sea Active Rig Count, till 2020

4.6 Market Dynamics

4.6.1 Drivers

4.6.2 Restraints

4.7 Supply Chain Analysis

4.8 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

4.8.1 Bargaining Power of Suppliers

4.8.2 Bargaining Power of Consumers

4.8.3 Threat of New Entrants

4.8.4 Threat of Substitutes Products and Services

4.8.5 Intensity of Competitive Rivalry



5 MARKET SEGMENTATION

5.1 Water Depth

5.1.1 Shallow Water

5.1.2 Deep Water

5.2 Geography

5.2.1 United Kingdom

5.2.2 Norway

5.2.3 Others



6 COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

6.1 Mergers, Acquisitions, Collaboration and Joint Ventures

6.2 Strategies Adopted by Key Players

6.3 Company Profiles

6.3.1 Equinor ASA

6.3.2 Exxon Mobil Corporation

6.3.3 Royal Dutch Shell Plc

6.3.4 BP plc

6.3.5 Eni SpA

6.3.6 Total SA

6.3.7 UK Oil & Gas PLC

6.3.8 Schlumberger Limited.

6.3.9 Transocean LTD



7 MARKET OPPORTUNITIES AND FUTURE TRENDS



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/je9r82

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




Shares of Lupin and Cipla rose 5% to 6% after Perrigo Company plc announced a voluntary U.S. nationwide recall of albuterol sulfate inhalation aerosol over concerns that some may not dispense properly due to clogging.

Lupin jumped 6.75% to Rs 1108. The stock rose as much as 7.39% at the day's high at Rs 1114.65 today, which is also 52-week high for the counter.

Cipla surged 5.84% to Rs 796. The scrip jumped as much as 6.35% at the day's high at Rs 799.80 today.

Perrigo Company, the Dublin-based maker of over-the-counter and generic health products, already halted production and distribution of the aerosols. These actions are being taken out of an abundance of caution as a result of complaints that some units may not dispense due to clogging. Perrigo's generic albuterol sulfate inhalation aerosol was developed in partnership with and manufactured by Catalent Pharma Solutions.

"Corrective action plans are underway and a definitive timeline for product reintroduction has not been determined at this time," Perrigo said in a statement.

A foreign brokerage firm reportedly said the setback for Perrigo has come as an unexpected positive for Lupin and Cipla. Lupin and Cipla are Perrigo's competitors in the $850-900 million US albuterol sulfate market.

Cipla received approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) for its albuterol sulphate inhaler in April this year. Lupin secured USFDAs approval for its Albuterol Sulfate Inhalation Aerosol in August 2020.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Aboriginal elder Harry Nannup, a prominent figure in Mandurah and the Peel region, has been charged by police with a slew of serious child sex offences.

Harry Nannup is a regular speaker at City of Mandurah events. Credit:City of Mandurah

The 73-year-old faced court in August, but has not yet pleaded to the charges.

Mr Nannup has been a regular feature of civic events in the region as a Bindjareb elder where he represents local Aboriginal people.

In 2015, he was named an honorary freeman of the City of Mandurah and in 2018 was honoured with a civic reception attended by local political and community leaders.
South Africa: COVID-19 remains a threat, says Dlamini-Zuma

South Africans will soon be able to give their friends and family the best send off, as more mourners will be permitted to attend funerals from Monday under alert Level 1.

Religious gatherings have also been given the green light to accommodate hundreds of worshippers.

The Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) Minister, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, shed light on the new regulations on Friday after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced this week that the country would be moving to Level 1 at midnight on Sunday.

However, the Minister warned that the country is not out of the woods yet.

According to the Minister, funerals can now have 100 people, up from the 50 allowed under Level 2. However, night vigils are still prohibited.

If your venue is small and cannot take a 100 people at 1.5 metres apart, then you must use half the capacity of the venue, she explained.

Meanwhile, health protocols such as the washing of hands, sanitising and wearing of masks still apply.

We know that funerals are super-spreaders because of the activities at the funerals, where people are singing, consoling one another. It means the chance of spreading the virus is higher, the Minister explained.

Also, the wearing of masks remains a non-negotiable. If you leave your house, you wear a mask. When you enter the building, the owner of the building should ensure you wear a mask. That is a must, she stressed.

Meanwhile, churches will be allowed to house a maximum of 250 congregants no matter how big the venue is.

If your venue cant allow for social distancing, then you cannot have 250 people. You have to have less or half the size of the venue."

According to the Minister, this goes for other social gatherings too, such as weddings.

For outdoor gatherings, you cannot have more than 500 people, while gyms are now allowed to have 50% of the capacity of the venue.

Dlamini-Zuma acknowledged that the past six months under the lockdown - aimed at reducing and mitigating the risk of the dangerous Coronavirus - have been difficult and testing.

It has changed our lives forever and probably reversed the economic and social gains we have registered as a democratic South Africa.

While the country is opening for more economic activity, Dlamini-Zuma warned against complacency even though the rate of infections is increasing.

The virus has the feature of being silent, but very efficient... It also loves crowds she cautioned.

She said the country was slowly departing from the eye of the storm of COVID-19 and that is why government is easing restrictions and increasing economic activity.

However, the "virus remains a threat" as more people will be out and about, Dlamini-Zuma told the media.

The country is in it for the long haul and efforts need to be redoubled to avoid the further spread of the deadly virus that has claimed almost 16 000 lives.

The Minister thanked citizens for their collective efforts and the sacrifices made it possible for the country to move to level 1.

By observing the health and hygienic protocols we have ensured that our limited health capacity is efficiently used and is sufficient to all those who needed care.

By following the regulations, we had to adjust our approach from time to time to respond to this virus and it has enabled us to make this progress thus far as a nation, she added.

To read the full Level 1 regulations click here.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-09-18. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Credit: Ian Dooley/Unsplash

Sex is fascinating, important, and sometimes scary. Sex is a normal part of life. Yet, the multiplicity and richness of sexual practices on social media rarely make it into everyday conversations.

Nudes, it seems, are now part of everyday life. On social media, there are platform rules around what kinds of adult content is allowed. Some platforms heavily restrict displays of nudity or sexual activity; others allow it. But between these rules, people engage in a variety of tactics to control what facets of their identities can be seen by their audiences.

The sociologist Erving Goffman called this "audience segregation": we make sure our different audiencesthose to whom you are good daughter versus those to whom you are kinky sex goddessdo not mix.

Since our audiences are mostly invisible on social media, we need to imagine who they are. This imaginary then guides what we choose to say, show, share or otherwise express.

We have spent years studying people's sexual practices on social media. Through interviews, online observation, and content analysis we have identified three main tactics of expressing sexual selfhood: setting up alternative accounts or incorporating alternative platforms; omissionsi.e. strategically leaving out details from the information one shares; and anonymity or using a pseudonym.

'Networked sex accounts'

Choosing to express different facets of oneself on different platforms or through different accounts is a common practice, and not necessarily a sexual one. But how these multiple platforms are used when it comes to sex, varies enormously.

Some find it appropriate to post Not Safe for Work (NSFW) content on mainstream social media like Twitter or Instagram and do so from their given name or "main" account. This includes those in the sex industry, but also others including artists, activists, feminists, body-positive bloggers, educators, actors, models and nudists.

Other people create alternative accounts on platforms they're familiar with, or accounts on another platform, to express sexual aspects of their self, but keep the audiences separate.

Some people create a secondary or "alt" account for their sexual identity on Twitter. They then use it to connect with like-minded people, talk about sex and share nudes, usually in a small, intimate circle of other alt accounts.

In this space made up of networked sex accounts, sexual images flow in abundance, even if the platform more broadly is better known for images of coffee art, political talk or aggressive arguments.

This is not to say that people show their full, entire self in these secondary accounts. These are still facets. However, the facets do vary considerably in depth and detail.

For instance, on Facebook, people show their face, but not their naked body. They talk using their real name, about their jobs and maybe their children.

On Tumblr, they might show their bodies, but not their faces. They post under a pseudonym and talk about both the profoundprivate thoughts, desires, anxietiesand the completely trivial (a favorite dish, a beloved cartoon character, a silly joke).

What's left out

Deciding what information to leave out is integral to Reddit Gonewild. This exhibitionist subreddit, a themed thread on the bulletin board Reddit, features posts of women in stages of undress and sexual pleasure. These women mostly choose to obscure their faces, avoid unique backdrops, blur out recognizable tattoos and use a pseudonym while posting.

The appeal of the posts lies in their everydayness; these are women who enjoy showing off sexually, revealing intimate parts of their bodies and lives while staying unidentifiable.

Reddit Gonewild itself encourages this, urging those posting to stay anonymous by making a "throwaway" or temporary, anonymous account; using a service that strips metadata from photos, (deleting automatically generated information like the device used, location details, and time the photo was taken); and making sure the photo obscures enough.

Its rules state: "You should blur out tattoos or maybe certain birth marks someone could recognize if they've seen you in a low cut or sleeveless shirt. Don't stand next to the wacky lamp that everyone in your dorm knows you for. Don't pose seductively on the hood of a car with your license plate showing []"

You CAN be creative even under these constraints. Take it up as part of the challenge. Dress up your room a little! Reverse the comforter on your bed. Clear off the bathroom counter. Do anything to make the picture look sexy and fun, but make yourself a little less recognizablea little harder to place. This is your alter ego!

It is common also to evade some questions or fabricate information in sexual social media interactions or posts. Typically, this includes changing information about where one lives.

How comfortable someone is in saying which country, state or city they are from depends quite a lot on the size of that territory, but also on their goals and needs. Wanting to receive information or access to local events, groups and people requires you to reveal your location quite accurately.

In our research, we found American participants were usually happy to name their state, some even their (large) city on NSFW Tumblr. However, people from very small European countries preferred not to share this information, to avoid being known as that one Estonian naked on the internet.

On other platforms, where choosing one's location from a drop-down menu is a mandatory part of setting up a profile, many people interested in consuming sexual information and not interactions choose Antarctica as their location (and being 98-years-old).

Sharing information about one's occupation followed similar logic. The more specific the field or the position, the less likely it was to be shared.

Other information sharing rules people have for themselves are less about audience segregation and more about their purposes for using social media.

Those interested in cheating might not mention they had a partner, although building a relationship from shared commiseration regarding partners is very common. Others do not mention their children on principle.

Pseudonyms

Images of faces in profile pictures are an important source of identification on social media, but names and user names continue to be the main way people are identified.

Because of this, anonymity and pseudonyms are key to any compartmentalisation strategies.

When search engines, networks, connections and tags figure so prominently in the experience of social media, using a name other than the one identifying you publicly is often the main way of maintaining contextual integrity.

Pseudonyms have a rich history of being used to communicate politically, creatively, and playfully. They are often used to segregate audiences. Mathematician Charles Dodgson, for instance, wrote children's books under the pen name Lewis Carroll.

A pseudonym for a sexy social media account, or to use as a porn performer or sex worker, does similar identity work of compartmentalizing.

As porn star Conner Habib explains, creating a name is creating an identity, one that protects him as a porn performer from complicated and sometimes discriminatory entanglements. Habib's porn name reflects his Irish and Syrian heritage, and introduces a Middle Eastern name to porn, an element he recognizes as underrepresented.

Habib titled an essay "The name of your first pet and the street you grew up on", a common method for identifying a pseudonym that would work for a porn star. He also has highlighted a common refrain. "What's your real name?" is often asked of porn performers as a way of demanding intimacy.

Choosing a name is an assertion of power: one highly successful Finnish porn performer is known as Rakel Liekki, which translates in English to "Rachel Flame".

Her chosen name is a character, media persona and brand, as well as a way of separating her private life from her performing life. "Flame" conjures images of fire, heat, and a kind of primal, natural sexuality.

Using pseudonyms, porn performers and sex workers can be identifiable, and build a reputation while keeping their occupation private.

One insight that anonymous, intimate posts about sex provides us is that sharing sexual experiences and anxieties helps people feel less alone.

Last year, journalist Anna Borges published a list of anonymous insecurities about sex that people submitted to her through an online form in a BuzzFeed article: 37 confessions about sex that will make you feel less alone.

The article includes confessions about being a virgin, wanting to experience anal pleasure as a straight man in a heterosexual marriage, vaginismus and female sexual dysfunction, asexuality, being pressured to make moaning noises during sex, and the way one's own genitals look:

"I have been plagued for as long as I can remember with the fact that I don't have a perfect little Barbie-type vagina. I have heard so many men make jokes (not about me directly) about "roast beef" vaginas, how long labia = loose/slutty vagina, etc. So for the most part, I avoid sex with new partners for fear of judgment or grossing them out completely."

Borges presented these confessions to reassure the reader they are not unique in worrying about sex: we all have personal issues and internalized media messages that can get in the way of positive sexual experiences.

Existing as posts to websites that sit outside, yet often flow through, social media, sex confession projects frame such confessions as a healthy way to find out what other people think and do in their intimate lives.

Another corner of Reddit features people disclosing sexual abuse in order to seek support in order to heal. Our colleague Nazanin Andalibi and her co-authors found people posting about sexual abuse in subreddits designed for this purpose.

When people feel anonymous they are more likely to share personal and intimate information, and dedicated spaces for these disclosures coupled with a culture of pseudonyms have led to many people seeking support on these bulletin boards.

Many use a throwaway account rather than their persistent, pseudonymous Reddit username.

But pseudonymity is not foolproof. Even when people take care to hide their identity, others sometimes endeavor to find them out.

One NSFW Tumblr study participant told of a friend's frightening experience. It is very common to post partial images of bodies on Tumblrlegs, a slice of torso, clavicles and breasts.

An obsessive follower had collected all of these slices of a woman's body and assembled a bizarre Frankenstein image created from it. After figuring out the town where the woman lives from image metadata and other information, the follower sent the collage and this information to the Tumblr user.

While men posting images can also have obsessive stalkers and abusers, examples such as this one reflect widespread ideas of gendered shame.

The shame that is evoked when girls and women participate in sexy identity practices works to shift responsibility from the person (usually a man) who violated trust by taking the sexy selfies out of context. The shame is redirected towards the woman who dared to be sexy or naked to a select audience.

You, or not you

Whether or not a social media account is an "alter ego" depends on how its creator thinks about it.

For some, the online sexual self expresses a completely different persona to the Facebook account they use to friend their colleagues, high school buddies and netball group.

For others, it's considered an extension of that person; the difference between what they do in the office and the bedroom.

One interviewee said:

"I think a lot of people think that when they follow social media, they understand a person as a whole, but really, any social media thing is still a persona or a ratioed amount, or a curated element of a person. It's not the entire person [] my whole self is not owed to a certain social media channel or to a certain following."

While "compartments" suggest neat boundaries, the reality is much leakier.

There's plenty of play between public and private accountseven when social media platforms would prefer people to sign up with one account for what they consider to be a singular, fixed identity.

Explore further Social media help young people to explore sexuality

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Daily UK cases alone number in the thousands, as experts say the true figure could be in the tens of thousands.

The number of coronavirus cases globally has now passed 30 million, as the World Health Organization sounds an alarm over the rising rate of transmission across Europe.

More than 300,000 people have been infected there in the past week.

The WHO is urging countries not to cut quarantine periods, warning such a move could waste the sacrifices being made.

And the British government has admitted its testing capacity is unsatisfactory.

Al Jazeeras Nadim Baba reports from London.
The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) confirmed that a student had tested positive for COVID-19 on the first day back for in-person classes for many secondary schoolers.

According to a letter sent to parents shared with the Star, the York Memorial Collegiate Institute announced Thursday that one of their students had tested positive for the virus.

We have no reason to believe there is any cause for concern for students and their families as this student was very briefly at the school on Monday, was not at school today and will not return until cleared by TPH, wrote Donna Drummond, principal of the public secondary school, in the letter.

As of Thursday, eight schools have announced COVID-19 cases in the Toronto region. All have one case each. Seven are staff members, and one a student.

TDSB spokesperson Ryan Bird told the Star that, while Toronto secondary schools are opening their doors to all students on Thursday, students in Torontos Special Education Congregated Sites and Intensive Support Programs began their classes earlier on Tuesday.

The affected student went to school briefly on Monday before the start of full-time classes, Bird said.

The school is working closely with Toronto Public Health (TPH) with regard to this case, according to Drummonds letter.

As a precaution, an enhanced cleaning was conducted in the impacted areas but no further steps have been advised by TPH at this time, Drummond said.

However, because the case was discovered before the first day of class, parents wont be getting a letter from Toronto Public Health, she continued.

We just wanted to let you know about this particular case as it must be reported to the Ministry of Education and Toronto Public Health.

Alexander Brown, chair of the TDSB, said its not unexpected that there is a student case of COVID-19, and said the board continues to follow Toronto Public Healths lead.

Local health units have the power to shut down schools if there are multiple, linked cases. That happened in Renfrew County on Wednesday after three staffers contracted the virus, forcing Fellowes High School in Pembroke to close until further notice.

Given the higher numbers of COVID-19 cases in urban centres such as Toronto, parents are worried is there going to be an outbreak at my school? Brown said. Our concern at the TDSB  and its the concern of every board  is to keep the health and safety of kids and everyone in the building our priority, whatever that takes.

Experts said earlier that its expected for schools to report COVID-19 cases as soon as they reopen. This doesnt indicate in-class spread, but rather community cases from before classes reopened.

Earlier in August, several Ontario teachers unions advocated for smaller class sizes, including plans to shrink elementary classes down to 15 or 20 students. However, the Province struck down the idea.

Leslie Wolfe, president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation in Toronto, told the Star: Im concerned for the wellbeing of students. Im very concerned for the wellbeing of the adults who work with the students, she said. Several of her union members are older, she continued, and Wolfe is concerned for their health.

I dont think anyone will be surprised at the fact that there is a student case in the city of Toronto, she said. And I expect this will not be a one-off.

With files from Kristin Rushowy

Kevin Jiang is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Stars radio room in Toronto. Reach him via email: kjiang@thestar.ca
A toddler was taken to hospital after a collision between a scrambler and quad bike last night.

The little boy was believed to have been sitting on a quad bike with a woman (20s), when the collision with the scrambler took place on Croftwood Crescent, Cherry Orchard in Ballyfermot, Dublin at around 7.20pm on Thursday night.

The toddler was rushed to Children's Health Ireland hospital in Crumlin with serous injuries, but is now in stable condition.

The suspected driver of the scrambler, a man (19), was taken to St James' Hospital with non life-threatening injuries.

The scene was preserved for technical examination and the scrambler bike was removed from the scene before Gardai arrived.

Gardai and emergency services attended the scene and Gardai have now appealed for witnesses.

"Gardai are appealing for any witnesses to this incident or for anyone with information on the location of the scrambler to contact Ballyfermot Garda Station on 01 6667200, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station," said a garda spokesperson.
Turkeys Islamist-based foreign policy under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has left Ankaras ties with the Arab world in shambles.

The days when Erdogan and members of his Justice and Development Party (AKP) assumed their Islamist identity would automatically bring Turkey and Arab regimes closer are long gone.

Erdogans blistering criticism of Israel, after he came to power nearly two decades ago, initially gained him many kudos among Arab leaders and was greatly hailed in the Arab street.

His policies aimed at the region following the Arab Spring, which were mostly predicated on support for the Muslim Brotherhood and its offshoots, washed all that away overnight as far as many Arab regimes were concerned.

Barring the exception of Qatar, which clearly has pragmatic reasons for cozying up to Turkey, Erdogan today has hardly any friends left among Arab leaders.

Meanwhile, the number of Turkeys Arab enemies and rivals has increased two fold when compared with the situation prior to 2002, when the AKP first came to power.

The recent decisions by the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to establish diplomatic ties with Israel are only the latest setbacks for Ankara in a region where it once aimed to play a leading role.

Ankara is on guard now against losing more political ground in the region given the possibility that other Arab countries may opt to join the UAE and Bahrain.

Ankara reacted angrily in August to the UAEs decision to establish diplomatic ties with Israel, accusing the Gulf State of betraying the Palestinian cause for its narrow interests.

The history and the conscience of the people in the region will never forget or forgive this hypocritical act, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The UAE, however, was merely doing what Turkey did as far back as 1949 when it recognized the state of Israel and established diplomatic ties with it.

Turkey and Israel continue to have ambassadorial-level ties today despite their frosty and often hostile relationship.

Curiously, Ankara had no official comment on the high-profile four-nation signing ceremony in Washington this week overseen by President Donald Trump.

Iran is the main concern of the region's Sunni regimes today, especially among Gulf States headed by Saudi Arabia.

Nevertheless, many analysts believe Ankaras meddling in the Arab worlds affairs and its strong support for the Muslim Brotherhood have also contributed to pushing some of these regimes toward Israel.

Turkeys visceral fear of outside political interference has not prevented it from trying to interfere in the internal affairs of Egypt, Syria, and Libya with a view to bringing governments friendly to Turkey to power in those countries.

Turkish officials rationalize such meddling by arguing that the established anti-democratic and repressive order in the region does not represent the will of the people. The officials say that what Turkey is doing is therefore morally justified.

Many Erdogan supporters in Turkey also believe that if he were to run for leadership in a democratic election in any predominantly Sunni country in the Middle East he would be elected by a great margin.

While there might be some merit to this argument, it still amounts to wishful thinking. Given the manner in which power is distributed in the Arab world today, the current situation is unlikely to change anytime soon.

The only way this situation might change is if the regimes in the region were to be toppled.

These regimes, however, are wiser since the all-but-forgotten Arab Spring, and more prepared than ever with repressive measures to prevent a recurrence of those events.

Meanwhile, any support Erdogan may have on the Arab street has not translated into geostrategic advantages for Ankara.

The fact that the Arab Spring pushed Islamists to the forefront of regional politics also ensured that many non-Arab powers  including the United States, Russia, and China  generally favor the status quo to varying degrees.

Turkey remains the only noteworthy regional power that continues to provide strong backing and shelter to the Muslim Brotherhood and its offshoots.

Erdogans hosting of senior Hamas members in Istanbul on Aug. 22 elicited an angry response from Washington, which considers the Islamist Palestinian group to be a terrorist organization.

Ankara responded by underlining that Hamas was democratically elected, and tried to turn the tables on Washington by accusing it of supporting groups Turkey considers to be terrorist organizations.

It is not hard to imagine that many of the current regimes in the Middle East believe Ankara will always try and use any opportunity that presents itself to bring about regime change in the region in order to suit its interests.

Commenting on the signing ceremony in Washington this week, senior Al Jazeera political analyst Marwan Bishara wrote, If anything, this is more of an alliance than an agreement  an alliance directed at the regional powers, Iran and Turkey.

The growing aversion to Turkey has also pushed Egypt and the UAE into joining the anti-Turkish international coalition that has emerged in the eastern Mediterranean, where Ankara and Athens are in conflict over energy exploration rights.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry told the Arab League on Sept. 9 that blatant Turkish practices and interventions in multiple Arab countries are the most significant emerging threats to Arab national security today.

Ankara and Cairo have been at odds since Egypts first democratically elected president, the Islamist Mohammed Morsi, and his Muslim Brotherhood-backed government was toppled in July 2013 by the military then headed by current President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Retired Brig. Gen. Naim Baburoglu believes Turkey should prepare itself for the eventuality that other Arab countries follow the lead of the UAE and Bahrain.

Many analysts believe the UAE and Bahrain could not have taken the steps they did without the blessing of Saudi Arabia, the regions power broker.

Baburoglu, underlining the close military ties Qatar has with the United States, said he believes this Gulf State  which is the only friend Turkey has in the region currently  could be pressurized by Washington into also normalizing ties with Israel.

Arguing in a recent interview with Veryansin TV that Washington was working hard to end Dohas differences with the other Gulf States, Baburoglu expressed his belief that this will be achieved soon.

Ties between Turkey and Qatar will not be the same as before if Qatars relations with the Gulf States are normalized, Baburoglu said

Lets not forget that a precondition that Gulf States have for normalizing these ties is the closing of the Turkish military base in Qatar, he added.

Other analysts recall that Qatar already has contacts with Israel and point to the recent cease-fire it negotiated between the Jewish state and Hamas.

Ahmet Tasgetiren, a devout Muslim political commentator who once supported Erdogan but now opposes him, points out that Islamism is a valid ideological approach.

Nevertheless he questions whether Turkey, as a state, should have adopted this approach as the foundation of its foreign policy.

Islamism on the level of ideas can always exist.  However, the language of foreign policy has to be much more flexible. It is important to be able to meet and talk with everyone, Tasgetiren wrote in his column in the daily Karar.

Surely it is not a healthy sign for an Islamic country to become distant from Islamic countries that are gradually developing ties with Israel, Tasgetiren added.

Editor's note: Sep. 20, 2020. A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Turkey had no official comment on Bahrains decision to establish diplomatic ties with Israel. The article has been updated accordingly.
FILE PHOTO: A test tube labelled with the Vaccine is seen in front of Covid-19 and stock graph logo in this illustration taken

MUMBAI/NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Serum Institute of India has received Indian regulatory approval to resume local clinical trials of AstraZeneca's potential COVID-19 vaccine, a source familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

The approval came from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), according to the source.

AstraZeneca has resumed British clinical trials of the vaccine, one of the most advanced in development for COVID-19, after they were paused earlier this month following a serious side effect in a trial participant.

Trials have also resumed in Brazil and South Africa, but remain on hold in the United States.

Indian regulators had allowed Serum's trials of the AstraZeneca vaccine to resume under certain conditions, including increased safety monitoring and informing volunteers about new findings, a DCGI source said.

"We allowed them (to resume trials) after a detailed discussion with authorities in the UK and the company itself," the source added.

Serum, the world's biggest vaccine manufacturer, did not respond to Reuters requests for comment, while DCGI representatives did not respond to emails seeking comment.

(Reporting by Euan Rocha in Mumbai, Neha Dasgupta in New Delhi and Sachin Ravikumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva and Shounak Dasgupta)
OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images

States are poised to raise taxes on businesses starting next year and cut jobless benefits for workers as the coronavirus-fueled downturn continues to stress unemployment systems around the country. Industries like bars and restaurants that were hit hardest by the employment crisis may be hit with the biggest tax hikes. Millions of Americans have continued to draw jobless benefits over the past six months and hundreds of thousands file new applications for aid each week.

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That deluge  unparalleled in the history of the unemployment insurance system, which was created in the 1930s  has drained the trust funds states use to pay benefits. Several states have already had to borrow money after depleting these trust funds. Many others will likely need to do so by the end of the recession, according to unemployment experts.

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Because these coffers are funded solely by payroll taxes levied on employers, it's a near certainty that states will need to raise taxes to replenish their war chests, experts said. "The likelihood of tax increases is all but certain," said Stephen Wandner, a senior fellow at the National Academy of Social Insurance and former actuary at the U.S. Labor Department.

Unemployment tax regime

The tax regime that funds unemployment benefits is complex. There are two tiers: a federal tax, which funds the administration of benefits, and a state tax, which pays the benefits issued to workers. The state tax, which varies significantly based on a host of factors, is often the higher of the two and the most likely to increase in the short term, experts said.

What state legislatures very often do is say, 'Forget it.' Stephen Wandner senior fellow at the National Academy of Social Insurance

Employers pay the tax on a certain portion of each employee's wages, as with other payroll taxes like the one that funds Social Security. (Just three states  Alaska, New Jersey and Pennsylvania  also levy a small tax on workers.) Many employers don't pay much attention to the unemployment tax, though, because it's low relative to others, Wandner said. More from Personal Finance:

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The stimulus relief measures you can and can't rely on Businesses in states like Arizona and Florida, for example, pay the tax on the first $7,000 of annual employee wages  the lowest amount allowed by federal law. Employers in Florida pay a rate as low as 0.1% on those wages  or $7 per employee  and as high as 5.4% ($378 per worker). By comparison, employers pay a 6.2% Social Security tax per worker on up to $137,700 in wages this year  or, up to $8,537 per worker.

Tax increase

But these unemployment taxes may soon increase in some states. For one, tax rates depend on the balance in state unemployment trust funds. In most states, low balances trigger higher tax rates, and vice versa, according to the Labor Department.

Twenty states have already borrowed money or signaled intent to borrow from the federal government to keep benefits flowing after depleting their trust funds, according to the Treasury Department. Some have taken loans well over $1 billion. "When that happens, states really just have two options: they can raise revenue, which in this system means increasing regular state unemployment-insurance taxes, or cut benefits," Michael Leachman, VP of state fiscal policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, said of borrowing. "If you look at what's happened in the past, it's a combination of those things."

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For example, Massachusetts, among the most generous states relative to unemployment benefits, has borrowed nearly $1.5 billion. The top tax rate for Massachusetts businesses can be as high as 18.6% when balances are low, according to the Labor Department. That's a substantial rise from a top potential rate of 8.6% when funding is higher. Also, a business that lays off more workers can generally expect to pay a higher tax rate relative to others. This negatively impacts a business' so-called "experience rating." Think of this like an insurance premium on business owners who more often push workers into the unemployment system.

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Industries that experienced the most job loss  such as leisure and hospitality, a category that includes restaurants, casinos and amusement parks  may be hit hardest by tax increases over the next few years. "A lot of those companies will go up to the maximum rate in the tax schedule that's in place in 2021," Wandner said. "And definitely in 2022."

States step in

However, some states are taking steps to reduce or eliminate the need to raise taxes on businesses. Idaho, for example, diverted $200 million of federal funding provided by the CARES Act coronavirus relief law to the state's unemployment insurance trust fund. Absent that, the state's unemployment tax would have doubled, to about $688 per worker from roughly $371, according to a memo signed by Gov. Brad Little earlier this month.

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An entirely new Western Region House of Chiefs has been inaugurated in Takoradi by the Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.

Following the creation of the new Western North Region, the former Western Region House of Chiefs was dissolved on Tuesday, September 15, 2020, after it held its final meeting, and a new one, comprising only traditional authorities in the Western Region was inaugurated by Dr. Bawumia.

Traditional authorities whose jurisdiction fall within the newly created region will be under the Western North Regional House of Chiefs, which will be inaugurated by President Akufo-Addo later this month.

Addressing the Chiefs after their inauguration, Vice President Bawumia said, despite controversies that the Chieftaincy institution has gone through in some areas, the relevance and contribution of Chieftaincy to the development of the country cannot be underestimated.

"Nananom, the Chieftaincy institution, like various other institutions of state, has lived through controversial periods of our history, playing different

roles at different time." Dr. Bawumia said.

The Vice President noted that some people often raise criticism about the relevance of chieftaincy, but he maintained that the institution is indispensable.

"I do not hesitate to state that Chieftaincy has, and will be an indispensable part of our history and development. It is so widely respected that even when our fellow Ghanaians leave our shores, and are free of of the influence of chieftaincy, they create chiefs wherever they are," Dr. Bawumia stated.

Government committed to strengthening Chieftaincy institution

Vice President Bawumia stressed the the Akufo-Addos belief in the Chieftaincy institution as an integral part of the nations development process, especially in our democratic dispensation.

He also listed a number of things the Akufo-Addo government has done, since assuming office in 2017, which he said affirms the government's belief and support of the Chieftaincy institution.

"Government recognises that, in order to ensure the success of the programme of social and economic transformation that was put before the Ghanaian people, we have to do a lot. It is important that we bring the traditional role of our Chiefs into the modern, constitutional set up, under which we govern our country," Dr. Bawumia emphasised.

"As a start, we made a pledge, in the NPPs 2016 Manifesto, to increase the monthly allowances paid to Chiefs, and the quarterly budgetary support to the Traditional Councils and Houses of Chiefs. This we have done by a hundred percent (100%)."

"Government has also assisted the National House of Chiefs with three million, five hundred thousand cedis (GH3.5 million) for the completion of its new headquarters office complex in Kumasi.

"Government is also committed to assisting the National House of Chiefs to moving speedily on fnishing work on the codifcation of the traditional norms and rules that have guided our communities throughout the ages."

"The Ministry, in collaboration with the National House of Chiefs, has also begun the process of digitising records of the National House of Chiefs, particularly records in the National Register of Chiefs."

"The Chieftaincy Ministry has also instituted a programme to have courses in Chieftaincy development, comprising lectures, seminars and other activities, aimed at building the capacity of Chiefs and all persons with interests in the Chieftaincy institution. I applaud this initiative."

As the Vice President enumerated a number strides the government has made in the Chieftaincy sector, he also bemoaned the many Chieftaincy disputes in the country, which he said is "unfortunately one of the major setbacks to our nations socio-economic development."
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Every day about 56 more people in Kent County apply for help paying back rent to prevent being evicted.

Case workers who normally handle 30 cases are now flooded with 100 or more at any given time due to the COVID-19 economic downturn.
Mira Sorvino is echoing the calls of Romy and Michele's High School Reunion fans everywhere and angling for a sequel.

The 52-year-old actress dished on her desire to reprise her famous role as Romy White from the 1997 comedy during a virtual video conference on Thursday.

The Oscar winner said the potential future of a Romy and Michele reboot or sequel is in the hands of the powers that be over at Disney but added that she would jump at the chance to work with Lisa Kudrow again.

Look out Tucson! Mira Sorvino dished on her desire for a Romy and Michele's High School Reunion sequel while being honored for The Creative Coalition's sixth annual Television Humanitarian Awards

In the segment, Mira was being honored by actress Melora Walters at The Creative Coalition's sixth annual Television Humanitarian Awards.

Towards the end of the video segment, Mira was asked by Variety's Mark Malkin about whether a Romy and Michele sequel is in the pipeline.

'It's not in my hands. It's up to Disney,' the award-winner said. 'I would be so grateful if they would decide to do it.'

Her co-star Lisa Kudrow, who played Romy's best friend Michele Weinberger, is also up to revive the beloved classic.

Could it be? In the segment, Mira was being honored at The Creative Coalition's sixth annual Television Humanitarian Awards and towards the end of the virtual segment she was asked by Variety's Mark Malkin about whether a Romy and Michele sequel is in the pipeline

'It's not in my hands. It's up to Disney,' the award-winner said. 'I would be so grateful if they would decide to do it.'

'I know that Lisa and that [screenwriter] Robin Schiff is interested in it. Maybe Alan [Cumming] is interested in it. I heard that maybe Janeane [Garofalo] is interested in it.'

She added: 'I love Lisa and I would do anything just to work with her again in any capacity.'

Speaking from her home, Mira was being honored with the 2020 Television Humanitarian Award for her tireless work to stop and bring awareness to human trafficking.

'I know that Lisa and that [screenwriter] Robin Schiff is interested in it. Maybe Alan [Cumming] is interested in it. I heard that maybe Janeane [Garofalo] is interested in it. I love Lisa and I would do anything just to work with her again in any capacity.'

Previous years the honor has gone to stars such as Debra Messing, Chrissy Metz, Keegan-Michael Key, Anthony Anderson, Jill Soloway, Patricia Heaton and even Mira's Romy and Michele co-star Alan Cumming.

Romy and Michele's High School Reunion centers on two high school best friends [Sorvino and Kudrow] who invent fake identities as the inventors of Post Its to impress their high school class at their 10 year reunion.

It hit theaters in 1997 and has only gained in popularity over the last 20+ years, becoming a cult classic.

'We always talk about it and we're always open to it,' Sorvino told ET back in May. 'We'd be very happy to revisit it as a sequel or a TV series. I think it would be so much fun. We've always loved each other.'

The idea for a reboot or a sequel has been floating around for years and as recently as this spring, Sorvino told reporters that she and her co-star were on board.

'We always talk about it and we're always open to it,' Sorvino told ET in May. 'We'd be very happy to revisit it as a sequel or a TV series. I think it would be so much fun. We've always loved each other.'

And, in 2019 the Might Aphrodite actress made similar statements to Us Weekly. '[We] are all down for it,' she said at the time. 'It's just [up to] the powers that be.'
The US correspondent was assaulted by a guard after his arrest

The British ambassador to the US has launched an official complaint over the arrest of an Independent journalist covering protests in Seattle.

Karen Pierces protest was registered with senior levels of the State Department and the White House was informed, following the arrest of The Independents chief US correspondent.

Andrew Buncombe was shackled, assaulted and detained for more than six hours after being accused of failing to disperse in Seattle.

He denies committing an offence but now faces a maximum penalty of 364 days in jail and a $5,000 (4,000) fine.

Mr Buncombe was covering the police operation to clear the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest  where an area of Seattle had been occupied by demonstrators since early June.

The journalist wrote that he was arrested five minutes after arriving at Cal Anderson Park by an officer who told him to stop taking photographs and leave.

He was handcuffed, shackled and taken into custody at the West Precinct station, where he described crowded and unsanitary conditions despite the coronavirus pandemic.

Mr Buncombe said he was assaulted by a guard, while other inmates said they had been threatened, mistreated or accused of crimes they did not commit.

He said he was alone at the time of his arrest, remained on the correct side of a police cordon, repeatedly identified himself as a journalist and showed his press badge issued by the State Departments Foreign Press Centres.

The arrest sparked international condemnation, amid concern over police action against more than 60 other journalists covering George Floyd protests in the US and Donald Trumps anti-media rhetoric.

The US correspondent was assaulted by a guard after his arrest

A member of Seattle City Council has written to mayor Jenny Durkan and police chief Carmen Best demanding action on Mr Buncombes unacceptable treatment.

Councillor Lisa Herbold said it violated the Seattle Municipal Code, which states that failure to disperse orders cannot apply to news reporters unless they are physically obstructing lawful efforts by police to disperse a group.

Story continues

The city council also adopted a bill in 2017 that enshrined the right of public observation, recording or expression in the vicinity of police actions.

It is our job as elected officials to ensure the press remains free and is able to carry out its work, in accordance with the constitution and city law, Ms Herbold wrote.

The constitution and municipal code protections for the press, and observers, do not exist for the convenience of government, to be cast aside whenever they happen to be inconvenient.

The non-partisan councillor said first amendment protections for the press were a linchpin of American democracy, warning: Unless respected by government, the quality of our democracy is diminished and eroded.

Amnesty International USA said Mr Buncombe was one of at least 60 journalists arrested while covering protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd in May.

The media have a right to attend and report on these protests, and law enforcement officials have a responsibility not to prevent or obstruct their work, said deputy director of research Justin Mazzola.

If not, human rights violations like the ones we have witnessed over the past two months will breed in the darkness.

Christian Broughton, editor of The Independent, described Mr Buncombe as an experienced and highly respected reporter.

As he writes in his article, the job of a journalist is not to disperse. Our job is to be present, he added.

It is imperative that democratic leaders everywhere stand up unequivocally for truly independent journalism. The arrest and appalling treatment of Andrew Buncombe must be condemned.

Read more

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President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence criticized the CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce during a phone call Thursday, venting their frustrations over its recent endorsement of nearly two dozen vulnerable House Democratic freshmen, two sources familiar with the call tell Axios.

Why it matters: Trumps re-election is based largely on the idea that he has been a good steward of the economy, and if one of the largest business groups is seen as opposing him, it could undermine that case.

What we're hearing: According to one of the sources, Trump asked Chamber CEO Tom Donohue whether the Democratic endorsements by the traditionally conservative-leaning lobbying group were a "done deal.

Donohue stressed that this is a process the Chamber undergoes every election cycle, adding that the Chamber uses a scorecard system and has no plans to change its process midstream.

Pence then acknowledged that the Chamber has historically supported some number of Democrats in past election cycles, but added that he and the president were frustrated with the scope of the endorsement.

Donohue also reminded Trump of the importance of bipartisanship to get his priorities through, like the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade deal that was heavily lobbied by the Chamber, the source said.

A second source familiar with the call confirmed the essence of this readout.

What they're saying: We never comment on discussions with the White House, a spokesperson for the Chamber told Axios.

Spokespersons for the White House and Pence did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The backstory: The Chamber has been embroiled in turmoil ever since the endorsements were announced.

Shortly after the announcement, House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) issued a blistering rebuke of the group, telling Fox Business, "I dont want the U.S. Chambers endorsement because they have sold out." Other top Republicans, including Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), followed his lead.

Behind the scenes: The tension heightened on Thursday after Breitbart published a story scorching the Chamber's chief policy officer, Neil Bradley.

"Today, political insiders credit him for wrecking the United States Chamber of Commerces political arm," the article stated.

Donald Trump Jr. slammed the Chamber on Twitter Friday, shortly before Trump and Pence called Donahue, tweeting a link to the Breitbart story and writing: "The national Chamber of Commerce wanted amnesty so bad that they cut a deal w/ the devil & sold out their local members to Pelosi & her socialist squad. SAD!"

The bottom line: Much of the frustration with the Chamber comes down to anxiety over the down-ballot races in November. Republicans widely see the party's path to reclaiming the House majority as virtually impossible if the Democratic incumbents endorsed by the Chamber hold onto their seats.

Editor's note: This story has been updated and the headline has been changed to note that the call took place on Thursday, not Friday.
Its fun to spend money while in office.

Thats what former Liberal finance minister John Manley says, but in the same breath he sends a warning about the path ahead for Ottawa and the looming economic recovery process.

Its way more fun to announce a program than it is to announce that youre shutting something down, he told the Star.

So, is there a bit of euphoria setting in that, Weve spent $350 billion and the roof hasnt fallen in, so maybe we can keep doing that and fund everything in sight?

I think that will result in a very unhappy outcome over time.

Manley is one of the Liberal old guard that Chrystia Freeland, Canadas new finance minister, has reached out to for advice on how to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing economic fallout.

Former veteran Liberal MP Ralph Goodale, who spent several years in the early 2000s as a finance minister who oversaw balanced budgets, has also been in touch with Freeland, although he wouldnt share the details of the conversation.

She is very consultative, he said. Weve had some opportunities to have some really good conversations.

The hotly anticipated throne speech next week will be the first official peak at the steps Ottawa will take to kick-start the economic recovery as the pandemic continues.

Goodale, who is serving as a special adviser to the government on the Tehran plane crash which killed 57 Canadians earlier this year, provided some insight into how he would assess a spending program as a finance minister in the time of COVID-19.

Theres four questions he would ask: Is it necessary? Will it be effective? Is it fair? Will it contribute more to growth than it will to debt?

Childcare spending, for example, would be a great economic contributor as much as it is a social contributor, he said. Goodale said coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, its proven to be necessary as many families have juggled working from home and caring for kids.

Especially in the case of women, child-care initiatives have clearly been effective, he said, and that its fair in terms of gender equality and gender fairness. And finally, Goodale said it adds to economic growth, not debt.

Women joining the workforce has been the single biggest contributor to productivity in Canada since the Second World War, he said.

Because of COVID, weve lost a chunk of that, and women have been put at a disadvantageous position.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus throne speech will include a child care plan, the Stars Tonda MacCharles reported this week. Its a policy the NDP has been advocating for and party leader Jagmeet Singh said this week hed be watching the throne speech closely, signalling he hasnt ruled out voting it down. That could trigger an election.

Freeland has also been talking to former finance minister Paul Martin.

Martin served as finance minister in the 1990s under prime minister Jean Chretien, leaving a legacy as a fiscal hawk who cut government spending and oversaw the first balanced budget in years during the late 1990s. He wasnt available for an interview this week.

Manley followed in Martins footsteps when he was appointed to the finance portfolio in 2002.

Manley wouldnt say exactly what advice he gave Freeland, but generally, he said that the role of government in a situation like this is to try to give Canadians confidence and show that you wont be sloppy about how you support people.

If they try to micromanage, like bringing in long-lasting new programs beyond emergency relief and which could benefit from pilot-testing or debate, he said, I think that might end in tears.

While little is known about what will be in the throne speech, plenty of ideas have been put forward, including calls for investments in a green energy economy, a universal basic income and a plan for reigning in spending.

Manley is one of those recommending a spending plan, specifically a fiscal anchor, or something that ensures Canadas federal debt doesnt get out of hand. The Liberals had one when they promised to keep debt as it relates to GDP on a downward trend, he said. In essence, if you can hold the debt level steady and grow the economy, over time the debt becomes smaller and smaller relative to a rising GDP.

What, exactly, a government uses as a fiscal anchor is up for debate, Manley noted, but having one shouldnt be. Without one, its going to be very hard to maintain the confidence of investors, he said.

With so much spending and debt being piled on while dealing with the pandemic emergency, the country could be left in dire straits when it deals with the next unforeseen event, like a global pandemic, he said.

The rule is, when we come out of this, lets start to make sure that we pay things down, get things back in order, be ready for the next time, he said.

You never know what the next crisis is going to be about.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 23:13:41|Editor: huaxia

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MOSCOW, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Russia is ready to work with the winner of the forthcoming U.S. presidential elections, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with Sputnik news agency published Friday.

"But we will talk with Washington on all issues of interest solely on the basis of equality, mutual benefit, and the search for a balance of interests," Lavrov said.

"Talking to us with ultimatums is pointless and useless. If someone has not yet understood this, then these are worthless politicians," he added.

He recalled that under the previous U.S. President Barack Obama, Russia was first accused of interference in the internal affairs of the United States, which was used as a pretext for imposing sanctions, including a "raider seizure of Russian property in the United States, the expulsion of dozens of our diplomats with their families and much more."

Lavrov said the issue of Russia's alleged interference in U.S. internal affairs still occupies one of the dominant places in Washington's policy. Enditem
Photo: Contributed A DoorDash delivery driver was caught on home security footage Thursday night committing what appears to be a theft of the homeowner's Amazon package.

A DoorDash delivery driver got less than he bargained for in Surrey when he swiped an Amazon package from the doorstep of a hungry customer.

It was a set of baby pacifiers, explained Panorama Ridge resident Geraldine Vargas, who ordered dinner through the app Thursday night instead of cooking for her family.

It wasnt until after the meal that Vargas noticed her package  a gift for a baby shower  wasnt delivered to her front door like Amazon specified.

She decided to review her home surveillance footage and was shocked by what she saw.

She saw the food delivery driver walk up to her front door, pull her order out of a red DoorDash bag, place it down, and stuff her Amazon package in it.

My neighbourhood is very safe, I have never had anything stolen, she told Vancouver Is Awesome. It was the DoorDash guy.

Following the apparent theft, the suspect driver ran back to his car with Vargas' Amazon package in tow.

Vargas immediately alerted police out of fear that it would happen to others in the area.

I have ordered more expensive things from Amazon too, she stressed.

Surrey RCMP Cpl. Elenor Sturko confirmed a report of a stolen package in the area Thursday. She told Vancouver Is Awesome the company wasn't forthcoming in disclosing the driver's information when asked by police.

"I don't know why any company would not want to help police in an investigation regarding a theft from one of their employees," Sturko said.

Vargas said the officer was directed by DoorDash telecommunications to fill out a form requesting the drivers information.

Fortunately, the police have "other ways of getting the information," Sturko said.

As of Friday, no charges have been laid, the officer confirmed.

Vancouver Is Awesome has reached out to DoorDash for a comment on the matter.
While she focused on underage drinking as an ABC agent, she also investigated cases as diverse as those involving moonshiners. She retired from the agency in 2012 to become a captain in the Spotsylvania Sheriffs Office, then left there four years later to spend more time with her mother, who died in 2018.

She missed law enforcement so much, she returned to Spotsylvania part-time as a detective investigating financial crimes and fraud.

I dont regret any of those decisions, she said. Both positions were rewarding and enjoyable and law enforcement is a difficult profession to walk away from and not return.

Shes focused on her ABC Tipster business after retiring for good from police work, and it keeps her on the periphery of law enforcement. Over the years, shes investigated a lot of drugs that were in the spotlight and has come to believe that alcohol will always be abused by adults and underage drinkers because its easily accessible and affordable.

At the same time, the number of breweries and wineries has increased in the region, and Wright hopes to help them sell their wares safely while adhering to ABC rules and regulations.

She believes the efforts are worth it if we save one life by making people aware of the training and sometimes just simply the reminder that the sale/service of alcohol in Virginia is not only a privilege, but also a huge responsibility.

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CLEVELAND, Ohio  A Cuyahoga County Sheriff deputy continually asked a partner for more rounds to fire into the crowd during the May 30 protests in downtown Cleveland even after he fired a bean bag round that struck a man in the head, according to records released Friday.

One of the 12 use-of-force investigation reports released Friday says the bean bag round fired by deputy Bruce Lourie struck a young Black man and knocked him to the ground. Lourie appeared to be stunned as he turned to his partner Juan Rodriguez Jr., who was with him as he fired rounds out a broken window at the Justice Center.

Deputy Lourie in shock asked something to the effect of did you see what happened? Rodriguezs report says.

Rodriguez asked Lourie if he needed a break, and Lourie agreed to take one, the report says. But he later resumed his post and kept asking Rodriguez for more rounds to fire into the crowd outside.

Lourie also grabbed handfuls of more bean bag rounds and stuffed them in his pockets in case he needed them for later, the report says.

Sometime later, Lourie also recounted his use of force to others, Rodriguezs report says.

Lourie did mention to other people several times that he did shoot someone in the head with a bean bag round, the report says.

None of the 12 use-of-force investigation reports released Friday are written by Lourie, despite Rodriguezs clear description of Lourie firing less-than-lethal munitions into the crowd. Cuyahoga County spokeswoman Mary Louise Madigan did not respond to questions about whether or not the county is investigating Louries actions.

The incident occurred as a protest over the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd, which drew an estimated 3,000 demonstrators, turned violent outside the Justice Center. Surveillance video reviewed by cleveland.com revealed the scene turned chaotic after law enforcement officers fired less-than-lethal munitions into the crowd.

Cuyahoga County has asked the Ohio Attorney Generals Office to investigate at least one use of force during the protest.

In that incident, a law enforcement officer fired a bean bag round that struck John Sanders, a 24-year-old man who previously told cleveland.com he went to the protest to take photos because he is an amateur photographer. The round exploded pellets into Sanders' left eye ask he stood on West 3rd Street near Lakeside Avenue, causing irreversible damage that left him blind in his left eye.

The records released Friday do not identify the officer who shot Sanders. There is nothing in the public records to indicate Louries use-of-force is related. Ohio Attorney Generals Office spokesman Steve Irwin again said Friday that his office would not identify the officer under investigation in the Sanders incident.

Lourie was hired in 2001 and works courthouse security, according to county records.

Rodriguez in his report detailed Louries actions. Rodriguez himself fired a single bean-bag round. He and the 11 other deputies whose actions the county reviewed were cleared of any wrongdoing, even though some, including Rodriguez were not certified to fire bean bag rounds.

The records released by the county did not say if Lourie was certified to fire bean bag rounds.

Rodriguez said he met up with Lourie when he tried to give Lourie a break from guarding the parking garage reserved for judges at the Justice Center. Both deputies soon ran to check on a report of someone breaking into a hallway inside the building, but other deputies were already looking into it.

Lourie and Rodriguez then noticed windows on the West 3rd Street side of the building had been broken, so they went to search the room. They didnt find anyone inside, but Rodriguez wrote that he looked outside and saw a large crowd throwing debris toward law enforcement.

Lourie, Rodriguez and a third deputy built a fort out of the desks in the office to protect themselves. The deputies watched as rioters set fire to two Cleveland police cruisers on the corner of West 3rd and Lakeside Avenue and damaged buildings in the surrounding area.

Lourie grabbed a less lethal shotgun and yelled at large groups to back away from the building, but the crowd wouldnt listen, the report says. Lourie then fired several shots of bean bag rounds at the crowd.

During the chaos Deputy Lourie accidentally shot a young unidentified black man in the back of the head with one of the bean bag rounds, Rodriguez wrote.

Rodriguez saw the man fall to the ground, but did not see what happened to him afterward, the report says.

Rodriguez offered to relieve Lourie, and Lourie obliged. Rodriguez took the shotgun and fired another round into the crowd as an intimidation factor, the report says.

Rodriguez wrote that he didnt fire any more rounds out the window because he wasnt comfortable firing the shotgun towards the crowd because of the smoke from the smoke bombs going off and the smoke bothering my vision.

Eventually, the crowd outside the window moved away from the Justice Center and toward other areas of downtown Cleveland, where rioters smashed windows and looted stores. Lourie and Rodriguez walked over to the front desk, where Lourie told other law enforcement officers hed shot someone in the head with a beanbag, the report says.

Read more from cleveland.com:

Peaceful protester pepper sprayed during Cleveland protests comes forward, is preparing lawsuit

Body camera video shows Cleveland police officer pepper sprayed peaceful protester in the face

Cleveland police officer accused of using excessive force at May 30 protest faces second lawsuit

Video from Clevelands George Floyd protest contains no mention of protesters throwing rocks before police used pepper spray, tear gas on crowd

Justice Center security video shows police fired pepper spray, tear gas before bulk of violence at Clevelands George Floyd protests

Video, photo show Cleveland police pepper spraying, shooting projectiles at legal observers during George Floyd protests

Video shows police shot downtown Cleveland resident in head, back with pepper balls as he tried to enter his apartment: they just lit me up

Cleveland Community Police Commission asks DOJ to open civil rights probe into police handling of May 30 protests

Video shows Cuyahoga County sheriffs deputy holding bean bag shotgun at Justice Center on day of Cleveland riot
Back in August, many media outlets incorrectly reported that neck gaiters were not only less effective than normal face masks, but worse than no mask at all. Though the scientists who performed the study were quick to clarify that this wasnt true, the popularity of that story shows that people are worried about the efficacy of their masks. So is there a way to test, at home, if your mask is effective?

The answer is complicated.

The problem, as weve reported a few times before, is that no mask can work as a magic bullet that keeps you from spreading or contracting Covid-19, and theres no simple way to acquire the complex equipment that NIOSH (The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) uses to individually test the N95 masks imported into the United States.

However, there are quick and dirty tests that you can perform at home on N95 and KN95 masks that will give you an idea if the mask is effective. While passing them doesnt guarantee that a mask works, failing them is a big sign that they dont, and might be counterfeit masks sold as part of a scam.

For this article, I performed these tests on Honest PPEs KN95 masks, one of our readers most-purchased masks this month. It came in a 10-pack of individually wrapped items, and was provided to me free by Honest PPE. They are both DFA and CE Registered, though not NIOSH approved.

KN95 - FDA - Individually Wrapped honestppe.supply $1.99 Shop Now

The Water Test

On the recommendation of both Sciencealert.com and Honest PPE founder Shahzil Amin, the first test I performed on the KN95 mask was filling it with water and then letting it sit. Science Alert recommends watching to see if the water beads immediately, while Amin invited me to fill the mask with water and hang it from a door knob and wait -- so I did the latter. Why cut them any slack?

At first I intended to only wait five minutes, but then my day sort of got away from me and I left it hanging for almost half an hour. It made no difference: not a drop spilled through the fabric, and the mask was completely dry when I poured the water out into my sink (and also onto my floor).

So thats a pass, for what its worth.

The Candle Test

Another recommended test is attempting to blow out a candle when wearing the mask, most famously demonstrated by pop-scientist Bill Nye. He attempted to blow out a candle from roughly 6-inches away using a cloth mask, but since a KN95 is supposed to be significantly stronger than that, I pushed my mask as close to the flame as I could without burning my face and blew as hard as I could.

The flame didnt move.

Since the mask passed with such flying colors, I do want to reiterate the the limits of this test. Amy Price, a senior research scientist at Stanford University's Anesthesia Informatics and Media Laboratory, told NPR that Its an OK rule of thumb . It isnt scientific, but its a pretty good estimate.

Still, I could not get that flame to move.

The smell test

This test is simple: you wear a mask, and see if you can smell something with a strong odor. The website used Sweet & Low, I used a Patriot Candles Scented Candle (Whiskey & Tobacco, because Im a big tough man).

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

I found this test on ipromo.com, a manufacturer of KN95 masks -- which is of course a big red-flag when it comes to its efficacy since one should never trust a companys word on its own product (this is also known as caveat emptor or buyer beware, and its why many corporations are able to legally lie to their customers).

However, the test reminded me of what CDC representatives told me are the biggest misconceptions about face masks, which is that they prevent spreading rather than contracting the COVID-19 virus. It also reminded me of OSHA fit-tests for N95 masks, which basically amounts to the same thing: you wear the mask and see if you can smell an odor.

Without my KN95 mask, I was able to smell the candle quite well, and with my ordinary face mask (an Everlane 100% Human mask) the smell was still quite detectable, though perhaps marginally weaker.

The 100% Human Face Mask 5-Pack - Black everlane everlane.com $25.00 Shop Now

When I was wearing the KN95, however, I couldnt detect the candle at all.

Again: these are basic at-home tests. Im certain theyre inferior to any test that could be performed in a laboratory, and I want to reiterate that even the most effective masks out there provide nowhere near as much safety as simply staying at home.

But if nothing else, they gave me something to do, and a little peace of mind -- and both those things are pretty valuable right now.

Hearst Newspapers participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.

Joshua Sargent is an editor for Hearst Newspapers. Email him at josh.sargent@hearst.com.
A patient under respiratory assistance is escorted to the Strasbourg University Hospital by members of the medical staff of the SAMU-SMUR emergency services who wear protective suits and facemasks, in Strasbourg, on March 16, 2020 during a COVID-19 outbreak hitting Europe.

Parts of France have reached capacity in their intensive-care units, Van Kerkhove said. France reported more than nearly 10,400 new cases on Thursday, according to Johns Hopkins University, among the highest daily count the country has reported so far and more than its peak in the spring.

Britain is considering whether to impose another national lockdown as hospital admissions and infection rates grow in northern England and London, Reuters reported Friday.

In the U.K., hospitalizations have doubled every eight days, Van Kerkhove said. The U.K. is reporting more than 3,300 new cases per day, based on a seven-day average, a steady increase compared with a low of roughly 350 new daily cases in July, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

"We haven't even started to hit the flu season yet, so we're worried that these increasing numbers of hospitalizations and ICU are really going to overburden an already burdened system," Maria Van Kerkhove, head of the WHO's emerging diseases and zoonosis unit, told CNN's "New Day" on Friday.

Some European countries, including the U.K. and France, are reporting a rapid rise in Covid-19 hospitalizations, a "worrying trend" ahead of the influenza season approaching the Northern Hemisphere, a top official from the World Health Organization said.

"This is really worrying because as we hit the flu season  as we start to see other viruses circulating, respiratory viruses circulating  it's very difficult to distinguish Covid from flu from other respiratory pathogens that are circulating," Van Kerkhove said. "And if the beds are full with Covid patients, it will be very challenging for the health-care system to deal with other respiratory diseases."

European health officials have warned for weeks about the rising number of Covid-19 cases. More than half of European countries have reported a 10% or greater increase in cases in the past two weeks and, of those, seven have seen newly reported cases increase more than twofold, WHO's regional director for Europe, Hans Kluge, said Thursday in a press briefing.

"We have a very serious situation unfolding before us," Kluge said.

Van Kerkhove said part of the rise in case counts across Europe can be attributed to more widespread testing and better surveillance methods. However, she added that as economies have reopened, health officials have reported a growing number of infections among those between 15 and 44 years old.

"Part of that has to do with the way people are socializing, people are going out and about and living their lives and trying to get back to what is this new normal," she said. "If the virus has an opportunity to spread, it can infect many people, it can reach those vulnerable people, and those vulnerable people have a higher chance of needing hospitalization and needing intensive care."

Some epidemiologists from the U.S., France and Spain told CNBC that "pandemic fatigue" has set in across Europe after outbreaks were mostly contained over the summer.

"When you look at the worldwide map of cases, you see that even if you control the virus in your country, the virus is still there, so it can come back," Dominique Costagliola, an epidemiologist at the INSERM research institute in Paris, told CNBC. "Don't think that because you are in a better situation at the moment, you can forget to pay attention to the virus."
With the 2020 US election just around the corner, Twitter is tightening the security for high-profile, election-related accounts. The company said that itll be taking steps to proactively implement additional security measures for such accounts.

Twitter will prompt accounts belonging to or operated by members of Congress, administration officials, Presidential campaigns, and other election-related officials to implement additional security measures ahead of the November election. Major US news outlets and political journalists will also require to tighten the security of their Twitter accounts with additional measures.

As we learn from the experience of past security incidents and implement changes, were also focused on keeping high-profile accounts on Twitter safe and secure during the 2020 US election, the company said in a blog post on Thursday.

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This announcement comes on the heels of the big Twitter hack earlier in July. Twitter accounts of several big names including Elon Musk and Barack Obama were hacked to promote a cryptocurrency scam.

Twitter tightens security for political accounts

Starting this week, Twitter will automatically turn on the Password reset protection feature for such high-profile political accounts. This setting requires an account to confirm its email address or phone number to initiate a password reset. It helps prevent unauthorized password changes.

Such accounts will also require to use a strong password if they dont already. If Twitter detects an account using a weak password, itll prompt them to use a stronger password the next time they log in. Additionally, Twitter will also ask such accounts to enable Two-factor authentication (2FA) in order to protect from unauthorized logins.

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Twitter has already begun communicating these security measures to the holders of such accounts. In the coming weeks, the social media platform will also implement additional proactive internal security safeguards for these accounts.

These measures include increased login defenses to prevent malicious account takeover attempts. Account-holders will be able to detect and report any suspicious activity quickly. Twitter also promises expedited account recovery in case of any security issue.

While Twitter will be proactively implementing these security measures for the select group of high-profile political accounts, everyone on the platform can take advantage of this. The company encourages every Twitter user to do so.

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Twitters recent election-related step comes after it started labeling the accounts of government officials and state-backed media entities last month. The labels appear on the profile page of the affected accounts, making it clear for users to see where the information is coming from. Twitter believes this will help users make informed decisions.
A mansion with a starring role is now on the market.

"Real Housewives of New Jersey" star Teresa Giudice is selling her custom-built Montville Township, NJ, home for just under $2.5 million, the New York Post reported.

With her marriage to Joe Giudice over, the reality TV star is also moving on from their shared home.

Exterior realtor.com

The spread covers almost 10,000 square feet and sits on roughly 4 acres.

The massive mansion was completed in 2008. From the front entrance, with its black marble floors, and a double staircase with swirling railing designs, it's evident that the luxury abode is an opulent and ornate showpiece.

Entrance realtor.com

Upstairs realtor.com

Inside the walls of the 16-room house, plenty of drama has gone down.

Giudice has been a part of the "RHONJ" cast since the first season debuted in May 2009.

She is known for her hot temper, and is most notorious for flipping over a table at a restaurant during an argument on the first season of the show.

Teresa and Joe raised their four daughters in this house.

Great room realtor.com

Dining room realtor.com

Both Joe and Teresa spent time away from their home, and behind bars, after pleading guilty to fraud in March 2014. Teresa served 11 months of a 15-month sentence and was released in December 2015.

Joe served his prison term after Teresa, and got out in March 2019. Because Joe is not an American citizen, he was deported to Italy, where he's now living.

After 20 years of marriage, the couple separated, and their divorce was finalized earlier this month.

Gate realtor.com

Driveway realtor.com

The couple bought the land for the house in 2001 for $530,000 and began building their dream house.

After driving through the private gate, the home stands out with its red roof and red gravel driveway with a huge planter. An attached three-car garage plus a detached two-car garage allow room for five cars.

Kitchen realtor.com

Kitchen dining area realtor.com

Inside, there's plenty of room, with a huge two-story great room, a large dining room, and an eat-in kitchen that was the backdrop of numerous scenes of "RHONJ."

Granite counters, stainless-steel appliances, and carved wood cabinets are standout details. Many a "Housewives" scene unfurled in the kitchen, where Teresa and other family members cooked up Italian feasts while also dishing.

Near the kitchen are a private wine cellar and butlers pantry.

Master bedroom realtor.com

The home has six bedrooms and 5.5 bathrooms. Four of the bedrooms, including the master, are on the second floor.

The master bedroom is enormous, measuring 36 by 22 feet, and includes a fireplace. Both the hardwood floors and high ceilings have decorative details.

The master bathroom is gilded with gold with and includes double sinks, a vanity, shower, and columned soaking tub. There are three walk-in closets and a dressing area.

Office realtor.com

Den realtor.com

Game room realtor.com

On the lower level of the house, an office, game room, and den can access the outdoor space, including a new pool.

Teresa hired a former boyfriend to build the pool, which was completed last year. During one episode of the show, Teresa said her family had been wanting a pool for many years, but that she couldnt afford one because she was paying restitution.

Finally finished, the pool is outfitted with six fountains for a cool spray, and a shallow end for lounge chairs. Teresa has been posting to her Instagram feed from the pool all summer.

Pool realtor.com

The pool was just one of the recent updates to the property. Interior designer Jimmy DeLaurentis posted to his Instagram feed that he had helped make over the home to bring in light.

The listing agent is Michelle Pais, who owns Signature Realty NJ. Page Six reports she will appear on the next season of "RHONJ," possibly as a new housewife.

The post 'Real Housewives' Star Teresa Giudice Lists Custom NJ Mansion for $2.5M appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com.
For many years and for many people, the name J.K. Rowling has conjured thoughts of rowdy quidditch matches, foaming butterbeer and the cobblestones of Diagon Alley. But the Millennials who grew up hoping to receive a Hogwarts admission's letter and debating whether they were Gryffindor or Slytherin, are now largely those on social media trying to school the British novelist for her views on gender identity.

Who is she?

Joanne Kathleen Rowling cast a spell upon the world when she introduced readers to the boy wizard with a lightning bolt scar in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in 1997. Rowling soared to success on the back of Harry's broomstick to oversee a multi-billion dollar universe that now includes seven books, eight movies, theme park attractions, a musical, play and an ever-expanding list of spin-offs. One of the most successful series of all time, the Harry Potter books have been published in 80 languages and notched up more than half a billion sales. And there's something magical about Rowling's own story. Delayed on a train travelling from Manchester to King's Cross, Rowling saw a vision of "this scrawny little boy". By the end of the journey, she had Harry Potter. A young single mother on welfare, Rowling wrote the series largely by hand at cafes and publishers repeatedly rejected her first novel. Forbes estimates Rowling's earnings from June 2019 to May at $US60 ($A82) million, making her the second-highest-paid author in the world behind James Patterson.

J. K. Rowling's new novel is set to be a bestseller despite calls for it to be "cancelled". Credit:AP

Rowling's novels proved that words matter, which is partly why her words matter so much now. The novelist has set the culture wars cauldron bubbling with a series of public comments about sex, gender and identity. In December, she showed her support for a tax specialist who was fired after tweeting "men cannot change into women". In June, Rowling poked fun of an article that described women as "people who menstruate" tweeting: "Im sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud? In a subsequent essay, Rowling claimed arguments that femaleness does not reside in biological sex were "deeply misogynist and repressive" and current trans activism was "doing demonstrable harm in seeking to erode woman as a political and biological class". Rowling said she was worried by the number of young women transitioning and de-transitioning and female bathrooms and change rooms should not be opened "to any man who believes or feels hes a woman".
Monique Candelaria knew an air date was coming.

It still caught her by surprise.

The New Mexican snagged a role on the fourth episode of HBOs hit series Lovecraft Country.

It has been a very blissful whirlwind of everything, Candelaria says. I was excited to finally be able to share this with my community.

Lovecraft Country follows a young Black man who travels across the segregated 1950s United States in search of his missing father, learning of dark secrets plaguing a town on which famous horror writer H.P. Lovecraft supposedly based the location of many of his fictional tales.

In the episode, Candelaria plays Yahima Maraokoti, an Arawakan woman responsible for translating the language of Adam for Titus Braithwhite, a slave trader and the founder of an occult secret society of wizards called the Sons of Adam.

Yahima is awakened by main characters, Tic, Leti and Montrose, after being trapped in Braithwhites vault for more than a century.

She tells them her name in Arawak  both woman and man, two spirits.

She comes from the land of many waters. Titus came on looking for anyone who could read the Book of Names. She knew the symbols from the cave of Alomun Kundi. When she saw Titus for what he truly was, she refused to decipher another word, but he promised to reunite her with her people. He kept that promise by killing them and imprisoning her in his vault.

I wanted to play this character very strong, she says. You see in the episode that Titus hands me clothing. In indigenous cultures around the world, being nude is not looked at as taboo. Its just beautiful to be yourself.

Because Candelaria would be nude, she worked with an intimacy coordinator for weeks before shooting.

She also wanted to make sure she got the language correct.

When I gave my performance, I was fully aware where the character was at, she says. This is the biggest thing that Ive ever done . Ive truly resonated with sci-fi and fantasy. Playing a character that was true to culture and honoring stories of those who have come before us.

Candelaria filmed the episode in August and September 2019. She had to wait to let anyone know that she was in the series.

The casting also came at a time when she was to start production on a feature film called Driftless, in Michigan.

Everything came to me at once and I had to figure out how to get it done, she says. Both of these roles are important. They are each strong women, and I wanted to do the best I could with it. Its an honor to be involved in the projects.

On demand

Lovecraft Country is streaming on HBO
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Australia's cyber spy agency has abruptly cancelled a contract with the Australian National University to write its official history despite a military historian working for more than a year on the project.

The Australian Signals Directorate's shock decision to sever ties with professor John Blaxland has raised concern among senior figures in the Morrison government who have been pushing for the agency to be more transparent.

Professor John Blaxland was halfway through the first volume of the ASD's official history.

Professor Blaxland was commissioned last year to write an exhaustive two-volume history of the ASD, an agency that has been growing in stature amid the increasing threat of cyber attacks.

ASD director-general Rachel Noble's decision to cancel the contract, which university sources estimated was worth about $2.2 million, comes weeks after she spoke of the need for the agency to be more transparent.
The YSRCP is the fouth largest political party in Indian in terms of its strength in parliament. Parliament on Friday passed a bill to reduce for one year the salaries of MPs by 30 percent to meet the exigencies arising out of the Covid-19 pandemic. The bill was passed in Rajya Sabha with voice vote. The YSRCP fully supported the Bill but demanded the restoration of MP local area development Scheme funds since the funds are used for the development of their segments and for the betterment of the people. The YSRCP MPs said the Charity must begin at home so that they wanted to show an example by sacrificing their salaries. The MPs said that if the MPLADS funds are restored , They can be used for fighting covid 19 in their constituencies. They said its not like the salaries or allowences for an individual member.

Leading the Party in Delhi, its MP and general secretary Vijay Sai Reddy said,  I support this bill of cutting salaries. but I request the honourable Minister to restore the MPLADS, Thats very important for the development of constituency. cutting across the parties, All MPs want the MPLADS should be restored. For the members who disturpt the house proceedings , Their salaries should be cut in proportion irrespective of their party, There should not be any distinction between treasury benches or opposition. Even the imposition of penality can be considered on such memebers. the MPs are also with the people of India in the fight against the pendamic. The political leaders also send a message to people with their salary cut. there is a salary cut of of 20 percent, the pulbic representatives in Singapore sacrifices one month salary and I appriciate the private companies for their higher level Salary Cut so that the Junior employees get their salaries with out any cut. The public representatives lead the example by their own salary cut.

On the other hand, on the second consecutive day also the MPs belonging to the YSRCP staged protest at Gandhi Statue and VIJAY Chowk and demanded the CBI probe into Amaravathi land scams and AP Fiber grid scam. They raised slogans to highlight the issues. Earlier, a Cabinet Sub-Committee (CSC) set up by the Andhra government in a report to the High Court alleged insider trading in the land transactions of Amaravati capital region under TDP regime. It mentioned several prominent personalities including former Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and other ministers in his cabinet. The State Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) registered a corruption case against several people and accused them of abusing their official position to buy land in Amaravati, ahead of its announcement as the capital. However, HC has issued an injunction against any reporting by the media on the contents of the First Information Report (FIR) pertaining to the case.

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Former homicide detective Gary Jubelin says he is disappointed a court upheld his sentence for illegally recording four conversations during the William Tyrrell investigation, but maintains he stands by his actions.

Jubelin, the former lead investigator in the Tyrrell case, was convicted and fined $10,000 in April after a magistrate found he "acted illegally" when he recorded the conversations with a person of interest in the toddler's disappearance.

Gary Jubelin arrives at court in August. Credit:Janie Barrett

William, 3, vanished from his foster-grandmother's home at Kendall on the NSW Mid North Coast in September 2014.

Jubelin recorded three in-person conversations with Paul Savage, who is no longer a person of interest in the case, in May and December 2018. The fourth conversation was recorded over the phone from police headquarters in Parramatta in November 2017.
A new lawsuit launched at Starbucks claims a California man suffered severe burns to his body, including his genitals, after the lid to his hot tea came undone and it spilled on him.

Tommy Piluyev last week filed a lawsuit against Starbucks Corporation and Pactiv Packaging Inc. a manufacturer and distributor of food packaging, related to the injuries he suffered in October 2018.

Court documents viewed by DailyMail.com show the two companies are accused of negligence and product liability.

The incident happened in October 2018 when Piluyev, then 22, and his family purchased two pick-up grande size Honey Citrus Mint Teas at a Starbucks location in Roseville.

The family had been driving home through the Sacramento-area in their 2018 BMW SUV at the time.

A lawsuit filed in California this month said Tommy Piluyev (left), pictured with his wife and child, suffered severe burns after his Starbucks drink spilled on him

'As the window associate reached to the SUVs window sill to deliver the second sleeved and lidded cup to Mr. Piluyev, the lid lost its seal with the cup lip and dislodged from the top of the cup,' per the lawsuit.

'Hot tea spilled on Mr. Piluyevs left hand during the transfer, the cup overturned on the window sill and hot tea poured onto Mr. Piluyevs hands, stomach and pelvic area.

'Covered in scalding tea, and unable to open his door to escape because he was near the drive-through window, Mr. Piluyev quickly put the SUV into gear and accelerated from the window.

'He pulled into an adjacent parking lot, hastily exited the vehicle and stripped off his sweat pants.'

Piluyev (pictured) suffered burns on his hands, fingers and other body parts as a result of the hot tea and loose cup lid, the lawsuit claimed

Piluyev (pictured) spent 11 days in the University of California, Davis burn unit after the incident happened in October 2018

Piluyev was rushed to the Stutter Roseville Medical Center's emergency room, but by then he had already suffered concerning burns to several body parts.

Photos obtained by CBS 13 show some of the plaintiff's wounds.

'The emergency team reported partial-thickness burns with blistering across the lower left abdomen, thighs, penis, scrotum, peritoneum and buttocks,' the lawsuit read.

'Nine of his fingers were also burned to at least the second degree, left more than right.'

The lawsuit filed against Starbucks Corporation and Pactiv Packaging accused them of negligence and product liability

Hospital staff confirmed that Piluyev suffered from second-degree burns to eight per cent of the injured areas identified.

He was then transferred to University of California, Davis' acute care unit on October 6 and would spend 11 days in the burn unit.

While there, the lawsuit claimed Piluyev could not use his hands or fingers for any purpose, resulting in him becoming completely dependent on medical staff.

It noted that Piluyev also lost the ability to play the piano and that sexual intimacy is now 'painful and awkward.'

'In the five months post-discharge Mr. Piluyev gradually regained the ability to walk, the ability to sense touch in some of his fingers, the ability to hold his young child, and eventually, to use a computer keyboard. Mr. Piluyev remained unable to play the piano.

'The sensitivity and permanent skin discoloration and disfigurement of Mr. Piluyevs genitals and inner thighs made eventual intimacy awkward and painful.'

Lawsuit: 'The sensitivity and permanent skin discoloration and disfigurement of Mr. Piluyevs genitals and inner thighs made eventual intimacy awkward and painful'

The lawsuit also expanded on the negligence and product liability claims made against Starbucks Corporation and Pactiv Packaging.

Attorney Whitney Davis wrote that the defendants 'had knowledge of no less than Eighty (80) lid-off incidents per day involving customers and 'defendants had knowledge of additional complaints and burn incidents from employees, managers and associates concerning defective cups and lids.'

The lawsuit said that Starbucks tea is served between 190F to 200F.

'Accordingly, the conduct of Defendants STARBUCKS and PACTIV in failing to research, analyze and deploy a reasonably safe alternative solution constituted despicable conduct carried on by the Defendants in conscious disregard of the rights and safety of the Plaintiffs,' it read.

DailyMail.com has reached out to Starbucks Corporation and Pactiv Packaging for further comment.
Mr. Trump had already turned a platform used by hundreds of millions into a geopolitical game chip. He had cajoled companies into courting him; he had shaken them down for promises of money to fill U.S. coffers. And early this week, it appeared the legitimate national security issues that were the pretext for all this buffoonery would end up far from fully addressed after all, with ByteDance still majority owner of TikTok and Oracle merely hosting its data. The White House and the companies have been wrangling ever since to make adjustments, including a possible initial public offering for U.S. firms to purchase stock in TikTok, mandatory third-party audits of data practices and an assurance that Oracle could inspect source code built in Beijing to detect any backdoors.
Bala Chauhan By

Express News Service

BENGALURU: Even as the Covid19 pandemic has battered the health and economy of the country, entomologists are alarmed at the unauthorised introduction of foreign invasive pests, which are destroying Indian crops and causing untold misery to our hapless farmers.Cassava mealybug (Phenacoccus manihoti Matile-Ferrero) is the latest of invasive pests, which has cast a shadow for tapioca (cassava) farmers in the three south Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.

Cassava mealybug recently arrived in India from Thailand, reportedly through some plant material or unauthorised introduction, Dr Shylesh, principal entomologist, National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources (NBAIR), Bengaluru, told The New Indian Express. He added that this was not the first time that foreign pests have unauthorizedly been introduced in the country.In the last two years we saw coconut rugose whitefly (Aleurodicus rugiperculatus) and fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda), which have reportedly gained unauthorised entry from the Mexican region and Sri Lanka. They have destroyed coconut and maize farms across the country, said Dr Shylendra.

This is the first time we have found cassava mealybug in India. It was spotted in tapioca plants in Salem, Dharmapuri along the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border and Thrissur district in Kerala four months ago. Each pesticide has a label claim. There is no label claim for mealybug in the country since it is a new bug,

he added.

The available pesticides dont enter the body of the mealybug host because of its wax coating. If we use the systematic pesticides, then there is a danger that residual toxicity may remain in the tapioca tuber and produce. They cannot be marketed, said Dr Shylendra. In the absence of a parasitoid, entomologists are using Metarhizium and Verticillium fungus to manage cassava mealybug, he said. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has sent an MoU to its counterpart in Thailand requesting a parasitoid specifically mealybug. Bangkok has responded with a similar request for parasitoid on coconut. The importation of parasitoids is looked into by the National Biodiversity Authority of India and the ICAR, said the chief entomologist.

Tapioca is cultivated throughout the year in India, mostly confined to Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and the North-East. It is a major industrial crop in Tamil Nadu. Sago (small pearl shaped globules), chips and wafers, noodles and starch are some of the products made out of tapioca.
NAUGATUCK  A suspect in an officer-involved shooting earlier this week allegedly crashed into a police cruiser and drove directly at a police sergeant before the officer fired his gun, according to a new report.

The driver, Roznovsky Machado, put his car in gear and attempted to flee after police pulled him over for allegedly conducting a hand-to-hand drug sale, a report from the Fairfield States Attorneys Office said.

The preliminary report Thursday from Fairfield States Attorney Joseph T. Corradino provides new details into Mondays officer-involved shooting.

Around 8 p.m., Naugatuck Patrol Officer Kevin Zainc observed what he believed to be a hand-to-hand drug transaction, and pulled over Machados orange 2019 Dodge Charger on the northbound ramp of Route 8 at Maple Street, the report said.

During the stop, Mr. Machado provided his name but was unable to provide a valid operators license, the report said.

Sgt. Nicholas Kehoss, a 10-year veteran of the Naugatuck Police Department, was called to the scene and parked his vehicle in front of the Charger, with Zaincs cruiser behind it.

When Machado attempted to flee, he struck Kehosss cruiser driving directly toward Sgt. Kehoss, who was outside of his car, the report said.

Kehoss was struck by the fleeing car and later treated for minor injuries.

The sergeant fired his duty weapon, but the report said it is unknown whether any of the shots struck Machado or if he was injured.

Police later found the car, a rental with Ohio plates, in Waterbury. The Republican-American reported the car appeared to have bullet holes as well as a smashed rear window.

Machado remains at large, and police have released a photograph of him in an effort to locate him.

The Connecticut State Police Western District Major Crime Squad is investigating the shooting with the Fairfield States Attorneys Office.

Corradino said he has directed video footage of the shooting to be released.
Bill And Ted Face The Music (cinemas, PG)

Rating:

Verdict: Uninspiring rehash

The Devil All The Time (Netflix, 18)

Rating:

Verdict: Dark but gripping

The Christopher Nolan blockbuster Tenet has not, it seems, quite achieved what the cinema industry hoped by tempting multitudes back to the multiplexes. But since it needs two or three viewings to work out what the heck is going on, if not 19 or 20, theres still a chance of a strong secondary market.

This week, however, the industry is putting its weight behind Bill & Ted Face The Music, which isnt a film youd want to see more than once. We last saw Bill Preston (Alex Winter) and Ted Logan (Keanu Reeves) in Bill & Teds Bogus Journey, released in the summer of 1991.

Thats so long ago that Frank Capra, master of screwball comedy, was still alive, while Jason Donovans version of Any Dream Will Do was riding high in the charts. This film could be subtitled Any Plot Will Do.

We last saw Bill Preston (Alex Winter) and Ted Logan (Keanu Reeves) in Bill & Teds Bogus Journey, released in the summer of 1991.

Like the first two in a series that began in 1989 with Bill & Teds Excellent Adventure, its a goofball comedy; screwballs less sophisticated cousin. But just like those of us who once bought into the madcap adventures of their heroically slow-witted, rocknrolling alter egos, Winter and Reeves are 30 years older now. Do we really want to see Bill and Ted as middle-aged nincompoops? Yes and no, but mostly no.

The writers are the same as before, Chris Matheson and ed Solomon, and they have unashamedly tried to recycle the best of their own material. A muddled plot whisks us repeatedly backwards and forwards in time  to the company of Jimi hendrix in London in 1967, to the young Louis Armstrong in 1922 New Orleans, to Mozart in 1782 Vienna, to our own two protagonists in jail in 2030.

Double act: We first saw Bill Preston (Alex Winter) and Ted Logan (Keanu Reeves) in 1989 with Bill & Teds Excellent Adventure

Yet the two years that cast the biggest shadow over this film are 1989 and 1991. Ironically, time-travel comedies dont always travel well through time. Its one reason why director Robert Zemeckis keeps declining offers to look ahead to the past by revisiting Back To The Future.

Here, the director is Dean Parisot, whose 1999 sci-fi comedy Galaxy Quest is considered a cult classic. he does his best to wring laughs out of Bill and Teds new challenge: to write a song in 77 minutes and 25 seconds that will satisfy The Great Leader (holland Taylor), save humanity and stop the collapse of reality. unfortunately, the intellectually challenged pair are now also professional failures, their band Wyld Stallyns forced to play to sparse audiences at $2 taco nights.

Winter and Reeves are 30 years older now and in the film their new challenge is to write a song in 77 minutes and 25 seconds that will satisfy The Great Leader (Holland Taylor)

Their marriages to medieval princesses Joanna (Jayma Mays) and elizabeth (erinn hayes) are in trouble, too, yielding a mildly funny scene with a relationship counsellor played by Jillian Bell. The duos biggest asset turns out to be their grown-up daughters, Billie (Brigette Lundy-Paine) and Thea (Samara Weaving), both chips off the old blockheads.

There are a few genuine chuckles in all this, and fans of the first two films may relish the nostalgia trip, but at the Press screening on Tuesday I sensed a lot of stony faces under the obligatory masks.

If staying at home without having to wear a mask is still your idea of a good night at the movies, then I heartily recommend a new Netflix film, The Devil All The Time. But it needs a strong constitution. Its a dark, gritty, violent chronicle of unhappy lives over 20 years from the end of World War II, set in the buckle of the Bible Belt, between hick towns in rural West Virginia and neighbouring Ohio. One of them is the deliciously named Knockemstiff, which I was thrilled to find actually exists.

The Devil All The Time is a dark, gritty, violent chronicle of unhappy lives over 20 years from the end of World War II, set in the buckle of the Bible Belt, between hick towns in rural West Virginia and neighbouring Ohio

Imagine The Waltons rewritten by Quentin Tarantino and youll have an idea of the kind of film this is. It begins with a young soldier, Willard (Bill Skarsgard) returning from the war, falling in love with a pretty waitress, marrying her and proudly fathering a little boy. But before long, as characters and storylines gradually intersect, it plunges into a moral abyss of religious fanaticism, sexual depravity and murder.

It's based on a 2011 novel by Donald Ray Pollock, who grew up in Knockemstiff. He also supplies a commentary  an inspired touch, even if it evokes the folksy voiceovers in those Sunday-afternoon made-for-TV Disney films of blessed memory, usually about doughty sheepdogs. This is anything but. The story gives us not one fire-and-brimstone preacher but two, one mad, the other dissolute, and both played by Brits, Harry Melling and Robert Pattinson.

The quirky film is based on a 2011 novel by Donald Ray Pollock, who grew up in Knockemstiff

Indeed, its a quirk of this film, wonderfully directed and co-written by Antonio Campos, that such a pure slab of Americana features so many non-American actors: not just Pattinson, Melling and Skarsgaard, but also Tom Holland, Douglas Hodge, Mia Wasikowska, Eliza Scanlen and Jason Clarke.

Oddly, U.S. actors are in a minority in this film, although they do include, as one half of a couple of serial killers, Riley Keough, whose late grandfather sang about this kind of country and these kind of people. Mind you, Elvis Presley, for he it was, liked to find their more wholesome side.

Luckily rocks is a real diamond in the rough...

Rocks (cinemas, 12)

Rating:

Verdict: Warm, sad and funny

Sometimes a film catches you by surprise. Aware it was made on a shoestring budget with a cast of near-unknowns, I was unprepared for how remarkably good Rocks is. Directed by Sarah Gavron, whose last film was the much more mainstream Suffragette (2015), its a gripping, beautifully acted slice of-life story set in inner-city London.

The focus is on the titular Rocks, the nickname for a 15-year-old girl (the terrific Bukky Bakray) who must juggle school with caring for her much younger brother emmanuel (a scene-stealing turn by Dangelou Osei Kissiedu) once their mother, who has mental health problems, has left the familys tower block flat to clear my head. A plea for help to the childrens grandmother in Nigeria yields nothing.

The story unfolds episodically as even the resourceful, streetwise Rocks is sorely tested, putting her relationship with her best friend Sumaya (Kosar Ali) under great strain. Yet there is a huge, enveloping warmth to this film, as well as sadness and, on occasion, real hilarity.

With its background theme of social inequality and hardship, it will inevitably be compared to the work of Ken Loach, but Loachs films can be terribly preachy and this never is. I really admired it.
The Okada Riders Association has reiterated calls for the legalisation of the okada business in Ghana with the assurance that its operations would be safer.

Section 128 (1) of the Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 (Legislative Instrument 2180), states: The licensing authority shall not register a motorcycle to carry a fare-paying passenger.

But flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress, John Mahama, has promised to legalese okada should he be re-elected on December 7, 2020.

The promise has invoked an unending debate in Ghana.

Speaking on Eyewitness News, the Public Relations Officer for the Okada Riders Association, Solomon Akpanaba argues that, with the necessary training, the number of accidents recorded among motor riders will be reduced.

Even drivers who are trained and given licences get involved in accidents. So if the motor riders are not given any training whatsoever, they should not be blamed at all. It is not their fault that there are no training schools for motor riders. Besides, no one has the right to attribute the accidents to the okada business. How do you draw the line between the commercial ones and the private ones?

He further argued for legalising and regulating the okada business.

Under regularised systems, the carelessness of some motorbike riders will be reduced because they will belong to unions that will control them. What at all is it about regularisation that some people are against? Under a regularised system, commercial riders will be differentiated from private ones. They can be tracked and traced. Indisciplined riders can easily be traced and arrested. Remember, the riders will also pay tax, they will as well be taken through proper training and licensing, Solomon Akpanaba argued.

The 2018 National Road Safety Commission report shows that over 500 people died as a result of motorbike accidents, lesser than what cars recorded.

Describing the operationalization of okada in the country as a risky business, Dr. Bawumia announced the government's proposed alternative to offer new cars to the operators on a lease basis in order for them to carry out their activities in a much safer manner.

You don't want to finish graduate school and then make a life from okada riding. You can have a better option, and we will give you a better option. So yes, we will not legalize the okada business in Ghana. It may be a tough decision but it is in the interest of Ghanaians. We are having discussions, but we will stick to our decision to provide a better alternative for the okada riders. Let give them an opportunity to buy safer vehicles through lease and pay over time. It is a better option than what the alternative is, he said.

The NDC, however, insists that they have a blueprint to making the operationalization of the okada business safer and more convenient.

---citinewsroom
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Democratic nominee Joe Biden went after Attorney General Bill Barr for saying that coronavirus lockdown orders were the 'greatest intrusion on civil liberties in American history' since slavery - and called Donald Trump's handling of Covid 'close to criminal.'

'Quite frankly they're sick,' Biden remarked of Barr's comments at a Thursday night CNN town hall with Anderson Cooper, held just outside his hometown of Scranton, PA.

'I never, ever thought I would see such a thoroughly, totally irresponsible administration.'

Biden said he was in disbelief that Barr would almost equate 'following the recommendations of the scientific community' to save lives during the coronavirus crisis to 'people being put in chains.'

'You lost your freedom because he didn't act,' Biden said - that comment likely intended for his political rival, President Donald Trump.

'You've got to level with the American people, shoot from the shoulder. There's never been a time when they've have not been able to step up,' Biden said. 'This president should step down,' the Democratic nominee added.

And he seized on the Bob Woodward tapes revealing Trump calling the virus 'deadly stuff' and admitting he liked 'playing it down' and said: 'He knew it and he did nothing. It's close to criminal.'

The former vice president said, in contrast, that he'd consider fining people on federal property - which is in the president's jurisdiction - for not wearing masks, after having already called for a nationwide mask mandate, which he'd have to implement by putting pressure on governors.

'If you're on federal property you must wear a mask,' he said. 'And we could have a fine for them not doing it.'

The town hall featured a number of people who experienced loss - a Republican nurse whose police officer husband died from cancer contracted after cleaning up Ground Zero post-9/11, an immunocompromised teacher whose wive lost her mother to COVID-19. Unlike the ABC News town hall earlier in the week with Trump, it did not feature solely undecided voters, and included questions from explicit Biden and Trump supporters.

The event opened with a woman who lost her mother to the coronavirus.

Democratic nominee Joe Biden went after President Donald Trump's Attorney General Bill Barr who said hat coronavirus lockdown orders were the 'greatest intrusion on civil liberties in American history' since slavery

'You've lost your freedom because he didn't act,' Joe Biden said blasting President Donald Trump's inaction on the coronavirus during Thursday night's CNN town hall outside of his hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania

Joe Biden (left) told Anderson Cooper (right) he'd consider fining people for not wearing masks on federal property if elected president

Audience members are photographed watching Joe Biden from outside their cars, as CNN set the town hall up to be like a drive-in movie theater

Joe Biden (left) talked to a number of people who experienced loss, including Joe Vadala (right) an immunocompromised teacher whose wife lost her mother to COVID-19

A look at the drive-in movie theater set-up CNN constructed for Joe Biden's Scranton-area town hall event

'First of all, I feel so badly for you,' he told the woman. 'You know, we talk about ... almost 200,000 deaths and it's almost like background noise,'

'But it means a lot of empty chairs. It means a lot of children without their mothers or fathers. It means a lot of people not able to see their parents, so much, so my heart goes out to you,' Biden said.

Biden however made a questionable claim dispute by scientists that Trump was responsible for all U.S. deaths.

'If the president had done his job, had done his job from the beginning, all the people would still be alive,' he said.

'All the people. Im not making this up. Just look at the data. Look at the data.'

The claim was highlighted in the Washington Post as 'made up' by factchecker Glen Kessler.

And while the virus was top of mind, Biden was asked about the summer of racial unrest as well.

Biden explained why he stuck up for peaceful protesters but criticized Trump for restarting his rallies.

The ex-veep said COVID-19 safety was important on both scenarios.

'There is a big difference between people walking, moving along, and people sitting down, cheek to jaw, shoulder to shoulder, a thousand of them, breathing on one another, indoors and out, that causes real serious problems,' he said.

At one point, Cooper asked Biden if he believed he benefited from white privilege.

In one of the taperecorded interviews between Trump and journalist Bob Woodward, Trump scoffed at the idea.

'Sure, I've benefited just because I don't have to go through what my Black brothers and sisters have had to go through,' Biden answered.

Biden then made the point that growing up in Scranton, 'we're used to guys who look down their nose at us.'

'Well I'll tell you what bothered me, to tell you the truth, maybe it's my Scranton roots, I don't know,' he told Cooper. 'But when you guys started talking on television about Biden if he wins will be the first person without an Ivy League degree to be elected president.'

'Who the hell makes you think I have to have an Ivy League degree to be president?' Biden said, garnering applause from the audience.

Biden would be the first president since President Ronald Reagan to not hold an Ivy League degree.

'We are as good as anybody else,' Biden said. 'And guys like Trump who inherited everything and squandered what they inherited are the people I've always had a problem with. Not the people busting their neck.'

Throughout the town hall, Biden continued to talk about the election was between Scranton and Park Avenue.

'All that Trump can see from Park Avenue is Wall Street. All he thinks about is the stock market,' Biden said at one point.

He also said that Trump downplayed the coronavirus crisis because his eyes were on Wall Street then as well.

Biden repeatedly spoke of his background in Scranton, his connections to the wider area - including telling a questioner from Philadelphia 'I married a Philly girl' - and referred to his personal experience of grief and loss, with a series of questions at the start coming from people who had suffered bereavement, including a police officer's widow as well as those whose families were hit by coronavirus.

The display of empathy played to Biden's strengths as a campaigner, something which he has been unable to do for the past six months, and also presented a contrast to Trump's town hall earlier in the week.

Hillary Clinton lost Scranton in the course of her defeat in Pennsylvania, one of the three 'blue wall' states which were won by Trump.

But after the event Biden said he would win Scranton. He had won applause from the audience for praising it and has returned repeatedly to it over the years.

Biden, 77, also stood throughout the town hall, despite chairs being on stage for him and Cooper, a contrast to Trump, 73, sitting throughout his ABC News town hall in Philadelphia on Tuesday.

Trump had assailed Biden as 'shot' and physically and mentally incapable of becoming president, which Biden's supporters say has simply lowered the bar on how he has to perform at the debates.

His performance will be studied closely by Trump's aides - and by Trump - ahead of the first presidential debate on September 29, a week on Tuesday.

Cooper asked Biden if he was practicing and if someone was playing Trump and Biden said 'not so far,' saying he was practicing being 'concise.' Unlike the town hall, the debate comes with time limits and moderator Chris Wallace proved a fierce enforcer of them in 2016. Two people are asking him questions, he said.

On Air Force One as the town hall began, Trump's chief of staff Mark Meadows warned that Biden should not be underestimated as an opponent - even though Trump has been reported to have privately scorned practicing and said he would force Biden to stutter or make a gaffe.

'To suggest that you shouldn't take him seriously would be misguided,' Meadows said, noting Biden's almost five decades in electoral politics.

Trump has also suggested that Biden was 'on drugs or something' when he performed well in the later Democratic primary debates, and suggested taking a drug test.

In Wisconsin Thursday he addressed a rally as Biden's town hall concluded, and railed at Biden, claiming the Democrat used a teleprompter, while reading from two teleprompters himself.

His campaign accused Cooper of 'giving Biden a total pass on his lies and misrepresentations' and the questions being 'an invitation for him to attack President Trump.'

Trump campaign adviser Jason Miller tweeted: 'This town hall is an in-kind contribution to the Biden campaign.'

President Trump knew how deadly COVID-19 was and did nothing. Its close to criminal. #BidenTownHall pic.twitter.com/OL3uIA1QSZ  Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) September 18, 2020

Drive-in with Biden: Obama's vice-president's town hall was in the format of a drive-in theater

Joe Biden's town hall comes two days after President Donald Trump participated in a Philadelphia town hall, filmed indoors at the National Constitution Center, with only people posing questions as audience members. They wore masks and sat six feet apart

CNN created a drive-in movie theater set-up inside a ball park for the event.

'Who knew drive-ins were coming back?' Cooper remarked as the event opened.

Biden's audience consisted 250 people gathered, the campaign confirmed, keeping in line with Pennsylvania's coronavirus regulations.

The ball park is where the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders play.

The old school drive-in has become a stand-in on the Democratic side for campaign rallies, as Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris have preached caution about supporters attending gatherings due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Democratic Party set up a drive-in in a parking lot outside the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware on the final night of the Democratic National Convention so there would be an audience to cheer Biden and Harris as they emerged together as the official presidential ticket to watch fireworks.

Supporters watched the virtual convention on large screens and then cheered and honked their horns when Biden and Harris briefly appeared.

Additionally, in cities around the country, watch parties were set up drive-in style so Democratic supporters could watch Biden's nominating speech together.

The town hall brings Biden - who was born in Scranton before moving to Wilmington - to the key swing state two days after President Donald Trump made the trek to Philadelphia for his own town hall with Pennsylvania voters.

Trump's town hall was produced by ABC News and was filmed indoors at the National Constitution Center, where the only audience was the likely voters questioning the president.

They all sat six feet apart and wore masks, until they posed their questions to Trump.

The president has been more cavalier about his campaigning amid a continued spread of the coronavirus.

Last weekend he held his first indoor rally since June in the state of Nevada.

He's packed thousands into airport hangars as well.

The campaign has encouraged mask-wearing of attendees, but droves have rebelled.

At a recent rally in New Hampshire, Trump supporters booed when a voice over the loudspeaker encouraged them to wear masks.

The president told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he wasn't personally worried about contracting the coronavirus at these events.

'I'm on a stage and it's very far away,' he told the paper. 'And so I'm not at all concerned.'

Joe Biden says he will accept the 'full election results and count every vote' as he slams Donald Trump for refusing to agree to accept them in advance

Former Vice President Joe Biden skewered President Donald Trump for refusing to say outright he would accept the results of the election, then provided his own answer to the question.

'Sure, the full results. Count every vote,' Biden responded, asked by CNN host Anderson Cooper about the freighted topic during a live, outdoor town hall-style meeting.

'Look, i mean, can anybody  any of you are history majors out there think of any president early on who said I'm not sure I'm going to accept the results of the election? It depends?' Biden said, raising his voice for emphasis. 'What's happened to us? This is not who we are. This is not what America is. No president's ever said anything like that.'

Former Vice President Joe Biden blasted President Donald Trump for refusing to say he will accept the election results. 'Sure, the full results. Count every vote,' Biden responded when asked if he would do so

Responding to a question about mail-in voting  the subject of repeated escalating attacks by President Trump  Biden responded: 'Look, if the president had even remote confidence that he was likely to win the election, he wouldn't be doing this.'

He told Cooper: 'Remember, I wasn't on your show, but I said some months ago, I predict the president is going to try to move the Election Day. Everybody said oh he'd never do that. Guess what? He suggested maybe we should move the election date, postpone the election,' Biden said.

Powerful Senate Republicans immediately shot down the idea after Trump floated it.

President Donald Trump has refused to say he will accept the election results. He said in July: 'Trump said in July: 'I have to see. No, I'm not going to just say yes. I'm not going to say no, and I didn't last time either'

In this file photo, absentee voting manager Matt Kelly holds the ballot envelopes that will be used to mail ballots at the Franklin County Board of Elections office in Columbus on Wednesday, July 29

Trump loyalist Attorney General Bill Barr has also blasted mail-in voting

'He's done every single thing, including having a postmaster general who still doesn't know who dismantled those machines  who ordered picking up those places to mail your ballots,' Biden said. 'I mean, it just is all about trying to delegitimize the effort.'

Trump told Fox News Sunday's Chris Wallace in July when pressed on whether he would accept the results: 'I have to see. No, I'm not going to just say yes. I'm not going to say no, and I didn't last time either.'

Trump took a similar posture in 2016, when he said: 'I will tell you at the time. I will keep you in suspense.'

Cooper asked him point blank: 'Would you commit tonight to accepting the results of the election?'

Biden's call to 'count every vote' only hints at the political and legal battle that lies ahead. He is assembling a team of top litigators, including former solicitors general, to fight to allow ballots and anticipating challenges.

Trump continues to rail against mail-in voting, as he did at the White House yesterday.

Trump tweeted Thursday morning: 'Because of the new and unprecedented massive amount of unsolicited ballots which will be sent to 'voters', or wherever, this year, the Nov 3rd Election result may NEVER BE ACCURATELY DETERMINED, which is what some want. Another election disaster yesterday. Stop Ballot Madness!,'

Asked by a Philadelphia voter what he would do to secure mail-in voting if elected, Biden said: 'I would not try to throw into question the legitimacy of the election like this president and the people around him have done.'

He spoke about an election two years ahead, when COVID-19 will hopefully be on the wane. 'Look it's all about people showing up and voting. And i'm confident notwithstanding all the efforts the president's made, I think you're going to see a massive turnout,' he said.
Egypt reported 141 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, bringing the total infection tally to 101,641 since the outbreak hit the country in mid-February.

The ministry also reported 19 new deaths, bringing the total fatalities from the virus to 5,715, the health ministry announced.

The ministry said that 609 patients were discharged from hospitals over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of recoveries to 87,158.

Though the number of new coronavirus cases has been hovering around 150 a day nationwide since August, the government repeatedly urged caution to avoid a second wave of the pandemic, particularly with the advent of autumn and the beginning of the new academic year.

Egypt began the move towards a gradual reopening of the economy in June, lifting the night-time curfew, reopening restaurants and places of worship, and resuming regular international flights as part of its plans to coexist with the virus.

On Monday, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly announced a further easing of restrictions. From 21 September open-air funerals, wedding ceremonies, film festivals and conferences will be allowed.

The cabinet has warned, however, that restrictions will be reimposed should infection rates rise.

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The Centre is in consultations with the Russian government for exploring the possibility of getting Russian vaccine Sputnik V early, Parliament was told on Friday. Minister of state for health Ashwini Choubey informed the Lok Sabha that the department of biotechnology is engaging in talks with the Russian government for Covid-19 vaccine in India.

While the government and Industry are trying their best to make available a safe and effective vaccine for COVID-19 at the earliest, it is difficult to comment on the exact timelines in view of various complex pathways involved in vaccine development, the minister said, detailing the progress the ongoing vaccine trials in India have made.

Also Read | 30 Covid-19 vaccine candidates under development, Govt informs Lok Sabha

About 30 COVID-19 vaccine candidates are under various stages of development, the minister said. If the advanced clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccine succeed, then an effective vaccination is likely to be available by the end of first quarter of 2021, the minister added.

Also Read | A look at the state of the vaccine race

Elaborating on the steps taken by the government for timely availability of Covid-19 drugs and vaccination, Choubey informed that CDSCO has approved the manufacturing and marketing of three drugs  Remdesivir Injectable formulations, Favipiravir tablets, Itolizumab injection  for restricted emergency use in the country for treatment of coronavirus infection.

Meanwhile, Russias R-Pharm on Friday announced the approval of coronavir for outpatient treatment of mild to moderate Covid-19 coronavirus infection.

(With agency inputs)
By AFP

OTTAWA: A driver who allegedly set his car to autopilot and then took a nap as it broke the speed limit on a rural Canadian highway has been charged with dangerous driving, police said.

The incident took place near the town of Ponoka in Alberta province, the local force said in a tweet on Thursday. "The car appeared to be self-driving, travelling over 140 km per hour with both front seats completely reclined & occupants appeared to be asleep," it said.

According to Canadian public broadcaster CBC, the car was an electric Tesla model set to autopilot and the man charged was 20 years old. The speed limit on that section of the highway is 110 kilometres per hour (68 mph), it added.

Police Sergeant Darrin Turnbull told CBC that he was "speechless" and had not seen such a case in his two-decade career -- "but of course the technology wasn't there". "Nobody was looking out the windshield to see where the car was going," he said.

Tesla's autopilot mode allows cars to steer, accelerate and brake automatically within a lane, but is not supposed to enable trips without human intervention. The US company warns on its website that "current autopilot features require active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous."

But the president of a Canadian Tesla owners' club, who condemned the incident, told CBC that there were videos circulating online with instructions on how to "hack" the cars' safety systems.
The Sensex and the Nifty were trading in a narrow range with small gains in early afternoon trade. Positive Asian cues boosted indices, but rising COVID-19 cases capped gains. Pharma, IT and realty stocks were in demand.

At 12:26 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was up 63.17 points or 0.16% at 39,043.58. The Nifty 50 index rose 44.28 points or 0.38% at 11,560.35.

The broader market outperformed the benchmarks. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index was up 0.91% while the S&P BSE Small-Cap index added 0.6%.

The market breadth was positive. On the BSE, 1390 shares rose and 1084 shares fell. A total of 178 shares were unchanged.

Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth Rs 249.82 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs), were net sellers to the tune of Rs 1,067.83 crore in the Indian equity market on 17 September, provisional data showed.

COVID-19 Update:

Total COVID-19 confirmed cases worldwide stood at 30,071,314 with 9,44,887 deaths. India reported 10,17,754 active cases of COVID-19 infection and 84,372 deaths while 41,12,551 patients have been discharged, according to the data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.

Economy:

The Reserve Bank has decided to conduct purchase of Government securities under Open Market Operations (OMOs) for an aggregate amount of Rs 10,000 crores on 24 September 2020. Accordingly, RBI will purchase Government securities through a multi-security auction using the multiple price method.

These include 6.97% GS 2026, 6.45% GS 2029 and 6.68% GS 2031 for Rs 10000 crores. The Reserve Bank reserves the right to decide on the quantum of purchase of individual securities.

Derivatives:

The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of market's expectation of volatility over the near term, fell 3.29% to 19.4375. The Nifty September 2020 futures were trading at 11,568.85, at a premium of 10.2 points compared with the spot at 11,558.65.

The Nifty option chain for 24 September 2020 expiry showed maximum Call OI of 39.82 lakh contracts at the 11,600 strike price. Maximum Put OI of 45.66 lakh contracts was seen at 11,500 strike price.

Buzzing Index:

The Nifty Realty index surged 3.1% to 229.40, rebounding from yesterday's 1.7% decline.

Oberoi Realty (up 8.08%), DLF (up 5.74%), Brigade Enterprises (up 3.93%), Sobha (up 2.95%), Sunteck Realty (up 1.4%) and Phoenix Mills (up 0.67%) were top gainers in realty index.

Stocks in Spotlight:

Cadila Healthcare jumped 5.52% to Rs 415.95 after the company received US drug regulator's final approval for Potassium Chloride extended-release tablets. Zydus Cadila has received final approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) to market Potassium Chloride extended-release tablets in the strengths of 750 mg and 1500 mg. The medication is a mineral supplement used to treat or prevent low amounts of potassium in the blood and will be manufactured at the group's formulation manufacturing facility at the SEZ, Ahmedabad.

Hindalco Industries rose 2.5% after the company on Thursday signed an agreement to procure copper concentrate from state-owned Hindustan Copper. HCL is the only producer of copper concentrate in India. Under this MoU, Hindalco will use about 60% of copper concentrate produced by Hindustan Copper. This partnership is a major step towards import substitution and reducing the nation's dependence on imported copper concentrate.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept.18

By Zeyni Jafarov - Trend:

Azerbaijans Azerpost LLC postal operator has joined the information search system of financial products and services of the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA), Trend reports referring to the CBA.

According to the CBA, Azerpost LLC, which provides a range of financial services to the population, has already connected to this information search system. Thus, this system (infobank.az) contains the corresponding information of Azerpost in the sections 'branches and departments', 'ATMs', 'payment terminals', and 'payment cards'.

In addition, work will further continue on inclusion in the information search system of financial products and services of various financial institutions, including organizations offering banking and insurance products and services that facilitate digital access of the population to financial services and provide financial inclusiveness of these services.

According to the Strategic Roadmap for the Development of Financial Services in Azerbaijan approved by the decree of Azerbaijans president in 2016, work continues to connect institutions providing financial services to a single information search system.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @jafarov_zeyni
By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two Boeing 737 MAX crashes that killed all 346 passengers and crew aboard were the "horrific culmination" of failures by the planemaker and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a U.S. House panel concluded after an 18-month investigation.

The crashes "were not the result of a singular failure, technical mistake, or mismanaged event," the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's Democratic majority said in its highly critical report released on Wednesday.

"They were the horrific culmination of a series of faulty technical assumptions by Boeings engineers, a lack of transparency on the part of Boeings management, and grossly insufficient oversight by the FAA."

The 737 MAX was grounded in March 2019 after the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 near Addis Ababa which killed all 157 aboard.

In October 2018, a Lion Air 737 MAX had crashed in Indonesia killing all 189 on board.

"Boeing failed in its design and development of the MAX, and the FAA failed in its oversight of Boeing and its certification of the aircraft," the report said, detailing a series of problems in the plane's design and the FAA's approval of it.

Boeing said it "learned many hard lessons as a company from the accidents ... and from the mistakes we have made".

It said it had cooperated fully with the House committee and that revised design work on the 737 MAX had received intensive internal and external review involving more than 375,000 engineering and testing hours and 1,300 test flights.

The FAA said in a statement it would work with lawmakers "to implement improvements identified in its report."

It added it was "focused on advancing overall aviation safety by improving our organization, processes, and culture."

The report said Boeing made "faulty design and performance assumptions" especially regarding a key safety system, called MCAS, which was linked to both the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines crashes.

Story continues

MCAS, which was designed to help counter a tendency of the MAX to pitch up, could be activated after data from only a single sensor.

The FAA is requiring new safeguards to MCAS, including requiring it receive data from two sensors, before it allows the 737 MAX to return to service.

The report criticized Boeing for withholding "crucial information from the FAA, its customers, and 737 MAX pilots" including "concealing the very existence of MCASfrom 737 MAX pilots."

The FAA "failed to ensure the safety of the traveling public", the report said.

Lawmakers have proposed numerous reforms to restructure how the FAA oversees aircraft certification. A Senate committee will take up a reform bill Wednesday.

Lawmakers suggested Boeing was motivated to cut costs and move quickly to get the 737 MAX to market.

"This is a tragedy that never should have happened," House Transportation Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio told reporters.

"We're going to take steps in our legislation to see that it never happens again as we reform the system."

(Reporting by David Shepardson; editing by Jason Neely and Mark Potter)
A treasure trove of rare and historically important books worth 2.5million that was stolen from a warehouse in London three years ago has been found in Romania.

Detectives uncovered the stash - which includes tomes by Galileo, Sir Isaac Newton and Spanish painter Francisco Goya - underneath the concrete floor of a rural house in the northern county of Neamt on September 16.

The books were hidden there by a Romanian crime family called the Clamparu, after being stolen in an Ocean's Eleven-style raid on a warehouse in Feltham in 2017.

A trove of rare books worth in excess of 2.5million has been uncovered under the floor of a house in rural Romania, three years after being snatched from a warehouse in London

Gangsters targeted the books while they were being stored in the warehouse ahead of a journey to Las Vegas, where they were due to feature in a specialist auction.

The thieves broke in through the roof and abseiled down into the building, so as to avoid tripping sensors that would have set off the alarms.

Ignoring everything else that was stored in the warehouse, they cracked open crates containing the books and stole only the most valuable volumes.

The books were then loaded into 16 holdall bags, and the thieves scaled back up the ropes and into a waiting van, which acted as a getaway vehicle.

The stash - which was due for a specialist auction before being taken - includes works by Galileo and Newton

Some of the multi-million pound collection have been deemed to be of international importance and are considered irreplaceable, police said.

It took the international manhunt made-up of the Met Police, the Romanian National Police and the Italian Carabinieri, along with Europol and Eurojust, more than three years to track the books down.

Police carried out a series of raids that led them to the find on Wednesday.

The Met police the Clamparu are known as specialist thieves, and were behind a string of high-value warehouse burglaries across the UK.

They operated by flying members into the UK to commit the crimes, before flying them back out of the country a short time after.

The stolen property would then be taken out of the country by other members of the gang using different transport methods.

Scotland Yard said the gang accused of stealing the books is linked to a number of prominent Romanian crime families who form part of the Clamparu crime group.

This group is based in the Isai region in Eastern Romania and have a history of complex, large-scale, high value thefts.

Many of them have avoided prosecution by offending outside of the country.

The thieves broke in through the roof of the warehouse in Feltham, London, abseiled down to avoid alarms, snatched the books then got away in a van

The group has been linked to 11 offences across the UK with a further 2 million worth of property stolen, generally using the same commando-style method.

Investigations into the group culminated in multiple arrests and coordinated searches of 45 addresses across the UK, Romania and Italy in June 2019, police said.

Those raids uncovered information which eventually led detectives to the house in Romanian where the book were being stored.

Little is known about the inner workings of the Clamparu, though a prominent member of the family - Ioan Clamparu - was arrested in Spain in 2011 for people smuggling.

Ioan, known as 'Pig's Head', was sentenced to 30 years in jail in 2012 for smuggling more than 100 women into Spain between 2000 and 2004, where they were forced into prostitution.

Little is known about the inner workings of the Clamparu family, but a man believed to be the boss - Ioan Clamparu, known as 'pig's head' - was jailed in Spain in 2012 for people smuggling

He had already been sentenced to 13 years in Romania for drug and people trafficking, and in 1989 had been sentenced to 15 years for murder.

Speaking about the most recent raid, Met Police inspector Andy Durham said: 'This recovery is a perfect end to this operation and is a demonstration of successful joint working between the Met and our European law enforcement partners in Romania and Italy - and at Europol and Eurojust.

'These books are extremely valuable, but more importantly they are irreplaceable and are of great importance to international cultural heritage.

'If it wasn't for the hard work of Detective Constable David Ward and others in this Joint Investigation Team these books would have been sadly lost to the world forever.'

Thirteen suspects were charged in the UK with conspiring to commit burglaries between December 2016 and April 2019, and to receive criminal property.

Court proceedings are ongoing, with 12 individuals having already pleaded guilty and sentencing is due to take place over four days, beginning on September 28.

The thirteenth defendant will be tried in March 2021.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

The removal of one gene renders poxvirusesa lethal family of viral infections that are known to spread from animals to humansharmless, a new study in the journal Science Advances reports.

During this ground-breaking study, scientists from the Spanish National Research Council and the University of Surrey investigated the immune response of cells to poxviruses. Poxviruses, such as cowpox and monkeypox, can spread to humans from infected animals, causing skin lesions, fever, swollen lymph nodes and even death.

Viruses contain genetic material which helps them outsmart host cells, enabling replication and the spread of the infection. Cells in the body are comprised of molecules that sense the presence of viruses, sometimes via the recognition of their genetic material, and alert the immune system of an upcoming infection. Poxviruses, unlike other viruses, are highly unusual in that they have large DNA genomes that are replicated exclusively in the cell cytosol, an area of the cell full of sensors. How poxviruses manage to stay undetectable has remained unknown.

Resembling human smallpox, scientists in this study used ectromelia virus (ECTV), a member of the poxvirus family that causes mousepox. ECTV spreads through the lymphatic system of mice to vital organs, where massive replication of the virus takes place, resulting in the rapid death of the animal.

During their investigations, scientists identified a gene, viral Schlafen (vSLFN), which was found to block the cell response to the virus genome making the infection silent to the immune system. Remarkably, disabling this one gene made the infection detectable, triggering a potent immune response that protected animals against doses one million times higher than the regular lethal quantity.

Following the removal of vSLFN, it was found that animals with the modified virus were protected from subcutaneous, respiratory and intravenous infection and all survived. Scientists also found that the protection was mediated by interferon, a known molecule with powerful anti-viral properties, and natural killer cells, which play a major role in the host-rejection of virally infected cells.

Researchers believe that these findings will shed light into how we combat microbial infections and will improve the efficacy and safety of vaccines, anti-cancer agents and gene therapies that are based on poxviruses.

Dr. Carlos Maluquer de Motes, Senior Lecturer in Molecular Virology at the University of Surrey, said: "Viruses, although minuscule, are very complex agents with very sophisticated strategies contained in their genetic material. But it is also this same genetic material that makes them vulnerable to cell recognition. The removal of vSLFN gene protected animal against mousepox, and we believe that that we may see the same results for other poxviruses.

"Our findings reveal the importance of activating the molecules responsible for the detection of the genetic material of microbes in the fight against viruses. In addition, they also suggest that mimicking the action of vSLFN may be a valid strategy to prevent auto inflammatory and autoimmune diseases that are caused when the genetic material of cells is sensed by the immune system, promoting a reaction."

Dr. Antonio Alcami from the Spanish National Research Council, said: "Viral inhibition of DNA sensing prevents the induction of the type I IFN response and complements another viral mechanism to sequester type I IFN through the secretion of soluble IFN decoy receptors. This highlights the importance of the type I IFN response in the control of immunity."

Explore further Scientists discover new targets for preventing damage from viral infections

More information: "Viral cGAMP nuclease reveals the essential role of DNA sensing in protection against acute lethal virus infection" Science Advances (2020). Journal information: Science Advances "Viral cGAMP nuclease reveals the essential role of DNA sensing in protection against acute lethal virus infection"(2020). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abb4565
Two US-based law firms have filed class-action suits against HDFC Bank for alleged false or misleading statements.

Rosen Law Firm and Schall Law Firm have alleged that the private lender engaged in misleading statements and failed to inform investors about the bank's "improper internal controls on vehicle loans".

The lawsuits are filed in the US District Court Eastern District of New York and names HDFC Banks outgoing managing director Aditya Puri and CEO-designate Sashidhar Jagdishan along with other officials.

While Rosen Law filed the suit on September 14, Schall Law announced the filing on September 8.

On 17 August, Moneycontrol had reported that Rosen Law had announced an investigation of potential securities claims on behalf of shareholders of HDFC Bank . The firm was also preparing for a class-action suit on behalf of banks shareholders, the report had said, adding the investigation was the outcome of accusations that HDFC Bank may have issued materially misleading business information to the investing public.

"We were unaware of any such development (class-action lawsuit) till we heard about it from the media a little earlier today. We are getting details of it. Well examine it and respond to it as appropriate. Prima facie it does look frivolous as we believe we have been transparent in our disclosures," an HDFC Bank's communication executive said in August.

Rosen Law, on its website, asked investors to provide their details if they had purchased HDFC Bank Limited securities and wanted information about the investigation.

A representative of The Rosen Law Firm will contact you at no cost to you and provide you detailed information concerning the proposed class-action to recover your losses in HDFC Bank Limited securities, the firm said on its website.
Eleven Sindhi community men with a refugee status in India are stranded in Pakistan along with their newly married wives due to the COVID-19-induced lockdown and end of their visa term. Their families originally hail from Pakistan but they are now settled in different Indian cities though they are yet to be granted citizenship.

These 11 men are stranded in Pakistans Sindh and Balochistan provinces along with their wives after their marriage (in the neighbouring country) over six months ago. They are unable to return to India as per their plan because of the lockdown in India that was imposed in March-end. Their No Objection to Return to India (NORI) visa has already expired," Indore BJP Lok Sabha member Shankar Lalwani told PTI.

NORI visa is issued to refugees who dont have Indian citizenship. But they are permitted to stay in the country on the basis of a Long Term Visa (LTV) issued by Indian authorities. The NORI visa allows LTV holders with no Indian citizenship to travel to Pakistan and return within 60 days.

As these 11 couples wish to start their lives soon in India, I have taken up their matter with the Centre so that their visa process can be expedited. The government has assured to consider the matter sympathetically, " Lalwani said.

The process involves issuing of fresh NORI documents to the men and visit visas to their Pakistani brides. The Indore MP said the Pakistan government should also complete necessary formalities for their return to India soon on humanitarian grounds.

A majority of the brides had valid visas for an India visit but they are unable to come to India due to the lockdown and expiry of their visa term. Among them, two women are on way to motherhood, he said. Indore resident Sagar Kumar Bajaj (26), who is among the men stranded in Pakistan along with his wife, in a video message said, I came to Pakistans Jacobabad (a city in Sindh) on NORI visa from Indore on February 2.

I got married to Sandhya Kumari on February 22. My wifes visa term ended in June and we are stranded because of the lockdown.

We are facing difficulties and I want that my and my wifes visas should be issued afresh to facilitate our journey to India soon, he said. These stranded couples families live in Indore, Ahmedabad, Nagpur and Pune. These families are eagerly waiting for their return to India.

Bajajs father Nanakram (58), who came to India with his family in 2013 and resides in Indore, turned emotional and said, I wish to see them back home soon."
Dr Dhiman Barua, who died two months short of his 100th birthday, was a cholera and diarrhoeal diseases expert whose work on promoting oral rehydration salts (ORS) solution -- called potentially the most important medical advance of the 20th century by The Lancet -- is continuing to save millions of lives every year.

Born to a family of doctors and traditional medicine practitioners in Rangoon, Burma (now Nay Pyi Taw in Myanmar), which was then a part of undivided India, his family moved to his ancestral village near Chittagong, then a part of undivided India, when he was four years old.

A scholarship to study for a medical licence in Chittagong Medical School in the late 1930s changed his life, and he witnessed first-hand the effects of the Bengal famine. He held a short-commission posting during World War II and served in Malayasia, India and Burma with Indian Army Medical Corps.

On his commanding officers advice, he joined Calcutta Medical College for a medical degree, did his doctoral work in Lucknow, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at The Pasteur Institute in Paris and The London School of Tropical Medicine.

Dr Barua began working for the World Health Organization in 1965 with the cholera control team based in Manila,and in 1966, he moved to the WHO head office in Geneva as a medical officer working on cholera and other diarrhoeal diseases. In 1978, he established the Diarrhoeal Diseases Control Programme, under which health workers were trained in the use of ORS to save lives.

My first memory of cholera was when I was eleven. The village in what is today Bangladesh was dying of cholera. I asked the doctor why and he told me that the only treatment was intravenous saline (IV) and that, without it, people die. And before my eyes, the doctor, his wife  who was related to me  and their two daughters died. Our household was not affected, but most households in the village were affected. People died like flies. That was really shocking, he said in an interview to WHO in 2009.

Till the late 60s, intravenous (IV) saline in glass bottles was the standard treatment for cholera and diarrhoeal disease. A one-litre bottle was so heavy that to transport it by air was many times more expensive than the fluid itself. These circumstances obliged us think about alternatives to IV fluid in oral rehydration, said Dr Barua, who, along with Dr Dilip Mahalanabis at the Johns Hopkins International Center for Medical Research and Training in Kolkata, struggled for years to convince sceptical clinicians that ORS could be administered by people with no medical training.

Things changed at the end of 1970, when a Swiss company succeeded in packaging the ingredients in aluminium foil bags to prevent absorption of moisture and caking of the powder. Dr Barua described this a great discovery, because of long shelf life and easy transportation, without which they would never have succeeded.

After retirement, he embraced IT and with the help of many helping hands, taught himself to read more widely online and enjoyed keeping meticulous notes based on his inquisitive pursuit of knowledge for knowledges sake. He developed a dementing illness in the last years of his life, but he steadfastly maintained a cheerful attitude to his devastating loss of autonomy, said his son Dr Basab Barua, a retired general physician who lives in Windsor, UK.

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The insurance policy-paying public could be forgiven for feeling let down by our competition watchdog.

After four years probing allegations of anti-competitive practice in the industry, it has arrived at a less-than- clear-cut conclusion.

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) made preliminary findings against five insurers, a broker and a trade body, alleging they engaged in anti-competitive co-operation in relation to motor insurance.

It said AIG, Allianz, Axa, Aviva, FBD, along with Brokers Ireland and AA Ireland, engaged in anti-competitive co-operation over a 21-month period between 2015 and 2016.

However, it emphasised its findings are only preliminary, and stressed no conclusions should be drawn from the findings on whether or not there was a breach of competition law.

It has not yet decided if it will bring civil court proceedings or to take some other course of action against the insurers, the broker body and the broker.

It will await the responses from the five insurers, along with Brokers Ireland and AA Ireland.

Expect the lawyers to be busy on all sides.

After four years of investigating the industry, many drivers will ask if this is the best the CCPC can come up with.

The allegations against the insurance industry centre around a 21-month period between 2015 and 2016 when it was claimed there was anti-competitive co-operation between various players in the motor insurance market.

Up to 2013, insurance premium costs had been falling in the wake of the bursting of the property bubble and subsequent recession, but this soon changed and premiums shot up. Some of this was due to diminished capacity after the failure of a number of insurers, such as Setanta and Quinn.

The accounting scandal at the Irish arm of RSA meant there was a need for a massive recapitalisation of its operation here, while regulatory rules requiring insurers to put aside more capital all led to problems in the sector.

Massive mismanagement of insurance companies here also played a part.

The upshot of all this was that between 2013 and 2018 motor insurance premiums rose by a massive 62pc, when the average cost of motor cover went from 435 to 706.

There were calls for action.

One of the responses was for the CCCP to launch a probe in 2016 into what was alleged to be price signalling among insurers.

This is when businesses make their competitors aware that they intend to increase prices, in turn causing further increases across the sector.

At the time, insurers seemed to be falling over themselves telling us premiums were only heading one way, and that was up.

Once the probe was launched all that stopped.

Four years after launching its investigation, the CCPC says there may or may not have been a breach of competition law due to price signalling.

This means the saga has longer to play out and we might never get to a situation where insurers are convicted for price signalling and fined.

The CCPC probe may have proved to be a damp squib so far. It could be another four years before it concludes.

However, what we have up to now will make insurers tread very carefully when it comes to competition matters. And it adds to the woes of an industry whose reputation is in tatters.

Insurers have had a bad pandemic, having denied publicans on business interruption claims.

And the industry here is also still the subject of a probe by the European Union, also over allegations of competition law breaches.

A Cabinet sub-committee, headed up by Tanaiste Leo Varadkar, is looking at fast-tracking reforms to bring down the cost of insurance for consumers and business.

Judges are considering guidelines which could lead to lower award levels in minor injuries cases, which should lead to lower premiums.

The CCPC findings may be wishy-washy, but there is enough going on to put real pressure on the industry to stop pushing up premiums and treating policyholders so poorly.

They are running out of scapegoats to blame.
When Trishauna Archer studied To Kill a Mockingbird during her Junior Cert year, her main takeaway wasn't the fact the novel contained the 'n-word', but how it excellently depicted the pain experienced by black people in that era.

As the only girl of colour in a Waterford school, she had her own unfortunate experiences with racism, but it wasn't being instigated by those who had read Harper Lee's Pulitzer prize-winning book.

"The girls who called me the n-word weren't the type who were studying literature, put it that way," she told the Irish Independent.

The Beat 102-103 presenter, originally from Kingston, Jamaica, moved to Ireland when she was 12 years old.

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She recalled how her teacher would send students home to read a chapter from the book every night and then discuss in class how it made them feel.

Hearing about a campaign to have the novel removed from the Junior Cert syllabus takes her by surprise, but she admits she can see both sides in the debate.

"I can understand why black kids would feel uncomfortable about it being read aloud in class. The book is very of its time, but to be honest I kind of forgot it contained the n-word. It's one of the best books out there and, as a black person, I think we can't erase the fact this word exists.

"For me the book offers some insight as to why we shouldn't use this word, instead of pretending it's not out there. I'm not saying I condone it being used, but it's important to explain the history behind it.

"The book teaches people of all colours about prejudice, intolerance and injustice, and I think it's important to have on the curriculum."

Labour education spokesman Aodhan O Riordain said books like this "aren't worth the hurt they're causing" and called on the Department of Education to remove them from the Junior Cert cycle.

His comments came after correspondence released to TheJournal.ie under a Freedom of Information request showed how parents and pupils had raised concerns about books like To Kill a Mockingbird and Of Mice and Men being used in school. Both are set in the American South during the Great Depression.

One parent said black children found it uncomfortable sitting in a classroom while their classmates read the material.

"I read a tweet about a young girl feeling awful sitting in a class and being put on the spot to read from the book. I would expect teachers would use their discretion in that situation, but I don't think it should be removed entirely," Trishauna said.

"I think it would be more important to have a discussion in class about why that word makes you uncomfortable, to help people realise.

"I think it is a good learning tool and I think instead of trying to erase these kinds of books, how about we supplement it with books written by people of colour. Don't erase it because it plays an important part in history."

The Twitter storm created on the back of O Riordain's comments, when he said he "doesn't believe black teenagers need to be in a space where racial slurs are being read aloud", were a bit frustrating for Trishauna.

"I don't think black people are feeling as hard done by, but I don't think it's fair for white people to talk about how it makes us feel on our behalf either," she said.

The Department of Education and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment are currently considering some of the complaints made.

Trishauna, now aged 32, has seen Ireland become far more progressive in her 20 years here.

In 2017, she officially became an Irish citizen. But at the beginning, it wasn't easy.

Once, a girl came up and pressed her nose to check if she had any cartilage in it.

She also previously spoke out about how landlords in Dublin during her college years were extremely pleasant over the phone, but when she showed up for viewings in person, their attitudes suddenly changed.

And that's why, for her, taking books which tackle racism off the Irish curriculum would be a step backwards.

"People of colour in the community is still very much a new thing here, but we're miles ahead of some other countries. We're working on it, and there definitely is a brighter future," she said.

"Irish people are always open and willing to learn."
Kolkata, Sep 18: Two groups of people, allegedly belonging to separate factions of the BJP, clashed in central Kolkatas Entally area leaving two persons injured on Friday, police said. The two injured persons were arrested.

A group of around 30 people barged into a BJP party office and assaulted one person accusing him of beating up one of their men last night, leading to a clash, a police officer said. Around two rounds of bullets were fired during the clash. A police team reached the place and nabbed two persons," he said.

A case was initiated at the Entally police station under various sections of the IPC as well as the Arms Act, the officer 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
South Africa: SA records 2 128 new COVID-19 cases

South Africa now has 655 572 confirmed COVID-19 cases after 2 128 infections were reported on Thursday.

Meanwhile, 67 more succumbed to the deadly virus, bringing the death toll to 15 772.

Twenty fatalities are from KwaZulu-Natal, 19 from Limpopo, 13 from Gauteng, 12 from the Western Cape and three from the Eastern Cape.

Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, extended his condolences to the loved ones of the deceased and thanked the healthcare workers who treated them.

A total of 585 303 patients have recovered since the outbreak, pushing the recovery rate to 89.3%.

The information is based on 3 983 533 tests conducted, 22 354 of which were performed in the last 24 hours.

Globally, there are now 29 737 453 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 937 391 deaths reported to the World Health Organisation.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-09-18. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Facebook said will also make it clearer which parts of its Workplace internal message board is for discussing contentious political or social issues, and carefully moderate those conversations. (Representative Image)

San Francisco: Facebook on Thursday said it is updating workplace policy to prevent clashes over politics, racial justice or the pandemic on its internal employee message board.

Chief executive Mark Zuckerberg discussed the move during a question-and-answer session with employees.

What weve heard from our employees is that they want the option to join debates on social and political issues rather than see them unexpectedly in their work feed, Facebook spokesman Joe Osborne said in response to an AFP inquiry.

Were updating our employee policies and work tools to ensure our culture remains respectful and inclusive.

Facebook is strengthening its harassment policy so that employees from under-represented communities dont face hostile work environments, according to Osborne.

The Silicon Valley-based internet titan said will also make it clearer which parts of its Workplace internal message board is for discussing contentious political or social issues, and carefully moderate those conversations.

Facebooks role in the spread of misinformation, hate, or rhetoric has made those workplace topics as well as issues that employees may have strong personal opinions about.

The tech giant is exploring ways to promote civil, open debates focused on work, with all involved remaining professional, according to Osborne.

Details of how Facebook intends to achieve that goal were still being worked out, he said.

Facebooks move came on the heels of a CNBC report that Google is calling on workers to more judiciously manage internal message board conversations due to complaints about heated, abusive posts.

A shift to remote work at tech firms has ramped up use of internal message boards for worker collaboration and conversation.

A year ago Google updated workplace guidelines for Googlers, calling on them to be responsible, helpful, and thoughtful during exchanges on internal message boards or other conversation forums.

While sharing information and ideas with colleagues helps build community, disrupting the workday to have a raging debate over politics or the latest news story does not, the updated guidelines stated.

Our primary responsibility is to do the work weve each been hired to do, not to spend working time on debates about non-work topics.

Managers or those moderating forums were directed to intervene if the policy is violated, revoking comments, ending discussions, or even taking disciplinary action.

The Alphabet-owned internet giant is expanding that moderation scheme to involve more internal discussion groups, according to CNBC.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
A mal Clooney has said she is resigning as the UKs special envoy on media freedom over the Governments lamentable suggestion it could violate international law over the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement.

In a letter to the Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, Amal Clooney wrote that when she took up her role as Special Envoy on Media Freedom, she did so to assist the UK in championing the right to a free press around the world.

Ms Clooney said her role was intended to help promote action that governments could take to ensure that media freedom around the world was enforced in accordance with international law.

She added that the government's "lamentable" decision to break international law would "embolden autocratic regimes", and had left her in an "untenable position".

Ms Clooney spoke with Dominic Raab directly before tendering her resignation / AFP/Getty Images

I accepted the role because I believe in the importance of the cause, and appreciate the significant role that the UK has played and can continue to play in promoting the international legal order", she wrote.

In these circumstances I have been dismayed to learn that the Government intends to pass legislation  the Internal Market Bill  which would, by the Governments own admission, break international law if enacted.

I was also concerned to note the position taken by the Government that although it is an established principle of international law that a state is obliged to discharge its treaty obligations in good faith, the UKs Parliament is sovereign as a matter of domestic law and can pass legislation which is in breach of the UKs Treaty obligations.

Although the government has suggested that the violation of international law would be specific and limited, it is lamentable for the UK to be speaking of its intention to violate an international treaty signed by the Prime Minister less than a year ago."

Ms Clooney said the move threatened to embolden autocratic regimes / Getty Images

Ms Clooney warned that undermining the rule of law would "fatally puncture" people's faith in the British justice system.

However, very sadly, it has now become untenable for me, as Special Envoy, to urge other states to respect and enforce international obligations while the UK declares that it does not intend to do so itself.

As the President of the Bar Council of England and Wales has affirmed, undermining the rule of law that this country is built on  will fatally puncture peoples faith in our justice system.

And it threatens to embolden autocratic regimes that violate international law with devastating consequences all over the world.

Amal is married to actor George Clooney / Getty Images for Turner

Ms Clooney added that she decided to write her letter of resignation after speaking with Mr Raab directly.

Out of respect for the professional working relationship I have developed with you and your senior colleagues working on human rights, I deferred writing this letter until I had had a chance to discuss this matter with you directly", she said.

"But having now done so and received no assurance that any change of position is imminent, I have no alternative but to resign from my position."
Facing political heat in the diplomatic channel gold smuggling racket, CPI (M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, in a write-up in the party mouthpiece Desabhimani, said the ongoing agitation seeking resignation of Kerala minister KT Jaleel was essentially against the holy books. He further said that opposition Congress and Muslim League fell easily in the trap set by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

In the article, he defended higher education minister Jaleel, who was questioned by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Enforcement Directorate, in connection with import of Quran and his alleged liaison with main accused, Swapna Suresh, in the gold smuggling case.

It is not a criminal act to distribute a few copies of the holy book as requested by the UAE consulate in the state capital. The minister is in charge of the Waqf Board also. The Muslim League is adding fuel to the fire ignited by the Sangh Parivar, he said.

The party, he said, will support Jaleel and there is no need for him to resign.

The NIA has summoned the minister only as a witness. But the League and BJP are in a hurry to dub him as a smuggler. This will not succeed and the party will back him to the hilt, Balakrishnan said, adding a section of the media is also playing a dirty game to discredit the government which is doing a good job in containing the pandemic and rolling out people-friendly welfare measures.

The Muslim League and BJP have criticised the ruling party for playing a blatant communal card. The issue is gold smuggling, not Quran. The party is resorting to a dirty game to get out of it, said League leader PK Kunhalikutty. The party is dragging the holy book to justify its criminal acts but believers will see through its game plan, said BJP state president K Surendran.

Meanwhile the customs said it will question the minister soon in connection with distribution of religious texts imported from the United Arab Emirates. It said it will register a case under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act. Since the minister had held a press conference and admitted that he took copies of the holy book from the consulate has made the task easy for the customs, a senior official said, adding the offence attracts a minimum jail term of five years.

During the 30-kg gold smuggling investigation, the customs also found that a heavy consignment, weighing more than 4,000 kg, had arrived in 31 bags on March 4 and was taken to Malappuram. The minister claimed that the packets contained only religious books that he took to his constituency for distribution. But the opposition alleged that some consignments also carried gold and Jaleel was using holy books to cover up his illegal acts. A multi-agency probe led by the NIA is probing the case.

The ED had submitted a statement in a court in Kochi two days ago saying Bengaluru drug haul and gold smuggling cases were closely linked. Key accused in the drug case Anoop Mohammad had taken the name of Bineesh Kodiyeri during grilling and claimed he was his business partner. Kodiyeri was grilled by the ED and the Narcotics Control Bureau is set to question him.
Apple on Friday said it will launch its online store in India next week, offering its full range of products to customers across the country for the first time, a move that will help the tech giant cash in on the festive demand.

Photograph: Regis Duvignau / Reuters.

The new online store, which will be launched on September 23, will provide customers with the same premium experience found in Apple Store locations around the world, delivered by online team members who are ready to offer their expertise, Apple said in a statement.

In February, Apple CEO Tim Cook had said the company will launch its online store in India later this year, while its first physical retail store will open in the country in 2021.

"We know our users are relying on technology to stay connected, engage in learning, and tap into their creativity, and by bringing the Apple Store online to India, we are offering our customers the very best of Apple at this important time," Apple senior vice president of Retail + People Deirdre O'Brien said.

Apple currently sells its products in India through third-party sellers and online marketplaces like Flipkart and Amazon. In a major push to single-brand retail, the government had last year relaxed foreign direct investment (FDI) guidelines, offering players more flexibility on local sourcing norms.

It had also done away with a provision that required companies to mandatorily set up a brick-and-mortar store before getting into online retail trading. Following the government's move, Apple had said it was keen on offering online and in-store experiences to Indian users at par with its global standards.

The Apple Store online will allow people to shop for Apple products, with online Apple specialists available to help with services like custom-configuring Macs to setting up new devices.

Customers can get advice, receive guidance, and learn about new products directly from Apple, both in English and Hindi, the statement said.

The online store will also offer financing options and trade-in programmes. All orders from the Apple Store online will ship with contactless delivery, the statement said.

Orders that do not require a signature will be left at the customer's door, and those that do will need only a verbal confirmation from a safe distance instead of a written signature, it added.

Apple has been operating in India for over 20 years, and the company's ongoing investment and innovation support almost 9 lakh jobs across the country, the company said.

The company's App Design and Development Accelerator in Bengaluru has supported thousands of local developers.

One of the apps -- Wysa -- is an artificial intelligence-based app that helps users get mental wellness support in an affordable and accessible way, while YogiFi uses computer vision for real-time posture correction and machine learning to curate personalised yoga plans.

Apple, which competes in the premium smartphone segment in India with players like Samsung and OnePlus, has been aggressively ramping up its presence in the Indian market. The US-based company, in collaboration with partners like Wistron and Foxconn, recently started assembling iPhone 11 in India.

The iPhone 11 -- being assembled at Foxconn's facility in Tamil Nadu -- is the fifth model of the phone that Apple has started assembling in India (others being iPhone 7, XR, 6S and SE).

According to Counterpoint Research, India's smartphone shipments in the premium segment (priced above Rs 30,000) declined 32 per cent year-on-year to over 1 million in the June 2020 quarter on account of disruptions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite the fall, it was one of the least affected segments and reached its highest-ever share in the overall India smartphone market, contributing more than 4 per cent in total smartphone shipments, as per Counterpoint.
LONDON - Fresh nationwide lockdown restrictions in England appear to be on the cards soon as the British government targeted more areas Friday in an attempt to suppress a sharp spike in new coronavirus infections.

With more restrictions on gatherings and other activities announced for large parts of England, there is growing speculation that the U.K. may be sliding toward a lockdown by stealth in the coming weeks, partly because the testing regime is struggling to cope with higher demand.

We want to avoid a national lockdown altogether, that is the last line of defence, British Health Secretary Matt Hancock told BBC radio. It is not the proposal thats on the table.

His comments came amid mounting speculation that the government will announce fresh curbs on the hospitality sector, such as pubs and restaurants, potentially involving curfews  something already in place in areas facing extra lockdown restrictions.

According to the BBC, the British governments chief scientific adviser and medical officer have warned of another serious coronavirus outbreak and many more deaths by the end of October if there were no further interventions soon. Possible measures being considered under this so-called circuit break are asking some hospitality businesses to close, or limiting opening hours, for a period  potentially two weeks.

Without going into specifics, Hancock said the country has to come together over the coming weeks to get on top of the spike. He said new transmissions are largely taking place in social settings and have already led a doubling in the number of people being hospitalized with the virus every seven to eight days.

The testing data are fanning fears that the country with Europes deadliest coronavirus outbreak may be in for a second wave during the winter. Critics say the government has lost control of the virus, partly as a result of the testing woes being reported up and down the U.K. and thats why new measures are being introduced.

A weekly survey released Friday by the Office for National Statistics revealed that an average of 6,000 people in England were estimated to have been newly infected with the virus between September 4 to 10, about double the level the previous week. In a separate gauge that is hobbled by the lack of testing, the government reported another 4,322 new confirmed cases in the U.K., the highest since early May.

The spike, which has been largely seen among young adults, has already led to lockdown restrictions being reimposed. Already this week, a ban on social gatherings of more than six people, including children, has come into effect for England. The other nations of the U.K.  Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland  have announced similar clampdowns on meetings. There are also more targeted restrictions across the U.K. in areas seeing acute spikes.

A variety of restrictions were tightened further Friday for huge parts of the northwest of England, the Midlands and west Yorkshire in response to major increases in cases. The new restrictions go into effect Tuesday.

And in a sign that the virus is here to stay through winter, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan cancelled the upcoming annual New Years Eve fireworks display.

As the experience of the pandemic has shown, theres usually a lag of a week or two between a rise in cases and hospitalizations, followed by a subsequent lag for deaths. Hancock said the governments strategy is to suppress the virus while keeping schools and offices open before the cavalry thats on the horizon of the vaccine and mass testing.

The worry is that deaths will increase markedly. Though the U.K. is recording far fewer deaths on a daily basis than it did earlier this year, it registered another 27 on Friday, bringing the governments official tally of deaths from COVID-19 to 41,732.

This is a big moment for the country, Hancock said. We are seeing an acceleration in the number of cases and we are also seeing that the number of people hospitalized with coronavirus is doubling every eight days.

The sharp spike in cases, coupled with the testing woes that have seen people around the U.K. complaining they have been unable to book appointments for tests or directed to testing centres far from their homes, has escalated talk of another national lockdown.

Julian Tang, an honorary associate professor in respiratory sciences at the University of Leicester, said the various measures in place or being considered can act as a firebreak in stopping the spread of the virus to the more susceptible groups of the population.

But these are all incremental and each on their own or in patchy combinations may not be enough, in which case a full local lockdown may be needed to stop the spread, he added.

___

Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
Rubbishing claims that his son B Y Vijayendra was interfering in the administration, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Friday alleged that a systematic conspiracy was going on to unnecessarily bring in his name to create confusion. The Chief Minister said he was in New Delhi to discuss cabinet expansion and issues relating to the development of the state with the Prime Minister and BJP National President, as he rejected speculation about his recent meeting with JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy.

It is natural that people cannot tolerate those who are growing. Vijayendra in no way at any moment has interfered (in administration). As state Vice President (BJP) he is doing his duty by travelling across the state to strengthen the party," Yediyurappa said in response to a question.

Speaking to reporters after laying the foundation for there construction of Karnataka Bhavan-1 Cauvery" at a cost of Rs 120 crore in New Delhi, he said, some people are indulging in a systematic conspiracy to unnecessarily bring his (Vijayendra) name and create confusion." Leader of the Opposition in the assembly, Siddaramaiah on Thursday had said Vijayendra was the de facto chief minister, accusing him of interfering with the administration. Vijayendra is the de facto CM, whereas Yediyurappa is the de jure CM," he had said.

Recently, the Congress had taken exception to Vijayendra allegedly holding a meeting with the government medical officers and sought to know who gave him the power for such an interaction though he did not hold any Constitutional position. There have been allegations of Vijayendras interference in the administration by opposition and few within, ever since BJP came to power last year, a charge rejected by Yediyurappa.

Ahead of his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi,the Chief Minister said he will discuss all the issues concerning the development of the state, also cabinet expansion.  discussion also has to happen regarding the cabinet expansion, I will bring it to his notice and take clearance and leave for Bengaluru tomorrow," he said, adding that he will meeting BJP national President J P Nadda in the evening.

Cabinet expansion or reshuffle is expected to be a tight rope for the 77-year-old leader, considering too many aspirants. While several old guard are waiting for a chance to be inducted into the Ministry, those who defected from the Congress and JD(S) like A H Vishwanath, R Shankar and MTB Nagaraj, who are now BJP MLCs, are also aspiring for slots.

The cabinet currently has 28 members and six berths are still vacant. There are also strong speculations about the possible change in leadership in the future, considering Yediyurappas age.

However it has been rejected by senior party leaders like its state President Nalin Kumar Kateel, Minister R Ashoka among others. To a query about his recent meeting with JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy, Yediyurappa said there is no room for any speculation.

 as an opposition party leader he (Kumaraswamy) had come to my home office Krishna to discuss the issues pertaining to constituencies of his party MLAs. No other things have been discussed, there is no need for it also. We have the majority and we will give a stable government in the remaining three years," he added.
Gov. Kay Ivey will visit the Alabama coast on Friday to see damage left by Hurricane Sally, meet with other state officials, and provide updates on recovery efforts.

The governor will start with a helicopter flyover of Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, and Fort Morgan. A closed meeting with state EMA director Brian Hastings, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Commissioner Chris Blankenship, U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne, and local officials will follow.

Ivey will hold a news conference at noon at the Gulf State Park Lodge terrace.

Friday afternoon, the governor will fly over Dauphin Island, and follow that with a closed meeting with Hastings, Blankenship, and others. A news conference will follow at 3 p.m. at Dauphin Island City Hall.
I always get a kick out of crossing borders.

I still take special notice halfway across the Ben Franklin Bridge, going to New Jersey, though Ive taken the trip at least a hundred times.

So, it was a magical moment when I was able to sit on one of the stones placed along the Maryland/Pennsylvania border by surveyors Mason & Dixon.

At mile marker Number One, on one side of the stone is a huge etched P and on the Maryland side is a big M.

I would never have found the stone if Id been out on my own, but Todd Babcock, a surveyor and charter member of the Mason & Dixon Line Preservation Partnership, knew just where to look.

I watched Babcock, who has located about a hundred stones, lovingly touch the stone marker.

I always feel connected to them, Babcock said. When I see the stones I always touch them.

From 1763 to 1768, Mason & Dixon went down the line marking the border between Pennsylvania and Delaware, Maryland and what is now West Virginia.

There were originally 230 stones located a mile apart separating Pennsylvania and what was then Maryland and Virginia (now West Virginia) with another 83 markers on the Pennsylvania/Delaware border. There are 132 original stones still marking the line, although many have been lost to the ravages of time.

As a surveyor, Babcock can only imagine how Charles Mason & Jeremiah Dixon drew the line so accurately. Early surveyors relied on the stars to mark the precise latitude.

Then they drew a curving line up and down hills and through the woods.

I wonder how they did it, Babcock said. It brings back lots of questions. How did they do things then?

The surveyors used a 16.5-foot long chain wooden rod after deciding that a 22-foot rod was unwieldy.

They cut a 25-foot wide swath. If just a single stone was lost it was a major hassle.

Mason & Dixon settled an 80-year boundary dispute between William Penns heirs and the Calverts, while traveling through dangerous and unsettled territory and living outside in the elements.

Babcock is amazed by how accurate Mason & Dixon were.

They were off by just 900 feet to the south near Gettysburg and 300 to 500 feet to the north in Hancock, Maryland.

During the 18th Century, miles were measured differently and were not standardized.

Instead of the mile markers placed 5,280 feet apart, they were 5,292 to 5,295 feet from each other.

Babcock and I met at the Stargazers Stone near Embreeville in Newlin Township.

This was the most important stone and the one that the surveyors used to base all other stone placements.

According to Babcocks modern day calculations, the Stargazers Stone is located just where the surveyors said it should be.

It is located near the same latitude as the southernmost point in Philadelphia was, or about 31 miles west of Cedar Street, which is now known as South Street.

From the Stargazers Stone, Mason & Dixon drew a line 15 miles south of the stone, minus 1,000 feet. They created a temporary observatory here and headquartered at the Harlan House.

Babcock removed his modern day surveying tools from a van. He set up right on the Stargazers Stone, at the known starting point.

It was quite a sight. The new and the old all at the same time. It was like seeing a Ben Franklin re-enactor at McDonalds.

Were using a different constellation for stars  a constellation of satellites, Babcock said. Imagine the work it took them, night after night, for two weeks at a time taking astronomical observations.

And now you can get real time positions on your cellphone that are far more accurate then what they could obtain.

Babcock identifies more with Mason, who was introspective and wrote the groups journals.

Dixon was free living and more lively. He was a life-long bachelor. While Dixon was a little bit more adventurous, Mason received more training as an astronomer and was a researcher.

Babcock lives on the New York/Pennsylvania border and visits the area often.

We learn from past techniques, it makes me a better surveyor, Babcock said. We follow in the footsteps of the surveyors who came before us.

When I survey a line already established  and replicate  how did they come to those conclusions?

After hearing about the effort to draw that line, Ill probably never feel the same way again when crossing into Maryland or Delaware.

The Stargazers Stone is located about seven miles west of West Chester, just off Strasburg Road, or Route 162, on Stargazers Road.

For more information, go to www.mdlpp.org. You can follow the partnership on Facebook at the Mason and Dixon Line Partnership.

Bill Rettew Jr. is a weekly columnist and Chester County native. Since he never could draw a straight line, hed probably make a lousy surveyor. You may contact him at brettew@dailylocal.com.
Students entering the Discovery Charter School in Philadelphia on Aug. 31. The school was one of the few public schools in the city to reopen in-person this fall. Read more

With the school year underway virtually in many Philadelphia-area districts, some health experts are saying the time may be right to bring some children back to classrooms.

After advising schools last month to delay reopening, in part to account for possible spread of the coronavirus after Labor Day gatherings, David Rubin, a pediatrician who directs the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia PolicyLab, said this week that we havent seen a huge resurgence in the wake of the holiday weekend, and after college reopenings.

We might see a second window opening up here in mid- to late September for schools to bring back students, said Rubin, who, along with CHOP colleagues and a University of Pennsylvania physician, has been providing guidance to superintendents in the Philadelphia region, including in Delaware, Chester, and Montgomery Counties and a few in Bucks County.

In Montgomery County, Val Arkoosh, a physician and county commissioner, agrees that schools have a window to reopen toward the end of the month. She noted the county had opened camps and child-care facilities over the summer with minimal to no transmission.

With our current burden of disease here in the county, we had a successful summer, so I do think its possible, she said.

 READ MORE: As virtual school year begins, frustrated parents are pushing school boards to reconsider

Whether schools can safely reopen is case-specific, Rubin and Arkoosh said, depending on local case counts and whether schools can facilitate social distancing. Achieving six feet of spacing between students, as recommended by CHOP and Pennsylvania officials, has been a challenge for many schools.

While some school districts around Philadelphia have opened with in-person instruction, many started the year online  some citing CHOPs advice to wait until Labor Day effects had been observed.

Now some are planning to bring students back. The Lower Merion School District intends to open Sept. 29 for kindergartners, adding grade levels for hybrid in-person and virtual sessions in successive weeks. The Central Bucks School District  which had cited staffing shortages rather than transmission rates for its virtual start  will return all students Sept. 30, some for full in-person instruction and others under a hybrid model.

The Garnet Valley School District is starting in-person instruction Monday for some special education students, followed by kindergartners through second graders on Sept. 29 and then older grade levels.

We were really starting in virtual to give us some time to see if we would see a spike in the infection rates, Superintendent Marc Bertrando said. As of today, at least in Delaware County, we havent seen that resurgence we were worried about.

In Chester County, there has been a recent increase in cases. Salwa Suleiman, a pediatric infectious disease physician at Nemours Childrens Health in Wilmington, told the Unionville-Chadds Ford school board Monday that the countys jump in incidence rates from about 30 to 40 cases per 100,000 residents in August to 71.3 cases by Sept. 4 was very concerning.

Suleiman, who said the rise may have stemmed from a super-spreader event involving a cheerleading team in a Downingtown-based school, noted Chester County Health Department guidelines call for incidence rates to be stable for three consecutive weeks before schools transition to a more in-person model.

If the countys cases continue to increase or stay at this high rate over the next two weeks, Suleiman told the board, virtual instruction will have to stay.

In an interview, Suleiman said that in general I would agree" with CHOPs recommendation that schools could consider reopening. But its too soon to know whether the bump in Chester County will mean continued spread of the virus, she said.

Rubin said Chester Countys numbers came down a bit this week and were declining along with those in Montgomery, Delaware and Bucks Counties. He also said the numbers likely reflected college screenings, and noted that outbreaks so far at schools like Temple University havent seemed to spread widely through the community.

 READ MORE: Kids make up a growing share of New Jersey coronavirus cases as schools grapple over reopenings

Rubin and others are monitoring the incidence rate of the virus in the community to gauge the risk of transmission in schools. Montgomery County has been maintaining a rate around 30 cases per 100,000 people, per week, county officials said.

At that rate, Rubin said, and assuming positive test results represent only a portion of the true number of infections, a school of about 1,000 might have three cases. With social distancing, mask requirements and a cleaning regimen, that might be a small enough number to prevent the coronavirus from spreading through the school.

What were trying to do now is, if we can get to a period where people are really adapting to these protocols, well try to get as many kids back as possible by mid-October, Rubin said.

PolicyLab in August specified thresholds for community transmission that could warrant reopening schools. With stable or declining weekly case incidence between 10-35 per 100,000 AND less than 5% test positivity, the group advised schools to consider an incremental reopening strategy, returning younger and special-needs students to classrooms first.

Rubin said this week that Philadelphia, with an incidence rate of 50 per 100,000, might be safe to have some schools reopen.

The thresholds CHOP recommends are not absolutes, but need to be interpreted alongside the size of enrollment, and the strength and confidence" in school safety plans, Rubin said. He also said data continue to suggest elementary school children may be less susceptible to symptomatic infection, and less likely to transmit the virus.

 ASK US: Do you have a question about the coronavirus and how it affects your health, work and life? Ask our reporters.

Arkoosh, in Montgomery County, said she believed studies evaluating whether young children were more or less likely to transmit COVID-19 had not yet reached clear conclusions. But she thought younger children should be prioritized for returning to classrooms due to their struggles with virtual learning.

She expects schools would be safe to operate on at least a hybrid model unless the rate of tests that came back positive, currently about 3% in the county, neared 7% or 8%.

Pennsylvania has issued guidelines on when schools can consider reopening, but has not mandated specific action. Some districts began the year planning to remain virtual for months  among them the Cheltenham School District, which plans to return in January.

Given how transmission rates change, Superintendent Wagner Marseille said, the district wanted to provide consistency with a virtual model.

Because this is so fluid, 30 days ago what they were saying is very different than what they are saying right now," Marseille said.

While the district is monitoring the virus' spread, it isnt immediately reevaluating its reopening plans, Marseille said, adding that improvements in the data arent the only consideration.

Its one thing what the data says. Its another thing in terms of peoples individual levels of comfort, he said.

Rubin warned it was likely the virus will surge in the winter, and could lead to schools shifting to all virtual learning for periods of time.

Bertrando, of Garnet Valley, said reopening will be a challenge: With some students learning in school buildings and others at home to ensure social distancing, teachers will have to juggle instructing both groups at once. And the district may face difficult decisions if the virus spreads and it has to consider closing again.

Just getting the kids in is probably the easiest hurdle. Keeping kids in is the challenging part, he said.
Three Co Kildare schools have been affected by Covid-19 cases in their local communities.

Although Co Kildare has the second highest number of cases of any county after Dublin, daily cases have been low in recent days.

The county currently has 2,395 confirmed cases - which represents 8% of the overall total from 26 counties.

Up to yesterday evening, there was one confirmed Covid-19 case at Naas General Hospital and two suspected cases at the medical facility.

Naas Community College told parents on Thursday that a public health doctor had confirmed a case of Covid-19 in the school community that day.

The email said that following a detailed assessment of movement and contacts, "no risk of exposure was identified" which means no restrictions are required.

The school advised parents to monitor their children closely for symptoms of Covid-19 and contact GPs to organise testing if symptoms become appear.

Ardclough National School said today that students in a class of a child whose sibling has Covid-19 have been asked to self-isolate.

The school said children in one class remain at home for 14 days following HSE advice as well as pods in two other classes.

The school said it continues to support the children's education through online learning during this time.

The school said it wished families well and continues to work to ensure the safety of all the children in its care.

It emerged yesterday that Scoil na Mainistreach in Celbridge is to close classes due to a number of Covid-10 cases.

The HSE advised the school to shut while investigations are ongoing. Close contacts of confirmed cases are required to restrict their movements.
'Hotel Rwanda' hero denied bail during trial: A Rwandan court denied bail to Paul Rusesabagina, whose story inspired the film "Hotel Rwanda," saying that the terrorism and other charges against him are serious and that he should remain in detention for 30 more days. Rusesabagina, a Belgian citizen and U.S. permanent resident who has been a critic of Rwandan President Paul Kagame, was charged this week with 13 offenses. He could face up to 25 years in prison. Rusesabagina is credited with saving more than 1,000 lives during Rwanda's 1994 genocide, which killed about 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus. But he has faced criticism from authorities in the years since he began speaking out against alleged human rights abuses by Kagame's government.
On the face of it, the transvestite ceramic artist Grayson Perry is one of the least likely people in all the world to say anything even mildly complimentary about Right-wingers.

I dont say this just because he likes to dress up in womens clothes  although the Left, if youll pardon a generalisation, tends to be more enthusiastic about breaches of convention than the traditionalist Right.

He seems an unlikely bestower of praise on Right-wingers because he himself is on record as a Labour supporter  and a Corbynista, at that. In September 2015, he endorsed Jezzas Labour leadership campaign, saying: I think hes gold.

Yet here is Mr Perry  or Claire, as he likes to be called as his female alter ego  telling the Radio Times this week: The Left is more venal and has more antipathy to the opposition than the other way round. I would say the Right on average are friendlier and more open.

On the face of it, the transvestite ceramic artist Grayson Perry is one of the least likely people in all the world to say anything even mildly complimentary about Right-wingers

My first thought on reading that remark was: What a very magnanimous thing for a Left-winger to say.

All right, I have to admit that although Ive never met the man, his comment didnt come as a complete surprise to me.

This was partly because I happened to know he was good mates at King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford, with my friend and former Daily Mail colleague Simon Heffer.

Virtues

I hope Simon will forgive me when I say that although his virtues shine through to me, as a small-c conservative myself, he is exactly the sort of Tory whom most Lefties love to hate.

So I give Mr Perry high marks for seeing through the tweed-clad reactionary to the soul underneath.

Enough to say that it is almost impossible to imagine a more improbable pair of schoolmates than the future Tory polemicist and the budding socialist transvestite artist.

But there are other reasons, too, why Ive long had a soft spot for Mr Perry. In his TV interviews and Reith lectures on the radio, he has always come across as bright and thought-provoking.

Unlike trans lobby extremists, before whose every vicious tweet the great institutions of our country cower in abject surrender, he seems good-natured and, in a funny sort of way, level-headed.

I also admire him as an artist, although I admit that some of his more outlandish creations are not entirely my cup of tea.

All right, I have to admit that although Ive never met the man, his comment didnt come as a complete surprise to me. This was partly because I happened to know he was good mates at King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford (pictured), with my friend and former Daily Mail colleague Simon Heffer

But having read his kind remark about Right-wingers  among whom I suppose I must number myself  I rate him more highly than ever.

Indeed, the more Ive thought about it, the more Im convinced that in saying my political allies tend to be friendlier, he was not merely paying a pretty compliment to his opponents. He was also telling the unvarnished truth.

Yes, of course there are a great many exceptions on both sides. I myself have met plenty of charming, convivial Left-wingers as well as a fair number of belligerent Right-wingers  particularly towards the extreme end of the spectrum  whose company I would avoid.

But if you ask me, it is simply a fact that, on average, those who lean to the Right tend to be friendlier to others of every political persuasion than their counterparts on the Left. And, yes, they are also far more open to debate.

I can testify, after many years as a political reporter, that Tory Party conferences are much more hospitable occasions than Labours annual get-togethers, where delegates think its cool to wear T-shirts boasting: Never kissed a Tory.

You may say that I would find that, wouldnt I, since Ive never made a secret of my own Tory sympathies.

But I suspect that many Left-wing journalists would agree that they are made to feel less unwelcome by the Conservatives than at Labour gatherings, where the speeches tend to be far angrier. Corbynistas hate Blairites (and vice versa) and everyone hates the Press.

Furious

True, it was at a Conservative conference that I had my one and only experience, during more than a decade of covering meetings of every political hue, of actually being spat at while on duty.

But on that occasion, the assailant who showered me in furious spittle was a Labour-supporting demonstrator, among a crowd yelling Tory scum outside the hall. On the whole, accredited Conservative conference-goers dont spit.

Nor, come to that, does the average Right-leaning voter tend to go in for mass demonstrations or chanting obscene slogans attacking their political opponents.

But the Lefts intolerant unfriendliness extends far beyond the political circuit. Indeed, a young friend who is an assistant to George Osborne, the former Tory Chancellor, tells me she avoids telling strangers at parties who she works for, so often have her contemporaries abused her for liking her boss and her job.

I know how she must feel, since Ive often seen my poor wife lambasted by woke Left-wingers over her work for the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (although God knows why anyone should think theres anything particularly Right-wing about wanting to save human lives from abortion).

My friend also tells me that, among her generation, confessing to any sort of tolerance towards Tories is the kiss of death to all hope of finding a mate through dating apps, where a favourite warning is: Tories need not apply.

How often, I wonder, do the young see would-be suitors stipulating: Socialists need not apply. My guess would be roughly never.

All of which brings me to the big question of why it should be that Left-wingers seem so much angrier and less tolerant of those who disagree with them than those of us who lean to the Right.

If I understand Grayson Perry correctly, he is talking mainly about champagne Socialists when he suggests that the answer may have something to do with the guilt and shame they feel about enjoying the fruits of capitalism while attacking the system.

Tribal

As he puts it, describing the feelings of white middle class people on the Left: Its all part of the tribal culture to be guilty  we do guilty in the same way that the Japanese do shame.

If you ask me  and like every good Tory, I admit the possibility that I may be wrong  the truth is more deeply rooted in the contrasting ideologies of Left and Right.

The Lefts intolerant unfriendliness extends far beyond the political circuit. Indeed, a young friend who is an assistant to George Osborne, the former Tory Chancellor (pictured) tells me she avoids telling strangers at parties who she works for, so often have her contemporaries abused her for liking her boss and her job

We Tories (my brand of Tory, at least), take human nature as our starting-point, with all its virtues and failings: family love, patriotism, fellow-feeling, jealousy, ambition, lust, competitiveness, greed etc.

We then try to arrange government so that it reins in our excesses to prevent us from harming others, while being careful not to stifle our nature entirely. This makes us naturally more tolerant of human frailty.

True socialists, on the other hand, start with the concept of an ideal society in which equality is guaranteed for all, and then set about trying to bully human nature into conforming with it.

No wonder they get furious when human beings continue to behave like human beings, in such ways as trying to give our children advantages in life, caring more about our own country than faraway lands or laughing at politically incorrect jokes.

So convinced are they that their ideal is good and just, its no wonder either that they try to silence  or cancel, in the new jargon  those who beg to differ.

We Tories, on the whole, are happier in our skin, and so less inclined to go around screaming obscene slogans, knocking down statues or vilifying anyone who is prepared to say nice things about our political opponents.

If you doubt me, you should try reading some of the four-letter comments posted on the internet by Mr Perrys critics, venting their contempt for his views and their hatred of all Right-wingers, without exception. They dont realise it, poor dears, but they rather prove his point.
DEAR HARRIETTE: I have been dating my boyfriend for over a year now, and I have not met any of his friends, or any family either. To be fair, he has not met my parents because I am very strategic about who meets my parents, and he knows that. However, he has met my closest friends.

Every time I ask to meet his friends, I feel like he is giving me excuses. At this point, it makes me feel like I am being hidden. Am I wrong for wanting to meet his friends and family, or is it still too early? -- Girl With Potential

DEAR GIRL WITH POTENTIAL: Looks like both of you have been holding back a bit, with your boyfriend being more extreme. You need to ask yourself what you want in this relationship. If you think it is serious and you want to be committed to this man, it is time for you to have that talk. Be direct, so that there's no room for squirming.

If you want to see where this can lead. Ask him what he has to hide. Stick to your guns. If he refuses to include you in the rest of his life, that is a sign that he is not serious.

DEAR HARRIETTE: My young daughter is an aspiring model. She recently did a photo shoot for a headshot. During the photo shoot, the company we booked was supposed to send a kid-friendly photographer. When we got there, the photographer and his assistant had never done professional photos with children before. He turned out to be horrible with children. My daughter ended up crying, at which point I told him I wanted to cancel and book with someone else, but he told me that there was no refund -- I could cancel, but I would have to pay someone else again. I don't feel that I should have to pay for a service I was not satisfied with, especially when he had no experience with a child.

After I received the photos, his assistant reached out to me saying that she had lost the payment paperwork and asking me to resubmit it. This photographer was rude, and I do not like how my daughter's photos came out. I'm ready to contact them back and tell them "Too bad." Because I was unhappy and they lost the payment for something I didn't want to pay for anyway, that's on them. Should I pay for the services or keep my money to book a better photographer? -- Depending on Karma

DEAR DEPENDING ON KARMA: Count your blessings. Do not pay the photographer. Contact the company to formally express your disappointment in how the shoot was handled. If they balk, contact your local consumer protection office or the Better Business Bureau to lodge a formal complaint against the company.

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Imagine youre in an Ottawa hotel suite with a former prime minister of Canada and a former president of the United States. Secret Service members watch the door and a photographer is getting ready to take some shots. Imagine that.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/9/2020 (490 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

Imagine youre in an Ottawa hotel suite with a former prime minister of Canada and a former president of the United States. Secret Service members watch the door and a photographer is getting ready to take some shots. Imagine that.

But then imagine the door opens and in walks Aline Chretien, looking as beautiful and elegant as always.

FILE: NATIONAL POST STAFF PHOTO Former prime minister Jean Chretien and his wife Aline attend the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame ceremony in Toronto in 2008.

And then imagine that the former president, Bill Clinton, rises to greet her like one would an old friend. And theres genuine affection and respect in his voice.

Imagine that the former prime minister, Jean Chretien, also rises to greet his wife. And theres love and actual reverence shining on his face, and in what he says to her. She smiles and its such a beautiful smile.

Imagine all that. And then Clinton insists that Aline Chretien stands at the centre, because thats where she belongs. And everyone smiles and the photographer takes the picture.

In the 30-plus years Ive worked for him and supported him  because Ive never really stopped doing either  there has been always one truth about Jean Chretien, Canadas 20th and best prime minister: he would never have been prime minister without her. He would never have achieved the great things he achieved without her.

In the office, we simply referred to her as "Madame." She came from a small town, with humble roots, like him. She didnt ever require us to stand on ceremony for her. She was quiet, much of the time, and left the politics to him.

But she loved people and people loved her. One night, he invited me to a party at 24 Sussex Drive, the official residence of the prime minister. I wasnt sure why I was there: the place was full of their old friends from Shawinigan, Que., all laughing and talking. There were no politicians or celebrities. They were cab drivers, labourers, teachers, waitresses and small business owners.

The Chretiens introduced me to their Shawinigan friends as "a fighter" for them, which was an honour. And then Madame sat down at the piano  an instrument she had taught herself to master, much later in life  and started to play and sing. And the place was alive with her voice and everyone singing along.

She fiercely defended her husband for years, going back to when they were teenagers.

When the Conservatives mocked his facial paralysis in an ad, she was furious and told me that "Jean is handsome."

And everyone knows the story about how she was awakened by footsteps inside 24 Sussex, and quickly locked the bedroom doors to keep a knife-wielding intruder at bay until the RCMP could be summoned (the PM famously gripped an Inuit stone carving as protection while they waited).

But when a too-ambitious finance minister tried to drive her husband out, she became resolute. They had a mandate and they would not be pushed. One night, at a wedding, she took me and a couple of other former Chretien staffers aside. She pointed at me. "He tells the truth about Jean," she said to them. "He fights for Jean. We all have to fight for Jean."

And we did, we did. But none as much as her. She was his rock, his truest love, his everything. And I confess that Im so worried for him now.

Did you ever love someone so much that they took your breath away when they simply walked into a room?

Did you ever find yourself simply sitting at the edge of a group of people, watching your true love charm and delight those people, and saying nothing because youre so proud and amazed that she chose you?

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.

Did you ever love someone so much that you accepted, as a matter of course, that God sent her to you so you could breathe again, and so you could put one foot in front of the other and go out into the day?

Did you ever owe everything you are, everything you achieved, to just one extraordinary person, who you loved so much that she was the air you breathe?

You dont have to imagine a true love like that. You dont have to imagine it. Because that is how much Jean Chretien loved Aline Chretien, who died on Sept. 12 at age 84.

And we all loved her as we love him.

Warren Kinsella is a Canadian journalist, political adviser and commentator.

 Troy Media
Rahm Emanuel, Obama's onetime chief of staff, memorably said, "Never let a crisis go to waste." He knew that, when people are afraid, they'll cede power to the government. However, it's a problem when the data don't match the alleged crisis. In 2004, when that happened with "climate change" data, those involved told each other to "hide the decline." In our virus age, it appears that Nashville's mayor hid the numbers showing that his city's locked down bars and restaurants were not contributing much to the Wuhan virus's spread. The lockdown rolled on.

Fox 17, in Nashville, Tennessee, had a bombshell story on Thursday:

The coronavirus cases on lower Broadway may have been so low that the mayor's office and the Metro Health Department decided to keep it secret. Emails between the mayor's senior advisor and the health department reveal only a partial picture. But what they reveal is disturbing. The discussion involves the low number of coronavirus cases emerging from bars and restaurants and how to handle that. And most disturbingly, how to keep it from the public.

LEAKED EMAILS INVESTIGATION: Dennis Ferrier demands answers from the Nashville mayor?s office. Despite a heated confrontation, Dennis continues his pursuit of facts. What he found on FOX 17 News at 9. https://t.co/zUzCQjTuft https://t.co/2Lk4V1KG4I  FoxNashville (@FOXNashville) September 18, 2020

Keeping the bars and restaurants closed has wrought havoc on a major part of Nashville's economy. Why would Mayor John Cooper, a Democrat, have done this to his city?

We can certainly speculate. As we've seen since the first day of the Wuhan virus's appearance in America, a frightened citizenry is a compliant citizenry. That's why, as Rahm Emanuel well knew, it's easy to use a period of panic to pass significant legislation that people would ordinarily resist.

By hiding the actual numbers, Mayor Cooper was able to keep people ignorant about the risks the virus posed to them. As a general matter, people grossly overestimate the virus's impact on young people and underestimate the devastation it wrought amongst older and sicker people. A Will Witt video illustrates these warped perceptions:

In Nashville, the mayor was able to push through a 34% property tax to offset lost revenue. Normally, people would have opposed that kind of dramatic increase, but the lockdown made it seem necessary. The tax will undoubtedly continue long after the Wuhan virus is just a bad memory, warping the economy and keeping poorer citizens dependent on the government.

One of the things that struck me most forcibly about how Mayor Cooper's office was desperate not to let Nashville residents know that the bars and restaurants were relatively safe is how closely this tactic tracked 2004's Climategate scandal. That was when we learned that the employees at the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia were talking about manipulating climate data gleaned from tree rings to "hide the decline" in temperatures. (Incidentally, when you search "Climategate," it takes forever to wade through the articles dishonestly "debunking" it.)

We may soon get information from Mayor Cooper's office explaining why the office was desperate to keep the people of Nashville from learning that grandma and grandpa were dying like flies and that construction workers had issues, but that there was probably no reason to destroy the Nashville economy by destroying a significant part of its tax base. Until then, Mayor Cooper's hiding data looks like another in a series of Democrat power plays intended to hide from people that they don't need to panic  and, specifically, that they don't need to hand so much power to their government.

Image: Nashville mayor's office email, a public record obtained via FOIA request.
Everything you need to know about skiing the Northeast this winter

Whether you want to stay close to home or head north, here's everything you need to know about skiing or snowboarding in the Northeast and New York this season.
He pointed to examples of when church leaders have gotten political, such as when Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark remarked earlier this week that I think that a person in good conscience could vote for Mr. [Joe] Biden. Tobin then added, I, frankly, in my own way of thinking have a more difficult time with the other option.
The huge El Dorado wildfire burning in California reportedly started at a gender reveal party.

Gender reveal parties are growing in popularity in the United States. The purpose is for parents-to-be to announce to family and friends the sex of their unborn child.

The reveal is often done through colors: pink for a girl, and blue for a boy. People attending such a party might eat a cake filled with blue or pink frosting. Or the mother-to-be and her partner might open a big box full of either blue or pink balloons.

Today, Americans are coming up with increasingly complex ways to announce the sex of their unborn child. The party that caused the El Dorado wildfire, for example, involved a smoking pyrotechnic device.

For some people, gender reveal parties are fast becoming an important tradition. But critics say that more than a few parties have gotten too extreme.

Media reports often describe Jenna Karvunidis as the inventor of the reveal party. In 2008, she published images on social media of a cake she made with pink frosting in the middle. She used the pictures to announce to a few family members and friends that she was pregnant with a girl. The post went viral, and so did her idea.

Her reveal was simple compared to what some pregnant women and their partners do today. Karvunidis says that social media attention and possible earnings from viral posts have pushed couples to extremes. Pink or blue frosting, it seems, is no longer enough.

In 2018, one couple removed the inside of a watermelon, filled it with a sweet blue treat and then had an alligator bite it to reveal the sex of their baby.

Another couple paid for a small airplane to drop small colored balls on party guests.

Some people are even jumping out of planes. In one case, a man parachuted from a plane toward event guests with a smoke canister that released colored smoke.

Some of these events have produced painful viral videos. One such video shows a Massachusetts man accidentally firing an explosive canister of blue smoke right between his legs.

Sometimes, the parties cause a lot of damage. One recent party near Los Angeles led to the El Dorado fire, which has burned around 5,600 hectares to date.

A 2018 wildfire in Arizona is also blamed on a gender reveal event gone wrong.

It is unclear if the fires will make Americans rethink how they want to reveal their babys sex.

There are signs that the interest in gender reveal parties is spreading worldwide. One couple recently lit up the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, in blue to announce they were expecting a boy.

Karvunidis, however, says she has had enough.

She wrote on Facebook last week, "Stop it. Stop having these stupid parties.

I'm Ashley Thompson.

VOA News reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

cake - n. sweet baked food made from a mixture of flour, sugar, and other ingredients (such as eggs and butter)

frosting - n. a sweet, creamy mixture that is used to cover cakes

pyrotechnic - adj. related to or involving fireworks

post - n. a published message on social media

viral - adj. spreading very quickly to many people especially through the Internet

alligator - n. a large reptile that has a long body, thick skin, and sharp teeth, that lives in the tropical parts of the U.S. and China, and that is related to crocodiles

canister - n. a metal case that contains gas or chemical substances and that bursts when it is fired from a gun

Are gender reveal parties common where you live? What do you think about this tradition? Let us know in the comments section.
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.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba has called on the UN Human Rights Council to monitor the situation in Belarus and warned Russia against further destabilization of the region.

Kuleba made a corresponding statement at the urgent debate on the situation in Belarus during the 45th session of the Human Rights Council, the Foreign Ministry's press service informs.

As Kuleba emphasized, the aspirations of the Belarusian society are linked exclusively with the enforcement of fundamental democratic freedoms, while the violent reaction of the country's authorities to this peaceful request does not correspond to the universal obligations of the states to protect human rights.

"The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine underscored the importance of monitoring the situation in Belarus with the involvement of international human rights mechanisms and called on the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and special procedures of the UN Human Rights Council to continue such monitoring in a timely and comprehensive manner. Dmytro Kuleba urged official Minsk to cooperate constructively with the mentioned institutions," the statement reads.

As noted, the minister highlighted Ukraine's stance on the absolute inadmissibility of interference in the internal affairs of Belarus, drawing special attention to Russia's actions.

"We warn the Russian Federation against steps that could undermine the political sovereignty of Belarus and further destabilize the situation in the region as a whole," Kuleba said.

The Ministry informs that the EU-initiated UN Human Rights Council resolution "The situation of human rights in Belarus in relation to the 2020 presidential election", co-sponsored by Ukraine, is expected to be approved as a result of the urgent debate. The document provides for the introduction of a mechanism for monitoring the situation by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights as the civilized world does not accept the mass human rights violations amidst the post-election protests in Belarus.

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Grammar fell out of fashion then too, and was put in the category of drill and kill (the idea that drilling the student would kill their motivation to learn). In 1974, the NSW Department of Education published a syllabus document that said: training in formal grammar does not improve pupils' written expression. In fact, it could even hinder it. There was also no teaching of factual writing, says Knapp. It was all based around narrative. Rather than describe an earthworm scientifically, they'd write a story about being an earthworm. Tom Alegounarias is the former chair of the NSW Education Standards Authority. Credit:Edwina Pickles But in the 1980s, it became clear that some students  especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds  were not learning how to write, and were struggling with spelling, punctuation and form. A group of inner-city Sydney teachers, parents and academics lobbied the government to reinstate the teaching of all types of factual writing, including grammar. Knapp was among them. This became known as genre theory. There was a huge ideological battle between the process writing crowd and the genre crowd, he says. Genre won, and continues to provide the framework for the way writing is taught in NSW. The idea is that it's not enough to simply tell students to write an essay. They should be taught how to write different types of essays, as language and style requirements differ depending on whether they are writing a scientific report or an analysis of literature. Teaching writing in high school became the responsibility of all teachers, not just those in the English department. Grammar made a comeback, but it never quite recovered from the 1970s. When genres were introduced in the early 1990s, there was a big push to train teachers. There hasn't been much training since. What we are left with is not taught consistently, not taught evenly, taught superficially, says Tom Alegounarias, the former chair of the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA). Primary teachers have a pretty good grasp of it, but not necessarily the grammar underpinning it. And secondary teachers vary, substantially depending on whether they received the training and support when it was available. Most have only heard about it.

In 2008, a national standardised testing regime  NAPLAN  began assessing students' writing. Even in that relatively short period, the results have been alarming. In NSW, year 9 students skills have declined by the equivalent of five months since 2011. On average, one in six of those students has been below the minimum standard required to succeed in their final years of high school. That compares with one in 20 below the standard in reading and numeracy. Boys were twice as likely as girls to be at the bottom of the class. The data also gives a snapshot of where students struggle. Last year, 13 per cent of NSW year 9 students did not use any correct paragraphing. Fewer than half wrote all of their sentences clearly, a fifth used predominantly simple vocabulary, and one in five misspelled simple and common words. Back in 2011, four in five had at least 80 per cent of their sentence-level punctuation (full stops, capital letters) and at least some of their other punctuation (apostrophes, quotation marks) correct. Last year it was 62 per cent. Many educators dislike NAPLAN, but the writing assessment is particularly loathed. Opponents argue it encourages formulaic writing, and a recent high-level review recommended improvements. But the Thematic Review of Writing in NSW Schools described NAPLAN as a reliable indicator of some elements of students' ability. Strident claims that NAPLAN assesses all the wrong things about writing have been unhelpful, and have likely done a disservice to teachers looking to improve their writing instruction, the report said. Teachers are hungry for help. Half feel their degree left them under-prepared to teach writing, and many have never had extra training from their employer. The less confident they feel, the less class time they devote to it. But mastery of writing requires time and practice. More class time is associated with better academic results. I would like to see dedicated time for teaching, modelling, [and] doing, writing in every Australian classroom, says the review's lead author, Professor Claire Wyatt-Smith.

Eva Gold, the head of the English Teachers Association, says time is essential. The best way to improve writing is to write, write and write some more, she says. I do not think it is a literacy problem. Its lack of practice. The review identified a slump in attention to writing between years 7 and 10 before a flurry in years 11 and 12. High school is when responsibility of writing stops being the domain of a single teacher and is shared among many. It's also when demands on students' writing increase. In primary school, they write about the world around them. In year 7, they begin discussing more ephemeral concepts  democracy, gravity, flotation. Writing is a fundamental tool in making this transition," says Knapp. Internal Department of Education research found high school NAPLAN writing is the best indicator of HSC success. Back to basics: Balgowlah Boys' High deputy principal Benjamin Seldon (left) with principal Paul Sheather and students. The school has seen sharp improvements in writing skills. Credit:Nick Moir The review highlights failures in teachers' university preparation, in the quality and amount of professional development offered to them by their employers, and in resources and leadership. While reading and writing are intertwined, the strong public policy focus on literacy over recent decades has focused largely on reading instruction, it says. It's not clear why writing has not been accorded greater importance. It called on system authorities to provide clearer direction on what to teach, how to teach it, and the standards expected from teachers. The recommendations have been accepted by NESA. Improving student writing in Australia will require time, resources and leadership, says Alegounarias. But it will be well worth it, because writing is tied to improving reading, thinking and understanding. It's a tide that will lift all boats.

The report also called for a greater focus on grammar, even though there remains great sensitivity among many educators around any moves that signal a return to traditional grammar instruction, when grammar was a stand-alone subject where students parsed sentences as teachers drilled them. Teachers, it said, need a language to describe the different components of writing. Russell Daylight teaches his students about grammar. It does not kill their motivation. Their heads are in their notebooks writing as fast as they can, he says. They suspect it's important and they are starved of information. For him, teaching students to write without the language of grammar would be like teaching mechanics to fix cars without the terms engine or chassis. I have to teach them grammar to be able to show them that there are parts of a sentence that have functions, that have power, that are the levers of sense, he says. In his analysis of student writing, published in the international journal Literacy and Numeracy Studies, Daylight argued that one of the most common problems was a misunderstanding of the relationship between subject and predicate, or between what the student wants to talk about and what they want to say. I'm almost trying to break down sentences to the basics and build them back up again, he says. I want to see sentences without conjunctions. This book was good. I enjoyed the book. Then we can start joining the ideas. The instinct for the subject has to be there. Loading It's an approach also used by Balgowlah Boys' High, which has developed a program in which teachers across disciplines spend time building sentences with their students. [It involves] putting sentences on the board, word by word, and asking the kids what goes next, deputy principal Benjamin Seldon said. The boys play with the clauses like little blocks of Lego. A decade ago, the school's literacy results were well below average. For the past four years, it has finished in the top 10 in HSC English.
There is a lack of food, water and toilet facilities at Kara Tepe, forcing people to urinate in the sea and near tents.

Refugees and migrants on the Greek island of Lesbos, having escaped the fire that engulfed Moria, have told Al Jazeera that living conditions inside a new camp are squalid and uninhabitable, just one day after their arrival.

There is no water, no toilet, no food, 24-year-old Zaynab, an Afghan woman, told Al Jazeera by phone. The smell is very bad because people go to the toilet on the floor in front of my tent.

On Thursday, police launched an operation to rehouse thousands of asylum seekers who had been sleeping rough in supermarket car parks and roadsides, a week after a massive fire tore through their shelters in Moria, a sprawling unsanitary site originally designed with a capacity of 3,000, where 13,000 had lived.

The new Kara Tepe camp, near the islands main town Mytilene, was made on a former military firing range and is close to the remains of the Moria site.

As of Friday, capacity at Kara Tepe had been expanded to 12,000 according to the Greek government, with 6,180 new residents. But many remain wary of the new accommodation.

A general view of the temporary camp for refugees and migrants near Mytilene town, on the northeastern island of Lesbos, Greece, on September 13 [Petros Giannakouris/The Associated Press]

Since her arrival, Zaynab has been staying inside her tent, too afraid to step outside amid heightened tensions.

Many refugees are angry and view the new shelter as a continuation of the notoriously neglected Moria camp.

Like in Moria, access to food and water is limited.

They gave me one piece of meat and one bottle of water, said Zaynab on Friday, who has not eaten since Thursday afternoon.

The flimsy privacy of a tent could not offer the young woman respite from a week of sleeping rough.

The tents are very near to each other and at night, people were fighting until 1am.

Zaynab suffers from migraines and insomnia but has been unable to take her medication.

I asked an [aid] organisation to bring my medication but they said the police are not allowing them.

Tensions have been compounded by a two-week quarantine enforced by the Greek government, with some refugees fearing their freedom of movement will be further stifled.

Like Zaynab, Mariam, a teenager, has not had access to running water since moving to Kara Tepe.

We cannot live in here, we can just sleep, she told Al Jazeera.

She is worried about the coming winter because her family tent has no wooden pallets to protect them from cold and rain.

Aid workers say the camps proximity to the sea could put refugees at further risk as icy winter winds set in.

Moussa 30, has taken to bathing in the sea, but says even that has become impossible because many people use the beach and the water as a toilet.

If we continue this way, we will have another disease without corona[virus]  I am not going anywhere, I am inside my tent because I am afraid of corona.

Astrid Castelein of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees told Al Jazeera: For the moment it is an emergency site  but improved on a daily basis as much as possible.

But conditions in the new camp fall short of minimum standards of dignified living under Greek and international law, according to Refugee Support Aegean (RSA), a local nonprofit.

They are only given two bottles of water both for drinking and washing and many of them say they are washing themselves in the sea, said Asterios Kanavos, a lawyer at RSA.

They have no mattresses and their tents are very hot due to the weather because they are not protected from the sun.

Greek authorities have blocked lawyers providing legal aid to refugee clients inside the camp, citing health concerns.

Meanwhile, the UNHCR says it is working to provide Kara Tepe residents with chemical toilets, showers and hand-washing facilities, while NGOs and the Greek government are setting up water supply systems and drainage.

The priority is that everyone enters by today, at the latest tomorrow, also because of tensions with the local population, said UNHCRs Castelein.

A stones throw away, in the town of Moria, locals welcomed the move.

We want them to be collected somewhere for their safety and ours, said Moria resident Nevrakis Konstantinos.

By Sunday, Kara Tepe is expected to hold all 12,000 displaced refugees and migrants. Greek authorities this week said all asylum seekers should be able to leave the island by Easter next year.
Lightspeed Southeast Asia Team (pictured left to right): Akshay Bhushan, Marsha Sugana, Pinn Lawjindakul, and Bejul Somaia.(Graphic: Business Wire)

Global venture capital firm Lightspeed Venture Partners has launched its Southeast Asia operations.

Headquartered in Singapore, the firm will partner and support the regions entrepreneurs building disruptive companies.

Lightspeed will deploy capital for its Southeast Asian investments from its global funds, having raised US$4 billion in 2020.

In Southeast Asia as well, the firm is actively engaging with ventures right from their early stages, in sectors like commerce, fintech, edtech and SaaS among many others. Lightspeed has already invested in Grab, social commerce platform Chilibeli, B2B marketplace app Ula, enterprise artificial intelligence software provider NextBillion.ai as well as fulfilment and shipping gateway company Shipper. Additionally, many of the firms portfolio companies are scaling up business in Southeast Asia and have regional headquarters in Singapore  including Snap, OYO Rooms, Yellow Messenger and Darwinbox among others. Many ventures are also building multi-location businesses with engineering talent from India and other areas.

Lightspeed will expand its Southeast Asian activities from its regional office in Singapore. The Southeast Asia team comprises:

Akshay Bhushan, Partner. Over the last five years, Bhushan has led venture investments with Lightspeed. He was previously a founding member of Flipkarts corporate development team, leading the startups strategic investments and acquisitions. Prior to Flipkart, Bhushan was a consultant at Bain & Company, where he founded the companys Atlanta Private Equity Practice, an early-stage investor in India, and co-founded shopper engagement platform Whalelogix.

Bejul Somaia, Partner. A venture capital veteran who has been in the industry since 1999, Somaia joined Lightspeed in 2008 and has played a key role in setting up Lightspeed India. He has been instrumental in helping build market-defining companies such as OYO Rooms and Udaan in India.

Pinn Lawjindakul, Vice President. Lawjindakul has worked alongside founders across life stages in China and India. In addition to working with Grab during the super-apps early days, she was previously with Tiger Global Management in Singapore, working on portfolio companies in areas such as fintech, ridesharing, communications and e-commerce. Lawjindakul also spent time with Bain & Company, where she advised private equity clients during the first wave of startups in Southeast Asia.

Marsha Sugana, Senior Investment Associate. Sugana has served in private equity roles with L Catterton and Goldman Sachs in the past, and has experience covering Southeast Asias largest publicly traded consumer and retail companies. She has also worked with BlackRocks Financial Markets Advisory division in New York City as an Analyst.

Over the last 20 years, Lightspeed has helped entrepreneurs in diverse industries scale into multi-billion-dollar companies, some of which are Snap (US), Nutanix (US), Pinduoduo (China), Man Bang group (China), Grab (Asia), OYO Rooms (India), Udaan (India) and Byjus (India). The firm has engaged with each of its investments to enable its founders to succeed  leveraging its global portfolio network, customer introductions, talent and marketing support and growth capital.

FinSMEs

18/09/2020
The act gives the Indian military in Kashmir sweeping powers to search, seize and even shoot suspects on sight without fear of prosecution. Under the act, local authorities need federal approval to prosecute erring army or paramilitary soldiers in civilian courts. The special powers were given to the military in 1990, a year after an armed rebellion erupted in Kashmir seeking the Himalayan regions independence or merger with neighboring Pakistan, which also controls part of Kashmir.
The Christian Democrats and Social Democrats collectively lost 10 percent of the vote in the local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) on Sunday. The parties of the grand coalition at the federal levelCDU and SPDachieved the worst combined result in their history.

Apart from the Hamburg state elections on February 23 and the Bavarian local elections on March 15, the NRW election is the only one to be held in Germany this year. Some 14 million eligible voters in the most populous stateone in five in Germanywere called upon to reelect district councils, city councils, municipal councils, and district representatives.

The CDU, which emerged as the strongest party in the election with 34.3 percent, lost 3.2 percent compared to the last local elections six years ago. The Social Democrats dropped by 7.1 percent to 24.3 percent, in the state that was once their stronghold, governed by the SPD for almost 50 years. The main winners are the Greens, who gained 8.3 points and became the third strongest party with 20 percent.

The election result was above all an expression of growing opposition to all official politics. Half of all eligible voters stayed at home. At 51.5 percent, turnout was about the same as six years ago, when 50 percent participated. Many people saw no point in voting between parties that work together in every conceivable combination at federal, state, and local level and pursue right-wing, anti-working-class policies.

Looking more closely at the election results, the decline of the CDU and SPD is even more drastic than the overall figures reveal. The two parties, which, with a four-year interruption, have ruled together in the federal government since 2005, were mainly supported by older voters, who traditionally remain loyal to them. Among the over-60s, the CDU received 44 percent of the vote and the SPD 29 percent.

Among 16-24 year-olds, however, only 22 percent voted for the CDU and 16 percent for the SPD. The younger generation no longer expects anything from these parties, which are responsible for the rapid spread of precarious employment, billions in gifts to the banks and the return to militarism. Instead, 33 percent voted for the Greens, the strongest party in this electoral segment. Among the over-60s, however, the Greens won only 12 percent.

The Greens electoral success has two main reasons. First, they are the party of the prosperous urban middle classes. They were able to gain influence especially in big cities like Cologne, Bonn, Aachen, and Dortmund. Even in the Ruhr area, once the centre of heavy industry, there are now many relatively wealthy start-ups and service providers. By contrast, miners who traditionally voted for the SPD no longer exist, and the last steelworks are currently being closed.

In the impoverished regions of the Ruhr, with many Hartz IV (welfare) recipients, some people voted out of anger for the Alternative for Germany (AfD). The extreme right-wing party doubled its vote share from 2.5 to 5 percent. This is admittedly less than in the 2017 federal election when it received 9.4 percent of second votes in NRW. However, it did not contest the local elections across the board, so that its share of votes is much higher in some municipalities. The AfD achieved its best result in Gelsenkirchen with 13.9 percent.

The second reason for the Greens success is based on a misconception. Especially young voters, who are very concerned about the environment, still regard them as an ecological party. According to an opinion poll, environmental and climate protection was the most important issue in the election, ahead of economic issues and school policy.

The Greens have long since ceased to differ from the other parties on this issue as well. In the automobile-producing state of Baden-Wurttemberg, where Green Winfried Kretschmann is their only state premier so far, he has long since become a lobbyist for big auto.

The Greens are concentrating all their energy on replacing the SPD in the federal government as the coalition partner of the Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU). Whether it is about austerity programmes at the expense of the working class, opening day-care centres, schools and factories without adequate coronavirus protection, arming the Bundeswehr (Armed Forces) and planning new war missions, they have long since ceased to differ from the parties of the grand coalition. In foreign policy, they even attack them from the right and demand more aggressive action against Russia and China as well as more humanitarian war missions.

A commentary by press agency Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland, which supplies newspapers in NRW with articles, described their role quite aptly. The Greens are basically the winners in a double game, it says. On the one hand, they lament the growing social divisions in the major cities of NRWbut at the same time, they benefit from it. Everywhere they are at the forefront of those who are cushioned from the ebbs and flows of the economy.

Significantly, the Left Party as well as the SPD has lost votes, receiving 3.8 percent, 0.8 less than six years ago. The Left Party no longer differs from the other parties and is doing its utmost to be part of the next federal government together with the parties of war and welfare cuts, the SPD and Greens. In the federal states and local authorities in which it co-governs, it acts just as ruthlessly against workers, the poor and refugees as the other parties.

The Free Democratic Party (FDP), the coalition partner of the CDU in the NRW state government, improved its score by 0.8 points to 5.6 percent.

Six different parties now sit in the Bundestag (federal parliament) and most state legislatures. If the Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU) is counted as a party in its own right, there are even seven. But this has not increased political choice; they all represent more or less the same right-wing policies, with the AfDas in refugee policyusually setting the tone.

In broad sections of the population, indignation is building up over cuts to jobs, wages and social benefits, over the opening of schools without coronavirus protection, over the ruin of education and health care. Countless people are appalled by the inhumane refugee policy of the European Union and the return of German militarism.

But these concerns find no expression in official politics. Opposition can only develop outside and against the establishment parties and the trade unions associated with them. And it does. To provide it with an orientation and leadership, the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (Socialist Equality Party, SGP) advocates the establishment of independent action committees in factories and schools. Their task is to defend jobs and wages, ensure the safety of parents, educators and pupils, and form networks nationally and internationally.

Together with its sister organisations in the International Committee of the Fourth International, the SGP fights for a socialist programme that places the needs of society above the profit interests of the corporations and banks.
A boat of migrants landed on a nudist beach on the Sussex coast before being helped ashore by naked sunbathers.

Naturists were enjoying a day out at Fairlight Glen Beach near Hastings, East Sussex, on Monday when the group of men rowed towards them in an inflatable dinghy.

Father-of-two entrepreneur Jamie Anley, 48, was on his first trip to the beach with wife Astrid, 52.

He told The Sun they had just taken their clothes off when they saw the men paddling towards them.

In another incident, a group of 16 migrants from Afghanistan also made their way across the Channel to Dover on Wednesday (pictured)

Naturists were enjoying a day out at Fairlight Glen Beach near Hastings, East Sussex, on Monday when the group of men rowed towards them in an inflatable dinghy

Entrepreneur Anley told the Sun: 'The beachgoers were all very friendly  we offered the migrants drinks.

'They were aged from about 17 to 45. Some of the men kept their heads down but some had little smirks on.

'Some of them were wearing leather jackets, they weren't dressed for the occasion!'

All the migrants were located and detained after they made off into nearby woods, the Home Office confirmed.

September is already the busiest month for migrants crossing the Channel by small boat ever recorded.

The Home Office said 26 people were detained in two separate incidents on Wednesday.

It means at least 1,490 have made the treacherous journey across the worlds busiest shipping route this month.

The total now surpasses the 1,468 migrants who made it to the UK by small boat during the previous record month of August.

Some 165 migrants made their way to the UK on Monday and Wednesdays arrivals take the total for the year to 6,515.

One witness said the boat spotted on Wednesday would have sunk if they had not been rescued by a British border patrol.

The Home Office said 26 people were detained in two separate incidents on Wednesday (pictured, off the coast of Dover)

A graph showing the number of migrants crossing the channel per month this year

Border Force and French patrols have been increasingly more active in the Dover Strait as the number of migrants crossings has rocketed in recent months.

Last Friday at least 319 people made the perilous journey on 27 boats, with more than 6,100 arriving in the South East coast on small vessels so far this year.

After a lull in migrants attempting the dangerous crossing over the last few days, large numbers made renewed bids to get to the UK, taking advantage of the better weather, calm sea conditions and low winds.
This handout picture by the Comunidad de Madrid (Madrid regional government) shows Madrid's regional president Isabel Diaz Ayuso giving a press conference to announce partial lockdown measures on nearly one million people to try to slow the spread of the virus

At the epicentre of an explosion of new infections in Spain, the Madrid region on Friday imposed partial lockdown measures on nearly one million people to try to slow the spread of the virus.

Residents of the areas, mainly in densely populated, low-income neighbourhoods in the south of Madrid, will as of Monday only be allowed to leave their zone to go to work, seek medical care or take their children to school.

All bars and restaurants will have to reduce their capacity by 50 percent, the regional government of Madrid said in the statement.

Residents of the areas affected will be allowed to move around freely inside their zone but no one from outside will be allowed in.

The affected areas are home to 858,000 people or 13 percent of the region's population of 6.6 million. The measures will be in force for two weeks.

"We are obliged to take these measures in these specific areas...if we did not do so, we run the risk of it being spread to the whole of Madrid. We have time to avoid it," Madrid regional government chief Isabel Diaz Ayuso, told a news conference.

Gatherings of more than six people will be banned in the entire region, down from ten currently, as part of the news measures, she added.

"Reports indicate that most contagions are occurring in private settings, in personal relationships between families and friends," said Diaz Ayuso, who was infected at the start of the pandemic.

Emergency talks

Spain is currently battling a second wave of COVID-19 and once again, Madrid is the worst-hit region, with a third of all national cases and deaths.

Several low-income districts of southern Madrid have counted more than 1,000 cases per 100,000 inhabitantsaround five times the national average, which in itself is the highest in the European Union

Since the central government ended its state of emergency on June 21, lifting all lockdown restrictions, responsibility for public healthcare and managing the pandemic has been left in the hands of Spain's 17 autonomous regions.

Late on Thursday, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez agreed to meet Diaz Ayuso for emergency talks "to define a common strategy" although the meeting is not due to take place until Monday.

But experts said Madrid's regional government should have learned from the experiences of other regions which reacted quickly following a surge in cases in July.

"Instead of preparing and learning from what happened in places like Aragon and Catalonia, which have coped better with the epidemic, Madrid and other regions didn't put the necessary measures in place," said Salvador Macip, a health sciences expert at Catalonia's Open University.

"We have found ourselves in a situation which is out of control and did not need to be."

'Overwhelmed'

Regional health officials say Madrid's healthcare system is under growing pressure, with one in five hospital beds occupied by COVID patients.

Santiago Usoz, a medic working at the accident and emergency unit in Madrid's October 12 hospital, said there was a lack of both beds and staff.

"Intensive care units are overwhelmed with COVID patients," he told AFP, adding that his hospital had 35 patients needing intensive care but only 32 beds in the ICU.

"Since the start of September, the admissions curve has been steadily rising... In spring the biggest problem was the lack of material, now it's the lack of human resources."

Regional figures show there are 2,850 people with COVID in hospital of whom 392 are in intensive care.

Figures from the Spanish health ministry indicate that over the past week, 20,987 people have tested positive for the virus in the region and 138 people have died.

Spain has so far suffered more than 30,000 deaths and 625,000 cases of COVID-19, government figures show.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2020 AFP
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 18)  A lawmaker said the working population should be prioritized once a COVID-19 vaccine is available as they are key to the recovery and growth of the economy.

We need workers who are COVID- free and we need them also to be part of the priority of our vaccination activities hopefully by next year, Bohol 1st District Rep. Edgar Chatto said during the Health department budget hearing.

"This is very much related to our efforts to recover as a country," he added.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said under their original proposal, vaccine procurement would cost P12 billion, but only P2.5 billion was approved under the National Expenditure Program that can cover immunization for 3,871 people.

Duque said the priority will be medical frontliners in public hospitals, the health, education and social welfare departments, as well as the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, Bureau of Corrections, police, military and poor senior citizens.

Meanwhile, Duque said the Department of Finance is working on a loan to purchase 40 million doses of vaccine good for 20 million Filipinos.

In July, President Rodrigo Duterte said the administration has enough funds to purchase and distribute free vaccines to 20 million Filipinos, with an estimated cost of P20 billion.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called Thursday on governments not to throw away economic stimulus funds by supporting fossil fuel industries that contribute to global warming.

Speaking at a virtual conference on climate change, Guterres noted that countries have a choice of two paths as they mobilise trillions of dollars of taxpayers money for economic recovery in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Also read: India at UN cautions against linking environmental degradation to peace and security

We can either throw away money on the fossil fuels of the past. That is the road to more pollution, he said. Or we can invest in the technologies of the future, renewable energy, nature-based solutions, sustainable transport and green technologies. Only one of these paths is rational, he said.

The UN chief noted that large investors are already pulling their money out of heavily polluting industries, especially coal.

Without taxpayer subsidies they are bankrupt enterprises, he said, claiming that building new renewable energy plants is already cheaper than continuing to operate almost two-fifths of the worlds existing coal-fired plants.

Several countries, including coal-reliant Germany, have recently agreed to phase out the use of coal for electricity because of the vast amounts of carbon dioxide produced from burning it.

In the United States, numerous coal-fired power plants have been shut down in recent years since 2010 and none of the nations energy companies are building a new one, despite U.S. President Donald Trumps stated support for the coal industry.

Guterres appeal to governments to stop subsidizing fossil fuel companies was echoed by actor and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who helped organise the Austrian World Summit in Vienna.

Also read: Environmental degradation a global concern, says commerce minister Goyal

When you hear that government plans to spend stimulus money bailing out fossil fuels, we must ask ourselves: if investors arent supporting those declining companies, why should taxpayers?, Schwarzenegger said by video link from Los Angeles. Governments must realize what the smart money knows instinctively: dont invest in the past. Efficient uses of money would include making buildings more energy-efficient and weatherproof, installing energy-efficiency appliances, cars using alternative fuels, and planting trees, he said.

Since leaving political office in 2011, the Austrian-American actor has devoted time to environmental causes. A Republican, he has sparred with President Trump over climate issues.

The meeting also heard a video appeal from Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate, who called for the need to preserve the Congo rainforest from destruction.

Use your voice to speak about the Congo rainforest, because millions of people heavily depend on its existence, she said.

Jane Goodall, the pioneering conservationist, cited the pandemic as a warning for what can happen when humans treat the environment with disregard.

To a large extent we brought this (pandemic) on ourselves, by our disrespecting nature and disrespecting animals, she said. Weve created conditions which make it easy for pathogens to jump from an animal to a person. We need to rethink our relationship with the natural world, Goodall added. We need to get together to somehow develop a new green economy and perhaps we need to think of a new definition of what it means to be successful in this life.
New Delhi, Sep 18: A newborn died allegedly due to unavailability of ventilators at a government hospital here after which angry relatives confined a nurse to a room for sometime, hospital sources said. They said the baby was born premature at the Delhi government-run hospital in Malviya Nagar on Thursday and had to be referred to a central government-run hospital in Lutyens Delhi as the previous facility lacked ventilators.

The baby died at the central government-run hospital hours later, following which angry relatives of the newborn confined the nurse of the state-run facility to a room for sometime. A police officer said a team was sent to the hospital following PCR calls over the alleged confinement of the healthcare worker. No case has been registered in connection with the incident yet, the officer 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
The government may defer the planned sale of Air India by up to three years until the turbulence caused in the aviation industry by the Covid-19 pandemic eases, two persons aware of the development said. Another option under consideration is sweetening the deal by reducing the Air India debt liability that a prospective buyer of the airline would assume.

Experts engaged in the process of divesting Air India have pointed to the lukewarm response by investors to the existing offer on the table and suggested that the government consider extending the October 30 deadline for submission of bids,reduce the debt liability of Rs 23,286 crore or allow bidders to place a value on the governments equity stake and say how much how much debt they would assume, the two persons said on condition of anonymity.

The government has already trimmed the debt liability that a buyer would need to assume by more than half. It has extended the deadline for bid submissions four times. The other options before the government is to defer the national airlines sale by two to three years to let the investment climate improve or wind up its operations, the two persons cited above said.

The option of allowing bidders to quote both debt and equity value appears practical in the current domestic and global business environment, but a final call will be taken by the competent authority, one of the two persons said.

A group of secretaries is expected to discuss the topic again this week before the matter is referred to a ministerial panel headed by home minister Amit Shah to take a final call, the persons said. Other members of the panel, called Air India Specific Alternative Mechanism (AISAM), are the ministers for finance, commerce and civil aviation.

The government has already trimmed the debt liability of a potential buyer. It decided to transfer a significant portion of the total Rs 60,074 crore debt of Air India to a special purpose vehicle, Air India Assets Holding Ltd, and limited the debt exposure that a buyer would face to Rs 23,286 crore.

The finance ministry and the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) did not respond to email queries seeking comment.

Participating in a debate on the Aircraft (Amendment) Bill, 2020 in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, Hardeep S Puri, minister of state for civil aviation, said a sale is the last resort to keep Air India alive. Talking about privatisation of Air India, if we could help it, we would keep it, but with Rs 60,000 crore debt, the choice is not between privatisation and non-privatisation. Some of my colleagues must realise that the choice is between privatisation and closing down.

Investors interest has dimmed because of the Covid-19 pandemic, experts said. Domestic and international air traffic to and from India may decline by at least 50% in the current financial year, causing significant job losses and forcing some airlines to ground aircraft, HT reported earlier this year.

Nilaya Varma, co-founder and CEO of consulting firm Primus Partners, said: Under normal circumstance, given the baggage, disinvestment and valuation of Air India would have been challenging, something made worse by the prolonging pandemic...

It is also important to consider additional sops and support to make sure AI remains a going concern. The other option is to cough up funds to maintain current operations, which is difficult given the fiscal pressure and the uncertain future.

According to Divakar Vijayasarathy, founder and managing partner at consulting firm DVS Advisors LLP, the government will be under duress to extend the deadline beyond October 30 given that there has been no submission of an expression of interest by a potential buyer. He said the operating cost of Air India is higher than that of other airlines by more than 20%.

The debt of Rs 23,000 crores is secured against the fleet. Hence the government may not be able to simply move the debts to the SPV without the underlying security. The government would most likely raise funds and pay off the debts to make the fleet debt-free, Vijayasarathy said.
Actress Shabana Azmi, who celebrated her 70th birthday on Friday, opened up about her health after meeting with an accident in January. The car she was travelling in, had collided with another vehicle in the Mumbai-Pune Expressway on January 18. The actress had been rushed to the hospital and had suffered serious injuries.

Talking to Times of India, she said, I had fainted. I was told it was a very close shave. Because of the injury to the brain, I can say that I have a brain. But 40 days later, I resumed work for Halo in Budapest and now I am shooting for Nikkhil Advanis Moghuls. Work keeps you going and you need to carry on. I received so much respect and concern from all parts of the world during that accident period and I think thats one of the main reasons I recovered."

She added that she still goes off to Khandala but she is a little careful now. She, however, assured that it is not serious enough to think about all the time. She added that one needs to live life to the fullest.

Azmi recently produced Mee Raqsam, the directorial debut of brother and ace cinematographer Kaifi Azmi. The film is a tribute to their father Kaifi Azmi and shot in his hometown of Mijwan, Uttar Pradesh. It stars Naseeruddin Shah, Aditi Subedi, Danish Husain, Shraddha Kaul and Rakesh Chaturvedi Om in lead roles. The film is streaming on Zee5.
Communication team member of the ruling New Patriotic Party, Nana Kwadwo Agyei Yeboah has insisted on maintaining the ban on Okada operations.

He argues that it will help reduce the rate of accidents and casualties caused by Okada riders.

According to him, the decision by former President John Mahama to legalize okada when he wins power is unfortunate

Speaking with Kwaku Owusu Adjei on Pae Mu Ka on Accra based radio station, Kingdom FM 107.7, he said, Until the government implements policies to regulate the use of motorbikes especially for commercial purposes, it should ban their operations to save lives. This is what we want.

He further disclosed that he supports Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia alternative of empowering with brand new cars assembled in the country to engage in a much safer venture.

Let's support One District One Factory to employ most of the youth who are engaging in the okada business, he added.

According to him, the need to graduate from this risky and less safe okada riding to a safer means of transportation.

You can have a better option and well give you a better option. So, yes, we will not legalize Okada business, he added.

He continued, Mahama and NDC are doing fake promises to deceive Ghanaians to get votes in the 2020 elections.

He further disclosed that he doesnt understand why John Mahama and his NDC are desperate to legalize risky okada business.

Nana Kay says it had become necessary as the number of road traffic accidents caused by Okada men kept becoming rampant, and got worse during this era.

From December 21, 2019, to January 1, 2020, the Accident, Emergency, and Orthopaedic Department of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital admitted 79 vehicle accident victims, 58 motorcycle accident victims, and one bicycle accident victim.

He believes that if law enforcement agencies are unable to enforce traffic regulations, Okada riders should be banned entirely as their accident cases were as a result of recklessness and disrespect for road traffic regulations.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 18)  France, Germany, and the United Kingdom issued a joint note verbale to the United Nations on Thursday challenging China's sweeping claims in the South China Sea and recognizing the 2016 arbitral ruling favoring the Philippines.

The three countries made the stand as state parties to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) which govern the freedom of passage on seas and coastal boundaries by nations in international waters.

The three nations maintained that China's exercise of "historic rights" over the South China Sea does not comply with international law and UNCLOS provisions.

The note verbale also states that the three countries support a peaceful resolution of the maritime claims in the South China Sea in accordance with the UNCLOS principles and dispute settlement procedures.

"This position is reaffirmed without prejudice to competing claims of coastal states over disputed territorial sovereignty to naturally formed land features and to areas of the continental shelf in the South China Sea on which France, Germany, and the United Kingdom take no position," the note verbale reads.

READ: PH stands pat on setting aside arbitration win as other nations reject Beijings South China Sea claim

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration sided with the Philippines in its case against China which said there was no legal basis for Beijing to claim historic rights over most of the South China Sea using their "nine-dash line" claim. China has repeatedly refused to honor the arbitration ruling.

In the fourth anniversary of the historic PCA ruling last July, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teddy Boy Locsin Jr. called on China to adhere to the ruling, saying the arbitration award is "non-negotiable."
Camper fire claims the life of two people in Marshall County
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept.18

By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend:

The draft law discussed in the Armenian parliament on the so-called "Armenian genocide" is aimed at deceiving the world community, Head of the Azerbaijani community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, MP Tural Ganjaliyev said, Trend reports.

This draft law is intended to mislead the world community. Recently, Armenia has been taking such deceptive, distracting steps in order to conceal military provocations against Azerbaijan. Through this draft law, the Armenian parliament often includes fictional genocide on the agenda. But the inclusion of this issue on the agenda by the party that committed genocide against Azerbaijanis in Khojaly is ridiculous, Ganjaliyev said.

The head of the community stressed that the ex-presidents of Armenia Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan are directly responsible for committing the genocide in Azerbaijani city of Khojaly.

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.
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- As more New Yorkers head back to work, some who ride the early morning Staten Island Ferry are concerned that the sudden removal of seating on the bottom level in recent weeks is preventing them from being able to safely socially distance.

For the last two weeks, Silver Lake resident Maria Flores says the city has prevented commuters from boarding and using the bottom level of the ferry and packing commuters onto just two levels of the boat at 5 a.m.

Flores said she is especially concerned when passengers leave the ferry and has been having to wait at the back of the boat until other passengers get off so that she can safely socially distance herself from other riders.

I thought it was a one time kind of thing, but then it started happening every day, Flores said of the removal of seating on the lower deck.

Its safety  now during this time, Flores said. I think that if it was last year, maybe I wouldnt have cared as much, but its just because during this time, where everybody needs to be six feet away and then you have everybody in one level cramped up, theres a lot of construction workers at that time, theres a lot of people that go to work that have to be in Manhattan at that time, so its pretty crowded ... its just a safety issue.

Flores said she considers herself fortunate because she is able to hang back and wait till other passengers get off the ferry because the connecting 1 train she rides to get to 36th Street in Manhattan usually does not leave until 5:45 a.m.

But Flores said she is worried about other commuters who have to quickly get off the ferry and go into the crowd to make their connections on buses and the R train.

Nicholas Siclari, who heads the North Shores Community Board 1 and also rides the 5 a.m. ferry to get to work in Midtown where he works as an electrician, said he is upset with the Department of Transportations lack of answers about the sudden change.

On Monday, Community Board 1 wrote to DOT to ask about the change in seating on the 5 a.m. ferry.

NO WORD FROM THE DOT

But by Thursday, Siclari said he has yet to get a response from DOT and has not seen any changes to the seating arrangement on his morning commute.

Its very frustrating, youre trying to spread out as much as you can, but when you limit yourself to two decks and its a fairly crowded boat, you really cant go too much more, Siclari said.

Theres other people who are trying to stand outside now thats how bad it is and now the weathers getting cold, theres no reason for this, he said.

DOT was reached by SILive.com/Advance but did not respond to multiple requests for comment about the seating changes for this story.

Siclari said he is also puzzled because on his way back to Staten Island in the afternoon, on the same boat, he is able to sit on the bottom level.

The ferry has undergone a number of commuter related changes over the course of the pandemic.

At the beginning of the pandemic in March, New Yorkers were under strict stay-at-home orders, the city significantly reduced the ferrys service schedule and only provided hourly trips at a time when ridership on the boats was down nearly 90%.

The city started ramping up service over the course of the summer. First it increased rush-hour service to every 30 minutes in late May, then moved it to every 20 minutes in early June, and restored full rush-hour service in early July.

But despite service returning to pre-pandemic levels, ridership remains low.

FOLLOW SYDNEY KASHIWAGI ON TWITTER.
(Natural News) President Trump has signed a new executive order to expand his efforts at lowering prescription drug prices for Americans.

Replacing the order he previously signed back in July, this new one now covers prescription drugs dispensed at pharmacies as opposed to just doctors offices and health clinics.

This means that Americans who are covered under Medicare Part D will now be able to take advantage of lower drug prices that match those paid by other countries for the exact same drugs, fulfilling one of Trumps many campaign promises.

Just signed a new Executive Order to LOWER DRUG PRICES! Trump announced on Twitter.

My Most Favored Nation order will ensure that our Country gets the same low price Big Pharma gives to other countries, Trump added. The days of global freeriding at Americas expense are over and prices are coming down FAST! Also just ended all rebates to middlemen, further reducing prices.

Other countries have been paying much lower prices than the United States does for many of the most widely used drugs. And prior to Trumps EO, there was no way to get them any lower since Medicare is prohibited from negotiating the prices it pays to drug makers.

All of that is now changing as Trump is basically forcing Big Pharma to give Americans the best prices it can  meaning the same prices other countries have been paying.

Since Congress has repeatedly refused to pass any drug price reform legislation, Trump decided to take matters into his own hands on behalf of the American people, easing the financial burden for lifesaving medications like insulin and EpiPens.

These providers should not be receiving discounts for themselves while charging their poorest patients massive, full prices, Trump stated about the need for his EO.

Under this order, the price of insulin for affected patients will come down to just pennies a day from numbers that you werent even able to think about. Its a massive cost savings.

U.S. now legally allowed to import prescription drugs from Canada and other low-cost countries

In addition to forcing the hand of pharmaceutical giants here in the U.S., Trumps EO also opens the door to the import of prescription drugs from other countries like Canada, where drug costs are a fraction of what they are here.

Medicare will also be able to buy the same drugs from other nations at a major savings, helping to reduce overall costs both to patients and taxpayers.

Keep in mind that Trump gave Big Pharma a one-month deadline to fix this problem on its own, to which the industry responded by doing nothing. Consequently, Trump took action just as he promised to defend Americans against the drug industrys predatory pricing models.

Responding to the news, several major drug giants are livid at Trump, accusing him of taking this action at a time when drug companies should be focusing on developing Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines to alleviate the plandemic.

Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), a major drug industry trade group, issued a statement chastising the president for creating a reckless distraction that impedes our ability to respond to the current pandemic  and those we could face in the future.

Commenting on the news, readers of The Epoch Times expressed appreciation that Trump is holding true to his campaign promises, and not letting the American people down on important matters such as access to pharmaceutical drugs.

One wrote that after eight years under Obama and Biden, Americans got nothing, except helping those two get richer.

If you would like to learn more about how Big Pharma price-gouges the public for massive financial gain, check out BigPharmaNews.com.

Sources for this article include:

TheEpochTimes.com

NaturalNews.com
A laboratory technician works with samples being tested for the novel coronavirus at a lab in Wuhan, China. Getty

A group of Chinese virologists released a strange new paper on Monday that claims the new coronavirus was engineered in a Chinese lab.

One of the virologists, Li-Meng Yan, told the Fox News host Tucker Carlson it was a "man-made virus" that the Chinese government released "intentionally."

Yan and her coauthors work for groups cofounded by the former Trump strategist Steve Bannon. He directed the groups before his arrest in August.

Some members of the Trump administration have pushed a fringe theory that the virus accidentally leaked from a lab in Wuhan, China, but there's no evidence of this.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Related: How we know the COVID-19 wasn't made in a lab

A strange new paper claiming the coronavirus was a "laboratory product" quietly made its way into a repository of preliminary research on Monday.

"The laboratory creation of this coronavirus is convenient and can be accomplished in approximately six months," the paper's authors, four Chinese virologists who fled to the US earlier this year, wrote.

Li-Meng Yan, the lead author, went a step further in a Tuesday interview with the Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

She told Carlson that her government had "intentionally" released the "man-made virus"  comments that echoed a fringe conspiracy theory that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and President Donald Trump alluded to in May.

But a closer look at Yan and her coauthors' work shows they're affiliated with a pair of nonprofits based in New York City, the Rule of Law Society and the Rule of Law Foundation, that were led by the former Trump strategist Steve Bannon before his arrest in August.

Neither organization has any history of publishing scientific or medical research, and the new paper has not been peer-reviewed by other scientists.

Most experts think the coronavirus originated in bats before jumping to people; one study found that it shared 96% of its genetic code with coronaviruses circulating in Chinese bat populations.

Story continues

Yan's group, however, suggested that people made the virus using existing bat coronaviruses as "a backbone and/or template."

Bannon cofounded both groups with an exiled Chinese billionaire

Bannon was arrested in August on charges that he defrauded donors who gave money to the "We Build The Wall" campaign. In January 2019, helped found both Rule of Law groups with an exiled Chinese billionaire, Guo Wengui.

Steve Bannon, a former chief White House strategist. J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Guo also founded the site G News, which has published multiple (debunked) stories claiming the coronavirus originated in a Chinese lab and was purposefully spread by the military.

Bannon got $1 million in 2018 for a year's worth of "strategic consulting services" involving G News, Axios reported.

Guo fled China for New York in 2014 after the Chinese Communist Party accused him of bribery and fraud. He had previously worked with Bannon to accuse CCP officials of corruption.

Yan, formerly a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Hong Kong, told Fox News in July that she was one of the first researchers to study the new coronavirus. But Yan left the university  and China  in April, because she began to worry for her safety after suggesting the CCP and the World Health Organization knew about the virus' community spread before December, she said.

"I know how they treat whistleblowers," she told Fox News.

In her interview with Carlson on Tuesday, Yan said she had evidence that showed how China engineered the virus, adding, "I am the target that Chinese Communist Party wants disappeared."

The University of Hong Kong said in a press release in July that Yan "never conducted any research on human-to-human transmission" of the coronavirus before she left and that her view "has no scientific basis but resembles hearsay."

'Poppycock dressed up' as science

An illustration of the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19. CDC

Other experts were quick to speak out against the claims in Yan's paper.

Carl Bergstrom, a University of Washington biologist who first noticed the paper's connection to Bannon, called the research "bizarre and unfounded."

There's no evidence supporting the theory that the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, was genetically engineered. A March study concluded based on genetic analysis that the coronavirus wasn't a hodgepodge of existing coronaviruses, as Yan and other supporters of the theory have suggested.

Those researchers wrote that their work indicated that it "is not a laboratory construct or a purposefully manipulated virus," adding that "the genetic data irrefutably show that SARS-CoV-2 is not derived from any previously used virus backbone."

On Tuesday, the lead author of that study, Kristian Andersen, said Yan's group had cherry-picked data in support of their conclusion, adding that it was "poppycock dressed up as 'science.'"

Twitter, which has a strict policy on tweets containing disputed claims about COVID-19, suspended Yan's account this week.

The virus probably didn't leak from a lab either

We still don't know how the coronavirus pandemic started, or where  and that uncertainty creates fertile territory for unsubstantiated theories.

Early on, many people thought an intermediary animal species first passed the coronavirus from bats to people in a wet market in the city of Wuhan, China, in December. But it turned out that coronavirus infections were spreading in the city weeks before the cluster of cases linked to the market arose. That means the market probably facilitated a superspreader event but wasn't the pandemic's origin site.

Another theory suggested that the coronavirus had animal origins but that a sample of it stored at the Wuhan Institute of Virology accidentally leaked.

The Wuhan Institute of Virology. Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty

Researchers at that institute do study infectious diseases, including coronaviruses, which led to scrutiny from members of the Trump administration earlier this year.

There's no evidence, however, that the coronavirus came from a sample stored at that lab.

"It's highly unlikely this was a lab accident," Jonna Mazet, a US epidemiologist who has worked with and trained researchers at the Wuhan institute, previously told Business Insider.

Mazet said she helped the staff there develop and implement a "very stringent safety protocol."

What's more, Shi Zhengli, a virologist at the institute, said none of the coronavirus samples that had been stored there matched the new coronavirus' genome.

"That really took a load off my mind," Shi told Scientific American in April. "I had not slept a wink for days."

Read the original article on Business Insider
With less than a week to go before the expiration of the contracts at the Detroit Threes Canadian operations, the urgent task before the 17,000 Ford, General Motors, and Fiat-Chrysler workers is to organize independently of the pro-company Unifor union apparatus. Workers must take the contract struggle into their own hands by building rank-and-file committees in every plant committed to opposing all job cuts and concessions, overturning the hated multi-tier wage system, and unifying autoworkers in Canada with their class brothers and sisters in the United States and Mexico.

Autoworkers must be armed with their own international strategy to oppose the global strategy of the transnational automakers. In the current contract negotiations, the Detroit Three are determined to slash their labour costs by imposing further concessions and speed-up, so as to swell investor profit and fund the industrys transformation to electric and autonomous vehicle production. They and their competitors have already placed hundreds of thousands of auto jobs on the chopping block in North America, Europe, and Asia.

Unifor has not mounted a strike against one of the Detroit Three automakers since 1996. In 2017 it was forced to sanction a month-long walkout against CAMI, a GM subsidiary, which it isolated before pushing through a concessions contract.

When Ford Canada learned Unifor President Jerry Dias had selected it as the target company, it immediately responded by declaring that any agreement would have to ensure Fords global competitiveness. In plain language, the auto bosses intend to use the threat of mass layoffs and plant shutdowns to blackmail autoworkers into voting for another round of concessions.

Unifors response has been to double down on it nationalist-corporatist strategy, whereby the union works to ensureat workers expensethat the Detroit Threes Canadian operations are more lucrative than those in the US, indeed their most profitable anywhere.

Dias has announced that a principal union goal is to negotiate three-year contracts with the Detroit Three so that the next negotiating round in 2023 will be synchronized with that at their US operations. As Dias has himself made clear with his complaints about the US-based UAW securing all the product and program allocations, Unifors aim is not to unite Canadian and American workers against their common enemy. Rather it is to better position itself to compete with the UAW for investments. That is, to pit Canadian and US workers against each other.

This was well understood by the company-aligned Center for Automotive Research think tank, whose vice president, Kristin Dziczek, said, Going in simultaneously, will create  more opportunity for whipsaw.

Unifor and the UAW: the Detroit Threes accomplices in whipsawing

The nationalism peddled by Unifor and its Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) predecessor over the past 35 years has proven to be an indispensable weapon for the automakers in driving down wages, gutting workplace protections, and boosting profits in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. By pitting Canadian and American autoworkers against each other, Unifor and the UAW have facilitated the whipsawing of wages, benefits, and jobs back and forth across North Americas national borders.

In the process, they have emerged as junior partners of the corporations with interests that are hostile to rank-and-file autoworkers. This is shown most graphically by their systematic sabotaging of all worker opposition to plant shutdowns (including their smothering of all job action against the 2019 Oshawa GM car assembly plant closure), and their imposition of round-after-round of wage and benefit cuts and work-rule concessions.

Dias and his fellow union bureaucrats now want to take their whipping up of nationalist divisions to a new pitch of intensity. Unifor is pressing its partners in the big business Trudeau Liberal government to adopt a made in Canada auto strategy based on huge handouts to Ford, GM, and Fiat-Chrysler to secure product and investments at their Canadian plants.

What Dias neglects to mention is that any government support will be tied to comprehensive restructuring plans to boost productivity and profitability, as happened during the 2008-9 CAW-supported auto industry bailout.

Unifors strategy to defend Canadian jobsmassive givebacks to the automakers, whipsawing, anti-Mexican vitriol, pleas for state funds for the auto bosses, and phony production guarantees that the companies violate at willhas proven ruinous. Ontario and Quebec are dotted with shuttered plants. Autoworkers, especially younger workers, are in real terms making only a fraction of what they did a generation ago.

Autoworkers must reject Unifors systematic subordination of workers basic interestsjobs, wages, and during the COVID-19 pandemic even their health and livesto capitalist profits.

The alternative is to mobilize autoworkers in Canada, the US, and Mexico in a joint counter-offensive to overturn all concessions and defend all jobs. Such a counter-offensive can be developed only through a political and organizational break with Unifor and the UAW.

Build a network of rank-and-file committees independent of Unifor

There is an enormous well of rank-and-file anger against the auto bosses and their Unifor accomplices. But if workers are to prevent Unifor from once again running their struggle into the ground and corralling them into voting on a concessionary contract whose true details they have not been allowed to see, they must act now. They must take matters into their own hands by building a network of rank-and-file committees in all Detroit Three and auto industry plants.

Through these democratically organized committees, workers can formulate their own demands for the contract fight. These should include:

a major pay increase to account for the decades of wage and benefit cuts;





the abolition of the multi-tier wage system;





the rehiring of all autoworkers laid off in recent months by GM in Oshawa, Ford in Oakville, and Fiat-Chrysler in Windsor;





and workers control of line speeds and production to ensure safe working conditions amid the pandemic.

The rank-and-file committees must prepare to answer the auto bosses concessions blackmail with an industry-wide strike, and immediately set about forging links with autoworkers in Mexico and in the US, where workers are labouring under illegitimate contracts negotiated by UAW bureaucrats whom a criminal investigation has shown were being paid massive company kickbacks.

They should also appeal for support from other sections of the working class, including health care workers, service sector workers, and teachers, who confront a no less brutal assault on their working conditions and lives amid the ruling elites reckless reopening of the economy.

Autoworkers in the US and Mexico have already taken important first steps in this direction that must serve as an example and impulse for workers in Canada.

In the past four months, autoworkers at plants in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois have formed rank-and-file safety committees to fight for safe working conditions against the joint conspiracy of the bosses and corrupt UAW to enforce a return to normal production amid a raging pandemic.

In Mexico, highly exploited workers in maquiladora-belt factories staged a wave of wildcat strikes at the beginning of 2019. Then in March of this year, they participated in the rank-and-file initiated job actions over the lack of COVID-19 protections that forced the auto giants to temporarily shutter production across North America. Workers at GMs Silao complex have heroically defied company and union retaliation and fought to unite with workers in the US and Canada.

Detroit Three workers in Canada must now fight to make the 2020 contract struggle the spearhead of a coordinated international counter-offensive against the globally organized automakers and their systematic efforts, aided and abetted by their UAW and Unifor, to pit workers against each other in a never-ending race to the bottom.

This international strategy must be based on a socialist program that has as its starting point the needs of working people, not what the corporations claim they can afford or investors profits.

The World Socialist Web Site Autoworker Newsletter will provide Ford, GM, and Fiat-Chrysler workers with its full support in waging this fight. We strongly appeal to all autoworkers who agree with this statement to contact us today for assistance in establishing a rank-and-file committee at your plant.
In the months leading up to their exits, the two had routinely worked to revise and delay the C.D.C.s closely guarded and internationally admired health bulletins, called Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports, in an effort to paint the administrations pandemic response in a more positive light.

Far from apologetic, Dr. Alexander told The Globe and Mail of Toronto this week that the C.D.C. had written pseudoscientific reports and that he was better suited to examine data than agency scientists.

None of those people have my skills, Dr. Alexander said. I make the judgment whether this is crap.

The judgments he rendered  and the punishments that Mr. Caputo appeared intent to mete out  had a demoralizing effect on the agency.

One C.D.C. communications official became so worried about Mr. Caputos threat that she wrote to other senior staff asking how to reply, saying that she was uncomfortable turning over our employees name to Mr. Caputo, given the hostility of the message.

In another email to an agency communications officer who had directed a CNN reporter to contact Mr. Caputo about a vaccine public relations campaign, Mr. Caputo shot back, In what world did you think it was your job to announce an administration public service announcement campaign to CNN?

The C.D.C. press official then apologized, which did not satisfy Mr. Caputo. We will discuss this on a teleconference tomorrow, he wrote. I want your H.R. representative in attendance. He then scolded the official for removing Dr. Redfield from the email thread after Mr. Caputo had added the director in a prior email.
TRENTON  A judge shot down FCC Consulting Services bid for a temporary injunction blocking council from voting Thursday night to award a $1.5 million contract to Maestro Technologies.

Superior Court Judge Mary Jacobson found some of FCCs claims in the lawsuit concerning but said she did not have enough evidence before her to conclude the citys selection process was tainted by legislators attempted interference during the Sept. 3 meeting

This is a somewhat close case, she said, because of the process that has gone on.  The court finds, although plaintiff presented a case for temporary restraints that went part way to meeting some of the standards, they couldnt meet the standards by clear and convincing evidence.

FCCs claims required a certain amount of speculation about the selection committees intent, Jacobson said, adding the IT provider had difficult proof problems.

I cant agree with Mr. [Larry] Hardcastle that the facts are inescapable. They certainly send up certain red flags, but thats not the test for injunctive relief.

Allowing the vote to go forward, Jacobson agreed FCC had shown harm and could still invalidate the contract with Maestro Technologies, which was approved as the citys new IT provider by a 4-2 vote, with council president Kathy McBride abstaining.

Trenton-based FCC Consulting Services, owned by Chris Carothers, had been the citys IT provider since 2015. It is being replaced by Maestro Technologies following the latest round of bidding.

Carothers said he planned to meet with his attorney to talk strategy in the coming days.

Were going to put together all the options and see what makes sense for us, he said. At least a judge did recognize theres a whole lot of smoke, but in this hearing we just didnt prove there was the fire. She did recognize things werent on the up and up. If we want to move forward, we have to prove it.

The IT company claimed it was picked twice by the administration as the most advantageous proposal after bids were considered.

Council rejected a $1.9 million contract with FCC in March. The IT company continued providing service to the city on an emergency basis due in part to the COVID-19 crisis while the administration re-bid the contract.

The council voted during its Sept. 3 meeting to reject the bids a second time.

A new selection committee evaluated a third round of bids that were due Sept. 1 and determined Maestro offered the best contract.

FCC filed suit this week against the city in Mercer County state court accusing council members of bid rigging, which is barred by New Jerseys Local Public Contracts Law.

The IT provider claimed it was de facto disqualified from consideration for the million-dollar contract.

The judge listened to arguments during a Thursday morning Zoom hearing, ahead of councils vote.

In the complaint and court papers, Hardcastle suggested the bidding process was tainted by council, which wrongly faulted FCC for issues in the police radio room and with the school districts technological capabilities during the pandemic.

FCC was not responsible for managing the radio room or the school districts IT issues.

During the same meeting, councilman George Muschal demanded that business administrator Adam Cruz promise legislators FCCs bid wouldnt be considered in the latest round of bidding.

City officials said they couldnt disqualify FCC without a proper legal basis and warned Muschal that his comments could constitute bid rigging.

Ill withdraw the motion if Mr. Cruz says that the FCC is NOT going to be back on that list to be put on there for us for council. On the record. On the record. If its not going to be on there, Ill withdraw, Muschal said, according to a recording of the meeting.

Councilman, I cannot make that assertion, Cruz said.

There you go. There you go, Muschal said. This has been going on long enough, Mr. Cruz. Long enough.

Councilman, if I was to say that to you without the committee reviewing the packages, I would be in collusion with you, so thats why I cannot make that guarantee to you. Legally, councilman, I cannot guarantee that for you.

At-large councilman Jerell Blakeley wrote to the MCPO. In turn, MCPO Prosecutor Angelo Onofri has launched an investigation into the bid rigging claims, along with separate allegations of wire-tapping and violations of the Open Public Meetings Act unrelated to the FCC contract.

Denis Driscoll, an attorney for the city, said at the hearing that officials did right by correcting councils misstatements, and the selection committee didnt allow those comments to infect the process.

Hardcastle argued councils bias infected the process from the beginning by forcing off certain city officials from serving on the selection committee.

Cruz and assistant business administrator Colin Cherry were among those who recused themselves from the selection committee so there wasnt a perceived conflict.

The new selection committee included fire director Derrick Sawyer, chief technology officer Joseph Rivera and recreation director Maria Richardson, according to court records.

Richardson graded Maestro higher than FCC, at 92 to 83, breaking a tie between the companies. Sawyer and Rivera gave the companies equal grades, records show. Rivera scored both bids at 93, Sawyer at 85.

The selection committee members provided sworn certifications that their evaluations were based solely on upon the contents of the bids.

Hardcastle said he took the selection committee members at their word that they didnt consider Muschals comments when evaluating the bids.

But he suggested the reconstituted committee may have lacked experience evaluating bids, which prejudiced my client.

The council laid down the law that the contractor had to be anyone but FCC, Hardcastle said, calling the process deeply unfair.

Driscoll countered that FCCs claims morphed from its initial pleadings to center on Richardsons qualifications to evaluate the bids.

Maestro was under FCCs $3.8 million bid by about $750K, Driscoll said.

Theres not even a suggestion that Maestro isnt the most advantageous [bidder], he said. They might not like the decision, but its almost like a red herring.  The courts are not supposed to be invoking their will  based upon a theory.
Forty laneways will be flooded with light, music and art installations to help revitalise the CBD this summer as part of a COVID-19 recovery plan to keep artists in work and lure people back to the city.

The six-month project, covering the CBD, North Melbourne and Carlton, will employ at least 150 people and kick off once it's safe and allowable under lockdown restrictions.

Westwood Place in the CBD will get a light installation as part of the project. A rendering of the design is pictured on the right. Credit:Simon Schluter/ Ogilvy Australia and Vandal

The initial project will involve a tube lighting installation at Westwood Place in the CBD, alongside the Salvation Army's Bourke Street headquarters, by Ogilvy Australia and Sydney art studio Vandal.

But there will be a call out for Victorian artists, including designers, music producers, light specialists, production designers, technicians and maintenance workers, to contribute future works.
Bhubaneswar:

Trinamool Congress MP Sudip Bandopadhaya, who was arrested in connection with the Rose Valley chitfund scam, was admitted to SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack on Friday as he complained of chest pain during his stay at the Special Jail at Jharpada in Bhubaneswar.

Sudip, lodged at the jail hospital, was first taken to the state-run Capital Hospital in the morning. However, the attending doctors advised to shift him to SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack, a jail staff said.

Bandopadhaya, who has been lodged at th e Special jail, continued to stay at the jail hospital since January 12 along with another TMC MP Tapas Pal.

Sudip Bandopadhyaya was remanded to judicial custody for 14 days from January 12 as his bail petition was rejected by the CBI designated court here.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), probing the chit fund scam, had arrested the four-time Lok Sabha member from Kolkata on January 3. Sudip's TMC MLA wife Nayna Bandyopadhyay, had pleaded the court to allow her husband to stay in jail hospital due to his health condition.

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The U.S. Commerce Department said Friday it will ban Chinese-owned TikTok and WeChat from U.S. app stores on Sunday and will bar the apps from accessing essential internet services in the U.S.  a move that could effectively wreck the operation of both Chinese services for U.S. users.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/9/2020 (490 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

FILE - Icons for the smartphone apps TikTok and WeChat are seen on a smartphone screen in Beijing, in a Friday, Aug. 7, 2020 file photo. The Commerce Department said President Trumps proposed ban of the apps WeChat and TikTok will go into effect Sunday, Sept. 20, to safeguard the national security of the United States. The government said its order, previously announced by Trump in August, will combat Chinas malicious collection of American citizens personal data. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

The U.S. Commerce Department said Friday it will ban Chinese-owned TikTok and WeChat from U.S. app stores on Sunday and will bar the apps from accessing essential internet services in the U.S.  a move that could effectively wreck the operation of both Chinese services for U.S. users.

TikTok won't face the most drastic sanctions until after the Nov. 3 election, but WeChat users could feel the effects as early as Sunday.

The order, which cited national security and data privacy concerns, follows weeks of dealmaking over the video-sharing service TikTok. President Donald Trump has pressured the app's Chinese owner to sell TikTok's U.S. operations to a domestic company to satisfy U.S. concerns over TikToks data collection and related issues.

California tech giant Oracle recently struck a deal with TikTok along those lines, although details remain foggy and the administration is still reviewing it. Trump said Friday said he was open to a deal, noting that we have some great options and maybe we can keep a lot of people happy, suggesting that even Microsoft, which said its TikTok bid had been rejected, might continue to be involved, as well as Oracle and Walmart.

Trump noted that TikTok was very, very popular," said we have to have the total security from China," and added that we can do a combination of both.

The new order puts pressure on TikTok's owner, ByteDance, to make further concessions, said James Lewis of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Trump had said this week that he does not like the idea of ByteDance keeping majority control of TikTok.

TikTok expressed disappointment over the move and said it would continue to challenge President Donald Trump's unjust executive order. The Commerce Department is enacting an order announced by President Donald Trump in August. TikTok sued to stop that ban.

WeChat owner Tencent said in an emailed statement that it will continue to discuss ways to address concerns with the government and look for long-term solutions.

Google and Apple, the owners of the major mobile app stores, did not immediately reply to questions. Oracle also did not reply.

At the Presidents direction, we have taken significant action to combat Chinas malicious collection of American citizens personal data, while promoting our national values, democratic rules-based norms, and aggressive enforcement of U.S. laws and regulations," Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in a prepared statement.

China's ministry of commerce condemned the ban, and urged the U.S. to stop what it called bullying behaviour and wrongdoing. It said China would take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies.

The action is the Trump administrations latest attempt to counter the influence of China, a rising economic superpower. Since taking office in 2017, Trump has waged a trade war with China, blocked mergers involving Chinese companies and stifled the business of Chinese firms like Huawei, a maker of phones and telecom equipment.

China-backed hackers, meanwhile, have been blamed for data breaches of U.S. federal databases and the credit agency Equifax, and the Chinese government strictly limits what U.S. tech companies can do in China.

The order requires WeChat, which has millions of U.S. users who rely on the app to stay in touch and conduct business with people and companies in China, to end payments for business transactions through its service as of Sunday and prohibits it from obtaining vital technical services from vendors. The Justice Department said in a filing that it would not target users with criminal or civil penalties for messaging on the app.

WeChat users have sued to stop the ban, and a federal judge in California on Friday set an emergency hearing for Saturday at 1:30 p.m. Pacific time.

Similar technical limitations for TikTok don't go into effect until Nov. 12, shortly after the U.S. election. Ross said early Friday on Fox Business Network that access to that app may be possible if certain safeguards are put into place. TikTok says it has 100 million U.S. users and 700 million globally.

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Nicholas Weaver, a computer science lecturer at UC Berkeley, said the actions taking effect Sunday are short-sighted and suggest that the U.S. is not to be trusted and not a friendly place for business. Users, meanwhile, face a security nightmare because they won't be able to get app updates that fix bugs and security vulnerabilities, he said.

The technical measures are enforceable, the question is whether they are legal, said the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Lewis, likening them to a U.S. version of China's Great Firewall," which censors its domestic internet. He said there could be a First Amendment challenge.

Like most social networks, TikTok collects user data and moderates users posts. It grabs users locations and messages and tracks what they watch to figure out how best to target ads to them.

Similar concerns apply to U.S.-based social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, but Chinese ownership adds an extra wrinkle because the Chinese government could demand co-operation from Chinese companies. The administration, however, has provided no specific evidence that TikTok has made U.S. users data available to the Chinese government. Some cybersecurity experts question whether the administration's efforts are more political than rooted in legitimate concerns about Chinese threats to data security.

If there are direct national security threats, that information should be shared with the U.S. population, said David Kennedy, CEO of cybersecurity firm TrustedSec, before the Commerce Department's regulations were announced. We're not taking about what needs to happen policy-wise, we're trying to hack this together to hurt China.

TikTok says it does not store U.S. user data in China and that it would not give user data to the government, and does not censor videos per dictates from China.
UNIONVILLE  A Unionville woman recently suffered injuries after opening a package she received in the mail.

According to the womans post on social media, she received a package in the mail that she didnt order. Curious of its contents, she opened the package and a white powder went airborne near her face.

The woman stated that the powder irritated her nose, esophagus, elevated her blood pressure and caused her a headache. When talking to the police, the woman told them the powder smelled like bleach.

The package was turned over to the Michigan State Police for further investigation.

MSP Sgt. Don Pisha, of the Caro Post, said all of the writing on the package and its contents appeared to be written in Chinese. MSP personnel attempted to perform a test of the package contents without opening the package, but the results came back inconclusive.

Upon further examination of the package, some English was found on the package in extremely small print that stated effervescent sanitizing tablets, Pisha said.

Troopers were able to determine that the tablets are manufactured to be added to water and produce a cleaning solution.

We dont know how or why it was sent to her house, Pisha said.

Across the country earlier this year there were warnings issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture regarding mysterious seed packages that were arriving in peoples mailboxes.

In a press release from the post, Pisha said the post has seen an increase of suspicious packages being delivered to homes throughout the Upper Thumb.

I have personally seen random items sent to people, Pisha said. We have seen a lot of packages come from overseas.

Pisha said the MSP has discovered many of these unsolicited packages can be the result of hackers or scammers accessing personal date via online retail accounts.

"If you receive items in the mail under suspicious circumstances, the state police recommends checking all of your online retail and financial accounts to check for unauthorized activity," Pisha said in the release. "If you find your account has been compromised, contact the affected institutions right away and have your accounts closed as soon as possible."

Pisha said with the upcoming holiday season, criminal activity is in full force and online fraud and identity theft cases are on the rise. The MSP recommends using a reputable credit monitoring service to for added security.

According to Pisha, the packages have contained mostly harmless items such as home goods, cleaning supplies, small electronics and even personal accessories.

"The MSP wants to remind residents to be extremely caution and to avoid opening any packages originating from overseas, especially if you have not placed any recent online orders from sellers outside the U.S.," Pisha said in the release.

Pisha said it is important for anyone that receives an unsolicited package, especially from overseas or looks suspicious, to contact the Michigan State Police Caro Post at 989-673-2156 and troopers will collect the package for testing.

Pisha said in the circumstance of the Unionville woman, it was determined that she was not the target of any malicious attack and that she is not in any further danger.
ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- On September 15, Abram Finkelstein, president of Sunrise, FL-based StaffLink Outsourcing, received the 2020 Michaeline A. Doyle Award. This award is the professional employer organization (PEO) industry's highest honor and is presented by the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (NAPEO).

The Michaeline A. Doyle Award was created in 1995 to honor Michaeline Doyle, an industry legend who worked tirelessly to build the PEO industry. The award honors an individual who has provided exemplary leadership and service in devoting his or her time to NAPEO and industry activities on a local or national basis and whose business philosophy is to improve the industry while improving his or her PEO at the same time.

Finkelstein was selected by his peers for this prestigious honor. He has previously served as Chair of NAPEO's Board of Directors and currently serves as a director on the Board and chair's NAPEO's political action committee. As a volunteer pilot, Finkelstein provides free air transportation to post 9/11 combat wounded veterans and their families for medical and other compassionate purposes, and he volunteers with Mercy Flight to provide free air transportation to those in need of life saving medical appointments.

"Abram's time in the industry is marked by leadership, integrity, and servicenot just to the industry but to the community at large," said Pat Cleary, president & CEO of NAPEO. "He's devoted to growing our industry, and he's always willing to volunteer his time and expertise."

"I am honored to have been chosen by my colleagues for this prestigious award. There is a long list of people who give selflessly to the industry as NAPEO members, professional service providers and association staff, and it is truly humbling to be among them," said Finkelstein.

"When I entered the industry, I could barely spell PEO. I learned all that I know about the industry by immersing myself in FAPEO [Florida Association of Professional Employer Organizations] and NAPEO and by asking my colleagues to share their experiences. It always amazed me that industry leaders were willing to share their insight with others in the industry, and they did so without hesitation or concern. During the past twenty-six years, I am proud to call those people my mentors and my friends. That spirit of cooperation and collegiality remains today and it is my pleasure to be able to be a part of such a wonderful industry."

About NAPEO

The National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (NAPEO) is The Voice of the PEO IndustryTM. NAPEO's 250 PEO members provide payroll, benefits, workers' comp, regulatory compliance assistance, and other HR services to more than 175,000 small and mid-size businesses employing 3.7 million people. An additional 250 companies that provide services to PEOs are associate members of NAPEO. For more information, please visit www.napeo.org .

SOURCE National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (NAPEO)

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Massachusetts officials have added Wyoming back to a list of states with travel restrictions.

Starting Saturday, anyone traveling to Massachusetts from Wyoming, or Massachusetts residents who are returning home from Wyoming, must quarantine for 14 days or produce a negative coronavirus test taken within 72 hours of arriving in the Bay State.

Wyoming was added to the list of low-risk states, which do not face travel restrictions, earlier this month.

States on the low-risk list are Colorado, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont and Washington.

Travelers from those states are not required to fill out a Massachusetts Travel Form and do not need to quarantine. To be on the low-risk list, states must meet two criteria: average daily coronavirus cases per 100,000 below six and positive test rate below 5%, both measured as a seven-day rolling average.

The travel ban order exempts travelers passing through the state, as well as those who cross state lines for work, people entering the state for medical treatment, military personnel complying with orders and others providing essential services.

The travel order first took effect Aug. 1. People who do not comply with the governors order could face a fine of $500 per day.
The way this week has been going, Miranda Smith thinks she might have to remove her kids from in-person classes.

Early Monday morning, the single mother of two shook her kids out of bed and hauled them to the bus stop down the street. Smiths children, entering Grade 1 and Grade 3 at a school across the city, stood at the stop and waited.

And waited.

Nearly 45 minutes passed before Smith called the bus company.

Unbeknownst to her, the school buses operated by Caledonia Transportation in downtown Hamilton had been cancelled due to a shortage of drivers that day.

As of Monday, the buses running along this line were listed as delayed on the Hamilton-Wentworth Student Transportation Services (HWSTS) website. Only on Thursday morning, three days later, did the boards announce that the buses were cancelled for the day.

So Smith got in the car and drove her kids to class.

Now, shes rearranging her schedule to manage their schooling needs. Morning routines will have to change. Work meetings between 2:45 p.m. and 3:15 p.m. will need to be cancelled.

The kids are too young to take public transit, and they live outside their school catchment area because the kids are enrolled in French immersion.

The first couple of weeks of school are hectic and stressful enough, but this really throws a wrench into my life, Smith said.

I was hoping things would feel more normal by now, with school starting, but it doesnt.

Smith is one of many parents whose dependency on busing has further complicated an already complicated back-to-school situation. In recent weeks, Hamiltons school boards have warned families of unprecedented driver shortages and encouraged parents to find alternate ways to transport their children to school.

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In total on Thursday, there were 17 bus routes cancelled to and from Hamilton schools. It impacted 15 schools in the public board.

Parents with full-time jobs, who, in simpler times, sent their children on the bus so they could start their work days, are now finding arrangements to drive their children to and from schools or carpool with other parents in similar predicaments.

It adds at least half an hour to both the start and end of my day, said one parent whose children typically have a 15-minute ride on a school bus to get to Bishop Ryan Catholic Secondary School.

They could, in theory, take an HSR bus to get to school but I dont feel safe sending them on a 45-minute bus thats crowded and filled with strangers.

Shes created a carpool schedule with five other parents with children who share the same class cohort. Once or twice a week, she rounds up the children in the carpool and drops them off at school before heading to her own place of work.

The Spec agreed not to name this parent because she works for Hamiltons Catholic school board.

The driver shortage isnt expected to let up any time soon.

In previous years, the boards have experienced shortages of 20 to 30 drivers. This year, theyre missing between 59 and 67 drivers despite incentives and additional funding from the province.

In a letter to families on Tuesday, the Catholic board said that, despite measures implemented to date, including the ongoing driver incentive programs and unprecedented recruitment, we do not see this matter improving in the near future.
Additional reporting from Reuters and PA

It has been just over seven months since Covid-19 was officially declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO).

According to the WHO, as of today there have been close to 30 million cases (29,987,026) worldwide and 942,735 deaths.

Talks of developing a vaccine have been floated around ever since the start of the pandemic, but it is still not clear when a potential vaccine might be available.

Ireland is part of a European wide agreement around access to vaccines so if one is developed the government will have it distributed to them by the EU.

Around the world though there have been some signs of a possible breakthrough when it comes to a vaccine as well as possible treatments.

According to the WHO, there are currently over 169 Covid-19 vaccine candidates under development, with 26 of these in the human trial phase.

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They said when a safe and effective vaccine is found, COVAX (led by WHO, GAVI and CEPI) will facilitate the equitable access and distribution of these vaccines to protect people in all countries. They also said people most at risk will be prioritized.

Russia

Today, Russia approved R-Pharm's Coronavir treatment for outpatients with mild to moderate Covid-19 infections and the antiviral drug could be rolled out to pharmacies in the country as soon as next week, the company said on Friday.

Coronavir's approval as a prescription drug follows the green light for another Russian COVID-19 drug, Avifavir, in May. Both are based on favipiravir, which was developed in Japan and is widely used there as the basis for viral treatments.

R-Pharm's announcement is another sign Russia is pushing hard to take a global lead in the race against the virus. It is already exporting its COVID-19 tests and has clinched several international deals for supplies of its Sputnik-V vaccine.

R-Pharm said it received approval for Coronavir after Phase III clinical trials involving 168 patients with COVID-19

They has started talks with pharmacies about orders, the company's spokeswoman said, with Coronavir supplies expected to be rolled out in the near future, possibly as soon as next week.

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Coronavir is made at R-Pharm's facility in Yaroslavl, about 300 km (186 miles) northeast of Moscow

China

Meanwhile, in Beijing around 350,000 people have taken experimental coronavirus vaccines developed by China National Biotec Group (CNBG), as part of the country's emergency inoculation programme.

China has been actively offering vaccines that are still undergoing late-stage trials to people facing high infection risk and considering expanding the programme to prepare against a potential resurgence, raising safety concerns from experts.

At least three vaccine candidates including two developed by CNBG, a unit of state-owned China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm), are offered in the emergency use programme.

So far, none of those who have taken the CNBG vaccines through the emergency use program or clinical trials have shown antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) effect, an adverse reaction where antibodies against the virus worsens the infection, CNBG Chairman Yang Xiaoming said.

He said further monitoring was needed.

"Not every one of the 1.4 billion people [in China] needs vaccination," Yang told a forum sponsored by China's science and technology ministry, saying that inoculating key groups of people could be sufficient to prevent outbreaks.

The company's two coronavirus vaccine factories are expected to be able to produce a combined 300 million doses of vaccines in a year, and CNBG plans to expand its annual capacity to 600-800 million doses, Yang said.

UK

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The UK meanwhile has joined Covax, the international initiative to support discovery, manufacture and fair distribution of Covid-19 vaccines for one billion people by the end of 2021.

Covax is the vaccines pillar of the Access to Covid-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, a global collaboration to speed up the development, production, and equitable access to coronavirus tests, treatments, and vaccines.

It is co-led by Gavi, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Over 150 countries engage in #COVAX Facility, the #COVID19 vaccine global access facility designed to guarantee rapid, fair & equitable access to life saving vaccines for every country in the , rich & poor, to halt the spread of the pandemic worldwide.https://t.co/BZVNdGpeLl  World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) July 15, 2020

Covax is looking to invest six billion US dollars (4.56 billion/5million) to secure access to a diverse portfolio of vaccine candidates.

The UK is working with international partners to set up Covax as quickly as possible, which will support access to any coronavirus vaccine in the UK for millions of people.

On June 4 at the Global Vaccines Summit, the UK announced 48 million to finance Covax vaccines for lower income countries.

United States

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump and the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) disagreed yesterday about when a COVID-19 vaccine would become widely available.

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Trump has said one could initially be available by the Nov. 3 election, while the CDC director said vaccines were likely to reach the general public around mid-2021, an assessment more in line with most experts

General availability is when every American who wants the vaccine can get it. There are currently no Covid-19 vaccines approved by U.S. regulators, although a handful are in late-stage trials to prove they are safe and effective.

We all want a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible, but it needs to be based on science  not politics. Tune in as I discuss how we can develop and equitably distribute a safe and effective vaccine: https://t.co/KPxTaqAiVd  Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) September 16, 2020

Experts estimate that at least 70 per cent of roughly 330 million Americans would need to be immune through a vaccine or prior infection to achieve what is known as herd immunity, which occurs when enough people are immune to prevent the spread of the virus to those unable to get a vaccine..

The CDC anticipates that 35 million to 45 million doses of vaccines from the first two companies to receive authorization will be available in the United States by the end of this year. The current front runners are Pfizer Inc and Moderna Inc.

Drugmakers have been more ambitious with their calculations. AstraZeneca Plc has said it could deliver as many as 300 million doses of its experimental vaccine in the United States by as early as October.

Pfizer and German partner BioNTech SE have said they expect to have 100 million doses available worldwide by the end of 2020, but did not specify how much of that was earmarked for the United States. Moderna has said it is on track to make between 500 million and 1 billion doses a year beginning in 2021.

Several drugmakers including Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Novavax Inc have all said they expect to produce at least 1 billion doses of their vaccines next year if they get regulatory authorization.
At least three Ontario school boards allow teachers to take their masks off when they are alone in their classrooms or when speaking with colleagues  as long as they can remain physically distanced  including in Renfrew County where three staffers at a Pembroke secondary contracted COVID, forcing its shutdown.

While it was initially reported that three teachers contracted the coronavirus at Fellowes High School, it emerged Thursday that it was in fact two teachers and an educational assistant.

The first case was a teacher, who acquired COVID-19 in the community and brought it into the school and then passed it along to another teacher and staffer, sources told the Star. At least one of the teachers came to the school with symptoms and more were not wearing masks, prompting public health to order the first school closure in the province  a little more than a week after it had opened.

All Fellowes students are now learning from home until further notice, Renfrew County public health has said.

Everyone must remain vigilant if we are to prevent and contain outbreaks, deputy education minister Nancy Naylor said in a memo sent to school boards on Thursday. It is also important to reflect on the lessons learned from the experiences to date and to share them with our teams.

Naylor said it is critical that educators and staff set a leading example for students, and reminded boards that they must take possible COVID-19 symptoms seriously  anyone who is sick needs to stay home.

Caitlin Clark, deputy director of communications for Education Minister Stephen Lecce, told the Star that we are strongly encouraging all staff to strictly adhere to public health advice  including masking, hand hygiene, and not attending the workplace when experiencing symptoms of COVID-19.

These infection prevention steps are necessary in order to stop the spread of COVID-19. We encourage all Ontarians, including the Fellowes High School community, to remain vigilant with public health measures in order to keep our communities, educators, parents and students safe. We are all in this together.

The province publicly posts all cases of COVID-19 in schools and daycares. As of Thursday, there were a total of 62 cases  20 of them school-related student cases, 22 staff-related cases and 20 unknown.

Of the provinces 4,828 schools, 51  slightly more than one per cent  have reported at least one case.

In Pembroke, all 710 students at Fellowes High School have been told by the Renfrew County District School Board to learn remotely for the time being after the local public health unit ordered the school to be shuttered.

The infections occurred before the reopening of school and were a direct result of educators not abiding by public health guidelines  they were not wearing masks, they attended school while being symptomatic, which obviously goes against all public health guidelines, including the guide to reopening schools, a source familiar with details of the outbreak told the Star.

The Renfrew board insists that teachers be masked when they are around students, but allows them the choice of removing masks while alone or speaking with other adults, so long as they remain physically distanced.

The Durham District School Board and the Kawartha Pine Ridge board have similar policies.

The expectation is that when physical distancing cannot be maintained, staff are wearing a mask, said Robert Cerjanec, executive officer of communications in Durham.

Masks can be taken off when eating as long as staff are more than six feet away from anyone, or if they are outside and able to maintain a physical distance of six feet, Cerjanec said. If unable to maintain a physical distance of six feet, staff are required to wear a face shield in addition to their mask. If a staff member is working alone at their desk, they can remove their mask.

Cerjanec said the protocols were developed with the help of Durham public health.

Renfrew County board communications manager Jonathan Laderoute said there is no direct policy telling staff they can remove their masks, but we do have policy and standards that when they are in the presence of students, they are to be masked.

If a teacher is alone in a room during their preparation time, they may choose to remove their mask, he said, but if a student is in the vicinity, the mask is on.

Even though a board document said staff must wear medical masks while at work, Laderoute said some clarifications were made with the help of public health.

While there are always discussions on policy changes, its status quo for the time being, he said.

Cathy Abraham, president of the Ontario Public School Boards Association and a trustee for Clarington in the Kawartha board, said teachers there can doff their masks if they are outside and can be physically distanced, or in a staff room with another colleague and properly spaced.

We are responsible adults, she said, noting that the kicker (in Pembroke) is the self-screening piece.

The first Fellowes teacher to become ill had gone to the school while symptomatic. That person should have remained at home, she said.

The Toronto District School Board requires all adults and students to be masked when indoors.
Hugo Swire faced fresh allegations last night after he was accused of 'lewd' behaviour in a taxi with health minister Nadine Dorries.

Friends of Miss Dorries said the former Tory MP and minister asked her to 'slip her hand inside his coat' on their way to a formal dinner in Mayfair.

The old Etonian is said to have bragged to her: 'Come on Nadine, I promise you that a girl like you will never have felt anything quite like this before.' It is claimed that Sir Hugo was not deterred when Miss Dorries 'recoiled' in shock.

Hugo Swire, pictured with his wife, faced fresh allegations last night after he was accused of 'lewd' behaviour in a taxi with health minister Nadine Dorries

Sir Hugo lusted over 'hard partying' Panamanian Neighbours threatened to call the police over the 'all-night racket' coming from the Knightsbridge apartment of a 'gorgeous' South American envoy Sir Hugo lusted over. Ana Delgado, pictured, made a big impression on him when he was a foreign minister. In her book, Lady Swire says her husband told her: 'I've fallen in love.' She asked: 'Who is it this time?' and he replied: 'The Panamanian ambassador. She's gorgeous and just 30.' Miss Delgado's neighbours were not such fans. One said: 'There was an all-night racket from her apartment some nights. I told her I would call the police.' There is no suggestion of an improper relationship between Sir Hugo and Miss Delgado. Advertisement

To her 'utter horror' he grabbed her hand and pushed it inside his coat. 'Go on, feel that,' he allegedly said. 'It's mink. That's how we do it now. We wear it where no one can see it.'

Miss Dorries told friends she was 'terrified' by Sir Hugo, describing his behaviour as 'ignorant and outrageous'. The Daily Mail has revealed Sir Hugo's wife Sasha says he treated her like a pig after she accused him of having an affair.

Lady Swire says in her book  Diary of an MP's Wife  that David Cameron gave Sir Hugo a 'severe ticking-off'.

Miss Dorries is one of the many Tory targets of Lady Swire's abuse in the book. Provocatively, she calls Miss Dorries, who is minister for mental health, 'Mad Nad Dorries'.

A friend of the minister said: 'Hugo had a really lewd grin in the taxi and acted as though he was irresistible.'

The source added that Miss Dorries now wishes she had told Lady Swire of her husband's behaviour.

Describing the incident, a source said: 'Nadine's eyes were watering from the fumes hanging on Hugo's breath. His comments on a 'girl like you' were clearly a dig at her working class background.

'She said he was quite right: there really weren't many men wearing mink-lined coats on her council estate in Liverpool.'

The source said Miss Dorries saw Sir Hugo as 'a dumb posh boy whose parents had to pay vast sums of money to drill the basics in, hoping something, anything, would stick'.

Friends of Miss Dorries, pictured, said the former Tory MP and minister asked her to 'slip her hand inside his coat' on their way to a formal dinner in Mayfair

They were involved in another clash after she publicly called Mr Cameron and George Osborne 'arrogant posh boys'. Lady Swire claims her book is a modern version of the diaries of Alan Clark, a minister under Margaret Thatcher.

But there were signs of a growing backlash from senior Tories furious at Lady Swire's 'reckless indiscretion and lack of taste'.

One former government minister, who was a close friend of the couple, said last night: 'It is a gross act of treachery. They have thrown their friends under the bus and have committed social suicide.'

Sir Hugo did not respond to a request for comment.
Grandmother Joaquina* was asleep when armed militants slipped into her village in northern Mozambique at around 4 a.m. and opened fire.

We woke up to the sounds of our neighbours screams and gunshots, explains the shaken 41-year-old.

Flames tuned the night sky orange. As the militants started torching homes in their village, she and her two daughters and two granddaughters dressed hastily and fled to the bush.

When we returned to our village the next morning, we found our house had been completely burned. There was nothing left, she recalls.

The best chance of safety, she reasoned, would be outside the immediate area. She took her family to stay at a friends home a few miles away but the attackers were not far behind. After a few days, the insurgents stormed that village, burned houses and killed several inhabitants.

For a third time, Joaquinas family fled to another village where they once again witnessed a new attack and decided this time to seek safety further south of the province. They relied on people they met along the way for a place to sleep for one or two nights and what little food or water they could provide.

We walked for two days, without anything to eat, asking for help wherever we stopped, recalls Joaquina. Sometimes we had to run because we were too afraid to get caught in new attacks. My legs were swollen from walking and running.

They were very traumatised by what they saw during the attacks. People were killed in front of their eyes.

The multiple attacks were particularly harsh on the children.

They were very traumatised by what they saw during the attacks. People were killed in front of their eyes, she adds.

Joaquina* (wearing mask) sits with her family and relatives outside her brother's home in Montepuez after fleeing violent attacks in northern Mozambique.  UNHCR/Deiliany Souza

Joaquina* cooks for her family and relatives outside her brother's home in Montepuez after fleeing violent attacks in northern Mozambique.  UNHCR/Deiliany Souza

Joaquina* sits outside her brother's home in Montepuez after fleeing attacks in northern Mozambique.  UNHCR/Deiliany Souza

UNHCR is alarmed by the attacks in Cabo Delgado province where civilians like Joaquina and her family have been displaced and others killed. Villages have been attacked and looted, houses and crops burnt and destroyed and infrastructure has been damaged.

The northern region has been facing such attacks by armed groups since 2017 which, to date, have uprooted more than 250,000 civilians, according to OCHA, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs figures. Most remain within the province itself.

Families like Issas* fled with nothing and now rely on the generosity of the local communities hosting him and thousands more.

After what I saw in my native land, I do not want to return, he says. If I can find a house and have a job to support my family, we can live a normal life.

One of the local hosts agrees, urging the local authorities and aid agencies to provide more support.

They should not only offer food but also provide jobs, farm land and housing. This way, there will be more production, he says.

So far, majority of the displaced are hosted by relatives or friends in more stable areas. Accommodation is scarce, with at times 20 to 30 people living under the same roof. The situation may worsen as displaced people have fled into neighbouring Nampula and Niassa Provinces.

The financial requirements for the IDP operation will likely increase as the situation in Cabo Delgado evolves.

The province is still recovering from the impact of Cyclone Kenneth which made landfall last April, affecting hundreds of thousands of people. It was also impacted by heavy rains last December and this January  several bridges collapsed and houses were damaged or destroyed. The upcoming rainy season from November to April may further reduce access to some affected areas and the COVID-19 situation is seriously hampering activities on the ground and deployment of aid workers.

We have to stay and deliver to the most vulnerable, despite the volatile security situation.

UNHCR has been working with partner agencies since last year to provide basic assistance to the displaced, including distributing household items like sleeping mats, kitchen sets, jerry cans and blankets.

We have assisted 6,500 displaced people including their hosts. We have to stay and deliver to the most vulnerable, despite the volatile security situation, says Samuel Chakwera, UNHCRs Representative in Mozambique.

He adds that UNHCR and other protection agencies are focusing on the most vulnerable, identifying critical needs and ensuring access to basic rights. Through a network of partner agencies, the displaced are referred to available services for assistance while UNHCR works on addressing possible gaps identified during interactions with IDPs.

Joaquina and her family are now at her brothers home in Montepuez, after he fled his village following attacks, some months ago. For the time being, she has simple dreams.

I used to cultivate sesame, corn and cassava so I would like to have some land to work on, she says. But more importantly, my wish is for the conflict to end soon. I want to return to my village. If everyone returns, then I can go back.

Internal displacement is rising worldwide. Last year, 45.7 million people had fled to other areas of their own countries, according to UNHCR figures.

*Names have been changed for protection purposes
Iran has sentenced four men to have four fingers amputated each as a punishment for stealing.

Hadi Rostami, Mehdi Sharafian, Mehdi Shahivand, and Kasra Karami, who are all aged over 20, were handed the punishment on Thursday after a failed appeal.

Three of the men were originally tried on November 2 last year on four counts of robbery in the city of Urmia, in northern Iran close to the border with Turkey.

The fourth - Kasra - had been issued the punishment earlier, in 2017.

Iran has sentenced four men to have four fingers amputated from their right hands as a punishment for stealing in the city of Urmia (file image, a man has his hand placed into a machine that Iran uses to amputate fingers)

The men are now being held as a date for the punishment to be carried out has not been set.

Iran has not released any details about the crimes.

Originally, it was reported that the thieves were teenagers. Now, it appears they were tried in a juvenile court, but are actually adults.

Nargess Tavalossian, a legal analyst for Iran International TV, said: 'Amputation as a form of punishment is rare in Iran.

'To have this type of punishment there are 14 rules that all need to apply for the judge to order an amputation.

'Judges usually avoid issuing such punishment by saying that 13 out of the 14 rules are met and amputation is therefore not required.'

The rules include that the property has to be valued over a certain amount, that it has to be taken from a secure space, and that it cannot be government property or taken during a famine - otherwise the punishment does not apply.

Iran's penal code is based on a strict interpretation of Sharia law, which for first time thieves calls for 'amputation of the full length of four fingers of the right hand of the thief in such a manner that the thumb and palm of the hand remain.'

Second offenders face 'amputation of the left foot in such a manner that half of the sole and part of the place of anointing [during religious ceremonies] remain.'

The group were handed the sentence on Thursday at a court in Urmia after their legal appeal failed when a judge ruled that juveniles are not exempt from the punishment

For third and fourth-time offenders, the law proscribes life imprisonment and the death penalty, respectively.

It is not clear how many people are subjected to amputation each year in Iran, since the regime keeps most cases secret to avoid international backlash.

Human rights watchdog Amnesty International confirmed at least two dozen amputations in the country between 2008 and 2015.

In a report on Iran's justice system, Amnesty International said: 'Amputation is torture plain and simple, and administering torture is a crime under international law.

'As a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Iran is legally obliged to forbid torture in all circumstances and without exception.

'Those responsible for ordering and executing such practices should know that they are liable to criminal prosecution under international law.'
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 20:34:28|Editor: huaxia

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KABUL, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Clashes in Afghanistan have intensified amid the ongoing dialogue between the government and the Taliban delegations in Doha, officials said Friday.

In the latest wave of violent incidents, Taliban militants stormed security checkpoints in Ali Abad district of northern Afghanistan's Kunduz province on Friday, triggering heavy fighting and so far three insurgents and one policeman have been killed, district governor Amanudin Qurishi said.

Four more policemen have been injured in the ongoing fighting, the official added.

Three more pro-government militiamen have been confirmed dead in the neighboring Khanabad district, Kunduz province, in a Taliban ambush at noon on Friday, district governor Hayatullah Amiri has confirmed.

Thirteen more militants were killed and their offensive to overrun Dara-e-Suf Payan district in Samangan province has been repulsed on Friday, police said.

More than 30 fighters including militants and security personnel have been killed elsewhere in the conflict-battered country over the past 24 hours, according to security officials.

The Taliban militants, according to Afghan officials, have increased activities to gain more grounds or capture major cities to secure upper hands in the peace talks.

The tough talks, according to local media, have been continuing since Sept. 12, but the two sides have yet to agree on the agenda of the dialogue, including the future system of the government.

Some Afghans say the two sides should observe ceasefire to make the talks succeed.

"Pushing for war amid peace talks would complicate the peace process," a Kabul resident Mohammad Azam told Xinhua.

Azam, who lost his brother in the war four years ago, urged the warring sides to cease the fighting and work for peace in the country.

Abdullah Abdullah, chairman of Afghanistan's High Council for National Reconciliation, who called for humanitarian ceasefire in Doha on Saturday, in his speech here on Friday at a gathering said that the people of Afghanistan wanted lasting peace and honorable peace, and hoped the ongoing Doha talks could lead to returning durable peace in the country. Enditem
When it comes to the possibility of a fall election in the midst of a global pandemic that seems to be getting worse rather than better, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wants to be clear. He doesnt want one, but its a little irresponsible to rule it out. Got that?

Not entirely. The prime minister left the door open a crack to a snap election this week, even as the bad news about the resurgence of COVID-19 kept on coming.

He should slam it shut. An election this fall would be unnecessary, disruptive to efforts to fight the pandemic, and likely to be seen as an opportunistic power grab by a minority government looking to capitalize on public fears about the threat to our collective health.

It would be, in a word, irresponsible.

So the government, and indeed the opposition parties as well, should definitively rule it out. Its not even a year since Canadians last went to the polls, and the record of the past year shows it has been possible for the government to wage an effective battle against COVID-19 without having a majority in Parliament.

At this point it should redouble its efforts to continue that fight. Its far from over, as the worrisome events of the past week have shown.

The number of new COVID cases has been rising steadily; the daily average across the country has reached 779, double the level in July. Canadas top public health official, Dr. Theresa Tam, now warns the country may be losing its ability to keep the pandemic at a manageable level.

Back-to-school efforts are shaky at best, disastrous at worst. Quebec already has almost 300 schools with COVID-19 outbreaks, and some are questioning whether Ontario will be able to keep schools open for the long term as new cases pop up every day.

In Toronto and neighbouring Peel Region, new restrictions are being slapped on social gatherings and authorities are threatening to impose stiffer fines to stem the spread of the disease. Lines for testing are now hours long.

It is, in short, far from the scenario of just a month ago, when the number of new cases of COVID-19 was falling, gradually but steadily, almost everywhere. It looked like we had gotten on top of this scourge.

All too predictably, though, it is on the upsurge as people resume normal life and relax their guard. After six months we all hoped to see light at the end of this particular tunnel, but right now all we can see ahead is  a lot more tunnel.

So its no wonder the government is dialling back expectations of what to expect from next weeks Throne Speech. In August it sounded like we could be hearing an outline of the New Jerusalem  a comprehensive vision for a green, inclusive, more equitable post-COVID world. With, presumably, the spending to match.

Now, though, with every day that passes it seems the reality of COVID resurgence is biting, and the government is more likely to focus more tightly on continuing to battle the pandemic and supporting Canadians through it.

That would be appropriate, and there would be even less reason than before for the opposition parties to bring down the Liberals and force an election. There would also be less reason for the Liberals to engineer their own defeat, if they thought they could strike quickly and pick up support.

True, that worked for the Progressive Conservative government of New Brunswick this week, which turned its minority into a majority. But the situation in one small province with few COVID-19 cases doesnt apply on a national scale. The Liberals should not look there for inspiration.

To top things off, both Conservative Leader Erin OToole and Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet have self-isolated this week after COVID scares in their family or offices. What more reminder do the politicians need of the folly of trying to conduct an election at this time?

Canadians would certainly see it as irresponsible, and they would punish whichever party forced the issue. For reasons of both the public good and partisan advantage, the message to the politicians should be: dont go there.
Montgomery County Judge Mark Keough was continuing to recover at a Woodlands-area hospital Friday after he was injured in a car accident Sept. 10.

The judge left the ICU on Tuesday, Keough staffers posted to Facebook Thursday. Making progress with physical therapy every day. His progress is great and doctors now believe it will not take as long for him to get up and going again as first thought. He remains in good spirits with a good attitude. He asked that we extend many thanks for all the well wishes and prayers hes received over the last week.

Keoughs Chief of Staff Jason Millsaps said the accident happened along Grogans Mill Road in The Woodlands where Keough, 66, and a Montgomery County Precinct 5 deputy collided. The deputy, who was not identified, suffered minor injuries and was treated at an area hospital.

I want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for all the thoughts and prayers you have given over this last week for me and my family and the deputy constable and his family, Keough stated on social media. I know personally they have help lift our spirits and have encouraged me every step of the way to get back to work as quickly as I can.

This is second accident Keough has been in and suffered injuries from during his time as an elected official.

In March 2017, while serving as the District 15 state representative, Keough was injured when his Lexus SUV collided with the truck at the intersection of South First and West Mary in Austin.

Keough was driving to the state Capitol building at the time of the crash. Its not clear what caused the collision, but either his vehicle or a cement truck apparently passed over the center line of the undivided roadway.

Keough was eventually released from the hospital March 30, 2017.

Keough, who took the bench in January 2018 for his first term, defeated one-term former county judge Craig Doyal with 57 percent of the votes in March 2017 Republican primary, avoiding a runoff, and beat Democrat Jay Stittleburg in the November 2017 general election with almost three-quarters of the vote.

cdominguez@hcnonline.com
Since Monday, more than 4,000 clerical, technical, building and maintenance, and professional employees represented by the Service Employees International Union Local 73 have been on strike, demanding UIC increase safety measures and wages. Those workers are part of four bargaining units at UIC and the University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System, including the Chicago hospital, clinics and regional medical schools in Peoria, Rockford and Urbana.
Ministerio da Saude concede orientacoes sobre retorno presencial as aulas
Capturing the moment: Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu takes a selfie with US diplomat Keith Krach at the Taipei Guest House

Taiwan scrambled fighter jets Friday as the Chinese military conducted exercises near the Taiwan Strait during a rare visit by a high-ranking US diplomat to the self-ruled island.

According to Taipei's defence ministry, 18 Chinese aircraft -- including bombers and fighters -- entered Taiwan's southwest air defence identification zone (ADIZ) and also crossed the so-called median line that divides the Taiwan Strait.

Taiwan's military "scrambled fighters, and deployed its air defence missile system to monitor the activities", the ministry said.

The exercises came after Keith Krach, US undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment, landed in Taipei on Thursday for a three-day visit, the highest-ranking State Department official to visit in 40 years.

China's Communist leadership baulks at any recognition of Taiwan -- which has been ruled separately from China since the end of a civil war in 1949 -- and has pursued a decades-long policy of marginalising the democratic island.

Beijing considers Taiwan part of its territory, to be absorbed into the Chinese mainland -- by force if necessary.

Relations between the United States and China are also at their lowest point in decades, with the two sides clashing over a range of trade, military and security issues as well as the coronavirus pandemic.

At a press conference Friday, a Chinese defence ministry spokesman said Beijing was "holding actual combat exercises near the Taiwan Strait" when asked how it would respond to Krach's visit.

"This is a legitimate and necessary action taken to safeguard China's sovereignty and territorial integrity in response to the current situation in the Taiwan Strait," Ren Guoqiang told reporters.

Ren also warned that the Chinese military had "sufficient ability" to counter any external threat or challenge from Taiwan separatists.

- 'Causing trouble' -

Ren accused the United States of "frequently causing trouble" over Taiwan, which he said "is purely China's internal affairs, and we won't tolerate any external interference".

Story continues

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hit back, accusing China of "military blustering."

In recent weeks, Taiwan has reported a sharp rise in incursions by Chinese warplanes into its ADIZ.

"We hope the other side can exercise restraint and not... heighten conflicts between the two sides. These military intimidations have caused resentment among the Taiwanese people," its defence ministry said in a statement Friday.

Chinese jets also made a brief incursion across the midline of the strait in August, as US health chief Alex Azar made his country's highest-level visit to Taiwan since 1979 -- the year Washington switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing.

Washington's increased outreach to Taiwan under President Donald Trump has become yet another US-China flashpoint.

The US said Krach was visiting Taiwan to attend Saturday's memorial service for late former president Lee Teng-hui, who died in July aged 97.

On Friday, Krach met with foreign minister Joseph Wu to discuss bilateral issues and exchange views on future collaborations, according to Taipei authorities. He is also scheduled to join President Tsai Ing-wen for dinner at her official residence.

China has ramped up pressure on Taiwan since Tsai came to power in 2016, as she refuses to acknowledge its idea that the democratic island is part of "one China".

On Friday, an editorial in the nationalist, Chinese state-backed Global Times newspaper warned "war will inevitably break out" if the US and Taiwan continue to "make provocations."

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Linkedin Charlotte van Ouwerkerk (Agence France-Presse) Delft, Netherlands  Fri, September 18, 2020 08:05 491 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c458fbe0 2 Environment living-cocoon,Dutch,coffee,compost Free

In the Netherlands you can keep helping the planet after you die -- by opting for a living coffin made of mushrooms which speeds up the decomposition of your body.

The coffin turns corpses into compost that enriches the soil thanks to mycelium, the root structure of fungi.

The "Living Cocoon" is a world first, according to Bob Hendrikx, who invented the idea in his student laboratory at Delft Technical University.

"This is the world's first living coffin, and actually last Saturday the first human being in the Netherlands was composted and returned into the cycle of life," he told AFP.

The coffin was the final resting place for an 82-year-old woman, whose body will decompose within two to three years.

If a traditional coffin with varnished wood and metal handles is used, the process normally takes more than ten years.

The casket itself will meanwhile disappear within 30 to 45 days.

"It's actually an organism, so it's made from mycelium which is the root structure of mushrooms," Hendrikx said. "They're the biggest recyclers in nature".

"This is the most natural way to do it... we no longer pollute the environment with toxins in our body and all the stuff that goes into the coffins but actually try to enrich it and really be compost for nature."

Read also: Five sustainably made sneakers for eco-friendly enthusiasts

'Big hit'

The coffin is the same size and shape as a classic coffin but its pale color is typical of mycelium.

Inside is a bed of moss where the body -- and various insects and other soil creatures -- will lie.

Overall the coffin is much lighter than a wooden casket. It's also cheaper, currently costing around 1,500 euros.

Making the coffins requires a bit of foraging, first for moss from the forest, then collecting mycelium from mushrooms, and then mixing that with woodchips.

"Slowly in seven days, it's actually pretty fast, it will grow into a solid material that is actually an organism," said Hendrikx.

"Afterwards it's naturally dried by literally removing the mold and just letting it be. So then the mycelium, the organism, becomes inactive.

"When it's in the ground, it starts to get activated again when a lot of moisture hits the organism. Then it starts the decomposition process."

Hendrikx's inspiration didn't stem from a ghoulish fascination with bodies or human compost, but from serendipity.

Fascinated by the applications of mushrooms, he first tried to make a "living house" for his thesis.

But when someone asked what would happen with the body of his grandmother if he left her inside the house, Hendrikx had a brainwave.

That has now become a start-up, called Loop, which has signed a deal with a funeral home, while also causing a stir on social media.

"Looking at the reactions we had online, we're pretty sure it's going to be a big hit," he said.
As every investor would know, you don't hit a homerun every time you swing. But it's not unreasonable to try to avoid truly shocking capital losses. So we hope that those who held The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd. (TSE:TGOD) during the last year don't lose the lesson, in addition to the 87% hit to the value of their shares. That'd be enough to make even the strongest stomachs churn. We wouldn't rush to judgement on Green Organic Dutchman Holdings because we don't have a long term history to look at. Even worse, it's down 15% in about a month, which isn't fun at all.

While a drop like that is definitely a body blow, money isn't as important as health and happiness.

See our latest analysis for Green Organic Dutchman Holdings

Given that Green Organic Dutchman Holdings didn't make a profit in the last twelve months, we'll focus on revenue growth to form a quick view of its business development. Generally speaking, companies without profits are expected to grow revenue every year, and at a good clip. That's because it's hard to be confident a company will be sustainable if revenue growth is negligible, and it never makes a profit.

In the last twelve months, Green Organic Dutchman Holdings increased its revenue by 80%. That's a strong result which is better than most other loss making companies. So on the face of it we're really surprised to see the share price down 87% over twelve months. There's clearly something unusual going on here such as an acquisition that hasn't delivered expected profits. What is clear is that the market is not judging the company on its revenue growth right now. Of course, markets do over-react so share price drop may be too harsh.

The company's revenue and earnings (over time) are depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers).

This free interactive report on Green Organic Dutchman Holdings' balance sheet strength is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further.

Story continues

A Different Perspective

Green Organic Dutchman Holdings shareholders are down 87% for the year, even worse than the market loss of 3.7%. There's no doubt that's a disappointment, but the stock may well have fared better in a stronger market. The share price decline has continued throughout the most recent three months, down 7.9%, suggesting an absence of enthusiasm from investors. Given the relatively short history of this stock, we'd remain pretty wary until we see some strong business performance. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Green Organic Dutchman Holdings better, we need to consider many other factors. Case in point: We've spotted 4 warning signs for Green Organic Dutchman Holdings you should be aware of, and 1 of them makes us a bit uncomfortable.

But note: Green Organic Dutchman Holdings may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with past earnings growth (and further growth forecast).

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on CA exchanges.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.



Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
New Delhi: Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Friday said the domestic aviation sector is nearly witnessing pre-coronavirus figures return with 1.16 lakh passengers flying on Thursday.

"Domestic civil aviation operations continue smoothly. With 1,16,398 passengers on 17th Sept 2020, we are slowly flying towards the Pre-COVID figures. More than 9.1 million passengers have now flown since operations recommenced on 25 May 2020," said Puri.

Domestic civil aviation operations continue smoothly.



With 1,16,398 passengers on 17th Sept 2020, we are slowly flying towards the Pre-COVID figures.



More than 9.1 million passengers have now flown since operations recommenced on 25 May 2020. pic.twitter.com/b99HKNiP0n  Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) September 18, 2020

Ministry of Civil Aviation said a total of 2,759 flight movements took place across the country on 17 September and that over 2.33 lakh footfalls were recorded at airports across the country on 17 September.

1,376 flight arrivals took place across the country on 17 September, the ministry said.

Airports Authority of India said on Twitter that a total of 31,861 passengers flew across the country from northern India on 17 September, making it "one of the progressive days" for AAI's northern region airports since the resumption of domestic flights on 25 May.

Figures are taking a new flight, everyday!

A total of 31,861 passengers flew across the country from Northern India on 17th Sept.'20, making it one of the progressive days for #AAI's Northern region Airports since the resumption of domestic flights. #IndiaFliesHigh pic.twitter.com/vbEkigvfhx  Airports Authority of India (@AAI_Official) September 18, 2020

AAI also said that over 9,400 passengers travelled through the north east regions airports through 114 flights on 17 September.

The government had earlier this month allowed airlines to sell seats up to 60% of their seat capacity on domestic flights.

The aviation sector has been significantly impacted due to the travel restrictions imposed in India and other countries in view of the coronavirus pandemic.

All airlines in India have taken cost-cutting measures such as pay cuts, leave without pay or firings of employees in order to conserve cash.

Air India has incurred a net loss of about 2,570 crore in the first quarter of 2020-21 as compared to a net loss of 785 crore sustained in the corresponding period a year ago.

India's largest airline IndiGo had in July declared a net loss of 2,884.3 crore for the first quarter of 2020-21. IndiGo currently has a share of around 60% in the domestic air passenger market.

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By Pete Schroeder

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren on Thursday blasted U.S. business leaders, including JPMorgan Chase & Co's Jamie Dimon and Walmart's Doug McMillon, for falling short on a "splashy" promise to look beyond profits when running their businesses.

Writing to the CEOs in their capacity as former and current chairs respectively of the Business Roundtable, Warren, a Democrat, said the country's top business group had been lobbying for "narrow, short-term interests" rather than the broad group of stakeholders it promised to serve last year.

Notably, the Roundtable had lobbied for legislation granting companies immunity should workers contract COVID-19 on the job, and had opposed extending unemployment benefits to workers, Warren said, citing a news report based on federal lobbying records.

"Rebuilding our economy so that workers, customers, and communities are able to share in prosperity requires real change in the way decisions are made in corporate headquarters and on Wall Street, not just the vague, empty-worded press releases that you have issued," Warren wrote in the letter, first reported by Reuters.

In a statement, a Roundtable spokeswoman said its members had demonstrated their commitment to last year's pledge by prioritizing the health and safety of their employees and customers and continuing to evolve their businesses to be as equitable and inclusive as possible.

She said its CEOs were pressing Congress to provide direct payments to individuals in need and more financial support for hard-hit small and medium-sized business and for necessary reforms to strengthen communities and address racial injustice in policing, adding that the group would continue to share more details with Warren.

The Massachusetts senator's broadside turns up the spotlight on corporate leaders, who are increasingly being called upon by workers and politicians to confront pressing issues such as climate change, racial justice and income inequality.

Story continues

In August 2019, over 180 Roundtable members comprising CEOs of top companies such as Amazon, Apple, and Coca-Cola pledged to end its 30-year stance that corporations exist to primarily serve shareholders, and vowed to do more to support workers, their communities, and the environment.

On Wednesday, the group also promised to fight climate change by backing market-based carbon pricing and slashing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

Warren, a progressive former presidential candidate, wrote to the Roundtable's members in October asking for details on how they planned to fulfill last year's pledge but got "boilerplate" responses and anecdotal evidence, she said on Thursday. She added that Dimon and McMillon did not directly reply.

Corporate America's response to the pandemic belies the Roundtable's pledge, she said, with companies failing to protect and invest in essential workers and disproportionately hurting minorities at a time when racial justice should be a priority.

(Reporting by Pete Schroeder; Editing by Michelle Price, Aurora Ellis and Tom Brown)
Dubai, UAE, Sept. 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Jakob Hager is a digital marketing expert who has inaugurated an online education program for Campaign Management targeted to teach smarter commerce to small businesses. Through this program, Haver aspires to teach how it is possible for small businesses and individuals to run a digital marketing campaign at a lower cost.

Through his newly written book, Jakob explains ways to attract customers online by pursuing out of the box techniques. The book by Jakob Hager is receiving a strong response from everyone and has sold over 35,000 copies across the globe.



Jakob's main area of expertise is paid digital marketing campaigns, where he has managed a total marketing budget of about 50 million for his clients in the last several years, getting on average a return on advertising spend (ROAS) of 5x.



About Jakob Hager:

Jakob Hager realized the importance of digital marketing when his first company failed to reach its fruition. It was a company that provided remote virtual-assistant service in the German-speaking regions.



Jakob eventually decided to shut his business due to his inability to market properly and decided to leave for San Francisco to find the knowledge of the necessary skills and have to market a business.



After sufficient research and studying, Jakob came up with an online education program targeted to help local businesses find affordable and easy solutions to run a digital marketing campaign. In order to help small businesses run their marketing campaigns in the digital space, Jakob Hager has included everything that is required for managing Facebook, Instagram, Google, and other marketing campaigns.



Jakob Hager took into consideration the soaring demand for performance marketing and the pressure on experts to introduce an online education program related to Campaign Management. Which is why he created his own online education program from scratch. He has also written a book to help businesses attract new customers using unique strategies.



Jakob Hager has till now introduced his online education program in an attempt to guide both small businesses and individuals on how to run their online marketing campaigns in an easy manner. It is currently available in the German language, meaning people living in areas of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland can easily access and benefit from this guideline. It is deliberately designed in a curriculum to assist in teaching every participant all the skills needed to manage Facebook, Instagram, and other marketing campaigns.



Jakob is also in the process of planning to make the program available and translated into English to help other people learn the schemes of managing online marketing campaigns.



In both the education program and his book, Jakob shares a lot of his wisdom and expertise on the subject matter, while intricately guiding readers and business enthusiasts through the process of exploring the online avenues of marketing to the best of its possibilities. So far, the response to his work has been overwhelmingly positive, with businesses and individuals reporting not just satisfaction and growth in their revamped approach, but also a certain peace and satiation knowing what the closest certain outcome of their efforts will be.



Jakob Hager is an Austrian citizen who was born in Vienna. He has spent considerable time in his life in Moscow, San Francisco, and is now placed in Dubai since 2017, where he is working to have his online education program translated to English and made universally available.



Instagram: https://instagram.com/jakobhag?igshid=1gxxxpi8jmg7x

Website: https://www.jakobhager.com/

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Washington, Sept. 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The U.S. Small Business Administrations (SBA) Office of Surety Guarantees (OSG) will host a two-day virtual conference to commemorate 50 years of Surety Bond Guarantees (SBG). The conference will assist small businesses seeking surety bonds and discuss SBAs role in the future of the surety bond industry.

For the last 50 years, the public-private partnership of the Office of Surety Guarantees and the surety industry has been a significant and successful collaboration impacting small business growth and job creation in the American economy, said SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza.

In honor of this occasion, OSG will host a free, virtual conference on September 24-25 for small businesses in the construction, supply, and service sectors, along with members of the surety bond industry. Guest speakers will include Marcus Lemonis from CNBCs television show The Profit and leaders in the surety bond industry.

In its first year of operations, the program guaranteed seven final bonds with a contract value of approximately $315,000. Since that time, SBG has assisted approximately 55,000 small businesses, approved 750,000 bond guarantees, and finalized total contract guarantees valued at $150 billion.

In the past three years, Surety companies participating in the SBG program have doubled, demonstrating the surety industrys confidence in utilizing SBA to assist small and emerging contractors, said Bill Manger, SBAs Chief of Staff and Associate Administrator for the Office of Capital Access. SBAs bond guarantees are accessible and make great business sense for small businesses and project owners.

To register for this free, virtual event, visit: surety50.com.

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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.

About the Surety Bond Guarantee Program

The SBG Program was established by the Housing and Urban Development Act and helps small businesses with bonding assistance win contracts by providing the customer with a guarantee that the work will be completed. Many public and private contracts require surety bonds, which are offered by surety companies. The SBA guarantees surety bonds for certain surety companies, which allows the companies to offer surety bonds to small businesses that might not meet the criteria for other sureties.
Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan recently wrote to Railway Minister Piyush Goyal requesting the resumption of Shramik Special trains from Odisha to send migrant workers back to their workplaces in states like Gujarat, Karnataka and Maharashtra.

It gives visibility of the rural capacity for the excess. Interestingly, what had been thought and the migrants told media that they will never return but the reality seems different on the ground. According to some sources, 30-40 per cent of reverse migrants are returning to their workplaces, such as Maharashtra and Gujarat.

There is no concrete dataset on reverse migration in India, however, until June 2020, the number seems to range between 22-30 million, mostly rural headway.

Also Read: Migrant crisis: 76% go without salaries in April, unemployment to worsen, says report

According to a report submitted to the health ministry, an estimated 20-25 million migrants began making their way to villages on trains, buses and on foot. COVID-19 has brought significant clarity in the pattern of migration and job opportunity structure.

The insurgence of COVID 19 has plunged India into an unprecedented situation, where on one side the situation of health is sinking and on the other, the economy is grappling.

The GDP (gross domestic product) contracted by record 23.9% in Q1 of FY21, against 3.1% growth in the previous quarter. Tiding with strategies is being scaled down by a wave of crises.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic emerged as an international crisis, it is letting us retrospect the development of India, which is predominantly urban centric.

The Harris and Todaro model (an economic model), developed in 1970, cautions that creating job opportunities in urban areas can lead to an increase in unemployment by attracting more migrants than the new jobs.

In 1901, the urban population was only 25.85 million constituting around 10.84 per cent of India's total population which increased to around 30 per cent in 2011.

The total number of migrants who moved from rural to urban areas stood at 52 million out of a total population of 1.02 billion.

As per the census of 2011, the same movement has been adopted by 78 million people, which is a jump of 150%.

According to Census 2011, the total number of migrants doubled between 1991-2001 increasing from 220 million in 1991 to 220 million in 2001 and 454 million in 2011.

Also Read: Rebooting Economy XXIII: What stops India from taking care of its crisis-hit workers?

This shows the real picture of rural to urban migration.

The other area of understanding is the nature of jobs of the migrants, it's very much aligned with the national count, which is 93% of the workforce is in unorganised sector. So, job security is in an abysmal state.

Thus, despite the tall claims, it is true that there is less or no appetite for extras in the rural market. Let's have a look at the jobs and other opportunities available in rural India. Apart from other forms of unemployment, India has significant disguised unemployment.The inference can be drawn from the unemployment data mentioned below.

Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) data showed that unemployment spiked to its highest level in April and May 2020.

As per the report of Statista.com, the escalation in the number of COVID-19 cases May onwards, which was very urban in nature, and subsequent closure of the economy reflected in high unemployment numbers in April and May.

But despite an almost running economy, rural unemployment is also significantly higher. As it seems, it has a high probability of being relatively linked with disguised unemployment.

The rural market, with its angst over COVID-19 contraction, tried to operate in the highest possible way with conservative expenditure.

Predicament, in most cases, is inversely proportionate with expenditure on food and labour, in this case labour.

It states that the rural economy can probably run without 20 per cent of human resources, possibly the percentage will add on another 5 per cent or so.

The GDP composition of agriculture & allied industry, and services sector, at current prices in 1950-51, was 51.81%, 14.16%, and 33.25%, respectively.

By 2013-14, the share of agriculture & allied sector declined by 18.20%, whereas the share of services sector improved to 57.03% and 24.77% respectively.

Also Read: No data available on migrant deaths during lockdown, so no compensation: Centre tells Parliament

As per Economic Survey of 2019-20, the contribution of agriculture to the GVA decreased from 18.2% in 2014-15 to 16.5% in 2019-20.

The data substantiates that the agricultural economy has gradually turned into a service sector economy, whereas, as per the World Bank's estimate, around 66 per cent of India's population was living in rural areas in 2019 where 70 per cent of its rural households still depend primarily on agriculture for their livelihood.

So, the producers have turned into consumers. As per the Gaon Connection survey, loan schemes don't reach almost 60 per cent of people in rural areas and the next generation of 48 per cent farming families does not want to pursue agriculture.

There is a significant gap in warehousing, farmers getting proper prices and distribution and selling mechanisms.

Apparently, India loses around 10% of total food grains and 16% of total vegetables due to unavailability of appropriate warehousing; there are additional wastages for other reasons.

These statistics probably pronounce the unavailability of supportive mechanisms for rural population to contribute to the economy.

Some calculation estimates that rural poverty rose nearly 4 percentage points between 2011-12 and 2017-18 to 30 per cent, even as urban poverty fell 5 percentage points over the same period to 9 per cent.

In 2018-19, the total agriculture spend by the NDA government was Rs 57,600 crore, which is a three-fold increase from what the UPA government spent on the sector.

The budgetary allocation may be interesting to know, but its inadequate reach exposes reality. As per the Gaon connection data, only 20 per cent respondents said they got work under MGNREGA during the lockdown.

Hence, despite the majority of population living in rural India, the economy of India has seen a substantial shift from agrarian to service, which probably has left the rural economy in lurch.

Though spending in agriculture has increased, poverty in rural areas is also increasing. The pertinent information of development interventions is not percolating, also the ongoing schemes may not be adequately devised to support the bottom of the pyramid of the rural population, especially during crisis.

The data and information substantiate that rural India doesn't have the capacity to support the huge reverse migrated population and they have no way but to return to their respective workplaces, the urban centres, for whatever menial job opportunities they get. Let us not be delusional, we need to accept reality and work on issues by scaling the whims and fancies or political mileage.

(The author is Associate Director of Sa-Dhan. All views are personal.)
People are picking up Covid-19 in restaurants and pubs, bringing it home and infecting their families, it was claimed today.

But public health staff do not have the time and resources to track the infection back to this source, one of the Governments top advisers on the pandemic said today.

If transmission is not stopped in bars, restaurants, gyms and gatherings in homes between different households it will spiral out of control in Dublin, said Prof Philip Nolan, President of Maynooth University.

Prof Nolan who leads a team overseeing the pattern and likely forecast for the virus was responding to calls on the Government not to go ahead with proposals to ban indoor dining in restaurants and pubs because they are not the scene of transmission.

Writing in Twitter Prof Nolan said it is reasonable to ask this question.

He put forward the following scenario:

If I went out five days ago and caught the virus in a restaurant, it will have multiplied silently inside me for three days. Then I will have started shedding the virus and potentially infecting others for two days.

Today I become symptomatic , self isolate and get a test.Public health ask me about my contacts for the 48 hours before I developed symptoms.They dont need to know where I got the virus.It happened five days ago.

They want to know where the virus is going , who I might have infected and prevent onward transmission.

He added:My contacts are tested and unfortunately two of my family are infected .It is now a household break and I am a case of community transmission, even though I got it in a restaurant and brought it home.

Prof Nolan wrote:We would like to go back to find our where people are getting the virus but we dont have the time or resources to pursue this academic exercise.

Unless we stop mixing in houses, gyms, bars and restaurants we know the disease will spiral out of control, he added.

It is reasonable to ask: why close restaurants and pubs if there are so few outbreaks associated with those environments? However, this is misreading and misinterpreting the data on outbreaks and clusters. 1/10 pic.twitter.com/REEUqoin12  Professor Philip Nolan (@PhilipNolan_SFI) September 18, 2020

Meanwhile , Public Health Specialists- who are centrally involved in managing Covid-19 outbreaks- have agreed to defer strike action.

The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) said they have agreed to delay a decision on strike action for two months given the ongoing public health crisis linked to Covid 19.

 Public Health doctors are the frontline defence in the fight against COVID 19. They deal with the management of the disease, outbreaks, clusters and contact tracing.

Public Health Specialists who are members of the IMO met last night to consider the recent refusal of the Government to set out a definitive timeline for the introduction of Consultant status for public health specialists. Various independent reports (including the Crowe Horwath Report and Professor Gabriel Scally report) have recommended this move.

"The Department accepted the recommendations of these reports in January 2019 and it was agreed that implementation would take place in July 2020 yet little or no substantive progress has been made. 

Speaking today the Chairperson of the Public Health Committee, Dr. Ina Kelly said: our members are frustrated and angry at the continued refusal of the Department of Health to grant us Consultant status even as the same Department relies on us to lead the fight against Covid 19.

"Public health medicine is critical to the ongoing management of the nations health and we have stepped up to the plate during this crisis taking on additional duties, additional hours even though our workforce was seriously understaffed even before Covid.

"If the Government are really serious about a consultant led public health system we must see the same level of commitment from them. Hand clapping and thanks are not the response we need.
Patricia Bennett, SEMA Show 2018 One customer will save 12 hours a month. Imagine that.

PC Bennett, an Acumatica Gold Certified Partner, announces their automotive database management solution: AutoFitmentPlus. To better serve their automotive aftermarket customers, PC Bennett is developing a comprehensive tool that rolls fitment tracking and parts lookup with ACES and PIES reference specification sites, packaged into an award-winning ERP system.

AutoFitmentPlus builds on the Fitment functionality that PC Bennett released earlier this year, and is 80% through Phase I development. PC Bennett customers can currently look up fitment for auto parts by year, make, model and other filters, ensuring that they get the right part, every time.

When we asked our clients what they wanted most from a fitment solution, we heard many of them lament having to enter in part data at least twice, often more than that. Then at the end of the month they need to manually create an Excel spreadsheet to send to PIES. It is a huge drain on their time each month. AutoFitmentPlus will allow clients to enter data ONCE, and then click a button and download the PIES file they need, in the right format, in minutes.

The expanded AutoFitmentPlus tool has the go-to reference specification tables: ACES (Aftermarket Catalog Exchange Standard) and PIES (Product Information Exchange Standard) built right into it, allowing fast, easy file preparation and transmission and seamless direct access to the data.

We wanted to help our customers eliminate manual lookups and have an easy way to quickly find parts that match their customers requests, says PC Bennetts Founder, and CEO Patricia Bennett. Integrating it with ACES and PIES just made sense, and saves our clients so much time and effort. One customer currently spends upwards of 12 hours each month preparing their data file for upload to SEMA. Imagine getting that time back every month.

In addition to parts lookup, PC Bennetts AutoFitmentPlus solution also includes:



VIN validation and identification

Vehicle Classification data (Year, Make, Model, Engine Type, etc.) maintained and cross-referenced against your Part SKUs to establish Fitment Application.

Industry-standard ACES (Aftermarket Catalog Exchange Standard) Vehicle Classification data automatically loaded into the ERP database and automatically updated at regular intervals.

Parts Fitment used to filter available products on Sales Orders and Service Orders. Fitment will also integrate with your eCommerce website.

Industry-standard PIES (Product Information Exchange Standard) Product Categorization data automatically loaded into the ERP database and automatically updated at regular intervals.

PIES data used to provide information about your Parts in an industry recognized manner, including Attributes and other specifications.

Sales and Service performed on vehicles tracked by VIN, including Warranties on parts and service.

On-demand export of data in the ACES, PIES, or SEMA prescribed formats with no manual data manipulation or intervention on your part, providing you with seamless integration to your trading partners and the SEMA Data Coop.

For subscribing members of the Auto Care Association, PC Bennetts AutoFitmentPlus will also ensure the data you have in your ERP system is always up to date.

You can read more on PC Bennetts AutoFitmentPlus blog post.

We couldnt be happier that PC Bennett is developing this automotive database management tool for their Acumatica audience. It speaks to their commitment to the automotive industry, and their depth of knowledge and passion for the fastest growing cloud ERP solution, offered Geoff Ashley, Vice President, Partner Strategy & Programs at Acumatica.

About PC Bennett

PC Bennett is an award-winning Acumatica Cloud ERP Software provider, but were more than that. Were car enthusiasts, who think about more than just technology. We think about how people work so we can provide the tools and information needed to make good business decisions.

The experienced team at PC Bennett will take the time to understand your priorities so we can recommend cost-effective solutions that achieve results.

We know there are many choices available to supply your automotive technology needs. We look forward to the opportunity to show you why we are the right choice for your small or medium business (SMB).

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The Zeleny Dol Buyan-class corvette of project 21631 was tested in the Barents and White Seas. It sailed by internal waterways from the Baltic Sea to the Arctic to participate in Northern fleet manoeuvres and successfully fired cruise missiles. The exercise showed that small ships with Kalibr missiles can reinforce the northern direction. It is vital, as NATO is likely to deploy missile defense in Norway, the Izvestia daily writes.

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Russian Navy Project 21631 Buyan-M class corvette Zelyony Dol. (Picture source: Russian MoD)

Trials of the Zeleny Dol in the Northern fleet were recognized as successful. It was unclear before that whether small project 21631 corvettes can operate in the Arctic weather and hydrographic conditions. The corvette coped with the mission and fulfilled all tasks.

The Zeleny Dol of the Baltic fleet sailed to the exercise area via internal waterways, the Neva River, Lake Ladoga and Belomoro-Baltiisky Canal to the White Sea. In the Northern fleet, the corvette called at Severodvinsk and Severomorsk. It sailed over 3.3 thousand nautical miles.

In the White Sea, the corvette live fired a Kalibr missile which hit a coastal target in Chizha range. The corvette will soon return to the Baltic naval base by the same route.

Until recently, the Russian Navy has not sailed from one direction to another by internal waterways, expert Dmitry Boltenkov said. "The maneuvers give the Navy bigger possibilities to concentrate forces in various directions in case of threats. It is no problem for a well-trained crew. If necessary, small ships from the Baltic and Caspian Seas can reinforce the Northern fleet," he said.

The Zeleny Dol has a displacement of 850 tons and fights sea targets in brown waters. It carries eight launchers for Kalibr or Onix missiles and artillery guns. Besides, the corvettes can be included into the so-called reconnaissance-strike and reconnaissance-fire forces.

Besides the Zeleny Dol, the Odintsovo Karakurt-class corvette of project 22800 was also tested in the Northern fleet. Sources said it trained fire.

The trials showed that the Northern fleet can be rapidly reinforced with cruise missile carriers. It may be necessary if NATO deploys missile defense in Norway or adjacent waters, expert Dmitry Kornev said. "It can deploy warships with Aegis missile defense. It can theoretically down Russian intercontinental missiles flying over Norway and close to it. Cruise missile carriers are necessary to break through the defense. Shipborne Kalibr can fire two types of missiles - antiship and against ground targets. Both are necessary to break through the missile defense. One will destroy Aegis and the other will target ground infrastructure," he said.

In October 2019, the Norwegian government refused to acquire radars and interceptor missiles for a ground missile defense of NATO on its territory. It is not going to deploy foreign missile defense bases in the country. However, Norway provides its seaports to foreign warships of the missile defense system. Infrastructure is upgraded in Tromso for US warships with Aegis and cruise missiles, the Izvestia said.

 Copyright 2020 TASS Navy Recognition. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Gogglebox Australia star Chantal Bakac has been left terrorised after being attacked by a vicious dog.

The blonde required several stitches on her lower lip following the scary incident.

On Thursday, audiences saw Chantal struggle to laugh and eat food as she watched TV with her neighbour Kaday Kamara.

Ouch! Gogglebox Australia star Chantal Bakac has been left terrorised after being attacked by a vicious dog. The blonde required several stitches on her lower lip following the scary incident

Early on in the episode, Chantal was gifted by a bouquet of flowers by Kaday who joked: 'I got you flowers for being stupid. This is your flowers, for putting your face in a dog's face.'

The Sydney-based friends later watched an episode of Channel 10's new comedy Drunk History, which proved to be challenging for the injured star when she laughed.

At one point, Chantal couldn't contain her laughter as the inebriated comedian, Anne Edmonds, narrated Dame Nellie Melba's life story.

Kaday, who is also a nurse, urged her friend to close her mouth so she wouldn't further injure herself and damage the stitches in her lip.

For you! Early on in the episode, Chantal was gifted by a bouquet of flowers by Kaday who joked: 'I got you flowers for being stupid. This is your flowers, for putting your face in a dog's face.' Pictured right is Kaday, left is Chantal

Keep your mouth closed! On Thursday, audiences saw Chantal struggle to laugh and eat food as she watched TV with her neighbour Kaday Kamara

On another night, the ladies got together to eat dinner and watch The Bachelor.

Chantal used her fingers to eat a bowl of spaghetti and a straw to drink up the sauce, explaining: 'I can't eat on this side of my mouth. I'm actually serious.'

She then told her pal: 'If there was a Cocker Spaniel at the other end, it would be like Lady and the Tramp.'

'I can't eat on this side of my mouth': On another night, the ladies got together to eat dinner and watch The Bachelor. Chantal used her fingers to eat a bowl of spaghetti and a straw to drink up the sauce, explaining: 'I can't eat on this side of my mouth. I'm actually serious'

But Kaday pointed out: 'Haven't you learned your lesson not to put your face near dogs?'

Kaday Kamara and Chantal Bakac joined Gogglebox Australia in season 11 following the departure of Angie Kent and Yvie Jones.

Gogglebox airs Wednesdays at 7:30pm on Foxtel's Lifestyle Channel, and Thursdays at 8.30pm on Channel 10
A view of the first-floor dining room adjacent to the kitchen, beneath the mezzanine, at Steak 48, Broad and Spruce Streets. Read more

The splashy, big-ticket Steak 48, just weeks from opening when the pandemic shut down indoor dining in Philadelphia, rolled out this week at Broad and Spruce Streets, across from the Kimmel Center.

The family run, Scottsdale, Ariz.-based steakhouse, with locations in Houston and Chicago, has taken the spaces occupied formerly by Teds Montana Grill and Ruths Chris.

As such, it is sprawling. Even with city restaurants limited to 25% occupancy, Steak 48 can accommodate about 100 patrons, in a variety of settings. Theres a row of tables as well as more intimate booths lining the glassed-in expo kitchen, plus a mezzanine.

To achieve proper social spacing, unoccupied tables set with floral arrangements and linens are interspersed with the available, live tables.

Lighting is low, and theres a plush though vaguely industrial feel throughout. Judith Testani of Testani Design Troupe exposed original steel girders of the building, which was built a century ago as the offices of Atlantic Richfield Oil Refining Co.

Brothers Jeff and Mike Mastro and business partner Scott Trolio were 2020 James Beard Award semifinalists in the outstanding restaurateur category for such brands as Ocean 44, Dominicks, and Steak 44.

The Mastros made the meatery scene two decades ago with the Mastros Steakhouse and Mastros Ocean Club brands, now owned by Landrys, parent company of Mortons. (The 44 is after Steak 44s address on North 44th Street in Phoenix, and the 48 is a nod to Arizonas being the 48th state.)

Steak 48 is a homecoming for Overbrook native chef Robert Watson, who worked at the Warwick Hotel and Cutters before heading west in 1991. He previously was chef at Dominicks and Steak 44.

Steak 48

260 S. Broad St., 215-552-4848
The gender pay gap in the Trump administration is wider than the national pay gap, according to new research.

A new study reports the women who call the White House their professional home make less than their male counterparts due to a gender pay gap wider than the national average.

Read More: Trump administration gives $2B to Tommy Fisher in border wall contracts

New nonprofit, nonpartisan organization The 19th found a $33K difference between the median salary for male staffers and the median salary for female staffers in President Donald Trumps administration. While male staffers at the White House earned $106K on average, women only took home $72,700.

According to The 19th, this breaks down to 69 cents to the male dollar, a larger discrepancy than the national gender pay gap of 82 cents on the dollar.

To avoid addressing structural and institutional gender discrimination in terms of pay equity, the go-to is to talk about position and title when, in fact, thats not whats driving pay inequity, said C. Nicole Mason, the president and CEO of the Institute for Womens Policy Research to The 19th. Its decisions that are being made from the top down about the valuing of womens work and how much they should be paid.

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows with President Trump and other White House staff in the Cabinet Room of the White House on August 3, 2020 in Washington, DC.. (Photo by Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images)

Both the White House gender pay gap and the national gender pay gap are results raw pay gaps. According to The 19th, the term used by economists means the data does not account for experience, education, title, or any other factors which may impact a persons salary. Allegations of gender bias from women working for Trump are not new.

TheGrio reports that Omarosa Manigault-Newman, former White House aide to Trump, joined a lawsuit accusing the Trump campaign of gender pay discrimination. The Apprentice breakout star alleges she was paid only $7K a month while her male colleague earned $11K a month for doing the same work. She says other female staffers who had more experience and more education, were also paid less.

Story continues

Omarosa Manigualt-Newman waits to promote her new book on The Today Show on August 13, 2018 in New York City. Omarosa Manigault Newman Former White House aide, recognizes that she taped her firing process of White House just to protect herself. (Photo by Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images)

The 19th reports gender pay gaps are not new to the Trump presidency. The organization found that during Barack Obamas presidency, women were paid between 84 and 89 cents for every dollar paid to male staffers. His margin, however, is slimmer than the current POTUS and the national gender pay gap during his presidential era.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany issued a statement saying President Trump implements policies that empower women across the country, and claims he has  has taken unprecedented action to support women and girls, according to The 19th.

McEnany cites a historic low unemployment rate for women in 2019 under the Trump administration although The 19th notes female unemployment has risen to historic highs since the coronavirus pandemic.

The White House statement also notes the passage of paid family leave for federal employees, the passage of a child care tax credit, and the Ivanka Trump-led Womens Global Development and Prosperity Initiative as proof it is fair to women.

White House advisor Ivanka Trump speaks during a meeting meeting of the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board in the East Room of the White House on June 26, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

But research by The 19th finds that 40% of staffers with rankings including assistants, deputy assistants, and special assistants in the Trump White House were women, less than the 50% gender split in the Obama administration, despite the current POTUS claiming to have employed the most women in senior positions in United States history.

Read More: Trump administration withheld $4 million from FDNY 9/11 health fund

The Trump administration has shown no interest in taking steps to close the racial and gender wage gap impacting working women across this country, said Emily Martin, vice president of education and workplace justice at the National Womens Law Center, according to The 19th.

Have you subscribed to theGrios podcast Dear Culture? Download our newest episodes now!

The post Gender pay gap in Trump administration worse than national average, study finds appeared first on TheGrio.




The U.N. Human Rights Council was holding an urgent debate on Belarus on Friday, even though diplomats from Belarus and allied countries tried to prevent reports on violations to be presented at the meeting in Geneva.







Deputy UN?rights chief Nada al-Nashif told the council that there had been thousands of arrests, hundreds of reports of torture, including of children, as well as abductions amid the mass protests against the election of President Alexander Lukashenko to a sixth term in office.







"It is vital for the future of Belarus to break these cycles of increasing repression and violence,"?al-Nashif said. "Civil society is a valuable partner, not a threat," she added.







After al-Nashif's speech, envoys from Belarus, Russia, Venezuela and China raised a long series of points of order to complain that the U.N.?official had been allowed to speak, and to stop additional reports from a U.N. rights investigator and from Belarusian civil society representatives.







The Austrian diplomat who presides over the Human Rights Council, Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger, finally issued a ruling to stop these interventions.







The Human Rights Council is set to decide on Friday on a resolution introduced by European countries, which calls on Minsk to stop violations and urges the government to allow a visit by a U.N.?rights investigator.







Belarusian Ambassador Yury Ambrazevic rejected all accusations voiced in the council, which heard video messages from the foreign ministers of Denmark, Slovakia, Poland, the Netherlands and Ukraine.







"We believe it is not acceptable to use this body here to interfere in the election in any individual country,"?Ambrazevic said. (dpa)


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.

PRESS RELEASE

Nyxoah Announces Commencement of Trading of Shares on Euronext Brussels

Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium - 18 September 2020 - Nyxoah ("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, is delighted to announce its flotation today on Euronext Brussels. This follows a successful placing by Bank Degroof Petercam NV/SA and Belfius Bank NV/SA, raising approximately 73.70 million, or up to 84.75 million (US$100m), assuming the exercise in full of the Over-allotment Option, for the Company before expenses, at a price of 17.00 per share.

Trading of shares will begin at 9.00 (CEST) under the ticker symbol "NYXH".

Olivier Taelman, Chief Executive Officer of Nyxoah, commented: "Today marks an exciting new era for Nyxoah as a publicly listed company. The money raised will enable Nyxoah to further advance on ongoing clinical evidence development, launch the US DREAM IDE pivotal trial, execute on European commercialization, further invest in R&D and scale-up the organisation to successfully embrace the future."

The full details of the results of the offering are available in the press release issued yesterday and accessible to those eligible to view them on the investor section of the Nyxoah website at www.nyxoah.com .



- 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 risk1 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 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.

Attachments
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Thursday morning that he would delay the resumption of face-to-face instruction for hundreds of thousands of students from September 21 to September 29. Only students in schools that accommodate children from kindergarten to the 8th grade would open then, and middle schools and high schools would open on October 1.

The decision came after the self-described progressive Democratic mayor met with United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew and representatives from the school principals union. The mayor noted in a press conference that Yesterday morning they raised real concerns about specific things that have to be done. We worked together in a respectful spirit to work through each and every issue.

The real concerns were unquestionably not about the health and safety of teachers and students, but about the intense opposition to school reopening on September 21 by educators, school bus drivers and other support staff and parents.

Teachers at Public School 139 in Brooklyn refused to enter building earlier this week following a positive COVID case

Teachers, parents and others have organized demonstrations and other protests independently of the UFT all week long over dirty buildings, poor ventilation systems, and faulty testing and contact tracing. Over 60 educators who reported to buildings on September 8 for in-service work before students return have tested positive for COVID-19. Educators were outraged that they were not informed that they had worked with infected colleagues for days.

Social media has been filled with anger at both de Blasio and the UFT since September 1, when the organization cut a deal with de Blasio to open the schools for in-person learning on September 21 rather than on the original date of September 10. Under pressure from the ranks, the UFT leadership voted to authorize a strike hoping to contain the anger of teachers, but quickly dropped any talk of a strike, and agreed to the opening.

This second delay is a tactical retreat by the citys Democratic officials who are concerned that the UFT will not be able to contain the resistance of teachers and other school employees to the deadly reopening of the nations largest school district, which will imperil not only educators but the districts 1.1 million students, their families and the city as a whole. Trumps rush to reopen the schools, which is backed by Democrats like de Blasio and the governors of New York, California, Michigan and other states, is entirely driven by the profit interests of Wall Street and other corporations.

Mass opposition to schools reopening threatens to ignite a broad social struggle against capitalism. New York is suffering from the greatest rate of unemployment since the 1930s, with nearly a million New Yorkers out of work and food insecurity and homelessness at the highest levels ever.

Last week, the New York Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee was formed to unite and coordinate opposition to the deadly reopening of schools and to link up with educators and other sections of the working class.

The committee issued the following statement in response to the temporary delay:

The New York City Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee rejects the new plan proposed by Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on September 17 and developed with the connivance of the United Federation of Teachers, to introduce a new, phased reopening of New York City schools. The new plan only delays the return to school and the massing of hundreds of thousands of people in close quarters during a deadly pandemic without adequate protection. The decision is an acknowledgment that the Department of Education is completely unprepared to open its school buildings in a manner that could prevent the mass infection of teachers and students. All the promises of de Blasio and his chancellor of schools, Richard Carranza, have been exposed as calculated lies. Rapid and effective contact-tracing has been non-existent, and educators have been informed of the illness of colleagues they were in personal contact with only after a delay of days

Dozens of photographs have been distributed on social media of the same filthy conditions in these buildings that have existed for years because of a shortage of supplies and custodial staff

De Blasio and Carranza have done almost nothing to repair or replace the inadequate ventilation system in hundreds of school buildings. Air filters have only been issued in grossly inadequate amounts All these conditions were exposed by educators and parents themselves. The opposition to school reopening was expressed by dozens of protests by teachers and parents outside of schools. Social media was filled with the opposition by educators not only to de Blasio, but also to the role of the United Federation of Teachers in lending critical assistance to de Blasio in opening the schools. Confronted with the threat of widespread actions in opposition to school reopening, the UFT and the Democrats in City Hall were forced to backtrack. Educators, parents, and students themselves must decide when it is safe to open the schools, not the Department of Education. This can only be done by committees of educators, school workers, parents and students that have broken from the trade unions and Democratic party and will not compromise with those running the schools. We demand: The immediate closure of all public, private and charter schools and university campuses in New York City!

Full funding for public education, frequent mass testing and effective contact tracing, replacement of school ventilation systems, free high-speed internet access and computer equipment for online instruction!

Full income protection to all parents and caregivers who stay home with their children!

All educators and parents around the US who would like to take up a fight against the unsafe reopening of schools should attend the national online meeting on Saturday.
I went into the house and was like, Wow, this would be a great project. It hasnt been touched at all,  she said. But then what sold me on the house was I went up on this pull-down ladder thing to the attic and was like, Oh my gosh, why is there so much space up here? 
By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijan State Art Gallery has opened a virtual photo-poster exhibition aimed at promotion of the country's military strength.

Supported by the Ministry of Culture and the Defense Ministry, the project features photographs of artillery weapons, ammunition, military exercises and parades from the relevant archives of the Defense Ministry, posters made by artist Zaur Kantemirov, who is currently working at the State Art Gallery.

The exposition aroused great interest among viewers. The virtual exhibition is available on the gallery's social networks.

Founded in 1975, Azerbaijan State Art Gallery displays more than 14,000 paintings, graphics, sculptures, decorative and applied arts and contemporary art examples.

The main activities of the gallery include preservation and restoration of Azerbaijan's cultural heritage, researches on the current situation and prospects of the fine arts and decorative-applied arts and much more.

The majority of exhibitions in Azerbaijan and abroad are mainly composed of the works stored in the gallery.

The State Art Gallery regularly successfully holds various art projects, lectures and other events.
D onald Trump has ordered a clampdown on video-sharing app TikTok and messaging platform WeChat that would prevent them from being download in the US from Sunday.

The order was made to combat Chinas malicious collection of American citizens personal data, according to US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.

However, officials said the ban could still dropped before it is due to be enforced if TikTok's Chinese parent company Bytedance reaches an agreement about its US operations, after the Trump administration ordered the business be sold.

The company has been in talks with firms including Oracle Group to create a new company called TikTok Global in a bid to address US government concerns over the security of users' data, which it fears could fall into the hands of the country's communist regime.

Comedian Sarah Cooper created a series of TikTok lip-syncing videos lampooning the president that went viral / Getty Images

The Commerce Department said the move will "protect users in the US by eliminating access to these applications and significantly reducing their functionality".

Government claims about the apps include they collect "vast swathes of data from users, including network activity, location data, and browsing and search histories".

However, both companies and the Chinese government deny American data could be passed to Beijing, or they pose a threat to national security.

ByteDance has said American user data is stored in the US and backed up in Singapore.

The announcement follows executive orders signed by the president last month, but TikTok launched a lawsuit to stop the administration enacting the ban.

WeChat provides messaging and electronic payment services (Martin Bureau/AFP via Getty Images) / MARTIN BUREAU/AFP via Getty Images

The US government previously said that using and downloading WeChat to communicate would not be banned, although messaging on the app could be directly or indirectly impaired, and people who use would not be penalised.

TikTok reportedly has millions of users based in the US, but it is unclear how many of WeChat's billion-plus users are based outside China.

The Commerce Department order would deplatform the apps in the US and bar Apples App Store, Google Play and others from offering the smartphone software on any service that can be reached from within the United States, an official told Reuters.

TikTok said in a statement: "Weve already committed to unprecedented levels of additional transparency and accountability well beyond what other apps are willing to do, including third-party audits, verification of code security, and US government oversight of US data security.

We will continue to challenge the unjust executive order, which was enacted without due process and threatens to deprive the American people and small businesses across the US of a significant platform for both a voice and livelihoods."

Tencent, which owns WeChat, said messages on its app are private.
The students desk chairs were precisely 6 feet apart, the windows were open and the new air filtration systems hummed as San Francisco public health officials jotted down observations while inspecting every corner of a private school campus on Thursday.

If The San Francisco School, which serves 285 preschoolers through eighth-graders in the Portola district, passes the inspection, it will be one of the first schools in the city to bring children in grades K-5 back to classrooms. The process could offer some insight into what it will take to reopen sites safely and whether coronavirus outbreaks will happen despite the protocols put in place.

Six months after schools shut down, many families and students are desperate for classrooms to open, saying distance learning is a poor substitute for live learning. But as private schools gear up for in-person classes, all eyes are on San Franciscos public school district, which serves 53,000 students and is far from bringing back any children to the classroom.

This is what we live to do, said Steve Morris, head of school at The San Francisco School, which charges up to $34,250 in tuition, depending on grade level. This is what teachers are supposed to do  be in person with kids.

So far, 75 private and public charter schools have submitted letters of intent to reopen, with 33 of them submitting full applications. Each will be inspected to ensure a long list of requirements are met before the city allows in-person classes to resume.

Health officials started those site visits this week, tape measure in hand to estimate the distance between student seats, and schools could reopen as soon as they get approval in the coming days.

Paul Chinn / The Chronicle

San Francisco Unified public schools have not submitted any applications and are unlikely to do so in the near future. The district is still working out facilities and transportation issues, testing protocols, as well as adequate supplies of soap, hand sanitizer and other resources while also negotiating labor agreements with teachers and other staff. The district is also navigating a budget shortfall while paying for the health and safety upgrades.

At Morris school, the three city inspectors asked about social distancing, signage, soap, mask policies and whether students would remain in small, stable groups, with no caps on size as long as they meet all other requirements in classrooms.

All adults will be required to use a scanner whenever they enter a classroom, Morris told the health officials, so the school will be able to track exposure if someone tests positive in a student group.

Water fountains were turned off and students will be required to bring their own water bottles to refill at special water stations. Lunch would be eaten in classrooms silently and with students 6 feet apart to prevent any viral spread when masks are off.

Staff would be tested before the school reopens and every two months after, per health department requirements, Morris said.

This school has it down, said Ana Validzic, a COVID-19 command team leader at the Department of Public Health, her digital checklist in her hands. Theyre in compliance.

That wasnt an official decision, she said, but it was clear from inspecting the first few rooms that the school had put everything in place.

With the citys blessing, the private school would likely be ready to start bringing students back in early October, which would give teachers time to prepare to switch from distance learning back to classrooms, Morris said.

Kindergartners as well as first- and second-graders would likely start first, followed by fourth and fifth. City health officials said authorization for middle school and high school students would likely come later and require additional criteria to mitigate spread in the older students, who typically attend larger schools.

Morris was unable to identify the hardest requirement in terms of complying with health guidelines required to reopen. All of it was hard, he said.

It will be even harder for the citys 118 traditional public schools, district officials said. Many buildings are old, with small classrooms and outdated ventilation systems or windows that dont open. There are questions surrounding busing students as well as the need to negotiate agreements with the teachers union and other labor groups.

They are still working out how to test all staff at least every two months as required by health officials, how to ensure social distancing in small classrooms and whether students would attend their assigned school or another one closer to home with adequate supplies, staff and facilities, officials said.

Paul Chinn / The Chronicle

I would say January would probably be the earliest, said school board President Mark Sanchez on when the citys public schools might reopen. That would be my educated guess at this point.

The district and teachers union have just scheduled the first negotiations sessions  three, two-hour meetings next week.

The teachers want to see more specific requirements beyond what the county requires  including how the individual aides to special needs students will do their jobs and more specific wording about social distancing. The county requires students to be 6 feet apart if feasible, said Susan Solomon, president of the United Educators of San Francisco.

What we want is clear language, she said.

When public schools do start to reopen, students with special needs, English learners, homeless students, foster children and those in preschool through second grade are likely to return first, district officials said.

And students would likely be on a hybrid schedule, at school part of the day or week and doing distance learning the rest of the time.

Were working on (testing) and other aspects of the infrastructure and logistics necessary to begin in-person hybrid learning, said Gentle Blythe, district spokeswoman, declining to guess when that could happen.

Superintendent Vincent Matthews is expected to give a more comprehensive update on reopening plans Tuesday, including an estimate on how long it would take to reopen after public health officials give the go-ahead and an agreement with teachers is reached.

Back at The San Francisco School, Morris said he was eager to see students in classrooms, the reward after a long and arduous process. He hoped his school could help guide others across the city, offering an example of how kids could return to where they need to be.

I want to do this in a safe, healthy way for our students, he said. Its not easy, but I feel like were doing this on behalf of the teachers and schools across the city.

What will it take to reopen S.F. schools? The Department of Public Health will require schools to adhere to health and safety protocols in order to reopen. These include: Keep students in stable groups Maintain social distancing of 6 feet when feasible, with barriers or other partitions Ensure rooms are well ventilated Make sure all desks face the same way Post signs with occupancy limits Require face coverings for adults and students in grade three and above; encourage for all others See More Collapse

Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker
Meghan Markle is a multihyphenate; a former actress, a humanitarian, and a feminist, among others. Can she transcend to becoming the United States President?

Several may believe that there is practically nothing that the Duchess of Sussex cannot do. Marie Claire said that she might not be using her old HRH title anymore, but she could be called "Madam President" in the future.

Meghan Markle Could Potentially Run for Office

According to Jonathan Shalit, a celebrity agent who reportedly knows the duchess personally, it is probable that she could run for the highest office in the United States.

Call for Change

The former "Suits" actress deviated from protocol typically followed by UK royals in calling for a change in the November US presidential election, reported India Today.

Markle made such remarks amid an online voter registration couch party organized by When We All Vote. When We All Vote is an outreach organization co-chaired by former first lady Michelle Obama, actor Tom Hanks, and other people to increase partaking at the polls.

The goal of the meeting was to seek support for the democratic contender opposite President Trump in the election on November 3, 2020. In the session, Markle urged the voting public to assess what is at stake, reported Republic World.

Meghan Markle's Run 'Isn't Beyond the Realm of Possibility'

According to Shalit, the potentiality "isn't beyond the realm of possibility" for Meghan Markle to enter politics as president although he had never heard her discuss the matter.

Also Read: Meghan Markle's $75M Threat Royal Family With Princess Diana Documentary?

Shalit stated, "She's American-born, she has every right to run for president. Ronald Reagan was a B-list actor who ended up in the White House. Never say never," reported The Sun.

Revelation by a Betting Company

The question posed by one betting company was: Could Markle one day take the ultimate next step to run for President? More than Michelle Obama and George Clooney, it revealed that Markle has more bets placed on her running for executive power in 2024.

Meghan Markle, Ivanka Trump, May Battle in the 2024 Election

According to a couple of commentators, Markle and Trump's daughter, Ivanka Trump, might run against each other during the 2024 presidential election.

During the 2016 presidential campaigns, Markle dubbed Trump as and "misogynistic" and "divisive."

Outspoken Woman of Power

Shalit added, "Never say never. The perception of the couple in America is different to the UK. The UK has a love-hate relationship with the Sussexes, but it's different in the States."

Regarding the upcoming presidential election, she remarked, "We all know what's at stake this year. I know it, I think all of you certainly know it. You're just as mobilised and energised to the change that we all need and deserve."

She asserted that the US citizens needed to turn the page to set forth the change they had long deserved and that people must vote to honor those who know what the community was about.

Meghan Markle, the perceived potential to run as president, has consistently been adamant about voicing out her opinions. In causes that she believes in, she has given numerous speeches.

Related Article: Meghan Markle's Mother Caused a Rift Between Kate Middleton and the Queen

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
SAD leader on Thursday said her decision to resign from the Union Cabinet to protest three farm sector bills "symbolises my party's vision, its glorious legacy and its commitment to go to any extent to safeguard the interests of farmers".

"I am proud that today I am able in my humble way to take that legacy forward, she said.

In her four-page resignation letter addressed to the prime minister, she said, "In view of the decision of the government of India to go ahead with the Bill on the issue of marketing of agricultural produce without addressing and removing the apprehensions of and decision of my party, Shiromani Akali Dal, not to be a part of anything that goes against the interest of farmers, I find it impossible to continue to perform my duties as a minister in the union council of ministers."



on Thursday passed the Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill and the (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill.

It has already passed Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill. They will replace ordinances promulgated by the Union government.

The SAD leader said that before, during and after the promulgation of the three ordinances, she had tried her best to persuade the Cabinet to take the actual stakeholders of this decision, the farmers, on board and remove their apprehensions and concerns.

"All this while, I was given the impression that since an Ordinance is only a temporary arrangement, my concerns and pleas would be addressed while legislating on the issue in the

But I write it with a very heavy heart that despite my persistent pleas as well as repeated efforts of my party, SAD, in this regard, the government has not taken the farmers on board, she wrote.

The trust farmers place in us is sacred to us, she said.

My decision symbolises my party's vision, its glorious legacy and its commitment to go to any extent to safeguard the interests of the farmers, she said.

Kaur said her decision to resign was guided by the "iconic legacy" of former Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal for fighting to defend interests, be it against the Emergency or for the establishment of a federal structure in the country as well as preserving external security or food security.

She said that her party always followed the "great Guru Sahiban who taught them never to compromise on one's principles and to stand up for what one strongly believes to be right.

That is precisely what I am doing today, the parliamentarian from Punjab's Bathinda said.

Kaur, who held the food processing industries portfolio, said, I and my party are deeply pained that we were not able to persuade the government to refer the Bills governing the marketing of farmers produce to a select committee.

She, however, expressed satisfaction that she was able to live up to the expectations of the people who have placed their complete trust in her.

Describing her tenure as minister as a remarkable and most memorable period of my life, she said she was satisfied that the NDA-led government delivered on many critical and long-standing issues of the Sikh community, including justice for 1984 riots victims.

She also recounted Goods and Services Tax waiver on 'langar', permission granted to foreign donations to the Darbar Sahib as major achievements.

"But the most memorable moment for me and for every devout Sikh came with the historic opening of Kartarpur Sahib corridor for which the Sikhs had been praying in their daily ardas for three quarters of a century, she said.

She also recalled the three-decades-old alliance formed by Parkash Singh Badal and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

She said she was confident that the SAD-BJP alliance would continue to work together to maintain the hard earned atmosphere of peace and communal harmony in Punjab.

Talking to the media later, she said she did not consider her step as any sacrifice but just a natural and normal course for any proud Akali wedded to the 'Panthic' values and to the cause of the farmers.

The real sacrifices are made by the farmers themselves. I am just standing by them as their daughter and sister, she said.

She said she has requested the prime minister to accept her resignation with immediate effect.

I have resigned from Union Cabinet in protest against anti-farmer ordinances and legislation. Proud to stand with farmers as their daughter & sister, she tweeted.

(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.)
Women on public transport in coronavirus-stricken Iran - Bloomberg/Ali Mohammadi

Iran has declared a coronavirus red alert due to a third wave of infections, with thousands more deaths likely to follow in the Middle Easts worst affected country.

The red alert will cover the entire country, according to Iranian state media reports, as the death toll rose on Friday by 144 to 23,952 and the total number of cases exceeded 400,000.

Iranian officials have carved up the country into white, orange and red areas based on the number of infections and deaths.

But the countrys deputy health minister said the system was now redundant as the entire country is red.

"The colour classification doesn't make sense anymore, Iraj Harirchi said on an Iranian television programme. "If the current course continues, the death toll will reach 45,000," he added.

According to Reuters news agency, in the northwestern city of Tabriz, the number of hospitalised patients has risen from under 40 per day to 160.

And in the Shia Muslim holy city of Qom, it has increased from ten a day to 160.

Mr Harirchi said that if 95 per cent of the country wore masks and the number of gatherings fell by half then the severe death toll could be reduced.

It comes after leaked documents revealed that the number of deaths from coronavirus in Iran was at least triple the figure reported by the authorities.

The papers, obtained by BBC Persian, showed that an even more severe third wave of the virus was underway.

Even by the governments public figures, Iran is the worst affected country in the Middle East.

Iran formally reported its first coronavirus case in mid-February, with the deaths of two people in Qom, though health workers and Iranian journalists had given earlier warnings about the illness.

Since then, Iran has been accused of deliberately underreporting infections.

Everyone knew that the number of Covid cases was significantly higher than what officials were reporting, an Iranian journalist in Tehran told The Telegraph earlier this month.

Iran has also struggled under crippling US sanctions targeting the regimes leadership, which even before the pandemic had led to severe medicine shortage.
President Klaus Iohannis on Friday sent a message on the occasion of Rosh Hashanah, presented by the presidential adviser Sergiu Nistor, at the ceremony that took place at the Coral Temple in Bucharest.

In the message, the president extends his "warm congratulations, health, prosperity, joy and spiritual fulfillment" for the beginning of Rosh Hashanah to the leadership of the Jewish Communities Federation and their members.

"In this difficult year, in which the Jewish communities in Romania participated in the joint effort to save lives, Rosh Hashanah offers us the opportunity to reflect on our bonds of solidarity and to renew them through empathy, compassion and mutual help. The celebration of the Jewish New Year is today, more than ever, an additional opportunity to strengthen ourselves through knowledge, trust and dialogue, in the spirit of tolerance and mutual preservation. I wish you the Jewish New Year increases your faith and inspires you in the projects of the communities you belong to, the accomplishment of which the whole Romanian society enjoys. 'Shana Tova!'," says President Iohannis in his message.
The personal information of roughly 2,000 Texas Childrens Hospital patients and donors has been compromised as a result of a cyberattack against a third-party cloud software provider used by institutions around the country.

Texas Childrens this week mailed letters advising the individuals of the ransomware attack involving Blackbaud, a company that hosts fundraising databases of hundreds of universities, health-care systems, charities and other institutions. The attack reportedly has exposed the information of hundreds of thousands of people.

Blackbaud paid a ransom demanded by the attackers in return for the destruction of the stolen information. The company said they have confirmation the attackers did destroy the information in question.

Like thousands of other organizations impacted by this incident, Blackbaud did not protect our donors data as required, and we regret any inconvenience or concern this incident may cause those affected, Texas Childrens said in a statement. Texas Childrens takes this incident very seriously and is taking steps to reduce the risk of an incident like this happening again.

The statement added that Texas Childrens has initiated an investigation into the incident. It includes a review of whether security enhancements Blackbaud has added to resolve the vulnerability exposed in its systems are sufficient to protect Texas Childrens information.

Before Blackbaud secured its systems, the attackers removed a copy of a subset of data relating to many of its customers, including a backup of the Texas Childrens donor database. According to the Office of Civil Rights, the information of 1,987 Texas Childrens patients and donors was exposed.

The information exposed is considered health information, though it did not involve electronic health or financial records. Texas Childrens determined that attackers gained access to certain free text fields in its fundraising database that contain patients names, dates of birth, department of service, treating physician and limited clinical information. It does not include Social Security numbers, the hospital said.

Blackbaud informed Texas Childrens of the ransomware attack July 16. The attack occurred between Feb. 7 and March 20, 2020.

Organizations are continuing to assess the cost of the attack months later. Some other institutions took far greater hits than Texas Childrens  Childrens Minnesota, for instance, recently announced that the personal data of more than 160,000 patients may have been compromised in the incident.

It is unclear how many Houston-area institutions were affected by the cyberattack. An August notice on the University of Houston website noted that the school was possibly impacted by the incident, and Baylor College of Medicine took out a legal advertisement in the Sept. 4 edition of the Houston Chronicle acknowledging the incident may have compromised some patient information. The UH page said that 45,000 universities and other nonprofit organizations, including the University of Texas and Texas Tech systems, use Blackbaud.

Houstons Memorial Hermann and Houston Methodist health systems were not impacted, officials there said.

Blackbaud officials did not respond to a Houston Chronicle inquiry about the matter.

The NonProfit Times reported that Blackbaud is working with the Columbia, S.C., bureau of the FBI. A spokesman for the FBI declined to acknowledge there is an investigation but did not deny one is ongoing, reported the publication, which said there have been no reports filed with the Charleston or Mount Pleasant, S.C., police departments and no announced arrests.

It added that the amount of the ransom and how it was paid were not made available.

Texas Childrens is recommending that patients review the statements they receive from their health care providers and should contact their provider immediately if there are services they didnt receive.

The hospital has established a dedicated call center at 1-888-604-0161 to answer any questions about the incident. The call center is available Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.

todd.ackerman@chron.com
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Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has appealed to Ghanaians to vote for President Akufo-Addo on December 7 for a brighter future for all Ghanaians.

According to the Vice President in a statement, the future is bright if we stay the course. That is why we asking the good people of Ghana to give Nana Akufo-Addo and the NPP four more to do more for you!

In his message to the nation, he recounted that four years ago, at the launch of our (NPP) manifesto, we promised Ghanaians that the next Be Patriotic Party (NPP) Government will place people at the centre of its policies and programmes. That the hopes, dreams and concerns of every Ghanaian will be the catalyst and guiding principle in our quest to make life better for all.

It said, four years on, I am proud to say that we have delivered on most of our promises and are on course to deliver the rest, with the prayers and help of every Ghanaian, and under the distinguished and able leadership of President Nana Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

It added that we of the New Patriotic Party are committed to initiating pro-poor policies and programmes to bridge the inequality gap.

According to the statement, the NPP has distinguished itself as the best party to lead the forward march for Ghanas accelerated development.

But, we are not just building infrastructure and introducing epoch-interventions; we are building a nation, it said, adding that we have been committed to our social contract to providing free Senior High School education, creating jobs, transforming agriculture, industrializing the economy, sustaining the National Health Insurance Scheme, digitizing the economy, ensuring the public safety of Ghanaians, and keeping the lights on. We still have much more to do.

---Daily Guide
A South Korean expert has been elected a member of the U.N. Human Rights Committee monitoring civil and political rights, the foreign ministry said Friday.







Soh Chang-rok, a professor at Korea University's Graduate School of International Studies, will serve a four-year term as one of the 18 independent experts on the committee in charge of monitoring the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights by state members.







Soh is the first South Korean to be elected to the committee since the country acceded to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in 1990.







Soh is known for his yearslong expertise in human rights and currently serves as the head of Human Asia, a Seoul-based nongovernmental organization, and a member of the U.N. Human Rights Council Advisory Committee.







Through Soh's entry onto the committee, South Korea is expected to further contribute to the U.N. efforts in protecting and promoting international human rights, the ministry said. (Yonhap)


A British Army soldier in the Coldstream Guards has been found guilty of racially abusing a colleague after he expressed his happiness that Muslims had been 'butchered' just 10 days after the New Zealand mosque attack.

Lance Sergeant Derek McHugh was working in the guard room at a barracks in Windsor when he pretended to shoot a rifle while saying he 'loved' what the far-right gunman had done.

The 37-year-old called Corporal Momodou Sonko a 'Muslim bastard' before voicing his admiration for the white supremacist who claimed the lives of 51 people in the shootings in Christchurch.

Lance Sergeant Derek McHugh, 37, has been found guilty of racially abusing a colleague who he called a 'Muslim b*****d'. Pictured: McHugh leaving Bulford Military Court

When confronted, Lance Sergeant McHugh admitted he didn't like Islamic culture and told Royal Military Police officers that he 'didn't see what was wrong with that'?

Corporal Sonko told a court martial he was working as guard commander at Victoria Barracks on March 25 2019, when a letter was delivered that needed to be passed to the medical centre.

Because of where the guardroom was located, only a few hundred metres away from Windsor Castle, one of the Queen's residences, any post was subject to intense scrutiny.

Corporal Sonko began to ask the woman who had delivered the letter a few questions but was interrupted by Lance Sergeant McHugh who told him to 'just leave it'.

Corporal Momodou Sonko (pictured) told the court that racism was 'like drinking water' to Lance Sergeant McHugh and was only the latest in a long line of racial remarks directed at black and Muslim soldiers

Corporal Sonko told the court: 'I said to him in a joking manner that this could be a security risk. He didn't respond to that.

'I think he thought either that was not a concern or he didn't care about what I was saying.

'Immediately after [the woman left] I was sat doing work on my screen and from nowhere, I heard 'you f***** Muslim b******.'

Corporal Sonko said it was only himself, Lance Sergeant McHugh and another unidentified soldier in the room at the time, and he was the only Muslim.

The Gambian born soldier, who was attached to 1 Rifles said he ignored the comment, as he had heard Lance Sergeant McHugh make similar statements numerous times before.

He told the court that racism was 'like drinking water' to the veteran Coldstream Guard and he would regularly use 'derogatory' language about minorities.

Bulford Military Court, Wiltshire, heard that a few moments later, Lance Sergeant McHugh stood up and pretended to hold a rifle while saying 'I love the way that man just went into the mosque and...' before pretending to shoot.

In 2019, 51 people were killed and 40 injured in two shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand during Friday prayer.

The gunman was 28-year-old Brenton Harrison Tarrant, from Australia.

The attacker, described as a 'white supremacist' and member of the 'alt right' live streamed the shooting on Facebook and published an online manifesto.

Prosecuting, Solomon Hartley said: '[McHugh] doesn't accept the exact words but he accepts that he doesn't like Muslims.

'He doesn't like Muslim culture and he says he has a right to feel that way and to express that view.

'He says his view of the culture was formed during tours overseas and he says his son was almost blown up in the Manchester terrorist attack.'

Lance Sergeant McHugh's outburst was only the latest in a long line of racial remarks directed at black and Muslim soldiers.

Lance Sergeant McHugh voiced his admiration for the white supremacist who claimed the lives of 51 people in the shootings in Christchurch saying, 'I love the way that man just went into the mosque and...' before pretending to shoot

Corporal Sonko told the court: '[At first] I thought to educate him would be better than reporting the case and it being blown out of proportion.

'There are people who would call it banter but I viewed it as crossing the line...

'I told him to stop. I told him that is enough. He didn't say anything. He was just concentrating on the computer but immediately after he giggled and left the room.

'He was saying 'I am happy your fellow Muslims were butchered'. I had to think about reporting the matter.'

Lance Sergeant McHugh, who was representing himself, tried to claim in cross examination that the Corporal had misread his hand gestures and misheard what he had said.

He said: 'You say that I liked the guy in New Zealand who did the shootings.. Couldn't you have misheard me and I [in fact] said it didn't bother me and I don't condone it?'

Corporal Sonko replied: 'The words you uttered were linked to the actions you were making'

Lance Sergeant McHugh was found guilty by the court martial panel of two charges of using racially aggravated threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour.

He will be sentenced at a later date.
While the two may be opponents in the race to become Harris County Precinct 3 commissioner, both Democratic candidate Michael Moore and Republican candidate Tom Ramsey agree on one thing: COVID-19 has not stopped their campaigns.

Ramsey said campaign volunteers have been going door to door speaking with potential voters, though a lot of the campaigning occurs online.

State of the District: Cy-Fair ISD officials recap COVID-19 precautions

Theres not a day that goes by that I dont have a virtual meeting with some association or some group, Ramsey said. Back in the primary we did those all in person so thats a different way to do it but its no less effective. In fact, I can probably see more people doing it this way than getting in my car and driving.

Meanwhile, Moore has chosen a more cautious approach for reaching possible voters in Harris County.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Texas is ground zero in voting rights war

No more door knocking, no more in-person meetings. Instead of knocking on doors were calling voters and instead of meeting at restaurants we meet over Zoom, he said. COVID-19 has made it more difficult to get the word out to voters, but we are adapting with the times and feel confident in our outreach.

Both Moore and Ramsey will be on the ballot Nov. 3, either shifting the Harris County Commissioners Court almost completely blue, aside from Precinct 4 Commissioner Jack Cagle, or retaining the two Republican seats on the court as Commissioner Steve Radack retires from the position. Both candidates have flooding, infrastructure and transportation as priorities for their campaigns, while Ramsey has a bigger focus on lowering taxes and Moore has a goal to improve local health care.

Ramsey, previously mayor of Spring Valley Village for 8 years and an engineer for 43 years with flood experience, said he plans to move the flood infrastructure planned for Harris County forward with a neighborhood by neighborhood approach.

We had a bond issue in 2018 and we passed $2.5 billion in bonds, he said. Weve got to start building stuff, particularly now coming out of COVID. Weve got to get contractors working, weve got to get people working. I cant think of a better thing to do than to have people solving drainage problems and working at the same time.

Moore said he is willing to push against the effects of climate change by expediting the projects and investing in green infrastructure for the city to absorb heavy rainfall.

I understand that we cannot deal with the effects of flooding on a piecemeal basis, he said. I will work to implement a countywide and regional approach to ensure that all levels of government are coordinating efforts.

Moore said he also plans to develop an action plan to encourage people to sign up for insurance through state exchange.

I will also push to improve our community-wide health and wellness programs, he said. Improving the overall health of our community will pay long-term dividends for all including those who pay for much of it, property taxpayers. I have also called for the merging of the city and county health departments to yield better health outcomes and to create more efficiencies in our health care system.

Ramsey stressed his role in restoring a sense of balance to the Harris County Commissioners Court, specifically when it comes to voting on taxes. Ramsey said he is willing to be absent from Court meetings to stall votes to raise taxes.

If Im not elected that guarantees that taxes will be raised, he said. It doesnt matter if my opponent supports a tax increase or not. If he shows up, theyre going to raise taxes.

Ramsey said he likes to sum up his priorities with three specific bullet points: safe neighborhoods, infrastructure and lower taxes, wanting to give the community he and his family live in a good commissioner. Moore said his experience as Chief of Staff for Houston Mayor Bill White gives him a leg up in governmental spaces.

I would submit that my experience in nonpartisan government will ease the tension on the current Commissioners Court, Moore said. I am a practical person, not an ideologue, who knows how to build coalitions and who will listen carefully to my constituents and fellow commissioners.

chevall.pryce@chron.com
Watch: Brad Pitt is thrilled to reunite with Jennifer Aniston and friends!

Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston shared a steamy scene as they reunited to take part in the star-studded table read for classic 1980s film Fast Times At Ridgemont High.

The former married couple were joined by a stellar cast including Oscar-winning actors Julia Roberts, Matthew McConaughey, Sean Penn and Morgan Freeman, who took the role of narrator.

Henry Golding, Shia LaBeouf, Jimmy Kimmel, John Legend and Ray Liotta also took part, along with host Dane Cook.

During the reading, Pitt read the lines of popular high school student Brad Hamilton while Aniston played the part of Linda Barrett.

Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston attend the 26th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on January 19, 2020. (Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Turner)

The Hollywood stars  who were married for five years from 2000  recreated a risque scene between Phoebe Cates and Judge Reinhold from the 1982 film.

Pitts character has a day dream about Anistons Linda making an advance on him. Roberts, voicing Stacy Hamilton, burst into a fit of giggles while Freeman  reading the racy scene in his distinctive deep voice  paused and said lord, have mercy.

This will definitely stop everyone obsessing over Brad and Jen reunions. #FastTimesLive pic.twitter.com/lVeCNdxNC0  Jillian Sederholm (@JillianSed) September 18, 2020

Hi, Brad, Aniston, dressed casually in a sleeveless top, read. You know how cute I always thought you were. I think youre so sexy. Will you come to me?

Read more: Friends reunion delayed amid the coronavirus outbreak

The day dream ends as Linda walks in on Brad in a compromising position in the bathroom. Pitt, wearing a casual green top and with his long hair blonde hair down, broke out into laughter throughout the scene.

Former Hollywood golden couple Pitt, 56, and Aniston, 51, have rekindled their friendship in the years following their split and in January shared a touching moment backstage at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, where they were both winners.

Story continues

Elsewhere in the table read, LaBeouf threw himself into the part of perpetually stoned surfer Jeff Spicoli, spending the table read seated in the front of his parked truck while smoking a rolled-up cigarette.

All Jeff Spicoli (Sean Penn) wants out of life in the 1982 comedy Fast Times at Ridgemont High is a good buzz, good surf, and a good time. (John Springer Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)

His intense reading of the lines was met with hilarity from Penn, who played Spicoli in the film but had to settle for a small role as a pizza delivery worker in the livestreamed event.

Goodfellas star Liotta played the part of strict history teacher Mr Hand, Golding played Mr Vargas and McConaughey read the lines of Mike Damone.

Kimmel played several roles while Legend voiced student athlete Charles Jefferson.

The table read was to support charities Core and Reform Alliance in their efforts to alleviate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Watch the latest movie star interviews below...
On 60 Minutes, an ex-friend of Melania Trump, Keith Urban and COVID-19 impact.

Lady & the Trumps

Just as the world has never experienced a United States President quite like Donald Trump, its not seen a First Lady like Melania Trump either. Despite being one of the most photographed women on the planet, she remains virtually unknown. But wealthy New York socialite Stephanie Winston Wolkoff is now controversially trying to change all that. She says she was besties with Melania for 15 years, and because of their friendship was not only appointed a senior adviser to the First Lady, she was also asked to organise Trumps presidential inauguration. But two years ago the friendship between the two women soured. Stephanie claims she was the victim of an orchestrated political hit and was bitterly disappointed when Melania abandoned her. Many are calling it a despicable act of revenge, but Stephanie has now written a tell-all book about the First Lady and her secrets, and as she explains to Liam Bartlett in an exclusive interview, there are plenty of secrets to tell about Melania and the Donald.

Reporter: Liam Bartlett

Producer: Thea Dikeos

The Long Haul

In the fight against COVID-19, working out why the disease attacks people differently is vital. Its so sneaky, because as often as it kills it can also be completely benign. But theres also another group of sufferers: an increasing number for whom recovering from the disease is not the end of their ordeal, its just the beginning. Theyre not regaining normal health, which means tasks as simple as walking up a flight of stairs continue to be a struggle. As Tom Steinfort reports, the great worry for scientists is that these so-called COVID long-haul victims might bear the scars of the pandemic for the rest of their lives.

Reporter: Tom Steinfort

Producers: Tracey Hannaford, Naomi Shivaraman

Urban Legend

For all of Keith Urbans phenomenal worldwide success, he remains delightfully unassuming and unaffected. Its a typically Australian trait that endears him to his millions of fans. On assignment for 60 Minutes, Peter Overton discovers that with Keith, what you see really is what you get. And thats a hardworking superstar who also loves being a husband and a dad.

Reporter: Peter Overton

Producer: Stefanie Sgroi

8:30pm (ish) Sunday on Nine.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 10:06:57|Editor: huaxia

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ABUJA, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Two senior police officers were shot dead Thursday and another seriously wounded as gunmen invaded a town in Nigeria's northwestern state of Sokoto, police said.

About 100 gunmen dressed in army camouflage attacked Gidan Madi town of Tangaza local government area in the state, engaging police in a gunfight early Thursday, Sadiq Abubakar, a police spokesman, told the press.

Police authorities confirmed Aliyu Bello, head of the divisional police headquarters in the town, and Muhammad Abdullahi, a senior inspector, were killed in the attack.

A team of senior police officers has been drafted to investigate the incident, Abubakar added. Enditem
Coronavirus: 200 cases in crowded Beirut prison Authorities claim situation is under control

(ANSAmed) - BEIRUT, SEPTEMBER 18 - Over 200 more cases of COVID-19 have been discovered in the crowded Roumieh prison near Beirut.



The hygienic conditions of the prison are considered sub-standard and unable to ensure the safety of the over 4,000 detainees and prison guards.



The head of the Lebanese Doctors Association Sharaf Abu Sharaf said that over 200 in the prison had tested positive but did not specify how many were prisoners and how many were guards.



In recent days an uprising that lasted a few hours broke out in the infamous B Wing of the Roumieh prison after the news of dozens of cases of COVID-19 spread.



The authorities say that the situation is under control and that those infected have been transferred to a building equipped for quarantine.



Detainees have posted amateur videos and appeals on social networks, claiming they have been "abandoned" and that they risk "dying in jail" from the virus.



"Here there is no social distancing nor protection,'' lament people in the prison, which hosts three times the number of detainees as it was built for.



Abu Sharaf said that the penitentiary administration had taken "all the precautions necessary" but that the "problems is the lack of cooperation on the part of the detainees with the healthcare services and the lack of respect for special public health regulations". (ANSAmed).




Heirloom Tomato-Tortilla soup

 Serves 6 to 8

This tortilla soup, from former Chronicle columnist Jacqueline Higuera McMahan, looks like nachos in a soup bowl. The roasted tomato puree, which is key, will give you more puree than needed, but leftovers freeze beautifully.

The Tomato Puree

3 to 5 pounds tomatoes

Peeled cloves from  head of garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil + more as needed

 red onion, rubbed with olive oil

The Soup Broth

1  cups tomato puree (see note)

1 quart low-sodium vegetable broth

1 quart low-sodium chicken broth

2 guajillo or California dried chiles, stems and seeds removed, rinsed

1 to 2 dried chipotle chiles or canned chipotles en adobo

2 or 3 celery leaves

1 small bunch cilantro stems, tied with cotton string

2 leftover corncobs, kernels removed for other purposes, optional

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled

2 teaspoons dulce (sweet) smoked Spanish paprika

 to 1 teaspoon kosher salt, to taste

To serve

Tortilla chips

1 to 2 cups grated Monterey Jack or Italian fontina cheese, about 6 ounces

2 avocados, sliced

 cup sour cream thinned with 3 teaspoons milk

Minced cilantro

2 limes, quartered

Instructions

To make the tomato puree: Preheat the oven to 300.

Halve the tomatoes horizontally. Flick out some of the seeds with a small spoon. Place the tomatoes, cut side up, on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Add the garlic, then drizzle olive oil over all. Sprinkle with salt to taste. Place the oil-rubbed onion in the middle. Roast for 2 hours. Remove and cool slightly. Set the onion and baking sheet aside.

Run the tomatoes and roasted garlic through a food mill. Keep reversing the disk and scraping the underside of the food mill to get all of the pulp; discard the skins. Alternatively, you can core the tomatoes, slip off the skins and puree the tomatoes and garlic in a food processor. You will have approximately 3-5 cups. The puree can be made ahead and extra can be frozen for up to 3 months.

To make the soup broth: Add 1 cups puree to a 4-quart pot, along with the broths, the reserved onion half and any tomato drippings from the baking sheet. Deglaze any caramelized juices on the baking sheet with  cup boiling water and add to the pot.

Add the guajillo chiles, 1 chipotle (2 chipotles will make a really spicy broth), celery leaves, cilantro stems and corncobs, if using. Bring to a gentle simmer; add the cumin, oregano and paprika. Continue to simmer for 10 minutes, add salt to taste, then simmer 45 minutes more.

Turn off the heat. Remove and discard the cilantro stems, onion pieces and cobs.

Remove the hydrated chiles and chipotle and place in a blender. Add 1 cup of the soup broth and puree until smooth. Add half of the chile puree back to the broth; taste and add more, if desired. Reserve the remaining chile puree for another use.

To serve: Arrange the tortilla chips, about 6 per serving, in wide soup bowls. Ladle in about 1 cup hot broth per bowl. Immediately sprinkle with  cup grated cheese. Add the avocado slices, drizzle with a scant tablespoon sour cream and sprinkle with cilantro. Serve immediately, with the limes alongside.

Note: You can substitute a 28-ounce can of well-drained crushed tomatoes for the fresh tomatoes (Muir Glen Organic Fire Roasted brand is a good choice). Roast the  onion and 2 large cloves garlic in a 350 oven for 30 minutes (to shorten the cooking time), then continue with the recipe. You will have about 1 cups tomato puree.

Erin D. Scott / Special to The Chronicle

Stuffed Squash Blossoms With Pickled Melon & Corn Salad

 Serves 6 to 7

Lightly pickling melons allows you to add savory and spicy flavors while still retaining the melon flavor and texture. For this bracing salad, choose melons that are ripe, not overripe, and dont leave them in the liquid for too long or theyll get mushy. Purslane is a crunchy green available at many farmers markets; substitute with tatsoi or baby spinach.

The Melon Salad

2-pound ambrosia or other thin-skinned melon

2 sprigs basil

 cup white wine vinegar

 cup apple cider vinegar

 cup sugar

 cup kosher salt

4 black cardamom pods (see note) or 2 green cardamom pods

8 allspice berries

 jalapeno, sliced

2 ears corn, shucked

4 Early Girl tomatoes, cut into -inch dice

2 green onions, finely minced

2 cups purslane sprigs

2 tablespoons good extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and pepper

The Squash Blossoms

4 ounces squash blossoms (12 to 14 large)

3 to 4 ounces Monterey Jack or fontina cheese, cut into -inch cubes

1 large egg

 cup milk

 cup all-purpose flour

 teaspoon kosher salt

Black pepper to taste

Vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

To make the salad: With a large knife, cut a thin slice from the top and bottom of the melon. Place on a cutting board and use long cuts to remove the skin; its fine to leave behind a strip of rind. Seed the melon and cut it into -inch cubes. Place in a large canning jar or deep bowl with the basil.

Place the vinegars, sugar, salt, cardamom and allspice in a medium saucepan with 2 cups water. Bring to a simmer and stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Add the jalapeno and let infuse until the liquid has a good spice level, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove the jalapeno with a slotted spoon.

Pour the pickling liquid over the melon and let stand until the melon is well spiced and seasoned, about 30 minutes. Reserving a few tablespoons of the pickling liquid, gently drain the melon and let cool. Discard the basil and whole spices.

Steam or boil the corn until tender, about 4 minutes. Remove the kernels with a large, sharp knife. Combine the melon, corn, tomatoes, green onion and purslane in a large bowl. Toss with the olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. If it needs acidity, add a small splash of the pickling liquid.

To prepare the squash blossoms: Gently rinse the squash blossoms and let dry on clean kitchen towels. Leaving the stems on, gently squeeze each blossom at the base to open and remove the stamen, then stuff with a cube of cheese.

Whisk together the egg and milk in a small bowl. Combine the flour, salt and pepper in another shallow bowl. Holding a blossom by the stem, dip first in the milk mixture, coating fully and then letting the excess drip off. Then gently dip in the flour mixture, sprinkling with flour to cover fully. Shake gently to remove excess flour. (If the cheese falls out, just reinsert it.)

Place a skillet over medium heat and add about  inch of oil. When hot, add about 4 blossoms and let cook until browned, about 4 minutes per side; drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining blossoms. Serve hot with the melon salad.

Note: Black cardamom is available at well-stocked supermarkets. It adds a smoky note.

Fresh Chickpea Hummus

 Yields about 1 cups

Whether you call them chickpeas or garbanzos, most of us think of them as those crinkly yellow pea-size dried beans found in health food store bins, or canned. Actually, the garbanzo doesnt start life as a shriveled, hard, yellow legume but as a perky little ball, ranging from the palest green to a color that resembles the flesh of an avocado. Its cocooned in a papery shell, two or three beans to the pod, and is one of the easiest beans to shell.

Ingredients

1 pound fresh chickpeas

Juice of 1 medium lemon, preferably Meyer lemon

 to 1 clove garlic, finely minced

 bunch cilantro, stems discarded, coarsely chopped; more whole leaves for optional garnish

 cup well-stirred tahini

2-3 tablespoons fruity extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and fresh ground white or black pepper to taste

1 tablespoon toasted cumin seeds (optional)

Instructions

Shell chickpeas; discard skins. Place chickpeas in a steamer and steam, covered, over boiling water 18-20 minutes until tender but not mushy (taste one after 15 minutes of steaming). Remove steamer basket, run cold water over chickpeas to stop cooking; let cool 5 minutes.

Place chickpeas in a blender or processor. Add lemon juice,  clove of the minced garlic, chopped cilantro, tahini and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Process with on-off bursts until mixture is pureed, adding third tablespoon of olive oil if needed.

Taste and add more garlic, lemon juice and salt and pepper as desired, keeping in mind that garlic flavor will intensify as the spread stands. Add cumin seeds if desired.

Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 1 day. Retaste for seasonings before serving; decorate with additional cilantro leaves. Serve with pita triangles or Middle Eastern-style crackers, or add a small amount to the filling of pita sandwiches.

Erin D. Scott / Special to The Chronicle

Nectarine & Soppressata Antipasto

 Serves 4 to 6

Gayle Pirie of San Franciscos Foreign Cinema loves soppressata, the coarse-ground Italian salami, and tangy fromage blanc in this easy-to-assemble appetizer, but she says you can also use prosciutto and fresh goat cheese.

INGREDIENTS

3 or 4 firm-ripe nectarines

25 thin slices of soppressata

 cup fromage blanc

Leaves from several sprigs of fresh mint

Cured olives or whole roasted almonds (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Leaving the skin on, cut the nectarines into 6 to 8 wedges each, depending on the size of the fruit.

Place a nectarine wedge on each slice of salami, topping each with a small amount of fromage blanc. Arrange the appetizers on a serving platter.

Finely cut the fresh mint leaves into julienne strips and sprinkle them on the nectarine slices. Garnish with optional olives or almonds, if desired.

Spicy Long Beans in Lettuce Cups

 Serves 6 to 8 as an appetizer or part of a multicourse meal

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The oyster sauce or hoisin sauce (which adds a sweeter note) increase the complexity of flavor. The lettuce wraps are nice eat-with-your-hands appetizers, but the beans can become an entree if served with steamed rice.

Ingredients

12 ounces Chinese long beans, about 2 cups

2 tablespoons canola oil, as needed

6 to 8 ounces ground pork

2 teaspoons finely grated garlic

1 teaspoons finely grated ginger

Pinch kosher salt, to taste

 cup low-sodium chicken broth

3 to 4 teaspoons chile paste in oil, to taste (see note)

2 tablespoons dry sherry

1 teaspoon oyster or hoisin sauce

Soy sauce to taste

Butter lettuce leaves or steamed rice, to serve

Chopped roasted, unsalted peanuts, optional

Instructions

Cut the beans about 3/8-inch crosswise; set aside. Add 1-2 teaspoons oil to a medium to large skillet over medium heat. Add the pork and brown, breaking it up into fine pieces. Remove from the skillet and set aside.

Add the remaining oil to the skillet over medium high. Add the beans and cook until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Push to the sides to form a small, empty area in the middle of the skillet where you can add the garlic, ginger and a little more oil, if needed, and salt to taste. Cook briefly, stirring, until aromatic, then combine with the beans, stir and cook briefly. Add the broth, chile paste, sherry and oyster or hoisin sauce. Bring to a simmer, return the pork to the skillet and combine. Season to taste with soy sauce.

Serve with lettuce cups or steamed rice, and garnish with peanuts, if using.

Note: Various brands of chile paste in oil can be found in Asian markets and other well-stocked grocers. You can substitute sambal oelek (a ground fresh chile paste that is not in oil), but the flavors wont be as deep or complex.

Erin D. Scott / Special to The Chronicle

White Shrimp Ceviche

 Serves 6

Comal chef Matt Gandins vibrant green ceviche, lashed with lime juice and some heat from serrano chiles, is an easy starter for a summer party. He likes to make it with gulf shrimp, but notes that you can substitute your favorite firm white fish if you prefer. If youre sensitive to spice or have especially hot chiles, you may want to reduce the number that you use.

The Shrimp

2 pounds white shrimp, peeled, deveined and cut into -inch pieces

3 cups fresh lime juice

The Aguachile

1 whole large cucumber, roughly chopped (do not peel)

1 bunch green onions, root ends trimmed, cut into -inch lengths

3 serrano chiles

 cup lime juice

1 bunch cilantro, washed (reserve a small handful of sprigs for garnish)

To finish

 cup peeled, finely diced jicama

 cup peeled, seeded and finely diced cucumber

 cup finely diced red onion

Kosher salt, to taste

Extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

To prepare the shrimp: Put the shrimp in a non-reactive bowl and add enough lime juice to barely cover. Set the shrimp aside to cure for 10 to 15 minutes, until the shrimp looks opaque and slightly pink.

To make the aguachile: While the shrimp cures, make the aquachile. Combine the chopped cucumber, green onions, chiles and cilantro in the blender. Add enough of the lime juice to make it puree smoothly (you may not need the full  cup; add gradually).

Drain the shrimp, discarding the lime juice, and return the shrimp to the bowl. Add the aquachile and finely diced jicama, cucumber and red onion. Season to taste with salt.

To serve: Finely mince the remaining cilantro sprigs. Transfer the ceviche to a serving bowl and finish with a light drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of minced cilantro. Serve with tortilla chips.

Erin D. Scott / Special to The Chronicle

Make Fresh Ricotta for a DIY Crostini Bar

 Makes 1 pound  about 2 cups

There is no simpler cheese to make at home than ricotta, which takes about 30 minutes and is way better than store bought. At Flour + Water in San Francisco, fresh ricotta is made daily and used in a variety of applications: as a pizza topping, a filling for fresh pasta or, frequently, drizzled with a ribbon of good olive oil and served with an assortment of seasonal vegetables. Make fresh ricotta the centerpiece of a DIY crostini bar, with slices of baguette and toppings such as roasted peppers and basil or halved cherry tomatoes heated in olive oil. Never better than on the day it is made, ricottas high moisture content makes it luscious but perishable. Keep it cold and use within three or four days.

Ingredients

8 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon kosher salt

 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions

Place a colander inside a larger bowl, line the colander with cheesecloth and set aside. Slowly bring the milk, cream and salt to simmer in a heavy 6-quart pot over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

When the milk barely begins to simmer (about 180 to 200 degrees), add the lemon juice. Stir constantly until the mixture starts to curdle, about 4 more minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat. Do not simmer the milk after the curds begin to separate or the curds will become dense and dry. Allow the curds to rest for 10 minutes.
At a time is attempting to expand its influence in the region, and are looking at working together in third countries like Sri Lanka, and Myanmar, reflecting growing congruence of their strategic interests.

External Affairs Minister on Friday said both and have actually started to look at working practically in third countries, adding "we have done a little bit of that in Sri Lanka."



He said the signing of a military logistics pact by and recently would act as a "big plus" for the evolution of Indo-Pacific vision of both countries and add to the security and stability of Asia.

He was speaking on India-Japan ties at a conference organised by industry chamber FICCI.

The external affairs minister also said that large and important nations of Asia should get along together as spending their energies in countering each other would not advance the interests of the continent.

The comments, which came at a time Asian giants India and are locked in a bitter border standoff, are seen as an indirect reference to

"If we are to make Asia a more prominent place in world politics, then it is important for all nations, especially the large and important ones to get along together. Because if they spend their energies not in a positive manner, but kind of countering each other, they are not going to advance the interests of Asia," he said.

Talking about evolution of India-Japan ties, Jaishankar said both countries are now looking at working together in third countries, adding it is still in the "early stages".

"The fact that we first began to have discussions about third countries. Now we have actually started to look at working practically in third countries. We have done a little bit of that in Sri Lanka," he said.

"I think today we are trying to see whether we can cooperate and coordinate more closely in and that I regard as something which would take our relationship to a very different level," he added.

The external affairs minister also suggested that there was scope for India and Japan to work in Russia's Far Eastern Region as well as in Pacific Island countries.

"If I were to look a little beyond the horizon, I would flag today two issues for people to think about. We need to see those areas where we can work together. One, of course, is the possibility of economic cooperation in Russia's far east because India has shown a much greater willingness to be involved in economic projects there," he said.

The other option, he said is the Pacific island countries where India has been ramping up its development partnership and political footprint. On signing of the military logistics pact between India and Japan, he said it was a very practical manifestation of the ability and intent of the two countries to work together.

"I am very confident that it would be both a big plus for the evolution of the Indo Pacific vision of both countries as well as adding to the stability and security of Asia," he said.

The landmark pact, signed on September 9, provides for the two armies to access each other's bases for logistics support.

Jaishankar said both India and Japan have their vision for the Indo-Pacific region and the two countries have, in many ways, tried to shape the narrative over the issue.

"India has a vision for Indo-Pacific as does Japan. Both of us, in many ways, have tried to shape the Indo-Pacific narrative. Today, the seamlessness of what happens in the Pacific and Indian Ocean regions underlines the importance and relevance of Indo-Pacific," he said.

The external affairs minister said the ties between India and Japan have grown manifold in its substance and depth over the last few years as two sides have greater convergence in strategic regional and global issues.

He also mentioned the cooperation between the two countries in 'Quad', ASEAN and East Asia Summit.

(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.)
Paris  The world has lost nearly 100 million hectares of forests in two decades, marking a steady decline though at a slower pace than before, a UN agency reported Tuesday.

The proportion of forest to total land area fell from 31.9 percent in 2000 to 31.2 percent in 2020, now some 4.1 billion hectares, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization.

It marks a net loss of almost 100 million hectares of the worlds forests, the FAO said.

Deforestation has hit particularly hard sub-Saharan Africa and southeast Asia, where it has accelerated in the last decade, but also Latin and Central America, where it has nonetheless slowed down.

Forests are being cut down mainly to make way for crops or farm animals, especially in less developed countries.

In southeast Asia, forest now covers 47.8 percent of the land compared to 49 percent in 2015. In sub-Saharan Africa, it covers 27.8 percent compared to 28.7 percent five years ago.

In Indonesia, it is 50.9 percent, down from 52.5 percent. In Malaysia, it is 58.2 percent, down from 59.2 percent five years ago.

A country strongly focused on agriculture like the Ivory Coast has seen forests reduced to 8.9 percent of the total land area from 10.7 percent in 2015. Kenya, Mali and Rwanda have largely held firm against forest loss.

In Latin and Central America, forest covers only 46.7 percent of the total land, compared to 47.4 percent five years ago.

In Brazil, forests declined to 59.4 percent of the countrys territory in 2020 from 60.3 percent in 2015. In Haiti, deforestation has continued apace  falling to 12.6 percent of the total land area from 13.2 percent in 2015.

In contrast, in many parts of Asia, Europe and North America forest area has increased or stayed the same in the last five years with policies to restore woodland and allow forests to expand naturally.

In China, forests make up 23.3 percent, up from 22.3 percent in 2015. In Japan, they account for 68.4 percent, the same as it was five years ago.

In France, forests cover 31.5 percent of the land in 2020, up from 30.7 percent in 2015. In Italy, they make up 32.5 percent of the national territory, up from 31.6 five years ago.

In Britain, they make up 13.2 percent, up from 13 percent five years ago.

In Canada, it is unchanged at 38.2 percent, and in the United States, unchanged at 33.9 percent.

In Australia the figure rose from 17.3 to 17.4 percent and in New Zealand from 37.4 percent to 37.6 percent over the five years.
That '70s Show star Danny Masterson has appeared in Los Angeles Supreme Court to be arraigned on rape charges.

Masterson, a Scientologist, appeared in a blue suit and gray mask in the courtroom Friday where he stands accused of raping three women in separate incidents between 2001 and 2003.

The 44-year-old was arrested back in mid-June has been free on $3.3 million bail since. Masterson could face up to 45 years to life in state prison if convicted as charged.

Also at the arraignment was outspoken Scientology critic Leah Remini, who previously called Masterson's arrest 'just the beginning' of the Church of Scientology's demise.

That '70s Show star Danny Masterson appeared in Los Angeles Superior Court to be arraigned on rape charges Friday

Masterson was seen in a blue suit and gray mask in the courtroom Friday where he stands accused of raping three women

Masterson could face up to 45 years to life in state prison if convicted

Outspoken Scientology critic Leah Remini appeared at Masterson's arraignment to support his alleged victims

Remini, seen arriving to court this morning, is perhaps being brought in as a former Scientologist to speak on Masterson's character at the time of her affiliation with the church

Remini is one of the most outspoken critics of Scientology after leaving the religion and exposing the inner workings with a reality television show Scientology and the Aftermath.

It's unknown what Remini's part is in the case, but she is lending her support to accuser Chrissie Carnell Bixler, who previously dated Masterson.

Leah Remini and Danny Masterson in 2009. She has long spoken out against Scientology

Remini is perhaps being brought in as a former Scientologist to speak on Masterson's character at the time of her affiliation with the church.

Masterson's lawyer filed a demurrer on the arraignment delaying it to October 19.

His alleged victims were awarded a protective order and Masterson was ordered to turn in his firearms.

It took about three hours for the arraignment to get going, as Masterson arrived with an entourage of about 20 people, according to LA Times reporter James Queally.

Masterson's attorney, Tom Mesereau, accused former LAPD Chief Charlie Beck and Distric Attorney Jackie Lacey of caving to pressure from victims in filing the charges and said they are purely political.

Masterson stands accused of raping a 23-year-old woman between January and December 2001, according to the complaint.

He is also accused of raping a 28-year-old woman in April 2003 and sometime between October and December of that year of raping a woman, 23, who officials say he had invited to his Hollywood Hills home.

Last year four women filed a lawsuit against Masterson in California claiming the actor drugged, raped and sexually assaulted them in the early 2000s.

The lawsuit also names the Church of Scientology and its leader David Miscavige as defendants, claiming the women were stalked in a 'conspiracy to cover up that Daniel Masterson sexually assaulted four young women'.

Two of the women named in the suit were Masterson's ex-girlfriends - Chrissie Bixler and Bobette Riales - while the other two are listed as Jane Does.

The lawsuit states: 'When those women came forward to report Masterson's crimes the Defendants conspired to and systematically stalked, harassed, invaded their and their family's privacy, and intentionally caused them emotional distress and silence and intimidate them.'

Masterson called the lawsuit against him and the Church of Scientology a 'shameful money grab'.

In statement to DailyMail.com, the Church of Scientology called the lawsuit 'baseless' and the claims 'ludicrous and a sham'.

'It's a dishonest and hallucinatory publicity stunt. Leah Remini is taking advantage of these people as pawns in her moneymaking scam.'

Chrissie Bixler dated Masterson for several years and claims he would forcefully have sex with her and became violent when she refused. She says her dog mysteriously died after she reported him (pictured together in 2000)

Bobette Riales and Masterson dated from 2002-2004, in which time Masterson allegedly drugged and sexually assaulted her. She claims she was stalked by the church after she came forward with allegation (pictured together in 2003)

Danny Masterson is pictured in the sunglasses with his That '70s show co-stars

A spokesman for the District Attorney's Office said they have 'declined to file sexual assault charges against Masterson in two other cases, one for insufficient evidence and the other based upon the statute of limitations for the crime alleged'.

Masterson has been married to actor and model Bijou Phillips since 2011.

Masterson's attorney Tom Mesereau said in a statement: 'Mr. Masterson is innocent, and we're confident that he will be exonerated when all the evidence finally comes to light and witnesses have the opportunity to testify.

'Obviously, Mr. Masterson and his wife are in complete shock considering that these nearly 20-year old allegations are suddenly resulting in charges being filed, but they and their family are comforted knowing that ultimately the truth will come out.

'The people who know Mr. Masterson know his character and know the allegations to be false.'

All of the alleged crimes occurred at the defendant's home, Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller of the Sex Crimes Division, who is prosecuting the case, said.
The daughter of Australian sporting greats Lisa Curry and Grant Kenny had been devastated by the loss of her 'soulmate' boyfriend and battled alcoholism and an eating disorder before she passed away this week.

Jaimi Kenny passed away at Sunshine Coast University Hospital on Monday morning surrounded by her family, including both her Olympian mother and Ironman father.

The family will farewell their daughter at a funeral on the Sunshine Coast on Saturday.

The 33-year-old had been supported by her parents and siblings as she struggled with an eating disorder, alcoholism and the loss of her then-boyfriend Lachy Crossley in July 2017, Daily Telegraph reported.

Lachy's mother Gayle described the couple as 'a modern day Romeo and Juliet' that had made plans to 'be together forever'.

The pair had only just moved in together before Lachy passed away at the age of 31.

Jaimi had also been battling alcoholism and had struggled to cope with the loss of her then-boyfriend Lachy Crossley in July 2017

Jaimi Kenny, 33, had long battled an eating disorder, with her family supporting her through years of treatment at a private clinic (Jaimi, left, is pictured with her family at her sister Morgan's 2016 wedding)

Devastated: Lisa Curry (right) has released a heartbreaking statement about the death of her daughter Jaimi (left) on Monday

Jaimi is the eldest daughter of Australian sporting champions Lisa Curry and Grant Kenny. She is pictured sitting on her mother's shoulders as she arrives home from the 1990 Commonwealth Games with a gold medal around her neck

Her model brother Jett (left) paid tribute to his sister on Tuesday, admitting that while he 'may not have been the best brother' to Jaimi (right) they 'loved one another unconditionally'

'They were a beautiful couple with beautiful souls,' Gayle said.

'Lachy had an infectious laugh and Jaimi just beamed.'

Lachy was the owner of a water leak detection business at Marroochydore.

Dr Crossley-Craven labelled him 'an absolute gentleman' who regularly expressed his love for Jaimi by gifting her flowers.

'He taught her to skate and they loved going to the beach together. They certainly loved each other and they both loved children.'

Jaimi's family have not provided details of the cause of the 33-year-old's death - only that she had been battling a 'long-term illness'.

As the daughter of two sporting legends, Jaimi was a regular fixture of the media.

The expectation to follow in her parent's footsteps reportedly weighed heavily on her and she later developed anxiety at the age of 14.

Her problems with alcohol had also drawn media attention after she was pulled over for drink driving in 2014.

Police stopped her car after they spotted it swerving between lanes along the Sunshine Motorway at Mountain Creek.

A breath test recorded a blood alcohol level of 0.23 - four times the legal alcohol limit.

The court heard Jaimi had had come to use alcohol as a crutch.

'Unfortunately (she) started consuming alcohol to self medicate and that's obviously quickly become a problem,' her lawyer said at the time.

Leading up to her death, Jaimi had been receiving treatment for an eating disorder at private clinic End ED, on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.

Despite her ongoing struggles, friends of Jaimi told how she always brought 'light and laughter' to the lives of those around her.

Her model brother Jett paid tribute to his sister on Tuesday, admitting that while he 'may not have been the best brother' they 'loved one another unconditionally'.

'I may not have been the best brother to you all the time, I know you thought you weren't being the big sister I needed all the time, but I do know we loved one another unconditionally all the time,' he wrote.

'Rest In Peace my beautiful big sister, the world lost one of its treasures yesterday but heaven gained one,' Jett Kenny wrote on his emotional Instagram tribute to Jaimi on Tuesday

Gone too soon: Jaimi is the daughter of Lisa and her ex-husband, Australian ironman champion Grant Kenny (who is pictured with his daughter as a baby)

'I will love you forever. Rest In Peace my beautiful big sister, the world lost one of its treasures yesterday but heaven gained one. You will be dearly missed by all whose lives you touched.'

Among those to pay tribute to Jaimi in the wake of the news of her death was End ED clinician Millie Thomas.

'You are my best friend and my soul sister and you always will be,' Ms Thomas wrote.

'My heart is shattered into a million pieces right now - I can't fathom life without you.

'My days will never ever be the same without your love, your light and your laughter.

'You mean the world to me darling heart and I will love you forever and always.'

Lisa shared a statement just hours earlier telling of her family's 'unbearable' pain at the death of her 'beautiful daughter'.

'Our hearts are completely broken. Our beautiful daughter Jaimi has lost her battle with a long-term illness and passed away peacefully in hospital yesterday morning with her loving family by her side,' Lisa wrote.

'So loved. So beautiful. So kind to everyone... So painful. I can barely breathe.

Tragedy: Lisa's ex-husband Grant Kenny announced their 'caring and loving' daughter had died at Sunshine Coast University Hospital on Monday morning

Unclear: Neither the family's statement on Monday nor Lisa's Instagram update on Tuesday specified the exact nature of Jaimi's illness

Grieving: Jaimi (centre) is survived by her Ironman father, former pro swimmer mother (right), brother Jett (left) and sister Morgan

'Jaimi will forever be remembered as a caring, bright and loving soul who always put others before herself. Her love of flowers, cooking, art, decorating, photography, babies, the beach, and helping others will always be remembered.

'Our hearts are broken and the pain is unbearable but we cherish every wonderful moment we got to share with our treasured and so loved first child.'

Lisa's ex-husband Grant broke the news of their daughter's death on Monday with a public statement.

Jaimi was the couple's eldest child, and a sibling to sister Morgan and son Jett.

Lisa and Grant married in 1986 and were one of Australia's most famous couples with both enjoying individual sporting success on the world stage.

But after their separation in 2019, Grant has since welcomed a fourth child with radio presenter Fifi Box, while Lisa married Elvis impersonator Mark Tabone in 2018.

Jaimi continued a close friendship with Fifi even after she separated from her father.

Lisa's husband Mark Tabone also addressed the tragedy in an Instagram post on Tuesday.

'As the tears flow and the heart aches, I write this as a tribute to beautiful young lady, who's life ended way too soon,' he wrote.

'Bright, caring and loving soul': The 58-year-old former competitive swimmer spoke of her 'unbearable' pain in a gut-wrenching Instagram post on Tuesday (above). Her post was interspersed with pink floral emojis - an ode to Jaimi's 'love of flowers'

Sad: 'Our hearts are broken and the pain is unbearable but we cherish every wonderful moment we got to share with our treasured and so loved first child,' Lisa said

Condolences: Lisa's husband, Elvis Presley impersonator Mark Tabone (left), also addressed the tragedy in an Instagram post on Tuesday. Pictured with Lisa and Jaimi

Pillar of support: He thanked the public for their condolences and said his 'job now is to nurture my wife through this unimaginable time'

'As your mother and father weep your loss, I too feel lost and heavy hearted. Nobody should ever lose their child.

'You always put everybody else first. You were gifted with many talents, amazing cook, arts and crafts, writing, and your love and creativity with flowers.'

He went on to thank the public for their condolences and said his 'job now is to nurture my wife through this unimaginable time'.

The Curry-Kenny family confirmed Jaimi's death on Monday afternoon with a public statement.

'It is with a very heavy heart that Lisa and I confirm that our beautiful daughter Jaimi has lost her battle with a long-term illness and passed away peacefully in hospital this morning in the company of loving family,' read a statement from Grant Kenny.

'Jaimi will forever be remembered as a caring, bright and loving soul who always put others before herself.

'Our hearts are broken and the pain is immense but we must move forward cherishing every wonderful moment we got to share with our treasured first child.

Family ties: Lisa is pictured with her son Jett (left), surviving daughter Morgan (right) and her grandson Flynn

RIP: Jaimi is pictured as a child with her mother, a three-time Olympian and former swimmer

Co-parents: Lisa and Grant separated in 2009 after 23 years of marriage, before finalising their divorce in 2017. They are pictured with Jaimi on the Sunshine Coast on April 3, 2008

New chapter: In 2013, Grant, 57, welcomed a daughter named Trixie Belle with radio presenter Fifi Box (right). Fifi - who had a close friendship with her ex's adult children, including Jaimi (left) - did not acknowledge Grant was the father of her daughter until 2016. Pictured in 2017

'We thank the incredible team at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital for their tireless commitment to making her better and giving us as the extra time we were able to spend with her.

'It goes without saying that this is a very difficult time for family and friends and we trust we will all be allowed to grieve in privacy.'

Jaimi had just turned 33 in June, with her mother taking to social media at the time to wish her a happy birthday.

'Our first born. Really... where have all those years gone! Have a lovely day bubba. We all love you so much,' Lisa wrote.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 19:44:43|Editor: huaxia

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The Chinese (R) and English versions of a white paper titled "China's Armed Forces: 30 Years of UN Peacekeeping Operations" are shown in this photo taken in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 18, 2020. China on Friday released a white paper on the participation of the country's armed forces in the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai)

BEIJING, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The white paper on the participation of China's armed forces in United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations released Friday is a clear and strong response to the so-called "Chinese military threat" hyped up by certain Western politicians and media outlets.

China's socialist system, its commitment to the path of peaceful development and the cultural traditions highlighting peace and harmony determine that China pursues a national defense policy that is defensive in nature and that China's armed forces will always be a force of justice for world peace and development.

China is the second largest contributor to both peacekeeping assessment and UN membership fees, and the largest troop-contributing country among the permanent members of the UN Security Council. Over the past 30 years, China's armed forces have delivered on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and sent over 40,000 peacekeepers to 25 UN peacekeeping missions, according to the white paper titled "China's Armed Forces: 30 Years of UN Peacekeeping Operations."

Chinese military peacekeepers have left their footprints in over 20 countries and regions including Cambodia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Sudan, Lebanon, Cyprus, South Sudan, Mali and the Central African Republic. They have made a tremendous contribution to facilitating the peaceful settlement of disputes, safeguarding regional security and stability, and promoting economic and social development in host nations.

The mission of the Chinese military is not only winning wars, but also containing and preventing wars. Over the past 30 years, China's peacekeeping troops have worked extensively and effectively with international humanitarian agencies and participated in post-conflict reconstruction, helping restore local livelihoods and social order to prevent the recurrence of conflict and achieve lasting peace and stability.

A formation of Chinese peacekeepers take part in a grand military parade celebrating the 70th founding anniversary of the People's Republic of China in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 1, 2019. (Xinhua/Liu Dawei)

The Chinese people love peace. Having suffered from aggressions and wars since the beginning of modern times, the Chinese people have learned the value of peace and the pressing need for development. China will never inflict such sufferings on any other country.

Since its founding 71 years ago, the People's Republic of China has never started any war or conflict. China has grown from a poor and weak country to the world's second largest economy neither by receiving handouts nor by engaging in military expansion or colonial plunder. Instead, China has made every effort to create favorable conditions for its development through maintaining world peace, and has tried to promote world peace through its own growth.

Pursuing peace, however, does not mean tolerating external threats to sovereignty, security and development interests. The Chinese military keeps to the stance that "we will not attack unless we are attacked, but we will surely counterattack if attacked."

The eastern theater command of the People's Liberation Army is conducting combat exercises near the Taiwan Strait. This is a reasonable and necessary move to safeguard China's sovereignty and territorial integrity in response to the current situation in the Taiwan Strait which has resulted from the the United States and Democratic Progressive Party authority in Taiwan colluding more strongly, frequently creating disturbances.

The Chinese military has the ability to counter any external threat or challenge from "Taiwan independence" forces. Trying to use Taiwan to contain China or relying on foreign strength to build oneself up is wishful thinking and doomed to fail.

China's efforts to safeguard its rights also provide encouragement to the world as international uncertainty and instability are on the rise and pose diverse threats to world peace.

Members of China's 5th peacekeeping infantry battalion to South Sudan take a military exercise in South Sudan, on Jan. 4, 2019. (Photo by Zhu Xiaonan/Xinhua)

Peace has not come easily and to safeguard it requires great effort or even sacrifice. China will always stand together with the international community to defend peace against war, cooperation against confrontation, and progress against regress.

The Chinese military will continue to provide support for UN peacekeeping operations, fulfill commitments to safeguarding peace, and instil greater confidence and hope in conflict-hit areas.

China will always resolutely safeguard the UN-centered international system and the basic norms governing international relations underpinned by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and work with countries around the world to uphold multilateralism, equity and justice. 
(Newser)  Kyle Rittenhouse, a "hero for the modern age"? The 17-year-old is, of course, charged with killing two people during the Kenosha, Wisconsin, protests over the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man. The teen was listed, alongside Gandhi, Cesar Chavez, and Malcolm X, as a possible such "hero" students at a Texas high school could opt to write about. Also included in the list were George Floyd, another Black man whose death at the hands of Minneapolis police sparked the widespread protests that still engulf the nation, and Joseph Rosenbaumone of the two men Rittenhouse is alleged to have killed. The Hill points out that no women were included on the list, and CBS DFW notes the names of Gandhi and Malcolm X were spelled wrong. The Dallas Independent School District has since apologized for the assignment, NBC News reports.

story continues below

"The juxtaposition of George Floyd's name with Kyle's name was just astounding," says the sister of a student who brought the assignment home. "The value of Black lives are not up for debate, and thats what it felt like this was sort of getting atby way of the names that were included." The district says the W.T. White High School in Dallas assignment had not been approved, has since been removed from the online portal, and the English teacher involved is being investigated. "Racial equity is a top priority in Dallas ISD, and we remain committed to providing a robust teaching environment where all students can learn," it says in a statement. "It is important that we continue to be culturally sensitive to our diverse populations and provide a space of respect and value." Meanwhile, USA Today reports the National Foundation for Gun Rights has raised $50,000 for Rittenhouse, which it sent him for "defending himself and business owners." (Read more Kyle Rittenhouse stories.)
WINNIPEG - An Indigenous lawyer has filed a lawsuit against the firm that represented survivors of Indian day schools, alleging she was not compensated for years of her work on the class-action case.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 17/9/2020 (491 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Joan Jack speaks to the commissioners at the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls taking place in Whitehorse, Yukon, Thursday, June 1, 2017. An Indigenous lawyer has filed a lawsuit against the firm that represented survivors of Indian day schools alleging she was not compensated for years of her work on the class-action case. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

WINNIPEG - An Indigenous lawyer has filed a lawsuit against the firm that represented survivors of Indian day schools, alleging she was not compensated for years of her work on the class-action case.

Joan Jack, 59, who is from Berens River First Nation in Manitoba and is also a day school survivor, said the class-action was her life's work.

"I put my whole life into this file for years, and bankrupted my firm pushing it forward," Jack said in a news release Thursday.

"I refuse to let them whitewash me out of this settlement, which, ironically, is supposed to be about reconciliation."

The Federal Court approved a settlement agreement in 2019 for survivors of day schools. It included $55 million in legal fees for the international law firm Gowling WLG.

In a statement of claim filed last Thursday in Winnipeg, Jack said she was responsible for initiating the original day school student claim and spent years making sure survivors got justice. She alleged Gowling took over the case and she was never compensated.

Gowling has not filed a statement of defence and the allegations have not been proven in court.

"The allegations made in the Statement of Claim are without merit and will be vigorously defended," said Simone Hughes, director of business development and marketing with the firm, in an email.

"As this matter is before the Courts, we will not make any further comment."

Nearly 200,000 Indigenous children attended more than 700 of the federally run institutions beginning in the 1920s. Many have said they endured trauma, such as physical and sexual abuse. The schools were not included in the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement approved in 2006.

The original lead plaintiff in the day school claim, Garry McLean from Lake Manitoba First Nation, retained Jack as his lawyer in 2008, Jack's statement of claim said. Jack filed a class-action in Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench in 2009.

Jack's claim said she worked on the case for the next seven years, knowing it was risky, and her own small firm was bankrupted in the process. She travelled across the country, connecting with thousands of survivors and created a database of their information. She said that information was essential to the final settlement.

Winnipeg lawyer Louay Alghoul began working with Jack on the case in 2012.

Four years later, Gowling took over the file. Jack's statement of claim alleges Gowling promised to include her claim for fees in the settlement process. Her suit alleges the fees for her and Alghoul amounted to about $7 million.

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However, Jack asserts that Gowling actively worked against paying the fee.

Jack's claim alleged a breach of trust and contract. It said Jack has also been robbed her of confidence and ability to stand up for her people.

"The whitewashing of this fundamentally and intrinsically Indigenous action is deserving of aggravated, exemplary and punitive damages," said Jack's claim.

Jack said her case shows the systemic racism and misogyny that's entrenched in the justice system.

"What's happened to me is a reflection of the larger issue around misogyny and Indigenous women," she said in an interview from Atlin, B.C.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2020.
Paramount Pictures senior VP of archives Andrea Kalas and her team have been bringing the studios vast back catalog into the digital age. Titles such as King Creole (1958), starring Elvis Presley; Alfred Hitchcocks To Catch a Thief (1955), with Cary Grant and Grace Kelly; and Breakfast at Tiffanys (1961), starring Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard, were among the films restored and released.

Sept. 15 sees the release of William Wylers 1953 classic Roman Holiday in 4K on Blu-ray as part of the studios Paramount Presents line. The film stars Hepburn as a princess and Gregory Peck as an American reporter who fall in love  and features the lustrous black-and-white cinematography of Henri Alekan and Franz Planer, nominated for an Oscar for their work.

Im so glad Wyler took this film to Rome, Kalas says of the production, which was one of the first American movies shot entirely in Italy, setting up at Cinecitta studios and nearby locations. Not only did the film celebrate Rome as the city was reopening after World War II but the location was among the pictures stars.

At the time, the controlled setting of a soundstage was pretty much all Hollywood crews knew. Wylers idea of a location shoot was literally a foreign concept. But the same offshore magic that enlivened Edith Heads Oscar-winning costume designs and Hal Pereira and Walter H. Tylers nominated art direction worked against the preservation, according to Kalas. The original negative suffered extensive damage, and the use of unfamiliar labs contributed to the damage.

It could be [the] standards or the [way they handled] printing of dailies, she says. We have a fine grain from the negative where we can see some of the damage, but we had to go back frame by frame and restore some of the bad splicing and scratching.

This isnt the first time Paramount has reworked Roman Holiday, but the tools to digitally restore films were never quite far enough advanced to complete the job. Now, the process allows the original grain of the film to be honored while removing the noise. You can make sure youre not taking anything out that you dont want to, Kalas says.

Story continues

Colorist Mike Underwood was among Technicolors team that worked with Pro-tek Facilities to restore the picture; archivist Liz Kirksey of Paramounts digital post service worked with the audio experts at Skywalker Sound and Deluxe to clean up the sound. Notably, the film does not have an upmix (a process that transforms two audio channels into five). Since no multitrack source material was available, the film features the original mono sound.

The Blu-ray release sees one more full restoration: Dalton Trumbo wrote the Oscar-winning story and co-wrote the nominated screenplay, but he was blacklisted when the awards were handed out. In 1992, the Academys Board of Governors voted to credit Trumbo for the story. The Writers Guild restored his name to the screenwriting credits in 2011. The current discs give credit where its due.

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US Deputy Secretary of State Tim Lenderking told reporters on Thursday that Washington seeks to normalise relations between Qatar and Israel

Qatar has a track record of working with Israel that we think will eventually get them to a broader agreement with the Israelis, Bloomberg quoted Lenderking as saying to reporters in a call.

We think theres a lot to build on, every country will move at its own pace on normalisation, according to its own criteria, but were eager for that to happen sooner rather than later.

Lenderking added that the US is still very dedicated to resolving the rift between Qatar and other Arab states, which has been in place for three years, noting that Washington is in contact with all of the parties.

If its possible for countries to normalise with Israel, it ought to be possible for Arab countries to normalise amongst each other, he said, stating that the US is very keen to see that the airspace is opened for aircraft not to have to fly over Iran.

However, he said that it may not be a matter of weeks.

In June 2017, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain cut diplomatic ties and most trade and transport link with Qatar, accusing the state of supporting terrorism

On Wednesday, Qatars ambassador to Washington told Voice of America (VOA) that Doha does not oppose normalising ties with Israel if the conditions are proper, including implementing the two-state solution.

Qatar is part of the Arab Peace Initiative. We believe in a two-state solution for the Palestinians and in securing Israels borders, and if these conditions are fulfilled, then we dont see any reason for Qatar to not normalise relations with Israel, said Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad Al-Thani.

On Tuesday, the UAE and Bahrain officially signed US-sponsored normalisation agreements with Israel in Washington.

The so-called Abraham Accords between the UAE and Israel involves the establishment of peace and diplomatic relations, and mutual understanding, cooperation and coordination between them in the spheres of peace and stability.

Cooperation will include the fields of health care, science, technology and peaceful uses of outer space, tourism, culture and sport, energy, environment, education, maritime agreements, telecommunications, agriculture and food security, and water and legal cooperation.

President Donald Trump described the deals as the foundation for a comprehensive peace across the entire region.

Including Saudi Arabia, Trump told reporters that Israel will also normalise relations with seven or eight or nine other states at the right time.

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Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) addresses the crowd at the 2019 South Carolina Democratic Party State Convention in Columbia, South Carolina, on June 22, 2019. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

Kamala Harris Promoted Fund That Helped Bail Out Man Accused of Sexually Assaulting Child

Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Kamala Harris promoted a bail fund that helped a man accused of sexually assaulting an eight-year-old child get out of jail, court documents show.

According to court documents (pdf), 36-year-old Timothy Wayne Columbus was charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct for having allegedly sexually assaulted an eight-year-old girl in her mothers home in 2015.

Jail records showed he was arrested in June and later released from a Minneapolis jail on $75,000 bail in early July, and subsequently filed a document asking the court to have his refunded bail money returned to the Minneapolis Freedom Fund (MFF), which showed that the fund contributed to his release.

The man was a registered predatory offender for a separate incident prior to his arrest.

The documents were first obtained by Alpha News in collaboration with the Daily Caller News Foundation, and later Fox News.

Harris asked her followers to contribute to the MFF amid violent protests and riots earlier this year. She posted a Twitter post on June 1, saying, If youre able to, chip in now to the @MNFreedomFund to help post bail for those protesting on the ground in Minnesota.

In the post, Harris provided a link in the post to the fundraising page which contains her picture. The page continues to accept donations as of the time of this articles publication.

Harriss Senate office and the Biden-Harris campaign did not respond to requests for comment.

Reuters reported that at least 13 other employees in Democratic presidential nominee Joe Bidens campaign have also contributed to the MFF. Biden campaign staffers have also been promoting the MFF via social media, Fox News noted.

The MFF raised about $35 million following the death of George Floyd in late May, reported Fox 9. According to the MFFs website, the group has spent under 10 percent of that money, or $3,475,000, to bail people out of jail, with $210,000 of that used for bailing out those who were arrested amid protests since late May.

The MFF has helped secure bail for other alleged violent criminals, according to reports. For example, it helped post bail for a man accused of assaulting a 71-year-old woman as he burglarized her home, according to records obtained by the Daily Caller (pdf).

Richard Raynell Kelley, 53, then violated his bail just a week after his release, and there is now an active felony warrant out for his arrest, according to the outlet.

Fox 9 reported that the MFF paid cash bail for accused murderer Darnika Floydcharged with second-degree murder after allegedly stabbing a friend to deathand twice-convicted rapist Christopher Boswell, who faces charges of sexual assault and kidnapping. The MFF had put up $100,000 on behalf of Floyd and $350,000 on behalf of Boswell.

In late July, the MFF helped to bail out Lionel Timms, a man who faces a third-degree felony assault charge for having allegedly assaulted a person on a bus on July 11.

He was then arrested again while out on bail and charged with one felony count of third-degree assault, for allegedly assaulting a bar manager who, from the alleged attack, suffered a traumatic brain injury, Alpha News reported.

MFF Interim Executive Director Greg Lewin said in a statement in late August that Timmss arrest, while out on bail, was because the criminal justice system failed.

In an emailed statement to The Epoch Times on Sept. 23, the MFF said that it believes that every individual who has been arrested by the police is innocent until proven guilty, and if a judge deems them eligible for bail, they should not have to wait in jail simply because they dont have the same income or resources as others with more privilege.

It alleges, Pre-trial jailing uses captivity, deprivation, and the threat of lost jobs, housing, and child custody to pressure plea bargains in a way that undercuts their due process rights and harms communities.

The MFF also told The Epoch Times, we do not make determinations of bail support based on the crimes that individuals are alleged to have committed. We are, however, taking steps to strengthen our internal procedures for ensuring that those we bail out receive support, especially if they are in need of housing or medical treatment.

Practicing the right to free assembly is not a criminal act, and charges are not the same as convictions, the bail fund added.

It contends, We believe holding someone not convicted of a crime in jail during a pandemic represents an extreme measure, and that cash bail, which favors those who are white and wealthy, is not an appropriate tool to implement it.

This article has been updated to include a statement from the Minneapolis Freedom Fund (MFF).
Lucknow: In an effort to step up recruitment in government jobs in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath called for details of vacant posts from the heads of all departments of state.

The decision was taken during a meeting with officers of all recruitment commissions and the boards that took place at the Lok Bhavan in the state capital.

The CM said, "So far 3 lakh recruitments have been done, similarly start the recruitment process in a transparent manner within the next three months, the appointment letter should be distributed in the next six months."

"Just as UP Lok Seva Commission conducted a transparent and fair recruitment, in a similar fashion the other recruitments should be completed," he said.

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So far, 1,37,000 police posts have been filled while 50,000 teachers have been recruited and more than one lakh vacancies in other departments have been filled.

Even in coronavirus crisis as many as 125 crore people have been given employment.
A former Laois secondary school student who came to Ireland seeking refuge from the war in Syria, and is now studying in the Royal College of Surgeons, has been praised by the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.

Suaad Alshleh came with her family to Ireland to escape war in Syria.

She arrived in Ireland as a teenager, first being placed in a Cavan centre with her family. They moved to Laois a year later, with Suaad specifically choosing Mountmellick CS for the Senior Cycle because their subjects included those necessary to qualify for studies in medicine. She went on to be awarded academic and student of the year awards.

in 2019 she was awarded the new Professor William C Campbell Bursary, for her studies in Royal College of Surgeons Ireland (RCSI), presented to her by the Minister for Education.

The EC President mentioned Suaad while speaking of the need to harness the skills of refugees during her State of the European Union address.

"I think of Suaad, the teenage Syrian refugee who arrived in Europe dreaming of being a medical doctor," she said.

"Within three years she was awarded a prestigious scholarship from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland."

Suaad, 18, had no idea that the EC President would be mentioning her in her speech.

Her parents, both engineers, are "over the moon".

"I feel incredibly honoured and so happy and grateful to be able to represent RCSI, Ireland and Syria in this light. While Im glad my hard work and dedication came to fruition, many other refugees havent been embraced and afforded the opportunities I have," she said.

Prof Cathal Kelly is the RCSIs chief executive and registrar.

Suaad is an extraordinary role model for aspiring doctors across the world and we were delighted that President von der Leyen chose to acknowledge her achievements in such a high profile way, he said.

Last year when Suaad recieved her scholarship, Mountmellick CS Principal Larry Curtin praised her diligent work.

"We are absolutely thrilled for her. Not only is she an incredibly hard worker but she was a very engaging student, with a pleasing personality always with a smile on her face when you met her in the corridor. It is reassuring to see someone with those personal attributes as well as the academic ability going into medicine. We are delighted to see her progress and wish her well," he said.
New to Kemah, Cloth and Cord is a boutique specializing in wearable art.

Products offered include hand-crafted African American-inspired jewelry like chokers, necklaces and earrings, as well as wraps, prints and face masks.

Cloth and Cord has been featured in publications like Essence magazine and th website Bella Naija and locally in Houstonia magazine, and its products are sold in boutiques locally and internationally.

Founder and head designer Ellana Turner established Cloth and Cord in Dickinson five years ago, and the shop recently joined the Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce as a member.

Address: 1905 Lawrence Road. Suite 400, Kemah 77565

Website: www.clothandcord.com

Contact: 281-247-0240

La Rotisserie House a different kind of chicken joint in League City

La Rotisserie House opened in League City in March and recently staged a ribbon cutting after joining the League City Regional Chamber of Commerce.

The pit stop eatery is part health food and chicken joint, serving marinated chickens for lunch and dinner. La Rotisserie chicken are marinated in a South American-inspired sauce for 24 hours before they are served.

La Rotisserie also offers plantains and yucca fries as well as more traditional staples like mashed potatoes, red beans and rice and potato salad.

Address: 601 E Main St, League City, TX 77573

Phone: 281-525-4170

Hours: Open seven days a week 11:30 a.m.-8p.m.

Contact: Visit La Rotisserie House on Facebook.

Farmers market planned at Silver Sycamore

A farmers market is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 20 at Silver Sycamore in Pasadena. The monthly market is a place for local vendors from the Houston area to offer fresh produce, dairy and other homegrown items like bread and a way for the community to support locally sourced product. This months market will feature new vendors added to the lineup.

The farmers market is held every third Sunday of each month from March to October at the Silver Sycamore, an event venue and bed and breakfast in Pasadena.

Location: The Silver Sycamore,5111 Pine Ave., Pasadena

When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 20

Contact Information: 281-487-4033 or email https://bit.ly/2ZOWRZz

Fees/Admission: Free
Aircraft of Vietjet Air at Da Nang airport (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi  The Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) has issued an urgent document requesting three airports in the central region to suspend operation on September 18, the day storm Noul is slated to land in the region.

Specifically, Chu Lai airport (Quang Nam province) is required to close from 04:00 to 8:00, Da Nang airport (Da Nang city) from 05:00 to 20:00 and Phu Bai airport (Hue city in Thua Thien-Hue province) from 06:00 to 21:00 (all local time) during the day.

Other airports in the region, namely Dong Hoi, Vinh, Pleiku, Phu Cat and Tuy Hoa, along with airlines, airports authorities and the Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation, are instructed to closely follow the weather situation and make prompt reports to the CAAVs command for natural disaster control and search and rescue.

Airlines have also announced they will cancel and postpone flights on routes to/from the three airports.

Vietnam Airlines said it will operate 22 additional flights on the affected routes on September 19 to compensate for the cancelled ones. Passengers are urged to keep updated with the airlines official website and Facebook page, ticket offices or customers hotline.

Noul, the fifth storm to enter the East Sea this year, is gaining strength, heading to the central region of Vietnam and is expected to make landfall on September 18.

The storm is forecast to directly affect central provinces, especially Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue and Da Nang with wind speeds of 90-100 km per hour and sometimes hitting 135 km per hour.

Heavy rain will blanket the central provinces from September 17 afternoon to September 18 night, bringing high risks of flash flood and landslides in the central region.
Thai Van Thanh, director of the Nghe An Education and Training Department, said if there are favorable conditions, online teaching will bring big benefits, especially in remote areas.

Favorable conditions includes facilities. Many different resources are needed so that students in more disadvantaged areas can have computers and smartphones for online study.

About 80 percent of students in Nghe An studied online in the last months. The other 20 percent included students in remote areas where the internet still cannot reach and students from families with unfavorable conditions."

The solution Nghe An province chose was to promote study via television. The provincial authorities have been trying to mobilize non-state resources, giving poor students old smartphones and a free internet connection.

Meanwhile, VNPT and Viettel, two of the three largest mobile network operators, have been making every effort to expand internet coverage to mountainous hamlets, so that students can have access to online study.

Nguyen Son Hai, director of the Information Technology Agency, said that online teaching will be effective only if there are sufficient favorable conditions.

The conditions to ensure effective online teaching include information infrastructure and terminal devices. Students and teachers must have computers or devices with an internet connection, Hai said.

Besides, teachers need to be well trained in teaching online, and students need to be guided on how to participate in online classes and online teaching activities.

Also, there must be instructions on how to organize online classes, and how to examine and assess students abilities and recognize online teaching results.

Hai said the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) has joined forces with the Ministry of Information and Communications to call on technology firms to support and sponsor technology infrastructure, and an internet connection and software to help promote online teaching.

More than 80 percent of schools have organized online teaching at different levels, depending on their local conditions.

Two months ago, at a forum discussing education in the post-Covid-19 period, MOET Minister Phung Xuan Nha said his ministry has been collecting videos made by teachers in recent months to create an online digital repository.

There have been four national competitions on designing e-lesson plans, while tens of thousands of teachers have contributed high-quality lesson plans. MOET believes that when Covid-19 ends, the education sector will be able to organize classes using technology, especially online teaching.

Affirming the important role of IT in education, Rector of the Hanoi University of Social Sciences and Humanities Pham Quang Minh said the school has begun applying blended learning (both online and offline) and has added Digital Literacy to the training curriculum for information management majors.

Ngan Anh

Education Ministry's online teaching expansion plan raises concerns Vietnam has been warned of great challenges when developing online teaching, but it believes that these can be overcome.
A protester holds a banner against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the coronavirus countrywide lockdown in Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020. Netanyahu's government has imposed a three-week lockdown, beginning on Friday afternoon. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Israel went back into a full lockdown on Friday to try to contain a coronavirus outbreak that has steadily worsened for months as its government has been plagued by indecision and infighting.

The three-week lockdown, which began in the early afternoon, will require the closure of many businesses and set strict limits on movement and public gatherings. The closures coincide with the Jewish High Holidays, when people typically visit their families and gather for large prayer services.

In an address late Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that even stricter measures may be needed to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed. There are currently more than 46,000 active cases, with at least 577 hospitalized in serious condition.

"It could be that we will have no choice but to make the directives more stringent," Netanyahu said. "I will not impose a lockdown on the citizens of Israel for no reason, and I will not hesitate to add further restrictions if it is necessary."

Under the new lockdown, nearly all businesses open to the public will be closed. People must remain within 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) of their homes, but there are several exceptions, including shopping for food or medicine, going to work in a business that's closed to the public, attending protests and even seeking essential pet care.

Protesters chant slogans and hold banners against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the new coronavirus countrywide lockdown in Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020. Netanyahu's government has imposed a three-week lockdown, beginning on Friday afternoon. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Israel has reported a total of more than 175,000 cases since the outbreak began, including at least 1,169 deaths. It is now reporting around 5,000 new cases a day, one of the highest per capita infection rates in the world.

Israel was among the first countries to impose sweeping lockdowns this spring, sealing its borders, forcing most businesses to close and largely confining people to their homes. That succeeded in bringing the number of new cases down to only a few dozen per day in May.

But then the economy abruptly reopened, and a new government was sworn in that was paralyzed by infighting. In recent months authorities have announced various restrictions only to see them ignored or reversed even as new cases soared to record levels.

The occupied West Bank has followed a similar trajectory, with a spring lockdown largely containing its outbreak followed by a rise of cases that forced the Palestinian Authority to impose a 10-day lockdown in July. The PA has reported more than 30,000 cases in the West Bank and around 240 deaths.

Protesters chant slogans and hold banners against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the coronavirus countrywide lockdown in Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020. Netanyahu's government has imposed a three-week lockdown, beginning on Friday afternoon. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

The Gaza Strip, which has been under an Israeli-Egyptian blockade since the Islamic militant group Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007, was initially insulated from the pandemic. But authorities detected community spread last month, and there are now more than 1,700 active cases in the impoverished territory of 2 million, straining its already fragile health system. At least 16 people have died.

In Israel, the government has come under withering criticism for its response to the virus and the economic crisis triggered by the earlier lockdown. Netanyahu, who is also on trial for corruption, has been the target of weekly protests outside his official residence. Israel's insular ultra-Orthodox community, which has a high rate of infection, has also been up in arms about the restrictions, especially those targeting religious gatherings.

In Tel Aviv, hundreds of people protested the renewed lockdown on Thursday, including doctors and scientists who said it would be ineffective.

Dr. Amir Shahar, head of an emergency department in the city of Netanya and one of the organizers of the demonstration, said the lockdown is "disastrous" and would do "more harm than good."

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.
Victoria Police and the barrister they used as a secret informant have again joined forces  this time to savage the approach taken by the royal commission investigating the state's worst legal scandal.

In reply to their submissions to the Royal Commission into the Management of Police Informants, lawyers for Victoria Police and their once-prized snitch Nicola Gobbo accuse counsel assisting Chris Winneke, QC, of a "flagrant breach of procedural fairness" and failing to act as an "objective truth seeker".

Chris Winneke, QC.

Victorias Director of Public Prosecutions and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission distanced themselves from any knowledge at the time that Ms Gobbo, a former defence lawyer who ratted on some of Australias most notorious crooks, was a registered human source.

Mr Winneke has made a series of submissions, redacted from public view, that on the evidence it is open for commissioner Margaret McMurdo to find that senior figures within Victoria Police and the detectives who managed Ms Gobbos secret double life as an informer engaged in criminal conduct.
Tata Housing has announced a new scheme with zero stamp duty for customers availing a construction-linked payment plan for projects in Maharashtra starting this week.

This follows the Maharashtra governments decision to reduce stamp duty from 5 percent to 2 percent.

This exclusive zero stamp duty scheme is extended across Tata Housing ready-to-move-in (RTMI) and under-construction projects in Maharashtra under the construction-linked payment plan.

Projects include Serein (Pokhran Road 2, Thane), Amantra (Kalyan Bhiwandi Corridor), New Haven Boisar II (Boisar (E), Nr. Mumbai), La Montana (Talegaon, Nr. Pune) and Prive (Lonavala). The scheme will be applicable till October 31, 2020.

Business Insight | Home sales up 34% in Q3 2020, what is driving people to buy new houses amid the pandemic?

This new scheme, coupled with an alternative option of availing Tata Housings currently running Move In India campaign, where the customer pays just 15 percent now, moves in and EMI starts after one year, will help ease the buying decision.

The new scheme of zero stamp duty will be presented as an option to be availed if a customer does not want to avail the ongoing scheme. However, both the schemes cannot be clubbed together.

The state governments recent decision to reduce the stamp duty from 5 percent to 3 percent from 1 September to 31 December 2020 and by 2 percent from 1 January 2021 to 31 March 2021 is certain to help in uplifting the current market sentiment," said Amit Parsuramka, senior vice-president and chief sales and marketing officer, Tata Realty and Infrastructure.

"We, at Tata Housing, keep the homebuyer at the core of our business and thereby look for opportunities to meet and exceed their expectations in terms of quality and price of their dream home, he said.

The policies implemented by the government in addition to the reduced stamp duty are sure to lead to the return of opportunistic investors and NRIs to consider real estate as an investment, he said.

Tata Housing recently launched the Move In India scheme that allows customers the flexibility to pay a 15 percent or 20 percent now depending upon the agreement value and move into immediately in case of RTMI properties while the EMIs start after September 2021.

This scheme is valid for projects across the country with units ranging from Rs 25 lakh to Rs 6 crore.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan gave an interview to the Al-Akhbar newspaper, touching upon the relations between Armenia and Egypt, Armenias support to Egypt on signing a free trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union, the Karabakh conflict and Armenias priorities in the Middle East.

Armenpress presents the FMs interview:

Question: What is your evaluation of the progress of bilateral relations between Egypt and Armenia?

Answer: Armenian-Egyptian evolving bilateral relations have always been based on mutual respect and sincere friendship. You know Egypt was the first Arabic country to recognize the independence of Armenia and the first Arabic state to host the Armenian Embassy. Since the independence of Armenia, we have managed to achieve a broad range of relations with our Egyptian colleagues. The mere mention of the fact that Armenia and Egypt signed more than 50 agreements in different fields of cooperation. Joint Armenian-Egyptian intergovernmental commission is an effective platform to discuss issues related to our multidimensional cooperation and outline the perspectives of its further expansion and enhancement.

We are encouraged by the recently gained positive dynamics of our political dialogue. Meantime we have been able to outline perspectives of development for our economic and trade affairs: IT, pharmaceutics, creative education, agriculture, etc. The discussion and combining of the positions on regional processes and challenges hold a special place on our agenda.

Our interstate cooperation has been successful and together we achieved important results. However, we feel that our cooperation needs a fresh start to adjust to new global and regional realities, particularly in the situation when we are facing similar if not same challenges in regional security. Today as never before we see that the security between seemingly different regions of Eastern Mediterranean, Middle East, North Africa and even South Caucasus are interrelated.

Question: How can Armenia support Egypt in signing a free trade agreement with the Eurasian Union?

Answer: Armenia expressed its full support to the intention of Egypt to join the free trade zone with the Eurasian Union. And yesterday during the joint press conference with my good friend, Foreign Minister of Egypt Sameh Shoukry I reiterated that support.

In January 2019, when the first round of negotiations kicked off, Mr. Mher Grigoryan, Deputy Prime-Minister of Armenia, expressed our determination to assist and support friendly Egypt to join free trade agreement. We believe that all sides will benefit from deeper partnership within the framework of the above-mentioned agreement. That's why we strive for the soonest conclusion of all the procedures for signing the agreement.

Question: What role do Armenian Egyptians play in promoting relations between Egypt and Armenia?

Answer: Settling in Egypt in different historical periods, Armenians have made their significant contribution to the development and prosperity of the country.

In the very difficult part of our history when the survival of the Armenian people was at stake, Egypt along with other Arab countries received thousands of Armenians fleeing from the horrors of the Genocide in the Ottoman Empire. We will never forget the hospitality that the survivors of Genocide found in Egypt.

Today, the generations of those Armenians continue to live and create in Egypt, they made a significant contribution to the establishment and development of the state institutions of Egypt and we take great pride in that. Being devoted citizens of Egypt, they are at the same time endowed with all the necessary means to preserve their identity, language and traditions. Of course, we are deeply grateful to the Government and the people of Egypt for these efforts and the protection of our people.

The Armenian-Egyptian community, which has about ten thousand members, is an important bridge between the two friendly countries. The existence of the Armenian-Egyptian community became a fertile ground for the development of inter-state relations between the two countries.

Question: What are the reasons for the recent clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan?

Answer: There are many reasons, but the underlying reason is that this is a renewed attempt by Azerbaijan to impose unilateral concessions on Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh through use of force and threat of force. But what is more important in this regard, is that it was a miscalculation by Azerbaijani side which showed that their current capacities do not match with their well known intentions.

It was an attempt by Azerbaijani side to show a military advantage over Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, which indeed was a failed one. The July battles demonstrated Armenias capacities to defend itself, its population and its borders. Moreover, the July battles vividly demonstrated that there can be no military solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Question: What is the Turkish role in fuelling the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan?

Answer: We have been witnessing Turkeys destabilizing role not only in our region but in all other neighboring regions. The projection of power, intrusion and interference in the South Caucasian region do not contribute in any way to the peaceful resolution of the conflict and to regional peace, security and stability.

During the battles in July, Turkey has been the only country that was taking a one-sided supporting and fueling the maximalist approaches of Azerbaijan. That support was accompanied by a very aggressive approach toward Armenia and the Armenian people:

First, Turkey publically encourages Azerbaijan to take a harder stance against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh by openly communicating its support, including in military matters.

Second, Turkey came up with military posturing against Armenia by initiating large scale military exercises in the vicinity of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh with very provocative moves.

Third, there is ongoing Turkish military build-up in Azerbaijan, which is strengthening and expanding their presence thereon.

Fourth, there are reports of recruitment of foreign terrorist fighters in Syria with aim to be transferred to Azerbaijan.

We saw the outcome of similar behavior of Turkey in other regions which inflicted immense suffering on the people living in those regions. Thus, we have to be very vigilant in maintaining and strengthening regional peace and security.

Question: Do you consider Turkey's statements in response to recognition of the Armenian Genocide from several countries, including the US Congress, the French Senate and others?

Answer: What we consider and what should be considered is the fact that Turkeys policy of denial of the Armenian Genocide has failed particularly in recent times. The new wave of recognition of the Armenian Genocide has been marked by both continuity and change on the perception of this issue.

This struggle for truth, historic justice and human rights has been ongoing for several decades in all continents. However, there is new emerging important dimension in recognition of the Armenian Genocide and that is the security threats posed by Turkey to its neighboring regions and peoples. Nobody wants history to repeat itself again and again and we need to acknowledge not merely the past but to prevent recurrences of new atrocities today and in future. A state and its leadership who justifies Genocide and supports terrorist groups engaged in identity based atrocities is threat which needs to be clearly defined as such.

Question: Azerbaijan accused Russia of arming Armenia. What is your comment?

Answer: Armenia and Russia are allies and our relations are developing based on the logic of allied relationship. Russia is a main supplier of military equipment and armaments to Azerbaijan as well and thus these accusations neither justified nor sincere.

Question: This is your first official visit to the Middle East. What are your main priorities in the region?

Answer: Throughout the years Armenia has developed excellent relations with many countries in the region to which it is connected culturally and historically including via presence of the Armenian communities.

Economic, educational and cultural cooperation remain an important area which brings our people together in sharing values, generating knowledge and wealth.

Throughout these years, Armenia has established a strong tradition of humanitarian cooperation in the region. We expressed our readiness to build a secure environment by carrying out peacekeeping and humanitarian missions in the region.

Last but not least, security between the Middle East and the South Caucasus is interrelated. Therefore, we need stronger cooperation in this field including in countering transnational threats.
The Kremlin has accused colleagues of opposition leader Alexei Navalny of hampering a Russian investigation by taking items from his hotel room out of the country.

The colleagues revealed on Thursday that the items they removed included a water bottle that had traces of the Soviet-era nerve agent German authorities said was used to poison Mr Navalny.

Regrettably, what could have been evidence of poisoning was taken away, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Mr Navalny, the most visible opponent of Russian president Vladimir Putin, fell ill on the domestic flight on August 20 and was transferred to Germany for treatment at his wifes request two days later.

A German military lab later determined that Mr Navalny was poisoned with Novichok, the same class of Soviet-era agent that Britain said was used on a former Russian spy and his daughter in England, in 2018.

Members of the Navalny team said they searched his hotel room in the city of Tomsk upon learning that he collapsed on the flight home.

They said they packed half-empty plastic water bottles and other items and sent them on to Germany for further inspection to help investigate what they suspected to be his poisoning.

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Mr Navalnys colleagues said on Thursday that a German laboratory subsequently found a trace of Novichok on a bottle from his hotel room.

Top associate Georgy Alburov noted that the German experts concluded that the bottle did not contain the Novichok that Mr Navalny consumed, saying he likely transferred a tiny trace of the toxic substance behind when he drank from the container after having already been poisoned.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has said the German lab conducted tests on various samples from Mr Navalny, but neither she nor other German officials have not given details of what samples were tested.

The German government had no comment on Friday on the Navalny teams statement that Novichok was found on the water bottle taken from Russia.

Germany has said that independent tests by labs in France and Sweden backed up the military labs findings.

The Hague-based Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons also is having samples from Mr Navalny tested.

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German Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Adebahr said those tests were ongoing and Germany had not received any results.

The Kremlin reiterated that before Mr Navalnys transfer to Charite Hospital in Berlin, Russian labs and a hospital in the Siberian city of Omsk found no sign of a poisoning.

Moscow has called for Germany to provide its evidence and bristled at the urging from Ms Merkel and other Western leaders to answer questions about what happened to the politician.

There is too much absurdity in this case to take anyone at their word, Mr Peskov said Friday.

The Kremlin spokesman charged that Germany and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons have pointed to the other when Russia demanded access to the analyses and samples that allegedly demonstrated his poisoning.

The OPCWs technical secretariat tells us, We dont know anything, turn to the Germans, and the Germans tell us, We dont know anything, turn to the OPCW, he said.

Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of the Russian parliaments lower house, suggested on Friday without offering any evidence that Western spy agencies could have poisoned Mr Navalny to pave way for new sanctions against Russia.

Asked if the Kremlin agreed with Mr Volodins theory, Mr Peskov replied, We can neither agree nor disagree with the claim.

The only way to shed light on this incident is to share information, biomaterials and evidence and to work together in analysing the situation, he said.

Ms Merkels spokesman, Steffen Seibert told reporters on Friday that Germany was in contact with its European partners regarding the consequences Russia might face.

We have urgently asked Russia to explain itself on this matter, and this demand continues to stand, he said.
A man who murdered his housemate and dumped her body in a gully beside a Sydney motorway has been jailed for 18 years after a judge said the premeditated crime was "bizarre" and "dreadful" and the killer has shown no remorse.

Shuo Dong, 21, murdered Qi Yu, 28, on June 8, 2018, after he had lived with her for just under three weeks at her home in Campsie in Sydney's inner south-west.

Murdered: Sydney woman Qi Yu. Credit:NSW Police Media

Two days before the murder, Dong searched online for "how would homicide be sentenced in Australia" and clicked on a number of pages including "the sentencing criteria for intentional homicide". On the night Ms Yu was killed, he did a Google search for areas of bushland around Sydney.

On Friday, acting Justice Peter Hidden said Dong has refused to explain how or why he killed Ms Yu, which has increased the pain felt by her parents over the "brutal and untimely death".
Repeat RT-PCR tests for lawmakers, mandatory tests for government officials visiting parliament, and daily antigen tests for reporters and Parliament officials  these are part of the tighter safety norms that have been hurriedly put in place after more Members of Parliament (MPs), who attended the ongoing monsoon session, tested positive for the coronavirus disease.

The changes came after Union tourism and culture minister Prahlad Patel and BJPs senior Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Sahasrabuddhe tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday, a day after transport minister Nitin Gadkari did. All three had tested negative in the gold standard RT-PCR tests over the weekend, and experts said their positive tests points to the need for frequent repeat testing  and for the lawmakers attending Parliaments ongoing session to wear masks and maintain social distancing even while out of the House.

Also read: Nitin Gadkari tests Covid +ve 2 days after attending monsoon session

Parliament officials said lawmakers would be encouraged to undergo a fresh round of RT-PCR tests and that more intensive sanitisation of the chambers and Parliament building is happening. All three leaders attended Parliament before testing positive. They also didnt rule out a shorter-than-planned monsoon session if more lawmakers attending it test positive.

No formal direction has been issued to MPs yet (on the tests) as we see that many of them are already taking a repeat RT-PCR test on their own. The speakers office has already clarified that a lawmaker is free to take as many tests as he want, said a senior official involved in keeping Parliament safe.

An internal Lok Sabha circular, reviewed by HT, said that ministry officials who want to come to the Official Gallery will have to show a negative RT-PCR test report taken not more than 72 hours before their visit to Parliament House.

The gallery is right next to the first row of the treasury benches and various ministry officials sit there to assist their ministers as and when there is a debate related to their department.

Both Rajya Sabha chairman Venkaiah Naidu and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla hurriedly consulted various experts and lawmakers before tightening the current Covid safety protocols. The three new cases involving MPs have left both presiding officers worried and resulted in a new, tighter set of rules.

Also read: Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia tests positive for Covid-19

Parliament has also made it mandatory for its officials dealing with MPs and the public to undertake daily rapid antigen tests. The results of these are usually available in 15-20 minutes as against a minimum of 5-6 hours for the RT-PCR test. They are not as accurate, though.

The circular added: Officials issued with general entry session passes must carry/show their rapid antigen (negative) report for the same day of their visit to Parliament House.

Journalists entering Parliament will also have to undergo daily antigen tests.

Patel said on Twitter on Thursday morning: My Covid report came positive last night. Those who met me on Tuesday should maintain caution.

Similarly, Sahasrabuddhe, president of Indian Council for Cultural Relations, took to the Twitter to announce, Last Friday, got examined and was tested Negative, hence attended Parliament! But last night I had headache+mild fever, got examined and have tested Positive for Covid-19! .

Top officials refused to rule out a curtailment of the monsoon session if cases continue to grow in the two Houses. A top functionary told HT on Thursday: That is always an option. But we also have to think how to balance the fact that on one side we are keeping all services such as metro rails, shops, buses open, but we ourselves are shutting down the session.

The monsoon session, delayed by two months due to the pandemic, started on September 14 after all lawmakers, officials and journalists covering the session were tested for Covid-19. It also saw unprecedented arrangements including MPs of one House spread across both Houses of Parliament to maintain social distancing, plexiglass sheets separating seats, a sit-and-speak order, and the two Houses working in shifts.

With the three MPs, thus far, 32 lawmakers have tested positive since late last week.
Kerala govt modifies order allowing asymptomatic COVID-19 migrants to work

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oi-Deepika S

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 18: The Kerala government has issued revised instructions for quarantine norms for guest workers, specialised workers visiting Kerala from other states and SOPs for the registration in Covid-19 Jagratha portal to ensure proper quarantine.

Employees who reach Kerala will remain in quarantine for 14 days.

"If the guest workers are found COVID positive, he shall be segregated and shall not be allowed to work till he recovers from coronavirus," the Kerala government said.

The earlier order said, "If the guest workers are found positive, such workers need to be segregated. If they are asymptomatic positive, then they may work in the areas exclusively marked for the work to be done by asymptomatic positive workers by taking all precautions. They shall not mix with any other worker or officer."

Gold smuggling case: Kerala Minister Jaleel appears before NIA team

According to it, the guest workers entering the state must be quarantined at a location chosen by the contractor for 14 days and those who have reached without taking a test must undergo an antigen test on the fifth day from their arrival.

After Akali Dal now JJP's Dushyant Chautala under pressure over farm bills row | Oneindia News

The order released by GAD secretary Satyajeet Rajan also detailed the new quarantine norms and registration process in the COVID-19 "Jagratha" portal, a comprehensive solution for real time surveillance, care and support for people affected or quarantined due to the coronavirus.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

U.S. taxpayers did not earn a fair return on the 2008 government bailout of financial institutions, according to new research from the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business.

When the government completed its Troubled Asset Relief Program in 2014, the results were widely described as taxpayers getting back their full investment, plus interest.

"This is a misleading claim. Unfortunately, this narrative has found a large audience and it misses the point," said Amiyatosh Purnanandam, professor and chair of finance. "The real question is whether the return was good enough for the risk, not whether it was positive."

Purnanandam and Ross doctoral student Thomas Flanagan recently published a paper examining the issue, and Purnanandam discussed their research:

What's the problem with the way the TARP returns are often described?

Taxpayers poured hundreds of billions of dollars into the financial system in 2008 to assist financial firms that were struggling from the collapse of the mortgage market. On an aggregate basis, these investments were returned back to the taxpayers with some positive return. A common refrain used by a number of bankers is that we returned every penny of TARP money back to the shareholders, with interest.

But such a narrative misses the most basic point of finance theory: Was the return on TARP sufficient to compensate the taxpayers for the risk that they took? In a private market transaction, investors demand higher returns for high-risk investments. The return is "fair" only if it is commensurate with the risk it imposes on the investors.

The title of your paper asks,"Did banks pay a 'fair' return to taxpayers on TARP?" How did you go about answering that question?

Bailouts, by definition, occur in bad states of the world, that is, when risk is high. The "fair" market-based return on such investments must earn sufficiently high returns. To evaluate whether banks paid a fair return on TARP investments or not, we compared returns on TARP with returns earned on securities of similar risk in private markets. Specifically, we compared TARP's return with return in preferred equity issued by banks over exactly the same investment horizon as TARP.

The market dramatically improved between the time of the TARP bailouts and the time they were repaid. How were the bailouts affected by this turnaround?

There is no doubt that TARP helped both the financial and the real sectors of our economy. As a result of this intervention, our financial markets recovered and private market securities earned positive returns.

Unfortunately, the return paid on TARP did not keep pace with these private returns. Thus, taxpayers ended up subsidizing banks, and hence the narrative that "banks paid every penny of TARP with interest" is a bit misleading and certainly incomplete.

What's the ultimate answer to the question the paper poseswere the TARP returns fair?

From a purely risk-return perspective, the return on TARP securities was not fair. Of course, the bailout helped the economy by stabilizing the financial sector. So in a broader sense, it did help the taxpayers.

But the gains from the recovery were captured disproportionately by the recipient banks. Hence a nuanced interpretation of our results is that the TARP return was less-than-fair for the risk it imposed on the taxpayers, and the banks ended up getting a subsidy to the tunes of billions of dollars in the process.

What can we learn from these results for any future bailouts?

For future bailouts, we need a better design. Specifically, we need to ensure that once the economy recovers, banks are required to share their gains with the taxpayer. That will be a fair system; otherwise, we end up propagating a system that encourages socialism in bad times and capitalism in good. Such a system can easily end up with a devastating consequence: People will lose trust in our financial system and economic policy.

Explore further Bailed-out banks issued riskier loans

More information: Thomas Flanagan et al. Did Banks Pay 'Fair' Return to Taxpayers on TARP?, SSRN Electronic Journal (2020). Thomas Flanagan et al. Did Banks Pay 'Fair' Return to Taxpayers on TARP?,(2020). DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.3595763
Growing up as one of four children in a blue-collar family, Racine native Roger Polack knows full well what its like to struggle.

And hes determined to help those who need it most.

Polack, 37, a graduate of Racine Horlick High School, is facing off with Republican incumbent Bryan Steil in the Nov. 3 election for Wisconsins First Congressional District seat. Polack defeated Bristols Josh Pade in the Democratic primary in August.

For Polack, who is making his first venture into public office, the decision to run for election goes back to his background in Racine.

I was born and raised in a family that struggled to make ends meet, like a lot of families here in southeastern Wisconsin, he said.

I wanted to make sure that less families and less people have an upbringing that I did, be in a position to help lift up the community, and make sure there is access to jobs, health care and make sure that we can tackle some of the systemic issues that make peoples lives more difficult.

Polack cited three main issues on his platform, with a revamped health care system at the top of the list.

Its really important to me that we have quality, universal health care coverage to everyone across the United States, he said. I believe access to quality, affordable health care is a human right. We have to ensure in our country that we have universal health care coverage. Thats a big priority of mine.

The Affordable Care Act has been in President Donald Trumps sights since he took office, but to date, the health care system has not been replaced.

And Polack doesnt feel it needs to be completely torn down for something to work.

I believe we build on it, he said. There are ways. I think we should have a strong public option available on the marketplace. Im in favor of keeping choice available. People who want their employer-backed insurance should be able to continue to have that, to have insurance they feel works for them.

Next on the to-do list are eliminating corporate money from politics, followed by creating better family-supported jobs in the area.

Polack pointed to the money he said Steil has received, which includes more than $200,000 that has been funded by banks and insurance companies he oversees as a member of the House Financial Services Committee.

Theres real institutional corruption in our country, Polack said. I think we need to get that out, so we can focus on fixing some of the serious problems that we have like health care, lowering prescription drug prices, addressing (climate) change and enacting a more sensible health care system.

All this money is influencing politics and buying politicians off, and making real change is difficult and next to impossible. ... We need to set up southeastern Wisconsin for success. I just dont feel like its been prioritized, not just with Bryan Steil, but his predecessor, Paul Ryan, before him.

When it comes to job creation here, Polack said he feels there arent enough chances for people to not only compete, but to succeed.

But it doesnt have to be that way, he said.

I believe that, if given the opportunity, the people of southeastern Wisconsin can compete with anyone, anywhere, Polack said. We have a strong track record of doing that.

An eye on Kenosha

Polack certainly has been keeping tabs on whats happening in Kenosha regarding the shooting of Jacob Blake and the civil unrest that has followed.

He said he feels like, moving forward, any positive changes here can serve as an example for the rest of the country.

What weve seen in Kenosha over the last couple weeks, first off, the shooting of Jacob Blake was really horrifying, Polack said. What Im focused on, though, is that I believe the story of Kenosha in 2020 is not yet written. And I think its already happening.

Were seeing the community come together after this and having a dialogue between municipal government, police, community leaders, faith-based organizations to really talk about how the community can work together to make sure this doesnt happen again and to address the underlying problems that we saw come to the fore.

Where things go from here in the city will go a long way in writing that last chapter for the year, he said.

And Polack disagrees with the stance taken by his opponent on this issue.

Hes sending a message of fear, Polack said. He was on the radio in Janesville and said, People of Janesville, this could happen to you, where your parade route is. I dont think that message of fear is a helpful one. Were seeing that repeated over and over again.

Im not saying we need to blindly send a message of hope, either. There needs to be real change that happens and (we need) to address the problems head on. ... We need to focus on healing. I think theres a great opportunity here in Kenosha to do that.

Worked under Bush, ObamaPolack, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Georgetown University Law School, began working for former President George W. Bush in the middle of 2007 in the Office of Intelligence and Analysis. He then worked in President Barack Obamas administration in late 2009, when he was deployed to Afghanistan for nearly two years.

His focus with the Bush administration was dismantling the funding of terrorist organizations, Polack said, which came as recommendations from the 9/11 Commission. When he was in Afghanistan, Polack first worked as an analyst then as deputy director of the Afghanistan Threat Finance Cell, which focused on the funding of the Taliban and corruption.

While with that unit, Polack said the largest fraud in the history of Afghanistan, almost $1 billion, was uncovered. Polack had more than 40 civilian and military analysts who reported to him while in that role.

I have a strong background in working on corruption overseas and working on stopping fraud, waste and abuse, he said. Well be bringing that to the table if elected to Congress. ... I spent 10 years in government, all of which was focused on keeping our country safe.

From working with the past two presidents, Polack then turned his attention to law, where he was an attorney focused on public international law and investigations.

Big day ahead

As to the importance of this particular election?

From Polacks perspective, theres more than just his race against Steil thats at stake.

Its said every cycle that this is the most important election of our lifetime, but I truly believe that this is the case, he said. We have the opportunity to move forward from an administration that turned a blind eye to COVID the first few months and did not put the people of this country first.

That is the first and foremost job of the President of the United States and the job of government, to ensure that the citizenry is safe and secure. Theyve failed miserably at that. Bryan Steil is a part of that, and we have the opportunity, not just with the presidential, but (the other races), to bring about change and have individuals who care about security in this country, but also care that peoples livelihoods and ability to thrive is at the front and center as well.

Polack said, if elected, he guarantees to put his constituents first in every situation.

My interest will always be with the people of southeastern Wisconsin, first and foremost, he said. Im going to go into this seat fully independent from corporate special interest groups and will only be held accountable to southeastern Wisconsinites.

I know what its like to come from a family that struggled to make ends meet and will be working to lift up all families across this district.

Polack and his wife, Amanda, a fellow Horlick graduate, have two children, a son, Bennett, 3, and a daughter, Siona, 1. The couple lives in Caledonia.

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A 47-year-old man, Emeka Ezimadu, on Thursday, went berserk killing two of his children and injuring three others.

The incident, it was gathered, happened at Okpuneze Uruagu in Nnewi North local government area of Anambra State.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the man used a cutlass to carry out the attacks which left his 85-yr-old mother and two of his children dead.

Police spokesperson in the state, Haruna Mohammed, confirmed the incident.

He said the police have arrested the man and commenced investigation into the incident.

According to him, two of the mans five children and his 85 year w old mother, Agnes Ezimadu, were killed in the attack.

On the September 17, at about 11:55pm, Police operatives attached to Nnewi Division arrested one Emeka Ezimadu m aged 47years of Okpuneze Uruagu in Nnewi North LGA of Anambra State.

Suspect allegedly ran amok in circumstances yet to be ascertained, attacked and killed two of his biological children namely Ifechukwu Ezimadu m aged 9 years, Mmeso Ezimadu f aged 2 years and his own mother one Agnes Ezimadu f aged 85years of same address allegedly with a cutlass while they were sleeping, he said.

Mr Haruna also revealed that the man also attacked and injured three other children.

Suspect equally used same offensive weapon and injured his three other children namely Nonso Ezimadu m aged 12years, Chinaemerem Ezimadu f aged 11 years and Ngozi Ezimadu f aged 8years of same address.

Mr Haruna said the police detectives visited the scene and rushed the victims to Akwudo hospital for medical attention where the two children and the aged mother were certified dead by a medical doctor while the three other children are receiving treatment.

Corpses deposited at Akwudo hospital morgue for autopsy and case transferred to State CID Awka for discreet investigation, he said.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday slammed the Centre for what he called forcing the farm legislations on the nation as part of a conspiracy to destroy farmers and Punjab, of which the Akalis were a part".

I dont know what enmity the BJP and the Akalis (Shiromani Akali Dal) have with Punjab and why they are out to destroy us," said the Chief Minister while virtually launching the Kisan Mela at the Punjab Agriculture University in Ludhiana.

The launch was held through virtual connectivity at 100 locations in which farmers, farmer representatives and other stakeholders, including Ministers, MLAs and state Congress chief Sunil Jakhar, participated.

The Chief Minister claimed that the legislations will lead to unrest among the people in the border state, and give Pakistan the opportunity to stoke fire. The anti-farmer move will spoil the abo hawa (environment) of Punjab, he said. Delhi has to rethink on this issue, he stressed, adding that the legislations would undo the sacrifices made by Punjab and its farmers over 65 years to make India self-sufficient in food.

Accusing the SAD of playing their own political games in this entire affair, Amarinder Singh asked the Badals why the SAD had failed to stand with the Punjab government on these Bills and even on the critical water issue.

Did you not think even once what will happen to Punjab without agriculture and water?" he asked the Akalis, pointing out that with the Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal issue hanging over the state, the situation was perilous and the SAD had only contributed to the crisis by supporting the farm ordinances.

The Chief Minister said that notwithstanding the Centres denials, these new laws will eventually pave the way for the elimination of the MSP regime and end of the Food Corporation of India, leaving the farmers at the mercy of big corporates, as recommended by the Shanta Kumar committee.

Strongly opposing the legislations, the Chief Minister also trashed the Centres contention that the MSP regime will not be tampered with, saying it was a constitutional guarantee given by Parliament which, in fact, the NDA government was trying to destroy with their brute majority.

Even the Minimum Support Price (MSP) already announced on items like maize has not been given to the farmers, he noted, questioning the sincerity of the government of India.

Categorically rejecting the BJP and SAD claims that Punjab was on board with the farm ordinances, Amarinder Singh made it clear that the issue of any such ordinances or new laws on agriculture was never discussed at any of the meetings in which his government was represented at the high-powered committee set up by the Centre on agricultural reforms.

Politicians should not lie on such grave issues that have serious implications for our future generations," said Amarinder Singh, alluding to the claims made by Union Minister Raosaheb Patil Danve and SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal. Politics aside, this is an issue concerning the future of our children," he added.

These dangerous and vicious Bills have been passed by the Centre due to a brute majority in the Lok Sabha, he pointed out, adding that Indias future generations will not forgive the damage inflicted on the nation by the NDA and its allies.

The high-powered committee was clearly an eyewash, the Chief Minister said, waving the draft report shared with Punjab which allegedly made no mention whatsoever of the ordinances.

His governments response to the draft report had, in fact, clearly listed its stand on the reforms, he added.

Taking a dig at Akali leader Harsimrat Kaur Badals remarks of standing with her farmer brethren by resigning from the Union Cabinet, Amarinder Singh asked why did she forgot about her farmer brothers when the Centre brought in the ordinances.

Had the SAD stood with my government at the outset and put pressure on their ally, the BJP, the current situation may not have arisen," he added.

Pointing out that it was Punjab and its farmers who toiled and shed blood and sweat to make the nation food surplus, Amarinder Singh said that Punjab had saved the nation from going hungry through the years even though it was a small state.

Even during the Covid-19 pandemic, all the food grain distributed to the poor around the country came from Punjabs godowns, he noted.
Versius Surgical Robotic System launched in France as CMR Surgical extends global footprint

Clinique du Parc Hospital, Saint-Etienne, is the first to use Versius in France - Europe's largest surgical robotics market and the third largest in the world

CAMBRIDGE, UK - 18 SEPTEMBER 2020. 00:01 (GMT). CMR Surgical today announced the launch of its Versius Surgical Robotic System at Clinique du Parc Hospital in Saint-Etienne, France. France is Europe's largest robotics market and the third largest worldwide. The arrival of Versius provides a versatile option that can support a much higher use of robotic minimal access surgery (MAS), otherwise known as keyhole surgery. Versius is being used to conduct procedures such as hernia repair surgeries, prostatectomies and hysterectomies. MAS is a gold standard of care and is associated with better outcomes for patients and shorter hospital stays compared to open surgery - two factors that are increasingly important as health services continue to seek rigorous ways to minimise exposure to COVID-19.

Per Vegard Nerseth, Chief Executive Officer of CMR Surgical commented: "France is one of the largest surgical robotics markets in the world and we are delighted to be launching Versius into such a highly influential region. In Versius we have created a unique system with the potential to radically transform surgery - making the best surgical care more accessible than ever before. Over the past year, CMR has seen global interest in Versius increase exponentially and today is another important step forward as we continue to bring this pioneering technology to surgeons and hospitals across Europe and beyond."

Versius brings next-generation technology to MAS. It can be moved easily and used in virtually any operating room, meaning that a single system at Clinique du Parc could be used to perform up to 300 cases every year. It also offers a route to making surgical robotics more routinely available, addressing inequity in access to surgical robotics technology. Across France, over 1,500 hospitals currently perform MAS, yet only 6% of medium-sized public hospitals have a robotic surgery department.i Versius aims to offer an innovative solution to this challenge, making MAS far more accessible.

Karine Giroudon, Division Director at C2S and Manager of Clinique du Parc, welcomes the acquisition of Versius: "The arrival of Versius is a remarkable opportunity for Clinique du Parc - the first hospital in France to benefit from this exceptional technology. Versius' versatility and the fact that it is easily transportable means we have complete flexibility. Unlike anything before it, Versius can be used many times a day, in different theatres and by teams working across multiple disciplines such as gastroenterology, urology and gynaecology. Our surgical teams are leading the way in the use of this surgical tool, allowing us to offer the benefits of MAS to more patients than ever before."

- ENDS -

Media Contacts:

If you wish to see more, please contact CMR Surgical at:

Sarah Ghabina / Ashley Davis-Marin

Global Communications Manager / Senior Communications Executive, CMR Surgical

T +44(0) 1223 755801

Epressoffice@cmrsurgical.com

Tim Cockroft, akt health communications

T +44(0) 7957 325 583

Etim@akthealthcomms.com

Notes to Editors:

About Versius at Clinique du Parc

Versius aims to ensure that surgeons and hospitals are able to provide patients with the highest quality of surgical care. At Clinique du Parc it has been used to perform a wide range of MAS procedures, such as hernia repair surgeries, prostatectomies and hysterectomies. These procedures are often complex and may last for many hours. Using robotic MAS in these cases can significantly lower physical strain for the surgeon, may reduce recovery time for a patient from weeks to days and can lower the risk of surgical site infections - an issue that is estimated to cost health services across Europe up to 19 billion per annum.ii

Clinique du Parc is part of the C2S group, a leader in healthcare across the Auvergne Rhone-Alpes and Bourgogne Franche-Comte regions. Clinique du Parc treats over 150,000 patients each year, conducting circa 15,000 surgeries. While historically robotic MAS has been prohibitively expensive for many hospitals (particularly smaller centres), CMR Surgical has designed Versius to be versatile, and cost effective, available through financial models that offer budget certainty and support regular use of the system.

The Versius Surgical Robotic System

Versius resets expectations of robotic surgery. Versius fits into virtually any operating room set-up and integrates seamlessly into existing workflows, increasing the likelihood of robotic minimal access surgery (MAS). The portable and modular design of Versius allows the surgeon to only use the number of arms needed for a given procedure.

Biomimicking the human arm, Versius gives surgeons the choice of optimised port placement alongside the dexterity and accuracy of small fully-wristed instruments. With 3D HD vision, easy-to adopt instrument control and a choice of ergonomic working positions, the open surgeon console has the potential to reduce stress and fatigue and allows for clear communication with the surgical team. By thinking laparoscopically and operating robotically with Versius, patients, surgeons and healthcare professionals can all benefit from the value that robotic MAS brings.

About CMR Surgical Limited

CMR Surgical (CMR) is a global medical devices company dedicated to transforming surgery with Versius, a next-generation surgical robot.

Headquartered in Cambridge, United Kingdom, CMR is committed to working with surgeons, surgical teams and hospital partners, to provide an optimal tool to make robotic minimal access surgery universally accessible and affordable. With Versius, we are on a mission to redefine the surgical robotics market with practical, innovative technology and data that can improve surgical care.

Founded in 2014, CMR Surgical is a private limited company backed by an international shareholder base.

References







iDr Jean-Claude COUFFINHAL. Report on the professional impact, HR, organisation and population of the progressive territorial deployment of surgical robots in public university hospitals in the Ile-de-France region and outside the CHU. Regional Health Agency of Ile de France. June 2019.

iiDavid J Leaper et al., Surgical site infection - a European perspective of incidence of economic burden. International Wound Journal. December 2004.
U.S. Ambassador Kelly Craft had lunch Wednesday with Taiwans top official in New York, a meeting she called historic and a further step in the Trump administrations campaign to strengthen relations with the self-governing island that China claims as part of its territory.

Craft said her lunch with James K.J. Lee, director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York, at an outdoor restaurant on Manhattans East Side was the first meeting between a top Taiwan official and a United States ambassador to the United Nations.

Im looking to do the right thing by my president, and I feel that he has sought to strengthen and deepen this bilateral relationship with Taiwan and I want to continue that on behalf of the administration, she told The Associated Press.

The meeting came weeks ahead of the Nov. 3 U.S. presidential election and barely a day before U.S. Undersecretary of State Keith Krach is due to arrive in Taiwan in the highest-level visit by a State Department official to the island in decades. He is expected to meet Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen on his visit and participate in an economic dialogue.

The activity is certain to exacerbate mounting tensions between Washington and Beijing over the COVID-19 pandemic, trade, Hong Kong and the South China Sea.

Chinas U.N. Ambassador Zhang Jun told AP on Thursday that the Chinese Embassy in Washington is presenting our disagreements about U.S.-Taiwan actions to the Trump administration and here in New York we are also approaching the U.S. Mission to present our protest. He said the meetings violate the one-China policy, three U.S.-China communiques, and a U.N. General Assembly resolution.

Warmer American relations with democratic Taiwan are largely a result of strong bipartisan support in Congress, but also appear to show how the Trump administration is willing to defy Beijings threats and promote an alternative to Chinese Communist Party authoritarianism.

The Trump administration is pressing for Taiwans inclusion as a separate entity in international organizations like the World Health Organization and International Civil Aviation Organization, and is pushing back against Beijings diplomatic victories over Taipei this year that have included several small countries abandoning diplomatic recognition of Taiwan in favor of China.

Craft said Lee, who was secretary-general in Taiwans Ministry of Foreign Affairs until July and just arrived in New York, invited her to lunch and she accepted.

It was a nice way for the host country to welcome him to New York and to hear about his family and his experience, and obviously his respect and admiration for the Chinese people as well as the many, many innovations in technology ... that Taiwan has to offer the world.

China has been stepping up its threat to bring the self-governing island under its control by military force with frequent war games and aerial patrols. It claims sovereignty over Taiwan and has been using its diplomatic clout to stop the island from joining any organizations that require statehood for membership.

Taiwan left the United Nations in 1971 when China joined and is excluded from all of its agencies, including the World Health Organizations assembly, where Taiwan's observer status has been stripped. At the same time, it has one of the most robust public health systems in the world, and has won praise for its handling of the coronavirus outbreak.

In May, a tweet from the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, which ambassador Craft retweeted, expressed support for Taiwans participation in the United Nations, saying the 193-member world organization was founded to serve all voices, welcome a diversity of views and perspectives, and promote human rights. It said Barring #Taiwan from setting foot on UN grounds is an affront not just to the proud Taiwanese people, but to UN principles.

A spokesperson for Chinas U.N. Mission expressed strong indignation and firm opposition, calling the U.S. Mission tweet a serious violation of the General Assembly resolution that gave China the U.N. seat, three U.S.-China joint communiques, and Chinas sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Craft said the 24 million people in Taiwan need to be heard and theyre being marginalized by Beijing.

It really is a shame because they should be able to participate in U.N. affairs just like everyone else, she said. If the U.S. doesnt stand up to China then whos going to when it comes to Taiwan, and not only Taiwan but Hong Kong and others?

Craft said she and Lee discussed different ways that we can best help Taiwan become more engaged within the U.N.

She echoed President Donald Trump in pointing to an email alert sent by Taiwan in December that the WHO ignored, warning about person-to-person transmission of the new virus in China, which indicated that the infection was highly contagious.

Obviously we really are pushing for them to be back into the U.N., or have a role in the U.N. health assembly, Craft said, especially in light of Taiwans recognition of the danger of human to human transmission of the coronavirus.

Lee called Craft a terrific diplomat and told AP that he is here to engage and being new in town he appreciates meeting people and making friends.

Taiwan and the U.S. share the values of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, he said. We could make great partners.

Craft said the next step is just being supportive ... and just making sure that he knows that the U.S. appreciates all of their contributions.

They have so much to offer the world and are most unselfish about sharing best practices, she said. They care about the relationship (of) the Chinese people with the Taiwanese. They care  which to me spoke volumes.

Craft stressed that U.S. and Taiwan share the goal of promoting democracy and she said she looks forward one day to meeting Tsai.
In August, a team of researchers at the University of California San Diego published groundbreaking back-to-back studies describing unprecedented details of a protein linked to genetically inherited Parkinson's disease.

The researchers produced the first visualizations of leucine-rich repeat kinase 2, or LRRK2, as seen within its natural environment inside the cell, as well as the first high-resolution blueprint of the protein.

The Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) initiative has announced support for the next phase of the research as the scientists focus on understanding the basic mechanisms underlying Parkinson's, a neurodegenerative disorder affecting millions. ASAP's goal is to support research that will inform a path to a cure for Parkinson's.

The three-year, $7.2 million grant will fund research across three UC San Diego laboratories and two others based in Germany. The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research is the implementation partner for ASAP and issuer of the grant, which contributes to the Campaign for UC San Diego.

"This grant from ASAP will further advance UC San Diego's efforts at unraveling the core debilitating effects of Parkinson's disease, which impacts the lives of so many individuals and families around the world," said UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla.

"This support will keep our researchers at the forefront of the science and technology needed to fully understand the mechanisms underlying the disease."

Since LRRK2 was discovered and linked to Parkinson's in the early 2000s, scientists have vigorously pursued clues about its form and function. The new funding expands efforts at UC San Diego using leading-edge cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to produce previously unseen views of biologically important cells and molecules.

"The goal of this project is to understand the basic cell biology and structure of this really fundamentally important LRRK2 molecule," said Samara Reck-Peterson, the lead principal investigator of the project, a professor at UC San Diego School of Medicine and Division of Biological Sciences and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator.

"If we can find out why LRRK2--when it doesn't work--causes Parkinson's disease, that's really the ultimate goal. When you are thinking about designing a drug, you really need to understand all the details of the parts in order to engineer therapeutics."

Project co-principal investigator Andres Leschziner and his colleagues have used the growing cryo-EM facility at UC San Diego to produce atomic-level visualizations of LRRK2 in the most detailed images of the protein to date. Leschziner plans to use cryo-EM to develop a full blueprint of LRRK2 in normal and mutant states.

"LRRK2 is a complicated molecule with a lot of moving parts, and its dynamic behavior is very likely to play a role in both its normal function and Parkinson's pathology.

Understanding how the structure of LRRK2 changes in different states and with different disease mutations will be key to developing treatments. The equipment and expertise in cryo-EM here at UC San Diego put us in a great position to visualize all of this," said Leschziner, a professor at UC San Diego School of Medicine and Division of Biological Sciences.

Biological Sciences Assistant Professor and project co-principal investigator Elizabeth Villa uses a related technology called cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) to visualize LRRK2 in its natural living environment within the cell.

In combination with other techniques, Villa's lab will continue to examine mutant forms of LRRK2 as it interacts with a network of components in the cell in health and disease.

"We are just starting to understand the roles of LRRK2 in various cellular processes," said Villa. "Using high-end technologies, we are, for the first time, able to directly see LRRK2 as it performs these roles, as well as what happens when mutations affect LRRK2's function.

By opening windows into LRRK2 in cells, we can answer longstanding questions and generate new ones. It is humbling and empowering to know that our basic research can benefit people who suffer from this debilitating disease."

Reck-Peterson's expertise focuses on "roadways" of tracks called microtubules that move important cargoes around the cell. Previous evidence suggests that LRRK2 plays a role in how these components move along these cellular tracks. Her lab will be investigating cargo movements when LRRK2 is normal and in diseased states, and whether interactions with microtubules are linked to Parkinson's.

The LRRK2 project and the new funding are the latest achievements underscoring the university's rising cryo-EM facility. Cryo-EM, in which scientists freeze molecules in a thin layer of ice to determine their structure at high resolution, has exploded in scientific prominence over the last decade as the technology provides unique insights into a range of biological phenomena.

"This project will build upon the university's investments in cryo-EM technology and deliver new insights into Parkinson's disease that promise to lead to new treatments," said Division of Biological Sciences Dean Kit Pogliano.

"I'm grateful to ASAP for recognizing that this all-star team of scientists is well-equipped to make transformational discoveries that will provide new insights into the biology of this devastating disease."

Co-principal investigator Stefan Knapp, a professor at Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany, will be engineering samples of LRRK2 that the team members can use to help decode its full structure, and will also design probes to locate LRRK2 inside cells for both live-cell imaging and cryo-ET.

The fifth team member, Florian Stengal of Konstanz University in Germany, brings expertise in mass spectrometry, an analytical tool that will help the team develop a complete picture of all of the proteins LRRK2 interacts with in normal and Parkinson's cells.

"All five team members are going to be working in their specialties but toward our common goals, and there's going to be a lot of crosstalk among the team," said Reck-Peterson. "One of the things that we're really excited about is that every member of the team brings a unique strength and we've already shown that we are really good at working together given our track record of collaboration."

The new funding allows the UC San Diego labs to rapidly expand their teams focusing on LRRK2 research. Initial phases of this research were funded by The Michael J.

Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research in an effort spearheaded by UC San Diego's Susan Taylor, a distinguished professor in Chemistry and Biochemistry and Pharmacology and world-renowned expert in protein kinases, one of the largest gene families to which LRRK2 belongs.

UC San Diego has a long and accomplished history in uncovering fundamental secrets about how key proteins function in health and diseases -- kinases in particular." David A. Brenner, MD, Vice Chancellor, Health Sciences, University of California San Diego

"In more recent years, we've made it a strategic goal to take those efforts to the next level by first recruiting the nation's rising stars in protein structure and function and then providing them access to leading-edge technologies such as cryo-EM. I am thrilled to see the success of this reflected in the incredible work of this team."
The event was briefed by UN Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowock and Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) David Shearer.

Quy also welcomed the government of South Sudans role in brokering peace agreements for neigbouring Sudan. South Sudans efforts are very encouraging though the country has been challenged by various issues, particularly COVID-19, flooding and food shortages, he said.

He said the ceasefire has been fundamentally abided in South Sudan, calling on its government to adopt effective solutions to end violence among local communities.

The Vietnamese diplomat underscored the significance of transitional period and full implementation of the Revitalised Peace Agreement in South Sudan, based on which the UNSC sanctions against the nation to be reviewed in December.

He also highly spoke of the UNSC, UNMISS and Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in promoting peace and development in South Sudan, stressing that Vietnam will further contribute to the UNMISS activities.

Shearer said the transitional government continues to function and activities are progressing well as ministers and state governors have been appointed.

Yet, he voiced concerns over local conflicts, saying that UNMISS documented 575 incidents of subnational violence from January to July, a year-on-year increase of 300%. In Jonglei state alone, 600 people were killed in six months, women and children were kidnapped, thousands fled their homes as they were looted and torched.

Echoing Shearers view, Lowock said humanitarian needs, already high after years of conflict, are again rising due to more violence, flooding and COVID-19, which brings a host of health and wider consequences, including increasing flood insecurity.

The UNMISS head emphasised that his organisation maintains its clear mandate to protect civilians and will intervene if necessary.

UNMISS was founded by the UNSC in July, 2011, to protect civilians, create conditions conducive to the delivery of humanitarian assistance, support the implementation of the Revitalised Peace Agreement and peace process, and monitor and investigate human rights in South Sudan.

Vietnam has sent 68 military personnels to the UNMISS and set up a Level-2 field hospital in Bentiu, South Sudan, in 2018.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. The Board of Trustees of the St. Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church of San Francisco announced on Thursday that around 4 a.m. the building adjacent to the church was set ablaze by arsonists, Asbarez reported.

The building housed Vasbouragan Hall, as well as offices for St. Gregory Armenian Church and various organizations. The San Francisco Fire Department responded immediately, however, the building has suffered a great loss, said the church board of trustees.

This is the second attack on an Armenian establishment in San Francisco in the past two month: In July, the Krouzian-Zekarian Vasbouragan Armenian School and the adjacent community center were targeted by vandals. The exterior of the building was spray painted with anti-Armenian, pro-Azerbaijani graffiti. Investigators have classified the vandalism as a hate crime and the suspects in that case remain at large, police said.

The Church Board of Trustees and community leaders are on site assessing the damage and working closely with San Francisco Fire and Police Departments in their investigation. We will provide more updates to the community as they become available, added the board.

The Armenian National Committee of America San Francisco Bay Area issued a statement condemning the attack and expressed deep concern over "an emerging pattern of hate crimes " targeting the Armenian-American community.

Firefighters initially responded to the blaze just after 4 a.m. at St. Gregory The Illuminator Armenian Apostolic Church at 51 Commonwealth Ave., police said.

Although firefighters were able to eventually extinguish the fire, the building sustained extensive damage, according to San Francisco Fire Department spokesman Lt. Jonathan Baxter. No one was injured as a result of the fire, he said.

Editing by Stepan Kocharyan
Mumbai, Sep 18 : Sunny Leone seems to be taking a dig at Kangana Ranaut in her new Instagram post on Friday, for dragging her name into the Urmila Matondkar controversy.

After calling Urmila Matondkar a "soft porn star" the day before, Kangana had defended her statement saying fake feminists are equating being a porn star to something derogatory. She added that the film industry had welcomed former adult star Sunny.

Sunny on Friday took to Instagram to share a picture with the caption, "Lunch date! Catching up on world drama!" The second photo in her post seems like a clearer assertion. It reads: "It's funny how the people that know the least about you have the most to say." The post was liked by many of her fans and followers, with one person writing: "Accurate!"

On Thursday, Kangana defended her "soft porn star" statement, writing: "Liberal brigade once virtually lynched a renowned writer in to silence for saying people like Sunny Leone should not be our role models, Sunny is accepted by the industry and entire India as an artist, suddenly fake feminists equating being a porn star to something derogatory." During an interview with a news channel, Kangana reacted to an interview given by Urmila, where the latter questioned her motives while accusing Bollywood's alleged 'drug-mafia'. Reacting to it, Kangana said that Urmila is "making a mockery" about her struggles, and called her a soft porn star.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
By Drew Lawson

Staff Reporter

SPOKANEA banking company with 24 locations in Eastern Washington and North Idaho may be expanding even further. STCU is seeing approval to acquire four new Umpqua Bank locations, including the banks in Medical Lake and Ritzville.

(We) were looking for opportunities, and this presented itself, STCU strategic communications manager Dan Hansen said.

The other Umpqua branches STCU is seeking to acquire are located in Othello and Coulee City. The Ritzville and Othello locations would be STCUs first in Adams County, while the Coulee City location woul...
(Natural News) Police have arrested a man suspected of beheading and toppling a historic statue of Jesus in El Pasos Saint Patricks Cathedral on Tuesday.

(Article by Thomas D. Williams, Ph.D. republished from Breitbart.com)

The suspect, 30-year-old Isaiah Cantrell, said that he destroyed the 90-year-old statue because Jesuss skin color was wrong and should have been darker.

The skin color of the statue was the wrong color, Cantrell said, according to a court affidavit. Jesus was Jewish and therefore should be a darker skin color.

The attack on the statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which was located behind the main altar of the church, occurred at around 10:00 am, when the church was open for private prayer.

This statue is one of my favorite representations of Jesus  his arms open wide in welcome, his heart aflame with love for us. I would often take inspiration from this image as I prepared for Mass, said El Paso Bishop Mark Seitz in a statement.

As sad as I am to see a statue attacked and destroyed, I am grateful that it was not a living person. But a statue, particularly this statue, concretizes and connects us to persons and ideals that are not visible to our eyes. They reveal to us realities that are close to us, but unseen, he said.

At this point we do not know anything about the person who carried out this assault, but he certainly must be a person who is greatly disturbed to have attacked this peaceful place in our city and this image of the King of Peace. I hope this might be the impetus for him to receive the help he needs. He will be in my prayers, Seitz said.

I am devastated at this irreplaceable loss as I know members of this parish community and the whole Church of El Paso will be, Seitz concluded. In this moment we will reach out in confidence to the One this statue represented, and I know he will console us.

Last year, arsonists set fire to three Catholic churches in the El Paso area, including St. Patrick Cathedral. The cases are still unresolved, and the FBI has offered rewards totaling $15,000 for information leading to the arrest of the perpetrators.

Read more at: Breitbart.com
Male solicitors were more than twice as successful as their female counterparts in a recent competition to become senior counsel.

Data obtained by the Irish Independent show a significantly higher proportion of men gained "patents of precedence" than women who also applied.

Those chosen were announced earlier this month, in what was the first time solicitors as well as barristers were awarded the title.

Although the committee advising on the awards said it did not distinguish between applicants' gender, the figures are likely to spark debate over the selection process and criteria used.

The success rate for male solicitor applicants was 41.6pc, compared to just 18.2pc for females. This is despite more than half of solicitors in Ireland being women.

Of the 36 men who applied, 15 were successful. However, just two out of 11 women - maritime law solicitor Helen Noble and regulatory law solicitor Aine Hynes - were made senior counsel.

The patents allow lawyers to use the title 'senior counsel', which carries a level of prestige, and such practitioners tend to be involved in more serious or complex matters.

The data showed a higher success rate among barrister applicants and much less of a disparity between the sexes in that profession, with 70pc of males being successful and two-thirds of females.

Overall, when the two professions were taken together, male applicants had a 51.8pc success rate, while 40pc of female candidates were selected.

The patents were awarded by the Government on foot of advice from a seven-person committee chaired by Chief Justice Frank Clarke. The committee was made up of five men and two women - High Court President Mary Irvine and Law Society President Michele O'Boyle.

Maeve Delargy, chair of the Irish Women Lawyers Association, said she did not believe gender was a factor for the committee's thinking.

She felt the disparity could have arisen because female applicants may not have gained the requisite experience due to not having had the same career opportunities as men.

"It is more likely that women who applied didn't have the same experience as the men because of the system," she said.

For this to change, it needs to be tackled "early on", she said.

"Are women being appointed to the right projects in law firms? Are they being given access to clients? Are they being put on the big deals?

"All that kind of stuff needs to be looked at so that by the time you get to apply for a job like this, you have the same experience as a man," said Ms Delargy.

Law Society director general Ken Murphy said it was "disappointing" that women solicitors did not figure more prominently.

"I think the most likely explanation is not conscious or unconscious bias, but that the senior echelons of the profession still reflect the intake of the past, which was more male dominated," he said.

Mr Murphy said the Law Society was committed to encouraging more women solicitors to apply in future.

The advisory committee said it used criteria set out in the Legal Services Regulation Act when considering applications.

Applicants must have demonstrated an appropriate degree of competence, probity and professional independence, as well as either excellence in advocacy or specialist litigation, or a specialist knowledge of an area of law.

The committee said it did not distinguish between the gender of applicants and recommendations were "exclusively on the basis of meeting the criteria".
Rotunda Rumblings

Shifting winds: Plans to build Icebreaker Wind, the nations first freshwater wind farm, in Lake Erie cleared a major hurdle Thursday, as the Ohio Power Siting Board unexpectedly voted to lift restrictions on nighttime operation that threatened to doom the project. As Jeremy Pelzer reports, the board still needs to approve the project developers plans to address a variety of topics, including mitigating harm to birds, bats and fish.

More to learn: Ohio released its coronavirus dashboard for cases reported by K-12 schools, which covers public districts, private schools and charter schools. The data is slightly confusing, because it begins at the mandated reporting date. Emily Bamforth clarifies how to find cases in your district.

Tough crowd: Gov. Mike DeWine said Thursday he understands why he may have drawn boos at a Trump campaign rally the day before, Andrew Tobias reports. Look, were making tough decisions. We understand that this is a tough time, DeWine said when asked about it during his coronavirus briefing. Vice Mike President Mike Pence while in Zanesville Wednesday praised and shouted out DeWine, setting it up as an applause line. It was not. DeWine previously drew harsh criticism from audience members at a Sept. 8 Trump campaign event in Westerville.

Spreading the love: DeWine said he plans to attend a Trump event on Monday at a separate site from the previously announced campaign rally in Toledo that night. The Trump campaign subsequently announced the president on Monday afternoon will hold a non-public event at the Dayton International Airport.

Judges approved: The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday agreed to move the nominations of three Ohio federal judges to the Senate floor after several of its members expressed concerns about Cuyahoga Countys J. Philip Calabrese, Sabrina Eaton writes. The committees top Democrat, California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, announced she would support the other two Ohio nominees before the committee, James Ray Knepp II, who is also a Northern District nominee, and Michael J. Newman, a Southern District nominee, who both currently serve as magistrate judges. But she said she could not back Calabrese because of some of his past work.

Discriminating vote: The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday voted to condemn all forms of anti-Asian sentiment related to the coronavirus over objections from Champaign County Republican Rep. Jim Jordan, who dismissed the measure as another effort by Democrats to attack President Donald Trump, Eaton reports. Everyone knows racism is wrong, but thats not what this legislation is about, said Jordan.

Jobless claims keep falling: Initial and continued unemployment claims in Ohio each dropped by more than 9% last week, state records show, indicating the states job market is improving, Pelzer writes. The latest numbers continue a mostly uninterrupted decline since the height of the coronavirus pandemic six months ago.

What goes down must come up: After launching a sewage testing program earlier this month, DeWine said that scientists noticed a steady increase in coronavirus at wastewater plants in Dayton and Columbus, Laura Hancock reports. Coronavirus genetic material in sewers can be an early indicator of an outbreak to come.

Staying flat: DeWine, in describing the 1,067 new coronavirus cases Thursday, said the state continues to hover around 1,000 cases  more during the weekdays and fewer on the weekends,Hancock reports. We just cant seem to get the number of new cases down significantly, he said.

5 red alerts: Five of Ohios 88 counties are on red alert for coronavirus, down from six a week ago. Among those no longer red is Summit County. But next door in Portage County, the alert has moved to red after what DeWine said was an increase in cases from off-campus gatherings around Kent State University, Rich Exner reports.

Trick or treat: DeWine said his office would release guidance for Halloween on Friday, Seth Richardson reports. Trick-or-treating will largely be left up to communities, he said, but other staples of the holiday like haunted houses and hayrides are more difficult to deal with during the coronavirus pandemic due to large crowd gatherings and indoor venues.

Check is in the mail: The long-awaited $300 supplemental payments for unemployment have started in Ohio, retroactive to Aug. 1. Qualifying people on unemployment will receive up to $1,800 for six weeks. But the state says it could take a couple more weeks for all types of unemployment claims to be caught up on this, Exner reports.

Well look into it: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is among the agencies looking into Akron-based FirstEnergy Corp., which has been tied to the federal corruption probe of ex-House Speaker Larry Householder. Eaton explains what the SEC does and how it usually handles investigations.

Turn out the vote: Ohio Black voter turnout broke a record in 2012, though dropped off in 2016,the Dispatchs Rick Rouan reports. The Ohio Legislative Black Caucus Foundation hoped during a Thursday digital summit to inspire more people to vote, bringing in the Rev. Al Sharpton, who said: We always look for you in Ohio to set the tone. You cannot drop the ball now. You must show up and show out. If Ohio is on fire, it will set Black America on fire and in turn it will change the course of this country.

Buckeye Brain Tease

This former political operative, diplomat and biographer settled in Cleveland in the 1870s, not long after leaving the federal government during Ulysses S. Grants administration. Who is it?

Email your response to capitolletter@cleveland.com. The first correct respondent will be mentioned in next weeks newsletter.

Thanks for responding to last weeks trivia question:

There is an alley named after this Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee  who is nearly as famous for a musical side project  in the downtown area of this Northeast Ohio city. Who is the artist and what is the city?

Answer: David Grohl Alley is in downtown Warren, where Grohl, the former Nirvana drummer and current Foo Fighters front man, was born in 1969. The alley, decorated with graffiti-style murals and the worlds largest pair of drumsticks, was dedicated in 2009, according to the Trumbull County Tourism Bureau. An article on RoadSideAmerica.com claims Grohl, after the Flaming Lips, became only the second rock act in America honored with an alley. Grohls family still lives in the area, and hes been known to visit throughout the years.

Capitol Letter reader state Rep. Mary Lightbody of Westerville, outside Columbus, was the first to send in the correct answer.

Birthdays

Friday: State Rep. David Leland; U.S. Rep. Anthony Gonzalez

Saturday: State Rep. Mark Romanchuk, State Rep. Rick Perales; Adam Headlee, legislative aide to state Rep. Dave Greenspan

Sunday: Dan McCarthy, director of legislative affairs for Gov. Mike DeWine; Dan Lay, Ohio House sergeant-at-arms; Dan Moulthrop, City Club of Cleveland CEO

Straight from the Source

I wish it was as simple as passing a law to get us away from the emergency that were in. I mean, factually, we are in an emergency, whether its declared or not.

-Gov. Mike DeWine, responding to a new bill introduced by Rep. Diane Grendell, a Chesterland Republican, which would end his State of Emergency order and cancel all other public health orders related to the pandemic.

Capitol Letter is a daily briefing providing succinct, timely information for those who care deeply about the decisions made by state government. If you do not already subscribe, you can sign up here to get Capitol Letter in your email box each weekday for free.
In an email this week to Episcopalians in his diocese, the Right Rev. Douglas Fisher, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts, urged eligible voters to ensure that they are registered and, if possible, to vote early (in person or by mail), thereby avoiding long lines at polling places.

The November election gives Americans a precious opportunity to support candidates and policies that will build up communities, protect public health, encourage racial and social justice, and restore the web of life, said Fisher in an appeal that was signed by other diocesan leaders about the Nov. 3 presidential election.

"This election will set the course on climate change and other critical issues that are central to our faith. Many of us consider it the most significant election of our lifetime.

Fisher added, Taking part in elections and casting a vote is an important way for Christians to express our values and priorities.

As Presiding Bishop Michael Curry has reminded us, 'It is a Christian obligation to vote, said Fisher in a reference to the New York-based Curry who is also Primate of The Episcopal Church.

Fisher said he was also encouraging members of our diocese to help mobilize people in other parts of the country to vote.

Reach out to family and friends and let them know how important it is to cast their ballot, said Fisher who hiked his diocese after he was ordained and installed as bishop here in 2012 and is well known for his activism on social justice issues.

Please consider connecting with a voting rights group and volunteer some time to make phone calls or write letters or postcards. We can help to fight voter suppression and to encourage people of faith to vote.

He recommended two nonprofits that use volunteers working from home to help with voter registration and other related outreach efforts. These are Virginia-based Center for Common Grounds Reclaim Our Vote Campaign and California-based Faith Climate Justice Voter Campaign.

Related content:
Quebec City and Montreal, September 18, 2020 - Institut de la recherche scientifique (INRS) announces that Stephane Lefrancois, a professor at its Centre Armand-Frappier Sante Biotechnologie (AFSB), has received a grant of more than $670,000 from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) for his work on Batten's disease. He will be using the funds to continue his research into this rare genetic and degenerative disease, which mainly affects children.

Professor Lefrancois and his research team are primarily interested in the most common form of the disease, called Batten CLN3, which is caused by mutations in its namesake protein, for which there is no treatment to date. "This disease is often asymptomatic before the age of five to seven. We are conducting research to stop its progression. Finding a treatment is of utmost importance since life expectancy with the disease is about 30 years," says the researcher. "A grant such as this one from CIHR is a great opportunity to make progress."

INRS's AFSB Centre draws on a wide range of expertise to detect, prevent, and treat various diseases. "Research into neurodegenerative diseases plays a very big part at INRS. The skills of faculty members like Stephane Lefrancois are driving advances in our understanding of diseases that affect a great many people around the world," said Pascale Champagne, INRS scientific director. "Financial partners such as CIHR provide key support for the advancement of science in Canada." The study of cell biology

With his team in Laval, the researcher is studying the cell biology of the CLN3 protein in order to better understand its function and find therapeutic targets. When functioning normally, the CLN3 protein ensures ongoing delivery of proteins to the endosome, an intracellular compartment that acts as a sorting centre for the various proteins in the cell.

"In this cellular process, the receptor should be thought of as a truck that transports proteins from the Golgi apparatus--the production plant--to the sorting centre, the endosome. The truck--CLN3--is constantly going back and forth, picking up and delivering more proteins from the Golgi," explains Dr. Klein. "When there are mutations, the truck does not return to the Golgi after unloading the proteins. Instead, it heads to the lysosomes, where it is destroyed as cellular waste."

Since the receptor is degraded, the proteins required for the lysosomes to function are not transported. These organelles are no longer able to destroy cellular waste, which then accumulates and causes cell degeneration. "The child's development is thought to be normal for the first few years because the cell compensates by creating other trucks. But eventually it's not able to generate enough, so the system is no longer functional and starts to degrade," adds Professor Lefrancois.

Professor Lefrancois is collaborating with a team of European researchers to restore the normal function of the CLN3 protein using a promising molecule. It is hoped this molecule will prevent the receptor from degrading and enable it to continue transporting proteins.

Worldwide, it is estimated that the various forms of Batten's disease affect one person in 100,000.

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About INRS

INRS is a university dedicated exclusively to graduate level research and training. Since its creation in 1969, INRS has played an active role in Quebec's economic, social, and cultural development and is ranked first for research intensity in Quebec and second in Canada. INRS is made up of four interdisciplinary research and training centres in Quebec City, Montreal, Laval, and Varennes, with expertise in strategic sectors: Eau Terre Environnement, Energie Materiaux Telecommunications, Urbanisation Culture Societe, and Armand-Frappier Sante Biotechnologie. The INRS community includes more than 1,400 students, postdoctoral fellows, faculty members, and staff.
The elections were conducted in flagrant violation of internationally recognized standards.

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have voted to reject the official results of the August 9 presidential elections in Belarus, saying Alexander Lukashenko should no longer be recognized as president after his term expires; they have also called for tough sanctions against Minsk.

The relevant resolution was adopted at a European Parliament meeting in Brussels on Thursday, September 17.

Read alsoBelarus beefing up security on border with Ukraine, shuts down borders with Lithuania, Poland

In particular, MEPs note the elections were conducted in flagrant violation of all internationally recognized standards.

At the same time, the European Parliament strongly supports EU sanctions against individuals, including Lukashenko, responsible for the falsification of the election results and repression in Belarus. Moreover, the EU institution calls for the immediate introduction of the sanctions.

In addition, the European Parliament condemned Russia's hybrid interference in Belarus.

"The European Parliament condemns the hybrid interference of the Russian Federation in Belarus, notably delegating so-called media experts to the Belarusian state media and advisors to the military and law enforcement agencies, and calls on the Government of the Russian Federation to halt any covert or overt interference in the internal processes of Belarus; urges the Russian Federation to respect international law and the sovereignty of Belarus; warns that Alexander Lukashenko has no political or moral mandate to enter into any further contractual relations on behalf of Belarus, including with Russian authorities, which could threaten the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Belarus," the document reads.

Recent developments in Belarus in brief
From loaning pandas to welcoming tourists to hike to sacred monuments, to regulating the sale of wild animals for meat, policies across the world seek to forge clear paths to sustainability.

A group of sustainability scientists at Michigan State University (MSU) examined those policies and discovered they sometimes have more success than intended to achieve some of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Yet in some cases, those paths have created roadblocks and detours to success. The example of such unintended sidesteps is starkly illustrated in wildlife trading that provides economic benefits but has resulted in outbreaks of diseases that jump to humans, such as the current novel coronavirus.

The work is published in this week's open-access journal Sustainability.

"Today's world is extremely connected, and decisions are not created in a bubble," said Jianguo "Jack" Liu, MSU Rachel Carson Chair in Sustainability.

Our analysis has shown how important it is not just to look at the direct relationship between an action and a specific problem. It's crucial to look far and wide to see what else has been affected. Sometimes there are more wins. Sometimes, a problem solved in one place creates another elsewhere. We are learning the hard way how an action in one part of the world can have consequences thousands of miles away." Jianguo "Jack" Liu, Rachel Carson Chair, Michigan State University

The scientists looked at 22 cases of tourism and instances of wildlife being relocated for various reasons across six continents. They looked at these cases through the lens of metacoupling - a new framework that helps scientists examine an action from the perspective of human-nature interactions across space and time.

In this paper, they lined up these cases with the 17 SDGs, adopted by world leaders from 193 countries and identify synergies - cases where success begat more success - or trade-offs, in which gaining ground in an SDG in one place meant losing ground on another SDG elsewhere.

The scorecard: they found 33 synergies and 14 trade-offs among 10 SDGs within the systems between which tourism, trade or animal movement happened - and across spillover systems - the places between.

Tourism accounts for one in 11 jobs worldwide (in the time frame of this study, before the pandemic) and is specifically called out in SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth).

They found in the 12 cases they studied that beyond SDG 8, tourism in protected areas enhanced or compromised other SDGs, including SDGs 2 (zero hunger), 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure), 12 (responsible consumption and production), 14 (life below water), 15 (life on land) and 17 (partnerships) within focal systems, and 1 (no poverty).

Examples of synergy can be found in Sagarmatha National Park of Nepal and Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, where tourism not only fulfilled SDG 8, but also contributed management funds for the parks - a win for SDG 15. But things were different in Peru's Machu Picchu, where the 900,000 visitors limited access for indigenous peoples and degradation of the site - a blow to SDG 12.

Moving animals around by trade, as a method of conservation or animal management - can have great benefits or harms. When raccoons were moved from their Florida homes to West Virginia to boost the local population, an SDG 15 win, SDG 3's good health and wellbeing took a hit when the Florida coons brought rabies with them.

The current pandemic is a dramatic call to better understand how the world works, and how to scrutinize actions for possible outcomes, according to the paper's first author Zhiqiang Zhao, who was a postdoctoral associate at MSU's Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability (CSIS). Liu is CSIS director.

The trade of bats in China may not have seemed relevant to people in Europe or America, yet it shows us it's just one stark reminder that it both is critical to do better to pursue global sustainability and to make sure our good intentions continue to result in good," Zhao said. "We are following the flows and working to show ways to quickly see all sides of a story."

Besides Liu and Zhao, "Metacoupled Tourism and Wildlife Translocations Affect Synergies and Trade-offs among Sustainable Development Goals across Spillover Systems" was written by Meng Cai, Thomas Connor and Min Gon Chung.
If youve logged onto social media recently, you may have noticed the odd clue that all is not right in the world. Credulous corona-spiracists spoiling for punch-ups with 5G masts. Honking clowns of governments who rule by fomenting voter conflict. The constant feeling that youre being boiled alive in a cauldron of hate. Extremism. Fake news. Mental health crises. And, of course, the main problem: the fact that you logged into social media in the first place.

These are the subjects of Netflixs brilliant new 90-minute docu-drama, The Social Dilemma  and it might be the most important watch of recent years. The film, which debuted at Sundance Film Festival in January, takes a premise thats unlikely to set the world alight with its ingenuity  particularly as its much the same as that of Netflix stablemate The Great Hack, ie that Facebook, Twitter, Instagram et al arent exactly creating a utopia.

Where its brilliance lies is in laying bare a vast range of complex problems with compelling clarity. Its masterstroke is in recruiting the very Silicon Valley insiders that built these platforms to explain their terrifying pitfalls  which theyve realised belatedly. You dont get a much clearer statement of social medias dangers than an ex-Facebook executives claim that: In the shortest time horizon Im most worried about civil war.

Sophia Hammons stars as Isla, a preteen who becomes obsessed with Instagram (Netflix)

The commonly held belief that social media companies sell users data is quickly cast aside  the data is actually used to create a sophisticated psychological profile of you. What theyre selling is their ability to manipulate you, or as one interviewee puts it: Its the gradual, slight, imperceptible change in your own behaviour and perception. Its the only thing for them to make money from: changing what you do, how you think, who you are.

The idea that we can ignore the effects of social media or avoid its influence is dismissed out of hand. We head into classes at Stanford University, whose psychology professors teach ways that tech can be used to reprogramme the way your brain works until addiction results. Its even worse for teens, we hear, sparking a must-watch segment that feels like the digital equivalent of when Jamies School Dinners pointed out that parents should stop their children gorging on turkey twizzlers.

Social media starts to dig deeper and deeper down into the brain stem and take over kids sense of self-worth and identity, explains ex-Google employee Tristan Harris as one of the impressive dramatic sequences sees a pouting preteen pose for selfies overlaid with filters that distort her features until she looks like a cartoon character. Graphs showing spiralling teen suicide rates sit next to a teary-eyed speech from Facebooks ex VP of Growth warning students that the constant desire for likes hes created leaves you more vacant and empty.

AI and the algorithms behind social media are also flagged as a terrifying potential destroyer of social cohesion. Their unpredictability sees a former operations manager of Facebook lament that theyre controlling us more than were controlling them, meaning its very difficult for social media companies to stop them spreading fake news  and thus eroding the concept of truth.

The rise of the Flat Earth movement? Its all thanks to a Youtube algorithm that recommended the conspiracy videos to viewers hundreds of millions of times. Pizzagate? Went overground when Facebooks algorithm promoted their groups to users it had identified as being susceptible to conspiracy theories  leading to a man turning up at a restaurant with a machine-gun to liberate non-existent child hostages from a fictional basement. Its easy to think that its just a few stupid people who get convinced, warns the engineer who created the rogue Youtube algorithm, but the algorithm is getting smarter and smarter every day. Today theyre convincing people that the Earth is flat, but tomorrow they will be convincing you of something.

Tristan Harris (left) is one of The Social Dilemmas' key interviewees (Netflix)

We might live in a post-Cambridge Analytica world. But despite it being public knowledge that Vote Leave and Trumps 2016 election campaign harvested voters Facebook data on a gigantic scale, The Social Dilemma still manages to find fresh and vital tales of how these platforms destabilise modern politics. A Harvard Business School professor dismisses the idea that we can avoid their political influence by revealing Facebooks massive scale contagion experiments which made users vote in the US midterm elections  without them even realising theyd been motivated to do so. Russias Facebook hack to influence the 2016 US election? The Russians didnt hack Facebook. They used the tools that Facebook made for legitimate advertisers, laments one of the companys ex-investors. Harris explains that there is now a market where state actors pay to destabilise democracies across the world. According to this documentary, social media now represents an existential threat to the survival of nations.

But the thing that makes this documentary so utterly important is that it offers the rarest commodity in current times: hope. Regulation is a must, it argues, with its website, thesocialdilemma.com, offering resources for parents, actions to help combat disinformation and ways to sign up to Harriss Centre for Humane Technology which aims to change the culture in the tech industry as well as encouraging politicians to legislate. We can demand that those products be designed humanely, says Harris. We built these things and we have a responsibility to change them. Absolutely. The first step is watching this phenomenal documentary  and encouraging others to do so.
Popular Malayalam TV actor Sabari Nath breathed his last on September17, 2020. He was reportedly rushed to a nearby hospital after he collapsed near his house at Aruvikkara. The actor was playing badminton when he suffered a cardiac arrest on Thursday. He was admitted to a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram where he passed away. He was 43 years old.

The actor shot to fame by starring in serials like Minnukettu, Swami Ayyappan and Amala. He became a household name by playing the lead character of Adithyan in the well-known serial, Nilavilakku.

Sabari Nath became a popular figure on Malayalam TV channels starring with his feature in shows like Padatha Paingili, Sagaram Sakshi, Pranayini, and Sreepadam. Recently, the actor was seen in the newly launched serial, Padatha Painkili. He was playing a meaty role in the popular show.

Sabari Nath is survived by his wife Shanthi and their two daughters. The news of Naths sudden demise has shaken many people. Several TV and film actors expressed their condolences on the tragic loss.

Neeyum Njanum actor Shiju AR mourned the late actors death saying, My heartfelt condolences. Still cant believe (sic).

Actress Uma Nair expressed her grief saying, No one could even think that Sabari Chettan would leave so soon. Some deaths are unjustifiable. He was so young to be gone. I havent seen anyone who takes care of his physique like him. Now, I believe that life is transient. Tributes Etta (sic).

Actress Archana Suseelan shared a behind-the-scenes picture from the sets of a shoot and wrote, Cant believe RIP (sic).

Kasthooriman actress Alice Christy mourned the unfortunate incident saying, Sabari chetta I cant even believe that you are no more in this world. You are one of those people with whom I have worked for so many years chetta. Heartbroken .Heartfelt condolences We will miss you chetta (sic)."

We stand by Naths family in this time of need.
Local nonprofits have an opportunity to receive Nebraska Humanities grants.

From now until Oct. 1, Humanities Nebraska is accepting grant applications from Nebraska museums, historic sites and other cultural nonprofit organizations for pandemic relief funds.

Humanities Nebraska Executive Director Chris Sommerich said the organization had a desire to help desire to help.

Humanities Nebraska is eager to continue supporting our local cultural partners throughout the state; the people and places that bring the humanities to life for all Nebraskans, Sommerich said. As our local partners continue to weather the challenges the pandemic as presented for their operations, we want to help any way we can.

Humanities Nebraska is a private nonprofit with a mission to help Nebraskans explore what connects us and makes us human.

The organization is funded in part by the NEH, private donations, an appropriation of the Nebraska Legislature, and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment, a public-private partnership with state dollars matching private dollars to benefit the arts and humanities in Nebraska.

Funding for the grants is being provided by the Nebraska Cultural Endowment in an unprecedented distribution.

This distribution is designed to help support Nebraskas arts and humanities organizations by keeping their doors open and staff employed, while investing in programming in innovative ways, the organization said in a prepared statement.

Nebraska Cultural Endowment funds are distributed to their two member partners: Humanities Nebraska and the Nebraska Arts Council.

These two organizations, in turn, provide funding to arts and humanities organizations across the state. Humanities Nebraska will manage distributions of $150,000.

Eligible organizations include:

Nonprofits with 501 status.

Public institutions of higher education.

State and local government agencies.

Federally recognized Native American tribal governments.

Eligible organizations may request up to $10,000 in unrestricted funding to assist with programs, retention of staff, and general operating support during the COVID-19 crisis.

Based on the number of applications expected, awards generally will be made in the range of $1,000 to $5,000, depending on the organizations budget size, but in some circumstances may be higher. This grant does not require a match or cost-share.

Those who apply to Humanities Nebraska for these grants must demonstrate that a commitment to public humanities is a significant component of the organizations overall mission.

The National Endowment for the Humanities has defined the humanities as including  but not limited to:

History.

Literature.

Languages.

Jurisprudence.

Philosophy.

Comparative religion.

Archaeology.

Ethics.

Social sciences when they employ human perspectives.

And the history, theory and criticism of the arts.

Organizations may see the official grant guidelines and apply online at: humanitiesnebraska.org by the Oct. 1 deadline.

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Amal Clooney has quit her role as UK special envoy in protest over Boris Johnsons governments lamentable decision to break international law with its new Brexit bill.

The prominent human rights lawyer submitted her resignation as special envoy on media freedom to foreign secretary Dominic Raab on Friday.

Very sadly, it has become untenable for me, as special envoy, to urge other states to respect and enforce international obligations while the UK declares that it does not intend to do so itself, her letter stated.

Ms Clooney warned the governments Internal Market Bill threatens to embolden autocratic regimes that violate international law with devastating consequences all over the world.

And, citing the president of the Bar Council of England and Wales, she cautioned that undermining the rule of law that this country is built on  will fatally puncture peoples faith in our justice system.

Significant Tory opposition to the Internal Market Bill grew after Northern Ireland secretary Brandon Lewis made the rare admission that it would breach Mr Johnsons own Brexit withdrawal agreement with Brussels in a specific and limited way.

But after a bruising day in the Commons for the prime minister, who insisted offending measures in the legislation were necessary to prevent an EU blockade in the Irish Sea but that he had absolutely no desire to use them, MPs voted the bill through parliament for a second reading by 77 votes.

While the prime minister has reached a compromise with some Tory MPs for an amendment providing additional parliamentary scrutiny, rebellion brews still, and it was not enough to prevent the governments advocate general for Scotland, Lord Keen, from tendering his resignation on Thursday.

The head of the governments legal department, Sir Jonathan Jones, has also quit over the plans to renege on the Brexit withdrawal agreement.

Following suit on Friday, Ms Clooney wrote: Although the government has suggested that the violation of international law would be specific and limited, it is lamentable for the UK to be speaking of its intention to violate an international treaty signed by the prime minister less than a year ago.

Out of respect for the professional working relationship I have developed with you and your senior colleagues working on human rights, I deferred writing this letter until I had had a chance to discuss this matter with you directly.

But having now done so and received no assurance that any change of position is imminent, I have no alternative but to resign from my position.

Ms Clooney, a British-Lebanese barrister, was originally appointed to the role of special envoy by the then foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt in 2019.

In her letter to Mr Raab, she said she was disappointed to have to give up the position having always been proud of the UK's reputation as a champion of the international legal order and of the culture of fair play.

It followed warnings from members of the US Congress that Westminster risked jeopardising a future UK-US trade deal unless it abandoned the disturbing plans.

Responding to Ms Clooneys resignation, Labours shadow media minister Chris Matheson said: It is humiliating that the UK's special envoy on media freedom has felt unable to continue in her role.

This shows that by threatening to break international law instead of getting Brexit done as we were promised, the government is trashing the UK's reputation around the world.

A Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said: We'd like to thank Amal Clooney for all her work as special envoy to defend journalists and promote media freedom around the world.

Additional reporting by PA
THE HAGUE, Netherlands - The Dutch government announced Friday it is holding Syria responsible under international law for gross human rights violations, in a process that could ultimately trigger a case at the United Nations highest court.

The Dutch initiative, invoking the U.N. Convention against Torture, is the latest attempt to hold President Bashar Assads government accountable amid widespread reports it is mistreating its own citizens against the backdrop of the countrys grinding civil war.

The Assad regime has not hesitated to crack down hard on its own population, using torture and chemical weapons, and bombing hospitals, Foreign Minister Stef Blok said in a statement.

The victims of these serious crimes must obtain justice, and we are pursuing that end by calling the perpetrators to account, Blok said.

According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, Syrian authorities detained around 1.2 million people since the countrys conflict began in March 2011. As of the beginning of June, 12,325 were documented as having died under torture in Syrian government prisons, the SNHR said in a report released earlier this year.

At least 12,989 are still detained or missing, their fates unknown, according to the report. Another 16,000 are missing in detention by other factions in Syrias war.

A U.N. Security Council resolution backed by more than 60 countries to refer the Syrian conflict to the International Criminal Court was vetoed by both Russia and China in May 2014.

The Dutch initiative was triggered Friday with a diplomatic note handed to Syrian diplomats in Geneva in which the Netherlands reminded Syria of its international obligations to halt violations of the torture convention and to compensate victims, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

The note asked Syria to enter negotiations on the issue. If the two countries cant resolve the dispute, the Dutch government can propose arbitration and if that fails, the Netherlands will submit the case to an international court, the ministry said.

Human Rights Watch welcomed the Dutch move.

For years, thousands have been systematically starved, beaten, and tortured to their deaths in Syrias prisons. By using the Torture Convention to demand justice for their plight, the Netherlands is standing for countless victims in an action that could ultimately trigger a case at the worlds highest court, said Balkees Jarrah, the rights groups associate international justice director.

While international efforts to bring Syrian officials to justice have floundered, a German court has attempted to break down the wall of impunity with a case against a man accused of running a government detention centre where thousands were tortured during the early months of the uprising against Assad.
Niagaras mandatory mask bylaw will continue to be in force for the months to come  possibly well into 2021.

Niagara Region council voted at Thursday nights meeting to extend the face-covering bylaw until April 1, although the bylaw can also be repealed sooner than that if councillors choose.

Personally, I dont like the masks, said Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati. I dont like them one bit.

Nevertheless, he said he understands its one more layer of defence when people cant physically distance.

And I want to do all I can to make sure were in a good place, Diodati said.

Despite hearing more than an hour of presentations from people who were adamantly opposed to the bylaw  set to expire at the end of September  Diodati was one of 23 regional councillors who supported the extension of mandatory face coverings while indoors when physical distancing is not possible.

Thorold Coun. Tim Whalen referenced the director of the U.S. Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Robert Redfield, who said masks have the potential of being a more effective protection from COVID-19 than a vaccine.

If by chance we can save one person from getting sick by extending it further, then my recommendation would be to go forward with it, Whalen said. We got the first case in a Niagara school so far. Hopefully its the last one. Its pretty sad how this has affected our area.

Although Port Colborne Coun. Barb Butters was concerned about extending the bylaw until April, she supported it hoping it could be repealed earlier than that.

I think its our best bet for combating this virus, she said.

Niagara Falls Coun. Bob Gale said he would support the extension, after ensuring the bylaw could be repealed any time without the need for a two-thirds majority.

Were not reconsidering a decision of council. Council has the authority to extend or repeal the bylaw just by resolution, said regional clerk Ann-Marie Norio.

As a result, she said a two-thirds majority to reconsider the motion is not required.

West Lincoln Mayor Dave Byslma said the failure to eradicate the virus despite the mask bylaw indicates masks arent working  even though public health officials have said indoors and outdoor gatherings where people are not physically distancing nor wearing masks has been the likely cause of many new infections.

The conclusions that I draw from it, at the very least is that masks are ineffective because they didnt change anything, he said. At the very worst they could possibly be making things worse.

Similar claims doubting the effectiveness of masks were made by a few of the delegates who spoke in opposition to the bylaw extension at the meeting.

Beamsville resident Cullen McDonald from anti-mask group Hugs Over Masks also complained that people who cannot wear masks face bullying, are shamed and in some cases refused service at businesses.

There are many people who cannot wear face coverings and that is why we have exemptions, he said.

Welland Coun. Leanna Villella also complained about the shaming and discrimination of constituents who werent wearing masks, calling it truly unacceptable.

This is something that could have and should have been more thoughtfully addressed well in advance, she said.

St. Catharines resident Danielle Romanuk said although the bylaw is called mandatory, people are not required to show proof if they cannot wear a mask.

As a result, she said it is unenforceable and asked councillors to at least remove the word mandatory from it.

Several presenters described COVID-19  which so far has killed 9,200 Canadians including at least 64 in Niagara  as being similar to or worse than seasonal influenza, which typically claims the lives of 3,200 people cross the country.

Bylsma, Villella, Wainfleet Mayor Kevin Gibson, St. Catharines Coun. Tim Rigby and West Lincoln Coun. Albert Witteveen were opposed to the extension.

In addition to the presentations from delegates, many more emails and thousands of social media posts were received on by Niagara Region.

In total, nearly 600 emails were received from residents regarding the mask bylaw, as well as 2,440 comments made on the regions Facebook page, and there were 3,157 engagements on the regions Twitter page, with the majority of people in support of extending the bylaw.
The disgraced doctor whose false claims that the MMR vaccine caused autism led thousands of parents not to get their children protected against deadly diseases is to speak at a conspiracy event against the coronavirus vaccine in London.

Andrew Wakefield, who was struck off the medical register in 2010 for showing a 'callous disregard' for the welfare of children, will appear at the allegedly medic-focused rally on Saturday which calls on its attendees to 'resist and act' against the life-saving jabs.

It has been organised by the new face of Britain's anti-vaccination movement, Kate Shemirani, a suspended nurse who has compared public health restrictions to the Holocaust.

In a Twitter outburst this week, she accused doctors and nurses of conducting a 'genocide' during the pandemic and serving the 'Third Reich'.

The mother, 54, appeared next to Piers Corbyn, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's brother, at an anti-mask rally in London last month. Mr Corbyn was fined 10,000 for breaching then-lockdown restrictions meaning people cannot meet in groups larger than 30 people.

Speakers at the event in Trafalgar Square include a former nurse who has claimed there is 'no evidence' that the virus exists, and an alleged doctor that touted completely unproven allegations that the flu vaccine can make patients test positive for coronavirus.

Andrew Wakefield, who was struck off the medical register in 2010 for showing a 'callous disregard' for the welfare of children, will appear at the allegedly medic-focused rally on Saturday which calls on its attendees to 'resist and act' against the life-saving jabs

Shamed nurse Kate Shemirani, who is due to host a rally in Trafalgar Square on Saturday, has promoted bogus claims on social media that vaccines are poisonous. (She is pictured above at an anti-lockdown rally in London last month)

Miss Shemirani, 54, with Piers Corbyn at the anti-vaxx protest in Trafalgar Square. Mr Corbyn was fined 10,000 for the event which breached lockdown restrictions

Thousands of people, including many conspiracy theorists, met at the Unite For Freedom rally and marched from Trafalgar Square to Downing Street to protest against restrictions

Kate Shemirami: Mother, 54, who thinks coronavirus is a 'scam' She brags about being a 'natural nurse in a toxic world' to her thousands of social media followers. And Kate Sherimani's main bogus theory is that Covid-19 is fake. She says that PCR tests  proven to spot the coronavirus  are wrong and that the virus cannot actually be spotted. But Ms Sherimani, who claims to be from Tonbridge in Kent, also claims that vaccines 'shorten your life', fighting against Covid-19 jabs. In arguments with followers calling her out for her anti-vaxx propaganda, she has admitted to being a follower of Andrew Wakefield. Mr Wakefield claimed the MMR jab caused autism in research that was published in the 1990s and blamed for driving people to avoid getting their jabs. But the study was later discredited and he was thrown off the medical register. Ms Shermani  who was suspended from the Nursing and Midwifery register last month over her comments  also claims the NHS, Britain's favourite institution, is a 'kill machine'. Her LinkedIn profile says she has 'extensively studied nutrition and it's relationship with degenerative diseases'. Advertisement

Ms Shemirani  who claims to be 'a natural nurse in a toxic world'  has previously decried the coronavirus pandemic as a 'plandemic scamdemic' and claimed all vaccines are 'poison' that are 'not proven to work'.

On Twitter earlier this week she asked her followers whether the public would wake up 'on the cattle truck? Or in the showers?' She added: 'Murder. Genocide. The NHS is the new Auschwitz.'

The mother, has also accused the authorities of 'genocide of the elderly, vulnerable and infirm' during the pandemic.

She has shared links to the widely discredited conspiracy theory that the coronavirus was built by the Chinese government and released on its population.

Scientists have carried out extensive tests on the virus and found its genetics show 'no sign' of man-made changes, and that it evolved naturally in the wild. They add that Covid-19 is the seventh coronavirus known to infect humans.

Piers Morgan has slammed anti-vaccine campaigners on social media as 'imbeciles' who he said will stop the world 'defeating' the virus.

'These people are so dangerous,' he wrote. 'If we get a vaccine and people don't take it because imbeciles like this persuade them not to, we will never defeat coronavirus.'

The NHS says all vaccines are 'safe and important' as a way to prevent infectious diseases.

The Government will be handing out 30million doses of the flu vaccine this year, in an attempt to stop the health service being hit by a 'double-whammy' of flu and coronavirus.

Dr John McCauley, director of the WHO collaborating centre for influenza at the Francis Crick Institute, said people should get vaccinated against flu because it is like an 'insurance policy'.

'(A flu infection) may not occur but should it occur, you will wish you'd done it.

'You should get vaccinated, and it should be encouraged to ensure everyone is doing their bit for themselves and the NHS.'

The Nursing and Midwifery Council is investigating Ms Shemirani for making statements linking the coronavirus vaccines to 5G mobile phone technology.

She was represented at an interim hearing in July by Mark Steele, a campaigner against 5G phone masts.

At the hearing, both Ms Shemirani and Mr Steele attacked the panel for not wanting to hear the 'facts' about vaccines and 5G, it was reported.

Mr Steele accused the nursing regulator of being complicit in genocide, it is claimed. Ms Shemirani said nurses who made accusations against her did so because they were overweight and jealous. She added: 'We all know what women can be like.'

Her Facebook account has been removed for 'repeatedly violating policies against harmful misinformation' and her Instagram account was taken down on Wednesday.

Her Twitter following has more than trebled over the last four weeks to 24,000.

Wakefield had a paper published in 1998 in The Lancet claiming there was a link between the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism.

But the study was later retracted after it was found that he had financial and ethical conflicts of interest.

The General Medical Council eventually found that he had used children who already showed signs of autism for the study, subjecting them to invasive, unpleasant and unnecessary procedures including colonoscopies and lumbar punctures.

At one birthday party, he even paid children 5 each for taking blood from them.

He also lodged a patent for his own measles vaccine, which he claimed could treat bowel disease.

Despite this, the paper caused a scare meaning many parents did not get their children vaccinated, resulting in a resurgence of several deadly diseases in the US, UK and Ireland that had previously been under control.
At the front of the chapel, her white casket was surrounded by pink and white floral arrangements. Some were on easels, some in the shapes of hearts, all in pink and white and red, roses and carnations and spider mums.
Oil rises 2%, reverses loses as OPEC+ addresses market weakness FILE PHOTO: Flooding due to Hurricane Sally is seen in Pensacola

By Jessica Resnick-Ault

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices rose more than 2% on Thursday, turning positive as OPEC and its allies said the producer group would crack down on countries that failed to comply with output cuts and planned to hold an extraordinary meeting in October if oil markets weaken further.

After falling early in the session amid bearish jobs numbers and a ramp up in Gulf of Mexico oil output following Hurricane Sally, crude benchmarks reversed course to gain on the day, bolstered by comments from OPEC.

"Although no amendments to the current supply-cut deal have been proposed by OPEC+ today, the producers group gave the impression that it does not sweep troubles under the carpet," said Rystad Energy's Head of Oil Markets, Bjornar Tonhaugen.

Brent oil futures <LCOc1> extended gains to settle up $1.08 or 2.56% at $43.30 a barrel. U.S. crude futures <CLc1> settled higher by 81 cents, or 2.02% at $40.97 a barrel. Both contracts rose more than 4% on Wednesday.

The panel of major producers, including Saudi Arabia and Russia, did not recommend any changes to their current output reduction target of 7.7 million barrels per day (bpd), or around 8% of global demand, according to a draft press release and an internal report.

The panel pressed laggards such as Iraq, Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates to cut more barrels to compensate for overproduction in May-July, while extending the compensation period from September to the end of December, according to three OPEC+ sources.

"They were coming down hard on the UAE," said Phil Flynn, senior analyst at Price Futures Group in New York. The expectation that output could fall as the UAE and others trim production bolstered prices, he said.

The OPEC news overshadowed the restart of U.S. offshore production after Hurricane Sally passed through the Gulf of Mexico and bearish U.S. economic news.

U.S. energy companies were starting to return crews to offshore oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico after Sally halted operations for five days, shutting down nearly 500,000 bpd of output.

Story continues

Prices were also under pressure from the slow economic recovery from the pandemic.

Global coronavirus cases are expected to pass 30 million on Thursday, according to a Reuters tally.

The U.S. Labor Department's report showed the number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell last week, but remained at extremely high levels as the labor market recovery shifts into low gear and consumer spending cools.

Even OPEC+ cautioned that the pandemic could continue to curb demand. An OPEC+ technical panel warned that a rise in coronavirus cases in some countries may curb oil demand despite signs of economic recovery and initial indications of a decline in oil stocks, according to an internal document seen by Reuters.

(Additional reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin in London, Sonali Paul in Melbourne and Roslan Khasawneh in Singapore; Editing by Marguerita Choy, Emelia Sithole-Matarise and Tom Brown)
The renaming of a street in Libau can be a learning opportunity about colonialism, community leaders say.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 17/9/2020 (491 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The renaming of a street in Libau can be a learning opportunity about colonialism, community leaders say.

The RM of St. Clements and Brokenhead Ojibway Nation collaborated on the process of renaming Colonization Road after a band member raised concern about it, Brokenhead Chief Deborah Smith said.

She contacted St. Clements Mayor Debbie Fiebelkorn. The two leaders met last week and agreed Brokenhead would put in a formal request to change the name of the road. St. Clements will hold a public hearing on the issue.

"What it does, I think, is we become more aware of Canadas colonial history, as a country, as a province, as communities, as people," Smith said Thursday.

Fiebelkorn said the process is "in the spirit of reconciliation."

"It is important we understand the impact these symbols have and recognize the negative impact of colonialism," she said. "We would like to establish a process of collaborative leadership and seek consultation to have meaningful dialogue on a difficult topic such as this."

Smith said she has asked that Brokenhead have fair representation during the hearings on the name change. The process, she hopes, will encourage other areas in the province with names and symbols that normalize colonization to take action.

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"I am aware that theres other communities that have Colonization Road as a road name within their municipalities  so I think maybe Brokenhead and St. Clements can be an example of two communities coming together to tackle an issue like this," she said.

When the road is ready to be formally renamed, Smith wants to hold a re-dedication ceremony.

"We need to recognize that colonialism is very much alive and well in this country because its embedded in Canadas legal system, Canadas political system and even its economic systems," she said. "So its another opportunity to have a conversation, but also to evoke change, change that would see First Nations and Indigenous people part of those conversations and a part of that change."

In Winnipeg, the city has struck an eight-member citizens committee to help it make decisions on requests to create new, remove or rename historical markers and place names. The goal is to tackle the absence of Indigenous perspectives and contributions to the city.

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: malakabas_
(Repeats without changes to text)

* Israel deal angers anti-government activists

* Sporadic street protests against the accord

* Exiled cleric calls for region to resist

* Bahrain relies heavily on Gulf allies, U.S.

* Gov't says it embraces coexistence and tolerance

* Bahrain says it still backs Arab Peace Initiative

By Aziz El Yaakoubi and Lisa Barrington

DUBAI, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Bahrain may have won international praise for following in the United Arab Emirates' footsteps and establishing ties with Israel, but the dramatic move by the close U.S. ally could stir a new wave of opposition at home.

While the deal will enable Bahrain's Sunni Muslim monarchy to win more support from Western and regional partners, it risks deepening political tensions and may energise a long demoralised opposition led by the Shi'ite majority.

Bahrain, host to the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet and other international naval operations, was the only Gulf Arab state to witness a sizeable pro-democracy uprising in the 2011 "Arab Spring", which it quashed with Saudi and Emirati help.

Low-level dissent has continued, periodically flaring into rock-throwing skirmishes and crude bomb and shooting attacks, putting the kingdom on the frontline of a region-wide tussle for influence between Iran and its Sunni rival Saudi Arabia.

The government has used an array of powers to quell the unrest: Arrests, security raids, revoking of citizenship and bans on opposition parties and newspapers have helped reduce the risk of big popular protests.

But anger has boiled anew since the deal was announced on Friday.

Sporadic street protests have taken place each night since the accord, which the government says supports "peace between Bahrain and Israel". The authorities avoid the contested term "normalisation", which to some suggests entrenching Israel's diplomatic and military superiority over Palestinians.

"I am Bahraini and the Bahraini regime does not represent me," read one protest banner, shared on social media.

"Normalisation is treason," read others.

Story continues

Asked to comment on opposition to the deal, including opposition allegations that the government has limited the scope of parliamentary debate, a government spokesperson said freedom of opinion and expression are protected by the constitution and the government continued to uphold them robustly.

"The historic diversity of Bahrain has shaped a society that embraces coexistence and tolerance. These principles are vital to securing lasting regional stability and peace, and underpin the declaration of peace signed by the Kingdom of Bahrain and the State of Israel," the spokesman said in a statement to Reuters.

SHI'ITE CLERIC

Speaking largely from abroad, opposition figures rejected the deal. Bahrain's top Shi'ite cleric Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim called, from exile in Iran, for the region's people to resist.

Manama accuses Shi'ite Muslim Iran of seeking to subvert Bahrain. The government denies repressing the opposition and says it is protecting national security from groups it calls terrorists backed by Iran. Tehran denies it backs subversion.

Analysts say despite the surge in popular anger, the deal may have strengthened the government, since traditional allies are more likely to turn a blind eye to any further crackdown.

"The move will garner Bahrain some credit in Washington, which could reduce the already limited pressure Manama faces on its domestic policies from the U.S.," said Graham Griffiths, associate direct at Control Risks.

Bahrain's interior minister said shortly after the announcement that the deal with Israel protects Bahrain's interests amid what he called the danger from Iran.

The island nation has long been heavily dependent on close ally Saudi Arabia, and was bailed out financially in 2018 with a $10 billion aid package from Saudi, the UAE and Kuwait.

"Bahrain is squarely focused on its critical ties with the United States and with its Gulf allies in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. These political dependencies condition immediate Bahraini alignment with the leadership in Abu Dhabi and Washington on this critical issue," said Kristin Smith Diwan of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.

STATE-SANCTIONED CAUSE

Opposition figures say that a week before the agreement was announced, the government prepared for opposition to it by amending a law to further control parliament. A royal decree, announced on Sept. 3, ordered both houses of parliament to limit daily speaker numbers and banned criticism, blame or "accusations that harm the country's interests".

"Eroding parliament's power has been ongoing since 2011 and the last royal decree has actually signed its death certificate," said Ali Alaswad, a former lawmaker of the main Shi'ite opposition group al-Wefaq, now in exile.

Defending Palestinian rights has been a state-sanctioned cause uniting Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims in Bahrain for decades, and its accord with Israel has left some in a tricky position.

Founded in 2002 and with an office in the capital Manama, the Bahraini Society Against Normalisation with the Zionist Enemy said it was taken unawares.

"Some social media influencers started to accuse us of intolerance and called on the government to dissolve our organisation," said a founding member, declining to be named.

"The accord with Israel was a complete surprise for us," he said.

Both UAE and Bahraini officials have sought to reassure the Palestinians their countries are not abandoning their quest for statehood in the West Bank and Gaza, despite Palestinian leaders having decried the deals as a betrayal of their cause.

Foreign Minister Abdullatif al-Zayani told state media on Sept. 11 that Bahrain supported the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, a proposal under which normalisation with Israel would entail full Israeli withdrawal from territory captured in 1967. (Reporting by Aziz El Yaakoubi and Lisa Barrington; editing by Maha El Dahan, William Maclean)
TORONTO, September 17, 2020  Thomson Reuters (TSX/NYSE: TRI) today announced the appointments of Deanna Oppenheimer and Simon Paris to the companys Board of Directors, effective November 11, 2020.

Deanna and Simon are forward-thinking, customer-centric leaders who will assist Thomson Reuters to re-imagine how we deliver products, employ technology and execute upon our companys strategic growth initiatives, said David Thomson, chairman of Thomson Reuters. They represent invaluable additions to our boardroom, and I am delighted to welcome them.

Oppenheimer, 62, is the founder of CameoWorks, LLC, a global firm that advises leaders of early stage companies and consultancies, and a senior advisor to Bain & Company. From 2005 to 2011, she served in a number of roles at Barclays PLC, first as chief executive of UK Retail and Business Banking and then as vice chair of Global Retail Banking. From 1985 to 2005, Oppenheimer served in a number of positions at Washington Mutual, Inc., with her last role as president of Consumer Banking. She is also chair of the board of directors of Hargreaves Lansdown plc, the senior independent director of Tesco plc and a member of the board of directors of Whitbread plc.

Paris, 50, is chief executive officer (CEO) of Finastra, a global financial technology (fintech) provider. Paris joined Finastra (previously Misys) as president in 2015 and also served as its chief sales officer, before being appointed deputy chief executive officer in 2017 and CEO in July 2018. He previously worked at SAP from 2007 to 2015, where he held a number of senior leadership positions, including president, Industry Cloud. Paris was also previously a senior consultant with McKinsey & Company. He currently chairs the World Trade Board, an organization initiated by Finastra that is made up of global leaders, innovative thinkers, industry influencers and subject matter experts from the different corners of trade, finance and commerce. He is also a member of the board of directors of Everbridge, Inc.

Thomson Reuters

Thomson Reuters is a leading provider of business information services. Our products include highly specialized information-enabled software and tools for legal, tax, accounting and compliance professionals combined with the worlds most global news service  Reuters. For more information on Thomson Reuters, visit tr.com and for the latest world news, reuters.com.

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Johnson is speaker at Northern State event Monday

U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson will speak at the grand opening of Northern State University's Center for Public History and Civic Engagement.
A family of eight have opened up about the horrifying moment their boat sank in the middle of the ocean during a camping trip.

A six-month old baby was on board when the boat started taking on water about 77km east of Yeppoon in Central Queensland.

The family were forced to flee into a raft where they spent an hour and a half clinging on for life as they waited to be rescued.

Father-of-three James Nugent said the dramatic ordeal had left them shaken.

'The partners not real keen on getting in the boat any time soon,' he told 7NEWS.

A family of eight spent an hour and a half clinging on for life after their boat sank in the middle of the ocean

The group were heading out to camp for six days when problems struck.

The father-of-three said they heard a thud and then the boat started sinking, and they still have no idea what went wrong.

As water began squirting onto the deck the group acted fast, putting on life jackets and inflating an emergency life raft.

They also activated a personal locator beacon which sent rescue crews their GPS coordinates for their rescue.

The three children were then placed onto the raft with Mr Nugent's partner while a number of the adults were forced to cling to the side or stay afloat on the sinking boat.

Despite the ordeal the baby only cried for about five minutes before settling down to sleep after being given a bottle.

Footage captured by one of the family members shows the family remained calm and collected despite the risk to their lives.

Their beer supplies also went down with the sinking vessel, much to the dismay of the adults on board.

The three children were then placed onto the raft while a number of the adults were forced to cling to the side or stay afloat on the sinking boat

Australian Maritime Safety Authority sent a crew of two helicopters and several boats to rescue the family after midday

The helicopter crew looks over the floating life raft as they prepare to rescue the family

'Here we are being rescued, 80km down, 80km out. The boat sank. There is a helicopter,' a man is overheard saying.

'Everyone is safe. And we lost all the beer.'

Australian Maritime Safety Authority sent a crew of two helicopters and several boats to rescue the family after midday.

After confirming all were in good health, they transferred the crew to a Water police vessel and returned them to shore.

Meanwhile Mr Nugent said it could have been a very different story if they hadn't been so well prepared.

'If we didn't have any of that (safety equipment), we'd still be out there floating on the water,' he said.
MURRAYVILLE  Illinois State Police are on the scene of a multi-vehicle crash on U.S. 67 at Murrayville Road.

Both north- and southbound lanes are closed so first responders can clear the scene. Police are urging drivers to seek an alternate route.
South Korean carmaker Kia Motors on Friday launched its much anticipated compact SUV Sonet at a price tag of Rs 6.71-11.99 lakh as the company looks to tap into one of the most promising segments in India's automobile industry. Kia hopes to sell at least 100,000 units of the car in the domestic market in the first 12 months and export another 50,000 units during the period.

The Sonet locks horns with the likes of segment leader Maruti Brezza, stablemate Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon and Mahindra XUV3OO. It will also see increased competition in the next few months with the addition of new models like the Toyota Urban Cruiser-a cross badged product based on the Brezza, Nissan Magnite and Renault's new model based on it and an offering from Czech carmaker Skoda based on its Vision IN concept vehicle showcased at the Auto Expo earlier this year.

"Given the enthusiastic reception it has already received, we are extremely excited about introducing Kia's latest made-in-India car for the world, the Sonet, in India. The aggressive pricing has been arrived at to bring delight and offer incredible value to the young and the young-at-heart customer of the Sonet," said Kookhyun Shim, MD and CEO at Kia Motors India. "As our endeavor has been to ensure there is a Sonet for virtually all customers in this category, it is being offered with the widest choice in this segment. We are sure it will revolutionize the compact SUV segment in the country."

Just like in the bigger Seltos SUV, the car is being offered in two trims-tech line and a GT line, and will come with a host of engine and transmission options. It gets two petrol engines, a 1.2 litre naturally aspirated version and a 1.0 litre turbocharged version with 5 and 6 speed manual transmissions as also a 1.5 litre diesel engine. The 1.2 litre petrol motor has a peak power output of 83 PS, torque of 115 NM and an ARAI certified fuel economy of 18.4 kpl. The 1 litre turbocharged petrol motor has a peak power of 120 PS, torque of 172 NM and fuel economy of 18.2 kpl. The diesel engine has a power of 100-115 PS, torque of 240-250 NM and fuel economy between 19-24.1 kpl.

Sonet also gets three different types of automatic transmissions-a 6 speed torque converter automatic, 7 speed dual clutch automatic transmission and a newly introduced 6 speed IMT (intelligent manual transmission). The IMT was launched in the Hyundai Venue earlier this year and offers gearless option at a lower cost and higher fuel economy.

In all, there are 15 variants on offer. The 1.2 litre petrol variant is paired with 5 speed manual transmission and is priced between Rs 6.71 lakh and Rs 8.45 lakh. The version with the 1 litre turbocharged petrol engine is offered with iMT transmission priced between Rs 9.49 lakh and Rs 11.99 lakh while a 7 speed dual clutch transmission is also available at Rs 10.49 lakh. The diesel version is powered by a 1.5 litre engine offered with a 6 speed manual and automatic transmission. The manual option is spread over 6 variants priced between Rs 8.05-11.99 lakh while the only 6 speed automatic transmission is priced at Rs 10.39 lakh. Sonet is the only diesel car in the segment to get an automatic transmission.

The segment has been split between cars that no longer offer diesel versions and those that do. Market leader Maruti Suzuki discontinued the diesel engine in the Brezza earlier this year, refreshing the model with a new 1.5 litre petrol engine instead as the company feels there will be no significant demand for smaller diesel engines in the stricter BS VI emissions era that kicked in on April 1 this year. Renault Nissan group similarly have also decided to not have any diesel offering in India anymore and their upcoming models will also have only petrol engines. The Hyundai-Kia group has however remained committed to offering diesel powertrains almost across their product range.

The craze for compact SUVs - loosely defined as vehicles that like small cars measure no longer than 4 metres but have a higher stance and better road presence - has shown no signs of abating in India. At a time when the domestic automobile industry is in the midst of its worst slowdown in almost half a decade - sales declined by over 17 percent in 2019-20- this segment is an outlier. In fiscal 2020, sale of compact SUVs grew by 8.7 percent to nearly 345,000 units. The entry of Hyundai Venue in the segment last year however saw sales of segment leader Brezza decline by a steep 30 percent at 110,641 units. Without the diesel powertrain and the entry of the Sonet is likely to dent its fortunes further.

Sonet comes with a number of first in segment features such as 10.25-inch AVNT, an automatic variant in diesel, smart key remote engine start (both in AT and MT transmission), front row driver and passenger ventilated seats with an India first smart pure air purifier with virus protection. It also comes loaded with Kia's native suite of UVO connected technology with 57 features including the seamless UVO - Voice Assist.

The 4.2-inch (10.67 cm) instrument cluster panel presents information to the driver which includes navigation turn-by-turn, high line tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) and multi drive modes and grip control.

Feature list:

Largest and best-in-segment10.25-inch (26.03 cm) HD touchscreen with navigation and live traffic information

Smart Pure Air Purifier with virus and bacteria protection

BOSE Premium seven-speaker sound system with sub-woofer

Front Ventilated driver and passenger seats

4.2-inch (10.7 cm) colour instrument cluster

LED Sound Mood Lights

Remote engine start via UVO Connect and Smart Key (Automatic and Manual transmission)

Over-the-air (OTA) map updates

Multi-drive & traction modes for automatic models

Wireless smartphone charger with cooling function

Also read: Kia Sonet to make digital debut; here's what we know

Also read: Kia Seltos achieves in 3 months what Hyundai Creta couldn't in 4 years

Also read: 2020 Hyundai Creta beats Kia Seltos; emerges as top-selling SUV for second straight month
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United Nations, Sep 18 : The UN has welcomed Libyan Prime Minister Fayez Serraj's decision to step down by the end of October, according to a statement.

"I commend the courageous decision by Fayez Serraj, the president of the Presidency Council of the Government of National Accord (GNA), in announcing his intention to hand over power to a new executive authority by the end of October," Acting Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General to Libya Stephanie Williams said in the statement on Thursday.

"The president's announcement comes at a decisive turning point in Libya's longstanding crisis, when it is clear that the situation is no longer sustainable," Xinhua news agency quoted Williams as saying.

"The onus is now on concerned Libyan parties to fully shoulder their responsibilities before the Libyan people, to take historic decisions, and to accept mutual concessions for the sake of their country," the statement added.

Serraj on Wednesday announced his intention to step down in October and hand over power to a newly appointed government.

He welcomed the recent UN-sponsored consultations between key Libyan stakeholders and expressed hope for more consensus and agreement.

Serraj's UN-backed GNA based in Tripoli was formed in 2015 based on a political agreement that aimed to end the political division in the country.

The GNA had been engaged in a deadly armed conflict against the eastern-based army for more than a year over control of Tripoli, before Serraj's government recently took over all of western Libya.

Libya still remains politically divided amid insecurity and escalating violence.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
WESTFIELD  The Boys & Girls Club of Greater Westfield distributed boxes of fresh and locally grown produce, dairy and frozen chicken to families in need Friday afternoon.

This is a great event for everybody in town and the surrounding areas. We are so happy here at the Boys & Girls Club that we could host it, said Bo Sullivan, advancement officer for the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Westfield.

The Westfield organization came together with the Abbey Group and the Farmers to Families Food Box Program, a federally funded USDA food distribution initiative, to provide more than 400 families with food on Friday.

Feeding over 400 families for the weekend is a big thing to do, especially nowadays so we are extremely happy to hos this event, Sullivan said.

Several volunteers and club staff including Beth Renaudette, the food coordinator for the club, came together to unload the boxes from a truck and deliver them right to families waiting in their cars.

My kids have been part of the club and Im here to help the club and Beth who took on the project of distributing the meals to families today, said volunteer Krystal Ayala, who added that her cousin is part of the Abbey Group.

The Abbey Group is a company based in based in Sheldon, Vermont and provides locally grown fruits and vegetables to children at schools across New England.

Sullivan said the event helped a lot of families who may be in need. There were no criteria needed to receive the food boxes.

I think its a one-time event, but we would certainly do it again if they called, he said.

Related content:
The Insurance Development Forum (IDF), a public-private partnership led by the insurance industry and supported by international organizations, announced the launch of an insurance program for Perus public schools.

The program is the result of a grant agreement between Germanys InsuResilience Solutions Fund (ISF) and an IDF project consortium, which will jointly fund the project to design the insurance program.

The project will provide the Peruvian government with options to cover all or a subset of its more than 50,000 public schools against the impact of natural disasters and aims to improve continuity for childrens education by accelerating reconstruction, while also strengthening the countrys resilience.

The program will be delivered by an IDF project consortium led by AXA XL and Munich Re, which includes the Peruvian Association of Insurance Companies (APESEG) as initiator of the project, as well as risk modelers GEM Foundation and JBA Risk Management and the insurtech Picsure.

The start of the Peruvian Public Schools project marks the first country execution under the so-called Tripartite Agreementbetween the IDF, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). This agreement was officially signed in September 2019, during the United Nations Secretary Generals Climate Action Summit. (See below for further details about the agreement).

This three-way partnership is committed to provide funding, technical assistance and risk solutions to 20 climate vulnerable countries by 2025 by leveraging the risk management expertise and capacities that the private sector and insurance markets can offer. In close collaboration with the public sector, the partnership aims to address the increasing impacts from climate change.

The chance that this project provides to consider alternative options for an insurance solution, developed by global reinsurance companies in partnership with APESEG, is extremely valuable for Peru. It will allow the government to make choices that can help it to increase its resilience to catastrophic events, said Eduardo Moron Pastor, president of APESEG.

Innovative public-private partnerships between the insurance sector and governments can enable and optimize the use of insurance and its related risk management capabilities to build greater resilience and protection for people, communities, businesses, and public institutions that are vulnerable to disasters and economic shocks, said IDF Secretary General Ekhosuehi Iyahen.

The IDF is focused on producing tangible benefits and meaningful solutions at scale that help build resilience to climate change in the most vulnerable countries and sectors, she added. We see scope for further application of the tripartite project approach in other countries and sectors such as agriculture, and public infrastructure.

About the IDF

The IDF is a public/private partnership led by the insurance industry and supported by international organizations. The IDF was first announced at the United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP21) Paris Climate summit in 2015 and was officially launched by leaders of the United Nations, the World Bank and the insurance industry in 2016.

About the Tripartite Agreement

In September 2019 during the United Nations Secretary Generals Climate Action Summit, the IDF, UNDP and BMZ announced a commitment to increase resilience for countries vulnerable to climate change and towards realising the Vision 2025 objectives.

The partnership is committed to providing technical assistance and risk solutions to 20 climate vulnerable countries by 2025 through leveraging the strengths of the various parties and rallying global players towards a substantial scale-up in the use of pre-mechanisms as part of global resilience and adaptation ambitions.

Private insurance sector organisations engaged in supporting the Tripartite are: Allianz, Aon, AXA, AXIS, Guy Carpenter, Hannover Re, Munich Re, Renaissance Re, SCOR, Swiss Re and Willis Towers Watson.

Topics Market Risk Management
Sofia Vergara has been enjoying some quality time with husband Joe Manganiello during quarantine.

But the Colombian-American actress was seen on a solo outing on Friday.

The America's Got Talent star cut a sexy look in a satin zebra-print tank top, trimmed in black lace, as she stepped out for some retail therapy in Los Angeles.

Zebra print: Sofia Vergara cut a sexy look Friday in a satin zebra-print tank top, trimmed in black lace, as she stepped out for some retail therapy in Los Angeles

The 48-year-old wore the top partially tucked into some distressed jeans, which were ripped at the knee and cuffed at the ankle.

She finished the look with a white face mask, a gold medallion necklace and a pair of strappy black platform stilettos, while carrying a woven handbag with a gold chain.

Vergara also took to Instagram from the car, as she sported a pair of cat-eye readers from her collaboration with Foster Grant.

She recently revealed that her outings remain rare, other than filming AGT, as she continues to nest with Manganiello, 45.

Blue jean baby: The 48-year-old wore the top partially tucked into some distressed jeans, which were ripped at the knee and cuffed at the ankle

Hell on heels: She finished the look with a white face mask, a gold medallion necklace and a pair of strappy black platform stilettos, while carrying a woven handbag with a gold chain

Cat-eye chic: Vergara also took to Instagram from the car, as she sported a pair of cat-eye readers from her collab with Foster Grant

The Modern Family actress told Terri Seymour at Extra: 'We don't leave the house, we don't social mingle with anyone.'

But she admitted that she'll miss being onset after next week's finale, which airs September 22 and 23 on NBC.

Vergara said: 'Coming to work, seeing everybody, it's been amazing. So I'm gonna kind of have a hard time after next week.'

Back to work: She recently revealed that her outings remain rare, other than filming America's Got Talent, which returned over the summer with COVID-19 safety precautions

Bittersweet farewell: She admitted that she'll miss being onset after next week's finale, which airs September 22 and 23 on NBC: 'Coming to work, seeing everybody, it's been amazing. So I'm gonna kind of have a hard time after next week'

She and the True Blood actor are preparing to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary in November.

Manganiello previously gushed over his wife to People: 'I knew pretty quickly that I could trust her, and she knew pretty quickly that she could trust me. And were both the kind of people who are capable of putting the other person ahead of ourselves.

'I was capable of putting her wishes ahead of mine, whatever they were, and she was capable of doing the same. Once you have that, you don't let go of it.'
Thai protesters gear up to weekend show of force Thailand has seen near-daily gatherings from youth-led groups since mid-July demanding the resignation of Prayut, the former army chief behind the 2014 coup, and a complete overhaul of his administration

A youth-led pro-democracy movement is set to make a massive stand in Bangkok Saturday, with an expected turnout of tens of thousands calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy.

Thailand has seen near-daily gatherings from youth-led groups since mid-July demanding the resignation of Prayut, the former army chief behind the 2014 coup, and a complete overhaul of his administration.

Some are also demanding reforms to the kingdom's ultra-wealthy and powerful monarchy -- a once-taboo topic in Thailand due to its draconian royal defamation laws.

The burgeoning movement, partly inspired by Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests, remains largely leaderless.

But the weekend's demonstration is organised by students of Bangkok's Thammasat University -- a group that has been among the most vocal about the royal family's role in the kingdom.

"We are fighting for more democracy," said prominent student activist Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul on the eve of the protest.

"The plan is not to destroy the monarchy but to modernise it, to adapt it to our society."

The demonstration will kick off at Thammasat University Saturday afternoon, before moving to the historic Sanam Luang field in front of the royal palace, where protesters plan to spend the night.

On Sunday, demonstrators are expected to march to the nearby Government House -- a move authorities have warned against.

The show of force is expected to be the largest since the 2014 coup; student activists are hoping for a turnout of more than 50,000 supporters.

Police say some 10,000 officers will be deployed around the area.

- Force to be reckoned with? -

A cycle of violent protests and coups has long plagued Thailand, with the arch-royalist military stepping in to stage more than a dozen putsches since the end of royal absolutism in 1932.

The latest wave of student-led demonstrations has largely been peaceful.

Story continues

But unprecedented calls from some protesters for frank discussions about the monarchy have sent shockwaves through the kingdom.

King Maha Vajiralongkorn sits at the apex of Thai power, buttressed by the kingdom's military and billionaire clans, and commands a fortune estimated to be worth up to $60 billion.

The student demands include greater accounting of the palace's finances, the abolition of royal defamation laws and a call for the king to remain outside of politics.

They also want a rewrite of the 2017 military-scripted constitution, which they say tilted last year's election in Prayut's favour, and for the government to stop "harassing" political opponents.

So far, authorities have arrested more than two dozen protesters and activists, charging them with sedition before releasing them on bail.

Saturday's demonstration will prove a test for the pro-democracy movement, analysts say, which has gained momentum online thanks to the students' savvy use of social media.

"A critical mass would send a clear message that the protesters are a force to be reckoned with," said Thitinan Pongsudhirak of Chulalongkorn University.

Prayut has warned Thailand could be "engulfed in flames" if the movement goes too far.

But he vowed Thursday authorities would use "soft measures" on the protesters "because they are children".

The top-trending hashtag on Thai Twitter Friday night was "Sept 19, we take back the power of the people".

Around the world Thais are expected to gather in solidarity, with weekend protests planned in a dozen countries, including Germany, Australia and the United States.

bur-dhc/rs/rma/bfm
'The skills and abilities of civil servants are still respected, even though they become whipping boys when things go wrong.'

After Aatmanirbhar Bharat, it is Mission Karmayogi.

According to the central government, it is the biggest bureaucratic reform initiative, one aimed at capacity building of government employees to make them more 'creative, proactive, professional and technology-enabled.'

According to a government statement, 'The core guiding principles of the competency-driven programme will be to support a transition from 'rules based to roles based', HR management to prepare the Indian civil servant for the future.'

'A council, comprising select Union ministers, chief ministers, eminent public HR practitioners among others and headed by the prime minister, will serve as the apex body for providing strategic direction, while a Capacity Building Commission is also proposed to be set up,' Press Trust of India reported.

But what does the bureaucracy feel about the reform measures?

"The system has to be result-oriented rather than process-oriented," K M Chandrasekhar, a 1970 batch IAS officer who retired as Cabinet Secretary, tells Shobha Warrier/Rediff.com in the first part of an enlightening interview.

According to the Union Cabinet, Mission Karmayogi is the biggest reform initiative to make the bureaucracy more creative, productive, professional and technology enabled. Do you think they are lacking in all these?

From what I have been able to read in the media, a new portal called iGOT-Karmayogi will be opened with a menu of options detailing various programmes available all over the world.

Depending on her area of expertise, each officer at all levels from assistant secretary upwards can develop skills in her/his area of interest.

The capacity building undertaken by the officer will be taken into account in the posting/promotion/empanelment process.

If this process leads to developing officers in particular streams, rather than posting them on a random basis, this could be helpful.

However, the central and state governments contain a wide array of jobs. A system which is premised on the officer choosing areas of interest could lead to too many of them choosing popular areas like finance and international trade.

When vacancies arise in agriculture or health or education, we may not find the best officers with requisite skills.

This does not mean officers lack skills. Officers today join the civil service at a much higher age, often with professional skills acquired in the best technical institutions in the country.

Updating and enhancing skills, however, is necessary in all professions, public service included.

Indeed, many of them on their own acquire such skills which, combined with their political interface and experience of man management in different kinds of situations, make them prized acquisitions even in the private sector.

A friend recently sent me a list of 92 serving IAS officers, regular recruits appointed through the UPSC process, who moved into the private sector of their own volition in the past few years.

The central council of ministers contains at least three former civil servants, one of them an important Cabinet minister.

When the state of J&K became two Union territories, the government turned to two civil servants, one serving, the other retired, to serve as lieutenant governors.

All this indicates that the skills and abilities of civil servants are still respected, even though they become whipping boys when things go wrong.

What kind of reforms does Indian bureaucracy need?

I think it is necessary to go deeper into the reasons why public service delivery is not as quick or as prompt as is desirable.

We make the cardinal mistake of blaming individual officers or the civil service collectively for shortcomings in public administration.

The fault lies not with the individuals, but with the system.

The system has to be result-oriented rather than process-oriented.

If officers are judged by tangible, measurable, results rather than adherence to processes, the same bureaucracy, the same set of officers, can be remarkably efficient agents of change.

We saw how quickly civil servants changed their approach after the reforms of 1991, how they became advocates and instruments of liberalisation after having worked for many decades in a stifling regulatory environment.

We can see the changes that have taken place on the diplomatic front as we moved seamlessly from non-alignment to multi-alignment.

We see how internal security changed dramatically after the dark period in the nineties and the first decade of this century.

The fault lies not with the officers who man the ministries or state governments, but with the system.

Lateral entry into government service is not new. There have been many who entered government laterally. They could not make any significant impact as they were working within the same system.

Obviously, any system that is focused on results will also have to be flexible, it should trust its officers and the overwhelming fear of the three Cs (CAG, CVC and CBI) plus other sundry regulatory and investigative agencies must vanish.

On the other hand, if the officers are judged solely by the achievement of results, we can expect remarkable transformation of public administration.

This is not a new concept. Margaret Thatcher revolutionised the public administration system in the UK through the introduction of New Public Management, which was carried to still greater heights in Australia and New Zealand.

In fact, the system evolved, maturing from New Public Management to New Public Governance and later incorporated digital governance.

The heads of departments are required to sign MOUs with their ministers on what they propose to achieve within a specified time frame and the cabinet spends more time on reviewing achievements against agreed targets.

A great deal of autonomy is given to the heads of departments, including, in some countries, the right to hire and fire employees.

In India, we started with a similar exercise through the Results Framework Document system in 2008, but it floundered and died after a few years for lack of bureaucratic support and political will.

However, a number of other developing countries seriously took it up under the aegis of the Commonwealth secretariat, and I am told it has made much progress in neighbouring countries Bhutan and Bangladesh.
HONG KONG, Sept. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in Hong Kong[1], hospitalising around 25,000 people each year[2]. Despite declines in stroke mortality over the past years, it remains one of the major causes of adult disability, greatly affecting the daily lives of sufferers. Individuals with stroke also have a higher risk of fall - up to 73% of patients fall in the first six months after being discharged from hospital.[3]-13] To shed light on ways to reduce the risk of post-stroke falls, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has conducted the world's first study to examine the effect of dual-task exercise on dual-task mobility and falls in people living with a chronic stroke, and subsequently designed an eight-week community-based rehabilitation programme for 84 people with chronic stroke.

The study, titled "Dual-Task Exercise Reduces Cognitive-Motor Interference in Walking and Falls after Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Study" (link), appeared in Stroke, a peer-reviewed medical journal published by the American Heart Association. It was revealed that dual-task exercises were able to help reduce the risk of falls and injurious falls by 25.0% and 22.2% respectively, bringing about significant improvement to the dual-task mobility of people post-stroke. As such, the programme has the potential to roll out in community and home-based settings, where healthcare resources are scarce.

According to Professor Marco PANG Yiu-chung, Professor of Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at PolyU, who led the study, single-task training on balance and gait is typically implemented during conventional rehabilitation. However, the rate of falling remains high (up to 73%) after the stroke survivors have returned to community living.[3]-[13] "Fall is one of the most common complications in stroke patients during the post-stroke period, frequently caused by poor dual-task mobility. While the ability to perform mobility and cognitive task simultaneously is essential to people's daily lives, their dual-tasking performance is often impaired after a stroke," Professor PANG explained.

For the study, 84 individuals with chronic stroke aged 50 or above with mild or moderate motor impairment (loss of physical function of a body part) were recruited from the community patient groups. They were randomly allocated to three groups (i.e. dual-task group, single-task group and control group). Each group received three 60-minute training sessions per week for eight weeks. The completion time of walking tests and correct response rate of the cognitive tasks of each patient under single-task and dual-task conditions were measured at three different stages: within one week before training commenced (as baseline), within one week after finishing training, and eight weeks after finishing training to assess the dual-task effect on participants. Fall incidence was also recorded monthly for a six-month period post-training.

The study showed the dual-task training was more effective in improving dual-task mobility, and reducing falls and fall-related injuries in ambulatory individuals with chronic stroke, as compared with single-task training or controlled intervention. "The dual-task group had a significantly lower proportion of individuals who sustained at least one fall or fall-related injury during the six-month follow-up period. Only five falls were reported in the dual-task group while there were 20 falls in the control group," Professor PANG said. "As the most commonly perceived cause of falls was related to problems with divided attention, like managing distractions while weight-shifting during standing, dual-task training could be an effective approach to enhancing the multi-task ability and reducing the risk of fall in attention-demanding environments."

Mr LAU Kim-hung, Chairman of The Hong Kong Stroke Association and one of the chronic stroke participants in this study, said, "After my stroke, I felt frustrated because my mobility had been weakened and my reactions were slow. I found it difficult to multi-task (for example, talking while walking) like I usually do. With the help of these specially designed exercises, my ability to multi-task was improved and, most importantly, I feel more confident when going outside." He added, "The dual-task exercises are user-friendly and fit easily into my daily life. They only involve some simple setup and require minimal support from my caregivers."

This research project is funded by the General Research Fund under The Research Grants Council. As many chronic stroke survivors do not have continuous access to rehabilitation support due to limited healthcare resources, the research team is planning to conduct training workshops for clinicians and to develop exercise manuals for patients, caregivers and service providers on dual-task exercise programme so that the dual-task exercises can be widely adopted in the community and home-based settings to help improve patients' quality of life in a gradual and sustainable way.

References
By PTI

KOLKATA: Newly appointed Bengal Congress chief Adhir Chowdhury on Friday challenged Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to engage in a debate with him on the rise of the BJP in the state and reasons that led to its ascent, while asserting that "wild allegations" that his party joined hands with the saffron camp are "bereft of truth".

Claiming that Banerjee was the "biggest agent of the BJP" in Bengal, he pointed out that many TMC MPs had skipped voting on the Citizenship Amendment Bill in Parliament.

"I challenge the TMC supremo (Mamata) to a debate on the rise of the BJP in Bengal and reasons leading to it; do you have the guts to accept it?" he said in a video message.

"I came to know the TMC has alleged in Delhi that the Congress joined hands with the BJP in Bengal, and regional outfits do not trust the grand old party. Before hurling stones at Adhir Chowdhury, I urge you (Banerjee) to ask your leaders to look at themselves in the mirror," he said.

The five-time Bahrampur MP said the timing of the allegation was "interesting" as it was made soon after he was made the president of West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee.

"They are making such malicious allegations as they know that Adhir Chowdhury will not work in accordance with their diktat," he stated.

Chowdhury, who is also the Leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha, sought to know why the state's ruling party MPs had skipped voting on the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB).

"If Didi (Mamata Banerjee) had ordered them to vote against the CAB, would any of her party MPs have had the guts to remain absent?" he contended.

All regional parties in the country know well that the Congress is the "only option" to fight the BJP, the veteran leader maintained.

"Just because the TMC supremo along with some other states opposed the GST issue, it does not mean that regional parties will accept her as the all-India leader in their fight against the saffron camp.

"It is because the Congress put pressure on the BJP government at the Centre, the Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyan was introduced for returnee migrant workers," Chowdhury claimed.

Lakhs of migrant workers who returned to Bengal due to the lockdown are now going back to their places of work, having got no relief or work in their own state, he said.

"Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had said 11 lakh migrant workers returned to Bengal. The state, however, did not gain anything from the Rs 50,000-crore project (Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyan), the benefits of which were reaped by Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Odisha," the senior Congress leader added.
Imagine being shut in at home, with only the dog to talk to, waiting for something to happen and getting closer and closer to breaking point.

That might sound like a familiar scenario after the past few months of lockdowns around the world, but its also the premise for Pedro Almodovars new short film, The Human Voice, starring Tilda Swinton, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival.

Based  loosely  on a one-woman play by French writer Jean Cocteau, the 30-minute film was shot over nine days in Madrid in July. In it, Swinton waits in her apartment for a call from her lover to negotiate the end of their relationship, popping pills and laying elegant outfits out on the bed. When he does finally call, she puts in Apple AirPods, rather than lifting a landline telephone as actors usually do when performing Cocteaus play.

The project had been planned before the coronavirus lockdowns hit in March, but shooting during the pandemic has given The Human Voice a special resonance: Swinton called it the ultimate lockdown film.

In a socially distanced interview at the Venice Film Festival, during which she received a lifetime achievement award, Swinton discussed the movies unusual shoot and explained why she is excited about the disruptive effects of streaming services on the film industry. These are edited excerpts from that conversation.

Q: Watching The Human Voice was a very cathartic experience for me. A lot of tension builds up as your character waits around, and then theres this eruption of violence. Did it feel cathartic to make it?

A: It was so cathartic to make a film with Pedro, because Ive basically been dreaming of that my entire life. And it was really wonderful to make something in July. That was such a blessing. We were all so happy to work  and to prove to ourselves that we can do it.

Were just going to have to evolve, and we just have to figure it out. We figured it out with this movie: were in a studio; were with a relatively small crew; its entirely controlled; we were constantly tested. And we just did it.

The Human Voice evokes the waiting weve all done at home this year (Venice Film Festival)

Q: How did being on a film set again feel?

A: It was like having held your breath underwater for a long time.

Im finding the most borderline traumatic things are the things that are similar: if everything was completely different, it might be easier to adapt, but when things are anything like what you recognise from before March, it is confusing, and confusion is very exhausting.

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So after a millisecond of realising there were going to be crew members I will never recognise without their masks, we just approached shooting a film the way we always would have shot it: a few things are going to change in this new world, and so much more is not going to change.

Q: Did you learn anything unexpected during lockdown?

A: Nothings new under the sun. During lockdown  and this has been the first, but there may be more  there was an opportunity to reflect on all we have. My mantra at the moment is that we have what we need, we just need to look and see it.

Q: And what did you miss most?

A: Everybody missed big screen cinema in a way that they missed very little else. That was  and still is  a thing that we have to rally around.

I think its going to be like when they brought in compulsory seat belts in the U.K., and there were so many people outraged about their civil liberties, and then the day after the law came into effect, everybody buckled up

Just that sharpening of that appetite for the bigger screen. Feeling that it might be months before Id get a chance to be in a theatre again, that was really sore. Just the sharpening of that dependence.

Q: It does almost sound like an addiction!

A: Well, for some of us, it is.

The thing thats becoming clear is that its not about whats on the screen, its the screen itself, and its being in that audience.

Q: The Berlin Film Festival recently announced it was getting rid of gendered categories for its acting prizes  next year, therell be no more Best Actor and Best Actress, just Best Lead Performance and Best Supporting. What do you think about that?

A: Duh, is what I would say to that. Ive been saying duh for 30 years now, but these things take time. Were just slowly figuring it out.

I think it is about identity  thats the nub of it. Im an optimist, and I believe in intelligence, and I do believe people are starting to understand how commodified, compartmentalised identity works in society  like in the case of gender  and that it is to be resisted.

That kind of compartmentalisation, its not our original state. Its something thats learned, and we can move beyond it, and thats what a gesture like Berlins gesture, which I have no doubt will be adopted everywhere, starts to do. These little gestures here and there just make small adjustments.

I think its going to be like when they brought in compulsory seatbelts in the UK, and there were so many people outraged about their civil liberties, and then the day after the law came into effect, everybody buckled up and got on with it, and it was fine.

Swinton received a lifetime achievement award at the festival (Getty)

Q: When you accepted your lifetime achievement award here at Venice, you said you were just getting started. Whats next?

A: Ive been working on an essay film about learning for a while now, but were back to the drawing board, because what was a relatively esoteric, niche inquiry about What should a school be? is now something everybodys asking, now that people have to think about home-schooling or just be deprived of school.

Through my experience of working with the school I co-founded (which is modelled on outdoor, student-led learning), Ive realised we no longer need a school for information sharing. You can educate yourself via your phone, so then the question is: what did children miss about school during lockdown, what do they value school for? This is an opportunity to really shake it up, and Im glad the film can be asking these questions.

Q: Cate Blanchett, the Venice jury president, and Alberto Barbera, the festivals artistic director, both used speeches here to caution that the rise of streaming services, especially during lockdown, is a threat to cinema. Do you share that worry?

A: I really dont. I never have. It will just mean that we have to stay supple and limber: cinema can do it. Im all for necessity being the mother of invention. Im actually, if anything, excited. Bring it on.

Ive heard people be worried for a few years now, and then in the pandemic, a very interesting thing happens. On the one hand, those concerns become amplified, but, at the same time, look what happens: everyone is longing to go to the cinema. I dont think therell ever be a time when people dont want to go and sit in a big space in the dark.

The issue, as with so much thats coming to the fore now, is money and capitalism, and there is this whole question of financing films. People are just going to have to get lively, and roll up their sleeves and figure it out.

 New York Times
The abrupt reversal, fewer than five days before in-person classes were set to begin, came as a wrenching surprise to parents, teachers and administrators when our colleague Eliza Shapiro broke the news on Twitter. (One of our colleagues wrote to fellow parents: Is every parent group text in N.Y.C. just constantly/angrily sharing Elizas tweets today or just mine?)

Im beginning to think this is part of a secret plan to mentally and emotionally break me, one principal tweeted.

It is mid-September and there is still no plan on how to educate children, said Natasha Capers, a parent in Brooklyn who described the latest delay as a punch in the gut.

The mayor did not apologize for the last-minute delay, which left many families scrambling to arrange child care. Asked by a reporter about his message for furious, frustrated, exhausted parents, de Blasio said that many outer borough families are pragmatic and understand the realities of life.

For many educators and parents, this is the right plan, but announced at the wrong time, Eliza writes. Dozens of principals have been calling on the mayor to delay the start of school and then phase in grades, starting with the youngest children, since early August.

Staffing problems for the citys hybrid approachare a primary cause for the delay. The city and the teachers union had agreed that educators should not be required to teach both in-person and remotely. So schools have been scrambling to create two sets of teachers for two complementary versions of schools.

It is unclear how the city plans to close its staffing gap of what might be several thousand teachers, even with the extra time allotted.
BUDAPEST, Hungary - Hungarys prime minister said Friday that the government has drawn up a war plan to defend against the new wave of the coronavirus pandemic and that the countrys health care system is prepared to handle to rising number of new virus cases.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on state radio that while everyone was asked to stay home during the first wave of the pandemic, the preparedness of hospitals and sufficient ventilators now made it possible for the country to keep functioning while respecting strict rules about wearing masks and social distancing.

During the first wave, all we could say was that everyone should stay at home and meanwhile well get the health system ready, Orban said. Now the task is not for everyone to stay at home but, on the contrary, for everyone to keep on living their lives.

The country has to function, but it has to function while at the same time it protects itself against the virus in a disciplined manner and following the rules.

Hungary, Romania, the Czech Republic and Slovakia have all announced a record number of new cases this week.

The steepest spike in the region was in the Czech Republic, which announced 3,130 new cases on Friday. That was almost 1,000 more than the previous record, set a day earlier. Slovakia also set a new daily record of 235, breaking the Sept. 4 mark of 226. In Romania, the record was set Wednesday, with 1,713 new cases and the daily tally has since remained above 1,500.

Early Friday, Orban visited the Koranyi National Pulmonological Institute. In a video of the visit posted on his Facebook page, a doctor could he heard telling the prime minister that the hospital was nearing its capacity to take in coronavirus cases  it was treating around 40 patients and had 12 beds left  and while it had enough ventilators, the problem was more about the need for specialists to operate the machines.

Hungary announced 941 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, for a total of 16,111 cases since the start of the pandemic, with 669 deaths. Of the infected, 374 people were being treated in hospital and 29 were on ventilators.

Over the last several days, Hungary has extended the mandatory wearing of masks  already necessary on public transportation and shops  to theatres, cinemas, libraries, healthcare and social institutions, among others.

Steeper fines have also been put in place for people not wearing masks or wearing them incorrectly. People may be taken off public transport if they refuse to comply with mask rules and fines have been increased to as much as 50,000 forints ($165) for individuals and up to 1 million forints ($3,290) for businesses that dont enforce mask rules. Also, scarves and shawls will no longer be allowed to be used instead of masks.

Orban, who had a phone conversation with President Trump last week, said the U.S. leader told him that by the end of October or, at the latest, by the end of the year, there will an American vaccine.

Orban said Trump also said that Hungary would have access to the vaccine, but well believe it if it happens.

As long as theres no vaccine, protection (against the virus) will continue, Orban concluded.

The Hungarian government has also set a maximum price of around $65 for coronavirus tests, which has led some private-sector laboratories and healthcare providers to abandon providing the service.

___

___

Associated Press Writer Karel Janicek in Prague contributed to this report.
Manila: A new Philippine telecommunications firm with Chinese state investment has described as "truly misplaced" concerns that equipment it will install at military camps will be used for spying.

The Philippine government last week allowed DITO Telecommunity, a joint venture between state-run China Telecom and a tycoon close to President Rodrigo Duterte, to erect towers on military land for its $US5.1 billion ($7 billion) entry into the market, which includes 5G technology.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. Credit:AP

The consortium was the only qualified bidder in a 2018 licence auction that followed months of Duterte saying he had offered China a spot in his country's telecom sector. China Telecom owns 40 per cent of DITO.

But some lawmakers complain DITO could be a trojan horse for spying, including on a military that is allied with the United States.
H ugo Swire and his wife Sasha, author of the wickedly funny and sublimely penned Diary of an MPs Wife, are old chums of mine. Hugo, a former Cameroon minister, is urbane in the classic English way that Michael Wilding personified. Sasha is generous, kind and an ingratiating proposition in the looks department. We both have Mittel-European mothers of a feisty disposition, and a predilection for sending ourselves and other people up. This week, extracts from Sashas diaries have been causing a furore in certain circles, something that has greatly distressed their author. Journalist Sarah Gove, for example, seems unaccountably put out by the accusation that she once made fish pie. When I spoke to the Swires on the phone on Tuesday, as they were escaping the furnace of London for their house in Devon, I found poor Sasha feeling bloodied by it all. She says the extracts have been a distortion of the book, in which she writes very kindly and sympathetically of the Camerons and other friends. She hopes that when people read the book in full, they will calm down a little.

The Swires are welcome at mine any time. Judging by the choler of some of Sashas detractors, you would think she had committed treason. Recently I had a drink with Norman Lamont and my old friend Gina Thomas, who reminded me of a passage in Alan Bennetts teleplay about Guy Burgess, An Englishman Abroad. Actress Coral Brownes character is attempting to buy the exiled Burgess some Saville Row pyjamas. Demurs the shop assistant: The gentleman is a traitor, Madam. So? Must traitors sleep in the buff ... You were quite happy to satisfy this client when he was one of the most notorious buggers in London, and a drunkard into the bargain.

The other day, I was in my local deli, Panzers, the finest food emporium in London. Customers with exemption cards, of which I am one, are not required to wear masks. Yet, a female shopper began to abuse both me and the long-suffering staff with terrifying vitriol. Keep her away from me! Call the police! This self-appointed Maoist then screamed in my direction: You are not even shopping properly. Youre walking around smiling! The last, in her eyes, was the most heinous crime of all...

Boris appears to have been kidnapped and replaced with a dour, repressive double

My old friend Boris Johnson appears to have been kidnapped and replaced with some dour, repressive doppelganger. I no longer recognise the former libertarian, whose car used to be littered with unpaid parking fines. This is not even a Conservative Government, and Tory voters are rightly infuriated by the new assaults on their liberty. A former Cabinet minister says: We are reaching the point where the Party will no longer tolerate it. Myself, I feel this is a bad new way of doing politics; blaming the people of Britain for Government incompetence and then beating up on them. It is not sensible to be on a permanent war footing against the electorate.

Kit Fatty Malthouse exhorts us to inform on neighbours if they are breaking the absurd rule of six, which even scientists deride. Malthouse, the only man I have ever met who can strut sitting down, is in no danger of suffering from this himself. He doesnt even have six friends.
WASHINGTON  FBI Director Chris Wray told lawmakers Thursday that antifa is an ideology, not an organization, delivering testimony that puts him at odds with President Donald Trump, who has said he would designate it a terror group.

Hours after the hearing, Trump took to Twitter to chastise his FBI director for his statements on antifa and on Russian election interference, two themes that dominated a congressional hearing on threats to the American homeland.

Referring to antifa, the president wrote: And I look at them as a bunch of well funded ANARCHISTS & THUGS who are protected because the Comey/Mueller inspired FBI is simply unable, or unwilling, to find their funding source, and allows them to get away with murder. LAW & ORDER!

The Twitter barbs thrust Wray again into a spotlight that he has spent three years trying to avoid after his predecessor, James Comey, became entangled in politics before being ultimately fired. Though Wray said as recently as Thursday that the FBI made unacceptable mistakes during its investigation into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, Trump nonetheless has intermittently lashed out at Wray over the pace of fixing those problems and continues to regard his intelligence community with suspicion because of the Russia probe.

Wray did not dispute in his testimony Thursday that antifa activists were a serious concern, saying that antifa was a real thing and that the FBI had undertaken any number of properly predicated investigations into what we would describe as violent anarchist extremists, including into individuals who identify with antifa.

But, he said, Its not a group or an organization. Its a movement or an ideology.

That characterization contradicts the depiction from Trump, who in June singled out antifa  short for anti-fascists and an umbrella term for far-left-leaning militant groups  as responsible for the violence that followed George Floyds death. Trump tweeted that the U.S. would be designating antifa as a terrorist organization, even though such designations are historically reserved for foreign groups and antifa lacks the hierarchical structure of formal organizations.

The hearing before the House Homeland Security Committee  established after the Sept. 11 attacks to confront the threat of international terrorism  focused almost entirely on domestic matters, including violence by white supremacists as well as anti-government extremists. The topics underscored the shift of attention by law enforcement at a time of intense divisions and polarization inside the country.

But one area where foreign threats were addressed was in the presidential election and Russias attempts to interfere in the campaign.

Wray sought to make clear the scope of the threats the country faces while resisting lawmakers attempts to steer him into politically charged statements. When asked whether extremists on the left or the right posed the bigger threat, he pivoted instead to an answer about how solo actors, or so-called lone wolves, with easy access to weapons were a primary concern.

We dont really think of threats in terms of left, right, at the FBI. Were focused on the violence, not the ideology, he said later.

The FBI director said racially motivated violent extremists, such as white supremacists, have been responsible for the most lethal attacks in the U.S. in recent years. But this year the most lethal violence has come from anti-government activists, such as anarchists and militia-types, Wray said.

Wray also affirmed the intelligence communitys assessment of Russian interference in the November election, which he said was taking the form of foreign influence campaigns aimed at sowing discord and swaying public opinion as well as efforts to denigrate Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.

He said that the U.S. had not yet seen targeting of election infrastructure like in 2016, but efforts to sow doubt about the elections integrity are a serious concern, he said.

What concerns me the most is the steady drumbeat of misinformation and sort of amplification of smaller cyber intrusions, Wray said. I worry that they will contribute over time to a lack of confidence of American voters and citizens in the validity of their vote.

I think that would be a perception, Wray added, not a reality. I think Americans can and should have confidence in our election system and certainly in our democracy. But I worry that people will take on a feeling of futility because of all of the noise and confusion thats generated.

Trump has resisted the idea of Russian interference aimed at benefiting his campaign and has been eager, along with other administration officials, to talk about intelligence officials assessment that China prefers that Trump lose to Biden.

He responded on that front Thursday evening, tweeting: But Chris, you dont see any activity from China, even though it is a FAR greater threat than Russia, Russia, Russia. They will both, plus others, be able to interfere in our 2020 Election with our totally vulnerable Unsolicited (Counterfeit?) Ballot Scam. Check it out!

Though intelligence officials said in a statement last month that China prefers that Trump lose, they appeared to stop short of accusing Beijing of directly interfering in the election in hopes of swaying the outcome.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 11:31:19|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

LONDON, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to Britain Liu Xiaoming on Wednesday met with new British Ambassador to China Caroline Wilson at the Chinese Embassy in London, the embassy said Thursday.

Liu congratulated Wilson on becoming the new and 13th British Ambassador to China, voicing hope that she will play an active role in promoting China-Britain relations.

Liu said that 70 years ago, Britain became the first major Western country to recognize the People's Republic of China.

Over the past 70 years, China-Britain relations have made remarkable progress despite ups and downs, and the cooperation between the two countries in various fields has achieved positive results, Liu said.

Such cooperation has great potential and broad prospects in the post-Brexit and post-pandemic era, he said, noting that currently, China-Britain relationship is at a critical juncture.

As long as the two countries observe the basic principles governing international relations, especially mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality, and mutual benefit, the current difficulties could be overcome and China-Britain relationship will be back on the right track to a steady and healthy development, which would benefit the peoples of both countries, said the Chinese ambassador.

Expressing her eagerness to take office in China, Wilson said that China is a major country with important international influence, and a Global Britain needs to develop a constructive relationship with China.

As Britain-China relationship is now at a crucial moment, she said Britain is ready to conduct a candid dialogue with China, deepen cooperation in trade and investment, the Belt and Road Initiative, and other fields, and strengthen international collaboration, so that Britain-China relationship will benefit both countries.

Wilson also expressed her willingness to have extensive communication with people from all walks of life in China, step up mutual understanding, and strive to promote the continuous development of Britain-China relations.

The two sides also exchanged views on other issues of common interest. Enditem
NAHA, Japan, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- GSM Co., Ltd. has succeeded in developing the latest generator, dubbed "RELIFE," which has the great appeal of being able to replace the battery. From GSM's initial concept, it took the company's team approximately 18 months to complete this prototype. The RELIFE has started crowdfunding on Indiegogo and Kickstarter. The campaigns, starting in mid-September 2020, will last for about a month. If the campaigns are successful, shipment of the product in return is planned for February 2021. Backers can apply for the product at a discount of about 40% after the campaigns.

(Images: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/release/202009144331?p=images)

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2inbwNZ6rw

Indiegogo (until October 14, 23:59 (PDT))

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/replaceable-battery-generator-relife/x/22468901#/

Kickstarter (until October 16, 22:35 (UTC))

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hibiki/worlds-first-replaceable-battery-generator-relife

With uncertainty and instability in these COVID-19 times, GSM hopes its product will add security to people's daily lives. A blackout can be a major disruptive factor in life. It disrupts the workflow, and can even threaten people's lives depending on what machines and medical apparatus they rely on. Power station batteries should be designed to be replaceable; the entire purpose of a power station is to see people through at a time when there are no options for recharging. Obviously, solar power is an option, but with current technology, it takes quite a lot of time. That's why RELIFE is made with a removable casing for easy battery replacement.

About RELIFE

Replaceable Battery, 1000W-100-240V AC*2, QC USB*5, PD USB-C*2, Wireless Charge*2, Worldwide Free Shipping

YouTube: https://youtu.be/PZ3HzVBBN8M

Scenes:

Outdoor, blackout, typhoon, earthquake, tsunami, event, various other scenes

About GSM Co., Ltd.

GSM is a project team founded in 2009. So far, it has sold more than 50 types of products to users around the world. GSM makes the lives of users around the world more convenient and continues to be needed by them. The company has a strong desire to serve the people of the world. Its products are brought together by experts from teams in Hong Kong, Japan and Mainland China to work on the project. Until now, the teams have provided many products to U.S. and Europe. It will continue to develop great products.

SOURCE GSM Co., Ltd.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Why did Ohio regulators reverse course on Lake Erie wind turbines, allowing the blades to turn at night?

Were talking about the board reviving the project on This Week in the CLE.

Listen online here.

Editor Chris Quinn hosts our daily half-hour coronavirus news podcast, this weekwith politics editor Jane Kahoun and me, answering all sorts of questions from the news.

Youve been sending Chris lots of thoughts and suggestions on our from-the-newsroom account, in which he shares once or twice a day what were thinking about at cleveland.com. You can sign up for free by sending a text to 216-868-4802.

And youve been offering all sorts of great perspective in our coronavirus alert account, which has 13,000-plus subscribers. You can sign up for free by texting 216-279-7784.

Here are the questions were answering today:

How much will the abrupt closing of the I-X Center cost the citys airport, which is responsible for the costs and taxes of the place? Cleveland Hopkins International Airport will lose more than $2 million, as well as payroll taxes collected on the nearly 180 employees who worked at the I-X Center and $800,000 a year in property taxes that had been covered by I-X Center Corp.

Is the Cleveland Lake Erie wind turbine project having its Phoenix moment, rising from the ashes of its premature death? The nations first freshwater wind farm in Lake Erie could be a go now, as state regulators reversed their previous decision to limit the nighttime operation of the proposed wind turbines.

How much could Ohio taxpayers save if we ever make good on the promise to reform our bail system to make it more fair for people in poverty? The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio has released a report that estimates Ohio could save between $199 million and $264 million a year by adopting what the organization considers common sense bail reform policies.

What was the most enlightening thing Gov. Mike DeWine had to say in an interview for our bonus podcast publishing Sunday? That depends who you ask. But we all liked his explanation of how he made decisions to shut down the state.

Which school districts in Cuyahoga County are planning to bring students back to the classroom anytime soon? Bay Village and Brecksville are back, Beachwood starts Monday, North Royalton starts Tuesday and Independence has been at school full-time this whole year. Plenty of schools are starting to assess options.

When will unemployed people in Ohio start seeing the extra $300 from President Donald Trumps executive order to help people during the pandemic? The state already started paying, and the money is retroactive to Aug. 1.

Why is Senate Judiciary Committee raising questions about Cuyahoga County judge J. Phillip Calabrese who is nominated for the federal bench? California Sen. Dianne Feinstein was concerned about Calabreses work on behalf of Robert Murray, the CEO of the Ohio coal company Murray Energy, as well as another company that owned the only U.S. facility that slaughtered horses for human consumption.

Why is Cleveland getting a bit of a windfall from the state dating back to a dispute from 2005 to 2007? Cleveland is one of three districts that won $42 million in a case against the Ohios Department of Education disputing school funding. Cleveland, Dayton and Toledo schools claimed the state improperly distributed funding in fiscal years 2005-2007, failing to properly add funding for each community school student, including those who enrolled mid-year.

What are the possible endings for the investigation of FirstEnergy by the U.S Securities and Exchange Commission? The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission brings hundreds of civil enforcement actions each year for theft, insider trading, lying about securities, manipulating market prices and more violations. If the agency finds enough evidence of wrongdoing, it can bring a case to U.S. District Court.

Why is Pete the pelican hanging out on the Cleveland shores of Lake Erie? This is the first brown pelican spotted on Cuyahoga Countys shores since 2013. Pete likely lost his way during a storm and will migrate south for the winter.

Want more? You can find all our past episodes here.

We have an Apple podcasts channel exclusively for this podcast. Subscribe here.

Do you get your podcasts on Spotify. Find us here.

If you use Stitcher, we are here.

RadioPublic is another popular podcast vehicle, and we are here.

On Google Podcasts, we are here.

On PodParadise, find us here.

And on PlayerFM, we are here.
The Korea Aerospace Research Institute has conducted a battery-powered test flight of solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicle EAV-3. The aircraft is powered by solar cells on its wings and body and an LG Chem lithium-sulfur battery.The Korea Aerospace Research Institute has conducted a high-altitude test flight of solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicle EAV-3, which features a lithium-sulfur battery from Korean manufacturer LG Chem. The battery company said, in a press release, the small aircraft was conceived for long flights at a stratospheric altitude of 12km or more. The airplane engine is powered ...

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
A civilian was injured on Friday when Pakistan violated ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, continuing its nefarious activities for the second consecutive day. The woman was injured during the shelling in Dharati area of Balakote sector in Mendhar subdivision.

At about 4.30 pm, Pakistan initiated unprovoked firing with small arms and intense shelling with mortars along the LoC in Balakote sector, of the district. The Indian Army retaliated befittingly.

Live TV

On September 17, an Indian Army soldier was injured when Pakistan violated ceasefire along the LoC in Poonch district. The Pakistani troops continued shelling for two hours in Balakot and Mendhar sectors in the district. The Indian Army gave a befitting reply.

The Pakistani Army resorted to heavy firing of mortar shells for two hours targeting the Indian Army check posts and residential areas in Mendhar sub-division of Poonch district. The shelling created a panic scene in the rural areas bordering the Line of Control.

The soldier was injured when he was hit by a mortar splinter. After the first aid, he was referred to Rajouri military hospital. He has been identified as CB Pawar of Army's Artillery Regiment, and a resident of Mahararutra.

At the same time, 120 mm mortars fired by the Pakistani army targeting the residential areas damaged about a dozen houses in the area around the Line of Control. This nefarious act of the Pakistani army was also responded to by the Indian Army. A few moments after the Pakistani Army opened fire, the Indian Army stationed in the area started responding in a similar fashion to the Pakistani Army.

Both sides received heavy shelling for about two hours that it was heard from many kilometres away on the Jammu Poonch National Highway up to Bimber Gali.

The Centre on September 16 had stated that India has lost 95 soldiers, 75 of them during ceasefire violation by Pakistan and 20 more soldiers during border skirmishes with China since 2014.

In reply to a question in Parliament, Minister of State (MoS) for Defence Shripad Naik gave a detailed answer. In 2015, four soldiers lost their lives when Pakistan resorted to ceasefire violation along the Line of Control (LoC); in 2016, seven soldiers lost their lives; in 2017, 23 soldiers were martyred; in 2018, 19 soldiers lost their lives and in 2020 (till September 14), nine soldiers martyred. With China, 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives in 2020, Naik had added.

The fatal casualties of Army personnel in battle since 2014 stands at 738, stated Naik. In 2014, 78 personnel lost their lives; in 2015, 109 personnel were martyred; in 2016, 133 personnel lost their lives; in 2017, 137 were martyred; in 2018, 117 personnel lost their lives; in 2019, 107 were martyred, and in 2020, 57 personnel lost their lives.

Details of monetary benefits/ entitlements to the NOK of battle casualty (fatal):

1) Compensation/Pension/Terminal Dues paid by the govt.

(a) Liberalized family pension (LFP ): As applicable to Battle Casualty that is equal to emoluments last drawn by the deceased individual.

(b) Ex-gratia lump sum compensation from Central Government:-

(i) Death occurring due to accidents in the course of duties, Rs 25 lakh

(ii) Death in the course of duties attributable to acts of violence by terrorists. etc. Rs 25 lakh

(iii) Death occurring during enemy action in war or border skirmishes or in action against militants, terrorist. etc- Rs. 35 lakh

(iv) Death occurring while on duty in the specified high altitude, inaccessible border posts etc. on account of natural disasters, extreme weather conditions Rs 35 lakh

(v) Death occurring during enemy action in international war or warlike engagements which are specially notified Rs 45 lakh

(c) Death-cum-Retirement gratuity (DCRG): Based on the length of service rendered and emoluments last drawn by the deceased individual.

(d) Disable/war injury element of pension released by PCDA (P) Allahabad, as applicable.

2. Compensation/Pension/Terminal Dues (Ex-gratia) paid by the state govt. As applicable. Rates vary from State to State.

3. Other Benefits by the Govt:

(a) Compassionate Appointment to the NOK: As per eligibility and qualification of NOK of BC through respective Line Dates (as per Govt Scheme)

(b) Education Concessions: Full reimbursement of the tuition fee. Also full reimbursement of Hostel charges for those studying in boarding schools and colleges.

(c) Fare and Rail Travel Concession: 75% concession on base fare by Indian Air Lines and for travel by Second Class Sleeper by train.
Chinas imports of crude oil have been trending much lower in September than in the past four months, while the rest of Asia is also significantly slowing imports this month with demand still under pressure, IHS Markit said on Friday.

Crude oil discharged at Chinese ports in the last two weeks were below 8 million barrels per day (bpd), at levels similar to what China imported in March and April, Fotios Katsoulas, Liquid Bulk Principal Analyst, Maritime & Trade, at IHS Markit, said in an analysis.

So far in the third quarter, Chinas crude oil imports have stayed strong, with high congestion at many major crude ports.

But activity so far in September suggests that the worlds biggest importer of crude oil has been absorbing much less than a month ago, Katsoulas said.

Earlier this year, China imported record volumes of crude oil in May and June, as the oil-hungry nation attempted to benefit from the low oil prices in April. The record-breaking crude oil imports supported oil prices through the late spring and summer when oil demand recovery in the rest of the world had just started and then wobbled amid concerns of a second COVID-19 wave.

Yet, Chinas feast on low oil prices may now be over. In August, China was expected to have imported what could be the last of the bargain cargoes that refiners had snapped up in April.

Refiners in China are now facing difficulties in absorbing these barrels and find buyers for refined products locally produced. This translates into significantly fewer fresh deals for crude oil, with shipments to China continuing to decline, IHS Markits Katsoulas noted.

The rest of Asia is also importing much less crude oil than in the previous months, with South Korea, Malaysia, and Taiwan particularly weak compared to earlier this year, according to data from IHS Markit Commodities at Sea.

Overall, oil imports to Asia have extended losses and could report the lowest figure this year, with volumes down between eight and 10% so far this month since August, Katsoulas said, noting that Indias very slow demand recovery is also weighing on Asias crude oil imports and on oil prices.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
By Julie Steenhuysen and Manas Mishra

CHICAGO (Reuters) - If Moderna Inc's <MRNA.O> COVID-19 vaccine proves to be at least 70% effective, the company plans to seek emergency authorization for its use in high-risk groups, the company's chief executive told Reuters.

Moderna's vaccine candidate - mRNA-1273 - is nearing the finish line in its push to enroll 30,000 individuals in a late-stage trial of a novel coronavirus vaccine. As of Wednesday night, Moderna had enrolled 25,296 participants.

But the company may be able to declare victory early if it is able to show that people who got the vaccine fared much better in its trial that people who did not.

Vaccines must demonstrate they are at least 50% moreeffective than a placebo to be considered for approval. To provethat, government officials have said, at least 150 COVID-19infections must be recorded among trial participants with atleast twice as many occurring among the placebo group.

If a vaccine is especially effective, companies could havetheir answer sooner.

An independent safety board will take a first look at Moderna's data as soon as a total of 53 people in the trial become infected with COVID-19. Moderna is projecting the interim analysis will occur in November, but it could come as early as October.

If most of the people who got sick got the placebo shot, that would indicate the vaccine was protecting those inoculated and could be enough evidence to seek U.S. regulatory approval for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).

"If the interim readout is deemed by the independent safety committee as positive with 70 or 80 or 90% efficacy, we will indeed consider approval," Stephane Bancel, Moderna's chief executive officer, said in a telephone interview.

"At such a level of efficacy, if we get there, we can protect a lot of lives in the people at the highest risk, and so, we will consider filing for an EUA for a very limited population," Bancel said.

Story continues

He said the Food and Drug Administration will determine whether the benefit of the vaccine to a small group of high-risk individuals outweighs the risk of not having a full readout of safety data from all 30,000 study participants.

The two groups of high-risk individuals who might be covered in such an EUA would be healthcare workers and the elderly, Bancel said.

In a conference call with investors on Thursday, Bancel said he expects the company to file for an EUA in 2020, and for full FDA approval.

He told Reuters the company wants to gather more data on the safety of the vaccine in the study population over a period of several months before seeking full licensure.

Moderna released its study protocol on Thursday, making public details on how its vaccine will be evaluated. If the vaccine does not reach the efficacy mark after 53 cases, the data safety and monitoring board will take another interim look at the data after 106 cases, and a final look after 151 people in the trial become infected with the virus.

Public health officials have said that approving a vaccine for widespread use based on a small number of cases would not offer enough safety information to show how the vaccine would perform.

Moderna, which has never brought a vaccine to market, hasreceived nearly $1 billion from the U.S. government under itsOperation Warp Speed program. It has also struck a $1.5 billionsupply agreement with the United States.

On the call, the company said it is on track to deliver 500 million to 1 billion doses of the vaccine annually. In the United States, decisions about vaccine allocation will be made by the U.S. government, the company said.

Moderna also announced plans to start developing seasonal flu vaccines.

In a presentation to investors on Tuesday, Pfizer Inc <PFE.N> said the company has enrolled more than 29,000 people in its 44,000-volunteer trial to test an experimental COVID-19 vaccine the company is developing with German partner BioNTech <22UAy.F>.

Pfizer expects to have enough data to show whether the vaccine works by the end of October.

(Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago and Manas Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Henderson and Timothy Gardner)
To the editor:

What is the unpublished agenda of the Democratic Party? It is total control of our lives by inducing government programs that we have no choice but to depend upon. You may laugh and say that is impossible but have you considered the following. You could have a president and a congress that has plans to eliminate the voice of the minority. How?

First, Sen. Schumer from New York is very likely to be the majority leader in the Senate. As such he and other Democratic Senators have shown the intent to increase the size of the Supreme Court. This is a key function in which to have control. Second, Sen. Schumer has made numerous statements that he will eliminate the Filibuster Rule in the Senate of the United States. This gives the majority in the Senate no reason to compromise on any action or bill presented in the Senate. The final nail in the coffin will be the elimination of the Electoral College which will change our Republic form of government into a true but self-destroying democracy.

We are a great nation because of the checks and balances that our forefathers put in to the Constitution and Bill of Rights. No past historical attempts of a true majority rule democracy have lasted more than 250 years.

History is a very import part of managing the future. Check the histories of Argentina and Venezuela. Both are socialistic disasters except for a few elite and its policing force. Removing local police is a key to social control.

Do not give up the republic because you do not like the president. This is the most important election in our and our future childrens life time. Let us also maintain this pledge. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

WALTER RUPPRECHT

Midland
Federal investigators have charged a Baldwinsville woman with making a threatening phone call to Rep. John Katko in which she said she would shoot the congressman, according to court records.

Bethann Marie Wallace, 48, was charged today with interstate communication of a threat.

Wallace called and left a threatening voicemail message at Katkos Washington office on July 10, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office in Western New York, which is handling the case. Katko previously worked as a federal prosecutor in Central New York.

Wallace called and left a message that used profane and derogatory language, and contained multiple threats to shoot or kill the congressman July 10, according to a transcription provided in court documents.

Aides to the congressman did not hear the message until July 21 due to the high volume of messages they were receiving at the time, court records said.

U.S. Capitol Police investigators quickly traced the call and 315 phone number to Wallace in Baldwinsville, prosecutors said. When troopers visited Wallace at her home, she acknowledged calling Katkos office, but did not offer much of an explanation for why she left the message, court papers said.

During the interview with police, Wallace began discussing sound waves that interfere with communication, court paper said. Asked why she would call Katko about this, Wallace said, well, rumor is hes a congressman, so, you know, he must know about the sound waves for sure," the court records said.

Capitol Police increased security around Katko in Washington and Central New York in response to the threat, prosecutors said.

Wallace was arrested today and ordered to jail pending another appearance in court again on Monday. Wallace faces up to five years and prison and $250,000 in fines, if convicted.
If they get a fair trial, a questionable proposition at best, Minneapolis police officers charged with murdering George Floyd should be acquitted.

Let's consider new, undisputed evidence, beyond the initial bystanders video that weve all seen, to understand why.

On Memorial Day, around 8 PM, Minneapolis Police are called to a local convenience store. Two suspects passed a fake $20 bill to buy cigarettes. When police arrived, the shop manager pointed across the street, where three suspects sat in a parked vehicle. George Floyd sat behind the wheel.

When the officers crossed the street to investigate, two other suspects, another man, and a woman, both black, stepped from the car and politely cooperated.

But George argued and disobeyed ten separate commands from officers to keep his hands up. After the tenth order, he finally put his hands on the steering wheel as instructed.

As George protested, police walked him across the street to the police cruiser, the vehicle shown in the bystanders video.

That bystanders video, isolated alone, implies that the officer cruelly forced George onto the ground, then callously put his knee on George's neck, causing George to cry out, pitifully, I can't breathe.

But when a Minnesota judge authorized the release of police body cam footage, a completer and more different story emerged. First, the police never wanted George on the ground at all, and frantically tried getting him into the back of their squad car.

But Floyd, a strong six-feet-eight-inches tall, fought police every second, and tried pushing his way out. Police video shows George repeatedly saying, I can't breathe long before he was on the ground, and before Officer Chauvin employed the infamous knee-restraint tactic.

This is crucial.

Claiming to be claustrophobic as they ordered him into the back seat, George Floyd demanded to be placed on the ground. So, the officers did not thrust him down to the ground and then put their knee on Georges neck, as the bystanders video suggests.

Let's delve into the evidence.

From Officer Thomas Lane's body camera, at 8:09 PM, officers approached George's vehicle, tapped on the window, instructing him to either put his hands up or put his hands on the steering wheel. But George refuses.

Ten separate times, police either instructed George to let them see his hands, or to put his hands on the wheel. Finally, George puts his hands on the wheel, protesting he had not done anything.

At 8:17 PM, officers walk George across the street. He keeps arguing, as they order him into the back of the squad car.

I'm claustrophobic, he claims, twice, resisting as they again order him to sit in the back seat. He screams, fights and resists getting in the squad car.

At 8:18:08, still standing beside the car and fighting the officers, he says, for the first time, with no knee on his neck, I can't breathe, officer! At this point, police are still ordering him into the back seat.

A bystander urges George to stop fighting. You cant win, the bystander says.

George fights anyway.

Police push him in the back seat. He keeps resisting.

Nine seconds later, fighting from the backseat of the police car, George says three times, in rapid succession, beginning at 8:18:19, I want to lay on the ground! I want to lay on the ground! I want to lay on the ground! He repeats it a fourth time, five seconds later, I want to lay on the ground!

Then, as if he knows he is dying, says, Im going down.

At 8:18:39, fighting in the backseat, he again says, three times in rapid succession, I cant breathe! Then again, I cant breathe. And then, again, at 8:18:50 repeats, I cant breathe!

At this point, George had demanded to be laid on the ground four times and said I can't breathe at least six times, while in the back seat of the squad car, with no knee on his neck.

At 8:19:06, he again says, I can't breathe, for the seventh time.

Of course he cant breathe. A fentanyl overdose stops a man from breathing.

George fought the officers non-stop for over ten minutes before officers finally removed him from the car and put him down on the ground, beside the squad car, as George himself demanded.

Bystanders then film George on the ground, declaring, I cant breathe, as if this was the first time George said, I cant breathe, and as if Officer Chauvins knee (not the fentanyl) caused Georges breathing problems.

Fox 9 in Minneapolis reported that Chief Hennepin County Medical Examiner Dr. Andrew Baker, in a memorandum filed May 26 concluded, The autopsy revealed no physical evidence suggesting that Mr. Floyd died of asphyxiation.

In other words, Dr. Baker initially ruled out Chauvins knee as causing Georges death.

In a second memorandum filed June 1, Baker described Floyds fentanyl level as pretty high, and a potentially fatal level.

Dr. Baker reported Floyd had 11 ng/mL of fentanyl in his blood, adding, If he were found dead at home alone and no other apparent causes, this could be acceptable to call an OD. Deaths have been certified with levels of 3."

In other words, while levels of 3 ng/mL have caused fatal fentanyl overdoses. George ingested nearly four times that amount, or 11 ng/mL of fentanyl, in his bloodstream. In another document, Dr. Baker said, "That is a fatal level of fentanyl under normal circumstances."

Granted, mounting political pressure led to subsequent private autopsy reports, paid for by the family, showing the cause of death as a combination of both fentanyl and asphyxiation from the officers knee.

Of course they do.

But the prosecution, to obtain a conviction, must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. They must prove that the officers knee, and not the massive fentanyl dosage, killed George Floyd.

Thats a tall order.

Not only that, but the infamous, knee-technique, which should be banned, was authorized by the Minneapolis PD. Officer Chauvin followed authorized procedure, a technique for keeping a suspect on the ground, after George Floyd had fought officers for over ten minutes, and after, only -- and this is the kicker -- George requested, repeatedly, to lay on the ground.

But Chauvins knee is a red herring. The issue here is fentanyl.

Here's how the respected website, WebMD, describes the effects of fentanyl:

[F]entanyl has rapid and potent effects on the brain and body, and even very small amounts can be extremely dangerous.

It only takes a tiny amount of the drug to cause a deadly reaction, ... Fentanyl can depress breathing and lead to death. The risk of overdose is high with fentanyl.

Heres what the CDC says about fentanyl. It is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/opioids/fentanyl.html

Of course George couldnt breathe -- because fentanyl, mixed with methamphetamines, kills breathing. Despite the bad optics, I cant breathe was not because of the officers knee.

The medical examiners statement on lethal fentanyl, and the previous protestations of I cant breathe, even before he got into the back seat of the squad car, and long before Chauvin applied the notorious knee technique, shows that George was already dying from the lethal fentanyl overdose before officers put him in the back seat of the car. That fentanyl, with methamphetamine ingestion, and cannabinoids -- thats right, George popped some meth alongside the fentanyl, plus a little reefer too -- raises more than a reasonable doubt in favor of these policemen.

Heres the prosecutions problem - proving beyond a reasonable doubt that it was the officers knee, and not the massive fentanyl overdose, that killed George.

No one can prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, not in this case, that Chauvin killed Floyd, not with any intellectual honesty. George overdosed on fentanyl, and mixed it with meth, and reefer. Thats why hes dead. Without the overdose, George Floyd would still be alive. The officers should be acquitted.

Which begs the question, who killed George Floyd?

Sadly, George Floyd killed himself.

Don Brown, a former U.S. Navy JAG officer, is the author of the book Travesty of Justice: The Shocking Prosecution of Lieutenant Clint Lorance. He is one of four former JAG officers serving on the Lorance legal team. Lorance was pardoned by President Trump in November of 2019. Brown is also a former military prosecutor, and a former Special Assistant United States Attorney.
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Linkedin (Reuters) Dubai, United Arab Emirates  Fri, September 18, 2020 16:05 490 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c45b73bd 2 News United-Arab-Emirates,Abu-Dhabi,travel Free

International passengers arriving at Abu Dhabi airport will now have to wear a tracking device while they complete a mandatory 14-day home quarantine due to COVID-19, according to state-owned Etihad Airways.

Daily infections in the United Arab Emirates rose this month to their highest since the outbreak started, which officials have largely blamed on people not practicing social distancing.

Those arriving at Abu Dhabi airport would be fitted with a medically approved wristband, which is removed after the 14-days of home quarantine, according to Etihad's latest travel update.

Read also: Arab artists boycott UAE after Israel deal

Those arriving from countries deemed to be a high risk may have to quarantine in a government facility, it said.

A health ministry official on Sept. 10 said 12 percent of cases in the previous two weeks were from international arrivals while 88 percent were linked to people gathering in large groups. The UAE recorded 786 new novel coronavirus cases on Thursday, down from 1,007 on Saturday, it biggest daily total so far.

The UAE, which has seen 82,568 infections and 402 deaths from COVID-19 so far, does not disclose where in the country the cases occur.

Only UAE citizens and residents can currently enter the country through Abu Dhabi airport, though foreign visitors can enter through Dubai.
Anti-conversion has made UP into epicentre of bigotry says over 100 bureaucrats in letter

Anti-conversion law and the dire need for it

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Sep 18: Uttar Pradesh may soon become the ninth state to implement the anti-conversion law.

Reports have stated that the UP government while citing love jihad is likely to promulgate an ordinance against religious conversions. Currently, there are 8 states that have anti-conversion laws.

The first state to implement it was Odisha in 1967. This was followed by Madhya Pradesh in 1968. The other states which have this law are Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand.

Let us take a look at how this issue has played out in India:

The Rev Stanislaus vs Madhya Pradesh case:

This judgment by the Supreme Court passed by a constitutional bench headed by Justice A N Ray probably gives one of the best definitions of Freedom to Religion.

The question before the court was whether the fundamental right to practice and propagate religion includes the right to convert.

The court held in clear terms that while Article 25 does provide freedom of religion, it also went on to state the word propagate religion does not give the right to convert.

The word propagate has been used in Article 25(1) of the Indian Constitution, but that does not give the right to convert another person to one's own religion, but to transmit or spread one's religion by an exposition of its tenets.

The Bench also observed that while propagating religion was allowed, converting does not form part of fundamental rights. What the Article grants is not the right to convert another person to one's own religion, but to transmit or spread one's religion by an exposition of its tenets.

Why do people convert?

There are several reasons that have been listed in various documents mentioning the reasons why people chose to convert. Today it has become a religious battle and there are scores of complaints about missionaries acting like salesmen to sell religion and convert people in large numbers. The trap is often laid with the lure of money and under the garb of doing charity.

The other reasons for conversion which have been seen are polygamy, for reservation benefits and divorce.

More Verdicts:

In the Sarla Mudgal case the court had held that the religious conversion into Islam by a person from non-Islamic faith is not valid if the conversion is done for the purpose of polygamy.

In the Lily Thomas case it was observed that marrying another woman after converting to Islam is punishable under the bigamy laws.

In the Chandra Sekaran case the court had observed that a person does not ceases to be Hindu nearly because he declares that he has no faith in his religion.

A person will not cease to be Hindu even if he does not practice his religion till he does not renounces his religion or starts living and behaving like an atheist or agnostic or starts eating beef or insulting God or Goddesses. He does not ceases to be member of the religion even if he starts expressing his faith in any other religion, he continuous to be a Hindu.

Bills and laws:

The first time that the Parliament took up this matter was in the year 1954. The Bill was called the Indian Conversion(regulation and registration bill). It was taken up again in the year 1960, but was dropped for lack of support and heavy opposition from minorities.

In 1968 Orissa and Madhya Pradesh enacted laws called the Madhya Pradesh Dharma Swatantraya Adhiniyam and the Orissa Freedom of Religion Act respectively. These laws were enacted to prevent conversion from one religious faith to any other by use of force or inducement or by fraudulent means.

Later on several other states like Tamil Nadu and Gujarat enacted similar laws under which forced conversions were made punishable under the Indian Penal Code. The punishment for forcible conversions ranged from a three year jail term and fine of Rs 20000.

Law commission recommendations:

The Law commission of India which was asked to look into the issue of forcible conversions made the following recommendations.

Within a month after the date of conversion, the converted person, if she/he chooses, can send a declaration to the officer in charge of registration of marriages in the concerned area.

The registering official shall exhibit a copy of the declaration on the Notice Board of the office till the date of confirmation.

The said declaration shall contain the requisite details viz., the particulars of the convert such as date of birth, permanent address, and the present place of residence, father's/husband's name, the religion to which the convert originally belonged and the religion to which he or she converted, the date and place of conversion and nature of the process gone through for conversion.

Within 21 days from the date of sending/filing the declaration, the converted individual can appear before the registering officer, establish her/his identity and confirm the contents of the declaration.

The registering officer shall record the factum of declaration and confirmation in a register maintained for this purpose. If any objections are notified, he may simply record them i.e., the name and particulars of objector and the nature of objection.

Certified copies of declaration, confirmation and the extracts from the register shall be furnished to the party who gave the declaration or the authorized legal representative, on request.

The law commission clarified that in states that have a law governing conversion the recommendations would not apply.
KITCHENER  In the competitive market of craft beer, it can take years to establish a brewery.

But a new opportunity in Kitchener will allow the right investor to jump to the front of the line, with a chance to take over the full operation of a brewery entering its prime.

Descendants Beer and Beverage Co. on Victoria Street North is listed for sale at $1.5 million.

The brewery is owned by Robin Molloy and Lee Brooks, who made a home in the building in 2015 after several years of contract brewing with another brewery in St. Thomas.

They were a local brewery, but they werent brewing locally before transforming the former fuel supply depot into a one-stop shop for all things beer.

The owners built this thing from scratch over the last four years, and unfortunately for family reasons, are needing to stand down from active duty, said Cushman & Wakefield sales representative Stewart Campbell.

So, they are selling the brewery and everything that comes with it.

That includes several beer brands associated with the brewery and their original recipes. The new owners will be able to continue brewing at the Victoria Street location, though Campbell said it is not included in the sale of the business.

The 4,900 square-foot space features a European-style bierhalle with a full bar, eatery and retail shop with cans, bottles, growler fills and merchandise.

And with a 15 hectolitre brewhouse, the new owners will be able to continue brewing the award-winning recipes in-house.

The building comes with a full-bar license, with a maximum occupancy of 135 patrons in a non-COVID world. And a small kitchen allows for a limited menu to pair with the drinks  the current menu offers vegetarian, vegan, gluten free and meat options.

The full-bar license allows the owners to offer more than just 12 oz. samples of their house beers, with the flexibility to offer outside beers and spirits as well. Historically, Descendants has served craft spirits, craft cider, craft soda and guest taps from other Ontario craft breweries in the full-service bar.

A large patio has also been created to help facilitate social distancing.

The venue has been a hotbed for local artists through the years, regularly hosting shows through the week before the pandemic.

It has been used for weddings, anniversaries, bachelor/bachelorette parties, trade shows and work functions.

The sale also includes an interest in Bitte Schon Brauhaus, a small brewery in New Hamburg.

Theres a lot of work that goes into building a brewery from the ground up, and there isnt a lot of them available, said Campbell. Like any business, it takes a few years to get over the bumps and hurdles, but theyve done that and have created a thriving business.

The brewery will continue to operate normally until the new owners take over.

The sale is not related to the COVID-19 pandemic, said Campbell, and was first listed before the outbreak.

He said there has already been a lot of interest, with local investors and others from Toronto inquiring about the sale.

People love the beer industry, he said. An opportunity like this doesnt come around very often.
The dance troupes Black Lives Matter-inspired routine has prompted more than 23,000 complaints to broadcasting watchdog Ofcom.

Dixon told the Daily Mirror: On the day of the performance, the camera didnt actually pan to the judges and I was sitting there in floods of tears.

I had this overwhelming feeling of, Wow I cant believe I am watching this on BGT. It felt really important.

Diversitys routine saw a man in a police uniform kneel on star Ashley Banjo, echoing the killing of unarmed black man George Floyd, while other dancers performed with police riot shields.

It is close to becoming the most complained-about TV moment of the decade and Ofcom is deciding whether to investigate.

ITV has said it stands behind the decision to broadcast Diversitys performance on BGT.

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In a video message on Instagram, Banjo previously said that while the headlines have been about the complaints and the negativity the negativity is the minority.

View this post on InstagramIn the present moment though there is still so much to say But I will Just let this performance say it for me. For the thousands of supportive messages of Love and inclusion  Thank you  And for the thousands of messages of hate and ignorance Ive received  Thank you You highlight exactly what needs to change and why this was so important to me and the rest of @diversity_official Sending nothing but love and positive vibes to everyone  Stronger together  #wearediversity #change #nextchapterA post shared by Ashley Banjo (@ashleybanjogram) on Sep 6, 2020 at 5:36am PDT

The positive response has been huge. So thank you so much to everyone who has supported, shown love, and stood by what we did.

Banjo, who is standing in on the show for Simon Cowell as he recovers from his electric bike accident, added: We stand by every single decision we made with that performance Im proud.

Dixon said of Banjo: He is the perfect person to step in for Simon  and talk about making an impact on your first week!
Pam is the best! She has become an integral part of the family.

This year has brought many unforeseen challenges, especially to working families. Parents have had the difficult task of juggling children out of school, at-home learning, and hectic work schedules. For AuPairCare families, au pairs have been their saving grace.

Au pairs, part of the U.S. Department of States J1 Cultural Exchange Program, are young adults from countries around the world who live with American families and look after their children. In addition to providing live-in care, au pairs and families participate in an exchange of cultures, such as learning a new language or discovering unique customs and traditions. With au pairs and families spending additional quality time together over the past few months, successful program experiences have grown as participants come closer together.

This week, independent research firm EurekaFacts released a comprehensive report detailing the success of the au pair program. Surveying over 17,000 alumni au pairs and host families, the report finds unequivocally that the program delivers on its goals to increase mutual understanding between individuals, develop the skills of au pairs, provide child care support to families who need it and strengthen the U.S. economy along the way. Findings show that 90% of au pairs rated their experience in the U.S. as excellent or good. For American host families, 85% say that they are extremely or somewhat satisfied with their experience as a host family. The results speak for themselves and exemplify the positive impact that the au pair program provides for all participants.

AuPairCare host mom Melody of Menlo Park, California says of her French au pair, Lea arrived right before the pandemic and transitioned into our family seamlessly. When the pandemic struck, we were faced with additional challenges presented from virtual learning and quarantining with the rest of the world. We struggled with this dramatic shift, and she helped us get through one of the toughest times our family has experienced. We will forever be grateful.

While au pairs act as parenting partners, they also form long-lasting relationships with their entire host family. Host mom Carie of Fort Worth, Texas shares how her Mexican au pair is an important member of the family, Pam is the best! She is not only a great au pair to our two boys, but she spent every morning doing summer school with our little one. She has become an integral part of the family. AuPairCare alumni Tina from Germany had a similar bonding experience with her host family, saying, I had a great year with AuPairCare! I grew so much and as a person! I became part of their family, and they became part of mine. After my au pair year ended, I came back to visit my family three more times. They even came to Germany twice to visit me and to be part of my wedding. My "little" girl, now 12 years old, was our ring bearer and I was so happy to have them there! I am so happy and so grateful that we still have such a close relationship and that I get to see them every so often.

Experiences like these explain in part how the programs success helps to promote itself. Through the program, au pairs gain a better understanding of American culture, traditions, and customs, which in turn fosters greater knowledge and appreciation among Americans of the participants home countries. According to the EurekaFacts survey, 97% of au pair alumni gained a better understanding of American culture (traditions and customs) during their time in the U.S.

Whether it is au pairs developing important life skills, parents gaining support for the unique needs of their family, or understanding life through the lenses of a different culture, the au pair program is an invaluable experience for all participants.

AuPairCare is a leading au pair agency providing reliable live-in childcare services to American families since 1989. Designated by the U.S. Department of State, AuPairCare offers flexible childcare to fit families unique needs. AuPairCare has matched more than 75,000 au pairs with American families across the U.S. AuPairCare is a division of Intrax, a family of organizations that provide a lifetime of high quality educational, work, and volunteer programs that connect people and cultures. Intrax is headquartered in San Francisco with offices on four continents. For more information about AuPairCare, call (800) 428-7247 or visit http://www.aupaircare.com.
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday (September 18) directed senior officials to ensure that recruitment drives are carried out in the next three months in a transparent manner and distribute appointment letters in six months.

The Chief Minister is learned to have taken this decision to scuttle the opposition parties' protest over the issue of unemployment across the state on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday on Thursday.

In a meeting with senior officials, CM Yogi sought details of vacant posts in all departments in a week, and directed the officials to carry out recruitment drives in the next three months in a transparent manner as was done in the "recruitment for some three lakh jobs."

Live TV

The Chief Minister, according to a statement issued in Lucknow, said, "The present government adopted a transparent process and provided jobs to over three lakh applicants in the past three years."

According to the statement, since 2017, 1,37,253 people were recruited on various posts in the police department; 54,706 in the basic education department; 8,556 in the health, medical, and family welfare department and 28,622 under the National Health Mission.

It further said that 26,103 were given jobs through the UP Public Service Commission, 16,708 through the UP Subordinate Services Selection Commission; 14,000 in the secondary education department; and 4,615 in the higher education department.

In the basic education and police departments, the state government has recruited 69,000 and 16,629 people, respectively.

On Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday on Thursday, opposition parties, including the Samajwadi Party and the Congress, staged protests across the state over the issue of unemployment.
(Newser)  A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention change to COVID testing guidelines that caused consternation last month wasn't the work of CDC scientists and was "dropped" into the agency's website despite their objections, sources tell the New York Times. The controversial guidance, which stated that people without symptoms shouldn't get tested even if they had been exposed, was later revised after criticism from health experts. "That was a doc that came from the top down," from the Department of Health and Human Services and the White House Coronavirus Task Force, a federal official tells the Times. That policy does not reflect what many people at the CDC feel should be the policy.

story continues below

A senior CDC scientist tells the Times that the document didn't go through the CDC's strict review process and contained "elementary errors" and recommendations that didn't jibe with the CDC's position, making it clear the final result didn't come from the agency. Adm. Brett Giroir at HHS says the original draft came from the CDC, but there was "coordinated editing and input from the scientific and medical members of the task force." According to an email seen by the Times, a senior CDC official told scientists alarmed by the final document that the agency doesn't "have the ability to make substantial edits." When the guidance first appeared on the CDC website, top Democrats called it "dangerous and irresponsible" and said reports of political interference were "troubling," the Washington Post reports. (Read more Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stories.)
"Why do you complain?", Member of Parliament (MP) for Tarkwa-Nsuaem constituency, Hon. George Mireku Duker asks political parties opposing the filing fee of the Electoral Commission (EC).



The Electoral Commission has announced a filing fee of GH 100,000 for nomination to contest Presidential seat while those interested in Parliamentary position are to pick their forms for a fee of GH 10,000.



According to Chairperson of the Commission, Madam Jean Mensa, the candidates are obliged to make a deposit in the form of bankers draft.



"The Presidential Candidate will be required to deposit an amount of Ghc 100,000 in a form of a Bankers draft to the Commission, Parliamentary Candidates will be required to deposit Ghc 10,000 in a form of a Bankers draft as well. We wish all candidates for both presidential and parliamentary elections well, we trust that the nomination process will be efficient, seemless and orderly..." , Madam Jean Mensa said during the EC's ''Let Your Vote Count''.



The EC has set deadline for submission of the nomination forms, which are accessible on the EC website, to be from Monday, 5th October to Friday, 9th October, 2020.



This notwithstanding, some political party members have dissented to the fee, particularly for the Presidential aspirants.



The Progressive Peoples Party (PPP) says the GH 100,000 is exorbitant and some commentators as well as politicians have also called on the EC to reduce the amount.



"They have taken this decision without consulting IPAC [Inter Party Advisory Committee] . . . we find it a bit troubling that this decision has come at this time.



" . . we are in a difficult moment in our history and it is important if the EC is making decisions, it must factor all the economic challenges people are going through in this country. We should not fix fees at that high level and say that becoming a President is a tough thing or a serious thing and so anyone who expresses interest must cough some high fees," National Secretary of the PPP, Papa Kow Ackon said.



Reacting to the issue during a panel discussion on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo', Hon. George Mireku Duker wondered why the parties are complaining about the filing fee when they pay more or equally same amount in their internal politics.



He cited the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) charging their aspirants for flagbearer position GH300,000.



"The NDC initially quoted an amount of Ghc 400,000; it took the likes of Alban Bagbin to oppose the amount and it was later reduced to Ghc 300,000. If you can charge 300,000, why do you complain about the EC filing fee of 100,000?"



He also alluded to the previous Electoral Commission led by Madam Charlotte Osei raising the filing fee for Presidential aspirants from Ghc 5000 to a whopping Ghc 50,000 which, to him, is about 200 percent increase and yet the parties filed their nomination.



To Hon. Mireku Duker, the political parties should portray a consistent behaviour, stop criticizing the EC but go ahead to pay the specified amounts for this year's contest.



" . . you're not being inconsistent and then you're not being fair . . . As leaders of this country or someone who wants to be a leader, you need to be consistent in your statement irrespective of your political affiliation," 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.

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Chinas Sinovac Biotech plans to start a clinical trial of its experimental vaccine against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) with children and adolescents later this month.

According to a registration record published on Wednesday, 552 healthy participants aged between three and 17 will take two doses of US-listed Sinovacs CoronaVac or a placebo in a combined Phase 1 and Phase 2 trial estimated to begin on September 28 in the northern Chinese province of Hebei.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said that data so far suggests the virus generally causes milder disease in children compared with adults, but some cases of children requiring intensive care have been also reported.

Also read | China to make decision on WHO vaccine program snubbed by Donald Trump

Several hundred children were admitted to US hospitals with a rare but severe inflammatory syndrome, which could include symptoms such as fever, rashes and swollen glands, associated with the coronavirus disease.

The trial has already approved by the Chinese regulator, a Sinovac spokesperson said, according to Reuters. The Chinese vaccine makers shot is already in the final stage of study with adults.

CoronaVac, being tested in final-stage large-scale trials in Brazil, Indonesia and Turkey, has already been given to about 90% of the companys employees and their families.

Also read | Rich countries snap up half of Covid-19 vaccine supply

China has inoculated at least tens of thousands of its citizens rolling out experimental coronavirus vaccines despite expert concerns over the safety of drugs that have not completed standard testing.

Sinovac said earlier this month CoronaVac appeared to be safe and able to induce antibodies for older people, while the vaccine-generated antibody levels were slightly lower than seen in younger adults, citing preliminary results from an early to mid-stage trial.

CanSino Biologics and China National Biotec Group have also kicked off testing in countries including Brazil, Russia, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Peru, Chile and Morocco.

According to Johns Hopkins Universitys Covid-19 data, there are more than 30 million coronavirus disease cases worldwide and 944,887 people have succumbed to the viral disease.

(With agency inputs)
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / September 18, 2020 / Tribert Rujugiro Ayabatwa is proud to announce that his company Barco Trading Company is approaching its 20th year of productive corporate leadership.

Tribert Ayabatwa is a Rwandan serial entrepreneur, business leader, and philanthropist. He is the founder of Barco Trading Company and the Pan African Tobacco Group.

Tribert Rujugiro Ayabatwa established Barco Trading Company (BTC) in Lubango, Angola, in 2002. That was the year Angola achieved peace and began to build itself into the fourth-largest economy in Sub-Saharan Africa with a GDP of US$94 billion.

With cumulative investments of $60 million USD and a projected of an additional US$10 million, BTC is the only manufacturer of tobacco products in Angola. BTC employs 416 full-time and seasonal employees in the manufacturing and supply chain.

Tribert Rujugiro Ayabatwa envisions a bigger role for BTC by becoming a major exporter of made-in-Angola products. Ayabatwa is also keen to maintain the excellent relationship with the authorities and the people of Angola. This relationship includes BTC's corporate social responsibility recently demonstrated by the joint effort with the authorities in fighting COVID-19. BTC contributed a variety of foodstuff and sanitary materials.

For Ayabatwa, business is about more than just making a profit. Contributing to the greater good is fundamental.

"I am excited to see what the next 20 years hold for Barco Trading Company," says Tribert Rujugiro Ayabatwa.

To learn more about Tribert Rujugiro Ayabatwa, visit https://www.ptg-hld.com/our-founder.

About Tribert Rujugiro Ayabatwa

Tribert Rujugiro Ayabatwa is a successful entrepreneur, business leader, and philanthropist from Rwanda. Ayabatwa is the founder and controlling shareholder of the Pan African Tobacco Group, Africa's largest indigenous manufacturer of tobacco products. The company, which celebrated its 40th year of operations last year, manufactures cigarettes in nine African countries including Nigeria, Angola, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Uganda, and the United Arab Emirates. Tribert Rujugiro Ayabatwa is also one of Africa's leading philanthropists. He has helped communities uplift themselves in fields such as education, food security, afforestation, and water-access. Through his non-profit foundation, Ayababwa also strives to help young people to gain the practical engineering experience required to enter the job market in Africa.

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Contact:

David Himbara

PanAfrican Tobacco Group

info@ptg-hld.com

SOURCE: Tribert Rujugiro Ayabatwa





View source version on accesswire.com:

https://www.accesswire.com/606698/Tribert-Rujugiro-Ayabatwas-Angola-Based-BTC-Approaching-a-20-Year-Mark-of-Productive-Corporate-Citizenship




Biggest Negative Impact of COVID-19 on Small Businesses Is in Accommodation and Food Services: Survey

New government data shows that the pandemic has had a moderate-to-large negative impact on over three quarters of the nations small businesses, with the hardest-hit being those in accommodation and food services.

The most recent Small Business Pulse Survey, which collects real-time information on how small businesses are being impacted by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, featured data gathered from Sept. 6 to Sept. 12, the U.S. Census Bureau said in a release.

While the national average of small businesses that reported a large negative impact of the virus on operations stood at 30.9 percent in the reporting period, nearly 65 percent of small businesses in accommodation and food services said they have suffered a major blow.

Yavonne Sarber said she knew her Sugar Whisky Sis restaurant in Covington, Kentucky, wouldnt survive a government-ordered shutdown. So, she closed it for good and four weeks later opened an entirely new restaurant on the site, one focused on takeout and delivery.

We couldnt sit stillwe knew we had to do something, Sarber said.

The Census Bureau figures follow a report from consumer review site Yelp, which said Wednesday that small businesses, particularly in restaurants and retail, continue to close their doors and lay off workers. The number of small businesses that have temporarily or permanently shut down has increased since mid-July, Yelp said, to more than 160,000, reversing a steady decline from the spring. Particularly hard-hit have been restaurants and bars, including dessert shops, burger joints, and sandwich shops. Restaurants that are more likely to deliver, such as pizza restaurants, have fared better.

Deniz and Yeliz Karafazli were ready to put the finishing touches on their Manhattan cafe, Madame Bonte, and expected to open it in March. But as the virus spread across New York City, the siblings couldnt get architects, air conditioner installers, and other workers to come to the restaurant.

The work was finally finished in July, allowing the cafe to open, although its business has been limited by the citys continuing ban on indoor dining. That ban will be partially eased starting Sept. 30 as officials allow restaurants to have indoor dining at 25 percent of capacity.

The cafe survived because the Karafazlis landlord and some of their vendors gave them a break on payments. And Deniz Karafazli is heartened by the fact the cafes menu lends itself to takeout, with sandwiches and coffee, and revenue has been better than he expected.

It was the right place at the right timeonce we opened, he said.

A grim report from the beginning of September from the New York State Restaurant Association (pdf) found that, without some form of relief, 63.6 percent of restaurants in the state are likely or somewhat likely to shut down by the end of the year.

It is painfully clear that without financial assistance, the restaurant industry in New York state could collapse, Melissa Fleischut, the association president and CEO, said in a statement. These recent survey results illustrate just how dire the financial situation has become for most restaurants, and it shows how critical it is that elected officials understand the urgency of the situation.

The report also found that nearly 90 percent of New Yorks restaurant owners said that it will be very or somewhat unlikely that they will turn a profit within the next six months.

Census Bureau data showed that just 1.7 percent of small businesses in the accommodation and food services sector reported a large positive impact on operations amid the pandemic, while 3 percent said they experienced a moderate positive effect.

While small businesses that rely on walk-in traffic face grim prospects, those that have managed to adjust operations to take advantage of the surge in online purchasing have fared better.

Julie Campbell, who launched Pasted Paper in February, said she had to rethink her new wallpaper business before she could sell her first sheet. The pandemic forced the cancellation of the trade shows where she expected to introduce her wallpaper to prospective retail customers. She said that to save her fledgling company from ruin, she had to quickly learn online selling and marketing skills and transform the business to sell directly to consumers.

I had so much inventory and I needed to sell it. I was forced to figure this out, Campbell said.

While the pandemic-driven surge in online sales has leveled off, executives and researchers are saying the digital shopping boom will persist even after the CCP virus outbreak subsides.

The latest data from Adobe, which analyzed 1 trillion visits to retail sites, found that the pandemic has driven $107 billion in additional online spending since March, with the first eight months of 2020 driving $497 billion in online buying. Also, buy online pickup in store, or BOPIS shopping, continued to surge, growing 59 percent month-over-month in August and 259 percent year-over-year.

The fact that even while states are starting to open up, the numbers remain so much higher than typical proves that things will never really go back to normal. E-commerce is more embedded into our lives than it has ever been before and that is irreversible, John Copeland, Adobes VP of marketing and customer insights, said in a recent blog post.

Chipotle Chief Executive Officer Brian Niccol told Bloomberg in a recent interview that he believes much of the pandemic-driven surge in business is permanent. He told the publication in March that he expected online to account for between 30 percent and 40 percent of Chipotles business within several years. The outbreak has accelerated that trend significantly.

That was before digital became 80 percent of our business for a time. Now were in that 40 to 50 percent range, and that will fluctuate as the dining rooms reopen, but I definitely think theres a real possibility thats where it could stick, he told Bloomberg.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Published: 18 September 2020

Current account showed a deficit in the second quarter, the net international investment position weakened

The current account was in deficit in the second quarter of 2020. In balance of payments terms, the value of goods exports fell by 12 per cent and the value of goods imports by 20 per cent from the corresponding quarter of the year before. Service exports, in turn, fell by 28 per cent from the respective quarter of the year before. The primary income account turned into deficit. The net international investment position weakened. The data appear from Statistics Finland's statistics on balance of payments and international investment position.

Current account and goods and services account

Current account

In the second quarter of 2020, the current account was EUR 0.8 billion in deficit. The balance of goods and services showed a surplus of EUR 0.3 billion. Of the sub-items of the current account, the primary income account was EUR 0.3 billion in deficit and the secondary income account EUR 0.8 billion in deficit.

Goods and services

The goods account in balance of payments terms was EUR 1.0 billion in surplus in the second quarter of 2020. In the corresponding quarter of the previous year, the goods account was EUR 0.2 billion in deficit. The service account showed a deficit of EUR 0.7 billion in the second quarter of 2020.

Goods exports in balance of payments terms amounted to EUR 13.8 billion in the second quarter of 2020, which means that goods exports fell by 12 per cent from the corresponding quarter of the previous year. Goods imports amounted to EUR 12.8 billion, so goods imports declined by 20 per cent from the quarter in the previous year. In the second quarter of 2020, service exports declined by 28 per cent and service imports by 22 per cent compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year. Service exports amounted to EUR 5.7 billion and service imports to EUR 6.4 billion.

More detailed import and export figures in balance of payments terms by service item and area can be found in the statistics on international trade in goods and services starting from 2013. Decreases and increases made to the Finnish Customs figures, which result in goods trade in balance of payments terms, are also broken down in the statistics on international trade in goods and services.

Primary income in the second quarter

In the second quarter of 2020, property income paid on net from Finland amounted to EUR 0.4 billion, while property income paid to Finland from abroad amounted to EUR 4.9 billion and property income paid abroad from Finland to EUR 5.3 billion. The largest net amount of property income paid abroad from Finland was in the form of interests and dividends on portfolio investments, EUR 1.6 billion. By contrast, most property income was paid from abroad to Finland in the second quarter in the form of direct investments, EUR 1.1 billion.

The secondary income account was EUR 0.8 billion in deficit in the second quarter of 2020.

Finlands current account and goods and services account, 12 month moving sum

Financial account and net international investment position

Portfolio investments weakened the net international investment position

In the second quarter of 2020, Finland had EUR 844.6 billion in foreign assets on gross and EUR 846.6 billion in foreign liabilities on gross. The net international investment position, that is, the difference between the stock of assets and liabilities, was thus EUR -2.0 billion as there were more liabilities than assets. Assets on gross diminished due to the fall in the stocks of derivatives and other investments. By contrast, liabilities on gross grew, which was mainly due to an increase in investment stocks in portfolio investments.

The net international investment position fell from the previous quarter when the net international investment position was EUR 3.8 billion. Financial transactions stood for EUR 2.2 billion of the fall in the net international investment position, while prices and exchange rates and other changes in classifications stood for EUR 3.5 billion.

Portfolio investment assets and liabilities increased

Examined by type of investment, most foreign assets at the end of the second quarter of 2020 were in the form of portfolio investments. Portfolio investment assets grew significantly from the previous quarter. At the end of the second quarter of 2020, there were EUR 328.1 billion in portfolio investment assets, while in the previous quarter there were EUR 313.7 billion in assets. The change in stocks is almost entirely explained by changes in the prices of portfolio investments. Portfolio investment assets in bonds and money market instruments amounted to EUR 129.7 billion and assets in equity and mutual fund shares to EUR 198.4 billion.

The share of portfolio investments is also highest in foreign liabilities. At the end of the second quarter of 2020, portfolio investment liabilities stood at EUR 414.5 billion and the stock of portfolio investment liabilities also grew considerably due to price changes from the previous quarter, when the stock of portfolio investment liabilities stood at EUR 386.8 billion. Portfolio investment liabilities were highest in the form of bonds and money market instruments, which stood at EUR 276.4 billion at the end of the second quarter.

Finlands net international investment position quarterly

When examining the net international investment position by type of investment, it can be seen that the biggest net assets were in direct investments and other investments, while the largest net liabilities were in the form of portfolio investments. At the end of the second quarter of 2020, net assets increased most in other investments, where net assets amounted to EUR 19.3 billion. The net assets of direct investments amounted to EUR 56.0 billion. The net liability of portfolio investments amounted to EUR 86.4 billion. Net liabilities of portfolio investments are explained by net liabilities of EUR 146.8 billion in bonds and money market instruments. Assets in equity and mutual fund shares were EUR 60.3 billion larger than liabilities.

Net capital inflow to Finland from abroad

In the second quarter of 2020, net capital inflow to Finland from abroad amounted to EUR 2.2 billion. Net capital inflow to Finland was mostly in the form of portfolio investments, EUR 8.6 billion, of which EUR 5.2 billion is explained by the growth in liabilities in bonds and money market instruments. In other investments, net capital outflow from Finland abroad amounted to EUR 5.2 billion. In addition, in direct investments, net capital outflow from Finland abroad amounted to EUR 1.6 billion.

Social security funds had largest net assets

When the net investment position is examined by investor sector, most foreign net assets, EUR 142.4 billion, were held by social security funds, of which employment pension schemes are the most important ones. EUR 114.0 billion of social security funds net assets were in the form of equity and mutual fund shares and EUR 25.0 billion in the form of money market instruments and bonds. Net assets of social security funds grew from the previous quarter primarily as a result of price changes in assets of equity and mutual fund shares. Net liabilities were held most by other monetary financial institutions, EUR 133.8 billion. The net investment position of monetary financial institutions weakened from the first quarter of 2020 due to increased net liability of portfolio investments.

Source: Balance of payments and international investment position, Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Hanna Bjorklund 029 551 3296, Johannes Nykanen 029 551 3641, balanceofpayments@stat.fi.

Head of Department in charge: Mari Yla-Jarkko

Publication in pdf-format (333.3 kB)

Updated 18.9.2020

Referencing instructions: Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Balance of payments and international investment position [e-publication].

ISSN=2342-348X. 2nd quarter 2020. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 22.1.2022].

Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/mata/2020/42/mata_2020_42_2020-09-18_tie_001_en.html
A new study out of Finland shows that those who smoke are at a greater risk of developing bleeding within their brains called subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). SAH is a form of stroke that can be life-threatening. The study titled "Smoking Causes Fatal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage A Case-Control Study of Finnish Twins" is published in the journal Stroke, a journal of the American Stroke Association.

Computed tomography (CT) of brain : Left SAH (Subarachnoid hemorrhage). Image Credit: MossStudio / Shutterstock

What has been done before?

A decade ago, in a Nordic Twin Cohort study involving 79,664 twins from Denmark, Finland, and Sweden, researchers looked at risk factors of SAH other than genes. Since twins share their genetic makeup, the study could analyze other environmental factors that could influence the risk of SAH. This study had shown that non-genetic factors mainly determine SAH. However, this study did not reveal the extent to which environmental factors could influence the risk of SAH in individuals.

What was this study about?

Since the Nordic Twin Cohort study showed a non-genetic influence on SAH risk, this was an attempt to look at the risk factor smoking and its influence on SAH risk. The authors wrote, "If true, such finding would suggest that smoking causes SAH." This was a study on 32564 twin siblings to check why only one of the siblings experience fatal SAH. They hypothesized smoking could be one of the critical risk factors for SAH.

What was done?

For this study, the team included 16,282 same-sex Finnish twin pairs. There were a total of a total 32,564 individuals. They belonged to the older Finnish Twin Cohort between 1976 and 2018 and were closely followed. The team searched the records to check all participants who died from SAH. From all the data on health and habits of the participants, the team gathered information on smoking habits, alcohol use (daily consumption categorized per 10 g of alcohol), and regular physical activity, presence of high blood pressure, body mass index, and level of education (years of schooling). The smoker status was defined as "never, occasional, former, and current." The smoking status was finally classified as smokers (occasional and current) and non-smokers (never and former). Those that were current smokers were further classified according to the number of cigarettes per day.

The twins were classified as monozygotic (identical) or dizygotic (non-identical) twins or those of unknown zygosity. They checked all the siblings who had died of SAH with the other twin who had not died. They assessed the hazard ratio of the individuals from the entire participant group and also assessed pairwise when one of the pair had died of SAH. When one of the siblings died, it was called a discordant pair. Concordant twin pairs were those where both twin siblings had died due to SAH.

What was found?

The study involved a total of 869,469 person-years of follow-up. From this, a total of 116 discordant and 2 concordant twin pairs were identified. A total of 25 of the discordant twin pairs were monozygotic or identical twins.

Results revealed that smoking (occasional/current) status was associated with increased risk of SAH and death due to SAH compared to non-smokers (never/former). The Hazard ratio was 3.33 [CI, 2.244.95]. The team wrote, "Both heavy (HR, 3.01 [CI, 1.585.73]) and moderate smokers (HR, 3.98 [CI, 2.446.49]) had a slightly higher risk than light smokers (HR, 2.83 [CI, 1.644.9])."

Among the discordant twins, the twin who smoked had a raised risk of death due to SAH compared with the nonsmoking twin. The hazard ratio was 6.33 [CI, 1.8721.4]. The team writes, "The association remained consistent regardless of the twin pairs' zygosity or sex."

There was also a raised risk of deaths due to SAH among those who consumed over 21g of alcohol per day (HR, 3.17 [0.4323.3]).

Conclusions and implications

The team says that this study provides strong evidence that there may be a "causal" relationship between smoking and deaths due to SAH.

The corresponding author of the study Ilari Rautalin, a Ph.D. student at the University of Helsinki in Finland, said in a statement, "Our study provides further evidence about the link between smoking and bleeding in the brain."

Rose Marie Robertson, the American Heart Association's deputy chief science and medical officer and co-director of the AHA Tobacco Center for Regulatory Science, said in her statement, "This long-term study in twins helps to confirm the link between subarachnoid hemorrhage and smoking. Not smoking or quitting if you've already started, is an essential component of primary prevention." She was not involved in this study.
WASHINGTON  Attorney General William Barr urged federal prosecutors in a call last week to consider filing sedition charges against violent protesters amid a nationwide civil unrest that the Justice Department said has yet to subside despite efforts to quell the violence.

Barr's comments come as the Justice Department has charged hundreds of protesters during months of protests following the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

Federal prosecutors in Portland, Seattle, Minneapolis and other cities have charged protesters with crimes such as assaulting a federal officer, damaging government property, failure to obey a lawful order and arson.

A sedition charge is highly unusual, legal experts said, and is brought against people who conspire to overthrow the government or to levy war against the country.

U.S. Attorney General William Barr on September 9, 2020, in Chicago, Illinois.

In a memo to U.S. attorneys Thursday, Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen confirmed the need to consider "a variety of federal charges" against protesters, including "seditious conspiracy."

Part of the federal government's response to assist local and state officials, Rosen said, is charging "violent rioters" where appropriate.

'Virtually unheard of'

To successfully prosecute someone for sedition, prosecutors must prove that there was a conspiracy against the government, and doing so is "virtually unheard of" in the United States, said Michael Gerhardt, a constitutional law professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Charging someone with sedition also contradicts constitutional protections to protest, Gerhardt said.

"If it's permissible for the attorney general of the United States or federal prosecutors to go after people because they are arguing against the government ... then what he and these prosecutors are doing is going after people for their political speech. That expression is protected," he said.

Story continues

'Criminalization of politics': AG Barr says prosecutors become 'headhunters'

Gerhardt said it's also unclear how Barr or federal prosecutors would draw the line between people who commit violence at protests and people who "say things he doesn't like to hear."

In his memo to prosecutors, Rosen said internal discussions about the possibility of a sedition charge were "misrepresented and criticized in the media."

He said federal law "does not require proof of a plot to overthrow" the government, and someone can be charged with sedition for other anti-government conspiracies, including using force "to oppose" the government's authority, to "prevent, hinder or delay" the execution of the law, and to "seize, take or possess" government property.

Prosecutors should consider a sedition charge, among other charges, if a group conspired to "take a federal courthouse or other federal property by force," Rosen said.

Trump's unrestrained full partner?: Attorney General William Barr echoes president in slamming DOJ

Rosen noted that former Attorney General Eric Holder and former U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade charged nine members of a Michigan militia group of seditious conspiracy in 2010. Prosecutors alleged that members of the Hutaree group planned to kill a local law enforcement officer and then set off explosive devices during the funeral.

Attorney General William Barr and Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen attend Medal of Valor ceremony Wednesday, May 22, 2019.

A judge later dismissed the sedition charges, saying prosecutors were not able to prove there was a clear plot to attack officers.

During a House Homeland Security Committee hearing Thursday FBI Director Chris Wray was asked about Barr's call to federal prosecutors. He told lawmakers that he was not familiar with the attorney general's comments, adding that he was not "a legal expert on the crime of sedition."

The FBI director did, however, acknowledge that violent action around recent protests had become "dangerous." But he said federal investigations of such activity would follow the law and would not veer into "partisan" political considerations.

Sedition comments trouble former DOJ officials

Barr's comments, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, troubled former longtime Justice Department officials who served under Republican and Democratic presidents, some of whom worked under Barr during his first stint as attorney general under President George H.W. Bush.

"I have never known of a sedition prosecution and I was a prosecutor with the DOJ ... for 34 years," said Mary Lee Warren, who served for more than 30 years under five presidents, from Ronald Reagan to Barack Obama. "I think a responsible U.S. attorney would look at the facts ... and see if it applies to the elements of the offense of sedition as it's laid out in the U.S. constitution."

Warren, who was deputy assistant attorney general for the Justice Department's Criminal Division, said the recent comments were "a great change from the Attorney General Barr that I knew."

Attorney General William Barr stands by President Trump as he speaks to Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth and Kenosha Police Chief Daniel Miskinis Sept. 1, 2020 in Kenosha, Wis.

Joseph Payne, a former Justice Department trial attorney who served for nearly 30 years, from Presidents Jimmy Carter to George H.W. Bush, called the suggestion of filing sedition charges "an overreach."

"It's a scary situation. I'm worried for my country," he said. "I think every American should be very concerned."

William Yeomans, who served for more than 25 years under five presidents, from Carter to George W. Bush, said he's concerned that the attorney general is threatening sedition charges for political purposes.

It's "to stir up the notion that there are extremely evil and dangerous people out there who has happened to be the president's opponents," said Yeomans, former acting assistant attorney general for the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division.

Roy Austin, who served at the Justice Department from President Bill Clinton to Obama, said the sedition comment was "absurd."

"This is a political comment by an attorney general who is hellbent on making political statements in support of this president, which is absolutely contrary to the role attorneys general have played for decades," said Austin, a former deputy assistant attorney general. "And the idea that protesters demanding justice in this country are trying to overthrow the country is beyond ridiculous."

Austin was one of the attorneys who defended protesters who took to the streets during President Donald Trump's inauguration. The Justice Department charged more than 200 people following violent protests on Jan. 20, 2017. Federal prosecutors later dismissed the charges after the first defendants to stand trial were found not guilty.

The New York Times reported that Barr's suggestion to consider sedition charges also troubled some on the call.

A person familiar with the call who's not authorized to speak publicly said the attorney general's biting criticism of his own prosecutors Wednesday night was not related to any immediate concerns raised about the sedition discussion.

Speaking at Hillsdale College Wednesday night, Barr said the Justice Department's career prosecutors  longtime employees of the agency who are not political appointees  can "sometimes become headhunters" and suggested that they have "advanced and defended hyper-aggressive extensions of the criminal law."

The Justice Department, Barr said, has "sometimes acted more like a trade association for federal prosecutors than the administrator of a fair system of justice based on clear and sensible legal rules."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Attorney General Bill Barr suggests charging protesters with sedition
Chinas Park Project in Samoa Saddled With Quality Concerns: Leaked Documents

Investment is part of Beijings ambitions to influence the region

Beijings flagship foreign policy initiative, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), has been mired in controversy since its inception, with critics warning that Beijings infrastructure projects place developing countries under a debt trap by offering unsustainable loans, while exploiting their natural resources to drive the Chinese economy.

Now, two letters from the South Pacific nation of Samoa have revealed how one Chinese construction projectbeing overseen by the government of Huizhou city in southern Chinahas been mired with quality problems and work practices that could harm the environment.

The letters and a set of internal documents from the Huizhou governmentwhich were leaked to The Epoch Times by a trusted sourceshow that the Guangdong provincial government ordered the city to build projects in Samoa, which fit into Beijings political agenda. Huizhou is a municipal-level city in Guangdong Province.

The project in question is a friendship park in Samoas capital Apia. It was first announced in November 2015, as part of a friendship city agreement between Apia and Huizhouwhich also included building an arts and cultural center in Apia. However, the documents The Epoch Times received did not mention issues with the latter. Both projects started construction in May 2018.

In August 2018, Samoa announced that it would join the BRI. Since then, the two projects have become part of BRI.

An internal document that the Huizhou housing and construction bureau sent to the Huizhou foreign affairs bureau on Dec. 4, 2019 noted that the total investment for the friendship park amounted to 62 million yuan ($9.06 million). It is unclear what are the terms of the projects financing. The Huizhou and Samoa government did not return requests for comment.

Samoa government sent two letters to the Huizhou city government in southern Chinas Guangdong province in December 2019 and January 2020, in which the government complained about the BRI projects quality. (Provided to The Epoch Times)

Complaints

The two letters were sent by Samoas Ministry of Works, Transport and Infrastructure. One dated Dec. 20, 2019 was sent to the foreign affairs bureau of the Huizhou city government. The second, dated Jan. 9, was addressed to the Shanghai Construction Group, with Huizhou city copied on the letter.

Shanghai Construction Group is the firm that the Huizhou government contracted to build the friendship park.

The first letter listed 11 issues related to the park, which is located at the seaside Eleele Fou neighborhood and faces the Apia Harbor. Some were previous problems that the Chinese side agreed to resolve but didnt, while others were newly found, according to the letter.

Issues included rain water stagnation at the car parking lot; a harbor lighthouse in need of repair; the lack of fencing around the lighthouse to prevent tourists from entering; continued excavation around a water pump house, which could cause a collapse; and the use of an aluminum roof, instead of local, traditional materials, to build the falea traditional Samoan thatched hut.

A new fale stands in the village of Saleapaga in Apia, Samoa, on Sept. 28, 2010. (Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

The Samoa ministry suggested ways to fix those issues. We hope for Huizhous favourable consideration to avoid any further delay to the project, it said.

The second letter to Shanghai Construction Group criticized the company for not following conditions in the agreement, such as waste materials being scattered around the site. This was a clear breach of a commitment to dispose of waste materials at a local landfill, the letter stated.

Improper discharging of sediment from work activities also caused soil to be washed into the lake. The erosion near the embankment caused rocks and mud to break into the lake, which is a breach of the condition that the proposed activity shall not have undue detrimental environment impact, the letter said.

The ministry asked the company to fix the issues immediately.

According to two internal documents from Huizhou citys foreign affairs bureau, Li Jianjun, director of the construction department at the housing and construction bureau, led two officials and three designers on a trip to Apia to resolve issues with the park from Nov. 23 to Dec. 2, 2019.

According to the source who leaked the documents to The Epoch Times, Shanghai Construction Group couldnt send their workers to Samoa on time due to the CCP virus pandemic.

The Chinese company did not return a request for comment.

A Huizhou city government internal document recorded that authorities arranged a six-person team to visit Samoa on Nov. 23, 2019. (Provided to The Epoch Times)

BRI in Samoa

After Samoa joined BRI, Chinas ambassador to Samoa, Chao Xiaoliang, published an April 2019 article in a Samoan newspaper, to sing praises of the partnership, saying it injects new vitality to China-Samoa cooperation.

Beijing authorities set its eyes on fostering close ties with Samoaa state with voting power at international forums such as the United Nations and that is situated near vast swaths of resource-rich ocean.

In May 2014, the BRI official website published a study about the importance of Samoas location, with two large islands that are located between Hawaii and New Zealand, and about 100 miles west of American Samoa.

After Samoa signed on, Beijing planned to build at least two ports in the country. One is the Asau wharf on the northwest coast of Savaii island, the other is Vaiusu port on the central-north coast of Upolu island.

Experts grew concerned that the Chinese regime was seeking to increase its military presence in the Pacific through the Samoa investments. Washington-based think tank Brookings Institution published a July 20 analysis about the risks of Chinas activities in the South Pacific.

The first risk, which has a low probability of occurring but would have profound impact, is that China is trying to use its leverage through diplomacy, debt, trade, or elite capture to establish a military base somewhere in the South Pacific, the article analyzed.

It also warned that South Pacific nations may be willing to align themselves with China in certain United Nations votes.

Samoa local newspaper Iniini Samoa quoted its pro-Beijing Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi in June 2019, who said Chinas investments were purely financial support.

A general view of Apia in Samoa on Sept. 6, 2015. (Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

But the BRI projects have already saddled Samoa with debt.

Local media Loop Samoa, citing figures from Chao, reported in August 2019 that 38 percent of Samoas $1.1 billion national debt was owed to China.

That amount would be equal to roughly half of the countrys annual gross domestic product. According to the Samoa Bureau of Statistics, the country had a $2.24 billion GDP in 2019.

Many BRI countries have amassed heavy debt to China, which has left them unable to pay off the loans on time. In some cases, the countries had to cede ownership of the infrastructure projects after defaulting on the loans.

A 2018 report released by the U.S.-based think tank Center for Global Development reveals that 23 of the 68 countries hosting BRI-funded projects at the time were at risk of debt distress due to project-related loans. Among them, Djibouti, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, the Maldives, Mongolia, Montenegro, Pakistan, and Tajikistan faced debt-to-GDP ratios that topped 50 percent, while at least 40 percent of their external debt was owed to China, according to the report.
Cadila Healthcare jumped 5.52% to Rs 415.95 after the company received US drug regulator's final approval for Potassium Chloride extended-release tablets.

Zydus Cadila has received final approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) to market Potassium Chloride extended-release tablets in the strengths of 750 mg and 1500 mg.

The medication is a mineral supplement used to treat or prevent low amounts of potassium in the blood and will be manufactured at the group's formulation manufacturing facility at the SEZ, Ahmedabad.

The group now has 301 approvals and has so far filed over 390 ANDAs since the commencement of the filing process in FY 2003-04.

Separately, the media reported that Cadila is in talks with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) to bring coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V in India. RDIF and Dr Reddy's Laboratories have joined hands on clinical trials and distribution of Sputnik V in India.

Cadila Healthcare is an innovative, global pharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of healthcare therapies.

On a consolidated basis, the company's net profit surged 49.53% to Rs 454 crore on 4.20% rise in revenue from operations to Rs 3,549.30 crore in Q1 June 2020 over Q1 June 2019.

On the technical front, the stock's RSI (relative strength index) stood 65.083. The RSI oscillates between zero and 100. Traditionally the RSI is considered overbought when above 70 and oversold when below 30.

The stock is currently trading above its 50-day, 100-day and 200-day simple moving average (SMA) placed at 380.38, 364.91 and 319.62, respectively.

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Restaurants and pubs may only be permitted to offer takeaway service and outdoor dining when new Covid-19 restrictions are introduced in Dublin.

The National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) has recommended banning indoor dining in restaurants and pubs for the next three weeks.

Restaurant and pub representatives said the ban would be "hospitality lockdown by stealth".

Nphet last week recommended pubs in Dublin that do not serve food should not be allowed open next week along with those from outside the capital.

Nphet's new recommendation to increase restrictions in Dublin was reviewed by the newly established Covid-19 Oversight Group chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach secretary general Martin Fraser.

It comes as growing numbers of older people who are susceptible to Covid-19 are again being struck by the virus, as the spread of the potentially fatal disease rises.

Acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn warned: "We are now seeing a higher proportion of cases in older age groups."

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said: "I agree with Dr Glynn that the increased spread of the virus to older people is a concern."

Meanwhile, the four-star Bridge House Hotel in Tullamore, Co Offaly, has temporarily closed after around 20 people out of a group of 40 guests tested positive for the virus.
On September 1, the Patna High Court had dismissed a plea against the demolition of the iconic 18th Century building that has featured in the Attenborough's 'Gandhi'.The Supreme Court on Friday ordered status quo on the proposed demolition of the iconic Collectorate Building/Afim Ka Bhandar in Patna city.

The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to the Bihar government on a plea challenging the Patna High Courts order giving go-ahead to the Municipal Corporation for proceeding with the demolition of the iconic Collectorate Building in Patna City.A Bench headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde sought a response from the Bihar government within two weeks and also ordered to maintain the status quo in the matter, which means the building will not be demolished as of now.

The counsel appearing for the Indian National Trust For Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) told the Bench that the building has historical importance. He said it was built by Dutch traders in the 18th century and used for the storage of Opium and Saltpeter.The Patna High Court on September 6 rejected INTACHs plea against the demolition of the building also known as Afim Ka Bhandar. The High Court has ordered demolition of the building and found that the structure, which the State had planned to demolish to make way for a new building, had no aesthetic, historical, or cultural significance.

In 2019, the Bihar Government announced its intention to demolish the building to free up space for a new government complex, this was opposed and campaigns had started against the tearing-down of the structure.The building, originally a Dutch trading centre for storage of opium and spices before it was transported via river Ganga, was later used as the Collectorate Building during the British regime.

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Dublin, Sept. 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Research Report on Almond Imports in China 2020-2024" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

According to the report, from August 2018 to July 2019, China's Almond production was 43 kilotons. In China, Almonds are only intensively cultivated in the Hetian area of Kashgar, Xinjiang province. Almond consumption highly depends on imports in China because of the large gap between the demand and the limited domestic supply.



According to the report, from 2017 to 2019, the import volume and value of almonds increased year by year in China. But in the first half of 2020, the import volume was only 10.46 kilotons in China, less than half of that in 2019. Most almonds are imported through Guangdong Customs. The Chinese market divides almonds into two categories according to whether they are shelled or not.



California is the largest almond supplier in the world. More than 80% of almonds in the world are produced in California. Thus, the United States was the largest source of China's almond imports before the Sino-US trade war. China imposed a 50% tariff on American almonds in 2018. After that, Chinese importers looked for Australian and Thai almonds as substitutes, and Australia replaced the USA as the major source of imported almonds in China.



Readers will obtain the following information through this report:

Economic Environment of Almonds Industry in China

Policies in Imported Almonds in China

Analysis of Supply and Demand of Almonds in China

Analysis of Imported Almonds in China

Analysis of Major Sources of Almonds in China

Price Trends of Imported Almonds in China

China's import of almonds into customs

Key Topics Covered:

1 The Development Environment of China's Almond Imports

1.1 China's Consumption Environment

1.2 The Policy Environment for China's almond imports



2 The Status of China's Almond Imports from 2017 to 2020

2.1 Classification of Almonds by China Customs

2.2 Total Import Volume and Value

2.3 Sub Products Import Volume and Value

2.3.1 Almonds in Shell

2.3.2 Shelled Almonds



3 Major Importers of Almonds in China

3.1 Zhongdi

3.2 Tianchen Shangpin



4 China's Major Sources of Almond Imports 2017-2020

4.1 China's main sources of almond imports in 2017

4.1.1 Almonds in Shell

4.1.2 Shelled Almonds

4.2 China's main sources of almond imports in 2018

4.2.1 Almonds in Shell

4.2.2 Shelled Almonds

4.3 China's main sources of almond imports in 2019

4.3.1 Almonds in Shell

4.3.2 Shelled Almonds

4.4 China's main sources of almond imports in 2020

4.4.1 Almonds in Shell

4.4.2 Shelled Almonds



5 Imported Volume and Value of Almonds by Provincial-level Customs in China, 2017-2020

5.1 Imported Volume and Value of Almonds by Provincial-level Customs in China 2017

5.1.1 Almonds in Shell

5.1.2 Shelled Almonds

5.2 Imported Volume and Value of Almonds by Provincial-level Customs in China 2018

5.2.1 Almonds in Shell

5.2.2 Shelled Almonds

5.3 Imported Volume and Value of Almonds by Provincial-level Customs in China 2019

5.3.1 Almonds in Shell

5.3.2 Shelled Almonds

5.4 Imported Volume and Value of Almonds by Provincial-level Customs in China 2020

5.4.1 Almonds in Shell

5.4.2 Shelled Almonds

Companies Mentioned

Tianchen Shangpin

Zhongdi

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/qncz5g

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.
University of Houston-Clear Lake faculty members will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the universitys public art collection with an online conversation 5-6 p.m. Sept. 29.

This is a great venue for people to find out more about the arts at UHCL so they can appreciate the work of these artists as well as the arts and culture at the university, said Samuel Gladden, interim dean of the College of Human Sciences and Humanities and an event moderator.

Associate professor Jason Makepeace and professor emeritus Nick J. de Vries are scheduled to discuss their works. Makepeaces sculpture, outside the Arbor North building, is titled Moldable Subtractions. De Vries sculpture, Frisian Horses, is in the courtyard area between Arbor Main and Arbor North. Eric Despard, cultural arts director and also a moderator, will speak about campus programs, partnerships and events. Learn more at http://publicartuhs.org/events/.

Friendswood student earns degree from Adams State

Heather Marie Smith of Friendswood graduated from Adams State University in Alamosa, Colorado, June 6 during the schools spring 2020 virtual commencement ceremony.

Smith received a masters degree in school counseling. Learn more at www.adams.edu.

Experts discuss opportunities for Latinas in the air

Evelyn Miralles, University of Houston-Clear Lake associate vice president for strategic information initiatives and technology and a former NASA engineer, will lead a conversation about Hispanic women and aviation careers at 11:30 a.m. Sept. 24 via Zoom.

Additional speakers include Jacqueline Camacho Ruiz, author of Latinas in Aviation, aircraft mechanic and accident investigator author Amanda Grace Colon Nunez and flight instructor Yasmine Abu Arab. Miralles wrote the foreword for Ruizs book.

Im a pilot, and I have always known there was a strong connection between aerospace and aviation, Ruiz said. The pathway to becoming an astronaut is to be a pilot first. Forget about propellers  we need to talk about rocket fuel and jet engines!

Visit https://bit.ly/32Bn93m for a link to the discussion.

UHCL graduate named to 9/11 advisory committee

A University of Houston-Clear Lake alumnus is joining the effort to provide medical care to those affected by the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

The Centers for Disease Control and Preventions World Trade Center Health Program has appointed Michael Larranaga, who received a masters degree in environmental science at UHCL in 1998, to serve a four-year term on its Scientific/Technical Advisory Committee.

The committee reviews evidence to determine which diseases and conditionsincluding a variety of cancers, traumatic injuries, neurological and muscular disorders and mental health issueswill be covered by the WTC Health Program, Larranaga said. There are over 200 types of cancer alone associated with the events of 9/11.

Larranaga is president and managing principal at REM Risk Consultants in Dallas. For information about UHCLs environmental science program, visit https://bityl.co/3YbA.

Family fun run goes virtual

COVID-19-related community health measures have prompted organizers of St. Thomas Episcopal Church and Schools Family 5K, 5K-9 and Kids 1K to move the event online.

Instead of gathering with a large group of competitors at the starting line, runners will log their distances on neighborhood streets or a track, at the park or on a treadmill until Oct. 10. Learn more at https://bityl.co/3Yba.

UTMB expert shares self-care tips

In addition to protecting their bodies from COVID-19 by wearing masks and practicing social distancing, individuals also should consider the well-being of their spirits and minds, a University of Texas Medical Branch researcher said.

In a recent press release, Tammy Cupit, director of nursing research, shared tips and tricks for maintaining resiliency in the face of stress and adversity.

The first step? Monitor your stress levels and pace yourself, she said.

Brief relaxation or stress management breaks throughout the day can help, Cupit said, as can timeouts for basic bodily care and nutrition.

Its also a good idea to avoid overgeneralizing ones fears, she said. Reserve anxiety for actual threats.

Finally, an attitude of patience, tolerance and hope can help tremendously during trying times, Cupit said. Learn more at https://bityl.co/3Ybc.

La Porte police report no fatality crashes over Labor Day holiday

Though they conducted more than 650 traffic stops and made 13 DWI arrests, La Porte Police Department officers recorded no fatality crashes or alcohol-related crashes between Aug. 21 and Sept. 7.

More than 50 of the traffic stops were conducted by officers working overtime as part of a Texas Department of Transportation grant to reduce motor vehicle accidents, according to a release from the police department. Call 281-842-3165 to learn more.
A new report has highlighted the rise in the number of early marriages taking place in Syria and the problems that can arise when children are married off writes Sowt Al-Asima.

Syrians for Truth and Justice recorded an increase in early marriage cases over the last three years in several regions in the north of the country.

The organization stated in its report that it has observed a remarkable increase in early marriage cases, with the rate of early marriage in Idleb and the northern countryside of Aleppo exceeding record numbers by leaps and bounds.

The organization drew attention to the ordeals that young Syrian girls face, as a result of being forced or persuaded to marry, in Idleb, the northern countryside of Aleppo, and Hasaakeh Governorate.

The organizations report is based on 18 testimonies and interviews, including 11 testimonies from girls who married at an early age (some of whom were forced to marry), in addition to three testimonials by relatives of girls who realized the bad effect of marrying them off.

The report quoted a womens rights activist in Idleb, Alia al-Rasheed, who said that child marriage rates in the governorate have increased in the past three years, exceeding 73 percent. An informed source stated that the rate of early marriage in the northern countryside of Aleppo reached 60 percent of the total number of marriages.

Hassakeh saw fewer early marriages this year than last year, according to data from SARA, an organization for combating violence against women.

Arzu Tammo, in charge of the organizations abused women committee, said that 36 cases of child marriage have been documented in 2020 thus far, while a total of 46 cases were documented in 2019.

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
Rochester, N.Y., Sept 18, 2020 - (ACN Newswire) - Document Security Systems, Inc. ("DSS" or the "Company") (NYSE American: DSS), a multinational company operating businesses focusing on brand protection technology, blockchain security, direct marketing, healthcare, real estate, and securitized digital assets, today announced its wholly owned subsidiary Impact BioMedical, Inc. ("Impact BioMedical"), through its subsidiary Global BioLife, Inc. ("Global BioLife"), completed efficacy testing of its proprietary 3F Antiviral Biofragrance ("3F Biofragrance) at a biosafety level 3 containment facility at an independent university. The study demonstrated a 10-fold reduction in COVID-19 viral population on surfaces using 3F Biofragrance."We're extremely excited with the results of the study, which was based on a quantifiable, robust model and designed to treat high levels of the COVID-19 virus," stated Daryl Thompson, Global BioLife's Director of Scientific Initiatives and founder of advanced research company GRDG Sciences, LLC ("GRDG"). "As the world continues to battle COVID-19, common antimicrobial compounds have the potential to be overused, leading to new health concerns. We designed 3F Biofragrance to solve this issue through a multi-focal approach to inhibiting viruses that reduces the chances of developing resistance as seen with other antimicrobials."3F Biofragrance was designed for the Open Air Defense Initiative, a strategy to protect locations where large numbers of people gather or transit such as airports, containment areas, train stations, convention centers, hospitals, and ports of entry. The Open Air Defense Initiative was created as a solution for Event 201, a pandemic exercise conducted in 2019 by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, the World Economic Forum and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Event 201 highlighted areas where public/private partnerships are vital to respond to a severe pandemic. In addition to COVID-19, 3F Biofragrance is effective against E. coli, MRSA, Influenza, Rhinovirus, and Tuberculosis.In the latest study, 3F Biofragrance demonstrated success as a surface disinfectant, killing the COVID-19 virus in concentrations as low as 1/5000 or 0.02%. In comparison, typical antimicrobial surface disinfectants have concentrations of 0.1% to 1.8%.Impact BioLife is currently in joint development with multiple global cosmetics and consumer products companies for the commercialization of the 3F Biofragrance technology."3F Biofragrance has the potential to transform typical consumer products into weapons against the spread of COVID-19 and other viruses, and we look forward to providing updates on ongoing negotiations for global licensing and royalty agreements of this innovative technology," continued Thompson.The global market for antimicrobial additives, estimated at $2.2 billion in 2020 and growing at a CAGR of 8.4%, is expected to reach $4.3 billion in 2027, according to Grandview Research, and the global fragrance ingredients market is expected to reach $16.1 billion by 2027, up from $13.6 billion in 2019, according to data from Allied Market Research.GRDG's Chief Scientific Advisor Dr. Roscoe M. Moore, Jr., the former United States Assistant Surgeon General and former Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC commented, "This latest study affirms our belief that our 3F Biofragrance technology can play an important role in the battle against COVID-19 through a wide variety of consumer applications.""As a result of the profound and unprecedented global experiences surrounding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, consumers around the world now have a newly heightened awareness of the importance of microbial-resistant products and surfaces, and 3F Biofragrance could provide an extremely effective and safe alternative to meet this growing demand," added GRDG's Chief Strategy Advisor, Lieutenant Colonel William H. Lyerly Jr., retired U.S. Army Medical Service Corps Officer who also served as a senior official in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the U.S. Executive Office of the President (White House).GRDG is a specialized research team that focuses on developing solutions for biodefense under the guidelines of the Project BioShield Act, Event 201, and Potomac Institute for Policy Studies.GRDG performs rapid analysis and research by using advanced algorithms and the most complete databases in the world. The team operates in a lean and efficient manner and when necessary utilizes the top contract research organizations to deliver solid results that are robust and accurate.About Impact BioMedical, Inc.Impact BioMedical, Inc. ("Impact BioMedical") is a wholly owned subsidiary of DSS. Impact BioMedical strives to leverage its scientific know-how and intellectual property rights to provide solutions that have been plaguing the biomedical field for decades. By tapping into the scientific expertise of GRDG Sciences, LLC, Impact BioMedical pledges to undertake a concerted effort in the R&D, drug discovery and development for the prevention, inhibition, and treatment of neurological, oncological and immuno related diseases. For more information on Impact BioMedical visit http://impbio.com/.About Document Security Systems, Inc.DSS is a multinational company operating businesses focused on brand protection technology, blockchain security, direct marketing, healthcare, real estate, and securitized digital assets. Its business model is based on a distribution sharing system in which shareholders will receive shares in its subsidiaries as DSS strategically spins them out into IPOs. Its historic business revolves around counterfeit deterrent and authentication technologies, smart packaging, and consumer product engagement. DSS is led by its Chairman and largest shareholder, Mr. Fai Chan, a highly successful global business veteran of more than 40 years specializing in corporate transformation while managing risk. He has successfully restructured more than 35 corporations with a combined value of $25 billion. For more information on DSS visit http://www.dsssecure.com.Investor Contact:Dave Gentry, CEORedChip Companies Inc.407-491-4498Dave@redchip.comSource: Document Security Systems, IncCopyright 2020 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the historic Kosi Rail Mega Bridge in Bihar on Friday (September 18, 2020). The bridge is 1.9 kilometres long and has been constructed at a cost of Rs 516 crores.

As per a statement released by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the Kosi Mega Bridge project was sanctioned by the ruling centre government in 2003-04. The inauguration of Kosi rail mega bridge will fulfil the 86-year-old dream and a long wait of the people of the region, the PMO said.

"This bridge is of strategic importance along the India-Nepal border. The project was completed during the COVID-19 pandemic where the migrant labour also participated in its completion," the statement said.

Calling the inauguration of the Kosi Rail Mahasetu a watershed moment in Bihar's history, the statement pointed out that the bridge will help in connecting Bihar and adjoining region to the North East.

In 1887, a meter gauge link was built between Nirmali and Bhaptiahi in the region but it was washed away during the heavy flood and severe Indo-Nepal earthquake in 1934. Since then no attempt was made to restore this rail connectivity for a long period due to the meandering nature of Kosi river, the PMO statement said.

Apart from Kosi Rail Mega Bridge, PM Modi will also inaugurate other rail projects which include a new railway bridge on the Kiul River, two new railway lines, five electrification projects, one electric locomotive shed at Barauni and a third line project between Barh-Bakhtiyarpur, according to an official release.

The prime minister will also flag off the Saharsa-Asanpur Kupha train from the Supaul station.

The railway electrification projects of Muzaffarpur-Sitamarhi, Katihar-New Jalpaiguri, Samastipur-Darbhanga-Jaynagar, Samastipur-Khagaria, and Bhagalpur-Shivnarayanpur sections will be inaugurated.

Earlier, the PM had inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of a number of development projects in the poll-bound state of Bihar with sources pegging the total cost of these infrastructure at nearly Rs 16,000 crore.

Meanwhile, Bihar will got to polls in October-November, and the Election Commission is expected to announce the schedule soon.
From time to time, we chance upon heart-warming stories of how seemingly small and random acts of kindness, result in something miraculous. I am talking about stories like Jadav Payeng, an environmental activist and forest worker from India, who planted a tree almost every single day for 40 years.

Jadav was only 16 when he started working with the district's social forestry division in a tree plantation drive. Upon completion of the 5-year project, Jadav chose to stay and continued on his quest to save his island. This led him to single-handedly create a real man-made forest, the Molai Forest, which houses several species of animals and thousands of trees that is now almost as big as New York's Central Park.

We also marvel at Afroz Shaz, who began picking up trash on Versova Beach in Mumbai, and inspired thousands of volunteers to join the cause. Versova's dramatic transformation from filthy to fabulous went viral in India, with praises to Afroz and the volunteers for helping to restore the beach that was previously polluted by 15 years of piled up rubbish.

In reading these stories, I could not help but think, if these individual acts could result in such outstanding outcomes, surely we can achieve a lot more given our resources, capabilities and outreach?

With this, I would like to speak on COVID-19 and climate change, Collective responsibility, Commitment, and Collaboration. That's 4 Cs. But before that, let me begin by thanking the organiser Climate Governance Malaysia, for inviting me to speak today and for successfully organising this event.

COVID-19 & Climate Change

My first C is "COVID-19 and climate change". The fight against the COVID-19 pandemic brings into sharp focus the balance between safeguarding public health and the economy. Parallels have been drawn between this very current policy challenge and our struggle to manage climate risks. There are both differences and similarities. COVID-19 represents a singular common enemy, while climate risks are more multi-faceted. It could also be argued that the time dimension also differs, with COVID-19 being more immediate whilst climate challenges often come and go with climatic events. Given the latter, oftentimes our intensity to tackle climate change also ebbs and flows. But despite all this, the single biggest common point is the devastation that both COVID-19 and climate change bring to our lives and livelihood.

Hence, there is a silver lining to this current health crisis. The pandemic was once a distant issue or someone else's problem. Now, everyone from Australia to Zimbabwe is experiencing its full brunt. It is therefore an opportune time to reflect, reset and reprioritise. The world now has a unique opportunity - an opportunity to galvanise a deeper appreciation and understanding of the issues that affect us all - globally and simultaneously. Policymakers tackling the health crisis have been encouraged to pursue policies that can alleviate the economic shocks caused by the pandemic and in the same instant help address climate issues and challenges. We can leverage the opportunity presented by the current crisis to put the world on a new trajectory with a lower risk of future climate calamities.

Collective responsibility

This brings me to my second C that is "collective responsibility". The former Managing Director of IMF, Madam Lagarde once remarked that "Tackling climate change is a collective endeavour, it means collective accountability and it's not too late". Malaysia, together with its ASEAN counterparts, has been responding to climate change by developing national sustainable roadmaps, principles and guidelines. Such actions are even more relevant now. Despite a more pressing public health crisis at the moment, the World Health Organization has warned that "climate change is a gradually increasing stress that may be the defining public health threat of the 21st century". Now why is this? That's because temperature and weather extremes, floods, and pollutants can impact human health, directly and indirectly. The pandemic thus stresses the need to progressively continue collective global climate change actions to reduce risk of future epidemics.

Commitment

This brings me to my third C, which is "commitment". We need strong commitment to combat climate change and take immediate actions to take charge of future economic growth. For corporations and businesses, over and above concerns on regulation and legal risks, is the need to commit to invest in doing the right thing for "people, profit and planet". Corporations and businesses that align their policy and advocacy agenda to climate action have an important role in averting a path towards climate catastrophe.

As we forge the path towards a climate conscious future, and for the whole system to change at the needed pace and scale, policy makers need to step up as well. For emerging economies such as Malaysia, there is a careful policy balance between transitioning to a low-carbon economy while addressing needs of society and businesses. This is meant to minimise unintended consequences of channelling financing towards non-green and non-sustainable practices and to minimise transition risk.

As the central bank, Bank Negara Malaysia is cognisant of this in crafting our strategies to respond to climate risk. Our commitment stems from the direct relevance that climate change has to our mandates in preserving monetary stability and financial stability. Approximately 11.7% of Malaysian financial institutions assets are potentially exposed to climate change. Our aim is to ensure that financial institutions are adequately measuring, mitigating and building buffers against climate risk. Our target is for climate risk to be featured more visibly in the risk management practices of financial institutions by 2022. Of equal importance is our resolve to build their capacity to become effective agents of change in facilitating transition towards a low-carbon economy.

A common language to categorise economic activities to help facilitate financial flows towards activities that would support the transition to a lower carbon economy, is therefore paramount. For this purpose, the Bank issued the Climate Change and Principles-Based Taxonomy Discussion Paper in December 2019. The taxonomy is now undergoing further refinements, and a pilot implementation for selected financial institutions will commence this month.

Collaboration

On to my final C, "collaboration". In his quest to clean up Versova beach, Afroz Shaz would not have been as successful had he acted alone. He had help from organisations and volunteers from over 12 countries. The Versova Beach clean-up was one of the largest citizen initiatives the world has even seen. In the same vein, the Bank values contribution and collaboration with various stakeholders. This includes the financial industry in planning an orderly transition towards a more climate-resilient economy. The Joint Committee on Climate Change (or "JC3") was set up in September 2019 as a platform for financial regulators and financial institutions in Malaysia to work together to deepen our understanding on climate risks and develop tools to effectively respond to those risks. The JC3 is chaired by the Bank and Securities Commission Malaysia, with Bursa Malaysia and 19 financial institutions as members. Now I am pleased to inform that the JC3 is one of the collaborators with CGM, together with the Institute of Corporate Directors Malaysia (ICDM) and Islamic Markets in organising today's forum.

The Bank envisions that financial industry players and others from the private sector will play more proactive roles in increasing funding pathways for green and sustainability related projects. By stepping up such efforts, there would be more innovative financial instruments or alternative financing, sustainable or green bonds or sukuk that would support the Government's climate change agenda.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The severity and abruptness of the current health crisis do not make climate crisis any less pressing. The resilience of our future economy and financial system will depend on the actions we take now in building climate and societal resilience. This is a sobering reality, one we must take full accountability of, and pledge strong commitment to. This pandemic has not only provided valuable lessons to us on the grave consequences of being ill-prepared when facing a crisis. It is also a strong reminder that sustainability must play a crucial role in our economic recovery and reset.

As a central banker, it is not often that I talk about global health - but the current pandemic has challenged me to be more conversant of such issues. The same applies to the topic of climate change which was not in the central banks' dictionary until recently. But that is the reality of development - we will continuously be called upon to respond to new and unfamiliar challenges and to effectuate changes wherever we can. I am optimistic that we can all contribute to do our part to make the change that is required. Global awareness on climate change and its risks being showcased today and during this Climate Week is reflective of a world that is determined to rise to the immense challenges before us. Thank you again to the organiser of this event and to all participants. I look forward to more meaningful engagements on this issue as we continue this onward march for a better life and a better future for our children and for mankind.

Thank you.
The West Bengal government will be opening up its national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and tiger reserves from September 23 for tourists once again after a gap of more than six months. There will be, however, no elephant safaris for now.

The festive season has started with Mahalaya and Viswakarma Puja on Thursday and only a month is left for the Durga Puja, the biggest festival in West Bengal. This is the time when usually the flow of tourists increases and reaches its peak during the winter - October to January.

The decision to allow tourists was taken in a meeting held by the state forest minister Rajib Banerjee earlier this week. On Friday, the forest department released a set of dos and donts on how tourism would be allowed in the forests. Here are some of the points which you wouldnt want to miss out.

* All entry tickets and bookings will be made online. You may not be allowed to enter if the thermal scanner detects that you have a higher body temperature. No refund would be given.

* You need to wear masks and maintain social distance. Hand sanitizer is mandatory in vehicles and boats. Staff and entry gates will ensure these things.

* One seat would be left vacant between two visitors. Limited number of vehicles would be allowed at a time so that not more than 20 people can enter watch towers at a time.

* All safari vehicles, watch towers, rooms would be sanitized. Only 30% guests would be allowed at a time in closed spaces such as dining rooms. Cultural programs can be held in open spaces only, else not at all.

* Zoos to open from October 2. Stress on proper sanitization every day. Things which visitors usually touch such as door knobs of wash rooms, handles, railings and barricades among others are to be sanitized every day.

West Bengal has six national parks, 12 wildlife sanctuaries, two tiger reserves, two elephant reserves and a biosphere reserve. The tigers in the Sunderbans, the only tigers to inhabit any mangrove, elephants, gaurs, crocodiles, deer, leopard and rhinoceros are among the few animals that attract more than 2.5 million tourists visit to these national parks and sanctuaries.

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Deputy Prime Minister Raluca Turcan on Friday said that the government supports large projects like, for instance, the support it grants to the local authorities in Sibiu for the construction of two bypasses, one for Sibiu and the other one for Media.

"Today we are in Sibiu because there is no restraint here to take on large projects, in partnership with the Romanian Government. The Romanian Government has created the legal framework for large projects to be financed and prepared in partnership with local public authorities. In Sibiu, we can already talk about two big investment projects that will definitely change the life of the citizens here, in Sibiu County, for the better. The first one is the new County Hospital in Sibiu, which will be built with funds worth 500 million euros through the National Recovery and Resilience Programme (...) The second major project we are talking about in Sibiu County is the South Bypass. This project will be handed over by the Ministry of Transport to the Sibiu County Council to start the necessary documentation for the realization of this project (...)," said Deputy Prime Minister Raluca Turcan.Raluca Turcan informed that the Government also supports the construction of the Medias City Bypass.Deputy Prime Minister Raluca Turcan and Minister of Transport, Lucian Bode, went on Friday to the Sibiu County Council, where the National Road Infrastructure Management Company signed two partnerships on the two bypasses, namely the Sibiu Sud bypass and the Medias ring road.
Each week, Benjamin Law asks public figures to discuss the subjects we're told to keep private by getting them to roll a die. The numbers they land on are the topics they're given. This week, he talks to Fiona Stanley. The professor, 74, is Australias most respected paediatric epidemiologist. Shes been an ABC board member, named an Australian Living Treasure and was Australian of the Year in 2003. She is an ambassador for UNICEF.

"Everyone is taking notice of data and evidence now." Credit:

DEATH

What deaths have most affected you? The death that really affected me  and changed my life  was the death of an Indigenous boy in Western Australia. I was young doctor at the paediatric hospital, and hed come in from a remote community. I was 25, and he was four or five, coming in with severe dehydration and diarrhoea. Later he died in my arms. I thought then, I dont know that I can do clinical work. I want to find out how we can prevent this. It was very eye-opening for a white, privileged young doctor.

Today, are you optimistic that Australias hardline measures to combat COVID-19 will work, or are you despairing that its come to this? Im despairing that its come to this and Im optimistic it will work. This argument that we can either have health or the economy makes me angry. Theyre [inextricable].
Financial frauds have seen a spike due to dependence on digital payment platforms:Ajit Doval

India

pti-Madhuri Adnal

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 18: Asking citizens to be cautious while being online, National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval said on Friday financial frauds have seen exponential increase due to greater dependence on digital payment platforms following the COVID-19 pandemic.

He also said the Centre was coming up with the National cyber security strategy-2020 which envisions the safe, secured, trusted, resilient and vibrant cyberspace for Indias prosperity. He was delivering a lecture on Cyber security virtually at the COCONXIII-2020, a data privacy and hacking conference hosted by the Kerala Police and the Society for the Policing of Cyberspace and Information Security Research Association.

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NSA Ajit Doval attends BRICS meet on security

According to him, there is a change in the work environmentthat has been brought upon by the pandemic.

"There is a greater dependence on digital payment platform due to reduced cash handling and greater data sharing is happening online and presence on social media has also increased. While we are able to manage our affairs online to a certain extent, malicious actors also found in it, a new opportunity," Doval said.

Doval said there was an increase of 500 per cent in cyber crimes due to limited awareness and cyber hygiene.

"Financial frauds have seen exponential increase due to greater dependence on digital payment platforms. The adversaries are tempted to exploit the crisis situation through various misinformation, fake news etc. The huge cyber data floating in the cyber space is a gold mine for extracting information that can undermine the privacy of our citizens..," Doval said.

He cautioned citizens while being online and said a responsible approach should be there while using internet. The NSA complimented the state government and the Kerala police for the initiative.

Inaugurating the conference, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan said with the increased reliance on the internet becoming a permanent feature of people's lives due to COVID- 19, citizens need to be extra cautious while being online.

This edition of the conference was on the virtual platform this year due to the pandemic scenario . "Various types of cyber crimes are happening in our country and it's high time that we take proper precautions against such crimes...," Khan said. Senior police officials, including state police chief Loknath Behera, participated on the first day of the two-day conference.
The government will allow private companies to utilise infrastructures of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), which are otherwise not available elsewhere in India under Indian National Space, Promotion and Authorisation Centre (INSPACe), said Union Minister of Atomic Energy and Space Jitendra Singh.

In a written reply in Rajya Sabha regarding the involvement of private initiative in space exploration, Singh said on Thursday, Government will allow them to utilise those infrastructures of ISRO which are otherwise not available elsewhere in India and there will be reasonable charges for utilisation of government infrastructure which will be varying depending on the requirement.

There are more than 500 companies that partner with ISRO in carrying out space activities. The broad areas and sectors covered by private companies are providing materials, mechanical fabrication, electronic fabrication, system development, integration etc, he added.

Under the Department of Space, the government has created INSPACe to encourage, promote and handhold the private sector for their participation in the space sector. Private players will also be able to use ISRO infrastructure through INSPACe.

The decision of the government was conveyed to the members of the scientific community elaborately and scientific community welcomed the governments decision.
Nikole Hannah-Jones, who founded the 1619 Project last year, responded to Trump's speech downplaying the historical legacy of slavery in the United States

The founder of The New York Times' 1619 Project has hit back at President Trump after he downplayed the historical legacy of slavery in the U.S. and called for a 'patriotic curriculum' to be taught at public schools.

During his speech marking the 233rd anniversary of the signing of the Constitution on Thursday, Trump announced he will soon sign an order to promote patriotic education through an initiative dubbed the '1776 Commission'.

The panel, he said, would be tasked with encouraging educators to teach students 'about the miracle of American history' and plan for the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

He argued that America's founding 'set in motion the unstoppable chain of events that abolished slavery', but he did not mention how it went on for 246 years, including the 89 years after the 13 colonies declared independence from England.

The new education initiative appeared to be an attack on The New York Times' 1619 Project, launched by journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones in 2019, highlighting the long-term consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans.

The title of it refers to the year a ship arrived on American soil carrying the first enslaved Africans.

During a speech at the National Archives marking Constitution Day, Trump announced he will soon sign an order to promote patriotic education at public schools through an initiative dubbed the '1776 Commission'

Hannah-Jones won a Pulitzer Prize for her piece in the magazine, which was published on the 400th anniversary of slavery in the United States.

The journalist responded to Trump's remarks on Thursday night, saying the country's history of slavery cannot be erased despite the new curriculum.

'These are hard days we're in but I take great satisfaction from knowing that now even Trump's supporters know the date 1619 and mark it as the beginning American slavery,' she tweeted.

'1619 is part of the national lexicon. That cannot be undone, no matter how hard they try.'

The tweet received hundreds of mixed responses, with some users criticizing Hannah-Jones's portrayal of the U.S. as 'evil' and her claims that American history should be centered around the beginning of slavery.

Hannah-Jones defended her work on Twitter which she said was developed to enhance the knowledge about slavery, not rewrite history

'I don't think any reasonable person dismisses the importance of 1619 or the history and legacy of racial slavery in America. The umbrage, I think, is the narrative that the United States is inherently evil, rather than an inherently good nation on a journey of democratization,' Twitter user Andre Beliveau said in response.

'Besides the point that nowhere does the project argue about evil, you're a self-proclaimed history nerd but think arguments about the inherent goodness or evilness of a country embody valid historical critique?', she fired back.

'It's also so strange to try to compel people whose ancestors were enslaved by this country, then endured 100 years of racial apartheid and only 50 years of full legal citizenship to vouch for the inherent goodness of such country. What,' she added.

The 1619 Project evolved from Hannah-Jones's essay last year and, with help from the Pulitzer Center, educational materials were developed to enhance the knowledge about slavery, not rewrite history, according to the Times.

Hannah-Jones defended her work again on Friday, tweeting that her project does not argue that 1619 is the country's true founding, as critics claimed.

Trump ripped the New York Times' 1619 Project, which evolved from Jones's essay. The title ofrefers to the year a ship arrived on American soil carrying the first enslaved Africans

Hannah-Jones said that her project does not argue that 1619 is the country's true founding, as critics claime

'What the #1619Project *does* do is invite the reader/listener to contemplate what it would *mean* to consider 1619 and the beginning of American slavery as our founding, as it argues that 1619 is as foundational to the American story as 1776,' she added.

Trump however, called current efforts to take revisionist looks at the nation's founding, 'toxic propaganda.'

'American parents are not going to accept indoctrination in our schools, cancel culture at work, or the repression of traditional faith, culture and values in the public square,' he said. 'Not anymore.'

Trump made the comments at what was billed as a Conference on American History at the National Archives, which houses the nation's most treasured documents.

He warned attendees that 'as we gather this afternoon, a radical movement is attempting to demolish this treasured and precious inheritance.'

The president tore into 'radicals' for causing 'mayhem' on the nation's streets, and sought repeatedly to tie them to his political adversaries.

Earlier, Hannah-Jones had also criticized Trump's initiative as an attack on the First Amendment to the Constitution which she said abhors government attempts to censor speech and guarantees a free press.

'The efforts by the president of the United States to use his powers to censor a work of American journalism by dictating what schools can and cannot teach and what American children should and should not learn should be deeply alarming to all Americans who value free speech,' she said.
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.

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SCHENECTADY  With less than two weeks before he delivers next year's tentative budget, Mayor Gary McCarthy said that the city is facing financial trouble unlike any he's seen in his two decades in elected office.

Its the most difficult situation since Ive been mayor probably even since Ive been on the City Council, said the third-term mayor who before being elected to the post served on the council.

Though he and the city's department heads are on in the final stages of budget planning, McCarthy was reluctant to discuss layoffs. But in April, the mayor described a "worse case scenario" that would forced the city to lay off 40 police officers and 33 firefighter and paramedics if the city did not receive tens of millions of dollars in federal aid that remains bogged down in a political stalemate in Washington D.C.

Back then, McCarthy mentioned that Schenectady was slated to initially receive about $11.6 million in the Aid and Incentives for Municipalities program, which provides state aid to all New York cities other than New York City, and 137 towns and villages. He feared that could be cut by about 20 percent.

For the Schenectady, that translates into the loss of about $2.4 million in state aid, according to City Finance Commissioner Anthony Ferrari.

Like the potential loss of state aid and a lack of additional money from the federal government, the city lost months of revenue when the coronavirus pandemic force the shutdown of Rivers Casino & Resort, which while taking in less money than originally promised still provides millions in annual funding to local governments. Closed in March, the casino reopened last week.

On Thursday, McCarthy declined say if the 2021 spending plan, set for release on Oct 1, will include a property tax hike, something his administration has avoided for years.

Once he unveils the spending plan, it will be scrutinized by and voted on by the City Council, which must take action by Nov. 1.

The public will have a chance to weigh in on the package at an Oct. 13 public hearing.

Last year, the council voted for a $112 million budget that featured a 1.5 percent property tax decrease for home owners.

City Councilwoman Leesa Perazzo, who has spoken against any layoffs to the police and fire departments, aacknowledged the devastation the budget process could bring to tax-weary homeowners.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

"I can't predict where the mayor is going to go with it but I can't imagine a scenario in which we can decrease taxes or even stay at zero," she said. "I know the council and the mayor will do everything they can to minimize or stay flat but these are unprecedented times."

For now, McCarthy will continue huddling with department heads, including Ferrarri, who on Thursday offered an equally sobering assessment of Schenectadys fiscal dilemma.

Right now, theres been no indication of anybody getting laid off but who knows whats going to happen as we get closer and the numbers really start to blend, he said.

Ferrari said city officials have been painstakingly poring over the budget line by line in search of any cost-savings.



He said the city will take a hit because the casino was closed for nearly six months. Last year, the city collected $3 million in casino revenue.

He talked about not filling 45 vacant positions.

Were well beyond just tightening the belts, said McCarthy.
It's been a busy month for oil markets, with a build-up of bearish news sending oil prices crashing at the start of the month, only for prices to rally again this week. A combination of outages from Hurricane Sally, a drawdown in oil storage, and high compliance from OPEC is responsible for the rebound.

For Global Energy Alert members there are now two new free reports available in your dashboard. The first of these reports is on how to interpret stock charts and the second outlines the three biggest mistakes made by traders today. Make sure you become a member to read these reports and many more.

Friday, September 18th, 2020

Oil rebounded above $40 at the end of the week after EIA data showed a drawdown in oil storage and Hurricane Sally forced offshore platforms offline.

Oil up on OPEC+ meeting. Oil gained more ground after the Saudi oil minister warned speculators gambling in the market. To short-sellers betting on a slide in prices, he said: Make my day. He added that OPEC+ will actively and pre-emptively manage the market. The group also pressured laggards to increase their compliance.

Goldman: $49 by year-end. Goldman Sachs sees Brent rising to $49 per barrel before the end of the year. We estimate that the oil market remains in deficit with speculative positioning now at too low levels, Goldman Sachs said.

Biden: Fracking has to continue. Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden once again reiterated support for fracking in a CNN town hall event in Pennsylvania on Thursday. Fracking has to continue because we need a transition, Biden said. We're going to get to net-zero emissions by 2050, and we'll get to net-zero power emissions by 2035. But there's no rationale to eliminate, right now, fracking. Related: Iraq Ships More Crude Oil Despite OPEC Output Cut Pledge

Haftar to lift blockade. The head of the Libyan National Army, General Khalifa Haftar, said he would lift the blockade on Libyan oil exports after reaching an agreement with the countrys deputy prime minister. The impact is unclear, however, as the National Oil Co. previously denounced the negotiations.

Pemex expects a drastic drop in oil exports. Pemex expects oil exports to fall sharply over the next three years due to declining production and the need to supply a new $8 billion refinery. Heavy Maya crude exports could fall by as much as 70 percent between 2021 and 2023.

Magnolia LNG asks for five more years to build. Magnolia LNG, a proposed gas export terminal in Louisiana, asked FERC for five more years to build its project, citing poor market conditions. Its original permit expires in 2021.

Pipeline operators hurting on low demand. The shale production crash has spilled over to the midstream sector, which was caught between falling oil production and pipeline utilization from the upstream and crumbling demand for fuels in the downstream.

Trump admin considers $300 million for refiners. The Trump administration is looking at dishing out $300 million in aid to refiners who were denied an exemption on ethanol blending requirements.

EQT bids $750 million for Chevrons Appalachian assets. EQT (NYSE: EQT) has bid $750 million for Chevrons (NYSE: CVX) Appalachian assets, part of an acquisition that Chevron originally spent $4.3 billion to obtain. EQT, already the nations largest natural gas producer, would significantly expand its presence if the deal is successful.

Diesel stockpiles cap oil prices. Even as crude stocks decline, diesel inventories continue to increase, rising to a record high for this time of year. Diesel cracks fell to their lowest level since 2010. The weakening margin is the worst possible scenario for refiners, Bob Yawger, director of the futures division at Mizuho Securities USA, wrote in a note. Related: The Secret To Survival For Canadas Oil Sands

U.S. business group backs carbon pricing. The Business Roundtable, a grouping of CEOs from some of the biggest U.S. companies, announced support for market-based emissions reduction policy. The announcement is notable because the group has actively opposed such a policy track for years.

China considers clean energy acceleration. China is considering stepping up its clean energy deployment as part of its next five-year plan that begins in 2021. One option includes bringing forward its 20 percent renewable energy target from 2030 to potentially 2025.

Shell files offshore drilling plans in Alaska. Shell Offshore Inc. has submitted plans to plans to drill for oil in the waters along the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska in the coming years.

Pennsylvania moves to join RGGI. The Pennsylvania Environmental Quality Board (EQB) voted 13-6 to launch a formal rulemaking process to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a carbon cap-and-trade program among 10 Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states.

Ventura Co. curbs drilling with greater setbacks. Ventura County, California voted to increase drilling setbacks to 2,500 feet for new oil wells near schools. It also triples the setback distances from homes to 1,500 feet. The vote also curtailed flaring. Ventura County is home to some of the largest sources of oil production in California.

Dakota Access safe through 2020. After initially ordered to shut down, the Dakota Access Pipeline will likely remain online at least through the end of the year under a new court schedule.

Shell shuts Gulf of Mexico platform. Hurricane Sally passed through the Gulf, but another storm looms. Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS.A) said it shut down production at some of its facilities with more tropical storms heading towards the Gulf of Mexico.

FERC opens door for more renewables. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission voted 2-1 to remove market barriers for rooftop solar and other distributed energy resources. The order allows distributed energy resources to participate in regional wholesale energy markets.

Natural gas prices plunge. Natural gas prices plunged this week, including a 10 percent one-day sell-off. Goldman Sachs pointed to congestion in storage as we near the end of the injection season. But the crash could be brief. Ultimately, however, we believe the high inventories to end this injection season are still not sufficient to derail next years bullish gas fundamentals, Goldman Sachs said in a note.

By Tom Kool for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Federal Health Department secretary Brendan Murphy says there is no clear evidence that safety and quality of care in aged services declined because of the mounting financial pressures placed on the troubled sector in recent years.

Professor Murphy appeared before the aged care royal commission on Friday as it examined how to best fund the sector into the future amid soaring demand.

Secretary of the Department of Health and former Chief Medical Officer, Brendan Murphy, during Friday's Senate select committee hearing. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

While being grilled by the inquiry on Friday, the former chief medical officer conceded the aged care sector was under significant financial pressure, however, he argued there was "no clear evidence" yet that funding shortages had led to a direct drop in service delivery.

"We don't have any evidence at the moment that there is an impact on quality and safety from financial performance," he told the royal commission.
She recently wrote on how morning stretching was helping her ease stress during the pandemic.

And Alessandra Ambrosio returned to work on Thursday, after months of the modeling world being halted due to the virus.

The 39-year-old donned a summer fresh look in a black mini dress as she headed to a photoshoot location in Los Angeles.

Back at it: Alessandra Ambrosio returned to work on Thursday, in Los Angeles, after months of the modeling world being halted due to the virus

The Brazilian-born beauty flaunted her legs in the black slip dress adorned with a white floral pattern.

With two thin straps, the back of the dress was left largely open at her shoulder blades.

She kept a sporty look as she added white sneakers to the ensemble.

While getting out of her car, Alessandra covered her eyes in dark circular sunglasses as she hair tousled around her face.

Summer fresh: The Brazilian-born beauty flaunted her legs in the black slip dress adorned with a white floral pattern

The former Victoria's Secret Angel topped off her look with a white box-style crossbody bag on a silver chain and a thin gold chain necklace.

It seems to be her first return to a photoshoot set since the pandemic began, as she had been isolating at with her children Anja, 12, and Noah, eight, at her Santa Monica home.

Though she did leave California last month to celebrate her daughters birthday in the Maldives with her boyfriend Nicolo Oddi, and her parents Luz and Lucilda.

On Wednesday, Alessandra revealed that in spite of her hectic schedule, she always makes time each day to 'take care of [herself]'.

Accessories: The former Victoria's Secret Angel topped off her look with a white box-style crossbody bag on a silver chain and a thin gold chain necklace

Recent trip: Though she had been isolating with her children in her Santa Monica home during the pandemic, she did leave California last month to celebrate her daughters birthday in the Maldives with her boyfriend Nicolo Oddi, and her parents Luz and Lucilda

'I've always tried to keep my beauty routine as simple as possible and that didn't change when I had my kids,' she said. 'What I've focused on since having kids is creating time to take care of myself.'

Adding: 'Even if it's just 15 minutes in the morning for meditation, stretching or yoga - it helps me get centered and ready to conquer whatever the day is bringing my way.'

She is determined to ensure her kids learn the value of taking care of themselves, too.

The model told Vogue India magazine: 'I make sure that I teach my kids the importance of taking care of themselves, so every morning we make delicious juices together and try to do some kind of outdoor activity.'
D esign lovers are in for a treat at NH Collection Firenze Porta Rossa where six centuries of history co-exist effortlessly with modern-day artwork.

Where is it?

Located on a quiet off-road in the centre of Florence, the hotel is perfect for travellers looking to explore on foot, with key attractions like Duomo, the iconic Ponte Vecchio which spans river Arno and Uffizi Gallery, only a short walk away.

Back in the day, Porta Rossa was the main street connecting spice traders between Rome and France. Today it remains a shopping hub surrounded by luxury boutiques such as Gucci, Prada and Salvatore Ferragamo. There are plenty of restaurants and wine bar options on the doorstep too.

The opulent reception room can be hired for small gatherings / NH Collection

Style

You only need to stand outside the hotel to get a sense of its medieval heritage: arched windows, renaissance stained-glass paintings and a 13th-century tower. Inside, checkboard marble flooring and walnut wood dominate in equal measures with pops of bright red - a theme that flows throughout the hotel. The masterpiece, though, is the Ulisse De Matteis ceiling that hangs above the reception. The multicoloured glass, handcrafted in 1900, depicts two red doors - the emblem of the hotel and "Arte della Seta", the silk guild that had its headquarters in the area during the Middle Ages.

Throughout the five floors, you'll find something unique and opulent: crystal chandeliers, mirrors and sculptures. Also on show is a vintage iron mangle and a switchboard telephone belonging to the Giovanni Bartolini family - a silk importer who took residence here in the 1500s. Be sure to take a tour of the reception halls on all floors - the first being the grandest.

Facilities

What this heritage property can offer is limited due to its listed status. There isn't a gym, sauna or a swimming pool, but a prosecco on arrival and vin santo in the room is enough to entice most guests. The hotel has teamed up with a beauty salon to provide its guests with excellent spa treatments, including in-room massage options. There isn't a minibar available at the moment due to the pandemic, but can be arranged upon request.

Savini Tartufi restaurant provide diners with a gastronomic experience using truffles / NH Collection

Food & Drink

Start the day as you mean to go on - with a generous helping of Italian cheese. Although the breakfast selection was a fraction of what it normally is (again, due to the pandemic), it still felt like a decent spread. A varied selection of fresh fruits, cold cuts and hot food options like eggs and bacon was available and served in a Covid-safe setting.

The hotel is also home to Savini Tartufi, a restaurant run by the Savini family offering diners a unique gastronomic experience using truffles. The menu changes every season, but particular favourites are Uova al tartufo nero and Baccala su crema. The bar, adjacent to the restaurant, takes pride in its cocktails - especially the Truffle Martini. The restaurant and bar are temporarily closed, scheduled to open soon. In the meantime, the wonderful reception staff are happy to recommend some fine dining options that are guaranteed to enhance your Tuscan experience. La Menagere, only a 10 minute walk away, serves excellent traditional dishes with a modern twist.

Beautifully restored 16th and 18th century frescoes in some of the rooms / NH Collection

Which room?

Room types vary from superior and premium to junior and presidential suites. All 72 rooms in this property are different in design and layout: some have frescoes dating back to the 16th and 18th century, others boast impressive 4-metre high ceilings with four-poster beds. Whatever the room, expect to see an eclectic mix of antique furniture with avant-garde designs.

Lovers of cinema may want to opt for the "Amici Miei" room where director Mario Monicelli shot one of its most memorable scenes. He joins a list of other celebrated authors and poets like Stendhal, Byron, Lamartine and Eugenio Montale, all of who have spent time in this historic building.

When in Florence, marvel at the terracotta-coloured buildings and where better to do it from than the Presidential Suite. Torre Monalda, named after the Monaldi family who owned the tower in the Middle Ages, is split over three floors and sixty steps. A regal bathroom awaits on level one, followed by the bedroom and finally the living space with 360-degree views of the Tuscan capital.

Best for

Couples, families and travellers keen to have easy access to major attractions and dining options. Art and design enthusiasts will appreciate the attention to detail in this stunning property.

Details

Junior Suites start from 340 per night on a bed & breakfast basis. The Presidential Suite could be all yours from 500 per night. nh-collection.com
SANFORD, MI - The bill for repairing the Edenville and Sanford dams following flooding in May that severly damaged the structures could be more than $300 million and nearby property owners could be on the hook for thousands a year to pay for it, according to a new estimate.

The Four Lakes Task Force, the nonprofit delegated authority for the dams' maintenance and operations, released a report on Sept. 10 to update the public on the dams and nearby lakes. The Edenville Dam failed May 19 after heavy rainfall, devastating the neighboring areas and draining Wixom and Sanford lakes and damaging Sanford Lake dam.

According to the task forces action plan, the estimated cost of repairing the areas four dams is $338 million with most of the spending coming in 2022 and 2024. The Edenville Dam would require most of the funds at about $208 million, and the Sanford Dam needs another $92 million chunk. The remaining $28 million is needed for the nearby Secord and Smallwood dams.

For homeowners on Wixom and Sanford lakes, a special yearly assessment to cover the repairs will likely cost between roughly $1,500 and $3,000 a year, based on 30-year or 40-year financing, according to the plan. The highest estimate is for Sanford Lake property parcels, amounting to a total of about $90,000 per parcel. Backlot properties would pay less.

The cost could drop if other funding is secured for the work, the study says. This includes government grants, private donations, endowments and other revenue sources such as hydropower or general public access charges.

FLTF will be exhausting every avenue to obtain funds to lower the assessments to make them affordable for property owners, the plan states. We will look at creating funding structures for communities and individuals who will be significantly economically burdened by these assessments.

The task force plans to purchase the dam properties this year, and aims to complete a feasibility study by April 2021. Sanford and Wixom lakes could be restored by a target date of 2025, depending on when the task force can acquire the properties, according to the plan.

The owner of the dams, Boyce Hydro, has filed for bankruptcy protection as it faces numerous lawsuits related to the dams' failures.

In a separate action this week, Michigans Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) issued an emergency work order to Boyce Hydro. The order is to partially breach the Edenville Dams Tobacco River spillway to improve the stability of the Tobacco River portion of the Edenville Dam.

We dont want residents who live downstream to face another devastating flood, said EGLE Director Liesl Clark.

Boyce needs to step up and do whats right for the community and property owners, make sure that no further damage is done to natural resources and allow for critical infrastructure work.

While the order requires Boyce Hydro to do the work, the state has already said it doesnt anticipate the company to make the repairs. If Boyce Hydro does not make the repairs itself, the state will move forward without the company.

The emergency work order requires Boyce Hydro to immediately hire a contractor to do the work and send EGLE proof of a contract by Sept. 21. The company also has to complete applications for permits by Sept. 25, and start construction on the project by Oct. 19.

There are currently several ongoing investigations. An independent forensic investigation will look into what caused the dams to fail and who is responsible. There will also be a review of the states dam safety operations, performed by the Association of State Dam Safety Officials and the new Michigan Dam Safety Task Force will provide recommendations to the state on how to limit risks going forward. Ahead of the dam safety operations review, the state announced that it was hiring a third dam safety engineer.

- MLive reporter Cheyna Roth contributed to this report.

Read more:

Dam failures, flood impact havent subsided from these Mid-Michigan families 4 months later

Edenville and Sanford Dam investigators put out call for information

Last FEMA documentation drop-off center for flood victims closes Friday, Sept. 18

Timeline: The Edenville Dam saga, before, during and after the break
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP)  Bosnian Serb authorities on Wednesday held an official commemoration for a top former wartime leader, despite his war crimes conviction by a U.N. court.

The Bosnian Serb president, prime minister and other officials attended the event in the northern city of Banja Luka, the seat of the Serb-run part of Bosnia called Republika Srpska.

The gathering illustrates the continued Bosnian Serb denial of their wartime leaders role in the atrocities committed against non-Serbs during the 1992-95 war in Bosnia.

Momcilo Krajisnik, who was parliamentary speaker during the conflict, was sentenced to 20 years in prison by the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, for persecuting and expelling non-Serbs.

Krajisnik died early on Tuesday in Banja Luka at the age of 75 after contracting the new coronavirus.

A leading Bosnian Serb official, Milorad Dodik, who is the member of Bosnia's multi-ethnic presidency, praised Krajsnik's historic role in establishing the Serb entity in Bosnia, according to Bosnian Serb broadcaster RTRS.

Republika Srpska must not shy away from its founders, and one of them is Momcilo Krajisnik, Dodik said, suggesting that a street should be named after him, the report said.

Krajisnik was released from a British prison in 2013 after serving two-thirds of the sentence. He was a close aide to Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, who was convicted of genocide by the Hague tribunal.

Bosnian Serb forces took control of large swaths of Bosnian territory, expelling Bosniaks, who are mostly Muslims, and Croats from their homes and brutally killing thousands.

More than 100,000 people died before the war ended in a U.S.-brokered peace agreement that created Serb and Muslim-Croat entities under a joint government.
A soldier fighting Boko Haram insurgents in the north-east has reportedly killed himself. Sources said the soldier, a lance corporal...

A soldier fighting Boko Haram insurgents in the north-east has reportedly killed himself.

Sources said the soldier, a lance corporal attached to the armys 27 task force brigade in Buni Gari, Gujba local government area of Yobe state, committed suicide on Thursday at his duty post.

It is not clear what led to this action, but sources said the soldier suddenly took his gun, aimed at his head and pulled the trigger.

He shot himself in the head, and he died immediately, before other soldiers could even rush to help, a military source said.

The soldier was also said to have left a note for his wife.

His body has been evacuated and sources said investigation into what led to the incident is in progress.

Sagir Musa, army spokesperson, was not immediately available to comment over the matter.





In July, a soldier in the armys 202 battalion in Bama, Borno state, killed a lieutenant who did not give him pass to visit his family.

In 2019, a soldier hanged himself in Abuja.

Also in 2017, another soldier committed suicide after killing his superior.

Soldiers, especially those deployed in operation Lafiya Dole in the northeast, have always complained about poor welfare.
I took my son with me not to give him a high life, not to give him the life of rich people, said Sufian, 21. I was trying to give him a good life where if he will ask me for a potato chip bag or a juice box I am able to give it to him. This is what drove me out of the country.
HK Pro-Democracy Legislator Sets Up Organization to Support Imprisoned Activists

Hong Kong pro-democracy legislator Bottle Shiu Ka-chun established Wall-fare, an online community platform where people can voice their concern and show support for the imprisoned Hong Kong activists. Shiu set up the organization in April, and he believes its his special calling to help the pro-democracy protesters, he told The Epoch Times.

Too often, they enlightened me, they lightened me, and encouraged me. Shiu calls the youth protesters Shou-zu in Chinese, which means hands and feet who encourage and support each other.

In July this year, Shiu was dismissed as a lecturer in the department of social work of Hong Kong Baptist University without warning. The decision was made after Shiu served nearly six months in prison last year for his role in the 2014 Occupy movement.

At the end of this month, his term as a member of the Legislative Council will expire, and his stay in the Provisional Legislative Council in the next year will be decided by polls. Regardless of whats ahead, Shiu is determined to continue his work at the Wall-fare. The issue of prison rights will not end because of the end of my term, he told The Epoch Times.

In the past four years, Shiu has officially visited 200 imprisoned protesters. He said that about 100 protesters are currently detained or serving their sentences in prison. Before being sentenced, they were detained in seven institutions in Hong Kong, such as Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre, Stanley Prison, Tai Lam Correctional Institution, and Lo Wu Correctional Institution in Sheung Shui.

The youngest protesters Shiu visited in prison were 16 and 17 years old; and the oldest ones were in their 70s, including 74-year-old brother Sam who was convicted of rioting in the 2016 Mong Kok incident and was released from prison last month.

Shiu said that 30-40 percent of young protesters have a university degree, the highest being a masters degree; and some are preparing for the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education. They are the future of Hong Kong.

They are very strong, and they believe that they are sacrificing themselves for the common good. They have no regrets about their struggles. Shiu said: The thing that touches me most is that they often ask us not to pay too much attention to them, instead, they ask us to look out for the others.

Shius father was a blue-collar worker at the Kowloon Motor Bus Company. Being a social worker and coming from a humble background, Shiu is concerned about protesters who live at the bottom of society or encounter difficulties in life. In fact, many Shou-zu have had their own problems. Its not like they have solved the problems in life and then joined in social movements. They have many problems in their families, but they carry on with their lives so they can participate in the movements, he said.

An Inspiration: Activist With Special Needs

Fatzai, who turns 32 this year, has a learning disability. He attended the Occupy movement in 2014 and at present, hes been to the pro-democracy rallies. After being arrested at one of the protests, he was detained in Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre. Through visits, Shiu learned that he came from a broken family and supports himself with two part-time jobs. One of Fatzais jobs as a cleaner caused severe varicose veins on his right calf. He is usually working nonstop. He doesnt go home, just sleeps on the street, Shiu said.

During one visit, Fatzai pulled down his face mask to show Shiu that he lost a row of front teeth after being beaten by the Hong Kong police. Upon seeing this, Shiu couldnt hold back his tears and began to cry, He comforted me in turn, telling me not to cry.

One time, Fatzai went to court with a pair of slippers. Shiu worried that the judge wouldnt take him seriously and may interpret his actions as expressing contempt for the court. Fatzai explained that he was immediately imprisoned after going to court last time, and everything on his body was confiscated. He was afraid that his only pair of sneakers would be confiscated, so he could only wear a pair of slippers, Shiu said.

After Shiu shared Fatzais story on Wall-fares Facebook page, he received a lot of comments from Hongkongers, willing to donate money to help Fatzai buy a new pair of sneakers. On Sept. 3, Shiu uploaded a photo of Fatzai wearing new shoes. On the same day, Shiu took Fatzai out to eat and they ordered a meal of sirloin rice for HK$56 ($7.20).

During the meal, Fatzai asked Shiu, Are the shoes too expensive? Shiu responded, Dont worry! Its not expensive, just make sure you eat enough .. many people wanted to give you a pair of comfortable shoes.

He is a very well-behaved child with special needs. He also participates in the protests, and he also faces police violence. This is Shou-zu. Shou-zus are like this. On the one hand, they really want this movement to succeed so Hong Kong will have real democracy. But on the other hand, they suffer a lot, a lot.

With the support of many social workers and the barrister Linda Wong, Fatzai was released on bail and placed in a hospital. He also received dental care.

There are many other inspirational stories about Shou-zu, Shiu said.

The Flying Needle: Inhumane Practice of Prison Hospitals

Shiu told The Epoch Times about the flying needle injection procedure at prison hospitals that some protesters encountered.

A protester, who is also an artist, is currently imprisoned in the maximum-security Siu Lam Psychiatric Centre (SLPC). On Sept. 3, Shiu visited the painter in prison. He learned that the painter received two injections (sedatives) on the evening of Aug. 20.

The injection, dubbed the flying needle, contains a tranquilizer. After being injected, the painter became unconscious. Shiu learned that the prison authorities did not follow the normal procedures and performed the injections without a doctors order.

I asked the Chief Director of the Correctional Services Department to explain to me why he [painter] was given two injections in such a short time. Where was the doctor at the time? Did the doctor approve it? Shiu also wrote to the senior supervisor of SLPC, demanding answers.

Shiu received a response from the institution: All medicines come with a doctors prescription.

Shiu called on the media and Hong Kong people to pay attention to the painters case. He said, The prison is a very closed environment, and the hospital inside the prison is a more enclosed place.

Shiu had already heard about the flying needle when he was imprisoned for nearly six months after being found guilty of public nuisance during the 2014 Occupy movement. He also believes that Hong Kong prisons often abuse dissidents in the name of medical treatment. The use of drugs, the use of restraints, the use of solitary confinementthese are all sensitive issues, he said.

Activists Who Failed to Seek Asylum in Taiwan

Last month, 12 Hong Kong activists tried to flee to Taiwan to seek asylum and were arrested by Chinese coastguards off the coast of southern Guangdong Province. They are currently detained in mainland China. Shiu is concerned about the situation. There is no news at all. It is very worrisome. How are they now? Are they being tortured? Where are they, in Shenzhen or in the mainland? He said that these protesters should be repatriated to Hong Kong, but the Hong Kong government completely treats this matter as if it is handled in a black box, and the Hong Kong government seems to have no role.

All these require council members to constantly force the government to answer and force it to respond, otherwise it will become nothing, and these 12 people will disappear from our planet.

Shiu also called on the media and Hong Kong people to continue to pay attention.

In addition, he also revealed that the protesters arrested under the Hong Kong version of Beijings national security law cannot be visited by outsiders.

They [imprisoned protesters] are called riot boys inside the prison, and they will be dealt with separately as much as possible, Shiu said.

HK Police Arrested 27 Supporters of PolyU Students

On Sept. 2, the Hong Kong police arrested 27 people who supported the students trapped inside Polytechnic University in November last year. Shiu believes that the arrests are meant to create fear and serves as a warning to Hongkongers. If it would really work with the threat, Hong Kong would not have become like this.

The 27 protesters, aged between 16 and 37, include 15 students, one teacher, and office workers. Two are underage, according to police. They all face the charge of illegal assembly, with one person also accused of possessing an offensive weapon: a laser pointer.

Shius Wall-fare Facebook page is constantly being updated with the latest news of imprisoned activists. He said, Thinking of the Shou-zu and the movement, they often shared with me how they face their own weakness and try to stand up again.

Shiu has also launched a pen pal program. Since late January, there have been more than 400 letters mailed to the jailed protesters. Shiu said that regardless of whats ahead of him, the Wall-fare project will continue its mission.

There are things that proceed not because you see hope, but because of the hope that drives the process, said Shiu.
On Saturday, the story of Cayley Mandadi, the beloved cheerleader whose death stunned the Trinity University community, will be highlighted by "48 Hours." "The Final Hours of Cayley Mandadi" will air at 9 p.m. on CBS.

RELATED: Records reveal Cayley Mandadi's boyfriend had history of violence prior to arrest in her death

The network says the episode is the "first in-depth" look into the death of the teen and the case against her boyfriend Mark Howerton.

Mandadi was last seen alive on Oct. 29, 2017, while attending the Mala Luna Music Festival in San Antonio with Howerton. He later told police the couple took party drugs and had consensual sex. When he noticed she wasn't breathing while traveling to Houston after the concert, he rushed her to a nearby hospital in Luling.

Alison Steele, Mandadi's mother, described the extent of Mandadi's injuries in the 48 Hours episode.

Even the most explicit television shows dont show you what I saw that day, Steele said. Did she fall out of an airplane? Was she thrown off a bridge?

Mandadi was eventually declared brain-dead and was taken off life support on Oct. 31. She was 19.

According to the medical examiner, Mandadi died from blunt force trauma to the face and head. Howerton faced charges of murder, sexual assault and later, with kidnapping. By February 2018, he had turned himself in.

Since there were no witnesses, there was debate as to what led to Mandadi's injuries  assault, a fall at the concert or the result of life-saving procedures performed at the hospital?

Bexar County prosecutors accused Howerton of killing Mandadi in a jealous rage after she tried to break up with him at the music festival.

"This is a case where there's more than what meets the eye and things aren't always what they seem," said John Hunter, Howerton's attorney.

While Hunter maintains his client's innocent, Steele says Howerton, who has been described by Mandadi's friends as being volatile, killed her daughter.

He knew that Cayley would be an easy mark, and so he fixated on her, she told the show. And when it didnt go the way he wanted  he snapped.

Last December, a Bexar County judge declared a mistrial in the case against Howerton after the jury could not reach a verdict.

Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales said he was disappointed in the outcome and would retry the case and bring justice to Cayley Mandadi.

On Sept. 13, Steele spoke about the forthcoming episode on a "Justice for Cayley" Facebook page on Sept. 13. She said she understands presentations of her daughter's death will be depicted without the family's consent and decided the "best defense is a strong offense," choosing "48 Hours" to speak to based on its history and ethics.

"If Cayleys story must be told, then its preferable that it be handled by one of the most distinguished news correspondents in America," she told supporters online.

Madalyn Mendoza covers news and puro pop culture for MySA.com | mmendoza@mysa.com | @maddyskye
AstraZeneca Plc, the drugmaker working with the University of Oxford on a Covid-19 vaccine , contradicted a report that a volunteer in U.K. tests of the shot developed a rare nerve disease that might have signaled severe safety problems.

AstraZeneca was responding Thursday to a CNN report citing documents indicating that the diagnosis of the participant was confirmed as transverse myelitis. The diagnosis was based on preliminary findings," and is inaccurate, the Cambridge, England-based drugmaker said in an emailed statement.

Transverse myelitis has been linked to both vaccines and viral infections, and the Astra vaccine contains a virus thats been altered to prevent it from growing in people. A diagnosis soon after vaccination raises the possibility that the virus used in the vaccine or some other component somehow triggered the rare reaction.

A CNN spokeswoman said the network stood by its story, which cites an initial report on the volunteers neurological condition.

Its the first time AstraZeneca has specifically ruled out such a diagnosis. Chief Executive Officer Pascal Soriot has said it was unclear whether the trial participant had the condition. A document posted online by Oxford later said the persons symptoms included limb weakness or changed sensation" and were unlikely to be linked to the shot.

We are unable to comment further on this individual case because of international norms governing the integrity of clinical trials and protection for the privacy of individuals," the company said Thursday.

Astras U.S.-traded depositary receipts rose 1.3% in New York.

Timeline Clouded

Questions continue to surround the participants illness, which has sparked concerns about vaccine safety and increased worries about when the first shots against the coronavirus could be ready. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Covid-19 vaccines may be widely available as early as October, running counter to administration officials and companies whose estimates of the timelines are months longer.

Trials of the Oxford-Astra vaccine resumed in the U.K. over the weekend, after a pause to investigate the adverse event, while researchers in South Africa also restarted tests. But a big U.S. trial of the vaccine is still on hold. AstraZeneca is talking with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which is reviewing information related to the episode and will decide when the U.S. trial of the vaccine can resume, according to the statement.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.

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In the second such action by a state court this week, the Pennsylvania state Supreme Court ruled Thursday the state could exclude Green Party candidates Howie Hawkins and Angela Walker from the ballot for the 2020 presidential elections.

In the 5-2 decision on partisan lines, the state supreme court overturned a lower court ruling that supported the Green Party against a decision by the Bureau of Elections to use an obscure technicality to throw out the nominating petitions that qualified their candidates for ballot status.

The ruling, which was endorsed by all five Democratic justices, states, Because the procedures for nominating a candidate for office by nomination papers were not strictly followed here  the Secretary is directed to remove both candidates names from the general election ballot. The two Republican judges said in a dissenting opinion they agree that the nominating petitions had been filed improperly but that the Green Party should be given the opportunity to fix their paperwork.

Green Party gubernatorial candidate Howie Hawkins, takes part in a gubernatorial debate sponsored by the League of Women Voters at The College of Saint Rose Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018, in Albany, N.Y. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink)

As was the case in the ruling by the Wisconsin state Supreme Court on Monday, the political purpose of the Pennsylvania ruling is to keep the Green Party from providing an alternative for voters who might otherwise cast ballots for Democrats Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

In the 2016 election, Hillary Clinton lost to Donald Trump by 11,000 votes in Michigan, 23,000 in Wisconsin, and 44,000 in Pennsylvania. In each state, Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein received more votes than Clintons margin of defeat.

This led the Democrats, and their media apologists, to blame the Greens for a defeat which Clinton brought on herself by running a right-wing, anti-working-class campaign which allowed Trump to posture as the advocate of coal miners, steel workers, auto workers and others whose livelihood had been destroyed by the policies of big business and the Obama-Biden administration.

One conclusion drawn by the Democrats from the experience of 2016 was that the basic democratic right of third parties to ballot access and of the public to vote for a candidate of their choosing must not be allowed to disrupt the two-party system of Wall Street, the Pentagon and the CIA. Over the past two months, they have blocked the Green Party from obtaining ballot status in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania and the Socialist Equality Party from obtaining ballot status in Michiganthe same three states which were the margin of defeat for Clinton in the Electoral College.

While the World Socialist Web Site and the Socialist Equality Partywhich is running its own candidates Joseph Kishore for US President and Norissa Santa Cruz for US Vice Presidenthave fundamental class and political differences with the Green Party, we defend their right to participate in the 2020 elections. We denounce the Democratic Party for its repeated and blatant abuse of ballot access procedural rules and the courts to have Hawkins and Walker kicked off the November ballot.

The background to the Pennsylvania Green Party case is a revealing example of how ballot access requirements in states across the country are used by the two-party system as barriers to the participation of third parties and alternative candidates attempting to run in US federal elections.

The Green Party gathered signatures of registered voters on nominating petitions between March and August 2 of this year for a slate of five candidates for both federal and state offices. On August 3, Timothy Runkle, Green Party candidate for Treasurer of Pennsylvania, submitted 8,500 signaturesa minimum of 5,000 is requiredto the Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth in Harrisburg.

At the time that the petitioning began in March, the Green Party candidates for President and Vice President were Elizabeth Faye Scroggin and Neal Taylor Gaye, acting as stand-ins for the eventual nominees of a party convention, and these candidates names were on the petitions submitted by Runkle to the state.

As the court ruling explains, Runkles submission included a notarized candidate affidavit for Howie Hawkins and a non-notarized affidavit for Angela Walker (Candidates), who were nominated as the Green Partys candidates for President and Vice President, respectively, at the national Green Party Convention on July 11, 2020.

On August 10, the Green Party filed two Substitute Nomination Certificates with the Secretary seeking to formally replace Scroggin and Gale with Hawkins and Walker. At this point everything seemed to be going according to established procedure and the Green Party would be on the ballot in November.

Then, in a well-worn pattern of political skullduggery, Democratic Party functionaries known as Objectors proceeded to file a petition in the Commonwealth Court, to have the Green Party slate removed from the general election ballot based upon the presidential and vice presidential candidates alleged failure to comply with the requirements of the Election Code pertaining to candidate affidavits and substitutions.

The Objectors then filed an application with the court on August 24 for summary relief seeking to strike the nominations of the five candidates and the two substitutions from ballots that would be printed and distributed within two weeks.

Among the claims that the Objectors presented as reasons that the Green Party candidates should not be granted ballot status were: Scroggins failure to affix her affidavit to the nominating paper, she faxed a copy of her affidavit, sans cover letter or any other explanatory material, to a general fax number without notifying the Department or following up to ensure that it was obtained and lack of an original wet signature on her affidavit.

However, the Commonwealth Court ruled in favor of the Green Party and said that the Objectors were attempting to elevate form over substance and that a bureaucratic snafu does not constitute a fatal defect. The lower court also accepted the Green Partys argument that the Objectors i.e., the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, were engaged in distraction and spaghetti on the wall litigation tactics. It simply does not stick.

The appeal to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court was filed by Paul Stefano, a lawyer and Democratic Party Chairman from Lawrence County, and Tony C. Thomas, a Democratic Party activist from the Wilkes-Barre area.

Initially, in hearing the appeal, the Supreme Court halted the production of ballots throughout the state pending its decision. However, the Supreme Court majority ultimately overruled the Commonwealth Courts decision precisely on the basis of bureaucratic snafu considerations, writing, that defect was fatal to Scroggins nomination and, therefore, to Hawkins substitution. Accordingly, the Secretary of the Commonwealth is directed to remove Howie Hawkins and Angela Walker from the general election ballot as the Green Partys nominees for President and Vice President.

There is near-unanimous support within the ruling political establishment for the attacks on basic electoral rights being carried out the both the Democrats and Republicans. In the ballot access lawsuit filed by the SEP in Michiganwhich argued that the requirement to collect tens of thousands of signatures on petitions during the coronavirus pandemic was unconstitutionaljudges appointed by both Republican and Democratic presidents came together with Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer to reject the case of the socialist candidates Kishore and Santa Cruz.

In an op-ed on Thursday, Gail Collins, a columnist for the New York Times, attacked all third-party candidates, defended the two-party system and expressed contempt for the rights of voters to choose an alternative. She wrote, Throwing your support to a third-party candidate with no hope whatsoever of getting elected is, however, a good way to dodge responsibility.

Collins also repeated the well-worn lie that Green Party candidate Ralph Naderwho received nearly three million votes in the 2000 election, and nearly 100,000 in Florida alonewas responsible for the victory of Republican George W. Bush and defeat of Democrat Al Gore. The reality was that the Republican Party, with the support of the US Supreme Court, halted the recounting of ballots in Florida and gave the election to Bush without Gore and the Democrats mounting a political fight to stop it.

Both Bush and Trump won because of the anti-democratic character of the US political system, including the Electoral College itself, the two-party system, which limits official politics to the twin parties of Wall Street, and a host of restrictions on media coverage and political participation. Nader, for example, was denied the right to participate in presidential debates, despite his millions of supporters. It is the capitalist class, which ruthlessly enforces the two-party political monopoly, which is responsible for the reactionary consequences.
Donald Trump at a rally in Orlando, Fla., in 2016. (Los Angeles Times)

To the editor: Much irritates me about President Trump, but one of my biggest irritants is when he uses the phrase Lets see what happens." ("How Trumps creation of an alternate universe endangers the American people," Sept. 15)

Its almost a drinking game how often he uses it. And its another sign of how removed he is from reality.

He sees daily situations, world events and national crises from the point of view of a television viewer. Hes been watching the world through a television screen all his life, where sitcoms and dramas will all be back after this message  and where all the problems of the world are neatly wrapped up by the end of the hour.

The COVID-19 pandemic is merely this weeks episode. Were in the middle of the story, so lets see what happens. Without any involvement by the viewer itll all go away," just like all problems do on network television.

As he sits in his million-dollar living room, protected from pressure and problems of the outside world, surrounded by Secret Service, he watches the world on his television, filtered by commentators who present the reality he wishes to see.

The voters are watching too. Dont believe me? Lets see what happens on Nov. 3.

Jerry Beck, Burbank
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Linkedin Dzulfiqar Fathur Rahman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, September 18, 2020 07:26 491 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c458ea46 1 Business economic-reform,HSBC,COVID-19,FDI,investment,BKPM Free

The Indonesian government should use the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to accelerate economic reforms to attract more investment after the health crisis recedes, an economist with multinational investment bank and financial services holding company HSBC has said.

Joseph Incalcaterra, the chief economist for ASEAN at HSBC, said on Wednesday that the current uncertainty of the global economy made reform even more important, particularly for attracting foreign direct investment (FDI).

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, companies will be more risk averse in their investment decisions and will want to see a reform and political trajectory that can accommodate their investments, Incalcaterra said.

So I think that the COVID-19 pandemic is actually a very good opportunity for the country to really accelerate reforms to show that it is serious about attracting FDI next year, he said in a virtual discussion on Wednesday.

Indonesia recorded a decline in FDI realization for two consecutive quarters this year, as the pandemic battered both the national and global economies.

FDI fell 6.9 percent year-on-year (yoy) to Rp 97.6 trillion (US$6.55 billion) in the AprilJune period, continuing the downward trend recorded in the first three months of the year, when FDI fell 9.2 percent yoy, Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) data show.

However, this is still better than global FDI, which is forecast to contract 40 percent yoy on average this year, according to Incalcaterra.

To bring about reform, the Jokowi administration is currently pushing for the passing of the job creation omnibus bill, which will revise 79 laws and more than 1,200 articles that are deemed obstructive to investment.

The government expects the House of Representatives to pass the omnibus bill in October, despite backlash from labor unions, observers and NGOs that argue it will jeopardize labor rights and weaken environmental protections, among other issues.

Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto said the government was also preparing a priority investment list for industries that were export-oriented, produced import substitutes, were labor-intensive or had a high-tech and digital basis. These priority industries will receive tax incentives, among other incentives.

The government is also developing major infrastructure projects like the Trans Java toll road to improve connectivity and logistics in the hopes of attracting investment to industrial parks in the north of Java.

With this economic corridor in the northern part of Java, we hope to encourage its utilization by industries so it can be a driver of economic growth, said the minister.

The government is also developing the Batang Integrated Industrial Park, which will be dedicated to industrial development and manufacturing. The park will sit on 4,368 hectares of land owned by state-owned plantation holding company PT Perkebunan Nusantara (PTPN) IX in Gringsing district, Batang regency.

Phase one of the development is expected to cover 450 ha.

BKPM head Bahlil Lahadalia said three companies had committed to developing glass, automobile and battery factories in the Batang Industrial Park with a total combined area of 140 ha.

Some of them will launch [their projects] at the end of the year, said Bahlil. This is what will make investment in Indonesia improve.

Bahlil has said he did not expect the omnibus bill to bring about significant changes to investment this year even if the House passed it in October.

The BKPM has set this years investment realization target at Rp 817.2 trillion. As of the second quarter, the agency reported that investment realization had reached 49.3 percent of the target.
Alice Lamb is a writer, unmarried and living alone in a windswept cottage on the south coast during the Second World War.

She has a sharp tongue, long, wild hair, and the local children whisper that she's a spy.

One summer's day Alice finds, to her horror, that she is to host an evacuee from London, 11-year-old Frank, who is already on the doorstep.

'We've all got to do our bit,' the Billeting Officer reminds Alice sternly, leaving Frank in Alice's unwilling care.

Alice's life is about to change in ways she could never imagine.

And as Gemma Arterton, who stars as Alice in the film Summerland, says, between the cracking good story, the characters and the glorious location on the cliffs of the English coastline, how could she resist being part of it?

Gemma Arterton stars as Alice in the film Summerland and describes the film as a love story

'I had an immediate emotional reaction to it,' she says of the script when we talk by video from the London home she shares with her husband, actor Rory Keenan.

It came with excellent credentials, having as its writer her friend and neighbour, playwright Jessica Swale, who had already directed both Gemma and co-star Gugu Mbatha-Raw in her Olivier Award-winning stage play Nell Gwynn.

'When I first read it I didn't know I'd play Alice, I just knew I wanted to be part of it somehow.

'I'd studied the war at school, and grew up knowing about evacuees because my grandmother was evacuated from London, so that story was a huge part of our lives.'

The film is not only about an evacuee, however. Important to the plot is the love Alice had shared 15 years before with her soulmate, the beautiful, witty and impeccably stylish Vera (Gugu).

'It's a love story,' says Gemma simply.

'And it happens to be between two women. We didn't want to make it a big deal that they were lesbians  there's an element of, "Oh, gosh, wouldn't it be wonderful if we could all just be with whoever we liked," but that wasn't really a talking point here.

'Actually, the reason that Alice and Vera can't be together is because one of them can't give the other one the baby she wants. That's a whole other topic.'

Important to the plot is the love Alice had shared with her soulmate, the beautiful, witty and impeccably stylish Vera, played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw

Nevertheless, she does acknowledge that, in the 1940s two women in love would have been unacceptable to most people.

'There's a lovely scene where Alice asks Frank if he's shocked by her sexuality, and he just accepts it, like, "Of course it's not weird  why would it be weird to love someone?" That's what we wanted to show in this film.

'It's the way I grew up. My mum's sister, Aunt Sarah, is gay, and it was never a big deal: she and my mum are very close, and we were always hanging out with her friends and her girlfriends.

'I think a lot of the homophobia that exists comes when people are not mixing with a certain set of people, they're not humanising them, or seeing them as normal people.

'That was never a thing for me.'

Gemma does acknowledge that, in the 1940s two women in love would have been unacceptable to most people

The film also has a determinedly colourblind philosophy: Gugu is of African descent, many of the villagers are West Indian or Indian, and Lucas Bond, who plays Frank, is of mixed race.

'We wanted to show all sorts of people and how they could live together.

'Jess feels very strongly about casting colourblind  after all, she cast Gugu as Nell Gwynn in her debut big play.

'The reason we cast Gugu as Vera is she was the perfect person to play her.'

She adds that no less care was taken in the search for the perfect Frank.

'We auditioned many kids, but there was something about Lucas  he was very intelligent and switched on, which felt very right for Frank.

'I felt I could talk to him like an adult, and our relationship developed like Alice and Frank's does, into good friends.'

The location is as much of a character as the actors.

The Seven Sisters cliffs of East Sussex are the backdrop, and Alice's home is an old coastguard cottage between Seaford and Eastbourne, a real fairy-tale dwelling.

Gemma was due to follow Summerland with The King's Man, a lavish prequel to the Kingsman series, but its release has been put back to 2021

And if it looks familiar from the outside, there's a reason for that.

'Remember at the end of Atonement, James McAvoy and Keira Knightley's characters were going to meet again at this idyllic house they'd seen on a postcard?

Well, one of our producers had worked on Atonement, and he read the script then said, 'I know just the house we need!'

Gemma was due to follow Summerland with The King's Man, a lavish prequel to the Kingsman series, but its release has been put back to 2021.

Later this year she'll be seen in the BBC mini-series Black Narcissus, the story of a group of nuns moving to an old Himalayan palace.

She says she dealt with lockdown better than expected.

'It wasn't easy, especially at the beginning. But it's also been enriching, and brought a lot of us closer together.

'I've been speaking to my mum on the phone every day, usually I only would once a week.

The film also has a determinedly colourblind philosophy: Gugu is of African descent, many of the villagers are West Indian or Indian, and Lucas Bond (pictured), who plays Frank, is of mixed race

'And I've been having quizzes once a week with friends from grammar school  we were starting to grow apart but now we're much closer.'

She admits that, where she and Rory were concerned, she was a little anxious about how it would turn out.

'I like being on my own a lot, and so does he, but we've found a way of living together that's been really great.

'We've been creating work together. He wrote a film I'll be in, which is exciting.'

The couple are not alone in the house. An enthusiastic young spaniel lollops onto her lap, gazing up adoringly.

'That's Luca,' she says. 'He's my baby. He's been sitting next to me while we've been talking, though he hates it when I'm on the laptop.'

She smiles down at the dog, mirroring his affection. 'He's a real mummy's boy,' she says proudly.

Summerland is available to stream via curzonhomecinema.com.
A California family, who was affected by the raging wildfires in the state, has accused vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris of allegedly trespassing on their fire-ravaged property to stage a photo-op.

Harris and California Governor Gavin Newsom posed together for pictures as they inspected damage caused by the fires in Auberry, near Fresno.

Harris and Newsom first inspected Pine Ridge Elementary school during the Sept. 15 trip before going across the street to the Patten family resident's destroyed home.

Harris described the neighborhood's remaining chimneys as "tombstones" while standing where the house once was.

However, the photo-op has offended the homeowners, saying that they are frustrated the politicians ventured into their property without permission when they themselves have not been allowed back to see the damage.

Trampas Patten, son of the homeowners, has slammed Harris.

"What has me really frustrated right now is the fact that these two politicians used my parents' loss for a photo opportunity to push their political agenda!" he said in a report.

Patten noted that political parties would not have made a difference in this moment, saying that decent human beings have character and class. Patten said people should think about this when they cast their vote in a few weeks.

He then asked the public if this is the kind of leadership they want - the one that uses "you and your loss for political gain."

Reports said the home remains under an evacuation order, and residents have not been allowed yet to return by officials.

Patten's sister, Bailee Patten, said that seeing the family's destroyed home for the first time on social media was devastating. She noted that that was the place where they grew up, and those were their memories.

"And to not have that, to feel so helpless and I guess that's what we've all been thinking, is that we were so helpless," she said in a report.

Wildfires

Record-breaking sizes of wildfires have been scorching the state of California.

According to a report, the smoke from the state's destructive wildfires gives California's skies a Martian look.

Last week, a fire burning in California's Sierra National Forest exploded in size. It trapped hundreds of Labor Day holiday campers who could only be rescued by helicopters. Fire officials said they have never seen a fire move so fast in forestland in a day.

Also last week, a wildfire in Plumas National Forest northeast of San Francisco had spread 25 miles in a day and burned around 400 square miles.

"We have seen multiple fires expand by tens of thousands of acres in a matter of hours, and 30 years or more ago that just wasn't fire behavior that we saw," a professor of geography and the environment at Syracuse University who studies wildfires, Jacob Bendix, said in a report.

University of Utah fire expert Philip Dennison added that fires in California are moving faster and growing larger with hotter temperatures and longer fire seasons.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the historical Kosi Rail Mega Bridge to the nation and inaugurated new rail lines and electrification projects in Bihar via video-conferencing. Railway Minister Piyush Goyal was present at the event.

These projects will improve Bihars railway network and also strengthen connectivity in areas of West Bengal and West India, PM Modi said.

The PM took a dig at the Congress government for not expediting the Kosi Rail line programme for which foundation stone was laid by Atal Bihari Vajpayee when his government was in power before 2004. If the government continued to work at the rate it was working on after 2004, the project could never have been completed on time, he said.

In the last 6 years, efforts are being made to shape Indian Railways as per the aspirations of new India and expectations of Aatmanirbhar Bharat. The made in India trains are becoming part of rail network, PM Modi said.

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said that the Kosi Rail Mega Bridge will not only connect two places but also help the states economy grow. This will aid in the overall development of the state, he said.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar thanked PM Modi and Railway Minister for their work aimed at Bihars development. He expressed his gratitude for the projects being inaugurated on Friday.

Bihar deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi said that these rail lines will connect Jain and Buddhist pilgrimage sites and encourage tourism in Bihar.

The bridge has strategic importance along the India-Nepal border. The historical project to build the bridge, which is 1.9 kilometres long and has been constructed at a cost of Rs 516 crore, was sanctioned by the Centre in 2003-04, a government release said.

The project was completed during the Covid-19 pandemic where the migrant labour also participated in its completion, it added.
Coronavirus stigma runs deep and dangerous in Indonesia Ari Harifin stands at his family's house amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Sukabumi

By Kate Lamb and Stanley Widianto

(Reuters) - When Ari Harifin Hendriyawan's mother tested positive for the coronavirus, their neighbours brought a hammer and nails and boarded up the lane.

From his home in the lush foothills of Indonesia's West Java, the 23-year-old told Reuters the barricade appeared days after he received a negative test result and was at home self-isolating.

I was angry of course," he said, "If I had not been restrained (by relatives), I dont know what couldve happened."

As the coronavirus rippled across the world's fourth most populous country, it also carried a stigma that public health experts say has stopped people from getting tested in fear of being shunned, and complicated the response to the pandemic.

For months Indonesia has struggled to stem a rise in transmission, with nearly 229,000 cases and a death toll of 9,100, the second highest in Asia after India. It also has one of the worlds lowest testing rates.

Indonesias COVID-19 taskforce spokesperson Wiku Adisasmito said the stigma those infected face remains a problem. He said the government was doing what it could to counter that.

Stigma can only be erased by tirelessly promoting health to increase awareness about infections and empathy to help those in need, he said.

Indonesia has drawn criticism from public health experts for its relative lack of testing, its patchwork social restrictions to contain the spread of the disease and a list of unscientific treatments praised by cabinet ministers. At least two ministers had also caught the virus.

From across Indonesia, more than a dozen healthcare workers told Reuters how the stigma around coronavirus had complicated their work or, in some cases, increased risks.

In the riverside city of Banjarmasin on Borneo, hazmat-suited civil servants told Reuters of how their arrival caused panic in the streets. They now ask contacts to visit the health centre to avoid unwanted attention - even though that could increase the risk of contact and transmission.

Story continues

From Medan, North Sumatra, nurses recounted how they were expelled from a village in March and told the virus was fake news, while others have received abusive phone calls from parents, perplexed as to why their child, but not another, had contracted the disease.

NIGHT-TIME CONVOYS

In remote West Papua, so deep is the fear that nurses have on several occasions escorted patients into quarantine in the dead of night  pre-arranged convoys of motorbikes snaking along jungle roads.

The patients themselves requested this, nurse Yunita Renyaana, told Reuters via Zoom. "They would say, Sister, not tomorrow, come tonight so nobody knows... They were afraid of the stigma, of being seen as a disgrace, or a source of contagion."

A survey by Lapor COVID-19, an independent coronavirus data initiative, and researchers at the University of Indonesia last month found that 33 percent of 181 respondents reported having been ostracized after contracting the coronavirus.

This stigma phenomenon is costing peoples health and also their mental health, said Dicky Pelupessy, a psychologist involved in the survey. There are cases where people just dont want to be tested, dont want to be seen as having contracted the virus.

On the islands of Java, Sulawesi and Bali, bereaved families have also barged into hospitals to claim bodies of COVID-19 victims, fearing their relatives might not be given a burial in line with religious beliefs.

Dozens were subsequently infected.

The government is not doing enough to really educate the people, said Sulfikar Amir, a disaster sociologist at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, Thats one of the reasons we have seen extreme reactions.

Among various Indonesian government initiatives is one with the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs and some 25,000 field workers to help share information about the coronavirus, including through Facebook, to help improve awareness and counter fake news and stigma.

But months into the pandemic, many still feel isolated.

Ari's mother was asymptomatic and stayed isolated for over a month, he said, but he still feels shunned by neighbors.

Reflecting on the experience, Ari, now unemployed after the cafe he worked in closed due to the virus, said the response lacked empathy, and logic.

I think theyre afraid," Ari told Reuters, "Maybe for them the coronavirus is as big as an elephant."

(Additional reporting by Agustinus Beo Da Costa in Jakarta; Editing by Matthew Tostevin)
EDWARDSVILLE  Madison County will receive a $750,000 federal grant through the Violence Against Women Act, according to U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville.

In April 2019, Davis crossed party lines and voted for VAWAs passage. Davis led an effort this year to again re-authorize VAWA and increase funding and flexibility to meet Coronavirus-related demands.
Against the backdrop of multiple firing incidents on the Line of Actual Control in Eastern Ladakh, top political and national security brass are likely to meet on Friday to discuss the way forward on the ongoing conflict with China on the border.

IMAGE: Indian Air Force fighter jet on the runway amid the prolonged, in Leh, on September 16, 2020. Photograph: PTI Photo

The top political and national security brass including military leaders are scheduled to meet on Friday to discuss the situation all along the China border from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh, government sources told ANI.

The participants would include senior ministers dealing with the situation along with the senior military leadership, they said.

The leadership is likely to discuss the Chinese military activities in Doklam and other areas on Bhutanese soil along with the Indian preparations to deal with the situation.

The meeting will also discuss the delay in the Corps Commander level talks which was agreed upon in the diplomatic talks between both sides in Russia.

The Chinese and Indian corps commanders were supposed to restart their parleys after a long gap.

The first five rounds of talks had failed to gain any significant results for disengagement at friction points as the Chinese continue to not only sit at Finger 4 but have also fortified their presence there.

The Chinese response to the strong Indian stance on the Chinese aggression in Eastern Ladakh is also likely to come up for discussion by the leadership.

The leaders had discussed the situation on the Chinese buildup in Bhutan recently where the People's Liberation Army has amassed troops and weaponry for quite some time now.

India and China have been engaged in a territorial conflict since April-May timeframe as the Chinese Army transgressed into multiple areas from the Galwan valley to the Finger area along the Pangong lake.

India has also now taken a hard military stance and deployed around 45,000 troops along with elements of armoured divisions.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 12:54:06|Editor: huaxia

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GENEVA, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- China has done "the right thing at the right time" in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, said Fiorenzo Manganiello, first vice president of the Swiss private bank Banque Profil de Gestion (BPDG).

China's further economic opening-up and a simplified regulatory environment are good news for foreign investors, Manganiello told Xinhua in a recent interview.

"China became an example of efficient dealing with uncertain events like the global pandemic. It was because of the resources China has, whether manpower or technology," Manganiello said.

"The infrastructure and measures needed at the time of the outbreak were built and taken by China. The Chinese economy expanded 3.2 percent from a year earlier in the second quarter and could be the only major global economy to grow in 2020," the banker said.

BPDG is a Geneva-based private bank with its core activities encompassing wealth management, mergers & acquisitions advisory and asset management.

Speaking of the China-EU investment agreement which is expected to be concluded by the end of this year, Manganiello said "this regional cooperation could be fruitful in the coming years ... the countries in the agreement will benefit from each other in economic, financial and many other ways."

"Large European companies are and will be in China, while small and medium companies are in clear need of market share," Manganiello added.

The Chinese government has taken a batch of measures to further open up the world's second-biggest economy and improve the business environment for foreign investors, such as shortening the negative list for foreign investments and enhancing protection of intellectual property rights.

"China is moving towards relaxed regulations for foreign companies. This is a key for foreign investors like us as the conditions for doing business are favourable," he said.

"I believe that China's economic transformation and modernization will make the processes of trading more efficient and effective without compromises on quality. Hence, it will be easier for us to build technology hubs in the country, create join ventures with Chinese companies and invest capital into local businesses," Manganiello added.

He also said that the pandemic will have an impact on economic globalization due to the delocalization of production in some countries, especially in labor-intensive industries.

"The rise towards a 'digital' globalization, dominated by smart working, video conferencing, telemedicine and e-learning, represents a clear development opportunity," Manganiello said. Enditem
Thirty people from across Northern Ireland attended a house party in Belfasts Holyland area, police said.

Three people attempted to hide by locking themselves in a bathroom for more than 10 minutes as officers dealt with other people.

They issued 55 Covid penalty notices and three prohibition notices on properties on Thursday night and Friday morning.

Holyland Patrol



Police continue to patrol the area of the Holyland and are working alongside partner agencies to keep people safe. pic.twitter.com/WX6zS8tdpN  Police South Belfast (@PSNIBelfastS) September 17, 2020

PSNI chief inspector Gavin Kirkpatrick said, It is disappointing and frustrating that some people continue to disregard clear and specific advice, guidance and warnings issued by police, the health minister, universities and others.

Police will continue to dedicate substantial resources to this area as we work alongside partner agencies, including representatives from Belfast City Council and both universities who will be on the ground to address ongoing issues in the Holyland area.

Ulster and Queens universities have warned any students found to be in breach of health guidelines will be subject to stringent disciplinary measures that may include suspension or exclusion.

The young people congregating or travelling to this area really need to consider their actions for their own health and that of the community of this residential area Gavin Kirkpatrick

Mr Kirkpatrick added: Once again, I am warning young people who have moved to the Holyland area and those who are visiting the area, you all share responsibility to adhere to the Health Protection Regulations to protect yourselves and others from Covid-19.

The young people congregating or travelling to this area really need to consider their actions for their own health and that of the community of this residential area.

Footage showing groups of young people congregating and drinking in the area of terraced housing near Queens was deplorable, health minister Robin Swann said.

960 The fine which could face those breaching Covid rules

He detailed fines of up to 960 which could be applied to repeat offenders.

Belfast is one of the areas subjected to localised lockdowns and people cannot visit other houses.

Mr Kirkpatrick said: A large number of people are acting responsibly but there are some who continue to behave recklessly and are causing disruption for the local community.

Police will robustly address all incidents of antisocial or criminal activity.
President Trump believed Chinese assurances on coronavirus spread before the outbreak reached the U.S., the outgoing U.S. ambassador to China told CNN on Friday.

Ambassador Terry Branstad made the comments after stepping down to return to the U.S. Branstad served as Iowa governor from 1983-1999 and again from 2011-2017, and is the longest-serving governor in U.S. history.

The U.S.-China relationship has soured during Trumps term amid a trade war and the coronavirus pandemic. Branstad has blamed China for not containing the initial outbreak in Wuhan, and for lying to world nations about the spread of the illness.

I think President Trump believed the Chinese when they said what they said about the virus. And then he, and the rest of the world, found out that what they said was not true, Branstad said. Misinformation and coverups occurred, and its really, I think, the communist system of China, and their unwillingness to admit wrongdoing, that caused this whole thing to happen.

Trump publicly praised Chinese premier Xi Jinping multiple times at the onset of the outbreak.

China has been working very hard to contain the Coronavirus. The United States greatly appreciates their efforts and transparency, Trump wrote on Twitter on January 24. It will all work out well. In particular, on behalf of the American People, I want to thank President Xi!

As the virus progressed, the president changed his stance and began lashing out at Xi and the CPP over their initial lack of transparency.

There have been hints that Branstad is returning to the U.S. to campaign for Trumps reelection. Branstads son Eric is a senior adviser to Trump Victory 2020, a joint fundraising operation by the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee. Additionally, Eric Branstad retweeted a recording of Trump last week in which the president was heard saying the ambassador is coming home from China because he wants to campaign.

He still plays well in the Midwest. He has high name ID and is probably the best person to talk about the China influence, a source with knowledge of the Trump campaign told CNN.

Story continues

Apart from the pandemic, Branstads home state of Iowa and other parts of the Midwest have been affected by the Trump administrations agricultural trade negotiations with China, which have led to a spike in the purchase of U.S. soybean crops over the past several months. Iowa produces about 14 percent of the nations soybeans, and high demand from China has driven soybean prices to their highest level since 2018, according to the Wall Street Journal.

More from National Review
VANCOUVERThe first half of a $100-million federal fund directed at cleaning up dormant oil and gas wells in British Columbia has been disbursed.

Energy Minister Bruce Ralston says work is underway to reclaim wells that have been inactive for at least five years and arent likely to come back into service.

He says applications to receive a share of the second $50-million instalment will open on Nov. 1, allowing B.C.-based companies to hire local workers to clean up about 2,000 dormant wells.

The program provides up to $100,000 or 50 per cent of the cost of site cleanup, whichever is less, while Indigenous communities, local governments and landowners may also identify priority sites until the end of this month.

Ottawa pledged $1.7 billion in April to help Alberta, Saskatchewan and B.C. clean up inactive and so-called orphan oil and gas wells, with B.C. receiving $120 million.

There are about 7,000 dormant wells in B.C. and 770 orphan wells, meaning the sites were operated by companies that are insolvent, cannot be located or no longer exist.

The $15-million orphan sites program administered by the B.C. Oil and Gas Commission was flooded with more than 1,100 applications when it launched earlier this year.

Another $5 million is going to the legacy sites reclamation program to address the impacts of historical oil and gas activities on communities and wildlife.

Read more about:
MUMBAI : Shares of Cadila Healthcare climbed as much as 6.49% on Monday after the company received US drug regulator's final approval for Potassium Chloride extended-release tablets.

At 01:50 pm, Cadila Healthcare was trading at 418.35 up 6.13%, while the benchmark Sensex advanced 0.26% to 39,081.83 points.

Zydus Cadila has received final approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) to market Potassium Chloride extended-release tablets in the strengths of 750 mg and 1500 mg, it said in a regulatory filing.

The medication is a mineral supplement used to treat or prevent low amounts of potassium in the blood and will be manufactured at the group's formulation manufacturing facility at the SEZ, Ahmedabad.

Cadila is in talks with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) to bring coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V in India. RDIF and Dr Reddy's Laboratories have joined hands on clinical trials and distribution of Sputnik V in India.

On a consolidated basis, the company's net profit surged 49.53% to 454 crore for the quarter ended 30 June against 303.60 crore for the same quarter last year. Net sales rose 4.20% to 3,549.30 crore in Q1 June 2020 over 3406.20 crore in Q1 June 2019.

From the beginning of the year, Cadila Healthcare gained 63% against a fall of 5% in the benchmark index, Sensex. From March lows, the stock gained 95% while Sensex was up 33%.

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Voters stood in line for several hours at polling places in Fairfax, Virginia, on September 18, the first day early voting for the November election was allowed in the state.

Early voting started Friday in Virginia, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Minnesota, according to reports.

Footage taken from the Fairfax County Government Center shows hundreds of people socially distancing, as the line spanned for blocks.

RA Olivieri, who took this video, said, It took 4 hours to vote (arrived at 10 am, left at about 2 pm. When I left, line was still almost as long as when I arrived. No regrets.

According to news reports, election workers had to open an additional voting room at the government center. Several voters were prepared with lawn chairs, the report said, and Democrats outnumbered Republicans. Credit: R.A. Olivieri via Storyful
New Efremov's defense seeks to change actors sentence to 4-year suspended term

 RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov

13:44 18/09/2020

MOSCOW, September 18 (RAPSI)  Vladimir Vasilyev, a new defense lawyer for Mikhail Efremov filed an appeal against sentence given to the actor seeking to overturn it or change for a 4-year suspended term, RAPSI was told in the Moscow Presnensky District Courts press service on Friday.

After sentencing he waived the services of attorney Elman Pashayev because he was dissatisfied with his sentence. Lawyer Roman Filippov entered the case as the actors defense lawyer, RAPSI was told Tuesday in the Russian Lawyers Company earlier.

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.




She returned to present her Smooth Radio show this week so husband Derek Draper 'can hear my voice as well as many of the songs we both love.'

And Kate Garraway was seen making to her way to Global studios on Friday, after a busy morning presenting Good Morning Britain after which she zipped home on a motorbike while donning a pretty dress and heavy duty jacket.

The TV presenter, 53, put on a stylish display in a chic blue midi dress that had a white lace trim across the ensemble.

Chic: Kate Garraway put on a stylish display in a blue midi dress as she made her way to Smooth Radio on Friday, amid husband Derek Draper's coronavirus battle

Kate's outfit also featured a paisley print, long puffy sleeves and a ruched neckline for a glamorous flair.

She boosted her height in a pair of white heels, while she kept her personal items in a large beige handbag.

The Good Morning Britain co-host wore her golden locks in a sleek, straight style, and she used a light palette of make-up for the occasion.

Stunning: Kate's outfit also featured a paisley print, long puffy sleeves and a ruched neckline for a glamorous flair, and she paired it with white heels

Vroom vroom! She headed home on a motorbike

Kate took a break from work to spend time with her children and husband, Derek, 53, who remains in intensive care as he continues to recover from COVID-19.

But last week she announced she would be returning to her Smooth Radio show so that Derek 'can hear my voice as well as many of the songs we both love.'

She will record her show from 10am to 1pm everyday this week, after her friend Myleene Klass filled in for her during her break.

Derek was hospitalised back in March after suffering complications from contracting COVID-19, and has remained there since.

Biker chick! She was showing off her lithe legs

Radiant: But last week she announced she would be returning to her Smooth Radio show so that Derek 'can hear my voice as well as many of the songs we both love'

Last Thursday the TV star revealed how she celebrated her 15th wedding anniversary with Derek after being unable to visit him in hospital.

Speaking on Good Morning Britain, she revealed she was able see him later in the day, but admitted it felt 'strange' as Derek is in a limited consciousness state.

Kate revealed: 'We did our best to make it special. We had him on FaceTime. We raised a glass to say happy anniversary.

'I have a card to take to read to him. He was a prolific card writer for birthdays. He'd always remember. And hopefully he'll do it again.

Moving: Kate, who recently returned to work on GMB, announced she would return to Smooth Radio last week so that Derek 'can hear my voice as well as many of the songs we both love'

'It will be strange reading to him, but this time I have made a bit more of an effort.'

Derek is now in a limited consciousness and is unable to talk - but can hear things. His carers have been playing GMB on TV for him, while Kate is on.

Kate returned to the studio having taken time out to settle her children into school, after what has been a challenging six months for the family.

She shares Darcey, 14, and William, 11, with Derek. He is one of an estimated just five people in the world whose bodies have been damaged so much by COVID-19.
Lawmaker: 2021 budget draft has no caps on state-guaranteed debt, public debt may skyrocket

18:59, 18.09.20 118

Preparations of the draft budget for the first reading are about to start on September 18.
Bob Woodward defended sitting on revelations of Donald Trump's coronavirus response for release in his new book Rage, saying the president is "the wrong man for the job".

In an interview with Fox News host Dana Perino on Thursday, Mr Woodward said he held back Mr Trump's private comments that coronavirus was deadly because he thought the president was specifically referencing its impact on China.

Excerpts promoting the book which began publishing after Labor Day showed Mr Trump publicly played down the seriousness of the coronavirus in what he maintains was an attempt to prevent panic, "keep calm and carry on".

Asked if he feels any responsibility to have reported Mr Trump's comments earlier in the pandemic, Mr Woodward said he only learned in May what the president was talking about during their 28 January interview.

"I did not know about that meeting at that point. I  if there was at any point, Dana, here where I could have printed something in The Washington Post  I have access to the editor, Marty Baron, directly, his subeditors, if I think some story should be printed," Mr Woodward said.

"All the discussion was about China. And, in May, I learned the truth. Quite frankly, when I learned it, I was shocked that the president did not step up in the opportunities he had, like the State of the Union message."

Mr Trump has seized on the seven-month delay in Mr Woodward's reporting as an illustration that the veteran journalist didn't believe the comments were significant at the time.

Mr Woodward interviewed the president 19 times, as well as several White House officials, for his second book on the Trump administration. In conclusion, he makes the assessment that Mr Trump is unfit for office, but also says he's not endorsing Joe Biden as he hasn't reported on him in-depth.

When Perino questioned the journalistic credibility of making an assessment, Mr Woodward said he learned journalism from former Washington Post executive editor Ben Bradlee, whose rule was to play it straight, play it aggressively and not be in the political game.

"Dana if youd been able to read the book, the evidence is overwhelming. It's one of the saddest moments in this country to have a leader who has failed to tell the truth, who has failed to warn the people," he said.

"I mean look at this, he downplayed it, he up played it, the confusion in the message for somebody trying to figure this out  should I send my school, can I go to the grocery store, what's the mess the president has that megaphone and people look to him as the one who is going to say, 'here's the reality. And if you distort the reality you have failed in your job and you are the wrong man for that job."
I hope that people look at my cumulative body of work and realize that the military experience is one that has seen the best and worst of humanity and how we come home and incorporate that new normal in our daily lives and how those experiences have shaped veterans, award-winning combat photographer Stacy Pearsall said this week.

Pearsall will talk about her military service and her photography Sept. 24 to members of the Huntsville Museum of Art. The museum has 35 of her photographs on view in a display called Hard Earned that includes some from her Veterans Portrait Project. The photos show a behind-the-scenes look at combat and its effect on soldiers, but also the lives of American troops in a combat zone.

One of the soldiers in that collection is Capt. Donnie Belser of Alabama, who was killed in action during their deployment together in 2007. Belser is from Anniston, and he was killed in Iraq during an attack by enemy forces. He was 28 and a graduate of Jacksonville State University.

The photos show a behind-the-scenes look at combat and its effect on soldiers, but also offer glimpses of the lives of American troops in a combat zone.

Pearsall said she will discuss her journey to becoming a combat photographer, being injured and rehabilitated, the identity crisis of not being a combat photographer any longer, and learning that I could still serve my country without wearing a uniform...and that art is healing.

Starting as an Air Force photographer when she was 17, Pearsall served three combat tours earning the Bronze Star Medal and Air Force Commendation with Valor. She is one of only two women to win the National Press Photographers' Association Military Photographer of the Year and the only woman to have won it twice.

Pearsall will live-stream her speech due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The even starts at 6 p.m. and is open to museum members for $25 each. Seating will be limited to maintain social distancing. Details at the link above.
The secret talks between Matiq and Hifters representatives come just days after Hifters key rival, Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj of the Tripoli-based government, announced he would hand over power to a new administration in October. There was no formal announcement from the Tripoli-based administration about the deal to reopen contested oil fields, suggesting that Matiq may be positioning himself to exploit the void once Sarraj resigns.
Azerbaijan's First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva has made an Instagram post on the occasion of the National Music Day celebrated in the country on September 18.

On the occasion of the National Music Day, I extend my sincere greetings to everyone who spared no efforts to preserve, develop and promote Azerbaijani music in the world, and wish them great achievements in this case. I respectfully commemorate prominent Azerbaijani composers Uzeyir Hajibayli and Muslim Magomayev whose 135th anniversary we are marking today. May our national music, preserving its traditions, always be enriched with new voices, new performances and approaches! the post reads.

On September 18, Azerbaijan celebrates National Music Day. The music feast marks the birthday of Uzeyir Hajibeyli, the father of Azerbaijan's classical music and the composer of the first opera in the Muslim East.

The tradition to celebrate National Music Day was laid by Maestro Niyazi who used to celebrate this day each year after the composer's death in 1948.








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Auburns Office of University Outreach has begun implementing a leadership training guide titled Culture Bump: 8 Steps to Common Ground as a tool to teach The Culture Bump Approach to individuals and educational leaders throughout the state of Alabama.

The 149-page book, available on Amazon.com, was written by Carol Archer, originator of the Culture Bump theory and former staff member at the University of Houston Language and Culture Center, and Stacey Nickson, director of Auburns Center for Educational Outreach and Engagement, or CEOE. Most recently, University Outreach has provided training for 55 staff responsible for Head Start education at six locations in Alabamas Black Belt.

Auburn Universitys Culture Bump training takes a different approach by helping our staff provide an educational environment that respects the values of every family whose child attends Head Start by finding common ground, even if we personally have an opposite point of view, said Felecia Lucky, president of the Black Belt Community Foundation that oversees Head Start.

The Culture Bump Approach is an engaging and interactive process that teaches transformation of culture bumps or differences with others into authentic relationships. It includes a method that teaches negotiation of new insights into ones own character or culture and leads to an exploration of why humans are different while affirming how we are the same.

University Outreachs Culture Bump training makes this possible not only for individuals, but also for businesses, governments, schools, universities, hospitals, religious institutions, the military, political parties and neighborhood groups, or for anyone faced with a circumstance in which people are confronted with others.

Earlier this summer, Outreach began training leaders from the Birmingham City Schools Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, or PBIS, as part of its School Climate Transformation Initiative Grant.

Culture Bump diffuses a reactionary mindset of actively displaying biases against another; Culture Bump teaches an individual to explore and understand differences through a process of being open-minded, communicative, honest and accepting, said Stephanie Turner, director of PBIS. Simply stated, Culture Bump teaches individuals to become proactive and not reactive toward understanding differences among others.

Culture Bump philosophy states that having bias is a human trait that will never go away and, in fact, that bias is necessary. It is a collection of biased thoughts that lead people to respond differently than one another, the concept presents.

Naming the experience as a culture bump rather than an intentional, personal act reveals the possibility of something beyond culture, something that is more universal, Archer and Nickson state in the book, which was published in December.

The Culture Bump theory is predicated on the reality that people cannot escape the fact that interactions in every arena are influenced by individual responses to differences. Positive, negative or neutral reactions reveal themselves in the conflicts and violence that result from decisions made in response to differences in politics, education, religion, socio-economics, race, gender, nationality or ethnicity.

When we think of common ground, we generally understand it to be mutual understanding, and we assume that this includes agreement  Culture Bump points out that common ground and commonalities do not imply acceptance or even agreement; they simply imply a mutually understood category in which the individuals can hold opposite points of view, Archer and Nickson write in the guide.

Culture Bump Approach tools and training can be accessed through the Auburn University Outreachs CEOE. The Culture Bump online courses, virtual and hybrid trainings are administered through University Outreach.
A Florida State University Student has filed a lawsuit against the school's leadership and the school's government.

Student Jack Denton, stated his school didn't properly respect his 'freedom of speech' and his religious background. Jack was removed from his position of leadership for remarks he made about the Black Lives Matter Movement in June. Jack is now asking the court to order his reinstatement, compensation, and the expungement of all records relating to the Senate's retaliatory and discriminatory actions against him.

Alliance defending Freedom lawyer, Tyson Langhofer issued a statment, "All students should be able to peacefully share their personal convictions without fear of retaliation." "While FSU students claim they're creating a 'safe space' as the school tried to cancel Jack's freedoms and discriminate against him because they don't like his beliefs."

Jack Denton also wrote 'BlackLivesMatter.com' fosters affirms queer networks and defends transgenderism. Just like Pat Robertson, Jack Denton claims the 'BLM' movement is Anti-catholic according to the conversation provided by the ADF. Jack re-issued the matter and stated, "If I stay silent while my brothers and sisters may be supporting an organization that promotes grave evils, I have sinned through my silence."

ADF protected Jack with all costs as they defended him for freedom.
Kosovo's President Hashim Thaci signs the Order of Freedom awarded to U.S. President Donald Trump, in capital Pristina, on Sept. 18, 2020. (Visar Kryeziu/AP Photo)

Kosovo Awards Trump With Order of Freedom for Peace Efforts

PRISTINA, KosovoKosovo awarded U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday with one of the countrys highest honors for his governments efforts on peace and reconciliation in the former war-torn region.

President Hashim Thaci awarded Trump with Kosovos Order of Freedom for his exceptional contribution for the freedom of Kosovo and the strengthening of peace and reconciliation in the region.

Kosovos President Hashim Thaci signs the Order of Freedom awarded to U.S. President Donald Trump, in capital Pristina, on Sept. 18, 2020. (Visar Kryeziu/AP Photo)

The honor is given to local and foreign citizens for their high contribution in defending Kosovos freedom.

Trumps administration has been working to normalize relations between Serbia and Kosovo, two former Balkan war foes, and two weeks ago Serbian President Aleksander Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti signed an economic normalization deal at the White House.

Thaci also awarded Trumps National Security Adviser Robert OBrien and his envoy for Serbia-Kosovo talks Richard Grenell with the lower Presidential Medal of Merits, saying they were indispensable for the deal.

A photo of the Order of Freedom awarded to the U.S. President Donald Trump, undersigned by Kosovos President Hashim Thaci in capital Pristina, on Sept. 18, 2020. (Visar Kryeziu/AP Photo)

Kosovo, a former Serbian province, and Serbia have been negotiating under European Union mediation since 2011 on normalizing their ties. Serbia fought a brutal 1998-1999 war with separatist fighters in Kosovo. The war ended after NATO conducted a 78-day airstrike campaign against Serbia.

Kosovo was run by the United Nations for nine years before it declared independence in 2008. Most Western nations recognize Kosovos statehood, but not Serbia.

In another nod to inroads made this year, a member of Swedens parliament nominated the governments of the U.S., Kosovo, and Serbia for the Nobel Peace Prize.

In a letter sent to Trump, Thaci said that the Kosovo-Serbia deal can be achieved only under the powerful leadership of the United States of America. Your role in that process is vital.

Thaci also invited Trump for a visit to Kosovo.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 11:39:28|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- China supports measures to ensure the safety and security of peacekeepers, says a white paper released by the State Council Information Office Friday.

With a view to fully protecting the safety, security and health of peacekeepers, China advocates a systematic approach to addressing the increasing traditional and non-traditional security threats, says the white paper titled "China's Armed Forces: 30 Years of UN Peacekeeping Operations."

China stands for comprehensive UN solutions to strengthen information collection and sharing, reinforce early warning and risk awareness, upgrade security equipment and facilities, improve medical services, and enhance the prevention and control of infectious diseases, it says. Enditem
Attorney General Ken Paxtons office told the Texas Supreme Court late Friday that it intended to seek a review of a Houston-based appeals court ruling denying his attempt to block Harris County officials from sending mail ballot applications to the countys 2.4 million registered voters.

The 14th Court of Appeals earlier Friday issued a ruling saying the state had failed to prove Harris County Clerk Christopher Hollins plan would cause irreparable injury to voters. The ruling upheld an earlier decision by a state district judge in Houston.

Paxtons office had argued that by sending mail ballot applications to every registered voter, Hollins would be abusing voters by misleading them and walking them into a felony of casting ballots by mail when they were not eligible to do so. The Harris County Attorneys office noted that Hollins planned to attach a brochure to each application informing voters of the eligibility requirements for voting by mail.

The States argument is based on mere conjecture; there is, in this record, no proof that voters will intentionally violate the Election Code and no proof that voters will fail to understand the mailer and intentionally commit a felony, or be aided by the election official in doing so, Justices Charles Spain, Meagan Hassan and Meg Poissant wrote.

The justices also cited an exchange between Hollins attorney and Texas Elections Director Keith Ingram, during which Ingram was asked how a voter could knowingly or intentionally cast a fraudulent ballot after reading the information on the clerks brochure.

I dont know the answer to that question. I mean, for most voters, I agree this is sufficient, but not for all of them, Ingram said, adding that some voters may have the attitude, well, Im not really disabled, but nobody is checking so Im going to do it.

The justices cited Ingrams response in concluding that a voter who intends to engage in fraud may just as easily do so with an application received from a third-party as it would with an application received from the Harris County Clerk.

Despite the decision, Hollins remains barred from sending out the applications under a Texas Supreme Court ruling earlier this week. Paxton has sought a writ of mandamus and an injunction from the high court to permanently block the mailout, both of which remained pending Friday.

Paxtons office told the Texas Supreme Court clerk late Friday that it planned to seek a review of the appeals court ruling. In a letter to the clerk, Solicitor General Kyle Hawkins said the attorney generals office would file the petition as soon as practicable, but in any event, no later than noon on Friday, September 25.

Also late Friday, Hollins filed an emergency motion asking the state Supreme Court to lift its temporarily halt on the mailout or decide the case by Tuesday. Otherwise, Hollins argued, the Supreme Courts order could enable the State to win by losing, as further delay may prevent Hollins from timely sending applications to voters.

In his appellate court filings, Hollins included a copy of a mailer sent by the Texas Republican Party that includes a mail ballot application. Party officials have said they are only sending those mailers to known eligible mail voters.

The fight over mail ballots in Texas has grown increasingly partisan throughout the 2020 election cycle, as Republicans have fought Democrats efforts to expand eligibility requirements. Hollins has won favorable rulings from Democratic state District Judge R.K. Sandill and the panel of three Democratic justices who issued Fridays ruling, while the Texas Supreme Court  which is made up entirely of Republican justices  sided with Paxton in blocking Hollins planned mailout.

The state Supreme Court ruled in May that fear of the virus alone does not qualify as a disability but could be one of several factors a voter may consider.

The clerks office already has mailed applications to voters who are 65 and older, all of whom are eligible to vote by mail under Texas law. The state election code also allows voters to cast mail ballots if they are disabled, imprisoned or out of their home county during the voting period.

jasper.scherer@chron.com
SABA:--- A ceremony was held at the Government Administration Building on Tuesday, September 15 during which the certificates of the management development program PEP and the emergency response team BHV course were handed out to a large group of civil servants of the Public Entity Saba. During a short ceremony, Island Governor Jonathan Johnson and Island Secretary Tim Muller handed out the certificates to the participants of the BHV and Management Development.

As an employer, the Public Entity Saba has a responsibility to provide a safe and healthy workplace. On Tuesday, some 25 civil servants from all levels within the organization received their First Responder (BHV) certification. During the BVH course, participants learned how to identify and resolve safety issues within buildings and at the job site, and how to act during emergency situations. For example, how to deal with a medical emergency at the workplace, how to extinguish a fire, and how to carry out a building evacuation.

Last year managers and department heads participated in the extensive Management Development (PEP) trajectory that lasted almost a year. Participants learned, among other things, to develop insight into leadership qualities, develop skills for effective communication, gain insight into how leaders inspire others, and how to achieve management goals. Due to some seasonal issues and COVID-19, the certificate ceremony was postponed until Tuesday.

The third part of Tuesdays ceremony consisted of handing over of the Managers Toolkit to the department heads within the government. Human Resource (HR) Manager Miguela Gumbs, who compiled the comprehensive manual, will be departing the island shortly, and wanted to leave the managers with something tangible that they can use in the daily managing of personnel. The Managers Toolkit contains everything that you need to know as a manager when you work for the Public Entity Saba. This toolkit, which is the first of its kind, will contribute to a transparent and efficient work practice concerning personnel management. It is a practical go to manual that will assist managers in leadership and managing their department more effectively, said Gumbs. The Managers Toolkit includes information on, among other things, HR policies such as sick leave management, onboarding and offboarding (from hire to retire), as well as documentation of the various trainings such as project management, time management, leadership and integrity, effective communication, etc. The Manager Toolkit is also available in digital form.

Despite the COVID-19 crisis, the Public Entity Saba continues developing its personnel. In an effort to continue in promoting professional development for its government apparatus, and because more and more is done digitally, the Public Entity Saba has launched an incentive for its civil servants to purchase an all-inclusive laptop package which will consist of a brand new Dell laptop with the newest specifications, MS Office Pro 2019, extra external storage and a carrying case. Civil servants are given the opportunity to purchase this laptop on the basis of an interest-free loan which will be paid back in 12 monthly installments.

Since February 2020, it was not possible to hold any trainings where participants and the trainer are physically present. Government has since then decided to continue with developing its civil servants by organizing online workshops and trainings via Zoom and Microsoft Teams. As a pilot, the Public Entity Saba has also entered into a contract with a renowned online education provider from the Netherlands. Coordinated through the HR department, civil servants can sign up for an unlimited amount (200+) of online courses. The online courses are available in various languages. Civil servants from all levels within the Public Entity Saba have the unique opportunity to take part in courses to further develop themselves on various levels of expertise, said Gumbs. With a new laptop and access to an unlimited number of online courses, the Public Entity is on their way to further excelling to a new level in professionalization.
Blockchain technology can help efficiently and safely share data, process claims, and prevent fraud in the insurance industry. However, the implementation and inception of blockchain in insurance are still in the early stages. Additionally, companies in the insurance industry still have a long way to go in terms of actively working with industry players to figure out the best ways to navigate the potential challenges of blockchain technology.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200918005217/en/

Key Benefits of Blockchain Technology in the Insurance Industry (Graphic: Business Wire)

To gain comprehensive insights and expert guidance on efficiently navigating the challenges of blockchain in the insurance industry, request a free proposal

"Not only does blockchain offer the promise of cost reduction and efficiency, but it could also enable revenue growth, as insurers attract new business through higher-quality service," says an insurance industry expert at Infiniti Research.

One of the most notable tech trends, blockchain technology, is a distributed, peer-to-peer ledger of records called blocks that is virtually incorruptible. In the insurance industry, this technology offers the promise of cost reduction and efficiency. Higher-quality service and the aspect of self-management help insurers attract new businesses. The applications of blockchain in insurance are expected to revamp the way the insurance industry functions. Although it is in the early stages of inception and implementation, there are many benefits to successfully implementing blockchain technology in the insurance industry. In their recent blog, Infiniti's experts discuss four key benefits of employing blockchain in the insurance industry.

Unsure about implementing blockchain technology in your organization? To learn the major benefits of blockchain technology in the insurance industry, and why insurance companies should implement it, request more information

Infiniti's experts identified the following four benefits of blockchain in the insurance industry:

Implementing blockchain in insurance provides transparency in transactions and helps build consumer trust.

This technology helps companies to verify customers, policies, and transactions easily, and prevent fraud.

Smart contracts and blockchain technology help insurers and the insured manage claims responsively and transparently.

Blockchain drives security and efficiency and allows individuals to control their personal data while the verification is registered on the blockchain.

Gain in-depth insights into the benefits of blockchain in the insurance industry by reading the complete article here.

About Infiniti Research

Established in 2003, Infiniti Research is a leading market intelligence company providing smart solutions to address your business challenges. Infiniti Research studies markets in more than 100 countries to help analyze competitive activity, see beyond market disruptions, and develop intelligent business strategies. To know more, visit: https://www.infinitiresearch.com/about-us

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200918005217/en/

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Washington, Sep 18 : If greenhouse gas emissions continue apace, Greenland and Antarctica's melting ice sheets could together contribute more than 38 centimetre of global sea level rise by 2100, says a NASA-led study.

Results from this study that brought together more than 60 ice, ocean and atmosphere scientists from three dozen international institutions are in line with projections in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) 2019 Special Report on Oceans and the Cryosphere.

Meltwater from ice sheets contribute about a third of the total global sea level rise.

The IPCC report projected that Greenland would contribute 8 to 27 cm to global sea level rise between 2000-2100 and Antarctica could contribute 3 to 28 cm.

These new results, published in a special issue of the journal The Cryosphere, come from the Ice Sheet Model Intercomparison Project (ISMIP6) led by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

"One of the biggest uncertainties when it comes to how much sea level will rise in the future is how much the ice sheets will contribute," said project leader and ice scientist Sophie Nowicki, now at the University at Buffalo, and formerly at NASA Goddard.

"And how much the ice sheets contribute is really dependent on what the climate will do." With warming air temperatures melting the surface of the ice sheet, and warming ocean temperatures causing ocean-terminating glaciers to retreat, Greenland's ice sheet is a significant contributor to sea level rise.

The team investigated two different scenarios the IPCC has set for future climate to predict sea level rise between 2015 and 2100: one with carbon emissions increasing rapidly and another with lower emissions.

In the high emissions scenario, they found that the Greenland ice sheet would lead to an additional global sea level rise of about 9 cm by 2100.

In the lower emissions scenario, the loss from the ice sheet would raise global sea level by about 3 cm.

The team also analysed the Antarctic ice sheet to understand how much ice melt from future climate change would add to sea level rise, beyond what recent warming temperatures have already put in motion.

Ice loss from the Antarctic ice sheet is more difficult to predict: In the west, warm ocean currents erode the bottom of large floating ice shelves, causing loss; while the vast East Antarctic ice sheet can gain mass, as warmer temperatures cause increased snowfall.

The results point to a greater range of possibilities, from ice sheet change that decreases sea level by 7.8 cm, to increasing it by 30 cm by 2100, with different climate scenarios and climate model inputs.

The regional projections show the greatest loss in West Antarctica, responsible for up to 18 cm of sea level rise by 2100 in the warmest conditions, according to the research.

"The Amundsen Sea region in West Antarctica and Wilkes Land in East Antarctica are the two regions most sensitive to warming ocean temperatures and changing currents, and will continue to lose large amounts of ice," said Heeleene Seroussi, an ice scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
Detectives are investigating potential breaches of the Norths coronavirus regulations on gatherings.

Mourners on June 30th included senior Sinn Fein representatives like Deputy First Minister Michelle ONeill and Finance Minister Conor Murphy.

Mark Webster, the Deputy Chief Constable of Cumbria Constabulary, was appointed to oversee and direct the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) inquiry.

He said: Today an initial number of letters were issued to individuals who were identified as having been present on 30th June in potential breach of the health protection regulations.

The letters are inviting these individuals to participate in a voluntary interview with investigating officers at a local police station.

Upon receipt of a letter, individuals will have 14 days to respond should they wish to take part in an interview.

Ms ONeill and Mr Murphy have denied breaching social distancing measures while at the funeral.

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Hundreds of people lined the streets in west Belfast as Mr Storeys funeral cortege passed by despite the restrictions and despite marshals being present.

A row with the DUP over the matter prompted the suspension of joint briefings with Sinn Fein during the health emergency.
Students in Cy-Fair ISD are almost done with their second week of classes, and CFISD is working to ensure education stays consistent while the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

Superintendent Mark Henry spoke about how the school district has had to adjust for COVID-19 and the 2020-2021 school year during the state of the district presentation given at the Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce virtual luncheon on Sept. 15.

Board approves tax rate: Cy-Fair ISD board of trustees approve lower tax rate for 2020-2021

Cy-Fair ISD began student instruction Sept. 8. Henry commended the nearly 116,000 virtual and in-person students who had started the semester.

Its much more meaningful when its in person, but I am thankful that we do have technology available today where we can continue to see each other, even if its via Zoom, he said. When students have been out of school for six months, they are looking forward to getting back to school. School provides so many things other than just an education. It provides social opportunities and meals for our students; it provides those extracurricular activities students live for.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Last Houston school districts announce timelines for reopening campuses

The state of the district presentation came a day after the September school board meeting during which CFISD staff presented updates on how the district has been advised to reopen.

Student enrollment was at 115,923 as of Sept. 11, but some students were still missing from the mix as enrollment was 2,575 less than projected, according to Chief of Staff Teresa Hull.

Hull said its a trend districts are seeing across the state. For Cy-Fair ISD, grade levels in which the district is seeing a significant decline in enrollment are prekindergarten, kindergarten, third, fifth and ninth grade, she said.

Pre-K and K were the two that stood out the most, Hull told the school board Sept. 14. And I think a little bit of that is just fear from parents with the whole virus and wondering if it was safe and a good time to send their children to school. And so, I think in some cases theyve decided to wait and have delayed enrolling their children, though the district will continue working to bring back as many students who have not yet enrolled as possible.

CFISD has collaborated with Memorial Hermann on a review of the districts Lead Safely reopening plan. Hull said the feedback provided by the medical advisory team was positive and highlighted three practices that are key to the districts ability to remain open: social distancing, hand hygiene, and masks worn by all.

On that group of (medical advisors with Memorial Hermann) we have an epidemiologist, an infectious disease expert, an internal medicine doctor that are making sure our plan is possible, Henry told chamber luncheon guests.

Other health and safety measures include requiring symptomatic employees who may have COVID-19 to get tested within 24 hours, provided for free by the district with results available in 2-3 days. The district has also purchased 13,600 desk shields for teachers and 102,000 shields for students.

As you can imagine an organization of our size literally has spent millions of dollars trying to make sure all of these things are possible so we can keep our campuses open for our students, Henry said.

Employees are also receiving free flu shots. As flu season begins, getting vaccinated will help keep hospital space open and the general public healthier, a Memorial Hermann health care professional previously told the Cypress Creek Mirror.

The district has also focused on mental health for students and staff, offering two free sessions with a professional counselor for all employees.

We spent a large part of our professional development making sure our teachers can spot and understand when our students are struggling with emotional or mental health issues, Henry said.

Cy-Fair ISD will report new COVID-19 cases in the district every Monday afternoon with statistics from the previous week. Next month, the district plans to post a dashboard through a partnership with data company Qualtrics.

(Contact tracing teams on each campus have) been trained to follow up on any confirmed cases that we have, Henry said. We will release a dashboard, again we have a partnership with Qualtrics, that will let parents in the community how each campus is faring through this situation.

Along with all previously existing campuses resuming in-person classes, the newly opened Rowe Middle School also began classes with health and safety precautions in place.

Although the semester is just beginning, Henry said the district is staying optimistic.

Were all new to this, nobody has done this before, he said. Theres collaborating and coming up with ideas about how to use gestures on the computer or how to connect in special ways to talk about favorite things and make those connections.

chevall.pryce@chron.com
NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite provided forecasters with a visible image of Tropical Storm Noul over Laos on Sept. 18. It is expected to dissipate over Thailand in a day. Credit: NASA Worldview, Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS)

Tropical Storm Noul made landfall in central Vietnam on Sept. 17 and NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite captured an image of the storm over Laos. Noul was weakening as it moves toward Thailand where it is forecast to dissipate.

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) reported that the system made landfall just north of Hue, Vietnam at about 0100 UTC on Sept. 18 (9 p.m. EDT on Sept. 17) and had begun to track inland.

On Sept. 18 at 3 a.m. EDT (0700 UTC/2 p.m. Vietnam local time), the VIIRS instrument aboard the Suomi NPP satellite provided a visible image of Noul as it moved into Thailand. The storm appeared shapeless and the low-level center was difficult to find. Deep convection is obscuring the low-level circulation center which has tracked inland and is located over Laos.

By 5 a.m. EDT (0900 UTC), JTWC issued the final bulletin on the storm. At that time, Tropical storm Noul was located near latitude 16.4 degrees north and longitude 104.4 degrees east, about 174 nautical miles west of Da Nang, Vietnam and over Laos. It was moving to the west and had maximum sustained winds 40 knots (46 mph/74 kph).

Noul is now dissipating as it moves toward Thailand.

NASA Researches Tropical Cyclones

Hurricanes/tropical cyclones are the most powerful weather events on Earth. NASA's expertise in space and scientific exploration contributes to essential services provided to the American people by other federal agencies, such as hurricane weather forecasting.

For more than five decades, NASA has used the vantage point of space to understand and explore our home planet, improve lives and safeguard our future. NASA brings together technology, science, and unique global Earth observations to provide societal benefits and strengthen our nation. Advancing knowledge of our home planet contributes directly to America's leadership in space and scientific exploration.

Explore further Satellite finds a strengthening tropical storm Noul
The foundation stones for a



multi-crore rupee pilgrim amenities complex and a marriage hall at Tirumala, the abode of Lord Venkateswara, near here, would be laid on September 24.

Karnataka Chief Minister and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister would jointly lay the foundation stones, chairman of Tirumala-Tirupati Devasthanom (TTD) Board YV Subba Reddy told reporters on Friday.

Before the stone-laying function, the two Chief Ministers would visit the shrine together and offer prayers to the Lord, the TTD official said.

The nine-day annual 'Brahmotsavam' of the Lord that commences on Saturday would be conducted in the shrine without the participation of devotees due to the COVID-19 norms, he said.

As per the age-old custom, Jaganmohan Reddy, on behalf of the Andhra Pradesh government, would offer a set of silk cloth to the hill temple on September 23, he said.

Karnataka government would fund the construction of the complexes and TTD would build them based on the design submitted by the neighbouring state, the official 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.)
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By Associated Press

WASHINGTON: A drug company says that partial results from a study testing an antibody drug give hints that it may help mild to moderately ill COVID-19 patients from needing to be hospitalised, a goal no current coronavirus medicine has been able to meet.

Eli Lilly announced the results Wednesday in a press release, but they have not been published or reviewed by independent scientists.

The drug missed the study's main goal of reducing the amount of virus patients had after 11 days, except at the middle of three doses being tested.

However, most study participants, even those given a placebo treatment, had cleared the virus by then, so that time point now seems too late to judge that potential benefit, the company said.

Other tests suggest the drug was reducing virus sooner, and the results are an encouraging "proof of principle" as this and other studies continue, Lilly said.

The company said it would talk with regulators about possible next steps but that it was too soon to speculate on whether these interim results might lead to any action to allow early use.

"I'm strongly encouraged" by the results, said Dr. Myron Cohen, a University of North Carolina virologist.

He had no role in the Lilly study but helps direct antibody studies for a public-private research group the federal government formed to speed testing of these drugs.

"This seems to demonstrate what we thought that such drugs would give a benefit," he said.

Antibodies are proteins the body makes when an infection occurs; they attach to a virus and help it be eliminated.

The blood of survivors is being tested as a treatment for COVID-19 patients because it contains such antibodies, but the strength and types of antibodies vary depending on each donor, and doing this on a large scale is impractical.

The drugs that Lilly and other companies are testing are concentrated versions of specific antibodies that worked best against the coronavirus in lab and animal tests, and can be made in large, standardised doses.

They are being tested to treat newly diagnosed COVID-19 patients in hope of preventing serious disease or death, and to try to prevent infection in people at high risk of that such as nursing home residents and health workers.

Wednesday's results come from 450 people in a mid-stage study testing an antibody jointly developed by Indianapolis-based Lilly and the Canadian company AbCellera in people with COVID-19 symptoms not severe enough to warrant hospitalisation.

The drug is given once through an IV and was tested at three doses.

Neither the patients nor their doctors knew which patients received the drug or placebo infusions.

Hospitalisation or ER visits occurred in 1.7 per cent, or 5 of 302 patients given the drug and 6 per cent or 9 of 150 of those given placebo.

The company did not disclose whether those results met scientific tests to rule out that they could have occurred by chance alone.

The company felt that giving the actual numbers "told the story in the most balanced way," said Lilly's chief scientific officer, Dr.

Daniel Skovronsky.

The difference seems large enough to suggest a true benefit and the result is "promising" even though the study missed its main goal, said Dr.

Peter Bach, a health policy expert at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York with no role in the study.

The study will continue to test the antibody drug in combination with another from a Chinese company, Junshi Biosciences.

Three late-stage studies of it also are underway, including two sponsored by the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

Lilly has already started manufacturing its antibody drug, hoping to have hundreds of thousands of doses ready by fall if studies give positive results.

Another company that developed an antibody drug cocktail against Ebola - Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. - now is testing a two-antibody drug for coronavirus.
When the Department of Commerce said Friday that it would soon bar all new downloads of WeChat and TikTok from US App Stores, it marked the latest escalation in the weeks-long saga over TikToks future in America. The drama has been playing out since early August, when Donald Trump first said he intended to ban the app if it didnt sell its US operation to an American company. But there are still many unanswered questions and a total ban of the app is far from guaranteed. Heres what we know about where things stand  for now.

Will TikTok actually be banned?

Importantly, there are two key dates here. The first is Sunday, September 20, when new downloads will be blocked from US app stores. But the 100 million or so people who already use TikTok in the US will be able to continue to do so, but they wont be able to download app updates or security patches. Theres also no mention of TikToks website, which allows users to view their feeds as they normally would even if they can't upload new clips.

The second date is November 12, when the Commerce Department says the service will face a more sweeping ban that will bar any use of TikTok at all. But this is hardly set in stone either. It notes that if TikTok can address Trumps national security concerns before that date (which would likely entail some kind of deal with Oracle), the order could be lifted.

As Missouri Senator Josh Hawley suggested in a tweet, the order seems to be more about applying pressure to China, rather than implementing a total ban right now. So in a sense, the latest threat actually gives TikTok a little more time to solidify a deal.

But! China could still throw a wrench in these plans.

Speaking of China, the Chinese government has a say in all this. Even if TikTok agrees to a deal that satisfies Trump, ByteDance still needs approval from China. Further complicating matters is the fate of TikToks recommendation algorithm, which now falls under the Chinese governments trade rules on AI technology exports.

What exactly are the national security concerns anyway?

As weve previously pointed out, the Trump administration has yet to present any hard evidence of the supposed national security threat posed by TikTok. The main concern has been that as a Chinese tech company, ByteDance could be forced to hand over user data or otherwise work with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to surveil American users. (TikTok has insisted it wouldnt comply with such requests.) In the DoC order, the government says that TikTok collects vast swaths of data from users and is an active participant in Chinas civil-military fusion and is subject to mandatory cooperation with the intelligence services of the CCP, but cites no specifics.

Critics have pointed out that the data collected by TikTok is similar to what other popular apps (including Facebook) scoop up, and that Trump has shown little interest in regulating other apps from Chinese tech companies.

What does TikTok have to say about all this?

Unsurprisingly, TikTok says its disappointed in the latest turn of events and that it will continue to challenge the unjust executive order. In a statement, a company spokesperson said the company has already gone out of its way to appease the governments demands.

In our proposal to the US Administration, we've already committed to unprecedented levels of additional transparency and accountability well beyond what other apps are willing to do, including third-party audits, verification of code security, and US government oversight of US data security, the spokesperson said. Further, an American technology provider would be responsible for maintaining and operating the TikTok network in the US, which would include all services and data serving US consumers. We will continue to challenge the unjust executive order, which was enacted without due process and threatens to deprive the American people and small businesses across the US of a significant platform for both a voice and livelihoods."

Who else is on their side?

TikTok isnt alone in its opposition to the governments measures. The American Civil Liberties Union issued a statement calling Trumps actions an unprecedented abuse of emergency powers.

Selectively banning platforms does little to protect our personal data from abuse  comprehensive surveillance reform and consumer privacy legislation would actually help accomplish that goal. Instead, the bans could cut off the flow of information, art, and communication that social media provides, interfering with communities and connections users in the United States have with each other and with people around the world. This interference with freedom of expression and association violates the First Amendment.

TikTok also found another, somewhat unlikely, defender in Instagram chief Adam Mosseri, who said a US TikTok ban would be quite bad for Instagram, Facebook, and the internet more broadly. (Mosseri didnt, however, respond to TikTok Interim CEO Vanessa Pappas suggestion that Facebook and Instagram publicly join our challenge and support our litigation.)

Where does WeChat stand in all this?

While TikTok could still find a way forward, WeChats situation is much more dire. As The New York Times points out, the Commerce Departments order could seriously affect WeChats usability much more quickly.

Because of the ban on transactions between American businesses and WeChat, the service may begin to degrade on Sunday, The NYT says. Messages may begin sending slowly or even time out.

The ban of WeChat in the US is/should be the bigger story than the ban of TikTok. Banning WeChat makes it hard for Chinese in the US to stay in touch with families and businesses at home and vice versa. Sending emails to someone in China is a bit like asking for a fax number.  Wolfgang Blau (@wblau) September 18, 2020

Though WeChat has significantly fewer users in the US than TikTok  Tencents app had 3.3 million monthly active users in the US in August, according to data from App Annie  its a hugely important service for those with family and friends in China, where the app essentially is the internet. WeChat is so dominant in China its used for everything from messaging and social media to banking and booking doctors appointments. So even though the American version of the app is significantly different, its still an essential link back to the country for anyone with any kind of ties to the country, business or personal.
Queer Eyes Jonathan Van Ness has criticised JK Rowling amid accusations that her new novel is transphobic.

The Harry Potter author, who has previously spoken out on the subject of transgender rights, came under fire this week after an early review of her new novel Troubled Blood emerged.

The book, which is the latest release in the Strike detective series published under Rowlings pen name, Robert Galbraith, includes a plot involving a male serial killer who fetishises womens clothing.

In one instance, the killer disguises himself as a woman to trick the person he is abducting.

Rowling has always denied allegations of transphobia made against her.

Van Ness in 2019 (Getty Images)

Activists have accused the storyline of being harmful to the transgender community, and Van Ness, who is non binary and uses he/him pronouns, has now suggested a new title for the book.

The entitled nightmare & the ruiner of legacies, he tweeted.

In a second post, the 33-year-old, who is a member of the Fab Five on Netflix makeover show Queer Eye, wrote: Im wondering why so many people I look up to still follow this transphobic author.

We have 37 states trying to enact transphobic policy. This constant proliferation of transphobic language by thought leaders is dangerous, so why are you still supporting her? he asked.

Rowlings representatives declined The Independents request for comment.

Earlier this week, an independent Australian bookshop said that it will no longer stock the Harry Potter series in order to make the shop a safer space for customers.
Every nurse, doctor and healthcare worker working in a COVID-19 ward will have access to properly fitted N95 masks under a new program announced on Friday.

Healthcare workers have been complaining for months they were being issued N95 masks that were not fitted perfectly to their face, putting them at risk of catching COVID-19.

Some 2466 healthcare workers have caught the virus at work, which represents more than 12 per cent of Victoria's total infections. Several of those workers have ended up in intensive care.

Anaesthetist Michelle Horne gets fitted for a mask by the Australian Society of Anaesthetists Credit:Chris Hopkins

To ensure a mask properly seals around a persons face, some hospitals use fit-testing machines which can check if the mask is tightly sealed.
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Global Mobile Mapping Market is anticipated to reach US$ 55.8 billion by 2026, according to a new research published by Polaris Market Research. In 2017, the travel and logistics segment dominated the global mobile mapping industry, in terms of revenue. North America is expected to be the leading contributor to the global market revenue during the forecast period.

The penetration of mobile devices, and growing applications of mobile mapping in sectors such as automotive, transportation, telecommunication, mining, BFSI, and defense among others have boosted the growth of the overall industry. The increasing demand for location-based services, improved network connectivity, and improvement of components and mapping software support the market growth. Use of geospatial information in applications such as infrastructure management, risk and emergency management, urban planning, resource management, and logistics has increased the demand of mobile mapping solutions over the years. Increasing investments by vendors in technological advancements coupled with increasing applications in city planning and development of smart cities would support the growth of this market during the forecast period. Growing demand from emerging economies, and advancements in mapping analytics are factors expected to provide numerous growth opportunities to the mobile mapping industry in the coming years.

Request for a sample of this research report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/mobile-mapping-market/request-for-sample

The adoption of mobile mapping is rising at a significant rate worldwide. Mobile mapping is increasingly being used for various applications such as BFSI, government, defense & intelligence, agriculture & forestry, telecommunication, transportation, real estate, and others. Varied applications of this technology include topographic mapping, infrastructure planning, traffic management, GIS data collection, asset management, land survey, imaging services, emergency response planning, and others and others. Defense and military sectors utilize mobile mapping on a large basis primarily for geospatial mapping. The increasing concern for security has led the defense sector to become a prominent buyer for geospatial intelligence and mapping services all over the world.

North America generated the highest revenue in 2017 and is expected to lead throughout the forecast period. The increasing applications in the transportation and logistics sectors have increased the demand of mobile mapping in the region. Growing use in defense, and government sectors further boosts the market growth. Local players are introducing low cost solutions with high performance to cater to the growing consumer demand. Numerous key players have adopted partnership and expansion strategies to increase their market share in the region. Asia-Pacific is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period

Complete Summary with TOC Available @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/mobile-mapping-market

The well-known companies profiled in the mobile mapping market report include Microsoft Corporation, Foursquare Labs, Inc., Tomtom NV, Mapquest, Inc., Trimble Navigation Ltd., Apple Inc., Google Inc., Leica Geosystems Inc., Garmin International, and EveryScape, Inc. 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.

 Mobile Mapping Market Size and Forecast, 2018-2026 by Type

o Location Based Services

o 3D Mapping

o Location Based Search

o Indoor Mapping

o Licensing

o Others

 Mobile Mapping Market Size and Forecast, 2018-2026 by Component

o Hardware

o Software

o Services

 Mobile Mapping Market Size and Forecast, 2018-2026 by Application

o GIS Data Collection

o Asset management

o Land Survey

o Imaging Services

o Emergency Response Planning

o Others

 Mobile Mapping Market Size and Forecast, 2018-2026 by End-User

o Banking, Financial Services and Insurance

o Transportation and Logistics

o Telecommunication

o Agriculture

o Mining

o Defense

o Public Sector

o Others

 Mobile Mapping Market Size and Forecast, 2018-2026 by Region

o North America

 U.S.

 Canada

o Europe

 Germany

 UK

 France

 Italy

 Spain

 Russia

 Rest of Europe

o Asia-Pacific

 China

 India

 Japan

 Korea

 Australia

 Singapore

 Rest of Asia-Pacific

o Latin America

 Brazil

 Mexico

 Rest of LATAM

o Middle East & Africa

 Saudi Arabia

 UAE

 South Africa

 Rest of MEA

Avail discount on this report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/mobile-mapping-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.

Contact us-

Polaris Market Research

Phone: 1-646-568-9980

Email: sales@polarismarketresearch.com

Web: www.polarismarketresearch.com
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 18

By Tamilla Mammadova  Trend:

The United States plans to sign a Memorandum of Understanding on the Security of Fifth Generation (5G) Mobile Networks with Georgia, Ukraine, and Serbia, US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, Philip Reeker said, Trend reports via Georgian media.

"It is planned to sign a 5G memorandum of understanding with Ukraine, Georgia, and Serbia to secure the commitment of these partner countries to not use prohibited technologies," says Reeker.

He highlighted the Prague proposals agreed by representatives of 32 countries in the framework of the international conference on the security of 5G mobile networks in May 2019.

More than 30 countries have contributed to the Prague proposals for a secure 5G network infrastructure, added Reeker.

The Prague Proposals - Cybersecurity Framework. It is a set of guidelines that countries should consider when designing, building, and managing their 5G telecommunications infrastructure.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Mila61979356
Enovsys is a US-based company, and even though many are unaware, its Location Services and Privacy technology are widely used by most mobile devices today. This technology was created by Enovsys' founder Mundi Fomukong - an African American serial inventor from California - in the mid-'90s when phones were the size of a toaster.

Enovsys' technology positions a call receiver within a wireless network and permits authorized third-party applications to access the position of a subscriber's call receiver only after consent has been established. Everyone has seen it, and everyone uses it.

Patents for the invention were obtained in the US, Europe, Canada, China, Japan, and Singapore.

In an earlier US case, Sprint licensed Enovsys' patent only after it was sued for violating a similar US patent and failed to reverse the jury's verdict afterward in the US Court of Appeals.

Germany's largest telecommunication company, Deutsche Telekom (DT), violated Enovsys' patent, and Enovsys sued for patent infringement in Germany. After nine long years of litigation, the case reached the German Supreme Court for the second time. However, Germany's Supreme Court eventually ruled that Enovsys' patent in Germany was not enforceable, claiming that its patent was "obvious" and, therefore, not patentable. In reaching this decision, the Supreme Court created its own theory to advance an obviousness case in favor of one of the largest and most powerful companies in Germany, even though DT had not raised this defense at any point in the nine years of litigation.

This German case demonstrates the power wielded by large multi-national government-owned corporations, primarily when litigating against foreign entities on their home turf.

Recently, Deutsche Telekom expanded into the US with a 43 percent share of the telecommunications company T-Mobile.

US Congress has several bills pending that would help US inventors protect their rights, including the Inventor Rights Act, which would make it easier for inventors to enjoin the unauthorized use of their patent rights.

According to Enovsys executive and patent holder Mundi Fomukong, "Every time DT fell short in its pleadings, German courts consistently formulated a decision, divorced from the pleadings, to absolve DT of its responsibility Even though a full reasoning from the Supreme Court is pending, the obviousness theory concocted during trial appears to be meritless and certainly a violation of due process. No property should be seized in this fashion."

Contact Enovsys LLC for more detailed information.

Email: [email protected]

Phone Number: (415) 234-7268

SOURCE Enovsys LLC
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The Salmon Recovery Funding Board yesterday awarded $18 million in grants to organizations in the state to repair rivers, remove barriers blocking fish passage and replant riverbanks in an effort to recover salmon from the brink of extinction.

The grants, given annually, went to 91 projects in 29 of the state's 39 counties. In addition, the funding board approved Puget Sound projects, requesting $38 million, to be funded from the Puget Sound Acquisition and Restoration Fund. It awaits legislative approval next year, according to a press release from the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office.





. . .
Attorneys for former Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard on Friday asked for a reduction in his prison sentence.

The 58-year-old Hubbard was sentenced to four years in prison 2016 for violating the state ethics law. He remained free on an appeal bond until last week when he reported to the Lee County Sheriffs Office in Opelika to begin his sentence.

Hubbard was initially charged in a 23-count indictment in Lee County in 2014. On June 10, 2016, a jury acquitted him of 11 charges but convicted him on the other 12.

The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals upheld 11 of the 12. The Alabama Supreme Court affirmed six of the 11 and overturned five.

Prosecutors said Hubbard used his public office to enrich himself, partly through consulting contracts.

Hubbard has maintained his innocence since his indictment in 2014 and said the transactions that led to the charges were normal business activities not related to his public office. He testified for three days during his 2016 trial.

The six convictions involved consulting contracts with three companies that paid Hubbard a total of $525,000 while he was speaker, from 2012 to 2014.

In the request filed Friday, Hubbards attorney said given the ultimate reversal of six of the convictions, his sentence should be adjusted to reflect those reversals. In part, the attorneys pointed to sentencing guidelines which state "the sentence imposed in each case should call for the least restrictive sanction that is consistent with the protection of the public and the gravity of the crime. In determining the sentence, the court should evaluate the crime and its consequences, as well as the background and record of the defendant and give serious consideration to the goal of sentencing equality and the need to avoid unwarranted disparities.

Judges should be sensitive to the impact their sentences have on all components of the criminal justice system and should consider alternatives to long-term institutional confinement or incarceration in cases involving offenders whom the court deems to pose no serious danger to society.

The attorneys said the court should consider the punishment that Hubbard has already suffered  his removal from office, the loss of his right to vote, the divestment of his business interests and his current incarceration.

"In short, from arrest to reentry into the community, a web of sanctions haunts defendants and their families,'' the attorney wrote. An arrest and criminal charges alone can have a devastating impact. These hidden sanctions can have a more severe impact on the arrested or convicted, their children and their families than the immediate sentence.

Hubbard, they contend, is not a danger to society nor a threat to the public. "A reduced sentence,'' attorneys wrote, will better serve the states interest in the rehabilitation and the ends of justice.
NEW DELHI: India has maintained its surge in coronavirus cases, adding 93,337 new confirmed infections in the past 24 hours.

The Health Ministry on Saturday raised the nations caseload to more than 5.3 million out of the nearly 1.4 billion people. It said 1,247 more people died in the past 24 hours for a total of 85,619.

Health workers collect a swab from a boy in Mumbai to test him for COVID-19. Credit:AP

The country has over a million active cases with about 80 per cent recovery rate.

India has been reporting the highest single-day rise in the world every day for more than five weeks. It's expected to become the pandemics worst-hit country within weeks, surpassing the United States.

Prime Minister Narendra Modis government has faced scathing criticism from opposition lawmakers in Indias Parliament for its handling of the pandemic amid a contracting economy leaving millions jobless.

More than 10 million migrant workers, out of money and fearing starvation, poured out of cities and headed back to villages when Modi ordered the nationwide lockdown on March 24.

The migration was one key reason that the virus spread to the far reaches of the country while the lockdown caused severe economic pain.

The economy contracted nearly 24% in the second quarter, the worst among the worlds top economies.

AP
Three days after a government schoolteachers decomposing body was found at her Sector 23 house, her initial autopsy report has shown that she was hit by a blunt object on the back of her head that resulted in her death.

Social science teacher Jyoti Rani, 40, was hit on the head by her husband Mandeep Singh, 42, who is a prime suspect in the case, police said on Friday.

Mandeep is a fine arts teacher at Government Senior Secondary School, Sector 47, Chandigarh.

The preliminary autopsy report attributes Jyotis death to cerebral injury inflicted by a blunt object. The complete report would be available after the viscera examination. The victim was hit on the head and the post-mortem report suggests that the injury was caused by a blunt object and led to her death, said SSP Vineet Kumar.

The police are yet to trace the accused and his 9-year-old son, who was in the car when Mandeep had pushed his 13-year-old son on September 14 night in Neelon canal.

Meanwhile, five different teams continued raids at possible hideouts of the accused in Punjab as the vehicle in which he had left the city with his two sons was spotted in the neighbouring state.

The couples teenager son, who was saved from drowning, is with his paternal grandfather Surmukh Singh, who came down from Fatehgarh Sahib after Jyotis murder was reported. Anxious about his younger brothers well-being, the teenager is praying for his safe return.

On September 13, Mandeep had asked the two boys not to go to their mothers room on the first floor as she had tested positive for Covid-19 and was in isolation. The next day, he took them in a car to Ludhiana. After paying obeisance at a gurdwara, Mandeep gave them a medicine, claiming it would protect them from coronavirus infection, but it made them vomit.

A case under Sections 302 (murder) and 307 (attempt to murder) have been registered against Mandeep after Jyotis body was found wrapped up in a blanket on a blood-stained bed at their government accommodation. The body was found on Tuesday when a police team from Ludhiana had come knocking at their door to drop their elder son.

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South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg

The South Dakota Attorney General who recently was involved in a fatal accident has previously shared photos from behind the wheel as he drove and has a history of speeding and traffic violations.

This past Saturday, Jason Ravnsborg accidentally hit and killed Joe Boever, who was walking along a rural stretch of highway while he was driving home to Pierre from a Republican fundraiser

Boever's body was discovered on Sunday morning.

Ravnsborg, 44, told the Hyde County Sheriffs Office that because it was dark, around 10.30pm, he couldn't see very well and thought he had hit a deer.

His Facebook account reveals photos he has taken or stills of dash cam video while driving. He has received at least eight speeding tickets, eight within a four-year period.

According to the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, Ravnsborg has received six speeding tickets between 2014 and 2018 in South Dakota, all before he was elected Attorney General.

Each offense took place in a different county and included speeding on a state highway and speeding on a four-lane road in a rural area.

In one instance, he was driving 85 miles per hour (mph) on a highway in which the speed limit is 65 mph, documents obtained by the Argus Leader reveal.

He pleaded guilty to all six offenses and paid fines ranging between $19 and $79, and had to pay between $66 and $68 in court costs.

Ravnsborg has also posted multiple pictures or grabs from dash cam video on Facebook of roads where it is clear he is behind the wheel including this photo from October 2019

In another photo or dash cam still from May 2018, Ravnsborg is seen driving along a highway through rural South Dakota

Ravnsborg (left) hit and killed 55-year-old Joe Boever (right) with his car near Highmore on Saturday night and called 911 to report that he'd hit a deer

New documents reveal Ravnsborg had received eight speeding tickets, six between 2014 and 2018 in South Dakota, and two in Iowa

Ravnsborg also has received two speeding tickets in Iowa, one in 1996 and the other in 2003, the newspaper reported.

It's unclear whether he pleaded guilty or not in these cases and if he paid fines or court costs.

The Argus Leader also found two other violations, one in which he wasn't wearing a seat belt in March 2017 and another for driving without a proper exhaust and muffler system in August 2015.

Documents obtained by the newspaper reveal he pleaded guilty and paid a $25 fine and a $54 fine, respectively.

Additionally, Ravnsborg has shared photos while behind the wheel, including one in October 2019.

'As many of you know I spend many hours behind the wheel traveling our great state, so I thought I would show you some of my great views and take more pictures of South Dakota as I travel,' he wrote.

Ravnsborg attended a GOP dinner at a bar before he reported hitting a deer on his 110-mile drive home when he actually struck and killed a man.

Photos posted on the Spink County Republicans' Facebook page show Ravnsborg sitting near the stage at the small Republican fundraiser at Rooster's Bar and Grill in Redfield Saturday night, hours before he hit 55-year-old Boever with his vehicle.

Witnesses at the fundraiser have vouched for the Attorney General, saying they didn't see him drinking alcohol and that he did not seem 'impaired in any way shape or form'.

Ravnsborg told authorities he hit 'something I believed to be a large animal (likely a deer)' soon after he passed Boever's hometown of Highmore.

The Ford Taurus that Ravnsborg was driving the night he killed Boever had a huge hole in the windshield of the passenger's side (pictured)

Tire tracks are visible on the side of the highway on Monday, September 14, where Boever's truck sat Saturday night when he was killed while walking back to the vehicle

Boever's damaged pickup truck is seen in the middle of a field after he had crashed into a hay bale hours before he was struck and killed by Ravnsborg

'I didn't see what I hit and stopped my vehicle immediately to investigate,' he wrote, adding that he pulled out the flashlight on his cell phone and all he could see were pieces of his car strewn across the roadway.

The DPS said the crash occurred at 10:30 p.m. on U.S. Highway 14, one mile west of Highmore and along a stretch of road lit up with street lamps.

It takes one hour and seven minutes to drive from the restaurant to the crash site, reported Rapid City Journal.

After Ravnsborg called 911, Sheriff Volek arrived at the scene to assess the damage to his car and search for what he had hit.

He said they searched the area around the vehicle with flashlights but neither of them spotted Boever lying in a ditch.

'At no time did either of us suspect that I had been involved in an accident with a person,' Ravnsborg wrote.

The GOP dinner at a bar that South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg (circled) attended before he killed Boever

Witnesses at the fundraiser have vouched for the attorney general that they didn't see him drinking alcohol and that he did not seem 'impaired in any way shape or form' Pictured: Ravnsborg (circled) sitting near the stage at Rooster's Bar and Grill in Redfield, Saturday night

Because Ravnsborg's car was too damaged to drive and a tow truck would take over an hour to arrive, Volek offered to let the attorney general take his personal car back to Pierre.

The following morning Ravnsborg and his chief of staff made the trip back to Highmore to return Volek's vehicle.

The pair stopped at the crash site on their way and discovered a man's body in the grass near the roadway.

'My chief of staff and I checked and it was apparent that Mr Boever was deceased,' Ravnsborg wrote.

'I immediately drove to Sheriff Volek's home to report the discovery and he accompanied me back to the scene.

'Once there, the sheriff instructed me that he would handle the investigation, and asked me to return to Pierre.'

Ravnsborg, who was alone in his 2011 Ford Taurus, insisted that he had not been drinking before he got behind the wheel and said he is 'cooperating fully with the investigation' by the South Dakota Highway Patrol and the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

Boever's family have expressed suspicion that authorities could be working to cover up details of the incident to protect Ravnsborg. Boever is pictured second from right with relatives

Ravnsborg drove his car to the local sheriff and returned to the scene of the accident. However Hyde County Sheriff Mike Volek let the attorney general take his personal car back to Pierre because Ravnsborg's car was too damaged to drive and a tow truck would take over an hour to arrive. The car is pictured in 2017

However, questions are being asked around how the AG could have mistaken a deer for a person, particularly given the prevalence of animal collisions in the area and Ravnsborg's tendency to make frequent, long trips along the state's highways for small political events.

This defense of the AG comes as Boever's devastated relatives called the fatal crash 'fishy' and expressed concern that authorities could bungle the investigation to protect Ravnsborg - the top law enforcement official in the state.

Boever's cousins, Nick and Victor Nemec, have now said they are worried that investigators might not make a complete effort to find out the truth about what happened to him.

The Nemecs criticized authorities for being tight-lipped about their progress and for taking so long to identify Boever, even though he had been reported missing by Victor 10 hours before his body was found.

'It just seems fishy,' Nick told South Dakota News Watch. 'It just seems like they're looking for an excuse to make it less than it was.'

The Highway Patrol has remained tight-lipped - refusing to say if speed or alcohol were a factor in the crash, when Ravnsborg reported the crash or if charges are pending against him.

Read Jason Ravnsborg's full statement below:
French authorities have said that they would consider additional restrictive measures to contain the spread of coronavirus, notably in the country's red zones, following a surge in the number of positive cases, Health Minister Olivier Veran said.

On Thursday, reported 10,593 cases, a new single-day record since the previous hike of 10,561 registered on September 12, reports Xinhua news agency.

With the new cases, France's overall caseload now stands at 454,266.

The death toll also surged to 31,103, up by 50 from Wednesday.

"If the sanitary situation does not improve, and if the number of intensive care admissions continues to grow in areas where strong measures have already been taken, particularly Marseille and Guadeloupe, it will undoubtedly be necessary to take even tougher measures," Veran told reporters on Thursday.

Stricter rules could include closures of bars and ban on public gathering, according to the minister.

In Nice and Lyon, where the virus was spreading at a rapid pace, local authorities must propose by Saturday the measures to be taken, said Veran.

Earlier this week, authorities in Bordeaux and Marseille banned public gatherings of more than 10 people in parks and on beaches and cut the public-event attendance limit to 1,000 from 5,000.

The pandemic is "once again very active" in France, warned the Minister.

He noted that the vigilance threshold, which indicates the number of infected people per 100,000 inhabitants, is now at nearly 84 compared to 40 registered in mid-August and 10 at the end of July.

"If everyone reduces his number of social contacts, this would help reduce the spread of the virus," Veran added.

--IANS

ksk/

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The 610,000 of cocaine and cannabis seized by gardai in the raid

The 'Mr Big' drugs gang has been dealt a major setback after gardai seized 610,000 of cannabis and cocaine controlled by the mob.

Three men aged 49, 46 and 42 - considered "nobodies" in terms of organised crime - remained in custody in different northside stations last night where they are being detained in relation to the seizure.

Detectives from the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) pounced on the suspects - one a taxi driver - in Swords as part of an operation described by gardai as "an intervention on three vehicles" on Wednesday.

"During the course of the operation, gardai seized cocaine to the value of 350,000 and cannabis to the value of 260,000," a garda spokesman said.

Senior sources said that the bust will be a "big loss" to the Coolock-based crimelord known as 'Mr Big'.

"He remains one of the most active drugs traffickers in the country," a senior source told the Herald

"He is a shrewd and cautious criminal so he will not be impressed to be this much out of pocket.

"He is the subject of constant specialist monitoring which he is very much aware of and is even driving around in bangers of cars to avoid unwanted garda attention," the source added.

Significant

Assistant Commissioner John O'Driscoll of the Organised and Serious Crime bureau said: "An Garda Siochana is committed to disrupting the activities of organised criminals supplying drugs to our communities.

"This seizure of a substantial quantity of cocaine and cannabis is significant in this regard."

Mr Big's crew are considered the biggest drug-dealing organisation on the northside and have been involved in tiger kidnappings.

They are suspected of organising the gun murders of Real IRA brothers Alan and Vinnie Ryan in 2012 and 2016 as part of extortion disputes.

The mob are involved in feuds including the Drogheda one, where they are aligned to the anti-Maguire faction and were enemies of hitman Robbie Lawlor who was shot dead in Belfast in April.

Lawlor was the chief suspect for the murder of his former close associate Kenneth Finn (36) - who was also Mr Big's close pal - in February 2018.

When Lawlor's drug-trafficking brother-in-law Richie Carberry was shot dead in Bettystown, Co Meath, last November the criminal blamed 'Mr Big' for organising it in a secretly recorded prison phone call.

"Lawlor called an associate and made it very clear who he holds responsible for the murder, and that is 'Mr Big'," a source told the Herald at the time.

There have been no arrests yet in relation to the gun slaying with sources revealing a reckless teenage gunman from Coolock is blamed in underworld circles for the crime.

Stand-off

Sources say Mr Big's mob have dozens of crack cocaine-dealing teenagers in their enterprises in Darndale and other suburbs.

"Mr Big has been keeping a very low profile in recent months apart from a stand-off he was involved in with another criminal in the northside during the summer," a source said.

"He is not going to be happy at all about this seizure but as usual he has kept himself far enough away from it that he can't be arrested."
DENVER  A majority of President Donald Trumps supporters plan to cast their ballot on Election Day, while about half of Joe Bidens backers plan to vote by mail, a sign of a growing partisan divide over how best to conduct elections in the United States.

Overall, 39% of registered voters say they will vote by mail, well above the 21% who say they normally do so, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The rise is skewed toward backers of the former vice president, 53% of whom plan to vote by mail. Fifty-seven percent of Trumps supporters say theyll vote in person on Nov. 3.

Fifty-four percent of voters say they will vote before polls open on Election Day. In 2016, roughly 42% of voters did so.

Trump for months has denigrated mail voting, and Democrats have expressed concern about postal delays that could keep such ballots from being counted. The poll finds ebbing enthusiasm for mail voting: Only 28% of Americans say they would favor their state holding elections exclusively by mail, down from the 40% who said so in April as the coronavirus pandemic was first spreading in the U.S. and before Trump launched his anti-mail campaign.

Support for states allowing voters to cast an absentee ballot without requiring a reason is higher, but also down since April, from 56% to 47%.

Sherry Santiago, 55, of Palm Bay, Florida, is disabled and cannot drive. The Democrat said she almost lost her chance to vote in 2016 because she couldnt get a lift to the polling place and shes happy to sign up for a mail-in ballot this year.

I dont want to take a chance of missing it, Santiago said of the election. I have total confidence in voting by mail. I dont worry there will be a problem.

But Michelle Harman, 44, a Republican who works in the oil and gas industry in Artesia, New Mexico, plans to vote in person on Election Day.

This year more than any other, theres a lot of gray area about what could happen to your vote, said Harman, who said she didnt question voting by mail in 2016 when she was out of town.

Traditionally, voting by mail has not been a partisan issue. Until recently, Republicans were more likely to do so than Democrats, because older voters have tended to vote by mail more often than younger voters.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended earlier this year voting by mail as an alternative to face-to-face interactions at polling places, which could pose a risk of coronavirus infection. States have scrambled to adjust to an expected surge in advance voting, with nearly three dozen changing their mail or absentee voting rules in response to the pandemic.

The president has since tried to fan skepticism of mail voting, baselessly claiming that its widespread use will lead to fraud. Trump warned that mail voting could lead to so many people voting that youd never have a Republican elected in this country again. He condemned on Thursday the plan in 10 states to proactively send mail-in ballots to registered voters, claiming without evidence it means the result of Novembers election would never be accurately determined.

Studies of past elections have shown voter fraud to be exceedingly rare. In the five states that regularly send ballots to all voters, there have been no major cases of fraud or difficulty counting the votes.

The poll found that 33% of Democrats, but just 12% of Republicans, favor mail-only elections. Thats a decline across the board from April, when 47% of Democrats and 29% of Republicans backed the idea. Seventy-two percent of Democrats, but just 25% of Republicans, favor no-excuse absentee voting.

In swing states like Florida, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, Democrats have far outpaced Republicans in requesting mail-in ballots so far this year.

John Mohr, 58, who works at a Dollar General store in Wilmington, North Carolina, asked for a mail-in ballot, but he plans to drop it off at his local elections office. Hes seen videos on Facebook saying  falsely  that mail-in ballots are labeled by party, tipping off postal workers who could throw them out before they reach the elections office.

I dont trust the postal service and I sure dont trust Democrats, Mohr said. Trump in North Carolina this month called for his supporters to vote twice  once by mail and once on Election Day  to ensure their vote is counted, which would be illegal. The president now urges supporters voting by mail to check at their polling place whether their ballot was received, but Mohr said he doesnt want to deal with social distancing rules.

I dont want to stand there with 50 different rules, Mohr said.

The poll shows only 34% of Americans have great confidence in the U.S. Postal Service, following a summer of controversy over slowed service resulting from cuts made by Trumps appointee. Still, 49% say they have some confidence.

Democrats suspect the cuts are an effort to sabotage mail voting, and Trump himself said hed be happy if the post office got less money to stop Democratic efforts to expand that method of voting.

Robert Schott, a Republican, plans to vote in person because his polling place is 500 yards from his home in Cranford, New Jersey, and is rarely crowded. Its easier than going to the post office, said Schott, 62.

Schott, who dislikes Trump and does not know who he will vote for, spoke as he looked at the ballot that just arrived by mail. Though Trump has criticized that practice, Schott sees nothing wrong with it. Nor does he distrust the postal service.

If they cant handle 50 million ballots but they can handle 2 billion Christmas cards, cmon, Schott said.

Christopher Roquemore, 47, a Democrat in Montgomery, Alabama, will vote early in person because hes volunteering as a poll worker on Election Day. I figure as long as I wear a mask and I wash my hands and do everything Im supposed to do, itll be as safe as going into a grocery store, he said.

But his parents, who live across the street, will be voting by mail.

___

Fingerhut reported from Washington.

___

The AP-NORC poll of 1,108 adults was conducted Sept. 11-14 using a sample drawn from NORCs probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.0 percentage points.

___

Online:

AP-NORC Center: http://www.apnorc.org/
A federal judge has approved legal settlements totaling $440,000 for people in South Dakota who were subjected to forced catheterizations to check for drug use.

U.S. District Judge Roberto Lange ruled in April that police who used forced catheterizations violated the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution that protects citizens from unreasonable searches and seizures. The lawsuit named the state Highway Patrol, individual officers, and the cities and police departments of Wagner, Pierre and Sisseton.

The ACLU of South Dakota and a Rapid City lawyer filed the case on behalf of people suspected of drug use who were subjected to forced catheterizations to obtain urine samples. Police had obtained search warrants for the urine samples.

Lange wrote in a 106-page opinion that the practice to prove low-level drug crimes was a highly invasive  and in these cases  degrading medical procedure.

Five people were awarded settlements between $75,000 and $99,000 for damages and legal costs.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits Legislation South Dakota
18th September 2020

Runtime 19:23





Guident, the autonomous vehicle software developer based in Miami and 100% owned by AIM-listed Tekcapital #TEK, told London South East that laboratory tests with a major automotive OEM for their latest patent, electromagnetic regenerative shock absorbers 'are to start soon'.

Harald Braun, the Chairman & CEO of Guident spoke to Donald Leggatt, and explained that the 'responsive shocks' as he calls them were not strictly core to the business but neverthless were too good an autonomous technology to pass by. Guident recently bought the patent for an undisclosed price to add to several others they hold in the algorithmic intelligence (AI) and electric vehicle (EV) field.

"The autonomous vehicle (AV) market in 2019 was $260 billion with a CAGR of 22/23% from our market research" Harald explained. "And even without trucks, that's 64 million shock absorbers a year, so we think they may be profitable."

The adoption rate of autonomous vehicles like Tesla's is 'not that great so far', but 'we predict there will be 'a major focus on autonomous vehicles in the future'.

Guident have been working with autonomous intelligence for a year and a half now, and are closely focused on the development of software for autonomous vehicles.

It is important to monitor and control cars with video connectivity, and terrestrial land drones (not flying ones) which enable 'zero touch delivery' of goods are part of that. Demand for land drones or robots spiked during Covid, and Harald say that ideas are being turned into software at a speed never seen before in the marketplace. "It is very important with a start-up to make sure you are open enough to see where the market is going. Zero touch delivery has had a huge push, and these are things you need to react to".

"In several states cars are obliged by law to have some sort of human intervention, and this is what we are focusing on doing at Guidant.This control room monitoring operation in real time is our core technology" said Harald.

The Autonomous Vehicle (AV) can send its sensory input information to the control center in real-time and the control center operator can take over operation of the vehicle, enabling it to navigate in a variety of difficult situations such as heavy weather, crowded and dangerous traffic scenarios, accident prevention and remediation, and off-grid and last mile package delivery.

#TEK

#AV

#AI

#Harald Braun

#Guident

#autonomous

#software

#landdrones

#Safety
Over the past year I have written several times about the flaws within our justice system. The countless breach-of-probation charges added onto repeat offenders records. Light sentences that fail to provide any form of justice for victims or further act as a deterrent to others. A lack of rehabilitation and reintegration efforts for perpetrators while incarcerated.

Specifically, I have written profiles of two men, both with lengthy histories of criminal and violent behaviour that slowly but surely escalated.

Dillon Cowen has faced various charges over the last several years. Most recently, on Dec. 16, he added a slew of new charges to his record including four breach of probation and two failure-to-comply-with-a-recognizance charges, after waving ice picks around downtown Peterborough. Two months later, Feb. 8, Cowen allegedly stabbed a man in an alley and now faces an attempted murder charge.

Then there is Cody Patterson, who also has a lengthy criminal record. In 2017, he was charged and convicted after robbing a pizza delivery driver at knifepoint. On Feb. 11, arrested and charged in connection with the attempted theft of a city bus at the downtown terminal. Last month, Cody was accused of stabbing a Peterborough police officer and now faces an attempted murder charge.

There are two more names, repeat offenders with lengthy histories of criminal and violent behaviour, that have come into the spotlight lately.

Corby Dewitt: In 2009, he was charged with robbery with a weapon after an incident at a Mac's Milk location. In 2011, he was charged with several offences involving thefts from vehicles. In 2012 he had a run-in with the Ministry of Natural Resources and was accused of poaching a deer, out of season, without a licence, while trespassing and leaving its carcass behind.

Last month, Dewitt was charged with sexual assault, kidnapping, uttering threats to cause death, assault and choking to overcome resistance in relation to a vile attack on a woman in Jackson Park.

Jordan Morin: In 2015, he was charged with assault in which he was sentenced to 21 days in jail and one year of probation after being involved in a fight at Lock 19. In 2019, he was charged with assault causing bodily harm after an attack on a good Samaritan, causing several facial fractures. Now, Morin has been charged with aggravated assault and assault causing bodily harm after a Curve Lake woman was brutally beaten two weeks ago.

Four separate cases locally, where an individual has a history of violent and criminal behaviour which progressed over time to a point where a life-altering encounter occurred. Four victims whose lives will be changed forever because of these vile acts.

I would never suggest that we lock people up and throw away the key. However, something must change. It remains adamantly clear that the current system is flawed to its core. Broken, but not beyond repair.

The court system continues to wash its hands of responsibility as if a couple of days in jail is enough to fix broken people. They ignore the pattern of violence and slow progression of severity over the years and do nothing to intervene. In some cases I have mentioned, the individual should not have even been out of custody and yet bail and one-day jail sentences are consistently given out like candy on Halloween.

How many more people are going to become victimized before we say enough is enough and actually do something to keep people with violent predilections off our streets until we are certain they have been rehabilitated? I do believe in tougher sentences, but those tougher sentences must be coupled with a system of behavioural therapy and rehabilitation before these individuals are reintegrated back into our society.

As for the victims, my thoughts and prayers go out to you as my heart weighs heavy with sorrow over your unnecessary and preventable suffering.
Lula Davis Boston Chatman was born on July 16, 1920, and closed her eyes and went to sleep peacefully on Friday, September 11, 2020. She was 100 years old.

Mother Boston was preceded in death by her parents, Josephine and Willie Davis of Birmingham , Alabama.

She was a faithful member of the Worlds Church of the Living God in Chattanooga, where she often spoke of her love for the members of the congregation.

She leaves to cherish her memory the brothers and sisters of the Worlds Church of the living God.

A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 18. Interment will be in Chattanooga National Cemetery.

Arrangements are by John P. Franklin Funeral Home, 1101 Dodds Ave., 423 622-9995.
A small study by Canadian veterinary science experts being presented at this ESCMID Conference on Coronavirus Disease (ECCVID, held online from 23-25 September) suggests that a substantial proportion of pet cats and dogs can be infected by SARS-CoV-2 by their owners. Furthermore, in several cases pets found to be infected had COVID-19-like respiratory symptoms at the time their owner had COVID-19.

"These preliminary results suggest that a substantial proportion of pets in households of persons with COVID-19 seroconvert," says study co-author Dorothee Bienzle, Professor of Veterinary Pathology at the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

SARS-CoV-2 has been reported to infect a range of animal species. However, neither risk factors nor susceptibility or clinical features of infection in different animal species are well defined. This study investigated the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 shedding and seropositivity in pets whose owners had COVID-19.

In this study, people who owned a cat, dog or ferret* and had a diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection or symptoms consistent with COVID-19 within a 2-week period, were invited to have their pet swabbed. If humans were outside the 2-week window of suspected infectiousness, collection of a blood sample from their pet for serology was offered. Swabbing of the nose, throat and rectum was done for PCR-testing to test for current infection in the pets, while standard blood antibody ELISA tests were used to detect recent (IgM antibodies) or past infection (IgG antibodies). Results were compared with blood stored from animals collected before December 2019, to act as a control group.

Swabs were collected from 17 cats, 18 dogs and one ferret. All PCR results (for current infection) were negative except those from one cat that were considered indeterminate. Blood samples were taken from 8 cats and 10 dogs. The results indicated presence of IgG or IgM in 4 (50%) and 3 (38%) distinct cat samples, respectively. The sample from the cat with indeterminate PCR results had a positive IgM ELISA result, indicating its infection, although not current, was extremely recent.

"All cats with an indeterminate PCR or positive antibody result were reported to have had respiratory and/or other illness by their owners around the time of the owner's COVID-19 infection," explains Professor Bienzle. "Two (20%) of dogs had positive IgG antibody results, indicating past infection, and one of these was reported to have had an episode of respiratory disease. No dogs had positive IgM results, which would have indicated more recent infection."

She concludes: "While eligible participant number was limited by relatively low human transmission rates in the study area, these preliminary results suggest that a substantial proportion of pets in households of persons with COVID-19 end up developing antibodies. Due to the narrow window of time available to detect a current infection in pets, especially if their owner is still sick and isolating, blood testing the animal at a later time to check for previous infection is preferable for assessment of human-to-animal transmission."

She adds: "Transmission from mink to humans has been reported on mink farms with a high proportion of infected animals maintained in close quarters and cared for by humans. Transmission from pets to humans has not been reported, but since the virus changes minimally or not at all after transmission from humans to animals, such reverse transmission may occur."

Regarding pet care, Prof Bienzle recommends that people infected with SARS-CoV-2 should not only keep away from other people, but also their pets. She says: "There is sufficient evidence from multiple studies, including ours, to recommend that SARS-CoV-2 infected persons should isolate from people and animals."

Her team will be studying COVID-19 antibody prevalence in other pet populations in the near future.

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Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site.

With the presidential election just weeks away, you may feel that a cloud of uncertainty still hovers over the voting process.

Thats understandable. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic, plus the unusually high level of interest in this years election, has put a lot of pressure on our electoral system. Mail-in voting and early in-person voting will play a much larger role than ever before, and local election officials around the country are, in some cases, still ironing out the details necessary to make that possible. Meanwhile, politically tinged talk of voter suppression and election fraud abounds, and recent slowdowns at the U.S. Postal Service has many worried that their ballots wont arrive on time.

But heres the good news: By and large, experts say, those details are being ironed out; large-scale election fraud is extremely unlikely, if not impossible; and, most importantly, there are simple steps you can take to both stay safe and be certain your vote is counted.

This article will help you take those steps, whether you ultimately decide to vote by mail (aka absentee voting), vote early in person, or vote on Election Day in person.

The key is to get started now. Do not let the political winds drive you to vote in a way thats not your first choice, says David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation & Research, a nonprofit in Washington, D.C. But to vote the way you want, you will need to plan ahead.

Heres what you need to know, and the steps you should take.

Check Your Voter Registration Status

Youve probably heard it a million times: Register to vote. And you probably ignored it almost as often, either because you assume youre already registered or because youve never had any trouble voting in the past.

But things may end up being different this year. Some states have purged voter rolls, and many of the ways that voters ordinarily register arent available because of the COVID-19 crisis. Department of Motor Vehicle closures, limited in-person interactions, and a halt to large public gatherings have curbed traditional sources of registration, such as motor voter and get-out-the-vote registration drives, says a study by the Center for Election Innovation & Research.

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Its also especially crucial this election cycle that local election officials have your current address on hand, whether you vote by mail or in person.

Voting by mail requires that your ballot get to you in a timely manner, and voting in person means local election officials will need to get you up-to-date information on polling locations and early voting schedules. Both are in flux because traditional places such as nursing homes and schools may be deemed off-limits for safety reasons. And in most states, you must vote in the right location for your vote to count.

In addition, retirees traditionally fill a disproportionate number of election-day staffing roles, and because theyre in a high-risk category many are understandably reluctant to sign up this year. Election officials nationwide are having a difficult time filling the ranks, and some may be forced to combine multiple polling places or find new locations altogether.

Checking and updating your voter registration status is very easy by going to the Can I Vote? page of the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) website. This is the best single source of links to state-by-state voter registration tools and information, so keep it handy. (Its also the first thing that comes up if you type Can I Vote? into the Google search engine.) Click on Register to Vote or Voter Registration Status, choose your state from the pull-down menu, and follow the instructions.

The U.S. Vote Foundation is another good source.

Mail-In or Absentee Voting

Mail-in voting is, by its nature, the surest way to avoid long lines and minimize potential exposure to the coronavirus.

Thats why Michael McDonald, PhD, a University of Florida political science professor who runs the United States Elections Project, estimates that at least 50 percent of the votes cast in November will be by mail-in ballot.

The rules and restrictions for mail-in voting vary by statebut, Becker says, there is no state where you cant vote by mail.

Nine statesCalifornia, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, New Jersey, Utah, Vermont, and Washingtonplus the District of Columbia are sending a mail-in ballot to every registered voter (though residents are still allowed to vote in person if they choose).

In 35 or so states, any registered voter can get a mail-in ballot on request. (In some of those states, you need to provide a reason or an excuse to get a mail-in ballot, and fear of COVID-19 is considered a legitimate justification.)

And six statesIndiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texasrequire a justification for mail-in voting and will not accept fear of COVID-19 as adequate. Illness or travel plans are generally a valid excuse, but you can check this table, maintained by the National Conference of State Legislatures, for the rules in your state. Note that in a handful of states, applications for mail-in ballots must be notarized or signed by witnesses.

To find out the rules and restrictions in your state or locality and to request a mail-in ballot, go to the absentee and early voting page link at the NASS websites Can I Vote? page and use the pull-down menu to select your state.

Is Voting by Mail Secure?

Some people, including President Donald Trump and Attorney General William Barr, have argued against mail-in voting, suggesting that it enables large-scale election fraud. But voting experts consistently dispute that. Voter fraud has been analyzed extensively, and there is zero evidence of extensive election fraud, Becker says, pointing to definitive work by the Brennan Center for Justice showing that mail-ballot fraud is incredibly rare and rates of it infinitesimally small.

Ben Hovland, the Trump-nominated head of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, agrees that the incidence of voter fraud in general is historically rare because there are just so many safeguards in place.

Experts say that systematic tampering with mail-in voting is almost impossible, given all the overlapping security measures built into the system. They include bar-coded or numbered ballots that need to match with unique identifiers that only an individual voter is likely to have (like your signature and the last digits of your Social Security number), ballot tracking through the U.S. Postal Service and local election portals, and post-election auditing processes.

A slightly more legitimate worry is that mail-in votes wont be counted. To the extent this is a valid concern, it has nothing to do with fraud but with the fact that mail-in voting requires voters to meet specific deadlines and follow detailed rulesand many fail to do so.

A recent analysis by The Associated Press, for example, found that more than 100,000 mail-in ballots were rejected by California election officials during the March presidential primary. About 70,000 were rejected because they had not been postmarked on or before Election Day and received within three days afterward, as state election rules require, and more than 27,000 because the ballots werent signed or the signature didnt match the one on record.

Another potential problem is that some states wont be prepared to accommodate all the requests they get for mail-in ballots. This happened in Wisconsins April primary, for example, when technical problems prevented thousands of requested ballots from reaching voters, according to a report by the Wisconsin Elections Commission.

That said, voters can take simple steps to address all the valid concerns about mail-in voting.

Pay attention to deadlines. That applies for requesting a mail-in ballot and for returning it. (Note that some deadlines specify when a ballot must be postmarked, others when it must be received by election officials.) You can find those deadlines using the same NASS Can I Vote? page recommended above.

If youre concerned that youve waited too long to send your ballot or that the Postal Service wont deliver your marked ballot in time, know that most voting districts allow people to deliver their own mail-in ballots to dedicated drop-off bins (often in libraries, post offices, and other public facilities) and polling stations on Election Day.

Read and follow mail-in ballot instructions carefully. They often require close attention to detail. They almost always require your signature and sometimes more than one. Some ballots must be placed inside a dedicated security envelope, which in turn goes inside a mailing envelope. And the ballot itself needs to be marked correctly, Becker says. That means filling in the bubbles completely with blue or black ink. Xs, check marks, and red-ink-filled bubbles generally wont be counted.

Have a backup plan. In the Wisconsin primary election last April, about half of the people who didnt get the mail-in ballot they requested eventually voted, either with replacement absentee ballots or at the polls, according to the state election commission study. If your ballot hasnt arrived and the mail-in deadlines are approachingBecker suggests no later than a week before the electioncheck with local officials and be ready to put your fall-back plan into action. In many jurisdictions youll be able to request a replacement ballot or vote early in person. As a last resort you can go to the polls on Election Day and vote in person even if you requested a mail-in ballot, though you may need to use a provisional ballot to do so.

And last, know that in many states you can check that your mail-in ballot was received and processed. Californias Wheres My Ballot? service, for example, notifies voters via email, text, or phone call.

Early In-Person Voting

Early voting, now available in about 40 states, is an increasingly popular option. More than 16 million Americans cast early ballots in the 2018 midterm elections, not counting mail-in ballots, according to data collected by the United States Elections Project.

And because early voting spreads voters across a longer period of time, its usually an effective way for them to avoid the crowds and long lines at polling stations on Election Day and thereby decrease their risk of contracting COVID-19assuming they take reasonable health and safety precautions (more on that below).

The time frame for early voting varies by state, ranging from the week before to about 45 days before the election. Early voting typically ends a few days before Election Day. About half the states allow early voting on weekends.

You can check your own states early voting rules using this table maintained by the National Conference of State Legislatures, or through the NASS Can I Vote? page.

Voting on Election Day

If you vote this way, you could face lines made longer because of social distancing and in some cases by reduced polling locations and staff shortages.

If you have no other choice, though, at least try to show up during off-peak times. The middle of the day tends to be best, Becker says. Definitely avoid the end-of-the-day rush if you can.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued special COVID-19 safety recommendations for voters, many of which are similar to the healthy behaviors you should practice during a trip to the supermarket: wear a mask; maintain at least 6 feet of social distance; cover your coughs and sneezes; use hand sanitizer often, especially after touching frequently touched surfaces (such as doorknobs and voting machines); avoid touching your face; and wash your hands thoroughly afterward.

But the CDC has a few special voting-day recommendations. Avoid delays by verifying your voter info and having any necessary registration forms ready; bring your own black pen (or if your precinct uses electronic voting machines, a stylus), so you dont have to use one that has been touched by other voters; and review a sample ballot in advance (which you can do here or through your local election offices website), so you can vote and depart quickly.
DUBLIN  The chief executive of Bank of Ireland said she is "cautiously optimistic" about the economic recovery in Ireland, but that banks are still facing a severe hit.

Francesca McDonagh told CNBC that while Ireland's economy contracted a record 6.1% in the second quarter of 2020, it was "less than expected".

She said that there were positive signs emerging as people begun spending again and customers exited payment breaks that were implemented earlier in the pandemic.

"Consumer spending is at the same level as it was in early March. We're seeing house prices be resilient and we're seeing some parts of society and sectors re-open as restrictions change," she said.

Any progress is at risk of being curtailed, though, as Ireland has seen a spike in Covid-19 cases of late with Dublin expected to be placed under new restrictions on Friday evening.

"My cautious optimism is about the green shoots of re-opening the economy. The actual severe impact of the impairment cost to banks can't be overstated," McDonagh told CNBC.

In its half-year report, Bank of Ireland announced a 669 million euro ($790 million) loss before tax, after it took an impairment charge of 937 million euros ($1.1 billion) to cover loan losses during the pandemic.

At the start of lockdown, Bank of Ireland and other major banks agreed to payment breaks for some customers. McDonagh said around 10% of Bank of Ireland's customers had taken a payment break since lockdown in March.

"Many of those customers have come off and resumed normal credit and interest repayment, but our focus in the latter part of this year as people come off their final payment break is to work with our customers," she said.

"We had the lowest non-performing exposure ratio of any Irish bank before Covid, of working with customers to find sustainable solutions, and that's where our focus will be."

There is still uncertainty on any future outlook, she added, with Brexit presenting "additional uncertainty" that may create further challenges ahead.
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By CASEY SMITH, IRENA HWANG and COLLIN BINKLEY

Associated Press

MUNCIE, Ind.  Just two weeks after students started returning to Ball State University last month, the surrounding county had become Indiana's coronavirus epicenter.

Out of nearly 600 students tested for the virus, more than half have been positive. Dozens of infections have been blamed on off-campus parties, prompting university officials to admonish students.





. . .
A US helicopter has followed a Russian convoy along a road in Hassakeh, following a recent incident that left a number of US soldiers injured reports Al-Masdar.

The US-led International Coalition forces are apparently changing their strategy when confronting Russian troops in Syria, following a recent provocation that resulted in American troops suffering injuries in the northeastern part of the country.

In a new incident this week, US military choppers were seen circling a Russian army convoy in Hassakeh Governorate, following an apparent encounter with American ground troops.

The video, which was shared by the RusVesna.SU YouTube channel, showed US choppers quickly approaching the Russian vehicles and circling them on a roadway in Hassakeh.

Two American AH-64 Apache combat helicopters, violating the agreements on the interaction of the parties, accompanied the convoy of Russian military personnel, the channel said.

Apparently, the command of the International Coalition, after serious physical and mental trauma to its servicemen, has not abandoned attempts to control the movement of Russian patrols, only now without creating obstacles on the ground, they added.

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.
The Trump administration has renewed its push for opening direct talks between Israel and Lebanon on the demarcation of their maritime borders in order to find a solution for the dispute between both countries over natural gas explorations in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, Israeli and U.S. officials told me.

Why it matters: Israeli officials say the Trump administration hopes to launch Israeli-Lebanese diplomatic talks before November's election. There have been no such talks between the countries in 30 years, and renewing Israeli-Lebanese negotiations would be a big achievement for the White House.

The big picture: The last decade saw several significant natural gas discoveries off the coasts of the two countries.

The border dispute ultimately concerns revenues that could reach tens of billions of dollars  and it also halted natural gas exploration in the area that interested U.S. energy companies.

The backstory: In June 2019, Israel and Lebanon were close to launching negotiations.

U.S. mediator David Satterfield presented an agreement for launching direct Israeli-Lebanese negotiations with U.S. mediation under the auspices of the United Nations in a UN base on the border between Israel and Lebanon.

Both sides agreed  but, under pressure from Hezbollah, the Lebanese government backtracked.

What's happening: Israeli officials told me that, in the aftermath of the Beirut explosion, Lebanon's economic crisis and ongoing domestic criticism of Hezbollah in Lebanon, the U.S. decided to renew its efforts to launch the talks.

Israeli officials said Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs David Schenker visited Israel this week and discussed the issue with energy minister Yuval Steinitz and with foreign minister Gabi Ashkenazi.

Schenkers visit was part of American shuttle diplomacy between Beirut and Jerusalem, Israeli officials told me. Schenker was in Israel several weeks ago, then traveled to Beirut to meet government officials and returned to Israel this week for updates.

Schenker told reporters last week that he made progress during his talks in Beirut over the maritime border dispute.

The state of play: Israeli officials say that Schenker presented his Israeli interlocutors this week with an updated draft agreement for launching the negotiations.

Israeli officials say one of the last sticking points has to do with the mediation.

The Lebanese want both the U.S. and the UN to mediate  while Israel wants the U.S. as the only mediator, with the UN acting only as the host.

The bottom line: Officials said they feel there is more flexibility and readiness on the Lebanese side than before to enter talks with Israel.




Coronavirus infections topped 30 million around the globe on Thursday as the World Health Organization warned of "alarming rates of transmission" across Europe and cautioned against shortening quarantine periods.







The WHO's regional director for Europe Hans Kluge said a September surge "should serve as a wake-up call for all of us" after Europe set a new record last week, with some 54,000 cases recorded in 24 hours.







"Although these numbers reflect more comprehensive testing, it also shows alarming rates of transmission across the region," he told an online news conference from Copenhagen.







More than 30 million infections have been recorded and more than 943,000 people have died since the novel coronavirus emerged in China late last year, according to the latest AFP tally based on official sources. Europe accounts for 4.7 million of the total.







Across Europe, governments are battling to contain the fresh spike in cases, while wanting to avoiding inflicting fresh damage on their economies and imposing broad new restrictions on their virus-weary populations.







French authorities are preparing tighter restrictions in several cities to curtail a surge in Covid-19 cases that has seen nearly 10,000 new cases per day reported over the past week.







Health Minister Olivier Veran said new measures would be announced for Lyon and Nice by Saturday, after curbs on public gatherings were imposed this week in Bordeaux and Marseille. (AFP)


President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden swooped into the unlikely battleground of Minnesota on Friday for dueling campaign events in which each argued he was the better choice to spur the economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

Trump told supporters at a rally in the northern part of the state that tariffs he slapped on foreign steel and other executive actions he took helped save jobs in Minnesota's iron-ore mining industry. Biden, he said, spent decades as a senator and vice president sending U.S. jobs overseas.

"If Biden wins, China wins," Trump said at Bemidji Regional Airport.

A few hours earlier, Biden toured the Jerry Alander Carpenter Training Center in Hermantown, a suburb of Duluth, and called again for a $15 per hour minimum wage. He vowed to strengthen buy American requirements for federal contracting.

Biden has proposed to spend $400 billion during his first term to buy American products. He proposed to spend $2 trillion on infrastructure, and to retrofit 4 million buildings and 2 million homes to make them more energy efficient, which he said would create millions of jobs.

Biden said he would pay for his plan by repealing the Trump tax cut for individuals earning more than $400,000 per year and raising the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%. In contrast, Trump proposed to reduce the capital-gains tax rate on investments to 15%, which Biden said would be lower than the rate on working wages.

Its time to reward hard work in America, not wealth, Biden said.

President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks during a campaign rally at Bemidji Regional Airport in Bemidji, Minnesota, on Sept. 18, 2020.

The candidates' visits coincided with the first day of Minnesota's early voting period  either in person or absentee  for the Nov. 3 election. Trump is vying to win a state Democrats have carried reliably since 1972 and therefore isn't routinely mentioned among crucial swing states like neighboring Wisconsin, Michigan or Florida.

Trump has won support across the northeast region of the state, despite the Iron Range being a traditional Democratic stronghold of unions for mining, steelworkers and shipping.

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Polls suggest a comfortable Biden lead in Minnesota, by an average of 8.8 percentage points through Sept. 18, according to tracking site FiveThirtyEight.com. While Trump won support in the Iron Range in 2016, the bulk of the state's population is more urban and favors Democrats. But the Trump campaign says its internal polling portrays a tighter race.

At his rally in Bemidji, Trump cast doubts on the polls showing him behind.

"I don't think so," he said. "There's no way I'm 9 points down."

In a play for urban voters, the Trump campaign unveiled a local television ad Friday for Minnesota and Michigan that criticizes Biden for proposing to raise the number of refugees welcomed to the country from Syria, Somalia and Yemen. Minnesota had about 43,000 residents who were born in Somalia by 2018, according to census estimates, which occasionally sparks tensions in the Twin Cities.

Trump warned supporters at his rally that Biden would flood Minnesota and the rest of the country with refugees from some of the most dangerous places in the world, including Yemen, Syria and Somalia.

"I'm your wall between the American dream and chaos," he said.

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden visits the Jerry Alander Carpenter Training Center in Hermantown, Minnesota, on Sept. 18, 2020.

Another urban issue for the Twin Cities deals with racial-justice protests. Minnesota has been the epicenter of nationwide racial justice protests, after the death May 25 of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody. But political experts said the issue hasn't appeared to influence presidential politics in the state.

Cynthia Rugeley, an associate professor of political science at the University of Minnesota Duluth, said she sees no evidence that Floyd's death or the protests are shifting the presidential race in the state.

"Im not sure it has changed any minds," she said. "It does seem to have hardened peoples opinions on the issues.

Jerry Hemstad waves a flag in support of President Donald Trump near the statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox on Sept. 18, 2020 in Bemidji, Minnesota. Bemidji, where Trump will speak, is Bunyan's fictional home. Trump and challenger, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, are each campaigning in Minnesota today.

Trump has called himself the law-and-order candidate, supporting police amid concerns about public safety. But Biden has accused Trump of stoking racial division rather than seeking to heal wounds from protests ranging from Portland, Oregon, to Atlanta, Georgia.

During Trump's previous visits to Minnesota, the president promoted his tariffs on Chinese steel to bolster local mining, his renegotiation of the trade deal with Canada for dairy farmers and funding for the Soo Locks shipping channel that is critical to trade on the Great Lakes.

When Vice President Mike Pence campaigned in Duluth on Aug. 28, six mayors from traditional Democratic strongholds endorsed the GOP ticket and said "lifelong politicians like Joe Biden are out of touch with the working class." Three more Iron Range mayors endorsed the ticket Friday, saying the Obama administration when Biden was vice president was soft on China as mines shut down.

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden tours Carpenter Training Center in Hermantown, Minnesota, on Sept. 18, 2020.

Biden has focused on his support among steelworkers and other unions, with a proposal to spur domestic manufacturing through federal spending. He released a statement Wednesday supporting the Iron Range and promoting endorsements by unions including the United Steelworkers and AFL-CIO.

He said steel shipments were down 25% last year under Trump's administration, idling mining operations and putting thousands of people out of work, while China produced the largest monthly volume of crude steel on record in July.

Biden acknowledged a chip on his shoulder at having the affluent look down him without an Ivy League degree. But he promoted the regions union workers who built things with their hands rather than deriving income from investing in the stock market.

I believe this campaign is between Scranton and Park Avenue, Biden said, repeated a theme from his town hall Thursday on CNN. Like a lot of you, I spent a lot of my life with guys like Donald Trump looking down on me.

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a former Democratic primary rival of Biden, said her grandfather was a miner whose job was made safer by miners. She said she is sick and tired hearing Trump say he is making the country safer while she has to visit her 92-year-old father in assisted living through glass because hes suffering from COVID-19.

I dont know if Im ever going to see him again, Klobuchar said. Thats not safe.

But she said Biden would work to curb the virus and revive the economy.

We need someone to have our back, Klobuchar said.

Biden lamented the job losses under the pandemic, as the American death total nears 200,000 and is projected to double by the end of the year.

I cant think of any president who has ever acted, in my view, so selfishly for his own reelection instead of his sworn obligation to protect and defend the American people, Biden said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump, Biden talk economy, manufacturing in Minnesota
(Alliance News) - Government scientific advisers have warned they are concerned about the "developing situation" of coronavirus being imported into the UK.

New papers published by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, or Sage, on Friday said while imported cases of Covid-19 were a "small minority" of infections, they still posed a threat.

The report, by the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling, Operational sub-group was dated September 2.

It said: "Spimo are concerned about the developing situation around the importation of infection from people arriving in the UK.

"Whilst this is a small minority of infections in the UK it poses a threat."

The report said that while testing at borders would not have an impact on importation rates, it would provide important surveillance data.

But it warned that imported infections were likely to remain a source of outbreaks in the UK.

It added: "Although testing at borders is unlikely to have significant impact on importation rates, it would provide important epidemiological surveillance data and potentially reduce onwards transmission if it results in through higher adherence to quarantine periods and activating onwards contact tracing.

"As heterogeneity increases globally, the importation of infection is likely to remain a source of outbreaks in the UK."

Travellers entering the UK have to self-isolate for 14 days unless they have visited a country on the official list of nations considered low risk for Covid-19.

There have been calls from the travel industry and some Tory MPs to bring in airport testing and reduce quarantine times to allow more travel for holidays and business.

Health minister James Bethell told MPs his department was working closely with the Department for Transport, airlines and airports.

Appearing before the Commons Science and Technology Committee on Thursday, he was asked if the government was looking at using repeat testing to shorten quarantine periods.

He added: "I would love to see the reopening of borders when we can.

"But the CMO is really clear, we've already had very tough outcomes from people coming into the country, bringing the disease with them and we have to rely on people complying with quarantine and the evidence suggests that that's a very difficult thing to rely upon."

source: PA

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
An Garda Siochana will tonight recommence Operation Fanacht to ensure the people of Dublin City and County adhere to increased public health measures that were announced by An Taoiseach Micheal Martin this evening.

There will be targeted checkpoints erected by gardai as they ask people not to travel outside Dublin unless it is essential.

Gardai will also be drafted in from other counties to ensure compliance with public health regulations. This will consist of targeted patrols and checkpoints.

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"Operation Fanacht will see a high level of visible gardai in Dublin City and County on foot, in car and on bike, to support the public health guidelines, particularly in relation to social distancing and gathering in large groups at amenities and open spaces," a statement said.

"As some of the regulations are not enshrined in law, gardai will use the approach of the three Es which will see gardai engage, educate and encourage, only, compliance with travel regulations."

Deputy Commissioner, Policing and Security, John Twomey said: "As a community we all need to come together to once again protect ourselves and our most vulnerable. It is vital that every person plays their part and adheres to the public health regulations and guidelines to reduce the increasing spread of Covid-19.

"An Garda Siochana will do its part in Keeping people Safe. Operation Fanacht is intended to work with communities to support Government and Public Health Guidelines."

The Deputy Commissioner added: "Local gardai are here to support individuals and local communities, in particular the most vulnerable in our society during this time. If you are feeling isolated or need help with shopping, collecting your prescription or anything else similar, please contact your local Garda station."

Mr Twomey went on to say: "An Garda Siochana is fully aware of the impact increased restrictions may have on those who are subject to Domestic abuse and do not feel safe in their homes. An Garda Siochana takes domestic abuse very seriously. If you are in danger call 999 at any time.

"If you feel you are not in immediate danger and you require advice and assistance, you can visit or call your local garda station and ask to speak with a garda in private. If you know of someone who cannot speak for themselves please contact your local garda station."
The GIC has rapidly responded by collecting wildfire imagery in Oregon, California, Washington, and Montana, giving insurers the ability to search for addresses to view before and after aerial images of impacted properties. Imagery is collected as weather and smoke conditions permit then processed and available to GIC members within 24 hours of collection. If your organization needs access to GIC imagery, email [email protected]el.org .

Current GIC post-catastrophe wildfire imagery includes:

Alameda Drive-Glendower-Obenchain Fires in Jackson County, Oregon

Bear-North Complex in Butte County, California

Creek Fire in Fresno and Madera Counties, California

and Counties, Bridger Foothills in Gallatin County, Montana

Babb Fire in Whitman County, Washington

The GIC continues to monitor conditions and collect in key areas, including several other large fires in Oregon and California. The GIC also prioritizes future imagery collections based on ongoing feedback from GIC members and government stakeholders.

Geospatial images from the GIC help provide insurers with vital information to better respond to and settle claims faster while mitigating potential fraud. In addition, this imagery is provided at no cost to emergency personnel, first responders, and law enforcement to assist in their response to the damage.

"With devastating wildfires like these, damage assessment is crucial to expedite the recovery process. We know that post-disaster, high-resolution aerial imagery can speed up the recovery process allowing claims processing to proceed faster as well as obtain benchmark information to prevent fraud for our GIC members," said Richard Butgereit, Director of Catastrophe Response, GIC.

In areas like Malden, Washington, officials estimate as many as 80% of structures have been destroyed, including critical infrastructure. "This imagery can assist with long-term recovery or inform a distressed home or business owner that their property is still standing," Butgereit added.

"Technological advances have improved in recent years, providing insurers with critical tools to enhance fraud detection and expedite fraud investigations. The GIC is just another example of how the industry is leveraging innovation to help fight fraud in the wake of a disaster like this one," said NICB's Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Timothy Slater.

"Following any major disaster, we unfortunately see scammers swoop in to take advantage of homeowners promising a quick fix. In some cases, it's the homeowner who might want a new roof and attempt to scam the insurance company. Regardless, it's a problem and we must as an industry continue to develop innovative crime fighting solutions to stop this from happening," added Slater.

This imagery and data can be used for real-time collaboration between teams -- both on the ground and from remote offices  to make better, faster decisions on behalf of their customers. Earlier in 2020, the GIC renamed itself to Geospatial Insurance Consortium from the Geospatial Intelligence Center.

LEARN MORE

To learn more about recent aerial imagery at the GIC, visit go.gic.org.

Anyone with information concerning insurance fraud or vehicle theft can report it anonymously by calling toll-free 800.TEL.NICB (800.835.6422) or submitting a form on our website.

ABOUT GIC: The Geospatial Insurance Consortium (GIC) is an initiative by the National Insurance Crime Bureau Board (NICB). As a not-for-profit, member-led organization, GIC is trusted by the NICB and participating companies to consistently offer the most accurate highest-caliber, and timely "Blue Sky" (high- and ultra-high resolution imagery from across the United States) and "Gray Sky" (natural disasters and catastrophe) geospatial aerial imagery and data. To learn more visit gic.org.

REPORT FRAUD: Anyone with information concerning insurance fraud or vehicle theft can report it anonymously by calling toll-free 800.TEL.NICB (800.835.6422)or submitting a form on our website.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL INSURANCE CRIME BUREAU: Headquartered in Des Plaines, Ill., the NICB is the nation's leading not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to preventing, detecting and defeating insurance fraud and vehicle theft through data analytics, investigations, learning and development, government affairs and public affairs. The NICB is supported by more than 1,400 property and casualty insurance companies and self-insured organizations. NICB member companies wrote more than $526 billion in insurance premiums in 2019, or more than 82% of the nation's property-casualty insurance. That includes more than 95% ($241 billion) of the nation's personal auto insurance. To learn more visit www.nicb.org.

SOURCE National Insurance Crime Bureau

Related Links

www.nicb.org


This is one in a series of stories that are part of Swing County, Swing State, a collaborative project between lehighvalleylive.com and nj.com that explores Northampton Countys critical role in the upcoming presidential election.

On Tuesday night, Bethlehem resident Paul Tubiana kicked off President Donald Trumps televised ABC town hall, asking why did you throw vulnerable people like me under the bus? Upon hearing Trumps response and leaving the event, Tubiana said he felt tainted.

Though he cast his ballot for Trump in 2016, Tubiana said he has buyers remorse over his vote.

Having had the first question, it was painful for me to sit there so close to the President at the ABC News Townhall event having to endure the Presidents marketing tricks, Tubiana wrote in a statement. He never answered the questions. When I left the event, I felt tainted.

Still, Tubiana is undecided on who to vote for in 2020, making him one of Pennsylvanias pivotal swing voters that Trump must court in order to win the election. Currently, the President trails Vice President Joe Biden in state and national polls.

As a diabetic, Tubiana thought it important to highlight those who are most vulnerable to the virus with his question.

I am pro-life and the pandemic is the pro-life issue of our time. Being conservative, social distancing and wearing masks is the most cost effective solution to ending the pandemic, he wrote.

Tubiana only learned a few days prior that his question, limited to 65 words and submitted weeks in advance, would be featured in the ABC town hall, moderated by George Stephanopoulos.

Im a conservative, pro-life and diabetic. Ive had to dodge people who dont care about social distancing and wearing face masks, Tubiana told Trump during Tuesdays town hall. I thought you were doing a good job with the pandemic response until about May 1st. Then you took your foot off the gas pedal. Why did you throw vulnerable people like me under the bus?

Trump spent seven minutes answering, upholding Americas response to the virus while blaming China for its spread.

Weve worked very hard on the pandemic. Weve worked very hard. It came off from China. They should have never let it happen, Trump said. And if you looked at what weve done with ventilators, and now, frankly, with vaccines --were very close to having the vaccine. If you want to know the truth, the previous administration would have taken perhaps years to have a vaccine because of the FDA and all the approvals, and were within weeks of getting it. You know, could be three weeks, four weeks, but we think we have it. Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, we have great companies and theyre very, very close.

In reference to his questions dramatic kicker, why did you throw vulnerable people like me under the bus, Tubiana explained that he lost faith because the President did NOT keep his word by enforcing White House Coronavirus Task Force guidelines.

Nonetheless, Tubiana was glad to participate in the town hall and ask Trump his question.

It was an honor and a privilege to have had the opportunity to participate in the electoral process as an engaged citizen and have my voice heard, he wrote. I still remain undecided. I want to vote for the candidate that saves the most lives. I trust the American people to make their own decisions and make the right choice.

The Swing County, Swing State project is being generously supported by a $25,000 grant from The John Farmer Memorial Journalism Fund. Please consider supporting ambitious local news like this with a subscription to lehighvalleylive.com.

Josh Axelrod may be reached at JAxelrod@njadvancemedia.com.
Just hours after fans were in an uproar over Big Brother All Stars housemate Memphis Garrett seemingly calling Black housemate David Alexander an N-word, CBS claims he did not utter the derogatory term.

During an after-hours live-feed of Big Brother on Wednesday night, Garrett, a 37-year-old Tennessee native, was have a private conversation with Cody Calafiore, 29.

They were both talking about David Williams, a Black 30-year-old from Atlanta, when Memphis said, 'Dude, David is a ni-' before stopping himself, with a CBS statement claiming Garrett never said the N-word.

Memphis: Just hours after fans were in an uproar over Big Brother All Stars housemate Memphis Garrett seemingly calling Black housemate David Alexander an N-word, CBS claims he did not utter the derogatory term

Memphis almost calling David the n word....

Memphis- Dude, David is a ni.. then stops himself. #BB22 pic.twitter.com/lG3NlHBWed  Unfiltered Feedsters (@UnfilteredFeeds) September 17, 2020

'The producers have listened to the scene using enhanced audio,' the statement from CBS began.

'Additionally, the Networks program practices team isolated and played back the scene several different ways using professional, studio-grade audio equipment. After close examination, it has been determined a racial epithet was not said or uttered,' the statement continued.

'Hate speech will not be tolerated, and those who violate the policy will be removed from the Big Brother House,' the statement concluded.

Enhanced: 'The producers have listened to the scene using enhanced audio,' the statement from CBS began

Regardless of CBS' statement, fans aren't convinced, with some going so far as to start a Change.org petition to evict Memphis.

The petition currently has over 3,300 signatures (with a goal of 5,000 signatures), which includes a number of tweets from fans who believe that Memphis was going to say the N-word but stopped himself short.

The Unfiltered Feedsters Twitter shared a video of the incident, adding, 'Lets also clarify everyone has been drinking tonight.....Memphis couldnt hold his tongue.'

Petition: Regardless of CBS' statement, fans aren't convinced, with some going so far as to start a Change.org petition to evict Memphis

They added, 'Let me clarify this tweet: Memphis is like this and has been all season....but hes tried to suppress it, BUT since hes been drinking, he couldnt suppress it anymore and it came out.. I 100% believe Memphis is racist drunk or not.'

Another Twitter user, @jadajeanmister, added, 'it was only a matter of time before we caught it on the feeds #bb22.'

The petition also included videos of Memphis saying other racial slurs like 'coon a**es' and walking with his arm around David in a very menacing fashion.

Suppress: They added, 'Let me clarify this tweet: Memphis is like this and has been all season....but hes tried to suppress it, BUT since hes been drinking, he couldnt suppress it anymore and it came out.. I 100% believe Memphis is racist drunk or not'

There is also another video where several housemates, including Enzo, Cody and Dani, discuss Memphis slapping David hard on the shoulder after winning a competition.

Memphis even claimed that one of the show's executive producers, Rich Meehan, told him he could use intimidation, even though it's expressly forbidden in the rules.

Emma Robinson James, who started the Change.org petition, did not mince words in regards to this situation.

Housemates: There is also another video where several housemates, including Enzo, Cody and Dani, discuss Memphis slapping David hard on the shoulder after winning a competition

'There is an URGENT situation of RACIAL HARM and ASSAULT currently developing in the Big Brother House RIGHT NOW. A player (Memphis Garrett of Garrett Hospitality Group in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida) is targeting another player (David Alexander) with VERBAL and PHYSICAL assault,' she began.

''IS IT OKAY TO ALLOW ASSAULT TO CONTINUE FOR THE SAKE OF TELEVISION??? I refuse to be sitting here when this continues to blow up and David is harmed even further,' she added.

'UNDOUBTEDLY, @CBSBIGBROTHER production, and specifically ALLISON GRODNER (@agrodner22 on twitter), the Executive Producer, and Rich Meehan MUST be held accountable and take SWIFT ACTION to remove Memphis from the house now,' the statement concluded.

Urgent: 'There is an URGENT situation of RACIAL HARM and ASSAULT currently developing in the Big Brother House RIGHT NOW. A player (Memphis Garrett of Garrett Hospitality Group in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida) is targeting another player (David Alexander) with VERBAL and PHYSICAL assault,' she began
A Tokyo court ruled Thursday that the 39-year-old second daughter of executed AUM Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara can take possession of his cremated remains, sources familiar with the matter said, in the latest development in a long-running family row over his ashes.

Asahara's ashes have been stored in a detention house in the Japanese capital since he was hanged in July 2018 along with 12 other members of the doomsday cult for crimes including the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway, which left 14 people dead and more than 6,000 others injured.

The decision made by the Tokyo Family Court is likely to exacerbate the rift within Asahara's family over who will gain possession of his ashes, with his fourth daughter, 31, planning to lodge an appeal with the Tokyo High Court.
We feel there is a direct through line that can be drawn from the racial terror lynchings of old to the current anti-Black violence that were witnessing today, and so thats one of the reasons our work is so important and timely, said Charles L. Chavis Jr., the commissions vice chairman and an assistant professor of conflict resolution and history at George Mason University. In addition to truth telling, our goal is to salvage the humanity of these individuals. At the end of the day, they were someones loved one.
The Fremont Area Chamber of Commerces third annual Beer Fest will return this year, allowing for free samples and networking.

The event will take place from 5-8 p.m. Sept. 24 on the upper level of the Downtown Parking Garage. Admission is $20 for the 21+ event, which will include free brats, sponsored by Great Plains Communication.

Beer Fest allows for members of the public to have unlimited samples of beer provided by members of the Chamber of Commerce. The event originally began in 2018 after Executive Director Tara Lea said the organization wanted to move away from old methods of networking.

We wanted to take a fresh look on it, so we took things outside to the top of the parking garage, and our chamber members actually set up as the beertenders, she said. So they have a table, and theyre bringing in some seasonal beers or just some fun craft beers that people probably havent tried a lot of.

Registration for the event can be found online on the Fremont Area Chamber of Commerces website and is limited to the first 200 people.

Weve had 375 to 400 the last couple years, but we need to break that down just to make sure people are social distancing as best they can, Lea said.

Upon entry to the event, attendees will be given a free beer mug, as well as a koozie, to begin visiting the Chambers vendors.

That gives our members a chance to really talk to those folks from the general public, have a captive audience for the three or four minutes it takes them to finish that sample, she said. Its a very relaxed atmosphere to share more about the products and services that our members have to offer.

Lea said this years Beer Fest will be run differently with a few changes in place to ensure safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, including removing its tailgating area.

Obviously, its a huge space on top of that parking garage, but we want to do our best to have folks socially distanced, she said. And then our beertenders will be wearing gloves, things like that just to keep folks safe.

For this years Beer Fest, Lea said the vendor spots sold out to ensure further social distancing between people at the event.

Its always a bummer. You dont want to tell people they cant be part of an event, she said. But well get them first on the list next year when hopefully, we can get things a little bit more back to normal.

Lea said many people in Fremont dont realize the number and diversity of businesses in the Fremont area, making this event great for people to become informed of whats in their community.

If youre not going into them frequently, you dont know they exist or what they do behind their closed doors, whatever it may be, she said. So its just such an amazing time to showcase the incredible businesses that we have here in the Fremont community.

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(Newser)  An Austin-area sheriff's office praised deputies for using force and rewarded them with steakhouse gift cards, former employees say. Former Williamson County deputy Christopher Pisa, who is being investigated by Texas Rangers for using force on a Black woman during a traffic stop last year, told them Commander Steve Deaton rewarded deputies that he praised for being "badasses." "They had the intention that we were all WilCo badass and, if you went out there and did your job and you had to use force on somebody and he agreed with it, then you would get a gift card, Pisa said in recording obtained by the Austin American-Statesman. Deaton resigned last year after an outcry over offensive Facebook posts including depictions of dolls being raped.

story continues below

Former Sgt. Troy Brogden, who resigned from the force in 2019 after 20 years, backs up Pisa's account. Deaton "would talk about it in groups, including supervisors meetings and classes, Brogden tells the American-Statesman. "I was like, What the hell?" Pisa told investigators that two deputies involved in the death last year of Javier Amblera Black man who died after being repeatedly Tasered despite his pleas that he couldn't breathereceived gift cards, although he didn't link them to the Ambler case, reports KVUE. In a statement, Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody said the only use of gift cards he can "specifically recalls" was "for a deputy who was able to recover some excellent fingerprints that ended up helping an investigation." (Read more Texas stories.)
The number of positive coronavirus cases worldwide has now surpassed 30 million, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Health experts and scientists have been warning that a second wave is knocking at the doors of countries that have relaxed lockdown restrictions to get economies moving once again.

The World Health Organisations European chief, Dr Hans Kluge, warned on Thursday that Europe was facing a very serious situation as the number of weekly cases topped 300,000 last week, higher than during the first peak in March.

Dr Kluge advised against even a slight reduction in the length of quarantine after more than half of European countries registered a rise in infections greater than 10 per cent in the past two weeks.

In the Czech Republic the outbreak appears to be gathering pace rapidly. On Friday the countrys new infections topped 3,000 for the first time - just one day after breaching the 2,000 mark for the first time.

Elsewhere in the world, India has become the latest epicentre of the disease after reporting another record daily increase in infections on Thursday, with more than 97,000 new cases. Another 96,000 were reported on Friday, raising the south Asian countrys total beyond 5.2 million.

In total, just under 945,000 people have died with coronavirus, according to Johns Hopkins, while 20.4 million have recovered.

India is - for now - the second-worst affected country behind the US. After India come Russia, Brazil and Peru.

The crisis is putting pressure on leaders including Jair Bolsonaro, widely criticised for dismissing the virus as a little flu before he caught it himself, and Boris Johnson in the UK, where demand for Covid-19 tests is outstripping supply by three or four times.

British ministers have warned that a shortage of diagnostic kits is likely to persist for some weeks.

In the US, Donald Trump has faced calls to resign from his election opponent, Joe Biden, and on Thursday night was hit with claims from another former staffer that he had put his own re-election ahead of the countrys safety.
OTTAWA - Canada's first national pay-equity commissioner is having her term extended amid delays getting new pay-equity legislation into action.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/9/2020 (490 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Canada's first ever national pay equity commissioner is having her term extended amid delays getting new pay equity legislation into action. Karen Jensen, shown in a handout photo, was appointed a year ago to the Canadian Human Rights Commission with a mandate to help establish a new pay equity division in preparation for the new law to take effect in 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO

OTTAWA - Canada's first national pay-equity commissioner is having her term extended amid delays getting new pay-equity legislation into action.

Karen Jensen was appointed a year ago to the Canadian Human Rights Commission with a mandate to help establish a new pay-equity division in preparation for the new law to take effect in 2020. She was to officially become the pay-equity commissioner as soon as the law was in force.

But Labour Minister Filomena Tassi said Friday it is taking a bit longer to get the regulations in place for the Pay Equity Act and that it won't happen now until 2021.

"COVID-19 as you know has presented some challenges," said Tassi.

Consultations for the proposed pay-equity rules ended in June 2019, but when COVID-19 hit in March, Tassi's department became mostly consumed with the health and safety of workers during the pandemic.

"Having said that, this remains a priority and we're looking forward to full implementation of the act by next year," she said. "It will be in force by next year."

Cabinet last week issued an order to extend Jensen's appointment to reflect the delay.

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A right to equal pay for equal work was enshrined in the Canadian Human Rights Act in 1977, but a national law to require federally regulated employers to actively pursue pay equity did not get passed until December 2018.

Jensen is to help employers implement the needed changes, ensure workers know their rights and help resolve disputes.

On average in Canada, women earn 12 per cent less than men, the third largest gender pay gap among G7 countries and the seventh largest in the OECD. On an hourly basis, that is a difference of $3.87.

Statistics Canada shows in some fields the pay disparity is greater than the norm, such as in education and social service jobs, where on average females earn 81 cents for every $1 earned by men. In manufacturing and utility jobs, the average pay for women is 75 cents for every $1 earned by men.

The gap is smallest in health-care fields and natural and applied sciences.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2020.
Protests follow last weeks death of 49-year-old woman in cell, the 441st since landmark 1991 royal commission on issue.

Brisbane, Australia  Say her name! yelled Ruby Wharton to a crowd of Black Lives Matter supporters in Brisbane, as hundreds took to the streets of the Queensland city following the death of a 49-year-old Indigenous woman in police custody.

The 23-year-old activist from the Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance collective was speaking on behalf of a community reeling from the loss of 441 Indigenous Australians in police custody since 1991. To date, not a single officer has been charged.

This right here is not a protest, this is ceremony; this is lore; this is our responsibility, she said, her anger and determination unshakeable.

The first point of cause for First Nations people when we mourn, is we sing them home, Wharton said.

Aunty Sherry, as protesters have named the Birri Gubba woman out of respect for Indigenous culture that precludes the naming of deceased people, was 49 years old, and a mother of three. She was found dead in a cell at the Brisbane police station in the early hours of September 10. Arrested on property and drug matters four days earlier, she had appeared in court a day after her arrest and remanded in custody until October 7.

Queensland Police Assistant Commissioner Brian Codd told journalists that a post-mortem examination appeared to indicate that the death was by natural causes, but that the circumstances remained under investigation.

For a community that has long pointed to the mistreatment and neglect of Indigenous people in custody, his comments brought little solace.

Protesters sat on the street outside Brisbane police headquarters. Aunty Sherry was the 441st Indigenous person to die in police custody since a landmark royal commission in 1991 [Margarite Clarey/Al Jazeera]

Weve seen this, four hundred and forty-one times now, said Wharton. Systemic racism always cancels out the truth. Time and time again, police investigate police.

The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service says five Indigenous people have died in custody since June.

This is a national emergency and we demand urgent national leadership, NATSILS co-chair Nerita Waight said in a statement. This lack of accountability means that in practice there is no penalty for the death of our people in custody. More police officers involved in deaths in custody have been promoted than convicted, but there cannot be justice without accountability.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people comprise only 3 percent of Australias population, but they make up almost a third of adults jailed across the country.

The rates are even higher for Indigenous youth, who were 16 times more likely to be under youth justice supervision  in detention, or on bail, parole or probation  than non-Indigenous young people in 2018-19, according to the Australian Insitute of Health and Welfare, a government agency.

Human Rights Watch says the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the criminal justice system, which has increased by 9 percent since 2000, is often the result of minor offences like unpaid fines.

In a submission to the United Nations Universal Periodic Review of Australia, which is set for early 2021, the rights group says the government has failed to heed the recommendations laid out in the 1991 Royal Commission on Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, and calls for an end to the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in police cells and prisons.

Cries for change

The Black Lives Matter demonstrations set in motion by the death of George Floyd in the United States have brought renewed scrutiny to Australias treatment of its Indigenous people.





Australian actor Meyne Wyatt posed for a photo with his packing room prize-winning self-portrait at the Art Gallery of New South Wales wearing a Justice for Aunty Sherry mask. Wyatt is the first Indigenous artist to claim any part of the prestigious Archibald Prize, which has been running for 99 years [Joel Carrett/EPA]

In June, tens of thousands of people took to the streets in solidarity with US protesters, to demand justice for Indigenous lives lost in custody.

The Birri Gubba womans death sparked new marches in the city and 18 protesters were arrested after scuffles broke out in front of police headquarters. More rallies are planned later on Friday.

Aboriginal resident Phillip Murrii said that despite years of protests, the situation was only getting worse for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Im a parent of a young daughter. She is more likely  after all of these years of us fighting on the street  to die, than I was at the same age. She is more likely to be imprisoned than I was at the same age. She is more likely to take her own life than I was at that age, they said.

Things are not getting better for our people; they are getting worse.

We are not getting on top of the system. The system is still on top of us. They still have their knees on our necks and they are still killing our people every day in this colony.

New targets were set in June to reduce Indigenous incarceration rates under a long-standing government initiative to close the gap on contributors such as health, education and employment inequalities.

Wharton says change will not happen until First Nations values and laws are acknowledged and made part of the solution.

We did not dream no dreaming; we came from that dreaming, she said, referring to the Aboriginal belief system on creation and the laws of existence.

Ruby Wharton addressed the crowd that gathered after the death of Aunty Sherry in police custody in Brisbane on September 10. She says the Indigenous community will not stop fighting for justice [Margarite Clarey/Al Jazeera]

This is law, we live in multiple dimensions at the one time and we work to uphold our responsibility. When we bring those values to the front line and come up against systemic racism, based on a common and civil law legal system, what weapons have we got?

The solution doesnt exist in their system because that system dont protect us, she said.

Indigenous activists have renewed calls for the government to create a treaty process to negotiate with the clans and bring an end to Indigenous incarceration and deaths in custody.

Meanwhile, Wharton said the community was not prepared to just sit around and wait for justice.

Weve said many, many names here, she said. We come back, time and time again. No matter how many times you kick us we get back up. Thats what Brisbane bla(c)ks do.
Victoria Beckham has been branded 'tasteless' by fans after she uploaded a video on Instagram of a model's breasts.

The fashion designer, 46, broke the site's strict nudity rules on Friday as she teased a piece from her upcoming collection for London Fashion Week.

However, followers soon flooded the comment section, branding the shot 'shocking and classless', while others urged Instagram for the post to be taken down.

Outrage: Victoria Beckham has been branded 'tasteless' by fans after she uploaded a video on Instagram of a model's breasts

Alluding to her catwalk show on Monday, she simply captioned the video: '21.09.20 VBSS21  2.45pm BST.'

But Victoria's followers took offence to the image. One wrote: 'Lol in the name of fashion!!! How tasteless and classless'.

Another added: 'Something does not feel right I am not sure why', while a third chimed: 'Is this allowed on Instagram?'.

Controversial: The fashion designer, 46, broke the site's strict nudity rules on Friday as she teased her upcoming collection for London Fashion Week

Shocking! However, followers soon flooded the comment section, branding the shot 'tasteless and classless', while others urged Instagram for the post to be taken down

A fourth follower responded: 'I'm wondering the same- shocking!'

A fifth fan wrote: 'Kinda is creepy. Nothing class and fashion in this at all', 'Can't wait to wear that out shopping', typed another.

Within three hours of being uploaded, the video has gained more than 750,000 views.

And with a following of 28.6million, the post will undoubtedly hit the million view count within hours.

Instagram has a strict no nudity rule, with only paintings and sculptures being allowed to show the naked body.

MailOnline has contacted Victoria's representatives for comment.

Catwalk: Posh has been gearing up for her upcoming show. Just last week, the fashion designer donned a lemon long-sleeved top along with a pair of teal, high-waisted trousers

After Victoria shared the image, her son Brooklyn also posted the snap to his own account, accompanying it with a supportive caption which read: good luck mum love u

His fiancee Nicola Peltz also showed she was thinking of the fashion designer by posting the nipple picture on her Instagram Stories.

The beauty tagged Victoria and said: I am so excited for your show

Support: Victoria's son Brooklyn later shared the same image to his own Instagram account

Doting son: He captioned the snap 'good luck mum love u' as well as sharing the show's timing details

Family: Brooklyn's fiancee Nicola Peltz also supported her future mother-in-law by resharing the information and picture on her Instagram Stories, adding that she was 'so excited'

The piece from Victoria's upcoming collection is a completely sheer blue top, which the model wears with a chunky gold chain and ring necklace.

Posh has been gearing up for her upcoming show. Just last week, the fashion designer donned a lemon long-sleeved top with a turtle neck along with a pair of teal, high-waisted trousers.

Alongside the snap, she wrote: 'The perfect colour pairing for a sunny day in London. Wearing the high-waisted bright mint trousers from my #VB collection x vb'.

Breaking rules: Instagram has a strict no nudity rule, with only paintings and sculptures being allowed to show the naked body

Victoria launched her fashion brand in 2008. Earlier this year, she came under fire when she tried to seek a government bailout to furlough 30 members of staff- despite having a multi-million fortune.

The former Spice Girl, whose family is worth 335million, had planned to use the Government's Covid-19 scheme to pay 80 per cent of the wages of some of her staff.

The fashion brand, which employs 120 people, sent letters to 30 members of staff warning them that they were going to be furloughed under the Government's scheme for two months.

But Victoria then reversed decision.

She told The Guardian: 'We will not now be drawing on the government furlough scheme. At the beginning of the lockdown the shareholders agreed with senior management to furlough a small proportion of staff. At that point we didn't know how long the lockdown might last or its likely impact on the business.

'The welfare of my team and our business means everything to me.'

It is understood the firm's application would have cost taxpayers 150,000.

The firm denied the U-turn was a result of the public backlash and instead insisted the board 'now believe that with the support of our shareholders, we can navigate through this crisis without drawing from the furlough scheme'.
Justice Minister Lee Kwi-nam speaks to child rapist Cho Doo-soon at Cheongsong Correction Center in this Mar. 16, 2010 file photo. / Korea Times file





By Lee Hyo-jin







Notorious child rapist Cho Doo-soon's upcoming release, scheduled for Dec. 13, is making the public nervous. Calls are mounting to keep him in prison forever, but will it be possible?







Below are some questions and answers about Cho and why it is so difficult to keep him behind bars within the current legal boundaries:







In 2008, Cho, then 57, violently raped an 8-year-old girl in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province. After kidnapping the victim on her way to school, Cho took her to a church restroom. He choked, beat and brutally raped her. The victim was left with severe injuries which resulted in permanent internal damage. Cho was sentenced to 12 years in prison.







He has 17 other criminal convictions dating from 1970, including sexual offenses and murder.











In the past three years, Over 5,500 public petitions related to Cho have been filed on the Cheong Wa Dae website. Most of them urged the government to incarcerate him forever, or to reveal his personal details. A petition stating that Cho should never be allowed to return to society posted in December 2017 gathered over 610,000 signatures. His face was first revealed in April 2019 by a local media outlet. It had not been disclosed until then, as he was excluded from the government website providing the personal information of sex offenders. The site was established in 2010, two years after his crime was committed.







Residents in Ansan, the city which Cho plans to return to after his release, have made thousands of phone calls to the city office. They have asked the mayor to ban his return or to reveal his address for the safety of everyone in the neighborhood.







The victim's father sent a letter to lawmaker Kim Byung-wook recently, urging politicians to take immediate action to keep the child rapist imprisoned.







"The government pledged 11 years ago that Cho will be permanently isolated from society. I believe that you will keep that promise," read the letter.











As the Constitutional Law prohibits double jeopardy, Cho cannot be charged twice for the same crime. The judiciary cannot reverse the sentence, nor can they give an additional prison term.







Many people point out that the initial sentence was far too lenient. Although the prosecutors had asked for a life sentence, the court accepted that Cho was under the influence of alcohol when he committed the crime.











The Ministry of Justice introduced a bill to create the Protective Supervision Act in 2010 as a supplementary measure for overly lenient punishment given to heinous criminals. Under the bill, the authorities could hold certain ex-convicts such as murderers and sex offenders in a separate facility after their release.







In 2014, the ministry attempted to pass the bill into the law.







However, the bill was met with a heavy backlash from the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) which stated detaining an inmate who has already finished their jail term was a violation of human rights.







The bill was also negatively viewed by many people who were reminded of Samchung re-education camp. The camp, which opened in 1980, saw tens of thousands of civilians arrested without warrants and transported to the facility where they experienced violent treatment.







Another attempt for legislation in 2016 was halted over budgetary constraints by the Ministry of Economy and Finance.







The incumbent Minister of Justice, Choo Mi-ae, seems quite hesitant about the legislation of the protective supervision act. She recently refused the Ansan mayor's urgent request to amend the law.











Public concern over Cho's release has spurred lawmakers to come up with various measures to keep him confined, or at least to prevent him from approaching the victim.







Rep. Kim Byung-wook of the main opposition People Power Party has proposed a bill, under which certain criminals with a high risk of recidivism can be held in a separate facility after their prison sentence has been served.







Lawmaker Ko Young-in of the ruling party has proposed amendment to bills on monitoring released child sex offenders. The revised law will restrict sex criminals' outdoor activities to 200 meters from their residency.







Similar laws are being discussed in the National Assembly, such as banning Cho's entry into facilities with children and keeping him from drinking over a certain amount of alcohol.











He will have freedom of movement, but under strict probation rules including wearing a GPS-enabled electronic anklet which must be worn for seven years. His address and personal details will be disclosed for five years on a governmental website.







Cho will also have a probation officer monitoring him 24/7. The officer will not stay with him but will be able to monitor his whereabouts. The officer will also be able to make random visits to his home.


Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 02:46:17|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi had an in-depth exchange of views on the situation in Yemen with his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud on Thursday.

China pays close attention to the situation in Yemen, firmly supports a political solution and an early ceasefire, Wang said in phone talks with Faisal, adding that Beijing supports the United Nations (UN) in playing its role as a main channel of mediation and the three-point proposal by the UN secretary-general's special envoy.

Maintaining communications with all parties involved in the issue of Yemen, China has been incessantly advocating peace and negotiations, and providing humanitarian aid to Yemen through bilateral and multilateral channels, Wang added.

China understands and attaches great importance to Saudi Arabia's security concerns, appreciates the country's efforts to solve the Yemeni issue and is ready to help restore stability and order in Yemen with joint efforts of the international community, he said.

Faisal said that Saudi Arabia appreciates China's efforts to promote peace and facilitate talks, and attaches importance to China's significant influence.

Saudi Arabia hopes that China will continue to play a role in promoting the political settlement of the Yemeni issue, and is willing to maintain close communication and coordination with China in this regard, he said.

Wang said that China and Saudi Arabia are good brothers who trust each other and good partners for sincere cooperation.

The two heads of state have spoken over phone three times this year, which fully reflects the high level of strategic mutual trust between the two countries, he said.

China is willing to take the 30th anniversary of the establishment of China-Saudi diplomatic ties as an opportunity to implement a series of important consensus reached by the two heads of state, promote a deep alignment of the Belt and Road Initiative and Saudi Vision 2030, and jointly create a better future for China-Saudi ties, Wang said.

Faisal said that Saudi Arabia and China have a profound comprehensive strategic partnership, and the 30th anniversary is a new beginning for bilateral ties.

Saudi Arabia is willing to deepen pragmatic cooperation with China, strengthen the alignment of their development strategies, and achieve greater advance of Saudi-China ties, he said.

In addition, the two sides exchanged views on the G20 Riyadh Summit, the Palestinian issue and the security in the Middle East. Enditem
A study conducted by Hiroshima University researchers found that using Ultraviolet C light with a wavelength of 222 nanometers which is safer to use around humans effectively kills SARS-CoV-2 -- the first research in the world to prove its efficacy against the virus that causes COVID-19.

Other studies involving 222 nm UVC, also known as Far-UVC, have so far only looked at its potency in eradicating seasonal coronaviruses that are structurally similar to the SARS-CoV-2 but not on the COVID-19-causing virus itself. A nanometer is equivalent to one billionth of a meter.

An in vitro experiment by HU researchers showed that 99.7% of the SARS-CoV-2 viral culture was killed after a 30-second exposure to 222 nm UVC irradiation at 0.1 mW/cm2. The study is published in the American Journal of Infection Control.

Tests were conducted using Ushio's Care222TM krypton-chloride excimer lamp. A 100 microliter solution containing the virus (ca. 5  106 TCID50/mL) was spread onto a 9-centimeter sterile polystyrene plate. The researchers allowed it to dry in a biosafety cabinet at room temperature before placing the Far-UVC lamp 24 centimeters above the surface of the plates.

222 nm vs 254 nm UVC

A wavelength of 222 nm UVC cannot penetrate the outer, non-living layer of the human eye and skin so it won't cause harm to the living cells beneath. This makes it a safer but equally potent alternative to the more damaging 254 nm UVC germicidal lamps increasingly used in disinfecting healthcare facilities.

Since 254 nm UVC harms exposed human tissues, it can only be used to sanitize empty rooms. But 222 nm UVC can be a promising disinfection system for occupied public spaces including hospitals where nosocomial infections are a possibility.

The researchers, however, suggest further evaluation of the safety and effectiveness of 222 nm UVC irradiation in killing SARS-CoV-2 viruses in real-world surfaces as their study only investigated its in vitro efficacy.

The Far-UVC research is one of the four COVID-19 studies conducted by Hiroshima University scientists that received funding from the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development.

Drs. Hiroki Kitagawa, Toshihito Nomura, and Hiroki Ohge of Hiroshima University Hospital's Department of Infectious Diseases, and Dr. Takemasa Sakaguchi of the Hiroshima University Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences were behind the study.

Many laboratories in the university are conducting research on the novel coronavirus under the "Hiroshima University CoV-Peace-Project."
Joe Biden described Russia as an "opponent" of the U.S. at a CNN town hall on Thursday, while identifying China as a "serious competitor."

Flashback: The former vice president opened himself to attacks early in his campaign last year when he said China was "not competition" for the U.S.  a comment that drew criticism from both Democrats and Republicans, per Axios' Jonathan Swan.

What he's saying: "I believe Russia is an opponent. I really do," Biden said Thursday. "And look, Putin's overwhelming objective is to break up NATO, to fundamentally alter the circumstance in Europe so he doesn't have to face an entire NATO contingent."
The Bills, which were first introduced ordinances on 5 June, seek to pave the way for private players to purchase agriculture produce outside APMCs and amend the various laws capping their stockpiling, procurement and storage

Lok Sabha, passed the controversial Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill on Thursday, following which a minister from Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), one of BJP's oldest ally, quit the Cabinet as mark of her protest.

The Bills, which were promulgated as ordinances on 5 June, seek to pave the way for entry of private players in agriculture and promote hurdle-free sale of produce, which until now were regulated by various laws capping stockpiling, procurement and storage to ensure food security. However, protesting farmers argue that the new bill will bring about corporate dominance in the agro sector.

Various opposition parties also opposed the legislation arguing that the much touted reform will pave the way for privatisation of agricultural sector. Despite being an NDA ally, SAD too vehemently opposed the legislation leading to thee dramatic resignation of Food Processing Industries Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal announced at the floor of Lok Sabha by her husband and party president Sukhbir Singh Badal.

The Bills were passed two days after the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020 was passed by the Lok Sabha. The proposed legislation seeks to remove commodities like cereals, pulses, oilseeds, edible oils, onion and potatoes from the list of essential commodities, ending the imposition of stock-holding limits except under extraordinary circumstances.

After the passage of the Bills, Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said farmers will now have freedom for direct marketing of their produce and will be able to get better prices. The minister, however, clarified that the Minimum Support Price (MSP) procurement system will continue to remain in place.

Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020

The Bill seeks to provide for the creation of an ecosystem where the farmers and traders enjoy the freedom of choice relating to sale and purchase of farmers' produce, as against an older system where the farmers were allowed to sell their produce to only a few licensed traders at their nearest agricultural produce market committee bazaar.

The bill, by removing these limitations, envisions an environment where remunerative prices for agricultural goods can be facilitated through competitive alternative trading channels.

Under the Bills provisions, farmers will not be charged any cess or levy for sale of their produce under this Act. They can straight up trade their goods to a private player. Furthermore, there will be a separate dispute resolution mechanism for the farmers. The bill also has provisions to help farmers of regions with surplus produce to get better prices for their produce, according to PIB.

Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020

The Bill seeks to provide for a national framework on farming agreements that protects and empowers farmers to engage with agri-business firms, processors, wholesalers, exporters or large retailers for farm services and sale of future farming produce at a mutually agreed remunerative price framework in a fair and transparent manner.

The bill is intended to shift the risk of market unpredictability from the farmer to the sponsor and also enable the farmer to access modern technology and better inputs. It will reduce cost of marketing and improve income of farmers. The proposed legislation will act as a catalyst to attract private sector investment for building supply chains for supply of Indian farm produce to national and global markets.

Sale, lease or mortgage of farmers land is totally prohibited and farmers land is also protected against any recovery under the Bill.

Treasury, Opposition Benches clash over Bills

Moving the two Bills for passage in the House, Tomar said that the two bills aim to make farmers prosperous and legislations will not impact the provisions of minimum support price (MSP).

He said the bill does not encroach on the rights of state Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC)s and inter-state trade can take place. Tomar said the states impose levies to the tune of 2 to 8.5 percent as mandi tax, but under the new regime farmers need not pay these taxes if they choose to sell their produce outside the APMC framework.

"These two bills make farming profitable and prosperous and will also give freedom to farmers. Farmers will have the right to sell their produce to anyone. There will be no tax of state government or central government on trade outside mandis. Now only 50-60 people do trade in mandis and competition exists among themselves," the minister said.

Tomar said that these bills will be able to meet the requirements of farming in the future and lead to more investment in agriculture.

Meanwhile, the Opposition slammed the Centre for stepping in states domain, also claiming that the bill will corporatise farming to benefit the traders. "There is a sinister attempt by the Centre to legislate on subjects under the state list," said Mahua Moitra, Trinamool MP.

Opposition MPs said the Bills would take away the safety nets provided by the state regulations through the APMC Act, while also eroding the revenue sources of the states. Congress Jasbir Singh Gill said large traders and corporate will destroy the small farmers.

Congress deputy leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi said, "This Government has been eying, how they can take the farmers land to benefit their capitalist friends, whether in the Land Acquisition Act, whether in the industrial system through the weakening the labour courts and now this three pronged attack."

Trinamool Congresss Kalyan Banerjee said any agreement under the new law would be between two unequal parties as farmers would have unequal bargaining powers.

The Congress said the farm sector legislations brought in by the government defeat the purpose of the Green Revolution and will be "a death knell for the future of farming". Congress MPs staged a protest in front of Mahatma Gandhi's statue in the Parliament cmplex, while Gill, Ravneet Singh Bittu, Gurjit Singh Aujla and Amar Singh burnt copies of the Bills.

Farmers stage protest against Bills

Farmers blocked major highways in parts of Punjab and Haryana on 16 September to demand that the proposed laws should not be pursued in Parliament. Protesting farmers opine the Centres repeated assurances that the MSP will continue is deceptive and fear that the Centre will end the current system of open-ended Food Corporation of India procurement, leaving them at the mercy of traders' predatory practices.

Over 250 farmer and farm-worker organisations, under the umbrella of All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), have given a call for a Bharat bandh on 25 September.

Farmers in Punjab have organised a three-day protest against the Bills. They will stage a rail roko agitation across the state from 24-26 September, a farmers body said. Despite reassurances from the government, farmers believe that the bills will render the current MSP procurement system ineffective, leaving them at the mercy of big farmers.

In Haryana, as many as 17 farmer outfits that have joined hands under the flag of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Chaduni) and announced continuation of their protest across the State. On September 20, we will block all major roads between 12 noon and 3 pmin protest against the Bills. We will also support the Bharat bandh, Rakesh Bains of the BKU, said, according to The Hindu.

Farmers want MSPs to be at least 50 percent over their weighted average cost of production and non-payment of MSPs to be recognised a punishable offence. Once sales move out, they wouldnt be recorded as APMC sales and there would be no benchmark, agricultural activist Kiran Kumar Vissa said, according to a Down To Earth report.

With inputs from PTI
The Rangeela star is Kanganas latest target, and fellow actors are not amused

Urmila Matondkar. The attack comes after the Rangeela star had criticised Kanganas claims about the Bollywood drug nexus in an interview.

Mumbai: In the past few weeks, Kangana Ranaut has become a motor-mouth, speaking seemingly without much thought. While she hit out at veteran actor Jaya Bachchan a few days back, in a recent interview, the Gangster actress called Urmila Matondkar a soft porn star.

The attack comes after the Rangeela star had criticised Kanganas claims about the Bollywood drug nexus in an interview.

Kangana claimed that Urmila is not known for her acting but for other things, and added that the Pinjar star can get a ticket from a (political) party anytime.

Many celebrities have come out in support of Urmila. Swara Bhasker, Anubhav Sinha, Farah Khan Ali, Pooja Bhatt and others, while not naming Kangana in their tweets, have sent messages of appreciation to Urmilla.

As the backlash intensified, Kangana tweeted in her own defense, talking about Sunny Leone and calling out fake feminists. Liberal brigade once virtually lynched a renowned writer into silence for saying people like Sunny Leone should not be our role models, Sunny is accepted by the industry and entire India as an artist, suddenly fake feminists equating being a porn star to something derogatory, she wrote.

While there are people coming in support of Urmila, a section of twitterati spoke in favour of Kangana.
Over 30 GOP Lawmakers Call for Prosecution of Netflix Over Controversial Cuties Movie

Representative Jim Banks (R-Ind.) and 33 GOP House lawmakers have called on Attorney General William Barr to prosecute streaming service Netflix for the distribution of child pornography in a letter this week.

Bankss letter follows Netflixs debut of the controversial movie Cuties, which follows an 11-year-old Senegalese immigrant named Amy who lives in Paris and joins a group of dancers called the Cuties at school. The film is directed by French movie maker, Maimouna Doucoure.

Titled Mignonnes in French, it features sexually-suggestive dance routines and includes a number of inappropriate close-up shots of underage girls as they dance in revealing clothing.

According to a description of the film on the Sundance website, Amy and her friends enthusiastically embrace an increasingly sensual dance routine, sparking the girls hope to twerk their way to stardom at a local dance contest.

The description also says that director Maimouna Doucoure focuses tightly on her rowdy protagonists, crafting a spirited film that nimbly depicts the tweens youthful energy and vulnerabilities while exploring their fumbling eagerness to be identified as sexualized.

Thx to the 33 Republicans who joined me in calling on DOJ to prosecute Netflix for distributing Cuties, which is child porn Banks wrote on Twitter on Thursday.

Banks also criticized Democrats who had failed to sign the letter, adding, They seem to prefer defending Cuties to criticizing it. I dont get it. How can you support this filth??

According to Daily Caller, who obtained a copy of the letter, it states, Were writing to recommend you bring charges against Netflix, Inc. for the distribution of the film Cuties, which contains child pornography, and cites 18 U.S.C  225.

Child pornography is any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor, and that conduct does not need to specifically depict sexual activity to qualify, it reads.

Cuties clearly meets the United States legal definition of child pornography, the letter continues. Cuties contains, a scene where an 11-year-old girl dressed in a tank and panties is splashed with water and begins twerking in a frenzied kind of way, and numerous other, equally distressing depictions of minors.

To us, and to the vast majority of Americans, its deeply upsetting to see a mainstream media company promote the sexualization of children. We appreciate you considering this issue and eagerly await your response.

The letter was signed by Republican lawmakers including Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar, Georgia Rep. Doug Collins, and North Carolina Rep. Greg Murphy.

Despite criticism, Netflix has defended Cuties and said that people should watch it before opposing it.

In a statement to The Epoch Times, a Netflix spokesperson said, Cuties is a social commentary against the sexualization of young children and a powerful story about the pressure young girls face on social media and from society more generally growing up.

Wed encourage anyone who cares about these important issues to watch the movie, the spokesperson added.

Cuties was the fourth-most popular film on Netflix as of Sept. 15.

The Epoch Times has contacted Netflix for comment regarding Banks letter.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Tailgating was permitted at The Pit parking lot southwest of FirstEnergy Stadium on Thursday night, despite Cleveland officials saying the activity was banned because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Pit, located at West 3rd Street and Summit, is a private lot. A sign at the entrance indicates the lot is owned by Metro Parking Systems. Two large signs at the entrance said TAILGATING ALLOWED.

By parking with Metro Parking Systems, you voluntarily assume all risks related to COVID-19, noted the sign.

The sign also says:

-Gatherings of more than 10 people at one time are prohibited.

-Masks are required for all people ages 10 and up.

-Social-distancing of six feet.

-Temperature screenings may be required.

The cost of parking was $20 per car. As of 7 p.m., no traditional tailgating was observed, but there were small groups standing outside of vehicles.

There were no grills, but people were gathered outside with beverage cups.

It was a surprise to see Tailgating Allowed signs, given Mayor Frank Jacksons office decree that tailgating is prohibited.

John Gibson of Olmsted Falls, a season ticket holder with friend Jim Ittu from Rocky River, was one of about 10 people seen hanging outside their car and enjoying a beverage before walking to the stadium.

Very surprised. I couldnt believe I saw the sign saying that we could tailgate. I heard on the radio and read in the paper that there was no tailgating, Gibson said. I thought there was no tailgating, so why is there tailgating?

Alex Trujillo from the parking companys operations department wasnt immediately available for comment.
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: The body of a 12-year-old girl, who went missing after going out to ride her bicycle on Thursday evening, was found floating on Banda lake under the Neredmet police limits on Friday morning.

The deceased child was identified as Sumedha Kapadia, a resident of Deen Dayal Nagar of Neredmet.

According to the police, while Sumedha was riding her bicycle on Thursday, it started raining. As she was returning home, she fell into an open drain.

The family members tried searching for her and found her bicycle in the open drain close to their residence.

Immediately, her mother Sukanya Kapadia alerted the police and sought assistance in searching for her daughter.

The police along with the GHMC's disaster response force swung into action by searching the surrounding locality and open drains close to their home.

While the staff were searching in the drain leading to the Banda lake, police and GHMC staff found the body of the girl floating in the lake on Friday morning.

Police retrieved the body and shifted it to the mortuary for postmortem. Police have registered a suspicious death case under 174 CrPC.
HELSINKI, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Optomed and AEYE Health have agreed to enter clinical and commercial collaboration to introduce an AI fundus camera Aurora AEYE. The collaboration includes a clinical trial with the aim to receive U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for autonomous AI for retinal screening.

Once the clinical trials are commenced and successfully completed, the Aurora AEYE will include Optomed's handheld fundus camera Aurora and AEYE Health's AI-based retinal screening system, that aims to provide analysis of the retina for diabetic retinopathy changes and receive diagnostic results within 60 seconds.

The Aurora AEYE simplifies the retinal screening process by providing an easy-to-use retinal screening system to examine these patients outside the ophthalmologist's office, in places like primary care and endocrinology clinics or pharmacies.

Laura Piila, Optomed's Vice President Devices comments:

"We are very excited to begin our cooperation with the AEYE Health team as it enables us to provide another innovative and affordable solution for diabetic retinopathy screening. The solution is perfect for our growth strategy and supports our growth especially in the U.S. as the Aurora AEYE is expected to be the first handheld AI fundus camera available in the U.S. market."

Optomed disclosed that it has been negotiating of the cooperation already in its H1 financial report on no-name basis due to legal reasons.

Zack Dvey-Aharon, Ph.D., Co-founder and CEO of AEYE Health comments:

"Today, we are taking a big step forward in the direction of providing accurate, affordable and useable solution to detect retinal conditions, prevent blindness and save lives. The use of our advanced AI algorithms and Optomed's quality handheld fundus cameras sets to democratize diagnostic eye screenings and ensure that all patients who need treatment will receive it on time. We are delighted to team up with Optomed and we look forward to spearheading global efforts to develop AI-based solutions for the early detection of a wide variety of retinal diseases."

Optomed Plc

Further enquiries

Seppo Kopsala, CEO, Optomed Plc, seppo.kopsala@optomed.com

Laura Piila, Vice President Devices, Optomed Plc, +358 40 588 1187, laura.piila@optomed.com

Zack Dvey-Aharon, Ph.D., CEO, AEYE Health LLC, zack@aeyehealth.com

Yafit Lazar, Spokesperson, AEYE Health LLC, +972502006062, yafit@rcspr.co.il

Optomed in Brief

Optomed is a Finnish medical technology company and one of the leading providers of handheld fundus cameras. Optomed combines handheld cameras with software and artificial intelligence with the aim to transform the diagnostic process of blinding eye-diseases such as rapidly increasing diabetic retinopathy. In its business Optomed focuses on eye-screening devices and software solutions related R&D in Finland and sales through different channels in over 60 countries. The company has an extensive portfolio of 55 international patents protecting the technology. In 2019, Optomed's revenue reached EUR 15 million and 2018 pro forma revenue amounted to EUR 14.5 million. At the end of 2019, Optomed employed 108 professionals.

AEYE Health in brief:

AEYE Health is a digital health company focused on automated, AI-based diagnostic screening solutions for retinal imaging. The company's system is designed to enable clinicians to detect a variety of medical conditions, prevent blindness, and save lives. AEYE Health is collaborating with advanced academic medical centers in the United States and its solution is already being used in primary care clinics to help improve patient outcomes. https://www.aeyehealth.com/

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/optomed-oyj/r/optomed-and-aeye-health-to-introduce-a-handheld-ai-fundus-camera,c3195719

The following files are available for download:
Fresh evidence from the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) has revealed how Ramon Abbas, popularly called Hushpuppi, a Nigerian Instagram sensation, was involved in laundering unemployment benefits meant for citizens of the United States.

The scheme is one of the insurance programmes provided for workers who become unemployed through no fault of their own and meet certain other eligibility requirements. The joint state-federal programme provides cash benefits to these workers.

Hushpuppi, who was arrested in UAE over money laundering and cyber fraud allegations, is currently facing charges in the U.S.

He is accused of facilitating computer intrusion, Business Email Compromise (BEC) fraud and money laundering and has been arraigned in an American court in California. His trial begins on October 13.

He pleaded not guilty to the four counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering conspiracies, international money laundering and engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity.

Nevertheless, in the affidavit filed on September 14, with the United States District Court, Central District of California, Andrew John Innocenti, an FBI agent trained on foiling cybercrime indicted Mr Abbas in the outcome of his investigation.

Mr Innocenti said he discovered that Hushpuppi, using his email address, registered on a website whizzlog.com (Whizzlog) which is a marketplace for buying US Bank Logs and money laundering.

He said although, based on his training, sophisticated cybercriminals do not use their personal email address in registering on such websites but Hushpuppi did.

ABBAS email address contained registration contamination from Whizz Log. It also contained numerous confirmations and receipts of bank logs he purchased. One of such messages read Your order was successful. You have purchased (the Financial Institution) bank log with a balance of $9,839.44. Purchase Price: $955. The bank log details are in your account. Login to your Whizz Log account to view.

From the example above. I observed ABBAS buys a bank log with a balance of over S9,000 for as low as $900. This prompted me to visit the website whizzlog.com for more findings.

After creating an account, the FBI agent discovered that Whizz Log sells only accounts which have been used to claim unemployment benefits. Hackers who have claimed unemployment benefits of victims in the United States sell them off in bulk on Whizz Log.

The prices of bank logs on Whizz Log range from $600 to S1,000 and balance in accounts sold ranges from $4,000 to as high as $12,000, he noted.

For easier payment, the bank logs are available for purchase instantly and payment is made using Bitcoin.

Cyber criminals who purchase the bank logs can launder the money off through various means. The favorite means on Whizz Log is to buy Bitcoins with the balance in the bank log Whizz Log specifies if a bank log is BTC Compatible or not.

Based on my training and experience, a bank account is BTC Compatible if you can buy Bitcoins from within the bank log. Some banks allow clients to directly purchase Bitcoins from their online bank account. Such banks are BTC Compatible. A buyer of a BTC Compatible bank log would login to the account, navigate to services provided by the bank and select to buy Bitcoins. He can use the whole balance in the account to buy Bitcoins. The Bitcoins will be sent to the criminal within minutes.

While going through one of the bank accounts bought on the website, Mr Innocenti found that the account was recently opened.

All the credits into the account were from the Department of Unemployment Assistance totaling $7,302.15, he stated.

Since Mr Abbas had pleaded that he should be prosecuted with complaints rather than a grand jury indictment, this new evidence will be added to the previous ones.

If found guilty and convicted, the popular Instagram sensation could spend the next 20 years in prison.
Ryanair faced an investor revolt over fat-cat pay as the industry reels from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Around a third of voting shareholders refused to back a package that handed chief executive Michael O'Leary 3.2million in the financial year that ended in March.

The rebellion came after concerns were raised over his 419,000 bonus  just shy of the 458,000 maximum he was entitled to. But the remuneration plans passed as 65.8 per cent voted in favour.

Around a third of voting shareholders refused to back a package that handed Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary 3.2m in the financial year that ended in March

Advisory group Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) said earlier this month that shareholders should vote against the remuneration plans.

It said that during the pandemic Ryanair has taken 600million from a Bank of England support scheme, put many of its staff on furlough, and plans to cut around 3,000 jobs.

Last month the business was forced to slash a fifth of its flights in September and October as bookings dropped because of new Covid-19 infection rates.

It is the second year in a row that O'Leary's pay has been only narrowly passed by shareholders.

Last year his pay package was even more controversial  only 51 per centof shareholders voted for it.
The World Health Organization has repeated its plea for countries not to shorten the quarantine period for people who have been exposed to coronavirus.



The global health body recommends anyone who has been in close contact with someone who has definitely got coronavirus or probably has, should stay at home or somewhere similar for two weeks.



The idea is simple - to monitor people in case they get ill and spot Covid-19 cases early on, preventing the virus from spreading further.



The Centrers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US, for example, says based on the best current studies, it is likely that the time from someone being exposed to getting symptoms is between two and 14 days.



It's evidence like this that is behind the WHO's advice.



And in the UK if you are told by the Test and Trace system that you have had close contact with someone who has coronavirus, you must isolate for 14 days.



But France is reportedly taking a different approach. It is slashing its isolation time from 14 fourteen days to seven. That's because health experts there say the majority of people find it too difficult to isolate for a whole two weeks. They also say this is when people are most likely to be infectious.



There are also some small studies that suggest people are most likely to pass on the virus in the first week they have symptoms. But the science is still emerging and scientists across the globe agree there are still many uncertainties.



That's why different countries have different approaches - each has to balance the evidence, the unknowns and the chance for citizens to get back to a more normal life.







Source: bbc









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The controversial guidance for testing for coronavirus as published on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website was not approved by the agency's scientists, it has been revealed.

Officials told the New York Times that the advice published August 24 was seen by CDC experts for review but was rewritten only by the Department of Human and Health Services and quietly made public.

The new advice sparked controversy and was slammed by public health experts for suggesting that a person without coronavirus symptoms does not need to be tested, even if they have had known contact with an infected person.

Thursday's report sparked further concerns as to the independence of the CDC after Politico reported last week that political appointees at the health department adjusted the CDC's weekly report on the virus.

The controversial guidance for testing for coronavirus as published on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website was not approved by the agency's scientists. Pictured, the agency's director Dr. Robert Redfield who edited the advice but did not rewrite it

The new advice sparked controversy for suggesting that a person without coronavirus symptoms does not need testing, even if they have had known contact with an infected person

CDC scientists seriously objected to the advice as it is written now, they told the Times report.

They said that while it was a CDC product and had been edited by the agency's director Dr. Robert Redfield, the HHS then flouted the CDC strict scientific review process, rewriting it themselves and having it 'dropped' on the website.

'That was a doc that came from the top down, from the HHS. and the task force,' one federal official said. 'That policy does not reflect what many people at the CDC. feel should be the policy.'

'The idea that someone at HHS. would write guidelines and have it posted under the CDC. banner is absolutely chilling,' added Dr. Richard Besser, who served as acting director at the Centers for Disease Control in 2009.

Some CDC officials say that the guidelines show obvious inconsistencies and mistakes for those in the know, mistakes that would not pass through the normally rigorous review.

Among them was a reference to 'testing for Covid-19' as opposed to testing for the virus that causes it.

'We just looked so sloppy,' one scientist said. 'That's what kills me is it didn't come from the inside.'

Experts who work closely with the CDC also said that the mistakes were obvious.

'You're used to reading Shakespeare and all of a sudden now you're reading a tabloid,' said Carlos del Rio, an infectious disease expert at Emory University. 'There was political pressure on CDC in the past, but I think this is unprecedented.'

'HHS. and the White House writing scientifically inaccurate statements such as "don't test all contacts" on CDC's website is like someone vandalizing a national monument with graffiti,' added Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, director of the agency during the Obama administration.

'The graffiti makes the whole monument look pretty bad.'

In an interview with the Times, Adm. Brett Giroir, the administration's testing coordinator and an assistant secretary at the HHS, the CDC's parent organization, confirmed that the original draft was constructed by the CDC.

Yet he admitted that he 'coordinated editing and input from the scientific and medical members of the task force'.

Admiral Brett Giroir, United States Assistant Secretary for Health, confirmed that the original draft was constructed by the CDC but that he oversaw the editing before publication

Giroir added that it had been through 20 drafts before being published to the website and was seen by Redfield; Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx from the White House coronavirus task force; and Dr. Scott Atlas, President Trump's adviser on the coronavirus.

'I think you have to ask Dr. Redfield about that. That certainly was not any direction from me whatsoever,' he answered when asked why the guidelines then went on to abandon the general CDC review process.

Redfield told The Hill in a statement that 'the guidelines, coordinated in conjunction with the White House Coronavirus Task Force, received appropriate attention, consultation and input from task force experts.'

A new version of the guidelines is expected to be released on Friday but officials claim they have also not been vetted through the general CDC protocol.

The guidelines were reviewed by Dr. Anthony Fauci on the White House coronavirus task force

Redfield told a congressional hearing Wednesday that the agency was revising the recommendation and would post the revision, 'I hope before the end of the week.'

One official told the Times that it was written by a CDC scientist but was being edited by the HHS and the White House coronavirus task force.

As it stands, the guidelines state that people 'do not necessarily need a test' even if they have been in close contact with an infected person for more than 15 minutes.

It also suggests that people who 'have attended a public or private gathering of more than 10 people (without widespread mask wearing or physical distancing)' are only tested if they are 'vulnerable'.

The agency in fact recommends against people congregating in groups of this size.

The August 24 update was a disappointing blow for public health experts pushing for more testing, instead of less, as the coronavirus pandemic continues. They claim that it undermines efforts to keep the virus contained.

'Suggesting that asymptomatic people don't need testing is just a prescription for community spread and further disease and death,' said Dr. Susan Bailey, president of the American Medical Association.

Dr. Redfield tried to step back the guidelines shortly after they were first posted but they still remain the same on the CDC website. He suggested that a test 'may be considered for all close contacts'.

The manner is which they were published also caused concern over the independence and effectiveness of the CDC, as coronavirus deaths in the United States edge closer to 200,000.

Some have suggested that they may be an effort to reduce the number of tests conducted so that the confirmed cases in the US is lower.

Some within the agency have described Dr. Redfield as a weak and ineffective leader who was not able to prevent White House interference.

'CDC scientists are running scared,' Scott Becker, chief executive of the Association of Public Health Laboratories, said. 'There's nothing they can do that gets them out of this blame game.'

Recently, President Trump suggested Dr. Redfield had made a mistake in this comments about wearing masks and when a coronavirus vaccine will be ready.

At Wednesday's Congressional hearing, he had said that face masks are more effective than a vaccine and that one would not be available for distribution until next year.

The CDC has also been criticized throughout the pandemic for the slow speed with which their guidance is issued. The review process on the advice they publish is the main reason, but it has been described by experts as 'painful but useful'.

Each document must be cleared by between 12 and 20 people before it can be made public.

At least eight drafts of the testing guidelines were circulated in August, the Times said, but any following objections from scientists were ignored.

This is not the first time that the long process has been overlooked.

In July, a document outlining the importance of reopening schools was also dropped on the CDC website, containing information that the agency's experts claim was out of step with the advice they would give.
Member of Parliament for Ashaiman, Ernest Henry Norgbey, has raised red flags over some missing names on the provisional voters register.

Ernest Norgbey who couldnt find his name in the register in the ongoing exhibition exercise, claimed that 21,000 voters in his constituency also have their names deleted from the electoral roll.

Mr. Norgbey further accused the Electoral Commission of deliberately removing such names from the register to disenfranchise some voters.

We have identified over 21,000 names that have been deleted from the register and it is just unfortunate that this has happened. We had a very peaceful registration in Ashaiman. There was no chaos. There was nothing untoward and at the end of the exercise, everything was smooth.

So it shouldnt be that during the exhibition, our names will not be on the register, including myself, the MP of the constituency. Its just unfortunate that this is happening. Be that it may, it also appears that its a deliberate attempt by the EC to remove certain categories of people from the register because if you look at the number of people from both the Volta Region and the Northern Region that have been deleted, it could be a deliberate attempt, he in an interview on Eyewitness News.

He thus called on the EC to correct the anomaly as soon as possible to prevent any tension in the constituency. Haruna Iddrisu disappointment over missing names on register

On the same issue, the Minority Leader and Member of Parliament for Tamale South, Haruna Iddrisu , has concerns that some residents who registered to vote have not been captured on the register.

There are major discrepancies in the register and what has been made available to registered voters, he complained to the press.

According to the Minority Leader, he has requested for a national compilation of these discrepancies in order to guide what will be [the Minority's] next possible action.

Mr. Iddrisu also expressed disappointment at the commission's inability to make available the Biometric Verification Devices (BVDs) for verification as part of the ongoing voter exhibition exercise.

According to him, since biodata was taken during the registration exercise, it is important for the EC to test the efficacy of the biometric verification machines since it will be used for the general elections as opposed to the manual checking of names.

My significant disappointment is that the BVDs are conspicuously absent. Yet we have provided adequate budgetary allocation for the procurement of BVDs in quantities not less than 7,500.

 citinewsroom
We remain disappointed in the villages decision to not uphold their commitment to both Kevin and our family, Kim Hauber said. They agreed that Kevin was a hero to the community he served, and for that acknowledgment, we are grateful. We are not asking for anything above what we are legally entitled to.
Not binded by taboos, Egyptian artist Weaam El-Masry takes complete freedom in imagining or rethinking a world around her.

Currently exhibiting her works at Gallery Misr in Zamalek, she uses mixed media and materials, opting for paints, pencil and charcoal, collages, etc.

In the collection titled Untamed Bodies, she uses a great variety of tools that allow her to question, as she sees fit, the conflicting relationship between man and woman. And to achieve a better understanding of the nature of these ancestral conflicts, El-Masry decided to paint anonymous characters, as she conceals their identity and is content to emphasize their obese bodies.

Is it the body of a man or a woman? We often ask while contemplating a painting. For El-Masry, obesity is a kind of societal mirror, which reflects many fantasies and contradictory representations, without any differentiation between the sexes. Thus, the artist places his characters on the same footing.

Men or women, both with deformed, unbalanced, torn, twisted, sometimes even torn bodies, they fight against an invisible force, which draws them towards hollow, emptiness and nothingness.

Here are arms, hands, legs, feet, torsos, fleshy masses, intertwined and contiguous, in conflict with each other. All of this is drawn using hatched lines, in black color. Everything is expressed in half-tone, but turns out to be of great depth.

Men or women, it doesn't matter, as at the end the wisest and not the fittest survive.

They are blurry and out of proportion, just like life'" Weaam El-Masry comments on the characters in her works.

"I also wanted to stress the inequality between men and women. Life is ruled by male hegemony, especially in obscurantist Arab societies. Women lose their freedom to act, to express themselves, to exercise their rights, despite a semblance of modernity," the artist adds.

In humans, obesity is synonymous with helplessness, violence and ugliness. El-Masry uses a deliberate, well-targeted irony.

On the other hand though, in women, obesity serves to express a beauty that enables her to respond to mockery, criticism and attempts to discredit her.

The female characters have rounded and voluptuous shapes. They have volume; it's magic, and that's what fascinates me. Their weight, on the other hand, gives them lightness, flexibility and grace, emphasizes El-Masry, who does not like working with models. To her a model constitutes limitation to her freedom to paint.

El-Masry admits that she doesn't need anything in front of her. Her character choices are arbitrary, all of them the fruit of her imagination, sometimes also of the mischievous reality.

The bodies of El-Masrys protagonists try to escape the force of gravity, they float on the surface of the painting, to find peace and serenity. The expressive energy that El-Masry offers to her characters accentuates their pounding side. They are propelled in an open frame showing bright landscapes, many with dominating orange colors. This is their way of clinging to freedom, against social abandonment and marginalization.

"Bringing optimism, hope and openness, the color orange attributes to the paintings good humor, human warmth and cohesion," El-Masry explains.

Among recurrent denominator of El-Masry's paintings is a bull.

"The bull fighting a mythical minotaur or a wild horse is actually me. A great seductress, the Taurus woman knows how to achieve her goals, she is often demanding, energetic and vigorous, the artist says.

The bodies of her female protagonists are reminiscent of those painted by Michelangelo on the huge vault of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican. They are subject to a desire that is both aesthetic (lengthening of the figures) and expressive (distortions intended to highlight a moral expression).

This is Weaam El-Masry's way of emphasizing the powerful and emotional feminine side.



The exhibition Untamed Bodies continues at Gallery Misr until 24 September. Address: 4, Ibn Zinky Street, Zamalek, Cairo

*This article was originally published in Al Ahram Hebdo, in French, 16 September edition

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

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Editorial Sacrifices of September 1988 Not Forgotten as Myanmars Long March to Democracy Continues

Myanmar army troops are deployed on the streets of Yangon in September 1988. / Science Source

Thirty-two years ago today, the streets of Yangon were awash in blood as soldiers indiscriminately opened fire on unarmed protesters and demonstrators, and state-owned radio announced the installation of a new regime in Myanmar, then known as Burma. The countrys popular democratic uprising was at an end.

Former dictator General Ne Win, who had staged a coup in March 1962, instructed the military to stage another in September 1988.

On Sept. 17, then Commander-in-Chief of Defense Services General Saw Maung and then Chief of Military Intelligence Colonel Khin Nyunt visited the residence of U Ne Win and received the order to stage a coup.

After the military takeover the next day, Myanmar again descended into hell. Coup maker Gen. Saw Maung became head of the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), the organ created to assume power.

We then saw armed movements on the border, to which many young activists and students fled. The Democratic Alliance of Burma (DAB) was formed as an umbrella group comprising several armed organizations, remnants of the 1988 activist movement, and a newly formed student army, the All Burma Students Democratic Front (ABSDF).

On Nov. 19, 1988, the DAB released a statement calling on neighboring countries, the UN and the international community not to recognize the Saw Maung military regime, to withhold military and economic aid to Burma and to support the DABs efforts to bring about the restoration of peace, democracy and national reconciliation in Burma.

The alliance comprised 10 ethnic members of the National Democratic Front (NDF), along with Myanmar expatriates who came back from the US and other Western countries, and non-NDF members.

The key figures were Karen leader Bo Mya (Karen National Union), Kachin leader Brang Seng (Kachin Independence Organization), Nai Shwe Kyin (New Mon State Party), and U Thwin and U Tin Maung Win of the Committee for Restoration of Democracy in Burma (CRDB).

Today, the DAB no longer exists and the abovementioned key leaders of the group have passed away.

Gen. Saw Maung kept his promise to hold a free and fair election in 1990. A further promise that the Myanmar army would return to the barracks and hand over power to the winner of the election was not kept, however, and in 1992 the general was allowed to resign from his post after reportedly suffering a mental breakdown. He died in 1997.

Gen. Ne Win, once known as Burmas Strongman, lived on until December 2002.

Today, all of the top ruling generals of the SLORC have either retired or passed away. Snr-Gen Than Shwe, who succeeded Gen. Saw Maung, and his deputies General Maung Aye and General Khin Nyunt have all retired.

The National League for Democracy (NLD), now the ruling party in Myanmar, won a landslide victory in 1990 but the outcome was never honored. Instead, many of its members were thrown into prisons and torture chambers and served long sentences.

Myanmar became a pariah state, roundly condemned by the international community and saddled with Western sanctions. The regime became locked in an adversarial relationship with Western governments (a situation that has in some ways repeated itself due to the crisis in Rakhine) and international organizations over its suppression of democracy and human rights.

During this period, the military leaders remained proudly aloof, alienated and inward-looking, lacking any understanding of international norms and values. The shunned the international community, and Myanmar went largely untouched by foreign influence, including in the areas of human rights and economic development.

Today, Myanmar is going through a political transition that began when the country started opening up in 2011 and 2012. At that time, the West lifted sanctions and embraced Myanmar. The country held a free and fair election in 2015, which brought the current NLD government to power in 2016. Now, Myanmar is preparing to hold another general election, slated for November.

The military retains its allotted 25 percent of seats in Parliament and continues to play a role in politics. The top generals maintain their claim they are building a standard army, but Myanmar still lacks the professional armed forces it needs.

One of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world, Myanmar has long been plagued by armed conflict, as its ethnic minority groups fight for autonomy. In recent years, many new and powerful players backed by foreign powers have emerged. While the Karen resistance movement in the south has declined since its heyday, new warlords and ethnic leaders have emerged in the north on the Chinese border.

Then we have the Border Guard Force and hundreds of militias that have decided to forge alliances with the military in order to engage in economic activities both legal and illegal, including all kinds of illicit trade.

In addition, the country is faced with a well-organized terrorist movement, backed by a well-funded international campaign in support of the Rohingya. This movement has staged an armed rebellion along the western border with Bangladesh.

The Rohingya crisis has attracted the attention of the international community, with the military standing accused of committing ethnic cleansing and even genocide.

With the support of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Gambia sued Myanmar over the Rohingya issue at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in late 2019. In the international arena, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, once an icon of peace, is herself now a pariah. Despite this fall from grace, however, she remains deeply popular inside Myanmar.

Shifting geopolitical realities, however, mean that once again, the West faces a dilemma when it comes to Myanmar; continued condemnation and the imposition of sanctions or any other punitive measures will only further isolate the country from the West and run the risk of pushing it deeper into Chinas orbit.

Not only China, but also other Asian neighbors and powers like India, Japan, South Korea and Vietnam, along with a handful of pragmatic Western governments havewhether its because they are taking a long-term view, understand the nuances of Myanmars political situation or are simply playing it safe by adopting a realpolitik approachcontinue to engage Myanmar, winning its trust and friendship. In return, they maintain a degree of influence in Myanmars fragile political process.

Today, Myanmar is at a crossroadsthere will be no turning back to 1988. It has been a long struggle to get to this stage, and the road ahead will continue to be bumpy. The heroes who marched and sacrificed their lives in the streets of Yangon and elsewhere in Myanmar deserve nothing less than our total respect and eternal gratitude.

You may also like these stories:

When Burmas Cries for Democracy Were Answered With a Coup

Democracy and A Question  Is Aung San Suu Kyi Winning?

The Day Myanmars Independence Hero Tied The Knot
Press Release

September 18, 2020 De Lima welcomes European Parliament's resolution reiterating call for her freedom Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima has welcomed the resolution by the European Parliament (EP) calling, among others, for action on the deteriorating human rights situation in the Philippines under the present administration and for her immediate release from unjust detention. De Lima, a known human rights defender here and abroad, thanked the members of European Parliament for watching how the government is handling its human rights situation in the country and not allowing injustices to continue to reign here. "I am deeply grateful that the international community, particularly the members of European Parliament, continue to fight for justice and human rights in the Philippines and show concern over my plight by closely monitoring the trumped-up charges brought up against me and fighting for my freedom," she said. "This recent resolution adopted by the European Parliament reminds us that the world is constantly watching and that justice will catch up to those who do injustice to others one way or another," she added. The European Parliament adopted the said resolution highlighting the human rights situation in the Philippines by 626 votes in favor, 7 against, and 52 abstentions last Sept. 17. The resolution reiterated its call for the Philippine government to "drop all politically motivated charges against Senator Leila de Lima, to release her while she awaits trial, to allow her to freely exercise her rights and duties as an elected representative, and to provide her with adequate security and sanitary conditions while in detention; calls on the EU to continue closely monitoring her case." "[S]enator Leila de Lima, one of the main opponents of President Duterte's anti-drugs campaign, was removed from her position as chairperson of the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights on 19 September 2016, and has remained in detention awaiting trial since her arrest on 23 February 2017; whereas there are serious concerns that the offences Senator de Lima has been charged with are fabricated and politically motivated," the resolution read. Aside from condemning De Lima's unjust detention, the resolution also deplored the thousands of extrajudicial killings and other serious human rights violations related to the so-called "war on drugs" and called on the authorities to "immediately carry out impartial, transparent, independent and meaningful investigations into all extrajudicial killings." Acknowledging the "seriousness of the human rights violations in the country," the resolution likewise called "on the European Commission, in the absence of any substantial improvement and willingness to cooperate on the part of the Philippine authorities, to immediately initiate the procedure which could lead to the temporary withdrawal of GSP+ preferences." While welcoming the EP resolution, De Lima also took the occasion to remind the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the foreign government to step up their efforts in fighting rights violators in the country. "I urge the UNHRC to set up the investigation of killings and rights abuses in the Philippines; the International Criminal Court (ICC) to expedite its proceeding; and for foreign governments, wherever applicable, to enforce targeted sanctions against Filipino officials who are corrupt and/or rights violators," said De Lima. It may be recalled that in March 2017 and April 2018, the EP also adopted resolutions on the human rights situation in the Philippines, highlighting the political persecution De Lima is subjected to under the Duterte regime.
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, speaking on Thursday (REUTERS)

In dueling campaign stops with the president in Minnesota, Joe Biden mocked Donald Trump for repeatedly saying he will reveal an infrastructure plan that never seems to materialize.

Mr Trump took particular exception to his opponent's continued reference of a Columbia University study showing implementation of coronavirus guidelines a week earlier would have saved 36,000 lives.

It was the second campaign event in as many days for Mr Biden after his CNN town hall appearance on Thursday night, in which he was mocked for breaking social distancing rules with host Anderson Cooper.

During the event, Mr Biden said he had benefited from white privilege and knew how it felt to be looked down upon because he was from working class Scranton and didn't go to an Ivy League university.

New polls showed Mr Biden well ahead of Mr Trump in Arizona and Maine. But in a call with Senate Democrats on Friday, the party's November contender said he takes nothing for granted and that he plans on appearing in key battleground states as the election enters the final bend.

Despite the continued advantage in the polling and only 46 days left before the public democratically elects the next occupant of the White House, Biden again called on the president to step down from his position in the Oval Office before his first term has expired.

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Senior NSW ministers have escalated their attacks on Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, describing her as an uncaring, political opportunist as her government maintains its border restriction.

It comes as a federal review rated NSW as the best hotel quarantine system in Australia, followed by South Australia and then the Northern Territory.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard has attacked the Queensland Premier over her stance on border restrictions. Credit:Kate Geraghty

The Queensland government on Friday announced it would soon open its border to the ACT but not NSW, drawing immediate criticism from Macquarie Street.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard said Ms Palaszczuk's border decision was motivated by votes and would keep families separated from their dying loved ones.
The Queensland government was warned two years ago of community concern about parts of North Stradbroke Island being returned to the Quandamooka people after their successful Native Title application in 2011.

While North Stradbroke Island's "land bank" for the Quandamooka people was never a secret, details were slow to be revealed, Redland City mayor Karen Williams said.

Last week, in what was reported as a "secret deal", the government published in the Government Gazette the first details of 25 maps of land to be returned to the Quandamooka people.

QYAC chief executive Cameron Costello (right) says he is saddened by reports of a secret deal. Credit:Tony Moore

Planning Minister Cameron Dick wrote to Redland City Council last week to report he had put in place a two-year planning agreement asking the council to rezone 25 parcels of land at Point Lookout, Dunwich and Amity Point in the area broadly identified in 2011.
ALBANY  After 15 months without an executive director, New Yorks ethics and lobbying oversight agency has re-posted the job listing for the position, a sign that the marathon search for a new top staffer is not yet close to a finish.

On Thursday, the Joint Commission on Public Ethics re-posted its ad on StateJobs.Ny.gov, the states official jobs website, seeking applicants that would either be based in New York City or Albany.

Asked about the job reposting and the latest on the search, JCOPE spokesman Walter McClure said only that, The commission is continuing its search.

In March, six members of the commission called on the panel's chairman, Michael K. Rozen, to conduct a search for an "independent" executive director amid longstanding criticism that the commission's leadership and operations have been too closely aligned with Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and the Legislature. The last executive director, Seth Agata, was before his appointment a counsel to Cuomo. He left for a job at a law firm in June 2019.

A search committee within JCOPE that had been tasked with finding the successor received more than 100 applications from candidates, many of them highly qualified and with no apparent ties to the governor or Legislature. But last year, as that list was whittled to about nine contenders who were to be interviewed, the committee's effort to hire a replacement suddenly ended.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

The candidate thats been favored by the governor, Monica J. Stamm, is general counsel and has been largely serving as the acting executive director since Agata's departure. Stamm worked with Cuomo when he was state attorney general, serving as his office's deputy bureau chief in the public integrity unit.

Despite six of the commission's 12 sitting members being appointed by Cuomo, including Rozen, sources said there are not enough votes in favor of appointing Stamm, who is regarded as a highly qualified attorney, to the executive director position.

"Impressive credentials aside, the appearance of any possibility of any continuing political allegiances runs contrary to JCOPE's mission and hampers its capacity to inspire public trust," states a March 6 letter that was sent to Rozen and signed by six JCOPE commissioners, all of whom are legislative appointees. "Given the voting structure embedded in JCOPE, it is imperative that we select someone free of encumbrances. We call into question independence from the executive and legislative branches of government."
By PTI

AGARTALA: With Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb not heeding to the journalists' demand to withdraw his alleged threat to them, media persons of the state will meet Governor R K Bais and submit a memorandum to him on Saturday, a senior scribe said here.

Chairman of Tripura Assembly of journalists (TAJ), Subal Kumar Dey said on Friday that the journalists had asked Deb to withdraw his "threat" to journalists within three days since September 11, the day he allegedly issued it, but he has not done so till now.

He claimed that conspiracies against the media had intensified since the day he uttered it at a programme in South Tripura district.

"So the journalists have decided to continue demanding the withdrawal of the chief minister's statement. The governor has given us time tomorrow. We will meet him and submit a memorandum in this regard," he said.

Deb, while laying the foundation stone for the first special economic zone at Sabroom in South Tripura district on September 11 had said that some newspapers are trying to confuse the people of the state about its COVID-19 situation and that he will "not forgive" them.

"Some newspapers are trying to confuse people. History will not forgive them, people of Tripura will not forgive them and I Biplab Deb will not forgive them. I do whatever I say, history is testimony to that," Deb had said.

This was construed as a threat to them by journalists and Dey, who is also president of Agartala Press Club had said the Tripura CM issuing it at a public gathering is a "matter of fear".

"We (journalists) weren't so afraid even during the Emergency," he had said.

The state, he said, is trying to reduce the media to its "slave" and government orders are being issued to choke journalists' voices.

"They (the scribes) are officially defamed on social media and the chief ministers office is involved in it," the TAJ chairman alleged.

The ruling BJP and the government are issuing regular threats to media organisations through press conferences, he claimed.
Scott Meza, Corporate Practice shareholder in the Northern Virginia office of global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP, will present on a panel discussion titled, Cybersecurity: Business Functions and Opportunities, Sept. 23. The virtual program, presented by the Alliance of Merger & Acquisitions Advisors DC/MD/VA Chapter, will give attendees the opportunity to listen to, learn from, and interact with practitioners and investors in order to help identify where the M&A and capital market opportunities are.

Meza has more than 25 years of experience assisting businesses in complex transactions such as mergers, acquisitions, spin-offs of public and private companies, and sophisticated equity and debt financings and recapitalizations. Mezas broad industry experience includes managing transactions for technology-based companies as well as companies operating in highly regulated environments like government contracting, telecommunications, and health care. He regularly represents venture funds and emerging growth companies in a variety of financing transactions, ranging from preferred stock sales, subordinated debt lending and licensing, and other strategic alliances.

The Alliance of Mergers & Acquisitions Advisors serves the educational and transactional support needs of middle market M&A professionals worldwide. The Alliance was formed in 1998 to connect CPAs, attorneys, and other experienced corporate financial investors and advisors.

About Greenberg Traurigs Corporate Practice: Greenberg Traurig's Corporate Practice focuses on the business objectives of our clients. More than 450 corporate and securities lawyers work together to provide clients with the legal and market experience needed to manage and close the most complex transactions, as well as provide practical counsel on clients' day-to-day operations. The team advises public and privately held companies on mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructurings, private equity and venture capital, underwritten and syndicated offerings, commercial finance and syndicated lending, cross-border transactions, and general corporate matters. The groups industry experience includes transactions in a wide range of fields, from the pharmaceutical, medical devices and life sciences fields, to representations involving clients in the aviation, banking, energy, health care, manufacturing, technology, and telecommunications sectors.

About Greenberg Traurig: Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GT) has approximately 2200 attorneys in 40 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 Law360 400 and among the Top 20 on the Am Law Global 100. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com Twitter: @GT_Law.
The report went on to detail the apparent links between the Chinese Progressive Association and the Chinese government, calling the nonprofit a partner of the PRC in the United States that has sponsored events with the Chinese consulate, such as raising a Chinese flag over City Hall in Boston last year.

But a cursory search of tax records shows that the Chinese Progressive Association in San Francisco, which has teamed up with the Black Futures Lab, is an entirely different nonprofit from the Chinese Progressive Association in Boston, which sponsored events with the Chinese consulate.

After The New York Times reached out to the Heritage Foundation, The Daily Signal updated its article, but it continued to falsely claim that there is a link between the Boston and San Francisco groups. Mike Gonzalez, the articles author, said in an emailed statement that the historical ties between the two organizations was actually fairly clear and that they were united around shared goals, but said that the piece had been updated to improve clarity.

The San Francisco C.P.A. was started in 1972 to support working-class Chinese immigrants, according to its website, while the Boston C.P.A. (formerly known as the Chinatown Peoples Progressive Association) was founded in 1977 to advocate for full equality and empowerment of the Chinese community in Greater Boston and beyond, according to its website. Beyond their names and the overall mission of empowering Chinese-Americans, the two organizations do not appear to be linked.
The reboot for the "Shaman King" anime is now underway, and fans cannot help but get hyped!

Nearly two decades after "Shaman King" aired and featured the beauty of soul-calling shaman skills, it is finally getting a reboot with noticeably enhanced graphics.

The journey of the Shaman King started when Hiroyuki Takei gave birth to its manga version in 1998. In 2001, director Seiji Mizushima decided to give it an anime treatment and run it on TV Tokyo.

But when they adapted it, the show eventually deviated from the manga's original storyline since the chapters still needed to be serialized in Japan's Weekly Shonen Jump. This resulted in a completely different conclusion between the manga and anime versions.

This time, it will finally give justice to the original work.

Earlier this year, news about the "Shaman King" anime reboot came out. According to multiple reports, the 2021 version would follow the original manga storyline.

Although the title is still the same, it would be a different journey for fans.

"Shaman King" Anime Story



On Thursday, the official website for the "Shaman King" anime shared a sneak peek of the reboot.

The new season hopes to put an end to Yoh Asakura's story "the manga way." The reboot will finally reveal how Asakura's life went on after competing in a semi-millennial tournament to become the Shaman King.

The series' official synopsis from Kodansha reads: "Shamans possess mysterious powers that allow them to commune with gods, spirits, and even the dead... and Manta Oyamada's about to learn all about them, because his class just welcomed a new transfer student: Yoh Asakura, a boy from way off in Izumo...and a shaman in training!"

"Shaman King" Anime Cast and Release Date

The anime reboot will definitely feel the same, as some of the original cast are set to reprise their roles.

Katsuyuki Konishi (Amidamaru), Megumi Hayashibara (Anna Kyoyama), and Minami Takayama (Hao Asakura) are already confirmed to rejoin the franchise from the 2001 series. Meanwhile, Yoko Hikasa will be the new actor for Yoh Asakura.

Meanwhile, Joji Furute will be directing the new series. He will be working with Shohi Yonemura for the script and Yuki Hayashi for the music.

The team aims for the "Shaman King" anime reboot to adapt all 35 volumes of the manga. It will also include the series' "true end," which became part of the manga when it was reprinted under the title "Shaman King Kang Zeng Bang."

"Shaman King" Anime Reboot Journey

The reboot has been long expected since 2015.

Five years ago, former Madhouse president and then MAPPA president Masao Maruyama attended Otakon 2015, during which he expressed his desire to launch a reboot of "Shaman King."

Meanwhile, in February 2017, Takei answered a fan's question and revealed on his official Twitter account that a company sent a proposal regarding his manga's remake. However, he had to turn it down since the unnamed company could not use the first anime's voice actors and soundtrack music.

But since everything is all set now, Takei finally has the chance to give his creation a proper ending.

READ MORE: Dwayne Johnson Movie Scare: 3 Terrifying Near-Death Experiences of The Rock
By Marisa Taylor and Dan Levine (Reuters) - Pfizer Inc is betting that its coronavirus vaccine candidate will show clear evidence of effectiveness early in its clinical trial, according to the company and internal documents reviewed by Reuters that describe how the trial is being run. In recent weeks, Pfizer has said it should know by the end of October whether the vaccine, developed together with Germany's BioNTech SE, is safe and effective. If the vaccine is shown to work by then, Pfizer has said it would quickly seek regulatory approval. It has not said what data it would ...
The Klan had been watching the store and the comings and goings of our family. When the time was right, they came in and made it look like a robbery. My dad was found with his mouth, hands and feet bound with tape. A single shot to the head with a small caliber gun had killed him. Later, when I called the police to see what I could find out about the case, they said the files had been lost when they moved, Lewis writes.
FBI Director Christopher Wray testifies before a House Homeland Security Committee hearing about "Worldwide threats to the Homeland" on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Sept. 17, 2020. (John McDonnell/AFP via Getty Images)

FBI Director: China Sees Itself Waging Tech War Against US, Seeks to Steal Research

Christopher Wray, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), said Beijing is waging a talent war to sustain its own tech ambitions and leveraging American taxpayer dollars to fulfill its objectives.

So the Chinese view themselves as in an international talent war, and they recognize that American innovation and research is the envy of the world and frankly, the envy of China, Wray said at a hearing held by the House Committee on Homeland Security on Sept. 17.

The FBI director added: And when they cant innovate and research themselves, they send people over here, in some cases legitimately, but in many cases not, who engage in intellectual property theft, taking information, American research, and bringing it back to China to advance Chinas national security goals.

Because much of the research is taxpayer-funded, Beijings tactic in stealing U.S. intellectual property and trade secrets hasthe perverse effect of having American taxpayers funding Chinas advancement at our expense.

For decades, Beijing has maintained talent recruitment programsat the central and local levelsto attract overseas Chinese and foreign experts into working in Chinas science and tech sectors. Its ultimate goal is to turn China into an industrial and innovation powerhouse.

One of the Chinese programs that have drawn close scrutiny is the Thousand Talents Plan, which Beijing rolled out in 2008. Chinese state-run media reported that as of November 2017, the program had recruited over 7,000 scientists and researchers, most of them from universities, research institutes, and international companies located in the United States, Europe, and other tech-developed countries.

In recent months, federal prosecutors have charged a number of researchers who were Thousand Talents participants and failed to disclose their ties to their employers. Others have been prosecuted for stealing intellectual property.

At the House hearing, Wray reiterated his previous public remarks about how the FBI currently has many investigations related to China.

I think I publicly acknowledged that the FBI now has over 2,000 counter-intelligence investigations related to China, by far the biggest chunk of our counter-intelligence portfolio, and we are opening a new Chinese counterintelligence investigation about every 10 hours, Wray said.

Wray added that he was encouraged by the cooperation the FBI has received from both the private and academic sectors, and said people in the United States are starting to wake up to the [Chinas] threat.

It varies significantly from university to university about how sensitive and how cooperative with us theyve been, but I think this is, frankly, one of the bright spots over the last couple years, Wray said.

He added: Im struck by the number of officeswhere universities that three or four years ago wouldnt have wanted an FBI agent anywhere near campusto some that now have office space set aside for our people.

According to his prepared statement for the hearing, Wray said that, No country poses a broader, more severe threat to those assets than China.

It is the people of the United States who are the victims of what amounts to Chinese theft on a scale so massive that it represents one of the largest transfers of wealth in human history. If you are an American adult, it is more likely than not that China has stolen your personal data, he warned.

Wray pointed to the 2017 hack against Equifax, whereby roughly 145 million American citizens personal information were stolen. Four Chinese military-backed hackers were indicted for the theft in February.

The FBI director emphasized that Chinas threat was not coming from the Chinese people.

When the FBI refers to the threat from China, we mean the Government of China and the Chinese Communist Party, Wray stated in his prepared statement.
Former Harrisburg City Councilman Brad Koplinski is facing 15 felony charges for allegedly possessing child pornography, according to court dockets.

The charges were filed Thursday against Koplinski, 51, a Democrat who last year ran unsuccessfully against the Republican incumbent for Dauphin County Clerk of Courts. He ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in 2014.

Koplinski had a preliminary arraignment Friday at 12:30 p.m. before Magisterial District Judge Hanif Johnson, who released him on $5,000 unsecured bail.

Online court records said the 15 offenses occurred on March 18. No further details were provided.

PennLive could not immediately reach Koplinski for comment.

Koplinski has been active in local politics for years, but has had prior legal problems.

Koplinski was charged with burglary in 2016 after police said he entered a building at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia and tried to take some parking passes and food vouchers.

At the DNC, he used stolen press credentials to take the passes and food vouchers early on July 25, just before the convention kicked off, the DAs office claimed. The office said it had surveillance footage that caught Koplinski in the act.

Koplinski was allowed to enroll in Philadelphia countys Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program for first-time offenders. If he completes the program successfully, the charges would be erased from his public record.

Koplinski talked to PennLive last year about that arrest:

As many people know, Koplinski said, I collect a great deal of political memorabilia. Unfortunately, I made a serious mistake at the 2016 Democratic National Convention and took parking passes and other items issued by the United States Secret Service. While I only wanted them for my collection, the authorities wanted to be sure that I was not potentially using the items to pose a threat to the convention. Although the authorities soon realized that I was simply an extreme collector, charges were still filed.

A few days prior to those charges being filed, Koplinski made news after the staunch Democrat surprisingly was spotted selling Donald Trump paraphernalia at the 2016 Republican National Convention. He was photographed wearing a red Make America Great Again" hat. The attorney/political strategist said he was hawking the merchandise in exchange for a pass to get into the convention.

Koplinski served as a Harrisburg council member for 8 years but lost his bid for re-election in 2015. He also was charged with driving under a suspended license in 2016 and pleaded guilty to failing to report earned income taxes in 2009.

READ: Why was this ex-Harrisburg councilman, a Democrat, hawking Trump campaign buttons?
The most aggressive reported attacks on health care facilities to date were North Koreas 2017 WannaCry ransomware attack, which froze British hospitals and forced doctors to cancel surgeries and turn patients away, and a Russian NotPetya attack one month later, which forced hospitals in rural Virginia and across Pennsylvania to turn away patients whose records they could no longer access.

The WannaCry attacks were eventually mitigated by a hacker who found a way to neutralize the attacks, but much of the data seized in NotPetya was never recovered. No deaths were reported from either attack, but security experts said it was only a matter of time.

This was absolutely inevitable, said Mr. Callow. We are fortunate it hasnt happened sooner.

Ransomware has become a scourge in the United States, and hospitals are among the softest targets. In 2019, 764 American health care providers  a record  were hit by ransomware. Emergency patients were turned away from hospitals, medical records were inaccessible and in some cases permanently lost, surgical procedures were canceled, tests postponed and 911 services interrupted.

But little has been done to deter the attacks and the responses of targeted institutions are often shrouded in secrecy. Despite F.B.I. advisories warning victims not to pay their extortionists, cyber insurers have advised victims to pay ransoms, calculating that the payments are still cheaper than the cost to clean up and recover data.

The attacks cost organizations more than $7.5 billion in 2019, according to Emsisoft, a cybersecurity firm that tracks ransomware attacks. An increasing number of victims are choosing to pay, as many as three of four, according to one recent survey of 500 senior executives conducted by Infrascale, a security company.
Photo: BC Wildfire Service

A large convoy of more than 200 British Columbian firefighters are driving across the U.S. border Friday morning to help fight the many giant wildfires that are ravaging the American west.

More than 800 BC Wildfire Service crew members expressed interest in helping their American counterparts, and on Friday, 207 hopped in their vehicles and began the long drive to Oregon.

Thursday, the firefighters all met in Chilliwack, and the convoy of trucks hit the road Friday morning at 6:30 a.m., with Redmond, Ore. as their destination.

With 28 active fires burning in Oregon, and conditions changing by the hour, the firefighters don't know which fires they'll be dispatched to. But there will be no shortage of work for them over their roughly two-week deployment, with 388,000 hectares in the state having burned so far, and thousands of homes destroyed.

Almost half of the entire organization said they were willing to go the U.S. so I would say that's a pretty good representation of the willingness for these crews to be helping out when they can, even internationally, said Forrest Tower with the BC Wildfire Service.

Thursday, Premier John Horgan said he was very proud of the firefighters heading south.

The B.C. firefighters will join up with other firefighters from across Canada who are heading down Friday to help the American crews. Prior to this current deployment, about 60 firefighters from Quebec have been assisting the American wildfire efforts in California.

While B.C. airtankers have crossed south of the border this fire season to help extinguish American fires, this is the first time B.C. firefighter ground crews have gone to help the Americans in a couple years.

With the border closed for recreational travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year's assistance came with some extra challenges.

They'll all be working within their own B.C. bubble, so they're not working with American crews, inter-mixing ... Everyone's keeping separate while they're down there, Tower said. There's definitely some added complications to this deployment for sure.

The United States will be covering the cost of the B.C. firefighting efforts, in addition to any extra costs that may come as a result of COVID-19.

Returning crews will be required to quarantine for 14 days as well once they're back home, the costs of which will also be covered by the United States.
A pensioner who was scammed out of his 330,000 life savings has revealed that it's like being 'stabbed in the heart' but confessed that he still didn't tell his children 'for four years' to avoid their devastation.

British OAP Dennis appeared on ITV's Tonight investigation Scams: Ripping off the Elderly?, last night, to talk about his traumatic experience for the first time publicly.

The house surveyor, who has been forced to continue to work because of his loss in savings, was contacted in 2015 by a person pretending to be a staff member from Dennis' bank.

He was told that internal fraudsters were trying to hack into his bank and that he should move his money to a safer account that had already been set up in his name - with the man even providing most of Dennis' details.

Dennis moved across his 330,000 life savings but was distraught to discover he had been scammed - with the money disappearing.

Scroll down for video

Dennis (pictured) appeared on ITV's Tonight investigation Scams: Ripping off the Elderly?, last night, to talk about his traumatic experience for the first time publicly

Speaking on the show, Dennis said: 'It's almost as if you've been stabbed through the heart because you've lost a huge chunk of money through no fault of your own.

'And there's no way of getting it back unless outside sources are persuaded to let you have your money back.'

He added: 'I lost sleep, I was very thin. For four years I didn't tell the children because of the devastation it would make.

'The people who are trying to defraud us are very, very sophisticated. It can happen to anyone and it happened to me.'

Dennis received a call on his mobile which he thought was from his bank but it was a spoof caller - despite the unidentified man shockingly knowing some of Dennis details beforehand.

The house surveyor (pictured), who has been forced to continue to work because of his loss in savings, was contacted in 2015 by a person pretending to be a staff member from Dennis' bank

The caller claimed he was investigating internal bank fraud and sounded 'very plausible', according to Dennis.

The pensioner was told that fraudsters inside the bank were trying to hack into his account and that he should move his money to a safer one that had already been set up in his name.

Dennis moved across his 330,000 life savings but was distraught to later discover he had been scammed - with the pensioner never finding the money again.

The house surveyor should be enjoying his retirement but has had to continue working because of the 'hole in his savings'.

Today, victims of push payment fraud should be protected if their banks are signed up to a certain scheme.

A push payment scam is where victims are tricked into transferring money, often by criminals posing as their bank, the police, a builder or even the taxman. Others are convinced into spending money on goods or investments that dont exist.

Dennis (pictured with a loved one) was told that fraudsters were trying to hack into his bank and that he should move his money to a safer account that had already been set up in his name - with the man even providing most of Dennis' details

Financial investigator Jack Buster told Tonight that he believes Dennis should've been alerted as he used a special bank transfer called Chaps (Clearing House Automated Payment System) - which is used to carry out same-day electronic payments for large amounts - and said banks have a duty of care.

Back in 2017 the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) - which was established by Parliament to help people when they have problems with financial businesses - ruled the bank wasn't at fault.

Jack said: 'Dennis was able to instruct his bank to send money to what he thought was himself of course, it wasn't. It was in a different name.

'But his bank should've pointed this out to him, that there was a risk of fraud.' Jack argues the FOS should reopen Dennis' case: 'They failed Dennis... this is rough justice and I think Dennis deserves another shot.'

Dennis (pictured) moved across his 330,000 life savings but was distraught to discover he had been scammed - with the money disappearing

'This is something that's happened to me, and to other people, where we haven't done anything wrong. We've been outwitted by people who are professionals.. and they've got to be stopped,' said Dennis.



A spokesperson from the Financial Ombudsman Service told the Tonight show: 'The Financial Ombudsman Service was established by Parliament to help people when they have problems with financial businesses.

'We make decisions based on what is fair and reasonable for each individual complaint we see. Before we reach a decision, both parties have every opportunity to provide information or make arguments which they would like us to consider.

'Once a case has been closed, if a customer feels that new evidence has come to light that was not considered at the time, they should get in touch with us and we will see if we can help.'

ITV Tonight, Thursdays 7:30pm ITV
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) New York, United States  Fri, September 18, 2020 09:29 491 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c4595a08 2 World New-York-City,school-reopening,coronavirus,coronavirus-restrictions,COVID-19,COVID-19-infection,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus Free

New York City postponed again Thursday the return of in-classroom teaching for a large number of pupils, highlighting the difficulty of getting children back to school amid anxiety among teachers about coronavirus.

Face-to-face learning for all schoolchildren, one to three times a week, was due to start on Monday after already being delayed from September 10.

But Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that only the youngest children and those with special needs will return on certain days next week.

Older pupils will have to wait until September 29 or October 1. Until then they will continue with online classes that started for many this week.

De Blasio said the decision was taken after two teaching unions told him they had "real concerns" about elements that need to be addressed to return "safely."

The United Federation of Teachers and the Council of School Supervisors & Administrators have argued recently that schools are not ready to welcome kids into classrooms.

They say a lack of teachers is particularly concerning.

New York City is the largest school district in the United States with 1.1 million students.

It is the only major city in the United States to commit to offering in-person classes this fall.

Many cities, such as Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Miami, opted instead for the virtual model.

In the US -- the country worst hit by the pandemic in absolute terms, with more than 197,000 deaths and more than six million documented infections -- the issue of reopening schools was politicized ahead of the November elections.

President Donald Trump, a Republican, emphatically insisted schools reopen, regardless of infection rates.

Many states governed by Republicans, including Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee and Indiana, took that direction in August -- but virus outbreaks meant many schools had to impose quarantines or shut back down.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs David Stilwell arrives at Narita International Airport, outside of Tokyo, on July 11. AP-Yonhap



The United States is not currently discussing the possibility of withdrawing troops from South Korea, a senior U.S. diplomat said Thursday, a move he said would require consultation with the Asian ally.



"Of course, these issues all require cooperation. So we will consult (with South Korea), but there is no discussion of that in the State Department," David Stilwell, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.



His remarks came in response to a request from a Senate committee member to assure that the U.S. administration is no longer considering a withdrawal of troops from South Korea and that if any such change were to occur, it would follow close consultation with the U.S. ally.



In his recently released book, "Rage," Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward quotes U.S. President Donald Trump as telling his military officials to pull U.S. troops out from Afghanistan and South Korea, citing the cost of maintaining the troops deployed overseas.



Recent reports have also suggested the U.S. president had hinted at the possibility of reducing U.S. troop levels in South Korea as a bargaining chip in U.S.-South Korea negotiations on setting the latter's share of the cost in keeping 28,500 U.S. forces in Korea.



The cost-sharing talks currently remain stalled over a reportedly wide gap.



Seoul has offered to increase its annual commitment by up to 13 percent from the US$870 million it shouldered last year, but the U.S. is said to be demanding a 50 percent spike to $1.3 billion.



Trump is said to have earlier demanded $5 billion a year from Seoul.



Stilwell's remark also came after another member of the Senate committee argued the recently made U.S. decision to reduce its troop level in Germany, which was made without any prior consultation with Germany, may have weakened the U.S.' alliance with the European nation.





Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, right, speaks with David R. Stilwell at the Centara Grand at Central World Hotel in Bangkok on Aug. 1 on the sidelines of this year's ASEAN Regional Forum. Yonhap
Education is a hot topic this Legislative session. Here's what bills we're watching.

Here are some of the hot-button education bills were tracking at the Argus Leader. Check back each day to see where they stand as we update.
Chief Minister on Friday welcomed the passage of the farm bills in Lok Sabha as a historic step that will bring about positive changes in the lives of farmers.

Earlier in the day, former chief minister and Congress leader Harish Rawat sat on a fast in protest against the legislations terming them as a "conspiracy to ruin farmers".

Chief Minister Rawat, though, tweeted, "Aimed at agricultural reforms, these bills will free the farmers from middlemen and ensure they have direct market accessibility and get the right price for their produce".

Describing the passage of the bills in the Lok Sabha as historic, Rawat said it will lead to positive changes in the lives of farmers and increase their income.

He thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on behalf of the farming community for introducing the legislations.

In the sit-in at Gandhi Park, Harish Rawat offered flowers to the statue of Mahatma Gandhi before beginning his fast at 9.45 am which went on till 11.45 am.

After ending his fast, the AICC general secretary and in-charge of party affairs in Punjab said farmers across the country have descended onto the streets in protest against the three legislations.

Terming them as "black laws", Rawat said it was a conspiracy to ruin farmers.

"The ordinances seek to remove the provision for minimum support price (MSP) in order to serve the interests of the corporate world. Through my fast, I want to express my solidarity with farmers across the country," he said.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An Egyptian diplomat has been elected to the UN Human Rights Committee, the foreign ministry announced on Friday.

Wafaa Bassim will serve a four-year term starting in 2021 after she secured one of nine vacant posts on the committee.

Bassim was among 15 candidates representing various countries and territories competing for a place on the committee. Two rounds of voting took place on 17 September, leading to her win.

She will be among 18 independent experts in the UN-body overseeing the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Egypt's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Mohamed Idris said Bassims win proves once again the respect of the international community for Egypt and its stature, and an appreciation for its distinct capacity through its cadres capable of positive contribution to bolstering and the upholding human rights at the international level.

Idris praised Bassims diplomatic experience; she previously served as Egypts permanent representative to the UN in Geneva, among other posts.

The win by Bassim comes a few days after Egypts candidate Mohamed Ezzeldin was re-elected to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights after securing the majority of votes from the committee members.

Ezzeldin secured 49 out of a total of 54 votes in elections held on 14 September.

However, Egypts nominee for the post of World Trade Organization (WTO) head, Abdel-Hamid Mamdouh, told Reuters on Thursday that he was out of the race for the position.

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SINGAPORE  New Zealand is predicting a strong rebound for its economy in the three months that end in September, Finance Minister Grant Robertson said Friday. The country fell into a steep recession  two consecutive quarters of negative growth  after GDP shrank 12.2% on-quarter between April to June, largely in line with the 12.8% decline that economists expected in a Reuters poll. That followed a negative 1.4% growth in the March quarter. Between April and May, New Zealand enforced a strict nationwide lockdown for several weeks to slow the spread of coronavirus. That meant most people had to stay indoors and all non-essential businesses were shut. Infection rate in the country of around 5 million people has remained relatively low, with 1,809 cases reported and 25 deaths. Robertson told CNBC's "Squawk Box Asia" that the June quarter data "was to be expected" and that activity rebounded in July and August as businesses reopened and people returned to work. The virus appears to be relatively under control in the country at the moment. "We have seen ourselves come out of that relatively well and relatively quickly. So we are expecting the September quarter results to be strong," he said.

Wage subsidy

To help businesses tackle the fallout from the national lockdown without laying off staff, New Zealand's government introduced a wage subsidy program that Robertson said protected 1.7 million jobs. Reports said more than 13 billion New Zealand dollars ($8.81 billion) had been paid out under the scheme. That program is not expected to be extended further unless New Zealand is forced to reimpose strict levels of lockdown in the future. "What we're focused on now when our economy is operating in a relatively open way is supporting particular sectors where we have seen more exposure  for example, within our tourism industry," Robertson told CNBC. He explained that there are schemes still in place to support people who have lost their jobs and help small businesses by providing them access to interest-free loans. New Zealand is preparing for an election next month which could serve as another referendum on Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's leadership.

Future shocks

In its pre-election economic and fiscal update, New Zealand's Treasury said net debt is expected to increase in the coming years which affects the long-term recovery of the Pacific nation. At the end of June, net debt was estimated to be at 27.6% of GDP and by fiscal year 2024, it is expected to rise to 55.3% of GDP. Robertson said New Zealand's balance sheet remains robust and that net debt will peak at the above level. He explained that the coronavirus pandemic is a "one-in-100-year" shock to the global economy where all governments are grappling with finding ways to financially support their people and businesses. "When we are all established, we will obviously have to continue to be very careful in our fiscal management," he said. "We have got a path forward to keep debt under control and to bring it down over time." "But like all governments, I have to balance that with making sure we continue to invest in our public services and health and education, which is what we need particularly in a time like this. And supporting people through the uncertainties," Robertson added, saying that the country will be able to absorb further shocks to the economy.

Air New Zealand
The department of telecommunications (DoT) has proposed that telecom companies undertake network audits to address security risks from spyware and malware, minister of state for communications Sanjay Dhotre said.

In a written reply submitted to the Rajya Sabha, the minister said telecom equipment and network could have backdoor and trapdoor vulnerabilities, adding operators are responsible for the security of their networks.

The proposal assumes importance amid the ongoing India-China border standoff. Tensions between the two nations escalated in June when 20 soldiers of the Indian Army were killed in a clash with Chinese forces along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh. Since then, the government has taken several steps to limit trade with the neighbour, including a ban on more than 200 Chinese mobile apps.

The minister said the government has not banned the purchase of equipment from Chinese vendors, adding, however, that an amendment in the General Financial Rules, 2017, allows the department of expenditure to impose restrictions on public buying from any country on the grounds of national security.

This apprehension (of security threat) is further confirmed by the fact that other countries like the US, UK and Australia have also taken parallel recourse against Chinese vendors, citing their close allegiance with the Peoples Liberation Army of China," said Sameer Jain, founder and managing partner, PSL Advocates & Solicitors.

The UK has imposed a blanket ban on Huaweis 5G equipment from the end of 2020, and plans to phase out all gear supplied by the Chinese firm by 2027, Jain added.

Last December, DoT had directed all telecom operatorsBharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL), Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL), Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd, Bharti Airtel Ltd and Vodafone Idea Ltd to undertake security audit of their networks by an external agency.

Under the Unified License, each licensee has to undertake an audit of their networks or get their networks audited from a security point of view once in a financial year from a network audit and certification agency," Dhotre said on Thursday.

Companies such as Ericsson, Nokia Networks, Samsung, Huawei and ZTE account for the major share of global telecom equipment supplies. The last two are Chinese.

Dhotre clarified that the government does not maintain any data on the percentage of equipment supplied by Chinese manufacturers--Huawei and ZTE. He said telcos procure and deploy equipment from vendors based on their techno-commercial interests, provided all security provisions are met.

According to the information received by the DoT, Reliance Jio does not use any equipment sold by Huawei and ZTE, while Vodafone Idea follows a multi-vendor strategy and Bharti Airtel uses equipment of Indian, American, European and Chinese vendors.

State-owned BSNL gets 44.4 % of its mobile network equipment from ZTE and 9% from Huawei, while 10% of MTNLs network equipment is procured from Chinese manufacturers.

Regular security audits are important since security is a legitimate and serious issue. However, for that very reason, the audits must be carried out professionally, with an open mind and without preconceived notions," said Mahesh Uppal, a senior consultant on telecom regulation.

This is important since replacing working telecom equipment is expensive for telcos and disruptive for their users," Uppal added.

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Most trade associations reacted positively to the surprise announcement on Tuesday September 15 that the United States was removing tariffs on aluminium imported from Canada, but some took issue with the quota system that has taken its place.

The US Trade Representative's (USTR) office caught the North American aluminium industry off guard with the unexpected removal of the Section 232 tariffs on Canadian unwrought aluminum, just one month after those tariffs took effect. The tariff was replaced with a quota for the September-December period.



The associations representing the US and Canadian aluminium industries cheered the tariff removal.



Canadas aluminium industry is glad to regain its continued tariff-free entry into the US market as it strives to meet its integrated value chain requirements in a post-Covid recovery, Aluminium Association of Canada president and chief executive officer Jean Simard said in a statement.



But the US Aluminum Association still supports quota free trade within North America, the association said. Removing these disruptive and unnecessary tariffs on Canadian aluminium was the right decision for the US aluminium industry and its 162,000 workers. The Aluminum Association and its members support tariff and quota free trade within North America, consistent with the recently implemented US-Mexico-Canada Agreement [agreement].



The US Chamber of Commerce and groups representing the US automotive sector also expressed satisfaction in the tariffs removal. What American manufacturers need now is certainty that these tariffs wont make another reappearance, Myron Brilliant, the chamber's head of international affairs, said in a statement.



American Automakers applaud the decision by the United States government to resume duty-free treatment of non-alloyed unwrought aluminum imported from Canada. These tariffs were a burden on the US auto industry and we recommend they not be re-imposed, the American Automotive Policy Council said.



The Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) agreed. This is a positive step in the right direction. MEMA has clearly demonstrated the negative impact of tariff to the motor vehicle parts supplier industry, which is the largest sector of manufacturing jobs in the United States. Especially at a time when the industry is facing significant economic challenges, it is important that the US not impose tariffs that increase manufacturing costs and reduce manufacturing competitiveness, it said.



The Precision Metalforming Association (PMA) praised the removal of the tariffs, but took issue with the quotas.



Tariffs or quotas would raise costs and disrupt supplies as our member companies continue to recover from unprecedented challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Manufacturers have paid billions of dollars in steel and aluminium tariffs over the past two years, money that could be used for hiring workers and capital investment. PMA continues to call on the US government to terminate all Section 232 steel and aluminum tariffs," PMA president David Klotz said.



One association expressed frustration with a quota to replace the tariff.



When something sounds too good to be true, it probably is... It was a surprising statement, not a negotiated deal, with many strings and convenient dates to address the highly unpopular tariff imposed on Canadian imports in August, Beer Institute president and chief executive officer Jim McGreevy said in a statement.



McGreevy pointed to the volumes outlined in the quota, which he said are below equivalent 2019 levels, and took issue with the USTRs ability to retroactively impose tariffs on shipments during a month where volumes exceed the quota.



He also questioned the political motives, noting that actual shipments would not be determined until six weeks after the end of each month. That would position the evaluation of September shipments (the first quota month) to occur in mid-November, weeks after the US presidential election.



US aluminium market participants are also struggling with the provisions, with this arrangement yielding significant uncertainty. The uncertain status of Canadian aluminium and the outlook for US premiums has made it difficult for US participants to plan and conduct business.
Donald Trump will not attend a session of the United Nations General Assembly in person when the body convenes next week in New York, yet another major event thrown off kilter by the coronavirus pandemic.

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows made the announcement to reporters on Thursday evening, but suggested the president might address the assembly virtually.

Mr Trump has had a rocky experience addressing the General Assembly, using his first address in 2017 to echo his Inauguration Day speech from that January, which warned of American carnage. His UN speech months later cast the world as a righteous many pitted against a wicked few.

That unprecedented 2017 address featured a new American commander in chief threatening to totally destroy another country, North Korea.

The president told the General Assembly that the North Korean government threatens the entire world with unthinkable loss of life. He has since held two one-on-one summits with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, suggesting they share a mutual love for the other.

But Mr Kim has not given up his nuclear programme and any atomic weapons or related delivery platforms, which was Mr Trumps goal with his sabre-rattling.

At a campaign rally on Thursday night in Wisconsin, Mr Trump boasted not that he has de-armed the North, but that he has averted a war. He claims if his predecessor, Barack Obama, was still in office the two countries would be in an armed conflict. (Mr Obama told Mr Trump during a 2017 Oval Office meeting that North Korea would be his biggest and most-pressing foreign policy challenge.)

The announcement Mr Trump will skip the UN meeting comes after the president this week told reporters he is delaying this years G7 meeting of world leaders until after the 3 November election. That also is a Covid-forced move.

"I'm much more inclined to do it sometime after the election," Mr Trump said. "We haven't sent out invitations. We're talking to them."

The president has talked of holding the G7 at Camp David and the White House. He also raised eyebrows when he suggested he intends to invite leaders of countries that are not part of the seven-country organisation.
By Akbar Mammadov

Head of Nagorno-Karabakhs Azerbaijani Community MP Tural Ganjaliyev has said that Armenia will be held accountable for terror acts against Azerbaijani civilians, including the one in occupied Khankandi in 1988.

Ganjaliyev made the remarks during the anniversary of Khankandi massacre on September 18.

Speaking at a press conference held on September 18, Ganjaliyev said: We have not forgotten the massacres committed by Armenians in Khankendi on September 18, 1988. As residents of Khankendi, we are sending a message to the adversary that with the help of our glorious army, we will rid Khankendi of unnecessary terrorist elements.

He also noted that Armenia's policy of aggression is coming to an end.

We will hold those terrorists accountable. This occupation is temporary. The armies of Armenia and its supporters will not be able to stand against our will. The truth is on our side. We are sending a clear message to the adversary that we will return to our lands soon, he stressed.

Furthermore, the head of the community commented on draft law "on genocide issues" discussed in the Armenian parliament. Ganjaliyev said that the draft law is aimed at deceiving and confusing the world community.

Armenia is taking such deceptive and distracting steps to cover up its military aggression against Azerbaijan. With this draft law, the Armenian parliament often brings up the issue of so-called genocide on the agenda. But as a party that committed the genocide against Azerbaijanis in Khojaly, it is ridiculous that they brought up this draft law on the agenda.

Ganjaliyev stressed that former Armenian presidents Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan were the ones who committed the Khojaly genocide and had their hands covered in blood.

I think that instead of passing a draft law, the Armenian parliament should judge the involvement of Sargsyan and Kocharyan in the [Khojaly] genocide. They may seem sincere in this case. Otherwise, the views of the Armenian side, which speaks about the genocide in this form, seem insincere.

The pogroms against Azerbaijanis by Armenians in Khankendi began on September 18, 1988 when Armenian armed groups launched an attack to the houses of Azerbaijanis living in the city.

On September 18, 1988, Armenian forces burned a total of 5963 houses and by September 20, Armenians looted more than 270 houses, beating their tenants, and tossing them to the streets. Azerbaijanis' home phones were also cut off as the raids were planned in advance, with the help of Armenian nationalist emissaries from the Armenian SSR.

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
First of all, the Blackwood lasted for one year in the U.S. and two in Mexico because of poor sales. Essentially an F-150 Crew Cab with different styling, a plusher interior, and a trick cargo box, production for this truck totaled 3,356 units in 15 months as opposed to a projected output of 18,000 units for 2002 and 2003.The Mark LT was more conservative in regards to the bed, and as a result, it sold marginally better. When Lincoln discontinued this nameplate in the United States, the F-150 Platinum took over as the Ford Motor Companys high-end pickup truck.Care to guess why Lincoln didnt revive these two? Lesson learned is probably the most obvious answer, but the Blue Oval is also aware than a successor to the Blackwood or Mark LT would cannibalize the plushest trim levels of the F-150.Kumar Galhotra, the vice president of Ford and president of the North American region, also let it slip that there are no pickup plans for Lincoln. Were very focused on Lincoln SUVs, which are doing great. So great that the lineup has bid farewell to the mid-size MKZ and full-size Continental luxury sedans . In other words, only crossovers and sport utility vehicles remain for the 2021 model year.What Galhotra told Ford Authority paints a rather clear picture of the American automotive industry of today. Demand for CUVs and SUVs is greater than ever, and trucks are doing well too considering that many customers opt for mid- to high-range trims like the Limited and Platinum specifications of the perennial F-150.In theory, the Blackwood and Mark LT were good. But in practice, they were introduced during a time when luxed-up pickups were an oddity rather than desirable.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged that men of the Nigeria Police have surrounded the premises of Westend Hotel, Benin City, accommodating governors elected under the platform of the party.

PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus, at a news conference in Abuja on Friday called on Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Adamu to order his officers to vacate the premises of the hotel where the governors were accommodated ahead of Saturdays governorship election in the state.

Mr Secondus alleged that police officers had surrendered the Westend hotel, harassing PDP governors who were currently accommodated in hotel to support PDP Candidate, Governor Godwin Obaseki

Our governors have been harassed in Westend hotel. The security men few minutes ago surrounded our governors and have been harrasing them. The lives of our governors are in danger.

We call on the IGP to ask the police officers to leave the premises of the hotel because their lives are in danger, Mr Secondus said.

He said PDP members and leaders in Edo were law abiding and had not broken any law.

He alleged that the All Progressives Congress (APC), governors were also in the Benin to support the candidate of their party, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, in tomorrows election.

ALSO READ:

If APC governors are in Benin, the PDP governors should be in the state as well. Our governors would remain in Benin, no one can intimidate us.

We are bringing this to the attention of the international community.

Elections must be free. Elections must be allowed to hold. You cannot allow APC governors in Edo and say our governors should not be in the state.

(NAN)
Flooding is seen from the air in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area in South Sudan, Friday, Sept. 4, 2020. Flooding has affected well over a million people across East Africa, another calamity threatening food security on top of a historic locust outbreak and the coronavirus pandemic. (Tetiana Gaviuk/Medecins Sans Frontieres via AP)

Flooding has affected well over a million people across East Africa, another calamity threatening food security on top of a historic locust outbreak and the coronavirus pandemic.

The Nile River has hit its highest levels in a half-century under heavy seasonal rainfall, and large parts of Sudan, Ethiopia and South Sudan have been swamped amid worries about climate change.

As warnings of a new famine grow in South Sudan, the United Nations says flooding there has affected at least a half-million people, many in areas of Jonglei state that saw eruptions of deadly intercommunal violence this year.

People who fled the fighting now cling to precarious positions, some piling mud barriers around their homes. "They are exposed to malaria, waterborne diseases and snakebites as floodwaters overwhelm their homes and farms," the medical charity Doctors Without Borders says.

"People are really very frustrated," local activist David Garang Goch told the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Bor, the capital of Jonglei state, as even the ancient royal city of the Kushite kings known as the Island of Meroe, a UNESCO World Heritage site near the capital, Khartoum.

In Ethiopia, officials this week said more than 200,000 people have been displaced, with five of the country's nine regions affected and evacuations underway.

A young woman sits in front of her shelter after heavy rainfall and flooding destroyed her crops, in Lukurunyang in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area, South Sudan, Monday, Sept. 7, 2020. Flooding has affected well over a million people across East Africa, another calamity threatening food security on top of a historic locust outbreak and the coronavirus pandemic. (Tetiana Gaviuk/Medecins Sans Frontieres via AP)

Flooding surrounds a house in Lenyari in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area, South Sudan Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020. Flooding has affected well over a million people across East Africa, another calamity threatening food security on top of a historic locust outbreak and the coronavirus pandemic. (Tetiana Gaviuk/Medecins Sans Frontieres via AP)

The flooding is the latest challenge as food prices climb because of travel and other restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and after some crops and pasture were lost to earlier locust swarms that numbered in the millions or billions of insects.

Separately, heavy rainfall this month in a long stretch of the Sahel, the arid strip of land south of the Sahara Desert, also has caused flooding in parts of Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Senegal.

Explore further Sudan declares state of emergency over deadly floods

 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Augustoberfest to return in 2022, but in a new location

This year marks the 25th anniversary of Augustoberfest, usually held in downtown Hagerstown. But this year's festival is moving out of Hagerstown.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 18

Trend:

The Azerbaijani community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan continues to hold meetings with the representatives of diplomatic missions of various countries operating in Azerbaijan, in connection with the situation in the region, aggravated due to Armenia's aggressive policy towards Azerbaijan, Trend reports citing the Community.

The meetings have been recently held with Ambassador of Croatia Branko Zebich, Ambassador of the Czech Republic - Milan Ekert, Ambassador of Hungary - Viktor Szederkenyi and Ambassador of Latvia Dainis Garancs.

During the meeting, the representatives of the Community emphasized such issues as the occupation policy of Armenia, illegal activity in the occupied territories, the use of natural resources, the policy of settlement, the use of water resources as a means of environmental terror against the Azerbaijani population living near the contact line.

The Azerbaijani community stressed the importance of putting pressure on Armenia by international organizations for it to put an end to the occupation of Azerbaijani lands, and refugees and internally displaced people to return to their native lands.

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.
Nextera Energy: "If you want a growth utility, that's the one. If you want a little more safety, you do Coned and if you want just kind of a plain-ole, but good grower: American Electric Power."

Peloton: "I like Peloton, but I think it's run up way too far. I do believe that there's a stay-at-home exercise community ... but the stock has had a very big run. I think it can go higher, but I don't like the risk-reward here."

Fulgent Genetics: "Anything that's about diagnostics is incredibly hot, but remember I'm an old-fashioned diagnostics guy. I like Abbott, I like Thermo-Fisher, but, you know what, if you want a little spec that one works for me."

Ericsson: "No."

Hannon Armstrong Sustainable: "I do not like any credit market right now. Look at what's happening with our banks, and that's a bit of a bank, so I say 'no thank you.'"

Splunk: "Splunk's pretty good. ... It's one of those companies that has a lot of things going for it, in terms of data analytics."

Clorox: "Right now, the market doesn't like the defensive stocks and they've stepped away from a stock like Clorox. We've got to give it some time, let it come in a little."

Vale: "I still can't get behind Vale. I've got other companies I would rather own, which include Freeport."

Trade Desk: "This is the kind of multiple-to-sales stock that I'm afraid is going to get hurt by the flood of IPOs."
Updates on deer harvest estimates from the August season, waterfowl crops on wildlife management areas (WMAs), and a boating report are among the agenda items for the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission at its September meeting.



The meeting will be held Sept. 24-25 in Clarksville at the TownePlace Suites by Marriott. The first day meeting starts at 1 p.m. Thursday, while the second day meeting begins at 9 a.m.

Friday.



The August deer hunt season was held for three days for archery on private lands only for antlered deer, except in Unit CWD where guns and muzzleloaders were also allowed and select public lands were available.



Flooding has occurred on some WMAs in TWRA Region I, hampering the crops for waterfowl. An update will be given on the re-planting of crops and how management staff has dealt with the situation.



The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency has seen a record number of boaters and anglers using the states waterways this year. The presentation will include statistics so far in 2020 and what TWRA officers have faced during the busy boating season.



The TWRA will recognize the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) Lone Mountain Longbeard Chapter and the Campbell Outdoor Recreation Association in support of the Tennessee Elk Program. Their donation of a reward led to the arrest and prosecution of persons for an illegally taken elk in the area.



Dr. Bradley Cohen, from Tennessee Tech, will provide a review of the first year of research on the mallard habitat study in West Tennessee. Preliminary analysis of on-the-ground and aerial habitat surveys, mallard habitat uses and movements, and response to disturbance will be provided. Dr. Cohen will also provide information on the survival of the telemetry-monitored mallards, discuss migration routes, and show their breeding destinations.



The Fisheries Division will announce its annual statewide awards for its Technician of the Year and Biologist of the Year.

The meeting will be available for the public to view each day on YouTube and later in the archives. Full details will be available on the TWRA website and social media.
In the aftermath of Sushant Singh Rajputs death, if the guilt or grief of being unable to protect one of their own was not enough for the Hindi film fraternity, patrons and some old guards are now looking to flog the ongoing investigation into the drugs angle, being carried out by the federal agency Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).

In the Rajya Sabha, Jaya Bachchan was recently heard saying, I was really embarrassed and ashamed as a Lok Sabha MP spoke against industry." Her remark was in reference to BJPs Ravi Kishan, who had remarked earlier in the Lower House that drugs menace is eating into the youth of this country and its consumption and distribution is prevalent in Bollywood also. Incidentally, a parallel drugs probe in Karnataka is underway and some artists associated with Sandalwood have been taken into custody for further questioning.

Read: Sushant Singh Rajput Case: Tragic Loss of an Artist and Hidden Secrets No One Wants Revealed

However, strange was the fact that support poured in for Jaya and some celebrities started siding with her comments, which is unacceptable as the pervasive and addictive nature of the evil of drugs and how it affects the life of those involved directly or indirectly need not be stressed upon any further. Or, may be none standing with Jaya had a first-hand encounter with addiction and its after effects.

While Bollywood tries to protect its sheen by staying actively mum on the drugs issue, we must take a look at how Sushants death has come as a watershed moment in the fight against illegal substances in the country, their abuse and proper rehabilitation of those who have fallen prey to this menace. Most importantly, this is also the time to realise that an open declaration of war on drugs is the need of the hour and there is no two ways about it.

Drugs money and its use

Globally, illicit drugs trade finances terror outfits and empowers criminals and traffickers. When associates of such people move actively in and out of societal institutions, anarchy and disintegration of the established system occurs which only perpetuates politico-economic problems for the state machinery and adds to more burden on the health system. Plus crime becomes omnipresent. In such a case, both high-end societies and the lower strata is at loss.

The cost of addiction

Drug addiction costs abuser in ways more than one. Mental and physical health deteriorates and as a result ones personality, their productivity and relationships suffer. Cost of financing drugs is accompanied by healthcare expenditure, legal fees and other social costs like boycott of the user and their family in public. It provides momentary gratification to the immediate user but prolongs misery and poverty for future generations.

Illegal substance abuse and film industrys fitness paradox

Those shying away from actively raising a voice against drugs trade or ones who are worried about industrys image in the light of such allegations have to look not beyond their work environment to realise their hypocritical stance on the issue. On one hand, artists promote fitness and healthy lifestyle and on the other, a parallel group of people is targeting those who want illegal substances wiped out. If drug control policies are being mulled upon and film industry happens to be one of the arenas from where the problem emerges and gains foothold, then activists and health enthusiasts in Bollywood have to take a stand on whose side they are on.

Sushant case is an eye opener

Ever since the drugs probe is being carried out by the NCB in Sushants death as one of the possible angles of the young stars passing, the majority of film industry has gone silent. Instead of helping the probe from the inside by voluntarily coming out, those close to the late star and otherwise have taken to speak out against raising a voice on the issue of substance abuse.

To be in the right moral standing, what they should have been doing instead was to assist in blowing the lid off of contraband providers and black market operators with possible information in this regard. This would have bolstered governments war on drugs instead of misleading us into believing that film industries are untouched by vices.

The attitude problem

Is film industry a conglomerate of casual drug consumers and silent observers who are in cahoots with each other? One will certainly be led to believe this if Bollywood continues to toe the defensive line on the narrative of drugs. In such a case, the attitude of mainstream celebrities matter. Unfortunately, most have remained silent on the issue like they do on all matters of public importance.

As domino effect, Sushants death may see NCB officials pulling out some players from the illicit drugs syndicate that allegedly operates within the industry. But going forward, is Bollywood, which prefers to show the ill effects of drugs in tragic stories, really bothered about this mass social evil?

The question remains unanswered.
Stepien, however, appears to be the first high-level aide not to have voted in the 2016 GOP primary or presidential election when Trump was on the ballot. Stepiens predecessor, Brad Parscale, who was demoted as Trumps campaign manager in July, voted in the 2016 primary, but did not vote in the general, CBS News reported in June. In a statement, Parscale gave a similar reason as Stepien, claiming that he had trouble obtaining a ballot and then missed the deadline.
Toward the end of Netflixs new documentary-drama The Social Dilemma, former Google employee Tristan Harris describes technology as simultaneous utopia and dystopia. This quote encapsulates the focus of the film: It primarily plays up well-worn dystopian narratives surrounding technology, with a sprinkling of early utopian views. Although The Social Dilemma attempts to raise awareness around important issues like design ethics and data privacy, it ends up depending on tired (and not helpful) tropes about technology as the sole cause of harm, especially to children. It also omits the very voices who have been sounding the alarm on Silicon Valley for a long time.

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The film, instead, mainly centers the voices of former employees at big technology companies like Facebook, Google, and Twitter. Many make it a point to tell us about the utopian intentions behind their involvement in the rise of these companies. For instance, Justin Rosenstein, who led the team that built the Facebook like button, says the team was motivated by a desire to spread love and positivity in the world. People within the technology industry have leaned into such techno-utopianism for decades, underplaying how maximizing profits is a major motivating factor for them. As Maria Farrell, an Irish tech writer, argued in March, these prodigal tech bros get an extremely easy ride toward redemption, and The Social Dilemma is another example of this phenomenon. Farrell also points out how they are given attention at the expense of digital rights activists who have been working tirelessly for years. This documentary, which will undoubtedly reach a global audience being on Netflix (itself a key cog within the technology industry), could have amplified such voices. It could have also given space to critical internet and media scholars like Safiya Noble, Sarah T. Roberts, and Siva Vaidhyanathan, just to name a few, who continue to write about how broader structural inequalities are reflected in and often amplified by the practices of big technology companies.

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This is one of the documentarys most glaring omissions because it keeps The Social Dilemma from grappling with the roots of the problems with these companies. In a world where economic inequality continues to widen and many people are deeply skeptical of those in power, the film emphasizes how issues like political polarization and the spread of misinformation are directly caused by the design of online platforms. Certainly, the nature of recommendation algorithms that pull people into certain rabbit holes contributes to these issues. But it is not the sole reason for themand oversimplifying problems is part of how we ended up with our current digital environment.

Focusing instead on how existing inequalities intersect with technology would have opened up space for a different and more productive conversation. These inequalities actually influence the design choices that the film so heavily focuses onmore specifically, who gets to make these choices. Many of the people featured in this film express shock and say they never imagined how online platforms would be weaponized. They might have been less surprised by online hate speechor at least better equipped to respond quicklyif their companies workforces were truly diverse in both race and gender. Black women have been sounding the alarm about abusive online speech for a long time, but their words were long ignoredand the film perpetuates that problem.

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Rather than a meaningful discussion on this subject, The Social Dilemma retells a dystopian narrative about technology that harks back to moral panics that have accompanied the introduction of various technologies, including books, the radio, and even the bicycle (despite what Tristan Harris says in the documentary). Social media is framed as ruining Gen Z and leading to a mental health epidemic. Although there are valid concerns about issues like excessive use and unrealistic body image expectations, years of research on how young peoples social media use affects their mental health and well-being tells a much more nuanced story. The film correlates a rise in mental health issues among teens in the U.S. with mobile social media use and makes a causal argument that ignores the role of a number of factors. As professor Sonia Livingstone, co-author of the new book Parenting for a Digital Future, points out, issues ranging from economic inequality to climate change may also contribute to young peoples anxiety and stressyet the film suggests technology alone is the problem. This narrative is further bolstered by framing technology use as an addiction. Some researchers who focus on digital well-being warn against using such labels as it pathologizes technology use. It treats frequent use of technology, even for a short period in someones life, as a disorder that possibly requires clinical intervention. This debate continues on, but the documentary only presents one side of it.

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This framing of technology use as an addiction also serves to promote complete abstention as a possible solution. In fact, completely logging off social media is one of the few muddled solutions offered toward the end of the documentary. We are told that those in Silicon Valley do not let their children use any social media. Not only does this gloss over how young people can make positive social connections online, it does not offer parents any productive advice about the conversations they may have with their children on issues like media literacy and privacy protection. Again, experts who have spent years conducting research on children and digital media could have offered such suggestions. But they are absent while a dystopian narrative that lacks any nuance is uncritically presented.

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Ultimately, this omission of experts and lack of nuance results in The Social Dilemma feeling like a missed opportunity. On the plus side, it informs a wide audience about issues like surveillance, persuasive design practices, and the spread of misinformation online, which may encourage them to hold big technology companies accountable. But who gets to convey this information and how it is framed are also crucial. Amplifying voices who have always had a seat at the table and continuing to ignore those who havent will not lead us any closer to resolving the dilemma the film claims to present.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
A Chinese peacekeeper measures the size of unexploded ordnance at the mine-clearing training ground. (Photo by Ding Wendong)

By Ding Wendong and Zhao Wenhuan

BEIRUT, Sept. 18 -- After three consecutive days of assessment, the 19th Chinese peacekeeping multi-functional engineer contingent to Lebanon passed the qualification certification by the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) on September 16.

This is the first time that the Chinese peacekeeping engineers have obtained both military and humanitarian mine-clearing qualifications at one time since China began to send troops to Lebanon for UN peacekeeping missions in 2006.

Before pocketing the mine-clearing qualification certification, the Chinese peacekeepers passed more than 30 examinations in 13 subjects of 2 specialties, i.e., mine clearance and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), mainly including mine detector debugging, signal source positioning, mine excavation, minefield rescue, mine disposal, and unexploded ordnance disposal.

After three consecutive days of assessment from September 14 to 16, 53 sappers, together with 11 medical personnel of the 19th Chinese peacekeeping multi-functional engineer contingent all passed the assessment and obtained two qualifications of both military and humanitarian mine clearance awarded by the UNMAS.

Zeina Saleh, superviser from the United Nations Mine Action Service said after the assessment, The Chinese mine-clearing engineers are excellent characterized by super execution and learning capabilities.

Successfully passing the assessment and obtaining certification mark the official start of the contingent to carry out mine clearance and EOD operations near the Blue Line between Israel and Lebanon.
The Prime Minister met with teams working at the forefront of the national response to COVID-19  ranging from scientists and engineers advising on scaling up manufacturing of viable COVID-19 vaccines and establishing a rapid deployment centre, known as 'Virtual VMIC' to increase supply of the Oxford/AZ vaccine, which is currently in clinical trials to ensure its safety and effectiveness. He also met with design and construction teams fast tracking the development of the 7,400 sq m facility and who are working in an unprecedented effort to bring the high-tech centre online a year ahead of schedule.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, said: "Brilliant scientists in Oxfordshire and around the UK are driving global efforts to develop a safe vaccine that works to defeat coronavirus. If one proves successful, we need to be ready to distribute it to the British people as soon as possible.

"That is why construction of the Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Centre at Harwell, backed by 158 million from the Government, is fully underway in Oxfordshire. When open, VMIC will be able to manufacture enough vaccine doses for the whole UK population in as little as six months, which would transform how we beat this virus and prepare for future pandemics."

Dr Matthew Duchars, CEO of The Vaccines Manufacturing and Innovation Centre said: "Today's visit from the Prime Minister is testament to the incredible work being carried out by an exceptional team at VMIC and amongst our partners. Their work forms a vitally important part of the national response to COVID-19 as well as fast tracking the facility to bring it online in 2021. Once complete, the centre will be equipped to provide future pandemic response for the whole of the UK.

"The Government has demonstrated it is wholeheartedly committed to increasing the country's vaccines infrastructure in order to strengthen the UK's ability to not only provide a pandemic response capability, but also to discover and manufacture vaccines for a whole range of conditions. We look forward to being able to deliver on this as part of our day to day work, for the benefit of the UK and overseas."

VMIC was established by the University of Oxford, Imperial College and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine with support from industrial partners, MSD, Johnson and Johnson and Cytiva, formerly known as GE Healthcare. The Centre's initial funding came from a 65 million grant from UK Research and Innovation, as part of the UK Government's Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, with a further 93 million in 2020 to expand the facility's capabilities and fast track the build.

SOURCE UKs Vaccines Manufacturing and Innovation Centre
The exhibits on display at the Suzhou Museum of Imperial Kiln Brick offer a vivid and panoramic view of the age-old craft of brickmaking. Highlights include imperial bricks dating to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), replicas of tools, a miniature model of a kiln, and pottery figurines that demonstrate the production and transportation processes. [For China Daily]

An ongoing exhibition shines a light on the historical significance of imperial kilns in China, Wang Hao and Zhang Lei report in Suzhou, Jiangsu.

The courtyard of the Suzhou Museum of Imperial Kiln Brick has many old kilns shaded by tall trees, with the ground covered by thick grass. The museum opened in Suzhou's Xiangcheng District in 2016.

Few know that bricks were transported from the city in today's Jiangsu Province along the Grand Canal during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) to lay the foundations of the Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven in Beijing.

The tiles on the floor of the Forbidden City were made with bricks from Suzhou's imperial kilnsa high-standard paving material used only for the royal families of the Ming and Qing (1644-1911) dynastiesand each brick is about 67 cm by 67 cm and weighs about 20 kilograms.

The bricks are smooth because of exquisite craftsmanship. A popular saying goes, "bright as a mirror, and sounding like a chime".

This type of brick is known as jin zhuan (golden brick). One theory ascribes its name to the fine grains and dense texture that reflect a golden color under the sun.

The exhibits on display at the Suzhou Museum of Imperial Kiln Brick offer a vivid and panoramic view of the age-old craft of brickmaking. Highlights include imperial bricks dating to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), replicas of tools, a miniature model of a kiln, and pottery figurines that demonstrate the production and transportation processes. [For China Daily]

But according to many scholars, the name originated from jing zhuan (capital brick) for its exclusive use in the imperial palace and then gradually evolved to jin zhuan, as jin and jing are homophonic.

One such imperial brick is currently on show at Everlasting Splendor: Six Centuries at the Forbidden City, an exhibition being held at the Palace Museum in Beijing, the site of the former Forbidden City, to celebrate the 600th anniversary of the completion of its construction.

Four experts from the Palace Museum and two professionals in charge of brick-packing visited the Suzhou museum for the handover ceremony in late August.

Shen Quannan, Director of the Suzhou museum's research department, says the exhibition will "raise public awareness about the bricks' significance".

The 59 kg, 420-year-old "fine-material square brick" from the reign of emperor Wanli is the most complete piece of all Ming imperial bricks preserved at the Suzhou museum, with inscriptions recording names of the potters, construction officials and supervisors still visible on its sides.

The Suzhou museum boasts a collection of 1,458 imperial bricks from the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty to the Xuantong period of the Qing Dynasty. It covers an area of 38,875 square meters, including the building area of 15,087 square meters.

Designed by architect Liu Jiakun, the museum aims to protect cultural relics through architectural organization and showcases the historical and cultural connotations of its exhibits.

The lobby on its second floor displays the process of imperial brickmaking, from firing to transportation.

The exhibits on display at the Suzhou Museum of Imperial Kiln Brick offer a vivid and panoramic view of the age-old craft of brickmaking. Highlights include imperial bricks dating to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), replicas of tools (above), a miniature model of a kiln, and pottery figurines that demonstrate the production and transportation processes. [For China Daily]

Visitors can touch the exhibits and learn more about the brick culture. There is also an imitation kiln patio on this floor with a narrow crack in an exhibited wall at the entrance that one can squeeze through.

The third floor presents the restoration models of some palaces and buildings that have been made with the bricks since the Ming and Qing dynasties. The names of hundreds of craftsmen are written on an illuminated wall.

In July 2019, the Suzhou museum donated some imperial bricks to the French Architectural Heritage Museum at Place du Tertre in Paris to mark the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France.

The museum is located on the west bank of Yangcheng Lake, where the mild soil has given the bricks a texture "different from other places in the country", Shen says. The area has since been the only source of bricks used in the interior works of the Forbidden City until the end of the Qing Dynasty.

"For the imperial brick, its noble status is not only an honor but also a burden. After the end of China's feudal monarchy in 1912, the bricks were no longer needed, and the craftsmanship dissipated among the people," Shen says.

In the 1980s, Jin Meiquan, a bricklayer whose family made imperial bricks for generations, restored the old method of making imperial bricks and brought them back to life.

His team worked on the porch of Kunning Gong (Palace of Earthly Tranquility) at the Forbidden City in the early 1990s. They haven't sustained major wear and tear, even though millions of visitors have walked on them.

The exhibits on display at the Suzhou Museum of Imperial Kiln Brick offer a vivid and panoramic view of the age-old craft of brickmaking. Highlights include imperial bricks (above) dating to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), replicas of tools, a miniature model of a kiln, and pottery figurines that demonstrate the production and transportation processes. [For China Daily]

The making of an imperial brick required seven major processes. First a special clay was selected, and then the mud was refined and made into a mold, which was then dried in the shade and roasted. After being roasted in the kiln for more than four months, the mud stopped baking.

Water was then injected from the top of the kiln and turned into steam. The bricks and tiles in the kiln took a blue-gray color after cooling.

Jin's restoration of imperial bricks was included in China's first national intangible cultural heritage list in 2006. Jin and his daughter, Jin Jin, spent more than two years collecting materials to better inherit the craft.

They launched the remaking project in 2008, but the next seven years saw some failures.

At the end of 2015, the National Ceramics Quality Monitoring Center tested the team's restoration work and found it to be successful, saying, "Some specifications even surpassed the ancient imperial bricks."

In early 2016, the Palace Museum gave the father and daughter qualification certificates, and thereafter the imperial kiln that had been dormant for a long time reignited with green smoke.

At the beginning of 2018, Shan Jixiang, then-director of the Palace Museum, visited Suzhou and awarded them "the brand of the first official ancient building material base of the Forbidden City".

Jin Jin said in an earlier interview with China News Service she and her father hoped to continue the traditional folk craft, working with the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The exhibits on display at the Suzhou Museum of Imperial Kiln Brick offer a vivid and panoramic view of the age-old craft of brickmaking. Highlights include imperial bricks dating to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), replicas of tools, a miniature model of a kiln (above), and pottery figurines that demonstrate the production and transportation processes. [For China Daily]

"It has been difficult for ordinary people to gain access (to the imperial kiln), except to see the bricks used at the Forbidden City as building materials, and a small number of private collections and furnishings," says Shen, the Suzhou museum official.

He says ordinary people should feel a connection with the culture.

In recent years, the museum has recruited young people to form a creative development team with the aim of inheriting and innovating upon brick pottery crafts and culture.

For example, brick boards are made into tea tables and desktops that help to highlight the practical value of the imperial bricks in a modern social context.

The museum plans to cooperate with some universities to jointly cultivate talent for the inheritance of brickmaking techniques, and at the same time, "to develop more derivatives" that meet the needs of ordinary people.

(Source: China Daily)
Prime Minister Ludovic Orban said on Friday at the inauguration of the 3rd section of the Transylvania Motorway, between Iernut and Chetani, that soon from (central) Targu Mures it will be possible to reach (western) Bors on the motorway and that the Government is also interested that the inhabitants of Moldova and Bessarabia can reach the European infrastructure.

"The idea of Transylvania Motorway was born around 2002 (...) Soon Targu Mures will be able to reach Bors on the motorway and we are also interested, in equal measure, that our brothers from Moldova and Bessarabia can reach the European infrastructure on the motorway. For this reason we pay special attention to the area of Targu Mures - Targu Neamt which is under contract for carrying out the feasibility study, also to the section of Targu Neamt-Iasi-Ungheni (...) there is a motorway linking Ungheni [from Mures, ed. n.] to Ungheni [from Iasi, ed. n.]. We are also in the tender process to carry out the feasibility study and the technical project. (...) Infrastructure investments are a zero priority and we will allocate all the necessary funds to achieve the main infrastructure objectives as support for Romania's economic development," said Ludovic Orban.

The Prime Minister added that in order to speed up infrastructure works, the government has revised part of the legislation on public procurement.

"Moreover, we have already taken a few steps to adjust a little bit the law of public procurement and we will continue to use the expertise so that the procedures are as simplified as possible, not to falter due to impermissible delays owing to cumbersome procedures, to extensions of appeals, the resolution of disputes, either in court or at the CNSC the National Council for Solving Complaints], so that contracts can be signed as soon as possible, and they must be carried out in accordance with the contractual provisions," Orban said.

He noticed the work carried out by the Astaldi company on lot 3 of the Transylvania Motorway, but drew the attention of the builder of the section of lot 4, between Chetani and the Turzii Plain, that is being delayed, that if he does not comply with the new contractual provisions, measures will be taken.
The father of a baby boy found crying beside his dead Ugandan asylum seeker mother has hit back at her family in a looming custody battle over where the child should be brought up.

Distraught Adriel Gaguma was found in a cot with an empty bottle of milk as his mother Mercy Baguma, 34 lay dead in the hallway of her Glasgow flat.

Now the boy's father Eric Nnanna, who is seeking asylum in the UK, has revealed that he wants 18-month old Adriel to be raised by him in Scotland.

Earlier this week, Ms Baguma's sister Sarah Nakendo told MailOnline that they wanted Adriel to live in Uganda, where he would have a 'better life' than in Britain.

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Adriel, 18 months old was found crying beside his mother Baguma's body. Now his father Eric Nnanna (pictured with the boy) is fighting Mercy's family in Africa for custody of him

Mercy, 34, was found dead by police in Govan, Glasgow, last month

Mercy's son, Adriel, was found hungry and crying in his cot next to her body

He added: 'I want the future to be in Scotland. I also want him to play for the Scottish national team.'

Mr Nnanna described how he has been reduced to tears when the boy mentions his mother.

The child was alone for four days before being discovered by police.

Mr Nnanna told BBC Reporting Scotland: 'I remember how she used to hold him, how they used to bond together. It is just so sad.

'Adriel was the love of her life.'

Mr Nnanna last saw Ms Baguma on Tuesday 19 August in her flat in Govan.

But when he returned to the property on Saturday 22 August, he was forced to call the police after he heard Adriel inside.

The circumstances of her death are unclear. They have been described as 'unexplained but not suspicious.'

Mr Nnanna said: 'At that point I was so devastated. I was so weak. I knew that something had happened because there was no one answering the door. I could only hear Adriel.'

Officers soon arrived and broke down the door but told Mr Nnanna to stay behind.

Ms Baguma's body was found in the hallway while her son was in his cot.

Mr Nnanna, 30, said: 'When they brought him out, he was holding an empty bottle of milk.

'He had marks on his skin as he had cried for so many days.'

Privately-educated Ms Baguma suffered from pre-existing kidney and liver conditions, as well as depression and alcoholism, according to her family and friends

Eric Nnanna raised the alarm after he hadn't heard from Mercy in four days

Ms Baguma had been in Scotland for almost 14 years prior to her death

Mercy's father, Abdu Balingilira Nakendo, stands by her coffin at her funeral yesterday

Mercy's coffin rests under a tent just before her funeral service and burial yesterday

Mercy's father, brothers and other local dignitaries pray at her funeral service yesterday

Asked for his reaction to the fact his son was still alive, he said: 'I couldn't believe Adriel had survived for those few days.

'I could feel his bones and he couldn't even talk. He couldn't even recognise me.

'He surviving was a miracle.'

The cost of Ms Baguma's body to Uganda was met by a crowdfunding appeal while the remaining funds of 75,000 are to be placed in a trust for her son.

Speaking at the funeral her sister Ms Nakendo said: 'The money raised by donations for our nephew should be fixed in an account which he will access when he is of age. We shall use the little we have to take care of him unconditionally.

'My father can't understand why they sent back his daughter's body, but his grandson remains in Britain. We want Adriel back very much. He is our blood. He is Ugandan, with family here. We want to do it for Mercy.'

Mercy, who was from a wealthy background, suffered from alcohol addiction, depression and a kidney condition for years before her death.

According to friends in Glasgow, her relationship with Mr Nnanna, whom she met in a phone repair shop in 2017, had been tempestuous for seven months but they were trying to get back together.

The tragic asylum seeker was laid to rest in her family village near Bugiri in eastern Uganda, in a ceremony attended by about three hundred mourners.

Mercy's sister, Sarah Nakendo, said she wanted to bring Adriel to live with the family in Uganda

Mercy's family and friends gather around her grave as her body is lowered in

New trees were planted to mark Mercy's grave at her ancestral village in eastern Uganda

Well-wishers and mourners gather in a tent during the funeral service for Mercy Baguma

Ms Baguma, right, and her father, former MP Abdu Balingilira Nakendo, left, who collapsed when he heard news of her death

Mercy's family lives adjacent to an enclave known as 'Ministers' Village', due to its popularity with Ugandan politicians, army chiefs and business leaders

Mercy's body was found in her flat in Govan, Glasgow, in August, next to her hungry son

She belonged to a prominent local family who own an extensive network of properties in the capital, Kampala, as well as extensive farming assets in their home village.

Ms Nakendo also revealed that the grieving family's pain had been made worse by getting caught up in the 'politicisation' of Mercy's death by activists and politicians in Britain.

The charity Positive Action in Housing (PAIH), which had been helping Mercy, said she was living in 'extreme poverty' as her right to work in Britain had expired.

Scottish leader Sturgeon blamed Westminster, saying 'the UK asylum system is not just broken, it is deeply inhumane' and calling on the British Government to 'look into their hearts as a result of this case'.

Boris Johnson agreed to step in to pave the way for Mr Nnanna and Adriel to stay permanently in Britain.

'People are using the death of my sister for their political campaigns while the family is being left out,' Ms Nakendo told MailOnline.
Thea Lenna went to her local secondhand store in Baltimore searching for light fixtures earlier this month when she happened upon a pastel-painted fish chair with a price tag of $740.

"I had never seen anything like it before," said Lenna, 34, who found the chair on Sept. 6.

She snapped a photo of the curious chair and posted it on a popular Facebook group, aptly called "Weird Secondhand Finds That Just Need To Be Shared."

Apart from showcasing the strange seat to a group of thrift-store enthusiasts, "I really didn't think much of it," Lenna said.

But when Emily DelFavero, one of the 2 million members in the Facebook group, scrolled past the post, she paused in shock.

"I had that exact chair tattooed on my leg two years ago," said DelFavero, 29, of Syracuse, N.Y.

DelFavero posted a photo of her tattoo in the group, adding that it is emblematic of her mother, who once collected pieces by MacKenzie-Childs - the designer of the chair.

The group went wild.

Her post was quickly flooded with comments asserting that the chair, which had been at the store for less than a month, was destined to belong to DelFavero.

"People were begging me to make a GoFundMe and said they wanted to donate," said DelFavero, an auto mechanic. "I was thinking I would call the place and buy the chair myself; I wasn't even looking for donations, but I realized within minutes that people really just wanted to be a part of this."

Among those who pushed for a GoFundMe was Rosita Smith, 30.

"I started seeing people replying instantly saying Emily needs this chair," Smith said. "No one deserves this chair as much as she does."

The thrift store, Second Chance, agreed to lower the price from $740 to $600 when it heard the story.

"We took it off the floor right away," said Pete Theodore, the marketing manager of the store, which is a nonprofit workforce development program, employing people with criminal backgrounds and others who need a hand.

"We really are a second chance, both for products and people," he said.

The GoFundMe, set up by DelFavero on Sept. 7, collected enough money to buy the chair in less than 24 hours. Then came the complicated part: transporting it from Baltimore to Syracuse - about 330 miles.

"I thought, why not make another Facebook group so that people can actually follow this story and see if we can get her the chair," Smith said.

She created a group called "From Baltimore to Emily D.," and since its inception Sept. 7, it has amassed nearly 2,500 devoted members from as far away as Hawaii, Europe and Australia - all focused on a common goal.

Members began volunteering to drive the chair from Baltimore to Syracuse, and "a small group of us got together separately to figure out the mapping and logistics," Smith said.

They decided the trip would have seven legs, each about an hour long, though some drove farther from home to the designated meeting spots. Drivers arranged pickup locations to pass along the chair, which measures about 22 inches wide and 41 inches high.

Once the map was made and the seven drivers were selected, the Facebook group buzzed with excitement for the moment when DelFavero would finally have the chair. The members collectively counted down through constant posts and shared photos of their own favorite chairs as they waited.

"Seeing this group of people from all over the world saying nothing but positive things, it just made me forget about everything bad we've all been living through," said Smith, who is based in Canada and has been separated from her husband by the border closure. She is pregnant and has two young children.

"Being able to do something for a complete stranger, while simultaneously touching the lives of so many other people and helping them with their mental health, has been overwhelming," she said.

As the Facebook group grew, one member contacted the chair's original designer, Victoria MacKenzie-Childs, who with husband Richard founded the company in 1983, though they are no longer involved in the business.

"I was touched to tears," MacKenzie-Childs said. "I felt deeply grateful that the chair was a symbol of the story."

Although DelFavero's mother never owned the chair, their house in Auburn, N.Y., was filled with other MacKenzie-Childs pieces, including matching fish plates.

DelFavero recalls regularly visiting the MacKenzie-Childs studio in Aurora, N.Y., as a child with her mom and as a young adult. About four years ago, when she was visiting the studio, she first spotted a dollhouse version of the fish chair and fell in love with it, deciding she eventually wanted it tattooed on her leg. She took a photograph of it.

"The chair really resonated with me. It reminded me of my mom and my childhood," said DelFavero, who until this week had never seen the full-size fish chair in person. "It reminded me of our dinner plates, the lemonade pitcher, the serving bowl."

Two years ago, when she left Auburn for Syracuse, DelFavero said she thought it would be the perfect time to get the chair tattoo as a reminder of home.

"The tattoo is an embodiment of love and happy memories," she said. "The chair embodies everything that I love."

But the chair has taken on a new meaning for DelFavero, and for those who have become a part of the story.

"Everybody who is involved in this chair thing is invested for a different reason," she said.

In fact, one member posted "what does this chair journey symbolize for you?" in the group, and responses poured in.

"A minute of hope for humans - a thread of untapped love for others - a sense of fun and adventure," one member wrote.

Others contributed similar sentiments, including Jacqueline Sergent, 37, who drove the fourth leg of the journey.

"It's such a weird, wholesome story at a time when everything is so bleak," Sergent said.

Sergent said the pandemic-induced isolation has been mentally crippling for her, adding this experience has offered her a sense of connection that she, and many others in the group, longed for.

"We're just a bunch of strangers on a mission to bring somebody joy," she said.

On Sunday, she drove almost two hours from Pottstown, Pa., to Hazelton, Pa., to get the chair, then from there another hour to Lackawanna County, Pa., to meet the fifth driver.

"It was literally like meeting friends I've known my entire life," she said. "We shed a few tears."

The chair arrived at its destination on Monday. Sarah Edwards, 36, handled the final leg of the trip.

"This is my new soul sister," Edwards said over the phone, standing beside DelFavero and the fish chair. "Pulling in here was one of the most exciting things I have ever done."

Edwards drove from her home in Binghamton, N.Y., to DelFavero in Syracuse, and picked up custom-made fish doughnuts that a local bakery had made for them, free.

"It's the toughest year that any of us have ever had, and there is nothing but happiness in this story," Edwards said. "It doesn't matter who you are - you just can't help but smile that this many people just wanted to make one person happy. And we did. On to the next mission."

The 13-member logistics team - self-designated as the "Fellowship of the Fish Chair" - has scheduled monthly Zoom calls and is planning a get-together when pandemic conditions allow.

"When I look at the chair, I will think of every single one of these people," DelFavero said.

Beyond finally having her very own freckled fish chair, DelFavero said, she's most touched by how the experience has brought together thousands of strangers.

"The chair has always represented love," she said. "But now it's not just for me. It's for all of us."
As far as famous couples go, Chrissy Teigen and John Legend are serious relationship goals. Their playful, loving relationship and two adorable kids make for lots of social media gold, and the couple recently announced that theyre expecting another baby.

But just as many people in the US are grappling with issues of race, Teigen admits that she struggles at times to know what to say to her kids. Even though theyre growing up in the lap of luxury, her kids have a mixed racial background. Heres what they tell their kids, and what they hope they learn.

Who is Chrissy Teigen?

Chrissy Teigen | JEAN-BAPTISTE LACROIX/AFP via Getty Images

RELATED: Chrissy Teigen Shares Her Terrible, Scary Experience With Racism

According to Biography, Teigen never imagined herself as a model when she was growing up. She toyed with the idea of being a teacher or cooking for a living, but she didnt think she had the look for modeling.

People in the industry seemed to feel differently, though. When she was 18 years old, she was discovered while she was working in a surf shop, and her modeling career was launched. By the time she was 25, she appeared as Rookie of the Year in the iconic Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. She went on to be featured on the cover of magazines as prestigious as Glamour, Cosmopolitan, and Italian Vogue.

Teigen has also branched out into the world of cooking, true to her childhood dreams. She has a popular cooking website and has written two best-selling cookbooks.

A happy family  and growing

Time reports that in 2007, during her early modeling days, Teigen was hired to appear in a music video. That turned out to be a date with destiny, because the musician was Legend, and that day was the beginning of something beautiful.

They were attracted to each other from that very first day, and they were soon dating seriously. In 2013, they got married in Lake Como, Italy. They wanted to have kids right away, but the struggled with infertility. Teigen has been very open about the fact that she underwent IVF in order to have their daughter, Luna, who was born in 2016. Their son, Miles, was born in 2018.

Given the fact that both children were conceived using IVF, Teigen and Legend were shocked to discover that they are now expecting a third child. As their family grows, Teigen and Legend have had to spend some time considering what they want to tell their own kids about who they are and how they fit into the complicated landscape of American society.

How they talk to their kids about race

Teigen recently sat down with Marie Claire for an interview, and the subject of their kids came up. She admitted that she and Legend struggle to explain to their kids their unique situation in life. After all, they are growing up with some significant privileges in life, but they still need to understand the realities of how the color of their skin might affect how theyre perceived at times.

There are books that I read when I became a mom that would explain to them hard and traumatic situations. But its really hard to teach them about their privilege; there are no books for that, she explained. But regardless of money or status, theyre always going to have their skin color. When it comes to them being treated differently because of the color of their skin, Im going to look to John for a lot of help with that because while they are Asian and white too, their skin color is Black. We just try to talk to them like little adults, saying it in words theyll understand, making it known that its very serious, and letting them ask as many questions as they need.

This year issues of racism in the US have led to an enormous amount of unrest. As the country struggles to understand and move forward, parents like Legend and Teigen are doing their best to prepare their kids for the future.
In March 2020, Covid-19 was declared a global pandemic, and governments around the world imposed restrictions to reduce the spread of the Coronavirus. Some countries chose stricter measures than others. But what effect does social distancing and similar measures have on our mental health? How do we adapt?

Researchers at UiT have compared corona restrictions in six countries, and looked at psychological reactions among the population, their confidence in the restrictions and belief that the government is in control over Covid-19 in their countries.

They found that those who were satisfied with how the country fought the outbreak had better well-being and a lower perceived risk of getting Coronavirus.

Dissatisfaction created fear

- We found that those who were dissatisfied with the country's Covid-19 response saw the risk of getting the virus as greater, were more concerned and expressed reduced faith in the possibility of controlling the outbreak, says professor at the Department of Psychology, Gerit Pfuhl. Together with colleague Martin Mkel, and international research colleagues, Dr. Phuhl now present the recent results of the study in the journal Royal Society Open Science.

- Dissatisfaction with the government's reactions to Covid-19 led to increased stress levels and psychological reactions, Pfuhl says about the results.

- Regardless of which country they lived in, those who were dissatisfied with the measures were more tense and perceived the risk of getting Covid-19 over the next two months as higher than those who were satisfied with how the country fought the outbreak, the researcher says.

Pfuhl explains that if you experience that your country is not doing enough, then you have more fear, if you think your country is doing enough to fight the outbreak, then you are more relaxed about it and have less fear.

These new research results provide important insights for decision-makers on how to take care of the well - being of their population during a global crisis.

Large survey

The researchers sent out questionnaires via social media in Norway, Germany, Israel, Colombia, Brazil and the USA, countries that had varying degrees of strict and mild restrictions. 2285 people are included in the analysis. The survey was voluntary, and the participants were asked questions about restrictions and reactions, psychological factors, fear and knowledge, and general demographics.

Gerit Pfuhl emphasizes that this study has looked at the measures that were used early in the pandemic, namely 12-31 March.

- At that time Colombia and Israel, with a full lockdown, that had the strictest measures. The mildest, in comparison with the other five countries we examined, was the USA, says Dr. Pfuhl.

Most people coped well

So how did ordinary people cope with the situation that arose in March?

- Most people coped well. Older people better than younger people. And in Norway better than other countries, says Gerit Pfuhl.

- Among the countries we compared, Norway did very well in many areas. We had little problems with mental health, and we had confidence in that our own actions and the actions of the authorities were effective, says Martin Mkel who is a psychology student that has worked in the project.

He says that a large proportion of Norwegians expressed that they were satisfied with how the authorities handled the situation.

- There were very few in Norway who were very scared. But we should not ignore those few, says the Dr. Pfuhl. Some people wrote to us by email, or used an open response field in the survey to express their anxiety. Among other things, some were afraid that their partner would die of Covid-19 due to for instance heart disease, says Pfuhl.

She thinks it agrees well with what other researchers have found out, i.e. that a few are very scared but most coped quite well with the situation.

Trust in society is good for health

- The vast majority reported that they believed that infection control measures were effective, says Mkel.

- It's nice to see that we adapt. This means that despite the fact that the closure of society has changed the way of life, most people stayed calm and collected, and especially those who believe that their country will succeed in fighting the outbreak.

In other words, the more trust you have in society, the government, fellow citizens, and your own self-efficacy, the better it is for your own mental health.

- More than 90 percent of the population, perform infection-reducing actions, and most have self-efficacy, says Pfuhl.

When asked which restrictions are the most effective and which affect mental health the least, Pfuhl answers:

- Measures that prevent physical gatherings of people indoors are very effective. That is, fewer meetings or digital meetings - because this only creates physical distance but not social distance.

Important to communicate well

If we experienced the start of the pandemic again, and if you were part of the Norwegian government, would you do something different?

- It is hard to say. On the one hand, Norway reacted late, as did the whole of Europe, Pfuhl believes.

- On the other hand, Norway was quite good at communicating about the pandemic. The authorities were honest about the uncertainty about how serious it was.

- The government communicated well, but it could always have been better, given that the number of deaths is in itself not very informative.

She believes one must look relatively at such figures.

- That is, how many of those who tested positive died, and whether they died with or because of Coronavirus. This can reduce the fear that it is a very serious, deadly disease, the researcher concludes.

###
SEOUL, South Korea, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Magenta Company, SK Telecom, and the Korean National Committee for UNESCO are hosting the 'SEE TOGETHER CHALLENGE', which will have participants from all over the world record and share UNESCO World Heritage Sites through a 5G-powered live broadcast. Applications will begin on September 7 until the 28th.

The 'SEE TOGETHER CHALLENGE' was arranged to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Korean National Committee for UNESCO and to lift spirits around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Participants selected for the 'SEE TOGETHER CHALLENGE' will be sharing UNESCO World Heritage Site(s) for one hour in the form of a live video broadcast with a global audience.

The videos will be streamed 24 hours a day for one week, starting on October 21, and will be accessible for viewers all over the world including Korea, Europe, the United States, and South America.

The videos of 'SEE TOGETHER CHALLENGE' will be available for viewing on 'WAVVE', the Korean National Committee for UNESCO's Youtube channel, Magenta Company's Youtube channel 'Dwin', etc.

SK Telecom will be providing a 5G-based mobile live broadcasting system jointly developed with Magenta Company for this event. SK Telecom expressed hopes that its ICT Technology will deliver vivid, high-resolution videos to make the live streaming of UNESCO World Heritage Sites feel more life-like and enjoyable for viewers.

Those who wish to participate can apply by sending a video including the participants' self-introduction, reason for application, filming location and reason, personal message, etc. The video should be sent to [email protected].

Kwang Hyun Song, SK Telecom's PR2 Manager said:

"We hope that this event, powered by SKT's 5G technology, will become a source of comfort to people all over the world suffering from COVID-19." He added: "We will continue to do our best to bring happiness to society with our advanced ICT technologies including 5G, AI, and more."

The National Korean Committee for UNESCO said:

"We hope this event will become an opportunity for the world to share peace, solidarity and connection once again."

Magenta Company said:

"With nations worldwide at a standstill due to COVID-19, we hope that this event will become an opportunity for people to support and comfort each other while watching and sharing UNESCO World Heritage sites in their individual locations."

Media Contact:

See Together Challenge PR Department

Email: [email protected]

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SOURCE Magenta Company
Fox News Host Addresses Situation of Newt Gingrichs George Soros Comment

Fox News host Harris Faulkner on Thursday addressed an awkward televised exchange that occurred the previous day when Newt Gingrich was told by other co-hosts that liberal billionaire financier George Soros does not need to be part of the conversation regarding riots across America.

We had a little incident on the show yesterday that was not smooth. And while I was leading that segment, we had interruptions, and I sat silently while all of that played outalso not ideal, Faulkner said on news and talk show Outnumbered.

She continued, Our guest, former House Speaker Newt Gingrichwho is beloved and needed to be allowed to speak with the openness and respect that this show is all aboutwas interrupted.

Television anchor Harris Faulkner attends the 2018 White House Correspondents Dinner at Washington Hilton in Washington, on April 28, 2018. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Do we debate with fire here? Yes, but we must also give each other the space to express ourselves. As the only original member of the six-year-old amazing daytime ride known as Outnumbered, I especially want to rock n roll with every voice and perspective at the table.

We dont censor on this show, she added. And thats why we are winning weekdays at noon.

Former House Speaker Gingrich (R-Ga.) on Wednesday had said on the show that, amid the violence occurring in American cities, The number one problem in all these cities is George Soros elected left-wing anti-police, pro-criminal district attorneys who refuse to keep people locked up.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), in Washington on Oct. 24, 2019. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

He added, Just yesterday they put so many back on the street whos wanted for two different murders in New York City. You cannot solve this problem, and both Harris and Biden have talked very proudly about what they call progressive district attorneys.

Progressive district attorneys are anti-police, pro-criminal and overwhelmingly elected with George Soross money and they are a major cause of the violence were seeing, because they keep putting the violent criminals back on the street, he goes on.

Im not sure we need to bring George Soros into this, Fox News host Melissa Francis responded.

He paid for it, he paid for it, Gingrich replied. Why cant we discuss that millions of dollars have been spent

No, he didnt, interjected co-host Marie Harf. I agree with Melissa that he didnt need to be a part of this conversation.

OK. So its verboten, Gingrich replied.

Alright were gon Faulkner said, before pausing for almost eight seconds of silence, then said, Alright, were going to move on.

Fox News didnt respond to a request for comment.

Faulkner shared a post on Thursday on her Twitter account that noted that she did not apologize for the situation but explained what happened and reinforced Fox News policy of sharing multiple points of views.

Read More Why Communists and Socialists Are Electing District Attorneys Across the Nation

In a statement on Thursday published on the American Mind, Gingrich noted how immediately after the awkward exchange on the Fox News show, people on Twitter and other social media platforms went crazy and were alleging that any criticism of Soross political involvement is automatically false, anti-Semitic, or both.

This is ludicrous, he wrote. Soross plan to elect these prosecutors has been well documented alreadyand it has nothing to do with his spiritual or ethnic background. The Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, Politico, USA Today, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, the Associated Press, CBS, the South Florida Sun-Sentineleven Fox News itself, among others, have all thoroughly reported on it.

He went on to provide examples of instances where Soros-backed district attorneys made decisions that appear to have given more leniency to alleged crime and violence in their cities.

I think the heart of this mass denial is that Democrats and the Left are watching the terrible human cost of their misguided, pro-criminal, anti-police justice policies, and they are beginning to worry that the American people will realize who is responsible for them, Gingrich wrote.

The Fox News incident is not the first time in recent days that Gingrich has mentioned Soros in relation to current unrest in U.S. cities. Recently, Gingrich wrote in a Twitter post on Sept. 9, Why are some in the left so afraid of our mentioning George Soros name that they scream anti-semitic? It IS his name. He IS funding pro-criminal, anti-police district attorneys. Why is the left afraid of the facts?

In a subsequent Twitter post on Sept. 14, Gingrich shared a podcast where he discussed the question, Does the rise in crime in our cities correlate to the election of so-called progressive prosecutors?

Soros, 90, who has a net worth of about $8 billion, has been heavily involved in political lobbying and spent at least $48 million in 2019.

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.
Non-essential shops could be asked to close or reduce opening hours if a 'circuit break' lockdown is introduced by the UK government (Getty)

Scientists have warned a second coronavirus lockdown in the UK will only press pause on the spread of the pandemic.

On Friday, Boris Johnson warned a second lockdown was the last thing anybody wants but insisted the current measures would need to be kept under review.

He said: On Monday we brought in the measures that we did, the rule of six, to really try and restrict what people are doing and to bring in a new buffer  and to make it absolutely clear, the rule of six: indoors six maximum, six outdoors maximum.

I dont want to get into a second national lockdown at all, it is the last thing anybody wants.

But many scientists feel that, while a second lockdown may be inevitable, it will still leave problems to be addressed. Professor Devi Sridhar, chair of Global Public Health at Edinburgh University and an adviser to Nicola Sturgeon during the pandemic, tweeted: Lockdowns just press pause on spread of virus. Press play and it starts spreading again.

Boris Johnson has said he does not want to introduce a second nationwide lockdown, but has admitted that Britain faces a second wave of COVID-19 infections (House of Commons/PA Images via Getty Images)

Need to use the time to build up testing and tracing. Test results have to be returned within 24 hours for system to work.

With COVID-19 cases doubling every seven to eight days, the government could introduce nationwide restrictions for a short period to try to "short-circuit" the virus and slow the spread of the disease. But the plans will stop short of a full national lockdown, as seen in the spring, when the country was told to "stay at home".

Proposals being worked up for a "circuit breaker" could see essential travel to schools and workplaces continuing, but restaurants and bars would shut - or run on restricted hours - and households would be asked not to mix.

The restrictions could be put in place for two weeks, but the timing and duration of the measures has yet to be finalised.

However, Sridhar has said lockdowns will not stem the rate of infection, merely put it on hold.

Rules preventing separate households from mixing could come into force to 'short circuit' the spread of coronavirus (Getty)

Here are what other experts think about a 'circuit breaker lockdown':

Theres still a big problem

Story continues

Prof Paul Hunter, Professor in Medicine at the University of East Anglia, says: Any lockdown, whether local or national, will have an impact on transmission rates and ultimately will lead to a decline in reported case numbers starting from about two weeks after the start of lockdown and continuing for about two weeks afterwards.

The problem is that cases decline in lockdown at a much slower rate than cases increase during the period before. This can be clearly seen by looking at the graph of case reports by day in the UK. In the 28 days up to the peak in early April case numbers were doubling about every 7 days and more rapidly than that early on. In the following 56 days cases numbers were only halving every 4 weeks though partly this was because of better availability of testing.

So an on-off approach to lockdown is only likely to work if we have at least twice as long in lockdown as out of lockdown.

A circuit break may become necessary

Dr Simon Clarke, Associate Professor in Cellular Microbiology at the University of Reading, says: With a fast-increasing number of infections, its imperative that the country gets ahead of the curve and prevents an even more rapid acceleration. Unless the tide can be turned by other restrictions on our lifestyles, stricter controls like the so-called circuit break may become necessary.

Its true that younger people are over-represented in the new diagnoses in the UK and that they are at lower risk of developing serious disease, that picture is beginning to shift and its now becoming painfully clear from France that infections in low-risk groups can spread to people at higher risk.

"The developing culture clash about whether this is a second wave, or whether testing data is significant, is losing sight of the fact that COVID-19 has the ability to put large numbers of very unwell people into hospital, very quickly, preventing healthcare systems from treating their normal caseload. When the hospitals start filling up, who cares about the definition of a second wave?

SCientists have warned that anything other than a full lockdown as seen in April may only 'press pause' on the spread of COVID-19 (Getty)

Less disruptive second time round

Prof Mark Woolhouse, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, University of Edinburgh, says: At the end of the 2 weeks we would expect to see incidence start to increase again, but it would take some time before it returned to its pre-circuit breaker value. The expectation is that all this will buy several weeks of time which could be used, for example, to improve the performance of the test, trace and isolate system.

One advantage of a circuit breaker is that it can be scheduled and planned for; in contrast to previous national and local lockdowns, we would know in advance how long it would last. That should mean that it is less disruptive to businesses and the economy.

Local lockdowns could stay in place as the rest of the country is also placed under short-term restrictions to 'short circuit' the spread of COVID-19 (Huw Fairclough/Getty Images)

Two weeks not enough

Prof Rowland Kao, Professor of Veterinary Epidemiology and Data Science, University of Edinburgh, says: While a two week lockdown will undoubtedly reduce the infection rate, the danger is that it is uncertain whether something less than the total lockdown of March will have enough of an impact to actually reduce R below one under the current circumstances  e.g. if schools and universities are allowed to continue to operate with in-person contact.

If it does not, the pressures on Test and Trace and the risks to the vulnerable including those in hospitals, will only continue to increase. Crucially, two weeks will be insufficient time to fully assess the impact of those restrictions.

Even if R drops below one, cases will continue at similar levels for some time. Thus, for the slowing down effect of the circuit break to be helpful, this would require that there be enough time for the current Test and Trace difficulties to be resolved. Two weeks is unlikely to be enough for this.

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Wall Street Democrat Roger Altman said Friday that long-term investors would not be deterred by Joe Biden's plans to raise the capital gains tax rate if he defeats President Donald Trump in the November election.

"I've been in finance a long time, and I've never seen any examples of people who don't make investments which they think are good ones because the capital gains rate is a few points higher than otherwise it might be," Altman said on CNBC's "Squawk on the Street." "I don't believe that's the world we live in."

Biden, the Democratic nominee, has proposed increasing the tax on long-term capital gains to 39.6%  the same top rate he has proposed for ordinary income  for those making over $1 million, according to the Tax Foundation. At present, the rate is 20% for single households who have taxable income over $441,451.

Altman, who founded investment banking advisory firm Evercore in 1995, acknowledged a Biden victory would likely prompt some investors to sell stocks in hopes of locking in gains and paying lower taxes on them. But he contended the initial pullback would largely be a blip on the historical radar for the market.

"An increase in the capital gains rate would always lead to sales of equity securities prior to the effective date of the increase. That would happen every time," said Altman, who had two stints working at the U.S. Treasury Department in the Carter and Clinton administrations. "But the long-term effects are really not historically negative, and those long-term effects depend on ... broad macroeconomic factors. Not just the capital gains rate."

Altman donated $41,000 to the Biden Action Fund, a joint fundraising committee, in May, according to Federal Election Commission records. Altman gave $2,800 to Biden in January during the party's primary, as well as once in 2019. He also has donated to a host of other Democratic politicians in 2020, including Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota.

Biden has sought to portray his campaign as not concerned about what Wall Street thinks, saying in early July he wanted to end the "era of shareholder capitalism." Biden also said the "wealthy investor class" does not "need me."

Trump, who signed a broad tax cut into law in late 2017, has been critical of Biden's proposed tax plans and suggested he will push for additional tax reductions should he be elected to serve a second term. According to a RealClearPolitics average, 50.5% of Americans approve of Trump's handling on the economy while 46.9% disapprove.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which went into effect in 2018, lowered corporate tax rates to 21% from 35%. Biden, the former vice president under Barack Obama, has said he plans to raise corporate taxes from 21% to 28%. In 2012, Obama also proposed a 28% rate.

A recent survey from PricewaterhouseCoopers found the majority of respondents expect corporate taxes will go up regardless of who wins, Biden or Trump, in order to help pay for the trillions of federal stimulus dollars pumped into the U.S. economy to help it weather the coronavirus pandemic. The survey was sent to nearly 600 business executives in the U.S.

For his part, Altman said he believes the old corporate rate of 35% was definitely too high. But he said Biden's 28% proposal is an "intelligent thing to do." He added, "I think the business community would be comfortable with that. Would they rather have on any given day a lower rate? Sure. But would they find 28% to be a sound corporate tax rate? I think so."
A German drifter and partner-in-crime of Madeleine McCann prime suspect Christian Brueckner has branded him an 'evil psychopath' who is 'capable of taking a child'.

Manfred Seyferth, 64, said 43-year-old Brueckner was known as 'The Climber' for his ability to break into homes, and was robbing apartments in Praia da Luz the year the young girl vanished.

Seyferth, who acted as a key witness against Brueckner when he was jailed for the rape of an American woman in 2018, believes the peadophile is guilty of taking thee-year-old Madeleine from her parents' holiday apartment in 2007.

Manfred Seyferth, 64 (left), has branded Maddie chief suspect Chrisitan Brueckner (right) an 'evil psychopath' who is 'easily capable of taking a small child'

Speaking to The Sun, he added: 'Christian is a bad, bad man. He is evil.

'I never liked him and he is a psychopath. He is obsessed with small children and I didnt like it.

'He always had a young girlfriend with him and I think he is easily capable of taking a small child.'

Investigators from Britain and Germany have not charged Brueckner in the Madeleine McCann case, but earlier this year revealed he is their prime suspect.

While the case remains a 'missing persons' inquiry in the UK, prosecutors in Germany have gone a step further and claimed to have strong evidence that she is dead.

Brueckner has been named by investigators in the UK and Germany as the prime suspect in Madeleine's 2007 disappearance

However, that evidence has not been revealed to the public, and despite assurances to the contrary, Madeleine's family and legal team say they have not seen it either.

German police also revealed that they dug up an allotment that belonged to Brueckner last year in connection with the Madeleine case, believing that there may have been child abuse images buried there.

It comes after detectives acting in a different case discovered USB sticks containing some 8,000 child abuse images buried near a different site that Brueckner used four years earlier.

Detectives claim phone signals place Brueckner in the area of Praia da Luz on the night Madeleine vanished from her parent's holiday apartment - May 3.

They say that Brueckner, who left Germany for Portugal in 1995 after serving jail time for a child sex offence, then left Portugal and returned to Germany shortly after Maddie went missing.

That tallies with an account given by Seyferth, who claims to have lived inside a camper van parked next to a farmhouse that Brueckner rented in the Algarve.

He says Brueckner upped and left after the schoolgirl's disappearance, and that he didn't see him again until a year later, at a hippie festival in Spain.

'He turned up in a big American camper van and was with a young girl, she looked about 15 and he would have been double her age,' he said.

'I didnt like it one bit so I had nothing to do with him.

'Thats why I think he may have something to do with Maddie. He broke in and saw her and because he likes young girls  hes got lots of convictions  he took her.'

Seyferth was living in a camper van next to a house that Brueckner rented near Praia da Luz (pictured) the year Maddie went missing, and said he was breaking into properties in the area

Maddie went missing from a holiday home she was staying in with her parents in Praia da Luz (pictured) in what police now believe started as a burglary, but escalated into kidnapping

Seyferth also spoke about finding videos inside Brueckner's apartment that showed him torturing and raping the American woman, which led to a lengthy jail sentence which he is currently serving in Germany.

Brueckner is appealing that sentence, with a verdict expected next week.

Seyferth said that, along with the video of the American woman, he and another man - Helge Busching - also found a gun, and a video of Brueckner apparently torturing a second woman, who appeared to be around 15 years old.

Describing the footage as 'evil', Seyferth added that he and Busching took the gun and tossed it into a lake.

It is unclear who the other woman in the footage is, though Seyferth said she appeared around the age of Brueckner's girlfriends.

Busching is believed to be the man who gave Brueckner's name to Scotland Yard, though it is unclear why he waited so long to do so.

Friedrich Fulscher, the lawyer representing Brueckner, says German investigators have yet to send him any evidence in the case.

He points out that his client has not yet been charged, and in the meantime, it is up to detectives to prove his guilt.
A mother has issued a public warning to the world after her seven-year-old fought against a coronavirus-related disease about new and frightening symptoms. The conditions include reddening of the eyes and chapped lips.

Red eyes and chapped lips

A resident of Shelby Township, Michigan, Hannah Peck detailed her child's symptoms during an interview. The child, Levi Nobles, was hospitalized for seven days due to a COVID-related inflammatory disease.

According to The Sun, the disease has been rampaging across the United States and is seen widely among children. Hannah advised other parents that if their child was sick, they should immediately bring them to medical experts.

The mother added that if she was not quick to get her son to the hospital or if the doctor simply disregarded the issue as a stomach bug, they would have been in a worse situation.

Until May 2, Nobles was a healthy young boy but suddenly woke up with a high fever and started to vomit, said his family. When the child's symptoms continued, his family brought him to a paediatrician who advised them to get him to the hospital quickly.

Also Read: CDC Director Takes Back Statement Saying Masks are Better than Vaccine After Trump Calls Him Out

Hannah described that the doctor observed Nobles and saw his eyes becoming red and his lips getting chapped and immediately found them causes for concern. The medical expert explained that the boy was severely dehydrated and was showing symptoms similar to the Kawasaki syndrome being seen in kids recently.

Nobles' mother said he tested negative for the novel coronavirus three times during his stay at the hospital. However, doctors found that the boy tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies, suggesting he was exposed to the deadly virus at some point.

COVID-19 and an inflammatory disease

Around the world, children are being affected by the coronavirus differently to adults and are showing symptoms of inflammation. A nine-year-old Australian boy has previously been hospitalized due to a rare inflammatory illness, as reported by the New Zealand Herald.

There have been at least three cases of children dying after being infected with the disease worldwide.

Recently, Safer Care Victoria issued a warning to all pediatric and emergency staff to consider the conditions and symptoms and be aware of the deadliness of the disease.

According to ABC News, about 200 children in the United States could or have been confirmed to have the pediatric multi-system inflammatory syndrome. The disease has spread like wildfire across 19 states, including Washington.

Doctors worldwide have seen a link between children who were infected with or are suffering from the novel coronavirus and the inflammatory syndrome. The disease shows signs similar to toxic shock syndrome and Kawasaki disease that is mostly seen in children of five years old or younger.

When his family brought him to the Beaumont Hospital, infectious disease specialists monitored Nobles and observed his condition and symptoms. During his stay, medical experts saw him suffering from severe abdominal pain and decided to transfer him to the ICU and placed him on oxygen. Doctors then discovered that the boy had pneumonia in both of his lungs.

Related Article: Donald Trump Touts Coronavirus Vaccine Coming As Soon As October

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BRIDGEPORT  The citys Board of Education has agreed to settle a lawsuit by the family of a local teenager who police said was repeatedly sexually assaulted by his special education teacher.

The boards lawyer, Richard Buturla, confirmed that a settlement had been paid but declined further comment. John Weldon, the boards chairman, also declined comment.

In the lawsuit filed in Superior Court in Bridgeport, the now 18-year-old teen, whose name is not being disclosed, claimed school officials should have been aware of the inappropriate relationship between him and his teacher, Laura Ramos, but took no action to prevent it.

The familys lawyer, Rosalie Louis, said as a condition of the settlement she agreed to sign a confidentiality clause.

However, a source said the settlement was less than $10,000.

Contributed Photo / Contributed Photo

Last year, the 32-year-old Ramos, a former teacher at Central High School, was sentenced to five years in prison after she pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting two of her students in 2016 and 2017.

The lawsuit, brought by one of the young men in the criminal case, was against Ramos, the Board of Education, Central High School Principal Eric Graf and the city of Bridgeport.

The suit states that in 2013, the teen was a freshman at Central, and Ramos was assigned as his special education teacher to assist him with his severe dyslexia.

Ramos and the teen worked together regularly during the next four years, the suit said.

Beginning in my junior year she (Ramos) began to shift our relationship from a teacher-student relationship to something else, the suit states. My mom had passed away and my dad remarried, and these events were very difficult for me, and in that vulnerable state I welcomed the attention of Ms. Ramos.

According to the lawsuit, the two had sex at various locations, including a Shelton restaurant and at a Fairfield beach.

In school she would touch me, including in the hallway and would also sometimes touch me in an intimate way when I was in class, the teenager claims in the lawsuit.

In the lawsuit, the teenager said when he learned Ramos was involved with another student, he felt betrayed and heartbroken, as I had been under the impression that she loved me.

The suit contends that the principal, Graf, often visited Ramos work area when the teen was present and should have been aware of the relationship but took no action to prevent it from going on or to notify other school officials.

As a result of the sexual assaults by Ramos, the suit claims, the teen has suffered and will continue to suffer mental anguish, frustration and anxiety.
Noted fashion designer Sharbari Datta was found dead inside a washroom at her residence late on Thursday night in Kolkata. Police say it found no foul play during preliminary investigation. The body has, however, been sent for autopsy. It would be handed over to the family members later in the day.

I had last seen my mother on Wednesday. I didnt see her throughout Thursday. I thought she was busy and had gone out for work. It is nothing unusual. Both of us remain so busy that we dont get to meet every day, said Amalin Datta, son of Sharbari Datta. Amalin is himself a fashion designer.

Also Read: Couple found dead in Kolkata flat

Police said that the body was found in the washroom of her residence at Broad Street, a posh residential colony in south Kolkata around 11:30pm. After discovering Dattas body, family members called up the family physician who advised them to inform the police.

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GNC Holdings, the Pittsburgh-based nutritional supplements retailer, received bankruptcy court approval to sell itself to Chinas Harbin Pharma for $770 million, although the deal still faces U.S. political pressures over how GNC customer data is protected.

Why it matters: It's a reminder that the U.S.-China merger mess goes well beyond smartphone apps, with Sen. Marco Rubio asking for a CFIUS review.

Details: Harbin still needs Canadian bankruptcy court approval for the deal, which would see it assume around 1,400 storefronts (some of which it would close). For 2019, GNC reported a $35 million net loss on over $2 billion in revenue.

The bottom line: "GNC traces its roots to 1935 when David Shakarian opened a health-food shop selling yogurt and sandwiches in Pittsburgh. The chain rode a wave of interest in nutrition, eventually expanding to over 9,000 outlets. Its using the bankruptcy process to get out of and renegotiate expensive leases," Bloomberg's Katherine Doherty reports.
Protesters in Florida are sick of wearing masks, and theyre not gonna take it. But playing Twisted Sisters most popular song while they do it? Well, Dee Snider is not gonna take it, either.

Snider, the outspoken frontman for the hair-metal icons that formed in Ho-Ho-Kus, took to Twitter on Wednesday to condemn the protesters that walked through a Target in Fort Lauderdale while blasting 1984 hit Were Not Gonna Take It and not wearing masks.

No...these selfish a******* do not have my permission or blessing to use my song for their moronic cause, the 65-year-old from New York tweeted, along with video of the protesters who encouraged other customers to take off their masks. One woman quoted the song as they protested.

Target requires all customers to wear masks, and provides disposable masks for those who do not have their own. The repercussions went further than Twitter, though. Broward County fined the Target for not enforcing the mask law, and mailed protesters citations as well, according to The South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Danielle Schumann, a Target corporate spokesperson, told The South Florida Sun Sentinel that Target requires shoppers to wear masks inside stores and that the protesters were asked to leave after they removed their masks and became disruptive and rude to other shoppers.

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Jeremy Schneider may be reached at jschneider@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.
Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa, who was in Delhi after six months on Friday, met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and appealed to him to expedite the release of money from the National Disaster Response Fund. In another meeting with party president JP Nadda, the chief minister discussed the state cabinet expansion as well.

Meeting the PM, the CM made a plea to revise the items and norms of assistance from NDRF for the current year itself to ensure timely and adequate assistance to those affected by floods in the state. Twenty two of the 30 districts in the state have been affected by floods and the state has sought assistance of Rs 8,071 crore in this regard.

Yediyurappa also urged PM Modi to declare Upper Krishna II and Upper Bhadra as national projects. The Karnataka CM also appealed for early approvals and clearances for irrigation and drinking water projects, including Mekedatu and Kalasa Banduri Nala, to fully utilise water allotted to the states share. This was a request he reiterated to the union minister for forest and climate change Prakash Javadekar when he met him later in the evening.

The Karnataka CM also invited PM Modi to virtually inaugurate the Bengaluru tech Summit on November 19. The highlight of the visit though was Yediyurappas discussions with party President JP Nadda. The CM said that while he was keen to expand the cabinet before the assembly session starts on September 21, he was awaiting directions from the party high command.

About cabinet expansion, I have had a detailed chat with our party president. He has said he will discuss the issue with the Prime Minister, said Yediyurappa. Asked whether it would be a cabinet reshuffle or expansion, Yediyurappa said: Depends on the directions I get from the party high command.

Earlier in the day, the CM dismissed Congresss attack on his son Vijayendra acting as a super CM as untrue and false.

He also said that not much should be read into the recent meeting between him and JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy.

We have a majority of our own. Why would we require anybodys help? It was just a courtesy call from him, seeking funds for some of the JDS legislators constituencies, the CM added.

Meanwhile, a number of BJP legislators threw their hat into the cabinet ring, saying that they are aspirants to be inducted into the ministry.

MP Renukacharya, Appachu Ranjan, MP Kumaraswamy, Umesh Katti, G Thippa Reddy, AH Vishwanath, MTB Nagaraj, among others, have said that they are aspirants for a ministerial berth. The cabinet currently has 28 members and six berths are still vacant. Karnataka can have a maximum of 34 members of cabinet, including the CM.
Ghana-China relations can ride on the back of the new normal to create viable political, economic, social, and cultural partnerships that will define our future in the post-COVID-19 era, said Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Vice President of the Republic of Ghana, during an online symposium on September 16.

The symposium, organized by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) and the Embassy of Ghana in China, was held to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of China-Ghana diplomatic relations.

Over the past 60 years, China and Ghana have always understood and supported each other, and brought tangible benefits to our two peoples, becoming a model of equality and mutual trust, and win-win cooperation for common development between China and Africa, said Lin Songtian, president of CPAFFC.

The online symposium, organized by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the Embassy of Ghana in China, is held to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of China-Ghana diplomatic relations. (Photo provided by CPAFFC)

Ghana established diplomatic relations with China shortly after becoming a republic in July 1960, one of the first countries in sub-Saharan Africa to do so.

On July 5, 2020, Chinese President Xi Jinping exchanged congratulatory messages with his Ghanaian counterpart, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on the 60th anniversary of the establishment of China-Ghana diplomatic relations.

Under the distinguished leadership of President Akufo-Addo and President Xi, our relations have become more robust and diverse, touching practically all conceivable spheres of development, especially in trade and investment, culture and education, Bawumia said.

China is currently the largest investor in Ghana in terms of registered projects. It is also Ghanas biggest trading partner, with its total value of trade reaching a record $7.46 billion in 2019. The number was less than $100 million back in 2000.

The government of Ghana has further deepened its economic cooperation with China by joining the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), both of which have become sources of critical financial support for Ghanas developmental agenda.

Bawumia spoke highly of the BRI during the symposium, praising it as a new diplomatic and economic opportunity for Ghana that can transform its financial, manufacturing and technology sectors by connecting the country to new markets across the globe.

The two countries have also made remarkable achievements in people-to-people exchanges and cultural cooperation. Over 6,000 Ghanaian students are currently studying in China. Meanwhile, China continues to dispatch medical teams to Ghana to upgrade its medical and health care standards and improve people's lives.

Noting that when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, China was the first country to donate medical equipment to assist Ghana and other West African countries, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration of the Republic of Ghana said that the gesture was testament to the enduring relations between the two countries, which is anchored in the principles of respect, sincerity, equality, mutual benefit, solidarity and common development.

With Ghanas leadership and voice on the African continent, Bawumia said, Ghana-China relations in the post-COVID-19 era have the potential to become a blueprint for other bilateral and multilateral relations on our continent.

Lin also emphasized the importance of upholding and safeguarding multilateralism, adding that staying committed to cooperation for common development and working hand in hand to build a community with a shared future for mankind has become the inevitable trend and the common aspiration of the peoples of the world.
Adam Welsh, DJI's Asia-Pacific policy director, said the company builds data security into its drones. "DJI customers can fly their drones without any internet connection, and they always have control of how their photos, videos and flight information is collected, stored and transmitted," he said. "This information is never automatically transmitted to DJI or anywhere else. Even if we are presented with a lawful request for data from a government agency, DJI cannot provide information that we dont have." In July, the company signed a strategic partnership with the University of NSW to collaborate on research projects in a move backed by Austrade and the NSW Trade and Investment Office. The Australian government has conducted a cyber vulnerability review on the usage DJI drones for defence and concluded that it was comfortable with the resumption of using them in non-classified situations. Defence now has more than 400 DJI drones in operation.

Defence is satisfied that the use of the DJI Multi-Rotor UAS is safe, secure and does not compromise operational security for the purposes for which they are used, a Defence spokesperson said this week. However, Colonel John Venable, a retired US Air Force Fighter pilot now a senior research fellow for defence policy at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington DC, says the defence assessments missed the wider implications of one company dominating the drone market in aerial photography, infrared imaging and terrain mapping. Loading This is a gargantuan amount of data that were talking about, he says. The average drone operator going out and flying a drone over an area in Melbourne or Sydney. They're basically allowing this drone to capture detail with very precise geolocation capabilities and map the cities. Most people really don't understand why that shows value, but the Chinese government does. Tibor Fekete, a former Australian Army veteran, now head of the drones business unit with Xtek, a Canberra based technology defence materiel company, says Australias skies to be swarmed by DJIs technology.

If you start including the $50 drones, right up to the $5000 DJI drones then we are talking about a possibility of millions of drones in the country and most of them are coming out of China, he says. According to the Civil Aviation Authority, there are almost 33,000 commercial drone operators and license holders. But the regulator has no data on recreational drone numbers. It cites estimates of several hundred thousand to a million. Allan Liska, a Senior Security Architect at Recorded Future, a global security intelligence provider, says there is no visibility of what happens to the data stored by DJI. What they will tell you is, they keep it secure on their servers which happen to be in China . But as weve seen with other Chinese companies, just because they say that, its not always the case. So, if the Chinese government asks for it, they have to give over the data and DJI does not have to tell you theyve done so. Those concerns were fuelled this week by the release of a significant policy outline from the Chinese Communist Partys Central Committee. The directions, titled: Strengthening the United Front Work of Private Economy in the New Era," lay out the future of the partys interactions with private enterprise and its ambitions to unite private economic figures around the majestic force of building the Chinese dream together.

The notice requests all regions and departments to implement the new policies and encourage private enterprises to participate in the reform of mixed ownership. Companies are also being urged to bolster their own internal Communist Party committees, which can influence commercial decisions. Party committees at all levels must strengthen their leadership over the united front work of the private economy, fully implement the party's guidelines and policies, and do a good job in implementing the various decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee, the notice said. Guide private enterprises to improve their corporate governance structure and explore the establishment of a modern corporate system with Chinese characteristics. Welsh said it was not DJI's position to comment on governments strategies or economic policies. "While it is easy to get caught up in the geopolitical issues of the day, we are a technology company and we need to continue to focus on what we do best," he said.

Liska says that Australia is particularly exposed to any orders to hand over data given by the Chinese government or state sponsored hacking on Australian DJI users after months of tension over the coronavirus, trade strikes, Hong Kong, Xinjiang and the South China Sea. According to Liska, theres been an increase of almost 140 per cent of publicly reported cyber-attacks on Australia this year. The nation's cyber security centre has received a report every 10 minutes of malicious cyber attacks against Australian businesses and government agencies from a state-based actor over the past two months. Defence Minister Linda Reynolds has not named the nation involved but warned cyber attacks by a national government had risen since June when there was a series of cyber raids on all levels of government, hospitals, local councils and state-owned utilities. Australian security agencies believe China was probably behind the cyber attacks. Fekete, the former Australian army veteran, says there is no point complaining about DJIs success. He said Australia needed to innovate its way out of dependency.
UN envoy says he hopes meeting in Switzerland to result in swift release of detainees.

The United Nations envoy to Yemen has said the countrys warring sides have begun talks in Switzerland on a prisoner exchange deal.

Martin Griffiths said on Friday he hoped the UN-sponsored meeting, which is co-chaired by the International Committee of the Red Cross, would result in the quick release of detainees.

My message to the parties is conclude discussions, release detainees swiftly, bring relief to thousands of Yemeni families, he added.

Griffiths: "The #Yemen Prisoners & Detainees Committee meeting started today. I am grateful to #Switzerland for hosting it & to @ICRC for co-chairing. My message to the Parties is: conclude discussions, release detainees swiftly, bring relief to thousands of Yemeni families.  @OSE_Yemen (@OSE_Yemen) September 18, 2020

Yemens internationally recognised government and the Houthi rebels had initially been scheduled to meet on Thursday to finalise a deal that could see more than 1,400 prisoners freed.

The government has been battling the Houthis since 2014, when the rebels seized much of the north including the capital, Sanaa. A Saudi-led military coalition intervened on the side of the government the following year.

The war has killed more than 100,000 people and created the worlds worst humanitarian disaster, with more than three million people internally displaced and two-thirds of the population relying on aid for survival.

The government and the Houthis agreed to exchange some 15,000 detainees as part of a peace deal brokered by the UN in Sweden in 2018.

The two sides have since made sporadic prisoner swaps, but the release of 900 loyalists in exchange for 520 rebels  if it materialises  would mark the first large-scale handover since the war erupted.
ABC News

Demonstrators gathered in Washington on Friday for the country's largest annual anti-abortion rally around the anniversary of the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision establishing the right to an abortion -- but this year, 49 years later, they march with the fate of Roe v. Wade more uncertain than ever. "We expect this year's March for Life to be historic with even higher levels of enthusiasm from participants," Jeanne Mancini, president of March for Life, told ABC News in a statement. "We are all hopeful that, with the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization case before the Supreme Court, this year will bring us much closer to building the culture of life we have all marched for since Roe v. Wade was imposed on our nation nearly 50 years ago."
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 18

By Nargiz Sadikhova  Trend:

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is organizing new financing for the construction of a 76 MW solar plant in Kazakhstans Karaganda region with a total installed solar capacity of 216 MW, Trend reports with reference to the EBRD.

The $42.6 million packages provided to the German Joachim Goldbeck Holding GmbH will consist of an EBRD local currency loan of up to $28 million, a concessional loan of up to $11.5 million provided by the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the worlds largest climate fund and a concessional loan of up to $3.1 million provided by the Clean Technology Fund (CTF).

The new solar plant will help reduce annual CO2 emissions by more than 80,000 tons and contribute to meeting Kazakhstans national emission reduction targets as well as the EBRDs Green Economy Transition strategy.

The investment takes place under the Banks 500 million Kazakhstan Renewables Framework, established in 2016 and extended in 2019, to help the country respond to the challenges of climate change, increase investments in renewables, provide technical assistance and build institutional capacity.

Previously, the EBRD financed the 100MW Saran solar power plant, which was also developed by the Joachim Goldbeck Holding GmbH, and is the largest solar power plant built at one time in Central Asia.

To date, the EBRD has invested over 8.63 billion through 273 projects in the economy of Kazakhstan.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @nargiz_sadikh
Britain does not have herd immunity from coronavirus and must work to keep the R rate below one, top Government scientists warn in newly released meeting minutes.

Blood tests revealed immunity was as low as six per cent in the UK by September 3, with research suggesting this may fall as those that have suffered from the virus can be re-infected.

Natural defences against the disease are also not widespread, with the former hotspot London thought to have higher rates of protection than the rest of the country.

'Current levels of immunity in the population are expected to have the greatest effect on R if R is close to one,' the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) told ministers.

'This should be considered in future policies and argues for keeping R low.'

The newly-released papers also revealed:

The Government was warned to expand testing capacity a month ago in response to demand, but the number of swabs available fell;

England had up to 5,000 new infections a day in early September;

Britons are not adhering to self-isolation requests, confounding attempts to curb the spread of the virus.

People arrive at a coronavirus testing centre outside Glasgow Caledonian University

Government warned to expand testing capacity on August 20 following surge in demand in virus hotspots

Ministers were warned to expand testing capacity a month ago after a surge in demand was recorded in virus hotspots, the SAGE minutes reveal.

Experts told the Government to treat the change in cases with 'caution', 'particularly in areas of local intervention where testing volumes have increased'.

But the committee noted testing capacity barely budged between August 20 and September 3, and even dropped by one per cent over the two weeks August 13 - 27.

Baroness Harding claimed yesterday that the Government was unaware demand for tests would jump so high, as she said it had leaped up to four times above capacity.

She instead chose to blame the British public for applying for tests when they haven't got symptoms of coronavirus - and are therefore ineligible - claiming that 27 per cent of tests done were for those without symptoms.

But on August 20 SAGE said that only 11 per cent of tests done 'have a known reason for testing being requested'.

Members of the public are pictured queueing outside a coronavirus testing centre in Edmonton, North London, as people across the country say they are struggling to get hold of tests

This morning Matt Hancock tried to fend off criticism by alleging that the surge was 'very, very hard to predict' and that his team was on track to deliver the increased capacity modelling had predicted.

SAGE's warning to increase testing comes after it made a similar statement in recent months, and after the WHO told governments worldwide to 'test, test, test'.

Answering the Government's query about the 'Moonshot' mass testing plan on August 27, SAGE said it 'strongly supports increased scale of testing and the associated system'.

'Mass testing is most likely to be successful in well-defined higher-risk settings where it is more feasible to detect and prevent large outbreaks early,' they said.

'Tests used for mass population testing particularly in low prevalence settings and populations could result in higher false positives than symptomatic testing using lab-based PCR tests, which could reduce public confidence in testing.'

The UK carries out around 230,000 tests a day, although this number is expected to rise to 500,000 a day by October. It is far off the 'Moonshot' target of 10million.

England had up to 5,000 new infections a day in early September as the R rate remained above 1

England was seeing up to 5,000 new coronavirus infections every day in early September as the pandemic gathered speed, according to the Government's top scientists.

Modelling based on swabs predicted as many as 27,100 Britons were suffering from coronavirus in England by August 25, with 1,400 in Wales.

It was revealed in the SPI-M-O, or Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling, Operational, in their consensus statement handed to SAGE to help it advise the Government.

The committee also said the UK's R rate was above one in early September, meaning the virus had started to spread in the community.

At this time Wales was the only region predicted to still have falling coronavirus cases, with the disease either stationary or expanding in all others.

Official data shows that by September 1 as many as 1,295 new cases were recorded, which rose to 1,508 on September 2, before breaking through the 2,000 barrier on September 6.

'Low adherence' to self-isolation measures is allowing coronavirus to spread, SAGE warns

Why are some areas being locked down and not others? Lockdowns are imposed on local areas in response to a rise in infections, putting people's lives at risk. There's no specific infection rate threshold after which a local lockdown is triggered, a Public Health England spokesman said, but rather it is a decision taken by local authorities and government based on advice from health professionals. The professionals watch measures including the rate of change in infection rate, number of cases, level of demand for A&E, and which demographic has the most infections, to advise when and if further restrictions should be imposed. The 'nuanced' and 'bespoke' approach means restrictions are re-imposed in regions with differing numbers of cases per 100,000. Advertisement

Britons were failing to adhere to self-isolation requests in early September, SAGE noted, as it warned this threatened to bring down the UK's testing system.

'SAGE noted evidence of low adherence (self-reported) to self-isolation and reiterated that testing is one part of a wider system,' the minutes read.

'Without adherence to isolation, its impact on interrupting transmission would be more limited.'

There have been anecdotal reports of people not observing self-isolation measures after returning to the UK from abroad, waiting for a test result, or when they have been told to stay at home by test and trace.

SAGE also noted cases of coronavirus were highest among those aged 20 to 29. 'The underlying reasons for this are unclear,' they said, ' but may be linked to poor adherence with guidance'.

'This could be due to both voluntary and non-voluntary factors related to individuals' capability (e.g. lack of knowledge), opportunity (e.g. due to an inability to work from home, type of high contact occupation or living in shared accommodation), or motivation (e.g. due to lower individual risk of severe disease).'

The Government accused young people of failing to follow social distancing measures at a Downing Street press conference this month, with Boris Johnson telling them to consider their parents and grandparents.

The 'rule of six' has been brought in to stop large gatherings, in the hopes of containing the spread of the virus.
By Richa Naidu and Martinne Geller

CHICAGO/LONDON (Reuters) - Martin Williams' great-grandfather founded their Coca-Cola distribution business in Corinth, Mississippi, in 1907, just a handful of years after Coke was first sold in bottles across the United States.

He's part of the fourth generation to run it, and he's determined not to be the last.

Williams' business is one of nearly 70 U.S. Coca-Cola "bottlers" - third-party, independent companies that put Coke and other beverages into cans and bottles and deliver the drinks to retailers and restaurants in every corner of the country.

The future of such companies is not only critical for their owners and employees, but also key for their main supplier - Coca-Cola, the world's No.1 soft drink maker - which needs them to flourish to help it recover from a slump in sales.

But COVID-19 has upended their business models.

"It was chaos. You just had no idea what the world was going through and what we were up against," said Williams, the finance head of his family's firm. "It's on our shoulders to try to take our business forward into the future and to maintain the work that our ancestors have done."

Shoppers in lockdowns snapped up cases of Coke, Fanta and Sprite at grocery stores rather than at gas stations, restaurants and stadiums.

That left bottlers scrambling to keep stores stocked with bigger, often less-profitable packages. Lucrative sales to restaurants and convenience stores are still only a fraction of what they were before the pandemic hit the United States.

The bottlers - now saddled with too much product meant for restaurants - have also been hit by a shortage of aluminum cans due to a surge in demand for canned drinks as people stay home.

Williams, whose business distributes rather than makes drinks, has adapted to this new order over the last six months, while grappling with higher costs for fuel, transportation, labor, safety gear and cleaning products. Pressures have eased since the lockdown, but his firm is still affected.

Story continues

COCA-COLA MASS LAYOFFS

Coca-Cola sells syrups, powders and base ingredients - known as concentrates - to bottlers, who mix, package and sell drinks to retailers, giving a cut back to the soda giant.

The company works with many large publicly listed bottlers around the world, including in Europe and Asia. But many U.S. players are small, family-owned businesses, with limited reserves to draw from as sales and profits shrink.

About two-thirds of them received pandemic aid from the U.S. government to keep in hand or stay afloat, which is important for Coca-Cola to increase its own sales.

All the while Coca-Cola, with whom they have a symbiotic relationship, has also been under intense pressure.

The drinks giant's volume sales in North America declined 16% in the latest quarter. Nearly 40% of its over 10,000 employees in the region will decide by Thursday whether to volunteer for severance as part of a sweeping restructuring.

"It was a very difficult time throughout April and May, in particular, and our bottlers have to deal with that on a regular basis," Chaly Moyen, Coca-Cola's North America head of strategy, told Reuters. As lockdowns have eased, worldwide volume declines have moderated, from about 25% in April to about 10% in June.

She declined to say whether Coca-Cola would bail out any bottlers close to going bankrupt.

NEW BUSINESS REALITIES

Coca-Cola is the U.S. leader in fizzy drinks - excluding tea, water and energy drinks - with about 38% of the $41.8 billion retail market, followed by PepsiCo and Keurig Dr Pepper, according to Euromonitor.

While the food-service sales that make up about half of Coca-Cola's business have dived, Moyen said North American sales to large stores have risen. At the height of the pandemic, they were up by a double-digit percentage versus a year earlier, and remain up by double-digits for 2020 so far, she added.

However she acknowledged bottlers and distributors had been hit hard by the shifting retail landscape. "The impact that bottlers had from a mix shift was real," Moyen said, adding that Coca-Cola expected the new consumer habits to stick.

Selling less product has also hurt; in the quarter ended June 26, Coca-Cola sold 22% less concentrates worldwide as demand fell.

Some bottlers have been forced to lay off or reassign workers specializing in supplying restaurants to bottling and distributing retail-friendly products, tasks in which they are not experienced, driving down productivity.

Reyes Holdings, Coca-Cola's second-biggest U.S. bottler, told Reuters it laid off 30 people - or about 6% of staff - at its Alsip facility in Illinois in April. As things improved, it reinstated half of those workers.

Coca-Cola Consolidated, the biggest U.S. Coke bottler - last month reported a 3.6% fall in quarterly net sales. But the company, whose No.1 shareholder is Coca-Cola, increased adjusted operating income by 5.4%, after furloughing about 700 people without pay.

Duane Stanford, publisher of the Beverage Digest newsletter, said such moves simply reflected the new business realities.

"In this kind of environment it's important to control costs  that absolutely comes with cutting jobs."

(Reporting by Richa Naidu in Chicago and Martinne Geller in London; Editing by Vanessa O'Connell and Pravin Char)
Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.) participates in a ceremonial swearing-in at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on May 19, 2020. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Lawmaker Introduces Bill to Scrap US Adoption of One China Policy

TAIPEI, TaiwanU.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.) has introduced legislation calling on the U.S. government to resume formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, while dropping the one-China policy.

For more than 40 years, American presidents of both political parties have repeated Beijings bogus lie that Taiwan is part of Communist Chinadespite the objective reality that it is not, stated Tiffany, according to a Sept. 17 press release from his office.

The congressman added: It is long past time that America consigned the One China Policy to the dustbin of history.

The United States currently has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, since Washington changed its diplomatic recognition in favor of Beijing in January 1979.

The United States has long held a one-China policy, which asserts that there is only one sovereign state with the name China, but it is different from the one-China principle under which the Chinese regime asserts sovereignty over Taiwan. The Taiwan government has also rejected Chinas one-China principle.

The United States has maintained a non-diplomatic relationship with Taipei based on the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), which was signed into law by former President Jimmy Carter in April 1979.

The TRA authorizes the United States to continue commercial, cultural, and other relations with Taiwan, as well as to provide the island with military equipment for its self-defense. Additionally, the TRA calls for the setup of a nonprofit corporation called the American Institute in Taiwan, which is now the de-facto U.S. embassy on the island.

Meanwhile, China considers Taiwan as a renegade province, despite the fact that the island is a de-facto independent country with a constitution, democratically-elected officials, military, and currency. Beijing has never renounced its desire to use military force to bring the island under its fold.

The bill (H.Con.Res.117) proposes resuming formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan and ending the United States adoption of One China Policy, in addition to directing the U.S. administration to support Taiwans membership in international organizations, and initiating negotiations with Taiwan for a bilateral free-trade agreement.

Tiffanys bill is a concurrent resolution that lacks the force of law. It also does not require the signature of the U.S. President to be enacted.

As Beijing sees itself as a legitimate representative of Taiwan, it has blocked the island from joining international organizations, such as the World Health Organization (WHO).

America doesnt need a permission slip from the Chinese Communist Party to talk to its friends and partners around the world, Tiffany said in the press release.

The relationship between the United States and Taiwan has warmed under the Trump administration.

In August, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar visited Taiwan, becoming the highest-level U.S. cabinet official to come to the island since 1979.

Currently, U.S. Under Secretary of State Keith Krach is in Taiwan for a three-day visit, the highest-level State Department official to visit Taiwan in decades. Part of his trip is to attend a memorial service for Taiwans former President Lee Teng-hui.

Lee, known as the father of Taiwans democracy, passed away on July 30.

According to local media, Krach held a meeting with Taiwans economic minister, foreign minister, and vice premier on Friday morning. According to Taiwans Ministry of Economic Affairs, the meeting was intended as making preparations for a future US-Taiwan Economic and Commercial Dialogue.

David Stilwell, assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, announced the new bilateral economic dialogue while speaking at a virtual meeting held by the U.S. think tank Heritage Foundation on Aug. 31.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen held a banquet Friday evening to welcome Krach and his delegation. According to a press release from the Presidential Office, Tsai and Krach held discussions on how to deepen bilateral ties.

I was delighted to welcome @KeithJKrach & the US delegation to the presidential residence to show them some Taiwanese hospitality. Im sure the productive discussions we had today will bring #Taiwan & the #US even closer together & open the door to further collaboration. pic.twitter.com/cHFWPDlH0y   Tsai Ing-wen (@iingwen) September 18, 2020

Among those attending the banquet were Morris Chang, founder of the worlds largest contract chipmaker TSMC; AIT Director William Brent Christensen; and Robert Destro, assistant secretary for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor at the State Department.

Beijing has publicly expressed its ire at Krachs visit. Also, on Friday, 18 Chinese aircraft buzzed near the island during military drills, prompting Taiwan to scramble their jets.

Before Krachs arrival in Taiwan, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft had lunch with James K.J. Lee, Taiwans top representative in New York, on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press (AP).

Craft said her meeting in New York City with Lee was historic since it was the first meeting between a top Taiwan official and a U.S. ambassador to the U.N. since 1971, the year when Taiwan lost its seat at the world body to China.

Im looking to do the right thing by my president, and I feel that he has sought to strengthen and deepen this bilateral relationship with Taiwan and I want to continue that on behalf of the administration, Craft told the AP.
A Texas high school has come under fire this week for including Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old suspected of fatally shooting two people at Wisconsin protests last month, in a writing project on heroes of the modern age.

The project, assigned to seniors at the WT White High School in Dallas on Tuesday, asked students to write a half-page biography on one of six people. The list included 1960s civil rights icon Malcolm X, anti-colonialist Mahatma Gandhi, Latino American labour leader Caesar Chavez, and George Floyd, the Minneapolis man whose police custody death in late May sparked a wave of global protests against police brutality and racial injustice.

The remaining two names were Rittenhouse and one of the two protesters he is accused of killing, Joseph Rosenbaum.

The second part of the assignment asked students to write a page-long essay on which of these six people best demonstrates the concept of a hero.

The writing assignment quickly stoked outrage among parents and relatives of the students.

Kristian Hernandez, whose younger brother attends WT White High School told KXAS that the juxtaposition of George Floyd's name with Kyle's name was just astounding.

"The value of Black lives are not up for debate, and that's what it felt like this was sort of getting at  by way of the names that were included, Hernandez said.

In a statement provided to The Independent, a spokesperson for Dallas Independent School District said the writing assignment had been brought to the districts attention and removed from Google classroom.

Understandably, this caused some concern for the impacted students, and we apologise. Campus administration immediately removed the unapproved content and students are not required to complete that assignment, the spokesperson said. Racial equity is a top priority in Dallas ISD, and we remain committed to providing a robust teaching environment where all students can learn. It is important that we continue to be culturally sensitive to our diverse populations and provide a space of respect and value.

The district said it is investigating the matter and declined to comment further.

District data shows that 81% of students at WT White High School in Dallas are Hispanic, and about 10% are Black.

Rittenhouse has been charged with killing two people and injuring a third during protests that erupted in Kenosha, Wisconsin last month after a white police officer shot Jacob Blake, a Black man, seven times in the back as he was walking away from officers.

Rittenhouse was arrested shortly after the 25 August shootings and taken into custody on suspicion of first-degree intentional homicide. He had travelled from Illinois to Wisconsin armed with an AR-15 on the pretext of protecting businesses.

If convicted, he could face a life sentence in prison. He is currently awaiting extradition to Wisconsin.
LIVE Updates | File image: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the nation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated the 'Kosi Rail Mahasetu' along with a slew of other rail projects for Bihar and hit out at the previous UPA government for the "slow" progress in the development of railways in the state during its rule.

The prime minister dedicated the 'Kosi Rail Mahasetu' to the nation and inaugurated via video conference various projects related to electrification and new rail lines.

Kosi rail mega bridge was 'dream project' of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the then Railway minister Nitish Kumar, but after the Vajapyee government, speed on this project slowed, Modi said.

"In 2003, Atal ji was the prime minister and Nitish ji railway minister when the new Kosi rail line was planned with an aim to solve the problems being faced by people of Mithila and Kosi," Modi said.

With this thinking, in 2003 the groundbreaking ceremony was done by Vajpayee but the next year, his government went and after that the speed of work on the Kosi rail line project slowed considerably, the prime minister said.

"If the people of Mithilanchal and the people of Bihar had been cared for then work would have been done at a fast pace on the Kosi rail line project," he said.

"In this period, who was in charge of Railways, whose government it was, I do not want to go into that but the truth is that if the speed of work would have been the same (under our government) as was earlier then the project would have taken ages to be completed," Modi said, in an apparent attack at the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

In the last six years, efforts are being made to shape the Indian Railways as per the aspirations of New India and expectations of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat', he said.

Modi also said 325 km rail line was commissioned in Bihar in five years before 2014, while 700 km has been commissioned in five years since 2014.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy Sushil Modi were also present during the virtual event.
By Michael P. Kearns and Joseph Kelemen

Over the last several months, warning signs alerting the public to the health dangers of Covid-19 became commonplace in stores and along the road. During that time, the Erie County Clerks Office and the Western New York Law Center observed different signs which warn of a familiar adversary: a looming foreclosure crisis.

The next foreclosure crisis is not a question of if. It is a question of how soon and how bad.

Many economic factors, including job loss, indicate the inability of borrowers to pay their mortgages. According to the most recent U.S. Census Household Pulse Survey, approximately 11% of Americans are behind on their monthly mortgage payments. During the mortgage crisis of 2008-2011, the unemployment rate in Erie County never exceeded 9.7%. From April 2020 through July 2020, Erie Countys unemployment rate ranged from 13.3% and 18.7%. Both of these numbers are key indicators of a looming crisis that we believe has been largely ignored.




President Moon Jae-in said Friday that South Korea will be able to reach the path of peace and unification unless it gives up hope for dialogue with North Korea.







Speaking at a meeting with a group of Buddhist community leaders at Cheong Wa Dae, Moon noted the two Koreas will mark the second anniversary on Saturday of his Pyongyang summit deal with the North's leader Kim Jong-un.







"If (we) don't give up hope for meetings and dialogue, we will surely move on to the path of peace and unification," the president said.







Moon pointed out that he and Kim had declared their commitment to peace on the Korean Peninsula in front of 80 million Koreans and the world.







He requested the Buddhist sector's support, saying the religion has been a "force" for South Korea to overcome hardships.







He requested that the Buddhist community help efforts to open the way for inter-Korean exchanges and advance the path of peace on the peninsula.







Moon also expressed his gratitude to the local Buddhist community for helping the government's campaign against the novel coronavirus.







The community has suspended regular worship services and even canceled the Lotus Lantern Festival in spring, a decision that came amid a push for the annual event to be inscribed as UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage, Moon said.







He asked for its continued support for the government's anti-virus efforts, which are turning into a "prolonged fight" with no end in sight. (Yonhap)


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Experts from the U.S. National Atmospheric and Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) say the sun is in the first year of a new cycle of activity, and they are watching it closely in an effort to guard against solar storms that could cause problems on Earth.

Officials at NOAA explain that the sun, just like Earth, goes through seasonal cycles, which astronomers have been recording since 1755. The Solar Prediction Panel, chaired by experts from NOAA and the NASA space agency, monitors these cycles that last about 11 years.

They report a solar minimum between Solar Cycle 24 and 25  the period when the sun is least active  happened in December 2019, putting Earth eight months into the first year of Solar Cycle 25. The panel expects sunspot or solar flare activity to peak over the next five years.

Elsayed Talaat, NOAAs director of planning and analysis, said if solar flares  bursts of electromagnetic energy out of the sun  are big enough, they can cause serious problems on Earth, including high frequency communication used by airlines or emergency responders, satellites, GPS navigation systems, cellphones, solar panels and more.

Radiation from solar flares can also be dangerous for astronauts, especially those working outside the International Space Station, and for future explorers to the moon.

Talaat said NASA and NOAA have developed the National Space Weather Strategy and Action Plan to help mitigate these events.

We have instituted space weather as part of the international, national emergency and local, state and local emergency management exercises, he said.

NOAA has also established the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) in Boulder, Colorado, to monitor solar activity, much the way NOAAs National Hurricane Center monitors tropical storms. Using NASAs satellites and solar observatories can give forecasts and warnings of solar activity that could impact the Earth.

Last month, the SWPC closely watched a minor solar flare, or coronal mass ejection, (CME) as it occurred on the sun, and the resulting electromagnetic material as it approached Earth. Luckily, that potential solar storm mostly missed the planet, but forecasters say it gave them valuable experience for future events.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the new farm bills would help the farmers and not put them at a disadvantage. PM Modi, who addressed a rally in Bihar on Friday, said that misinformation is being spread in the name of the bills.

"Misinformation is being spread that farmers won't get right prices. They are forgetting how aware the country's farmers are," said PM Modi a day after key ally Akali Dal pulled out their only minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal from his government. Akali Dal termed the bills 'anti-farmer'.

PM Modi said that the government is committed to help farmers get the right prices through Minimum Support Price amid massive protests over the three bills that were passed in the Lok Sabha on Thursday. The Opposition has also slammed the government on the bills.

"Misinformation is being spread that wheat and rice will not be procured by government agencies. This is an absolute lie and an attempt to deceive farmers," he said, urging farmers to be aware of "those who are raising a false alarm".

"They just want to keep you in your misery and exploit the old system. These people have been in power for decades but have done nothing for farmers' and farm issues," he said.

WHAT ARE THE FARM BILLS

The three farm bills -- two on agri market reforms and one on contract farming -- aims to help small and marginal farmers. The bill on agri market intends to allow farmers to sell their produce outside APMC mandis to whoever they want. Anyone can buy their stock from farm gates. Farmers would get better prices but commission agents of the mandis would lose out on commission and mandi fees. The contract bill allows farmers to enter into a contract with agri-businesses or large retailers on pre-agreed rates. This would cushion them from market unpredictability and transfer the risk to the sponsors.

WHY THE PROTESTS

Farmers' organisations such as Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) and the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) have been protesting against the bills. They believe that the bills would help big corporate houses and put the farmers at a disadvantage.

The bills are also likely to impact influential commission agents in mandis. Haryana and Punjab state governments are also likely to be affected as it will impact their revenue in the form of mandi tax. Commission agents would lose their traditional businesses.

Also read: Chidambaram lambasts Centre over new agricultural reform Bills

Also read: Agriculture-related bills 'anti-farmer', AAP to vote against them in Parliament, says Arvind Kejriwal
By AFP

LONDON: Millions more people in northern and central England faced new restrictions over a surge in coronavirus cases, the British government announced on Friday, as it warned another national lockdown could be imminent.

Tighter regulations preventing people from socialising with anyone outside their household will come into force from Tuesday across parts of the northwest, the Midlands and West Yorkshire. Food and drink venues in the northwestern areas of Merseyside, Warrington, Halton and Lancashire will be restricted to table service only, while pubs and bars will have to shut early by 10:00 pm (2100 GMT).

Similar rules were imposed in northeast England on Friday, which put more than two million people under some of the most stringent restrictions since a nationwide lockdown was eased. "Local leaders in these areas have asked for stronger restrictions to be put in place to protect local people, and we are acting decisively to support them," Health Secretary Matt Hancock said as he unveiled the moves.

He had earlier warned the government could re-impose the nationwide lockdown to counter the pandemic, noting that rates of hospital admissions were doubling every eight days. "We want to avoid a national lockdown but we're prepared to do it if we need to. We're prepared to do what it takes both to protect lives and to protect livelihoods," he told BBC television.

'Wake-up call'

Britain has been the worst-hit country in Europe by the pandemic, with nearly 42,000 deaths from COVID-19 and criticism of the government for its response. Numbers of new cases are reaching levels not seen since April, reflecting a similar picture across Europe, where the World Health Organization said there were "alarming rates of transmission".

The WHO's regional director for Europe on Thursday said a September surge "should serve as a wake-up call for all of us". Britain's Office for National Statistics (ONS) confirmed Friday in its weekly survey of COVID-19's spread that "the incidence rate for England has increased in recent weeks".

It estimated there were around 6,000 new daily cases nationwide over the week to September 10 -- roughly double the number typically recorded in statistics released every day by the health ministry.

'No restrictions planned' for London

The ONS noted there was evidence of higher infection rates in London, as well as the northwest.

But Prime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesman told reporters "no restrictions are currently planned" in the capital, while urging compliance with new nationwide rules imposed on Monday limiting social groups to six people.

Government scientists have reportedly proposed a blanket lockdown to come into force across England over two weeks in October, to coincide with English schools' half-term holiday. But the spokesman pushed back against the report. "We've always been clear our strategy is to keep the virus down as much as possible while protecting education and the economy," he added.

The government has faced stinging criticism this week over the failure to achieve the "world-beating" testing and tracing system it promised would be in place over the summer months. Hancock defended the beleaguered testing programme, and said the government was "doing everything we possibly can for the cavalry that's on the horizon of the vaccine and mass testing".
Queensland will allow travellers from the ACT to enter the state from next Friday as it insists its relationship with NSW has not broken down completely.

Queensland recorded no new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, leaving the states total at 1150, with 25 remaining active.

Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young and Health Minister Steven Miles.

Deputy Premier and Health Minister Steven Miles said after a lot of work between health officials in Queensland and the ACT, they were comfortable with allowing people to enter from the Canberra region.

Mr Miles said the opening, from 1am on Friday, September 25, was timed to coincide with the ACT school holidays and he encouraged people in the ACT to consider taking a holiday in Queensland.
Loading "If you break the rules, particularly if you are breaking the rules in your home or somebody else's home, where there is no infection control, there is no formality, it is by its very nature, close contact for potentially prolonged periods, all you will do is spread this virus." He reiterated the importance of testing for avoiding a rapid increase in cases, as happened in the north-west of the city during the second peak of the pandemic. "I cannot rule out, and none of us would rule out, that there may be additional cases beyond the 34. That's why it is so, so important if you have any symptoms at all ... come forward and get tested. That is how you keep it at 34 and not see the things spread out to 340." However, the government would not fine members of the households involved in the cluster who were found to have breached restrictions, according to Jeroen Weimar, a former departmental secretary now responsible for the state's testing strategy.

Loading "People who come forward for contact tracing, who say they are infectious ... that information is far more important than a fine," Mr Weimar told 3AW. He said visits between homes had enabled rapid and widespread transmission of the virus. "When we see households communicating with each other, the bubble spread out much more quickly and rapidly and in this case over a very large area," Mr Weimar said. The Victorian government has set up an extra four testing facilities in the Casey and Dandenong local government areas, bringing the total number of sites to 11.

In a shift from its current model, the Health Department has been working with Monash Health, refugee services, local councils and community leaders to track and trace close contacts of the confirmed coronavirus cases. There were no new cases associated with the Casey and Dandenong cluster on Friday, but authorities are still urging anyone in the area with symptoms to be tested, including those who had visited Fountain Gate shopping centre, which has been identified as a high-risk exposure site. A number of doctors working in the area are concerned social distancing rules have not always being adhered to, particularly by young people. Dr Amena Azizi, a GP in Narre Warren South, said she was surprised to visit a shop in Dandenong in July where she found 16 people within a very small space. "I was shocked," she said.

Loading Community leaders this week told The Age they believed families in the area's Afghan community were among those infected, and Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said he had made an offer to personally speak to that community. Dr Abhi Verma, a spokesman for the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, said some people in the fast-growing multicultural area could be sceptical of health messaging and that language barriers made it even harder to explain to people "what's real and what's not". "I'm sure youve heard numerous conspiracy theories ... that it's a manufactured virus  or it's a government control thing. "Theres no getting away from the fact that these attitudes definitely exist in the community."

The GP, who practises in the multicultural communities of Narre Warren and Fountain Gate, said while some of his patients had understood public health messages, some older people in particular had low "health literacy". "They really do struggle. They dont understand the concept of flattening the curve and what the restrictions are for and why we need to cover our face with a mask," he said. Dr Verma said some also had lower-paid jobs or were in casual work, leading them to put health concerns on the "backburner". "They may be doing things like Uber driving  there is a financial imperative for them to keep going to work, or they don't get paid," Dr Verma said.

Mr Andrews said efforts had been made to provide coronavirus information "in as many languages as possible" and said he did not believe there were "large groups of people out there who don't know there's a pandemic and who don't know there are rules". Monash Healths manager of refugee services, Jacquie McBride, said her department had been working with the families at the centre of the outbreak to make sure they had sufficient food and support. Monash Healths Jacquie McBride has been working with the families at the centre of the outbreak. Credit:Justin McManus "We have a lot of experience working with people who come from different environments, different countries and speak different languages," Ms McBride said. "Our role is to really connect with the families identified, make sure they're well, have conversations with them, make sure theyve got the support at home, food supplies they need to eat, and any of their other needs that can be addressed  but also that they understand the message that is being delivered."

Victoria reported 45 new coronavirus cases on Friday, 17 more than Thursday. There were five deaths, bringing the state's toll to 750. The 14-day case average for metropolitan Melbourne is 42.7. That number must stay between 30 and 50 cases for the city to ease restrictions on September 28. There were 32 linked to known outbreaks and complex cases, while 13 remain under investigation. New regional checkpoints created traffic chaos on Friday, as motorists attempted to pass the city's new "ring of steel". Queues up to 10 kilometres were seen at some locations.
The Premier revealed his plans after The Age reported the story of 77-year-old Filia Xynidakis who, her family believe, died of neglect as authorities battled to control a catastrophic COVID-19 outbreak at a home in Melbourne's north.

Premier Daniel Andrews said visiting residential aged care, where 588 lives have been lost to coronavirus, will not return to normal until a vaccine becomes available or until a rapid test, which could screen visitors as they arrive, was developed.

Tens of thousands of elderly Victorians face a lonely summer with the states aged care homes to remain in some form of COVID-19 lockdown and visits from friends and family strictly limited well into 2021.

One aged care advocate called for an end to the "lockout" of relatives, saying it was "heartbreaking" that families had been separated for months by the restrictions while federal Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck and the Council on the Ageing both said compassion should be shown to the sick and the dying.

Mr Andrews said the government was making plans for an even stricter safety regime for the sectors workforce, targeting the practice of staff working at multiple sites.

More than 80,000 Victorians live in permanent or respite aged care but since July, visits have been allowed only for essential "emotional or social support", unless the resident was nearing the end of their life.

Children are not allowed into care homes unless their loved one is dying.

Social outings are no longer allowed and visits to family homes outside of stage four lockdown restrictions can only proceed after a risk assessment by the facility's management.
harsimrat_kaur_badal

Harsimrat Kaur Badals dramatic resignation from the Narendra Modi cabinet over the farm bills has a potential to change the political dynamics in Punjab where assembly elections are to be held in 2022.

Clearly, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), headed by Harsimrats husband Sukhbir Singh Badal, has risked its decades-old alliance with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with the move.

Harsimrat quitting as Union Food Processing Minister in protest over the three farm bills is being seen as her Akali Dal's attempt to reclaim its core vote bank among farmers in Punjab.

Proud to stand with farmers as their daughter & sister, she said after her resignation on September 17. Her husband Sukhbir Singh Badal had earlier informed the Lok Sabha about the resignation during the debate on two of the three contention farm bills.

The Bone of Contention

The Akali Dal is opposing the three agriculture bills--the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020 -- passed in the Lok Sabha replacing ordinances during the ongoing Monsoon Session. Party president Sukhbir alleged that it was never consulted on the ordinances.

All this at a time when farmers in Punjab have been agitating against the Bills in Punjab and Haryana. In the Malwa belt, comprising 11 of the states 22 districts, the farmers have warned that they will not let any leader who supports the bills let enter their villages.

The farmers are majorly against the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, which amends the section governing agricultural produce marketing committees (APMCs). They say that the idea of the bills is to dissolve the existing system where they get minimum support prices (MSP) for wheat and paddy, through government-controlled mandis, leaving them at the mercy of big corporates.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that many forces were trying to mislead'' farmers. These agriculture reforms will provide new avenues to farmers to sell their produce which will increase their profits, the PM said in a series of tweets.

Peasantry and the political dynamics

After winning two successive terms in Punjab, SAD-BJP alliance secured its poorest-ever performance in 2017 by winning just 18 seats in the 117-member Assembly. Congress won the election with 77 seats while Arvind Kejriwals Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) emerged as the principal opposition party with 20 seats. In the 2019 general elections, while Congress won 8 seats, SAD and BJP won two each and AAP clinched one among the 13 Lok Sabha constituencies of Punjab.

Peasantry is Akali Dals core vote bank which it was losing gradually. So, standing by farmers in opposition to the bills is being seen as its best bet to reclaim the lost ground over the years. It became a political compulsion amid strained ties with the BJP. While the ruling Congress has been opposed to the bills, AAP, the main opposition, also extended support to the farmers, too.

All three bills will lead to exploitation of farmers by corporates. I urge all non-BJP parties in Rajya Sabha to oppose them, AAP convener Kejriwal said on September 18. The Bills, passed in Lok Sabha, will need approval in Rajya Sabha before being sent to the President for final nod.

The SAD-BJP alliance

While Harsimrat has resigned, Akali Dal has not yet announced whether it was snapping ties with BJP-led NDA or not.

We stand with the farmers and will do anything for them. Next course of action will be taken by our party soon, Sukhbir Singh Badal said after the resignation.

The move will certainly strain the relationship between the two parties, more so amid reports of BJPs efforts to flex muscles as it doesnt want to be a minor partner in Punjab. The party ruling the Centre has made it clear that it wants to be an equal partner, certainly more than existing 23 seats.

It is the general opinion within the party that we lost in 2017 because of SAD as there was a huge disenchantment over issues including incidents of sacrilege in 2015. The party doesnt want a similar debacle in 2022, said a BJP leader.

There are reports that BJP, conscious of SADs slide, has started indulging Akali dissenter Sukhdev Dhindsa. The NDA government conferred a Padma Bhushan on Dhindsa in 2019. Sources said Badals wanted to hit back at BJP and hence the revolt.

Too little, too late

It is not the first time that SAD has revolted against a BJP decision. In January, the party supported a resolution against Citizenship (Amendment) Act in Punjab Assembly after supporting Centre in the Parliament on the same issue. During the Delhi Assembly polls, the party decided against fighting elections with BJP. Last week, SAD president, Sukhbir Badal opposed Centre move of non-inclusion of Punjabi in the new languages Bill for Jammu and Kashmir.

CM Amarinder Singh termed Harsimrat resignation too little, too late, and part of a long chain of theatrics by the Akalis.
For one thing, it has a substantial business selling military equipment, which tends to do well in times of international strife - and few would now predict that the 2020s are likely to be a particularly peaceful decade. The forward price-earnings ratio for the defence-heavy aerospace sub-index of the S&P 500 has been running at elevated levels, comparable to where it was around the peak of the Iraq War.

Through much of the 2000s, Boeing's defence business rather than its passenger jets drove the bulk of earnings. The latest budget from the Defense Department suggests the coming years could be similarly lucrative. To take one example, the Pentagon requested $US8.7 billion ($11.9 billion) for buying 76 of Boeing's F-15EX fighters through 2025, with plans to purchase another 68 by the early 2030s. On top of that, Boeing has seen rising profits from its services and maintenance business, which has the best operating margins of all its main units.

Boeing has lucrative contracts with the US Defense Department. Credit:AP

Boeing shares are still down nearly 50 per cent this year. While that's probably justified by the grim outlook that COVID-19 has cast over the aerospace industry, its valuation doesn't look stretched. Comparing its enterprise value to blended three-year earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation, the current multiple of 10.8 is pretty much where it's been trading for three years - and the dividend yield, at 8.4 per cent, is the best Boeing investors will have seen since the early 1980s.

By the lights of normal commercial companies, the situation in Boeing's most important division should be leaving it in a horrendous place. But, as my colleague Brooke Sutherland has written, Boeing isn't just a normal commercial company. For all aircraft manufacturers protest that they're the only true capitalists and their rivals are addicted to state funding, both Boeing and Airbus are unofficial public-private partnerships that exist as much for strategic as financial reasons. Those geopolitical imperatives are likely to grow stronger over the years ahead, as Commercial Aircraft of China tries to crack apart their north Atlantic duopoly. Boeing has its share of problems, but the US government will always have its back.
Salma Hayek looked incredible on Friday as she showcased her age-defying figure in a new sizzling snaps.

The actress, 54, took to Instagram to pose in a brown plunging swimsuit as she posed on a diving board by her swimming pool.

Salma looked incredible in the item of swimwear as she displayed her age-defying figure and curves.

Wow: Salma Hayek looked incredible on Friday as she showcased her age-defying figure in a new sizzling snap

The actress finished her look with a straw fedora hat and blue reflective sunglasses for the sizzling snap.

Salma revealed she had taken inspiration from her 1999 H&M swimsuit campaign and penned: '2020: More than 20 years after my last post. Ready for the weekend. Have a great #Friday!'

The star's 15.9 million followers were quick to react to the photo as they commented on how incredible she looked.

Age-defying! The actress, 54, took to Instagram to pose in a brown plunging swimsuit as she posed on a diving board by her swimming pool

One person said: 'So the only thing that has changed since 99 is the hair style. Buenos dias.'

Another follower put: 'You haven't aged a bit. BEAUTIFUL.'

While a different account added: 'Still Beautiful to this Day!'

It comes after Salma revealed that she feels 'invigorated' by the way directors are approaching her in her 50s.

Fans: Salma's 15.9 million followers were quick to react to the photo as they commented on how incredible she looked

The 54-year-old movie star started her career trying to get the attention of filmmakers and convince them to cast her in their movies, but after 32 years in the industry, she is delighted they are finally approaching her for roles.

'It really invigorated me that they are finding me. I always found them. But they didn't want me. And that now they're coming to me, that's what's been really invigorating,' the beauty told OK! magazine.

'It's difficult to make sense of it, you know? But that's what's been really strange. And you know what? Strange things happen to strange people.'

Better now: It comes after Salma revealed that she feels 'invigorated' by the way directors are approaching her in her 50s after 32 years in the industry (pictured, left, last month and 1996 film From Dusk till Dawn, right)

In the past few years the actress has starred in Drunk Parents, Like A Boss and The Roads Not Taken. Next she will be seen in The Eternals, The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard and Bliss.

Salma rose to fame in the Mexican telenovela Teresa before moving to Los Angeles to pursue a big screen career.

However, when the Hollywood actress first started out in 1988 she had no idea how things would end up.

Amazing: The 54-year-old movie star started her career trying to get the attention of filmmakers and convince them to cast her in their movies, but after 32 years in the industry, she is delighted they are finally approaching her for roles

She believes any struggles over the years have given her the possibility to choose the right path, having dubbed her life 'completely unimaginable'.

Salma said: 'At some point in your life you just settle for doing the right thing and the best you can, instead of think about what you want and what you can didn't get get or what you're not getting or how someone's getting it and you're not getting it.

The wife of billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault has proved with several bikini shots this year that she looks as sensational as ever.

Earlier this month, the actress wore a halter neck black swimsuit with a wrap around her waist as she added sunglasses and a hat.

'Guess who's turning 54 tomorrow? By the way, this is not a Throwback Thursday! Thank you Marjo for turning into a photographer during the vacation!' said the Wild West actress in her caption as she noted she is a Virgo.

Last month, the Like A Boss star was seen in a skimpy black bikini as she sipped coffee al fresco by a tiled wall in Greece.

Salma styled her brunette locks into a sweptback relaxed bun and went makeup-free as she displayed her radiant complexion.

Sensational: The wife of billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault has proved with several bikini shots this year that she looks as sensational as ever

The actress, who wore a pair of black sunglasses, playfully posed with a cup of coffee for the snap.

It came after Salma posted a loved-up snap with her husband Francois-Henri, 58, to Instagram.

In the photo, the couple shared a cheeky kiss while both fully masked up amid the Covid-19 crisis. She captioned it with: 'Love in the time of corona El amor en los tiempos de corona. #love.'

'Love in the time of corona': Last month, the actress posted a loved-up snap with her billionaire husband Francois-Henri, 58, during their Greek getaway

Salma and her French businessman husband have been married since 2009, after tying the knot in a lavish Paris ceremony on Valentine's Day. Their nuptials are said to have cost an eye-watering $3.5 million.

Their big day took place in the famous Venice opera house Teatro La Fenice, and the lovers were joined by an A-List group of well wishers, including Penelope Cruz, Woody Harrelson and Bono.

Last year, it was reported that Francois-Henri is worth an estimated $33.2billion. He is the chairman and CEO of Kering since 2005, and president of Groupe Artemis since 2003.
Mental health in times of the pandemic

In May 2020, the United Nations warned that the COVID-19 pandemic has the seeds of a major mental health crisis if action is not taken. Social isolation, job and financial losses, uncertainty about the real impact of the crisis, and fear for physical well-being affect the mental health of many people worldwide. Do these stressors lead to an increase in the number of depressions and anxiety disorders? What are the challenges on the healthcare side? What effects do protective policy measures against the virus have for human mental health?

International experts will discuss these issues at an English-language virtual panel discussion jointly organized by the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and the Academy of Science of South Africa on Monday, 28 September, 11:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. CEST.

Virtual Panel Discussion

"The Hidden Crisis: Mental Health in Times of COVID-19"

Monday, 28 September 2020

10:00 a.m.-11:15 a.m. BST (Abuja)

11:00 a.m.-12:15 p.m. CEST (Berlin, Madrid, Pretoria)

Debating at the podium:

Professor Berta Ausin, Department of Personality, Evaluation and Clinical Psychology, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain

Professor Oye Gureje, WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Mental Health, University of Ibadan, Nigeria

Professor Andreas Heinz, Member of the Leopoldina, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charite University Hospital, Berlin, Germany

Professor Ashraf Kagee, Department of Psychology, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch, South Africa

The panel will be moderated by Professor Marcella Rietschel, Member of the Leopoldina, Head of the Department Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry and Scientific Director Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim, Germany.

Further information can be found at: http://www. leopoldina. org/ livp .

The event is open to all interested parties. Participation is free of charge. Prior registration is required via the following link: https:/ / zoom. us/ webinar/ register/ WN_rphqB6fhSIWchzaB-fPjrg

After successful registration, you will receive a confirmation e-mail with a dial-in link for the webinar and a password. You will also receive information on how to dial into the event by phone. When using the ZOOM video conferencing system, the privacy policy of the provider applies: https:/ / zoom. us/ privacy

###

About the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina

As the German National Academy of Sciences, the Leopoldina provides independent science-based policy advice on matters relevant to society. To this end, the Academy develops interdisciplinary statements based on scientific findings. In these publications, options for action are outlined; making decisions, however, is the responsibility of democratically legitimized politicians. The experts who prepare the statements work in a voluntary and unbiased manner. The Leopoldina represents the German scientific community in the international academy dialogue. This includes advising the annual summits of Heads of State and Government of the G7 and G20 countries. With 1,600 members from more than 30 countries, the Leopoldina combines expertise from almost all research areas. Founded in 1652, it was appointed the National Academy of Sciences of Germany in 2008. The Leopoldina is committed to the common good.

This story has been published on: 2020-09-18. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
When "Selena: The Series" premieres on Netflix, audiences far beyond the Tejano-blaring region will meet the sparkly bell bottom-wearing icon, and a South Texas native is helping ensure her story, and those of other Latinos, are told authentically.

Jaime Davila, born and raised in McAllen in the Rio Grande Valley, launched Campanario, the production company working with the Quintanilla family to bring the Selena series to life. He launched the production company in 2014 with his father Jaime Davila Sr.

"I started this company to elevate voices that weren't being represented in Hollywood," he said.

He's working on his mission from the inside out, ensuring his six-person, Los Angeles-based team is as diverse as the stories they're producing and are in tune with the communities they're representing on screen.

"I think there's a lot Hollywood can learn from our community. We are as American as anyone else. We represent duality  that you can be Latinx and American," Davila said. "We've been able to build such a diverse, inclusive team. Hollywood can learn from that diversity and inclusion. The Latinx community is all shades."

Davila's young company has produced a range of Latinx stories for different markets, both domestically and internationally, like "Como Sobrevivir Soltero," a dramedy on dating for Amazon Prime Video. His previous projects include "Mexican Dynasties" for Bravo and "Laugh Factory en Espanol." He's also covered family separation in "Colossus," a documentary on immigration.

The scope of his work  from hardship to comedy  reflects the message he's working to convey to Hollywood.

"There's a nuance to our identity, we understand that life is complicated, but we also have such amazing experiences in this country," he said. "We have such amazing stories to tell, we're just like you. We are such a resilient culture. You can learn from us that if you work hard, focus and deal with problems as they come, you can deal with it."

While his repertoire is impressive, Davila, who identifies as a "diehard" Selena fan, says working on the project is "so special."

"Working with the family, especially Suzette, has been a dream," he said. "I grew up knowing the Quintanillas are American icons and should be viewed as such."

He called the partnership between his team, the family and Netflix the "perfect combination."

"Neflix has been amazing in wanting to make sure they're doing this right," he said. "Young girls, young boys and anyone who feels like an underdog will see the Quintanilla family and be inspired by it. It's obviously very personal for me, I'm very humbled by it. The whole team is working hard to ensure those themes of being a trailblazer really shine through."

Davila said partnerships like the one sharing Selena's story worldwide are part of the solution for proper representation in Hollywood and mainstream media.

"They (Hollywood) want to be doing more," Davila said. "But they want to get it right."

He says his Campanario team is obligated to helping bridge the gap between the camera and the Latin American communities they're a part of.

"We want to create content that is inclusive, that resonates with Latinos, but also with a wider audience," he said. "Everyone can relate to being an underdog."

He said odes to Selena performed by stars like Beyonce and Kacey Musgraves prove their "mission is right on and our culture can transcend."

In the meantime, Davila is excited for Netflix to unveil what the team has been working on to honor Selena, though he was tightlipped on a release date.

"I still pinch myself that it happened," he says of the series. "You're going to find out things you never knew about the family. I think fans will love the series, even if you're just a fan of family shows and music and laughing, you're going to love the show."

Madalyn Mendoza covers news and puro pop culture for MySA.com | mmendoza@mysa.com | @maddyskye
moderna said on Friday it was on track to produce 20 million doses of its experimental coronavirus vaccine by the end of the year, while maintaining its goal of readying 500 million to one billion doses in 2021.

Vaccines and treatments are seen as essential in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic that has shown no signs of slowing and killed over 944,000 people worldwide.

A handful of vaccines, including those from Pfizer Inc and AstraZeneca, are also being tested in large studies.

Moderna had enrolled 25,296 participants out of a planned 30,000 in its late-stage study as of Wednesday.

The company's CEO, Stephane Bancel said that the trial will likely yield enough data to know whether the vaccine is effective in a Thursday Squawkbox interview.

He said it was possible, but unlikely, that the data could be available by October, and that the company would know if it works by December at the latest, in the 'worst case scenario. '

Moderna said on Friday that it could produce as many as 20 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine by the end of the year

Bancel noted that if the rate of infections in the US slows dramatically in the coming weeks, it could delay the results of the trial. At least 53 participants need to catch coronavirus in order for scientists to know whether those who got vaccinated are less likely to get sick than those who were given a placebo.

The company is working with Switzerland's Lonza Group AG and Spain's Laboratorios Farmaceuticos Rovi to make the vaccine outside the United States.

Moderna has a vaccine supply deal in place with the U.S. for 100 million doses, and has finished advanced talks with the European Union for the vaccine.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) anticipates that 35 million to 45 million doses of vaccines from the first two companies to receive authorization will be available in the United States by the end of this year.

Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel said that the company should know if its vaccine works by November, or year end in the 'worst case scenario'

The agency's 'gameplan' advises states to be ready to start distributing vaccines as early as the end of October.

President Trump has made no secret of his hope for a vaccine to be ready to before the November 3 election.

Moderna's shot is widely considered a top contender to be one of the first ready, alongside Pfizer's.

Moderna plans to seek emergency authorization for its vaccine's use in high-risk groups if it proves to be at least 70 percent effective, its chief executive officer told Reuters earlier this week.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited the small nation of Guyana on Friday looking to shore up support for Trump administration efforts to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and build ties with the booming oil producer.

During the brief visit, Pompeo and President Irfaan Ali signed agreements to strengthen U.S. investment and cooperation on energy and infrastructure while vowing to deepen cooperation on maritime security and drug trafficking interdiction.

Pompeo praised Alis support for the Lima Group, a regional body of U.S.-aligned nations that have pushed for a diplomatic solution to Venezuelas political crisis.

Guyana's new president made some of his strongest remarks yet in regard to Venezuela.

We support the need for free and fair elections in our hemisphere, Ali said. With urgency, we believe that democratic values and principles should be respected in Venezuela as well.

The visit is the first by such a high-ranking U.S. official and highlights Guyanas increasing strategic importance. The country shares a border with Venezuela and is a now major oil producer, making it an attractive ally for expanding U.S. political and economic influence in the region.

Pompeos trip comes on the heels of five months of political turmoil in Guyana following a contested presidential vote in March. Ali was sworn into office in August after a protracted legal battle, a Supreme Court-ordered recount and international pressure on incumbent David Granger to step down.

The United States is ready to be your partner, Pompeo said.

The stop in Guyana is part of a three-day visit to four nations  all of which surround Venezuela, where the bid by U.S.-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido to topple Maduro stands on increasingly shaky ground. The Trump administrations support of Guaido has been cornerstone of U.S. policy in the region. And it is likely to be a focal point thousands of Latino voters in Florida, where Trump is in a close contest with Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

Its pretty conspicuous that Pompeo is visiting every neighboring country around Venezuela, said Geoff Ramsey of the Washington Office on Latin America think tank. The reality is were in an election campaign domestically, and this is a White House that sees Venezuela policy as inextricably linked to its electoral campaign in Florida.

Caribbean nations near Venezuela have been divided over the standoff, with many keeping ties to Maduros government despite a mass exodus of Venezuelans to neighboring islands that has stressed traditionally close relations.

Suriname President Chan Santokhi, in a meeting with Pompeo on Thursday, reiterated that dialogue remains his preferred approach toward finding a resolution.

We will contribute to the dialogue and the work with all likeminded partners to ensure that the democratic rights of all the Venezuelan people are enjoyed, he said.

The issue also is a touchy topic in Guyana, where Granger as president had publicly complained about U.S. pressure to allow the Voice of America to set up a radio station on its territory and beam propaganda messages into Venezuela. Ahead of the visit, the Human Rights Association of Guyana expressed concern that the nation of 740,000 people could get caught in the middle of the dispute between Venezuela and the U.S.

Aligning Guyana with those seeking regime change not only threatens Guyanas legal negotiations over the border, but it would also be politically absurd, the group said.

Venezuelans for decades have argued that two-thirds of Guyanas territory should be theirs, contending that the gold-rich area west of the Essequibo River  along with the concordant maritime zone where Exxons oil find lies  was stolen from it by an 1899 agreement with Britain and its then colony.

The relatively poor nation stands to begin cashing in on its newfound oil wealth, with Exxon shipping the first tankers of Guyanese fuel this year. The offshore fields discovered in 2015 are estimated to contain more than 8 billion barrels, one of the worlds largest reserves. The revenue could generate $168 billion over the years, 120 times the countrys annual budget.

The sudden wealth has caught the attention of major international actors and spurred a race between the U.S. and China to solidify ties. A supporter of Maduro, China likely sees Guyana as a geographically strategic ally. The nation has expanded its influence in Latin America and Chinese companies are developing infrastructure projects in Guyana.

Pompeo extolled the benefits of U.S. economic partnerships Thursday in Suriname, bashing his Chinese counterparts as unreliable and predatory.

We honor contracts, he said. We dont engage in crony capitalism.

Ramsey, the analyst, said the Trump administration has shown it is clearly interested in countering Chinese influences in the hemisphere and presenting the United States as a more credible long-term partner for countries in Latin America.




By Yi Whan-woo







Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, who wrapped up her two-day Hanoi trip Friday, is the first foreign minister to visit Vietnam during the COVID-19 pandemic.







Her visit fueled speculation that Vietnam is treating Korea as its top economic partner over major powers that could possibly have more influence on Vietnamese businesses.







Vietnam let Kang skip its two-week quarantine  required for foreign travelers, including diplomats  at Noi Bai International Airport after she presented a negative test for the virus.







Kang discussed ways to restore economic cooperation with Vietnam officials, including Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh.







The topics ranged from "fast-track" entry for Korean business people and normalization of flights between the two countries to President Moon Jae-in's New Southern Policy aimed at expanding diplomatic ties with the 10-member ASEAN.







While Korea is a top investor in Vietnam, Japan is the Southeast Asian country's largest donor.







The United States is seen to play a key role in settling issues on the South China Sea conflict and drought on the Mekong Delta  which both involve Vietnam.




Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

The melanoma is a malignant tumor of the pigment cells. If diagnosed early, the tumor can be removed completelyand the chances of recovery are good. But in later stages, when the tumor has already spread or formed metastases in other parts of the body, the prospects become worse for those affected.

No effect for a good half of patients

The so-called immune checkpoint inhibitors, which have been approved in the last ten years, are a ray of hopeand the medical profession has achieved spectacular treatment successes with these medicines. However, in a good half of all patients these therapies show no benficial effect. But now, the work of the research group led by Mirjam Schenk from the Institute of Pathology at the University of Bern shows a promising way of increasing the effectiveness of the treatment and helping many more patients than before.

In collaboration with researchers from the U.S., the team led by Schenk has uncovered the role of a signal molecule which the cells of the body's immune system use to coordinate their functions. The molecule is called Interleukin-32, IL-32 for short. In the complex interplay of immune cells within and in the immediate area around a tumor, it soon revealed a double effect. "It hits two birds with one stone," says Schenk.

Making tumors attackable again

On one hand, IL-32 leads to the maturation and activation of so-called dendritic cells which are responsible for the recognition of foreign structures. In addition, IL-32 also triggers macrophages or scavenger cells to secrete attractants for the T cells. This is how these immune cells find their way to the tumor, where they can eliminate the cancer cells.

Tumors have to escape detection by the immune system for them to be able to grow. This is why they settle in immunosuppressed environments which are hospitable for cancer growth. Clearly, IL-32 is capable of making these protective niches of the tumor accessible to the immune system again. With trials on mice, the researchers led by Schenk have proven that the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors can be improved by the simultaneous administration of IL-32.

Combination treatment a promising therapeutic strategy

In animal models, the additionally administered IL-32 did not cause any side effects. Whether these results can be transferred to humans remains to be seen, says Schenk. However, a further argument certainly speaks for the fact that the combination treatment represents a "promising strategy for treatment," as the researchers led by Schenk write in their recently published specialist article in the The Journal Of Clinical Investigation Insight. As they have been able to prove with bioinformatic analyses, melanoma patients with more IL-32 activity have an improved life expectancy, from a statistical point of view.

Mirjam Schenk's research is supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), the foundation for experimental biomedicine, the Helmut Horten foundation, the foundation for clinical-experimental tumor research and the Wilhelm Sander foundation.

Explore further Researchers develop promising new treatment of advanced skin cancer

More information: Thomas Gruber et al. IL-32 potentiates tumor immunity in melanoma, JCI Insight (2020). Thomas Gruber et al. IL-32 potentiates tumor immunity in melanoma,(2020). DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.138772
James Delaney was shocked to discover he didnt get his offer when he logged on last week despite excellent results

A Dublin student who achieved six H1s in this year's Leaving Cert has been "left in limbo" after he got no CAO offer due to a system mix-up.

James Delaney was shocked when he logged on to the CAO website last Friday to see he had not been offered a place at Trinity College Dublin to study law and business - despite getting more than the points needed.

The highly-competitive degree only has 25 available places and James fears he will miss out on the course he worked tirelessly to get into.

A different student's Leaving Certificate examination number was allocated to his CAO number, resulting in him not receiving an offer for any of his 10 choices.

Worried

The CAO said James must wait until round two offers are made on September 23, meaning he will not be guaranteed a place.

"We fear that James might fall through the cracks, and even if they do process his correct application in round two, we're worried that he won't get his first choice," his father Eoin told the Herald.

"We had a very nice week after he got his results and were very calm about the CAO process as he had done so well with his results.

"We thought our worries with calculated grades were over, but then he realised he hadn't received any offer at all and couldn't understand it.

"We found an unknown student exam number included on his record and up came the results associated with that individual.

"The results were equated to roughly 400 points."

Students were sent an email on May 15 instructing them to check that all the information on their CAO application is correct and to contact them if there was an error.

"When I checked my application the error was not there, therefore I had no reason to inform the CAO," James said.

This issue has affected a number of students.

A CAO spokesperson would not confirm just how many, but said it "is in line with previous years".

Incorrect

"Some of the offers that are issued in round two every year are to applicants who need to be accommodated after adjustments have been made due to applicant omissions or errors, or administrative errors caused by the Higher Education Institutions or CAO.

"In a small number of cases, an incorrect Leaving Certificate examination number can be attributed to an applicant if there are two applicants with similar name and date of birth.

"We do appreciate that it can be quite upsetting for an applicant to realise their examination information was incorrect, and every effort is made by CAO and the higher education institutes to facilitate such applicants in round two."

However, the spokesperson added that in "rare cases" this may not be possible.
Samantha Cameron's election dress which she wore on the night of her husband David's 2015 victory and a vintage jumpsuit worn by Kate Moss were among the unique collection of pieces sold at auction in aid of the charity Smart Works.

The pair were among the 34 women who donated items from their wardrobes or collections to raise money for the organisation, of which the former PM's wife and Meghan Markle are patrons.

The Stella x Smart Works auction, co-run by Stella magazine, was hosted by Christie's and took place via an online sale between August 21 and September 15.

It raised a total of 77,000, with 100 per cent of the proceeds going to Smart Works.

Samantha Cameron's election dress which she wore on the night of her husband David's 2015 victory sold - along with her husband's tie - for 625 at an auction in aid of the charity Smart Works

A champagne-coloured vintage jumpsuit worn by model Kate Moss to Moet Imperial's 150th Anniversary in France in May 2019 went for 1,250 (left), while a silver Ralph and Russo liquid velvet asymmetric dress worn by Kylie Minogue to the Royal Academy Summer Party in 2019 sold at 1,375

Mrs Cameron's statement blue Preen gown sold - along with the tie her husband wore for the momentous occasion - for 625.

The item that attracted the largest bid was a Birkin bag donated by its namesake, Jane Birkin, which went for a whopping 35,000.

Handbags certainly proved popular; Barbara Taylor Bradford's limited edition rouge H Hermes bag realised a price of 6,000, while a Gucci leather backpack belonging to author Marian Keyes went for 1,250.

Other celebrities including Kylie Minogue, Victoria Beckham and Michelle Dockery, as well as designers Jenny Packham, Stella McCartney and Emilia Wickstead, also donated items to the auction.

The item that attracted the largest bid was a Birkin bag donated by its namesake, Jane Birkin, which went for a whopping 35,000

Another big money sale was a silver Ralph and Russo liquid velvet asymmetric dress worn by Kylie Minogue to the Royal Academy Summer Party in 2019, which went for 1,375.

And Dame Helena Morrissey donated a white and grey silk organza and layered chiffon gown by Alexander McQueen which sold for 6,875.

Downton Abbey star Michelle Dockery donated a beige Burberry cashmere coat with a personalised gilt plate etched with her name and a blue and black checked suit which sold as a lot for 1,000.

A champagne-coloured vintage jumpsuit worn by model Kate Moss to Moet Imperial's 150th Anniversary in France in May 2019 went for 1,250, while a cream crepe 'Serendipity' gown donned by actress Gillian Anderson at this year's Golden Globes attracted a winning bid of 1,375.

Downton Abbey star Michelle Dockery donated a beige Burberry cashmere coat with a personalised gilt plate etched with her name and a blue and black checked suit which sold as a lot for 1,000

A cream crepe 'Serendipity' gown donned by actress Gillian Anderson at this year's Golden Globes attracted a winning bid of 1,375

A navy blue dress worn by Dame Shirley Bassey to the unveiling of her handprints in Wembley Park's iconic 'Square of Fame' in September last year sold for 1,125.

Dame Helena Morrissey donated a white and grey silk organza and layered chiffon gown by Alexander McQueen which sold for 6,875

Among the quirkier lots was a pair of sunglasses by Betty Jackson, worn by Patsy Stone - played by Joanna Lumley - in Absolutely Fabulous, which sold, along with a red Barbara Daly lipstick and handwritten note, for 375.

Also among the donated items was a bespoke black velvet gown worn by Maya Jama (which went for 375), a lavender three-piece suit belonging to Dame Twiggy Lawson (4,000) and Dame Julie Walters' cream Burberry trench coat (500).

A pair of black bustiers worn by Victoria Beckham to the launch of her dVb denim range at Harrods in London in May 2008 and while accompanying David to an Adidas Originals launch event in Los Angeles in September 2009 sold for 1,000.

A navy blue dress worn by Dame Shirley Bassey to the unveiling of her handprints in Wembley Park's iconic 'Square of Fame' in September last year sold for 1,125.

Design Emilia Wickstead offered up a vibrant orange textured gown which realised a price of 2,500 (left), and a Stella McCartney cream Raffia logo circle bag sold for 625 (right)

Alexa Chung's 'Melancholy Dance' rust silk organza dress by Johanna Ortiz, which she wore to the Chopard Bond Street Boutique reopening event in London in June 2019, sold for 1,250

Design Emilia Wickstead offered up a vibrant orange textured gown which realised a price of 2,500, and a Stella McCartney cream Raffia logo circle bag sold for 625.

Smart Works has a team of 300 trained volunteers and helps long-term unemployed and vulnerable women regain the skills, confidence and tools to succeed at job interviews, return to employment and transform their lives.

Last September the Duchess of Sussex launched the Smart Set collection, which saw every item sold by partnering retailers matched with one item donated to Smart Works.

A pair of black bustiers worn by Victoria Beckham to the launch of her dVb denim range at Harrods in London in May 2008 (left) and while accompanying David to an Adidas Originals launch event in Los Angeles in September 2009 (right) sold for 1,000

Alexa Chung's (middle) 'Melancholy Dance' rust silk organza dress by Johanna Ortiz, which she wore to the Chopard Bond Street Boutique reopening event in London in June 2019, sold for 1,250

Among the quirkier lots was a pair of sunglasses by Betty Jackson, worn by Patsy Stone - played by Joanna Lumley - in Absolutely Fabulous, which sold, along with a red Barbara Daly lipstick and handwritten note, for 375

Dame Julie Walters' cream Burberry trench coat, worn by the star to the premiere of the Burberry festive film in London in November 2015 (pictured) went for 500

Samantha Cameron volunteered for Smart Works when she was in Downing Street, doing interview training. She said in a statement. 'The work they do is so valuable and it is an extremely targeted, efficient and effective charity.

'I am now an ambassador for Smart Works and am always delighted to do anything to support and help them, whether by donating one of my dresses for this auction, or stock from [my fashion brand] Cefinn to dress the charity's clients.'

Kate Stephens, CEO of Smart Works, said: 'Passing on a treasured possession to help another woman succeed is a powerful concept and one we passionately believe in at Smart Works.

'All proceeds from the incredible pieces in this auction will help give women across the UK the toolkit they need to transform their lives. As we navigate this pandemic, we know more women than ever before will need our support and its been wonderful to see our community come together to help us during this time.

'Were thankful to those who have so generously donated their cherished items for this cause, and to Stella and Christies for making this concept a reality, so we can carry on providing support to those who need it most.'
The US Navy aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (L) transits the Strait of Hormuz on September 18

A US aircraft carrier passed the Strait of Hormuz to enter the Gulf Friday amid Washington threats to enforce "UN" sanctions without the backing of Security Council partners, the Navy announced.

A strike group led by the USS Nimitz and including two guided-missile cruisers and a guided-missile destroyer sailed into the Gulf to operate and train with US partners and support the coalition fighting the Islamic State group, the US 5th Fleet said in a statement.

"The Nimitz Strike Group has been operating in the 5th Fleet area of operations since July, and is at the peak of readiness," said strike group commander Rear Admiral Jim Kirk.

The move came just days after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo vowed to enforce an arms embargo and other international sanctions against Iran which the US says will resume on Saturday.

On Tuesday Pompeo vowed that Washington would prevent Iran from purchasing Chinese and Russian military equipment, even as European allies disagreed with Washington's stance.

"We are going to act in a way - and we have acted in a way - that will prevent Iran from being able to purchase Chinese tanks and Russian air defense systems and resell weapons to Hezbollah,"Pompeo said.

And on Wednesday he said the United States will enforce resumed United Nations sanctions on Iran starting next week, despite nearly the entire UN Security Council saying Washington does not have the grounds to do so.

"We'll do all the things we need to do to make sure that those sanctions are enforced," Pompeo said.

The United States regularly sends aircraft carrier groups into the Gulf for exercises and to support US and anti-IS coalition operations in Iraq and Syria.

But the Trump administration has sought to step up pressure on Tehran.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran has stepped up its nuclear development activities since the United States unilaterally withdrew from the 2018 nuclear accord.

Washington says that despite its withdrawal, it has the right to force the UN to reimpose sanctions on Iran for violating the agreement.

pmh/ec
Local businesses are going to begin to allow more people in, hospitals are allowing elective surgeries again and nursing homes are allowing visitations due to Gov. Greg Abbott lifting some COVID-19 restrictions this week.

Abbott announced the changes during a press conference Thursday based on a drop in hospitalizations across most regions of Texas. However, bars are still going to remain closed for now, he said.

Restaurants struggle during pandemic: Half of Texas restaurants might shut down in 6 months, survey says

Despite the lifting of some restrictions, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said at a press conference Harris County would stay at a heightened threat level for the virus.

What Im trying to do is have at least one level of government thats offering research and numbers-based information and consistently refuses to be swayed by political one-liners, Hidalgo said. That continues to be my commitment. When you have folks pretending we can just go back to normal, it puts the community at risk and it gives people false hope.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Harris County keeps its 'stay home' threat level, even as state of Texas, schools reopen

Despite the relaxed restrictions being put in place, the number of active COVID-19 cases in the Cy-Fair area went up this week, for the first time in more than a month.

Harris County Public Health data shows a total of 644 active cases in the region as of 4 p.m. Friday. This is an increase of nearly 80 cases, after data showed 565 active cases last week. The number of deaths in the area also increased slightly from 68 to 74.

The case count was compiled from ZIP Codes in the Cypress Creek Mirrors coverage area: 77040, 77041, 77065, 77070, 77086, 77095, 77429 and 77433. Only one ZIP code still saw a decrease in cases, 77433, which dropped from 98 to 91 active cases. Every other ZIP code saw an increase, with 77040 having the highest with 169 cases.

Anyone can still be tested around the Cy-Fair region. Pridgeon Stadium, 11355 Falcon Road A, is offering tests from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, as well as from 7 a.m. to noon and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Walmart offers testing at three locations in the area: 11425 Barker Cypress Road, 8208 Barker Cypress Road and 12353 FM 1960 W. Appointments are required and can be made at www.doineedacovid19test.com.

CVS Pharmacy also still offers testing at 6089 S. Hwy. 6 N., 11600 FM 1960 W. and 19715 Tomball Parkway. Anyone wishing to be tested must make an appointment at www.cvs.com/minuteclinic/covid-19-testing.

paul.wedding@hcnonline.com
Dr. Reddy's Laboratories along with its subsidiaries announced settlement of U.S. Revlimid (lenalidomide) Capsules patent litigation with Celgene.

In settlement of all outstanding claims in the litigation, Celgene has agreed to provide Dr. Reddy's with a license to sell volume-limited amounts of generic lenalidomide capsules in the U.S. beginning on a confidential date after March 2022 subject to regulatory approval. The agreed-upon percentages are confidential. Dr. Reddy's is also licensed to sell generic lenalidomide capsules in the U.S. without volume limitation beginning on January 31, 2026. Revlimid is a trademark of Celgene, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bristol Myers Squibb.

The company looks forward to bringing a generic version of lenalidomide to market soon subject to regulatory approval for the benefit of patients, said Marc Kikuchi, CEO, North America Generics, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories.

The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 17 September 2020. Shares of Dr. Reddy's Laboratories rose 4.21% to settle at Rs 4,826.60 yesterday.

Dr. Reddy's Laboratories is an integrated pharmaceutical company. Through its three businesses - Pharmaceutical Services & Active Ingredients, Global Generics and Proprietary Products - Dr. Reddy's offers a portfolio of products and services including APIs, custom pharmaceutical services, generics, biosimilars and differentiated formulations. Major therapeutic areas of focus are gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, diabetology, oncology, pain management and dermatology. Dr. Reddy's operates in markets across the globe. Major markets include - USA, India, Russia & CIS countries, and Europe.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Good morning, Bay Area. Its Friday, Sept. 18, and despite literally everything, the Bay Area real estate market is still hot. Heres what you need to know to start your day.

They found the man on a hot stretch of highway, 11 miles northeast of Bidwell Bar Bridge in Butte County, which had been cast orange by the fire. He was past the Oroville Dam, nearly splintered three years earlier by record rainfall, and past shallow Lake Madrone, where the man might have sought refuge, as other people have done in other pools, from other fires.

By the time the firefighters found him, just before 8 a.m. on Sept. 9, the man had been lying facedown near the highway, probably for hours. He was unable to speak, with burns covering most of his body. The soles of his white running shoes had melted, his shoelaces still smoldering. The closest medical help was at Station 62 in Berry Creek, which was already filling with smoke.

Lizzie Johnson and Matthias Gafni tell about how a small firehouse in rural Butte County became a field hospital last week and how the county cant seem to escape disaster.

 In October 2018, two years before the deadly Bear Fire leveled Berry Creek, the community was selected to receive an $836,000 state grant for pruning vegetation and clearing fuel from potential fire spots. Strangled by delays and red tape, the forest management project was never completed, said local officials, who are now left to stew over the what-ifs.

 Two more victims of the North Complex wildfires are identified as deadly fires continue to burn. At least 15 have been killed to date.

 Yosemite National Park closes because of smoky air.

Schools, with a checklist

Paul Chinn/The Chronicle

This school has it down, said Ana Validzic, a COVID-19 command team leader at San Franciscos Department of Public Health, her digital checklist in her hands.

That wasnt an official decision, but the San Francisco School, a private institution in the Portola district, is hoping to become one of the first to bring children back to the classroom.

Jill Tucker watched the inspection and reports on the potential timeline for San Franciscos public schools to reopen.

 Gov. Gavin Newsom signs bill requiring businesses to disclose coronavirus infections.

 A city transformed: San Francisco marks six months of surreal living.

 The latest jobs numbers: Hiring resumes, but layoffs stay high.

Home sales soaring

Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle

Neither the coronavirus nor the wildfires put much of a damper on Bay Area real estate in August, as the median price of an existing single-family home hit a record high of $1,068,000, according to a California Association of Realtors report issued Thursday.

Kathleen Pender looks into some of the reasons the pandemic hasnt hurt home buying in the Bay Area and larger shifts in the real estate and rental markets.

 Veterans get chance to build new apartments on Treasure Island that veterans will live in.

Around the Bay

 Exclusive: Capt. Brett Crozier explains why he sent email warning of Roosevelt coronavirus outbreak.

 Divisive, anti-American: UC national labs suspend diversity training after Trump administration order.

 Policing BART: Half of the agency officers use-of force incidents were against Black men last year, but only 10% of the riders are Black, report shows.

 New business model: S.F.s newest seafood delivery meals come from an ex-Lazy Bear chef. More from the food team: 10 spacious outdoor restaurant patios in San Francisco and the Bay Area.

 Subdued approach: Gavin Newsom didnt push Trump over ideological BS on climate change. Heres why.

 The ever-expanding Nuru corruption probe: Federal prosecutors charge the leaders of an Oakland construction management firm with bribery.

 Keeping count: S.F. workers were told their job was done, but the U.S. census tally is far from complete, Heather Knight writes.

 Arson investigation: Fire engulfs Armenian church offices in San Francisco.

 Replay reduction: As continue to find MLBs replay system a big challenge this season, Susan Slusser writes.

 Absolutely unacceptable: TechCrunch cuts ties with S.F. event manager after homeless sweep outside no-audience Disrupt conference.

Election questions

Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle

On Nov. 3, the Bay Area will be voting not only on the presidential ticket but a score of local candidates and ballot measures. As part of our election coverage, The Chronicle is reporting on the context for major local measures on your ballot.

First up: Measure RR, which is on the ballot in San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, seeks to throw a lifeline during the coronavirus crisis to Caltrain and then continue to fund long-term improvements.

If passed, Measure RR would allow a one-eighth-cent sales tax increase in those counties. The ballot measure has to be approved by two-thirds of voters in all three counties.

Read more from reporter Mallory Moench on Measure RR here.

Bay Briefing is written by Taylor Kate Brown and sent to readers email inboxes on weekday mornings. Sign up for the newsletter here, and contact Brown at taylor.brown@sfchronicle.com.
With work from home being the new norm, workforces across the globe have resorted to online alternatives to an office culture.

Good thing for us, there are several apps and services by tech majors that allow us to do so in a much efficient way than ever before. One such, is by using a conglomerate of apps by Google.

Virtual Meetings In Google

Google Meet

Starting with Google Meet, users can hold virtual meetings to connect with employees from all across the globe. The dedicated video conferencing app allows users to create or join high-quality video meetings with up to 250 participants. Google assures that these meetings are encrypted in transit, with proactive anti-abuse measures to keep the meetings safe.



ALSO READ: Google Meet Will Block Background Noises In Video Meetings With AI

There are other features in Google Meet too. For instance, participants are allowed to share their own screens with the whole meeting in order to present documents, slides and more. The mere functionality helps the one narrating the meeting to take over. A big plus are also the real-time captions generated in the app, powered by Google speech-to-text technology.

Google Collaborative Meeting Agenda

Google Docs

Just as Google Meet can help set up a meeting with multiple participants over group video calls, Google Docs allows multiple inputs from the participants in a text format. This means that several users can work on the same document simultaneously, with all the changes being recorded against the corresponding users name in an in-built ledger.



ALSO READ: Meet Prabhakar Raghavan, New Head Of Google Search

For those unaware, Google Docs is Googles own version of Microsoft Word. Except, it is cloud based and hence has certain on-the-go advantages over its counterparts. Collaborative inputs on a single doc is one of them.

As for meetings, such a simultaneous use allows a collaborative input of mission critical data. In case of a meeting, this can be used to record the minutes/ agenda of the meeting very easily.

Gmail's Seamless Workflow Experience

Google Meet integrated in Gmail

Google has been paying attention to improving this experience of online meetings for corporates. The recent merger of Gmail is the biggest example of that. In order to bring every component into one place, the tech giant has integrated the two apps - Google Meet and Google Chat, into Gmail for its GSuite customers.



The idea is to provide a single window operation to the user for such virtual meetings and any task related to these. The new integration sees new sections on the Gmail sidebar that show people and chat rooms from Google Chat, along with meetings scheduled in Google Meet.

The message area of Gmail now has a split screen that can show a Google Chat room or even open a Google Doc right inside Gmail.

Easy Setup Online Meeting

With the integrations made easy, these apps by Google enable anyone to conduct a meeting with his/ her team in just a few clicks.

For instance, to start the meeting, one can just click on New Meeting either on Google Meet or on the sidebar of Gmail under the Meet section.

To set up a collaborative meeting agenda on Google Docs, one can share the document with any number of people through the top right Share button on the document. The original creator of the document can even choose as to who can edit the document and who can simply go through it.

ALSO READ: From Google To TCS: How World's Biggest Tech Companies Are Working From Home In 2020
South African businesses have had to respond to the coronavirus and lockdown restrictions since March. At the same time, the countrys economy is in its longest recession in 28 years, with millions reported to have lost their jobs due to the pandemic.

Heres how companies in key industries have coped with the unprecedented crisis:

Banks

South Africas biggest lenders were faced with the pressing need to raise provisions to protect against souring loans, while demand for credit slumped as the coronavirus lockdown took a toll on business customers.

While Standard Bank Group Ltd. and Absa Group Ltd. boosted profit for the six months through June when provisions are excluded, Nedbank Group Ltd. failed to grow earnings by the same measure. FirstRand Ltd., reporting for the full year, also said profit fell before provisions.

Now banks must wait and see whether they have adequately prepared for future bad debts. South African regulators have encouraged the withholding of dividend payments amid uncertainty about the economic fallout from the pandemic.

Retailers

South African retailers can be roughly split between those that were allowed to trade during the countrys strictest lockdown phase and those that werent.

Supermarket giant Shoprite Holdings Ltd. was one of the big winners, tightening its grip on the local food market and even raising the dividend. Yet Edcon Holdings Ltd. said within days it may not be able to re-open its clothing stores after the shutdown. The owner of the Edgars and Jet chains filed for bankruptcy protection in April, with parts later sold off to other operators.

Walmart Inc.s South African unit was in the middle of a turnaround plan when the lockdown started, yet Massmart Holdings Ltd. boosted gross margins and, crucially, could lean on its parent for cash. Pepkor Holdings Ltd., a low-cost clothing specialist, has taken advantage of those looking for discounts in the tough post-lockdown environment after fully reopening in June. Furniture retailer Lewis Group Ltd. has been a surprising short-term winner. After months of being stuck at home, together with some stimulus packages from the government, many South Africans are refurbishing their living spaces and the company last month declared a dividend.

If you are in anything beyond food, you have a higher risk business, Shoprite Chief Executive Officer Pieter Engelbrecht said in an interview. The terrible fear on our side is job security. A lot is going to be determined by how many people are going to lose their jobs and the governments plan to plug that hole.

Miners

Mining companies have been buoyed by a rally in the price of gold and platinum-group metals thats helped offset operational disruptions caused by South Africas lockdown to contain the pandemic.

Sibanye Stillwater Ltd. restored dividend payments for the first time in three years, while Anglo American Platinum Ltd. said its maintaining its payout ratio despite lower output. Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd. paid its highest dividend in nine years, with Chief Executive Officer Nico Muller promising more to come.

We believe the strong metal prices will prevail, the CEO said. We have all the belief in the world the dividend will continue to grow from strength to strength.

The flipside has been the challenge of returning hundreds of thousands of people to work in South Africas mines at a time when Covid-19 infections were surging, causing a string of local outbreaks. Platinum producers also suffered from a slump in global demand as automakers halted operations, though China has returned to pre-Covid-19 levels and theres been no need as yet for job cuts.

Telecommunications

The pandemic brought some benefits for wireless carriers Vodacom Group Ltd. and MTN Group Ltd. as the government released broadband spectrum for the first time in 15 years. This was to deal with a large surge in voice and data traffic as people were forced to work and entertain themselves at home.

The additional spectrum also enabled the two largest operators in the country to start building commercial 5G networks.

Telecom companies have been relative winners in that network traffic  data in particular  has grown, supporting revenue growth, said Bloomberg Intelligence analyst John Davies. The longer term may bring headwinds from depressed economies and rising unemployment.

In light of that uncertainty, MTN opted not to pay an interim dividend.

Leisure

Tourism and lifestyle companies have struggled to navigate a lockdown policy that prohibited leisure travel and saw gyms as danger spots.

Brait SEs Virgin Active fitness chain has only recently reopened and a planned sale of the chain will be delayed by as much as 18 months. Distell Group Holdings Ltd., South Africas biggest maker of wine and spirits, was hit by two bans on alcohol sales and reported a 23% slump in earnings in the year through June.

Sun International Holdings Ltd., a hotel and casino operator that owns the famous Sun City resort, was hurt by the alcohol and travel restrictions even after being allowed to reopen and plans to cut 2,300 jobs. But a swift recovery isnt impossible, according to Chief Executive Officer Anthony Leeming.

We are quite positive and July was positive and August stronger, he said. This business will recover and tourism will recover. Travel is something that most people with financial means want to do. Its just a matter of time.

Now read: Blue Label to sell its Mexico business
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 17:18:24|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai speaks at a gala dinner held by the U.S.-China Business Council in Washington D.C., the United States, on Dec. 4, 2019. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

- "We have to manage the differences in a constructive way. We have to keep in mind that our common interests and mutual needs always outweigh whatever differences we have."

- "Going forward there are clear, new opportunities for our two countries to strengthen our cooperation, to build a stronger relationship between us."

WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- China and the United States have to manage their differences in a constructive way, and collaboration between the two is expected by the international community in the face of global challenges, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai has said.

"We have to recognize that there will always be differences between us because we are two different countries with very different historical heritages, different cultures, and different political and economic systems," said Cui in a recent interview with former U.S. Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson on the podcast program "Straight Talk with Hank Paulson."

The conversation, held on Aug. 28 and aired on Monday, covered topics including current China-U.S. relations, bilateral economic and trade cooperation, global governance, and China's economy.

"But we have to manage the differences in a constructive way. We have to keep in mind that our common interests and mutual needs always outweigh whatever differences we have," he said. "We are faced with so many global challenges. Neither China nor the United States can handle them all by itself, whether the pandemic or climate change or natural disasters."

What's more, none of these global issues could be solved with the traditional toolbox of great-power competition, the ambassador pointed out.

Global challenges "have reminded us we have to enhance global governance for better international cooperation," and therefore "China is ready to support and contribute to the joint efforts to make global governance more responsive, more effective," said Cui.

Photo taken on April 27, 2020 shows people posing for a photo with the face masks donated by China's Fujian Province in Oregon, the United States. Governor of the U.S. state of Oregon Kate Brown expressed her heartfelt thanks to China for its donation of 50,000 medical face masks from Oregon's sister province Fujian. (Xinhua)

While at the same time, better global governance system will require the participation and contribution of all countries, particularly major countries like China and the United States, he added.

It is also the expectation of the international community that "China and the United States should work with each other, not against each other, on these global challenges," the ambassador noted.

Containers of China COSCO Shipping Corporation Limited are seen at the Port of Long Beach in Los Angeles County, the United States, Feb. 27, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Ying)

As for the future of China-U.S. relations, the Chinese ambassador said there are clear, new opportunities for the United States and China to build a stronger relationship if there is sufficient political will for cooperation.

"Going forward there are clear, new opportunities for our two countries to strengthen our cooperation, to build a stronger relationship between us," he said. "If there is sufficient political will for cooperation, certainly the opportunities are there." 
The borough of Tatamy ripped out some rusty, aging playground equipment Thursday.

A salt shed is going in its place, although other new playground equipment will go up in the boroughs other parks. The new shed will be next to the public works garage on Green Street between Fourth and Fifth streets.

The ripped-out slide, jungle gym and see-saws wont be replaced because the borough badly needs room to store its road salt, according to Mayor Chris Moren.

The borough wants to move its road salt out of the Upper Nazareth Township municipal garage, where its sometimes inaccessible late at night.

Our goal is to become self-sufficient, Moren said.

Here's the site of a new salt shed next to the Tatamy municipal garage. It was formerly part of a playground.Rudy Miller | For lehighvalleylive.com

Some neighbors lament the loss of the playground equipment, but the borough doesnt own any other land suitable for the shed.

Its not ideal but its the only place we have, Moren said.

He estimates the playground equipment was put up in the 1950s or 60s. It was getting old and likely posed a safety risk, he said.

Remember those old metal slides we would burn our legs on when we were kids? the mayor asked.

Plans call for additional playground equipment at Braden Park, the High Street park near Hope Lutheran Church and the Metz Park in north Tatamy. A new park is going in a field near the Bushkill Creek behind Equipto, Moren said.

A jungle gym is ripped out Sept. 17, 2020, to make way for a new salt shed next to the Tatamy municipal garage.Rudy Miller | For lehighvalleylive.com

A slide is ripped out Sept. 17, 2020, to make way for a new salt shed next to the Tatamy municipal garage.Rudy Miller | For lehighvalleylive.com

These see-saws were ripped out Sept. 17, 2020, to make way for a new salt shed next to the Tatamy municipal garage.Rudy Miller | For lehighvalleylive.com

This backhoe is clearing the way Sept. 17, 2020, for a new salt shed next to the Tatamy municipal garage.Rudy Miller | For lehighvalleylive.com

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to Lehighvalleylive.com.

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. If theres anything about this story that needs attention, please email him. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.
Al-Azhar Islamic Research Academy (AIRA) has launched a campaign to fight Islamophobia. The Islam they do not knowwill be on Al-Azhars official portal in English and its social media website accounts, including Facebook, Twitterand Instagram.

Al-Azhar is the seat of Islamic learning in the Muslim world.

AIRA Secretary-General Nazeer Ayad told Al-Ahram Weekly that the campaign aims to correct the false image of Islam among some people which he said had resulted in some acts that offend Muslims and their sanctities and support the phenomena of racism and extremism against religions, inflaming feelings of hatred among them.

Ayad said the campaign will focus on the opinion of Islam and its prophet on various issues by showing what Islamic teaching advises in different situations.

The campaign also shows how Islam always raises the values of mercy, affection, humanity and justice, confirms respect for the other for his humanity, regardless of colour, race, or religion, rejects everything that may provoke hatred and resentment among people and opposesentrenchedmeanings of injustice and racism.

The campaign is in line with the Humanitarian Brotherhood Treaty whichGrand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmed Al-Tayeb signed with Pope Francis. It aims at countering terrorism and extremism that are trying to use religion to delude youth by spreading untrue concepts in the name of religion.

The AIRA is an important sector of Al-Azhar since it works on an international basis through its delegations which raise awareness in terms of correcting misconceptions about Islam, presenting its correct image whichpromotes peace and love and rejecting violence and extremism, Ayad said.

After so many discriminatory acts by extremists such as burning a copy of the Holy Quran and publishing offensive images of the Prophet Mohamed AIRA decided to launch a campaign targeting those who do not speak Arabic, Ayad said, adding that the campaign aims to show the greatness and tolerance of Islam and how it teaches its followers to deal with others with grace and integrity. It aims to acquaint foreigners with Islam and its moderate approach that does not tolerate violence, he said, adding that he hopes that this will end extremism.

The campaign aims at correcting any misconceptions about Islam for non-Muslims as well as Muslims who do not understand the essence of Islam, Ayad said.This misconception causes some members of both sides to act in ways that are offensive to Muslims and their sanctities.

While AIRA may be a good initiative,professor of International Media at Cairo UniversityIman Hosni says these issues should not be dealt with by seasonal campaigns that are a reaction to incidents. Instead there should be serious reform and long-term remedial strategies based on cultural and communicative dimensions, Hosni said.

Ever since Samuel Huntingtons theory about the clash of civilisations appeared, an ideological war started in some Western countries against Islam as they think it will compete with their civilisation, so it has nothing to do with religion, she said, adding that some of them are secular societies that have a long history of using holy violence while all religions promote love and peace.

According to Hosni, the real problem is that there is no real revision of religious dialogue in Islam while other religions have already revised their dialogues and have condemned parts of them.This is taken by some parties as a pretext to generalise, discriminate and act violently.

Therefore, she says, the media should be subjective. We behave as victims and even our media coverage is superficial and focuses on the emotional side, using the same stereotypes when covering religious issues while it should focus on the common humane side between religions. Some Western news channels are constantly spreading collective hatred of Islamic identity. It is in the hands of Muslims to change their present state and defend Islam through their media.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 17 September, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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The trial of the first police officer charged with murder in Western Australia in more than 90 years will be heard in Perth after an application for it to take place in Geraldton failed.

The officer was charged over the death of a 29-year-old Aboriginal woman, who her family asked be referred to as 'JC'.

Bernadette Clarke wrapped with an Aboriginal flag with her sister's photo. Credit:Marta Pascual Juanola

The woman died on September 17, 2019, after she was shot in the stomach by the first class constable, whose identity has been suppressed by the courts.

The man was one of a number of police officers called to reports of the woman acting erratically on a Geraldton street following a triple-zero call made by her sister asking for help.
A 28-year-old Belgian man, accused of kidnapping his girlfriend and holding her captive in a remote farmhouse in Mijas, was on Tuesday sent to prison without bail, pending trial.

He is under investigation for alleged offences of illegal detention and ill-treatment.

The apparent victim of these crimes was located by the Guardia Civil following a joint operation with Belgian police which was triggered last Wednesday when the woman took advantage of a brief moment of freedom to call her brother in her home country, appealing for help.

She told him that she was being held in a remote building against her will, according to sources close to the case.

The brother then called the police in Belgium who then made contact with their counterparts in Spain. As a result, the local Guardia Civil patrol in Mijas was mobilised.

While the woman didn't know the exact location of this farmhouse, she told her brother that she was inland from Las Lagunas, around five or six kilometres in a straight line from the coast.

The Guardia Civil acted quickly, having been informed that the suspect had been consuming "a lot" of drugs and could be suffering from some kind of mental pathology. Officers combed the area and eventually tracked the distress call to a farmhouse in an isolated area of Mijas.

When they knocked on the door, they presumed kidnapper opened the door. Inside, in a room, was the girl. When she was found, her body was covered in bruises. Her left eye was swollen, and she had cuts on her arms and face, according to sources consulted.

Although she was not handcuffed, it would appear that she was unable to leave because her boyfriend had threatened her with further violence.

The man was immediately taken into custody while the woman confirmed in a statement that she had been held in the property against her will.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 16:48:28|Editor: huaxia

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JINAN, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- A total of 10 people went missing after a fishing boat was hit and sank off the southwest coast of Dalian, northeast China's Liaoning Province, early Friday, according to the Beihai rescue bureau of the Ministry of Transport.

Rescue forces have rushed to the scene and are searching for the missing persons. Enditem
You might have noticed that some of Google's apps can be used as "stalkerware," as stated in its Play Store policy. However, the company clarified that it was just an error.

Also Read: Researchers Claim Google Searches for Gut Symptoms are Related to Number of COVID-19 Cases and Show New Hot Spots

The Google Play Store currently suggests that some apps could be used to track people's spouses or partners. Campaigners say that tracking software is dangerous since it can facilitate domestic abuse and harassment of partners.

Also Read: Google's New Feature Prevents Unwanted Robocalls; 'Verified Calls' Will Inform You the Unknown Call's Reason

Google will update its policy, which will come in effect on Oct. 1. The latest version clearly states that Play Store apps will only allow users to track their children. However, they could not be used to spy on adults, such as a spouse, without the individuals' knowledge or permission.

According to Google's report, apps that are specifically marketed and designed for enterprise management or parental monitoring are the only ones allowed to be distributed on the Play Store. They also need to comply with the requirements fully.

Google's new policy requirements

1) Apps should not hide their tracking features and mislead users.

2) Apps must have unique icons and persistent notification that allow users to identify them clearly.

3) Users are responsible for knowing the app's legality in its targeted location. The apps will be removed if they are determined to be unlawful in areas they were published.

4) Apps should access or violate features, such as non-compliant APK hosted outside Google Play Store, that could violate the given terms.

5) Apps should not be defined as spying or secret surveillance solutions.

Also Read: Google Street May Have Accidentally Reveal Unwanted Things Inside Your House But There's A Way To Blur The Image

Google's correction for its policy comes during a broader campaign to prevent stalkerware. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) explained that these apps are usually marketed to suspicious partners, allowing them to spy on their spouses.

The apps are also designed to fool the users, making them believe they're not being spied on. EFF added that the surveillance apps could give way to gender-based and domestic violence, as well as sexual abuse and harassment.

Google also updated its misrepresentation and gambling apps' policies, stating that coordinated action that hides an app or content's origin violates its policies. You can check the full update version by visiting support.google.com.

For more news updates about Google apps, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Also Read: Google Meet: How to Change Layout with 49-person Grid View

This article is owned by TechTimes,

Written by: Giuliano de Leon.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A doctor from Hassan became the 42nd medical practitioner from a private hospital to die of Covid in the state on Wednesday. Yet, his family will receive no compensation under the Centres Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package Insurance Scheme for health workers fighting Covid-19 because private doctors are not eligible for it.

This seems to be plight of private doctors in most states.

Follow latest updates on the Covid-19 pandemic here

Doctors ask why they should treat patients under the government quota in private hospitals if they are not insured.

This Union governments scheme provides an insurance cover of Rs 50 lakh to healthcare providers for accidental loss of life due to Covid-19 infection.

Despite the death of 13 government medical officers and 42 private hospital doctors due to Covid in Karnataka, according to data released by the Union health ministry as on September 15, only eight claims were received by New India Assurance Company Ltd (NIA), the company enlisted by the Centre.

Health Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Pandey told DH, Private medical officers are not covered under the scheme unless they are requisitioned by the government for Covid-related work.

For our (government) medical officers, families of deceased are yet to submit some papers. We will complete them in the next two days and submit claims, Pandey added.

A 65-year-old ENT surgeon worked for more than three decades in a reputed government hospital in Mysuru. His wife told DH, He started working in a clinic post retirement. During the pandemic, he got calls including from the DC that he shouldnt stop seeing patients.

He contracted Covid-19 in July and died in less than three weeks. Now, I have to take care of my daughter and son till my son graduates and finds a job. Arent private doctors too risking their lives? she questioned.

Dr Prakash A S (61) worked as a general physician and ran a private clinic for more than 30 years in KR Pet Taluk of Mandya district. His wife Reena D told DH he did not come home during the lockdown as he was seeing Covid patients and did not want to put his family at risk. He was diagnosed with Covid on July 26 and died after a day.

I am a housewife. I have a 24-year-old son who is still in college. How do I support both of us and my ageing mother? I have no source of income, she said.

While IMA chapters in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu have asked their respective state governments to extend the compensation scheme to private doctors, the Andhra Pradesh chapter says it has not made any such demand.

Dr Madhusudhana Sarma, president of the IMAs Vijayawada chapter told DH, We are not making any such compensation demand for private doctors operating in the private hospitals as they charge fees for their

services.

In Tamil Nadu, in addition to the Centres package, the state government too has announced a scheme for Rs 50 lakh, private doctors dont figure in either of them. IMA Tamil Nadu president Dr C N Raja said, We want the state to compensate private doctors too because they laid down their lives fighting coronavirus.

Kerala, however, has reported no death of private healthcare professionals.

Though private doctors in West Bengal are not discriminated against, there is an inordinate delay in disbursing the compensation. In Bihar, even government doctors yet to receive compensation.

Plea to CM

On September 4, the Karnataka state branch of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) asked the CM to extend the government insurance to private doctors treating Covid patients.

Dr Madhusudan Kariganuru, president, IMA-Karnataka, told DH that he had sent a list of 42 deceased doctors to the health commissioner seeking compensation but is yet to receive a response.

Even doctors treating Covid patients in their own clinics are being exposed to the infection. We have asked for their inclusion too but the government is firm with its riders in insurance guidelines. We should at least have a term insurance where the government pays 50% of the premium, he said.

(With inputs from Mrityunjay Bose, E T B Sivapriyan, Abhay Kumar, Prasad Nichenametla, Arjun Raghunath and Soumya Das)
The airline that moves the most passengers at Malaga Airport, Ryanair, has modified its flight schedule for October, reducing its capacity by an extra 20 per cent.

The flights previously planned for next month were already 20 per cent down on last year's capacity and the airline expects seats on sale to amount to around 40 per cent of last year's offer.

Whiel the airline has not explained how the cuts will affect each airport, it has said that the move is necessary due to "damage caused to forward bookings by continuous changes in EU government travel restrictions and policies, many of which are introduced at short notice".

The airline expects to fill more than 70% of its seats within the new reduced schedule. It said however, If current trends and EU governments mismanagement of the return of air travel and normal economic activity continue, then similar capacity cuts may be required across the winter period,

The airline resumed flights to the Costa del Sol on 1 July after cancelling its spring schedule due to the Covid-19 lockdown.

Last year Ryanair flew nearly five million passengers to and from Malaga Airport.
Israel has gone back into full lockdown to try to contain a coronavirus outbreak that has steadily worsened for months as the country's government has been plagued by indecision and infighting.

The three-week lockdown, which began at 2 pm local time (1100 GMT), will require the closure of many businesses and sets strict limits on movement and public gatherings.

The closures coincide with the Jewish High Holidays - which include the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur holidays - when people typically visit their families and gather for large prayer services.

Israel is the first developed country to return to a full lockdown amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The new rules came into force on Friday, just before the Jewish High Holidays, which begin at sundown

Under the new lockdown rules, people must remain within 0.6 miles of their homes unless they are shopping for food or medicine or working in a location that is closed to the public

The Israeli military has been called in to help police officers, like the one above, and other security forces implement the new lockdown restrictions across the country

Israel has reported a total of more than 175,000 cases since the outbreak began, including at least 1,169 deaths. It is now reporting around 5,000 new cases a day, one of the highest per capita infection rates in the world

In an address late on Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that even stricter measures may be needed to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed.

Israel currently has more than 46,000 active cases, with at least 577 of those individuals hospitalised in a serious condition.

'It could be that we will have no choice but to make the directives more stringent,' Netanyahu said.

'I will not impose a lockdown on the citizens of Israel for no reason, and I will not hesitate to add further restrictions if it is necessary.'

Under the new lockdown rules, nearly all businesses open to the public will be closed.

People must remain within 1 kilometre (0.6 miles) of home, but there are several exceptions, including shopping for food or medicine, going to work in a business that's closed to the public, attending protests and even seeking essential pet care.

Israel has reported a total of more than 175,000 cases since the outbreak began, including at least 1,169 deaths. It is now reporting around 5,000 new cases a day, one of the highest per capita infection rates in the world.

Speaking on Thursday night before the new lockdown was announced, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that such a measure might be necessary to prevent hospitals from becoming overwhelmed.

Coronavirus case numbers in Israel have been steadily rising for months. The country currently has more than 46,0000 active cases. At least 577 of these cases are hospitalised in a serious condition

Israel began easing its first lockdown in early May. Aside from a large spike in August, deaths from the virus have risen steadily since mid-June

Israel was among the first countries to impose sweeping lockdowns this spring, sealing its borders, forcing most businesses to close and largely confining people to their homes. That succeeded in bringing the number of new cases down to only a few dozen per day in May.

But then the economy abruptly reopened, and a new government was sworn in that has been paralysed by infighting.

In recent months authorities have announced various restrictions only to see them ignored or reversed even as new cases soared to record levels.

People were still out and about in the Israeli capital Tel Aviv on Friday, prior to the lockdown being announced at 2pm local tim 1100GMT. The country has seen its number of cases steadily worsen over the last few months

Traffic is stopped and people hurry home in Jerusalem as the lockdown measures are announced. Israel's hospitals have been greatly strained by the coronavirus pandemic, which has also put pressure on health systems in the occupied West Bank and Gaza

Many businesses, already struggling from the first lockdown, have been forced to close their doors again. The prior lockdown caused an economic crisis that Israel has yet to recover from, with many people losing their jobs

The occupied West Bank has followed a similar trajectory, with a spring lockdown largely containing its outbreak followed by a rise of cases that forced the Palestinian Authority to impose a 10-day lockdown in July.

The PA has reported more than 30,000 cases in the West Bank and around 240 deaths.

The Gaza Strip - which has been under an Israeli-Egyptian blockade since the militant group Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007 - was initially insulated from the pandemic.

But authorities detected community spread last month and there are now more than 1,700 active cases in the impoverished territory of 2 million, straining its already fragile health system. At least 16 people have died.

The insular ultra-Orthodox community - among which infection rates have been high - is concerned about how the lockdown will affect religious practices, particularly during the Jewish High Holiday when family gatherings and religious meetings are more frequent

Netanyahu's government has faced long-running protests and withering criticism over its handling of the pandemic. Hundreds of people gathered in Tel Aviv on Thursday night to oppose the new lockdown, including doctors and scientists who said it would be ineffective

In Israel, the government has come under withering criticism for its response to the virus and the economic crisis triggered by the earlier lockdown.

Netanyahu, who is also on trial for corruption, has been the target of weekly protests outside his official residence.

Israel's insular ultra-Orthodox community, which has a high rate of infection, has also been up in arms about the restrictions, especially those targeting religious gatherings.

In the Israeli Tel Aviv, hundreds of people protested the renewed lockdown on Thursday, including doctors and scientists who said it would be ineffective.

Dr. Amir Shahar, head of an emergency department in the city of Netanya and one of the organisers of the demonstration, said the lockdown is 'disastrous' and would do 'more harm than good.'
DEC CMS transcosmos developed and added the LINE messaging feature on "DEC CMS," so that clients can integrate their admin screen, manage content centrally, and deliver one-to-one communication by using the same user attributes across channels.

transcosmos inc. hereby announces that the company has released a new LINE messaging feature on "DEC CMS," its proprietary SaaS digital marketing platform. The new feature helps clients deliver consistent corporate messages across channels, and solve challenges they face in delivering cross-channel customer communication.

With over 84 million users, LINE is becoming an essential communication tool in our daily lives as a social infrastructure, and now it is also becoming a significant marketing channel for businesses to build solid customer engagement. Yet, most companies use a different tool for their website operations, meaning they need to manage two different admin screens, one for sending LINE messages and the other for operating their websites, the ultimate landing page and one of their customer touchpoints. This dual management process has been posing a challenge for businesses to manage their users across channels effectively and consistently. (*Source: Line Inc. research on LINE app monthly active user counts as of the end of June, 2020)

Recognizing this, transcosmos developed and added the LINE messaging feature on "DEC CMS," its powerful platform that assists clients in operating their websites. With the new feature, "DEC CMS" enables clients to integrate their admin screen, manage content centrally, and deliver one-to-one communication by using the same user attributes across channels, thereby helping clients increase operational efficiency and maximize marketing performance.

In addition, by connecting Form, My Page and other the existing features of "DEC CMS" with LINE, the upgraded "DEC CMS" makes it easier for clients to achieve the following initiatives at speed. Ultimately, the platform helps clients take their marketing activities to the next level, and accelerate and automate the processes.



Create a questionnaire page that users can fill out on LINE, and deliver segmented messages based on user attributes gained from the questionnaire.

Auto-send messages when you post content on your website that fits user's preference.

Auto-send messages based on the changes made to user information and status on My Page (shown after user logs in).

Auto-send messages when you update information on products and services that users have registered on your website as their favorites.

Show personalized key visuals an banners on your website according to the banner that the user tapped on LINE message.

(For more details, visit here (Japanese only): https://centerpin-tci.com/deccms)

transcosmos will continue to build a closer partnership with Acquia, the company that delivers "Acquia Open Digital Experience Platform," on which DEC CMS is built. With the aim of offering a pleasant environment for users, transcosmos will develop and deliver higher quality services at a greater speed than ever before, and drive platform strategy in the Japanese digital marketing sector by leveraging the combined strengths of the two companies.

 About Acquia

Acquia is the open digital experience platform that enables organizations to build, host, analyze and communicate with their customers at scale through websites and digital applications. As the trusted open source leader, we use adaptive intelligence to produce better business outcomes for CX leaders. To learn more, visit acquia.com.

transcosmos is a trademark or registered trademark of transcosmos inc. In Japan and other countries.

Other company names and product or services names used here are trademarks or registered trademarks of respective companies.

About transcosmos inc.

transcosmos launched its operations in 1966. Since then, we have combined superior "people" with up-to-date "technology" to enhance the competitive strength of our clients by providing them with superior and valuable services. transcosmos currently offers services that support clients' business processes focusing on both sales expansion and cost optimization through our 168 bases across 30 countries/regions with a focus on Asia, while continuously pursuing Operational Excellence. Furthermore, following the expansion of e-commerce market on the global scale, transcosmos provides a comprehensive One-Stop Global E-Commerce services to deliver our clients' excellent products and services in 48 countries/regions around the globe. transcosmos aims to be the "Global Digital Transformation Partner" of our clients, supporting the clients' transformation by leveraging digital technology, responding to the ever-changing business environment.

https://www.trans-cosmos.co.jp/english/
The Texas Supreme Court on Friday extended its emergency order restricting in-person court proceedings to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The order continues the suspension of jury trials and other in-person proceedings put in place in mid-March because of the pandemic. It replaces a previous order that was set to expire Oct. 1.

Top hits: Get San Antonio Express-News stories sent directly to your inbox

The new order prohibits all in-person trials and hearings until Dec. 1 in justice of the peace and municipal courts, which handle low-level misdemeanors, small claims, code enforcement cases and other matters.

The order is more flexible with regard to district, county and probate courts, which hear criminal and civil cases. In those courts, resumption of in-person proceedings is allowed subject to approval by the local administrative judge in that county and the regional presiding judge.

The order is consistent with a plan to resume proceedings in Bexar County courts in stages beginning in November, said Judge Ron Rangel, administrative judge for the countys civil and district courts.

On ExpressNews.com: Its truly a new age  Bexar County administrative judge plans for virtual jury trials in October; in person in January

Rangel, presiding judge of the 379th state District Court, prepared the three-part reopening plan.

It calls for phasing in court proceedings starting with virtual civil trials beginning Nov. 2. In most cases, both sides would have to consent to having their cases decided via Zoom or similar technology.

Rangels plan also provides for conducting some virtual civil trials on a compulsory basis  that is, judges would have discretion to order litigants to participate remotely.

As the Texas Supreme Court permits it, Ill allow individual judges to do so as they see fit, Rangel said.

As for in-person trials, Rangel said district and county courts would be allowed to conduct jury trials with all participants physically present as the totality of community health factors dictates.

Rangel said he anticipated that would be no sooner than Jan. 4, the first Monday of the new year.

The latest Supreme Court order essentially adopts recommendations made earlier this month by the states Office of Court Administration. The OCAs 28-page report provided step-by-step guidance as to how the states 254 counties could seat juries safely.

Rangel said he intends to submit his reopening plan next week to Judge Sid Harle, who oversees the 4th Administrative Judicial Region, a 22-county area that includes Bexar.

On ExpressNews.com: In a first, Bexar County will attempt to seat a jury via Zoom video conference

Since the pandemic struck, jury trials in civil and criminal cases have been conducted remotely under the high courts emergency orders in 20 cases statewide  none of them in Bexar County.

On Monday, Civil District Judge Antonia Toni Arteaga was to begin hearing the countys first virtual civil trial on a pilot basis, to lay the groundwork for the broader reopening envisioned in Rangels plan.

In late July, the county sent out about 200 jury summonses. Arteaga remotely swore in a jury panel, from which a trial jury was to be selected to hear a case via Zoom. But in the end, no attorneys were willing to have their cases decided remotely.

Rangel said the jury panel was released from service Friday morning.

Its just not the right time, Arteaga said. We are optimistic we will have another in December.

Elizabeth Zavala covers county and state courts in San Antonio. To read more from Elizabeth, become a subscriber. ezavala@express-news.net | Twitter: @elizabeth2863
TORONTO: Canada is extending the agreement to keep the U.S. border closed to non-essential travel to Oct. 21 during the coronavirus pandemic.

Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said Friday they will continue to base the decision on the best public health advice available to keep Canadians safe.

The restrictions were announced on March 18 and have been extended each month since.

Many Canadians fear a reopening. The U.S. has more confirmed cases and deaths from COVID-19 than any country in the world.

Canada is seeing an uptick in cases in recent weeks. Canada largest province, Ontario, reported 401 new cases on Friday.

Essential cross-border workers like healthcare professionals, airline crews and truck drivers are still permitted to cross. Truck drivers are critical as they move food and medical goods in both directions. Much of Canadas food supply comes from or via the U.S.

Americans who are returning to the U.S. and Canadians who are returning to Canada are also exempted from the border closure.

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
ConverseBy JACQUELINE LAUREAN YATES, ABC News



(NEW YORK) -- Converse is celebrating Latin Heritage Month with its latest line of kicks that draw inspiration from Puerto Rican, Dominican and Mexican cultures.



The "Mi Gente" capsule collection includes festive versions of the brand's classic Chuck 70 and Chuck Taylor All Star sneakers.



"Created for and by the community, a series of Chuck Taylor All Star styles aim to honor the stories that represent the diversity, duality and vibrancy of LatinX Heritage, in their home countries, the United States and beyond," the footwear company wrote in a statement further speaking to the launch.



Out of the four sneakers featured, the black and white Chuck 70's have the words "Mi Gente!," which translates to "my people" in English, printed all over.



The All Star sneakers featured share stories of rich heritage through vibrant designs. One hi-top pick has white ruffles stitched throughout which is inspired by stories of the traditional style of skirts commonly worn by Puerto Rican Bomba dancers. There's also accompanying apparel with similar style sleeves available in white or orange.



Another shoe dedicated to the Dominican Republic is a nod to the Mirabel Sisters who were also known as the "Mariposas." Patria, Minerva and Maria Teresa Mirabal were revolutionaries who became symbols of democratic and feminist resistance due to their opposition to dictatorship under Rafael Trujillo (El Jefe).



The idea of the "Mi Gente" capsule collection was the result of passionate designers with the aim of shedding light on their heritage through the canvas of Converse sneakers, the company said.



Los Angeles-based Ruth Mora's work on the collection was inspired by the graffiti and murals that serve as a paramount part of LA street culture.



"Mi Gente for me starts first at home," said Mora in a statement. "That's the first thing that comes to my mind, I feel at home with not just my family, but I feel like Mi Gente, is people that make you feel warm and at home regardless of whether you know them or not. So, I really like that sense of togetherness that our culture has."



In addition to the latest capsule, Converse is also partnering with organizations supporting Latino communities throughout 2020 in Boston and Los Angeles. There, efforts will be specifically focused on creativity and civic leadership for young women and girls.



Also starting this month, the brand has commissioned a grassroots community of creatives to contribute murals in Mexico, Peru, Chile and Brazil to bring the idea of Mi Gente! to life on the streets.



Copyright  2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Like most Americans, I didnt watch President Trumps town hall on Tuesday night. I was too busy doing anything else.

Two days later, I capitulated and watched it on demand. Five minutes later, Joe Bidens town hall began. The contrast was startling.

Unlike Trump  who sat during his town hall  Biden stood during his, as if the national anthem were playing. Trump looked lumpish and sounded confused. Biden looked spirited and sounded human. He was lucid, informed and affable  almost superhuman.

As Rick Wilson pointed out, Trump makes Biden seem like Demosthenes. Indeed, Biden uttered more complete sentences in one night than Trump has in his entire presidency. When Trump talks about vaccines, he sounds like an infomercial host peddling miraculous crystals that cure depression and hair loss. When Biden talks about vaccines, he sounds like someone who has studied them. This is not to say he was flawless. He got some facts wrong  Trump didnt hold a Bible upside down at Lafayette Square  but he got the tone right.

Trump's biggest problem  himself

Trump, who claims to speak for real Americans, was visibly uncomfortable speaking with real Americans. These were undecided voters, not sycophants or Fox News hosts, and persuading undecided voters to support Trump at this point  amid a pandemic and a recession  is harder than selling asbestos to them.

Former Vice President Joe Biden has increased his lead over President Donald Trump in a new poll.

Demagogues become popular because they talk about things that matter to people. In 2016, Trump talked about immigration, the opioid crisis and political correctness  things that no one else was talking about. This year, hes talking about things that no one cares about: Confederate flags, Goodyear tires and his Twitter account. Hes a demagogue increasingly disconnected from the demos.

Unlike in 2016, Trump cant afford to talk about the countrys biggest problems because hes primarily responsible for them. When he talks about problems, he denies theyre problems. He tells sick people theyre healthy and unemployed people that the economy is booming. To appeal to voters, he has to lie to them, and on Tuesday he lied to their masked faces.

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Black Lives Matter debate: I'm a Democrat who worked with police for 28 years. I wish everyone knew them like I did.

To a woman suffering from an inflammatory disease called sarcoidosis who was worried about losing her health insurance, Trump told her he would not hurt preexisting conditions, which must have come as a relief to her sarcoidosis.

How would he protect people with preexisting conditions?

What were doing is, were going to be doing a health care plan. Preexisting  protecting people with preexisting conditions. As an example, yourself. It sounds like thats exactly perfect. Thats exactly what were talking about. Were going to be doing a health care plan very strongly and protect people with preexisting conditions.

It would be inaccurate to describe that as word salad. Salads are good for your health.

Misleader in chief

Campaigns are not about plans. Theyre about connecting with voters, which Trump so far has failed to do. He has no health care plan and no empathy. Rather than feeling your pain, Trump wants you to feel his.

He blamed China for the pandemic and Democrats for everything else. After lambasting Democrat-run cities, he called himself the president of everybody. He sounded like the president of nobody.

We are run by a group of incompetent people, and they are destroying our country, Trump said in 2015. He spoke five years too soon.

America is in worse shape now than it was when Trump said it was in the worst shape it had ever been. The unemployment rate is 8.4%. It was 4.7% when Trump took office in January 2017. Also, nearly 198,000 Americans have died from COVID. Unsurprisingly, the United States is less respected in much of abroad than it has ever been, according to a new Pew survey.

The Backstory: What our health journalists want you to know about the coronavirus vaccine

Defending his record, Trump said, I get things done like nobodys ever gotten. He argued that some people are doing better than they were doing before the pandemic came, which is true. Technically, Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump are people.

On the pandemic, Trump said hes done a tremendous job and complained that people werent giving him more credit. Trump said that if it hadnt been for him, there would be two million deaths instead of nearly 200,000. He blamed the deaths not on the virus but on tests of the virus. If we wouldnt do testing, he said, you wouldnt have cases. Presumably this is how Trump never contracted STDs.

Weve done a really good job, and we didnt mislead anybody, the president said, intending to mislead everybody.

Asked why he downplayed the coronavirus in February and March, the Misleader of the People said he up-played it. And also that he downplayed it. I dont want to scare people. I dont want to make people panic, said the same president who warned that Biden will let terrorists roam free and abolish the American way of life.

He also said, four times, that the coronavirus is going to disappear. Referring to no evidence whatsoever, he added, Without a vaccine it will go away quickly.

With any luck, so will he.

Windsor Mann, a member of USA TODAYs Board of Contributors, is the editor of The Quotable Hitchens: From Alcohol to Zionism and a senior adviser to the Lincoln Project. Follow him on Twitter: @WindsorMann.

You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. To respond to a column, submit a comment to letters@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump, Joe Biden town halls: Supervillian vs. superhuman
A 40-year-old Worcester man who used to be a kindergarten teacher in Holyoke has been sentenced to six years in prison for possession of child pornography, authorities said.

Gregory Lisby was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman to the six years in prison as well as five years of supervised release, according to the office of Andrew Lelling, the U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts. In February, Lisby pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography.

Lisby resigned from his position with the Holyoke Public Schools on Sept. 12, 2019, the day before he was arrested and charged, officials said. He wrote to the district that he had been accused of an awful crime.

Lisby was the rector of All Saints Episcopal Church in Worcester from 2015 to 2018. Last year, FBI agents raided the rectory of St. Lukes Episcopal Church, where Lisby lived at the time with his husband, the churchs reverend.

Authorities found about 180 images and 15 videos of child pornography uploaded to a Microsoft OneDrive account that belonged to Lisby, Lellings office said in a statement.

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Thursdays directive by the Nigerian government for account holders in financial institutions to complete a new self-certification form is not for all bank customers, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and tax experts have clarified.

The Nigerian government through its verified handle, @NigeriaGov, had directed all account holders in financial institutions, including banks and insurance companies to obtain, complete and submit the forms to enable financial institutions in Nigeria carry out due diligence in line with extant tax regulations.

Since the announcement, Nigerians have expressed anger over the latest requirement, with most commentators on social media saying it was one requirement too many in view of several such directives previously issued to Nigerians for identification purposes.

Commentators said such was not necessary as Nigerians were already verified through their Bank Verification Numbers (BVN) and other biometric exercises like the drivers license, national identity card numeration, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) voters card and registration, and international passport.

FIRS clarifies

But, the FIRS in a clarification through its verified twitter handle, @firsNigeria, said the requirement was neither for all Nigerians nor for all account holders.

The FIRS said the form is required to be completed by customers of financial institutions who maintain accounts in countries and tax jurisdictions other than Nigeria, for tax and anti-money laundering monitoring purposes.

This is to clarify that the publication for financial institutions account holders in Nigeria to complete the self-certification form, pursuant to the Income Tax (Common Reporting Standard) Regulations 2019 which is for the fulfilment of Automatic Exchange of Information Requirements.

The Self Certification form is basically to be administered on Reportable persons holding accounts in Financial institutions that are regarded as Reportable Financial Institutions under the CRS (Common Reporting Standard).

Reportable persons are often non-residents and other persons who have residence for tax purposes in more than one jurisdiction or Country. Financial Institutions are expected to administer the Self Certification form on such account holders when information at its disposal indicates that the Account holder is a person resident for tax purpose in more than one jurisdiction.

The information that indicates an account holder is a resident for tax purposes in more than one jurisdiction, is expected to be available to Financial Institutions during account opening processes for the KYC (know your customer) and AML (Anti-money laundering) purpose, the FIRS said on Friday.

Tax expert explains

Giving further clarification on the issue, the West Africa Tax Leader, PricewaterCoopers (PwC) Nigeria, Taiwo Oyedele, hailed the exchange of information initiative by the government, saying it would enable the government to obtain information from other countries regarding financial information about Nigerian residents.

In exchange, the Nigerian government must provide information about persons in Nigeria who are tax residents in other jurisdictions to the relevant countries, he said.

Mr Oyedele, who is also the Fiscal Policy Partner in PwC, however, expressed disappointment that the federal government could not communicate the information to Nigerians more effectively through a more simplified process.

A simple analogy is like asking everyone to make a self-declaration so that the government can determine how many Nigerians have attended a foreign university onsite when a simple information filtering will show that we need not bother 99% of Nigerians about it.

The mere fact that government is asking Nigerians to provide this declaration is a reflection that the country poorly handles data management. The same reason why many countries were able to easily administer palliatives to their citizens during this pandemic and we couldnt, he said.

In the case of corporate accounts, he said the exercise is required to determine the beneficial ownership and control also for reporting purposes. He said the form is for controlling persons, that is, individuals who control 25 per cent or more of the interest in a company, a trustee, settlor or beneficiary of a trust.

Previous communications with taxpayers

The FIRS had earlier shared communications with taxpayers regarding the commencement of exchange of information with other countries.

We are delighted to inform you that the AEOI-CRS (Automatic Exchange of Information  Common Reporting Standards) System Portal has gone Live.

All Reporting Financial Institutions are expected to file reports on or before 30th September 2020.

The designated official of each Financial Institution is required to enrol on the AEOI-CRS System Portal, as a primary user, to enable the Financial Institution, file its CRS reports.

To enrol as a Primary user and have access to related AEOI-CRS documents, please visit the FIRS website and navigate the menu tab on Automatic Exchange of Information.
A 90-minute COVID-19 test has been shown to have over 94 per cent sensitivity, and 100 per cent specificity in a new study.

The work, published in the journal The Lancet Microbe, was ledby scientists from Imperial College London.

In the research, the high-speed tests, which do not require a laboratory and can be performed in cartridges smaller than a mobile phone, were used on 386 NHS staff and patients.

The Lab-in-Cartridge rapid testing device, which can be performed at a patient's bedside, was shown to have over 94% sensitivity and 100% specificity, which meant it had a high level of accuracy and produced very few false negatives and no false positives.

The test is currently being used successfully across eight London hospitals, and due to be rolled out at a national level, and data continues to be gathered from the testing device for continual assessment. The UK government recently placed an order for 5.8 million of the testing kits.

To perform the test, a paediatric-sized nose swab from a patient is inserted into the device, which then looks for traces of genetic material belonging to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19.

A result is available within 90 minutes, compared to conventional COVID-19 testing which delivers a result in 24 hours. The test is now being developed for assessing simultaneously Flu-A, Flu-B, and RSV as well as COVID19.

These results suggest the test, which can be performed at a patient's bedside without the need to handle any sample material, has comparable accuracy to standard laboratory testing. Many tests involve a trade-off between speed and accuracy, but this test manages to achieve both. Developing an effective bedside test in under three months has been an incredible collaboration between teams of engineers, clinicians and virologists." Graham Cooke, Study Lead Author and Professor, Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London

The device, produced by DnaNudge, an Imperial start-up headquartered in White City, was used on 280 NHS staff members with suspected COVID-19, 15 patients in A&E with suspected COVID-19, and 91 hospital in-patients (some of who were not displaying COVID-19 symptoms).

The samples from all individuals in the study were analysed on both the rapid-testing device, called the CovidNudge test, and standard hospital laboratory equipment - and then the results compared.

The research team, which included scientists and clinicians from Imperial, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, DnaNudge,Chelsea & Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, assessed sensitivity and specificity.

Sensitivity is a measure of how well a test gives a positive result for people who have disease, and is an indication of how likely a test will produce false negative results. Specificity, on the other hand, is a measure of a test's ability to give a negative result for a people who don't have the disease, and is an indication of the likelihood of false positive results.

The percentage of those found to be positive for COVID-19 was 18 per cent (the study was conducted in the peak of COVID-19). The results showed 67 samples tested positive on the CovidNudge test, compared with 71 positive results against a range of NHS standard laboratory machines,which represents the value of 94 per cent sensitivity.

The study was supported by the National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre.

Regius Professor Chris Toumazou, CEO and co-founder of DnaNudge and founder of theInstitute of Biomedical Engineeringat Imperial, said: "The DnaNudge test was developed as a lab-free, on-the-spot consumer service that can be delivered at scale,so we clearlybelieve it offers very significant potentialin terms ofmasspopulation testing during theCOVID-19 pandemic."

"The platform is well suited to testing in primary care and community settings with potential for use in non-healthcare settings such as care homes, schools, transport hubs, offices, and, to help bring the arts back, in theatres and venues. However, further studies of real-world effectiveness in non-clinical settings would be required prior to widespread deployment."

The research team add the device recently obtained a CE mark, enabling its additional use in non-clinical locations (it has been previously approved by the UK Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency).

The team explain each device is wi-fi enabled, allowing the test result to be securely sent to a hospital's record system.

Testing for this study took place between 10th April and 12th May at three NHS sites: St Mary's Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London; Chelsea & Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London and the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford.

Dr Bob Klaber, director of strategy, research and innovation at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust said. "As an organisation we are focused on using research and innovation to continuously drive improvements to care.

It's been brilliant to work so closely with scientists, clinicians and innovators from DnaNudge, Imperial CollegeLondonand the Trust, alongside many of our patients and staff, to assess the practicality and validity of this exciting test.

Getting accurate results back to clinicians and their patients as quickly as possible makes a huge difference to how we safely manage clinical pathways and we are very much looking forward torolling this out more widely."
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Three of the four Staten Island police precincts will have new bosses this coming Monday, including the 120th Precinct, which will be headed by Tania Kinsella, who returns to the borough after about two years of service in Brooklyn.

Kinsella, who was assigned to Police Service Area 1, serving the New York City Housing Authority developments in southern Brooklyn, will replace Isa Abassi.

Her intimate knowledge of the community, the police officers and crime conditions in the 120th Precinct, coupled with her impressive performance as the Commanding Officer of PSA 1, will allow for a smooth transition, NYPD Borough Commander Kenneth Corey said of Kinsella.

Timothy Wilson, of the 123rd Precinct, who was appointed to the South Shore Precinct in 2018, will become the commanding officer for the 122nd Precinct.

Wilson, a Staten Island resident, joined the NYPD in 1999, working at the 1st Precinct in Manhattan. He gradually climbed the ladder as a sergeant at the 72nd Precinct in Brooklyn, lieutenant at the 84th Precinct in Brooklyn, and captain at the 7th Precinct in Manhattan, before being assigned to Brooklyn North Narcotics, Advance records show.

I have the utmost confidence in his abilities," Corey said.

Wilson will replace Deputy Inspector Melissa Eger, who served in the New Dorp precinct for two years.

Eger will become the commanding officer of the 19th Precinct in Manhattan.

Deputy Inspector Eger is an exceptional leader, Corey said. In 2019, the 122nd Precinct achieved the largest reduction in major crimes of any precinct in the city. She has earned the respect of her officers and, more importantly, the community she has served for many years.

Captain Andrey Smirnov, who worked at the Brooklyn North Warrant Squad, will lead the 123rd Precinct.

Smirnov previously worked with Staten Island Narcotics and in the 120th Precinct, and his diverse experience will be greatly beneficial to his new assignment," Corey said.

The 121st Precinct will be the only Island precinct that will not see a change in command.

Capt. Bruce Ceparano, a 15-year veteran of the NYPD and a Staten Island resident, will remain in charge of the West Shore precinct, after being appointed in May 2019.
The Lok Sabha, through voice vote, passed two controversial legislations on Thursday-- The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020. The Lower House also passed Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill earlier.

The three bills will now be tabled in Rajya Sabha and become laws after the Upper House also passes them.

Moving the bills in the House, Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar assured all members that famers will be able to get better prices for their produce and the Minimum Support Price (MSP) procurement system will continue.

Also read: Farm bills: Farmers body announces three-day rail roko agitation in Punjab from September 24

Opposition parties including Congress, Trinamool Congress and Revolutionary Socialist Party opposed the bills on the grounds that they were anti-farmer. Meanwhile, minister of food processing industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigned over the passage of these bills.

Here is all you need to know:

1. According to the government, the reforms will accelerate agricultural growth through private sector investment in building agricultural infrastructure and supply chains for Indian farm produce in national and global markets.

2. The bills are aimed at creating employment opportunities and strengthening the economy.

3. Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said the bills will not override Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Acts of the states.

4. The bills will promote a barrier-free, inter-state and intra-state trade and commerce outside the physical premises of markets notified under State Agricultural Produce Marketing legislations, a government release said, calling the passage of these bills a historic-step in unlocking the regulated agriculture markets in the country.

5. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also praised the passage of bills and said they will free the farmers of middlemen and other bottlenecks.

Also read: President accepts Harsimrat Kaur Badals resignation, Narendra Singh Tomar assigned her portfolio

6. Farmers in Punjab have organised a three-day protest against the bills. They will stage a rail roko agitation across the state from September 24-26, a farmers body said. Despite reassurances from the government, farmers believe that the bills will render the current MSP procurement system ineffective, leaving them at the mercy of big farmers.

7. Harsimrat Kaur Badal, the only Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) representative in the Modi government, tendered her resignation as the Union minister for food processing industries to protest the anti-farmer bills. Her resignation was accepted on Friday by the President. Narendra Singh Tomar was given the charge of the food processing industries ministry.

8. SAD chief and Harsimrat Kaur Badals husband Sukhbir Singh Badal said that the party opposed the legislations but said it will continue to be a part of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Financial concerns and stress for some families continues growing during the ongoing pandemic.

Nonprofit and community organizations in Cy-Fair, such as Northwest Assistance Ministries and Cypress Assistance Ministries, have worked to fill in gaps for local families with food, school supplies, financial assistance and mental health services for all ages.

Q&A: Pandemic deals Cy-Fair Helping Hands tough blow

Food Assistance

Cypress Assistance Ministries, a nonprofit for low-income families in need of assistance is seeking donations and volunteers in order to continue providing to the local community.

In order to serve the people who find themselves in crisis we need the money to help them with their rent, mortgage or utilities, plus money to continue to pay the rent and utilities on our buildings and personnel costs, said Janet Ryan, director of development for Cypress Assistance Ministries. The community continues to be generous in their donations of food. CAMs greatest need at this time is money and volunteers.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Gov. Abbott loosens COVID restrictions on restaurants, businesses for most of Texas

CAM is also serving an extra ZIP code that lost their local assistance ministry, Bear Creek Ministries.

With BCM closed, people who are struggling in that area have no local ministry providing assistance, so CAM makes food available to that zip code, 77084, as well and that is the area demonstrating the most need, Ryan said.

CAM is also in need of financial donations to help clients with bills and food.

Families in the 77065, 77095, 77429, 77433 and 77084 ZIP codes can receive free food with an ID and proof of residence at the food pantry from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday-Friday. The CAM food pantry is located at 11265 Huffmeister Rd. in Cypress.

CAM is continuing to offer school supplies for CFISD students including backpacks. CAM will be giving the backpacks out Mon.-Fri. from 10 a.m. to noon. Families must bring a photo ID, proof of residence and school registration.

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/cypressassistance.

Cy-Fair Helping Hands, a nonprofit dedicated to homeless and low-income communities, is also providing food for Cy-Fair area families. On Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and the first and third Saturdays of the month Cy-Fair Helping Hands provides perishable and non-perishable foods from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. with a drive-thru model.

For more information, including how to donate, visit www.facebook.com/CYFAIRHELPINGHANDS.

Northwest Assistance Ministries, or NAM, serves hundreds of in-need families a week through their onsite food pantry with both nonperishable and perishable foods and is using a drive-thru model.

NAM is providing food assistance Monday-Friday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at their main building.

NAM is in need of food and financial donations. Frozen meat, fruit and vegetables, and canned and dry goods are needed for the food pantry.

Northwest Assistance Ministries has seen a consistent increase in requests for rent and food assistance, Chief Advancement Officer Brian Carr said. NAMs pantry is getting dangerously low on food. We are seeing a great need from the Greenspoint area and the zip codes nearest 77090.

NAM is holding another community food giveaway Tuesday, Sept. 22 at Ecopark-IAH, 16152 JFK Blvd, Houston, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. or until food runs out.

NAM is located at 15555 Kuykendahl Rd. in northwest Houston. For more information, visit www.namonline.org.

Financial services

NAM also provides financial assistance for clients needing help with bills or other expenses after losing their job due to COVID-19.

Because of the way our funding is structured, our advice to our clients is to use to use the unemployment (payments) for your utilities, for your prescriptions, for some groceries and allow us to subsidize the rent because we can make that one payment to the landlord and get that caught up, Carr said.

NAM has launched an online application process for rent and mortgage assistance, where applicants can submit all appropriate documents without visiting the nonprofit.

We are very proud of this client centered innovation to our client intake process, Carr said. We will be able to handle a hundred or more completed applications every Monday without the clients leaving the safety of their homes.

For more information, visit www.namonline.org.

The Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce has a community resources page, www.cyfairchamber.com/wearecyfair, where small businesses can apply for SBA loans, catch up on the most recent mandates on COVID-19 from the state government and individual instruction for navigating loan and benefits application.

The chamber of commerce also hosts community luncheons, committee meetings and seminars over Zoom, open to the public per an RSVP. For more information, visit www.cyfairchamber.com.

Mental health assistance

Shield Bearer counseling sessions are being held through remote teletherapy sessions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The nonprofit works with different financial situations to provide counseling for a variety of mental health challenges including grief, abuse, addictions and relationship issues.

According to the organizations Facebook page, Shield Bearer has experienced an increase in the demand for mental health services and is seeking financial donations to help the organization continue meeting clients needs.

For more information, visit www.shieldbearer.org.

Senior Pastor Floyd Smith with Igniting Gods Vision Ministry , a 19-year-old ministry in the Cy-Fair area, said the ministry has continued to operate the recently launched Turning Peer Pressure to Peer Power program and counseling for the local community.

Weve launched this ministry enough to where were already dealing with the issues they are struggling with, he said. Our goal is to save money to get our own building or land so well be able to bring them and go through the counseling process. My concern is on the counseling side and what people are going through at this time not only with the teens but also with the pandemic.

Cy-Hope also offers counseling and speech therapy both in-person and through telehealth. In-person appointments require clients to wear a mask, practice social distancing and wait in their car until the beginning of the appointment.

Cy-Hope is also planning another school supplies giveaway on Sept. 23, but details for the event are to be decided including the time and location.

To schedule an appointment, call 713-466-1360. For more information, visit www.cy-hopecounseling.org.

chevall.pryce@chron.com
FILE PHOTO: A man types on a computer keyboard in this illustration picture February 28, 2013. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/Illustration/File Photo/File Photo - Kacper Pempel/REUTERS

Prosecutors in Germany have launched a homicide investigation after a patient died when a hospital in Dusseldorf came under cyber attack.

The incident, which took place last week, is thought to be the first time a ransomware attack has resulted in a death.

The woman, who has not been named, was suffering from a life-threatening illness and was on her way to the Dusseldorf University Hospital for emergency treatment on September 10.

But the ambulance she was travelling in had to be diverted when the hospitals IT system was paralysed by hackers.

It was sent to a hospital in the neighbouring city of Wuppertal, some 20 miles away. The delay proved fatal for the woman, who died shortly after being admitted.

If confirmed, this tragedy would be the first case I know of, anywhere in the world, where the death of a human life can be linked in any way to a cyber attack, said Ciaran Martin, who stepped down as the head of Britains National Cyber Security Centre earlier this month.

The hackers behind the attack have yet to be identified but German prosecutors vowed to leave no stone unturned as they opened an investigation against them for negligent homicide.

Dusseldorf University Hospital is one of the largest and most prestigious medical centres in Germany, treating more than 50,000 inpatients a year.

Computer hacker or Cyber attack concept background - seksan Mongkhonkhamsao/Getty Images Contributor

But the hospital was paralysed last week when its IT system came under cyber attack. Hundreds of scheduled operations and other treatments had to be cancelled, and patients were diverted to other hospitals.

A blackmail letter was found on one of the hospitals servers telling administrators how to contact the hackers to get the system restored. It did not specify a ransom figure.

The letter was addressed to Dusseldorf University and authorities believe the hospital may have been targetted by mistake.

When police contacted the hackers using the method described in the letter and told them the attack had hit the hospital, the hackers immediately sent the decryption key without payment. But it was too late for the woman whose ambulance had been diverted to Wuppertal.

Story continues

The journey here took about half an hour longer than it would have to Dusseldorf. Unfortunately, the patient died immediately after being admitted to the hospital here in Wuppertal, Wolf-Tilman Baumert, a spokesman for prosecutors in Wuppertal said.

Although the IT system has been restored, it is still affected by glitches caused by the attack, and the hospital remains unable to accept patients brought by ambulance more than a week later.

Large IT systems are being targetted in increasingly sophisticated attacks by hackers who demand ransoms in untraceable virtual currencies such as Bitcoin to release them.

In this case, the hackers are believed to have gained access to the hospitals computers via a flaw in a Citrix virtual private network (VPN).

Arne Schoenbohm, the head of Germanys cyber-security agency, the Federal Office for Information Security, said the flaw had been known about since December last year and warned hospitals not to delay cyber security upgrades.

I can only urge you not to ignore or postpone such warnings but to take appropriate action immediately, he said. This incident shows once again how seriously this danger must be taken.

The case has been transferred to a specialist cybercrime unit in Cologne. If convicted of negligent homicide, those responsible could face up to five years in prison.
During the ministrys regular press conference in Hanoi on September 17, Hang said passengers eligible to enter Vietnam include Vietnamese citizens, foreigners holding diplomatic and official passports, experts, investors, corporate executives, skilled workers and their relatives, foreign students, and relatives of Vietnamese citizens from abroad.

To fulfil the task with a high level of safety, Vietnamese ministries and agencies have held working sessions with authorities abroad, as directed by the Prime Minister.

The spokesperson said flights linking Vietnam and Seoul, Tokyo, Taiwan (China), and Guangzhou (China) were planned to be launched on September 15, while those to and from Vientiane and Phnom Penh scheduled to start from September 22.

People who enter Vietnam on commercial flights after transiting a third country must strictly follow medical quarantine regulations in the country.

At the conference, the spokesperson also stated that Vietnam, as a member of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), is willing to share information about and its experience in participating in the pact with the UK if the latter is interested.

She noted that as far as she knows, the UK had held some discussions with CPTPP members over recent time.

Hang stressed that the CPTPP is a high-quality free trade agreement with comprehensive commitments to promoting economic-trade cooperation among member countries and trade liberalization towards open and rules-based trade in the region.

She underlined that CPTPP member countries have adopted procedures for joining the pact, and economies interested in the pact should meet its high standards and follow admission process.
BANFF, ALTA.The federal government says it is planning to remove an offensive name from a mountain in Banff National Park.

In a written statement to CTV News, officials say Ottawa is committed to reconciliation and renewed relationships with Indigenous peoples.

They say the offensive name of Stoney Squaw Mountain and trail has been a concern for Indigenous groups and Parks Canada for some time.

It adds that Indigenous groups in Alberta are working on formally proposing a new name.

The offensive word came from the Algonquin language and once simply meant woman, but the word has become a term to disparage Indigenous women.

The term has already been removed from the Parks Canada website and the statement says it will also be removed from any road signs, trailheads, maps and publications by the end of 2020.

Momentum is also building to rename another prominent landmark  known as Squaws Tit  on Mount Charles Stewart near Canmore.

Correction - Sept. 21, 2020: The photo caption accompanying this article was edited from a previous version. The mountain seen in the photo is Squaws Tit, not, Stoney Squaw Mountain.

Read more about:
(Israel Hayom and JNS staff via JNS)  Hamas deputy political chief Saleh al-Arouri said on Monday that due to recent events in the region, the terrorist organization and its political rival, Fatah, had agreed to join forces.

In an interview with Hezbollah-affiliated Al Mayadeen TV, Arouri said the Palestinian people had been stabbed in the back three times in recent months. The first betrayal, he said, was the Trump administrations Peace to Prosperity plan, the second was the Israeli sovereignty initiative and the third was the normalization agreement between Israel and the Un...
Despite being still hospitalized following a car accident that fractured his pelvis, Montgomery County Judge Mark Keough still took aim at Gov. Greg Abbott for not fully opening Texas during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

During a press conference Thursday, Abbott announced many businesses could expand capacity to 75 percent and for nursing homes to reopen for visitation. However, bars will remain closed for the foreseeable future.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Everything you need to know about Gov. Abbott's new COVID reopening plan for Texas

After allowing bars to reopen in mid-May, the governor closed bars again in late June as cases spiked. He said then that the move to reopen bars in May was premature. Abbott added bars are nationally recognized as COVID-spreading locations.

Officials with the Montgomery County Public Health District confirmed 106 new cases Thursday, noting 47 were cases that tested positive prior to Aug. 28. The total cases for the county is now 10,449 with 1,568 active.

The county also recorded its 135th death Thursday as a Conroe woman in her 70s died in the hospital. Officials noted she had other health condition in addition to testing positive to the virus. The total number of patients hospitalized, both county and noncounty, increased four to 51 with 14 of those in ICU.

Keough balked at Abbotts comments.

The actions he has taken today dont encourage personal responsibility at all, Keough posted to Facebook. We are still not open at 100 percent. While he will allow many economic sectors to return to 75 percent occupancy starting next week, that is not good enough!

MORE FROM CATHERINE DOMINGUEZ: Montgomery County judge pleads with Abbott to reopen Texas 100 percent

Keough went on the state 75 percent occupancy still implies 25 percent closed, which translates into 25 percent less workforce and so on.

Keough disagreed with the plan to keep bars shuttered.

This is devastating to their businesses and at this point it is irresponsible that the state cant find a way to give these businesses a fighting chance by letting them open to some degree, Keough stated. Seventy-five percent occupancy in a Walmart cant be any safer than 25 percent occupancy in a bar.

The latest reopening plans allow for restaurants, gyms, retailers, museums, libraries, manufacturers and office-based employers to increase capacity to 75 percent by Monday. Hospitals in the approved regions may also begin offering elective procedures and surgeries immediately.

TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

Beginning Sept. 24, Texas nursing homes and other long-term care facilities can reopen for visitation and other essential caregiver visits. These facilities must follow state health protocols to prevent an outbreak from occurring.

I wholeheartedly believe that Texans can make good safe choices for ourselves and our families, Keough stated. When it comes to social distancing, staying home when sick and avoiding crowds and utilizing a face mask when appropriate. There was talk today of personal vigilance and I want to encourage the governor to set us free and let us all make those choices for ourselves and exercise the personal vigilance he encouraged.

cdominguez@hcnonline.com
Concord Township is not alone in its rejection of allowing ballot drop boxes to be placed inside its municipal building.

At least one other municipality joins their ranks, and 20 others have yet to respond to the countys requests for similarly placed ballot boxes, all of which the Delaware County Board of Election hopes to have installed by Oct. 8.

Last month, Concord officials notified the county that they would not be participating in the program to install ballot boxes inside municipal buildings for a five-year period. In an issued statement released by Township Manager Amanda Serock, the given reason for that action was that no action had been taken on the license agreement at the township council meeting. It stated that no executive session was held to discuss the matter.

Although the Delaware County elections officials did not release the names of municipalities, Delaware County Elections Director Marianne Jackson addressed the issue at Thursdays county Board of Elections meeting. At it, she said 20 municipalities had agreed to the arrangement, 22 were pending and that two had declined and five that are unresponsive. She said election staff were in the process of doing site visits in locations where it had been accepted.

Although she did not name the municipalities in either grouping, a posting previously on a social media account associated with Delaware County Council listed Trainer as the other town rejecting the proposal.

My guess is that well be moving forward with  the installation of 40 to 42 of these drop boxes, she said.

Delaware County received a grant from the Center for Tech and Civic Life that allowed county council to purchase 50 drop boxes from American Security Cabinets for $152,562.50. The intention was to place on in every municipal building so that voters who had received their ballot by mail could place their completed ballots in these boxes on or before Election Day.

With the passage of Act 77 last year, the parameters for mail-in ballot have been widely expanded and with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many have utilized this method of voting.

Laureen T. Hagan, chief clerk of Delaware Countys Elections Bureau, reported that the county received approximately 86,000 mail-in and absentee ballots for the primary election. Comparatively, she said that the county has received more than 91,000 applications for mail-in voting for the general election, out of about 400,000 total registered voters. The deadline to apply for mail-in voting isnt until Oct. 27.

Election Board member James J. Byrne Jr., its sole Republican, asked if there was going to be signage on the boxes making it clear that only one ballot can be entered by one person.

From the security cameras, its going to be difficult to tell if somebody puts in one ballot or three ballots or five ballots, he said. Its like putting a sign up, I guess, that says, Dont rob a bank  to stop the bank robbery.

Jackson said there would be a decal placed on the box that explains voters can only submit their ballot into the box and no others.

In related matters, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled on several measures Thursday that would impact the election here in Delaware County.

First, it ruled that the Green Party presidential candidate, Howie Hawkins, did not correctly follow procedures to get onto the ballot, in effect removing his name from the ballot. That was the final outstanding issue postponing the certification of the ballot, which is needed prior to the ballots being printed.

And, because of the legal issue, the thousands who have applied for a mail-in ballot had yet to receive them, although election officials on Thursday said with this ruling they will be sent out soon.

Hold tight until the first week of October, you should see those ballots then if youve already applied, Hagan said.

In the second legal matter, county Solicitor William F. Martin explained that the court agreed that hand-delivered mail-in ballots could be accepted from drop boxes.

In addition, he said the court maintained that ballots postmarked on Election Day would have to be received by the United States Postal Service within three days of the election, or in this cycles case, by 5 p.m. Nov. 6. Those without postmarks but still received by Nov. 6 would also be counted, Martin said.

A departure from previous methods, the court ruled that a ballot absent its secrecy envelope would be disqualified and not counted.

Election Board Chairman Gerald Lawrence noted that the three-day extension isnt much time and that voter awareness around the change regarding ballots without secrecy envelopes.

In the past, we had counted those ballots so were going to have to make sure  that we do our best to inform voters of the importance of enclosing their ballots with the privacy envelope or else their vote is not going to count, he said.
Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Ghana, Ransford Gyampo has said the GH100,000 filing fee requested from presidential aspirants by the Electoral Commission for the upcoming December polls is only a test of their fundraising abilities.



According to him, raising such funds by persons with hopes of occupying the most superior position in the country must come with very little or no stress at all.



He believes amongst other things that soliciting funds to undertake developmental projects to run the country is one of the core functions of a President - the title all aspirants complaining would want to be called in the coming weeks.



I think that to be a President, one of the attributes, requirements and one of the track records wed have to look at before we give you mandate to govern is your ability to fundraise. You should be a fundraiser. If they say you should pay GH100,000, Im not sure theyre telling you to dip your hand in your pocket and pay, he proffered.



While many people have tagged the pegging of the said amount as an attempt by the Electoral Commission to sell the presidency to the highest bidder and also justify corruption, Prof Gyampo thinks otherwise.



In an interaction with GhanaWeb, Prof Gyampo said People have argued that GH100,000 is too much and that it may be a hindrance to participation and that it would ensure that only those who have are given the chance to contest. I understand that kind of argument but . . . my response is simple, participation and democracy come with rules and there are hurdles and hindrances that will always have to be jumped . . . 



He further explained that, If you want to be a President of Ghana if youre not 40 years you cannot contest and that should be a hinderance on its own . . . so there are always requirements and hinderances that would have to be crossed to demonstrate a certain seriousness . . . if youre a presidential hopeful worth your sort then you should be able to raise this fund.



Prof Gyampo maintains that the numerous complaints from some parties and other stakeholders are not substantive.

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.

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Outstanding foreigner contributions awarded 2020 Shanghai Magnolia Memorial Award

By:Zheng Qian | From:english.eastday.com | 2020-09-17 17:33

50 foreigners were awarded the 2020 Shanghai Magnolia Memorial Award on September 16 in recognition of their contributions to Shanghai.

Group photo of the winners of the 2020 Shanghai Magnolia Memorial Award .[Photo by Pan Jiandong]

Set up in 1989 by the Shanghai government, the Shanghai Magnolia Award is especially for foreigners dedicated to the citys economy and social development as well as foreign exchanges.

This years winners are from 19 countries, covering fields of trade, finance, technology, education, culture, health and friendly exchanges. When the coronavirus pandemic broke out in China, they helped the Chinese to fight against the disease through methods like donating, cross-border procurement and making technological breakthroughs.

Lutz Frankholz, managing director of the TUV Rheinland (Shanghai) Company is one of the recipients. The company joined the Alibaba Charity Fund during the Spring Festival and provided free services for the inspection of medical material qualifications both in China and from overseas.

After experiencing the outbreak of the pandemic in China and then the economic recovery, I have no regrets over my decision to move to Shanghai 8 years ago. Shanghai boasts a good business environment, first-class talent, strong government support and a harmonious international community. I believe Shanghai will continue to be prosperous, said Frankholz.

Kazuto Daimon, president of YKK (China) Investment, is quite honored to be awarded.When the pandemic broke out, the Shanghai government gave us lots of support in taxation relief to help us recover. Up to now, the revenue is expected to exceed that of the previous year, so I am confident with Shanghais economy, said Daimon.

Andrew Wu, LVMH Group president of Greater China, said that being awarded encourages him to further build Shanghais fashion industry.I learned from this awards ceremony that people from many other countries are making contributions to Shanghai. So I feel more of the importance of my own mission here in China, said Yukio Arita, the executive director and president of the Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Company (China).

As Shanghai is comprehensively strengthening its core competitiveness, it provides a good opportunity and broad platform for foreigners career development. It is expected that the award winners will continue to enjoy the resources here and make good contributions to the city.
The Trump administration's withdrawal from Afghanistan and partnership with the Taliban has made the United States less safe, President Trump's former national security adviser H.R. McMaster told CBS News in a 60 Minutes interview set to air Sunday.

Why it matters: McMaster says the president partnered with the Taliban before peace talks in Doha, Qatar began this month, and diminished the sacrifice of American troops who died during the Afghanistan War.

What he's saying: "I think what [President Trump] did with this new policy, is he, in effect, is partnering with the Taliban against, in many ways, the Afghan government," McMaster told CBS News.

"And so, I think that it's an unwise policy. And I think what we require in Afghanistan is a sustained commitment to help the Afghan government and help the Afghan security forces to bear the brunt of this fight."

The big picture: Delegates from the Afghanistan government and the Taliban opened direct peace negotiations last week, hoping to end roughly two decades of fighting.

The U.S. signed a deal with the Taliban in February aimed at ending the longest war in U.S. history.

As part of the deal, the U.S. agreed to gradually pull troops out of the country, while the Taliban promised to prevent terror groups from filling the void and to enter peace negotiations with the Afghan government.

McMaster claims in his upcoming book, "Battlegrounds," that Afghanistan is still a hotbed of terrorism and that terror organizations which threaten the U.S. are stronger now than they were before Sept. 11, 2001, according to CBS News.
For long-term sale of copper concentrate to Hindalco

Hindustan Copper has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Hindalco Industries (Hindalco) on 17 September 2020 for long-term sale of copper concentrate produced by HCl to Hindalco. Under this MoU, around 60% (copper content) of HCL's current copper concentrate production will be utilized by Hindalco in the manufacture of refined copper.

This partnership between HCl and Hindalco will go a long way in building the domestic copper industry by ensuring efficient utilization of the country's mineral resources in a sustainable manner. With this partnership, HCl will be taking' a step towards assuring supply of raw material to the Indigenous copper manufacturers. This will also fulfill the country's mission of make in India and AatmaNirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Venture University (VU), an investor accelerator for venture capital (VC), private equity (PE), and angel investing, and a multi-stage investment fund, has announced the launch of its New York City office and NYC-based investor accelerator programs.

Each quarter, VU will be accepting up to 25 individuals to join the NYC investment team of VU Venture Partners as part of its VC Investment Apprenticeship Program.

VUs NYC office is located at the Northwest corner of Madison Square Park at 245 5th Avenue (28th and 5th).

Led by J. Skyler (Sky) Fernandes, General Partner, Venture University offers both academic executive education and hands-on apprenticeship training programs to support individuals entering into the VC and PE industry.

After VU, individuals go on to become analysts, associates, principals, and partners at VC/PE funds and accelerators. Many of the individuals that complete VUs programs are also angel investors and family offices looking to improve their direct investment strategies and emerging fund managers looking to raise and launch their own funds.

Venture Universitys investor accelerator offers a broad range of programs, including academic Executive Education Programs, such as The VC/PE Masterclass, The Angel Immersion Program, Advanced Industry Modules, Global VC Modules and a VC Asia Trip, as well as its premiere VC Investment Apprenticeship Program. The VC Investment Apprenticeship Program is a training program where individuals join the investment team of VU Venture Partners to focus on sourcing startups across Consumer, Enterprise, Fintech, Healthcare, and Frontier Tech, conducting due diligence and investment evaluations, presenting at partners meetings and investment committees, while also sharing in the profits from the investments made.

Venture University launched in January 2018 by J. Skyler (Sky) Fernandes (General Partner) and Jenna Fernandes (Head of Admissions & HR) in San Francisco and has had over 100 individuals complete the VC Investment Apprenticeship Program.

General Partners are Fernandes and Andrew Zalasin.

The senior management team also includes Aakash Jain (Principal), who joined VU after participating in VUs Cohort 2, and is the co-founder of Booth Bay Area Angel Network.

As part of launching the NYC office, VU also announced its newest member to the team, Joel Palathinkal, Ph.D (Associate Partner), who has over four years of venture capital experience and has invested in over 30 companies as a VC and angel investor.

FinSMEs

18/09/2019
No genre is safe from Ryan Murphy, the TV maximalist who has taken a velvet-lined sledgehammer to true crime, horror and the Hollywood rags-to-riches fable. His biggest success is, of course, Glee  the song and dance dramedy that turned Journeys Dont Stop Believin into a Millennial anthem and sprinkled caustic wit and heart-on-sleeve sincerity into the high-school musical format.

As part of his $300m (233m) production deal with Netflix, Murphy now brings the world the One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest prequel it didnt know that it wanted. Ratched relays the origin story of the despotic nurse from Milos Formans 1975 Oscar winner. Anticipation is high ahead of the shows arrival on today and the emerging critical consensus is that Murphy has added to his repertoire of television that celebrates the underdog and comes at a familiar subject  in this case a 45-year-old cult film  from a curious angle.

But where does it rank in the context of his previous accomplishments? Read down for a rating of his previous highs and lows.

15. The New Normal, 2012

Did you know Murphy and Super Girl co-creator Ali Adler collaborated on an NBC sitcom eight years ago? Potentially not, as The New Normal was canceled after just one season. Andrew Rannells and Justin Bartha play a wealthy gay couple who decide to have a child and pick Georgia Kings character as surrogate mother. She moves in, together with her nine-year old daughter. Chuckles and life lessons ensue  but not in sufficient quantities to keep the series on the air.

14. Popular, 1999

Murphys first show is a high-school drama that plays out like Glee without the songs. In his early his thirties, Murphy was clearly finding his feet creatively. There are still flashes of innovation and mischievousness, however, as Leslie Bibb and Carly Pope play students from different ends of the popularity spectrum thrown together when their parents marry.

13. The Politician, 2019

'The Politician' (Netflix)

A rare misfire from Murphy, his first big Netflix show invited you to root for a selection of deeply unlikeable characters. Season one revisits the high-school milieu of Glee, where Payton Hobart (Ben Platt) seeks to become student president. In season two, meanwhile, he is out in the world and running for the New York Senate  all part of his long-term goal to be president. The issue is that Hobart is slick and loathsome, as is Gwyneth Paltrow as his adoptive mother. Still, you cant object too loudly to the cast that includes Lucy Boynton as his political rival, Bette Midler (in season two) as a political operator, and Zoey Deutch as his running mate.

12. Nip/Tuck, 2003

Murphys early smash-and-grab attack on television convention, this 2003 drama about gadabout plastic surgeons played out like Mad Men with silicon implants. There was darkness mixed in too  with seasons two and three foreshadowing his interest in anthologies by telling the story of serial rapist and mutilator The Carver.

11. 9-1-1: Lone Star, 2020

This 9-1-1 spin-off is set in Austin Texas and stars Rob Lowe as a firefighter captain battling lung cancer (sustained when he charged into the Twin Towers on 9/11), Liv Tyler as a paramedic captain, and Ronen Rubinstein as Lowes gay son and recovering opioid addict. Thats a heady mix yet, as with 9-1-1 (see below), Lone Star plays it straight down the line.

10. 9-1-1, 2018

Angela Bassett shines as an LAPD police sergeant in this gritty procedural. Its a pivot for Murphy, who leans into police thriller cliches rather than doing what would be obvious for him and seeking to subvert them. So there are few surprises. Just a great cast  including Peter Krause, Connie Britton and, from season two, Jennifer Love Hewitt  playing it by the book.

Access unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up

9. Hollywood, 2020

Hollywood (Netflix)

Murphys television often has a marmite quality. Never was that truer than in this whimsical celebration of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Where Feud was all snark and spite, Hollywood is dreamy wish fulfilment on a pogo-stick. We meet a young Rock Hudson (Jake Picking) and fictional black actress Camille Washington (Laura Harrier), who together star in a feel good, multi-racial epic backed by one of Tinseltowns biggest studios.

This would never have happened in the real 1950s Hollywood and Murphy copped some flack for his utopianism. But that was to miss the point of a show that showed how wonderful the world could be if only everyone could set aside their prejudices. Murphy further draws on Hollywood lore, with Dylan McDermott playing a exaggerated riff on Scotty Bowers, the charming pimp who ran his business out of a Sunset Strip car-wash.

8. Scream Queens, 2015

Every so often, Murphy gives his more serious instincts the afternoon off and rips loose. He never ripped looser than in this wonderfully OTT campus killer caper. Theres a career-best turn from Emma Roberts as an alpha mean girl, while Ariana Grande demonstrates her acting chops as she is bumped off early in season one. Jamie Lee Curtis has a small part as the college Dean.

7. Pose, 2018

One of the themes running through Murphys work has been his advocacy for the shunned, misunderstood and marginalised. That is nowhere more to the fore than in this celebration of African and Latino LGBTQ and gender-non-conforming ballroom culture in Eighties and Nineties New York. Its a charming piece of period drama  but more importantly a galvanising argument why we should celebrate our differences and refuse to let the moral majority shame or shape us. Once again, Murphy assembles a top-rank cast, including Kate Mara, Billy Porter and James Van Der Beek.

6. Ratched, 2020

Sarah Paulson in Ratched' (Netflix)

Sarah Paulson lowers the temperature as a younger incarnation of Louise Fletchers chilling One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest villain. This is Murphy with the pedal all the way to the floor. And while he draws on Milos Formans 1975 Oscar-winner, he is just as indebted to The Shining and John Carpenters Halloween. Paulson is compelling as Ratched, and there are also fine turns by Cynthia Nixon and Sharon Stone.

5. Feud, 2017

Alongside his enthusiasm for high-school song and dance clubs and Lady Gaga as a vampire (see below), Murphy has a huge passion for Old Hollywood. He indulged this obsession in the only season (to date) of Feud, which relays the conflict between Joan Crawford (Jessica Lange) and Bette Davis (Susan Sarandon) on the set of 1962s Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? Murphy assembled a top rank supporting casting, including Stanley Tucci as studio boss Jack Warner. But he doesnt let any of that get in the way of whirlwind performances from his leads, who cut a furious swathe across the screen.

4. American Horror Story, 2011

Camp, terrifying, grotesque, impossible to look away from  and that was just Lady Gaga playing boss vampire The Countess in season five. If Glee was Murphy in feel-good mode, AHS was where he let his Grand Guignol tendencies off the leash. Each season features roughly the same cast  but with a different setting and premise. The thread running through it all is Murphys ability to make us sit bolt upright and spit out our popcorn. Series one  Murder House  was a haunted mansion romp built around a wonderfully over-the-top turn by Jessica Lange. And that was just a jumping off point for nine subsequent seasons  with a further three to follow from next year.

3. Glee, 2009

Murphys greatest hit and a series that was divisive from the start. Fans adored its mix of singing, dancing and melodrama (with bonus Gwyneth Paltrow as a serenading substitute teacher in a part written for her by Murphy). Haters  and there were a few  despaired of its surface gaudiness. But that was their loss. With career-making turns from Lea Michele, Chris Colfer and Darren Criss, Glee was a feel-good show that doubled as a celebration of underdogs everywhere.

2. The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, 2018

Always ducking and weaving, Murphy risked controversy by ripping up the formula that had proved so effective with The People V OJ Simpson and coming at a historical subject from a different angle with season two of American Crime Story.

This retelling of the seemingly random July 1997 gunning down of fashion kingpin Versace (Edgar Ramirez) by sociopathic fantasist Andrew Cunanan (Darren Criss) had a dreamlike, elevated sensibility. Where his Simpson season was about America and racial injustice, here the mystery was inside the head of the manipulative and pathologically deceptive Cunanan.

There were no clear answers as to why he murdered Versace in 1997. Murphy instead took the creative decision as to show us what happened and let us make up our own minds. The series was buttressed by solid performances from Penelope Cruz as Donatella Versace and Ricky Martin as Giannis partner Antonio DAmico.

1. The People v OJ Simpson: American Crime Story, 2016

'The People v OJ Simpson' (FX)

With Cuba Gooding Jr as OJ, David Schwimmer as his lawyer best pal Robert Kardashian (father of Kim), John Travolta as shark-like defence attorney Robert Shapiro and Sarah Paulson as prosecutor Marcia Clark, season one of American Crime Story turned the Simpson story inside out.

Demonstrating arguably uncharacteristic subtlety, Murphy uses the trial to explore racial strife in America, both in the Nineties the present. In that respect, the key performance is that of Courtney Vance as buccaneering Simpson attorney Johnnie Cochran.

In 1995, this larger-than-life addition to OJs defence team was presented as a master of smoke and mirrors. But Murphy sees through all. He frames Cochrans defence of Simpson in the context of the decades of institutional oppression of African Americans in Los Angeles. The results are simply devastating.
Romanian ship commander Bogdan Rusu will be proposed for the "Bravery at Sea", conferred by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), after on September 13 he saved the lives of four navigators during a tropical storm, from on board a sailboat, in the Gulf of Mexico, said, for AGERPRES, the director of CERONAV, Ovidiu Cupsa.

According to the quoted source, the event took place 68 miles west of Clearwater, off the coast of the United States of America, in the Gulf of Mexico, on September 13, around 11:00 (local time), during tropical storm Sally.

"The lives of four navigators, that were the crew of the sailboat Yes Dear, were in danger after their boat took on water, while the US Coast Guard had abandoned the rescue operation conducted with a HH-60 'Jayhawk', due to the unfavorable weather. In this context, the container ship 'COSCO Malaysia', registered in Hong Kong, with a DWT of 102,834, with a length of 334 meters and a width of 42.8 meters, having on board 8,500 TEU, with young commander Bogdan Rusu at the helm, respecting the code of honor of seamen has launched a successful rescue operation of their brothers in danger of death, disembarking them safely later in Tampa Bay Harbor," said, for AGERPRES, the CERONAV director.

Remarking the courage and mariner spirit that the Romanian commander proved, the US Coast Guard sent a message of appreciation to 38-year-old commander Bogdan Rusu, for the courage and effort submitted during the operation remarking that saving a life at sea is a challenge, but saving four lives during a tropical storm is an extraordinary thing.

"Exactly on the basis of these appreciations and considerations, I have decided that both I, as ambassador to the IMO, as well as the Romanian Government, through the Transport Ministry, will formulate the proposal to the International Maritime Organization, to grant the annual award 'Bravery at Sea', to naval commander Bogdan Rusu, who took on the risk to face the sea, in order to save his brothers," Ovidiu Cupsa cocluded.
How to Get Your Home Ready for the Change in Seasons

Plant for spring.

iStock

Its a great time to plant perennials, like peonies or hydrangea, or new trees and shrubs. You can also plant bulbs such as tulips and daffodils before the ground freezes to be rewarded with beautiful blooms come spring.
Donald Trump moved closer to reach a stimulus deal with Pelosi. This will test if the Democratic House speaker either just playing politics or has the intent to help.

Pres. Donald Trump has always been pushing for the second round of stimulus payment including stimulus checks and more relief aids. He told the Republican lawmakers recently to embrace a larger amount of stimulus package just to reach a deal.

This move of Pres. Trump will test Pelosi's sense of urgency. She has been rejecting the stimulus proposal of the White House and Republican lawmaker. In fact, she does not even have the intention to approve the roughly $2 trillion stimulus package offered by both Republican and Democratic Representatives.

Now that Pres. Trump is moving closer to reach the stimulus deal, this will also test the real intention of Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. If she will decline the new stimulus package with the amount that she wants, then that only shows that an almost a month of rejection was all part of her political drama.

Pelosi is now facing a crucial decision. Does she try to negotiate an agreement with a White House that suddenly seems ready to deal or continue to hold her ground and make Trump, facing his own election woes, swallow the sweeping $2.2 trillion bill she has long demanded?

According to a published report in The Washington Post, Pelosi called the U.S. Treasury Secretary on Wednesday and told him to call her back if Pres. Trump is ready for the $2.2 trillion. Now that Pres. Trump has signaled that he is ready for a new talk, it seems that Pelosi is afraid to reach the deal.

Pelosi knew that once the new stimulus package will be signed into law, it will boost the presidential bid of Pres. Trump. Meanwhile, rejecting again for the seventh time the new proposal will harm their party. Voters might blame the, for not acting in the relief aid.

Moreover, there is a growing tension today within the rank of Democrats because the consistent rejection of Pelosi to reach a new stimulus bill has led to the creation of a bipartisan group. They offered roughly $2 trillion worth of new stimulus but Pelosi chose not to accept it.

She even told Democratic members of the Bipartisan group not to be a cheap deal. However, the Democratic Representatives who are seeking for reelection do not want to return in their home with the stimulus bill being approved. They knew that this will not help their reelection bid.

Rep. Andy Kim, who flipped a GOP district in New Jersey last election, said "We should have that same level of urgency that we had when we were dealing with this in March and April. And I don't really get that sense that that type of just timeliness and that urgency is underlying what everybody here is feeling right now."

It can also be remembered that more than 100 Democrat Representatives wrote a letter to Pelosi and asked her to act on the new stimulus.

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Question: From earlier this month to now, many key agricultural products of Vietnam have entered the EU. How do you assess the opportunity for exporting agricultural products to the EU since the EVFTA took effect?

Minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong: In the EVFTA negotiation process, the agricultural sector identified its many advantages on three main pillars.

Firstly, it is possible to promote agricultural export trade in certain advantageous commodity groups such as shrimp, coffee, fruit and rice. Secondly, through the implementation of the agreement, we can update using Europe's modern processing technologies through FDI investment. Thirdly, we can improve governance capacity through training cooperation programmes on management and improving skills for market development, for mutual development.

The EVFTA was signed on June 30, 2019 in Hanoi. Following the approval of the European Parliament (EP), the European Council (EC) and the Vietnamese National Assembly this year, the deal officially came into force from August 1, 2020.

Accordingly, the agricultural sector had cooperated with the Ministry of Industry and Trade, businesses and farmers to actively prepare conditions before the agreement takes effect.

The agricultural sector actively promoted production restructuring in a linked chain from material organisatio to deep processing and product consumption.

Therefore, as soon as the agreement came into effect, we seized upon the opportunity, focusing on boosting export orders to take advantage of tariff and quota preferences. According to preliminary statistics, after only one month of the EVFTA agreement, agricultural product exports to the European market could have increased by 15-17% compared to July 2020.

Question: Could you tell us which products currently have advantages in terms of their export to the EU?

Minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong: On September 16, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) cooperated with Gia Lai province to hold a ceremony to launch Vietnam's first batch of coffee and passion fruit to the EU under EVFTA. Following this, on September 17, a ceremony was held in Ben Tre, to announce the export of fruit to the market with EVFTA tariff preferences.

Earlier, a ceremony was held on September 11 in the south-central province of Ninh Thuan to announce the export of the first batch of Vietnamese frozen shrimp to the EU following the implementation of the EVFTA agreement.

Specifically, with coffee products, we can add value to the EU market whilst enjoying a preferential tariff of 0%. In August 2020, Vietnam's coffee export value to the EU market was estimated at nearly US$76 million, up 34.7% compared to July 2020.

The EU is also the largest export market for Vietnamese coffee, accounting for 40% of the total volume and 38% of the total export turnover of the whole country (average coffee export value to the EU reached US$1.2-1.4 billion per year for the past five years).

Vietnamese rice exported to Europe also saw positive signals. Nearly one month after the implementation of the EVFTA, the positive effects have spread to the rice industry, in particular, the price of Vietnam's rice exports to the EU market has increased from US$80-200 per ton.

Thanks to the EVFTA, opportunities for exporting fruit and vegetables to the EU are opening up since August 1. Currently, the EU is the fourth largest export market for Vietnamese fruits and vegetables. The existing platform, along with tariff and quota preferences under the EVFTA are empowering Vietnam to increase the competitiveness of its fruit compared to the competition.



In particular, the export value of Vietnam's fruit and vegetable products to the EU in August 2020 was estimated at US$ 14.7 million, up 25.2% over the previous month.

Question: The opportunities are great, but the requirements from the EU market are also very strict. So, what should the agricultural sector do to respond to these?

Minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong: The agricultural sector is stepping up the restructuring of commodities, focusing on producing goods in a linked chain from raw materials, processing, and especially packaging and labels.

Accordingly, it is necessary to focus on exploiting a number of industries such as vegetables, fruit, aquatic products and industrial crops. These commodity groups have focused on speeding up the chain of production and carefully preparing commercial skills to enjoy a preferential tariff of 0% from since EVFTA Agreement came into effect.

Meanwhile, it is necessary to restructure agricultural production in the chain, including a close link between cooperatives, businesses and farmers; forming a closed process from material organisation to processing, ensuring traceability, food safety. The factors will help to exploit the EU market fully.

In particular, we must not only exploit the absolute value of exports to the EU, but use the market to prove the high standard of Vietnamese agricultural production and the linking of Vietnamese commodities groups with other markets in the world. From there, it will be possible to expand the process of organizing production to create better livelihoods and profits for farmers.

In the production chain, enterprise is an important nucleus, not only bringing scientific and technological advances into production, but also playing an important role in the organisation of processing and trade. Therefore, it is necessary to take care so that all sectors of business, especially ethnic businesses, grow to ensure linkages with farmers through cooperatives and the forming of production chains.

Organizing agriculture on the basis of single households is still modern. This can still be a principle and requirement to ensure victory in Vietnams international integration in the global agricultural sector.

Thank you very much for your interview!
India logs over 3.17 lakh new Covid cases in last 24 hours; daily positivity rate up at 16.41 per cent

COVID-19 vaccine: Govt in talks with Russia for possible advancement of Sputnik V in India

India

omnisport-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Sep 18: The Centre is in consultations with the Russian government for exploring the possibility of cooperation between the two countries for advancing the COVID-19 vaccine in India, Parliament was told on Friday.

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has informed that it has received information about one COVID-19 vaccine developed and approved in Russia, Minister of State for Health Ashwini Choubey informed the Lok Sabha.

Further, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), an autonomous organisation under the Department of Health Research, has informed that as per information available from WHO draft landscape of COVID-19 vaccine (last update on September 17), globally there are 36 candidate vaccines which are under various stages of clinical trials.

COVID-19 vaccine will come by mid-2021: AIIMS doctor

'Of this only 02 are Indian candidates (Bharat Biotech International Ltd. and Cadila Healthcare). All the 36 candidates are under various stages of clinical trials. None of the candidate vaccine so far has completed all stages of clinical trial,' he said in a written reply.

In response to a question on whether the government is in talks with Russia and other countries to procure COVID-19 vaccine doses in the upcoming months, Choubey said, 'The Department of Biotechnology has informed that the Government of India is in consultations with the Russian Government for exploring the possibility of cooperation with Russia for advancing COVID-19 Vaccine in India.' Further, Phase II and III bridging studies of ChAdOx1-S, a vaccine developed by University of Oxford/AstraZeneca have been initiated in India.

'While the government and Industry are trying their best to make available a safe and effective vaccine for COVID-19 at the earliest, it is difficult to comment on the exact timelines in view of various complex pathways involved in vaccine development,' the minister underlined.

Indian Army indicts troops involved in J&K encounter | Oneindia News

Elaborating on the steps taken by the government for timely availability of COVID-19 drugs and vaccination, Choubey informed that CDSCO has approved the manufacturing and marketing of three drugs --- Remdesivir Injectable formulations, Favipiravir tablets, Itolizumab injection -- for restricted emergency use in the country for treatment of coronavirus infection.

Further, the CDSCO has granted permission for conduct of phase I and II clinical trials of the two vaccine candidates indigenously developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with ICMR and Cadila Healthcare Ltd.

Besides, it has also given permission to the Serum Institute of India to conduct phase II and III clinical trial of the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine, the minister said.

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Story first published: Friday, September 18, 2020, 23:54 [IST]
By Stephen Kotok

As many public schools opened across New Jersey last week, districts continue to struggle with staffing issues due to teachers' health concerns and teachers balancing their own teaching with their childrens remote learning schedule. One of the unique features of New Jersey is that we have almost 600 independent school districts, which means we had an equal amount of unique reopening plans. This hyper-localization of governance claims to serve community needs and curricular decisions but it creates looming staffing issues during a pandemic.

Even some teachers who felt safe to return to their classrooms elected to take a temporary or permanent leave if they were expected to report to a physical classroom full-time, while their young children are at home participating in remote learning. We need to ensure that teachers have not only the personal protective equipment required to teach but also a place for their own children to learn during the pandemic.

Given the large number of teachers who elected not to return to the classroom this fall, and possibly with more leaving soon, I fear there will not be enough highly qualified substitutes to maintain New Jerseys position as a top state for educating children. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act: Employee Paid Leave Rights allows teachers to take up to 10 weeks of paid expanded family and medical leave at two-thirds the employees regular rate of pay. This is permitted if the teacher has been an employee for at least 30 calendar days and is unable to work due to a bona fide need for leave to care for a child.

Yet, teachers who chose to take family leave now kick the can down the road for 10 weeks and force their home districts to seek out substitute teachers in the interim. It is also possible that teachers, who chose to return to the class this fall, may later apply for the paid leave if they find the dueling roles of parenting and teaching too challenging or feel unsafe.

I suggest a few alternatives to help avoid this looming staffing crisis. All of the alternatives possess pros and cons and they come with varying price tags at a time when districts and the state are experiencing financial difficulty. However, if we fail to address the needs of teachers, the school re-opening plans we worked so hard to implement could fall for reasons beyond public health concerns. Ideally, plans such as these would have already been in place at the start of the year but, at the least, we need to consider a support system now as districts hopefully feel safe to move to more advanced phases of opening.

Provide all teachers with a temporary hazard pay increase of 5%. I hear many people berate teachers since other essential workers headed to work at the height of the pandemic. Yet, we cheered health care workers and many of them received a pay increase from either their employer or the government. Hazard pay would also offset extra costs for teachers needing childcare on remote learning days. An alternative would be to provide a childcare stipend for teachers with school-age children.

Grant a waiver for children of teachers to attend full-time. The majority of districts in New Jersey chose to pursue a hybrid model where students are divided into groups attending only two days a week or half days, but most teachers are expected to attend every day. This helps maintain small class sizes and minimizes the number of students one interacts with daily, making contact tracing and containment easier. We could grant a waiver for children of teachers so they could attend four or five full days.

Offer onsite day-care. If space permits, some districts are offering onsite daycare for teachers. The district can set up a room where children can log onto their remote learning and complete their work. The district would have to either re-allocate an employee to this space or hire an additional support staff member. However, with districts laying off unneeded teacher aides, custodial staff and bus drivers, it could be a win-win for staff and students.

Again, these ideas come with different tradeoffs but the ultimate tradeoff would be not having high-quality schools staffed with highly qualified teachers.

Stephen Kotok is an assistant professor in the School of Education at St. Johns University.

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She showed off her rather prominent baby bump when she excitedly announced she was pregnant alongside fiance, Matty 'J' Johnson, on Thursday night.

And it appears that Laura Byrne went to great lengths to keep the couple's happy news under wraps in the weeks before the announcement.

The 31-year-old covered up her baby bump when she stepped out with Matty on Father's Day, just two weeks ago.

Keeping mum! Laura Byrne covered up her baby bump as she stepped out with fiance Matty 'J' Johnson on Father's Day just under two weeks ago

Laura wore a billowing white blouse and a pair of charcoal baggy trousers as the pair went shopping in Bondi Beach with their daughter Marlie-Mae.

The brunette beauty's midsection was also covered by Marlie-Mae, one, who sat on her mother's hip.

Laura was simply glowing makeup free, and she wore her shiny brunette locks down.

Casual and comfy: Laura wore a billowing white blouse and a pair of charcoal baggy trousers as the couple went shopping in Bondi Beach

Laura has also hidden her pregnancy well on Instagram too - posting pictures of herself in loose-fitting clothing or photos taken from the waist up.

Matty and Laura announced they are expecting their second child together on Thursday evening.

'Marlie-Mae learning shocked face couldn't have been timed any better.. WE'RE HAVING A BABY!' Matty, 32, wrote alongside a family photo on Instagram.

'Please brace yourself for twice the amount of dad jokes,' he added.

'I reckon we've kept this little beach ball under wraps for long enough..... Halfway to number 2,' Laura, 31, wrote in a separate post shared to her own account.

Glowing and gorgeous: Laura was simply glowing during the outing

'A big shout out to @matthewdavidjohnson for his contribution,' she cheekily added.

'Youre hands down my favourite Bachelor, I love you forever and our little family.'

Matty J and Laura's exciting announcement was quickly inundated with comments from well wishers, including past and present Bachelor stars.

Osher Gunsberg wrote: 'YES!!', while Bella Varelis said she 'couldn't wait to meet the little angel'.

Exciting news! Laura showed off a rather prominent baby bump when she announced her exciting pregnancy news with fiance Matty J on Thursday night

Anna Heinrich, who is expecting her first child with Tim Robards commented: 'Congrats. Again.'

Matty and Laura met and fell in love on The Bachelor three years ago.

In April last year, the loved-up couple got engaged while on holiday in Fiji.

They welcomed their first child, daughter Marlie-Mae Rose, in June 2019.

On Monday, the couple celebrated their third anniversary by going for a walk with their daughter in Byron Bay, NSW.
South Africa: IEC to hold postponed by-elections

The Electoral Commission (IEC) has set the deadline of 11 November 2020 to clear the backlog of all outstanding by-elections postponed during the COVID-19 lockdown.

During this period, by-elections in 96 wards in 56 municipalities will be held after President Cyril Ramaphosa announces that the country would from Monday move to lockdown Alert Level 1. Level 1 will also see a lifting of restrictions on political activities.

In a statement on Friday, the IEC said the scheduling also follows consultations with the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, as well as represented political parties via a special National Party Liaison Committee meeting held yesterday.

By-elections have not been held since March 2020 following the declaration of a National State of Disaster and the imposition of the lockdown restrictions intended to curb the spread of Coronavirus.

Since then, 96 ward vacancies in 56 municipalities have occurred, including two dissolved councils in the Northern Cape, where PR [party representative] candidates must also be elected, said the Commission.

To clear the backlog, the Electoral Commission said it plans to hold all vacant ward by-elections simultaneously on 11 November 2020.

By-elections are scheduled in all nine provinces across 461 voting districts, affecting over 600 000 registered voters.

The by-elections will be held under strict new COVID-19 protocols aimed at ensuring the safety of voters, election staff, party agents, observers and other stakeholders.

These include implementing strict social distancing practices outside and inside voting stations, along with the use of hand sanitisers as voters enter and exit the voting station.

Voters are also encouraged to bring their own pens to mark their ballot papers although pens will be provided and sanitised after each use.

In the statement, the IEC said it is confident that these measures would allow for free and fair elections to proceed in a safe environment.

The decision by the Commission to approach the Electoral Court for postponements of by-elections since March was not taken lightly, said IEC Chairperson Glen Mashinini.

But given the risk to human life and restriction of political activity, the Commission had no choice but to act responsibly and postpone the by-elections. Now that circumstances have improved, we are ready to give voters their political voice back.

Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo said a special targeted communications and education programme will be undertaken in the affected wards to teach voters about the new safety protocols and to encourage participation.

Mamabolo said the reduction in the alert level and lifting of restrictions on political activities provided a window to the Electoral Commission to clear the backlog of by-elections ahead of next years scheduled Municipal Elections.

Ward council vacancies are not ordinarily filled during the final six months leading to Municipal Elections. South Africa will continue to hold by-elections for all the wards that become vacant until May 2021.

"However, holding all outstanding by-elections together on one day will help the Electoral Commission and political parties to focus their attention and energies on one day and to clear the backlog in one go, Mamabolo said.

By-elections are usually grouped together where feasible to allow for efficiencies and better coordination.

In the lead up to the by-elections on 11 November, the Electoral Commission will engage with key stakeholders, including political parties, through the national, provincial and municipal party liaison committee structures, to consult them on the new practices.

Mashinini said while the COVID-19 conditions had improved sufficiently to enable the holding of elections, the circumstances still demanded the utmost vigilance and conformity to health protocols by election staff, political parties, candidates, observers and other stakeholders.

The by-elections on 11 November will give us all an opportunity to work together to test and if necessary, to refine our safeguards.

It is within all of us as South African citizens to positively participate in measures to combat the further spread of Coronavirus, especially during voting, he said.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-09-18. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
A court in Russia's far eastern city of Nakhodka sentenced a North Korean citizen on September 18 to seven years in prison for attacking Russian border guards.



Earlier in July, another North Korean man was sentenced to four years in prison in the high-profile case, in which the trials of dozens of other North Korean nationals are still pending.



More than 160 North Koreans were detained in September last year in a two-day operation after Russian border guards encountered two North Korean schooners and 11 motorboats in Russian territorial waters in the Sea of Japan.



Russian authorities said at the time that one of the boat's crew attacked the guards who boarded the vessel. Four officers were injured in the incident, one of whom sustained gunshot wounds..



One North Korean national died in the incident.



The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned North Korea's charge d'affaires, Zin Jong Hep, over the incident at the time, expressing "serious concern."



Russian coast guards frequently detain North Korean fishermen in the Far East, and some of them are handed prison terms.



Last July, North Korea released a Russian fishing boat with a Russian-South Korean crew after it had been detained because Pyongyang claimed it violated its territorial waters.

Based on reporting by TASS and Interfax


Washington:

Over 200 protesters were arrested as brick-throwing vandals torched a vehicle and damaged half-dozen stores after a series of protests marring Donald Trumps inauguration ceremony gave way to violent street clashes in Washington, DC.



Six police officers were also injured and at least two police officers and another person in downtown Washington were taken to hospital after run-ins with protesters, Fire spokesman Vito Maggiolo told CNN.



A large number of protesters had gathered in the national capital since early morning on Friday to voice their anger and hold demonstrations against what they alleged were the divisive policies of the new Trump administration.

Read | New US prez Trumps first order of business: Limit burden of Obamacare



A limousine was later set aflame as Trump rode a short distance away in his inaugural parade. Police in riot gear used pepper spray and concussion grenades to halt the rampage near the US Capitol, where Trump was inaugurated.



Officers responded by launching smoke and flash-bang devices, which could be heard from blocks away, into the street to disperse the crowds.



At least 217 protesters were arrested, the CNN report said.



Earlier, police had to use pepper spray to disperse people who had gathered outside the National Press Club, against what they called the Alt-Reich, a reference to new administrations allegedly divisive, sexist and racist policies.

Read | Whether black, brown or white, we all bleed the same red blood of patriot, says Donald Trump at oath ceremony



Washington Metropolitan Police Department spokesman Lt Sean Conboy said they have arrested people for vandalism and destruction of property.



One of the protesters burned a Trump hat, according to NBC News. Impeach the predatory president, read one of two messages projected onto a buildings facade.Anti-Trump signs and banners were seen even as thousands of his supporters made their way to the US Capitol on Friday.



They are white supremacist fascists, a volunteer Desba Rojas was quoted as saying by The Los Angeles Times.



Rojas said her goal was to stop them from getting into office, and if they get into office, sopping them before they can consolidate power.



A large number of left protesters under the banner of DisruptJ20 planned a march towards the inauguration venue and display anti-Trump sign along the parade route. So did another antiwar and anti-racism group.

Read | Donald Trump renovates Oval Office with Golden drapes

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But expressed his deep concern that they will infect other 'innocent' people

People should stop 'whingeing about not meeting granny at Christmas' as much could change in the coming weeks, according to a Tory former minister.

Lord Blencathra took aim at the media before also praising 'oriental tourists' in London for wearing masks over the years, and advising others to follow their lead when in public places.

He added it serves people right if they catch Covid-19 after cramming themselves into a 'ghastly Ryanair flight' or pack into pubs, but expressed his deep concern that they will infect other 'innocent' people.

Lord Blencathra (pictured) said people should stop 'whingeing about not meeting granny at Christmas' as much could change in the coming weeks

Lord Blencathra was speaking in a debate on face covering regulations in England, in which he supported the measures in place and pressed the Government to simplify the rules on wearing face masks.

Separate Government rules which limit social gatherings to six people have caused concern for people about the impact it will have on their Christmas celebrations.

But Lord Blencathra said: 'Please (health minister Lord Bethell) tell the media to stop whingeing about not meeting granny at Christmas.

'Christmas is three months away and anything can happen in the meantime.'

He continued: 'On a train, passengers and crew wear masks most of the time, but shop assistants are exempt, it seems.

'I was in a shop last week and every shopper was wearing a mask, but a guy filling the shelves had no mask and was coughing and wheezing like an old sheep with lungworm. How does that encourage others to obey the law?

'I am a libertarian and ... if someone wants to kill themselves with 60 cigarettes a day, I don't mind so long as it does not affect others or I have to pay for it.

'That is why I deeply resent those who are guzzling themselves obese and expect NHS taxpayers to pay the bill for their diabetes treatment.

But outraged, scores of social media users took to Twitter to express their anger at his comments.

One Twitter user @DanBedford539 said he was 'extremely disgraced at that comment' adding Christmas is a a time to get together.

And @CarolynStorer_ questioned whether the tories could 'get more vile'.

Meanwhile social media user @VeroSercanto tweeted that Lord Blencathra 'probably didn't like his grandmama' to make such comments with @Joncg saying Tories have sold their [grandmas] own.

But Lord Blencathra didn't stop at the Christnas remark. He added: 'So I don't care if people cram themselves into a ghastly Ryanair flight or pack a pub and they get Covid-19, it serves them right, but I do care very deeply indeed that they are infecting other innocent people, such as their more elderly relatives, their friends and their workmates.

'For many years, we have seen oriental tourists in London wearing masks.

'It's nothing to do with Covid-19, but out of courtesy because they had a cold and did not want to infect others. I commend that oriental courtesy and culture.

'It is high time everyone in this country did the same every time they are outdoors or in public places with no exemptions, except for a few medical exemptions, and no excuses.

'Report them instantly and hit them hard with penalties when they do not comply.'
DDA Gains Secretary, Loses Board Chairman

Downtown Development Authority members partook in a more seamless meeting Monday as they gained a new recording secretary while losing a board chairman.



One of the first orders of business was to approve Molly Walker as the authoritys recording secretary to assist secretary Virginia Spalter with taking notes during the meetings. Then, board chairman Judy Hunsucker said that a research of the authoritys bylaws reflected that the secretary does not have to be a board member. After a brief review of her resume, board members present Amanda Edge, Wendell Yoder, Gail Harrell, Towonder Dennis, and Mrs. Spalter voted to approve the appointment of a volunteer secretary.



Approving the new recording secretary was not the only personnel action taken Monday as board members accepted the resignation of Ms. Hunsucker as chairman of the authority effective November 1, 2020 as she will remain on the authority board.During the review and approval of the agenda, Mr. Yoder requested that an executive session be added to the agenda for the discussion of personnel. The chairman asked if he had an affidavit for the executive session to which he replied no. City Manager Angela Redding, who was present at the meeting, said that she could check her office for a form if necessary. The city manager returned later with an affidavit form prior to the executive session.



Director Michele Celani confirmed the boards acceptance of the resignation action as Mondays closed personnel session lasted more than an hour.



The DDA board members were expecting a visit from Department of Community Affairs representatives during this months meeting, but due to travel restraints the appearance did not happen, said Mrs. Hunsuncker.



She further reported that the representatives then suggested a Zoom conference in lieu of the visit but the new DDA office is yet to acquire internet capabilities. The representatives have a preference for face-to-face interactions with the board members therefore the visit will be rescheduled for next month.



In an organizational move, authority members voted to move the regular meeting time, or rather keep it in accordance to its bylaws, to 6 p.m. effective October 12. However, members instituted a 5 p.m. work session for each meeting date in order to allow for any needed lengthy discussions in an effort to make the following meeting a quicker process.



Director Celani was approved to proceed with two initiatives geared toward increased youth involvement in the community. They include a Youth Advisory Council to DDA and a Youth Entrepreneurship Program which would allow students to promote their wares in the DDA sponsored Shops of Monticello. The authority also approved the director to continue with research on a website and micro brewery events.



Authority members agreed to present the director with a contract for her services by the October 12 meeting.



Thank you Michele for your work and dedication, said the chairman noting the directors 113 hours of service since being employed by DDA in July.


BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept.18

By Jeila Aliyeva - Trend:

Italy will assist in attracting the EU companies for cooperation with Azerbaijan, Italy-Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce (ITAZERCOM) President Manuela Traldi said.

Traldi made the statement at the EU-Azerbaijan business forum 2020-2022 held online, Trend reports on Sept.18.

"This unique opportunity will be presented to everyone who is interested in implementing projects and cooperating with Azerbaijan," the president said. "The most important in the development of cooperation is the business-to-business format, which is becoming more wildly used and improved in the country".

Traldi also stressed that Azerbaijani companies are rapidly developing.

The purpose of the video conference is to highlight the importance of EU-Azerbaijan economic cooperation, investment opportunities for EU companies.

The forum is attended by officials, representatives of the Azerbaijani government, as well as companies from Azerbaijan and the European Union.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @JeilaAliyeva
Canadians whove been relying on the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) to make ends meet during COVID-19 say theres a sense of desperation and panic as the program nears its end later this month.

Stephanie Cohen was receiving EI payments before the pandemic as a result of losing her job as a copywriter at a digital marketing agency in Montreal. She transitioned to CERB in May and the $2,000 has kept her going since then.

The money has helped her pay basic bills and assisted her mother in buying groceries and other home necessities. Even though its less than what she was making at her work, it provided a much-needed financial boost and a little bit of peace of mind during a difficult period. Having zero income would have been devastating, she said.

As others do, she knows very little about the new benefits that will be offered to jobless Canadians starting Sept. 27.

It is a pretty big concern, considering Im in the category of people who exhausted their previous EI benefits, Cohen said.

Shes especially worried new recovery programs, which are just proposals at this point and wont be solidified until after the governments Speech from the Throne on Sept. 23, will ignore people such as she, who were job-hunting prior to COVID-19. The pandemic, she said, put her hunt on hold and the economic hit to business across a variety of sectors makes it hard to know when people will start hiring again.

I havent been able to receive a clear answer as to how I move forward, she said about the lack of information on the upcoming benefit programs. If I am not eligible to re-apply for EI, Ill have zero income coming in, which would be a hard blow for me financially.

A recent analysis from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives warned millions of Canadians who depended on CERB will be hard hit by the upcoming change.

CERB had been instrumental in helping Jordan Troy, a Guelph resident who had just completed college and was looking for a job as an elevator mechanic when the pandemic hit. The 23-year-old said he recently started working a few hours a week at local restaurants when they reopened, but still makes less than $1,000 per month.

Im worried, of course. I dont know if I will qualify for EI or any of the new programs, and there is no information right now, he said. At least with CERB, you knew you werent going to go hungry or miss a rent payment. Now everything is up in the air.

Nick Cunningham had been working in the live music industry at a Toronto talent agency, helping with the booking of venues and organizing tours for Canadian artists. For the first few months of the pandemic, his agency managed to keep a small group of employees at work as they helped artists run virtual concerts and drive-in shows. But he was laid off last month.

Everything was so sudden. I was working one day and the next day I wasnt, said Cunningham. These past six months have been incredibly stressful, with so much uncertainty and repeated work, it felt like groundhog day every day, until I lost my job.

So far, Cunningham has collected the CERB just twice. While he said hes grateful for the support, he is scared that the switch to EI and other programs could leave him short of what he needs to get by.

Its already hard to survive in Toronto on $2,000, and I feel like its about to get even harder with these new changes, said Cunningham, who says special support for people in the live music industry is needed.

Our government is not doing anything to address this industrys shutdown, and I am getting anxious. I have spent my entire life getting to where I am now, and unfortunately things feel bleak with the soon-to-be removal of CERB.
The rest of the building felt abandoned, but inside one room on the fourth floor of the U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, Md., stewards of the criminal justice system were attempting to show how a federal jury trial could be conducted safely and fairly during the coronavirus pandemic. The trial for Ojedokun, which began Sept. 9 and ended this week with a guilty verdict, was the first federal jury trial to take place in the Washington region since much of the country shut down in March.
In his Sept. 16 State of the County address, Fort Bend County Judge KP George offered a look at the countys response to the coronavirus pandemic and discussed upcoming infrastructure projects.

He was joined virtually by Jonathan Pursch from the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce; Trisha Frederick from Houston-based civil engineering firm Castello, Inc; Dr. Carol Lewis, professor of transportation studies at Texas Southern University; Dr. Mark Hartman, pastor at Sugar Land Creek Baptist Church; John Zerwas, M.D., executive vice chancellor for health affairs of the University of Texas System; and Cynthia Colbert, Catholic Charities president and CEO.

Related: Sugar Land City Council unanimously approves fiscal year 2020-21 budget, property tax rate

George began his address by praising the resilient spirit of Fort Bend County residents.

We have grown to be one of the nations fastest growing and most diverse, and of course, one of the best welcoming communities in the country, he said. Even though our restaurants are suffering and losing money, many of them are working overtime to support people on the front line. We have put politics and differences aside and sought to see the best in people, we have reaffirmed our collective humanity and compassion.

Related: Fort Bend County, faith-based organizations team up with American Red Cross to help Hurricane Laura victims

COVID-19 took center stage during the speech.

After taking a moment to remember the 174 residents who died from the virus, George thanked the medical community and acknowledged the sacrifices made by frontline workers, health care providers, law enforcement officials and nonprofit organizations

Back in March, after the first Texas coronavirus case was confirmed in Fort Bend County, community partners worked together to get testing operations off the ground.

At that time, we knew we had to respond aggressively and we did so without any state or federal support initially, said George. We also ensured that our undeserved communities had access to testing by setting up six sites collaborating with local communities.

At the time, PPE was in short supply. George highlighted the work done by Jay Neal of the University of Houston, Keri Schmidt of Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce and representatives from Houston Community College and county libraries.

Shortly after asking them to find a solution, each partnership worked with chemical companies to redirect their operations to produce thousands of gallons of hand sanitizer, said George. Our friends at HCC and county libraries became athletes producing 3D printed face shields.

George said that Fort Bend County was blessed to have Texas Medical Center nearby. He reiterated the importance of testing, which not only saved lives but also yielded vital data for the surveillance of COVID-19. George urged constituents to not let their guard down and continue following coronavirus-containment guidelines.

The virtual address also featured a discussion on the upcoming Nov. 3 elections.

In August, the Fort Bend County Commissioners Court unanimously approved a $218.2 million mobility bond proposal and a $38.4 million parks bond proposal for the Nov. 3 ballot.

Fort Bend County has experienced phenomenal growth for the last few years, said Frederick. If the demographers are correct, our future holds a million residents by 2022.

Lewis asserted the need for a commuter rail line running from Rosenberg into the Texas Medical Center, to accommodate the travel needs of the countys growing population.

Theres a dominant trip pattern from Fort Bend to the medical center, said Lewis. So thats just kind of the thing that transportation wants think about.

The speakers urged citizens to complete their household census by the Sept. 30 deadline.

Our president will use the results of the 2020 census to deliver the new congressional representatives, Geroge said. Texas may gain four more seats if we receive an accurate count, which means four more votes for our Texas values in the U.S. House.

juhi.varma@hcnonline.com
September 18 : After the initial treatment for lung cancer at a Mumbai hospital, Sanjay Dutt jetted off to Dubai with wife Maanayata Dutt for a family vacation, only after wrapping up his portion of the film Shamshera.

While Maanayata was with Sanjay while he was going through chemotherapy and different tests in Mumbai, their twins Shahraan Dutt and Iqra Dutt were in Dubai. Today, Maanayata shared a perfect family portrait on her Instagram handle, in which the Sadak 2 actor is seen along with Maanayata, Shahraan and Iqra. Maanayatas caption read, Today...I want to thank God for the gift of family. No complaints...No requests... just to be together, forever. Amen #blessedbeyondmeasure #love #grace #positivity #dutts #beautifullife #thankyougod

After being diagnosed with lung cancer, Sanjay took a short break from work for his initial treatment. Later, he resumed work for two days to complete his pending work on Shamshera. After the chemotherapy sessions went well and the tests too were positive, the Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. actor took a 10-day break for a family vacation in Dubai, as he wanted to meet the children. Later, he would return to Mumbai and start work on KGF 2 and Bhuj: The Pride of India. Sanjay and Maanyata took a chartered flight to Dubai on Tuesday evening.

On the work front, Sanjay has Bhuj: The Pride of India, Torbaaz, Prithviraj, and KGF Chapter 2 in the pipeline, which are in various stages of completion.
Li chairs meeting that endorses reform, backs creation of level playing field China is ready to give continued, unswerving support for the reform and development of State-owned enterprises and private businesses, the State Council's executive meeting, chaired by Premier Li Keqiang, announced on Thursday. The meeting called for solid steps in implementing the three-year action plan for SOE reform, and to create a level-playing field for private firms. SOEs need to make continued efforts to achieve higher quality and efficiency, and sharpen their core competitiveness so as to improve their role in underpinning the national economy, those at the meeting urged. "We will continue to unswervingly consolidate and develop the public sector, and unswervingly encourage, support and guide the nonpublic sector. SOE reform needs to achieve higher quality and efficiency, help facilitate deeper cooperation between the industrial and supply chains and enhance SOEs' core competitiveness," Li said. Solid steps will be taken in implementing the three-year action plan for SOE reform. The task of relieving SOEs of their obligation to undertake social programs will be essentially completed this year, and their nonessential businesses will be spun off at a faster pace to help them better focus on growing their main business. Greater efforts will be made in deepening mixed-ownership reform, strengthening the modern corporate structure and developing sound market-oriented operating mechanisms. The meeting also underlined the importance of private businesses and spelled out key policies to facilitate growth of the private sector. A level-playing field for private firms will be created to boost employment. Market access will continue to be broadened. Power grid operators will accelerate spinning off competitive operations, such as equipment manufacturing. Oil and gas infrastructure will be made equally accessible to all businesses regardless of ownership type. "We must stabilize the growth of the private sector with all possible means. The private sector contributes over 90 percent of new jobs. It is remarkable for a country with 1.4 billion people to achieve fairly full employment," Li said. Private companies will be supported in participating in the construction of major railway projects and the development and operation of passenger and freight stations. Key national research infrastructure will be made more accessible to the private sector. Accreditation of national-level technology centers in private companies will be accelerated. Channels for private business employees to get professional qualifications will be unclogged. Financing support for private businesses will be facilitated. Local governments will be encouraged to establish risk-sharing mechanisms for loans made to micro, small and medium-sized companies.


BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 18

Trend:

Popular US radio host John Batchelor and grandson of US President Richard Nixon, political analyst Christopher Nixon Cox, had an interview with Azerbaijani ambassador to the US, Elin Suleymanov on September 16, which was broadcast from New York in the "The John Batchelor Show" radio program, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani embassy in the US.

During the interview, Suleymanov stressed that he took part in the signing ceremony of the Abraham Accords Peace Agreement on September 15, 2020, organized at the White House.

The ambassador said that Azerbaijan has always been a supporter of promoting intercultural and interreligious harmony and dialogue in the world.

Stressing that on September 16, 2020, President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, congratulated the Jewish community of Azerbaijan on the Jewish New Year - Rosh Hashanah, Suleymanov reminded that the Azerbaijani Jewish community has been living in Azerbaijan for centuries in peace and prosperity.

The ambassador said that Azerbaijan, as a country in which the overwhelming majority of the population professes Islam, was able not only to participate in the discussion and solution of important issues for the Islamic world but also to establish normal diplomatic relations with Israel.

Suleymanov stressed that in this sense Azerbaijan can serve an example for many countries.

The ambassador stressed that Azerbaijan is a supporter of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Focusing on the military clashes on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, Suleymanov stressed that as a result of Armenias recent military provocation during July events, 11 Azerbaijani servicemen and one civilian were killed.

The ambassador added that Armenia continues being the threat to peace and security in the region.

Stressing that the supply of arms to Armenia by Russia causes great concern in Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijani ambassador to the US added that currently, Azerbaijan and Russia are holding discussions to clarify this issue.

The ambassador stated that the activity of the OSCE Minsk Group, which is co-chaired by the US, France, and Russia, is passive, the co-chairing countries did not show sufficient activity to achieve peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Suleymanov stressed that Armenia is resettling the Armenians from Syria and Lebanon to the occupied Azerbaijani territories, thereby trying to change the demographic situation in these territories.

Stressing that US President Donald Trump has recently achieved several peace agreements, Christopher Nixon Cox wondered what kind of contribution the US side can make for the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

In response, Suleymanov replied that the US leadership, together with the counterparts from France and Russia, can achieve the peaceful settlement of the conflict based on international law and the principle of justice for the sake of the future of the Azerbaijani and Armenian people, thereby ensuring the interests of the US itself.

The interview is available at https://audioboom.com/posts/7684762-the-abraham-accord-illustrates-that-azerbaijan-s-friendship-with-israel-has-established-a-trend-f
New Delhi:

Pakistan on Saturday handed over Sepoy Chandu Babulal Chohan, who accidently crossed the LoC on 29 September 2016, to Indian authorities at 1430 hrs.

Earlier, Pakistan had agreed to return Sepoy Chandu Babulal Chavan, who inadvertently crossed the Line of Control on September 29, last year.

It was sais that the soldier will enter India via Wagah Border, Punjab at 3PM, an official statement said, "He will be debriefed and a special medical check-up will be carried out," it added.

Indian Government has been making continuous efforts to get him back ever since he crossed the LoC soon after the surgical strike on terror camps along Pakistans border.



The government recently approached Pakistans foreign ministry over missing soldier Chavans release. Indian Army soldier Chandu Babulal Chavan belongs to 37 Rashtriya Rifles.

Read | Who is Chandu Babulal Chavan



Earlier, Indian DGMO, Ranbir Singh had talked to his Pakistani counterpart for the return of Sepoy Chandu Babulal Chavan but all Pak authorities were reluctant to respond.



The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had kept away from Chavans case, allowing the army to handle the situation.



Indian government and the Army had claimed that the soldier had no role in the surgical strikes that took hours before his crossing. It added that such crossings by civilians and soldiers were not uncommon.



A 37 Rashtriya Rifles sepoy, Chavan was posted in the Mendhar sector in J&K when he was reported missing hours after the surgical strikes.



On October 2, defence minister Manohar Parrikar had said that a well-established mechanism through the DGMO had been activated to seek Chohans release. He had also said that since the situation was tense, it would take some time to bring him back.



Newsnation Campaign:



Newsnation had a launched a campaign to give impetus to efforts made for Sepoy Chandu Babulal Chavans safe return.

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Also listed were Mahatma Gandhi, Cesar Chavez, Malcolm X, George Floyd and one of the protesters Rittenhouse allegedly shot.



The Dallas Independent School District is apologizing for a writing assignment posted to students online portal that asked them to write about a hero for the modern age and listed Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse among their subject choices.

The two-part project first instructed students to write a half-page biography of a person they select from a roster of six names, citing at least two sources for each. The second part told them to then write a one-page essay on which of the six persons best demonstrates the students concept of a hero.

Demonstrators revisit the site where a protester was killed last month in Kenosha, Wisconsin, allegedly by 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

The list was comprised of Mahatma Gandhi, Cesar Chavez, Malcolm X, George Floyd, Rittenhouse and Joseph Rosenbaum, who was one of the Kenosha protesters Rittenhouse has been charged with killing last month.

In the assignment, the names of Gandhi and Malcolm X were misspelled.

Read More: Texas officer charged in shooting death of Pamela Turner

Kristian Hernandez told NBC affiliate KXAS that her younger brother, a student at W.T. White High School in Dallas, shared its details with his family.

My brother was really in disbelief that this was actually an assignment, she said.

The juxtaposition of George Floyds name with Kyles name was just astounding, Hernandez said. The value of Black lives are not up for debate, and thats what it felt like this was sort of getting at  by way of the names that were included.

Read More: Chris Rock on racism, protests: Humanity isnt progress

Dallas ISD apologized for the unapproved assignment in a statement, saying the unidentified teacher, who has been with the district for three years, created the content that was not part of the approved lesson plan.

Racial equity is a top priority in Dallas ISD, and we remain committed to providing a robust teaching environment where all students can learn, the statement read. It is important that we continue to be culturally sensitive to our diverse populations and provide a space of respect and value.

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The administration noted that students are not required to complete the assignment, and the incident is under investigation.

Have you subscribed to theGrios Dear Culture podcast? Download our newest episodes now!

The post Dallas school district apologizes for assignment referencing Kyle Rittenhouse as hero appeared first on TheGrio.
(Newser)  Red Bull heir Vorayuth "Boss" Yoovidhya isn't free to return to Thailand after all. Two months after charges were dropped against the 38-year-old accused of killing a Bangkok motorcycle cop in a 2012 hit-and-runa move critics called an example of impunity offered to the wealthy and connectedthe country has announced new charges. The Office of the Attorney-General announced prosecutors had indicted Vorayuth on charges of reckless driving causing death and cocaine use on Friday. Itthiphon Kaewthip, deputy director-general of the Department of Criminal Ligitation, cited new evidence and witness testimony. One expert determined Vorayuth's Ferrari was speeding between 68mph and 90mph, while another found it was traveling between 100mph and 118mph, per the Bangkok Post.

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"There was evidence that Vorayuth was driving fast and had used drugs before the incident," OAG spokesman Prayut Petcharakhun tells Reuters. Still, he said deputy attorney-general Nate Naksuk acted lawfully in deciding not to prosecute Vorayuth based on available evidence at the time, per the Post. Last month, however, the chairman of the prime minister's committee reviewing the handing of the case said there was "the shadow of corruption" in delays in the case reaching court, the Post reported. Vorayuth missed eight court appearances before fleeing Thailand in 2017, per Reuters. His current whereabouts are unknown. Prayut said prosecutors could "seek his extradition, as well as coordinate with Interpol to arrest him" if Vorayuth remains outside the country. (Read more Thailand stories.)
Kochi: Popular Malayalam TV serial actor Sabari Nath passed away Thursday night after collapsing while playing badminton near his house at Aruvikkara. He was rushed to a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram but breathed his last due to cardiac arrest. He was 45 years old.

Sabari Nath was a popular figure on Malayalam TV channels starring in serials like Swami Ayyappan, Padatha Paingili, Sagaram Sakshi, and Pranayini.

He is survived by his wife Shanthi and two daughters. Many TV and film actors mourned his sudden demise.
The London Stock Exchange said it has entered exclusive talks with France's Euronext after weighing up several offers for its Borsa Italiana business.

The LSE board met yesterday to discuss its options as it looks to sell bits of the business, including the Italian stock exchange, in order to gain approval from regulators for its blockbuster 20billion merger with data firm Refinitiv.

The sale of the Borsa Italiana prompted a flurry of excitement among European rivals as France's Euronext, Germany's Deutsche Boerse and Switzerland's Six exchange have all tabled offers.

Today, the LSE said that after considering 'a number of competitive proposals from several parties', it has decided to pick Euronext for exclusive talks.

Sell-off: The LSE is hoping that the sale of its Borsa Italiana business will help clear the way for its massive merger with Refinitiv

'The proposed combination of Borsa Italiana and Euronext would create a leading player in continental European capital markets,' Euronext said in a statement.

The sale of the Borsa Italiana, dubbed 'Project Botticelli', is thought to value the Italian unit at more than 3billion.

The LSE said there was 'no certainty' that talks will end in a sale, which it said will be dependent on the outcome of 'the European Commission's review of the Refinitiv transaction and that transaction closing in accordance with its terms'.

The LSE is hoping that the sale will help clear the way for its massive merger with Refinitiv. It announced the deal to buy the data provider, best known among City investors and brokers for its informative trading screens, last year.

The LSE is hoping the merger will help it expand into a rapidly growing niche, and make it the world's most powerful trading technology business.

But European regulators have thrown a spanner in the works after referring the deal for an in-depth probe, over fears it could hinder competition in the provision of critical data used across global markets.

The LSE is trying to sell off some of the units it believes are less essential, in order to get the green light from the European Commission.

According to sources, Six's offer had attached the largest price tag to the Borsa Italiana, while Euronext's is the lowest. The LSE bought the Borsa in 2007 for around 1.1billion.

While Six's offer may have been the most attractive by price, Euronext has teamed up with Italy's sovereign wealth fund CDP Equity and banking group Intesa Sanpaolo on its bid.

This could make a deal with Euronext more attractive to the Borsa Italiana  policymakers in Rome are keen to keep a tight grip on the exchange's bond-trading platform, which is used for trading Italy's vast pile of sovereign debt.

Italy's Treasury has the power to block any takeover of the Borsa through its Golden Power Law, which allows the Government to veto foreign investment in industries which are deemed to be strategic for the country.
Southwestern Vermont Medical Center Announces Flu Vaccination Opportunities

BENNINGTON, Vt.  Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), part of Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC), announced a schedule of flu vaccination opportunities region-wide.

Public health and infectious disease experts, including Vermont's Commissioner of Health Dr. Mark Levine, are urging members of the public to get the influenza vaccine in September or October this year.

"Getting vaccinated against the flu is more important than ever before because of the emergence of COVID-19," SVMC's chief medical officer Trey Dobson said. "Getting both the flu and COVID-19 at the same time, or within a short time apart, could be deadly. It is clear that vaccination is very safe and certainly one of the best measures to protect against the influenza virus. Equally as important, vaccination decreases the chance one will transmit the flu to others, particularly to those who are at risk such as the elderly or those with certain chronic illnesses."

Physicians recommend that most every individual over the age of six months should receive a flu vaccine every year. There is no out-of-pocket costs for those with most insurance plans.

"While we don't yet have an approved vaccine for COVID-19 today, we do have a flu vaccine," Dobson said. "We are encouraging everyone to vaccinate against the flu to save lives."

Patients in all locations will be screened before a nurse administers the vaccine. Those who are feeling poorly should not receive the vaccine until they are feeling better.

BENNINGTON

Drive-up clinics will be held in Bennington 4:30 pm to 7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 21, and Thursday, Sept. 24. No appointment is necessary. Patients should enter through the Monument Avenue Extension of SVMC's Bennington Campus and enter parking lot S5.

Patients must:
JAMMU: Troops violated powers under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) during an encounter in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir in which three men were killed in July this year, Army officials said on Friday (September 18). Officials added that Army has initiated disciplinary proceedings under the Army Act against those found prima-facie answerable.

On July 18, the Army claimed three terrorists were killed in Amshipura village in the higher reaches of south Kashmir's Shopian district. However, no further details were shared.

Committed to ethical conduct during anti-militancy operations, the Army initiated an inquiry after social media reports indicated the three men hailed from Rajouri district of Jammu region and had gone missing at Amshipura, said Col Rajesh Kalia, the defence spokesperson in Srinagar. The probe was completed in a record four weeks.

"The inquiry has brought out certain prima facie evidence indicating that during the operation, powers vested under the AFSPA 1990 were exceeded and the Do's and Don'ts of Chief of Army Staff as approved by the Supreme Court have been contravened. Consequently, the competent disciplinary authority has directed to initiate disciplinary proceedings under the Army Act against those found prima-facie answerable," a brief statement from the Army said.

"The evidence collected by the inquiry has prima-facie indicated that the three unidentified terrorists killed in Operation Amshipora were Imtiyaz Ahmed, Abrar Ahmed and Mohd Ibrar, who hailed from Rajouri. Their DNA report is awaited. Their involvement with terrorism or related activities is under investigation by the police.

Indian Army is committed to ethical conduct of operations. Further updates on the case will be given periodically without affecting due process of the law of the land," the statement read.
The work of the Trilateral Contact Group is currently blocked on many tracks due to Russia's stance.

"The work of the Trilateral Contact Group appears to be blocked on many tracks," Yevhenii Tsymbaliuk, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the International Organizations in Vienna, said at the OSCE Permanent Council on 17 September, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

He noted that Russia had been refusing to discuss political aspects of conflict settlement, including the tasks set by the Normandy Four leaders at the summit of 9 December 2019, for more than a month now.

The proposals of the Ukrainian side relating, in particular, to amendments to the law on the special order of local self-government in certain areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine, implementation of the so-called Steinmeier formula in the Ukrainian legislation, amnesty, etc. are simply ignored and the Political Working Group is unable to proceed with its agenda. All efforts of the OSCE moderator, Ambassador Morel, his appeals and practical steps to resuscitate normal activates of the Group have met outright obstruction. This is simply unacceptable, Tsymbaliuk said.

As noted, deliberate efforts by the Russian side to obstruct and delay the application of the already agreed arrangements within TCG are also seen in the security and humanitarian areas. In particular, the Ukrainian diplomat reminded of the updated mine action plan in the 19 agreed areas, which has a clear humanitarian nature, disengagement of forces and hardware in four additional agreed areas, and mutual exchange of lists of identified prisoners of war and other conflict-related detainees.

For the immediate future, we see demining and disengagement of troops and hardware as critical priorities  if these measures are not implemented before the winter weather sets, time will be lost for quite a long period. As for the exchange of lists, the Russian side has missed the 10 July deadline many times already, and announced that it has no intention to finalize its part of the deal, referring to purely political  I would say politisized  justifications, Ukraines Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna stressed.

Ukraine has duly implemented and is continuing to implement its part of the Minsk agreements as well as other commitments undertaken within the Minsk and Normandy formats, the diplomat reiterated.

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SPRINGFIELD  Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said Friday that $3.5 million federal grant funding to help combat homelessness will focus on helping organizations do street outreach and connect at-risk populations with services.

Sarno and his chief development officer, Timothy Sheehan, announced the selection of four area organizations that will use coronavirus relief funds under the federal CARES Act to provide outreach and services in Springfield to the homeless and those in danger of homelessness.

What Im hoping for with the agencies that are receiving this is the old Doobie Brothers song: Takin it to the Streets,' Sarno said. We need these other agencies to get out on the streets, assist our Police Department and help out with the mental health situations, help out with the drug addictions, and get these individuals the help that they need.

The organizations and grant amounts are:

Catholic Charities received $2,287,295, to partner with Mercy Medical Center on street outreach, placement from the street into hotel rooms on an emergency basis, social work and behavioral health care supports and referrals, as well as housing searches and rental assistance.

Friends of the Homeless (a program of Clinical & Support Options) received $342,531, to hire a full-time direct care diversion worker and to provide direct financial assistance to those adult individuals in Springfield who might otherwise find themselves homeless (including rent, rental arrears, security deposit, last months rent, utility deposits, utility payments, and moving costs).

New North Citizens Council received $400,000 to provide homelessness prevention assistance for those most at risk of becoming homeless.

YWCA of Western Massachusetts received $505,544 to provide prevention services, emergency shelter, housing search and rental assistance to survivors of domestic violence or human trafficking.

The City Council formally accepted a total of $3.9 million in federal grant funding Monday as applications from local organizations were under review. The awards announced Friday total $3,535,370.

Sarno and Sheehan said that while police often respond to emergencies and incidents involving the homeless or people in danger of homelessness, there must be a coordinated outreach effort to aid those individuals and families.

Homelessness is a very complicated issue that can relate to loss of a job, loss of family or loved one, drug addiction, and mental health, Sarno said.

The multi-prong effort under the grant program begins with triage and proceeds to stabilization and housing, Sarno said.

The city is going to continue to step it up, he said.

Sheehan said the program will be fully monitored, including the number of responses, timing of responses, and specific action taken and solutions. There will be a wide continuum of short-term and long-term responses.

Springfield recognizes that containing the impact of COVID-19 on the homeless population is a critical part of the citys response to COVID-19, Sheehan said.

He estimated that roughly 750 people in Springfield could be helped by the grant and other grant funding, which add up to about $4.3 million.

Sarno said the coronavirus pandemic has reduced shelter capacities in order to help with social distancing. The grant program will help get people off the streets and provide access to stable housing.

"We will continue to be proactive and compassionate on this issue, Sarno said.
The much-awaited Apple India online store is finally going Live in a few days from now, that is September 23. This comes just in time for the shopping spree usually seen around the festive period that includes Dussehra and Diwali festivals. The Apple online store for India, which will be available on Apple.com/in, will now join similar e-commerce platforms that Apple has in 37 other countries, including the US and UK. The online store will be Apples first direct retail presence in the country. Till now, Apple relied on authorized distributors and retailers in India for offline sales as well as on online shopping platforms such as Amazon.in and Flipkart. Apple will also offer trade-in for your existing iPhones as well as other smartphones when you buy a new Apple iPhone from the Apple India online store.

The Apple online store for India will sell the companys complete range of products, which includes the Apple iPhone line-up, the Mac computing device line-up, the iPad series, Apple AirPods family, HomePod smart speaker and more. Just as Apples experiential standardization across the globe, the India store will also have the same premium experience that Apple stores deliver in other countries. There will be localizations as well, which include Shopping Assistance that includes the ability to connect with Apple Specialists, in English and Hindi. These specialists will be able to help with support and pre-purchase guidance.

Apples complete line-up of iPhones, which include the latest generation Apple iPhone SE, Apple iPhone 11, Apple iPhone 11 Pro, Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max and the Apple iPhone XR will be on sale. It is expected that all variants as well as colour options will be available to order. Apple will also offer a trade-in option which will allow you to exchange your existing iPhone or any other smartphone and get an instant discount quote on the purchase of your new iPhonethe amount will be adjusted in the final bill that you need to pay. Were proud to be expanding in India and want to do all we can to support our customers and their communities. We know our users are relying on technology to stay connected, engage in learning, and tap into their creativity, and by bringing the Apple Store online to India, we are offering our customers the very best of Apple at this important time, says Deirdre OBrien, Apples senior vice president of Retail + People.

Alongside the Apple India online store will be the new Education Store, which will offer special discounts and pricing for the iPhone, iPad, Mac and other Apple products to teachers and students. There will also be special pricing for the accessories and the Apple Care+ extended warranty packages. This is something that Apple has on offer in many countries, and also offered it in India with the authorized distributors and retailers.

Apple says that there will be a wide range of payment and financing options which will be available to customers. EMI options for credit and debit cards, digital payment on delivery and RuPay cards will be accepted as payment methods. At this time, Apple is not offering cash on delivery (COD) as a payment option because of the contactless delivery requirements due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. RuPay is a domestic card payment service launched by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and plays a critical part in the governments push for digital transactions in the country.

All orders placed on the Apple India online store will be shipped with contactless delivery as the standard optionand delivers will be available across India. Orders will not require a signature to confirm receipt of delivery. Apple is partnering with Blue Dart for product shipment and expects all deliveries for orders to be completed between 24 hours and 72 hours from the time of payment.

Anyone purchasing an iMac 25-inch, iMac 27-inch, iMac Pro, Mac Pro, Mac Mini, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro 13 or the MacBook Pro 16 will also be able to take advantage of the Configure to Order option, which will allow you to pick and add upgrades for specifications such as processor, RAM, storage and graphics.

Ahead of the festive season, Apple will also offer gifting options as well as the ability to engrave text or emojis on Apple AirPods, Apple iPad and the Apple Pencil. Initially, engraving will be available in English as well as 7 Indian languages such as Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Tamil, and Telugu for the Apple AirPods, and English for the Apple iPad and Apple Pencil.

Since the experience at a physical Apple retailer isnt exactly an option for many potential and new customers right now, Apple will be sharing invites with those who make a purchase via the Apple India online store for a post-delivery session with an Apple Specialist who can help with setting up the product as well as provide tips which can also be tailored specific to your requirements.

At this time, the Apple India online store will not be selling gadgets and accessories from third-party brands.

It was in August last year that the Government of India had made changes to the foreign direct investment (FDI) rules which earlier required companies including Apple to source 30% of the value of goods purchased locally. That definition was widened to count all procurements made from India by a single brand retail trade entity, towards local sourcing. The new guidelines also removed the requirement for companies to first set up a physical retail presence in the country.

Over the past few weeks, Apple has given the governments Make in India initiative a big boost by starting production of the latest generation iPhone SE as well as the flagship phones, the Apple iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and the iPhone 11 Pro Max in India. Apple also produces the iPhone XR in India. Apples partners in India, Foxconn and Wistron are now manufacturing and assembling the iPhones at their facilities in the country. The push for localized manufacturing and assembling, as well as the online retail presence, should combine to give Apple a big boost ahead of the festive season sales.

Have You Also Read?

Apple iPhone SE Is Also Now Made In India, But Does That Mean Your Next iPhone Will Cost Any Lesser?

India Could Clock More Than $100 Billion In Mobile Phone Exports As Apple And Samsung Lead The Way

With Made In India iPhones, Apple Set To Get Its India Online Store: Here Is What This Means For You
Hundreds Join OGUK Young Pros Webinar

This article was first published on Rigzone here

Industry body Oil & Gas UK (OGUK) revealed that more than 200 people joined its industry insights webinar for young professionals on Thursday.

The free event, which was sponsored by Halliburton, centered around the skills required to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 in the UK, and by 2045 in Scotland, and on how important the next generation of talent will be in realizing the full potential of the UKs oil and gas industry through the energy transition.

Several speakers were present at the digital event, including Ryan Fernando, a workshop supervisor at Aker Solutions, Martin White, the vice president of Halliburton and Paul de Leeuw, the director of the Robert Gordon University Energy Transition Institute.

We are delighted with the success of this third virtual industry insights event, which centered around skills for the future, taking a deep dive into geosciences before looking at the entire industry, OGUKs continuous improvement manager Emily Taylor, who chaired the webinar, said in an organization statement.

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The session also gave the audience insights into the energy transition and allowed them to voice their personal experiences of the industry, Taylor added.

Through the energy transition, we have a once in a lifetime opportunity to show how we can build a more diverse and lower carbon energy mix in a way that embraces the skills and talents of our people, and young professionals will have a huge part to play in helping drive that forward, Taylor went on to say.

OGUK has hosted three industry insight events over the past year, including its first ever industry insights webinar for young professionals back in April. This event attracted more than 250 people, OGUK highlighted.

According to its website, OGUK is the leading representative body for the UK offshore oil and gas industry. It is a not-for-profit organization established in April 2007.

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To contact the author, email andreas.exarheas@rigzone.com

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Toxic protein inhibits cell wall synthesis in rival bacteria. Discovery helps explain how pathogens cause imbalances in established microbial communities and could pave the way to the development of novel anti-microbial compounds.

By Andre Juliao | Agencia FAPESP  Researchers at the University of Sao Paulo (USP) in Brazil have characterized a novel family of anti-bacterial toxins present in bacteria, including Salmonella enterica. This species uses toxic proteins to kill other bacteria in gut microbiota and facilitate colonization of the infected hosts gut.

The study is published in Cell Reports and featured on the cover of the journal.

The novel familys founding member is the protein Tlde1 (type VI L,D-transpeptidase effector 1), which attacks bacterial cell wall precursors. It is secreted via the type VI secretion system or T6SS. Targeted bacteria continue growing but because their cell walls are weakened they eventually die as cell contents leak owing to osmotic pressure and lysis.

This family of toxins has a hitherto undescribed mechanism. While other anti-bacterial toxins secreted by the same system destroy the already formed cell walls of target bacteria, this one acts on precursors so that theyre weak or cannot form at all, said Ethel Bayer-Santos, a researcher in the University of Sao Paulos Biomedical Sciences Institute (ICB-USP) and principal investigator for the project, which is supported by FAPESP.

In a previous study, a research group that included Bayer-Santos described another secretion system (T4SS) in opportunistic bacteria of the species Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. They also described a toxin that inhibits bacterial growth (read more at: agencia.fapesp.br/32157).

Bacteria selected these toxins during evolution and have been using them for thousands of years, so these discoveries point to therapeutic targets. Bacterial toxins may always have biotechnological potential and become anti-bacterial compounds in the future, Bayer-Santos said.

Search

In their search for the protein Tlde1, the scientists analyzed the genome of Salmonella in the region neighboring the genes that encode the structural proteins in the secretion system (T6SS). They found a pair of genes with traits that signaled a toxic protein and another that conferred immunity. Anti-bacterial toxins are usually located in bacterial genomes near proteins that contain antidotes to the toxins. These antidotes are required to protect the microorganisms from their own weapons.

To test the function of this gene pair, the researchers first expressed a gene they thought was probably responsible for the toxic protein in a susceptible bacterium, Escherichia coli. It survived when the probable toxic gene was expressed in cytoplasm but died when expression occurred in periplasm, suggesting the toxin targets some structure in this part of the cell wall.

Next, they expressed in E. colis periplasm both the toxic protein and the probable immunity protein. This co-expression neutralized the toxic effect and the bacteria survived, confirming that the proteins in question are indeed a toxin and an immune protein respectively.

In evolutionary terms, T6SS is related to the apparatus of bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria. It comprises 13 structural proteins that are assembled into a weapon resembling a spear or harpoon with a sharp tip inside a retractable cytoplasmic sheath. The attacking cell ejects the harpoon full of toxic proteins from the sheath into the target cell.

Bioinformatics analysis showed that members of the Tlde1 family are present in several species of bacterium and that the family probably evolved from bacterial enzymes with a key role in cell wall synthesis. The next step in the project is an effort to understand by structural biology how an enzyme that had this role has ended up doing the opposite.

The first authors of the published paper are Stephanie Sibinelli-Sousa and Julia Takuno Hespanhol, who received scientific initiation scholarships (respectively grant no. 18/13819-1 and grant no. 18/25316-4). Sibinelli-Sousa is currently researching for a masters degree at ICB-USP with FAPESPs support.

The other authors are Gianlucca Goncalves Nicastro, Robson Francisco de Souza and Cristiane Rodrigues Guzzo Carvalho, all of whom are affiliated with ICB-USP; Bruno Yasui Matsuyama, affiliated with the same universitys Chemistry Institute (IQ-USP); and Stephane Mesnage and Ankur Patel of Sheffield University in the UK.

The article A family of T6SS antibacterial effectors related to l,d-transpeptidases targets the peptidoglycan can be read at: www.cell.com/cell-reports/fulltext/S2211-1247(20)30794-4.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) is targeting a first-round presidential victory with a clear majority in Parliament in the December 7, 2020, general election, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said.



Addressing a durbar of chiefs and the people of both Berekum East and Berekum West constituencies at Domfete during his recent tour of the Bono Region, he appealed to the electorate not only to vote for him but also vote for the partys parliamentary candidates to make it easier for him to push his agenda through Parliament for implementation.



He used the occasion to also introduce Mr. Nelson Kyeremeh and Mr. Kwaku Agyenim-Boateng as the partys parliamentary candidates for Berekum East and West constituencies respectively



Skirt and blouse



President Akufo-Addo urged Ghanaians who were routing for him for four more years to continue his numerous policies and programmes to avoid voting in a skirt and blouse pattern since that would not help him to achieve what he intended to do if he was elected for the second term.





I need people I can work with when I am elected for the second term. Since I cannot do it alone, there is the need for you to ensure that I have a strong majority to assist me in Parliament, he said.



He said that Ghanaians were witnesses to the fact that his administration had been able to fulfil almost all the promises he made while campaigning for the presidency in 2016.



It is because of this that I now have the courage to appear before you to ask for another mandate, he said, adding that there is the need for you to vote in one way, it is the elephant for the presidency and an elephant majority in Parliament.



Peaceful election



President Akufo-Addo appealed to Ghanaians to avoid violence during the general election since it is important for us to elect our leaders in peace.



He also advised Ghanaians to shun politicians who would also want to use violence to unduly achieve what they were not destined for.



We need to allow the voters to exercise their franchise freely since they need to do so from their own freewill, he said.



Statistics



The NPP currently has 11 seats out of the 12 in the Bono Region and the party is hoping to maintain its dominance during the election in December 2020.



During the 2016 general election, when the erstwhile Brong Ahafo Region has not been divided into three regions, President Akufo-Addo obtained 531,147 votes (53.87 per cent) while former President John Dramani Mahama had 442,789 votes representing 44.91 per cent.



#GhanaVotes2020#

Source: graphiconline.com









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Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-17 23:52:15|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- A senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Thursday met with a high-level delegation of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) disciplined forces led by Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak.

Guo Shengkun, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee who heads the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the CPC Central Committee, spoke highly of the achievements of the disciplined forces.

Guo called on the disciplined forces, under the leadership of the Chief Executive, to perform their duties pursuant to the law, prevent and crack down on crimes and other legal violations, deal with risks and challenges, safeguard national security, social stability and the lawful rights and interests of the people, and serve as guardians for the successful practice of the principle of "one country, two systems" in Macao.

Wong said that they would make their due contributions to safeguarding the principle of "one country, two systems" and the long-term stability of Macao. Enditem
Kapseret member of parliament Oscar Kipchumba Sudi has appealed his detention at a police station before the High Court in Nakuru.

Through his lawyer Kipkoech Ngetich, the vocal lawmaker filed a criminal review application through a certificate of urgency asking the High Court to release him on reasonable bail terms.

Sudi wants the High Court to review and overrule a ruling by Chief Magistrate Josephat Kalo to detain him for 7 days.

The applicant prays that pending hearing and determination of this application inter partes, the court be pleased to admit Mr Oscar Sudi to bail and or bond on such reasonable terms that the court may deem fit, read the application.

Ngetich protested against the ruling by the magistrate terming it unlawful and a violation of his clients right to liberty.

According to the lawyer, magistrate Kalo made the assertion that his client was already guilty of hate speech charges, which he said risked denying Mr Sudi the right to a fair hearing.

Justice Joel Ngugi marked the matter as urgent and scheduled it for hearing on Friday at 10 am.

He also directed Sudi to serve the application to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions before the hearing time.
Because Plaintiffs allegations rest primarily on unsupported speculation and secondarily on isolated instances of voter fraud in other states and historical examples from Illinois during the prior century, Plaintiff cannot demonstrate either that it is likely to suffer irreparable harm or that it has some chance of success on the merits. Thus, the court denies Plaintiffs motion for preliminary injunction, the judge wrote.
As children grow the effect that sleep has on the brain changes from supporting memory and learning to maintenance and repair, a study has found.

US experts found that the shift in function occurs at around the age of two-and-a-half  a time when several big brain transformation were previously known to occur.

Most animals need sleep to repair damage caused by stress and to recognise neural patterns, which are key to boosting learning and memory skills.

As children grow the effect that sleep has on the brain changes from supporting memory and learning to maintenance and repair, a study has found. US experts found that the shift in function occurs at around the age of two-and-a-half  a time when several big brain transformation were previously known to occur

'The pervasiveness of sleep during development and throughout the animal kingdom suggests that it is a biological process that is necessary for survival,' said paper author Junyu Cao of the University of Texas at Austin.

'Although we spend approximately a third of our life asleep, its explicit physiological and evolutionary function remains unclear, with a myriad of hypotheses.'

In their study, Professor Cao and colleagues analysed sleep datasets  taken from children aged between 015  using models that focussed on each child's brain's metabolic rate, volume and the amount of time spent in REM sleep.

REM  or 'rapid eye movement'  is one of the five stages of sleep that occurs several times a night and is when dreaming takes place.

'We created a novel mechanistic framework for understanding and predicting how sleep changes,' explained Professor Cao.

'Because data are seldom analysed in a way that connects them with mathematical models or quantitative predictions, conclusions about the function of sleep have remained slow to evolve,' she added.

Neural reorganisation, an important part of learning and memory, takes place before children reach the age of two-and-a-half years old, the researchers found.

After this point, the brain appears to stop reorganising, and focuses instead on protecting and repairing neural networks.

According to the team, the change in sleep function was not gradual, but rather like 'water turning to ice'.

'Our findings reveal an abrupt transition, between two and three years of age in humans,' said paper author Van Savage of the University of California, Los Angeles.

'Specifically, our results show that differences in sleep across animal groups and during late ontogeny (after two or three years, in humans) are primarily due to sleep functioning for repair or clearance.'

'Changes in sleep during early ontogeny (before two or three years) primarily support neural reorganisation and learning.'

Neuroplastic reorganisation, the brains ability to learn by changing its structure and function, took place during REM rather than non-REM sleep phases, the researchers also found.

The researchers hope to examine the sleep function change in animals with shorter development periods, where it occurs earlier, and can even take place before birth.

The full findings of the study were published in the journal Science Advances.
New Delhi: Hours after Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigned from the Union Council of Ministers, President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday (September 18, 2020) accepted the resignation.

The President directed Narendra Singh Tomar to take the additional charge of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries.

"The President of India, as advised by the Prime Minister, has accepted the resignation of Harsimrat Kaur Badal from the Union Council of Ministers, with immediate effect, under clause (2) of Article 75 of the Constitution," as per a release issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday.

"Further, as advised by the Prime Minister, The President has directed that Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Cabinet Minister, be assigned the charge of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, in addition to his existing portfolios," it said.

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On Thursday, Union Minister for Food Processing Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigned from the Union Cabinet in protest against the three farm bills tabled in the two Houses of Parliament. The Shiromani Akali Dal had announced that Harsimrat Kaur will resign from the government.

Harsimrat Kaur Badal took to social media to inform that she has resigned from the Modi cabinet. In a tweet, she said, "I have resigned from Union Cabinet in protest against anti-farmer ordinances and legislation. Proud to stand with farmers as their daughter & sister."

I have resigned from Union Cabinet in protest against anti-farmer ordinances and legislation. Proud to stand with farmers as their daughter & sister.  Harsimrat Kaur Badal (@HarsimratBadal_) September 17, 2020

During a discussion on two of the farm bills, the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal announced in Lok Sabha that she will quit the government.

The Akali Dal had earlier protested against the first of three such bills, which has already been passed by the Lok Sabha.
(Bloomberg) -- IPhone users in the U.S. are rushing to install messaging app WeChat days before President Donald Trump is set to ban downloads in the country.

WeChat downloads surged to make it the 100th most-downloaded app in the U.S. on Friday, according to mobile analytics firm SensorTower. It has typically ranked between 1,000th and 1,500th this year. Friday is the first time the app has entered the top 500 so far in 2020, a spokesperson for SensorTower said in an email.

The U.S. government on Friday moved to ban WeChat, run by Chinas Tencent Holdings Ltd., and another popular Chinese-owned app TikTok, citing national security concerns. The prohibitions are slated to take effect on Sunday, and will prevent U.S. consumers for downloading the apps or installing updates.

WeChat will also be hit on Sunday with a ban on using American companies to run transactions and conduct internet traffic, meaning people still using the app will likely experience slowdowns and glitches because third-party tech services that keep it running wont work anymore.

WeChat U.S. for all practical purposes will be shut down, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Fox Business.

TikToks ranking as the fourth-most popular app on the iPhone store was unchanged on Friday, SensorTower said. It hasnt dropped out of the top 15 for all of 2020.

The video-sharing apps owner ByteDance Ltd. is negotiating a deal to hand control of its U.S. operations and data to Oracle Corp. in order to satisfy U.S. concerns that the data of Americans who use the app could fall into the hands of the Chinese government. TikTok will still be able to do business with American companies until Nov. 12. That means the app, which is extremely popular with young Americans, will likely keep working for users until after the Nov. 3 presidential election.

Chinese officials, who will have to approve the final TikTok deal, have called the U.S. actions against the two apps economic bullying.

Story continues

(Updates with quote from Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in fourth paragraph)

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By PTI

NEW DELHI: Lok Sabha on Friday witnessed uproarious scenes as Congress, Trinamool Congress and BJP members engaged in a war of words over funds managed by the Nehru-Gandhi family and state of affairs in West Bengal, leading to four adjournments of the House.

The ruckus began after Union minister Anurag Singh Thakur launched a scathing attack on the Congress and the Nehru-Gandhi family, saying that the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF), which was set up in 1948, has not been registered yet and that it was established to benefit the family.

The impasse came to an end only after Thakur expressed anguish if his remarks hurt some members.

"I had no intention of hurting anyone but if someone has been hurt, I express my anguish," he said as the House met at 6 pm after the four adjournments.

Thakur, Minister of State for Finance, was speaking during the procedure for the introduction of the Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation and Amendment of Certain Provisions) Bill, 2020 after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said he would talk about PM-CARES Fund.

Opposition parties have raised concerns about the fund, which was set up in March amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Attacking the Congress, Thakur said that PMNRF was misused by the Nehru-Gandhi family and observed that the Opposition sees everything, even good things, in a bad light.

"Your intention and thought are not good," he stressed.

The fund was set up by former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and it has not been registered yet.

How did the fund get FCRA registration, he asked, adding that the fund was set up for just one family.

ALSO READ | Draft EIA notification doesn't give exemptions from public consultations to industries: Babul Supriyo

The alleged misuse of funds needs to be looked into, he noted.

"The PM Cares Fund is a constitutionally set up public charitable trust. PM National Relief Fund was set up only for the benefits of one family -- Nehru-Gandhi family," he said.

When Congress members protested, Thakur said that names of Nehru and Gandhi family should be taken and alleged that the Gandhi family ruined the country.

About Opposition's concerns, he mentioned that during elections, it was said the EVMs are not working properly, and then it was about demonetisation, triple talaq and GST.

Regarding PM-CARES Fund, the minister said that people went to courts against the fund and courts have given rulings in favour of the fund.

The fund was set up in March and it was opposed in April itself.

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi was preparing to fight the coronavirus pandemic, at that time also, the Opposition was doing politics, Thakur charged.

ALSO READ | Kejriwal appeals to all non-BJP parties to unite in Rajya Sabha to oppose farm bills

He also said that poor and aged people as well as children have contributed to the fund.

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that Chinese companies have donated to PM-CARES Fund and that should also be looked into.

In protest against the minister's remarks about the Gandhis, Congress members walked out of the House.

When the House reconvened at 6 pm, Speaker Om Birla said, "If anyone thinks that the Chair has hurt someone, I would like to say that it may be unintentional. For me, every member is equal and protecting every member is my duty," he said.

"If I say anything to anyone, the intention is not to hurt anyone but to run this House smoothly. If someone has been hurt in that process, I personally seek apology from him or her," Birla added.

His remarks were apparently in reference to some members alleging that the Speaker was protecting the Treasury members.

Defence Minister and Deputy Leader of the House Rajnath Singh praised the Speaker for running the House smoothly.

Earlier, amid the ruckus, Birla warned members that they should not stand up to speak and that safety of members during this pandemic was important.

"If anyone gets up to talk. I will take action. I will name them and remove them from the House," Birla said, adding that it would be applicable for all members and ministers.

ALSO READ | Government trying to end MSP through farm bills, attacking farmers' livelihood: Congress

Keeping in mind social distancing norms in place due to the coronavirus pandemic, members have been asked not to stand while speaking.

In an apparent reference to certain remarks by ruling party members earlier, Trinamool Congress member Kalyan Banerjee said such things cannot continue and alleged that the Speaker was trying to protect BJP members.

Banerjee even said that he is also ready to face suspension.

Amid the din, the Speaker first adjourned the proceedings for 30 minutes till 4.20 pm.

After the House reconvened, Sitharaman introduced the bill and then the House took up discussion on supplementary demands.

#WATCH For me, every member is equal & it is my duty to protect every member of this House. If I say anything to anybody, I do it to run the House. I apologise if I have hurt anybody's sentiments: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla pic.twitter.com/a820LXAT0B  ANI (@ANI) September 18, 2020

However, Congress members led by Gaurav Gogoi demanded an apology from Thakur for his remarks against the Gandhis.

As BJP member Jayant Sinha was speaking on supplementary demands for grants, Congress members raised slogans such as 'Anurag Thakur maafi maango' and 'Goli maro mantri resign'.

Some Congress members entered the Well of the House raising slogans and the Treasury benches did not react to the sloganeering.

Amid the din, the House was adjourned for 30 minutes till 5 pm.

Later, the proceedings were adjourned twice for 30 minutes each till 6 pm.
On Friday, October 2, 2020, the World Socialist Web Site will be relaunched with an entirely new design and with vastly enhanced functionality. The launch will take place simultaneously in the over 20 languages in which the WSWS is published.

The changes that are being introduced are the outcome of an intensive review, spanning more than a year, of all aspects of the WSWS. Throughout this lengthy process, our central concern has been the development of the World Socialist Web Site as the focal point, in the international struggle for socialism, of theoretical education, political analysis, cultural enlightenment and the revolutionary organization of the working class.

Driving the WSWS relaunch have been two powerful and interacting objective factors: first, the explosive development of the global crisis of the world capitalist system; second, the escalation of the international class struggle. The interaction of these fundamental processes, accelerated by the global pandemic, confronts the World Socialist Web Site, as the political organ of the International Committee of the Fourth International, with immense challenges and responsibilities.

The most direct impact of the global crisis and the escalation of class struggle has been a substantial growth in the readership of the WSWS. The total number of page views so far this year exceeds 20 million. By the time of the relaunch on October 2, the number of page views during the first nine months of 2020 will have surpassed the total number reached in all of 2019.

This increase in readership has been achieved despite the unrelenting efforts of governments and the social media conglomerates to censor and restrict public access to the WSWS. In fact, every surge in WSWS readershipas, for example, when an article posted on the WSWS in August was viewed more than 100,000 times in a single dayis followed almost immediately by the intensification of corporate censorship.

As its readership has grown, the World Socialist Web Site has come to play an increasingly central role in the struggles of the working class. This development requires not only more extensive news coverage. The WSWS must assist the growing mass movement by providing the Marxist theoretical guidance and political perspective required to transform the spontaneous eruptions of social opposition into a class conscious and internationally coordinated revolutionary struggle for socialism.

In whatever part of the world they live, workers require detailed knowledge of the international economic and political conditions within which their struggles are unfolding. They must be able to follow and establish contact with the movement of the working class beyond the borders of their own country. And, above all, they must be able to draw upon the strategic lessons derived from the historical experience of the class struggle and the fight for socialism. The relaunching of the World Socialist Web Site will be a milestone in meeting these needs in a new period of revolutionary upsurge.

The most significant features of the new World Socialist Web Site are:

A vastly improved design, utilizing industry-leading technology, that is far more functionally robust than the present site. Responding to the fact that more than half the WSWS readership accesses the site with either a mobile phone or tablet, the redesigned site will provide excellent usability on all viewing platforms.



Readers entering the site via a cell phone or tablet will have access to the full scope of the WSWSs content in the appropriate viewing format.





Readers entering the site via a cell phone or tablet will have access to the full scope of the WSWSs content in the appropriate viewing format. Readers will be able to quickly identify the latest articles, which will be especially helpful as the WSWS transitionsbeginning with the relaunch dateto multiple postings throughout the day. More sophisticated topic categories will greatly improve the daily placement of new articles and the navigation of the site.





Since its initial launch in February 1998, the World Socialist Web Site has developed an archive of more than 125,000 articles. This extraordinary collection includes not only a record of the major political, economic, social and cultural events of the entire twenty-first century.



It also consists of a vast collection of documents relating to the entire history of the Trotskyist movement since the founding of the Left Opposition in the Soviet Union in 1923. This critical historical material has been assembled in curated page areas that are easily accessed.



The relaunched WSWS has been designed to encourage and facilitate a dynamic interaction between past and present. Readers will be able to navigate the site, as motivated by their interests, from contemporary to historical events. The same thematic approach has been taken to the presentation of major and persistent contemporary topics (i.e., the malignant growth of social inequality, the defense of Julian Assange, the struggle against imperialist war, the threat of authoritarianism and fascism, the impact of climate change, and many other important issues).



The relaunched site integrates the two essential characteristics of the World Socialist Web Site: the breadth of its news coverage and the depth of its theoretical and historical foundations.





It also consists of a vast collection of documents relating to the entire history of the Trotskyist movement since the founding of the Left Opposition in the Soviet Union in 1923. This critical historical material has been assembled in curated page areas that are easily accessed. The relaunched WSWS has been designed to encourage and facilitate a dynamic interaction between past and present. Readers will be able to navigate the site, as motivated by their interests, from contemporary to historical events. The same thematic approach has been taken to the presentation of major and persistent contemporary topics (i.e., the malignant growth of social inequality, the defense of Julian Assange, the struggle against imperialist war, the threat of authoritarianism and fascism, the impact of climate change, and many other important issues). The relaunched site integrates the two essential characteristics of the World Socialist Web Site: the breadth of its news coverage and the depth of its theoretical and historical foundations. The WSWS will provide access to the programs and major statements of the International Committee and its sections. All those who are looking for a socialist movement based on Marxismwhich upholds the genuine revolutionary legacy of the 1917 October Revolution, defends historical truth, and conducts a relentless fight against all variants of neo-Stalinism, reactionary nationalism, reformism, opportunism and middle-class pseudo-leftismwill be able to follow the work of the Fourth International and study its history and program.

This announcement of the relaunch would not be complete without acknowledging the tireless efforts of the cadre of the International Committee of the Fourth International and the unstinting support of so many thousands of devoted readers of the World Socialist Web Site.

The relaunch of the World Socialist Web Site on October 2, 2020 will prove to be a historical advance in the struggle to put an end to capitalism and establish an international socialist society.
KYIV, Ukraine: Belarus borders with Poland and Lithuania remained open Friday despite the nations president declaring they would be closed and accusing the neighboring nations of instigating nearly six weeks of protests against his 26 year of authoritarian leadership.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said late Thursday that he was putting the army on high alert and closing the countrys borders with Lithuania and Poland. Lukashenko has blamed the United States and its allies for fomenting the weeks of unrest following his landslide reelection to a sixth term last month, an outcome that protesters in Belarus say resulted from a rigged election.

We are forced to withdraw troops from the streets, put the army on high alert and close the state border on the west, primarily with Lithuania and Poland, Lukashenko said while addressing a womens forum, adding that Belarus border with Ukraine also would be strengthened.

But the national Border Guard Service said all border checkpoints remained open, though it said controls and inspections have been strengthened.

A spokeswoman for the Polish Border Guard, Agnieszka Golias, said traffic at Polands border with Belarus was as busy as usual. Lithuanian authorities also reported no changes.

Lukashenkos main challenger in the election, former English teacher and political novice Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, dismissed Lukashenkos claims as part of his efforts to denigrate protesters and to blame foreign influences for the outpouring of anger toward him and calls for his resignation on the streets of Belarus.

Lukashenko already has tried to scare us with enemies that dont exist. He has accused peaceful people of being engaged in violence and tried to cast the true patriots as traitors, Tsikhanouskaya said in a statement. But his talk yesterday about closing the borders marks a new level of distancing from the reality. It was a talk by a weak person about his own imaginary world.

She urged Belarusians to ignore Lukashenkos bluster, emphasizing that all our neighbors are our friends.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius voiced concern over Lukashenkos statement about beefing up troops on the border.

This is an inadequate response of an inadequate person to the situation, he told public broadcaster LRT Radio.

The United States and the European Union have criticized the presidential election as neither free nor fair and urged Lukashenko to start talks with the opposition a call he has rejected. Washington and Brussels have been pondering sanctions against Belarusian officials for alleged vote-rigging and the violent response to protests.

During a ferocious protest crackdown in the first few days after the Aug. 9 presidential election, nearly 7,000 people were arrested and hundreds were injured. Belarusian authorities have since changed tactics and tried to squash protests with the selective detentions of demonstrators and the jailing of opposition leaders.

In a new strategy to stem Sunday rallies that drew up to 200,000 people to the streets of Minsk to denounce the government, the Belarusian Prosecutor Generals office said it has tracked down parents who took their children to opposition demonstrations.

It said that prosecutors in the capital have served notices to 140 individuals, warning them of their failure to fulfill their parental duties. The offices statement didnt spell out the potential consequences of the warnings.

___

Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow, Monika Scislowska in Warsaw, Poland and Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark contributed to this report.

____

Follow APs coverage of the political unrest in Belarus at https://apnews.com/hub/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
Mushroom farming, one of the most profitable agri-business, is turning out to be an alternative means of livelihood for many migrants, who came back to Uttar Pradesh (UP) after being rendered jobless during the 68-day-long coronavirus disease (Covid-19)-induced nation-wide lockdown restrictions that were enforced from March 25.

Officials of the state horticulture department and Krishi Vigyan Kendra, which is a part of National Agricultural Research System (NARS), said they were flooded with queries and applications related to mushroom farming.

The trend

Perhaps, Lucknow is the first place in UP to witness the unusual trend, according to agricultural experts.

We are flooded with queries related to mushroom farming. Though it has always been a profitable venture but never before have we witnessed such enthusiasm among people. And what is common among the query seekers is that a majority of them are youths and many of them are migrants, said Meena Maurya, district horticulture officer.

State horticulture department officials said around 140 among the query-seekers have got themselves registered for the mushroom farming training programme, which would start from Monday (September 21).

Mushroom season lasts between September and March. By the time we will be starting our training session, I am sure many more will apply for the training programme that aims to impart correct technique to the mushroom farmers in a bid to help increase their yield to the maximum, said Dr SK Chauhan, an official of the state horticulture department.

Besides Lucknow, mushroom farming is done in almost all its neighbouring districts, including Sitapur, Hardoi, Sultanpur, Faizabad, Barabanki etc.

Only ray of hope

Sankalp Kumar, a migrant worker, who belongs to a remote village in UPs Bareilly district and had returned to his native place from Gujarat in May because of the viral outbreak, said: Its been over four months since I returned to my village after I had left by job in Ahmedabad. In such a situation when there is no job, mushroom farming, which is quite common in my village, seems to be the only option to explore. I have heard that profit in this farming activity is quite high, while the investment is very low.

Other migrants, who live in rural parts of Lucknow and in the adjoining districts, also said that the mushroom farming was the only ray of hope for them to earn their livelihood amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Cab owners, traders also among applicants

Others who suffered losses in the contagion such as cab, travel agency owners and garment traders have also applied for mushroom farming training programme, said state horticulture department officials.

The authorities at Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Lucknow, confirmed the discernible trend. The enthusiasm is going to take mushroom farming to another level. We have received around 250 applications and expect more by the time the training programme starts on Monday, said Deepak Rai, a subject matter expert (SME) at KVK, Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR)-Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research (IISR), Lucknow.

Why mushroom farming?

When compared to other crops, mushroom farming is not only cost effective but it also gives much more profit, said Rai.

In UP, farmers largely deal in three variants of mushrooms  button, oyster and milky. Of them, oyster mushrooms are the cheapest .

Any person, who has a 10 feet (ft) by 10 ft room can start oyster mushroom farming with zero investment. A crop can yield mushrooms for up to 25 days. A kilogram (kg) of oyster mushroom is sold for 300 or more depending on its demand in the market, Rai added.

Milky mushroom is also in great demand but the investment in the trade is a little higher, as compared to oyster mushroom. While the button mushroom farming is the costliest affair as it entails an initial investment of up to 2 lakh.

But at the same time, it is sold at a much higher price. One kg of button mushroom costs between 400 and 500, he added.

Health benefits of mushroom

*Checks Cholesterol Levels: Mushrooms are full of lean proteins and have negligible fat or cholesterol. They are a great source of chitin and beta-glucan that are fibres which keep a check on a persons cholesterol levels

*Maintains Bone Health: Mushrooms contain abundant calcium, an essential nutrient to maintain strong bones

*Boosts Immune System: Out of the many antioxidants present in mushrooms, ergothioneine is an antioxidant that is effective in protecting a human body from any free radicals. Mushrooms also contain natural antibiotic and anti-fungal properties that help get rid of various infections

*Good for Diabetics: Mushroom is a superfood for those suffering from blood sugar. Mushroom is a good source for chromium, which helps maintain blood sugar levels, and keeps a check on insulin, said Dr Simran Saini. Besides, mushroom is low on both carbohydrate and fat

*Helps in Weight Loss: Mushrooms contain a lot of fibre that helps in improving digestion and keeps metabolism in check.

*Button mushrooms are very low in calories: They offer essential protein and amino acids, sufficient levels of mineral, vitamins and fibre. They carry vitamin D in the form of ergocalciferol. Vitamin D is an essential fat-soluble vitamin required for bone growth and calcium metabolism. It contains excellent levels of selenium, copper, phosphorus, zinc, and potassium

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(Photo : LuisSanchez/Unsplash) A woman died on September 11 as she was turned away by a nearby hospital in Duesseldorf, Germany (Photo : Philipp Katzenberger/Unsplash) Ransomware attackers used Citrix application vulnerability

A woman died on September 11 as she was turned away by a nearby hospital in Duesseldorf, Germany after a ransomware attack hampered its operations and forced her to seek emergency treatment from another facility 20 miles farther. The police later spoke with the cybercriminals whom they will be filing manslaughter charges for the patient's death.

According to Ars Technica, based on a report from Associated Press on September 17, German authorities are seeking to file a negligent manslaughter case against the unknown cybercriminals who launched that attack against the Duesseldorf University Hospital.

There are only minimal details revealed to the public about the ransomware, which started about 24 hours before the patient's death. According to the North Rhine-Westphalia state justice minister, 30 hospital servers were encrypted by the ransomware attack while a message to the Heinrich Heine University instructed the hospital officials to communicate with the attackers. The Duesseldorf University Hospital is affiliated to the Heinrich Heine University.

The Duesseldorf police eventually contacted the perpetrators and told them that the attack had hit not the university, but a hospital that treats emergency patients. After which, the attackers withdrew the ransom demand and gave a decryption key to unlock the servers. However, the justice minister report said that they can no longer reach the attackers.

Ransomware attackers used Citrix application vulnerability

Hospital officials confirmed the cyberattack on Twitter on September 17. The thread said that restoration is ongoing after "security gap in widespread software enabled access." Attackers allegedly exploited the vulnerability discovered in "widespread commercial add-on software." The tweet also noted that there is no evidence that data has been destroyed or that any specific information was fished.

Meanwhile, as the name of the commercial add-on software was divulged, Dr. Thomas Jaeschke replied to the hospital's tweet: "Then it would make sense to name this additional commercial software when so many other companies are affected!?!" However, the hospital said that it already informed responsible authorities, including the BSI which is responsible for issuing security warnings.

The ZDNet reported that the BSI tweeted a link to the advisory it issued in January when it warned about CVE-2019-19781, a critical vulnerability in the Citrix application delivery controller. This is being used to balance inbound application traffic.

Citrix is has not yet issued a response after to Ars Technica sent an email about the vulnerability and whether it was used in the Duesseldorf hospital attack. On September 16, federal prosecutors said on news reports that CVE-2019-19781 was among several vulnerabilities reportedly used by China-backed hackers to attack game and software developers.

This is not the first time that hospitals were paralyzed by a ransomware attack. In 2019, three hospitals in Alabama were hit by attacks and they allegedly paid the ransom to get the decryption key and restore their systems. Seven hospitals in Australia were also attacked by cybercriminals, but it is not clear whether they also paid the ransom.

Read also: Out of Million, COVID Tracing App Detects Over 100 People to Isolate

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Written by CJ Robles

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
With Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badals resignation from the Cabinet on Thursday, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the SAD alliance waded into troubled waters. SADs lone minister in the Narendra Modi government, resigned to protest the three agriculture bills that were later passed by a voice vote in the Lok Sabha."I have resigned from the Union Cabinet in protest against anti-farmer ordinances and legislation. Proud to stand with farmers as their daughter and sister," Kaur said in a tweet.

The legislations, Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, were passed by voice vote in the Lok Sabha on Thursday. Earlier on Tuesday, the House passed the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020 which seeks to deregulate food items, including cereals, pulses and onions

Why is the Akali Dal opposing the Bills?

Farmers happen to be the largest chunk of the partys vote bank. Akali Dal therefore cannot let down its core constituency. Political analysts say its a question of survival for the party that enjoyed two successive terms from 2007 before the 2017 rout. The SAD-BJP alliance secured only 15 per cent of the seats while the Congress recorded its most emphatic win since 1957.

What is the biggest fear?

Farmers fear they will no longer get paid at MSP, while commission agents are concerned that they will lose their commission. According to a Punjab Agricultural University study, there are over 12 lakh farming families in Punjab and 28,000 registered commission agents. A large part of the states economy rests on funds infused by central procurement agencies such as Food Corporation of India (FCI).

Now, protesters fear the FCI will no longer be able to procure from the state mandis, which will rob the middleman/commission agent/arhatiya of his 2.5 per cent commission. The state itself will lose the 6 per cent commission it used to charge on the procurement agency.

Why do parties call it a breach of cooperative federalism?

Since agriculture and markets are state subjects  entry 14 and 28 respectively in List II  the ordinances are being viewed as a direct encroachment upon the functions of the states and against the spirit of cooperative federalism enshrined in the Constitution. The Centre, however, argued that trade and commerce in food items is part of the concurrent list, thus giving it constitutional propriety.

Will the Bills bring an end to MSP?

The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance aims at opening up agricultural sale and marketing outside the notified Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) mandis for farmers, removes barriers to inter-State trade and provides a framework for electronic trading of agricultural produce. It prohibits state governments from collecting market fee, cess or levy for trade outside the APMC markets.

According to PRS Legislative Research, APMCs were set up with the objective of ensuring fair trade between buyers and sellers for effective price discovery of farmers produce. APMCs can regulate the trade of farmers produce by providing licences to buyers, commission agents, and private markets; levy market fees or any other charges on such trade, and provide necessary infrastructure within their markets to facilitate the trade.

Critics view the dismantling of the monopoly of the APMCs as a sign of ending the assured procurement of food grains at minimum support prices (MSP). To the Centres one nation, one market call, critics have sought one nation, one MSP. Critics also argue that ensuring a larger number of farmers get the MSP for their produce and straightening kinks in the APMCs, instead of making these state mechanisms redundant is the need of the hour.

What does the Bill say about contract farming?

The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance relates to contract farming, providing a framework on trade agreements for the sale and purchase of farm produce. The mutually agreed remunerative price framework envisaged in the legislation is touted as one that would protect and empower farmers.

The written farming agreement, entered into prior to the production or rearing of any farm produce, lists the terms and conditions for supply, quality, grade, standards and price of farm produce and services. The price to be paid for the purchase is to be mentioned in the agreement. In case of prices subjected to variations, the agreement must include a guaranteed price to be paid for such a produce, and a clear reference  linked to the prevailing prices or any other suitable benchmark prices  for any additional amount over and above the guaranteed price, including bonus or premium. The method of determining such price, including guaranteed price and additional amount, will be provided in the agreement as annexures.

What about possible exploitation by corporate houses on price fixation?

The Price Assurance Bill, while offering protection to farmers against price exploitation, does not prescribe the mechanism for price fixation. There is apprehension that the free hand given to private corporate houses could lead to farmer exploitation.

Contract farming is not a new concept to the countrys farmers  informal contracts for food grains, formal contracts in sugarcane and poultry sectors are common. Critics are apprehensive about formal contractual obligations owing to the unorganised nature of the farm sector and lack of resources for a legal battle with private corporate entities.

Will it lead to erosion of food security?

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, on the easing of regulation of food items, said, it would lead to exporters, processors and traders hoarding farm produce during the harvest season, when prices are generally lower, and releasing it later when prices increase. He said it could undermine food security since the states would have no information about the availability of stocks within the state.
A SMALL motorboat carrying 23 people was intercepted in TCI waters last weekend after travelling 190 miles across the Caribbean Sea from Haiti.





Officials from the Radar Station tracked the 25 foot vessel five miles from South Dock in Providenciales at about 10.20pm on Saturday (September 12).





Patrolling officers of the Marine Branch Unit were then dispatched to meet the boat on motor vessel Sea Guardian with the assistance of motor vessel Sea Enforcer.





They found the boat, which was white with blue stripes and had the name Loose Moose painted on the side, with 23 Haitian nationals on board.





The 18 men and five women were removed from the vessel and handed over to Immigration Department officials for processing and repatriation.





In a statement on June 11, Hon. Vaden Williams, Minister of Immigration, Citizenship, Labour and Employment Services, reminded it is an offence to harbour or assist illegal aliens.





Anyone found guilty is liable to a fine of $20,000 or a term of imprisonment of four years, or both in accordance with the Immigration Ordinance 2018 Revised.





Any suspicious movements can be reported to the police on 911 or Crime Stoppers anonymously on 1-800-8477.




We all know how Gopi Bahus love for her husband has landed her in trouble, thanks to Rashi and her own naivety. But wait till you watch Topi Bahus antics. In a promo video for his show Gangs of Filmistan on Star Bharat, comedian Sunil Grover takes up the role of Topi Bahu inspired from renowned Gopi Bahu from the soap opera Saath Nibhaana Saathiya.

Topi bahu sath nibhayegi aaj raat 8 baje @StarBharat par. pic.twitter.com/a1GoLu6Mxp Sunil Grover (@WhoSunilGrover) September 18, 2020

The video shows Grover in the get up of an Indian wife wearing a saree sitting in front of a mirror with some make-up. Playing the role of naive Topi Bahu, Grover applies the make-up in his own comedic style. He starts by applying the lipstick and mascara on a piece of paper and then picks up the piece of paper and presses it on his face. He uses this revolutionary style of applying make-up to put on some sindoor on his hair parting as well.

Gopi Bahus laptop washing scene where she uses detergent to wash her husbands gadget and hangs it on the clothesline for drying also inspired Grover to take the washing challenge up a notch. The promo video shows Grover jumping into a mock washing machine and turning on the machine and emerges out of it looking like a mess. As Topi Bahu emerges out of the washing machine her husband is astounded to see his wife.

The iconic character of Gopi bahu played by Gia Manek has been the source of many memes, most recently she featured in the viral musical video by Yashraj Mukhate. The video was trending on social media after Mukhate gave a musical twist to one of the memorable scenes of the serial where Gopis mother-in-law Kokilaben asks her who Rasode me kaun tha.

The ultra-dramatic scene between Kokilaben, Gopi Bahu, and culprit Rashi entertained millions of Indians and even made it to debates on national television.
Bangladesh: 22-day ban on catching, selling hilsa begins in Oct

September 18,2020 | Source: Prothom Alo

A 22-day ban on catching, selling, hoarding and transporting of hilsa will come into effect from 14 October. The ban will be effective until 4 November, said a handout from the fisheries and livestock ministry on Thursday, reports UNB. This is the peak period when hilsa release eggs. Hilsa has the highest contribution to the countrys fish production, the government says. It contributes to more than 12.09 per cent to the countrys fish production.



In 2017-18, hilsa production was 517,000 lakh MT, which had an estimated value of around Tk 206.8 billion. This year, the authorities concerned set a target to produce 550,000 MT hilsa. Earlier, the two-month government ban on catching, selling and transporting of hilsa began on 1 March and ended in May.
This week, AstraZeneca AZN resumed the late-stage study on its coronavirus vaccine candidate in the United Kingdom, which it had halted last week. Also, Lilly LLY announced promising interim data for COVID-19 antibody treatment. Moreover, Merck MRK announced two cancer deals with Seattle Genetics SGEN.

Recap of the Weeks Most Important Stories

AstraZeneca Resumes COVID-19 Vaccine Study: AstraZeneca resumed late-stage clinical studies on its COVID-19 vaccine candidate AZD1222 in the United Kingdom after British regulatory authorities confirmed that it was safe to do so. Last week, AstraZeneca temporarily paused all its global late-stage studies on AZD1222, which it is developing in partnership with Oxford University, as a patient in the U.K. suffered an unspecified illness. Management said that the company is in talks with other health authorities as to when they can resume the other studies on AZD1222.

Meanwhile, AstraZeneca announced an agreement to acquire a preclinical oral PCSK9 inhibitor program from Dogma Therapeutics. It plans to conduct clinical studies on the program in dyslipidaemia and familial hypercholesterolemia, which are expected to begin in 2021.

Lillys COVID-19 Studies Meet Primary Endpoints: Lillys phase II study (BLAZE-1) evaluating LY-CoV555 ,for the treatment of mild-to-moderate recently diagnosed COVID-19 patients, met the primary endpoint. LY-CoV555, a SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody, is Lillys lead COVID-19 antibody therapy candidate in collaboration with private biotech AbCellera.

Interim data from the study showed that treatment with LY-CoV555 led to a reduced rate of hospitalization for patients while consistent effects of viral reduction were seen at earlier time points. The primary endpoint of viral load change from baseline at day 11 was met for the 2800 mg dose but not for the other two doses of 700 mg and 7000 mg. Most patients demonstrated near-complete viral clearance by day 11. The study is ongoing with additional treatment arms.

Story continues

Meanwhile, Lillys phase III study evaluating its rheumatoid arthritis drug Olumiant (baricitinib) in combination with Gileads remdesivir for hospitalized patients with COVID-19 infections met the primary endpoint of reduction of time to recovery in comparison with remdesivir. The ACTT-2 study is being conducted by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and included more than 1,000 patients. Lilly is conducting a separate phase III study to evaluate Olumiant as a potential treatment for hospitalized patients diagnosed with COVID-19. Based on data from the ACTT-2 study, Lilly will consider seeking emergency use authorization (EUA) from the FDA.

The FDA granted a Fast Track status to Lillys Jardiance to prevent heart failure and reduce the risk of mortality in adults with and without diabetes who have had an acute myocardial infarction, commonly known as heart attack. The designation to the SGLT-2 inhibitor was based on data from the EMPACT-MI study.

Pfizer Seeking to Increase the Size of COVID-19 Vaccine Study: Pfizer PFE and its German partner BioNTech announced that they filed an amended protocol to the FDA seeking an approval to expand the size of the late-stage studies on their potential coronavirus vaccine from 30,000 subjects to approximately 44,000. This increase in study size will allow enrollment of new patient populations. The companies expect to meet the initial target of 30,000 participants next week.

Mercks Dual Cancer Deals With Seattle Genetics: Merck announced an agreement to co-develop and co-commercialize Seattle Genetics antibody-drug conjugate ladiratuzumab vedotin, which is in mid-stage development for breast cancer and other solid tumors. The companies plan to study ladiratuzumab vedotin as a monotherapy and in combination with Mercks Keytruda for triple-negative breast cancer, hormone receptor-positive breast cancer and other LIV-1-expressing solid tumors. For the deal, Merck will make an upfront payment of $600 million to Seattle Genetics and also invest $1 billion (5 million shares) in its stock. Seattle Genetics will also be entitled to potential milestone fees of up to $2.6 billion.

In another oncology collaboration, Merck acquired an exclusive license to commercialize Seattle Genetics newly-approved breast cancer drug Tukysa in Asia, the Middle East and Latin America besides other regions outside the United States, Canada and Europe. For this deal, Seattle Genetics will receive $125 million as upfront payment besides being eligible for milestones of up to $65 million.

FDAs Breakthrough Therapy Tag to Sanofis Dupixent for Eosinophilic Esophagitis: The FDA granted a Breakthrough Therapy designation to Sanofi SNY/Regenerons REGN blockbuster immunology drug Dupixent for treating eosinophilic esophagitis. The designation is based on positive data from Part A of a phase III study for EoE, a chronic type II inflammatory disease that damages the esophagus and impacts patients ability to swallow and eat. Dupixent is now approved for three type II inflammatory diseases, namely severe chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis, severe asthma and moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis.

The NYSE ARCA Pharmaceutical Index rose 2.5% in the last five trading sessions.

Large Cap Pharmaceuticals Industry 5YR % Return

Here is how the eight major stocks performed in the last five trading sessions.

Last week, AstraZeneca recorded the highest increase (5.4%) while AbbVie was flat.

In the past six months, AstraZeneca has risen the most (39.4%) while Lilly has recorded the minimum increase (14.6%).

(See the last pharma stock roundup here: AZN & PFEs Coronavirus Vaccine Updates & FDA Approvals)

What's Next in the Pharma World?

Watch out for regular pipeline and regulatory updates next week.

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 Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (REGN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Sanofi (SNY) : Free Stock Analysis Report AstraZeneca PLC (AZN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Pfizer Inc. (PFE) : Free Stock Analysis Report Merck Co., Inc. (MRK) : Free Stock Analysis Report Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) : Free Stock Analysis Report Seattle Genetics, Inc. (SGEN) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 01:04:05|Editor: huaxia

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Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, attends the 10th meeting of the BRICS high-ranking officials responsible for security matters via video link, in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 17, 2020. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), on Thursday called for more collective efforts by five BRICS countries to further deepen strategic mutual trust, strengthen dialogue and cooperation with other emerging markets and developing countries, and make greater contributions to safeguarding world peace and development.

Yang, also director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, made the appeal at the 10th Meeting of the BRICS High Representatives for Security Issues via video link.

He pointed out that facing the challenges of COVID-19 pandemic, BRICS countries -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa -- have demonstrated their firm determination to unite and cooperate to tide over difficulties together.

BRICS countries need to consolidate the three pillar areas of cooperation, and translate important consensus of the leaders into real actions, Yang said.

In his remarks, Yang said the unilateralism, protectionism and bullying have seriously affected international relations and security order. BRICS countries should take the 75th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations as an opportunity to firmly safeguard the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and jointly issue a strong BRICS voice of multilateralism.

BRICS countries should strengthen coordination on major international issues, oppose the Cold War thinking and ideological confrontation, and safeguard their common interests, as well as the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries, Yang said, adding that BRICS countries should also strive to seek security through equality, development and cooperation, and jointly promote political settlement of hot issues.

In the meeting, all parties exchanged in-depth views on regional and international hot issues, bio-safety, anti-terrorism and cyber security. They agreed to continue supporting the World Health Organization in playing a leading role, and to strengthen BRICS countries' cooperation in bio-safety governance and vaccine research and development.

They also agreed to continue to work together to promote fruitful results at the BRICS Leaders Meeting later this year. Enditem
Another outbreak in China has sparked a wave of concern among authorities after thousands of people in the northern part of the country tested positive for a bacterial infection. The infection spread among people working in a state-owned biopharmaceutical plant in Lanzhou city, which produces animal vaccines after a leak occurred last year.

Heres all you need to know about Brucellosis outbreak:

* According to Chinese authorities, the biopharmaceutical plant had used expired disinfectants for producing Brucella vaccines for animals between July and August last year. This indicated that the bacteria was not eradicated in the factory exhaust.

* Subsequently, the contaminated gas from the factory formed aerosols containing the bacteria, which was then carried by wind to a nearby Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute. This resulted in infecting close to 200 people there as well in December last year.

* There are 3,245 people who have contracted Brucellosis, according to health officials in Lanzhou. Another 1,401 people also tested as an early positive for the disease, news agency AFP reported. The total positive cases also included 20 students and faculty members of Lanzhou University, some of whom had been to the institute.

* Brucellosis, caused by brucella bacteria, is often caused by close contact with infected animals or animal products that can bring about fevers, joint pain and headaches.

* Health authorities have said there has been no evidence of person-to-person transmission of Brucellosis so far. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that person-to-person transmission of brucellosis is extremely rare but some symptoms may reoccur or never go away.

* This infection outbreak, like other such as the coronavirus disease, has also traced its origin to animals. Sheep, cattle and pigs were most commonly involved in the spread of the bacteria, Lanzhous health commission has said.

* In this infection, some symptoms like recurrent fevers, chronic fatigue, swelling of the heart or arthritis are expected to never go away and reoccur in patients who have tested positive, according to the US CDC.

* Brucellosis also goes by the name of Malta fever or Mediterranean fever and can cause symptoms including headaches, muscle pain, fever and fatigue.

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EQTEC PLC - waste-to-energy project developer based in London - Extends exclusivity period of a memorandum of understanding for the power plant in Haverton Hill, Billingham until November 22. Company signed deal with Cobra Instalaciones Y Servicios SA and Scott Bros Enterprises Ltd. "Subsequent to the extension announced in June 2020, the company has progressed the proposed development of the project," EQTEC said.

Current stock price: 0.55 pence

Year-to-date change: up sharply from 0.12p

By Eric Cunha; ericcunha@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Continuing its nefarious activities, Pakistan has yet again resorted to anti-India campaign in a bid to draw the international community's attention towards Kashmir. India has flagged this propaganda of Pakistan over Kashmir, that it intends to execute throughout the world.

Ahead of the 75th session of the General Debate United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Pakistan has planned an online anti-India and free Kashmir propaganda on social media platforms on September 19. The High-level General Debate will take place from September 22-26 and conclude on September 29.

Live TV

The propaganda seems to be targeting the central government and is based on completely baseless and fictitious arguments. The Pakistan Army and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) are running the Twitter anti-India campaign on September 19.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will address the 75th session general debate of the UNGA on September 25 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address the session on September 26.

Pakistan is conspiring to carry out a Twitter campaign across the world with the hashtag #KashmirWantsFreedom. The propaganda is being planned in Australia, New Zealand, the US, Canada, the UK, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, India, Pakistan and Malaysia.

This comes a few days after India had walked out of a meeting of the National Security Advisors of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member countries in protest after the Pakistani representative used a "fictitious" map showing Indian territories as part of Pakistan.

"This was in blatant disregard to the advisory by the host against it and in violation of the norms of the meeting. After consultation with the host, the Indian side left the meeting in protest at that juncture," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava had said on September 15.

The meeting was chaired by Russia. "At the meeting of the National Security Advisers (NSAs) of member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), hosted by the Chair of the SCO (Russia), the Pakistani NSA deliberately projected a fictitious map that Pakistan has recently been propagating," the MEA Spokesperson had said. "As was to be expected, Pakistan then went on to present a misleading view of this meeting," he had said responding to a query on the issue.

Pakistan violated the SCO charter and put up a map showing Kashmir as its part. India strongly objected to it and Russia tried to dissuade Pakistan but it remained unfazed and continued with the map as the background. NSA Ajit Doval took a strong exception to it and left the SCO NSA virtual meet after due "consultation" from the host, Russia.

Government sources had said that "Pakistans use of a fictitious map as a backdrop" which depicted "sovereign Indian territories as part of Pakistan" is a "blatant violation of the SCO Charter and against all its established norms of safeguarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of SCO Member States".

SCO Charter, Article 2 states, "SCO member States shall adhere to the following principles..." which includes "mutual respect of sovereignty... territorial integrity of states and inviolability of state border".

In fact, Secretary of the National Security Council of Russia Nikolai Patrushev had told Pakistan that it does not support what Islamabad has done and hoped Pakistans "provocative act will not affect Indias participation in SCO and definitely not cast any shadow on Patrushevs warm personal relationship for NSA for whom he has the highest regard", sources had elaborated.

The map was the same one issued by Pakistan on the first anniversary of the removal of special status for the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. India, Pakistan, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan are part of the SCO grouping. Both Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Moscow in last two weeks to participate in SCO defence and FMs meet respectively.
You are here: China

A Chinese military spokesperson on Friday announced a real-combat military exercise of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) near the Taiwan Strait.

Ren Guoqiang, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, said it is a necessary move aimed at the current situation in the Taiwan Strait to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Reiterating that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, Ren said the Taiwan question is purely China's internal affairs and allows no outside interference.

The United States and the Democratic Progressive Party authority in Taiwan have recently intensified their collusion, often creating troubles, Ren said.

"Those who play with fire will get burnt," Ren said.

The PLA has the firm will, abundant confidence, and enough capabilities to thwart any interference by foreign forces or "Taiwan independence" activities, Ren added.
New Delhi: India's largest private sector lender, HDFC Bank, retained its top position among the countrys 75 most-valuable brands, according to a report by WPP Plc and Kantar.

This is the seventh consecutive year in which HDFC Bank dominated the ranking, followed by Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) and Tata Consultancy Services. The bank's brand value stood at $20.2 billion, registering an 11% decline over last year.

Reliance Retail, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Ltd, which registered 102% jump in brand value, became the fastest gainer this year at number 25.

The challenging economic and social conditions created by the global pandemic and a pre-covid-19 slowdown in the Indian economy led to erosion of brand value of Indian firms. More than half of the brands on the BrandZ Top 75 Most Valuable Indian brands list have declined in brand value. Only 11 brands managed to grow consistently in last five years.

The 2020 edition of the ranking was worth $216 billion in brand value, a decline of 6% over last year, driven largely by a slowdown in the banking and automotive sectors. Despite the overall decline in brand value, 26 brands increased in value and five were new entrants.

Most notable among them is Reliance Retail, which rose to 25th spot with brand value at $2.3 billion, up 30 places, with telecom brand Jio contributing to the overall success of the parent company.

Reliance Retail has invested in its digital commerce capabilities, comprising JioMarts online B2C business and the kirana digitisation programme, with plans to digitise five million kirana stores by 2023.

However, its current valuation does not include its latest acquisition of Future Group's retail business including chains such as Big Bazaar, FBB, Easyday, Central and Foodhall formats, pending approal from the concerned authorities.

Among categories, retail (33%), personal care (32%) and telecom service providers (25%) emerged as the fastest growing with their brand value increasing due to value creation and pivot to digital which helped customers especially during lockdown.

Ecommerce firm Flipkart, at 8th spot ($6.5 billion), made its debut on the top ten list with a 40% jump in brand value. D-Mart at 16th position ($3.3 billion), with a 38% jump, also saw its brand value increase significantly. Instant food brand Maggi had one of the highest brand value growth of 46% this year. Despite the paints industry struggling in India, Asian Paints' brand value grew by 14% as it focused on meaningful difference, communications and innovation.

For millions of Indians who stayed at home during the crisis, telecos have supplied a much-needed lifeline and fulfilled a growing demand for data-driven services like online gaming and media streaming. Airtel at number 4 ($13.9 billion), was the top telecom brand with 36% jump in brand value, while Jio at 7th spot ($6.9 billion) saw its value increase by 26%. Among the five new entrants was BSNL at number 75 ($583 million).

David Roth, chief executive of The Store WPP, EMEA and Asia and Chairman of BrandZ, said Brands globally are being tested by the pandemic, especially in countries such as India where the economy was slowing down prior to covid-19. Many Indian brands have risen to the challenge and demonstrated their ability to innovate and adapt in ways that are world class. Our analysis proves conclusively once again that companies who invest in brand building are better placed to survive such challenges and come out stronger."

Two personal care brands, Dove (No. 61) and Close Up (No. 69) made their debut on the list as consumers priortised self-care like never before.

Preeti Reddy, chief executive - South Asia, insights division, Kantar, said the performance of retail, telecom and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) brands has shown that being agile in times of crisis is critical for growth.

The post covid world will also offer brands opportunities around sustainable consumption because it is at the top of mind of consumers. A sense of purpose, trust and responsibility have become crucial. The data shows that brands that deliver on these parameters have gained brand value and will continue to do so," she added.

BrandZ analysis showed that consumer expectations of brands to act more responsibly have tripled in the last 10 years and this years ranking demonstrates that Indian companies are striving to deliver better products and services.

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Authorities say cooler weather, storms and work of thousands of firefighters are giving hope on the US West Coast.

A firefighter has died battling a wildfire in California, the US Fire Service said in a statement on Friday, as officials said improved weather conditions on the west coast of the United States provided some hope the blazes could be contained.

The death happened on Thursday in the San Bernardino National Forest as crews battled the El Dorado Fire, which officials said was sparked by a smoke generating pyrotechnic device during a gender-reveal party earlier this month.

The name of the firefighter was being withheld until family members were notified, the US Fire Service said, and the cause of the death is under investigation.

Our deepest sympathies are with the family, friends and fellow firefighters during this time, Forest Service spokesman Zach Behrens said in the statement.

USDA Forest Service officials on the San Bernardino National Forest have confirmed the death of a firefighter on the #ElDoradoFire. The incident took place on Thursday, September 17, 2020. The name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin. pic.twitter.com/61XX1SBpmH  San Bernardino National Forest (@SanBernardinoNF) September 18, 2020

Officials on Friday said improved weather conditions were aiding their efforts to contain the large blazes.

Overnight, rain in northwest Oregon and humidity over the San Francisco Bay Area bolstered hope for further containment of the dozens of deadly wildfires that have raged for weeks due to tinderbox conditions created by strong winds, lightning and drought.

Cooler, more favourable weather in the region since last week has already dispelled some of the smoky, polluted air and tempered the flames, enabling ground teams with hand tools and bulldozers to regroup and consolidate their gains while also allowing greater use of water-dropping helicopters and aeroplane tankers.

THE SKY IS BACK TO BLUE:  The smoke from the West Coast wildfires has cleared, for now! Check out this time lapse video from @RayPetelinWx. MORE: https://t.co/zwSTSBz1sy pic.twitter.com/GncHaPnADe  KDKA (@KDKA) September 18, 2020

Storms are expected to bring much-needed rain to the hard-hit western slopes of the Cascade Mountains, Doug Grafe, fire protection chief for Oregons Forestry Department, told the Reuters news agency on Thursday.

He warned, however, strong winds and lightning from those storms could also complicate firefighting efforts and heavy showers could lead to mudslides.

In Washington state, Thomas Kyle-Milward, a spokesman for the states Department of Natural Resources, told Reuters despite thin resources, were feeling like were making good headway against the fires.

A key sign of success has been a steady rise in containment, a measure of the buffer lines firefighters carve around the perimeter of each blaze by hacking away unburned vegetation.

The region will face a formidable recovery from the fires, which have burned some 1,294,994 hectares (3.2 million acres) in California since mid-August and another 687,965 hectares (1.7 million acres) in Oregon and Washington state since the beginning of September.





More than 17,000 firefighters are battling more than two dozen major wildfires in California.

Several small towns have largely been incinerated, with thousands of buildings destroyed and at least 35 lives lost: Twenty-six in California, including the firefighter  eight in Oregon, and one in Washington state.

Thousands of evacuees, especially in Oregon, remained huddled in emergency shelters, mobile trailers and hotel rooms.
These sack loads of produce could well have been rejected produce, some of which would be used by pig farmers.

At least one district coordinator of the Unity Labour Party-led governments Love Box Initiative has made an effort to correct the narrative behind two videos that were sent to Asbert News Network.





Love Box supervisor Dennis Samuel was prompted to debunk, via a telephone conversation, an article which featured, in the main, North Leeward MP Roland Patel Matthews response to one of the video recordings.





Samuel claimed Matthews information was misleading and explained that the videos in fact captured, in part, the rejected produce that was left over after the local produce redistribution programmes qualified graders would have sorted through the harvests, brought in by farmers in the constituency.





"When a farmer brings his produce we grade them. What does not make the grade do not go in the boxes; we dont buy them, Samuel said.





Given the cost involved in removing the rejected produce, farmers instead leave them at the centre and this is added to foods that are left over after packing the boxes.





Sometimes, Samuel added, this produce is made available for use by pig farmers.





The images captured in the videos, according to Samuel, were the result of two separate development.





One featured produce that would have been piled in the yard after a routine cleaning exercise of the storage space. This is usualy removed by other cleaning staff.





The other sack loads were rejected avocados that were earmarked for use in an avocado propagation programme in North Leeward.





He also decried MP Matthews allegations that the Love Box distribution model was skewed in favor Unity Labor Party supporters.





"I would not agree the distribution of the boxes are done by churches [sic], community groups and some influential persons in a community  it might have a nurse in a particular village and that nurse would have a pretty good idea of the persons who would need a Love Box and could request boxes , Samuel informed.





"The programme was not designed for red or designed only for yellow or designed only for green or for whatever colour. The programme was designed to touch the lives of persons who would be vulnerable and Im making sure of that, Samuel posited.





As for buying only from ULP farmers who dont always offer market ready harvests, Samuel said, "Point blank, that is not the case.





And to persons who also allege that the Rose Bank centre, in particular, engages in buying stolen produce, the Love Box Supervisor noted, "We ask for a farmers ID, national ID, a contact number is taken from every farmer and a worker from [the] Extension [department] in the Ministry of Agriculture is there as well to advise.

So what a farmer brings is recorded to his or her name with all the relevant information, the supervisor assured.
There is a possibility of situation created by COVID-19 returning to normal by the middle of next year even if a vaccine is not developed by then, Dr Sanjay Rai, Professor in Community Medicine Department at AIIMS, has said.

IMAGE: A healthcare worker wearing personal protective equipment waits to take swabs from people for rapid antigen test alongside a road, amidst the coronavirus disease outbreak, on the outskirts of Ahmedabad. Photograph: Amit Dave/Reuters

Dr Rai, who is also a principal investigator of the Bharat Biotech Covaxin clinical trial at AIIMS, said that COVID-19 preventive measures like wearing masks, hand hygiene should be followed till there is an effective vaccine.

"By mid-next year, there's a possibility of normalcy even if vaccine comes or not. There is always the natural end of any pandemic so it (COVID-19) will end too. It can happen in three ways -- if we find a vaccine, if we give effective treatment or natural infection covers it. Only these three ways can end the infection. Today we do not have a vaccine or any effective treatment. If a vaccine does not come it will naturally end. When people will develop natural immunity, the virus will naturally end and it depends on our strategy," Dr Rai said.

He said there has been a decline in cases in areas which had reported huge numbers in the past.

"Let us take the example of Dharavi in Mumbai. This place was reporting a large number of COVID cases but the situation is almost under control there. Similarly in Delhi, newer areas are witnessing an increase in COVID cases unlike previous containment zones," he said, adding that people living in previous containment zones tend to obtain immunity against the virus.

Dr Rai said phase 2 clinical trial for COVID-19 vaccine is underway in India with a good sample size of more than 600 motivated volunteers. "Any vaccine will come by mid-next year, anywhere in the world, if everything goes as planned," he added.

Dr Rai said that 6.4 million adults above the age of 18 years were found infected in the national serosurvey conducted during April-May

"Indian Council of Medical Research serosurvey conducted in April-May found 6.4 million adults above the age of 18 years as infected. Sero-survey only shows the direction of infection while testing shows the actual number of infections," he said.

Dr Rai also suggested changing strategy and keeping the focus on reducing the mortality rate.

"I think we need to change our strategy. We should focus more on reducing the mortality rate instead of testing as testing will only increase the number of infected people and still, we will not be able to trace even 10 per cent of the total infected people. Ninety per cent infected people will be left untraced so now we need to test only those who need it and should focus on reducing the death rate," he said.

He also suggested treating co-morbid patients with mild infections at home if possible.

"The criteria says that if the patient is in co-morbid condition, he should be admitted in the hospital. But it will only increase the bed occupancy and mortality rate due to the possibility of hospital-acquired infection. It would be better to monitor co-morbid patients at home otherwise the mortality rate will increase," he said.

According to the ICMR, over 6 crore samples to detect the coronavirus infections have been tested up to September 17.

India's COVID-19 case count has crossed the 52-lakh mark with a spike of 96,424 new cases and 1,174 deaths.
TROY  Two members of the state attorney generals office testified Thursday that former Rensselaer County District Attorney Joel Abelove and Troy police stonewalled their requests for information after the 2016 police shooting of Edson Thevenin.

Investigator Mitchell Paurowski, a former Troy police captain who now works in the the attorney generals special investigations and prosecution unit, testified that when he drove up to the scene near the Collar City Bridge on the morning of April 17, 2016, Capt. Richard Sprague walked up, leaned in and said, Let me tell you something right now  this is a clean shoot.

Paurowski said he told Sprague, You mind if I put the car in park first and take a look?

Paurowski said Assistant Police Chief George VanBramer told officers at the scene not to give him any information: Get him out! Get him out! He gets nothing," the assistant chief yelled, according to the witness.

The testimony came on the third day of Abeloves perjury and official misconduct trial in Rensselaer County Court. Prosecutors for Attorney General Letitia James contend Abelove, 51, who served as Rensselaer Countys top prosecutor from 2014 to 2018, rushed the case through the grand jury that cleared Sgt. Randall French of any criminal wrongdoing in Thevenin's death.

Paurowski said he met Abelove at the scene just hours after the incident and explained that if his unit was going to investigate the incident, he would need information such as photographs, videos and documents.

(Abeloves) response was, I dont know what  if anything  Im going to give you yet, Paurowski testified.

Two days later, Paurowski said, he hand-delivered a letter from the attorney generals office to Abelove seeking radio transmissions, any video footage, medical reports and statements of witnesses.

But once again, Abelove failed to provide information, he said. Instead, the district attorney put the case before a grand jury on April 22  just five days after the shooting.

Paul Clyne, a former Albany County district attorney who now works as a deputy chief in Paurowskis unit, later testified that he learned of Thevenins shooting when Abelove called him just hours after it happened. He said Abelove indicated French shot Thevenin after he was pinned by the dead mans car.

Clyne testified that Abelove told him he felt like the shooting was justified because Thevenins car was a dangerous instrument pinning French, which under the law made him "armed" and made the case not eligible for an investigation by the attorney generals office under the language of a 2015 executive order by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

I said, OK, that may be, but we have to take a look at this thing, Clyne testified, adding that Abelove was very insistent that Thevenins car was a dangerous weapon.

Clyne said he received a call from the attorney general's press office informing him that the Times Union's Brendan J. Lyons had called the office after Abelove stated at a news conference that the attorney generals office signed off and relinquished the case to the county. Clyne, who had been unaware of the news conference, said he called Abelove, who denied saying that.

Clyne said when he last spoke to Abelove the same day, the district attorney had made no mention of putting the case before a grand jury. He said the attorney's general's office had not received any information, let alone had enough information to decide whether it could investigate the killing. Clyne said he learned that the grand jury had cleared French from a news report on the radio the day it happened.

Three days after the grand jury's decision, a letter arrived at the attorney general's office from Abelove to Jen Sommers, deputy chief of the attorney generals special investigations and prosecution unit, stating that he understood the attorney general would not want jurisdiction over the case but would continue to ascertain the facts.

In the letter, Abelove again cited Thevenin's car as a dangerous instrument  and said he was "troubled" by what he described as the manner in which the attorney general's office was using the media.
Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has fired a salvo at the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress, Mr John Mahama on Facebook.



In the Facebook post, the Vice President wrote that "God has already saved us from you" in refernce to a video in which Mr Mahama is heard urging God to rescue Ghanaians from the Akufo-Addo government.



UBA Loans



"God is not so wicked to give us another four years of Nana Akufo-Addo (President Akufo-Addo)," Mr Mahama says in the undated video which was posted by Dr Bawumia.



"God you are not so wicked to give us another four years of Nana Addo. God come and save us, come and rescue us".





Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Linkedin Eisya A. Eloskari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, September 18, 2020

Homegrown start-up giants are tapping into the underserved sector of warung (kiosks or mom-and-pop shop), as the COVID-19 pandemic accelerates the digitalization of small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

In a country where small businesses account for more than 60 percent of the economy, a warung is the nearest retail spot for many people to make small purchases of snacks or household supplies.

Indonesian unicorn Gojek is the latest player to enter the race, with the September launch of GoToko, an online business-to-business (B2B) platform that allows small retailers to directly access brand principles, give product recommendations and use Gojek to receive stock shipments, among other things.

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Another mad Brexit week gave Ireland a few reasons for hope  and many reasons to fear the worst.

Washington took a hand:

Boris Johnsons move to break an EU treaty by changing Northern Irelands post-Brexit trade status was castigated by leading Democrats in Washington DC putting a future UK trade deal with America at risk. Joe Biden, tipped to beat Donald Trump in Novembers presidential election, added his voice to that of US House of Representatives speaker, Nancy Pelosi and others.

Read More

Brussels fondly recalled the Iron Lady:

EU Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen told Mr Johnson that not even Maggie Thatcher, famed for her EU rows through the 1970s and 1980s, would break an international treaty. But in her landmark state of the union address she said an EU-UK trade deal was still doable  despite the broken trust caused by Mr Johnsons action.

Boris Johnson moves back just a little from the brink:

The UK PM did a compromise deal with rebels in his own party over his draft law which would give the British government the power to break parts of its Brexit Withdrawal Treaty. Mr Johnson agreed to give MPs the final say over any changes to the agreement. But the EU was not impressed and again told him to scrap the law  not put in his emergency use tool kit.

The Lords could play ping pong with Johnsons plan:

Its clear Boris Johnson has the MP numbers to put this law through parliament  and to push through a second vote to deploy it.

The toffs in the House of Lords are another matter. As Irish MEP Sean Kelly was first to point out, the Lords could obstruct and delay this law well into next year.

Read More

Mr Johnsons so-called UK Internal Market Bill will clear the House of Commons this month and go to the upper house in October. The Lords can take out the offending clauses and send it back to MPs, they could re-instate the clauses and send it back again. Then it could be rinse and repeat  or ping pong as they call it in Westminster.

However, eventually the House of Commons can push the measure through. But the entire process would seriously damage the UKs already tarnished international reputation.

The worst need not happen  just a lesser version of it may result:

Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said the Budget plan for 2021, to be unveiled on October 13, is being drawn up on the assumption of a no-deal Brexit crashout. But where theres life  in the form of ongoing EU-UK talks  theres still some hope.

Read More

EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier has said Brussels will not be the ones to walk away. Lost amid all the noise this week, the UK negotiators appeared ready to compromise on the tricky issue of post-Brexit EU fishermens access to UK waters.

An EU-UK trade deal of some kind cannot be ruled out. But at this stage it would be minimal and could still harm Irish exports and put jobs at risk.
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Orange County Health Care Agency Director Dr. Clayton Chau discusses his selection as county health officer at a press conference with a sign language interpreter in a screenshot taken from a livestream in Santa Ana, Calif., on Aug. 27, 2020. (Screenshot/OCGov/Facebook)

Orange County to Offer Free Drive-Thru Flu Shots

Orange County, California, will be offering residents free flu shots starting Sept. 28, county officials announced at a press conference.

The board unanimously approved a program to provide mobile clinics with both drive-thru and walk-up options for the flu vaccine, which officials said would help avoid a potential twindemic of the flu and COVID-19.

I know this is the last thing you want to think about, but getting a flu shot should be at the top of everyones list, especially this year, Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Michelle Steel said on Sept. 17.

County health officer Dr. Clayton Chau, who is also the director of the Orange County Health Care Agency (OCHCA), also urged people to get the flu vaccine.

I want to encourage everyone over six months old to get a flu shot, with few exceptions, he said.

Chau said that due to requests from the public, the Anaheim COVID-19 testing location would be expanding its hours. The location will now remain open until 7 p.m. from Tuesday to Friday, to accommodate those who have to work.

The county has also set up a COVID-19 vaccine task force to prepare for the day when a vaccine becomes available to residents.

Chau said the task force will study the issue based on the point of view of pediatrics, immunology, ethics, and managed care plans. He added the team would be accepting the input of a variety of community advocates, including faith-based groups.

Our goal is to understand the public attitude toward COVID vaccines and to address the issue  ensuring the largest portion of the population can get vaccinated, he said.

The task force is now collecting data from a survey given out to residents about the vaccine.

We know that historically theres some hesitancy in getting just the regular flu vaccine, and we imagine that hesitancy will be probably pretty strong in our community, Chau said.

The OCHCA on Sept. 18 reported 247 new cases of COVID-19 and eight new deaths, for a total of 51,646 confirmed cases and 1,123 fatalities.

A total of 777,454 people have been tested for the disease.

2nd Be Well OC Campus

County officials also approved construction of a second Be Well OC mental health clinic at the Sept. 15 board meeting.

The new clinic will be located in Irvine, on 22 acres near the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station.

Officials said it would help relieve crowding at Orange County hospital emergency rooms.

This location will expand and enhance Orange Countys shared system of mental health care and support by providing a second location for residents of Orange County to access countywide mental health and substance abuse disorder services, Steel said.

During these difficult times, as we deal with the stresses of COVID-19, it is especially important that we focus on providing these vital services now and for years to come.

In August, county officials united behind a What You Feel Is Real outreach campaign that encouraged residents to care for their mental health by seeking out support as needed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Be Well OC is a community coming together in common purposeto positively impact the mental health and well-being of Orange County residentsand that is exactly the spirit of this important campaign, Marshall Moncrief, CEO of Mind OC, said at the time.

The first Be Well OC campus, located in the city of Orange, was projected to cost $40 million. Prior to the pandemic, the 60,000-square-foot facility was scheduled to be completed later this year.
After months of low infection rates, Connecticut is seeing an uptick in new COVID-19 cases, something state officials say theyre monitoring closely

On Thursday, the state identified 220 new infections out of just under 14,000 tests performed, a positivity rate of just under 1.6 percent.

Gov. Ned Lamont called those numbers concerning during his daily afternoon news conference.

Thats still one of the lowest in the country, but it still is a trend, he said.

About a month ago, the state was averaging an positivity rate of less than 1 percent.

This is something were watching carefully to see what degree its seasonal, to what degree it is people coming back, to what degree it is Labor Day weekend ... but to all those folks who think were out of the woods and its time just to let it rip, this reminds you why we continue to be very cautious.

One more death was reported among someone who had the disease, bringing the states death toll to 4,488.

Thursdays additional 220 cases bring the states cumulative total of coronavirus cases to 55,386.

Five more people were hospitalized for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, in the last 24 hours, with a total of 75 people hospitalized for the illness across the state.

Josh Geballe, Lamonts chief operating officer, said the state has recorded 48 cases among students and 27 among school staff members as schools have reopened.

He said the timing did not line up for K-12 schools to be driving the uptick of cases in Connecticut.

The state is planning to launch a website to report data on COVID-19 infections at schools, Geballe said. The governors office did something similar in the spring when the virus began surging at nursing homes and assisted living facilities, publishing data on those cases in a weekly report.

In regards to higher ed, I think its been pretty well documented at this point  theres been a couple of cases at UConn, some at Central (Connecticut State University), but overall those are contained at this point I think. The administrations have taken all the right actions, but those do drive case numbers, Geballe said.

On Thursday, UConn reported 21 new cases among students attending the Storrs campus, four among residential students and 17 among students living off campus. Of the off-campus residents, four live in an apartment complex the school has quarantined in coordination with local health officials.

Looking at the states financial picture in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lamont said the state is projecting a $2.1 billion deficit in fiscal year 2021 amid uncertain revenue caused by the pandemic.

Were going to have a much better idea what our 2021 budget looks like when we get a little more direction from the federal government, Lamont said during Thursdays news conference.

Asked repeatedly about plans for trick-or-treating around Halloween, the governor indicated he would put out safety guidance, but appeared optimistic the holiday could go forward outdoors.

I guess were going to have issue some kind of guidance on that, but tell your 5-year-old shes going to be able to get her candy, Lamont told one reporter.

The governors office provided scant details on they believe is driving the uptick in cases.

I think theres some areas where weve documented very clearly that theres been some clusters of cases, Geballe said. Danbury is one that weve talked about extensively. Danburys actually ticked back up over the past week so were keeping a close eye on that.

The state is also monitoring the area around Central Connecticut State Universitys campus in New Britain and UConns campus in Storrs.

Geballe said the numbers in Danbury are still below what they were when the city saw a spike in cases there late last month.

Were looking at additional actions we can take, flooding in a lot of additional testing and bringing in a rapid response team and making sure the communitys taking all the right actions to try to keep that cluster contained, he added.
Europes healthcare regulator has endorsed using dexamethasone to treat Covid-19 patients with breathing difficulties, paving the way for the steroid to become the regions second approved treatment for the respiratory illness.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Friday the drug could be an option to treat adults and adolescents needing oxygen therapy or mechanical ventilation, after concluding its review of results from a trial by British scientists.

The study, dubbed RECOVERY, by researchers at the University of Oxford, showed in June that dexamethasone reduced death rates by about a third in severely ill, hospitalised Covid-19 patients. The drug has since been approved in Japan as a Covid-19 treatment.

The decades old drug is cheap and widely available, commonly used against a range of inflammatory conditions. Companies can now apply for a licence to their national regulators or the EMA for an expanded use of the drug, the watchdog said.

It said the recommended dose in adults and adolescents, from the age of 12 years and weighing at least 40 kilograms, was 6 milligrams once a day for up to 10 days.

The EMA was already evaluating Taw Pharmas branded steroidal version of the medicine for the illness caused by the novel coronavirus after it received an application from the drug developer earlier this month.

Britains Hikma Pharmaceuticals said in June it had seen demand increase and was prepared to scale up production following the recovery results. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the EMA endorsement.

While approvals are up to the European Commission, it typically follows the EMAs recommendations for its decisions.

Gileads antiviral drug, remdesivir, was the first to be approved for Covid-19 by Europe in July, about a month after the EMA endorsed the drug. It is branded as Veklury in the region.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept.18

By Jeila Aliyeva - Trend:

COVID-19 pandemic has affected trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Italy, the countrys Ambassador to Azerbaijan Augusto Massari said.

Massari made the statement at the EU-Azerbaijan business forum 2020-2022 held online, Trend reports.

According to him, in 2019, trade between Azerbaijan and Italy amounted to $5.5 billion, but in the first quarter of this year, it decreased by 30 percent, to $2 billion.

"However, despite this, all the scheduled projects between the countries continue to develop and will be timely completed. Italian companies are more and more interested in the implementation of projects in Azerbaijan," the diplomat stated.

As Massari noted, Italy and Azerbaijan mainly cooperate in the energy sector, but a program has been kicked off between the countries to attract Italian companies operating in the non-energy sector.

"Many different opportunities exist for cooperation between the two countries," he said.

The ambassador added that measures for the business development are underway in Azerbaijan, despite the pandemic.

The purpose of the video conference is to highlight the importance of EU-Azerbaijan economic cooperation and investment opportunities for EU companies.

The forum is attended by officials, representatives of the Azerbaijani government, as well as companies from Azerbaijan and the European Union.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @JeilaAliyeva
Indian authorities on Friday allowed the movement of onion supplies already contracted for by Bangladeshi importers after Dhaka formally complained about the impact of New Delhis ban on exports of the commodity.

Scores of trucks carrying onions destined for Bangladesh had been stopped at border crossings in West Bengal after the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) banned all exports of the item on Monday following a shortage and sudden increase in prices in the domestic market.

As prices spiked in Bangladesh after the ban, the foreign ministry in Dhaka formally complained to the Indian high commission through a note verbale or unsigned diplomatic correspondence on Tuesday, people familiar with developments said. The matter was also raised by the Bangladeshi mission in New Delhi, the people said on condition of anonymity.

Foreign secretary Harsh Shringla, who made a previously unannounced visit to Bangladesh on August 18 to put bilateral ties back on track after they were hit by a string of irritants, took personal interest in the issue and was involved in efforts to find a solution, the people said. This had also been the first visit abroad amid the Covid-9 pandemic by Shringla, who was Indias envoy to Dhaka during 2016-19.

Following a meeting on Friday between officials of the commerce and external affairs ministries, the DGFT gave the go ahead for export of eligible consignments of onions with the approval of competent authority, the people said.

The shipment of all onion supplies that were contracted for by Bangladeshi importers before the ban came into effect will be allowed, one of the people cited above said, adding the decision was due to the special relations with Bangladesh.

However, a decision is yet to be made on whether to allow more onion exports in future.

This is the second time in less than a year that an Indian ban on onion exports has had an impact on Bangladesh and triggered a formal reaction from Dhaka. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina formally raised the earlier ban during a visit to New Delhi last October and had jokingly told a public gathering that she had asked her cook to prepare her food without onions. She had also said the Indian side should give advance notice of such bans.

The note verbale from Bangladeshs foreign ministry expressed deep concern at the Indian ban as it directly impacts the supply of essential food items in the Bangladesh market. It noted that at a meeting of the commerce secretaries of the two sides during January 15-16, the Bangladesh side requested the Indian side to consider not imposing export restriction on essential food items required by Bangladesh, and in case of any event necessitating such a restriction, it was requested that Bangladesh side be informed ahead of time.

The latest ban, the note verbale said, undermines the discussions that took place in 2019 and 2020 between the two friendly countries on the matter and understanding shared. Bangladesh called on India to resume onion exports in view of the excellent ties of friendship and understanding enjoyed by the two countries.

The Bangladeshi side is concerned as the sudden ban triggered panic buying by the public and hoarding by unscrupulous traders, who bought available onion stocks and then artificially drove up prices, the people said. They pointed out the matter had caused embarrassment for the Sheikh Hasina government, with its opponents raising questions about the benefits derived from better ties with India.

Bangladesh is largely able to meet its annual requirement of about 2.5 million tonnes of onions from domestic production but imports from India make up almost 90% of the shortfall. As it did last year, Bangladesh may turn to Turkey and Egypt to make up for the deficit in supplies.

Foreign policy commentator Maya Mirchandani, who closely tracks the neighbourhood, said there could be domestic compulsions such as a shortage for the ban on onion exports but such moves need to done in a more calibrated manner.

While restricting exports, we should at least meet existing export commitments and then take care of future exports on a need-based approach. If we pride ourselves on a neighbourhood first policy, we should ensure there are no ruffled feathers with crucial neighbours such as Bangladesh, she said.

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Covid-19 cases among people in their 20s have started to fall for the first time in 10 weeks, Public Health England data shows.

Those in the 20-29 age group still have the highest infection rate of anyone in the country but the number of cases per 100,000 people dropped in the second week of September.

It fell from 55.9 per 100,000 to 51.8 between September 6 and September 13, according to PHE's most recent surveillance report.

The only other age group that saw a drop in its case rate was the over-80s, among whom it dropped from 20.6 to 19.8. In all other age groups infections kept rising.

Government officials have pointed the finger at young people in recent weeks for driving infections back up by spreading coronavirus at social events, gathering in larger-than-allowed groups and hosting parties in ignorance of social distancing.

PHE's report also showed that outbreaks of coughs and chest infections - some of which will be Covid-19 - are skyrocketing in schools, offices and care homes.

'Acute respiratory infections' rose five-fold in care homes in the week to September 13 and increase more than eight times in schools after term resumed in England.

Data shows that coronavirus infections in people in their 20s fell for the first time in 10 weeks recently (Pictured: Young people out in Birmingham yesterday, Thursday September 17)

Coronavirus infections among young people are not a huge cause for concern themselves, scientists say, because they are not likely to lead to serious illness.

The disease is generally worst for people over the age of 50, and those with serious health problems such as diabetes, while most of the deaths have been in the elderly.

But the biggest worry about young people catching the virus and spreading it is that they keep it circulating and inevitably pass it on to their parents and grandparents.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson even held the first Downing Street conference in weeks to tell under-30s to consider their behaviour 'for the sake of your parents' and your grandparents' health'.

Data tentatively suggests the message may have got through, although it was only a small fall and does not yet represent a downward trend.

Cases are still rising in teenagers and younger children, which is likely accelerated by the fact that they have returned to school.

Professor Chris Whitty, England's chief medical officer, said at a Downing Street briefing this month that while cases 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.

PHE data shows that the infection rate is at 10.2 per 100,000 for under-fives; 16 for five to nine-year-olds; and 29.8 for 10 to 19-year-olds.

In adults, in the week up to September 13, it was 37.5 for people aged 30 to 39; 30.7 for people in their 40s; 26.6 for those in their 50s; 16.7 for 60 to 69-year-olds; 11.1 for 70 to 79-year-olds and 19.8 for the over-80s.

Public Health England also records outbreaks of 'acute respiratory infections' in its coronavirus report.

These are a measure of how often different settings are recording outbreaks of more than two people coming down with a cough or chest infection.

They are not all explicitly caused by coronavirus but judged by similar symptoms and included in the Covid-19 report.

The number of these outbreaks has skyrocketed in recent weeks, with a total of 729 across all settings in the week ending September 13, up from just 246 the week before.

In schools - which have resumed classes after a lengthy lockdown and summer - the number of coughing outbreaks shot up from 23 to 193 in a week.

In workplaces it rose from 65 to 110, and in care homes it spiked from 69 to 313 in the same time period.

The increase in outbreaks come as statistics across the board show that Covid-19 infections are rebounding.

Another 4,322 people have been diagnosed with Covid-19 today in the highest one-day rise since May 8, as a raft of worrying statistics revealed the Covid-19 crisis appears to be rebounding.

Data from the Office for National Statistics estimates 6,000 people are catching the life-threatening illness every day in England while hospital admissions have doubled in a week and government scientists warn the R rate could now be as high as 1.4.

Professor Kevin McConway, a statistician at The Open University, said: 'This is undoubtedly concerning, and particularly so when we take into account that the data behind these estimates come from several sources, many of which - such as hospital admissions, admissions to intensive care, and deaths - lag behind the growth in new infections, because it takes time for people to become ill enough to require hospital treatment or, sadly, to die.

'So the estimates cannot take into account very recent changes in the patterns of new infections.'
Many more air passengers are booking return flights now than three months ago, indicating a greater openness for both business and leisure travel, and a likely return to work.

The share of return fares has witnessed a marked increase in overall air travel bookings. Industry experts said one reason is that many people are looking to return to big cities from their hometowns in smaller cities.

Post the lockdown, we had seen a lot of one-way travel from major business centres like Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi to destinations in the North and East such as Patna, Varanasi and Kolkata. In the last few weeks we have seen a reverse trend coming in, as evidenced by the presence of routes such as Varanasi-Mumbai, Patna-Bengaluru, Kolkata-Bengaluru and Kolkata-Mumbai," said Balu Ramachandran, executive vice president and global head - air product, at travel website Cleartrip. Return tickets bookings accounted for about 30-35% of total bookings before the covid-19 pandemic.

Bookings of round trips currently account for 15% of total bookings, up from 3% during June, said Nishant Pitti, chief executive officer and co-founder of online travel company EaseMyTrip. Advance bookings, which were negligible since domestic flight operations resumed in May, have also increased during September," Pitti added.

A spokesperson for online travel portal ixigo said that return flight bookings for August have grown four times since the last week of May. There has been a 50-55% growth in total domestic flight bookings in August as compared to May last week when flights just resumed operations," the ixigo spokesperson added.

Booking data showed that travel between metros Kolkata, Bengaluru, Mumbai, New Delhi and Hyderabad top the routes. After the government allowed resumption of domestic flights in May, most bookings were made between the top tier I and tier II cities as people returned home in masses from metros, which were seeing a huge rise in covid-19 cases.

Many passengers booked only days before travel due to the uncertainty posed by varying travel restrictions enforced by states.

However, things have changed since then, with the government allowing airlines to operate at 65% of pre-covid capacity in September, and states easing restrictions.

This probably indicates people returning to workplaces as the unlock restrictions come into place. In the last few weeks, we have also seen a surge in bookings coinciding with the easing of quarantine restrictions. Additionally, we are seeing traditionally busy routes between Mumbai, Bengaluru and New Delhi feature back as the top sectors," Ramachandran added.

Sales of one-way tickets for travel within a fortnight of purchase have seen a steady rise, according to data from Cleartrip.

For instance, average ticket prices between top sectors like Delhi-Mumbai, Kolkata-Bengaluru, Delhi-Patna, Mumbai-Delhi are up 10-25% as compared to last years price.

The average price of a one-way ticket between Delhi-Mumbai, the countrys busiest sector before the covid-19 pandemic, is up 19% from last year, and a one-way ticket between Kolkata-Mumbai is up 35% from last year, for travel within a fortnight of booking, data from ClearTrip showed. According to ixigo, the top 10 booked routes in August were New Delhi-Srinagar, Patna-New Delhi, Varanasi-Mumbai, Srinagar-New Delhi, New Delhi-Patna, Patna-Bangalore, New Delhi-Mumbai, Patna-Mumbai, Lucknow-Mumbai and Ranchi-Mumbai.

Indian carriers flew 2.83 million passengers in August, down from 11.79 million in the year-ago period, showed the latest monthly data released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. The passenger load factor (PLF) of major scheduled commercial airlines stood at 58-76%. In August 2019, the PLF for major carriers stood at 78-90%. PLF measures the capacity utilization of transport services, including airlines.

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By Express News Service

BENGALURU: High-end nightclubs of Bengaluru are the root cause of the drug racket, former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy alleged on Wednesday. He claimed that many of these clubs have seen investments from officials and politicians.

A lot of cities in the West have casinos. But here, the business of drugs takes place in dance bars and night clubs, which stay open till 3 am. These are the root cause of the drug mafia, Kumaraswmay claimed, adding that politicians and some senior officials were behind these outlets.

Kumaraswamy said there is no use if JDS takes up the issue in the Assembly. They have arrested some actors from the Kannada industry. This is just eyewash. The probe will get into cold storage in 15 days. Let the government honestly investigate the matter, he demanded.
The General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Aseidu Nketia, has assured marginalised communities across the country that the NDC will make water and electricity accessible to all by 2025, should they be re-elected.

Addressing a mini durbar of chiefs and the people of Kajaji in the Sene East Constituency on Thursday, September 17, 2020, Mr. Asiedu Nketia said John Mahama will ensure that all abandoned projects including roads, educational and health facilities are completed to improve the quality of the lives of people.

Mr. Aseidu Nketia also said the party's manifesto contains policy proposals and projects that have been well considered and packaged to address the priority needs of Ghanaians.

He added that, recent actions by the NDC reflect their desperation for power, adding that these were the same people who were mocking John Mahama when we stepped out to listen to the people and appreciate their desires before putting the manifesto together.

He also stated that President Akufo-Addo 's government has failed and has resorted to riding on lies to retain power.

Earlier, the NDC delegation led by 2020 flagbearer, John Dramani visited Atebubu Amantin, where they paid a courtesy call on the chief, Osabarima Nana Owusu Ababio II, and his elders.

Other members of the delegation included NDC Campaign Manager, Professor Joshua Alabi, former Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, a former Minister for Power and MP, Dr. Kwabena Donkor, as well as National, Regional and constituency executives of the NDC.

---citinewsroom
Union Agriculture Minister on Thursday urged opposition parties not to politicise the two agriculture-related bills aimed at boosting the income of and said (MSP) will stay.

"Rajneeti ka chasma uatar kar kisan ka chasma laga lo (take off political spectacles, see from point of view of farmers)," he said during his reply in the to the debate on two bills.

His remarks came after the party's ally SAD opposed the two bills.

Tomar told ANI that the two bills will revolutionise the lives of He said that were "chained to" agriculture markets but now they will have the freedom to sell their produce.

"Congress has always mentioned such reforms in its election manifesto but never had the courage to pursue them. Modiji has liberated the farmers, I congratulate everyone for this," he said.

"Few people have opposed it for sheer political reasons. Under the leadership of PM Modi, poor and farmers are being taken care of. Congress too have said such things in its manifestos. The Modi government took a decision. MSP will stay, I want to assure all of you," he added.

The minister said agriculture ordinances were promulgated in June and were being implemented.

"I want to thank those who supported and those who didn't."

The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 is aimed at developing a framework for farming agreements to empower farmers through networking with agribusiness firms, exporters and retailers.

The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 seeks to give farmers choice to sell their produce at competitive prices anywhere. The Essential Commodities ( Amendment) Bill , 2020 was passed by the House earlier.

The minister said that the bill ensures welfare of farmers and time period for payment has been clearly stipulated.

"There is an agreement but it is mainly to favour farmers. In case of a dispute we have arranged for a speedy resolution," he said.

"Farmers land is protected. But the agreement would be binding and stringent towards businessmen. If a businessman does fraud, he could be penalised. He has to respect the agreement. This agreement will be done before sowing," he added.

The minister told the House that there would be no tax on the sale of the produce. "The state APMC tax is 2 to 8.5 per cent. If this sale purchase happens outside mandis, there would be no tax and direct benefit will be of farmer," he said.

Members of Congress, RSP and DMK staged a walk as passed the bills.

(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.)
Press Release

18 September 2020

London - A webinar held this week [15th September] hosted by HVS, AlixPartners, Bird & Bird and EP Magazine, heard a distinguished panel of experts debate the impact of the global pandemic on hotel values across Europe and whether it had in fact, created an investment opportunity.

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HVS London chairman Russell Kett kicked off the session by noting the improved performance of hotels in July, compared with April of this year, despite many properties remaining closed. "Things have started to move in those properties that have re-opened," he said, "business is starting to come back. These are good signs with strong indications across Europe."

Kett compared the recovery anticipated by the sector post-COVID, to that of previous downturns such as the 9/11 disaster in 2001 and the global financial crisis of 2008-9 - both prompting a six-year recovery cycle.

"We have every reason to be confident that recovery from the global pandemic can be within this same time frame," said Kett, who estimated hotel values in Europe at present to be 10%-20% below 2019 levels.

"There are obviously downward pressures on current values, caused largely by revenue and EBITDA declines as well as the wider economic recession. But there are also factors holding prices up including that supply growth is likely to slow as well as the fact investors haven't changed their strategies and the on-going opportunity for high returns post-recovery," he said.

"Hotel values are lower at the moment, but we think these will get back to pre-COVID levels over the course of the next four years," Kett concluded.

AlixPartners' managing director Graeme Smith then chaired a discussion between a panel of investment, legal and brokerage experts on hotel values and the current mood for investment which supported the notion of sustained interest in the sector on the back of its historic ability to bounce back.

Charles Human, president of HVS Europe and managing director of the firms brokerage company HVS Hodges Ward Elliott reported intense activity. "We're valuing for two purposes at the moment - reports for banks and owners who want to get a grasp of current value and also values for owners that may want to consider a sale. There is a wall of money from buyers that know there will be a recovery and are looking through to market stabilisation - we are getting a lot of traction, to the point of competitive tension, on the sales we are handling."

Human estimated that hotel values had gone down from pre-COVID levels by around 10%-20% depending on their operating structure and location, but that most investors believe that the sector will recover relatively fast once the corner is turned.

"Over the longer term values will recover as cash flows improve and capital markets return to more traditional parameters. Overall we think there is a continuing opportunity for high returns, with well capitalised buyers acquiring hotels at prices well below replacement cost and below recent norms. Hoteliers are creative and where there is a hole left by certain types of demand they will fill it with others. London and Paris will shift more to leisure markets, for example," he concluded.
A new institute cofounded by Anhui University in east China and the State University of New York at Stony Brook (SBU) was inaugurated as the first group of students attended the school opening ceremony Wednesday.

Named the Stony Brook Institute at Anhui University, the institute enrolled 300 students starting from the fall semester of 2020. The students will be studying in three majors, namely applied physics, applied statistics and digital media technology, according to a source of Anhui University.

Students will be granted degrees from both universities after graduation, said the source.

As one of the four university centers of the State University of New York system, SBU is a member of the Association of American Universities, and is well-known for majors such as mathematics, physics and computer science. Enditem




Bengaluru, Sep 18 : In a bid to dig deeper into the drug scandal involving Sandalwood celebrities, the Central Crime Branch (CCB) of Bengaluru police has summoned Kannada TV anchor Akul Balaji, actor Aryann Santosh and son of Congress MLA R.V. Devaraj and Sudhama Nagar corporator R.V. Yuvaraj to its office on Saturday.

Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Sandeep Patil said in a statement that it was felt necessary for the CCB to question Akul Balaji, Aryann Santhosh Kumar and R. V. Yuvaraj.

"In the Cotton pet case we have gathered certain information and it was felt necessary to inquire about them. Therefore, we have issued notices to them to appear before the CCB tomorrow at 10 a.m.," the statement read.

Akul Balaji is a well known TV anchor and Aryann Santhosh is an upcoming actor.

The development comes after popular Kannada actor couple Diganth and Aindrita Ray were summoned just two days ago by the CCB police who are probing the case.

A photo of Aryann Santosh with actress Sanjjanna Galrani, who is in judicial custody in a drugs case, had gone viral on social media.

Reacting to the summons before the media, Aryann and Akul confirmed that they have received notices and they would cooperate with the CCB.

However, expressing surprise, Yuvaraj said that he was unaware how his name had cropped up in this case. "I do not know anyone of the accused arrested so far," he said.

Meanwhile, the CCB is also keeping a strict vigil on the ADJs, pub and resort owners and managers of the resorts and pubs where high-end parties are said to take place.

"Just a couple of months before this (Sandalwood) case came into the limelight, the CCB had busted a drug case allegedly involving DJs and their associates. Since then, we have been tracking a couple of suspected people. We will start calling such people for questioning in future if their links with this case are established," a senior police officer told IANS.

According to the CCB, cases have been registered against 15 people so far in this connection and nine people have been arrested including Kannada film actresses Ragini Dwivedi and Sanjjanaa Galrani.

Both Ragini Dwivedi and Sanjjanaa Galrani are in judicial custody in Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in Bengaluru.
Now Open

18 September 2020

Situated in an emerging business and leisure destination in Southeast Shanghai, the new hotel sets the stage for an inspiring stay for guests through its signature service and facilities.

Marriott International today announced the opening of Shanghai Marriott Hotel Pudong South, celebrating the seventh Marriott Hotels property opening in the buzzing city of Shanghai, China. Featuring the brand's iconic creative use of space, intuitive service, uplifting culinary offerings as well as flexible meeting facilities, the new hotel is set to become an ideal choice for both business and leisure travelers seeking to make the most out of their time in Southeast Shanghai.

Drawing inspiration from the vibrant energy and lush greenery of Pudong District, the hotel is designed to create a contemporary urban retreat that connects guests with nature. A combination of natural materials and textures including wood, marble, fabric, leather and locally-produced hemp rope are paired with custom-made sleek furniture and geometric lighting, resulting in an aesthetically pleasing environment that is at once relaxing and intriguing.

The 241 well-appointed guestrooms all feature round office desks, sitting areas complete with a chaise longue and coffee table, as well as separate walk-in closets. The 33 spacious Premier Rooms and 6 Executive Rooms offer expansive views of the city landscape with large windows on two sides. Each room is thoughtfully designed to create a perfect balance of functionality, style and comfort, with creative workspaces and an array of state-of-the-art amenities from high-speed Wi-Fi to plush bedding and HDTV. Family rooms feature a complete set of child-friendly amenities including bathrobes, rocking chairs, toys, coloring boards, mini tents, cartoon-themed bedding, stickers, and bath amenities for kids, ensuring a fun and relaxing stay for the whole family. Guests can also enjoy extra convenience and flexibility with mobile check-in and check-out with their cellphones as room keys.

Offering the Marriott Hotels brand's signature culinary experiences, the hotel features three stylish dining venues and a lobby lounge. All-day restaurant GOJI Kitchen Bar serves an a la carte menu and a sumptuous buffet featuring live cooking stations, seafood and a range of western and Asian dishes; Man Ho Chinese Restaurant offers the brand's authentic Cantonese culinary experience with a touch of Shanghai influence in an elegant setting with seven private dining rooms perfect for family gathering and business dinners. SMOKI MOTO, a specialty East Asian restaurant with a modern cosmopolitan ambience, features exquisite Korean barbeque and gourmet sushi; while The Greatroom, which is Marriott Hotels' renowned lobby lounge concept, provides a modern, comfortable gathering spot for business and leisure meetings with desserts, pastries and light fare during the day, and transforms into a dynamic bar in the evenings for new experiences and encounters.

Executive Lounge, an exclusive space reserved for guest who stay on executive floor as well as Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite members, provides complimentary breakfast, check in/out service, hors d'oeuvres and premium beverages. The lounge is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week to ensure uninterrupted productivity for business travelers.

With two pillarless ballrooms and four flexible function rooms spanning a total of 2,650 square-meters, the Shanghai Marriott Hotel Pudong South is an ideal venue for every kind of event and meeting. The pillarless 800-square-meter grand ballroom and 400-square-meter junior ballroom offer spaces for large conferences and lavish gatherings, while the six different function rooms can host business events and private parties of all styles and scales, as well as glamorous weddings. To help guests relax and unwind after a productive workday or an exhilarating private event, the hotel offers a host of fitness and wellness facilities including an indoor heated swimming pool, whirlpool, sauna room, and 24-hour fitness center

With over 800 years of history, the nearby Xinchang Ancient town is a quaint water town located in Southeast Shanghai. The hotel is also ideally located close to a well-developed highway network and an array of premium business and tourist attractions, such as Shanghai Disneyland, Haichang Ocean Park and Shanghai Wild Animal Park, offering a remarkable lodging experience for visitors seeking a a short escape or a longer stay to explore its interlacing lanes, carved stone-arch bridges, and centuries-old houses from Ming and Qing dynasties. For international guests, the hotel is just a 25-minute drive from Shanghai Pudong International Airport, while downtown Shanghai and Xinchang Ancient Town are both within 30-minute drives.
Annual leave 'roll over' could cost businesses about 12bn. Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA

Two thirds of UK employees plan to carry over at least one day of annual leave into next year, potentially costing businesses about 12bn ($15.5bn), research suggests.

A temporary law was passed by the government back in March allowing workers to roll over up to four weeks paid holiday.

Over 20 million Brits could end up doing this if all are given permission by their employer, according to analysis by personal finance comparison website Finder.

The research found workers who plan to shift some of their annual leave to next year will roll over an average of 5.11 days, while nearly two in five (37%) intend to roll over more than five days.

READ MORE: Two in five Brits expect pay rise in next year despite COVID-19 induced recession

Full-time employees in the UK make about 117 a day  meaning Brits who dont take all of their annual leave are essentially working 5.11 days for free, and will be losing out on 598 this year.

Brits will now be able to even out this discrepancy next year. In previous years, they would have lost out on this income.

However, businesses will experience the cost of this new law during their next annual leave period, when vast numbers of employees could be working less for the same pay, Finder warned.

The study found this could cost businesses across the UK a whopping total of 12bn, if all employers allow their employees who want to roll annual leave over to do so.

READ MORE: Social distancing could cost businesses 5,450 per employee, study finds

Londoners plan to carry over the most days into next year, at about of 7.66. On top of this, four in five (81%) workers in the capital said they plan to take at least one day forward into 2021.

At the other end of the scale, East Anglia residents plan to take the least, at an average of just 3.87 days. This region also has the smallest number of workers planning to take leave forward, at just over two in five (43%).

Millennials plan to carry over the most days, with workers in this generation taking an average of 5.65 days forward, the study found.

Meanwhile, generation Z has the largest amount of workers rolling annual leave over, with more than three quarters (76%) planning to do this.
Microsoft's Bill Gates, Tesla's Elon Musk, and Apple's Steve Jobs are three of the most notable names in the tech industry. Two of the latter are so being compared with each other, and an article called Musk as the "Next Steve Jobs." If there's one person to know their difference, it's Bill Gates. And here's what he thought about this comparison.

Is Elon Musk the next Steve Jobs?

In any work industry, comparisons are common, just like with both tech businessmen Steve Jobs and Elon Musk.

Business Insider even made an article citing differences and similarities among them. However, most of the people suggest Musk and Jobs were not alike, just like "Apples and Oranges."

It turns out, not just people from the survey thinks this way. Even Microsoft's co-founder Bill Gates said that Jobs and Musk are not similar to each other-- on so many different levels.

He even mentioned calling, Musk as 'engineer,' while Jobs as 'genius to people.'

What's the difference: Musk vs. Jobs

As explained to him via Bloomberg, Musk's label as the 'Next Steve Jobs' is a 'strange' gross oversimplification.

Since he knew both of them personally, Gates said that no one would dare to "walk into a room and confuse them with each other."

In fact, he found Musk as more 'engineer' than Jobs as a 'genius.'

"Elon's more of a hands-on engineer. Steve was a genius at design and picking people and marketing," Gates said.

It is observed that Gates has a more 'friendly' stance with Jobs than Musk. In his past interviews, the Microsoft billionaire often called the ex-Apple chief as "wizard at over-motivating people ... I could see him casting the spells, and then I would look at people and see them mesmerized."

For Musk, however, Tech Times reported that he recently gets mad on Gates over his another interview, forgetting Tesla's name as one of the best all-electric truck manufacturers in the world.

He accused Bill of having no clue what he said.

ALSO READ: Bill Gates Looks Down on Elon Musk's Tesla Semi and Electric Airplanes Despite Being Known to Drive a Model X

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Jamie Pancho

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Former Datalex chief financial officer David Kennedy has launched a legal action against the company and its chief executive, Sean Corkery.

The High Court case comes a year after Mr Corkery made comments following a Datalex annual general meeting (AGM) in relation to Mr Kennedy and former Datalex CEO Aidan Brogan after an accounting scandal at the Dublin-headquartered travel software firm.

Mr Corkery said after the AGM last year that both Mr Kennedy and Mr Brogan could face potential legal action in relation to an alleged unlawful distribution of funds from a Datalex subsidiary that were used to pay a $4m dividend to shareholders in 2018.

Mr Corkery said that Datalex believes the distribution was unlawful because it was based on the premise that revenue existed which was "not valid".

Mr Corkery went on at the time to raise further concerns he had about past management at the company.

When asked at the time about those comments, Mr Kennedy told the Irish Independent that he was taking legal advice in relation to them.

Mr Kennedy initiated legal action against Datalex and Mr Corkery on Wednesday, High Court records show. He is being represented by law firm Ivor Fitzpatrick & Co.

"We are aware proceedings have been issued but will make no further comment at this time," said Datalex in a statement yesterday.

Mr Kennedy could not be contacted.

He is currently programme manager and portfolio finance director at The Agile Executive, an outsourcing firm that provides client companies with finance directors on a monthly basis. Agile is part of The Panel recruitment consultancy.

Datalex posted a $50m loss in 2018 and the scandal saw trading in its shares suspended on the stock market. They started trading again in July, and promptly collapsed by 75pc.

Before the accounting issues at the firm, its market capitalisation was almost 200m. It's currently 42m, although its shares have more than doubled since they started trading again.

The software company has been kept afloat by billionaire financier Dermot Desmond, who owns just under 30pc of the business. He has also thrown it a 21m debt lifeline.

Datalex's customers include airlines around the world, such as Aer Lingus, JetBlue, Air China and SAS.

Having been hit because of the accounting issues at the firm, Datalex then had to contend with the impact of the pandemic, which has battered airline traffic.

However, it recently stuck to its 2020 financial guidance.
" " Snakes can be pretty creepy, but they tend to stay out of your house more than the mice they eat. Jeff McGraw/ThinkStock

The allegedly fearless (and fictional) adventurer Indiana Jones shares a fear common to many people: "Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?" he asks when he first peers into the chamber holding the titular Ark of the Covenant in "Raiders of the Lost Ark." Fear of snakes is so common that it has its own name: ophidiophobia. Many people probably wish that snakes would disappear, perhaps by being driven out of existence the way legend says St. Patrick drove them out of Ireland.

Of course, St. Patrick's role in ridding the Emerald Isle of snakes is a myth. But there are several other snakeless places around the world besides Ireland  New Zealand, Antarctica, Iceland and Greenland, for instance  and life goes on just fine [source: Owen]. So why shouldn't we just wipe the vipers out everywhere? Well, the truth is that getting rid of all the snakes would open the doors to a host of other problems.

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First, cases of musophobia  the fear of mice and rats  would ramp up considerably. We're all part of the food chain  that great circle of life that tries to keep things in balance. Think about what snakes snack on: primarily mice and rats. You may be terrified of snakes, but imagine for a moment a world overrun by rodents. A single pair of rats can have a million descendants in just a year and a half [source: Smith].

It's thought that the bubonic plague  or Black Death  of medieval times originated in China, where rodents and their plague-laden fleas infected travelers along prominent trade routes to Europe. Because many believed that cats and dogs  which also prey on rats and mice  were spreading the Black Death, many were killed, causing the rodent population to grow. Driving out all the snakes could contribute to a similar problem, especially considering that the bubonic plague was never completely eradicated. In fact, the plague has been seen in modern times, killing a number of people in Madagascar in 2008  though, admittedly, nobody blamed that outbreak on a dearth of snakes [source: CDC].

In the next link of our food chain, snakes are also prey for some animals we generally like having around, such as all species of cats, coyotes, mongooses and even other snakes. A big snake-sized break in the food chain could negatively impact a variety of other animals [source: Smith].

Most important to humans is the role of venom produced by snakes, as well as other venomous creatures, in the development of medicines. Diabetes and heart disease medicines have been derived from snake venom, which is also being used to develop treatments for autoimmune diseases, cancer and pain [source: Holland]. Makes snakes seem almost cuddly, doesn't it?

So all things considered, the next time you wonder, like Indiana Jones, why it had to be snakes, stop a moment and consider the possible alternatives.
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Matt Hancock today warned the number of coronavirus patients being admitted to hospital is doubling every eight days as he revealed ministers need to 'take action' because the outbreak is accelerating.

The Health Secretary pleaded with the public to 'come together to tackle this virus' and admitted that a new national crackdown could be on the cards because it 'isn't just cases' that are increasing.

Government statistics show 194 newly-infected Covid-19 patients were admitted to hospitals in England on Tuesday, compared to just 84 eight days ago and just 38 on August 30. It means 154 patients are needing NHS care each day, on average  triple the figure of 52 on September 1.

More than 3,000 people each day were being admitted to NHS hospitals during the peak of the first wave in April. Analysis suggests, at the current trend, it would take little more than three weeks for daily admissions to top 2,000.

And a top infectious disease expert today warned that it is 'plausible' the doubling rate of every eight days could continue. Professor Paul Hunter, of University of East Anglia, told MailOnline the number of admissions could surpass the daily rate seen in March and April in just a month's time.

Cases have spiked over the same time frame, with another 3,395 infections recorded yesterday  a 33 per cent rise in a week. Deaths are also starting to creep up, with the average number of patients dying each day now standing at 14  up from seven a fortnight ago.

More aggressive measures, including a national 'circuit breaker', are on the cards to stop the growth of the outbreak. The move could come as soon as next week, with pubs, restaurants and hotels facing being shut to prevent 'significant' casualties.

More than 1,000 patients were dying during the darkest days of Britain's crisis, when 3,000 new hospital admissions were being recorded each day.

But experts insist a second wave of Covid-19 in Britain would not be nearly as bad as the first. One reason for this prediction is the fact that we now know so much more about the virus. This includes medical advances, such as the discovery that steroid treatment dexamethasone can cut the risk of death from coronavirus by a third. Officials also say that local lockdowns  and the beleaguered test and trace service  have successfully prevented recent outbreaks from spreading more widely.

It comes as hospitals have been warned they must clear beds and brace themselves for a rise in coronavirus patients in the next few weeks.

MPs in London have been informed of plans to increase 'step down' beds in the capital, it was reported today. The beds will be made available to coronavirus patients who no longer need any hospital treatment, but can recover from the disease while isolating.

Hospitals cancelled thousands of surgeries like hip operations and cancer treatment to free up space for infected patients at the peak of the crisis, causing the NHS to have a record-high waiting list for routine treatment. The drive to free up beds in the first wave also saw coronavirus-infected patients discharged into care homes, where the virus was allowed to spread.

Analysis suggests, at the current trend, it would take little more than three weeks for daily admissions to top 2,000

The Health Secretary pleaded with the public to 'come together to tackle this virus' and admitted that a new national crackdown could be on the cards because it 'isn't just cases' that are increasing

MATT HANCOCK ADMITS A NATIONAL CRACKDOWN IS ON THE CARDS Matt Hancock today admitted that a new national crackdown is on the cards as he warned infections are 'accelerating across the country' and more people will die. The Health Secretary pleaded with the public to 'come together to tackle this virus' as ministers consider imposing draconian restrictions for a fortnight in a 'circuit break' to stop the spread. The move could come as soon as next week, with pubs, restaurants and hotels facing being shut to prevent 'significant' casualties. In a round of interviews this morning, Mr Hancock said a national lockdown was the 'last line of defence'. But he warned that it was a 'big moment for the country' and the situation was 'deadly serious', with cases now doubling every eight days. Unless the 'Rule of Six' restrictions worked more would have to be done, he warned. 'The virus is clearly accelerating across the country,' Mr Hancock told Sky News. 'We have got to take the necessary action to keep people safe. We will do what it takes to keep people safe.' It comes as 10million people are told to follow new lockdown rules as Lancashire is placed under curfew alongside the North East. The Government's chief science and medical officers have warned that another serious outbreak of coronavirus could lead to a significant number of deaths by the end of next month. Advertisement

In an interview with BBC Breakfast this morning, Mr Hancock warned that it was 'absolutely critical' that people continued to follow the basic rules with regard to coronavirus.

He said: 'We have seen an acceleration in the number of cases over the last couple of weeks and weve also sadly seen that the number of people hospitalised with coronavirus is doubling about every eight days, so we do need to take action.'

The government's most-up-to-date data shows 194 Covid-19 patients in England were admitted to hospital on September 15  at an average of 154 a day over the past week.

For comparison, the rolling seven-day average had dipped to as low as 45 on August 22, when just 25 hospital admissions were recorded across the country.

At the height of the pandemic at the start of April, the average number of daily admissions was 2,700. Britain's lockdown and tough social distancing measures allowed the rate to plummet to below 1,000 by the start of May.

Department of Health chiefs say data is not updated every day by all four nations and the figures are not comparable. For instance, Wales include suspected Covid-19 patients while all the other nations include only confirmed cases.

Professor Hunter told MailOnline that the spike in admissions is 'predictable' and 'expected', given the spike in cases over the past few weeks.

He added: 'It's worrying that it's going up but the big concern is how many hospital admissions we will end up seeing.

'I suspect it will carry on... but I suspect we won't see it doubling quite as rapidly because, often, these things start off quite fast and then they tail off after a little while.

'It doesn't always tail off, but ultimately it does because if it carries on doubling [at that speed], then soon every single person on the planet will be on hospital. So it has to tail off eventually.

'The issue is when does it start tailing off? I have no way of knowing.'

Professor Hunter added that it was 'plausible' England's hospital admissions could get up the levels seen in April but admitted he think it's probably won't happen.

He said: 'The evidence is older people are still, sort of, social distancing themselves more than other groups, and they're the group most likely to get hospitalised. There's also a smaller pool to get infected and be hospitalised than we saw back in March and April.

'But it may well continue, and it's plausible that England could well in a month's time be surpassing that figure. But I hope not.'

It comes as hospitals have been warned they must clear beds and brace themselves for a rise in coronavirus patients in the next few weeks. One MP who has seen the plans told the Telegraph: 'I was told hospitals have reserved beds for people coming out of hospital who need somewhere to re-cover.

'At the start of lockdown they were having to send people back to care homes or back to other facilities, with dire consequences, so they've booked places in respite care or empty care homes, so people will go out of hospital, but won't return to their normal place of living.'

Another source said that councils have also been asked to find extra beds

It comes amid more testing chaos yesterday as Baroness Dido Harding, head of NHS Test and Trace, revealed that demand for coronavirus tests is currently up to four times greater than the system's capacity.

TEST & TRACE 'COULD BE OUTSOURCED TO AMAZON' By Lizzie Deane for the Daily Mail THE UK'S test and trace system could be outsourced to a delivery giant such as Amazon, it was reported last night. Ministers are said to be planning to hand over the running of the testing service to a logistics firm as the system struggles to cope with increased demand for tests. A invitation to bid for a contract covering the management of the entire 'end-to-end' supply chain will be issued next month, The Daily Telegraph reported. A Government source said 'experts in delivery services' were needed. 'At the moment, the management of NHS Test and Trace has been in-house but, as we go into winter, we need experts in this area to take it forward,' they said. Amazon, DHL and other major logistics firms are all reportedly likely to be competing for the huge contract which will be the linchpin of the Health Secretary's promise to deliver 500,000 tests a day by the end of next month. An information notice issued by the Department of Health calls for potential bidders to register their interest in the contract to co-ordinate the testing service's supply change. It says: 'In order to significantly scale up the number of daily tests as well as making the operations more efficient, we are looking for an end-to-end management of all associated supply chain and logistics processes along the chain.' Advertisement

The government's testing tzar also blamed the Government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) for seemingly getting its predictions wrong as she said testing capacity had been built based on the panel's recommendations.

Last night it emerged the country's faltering testing system could be outsourced to Amazon, as reported by The Telegraph.

A source said: 'At the moment the man- agement of NHS Test and Trace has been in-house but as we go into winter we need experts in this area to take it forward.'

The government is also expected to announce tighter restrictions on care home visits in areas with high numbers of coronavirus cases are expected to be announced by the Government in its winter action plan.

Care homes in areas subject to local lockdowns may be advised to temporarily restrict visits in all but end-of-life situations, it is understood.

For parts of the country where there is no local lockdown, but where community transmission is a cause for concern, an option officials are considering is advising that visits are restricted to one designated visitor per resident.

The Government will set out further details on Friday in its social care action plan to help fight the spread of coronavirus over winter.

As part of the plan, care homes will receive free protective equipment and providers must stop 'all but essential' movement of staff between homes, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said.

This will be supported by an additional 546 million announced on Thursday as part of the extended infection control fund.

A new dashboard will monitor care home infections and help local government and providers respond quickly.

And a chief nurse for adult social care will be appointed to represent social care nurses and provide 'clinical leadership'.

Local authorities and the Care Quality Commission will be asked to take 'strong action' in instances where providers are not restricting staff movement adequately.

The DHSC said this could include restricting a service's operation and issuing warning notices.

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said: 'We are entering a critical phase in our fight against coronavirus with winter on the horizon.

'Our priority over the next six months is to make sure we protect those most vulnerable receiving care and our incredibly hard-working workforce by limiting the spread of the virus and preventing a second spike.

'This winter plan gives providers the certainty they need when it comes to PPE and provides additional support to help care homes to limit the movement of staff, stop the spread of coronavirus and save lives.

'We will be monitoring the implementation of this carefully and will be swift in our actions to protect residents and colleagues across the country.'

It comes as Age UK said some older people are 'dying of sadness' because they have been cut off from loved ones over a long period of time.

Charity director Caroline Abrahams said it is important the plan achieves an 'appropriate balance' between ensuring infection control and allowing residents to keep in contact with loved ones.

She said: 'All in all what we have seen so far is promising, but we will await with interest to read what the plan says about visiting in care homes.

'With Covid-19 cases on the rise and winter on the way it's right that every activity that could potentially place residents at risk is considered very carefully, including visiting, but any sense of a 'blanket ban' would be highly inappropriate, however anxious we may all feel.

'Risks, capabilities and opportunities of all kinds differ hugely across care homes and for the sake of older people this enormous variation must be taken fully into account.'

Liz Kendall, Labour's shadow social care minister, welcomed the appointment of a chief nurse and increased funding.

She continued: 'But the real test of this plan is whether the Government delivers on weekly testing of all care staff - first promised in July but still not delivered, with serious concerns about delays in getting results back.

'Ensuring families can visit their loved ones is also critical, as without this care home residents can end up fading fast.'
Lok Sabha passed the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 as well as the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020.

AFP

Both the bills were introduced in the Lok Sabha on day one of the Monsoon session. The bill will replace the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020 promulgated by the President on June 5 this year. Read more

Air India Express Ops To Dubai Suspended Temporarily After Passenger Tests COVID-19 Positive

Dubai Civil Authority has reportedly suspended Air India Express for 15 days after a passenger tested positive for COVID-19.

Reuters

After a COVID-19 positive passenger was found on a flight, all operations of Air India Express to Dubai Airports was temporarily suspended for a duration of 15 days till October 2. Read more

Man Arrested With 100 Debit Cards: Targeted Those Who Had Problems Withdrawing Money

In a recent incident , a 33-year-old man has been arrested for duping people inside ATM centres under the pretext of helping them withdraw cash, police said on Thursday.

Reuters / Representational Image

More than 100 debit cards have been recovered from his possession, an official said. Read more



Drug Peddler Arrested In Bengaluru Was Selling Brown Sugar As 'Sai Baba Prasad'

Bengaluru Police have arrested a man, who they claim was selling drugs to customers in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

BCCL

The accused identified as Vikram Khileri used to transport the brown sugar, across Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Read more

Lawyer Fined Rs 500 For Not Wearing Mask In Car, Moves Court, Asks For Rs 10 Lakh Compensation

A lawyer who was fined Rs 500 by the Delhi Police for not wearing a face mask while he was driving his car has filed a case in the Delhi High court against it.

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In his petition, Advocate Saurabh Sharma has sought the refund of the Rs 500 paid as fine and compensation of Rs 10 lakh for mental harassment suffered by him. Read more


Two Iraqi officials and a businessman have been arrested as part of a new anti-corruption drive spearheaded by Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi, government sources said Friday.

The arrests represent a rare instance in which current officials -- usually deemed too well-connected to touch in Iraq's graft-ridden system -- are subject to judicial procedures.

Last month, Kadhemi formed a new committee to fight "major corruption files", which made its first arrests this week, according to two Iraqi officials with knowledge of the committee's work.

The head of Iraq's Retirement Fund, Ahmad al-Saedi, and the chairman of Baghdad's Investment Commission, Shaker al-Zameli, were detained on Wednesday.

Bahaa Abdulhussein, the head of electronic payment company Qi Card, was arrested upon arrival at Baghdad Airport on Thursday, the sources confirmed.

The officials declined to reveal any further details, including the charges against the men, where they were being held or what the judicial process would be.

"The committee is looking at portfolios that have been suspicious for a while, then its judicial commission issues arrest warrants," one official told AFP.

Iraq's court system is known to be profoundly corrupt, with judges paid off to ignore evidence or make certain verdicts.

Asked whether the courts could be trusted to see the process through, the official said the committee's judges were building "solid" cases.

Both officials said the campaign was not targeted against any particular individuals, parties or business sectors.

"There is no target list -- but you can expect more names to come," the second official said.

Iraq is ranked one of the top 20 most corrupt countries in the world, according to Transparency International.

Some $450 billion in public funds have vanished into the pockets of shady politicians and businessmen since the 2003 US-led invasion, a study by parliament found.

Every premier since the invasion has launched their own anti-corruption initiative, with varying degrees of success.

Kadhemi has made new appointments at the Central Bank of Iraq, the Integrity Commission and the Investment Commission in a bid to stem government graft.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 10:14:04|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- China has faithfully implemented the pledges it announced at a UN Summit to support UN peacekeeping, says a white paper released by the State Council Information Office Friday.

On Sept. 28, 2015, President Xi Jinping addressed the Leaders' Summit on Peacekeeping at UN headquarters and announced six measures that China would take to support UN peacekeeping.

The Chinese government and armed forces have faithfully implemented the decisions and directions of President Xi Jinping, and taken concrete steps to honor their promises, according to the white paper titled "China's Armed Forces: 30 Years of UN Peacekeeping Operations."

Important progress has been made over the past five years, the paper notes, saying that China has set up a peacekeeping standby force, sent more enabler troops to UN peacekeeping operations, helped train foreign peacekeepers, provided military aid gratis to the African Union, deployed its first peacekeeping helicopter unit for UN peacekeeping operations, and established a China-UN Peace and Development Fund to support the UN efforts for peace and advance multilateral cooperation. Enditem
(Photo : Maja Hitij / Getty Images) Musk's SpaceX is among the frontrunners in space tourism. (Photo : Jemal Countess / Getty Images) Bezos-founded Blue Origin helps NASA. (Photo : Drew Angerer / Getty Images) Virgin Galactic rumored to bring A-list stars to space.

Three big names in the aerospace industry, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Richard Branson, haven't exhausted all resources here on Earth, but they're already looking up to the sky for their ambitious goals of making space a tourist-friendly spot--but how will they pull it off?

All three tech CEOs have done marvelous feats in the past year through their companies, Blue Origin, SpaceX, and Virgin Galactic, despite the ongoing pandemic.

Nevertheless, all three share the same goal: making the final frontier an easy place to travel to, if ever the going gets even rougher.

Elon Musk's SpaceX and Its Martian Ambition

According to Maxim, Musk's SpaceX has long announced its goal to colonize the Red Planet. To do so, Musk has partnered with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to bring two veteran astronauts to the International Space Station aboard SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft.

Moreover, the company had built a better spacesuit for astronauts, which they had unraveled earlier this year when the mission began.

All eyes were on the mission, and it proved to be successful, marking another achievement to the company's expanding list of things they have done incredibly well. Thus, Musk began to detail more of his plans to colonize Mars, including sending the first people who must be "willing to die."

But before Musk can bring people to Mars, he must bring civilians to space first--and he is indeed planning to launch four tourists to super-high orbit by 2021, going higher than the ISS.

The tickets' pricing hasn't been revealed yet, but people are already expecting to reach millions of dollars.

Read Also: 'Space Hero' Reality Show: Here's Your Chance to Travel and Live in Space and ISS for 10 Days on 2023!

Virgin Galactic Hopes to Bring Stars to Space

Another competitor for the first person to bring civilians to space is Richard Branson. The latter founded the Virgin Galactic, which has revealed its design for its supersonic jet in August--an incredible aircraft that can travel over three times the speed of light.

Branson's Virgin Galactic is a front-runner in the space tourism industry as it has already pre-sold more than 600 tickets to would-be space tourists who will fly to space aboard the SpaceShipTwo, which costs $250,000 each.

The company had accomplished two suborbital missions in December 2018 and February 2019.

Rumor has it that among the first space tourists who have bought seats at the SpaceShipTwo are A-list actors like Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, and Brad Pitt, as well as big names in the music industry like Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and Justin Bieber.

Bezos' Blue Origin for Project Artemis

Meanwhile, Jeff Bezos has his eyes set on perhaps a common sci-fi trope: an industrial base in space.

Bezos' company, Blue Origin, has also been chosen by NASA earlier this year to be part of the Artemis Project, aiming to bring humans back to the moon, and then even further to Mars.

To help with the project, the company was tasked to design and build one of the human lunar landers, which they have named Blue Moon, for the future mission to our neighbor. According to a report by TechCrunch, the company has recently completed its first key milestone.

We'll likely hear more of these space tourism and exploration achievements in a few years or so, especially with these three names in the lead.

Read Also: NASA Could Lose Against Rocket Lab in Finding Venus' Intelligent Lifeforms

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by: Nhx Tingson

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
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Covid testing 'is dying on its a**e', a leading scientist warned today as he said he was 'appalled by what I saw' at the Government's testing labs.

Concerns have been raised about the Government's seven 'Lighthouse Labs' and their ability to process results, due to shortages of staff and equipment.

Genomics scientist and inventor Phil Robinson, who was invited into one of the labs to see how they work, said it was poorly managed, running out of staff and had failed to set up automatic processes - despite fears that the UK would inevitably be hit by a second wave.

He told The Times: 'Every part of the process was poor. The other ludicrous issue they have is they have 20 different types of tube coming into the lab. When you are running a high throughput lab it's only sensible to have one. Why they haven't standardised that I have no idea.

'Testing is dying on its a**e because schools are going back and here we are again. They haven't used that period of lockdown to implement automation.'

Amid chaos in the laboratories, the Government's test and trace system was also criticised as being 'barely functional', with workers taking up to two weeks to contact friends, relatives and workmates of those who have tested positive for Covid-19.

Baroness Dido Harding, who leads the test and trace system, admitted yesterday that demand for swabs is up to four times Britain's capacity, but declared the sudden rise as children returned to school and parents went back to the office had not been predicted - despite repeated warnings.

The government's testing fiasco has seen hundreds of people who queued for Covid swabs at a south London testing centre turned away after not being sent important QR codes, while other sites across the country have been practically deserted.

As the testing fiasco rages on:

CovidNudge test, that provides results in 90 minutes, has been found to be 94 per cent accurate and is expected to be rolled out across the NHS this winter;

Nine in ten hotspots recorded no new cases on September 15 and September 16 as laboratories dealt with the backlog;

Test and trace workers are taking two weeks to contact friends, relatives and contacts of those who test positive;

Baroness Harding claimed 'no one saw' sudden spike in test demand coming despite return of schools;

Matt Hancock told the Today programme hospital admissions in the UK are doubling every eight days;

And reveals new 'circuit-breaker' lockdown is on the cards, where restrictions are re-imposed nationwide for a short period of time, to stifle the spread of the disease.

The proportion of people getting their Covid-19 test results within 24 hours has plummeted for all kinds of test, performance data showed today

A scientist has warned of chaos in the Government's coronavirus testing labs. Pictured is a volunteer processing samples at a laboratory in Alderley Park, Cheshire

On Thursday, the Government announced that it was launching two new 'Lighthouse' testing labs in Newcastle and Bracknell.

Accompanying new sites in Newport, Wales, and Charnwood in the Midlands, the four labs promise to increase capacity to deliver 500,000 tests per day by the end of October, DHSC said.

The Newcastle and Bracknell facilities are not expected to be fully operational until March and February, respectively.

NHS Providers, which represents NHS trust leaders, argued that the country was 'a long way off where we need to be with testing'.

TEST & TRACE 'COULD BE OUTSOURCED TO AMAZON' The UK'S test and trace system could be outsourced to a delivery giant such as Amazon, it was reported last night. Ministers are said to be planning to hand over the running of the testing service to a logistics firm as the system struggles to cope with increased demand for tests. A invitation to bid for a contract covering the management of the entire 'end-to-end' supply chain will be issued next month, The Daily Telegraph reported. A Government source said 'experts in delivery services' were needed. 'At the moment, the management of NHS Test and Trace has been in-house but, as we go into winter, we need experts in this area to take it forward,' they said. Amazon, DHL and other major logistics firms are all reportedly likely to be competing for the huge contract which will be the linchpin of the Health Secretary's promise to deliver 500,000 tests a day by the end of next month. An information notice issued by the Department of Health calls for potential bidders to register their interest in the contract to co-ordinate the testing service's supply change. It says: 'In order to significantly scale up the number of daily tests as well as making the operations more efficient, we are looking for an end-to-end management of all associated supply chain and logistics processes along the chain.' Advertisement

Plans have also been released for a Lighthouse laboratory dealing with testing and a Covid-19 research hub, which could create 1,100 jobs in the North East of England.

The new facility would serve the region, as well as northern Cumbria and Yorkshire, and would be the latest expansion of the Government's national Test and Trace programme.

The Lighthouse Lab will be based in Gateshead with a specialist innovation lab at the Helix site in Newcastle, focused on developing new approaches to coronavirus science.

The project will be a partnership between Newcastle City Council and the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, as well as public health teams, local universities and industry.

Deputy chief executive Saffron Cordery said trust leaders were 'increasingly concerned' that testing shortages could put pressure on NHS services and winter preparations due to growing staff absences.

'Trust leaders are concerned that they do not have the detail on why there are shortages, how widespread they are or how long they will last,' she added.

Reacting to the latest test and trace figures, Justin Madders, Labour's shadow health minister, said it was a 'huge concern' that the test and trace system performance 'continues to go backwards' and appeared'on the verge of collapse'.

He added: 'Perhaps the biggest problem is that people cannot get tested, which means thousands of people are not going into the system in the first place. Ministers must get a grip and fix testing now.'

Dr Mike Skinner, who volunteered to work in a Lighthouse Laboratory dealing with Covid-19 tests, said half the work was involved in sorting the logistics of handling the samples.

The reader in virology at Imperial College London told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'In the lab, when the testing was upscaled back in March, you really had to get all kinds of sample kits from lots of different producers, there were lots of difficulties in that.

'We had to put half of our staff into handling issues with barcoding, leaks - we actually had to remove the swabs from the tubes so they didn't gum-up some of the robots down the line.'

He added: 'It really is very much about logistics.'

Chief of the testing system, Baroness Dido Harding, has admitted that the system is not geared up to cope with the numbers of tests that people are now demanding.

Nobody was 'expecting' to see the 'really sizeable increase in demand' for checks, she said yesterday.

Baroness Harding's comments, which come despite the return of schools and more people heading back to work, sparked outrage as she told MPs 'none of the modelling' had suggested there would be such a steep uptick in requests.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits the Jenner Institute at Oxford University, England, today Friday, September 18

Boris Johnson is pictured during a visit to a testing lab in Oxford today. The Jenner Institute is the lab at the forefront of attempts to make a vaccine to prevent Covid-19

The head of the NHS Test and Trace programme blamed the Government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) for seemingly getting its predictions wrong as she said testing capacity had been built based on the panel's recommendations.

Meanwhile, she revealed that demand for Covid tests is currently up to four times greater than the system's capacity.

WHAT ARE THE LIGHTHOUSE LABS? What is a Lighthouse Lab? The laboratories are set up to process the swab tests that are used to diagnose people with coronavirus. They contain machines capable of a process called polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which magnifies DNA samples from people's saliva and mucous to look for signs of the virus. Samples taken at swab testing centres are delivered to the labs where technicians analyse the samples and file the result into a database, which then sends the result back to the person who took the test and logs it in the Government's data. Where are the Lighthouse Labs? Milton Keynes (Run by UK Biocentre)

Alderley Park, Cheshire (Medicines Discovery Catapult)

Glasgow (University of Glasgow & local hospital)

Cambridge (University of Cambridge, AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKline)

Antrim, Northern Ireland (Randox)

Newport (PerkinElmer & Welsh Government)

Loughborough (PerkinElmer & Charnwood Campus)

Newcastle (planned; partners not confirmed)

Bracknell (planned; partners not confirmed) Who runs the Lighthouse Labs? The lab system is ultimately controlled by the Department of Health, which hand-picks existing laboratories around the country and pays them to process Covid-19 tests in a standardised way. There is not a threshold a lab must meet to become a Lighthouse Lab, but all are capable of processing tens of thousands of tests per day and have capacity to expand. No new labs have been built, but institutions at universities and pharmaceutical companies are given new equipment, improved lab spaces and money to hire their own qualified staff to cope with the demand. Some of the labs use existing staff. Labs being used so far include ones at pharmaceutical companies AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKline, the universities of Cambridge, Glasgow and Dundee, and the scientific organisations UK Biocentre, Medicines Discovery Catapult and US-based PerkinElmer. Alongside the Lighthouse Labs, the Government also uses facilities run by Public Health England, the NHS and other smaller universities and institutions known as 'surge labs'. Advertisement

However, while some centres are stretched to the limit trying to deliver, others remain empty, with one worker even pictured falling asleep on the job at a site in Heathrow.

There have been numerous reports of staff at deserted walk-in testing centres turning people away if they didn't have an appointment or weren't showing obvious coronavirus symptoms.

It is not clear exactly why the Heathrow site was so empty, however it is a remote drive-in centre where tests are carried out by appointment, involving swabbing through the car window.

Officials have blamed the limited capacity of the Lighthouse Labs for slowing down other elements of the testing system.

There are currently seven of the facilities up and running, according to the UK Lighthouse Labs Network, in Milton Keynes, Cheshire, Glasgow, Cambridge, Antrim in Northern Ireland, Newport and Loughborough.

The lab system is ultimately controlled by the Department of Health, which hand-picks existing laboratories around the country and pays them to process Covid-19 tests in a standardised way.

There is not a threshold a lab must meet to become a Lighthouse Lab, but all are capable of processing tens of thousands of tests per day and have capacity to expand.

No new labs have been built, but institutions at universities and pharmaceutical companies are given new equipment, improved lab spaces and money to hire their own qualified staff to cope with the demand. Some of the labs use existing staff.

Labs being used so far include ones at pharmaceutical companies AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKline, the universities of Cambridge, Glasgow and Dundee, and the scientific organisations UK Biocentre, Medicines Discovery Catapult and US-based PerkinElmer.

Alongside the Lighthouse Labs, the Government also uses facilities run by Public Health England, the NHS and other smaller universities and institutions known as 'surge labs'.

New labs are being set up in an ongoing expansion of the programme, with sites expected to open soon in Newcastle and Bracknell, Berkshire.

Newly-opened labs do not run at full capacity straight away and those are not expected to be working in full swing until February (Bracknell) and March (Newcastle), when they will be able to process a combined 120,000 tests per day.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has admitted up to 250,000 Britons could be waiting for their Covid-19 test result because of a mammoth backlog in Government laboratories, which has meant tens of thousands of swabs are being held up in a process that is only supposed to take 24 hours.

In response to criticism from furious MPs this week, he said there is a hold-up of 'less than a day's capacity' caused by 'operational challenges' in laboratories. The Department of Health claims it can process 245,000 swab tests per day.

The backlog has reportedly been caused by staff finishing temporary contracts and surging demand as cases continue to increase across the UK  and one scientist claimed the Government's claim of how many tests it can process may not actually be true.

Whitehall sources say the actual cause of the crisis is a 'secret', while one leading scientist dismissed claims of a staffing shortage and said labs appear to have enough technicians.

Jonathan Ashworth, Shadow Health Secretary for Labour, claimed the system was in difficulty because post-graduate science students who had been working in the labs over the summer were now leaving.

He said in Parliament today: 'Extra demand on the system was inevitable. So why didn't [Matt Hancock] use the summer to significantly expand NHS capacity and fix contact tracing?

'And just as demand is increasing, the ability to process tests is diminishing. Post-grad students working in the Lighthouse Labs are returning to university, so why did we not plan for these inevitable staff shortages in the Lighthouse Labs?'

An expert in the field said many technicians had been drafted in on intense short-term contracts during the crisis but were now going back to their everyday jobs.

Doris-Ann Williams, chief executive of the British In Vitro Diagnostics Association (BIVDA), told The Telegraph: 'People worked really, really hard for the first three or four months.

'I think everyone just ran out of steam, needed to recharge their batteries.

'It could be that it's just getting back up to strength again after everyone has had a bit of a break in August.'

But one leading scientist was not convinced that the problem was quite as simple as 'lab capacity'.

Professor Alan McNally, a University of Birmingham expert who helped set up the Government's Milton Keynes Lighthouse Lab, said a 'perfect storm' of events have crashed the testing system.

He told BBC Breakfast there were 'clearly underlying issues which nobody wants to tell us about'.

He said: 'The labs are still fully staffed, they are still churning through huge amounts of samples per day - the same number as they were a couple of months ago - so there are problems elsewhere in the chain...

'I think this is multi-factorial. I think you almost have a perfect storm of events that have come together to almost essentially crash the testing system.

'I think there is a surge in demand [and] I think our stated capacity is very different from actually how many tests can be run in a given day.'

Members of the public are pictured queueing outside a coronavirus testing centre in Edmonton, North London, as people across the country say they are struggling to get hold of tests

Coronavirus testing centres have been pictured empty today despite hundreds of people saying they cannot book an appointment online. Meanwhile the company that runs them, Sodexo, is recruiting more staff and officials will say only that they are diverting capacity to badly-hit areas (Pictured: A test site in Leeds)

Concerns have been echoed by Nicola Sturgeon, who yesterday said she still has concerns about the amount of time being taken to process coronavirus tests at UK Government laboratories.

The First Minister again spoke of pressures on the testing system in England which have caused a delay in people getting results.

Her comments came as a UK Government minister insisted coronavirus testing capacity in Scotland is 'increasing enormously'.

No staff at test centre on the same day the new measures were announced Dozens of drivers turned up at a test site to find there were no staff to swab them, on the day the health secretary announced tougher coronavirus measures for people in the north-east. People who had booked a test on Thursday at Doxford Park, an out-of-town business park in Sunderland, were told by the media they would not be tested, as there were no officials there to inform them. Some had been turned away on the approach to the centre by security guards, who told them the computers had crashed and to try again later. HGV mechanic Brad Cockburn, 28, made a 100-mile round trip from Bedale, North Yorkshire, only to find there were no staff, not even a tent or other infrastructure, at the site on the out-of-town business park. He said: 'There's no organisation, it's piss-poor performance as usual.' Rob Reid, a 58-year-old cash and carry manager from Sunderland, booked for 3.45pm, only to find there were no staff. He said: 'It annoys me. My concern is about my health and it comes across that the Government is not that concerned, when they are taking bookings on the NHS website and there's nobody here to do it.' Advertisement

Iain Stewart also said that if decisions need to be made over who should be the priority for testing in Scotland, that would be for the Scottish Government.

Coronavirus tests in England are to be rationed as the Government at Westminster struggles to get to grips with soaring demand.

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said there will be testing 'prioritisation' for people with acute clinical need and those in social care settings, as he acknowledged 'operational challenges' in the system.

First Minister Ms Sturgeon stressed on Tuesday there was 'not by and large' an issue with getting tests north of the border.

But she said 'constraints' at the UK Government's Lighthouse laboratories meant results were being delayed - an issue she has raised in talks with Mr Hancock and Dido Harding, the head of the UK testing system.

Speaking at her briefing on Wednesday, the First Minister said: 'Although we continue to have some concerns about the time being taken to process tests in the Lighthouse laboratories, there are no signs at this stage of people in Scotland facing widespread difficulties in booking a test.'

She said the backlog in testing is now reducing and her Government will 'monitor these issues very closely'.

She added she is considering if the regular testing of care home staff - which is currently dealt with by the Lighthouse laboratory system - could be taken over by the NHS in some areas.

Ms Sturgeon said: 'The reason we have been looking at that is to see if we can free up capacity within the UK system, given the pressure it has been experiencing.'

Mr Stewart stressed the UK Government, which he said is responsible for the majority of testing in Scotland, is acting on the problems.

Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland, he said the Government is 'increasing the overall capacity' in the testing system.

He insisted it is right that the UK Government had acted to prioritise access for testing in England to key workers and those in care homes.

Asked what should happen in Scotland, Mr Stewart said: 'That is for the Scottish Government to determine.

'What we are doing as a UK Government is increasing enormously the availability of testing in Scotland.

'I am glad that the Scottish Government are increasing their side of testing but the majority of testing in Scotland is run by UK bodies, and we are expanding that. There will be another walk- through centre opening in Glasgow in the next few days, so that availability will be there.

'At this point we just ought to say a huge thank-you to the people at the Lighthouse lab in Glasgow who are working 24/7. When they first started off they were doing about 40 tests a day, they're now doing tens of thousands.'

The new walk-in testing centre at the Arc Sport Centre in Glasgow is due to open on Friday afternoon, the Scotland Office said.

With a walk-in centre already open in St Andrews, Ms Sturgeon said plans are 'on track' for a further four such facilities to open in the next two weeks as part of a move to 'establish 20 more walk-in centres across Scotland over the autumn and winter'.

The 90-minute coronavirus test that's 94% accurate: On-the-spot Covid-19 screening that delivers result in less than two hours could transform diagnosis this winter, experts say

An on-the-spot Covid test which delivers a result in 90 minutes could transform diagnosis in NHS hospitals this winter, experts say.

A study published last night revealed the CovidNudge test  a machine the size of a shoebox  does not deliver any false positive results, meaning all those who test positive are carrying the virus.

It has a specificity of 94 per cent  meaning 6 per cent of those given the all-clear will actually have the virus  but this is far better than the 70 per cent specificity rate seen with the standard Covid test.

The NHS has already ordered 5,000 machines and 5.8 million testing cartridges, at the cost of about 30 per test.

The CovidNudge is a machine the size of a shoebox and delivers results in 90 minutes

The NHS has already ordered 5,000 machines and 5.8 million testing cartridges

Eventually the machines could be used in schools, theatres and even private homes. They were used by the London Symphony Orchestra last month to give musicians the all-clear to perform at the Proms.

Some 10,000 people have been tested on the NHS so far, with a major roll-out due in the coming weeks.

The machine, designed by Imperial College London spinout company DnaNudge, is particularly useful for hospitals because it can be used at a patients bedside.

Because the turnaround time is so quick, doctors can make rapid treatment decisions without waiting hours or days for laboratory results.

The process involves collecting nasal and throat swabs and placing them on to a cartridge which goes into the machine  called a NudgeBox  for analysis.

The device then looks for traces of genetic material belonging to the coronavirus.

Each machine has the ability to process up to 15 tests on the spot each day. Professor Graham Cooke, of Imperial, whose evaluation of the machine was published in the Lancet Microbe journal, said: This test is particularly well suited for clinical settings when you are trying to make a rapid decision for a patient.

For example, we had a patient from last week who had a new diagnosis of Covid.

We were able to get the diagnosis confirmed within two hours of arriving and start remdesivir and dexamethasone [drugs used to treat severe Covid-19] on that basis.

The test is being used across eight London hospitals and is expected to be rolled out at a national level.

Professor Cooke said there was no practical reason why it could not be used in someones home, but for now manufacturing was being targeted at healthcare use.

And while the machine excels at speed, accuracy and ease of use, it is not the answer to the Governments current testing problems, because each machine can process only one test at a time.

It is not the answer if you need millions of tests a day, Professor Cooke said.

The team is also modifying the device so the test can simultaneously assess other respiratory diseases.

Dr Bob Klaber, director of strategy at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, said: Getting accurate results back to clinicians and their patients as quickly as possible makes a huge difference to how we safely manage clinical pathways and we are very much looking forward to rolling this out more widely.

Professor Chris Toumazou, co-founder of DnaNudge, added: The platform is well suited to testing in primary care and community settings with potential for use in non-healthcare settings such as care homes, schools, transport hubs, offices, and, to help bring the arts back, in theatres and venues.
Northbrook, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/18/2020 -- According to the new research report "Lighting Contactor Market by End-User (Smart Residential Complexes, Commercial, Industrial, and Municipal), Type (Electrically Held and Mechanically Held), Application (Indoor and Outdoor), and Region - Global Forecast to 2023", The lighting contactor market is expected to grow from an estimated USD 737.8 million in 2018 to USD 1,111.0 million by 2023, at a CAGR of 8.53% from 2018 to 2023. This growth can be attributed to the increasing adoption of energy-efficient lighting, growing demand for smart controls in lighting systems, and increasing adoption of IoT in the lighting industry.



Browse 63 market data Tables and 32 Figures spread through 113 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Lighting Contactor Market - Global Forecast to 2023"



Download PDF Brochure @ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=24570823



Commercial segment is expected to hold the largest share of the lighting contactor market, by end-user, during the forecast period.



Lighting contactors are used widely in commercial setups such as corporate offices, healthcare and retail complexes, hotels, restaurants, and educational institutes. Increasing need for energy efficiency is the major objective for governments, organizations, building owners, and other stakeholders. The governments in different countries are adopting LEDs to increase energy efficiency as it can directly reduce the maintenance and utilization cost. Lighting control systems reduce the energy consumption by optimizing ambient light levels to suit the user's needs, thereby reducing the overall demand for lighting energy. Lighting control systems require lighting contactors for controlling lights, which require frequent on and off operation. Thus, the increase in the adoption of energy-efficient lighting is likely to boost the lighting contactor market.



Electrically held segment is expected to grow at the fastest rate in the lighting contactor market, by type, during the forecast period.



The electrically held segment is expected to grow at the fastest rate in the lighting contactor market during the forecast period. These contactors require an uninterrupted flow of power for continuous operation. If the power is lost, the contactors isolate the light from the circuit. A constant current flow is required to keep the contactor energized. These contactors are noiseless and consume less amount of control power than other contactors. They are mainly used in smart residential complexes and commercial and industrial segments. Thus, the adoption of electrically held contactors is more than mechanically held contactors.



Europe: the leading market for lighting contactors



In this report, the lighting contactor market has been analyzed on the basis of 5 regions, namely, Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, South America, and Middle East & Africa. The market in Europe is expected to lead the global lighting contactor market in 2018 and is projected to have the largest market share by 2023. The growing demand for lighting control systems in Europe makes it a potentially growing market for lighting contactor providers. The drive for green city projects has brought into the focus on energy efficiency in most of the EU countries. This has created a market opportunity for the manufacturers of LED and energy-efficient lighting control systems and solutions. Moreover, historical buildings, architectural sites, and hospitality businesses contribute to the increased demand for innovative lighting solutions. Thus, the demand for lighting control systems in commercial, residential, and industrial sectors is increasing which is likely to drive the lighting contactor market.



Ask for Sample Pages of the Report @ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=24570823



To enable an in-depth understanding of the competitive landscape, the report includes the profiles of some of the top players in the lighting contactor market. The key players in the market include ABB (Switzerland), Siemens (Germany), Schneider Electric (France), Rockwell Automation (US), and Eaton (Republic of Ireland). The leading players are trying to expand in developing economies and are adopting various strategies to increase their market shares.



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Istanbul:

Five Turkish soldiers have allegedly been killed by the terror outfit Islamic State group while nine others soldiers have been wounded after a bomb attack in a northern Syrian town.

On Friday, the military said Islamic States militants had carried out the attack in Al-Bab, a town that Syrian rebels are trying to retake from IS militants.

Turkish army also said 23 militants have been killed and IS's 200 positions in northern Syria have been targeted. With the fresh case of violence, the new Turkish death toll has been raised to 54.

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People in everyday, non-scientific professions like plumbing, baking and teaching should be consulted about gene editing, a group of experts say.

Much like how criminal court cases have a jury composed of normal people, global citizens' assemblies should let laypersons have their say on the controversial technology.

Gene editing is thought to have potential to prevent conditions such as sickle cell disease, cystic fibrosis and some forms of cancer.

But the technology could potentially create unintended and permanent genetic mutations that would be passed down for generations, weakening humankind.

Genetic enhancements could also safeguard important crops like potatoes and corn from disease and end world hunger  or alternately create weird 'Frankenstein foods'.

Ethical and social implications of powerful gene-altering technology are too important to be left to scientists and politicians, the team of experts argue in their research paper, published in Science.

Calling all plumbers! Implications of gene editing are believed to be so important that they should be examined not just by those in the field, but by the general public too, experts say

The authors come from a broad range of disciplines, including governance, law, bioethics, and genetics.

'Think of how we trust juries in court cases to reach good judgements,' said author Professor John Dryzek at the University of Canberra.

'Deliberation is a particularly good way to harness the wisdom of crowds, as it enables participants to piece together the different bits of information that they hold in constructive and considered fashion.

'The fact that they are made up of citizens with no history of activism on an issue means they are good at reflecting upon the relative weight of different values and principles.'

Citizens' assemblies are ideal for probing the complexities of genome editing, according to experts

WHAT IS GENE EDITING? Genome editing enables scientists to make changes to DNA, leading to changes in physical traits. Scientists use different technologies to do this. These technologies act like scissors, cutting the DNA at a specific spot. Then scientists can remove, add, or replace the DNA where it was cut. The first genome editing technologies were developed in the late 1900s. More recently, a new genome editing tool called CRISPR, invented in 2009, has made it easier than ever to edit DNA. Source: US National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) Advertisement

'The promise, perils and pitfalls of this emerging technology are so profound that the implications of how and why it is practised should not be left to experts.'

In the paper, researchers say their proposed global assembly should comprise at least 100 people, none of whom would be scientists, policy-makers or activists in the field.

The selection process for the global assembly would have to reflect differences and represent 'the diversity of cultures and origins'.

It would be about developing 'moral and political regulation' on genome editing experiments and to ensure 'fair access' to the technologies.

'It will help global civil society guard against ill use of genome editing for the interest of a few,' said paper co-author Professor Baogang He at Australia's Deakin University in Melbourne.

Gene editing alters an organism's DNA in ways that could be inherited by subsequent generations.

As well as making humans less prone to disease, it could offer a way to alter mosquitoes and wipe out malaria, boost crop resilience and reduce starvation, or produce pigs full of organs that can easily be transplanted into humans.

But unintended side effects could include accidentally mutated disease-carrying insects, sterile crops and brand new treatment-resistant illnesses for humanity to fight against.

Currently, editing the DNA of a human embryo is not allowed in the US, thanks to a 2017 ruling by the international committee of the National Academy of Sciences.

This graphic reveals how, theoretically, an embryo could be 'edited' using the powerful tool CRISPR-Cas9 to defend humans against HIV infection

He Jiankui (pictured) shocked the scientific community when he announced in 2018 the birth of twins whose genes he claimed had been altered to confer immunity against HIV. Citizens' assemblies could safeguard against future incidents

But in 2018, Chinese scientist Dr He Jiankui used the powerful gene-editing tool CRISPR on a pair of twin girls to give them immunity against HIV.

Last December, he was sentenced to three years in prison by Chinese authorities for 'illegally carrying out the human embryo gene-editing intended for reproduction'.

Gene-altering practices will eventually impact the whole world, according to co-author Professor Anna Middleton from the Wellcome Genome Campus in Cambridgeshire.

'For technologies such as genome editing it is crucial to understand social impact,' she said.

'The whole globe has the potential to be affected by this, so we must seek representation from as many public audiences as possible across the world.'

Several national versions of these assemblies have already been conducted in the US, UK, Australia and China, planned and funded by organisations including the Kettering Foundation, National Institutes of Health and the Wellcome Genome Campus.

However, how countries choose to regulate gene editing technologies matters globally, 'because the implications of technological developments do not stop at national boundaries', the experts argue.
Our COVID backyards have been our safe place, but what will be the impact? Read more

For Joanne Edelstein of Philadelphia, no destination was too far or too complicated to consider, nothing out of reach to plan a trip, take her grandchildren. Lots of itineraries on the horizon.

But during these coronavirus days, Edelsteins own front steps can feel risky. A walk through her southwest Center City neighborhood involves zigzagging away from people.

Yet that zigzagging has brought her to streets she would not otherwise have walked down. And her family has discovered more simpler joys like fishing at the Jersey Shore.

Boundaries are everywhere now, a sobering change for farsighted adventurers like Edelstein, or for Cherry Hill native Galit Schwarz, a world traveler who ditched New York City this spring and moved full time to her house at the Jersey Shore, where shes throwing her energy into extremely local pleasures, like shucking oysters at Maxwells, in Port Republic, Atlantic County.

But what do our lives look like under the microscope? And where will that take us? And who loses in a global reshuffling?

Baratunde, do you have new shoes?

Writer, activist, and futurist comedian Baratunde Thurston has been talking a lot about a 5-year-old girl in his Los Angeles neighborhood who noticed his new turquoise-and-orange Under Armour cross-trainers and called out to him on one of the walks hes been taking since being essentially grounded by the coronavirus crisis.

Baratunde, do you have new shoes?

It struck him as profound, this small moment of civic decency, that little neighbor girl was paying attention.

Thurston, host of the new How to Citizen podcast and a recent cohost of the Pivot podcast, spoke of her in the spirit of getting to know the place where you live because what else are you going to do when you cant go anywhere else?

I think there are a lot of us feeling invisible right now without a proper response to a global pandemic, Thurston said in a phone interview.

Within that crisis, others among us, Black people, have felt invisible for a long time. When we are noticed, its for all the wrong reasons. Here was a little girl who noticed something about me that I was actually proud of. She knew that I belonged in this neighborhood.

Being familiar with one another, a state heightened by our collective coronavirus grounding, Thurston notes, can have far-reaching implications.

A democracy is about people power, he said. We need to know the people, the people around us, to be able to flex power.

People have gone home

Across the globe, population patterns are in flux as borders close and economic opportunities shrink. People are returning home, making homes in places they only visited occasionally, or being sent home and not allowed to cross borders.

COVID-19 has created the worst of all possible disruptions: an almost complete global halt to human mobility, Erol Yayboke, a senior fellow with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, noted in a recent study of the coronavirus' impact on global migration.

Those with options may be choosing to move out of population centers and into seasonal places.

High-end travelers are settling for, say, glamping in national parks, or villas on private islands, says Meredith Broder, a luxury travel designer based in Moorestown.

At the other end, though, options have vanished. Workers who relied on traveling to other locations to find economic lifelines  ranging from the Jersey Shore, where international students on J1 visas long have filled gaps in staffing, to India, where internal migration from villages to cities was halted  are no longer able. Also vanishing: the money sent back home  some $551 billion sent to low- and middle-income countries in 2019, according to data from the World Bank.

What we have seen is that so far, people have gone home, Yayboke said. The toll could be lasting.

Its an excuse to keep people out, Yayboke said. Its much easier to erect barriers than to tear them down."

Fear of getting stuck

Broder, the travel consultant, thinks it will be years before people resume pre-COVID-19 travel habits, not so much because of the fear of getting sick, but because of the fear of getting stuck. The pulling up of the welcome mat has been jolting to clients unused to any global stop signs, she said.

Its all how the rest of the world looks at the United States, Broder said. "Weve gone from the most welcome passport to one of the least welcome.

Schwarz and others bringing their cosmopolitan energy into small and seasonal towns believe the places will benefit from their enthusiasm and economic votes of confidence.

Theres a lot of us, said Schwarz, a hospitality consultant. Ive been screaming this all over the place, trying to get all my friends to invest down here.

But can these towns handle it? What will the impact be on local schools and real estate? On the local culture?

Thurston worries about people with economic might muscling into new places, investing in their own interests, blotting out what came before. Money always finds a way to move, Thurston notes.

The ultimate boundary

Despite leaning in to pleasures closer to home, and being at last reunited with family this month for an extended stay on Long Beach Island, Edelstein, 70, says the coronavirus boundaries have weighed on her, especially as she confronts health issues and getting older.

Randy Rosen, 67, of Margate, also worries about time passing, with visits to grandchildren more regulated than the international trips she planned. Theres still destinations on our bucket list, Rosen says. When will I get to them?

It is a searing reality for those approaching the ultimate boundary: lifes final chapters.

Its wasted time, Edelstein said. Its very frustrating. My world has become somewhat small and in my mind its still big.
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev sent a congratulatory letter to Bidhya Devi Bhandari, President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal.

"Dear Madame President,

It is on the occasion of the national holiday of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal  the Constitution Day that on my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan I wish to cordially congratulate you and through you, your people.

There are ample opportunities for the development of relations between our countries, both bilaterally and within international institutions, particularly, the Non-Aligned Movement.

On this notable day, I extend my best wishes to you and wish everlasting peace and prosperity to your friendly people," the letter said.

--

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Revived in 1987 by Italian entrepreneur Romano Artioli, Bugatti was acquired by the Volkswagen Group in 1998. Under German ownership, the French brand introduced the Veyron and the Chiron, as well as a handful of one-off supercars, all powered by massive W-16 engines with more than 1,000 horsepower. Come 2020 and Bugatti could be sold off, and rumor has it the French company may end up with Rimac Automobili, the Croatian firm that produces electric supercars, drivetrains, and battery systems.

Why Is Volkswagen Ditching Bugatti?

The news comes from a scoop by Car Magazine, which claims that the "VW Group is on the verge of offloading Bugatti to Croatian electromobility powerhouse Rimac Automobili." But why is the German giant looking to get rid of the brand that the late Ferdinand Piech brought to VW and revived it to pre-WWII glory?

Well, it seems that the Volkswagen Group no longer wants to pour money into the luxury performance brand. And this makes sense in 2020, when small-volume "hobby" brands are no longer sustainable, especially when big gas-guzzling powerplants power their products. Bugattis may cost in excess of $2 million, but thats not enough to keep the brand profitable, it seems. But Volkswagen doesnt just want to get rid of Bugatti. The goal is to actually obtain a bigger share in Rimac through Porsche.

The Stuttgart based brand is already a secondary shareholder at Rimac, having purchased a 10-percent share in 2018 and another 5.5 percent in 2019.

The Camel Group and a Chinese investor are also listed as secondary shareholders in the Croatian brand, but Hyundai, Jaguar, Koenigsegg, and Magna have also invested in this company. Word has it the Volkswagen Group wants to transfer Bugatti to Rimac via Porsche, which in exchange would get a bigger share in the company. Rimac isnt yet publicly traded, as its founder, Mate Rimac, is holding a 51-percent majority interest.

But why is Porsche so interested in Rimac? Well, the Croatian company, which focuses on electric powertrains for more than ten years now, provides the EV systems with the highest power and the highest energy density. In short, Rimac technology could help Porsche better compete with Tesla in Europe.

The deal would also help Rimac produce the C_Two hypercar

If Rimac buys Bugatti, it will gain access to the brand's state of the art factory in Molsheim, France. Mate Rimac visited the facility in July 2020, so there are some signs of interest

. While Bugattis facility wasnt designed for high-volume output, it would be the perfect setup for the C_Two. Rimac opened a new facility in Croatia for the electric supercar, but a retooled Molsheim factory could help the company increase output. Whats more, by retooling the said facility, Bugatti could finally step into the EV market with an all-electric successor to the Chiron.

The C_Two is said to arrive with a whopping 1,888 horsepower and a top speed in excess of 250 mph, so Rimac definitely has what it takes to build an electric Bugatti that would match or ever surpass the performance of the W-16-powered Chiron.

Bugatti isnt the only brand that may leave the VW Group

2019 Lamborghini Urus Lambos first SUV since the LM002 was discontinued in 1993 with just 328 models produced

The same report says that the Volkswagen Group is considering selling other brands as well. At least three car brands are being considered, including Lamborghini, Bentley, and Seat. Lamborghini is currently offering two supercar, the Aventador and Huracan, and an SUV, the Urus, but its also rolling out limited-edition models from time to time. But the brand is doing quite well, with annual sales having jumped from 5,750 units in 2018 to more than 8,000 vehicles in 2019. Bentley is the groups luxury brand, a competitor for Rolls-Royce, and produces three models: the Continental GT, Flying Spur, and the Bentayga. Seat, on the other hand, is an entry-level brand that shares almost everything with Volkswagen. Word has it Seat may be repositioned by merging with Cupra, its performance division, which is due to become the lead marque.

The VW Group could also get rid of Ital Design, an Italian design firm that penned some iconic cars over the years, but recent work mostly includes mundane production cars from China and some concepts. Finally, Italian motorcycle manufacturer Ducati, purchased in 2012, could also be sold off. Both Ital Design and Ducati are owned through Lamborghini.

When will this happen and how much is Bugatti worth?

Sources say Volkswagen Group executives have already approved the deal, but it has yet to be signed by the supervisory board. If signed, the current Bugatti CEO, Stephan Winkelmann, is likely to leave the company. If the deal goes forward, Bugatti could change ownership by the end of 2020. The French company is reportedly worth around 500 million in todays depressed market, which converts to around $590 million as of September 2020.

Source: Car Magazine
China:

The Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA) was signed on Friday in the presence of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in Karachi. The consortium comprises Chinese Financial Futures Exchange Company Ltd (lead bidders), Shanghai Stock Exchange, Shenzhen Stock Exchange, and two local partners Pak-ChinaInvestment Company and Habib Bank Ltd, Dawn reported.

A consortium led by Chinese firms has signed a strategic agreement to acquire 40 per cent equity of Pakistan Stock Exchange for USD 85 million, in a move aimed at mobilising funds for the USD 46-billion CPEC project and facilitating China's entry into the Pakistani capital market.

It had won by placing the highest bid of 28 rupees a share for 320 million shares at a price consideration of Rs 8.96billion (USD 85 mn) when the stake was put forth in December.

The PSX also plans to launch infrastructure bonds which would be predominantly be used for the USD 46-billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project, that passes through the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Speaking on the occasion, Dar said the government had set up a 'Pakistan Development Fund' aimed at financing the infrastructure development projects in the country.

"We would soon be coming to the Pakistan Stock Exchange(PSX) to mobilise funds," he said, adding the InternationalFinance Corporation and others had indicated their interest in participating in the Fund. Dar said the strategic deal with the Chinese consortium was a "dream come true" for him.

Besides being the best market in Asia and fifth best among global bourses in 2016 on the basis of returns, the PSX had after the divestment graduated to 'regional market', he said. He expressed the hope that the decision by the Chinese consortium to venture into Pakistan's capital market would bring benefits to both sides.

"Divestment will result in institutional shareholding, experienced ownership and good governance for PSX which will translate into organised and robust development of the exchange," he said.

Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Sun Weidong said the occasion marked a new step in all-round cooperation between the two countries. "It is a win-win situation for both sides, "the ambassador said and added that the partnership would assist in investment financing and generate credit for CPEC.

"It comes at a significant moment when we are pushing forward CPEC to deepen cooperation and sustainable development in China-Pakistan all-weather friendship."

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico has named Janice Torrez as its incoming president.

The health care organization announced Thursday that Torrez will replace current president Kurt Shipley, who is planning to retire Dec. 31 after a 24-year tenure with the organization.

Torrez is a native New Mexican who has been with BCBSNM for more than 12 years, according to a news release from BCBSNM. Since 2012, she has served as associate vice president of external affairs and chief of staff.

As plan president, Torrez will be responsible for developing and executing strategies to accelerate local market growth and achieve membership and financial targets for the organization, the release said.

Additionally, Torrez will oversee all plan operations, including sales and account management, government and public relations, provider network management and medical management.

Shipley will continue in a leadership role, working closely with Torrez on a comprehensive transition plan until his retirement, according to the release.
CNBC.com's MacKenzie Sigalos brings you the day's top business news headlines. On today's show, Deirdre Bosa explains the difference between the U.S. government download bans on TikTok and WeChat. Plus, Eamon Javers breaks down this week's coronavirus stimulus negotiations in Congress, and gives the details on why we aren't likely to see a completed deal anytime soon.



Trump to block downloads of TikTok, WeChat on Sunday

The Commerce Department announced Friday morning that it will ban U.S. business transactions with Chinese-owned social apps WeChat and TikTok on Sunday. The announcement comes as the Trump administration continues to look at a deal in which Oracle would take a minority stake in TikTok and become a "trusted technology partner" for the company in the U.S.

Stimulus checks. The eviction ban. Unemployment benefits. Here's what relief measures you can rely on

It's a scary time for millions of Americans as Congress is still unable to reach a compromise on a stimulus package that could include another round of direct payments and more unemployment benefits. Jobless rates are still high, and cases of the coronavirus show no sign of abating. Yet even without a formal deal between Republicans and Democrats, a number of relief measures are still available to many.

'Pandemic fatigue' leads to resurgence of coronavirus in Europe where cases surge to fresh records in France and Spain
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 20:06:18|Editor: huaxia

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CHANGSHA, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping has called for efforts to blaze a new path of high-quality development.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during an inspection tour in central China's Hunan Province from Wednesday to Friday.

Xi called on Hunan to develop itself into a hub of advanced manufacturing industry of national importance, a hub of technological innovation with core competitiveness, and a hub of reform and opening up in inland regions.

He also asked the province to demonstrate a renewed sense of responsibility in promoting the rise of the country's central region and the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

During the inspection tour, Xi researched coordinating COVID-19 control and economic and social development, and making plans for the economic and social development in the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025). Enditem
An inspirational teenager who passed away suddenly at the weekend was praised for her incredible charity work as she was laid to rest yesterday.

Ellie McDonnell (16) from Portaferry, who died on Saturday, had recently supported National Air Ambulance Week after she was involved in a collision at her family home in July last year.

Her funeral took place yesterday afternoon at St Patrick's Church in the town.

Ellie is survived by her parents Mary and Peter, sister Ashley, brother Max and the wider family circle.

The accomplished horse rider's funeral cortege was escorted by her beloved ponies.

She had been picked to ride for the Northern Ireland team in a competition in Wales just before last year's crash.

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The Down High School pupil was on a quad bike when she collided with her mum's 4x4 at a blind bend on a lane leading to the family home.

She sustained broken arms, legs, eye sockets, cheeks and teeth, and had severe swelling on the brain.

Shortly after their arrival at the scene the Air Ambulance medical team put her into an induced coma to protect her brain and she was transported to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.

Ellie made a dramatic recovery and was discharged from hospital on September 20 last year.

Since the accident she had fundraised for Air Ambulance NI as a thank you for saving her life.

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The North Down Hunt and Down High School's equestrian team formed a guard of honour for Ellie outside the church yesterday.

Speaking during her Funeral Mass, Fr Feargal McGrady said Ellie's "miraculous" recovery from her accident was down to the strength and determination which followed her throughout her life.

Fr McGrady added that Ellie was so inspired by the work of the Air Ambulance service that she had plans to study medicine, become a doctor and work for the charity.

"The Air Ambulance Northern Ireland became a big part of Ellie's life as well," he said.

"She became a great ambassador for them.

"Ellie organised a twilight walk and raised an astounding 28,500. Extraordinary.

"Ellie raised great awareness of the necessity of the Air Ambulance, and people in this part of the world know how crucial that is and how vital it was in saving lives such as her own."

Reflecting on her achievements in the equestrian scene, Fr McGrady said she had achieved numerous victories at the Balmoral Show, the Royal Dublin Show and the Highland Show, as well as many others.

"She grew up and was a loyal member of the Northern Area of the National Pony Society and spent her summers competing and making lasting friendships along the way, which is so obvious this morning," he added.

"Fox hunting was her passion and she thrived at the adrenalin rush and the freedom of the open fields and galloping horses, jumping fences alongside the master upfront with the hounds.

"Ellie loved her school life and the wonderful friendships that grew there as well."

Following the service Ellie was laid to rest in the adjoining cemetery.

In an earlier post on Facebook, Mary wrote that her daughter had won the "nation's hearts" through her story and had "smiled like an angel and carried on" despite her painful injuries.
Chennai: The Madras High Court has called actor Suriya Sivakumars comments, posted as a statement on social media, on the NEET issue unnecessary and unwarranted but ruled out the possibility of contempt proceedings. This comes after a sitting judge had written to the Chief Justice, seeking initiation of contempt proceedings against the actor for having questioned the integrity and devotion of the judges and the judicial system of the country, to the extent of threatening the public confidence in the judiciary.

We find that the utterances by the cine actor may have been absolutely unnecessary or even unwarranted, for being ignorant of the manner in which the entire judiciary of this State has served the interest of its citizens during the pandemic. the principal bench of the court said. It also added that the statement could have been avoided in a much more sober way, instead of an accusing tone, which despite being trivial has raised a storm in a teacup.

The court cautioned individuals to carefully frame their minds and express themselves, in a manner that may not cross the borders of any fair and just criticism. However, it was also stated that, it was not the job of the court to use a sledgehammer fo avoidance of something which can be perceived to be not capable of even being propped up as contempt, much less debated to the level of a criminal contempt.

The judgement by the bench consisting of Chief Justice AP Sahi also added that, in their judicious discretion this matter did not deserve to be pursued further.

On September 13, the day of the NEET exam, Suriya had expressed grief over the separate instances where three students from humble backgrounds had ended their lives due to fear and pressure ahead of the medical entrance test. In a statement in Tamil, the actor pointed out that it was painful that students are having to write exams to prove their eligibility at the time of a deadly pandemic.

While fearing for their lives amid Corona pandemic and delivering justice via video conferencing, the court orders students to go without fear and write the exams read one of the lines in the actors statement. It is this line that had come to the attention of the sitting judge Justice SM Subramaniam, which led to him write to the Chief Justice and seek initiation of contempt proceedings.

On having known about the letter of the sitting judge, former Judges of the court had urged the Chief Justice (CJ) to not take seriously the comments made by Suriya. The former judges have requested the CJ to not take cognizance of the complaint, so that the court is rid of unnecessary controversies.

In their letter, the former judges pointed out the good social work done by the actor via his trust in providing higher education and placements for hundreds of poor students. We should show generosity and magnanimity in leaving the matter without any cognizance said a portion of the statement signed by Retd Justice K Chandru, on behalf of five former judges.

On Friday, the Madras High Court said that the NEET exam and the dispute around it was not even a subject matter of the courts in Tamil Nadu. It is good to form opinions and dissents to evolve a purer thought, but trivials should not be allowed to spread as if they were wild fire, it added.

Making it clear that there would be no contempt proceedings, the court said, We would like to draw the curtain on these proceedings with a fond hope that the entire judicial system that fosters on the faith of the public at large should be the concern of everyone to preserve it in our endeavor to deliver justice."
Kolkata, Sep 18 : Ace fashion designer Sharbari Dutta was found dead inside the bathroom at her south Kolkata's Broad Street residence on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday.

According to police sources, Dutta was found dead inside her bathroom at around 12.15 a.m. on Friday. Officials of local police station and the Kolkata Police headquarters Lalbazar's homicide branch have reached the spot at night.

Her family members said Dutta (63) was last seen during the dinner on Tuesday. After that she also went incommunicado.

Primary investigation suggested that she died of a sudden cardiac attack at the toilet. But the family members of Dutta said she was otherwise keeping fine and had no such chronic ailment.

Kolkata Police's homicide branch will carry out the investigation to find out the actual reason of the fashion designer's sudden demise. Dutta's body was sent for the post-mortem examination.

Daughter of celebrated Bengali poet Ajit Dutta, Sharbari Dutta was a popular name in the costume designing industry for over past few decades, especially in the field of men's ethnic wears. In fact, it was Dutta who had introduced coloured Bengali Dhotis and designer Punjabis (kurta) to the the mainstream fashion world with her exclusive touch on bright colours along with embroidery works.
It is news to many people that in Montana voters elect our Supreme Court Justices. Often, come Election Day, many voters wonder about who they should support to serve on Montanas highest court. Do not let that happen to you. Keeping the court out of the hands of dark money and corporate control is in the balance.

During his 2005 confirmation hearing, Chief Justice John Roberts of the U.S. Supreme Court stressed that Justices are servants of the law, not the other way around, and they are like umpires  the job is to call balls and strikes, and not to pitch or bat. They must have the humility to recognize that they operate within a system of precedent shaped by other Justices who served before them.

Justice McKinnon has spent too much time in the batters box swinging at wild pitches. After moving to Montana from the East Coast, Justice McKinnon was elected in 2012 with the help of dark money poured into Montana by wealthy out-of-state interests. Since then, she has voted in favor of her dark money benefactors in cases before the Supreme Court  without even disclosing they spent many thousands of dollars to get her elected and before this dark money spending became public.
Thousands of people are suffering from bacterial disease in northwest China after a leak at a biopharmaceutical company last year. According to CNN, the Health Commission of Lanzhou, which is the capital city of Gansu province, said that nearly 3,245 people had contracted the disease brucellosis, which is mostly caused by contact with livestock carrying the bacteria Brucella. Additionally, around 1,400 people are also suspected to have the disease, although the officials informed that no fatalities have been reported.

As per reports, the Chinese officials have tested nearly 21,847 people out of the citys 2.9 million population. The symptoms of the disease, which is also known as Malta fever of Mediterranean fever, include headaches, muscle pain, fever and fatigue. According to US CDC, the symptoms can become chronic or never go away, like arthritis or swelling in certain organs.

READ: Outgoing US Ambassador To China To Help Republican Campaigns

The recent outbreak of the disease comes after a leak at the Zhongmu Lanzhou biological pharmaceutical factory. The leak is thought to have taken place between July to August last year. Chinas state-run media outlet, They Global Times reported that the factory used expired disinfectants and sanitisers while producing Brucella vaccines for animals. The contaminated waste gas formed aerosols, which contained bacteria and leaked into the air.

The people at the institute began reporting infection back in November last year, after which it quickly escalated. As per reports, by the end of December, at least 181 people tested positive for brucellosis. Infected patients even included students and faculty members of Lanzhou University. The outbreak has spread to Heilongjiang province, which is at the very northeastern tip of the country.

READ: H&M Joins US And European Countries' Call To End 'forced Labour' In China's Xinjiang

Free checkups for infected patients

With rising cases, the Lanzhou Health Commission had revoked vaccine production licenses for the plant in January. The officials also withdrew product approval numbers for two Brucellosis vaccines. As per reports, a total of seven veterinary drug product approval numbers were also cancelled in the factory.

The possibility of human-to-human transmission is believed to be extremely rare. People are thought to be infected by eating contaminated food or inhaling the bacteria. In a bid to control the outbreak, the Lanzhou Health Commission announced that 11 public hospitals would provide free and regular checkups for the infected patients. The officials have not given any other additional details on the compensation for patients, however, they did say that they would be launched in batches starting October.

(Image: Rep/AP)

READ: China Condemns US Envoy's Visit To Taiwan, Says It Will Encourage 'separatist Forces'

READ: China, UAE See Positive Results In Sinopharm's COVID-19 Vaccine Trials
The books, which include works by Galileo and Sir Isaac Newton, were taken during the burglary in Feltham, west London, in January 2017, according to the Metropolitan Police.

Thieves broke in by cutting holes in the roof and avoided sensors by abseiling down into the warehouse, where the books were being stored ahead of being sent to Las Vegas for a specialist book auction.

Priceless historical antiques included first editions of Galileo Galilei and Isaac Newton from the XVI and XVII century .  The books were reported stolen from a warehouse in the UK in 2017 and were uncovered buried underground in Romania: https://t.co/yXMHtIkDQV  pic.twitter.com/AMQDo6My97  Europol (@Europol) September 18, 2020

Officers recovered the items on Wednesday following the underground search of a house in Neamt, in north-east Romania.

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An investigation identified the suspects as part of a Romanian organised crime group, responsible for high-value warehouse burglaries across the UK.

The group has been linked to another 11 offences in London where a further 2 million worth of goods have been stolen, using the same method of entering the property through a roof.

As part of an international operation, officers from Scotland Yard have been working alongside officers from the Romanian National Police and Italian Carabinieri, supported by Europol and Eurojust.

Some 45 addresses have been raided across the UK, Romania and Italy.

The Metropolitan Police said 13 individuals were charged in the UK with conspiring to commit burglaries between December 2016 and April 2019, and to acquire criminal property.

Some 12 of those have pleaded guilty and will be sentenced later this month, while the 13th defendant will be tried in March, the force added.

Detective inspector Andy Durham, from Specialist Crime South, said: This recovery is a perfect end to this operation and is a demonstration of successful joint working between the Met and our European law enforcement partners in Romania and Italy  and at Europol and Eurojust.

These books are extremely valuable, but more importantly they are irreplaceable and are of great importance to international cultural heritage.

If it wasnt for the hard work of detective constable David Ward and others in this Joint Investigation Team these books would have been sadly lost to the world forever.
Soldiers push a cart of lunch boxes to serve people at a military's Covid-19 quarantine camp in Hanoi, March 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy.

Foreign nationals and Vietnamese returning from abroad have to pay a minimum of VND120,000 ($5.16) a day for quarantine at government facilities.

The government has approved the Ministry of Finances recommendation that a person has to pay VND80,000 for food and VND40,000 for other daily necessities.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out last January, the government has quarantined people arriving in the country at its facilities or military camps for 14 days, but for free before September 1.

Those preferring to quarantine themselves at hotels and resorts have to pay VND1.2-5 million a day in Hanoi and HCMC.

The government has also mandated that all foreigners arriving in the country need to have international medical insurance that will bear all the medical and other expenses if they contract the disease in Vietnam.

They have to pay for Covid-19 tests while Vietnamese will continue to receive free check-ups and treatment.

They also need to register accommodation address before booking flights to Vietnam.

The government has allowed the resumption of commercial air services to mainland China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan from September 15, and to Laos and Cambodia on September 22.

But Vietnamese carriers have yet to reveal specific plans for two-way commercial flights to the six Asian destinations as relevant authorities are working to finalize Covid-19 testing procedures as well as sufficient quarantine facilities and medical staff before welcoming foreign passengers.

For the moment, the only foreigners to be allowed are those with diplomatic and official passports, experts, business managers, high-skilled workers, and investors, their family members, international students, and family members of Vietnamese citizens.

On landing, people must furnish a certificate confirming they tested negative for Covid-19 within three days before boarding the flight, but will be taken to quarantine camps first and tested further using the RT-PRC method. People who are tested negative for the coronavirus twice can leave the camps after five days and be quarantined at other facilities like their home, workplace or hotels to finish the 14-day isolation under the Health Ministry protocols.

Vietnam suspended all international flights on March 25.

Many foreigners who have been locked out of the country due to travel bans have pleaded with the government to reopen the borders and resume international flights so that they could reunite with their families.

Vietnam has had 1,066 Covid-19 cases so far, 88 of them active, including 35 deaths.

There has been no community transmission for two weeks.
(Ed. Note: On Oct. 2, it was announced Pisarichs trial has been once again reset, this time for Jan. 11, 2021).

OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi -- Allen Todd Pisarch, charged with multiple counts of sexual battery and child molestation, is set to stand trial in Jackson County in October.

Pisarch was initially arrested by U.S. Marshals in April 2017 on two counts of sexual battery of a minor. At the time, Pisarich was the owner of the Academy for Mixed Martial Arts, located on Old Spanish Trail across from Ocean Springs Middle School.

Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell said at the time the investigation had begun in November 2016 when his office was informed of allegations of sexual abuse and inappropriate conduct by Pisarich with juveniles he knew and with whom he had contact.

According to court documents, Pisarich engaged in sexual penetration with a minor who was not a student at his martial arts school.

During an initial court appearance, Pisarich claimed the charges were the result of a smear campaign." He posted $40,000 bond -- $20,000 on each count -- was was released.

More than a year later, however, Pisarich was arrested by U.S. Marshals in Santa Rosa County, Fla., after a Jackson County Grand Jury indicted him on four new counts of sexual battery, two counts of unlawful touching of a child and one count of attempted unlawful touching of a child.

Pisarich had bond set at $450,000 on the new charges and, in January 2019, he posted bond through A&D Bonding Company and was released, with the provision that he wear a GPS tracking device.

Pisarichs trail is set to begin at 8 a.m. on Oct. 5 in Jackson County Circuit Court, with Judge Kathy King Jackson presiding.
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WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump will not attend the United Nations General Assembly in person next week, a White House official said Thursday  the latest display of how the coronavirus pandemic is upending U.S. diplomacy.

The annual meeting usually draws world leaders to New York for several days and Trump has often used his address to frame his foreign policy in domestic terms. Last year, for instance, Trump asserted that the "future does not belong to globalists."

But this year, because of COVID-19, many world leaders are sending recorded messages instead. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows told reporters flying aboard Air Force One to Trump's campaign rally in Wisconsin that he would not attend.

More: From Greta Thunberg to health care: Is the UN moving on from Donald Trump?

It was not immediately clear whether Trump would take part virtually.

The president has repeatedly floated the idea of hosting the G-7 meeting of the world's largest industrialized countries this year but the idea has met with a tepid response from other world leaders and he has later backed down. Trump announced last month that the meeting would be postponed until after the November election.

President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Iraqi President Barham Salih at the Lotte New York Palace hotel during the United Nations General Assembly,

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump to skip in-person trip for United Nations General Assembly
(Natural News) Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner has introduced legislation that aims to promote internet freedom while looking to counter the increased internet censorship being imposed by the Chinese Communist Party.

Named the Free the Internet around the Globe to Hack Tyranny and Censorship Act (FIGHT Censorship Act), the bill seeks to establish a clear U.S. policy on internet freedom. As part of the bill, the Department of Commerces National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) would be required to communicate this U.S. policy around the world.

An international internet freedom policy will go hand-in-hand with our efforts to promote democracy and human rights around the world, wrote Gardner in a press release from his office dated Sept. 15.

And it will continue to hold bad actors like the Chinese Communist Party accountable for censorship and violations of basic human freedoms, he added.

China continues to suppress internet freedom

In the press release, Gardners office notes that China has, for the fourth year in a row, been listed as the worst abuser of internet freedom in a report by Freedom House. Following the aftermath of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak, numerous and well-documented instances of China suppressing the free flow of critical and medically important information about the pandemic surfaced. (Related: Chinese authorities hid the fact that medical staff in coronavirus-hit city were infected.)

Most famously, China silenced eight doctors after they started posting on Chinese social media about a new form of pneumonia that would later turn out to be COVID-19 in late December 2019.

The report touched upon the unprecedented extremes of censorship as Beijing enhanced its controls in advance of last years 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre alongside the widespread anti-government protests in Hong Kong. The most recent example of this is the trial of activist Xu Kun after authorities found that he had retweeted over 1,000 tweets in support of the Hong Kong protests. Xu was accused of slandering Chinas political system and the Chinese Communist Party, insulting Chinese leaders, and distorting major domestic news events.

Beyond that, authorities continue to shutter individual accounts on the hugely popular social media platform WeChat for any sort of deviant behavior. This includes minor infections, such as commenting on environmental disasters, on top of more serious ones like commenting on the pandemic, protests and human rights abuses.

The campaign cut individuals off from a multifaceted tool that has become essential to everyday life in China, used for purposes ranging from transportation to banking, wrote the report. This blunt penalty has also narrowed avenues for digital mobilization and further silenced online activism.

All this is on top of the fact that Chinas Great Firewall blocks its citizens from accessing many international platforms and sites such as Google, Facebook and Twitter, forcing people to use officially vetted channels where they can be more easily monitored.

Bill to establish internet freedom task force, fund anti-censorship tech

Should Gardners bill be enacted, the Secretary of Commerce would need to establish an Internet Freedom Task Force that would submit a report on the state of global internet freedom to Congress. The task force would be comprised of members from the NTIA, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the International Trade Administration.

Meanwhile, the Secretary of State would need to annually designate countries that do not provide sufficient internet freedom to their residents, such as unfavorable domestic laws that restrict the free flow of information. In addition, the state secretary would also administer a $25 million grant program to promote internet freedom policies worldwide, including promoting anti-censorship technology such as virtual private networks (VPN) that are used by many in China to bypass state censorship.

More directly targeted at China is another fund, also to be administered by the state secretary, called the Stop the CCP Initiative Fund. According to the bill, this $20 million fund would be used to support developing technologies  including anti-censorship and secure communications technologies  to counter Beijings internet censorship.

Follow Censorship.news for more on Chinas draconian internet policies and how it continues to silence those who speak out.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

Gardner.Senate.gov

FreedomHouse.org

RFA.org
JK Rowling has been accused of Islamophobia after an extract of her 2014 crime novel The Silkworm was shared to Twitter.

The Edinburgh-based author, 55, who writes the Cormoran Strike books under the male pseudonym Robert Galbraith, wrote a passage in the second book of the series where detectives suggest that a 'woman in a burqa' fed a murder victim 'halal takeaway' before death.

The passage continued: 'Can you think of another way of totally concealing your face and body that wouldnt make people challenge you?

It comes following accusations of transphobia against the Harry Potter writer after she slammed an article that used the term 'people who menstruate' instead of 'women'.

The row worsened after her new book Troubled Blood was released on Tuesday, which tells the tale of a man who dresses as a woman to kill his victims - a trope in literature that's been criticised by activists for perpetuating negative stereotypes about transgender people.

JK Rowling has been accused of Islamophobia after an extract of her 2014 crime novel The Silkworm was shared to Twitter. The author, 55, who writes the Cormoran Strike books under the male pseudonym Robert Galbraith, wrote a passage in the second series of the book where detectives suggest a 'woman in a burqa' fed a murder victim 'halal takeaway' before death.

Now, she has come under fire again over her 2014 book, which has been accused of playing into both Islamophobic and transphobic prejudices, after British writer Laurie Charles posted an extract of the novel on Twitter.

The novel tells the tale of Cormoran Strike and his young assistant, Robin Ellacott who are trying to solve the murder of novelist Owen Quine who has written a poison pen book about almost everyone he knows.

The 'Islamophobic' extract written by JK Rowling in her 2014 novel The Silkworm A young woman wearing a hijab was watching them talk from an opposite seat. She had large, sweet, liquidbrown eyes. Assuming somebody really did enter the house on the fourth, Ive got to say a burqas a bloody good way of getting in and out without being recognised. Can you think of another way of totally concealing your face and body that wouldnt make people challenge you? And they were carrying a halal takeaway? Allegedly. Was his last meal halal? Is that why the killer removed the guts? And this woman Couldve been a man was seen leaving the house an hour later? Advertisement

In the extract, Strike and Robin are discussing the case on the tube, opposite a hijab-wearing woman who is described to have 'liquid brown eyes'.

Strike tells Robin that two witnesses saw a woman in a burqa enter the building where the murder victim lived.

She then writes the woman wearing a burqa 'could have been a man' and that she was seen 'carrying halal takeaway'.

The detectives ponder if the killer removed the victim's stomach after his murder to hide the fact he had eaten halal food.

Meat is granted halal status when the animal is blessed before being slaughtered, but livestock is raised no differently than non-halal food, meaning there would be no way for forensic teams to tell if the contents of a corpse's stomach was halal.

'JK Rowling made her f***** up attacks against trans people and threatened to sue anyone who called her transphobic because shed already sent her manuscript off to the publisher and wanted to preempt the inevitable criticism of this,' Laurie wrote.

It comes following accusations of transphobia by the Harry Potter writer after she slammed an article that used the term 'people who menstruate' instead of 'women'. The row worsened after her new book Troubled Blood was released on Tuesday, which tells the tale of a man who dresses as a woman to kill his victims - a trope in literature that's been criticised by activists for perpetuating negative stereotypes about trans people.

The post quickly racked up more than 1,300 retweets with many accusing the writer of racism.

'So apparently Rowling is just racist as well. What a surprise, transphobes tend to be obsessive bigots, huh,' said one.

'Not just transphobic but Islamophobic too... I regret ever spending money on Harry Potter,' added another.

'Ewwwww how does she manage to be racist and transphobic in one paragraph?' wrote a third.

Many also shared their confusion over the use of 'halal takeaway' in the script.

The tweet quickly racked up more than 1300 retweets with many accusing the writer of racism.

'"Halal takeaway" - true sign of someone who's never eaten a meal without boiled potatoes in or let 'foreign' spices pass their lips,' said one

'The halal and the removal of (murder victim's) guts??? I'm so confused,' added another.

'Holy f***, I mean Im less concerned about the transphobia in that passage than I am about the blatant Islamophobia...' commented one.

A representative for JK Rowling refused to comment when contacted by FEMAIL.

In June, the Harry Potter author hit the headlines after she mocked an online article using the words 'people who menstruate' instead of 'women'.

Journalist and Current Affairs Editor of Pink News, Nick Duffy started a fresh row about Rowling and shared an extract of her book in which she is 'transliterating' the character Janice

She was hit by what she described as 'relentless attacks' after she wrote: 'I'm sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?'

The novelist then penned a deeply personal essay to address the controversy, revealing she was sexually assaulted in her 20s and saying she still feels the scars of 'domestic violence' in her first marriage.

Rowling's remarks sparked backlash from a range of stars including Ron actor Rupert Grint, Emma Watson who played Hermione in the film franchise, Daniel Radcliffe who played Harry and Eddie Redmayne, who stars in her Fantastic Beasts films.

Little, Brown Book Group are owned by Hachette, one of several publishers involved in Miss Rowling's children's book The Ickabog.

In June, several of those involved in The Ickabog, are said to have staged their own rebellion during a heated meeting where staff had announced they were no longer prepared to work on the book.

Rowling's remarks sparked backlash from a range of stars JK Rowling pictured with Rupert Grint, Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson in 2001

Rowling has also been accused of classism after another extract of her new book was shared, after readers brand the author 'patronising and deeply snobbish' for writing a working class character's dialogue differently

Troubled Blood, also written under Rowling's pseudonym Robert Galbraith, was released Tuesday and sees detective Cormoran Strike work out what happened to missing GP Margot Bamborough.

The book originally came under fire for featuring a 'transvestite serial killer' called Dennis Creed, who murders his victims while wearing female clothing and a wig, sparking furious backlash online, amid accusations of transphobia against the author.

Earlier this week, journalist and Current Affairs Editor of Pink News, Nick Duffy has started a fresh row about Rowling, , using a working class dialect, spelled differently, to reflect the accent of one of her characters.

An extract shared on Twitter by Nick revealed that a line in the book from a character called Janice reads: 'Well, 'e 'ad these 'ead pains and 'e was def'nitley nervous. Depressed maybe,' said Janice.'

Furious Twitter users quickly branded the Edinburgh-based writer 'patronising' and 'deeply snobbish'.
Recently, journalist Kamlesh Sutar revealed a factual error in one of Kangana Ranaut's statements which claimed that she was 'forced' to vote for Shiv Sena when she actually wanted to vote for BJP, because of an alliance that the two parties had formed.

Kamlesh busted Kangana's false claim by pointing out that she did have the option to vote for a BJP candidate.

Kangana challenged Sutar by saying that she was talking about Lok Sabha elections and Sutar was 'deliberately' talking about Vidhansabha elections. "What a fool, claims to be a journalist but openly spreading lies.... deserves to be dragged to the court..." she tweeted.

This too was busted by Sutar who responded, "With due respect,even if you are talking about Loksabha elections, you voted in Khar (BPM School as you mentioned in your earlier tweet) it is still part of Mumbai North Central constituency from where @poonam_mahajan of the BJP -Shivsena alliance was the candidate."

Instead of conceding, Kangana put up a show of defence by saying that the journalist was spreading misinformation and trolling her, and intimidated Sutar by saying that his 'lies' will cost him a lot as he will end up in jail for it.

"You are wrong don't spread misinformation I will send you a legal notice you will have to prove this in court, this trolling will cost you a lot you will end up in jail for your naughty lies," she tweeted.

Sutar replied, "And @KanganaTeam ji, I'm Journalist not a troll. So pls do not try to intimidate a Journalist with 'this will cost you a lot' type threat ! Good Night !"

Kangana has now deleted all her threatening tweets and blocked Sutar.

So here is the latest update . @KanganaTeam has deleted all the 'threatening' tweets and has blocked me !!



I stand by my story ! Long live Democracy !!



Thank you all for the support !! #KanganaRanaut pic.twitter.com/gWOjm5148d  Kamlesh Sutar (@kamleshsutar) September 18, 2020

Condemning Kangana's threat to a journalist who was only fact checking her claims, Mumbai Press Club tweeted, "The Mumbai Press Club takes serious cognisance and condemns the threat by @kanganateam against journalist/Club member @kamleshsutar . Celebrities, Politicians & their workers, pls do not intimidate journalists. @MumbaiPressClub strongly backs the fraternity."

The Mumbai Press Club takes serious cognisance and condemns the threat by @kanganateam against journalist/Club member @kamleshsutar. Celebrities, Politicians & their workers, pls do not intimidate journalists. @MumbaiPressClub strongly backs the fraternity. pic.twitter.com/T6Xf1kPWED  Mumbai Press Club (@mumbaipressclub) September 18, 2020

TV Journalists Association, Maharashtra, also wrote a strong tweet of condemnation which read, "TVJA condemns actress #KanganaRanaut 's threat to TV journalist @kamleshsutar for doing a fact check on the actress' claims. We stand by Kamlesh. This is an attack on freedom of press. @CMOMaharashtra @AnilDeshmukhNCP @AUThackeray @vinodjagdale80 @mumbaipressclub."

ALSO READ: Rhea Chakraborty Says She Thinks About Suicide; Kangana Ranaut Continues To Mock, Calls Her Vulture

Recently, after blocking Kubbra Sait and Farah Khan Ali on Twitter, Kangana had said that if one does not have anything rational to say to her, then those accounts would be blocked.

"I look forward to constructive criticism, I am very keen to empathise with others point of views it will enhance my perspective and make me more objective,if you are just a bully/troll, got nothing rational to say then you will be blocked,what is your USE anywhere in the world?" she had tweeted.

Does fact-checking and addressing the spread of misinformation not fall under the purview of rationality for Kangana?

ALSO READ: Kangana Ranaut Once Said She Was A Drug Addict, Now Says She'll Leave Mumbai If Drug Links Are Found

The Manikarnika actress only continued to cry wolf. "Group of hyenas alreday salivating. I voted with my family and staff they all agree with me we had to reluctantly vote for Shiv Sena, getting details and suppose it is some confusion which we arnt aware of, does not make me a liar. Vultures getting excited for no reason...," read her latest tweet.

Group of hyenas alreday salivating. I voted with my family and staff they all agree with me we had to reluctantly vote for Shiv Sena, getting details and suppose it is some confusion which we arnt aware of, does not make me a liar. Vultures getting excited for no reason...  Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 18, 2020

ALSO READ: Kangana Ranaut Gets Voted By Netizens To Feature On Mumbai's 'Walk Of Shame'


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Expect traffic delays during funeral procession today

Motorists should expect road closures and delays this afternoon when the funeral procession of Deputy Ryan Hendrix travels through town from Mud Creek Baptist Church to Forest Lawn cemetery this afternoon.

The procession carrying Deputy Hendrix will leave the Mud Creek Church traveling Rutledge Drive to Greenville Highway. It will travel to South Main Street in Hendersonville and turn right on Barnwell Street. From Barnwell Street it will turn left on Grove Street. The procession will travel on Grove Street to U.S. 64, turning right and traveling to Dana Road. After turning right on Dana Road, the procession turns right on Tracy Grove Road, then turns right into Forest Lawn Cemetery. Expect delays and road closures starting at 3:30 p.m.

* * * * *

Click here to donate to a fund for the children and family of Ryan Hendrix.
Joe Biden bumps elbows Friday with Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) after he spoke at a union training center in Hermantown, Minn. (Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press)

The longtime progressive stronghold of Minnesota has become a battleground in the presidential race, as President Trump's campaign targets the anxieties of the state's rural voters in an urgent push to expand the political map and mitigate the president's erosion of support in key states he won in 2016.

Both Trump and his Democratic rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, campaigned in Minnesota on Friday as early voting began in the state.

Trump is making an aggressive play for Minnesota, which he narrowly lost in 2016, and Democrats are working to lock down the moderate lead they have held there this year.

The president hopes to lure new voters in the economically distressed communities in the states northern Iron Range who have grown disillusioned with the environmental and racial justice policies of the Democratic Party.

But it is a steep hill for the president to climb in a state that has not chosen a Republican for president since 1972.

While the RealClearPolitics polling average gives Biden a 10-point lead in Minnesota, a survey posted this week by Morning Consult found the race to be significantly tighter, down to 4 points.

Speaking Friday at a union training center in Hermantown, outside Duluth, Biden sought to counter the presidents pitch to Minnesota's working-class voters, ticking off Trump policies and remarks that Biden said reflect the president's disdain for them.

Like a lot of you, I spent a lot of my life with people like Donald Trump looking down on me, said Biden, stressing his modest upbringing in Scranton, Pa., and state college pedigree.

These are the guys that always thought they were better than me, better than us, because they had a lot of money," Biden said. "Guys who inherited everything they got and still managed to squander it. I have to admit I have just a little bit of a chip on my shoulder about these guys.

Biden, his voice growing angry, shifted from attacking a Trump tax plan he warned would leave billionaires paying a lower rate than the laborers in the room, to what he portrayed as the president's bungled and cavalier response to a pandemic that has killed nearly 200,000 Americans.

Story continues

He doesnt have a clue how to be president, Biden said.

He condemned Trumps frequent citing of stock market gains to gauge the well-being of American workers. About 52% of American families have some investments on Wall Street, mostly through retirement accounts.

Trump says, Everyone is in the stock market. What the hell is he talking about? said Biden. I have a different measure from which I judge the health of the American economy. My measure is Scranton, Duluth, Hermantown. I see hardworking women and men just trying to earn an honest living to take care of their families.

President Trump speaks during a campaign rally at an airport in Bemidji, Minn., on Friday. (Evan Vucci / Associated Press)

Speaking in Bemidji, Minn., later in the evening, Trump largely repeated his standard litany of grievances against Democrats, Biden and the media. But he started his speech with a boast about his support for the state's mining industry.

"We're going to win Minnesota because they did nothing for Minnesota except close up that beautiful iron ore territory," he said. "They closed it up with a pen. Do you remember that? One day, you didn't have your jobs. Then I came along and I opened it up."

Shortly after Trump began speaking, news broke that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had died, but he appeared unaware throughout his speech. Near the end of his remarks, Trump mentioned how he's placed two justices on the country's highest court and the next president could nominate up to four more. Even though someone in the crowd shouted, "Ginsburg is dead," Trump didn't seem to hear.

The battle lines in Minnesota reflect those that stretch across much of the industrial Midwest.

As Democrats solidify gains in urban and suburban communities, rural areas dominated by non-college-educated white voters are more receptive to Trumps law and order message and demonization of antipollution rules that inhibit mining and manufacturing.

Minnesota was once considered a Democrat stronghold, but the historic enthusiasm behind President Trump, channeled through our campaigns unprecedented ground game, has put the state in play, Nick Trainer, director of battleground strategy for the Trump campaign, said in a statement.

The Trump campaign sees the state as especially fertile ground in the aftermath of the racial justice protests that erupted there in response to the police killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, in Minneapolis on May 25.

Yet the presidents warnings that a Biden White House would encourage more unrest is not resonating in the metropolitan areas where protests have taken hold, but in rural communities like Bemidji, where Trump spoke Friday evening.

"There is very high polarization, and very high mobilization on both sides, said James Read, a professor of political science at the College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University, near St. Cloud. The vote in the state is "going to be close, and it's going to be very high-turnout."

Rural farming areas that once had Democratic lawmakers, Read said, have become a Republican monolith.

"It's a cultural opposition and mutual suspicion between small towns on one hand and metropolitan areas on the other, Read said of the state that embraced such progressive giants as the late Sen. Paul Wellstone, the late Vice President Hubert Humphrey and former Vice President Walter Mondale.

Mining has creating a potential opening for Trump. Union workers in the sector are dismayed with environmental policies pushed by Democrats that restrict extraction of metals like nickel and copper, which can create environmental hazards.

The environmental damage threatens tourism, which supplies more jobs in the area, but lower-paying jobs. Its also increased disdain for urban areas the miners blame for valuing green policies over their livelihoods.

One such fight is playing out near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, one of the most visited wilderness areas in the country.

Over the objections of environmentalists, the Trump administration is trying to push through approval of a mine proposed by Twin Metals, a company owned by Chilean mining giant Antofagasta.

The push has the potential to boost support among a key group of voters in a hard-fought state, as does another sudden major policy initiative the president announced this week that has political implications in Florida, another battleground where Trump is struggling.

He announced $13 billion in federal aid for Puerto Rico, a sudden reversal after years of refusing to authorize more hurricane assistance to the territory in the face of stinging criticism from its elected leaders.

The move was an appeal to Puerto Rican voters living in the Sunshine state, which Trump made clear when he attacked Biden while announcing the aid from the White House.

In Minnesota, Biden has worked to make inroads in the Iron Range by focusing on how much the steel industry has suffered under this administration.

The Biden campaign blames a Trump trade policy that has led to steel shipments plummeting and the idling of mining operations.

But a linchpin of the Biden agenda is an ambitious, $2-trillion climate and environmental justice plan that is a tough sell in places like the Iron Range, where workers worry the regulations will cost their livelihoods.

Bidens strength in the suburbs appears to be counteracting the damage threatened to his campaign by such voter skepticism. And his strong union ties and Scranton roots are blunting Trumps attempts to paint the Democrat as an unhinged socialist in the communities the president has targeted for gains.

Times staff writer Eli Stokols contributed to this report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
" " Non-surgical facelifts, like Thermage, claim to give similar results with less cost and risk. Photo courtesy Thermage

Some procedures can give results similar to those of facelifts, but without the cost and risks. Learn about these in the next section.

 New techniques promise to rejuvenate and tighten the skin without surgery. These procedures cost far less than a traditional facelift, and come without many of the risks.

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Thermage (or ThermaCool), approved by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in 2002, uses a radio frequency device to tighten the skin. It is best suited for younger candidates (in their 30s, 40s, or 50s) with slight wrinkles. The patient's skin is numbed with a cream, and then the heat of the radio frequency energy activates the skin's natural collagen, making the skin contract and tighten. The procedure costs around $2,000 and the results can last from six months to two years [ref].

" " Patients before and after getting Thermage treatment Photo courtesy Thermage

ThreadLift, FeatherLift, and similar techniques use a special thread to boost drooping skin. The skin in the target area is first numbed with an anesthetic. Then the doctor inserts a needle and surgical thread (or a non-absorbable suture) into the skin. Just like sewing a piece of fabric together, when the thread is pulled tight, the muscle and tissue tighten with it. The procedure takes only about 30 minutes to perform and leaves no scars. The thread remains in the body. All the patient needs to do is to apply ice after the procedure to prevent swelling. The procedure costs around $400 per thread, and generally between two and eight threads are used [ref].

Botulinum toxin, or Botox, has become increasingly common in facial rejuvenation. Botox is injected under the surface of the skin and paralyzes the underlying muscles. It can be used to remove fine wrinkles, and is often used to enhance the look of other procedures such as skin resurfacing and filler injections. For more information on Botox, see How Botox Works.

Dermal filling agents can also be used to hide scars, remove fine lines, and reduce wrinkles. These materials are injected under the skin and can last for up to several months. In the United States, collagen purified from the tissues of cows is most the common dermal implant used to resurface the face. Other agents include human-derived collagen and synthetic materials. These products may be associated with less allergic reactions than cow tissue and may last just as long. In some cases, the patient's own fat and subcutaneous tissue can be removed during one type of procedure and used to resurface other areas. For example, small amounts of tissue removed during an abdominoplasty ("tummy tuck") can be used to add volume to the lips or fill in sunken areas below the eyes during a facelift procedure.

Lasers are used extensively is many medical procedures -- facelifts are no exception. There are many types and applications of lasers in dermatologic and plastic surgery procedures. Intense pulsed laser treatments, with or without radio frequency energy, is an excellent way to deal with varicose veins, redness, or sun-damaged areas. The results depend partly on the healing response of the patient, and thus can be very individual. Multiple treatments are often needed to achieve the desired results.

For lots more information on facelifts and related topics, check out the links on the next page.

Thank You Thank you to Scott Bernstein, MD, for his assistance with this article. Read More
New York:

Mexican drug lord Joaquin 'ElChapo' Guzman, one of the world's most notorious criminals, pleaded not guilty in the United States on Friday to multiple drug trafficking, firearms and conspiracy charges.

Extradited to New York on Friday only, the 59-year-old drug baron, who has twice escaped from jail in Mexico, was arraigned in a federal court in Brooklyn where he has been slapped with a sweeping 17-count indictment.

Read More: Mexican drug kingpin Jaoquin 'El Chapo' extradited to US

Dog tastes Mexican drug lord El Chapo's jail food for poison

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EnTouch Systems, a small Houston-based cable TV and internet provider, joins a trio of cable companies including San Marco-based Grande Communications, in a deal for an undisclosed sum.

The deal, announced in March and that closed Friday, brings EnTouchs 22,000 mostly Houston-area customers into the fold with Grande, RCN and Wave Broadband, which serve different regions in the United States. All told, the companies have more than a million customers, and claim to be the sixth-largest U.S. cable operation.

EnTouch serves Cypress, Katy, Missouri City, Spring and Sugar Land in the Houston area with cable TV, broadband internet, voice and home-security products. Founded in 1996, it provides residential and business services and has about 100 employees.

EnTouch will keep its name and will operate as part of Grande, said a spokeswoman, adding that its network will be upgraded and expanded. Sam Luxton, EnTouchs CEO, will remain in Houston and join the Grande leadership team.

Release Notes: Get Dwight Silvermans weekly tech newsletter in your inbox

Grandes service area includes Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Midland/Odessa, San Antonio, San Marcos, Temple and Waco.

RCN has customers in the northeastern U.S. and Chicago, while Wave Broadband serves parts of Northern California, Oregon and Washington.

Since the combination of RCN, Grande and Wave, our company has seen tremendous growth, Jim Holanda, CEO of the three companies, said in a statement. The addition of EnTouch is a natural next step, expanding our fiber rich network by 1,400 miles and adding 22,000 residential and business customers in the largest city in Texas.

The companies are managed by Patriot Media Consulting and owned by TPG, a private equity firm.

dwight.silverman@chron.com

twitter.com/dsilverman

houstonchronicle.com/techburger
Bob Owen /San Antonio Express-News

More than 4,500 Texas students and staff have tested positive for COVID-19 since the start of the school year, according to data released by the Texas Department of State Health Services and the Texas Education Agency.

The number of positive cases make up less than half-a-percent of the estimated 1.1 million students who have returned to on-campus learning since August. More than 2,300 students and 2,100 staff have contracted the virus.
By Express News Service

BHOPAL: Aiming to limit the rapid rise in COVID-19 cases in the state, the BJP government has banned Garba functions during the upcoming festive season in Madhya Pradesh.

The Additional Chief Secretary (ACS-Home) Dr Rajesh Rajoura has issued new guidelines for the prevention and protection from Coronavirus infection during religious programmes and festivals.

Permission will not be granted to hold processions for religious and social events during the festivals.

Garba function will also not be permitted, an official statement of the state government said on Friday.

Garba functions have formed an integral part of Sharadiya Navratri celebrations in Madhya Pradesh, particularly in parts of Malwa-Nimar region and big cities, including Indore and Bhopal.

During the last Navratri season in 2019, unprecedented heavy rains which lasted upto October had dampened the festive fervour, leading to cancellation of Garba events in various parts of the state.

Dr Rajoura informed that the maximum height of the idol (Durga idol and Kali idols in the coming festive season) to be installed in various public places will be of 6 ft and the size of the pandal will be 10  10 feet.

A maximum 100 people will be allowed to take part in the function. Prior approval from the district administration will be mandatory to organize any such function.

It will be mandatory to adhere to the guidelines, issued by the honourable Supreme Court for the use of loud speakers etc.

The ACS (Home) further informed that the district administration will select such spots for idol immersion, where there is least crowd.

The District Peace Committees and District Crisis Management Committees may consider a decentralized system of immersion.

For idol immersion, written permission will have to be obtained in advance from the district administration for a group of maximum 10 people.

Dr Rajoura said that all shops will be allowed to open only till 8 pm. Shops including chemists, restaurants, eateries, ration and similar shops can remain open after 8 pm also till its scheduled time.

The shop operators will themselves wear masks and make circles at a distance of one yard to ensure social distancing and arrangement of sanitizer. Failure to do so will lead to imposition of penalty and penal action against the operators.

All district collectors have been directed to ensure constant inspection of shops.

Total number of COVID-19 positive cases in Madhya Pradesh breached the one-lakh mark on Friday, with 2552 new cases over the last 24 hours, taking the total cases reported so far in the state to 1,00,458.

The state has so far reported 1901 deaths, while 76,952 patients have already recovered from the fatal viral infection.

On Friday, after a span of many days the number of patients recovered over the last 24 hours which stood at 2554 patients.

Presently 21,605 active patients are under treatment of the deadly disease across the state.
Gareth Bale touched down in England on Friday morning to complete his sensational and eagerly awaited return to Tottenham.

Bale received a heros welcome from jubilant supporters when he arrived at the clubs training ground, seven years after leaving to join Real Madrid in a then world record 86 million transfer.

The Wales international, 31, agreed a season-long loan earlier this week, with Real Madrid subsidising at least half of his 500,000 per-week wages.

Gareth Bale gave a thumbs up to supporters as he was driven into Tottenham's training ground

The Welsh international could not stop smiling as he prepared to sign a deal to return to Spurs

Tottenham fans were left celebrating after catching a glimpse of Bale ahead of his unveiling

The deal, which as revealed by Sportsmail will cost Spurs 13m in wages, does not include an option or obligation for Spurs to buy Bale though they will have an option extend the loan for a second year.

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is keen to retain an option to bring Bale back to the Bernabeu next summer, despite the players fall-out with manager Zinedine Zidane.

Perez is wary of Bale rediscovering his best form in England so has left the door open for him to return next season.

Bale made the trip to London with team-mate Reguilon, who is also joining Spurs this summer

The two players made the morning flight from Madrid together on Daniel Levy's private jet

 Gareth Bale has arrived at #THFC! 



He's now at the training ground ahead of completing his return to Spurs from Real Madrid: https://t.co/ftANORSEq5 pic.twitter.com/JbqrBLDFkk  Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) September 18, 2020

Spurs have also finalised the capture of Real left back Sergio Reguilon. The club have agreed a 27.5 m deal with a further 4.5 m due in add-ons.

He has signed a five-year deal, with Spurs agreeing to Madrids demand for a 36.5 m buyback clause  a demand Manchester United refused in their pursuit of the player  which can be activated in the next two years. Neither deal was completed in time for the pair to be involved in tomorrows trip to Southampton.

There is also a question mark over how soon Bale will be fit enough to play his part in the hectic early-season schedule for Jose Mourinhos side. Spurs medical staff believe he could be four weeks away from full fitness as he battles a knee issue.

Bale will be put on an intensive personalised fitness programme to get him up to speed due to the injury and his lack of recent matches, with his only game time this season two appearances for Wales last month.

Bale, who underwent medical tests in Madrid, arrived at the private terminal of Madrid Airport yesterday morning to fly to England.

Along with Reguilon, he travelled on a private jet belonging to Spurs chairman Daniel Levy. The players touched down at Luton Airport just before 1pm before being whisked by car to Spurs training ground.

One fan tracked the flight to Luton and managed to secure a selfie with the 31-year-old

Bale was pictured leaving Luton airport shortly after 12.30pm as he readied to sign his deal

Bale was earlier spotted driving into a private airport terminal in Madrid on Friday morning

A crowd of fans and a number of camera crews were awaiting Bales arrival. He was cheered on his way in by flag-waving supporters, in contrast to the low-key day, club staff recalled, when he first joined from Southampton in 2007.

Manchester United had made tentative contact over a possible deal for Bale during the summer.

But Bales preference was a return to Spurs  his agent Jonathan Barnett said he has a hell of a love for Tottenham  and the sense at Old Trafford in the last fortnight was that Bale would be London-bound. By Tuesday, the deal was all but sealed with just some routine paperwork needing to be completed. Bale returns to the Premier League with an impressive goal, assists and trophy record from his time in Spain.

News of the players' arrival at Luton saw excited Tottenham fans head to their training ground

Bale and team-mate Reguilon boarded the flight from Madrid and landed mid-afternoon

He scored 105 times and set up 68 goals in 251 games, contributing to four Champions League wins and two La Liga titles. But, after a brilliant start, he leaves Madrid under a cloud following a breakdown in his relationship with Zidane and the clubs fans.

Meanwhile, Mourinho claims Tottenhams schedule is worse than Christmas as he tries to keep his players fresh and healthy.

Having returned from Bulgaria in the early hours of yesterday morning after the Europa League win against Lokomotiv Plovdiv, Spurs travel to Southampton tomorrow.

Tottenham chairman Levy was seen biting his nails as he arrived for work on Friday morning

He was temperature tested by security staff at the Enfield base as part of added precautions

That game is followed by a Carabao Cup tie at Leyton Orient on Tuesday and a trip to Macedonia for a Europa League qualifier, on Thursday, against Shkendija. Spurs will play nine games in 22 days if they progress in both cup competitions. Im concerned with their welfare, said Mourinho.

I am concerned injuries can happen. This is much more than the Christmas period.

It is very tricky. The risk of injuries, the risk of losing matches. We try to find a balance.

Bale became a fan favourite at Spurs where he scored 56 goals and provided 58 assists
Music icon Cher sent a heartfelt public service announcement to Hidalgo County in response to the COVID-19 outbreak there.

The Rio Grande Valley county, which encompasses cities like Edinburg, McAllen, Pharr and Weslaco, shared the 35-second PSA on Facebook Thursday morning.

RELATED: San Antonio's COVID-19 risk level is now in the 'safe' zone

"Moved by some of the stories of courage emanating from Hidalgo County, Cher reached out to emergency management officials in California where she lives and said she wanted to help," the county said. "Those officials, in turn, reached out to emergency management officials in Texas who reached out to Eddie Olivarez, director of Hidalgo County Health and Human Services."

In the video, Cher reminds residents of COVID-19 safety protocols and sends some words of encouragement.

"When I saw how hard COVID-19 has hit your community, I had to reach out and let you know you're in my prayers," the songstress says in the message.

She also asked residents to keep each other encouraged to not lose their power

Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez commented on what the video meant to his community.

Cher is a beloved treasure in our country and her desire to send prayers to Hidalgo County makes her more special to those of us in the Rio Grande Valley, Cortez said. I thank her for her blessings and I urge residents of Hidalgo County to listen to her message.

Hidalgo County was part of the three regions excluded from Gov. Greg Abbott's Thursday announcement to loosen COVID-19 restrictions in areas where hospitalization rates are falling. During the news conference, he said the Rio Grande Valley, Laredo and Victoria have rates that are "still too high."

Cher ended her video with a bilingual blessing, "Dios te bendiga, God bless you."

Madalyn Mendoza covers news and puro pop culture for MySA.com | mmendoza@mysa.com | @maddyskye
The Trump administration will ban WeChat and video-sharing app TikTok from U.S. app stores starting Sunday night, a move that will block Americans from downloading the Chinese-owned platforms over concerns they pose a national security threat.

Current TikTok users will see little change on Sunday and U.S. Commerce Department officials said they will not bar additional technical transactions for TikTok until Nov. 12, which gives the company time to see if owner ByteDance can clinch an agreement over the fate of its U.S. operations.

"The basic TikTok will stay intact until Nov. 12," Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told Fox Business Network on Friday.

The ban on new U.S. downloads of the widely popular app could still be rescinded by President Donald Trump before it takes effect.

ByteDance has been in talks with Oracle Corp and others to create a new company, TikTok Global, that aims to address U.S. concerns about the security of its users' data.

ByteDance still needs Trump's approval to stave off a U.S. ban.

The Commerce Department order bars Apple Inc's app store, Alphabet Inc's Google Play and others from offering the apps on any platform "that can be reached from within the United States," a senior Commerce official told Reuters.

The department said the actions will "protect users in the U.S. by eliminating access to these applications and significantly reducing their functionality."

Oracle shares fell 1.6% after the news in pre-market trading.

The order will not ban U.S. companies from doing businesses on WeChat outside the United States, which will be welcome news to U.S. firms like Walmart and Starbucks that use WeChat's embedded 'mini-app' programs to facilitate transactions and engage consumers in China, officials said.

The order will not bar transactions with WeChat-owner Tencent Holdings' other businesses, including its online gaming operations, and will not prohibit Apple, Google or others from offering TikTok or WeChat apps anywhere outside the United States.

The bans are in response to a pair of executive orders issued by Trump on August 6 that gave the Commerce Department 45 days to determine what transactions to block from the apps he deemed pose a national security threat. That deadline expires on Sunday.

Commerce Department officials said they were taking the extraordinary step because of the risks the apps' data collection poses. China and the companies have denied U.S. user data is collected for spying.

Ross said in a written statement "we have taken significant action to combat China's malicious collection of American citizens' personal data, while promoting our national values, democratic rules-based norms, and aggressive enforcement of U.S. laws and regulations."

Apple and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The Trump administration has ramped up efforts to purge untrusted" Chinese apps from U.S. digital networks and has called TikTok and WeChat significant threats.

TikTok has 100 million users in the United States and is especially popular among younger Americans.

WeChat has had an average of 19 million daily active users in the United States, analytics firms Apptopia said in early August. It is popular among Chinese students, ex-pats and some Americans who have personal or business relationships in China.

WeChat is an all-in-one mobile app that combines services similar to Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and Venmo. The app is an essential part of daily life for many in China and boasts more than 1 billion users.

The Commerce Department will not seek to compel people in the United States to remove the apps or stop using them but will not allow updates or new downloads. "We are aiming at a top corporate level. We're not going to go out after the individual users," one Commerce official said.

Over time, officials said, the lack of updates will degrade the apps usability.

"The expectation is that people will find alternative ways to do these actions," a senior official said. "We expect the market to act and there will be more secure apps that will fill in these gaps that Americans can trust and that the United States government won't have to take similar actions against."

Commerce is also barring additional technical transactions with WeChat starting Sunday that will significantly reduce the usability and functionality of the app in the United States.

The order bars data hosting within the United States for WeChat, content delivery services and networks that can increase functionality and internet transit or peering services.

"What immediately is going to happen is users are going to experience a lag or lack of functionality," a senior Commerce official said of WeChat users. "It may still be usable but it is not going to be as functional as it was." There may be sporadic outages as well, the official said.

Commerce will bar the same set of technical transactions for TikTok, but that will not take effect until Nov. 12 to give the company additional time to see if ByteDance can reach a deal for its U.S. operations. The official said TikTok U.S. users would not see "a major difference" in the app's performance until Nov. 12.

Commerce will not penalize people who use TikTok or WeChat in the United States.

The order does not bar data storage within the United States for WeChat or TikTok.

Some Americans may find workarounds. There is nothing that would bar an American from traveling to a foreign country and downloading either app, or potentially using a virtual private network and a desktop client, officials conceded. (Reuters)

Source: www.businessworld.ie
FP Trending

Editor's Note: The story was originally published on 18th September, and has been republished to include new information from agencies and reports.

It is a widely followed belief that all human beings originated in Africa and slowly moved out to different continents via different routes. Now, scientists have come across fossilized footprints of ancient human beings that date back nearly 1,20,000 years in what is now northern Saudi Arabia.

It appears as if a small band of Homo sapiens stopped to drink and forage at a shallow lake that was also frequented by camels, buffalo, and elephants bigger than any species seen today. The human population may have hunted the large mammals in the area, but didn't stay long, using the watering hole as a waypoint on a longer journey. The ancient lake deposit was in Saudi Arabias Nefud Desert.

If these footprints are confirmed, they will become the oldest sign of humans existing on the Arabian soil. The new findings have been published in the journal Science Advances. Researchers from the Max Planck Institutes for Chemical Ecology and the Science of Human History in Germany and Royal Holloway University of London together with a team of international partners conducted the study.

Fossilized footprints of elephants and horses, among other animals, and seven footprints of ancient human beings have been discovered. Although the Arabian Peninsula exists in the middle of Africa and Eurasia, it has not received much importance in determining the course of human dispersals out of Africa. One of the reasons behind this could be the hyper-arid deserts that have become characteristic of the region.

But research has shown that Arabia was not like this in the past and the recent footprints were actually taken from an ancient muddy lakebed. These hundreds of footprints were exposed after the erosion of overlying sediments.

Richard Clark-Wilson of Royal Holloway, one of the lead authors of the study, said in a statement that at certain times in the past the deserts that dominate the interior of the peninsula [have] transformed into expansive grasslands with permanent freshwater lakes and rivers.

This detailed scene was reconstructed by researchers in a new study published in Science Advances on Thursday, following the discovery of ancient human and animal footprints in the Nefud Desert that shed new light on the routes our ancient ancestors took as they spread out of Africa.

Today, the Arabian Peninsula is characterized by vast, arid deserts that would have been inhospitable to early people and the animals they hunted down. Research over the last decade has shown this wasn't always the case natural climate variation in the Peninsula once favoured a much greener, more humid environment in a period known as the last interglacial.

"At certain times in the past, the deserts that dominate the interior of the peninsula transformed into expansive grasslands with permanent freshwater lakes and rivers," study co-author Richard Clark-Wilson of Royal Holloway, told AFP. "Footprints are a unique form of fossil evidence in that they provide snapshots in time, typically representing a few hours or days, a resolution we tend not to get from other records."

The prints were dated using a technique called optical stimulated luminescence  where light is blasted at quartz grains to measure the amount of energy they emit from them. In addition to the footprints, some 233 fossils were also recovered. These likely belong to predators of herbivorous animals in savannas, like the African savannas in the modern day.

The new paper demonstrates "inland routes, following lakes and rivers, may have been particularly important to humans dispersing out of Africa" too, the study authors said.

"The presence of large animals such as elephants and hippos, together with open grasslands and large water resources, may have made northern Arabia a particularly attractive place to humans moving between Africa and Eurasia," senior author of the study, Michael Petraglia of the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, told AFP.
Srinagar, Sep 18 : An internal inquiry ordered by the Army into the encounter killing of three persons in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir in July has held that the concerned security personnel had exceeded their powers under the AFSPA and recommended disciplinary proceedings.

Imtiyaz Ahmad, Abrar Ahmad, and Mohammad Ibrar from Rajouri district were killed by security forces during an operation in Amshipora village on July 18, 2020.

While the security forces claimed that the three were terrorists from whom firearms and ammunition was recovered after the encounter, their relatives said that they had come to Shopian district to work as labourers and had nothing to do with militancy.

Police had lodged a complaint on behalf of the relatives and collected samples for DNA matching with the slain persons.

Even as the DNA reports are yet to come, the Army's internal inquiry, whose findings were made public on Friday, said: "The inquiry has brought out certain prima facie evidence indicating that during the operation, powers vested under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act were exceeded and the Do's and Don'ts of the Chief of Army Staff as approved by the Supreme Court have been contravened." The preliminary inquiry has directed the competent disciplinary authority to initiate disciplinary proceedings under the Army Act against those found prima facie answerable.

The inquiry report also held that the alleged involvement of the three persons in terrorism or related activities is under investigation by police.

The report reiterated that the Indian Army is committed to the ethical conduct of operations.
From Delish

In yet another reason to vote, the U.S. Department of Commerce, under President Donald Trump, announced today that it is banning downloads of TikTok and WeChat starting this Sunday, September 20. According to Good Morning America, the Trump administration announced the measure was necessary to "safeguard the national security of the United States."

Trump released an executive order in August about the threat posed by TikTok, claiming that the Chinese-owned app may "allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans personal and proprietary informationpotentially allowing China to track the locations of Federal employees and contractors, build dossiers of personal information for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage."

TikTok released a statement from U.S. General Manager Vanessa Pappas after Trump first threatened to ban TikTok in early August. "I want to say thank you to the millions of Americans who use TikTok every day, bringing their creativity and joy into our daily lives," she said. "We've heard your outpouring of support and we want to say thank you. We're not planning on going anywhere. TikTok is a home for creators and artists to express themselves, their ideas and connect with people across different backgrounds, and we are so proud of all the various communities that call TikTok home. I'm also proud of our 1,500 U.S. employees who work on this app every day, and the additional 10,000 jobs we're bringing into this country over the next three years. Im thrilled about our U.S. Creator Fund, where we just announced our $1 billion fund to support our creators. and when it comes to safety and security, were building the safest app because we know it's the right thing to do. We appreciate the support, we're here for the long run, continue to share your voice here, and let's stand for TikTok."

The U.S. Department of Commerce's full ban of TikTok won't go into effect until after the election on November 12. But WeChat is already having more drastic restrictions placed starting on Sunday: GMA reports that the U.S. will ban the transfer of funds or processing payments when used in the country.

Story continues

U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross released a statement celebrating Trump's move. "Today's actions prove once again that President Trump will do everything in his power to guarantee our national security and protect Americans from the threats of the Chinese Communist Party," Ross said. "At the President's direction, we have taken significant action to combat China's malicious collection of American citizens' personal data, while promoting our national values, democratic rules-based norms, and aggressive enforcement of U.S. laws and regulations."

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Ghanaian Instagram model and TikTok queen, Hajia Bintu, has been very creative with her photos this year.

Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in

Every time Hajia Bintu releases photos on social media, they turn to go viral because of her beautiful curvy body.

Hajia Bintu Photo credit: Instagram/Hajia Bintu

Source: Instagram

READ ALSO: Fella Makafui opens Baby Island's beautiful room for all to see in new video

Hajia Bintu is in the league with Moesha Boduong and Abidivabroni among other beautiful Ghanaian celebrities who have very spectacular body shapes.

The lovely model also has some amazing videos on TikTok which give color to her stardom.

READ ALSO: Breaking news: Shatta Wale fan crowned winner of Asaase Sound Clash text segment; given brand new car in video

YEN.com.gh brings you some of seven breathtaking photos of the beautiful Hajia Bintu which have gone viral in 2020.

1. Hajia Bintu looking beautiful in her African print

READ ALSO: D-Black: Bedroom video of rapper allegedly leaks; goes viral

2. Hajia Bintu looking sporty in her tracksuit and beautiful hat

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3. Hajia Bintu posing beautifully for the camera while wearing white shirt and pink trouser

4. The Instagram model wearing jeans and African print

5. Hajia Bintu looking beautiful blue dress and a red bag

6. Hajia Bintu looking good in her beautiful jeans trousers and shirt

7. Hajia Bintu rocking her Kente shorts and yellow tank top

YEN.com.gh earlier reported Fella Makafui had dazzled her fans and followers by giving them a sneak peek into the beautiful room of her daughter, Island Frimpong.

In the latest video currently going viral on social media after it was first posted by Nkonkonsa, saw Fella Makafui showing off her daughters room which was filled with a lot of stuff.

There were baby cots in the room with all of them looking so cozy and beautiful. The room had a lot of toys packed in one corner and appeared they were even yet to be opened by the parents of Island for her to play with.

Another thing that caught the eyes of many fans and followers of the actress from the video was that the name Island which was seen written in gold on the wall of the room.

There were some flower vases that had been fixed to the wall and the room was brightly-lit as well.

Ghanaian trader gives reasons why she will never vote for the NDC party | #Yencomgh

Know someone who is extremely talented and needs recognition? Your stories and photos are always welcome. Get interactive via our Facebook page.

Enjoyed reading our story? Download YEN's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Ghana news!

Source: YEN.com.gh
A sculptor from West Bengals Asansol has created a wax statue of late Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, whose demise in June this year left thousands of fans shocked around the world.

Susanta Ray, a sculptor, has a wax museum, much like the Madame Tussauds in London, in Asansol. Ray uploaded photos of him unveiling the statue on Facebook. Big day for usToday we are inaugurating wax statue of #Sushant_Singh_Rajput in our Museum at Asansol (sic)," he captioned the video.

The statue of Rajput, which looks exactly like him, features the actor in a denim jacket standing with his arm leaning on a chair. The museum is open to all and any fan of the actor can visit it to click photos. This is Rays tribute to the late actor who died by suicide on June 14.

As per reports, Ray made this statue for his museum but is willing to make one for the actors family in Bihar if they want it. I liked him a lot, it is sad that he passed away. I have made this statue for my museum. However, if his family requests for his statue Ill make a new one," he told news agency ANI.

Check out the photos here:

A few weeks ago, fans of Sushant Singh Rajput started a petition to have his wax statue installed at the famous Madame Tussauds wax museum. In a recent online petition launched on Change.org, his fans Basundhara Ghosh and Sophie Reham have been demanding a wax statue of the actor.

Sushant Singh Rajputs tragic death shouldnt be the only way we remember him," the petitioner wrote. Sign my petition asking for his wax model to be added to the Bollywood fraternity at Madame Tussauds Museum in London. We will all miss him but lets keep the memory of his work alive!" she added.

The petition comes amid an ongoing debate regarding the actors death which police initially deemed was caused due to suicide. Over 50,000 fans have signed the petition.

This is not the first petition by fans demanding a wax statue at Madame Tussauds is not the first time that fans have raised the issue. Other petitions by fans like Tanny Singh have also demanded a statue of the actor be placed at the famed wax museum.

READ: Over 50,000 SSR Fans Demand Wax Statue at Madame Tussauds London to Keep His Memory Alive

You can follow live updates on Sushant Singh Rajputs case here.

Not only wax statues, but the fans have also launched demands for justice for Rajput and a CBI probe into his death despite Maharashtra Police ruling it a suicide.
North West Migrants Forum in Derry has welcomed government acceptance that its racial equality strategy is outdated and needs direct input from people with lived experience of racism.

On Monday, Derry Sinn Fein MLA Martina Anderson, along with Emma Sheerin, Colm Gildernew and Linda Dillon proposed a motion that the Assembly recognises the Racial Equality Strategy 2015 - 2025 was not fully implemented and is now significantly outdated.

That it acknowledges the commitment contained in New Decade, New Approach to the publication of a new and updated racial equality strategy within 100 days of the restoration of the Assembly.

It further recognised the positive contribution made to society by those from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds, deplores the discrimination BAME communities face regularly and condemns racism in all its forms.

And also commits to act urgently on the forthcoming report on the review of hate crime legislation, calls for the promotion of an anti-racism ethos in schools and further calls on the Executive to formulate and implement urgently a meaningful racial equality strategy.

An amendment was tabled by Paula Bradshaw from the Alliance Party who comes from the most culturally diverse constituency in Northern Ireland, South Belfast.

Her amendment focused on direct input from the BAME community who will co-design the updated strategy.

It was also agreed that there will be cross-departmental cooperation to implement eleven key actions identified within the report.

Lilian Seenoi Barr of NWMF welcomed the NI Assemblys acknowledgement that the current Racial Equality Strategy (RES) has not been implemented adequately.

As a community, we have been sounding the alarm on this for years so we are happy to see that the NI Assembly has taken this step in the right direction.

However, I would like to note that Mondays debate was only the beginning, we now need to see some action.

We firmly believe that the existing RES is not out-dated, whilst it is not a perfect plan, it's implementation provides us with an opportunity to monitor progress, identify gaps and improve it to deliver for people of Minority Ethnic backgrounds.

She added: We want it implemented and we will continue to call on the government to review the existing RES, to allocate sufficient funding and to establish a Ministerial Panel to help deliver positive outcomes for BAME individuals and communities.

I would also like to thank the MLAs who spoke on Monday for finally listening to us and although we are very pleased at the outcome of the debate, we know that the real work begins now and we look forward to working with the Executive in the coming weeks and months to see some real change come into play.
A woman in Germany has become the first healthcare cyberattack death after a hospital was unable to admit her because its systems had been the target of an attack.

German prosecutors opened a homicide investigation on Friday into the incident which happened in the western city of Dusseldorf in September.

The female patient, suffering from a life-threatening illness, had to be turned away on the night of September 11 by the city's University Clinic and died after the ambulance carrying her was diverted to Wuppertal, 30 kilometres (20 miles) away.

Prosecutor Christoph Hebbecker, head of the cybercrime unit in Cologne, said he had opened an investigation into negligent homicide against unknown persons, the Kolner-Stadtanzeiger daily reported.

Dusseldorf's University Clinic was forced to turn a woman away on September 11 after it a cyberattack the day before left staff unable to admit patients. The woman then died en route to another hospital

If the investigation leads to a prosecution, it would be the first confirmed case in which a person has died as the direct consequence of a cyberattack.

The University Clinic in Dusseldorf, capital of Germany's most populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia, was hit by a ransomware attack on September 10 that penetrated its systems via a flaw in a Citrix VPN system.

The hospital's IT operations remain affected and it is still unable to admit patients brought in by ambulance, it said on Friday.

Germany's cyber-security agency, the Federal Office for Information Security, was called in to shore up the hospital's systems.

Its chief, Arne Schoenbohm, said the Citrix flaw had been known about since December 2019 and called on healthcare facilities not to delay IT security upgrades.

The chief of Germany's cyber-security agency has urged healthcare facilities not to delay or ignore IT security updates following the death of a woman who couldn't be admitted to hospital because of a cyberattack

'I can only urge you not to ignore or postpone such warnings but to take appropriate action immediately,' Schoenbohm said in a statement.

'This incident shows once again how seriously this danger must be taken.'

Ciaran Martin, who stepped down as the head of Britain's National Cyber Security Centre this month, said the incident could be prove to be first death caused by a cyberattack.

'If confirmed, this tragedy would be the first case I know of, anywhere in the world, where the death of a human life can be linked in any way to a cyberattack,' he told an event in London.
The Delhi government on Friday said all schools in the national Capital will remain closed for students until October 5. The announcement has put an end to speculations around the partial reopening of schools in Delhi for students of classes 9 to 12 (as per the Centres Unlock 4 guidelines) from September 21.

The Unlock 4 guidelines, issued on August 30 by the Union ministry of home affairs, said schools will continue to remain closed till September 30. At the same time, it stated, Students of classed 9 to 12 may be permitted to visit their schools, in areas outside containment zones only, on a voluntary basis, for taking guidance from their teachers.

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In an order issued on Friday, the Delhi governments Directorate of Education (DoE), said, It is informed that all schools will remain closed for all students till October 5. However, online classes and teaching-learning activities will continue as usual and Head of Schools (HoS) are authorised to call teachers/ staff (as per requirement) for smooth conduct of online classes, teaching learning activities and any other work.

Schools across the country have been physically shut since March due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Classes are conducted online, and links to study material are sent via WhatsApp, emails and SMS.

A senior official at the governments education department said that the decision has been taken after reviewing the Covid-19 situation in the national Capital.

The department has also taken feedback from the parents of both government and private schools and a majority of them do not want to send their children to schools right now. We have also reviewed the situation and concluded that its not suitable for the students to visit schools in Delhi for another few weeks, the official said.

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Photo Illustration by Kelly Caminero/The Daily Beast/Getty

In 2019, a number of Democrats hoping to secure the presidential nomination argued that it made sense for top party officials to engage with Fox News as a means of recruiting some potential swing voters and, if nothing else, driving President Donald Trump crazy.

Former Vice President Joe Biden emerged victorious from that primary promising to run a presidential campaign on the notion that he could reach voters of various ideological stripes, including those Democrats who may have stayed home or cast a ballot for Trump in 2016. But so far, he has steered clear of appearing on the nations highest-watched channel.

The Biden campaign views his absence from Fox as calculated but not universal. Rather than having the candidate on air, they are peppering the Trump-supportive network with prominent surrogates. They feel like the strategy is working.

If youre watching MSNBC, we have you, a Biden campaign official said. It seems like a more worthwhile endeavor to go on Fox, even if the questions are insane.

Fox News Host Grills Kayleigh McEnany on Trumps Disastrous ABC Town Hall

But Biden's personal dismissal of the network does stand in contrast to other Democrats, including Hillary Clinton, who appeared on Fox News multiple times during the campaign four years ago. And it illustrates a press strategy that could best be described as: first, do no harm.

There are some Fox platforms one can go on and not lose their dignity, said Philippe Reines, a former adviser to Hillary Clinton who pushed for the secretary of state to appear more on Fox News in the lead-up to the 2016 election.

But, he added: If the election were held tomorrow, Joe Biden would win. To some extent, this isn't some tipping point.

The question of whether or not Democrats should engage Fox News is one of the constant tactical debates of any electoral cycle. The network has a well-known conservative bias. And at times it has essentially become the communications arm of the Trump White House, with recent interviews with the president bordering on campaign promotion sessions.

Story continues

This week alone, the president has sat down for an interview with Fox News weekend host Jeanine Pirro. He called to check in with his longtime friend Sean Hannity, and promised the Fox & Friends morning crew during a telephone interview that he would come on the show once a week through the election (F&F co-host Steve Doocy threw cold water on that, however, saying the network will take it on a case-by-case basis, and Joe Biden as well).

Fox News Brit Hume Preferred Likable Jill Biden to Angry Michelle Obama

For some Democrats, there simply is no upside in trying to elbow in on Fox programming; there may, in fact, be a downside in the form of legitimizing the network.

Bidens team, to that end, has approached the conservative cable news network cautiously. Since sitting down for a brief interview with Chris Wallace during the heart of the Democratic primary voting in March, Biden has done zero interviews or events with the network, and according to campaign insiders, theres no plan at the moment to change that. Fox News hosts and producers have been publicly and privately frustrated with the general lack of interest from the Biden campaign in ramping up high-profile surrogates and candidate appearances on the conservative news channel.

But rather than stonewall Fox News altogether, the Biden campaign has dispatched staff to appear on the somewhat down-the-middle daytime programs with the networks less ideological hosts compared to its overtly right-wing primetime stars.

Staff including senior adviser Symone Sanders and communications director Kate Bedingfield have made regular daytime appearances on Fox News, while national spokesman T J Ducklo recently sat down for an interview on Bret Baiers show. The campaign keeps tabs on the small stable of Democratic advisers, consultants, and businesspeople who regularly appear on Fox News, sending daily surrogate talking points and info the campaign wants to hammer home. And Bidens team also coordinates and encourages national politicians with experience on Fox News to appear on the network, leaning on Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH), Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), and former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg.

Why the campaign has chosen to send surrogates is strictly a matter of politics. Theres an understanding by insiders that while a large segment of the audience may ignore their messageand while the channels bombastic opinion hosts may mock Biden or take his comments out of contextthe campaign believes it can nibble at the margins and convince a small number of Fox News viewers that the former vice president is an acceptable choice.

One Biden insider conceded that while the campaign believes Fox News amplifies blatant lies from Donald Trump to aid in his re-election, it was strategically important to reach some possible persuadable voters.

They shouldnt be treated like a real news organization because they lack the standards and ethics of real journalists, the insider said. But that doesnt mean the campaign doesnt value voters who watch Fox News, and sometimes its important to speak to those folks.

Ryan, who made Fox News appearances a major part of his brief 2020 presidential bids media strategy, said Biden was 1,000 percent easier to swallow for Fox News audiences than Hillary Clinton, an advantage that the current Democratic nominee could exploit. But when asked about whether Biden should appear on Fox News before the election, he demurred, suggesting the campaign could be leaving votes on the table by ignoring the conservative network.

That's up to them, but I always think it's important to go on there, and, you know, I'm happy to do it. I mean, there aren't many persuadables left, Ryan said. But they're watching Fox, there's no question. They're not watching MSNBC."

Since locking up the nomination, Biden has been fairly modest with his press hits, even as the COVID-pandemic has forced him to drastically cut back on all the other ways he could interact with voters. But his reluctance to engage with the network can also be attributed to Fox News recent track record.

Many of Bidens top staff have not forgotten that Fox News spent months enthusiastically insinuating that Biden tilted the foreign policy scales to benefit his son in Ukraine. Fox News has zealously embraced the idea that the 77-year-old former vice president is not mentally fit to occupy the White House, despite endlessly hyping a president who is just a few years younger.

The former vice president took a very different approach to the conservative media giant than his primary rivals. During the 2016 campaign, candidates like Buttigieg and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) gamely participated in Fox News interviews and town halls, arguing that their campaigns wanted to speak to broader audiences. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who said she wouldnt ask Democratic primary voters to tune into an outlet that profits from racism and hate in order to see our candidates, used her decision to boycott the network as an opportunity to build out her supporter contact list.

The Biden campaigns decision to leave Fox News largely to the occasional staff appearance and the networks Democratic contributors also differs (however slightly) from Clintons approach to Fox News in 2016. The former secretary of state, who had a far more contentious history with the network than Biden ever had, participated in a Fox News town hall during the 2016 Democratic primary, and sat for interviews with hosts Chris Wallace and Bret Baier during the general election.

Fox News isnt the only national news outlet frustrated by Bidens lighter-touch media approach.

While many news organizations have opted against sending large teams of reporters on the campaign trail because of the pandemic, some of the national reporters covering the former vice president have lamented the somewhat limited press access. The Biden campaign has agreed to some national media interviews in the weeks since the convention. Since clinching the nomination, hes conducted interviews with most of the major television networks, and appeared occasionally on CNN and MSNBC.

But Bidens campaign has largely focused its recent media energy on local news television in swing states, noting that since the beginning of the pandemic local television viewership ratings have risen. Over the past few weeks, the campaign has booked Biden or campaign surrogates on several local news hits a day in states like Arizona, Wisconsin, and Florida. And the former vice president has also begun pouring money into television ads, announcing a $65-million ad buy for health care-themed ads in 10 key battleground states.

Biden up with new broadcast and digital ads in Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin focusing on pre-existing condition protections.

here's one pic.twitter.com/YhVVTjnIfF  Alex Thompson (@AlxThomp) September 16, 2020

Still, the Biden surrogates who do appear on Fox News believe the campaign and Democrats generally should engage with the network, even if some of the channels programming is deeply misleading and inflammatory.

Robert Wolf, a former Wall Street executive and Obama supporter who remains close with the 44th president, is one of the Democrats who gets paid to regularly appear on the network. The former top banking figure recently announced he is hosting a fundraiser for Biden, with whom he occasionally shares his opinions on business and the economy. In an email to The Daily Beast, Wolf noted that while he is not an official campaign surrogate, he does his best to positively represent Bidens economic vision.

Bidens push to win over Fox viewers is by making clear his values and his policy platforms such as Build Back Better and climate change that work for them and all Americans, he said.

My role as a Fox contributor and staunch Democrat is to provide the facts and a balanced opinion predominantly as it relates to the economy and business, and point out key differences between Trump and what a Biden presidency would look like.

Sam Brodey contributed reporting.

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Akintunde Babatunde, the Manager of the Natural Resources and Extractive Programme at the Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ), has been awarded a Chevening Scholarship to study for a masters degree in the United Kingdom for the 2020-2021 academic year.

Mr Babatunde will join 48 other Nigerians who have been selected by the UK governments Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) out of over 8000 applicants from Nigeria.

The new awardees will be joining a community of over 1,000 Nigerians who have been so awarded since 1983 when the award was inaugurated across the commonwealth.

During his time in England, Mr Babatunde will study Media Practice for Development and Social Change at the University of Sussex, which, according to the QS World University Rankings by subject 2019, is rated first in the world for development studies.

Speaking on his selection for the scholarship, Mr Babatunde said that his emergence is as a result of the inspiration he got from the platform offered by PTCIJ.

I hope to learn as much as I can during my stay in the UK and then race back to share knowledge and add value to our countrys journalism, he said.

I thank the British High Commission in Nigeria and the United Kingdoms Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) for this opportunity and my colleagues at the PTCIJ for allowing me a little time to retool. Being part of 49 selected scholars out of about 8000 applicants from Nigeria is a humbling achievement for me.

I must also appreciate my Executive Director, Dapo Olorunyomi, for reviewing my essays and for also writing my first recommendation despite his very tight schedule. My profound appreciation also goes to Gbemiga Ogunleye, immediate past provost of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, for his support and for writing me a second professional recommendation.

He also expressed his gratitude to Segun Adedeji, a professor in the department of Educational Management, University of Ibadan, for writing his academic reference to the University of Sussex.

Profile

At the Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism, Mr Babatunde currently heads the Natural Resources and Extractives Programme, a sensitive and important responsibility that encompasses five issues: oil and gas, solid minerals, marine life, forest resources and climate change.

Since joining PTCIJ in 2017, he has been part of many digital innovations at the organisation. Between 2018 and 2019, he was charged with the leadership of a project that examined the governments use of infrastructural funds, juxtaposing expenditure with on-the-ground developments across communities in Nigeria. The primary objective was to hold the government accountable.

He led the deployment of data-powered civic tech platforms such as UDEME to empower citizens with the tools needed to interrogate the actions and/or inactions of their government and get involved in the governance of their regions.

With UDEME, Nigerians are able to track, and, where possible, raise red flags with respect to general service delivery in their communities.

He also led his team to develop a platform that promotes transparency and accountability in public procurement by providing citizens with curated prices of items often procured by the government and its contractors and a FAAC database that houses Nigerias monthly allocations to states, and other state revenue data for the past 12 years and can be used by journalists, policy analysts and government officials for journalistic, research or policy purposes.

Mr Babatunde has done extensive work on fighting fake news and has trained over 500 Nigerian journalists, media professionals and INEC officials on how to track and fact-check false claims in the media ecosystem. In 2018, his work was nominated by Africa Check for the African Fact-checker Award of the Year 2018.

He has also published a series of investigative and special reports focused on promoting transparency and accountability in the public finance sector of the Nigerian economy, particularly in the management of financial resources and tracking and verifying fake news on the number one platform for investigative journalism in Nigeria, Premium Times.

In 2019, he was the only Nigerian selected to serve as an African ambassador on the UNESCO-supported Global Alliance for Partnerships on Media and Information Literacy (GAPMIL).

In June 2020, he was selected as a Champion of the ONE campaign where he, alongside other development professionals and enthusiasts from across Nigeria, was charged with a mandate to advance the great work of the One campaign in the fight against extreme poverty and preventable diseases Nigeria specifically, and Africa at large.

He recently led his team to launch the first forensic journalistic investigation into the realities of financial misappropriation by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). This culminated into the production of a 70-page-long research paper that exposes the pattern of corruption and financial recklessness of the agency and its impact in the Niger-Delta region.

Prestigious Scholarship

Chevening is the UK governments international awards programme aimed at developing global leaders and it is funded by the UKs Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). The recipients are personally selected by British embassies and high commissions throughout the world.

Chevening offers a unique opportunity for future leaders, influencers, and decision-makers from all over the world to develop professionally and academically, network extensively, experience UK culture, and build lasting positive relationships with the UK.

Since 1983, over 50,000 professionals have studied in the UK through Chevening.

About PTCIJ

PTCIJ was founded in 2014 to help strengthen investigative journalism, promote fundamental human rights and advocate for good governance and transparency in Nigeria. It serves as the NGO arm of Premium Times, Nigerias foremost investigative medium, established in 2011.

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Clover Perez was released from federal prison early under the First Step Act. (Courtesy of Clover Perez)

Prisoners Helped by First Step Act Turn Their Lives Around

When Congress passed the First Step Act in 2018, Clover Perez was an inmate at the womens federal prison in Danbury, Connecticut. Reactions were strong among the inmates when they heard the newssome fell to their knees and cried out.

Perez was quiet on the surface, but the impact on her was just as great. I went outside and thanked Godnot for my freedom, but for the people that he used to make this happen, she told The Epoch Times.

First Step was hailed as one of the most substantial criminal justice reforms in decades; it aimed to cut unnecessarily long sentences and focus on rehabilitation. It sailed through Congress with bipartisan support and President Donald Trump signed it into law on Dec. 21, 2018.

By July 2019, about 3,100 inmates had earned early release because of good conduct. About 2,500 who were convicted of crack-cocaine-related crimes had their sentences reduced.

First Step retroactively reduced the disparity between crack- and powder-cocaine sentences. An offense involving five grams of crack cocaine used to be punished as severely as one involving 500 grams of powder cocaine. Incarceration for crack cocaine has especially impacted black communities.



Perez is 1 of 3 convicts who recently talked to The Epoch Times about how they turned their lives around in prison, and how they resumed their lives on the outside early because of First Step.

After about nine years behind bars, Perez returned home with a new take on life.

She judged others less harshly, having endured the shame of being a convict, and having gotten to know the troubled women in prison. She repaired her relationship with God. She shed the paralyzing burden of her shame. And she followed a calling to continue helping other women behind bars.

A Healing Balm

Perez, originally from Jamaica, ran an immigration services business in New York for 25 years. In 2012, at the age of 45, Perez was found guilty of immigration fraud related to the services she provided her clients. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison by a federal judge.

She felt ashamed and alone. Im the only one in my family whos been to prison, and [I] just did not want to deal with the stigma or even address it, she said.

At the time, she was still reeling from the grief of her eldest sons death. About a year before she was arrested, her son, 23, was killed by a stray bullet while attending a birthday party. Prison life gave her a lot of time to dwell on it.

When he died, she had turned away from God. In prison, she found no one to turn to but God.

I broke down and I just surrendered myself, she said. I said, I cant do this anymore.  If this is what you want me to go through, you have to carry me through.

When I was so transparent with him about how I felt, thats when he actually came in and was able to help me to get along to deal with the environment there.

Talking with the other women in prisonmany of whom were there for drug-related crimesPerez frequently heard stories of abuse, whether by parents or partners. Many of the women had used drugs to cope with the trauma, and they ended up in prison for drug-related crimes.

Unlike them, Perez had lived a sheltered life in a loving household. She was raised to be independent and believed only a weak woman would get herself trapped in an abusive relationship.

But, Perez said, in talking with the inmates, you hear the reason why they do certain things  and that judgmental feeling [goes away].

Perez started helping the other inmates any way she could.

One inmate in her early 20s had very low self-esteem and often cut herself; she said it relieved her emotional pain. She felt so ugly that she couldnt bear to look in the mirror.

Perez encouraged her to look at herself in the mirror once a day and find one thing that she liked about herself. At first, she cried a lot. Gradually, she changed.

Once [she] started loving herself, she could not put that mirror down, Perez said. She became like a daughter to Perez, and comforted Perez amid her grief for her son.

As much as I was helping her, she was also helping me.

In the last two years of her prison time, Perez started a program to help fellow inmates openly share their stories and heal their traumas.

She read every self-help book in the prison library, she said, and created a curriculum to help cope with trauma. Faith also had its part. Perez felt God was helping her, telling her Im going to use you as my mouthpiece.

The program was called Girls Talk. For the first time, they shared their stories. It was a healing balm for them, she said.

Perez also invited guests from outside the prison to come hear the stories of the inmates. That made them feel that we matter Perez said.

As I was helping them, I was helping myself, too  because we drew true strength from each other, Perez said. The shame just slowly disappeared.

She decided she would continue this work after leaving prison. She told herself she would be the voice of the voiceless.

On March 7, 2019, Perez left prison. With the help of the organization Dream Corps, she has founded a nonprofit named A Beautiful Heart Ministries to help women behind bars.

She also works as an office manager at a law firm in New York.

The First Step Act helped her get out of prison four months early because she had earned Good Conduct Time credits. These credits can strike up to 54 days per year off a sentence, up from 47 days before the act.

Gerald Tarboro was released from prison on March 21, 2019, four years early under the First Step Act, on the birthday of his fiancee who had waited 11 years to reunite with him. (Courtesy of Gerald Tarboro)

Another First Step beneficiary, Gerald Tarboro, had his sentence for selling crack cocaine reduced by four years.

He told The Epoch Times about his journey through two different worldsfrom his predominantly black neighborhood where crack cocaine abounded, to his college days among mostly white friends who wanted powder cocaine.

Then came a whole other worldprison.

How to Win the Drug Game: Dont Play

Tarbor was born and raised in the Marvin Pembroke neighborhood of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. From a young age, drug deals on street corners were common sights for him.

It was as raw as it gets, he said.

Nearly every boy in the neighborhood knew how to make crack from powder cocaine. Tarboros father was addicted to crack. He saw what that did to his fathers health and temperament, and he resisted all the invitations he had to sell drugs.

He went to college with scholarships, but he couldnt afford a computer or car, or many of the things his classmates had. When he went to East Stroudsburg University, it was almost like a foreign place, he said.

Yet, one thing was familiar: Many people there used drugs. When they heard Tarboro came from an open drug market, as he called it, they urged him to get drugs for them. They wanted powder cocaine.

They offered a good price, and he knew he could make a lot of money. He resisted at first, still feeling a strong aversion to drugs. But, he told himself, he could buy a car, a computer, some clothes, then stop.

Soon Tarboro was making thousands of dollars a weekand becoming increasingly addicted to the money.

In 2007, about a year after he graduated, his conscience started to weigh heavily on him. He hated what drugs were doing to people. Look what Im doing  Im living a contradiction, he told himself.

He had sleepless nights, worrying about being robbed or arrested.

When he talked about not selling anymore, people urged him not to stop. No, you cant, we need you, his customers said. Are you crazy? Look at the amount of money youre making, some said.

In May 2008, a long-time client who usually bought powder cocaine asked Tarboro for 100 grams of crack cocaine.

Tarboro tried to talk him out of it: Listen, I dont sell that.  If you ever get caught with this type of stuff, youll get in big trouble.

At that time, the penalty was 100 times greater for crack cocaine than the same amount of powder cocaine. In 2010, the difference was decreased by the Fair Sentencing Act, making crack cocaine penalties only 18 times greater than those for the same amount of powder cocaine.

But the 2010 change only operated on new convictions; it wasnt until First Step that sentences were changed retroactively.

Tarboro gave in and got his client the crack. The client turned out to be an FBI informant.

Tarboro was arrested right after the transaction, and later sentenced to 15 years in federal prison10 years for trafficking crack cocaine and another five years for illegal gun possession.

He was first sent to Hazelton, a maximum-security federal prison in West Virginia. The inmates called it Misery Mountain and Gladiator School, Tarboro said. At least four inmates were stabbed to death during his three years there before being moved to a medium-security prison in Cumberland, Maryland.

Tarboro said good manners helped him survive. Please, excuse me, and thank you are a very big deal in these types of places. Pay respect to people, and youre going to get it back, he said.

Gerald Tarboro, who spent 11 years in prison but was released four years early under the First Step Act. (Courtesy of Gerald Tarboro)

Inmates also respected him, he said, because he taught General Education Development (GED) classes in prison.

At the Cumberland prison, Tarboro met an inmate named Kevin Jones who impacted him profoundly.

Jones taught a critical thinking class in prison. He could easily quote Macbeth, and could explain complex ideas in a few simple words. He could capture the interest of inmates and make them want to learn more.

He is smart on a level that I just have never seen before, Tarboro said. He thought, Wow, this is how I need my mind to be.

One piece of wisdom from Jones that has stayed with Tarboro as summarizing much of his experience was about drug dealing: The only way to win this game is, you dont play it.

Even now it gave me goosebumps, because its the most truthful statement that I have ever heard, Tarboro told The Epoch Times.

Tarboro had heard about the decrease in sentencing for crack cocaine in 2010, but knew it didnt apply retroactively to his case. The First Step act changed that, and he was released four years early, on March 21, 2019. It was the birthday of his fiancee, who had waiting eleven years for him while he served his time.

I can only say [it was] a divine intervention, Tarboro said. I hit the ground running like I did not look back. I wanted to get back to work, a job, and just feel normal again.

He now works as a welder and is thinking of writing a book to warn young people about the dangers of getting involved in drugs.

Robert Wood of San Diego, California, also had four years taken off his crack-cocaine-related sentence. Wood told The Epoch Times it was the words of his sentencing judge that struck Woods heart and encouraged him to become a better person while serving his time.

Words of Inspiration

Woods parents tried to keep him, the eldest of their nine children, away from gangs. They bused him to a high school outside of his neighborhood. But, as soon as I got out of the house, I was right back at it, he told The Epoch Times.

Once you got involved in the gang at a young age, those become your friends. Those are the people you know, and that becomes your social circle. He first went to prison at the age of 21 for a gang-related shooting, and when he got out, he had more respect from his friends for it.

In 2002, at age 36, Robert Wood was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for dealing crack cocaine and on a charge of conspiracy to murder.

Wood sent The Epoch Times the court transcript, including what the judge told him: Mr. Wood, It is  unfortunate that you got yourself into this circumstance. You are obviously a very intelligent individual.

You probably have talents that will allow you to write, at least, while you are incarcerated and put it to good use and maybe further [your] education. Then, when you do get out, you will be a productive member of society.

Wood could feel the sincerity behind those words.

He had seen his share of judges over the course of nearly 20 years of gang life. None had taken the time to say a few inspiring words like this judge did. I dont think he realized how far that moment of inspiration was going to go, Wood said.

At federal prison in Hollywood, Pennsylvania, many inmates spent their time playing cards or dominoes, but Wood read as many books as he could.

Robert Wood (C) stands with his pastor, Cornellius Bowser (L), and a photographer during the filming of a documentary about prison sentencing reform in October 2019. (Courtesy of Robert Wood)

Robert Wood (L) stands with the dean of student affairs at Cal State University at a conference on incarceration where Wood was a speaker on one of the panels. (Courtesy of Robert Wood)

He read a lecture called Acres of Diamonds by the Baptist minister Russell Herman Conwell. It centers around an anecdote Conwell attributed to an Arab guide who helped him during his travels in the Middle East. Its about a man who wanted to find diamonds and so sold his property and left in search of them; but the new owner of the property he left behind found a wealth of diamonds there to be mined.

In most cases, you have what it takes to live the life you want, Wood said. [Yet] you are constantly grabbing for the next thing. Thats what gang life was about for him, always looking for more.

Wood studied for an associate degree in prison. Later, he wanted a bachelor degree but had no money to pay for it, so he sent out a dozen applications for scholarships. The Prison Scholar Fund granted him one.

He had submitted an essay titled Universe with his application. Wood quoted it: The universe is a place where the knowledge of our brightest minds, wisest people, and biggest supercomputers are but a grain of sand on an infinite beach.

Wood also taught GED classes in prison, and convinced other inmates to get GED certificates or college degrees. He also participated in a prison program that involved him speaking to young people on probation about avoiding gang life in the future.

At his first talk, he told them he was looking at 25 years in prison, but he was determined to turn his life around.

He said: When I look at you, I see the future. You guys are bigger than the situation. Youre bigger than what you did. Its not too late to turn it around.

Many wanted to meet him personally afterward, one of the organizers told Wood. One young man, however, was unconvinced and obviously didnt worry about the consequences of sticking with the gang.

Wood said to him: You think youre really tough, dont you? You think you are smart and you are cool.  When you get to prison, you are going to find out nobody is tough. The little look youre running around giving these people, youll get stabbed [in prison].

You are going to miss the girls. You are going to miss the family. People are going to forget about you. Theyre going to stop accepting phone calls. Eventually, youre going to be in there all by yourself. So you think about that, Mr. Tough Guy.

After Wood finished, the young man said nothing. Toward the end of the program, he began to open up and talk to Wood. Later, he followed Woods advice and joined the military.

On Sept. 26, 2019, at the age of 53, Wood was released from prison, about four years early.

To me personally, the First Step Act is an opportunity to right the wrongs, to make the Fair Sentencing Act [of 2010] retroactive, Wood said, If its the law, it should be retroactive, especially a law like that designed to reverse inequality.

Wood said he wants to see a Second Step Act that would completely eliminate the sentencing disparity between crack cocaine and powder cocaine.

He is currently enrolled in an MBA program at San Diego State University and plans to open his own business.
Japan's government is easing entry restrictions for travelers from Singapore on Friday to allow short-term visits by businesspeople between the two countries.

This is in line with the government's policy to allow travelers from countries and territories where the coronavirus pandemic is largely contained.

Japan has already eased travel restrictions for long-term residents, including foreign workers, from Taiwan and six countries, including Vietnam.

The latest move is Japan's first to ease entry restrictions for travelers planning to stay for short periods, such as businesspeople.

Short-term visitors from Singapore will be exempt from a 14-day quarantine period if they meet certain requirements, including submitting their itineraries in advance.

The government is looking to relax restrictions further for both short- and long-term visitors in a bid to shore up the economy. It plans to expand PCR testing capacity at airports and implement more measures against the coronavirus.
Sunny's IG Post

Sunny's post has been liked by over 5 Lakh Instagram users, and many even agreed to the quote. "Accurate!" one person wrote in the comments, while others have shared heart and fire emojis in the comments section.

Kangana Ranaut On Urmila Matondkar's Comment

Kangana's pat with Urmila began after she called Urmila a soft p*rn star' and said she is not known for her acting'. Her tweet mentioning Sunny read, "Liberal brigade once virtually lynched a renowned writer in to silence for saying people like Sunny Leone should not be our role models, Sunny is accepted by the industry and entire India as an artist, suddenly fake feminists equating being a p*rn star to something derogatory."

Sunny Is Currently Living In The US

Sunny is known for her successful career as an adult performer in the US, in the earlier 2000s. She slowly transitioned into a Bollywood actor. The actress is currently in the US as she had travelled to LA with her husband and three children, amid the pandemic.
Close to Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) announcing to partner with Dr. Reddys Laboratories Ltd for distribution of Russias covid-19 vaccine --Sputnik V in India, the Soviet nation's health minister, Mikhail Murashko, in a statement to Moscow Times said that nearly 14% of patients who have been administrated the vaccine reported suffering from side-effects.

One in seven volunteers have complained of side effects including weakness and muscle pain after taking Russias highly touted coronavirus vaccine, Russias health minister said Tuesday as quoted in Moscow Times. Murashko said the symptoms level off" by the next day. The complications are described in the instructions and are predictable," he said as quoted in the newspaper.

The preliminary results of the human clinical trial were published in the Lancet Journal on September 4. Results from two earlyphase nonrandomised vaccine trials for Sputnik V in a total of 76 people found that two formulations of a twopart vaccine had a good safety profile with no serious adverse events detected over 42 days, and induce antibody responses in all participants within 21 days. However, the preliminary results published in the Lancet also listed the adverse effects of the vaccine. The most common adverse events were pain at the injection site (44/76 participants  58%), hyperthermia (high temperature  38/76  50%), headache (32/76  42%), asthenia (weakness or lack of energy  21/76  28%), and muscle and joint pain (18/76  24%)," said the Lancet.

Most adverse events were mild, and no serious adverse events were detected within 42 days of vaccination, the Lancet said. The authors note that these adverse effects are characteristic of those seen with other vaccines, particularly those based on recombinant viral vectors, the Lancet said.

The twopart vaccine includes two adenovirus vectors  recombinant human adenovirus type 26 (rAd26S) and recombinant human adenovirus type 5 (rAd5S)  which have been modified to express the SARSCoV2 spike protein.

India and Russia are in talks about the vaccine to be made available for Indian population. Upon regulatory approval in India, RDIF, Russias sovereign wealth fund will supply 100 million doses of the vaccine to Dr. Reddys, it said in a statement on Wednesday. Deliveries could potentially begin in late 2020 subject to completion of successful trials and registration of the vaccine by regulatory authorities in India," the RDIF said in a statement. India will also conduct clinical trials on its own population before approving the vaccine administration. The Phase I and II results have shown promise, and we will be conducting Phase-III trials in India to meet the requirements of the Indian regulators," G V Prasad, Co-Chairman and Managing Director of Dr. Reddys Laboratories said.

On August 11, the Sputnik V vaccine developed by the Gamaleya National Research Institute of

Epidemiology and Microbiology was registered by the Ministry of Health of Russia and became the worlds first registered vaccine against covid-19 based on the human adenoviral vectors platform.

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How often do you worry about your paycheck getting stolen? Probably not too often, because we have strong laws that deter and punish theft of money, banking systems in place to protect you and track down the thief, and law enforcement that will step in to help.

But authors dont have this security when their royalties are siphoned off by e-book pirates. Day after day, authors find stolen copies of their books on multiple platforms and pirate websites, and there is nothing they can do about it. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), the law that regulates copyright liability on the internet, allows authors, publishers, and copyright holders to send takedown notices in response to copyright infringement. Pirate sites, however, whose operations are usually based outside the U.S., ignore the takedown notices, and companies that provide online services in the U.S. (such as web hosting services, search engines, social media sites, and user-generated content sites like YouTube) take down only the e-books posted at the specific URLs listed in a given notice, leaving other pirated copies online and doing little to prevent new ones from being posted, even by the same users. As a result, piracy flourishes unabated, diverting income from authors pockets to those of pirates.

Federal copyright lawsuits can be brought against those who fail to comply with takedown notices or are otherwise ineligible for the DMCA safe harbors, but they are expensive, complicated cases, requiring sophisticated counsel with the know-how and tools to sue bad actors whose identities and locations are often obscure. Very few authors have the means to bring these suits. And a successful lawsuit does not always shut down the pirate operations, as we saw in Elseviers lawsuit against LibGen and SciHub. Despite a $15 million judgment, they remain among the top piracy sites in the world and are widely used by U.S. students and others to download books for free.

In July, the Authors Guild organized a lawsuit against a notorious Ukraine-based network of piracy sites called Kiss Library. The named plaintiffs in the suit are 12 Authors Guild members, as well as Amazon Publishing and Penguin Random House, whose generous financial support made the lawsuit possible. Kiss Library, which operates Kissly.net, Libly.net, Cheap-Library.com, and other websites, illegally sells pirated e-books at very cheap prices. Its sites were designed to look like legitimate online bookstores, complete with elaborate descriptions of how they help authors, while they actually exploit authors by drawing unwary readers away from legitimate, royalty-earning copies. Going into the lawsuit, we were fully aware of the costs and challenges, including the improbability of getting restitution for authors, let alone delivering sturdy consequences for the sites operators. Our primary goals were simple: to shut down the criminal enterprise and to raise awareness about the challenges that authors and publishers face in combating rampant online piracy.

Our lawsuit against Kiss Library illustrates the importance of cooperation from third parties in fighting piracy, particularly that of internet service providers (ISPs), payment processing services, and other utilities that pirate sites rely on to operate. An earlier temporary restraining order directed domain registrars to disable Kiss Librarys domains, taking the sites offline, and ordered payment processors Kiss Library used to freeze their assets. Two weeks ago, the court converted the restraining order into a preliminary injunction, allowing our lawyers to obtain and investigate records relating to the individuals involved in operating the site from their ISPs. Additional sites that were distributing pirated comics and cartoons as part of the larger Kiss Library scheme have also been identified and disabled as a result of discovery and the injunction.

It turns out that an awful lot of e-book piracy could be abated if courts applied the DMCA as Congress originally intended: to incentivize ISPs, search engines, web hosting providers, and other online services to actually cooperate with copyright owners by disabling access to known pirate sites and preventing uploads of content that has been identified as pirated. But courts have interpreted this law in a way that gives these services safe harbor for doing little besides removing individual posts in response to specific takedown requests, allowing them to leave other obviously pirated copies on their services and new copies to be immediately posted to replace those that were taken down. As a result, the publishing industry continues to endure billions in lost sales each year, and millions in royalties are robbed from authors. The Authors Guild has been lobbying for reforms to the DMCA that would realign it with Congresss goals.

We need a law that incentivizes search engines, ISPs, and the like to act rather than sit back and profit from piracy. Its about time we changed the way we regulate online activity to align with our most basic laws and ethics.

Mary Rasenberger is the CEO of the Authors Guild.
YEREVAN.  Those who had gone up to meet with government officials have joined the group of entrepreneurs, who are importing and selling clothes and shoes, and are staging a protest Friday in front of the main building of the government (PHOTOS).

These merchants complain about the recent changes made in the Customs Code, as a result of which they have to clear their imported goods from customs in Armenia at a higher duty.

One of the participants of the meeting with the government representatives stated that they had presented their demands, everything will be presented to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and then his response to their issue will be given.

But it is not known when the PM will respond, as a respective consultation shall be convened, and so on.

Pashinyan's assistants Nairi Sargsyan and Suren Ghambaryan met with these merchants.

The aforesaid demonstration concluded, and the protesters will wait for the PMs response.
Syracuse, NY  A bitter divorce between Destiny USA and a bankrupt tenant came to a head this month when the mall slapped Lord & Taylor with an $875,349 lawsuit.

Its by far the biggest tenant that Syracuses mega-mall has gone after legally since the start of the Covid-19 shutdown sent many retailers into a tailspin. The mall, which routinely enforces its leases in court when required, had previously taken jeweler Alex and Ani, as well as Hat World, to court this summer for back rent.

The stakes are much higher in the case of one of the malls major anchors, Lord & Taylor, which filed for bankruptcy in August and plans to shut its doors after a liquidation sale.

The first sign of trouble came when Destiny took the clothing retailer to task in May for failing to pay nearly $300,000 over two months in fees at the start of the Covid-19 shutdown.

The mall says it needed the money to pay off massive construction loans, according to the lawsuit.

Lord & Taylor pointed out that it had been legally impossible to reopen during the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic. It offered to work out a compromise.

But, in August, the mall sent a letter containing a final default notice. By then, Lord & Taylor owed more than $729,000 in back payments, according to court papers.

Thats when the verbal sparring really took off.

Given the extraordinary social and economic circumstances that the global Covid-19 pandemic has created, we are very surprised and disappointed with your letter, wrote Mindy Novack, a lawyer for the stores parent company, Saks Fifth Avenue/Hudsons Bay Company.

She wasnt done.

Any action initiated by the Landlord to terminate this Lease will directly threaten the jobs of hundreds of Americans employed by the Tenant at this location and elsewhere in its business, she wrote later. We believe that Landlords demand for the payment of rent and other charges at a time when Tenant is legally prohibited from making full use of the Leased Premises for its intended purpose constitutes a breach of Landlords obligation of good faith and fair dealing...

She ended with an olive branch: a hope that Destiny was simply protecting its legal options and a wish that some compromise could be worked out.

Destiny wasnt impressed, based on its Aug. 26 reply.

Landlord has been patient and committed to working appropriately with its tenants regarding the Covid-19 pandemic, Geoffrey Langan, a lawyer for the malls owner, Pyramid Management Group, responded, adding later: It is in fact Tenant, and not Landlord, that is acting inappropriately by failing to make payments of the nature and type due under the Agreements.

The malls owners also noted that Lord & Taylor was going out of business, so jobs were going to be lost anyway.

Tenants Letter also states that any action initiated by the Landlord to terminate [the] Lease will directly threaten the jobs of hundreds of Americans employed by the Tenant at this location and elsewhere in its business, Langan wrote. This assertion by Tenant rings false when the Premises are currently subject to a going out of business sale that is in no way attributable to Landlords actions.

In closing, Destiny repeated its demand: pay up or be prepared to go to court.

After a 10-day grace period, the mall filed its lawsuit. Lord & Taylor has not replied yet in court.

Staff writer Douglass Dowty can be reached at ddowty@syracuse.com or 315-470-6070.
The president and Democratic challenger will both campaign on the same day in the state where George Floyd was killed.

President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden are both going to the fabled Iron Range mining region of Minnesota on Friday for duelling campaign events.

President Trump will appear at an airport in the town of Bemidji  population 15,000. Located near the Canadian border, Bemidji would seem an unlikely place to search for Republican voters.





But the rural heart of Minnesota has been trending Republican in recent years and Trump only lost there narrowly in 2016, he is now betting he can win in November, forcing challenger Joe Biden to play defence.

Clearly, Trump and Minnesota Republicans believe this is a possible win for them. This is a very contested state, said James Read, chair of political science at the College of St Benedict and St Johns University in Minnesota.

If Trump were to win Minnesota  no Republican president has since Richard Nixon in 1972  it would be the equivalent of a political earthquake in the United States that would probably signal Trump victories in other critical Midwestern states like Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Judging by yard signs, if you get out of Minnesota-St Paul into the rural areas, you would think Trump is going to win by a landslide. Everyone sees that this is going to be close, Read told Al Jazeera.

Polls show Biden with a 10 percentage-point lead over Trump in Minnesota, though local political analysts think the race is much closer because telephone and online surveys do not fully capture Trumps support.

Clearly, Trump and Minnesota Republicans believe this is a possible win for them. This is a very contested state.

That calculus is not lost on Biden who will be making his first appearance as a presidential candidate in Minnesota whose 10 electoral votes Democrats cannot take for granted.





Trumps visit to Bemidji will be his sixth visit to the state since becoming president. He is expected to claim a renewal of American steel production, fuelled by ore from Minnesotas Iron Range, as a result of tariffs he imposed on Chinese imports.

Biden will appear at a union hall 240km (149 miles) east in the industrial port city of Duluth on Lake Superior, a historically Democratic stronghold at the centre of the Iron Ranges regional economy.

Bidens campaign issued a pre-buttal on Wednesday of Trumps economic argument. Polls show Biden and Trump evenly matched among voters on who is best to handle the economy.





Steel shipments are down more than 25 percent from last year, Biden said, touting his proposal to create jobs through massive federal investment in infrastructure projects.

It was in Minneapolis, 345km (214 miles) south of Bemidji and 245km (152 miles) south of Duluth, where George Floyd, a Black man, was killed by white police officer Derek Chauvin who knelt on Floyds neck while he was handcuffed and other officers held him face down in the street.

Broadcast on social media by a bystander, Floyds death sparked protests and three nights of civil unrest in Minneapolis that spread across the US and polarised the political landscape.





A divide has emerged between rural voters and Minneapolis and the rest of Minnesota. There is a lot of tension, said Todd Rapp, a Democratic public affairs strategist in Minneapolis.

Trump, who is very instinctive, is trying to exploit that divide even though polls indicate the odds are against him, Rapp told Al Jazeera.

Rural Minnesota is largely white and the experience that Minnesota voters typically have with law enforcement is far different from what communities of colour see in big cities, he said.

Trump has cast protesters as violent mobs and talked tough about law enforcement. His combative tone has served to solidify his rural base, but is not selling well in the Minneapolis suburbs  places like Eden Prairie, Brooklyn Park and Hopkins  where the outcome in Minnesota is likely to be decided.

The president has had difficulty accepting that there are two sides to the issue of Black Lives Matter and police reform that have to be talked about respectfully at the same time, Rapp said.

That is a line Biden has been more careful about. He has sympathised with the Black Lives Matters protests and aligned himself generally with the goal of police reform but refrained from endorsing the more strident calls to defund the police.

At the same time, the coronavirus and its effect on jobs are top concerns among voters in Minnesota, polls show.

President Donald Trump campaigned at the Mankato Regional Airport in Minnesota on August 17, 2020. He has visited Minnesota five times since becoming president [File: Tom Brenner/Reuters]

Democratic Governor Tim Walz, who imposed a mask mandate, ordered businesses closed and residents to stay at home, has been the target of recall campaign by Minnesota Republicans.

Trump and Biden are running two very different campaigns sending potent messages about the virus to their supporters.

In his stump speech, Trump is likely to call for a faster reopening as he pushes the US to move past the virus even though cases of new infections appear to be rising and the death toll nationwide has reached 196,000.

Biden has slammed Trumps handling of the pandemic as a failure that is utterly disqualifying for the presidency.

Trumps appearance at an airport hangar in Bemidji is likely to feature a boisterous crowd of mask-less supporters who will cheer and chant for Trump.

Biden will appear with a smaller, socially distanced group that will likely be wearing masks and observing the governors public health directives closely.

People carry posters with George Floyd on them as they march from the Lincoln Memorial to the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial during the March on Washington, on August 28, 2020, in Washington, DC [File: Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo]

The race in Minnesota is likely to come down to a contest between turnout by Democrats who want Trump out and enthusiasm among Trump supporters who want another four years, said David Schultz, a political science professor at Hamline University who also sees Minnesota in play.

It all hinges on college-educated suburban women. If they come out to vote like they did in 2018, Biden is going to win the state, Schultz told Al Jazeera.

If Biden gives them a reason to think that a Biden presidency is going to keep them and their families safe, they are going to vote for Biden, he said.

Both campaigns are spending heavily in Minnesota with multimillion-dollar buys of television advertisements which have begun to blanket the airwaves.

Trump has been sending direct mail flyers to voters linking Biden to rioters and warning about a flood of immigration and refugees if Biden is elected.

Early voting in person and through mail-in ballots begins in Minnesota on Friday and Bidens wife Jill Biden will participate in a weekend of action phone bank drive starting Saturday, the campaign said.

Vice President Mike Pence will visit the state next week.
Yoshihide Suga speaks during a press conference following his confirmation as prime minister of Japan on September 16, 2020 in Tokyo, Japan. Carl Court | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

Japan's new prime minister Yoshihide Suga will likely pull out all stops to revive the economy badly hit by the coronavirus pandemic but still continue the policy of outgoing leader Shinzo Abe, analysts said. Suga was formally voted prime minister by parliament's lower house on Wednesday, and took the helm as Japan's first new leader in eight years. Abe, who resigned in August due to ill health, is known for his economic policies that are collectively known as "Abenomics." The three-pronged approach is aimed at combating deflation and reviving economic growth with loose monetary policy and fiscal spending, alongside structural reforms to cope with a rapidly aging population. Suga's new cabinet roll-out demonstrated his desire to maintain stability and continuity as he kept many ministers in place while choosing new ones from different factions in his Liberal Democratic Party, noted Scott Seaman, Asia director at the Eurasia Group in a report. But "Suga's focus on pulling out all the stops to support a recovery makes it likely that he will provide fresh stimulus by continuing to use contingency reserve funds, passing another supplementary budget late this year or early next year, and compiling a robust FY2021 regular budget," said Seaman in a note on Wednesday.

Pledge to protect jobs

There are three key concerns from the market's point of view, according to Fidelity's Katsumi Ishibashi. "The government's economic policy, promotion of structural reform and deregulation, and the stability of the administration to support these key initiatives are the top three concerns," said Ishibashi, senior cross-asset analyst and portfolio manager at Fidelity International in a note on Thursday. In his first press conference as prime minister on Wednesday, Suga said he will do his best to protect jobs while countering the coronavirus at the same time, Reuters reported. Eurasia's Seaman said Suga will likely to do so by: Dipping into 10 trillion Japanese yen ($95.44 billion) of contingency funds from a second supplementary budget for the 2020 fiscal year;

Passing a third supplementary budget; and

Compiling a big regular budget for the 2021 fiscal year to prop up the economy. "Next year's budget will likely be large, and we cannot rule out the possibility that Suga's government will include novel measures in it such as a one-year tax holiday on personal income taxes for lower-income households," said Seaman.

Expect changes, but Suga won't stray far from Abenomics

However, Suga is unlikely to stray far from the path of Abenomics, said analysts. For one, he will not likely make any immediate changes to the Bank of Japan's policies even if politicians in Japan have a larger influence on monetary policy than in other advanced economies, said Tom Learmouth, Japan economist at Capital Economics. But he will have an opportunity to reshape the central bank's policy board when two members will be replaced next year, Learmouth said. "One possible shift that may result is a greater willingness to cut the policy rate: Mr Suga appears less concerned than the current Board members about threats to financial stability from further rate cuts," said Learmouth in a report "Unpacking Suganomics" on Tuesday.
A deal allowing TikTok to avoid a US ban remained in limbo amid negotiations over the ownership structure of the popular video app

Amid a looming deadline set by President Donald Trump, negotiators scrambled to find a new ownership structure for the popular video app TikTok that would pass muster in both the United States and China.

A deal appeared to be taking shape this week that would allow Silicon Valley-based Oracle to be the US technology partner for TikTok to allay Washington's concerns that the platform could be used for Chinese espionage.

But details of the deal remained unclear. Some reports said Oracle would be a minority stakeholder in TikTok, with the Chinese parent firm ByteDance keeping a majority.

A US government national security panel was reviewing the Oracle bid while Republican lawmakers warned against accepting a deal that keeps the Chinese firm in control.

"We'll make a decision soon," Trump said Thursday, a day after saying he was undecided and still considering the national security implications of any new structure for the wildly popular app, which has an estimated 100 million users in the United States and as many as one billion worldwide.

Some analysts said it appeared difficult to craft a deal that allays concerns in both countries on security and the algorithms and other key technologies used by TikTok.

"It seems like a zero-sum game where either China or the United States gets the intellectual property and security benefits, and there's no way for both parties to share that," said Betsy Cooper, director of the Aspen Institute's Tech Policy Hub and a former Homeland Security official.

Factfile on Chinese video-sharing social networking app TikTok, and US moves against the owner of the company.

Cooper said the reported deal with Oracle hosting data as a minority shareholder "doesn't sound like it resolves the security concerns" raised by Trump and other US officials.

James Lewis, who heads technology policy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Oracle could still win approval for its deal, but may need to make changes.

"If they can show a good package of security measures it will help," Lewis said. "It's an easier sell for Oracle if ByteDance becomes a minority owner."

Six Republican senators said in a letter to Trump this week that "any deal between an American company and ByteDance must ensure that TikTok's US operations, data, and algorithms are entirely outside the control of ByteDance or any Chinese-state directed actors, including any entity that can be compelled by Chinese law to turn over or access US consumer data."

Trump has threatened to ban TikTok in the United States if no deal is reached by September 20, in the latest battle between the two countries over technology.

Possible Beijing veto

Richard Windsor, an independent technology analyst who writes the Radio Free Mobile blog, said that any TikTok deal that addresses the US security issues runs the risk of facing a veto by Beijing.

Silicon Valley tech giant Oracle is working on a deal to become the US partner to Chinese-owned video app TikTok to avert a ban in the United States

"The fact that Oracle will have access to TikTok's algorithms and source code greatly increases the chances of the deal being approved by the US administration, but it also greatly increases the chances of it being blocked by China," Windsor said.

While parties struggle to reach a deal, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Thursday on a tour of a factory that "innovation is the most important quality of business management, and it is also what we must overcome obstacles to do in the future."

"Key core technology must be firmly kept in our own hands," he added, according to China's official Xinhua news agency.

But Windsor also noted that "ByteDance needs this situation to be resolved quickly" since "there are no shortages of innovative apps waiting in the wings to fill any gaps left by TikTok should ByteDance fail to prevent a ban."

The TikTok saga has seen several twists, with Microsoft seen initially as the suitor before its bid was rejected.

Walmart, which was working with Microsoft, said in a statement Sunday it "continues to have an interest in a TikTok investment and continues discussions with ByteDance leadership and other interested parties."

Chinese authorities have said they would not allow ByteDance to sell the algorithms used by TikTok, which are believed to hold much of the value for the popular social platform.

Trump has demanded a significant portion of the sale go to the US Treasury, but said Wednesday he had been advised that was not possible.

Explore further Trump says no TikTok deal yet amid security concerns

 2020 AFP
Were familiar with the 12 apostles of Jesus in the Bible, as well as with Saul, later renamed Paul and responsible for writing most of the books in the New Testament. But there are other great men and women of faith also mentioned throughout Scripture, and one of them, Barnabas, was highly influential when it came to sharing the gospel. But who was Barnabas in the Bible, and what can we learn from him?

Who Is Barnabas in the Bible?

Most of what we know about Barnabas comes from the Book of Acts, which details his ministry both alongside Paul and in general as he traveled throughout Judea and Asia Minor spreading the Good News to all who would hear. According to the New International Encyclopedia of Bible Characters, Barnabas was a Levite from Cyprus who led not only Jews but many Gentiles to the Christian faith. Acts 11:24 identifies Barnabas as a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith who brought a great number of people  to the Lord (NIV). Barnabass travels and ministry for Jesus are described throughout Acts, as well as mentioned in Galatians, 1 Corinthians, and Colossians. We first see his name mentioned in Acts 4:36-37, where it describes how Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles feet.

Indeed, this penchant for encouragement, support, and generosity would stay with him. When he saw how Paulthen still known as Saulhad become a fervent follower of Christ, Barnabas took the then-unknown disciple under his wing and introduced him to the other apostles in Jerusalem. These other apostles were afraid because of Saul/Pauls past actions, but Barnabas vouched for him, and because of this, the new convert stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord (Acts 9:28). Later passages detail how Barnabas was doing the work of God in Antioch but decided to find Paul so the two could work together for the faith (Acts 11:22-25). The church grew steadily under their leader-partnership, both in size and finances. While the two later disagreed over a ministry colleague and parted ways, their efforts for Jesus netted tremendous results and helped spread the faith far and wide.

What Is Barnabas Background?

As a Levite, Barnabas would have been raised a Jew, most likely wealthy, and schooled in Hebrew in religious foundational instruction. References in the Bible indicate he was a respected figurein Acts 14:12, Barnabas was referred to as Zeus while his companion, Paul, who did most of the speaking, was called Hermes. To the Ancient Greeks, Zeus was the lead god, considered the god of sky and thunder and ruler of all other gods and goddesses on Mount Olympus, so the reference to Barnabas as Zeus would have been an acknowledgment of his leadership and authority, and possibly also his age and stature. Easton, in his Bible dictionary, noted Barnabas was born of Jewish parents of the tribe of Levi and probably educated as a Pharisee in the school of Gamaliel. And, of course, it was on Barnabass introduction that Paul was first welcomed into the Jewish Christian apostolic sphere in Jerusalem upon Pauls conversion.

Was Barnabas One of the Apostles?

Yes, Barnabas was considered an apostle. While not one of the original 12, he nevertheless was set apart with Paul by the Holy Spirit and sent out by the early church to spread the Good News across the land. In that sense, sent out as an itinerant missionary to spread the message of Jesus to others, he was an apostle. In fact, in the Book of Acts, the writer titles the missionary pair as the apostles Barnabas and Paul (Acts 14:14). While the Bible does not mention how Barnabas died, he reportedly was martyred for his faith, like some of the other apostles; he was either stoned or burned to death in Salamis, Cyprus.

How Was Barnabas Connected to Paul?

Easton, in his Bible dictionary, believes Barnabas and Paul probably knew each other because they had been taught together in the school of Gamaliel. But while Barnabas was the one who did the primary introduction, it appears Paul, with his zeal for speaking, soon became more well-known for his evangelism efforts. After Barnabas found Paul in Tarsus (Acts 11:25-26), they pooled their energies and established a foundational church in Antioch, which is also where the first Christ-followers became known as Christians. Their work expanded, and in Acts 13:2, the Holy Spirit called for Barnabas, along with Saul/Paul, to be set apart for holy work. Prior to this, the Bible named the pair in that orderBarnabas and Saulbut around this time, something clearly shifted, and they became known in reverse order: Paul first, Barnabas second. The word of God continued to flourish, and soon they brought another disciple, John Mark, with them to many places throughout the region, from Seleucia to Cyprus to Salamis and then to Paphos. Expelled finally by the Jewish leaders for their work with the Gentiles, they moved on to spread the gospel in Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe, eventually back to Antioch.

Around this time, over deep disagreement with other apostles about whether or not Gentile believers needed to be circumcised, the pair traveled to Jerusalem to settle the matter. When all was resolvedthe Gentiles would not be required to be circumcised, as they were saved, as Peter said, by the grace of the Lord Jesus alone (Acts 15:11) Barnabas and Paul delivered the encouraging message to the people in Antioch. That is when the two had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company (Acts 15:39). Quarreling over whether or not to bring John Mark along with them, after John Mark had deserted them, they chose to go their separate ways. Barnabas took John Mark, his cousin, and sailed for Cyprus, while Paul took Silas and headed through Syria and Cilicia.

In his letter to the Galatians, Paul spoke harshly about his friend and brother in ministry, noting that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray (Galatians 2:13). Still, it appears the quarrel resolved itself over time. In what appears to be a gesture of reconciliation at the close of Pauls letter to the Colossians, Paul offers these forgiving and grace-filled words: My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him) (Colossians 4:10). While the two appear to have no longer been ministry partners, they were still brothers in Christ.

What Can Christians Learn from Barnabas?

Barnabas was someone who had worldly respect, wealth, and other standing and gave it all up for Jesussomething todays Christians would do well to learn from. As a Levite who owned property, he heeded the words of Jesus in Matthew 19:21, when Jesus told the young man of wealth how to get eternal life: Go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me. Barnabas sold his field and put the money at the feet of the apostles (Acts 4:37). He then spent the rest of his life traveling as a missionary, leading others to Jesus at great personal risk. He also saw Paul, the very man hed taken under his protection, rise to greater fame in the ministry world. Yet Barnabas did not falter. He persisted in his work, even after he and Paul parted ways over a quarrel, even after Paul blasted him for going astray from hypocrisy (Galatians 2:13). Barnabas stood fast, led others to God, and did extraordinary work for the Kingdom.

In conclusion, Barnabas truly was a man of encouragement. He gave his life to the church and sacrificed much for the faith. He, along with Paul and other Christian leaders of his time, was instrumental in spreading the gospel across the land and converting great numbers, both Jew and Gentile. Because of him, and others like him, today we know Jesus. We can honor Barnabas by sharing our testimony and sharing the Good News near and far, no matter the risk.

Photo credit: GettyImages/pcess609

Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach and the recipient of the 2018 American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis Award for her novel, The Memory Garden. She is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism. Learn more about her fiction and read her faith blog at jessicabrodie.com. She has a weekly YouTube devotional, too. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and more. Shes also produced a free eBook, A God-Centered Life: 10 Faith-Based Practices When Youre Feeling Anxious, Grumpy, or Stressed.
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / September 18, 2020 / Investment and advisory firm First Growth Funds Limited (CSE:FGFL) is pleased to announce following its recent listing on the Canadian Securities Exchange it has reported a strong profit result in year end June 30, FY20.

With net income of $2,293,838 the investment and advisory firm booked $1,164,339 in adjusted net profit after tax, with $230,000 one off adjustments. During the period it had $2,093,870 increase in cash to $4,349,767 plus $4,793,190 of investments (on a cost basis). First Growth Funds has a strong balance sheet of over $9M in cash and assets (on a cost basis) with no debt. It expects the growth momentum to continue with a number of its investments to mature over the next 12 months.

First Growth Funds has access to investment opportunities that are not readily available to the broader investment community. Its shareholders gain exposure to a diversified asset portfolio of listed and unlisted equities with high growth potential. It takes advantage of special situation opportunities to make big returns on investments. It also runs an operating advisory business to negotiate a strong position with favourable valuation & terms and also assists with further capital raising, M&A and exit strategies for its portfolio companies.

First Growth Funds investment portfolio and presentation can be viewed here.

Some notable exits include a 26% return on the sale of European firm Kleos Space that develops innovative shoe-size satellites, a 37% return on the sale of Australian based Medadvisor with a pharmacy dispensing systems, a 77% sale of Canadian based Champion Iron with significant iron resources in the south end of the Labrador Trough in the province of Quebec. First Growth Funds also sold out of ecommerce company Harris Technology for $1.42M cash profit.

First Growth Funds has a well balance portfolio of asset classes. It has a diversified strategy to mitigate against risk in asset classes and market cycles. Its current portfolio include technology, IOT, fintech, mining and confectionery and expects a number of them to mature and exit with a cash profit in the next 12 months.

First Growth Funds has made a good start to the next financial year with most recent investment in August 2020 in public listed gold explorer Golden Deeps. In September 2020 the Company exited the investment with a 35% cash profit. It still holds Golden Deeps listed options that add a further 65% profit if sold.

About First Growth Funds Limited

First Growth Funds Limited invests across a broad range of asset classes including listed equities, private equity, blockchain and digital assets. The company also operates an advisory business providing corporate advisory, capital raising and capital markets support to its portfolio.

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. These statements relate to future events or future performance. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements or information. The forward-looking statements and information are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by management of the Company. Forward-looking statements and information are provided for the purpose of providing information about the current expectations and plans of management of the Company relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such statements and information may not be appropriate for other purposes, such as making investment decisions. Since forward-looking statements and information address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements, timelines and information contained in this news release. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and no undertaking is given to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws or the Canadian Securities Exchange. The forward-looking statements or information contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

CONTACT:

Mark Pryn

Phone: +61.386206400

Email: cosec@firstgrowthfunds.com

SOURCE: First Growth Funds Limited

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/606672/First-Growth-Funds-Limited-Reports-Solid-FY20-Profit
OSLO, Sept 18 (Reuters) - The Norwegian government has extended an agreement to pay carriers SAS, Norwegian Air and Wideroe to provide passenger transport on 17 routes across the country, the ministry of transport said on Friday.

The payments allow the airlines to maintain a minimum level of service even as demand has fallen sharply amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The agreement is now set to last until the end of 2020, the ministry said in a statement. (Reporting by Terje Solsvik, editing by Gwladys Fouche)
Cathay Pacific and Hong Kong start-up Prenetics are set to launch a digital health passport that allows travellers to show their negative Covid-19 test results on a mobile app before boarding, potentially easing international travel and establishing a new model to help airlines and airports ride out the health crisis.

The pilot will kick-off on the Hong Kong-London route from October , Prenetics told the South China Morning Post. The partners are working in collaboration with Swiss-based non-profit The Commons Project, which is backed by the Rockefeller Foundation.

International travel is gradually restarting as governments negotiate to lift border restrictions and scramble to resurrect trade and their moribund tourist industries.

Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China.

The Hong Kong government said on September 8 that it was working towards forming travel bubbles with 11 countries. It was also the first time in months that the administration had provided an update on re-establishing international travel links, coinciding with a drop in coronavirus infections across the city.

Cathay Pacific and Hong Kong Airlines aircraft are grounded at the Hong Kong International Airport. Photo: May Tse alt=Cathay Pacific and Hong Kong Airlines aircraft are grounded at the Hong Kong International Airport. Photo: May Tse

However, the government's announcement raised questions as to the practicalities and safety of such a move. Travellers will need a secure and verifiable way to document their health status as they travel and cross borders.

Commerce chief Edward Yau Tang-wah hinted on September 9 that, to make bubbles possible, coronavirus tests before departure and upon arrival might be necessary, and the two sides would need to discuss whether negative results at both ends meant travellers could skip quarantine or spend less time in isolation.

Britain was not on the September 8 list of 11 countries in talks about creating a travel bubble with Hong Kong.

Story continues

Arrivals to Hong Kong dropped by 91 per cent during the first seven months of 2020 compared to 2019, and the economy hurtled into recession. Cathay Pacific has grounded two-fifths of its passenger fleet for the "foreseeable future", warning on Monday that it will not survive Covid-19 unless it restructures and adapts for a post-pandemic future.

"Frequent testing could be one of our most important interventions as fall approaches to prevent large outbreaks," said Danny Yeung, co-founder and group CEO of Prenetics.

Studies have shown that there could be a 65 per cent reduction in infectiousness with weekly testing. Prenetics plans to launch a Covid-19 test before the end of the year that yields results within 30 minutes.

Former Manchester United player Rio Ferdinand is a Prenetics shareholder. Photo: EPA-EFE alt=Former Manchester United player Rio Ferdinand is a Prenetics shareholder. Photo: EPA-EFE

Tourism is not the only segment of the economy that has been battered by the coronavirus pandemic. Sports fixtures worldwide almost ground to a halt earlier this year.

Prenetics, which counts former Manchester United and England football captain Rio Ferdinand among its shareholders, leapt to international attention in May, when it struck a deal with the English Premier League to test players to help restart live fixtures. The league resumed on June 17 after postponing all matches since early March. Prenetics provided 40,000 Covid-19 tests for all 20 teams.

The English Premier League has renewed Prenetics' contract for the new season as its sole testing provider.

Danny Yeung, CEO of Prenetics at the company's office in Quarry Bay. Photo: Alison Tudor-Ackroyd alt=Danny Yeung, CEO of Prenetics at the company's office in Quarry Bay. Photo: Alison Tudor-Ackroyd

Prenetics, which owns the largest private laboratory in Hong Kong, also announced the completion of a US$15 million Series C fundraising round, led by London-headquartered investment manager Apis Partners and existing investor Alibaba Hong Kong Entrepreneurs Fund, a not-for-profit initiative started by Chinese billionaire Jack Ma, the founder of e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding. Alibaba is the parent of the South China Morning Post.

Prenetics raised US$40 million from a Series B fundraising drive in 2017 and US$10 million in a Series A round in 2016. Its other investors include Indonesia's Lippo Group-backed Venturra Capital, San Francisco-headquartered 500 Startups, Hong Kong-based venture capital fund Beyond Ventures, MFund, China-focused Yuantai Investment Partners, Singapore's Reapra and Ping An Ventures, the venture capital arm of Ping An Insurance Group.

Prenetics has now raised more than US$60 million since it was founded in 2014. The proceeds from the fundraising will be ploughed into developing Covid-19 testing technologies.

Prenetics is a genetics and diagnostic health-testing company, operational in 10 countries with a team of over 200 people. It has performed more than 300,000 RT-PCR Covid-19 tests in Hong Kong and in the UK, having identified 280 individuals who tested positive for Covid-19.

Prenetics was the only Hong Kong-headquartered laboratory appointed by the Hong Kong government in the first phase of community Covid-19 testing across high-risk clusters.

Hong Kong followed in the footsteps of mainland China cities, Germany, Iceland and South Korea in using mass community testing as a way to identify asymptomatic people in the community and halt the spread of the coronavirus.

The BMJ, a weekly peer-reviewed medical journal, said 78 per cent of Covid-19 patients might be asymptomatic, underscoring the importance of testing.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright  2020 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2020. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
New Delhi: After being involved in a Twitter spat with several people over the past few weeks, Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut has said that she may come across as a "ladaku" (bellicose) but it is not true. The `Queen` actor who has been making headlines since the past few weeks with her tussle with Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut and several Bollywood actors, took to Twitter to make statements about her. "I may come across as a very ladaku person but it`s not true, I have a record of never starting a fight," she said late on Thursday.

She went on to state that she can "quit Twitter if anyone can prove otherwise."

"I will quit twitter if anyone can prove otherwise, I never start a fight but I finish every fight. Lord Krishna said when someone asks you to late on Thursday fight you mustn`t deny them," the 33-year-old actor said.

I may come across as a very ladaku person but its not true, I have a record of never starting a fight, I will quit twitter if anyone can prove otherwise, I never start a fight but I finish every fight. Lord Krishna said when someone aks you to fight you mustnt deny them  Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 17, 2020

The statements came shortly after she engaged in a Tweet spat of sorts with filmmaker Anurag Kashyap earlier in the day.

Actress Kangana Ranaut has shared a few inside pictures of her Mumbai office, which was partially demolished by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) last week over 'illegal construction'. In the series of posts, she also tagged Congress and used the hashtag 'National Unemployment Day'.

In one of her tweets, she said, "This is rape of my dreams, my spirits, my self-esteem and my future." She further added that her office has turned into a "graveyard."

Actress Kangana Ranaut has shared a few inside pictures of her Mumbai office, which was partially demolished by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) last week over 'illegal construction'. In the series of posts, she also tagged Congress and used the hashtag 'National Unemployment Day'.

In one of her tweets, she said, "This is rape of my dreams, my spirits, my self-esteem and my future." She further added that her office has turned into a

Kangana's office was demolished by the BMC on September 9, the day she landed in Mumbai from Manali.

The actress drew the ire of the Shiv Sena government after she compared Mumbai with Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) in her tweets. She received strong-worded reactions from Sena leaders, including Sanjay Raut, whom Kangana accused of threatening her to not return to Mumbai if she has no faith in the police.

Following this, she was given Y security. Kangana arrived in Mumbai amid tight security. while the BMC conducted the demolition drive at her Mumbai office, razing portions that they claimed were "illegally built".

Later, the Bombay High Court granted a stay on the demolition of the office, asking the BMC to file a reply on the actress' petition. Kangana approached the Bombay High Court on challenging the notice issued by the Mumbai civic body for 'illegal construction' and sought a stay on the demolition process.

A day after the demolition, Kangana visited her Mumbai office to inspect property damage.
The TVA STEM Classroom Grant Program is open for applications with $800,000 in funding available for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics learning projects in classrooms and schools in areas served by TVA across the Tennessee Valley.

The education program is sponsored by TVA in partnership with Bicentennial Volunteers Inc., a TVA retiree organization, with TVA contributing $500,000 and BVI contributing $300,000 to the effort.

The 2020-2021 STEM grant application is open through Oct. 16. Grants may be requested in amounts up to $5,000 each. Eligible applicants are teachers or school administrators in public or private schools, grades K-12. Schools must be located in the TVA service area and receive power from a local power company served by TVA.

Grant application submission and review will be managed by the independent Tennessee STEM Innovation Network.

TVA recognizes that excellence in education is the key to developing our future workforce in the Valley and helping communities attract great jobs for the next generation, said Jeannette Mills, TVA executive vice president and chief external relations officer. This program directly supports teachers in advancing STEM activities in their classrooms to develop a talent pipeline for TVA, its customers, and the region.

Last years program awarded $600,000 in grants to schools across the Tennessee Valley. The competitive grant program gives preference to applications that explore TVAs primary areas of focus: energy, environment, economic and career development, and community problem solving. In addition, this year educators can also apply for a grant to support pandemic response or virtual learning materials to assist in STEM education.

During this unprecedented time, we have seen educators across the state creatively and effectively engage students through quality STEM instruction, while maintaining a focus on safety through social distancing, said Brandi Stroecker, director of the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network. Thanks to TVA and BVI, educators across Tennessee will have the opportunity to design innovative hybrid, virtual, or in-class STEM learning experiences that deepen understanding and connect students to STEM careers.

Visit the TSIN website to learn more about grant requirements, see examples of previously funded projects, and apply for funding.






RTE's Tony Connelly was spotted in a suit jacket and shorts combo while reporting live from Brussels yesterday.

An RTE journalist was spotted in a suit jacket and cargo shorts combo while reporting live from Brussels yesterday.

RTE's Europe Editor Tony Connolly swapped his suit trousers for shorts yesterday amid the scorching Belgian heat and was seen reporting from Brussels yesterday wearing a smart shirt and jacket and navy shorts with sandals.
New Delhi: Three Indian directors, speaking on an Industry Conference panel at the hybrid 45the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), threw light on the fight to break the shackles of patriarchy in a male-dominated movie industry. The TIFF Spotlight on Women in Indian Cinema, moderated by film critic journalist Naman Ramchandran, was organised with the support of the Indian consulate general in Toronto.

The filmmakers on the panel Leena Yadav (Parched, Rajma Chawal), Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari (Nil Battey Sannata, Bareilly Ki Barfi, Panga) and actor-turned-director Tannishtha Chatterjee (whose debut behind the camera, Roam Rome Mein, is doing the festival rounds and awaiting release) spoke as much about the challenges they face as about the opportunities they now have in a changing world. Apoorva Srivastava, Indian Consul General in Toronto, said: We agreed to partner with this initiative because of two reasons: one, women directors bring in a fresh perspective and two, this totally aligns with the aim to increase womens participation in the movie industry both behind and in front of the camera.

Chatterjee, a TIFF regular who is currently helming Season 3 of Amazon Prime Videos Four More Shots Please!, asserted that while misogyny is an undeniable reality in the movie industry, she faced no problems as a first-time director. She had a largely female crew, including the director of photography, and so gender was never an issue during the Roam Rome Mein shoot, Chatterjee said.

The film, about a man whose sister goes missing, does not simply address the womens empowerment theme. In the process of his search, the male protagonist realises his own deep-seated gender prejudices, she said. I wanted to make a film about women, said Chatterjee, but I also wanted to shake something in men.

Yadav, striking a hopeful note, said: I think we are as an industry transitioning from reacting to gender to reacting to individuals. She, however, was quick to add that solid conditioning is still a problem. Some people on film sets in Mumbai, she added, make blatantly sexist statements without probably meaning what they say.

There is so much competition in the Mumbai industry today that decisions regarding who will be hired and who will not be have gone beyond gender considerations if you are good at your job, Yadav, whose Parched premiered in TIFF in 2015, said. Sharing her experience during the filming of Nil Battey Sannata in Agra five years ago, Iyer Tiwari said: The local production people took a while to get used to the idea of taking orders from a woman. It was kind of difficult but they did come around by the end of the shoot.

Yadav, too, was up against similar resistance when she went scouting for locations for Parched. The villages I went to refused me permission because I was a woman, she said. The villagers said our women will get corrupted by you. On the logic behind the making of Parched", Yadav said: We wanted to blow the pants off Sex in the City by making Sex in the Village. The idea was to have an honest, unfiltered conversation on sex.

Yadav asserted that she wasnt interested in telling a sad story about repression. She added: I am telling a story celebrating the spirit of these women, these survivors. I am also empathetic to the men, who are not being addressed and who need an equal amount of healing from their conditioning. It is difficult being that man in that society, Yadav said.
She has one of the edgiest wardrobes in the extended royal family, and today Lady Amelia Windsor once again showcased her boho style credentials as she stepped out in London.

The royal, 24, who is 39th in line to the British throne, was spotted strolling through Notting Hill, looking relaxed as she made the most of the late summer sunshine.

D&G model Amelia showcased her tanned legs in a flouncy floral skirt made up of panels of different fabrics.

She paired the skirt with a grey sleeveless top, adding a dash of colour with a beaded necklace and gold chain.

Boho babe! Lady Amelia Windsor showcased her edgy style in a patchwork floral skirt, a sleeveless top and leopard print trainers as she stepped out in Notting Hill

The D&G model, who is 39th in line to the throne, looked relaxed as she soaked up the late summer sunshine, and appeared to go make-up free

Initially leaving her blonde locks flowing loosely around her shoulders for the outing, the socialiste who is the granddaughter of the Queen's cousin, the Duke of Kent, appeared to be make-up free.

She completed the look with a pair of leopard print trainers and carried her belongings in a straw shoulder bag.

Later on, she pulled her hair off her face using an electric blue scrunchie she'd been wearing around her wrist.

Some delicate bangles, with one matchine her necklace, on her both wrists completed the look.

At one point in the outing, Lady Amelia swept her hair off her face with a blue scrunchie and cooled down with a refreshing beverage

Keeping cool in the heat, the royal was seen toting a canned beverage as she made her way through the streets.

The royal, who graduated with a degree in Italian and French from the University of Edinburgh last year, is the granddaughter of the Queen's cousin, the Duke of Kent.

She is regularly snapped out and about in her local neighbourhood of Notting Hill, where she enjoys a vast-array of hobbies including pottery and ballet classes.

The royal looked glowing as she enjoyed the afternoon sun, and checked her phone as she took a relaxed stroll

Lady Amelia has a blossoming following of 83,700 followers on Instagram, where she regularly posts snaps from glamorous fashion events, as well as her adventures exploring trendy parts of the capital.

Despite backlash over Londoners escaping to visit their second homes at the start of the UK's coronavirus-related lockdown, Lady Amelia fled to her parents' home in Cambridge in late March.

She shared a snap of the city dated 23 March, a week after the government advised against all non-essential travel and fears mounted that capital dwellers could be spreading the disease across the country.

Despite backlash over Londoners escaping to visit their second homes at the start of the UK's coronavirus-related lockdown, Lady Amelia fled to her parents' home in Cambridge in late March. Pictured: A snap of the area, shared by the royal to her Instagram in April

Lady Amelia also revealed in April, that she invested in a multi-coloured tie dye face mask while in lockdown, and encouraged her fans to 'support small businesses' during the pandemic.

Posting on her Instagram stories, she wrote that it was an 'opportunity to support small businesses who are also donating to key workers.'

She went on to tag the brand Florence Bridge in her post, writing: 'Beautiful face masks, with 50 per cent going to @fuelourfrontline.'

Amelia has modelled for the likes of Dolce & Gabbana and designed her own range of accessories in collaboration with Penelope Chilvers.

She is represented by Storm models, which also looks after the likes of Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne.

Lady Amelia also revealed in April, that she invested in a multi-coloured tie dye face mask (above) while in lockdown, and encouraged her fans to 'support small businesses' during the pandemic

Additionally she has been named as a contributing editor in Tatler Magazine, and reportedly interned at jewellery house Bulgari, during her time studying at Edinburgh university.

Despite most of the royals keeping their private life off social media, Amelia is a big fan of Instagram and regularly shares glimpses at her glamorous life with her followers.
The worlds biggest oil companies began to slash the value of reserves and current projects in 2020 as some fields became unprofitable to drill. Total SE wrote down about $7 billion of Canadian oil sands assets in July, while Royal Dutch Shell Plc took a $4.7 billion hit in the second quarter relating to assets in North America, Brazil and Europe and a project in Nigeria. Exxon Mobil Corp. warned in August that low energy prices may wipe as much as one-fifth of its oil and natural gas reserves off the books. Chevron Corp. said it expects to revise its reserves down about 10%, mainly in the Permian Basin straddling Texas and New Mexico, and in Australia.
Drone and mobile phone footage from San Francisco has highlighted the scale of the citys homeless problem, as wildfires forced officials to set up temporary indoor relief shelters.

In the first of two short clips uploaded to LiveLeak, a drone was flown over homeless encampments built near the City Hall in San Francisco, California.

The footage shows the scale of the problem, and gives a glimpse into a growing issue in the city, which is in direct view of those making the decisions for residents as they enter the City Hall and surrounding buildings.

Last week, it was announced that a law had been passed in San Francisco that will enable the city to collect $300m (231.4m) from taxing wealthy businesses, which will go towards homeless services.

The citys Proposition C will tax five per cent on San Francisco businesses that make more than $50m (38.5m) a year, after it was finally made into law following a majority vote in 2018.

An article on the website of Our City Our Home, who campaigned for Prop C, explains that half of the funding will pay for construction, rehab, prevention and operating subsidies of approximately 4,000 units of housing over the next eight years.

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The group says that the aim of the legislation is to house all who are currently experiencing long term or chronic homelessness, are sick, are youth, and families with children.

The rest of the money will be used to help those who experience mental health and substance abuse crises, and to aid people in the city who are housing insecure.

The second clip uploaded to LiveLeak again shows the scale of the city's homeless population, but against the backdrop of the wildfires that have ravaged areas of California for the last month, polluting the air with toxic smoke.

In the video, filmed by Jenna Chan on her smartphone, the car that she is a passenger in drives by a series of homeless encampments located near Caltrain station, as wildfires rage nearby giving the sky an orange tint.

On 11 September, the air quality in the city hit a high of 228 on the Air Quality Index, which is classified as very unhealthy, according to Fox News.

In reaction to the toxic air polluting the city during the wildfires, the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management opened up four weather relief centres for homeless people, but only did so from between 10am to 5.30pm.

On Friday, the department released a statement, which read: There will be a health screening at these sites before entering; face coverings & physical distance required as Covid-19 is still a threat in SF. Masks will be provided for those who do not have one.

The wildfires, that have decimated parts of states on the US west coast, have forced at least 600,000 people to flee their homes, which may contribute to the worsening of an already growing homeless problem in San Francisco.
Top leaders at the Williamson County Sheriff's Department in Texas allegedly offered gift cards to deputies who used force (KVUE)

Texas cops were allegedly given steakhouse gift cards from their superiors in the sheriffs department if they used force while on the job, according to a report.

In a recorded interview with Texas Rangers, former deputy Christopher Pisa said Commander Steve Deaton with the Williamson County sheriffs office rewarded deputies he considered WilCo badass, the Austin American-Statesman reported.

They had the intention that we were all WilCo badass and, if you went out there and did your job and you had to use force on somebody and he agreed with it, then you would get a gift card, Mr Pisa said in audio obtained by the publication.

Former Sergeant Troy Brogden, who resigned from the sheriffs department in 2019, confirmed his former colleagues claims, adding Mr Deaton would reward deputies with gift cards for what he considered good uses of force.

Mr Brogden, who worked for the department for over 20 years before resigning, said the gift cards were brought up by Mr Deaton multiple times in meetings and classes with other members of the force in attendance.

He would talk about it in groups, including supervisors meetings and classes, Brogden said. I was like, What the hell?

Sheriff Robert Chody said in a statement: The only use of cards I recall specifically was for a deputy who was able to recover some excellent fingerprints that ended up helping an investigation resulting in a warrant for that suspect and for a capture of a burglary suspect.

I dont know what good force means, he added.

The Williamson County Sheriffs Department has faced increased scrutiny in recent months, with Texas Rangers and the Williamson County District Attorneys Office investigating at least five use-of-force incidents involving deputies.

One incident under investigation involved deputies Johnson and Zach Camden, who remain on the force. The two deputies were involved in the March 2019 death of 40-year-old black man Javier Ambler that was captured by Live PD.

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Body cam footage of the incident, which wasnt publicly released until June 2020, showed Mr Ambler telling officers that he had a heart condition and was struggling to breathe while they restrained them. The officers also allegedly used a stun gun on Mr Ambler during the arrest.

Mr Pisa did not say in an interview with a Texas ranger if the two deputies received gift cards for the March 2019 incident that involved use of force. But he did say it was common knowledge that Mr Deaton would review incidents and would reward deputies with gift cards if they used force.

You are saying that  correct me if I am mistaken  that Commander Deaton, that it is known that Commander Deaton gives out gift cards to steakhouses or wherever to people for using force? the Ranger asked in an audio tape.

A good use of force, Mr Pisa said.

Attorneys for the two deputies involved in the Ambler case declined the American-Statesmans request for comment on whether they received gift cards from their superiors following that incident.

Mr Pisa resigned after using force on a black woman during an April 2019 traffic stop, an incident that is currently under investigation.

He told a Texas ranger that he expected to receive a gift card from his superiors following the incident but never did.

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By PTI

NEW DELHI: Data on the number of healthcare workers who are infected by the coronavirus infection or have lost their lives during COVID-19 duty is not maintained at the central level by the health ministry, the government told Lok Sabha on Friday.

However, details of the number of persons seeking relief under the "Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Insurance Package for Health Workers Fighting COVID-19" is maintained at the national level, Minister of State (MoS) for Health Ashwini Choubey said in a written reply.

According to details of the scheme, a total of 155 healthcare staff, including 64 doctors, have died due to the coronavirus infection in the country as on September 11.

In response to a question on compensation or job, Choubey said no specific scheme in context of COVID-19 has been proposed for compensation or job to the next of kin of such deceased doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers.

ALSO READ | IMA publishes list of 382 doctors who died due to COVID-19, demands 'martyr' status for them

To a question on the number of doctors, paramedics and other official staff serving in government and private hospitals who were affected and died during COVID-19 duty , the minister said, "Data on number of healthcare workers who are infected by COVID-19 or number of such persons who have lost lives during COVID duty is not maintained at central level by Ministry of Health".

However, insurance provision has been made under the "Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package for Health Workers Fighting COVID-19", a central sector scheme, he said.

The scheme provides an insurance cover of Rs 50 lakh to healthcare providers, including community health workers, who may have to be in direct contact and care of COVID-19 patients and who may be at risk of being impacted by this, Choubey said.

It will also include accidental loss of life on account of contracting COVID-19, the minister informed.
A section of the PSAs General Council members attending a meeting in this file picture.

MANZINI - Can you believe it?

At the height of mounting pressure from public sector associations (PSAs), who were demanding that government offer them a cost-of-living adjustment (CoLA) surpassing three per cent, government did the unthinkable.

It committed itself to a three per cent CoLA and an additional one per cent once-off payment to all civil servants calculated based on their annual pay. However, when this decision was taken, government had only budgeted E227 million for CoLA while the additional once-off payment had not been allocated any funds.

As government had not budgeted for this expenditure, a plan was to be made and this arrangement resulted in government reintroducing the hiring freeze; inclusive of essential services.

Memorandum

This is substantiated by a memorandum released by the Ministry of Public Service on September 2, 2020. It has been gathered that the core reason government released the memorandum, was because it wanted to suspend any prospects of recruitment into the civil service in order to raise E57 million which became a shortfall after the implementation of the one per cent once-off payment equivalent to each civil servants annual remuneration.

When awarding the three per cent CoLA and the additional one per cent once-off payment, it ended up not being limited to only civil servants, as history repeated itself.

This is because, just like in the implementation of the public sector workers salary review of 2016, politicians benefitted from the pay structure targeting civil servants as they were awarded the three per cent CoLA and the additional once-off payment of one per cent of their annual salary.

Circulars

This is despite that politicians have their own pay structure, which is set through circulars.

Currently, local politicians are paid through Finance Circular No.2 of 2013, as a circular set for the remuneration and perks of the 11th Parliament politicians was suspended.

This is particularly because government, through the Ministry of Finance, suspended the implementation of Finance Circular No.3 of 2019, whose aim was to be the guiding instrument for the remuneration of politicians of the 11th Parliament.

Given this challenge government faced, a sacrifice was made and it involved the sidelining of graduates from various tertiary institutions who anticipated to be absorbed into the civil service.

Annually, over 2 000 students graduate from local institutions and seek employment in various sectors, including the civil service. However, those who had wished to join the civil service after completion of their studies will this year have a tough time as the memorandum reintroduced by government states that it will not be waived in the 2020/21 financial calendar. This period lapses on March 31, 2021. Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Public Service Sipho Tsabedze confirmed that the hiring freeze sought to also assist government recover the cost of the additional one per cent once-off payment.

The PS said there was no budget for the additional one per cent once-off payment and governments mission to render vacant posts dormant was aimed at raising funds. He said the cost was calculated to be around E57 million.

When sought to assist with the actual number of people or posts that would not be filled by government, Tsabedze said: The posts are not static as they are created on a daily basis. They are a result of natural attrition and also some public service workers leaving the employ of government for greener pastures.

Leading to this, the Ministry of Public Service was said to be promoting civil servants to higher posts which was bloating the already stuffed wage bill.

Currently, government has about 44 000 employees in the various ministries.

Promoting

In recent months, the ministry had been promoting senior human resources officers to be principal human resources officers and other personnel within the civil service.

By default, the promotion of the former created vacant posts for the latter which in turn demanded recruitment of personnel into the civil service much against the hiring freeze imposed by the 10th Parliaments Cabinet, led by the late former Prime Minister, Sibusiso Barnabas Dlamini, on August 1, 2018.

It was gathered that there were nine senior posts that had been made vacant by the promotions conducted by the Ministry of Public Service.

Tsabedze had confirmed the promotions. He further acknowledged that there was a suspension of promotions; however, these in particular, were old. The PS said the promotions were necessary as stalling them would have rendered the government machinery dysfunctional. He made an example of how a school would fail to operate if a head teacher had retired.
Israel imposed a second nationwide lockdown on Friday to tackle one of the world's highest coronavirus infection rates, despite public protests over the new blow to the economy.

The three-week shutdown from 2:00 pm (1100 GMT) started just hours before Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year, and will extend through other key religious holidays, including Yom Kippur and Sukkot.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the government had been left with no choice but to impose a lockdown.

"The health system has raised the red flag... We did everything we could to strike a balance between the health needs and needs of the economy," he said in a televised address on Thursday.

While the government was praised for its initial handling of the pandemic, implementing a strict lockdown in March, many Israelis have expressed frustration at the cabinet's perceived mismanagement of the crisis in recent months.

"We do not close a country this way," ran a headline in the top-selling daily Yediot Aharonot on Friday, which featured interviews with doctors, economists and teachers all opposed to the lockdown.

Erez Berenbaum, director of Assuta hospital in the coastal city of Ashdod, said the "lack of clarity in the instructions will lead to defiance among Israelis".

On the eve of the lockdown, authorities were still deciding on the details, with a rule ordering residents to stay within 500 metres (yards) of their homes extended late on Thursday to one kilometre.

During the first lockdown, the limit was set at 100 metres.

There are numerous exceptions to the new distance rule, including people going out to buy medicine or food, as well as to attend a funeral or circumcision ceremony.

- Financial fallout -

Bars were packed in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem on Thursday evening, despite Israel having the world's second-highest infection rate based on an AFP tally of the past two weeks.

Israel has ramped up testing and on Thursday 5,238 positive cases were recorded out of 56,986 tests processed.

Story continues

Previously, neighbouring Lebanon was the only country in the world to have ordered a second nationwide lockdown in response to the virus.

But within days of it going into effect on August 21 authorities gave up on enforcing it, in the face of overwhelming public opposition in a country in the grips of economic crisis and still reeling from its worst-ever peacetime disaster.

In Israel, coronavirus has killed 1,169 people out of a population of nine million.

The government has branded numerous cities "red" for their high infection rates, including Netanya and Rishon Letzion, near Tel Aviv, and various neighbourhoods of Jerusalem, including the Old City.

Although economic activity usually slows during the Jewish high holidays, many in Israel fear the financial fallout of the second lockdown.

Netanyahu's government had tried various measures in recent months to avoid a full shutdown, such as weekend closures, but has repeatedly backtracked in the face of opposition.

Earlier this month, the coalition attempted to imposed localised lockdowns in places with high infection rates, only to downgrade the measure to curfews and school closures.

Netanyahu has faced weeks of public protests against his leadership and on Thursday hundreds of Israelis rallied in Tel Aviv against the second lockdown.

"The economy is in free-fall, people are losing their jobs, they're depressed," said protester Yael, 60, who lost her job at an architecture firm in the crisis.

"And all this for what? For nothing!"

bur-rsc/kir
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The ancient spider had a teeny, tiny erection. Well, technically the 99-million-year-old Halitherses grimaldii is a spiderlike animal. But this specimen was discovered by a German scientist, trapped in sap, with, yes, an erect penis.

In Phallacy: Life Lessons From the Animal Penis, which publishes Tuesday, Emily Willingham details how, of all the thousands of arachnids and crucial discoveries that the arachnologist had made, nothing garnered the the same ecstatic attention as that erection. Willingham closes the anecdote with a declaration: Nothing gets clicks like a story about dicks, even if its about a penis thats 1.5 millimeters long and millions of years old.

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Who can resist a story about a penis? Not you, it seems. (Thank you for clicking on this very article!) Phallacy, in the penis-story department, does not disappoint. Willingham, a urology researcher turned science writer, gives readers stories about everything from the 8-foot penises attached to blue whales, to the corkscrew penises on ducks, to the rodentlike marsupials that have intercourse for hours even as they reach the brink of death.

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But the examination of the differences among many, many species penises is just one aspect of the book, which also delves into our cultural understanding of organs. At its most compelling, the book is pointing out its title phallacy: that the human penis deserves to be imbued with so much power. In the scope of the animal world, the book makes clear again and again, it really isnt much to write home about.

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I spoke with Willingham about her book and what animal penises can tell us about humans. Our interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Madeline Ducharme: Your book has a section about animals that detach their penises as part of reproduction. Thats sort of an ultimate fear for humans, losing a penis. People see it as emasculating. But in other animals, its natural part of their process, and actually how they make things happen for themselves. What did it feel like to find those contradictions?

Emily Willingham: I would point out that obviously we are not constructed so that our penises are meant to fall off. Its not a common occurrence, but it is a common anxiety. And the last chapter [The Rise and Fall of the Phallus] addresses some of the psychology around that. In animals where that does occur, sometimes it is for the safety of the animal with the penis. So the example of the paper nautilus is a cephalopod, an octopus. The male is so much smaller than the female that it just kind of drops his arm off. The males have an arm that they use to deliver gametes, and this particular octopus is so much smaller than the female. The male will just kind of sneak up and drop off the arm and rush away as fast as possible so that the female doesnt eat the rest of him.

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A lot of other species are even more extreme. Theyll just give up their whole bodies to the female. That is a nutrition thing more than anything else. Its really like, Here are some amino acids because youre about to be charged with growing new babies.

"The vaginas have been left out of scientific research."  Emily Willingham

Situating Phallacy in a particular genre is interesting to think about because its very much a science book, but there are also elements of psychology and even sociology and sexual politics. How have you thought about that element of this book?

It does not slot directly into any one category. I think that maybe the best way to think of it is this: Its a book that unpacks the mix of sociocultural factors and evolutionary biology as they relate to genitalia and our human attitudes about them.

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But I dont know how you put that on a specific shelf at Barnes & Noble. Thats not exactly a label. I consider it to be a feminist book as well.

Say more about that.

The book, of course, is ostensibly about penises, which people do tend to associate with males and men. But the central chapter of the book is about how the vaginas have been left out of scientific research and the factors that feed into that, which have to do with whos been asking the questions and how they choose to answer them over the decades of science in this area. And the fact that were omitting the other partner in this genital handshake means that we have a lot of questions unanswered. Theres so much more research to be done.

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You can see, I mean, just in the cultural moment now, with WAP, right? With Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion, people were just so appalled that somebody would be making a reference to a wet ass pussy. I dont think we have enough out there that normalizes the discussion [of vaginas]. That applies to the research aspects as well.

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People really like talking about penises. While I was reading your book, I kept thinking of a recent article in the New York Post about a man who was regrowing a penis out of his arm after losing his penis to an infection. The way that story went viral was a perfect case study for how obsessed we are with sensationalized stories about the penis.

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So I have a Google alert set for penis right now, which means, every day in my inbox, I end up with a little blurb on all of the stories that mention penises. I get the obsession with penises. I mean, look at meI just wrote a book about these things that I hope people buy so that they can learn about them.

I think that our genitalia and anything associated honestly with reproduction fascinates us. But also, I like this story about the man having a body part replaced by being able to grow another one on his arm. And it honestly doesnt matter to me which body part it is, because the ability to regrow it is the cool part to me. I could understand that if I had a penis and it were at risk for that, even if it were just the lowest, lowest, lowest, most minuscule risk during my lifetime, it would be comforting to know that there was the possibility that I could grow one on my arm if I lose this one, right?

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Recently, I think weve dramatically changed the way we talk about gender because of trans activists. What do those changes mean for someone like you whos studying the way genitalia has been intertwined with essentialist ideas of gender?

In the course of my work, Ive measured a lot of penises, and I can say that there is a continuum of sizes and other things. Anywhere you look when youre talking about genitalia, there is a continuum. And the people who are pushing back against the right of trans people to exist are ignoring the science that says that there are continua of features, including behavioral expression and anatomical features.

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Although we as humans really like to pocket things into binaries, the biological evidence does not support that. The people who insist on these dusty old binaries need to move out of the way at this point.

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What do you think is our way forward in creating a world where the penis is not absolutely centered all the time?

On the human front, I think that we can redefine what we view as masculinity. I think there are multiple masculinities and ways to be masculine. There is an overarching imperative right now of an impossible masculinity that I think leaves a lot of people who seek it angry, disoriented, confused, and, for some of them, self-entitled.

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I think that we could use a cultural shift from an emphasis on physical strength, on not showing certain emotions, and on the quick-strike, thrusting brilliance that everybody seems to revere and shift toward emphasizing features like empathy, kindness, and authentic expression. How do you go about that? Well, thats a whole other book, which Im actually currently writing. Im writing a book on the brain next, and some of the themes in that include people who want their brains to work faster or smarter. Why do we prioritize that over our brains being more empathetic, or kinder?
Keeping Up With The Kardashians returned on Thursday evening, after the family recently announced that the series would be coming to an end next year.

And for the series' season 19 premiere, Khloe Kardashian and brother-in-law Scott Disick took another stab at their infamous 'Kris Jenner Paparazzi prank' in the hopes of finally fooling the Kardashian-Jenner matriarch.

In a confessional, Khloe explained that 'months ago,' with the help of Scott and her older sister Kim Kardashian, she dressed up as Kris and posed for a slew of fake paparazzi images.

Round two: Khloe Kardashian and brother-in-law Scott Disick took another stab at their infamous 'Kris Jenner Paparazzi prank' in the hopes of finally fooling the Kardashian-Jenner matriarch

First time around: In a confessional, Khloe explained that 'months ago,' with the help of Scott and her older sister Kim Kardashian, she dressed up as Kris and posed for a slew of fake paparazzi images

But, unfortunately, the 'first set of photos weren't that believable.'

'So tonight is the start of phase two,' said Khloe with a menacing grin, before launching into the elaborate new plan she formed with Kim and Scott.

In order to get 'more realistic photos,' Khloe and Kim take Kris and Kris' longtime boyfriend Corey Gamble out to dinner with the intention of getting Kris 'belligerently drunk.'

'Right now, the plan is to get her belligerently drunk so she essentially blacks out and can't really remember what she did tonight,' explained Khloe to the camera, before Kim shot her a look.

'Not like a blackout. We just want her to not remember,' said Kim, attempting to clarify their intentions. But Khloe, set in her ways, corrected Kim and said: 'A blackout.'

Waiters approach their table and one of them begins shaking up a martini, which causes Kris to jump in her seat.

New plan: In order to get 'more realistic photos,' Khloe and Kim take Kris and Kris' longtime boyfriend Corey Gamble out to dinner with the intention of getting Kris 'belligerently drunk'

Poker face: 'Right now, the plan is to get her belligerently drunk so she essentially blacks out and can't really remember what she did tonight,' explained Khloe to the camera, before Kim shot her a look

'Mom, do you want one?' Khloe asked Kris, but the 64-year-old businesswoman immediately dismissed the idea.

In order to convince her mom to order a martini, Khloe lies and tells Kris that she, herself, 'has never had a martini' before.

'We should have one. I've never had a martini,' said, Khloe, and, as if he were in sync with the plan, the waiter notifies Kris that the martini is 'on the house'

'Oh, on the house?' asks Kris, before taking the martini from the waiter and indulging in a sip.

'I have the bartender giving Mom her dirty martinis, and I have my water martinis, um, that the bartenders are giving me,' explained Khloe in another side-by-side confessional with Kim

You heard me: 'Not like a blackout. We just want her to not remember,' said Kim, attempting to clarify their intentions. But Khloe, set in her ways, corrected Kim and said: 'A blackout'

'And Mom thinks this is my first time ever having a martini, so I have to do the whole... Like, "Oh, this is so bad,"' said Khloe in a mocking tone.

'You're such a good actress,' said Kim, to which Khloe replied: 'Thank you. I'm good at pretending to be drunk.'

After swinging back a plethora of mixed drinks, Kris gets undeniably tipsy, which prompts Kim and Khloe to celebrate a job well done.

Khloe, proud of their success, took a moment to revel over their fool-proof prank plan.

Coming on strong: Waiters approach their table and one of them begins shaking up a martini, which causes Kris to jump in her seat

C'mon: 'Mom, do you want one?' Khloe asked Kris, but the 64-year-old businesswoman immediately dismissed the idea

Twisted my arm: And Mom thinks this is my first time ever having a martini, so I have to do the whole... Like, "Oh, this is so bad,"' said Khloe in a mocking tone

'And I will be in the Kris Jenner outfit from my toes to my jewelry. It's all gonna match spot-on, and it's gonna look so perfect that she won't know if it was her or the imposter,' she explained.

Later, Scott, with a camera in hand, meets Khloe at a near by liquor store.

Khloe arrives to the hilarious photoshoot in her Kris Jenner get-up, which she revealed actually belonged to her mom.

'Did you get her rocked, is the question?,' asked Scott, referring to Khloe and Kim feeding Kris drinks the other night at dinner.

Khloe replied in the affirmative and noted that her mom was so exhausted from the booze-filled dinner, that 'she threw all of the clothes that she was wearing [all over the floor]' and that [Kris'] assistant handed [the clothes] over to Kim to give to [Khloe].'

Success: After swinging back a plethora of mixed drinks, Kris gets undeniably tipsy, which prompts Kim and Khloe to celebrate a job well done

Scott begins snapping photos of Khloe - dressed as Kris - looking tipsy, while exiting the passenger's side of her SUV.

They then move over to a nearby bush and Khloe dramatically falls into it with a Mastro's bag and a bottle of vodka in hand.

Without warning, Khloe, committed to the gag, crawls into the liquor store's dumpster in order for Scott to capture the most mortifying shot.

'You're diving. You're going to throw something out. That's all. You're a little tipsy. More spill, more spill. Hop up in there, Khloe,' said Scott while snapping pics, before noting in his confessional that he felt like 'Spielberg out there, shooting this sh*t.'

After capturing enough Kris Jenner content, Khloe went on to reveal the third portion of their prank's master plan.

Photoshoot time: Later, Scott, with a camera in hand, meets Khloe at a near by liquor store

Ready to go: Khloe arrives to the hilarious photoshoot in her Kris Jenner get-up, which she revealed actually belonged to her mom

Acting: Scott begins snapping photos of Khloe - dressed as Kris - looking tipsy, while exiting the passenger's side of her SUV

'We have decided that we're gonna get Christy, our PR representative, to leak the photos. We cannot wait. We think it's more authentic and genuine coming from her. Yeah.'

Scott added: 'It's just digging... When we do these pranks, we go... -We go all in.'

The day to unveil the hilariously horrific faux photos of Kris Jenner has come and Scott heads out to Khloe's house to witness the big reveal.

Once Scott arrives, Khloe picks her cellphone and dials the family's publicist Christy to sort out the sick details.

Khloe reveals to Christy that 'Kris is [currently] in the car with Corey and he is fully aware [of the prank].'

Committed: Without warning, Khloe, committed to the gag, crawls into the liquor store's dumpster in order for Scott to capture the most mortifying shot

Total pro: Scott, in his confessional, said that he felt like 'Spielberg out there, shooting this sh*t'

Work it: 'You're diving. You're going to throw something out. That's all. You're a little tipsy. More spill, more spill. Hop up in there, Khloe,' said Scott while snapping pics

'This morning, we figured it was best that we involve Corey in on the prank, because he was with her the night that she got drunk and "Took these photos."'

Christy, keeping Scott and Khloe on the line, calls up Kris Jenner and says: 'So, TMZ called yesterday, and they have-- you know, kind of following up from the images last time-- they have images of you from Monday night.'

Kris, immediately, shoots a confused look in Corey's direction, before prompting Christy to explain further.

'They're of you going into the Malibu, like, liquor store, and you have a bottle of vodka,' concluded Christy, which caused Kris' mouth to visibly drop.

Phase three: 'We have decided that we're gonna get Christy, our PR representative, to leak the photos. We cannot wait. We think it's more authentic and genuine coming from her. Yeah' explained Khloe

Time has come: The day to unveil the hilariously horrific faux photos of Kris Jenner has come and Scott heads out to Khloe's house to witness the big reveal

Wheels in motion: Khloe reveals to Kris' publicist Christy that 'Kris is [currently] in the car with Corey and he is fully aware [of the prank]'

Kris then asks Corey, who is sitting next to her, to help her recall the fuzzy events of 'Monday night.'

'We did s-stop,' said Corey, to which prompted Kris to ask 'where' they stopped.

'In Malibu, on the way home. I got out of the car, and then you was out of the car when I came back,' explained Corey, who was trying his hardest not to break.

In her own confessional, Jenner admitted that on Monday night she knew that she 'was really tipsy and [she had] had a lot to drink, but [she] always relies on Corey.'

'I couldn't have any more security. And yet somebody has photos of me... ...Drunk as a skunk at a pit stop that we apparently made, and I'm peeing in a parking lot. I couldn't be more mortified right now. I'm embarrassed, I'm infuriated with Corey. And now what the hell am I gonna do?'

Say what? Christy, keeping Scott and Khloe on the line, calls up Kris Jenner and says: 'So, TMZ called yesterday, and they have-- you know, kind of following up from the images last time-- they have images of you from Monday night'

Yikes: Kris, immediately, shoots a confused look in Corey's direction, before prompting Christy to explain further

Tell me everything: Kris then asks Corey, who is sitting next to her, to help her recall the fuzzy events of 'Monday night'

Kris, clearly reeling from learning about the unauthorized photos, heads to Khloe's house, where Scott is still present.

'Scott and I decided that we should get my mom over to my house so we could see her sort of squirm in person,' explained Khloe to the viewers at home.

But, as soon as she greets her mother and Corey at the door, Khloe knew that she was 'stressing about the photos.'

'It just turned really bad really quick and we just have to confess and come clean,' said Khloe as Scott nodded in agreement next to her.

Khloe, in an attempt to put the prank to rest, confronts Kris about the photos, 'Mom, is this you peeing? Look, you're peeing.'

Freaking out: 'I couldn't have any more security. And yet somebody has photos of me... ...Drunk as a skunk at a pit stop that we apparently made, and I'm peeing in a parking lot. I couldn't be more mortified right now. I'm embarrassed, I'm infuriated with Corey. And now what the hell am I gonna do?' said Kris in her confessional

So mean: 'Scott and I decided that we should get my mom over to my house so we could see her sort of squirm in person,' explained Khloe to the viewers at home

Totally stressing: But, as soon as she greets her mother and Corey at the door, Khloe knew that she was 'stressing about the photos'

Kris, mortified that her own daughter has seen the pics, begins to stutter as she wracks her brain for an explanation. All she can come up with is, 'I don't know.'

Scott then attempts to break the news to her in a simpler way.

'Could you imagine another scenario?' he began. 'In another world, do you ever think that maybe, just, like, on our spare time, I get a camera and your daughter gets dressed up like you, and we do really weird things and look like Kris Jenner and send them to publicists?'

Kris stares at Scott and Khloe in pure confusion as if she is having trouble processing the pair's confession, but she then remarks with a smile: 'Wow. Wow. I honestly don't like you guys anymore.'

Coming clean: 'It just turned really bad really quick and we just have to confess and come clean,' said Khloe as Scott nodded in agreement next to her

They're not real: ''Could you imagine another scenario?' he began. 'In another world, do you ever think that maybe, just, like, on our spare time, I get a camera and your daughter gets dressed up like you, and we do really weird things and look like Kris Jenner and send them to publicists?' explained Scott to Kris

Not happy: Kris stares at Scott and Khloe in pure confusion as if she is having trouble processing the pair's confession, but she then remarks with a smile: 'Wow. Wow. I honestly don't like you guys anymore'

'We're trying to break the news to her that it's not her in the photos. She's not grasping it,' said Khloe in a confessional. 'We got her to really believe them. And that was the dream.'

As if orchestrating an elaborate prank were not enough to occupy Khloe's time, simultaneously, the 36-year-old reality star came to the aid of her expectant BFF Malika Haqq, 37.

Due to the stress of being a single mom and moving into a new home, Khloe decided to take the reigns on planning Malika's impending baby shower, with the help of Malika's twin sister Khadijah.

The pair, who have been lifelong friends, met up at Malika's brand new home.

Baby shower: As if orchestrating an elaborate prank were not enough to occupy Khloe's time, simultaneously, the 36-year-old reality star came to the aid of her expectant BFF Malika Haqq, 37

Supportive: 'I want to be there for Malika as much as I can and as best as I can. She has to be setting up a nursery...there are so many new things that Malika is gonna be taking on,' explained Khloe empathetically

'I want to be there for Malika as much as I can and as best as I can. She has to be setting up a nursery...there are so many new things that Malika is gonna be taking on,' explained Khloe empathetically.

She then began to ask Malika about how she was going to set up her soon-to-be newborn son's nursery.

'When are you gonna start putting his room together?' Khloe inquired.

Malika explained that she wants 'to do it sooner rather than later,' but 'when [she talks] to [her] son's father, he goes, "Oh, we have time for that." That's his answer to everything. [And Malika is] like, "Good to know you're not gonna be any f**king help."'

Sooner than later: Malika explained that she wants 'to do it sooner rather than later,' but 'when [she talks] to [her] son's father, he goes, "Oh, we have time for that." That's his answer to everything. [And Malika is] like, "Good to know you're not gonna be any f**king help"'

What about the baby daddy? After briefly discussing Malika's desire to paint the baby's room in a black and white color scheme, Khloe felt the need to ask Malika about O.T.'s involvement in preparing for the baby

In order to help the devout Keeping Up With Kardashians audience understand the dynamic of her relationship with her baby daddy, provided some dating history in a confessional.

'Me and my son's father [rapper O.T. Genasis] actually dated for, like, two and a half years. But we're just in two different places in our lives and... I decided that it was better for me to not stay in the relationship because it was just getting harder and harder, but we've agreed to co-parent and bring our son into a loving environment, and that's the most important thing.'

After briefly discussing Malika's desire to paint the baby's room in a black and white color scheme, Khloe felt the need to ask Malika about O.T.'s involvement in preparing for the baby.

Clearly a touchy subject, Malika said that although her and O.T. 'had a good talk yesterday,' they desperately 'need to start talking about how we're going to parent, like, so it isn't something that we're just talking about when the baby gets here.'

From her mouth: In order to help the devout Keeping Up With Kardashians audience understand the dynamic of her relationship with her baby daddy, provided some dating history in a confessional

Co-parenting: 'Me and my son's father [rapper O.T. Genasis] actually dated for, like, two and a half years. But we're just in two different places in our lives and... I decided that it was better for me to not stay in the relationship because it was just getting harder and harder, but we've agreed to co-parent and bring our son into a loving environment, and that's the most important thing,' Malika explained

Feeling alone: Malika went on to express her frustration over her full plate and how she feels like she is doing everything to prepare for the baby, herself

'We actually had a good talk yesterday. I'm like, we do need to start talking about how we're going to parent, like, so it isn't something that we're just talking about when the baby gets here.'

She went on to express her frustration over her full plate and how she feels like she is doing everything to prepare for the baby, herself.

Khloe, who also happens to be a single mom to two-year-old daughter True, admitted that all of the things Malika is having to deal with, such as 'paying a mortgage' and 'doing all these things on her own' would even be tough for her to handle.

'She's now gonna take care of the baby. All these things-- it's overwhelming.'

A few days later, Khloe meets up for lunch with Malika's twin sister Khadijah to discuss the details going into Malika's upcoming baby shower.

Planning: A few days later, Khloe meets up for lunch with Malika's twin sister Khadijah to discuss the details going into Malika's upcoming baby shower

Asking Malika: Khloe and Khadijah end up calling Malika on the phone because they wanted to run some of the details they had planned by her, especially since 'the baby shower is in a week'

'I think we're gonna give her what she wants, but I think it's also gonna be like, we did this for you,' said Khadijah as the pair dined. 'It's a collaboration,' added Khloe.

Khloe and Khadijah end up calling Malika on the phone because they wanted to run some of the details they had planned by her, especially since 'the baby shower is in a week.'

While on the phone with Khloe and Khadijah, Malika sounds noticeably stressed, especially after Khloe and Khadijah suggest that she should narrow down her guest list from 50 people to 40.

Malika, clearly irked by the suggestion, admitted that she feels as if her baby shower is being hijacked by Khloe and her twin sister.

Irked: Malika, clearly irked by the suggestion, admitted that she feels as if her baby shower is being hijacked by Khloe and her twin sister

Take two: Once Khloe and Khadijah left the restaurant they were eating at, the pair returned to Khloe's car and redialed Malika

'It's not becoming what Malika wants it to be. It's becoming what everybody else wants it to be,' said the expectant mother, before hanging up the phone on Khloe.

Once Khloe and Khadijah left the restaurant they were eating at, the pair returned to Khloe's car and redialed Malika.

When Malika picks up the phone, she sounds as if she is crying, which prompts Khloe to ask: 'Are you crying?'

'I'm just really stressed out. It's bad enough. I'm not in the best situation. I'm trying to do the best that I can, and, like, even little (bleep) That I'm supposed to enjoy, like my shower... I know that Malika bursting into tears really has nothing to do with Khadijah or myself. We can imagine that it has something to do with O.T. It's something that's deeper than us. I definitely empathize with her, but I just want her to always feel reassured that I'm there for her.'

Wow: Flash forward one week, and It is the day of Malika's baby shower and Khloe is in awe at how all the decor came out

Family in attendance: Khloe, who is eager to earn approval from Malika for her party planning, greets guests, like sister Kylie Jenner, Kris Jenner, and Kourtney Kardashian as they arrive

Flash forward one week, and It is the day of Malika's baby shower and Khloe is in awe at how all the decor came out.

Khloe, who is eager to earn approval from Malika for her party planning, greets guests, like sister Kylie Jenner, Kris Jenner, and Kourtney Kardashian as they arrive.

The youngest Kardashian kept looking at the ballroom's entrance to see if Malika had arrived.

'Oh, is she here? I'm getting stressed out. She did say no to quite a few things. She's so crazy,' she said with a laugh to Kris and Kourtney.

'She wanted this all black and white. I was like, "No." And I incorporated bears, which she was not into. God forbid. So I really hope she likes everything that we did for her.'

Eager: The youngest Kardashian kept looking at the ballroom's entrance to see if Malika had arrived

Stunned: Lady of honor: After much suspense, Malika arrives in a stunning blush toned dress that perfectly encapsulates her baby bump

Thankful: 'Oh my god,' she says, while taking in the awe-inspiring decor, food displays, etc. that Khloe worked tirelessly to put together for her. She made her way to Khloe and could not stop thanking her

After much suspense, Malika arrives in a stunning blush toned dress that perfectly encapsulates her baby bump.

'Oh my god,' she says, while taking in the awe-inspiring decor, food displays, etc. that Khloe worked tirelessly to put together for her. She made her way to Khloe and could not stop thanking her.

'To see Malika with this beaming smile, she's glowing from the inside out, everybody's praising her. This is all about how beautiful of an experience this is, a moment in time. And this is how she should remember her pregnancy,' said Khloe in her confessional.

At her baby shower, Malika, with mic in hand, stood before all of her guest, which included baby daddy O.T. Genasis.

Beaming: 'To see Malika with this beaming smile, she's glowing from the inside out, everybody's praising her. This is all about how beautiful of an experience this is, a moment in time. And this is how she should remember her pregnancy,' said Khloe in her confessional

In attendance: At her baby shower, Malika, with mic in hand, stood before all of her guest, which included baby daddy O.T. Genasis

Emotional: 'The reason why I really wanted to have a shower is because it's you women that have helped me get through this pregnancy, 100%. And I'm incredibly thankful to Odis Flores for my little boy,' she said as she pointed in O.T.'s direction

'The reason why I really wanted to have a shower is because it's you women that have helped me get through this pregnancy, 100%. And I'm incredibly thankful to Odis Flores for my little boy,' she said as she pointed in O.T.'s direction.

'I know that co-parenting is a really long journey, and it's gonna be... Ups, there's gonna be downs. And I love that O.T. Came today, and I know that makes Malika feel really good about everything. Cause all she wants anybody to do is be excited there's a baby, there's an angel coming into the world,' concluded Khloe, before sharing some sweet moments with her pregnant bestie.

Amid the pranks and pregnancies, Kourtney Kardashian was busy brainstorming new content to post on her lifestyle website POOSH.

Reflecting: 'I know that co-parenting is a really long journey, and it's gonna be... Ups, there's gonna be downs. And I love that O.T. Came today, and I know that makes Malika feel really good about everything,' began Khloe

Best friends forever: 'Cause all she wants anybody to do is be excited there's a baby, there's an angel coming into the world,' concluded Khloe, before sharing some sweet moments with her pregnant bestie

'Today, I have a little shoot to get some content for Poosh, and then, we also have a Poosh meeting to develop content. A lot of my energy does go to Poosh,' said the mother of three as she posed in a slinky outfit.

She then sat down with her team, which includes her assistant-turned-best friend Stephanie Shepherd, to throw out an idea about exploring 'odd jobs, you know, like asmr.'

As Kourtney made her way through different odd job she could think of, someone in the room suggested that 'professional cuddlers' had the strangest profession.

'Maybe we just do an interesting story about cuddling. You know, at Poosh, we like to be, like, very discovery, and we could go, like, see them at their jobs, you know?' said Kourtney.

Conjuring up ideas: Amid the pranks and pregnancies, Kourtney Kardashian was busy brainstorming new content to post on her lifestyle website POOSH

Always working: 'Today, I have a little shoot to get some content for Poosh, and then, we also have a Poosh meeting to develop content. A lot of my energy does go to Poosh,' said the mother of three as she posed in a slinky outfit

She explained in a confessional that she relates to those in 'untraditional' careers because 'what [she] and [her] family do for a job isn't necessarily a traditional job.'

Eager to explore the world of professional cuddling, Kourtney and Stephanie show up to a cuddle sanctuary in Los Angeles.

'I do think that this is really fascinating. It does make me a little bit uncomfortable,' said the POOSH founder as the cuddle instructor encouraged everyone in the room to embrace.

Kourtney was clearly having a hard time engaging and admitted that she 'didn't really realize it, but [she thinks] that [she can't be] affectionate with just anybody.'

As Kourtney made her way through different odd job she could think of, someone in the room suggested that 'professional cuddlers' had the strangest profession

Relatable: She explained in a confessional that she relates to those in 'untraditional' careers because 'what [she] and [her] family do for a job isn't necessarily a traditional job'

Cuddling: 'Maybe we just do an interesting story about cuddling. You know, at Poosh, we like to be, like, very discovery, and we could go, like, see them at their jobs, you know?' said Kourtney

'No, I swear. Now that I've been here, I never realized it. 'Cause I'm super cuddly, like, with my boyfriend. You know? Or my kids,' she elaborated to Stephanie.

'But, like, did you get cuddled as a kid?' Stephanie asked, to which Kourtney replied: 'I don't know. Maybe not. I don't really remember being, like, cuddly with my mom.'

While speaking directly to the professional cuddler, Kourtney said that the experience at the cuddle sanctuary that day 'made [her] realize that [she is] not, like, a cuddly person in general, unless it's [her] boyfriend or [her] kids. Somewhere you feel, like, super safe, probably.'

'And I think it was interesting to get more clarification of what it is. I think it's really fascinating, you know, how much human touch we really need and that most people don't get,' concluded Kourtney, before graciously exiting the cuddle sanctuary with Stephanie by her side.

Learning: Eager to explore the world of professional cuddling, Kourtney and Stephanie show up to a cuddle sanctuary in Los Angeles

Hesitant: Kourtney was clearly having a hard time engaging and admitted that she 'didn't really realize it, but [she thinks] that [she can't be] affectionate with just anybody'

Not natural: 'No, I swear. Now that I've been here, I never realized it. 'Cause I'm super cuddly, like, with my boyfriend. You know? Or my kids,' she elaborated to Stephanie

Following their cuddle session, Kourtney and Stephanie met up with Kourtney's younger half-sister Kendall Jenner and a male pal to discuss the strange experience.

'Um, you have no idea what we just did. We went to this cuddling sanctuary,' began Kourtney. But Kendall, already knowing what she was referring to began to laugh and nod.

'You know about it?' asked Kourtney, to which Kendall replied: 'No. My friends did it. So awkward, huh?'

Kendall admitted that she is 'not a super cuddly person either' and that it 'took [her] a long time to be cuddly' with [her boyfriend].'

Honest answer: While speaking directly to the professional cuddler, Kourtney said that the experience at the cuddle sanctuary that day 'made [her] realize that [she is] not, like, a cuddly person in general, unless it's [her] boyfriend or [her] kids. Somewhere you feel, like, super safe, probably'

Interesting experience: 'And I think it was interesting to get more clarification of what it is. I think it's really fascinating, you know, how much human touch we really need and that most people don't get,' concluded Kourtney, before graciously exiting the cuddle sanctuary with Stephanie by her side

In an effort to alleviate herself and her family of their aversion to affection, Kourtney arranges for a professional cuddler to set up shop in her backyard.

She invited Khloe, Kim, and Kris over to engage in the awkward practice as a family.

When Khloe arrives, Kourtney, with an stiff frame, wraps her arms around her sister and holds her close.

Khloe was clearly weirded out by the gesture, which encouraged Kourtney to share that she 'just gave Kim a hug the other day. -It was definitely awkward.'

'I am just so curious as to why affection in our family is so awkward and uncomfortable. And so I'm just going to lean in to this uncomfortable-ness, if that's even a word,' said Kourtney in her confessional.

Discussion: Following their cuddle session, Kourtney and Stephanie met up with Kourtney's younger half-sister Kendall Jenner and a male pal to discuss the strange experience

Familiar: 'Um, you have no idea what we just did. We went to this cuddling sanctuary,' began Kourtney. But Kendall, already knowing what she was referring to began to laugh and nod

Same way: Kendall admitted that she is 'not a super cuddly person either' and that it 'took [her] a long time to be cuddly' with [her boyfriend]'

Khloe attempted to reassure her sister that not being into physical affection doesn't reflect on who she is as a person.

'No. -No, no, no. But I just thought it was interesting, so I wonder if everyone feels like we're not super cuddly,' Kourtney clarified.

On the other hand, Khloe said that she is 'a very affectionate person, and Kourtney and [her] used to be way more touchy-feely. But recently not so much.'

Once the family is all together, they all headed into the backyard, where the professional cuddler was waiting in her tent.

An idea: In an effort to alleviate herself and her family of their aversion to affection, Kourtney arranges for a professional cuddler to set up shop in her backyard

Hug it out: When Khloe arrives, Kourtney, with an stiff frame, wraps her arms around her sister and holds her close

Awkward: Khloe was clearly weirded out by the gesture, which encouraged Kourtney to share that she 'just gave Kim a hug the other day. -It was definitely awkward'

'She's in there. This is a professional cuddler,' said Kourtney pointing to the tent, to which Khloe passionately replied: 'What? She's gonna cuddle us? No, I don't hug strangers like that.'

'No, trust me. She'll just guide it. Let's go do this together. I thought it would be a great thing,' reassured Kourtney.

They partook in a ton of uncomfortable cuddling exercises, which prompts a lot of laughter, but once they got past the awkward stage, Kourtney said that she thought 'it actually does feel nice to just lay here with each other.'

Cuddle time: Once the family is all together, they all headed into the backyard, where the professional cuddler was waiting in her tent
VICTORIA, BC / ACCESSWIRE / September 18, 2020 / GoldON Resources Ltd. (TSXV:GLD) ("GoldON" or the "Company") has arranged a non-brokered private placement of 1,000,000 common share units at a price of $0.50 per unit with qualified investors to raise $500,000 in gross proceeds. Each unit will consist of one common share and one non-transferable share purchase warrant. Each warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one additional common share of the Company at a price of $0.75 per share for a period of two years from the closing date.

Completion of this financing is subject to TSX Venture Exchange acceptance. The Company may pay a finder's fee of up to 6% cash and 6% agent's warrants on subscription proceeds. All securities issued pursuant to this offering will have a hold period expiring four months after the closing date.

The net proceeds of this financing will be used to fund work on the Company's exploration properties in the Red Lake Gold Camp and for general working capital purposes.

About GoldON Resources Ltd.

GoldON is an exploration company focused on discovery-stage properties located in the prolific gold mining belts of northwestern Ontario, Canada. Our current project portfolio includes four properties in the Red Lake Mining Division (West Madsen, Pipestone Bay, McDonough and Bruce Lake) and a fifth property in the Patricia Mining Division (Slate Falls). If you are an investor looking for exposure to the rising gold price, then GoldON is an explorer worthy of a closer look: tight share structure with a $9 million market cap, discovery-stage projects all in good standing, experienced management and advisors, and no debt with capital devoted to exploration not excessive salaries.

For additional information: please visit our website at https://goldonresources.com, you can download our latest presentation by clicking here and you can follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/GoldONResources.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Signed "Michael Romanik"

Michael Romanik, President

Direct line: (204) 724-0613

Email: info@goldonresources.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.

SOURCE: GoldON Resources Ltd.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/606828/GoldON-Arranges-Non-Brokered-Private-Placement-Financing
Student Shaya Naimi, 19, hangs out on the steps of the Powell Library at UCLA, where classes moved to online only in March. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

The University of California's top health executive has told UC officials to prepare to continue online learning and limited access to campus beyond the fall as the COVID-19 pandemic will probably cause at least another year of disruption to university operations.

This is not something that will go away quickly, Dr. Carrie L. Byington, who heads UC Health, told regents during their two-day online meeting this week. The university's $13-billion health enterprise includes 19 health professional schools and six health systems, five of them academic medical centers.

So far, UC campuses have not announced plans for winter and spring  unlike the California State University system, which said this month that campuses will stay primarily online through the rest of the academic year.

But Byington told The Times on Thursday that she has discussed with top UC officials the possible need to continue largely online operations.

"Yes, I have discussed the need to prepare for continued distance learning and decreased density on campuses beyond the fall term with the chancellors, president and regents," Byington said. Much will depend on the effectiveness of the measures put in place on each campus to control transmission during the fall semester/quarter and on the trajectory of the pandemic in California and the U.S. If we can control transmission on our campuses and the trajectory of the pandemic is improving, it may be possible to increase density.

UC Berkeley reported 61 new cases of the coronavirus between Aug. 26, when fall classes began, and Sept. 16. Only two cases involved students who live in campus dorms, and all transmissions have been traced to off-campus encounters, a spokeswoman said. UC Merced has reported no new cases, Chancellor Juan Sanchez Munoz told regents. Berkeley and Merced are the only two of UC's nine undergraduate campuses that have started fall term.

The pandemic's cost to UC campuses and medical centers has been steep. Chief Financial Officer Nathan Brostrom said UC has taken a $2.2-billion hit during the pandemic, including losses in revenue from medical services, housing and dining, and added expenses for online teaching technology and medical and cleaning supplies. UCLA took the greatest hit at $653 million, and UC Merced the smallest at $16 million between March and August, Brostrom said.

Story continues

In the first glimpse of how the pandemic is affecting enrollment, Berkeley and Merced have seen no drop in California students this fall, regents were told.

But Berkeley reported enrollment declines of about 550 out-of-state students, half of them seniors, and more than 200 graduate students, many of them international students in law and engineering programs. Many of them had indicated they planned to enroll but withdrew just before fall classes started, UC officials said.

Those numbers represent a tiny fraction of Berkeleys 43,000 students. But nonresident students are an important source of revenue because they pay three times the tuition and fees that Californian do and are not eligible for need-based financial aid.

UC's seven other undergraduate campuses start fall classes Oct. 1.
Of 22 proposed amendments submitted to voters since the 1970 state constitution was adopted, 14 were approved and eight were rejected. The last amendment ratified by voters was in 2016, when the so-called transportation lockbox was added to the constitution in an attempt to keep transportation construction dollars from being used to fund unrelated parts of government. It won support of 67.5% of those who voted.
Help to Buy Wales scheme extended until 2022

This article is old - Published: Friday, Sep 18th, 2020

The Help to Buy Wales scheme is to be extended for a third phase, it has been confirmed.

The homeownership scheme was due to close to applicants on 31 March 2021. However Minister for Housing and Local Government Julie James today announced that it will be extended until March 2022 with the possibility for a further extension until March 2023 subject to the availability of funding from the UK Government.

Help to Buy Wales offers support to people looking to own a new build home but require assistance to do so by ensuring homes are affordable and within reach of buyers.

Since its inception in 2014, more than 10,215 homes have been bought through the scheme.

The third phase of the scheme will introduce some changes from April 2021 including the reduction of the price cap from 300,000 to 250,000 as well as improved quality with all homes being broadband ready.

The Minister for Housing and Local Government said: Ensuring everyone in Wales has access to a good quality, safe and affordable home is this governments ambition.

I am pleased to announce our intention to extend Help to Buy Wales until March 2023, subject to the availability of funding beyond 2020-21 from the UK Government.

I have said I am committed to providing affordable housing and should funding not provided by the UK Government, than Welsh Government will commit to funding phase three of Help to Buy Wales for at least a further twelve months, until March 2022.

I want to ensure support is available to all those who need it when making the most significant purchase of their lifetime and allow developers to plan for their future.

We will continue to work with developers and all stakeholders over the coming months to ensure homes purchased using Help to Buy are not just of good quality but are broadband ready to allow home owners to have instant access to essential services.
Deputy Prime Minister Raluca Turcan says the first section of the Sibiu - Pitesti motorway, from the city of Sibiu municipality to Boita, is a representative one for the infrastructure construction sites that the government has unblocked.

"The Sibiu-Boita section of the Sibiu-Pitesti motorway has kept up a construction pace that makes me believe that we can make good on the promises of the first paved sections in 2021, launched at my previous visit. The advance level of investment (6-8%) is added confirmation. Together with Minister of Transport Lucian Bode and together with Chair of the Sibiu County Council Daniela Cimpean, and Prefect Mircea Cretu, we received assurances today, on a special day to the Romanian infrastructure, regarding the builder's ability to be on schedule and even ahead of it with the works. Sibiu-Boita is the first section of the Sibiu-Pitesti motorway and it is becoming representative of the infrastructure sites that the government has unblocked after years of their projects being forgotten in drawers or paraded on television," Turcan wrote on her Facebook page on Friday.Deputy Prime Minister Raluca Turcan and the Minister of Transport, Lucian Bode, inspected, on Friday, the latest developments in the works on the Sibiu - Boita motorway section.
BARRY COUNTY, MI -- A Barry County man has tested positive for the mosquito-borne illness Eastern Equine Encephalitis, or EEE.

Earlier this week, he was tested by the Mayo Clinic. However, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services considers that test a screening, MDHHS spokesperson Lynn Sutfin said.

The state department conducted their own confirmatory test that came back positive on Friday, according to a press release. It is the first confirmed human case of EEE in Michigan this year.

Statewide, 30 horses have been diagnosed with EEE so far this year. The number of animal cases have doubled from this time last year, MDDHS said.

Last year, 10 people in Michigan were infected and six died from the virus.

People can be infected with EEE from one bite of a mosquito carrying the virus. The virus has a 33% fatality rate in people who become ill, according to MDHHS.

The mosquito-borne illness spreading quickly across 12 counties prompted MDHHS to take an aggressive approach to abatement this year.

On Monday, the Michigan Department of Agricultural and Rural Development issued an emergency rule temporarily suspending the notification and opt-out process. So far, 226,000 total acres have been sprayed across the state.

Aerial spraying will be suspended over the weekend due to cold temperatures. The mosquito that carries EEE does not fly at temperatures below 50 degrees, MDHHS.

A cold front does not mean the threat of EEE or other mosquito-borne illnesses is over, though, said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive and chief deputy for health at MDHHS.

Mosquitoes carrying EEE will remain active until there is a hard freeze, equivalent to the temperature dropping below 28 degrees for an extended period of time.

Treatment is being conducted to protect the health and safety of Michiganders in the affected areas, Khaldun said. EEE is a potentially deadly mosquito-borne virus affecting both people and animals and we need Michiganders to continue taking precautions against mosquito bites.

The efforts to prevent an outbreak of EEE come at a time where Michigan, and much of the country, is still in the midst of the more widespread coronavirus pandemic. The World Health Organization has stated that there is no evidence that mosquitoes can carry COVID-19.

Related: Michigan expands aerial mosquito spraying after new EEE cases confirmed in horses

A new case of EEE in a horse was recently confirmed in Calhoun County, bringing the total to 29 cases of EEE in horses spread across 12 counties as of Sept. 17.

There is an EEE vaccine available for horses, but not for people. Vaccinating horses is not mandatory but it is highly recommended, State Veterinarian Nora Wineland said.

Additionally, a deer in Allegan County has been diagnosed with EEE. Impacted counties are now Allegan, Barry, Calhoun, Clare, Ionia, Isabella, Jackson, Kent, Livingston, Mecosta, Montcalm, Newaygo and Oakland.

The additional horse cases will expand the aerial spraying plan. More information is being collected on the Allegan County deer case, and any changes to the treatment plan will be announced at a later date, according to MDHHS.

Up-to-date treatment zones can be found on the MDDHS website under the County-level Aerial Treatment Maps. For more information about EEE, visit Michigan.gov/EEE.

The health department continues to encourage residents to protect themselves from mosquito bites by doing the following:

Avoid being outdoors from dusk to dawn when mosquitoes carrying the EEE virus are most active.

Applying insect repellents containing the active ingredient DEET, or other U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-approved product, to exposed skin or clothing, and always follow the manufacturers directions for use.

Wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants when outdoors. Apply insect repellent to clothing to help prevent bites.

Maintaining window and door screening to help keep mosquitoes outside.

Emptying water from mosquito breeding sites around the home, such as buckets, unused kiddie pools, old tires or similar sites where mosquitoes may lay eggs.

Using nets and/or fans over outdoor eating areas.

More on MLive:

Aerial mosquito spraying planned in 10 Michigan counties with no opt-out option

Kalamazoo professor discusses ethics of mosquito spraying at statewide conference

Friday, Sept. 18, coronavirus data by Michigan county: Ingham still red; 9 counties coded orange

Michigan pandemic death toll is thousands higher than official counts
The calculated grades system used to assess the 2020 Leaving Certificate students had only a minimal impact on the number of students who got third level college places, say some Kildare principals.

Naas CBS principal Ben Travers said that while some students complained about being downgraded from the results awarded by the school, the vast majority still got a college place.

It may well have been that a student didnt get a first choice place, or even a second choice and finished up Galway rather than Dublin, for example. However the vast majority of them will go to college, Mr Travers said.

He stressed that not getting their first choice applied to a small percentage of students only.

This year there were 170 students in sixth year at Naas CBS. Normally some 95%-96% of students from the school go to college and he says this year will be no different. A number of students will take up apprenticeships in the traditional areas of the building and motor industry; but, increasingly, more students are taking up apprenticeships in spheres like business or accountancy  rather than pursuing a college course for a similar qualification.

The principal of Athy Community College is expressing delight with the results from calculated grades and says that the students are very happy.

Approximately 65 to 70 students sat the Leaving Cert at Athy Community College for 2020.

Richard Daly, principal said: Maybe we are bucking a trend or something, but we are quite happy.

Generally students are looking to go on to Trinity College and Maynooth University. He said that there are also a number of students going on to study primary school teaching. Mr Daly said: Points for Arts stayed the same, it seems that there was a slight increase in points for nursing. All in all, it has been a good year.

The CAO offers started coming out last Friday lunchtime.

He said: This year the students did not come in to get their results. We all had stories of students, but we were able to contact them today to find out where they were going. We have now contacted about two third of them.
Beaumont ISD will not have to shut down Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School after voting to partner with Green Dot Public Schools, a Los Angeles-based charter school operator, after more than four years of failing accountability scores at the campus.

The decision comes after the district underwent a second Call for Quality Schools, a request to identify partners who can help rehabilitate schools struggling with academic and accountability rankings, as well as to provide innovative options for parents.

One option under that partnership includes partnering with charter operators, a process guided by SB 1882.

Green Dot beat out Texas-based Texas STEM coalition and Public School Partners after several months of interviews by a district committee.

The district voted to approve the partnership, the latest of several in recent years, at the September meeting of the board.

An earlier Call for Quality Schools failed after no adequate partners could be found, putting the campus in danger of being closed or taken over by the state.

Related: Failing BISD school approaches deadline for turnaround

In early 2019, the board voted to partner with charter schools at Fehl-Price Elementary School, Jones-Clark Elementary School and Smith Middle School  all three of which spent years in impovement required status.

BISD currently has eight schools with an F rating.

The accountability system for the district has been interrupted several times by weather events, staving off closures beyond the four years of failing status they are usually allowed.

This years tropical events are already leaving a mark on the 2020-21 school year for Beaumont ISD, with shutdowns as a result of Hurricane Laura causing several calendar changes detailed at the monthly meeting of the board.

An early release day originally planned for Oct. 13 has been removed, and intersession days Oct. 19-23 have been restored to full days. The end of the first grading period has been pushed back to Oct. 18.

It might be necessary to adjust the calendar again, Superintendent Shannon Allen said. We use those intersession days that we built in in the event of weather events, or COVID-19.

Updated coronavirus guidance will also be in place when students begin to return to campus next week, including a mask-mandate for all students  from pre-K through those in 12th grade.

So far only about half of the districts students have selected an option for in-person or virtual, with the majority of those choosing to learn in-person, an about face from this summer when closer to 20% chose that option.

On elementary campuses, 65% of students who have registered chose in-person, with 55% in-person at the middle school and 58% at the high school.

Students who have not made a selection will be added to the in-person rosters, although given the numbers earlier in the summer, more could choose online before school begins.

Current plans have special education students and students who are 18 and older returning next week; pre-K, kindergarten, grades 6, 9, 12 and all students at Pathways, Paul Brown and the Early College High School on Sept. 28.; grades 1, 2, 7, 10 and 11 on Oct. 5; and grades 3, 4, 5 and 8 on Oct. 12.

For teachers and staff in the district who have children, the district is committed to working with them to have the students on campus.

We are going to work with our teachers, Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Administration Anita Frank said. This is a difficult time for everyone. We do have some teachers that have their own personal teachers that have their own children starting later.

Administrators will work with those parents to have their children sign attestations that they are not exhibiting symptoms, and keep them with their parents throughout the day.

On the one-year anniversary of Tropical Storm Imelda coming ashore, a day before it would be downgraded to a Tropical Depression and swamp Southeast Texas for hours on end, Beaumont ISD took some time to look back on the impact it had on the district, and how far they have come since.

This storm pretty much devastated a lot of us, BISD Coordinator of Payroll and Benefits Peggy Haynes said during a presentation. We received over 41 inches of rain through this whole thing.

Haynes walked through the overnight discussions district leaders had that resulted in a 2 a.m. call to shut the district down.

When the clouds cleared, Haynes said, water ranging from 6 to 13 inches was standing in Fehl-Price Elementary School, several wings in Beaumont United High School and the transportation facility.

After more than a month of planning and rehabilitation, the district rolled out a plan to split South Park Middle School into the districts other middle schools, and move Beaumont United ninth-grade students into that campus.

For the first time since the storm, students will be returning to a fully renovated Beaumont United campus when they phase in over the next two weeks.

If you have not, you have to see this campus, Superintendent Shannon Allen told the board.

isaac.windes@hearstnp.com

twitter.com/isaacdwindes
The Central government has increased the foreign direct investment (FDI) limit in the defence sector from 49 to 74 per cent under automatic route and beyond 74 per cent through the government route.

"Welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji's decision to amend FDI policy in Defence Sector. Now, FDI is allowed upto 74% through automatic route & beyond 74% to be permitted through Govt route. This will enhance Ease of Doing Business and contribute to growth of investment, income and employment," Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal tweeted.

Making the announcement on Twitter on Friday, Goyal added that foreign investments in the defence sector will be subject to scrutiny on grounds of national security.

According to an order issued by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the FDI limited through government route has been increased to beyond 74 per cent "wherever it is likely to result in access to modern technology or for other reasons to be recorded".

"Foreign investments in defence sector shall be subject to scrutiny on grounds of National Security. In line with our collective vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, amendments will enhance self-reliance in defence production, while keeping national interests & security paramount," Goyal said in the following tweet.

The government, in its order, said that FDI up to 74 per cent under automatic route shall be permitted for companies seeking new industrial licences.

"Infusion of fresh foreign investment up to 49 per cent, in a company not seeking an industrial license or which already has Government approval for FDI in Defence, shall require mandatory submission of a declaration with the Ministry of Defence in case change in equity/shareholding pattern or transfer of stake by existing investor to new foreign investor for FDI up to 49%, within 30 days of such change. Proposals for raising FDI beyond 49% from such companies will require government approval," the order said.

The government said that the investee company should be structured to be self-sufficient in the areas of product design and development. "The investee/joint venture company along with the manufacturing facility should also have maintenance and life cycle support facility of the product being manufactured in India," it added.
President Klaus Iohannis said on Friday that it was "obvious" that Romania's infrastructure "lags behind" because its development was not desired, stressing that this paradigm will change.

He participated in the opening of the Iernut - Chetani motorway section in Mures County.

"It is obvious that the infrastructure in Romania is lagging behind. I do not want to detail again why it is lagging, I think that around me there are people who all know that, in fact, the development of the infrastructure was not really desired and now this paradigm has changed, now it is wanted. Please understand why I am here today. I did not come for festivities and I did not come to end something, I came to give a signal. I came to give the signal that we have to work faster, we have to stick to deadlines and we have to advance much faster with the infrastructure works. This event is not a terminus point, this event is a mid-point, because we have still got a lot of work to do in Romania," said Iohannis.

The head of state added that the large infrastructure is an "extremely" important point in the National Plan for Romania's Economic Recovery, "perhaps the most difficult".

"There is a need here for a lot of involvement and here I have very high expectations from the Government and the builders to take important steps. So this event wants to show that we realize the importance of these works and we realize that we need to change the pace, things must go faster. We need infrastructure. For that, of course, we need funding, but now the European funds are ready, the works need to be prepared and these big infrastructure projects will be the impetus with which Romania's economy will recover significantly. My presence here today wants to show that I am interested and I will stay connected to these projects, I will stay connected because I realize their importance," Iohannis said.

According to the president, infrastructure development is not "just a campaigning political desire", but a basic necessity.

"Think that if we are talking about motorway works, we have the ambition to build the Transylvania Motorway, which must be completed, the Unirii Motorway, Prahova Valley, Olt Valley and many other works that we have planned and that this time, I can assure you, we will achieve in a surprisingly short time," Klaus Iohannis communicated.
(Bloomberg) -- TikTok lobbyists told Trump campaign officials that an all-out ban on the app could sour millions of voters against him in the November election, taking aim at one of the presidents top concerns, according to people familiar with the matter.

TikTok walked campaign officials through how the app works in detail and explained that the platform has 100 million U.S. users, many of whom are of voting age, said one of the people, all of whom asked not to be named because they werent unauthorized to speak publicly on the matter.

The recent briefings also pointed out that TikToks largest markets are key battleground states for the 2020 election, including Florida. The TikTok lobbyists also shared data on how young Trump supporters have grown increasingly active on the app, the person familiar said.

Videos with the #Trump2020 hashtag have notched 10.3 billion views on the app, compared to 2 billion views for #Biden2020.

After President Donald Trump threatened to ban TikTok last month, the app was flooded with videos of users crying and telling their friends to go out and vote against Trump in retaliation for taking aim at their digital hangout.

Its unclear if the Trump campaign shared considerations about TikToks influence over voters with the president or administration officials. It couldnt be determined whether these considerations affected deliberations about banning the app or deal negotiations between the Treasury Department, TikToks Chinese owner ByteDance Ltd. and Oracle Corp. to create a new global TikTok that would satisfy U.S. national security concerns.

President Trumps job is to protect Americans and stand up to China as they attempt to steal users data and spread propaganda  and he will not shirk that responsibility just because of an election, campaign spokeswoman Samantha Zager said.

Representatives for TikTok didnt respond to requests for comment.

ByteDance has been building up its U.S. lobbying muscle over the last year. In a matter of months, its amassed a Washington operation with at least three dozen staffers and a number of outside lobbyists with close ties to the Trump administration, including David Urban, a senior adviser to Trump during his 2016 presidential campaign. Last quarter it spent a company record on federal lobbying, filings show.

Story continues

The proposed Oracle deal, designed to create a ring-fenced version of TikTok to protect the data of U.S. citizens and prevent China from spying, would have Oracle, Walmart Inc. and venture capital investors holding a minority stake.

Despite indications in recent days that Trump was moving toward accepting the companies proposal, allowing them to avoid a ban, the U.S. Commerce Department on Friday said that it plans to expel TikTok from U.S. app stores by Sunday, but allowed the company until Nov. 12 to reach a final deal or face further restrictions on business in the U.S. Commerce said it could reverse the ban on TikToks video-streaming service if the company presents a deal that satisfies national security concerns.

Over the summer, thousands of young people organized through TikTok to flood the campaigns app with bad reviews and prank Trumps first post-shutdown campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma. At that time, Tim Murtaugh, director of communications for the Trump campaign, told Bloomberg News that TikTok users dont affect anything we do. What we do know is that the Chinese use TikTok to spy on its users.

(Updates with campaign statement in seventh paragraph.)

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

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Christian Liaigre, a French interior and furniture designer whose muscular and elegant objects in wood, bronze and leather were emblematic of 1990s minimalism, and whose clients included Karl Lagerfeld, Calvin Klein, Rupert Murdoch and the Mercer hotel in SoHo, died on Sept. 2 in Paris. He was 77.

His design firm, Liaigre, announced his death on Instagram without specifying the cause.

Mr. Liaigre (pronounced lee-AY-gruh) had been an art student and a drawing teacher and had worked with show horses before he began making furniture in the early 1980s. By the turn of the next decade, a chunky, cracked wooden stool inspired by Brancusis sculpture Endless Column had become his calling card, its gutsy and elemental shape a corrective to the fussy opulence  the swags of chintz and Louis chairs  that had defined the excesses of the 80s.
Dubai authorities have temporarily suspended all Air India Express flights for 15 days for allegedly carrying coronavirus positive patients to the UAE city twice.

The ban begins from Friday, September 18, and will be enforceable till October 2. Besides, the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority has also penalised Air India Express to bear all medical and quarantine expenditures of the COVID-19 positive patients who have been ferried to Dubai.

The authority has alleged that two coronavirus positive passengers were being flown to Dubai on two separate occasions despite their COVID-19 test reports being positive.

Also Read: Air India sale: Govt mulls easing debt burden on buyers

"You are aware of our previous intimation made to you by our letter dated September 2 for boarding a passenger with a coronavirus positive test result, who endangered the other passengers on board and also caused a serious health risk," the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority said in a letter to the airline.

It further stated that allowing the boarding of a COVID-19 positive patient was in breach of the laid down procedures pertaining to air travel to and from Dubai airports during the pandemic.

Also Read: Air India flight crash: What is the difference between Air India and Air India Express?

"Therefore, all operations of Air India Express to Dubai Airports are temporarily suspended, for a duration of 15 days, effective from 00:01 hrs on Friday 18th September 2020 until 23:59 hrs of 2nd October 2020," the authority said.

Meanwhile, in order to resume flights to Dubai, Air India has been asked to submit a detailed corrective action plan implemented in letter and spirit to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future.
Australians wanting to consult their doctor via phone or video call will continue to get access to subsidised telehealth until March in a $2 billion extension of coronavirus measures.

Other health initiatives including free coronavirus tests, backing for 148 GP-led respiratory clinics and home medicine deliveries are also being extended, as is a deal with state governments and private hospitals to free up beds when required. The 24-hour National Coronavirus Helpline will continue to operate too.

The federal government is extending Medicare subsidies for telehealth consultations for another six months, until March 2021. Credit:

Nearly 10.6 million Australians have sought more than 30.5 million medical consultations with GPs, nurses, midwives and allied health and mental health services since telehealth was added to Medicare subsidies at the end of March. The Medicare-backed funding had been scheduled to dry up on September 30.

News of the extension came as state and territory leaders braced for a frank assessment of their hotel quarantine arrangements at Friday's national cabinet meeting and after Prime Minister Scott Morrison boosted the number of stranded Australians allowed home each week from 4000 to nearly 6000.
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Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 20:15:28|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese authorities have ordered mandatory background checks on candidates in teacher recruitments in kindergartens and primary and middle schools, and those who have sex-related crime records will be blacklisted.

Such people are also banned from obtaining a teaching qualification, according to a circular published on Friday, which was jointly issued by the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP), the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Public Security.

Shi Weizhong, a senior prosecutor with the SPP, said at a press conference that the new measures are meant to take precautions to prevent sexual violations against children from the root, considering the mental profiles and the high recidivism rate among relevant convicts.

Such regulations also apply to the recruitment of other faculties, including administrative staff, and odd-job and security personnel in such institutions.

Universities, and after-school education institutions, should also take relevant measures accordingly, the circular said.

The circular required education authorities to enhance checks on current school staff.

The SPP said relevant regulations have been piloted by local authorities in regions such as Zhejiang, Shanghai, and Chongqing, and turned out to be effective.

With the establishment of a nationwide mechanism, the information sharing of relevant criminal records will also be available across the country, fixing previous loopholes in this regard, the SPP noted.

The SPP said the three departments are also planning to work on similar regulations in some other sectors that have close contacts with juveniles to build an all-round protection network for minors. Enditem
Anil S By

Express News Service

Back-to-back questioning of Higher Education Minister KT Jaleel by the Enforcement Directorate and NIA in connection with the gold smuggling case has mounted pressure on the Left government, with both the Congress and the BJP demanding his resignation. But all the clamour seems to have had little impact on the Left leader. Speaking to TNIE Chief of Bureau Anil S just hours after the NIA quizzed him, Jaleel said he was called as one of the 160 witnesses in the crime registered under the UAPA Act.

Why should I quit? asked Jaleel and added it was for Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to take a call on his ministership. He once again challenged IUML supremo Panakkad Syed Hyderali Shihab Thangal to swear by the Holy Quran if the latter considers him as someone involved in fraudulent activities. Jaleel justified clandestine manner in which he appeared before the probe agencies stating Whys it necessary to inform the media when those who served me the notice did not choose to inform them? On his way back to the state capital after interrogation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Kochi on Thursday, Higher Education Minister K T Jaleel tells TNIE over the phone that he was called in as a witness and that he is just one of around 160 witnesses in the gold smuggling case.

Excerpts

Why were you called in for questioning by NIA? Were you able to respond satisfactorily to all their questions?

Its in connection with recording my statement as a witness. What do I have to cover up? An issue would arise if there was something to hide. The questioning was based on the depositions made by a few of the accused. They were cross-checking with me. Isnt it their duty? Statements were collected from around 160 witnesses. Im just one of them. Deposition of witnesses is essential to wind up the case. I was called in connection with a case registered by NIA under Sections 16, 17, 18 of the UAPA Act, 1967. (Section 16 deals with punishment for terrorist acts, Section 17 with raising funds for terrorist acts and Section 18 with conspiring to terrorist acts.)

Were you summoned by NIA even before the Enforcement Directorate had interrogated you?

Everything happened simultaneously.

Is the questioning over or will you be summoned again by NIA?

If anything further crops up in this regard, they will call me. While collecting statements from other witnesses, if they come across anything specific that I may know of, they will call. What gains importance here is whether we can contribute something to what they are looking for.

One major criticism against you was the clandestine manner in which you appeared before the Enforcement Directorate and NIA. Your response?

Dont we all do such things? (laughs). Why is it necessary to inform the media? Those who served me notice didnt inform the media. Then, why should I? When invited for a marriage, isnt it for the person who invited us to inform others? The one who was invited doesnt have to say that. When you invite me for a marriage, whats the point in others saying that I should turn up with the entire neighbourhood in tow?

For the past six days, the Opposition has been staging protests demanding your resignation. Your take?

Why should I? I dont need to respond to that. Its for the Chief Minister to say.

The Chief Minister seems to have offered you full support.

If the Chief Minister says so, why should I contradict? I have nothing more to say.

Your former party  Indian Union Muslim League  too has been targeting you with senior leaders like P K Kunhalikutty and K P A Majeed referring to your statement that you would quit if Panakkad Thangal says so. Is it as a clever political bait?

What kind of bait? I didnt say I would resign. What I said was whether Panakkad Thangal is ready to swear by the Quran. Hes not just a political leader but the Qazi of more than 1,000 masjids, the vice-president of one of the biggest community of scholars and also the president of the Muslim League.

Does he believe that Im a fraud or someone who supports black money and related activities? Has he received any such complaint about me when I was part of Muslim League? If he swears by the Quran about any such thing, I will listen to whatever he says  thats what I said. Why are they afraid to say so? Why are they then taking so much pain to unleash such violence on the streets?
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 20:31:53|Editor: huaxia

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What's life like without #WeChat? And why did the U.S. government seek to ban WeChat? Check out what expats in Shanghai have to say.
New York, Sept. 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Automotive HUD Market Research Report by Dimension Type, by Technology, by Vehicle Type, by HUD Type, by Vehicle Class, by Channel - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05968827/?utm_source=GNW



The Global Automotive HUD Market is expected to grow from USD 1,392.56 Million in 2019 to USD 6,721.56 Million by the end of 2025 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 29.99%.



Market Segmentation & Coverage:

This research report categorizes the Automotive HUD to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets:



Based on Dimension Type, the Automotive HUD Market studied across 2-D HUD and 3-D HUD.



Based on Technology, the Automotive HUD Market studied across Augmented Reality HUD and Conventional HUD.



Based on Vehicle Type, the Automotive HUD Market studied across Commercial Vehicle, Heavy Commercial Vehicle, and Passenger Car.



Based on HUD Type, the Automotive HUD Market studied across Combiner HUD and Windshield HUD.



Based on Vehicle Class, the Automotive HUD Market studied across Economy Vehicle, Luxury Vehicle, and Mid-Segment Vehicle.



Based on Channel, the Automotive HUD Market studied across Aftermarket and OEMs.



Based on Geography, the Automotive HUD Market studied across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas region surveyed across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The Asia-Pacific region surveyed across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand. The Europe, Middle East & Africa region surveyed across France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom.



Company Usability Profiles:

The report deeply explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Automotive HUD Market including Alps Electric Co., Ltd., Clarion Co., Ltd., Compagnie de Saint-Gobain S.A., Continental AG, DENSO Corporation, Garmin Ltd., Harman International Industries, Inc., HUDWAY LLC, Japan Display, Inc., LG Display Co., Ltd., Magna International Inc., Magneti Marelli S.p.A., MicroVision, Inc., Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Nippon Seiki Co., Ltd., Panasonic Corporation, Pioneer Corporation, Renesas Electronics Corporation, Robert Bosch GmbH, Texas Instruments Incorporated, Valeo S.A., Visteon Corporation, Yazaki Corporation, and ZF Friedrichshafen AG.



FPNV Positioning Matrix:

The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Automotive HUD Market on the basis of Business Strategy (Business Growth, Industry Coverage, Financial Viability, and Channel Support) and Product Satisfaction (Value for Money, Ease of Use, Product Features, and Customer Support) that aids businesses in better decision making and understanding the competitive landscape.



Competitive Strategic Window:

The Competitive Strategic Window analyses the competitive landscape in terms of markets, applications, and geographies. The Competitive Strategic Window helps the vendor define an alignment or fit between their capabilities and opportunities for future growth prospects. During a forecast period, it defines the optimal or favorable fit for the vendors to adopt successive merger and acquisition strategies, geography expansion, research & development, and new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth.



Cumulative Impact of COVID-19:

COVID-19 is an incomparable global public health emergency that has affected almost every industry, so for and, the long-term effects projected to impact the industry growth during the forecast period. Our ongoing research amplifies our research framework to ensure the inclusion of underlaying COVID-19 issues and potential paths forward. The report is delivering insights on COVID-19 considering the changes in consumer behavior and demand, purchasing patterns, re-routing of the supply chain, dynamics of current market forces, and the significant interventions of governments. The updated study provides insights, analysis, estimations, and forecast, considering the COVID-19 impact on the market.



The report provides insights on the following pointers:

1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on the market offered by the key players

2. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyzes the markets

3. Market Diversification: Provides detailed information about new product launches, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments

4. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: Provides an exhaustive assessment of market shares, strategies, products, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players

5. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and new product developments



The report answers questions such as:

1. What is the market size and forecast of the Global Automotive HUD Market?

2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Automotive HUD Market during the forecast period?

3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Automotive HUD Market?

4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Automotive HUD Market?

5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Automotive HUD Market?

6. What are the modes and strategic moves considered suitable for entering the Global Automotive HUD Market?

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05968827/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



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Nepal has introduced new text books in the school curriculum that include the country's revised political map showing three strategically-important Indian areas as part of its territory, amidst a border dispute with New Delhi.

IMAGE: Indo-Nepal border. Photograph: ANI Photo

India has already termed as untenable the 'artificial enlargement' of the territorial claims by Nepal after its Parliament unanimously approved the new political map of the country featuring Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura areas which India maintains belongs to it.

The curriculum Development Centre, under the Ministry of Education, recently published the books with the revised map, information officer at the centre Ganesh Bhattarai told PTI.

The new books titled 'Nepal's territory and reading materials for border issues' for the 9th and 12th classes have a preface written by Education Minister Giriraj Mani Pokharel.

Nepal in May released the revised political and administrative map of the country laying claim over the three strategically important areas in Uttarakhand, more than six months after India published a new map in November 2019.

Following the endorsement of the new map by the Nepal Cabinet, then government spokesperson and Finance Minister Yuvaraj Khatiwada told the media that the government had decided to update the schedule of the Constitution and school curriculum incorporating the new political map.

India in its response said that it had already made its position clear on it.

"This artificial enlargement of claims is not based on historical fact or evidence and is not tenable. It is also violative of our current understanding to hold talks on outstanding boundary issues," Ministry of External Affairs Anurag Srivastava had said.

The Nepal government has also decided to issue coins with the inclusion of Kalapani area.

The government has instructed the Nepal Rastra Bank, the central bank of Nepal, to mint the coins with the revised map.

An official at the bank, however, said that they had no immediate plan to mint the coin, though preparations are on to issue coins worth Rs 1 and Rs 2 with the inclusion of the new map within a year.

The India-Nepal bilateral ties came under strain after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated an 80-km-long strategically crucial road connecting the Lipulekh pass with Dharchula in Uttarakhand on May 8.

Nepal reacted sharply to the inauguration of the road claiming that it passed through Nepalese territory.

India rejected the claim asserting that the road lies completely within its territory.
It is hard for reasonable minds to comprehend, but there is a considerable number of people who believe the threat of COVID-19 is being exaggerated.

This, in spite of what we see happening around us, in front of our own eyes. Two leaders of two different federal political parties are in isolation because people close to them have tested positive for the virus. On Thursday, 293 new cases were reported across Ontario. Thats down from 315 the previous day, the highest since early June.

On Thursday there were 21 new cases in schools, with 51 schools now reporting infections in students or staff, including one high school in Pembroke, now closed. Other school cases are reported in Cambridge, Waterloo, Oakville, Woodbridge, Maple, Markham, Brampton, Toronto and Ottawa.

Deaths are also on the rise, with three new fatalities, according to the Ministry of Health, bringing the tally to 12 in the last seven days, compared to two in the previous week. Hospitalizations remain low, but increased by nine to 53 patients, including 12 on ventilators. Lineups for testing are huge.

The national picture is not better. On Monday, Canada diagnosed 817 more people with the novel coronavirus, bringing the countrys total case count close to 138,000. That was the highest daily case total since late May.

Given all this, the results of an online poll released this week by Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies are shocking and a little frightening. Nearly a quarter of the respondents to the poll believe public health and government officials exaggerate in their warnings, including about the need for physical distancing to slow the spread of the virus.

The poll question was: Do you believe that the threat posed by COVID-19 and the need for continued and rigorous public health safety measures (such as wearing masks in public places, limited people in gatherings, physical distancing etc.) are being exaggerated by the governments and health officials? Between Sept. 11 and Sept. 13 1,539 Canadian adults responded to the poll, and 23 per cent of them said yes.

As worrisome, three quarters of respondents in the 18 to 34 age group said they have relaxed measures such as distancing and masking in the last month. Is it any wonder the majority of new cases are in people under the age of 40?

What are we to make of all this? Is it possible that as much as a quarter of our adult population thinks this is overblown, in spite of all the evidence to the contrary? Leger executive vice-president Christian Bourque says the relaxing of safety standards and skepticism go hand in hand. There is a link. If you believe were exaggerating the disease, youre more likely to have relaxed on your strict observance of the rules in place, Bourque says.

He also offers this gloomy outlook: Were not at this pivotal moment where people feel we need to go back to how we used to be, where basically Canadians were exemplary in terms of following the safety measures put in place, he said in an interview with Global News.

So is it time for health authorities to make official what most of us already suspect and fear  that we are seeing a second wave?

At minimum they should stop sending mixed signals, like Premier Doug Ford did this week by lowering social gathering limits to 10 indoors and 25 outdoors in hot spot cities. Yet he is not applying the same standards to classrooms and school buses. How on earth does that make sense? As NDP Leader Andrea Horwath says: Hes still letting kids cram into crowded classrooms and into crowded school buses. She makes a good point.
On March 1, Ray Mendez moved his civil engineering firm into a bigger office  a move to expand the company after a little more than eight years in business. Mendez had just hired two high-level employees, and growth was on the horizon.

But within weeks, the COVID-19 pandemic struck San Antonio, and Mendez was facing a decision: Tell his new employees they should go back to their old jobs, or press on as an essential business, exempt from government shutdown orders.

With other engineering firms shuttered, Mendez has been able to add six employees during the pandemic, bringing his total to 15.

The firm works on public works projects for municipal agencies such as CPS Energy and the San Antonio Water System. The company also engineers office buildings, car dealerships and warehouses.

Mendez, 45, is a former company commander within a Navy construction battalion  the Seabees  who graduated with an engineering degree from the University of New Mexico in the mid-90s. After working for several years in his hometown of El Paso, Mendez joined the Navy Civil Engineer Corps.

He did two tours in Iraq in the 2000s and arrived in San Antonio in 2007. Five years later, in 2012, he founded his own firm, Mendez Engineering.

Mendez recently spoke with the Express-News at his companys North Side office. The following transcript has been edited for clarity and length.

Q: You began working at a local engineering firm and shortly after you were deployed to Iraq in 2009 and 2010, and then you founded Mendez Engineering in 2012. What led to the start of your firm?

A: It was in 2008 when the market dropped significantly. And when I first came to San Antonio, within two weeks of me coming into my new position, the company I worked for actually started laying people off. So even though I started within the month, they laid people off. I lasted about 4 years. I was surprised I didnt get laid off, because I was a project manger, and I just saw how little work we had.

Then in 2012, I guess it got too bad and they finally let me go. I had considered starting a company, so it was already in my mind. I wasnt that keen on it, but it was more my wife telling me to do it. So when they let me go, all they did was speed our plan up by six months.

Q: What was it like to start a civil engineering firm, especially when the economy was still rocky after the Great Recession?

A: It was very rocky, and that kind of made it easier to do it. Because my assumption was: Well, the economy can only go up. So I felt that I had a better chance to survive because it was just me, and the economy would go up and wed go up with it. But with the little things of starting a company  I had to buy the computers, the software. So I started spending all this money, and I just been laid off. So I was like, Man, its not supposed to be this way. But we just felt that it was worth trying.

On ExpressNews.com: Flux: Visionary behind South Texas largest independent pet store ready for 2021

Q: What kind of work were you able to get when you first started the company?

A: I wasnt doing much of anything. I started in January of 2012, and I didnt get my first job until December of 2012, and it wasnt even that big of a job. But all those months before that, I was going out, meeting people, talking, getting a minority small-business certification.

Theres two areas people focus on. Theres private work, and then public work. So private work, youre working for developers or any kind of person trying to do some kind of development on their property. There are not that many people that do that, and for residential subdivisions, (developers) like bigger firms to do that. But again, the market was down, so nobody on the private side was doing much. So getting the certifications was my attempt to get public work, which meant working for the city of San Antonio, SAWS, CPS Energy. Those are what I was focused on at the time.

Q: Can you explain what it means to do a good job as a civil engineering firm?

A: Ill use SAWS as an example. SAWS will say, We have this area that has sewer pipes, and theyre collapsing or theyre having trouble with them. So what we have to do is describe what were going to do, how were going to do it, how were going to save SAWS money and also show how many times weve done it in the past.

Q: Would you say local city and county agencies do a good job of using local firms on projects?

A: Of all the municipal agencies, SAWS does the best job of distributing the criteria for small businesses to succeed. Theyre by far the best.

Q: Could the city do more to prioritize minority- and women-owned small businesses in the bidding process for contracts?

A: I think they could do more. The city doesnt give you any points for being a minority small business. They do have a goal. The city will say, Our goal is to get 30 percent of the work done by minorities. So the goal is there, but theres no points or theres nothing that forces that to happen. For most firms, theyll try do that, but theyre not obligated.

Q: How was your business doing entering this year and leading up to the pandemic?

A: I was thinking we were doing so well  we were doing a great job. I was actually in a smaller office, maybe about 1,200 square feet. And two years ago we moved to this building. It was a little bit bigger, maybe 1,400 square feet. And then in December or January, I said, I keep getting these tight quarters. I talked to the landlord, and this side (of the building) was open. So we made a big investment  we knocked down some walls, fixed it up and put new carpet so we could move from the other side to this side. We moved into this side on March 1, just before everything really hit. So wed already done the investment of buying all those cubicles and work stations and fixing it up, and then things started getting a little weird.

Even though we were getting a lot of work and we were successful, I wanted to take it to another level where I could get somebody who was a high-level person who could produce SAWS-related work. For a year or two years, I was pursuing two different people from another firm. And they were slated to start in April. So, again, I had already invested in this building. I had two people who were leaving a big firm to come over here to work for a smaller firm. And I was like, Wow, should I tell them not to do it? But I was still pretty confident. When they came out and said only essential businesses could be open, we started looking up what was deemed (essential), and it said infrastructure. So since we were working for the city and SAWS, we were part of that. The city and SAWS, their deadlines never changed either, so that made it clear to me that they still expected you to produce.

Q: With the economy the way it is, private development may slow down, and city agencies and public works projects are going to be short on cash given their fiscal problems. How do you navigate that as youre trying to secure more contracts moving into 2021?

A: One of our clients is the Department of Veteran Affairs. Since thats a federally funded project, usually theyre already funded. We have a few projects with them, so we know we have more work from them. SAWS is the same way. They have budgets already slated. The city of San Antonio, I know they have announced a multimillion-dollar shortage, so Im pretty sure theyre going to pull a lot of that from public works-type projects, which is going to affect us.

It does concern us because were so heavy on public work right now. We could rely on private work, because our goal is to keep them in balance  50/50. This year, though, weve been so successful on the public side, were probably like 90 percent public and 10 percent private. Because of that, were heavily dependent on the public structure, so were hoping the VA, SAWS and the city can maintain that. But we really dont know. Were kind of gambling a little bit.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio city employees could see a two-year pay freeze as leaders seek to ease budget fallout from coronavirus pandemic

Q: Had the pandemic not happened, would you still have been able to make the hires you made this year?

A: No. Honestly, because of the fact that bigger firms stopped hiring and started laying off, we were able to pick up people we probably would have never had a chance at or who would never even have looked at us. Its very rare for you to go from a big firm to a small firm. So we have been benefited by that.

Q: So you said Mendez Engineering received a PPP loan above $150,000. How important was that to keep your business afloat?

A: It helped because (clients) slowed down in paying. People just took longer to pay. It was like, Oh, my God  whos going to pay? We used the loan how we were supposed to: to pay the employees. I think it helped because having that money made it easier to keep going, because without having that money, wed be so dependent on people to pay really early, and we may not have been able to say, OK, lets hire this person.

Q: What are your expectations for your business in 2021 and beyond?

A: Im foreseeing that (business) will go down. I know (the city of San Antonio) is estimating that theyre going to have a lot less money. I still think when we get to that point, yeah, we have less money, but theyre going to realize the infrastructure for the city has to be maintained, and its going to be more cost-effective for the city to borrow money or whatever they have to do to maintain the system rather than let it crumble and then come back with more money later on.

Im feeling that things are going to pick up  maybe not all the way to where they were, and even though I dont think its going to be as great as I thought when the year started, I think itll pick up enough to continue where were at and not sacrifice anything.

diego.mendoza-moyers@express-news.net
The Mumbai Police have dismissed reports that Sushant Singh Rajputs former manger Disha Salians last call was to the police before her death. A Mumbai Police official has reportedly said that the celebrity manager had called her friend before her death. Disha had died a week before the death of the Chhichhore actor.

According to ANI, a Mumbai Police official has said that the last call from Disha Salians phone was to her friend Ankita. Rubbishing the rumours, he said, The claims that she tried to dial 100 the last time, is false.

The last call from Disha Salian's phone was made to her friend Ankita. The claims that she tried to dial 100 the last time, is false: Mumbai Police official #SushantSinghRajput's former manager Disha Salian was found dead on June 8 in Mumbai.  ANI (@ANI) September 18, 2020

Last month, the Mumbai Police initiated an inquiry into the complaint filed by Dishas father about the rumours allegedly being spread about his daughters death. Based on the complaint filed by Dishas father Satish Salian, the Malvani police launched an inquiry and the process of recording statements is on, a Mumbai Police official said.

Disha had died on June 8 after allegedly jumping off the 14th floor of a building in Mumbais Malad. An accidental death case was registered in the alleged suicide. On June 14, Rajput was found dead in his apartment in Mumbai.

Also read: Sushant Singh Rajput immortalised in wax by Asansol artist. See pics

Her father had recently given a written complaint to the police, stating that derogatory posts and forwards were being shared by people that defamed his deceased daughter and his family. In his complaint, he had also alleged that the news about her (Dishas) involvement with any politician or attending parties with big names of the film fraternity, rape and murder are all stories cooked up by media people just to sell it to channels and these stories hold no truth. Dishas father had also requested the police to take action against the people concerned for their insensitive act towards his family.

The Malvani police, who are probing the case of Dishas death, have also started an inquiry into the complaint filed by her father. Accordingly, statements of a few persons are being recorded in this connection, the police official said. The police also made an appeal to the people to come forward with any evidence or information linked to the case.

(With ANI inputs)

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Italy shines again with an inexpensive bubbly that can help brighten the quarantine, plus a vibrant white wine to drink with all sorts of seafood. We continue the Mediterranean theme with a racy white from Greece, before moving on to a classic California sauvignon blanc. And for those cool autumn evenings around the fire pit, we've got a savory Spanish Rioja to round out the lineup.

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GREAT VALUE

Famiglia Falvo Masseria Li Veli Fiano 2018

Three stars (Exceptional)

Salento, Italy, $17

From the heel of Italy's boot, this exuberant wine seems made to pair with any fish dish. It's zesty, citrusy and a bit tropical, with apple and Asian pear flavors and a bracing salinity that suggests shellfish, grilled fish and, for Dr. Seuss fans, red fish, blue fish. Alcohol by volume: 13 percent.

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Skouras Assyrtiko Wild Ferment 2019

Two and a half stars (Excellent/Exceptional)

Peloponnese, Greece, $20

Assyrtiko is most famous from the island of Santorini, but as demand has grown and prices climbed, importers are seeking out versions from the Greek mainland. Assyrtiko is structured, with high acidity that keeps it refreshing and exciting. This wine has some heft, so match it with hearty foods such as grilled chicken or fish. ABV: 13 percent.

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Acentor Rioja 2018

Two and a half stars (Excellent/Exceptional)

Spain, $18

This savory red seems ideal for the weeks on either side of the autumnal equinox. It greets the nose with jammy late-summer aromas of blackberry pie, as well as a sense of a cool afternoon turning to dusk in a forest where the leaves have reached peak color and are almost, but not quite, ready to fall. This wine begs to be paired with meat cooked over fire. It's young and should age well over the next five years if you're willing to stock up. ABV: 14 percent.

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Craftwork Estate Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2019

Two stars (Excellent)

Monterey County, Calif., $15

Here's a textbook California sauvignon blanc, with a bit of grassy herbs on the nose, and lean aromas of pear and apricot underneath. This wine is a nice partner for lighter pasta dishes and grilled tofu or poultry. ABV: 13.5 percent.

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GREAT VALUE

Tommaso Gambino, Gambino Cuvee Brut Sparkling Wine

Two stars (Excellent)

Italy, $10

The company is from Sicily, but the wine hails from the Treviso area in northern Italy, the land of Prosecco. With flavors of ripe peaches and star fruit, slightly herbaceous and a tad off-dry, the bubbly is great on its own or as a base for a mimosas or bellinis. Be sure to try this; it's delicious. ABV: 12 percent.

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3 stars exceptional, 2 stars excellent, 1 star very good

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Availability information is based on distributor records. Prices are approximate. Check Winesearcher.com to verify availability, or ask a favorite wine store to order through a distributor.

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McIntyre blogs at dmwineline.com.
Dutch initiative is latest attempt to hold Syrian govt accountable amid reports it is mistreating its own citizens.

The Dutch government has announced it is seeking to hold Syria responsible under international law for gross human rights violations, in a process that could ultimately trigger a case at the United Nations highest court.

The Dutch initiative, invoking the UN Convention against Torture, is the latest attempt to hold Syrian President Bashar al-Assads government accountable amid widespread reports it is committing serious crimes against its citizens against the backdrop of the countrys grinding civil war.

The Assad regime has not hesitated to crack down hard on its own population, using torture and chemical weapons, and bombing hospitals, Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok said in a statement on Friday.

The victims of these serious crimes must obtain justice, and we are pursuing that end by calling the perpetrators to account, Blok said.

According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, Syrian authorities arrested approximately 1.2 million people since the countrys conflict began in March 2011. As of the beginning of June, 12,325 were documented as having died under torture in Syrian government prisons, the SNHR said in a report released earlier this year.

At least 12,989 are still imprisoned or missing, their fates unknown, according to the report. Another 16,000 are missing in detention by other factions in Syrias war.

A UN Security Council resolution backed by more than 60 countries to refer the Syrian conflict to the International Criminal Court was vetoed by Russia and China in May 2014.

The Dutch initiative was triggered on Friday with a diplomatic note handed to Syrian diplomats in Geneva in which the Netherlands reminded Syria of its international obligations to halt violations of the torture convention and to compensate victims, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

The note asked Syria to enter negotiations on the issue. If the two countries cannot resolve the dispute, the Dutch government can propose arbitration and if that fails, the Netherlands will submit the case to an international court, the ministry said.

Human Rights Watch welcomed the Dutch move.

For years, thousands have been systematically starved, beaten, and tortured to their deaths in Syrias prisons. By using the Torture Convention to demand justice for their plight, the Netherlands is standing for countless victims in an action that could ultimately trigger a case at the worlds highest court, Balkees Jarrah, the rights groups associate international justice director, said.
IMMOKALEE, Fla. - A Florida deputy fatally shot a man armed with a shovel early Thursday morning, authorities said.

Collier County deputies responded to a disturbance in an Immokalee neighbourhood shortly after 1 a.m., according to sheriffs office Facebook post. A woman had called 911 to report that a man was yelling outside and trying to get into her home.

The responding deputies encountered Nicholas Morales-Bessannia, 37, and ordered him to the ground, officials said. Instead of complying, Morales-Bessannia produced a sharp-edge weapon, in addition to the shovel, and charged at deputies, authorities said. One of the deputies felt in fear for his safety and the safety of those around him and fired his weapon, officials said.

Morales-Bessannia was taken to a Naples hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The shooting remains under investigation. Officials didnt immediately identify the name or race of the deputy or the race of Morales-Bessannia.
A worker repairs power lines about two weeks after Hurricane Maria in San Isidro, Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico, on Oct. 5, 2017. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Trump Administration Announces $11.6 Billion Federal Aid to Puerto Rico

The Trump administration announced Friday that the federal government will provide an additional $11.6 billion to help Puerto Rico recover from the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.

The Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) will award $9.6 billion to the Puerto Rico Electrical Power Authority to restore the power grid. Another grant of $2 billion will be given to the Puerto Rico Department of Education to rebuild school buildings and other educational facilities.

Besides the federal grants, there will be an additional $1.4 billion in funding from non-federal sources, making the total amount $13 billion.

Its unclear where the other $1.4 billion in funding comes from.

The funding has been reviewed and validated by an independent expert review panel and agreed to by both FEMA and Puerto Rico, the White House said.

Todays grant announcements represent some of the largest awards in FEMAs history for any single disaster recovery event and demonstrate in the Federal Governments continuing commitment to help rebuild the territory and support the citizens of Puerto Rico and their recovery goals, the White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement.

Power line poles downed by the passing of Hurricane Maria lie on a street in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Nov. 7, 2017. (Ricardo Arduengo/AFP/Getty Images)

Hurricane Maria slammed into the island in September 2017 with winds of 155 mph, causing an estimated $100 billion in damage and killing nearly 3,000 people, according to the official death toll. Even now, thousands of homes are still damaged.

Power wasnt restored island-wide until nearly 11 months after the storm. The system still remains vulnerable, with outages affecting tens of thousands of people on a regular basis.

In October, the islands government announced a 10-year plan to modernize and strengthen the power grid at a projected cost of around $20 billion. Congress has approved about $50 billion to help rebuild the island, home to more than 3 million U.S. citizens.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and other Democrats showed no enthusiasm for the announcement, instead criticizing the White House for a delayed response.

The Trump Administration delayed, dragged its feet, and resisted allocating these badly needed funds, said Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-N.Y.), who was born in Puerto Rico. Now, forty-six days before the election, the Administration has finally seen fit to release these funds.

Puerto Rico is known for being incompetent and wasteful in handling disaster relief.

In September 2018, supplies intended for the victims of Hurricane Maria including food, cots, diapers, baby formula, generators, compact stoves, and emergency radios were found in a warehouse untouched, The Epoch Times reported.

President Donald Trump shakes hands with service members during a visit to Carolina, Puerto Rico, on Oct. 3, 2017. (Puerto Rico National Guard photo by Sgt. Jose Ahiram Diaz)

After Hurricane Maria, President Donald Trump said repeatedly that he wanted to help Puerto Rico and granted federal funding to help the island.

However, he emphasized that federal aid should be used exactly the way it is intended, not in other areas.

The people of Puerto Rico are wonderful but the inept politicians are trying to use the massive and ridiculously high amounts of hurricane/disaster funding to pay off other obligations. The U.S. will NOT bail out long outstanding & unpaid obligations with hurricane relief money! he wrote back on Oct. 23, 2018, in a Twitter post.

The Associated Press contributed to the report.
Prime Minister on Thursday expressed grief over the demise of MP Ashok Gasti and said the latter was passionate about empowering the poor and marginalised sections of society.

" MP Ashok Gasti was a dedicated Karyakarta who worked hard to strengthen the Party in Karnataka," the Prime Minister said in a tweet.

"He was passionate about empowering the poor and marginalised sections of society. Anguished by his passing away. Condolences to his family and friends. Om Shanti," he added.

Gasti passed away on Thursday evening at Manipal Hospital in Bengaluru after being diagnosed with severe COVID-19 pneumonia, hospital authorities said.

"Ashok Gasti, Member of Parliament from Rajya Sabha, who was admitted to Manipal Hospital, Old Airport Road on September 2, and diagnosed with severe COVID-19 pneumonia passed away at 10:31 pm. He was 55 years old," said Dr Manish Rai, Hospital Director.

(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.)
NORTH WALES  Borough police are seeking the publics help in locating a missing woman.

Police said Thursday that Kayla Tillack, 26, has been missing for several weeks from her residence in North Wales. Tillack is described by police as a white female, five feet three inches tall, 130 pounds, with long, reddish-brown hair and grey eyes.

According to police, Tillack has tattoos of the word ANGEL on her chest and TILLAKAY on her stomach, and has piercings of her lip, nose and ears, and a long scar across the bridge of her nose.

Tillack suffers from mental health issues and was last contacted in Norristown, police said Thursday. Anyone with information is asked to call 911 immediately or contact North Wales Police at (215) 699-9270.
The three-day visit by Krach, as undersecretary in charge of economic affairs, marks the highest-level State Department visit to Taiwan in decades. The purpose of Krachs trip is nominally to attend a memorial service for former Taiwanese president Lee Teng-hui, but the visit is seen as possibly paving the way for a future bilateral trade agreement between Taipei and Washington after the two governments reached a breakthrough last month that allowed U.S. meat exports into Taiwan.
LSE picks Euronext as preferred bidder for Borsa Italiana FILE PHOTO: The logo of stock market operator Euronext is seen on a building in the financial district of la Defense in Courbevoie

By Huw Jones, Valentina Za and Maya Nikolaeva

LONDON/MILAN/PARIS (Reuters) - London Stock Exchange entered exclusive talks to sell Borsa Italiana to Euronext on Friday, with the French operator seeing off Deutsche Boerse and Switzerland's Six as it bids to add another bourse to its pan-European network.

Dubbed "Project Botticelli", the LSE's sale of the Milan stock exchange is sensitive in Rome due to concerns about who takes control of its bond platform, which handles trading of Italy's 2.6 trillion euros ($3.1 trillion) of government debt.

The LSE is selling Borsa as part of regulatory remedies to see through its $27 billion purchase of data provider Refinitiv, which is 45% owned by Thomson Reuters, parent company of Reuters News.

It was not immediately clear what Euronext had offered to gain exclusive talks, but investors welcomed the move and its shares were up 5% at 0946 GMT. LSE stock was up 0.7%.

Offers for Borsa valued it at up to 4 billion euros, sources said before the LSE board reviewed the bids on Thursday.

Chief Executive Stephane Boujnah declined to comment on the value of Euronext's bid, but told Reuters that price was one of several elements LSE had taken into consideration.

Boujnah said Euronext had always considered Borsa "a natural fit" and contacts had accelerated since July after years of informal discussions with all relevant stakeholders.

"It's a natural enlargement of Euronext within a framework that already existed, clearly with an unprecedented size. It's the first time we're welcoming within Euronext a G7 economy, the third economy of the European continent with everything that is related to that," Boujnah added.

Euronext had moved to win round both the LSE and Rome by teaming up with Italy's state investor Cassa Depositi e Prestiti and Italian bank Intesa Sanpaolo in order to gain Italy's buy-in.

Both CDP and Intesa will become shareholders in the French exchange operator, if the bid for Borsa succeeds, by subscribing to a proposed capital increase.

Story continues

'ITALIAN ECOSYSTEM'

Under the proposed deal, CDP would have a seat on Euronext's supervisory board, with a second Italian candidate proposed as an independent board member who would become chairman, in a nod to how Milan would be the largest contributor to Euronext revenue at roughly 35% of a combined group.

Borsa would join exchanges under the Euronext banner that span Dublin and Oslo to Brussels, Amsterdam and Paris, and add significant bond trading, clearing and settlement capacity.

"Key businesses and central functions of the new group would be based in Milan and Rome," Euronext said.

The deal would give Euronext much-needed scale, ownership of a clearing house with critical mass, and scope to scale the business internationally, analysts at Jefferies said.

It would also bring Milan under euro zone ownership after Britain left the EU, a move likely to please Brussels policymakers who want to buttress the bloc's capital market.

"The Italian government expressed a preference to have a solution, a project within the European Union, within the single market, the euro zone," Boujnah said.

Switzerland's Six had no comment, while Deutsche Boerse said it had made an attractive offer that would have given Milan a high degree of autonomy.

LSE Chief Executive David Schwimmer appears keen to have a deal fleshed out before Dec. 16, when EU competition officials decide whether to approve the Refinitiv takeover.

Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley advised LSE on the sale, while Euronext was represented by JP Morgan and Mediobanca and Lazard worked with CDP.

($1 = 0.8435 euros)

(Reporting by Muvija M in Bengaluru, Pamela Barbaglia and Huw Jones in London, Mike Shields in Switzerland and Tom Sims in Frankfurt; Editing by Patrick Graham, Jason Neely and Alexander Smith)
A total of 77 seniors were named National Merit Semifinalists, and 52 seniors earned National Commended Scholar status. The students were top scorers in Florida on the PSAT exam they took junior year, which served as the National Merit Scholarship qualifying test. Most Semifinalists advance to Finalist status in the spring and are eligible to receive college scholarships.

This marks the 11th consecutive year American Heritage has had the highest number of National Merit Semifinalists in Florida. One in four students in the Class of 2021 scored in the top one percent of students in the nation.

"I am so proud of these students for earning this extremely prestigious award," said Dr. Douglas Laurie, president of American Heritage Schools. "Not only are they nationally recognized as the top one percent academically, but they are also extremely well-rounded, excelling both in and out of the classroom in fine arts, sports, and community service," Laurie added.

American Heritage Class of 2014 alum, Dylan Cahill, reflects on the benefits of earning the merit-based award. "Becoming a National Merit Finalist was a stepping stone on my way to attending Dartmouth and ultimately Harvard Medical School," said Cahill. "It gave me the tools to excel on future exams and the confidence as a student to propel me forward in my journey to medical school."

American Heritage School is the #1 private school in Florida for nationally recognized scholars in math competition, science fair, mock trial, moot court, and speech and debate. American Heritage School is an independent, non-sectarian, co-educational, college preparatory school in South Florida serving grades PK3 to 12.

For more information about the National Merit Scholarship Program and American Heritage School, please click here to register for our Fall Virtual Open Houses.

SOURCE American Heritage School

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Washington, Sep 18 : The US government has announced sanctions against a Lebanese individual and two companies for their alleged ties with the Beirut-based Hezbollah group.

The Treasury Department said in a statement on Thursday that the two companies, Arch Consulting and Meamar Construction, were blacklisted "for being owned, controlled, or directed" by Hezbollah, reports Xinhua news agency.

Lebanese Sultan Khalifah As'ad was also designated, who the Treasury said is a Hezbollah Executive Council official closely associated with both companies.

"Through Hezbollah's exploitation of the Lebanese economy and manipulation of corrupt Lebanese officials, companies associated with the terrorist organization are awarded government contracts," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in the statement.

The State Department designated Hezbollah, backed by the Islamic Shia community, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 1997.

According to the statement, all property and interests of the property of the designated entities and the individual in the US have been blocked, and Americans are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with them.

Last week, the US sanctioned two former Lebanese ministers, accusing them of supporting Hezbollah.

Established in 1982 during Lebanon's civil war, Hezbollah is now a major political party in the country.

It fought a war with Israel in 2006.
B osses joined the Mayor of London on Friday in a last-minute plea for the Government to extend a business rates holiday, as job cuts and a potential second lockdown loomed.

Businesses say up to 50,000 jobs in the West End alone are at risk if more rates help is not given.

The lobbying push came on deadline day for submissions to the first phase of the Governments review of business rates. Bosses said the business rates holiday, launched to help the High Street ride out the virus crisis and due to expire next March, must be extended.

Mayor Sadiq Khan wants to see one year more of support and a long-term reform. He said: Businesses across London continue to struggle from the impact of Covid-19. If the business rates holiday comes to an end I worry many employers will have no choice but to make more people unemployed.

Data from the Office for National Statistics today showed growth on the High Street, but also a feeling that the recovery could be running out of steam.

The ONS said retail sales were up 0.8% from July to August. That is the fourth month running of improvement.

But George Brown at Investec said: This could be as good as it gets for retailers this year. Sales have been supported by the accumulation of pent-up demand over lockdown, but also as the Governments furlough scheme has helped to contain the number of job losses. Spending looks set to moderate over the coming months, particularly with unemployment on the rise.

Central London firms have suffered as tourists and office workers stay away. Hospitality and retail firms are worried about fresh reports that new national restrictions could be introduced as the Government tries to tackle the rising rates of infection.

Patrick Dardis, chief executive of pub group Youngs, said rates are a punishment for businesses that want to invest in growth and people.

Helen Brocklebank at luxury goods association Walpole said an extension of the holiday was crucial for the survival of many of Britains most iconic luxury retailers.

Jace Tyrrell at lobby group New West End Company said: The reintroduction of business rates in April 2021 will be a final blow for many businesses already struggling to meet costs as they await the return of international and domestic visitors and larger numbers of people back in their offices.

The result will be more business closures and potentially 50,000 job losses, severely diminishing Londons appeal to visitors, investors and global talent. We appreciate the support that the Government has given to businesses so far but it is clear that the impact of Covid-19 is going to last much longer than originally anticipated."

Jerry Schurder, head of business rates at property consultancy Gerald Eve said: Having seen poor footfall in central London due mainly to limited return to office use, and fearful of a second lockdown, Londons businesses are hugely concerned that without an extension of the holiday many more outlets will simply be unable to continue to trade."
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The first half of September has seen a massive closure of hotels on the Costa del Sol, with no one daring to suggest a reopening date.

The area's tourism industry has been hit from all sides during the pandemic: demand for hotel accommodation plummeted when quarantine restrictions were imposed by key countries such as the UK; and the financial situation of Spanish families, with thousands of workers still on furlough schemes and companies failing to survive the pandemic, has kept away national visitors.

This year's disaster comes just as tourism figures for the month of September were picking up. During this month last year 72% of the Costa's hotel rooms were full, and with higher-spending tourists. This year the month's occupancy is expected to be no more than 23%, according to the Costa del Sol hoteliers' association, Aehcos.

The hotels that have already closed their doors this month include numerous Costa icons that have never before closed during the low season: the Pez Espada, the Alay, the Melia Costa del Sol and the MS Amaragua are among them.

Aehcos president Luis Callejon Sune has described the situation as critical, and said that around 80% of the Costa's hotels are likely to remain closed this winter season. In recent years, as the industry made progress towards reducing the gap between summer and winter seasons, the percentage was the other way round, with only 20% closed.

This year the hotels have not ventured a date for their reopening; as with everything, the pandemic will decide.

"The virus and tourism are incompatible," said Callejon Sune.

For many this summer season has been little more than one month long. The Alay hotel in Benalmadena reopened on 1 July and closed on 1 September, but commercial director Alvaro Reyes pointed out that August was more like November.

"There's no demand. That's the reality. We've never closed in winter. We hope to be able to reopen on 1 March," he said.

The Med Playa group has also confirmed the closure of its Costa del Sol flagship, the Pez Espada.

"There's no reopening date," said a spokesperson.

Meanwhile the last guests checked out of the Melia Costa del Sol on Monday.

"The forecasts were bleak. Since 1976 we have never closed, but this situation is unheard of," said director Carlos Franco, who hopes to open "at the first opportunity".

Similarly, the CEO of the local MS hotel chain, Miguel Sanchez, has also closed the two establishments of his four on the Costa that he reopened after the lockdown. The MS Amaragua closed on Thursday last week and the Pepita apartments in Benalmadena on Friday.

"Nothing's moving and we have to think about saving businesses and jobs," said Sanchez, who predicted that after this weekend few hotels on the Costa del Sol will be still open.
U.S. 2nd Infantry Division Commander Maj. Gen. Steve Gilland, fifth from right, Korea Defense Veterans Association (KDVA) Korea Chapter President Lee Seo-young, third from left, KDVA Korea Chapter Honorary President Kwon Oh-sung, fourth from left, and Korea Military Academy (KMA) Superintendent Lt. Gen. Chung Jin-kyung, sixth from left, pose with other guests during an unveiling ceremony of a monument at the KMA, Friday, to honor West Point graduates killed in the Korean War. Courtesy of Army



By Yi Whan-woo



The Army unveiled a monument Friday, commemorating U.S. Military Academy graduates who were killed in the 1950-53 Korean War.



The monument, set up at the Korea Military Academy (KMA) in Seoul, is inscribed with the names of the 17 officers from the West Point Class of 1948 and the ode of remembrance.



This is the third monument to honor U.S. service members from West Point. The other two, also on the KMA campus, honor the classes of 1949 and 1950, the Army said.



It said the latest one was erected under an agreement signed between the Korea Chapter of the Korea Defense Veterans Association (KDVA) and the Army as part of a project to mark the 70th anniversary of the Korean War.



The KDVA, tasked with enhancing the Korea-U.S. alliance, consists of former and active members of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), the Combined Forces Command (CFC) and the Korean Augmentation to the United States Army (KATUSA).



Participants of Friday's commemoration ceremony included U.S. 2nd Infantry Division Commander Maj. Gen. Steve Gilland, KDVA Korea Chapter President Lee Seo-young, KDVA Korea Chapter Honorary President Kwon Oh-sung, KMA Superintendent Lt. Gen. Chung Jin-kyung and Army cadets.



"The freedom and peace defended by the young heroes 70 years ago have become the foundation of the Republic of Korea's economic prosperity and vibrant democracy," Chung said in his opening address.



"I will do my best to nurture cadets as core members of the ROK Army's future, by making sure they keep in mind the meaning and significance of the alliance at all times."



Former USFK and CFC commander Walter Sharp sent a video message.



He said the 17 fallen officers were committed to the values of duty, honor and country  the motto of West Point  and that their sacrifice helped lay the groundwork for the alliance.



The 17 includes James Alward Van Fleet Jr., the only son of James Alward Van Fleet, who commanded the U.S. Eighth Army during the war.



He was a B-26 bomber pilot captain when his aircraft crashed in Haju, North Korea, while on a night mission in April 1952. He was declared missing in action and later presumed dead.



The father is known for his passion toward the KMA, such as helping the school adopt West Point's four-year curriculum and training courses, and leading a fundraising campaign to build a library.



Meanwhile, the Army plans to erect four more monuments for the West Point classes of 1945, 1946, 1947 and 1951 by 2023.


A Tennessee man was murdered on Sunday by a gunman who had taken him and his pregnant wife hostage after a series of shootings and carjackings near by.

The couple, Aileen and Jordan Stevens, had been on their way to church in Rutherford County when a car rammed into them on Interstate 24, according to the womans family.

Unbeknown to the couple, the driver  later identified as 29-year-old Dangelo Dorsey of St Louis, Missouri had just opened fire inside a moving vehicle, killing one person and wounding another, said David Rausch, director for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, in a news release.

Dorsey had got out of the vehicle as traffic came to a halt, shooting a driver in the hand as he attempted to carjack her vehicle, and shooting a truck driver in the face, Mr Rausch said.

After Dorsey crashed into the Stevens, the couple pulled over, believing it to be an accident. Dorsey then forced the couple at gunpoint to drive him back to their home in Morrison  about 80 miles southeast of Nashville.

There Dorsey allegedly stole two of their guns, switched vehicles and forced the couple to go with him. Authorities said Dorsey took the couple to a nearby location, separated them, and shot Jordan in front of his wife. He then forced Aileen back inside the car and continued driving, authorities said.

Police located the vehicle and a chase ensued, reaching speeds over 100mph. The vehicle eventually crashed and flipped.

"At that point, Dorsey took his own life, Mr Rausch stated. "The female hostage was safely recovered.

Authorities have identified the man killed earlier as Darcey Johnson, 28. The others who were injured are expected to recover.

A TBI spokesperson said Dorsey appeared to know the first two victims but his targeting of the Stevens appeared to be random. He reportedly had an extensive criminal record in his home state of Missouri but had no arrest record in Tennessee. An investigation into his motives is ongoing.

Aileens brother told CNN that she spent a few days in the hospital and his now at home recuperating. A GoFundMe account has been set up to provide financial support to Aileen and her family. Jordan Stevens was laid to rest at the First Baptist Chuch of McMinnville Friday afternoon.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 10:00:46|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- China on Friday released a white paper on the participation of the country's armed forces in the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations.

The white paper, titled "China's Armed Forces: 30 Years of UN Peacekeeping Operations," was released by the State Council Information Office. Enditem
Our commitment to this effort begins with active participation in the Industry committees drafting the standards and continues through the planning, development, communication, and deployment of the standards changes."

OATI is pleased to announce the successful completion of the E-Tag 1.8.4 cutover for OATIs hundreds of webSmartTag customers. On September 15, 2020, the NAESB E-tag Specification 1.8.4 changes were successfully implemented into the OATI webSmartTag system. The cutover was conducted by OATI software teams in coordination with NAESB industry participants, where OATI was the only E-tag Authority service provider to complete the upgrade without any reported problems.

Included in the NAESB E-tag 1.8.4 Specification changes is the requirement for E-tag services to use Transport Layer Security (TLS) v1.2 for all communication attempts. This includes browser access to the OATI webSmartTag user interface. Also, the approval window for E-Tag requests is now shorter by approximately one minute. All downstream OATI systems and customer systems that receive E-Tag data via the OATI webData service or the OATI Tag Forwarding Service will automatically see the new approval window.

Our customers count on us to stay current with the latest industry standards changes, said Dr. Sasan Mokhtari, President and CEO of OATI. Our commitment to this effort begins with active participation in the Industry committees drafting the standards and continues through the planning, development, communication, and deployment of the standards changes. I am proud of our teams commitment to the quality delivery of these changes which are critical to the operation of the electric grid.

About OATI

OATI provides innovative solutions that simplify, streamline, and empower the operational tasks required in todays energy commerce and Smart Grid. Serving more than 2,000 customers in North America, OATI successfully deploys and hosts diverse mission-critical solutions committed to industry standards and stringent security guidelines.

OATI (http://www.oati.com) is a leading provider of Smart Grid, Energy Trading and Risk Management, Transmission Scheduling, Congestion Management, Distribution, and Market Management products and services. OATI is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with offices in California, Punjab, Telangana, and Singapore. For more information, please contact sales@oati.net.


New York, Sep 18 : The Indians for Biden National Council (IBNC) is ramping up its outreach to the community, aiming for votes in the key swing states where small vote margins count, by adding several legislators and other leaders to its advisory board, the organisation's National Director Sanjeev Joshipura announced on Friday.

"Indian American leaders from different political and advocacy areas have joined the Indians for Biden National Council to help expand the Council's reach in various Indian American communities in battleground states across America," the IBNC said.

The battleground states are important because neither the state has a lock on them and they can also swing either way with a small number of votes deciding the final result of the presidential election, which is finally determined by electors and not the popular votes.

The advisory board includes Nisha Biswal, who was the Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia in the administration of President Barack Obama, and is now the President of the US-India Business Council and Senior Vice-President for South Asia at the US Chamber of Commerce.

House of Representatives member Raja Krishnamoorthi is also a member of the board.

Displaying the broad sweep of emerging Indian American politicians, the board includes seven state legislators from across the country and activists.

"The participation of respected political and policy figures on our advisory board emphasises the importance of Indian Americans as a voting block, especially in the swing states. We are delighted and inspired by our advisory board's enthusiasm to help the Biden-Harris ticket win in November," Joshipura said.

Biswal said, "Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are absolutely the right people to lead this country during these trying times. Moreover, from Biden's long record in public service, and based on the campaign's publicly released agenda for the Indian American community, I know that a Biden-Harris administration will do a great job in further strengthening US-India ties." The IBNC operates under the umbrella of South Asians of Biden, which also has separate councils for Pakistani Americans and other ethnicities.

Support for Democratic candidate Biden among Indian Americans appears to have fallen by 11 per cent compared to the voting for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 elections.

While she received 77 per cent of votes from Indian Americans, the 2020 Asian American Voter Survey (AAVS) released this week found Biden getting only the support of 66 per cent.

President Donald Trump's support, meanwhile, has increased by 12 per cent in the court years to 28 per cent.

Biden gave the push for Indian American votes with a digital address to the community on August 15, recalling his leadership for getting the India-US nuclear deal through the Congress and assuring them by saying "as President, I'll also continue to rely on Indian American diaspora. It keeps our two nations together." The US Presidential polls are indirect elections with members of the electoral college distributed along state lines making the final selection. Although Hillary Clinton won 2.8 million votes, she lost the 2016 elections because Trump received 77 more votes than her in the electoral college.

This has made Indian American voters in the swing states important for the outcome of the elections as they could contribute to the slim margins that determine the outcome.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed on Twitter at @arulouis)
ST. LOUIS  A state investigation into complaints about patient care at the citys St. Alexius Hospital has stalled the sale of the facility, according to court records.

The 190-bed hospital in south St. Louis has struggled financially for years, and serves a large percentage of patients who are uninsured, and who rely on Medicare or Medicaid. Employees and administrators have hoped that a new operator could bring change, and revitalization.

St. Alexius and its owner, hospital management company Americore Holdings, have been in bankruptcy proceedings since December 2019. When a bankruptcy court judge approved a proposal for Americore to sell the hospital in July, the deal was expected to close no later than Aug. 21.

But a status report filed earlier this month by the hospitals bankruptcy trustee Carol Fox said state and federal agencies had received complaints recently about St. Alexius. The documents say the proposed buyer was still interested in purchasing the hospital, but didnt want to close until after the state investigation was resolved.

The state received an anonymous complaint related to the quality of care at the hospital, the court documents say. The state then sent surveyors to the hospital over the course of 10 days in August, resulting in two tags of immediate patient jeopardy, a situation in which a patient suffers serious harm, or could suffer serious harm.

The hospital had to submit plans to correct those problems, according to the court records.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services confirmed on Thursday that the investigation was ongoing. We have an active investigation there that we cannot comment on due to it not being completed, Lisa Cox, department spokeswoman, said in an email.

Fox said in her Sept. 2 status report that the hospitals buyer knew about the investigation and wouldnt close while it was continuing.

Her report also says the hospital received an inquiry from the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri about use of money it received under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act.

Fox, a principal at the financial consultant GlassRatner Advisory and Capital Group, said in an email on Thursday that the issue with the U.S. Attorney had been resolved, but she wouldnt say more about the complaints or the expected timeline for the sale.

St. Alexius has been sold multiple times in the past decade, and the two most recent owners both filed for bankruptcy. The hospital had negative profit margins in 2015, 2016 and 2017, according to the St. Louis Area Business Health Coalition.

Founded in 1869 by the Catholic order of Alexian Brothers, today St. Alexius has a main hospital and senior care center at 3933 South Broadway. The hospital also has the Lutheran School of Nursing, located near the intersection of Miami Street and Jefferson Avenue.

In January 2019, a bankruptcy court authorized the previous owner, Florida-based Promise Healthcare Group, to sell its ownership stake to Americore Holdings. Americore owned St. Alexius for less than a year before it also filed for bankruptcy, in December 2019.

Then, in late July, a judge in Americores bankruptcy case said he would grant a motion to sell the hospital to SA Hospital Acquisition Group, a group of businessmen with backgrounds in nursing homes, health systems and investment banking.

The buyer group, SA Hospital Acquisition Group, includes members Lawrence Feigen, Ben Klein, Jeff Ahlholm, Mohammed Anwar and Troy Schell.

Feigen co-founded a California-based nursing home operator, SnF Management. Klein operates Juvo BH, an autism treatment business, and Success TMS, a depression treatment business. Ahlholm co-founded a Los Angeles-based investment bank, AGRA Capital.

Anwar is the former chief medical officer of several Prime Healthcare hospitals, a California-based hospital system, and current medical director of Benchmark Hospitalists, a hospital management and consulting company. Schell served as general counsel for Prime Healthcare Management, a subsidiary of Prime Healthcare, before starting his own law firm.

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 18)  Lawmakers at the House of Representatives on Friday questioned the funds slashed from the proposed 2021 budget of the Department of Health (DOH) especially after the countrys struggles to battle the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the deliberations of the House Committee on Appropriations on the DOH budget for next year, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the department originally submitted to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) a 45 billion budget proposal for its Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP), which aims to upgrade public healthcare infrastructure

However, only 4.7 billion was approved for the program, according to Duque.

He said another 5.5 billion was authorized, but it is under the unprogrammed fund, and the money could only be released if there are additional revenues.

Duque then asked the House of Representatives to add 10 billion to the HFEP allocation as he noted the budget cut may negatively impact the implementation of the universal healthcare program as well as the COVID-19 response.

As a consequence of the reduction, our goal in the implementation of COVID-19 response and the universal healthcare program will be significantly affected with delays in functionality, licensing and accreditation of healthcare facilities due to the lack of infrastructure and equipment, the health chief said.

For its part, the DBM said the HFEP allocation was slashed because of its slow implementation in the previous years despite the huge funds released to the DOH.

Since 2008 ... our records show that only 56% of the allotment provided to them has been disbursed, DBM Director Mary Anne dela Vega said in the same budget briefing.

Funds for the purchase of the coronavirus vaccines also suffered cuts.

Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje said the DOH requested 12.9 billion for the procurement of potential COVID-19 vaccines, but only 2.5 billion was granted by DBM.

Cabotaje said they could get a loan from the Land Bank of the Philippines to cover the remaining budget requirements.

Rep. Carlos Zarate also lamented the decrease in the budgets of the COVID-19 referral hospitals Lung Center of the Philippines and Philippine Childrens Medical Center (PCMC).

The budget of the Lung Center was cut by 10 million, while the PCMC budget was reduced by P200 million.

Zarate also pointed out a smaller budget for the program to strengthen the DOH's epidemiology bureau, which has a key role in the health crisis.

He asked: Are these not important and related to the issue of pandemic?

Health Undersecretary Mario Villaverde said the DBM has given the DOH a budget ceiling and that not all of their requests were accommodated.

Order of priorities

Quezon Rep. Angelina Tan decried the order of priorities of the economic managers in the appropriations bill for 2021.

Tan, who is also chairperson of the House Committee on Health, noted that the DOH only has the fifth highest budget for next year.

Our experience with the COVID-19 pandemic should have been a wake up call to our economic managers that we should have put more weight on the health needs of the country, Tan said.
ISLAMABAD: The Imran Khan government is soon going to illegally integrate the occupied Gilgit-Baltistan region by making it Pakistan's fifth province.

Pakistani newspaper Express Tribune quoted Minister of 'Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan Affairs' Ali Amin Gandapur as saying on Wednesday that the government has decided to 'elevate Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) to the status of a full-fledged province with all constitutional rights, including its representation in the Senate and the National Assembly.'

Prime Minister Khan would soon visit the region and make the formal announcement in this regard, Gandapur said. "Gilgit-Baltistan would be given adequate representation on all constitutional bodies, including the National Assembly and the Senate. After consultation with all stakeholders, the federal government has decided in principle to give constitutional rights to Gilgit-Baltistan," the minister told a delegation of journalists from G-B, the newspaper reported.

"Our government has decided to deliver on the promise it made to the people there," the minister said adding that the subsidy and tax exemption on wheat given to the region would continue. "Until the people there stand on their feet, they will continue to get the subsidies," Gandapur said, acknowledging deprivation of the people of Gilgit-Baltistan for the last 73 years.

About the upcoming elections in the region, Gandapur said that voting would be held in mid-November and the distribution of party tickets to candidates would begin soon. He also revealed that the ruling party of Pakistan, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) can enter into an electoral alliance with any local party but not with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

Several rights activists from Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir (PoJK) and G-B have been critical of the polls, arguing that Imran Khan`s objective is to establish a government of its own choice through elections and subsume in Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan.

Under the current circumstances, free and fair elections in Gilgit are impossible because of the colonial Schedule IV and Anti-Terrorism Act which are used to crush civil dissent by arresting people and censoring them if they express their political views, activists have argued.

Recently, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), in a searing report, slammed the federal government for nullifying Gilgit Baltistan`s province-like status granted in 2009 as per the Empowerment and Self-Governance Order. The federal government in 2018 withdrew whatever "negligible powers" that had been delegated to the region, the commission said.

The HRCP also lamented the disenfranchisement of people in Gilgit-Baltistan, saying that the 2018 order annulled the Gilgit-Baltistan Council which had local representation and gave excessive powers to Pakistan`s Prime Minister.
The father of AJ Freund has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for the five-year-old's horrific killing, after the little boy's parents forced him into a cold shower and beat him to death before burying his body in a shallow grave and reporting him missing.

Andrew Freund Sr., 61, of Crystal Lake, Illinois, pleaded guilty Friday to three felony charges of involuntary manslaughter, aggravated battery to a child, and concealment of a homicide over AJ's slaying, as part of a plea deal with prosecutors.

He spoke only to say 'Yes, your honor' when McHenry County Judge Robert Wilbrandt asked him if he was pleading guilty to the reduced charges and declined to make a statement.

AJ died in April 2019 after suffering a campaign of abuse at the hands of father Freund Sr. and mother JoAnn Cunningham, 37, for years.

Cunningham pleaded guilty last year to murder and in July was sentenced to 35 years in prison.

Two former Illinois social workers have been also been charged with child endangerment, accused of failing to protect the little boy despite visible signs of abuse and police complaints in the months leading up to his death.

The father of AJ Freund has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for the five-year-old's horrific murder, after the little boy's parents forced him into a cold shower and beat him to death before burying his body in a shallow grave and reporting him missing. Pictured Andrew Freund Sr., 61 in court last month

Attorneys for Freund Sr. reached the deal with prosecutors this week, where the boy's father pleaded to the three felony charges in exchange for prosecutors dropping the first-degree murder charges against him.

He was sentenced to 14 years for involuntary manslaughter, 11 years for aggravated battery, and 5 years for concealment of a homicide, with the sentences to be served consecutively.

Freund Sr. will be given credit for time served, having been held in custody since April last year.

He could walk free after serving just 19 years because of sentencing rules, Judge Wilbrandt said during Friday's sentencing.

Under the terms of the deal, Freund Sr. must cooperate with investigators in the case against the two social workers.

He will also have to register as a violent offender and take part in behavioral interviews for the FBI's behavioral analysis unit.

A deal had been in the pipeline for some time with Freund Sr.'s defense attorney Henry Sugden in talks with prosecutors for almost a year.

It suggests prosecutors believe the felon's repeated claims that it was Cunningham who killed their son.

During the hearing, prosecutor Patrick Kenneally read out details about Freund's abuse of AJ, what he saw Cunningham do to the little boy and his statements to police during their investigation into his disappearance and death.

AJ (pictured) died in April 2019 after suffering a campaign of abuse at the hands of Freund Sr. and his mom JoAnn Cunningham, 37, for years

Andrew Freund Sr.(left), 61, of Crystal Lake, Illinois, pleaded guilty Friday to three felony charges, as part of a plea deal with prosecutors. JoAnn Cunningham (right) pleaded guilty last year to murder and in July was sentenced to 35 years in prison

Kenneally told how Freund lied to police about not knowing where the little boy was, after he and Cunningham reported him missing three days after his brutal murder.

The father made a chilling 911 call where he feigned concern for his missing son while knowing he was already dead.

'We've checked closets, the basement, the garage, everywhere,' Freund told the dispatcher.

He said he scoured the park, a nearby school and a 'local gas station down here where we sometimes take him to buy treats.'

The elaborate cover-up continued with Freund sending Cunningham texts reading 'give the boys a kiss and hug for me' in the hope that law enforcement would discover them and believe the boy was alive in the days after his killing.

After AJ's body was found, Freund later tried to distance himself from the abuse and his son's death, blaming Cunningham.

He told cops Cunningham killed AJ and that he was not present at the home at the time.

AJ's body was found buried in a shallow grave in woodlands near the family home

Tributes to murdered 5-year-old boy AJ Freund outside his family home in Crystal Lake, Illinois

He then said Cunningham woke him at 3 a.m. on April 15 to tell him AJ wasn't breathing and that he tried to revive the boy before realizing he was dead.

Freund wrapped his son's body in plastic and left it in the basement of the family home for two days before burying his remains in a shallow grave in Woodstock two days later.

Freund later led investigators to the spot where the boy was buried.

When confronted about a video on Cunningham's cellphone showing AJ battered and bruised and lying naked on a mattress while a woman thought to be Cunningham shouting at him for wetting the bed, Freund told investigators Cunningham had beaten him.

He said he had suggested punishing the boy with cold showers instead of beatings.

AJ died on April 14 after Cunningham hit the child and placed him in a cold shower until he would admit the truth about hiding his soiled underwear.

Cunningham then locked AJ in his room, where with his brain swelling, he choked on his own blood and died.

After discovering the boy was not breathing at around 3 a.m. on April 15, police said the couple searched for information on child CPR on Freund's phone.

Carlos Acosta (left), a 54-year-old McHenry County board member, was charged with two felony counts of endangering the life of a child and one felony count of reckless conduct. Andrew Polovin, 48, (right) was Acosta's former supervisor, and was arrested on the same charges

Photos of the Freund's home showed a state of disarray, with garbage and dog feces on floor

Freund then told Cunningham he would 'handle it,' placing AJ's body in a plastic tote in the basement and burying him days later.

Freund then called 911 early April 18, 2019, to report AJ missing.

Cunningham pleaded for help finding the boy the day after he was reported missing.

After a frantic six-day search, his battered remains were unearthed from a shallow grave about seven miles from his home in Woodstock.

A forensic pathologist who conducted the child's autopsy described fatal head injuries and cuts and bruises across his entire body and limbs.

AJ inhaled his own blood before his painful death and had small, circular marks on his forehead consistent with the pattern of a detachable shower head.

'It's a pretty bad case,' testified Dr Mark Witeck, who estimated he has conducted some 7,000 autopsies throughout his career.

'Not the worse one I've seen but very bad.'

Earlier this month, two Crystal Lake social workers were arrested on child endangerment charges, after a grand jury returned an indictment.

Carlos Acosta, a 54-year-old McHenry County board member, was charged with two felony counts of endangering the life of a child and one felony count of reckless conduct.

Cunningham hit AJ (pictured) and placed him in a cold shower after he soiled his underwear. The boy was then locked in a room, where he choked on his own blood and died

Cunningham, with her attorney George Killis, pictured pleading on April 19 2019 for help finding the missing boy after she beat him to death days earlier

Andrew Polovin, 48, was Acosta's former supervisor, and was arrested on the same charges.

Both men had their bail set at $20,000 and were expected to be arraigned on Friday morning at the McHenry County Jail in Woodstock, Illinois.

The pair were placed on desk duties after the little boy's death and in December they were fired by the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).

DCFS employees are granted some immunity from civil and criminal charges under the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act.

Illinois law clarifies that anyone making a report of child abuse or neglect is presumed to have done so in good faith.

Both Acosta and Polovin were involved in an investigation into a large bruise spotted on the child's hip, four months before he was killed.

Acosta and Polovin's 2018 investigation involving AJ's family also is the subject of a federal lawsuit in which both men are named as defendants.

Both former employees are accused in court documents of conducting a 'sham investigation' and falsifying records.
(HealthDay)Yet another rapid COVID-19 test has proven its mettle in spotting infection with the new coronavirus, this time in a British study.

The lab-in-a-cartridge testing devicewhich can be performed at bedside, doesn't require a laboratory, and can be performed in cartridges smaller than a mobile phonewas tested on 386 National Health Service staff and patients in Britain.

The test had 94% sensitivity and 100% specificity, meaning it had a high level of accuracy and produced very few false negatives and no false positives. The results are available within 90 minutes, while conventional COVID-19 tests provide results within 24 hours, the researchers said. The findings were published Sept. 17 in The Lancet Microbe journal.

In the United States, four rapid coronavirus tests have already been developed. These tests detect COVID-19 antigens, proteins found on the surface of the coronavirus, rather than the virus itself, according to the Associated Press. It's considered a faster, but less precise, screening method.

One of these tests, made by Abbott Laboratories and called BinaxNOW, has already secured a $760 million deal with the White House to produce 150 million rapid nasal swab tests for community testing, according to the AP.

The 15-minute BinaxNOW test will sell for $5, giving it an edge over similar tests that need to be popped into a small machine, the AP reported. No larger than a credit card, the Abbott test is based on the same technology used to test for the flu, strep throat and other infections.

"Those [rapid] screening tests are what we need in schools, workplaces and nursing homes in order to catch asymptomatic spreaders," Dr. Jonathan Quick, an adjunct professor of global health at Duke University in North Carolina, told the AP.

With the British test, a nose swab from a patient is inserted into the cartridge device, which analyzes the sample for genetic material belonging to SARS-CoV-2 virus.

The new test is being used at eight London hospitals, and is due to be rolled out at a national level. The U.K. government recently placed an order for 5.8 million of the testing kits.

"These results suggest the test, which can be performed at a patient's bedside without the need to handle any sample material, has comparable accuracy to standard laboratory testing," said study author Graham Cooke. He is a professor in the department of infectious disease at Imperial College London.

"Many tests involve a trade-off between speed and accuracy, but this test manages to achieve both," Cooke said in a college news release.

The testmade by DnaNudge, an Imperial College London start-upis now being developed to simultaneously check for COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, the researchers added.

Chris Toumazou is CEO and co-founder of DnaNudge and founder of the Institute of Biomedical Engineering at Imperial College London. He said, "The DnaNudge test was developed as a lab-free, on-the-spot consumer service that can be delivered at scale, so we clearly believe it offers very significant potential in terms of mass population testing during the COVID-19 pandemic."

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

More information: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on COVID-19 testing

Copyright  2020 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
RESTON, Va., Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Leidos (NYSE: LDOS), a FORTUNE 500 science and technology leader, has been awarded a task order by the U.S. Air Force's Installation Contracting Agency (AFICA/KD). Through this task order, Leidos will support energetics research and development for the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OUSD) and the Combat Capability Development Command  Armament Center (CCDC-AC).

The single award, Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee (CPFF) task order falls under the Air Force's Information Analysis Center Multiple Award Contract (IAC MAC). If fully funded, it holds a total estimated value of $89 million.

"For more than 30 years, Leidos has provided innovative advancements in energetics research and development, and we are excited to continue this work for the U.S. Air Force," said Michael White, Leidos vice president of the Mission Operations & Infrastructure Protection Division. "We remain committed to the OUSD and CCDC-AC missions, the Picatinny Arsenal community and delivering critical technologies to the warfighter quickly and affordably."

Through this task order, Leidos will provide research and development focused on designing, synthesizing and scaling up energetic materials. Leidos will also transition developed processes to Government Owned Contractor Operated (GOCO) or commercial facilities for scale up. The task order includes a five year period of performance. Work will be performed at Picatinny Arsenal, N.J.

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 37,000 employees support vital missions for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Reston, Va., Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $11.09 billion for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2020. For more information, visit www.Leidos.com.

Statements in this announcement, other than historical data and information, constitute forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Such statements include contract valuation assuming the exercise of all options. A number of factors could cause our actual results, performance, achievements, or industry results to be very different from the results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Some of these factors include, but are not limited to, the risk factors set forth in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended January 3, 2020, and other such filings that Leidos makes with the SEC from time to time. Due to such uncertainties and risks, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof.

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A Massachusetts mom is sharing an important warning after her 8-year-old son was nearly suffocated by a seat belt.

Siobhan Sherbovich says she was driving home from an ice cream date with her children Brayden and Maya, 3, on Saturday, when suddenly she heard a struggle in the backseat of her car.

Brayden had somehow became tangled in his seat belt, which hangs from the ceiling, and was struggling to breathe.

It was completely twisted around his neck," Sherbovich, who lives outside Boston, told TODAY Parents.

Moments later, the third grader turned blue.

"There was blood coming out of his nose and mouth and his head was three times its normal size. His tongue was hanging out of his mouth," Sherbovich, 37, recalled. "Then he went completely unconscious.

Siobhan Sherbovich is urging parents to keep seat belt cutters in their car after her 8-year-old son, Brayden, was nearly suffocated by his seat belt. (Courtesy Siobhan Sherbovich)

At Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. (Courtesy Siobhan Sherbovich)

Unable to release him from the belts locking mechanism, a quick-thinking Sherbovich rushed into a nearby hair salon and grabbed a pair of scissors.

Sherbovich was then able to free her child and begin performing CPR, according to the police report.

After what felt like an eternity, Brayden finally gasped for air and asked what had happened.

Brayden was rushed to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, according to the police report, where he was treated treated for his injuries. Bedford Police responded to the scene and documented the incident.

Though Brayden has been cleared by doctors to resume normal activities, Sherbovich said that he will be working with a therapist because of the psychological trauma.

While it's difficult for Sherbovich to recount details from the day, shes adamant about sharing the story to raise awareness.

Everybody should be prepared with seat belt cutters. I don't know what I would have done if we hadn't been next to a salon," Sherbovich said.

Brayden Sherbovich shows the bruises on his neck. (Courtesy Siobhan Sherbovich)

Amy Artuso, senior program manager of transportation safety at the National Safety Council (NSC) echoed Sherbovichs advice.

NSC recommends all drivers keep a seat belt cutter securely stored in their console at all times, Artuso told TODAY Parents. The tool should be a part of the vehicles emergency kit.

Story continues

Artuso also noted that seat belts are not one-size-fits-all.

Fit can vary between between vehicles and proper use is dependent on a childs height and developmental level, Artuso explained. The best way to ensure that children are properly secured in a vehicle, with the best fit to maximize safety, is to have a certified child passenger safety technician assess your child and vehicle."

Jalesa Campbell, a safety and security reporter for Safety.com, recommends giving your child a tutorial on seat belts before graduating from a car seat. According to Campbell, there have been 11 reported deaths from seat belt strangulation since 1990.

When theyre ready to make the transition to traditional seat belt, its important to reach them how a seat belt works, including how to avoid activating the locking mechanism, Campbell told TODAY Parents

Sherbovich's car is a 2017 Acura MDX. A spokesperson for Acura told TODAY Parents in a statement that the company is working to gather more information and cannot confirm what may have occurred in this case. However, media reporting and information released by the Bedford Police and Fire departments indicate that a child became entangled in a rear seat belt.
The record pace of this years hurricane season, including Hurricane Laura, serves as the latest reminder that the country needs an updated approach to managing flood risk. Our new normal of extreme weather is underscored by the more than 33 billion-dollar floods in the last 40 years. The price tag is even more staggering. Since 2000, flooding and hurricanes have cost the nation more than $850 billion in damages. Three years after Hurricane Harvey, Texas is still recovering.

Despite these growing costs and the unprecedented frequency and intensity of storms in recent years, our federal government continues to focus on decades-old weather patterns and outdated data when deciding where and how we build projects meant to last lifetimes.

In addition to the lives this antiquated approach places at-risk to flooding, it is us  the American taxpayer  that typically foots most of the bill to rebuild after the storm. Instead of incorporating resiliency measures to threats like sea level rise and stronger storms when building back, current federal flood standards often result in critical infrastructure such as our schools, hospitals, nursing homes and roads being repaired only to their pre-disaster state. This loads the dice for the costly cycle of flood, damage and repair. FEMA recently put in new rebuild regulations.

Stronger local standards are important but whats critically needed is a national policy to tackle a problem impacting all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. Otherwise, depending on local standards runs the risk of patchwork community resilience that, in many cases, still fails to account for future flood risks stemming from even heavier deluges and sea-level rise. This is even the case with communities such as Harris County that incorporate updated Atlas maps, which still only reflect the likelihood of heavy rainfall events based on whats happened in the past events but are being used to guide where and how projects meant to last 30, 40, 50-plus years are constructed.

And the impacts of flooding extend well-beyond dollars and cents, cascading throughout communities. Lives and livelihoods can be threatened from extended power outages, shutoff access to clean water, closed schools and medical facilities, halted supply chains and shuttered businesses.

The magnitude of the problem is significant, but not insurmountable. In 2016, the Office of Management and Budget identified tens of thousands of federal assets valued at over $100 billion located within flood-prone areas. A recent Department of Defense assessment determined 930 military bases in the continental United States have been impacted by flooding over the last three decades. DoD now requires military construction projects, such as runways and barracks, in flood-prone areas mitigate future flood risk. And places like Nashville, Tenn., Norfolk, Va., and Fort Collins, Colo., are among a growing number of communities going above and beyond federal flood standards.

Incorporating greater margins of safety when building in flood-prone areas is also cost-effective. Research has shown the benefits of stronger building standards in flood-prone areas can be five to seven times greater than the additional upfront construction costs.

And establishing a stronger federal flood standard has overwhelming bipartisan support. More than 500 small businesses and 250 local elected officials spanning all 50 states have joined the call to action. Recent polling by The Pew Charitable Trusts shows 85 percent of voters support Congress requiring all federally funded projects in areas prone to flooding be built to better withstand future flooding.

One of the top priorities during our combined decades of leading the nations emergency management and homeland security efforts was to apply new knowledge, information and lessons learned from disasters like Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy to better ensure a safe and prosperous future for all Americans. As Congress considers spending hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars on upgrading the nations infrastructure, they should first pass legislation to address our federal flood standards failure to account for future risk. Doing so will help safeguard the nations infrastructure, better protect our communities and businesses, and conserve taxpayer dollars for generations to come.

Fugate served as the FEMA Administrator under President Barack Obama from 2009-2017. Bossert served as a homeland security advisor to Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump.
As thousands of students flocked to the College of Charlestons campus this week for in-person classes, tensions expected between downtown residents and their college-aged neighbors have largely been eased.

This summer there was a feeling of skepticism and anxiety among some neighborhood residents who feared students eventual return to the classroom would result in a dangerous spike in coronavirus cases downtown.

So far, school leaders say, that hasnt been the case.

On Monday, the first day of face-to-face instruction, many C of C students wore masks as they traversed across the schools 50-acre campus in the heart of the city.

Social distancing in the classroom hasnt been an issue either.

But enforcing students actions on campus is exponentially easier than monitoring what takes place in the dozens of privately owned apartment complexes and rental properties that sit just beyond the universitys boundaries.

While neighborhood residents' concerns have dwindled, some students fear the worst, and there's apprehension that reckless behavior off campus will jeopardize the success of the fall semester.

If a widespread outbreak were to occur on campus, the college is prepared to transition all classes back online, a potentially devastating blow for some students whove been eagerly anticipating a returning to the classroom for nearly six months.

A quiet return

Campus was noticeably quieter this week, compared to the usual hectic back-to-school rush.

At the corner of Calhoun and St. Philip, an intersection thats usually so crowded its nearly impossible for oncoming traffic to turn due to the jam-packed crosswalk, cars were able to pass with ease.

On the morning of students first day of in-person classes, a pop-up tent outside the college's Coming Street library entrance housed stacks of maroon face masks in clear plastic wrapping and a box of travel hand sanitizer bottles.

On George Street, one of these so-called "pathfinder stations" was staffed by C of C junior Camille Sullivan, a geology and Spanish double major. The stations were set up to help with directions, especially for freshman students who couldn't visit campus for new student orientation this summer.

Sullivan said she was one of five students at her 9 a.m. data management and organization in-person class on Monday.

At the start of class, Sullivans professor signed on to a Zoom call to greet those students who were tuning in virtually.

Oddly enough, the five students attending the class in person signed onto the same Zoom call from their own personal laptops. They all used headphones to prevent loud feedback from interrupting the class.

This made it easier to participate, Sullivan said, but its obvious this new format will take getting used to, both for students and professors.

"It was a little rocky at first, we had some technical issues, but we eventually got them figured out," she said.

When it comes to being safe on campus, most people try to follow the rules, Sullivan said.

Still, she said, she knows there are some students whove chosen to blatantly ignore the schools new COVID-19 protocol, such as a 10-person limit on social gatherings.

"I don't really have any respect for them," she said. "I think they're being selfish, especially when you know there are people here who have legitimate health problems and are still risking their lives."

To date, the city of Charleston has issued 49 summonses for violating the citys mask mandate.

From Aug. 10 to Friday, the College of Charleston has received 77 reports through its anonymous reporting web portal: 10 reports of large social gatherings, six reports of students breaking quarantine or isolation and 52 for not wearing a face covering or social distancing.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in isolation reported as of Thursday was 37, including 36 students and one employee, according to the school's dashboard.

Something's still amiss

Maddie Gies, a C of C senior, said her online classes have been less than ideal.

Gies is a special education major, and she's supposed to have already completed an internship at a local school district, but that was cut short in the spring.

This fall's intern placement is also up in the air.

While her professors have been helpful and accommodating, its been difficult to learn in some classes that otherwise would have relied heavily on students' experiences outside of the classroom.

As she signed on to her first Zoom class of the week at 9:30 a.m. from the Rivers Green lawn behind the library, Gies noticed how quiet things were on campus. This time last year, the lawn would have been full of students sprawled out on blankets or towels. On Monday morning, she was the only student on the grass.

Last week, Gies visited her sorority sisters apartment and counted at least 28 people attending a nearby house party near Felix and Morris streets.

"It was ridiculous. Well, I guess it was more frustrating than anything," she said.

While students, faculty and community members are encouraged to report violations of campus coronavirus safety measures through the schools behavioral conduct website, Gies said it can be challenging to report students for violating the colleges limit on social gatherings if she doesnt know the names of those responsible.

"Right when you step off campus its like theres no regulation. But I think thats just the reality of it," she said.

Alicia Caudill, the colleges executive vice president for student affairs, said anyone can report a potential violation through the student conduct page. Any information is helpful, she said, like the time or location of the incident.

While the college may look different, the city's nightlife district has quickly rebounded.

Hundreds of college-aged students have continued to flock to popular bars along King Street, many of them ignoring posted face covering ordinances.

"We've been following the rules and doing everything right for so long," Gies said. "And then to look out of our windows or drive down King Street at night on Friday or Saturday, or go to a friend's house and see the massive parties, it feels like a lot of pressure."

Off campus harder to control

C of C President Andrew Hsu briefed Charleston City Council on the college's reopening plans during their teleconference meeting earlier this month.

He spoke of the hard work staff and faculty tackled to prepare for hybrid, in-person classes and wanted to assure City Council the schools COVID-19 response team would monitor numbers around the country and on the campus.

Hsu noted the "lessons learned" at larger schools like the University of North Carolina and University of South Carolina, but also how schools like the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech are succeeding. Universities arent struggling with on-campus students, Hsu said. Its off-campus behaviors that are worrisome and harder to control.

The college is partnering closely with the city officials and police to monitor students behavior outside of college-owned properties.

"Our hope is we can use some of the city ordinances to control partying," Hsu said. He added, "They need to consider the consequences of their actions, not only to themselves, but to their classmates, their friends and to the entire institution."

Dan Riccio, Charlestons livability and tourism director, told City Council that in addition to the college and the citys Police Department, livability officers will monitor off-campus gatherings.

The college has widely publicized its strict stance toward rule violators, but there already have been challenges.

Earlier this week, two C of C fraternities were placed on interim suspension after school officials received reports they had violated the schools social-gathering and face-covering policies.

On Tuesday, school officials learned that one of the organizations had their event approved in advance and did not violate any face-covering or social-gathering rules. The other organization showed their gathering took place virtually and someone reported a house that wasn't connected to their organization, school spokesman Ron Menchaca said. Both interim suspensions were lifted.

Concern about weekend partying still bubbles under the surface among neighborhood residents, but discussion this week also shifted to more common issues.

Residents in the Cannonborough-Elliotborough neighborhood  a popular college-student apartment rental area  held a virtual meeting Monday night. City Councilman Robert Mitchell, who represents a large portion of that area, said concerns raised at the meeting focused on educating students about the change in garbage collection days and making sure they bring their cans to the curb.

Marion Hawkins, neighborhood association president, said the staggered opening hasn't brought about as many issues with partying and social distancing compared to earlier this year and over the summer.

"Students, as well as residents and even visitors and tourists, we've all settled into some new normal and I think that's kind of playing out there now," Hawkins said. "We've all kind of acclimated to the proper interactions and procedures with businesses and each other."

Hawkins said the problems aren't usually widespread, and the neighborhood appreciates the vitality that comes back year after year.

While campus leaders remain optimistic, the true test of the reopening will become apparent Sept. 28, two weeks after the first day of classes.

Two weeks is the presumed amount of time it takes for COVID-19 exposure to show in the form of detectable illness.
(Alliance News) - The following is a round-up of London-listed company director and manager changes announced on Friday and not separately reported by Alliance News:







SpaceandPeople PLC - Glasgow-based retail, promotional and brand experience firm - Promotes one company co-founder to chief executive officer to replace the other. Nancy Cullen is promoted to CEO from chief operating officer, replacing fellow co-founder Matthew Bending, who steps down on Friday "to concentrate on other opportunities" after having led the company since it started in 2000.







Quarto Group Inc - London-based book publisher - Promotes Polly Powell, CEO of UK operations, to group CEO, effective from Friday. Powell, who joined Quarto in February, replaces CK Lau in the CEO role. Lau remains an executive director.







Everyman Media Group PLC - London-based premium cinema chain - Crispin Lilly resigns as chief executive after six years in the role "to pursue personal interests". Lilly will leave the board immediately but stay with the company until the end of September. Executive Chair Paul Wise will manage the company until a replacement CEO is found.







Eurasia Mining PLC - platinum group metals and gold mining in Russia - Moves James Nieuwenhuys from non-executive director to CEO and executive director, while Christian Schaffalitzky remains executive chair. Dmitry Suschov leaves board to focus on his role as chief M&A officer. Nieuwenhuys was CEO at South Africa's Lesego Platinum Mining Ltd and COO at Russian producer Polyus Gold.







Uniphar PLC - Dublin-based healthcare services - Hires Jeff Berkowitz as an independent non-executive director with immediate effect. Berkowitz is a veteran healthcare executive, having worked at at UnitedHealth Group, Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc and Merck & Co Inc. At the same time, Heather Ann McSharry steps down from the board.







Blackfinch Spring VCT PLC - venture capital trust managed by Blackfinch Group - Adds Reuben Wilcock as a non-executive. Wilcock is head of Ventures at Blackfinch Ventures. Meanwhile, Richard Cook retires as a director from Friday. Separately, Blackfinch Spring VCT says it plans to launch a new share subscription to raise up to GBP20 million, plus an over-allotment facility for another GBP20 million.







Whitbread PLC - Dunstable, Bedfordshire-based owner and operator of Premier Inns - Deanna Oppenheimer to step down as non-executive director from December 31 to spend more time in North America.







Trident Royalties PLC - mining royalty and streaming - Hires Helen Pein as independent non-executive director, effective immediately. Pein is an economic geologist with 30 years experience in the discovery and evaluation of mineral deposits, Trident says.







By Tom Waite; thomaslwaite@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili.

Bottled water is gaining momentum owing to the innovations introduced by the key vendors operating in the market. The report offered by Market Research Future (MRFR) has highlighted that the global Bottled Water Industry is poised to exhibit moderate growth pace during the forecast period 2017 to 2024. Flavor innovations in bottled water are likely to gain traction of the market in the years to come.

The shifts in consumer behavior towards healthy lifestyle have led to the introduction of vitamins and other nutrients induced water. With the increasing population of health-conscious people, the demand for bottled water with nutrients is expected to increase. This, in turn, is prognosticated to catapult the market on a growth trajectory. Rising disposable income in developing nations resonates strong growth potential for the market players. These economies are projected to remain highly lucrative in the years to come.

The governments set the standards on the drinkability of water. The standardization of hygiene levels by the government bodies is anticipated to favor the proliferation of the bottled water market over the next couple of years. Increasing awareness, coupled with the rising urban population, is projected to support the growth of the bottled water market in the years to come.

Market Segmentation:

By type, the global bottled water market has been segmented into spring water, purified water, mineral water, sparkling water, well water and others

On the basis of packaging, the bottled water market has been segmented into packaging PET bottles, glass bottles, and others

Based on process type, the global bottled water market has been segmented into distilled water, sterile water, RO water, desalination, and others

The bottled water market, by application, has been segmented into flavored water, tonic water, fruit infused water, fortified water, and others.

Get a FREE Sample Copy of Report: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/2252

Regional Analysis:

The geographical evaluation of the global bottled water market spans across four major regions - North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and the Rest of the World (RoW). Asia Pacific exhibits tremendous growth opportunities and is likely to hold the maximum market share over the next couple of years. The primary factor poised to drive the expansion of the bottled water market in the region is the rising urban migration. The changing lifestyle, in conjunction with increasing per capita income is likely to catalyze the proliferation of the bottled water market in the region across the forecast period. In addition, the rising standards of living are also projected to boost the growth trajectory of the market in the nearby future. Europe and North America are anticipated to exhibit moderate growth owing to the strong economy of the region.

Competitive Dashboard:

The key players of the bottled water market studied in this report are Groupe Danone (France), Nestle Waters (France), PepsiCo Inc (U.S.), Suntori Beverage & Food Ltd (Japan), Mountain Valley Spring Company, LLC. (U.S.), The Coca Cola Company (U.S.), and Grupo Vichy Catalan (Spain).

Industry News:

In June 2019, Ferns N Petals (FNP), a flower and gifts retailer based out of India, has launched its own bottled water under the brand name of FNP. The water contains higher levels of TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) which is not only safer but also makes the water tastier.

In June 2019, Vita Coco, a producer, and distributor of coconut water, has ventured into competitive bottled water space with its new water brand, Ever & Ever. The producer has chosen recycle-friendly aluminum for the launch of its water brand.

In June 2019, Duo has launched a new wild water from the Larkfire, which is a naturally-sourced water. The company has developed the product specially for pairing with whiskeys.

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Note : Our team of researchers are studying Covid-19 and its impact on various industry verticals and wherever required will be considering covid19 footprints for a better analysis of markets and industries. Cordially get in touch for more details.

About Market Research Future:

At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.

MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.

To stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 16:12:05|Editor: huaxia

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MALE, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Health Emergency Operation Center (HEOC) of the Maldives has urged citizens to report gatherings that violate health regulations, as the country's COVID-19 case count approached 9,500, local media reported here Friday.

HEOC Epidemiologist Dr. Ibrahim Afzal warned that greater action may be taken against individuals who violate health regulations that limit public gatherings to below five people in order to control the spread of COVID-19.

Dr. Afzal said that the virus could not be contained without public compliance with the regulations.

According to the Health Protection Agency (HPA), 67 cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the Maldives on Thursday, including 44 locals and 23 foreigners. The country's total case count stands at 9,494, out of which 8,033 have fully recovered and 33 have died.

The Maldives currently has 1,422 active cases of COVID-19 spread across 20 inhabited islands and 29 resorts. Active cases include 21 foreign tourists and 29 resort staff.

Meanwhile, the country's Ministry of Education announced that schools in the Greater Male region would remain closed for an additional two weeks due to the prevailing COVID-19 situation. Schools were originally scheduled to reopen next week.

State media reported that despite the closure of schools amid the pandemic, online classes have been implemented in order to benefit students. Enditem
SHIJIAZHUANG/BEIJING -- Beijing Daxing International Airport has opened a city terminal in Gu'an county, North China's Hebei province, allowing residents of Gu'an and the surrounding area to complete check-in procedures ahead of time and with minimal fuss.

Beijing Daxing International Airport Gu'an City Terminal is located just 10 km from Daxing airport's main site and covers an area of nearly 500 square meters, according to Wang Hui, director of operation planning at Daxing's terminal management department.

Having checked in, passengers are transported to their planes at the main Daxing site by means of the airport bus line, a journey of just 40 minutes. The bus leaves every 20 to 30 minutes and costs 20 yuan (about $3) a ride.

Among those to use the new terminal was Xing Li, a resident of Gu'an county, who traveled to Southwest China's Chongqing on Wednesday.

"In the past, I needed to leave at least three hours ahead of time to get to Daxing airport, but now with the opening of Gu'an City Terminal, I only need to leave one hour in advance," said Xing.

What surprised Xing was that the terminal staff helped her with the check-in procedures. She did not have to do anything except read and wait in the rest area.

"The terminal is close to the Beijing-Kaifeng Expressway and is surrounded by complete supporting facilities, such as accommodation, catering and shopping," said Wang, adding that the terminal is committed to creating a cozy check-in environment for passengers.

"As the first inter-provincial city terminal of Daxing airport, Gu'an City Terminal not only expands Daxing airport's hub function, but also helps Gu'an, Langfang and other places in Hebei to use Daxing airport's hub advantages to enhance their industrial attraction," said Jiao Yongjie, manager of the public area management department at Daxing airport.

Daxing airport plans to deploy multiple city terminals within the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region to facilitate passenger travel in the future.
Lok Sabha saw a string of adjournments as the Opposition raised slogans against MoS Finance Anurag Thakur for his allegation that the PM National Relief Fund (PMNRF) was set up 'only for the benefit of the Gandhi family'

The Lok Sabha faced an impasse on Friday with the House being adjourned four times during the discussion on the Centre's PM CARES fund, while the Rajya Sabha passed several bills in its session. Friday was the fifth day of the Parliament's Monsoon Session.

The proceedings in the Lower House were disrupted as the Opposition raised slogans against Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur for his allegation that the PM National Relief Fund (PMNRF) was set up "only for the benefit of the Gandhi family".

"The trust was set up during the tenure of former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and was not even registered as a public trust but it got all relevant clearance, including FCRA," Thakur said, intervening during the introduction of the Taxation and other Laws (Relaxation of Certain Provisions) Bill.

"The PM Cares Fund is a constitutionally set up public charitable trust. PM National Relief Fund was set up only for the benefits of one family  the Nehru-Gandhi family," he said.

However, after a string of adjournments due to Opposition MPs demanding an apology from the Union minister, Speaker Om Birla urged him to reflect on his comments. Subsequently, Thakur said, "I had no intention of hurting anyone but if someone has been hurt, I express my anguish."

Meanwhile, the Rajya Sabha passed the Indian Medicine Central Council (Amendment) Bill, 2020; Salaries and Allowances of Ministers (Amendment) Bill, 2020; Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment) Bill, 2020; and Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2020, reports said.

The Lok Sabha also passed the Demand for Supplementary Grants for additional spending of Rs 2.35 lakh crore in 2020-21 by a voice vote.

Supplementary grants are sought from the exchequer when the authorised grants for government expenditure fall short due to any reason. The government said that the unforeseen expenditures in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic have necessitated the need for supplementary grants this year.

Ruckus in Lok Sabha amid discussion on PM CARES fund

The ruckus in the Lok Sabha began during the procedure for the introduction of the Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation and Amendment of Certain Provisions) Bill, 2020.

After speaking during the procedure for introduction of the bill, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that her deputy, MoS Thakur, will talk about PM CARES Fund.

Opposition members raised concerns about the fund and during his speech, Thakur targetted the Congress and the Gandhi family. He also alleged that the Congress had misused the PM National Relief Fund.

Thakur alleged that the PMNRF has not been registered till now and also stressed that alleged misuse of funds needs to be looked into.

When Congress members protested, Thakur said that "names of Nehru and Gandhi family should be taken" and alleged that the Gandhi family had "ruined the country".

In protest against the minister's remarks about the Gandhis, Congress members walked out of the House.

Amid the din, the Speaker first adjourned the proceedings for 30 minutes till 4.20 pm.

After the House reconvened at 4.20 pm, Sitharaman introduced the bill and then the House took up the discussion on 'Supplementary Demands for Grants 2020-21'.

However, Congress MPs demanded an apology from Thakur for his remarks against the Gandhis.

When Rama Devi, who was presiding over the proceedings, asked Chowdhury to speak on supplementary demands for excess grants, he said first the House has to be brought in order and then criticised Thakur for his remarks.

Then, Rama Devi asked BJP member Jayant Sinha to speak on supplementary demands. However, while he was speaking, Congress members raised slogans such as 'Anurag Thakur maafi maango' and some Congress MPs entered the Well of the House while raising slogans.

The House was then adjourned thrice till 6 pm.

Birla was in the Chair when the House recovened at 6 pm. Before the discussion on supplementary grants resumed, he praised members for their extraordinary efforts during this difficult time.

Birla added, "If anyone thinks that the Chair has hurt someone, I would like to say that it may be unintentional. For me every member is equal and protecting every member is my duty."

"If I say anything to anyone, the intention is not to hurt anyone but to run this House smoothly. If someone has been hurt in that process, I personally seek apology from him or her," he also said.

Opposition slams Centre over economy, GST compensation issue

As the discussion on Supplementary Demands for Grants 2020-21 got underway, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that Indian economy "was in the doldrums even before the COVID-19 crisis and the government's response following the pandemic has only made the situation worse".

Chowdhury, leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, said the stimulus package announced to help the nation tide over the crisis was a "pitiful 1.7 percent of GDP".

"Despite our plea, the Centre did not take corrective measures (for the economy). It refused to accept that demonetisation was a huge blunder, it refused to accept our advice for a simple GST," he said.

"The Modi government's response to the pandemic-affected economy made the situation worse," he asserted. Chowdhury alleged that the government made a false claim that it has provided 10 percent of GDP as fiscal stimulus.

"It was big lie. The stimulus imparted by the Modi government was a pitiful 1.7 percent of GDP," he said.

Meanwhile, TMC, DMK, BSP, RSP, among other Opposition parties also criticised the Centre over the economy and GST.

DMK's Dayanidhi Maran also objected to the use of expression 'Act of God' by Sitharaman on the issue revenue loss of the state governments.

"Demonetisation was a man-made pandemic, and then GST was hurriedly introduced. How can the Centre expect the states to go for additional borrowing? The Centre is accountable for providing GST compensation to the states.

"The Central government's policy and financial response to the COVID crisis has been lukewarm; the economy has collapsed under the weight of the pandemic. It has not undertaken any economic reforms in the last six years," he was quoted as saying by The Hindu. He also demanded a white paper on the economic crisis.

Opposition MPs also slammed the Centre for its statement that there was no data on the deaths of migrants after the COVID-19-induced lockdown.

FM Sitharaman, responding to MPs' arguments in the extended session of the Lower House, said that additional grants being sought by the Centre are "largely" being directed for "people-centric activity" and schemes like PM Gareeb Kalyan Yojana.

She added that the Centre's total allocation for the MGNREGA scheme is now almost at Rs 1 lakh crore, "which is the highest amount ever spent" on the scheme.

She also said that the total transfer of funds to the state governments, which is the combination of amounts as tax and grants, is 19 percent more than last year.

She was quoted by The Hindu as saying, "The total transfer to states exceeds centre's gross tax revenue  it is at 107 percent. 61 percent of grants put in the budget provisions has already been given. There is a frontload."

Rajya Sabha passes bill to cut MPs' salaries by 30%

The Rajya Sabha on Friday passed a bill to reduce salaries of MPs by 30 percent for one year to augment financial resources required to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, with Opposition MPs supporting the move but demanding the restoration of the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS).

Rajya Sabha passed the bill on Friday, while Lok Sabha had cleared it on Tuesday.

Opposition members in both the House supported the move, but pressed for restoration of MPLADS fund, which has been suspended for two years. They also said public money should not be spent under such circumstances on projects, including a new Parliament building and a bullet train.

An MP draws a salary of Rs one lakh per month and a constituency allowance of Rs 70,000 per month, besides other allowances.

The Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2020 will replace a similar ordinance issued in April this year. The consolidated amount of MPLADS funds for two years  Rs 7,900 crore  will go to the Consolidated Fund of India.

While supporting the cuts in salaries, most Opposition members who participated in the discussion in Rajya Sabha urged the government to review its decision to suspend the MPLADS fund for two years, saying it was necessary to carry out development works in their respective constituencies.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said this was a temporary suspension.

During the debate, Joshi said it did not matter how much money was being saved through salary cuts of members. "Charity should begin at home and that is the concept we have started. It is not Rs 4 crore saving as said by DMK member but Rs 53.9 crore per year from members' salary," he said.

On several Opposition members asking the government to stop various projects like the bullet train and construction of a new Parliament building to cut costs, Joshi said, "First you say public spending should be increased and now you are demanding that all these projects should be stopped.

Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy, who moved the Salaries and Allowances of Ministers (Amendment) Bill, said COVID-19 has impacted the incomes of people working in the private sector and so the prime minister initiated this bill which entails 30 percent reduction in ministers' salaries.

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said around 70 percent MPs depend on their salaries and have to take care of every expense through these emoluments alone.

He said MPLADS funds are meant for taking care of needy people in their constituencies and are utilised for various things like purchasing ambulances and building small roads and community centres.

"It (MPLADS) should not be suspended for two years. How did you presume that corona will go on for two years? Even if you had to do it you should have reduced it by half to Rs 2.5 crore (each MP). My suggestion to the government will be to reduce it for one year and in that one year Rs 2.5 crore fund be kept," he said.

Similarly, Vishambhar Prasad Nishad (SP), V Vijaysai Reddy (YSRCP), K Somaprasad (CPM), Fauzia Khan (NCP), Veer Singh (BSP) and Nazir Ahmad Laway (PDP), while supporting the reduction in salaries, sought restoration of the MPLAD scheme.

Wilson said the Centre is suspending MPLAD scheme when various infrastructure projects like Central Vista project were still being taken up.

The Rajya Sabha also approved bills replacing ordinances related to the Central Council of Homoeopathy and the Indian Medicine Central Council on Friday.

The Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment) Bill, 2020 seeks to further extend the time to form the Central Council of Homeopathy by a year, after exhausting two years for the purpose.

The Indian Medicine Central Council (Amendment) Bill, 2020 seeks a year's time to reconstitute the central council and provides for a board of directors to exercise its powers in the interim period.

Replying to a debate on the two bills, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said the government is committed to providing affordable and easy healthcare facilities to every citizen.

He also defended the Centre's decision to bring ordinances, saying there was nothing "abnormal" and that governments have been taking this route, depending on the necessity.

With inputs from agencies
WATERLOO  A pedestrian was airlifted Thursday evening to hospital after being hit by a vehicle in Waterloo.

At 5:40 p.m., emergency services were called to the intersection of University Avenue East and Auburn Drive.

The driver of a Nissan vehicle travelling north on Auburn was making a left turn onto University when they hit a 64-year-old man who was walking across the street, said Waterloo Regional Police.

The pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to an out of region hospital. The driver was not injured.

The investigation is ongoing.
Dr. Jerrol Thompson, CEO of the Medical Cannabis Authority, fingers federal restrictions by the USA government as hindering investment in the Medical Cannabis Industry here.

Regulations in the United States that bar financial institutions from providing services to cannabis companies registered in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, have resulted in some good companies from the USA withdrawing their interest or stalling plans to invest here.





So said Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Medicinal Cannabis Authority (MCA), Dr. Jerrol Thompson while addressing a media event on September 14.





He disclosed that while this country has been successful in achieving appropriate corresponding banking arrangements that allow for the movement of funds between Canada, and Europe and the region, Federal restrictions in the USA prevent any banking arrangements with that country as far as a Medicinal Cannabis Industry is concerned.





And Dr. Thompson needs no convincing that this "has limited what we would have liked to achieve, since investors from the USA have not been able "to consummate the arrangements that the Authority had made with them.





This, he said, was a major contributing factor why the MCA has only collected EC$6 million to date, although they have issued bills amounting to EC$16 million.





All in all, though, Dr. Thompson remains optimistic that the US attitude would change and allow inflow of large investments that are standing by.
Artists bid farewell to graffiti wall

By:Wu Qiong | From:english.eastday.com | 2020-09-18 18:15

Graffiti artists gathered at the Moganshan Road Art District in Shanghai, saying goodbye to the graffiti and welcoming a new start for the district.

A temporary wall has already been erected, inside which is a construction site on which a new commercial property will be built.

A total of 12 artists, who used to frequent the district for art creation, were invited to create their last artworks there over the last weekend.

Half of the famous graffiti wall in the district has been demolished. Many citizens went there to pose for photos before it vanished.

Stretching from Changhua Rd to West Suzhou Rd, the graffiti wall featured numerous cultural tones thanks to the artists unfettered imaginations and bold use of color. With a history of 15 years, it is the first graffiti area in both Shanghai and China.

Graffiti has always been regarded as a controversial kind of art. Street artists who advocate freedom leave their own works on the wall. Some people think it is art, while some others consider it to be scribbling.

Urban graffiti began to flourish in Brooklyn, New York, in the 1960s. Street artists created an artistic landscape, attracting large numbers of young people. Today, graffiti art has been accepted by mainstream cultural systems across the world, among which Jean-Michel Basquiats and Banksys works have become classics. Those masters graffiti even appear in galleries, art expos and museums and sell for very large amounts of money, enjoying prestige somewhat akin to Monet and Picasso.

Nowadays, graffiti art is no longer limited to the expression of painting on walls. Under the influence of pop art and other artistic genres, it has been shaped into a special aesthetic style. Graffiti is more about conveying a spirit, and it inspires an attitude of creation in life: never stop expressing yourself, and never stop creating.

(Photos/Bai Kelin)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 09:44:38|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Deputy United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Amina Mohammed on Thursday urged the world's major countries to work together in face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The most important (way) is to keep the dialogue going. What has happened with major powers and these tensions is in fact to miss the opportunity of being able to face this pandemic head-on with everyone on board," Mohammed told reporters, adding, "that really has taken us a few steps back."

Notably, the United States, at the height of the pandemic, stopped funding and withdrew from the World Health Organization which is leading a global response to COVID-19, and even accused the organization of doing a bad job.

Some senior figures in Washington have also sought to make the pandemic a political agenda by repeatedly calling it a "China Virus," despite the global call against stigmatization of the disease, as well as China's solid efforts to contain the spread of the epidemic.

"So what happens in the global arena, we must continue to close the gap between what is an unfortunate reality and what needs to be for our powers to come together to get the job done," she said. Enditem
MELBOURNE, Sept 18 (Reuters) - The Australian government is expected to announce on Friday an increase in the number of citizens able to return home, while one state said it would partially reopen its borders given a general downward coronavirus infection trend.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is seeking to raise the cap on the number of people allowed into Australia each week by 2,000 from next Friday, after a National Cabinet meeting later in the day where states will be asked to boost quarantine capacity.

The country's weekly limit is currently set at 4,000 people but there are an estimated 25,000 stranded Australians wanting to return home which the government has pledged to facilitate before Christmas.

Australia closed its international borders early in the coronavirus pandemic, and imposed strict lockdowns and social distancing measures, dramatically reducing the spread of coronavirus.

Australia has reported more than 26,800 coronavirus cases and 829 deaths, well below the infection and death rates of other developed countries.

The bulk of its infections have been in the hotspot state of Victoria, were new infections have been falling for weeks.

As the country's number of infections slow, Queensland state said that it would open up its border to residents of the capital city of Canberra, which has had no new infections in 10 weeks, as it looks to encourage domestic tourism.

Queensland has not registered any local infections in eight days, its deputy premier Steven Miles said.

"Now for people from Canberra, Queensland is good to come. Now is the time and we urge them to start thinking to come up to Queensland for a holiday."

Victoria logged 45 fresh cases overnight and five deaths, the highest number of new cases in more than a week, following 28 new cases on Thursday which was the lowest in three months.

Victoria's rolling two-week average of new infections has been coming down, raising hopes that strict lockdown measures confining residents to their homes may be eased before the Oct. 26 deadline.

Average cases over the last two weeks in Melbourne, the state's largest city, fell below 50 this week, the benchmark the state set to start easing curbs. (Reporting by Melanie Burton; Editing by Michael Perry)
31969

Creativity and innovation contribute to diversification as a necessary tool for Latin America to have a world-class competitive economy based on knowledge.

FREMONT, CA: Latin America has produced some of the most intriguing inventions of the lifetime. Contrary to other regions, where knowledge-intensive sectors represent most manufacturing value and experience growth, in Latin America, natural resource and labor-intensive industries account for the majority of manufacturing value. Today, innovative start-ups are gaining momentum, initiatives are addressing the innovation gap, and creative entrepreneurs lead the way on technologies that have a significant impact. With the promise of a good future for innovation in Latin America, here is a look at some of the greatest inventions.

 Dactyloscopy System

The concept of identifying criminals by their fingerprints first came to the Argentine. Based on Francis Galtons research, Vucetich created his method to compare fingerprints. Later, this has become a vital aspect of crime investigation.

 Color Television

Guillermo Gonzalez Camarena from Mexico began building electronic devices when he was seven years old. In 1939 Camarena created the first system that transformed television signals into color. His invention became patented in Mexico in 1940, then in the United States in 1941Not long after, people everywhere would be able to enjoy colored television from the comfort of their homes.

 Traffic Lights for the Blind

Blindness brings about many hurdles. Wanting to simplify crossing the street, Argentine inventor patented a special traffic light for the visually impaired. The device was simple to understand and use. An electronic panel was set on the post of a traffic signal. When the green light was on, and cars sped by, the panel made a slow-paced, intermittent sound. This warned users they couldnt cross. After invention, these devices received a lot of innovation and new updates around the world.

 CAPTCHA Codes

Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart (CAPTCHA) offers an additional layer of protection to keep malicious programs and bots from accessing sensitive data by creating a test that only humans can solve. Over time, CAPTCHA codes have been getting harder since computers keep getting intelligent.
The planned execution of a San Antonio man on Texas death row for the gang rape and fatal stabbing of a teenaged girl in 1996, has been postponed because of COVID-19.

Carlos Trevino was scheduled to be put to death by injection Sept. 30, based on an execution warrant issued April 16 by Judge Jennifer Pena, who presides over the 290th state District Court.

Gov. Greg Abbott declared a disaster in Texas on March 13, because of the threat posed by COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

On ExpressNews.com: Get the latest update on coronavirus and a tracking map of U.S. cases

That same day, the Texas Supreme Court, to avoid health risks, issued its first emergency order for all courts in Texas, civil or criminal, that suspended any and all deadlines and procedures, whether prescribed by statute, rule, or order, for a stated period ending no later than 30 days after the Governors state of disaster has been lifted.

Since then, the state high courts order has been renewed 26 times because of the pandemic numbers, most recently Friday, which extended the courts powers until Dec. 1.

Because of the foregoing, and the current COVID-19 conditions in Texas, this Court orders that the previous warrant of execution, setting the Defendants execution date for September 30, 2020, be withdrawn and the death warrant be recalled. Penas order states.

Trevino, 21, was a member of the Pistoleros street gang and had been out of prison a month after serving time for an auto theft conviction when he and three others came upon Linda Salinas, a Harlandale High School student, on June 9, 1996.

According to court documents, Linda was seen getting into a car with a group of young men on June 9, 1996. The next day, her partially clothed body was found in a creek in Espada Park on the South Side.

On ExpressNews.com: Victim's family reacts to SCOTUS decision

Reports indicated Linda knew at least two of the men, and had trusted them to take her to a friends house, as promised. They took her to the park, raped her and stabbed her twice in the neck, court documents indicate.

Trevinos co-defendants, Santos Cervantes, Sienido Sam Rey and Bryan Apolinar, 43, were convicted in the rape and slaying, and are serving their sentences, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice website.

Cervantes, 42, was convicted of capital murder and is serving a life sentence. He is housed in the Bill Clements Unit in Amarillo and will be eligible for parole in 2037.

Rey, 45, was convicted of the lesser offense of murder and was sentenced to 50 years. He will be eligible for parole in 2021. He is housed in the Wynne Unit in Huntsville.

Apolinar, 43, was convicted of aggravated sexual assault and was sentenced to 25 years. He has been eligible for parole since 2009 and is in the B. Moore Unit in Overton. His projected release date is 2022.

Top hits: Get San Antonio Express-News stories sent directly to your inbox

Trevino was the only one to receive the death penalty. He has appealed his case through the court system, alleging his trial attorneys were deficient for not showing the jury that he had fetal alcohol disorder because his mother drank while she was pregnant.

His attorneys argued that the disorder could have contributed to his violent behavior, which could have persuaded the jury to sentence him to life in prison instead of death. His appeals have been denied.

A hearing before Pena on March 5 will determine the next execution date for Trevino.

Elizabeth Zavala covers county and state courts in San Antonio. To read more from Elizabeth, become a subscriber. ezavala@express-news.net | Twitter: @elizabeth2863
That quaint idea has been turned on its head this year by the fad for special purpose acquisition companies. Called SPACs for short, they raise cash from investors in an initial public offering and then go find a company to buy. By merging with one of these cash boxes, the target gets a dollop of capital and a stock market listing without all the hassle of a traditional IPO (though the fees can be steep). So far this year, North American SPACs have raised about $38 billion, according to Bloomberg data. SPACs are so trendy, even former House speaker Paul Ryan has one. Billionaire Richard Branson wants to start one of his own too.
(Natural News) Recent news about two Los Angeles County sheriffs deputies who were brutally shot while sitting in their patrol car has evoked a response from President Donald Trump, who condemned the violence by declaring that the animals who committed the act must be hit hard.

A 24-year-old male deputy and a 31-year-old female deputy were basically ambushed by a violent Black Lives Matter (BLM) and Antifa mob, which discharged weapons at the vehicle, striking the deputies in the head and inflicting other wounds. Both are now in critical condition after having undergone surgery at St. Francis Medical Center.

Trump, who shared footage of the shooting to his Twitter account, warned that such incidents cannot be tolerated and must be nipped in the bud quickly or else they will continue. This is especially true now that the BLM and Antifa protesters inflicting such violence are apparently becoming emboldened, as evidenced by what occurred outside the St. Francis Medical Center after the officers were admitted there for treatment.

According to reports, a group of protesters swarmed the outside parking lot of the facility and began yelling, We hope they die! They also blocked the entrances and exits to the facility, prompting the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department to issue a statement on Twitter warning that peoples lives are at stake when ambulances cant get through.

Video footage shared to social media further showed the protesters mocking the critically injured police officers from the parking lot by making oink, oink pig noises while screaming f*** the police.

Yall gonna die one by one, bellowed one protester, unashamed to be captured on tape behaving in such a manner.

The violence and chaos in our land is escalating to such a degree that Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, recently issued a plea to all Americans to cry out to God and beg for forgiveness of the collective sins of our nation:

One protester who screamed for death of police officers identified as a member of the press

As police arrived at the scene to try to disperse the crowd, one male protester who refused to follow orders was arrested following a struggle. A female protester who refused to follow orders was likewise arrested, only to later be identified as a member of the press, according to the sheriffs department.

The female adult, who was later identified as a member of the press, did not identify herself as press and later admitted she did not have proper press credentials on her person, the office announced on Twitter.

Video footage of the incident that prompted all this shows a gunman walking up to the deputies vehicle and opening fire without warning or provocation. This individual was seen firing a gun through the passenger-side window of the patrol car, which was parked at the Compton sheriffs station.

This was an unprovoked, cowardly act, stated Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer, chair of public safety for the state of California, about the gunman, who is still at large.

The individual will be caught and justice will prevail, he added Our society must not tolerate such acts of violence. Tonight, we must as a community condemn the actions of the perpetrators, but most importantly, we must all come together, pray together for these officers because they are heroes.

Thus far, nobody on the left, including Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, or members of the NFL, the NBA, or MLB, has spoken out against such violence, even after failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton earlier stated that those legitimately protesting the unconstitutional Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdowns are domestic terrorists.

For more related news about Antifa and BLM violence, be sure to check out CivilWar.news.

Sources for this article include:

TheEpochTimes.com

NaturalNews.com
The head of the European Commission believes the EU can still strike a trade deal with Britain despite the frosty deadlock between the two sides.

Ursula von der Leyen lashed out at Boris Johnson over his 'unpleasant surprise' attempt to override the Brexit treaty he signed last year.

But addressing reporters last night she said that while the row over the controversial UK Internal Market Bill (IMB) had 'distracted very strongly' from the two sides being able to secure fresh trade terms she was 'still convinced' a deal with London 'can be done'.

Her comments came as Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab used a CNN interview to encourage the United States to put pressure on Brussels on the UK's behalf.

Donald Trump and his administration are at loggerheads with the EU over trade tariffs.

But Democrats including presidential challenger Joe Biden have warned the UK that if the IMB threatens the Good Friday Agreement by forcing a hard border on Ireland it would scupper the separate trade deal being negotiated between London and Washington.

Despite the wrangle over the Bill - which has been derided by every living former prime minister and scores of senior Tory backbenchers, Ms von der Leyen said she remained sure that consensus on a future partnership with the UK could be reached.

But she warned: 'Where the UK is concerned, we want an agreement, and I think the attempt to violate the Withdrawal Agreement distracted very strongly from the ongoing negotiations. This was an unpleasant surprise.

'And therefore it is time now that our British friends restore the trust in the validity of a signature under treaty, and that we keep on going, focused to negotiate because time is running out.'

Ursula von der Leyen (pictured today with Angela Merkel) lashed out at Boris Johnson over his 'unpleasant surprise' attempt to override the Brexit treaty he signed last year.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab used a CNN interview to encourage the United States to put pressure on Brussels on the UK's behalf, while on a visit to Washington

The post-Brexit transition period, during which relations between the European Union and the UK have remained static, is due to end after December 31 and leaders on both sides of the Channel have warned that an agreement is needed by October if a deal is to be ratified in time for the start of 2021.

With the cliff edge only a month away, the Prime Minister has faced criticism domestically and on the world stage for pursuing legislation that would defy the Withdrawal Agreement brokered with the EU last year, breaking international law in the process.

Mr Johnson was forced on Wednesday to agree to table an amendment to the Internal Market Bill, giving MPs a vote before the Government can use the powers related to Northern Ireland which would breach the treaty.

But the compromise has not seen Brussels back down, with Eric Mamer, chief spokesman for the European Commission, telling a press briefing that its position had not changed and it still wanted the offending clauses to be withdrawn from the legislation.

Mr Raab, in an interview with CNN, said: 'I think it would be helpful for all those concerned about this to elicit the same unilateral, absolute commitment not to require any infrastructure at the border between the North and the South. So far it's actually only the UK that has said that,' Mr Raab said.

He added: 'I think actually if the EU did come out and make the same commitment it would also help the negotiations. So I hope our American colleagues will reinforce that point on both sides.'
WASHINGTON  In Florida, the Miami-Dade Police Department has cited hundreds of businesses and individuals for not following face mask rules, and the county has collected nearly $300,000 in fines.

Many other cities have taken a more lax approach.

In Austin, Texas, fines can be as high as $2,000 per day for individuals, although the police department rarely levies them. Educating the public, not punishing them, is the focus, the department said.

As the COVID-19 death toll nears 200,000 in the USA, more than 30 governors have issued statewide mask mandates, and city or county ordinances fill in where governors haven't in Florida, Arizona, Tennessee and others.

How these rules are enforced varies across localities.

At a time of intense scrutiny on law enforcement amid nationwide protests against police brutality and calls to defund the police, many department leaders said that punishing people for not wearing masks  which have come to symbolize the pandemic's political divide  would put officers at the center of yet another fraught controversy.

"With all the national issues right now with law enforcement ... do we really need police officers handing out tickets for people not wearing a face mask? ... Do we really want police officers enforcing health issues?" said Steve Casstevens, president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police and chief of the Buffalo Grove Police Department in Illinois.

'It would cripple us completely': Coronavirus takes toll on rural police agencies

Jason Johnson, president of the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund, cited an incident in Philadelphia in April in which police officers were shown on video dragging a man off a bus after he refused to wear a face mask. The incident became a national story and placed law enforcement in yet another unflattering spotlight.

"The last thing any law enforcement leader wants is to have an officer involved in a confrontation that started with someone not wearing a mask," said Johnson, former deputy commissioner for the Baltimore Police Department.

Story continues

Lindsay Wiley, who teaches public health law at American University, said it's "improper" to rely on police to enforce public health requirements.

"It could be counterproductive and could create a situation where there's an escalation of the conflict," she said. "When public health officials rely on policing, I think that's problematic."

Police officers stand watch near the Union Square subway station during the coronavirus pandemic May 2 in New York.

Politics at play?

Often, the prevailing politics in a jurisdiction dictates how aggressively face mask requirements are enforced and followed  or whether they're enforced at all, Johnson said.

"I do see it as problematic," Johnson said about the politicization of face masks. "The politics and the jurisdiction drives the culture and the approach that law enforcement takes."

A Pew Research Center survey in June showed more Democrats than Republicans embrace face mask requirements. The survey found that 76% of Democrats or those who lean Democratic wear masks all or most of the time, compared with 53% of Republicans. Conservative Republicans are among the least likely to say they have worn a mask  49% say they have done so. That number is 60% among moderate Republicans.

Last month, a Florida sheriff forbade his deputies to wear masks on duty despite an ordinance requiring face coverings. Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods, a Republican, told The New York Times he isn't persuaded by the scientific consensus on face masks.

For many law enforcement agencies, enforcing face mask rules risks tangling with potentially controversial civil liberty issues.

'Perfect storm': Defund the police, COVID-19 lead to biggest police budget cuts in decade

In Texas, where the governor issued a statewide mask order, the police department in the Dallas suburb of Grand Prairie has not cited anyone. The department is largely supported by its citizens and has escaped the civil unrest riling the country, Police Chief Daniel Scesney said. Enforcing mask requirements could alienate members of the public who see the mandates as unwarranted encroachments.

"Many of our citizens feel as though their civil liberties are being infringed upon. Others feel as though their civil liberties are being infringed upon by others not wearing a mask. We're stuck in the middle trying to mediate that," Scesney said.

In rural Bay Minette, Alabama, the police department asked the public in a Facebook post in July to be responsible for their own actions. "We as law enforcement officers are not the mask or social distancing police," the department said.

There have been dozens of legal challenges that sought to render face mask requirements unconstitutional, although courts have consistently held that such mandates do not violate individual rights, Wiley said.

Governors defied

Several law enforcement agencies in Michigan, where the governor made face mask violations a misdemeanor, pushed back and said they will not enforce the rule, citing staffing issues.

"We don't have the resources to go out and check businesses to make sure people are wearing masks," said Sheriff Anthony Wickersham in Macomb County, just outside of Detroit.

When deputies do respond to calls about mask violations, such as at house parties or businesses, they have focused more on talking to people instead of arresting or citing them, Wickersham said.

In Arenac County, Michigan, the population doubles in the summer, and the 911 call volume triples, leaving deputies with no time or resources to spend on responding to face mask violations, Sheriff James Mosciski said in July in a Facebook post that referred people to the state attorney general.

Others said they simply have no authority to enforce the rules.

In Montgomery County, Texas, just outside Houston, the sheriff's office said in a statement in July that it will "take NO actions" to enforce the governor's order because it doesnt give them powers to arrest or detain.

The order could expose the agency to lawsuits accusing authorities of wrongful detention because stopping people who aren't wearing masks could be construed as detaining them, the office said.

Casstevens, the International Association of Police Chiefs president, said he faces the same issues in Buffalo Grove, Illinois. Although the governor issued an executive order mandating face masks, police officers have no authority to enforce it unless municipalities pass their own ordinances, he said.

Having to decide whether to punish people for disobeying laws that have more to do with public health than with police's traditional public safety roles is a tricky position many agencies don't want to be in, said Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum.

A police officer has his temperature taken before entering the security perimeter outside the Wisconsin Center at the beginning of the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 17 in Milwaukee. Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Wis., was the only speaker scheduled to speak live from the center on opening day. The convention, which had expected to draw 50,000 people to the city, took place virtually because of concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.

"If you put that in the context of all the issues involving police, one of the things that you've heard is that police are being asked to do too many things," Wexler said. "This is a good example, where the reason police are asked to do this is because no one knows who to call, so it ends up being a police responsibility, when it clearly should be a public health question, not a public safety issue."

Wiley, the public health expert, agreed that police involvement "may not be an appropriate or effective option."

"That has a lot of disadvantages. It can drive behavior underground, erode public trust, lead to discriminatory enforcement practices," Wiley said, citing incidents in which New York City Police Department officers were accused of arresting people in predominantly black and Hispanic neighborhoods for violating social distancing rules, while not using the same aggressive tactics in mostly white areas.

Except for cases in which a person refuses to leave a place of business and is belligerent, Wiley would not have police get involved.

"I think the education should really be coming from public health authorities," she said.

In Virginia, for example, the state Health Department, not law enforcement agencies, is in charge of enforcing the governor's face mask order.

Education vs. punishment

For many police departments, fining someone over face mask violations is the last resort.

The Austin Police Department directed its officers to first cordially talk to people when they receive calls from business owners about customers who refuse to wear masks.

"Our protocol is more about education and awareness than enforcement. Then we ask for voluntary compliance, then we issue a warning," Lt. Kenneth Murphy said. "It would take somebody going to the same (business) everyday and not abiding by the rules to get to the citation step."

Of the three citations the Police Department has issued, two were at construction sites where workers were not social distancing and wearing masks, Murphy said.

Inmate fears death: Sentenced under now-invalid drug laws and less than a year from freedom, inmate gets COVID-19

Many times, enforcing the rules isn't possible. Because calls from businesses about face mask violations are low priority, violators have often left by the time police are able to show up, Murphy said.

The Miami-Dade Police Department has taken on a harder stance since county officials unanimously approved an ordinance making failure to obey mask orders a civil offense. Business owners can get fined $500 and individuals $100.

A department spokesman said police officers have issued 577 citations against businesses and 339 against individuals. Miami-Dade County has collected about $292,000 in fines, according to the clerks office.

For the most part, police departments, particularly in major cities, have avoided fines and arrests, Wexler said.

"I think the key word is educate, encourage as opposed to enforce," Wexler said. "People are very anxious today. They've lost their jobs, they could have family members who are sick. The last thing they need is for police to enforce a fine or to come off as overly insensitive."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: COVID-19 face mask mandates go unenforced by police under pressure
By Mayank Bhardwaj and Rajendra Jadhav

NEW DELHI/MUMBAI (Reuters) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi defended new laws aimed at lifting restrictions on farmers on Friday after protests by opposition parties, some farming bodies and even an ally of his Bharatiya Janata Party.

India's lower house of parliament on Thursday passed three emergency executive orders issued in June by Modi's cabinet which were targeted at reforming the antiquated Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act.

This includes a rule that forces growers to sell their produce only at India's more than 7,000 regulated wholesale markets and Modi said the new legislation would "unshackle" millions of farmers and help them get better prices.

"It will also remove middlemen and let farmers sell their produce directly to buyers," Modi said.

Many farmer organisations oppose the legislation because they say that if big buyers start buying directly from producers, small growers will hardly have any bargaining power.

"The APMC Act forces every buyer to come to wholesale markets, which is designed to help farmers get competitive, assured and timely payments," Dharmendra Malik, a farm leader from Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state, said.

If big institutions start purchasing directly from farmers, state governments will lose out on the tax that these buyers have to pay at wholesale markets, Malik said.

"The current system ensures that farmers are paid immediately after selling their crop in the market yard itself. If farmers sell outside, who will ensure that they are paid the promised price?" a Maharashtra state official said.

Modi has said that the wholesale markets will operate as usual as the APMC Act has not been abolished and that farmers are simply being given an option to sell directly to buyers.

But Sudhir Panwar, chief of farmers' group Kisan Jagriti Manch, said if large buyers are allowed to buy directly from farmers, wholesale markets would gradually disappear.

Story continues

India's food processing minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigned on Thursday, calling the legislation "anti-farmer".

Badal's Shiromani Akali Dal party is a BJP ally with a strong base in Punjab, one of India's two bread basket states, where farmers form an influential voting bloc.

(Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav in Mumbai and Mayank Bhardwaj in New Delhi; Editing by Alexander Smith)
In recent times, cases of robbery and forgery are coming out in high numbers. Today the youth is struggling to get a decent job to save their livelihood and build a career and given the current scenario, it is becoming increasingly more difficult. People have lost all hopes and finding different ways to get back on life while some are choosing to loot people with their nefarious ways.

Pixabay

In a recent incident , a 33-year-old man has been arrested for duping people inside ATM centres under the pretext of helping them withdraw cash, police said on Thursday.

More than 100 debit cards have been recovered from his possession, an official said. According to the official, the accused was identified as Tufail Ahmed Siddique.



After getting complaints of ATM duping, the Ghatkopar police set up a team and with the help of CCTV footage and relevant information, nabbed Siddique recently from suburban Sakinaka.

He used to trick ATM users by replacing their debit cards with duplicate ones. The accused used to target people who faced problems while using their ATM cards, the official said.

Pixabay Representative Image

Another similar incident happened in Mumbai, Mumbai police has arrested two persons from Delhi for allegedly running a call centre and duping hundreds of job seekers, an official said.

Arif Abdul Rashid (24) and Sujahud Suhelhud (25), both residents of the national capital, were arrested on Wednesday by Matunga police from the city, he said.

In February, the Matunga police had registered an offence of cheating after a woman complained that online fraudsters duped her of Rs 40,000 on the pretext of offering her a job.

In India, the employment rate has been settling low and the job seekers are getting duped day and night as the situation is getting worse. The current per cent of unemployment is 7.3 % according to CMIE. This implies that 40 % of the population that is over 14 years of age is employed whereas the global average employment rate stood at 57.4% in 2019 as per the World Bank's database.
A manhunt is underway for at least two gunmen who fired 10 shots at the Camden home of married county police officers who just had a baby.

Seven of the shots hit the home and six penetrated the structure - two through the front door - during the Tuesday, Sept. 15 incident shortly before midnight on Clinton Street, Camden Police Chief Joseph Wysocki told the media at a press event Thursday evening.

The officers and their 10-day-old baby were not injured. They were on the second floor at the time.

The officers, a man and woman, have been with the department for four years and two years, respectively, and remain on leave, officials said. They were born and raised in Camden.

Wysocki said the motive for the shooting is unknown, but its very common knowledge that the officers live at the home. "I do know that this is a targeted attack against this residence where the officers reside, Wysocki said.

The chief said one neighbor told investigators, I dont go to bed at night until I see the officers' cars come home, when they finish their shift. I watch as their car pulls up. Its a quiet, tight-knit neighborhood, he said.

Wysocki spoke with several other leaders, who all urged the public to come forward with any tips on the identities of the shooters. A combined reward stood at $20,000.

Camden County Freeholder Louis Cappelli spoke directly to the perpetrators, and did not hold back. He said he told the chief to do whatever is necessary to stop anymore more violence against our officers, immediately.

This mindless evil conduct will not be tolerated, Cappelli went on.

I want to share a very clear message to the scumbag thugs behind this senseless act. Were coming to get you and you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. If you think you can get away with these crimes under the cover of some unfortunate acts taking place in other parts of the nation, or under cover of some national movement, you are wrong."

FBI Special Agent Michael Driscoll, in charge of the Philadelphia office, said anyone who opens fire on a private home is a threat.

Add to that the possibility that someone may have targeted law enforcement causes a true threat to the citizens of Camden, he said. Were determined to get to the bottom of this together.

Detectives found seven empty shell casings in front of the home, and investigators identified a 1998 dark-colored Honda Odyssey with a temporary paper tag in the area during the incident and early Thursday morning, they located and towed the minivan for further investigation, police said.

Wysocki said there were three people in the vehicle during the shooting, a driver and two suspected gunmen.

A reward of $20,000 for information leading to arrest of the perpetrators was offered by the FBI, ATF and local Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 218.

Anyone with information on the shooting or the vehicle that was used in the shooting was urged to call the departments tip line at 856-757-7420 or use the STOPit app. More contact information for the agency can be found at www.camdencountypd.org and the public was reminded that all tips and information will be considered anonymous.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.

Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com.
Matt Hancock has denied the Government failed to plan for a surge in demand for coronavirus tests, and claimed the spike of up to four times greater than Britain's capacity was 'very, very hard to predict'.

Batting off criticism, the Health Secretary blamed the public for applying for tests when they didn't have symptoms and accused Britons in self-isolation of trying to get tests so that they could get out of quarantine and back to reality.

Defending his handling of the testing fiasco, he claimed: 'Of course we knew that demand was going to go up, the challenge has been that it has gone up incredibly high including among the people who do not have symptoms, who are not eligible for tests.

'We model the amount of demand among people who are eligible. The fact that there's been such a spike from those for whom a test won't help... that is very, very hard to predict that there'd be this behavioural change.'

Testing tsar Baroness Harding faced a grilling from MPs yesterday as she argued that 'no one saw' the surge in demand, despite repeated warnings that Britons returning to schools and offices would heap huge pressure on the system.

It comes as test and trace was today branded 'barely functional', with staff taking as long as 14 days to contact the friends, relatives and colleagues of those who test positive for coronavirus.

And concerns were today also raised about the Government's seven 'Lighthouse Labs' and their ability to process results, due to shortages of staff and equipment.

Genomics scientist and inventor Phil Robinson told The Times that the Lighthouse Labs were poorly managed, running out of staff and failed to set up automatic processes before a second wave of infections.

Matt Hancock has admitted he did plan for a spike in demand, but claimed the enormous surge they have seen was 'very, very hard to predict'

Testing tsar Baroness Harding faced a grilling from MPs yesterday as the wheels began to come off the UK's 'world-leading' testing system

When should I get a coronavirus test? Who should get tested for coronavirus? The NHS says that anyone who develops symptoms of coronavirus should get a test. These are: a high temperature

New continuous cough

Loss of sense of taste and smell They add that a select group of other people will also be able to access testing. These are people who: Live in England and have been told to get a test before entering hospital for surgery

Asked to by their local council

Are taking part in a government pilot project Who should not get a coronavirus test? Matt Hancock has claimed up to one-in-four tests are being given out to people who are not eligible for them. He said he has heard stories of whole schools applying for them after one case of coronavirus was recorded there, and of people getting them because they are going on holiday. This is not what the testing system has been designed for, he said. and it means that people who need a test cannot get one. Source: NHS Advertisement

Seeking to blame the public for the testing crisis, Mr Hancock told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that demand for tests has 'gone through the roof'.

'The reason I defend so fiercely the people who are building our testing capability is that they have been, they were given, a trajectory to hit that was based on the science and they are on track to deliver that growth.

'Now of course I want it to go as fast as possible and we have put huge resources into this and there's new technologies some of which are in the news today coming onboard.

'But, you know, driving that as fast as possible has been the goal and then we've had this massive increase in demand from people who aren't eligible.

'Over summer we built the capacity, we automated parts of the process, putting in place new machines, opening new labs, we've been building this capacity over the summer and working incredibly hard all the way through.'

He added: 'At the start of last week we saw demand was shooting up. We could have reduced the over 100,000 tests a day that are sent to social care - and that would have taken a load of noise out of the system.

'But I refused to do that and the Prime Minister actively backed this decision because that's where tests are needed more than anywhere because of the frailty and vulnerability of people in care homes.'

On Thursday the Government announced it was launching two new 'Lighthouse' laboratories alongside the seven it already operates to manage overwhelming demand.

The two will be built in Newcastle and Bracknell, and come 'on-line' alongside Newport and Charnwood by the end of October, to increase capacity to deliver 500,000 tests per day.

Government capacity stands at around 236,000 tests a day. Yesterday it was revealed that nine of the ten coronavirus hotspots in England recorded no new cases for the last two days as labs struggled to catch up with capacity.

WHAT ARE THE LIGHTHOUSE LABS? What is a Lighthouse Lab? The laboratories are set up to process the swab tests that are used to diagnose people with coronavirus. They contain machines capable of a process called polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which magnifies DNA samples from people's saliva and mucous to look for signs of the virus. Samples taken at swab testing centres are delivered to the labs where technicians analyse the samples and file the result into a database, which then sends the result back to the person who took the test and logs it in the Government's data. Where are the Lighthouse Labs? Milton Keynes

Alderley Park, Cheshire

Glasgow

Cambridge

Antrim, Northern Ireland

Newport

Loughborough

Newcastle (planned)

Bracknell (planned) Who runs the Lighthouse Labs? Ultimately controlled by the Department of Health, the labs are run with the help of pharmaceutical companies AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKline, as well as the universities of Cambridge, Glasgow and Dundee, and the scientific organisations UK Biocentre, Medicines Discovery Catapult and US-based PerkinElmer. Those companies and institutes are understood to be the ones who supply technicians to staff the labs, while testing centres use outsourced staff supplied by contractors including Serco and Sodexo. Director of the Lighthouse Labs network is Professor Chris Molloy, the CEO of a Government-funded not-for-profit medical institute based in Cheshire. As well as the Lighthouse Labs, the Government also relies on laboratories run by the NHS, Public Health England and other universities and scientific institutions to help process tests. The system is organised by the UK Lighthouse Labs Network on instruction from the Department of Health. Director of the UKLLN is Professor Chris Molloy, the CEO of Medicines Discovery Catapult, a Government-funded non-profit medical institute based in Cheshire. Advertisement

But a leading scientist has warned the Covid testing system is 'dying on its a**e' and accused labs of being poorly run with staff and equipment problems.

Genomics scientist and inventor Phil Robinson told The Times that the lighthouse labs were poorly managed, running out of staff and failed to set up automatic processes before a second wave of infections.

He told the paper: 'Every part of the process was poor. The other ludicrous issue they have is they have 20 different types of tube coming into the lab. When you are running a high throughput lab it's only sensible to have one. Why they haven't standardised that I have no idea.'

As the wheels come off the testing system it has also been revealed that test and trace is taking up to two weeks to contact friends, relatives and colleagues of people who test positive for Covid-19.

Documents seen by The Guardian revealed the delays, and showed contact tracers at one firm hired by the Government to ensure close contacts of confirmed cases were tracked down and told to self-isolate have called contacts only to discover they were first identified as being at risk up to 14 days earlier.

One contact tracer said: 'Some people are being told by test and trace that they need to self-isolate when their isolation period has been and gone.

'I rang someone a few days ago to tell them that they were a contact of a confirmed case and therefore needed to self-isolate. But halfway through the call I realised that her self-isolation period began on 31 August.'

NHS Providers, which represents NHS trust leaders, argued that the country was 'a long way off where we need to be with testing'.

Plans have also been revealed for a Lighthouse laboratory dealing with testing and a Covid-19 research hub, which could create 1,100 jobs in the North East of England.

The new facility would serve the region, as well as northern Cumbria and Yorkshire, and would be the latest expansion of the Government's national Test and Trace programme.

The Lighthouse lab will be based in Gateshead with a specialist innovation lab at the Helix site in Newcastle, focused on developing new approaches to coronavirus science.

The project will be a partnership between Newcastle City Council and the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, as well as public health teams, local universities and industry.

Deputy chief executive Saffron Cordery said trust leaders were 'increasingly concerned' that testing shortages could put pressure on NHS services and winter preparations due to growing staff absences.

'Trust leaders are concerned that they do not have the detail on why there are shortages, how widespread they are or how long they will last,' she added.

Yesterday the UK recorded 3,395 new Covid-19 cases, bringing the seven-day rolling average of infections to up 33 per cent in a week.

Britain also recorded 21 more deaths from coronavirus, with 18 in England, three in Wales, and none in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Members of the public are pictured queuing outside a coronavirus testing centre in Edmonton, North London, as people across the country say they are struggling to get hold of tests
A Chinatown hotel has hit the market just as relief from lockdown hovers on the horizon.

The City Limits Hotel at 20-22 Little Bourke Street and its neighbouring carpark, are on the market for the first time since the 1990s and are expected to fetch more than $15 million.

The hotels listing comes hot on the heels of the Kearney familys move to dispose of the Louis Vuitton building on Collins Street.

Records show the Chinatown properties were bought by the Hong Kong-based Chow family for less than $4 million in 1990 and 1995.

The combined 471 square metre site is on a rare triple-fronted parcel of land, bordered by Little Bourke Place and Gordon Place. The eight-storey hotel has 32 strata-titled studio apartments.
CLEVELAND -- We are Clevelanders. One is Republican and one a former Republican. We met serving as assistant United States attorneys working for the Department of Justice in the 1980s. And although our paths went in different directions, today we stand committed to Operation Grant, a union of Ohio Republicans against the reelection of Donald Trump.

In 2016, many Republicans saw potential for change in the White House and took a chance on Trump. We failed to predict how he would flagrantly abuse his power, undermine the rule of law and obstruct justice.

Operation Grant is guided by the words of our 18th president, Ohios Ulysses S. Grant: My failures have been errors in judgment, not intent. Ohioans who put their faith in Trump in 2016 made an error of judgment, not intent. Operation Grant was launched to let people know Trump is not a patriot, not a Republican and not worthy of your vote.

Trump has violated our trust in innumerable ways. He turned his back on our NATO allies and embraced Russias Vladimir Putin and other dictators while refuting intelligence and advice from his own appointed advisers. He has proven himself to be a destroyer of democracy and has shamed us on the international stage.

Trump has shown gross incompetence in handling the COVID-19 pandemic and has put his own interests before the health and welfare of our country.

Michael Anne Johnson was a U.S. attorney for 22 years.

He has publicly bullied and berated professionals in the Executive Branch and misused his power against those brave enough to speak truth to power. Where he had the opportunity to show compassion and lead, he has divided the nation with malicious tweets.

Trump and U.S. Attorney General William Barr have debased the Department of Justice. Trumps purpose in selecting Barr became evident when Barr nullified the Mueller Report findings that Trump obstructed the investigation into Russias 2016 election interference.

Emboldened, both Trump and Barr cried foul about pending prosecutions. Trump commuted Roger Stones sentence and Barr sought to dismiss the case against Michael Flynn; both Stone and Flynn had lied about their dealings with Russia. They are Trump allies and were mum about Trumps role (Stone: I will never roll on Donald Trump).

Appalled at the politicization, a number of Department of Justice prosecutors resigned or stepped off the case. More than 2,000 former DOJ prosecutors have called on Barr to resign.

Roger Synenberg, a Cleveland attorney, formerly led the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.

The duo did not stop there! The U.S. attorney in Manhattan who was heading investigations of Trump allies was effectively fired, and five federal inspectors general (State, Intelligence, Transportation, Health and Human Services and Defense), their departments' internal watchdogs, either were fired or given other duties. Trump scorned State Department officials who truthfully testified during his House impeachment.

Trump, through Barr, had officers forcefully remove nonviolent protesters from Lafayette Square to make room for a photo op of Trump holding a Bible. Recently, unidentified federal officers in black or camouflage attire showed up at protests without a request by local officials. What is happening to our freedoms of speech and assembly?

President Trump claims no limits to his power. He claims, referring to the U.S. Constitution, that he has an Article 2, where I have the right to do whatever I want as president.

On the eve of our presidential election, Trump seeks to undermine confidence in the election with misinformation about absentee ballots and by slowing U.S. mail delivery so ballots will not be counted.

Trump is a clear and present danger to our democracy. Please join together to restore our republic and elect Joe Biden, an honest, capable, experienced leader who will adhere to the rule of law and get our country back on track.

Michael Anne Johnson was an assistant U.S. attorney for 22 years and a member of the Department of Justice trial team that denaturalized John Demjanjuk, the Nazi concentration camp guard. Roger Synenberg is a former Republican, an attorney in private practice and a former co-chair of the Cuyahoga County Republican Party and a former chair of the county Board of Elections. Earlier, Synenberg was an assistant U.S. attorney. Both are members of Operation Grant, www.operationgrant.org.

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* Send a letter to the editor, which will be considered for print publication.

* Email general questions, comments or corrections on this opinion column to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 21:08:23|Editor: huaxia

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TRIPOLI, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Khalifa Haftar, commander of the eastern-based army of Libya, on Friday announced allowing the resumption of oil exports with conditions.

"It has been decided to resume production and export of oil with all necessary conditions and procedural measures that guarantee a fair distribution of the financial revenues, not to use them to support terrorism, or not being subjected to embezzlement," Haftar said in a televised speech.

"We are keen to improve the living conditions of the people," he said.

The eastern-based army has been blocking oil production and exports for about eight months, demanding fair distribution of oil revenues.

According to the state-owned National Oil Corporation (NOC), the country has lost nearly 10 billion U.S. dollars as a result of the oil blockade.

The NOC on Thursday expressed regret over "using oil as a bargaining chip to achieve political gains," stressing that lifting the state of force majeure on oilfields and ports is "linked to transparency and security arrangements."

Ever since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011, the Libyan oil sector has been suffering due to repeated closures and attacks on oil facilities. Enditem
Always wanted to live abroad? Now may be your best chance. More countries are inviting travelers to trade their home offices for the opportunity to live and work abroad during the pandemic. Stanford University economist Nicholas Bloom estimates 42% of the U.S. labor force is now working from home full time. And workers may not be returning to the office anytime soon. As the pandemic marches on and companies like Facebook announce employees needn't return to the office until mid-2021 (or never in the case of Twitter), some countries are shifting away from traditional tourism models that rely on a stream of short-term visitors in favor of fewer travelers who are willing to stay for longer periods. These destinations are enticing this new batch of "digital nomads" with low Covid-19 rates, decreased costs of living and a slower, more relaxed pace of life.

Home office or island paradise?

Starting Aug. 21, remote workers can apply to live and work on the 35-square-mile island of Anguilla, a British overseas territory that has registered only three Covid-19 cases to date. A press release issued by the Anguilla Tourist Board on Aug. 19 quoted Kenroy Herbert, the board's chairman, as saying the territory is "targeting a new clientele we call digital nomads, who will come and work remotely from Anguilla on extended stay visas."

Anguilla's Altamer Resort covers travelers' government fees as part of its Digital Nomad package, which starts at $2,000 a week. Jay Stearns, Landmarks Photography

Priority to enter Anguilla is being given to applicants from "low-risk" countries, defined as those with less than 0.2% infection rate, as well as long-stay travelers. A stay under three months costs $1,000 for individuals and $1,500 for a family of four. Entrance fees, which double for longer stays, cover two Covid-19 tests, a digital work permit and other costs. Unlike other destinations, Anguilla asks only for a "brief description" of the type of work one will do while there. Travelers who apply for new year-long work visas to Barbados know within five working days whether their visa request is confirmed.

The 12-Month Barbados Welcome Stamp costs $2,000 for individuals and $3,000 for families Abstract Aerial Art | DigitalVision | Getty Images

The visa, or "12-month Barbados Welcome Stamp," was established on June 30. As of this week, more than 1,350 applications have been submitted, with 40% coming from U.S. residents. The visa is valid for 12 months from the date of arrival, and holders can leave and reenter the island during that time. "All we've gotten from Covid is uncertainty," said Prime Minister Mia Mottley during an interview with Sky News. "We can give you certainty for the next 12 months that you can come and  work from here." There is free Wi-Fi throughout the island, including restaurants, cafes, public libraries and public parks. Visa holders can send their children to private schools or pay a small stipend to attend a state-owned public school. Bermuda is appealing to those working at cramped home offices by touting its pink beaches, crystal waters and 18 miles of walking paths as reasons to apply for its new "Work from Home" certificate.

Certificates to remotely work or study in Bermuda are valid for 12 months. Jared Kay | 500px Prime | Getty Images

Applications cost $263 per person, and travelers must be employed by a company outside Bermuda, enrolled as a student in a university-level program, or demonstrate "substantial means" or continuous annual income. "These visitors can reside in Bermuda  and will promote economic activity for our country without displacing Bermudians in the workforce," said Minister of Labor Jason Hayward in a parliamentary address. Family members and pets (the latter, with valid import permits) are welcome, and children can attend public or private schools in Bermuda. The application website includes booking information for beachfront villas, electric cars and co-working spaces.

Europe or Caucasus for a year?

Remote workers from 95 countries, including the United States, can apply to live and work in the country of Georgia. Announced in mid-July, around 2,700 applications had been registered by Aug. 5, though the program, called "Remotely from Georgia," didn't formally launch until later that month. It allows workers to stay in Georgia for at least 360 days without a visa. Travelers need to have a minimum monthly salary of $2,000 and agree to undergo a 12-day quarantine in a hotel at their own expense upon entering.

Georgia's capital city of Tbilisi sits near the crossroads of Europe and Asia and is known for its low cost of living. Tanatat Pongphibool, Thailand | Moment | Getty Images

The nation in the Caucasus cites its low Covid-19 infection in a bid to attract remote workers to the program, though cases have significantly risen this month. Slightly less than half of the country's total infections  more than 1,300 cases  have been recorded in the past two weeks. Estonia launched a 12-month Digital Nomad Visa last month that may appear to be in response to the pandemic, but the program has been in the works for years. Known as one of the most advanced digital societies in the world, the Baltic nation  which has earned the nickname of E-stonia  hasn't made the visa process as tech-friendly as others. Applications must be submitted via appointment at an Estonian embassy or consulate and take 30 days to be reviewed.

Estonia blends technological advancement with medieval architecture like St. Catherine's Passage in the capital city of Tallinn. Thomas Roche | Moment | Getty Images

Applicants must also show monthly earnings greater than 3,504 ($4,152) for the previous six months. The new visas cannot be used to bypass Estonia's border restrictions. Currently, only residents of the EU, Schengen Zone, U.K. and a limited group of approved countries, such as Australia, Canada, Japan and South Korea, can apply.

Which country is next?
Petrol and diesel prices have been reduced for the second straight day across all metros on Friday. Petrol prices in Delhi declined by 26 paise and diesel by 35 paise today, according to notifications by the state-run Indian Oil Corporation, the country's largest fuel retailer. In the past two days, petrol and diesel prices have been slashed by 41 paise and 54 paise, respectively in the national capital. The current price of petrol in Delhi stands at Rs 81.14 per litre and diesel at Rs 72.02 per litre.

In the last 18 days, diesel rates were cut nine times in Delhi--on September 3, 5, 7, 10, 12, 14, 15, 17 and 18 respectively, while oil companies slashed petrol prices six times--September 10, 12, 14,15, 17 and 18. Overall, petrol in Delhi has declined by 94 paise in September and diesel declined by Rs 1.54

Petrol and diesel prices also witnessed a dip in other metro cities. In Mumbai, petrol declined by 25 paise and diesel by 35 paise on September 18. At present, petrol stands at Rs 87.82 per litre and diesel at Rs 78.48 per litre in Mumbai.

On the other hand, in Chennai, petrol saw a marginal decline of three paise on Friday. Diesel rates reduced by 39 paise in past one day. The current diesel and petrol rates in Chennai are Rs 77.40 and Rs 84.21 per litre, respectively.

In Kolkata, petrol prices were slashed by 25 paise. The current petrol rates in the city stand at 82.67 per litre. Diesel prices in the city stood at Rs 75.52/litre after the reduction of 35 paise in 24 hours.

In Hyderabad, petrol declined by 27 paise and diesel by 38 paise. At present, petrol prices in Hyderabad have declined to Rs 84.33 per litre and diesel by 78.50/ litre.

Diesel and petrol rates have also fallen sharply in Bengaluru. Since yesterday, diesel prices have gone down 37 paise at Rs 76.25 per litre. Petrol prices were slashed by 26 paise in the city. At present, the petrol price in Bengaluru stands at Rs 83.7 per litre.

Prices vary from state to state because of different rates of local taxes and VAT imposed.

Check latest and revised petrol prices today

Price of petrol in Delhi today, September 18- Rs 81.14 /litre

Price of petrol in Mumbai today, September 18-Rs 87.82/litre

Price of petrol in Chennai today, September 18-Rs 84.21/litre

Price of petrol in Kolkata today, September 18-Rs 82.67/litre

Price of petrol in Hyderabad today, September 18-Rs 84.33 /litre

Price of petrol in Bengaluru today, September 18-Rs 83.7/litre

Price of petrol in Gurgaon today, September 18- Rs 79.32/litre

Price of petrol in Noida today, September 18-Rs 81.64/litre

Check latest and revised diesel prices today

Price of diesel in Delhi today, September 18- Rs 72.02/litre

Price of diesel in Mumbai today, September 18- Rs 78.48/litre

Price of diesel in Chennai today, September 18-Rs 77.40/litre

Price of diesel in Kolkata today, September 18- Rs 75.52/litre

Price of diesel in Hyderabad today, September 18- Rs 78.50/litre

Price of diesel in Bengaluru today, September 18-Rs 76.25/litre

Price of diesel in Gurgaon today, September 18- Rs 72.49/litre

Price of diesel in Noida today, September 18- Rs 72.33/litre

Meanwhile, oil prices drifted lower on Friday, pausing after three days of gains, as producers prepared to resume operations in the Gulf of Mexico, according to Reuters. Brent crude was down 6 cents at $43.24 a barrel by 0112 GMT.

Also read: Petrol, diesel witness price cut for second day straight; check latest fuel rates

Also read: Petrol, diesel rates fall by 13 paise; check out the latest prices
Starbucks is facing a lawsuit from one customer who claims that a routine trip to the coffee chain's drive-thru resulted in painful burns that continue to affect him almost two years later.

In 2018, Tommy Piluyev and his wife stopped by the Roseville Starbucks in Northern California and ordered two Honey Citrus Mint Teas. When an employee at the pickup window began to hand the then 22-year-old the second sleeved/lidded cup, he says the lid came off.

Hot tea spilled on Mr. Piluyevs left hand during the transfer, the cup overturned on the window sill and hot tea poured onto Mr. Piluyevs hands, stomach and pelvic area," the lawsuit reads. Covered in scalding tea, and unable to open his door to escape because he was near the drive-thru window, Mr. Piluyev quickly put the SUV into gear and accelerated from the window. He pulled into an adjacent parking lot, hastily exited the vehicle stripped off his sweat pants.

Shortly afterwards, Piluyev traveled to a nearby emergency room, where he learned that he had suffered partial-thickness burns with blistering across the lower left abdomen, thighs, penis, scrotum, peritoneum and buttocks." He also experienced burns on nine fingers.

Piluyev's hand burns. (Whitney Davis)

Piluyev and his wife Liudmila Maftey are suing both Starbucks and Pactiv Packaging Inc., a brand the lawsuit says made the coffee chain's cups and lids, for product liability and negligence.

He suffered burns on several parts of his body. (Whitney Davis)

According to the lawsuit which was filed on September 9, 2020 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Piluyev spent 11 days in the burn unit and "required intravenous pain control along with intensive and invasive wound care. Piluyev's wife assisted him with wound and personal care when he was discharged from the burn unit and he began the recovery process.

"In the five months post-discharge Mr. Piluyev gradually regained the ability to walk, the ability to sense touch in some of his fingers, the ability to hold his young child, and eventually, to use a computer keyboard. Mr. Piluyev remained unable to play the piano," the lawsuit reads.

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Piluyev in the hospital. (Whitney Davis)

The couple claims that the incident has affected their relationship, particularly their intimate bond. The sensitivity and permanent skin discoloration and disfigurement of Mr. Piluyevs genitals and inner thighs made eventual intimacy awkward and painful, the lawsuit reads.

The lawsuit seeks in excess of $75,000 in damages.

Whitney Davis, the couple's attorney, told TODAY Food that companies are responsible for remedying "known dangers to their staff and customers."

"Mr. Piluyevs burns resulted from lid defects known to Starbucks management for several years. Spilling 180-200 degree tea on a customer is ordinarily an accident. However, when you know how many times per day it will occur at a drive-thru because your lid is defective, harm is not an accident, it is a certainty, he wrote in an email.

A spokesperson for Starbucks told TODAY via email that the company investigated Piluyevs claim in 2018 and found the handoff to be successful. "We are continuing to evaluate the claim and feel for the pain and suffering Mr. Piluyev experienced. Our partners take great pride in ensuring our beverages are crafted with care and are delivered to customers safely. We take our responsibility to provide a safe environment seriously and will continue to do so.

This is hardly the first example of a customer lawsuit over scalding hot beverages. In April, the family of a child who got second and third-degree burns at a New Jersey Wawa store was awarded $3 million. There have also been several similar cases over the years, including the infamous 1994 McDonalds hot coffee lawsuit.

CORRECTION (Sept. 21, 2020, 9:42 a.m.): This story was updated to clarify remarks made by a Starbucks spokesperson. Starbucks investigated the claim in 2018 and found the handoff to be successful. The company said that it continues to evaluate the claim.
COLLINSVILLE  The Illinois Department of Transportation has announced that nightly intermittent lane restrictions will begin Monday, Sept. 21, on Illinois 159 between Clay Street and Kinloch Avenue on Monday, Sep. 21, weather permitting.

The lane closures will occur between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. with one lane in each direction will remain open during the work. The work is needed to do pavement repairs and is expected to be complete by the end of September.
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP)  Chinas military sent 18 planes including fighter jets over the Taiwan Strait in an unusually large show of force Friday as a U.S. envoy held a day of closed-door meetings on the self-governing island claimed by China.

Under Secretary of State Keith Krach, who handles the economic growth, energy and the environment portfolio, held talks with Taiwan's minister of economic affairs and vice premier. He also met with business leaders over lunch and was to dine with President Tsai Ing-wen later Friday.

In response to Krach's visit, the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army held combat exercises near the Taiwan Strait, in at least the second round of war games this month aimed at intimidating supporters of the island's independent identity.

Taiwans defense ministry said two bombers and 16 fighter jets from China crossed into Taiwans air defense identification zone. It said it scrambled jets in response and monitored the movements of the Chinese planes.

Chinese defense ministry spokesperson Ren Guoqiang called the drills a legitimate and necessary action taken in response to the current situation across the Taiwan Straits to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity."

Recently, the U.S. and (Taiwan's ruling) Democratic Progressive Party authorities have stepped up their collusion and frequently stir up troubles," Ren told reporters Friday morning. Whether it is using Taiwan to contain China or relying on foreign powers to threaten others, it is wishful thinking and is destined to be a dead end."

In a brief message on its microblog, the Eastern Theater Command said the exercises involved naval and air force units in the Taiwan Strait aimed at gauging their ability to carry out joint operations.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also defended the move. Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said China has the firm will, full confidence and sufficient ability to thwart all external interference and separatist actions by Taiwan independence forces.

Story continues

Beijing views Taiwan as part of its own territory and strongly opposes any type of formal interaction between other countries and the self-ruled island democracy.

Krach's trip follows a visit in August by U.S. Health Secretary Alex Azar, the highest-level U.S. Cabinet official to visit since the U.S. switched formal relations from Taiwan to China in 1979.

It is one of a series of moves by the Trump administration to strengthen relations with Taiwan, including stepped-up arms sales and support for the island's participation in international forums.

Before Krach's arrival, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Kelly Craft, had lunch Wednesday with Taiwans top official in New York, in a meeting she called historic.

On Saturday, the last day of his visit, Krach will also attend a memorial service for former President Lee Teng-hui, who led the islands transition to democracy and died at age 97 in July.

Analysts say the Chinese military response is a clear message to the U.S. to stop what it is doing, since the Chinese side took similar actions when the U.S. health secretary visited in August.

"I think the Chinese are using this tool to try and stop the kind-of diplomatic relationship between the U.S. and Taiwan. Its very clear from them, said Alfred Wu, associate professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore.

Tensions between Washington and Beijing have already reached high levels as the governments spar over the coronavirus pandemic, trade, technology, Hong Kong and the South China Sea.

The frequency of Chinese exercises near Taiwan recalls the last major crisis between them in 1995-96, when China fired missiles near the island and held war games in a bid to intimidate voters in Taiwan's first direct presidential election. Those actions were largely seen to have backfired.

Taiwan said Chinese warplanes entered its airspace over two days last week during large-scale war games that it called a serious provocation to Taiwan and a grave threat to regional peace and stability.

Such actions by the Chinese military threaten the entire region, it said, calling on the international community to respond.

China has increasingly relied on military threats and diplomatic isolation to pressure Taiwan. That follows the apparent failure of its efforts to win over the islands 23 million people to the prospect of political unification under the one country, two systems framework used in Hong Kong, with a large majority of Taiwanese favoring maintaining the status quo of de facto independence.

Despite of the frequency of the exercises, analysts said it does not mean imminent war.

The signal from Beijing is very, very clear, but does that mean a prelude to war? No, far from it, said Chong-Pin Lin, a former deputy defense minister in Taiwan.

China cut contacts with Taiwans government following Tsai's 2016 election. She was reelected by a large margin this year and her Democratic Progressive Party maintained its majority in the legislature.

___

This story has been corrected to show that the flyover took place Friday, not Monday.
I cant imagine how hard this system is for people without our resources. Even for Robert and me, the uncertainty and my inability to contribute has been tough. Wed planned to live off our savings until my work authorization came through, but as the weeks turned into months weve had to rely on student loans Robert never planned on taking out. To make ends meet, weve tightened our belts, postponed our honeymoon and eaten through money wed saved to set up our home together.
New Delhi:

A 21-year-old JNU student was allegedly raped by two Afghan nationals in south Delhis Green Park area, police said on Friday. The victim, a second year BA (Honours) student of JNU, had gone to a pub in Hauz Khas village last week with her friend where she met one Twaab Ahmad alias Saleem, 27, an Afghan national, they said.

Saleem, who live here along with his Afghan friend Sulaiman Ahmadi, 31, on United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) card, invited them to his house in Green Park for a party, a police officer said.

When she went to Saleems house along with her friend, Saleems three friendsSulaiman, Siddhant and Pratyusha were present at his house. While her friend was dropped off at JNU, the girl came back to Saleems house and they consumed alcohol, the officer said.

When the victim woke up in the morning, she saw Sulaiman forcing himself on her. She realised that Saleem and Sulaiman had sexually assaulted her when she was unconscious, he said.

The victim went back to her hostel in JNU and narrated the incident to her two friends, who immediately took her to the police station. She was taken to a nearby hospital for medical examination.

On the victims complaint, an FIR under section 376 (punishment for rape) read with 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the IPC was lodged at the Safdarjung Enclave police station on January 12.

The accused, Saleem - an event manager, and Sulaiman, have been arrested and sent to judicial custody by a court, said the officer.
Board Ceritified Internist Dr. Michael Farzam of House Call Doctor Los Angeles Rapidly available results, are crucial to keeping individuals and their communities healthy.

An August 13 article on WLTX reports on findings that show a decline in the number of people getting tested for COVID-19 in South Carolina. The article says that one reason for the decrease in testing could be due to the time it takes for results to reach patients. The article notes that, when there was a high demand for testing, area facilities became inundated and quickly ran out of testing supplies, and the personnel needed to run testing equipment. Because results were not available quickly, the article suggests that some people were discouraged from getting tested. Los Angeles-based board-certified physician Michael Farzam, M.D., of House Call Doctor Los Angeles says that readily accessible in-home COVID testing, as well as rapidly available results, are crucial to keeping individuals and their communities healthy.

Dr. Farzam says that individuals can avoid unnecessarily risking their health by getting tested at home with a house call doctor. While testing sites and clinics may be the most well-known option, house call physicians can bring COVID-19 testing directly to patients homes. The Southern California internist adds that, unlike testing sites that are very often stretched thin, house call doctors can get results for tests within 72 hours.

Although home visits from doctors may seem like an outdated practice, Dr. Michael Farzam says it makes sense now more than ever, especially during this particular type of public health crisis. He adds that basic medical equipment found in a traditional doctors office often has an accompanying mobile version due to advances in technology. Dr. Farzam notes that by taking the care directly to the patient, theres no need for patients to crowd together in a waiting room, which these days can pose a notable health risk if not handled properly.

Dr. Farzam says that home visits are the safer and socially distant happy medium between visiting a medical clinic and completely virtual appointments, either of which can feel impersonal due to distance, overcrowding, and other factors. The doctor notes that, in a time where people may be tempted to hold off on seeking medical care in an attempt to avoid viral exposure, visits from house call doctors offer an effective solution that doesnt sacrifice quality care.

Readers interested in learning more about Dr. Michael Farzam and the services offered by House Call Doctor Los Angeles can call (310) 849-7991 or visit https://www.housecalldoctorla.com.


House Democrats to file government funding measure

Democrats in the US House of Representatives plan to file a stopgap funding measure that would avoid a government shutdown and keep federal agencies operating through 11 December, according to a House Democratic aide via Reuters.

The measure, known formally as a continuing resolution or CR, was expected to be released by the Democratic-led House Appropriations Committee and taken up by the full House and the Republican-led Senate next week. But it was not immediately clear when the CR would be filed.

'We plan to file a CR with a Dec. 11 end date,' said the Democratic aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Word of the CR emerged after weeks of negotiations between Democrats and Republicans. With talks on new Covid-19 aid legislation stalled, lawmakers were determined to reach an agreement on the funding measure.

Failure to adopt the CR would threaten a partial shutdown of the federal government in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic and just before the 3 November election. Current funding for US agencies runs out after 30 September, the end of the federal fiscal year. The measure's expected December end date would require Congress to address government funding again in its post-election lameduck session, when the threat of a government shutdown could re-emerge.
To identify Karabakh with Armenia is the red line that cannot be crossed. The second President of Armenia and First President of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), Robert Kocharyan, said this at a meeting with analysts, on the settlement of the Karabakh conflict, posted on the ex-President's official YouTube channel, and referring to rumors that the current president of Karabakh is not as free in his positions as he was during his tenure.

"Identifying Karabakh with Armenia is the red line that should not be crossed. It is the instruction where it should be written in red, Dont do [it]! Because the first is not the same. During my presidency in Karabakh, we have always been a partner with Armenia, we have had serious contradictions; [but] we have never made those contradictions a topic of public discussion. But there were issues about the return of Kelbajar, the liberation of Aghdam and other regions. Yes, there were serious contradictions, but we did our job, and then sat down at the negotiating table, tried to find common ground, to reconcile, not to be hostile, but we did not given up our long-term goals just to have good relations. We did not refuse. And, in honor of the authorities of that time, I can say that they, too, were not turning the tension of those relations into an end in themselvesto put pressure on Karabakh to some extent, to deprive of money, to stop the funding, not to send weapons; there was no such thing.

Now the danger is in that. We were a partner, now they have subjugated Karabakh; I see a great danger in this. First, we lose the loophole in different approaches in the negotiation process because there were times when [Armenias First President Levon] Ter-Petrosyan simply said that, Now the people of Karabakh do not listen to me, what should I do? Go and convince [them]! And it was not a theater, it was a natural situation, he could not say anything. You dismiss anyone you want in Karabakh, you appoint whoever you want. You cannot say that the people of Karabakh do not accept this or that approach.

Now bringing the status of a subordinate from the status of a partner causes serious damage to the whole process and, by the way, to the security of Karabakh. I generalize a little, but I also do not forget the specific matter. Yes, there have been contradictions. [But] it didnt happen that I did not communicate with [Artsakh ex-President] Arkadi Ghukasyan for months, but Arkadi Ghukasyan persistently defended, and in general, Karabakh should be much more radical in the negotiation process than Armenia. There were things I did not like, but deep down I was convinced he was doing the right thing, and I was glad he was doing the right thing. At that moment you may not like it a little, but the next day you say, He is doing the right thing. Associating is the most dangerous thing," Kocharyan added.
The Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ) is honoured to announce a media cohort partnership with the goal of amplifying real-time election field reports from the observers deployed by the PTCIJ for the Edo and Ondo States elections.

In a statement in Abuja, Friday September 18, PTCIJs Programme Manager for Advocacy and Accountability, Mboho Eno, said the partnership is designed to help deepen democratic engagement and strengthen institutions through civic and media strategies during the electoral cycle.

Mr Eno said the partnership is a loose coalition that includes the Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism (PTCIJ), the Premium Times newsroom, The Cable, Daily Trust, and the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR).

It is basically a resource sharing initiative to help deepen the nations democratic gains through ensuring the accountability of the electoral process, remarked Mr Eno, who added that the partnership is at no cost to the media houses, rather, we are drawn by a high sense of our constitutional responsibility to help extend each others news coverage resources through collaborative reporting that deepens citizens capacity to make informed electoral choices.

Mr Eno said the idea of a media coalition for election reporting is strongly located in the vision of the Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria of the European Union, (EU-SDGN), that the PTCIJ is implementing with the aim to contribute to the reinforcement of Democracy in Nigeria.

PTCIJs Programme Director, Tosin Alagbe, stressed the importance of collaboration in the media, particularly around what she called high value issues like elections, adding that when we collaborate meaningfully like this we can aid promoting transparency and accountability around elections in Nigeria, which are the sure paths to democratic consolidation.

Ms Alagbe thanked the European Union for the EU-SDGN programme and called on all partners, agents and citizens alike to join in the movement to lead the countrys democracy to greater heights.

SIGNED
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  More good news: A total of 16 local restaurants will participate in a Dine Out for Sunrise fundraiser to benefit the Lucille & Jay Chazanoff Sunrise Day Camp-Staten Island from Thursday, Sept. 24 through Sunday, Sept. 27.

Its a free camp for children with cancer and their siblings.

Patrons who dine at participating restaurants during that time period can add on a donation for Sunrise to their bill.

The restaurants that will participate are Brioso, Casa Belvedere, Italianissimo, Jimmy Max Restaurant, Joyces Tavern, La Fontana, Marina Cafe, ONeills Irish Pub, Reggianos (both locations), The Richmond, The Stone House, Sofias Taqueria, Violettes Cellar, Ws Bar and Grill, and the West Shore Inn. Dine Out For Sunrise is sponsored by A-List Janitorial Supplies.

The event is part of the Sunshine Sunday Series, a four-month long fundraising series that will take the place of the Sunshine Sunday event that is traditionally held in-person each January.

Other virtual events in the series include a fall-themed kids party, a Thanksgiving cooking class, and a holiday-themed mixology class and happy hour. The events will culminate with a journal, called the Sunshine Pages, which will allow businesses to highlight their community work, new initiatives launched during the pandemic, and their involvement with Sunrise.

This is a wonderful way to support our local restaurants, which are so important to our community, and Sunrise Day Camp at the same time, said Orit Lender, CEO of the Joan & Alan Bernikow Jewish Community Center of Staten Island. We hope you will enjoy a delicious meal and add on a donation to help give summer back to children with cancer and their siblings.

Jessica Caracciolo, event co-chair, noted, I am so excited to kick off the Sunshine Sunday Series with our September Dine Out! I think our committee did an amazing job pivoting our fundraising efforts to meet the current restrictions in place. I cant wait for the rest of the series and, as always, am so thankful to be a small part of the fundraising efforts for Sunrise Day Camp.

The Lucille & Jay Chazanoff Sunrise Day Camp-Staten Island recently celebrated its fifth year, concluding its virtual camp season in August.

MORE HELP FOR THE FAMILIES

Recognizing the extraordinary financial demands that a childs chronic illness can have on a family, Sunrise Day Camp and its year-round and in-hospital programs are offered completely free of charge to all children being treated for cancer and their siblings, on a non-sectarian basis.

A member of the Sunrise Association, Sunrise Day Camp-Staten Island is one of several camps in a growing network dedicated to providing safe, fun summer camp experiences for children with cancer and their siblings.

The Lucille & Jay Chazanoff Sunrise Day Camp-Staten Island is the only day camp for children with cancer in New York City and serves families from Staten Island, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and New Jersey. The JCC raises funds for the camp through donations and community events, including the annual SunriseWALKS.

For further information on the Sunshine Sunday Series or to donate to the fundraiser, visit https://app.mobilecause.com/e/EyBn6A?vid=b3mv4
Michael Caputo. Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

The Department of Health and Human Services has announced that Michael Caputo, its head of communications, will take a 60-day leave of absence to focus on his health and the well-being of his family, days after posting a dark, conspiracy-laden video on Facebook in which he accused CDC scientists of plotting to undermine President Trump. Dr. Paul Alexander, a Caputo ally who had tried to control Anthony Faucis public statements and meddle with key CDC data, is departing the agency altogether, HHS announced.

On Tuesday, Caputo called an emergency staff meeting to apologize for his behavior. According to five people with knowledge of the meeting who spoke with Politico, he suggested that he might soon be leaving his role at HHS and blamed the outburst on his physical-health issues and the stress of fielding the aforementioned threats of violence against his family. Politico also reports that Caputo acknowledged that he had never read one of the CDCs Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports, despite his teams ongoing efforts to try to edit those documents. He ended the meeting by encouraging his staff to listen to the Grateful Dead.

Caputo had spent the weekend defending his efforts to alter the CDCs weekly COVID-19 reports in order to protect the president politically  a defense that included baselessly claiming that scientists at the agency were deep-state agitators bent on taking down the president. The meddling and Caputos attacks prompted widespread outrage from infectious-disease and public-health experts. Then, on Sunday, according to the New York Times, Caputos paranoid allegations went even further off the deep end.

In a video he posted to his personal Facebook page, Caputo decried the negative attention he was receiving; insisted, I am not going anywhere; and claimed that scientists deep in the bowels of the CDC have given up science and become political animals who havent gotten out of their sweatpants except for meetings at coffee shops to plot how theyre going to attack Donald Trump. The Times reports that Caputo said the agency was riddled with anti-Trump researchers who walk around like they are monks and holy men but engage in rotten science.

The political operative, who has no background in health care or science, accused the CDC scientists of sedition and made the outrageous allegation  again without any evidence, because there isnt any  that the scientists were deliberately acting against the countrys public health as a resistance unit within the agency.

There are scientists who work for this government who do not want America to get well, not until after Joe Biden is president, Caputo reportedly warned, adding that, to allow people to die so that you can replace the president is a grievous venial sin, venial sin. And these people are all going to hell.

Furthermore, Caputo predicted an armed insurrection against President Trump, suggesting he himself might become a target and casualty. You understand that theyre going to have to kill me, and unfortunately, I think thats where this is going, the 58-year-old told his Facebook followers, also noting that his mental health has definitely failed:

I dont like being alone in Washington, he said, describing shadows on the ceiling in my apartment, there alone, shadows are so long. He then built a crescendo of conspiracy theories, culminating in a prediction that Mr. Trump will win re-election but his Democratic opponent, Joseph R. Biden Jr., will refuse to concede.

And when Donald Trump refuses to stand down at the inauguration, the shooting will begin, he said. The drills that youve seen are nothing. He added: If you carry guns, buy ammunition, ladies and gentlemen, because its going to be hard to get.

Caputo also endorsed the baseless conspiracy theory that left-wing groups like antifa were already plotting a revolt and targeting Trump supporters, citing the recent shooting of a far-right activist and Trump supporter by an antifa supporter at a rally in Portland, Oregon:

Remember the Trump supporter who was shot and killed? he said. That was a drill.

The man suspected of the shooting, Michael Forest Reinoehl, was later shot dead by officers from a federally led fugitive task force in Washington State. He went down fighting, Mr. Caputo said. Why? Because he couldnt say what he had inside him. He then spoke of squads being trained all over this country  a conspiracy theory unsupported by evidence.

In response to the story about Caputos comments, HHS sent a statement to the Times insisting that Mr. Caputo is a critical, integral part of the presidents coronavirus response, leading on public messaging as Americans need public health information to defeat the Covid-19 pandemic. In his own response, Caputo claimed that since joining the administration my family and I have been continually threatened by people who have later been prosecuted. This weighs heavily on us, and we deeply appreciate the friendship and support of President Trump as we address these matters and keep our children safe.

Speaking later with the Washington Post, Caputo claimed his daughters had been harassed and that he had been confronted by a stranger on Sunday:

He said he spoke about being in personal danger on the Facebook Live video because a car had stopped in front of his Buffalo-area home, where he was shooting the video, and a man rolled the car window down and twice yelled profanities and threatened his life. Since Caputo has been in the HHS job, he said, his two young daughters, now 6 and 8, have been harassed constantly. One man is being prosecuted for yelling profanities at them when they were playing outside, he said. The Post could not immediately confirm that case.

The embattled Trump aide also appears to have taken down his Twitter account. Meanwhile, per the Post, White House officials are now speaking up, anonymously, about Caputo, his job security, and the circumstances of his appointment to HHS:

Trump installed Caputo in April after weighing whether to fire Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar over a series of damaging stories about Trumps handling of the pandemic, according to three current and former White House officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe behind-the-scenes discussions. Allies persuaded Trump to not make such a change amid a pandemic, but instead to bring in Caputo, the officials said. 

Caputo is viewed as a Trump loyalist, but several White House officials said his behavior has been erratic and some of his ideas have been regarded as extreme. For example, he proposed the federal government spend millions of dollars on a professionally directed and produced documentary about the administrations race to develop vaccines that he wanted to air at film festivals, said a senior administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The idea was rejected by White House communications aides.

That erratic behavior is now becoming very public  and a potential liability. According to a White House official who spoke with the Post, there was talk in the administration of demoting or removing Caputo because of concern that he could damage the administrations efforts to build public confidence in a prospective coronavirus vaccine. The official added that the White House has recently bulked up its vaccine messaging team, and encouraged them to make an end run around Caputo. Unfortunately, the White House apparently didnt see the need to empower CDC scientists to do the same.

This post has been updated to include additional reporting.
Thousands of people in northwest China have been diagnosed with a highly-infectious bacterial disease after an outbreak caused by a leak at a pharmaceutical company.

Authorities in the city of Lanzhou confirmed that 3,245 people had tested positive for brucellosis  a zoonotic disease usually caused by contact with farm animals such as cows, goats and pigs.

The contagious illness can cause symptoms including loss of appetite, headaches, muscle pain, fever and tiredness.

The National Health Commission of Lanzhou, in Gansu province, said they had tested 21,847 people so far and had found no deaths from the illness.

The commission said the outbreak had been caused by contaminated exhaust from a factory in Lanzhou producing vaccines for animals.

From late July to late August in 2019, waste gas containing the brucella bacteria seeped out into the air. The Zhongmu Lanzhou factory was found to have used expired disinfectants, so not all of the bacteria were eradicated in the waste gas.

The citys health authority expects to confirm more positive cases in the coming days. Another 1,401 people in Lanzhou have tested as preliminarily positive for brucellosis, according to CNN.

In December last year the Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported that 181 people working at a veterinary research facility near the factory had contacted the disease  but the full scale of the outbreak was not reported until now.

The commission said public hospitals would offer free and check-ups for all of the infected patients.

Scientists work on Covid-19 vaccine at Sinovac Biotech facilities in Beijing (AFP/Getty)

It comes as scientists in China continue work on a vaccine for the coronavirus, which originated in the Chinese province of Wuhan.

China launched a vaccine emergency use programme in July, offering three experimental shots developed by a unit of state pharmaceutical giant China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm) and Sinovac Biotech.

Chinas national health authority reported 32 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday, up sharply from nine cases reported a day earlier.

The total number of coronavirus cases for the country now stands at just over 85,000, while the death toll remained unchanged at 4,634.
The Bombay City Civil Court has passed an interim order against unknown persons, restraining them from posting and reposting social media messages asserting that the online game FAU-G was the brainchild of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

The court, in its order passed on Thursday, September 17 said that the "miscreants/anti-social elements" disseminating "false and defamatory tweets, videos, and messages" on several social media platforms will be prosecuted "in furtherance of the criminal complaint already filed before the law enforcement authorities."

The restraining order was passed by the court after it was approached by private companies GOQii Technologies Private Limited and Sudio nCore Private Limited.

Also Read: FAU-G is the next PUBG! Akshay Kumar unveils 'Made in India' online game

The firms had claimed that they and others associated with them, including ambassador actor Akshay Kumar, were being "caused great hardship" by the alleged libelous messages, videos, etc being circulated on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Google, and YouTube.

The companies also issued a press statement stating that if any "miscreant or anti-social element disseminates any false tweets, videos, and/or messages on any social media platforms" against them or those associated with them shall be liable for contempt of court.

The legal counsel of the two companies furnished several screenshots before the court showing the alleged defamatory messages posted on these platforms.

Also Read: Akshay Kumar's FAU-G launch floods social media with Babu-G to Fauji memes

The firms maintained that the rumours were false and baseless and also submitted several complaints filed with several police stations in Mumbai.

In the past few days, social media was abuzz with how the FAU-G game, announced by Akshay Kumar following the PUBG ban in India, was allegedly Sushant Singh Rajput's idea. Kumar is GOQii's brand ambassador and has been endorsing their smart health products.
The tagline from today's announcement from the United States Attorney's office for the Southern District of New York says it all: "Adam Rogas Allegedly Raised $123 Million from Investors Using Financial Statements that Showed Tens of Millions of Dollars of Revenue and Assets that Did Not Exist."

Rogas, the co-founder and former chief executive and chief financial officer and board member of the Las Vegas-based fraud prevention company, NS8, was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and in Manhattan court earlier today charged with securities fraud, fraud in the offer of sale of securities and wire fraud.

Last week, the company laid off hundreds of staff as reports of an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission surfaced, according to a report in Forbes.

This is a rapidly evolving situation, Lightspeed Ventures told Forbes in a statement. We are shocked by the news and have taken steps to inform our LPs. It would be premature to comment further at this time." Lightspeed Ventures helped lead NS8's $123 million Series A this June. Other investors include Edison Partners, Lytical Ventures, Sorenson Ventures, Arbor Ventures, Hillcrest Venture Partners, Blu Venture Investors and Bloomberg Beta, per Crunchbase data.

The allegations are, indeed, shocking.

As alleged, Adam Rogas was the proverbial fox guarding the henhouse," said Audrey Strauss, the acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, in a statement. "While raising over $100 million from investors for his fraud prevention company, Rogas himself allegedly was engaging in a brazen fraud. Todays arrest of Rogas ensures that he will be held accountable for his alleged scheme.

Allegedly, while Rogas was in control of the bank accounts and spreadsheets that detailed its transactions with customers, he cooked the books to show millions in transactions that did not exist.

From January 2019 through February 2020, the FBI alleges that somewhere between 40% and 95% of the purported total assets on NS8's balance sheet were fictitious, according to the statement. Over the same period Rogas altered bank statements to reflect $40 million in revenue that simply was not there, according to the Justice Department's allegations.

Story continues

On the back of that fake financial data, NS8 was able to raise more than $120 million from some top-tier investment firms, including Lightspeed Venture Partners and AXA Ventures.

Rogas managed to hoodwink not just the investment firms, but the auditors who were conducting due diligence on their behalf. After the round was completed, NS8 did a secondary offering, which let Rogas cash out of $17.5 million through personal sales and through a company he controlled, according to the statement from the DOJ.

It seems ironic that the co-founder of a company designed to prevent online fraud would engage in fraudulent activity himself, but today thats exactly what we allege Adam Rogas did. Rogas allegedly raised millions of dollars from investors based on fictitious financial affirmations, and in the end, walked away with nearly $17.5 million worth of that money," said FBI Assistant Director William F. Sweeney Jr. "Within our complex financial crimes branch, securities fraud cases remain among our top priorities. Weve seen far too many examples of unscrupulous actors engaging in this type of criminal activity, and we continue to work diligently to weed out this behavior whenever and wherever we find it.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued several rulings yesterday that could make it easier for people to vote by mail, and could allow for thousands more ballots to be counted. In Philadelphia, City Council approved two police reform measures, including a ban on choke holds.

And the Emmys are on this weekend, and a Bucks County director hopes to be accepting an award from his home.

 Lauren Aguirre (@laurencaguirre, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

Less than seven weeks from Election Day in November, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued several rulings that could make it easier to vote by mail  including extending the deadline for returning mail ballots. Now, ballots will be counted if they are received on the Friday after Election Day. Also, the court ruled voters can return ballots to drop-off boxes, too. These changes will likely allow tens of thousands more mail ballots to be counted.

Extending the deadline for the return of mail ballots has the potential to create a historic cliffhanger for the election as the nation waits for Pennsylvanias results days after Election Day.

City Council approved two police reform measures yesterday. One would ban choke holds or kneeling on a persons neck and the other would require public hearings on police union contract proposals. Both bills were introduced in June during protests against police brutality after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Mayor Jim Kenneys administration has voiced support for the bill requiring public hearings on contract proposals. City officials have often cited the contract process with the police union as a roadblock to substantial change.

Its been about six months since the coronavirus pandemic fully hit the Philly area. For most of this year, weve been riding a roller coaster no one wanted to get on. The isolation and uncertainty have led to even time itself seeming to warp.

Now, you can see our timeline of the pandemics effect on Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Looking back can maybe offer some clues about what weve learned and how to respond as we go forward.

What you need to know today

Through your eyes | #OurPhilly

This shot is so striking. Great skyline pic. Thanks for sharing, @scapesbybimal!

Tag your Instagram posts or tweets with #OurPhilly and well pick our favorite each day to feature in this newsletter and give you a shout out!

Thats interesting

Opinions

I dont celebrate everything out of a need to always have something good happening; I celebrate everything because sometimes good things are happening, and its worth taking a moment to feel it.  writes Caitlin Brown, a mother and communications director at Community Legal Services of Philadelphia, on why she aggressively celebrates everything during this time of unrelenting doom.

Hilcos refinery plan will help Philly and its schools, writes Paul Badger, president and CEO of the Badger Group, a real estate firm specializing in development, investments, and sales.

Even if Joe Biden wins, Trump and Mitch McConnells judges could block U.S. progress for decades, writes national columnist Will Bunch.

What were reading

Your Daily Dose of | The Upside

Jasmine Mays, a senior at Villanova University, was concerned about students' safety on campus during the pandemic. So, she created what she calls a preservation pantry to help. Its a free resource of cleaning and other health preservation and feel-better products for any student who needs them. I love helping people, she said. I always want to do stuff to help people.
In June, the Minneapolis City Council proudly announced that it would be defunding and dismantling its police department as an unseemly institution of racism and white privilege. By July, the Minneapolis City Council began to approve substantial cuts to the police. By August, nearly 20% of Minneapolis police were in the process of retiring, and those who remain are tentative about policing. Crime in Minneapolis has skyrocketed. And just this week, two events occurred, one hilarious and one tragic.

The hilarious thing is that the same town council that proudly announced that it would abandon all societal norms and end policing in its community complained vigorously that the police were not doing their job by controlling crime. The tragic thing was a high school principal who, upon the occasion of a student's murder, gave an impassioned plea for a return to normalcy, something that would include a functioning police force and open schools.

The City Council got together on Tuesday, September 16 to discuss city business. The business that most occupied them was rising crime  especially murder in their respective districts:

Three months after voting to dismantle the Minneapolis police department, city council members there spent much of a business meeting on Tuesday complaining about an uptick in violent crime across the city. Several city council members told police chief Medaria Arradondo at the meeting that their constituents were concerned about increased criminal activity. City council members Lisa Bender, Steve Fletcher and Andrew Johnson led off the two-hour meeting with questions about the crime wave. All three of the council members voted on June 12 to abolish the police department in the wake of the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly 9 minutes. The trio also took part in a protest on June 7 in which they took a pledge to dismantle the police department. [snip] Fletcher told Arradondo during the city council meeting Tuesday that constituents told him that rank-and-file police officers were "not doing anything to prevent robberies" in a neighborhood called Marcy Holmes. He also decried "a significant increase in extremely dangerous and reckless driving." "I'd love to know a little more about what the robbery suppression work is and what are we doing what's been sort of a pattern in Marcy over the past six weeks?" Fletcher asked Arradondo.

The great thing about being a leftist is that you never have to say you're sorry. Because your plans are always aimed at creating a socialist utopia, you cannot be wrong. If reality deviates from that perfection, it must be someone else's fault.

However, much as one would like to laugh, the Democrats' embrace of manifestly insane policies has genuine consequences. The following video from a high school principal who cannot understand how quickly the world could spin out of control is heartbreaking.

Must watch: Powerful stuff from a Minneapolis public high school principal who is at the end of her rope. cc: @JoeBiden @realDonaldTrump https://t.co/Z5eJCNUVKD  Tom Bevan (@TomBevanRCP) September 17, 2020

I have tremendous pity for that principal and the other principals assembled near her, all trying to figure out what went wrong. Still, I'm willing to bet that, right up until a few weeks ago, most of the principals assembled at that street corner to mourn a student's death were proud of their progressive support for BLM and its policies.

Many of them probably have virtue-signaling lawn signs right now. And most of them would rather set their own hair on fire than vote for Donald Trump and Republican Senators and representatives. I long to say to them, "A man reaps what he sows."

Minneapolis has been a true Blue city for decades. When the city's residents were allying practical Midwestern values with old-fashioned Democrat policies, it worked.

However, when the city's citizens embraced Marxism, they stepped onto that famous slippery slope. They can probably claw their way back, but that principal's bewilderment shows that they still have no idea which way is up.

My advice to them, although they won't want to hear it, is to vote Republican all the way. After all, that would be a change from a disastrous status quo and, in America's two-party system, there's no way it can be worse than what Minneapolis's residents have already done to themselves.

Image: Minneapolis high school principal (YouTube screen grab, augmented in Pixlr).
Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site.

When the COVID-19 pandemic first took hold in the U.S. last spring, many Americans skipped medical appointments or found those appointments canceled as doctors put nonurgent care on hold.

For kids, who often need to be seen more frequently than adults, especially at young ages, the impact was significant. In certain cases, experts say, if childrens care, screenings, and vaccinations are put off for too long, the negative effects could reverberate for years.

We saw a decline from maybe seeing 20 patients a day to seeing four or five, says Heather Felton, a pediatrician and an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Louisville in Kentucky. And while patients have now started to return, theyre still coming in significantly less frequently than they did before the pandemic started.

Data from visits around the country matches Feltons account from Louisville, with worrying consequences. CR spoke with pediatric and public health experts to find out how important these visits are, and how parents should prioritize getting back on track with care for their kids.

What Was Missed

Vaccinations: From mid-March to mid-April, childhood vaccination rates plummeted, according to a CDC report. Doctors ordered 2.5 million fewer doses of routine vaccines through the federal program that provides approximately half of routine childhood vaccines, according to that report.

By the end of June, vaccination rates were rebounding in places like New York City but remained 35 percent lower than theyd been at that time the year before, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Thats what most pediatricians are concerned about, Felton says.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic began, there had been a rise in measles cases, she says. With a disease as contagious as measles, an extremely high percentage of the population needs to be vaccinated to prevent outbreaks.

Story continues

With many kids returning to school, pediatricians worry that outbreaks of preventable diseases such as measles could emerge alongside the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Routine screenings: Especially in the first few years of a childs life, doctors regularly check to ensure that children are growing as expected. They also test their hearing and vision, and screen for childhood cancers, autism, exposure to lead, and developmental delays that may affect speech and learning.

In many of these cases, the earlier you initiate therapy, the better the outcome is, Felton says.

The earlier that lead exposure is discovered, for example, the earlier health officials can work to identify where its coming from, remedy the source, and start to provide education support and services that can mitigate the harm, says Daniel Madrigal, a health educator with Tracking California, a program of the Public Health Institute.

Lead exposure is irreversible, says Madrigal, who co-authored a 2017 report that estimated that existing lead screening protocols from 1999 to 2010 probably missed about half of the kids between birth and age 5 with elevated levels of lead in their bodies. With children missing visits because the pandemic, and an overwhelmed public health infrastructure trying to cope with COVID-19, its likely that an increased number of cases could go undiagnosed, he says.

Dental care: Visits to pediatric dentists also significantly dropped off, especially in places that put nonurgent, scheduled procedures on hold for months, says Amr Moursi, DDS, PhD, a professor and chair of the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at New York Universitys College of Dentistry and the vice president of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD).

And while some people may view a cavity in a childs tooth as something that can be put off for a whileespecially because kids cavities arent always painfulthis can cause serious complications, according to Moursi.

A cavity can be the beginning of a downward cycle of complication, he says. As the bacteria from that cavity work their way into the tooth pulp and root, that can affect the future development of adult teeth. An untreated cavity can also potentially cause an abscess, which in some rare cases can spread and cause severe infections.

Getting Back on Track

If it has been months since your kids saw their pediatrician and they are overdue, give the office a call to see exactly what sort of appointment they need.

You should also ask about the safety protocols your pediatrician has put in place to protect kids, parents, and staff. Pediatric offices may have changed the ways they operate, Felton says, doing well visits in the morning and sick visits in the afternoon, for example.

At a minimum, offices should ensure that masks are worn and that capacity is limited enough to allow for social distancing. Some have gone further, by improving ventilation, upgrading cleaning practices, and more.

If youve missed a couple of appointments with a younger kid, you may have to catch up on vaccinations by getting a few at the same time. This is safe, according to Felton.

Get everything while you are here, so you dont have to come back, she says. During the same appointment, pediatricians can also perform important tests or screenings that your child has missed.

At these appointments, your doctor may also check to see if theres any chance your child is dealing with aftereffects of a COVID-19 infection, such a heart murmur, according to Felton. Even an asymptomatic infection may leave lasting effects, which is another important reason to get your kids checked out.

Schedule a dental appointment if your kids are overdue, or if there is a dental problem youve been ignoring. Pediatricians advise having kids see a dentist every six months.

Its especially important to get in for a visit if your child has never seen a dentist, which is recommended before they turn 1, Moursi says. Its also especially important when kids are between 3 and 4, and could have cavities that need to be addressed; and when they are around age 7, when adult teeth start to come in.

If youre having trouble finding a pediatric dentist, he recommends checking out the AAPD website.

If theres still widespread COVID-19 in your area, talk to your doctor about whether an in-person visit is needed and how to handle it, especially if anyone in your home is at high risk for severe complications from the coronavirus, Felton says.

And this year in particular, with the coronavirus still very much a threat, make sure to have your kids get a flu shot. Its worth doing so as soon as you can because it can take a couple of weeks after the shot for immunity to build up.

You want to get it before youre exposed, Felton says.
A forgotten studio recording of the late jazz trumpeter Woody Shaw has been released as part of an effort to preserve jazz history.

49th Parallel, a 1987 recording led by Canadian bassist Neil Swainson that features Shaw and tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, was made available this month by Vancouver, Canada-based Cellar Music Groups imprint Reel to Real and New York distributor la reserve records.

The album has been out-of-print for 25 years and is now available on digital platforms.

Swainson said it was an honor to see his project recorded in Toronto make it into the hands of jazz fans after the recordings languished for years. He said his friend Shaw, who had a public struggle with heroin addiction, had left a rehab center in California and came to Toronto for the recording.

He looked healthy. He looked great and he was ready to play, Swainson said.

Shaw was nearly blind from retinitis pigmentosa during the recording and played by ear and memory. He couldn't read nor write at the time, Swainson, 64, said. He has a great recall, though.

The seven-song album took only two days to record, Swainson said.

After the recording, Henderson saw a big career resurgence stemming from a series of Grammy-winning albums for the Verve label in the early 1990s. He died in 2001.

Shaw died two years after 49th Parallel was recorded. He was 44.

Born in Laurinburg, North Carolina, in 1944, and raised in Newark, New Jersey, Shaw was one of jazz music's most influential trumpeters thanks to his technical and harmonic conventions. He played with the Horace Silver Quintet and worked frequently with drummer Art Blakey before launching into his own solo career.

Shaw joined the 49th Parallel project late in his career but Swainson said he was still at the height of his game. It was a pretty exciting session, Swainson said. I'm glad people get to hear it again.

___

Russell Contreras is a member of The Associated Press Race and Ethnicity Team. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/russcontreras
By Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Judicial First Class Magistrate court in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday issued an ultimatum to the IAS officer Sriram Venkataraman to appear before it on October 12 in connection with the accidental death of journalist K M Basheer.

The court issued the final warning as Sriram failed to appear before the court three times after he was named as the first accused in the case relating to the death of the journalist on August 3, 2019 in Thiruvananthapuram.

Meanwhile, the second accused, Wafa Firoz, who was present with him during the incident, was granted bail by the court after depositing a surety bond of Rs 50,000.

Earlier, the court had served notice to Sriram and Wafa to appear before it on Friday. However, only Wafa had appeared. Sriram had earlier given various reasons not to appear in court. The charge sheet of the case was submitted by the investigation team in the court on February 3, 2020. Following this, copies of the chargesheet were given to the lawyers of both the accused on February 24.

The accused were asked to appear in the court invoking Section 209 of CrPC. On the basis of the chargesheet, the court had earlier observed that Section 304 (II) (Culpable homicide) is chargeable against Sriram. Since the case will be transferred to the sessions court soon, the judicial first class magistrate needs to complete the proceedings including the renewal of bail bonds. For this purpose, the accused need to appear in the court.

As per the findings in the charge sheet submitted by the crime branch, Sriram deliberately tried to destroy evidence in the case against him. The chargesheet said he was overspeeding - at a speed of over 100 kilometres per hour - while hitting the motorcycle which claimed the life of KM Basheer, the unit chief of the daily Siraj.

As per the statement of a nurse who was on duty at the general hospital, Sriram refused to give blood samples when he was taken to the hospital for medical examination. This indicated that Sriram was intentionally delaying the proceedings to dilute the presence of alcohol in his blood. He had also requested the authorities of the general hospital to refer him to a private hospital, the charge sheet said.

The charge sheet had also pointed out that Sriram had dragged Basheer around 24.5 metres after hitting him with the vehicle. Scientific evidence proved that the car was driven by Sriram. Details from over a hundred witnesses were recorded and 84 pieces of material evidence were cited. Wafa is accused of allowing Sriram to drive the car despite knowing that he was drunk. She has been charged with abetment of the crime.
During a meeting devoted to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and posted on the official YouTube channel of second President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan, Kocharyan said the following:

Yes, the Madrid Principles are the only international document that clearly states the right of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh to self-determination. It was extremely important for Armenians because it was the principle that underlies the existence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic or the Republic of Artsakh. Overall, I dont understand why the authorities of Armenia are afraid of the word self-determination like they are afraid of the coronavirus. The declaration of independence of Nagorno-Karabakh is based on the right of self-determination.

Whenever the negotiations would enter into a deadlock, I would always offer the representative of Azerbaijan and the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to look at the issue from the legal perspective, but they would always tell me that the issue needs to be solved at the political level. They didnt want a solution at the legal level because there wouldnt be anything to negotiate anymore. It was simply necessary to assess whether the declaration of independence was lawful or not. There should have been legal diplomats, not diplomats. Azerbaijan was the first that didnt want to solve the issue at the legal level.

The declaration of independence is not about security, but the legal foundations for the establishment of the state. Destroying those foundations will weaken Armenias positions in the negotiations, he said.
Facebook has said it is updating workplace policy to prevent clashes over politics, racial justice or the pandemic on its internal employee message board.

Chief executive Mark Zuckerberg discussed the move during a question-and-answer session with employees.

'What we've heard from our employees is that they want the option to join debates on social and political issues rather than see them unexpectedly in their work feed,' Facebook spokesman Joe Osborne said in response to an AFP inquiry on Thursday.

'We're updating our employee policies and work tools to ensure our culture remains respectful and inclusive.'

Chief executive Mark Zuckerberg discussed the move during a question-and-answer session with employees. Above, Mark Zuckerberg pictured in a 2019 file image

Facebook is strengthening its harassment policy so that employees from under-represented communities don't face hostile work environments, according to Osborne.

The Silicon Valley-based internet titan said will also make it clearer which parts of its Workplace internal message board is for discussing contentious political or social issues, and carefully moderate those conversations.

Facebook's role in the spread of misinformation, hate, or rhetoric has made those workplace topics as well as issues that employees may have strong personal opinions about.

The tech giant is exploring ways to promote civil, open debates focused on work, with all involved remaining professional, according to Osborne.

Details of how Facebook intends to achieve that goal were still being worked out, he said.

Facebook has said it is updating workplace policy to prevent clashes over politics, racial justice or the pandemic on its internal employee message board. Above, the thumbs up Like logo is seen at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, California

Facebook's move came on the heels of a CNBC report that Google is calling on workers to more judiciously manage internal message board conversations due to complaints about heated, abusive posts.

A shift to remote work at tech firms has ramped up use of internal message boards for worker collaboration and conversation.

A year ago Google updated workplace guidelines for 'Googlers,' calling on them to be responsible, helpful, and thoughtful during exchanges on internal message boards or other conversation forums.

'While sharing information and ideas with colleagues helps build community, disrupting the workday to have a raging debate over politics or the latest news story does not,' the updated guidelines stated.

'Our primary responsibility is to do the work we've each been hired to do, not to spend working time on debates about non-work topics.'

Managers or those moderating forums were directed to intervene if the policy is violated, revoking comments, ending discussions, or even taking disciplinary action.

The Alphabet-owned internet giant is expanding that moderation scheme to involve more internal discussion groups, according to CNBC.
Carrie is well known within the financial and financial technology communities for her strategic capabilities, deep market knowledge and experience in leading digital transformation. With a passion for education and conviction that savings empower individuals to live their lives fully and overcome barriers, Carrie is highly aligned with Knowledge First Financial's vision. Donald Hunter, Chair of the Board of Directors, said, "I am energized by Carrie's demonstrated enthusiasm for building the businesses she has led, and for her commitment to teams and customers. She is a strong, authentic leader committed to making a difference through purpose."

"I am delighted to join Knowledge First Financial, an organization that has the capabilities to make a significant impact through education and savings," said Russell. "In this next chapter, the key to demonstrating our commitment to these vitally important areas is pivoting all technology, product and service decisions around consumer needs and expectations."

George Hopkinson, who served as President and CEO, Knowledge First Financial is retiring after leading the company through exponential growth over the last eleven years. Hunter said, "On behalf of the Board of Directors, I thank George for his untiring commitment and many contributions to the business. Under his leadership, Knowledge First Financial became the largest RESP Company in Canada with a best-in-class product offering; he leaves us well-positioned for the future."

Carrie is currently an independent director for several Canadian financial technology companies. She has held executive leadership roles at D+H, TD Bank Group and, most recently, Equifax Canada. Her appointment as President and CEO of Knowledge First Financial Inc., Knowledge First Foundation and its subsidiary Heritage Educational Foundation is effective September 8, 2020.

About Knowledge First Financial

Canadian families have relied on education savings plans offered by Knowledge First Financial for more than 50 years. Since 1965, payments from our Plans have reached $8.2 billion and today the company manages $6.8 billion in assets (unaudited as of August 31, 2020) for more than 680,000 beneficiaries.

Knowledge First Financial Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Knowledge First Foundation and is the investment fund manager, administrator, and distributor of Registered Education Savings Plans. Knowledge First Foundation is a not-for-profit Canadian corporation. The Foundation reinvests excess revenues in initiatives that support student success. Over the last 15 years, Knowledge First Foundation has supplemented Education Assistance Payments to students by over $54 million and awarded $1.6 million in graduate scholarships.

SOURCE Knowledge First Financial Inc.

For further information: Jo-Anne Wong, Manager, Communications and Public Relations, Knowledge First Financial Inc., 416-277-5992, [email protected]

Related Links

https://knowledgefirstfinancial.ca


Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-19 04:47:45|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations and partners on Friday issued a report card on aid following the Beirut blasts and said the focus is changing to medium-term interventions heading to longer-term recovery and reconstruction.

More than 1,000 households have been helped with multi-purpose cash-based assistance across affected neighborhoods in Beirut, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Close to 200 micro, small and medium enterprises have also been supported with rehabilitation works.

Shelter partners have distributed 7,500 weatherproofing kits for more than 25,000 people. The emergency measures will help ensure adequate shelter until repairs and reconstruction are completed.

Protection partners have supplied various psychosocial support services to more than 2,200 people and more than 1,300 women and girls have received sexual reproductive health and gender-based violence support services, OCHA said.

Water supply connections have been restored to more than 3,000 buildings, reaching more than 15,000 people. Rehabilitation activities continue across Beirut, with plans to install more than 2,500 water tanks and 80 new pumps to help meet basic water and sanitation needs.

A Multi-Sector Needs Assessment is developing a comprehensive understanding of needs for humanitarian activities and eventual recovery and reconstruction efforts, OCHA said. As of Tuesday, 19,000 households in affected areas have been assessed, with a total of 35,000 households expected by the end of October.

So far, the UN-coordinated response to the Aug. 4 explosions seeking 344.5 million U.S. dollars for immediate life-saving needs for three months is less than 18 percent funded.

Support is needed to scale up emergency relief efforts for the most vulnerable and to prevent the situation from worsening, OCHA said. Lebanon requires substantial and long-term assistance to support economic reform, recovery and reconstruction. Enditem
The pages of the Machzor Roma on display at the National Library of Israel.

(My Jewish Learning via JTA) - The High Holidays prayer book, or machzor, emphasizes the themes of the Days of Awe - introspection and repentance.

Rosh Hashanah as the opening day of a court trial

"The great shofar is sounded. A still small voice is heard. This day, even the angels are alarmed, seized with fear and trembling as they declare: 'The day of judgment is here!'"

In a loud and trumpeting voice, the cantor describes the shofar's blast, then softly and gently describes a "still, small voice." This poignant line from the musaf ("additional") service sets a tone for the High Holidays....
The U.S. government will ban the download of TikTok and WeChat in the country starting this Sunday (September 20). An order will be passed by the U.S. Department of Commerce on Friday.

The report claims that President Donald Trump could still revoke the ban on WeChat and TikTok in the U.S. before it comes into effect provided TikToks parent company is able to finalise a deal that pleases the U.S. government.

TikToks owner ByteDance has been in talks with a number of American companies to enter into an agreement that would please the U.S. government. Microsoft had expressed its interest in acquiring TikToks U.S. operations, though it was Oracle that later emerged as the top bidder. For its part, ByteDance has made it clear that it will not be sharing TikToks source code or algorithm with any U.S. company. It will reportedly enter into a partnership with Oracle which will be its trusted tech partner instead of selling its U.S. operations to them.

The Commerce Department order will deplatform the two apps in the United States and bar Apple Incs app store, Alphabet Incs Google Play and others from offering the apps on any platform that can be reached from within the United States, a senior Commerce official told Reuters.

The order will only affect American customers as companies will still be able to continue to use WeChat for business purposes. It will also not bar U.S. companies from doing transactions with Tencent Holding, the owner of WeChat.

In August, the Trump administration had passed an executive order that said if TikTok did not sell itself to an American company, it would be banned in the country. TikTok was already banned in India in August, the apps largest market by user base.

Our Take

From the wording, it looks like the ban will only lead to TikTok being removed from the Google Play Store and App Store. The app should seemingly continue to work for users who have already installed it.

Do you use TikTok on a regular basis? What app will you switch to if TikTok gets banned in the United States?

[Via Reuters
Various countries have recorded a peak in excess mortality due to coronavirus this year - but what about Luxembourg?

In July, INSEE (French statistics institute) conducted an analysis on coronavirus mortality on a European level. It concluded that during the week of 30 March, excess mortality had reached 50% in Europe. This means that there were 50% more deaths than during the same period in previous years, between 2016 and 2019.

In a parliamentary question, Mars Di Bartolomeo of the LSAP asked the Minister of Health about the situation here in Luxembourg. Has the country also experienced a similar excess mortality rate?

INSEE statistics report that the excess mortality in Luxembourg was at 15% between 2 March and 26 April, which was the first peak of the crisis. The institute also reports a peak of 64% more deaths during the week of 6 April.

Paulette Lenert responded to the statistics that the period with a percentage of excess mortality above 50% lasted one week, compared to other countries that experienced between three and five weeks.

Lenert also urges to proceed with caution when interpreting the INSEE results on Luxembourg, as the size and population can lead to strong weekly variations. An exaggeration is therefore easily made, but these variations usually have a more limited impact in a larger country.

Most importantly, she draws attention to the origins of the data on Luxembourg, which the INSEE does not specify. Although the statistics are compiled by Eurostat, it may have two sources for Luxembourg. To compare the data released by INSEE to that of the government, which was taken from the register of causes of death: the 15th week of 2020 measured an excess mortality of 40% compared to INSEE's 64%.

Lenert concludes that there were 79 deaths on average during the period 2016-2019 and 110 deaths in 2020.

The exploitation of data extracted from the register of causes of death allows us to establish that during the first half of 2020, there was no excess mortality compared to previous years: 2065 deaths on average in 2016-2019 and 2062 deaths in 2020.

Even if the pandemic did indeed cause an excess of deaths in the spring, the number of deaths recorded in the first half of the year equals to the average of past years.
So you think Donald Trump-style politics cant happen here?

Sure they can. And did  right here in Waterloo Region.

Last Saturday there was a rally entitled Take Back Cambridge at city hall in Galt.

Cambridge Mayor Kathryn McGarry was advised ahead of time by police that she should not attend, for her own safety.

Wheres the mayor? audience members shouted during a 45-minute speech by Adam Cooper of the organizing group Cambridge Neighbourhood Watch.

During that speech, Cooper laid out his view that the criminals and drug addicts in downtown Galt get more compassion from local leaders than the crime victims who are trying to live and do business there.

That was when a woman in the audience shouted a vulgar slur, a slang name for womens genitalia, to describe McGarry.

The crowd, which numbered several hundred people, erupted in laughter and cheering at that.

And to his eternal disgrace, Cooper did not rebuke their response. Instead, he encouraged it.

Thats a good one, he said.

This groups attempt to strip McGarry of her humanity by reducing her to a body part was absolutely shameful.

Because of its behaviour on Saturday, Neighbourhood Watch should itself be stripped of any credibility or consideration in this public debate.

Yet, just as with the unhinged mobs at President Trumps rallies in the United States, the seething rage of this crowd doesnt come from nowhere.

It comes from a problem that hasnt yet been solved.

McGarry agrees that there is still a problem in Galts core area with petty crime, bicycle thefts, break-ins, drug paraphernalia left lying around, public urination and defecation. She understands the fear that underlies the anger of other people and business owners.

This problem got worse during the pandemic when public buildings like the library (and the washrooms inside) were closed.

The homeless and addicted people in the core literally had nowhere to go most of the time. Police were called to remove unwanted persons from the fronts of stores, and there was nowhere to take them, McGarry said.

There need to be more street outreach workers hired, McGarry agrees.

McGarry, who worked 12 hours a day in her downtown office throughout the pandemic, spent lots of time downtown and has advocated to improve the situation.

Waterloo Regional Police now have a patrol unit for downtown Galt. Theyve had some successes in arresting drug traffickers and catching someone throwing rocks through the windows of businesses.

But the larger issues  more facilities and resources to help people with mental illness, more programs to help people struggling with addictions  these are out of her hands. They are mostly provincial responsibilities.

I dont have a department of social services, she said. I dont have a department of public health.

I advocate, but I get blamed when I dont get the resources.

But the people demonstrating outside city hall arent interested in which level of government has what job. Thats too complicated for their clear and simple sense of victimhood. They dont want to be told to gather outside the MPPs office instead. They happen to be outside city hall today, so bring them the mayors head on a platter.

Kevin Hiebert was part of a counterprotest on Saturday, opposing the larger demonstration. He sympathizes with McGarry.

RELATED STORIES Waterloo Region Cambridge rally shows anger about drug users, harm reduction

Shes in a most, most difficult position, he said.

Hiebert says some of the complaints are blown out of proportion. He has never found a needle on the street or in parks in the city.

But the very natural fears of Cambridge residents about the crime and disorder that does exist are being exploited by this group, which is spreading false information, he said.

Take the groups fierce opposition to a consumption and treatment services site, where people with addictions can take their illegal drugs in a medically supervised environment.

A year after one opened in downtown Kitchener on Duke Street, lives have been saved, overdoses prevented, no one is hanging around outside, and it has been remarkably uncontroversial. People who are ready for long-term treatment for their addiction are pointed in the right direction to get that help.

Its a proven, documented and logical solution to many of these problems that are faced in Cambridge, Hiebert said.

Asked about her feelings on a consumption and treatment services site, McGarry said: At the moment our community is not going to accommodate a consumption and treatment services site in the downtown core.

A decision on this is expected sometime after Oct. 5, when a byelection is scheduled to fill the vacant Ward 7 seat. Saturdays rally has made it harder for that decision, whenever it comes, to be made calmly.
UPDATE: This story has been updated to reflect additional information.

Dr. Robert Redfield called Nevadas chief medical officer on a Saturday night in early March with an extraordinary request.

Adam Laxalt, the former attorney general of Nevada until 2019 and booster for President Donald Trump, believed he was exposed to the coronavirus while attending the Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland.

But he was not showing symptoms and could not get approved for a test through a local hospital back home, according to interviews and internal communications USA TODAY received through records requests. On the phone call, Redfield asked the medical officer, Dr. Ihsan Azzam, to get it done.

Azzam, who had never met or spoken with Redfield before, was stunned. At the time, testing capacity around the country was scarce and people without symptoms often were not a priority.

It wasnt the protocol, Azzam told USA TODAY in an interview. This is a VIP person. We got a call from the CDC director who is advising that we test him for COVID-19.

The next morning, Azzam contacted the county health department in Reno and fast-tracked Laxalts test. Redfield called back hours later to thank him, Azzam said.

Adam Laxalt speaks at a campaign event for President Donald Trump at Xtreme Manufacturing on September 13, 2020 in Henderson, Nevada.

The special treatment is a stark example of how political influence has penetrated the CDC during the COVID-19 pandemic, creating challenges for local health authorities. It came at a time when his agency knew thousands of Americans needed testing but could not get it due to supply shortages.

Redfields intervention on Laxalts behalf also sheds light on how some of those with powerful connections  including celebrities and star athletes  have received preferential care since the beginning of the crisis. Thats privilege, Richard Whitley, director of the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, told USA TODAY.

Whitley also acknowledged that there may have been added confusion at the hospital originally over whether or not Laxalt was requesting a test for COVID-19 or the flu.

Story continues

Laxalt, who is the Trump campaign's Nevada co-chair, responded in an email: After CPAC it was clear I met the criteria for testing. I wanted to make sure I wasnt a risk to my community. I obtained a rapid test and result. Fortunately, I tested negative.

After publication, Laxalt told USA TODAY in an email that he was feeling ill at the time and a test was warranted. He shared a doctor's note, in which his physician stated he believed Laxalt met the criteria to receive a test because he had been exposed and showed upper respiratory symptoms.

"Testing at that time was difficult as testing capacity in our region was still limited," his doctor wrote.

Its great to be back at #CPAC2020 and visiting backstage with some great friends, including @DonaldJTrumpJr, @GOPLeader, and @HawleyMO. I look forward to speaking tomorrow, and soon after, hearing from @realDonaldTrump. @ACUConservative pic.twitter.com/WuLaTMr1y3  Adam Paul Laxalt (@AdamLaxalt) February 28, 2020

White House spokesman Judd Deere told USA TODAY in an email that the White House was not involved in arranging the test for Laxalt. He referred reporters to the CDC, which did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Earlier this week, USA TODAY published an investigation into how the CDC misled, ignored and undermined local health authorities trying to fight the virus on the ground.

More: How the CDC failed public health officials fighting the coronavirus

Redfield has been criticized for capitulating to White House political pressure and failing to stand up for the scientists inside his agency. For instance, White House officials have been screening the CDCs weekly coronavirus reports and issuing testing guidance that contradicts the agencys own scientists.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, questioned Redfield about concerns of politics coloring the agencys public health activities at a hearing this week of a Senate Appropriations subcommittee.

Why have you not done more to push back on President Trump's political interference and his efforts to downplay this? Murray asked.

Redfield said the agencys science had not been compromised, and would never be on his watch.

We're going to continue to give Congress and the nation the best public health advice, he said. We're not going to let political influence try to modulate that.

Redfield also testified that a vaccine may not be widely available until next year and, even then, wearing a face mask could offer more protection. Trump later in the day disputed those remarks at a White House news conference, saying he had called the CDC director and thought his remarks were mistaken.

The confusion continued as the CDC issued a statement withdrawing Redfields claims on the vaccine timeline before retracting the withdrawal an hour later.

At the time of CPAC, held Feb. 26-29 at a resort in National Harbor, Maryland, Trump, Redfield and much of the GOP establishment were still publicly downplaying the coronavirus threat. But the first cases of community spread were emerging, which told CDC officials that the virus was circulating across America, the agency would later acknowledge.

Last week, journalist Bob Woodward disclosed that President Donald Trump told him in early February that his administration knew by then that the virus was spreading through the air and killing people at a higher rate than the flu, but Trump publicly minimized the risks.

The weekend after the Maryland conference, the American Conservative Union announced that one of the attendees had tested positive for COVID-19. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence both spoke at the event, where Laxalt posed for photos with Donald Trump Jr., Sen. Josh Hawley and Rep. Kevin McCarthy, currently the GOP house leader.

In Nevada, state health officials were incensed that Redfield had circumvented the public health system and diverted resources to help a well-connected politician. Laxalt is the grandson of the late Paul Laxalt, Nevadas former Republican governor, U.S. senator and a close friend of President Ronald Reagan.

The state has trended increasingly Democratic in recent years, but still could be competitive in the November election. Trump held a campaign rally near Reno and other Nevada locations last weekend. Campaign aides scrambled to find venues for the events after local officials blocked their initial plans because they would have violated coronavirus health safety guidelines.

President Donald Trump holds a campaign rally at the Minden-Tahoe Airport in Nevada on Sept. 12, 2020.

Laxalt's test raised other concerns back in March. Because he and the CDC had not gone through the typical reporting structure before he was tested, local officials in Reno did not immediately know about his exposure. They could not immediately trace for more possible exposures or issue a quarantine.

They would have minimized further exposure, Nevada state epidemiologist Melissa Peek-Bullock told USA TODAY. Thats what we were trying to do, to prevent spreading. We had no opportunity to intervene.

Nevada State Epidemiologist Melissa Peek-Bullock speaks about the COVID-19 crisis during a news conference in the Nevada State Capital Building on April 21, 2020.

Testing capacity in the U.S. for the coronavirus remained limited in March after the CDC had botched the rollout of the initial test the month before. While Trump and federal officials were claiming that testing was widely available, supplies were so limited that local and state health officials still influenced where resources went.

In Nevada, anyone referred by a doctor was still being interviewed by health officials to determine if his or her situation was urgent enough to warrant testing, Peek-Bullock said.

On March 7, the day Redfield called Azzam, there were between 300 and 600 confirmed positive cases nationwide. There were two in Nevada. By then Maryland had three confirmed cases.

Ihsan Azzam became Nevada's medical officer in 2018, after more than two decades as the state's medical epidemiologist.

On March 12, Whitley, the state health director, wrote a letter to Redfields boss, Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, to tell him what had happened. The documents, which USA TODAY received via a public records request, do not disclose Laxalt's identity.

The lack of appropriate communication has delayed the public health response in order to stop further transmission of COVID-19 in our state, Whitley wrote, adding that CDCs back-door maneuvers resulted in both frustration and inefficient use of our limited public health resources.

Azar did not respond.

Two weeks later, Laxalt penned an op-ed in the Reno Gazette Journal (part of the USA TODAY Network) about Trumps response to the pandemic.

I cannot stress enough, Laxalt wrote, how fortunate we are that the Trump administration has proven time and again it will always have the Silver States back.

Contributing: Dan Keemahill and Matt Wynn

Brett Murphy and Letitia Stein are reporters on the USA TODAY investigations team. Contact Brett at brett.murphy@usatoday.com, @brettMmurphy by Signal at 508-523-5195 and Letitia at lstein@usatoday.com, @LetitiaStein, by phone or Signal at 813-524-0673.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: CDC director ordered scarce COVID test for Nevada GOP leader in March
A Salt Lake City police officer is facing felony charges after ordering a police dog to bite a black man who was complying with his orders.

The scene was captured in body camera footage collected from the police officer and released from the SLCPD in August.

In the video, officer Nickolas Pearce walks around a corner with his police dog in tow. He shines a flashlight at Jeffery Ryans, who is standing near a gate, and orders him to get on the ground.

"Get on the ground, or you're gonna get bit," Mr Pearce yells.

Mr Ryans begins to kneel, but appears confused as police descend on him. As Mr Ryans drops to his knees with his hands raised, Mr Pearce appears to kick out his leg and instructs the dog to bite him.

The dog begins to bite into Mr Ryan's leg, who falls to the ground, his hands still above his head, and asks the police why they are attacking him.

"I'm on the ground, why are you biting me," he asks, before yelping in pain from the dog's continued grasp on his leg.

As Mr Ryans continues to ask why he's being bitten between exclamations of pain, Mr Pearce can be heard saying "good boy, good boy" to the police dog.

According to The Washington Post, Mr Pearce is facing criminal charges for using excessive force in the arrest of Mr Ryans. The SLCPD announced the charges on Wednesday.

Salt Lake City District Attorney Sim Gill told the Salt Lake Tribune that the charges were being brought against Mr Pearce because Mr Ryans wasn't resisting arrest.

"He certainly wasn't posing an imminent threat of violence or harm to anyone, and he certainly wasn't concealed," Mr Gill said. "He was fenced in an area and was being compliant."

The night of the incident, Mr Ryans' daughter called 911 in the early hours of 24 April claiming her father was screaming and that he had hit her mother. Mr Ryans' wife had previously taken out a protective order against him, which prohibited him from entering the house.

A later investigation by the city's Civilian Review Board found that Mr Ryans' wife had willingly let him in, and that he was of the understanding that the order had been lifted.

Police found Mr Ryans outside the home smoking a cigarette before leaving for his job as a train conductor.

The police dog maintained a hold on Mr Ryans' leg for nearly a minute before Mr Pearce ordered it to stop. Officers at the scene had to call a paramedic to examine Mr Ryans' injured leg.

Recommended Military police considered using heat ray and stockpiled ammunition to clear protesters for Trump bible stunt

Mr Ryans' lawyer claims that he has had to undergo several surgeries and that his leg may need to be amputated.

Mr Ryans is suing the police department for its role in his injuries.

The city's Civilian Review Board found that the Mr Pearce's sergeant reviewed the body camera footage and sent it to his lieutenant, but the lieutenant - who has since retired - never forwarded the footage to his supervisors or to the department's internal affairs division.

The lieutenant's retirement was unrelated to this incident.

Mr Pearce was suspended in August after the Salt Lake Tribune published the body camera footage. The city has since suspended its use of police dogs.

Mr Pearce is charged with second-degree felony aggravated assault, which could carry a prison term of up to 15 years.
(Natural News) The damage from riots sparked by the police killing of George Floyd may end up being the most expensive in U.S. history, costing insurance companies between $1 billion and $2 billion.

The data comes from the Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I), which compiles information from a company called Property Claim Services (PCS). The latter has been tracking insurance claims related to civil disorder since 1950.

In reports provided to Axios, Triple I estimates that the damage from the unrest between May 26 and June 8 will be the costliest in the nations history  surpassing the cost of the 1992 Rodney King riots in Los Angeles.

A good part of why the damages are so expensive is the nationwide scale of the riots.

Its not just happening in one city or state  its all over the country, Triple-I spokeswoman Loretta L. Worters told Axios. And this is still happening, so the losses could be significantly more.

George Floyd riots unique due to their nationwide scope

Triple-I stated that the violence sparked by the killing of George Floyd was the first multi-state catastrophe event ever declared for civil disorder by PCS. According to Tom Johansmeyer, head of the PCS, the company classifies anything with over $25 million in insured losses as a catastrophe.

Previous instances classified as catastrophes by the PCS have only unfolded in individual cities. Examples include the 1967 Detroit riots, the 1977 New York City blackout and the 1992 Los Angeles riots  the previous record holder for damages.

Both riots and peaceful protests against police brutality have not just in major cities across America, but also in its rural areas, from Lancaster, Pennsylvania to Kenosha, Wisconsin. This nationwide spread of rioting was unprecedented, according to Johansmeyer. (Related: Multiple cities declare curfews as Antifa riots continue.)

Not only is this the first, this is the first  kind of with a cymbal crash, he said.

Even though the costs are already high, however, the PCS is expecting that the losses could be significantly more with the coming election season. Johansmeyer stated that this coming November, There could be riots that lead to significant losses that would meet our reporting thresholds.

Meanwhile, in the West Coast, near-constant civil unrest in cities is being compounded by the rapidly-spreading wildfires.

Natural disasters are still costing the industry more

While the damages from the ongoing riots have hit record levels, their cost to insurance companies still pales in comparison that from the natural disasters that have hammered parts of the country.

A report by catastrophe risk solutions company Risk Management Solutions (RMS) puts the estimated cost from Hurricane Isaias at around $3 billion to $4.5 billion.

Meanwhile, the just-started wildfire season in the U.S. West has already cost insurance companies around $1.5 billion, according to Triple-I.

In California alone, wildfires have already burned 2.2 million acres in 2020  more than any year on record. And the 2020 wildfire season still has a way to go, says Worters.

For comparison, the total bill for wildfires was $18 billion for all of 2018 and $15 billion for all of 2017. Numbers for 2019 are unavailable as of reporting time.

With the trend for wildfire damages generally moving upward, and with this years wildfires already having burned more than previous years, damages for 2020 are likely to be even higher.

With these numbers in mind, its not surprising that the insurance industry sees the greater potential damages from natural disasters such as Hurricane Isaias and the wildfires as a bigger concern than losses from the riots.

The latter, while severe, would not have [an] impact on the financial stability of the industry, said Worters to The New York Post. Hurricanes, however, could have a considerable impact on the insurance industry as could the wildfires.

Sources include:

FoxBusiness.com

Axios.com

RMS.com

NYPost.com
DUBLIN, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- 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

import of cherries into customs Forecast on China's imported cherries

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/tt0nip



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Sajjan Kumar and Rajan Pandey By

Charged by Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia joining his party, Bihar BJP spokesperson Nikhil Anand said in March this year that many Congress leaders in the state were going to do so too. However, six months later, the BJP is still waiting for MLAs, ex-MLAs or prominent people from opposition parties to come and join it in the election-bound state. The party was the first to launch its digital campaign and is investing huge sums of money in elections like earlierwhich includes the recently inaugurated hi-tech media centre in the posh Hotel Chanakya in Patna.

Yet, no opposition politician of any stature seems to be interested in joining it to enhance his or her poll prospects. Does that mean political leaders in Bihar are not indulging in pre-election defections this time? No. On the contrary, Aaya Ram Gaya Ram or party-hopping by seasoned politicians in Bihar is in full swing. Albeit, the state BJP cuts a lonely figure in its own favourite game. The stolen template: In the last six years, it has emerged as one of the indispensable parts of the BJPs electoral strategy to cause defections among rival parties and get them to join the saffron ranks, thereby winning in the war of perceptionsas to who is calling the shots.

It used this in almost every state that it stormed since the 2014 elections, be it Jharkhand, Assam, Haryana or Uttar Pradesh. This process of big stalwarts from the Congress and other regional partiesbe they Himanta Biswa Sarma in Assam, S M Krishna in Karnataka or a series of SP and BSP leaders in Uttar Pradeshjoining the BJP before the respective state Assembly elections has emerged as the new election template wherein the saffron party has been playing on the front foot. Strangely though, Bihar emerges as an exception to the trend. Rather, it is Nitish Kumar who seems to not only have stolen the show but rather is outmanoeuvring the BJP at every stage.

For instance, this year alone, six MLAs and five MLCs of the RJD have joined the JD(U). These include prominent figures like Parsa MLA Chandrika Rai (son of ex-CM Daroga Prasad Rai and estranged father-in-law of Tej Pratap Yadav), Jai Vardhan Yadav (son of iconic Yadav leader, late Ram Lakhan Singh Yadav), ex-ministers Faraz Fatmi, Qamar Alam, Prema Chaudhary, et al. The JD(U) also managed to get two Congress MLAs, Purnima Yadav and Sudarshan Kumar, this year, while two RLSP MLAs and one MLC joined the party last year itself. The RJD too managed to woo Shyam Rajak, who was the industries minister in the Bihar government and the JD(U)s Dalit face, to join the party besides some small figures. This coming and going of leaders remains limited to the two main partiesthe JD(U) and the RJDand no figure of prominence has joined the BJP till now.

This turning the tables by Nitish turns out to be a bit surprising, as orchestrating defections in opponent parties and creating a spectacle of prominent faces from the opposition making a beeline to join it before the beginning of elections is a time-tested template of the BJP. However, what we see in Bihar is that politicians interested in changing loyalties to avail upcoming opportunities are more inclined to join the JD(U) or the RJD than the BJP, which leaves the party in a kind of fix. Despite being the moneybag for the NDA and despite having the most consistent efforts in election preparations, the BJP still appears to be a marginal, or rather lonely, player, as far as appearing as an alluring platform for dissident leaders from the opposition ranks is concerned, ahead of the 2020 Bihar elections.

A replay of 2015: The 2015 BJP poll debacle, when the party contested 157 seats and won only 53, was blamed on a couple of factors like too much prominence to Central government leaders and schemes, insensitive comments by seniors and a lack of localisation of the campaign. Come 2020 and the same things are visible again. Though the party high command is publicly showing Nitish as the leader of the NDA camp in Bihar, it has also decided to fight the election on the work and name of PM Narendra Modi again. The reason for this, according to some party insiders, is an internal survey conducted by the party which reveals that Nitish is facing significant anti-incumbency this time and fighting the election on his name wont be a good idea. Hence the party is back to its 2015 model.

Further, as the campaign intensifies, the problem of insensitive comments is also emerging. Recently, when party president J P Nadda visited Darbhanga, he said people would never have thought that the union aviation minister would visit such a place. He also said that it is only when people vote for the BJP that such things happen and this would stop if the party loses. Many people from the Mithila region took strong exception to this on social media, noting that the royal family of Darbhanga was one of the first in India to start air travel, even before Independence.

Divisions in NDA camp: While the challenges from outside continue, things within the NDA camp are not all hunky dory. This is going to be the first Assembly election in the state where both the LJP of Ram Vilas Paswan and the JD(U) will be contesting from the same camp. This would mean that out of the 243 total seats, the LJP would at least want to retain the 42 seats it got in 2015. However, that seems difficult as the JD(U) is said to be insisting on taking 110 or more seats and even if the BJP agrees to reduce its own seats to 100, that would leave only 33 seats.

The new entrant, Jitan Ram Manjhis HAM, would also claim some seats out of those. It is for this reason that the LJP is giving repeated ultimatums to the JD(U) through Paswans son Chirag. And the BJP seems to be encouraging this to pressurise Nitish to agree to reduce his demands and contest an equal number of seats as the saffron party. But even if that happens and both agree to contest on 100 seats each, the LJP will have to reduce its seats given the demands of the HAM that need to be adjusted within the remaining 43 seats.

Hence, the real electoral dynamics in the ensuing election in Bihar is not between the moves and counter-moves of the opposition and the ruling dispensation. Rather, it is the Machiavellian contestations between Nitish Kumar and the BJP that seem to have emerged as the main electoral script.

Sajjan Kumar

Political analyst

Rajan Pandey

Freelance journalist

The authors are associated with Peoples Pulse, a Hyderabad based research organisation

(peoplespulse.hyd@gmail.com, Tweets @PulsePeoples)
The cardinal appeals to the United Nations to impose an international investigation into the incident of 4 August. And it attacks an executive who risks "resembling the previous ones", marked by sectarianism and divisions, unable to solve problems. Nabih Berry threatens the lack of support for the executive without the control of the Ministry of Finance.

Beirut (AsiaNews) - Criticism of the government which risks "resembling the previous ones" that have "led the country to collapse", combined with an appeal to the United Nations to "impose" an "impartial and independent" international investigation into the double explosion of 4 August. This is what the Maronite Patriarch Card Beshara Rai called for yesterday during Sunday Mass, addressing the twin crisis that are sweeping Lebanon the political one and the dramatic port explosions: a tragedy that caused over 190 deaths, more than 6,500 injured. 300,000 displaced and fueled strong divisions.

Unlike the cardinal, the political and institutional leaders of the land of cedars - first and foremost the President of the Republic Michel Aoun - are opposed to the international investigation, because it would represent a risk to the balance of the nation. Meanwhile, the trade in blame, accusations and responsibilities regarding the incident continues, which end up further hindering an investigation that is already complicated in itself.

The Lebanese judiciary has opened two internal investigations, one on the August 4 catastrophe and the second on the most recent incident, on September 10, which reopened wounds. However, activists and ordinary citizens - and the international community itself - strongly criticize the investigations of being largely ineffective, lacking in authority and incapable of leading to discovering the true causes of the tragedy that has struck an entire nation.

The prevarication of the local investigations, the contradictory information, the questions raised and the second fire, in addition to the negligence of the perpetrators, push us to ask for an impartial and independent international investigation, underlined Card Rai. He then added that "sovereignty is not in contradiction with justice". We no longer accept - he continued - a government that resembles the previous ones, and which have led the country to collapse. A government in which portfolios are the prerogative of a faction or a community in the name of the National Pact. The reference is to the desire of the Amal movement, Shiite, Hezbollah's closest ally, to keep the Ministry of Finance.

The Speaker of the Lebanese parliament, the Shiite Nabih Berry, has announced that Amal does not intend to be part of the next executive, due to the ongoing controversy over the allocation of the department that controls the state coffers. This is the main issue hindering the birth of the next government, and which was the subject of the phone call yesterday between Berry himself and French President Emmanuel Macron, the first world leader to visit Lebanon after the accident at the port. The problem - the Shiite leader declared in a statement - is not with the French. It is an internal matter .

According to deputy Kassem Hachem, the Speaker of the House has also staked a claim to the assignment of Finance to Amal, a role that was assigned in the recent past to a Shiite exponent. The prospect of an executive without the Shiite tandem and without the presence of Berry therefore seems impractical. If the prime minister in charge Moustapha Adib wants to force his hand and propose a government without the green light of Amal and Hezbollah, writes the pro-Shiite journalist Salem Zahran, then it will almost certainly mean the withdrawal en bloc of the Shiite deputies .
ROCKLAND, Mass. and NEW YORK, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- EMD Serono, the biopharmaceutical business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany in the US and Canada, and Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) today announced the publication of detailed results from the Phase III JAVELIN Bladder 100 study online ahead of print in The New England Journal of Medicine. These results were published simultaneously with additional analyses being presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Virtual Congress 2020 and describe the efficacy of BAVENCIO (avelumab) as a first-line maintenance treatment across various subgroups of patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma (UC) and highlight exploratory biomarkers as well as patient-reported outcomes. In June, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved BAVENCIO for the maintenance treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic UC that has not progressed with first-line platinum-containing chemotherapy based on the JAVELIN Bladder 100 results.

In the JAVELIN Bladder 100 study, BAVENCIO plus best supportive care (BSC) significantly extended overall survival (OS) compared with BSC alone in the two primary populations of all randomized patients and patients whose tumors were PD-L1+, and significantly more patients who received BAVENCIO as first-line maintenance were alive at one year.1 The clinical benefits of BAVENCIO were seen across a range of patient populations.1,2

"These data, which supported the recent FDA approval and updates to NCCN and ESMO guidelines, establish that BAVENCIO first-line maintenance treatment could fundamentally change clinical practice for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma," said Thomas Powles, MBBS, MRCP, MD, Professor of Genitourinary Oncology, Lead for Solid Tumour Research at Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, and Director of Barts Cancer Centre, London, UK. "It is notable that the longer overall survival with BAVENCIO maintenance therapy was observed across all pre-specified subgroups examined and that this prolonged overall survival was gained without a detrimental impact on patients' quality of life."

Primary Analysis

In the JAVELIN Bladder 100 study, OS was significantly longer with BAVENCIO plus BSC compared to BSC alone in the primary population of all randomized patients (n=700) whose disease had not progressed on first-line platinum-containing chemotherapy:

Median OS was 21.4 months (95% CI, 18.9 to 26.1) vs 14.3 months (95% CI, 12.9 to 17.9), respectively (HR 0.69; 95% CI, 0.56 to 0.86; P<0.001). 1

At one year, 71.3% of patients (95% CI, 66.0% to 76.0%) in the BAVENCIO arm were alive vs 58.4% (95% CI, 52.7% to 63.7%) of patients who received BSC alone.1

In the other primary population of patients with PD-L1+ tumors (n=358):

OS was also significantly longer with BAVENCIO plus BSC vs BSC alone (HR 0.56; 95% CI, 0.40 to 0.79; P<0.001). 1

At one year, 79.1% (95% CI, 72.1% to 84.5%) of patients who received BAVENCIO were alive vs 60.4% (95% CI, 52.0% to 67.7%) in the BSC arm.1

All endpoints were measured from the time of randomization, after completion of four to six cycles of chemotherapy.

Subgroup Analysis

Results of an exploratory subgroup analysis show that consistent results were observed with the JAVELIN Bladder regimen of BAVENCIO first-line maintenance across pre-specified subgroups, including best response to first-line chemotherapy, type of chemotherapy regimen, site of baseline metastasis, and other baseline factors.1 In particular, hazard ratios for OS based on response to first-line chemotherapy were as follows:

0.69 for complete or partial response

0.70 for stable disease

With regard to first-line chemotherapy regimen, hazard ratios were as follows:

0.69 with gemcitabine plus cisplatin

0.66 with gemcitabine plus carboplatin

Further detail from the subgroup analysis were presented in an on-demand mini oral session at the meeting (Presentation #704MO). Additional data evaluating the association between clinical outcomes and exploratory biomarkers will be presented in the Proffered Paper 1 - GU, non prostate session on Saturday, September 19 (Presentation #699O), and patient-reported outcomes are featured in an on-demand e-poster display (Presentation #745P).

Safety

No new safety signals were identified in the JAVELIN Bladder 100 study, and the safety profile was consistent with previous studies of BAVENCIO monotherapy.1 Treatment-related adverse events of grade 3 or higher occurred in 57 patients (16.6%) treated with BAVENCIO plus BSC; no grade 3 or higher treatment-related events occurred in the control arm.1 No grade 4 or fatal immune-related adverse events occurred.1 Investigators attributed two patient deaths in the BAVENCIO plus BSC arm (0.6%), due to sepsis and ischemic stroke, to study treatment toxicity.1

About JAVELIN Bladder 100

JAVELIN Bladder 100 (NCT02603432) is a Phase III, multicenter, multinational, randomized, open-label, parallel-arm study investigating first-line maintenance treatment with BAVENCIO plus BSC versus BSC alone in patients with locally advanced or metastatic UC. The primary endpoint was OS in the two primary populations of all patients and patients with PD-L1+ tumors defined by the Ventana SP263 assay. Secondary endpoints included progression-free survival, anti-tumor activity, safety, pharmacokinetics, immunogenicity, predictive biomarkers and patient-reported outcomes in the co-primary populations. All primary and secondary endpoints are measured from the time of randomization.

About Urothelial Carcinoma

Bladder cancer is the tenth most common cancer worldwide.4 In 2018, there were over half a million new cases of bladder cancer diagnosed, with around 200,000 deaths from the disease globally.4 In the US, an estimated 80,470 cases of bladder cancer were diagnosed in 2019, with around 12,500 locally advanced or metastatic cases presented annually.5,6 UC, which accounts for about 90% of all bladder cancers,7 becomes harder to treat as it advances, spreading through the layers of the bladder wall.8 Only 25% to 55% of patients receive any second-line therapy after first-line chemotherapy.9-15 In the US and EU5 markets, approximately 40% to 50% of patients receive an immune checkpoint inhibitor in second-line therapy.3 For patients with advanced UC, the five-year survival rate is 5%.5

About BAVENCIO (avelumab)

BAVENCIO is a human anti-programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) antibody. BAVENCIO has been shown in preclinical models to engage both the adaptive and innate immune functions. By blocking the interaction of PD-L1 with PD-1 receptors, BAVENCIO has been shown to release the suppression of the T cell-mediated antitumor immune response in preclinical models.16-18 In November 2014, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany and Pfizer announced a strategic alliance to co-develop and co-commercialize BAVENCIO.

BAVENCIO Approved Indications

BAVENCIO (avelumab) is indicated in the US for the maintenance treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma (UC) that has not progressed with first-line platinum-containing chemotherapy. BAVENCIO is also indicated for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic UC who have disease progression during or following platinum-containing chemotherapy, or have disease progression within 12 months of neoadjuvant or adjuvant treatment with platinum-containing chemotherapy.

BAVENCIO in combination with axitinib is indicated in the US for the first-line treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

In the US, the FDA granted accelerated approval for BAVENCIO for the treatment of adults and pediatric patients 12 years and older with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC). This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on tumor response rate and duration of response. Continued approval may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials.

BAVENCIO is currently approved for patients with MCC in 50 countries globally, with the majority of these approvals in a broad indication that is not limited to a specific line of treatment.

BAVENCIO Important Safety Information from the US FDA-Approved Label

BAVENCIO can cause immune-mediated pneumonitis, including fatal cases. Monitor patients for signs and symptoms of pneumonitis and evaluate suspected cases with radiographic imaging. Administer corticosteroids for Grade 2 or greater pneumonitis. Withhold BAVENCIO for moderate (Grade 2) and permanently discontinue for severe (Grade 3), life-threatening (Grade 4), or recurrent moderate (Grade 2) pneumonitis. Pneumonitis occurred in 1.2% of patients, including one (0.1%) patient with fatal, one (0.1%) with Grade 4, and five (0.3%) with Grade 3.

BAVENCIO can cause hepatotoxicity and immune-mediated hepatitis, including fatal cases. Monitor patients for abnormal liver tests prior to and periodically during treatment. Administer corticosteroids for Grade 2 or greater hepatitis. Withhold BAVENCIO for moderate (Grade 2) immune-mediated hepatitis until resolution and permanently discontinue for severe (Grade 3) or life-threatening (Grade 4) immune-mediated hepatitis. Immune-mediated hepatitis occurred with BAVENCIO as a single agent in 0.9% of patients, including two (0.1%) patients with fatal, and 11 (0.6%) with Grade 3.

BAVENCIO in combination with axitinib can cause hepatotoxicity with higher than expected frequencies of Grade 3 and 4 alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) elevation. Consider more frequent monitoring of liver enzymes as compared to when the drugs are used as monotherapy. Withhold BAVENCIO and axitinib for moderate (Grade 2) hepatotoxicity and permanently discontinue the combination for severe or life-threatening (Grade 3 or 4) hepatotoxicity. Administer corticosteroids as needed. In patients treated with BAVENCIO in combination with axitinib, Grades 3 and 4 increased ALT and AST occurred in 9% and 7% of patients, respectively, and immune-mediated hepatitis occurred in 7% of patients, including 4.9% with Grade 3 or 4.

BAVENCIO can cause immune-mediated colitis. Monitor patients for signs and symptoms of colitis. Administer corticosteroids for Grade 2 or greater colitis. Withhold BAVENCIO until resolution for moderate or severe (Grade 2 or 3) colitis until resolution. Permanently discontinue for life-threatening (Grade 4) or recurrent (Grade 3) colitis upon reinitiation of BAVENCIO. Immune-mediated colitis occurred in 1.5% of patients, including seven (0.4%) with Grade 3.

BAVENCIO can cause immune-mediated endocrinopathies, including adrenal insufficiency, thyroid disorders, and type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Monitor patients for signs and symptoms of adrenal insufficiency during and after treatment, and administer corticosteroids as appropriate. Withhold BAVENCIO for severe (Grade 3) or life-threatening (Grade 4) adrenal insufficiency. Adrenal insufficiency was reported in 0.5% of patients, including one (0.1%) with Grade 3.

Thyroid disorders can occur at any time during treatment. Monitor patients for changes in thyroid function at the start of treatment, periodically during treatment, and as indicated based on clinical evaluation. Manage hypothyroidism with hormone replacement therapy and control hyperthyroidism with medical management. Withhold BAVENCIO for severe (Grade 3) or life-threatening (Grade 4) thyroid disorders. Thyroid disorders, including hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, and thyroiditis, were reported in 6% of patients, including three (0.2%) with Grade 3.

Type 1 diabetes mellitus including diabetic ketoacidosis: Monitor patients for hyperglycemia or other signs and symptoms of diabetes. Withhold BAVENCIO and administer antihyperglycemics or insulin in patients with severe or life-threatening (Grade 3) hyperglycemia, and resume treatment when metabolic control is achieved. Type 1 diabetes mellitus without an alternative etiology occurred in 0.1% of patients, including two cases of Grade 3 hyperglycemia.

BAVENCIO can cause immune-mediated nephritis and renal dysfunction. Monitor patients for elevated serum creatinine prior to and periodically during treatment. Administer corticosteroids for Grade 2 or greater nephritis. Withhold BAVENCIO for moderate (Grade 2) or severe (Grade 3) nephritis until resolution to Grade 1 or lower. Permanently discontinue BAVENCIO for life-threatening (Grade 4) nephritis. Immune-mediated nephritis occurred in 0.1% of patients.

BAVENCIO can result in other severe and fatal immune-mediated adverse reactions involving any organ system during treatment or after treatment discontinuation. For suspected immune-mediated adverse reactions, evaluate to confirm or rule out an immune-mediated adverse reaction and to exclude other causes. Depending on the severity of the adverse reaction, withhold or permanently discontinue BAVENCIO, administer high-dose corticosteroids, and initiate hormone replacement therapy, if appropriate. Resume BAVENCIO when the immune-mediated adverse reaction remains at Grade 1 or lower following a corticosteroid taper. Permanently discontinue BAVENCIO for any severe (Grade 3) immune-mediated adverse reaction that recurs and for any life-threatening (Grade 4) immune-mediated adverse reaction. The following clinically significant immune-mediated adverse reactions occurred in less than 1% of 1738 patients treated with BAVENCIO as a single agent or in 489 patients who received BAVENCIO in combination with axitinib: myocarditis including fatal cases, pancreatitis including fatal cases, myositis, psoriasis, arthritis, exfoliative dermatitis, erythema multiforme, pemphigoid, hypopituitarism, uveitis, Guillain-Barre syndrome, and systemic inflammatory response.

BAVENCIO can cause severe or life-threatening infusion-related reactions. Premedicate patients with an antihistamine and acetaminophen prior to the first 4 infusions. Monitor patients for signs and symptoms of infusion-related reactions, including pyrexia, chills, flushing, hypotension, dyspnea, wheezing, back pain, abdominal pain, and urticaria. Interrupt or slow the rate of infusion for mild (Grade 1) or moderate (Grade 2) infusion-related reactions. Permanently discontinue BAVENCIO for severe (Grade 3) or life-threatening (Grade 4) infusion-related reactions. Infusion-related reactions occurred in 25% of patients, including three (0.2%) patients with Grade 4 and nine (0.5%) with Grade 3.

BAVENCIO in combination with axitinib can cause major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) including severe and fatal events. Consider baseline and periodic evaluations of left ventricular ejection fraction. Monitor for signs and symptoms of cardiovascular events. Optimize management of cardiovascular risk factors, such as hypertension, diabetes, or dyslipidemia. Discontinue BAVENCIO and axitinib for Grade 3-4 cardiovascular events. MACE occurred in 7% of patients with advanced RCC treated with BAVENCIO in combination with axitinib compared to 3.4% treated with sunitinib. These events included death due to cardiac events (1.4%), Grade 3-4 myocardial infarction (2.8%), and Grade 3-4 congestive heart failure (1.8%).

BAVENCIO can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. Advise patients of the potential risk to a fetus including the risk of fetal death. Advise females of childbearing potential to use effective contraception during treatment with BAVENCIO and for at least 1 month after the last dose of BAVENCIO. It is not known whether BAVENCIO is excreted in human milk. Advise a lactating woman not to breastfeed during treatment and for at least 1 month after the last dose of BAVENCIO due to the potential for serious adverse reactions in breastfed infants.

The most common adverse reactions (all grades, 20%) in patients with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) were fatigue (50%), musculoskeletal pain (32%), diarrhea (23%), nausea (22%), infusion-related reaction (22%), rash (22%), decreased appetite (20%), and peripheral edema (20%).

Selected treatment-emergent laboratory abnormalities (all grades, 20%) in patients with metastatic MCC were lymphopenia (49%), anemia (35%), increased aspartate aminotransferase (34%), thrombocytopenia (27%), and increased alanine aminotransferase (20%).

A fatal adverse reaction (sepsis) occurred in one (0.3%) patient with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma (UC) receiving BAVENCIO plus best supportive care (BSC) as first-line maintenance treatment. In patients with previously treated locally advanced or metastatic UC, fourteen patients (6%) who were treated with BAVENCIO experienced either pneumonitis, respiratory failure, sepsis/urosepsis, cerebrovascular accident, or gastrointestinal adverse events, which led to death.

The most common adverse reactions (all grades, 20%) in patients with locally advanced or metastatic UC receiving BAVENCIO plus BSC (vs BSC alone) as first-line maintenance treatment were fatigue (35% vs 13%), musculoskeletal pain (24% vs 15%), urinary tract infection (20% vs 11%), and rash (20% vs 2.3%). In patients with previously treated locally advanced or metastatic UC receiving BAVENCIO, the most common adverse reactions (all grades, 20%) were fatigue, infusion-related reaction, musculoskeletal pain, nausea, decreased appetite, and urinary tract infection.

Selected laboratory abnormalities (all grades, 20%) in patients with locally advanced or metastatic UC receiving BAVENCIO plus BSC (vs BSC alone) as first-line maintenance treatment were blood triglycerides increased (34% vs 28%), alkaline phosphate increased (30% vs 20%), blood sodium decreased (28% vs 20%), lipase increased (25% vs 16%), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) increased (24% vs 12%), blood potassium increased (24% vs 16%), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) increased (24% vs 12%), blood cholesterol increased (22% vs 16%), serum amylase increased (21% vs 12%), hemoglobin decreased (28% vs 18%), and white blood cell decreased (20% vs 10%).

Fatal adverse reactions occurred in 1.8% of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) receiving BAVENCIO in combination with axitinib. These included sudden cardiac death (1.2%), stroke (0.2%), myocarditis (0.2%), and necrotizing pancreatitis (0.2%).

The most common adverse reactions (all grades, 20%) in patients with advanced RCC receiving BAVENCIO in combination with axitinib (vs sunitinib) were diarrhea (62% vs 48%), fatigue (53% vs 54%), hypertension (50% vs 36%), musculoskeletal pain (40% vs 33%), nausea (34% vs 39%), mucositis (34% vs 35%), palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia (33% vs 34%), dysphonia (31% vs 3.2%), decreased appetite (26% vs 29%), hypothyroidism (25% vs 14%), rash (25% vs 16%), hepatotoxicity (24% vs 18%), cough (23% vs 19%), dyspnea (23% vs 16%), abdominal pain (22% vs 19%), and headache (21% vs 16%).

Selected laboratory abnormalities (all grades, 20%) worsening from baseline in patients with advanced RCC receiving BAVENCIO in combination with axitinib (vs sunitinib) were blood triglycerides increased (71% vs 48%), blood creatinine increased (62% vs 68%), blood cholesterol increased (57% vs 22%), alanine aminotransferase increased (ALT) (50% vs 46%), aspartate aminotransferase increased (AST) (47% vs 57%), blood sodium decreased (38% vs 37%), lipase increased (37% vs 25%), blood potassium increased (35% vs 28%), platelet count decreased (27% vs 80%), blood bilirubin increased (21% vs 23%), and hemoglobin decreased (21% vs 65%).

Please see full US Prescribing Information and Medication Guide available at http://www.BAVENCIO.com.

About Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany-Pfizer Alliance

Immuno-oncology is a top priority for Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany and Pfizer. The global strategic alliance between Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany and Pfizer enables the companies to benefit from each other's strengths and capabilities and further explore the therapeutic potential of BAVENCIO, an anti-PD-L1 antibody initially discovered and developed by Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. The immuno-oncology alliance is jointly developing and commercializing BAVENCIO. The alliance is focused on developing high-priority international clinical programs to investigate BAVENCIO as a monotherapy as well as combination regimens, and is striving to find new ways to treat cancer.

All Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, press releases are distributed by e-mail at the same time they become available on the EMD Group Website. In case you are a resident of the USA or Canada please go to www.emdgroup.com/subscribe to register again for your online subscription of this service as our newly introduced geo-targeting requires new links in the email. You may later change your selection or discontinue this service.

About EMD Serono, Inc.

EMD Serono - the biopharmaceutical business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, in the U.S. and Canada - is engaged in the discovery, research and development of medicines for patients with difficult to treat diseases. The business is committed to transforming lives by developing and delivering meaningful solutions that help address the therapeutic and support needs of individual patients. Building on a proven legacy and deep expertise in neurology, fertility and endocrinology, EMD Serono is developing potential new oncology and immuno-oncology medicines while continuing to explore potential therapeutic options for diseases such as psoriasis, lupus and MS. Today, the business has approximately 1,500 employees around the country with commercial, clinical and research operations based in the company's home state of Massachusetts. www.emdserono.com.

About Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, operates across healthcare, life science and performance materials. Around 57,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people's lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From advancing gene editing technologies and discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices  the company is everywhere. In 2019, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, generated sales of  16.2 billion in 66 countries.

The company holds the global rights to the name and trademark "Merck" internationally. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany operate as EMD Serono in healthcare, MilliporeSigma in life science, and EMD Performance Materials. Since its founding 1668, scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to the company's technological and scientific advances. To this day, the founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company.

Pfizer Inc.: 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.com and follow us on Twitter at @Pfizer and @Pfizer_News, LinkedIn, YouTube and like us on Facebook at Facebook.com/Pfizer.

Pfizer Disclosure Notice

The information contained in this release is as of September 18, 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 BAVENCIO (avelumab), including an indication for first-line maintenance therapy for BAVENCIO for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma, the alliance between Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany and Pfizer involving BAVENCIO and clinical development plans, including their potential benefits, 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, uncertainties regarding the commercial success of BAVENCIO; the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including the ability to meet anticipated clinical endpoints, commencement and/or completion dates for our clinical trials, regulatory submission dates, regulatory approval dates and/or launch dates, as well as the possibility of unfavorable new clinical data and further analyses of existing clinical data; risks associated with interim data; the risk that clinical trial data are subject to differing interpretations and assessments by regulatory authorities; whether regulatory authorities will be satisfied with the design of and results from our clinical studies; whether and when any drug applications may be filed in any other jurisdictions for BAVENCIO for first-line maintenance therapy for locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma in any jurisdictions or for any other potential indications for BAVENCIO or combination therapies in any jurisdictions; whether and when regulatory authorities in any jurisdictions where any applications are pending or may be submitted for BAVENCIO or combination therapies, including BAVENCIO for locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma may approve any such applications, which will depend on myriad factors, including making a determination as to whether the product's benefits outweigh its known risks and determination of the product's efficacy, and, if approved, whether they 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 BAVENCIO, including BAVENCIO for locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma; the impact of COVID-19 on our business, operations and financial results; 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.gov and www.pfizer.com.

References

Powles T, Park SH, Voog E, et al. Avelumab maintenance therapy for advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer. N Engl J Med. 2020. [Epub ahead of print]. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2002788. Grivas P, Park SE, Voog E, et al. Avelumab 1L maintenance + best supportive care (BSC) vs BSC alone with 1L chemotherapy for advanced urothelial carcinoma: subgroup analyses from JAVELIN Bladder 100. Presented at ESMO 2020. Kantar Health. CANCERMPACT  treatment architecture. https://www.kantarhealth.com/docs/datasheets/cancermpact-treatment-architecture.pdf?sfvrsn=6&sfvrsn=6. Accessed September 2020 . Bray F, et al. Global cancer statistics 2018: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries. CA: A Cancer Journal. 2018;68(6):394-424. SEER. Cancer stat facts: bladder cancer. https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/urinb.html. Accessed September 2020 . Galsky M, et al. Cisplatin ineligibility for patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma: a survey of clinical practice perspectives among US oncologists. Bladder Cancer. 2019;5:281-288. Cancer.net. Bladder cancer: introduction. https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/bladder-cancer/introduction. Accessed September 2020 . American Cancer Society. What is bladder cancer? https://www.cancer.org/cancer/bladder-cancer/about/what-is-bladder-cancer.html. Accessed September 2020 . Cheeseman S, et al. Current treatment and outcomes benchmark for locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer from a large UK-based single centre. Front Oncol. 2020;10:167. Aly A, et al. Overall survival, costs, and healthcare resource use by line of therapy in Medicare patients with newly diagnosed metastatic urothelial carcinoma. J Med Econ. 2019;22:662-670. Galsky MD, et al. Real-world effectiveness of chemotherapy in elderly patients with metastatic bladder cancer in the United States . Bladder Cancer. 2018;4(2):227-238. Fisher MD, et al. Treatment patterns and outcomes in stage IV bladder cancer in a community oncology setting: 2008-2015. Clin Genitourin Cancer. 2018;16:e1171-e1179. Niegisch G, et al. A real-world data study to evaluate treatment patterns, clinical characteristics and survival outcomes for first- and second-line treatment in locally advanced and metastatic urothelial cancer patients in Germany . J Cancer. 2018;9(8):1337-1348. Flannery K, et al. Outcomes in patients with metastatic bladder cancer in the USA : a retrospective electronic medical record study. Future Oncol. 2019;15:1323-1334. Simeone JC, et al. Treatment patterns and overall survival in metastatic urothelial carcinoma in a real-world, US setting. Cancer Epidemiol. 2019;60:121-127. Dolan DE, Gupta S. PD-1 pathway inhibitors: changing the landscape of cancer immunotherapy. Cancer Control. 2014;21(3):231-237. Dahan R, Sega E, Engelhardt J, et al. FcRs modulate the anti-tumor activity of antibodies targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis. Cancer Cell. 2015;28(3):285-295. Boyerinas B, Jochems C, Fantini M, et al. Antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity activity of a novel anti-PD-L1 antibody avelumab (MSB0010718C) on human tumor cells. Cancer Immunol Res. 2015;3(10):1148-1157.

Your Contacts EMD Serono Inc. Media Noelle Piscitelli +1 781 427 4351 Investor Relations

+49 6151 72-3321 Pfizer Inc., New York, USA Media Dervila Keane (EU) +353 86 2110834

Jessica Smith +1 646 899 3178 Investor Relations Ryan Crowe +1 215 260 0914

SOURCE EMD Serono

Related Links

https://www.emdserono.com


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S.Africa bids farewell to 'hero' George Bizos, Mandela's lawyer South African President Cyril Ramaphosa pays tribute to anti-apartheid lawyer George Bizos at his funeral

South Africa on Thursday bade farewell to George Bizos, the "hero" anti-apartheid lawyer who represented Nelson Mandela at his trial for treason, at a state funeral filled with emotional tributes.

Bizos, a revered, soft-spoken figure, died at his Johannesburg home last week of natural causes at the age of 92.

His flag-draped coffin was wheeled into a Greek community hall by military pall-bearers on Thursday, with President Cyril Ramaphosa in attendance, before it was driven to a cemetery on a ceremonial military gun carriage.

Speakers before a small gathering of family and other dignitaries -- due to coronavirus restrictions -- paid heartfelt tributes to the man who became Mandela's personal friend and defended human rights to the end of his life.

Ramaphosa described Bizos as a "hero", a "lover of freedom" and likened him to a "baobab tree".

"We are here to celebrate and also to bid farewell to a titan of the legal profession whose defence of the cause of justice was as tenacious and it was lifelong," said Ramaphosa.

At the height of the apartheid era, Bizos secured a life sentence for Mandela and others fighting white-minority rule at the landmark Rivonia Trial in 1964.

Against all expectations, the defendants were spared the death penalty and instead given long jail terms -- a verdict that turned them into the living embodiment of the anti-apartheid struggle.

- Mandela 'waiting to welcome you' -

Bizos arrived in South Africa as a 13-year-old war refugee from Greece and trained as a lawyer.

In a long career, he represented a string of activists against the white-minority regime and later helped draw up the constitution of post-apartheid South Africa.

For 30 years, he struggled to acquire South African citizenship -- thanks to his activism against the white minority regime.

"The apartheid government punished him quite severely by denying him citizenship for over three decades and there he was living stateless in a country that he had adopted," Ramaphosa said.

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The regime told him "he was not fit and proper to become a South African citizen," said the president.

Yet Bizos was a "patriot" and "the embodiment of a fit and proper South African citizen," Ramaphosa said.

He continued working until he was past 90 years old, with one of his last major cases securing government payouts in 2014 for the families of 34 miners gunned down two years earlier.

His passing further reduces the number of surviving leaders of the apartheid struggle, whose status wields huge moral and political influence in modern-day South Africa.

Although a junior member of the defence team when he represented Mandela, Bizos was credited with the tactic of proposing that Mandela deliver a statement from the dock to present the group's cause, rather than submit him to cross-examination.

The speech was electrifying, notably Mandela's 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 words "if needs be".

In his autobiography "Long Walk to Freedom" (1994), Mandela describes Bizos 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 on behalf of his wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, on more than 20 occasions.

Ramaphosa concluded his eulogy saying: "Madiba your friend of 65 years is waiting to welcome you".

sn/dl
Preside off Key Financial Inc. Patti Brennan

Barrons Announces Patti Brennan as a 2020 Top Independent Financial Advisor

Barrons Announces Patti Brennan as a 2020 Top Independent Financial Advisor

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Key Financial CEO, Patti Brennan, has just been named by Barrons as a 2020 Top Independent Financial Advisor. This prestigious recognition is given to only 100 Financial Advisors in America - a list comprised of both males and females. The goal of the Barrons Top Independent Advisor list is to recognize those unique advisors who consistently demonstrate excellence in their practice for the people they serve.



Barrons has been ranking financial advisors since 2004 with its first list ranking the nations Top 100 Advisors. In 2006, the Top 100 Women Advisors was introduced, followed by the Top 100 Independent Advisors rankings in 2007. These rankings also produce the Hall of Fame list  a prestigious list of only 145 Advisors in the Nation  also a recognition that Patti Brennan is proud to be a member of. As a matter of fact, Brennan has been a standout in the Barrons rankings for the past 15 years. No easy feat, considering that over 600,000 people are licensed through FINRA. Nearly half of those identify themselves as Financial Advisors with less than 20% of those advisors being women.

Brennan has often been asked to share her expertise with others. Last Fall, she presented at the Barrons UK Summit, where she was the only American Advisor asked to speak about best practices in her firm and throughout the industry. The credit for this achievement really goes to my team  one of the deepest benches in the field of wealth management. Im also so grateful to the many clients who have helped me shape what I believe is the gold standard for how objective financial advice should be given today.

In a year that has seen everything from a global pandemic to sharp market declines, the industry has had to learn to pivot, lean on new forms of technology and adapt business models to remote offices and virtual meetings. The advisors that have been able to groom their teams quickly while still maintaining best practices are now enjoying a new, possibly more efficient way of servicing their clients moving forward.

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At the helm of Key Financial Inc. for over 30 years, Brennan provides comprehensive wealth management with integrated strategies that are unique to each client. Known for her ability to see the impact of the little details on the big picture, Brennan is known for communicating complex financial concepts in simple, understandable and meaningful terms. Brennan has guided standing room only audiences with her wisdom, perspective and practical advice through some of the most challenging times in our country. Brennan and her team have also launched The Patti Brennan Show, a podcast dedicated to helping improve the listeners net worth. The show is biweekly and covers timely financial topics as well as economic forecasts and market discussions. It can be found on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify.

With assets under management of over $1Billion, Key Financial, Inc. is located at 1045 Andrew Drive, Suite A, West Chester, PA. For information about the firms planning services or to speak with Patti Brennan, call (610)429-9050 or visit www.keyfinancialinc.com .

Securities offered through Royal Alliance Associates, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. Insurance services offered through Patricia Brennan are independent of Royal Alliance Associates, Inc. Advisory services offered through Key Financial, Inc., a registered investment advisor not affiliated with Royal Alliance Associates, Inc.

The Barrons Hall of Fame is a select group of individuals who are screened on a number of different criteria. Among factors the survey takes into consideration are the overall size and success of practices, the quality of service provided to clients, adherence to high standards of industry regulatory compliance, and leadership in best practices of wealth management. Portfolio performance is not a factor. Please see www.barrons.com for more information.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f7f3f50b-91d3-479d-896e-fc00b856e5e0




Virtual Event: Democracy in Crisis

The non-partisan event, co-sponsored by the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion and the non-profit Keep Our Republic, was an open discussion about election challenges and solutions.

By: Kristine Yahna Todaro Friday, September 18, 2020 04:07 PM

WATCH: Full 'Democracy in Crisis: Elections in 2020' program here Democracy in Crisis: Elections in 2020, a non-partisan, virtual event open to all on Wednesday, September 23 at 6:30 p.m. Join, a non-partisan, virtual event open to all on Wednesday, September 23 at 6:30 p.m.

The event is co-sponsored by the The event is co-sponsored by the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion and discover, highlight and prevent an array of extraordinary threats to the integrity of the 2020 Election and Transition."



Former Congressman and Majority Leader Dick Gephardt, Committee of Seventy President and CEO David Thornburgh, and veteran constitutional lawyer Mary McCord of Georgetown Law School will host an open discussion about the election challenges and solutions, moderated by Christopher Borick, director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion. Keep Our Republic , a Washington, DC, based non-profit which aims to ", and veteran constitutional lawyerwill host an open discussion about the election challenges and solutions, moderated by

The 2020 election presents unprecedented challenges due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, threats of foreign interference and social unrest. Experts predict that full election results may not be available for many days or even weeks after November 3. Pennsylvania is a pivotal state that must put in place measures to ensure the integrity of the election process.



Learn more and sign up to join the conversation: The 2020 election presents unprecedented challenges due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, threats of foreign interference and social unrest. Experts predict that full election results may not be available for many days or even weeks after November 3. Pennsylvania is a pivotal state that must put in place measures to ensure the integrity of the election process.Learn more and sign up to join the conversation: https://keepourrepublic.com/muhlenberg/

About Muhlenberg College

Founded in 1848, Muhlenberg is a highly selective, private, four-year residential, liberal arts college offering baccalaureate and graduate programs. With an enrollment of approximately 2,200 students, Muhlenberg College is dedicated to shaping creative, compassionate, collaborative leaders through rigorous academic programs in the arts, humanities, natural sciences and social sciences; selected preprofessional programs, including accounting, business, education and public health; and progressive workforce-focused post-baccalaureate certificates and masters degrees. Located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, approximately 90 miles west of New York City, Muhlenberg is a member of the Centennial Conference, competing in 22 varsity sports. Muhlenberg is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Demi Lovato has been caught up in a lockdown romance with fellow Disney star Max Ehrich. Now, they are set to take the next step.

Despite the global pandemic, the couple's whirlwind relationship heated up after the "Sorry Not Sorry" hitmaker announced that she is engaged to the 29-year-old actor after dating for only a few months.

In a lengthy Instagram post, the "Camp Rock" actress penned a sweet message for her soon-to-be husband.

Lovato mentioned that she knew that Max was the one the moment that she met him.

Unfortunately, two months later, the newly engaged were plagued by controversies surrounding Demi Lovato's boyfriend.

It came after Ehrich's old tweets resurfaced while seemingly gushing over Ariana Grande, Gigi Hadid, and his fiancee's former BFF, Selena Gomez.

Eagle-eyed fans also noticed how the "Under the Dome" actor obsessed about the "Lose you to Love Me" songstress, as he even wrote about wanting to marry her in the future.

Aside from this, he was also accused of being a "clout chaser" who is only using the former Disney star's fame.

"He is a clout chaser and was even commenting on many other women's posts a few days before he got with his fiance, Demi Lovato," one fan of Demi wrote.

"Max Ehrich is a creep that has tried to get famous women's attention for years (especially Selena Gomez)," another said.

Amid the backlash, the 28-year-old actress broke her silence and addressed the malicious accusation towards her fiance.

In her Instagram stories, she claimed that the viral posts were "fake" and pointed out that haters were just trying to pit her against Gomez.

Now, it's impossible to verify if the said posts were legit or not since he already deleted his twitter account; however, we have completed a list of Max Ehrich's past romantic relationships before meeting his now-fiancee.

Sarah Hyland

The "Pregnancy Pact" actor's first celebrity romance was with the Modern Family actress Sarah Hyland.

According to reports, they started their relationship in 2007 as highschool sweethearts but called it quits a year later.

The 29-year-old actress was the one who convinced Ehrich to try his luck in Hollywood.

"I decided to move out with a girlfriend at the time and experience L.A., and I will say I think I had a privileged experience," Max mentioned in a previous interview.

Jemma McKenzie-Brown

Max Ehrich also landed a supporting role in the hit 2008 film "High School Musical 3: Senior Year," where he met co-star Jemma McKenzie-Brown.

The British actress reportedly dated the New Jersey-born actor for two years, but unfortunately, the distance between them took a toll on their relationship.

Miranda Cosgrove

Demi Lovato's boyfriend appears to date a lot of former Disney stars.

In 2012, Ehrich sparked dating rumors after he was photographed with former teen star Miranda Cosgrove during an evening stroll in Hollywood.

The pair never addressed the romance rumors, but "The Young and the Restless" actor mentioned in his previous interview with Access Hollywood that he and the "Despicable Me" star were "really good friends."

READ MORE: Chadwick Boseman's Death: Where and When the Actor Was Laid To Rest
Sudanese security forces have detained 41 people for the possession of explosives deemed capable of destroying capital Khartoum, countrys judiciary said.

Forty-one people were arrested in possession of explosives, enough to destroy (the capital) Khartoum, said public prosecutor Tagelsir al-Hebr in a press conference.

Jamal Jumaa, spokesman for the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces told media the convicts were arrested following intelligence gathered since August on the movements of terrorist groups.

We fear now that some Sudanese people will resort to carrying out sabotage and bombings, he said.

This is a threat to Sudanese national security.

The explosives, according to Jumaa, contain components identical to those that caused the massive blast on August 4, in the Lebanese capital.

Tons of ammonium nitrate warehouse in the port of Beirut went off killing at least 190 people and caused significant damage across the city.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 18

By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend:

Kazakhstan has exported 28,769 tons of crude oil worth $5.9 million to Russia in 1Q2020, a source at Kazakhstans oil and gas market told Trend.

The exported volume was 29.09 percent less than during 1Q2019 (40,575 tons), whereas the value was 57.06 percent less than in 1Q2019 ($13.8 million).

During the reporting period, Kazakhstan has also exported 40,008 tons of petroleum products to Russia, for a total of $13.3 million.

Petroleum products export volume was 46.6 percent less than in 1Q2019 (74,959 tons), whereas export value was 56.7 percent less than in 1Q2019 ($30.9 million).

Kazakhstans overall export of crude oil stood at 33.3 million tons worth $15.08 billion in 1H2020 which is compared to 34.6 million tons worth $16.4 billion in 1H2019.

Kazakhstans overall export of petroleum products stood at 364,459 tons of products worth $1.04 million in 1H2020 which is compared to 574,297 tons worth $1.6 million in 1H2019.

The value of trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Russia amounted to $8.07 billion over 1H2020, compared to $9.03 billion during the same period of 2019.

The share of Russia in the total value of Kazakhstans trade turnover stood at 19 percent during the reporting period compared to 19.6 percent during the same period of 2019.

Russias share in the total volume of Kazakhstans export amounted to less than 8.1 percent during the reporting period of 2020 compared to 9.3 percent during the same period of 2019.

---

Follow the author on twitter: @nargiz_sadikh
A Wuhan nurse and her husband have died in a tragic accident while watching a performance dedicated to coronavirus health workers at a local theatre.

The unnamed medic and her partner were trapped between rotating chairs after trying to rescue their son who slipped under the seat, according to reports.

The boy was said to have survived after falling onto a safety net underneath, but his parents were crushed to death.

A Wuhan nurse and her husband have died in a tragic accident while watching a performance dedicated to coronavirus health workers at a local theatre (pictured in handout)

The unnamed medic and her partner were trapped between rotating chairs after trying to rescue their son who slipped under the seat, according to reports. The picture released by the Wuhan theatre shows the venue where the nurse and her husband were killed in an accident

The nurse reportedly worked at Wuhan Tongji Hospital and fought on the frontline against the coronavirus outbreak in the former COVID-19 epicentre. In this file photo, a medical worker is treating a coronavirus patient at the Union Hospital affiliated to Wuhan Tongji Medical College

The nurse reportedly worked at Wuhan Tongji Hospital and fought on the frontline against the coronavirus outbreak in the former COVID-19 epicentre.

The couples deaths also sparked outrage online after Wuhan authorities confirmed the incident on Thursday, 12 days after it occurred on September 6.

The officials did not specify details of the accident, claiming they had carried out emergency rescue and properly handled the aftermath of the incident.

The tragedy was first brought to light by a social media user, who claimed to be a family friend of the victims, in a post on Twitter-like Weibo.

The nurse and her husband took their four-year-old son to watch a performance celebrating coronavirus health workers at the Han Show Theatre in Wuhan on the evening of September 6, the post claimed.

The modern venue with a water-surrounding stage can host up to 2,000 viewers with modified chairs that can rotate and elevate, according to its website.

The nurse and her husband took their four-year-old son to watch a performance celebrating coronavirus health workers at the Han Show Theatre (pictured) in Wuhan September 6

The tragedy was first brought to light by a social media user, who claimed to be a family friend of the victims, in a post on Twitter-like Weibo. A medical worker wearing a face mask looks on at Tongji Hospital in Wuhan, China's central Hubei province on September 3

Chinese President Xi Jinping (centre) awards medal to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) expert Zhang Boli (left) during a meeting commending role models in the country's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic at the Great Hall of the People (GHOP) in Beijing

Some of the seats move like a fan opening and closing to give the audience the best view of onstage effects, a staff member told The Beijing News.

Before the show was about to end, the boy fell under the rotating seat as he stood up preparing to leave.

The parents tried to catch their son before they were both caught between the moving chairs and crushed to death, the web user said.

The boy suffered some injuries while the nurse and her husband were pronounced dead after they were rushed to a hospital.

The post is believed to have been published on September 8 when Beijing held a special event during which President Xi honoured the 'heroes' of China's 'people's war' against COVID-19.

It wrote: Today is the national honouring assembly, but this incident has yet to be seen on the news.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is pictured standing with Chinese medical expert Zhong Nanshan (pictured left) after awarding him a medal at an event to honour some of those involved in China's fight against COVID-19 at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on September 8

Wuhan officials said they were still investigating the causes of the incident while the theatre had reached a compensation agreement with the family.

The company Wanda Group has fired two of its employees since the accident, it said on Friday.

Angered by the governments late and vague announcement, web users called for a thorough investigation by the authorities.

One commenter wrote: This is really quite ironic. Our [medical] fighters returned safely from the frontline and they were crushed to death between seats during the celebration.

Another said: I wanted to find out why the accident happened, but now Im more concerned about how it was only reported after so many days? What was the media doing? Even after the pandemic they still couldnt stop covering up. Disappointed.

A third person replied: Who would have thought that a child would become an orphan after watching a performance? High-tech things are good, but safety issues must be carefully considered.
Voters lined up in Minnesota to cast ballots on Friday ahead of campaign trips to the state by President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, as early voting began there and in three other states ahead of the Nov. 3 election.

Some 44 people cast ballots in the first 30 minutes that the city of Minneapolis' lone polling center was open, in a state Trump narrowly lost in 2016 but has targeted as a possible pickup this time.

Voters in Virginia, South Dakota and Wyoming also began casting in-person ballots on Friday. In Virginia, elections officials in Fairfax and Arlington counties in the Washington suburbs reported heavy turnout, with lines out the door.

But it was more than just interest in the hotly contested election that drove voters to stand in long lines. Some have their doubts about whether the Postal Service can carry out its mission to deliver mail-in ballots.

A man wears a shirt supporting U.S. President Donald Trump while waiting in a socially distant line to vote on the first day of early voting for the 2020 U.S. presidential election at the Fairfax County Government Center in Fairfax, Virginia, U.S., September 18, 2020. Long lines of voters turned up in Virginia and other early voting states

'I don't trust the mail right now, that's why,' Virginia voter Jim O'Conner told CNN. 'If I've got to stand here all day, I'm going to vote today,' he said, while wearing a protective mask. Some waited as long as two hours to vote amid multi-day early voting opportunities.

Some voters in Minnesota said they were anxious to get an early jump on the process, or to avoid potential crowds on Election Day.

The coronavirus pandemic has upended U.S. election traditions. It has sharply curtailed both candidates' campaign travel and is expected to bring a surge of early and mail voting as Americans seek to reduce their exposure to crowds that can spread the disease.

'I just wanted to come get it done,' said Jason Miller, 33, a painter who was in line before the site opened to cast a vote for Biden. He said he could not wait to cast a vote against Trump.

'I don't trust the mail right now,' said Virginia voter Jim O'Conner

Voters wait in line to cast their ballot at an early voting location in Fairfax, Virginia on September 18, 2020. - Early in-person voting for the 2020 general election kicked off on September 18, 2020 in Virginia weeks before Election Day

A voter waits to be handed her ballot as people wait over four hours for early voting at Fairfax County Government Center, Friday, Sept. 18, 2020, in Fairfax, Va.

The lines come about doubts about the Postal Service and the president's attacks on mail-in ballots

Old US Mail boxes sit stacked awaiting refurbishing at Hartford Finishing, Inc., in Hartford, Wisconsin, USA, 19 August 2020

President Trump attacked mail-in ballots at the White House again on Friday

'I was a little inspired to come here the first day,' he said. 'In fact, probably 3-1/2 years ago I thought I would be here the first day I could.'

Steve O'Rourke, 65, who came with a son who has to leave the country on a work trip, said he decided to vote early in person rather than by mail partly out of concern whether a mail-in vote would be counted.

'I like to make sure my vote is counted the day of the election,' said O'Rourke, who also supported Biden. 'I just wanted to make sure I get my vote in.'

All of the voters lined up in Minneapolis wore masks to help protect against the spread of the coronavirus.

Margie Rukavina, 72, said she was 'revved up' to vote for Biden but also was concerned about voting on Election Day given health concerns.

'We want to come early to avoid a super-spreader event, like our president is so happy to do,' she said. Trump has been criticized for holding crowded campaign rallies, often with people not wearing masks.

The Republican president trails Biden in national opinion polls but is trying to make up ground in Minnesota, which he lost by about 1.5 percentage points to Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016, while winning neighboring Wisconsin.

Recent opinion polls have given Biden a comfortable lead in Minnesota. The poll-tracking website RealClearPolitics showed Biden up by an average of 10.2 points as of Friday.

Biden's polling advantage underscores the extent to which the current electoral map favors the former vice president. He leads in all three former industrial 'Rust Belt' states that Trump flipped from the Democratic column on his way to victory in 2016: Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

Trump is scheduled to hold a campaign rally at an airport in Bemidji, Minnesota, in the evening.

In the afternoon, Biden toured a union carpenter training center in Hermantown, a suburb of the Lake Superior port city of Duluth, where he painted a grim picture of the economic situation in Minnesota's iron ore mining region, saying the coronavirus has driven up unemployment figures.

He blamed Trump for the sustained economic downturn, arguing the president has done little to contain the health crisis.

'Trump has given up on even pretending to do his job,' Biden said.

Minnesota was the flashpoint for a national reckoning on race relations, when George Floyd, a Black man, died after a white Minneapolis policeman kneeled on his neck for minutes even after he appeared to lose consciousness.

The killing sparked widespread civil unrest that has lasted for months and further rattled a nation already besieged by the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed nearly 196,000 Americans and thrown millions out of work.

Trump has responded to the demonstrations by vowing to maintain 'law and order' while portraying many of the protesters as far-left radicals who would be further empowered by a Biden victory.

Biden has denounced the violence at some protests while expressing support for the protesters' objections to racism and police brutality. He has blamed Trump's divisive rhetoric for inflaming the situation

A majority of President Donald Trump's supporters plan to cast their ballot on Election Day, while about half of Joe Biden's backers plan to vote by mail, a sign of a growing partisan divide over how best to conduct elections in the United States.

Overall, 39% of registered voters say they will vote by mail, well above the 21% who say they normally do so, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The rise is skewed toward backers of the former vice president, 53% of whom plan to vote by mail. Fifty-seven percent of Trump's supporters say they'll vote in person on Nov. 3.

Fifty-four percent of voters say they will vote before polls open on Election Day. In 2016, roughly 42% of voters did so.

Trump for months has denigrated mail voting, and Democrats have expressed concern about postal delays that could keep such ballots from being counted. The poll finds ebbing enthusiasm for mail voting: Only 28% of Americans say they would favor their state holding elections exclusively by mail, down from the 40% who said so in April as the coronavirus pandemic was first spreading in the U.S. and before Trump launched his anti-mail campaign.

Support for states allowing voters to cast an absentee ballot without requiring a reason is higher, but also down since April, from 56% to 47%.

Sherry Santiago, 55, of Palm Bay, Florida, is disabled and cannot drive. The Democrat said she almost lost her chance to vote in 2016 because she couldn't get a lift to the polling place and she's happy to sign up for a mail-in ballot this year.

In this Sept. 8, 2020 photo, voting booths are kept socially distant at the Chesterfield, N.H. polling site. A majority of President Donald Trump's supporters plan to cast their ballot on Election Day, while about half of Joe Biden's backers plan to vote by mail. That's according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research that finds 54% of voters say they will vote before polls open on Nov. 3. (Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP)

'I don't want to take a chance of missing it,' Santiago said of the election. 'I have total confidence in voting by mail. I don't worry there will be a problem.'

But Michelle Harman, 44, a Republican who works in the oil and gas industry in Artesia, New Mexico, plans to vote in person on Election Day.

'This year more than any other, there's a lot of gray area about what could happen to your vote,' said Harman, who said she didn't question voting by mail in 2016 when she was out of town.

Traditionally, voting by mail has not been a partisan issue. Until recently, Republicans were more likely to do so than Democrats, because older voters have tended to vote by mail more often than younger voters.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended earlier this year voting by mail as an alternative to face-to-face interactions at polling places, which could pose a risk of coronavirus infection. States have scrambled to adjust to an expected surge in advance voting, with nearly three dozen changing their mail or absentee voting rules in response to the pandemic.

The president has since tried to fan skepticism of mail voting, baselessly claiming that its widespread use will lead to fraud. Trump warned that mail voting could lead to so many people voting that 'youd never have a Republican elected in this country again.' He condemned on Thursday the plan in 10 states to proactively send mail-in ballots to registered voters, claiming without evidence it means the result of November's election would never be accurately determined.

Studies of past elections have shown voter fraud to be exceedingly rare. In the five states that regularly send ballots to all voters, there have been no major cases of fraud or difficulty counting the votes.

The poll found that 33% of Democrats, but just 12% of Republicans, favor mail-only elections. That's a decline across the board from April, when 47% of Democrats and 29% of Republicans backed the idea. Seventy-two percent of Democrats, but just 25% of Republicans, favor no-excuse absentee voting.

In swing states like Florida, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, Democrats have far outpaced Republicans in requesting mail-in ballots so far this year.

John Mohr, 58, who works at a Dollar General store in Wilmington, North Carolina, asked for a mail-in ballot, but he plans to drop it off at his local elections office. He's seen videos on Facebook saying - falsely - that mail-in ballots are labeled by party, tipping off postal workers who could throw them out before they reach the elections office.

'I don't trust the postal service and I sure don't trust Democrats,' Mohr said. Trump in North Carolina this month called for his supporters to vote twice - once by mail and once on Election Day - to ensure their vote is counted, which would be illegal. The president now urges supporters voting by mail to check at their polling place whether their ballot was received, but Mohr said he doesn't want to deal with social distancing rules.

'I don't want to stand there with 50 different rules,' Mohr said.

The poll shows only 34% of Americans have great confidence in the U.S. Postal Service, following a summer of controversy over slowed service resulting from cuts made by Trump's appointee. Still, 49% say they have some confidence.

Democrats suspect the cuts are an effort to sabotage mail voting, and Trump himself said he'd be happy if the post office got less money to stop Democratic efforts to expand that method of voting.

Robert Schott, a Republican, plans to vote in person because his polling place is 500 yards from his home in Cranford, New Jersey, and is rarely crowded. 'It's easier than going to the post office,' said Schott, 62.

Schott, who dislikes Trump and does not know who he will vote for, spoke as he looked at the ballot that just arrived by mail. Though Trump has criticized that practice, Schott sees nothing wrong with it. Nor does he distrust the postal service.

'If they can't handle 50 million ballots but they can handle 2 billion Christmas cards, c'mon,' Schott said.

Christopher Roquemore, 47, a Democrat in Montgomery, Alabama, will vote early in person because he's volunteering as a poll worker on Election Day. 'I figure as long as I wear a mask and I wash my hands and do everything I'm supposed to do, it'll be as safe as going into a grocery store,' he said.

But his parents, who live across the street, will be voting by mail.

___

Fingerhut reported from Washington.

___

The AP-NORC poll of 1,108 adults was conducted Sept. 11-14 using a sample drawn from NORCs probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.0 percentage points.

___

Online:

AP-NORC Center: http://www.apnorc.org/
Cambodians have greeted the death earlier this month (September 2) of Khmer Rouge commandant Kaing Guek Eav  commonly known as comrade Duch  as one more milestone for the country as it continues to move on from its tragic past. As head of a notorious prison, Duch presided over the killing of as many as 16,000 people during the Khmer Rouge regime of the 1970s. Luke Hunt reports from Choeung Ek, Cambodia. VOA Khmer's Vanrith Chree narrates.
Home  Politics  All courts across Nepal are closed on Thursday

Kathmandu, September 17

The Supreme Court has decided to close all courts across the country on Thursday to mourn the death of a former chief justice.

Anirudra Prasad Singh had served as the chief justice of the apex court from May 21, 1956, to June 29, 1959. Singh had died of pneumonia, at the age of 100, on Tuesday.

Following that, an emergency meeting of the Supreme Court justices on Wednesday had decided to close all courts across the country, concluding his death meant the loss of a patriotic and just personality of the country.

Singh is credited for beginning the publication of Nepal Kanun Patrika, a collection of significant court verdicts.
Paris Hilton doesn't know exactly when she wants children, but she is laying the groundwork to one day have twins.

The 39-year-old reality star and businesswoman has shared in a new documentary that she is in the process of having her eggs frozen with the hope of one day having a boy and a girl, which she spoke about on the LadyGang podcast.

Paris Hilton (Chris Pizzello / AP)

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"First one, we're planning it already, is going to be a boy and girl twin," says Hilton. "When you freeze your eggs, you can pick if you get a boy, you get a girl, you get twins."

Hilton didn't specify who she was referring to when she said "we," but it's a safe bet she meant her boyfriend of just over a year, entrepreneur Carter Reum. Hilton told London's Sunday Times last month that she hopes to have a family with Reum and that she thinks he will be the "best dad" one day.

She also has the name of one of their potential children already picked out.

"I have baby London, which is the girl, and I'm trying to figure out a name for the boy," she said on the podcast. "So if you have any suggestions, I'm asking my friends. I don't want a theme of cities, but I don't know  it's hard to decide. London for sure for the girl; the boy, I'm just still trying to decide on."

Hilton also speaks about the decision to freeze her eggs in the documentary "This is Paris," which was released on her YouTube channel on Monday.

"I just don't want to miss that opportunity," she said about being a mother. "At least I have my eggs frozen. I definitely want to have a girl first, name her London, but I just don't know when I'm going to have time. I will not stop until I make a billion dollars, and then I think I can relax.

"I know that sounds crazy. I just don't want to have to worry, I don't want to ever have to worry about anything."

Story continues

The inspiration for Hilton's decision to freeze her eggs, she said, came from Kim Kardashian West, who has four children with husband Kanye West. Her two youngest children, Chicago, 2, and Psalm, 1, were born via surrogate using frozen embryos. She gave birth herself to her older son Saint, 4, by using one of her frozen eggs.

Kardashian West turned to a surrogate for her most recent two children after she said she underwent five surgeries for pregnancy complications after Saint's birth.

"I had a really amazing conversation with Kim about it," Hilton told the Sunday Times. "She introduced me to her doctor, and I was so inspired by her to actually do it."

Related video:
Why has Mumbai's cyber police taken no action against these WhatsApp groups who everyday, commit offences under the Indian Penal Code?

The police cannot be unaware of their existence, observes Shruthi Marathe.

How many Mumbaikars will the Shiv Sena beat up for forwarding WhatsApp messages insulting to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray?

WhatsApp groups supportive of the Bharatiya Janata Party churn out such cartoons every day.

Secularists may have approach the court to prevent Sudarshan TV from telecasting its 'UPSC jehad' programme.

Even though they succeeded, the programme's message had already reached thousands of members of WhatsApp groups which have been spinning the 'UPSC Jehad' conspiracy theory for the past few months.

So also, the communalisation of Sushant Singh Rajput's suicide is only an extension of the way the tragedy has been projected by these groups right from the start: As a Hindu-Muslim issue.

Run by BJP supporters, WhatsApp groups played a huge role in winning UP for the BJP in the 2017 assembly election.

In Mumbai, they sprouted up in a big way a few months before last year's Lok Sabha election.

Every suburb had its own group with its own admin. Invitations were sent out en masse for people to join.

Promoting Modi as PM was the raison d'etre of these groups, but very soon it became clear that propagating the achievements of the BJP government at the Centre and states was only one of their functions.

The other was to spread hatred, often using misleading photographs and videos and even downright lies, against the party's usual targets: Muslims and Islam, Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi, the Congress, the Gandhi family, with Rahul as the special butt of jokes, Opposition leaders Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal, Christians, and, of course, secular Hindus.

Freedom fighter and India's first education minister Maulana Azad is a new addition to these targets.

After Modi swept the Lok Sabha polls, these groups continued, with some of them changing their name to 'PM Modi 2024' or 'Nation with NaMo'. But apart from the name, nothing changed.

After the lockdown began and Delhi's Nizamuddin Markaz shot into the news, these groups were flooded with messages branding the entire Muslim community as 'Corona jehadis', using fake videos of Muslim vendors contaminating foodstuffs sold by them.

The groups fell silent mid-April, after the Mumbai police warned of action against misleading messages about the coronavirus and messages spreading communal enmity.

But a month later, they were back. One of the first messages that signaled their return linked 'Corona' with 'Quran' and 'Sanitizer' with 'Sanatani'.

Currently, the dominant theme is Rajput's suicide.

Initially, these groups said the young actor was driven to suicide by those who, according to them, dominated Bollywood: The Khans, with Karan Johar and Aditya Chopra being part of the 'gang'.

Somewhere along the way, wild charges were made about state Minister Aditya Thackeray's role, and the Mumbai police's alleged cover-up of that.

Soon, the 'Muslim-loving' Mahesh Bhatt made an appearance; he was supposed to have instigated Rhea Chakraborty. Currently, fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim is supposed to be the kingpin of the gang that 'killed' Rajput.

These groups's rants against Bollywood are reminiscent of the rage Trump followers feel against Hollywood.

But here, the communal angle makes the rage more than just moralistic indignation against the hedonistic lifestyle of film stars.

A long message posted on one of the groups explains their deep-seated resentment against the Hindi film industry.

The writer rages that Hindi films show Muslim and Christian priests as devout, but sadhus as cheats and oppressors; Muslims are shown as patriots while Hindus as traitors; bhajans are avoided but songs about 'Ali Moula' abound.

'After years of seeing this, we have reached the limits of our tolerance,' says the message.

This description is only half-true.

Benign portrayals of Muslims were indeed common in Hindi films, but that was more than a generation ago.

Starting from the late 1990s, Muslims began to be portrayed as terrorists quite often: Films such as Sarfarosh, Aamir, A Wednesday come to mind immediately.

As for Christians, even in the 1960s and 1970s, the avuncular pastor was as common a character as was the drunken 'Johnny', or 'auntie', who was often a bootlegger, or at best, a garage mechanic.

Christians, in fact, used to take offence at such stereotyping.

As for avoiding bhajans: Hindi film bhajans have for years succeeded in eliminating all other forms of devotional music on religious occasions.

But past grudges based on half-truths are the usual weapons used by these groups to convince Hindus that despite being the majority, they have always been persecuted.

However now, says this message, the majority has awoken, and hence the 'award wapasi gang, urban Naxals, Khangressis and Memuna (Mamta Banerjee), leftists and the lustful (vaami, kaami)', are all afraid that they too will be exposed.

These groups may talk about the Khans dominating Bollywood, but their rage is reserved for one Khan: Aamir Khan, who had spoken out in 2015 after the first mob lynching of Akhlaq in Dadri.

Aamir's meeting with Turkish President Erdogan's wife on a recent professional trip to Turkey is being projected as an act of treason, because Erdogan has criticised the Indian government on Kashmir and its treatment of Muslims.

Any number of photographs showing Aamir Khan with Arabs -- wrongly identified as terrorists -- have been circulated on these groups.

Another target of the vilest abuse is Naseeruddin Shah, who has more than once, attacked the Centre's policies.

At the other end of the spectrum are the two celebrities who have emerged as Hindutva icons for these groups: Kangana Ranaut and Arnab Goswami.

The groups's members are beside themselves with joy at the continuous baiting of Uddhav Thackeray by Ranaut and Goswami.

Seen as having betrayed the legacy of his father Bal Thackeray, the Maharashtra CM is, after Rahul Gandhi, the butt of the maximum number of jokes.

Sometimes, the fanaticism of these groups spares not even the BJP.

About three months ago, one message had drawn the attention of group members to the scheme run by the minority affairs ministry for IAS training for minorities.

One Sunday, a tweet by one Prof Hari Om whose handle is '@Dostkhan_Jammu' was posted on these groups, warning Hindus that soon, they would be out of the civil services thanks to Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Naqvi 'working overtime to replace Hindus'.

This comes on the heels of false allegations made in these groups against the Zakaat Foundation of India which has been training Muslims free for the civil services.

The subject 'Islamic Studies' must be removed from the UPSC syllabus, say these groups, because it helps Muslims score better than Hindus.

It should be mentioned here that Muslims, who comprise 14% of India's population, make up barely 5% of the civil services.

Why has the Mumbai's cyber police taken no action against these WhatsApp groups, who everyday, commit offences under the Indian Penal Code's Sections 153 A (promoting communal enmity) and 295A (hurting religious sentiments)?

The police cannot be unaware of their existence.

Are they waiting for complaints? Those may never come, for if at all members do find some of the messages offensive, they may be unwilling to risk offending the politically well-connected people who run these groups.

Are Mumbai's cyber cops also unwilling to take this risk?

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
- The Electoral commission has on Friday, September 18, begun the exhibition of the voters register

- A short code was also provided for people to verify their ID's in the comfort of their home

- Most Ghanaians are not happy as they claim the code provided is not working

Our manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in

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The Electoral Commission of Ghana has through various media outlets announced to Ghanaians that they can check and confirm their names on the new voters register using a short code.

The commission asked Ghanians to text their voter identification number to the short code 1422 across all networks at a charge of 0.30peseswas.

Ghanaians blast Electoral Commission; say short code to verify voters ID is not working Source: Facebook (Electoral Commission)

Source: Facebook

In a recent post the Electoral Commission shared on its Facebook page encouraging people to visit the various exhibition centres to cross check their names, Ghanaians did not mince words in putting the EC in their place over the failure of the SMS.

READ ALSO: Election 2020: Okada will be legalised when the NDC is voted into power -Mahama

Most comments on the post shared by the EC were in relation to the fact that the short code provided for verification was not working.

The comments below shows how unhappy some Ghanaians are with the whole process

Hajj Abu M. Salange had quite a lot to say.

Stop this populist advertisements and social media engagements and do the right things that are the main challenges as of now at the exhibition centers. People can't find their names and some unidentified pictures pasted on some peoples names. We citizens will stand up to you if you dare carry on these intentional partisan serving mistakes to the 7th December, 2020. Just take notice and do all the corrections.

Kaleem Ishaque said the he cannot travel to his station for just verification.

The SMS 1422 is not giving any feedback. You better do something before it will be late. We are on vacation and I cannot travel to my station for just verification.

Christian Salvo called for the EC to fix the challenge.

I have texted my ID number to 1422 but still no feedback why?? Please fix it now

Confidence Atsu Nornam Nutornutsi had something to say on COVID-19

I haven't seen any of the #COVID-19 Ambassadors you people said you have recruited to be the polling stations I have visited so far. I have been to 9 polling station and only 2 peoples at each station.

Docta Afico Junior II was concerned about students.

Pls what are doing about the students ..... who registered at different places

Jacob Mills said his brother and father's names are not in the register.

My brother and father names are not in

Missionary Mawuena complained of gender change when she verified.

Why have my gender change on the verification

Baabamu Negbane Rahim said without feedback, the service kept deducting his airtime.

No feed back for SMS.n they are deducting our airtime???

READ ALSO: NPP will not legalise okada; riders would be leased cars instead  Bawumia

In other news, the minority leader in Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu, has revealed that out of the 55 seats the National Democratic Congress (NDC) lost in 2016, the party has already won 47.

According to him, the opposition NDC has identified all the loops that made them loose those seats and have worked towards it.

He made this known in an interview on TV3's morning show, the New Day on Wednesday, September 16, 2020.

READ ALSO: Election 2020: Out of 55 seats lost in 2016 NDC has already won 47  Haruna Iddrisu

Vox Pop: Mahama or Akufo-Addo? Who deserves to win Election 2020? | #Yencomgh

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Source: YEN.com.gh
It is the question the fashion industry and consumers have pondered for six months: what will we wear when this is all over? Will we ever again get truly, capital-D dressed, or, to borrow from a recent New York Times piece, are "sweatpants forever"?

This week, some answers began to emerge as some of the world's leading designers, including several Australian brands, previewed their spring-summer 2021 collections at New York Fashion Week (NYFW). And overwhelmingly, the answer was a floral dress (or, in the case of Rodarte, a floral matched set, a kind of "anti-tracksuit").

Nicky Zimmermann, who showed independently (and virtually) from Sydney this season, had the idea to incorporate botanical drawings into the collection before Christmas but the bushfires over summer and then the pandemic gave the idea added poignancy.
You are here: China

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, on Thursday inspected Changsha, the capital city of central China's Hunan Province.

Xi visited a company producing intelligent equipment, a cultural industry park, and a university to learn about the development of advanced manufacturing and cultural industries, the ideological and political work at colleges and the promotion of fine culture.
One of two former Illinois child welfare workers who investigated abuse allegations involving a 5-year-old boy whose beaten body was found in a shallow grave last year pleaded not guilty Thursday to child endangerment and reckless conduct charges.

Andrew Polovin, 48, of Island Lake, entered his plea during a brief hearing in a McHenry County courtroom, a week after he former co-worker Carlos Acosta were arrested. Acosta, 54, is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 24. Both men are out of custody after each posted $20,000 bonds.

Polovin was Acosta's supervisor at the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services in the months before Andrew AJ" Freund's body was found dead near his family's Crystal Lake home in April 2019, days after his parents reported him missing. The boy's mother, JoAnn Cunningham, has since pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and his father, Andrew Freund Sr., is awaiting trial.

Freund is scheduled to appear in court Friday and his attorney has said that a plea deal may be announced.

Within days of the boy's death, details emerged about what authorities said was the torture that the boy endured and the extensive contact he and his family had with child welfare workers.

The same month the boy was killed, Acosta and Polovin were placed on desk duty and they both left the agency later that year.

Charging documents filed with the McHenry County Circuit Clerks Office allege that Polovin and Acosta knowingly caused or permitted (AJ)  to be placed in circumstances that endangered AJs life or health. Theyre also accused of recklessly performing an act that caused great bodily harm or permanent disability to a child.
2 South Carolina Boys Taken From Their Bedroom Overnight, Police Say

Authorities in South Carolina are asking for the publics help to find two boys who were abducted from their bedroom.

Matthew Kinman, 9, and Jerry Kinman, 7, were taken from their home in Aiken, South Carolina, on Sept. 17, said officials with the City of Aiken.

Officials said that Nancy Christina Kinman, 31, is wanted for questioning about where the missing boys are.

She is said to be driving a maroon 2005 Toyota Camry with South Carolina license plate SIY391.

Matthew is described as 4 feet tall, 90 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. Jerry is described as 4 feet and 55 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes.

Nancy Christina Kinman was described as 5 feet 2, 185 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes, officials said.

(City of Aiken)

The juveniles are listed in [National Crime Information Center]. If located, please hold and notify Aiken Public Safety immediately, said the city.

Officials said Friday that two girls from Aiken, identified as 13-year-old Emily McCarty and 10-year-old Mary Madison McCarty, were found on Thursday. They were both unharmed, reported the Post and Courier. Their case appears to be separate from the Kinmans case.

Anyone with information about the boys whereabouts asked to call Public Safety: 803-642-7620. Information can also be provided anonymously via Midlands Crime Stoppers: 888-274-6372.

Other details were not released.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin. [Photo/fmprc.gov.cn]

China urged the United States on Thursday to immediately stop all forms of official exchanges with Taiwan ahead of the arrival on the island of US Undersecretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment Keith Krach, saying it will take necessary measures as the situation develops.

Krach arrived in Taiwan late Thursday afternoon for a memorial service on Saturday for former Taiwan leader Lee Teng-hui. He was expected to meet Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen on Friday. He also was to attend an economic and commercial dialogue with Taiwan authorities, local media reported.

His visit follows a trip last month by US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, the highest-level US official to travel to the island in four decades.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said China firmly opposes any official exchange between the US and Taiwan, which is a consistent and clear policy.

China lodged stern representations with the US over Krach's trip, which would embolden "Taiwan independence" forces, damage Sino-US ties and harm cross-Straits stability and peace, the spokesman said.

"We urge the US to fully recognize the extreme sensitivity of the Taiwan question," he said, adding that the US should stop expanding relations with the island in any substantive way.

He demanded the US abide by the one-China principle as well as the three Sino-US joint communiques and properly handle Taiwan-related issues.

Speaking of Krach's trip, Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said on Wednesday that the Taiwan question is China's internal affair, and no external forces are allowed to interfere.

"We firmly oppose any form of official exchanges between Taiwan and countries that have established diplomatic relations with China. This kind of behavior interferes with China's internal affairs, hurts the feelings of the Chinese people and violates the norms of international relations," he said.
Srinagar, Sep 19 : The exemplary courage of CRPF Deputy Commandant, who was injured in an encounter at Batmalloo in Srinagar, has been lauded.

Deputy Commandant Rahul Mathur was part of Thursday's encounter at Firdousabad Batmaloo in Srinagar wherein he received gunshot injuries while leading the assault. Mathur later managed to gun down one of the terrorists.

A total of three terrorists were killed in the encounter while one woman, Kausar Riyaz, was also killed in the exchange of fire.

The CRPF on Friday tweeted a photo of Mathur undergoing treatment at the hospital with the caption: "If courage has a face, that's how its smile would look: Sh. Rahul Mathur, DC CRPF who neutralised terrorists even after suffering bullet injuries yesterday." J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday visited the 92 Base Hospital and enquired about Mathur's well-being.

"I salute the exemplary courage and bravery displayed by Dy Commandant Rahul Mathur. The country is proud of his bravery, patriotism and commitment to duty," Sinha said.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Sufficient number of beds and ventilators for coronavirus infected patients were available after March 24 in AIIMS and other central government-run hospitals of the country, Minister of State for Health Ashwini Choubey told the Lok Sabha on Friday.

The minister replied in the negative to a question on whether an increase in deaths of patients has been registered due to insufficient beds and ventilators in hospitals.

There were 1,707 beds and 292 ventilators in March which have been increased to 7,403 beds and 906 ventilators in September in the Health Ministry's 13 COVID dedicated hospitals in the country, Choubey said.

Providing data on the number of pathological labs available across the country for conducting COVID-19 tests in response to a question, Choubey said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), an autonomous organisation under the Department of Health Research, has informed that as on September 13, a total of 1,717 COVID-19 testing laboratories are registered on its portal comprising 1,049 government labs and 668 private labs.

In addition, ICMR has a total of 5,134 antigen testing sites in their database as on September 17, he said.

"The ICMR has informed that till September 13, a total 5,72,39,428 COVID-19 tests have been performed by the testing laboratories, of which 48,46,427 have been reported as COVID-19 infected," the minister said.

He also stated that ICMR has informed that it is in the process of on-boarding more new labs through its 14 mentor institutes.

Private and government medical institutions that have not yet set-up a lab have been issued instructions to expedite the process for the same.

According to ICMR, there are more than 250 labs which are in the process of setting-up COVID-19 testing facilities, the minister said.

Further, in response to another question, the minister informed that India's testing strategy includes rapid antigen test for fast detection of COVID-19 infected patients.

Rapid antibody tests can be used for detecting the presence of antibodies in recovered individuals.

These are not used for patient diagnosis, he said.

The ICMR has informed that it has been interacting with national and international manufacturers who have expressed their interest in supplying diagnostics to India.

The kit manufacturers are required to submit their product for validation at the designated centres of ICMR.

"Only the approved kits are provided marketing permission by the Drugs Controller General of India.

However, US-FDA approved kits are exempted from validation.

"Price of procurement is based on a competitive tendering process. ICMR's validation process is based on standardized protocols developed under consultation of experts and are in line with global standards," he said.
Up until the end of August, 628 asylum applications have been filed in the Grand Duchy this year. Over the same period last year, more than double the number of applications had been submitted.

In April, during lockdown, only ten asylum seekers were reported, compared to the 91 applications filed in August 2020.

Asylum seekers mainly come from Syria (25 of the 91 applications recorded in August), Eritrea, Guinea-Conakry, and Iraq.

This year, 1,029 decisions have been made: a little more than half of the requests (531) have been accepted.

56 transfers in context of the Dublin Regulation occurred, mostly to Germany, Spain, and France. Another 36 refugees were transferred to Luxembourg.

There have already been 52 returns of asylum seekers from Luxembourg this year, of which 36 were voluntary, and 16 were forced.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 760 new positive coronavirus cases Friday, raising the statewide total to 148,683.

The number of tests administered within the last 7 days between Sept. 11 and Sept. 17 is 172,682 with 6,046 positive cases. There were 26,068 test results reported to the department through 10 P.M., Sept. 17. These results represent the total number of tests administered.

Health officials continue to be concerned over the increase in the number of cases amongst younger adults, specifically those 19 to 24 years old. This number has overshadowed those in groups of 50 and 64 years old as well as those older than 65. State officials therefore highly stress the importance of students returning to college campus to practice social distancing and to avoid large gatherings.

Secretary of Health, Dr. Rachel Levine, additionally announced the opening of testing clinics throughout Centre and Columbia counties starting Sept. 25. Since the beginning of September, we have seen an increase of 1,109 cases in Centre County and 172 cases in Columbia county, which gives us significant cause for concern, she stated. These testing sites will be open to anyone who feels they need a test. It is important that even people with no symptoms who test positive isolate and quarantine to stop the spread of COVID-19.

The schedule for testing in both counties will be:

Friday, Sept. 25 (7:00 AM to 7:00 PM)

Saturday, Sept. 26 (7:00 AM to 7:00 PM)

Tuesday, Sept. 29 (7:00 AM to 7:00 PM)

Wednesday, Sept. 30 (7:00 AM to 7:00 PM)

Thursday, Oct. 1 (7:00 AM to 7:00 PM)

Friday, Oct. 2 (7:00 AM to 7:00 PM)

Saturday, Oct. 3 (7:00 AM to 7:00 PM)

The address for Centre County testing is Nittany Mall, 2633 E. College Avenue, State College, PA, 16801. The address for Columbia County testing is Bloomsburg Fairgrounds, W. Fort McClure Blvd., Bloomsburg, PA, 17815.

Up to 500 registered patients can be tested per day. Testing is on a first come, first serve basis and is at no cost to those being tested. Patients are not required to show symptoms of COVID-19 in order to be tested. No appointment is necessary, but a photo-ID or insurance card is required. Registration will also be completed on-site.

There are 257 cases who have a positive viral antigen test and are considered probable cases and 645 patients who have a positive serology test and either COVID-19 symptoms or a high-risk exposure. There are 1,732,805 patients who have tested negative to date.

The number of deaths has increased by 21. This brings the total from 7,913 to 7,934. There are 257 cases who have a positive viral antigen test and are considered probable cases and 645 patients who have a positive serology test and either COVID-19 symptoms or a high-risk exposure.

The age breakdown of those who have tested positive for the coronavirus is as follows:
S heku Kanneh-Mason is a man of his word. Despite coronavirus chaos, the cellist who performed at Prince Harry and Meghan Markles wedding is to keep a date agreed over two years ago to play a concert in Kensington tomorrow with a conductor friend from his Royal Academy of Music days.

Im thrilled to let you know that on Saturday 19 September Ill be conducting concertsof Dvorjaks Cello Concerto with my group Fantasia Orchestra and superstar cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, conductor Tom Fetherstonehaugh announced.

Kanneh-Mason and Fetherstonehaugh met age 13 at the Royal Academy of Music and have been friends since.

This is set to be Kanneh-Masons first post-lockdown live paying concert in London as the music world tries to get back on track.

Its the start of a busy period for Kanneh-Mason, who is also aiming for a Christmas number one album as part of a supergroup featuring his six siblings and poems written by Michael Morpurgo and performed by Olivia Colman.

As for his Kensington concert, Fetherstonehaugh added the gig was fixed two years a go and it so happens with corona pandemic it has become high profile all of a sudden. Well, if your cellist has played at a royal wedding...

How Sasha beat pig H in game of Chequers

Alan Davidson/REX

As related in her diary, Sasha Swire, above, rushed to Chequers at the PMs invitation in 2013, when her marriage was in trouble. Her husband Hugo was being a pig and she writes movingly about how the Camerons, especially David, brought her back to life. However, others present noted that in fact the Camerons had been under quite a lot of pressure to host her and that she was in high spirits that weekend, delighted shed got one over on H as she, not he, was at Chequers with the Prime Minister.

B-word gaffe as French Vogue hails animal activist Pamela

Dave Benett

Pamela Anderson has found her voice as a campaigner for animal and environmental rights, but in trying to praise her, poor French Vogue has come a cropper with English idiom. On their website the magazine lists (in English)5 inspirational women dedicated to fighting for animal welfare and praises her for taking on governments Unfortunately, it also describes Anderson as the Baywatch bimbo. Get with the times.

UK literary prize puts Booker under pressure

Paul Burston, of the Polari First Book Prize for LGBTQ writers, says entry is limited to UK and Irish-born writers because other English-speaking countries have their own LGBTQ book prizes ... and UK authors are often overlooked or ineligible. BUrston added "as the UKs only book prize for LGBTQ writing, we wanted to help elevate new homegrown talent." The Booker has announced four Americans on its shortlist of six, causing uproar in the literary world. Will long before it switches back to rules like the Polari's?

SW1A

Skepta, possibly looking up Priti Patel / Getty Images for Greenwich Penin

Grime star Skepta has sparked a flurry of speculation after posting a photo of Home Secretary Priti Patel with no caption. Patel was in a pink suit and was cocking an eyebrow across the benches in the House of Commons. Skepta has offered no explanation, but fans have filled the vacuum with theories about the root of Skeptas admiration. That would be one crush we certainly didnt expect.

---

Labour must be feeling flush as the party is on a hiring spree, including for one social listening manager. The party, proudly under new management is on the hunt for at least five jobs, including a regional director for the South East. But its the role of the social listening manager thats caught our eye. Paid to sit on Twitter? Not bad work if you can get it.
Jun Kwang-hoon speaks to journalists at Seoul Central District Court on Sept. 7 after being indicted on charges of violating his bail conditions by participating in a mass anti-government demonstration in Seoul, Aug. 15. Yonhap



The Seoul city government said Friday it plans to file a 4.6 billion-won (US$3.9 million) compensation suit against a pastor blamed for worsening the new coronavirus outbreak here by holding mass rallies in central Seoul.



Despite warnings against holding mass rallies, Jun Kwang-hoon, who pastors Sarang Jeil Church in northern Seoul, is suspected of leading anti-government protests in central Seoul in mid-August that thousands of people attended. Jun, himself, later tested positive.



"Even limiting the damages to cases reported within Seoul, the (damages) inflicted upon the city government, transportation agency, ward offices, the country and the health insurance institution are estimated at 13.1 billion won," the city government said in a press release.



Included in the amount were 330 million won to treat 641 patients reported in the capital and 663 million won to fund people under home isolation due to possible contact with the church. The city also included indirect losses, such as losses coming from a fall in passengers using public transportation.



"But this is merely part of the tangible losses," the city's spokesman, Hwang In-sik, said in a press conference.



"The difficulties that citizens faced due to strengthened social distancing and the economic impact on the national economy are massive to the extent that it's not even countable," Hwang said, adding that the city will take "all possible measures" to prove the damages incurred by the church and the pastor.



The government had placed the greater Seoul area under tightened social distancing following a spike in cases. Indoor fitness facilities and internet cafes were suspended, while cafes and restaurants were not allowed to accept dine-in customers after 9 p.m. The measures were lifted earlier this week.





Jun Kwang-hoon is escorted by the police on Sept. 7 as the Seoul Central District Court canceled his bail that day. Yonhap
Agra: When business evaporated at Gajendra Sharma's eyeglass shop a couple of miles from the Taj Mahal during India's strict COVID-19 lockdown, he was relieved to hear about a pandemic debt moratorium that would give him breathing room on his home loan.

Now, however, the 53-year-old optician's $13,500 debt risks destabilising India's banks, authorities warn.

That is because a complaint he brought challenging the loan relief plan, grouped with those of other borrowers and now before the Supreme Court, could mean a $27 billion hit to lenders - more than half their annual profits - that could shake the nation's financial system, the industry and regulators fear.

The battle, launched from Sharma's small shop in the northern city of Agra and now involving more than 120 lawyers, has the central bank and government struggling to defend what was meant to be a helping hand.

The problem, as the other borrowers see it, is that they must pay additional interest on their skipped repayments during the moratorium, which they call "interest-on-interest."

The borrowers - including a leading real estate industry group, power utilities, shopping malls and small businesses - says the scheme unfairly hits them even as many have been financially devastated by the pandemic, that the banks must forgive the interest and compound interest that accrued while their payments were suspended.

Sharma, a voluble man with a thick moustache and a crop of dark hair, says the six-month reprieve, which ended on Aug. 31, increased his debt load because of the extra interest. He is also paying monthly instalments on a $21,700 business loan, for which he did not seek a moratorium.

"I realized this scheme was not to give us relief, but to give us more grief," he told Reuters in his shop, where idols of Hindu deities compete for space with Ray Ban and Prada sunglass displays.

BANKS CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government imposed the world's strictest COVID-19 lockdown in March, Sharma saw no customers for months, though he had to keep paying his $2,700 in monthly recurring costs.

Across this nation of 1.3 billion people, companies say they are struggling to keep up with their loans as the lockdown has choked business and consumer spending. The economy collapsed a record 23.9% in the April-June quarter from a year earlier.

Now, even with the moratorium, "the interest-on-interest will result in winding up various real estate and other companies," said Utsav Trivedi, a lawyer representing one group of Sharma's fellow complainants.

In a typical case, a homeowner with 15 years remaining on a roughly $40,000 loan would pay an additional $6,000 in interest due to the moratorium, an extra 16 months' worth, explains SBI, India's top state-run bank.

Citing Sharma's case, the finance ministry last week ordered a panel to analyse the impact of withdrawing interest and the compounding levy.

The Supreme Court appears sympathetic to the borrowers on the extra interest. During the most recent hearing on Sept. 10, Justice Ashok Bhushan said the court was "inclined to pass an order" that banks forgive the additional levies.

India's banks, too, are reeling from the pandemic, and the industry fears a major judicial setback, given that the court has previously overturned government decisions in ways that hit sectors from coal mining and telecommunications.

Banks already have bad loans of over $120 billion, much of it on the books of state-run lenders, which dominate India's banking landscape, and the non-performing debt is set to surge in coming months. Any deterioration in their books would force the government, itself deeply indebted, to set aside billions of dollars to recapitalise the banks.

Combined annual profits at private banks and state-owned banks is some 3.2 trillion ($43 billion), "so a waiver of interest will be totally destabilising," said analyst Anil Gupta at credit rating agency ICRA.

The Reserve Bank of India told the court an "interest-free" moratorium would cut the sector's income by at least 2 trillion rupees ($27 billion), or 1% of India's GDP. "There would be huge consequences for the stability of the banking system," the central bank said.

The finance ministry told the court last month what waiving what it says is standard compound interest would be "against the basic canons of finance", adding it was crucial to protect the more than 1.9 billion deposit accounts that earn interest income.

The central bank and ministry did not respond to requests for comment.

Sharma, while performing his daily Hindu prayers, said he remains hopeful he will get relief.

"With faith in God I've thought of ways to come out of this muddle," he said about his case, which will next be heard on Sept. 28.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.

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The Trump administration announced on Friday it will ban China-linked TikTok and WeChat from US app stores on Sunday and will saddle the apps with technical restrictions that could severely limit their functionality in the country, a decision that comes weeks after India banned the apps amid a border standoff.

The two apps will not be available for downloads or upgrades from Google and Apple stores from Sunday, the US Commerce Department said in an order that cited national security and data privacy concerns.

TikTok expressed disappointment over the move and said it would continue to challenge President Donald Trumps unjust executive order.

While restrictions on the use of WeChat come into effect on Sunday, similar curbs on TikTok arent applicable till November 12, ostensibly to give Oracle Corporation, a computer technology giant, sufficient time to wrap up negotiations to buy a minority stake of 20% in the US operations of the video-sharing app.

It means that users who already have TikTok will still be able to use the app after Sunday, but they will not be able to upgrade or download it as the order prohibits any provision of service to distribute or maintain. The axe will come down on it on November 12, with a complete shutdown, unless the app has an American partner.

The action is the Trump administrations latest attempt to counter the influence of China. Since taking office in 2017, Trump has waged a trade war with China, blocked mergers involving Chinese companies and restricted the business of Chinese firms such as Huawei, a maker of phones and telecom equipment.

At the Presidents direction, we have taken significant action to combat Chinas malicious collection of American citizens personal data, while promoting our national values, democratic rules-based norms, and aggressive enforcement of US laws and regulations, said US department of commerce secretary Wilbur Ross in a statement.

The US targeted these Chinese apps in August through two presidential executive orders, saying they posed a threat to its national security. The country had earlier welcomed the ban India had enforced on Chinese apps, including TikTok and WeChat, along with 57 others following border clashes with the Chinese army; 118 more have since been added to the list by New Delhi.

President Trumps August executive order had given TikTok 45 days to find an American buyer for its US operation or face closure. Microsoft first emerged as a top bidder but it has since backed out, leaving the field to Oracle, in partnership with Walmart.

Like most social networks, TikTok, owned by Chinas ByteDance, collects user data and moderates users posts. Similar concerns apply to US-based social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, but Chinese ownership adds an extra wrinkle because the Chinese government could demand cooperation from Chinese companies.

Fridays order also bans financial transactions through WeChat, which has millions of users in the US and is widely used by American companies for marketing in China, where social media companies such as Facebook are banned. Additionally, US firms will not be allowed to provide internet hosting and cloud services for the app either.

(With agency inputs)
TikTok users and creators are mourning the app after the Trump administration announced it would be banning the platform.

On Friday, the US Department of Commerce announced TikTok and WeChat would be banned from the US app store starting Sunday.

Although users who have already downloaded the app are still able to use it, TikTok faces the possibility of a full ban on 12 November if the company is unable to alleviate the Trump administrations national security concerns.

While President Trump has been threatening to ban Chinese-owned TikTok for the last few months, the move still came as a shock to many of the apps more than 100m US users.

On Twitter, reactions to the announcement were mostly negative, with many users expressing their disappointment over the presidents decision to focus on TikTok rather than more pressing current events, such as the coronavirus pandemic.

So let me get this straight. We are in the middle of a pandemic that has killed 200k Americans, the economy is trash, and there are mass protests against police brutality but Trump wants to focus on banning TikTok? one person tweeted.

Another said: So TikTok is a national emergency but a global pandemic is not.

The move prompted some users to suggest that the presidents decision to ban the app wasnt actually due to security concerns but rather because of reports TikTok was linked to poor supporter turnout at his rally in Tulsa in June.

This is just Trump being petty and immature because teens used TikTok to troll his Covid-spreading Tulsa rally, one person suggested. It has nothing to do with China or national security. Trump cannot stand to have his ego bruised.

Someone else tweeted: I still think its because of Trumps vengeance against TikTok for sabotaging his rally. So hes shutting them down. Its that simple.

Despite the reasons for the ban, TikTok users lamented the loss of an app that allowed them to be creative and connect with fans and like-minded users.

TikTok is the only app where people have expressed interests in my art or other content and thinking of it getting banned makes me feel extremely hopeless lol, one user tweeted.

Another said: You think you can hurt my feelings? I just started working on growing a following on TikTok to promote my books... and now its getting banned.

TikTok is literally the only thing that has brought some of us any sort of joy during the pandemic, someone else said. It's comedic relief for so many people. And a creative outlet. A way to spread important information in a fun way.

Some of the apps most popular users have also spoken out against the presidents decision.

On 1 August, Ariel Martin, who goes by Baby Ariel on TikTok, where she has more than 34.7m followers, tweeted: I hate Donald Trump.

Griffin Johnson, who has more than 9.2m followers on the app, previously tweeted: TikTok has given me a lot of friends & memories that I will forever be thankful for.

Following the news of the impending ban, Johnson tweeted that he and fellow creators would be on that Triller grind, referring to TikToks rival app.

With limited time before the app is no longer available to download, others took the opportunity to try out TikTok for the first time, if only out of spite.

Did I just download TikTok for no good reason other than to possibly play a very small part in making Trump mad? Yes. Yes I did, one person tweeted.
Sydney's iconic fireworks display could be scrapped in favour of a televised event as organisers struggle with coronavirus restrictions.

The spectacle would be celebrated with a historic compilation of the city's fireworks shows from the past 16 years in place of a multi million dollar pyrotechnics show.

Vision would be accompanied with performances from Australian artists.

While revellers would be be shifted from public parks and harbour foreshores to private homes and pubs to watch the show.

Scroll down for video

Sydney's New Year's Eve Fireworks (pictured on January 1, 2020) could be scrapped in favour of a televised event

A group of young women dance in the street on New Year's eve 2019

That's the plan being spruiked by Lord Mayor Clove Moore over fears any mass gathering could spark a coronavirus outbreak.

The idea was raised during a planning meeting with state government officials on Friday over how to revitalise Sydney over summer.

Sydney Lord Mayor Clove Moore (pictured) wants the fireworks cancelled and celebrations moved indoors over COVID-19 fears

Ms Moore has repeatedly told state government officials it's too high a risk to put an event on like previous years, reported the Daily Telegraph.

She suggested the city would still be able to accommodate some revellers, but not to the same degree.

'We hope that we have outdoor dining and even indoor dining, slightly more liberal than what we have now, by New Year's Eve,' the Lord Mayor said.

The event typically attracts more than one million people into the city to watch the display.

The Lord Mayor is particularly concerned about the logistics of managing massive crowds on the city's public transport during a pandemic.

She said the city could not handle another lockdown.

Party goers celebrated late into the morning after ringing in 2019's New Year's Eve fireworks display

Revellers would be be shifted from public parks and harbour foreshores (pictured) to private homes and pubs to watch the show

But New South Wales Treasurer Dominic Perrottet was adamant the city's iconic celebrations should go ahead with a fireworks display.

'I want to continue to work with the Lord Mayor. We believe we should have the fireworks not just for the economic benefit, but for the hope that it gives our citizens,' he said.

He said the government has shown it can handle the challenges thrown its way.

'This pandemic is difficult and we're beating the virus.'

Pressure is mounting on the City of Sydney council to make a decision about the iconic celebration.

About one million people flock to the city's iconic foreshore ever year to watch the elaborate 12-minute display where fireworks detonate from Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge

Sydney's world-famous New Year's Eve firework display (pictured above at Sydney Harbour) will likely be cancelled to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic

Local mayors across the city have urged Ms Moore to make the call as they attempt to plan local celebrations.

City of Sydney Council is working with the NSW government to assess the impact of COVID-19 on New Year's Eve.

'Health and safety is paramount for our community, and it may not be responsible to encourage large crowds to our foreshore this year,' a spokesman told Daily Mail Australia.

Poll Should the fireworks be cancelled? Yes No Should the fireworks be cancelled? Yes 94 votes

No 45 votes Now share your opinion





'These events are subject to the NSW Government's public health orders, which are continuously amended to address the local impact of the pandemic.'

New South Wales Deputy Premier John Barilaro previously said the celebration was unlikely to go ahead because of the pandemic.

Mr Barilaro said the cancellation of major events in regional areas, such as the Tamworth Country Music Festival, suggested large gatherings couldn't go ahead.

'If the regions have to lose big tourism events like this, then there is no option but to cancel the big drawcard events in Sydney and the most obvious is the New Year's Eve fireworks,' Mr Barilaro told The Sydney Morning Herald.

A source close to NSW Police Minister David Elliott said there were concerns about how to deal with thousands of people converging on the harbour to see the fireworks.

'How can you attract one million people to the Harbour shores and do it in a safe way?', Mr Barilaro said on Nine's Today program.

It will the first time in 32 years if Sydney's famous fireworks display is cancelled (Revellers celebrating New Year's Eve in Sydney during the 2020 event pictured above)

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore admitted it 'may not be responsible' for the celebrations to go ahead (Sydney Opera House pictured on New Year's Eve 2019)

'Police and health experts are saying it is very difficult to police one million people on the (harbour) foreshores.

'This is the reality of the pandemic. We know it won't happen, the risk is far too high,' he said.

Mr Barilaro said it was better to flag the decision early before families made bookings for Christmas and new year holidays.

He also called for restrictions to be eased in regional NSW to allow larger weddings, school formals and unlimited numbers at venues.
The Social Democratic Party (PSD) will not allow any mine to be closed and will make demarches with the European Social Democrat family to support, at the level of the European Commission, the allotment of substantial European funds for programs dedicated to the coal-bearing areas in transition, such as the Jiu Valley, said on Friday the chairman of the formation, Marcel Ciolacu.

"Jobs are essential! For people. For the economy. Not for the Orban Government! Romanians need jobs, not empty words and European money only on paper! With the PNL [National Liberal Party] in power, Romania has reached the record of over 1 million unemployed, and Hunedoara is one of the most affected counties. That is why the PSD will not allow any mine to be closed! Nor Lupeni! Nor Lonea! We will make demarches with our colleagues in the European Social Democrat family to support at the level of the European Commission the allotment of substantial European funds for the programs dedicated to coal-bearing areas in transition, such as the Jiu Valley. Project that the PSD has started since 2017 - Integrated Territorial Investments - ITI," wrote Ciolacu on Facebook.

He added that in Hunedoara many youths started up their own businesses through Start-Up Nation, and next Wednesday, at the final vote in Parliament on the budget revision, PSD will "supplement by 400 million RON" this program, "to support Romanian entrepreneurs abandoned by the PNL Government."

"PSD must win the elections in Hunedoara! So that no one here be threatened by PNL leaderships, as has recently happened at the coal power plant in Mintia," said Ciolacu.
WOOD RIVER  Police are seeking three people in connection with a home invasion and armed robbery Wednesday, Sept. 16, in Wood River.

On Thursday, charges were filed in Madison County Circuit Court against Aaron D. Harvey, 25, of Wood River; Corey W. Compton, 23, of Mitchell; and Aaron D. Pruitt, 22, of St. Charles, Missouri.
People have rediscovered the joy of cooking, he says. They had to learn to cook a sausage. For us, that's been rewarding because so many people drifted away from cooking. Now customers come in and share their recipes and are excited about what they are making.

Winfield says its important to focus on the positives to come out of the pandemic. The butcher has three locations across Sydney and is renowned for selling some of the best meat in town.

We did that at the right time, says proprietor Jeff Winfield today. As soon as COVID-19 hit, we were off and running.

It was serendipitous Hudson Meats had revamped its website and e-commerce capability last year, allowing the small business to take advantage of greater online opportunities when COVID-19 first hit.

Hudson was also affected by the panic buying that happened at the start of the pandemic: We were swamped. People were fearful we were going to run out of food, forgetting Australia is a food bowl and we produce all our food here.

All of a sudden, we had Christmas sales volumes with no warning. Thankfully, we were one of those stores that never ran out of beef mince. All one of my staff did all day was mince. Chicken was also really popular and everyone wanted their orders cryo-vacced.

The business also sells dry goods such as rice, flours, crackers and pasta, which all disappeared off the shelves back then. Says Winfield: It was huge. It was like the end of the world was coming. It only lasted about a week, but we couldn't get any pasta, which we import from Italy, for about six weeks until the production line caught up.

Luckily, Hudson already employed a full-time driver to transport stock between its stores and do deliveries. Once the volume of orders started coming in, all it needed to do was tweak its operations to be able to cater for the increased demand. We had all the underlying processes in place. Best thing we ever could have done last year was build that website, he adds.

Hudson's three shops in Mosman, Drummoyne and Cammeray in Sydney have been involved in the Shop Small movement founded by American Express, since it was introduced into Australia in 2013.
BLM co-founder claims organization isnt trying to 'destroy Christianity,' slams Pat Robertson

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A co-founder of the Black Lives Matter Global Network has denied dangerous claims made by popular televangelist and television host Pat Robertson, who alleged last week that the activist group is trying to destroy Christianity.

In response to the outlandish comments made by televangelist Pat Robertson, we are here yet again being attacked for standing up against white supremacy, Patrisse Cullors, the organizations executive director, said in a statement Saturday.

To insinuate that our movement is trying to destroy Christianity is disgraceful and outright offends our Christian siblings who are a part of our movement against racial injustice.

The statement comes days after the 90-year-old Robertson said during last Thursdays episode of The 700 Club on the Christian Broadcasting Network that Black Lives Matter was seeking to use the cause of racial justice to promote an anti-Christian, anti-family, anti-capitalist, Marxist revolution.

Of course black lives matter, of course, we care about oppression against poor people. Everybody whos got any sense, they do that. They dont like police brutality or some of those things. But that legitimate thing has been hijacked by these radicals and theyre using that label to put forth an agenda. And people need to be aware of it, Robertson stressed.

Theyre talking about Marxist communism. Theyre talking about destroying the nuclear family. Theyre talking about destroying essentially Christianity as being racist. And all the way through, they want to upend the capitalist structure and destroy America.

Pat Robertson says Black Lives Matter is trying to lead a "lesbian, anti-family, anti-capitalist Marxist revolution" pic.twitter.com/nmg4zXJzWM  Jason Campbell (@JasonSCampbell) September 10, 2020

Of course we want to stand with oppressed people against police brutality, Robertson continued. Of course we do. But we dont want to go along with a lesbian, anti-family, anti-capitalist Marxist revolution. We dont want that for America.

Cullors, an organizer and educator who co-founded the organization in 2013 with Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi, contends that the statements made by Robertson are completely inflammatory and dangerous.

Like Robertson, many conservative Christians have endorsed the idea that black lives matter and they agree with the push for racial justice.

However, some vehemently disagree with including an LGBTQ agenda in with the push for racial justice as it goes against traditional Christian values.

Others have voiced concern about the co-founders past admittance that she and another co-founder are trained Marxists." Some have even accused Cullors and other Black Lives Matter leaders of "summoning dead spirits" and practicing "witchcraft."

Southern Evangelical Seminary in North Carolina warned Christians to avoid even the appearance of evil and find other ways to express their justifiable outrage at racial injustice rather than supporting Black Lives Matter. In a statement in August, the institution called many of the Black Lives Matter political positions explicitly anti-Christian.

In her statement, Cullors, who identifies as queer, acknowledges that while the organizations vision, which includes support for the LGBTQ community, may not be shared by everyone, it should not be interpreted as destroying a religion.

Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation recognizes that our vision may not be agreed upon by everyone. But to blatantly disregard our work and equate it to destroying religion is reckless.

Cullors said she hopes that Robertson will address his remarks and the countless lives his statements have offended.

We want it to be very clear that the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation intentions are continuing to disrupt those individuals that have consistently attacked our character, progress, and path forward, she continued.

Cullors contends that Black Lives Matter seeks to connect Black people from all over the world who have a shared desire for justice to act together in their respective communities.

She said Black Lives Matter also seeks to eliminate the constant betrayal of our poor and oppressed communities and foster a united country that works for everyone despite their actual or perceived sexual identity, gender identity, gender expression, economic status, disability, immigration status, or intergenerational way of life.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 17:53:03|Editor: huaxia

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MANILA, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The crime rate in the Philippines dropped 47 percent during the past six months while the country is under the COVID-19 lockdown, the country's police said on Friday.

Guillermo Eleazar, the deputy chief for the Administration of the Philippine National Police (PNP), said that the country's police recorded 16,879 crimes from March 17 to September 16, down from the 31,661 incidents recorded from September 15, 2019 to March 16, 2020.

These crimes include murder, homicide, physical injury, rape, robbery, theft, car theft, and motorcycle theft.

Eleazar said the decline in crime incidents translates to an average of 92 cases per day in six months or 184 days of the community quarantine period, as compared to 172 cases per day recorded during the six-month pre-quarantine period.

He said all police commanders have been ordered to maintain police visibility and to constantly coordinate with local government officials to intensify peace and order at the community level.

"We would like to point out that the criminal incidents have been consistently declining in the past four years," Eleazar said.

The Philippines has been on lockdown since mid-March as the country grapples with surging COVID-19 cases.

The Philippines now has 279,526 confirmed COVID-19 cases. Enditem
A man allegedly punched a woman in the face over messages she received from another male.

Laredo police officers responded to an assault report at about 12:19 a.m. Wednesday in the 4700 block of Sunrise Courts. Police arrived to separate a man and a woman.
Indias first general aviation terminal for private jets -- which promises faster turnaround of business jets and chartered planes, shielding them from the clutter of general passenger terminals where they now compete for taxiing slots with commercial flights -- was inaugurated by union civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri at Delhis Indira Gandhi International airport on Thursday.

The new terminal, which had been ready for use since July this year and was awaiting a final security nod from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), will start operations from Sunday afternoon, officials familiar with the matter said.

Delhi airport operator DIAL (Delhi International Airport Ltd) said the terminal can handle more than 50 passengers every hour and can cater to 150 private jet movements every day. The terminal can handle Code C type aircraft, which are 50-seater charter aircraft and the biggest in their category, the airport operator said.

With 57 dedicated chartered aircraft parking bays, the newly developed apron is spread over an area of eight lakh square feet, DIAL said.

The terminal offers a dedicated car parking with direct access to the city side, the airport operator said, adding the building and aircraft boarding area are at a walking distance from each other for easy and quick boarding or alighting of passengers.

Apart from its aircraft handling capacity, the terminal building houses spacious passenger lounges, food and beverage sections, 24x7 personal concierge services and common processing area, the airport operator said.

For quick access, the terminal has its own immigration and customs area. Facilities for crew members and staff such as restrooms and briefing area are available in this new terminal, DIAL said.

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which guards the Delhi airport, will also manage security of the new terminal.

A senior CISF officer, who did not wish not to be named, said at least 40-45 CISF armed personnel will be deployed at the new terminal throughout to frisk passengers and to secure the perimeter.

The terminal has an access control system, Wi-Fi enabled services, and an integrated perimeter security control system, DIAL said.

The terminal was built at a cost of Rs150 crore over one-and-a-half years by Bird ExecuJet Airport Services Private Limited, a joint venture between Bird Group and ExecuJet Aviation Group, an international business aviation company based in Switzerlands Zurich Airport.

A spokesperson from the Bird ExecuJet Airport Services Private Limited said nothing was imported for the construction of the terminal and it is purely India made.

Its a proud moment and we hope given the current scenario, the GA terminal will prove to be a gateway for foreign investors, connecting them directly to the national capital, the spokesperson said.

Puri, who inaugurated the terminal, said Indias civil aviation sector is all set to emerge stronger in a post-Coid world and general aviation will have a significant contribution to it. The new terminal at Delhi airport is the need of the hour, which would significantly support this growth, the minister said.

Delhi-based private jet operators said they were looking forward to operating from the new base.

Kanika Tekriwal, CEO and founder of JetSetGo Aviation, a private jet operator based in Delhi, said, With the new terminal for private jets, we will address two major things -- time and exclusivity. Earlier, our guests used to board their flights from either Terminal 1 or Terminal 3, along with commercial flight passages, and took similar processes to board a private flight, making it challenging for someone who is paying a premium price.

Now, with the new terminal, our guests will be able to fly with us in almost no time and with utmost privacy, Tekriwal said, explaining that this, however, will not really change the number of flight slots they get.

Despite the new terminal, private aircraft will still have to compete for take-off and landing slots with commercial flights. An official from Delhi airport said that the new terminal will help cut time. Runway 29/11 -- the largest in Delhi -- is closer to the new terminal, and this will make taxiing time of these private aircraft significantly shorter, he said, adding the shorter distance between the terminal building and flight boarding point will also make the process of boarding quicker and less cumbersome.

Tekriwal said the charges for hiring a private jet depend on the size of aircraft and the length of the trip. They start at Rs 80,000 per hour for an eight-seater turbo-prop and go all the way to Rs 5-6 lakh per hour for a 16-seater jet. Plus there are airport and other landing charges.

Captain Archit Gupta, CEO, Atom Aviation, another Delhi-based private jet service provider, said the new terminal looks classy and elegant. It has been rightly designed but the capacity of 50 passengers per hour is slightly low as bigger aircraft have more passengers. When more than 2-3 departures happen at the same time, there could be chaos.
After a spate of high-profile governance failures, Greens politician David Shoebridge hit the motherlode days before information solutions company Link Group announced to shareholders it had accelerated the start date for its new chief executive Vivek Bhatia.

In a speech to Parliament to introduce a bill that would close a controversial tendering loophole relied on by scandal-ridden icare to award contracts without tender, Shoebridge didnt pull any punches.

Using a document prepared by an icare whistleblower to the regulator, he rattled off a list of contracts and behaviours and named Bhatia when he was inaugural chief executive of icare from 2015 to January 2018.

Vivek Bhatia's start date as Link chief executive has now been pushed back.

On 9am 26 October 2016 I met with Vivek Bhatia at ...a meeting, Shoebridge quoted from the whistleblower extract. I told Vivek that I was trying to build a compliance plan. I said there were major concerns... I said there were serious concerns raised by an employee in business technology about procurement practices. I told Vivek I was having difficulties because I was not being provided any support to investigate these matters. I said I had serious concerns that these actions might be corrupt in relation to the procurement, Shoebridge read out to Parliament.
MEXICO CITY - Mexican authorities say seizures of the synthetic opioid fentanyl so far this year are 465% higher than in 2019, rising to almost 2,300 pounds (1,040 kilograms) from around 405 pounds ( 184 kilograms) last year, but progress against another big Mexican export to the U.S. market  methamphetamines  is slower.

The Defence Department said seizures of meth in Mexico rose by only 32.8% between Jan. 1 and Sept. 16, but busts of meth labs dropped 51% compared to the same period of last year.

In a similar pattern, Mexicos seizures of cocaine rose by 46%, but seizures of key transport methods like boats and clandestine landing strips were down by 64% and 79%, respectively.

Experts say increased security and reduced traffic due to the coronavirus pandemic may have made shipments drugs easier to detect at the border, and partial border closures have sometimes led traffickers to abandon shipments before they even cross into the United States.

But the administration of President Donald Trump said earlier this week that the United States remains concerned about Mexican cartels drug production and trafficking capacity, and that Mexico must do more.

Mexico remains the source of nearly all heroin and methamphetamine seized in the United States, and a transit route for most of the cocaine available in our country, the administration said in an annual report released this week. Moreover, Mexican cartels take advantage of uneven precursor chemical controls in Mexico to manufacture deadly drugs, such as fentanyl, inside Mexico and smuggle them into the United States. Mexican drug interdictions remain far too low in the face of these critical drug threats.

Mexican Defence Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval said Mexican traffickers import fentanyl from China and India and press it into ubiquitous blue tablets, and repeated Mexicos claim that there was no evidence that there were any labs producing the opioid in Mexico. However, he may have been referring to production of the drug from scratch; there is evidence that Mexican cartels import close precursor chemicals and perform the final stages of processing.

Fentanyl is not produced here in our country, Cresencio Sandoval said. It is put together here, the product, the raw material, the powder arrives, and pills are made from it here, but fentanyl is not produced. He said that labs found in the northern state of Sinaloa last year had only pills presses and finished fentanyl powder, but not chemical production facilities.

That claim has been a sore point with the U.S. government.

The Mexican government should acknowledge the alarming trend of fentanyl production inside its territory, according to the U.S. Presidential Determination on Major Drug Transit or Major Illicit Drug Producing Countries. It must prioritize law enforcement action targeting cartel production and trafficking of fentanyl  the leading substance involved in drug overdose deaths in the United States  and strengthen efforts targeting fentanyl precursor chemicals overwhelmingly trafficked from China, as well as fentanyl smuggling and production. 

The U.S. report also says More must also be done to target the (Mexican) cartels increasing production of methamphetamine.

The amounts seized in Mexico are large: authorities have seized over 42,000 pounds (19,079 kilograms) of meth so far this year, which the Defence Department listed as a 32.8% increase over the 28,000 pounds (12,822 kilograms) seized in the same period last year. The increase in fact appears to be around 50%.

Cocaine seizures in Mexico rose by around the same amount, hitting 44,000 pounds (20,069 kilograms) so far this year, as compared to 30,000 pounds (13,766 kilograms) in the same period last year.

Increasingly, Mexico has discovered that traffickers are using multi-drug shipments, with many loads now including cocaine, meth, fetanyl pills and marijuana.

Despite hopes that lockdowns during the coronavirus pandemic might reduce Mexicos gang-fueled violence, those expectations have been shattered as the number of homicides remains stubbornly high.

Nationwide, there were 3,051 homicides in August, about the same level as the 3,061 in July; Mexicos homicide rate has been stuck at historically high levels of around 3,000 murders per month since mid-2018, before President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador took office.

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The heartbroken mum of a teenage cancer patient who died has said the health service failed her son in his final days and has called for a dedicated teenage and young adult unit in Northern Ireland.

Ozzie Rogers (17), from Knockloughrim in Co Londonderry, passed away last Thursday after a long battle against acute myeloid leukaemia.

Mum Miranda opened up about the trauma of watching her son spend his final hours crying out in pain, begging not to die in unfamiliar surroundings.

She is backing an online petition launched by another grieving parent calling for teenagers and young adults to get the end-of-life care they deserve.

"The image of Ozzie dying, those last few gasps of breath, will haunt me until my grave," said Miranda, who buried her son on Tuesday.

Too old for the children's ward where all the Magherafelt High School GCSE student's treatment had previously been carried out, Ozzie was placed in an adult ward, despite pleading to spend his final days in familiar surroundings.

"Not once did Ozzie complain about his illness, but he so desperately wanted to go home," Miranda explained.

"He was too unwell. He asked to be transferred back to the children's unit for treatment. He was denied.

"I was not happy with him being there either. I'd had to lie on a reclining chair for five weeks and a previous six weeks back in May.

"There are no beds for parents to be able to stay with their son or daughter.

"A friend brought me a fold-away bed. I used that for a week until I was told that hospital management didn't allow it because of health and safety issues."

She said that after witnessing what her child experienced in his final hours, priority must be given to establishing a teenage and young adult unit.

"It breaks my heart he died in so much agonising pain," added Miranda. "His daddy rubbed his back all day from 7am until 8.20pm, the moment he died.

"There is a petition in circulation started by another grieving father and we want as many signatures as possible."

Belfast man Sean Smyth has been running Eimear's Wish in memory of his daughter to raise awareness of stem cell donation. He also wants a specialist centre for teenagers and young adults.

"I spent hours talking to Sean and one thing was apparent - why is there no unit for children? Why were our children treated in an adult world they weren't ready for?" Miranda asked.

The Department of Health was contacted for comment.

You can sign the petition by searching for 'Sean Smyth' at change.org
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
When restaurants in Newark closed to keep the coronavirus at bay, Audible tapped into its mostly unused global travel budget to buy $1 million worth of meals from local eateries and donated them to residents.

We cant let these restaurants go down for the rest of time and never come back and all these jobs go away, said Audibles founder and executive chairman, Don Katz. We cant allow people to be actually without food in a society like ours, in a place like Newark.

Audibles Newark Working Kitchens initiative is just one type of program that would fall under its newly-created Global Center for Urban Development. Aisha Glover will leave her position as CEO of the nonprofit Newark Alliance to head the office on Oct. 1 as Audibles vice president of urban innovation, working to bring programs like the meal drive worldwide.

The new center was created to put Audibles other economic development initiatives under one roof. But it also came together in response to the health and economic disparities that have been exacerbated this year from COVID-19 and racial inequalities highlighted by George Floyds death.

If we can be self-reflective and really be thinking about how we use and leverage corporations for good, this has to be this time," Glover said. "If its not now, during this moment that our country is in, I dont think well ever get there.

Glover is most known for leading Newarks bid for Amazons second headquarters (it was a finalist but didnt win). Shes worked towards revitalizing and empowering local residents at Newark Alliance for about two years and was previously the CEO of the Newark Economic Community Development Corporation, which is now known as Invest Newark. She also sits on Newarks equitable growth commission which aims to ward off gentrification.

Audible, a subsidiary of Amazon, moved its headquarters from Wayne to Newark in 2007. Audibles Innovation Cathedral, a workspace for mostly tech employees, opened across from Washington Park in Newarks downtown last year too.

Aisha Glover, second from left, stands with Don Katz as he cuts the ribbon at the unveiling of Audible's Innovation Cathedral in Newark on May 17, 2019. (Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media

The company has long invested in its employees in a way that also boosts the local economy in the Brick City. Its given employees gift cards to eat lunch in the city and a $500 monthly stipend to live in Newark. Audible also works with Covenant House to hire those who struggle with homelessness into customer care jobs.

Katz also helped found Newark Venture Partners to help grow local tech startups. He said working with communities is a better philanthropic investment than simply donating large sums of money to different causes.

All of this stuff is good for business, but good for society, said Katz.

Glover said she wants to focus on retaining Newarks tech talent, while also building neighborhoods around the globe. She hopes to bring ideas from Audibles other operations in India, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Japan, Canada and more and apply them to Newark.

Were really going to be looking beyond Jersey to really think about models and best practices to help curate the downtown that weve always wanted for quite some time, Glover said.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Rebecca Panico may be reached at rpanico@njadvancemedia.com.
Some of Obamas foes talked about seeking a political divorce. In 2009, Texas Gov. Rick Perry said: Weve got a great union. There is absolutely no reason to dissolve it. But if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, you know, who knows what may come out of that? After Obama was reelected, a Huffington Post poll found that 22% of Americans  and 43% of Republicans  would be inclined to support their own states secession.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 10:11:47|Editor: huaxia

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TRIPOLI, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations (UN) welcomes the decision by Fayez Serraj, the UN-backed Libyan prime minister, to step down by the end of October, according to a UN statement released Thursday.

"I commend the courageous decision by Mr. Fayez Serraj, the president of the Presidency Council of the Government of National Accord, in announcing his intention to hand over power to a new executive authority by the end of October," Acting Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General to Libya Stephanie Williams said in the statement.

"The president's announcement comes at a decisive turning point in Libya's longstanding crisis, when it is clear that the situation is no longer sustainable," said the statement.

"The onus is now on concerned Libyan parties to fully shoulder their responsibilities before the Libyan people, to take historic decisions, and to accept mutual concessions for the sake of their country," the statement added.

Serraj on Wednesday announced his intention to step down in October and hand over power to a newly appointed government.

Serraj's UN-backed government was established in 2015 based on a UN-sponsored political agreement aimed at ending the political division in the country.

However, despite the agreement, Libya remains politically divided amid insecurity and chaos. Enditem
A demonstrator smokes marijuana during the 'Cultivate Your Rights' march demanding its legalisation, in Santiago, Chile. Photo: ernetti/AFP via Getty Images

British investors hoping to get in on the boom in legal weed in places like Colorado and Canada will have to wait a while longer before buying exposure in their home market.

The UKs Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on Friday said companies making any money from recreational cannabis use cant list in London.

While cannabis has been legalised for recreational use in may places around the world, it remains illegal in the UK. The FCA said anyone investing in a company linked to recreational cannabis would be violating British laws related to the proceeds of crime. As a result, listings on the London Stock Exchange are off the table.

The FCA said it issued the guidance after queries from cannabis-related companies interested in listing in the UK.

READ MORE: Trump bans TikTok and WeChat from US app store

The recent decriminalisation of cannabis in parts of the world created a mini-investment boom in 2018, with the first dedicated ETF tracking the sector surging almost 75% that year. Pot stocks plummeted last year and have continued to struggle in 2020 but the sector is still seen as a promising growth market over the longer term.

While UK investors cant get a slice of the recreational weed market through any London listings, they can buy exposure to the medical marijuana market. Medical marijuana was legalised in the UK in 2018 and the FCA said UK-based medical cannabis companies can list in London.

However, overseas medical marijuana companies need a closer look.

We cant assume a person who has been licensed in an overseas country would receive a licence here in the UK as licensing regimes differ globally, the FCA said.

The regulator said it would have to review overseas companies looking to list in the UK on a case-by-case basis to make sure they dont break proceeds of crime laws.

Watch: Tory MP James Bethell drops the f-word during a live zoom Commons call
A six-month-old baby and two children were among eight people rescued from the sea off Queensland's Capricorn Coast after they were forced to abandon a sinking vessel.

Emergency services, including a rescue helicopter and critical care paramedics, were called after an EPIRB was activated for the stricken vessel after 10.10am on Friday.

An Australian Maritime Safety Authority spokesman said the eight-metre vessel was found about 77 kilometres east of Yeppoon.

The vessel had eight people on board and was taking water and sinking, passengers donned lifejackets and abandoned the vessel, he said.

Cairns Challenger Jet, rescue helicopter 412 from Mackay and 300 from Rockhampton as well as the Yeppoon Volunteer Marine Rescue were sent to the area.
Viral: This Animated video released in 2020 looks exactly the sequence of PM security breach

Explained: Why are farmers unhappy with the Agriculture Bills?

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Sep 18: The Narendra Modi government move to replace three Bills on agriculture reforms - The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020; The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020 become a bone of contention within the ruling alliance.

Farmers and farmer associations across the country have protested against the ordinances.

Agriculture reform bills will lead to increased profits for farmers, forces trying to mislead them: PM

The oldest ally of the BJP, the Shiromani Akali Dal has said it will reconsider its alliance with the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), soon after Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigned as a union minister in protest against the government's agricultural bills that have spurred massive resentment among its all-important voter base of farmers.

Harsimrat Kaur Badal quits PM's cabinet over farm bills, why is SAD upset with BJP | Oneindia News

What are the two new farm Bills

The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 seeks to provide for the creation of an ecosystem where the farmers and traders enjoy the freedom of choice relating to sale and purchase of farmers' produce which facilitates remunerative prices through competitive alternative trading channels to promote efficient, transparent and barrier-free inter-State and intra-State trade and commerce of farmers' produce outside physical premises of markets or deemed markets notified under various State agricultural produce market legislations; to provide a facilitative framework for electronic trading and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

Benefits

The new legislation will create an ecosystem where the farmers and traders will enjoy freedom of choice of sale and purchase of agri-produce. It will also promote barrier-free inter-state and intra-state trade and commerce outside the physical premises of markets notified under State Agricultural Produce Marketing legislations. This is a historic-step in unlocking the vastly regulated agriculture markets in the country.

It will open more choices for the farmer, reduce marketing costs for the farmers and help them in getting better prices. It will also help farmers of regions with surplus produce to get better prices and consumers of regions with shortages, lower prices. The Bill also proposes an electronic trading in transaction platform for ensuring a seamless trade electronically.

The farmers will not be charged any cess or levy for sale of their produce under this Act. Further there will be a separate dispute resolution mechanism for the farmers.

The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 seeks to provide for a national framework on farming agreements that protects and empowers farmers to engage with agri-business firms, processors, wholesalers, exporters or large retailers for farm services and sale of future farming produce at a mutually agreed remunerative price framework in a fair and transparent manner and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

Benefits

The new legislation will empower farmers for engaging with processors, wholesalers, aggregators, wholesalers, large retailers, exporters etc., on a level playing field without any fear of exploitation. It will transfer the risk of market unpredictability from the farmer to the sponsor and also enable the farmer to access modern technology and better inputs. It will reduce cost of marketing and improve income of farmers.

This legislation will act as a catalyst to attract private sector investment for building supply chains for supply of Indian farm produce to national and global markets, and in agricultural infrastructure. Farmers will get access to technology and advice for high value agriculture and get ready market for such produce.

Farmers will engage in direct marketing thereby eliminating intermediaries resulting in full realization of price. Farmers have been provided adequate protection. Sale, lease or mortgage of farmers' land is totally prohibited and farmers' land is also protected against any recovery. Effective dispute resolution mechanism has been provided for with clear time lines for redressal.

So, why are the farmers unhappy?

Farmers have expressed apprehension that once these bills are passed, they would pave the way for dismantling of the minimum support price (MSP) system and leave the farming community at the "mercy" of big corporates.

The farmers added that the proposed legislations were "corporate agriculture bills" which were framed to suit "big corporates who seek to dominate the Indian food and agriculture business".

Congress has also suggested some changes in the ordinances to make them farmer-friendly.

"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. The government could bring in a fourth ordinance separately to provide a clear provision that if any agency buys the crop of the farmer below the MSP, then legal action will be taken against it," Hooda said in a statement.

Senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said these ordinances will not only "destroy" farmers, but will also lead a blow to the mandi system and impact farm labourers and ''Arhitiyas'' or commission agents as well.

What's govt take?

Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said the Minimum Support Price (MSP) mechanism for farmers will continue and that the mechanism will not be impacted by two proposed legislations.

The minister also clarified that these bills would not have any impact on the Minimum Support Price (MSP) mechanism which will continue.

Further, he assured that these proposed legislations would not encroach upon the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Acts of the states.

"These two bills will ensure that farmers get better prices for their produce. They will not be subject to the regulations of mandis and they will be free to sell their produce to anyone. They will also not have to pay any taxes."

"These bills will increase competition and promote private investment which will help in development of farm infrastructure and generate employment," Tomar said.

The minister noted that because of these two reform bills farmers will be able to connect directly with big business and exporters, and will be able to make farming profitable.
The Weekly Alibi has ended its 28-year-reign as Albuquerques alternative weekly publication, but that doesnt mean the city will now be without an alt-weekly.

Several weeks after announcing that he would be purchasing the Alibi, City Councilor Pat Davis said he will instead be backing a new alt-weekly publication named The Paper after the Alibi sale had fallen through.

Davis said after the sale was off, Alibi employees expressed a desire to continue their work.

Some of the key staff and reporters reached out to us and said You know, we really need to have this voice in Albuquerque, so were going to build a new paper, Davis said.

He said fans of the Alibi will see many similarities with the new publication but he said The Paper will have a greater focus on news coverage, both in-depth and online with daily content.

In The Paper well have more investigative, in-depth, sort of behind the scenes coverage, Davis said.

Davis did not say which of the Alibi staff members will be making the leap to the new publication, but Tierna Unruh-Enos, the current associate Alibi publisher will be taking over as editor.

The first issue of The Paper will publish during the first week of October.
The First Lady, Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo, has called on the management of the National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI) to work hard to implement measures the government has put in place rigorously to strengthen Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).



She said technical and vocational education was a priority for the government because of its belief that it was a major antidote to the unemployment situation in the country.



Mrs. Akufo-Addo was speaking at a graduation ceremony for trainees under the Short-Term Skills Training for Ghanaians returning from the Diaspora and Potential Migrants at the NVTI headquarters in Accra yesterday.



The 821,763 project is under the Migration and Employment Programme (MEP), a component of the Programme for Sustainable Economic Development (PSED) being funded by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ).



The MEP is being implemented by the British Council and the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI).



A total of 213 trainees graduated in 11 skill areas in the Greater Accra Region, bringing the total number of people trained under the programme countrywide to 400.



TVET spending



Mrs. Akufo-Addo said the government had already spent $600 million on TVET in the last three and half years, adding that it was a commitment that had yielded substantial dividends in the development of infrastructure and human resource.



She said the government was committed to resolving the unemployment situation, empowering the youth, and creating sustainable livelihoods for its citizens.



Commendation



Commending the management and staff of the NVTI, the First lady said the skills and training offered by the institute culminated in life-changing stories for the graduands who would have suffered severe maltreatment and lived under inhumane conditions in another mans country in search of greener pastures.



"I am excited about the tremendous transformation in your operations lately, and I am confident that with the necessary support, you will cement your position as the champions of TVET in Ghana," the First Lady said.



She said the German government had positioned itself as Ghanas key partner in the area of TVET and that their enormous support was very much appreciated.



"We look forward to more collaborations as we also emulate your model of using TVET as a pivot for industrialisation as part of governments flagship, One-district, One-factory programme, Mrs. Akufo-Addo added.



Admonition



The First Lady also admonished the graduands to make good use of the training they had received, and use their case as a reference of the TVET success story, especially on their decision to a skill rather than throttle round the globe in search of non-existent greener pastures.



"You have shown the world your bravery and commitment to use legitimate means to earn a living, and this is commendable," she said.



Explaining details of the project, the Executive Director of the NVTI, Mrs. Mawusi Nudekor Awity, said the hard skills component of the project was provided by the NVTI in 11 skill areas, including fashion, bead making, electricals, carpentry, and masonry.



She indicated that 26 NVTI accredited institutions from both public and private sectors, as well as mastercraft persons, were involved in the training which spanned between three and eight months.



Mrs. Awity mentioned that a total of 400 trainees, comprising 293 females and 107 males, had benefited from the project after which they were presented with startup tools and kits.



According to her, similar graduation events had been conducted in Sunyani and Kumasi.









Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) in Kano State has arrested a 29-year-old housewife, Jamila Abubakar, over alleged murder of her stepson, Muhammad Bashir.

NAPTIP Zonal Commander in charge of Kano State, Shehu Umar, confirmed the arrest in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Kano.

Mr Umar said the suspect was apprehended on Thursday after she beat her seven-year-old stepson to death at Tarauni Kasuwa area of Kano metropolis.

He recalled that the agency had invited the suspect over alleged child abuse after the deceased was rescued from the suspect in the past few months.

The coordinator said: We received information that the deceased rescued a few months ago was allegedly clubbed to death by his stepmother.

On receiving the information, operatives of NAPTIP swung into action and arrested the suspect.

He added that preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect confined the deceased in a room without food when they left home for their daily engagements.

The suspect was invited and the victim rescued by our team. The agency provided shelter and medication to the victim before reuniting him with his father.

The couple wrote an undertaking that the boy will not be confined again, noting that they also promised to take care of the child protection and wellbeing when they set out for their normal businesses.

Mr Umar added that the case has been transferred to the police in Kano for discrete investigation and prosecution. (NAN)
In a divided time, The Independent is highlighting unique voters every week from all 50 states - featuring a nation of diverse voices.

Polarized is a weekly series featuring Americans from all 50 states sharing their views on the 2020 elections. Click here if you would like to be a part of this project.

Teachers throughout the United States have struggled with the transition to virtual learning amid the coronavirus pandemicbut theyre not the only ones working with children from a safe distance in pursuit of their best interests.

Samuel Harold is a juvenile public defender in Massachusetts who works in the youth advocacy division at the Committee for Public Counsel Services. He is appointed by the courts to represent anyone under the age of 18 who is charged with a crime in the state.

While Harold spent most of his days in court before Covid-19 hit the US, he now mostly works from home, attending sessions of what he calls Zoom court while working to build socially-distant relationships with the children he represents.

Its been an interesting transition, he says in a recent interview. Im not happy with everything, but I feel like Im being productive now, which definitely wasnt the case in the beginning.

You know whats funny? He adds. I have a couple clients who I call and we FaceTime and text, because most of them are kids, and I actually feel that I have been able to build a pretty good rapport with most of them.

Samuel HaroldPhoto courtesy Samuel Harold

Harold seems to have adapted to our collective new normal, in which our most important meetings are done online and the people we work with remain in a virtual cloud.

A resident of Massachusetts for nearly seven years, Harold says hes had experience voting by mail before the pandemic and decided to do so again during the states primary elections earlier this month.

In a tight senatorial race between incumbent Ed Markey and his opponent Joe Kennedy, Harold tells The Independent that he voted for the 74-year-old senator after the Democrat aligned himself with progressive policies in his recent years.

Its funny, he does have sort of a mixed record, Harold admits. Hes been involved in congressional politics for years. He supported the crime bill and stuff that I wouldnt necessarily be super thrilled about if he was voting that way these days. But he did a really good job attaching himself to a platform that was really progressive.

Story continues

From sponsoring the Green New Deal along with progressive freshman Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and embracing the new left-wing of the Democratic Party, Markeys arguably progressive record became his defining character trait as a candidate in the primary election.

A lot of people can say he was sort of altering his trajectory given his moderate stance for most of his political career, but I think its a really big deal when youre sponsoring the Green New Deal, getting endorsements from Elizabeth Warren and AOC, and I think hes really sort of championed a lot of stuff that I think are super important, Harold says. Even if his vote in the past has been sort of more moderate, I felt like he was representing my interests now more than Joe Kennedy.

Check out more of The Independents series, Polarized: Voices From Across America

Although hes done mail-in voting before and says he has a lot of faith in the US Postal Service, Harold was initially concerned with filling out the ballot incorrectly. He says he was also initially afraid that he didnt send it in on time, which would prevent his vote from being counted. But he says the process turned out to be clear and easya hopeful indication that the November election can run smoothly despite the ongoing pandemic.

I was kind of concerned that my vote wasnt going to get in, but theres actually a website where you can go and theyll tell you if its been received or not, so I was able to check and they had received my vote, he says about the most recent election. It was actually pretty easy.

Harold says he plans to vote by mail once again come November. His choice between the candidates is just about as easy as it was in the state primaries.

As a Democrat who would describe himself as progressive, former Vice President Joe Biden is not Harolds first choice to lead the Democratic ticket. One of his top issues include criminal justice reform, and, according to Harold, Bidens authoring of the crime bill and some other marks on his record are concerning.

But, much like with Markey, the former vice president has attempted to attract the Democratic Partys progressive base with new policy platforms like achieving carbon neutrality by 2030 and reforming the nations criminal justice system.

For Harold, its working.

Im not opposed to people changing their minds about things, he says. If someone voted one way and then comes out and says, listen, Im seeing things differently, Im for that."

He adds: With Biden, I shared a lot of peoples concerns on the left about not only his middle-of-the-ground approach to pretty much everything political throughout his years and years in politics, but he also doesnt have that charisma that I felt like a lot of other people have.

But I also have been seeing that hes pretty malleable, Harold says about Biden. If we give him the right push, we might be able to get some things that we want. He wasnt my first choice, he wasnt my second choice, but at the end of the day, if we can get him on board with some of the things I think are important, Im not going to fault him.
The order comes in advance of next months expiry of a United Nations arms embargo on Iran.

United States President Donald Trump plans to issue an executive order allowing him to impose sanctions on anyone who violates a conventional arms embargo against Iran, four sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

The sources, who spoke to Reuters News Agency on condition of anonymity, said the executive order was expected to be issued in the coming days and would allow the president to punish violators with secondary sanctions, depriving them of access to the US market.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The order comes in advance of next months expiry of a United Nations arms embargo on Iran and would be a warning to foreign actors  US entities are already barred from such trade  that if they buy or sell arms to Iran they will face US sanctions.

Under the 2015 nuclear deal that Iran struck with six major powers  the United Kingdom, China, France, Germany, Russia and the US  the UN conventional arms embargo is to set to expire on October 18.

The US, which abandoned that deal in May 2018, said it has triggered a snap back, or resumption, of all UN sanctions on Iran, including the arms embargo, which would take effect at 8pm on Saturday night (00:00 GMT on Sunday).





Other parties to the nuclear deal and most of the UN Security Council have said they do not believe the US has the right to reimpose the UN sanctions and that the move has no legal effect.

It is obvious that none of the Security Council members have accepted the eligibility of US claims, said Alireza Miryousefi, spokesman for Irans mission to the United Nations, adding that the nuclear deal remains in place and all sanctions on Iran will be lifted in under the timelines agreed upon in 2015.

Piling on

Trumps executive order is intended to show that the US will not be deterred despite failing to win broader UN Security Council backing snap back, said one of the four sources.

Another of the sources, a European diplomat, said the new executive order would put teeth behind Washingtons assertion that the UN arms embargo would remain in place beyond October by giving the president secondary sanctions authority to punish arms transfers to or from Iran with US sanctions.

Secondary sanctions are those where one country seeks to punish a second country for trading with a third by barring access to its own market, a particularly powerful tool for the US because of the size of its economy.

Most foreign companies do not wish to risk being excluded from the vast US market in order to trade with smaller countries such as Iran.

The new executive order may be more symbolic than practical because so many Iranian entities and individuals are already subject to secondary sanctions, said one sanctions lawyer, Doug Jacobson.

Its essentially piling on, Jacobson said. Its designed to send a message on this particular issue  that the US is unhappy that the other parties [to the Iran nuclear deal] did not agree to a snap back of arms sanctions.

Today, the U.S. sanctioned 47 Iranian individuals and entities involved in the Iranian regimes global cyber threat network. We will continue to expose Irans nefarious behavior and we will never relent in protecting our homeland and allies from Iranian hackers.  Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) September 17, 2020

Speaking on Wednesday, US Special Representative for Venezuela and Iran, Elliott Abrams, said Washington planned to impose sanctions on those who violated the UN arms embargo, although he did not say it would do so with an executive order.

Also on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo obliquely hinted at the upcoming action by stressing the power of US sanctions restored since it abandoned the Iran nuclear deal two years ago to deter foreign trade with Iran.

Well do all the things we need to do to ensure that those sanctions are enforced, Pompeo said of the UN arms embargo, recalling many experts argued US unilateral sanctions imposed after it abandoned the nuclear deal would fail.

Weve been very successful in spite of what the world said would happen, he added, saying US sanctions had drastically reduced Irans financial resources.
The West African Examination Council (WEC) has indicated that investigations are ongoing into the alleged leakage of question papers in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

This comes after pictures of the mathematics exam papers went viral on social media on Thursday just a few minutes before the examination started.

According to the Head of Legal at WAEC  Ghana, Rev. Victor Brew, some suspects have been rounded up and handed over to the security agencies for further action.

Now with the issue of leakage, we have gone ahead and reported these allegations and also handed them over to the security agencies, specifically National Security and BNI. Some of the persons have been apprehended to assist with investigations into these issues of snapping of question papers after the exams have begun.

Yesterday, we had eight persons rounded up in Accra, three in Obuasi also picked up and handed over to the police, and we understand some persons have also been picked up.

---citinewsroom
Australia Eases Limits to Welcome More Citizens Home in Stages

New South Wales, Queensland, and Western Australia have agreed to lift their caps on the number of Australians allowed to return from overseas in stages following the national cabinet meeting on Friday.

The Commonwealth wants to increase the limit to 6,000 per week but the states and territories arent ready for that many returning Australians. The weekly limit is currently set at 4,000 people.

Speaking after the national cabinet meeting between state premiers and territory chief ministers, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said: With the success we have had as a country in recent months, we can start opening up again and we can start helping Australians getting home again.

From Sept. 28, New South Wales will move to take 500 additional international arrivals, while Queensland and Western Australia will take an additional 200 international arrivals each per week.

This number will increase incrementally, with Queensland taking an additional 500 per week from Oct. 4, and Western Australia taking an additional 500 by Oct. 11.

Morrison admitted that while he had wanted the caps to be lifted sooner, the additional time would allow the states to get their quarantine arrangements into place. The Australian Defence Force will provide aid for preparation to achieve this.

This is going to help get more Australians home, the prime minister said.

The federal government has already helped 27,000 Australians return home although about 24,000 Australians are still stuck overseas4,000 of them are considered vulnerable to COVID-19.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has spent tens of millions of dollars helping vulnerable travellers with travel and accommodation via consulates, the prime minister said.

New South Wales has been carrying the majority share in opening its borders for Australians coming home; about 40 percent of all returning Australians, including those from other states and territories.

Australia closed its international borders early in the pandemic and urged citizens to return as soon as possible. It also imposed strict lockdowns and social distancing measures, dramatically reducing internal spread of the virus. It currently has a mandatory 14-day hotel quarantine for all international arrivals.

Compromise

While Morrison said that Australia was making tremendously good progress in its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, he admitted that states and territories didnt always agree with the Commonwealth although they are working it out together through the national cabinet.

[National cabinet] havent always agreed. Theres been the odd comments from time to time. But I want to assure Australians that when we get in that room, we solve things. We make the compromises that are needed from time to time to get to a yes and to get to going forward, he said.

Thats whats happening here today.

Earlier in the day, Queenslands Health Minister Steven Miles said: Its the federal governments responsibility to take care of Australians while theyre overseas and they should act to get them home and they should meet the costs of hotel quarantine.

Ive never understood, never understood, why the federal government have been able to aggregate their responsibility and force states to do quarantine for international arrivals when that very clearly should be the Commonwealths responsibility.
SAD will wait for fate of farm bills in Rajya Sabha before taking call on continuing in NDA

India

pti-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Sep 18: The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) will take a call on whether to remain in the BJP-led NDA or not after taking into consideration the fate of three contentious farm bills in Rajya Sabha and consulting its cadre, party sources said on Friday, a day after its lone Union minister quit the government.

A senior party leader said the priority of the SAD at the moment was to safeguard the interests of farmers, and not the alliance issue.

The party's core group met this afternoon here with many leaders joining through video conference from Punjab to discuss its next course of action, after Harsimrat Kaur Badal's resignation in protest against the three farm sector bills. The bills were passed by Lok Sabha this week and likely to be taken up in Rajya Sabha soon.

Misguiding the farmers, PM lashes out at opposition for opposing farm bills

Asked whether the SAD would pull out of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) as well, Harsimrat told PTI it was for the party to decide and a collective decision would be taken on the issue by all senior leaders together.

Another senior party leader Naresh Gujral said, "Even in a marriage there are disagreements. So, similarly, in coalition it doesn't mean you have to subscribe to each other's ideology. Each political party has to protect its interests." Gujral, a Rajya Sabha member, said the government should refer these three bills to a select committee.

Asked whether the SAD will remain in the ruling alliance or not, Gujral said, "Akali Dal is very mindful of the fact that today our army is standing eye ball to eye ball with PLA at LAC. Pakistan is trying to disturb the atmosphere of Punjab." He said the party would not take any decision which would disturb the atmosphere in Punjab, a border state. The Akali Dal represents Sikhs, who are known for their patriotism and made huge sacrifice for the country in the past, Gujral said. He also said both the Akali Dal and the BJP feel the void created by the untimely demise of senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley.

Echoing similar sentiments, party leader Prem Singh Chandumajra said the alliance issue was not a priority for the SAD as of now as the Assembly elections in Punjab are still far away. SAD sources said the party will wait for the fate of the bills in Rajya Sabha before taking a final call on remaining in the NDA.

The BJP is confident that numbers are stacked in its favour in Rajya Sabha for the passage of the bills -- the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill.

Indian Army indicts troops involved in J&K encounter | Oneindia News

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's forceful defence of the three bills and blistering criticism of the opposition for protesting against them on Thursday made it clear that he remains unfazed and that his government will press on to get Parliament's nod for these measures aimed at opening private avenues for farmers to sell their produce.

Farmers in states like Punjab and Haryana have been protesting against these proposed laws which, their leaders allege, will end up dismantling the existing government-backed support system they have.
Louisa Nwobodo

18.09.2020 LISTEN

Veteran Nollywood actress Louisa Nwobodo has died shortly after she collapsed in Enugu State.

The Sun News reported that Louisa Nwobodo had collapsed on Sunday, September 13 in her car at St. Mulumbas Catholic Church, New Haven, Enugu.

She was rushed to a nearby health facility where she was confirmed dead.

Her remains have been deposited at the morgue pending the conclusion of her burial arrangements. She was 78.

Before her death, she had featured in many Nigerian epic movies like 'Johnbull', 'Rose Kate', among others; hence, carving a name for herself in the industry.

She was also popular for her role as Ijeuwa in the movie 'Indemnity' and is also known for her performances in movies like 'Onye Eze', 'Never Say Good Bye', 'The Barrister', 'Moonlight', 'Made In Cambridge' and many others between 2001 and 2006.
Poland on Thursday proposed an EU stabilisation fund for Belarus worth at least one billion euros ($1.2 billion), as a top opposition leader prepared to meet EU foreign ministers in Brussels.

Warsaw's call for financial support comes days after Russian President Vladimir Putin backed embattled Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko and promised a $1.5 billion loan.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki called it a "new Marshall Plan" -- a reference to the US programme that pumped vast financial aid into western Europe to rebuild after World War II.

"The fund should really be significant... so at least a billion euros at this stage," he said at a joint press conference with his Lithuanian counterpart in Vilnius.

The plan would be for funds to go to small and medium-sized enterprises in Belarus, while facilitating access to EU markets for Belarusian exporters and opening up the Belarusian economy.

Morawiecki said he would formally present the plan at the September 24-25 European Council, adding that several fellow EU eastern members have already endorsed it.

The proposal comes after weeks of unprecedented protests against Lukashenko's 26-year rule that have been met with a violent crackdown.

Journalists have also been targeted and on Thursday a number of independent Belarusian media ran with blank spaces instead of images on Thursday to protest the jailing of two photographers for 11 days for covering protests.

"We are demanding that pressure on journalists be halted," said tut.by, a top independent Belarusian outlet. "We will fight for our rights."

The protests followed a presidential election on August 9 in which Lukashenko and his rival Svetlana Tikhanovskaya both claimed victory.

- 'Stop the violence' -

Tikhanovskaya, who has since fled to Lithuania, will travel to Brussels to meet EU foreign ministers on Monday, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell's spokesman said.

Story continues

She warned last week that Belarus was on the "threshold of an economic abyss" as private Belarusian companies, notably in its vibrant tech sector, have begun to seek out opportunities in neighbouring EU states.

On Thursday, she said the opposition was drawing up a blacklist with the names of Belarusian officials and police officers responsible for repression who could face prosecution.

"I urge the security forces to stop the violence and join the Belarusian people. If you do not, you will not escape a fair trial and punishment," Tikhanovskaya said in a statement.

The European Union is preparing sanctions later this month against those it holds responsible for rigging the vote and putting down protests.

The Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have already blacklisted Lukashenko and 29 other high-ranking officials from the election commission, ministries and police.

- Constitutional reform? -

Still refusing any dialogue with the opposition, Lukashenko on Thursday accused Warsaw and Vilnius of being ready to provoke war.

"That is why we are forced to take the army off the streets, put half the army under arms and close the state border to the west -- primarily with Lithuania and Poland," he was quoted as saying by the official Belta news agency.

Lukashenko has looked to Russia for support in the current crisis and vowed to strengthen ties with Moscow at an in-person meeting with Putin in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

Putin has been keen to unify Russia and Belarus, and Moscow has accompanied its offers of aid with calls for tighter integration.

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Thursday said Lukashenko had also promised a consitutional reform aimed at "liberalising the political system".

"We know that practical work in this direction is already being done," Zakharova said, adding that the Russia expected the situation in Belarus to normalise "as soon as possible".

burs-dt/mas/har
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Ivanka Trump was pictured arriving at her Manhattan apartment last night, marking the first time that she has been photographed in New York City since the pandemic hit the US earlier this year.

The 38-year-old cut a casual figure as she made the short walk from her SUV to the front door on Thursday evening, dressed down in dark skinny jeans and a light gray sweatshirt  a far cry from the dressed-up, polished looks she typically sports in Washington, D.C.

A fresh-faced, makeup-free Ivanka was spotted again Friday morning as she dropped her son Joseph off at his grandparents' home, after which she spent several hours at a pair of Midtown hair and beauty salons before climbing back in her SUV to drive out to New Jersey.

While Jared was still in Washington, D.C. as of this morning and their kids Arabella and Theodore have not yet been spotted in New York, Ivanka appears to have plans to celebrate Rosh Hashanah with the Kushners in New Jersey when the Jewish holiday beings at sundown tonight.

Back home! Ivanka Trump was pictured arriving at her Manhattan apartment last night, marking the first time that she has been photographed in NYC since the pandemic hit the US earlier this year

Going in: The 38-year-old cut a casual figure as she made the short walk from her SUV to the front door on Thursday evening, arriving a day before the start of Rosh Hashanah

Carrying her things: She brought along a small suitcase and a Dior dress bag, which others carried inside for her. Ivanka just toted her purse, from which papers and a charger stuck out

Outfit: She was dressed down in dark skinny jeans and a light gray sweatshirt and accessorized with a pair of plain black flats, a simple white bag, and a printed pink face mask

Ivanka was somewhat low-profile  or as low-profiled as a person can be in a convoy of three Secret Service vehicles with seven Secret Service agents  as she walked into her Park Avenue home at sundown on Thursday evening.

Along with her unfussy outfit, the First Daughter accessorized with a pair of plain black flats, a simple white bag, and a printed pink face mask.

She wore her hair down and straight as she briskly walked from her car to the building, looking incredibly casual compared to how she typically appears back in D.C.

She brought along a small suitcase and a Dior dress bag, which others carried inside for her.

On Friday morning, the mother-of-three was still feeling low-key when she was photographed yet again, this time leaving the apartment to take six-year-old Joseph to his grandparents' Upper East Side apartment.

Ivanka donned the same jeans, shoes, and bag for the errand, but switched up her top, ditching the gray sweater for a short-sleeve black mock-turtleneck.

Off to the grandparents! On Friday morning, she was photographed yet again, this time leaving the apartment to take six-year-old Joseph to his grandparents' home

Today's look: Ivanka donned the same jeans, shoes, and bag for the errand, but switched up her top, ditching the gray sweater for a short-sleeve black mock-turtleneck

Mask swap: The White House advisor wore her hair down and minimal makeup on her face again, and traded in yesterday's pink mask for a plain blue one

Kid clothes: She was pictured getting out of her SUV with Joseph, who himself was dressed casually in a blue sweater, gray sweats, sneakers, and a colorful mask

Keeping him occupied: The little boy carried was appeared to be a small bag of snacks and a bright pink toy microphone

Family: Jared Kushner was pictured at the family's Kalorama home this morning, and the whereabouts of the couple's other two children are unknown

The White House advisor wore her hair down and seemingly no makeup on her face again, and traded in yesterday's pink mask for a floral textured blue one. She also accessorized with a blue watch and held a newspaper in her hand.

She was pictured getting out of her SUV with Joseph, who himself was dressed casually in a blue sweater, gray sweats, sneakers, and a colorful mask. The little boy carried was appeared to be a small bag of snacks and a bright pink toy microphone as he headed in to see his grandparents.

After sending Joseph off for a day with grandma and grandpa, Ivanka headed out for a bit of pampering, stopping at two Midtown beauty salons for a total of three and a half hours.

She first stopped at the Oon Arvelo Salon, spending two and a half hours inside. She then walked down the block to her longtime hair salon, Oscar Blandi, and spent just an hour there.

The First Daughter emerged with a lighter, blonder 'do, apparently having had her hair dyed and her roots touched up at one of the salons.

After a few hours of beatifying, Ivanka  who appeared to be fresh-faced without a bit of makeup  climbed back into a waiting SUV.

Refresh! After sending Joseph off for a day with grandma and grandpa, Ivanka headed out for a bit of pampering, stopping at two Midtown beauty salons for a total of three and a half hours

Dye job: She emerged with lighter, blonder locks and her roots covered up

Busy: She first stopped at the Oon Arvelo Salon, spending two and a half hours inside. She then walked down the block to her longtime hair salon, Oscar Blandi, and spent just an hour there

On the go: After a few hours of beatifying, Ivanka  who appeared to be fresh-faced without a bit of makeup  climbed back into a waiting SUV.

Jersey bound! Her convoy then met up with Port Authority Police, which took her through the Lincoln Tunnel into New Jersey  where she and Jared own a home, as do Jared's parents

Her convoy then met up with Port Authority Police, which took her through the Lincoln Tunnel into New Jersey  where she and Jared own a home, as do Jared's parents.

Meanwhile, Jared was still pictured at the family's Kalorama home this morning, and the whereabouts of the couple's other two children are unknown.

However, they may all come together by tonight for the start of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, which begins at sundown and will herald in the new year of 5781.

Ivanka has not been photographed in New York City since the beginning of the pandemic in the US, though she did stay at the family's New Jersey home for Passover in April.

Her trip to New York comes at the end of a week of traveling while campaigning for her father.

After traveling to Florida, Texas, and Arizona this week, the First Daughter may be expected to follow New York's mandatory quarantine order. Non-compliance with the order can result in a civil penalty of up to $10,000.

Pitstop: Ivanka surprised volunteers at the Latinos for Trump headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, on Wednesday

Outfit: She wore a $1,250 dress by Colombian fashion designer Johanna Ortiz

Busy bee: After she left Arizona, she flew to Austin, Texas, for another event

Ivanka's travels start on Wednesday, when she surprised volunteers at the Latinos for Trump headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, wearing a $1,250 dress by Colombian fashion designer Johanna Ortiz and a tie-dye pastel face mask.

She walked around the headquarters with Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, waving and speaking to volunteers  and at one point, she gave the woman she was talking to a fist bump.

After her visit, she sat down with Gov. Ducey and others to participate in a roundtable discussion about America's working families.

Ivanka's trip to Arizona marked the first time the first daughter has visited the state since her father was elected, but that wasn't her only visit for the day.

After she left Arizona, she flew to Austin, Texas, where she participated in a fundraising event for her father's campaign.

Into it: Ivanka Trump learned how to roll out dough for Cuban bread while visiting La Segunda Bakery in Tampa, Florida, on Thursday

Outfit of the day: The 38-year-old donned a light blue and white patterned dress with billowy sleeves and a matching Lele Sadoughi pinstriped face mask adorned with pearls

Next stop: Ivanka later joined former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi at Columbia Restaurant for a 'fireside chat' about small businesses

All smiles: The White House senior adviser flashed the peace sign before sitting down

On Thursday, she flew to Tampa, Florida, where she visited La Segunda Bakery in Ybor City and tried her hand at making Cuban bread with baker Anthony Ali.

She wore a light blue and white patterned dress with billowy sleeves and a matching Lele Sadoughi pinstriped face mask adorned with pearls.

Jennifer Holton, a reporter for FOX13 News, tweeted that Ivanka had 'ordered three loaves of Cuban bread and guava pastries from La Segunda to bring back home to DC tonight.'

Ivanka remained perfectly coiffed after her bread-making lesson, with not one blonde hair out of place when she headed to her next stop: Columbia Restaurant.

President Donald Trump's eldest daughter joined former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi at the establishment, which is the oldest restaurant in the state.

They sat down with other local leaders for an intimate 'fireside chat.'

Ivanka removed her mask for the conversation and sat slightly less than six feet apart from Bondi as they discussed the effect of COVID-19 on small businesses, among other things.
The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum is paying homage to Dr. Anthony Fauci with a bobblehead doll inspired by the infectious disease expert.

And in addition to bobbling his head, this doll also moves its arm in a perfect recreation of Dr. Fauci's viral facepalm moment.

The doll, which is available for pre-order now, is modeled to look just like a mini Dr. Fauci as he appeared in a March 20 press briefing, when he stood behind President Trump and brought his hand up to his face.

Collectible: The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum is paying homage to Dr. Anthony Fauci with a bobblehead doll inspired by the infectious disease expert

He can do it all! In addition to bobbling his head, this doll also moves its arm in a perfect recreation of Dr. Fauci 's viral facepalm moment

Memorable moment: The doll, which is available for pre-order now, is modeled to look just like a mini Dr. Fauci as he appeared in a March 20 press briefing, when he stood behind President Trump and brought his hand up to his face

'Dr. Anthony Fauci has become Americas voice of reason as one of the lead members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force,' reads the item description

'Dr. Anthony Fauci has become Americas voice of reason as one of the lead members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force,' reads the item description.

'This special edition bobblehead features Dr. Fauci, who has served as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984.'

The $30 limited-edition doll was initially offered with either a red tie or a blue tie, but the blue tie version has already sold out.

The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum will also be donating $5 from every Dr. Fauci Bobblehead sold to the American Hospital Association's Protect the Heroes Campaign to support the 100 Million Mask Challenge.

Museum founders Phil Sklar and Brad Novak have made other bobbleheads by popular demand, including one for White House coronavirus response coordinator Deborah Birx

Gang's all here! Sklar and Novak said that they've seen a huge demand for bobbleheads inspired by public health officials and politicians, like Gov. Andrew Cuomo

Heroes: There is also an 'essential heroes' series with frontline workers

Head to head to head: Another series features all 'three' Presidential candidates: Trump, Biden, and Kanye

This is actually the second Dr. Fauci bobblehead created by the museum, which debuted another version in April.

Museum founders Phil Sklar and Brad Novak told The Washington Post that 20,000 dolls were preordered within a week, and all 42,020 Dr. Fauci bobbleheads sold sold out by mid-august.

Fauci himself thinks the popularity is more about what people think he represents.

'As opposed to that being a bobblehead of me, Tony Fauci, its really a bobblehead of the symbol of a person who they trust, and who they feel is giving them clarity and important information that they need, he said.

Sklar and Novak said that they've seen a huge demand for bobbleheads inspired by public health officials and politicians, like White House coronavirus response coordinator Deborah Birx, New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine.

'It was something that we had never seen before, in terms of people getting excited about their governors or their representatives,' Sklar said.
(Photo : Photo Illustration by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) In this photo illustration, the TikTok app is displayed on an Apple iPhone on August 7, 2020 in Washington, DC. On Thursday evening, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that bans any transactions between the parent company of TikTok, ByteDance, and U.S. citizens due to national security reasons. The president signed a separate executive order banning transactions with China-based tech company Tencent, which owns the app WeChat. Both orders are set to take effect in 45 days. (Photo : Photo Illustration by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) In this photo illustration, the WeChat app is displayed in the App Store on an Apple iPhone on August 7, 2020 in Washington, DC. On Thursday evening, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that bans any transactions between the parent company of TikTok, ByteDance, and U.S. citizens due to national security reasons. The president signed a separate executive order banning transactions with China-based tech company Tencent, which owns the app WeChat. Both orders are set to take effect in 45 days.

Starting on Sunday, Sept. 20, the United States government declared final plans to ban famous Chinese apps TikTok and WeChat from American app stores. Here's what happens once this date comes around.

Say goodbye to WeChat and TikTok

On Friday, Sept. 18, U.S. Department of Commerce releases an announcement of the federal government to ban Chinese apps in the country, particularly video-sharing app TikTok and social media platform WeChat.

The date starts on Sunday, Sept. 20. Meaning to say, apps like WeChat and TikTok will no longer be active on any U.S. play stores online. This was still part of the government's action to protect Americans from apps that were said to be a threat to 'national security.'

"Today's actions prove once again that President Trump will do everything in his power to guarantee our national security and protect Americans from the threats of the Chinese Communist Party," Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in a statement.

"At the President's direction, we have taken significant action to combat China's malicious collection of American citizens' personal data, while promoting our national values, democratic rules-based norms, and aggressive enforcement of U.S. laws and regulations."

What will change?

First of all, Chinese apps like TikTok and WeChat are no longer stranger to the U.S. ban.

On Aug. 6, Pres. Donald Trump signed an executive order banning the country from transacting business with the particular Chinese apps.

POTUS specifically, cited these apps as an imminent threat to the privacy and security of each American.

So what will change after Sept. 21?

Apps like TikTok and WeChat won't be available to download from Google Play Store or Apple's App Store, starting on Sunday.

New York Times highlights the restrictions that this new government protocol will apply. For example, on WeChat, transferring of funds or processing of payments within the country will be prohibited.

The WeChat's code in other apps or software will be prohibited to use, such as offering internet transit and others to the Chinese company.

You can still use TikTok!

The interesting part on the feds press release is the fact that TikTok will be having a leeway date wherein it can still fix its permit to the U.S.



As explained, TikTok can still operate in the country until Nov. 12. However, as part of the deal starting on Sunday, TikTok users will no longer have access to the app's updates or repairs from app stores.

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Jamie Pancho

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
(File Photo)

The Pakistan government has sent arrest warrants through its mission in London for deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif who has been living in the UK for medical treatment, a media report said on Friday.

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 treatment.

The three-time premier, his daughter Maryam and son-in-law Muhammad Safdar were convicted in the Avenfield properties case on July 6, 2018.

Sharif was also sentenced to seven years in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills case in December 2018. But, he was bailed out in both cases and also allowed to go to London for medical treatment.

He was given eight weeks to return but failed to come back due to health complications, according to his lawyer.

The Pakistan High Commission in London has received arrest warrants sent by the government for Sharif, the Dawn newspaper reported.

The documents were received on Thursday but the mission did not make an official comment on the development, it said.

However, sources confirmed to the newspaper that the mission had received the papers to serve the arrest warrants on Sharif, who has been living in London for treatment, the report said.

The sources added that all legal formalities and procedures would be followed.

Earlier, the assistant registrar of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) directed the foreign secretary to ensure production of the former prime minister before the court on September 22.

The secretary has been told to "cause the production of appellant (Mr Sharif) through the High Commission of Pakistan in the United Kingdom" by 11 am on September 22.

The IHC earlier this week had issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Sharif while dismissing his application seeking exemption from personal appearance in the hearing of appeals against his conviction in the Al-Azizia and Avenfield properties references.

Sharif was serving a seven-year prison sentence in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat Jail before being allowed to go to the UK.
Apple is opening its online store in India on September 23rd over a year after the government eased rules that limited the tech giants business in the country. The store will offer Apples full range of products and direct support to customers in India for the first time, and it will also give them access to financing options and the companys trade-in program. At the moment, the company only sells its products to Indian customers through third-party stores.

Apple started building iPhones at a plant in Karnataka back in 2017. However, it couldnt establish a retail presence in the country due to a rule that required foreign companies to manufacture 30 percent of its products locally. Bloomberg reported that the tech giant was already gearing up for online sales shortly after India eased its rules on location production, and Tim Cook confirmed it in February this year at an annual shareholder meeting. He also revealed that Apple will open a brick-and-mortar store in India in 2021, which will reportedly be in Mumbai followed by another one in Bangalore.

The Indian store will offer personalized engraving in English, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Tamil and Telugu for AirPods and in English for iPad and Apple Pencil. Like in other regions, the company will enforce contactless delivery in the country as a precautionary measure against COVID19.

iPhones are a popular premium smartphone among Indian consumers, but Apple has a tiny marketshare as a whole and Android remains the dominant mobile platform. It remains to be seen whether establishing a retail presence in the South Asian nation can help the tech giant win over more potential customers.
That first dip into the online marketplace only made me want more. Suddenly, everything left over in my house was an opportunity. I was fascinated by the lengths people would go to buy an object that they either felt was a) rare, b) a great deal or c) both. One man drove from Manatee County, across the Sunshine Skyway, to buy a home security system. As we met outside on the street, he handed me $20, only to do some quick Googling to realize that the machinery was not compatible with his cameras. So after a more than 30-minute drive, he gave the system back to me and went on his way.
Test or no test at the airport, the moral obligation of a passenger who, either has symptoms or is unwell, is to opt out of the flight even if a false reading clears him to travel.

by Dr. Ruwantissa Abeyratne in Montreal

Over the past few days, the media has been presenting to us various epidemiologists, immunologists and other scientists who have been consensual in their opinion that a vaccine for the Covid-19 virus will not be introduced for use till at least Spring 2021. Most have considered this chronology too early. Until such time as the vaccine arrives, many practical measures have been recommended by reputable international Organizations as well as groups of States to circumvent a total lockdown.

The Council Aviation Recovery Task Force (CART) of the International Civil Aviation Organization is ICAOs response to the pandemic. According to ICAO, this body is aimed at providing practical, aligned guidance to governments and industry operators in order to restart the international air transport sector and recover from the impacts of COVID-19 on a coordinated global basis. Its most recent initiative, according to a recent Reuters report, might be to recommend more testing at airports. According to an article in Airways Magazine, airlines and airports have been wishing that CART would recommend to States that Negative Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests be required of travelers within 48 hours of travel that would obviate the usual 14-day quarantine period.

On 11th September The European Commission proposed a common traffic light system for member states of the European Union aimed at coordinating border controls and remedying the ongoing disparate and confusing patchwork of coronavirus restrictions on travellers across Europe. Ekathimerini.com positioned in Greece reported: under the proposal, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control would produce a weekly map with every region or country coloured green, orange or redrestrictions, whether a quarantine or a test, would be appropriate for those coming from red zones, although the measures should be the same for all red zones, whether inside or outside the country. Countries would be free to determine what measures to take.

The colour coding is based on two criteria - no restrictions for people from areas with 50 or fewer COVID-19 infections per 100,000 people in 14 days, or where the percentage of positive tests is below 3%, unless the number of cases exceeds 150. Red zones denote regions or countries with over 150 cases per 100,000 or over 50 cases if at least 3% of COVID-19 tests are positive.

Amidst all these developments, Alitalia has introduced a pilot project on its flights between Rome and Milan, using PCR tests at the departing airport, where the results will be known in 30 minutes and only passengers who test negative will be allowed on the fight. The significance of this measure is that authorities in Italy, much to their credit, have not waited for CART to come up with a global recommendation.

If this practice spreads far and wide in the air transport world, it could prove an effective measure in alleviating the economic constraints faced by the industry. It is possible that the PCR testing process could spread to international transport and consequent easing of restrictions on air travel.

Of course, these measures would not attain fruition without international cooperation between States as well as between States and international organizations concerned. A key support area would lie in financing, particularly poor countries and the provision of critical commodities to them. Needless to say, air transport would be playing a key role in this endeavour, which is all the more reason to have a contingency plan for the sustenance of global air transport in a crisis situation.

Covid-19 was unique in the context of earlier outbreaks of an influenza pandemic. Firstly, the world had been warned in advance by preceding outbreaks of communicable diseases. . Secondly, this warning gave us ample opportunity to prepare for an outbreak. WHO observed that, since late 2003, the world had progressively moved closer to a pandemic since 1968 when the last pandemic of the twentieth century occurred. WHO also said that, during 2005, ominous changes have been observed in the epidemiology of the disease in animals. WHO advised that, as a response to a pandemic threat, the world should take advantage of the gradual process of the adaptive mutation of the virus and implement early intervention with antiviral drugs, supported by other public health measures.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003/2004 was a clear harbinger of things to come and now we have ample experience to develop such measures. During the SARS outbreak stringent and effective measures were taken amidst robust international cooperation. On 18 November 2005, temperature screening of people arriving at Hong Kong at Lowu and Lok Ma Chau were activated using infra-red thermo imagery techniques. This measure amply demonstrated that, from an air transport perspective, technology was available to combat an outbreak of flu around the world.

With the PCR test passengers on board would be comfortable in the belief that all passengers in the cabin had been tested to be negative for the virus. Another comforting thought, which the passengers should be educated on is the fact that the ventilation system in the cabin and the filters used reduce the risk of a pathogen being communicable. As commentator J. May has observed: there is nothing about an aircraft cabin that makes it easier to contract a communicable disease. In fact, quite the opposite appears to be true. The ventilation patterns on aircraft, combined with the circulation of air through High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters reduces the spread of airborne pathogens, especially when compared with other public places.

While all this is well and good, the question is whether, as was experienced during the outbreak of SARS in Toronto, where two Toronto residents brought SARS from Hong Kong to Toronto after travelling by air, the international community should be more concerned with the transmission of the disease across boundaries, which is the real danger and not merely within the aircraft itself.

Another, arguably significant factor is that there is no 100% guarantee of the accuracy and diagnosis of a PCR test (or any test for that matter). Therefore, while scientific evidence takes priority over anything else, a wide discretion should be given to States in quarantine procedures and policies. The international health dimension of Covid-19 involves human rights issues as well. International human rights law has laid down two critical aspects relating to public health: that protection of public health constitutes legitimate grounds for limiting human rights in certain circumstances (such as detention of persons or house arrest tantamount to quarantine exercises would be justified in order to contain a disease); and individuals have an inherent right to health. In this context it is not only the State or nation that has an obligation to notify WHO of communicable disease, but the human concerned as well, who has an abiding moral and legal obligation. In 1975, WHO issued a policy statement which subsumed its philosophy on health and human rights which stated: The individual is obliged to notify the health authorities when he is suffering from a communicable disease (including venereal diseases) or has been exposed to infection, and must undergo examination, treatment, surveillance, isolation or hospitalization. In particular, obligatory isolation or hospitalization in such cases constitutes a limitation on freedom of movement and the right to liberty and security of person.

Test or no test at the airport, the moral obligation of a passenger who, either has symptoms or is unwell, is to opt out of the flight even if a false reading clears him to travel.

It is critical for an evaluation of the health and aeronautical implications of Covid-19 that the term health be defined in context. While the WHO Constitution identifies as an objective of the Organization attainment of the highest possible level of health, the state of health is defined as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. From an aeronautical perspective, this is a tough act to follow, as international responsibility in the carriage of persons extends only as far as the obligation to prevent injury, wounding or death, and not to the physical or mental well-being of a person. This principle does not carry much weight in the Covid-19 context as the mental well being of a passenger on board a flight is crucial, that would give him the assurance that he is traveling in a clean aircraft.

In air transport, all factors: public health; human rights; communication as well as the confidence of the passenger who embarks on a flight, are equally important.

Dr. Abeyratne, an aviation consultant and visiting professor at McGill University, is the author of 33 books on aviation law and economics. He is currently writing his latest book titled Aviation and Pandemic Law.
The cuts represent a loss of 18% of the NPR affiliates staff, reducing it to 127 full- and part-time employees. It comes less than two years after the station began moving into its $38-million media center on the campus of Santa Monica Community College.  Los Angeles Times
President of India Ram Nath Kovind has accepted minister of food processing industries Harsimrat Kaur Badals resignation from the Union Cabinet and directed that Narendra Singh Tomar be assigned the additional charge of the ministry, according to a press release.

The President of India, as advised by the Prime Minister, has accepted the resignation of Smt. Harsimrat Kaur Badal from the Union Council of Ministers, with immediate effect, under clause (2) of Article 75 of the Constitution, the communique issued on Friday said.

Also read: Harsimrat Kaur Badal quits Cabinet over farm bills

Further, as advised by the Prime Minister, The President has directed that Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Cabinet Minister, be assigned the charge of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, in addition to his existing portfolios, it added.

Harsimrat Kaur Badal had tendered her resignation from the Cabinet on Thursday in protest of legislation seeking to liberalise agricultural markets. I have resigned from Union Cabinet in protest against anti-farmer ordinances and legislation. Proud to stand with farmers as their daughter & sister, she had tweeted.

Also read: SAD should now quit central govt, says farm cell head Maluka

The ministers party Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) opposed the farm-relation legislations but said it will continue to be a part of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

These bills have many provisions that go against farmers interests. We have repeatedly asked the government that please address the apprehensions of farmers, but the government had done nothing. Therefore, I oppose these bills, SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal said.
This year is an experiment, says Frankfurt Book Fair director Juergen Boos of the reimagined event, which will take place October 1218. Organizers of the fair, which is the centerpiece of the international publishing calendar, canceled the in-person fair at the beginning of the month, citing travel restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic as the reason; 800 exhibitors and 40 national stands were affected by the cancellation. People were very much looking forward to the fair, which many hoped would be a signal of the end of the pandemic, Boos says, but that is obviously not the case, so it is very emotional for all of us.

Exhibitors who registered for this years fair will have their registration converted to one for the digital fair. In addition, companies that made payments for space rental will have the option of having those payments either refunded or rolled over to the 2021 fair.

Approximately 80 live events will still take place in and around the city of Frankfurt, but the majority of these are consumer-facing author presentations that are part of the fairs Bookfest program, which launched last year. This years Bookfest will include virtual appearances by Elizabeth Gilbert, Karin Slaughter, Don Winslow, and new PEN president Ayad Akhtar.

Some other key aspects of the fair, such as the opening press conference and keynote speech, will be filmed live on the grounds of the Messe in the Festhalle, which last year housed the LitAg literary agents center and will this year serve as a broadcast studio capable of hosting a live audience of as many as 450 people. Boos notes that the fair has been in near-constant conversation with the national and local health authorities to ensure that any in-person events meet all safety protocols. The German government, the state of Hessen, and the city of Frankfurt have all been very supportive of us, Boos says, adding that the German minister of culture, Monika Grutters, will attend the fairs opening ceremony as an affirmation of just how important literary culture and the creative industries are to the country. The keynote speaker at the opening ceremony will be Israeli author David Grossman. I thought that, given this moment in time, with a pandemic and populist politics present throughout the world, that Grossman is a perfect person to open this very special edition of the fair, Boos says.

Virtual B2B networking and programming

As for how Americans can participate in this years fair, much of it involves the opportunity to take part in the book fairs online B2B, which includes a tool that will show you potential business partners who match with your interests and profile. This is our attempt to help recreate the spirit of the fair, says Boos. The fair will also be hosting proprietary, invite-only events to supplement the private meetings arranged between fairgoerssomething this years digital platform will facilitate.

Boos has long sought to turn Frankfurt into a forum for both book publishers and content creators, citing last years CEO talk with Netflix International Originals vice president Kelly Luegenbiehl as the type of programming hed like the fair to offer more often and the type of executive he wants to attract.

Virtual B2B sessions are beginning October 5 and will include prerecorded Market Insight sessions, which will offer an overview of individual markets around the worldincluding one hosted by PW. Networking opportunities also begin on September 24 with the launch of The Hof, an informal online social hub inspired by the nighttime parties held during the fair at the Frankfurter Hof hotel, and will offer music and short, inspirational interviews with industry leaders.

As for the fair itself, a series of themed virtual conferences will run from 9 to 11:30 a.m. EDT daily. October 12 focuses on academic and scholarly publishing. October 13, which covers rights and licensing, will include the traditional Rights Meeting, this year featuring agent Andrew Nurnberg, Anna Soler-Pont of the Pontas Agency, Marty Brochstein from Licensing International, and Corinne Quentin of Bureau des Copyrights Francais, among others. (For details about how literary agents and rights directors are handling the fair, see Going Virtual).

The October 14 program focuses on publishing insights, with presentations from Waterstones and Barnes & Noble CEO James Daunt; Canongate UK commercial director Jenny Fry; Caroline Leavitt, author and cofounder of A Mighty Blaze; Gustavo Lembert, publisher of TAGLivros in Brazil; and Ananth Padmanabhan, CEO of HarperCollins Publishers India, On October 15, Videl Bar-Kar, global head of audio at Bookwire; Javier Celaya of Dosdoce; and Magnus Nytell, head of international expansion at Nextory will offer presentations on audiobooks, and several Meet the Editors events will feature discussions with editors from a single countrysuch as a U.S. panel featuring Gabriella Page-Fort of Amazon Crossing; Kendall Storey from Catapult, Counterpoint, and Soft Skull Press; and Michael Wise of New Vessel Press. There will also be events covering several timely topics, including selling political and social justice books in the U.S. and recent developments in Arab publishing. Bodour Al Qasimi, v-p of the International Publishers Association, will lead a discussion on women and publishing in Africa; additionally, a larger session addressing nonfiction publishing around the world will feature Karina Bolasco, director of Ateneo UP (Philippines); Colleen Higgs, publisher of Modjaji Books (South Africa); Veruschka Selbach, managing director of Pluto Press (U.K.); and Hernan Lopez Winne of Ediciones Godot (Argentina). Literary scout Maria Campbell will also be speaking during the fair, about expanding the audience of readers.

New this year will be a track for international booksellers who sell foreign-language titles in their bookshops and who would like to gain insight into the workings of the German book market and German publishing. The fair is selecting some two dozen booksellers to take part in an exclusive training, exchange, and networking program to be held during the fair, as well as through October and November. (Applications to join the program are due by September 28.) In addition, the European and International Booksellers Federation will be holding an online discussion as part of the fair, on the topic of helping to make bookselling and publishing environmentally sustainable.

Making the best of it

Simon & Schuster president and CEO Jonathan Karp agrees that networking and rights needed to be at the heart of what Frankfurt provides. According to our rights directors, nothing matches Frankfurt as an opportunity to see a slew of knowledgeable industry players quickly, Karp says. Also, many times, having the publishers see a physical book or galley makes all the difference in the interest you get for a book. It is hard to get excited over a PDF without holding the book and seeing how the finished book looks. Friendly Zoom calls arent a substitute for the chatty give-and-take about markets, trends, and larger industry changes that face-to-face meetings afford. No chance encounters, either! We dont know that anything can replace the relationship-building done over a cup of coffee, dinner, or even some snacks at the stand. There is one upside, though. Colleagues here, who normally wouldnt be able to travel to the fair, will be able to join in on some meetings and get valuable experience. We are all trying to make the best of the situation.

Hachette Book Group CEO Michael Pietsch echoes Karps sentiment, noting that he and his team will miss meeting up with friends and colleagues at the fair, particularly at the companys annual party on the fairs opening day. But, as we did with BookExpo, were looking at this virtual Frankfurt Book Fair as an opportunity, Pietsch says. Well use this years fair to put to the test the many digital collaboration tools that weve been deploying all year, and to come out of it with a clearer sense of what is truly essential about the in-person experience. We look forward to returning in the future better able to spread enthusiasm and maximize the value of the international publishing community for our authors.

Canada, which was slated to be the guest of honor country in Frankfurt this year, has had its program delayed to 2021. Gillian Fizet, executive director of Canada FBM 2020, says that a key component of the guest of honor program each year is facilitating the translation of titles into German. We exceeded our goal of having 200 titles translated from Canadian English- and French-language publishers, Fizet says. Most of these are being published this year in time for the fair, and only some have been delayed, so we want to make sure that they dont get overlooked because of the pandemic. Spain, which is the guest of honor country for 2022, will also hold a preview session, which will offer specific information about translation grants.

Kristin Cochrane, CEO of Penguin Random House Canada, whose publishing house is responsible for publishing several of the 53 Canadian authors scheduled to make the trip abroad, says she appreciates the steps Frankfurt has taken to work with the Canadian publishing industry over new plans for the guest of honor event. We are grateful for the wise decision to delay, to keep our authors safe and to celebrate them in 2021 with the fanfare they deserve, Cochrane says. Nevertheless, she adds, Were still looking forward to participating in this years events, celebrating our books and authors, and making virtual contact with other attendees around the world. In many cases, Frankfurts digital offerings will be more accessible to a wider group, including those for whom the costs of travel have put Frankfurt out of reach in previous years, allowing a broader range of our colleagues to participate and broaden their networks.

Adapting, for now

Further afield, Pakistani publisher Babar Maqbool says this will be his first break in 10 consecutive years of going to Frankfurt, and notes that not attending fills me with sorrow. Nonetheless, he doesnt feel the lack of a physical fair will have a significant impact on his business. From a business point of view, however, the lack of it this year would affect more nostalgia than business, Maqbool says. There isnt anything that cant be done by skipping it, Im realizing. All the publishers and distributors I may need to work with are a click away.

Luiz Schwarcz, publisher of Companhia das Letras in Brazil, notes that the fact that we are not seeing all the friends and colleagues from the publishing world is a pity, but we are doing excellent deals without traveling. He adds that he is feeling very optimistic for the rest of the year about sales, though he notes that challenges remain, particularly when it comes to supporting independent bookstores in Brazil, which have been struggling since the pandemic began.

German independent bookstores have similarly struggled during the pandemic. The book market in Germany is not doing too badly, says Ronald Schild, managing director at the German trade group MVB. But indies are down about 10% for the first eight months of the year. Still, they are recovering. Schild says that overall book sales in Germany were down just 6% through August and that he expects sales to continue to improve for the rest of the year. One thing that has helped, he notes, is that each German bookseller was granted 7,500 to assist with facilitating a transition to online sales.

The Frankfurt Book Fair serves as the national book fair for Germany, where books and authors are given their strongest platform for promotion. Schild says that the move to a virtual fair is a serviceable stopgap, but not a viable long-term solution. The situation we have at the moment is not something we can change, and my personal opinion is that it is bearable, but for a limited amount of time, he says. Many booksellers and publishers are really sad that the fair is not happening, and they lament the lack of opportunity to present their books and authors. If it is for a year or two, it will be fine, but any longer may be seriously damaging to the industry.

Below, more from the Frankfurt Book Fair.

ReBoot Kicks Off

ReBoot: Books, Business, and Reading, comprising an October 13 conference plus research tracks, is designed to analyze how Covid-19 could reshape the global publishing industry.

Frankfurt Book Fair: Going Virtual

American agents prep for a Frankfurt like no otherfrom their homes.

RELX Stays #1

A year after the RELX Group (formerly Reed Elsevier) wrestled away the crown of the worlds largest publisher from longtime leader Pearson, the STM, business, and legal publisher stayed #1 with revenue in 2019 of $5.64 billion, about a 7% increase from 2018.

This article has been updated to reflect new information about networking activities at the fair.
Ford Romania, through its dealer Tiriac Auto, will be delivering 50 Transit All-Wheel-Drive (AWD) units to the General Inspectorate of the Romanian Border Police, according to a press statement released on Friday.

At a special event hosted by the Embassy of the United States of America in Bucharest by Ambassador Adrian Zuckerman, and in the presence of Romania's Prime Minister Ludovic Orban, three ARTEMIS-RO units based on Ford Transit from the batch currently being delivered to the General Border Police Inspectorate, part of a complex project that began almost two years ago, were presented.The project is the result of close collaboration between Ford engineers who worked on customising the model, Ford-Transit Center Tiriac Auto dealer and Pro Optica to integrate the Ford Transit into the complex project structure for Romania's General Border Police Inspectorate."This project is further proof to the efficient teamwork and we are of course very proud of the way it has been managed. The Transit model has been and remains the perfect choice for its segment, being an iconic product of the Ford brand, appreciated both in Romania and elsewhere in Europe. We want to see as many Ford models as possible, not only in the fleets of private entities, but also in those of the public entities, all the more so as we manufacture in Craiova some of the most appreciated and advanced SUVs of the moment," Cristian Prichea, General Manager, Ford National Sales Company, is quoted as saying in the statement.In turn, the US Ambassador to Romania, Adrian Zuckerman, expressed his joy that Ford, a world leader in automotive technology, has been chosen to deliver its innovative vehicles to security and law enforcement institutions in Romania."The Romanian Border Police are an essential partner of the United States Department of Justice in combating trafficking in persons - which as you are all aware, is one of my foremost priorities - and in fighting cross-border crime. (...) The vehicles you see here today are incredibly well equipped to increase the effectiveness of Border Police operations," Zuckerman said.The "Thermal surveillance utility vehicle" project regards the delivery of 50 units to the General Border Police Inspectorate of Romania. A contract was signed after PRO OPTICA won an open international tender organized by the General Border Police Inspectorate.The product was built following the requirements formulated by technical and operational specialists of the beneficiary. The design project, the optronic surveillance system with a thermal camera, the computer and the surveillance software application and working with the maps are designed and created in Romania by Pro Optica S.A. The base car and military displays are products of the American companies Ford and Vartech, respectively.The product has passed all pre-reception checks and to date a number of 16 products have been received, which have already entered service/mission.The 50 Ford Transit units are powered by the EcoBlue 2.0 170 hp engine and are equipped with the Intelligent All-Wheel Drive system that offers improved performance in difficult conditions. When engaged, the system automatically increases the torque transmitted to the wheels with the highest grip. The system is suitable for rescue services and companies that frequently work in rough terrain.The Ford EcoBlue 170hp (125 kW) diesel engine develops an impressive 405Nm of torque, and the high load capacity and fuel economy make it suitable for special conditions of use.The new Transit's improved range of Ford EcoBlue engines meets the strictest Euro 6.2 emission standards. Diesel vehicles are equipped with a particulate filter that retains more than 99% of the solid particles in the exhaust gas and with the selective catalytic reduction system used by AdBlue to convert the exhaust gas emissions into nitrogen and water.In the first eight months of this year, according to data provided by DRPCIV, Ford continues to remain the market leader for commercial vehicles, with a market share of 14.65% and a number of 2000 registered commercial vehicles.
More than five years into a war that has ravaged Yemen, children are dying daily of malnutrition in the country's hospitals.

In a pediatric ward shown by British broadcaster Sky, mothers sat with their severly malnourished children.

Zahra Mohammed already lost one daughter. Now, she says, she fears for her other daughter's life.

For another mother, those fears come true. Hospital staff try to console her, after her baby passes away.

Mere food would have been suffiecient to prevent this death. But two-thirds of the population relies on food aid in a country with more than 3 million internally displaced people.

Since 2014, Yemens conflict has killed more than 100,000 people.

The nation has also been plagued by the coronvirus pandemic, with more than 2,000 cases now confirmed.

The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at a high-level meeting on Yemen on Thursday that the estimate takes into account that war has decimated the countrys facilities.

He said more than five years of war has reversed development in Africas poorest country by decades, left state institutions at the verge of collapse.

Guterres added that despite initial expressions of support by the warring parties to his call on March 23 for a global cease-fire to deal with the pandemic, the conflict continues unabated and in recent weeks, conflict has unfortunately escalated.

(Image Credit Pixabay)
The suspected car thief who was sought and apprehended by police Thursday in Buffalo after he allegedly assaulted two Hamburg police detectives the previous day was arraigned Friday on several charges, according to the Erie County District Attorney's Office.

Joel P. Anzalone, 49, of Buffalo was charged with two felony counts of second-degree assault, two felony counts of first-degree reckless endangerment and one misdemeanor count of resisting arrest. He was virtually arraigned before Buffalo City Court Judge Diane Wray.

The district attorney's office said that one of the detectives' guns that went missing during Wednesday's incident has been recovered.

Police said Anzalone was approached by two Hamburg detectives as he sat in a suspected stolen car at the Kohl's department store on Delaware Avenue in Buffalo.
Hongeo is a bizarre South Korean dish with a pungent aroma that most people describe as a mix of dirty public toilet and wet laundry left untended for days.

Made from skate, a bottom-dwelling ray fish, Hongeo is considered by far South Koreas smelliest food. Its so stinky that many South Koreans wouldnt come near it, let alone put in their mouths. However, its many fans cant get enough of the ammonia fumes it emanates and swear that once you get used to it, its impossible to replace with anything else. But feasting on this stinky delicacy comes with a social cost, as the smell tends to linger in the mouth as well as on clothes. In fact, hongeo-specialized restaurants advise customers to seal their jackets in plastic bags before eating, and spray them with deodorant before leaving.

Photo: Gael Chardon/Flickr

I cant understand who in the world would pay to eat a rotten fish in a restaurant that smells like an uncleaned public restroom, one South Korean man told the New York Times.

Ive eaten dog, durian and bugs, but this is still the most challenging food Ive ever eaten, food blogger Joe McPherson said. Its like licking a urinal.

The smell and taste of Hongeo is closely tied to one of the things that makes the skate fish special, specifically the way it urinates. You see, the skate doesnt pee like other animals, it releases urine through its skin, and thats exactly the stuff hongeo chefs marinate the meat in for about a month in order to obtain the stomach-churning delicacy.

Hongeo is definitely an acquired taste, but its not exactly an obscure dish in South Korea. According to NPR, 11,000 tons of hongeo are consumed in the Asian country every year, and southern cities like Mokpo are famous for their hongeo restaurants.

Sue Ahn, a prominent South Korean food journalist, says there is a proper way to eat hongeo and getting it down easier until you get used to it.

You have to pick up the hongeo, breathe through your mouth, then out your nose. After that, you eat it, she says, adding that after trying it at least four times youll get hooked by that minty feeling in the back of your throat many say is addictive.



The history of hongeo can be traced back to the 14th century, back when Japanese pirates patrolled the South Seas, forcing the residents of Heuksan Island to move up the Yeongsan River and take their fare with them. They noticed that all their fish eventually went bad, but not the skate, which, left to ferment in its own urine was naturally preserved. It eventually became a regional specialty in South Koreas southwest provinces of North and South Jeolla.

Interestingly, not only is hongeos pungent smell almost guaranteed to trigger your gag reflex, its chewy flesh and crunchy cartilage also make it hard to swallow. Its so bad that the late Anthony Bourdain put it on the list of worst things hes ever put in his mouth.
According to Taipei's defence ministry, the planes entered Taiwan's southwest air defence identification zone on Friday and also crossed the so-called median line that divides the Taiwan Strait

China said Friday it was conducting military exercises near the Taiwan Strait, as a top US diplomat visits the self-ruled island in a move that has angered Beijing.

China said Friday it was conducting military exercises near the Taiwan Strait, as a top US diplomat visits the self-ruled island in a move that has angered Beijing.

Relations between the United States and China are at their lowest point in decades, with the two sides clashing over a range of trade, military and security issues as well as the coronavirus pandemic.

Keith Krach, US undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment, landed in Taipei on Thursday for a three-day visit, the highest-ranking State Department official to visit in 40 years.

At a press conference on Friday, a Chinese defence ministry spokesman said Beijing was "holding actual combat exercises near the Taiwan Strait" when asked how it would respond to the visit.

"This is a legitimate and necessary action taken to safeguard China's sovereignty and territorial integrity in response to the current situation in the Taiwan Strait," Ren Guoqiang told reporters.

Ren also warned that the Chinese military had "sufficient ability" to counter any external threat or challenge from Taiwan separatists.

'Causing trouble'

Beijing considers Taiwan part of its territory, to be absorbed into the Chinese mainland  by force if necessary.

China's Communist leadership baulks at any recognition of Taiwan  which has been ruled separately from China since the end of a civil war in 1949  and has pursued a decades-long policy of marginalising the democratic island.

Ren accused the United States of "frequently causing trouble" over Taiwan, which he said "is purely China's internal affairs, and we won't tolerate any external interference".

An editorial in the nationalist, state-backed Global Times newspaper later warned "war will inevitably break out" if the US and Taiwan continue to "make provocations".

According to Taipei's defence ministry, 18 Chinese aircraft  including bombers and fighters  entered Taiwan's southwest air defence identification zone (ADIZ) on Friday and also crossed the so-called median line that divides the Taiwan Strait.

The ministry said Taiwan's military "scrambled fighters, and deployed air defence missile system to monitor the activities".

"We hope the other side can exercise restraint and not... heighten conflicts between the two sides. These military intimidations have caused resentment among the Taiwanese people," it said in a statement.

In recent weeks, Taiwan has reported a sharp rise in incursions by Chinese warplanes into its ADIZ.

Chinese jets also made a brief incursion across the midline of the strait in August, as US health chief Alex Azar made his country's highest-level visit to Taiwan since 1979 -- the year Washington switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing.

Washington's increased outreach to Taiwan under President Donald Trump has become yet another US-China flashpoint.

The US said Krach was visiting Taiwan to attend Saturday's memorial service for late president Lee Teng-hui, who died in July aged 97.

On Friday, Krach met with foreign minister Joseph Wu to discuss bilateral issues and exchange views on future collaborations, according to Taipei authorities. He is also scheduled to join President Tsai Ing-wen for dinner at her official residence.

China has ramped up pressure on Taiwan since Tsai came to power in 2016, as she refuses to acknowledge its idea that the democratic island is part of "one China".
The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the Estonian ambassador over the case of Alexander Litreev, the ministry's spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said Thursday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th September, 2020) The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the Estonian ambassador over the case of Alexander Litreev, the ministry's spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said Thursday.

Litreev, a co-founder and CEO of internet company Vee Security, was detained in Yekaterinburg in February on drug-related charges.

Litreev was later released for home arrest and then let out under condition that he would not leave the country.

"Judging by Litreev's words, he left for Estonia in May ... It follows from his words that the staff of the Estonian diplomatic mission in St.Petersburg helped him cross the border. Estonian ambassador was invited to the Foreign Ministry and asked to explain this situation," Zakharova said.
It is said that reality often surpasses fiction, but they are deeply intertwined in Taina by Ernesto Quinonez, a coming-of-age novel that examines the forced sterilization of women in Puerto Rico that took place in both the 1930s and the 1970s. It is estimated that, in those decades, about one-third of Puerto Rican women were sterilizedone of the highest rates of sterilization in the world. Given the recent revelation that U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement is performing mass hysterectomies on detained immigrants at a private detention center in Georgia, this horrific practice is no mere historical footnote.

Taina is the story of Julio, a teenager living in Spanish Harlem who becomes involved with Taina, a pregnant 15-year-old from his high school who claims to be a virgin. Julio chooses to believe her and agrees to work with his ex-con uncle to support her. Taina, Quinonezs third novel, was published by Vintage late last year. PW spoke with Quinonez from his home in Ithaca, N.Y., where he is an associate professor at Cornell University and teaches creative writing, Latino fiction, and magical realism.

How autobiographical is this novel?

Somewhat, as my father was a communist from Ecuador and my mother is Puerto Rican. However, my ties are stronger with the Puerto Rican community, as I arrived in New York City when I was 18 months old and was raised in El Barrio, East Harlem. We didnt live in Queens, N.Y., where the Ecuadorian community has a strong presence.

How close is the story of Taina to the biblical story of Mary and Joseph?

The novel does have religious undertones, but it is more about the sterilization of women in Puerto Rico. Its been done for decades and its so terrible. It shows how much hate exists towards poor women, as this was a common practice not just in Puerto Rico but also in the barrios in the U.S. It was often financed by companies to ensure their female workers would not miss work; the government also wanted to make sure women with disabilities would not procreate.

How do you introduce the darkness of Taina to your readers?

I deal with it with a bit of comedy and urban magical realism. My goal, in all three of my books, including Changos Fire, is to bring magical realism to the barrios, make it more urban. Thats where these stories take place and that is why students connect with them. Theyve all had classmates that were pregnant, but usually the boy doesnt take responsibility, whereas in this book Julio falls in love with Taina and does anything, even commits crimes, in order to provide for her and the baby.

For me, magical realism takes place in urban settings, not just in the villages of Latin America. Where do you see a large group of Tibetan monks trying to figure out how to buy MetroCards while a Mexican mariachi band is playing music? In the New York City metro.

Bodega Dreams celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Is it still very popular among high school students?

Yes, and I wish that werent the case. Its the story of Willie Bodega in Spanish Harlem. He helps everyone in exchange for loyaltyand an income from the drugs he pushes. I wish it werent relevant today, but Spanish Harlem hasnt changedpoverty and drug use are still the norm. I would be happier if things had improved and the novel no longer felt relevant.

You had not published a novel in quite a few years. Were you taking a break?

Not necessarily a break from writing, but my daughter, Scarlet Esther, was born, and I just love spending time with her. I wanted to really enjoy her and dedicate time to her. Now she is a young teenager and spending time with her father is not as much fun, so I started to dedicate more time to writing. You know how teenagers are.

What are you working on right now?

Im actually working on two different books. One is a detective novel and the other is an homage to my father and Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Mario Vargas Llosathe greats of magical realism.
Uganda and Tanzania sign agreement to build $3.5bn oil pipeline

Tanzania and Uganda signed an agreement on September 13 to allow for the construction of a 989 mile (1,445km) long crude oil pipeline from Uganda's oil fields to Tanzania's port of Tanga on Africa's eastern coast. The pipeline will cost around $3.5bn to construct.

Proposed route of the pipeline - Image: Wikimedia / User: Sputnik

The ceremony on September 13 was attended by both Tanzania's President John Magufuli and Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni. The UgandaTanzania Crude Oil Pipeline (UTCOP), also known as the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), is needed so that Uganda can begin commercial production after discovering oil reserves in 2006.



A Tanzania government spokesman announced on Twitter that 80% of the pipeline would run through Tanzania, generating 7.5 trillion shillings ($3.24 billion) for the country and creating over 18,000 jobs over the next 25 years.



No announcement has been made about when construction will begin on the pipeline, however it is expected to start by the end of 2020. Construction of the pipeline could take up to three years and will carry almost 200,000 barrels per day.



The pipeline agreement on September 13 came days after French oil major Total reached an agreement with Uganda protecting its rights and obligations in the pipeline's construction and operation, Reuters news agency reports. Total became the major shareholder in Ugandas onshore oilfields after buying British company Tullow Oils entire stake in April for $575 million.



Chinas CNOOC is a partner in the onshore project which produces 230,000 barrels per day.

More information...
DETROIT -- The rare and potentially deadly mosquito-borne virus eastern equine encephalitis is spreading in Michigan, state health officials announced Thursday.

Six more horses now have confirmed cases of the virus, which is spread by the bite of infected mosquitoes, bringing the total to 28 horses in 11 counties and one suspected human case.

State health officials announced Tuesday that an adult from Barry County is the first suspected human case of Triple E this year. Lab tests to confirm the case are underway and are expected to be completed later this week.

Livingston County now has Triple E cases in horses, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, and will be included in an aerial mosquito-control program that is scheduled to continue Thursday night.

Counties urged to cancel outdoor events: Rare mosquito-borne virus suspected in Michigan

The other high-risk counties with cases in horses are: Barry, Clare, Ionia, Isabella, Jackson, Kent, Mecosta, Montcalm, Newaygo and Oakland.

These additional cases of EEE in horses underscores the importance of providing aerial treatment in the affected counties, said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive and chief deputy for health at MDHHS. There is an ongoing threat to the health and safety of Michiganders as we know mosquitoes are carrying this potentially deadly disease in these areas. Last year, 10 families were devastated by this disease and we are trying to protect others from being infected.

Mosquitos are carriers of Eastern equine encephalitis. A young male in Middleboro has been diagnosed with the disease.

What is EEE?

Eastern equine encephalitis, also called Triple E or EEE, is one of the deadliest mosquito-borne viruses in the United States. It kills 33% of people who become sickened by it. And it leaves many survivors with physical and mental disabilities.

Mosquitoes are carriers of EEE, and can transmit it to humans and animals after biting infected birds.

As of Sept. 9, five other human cases of EEE have been reported in two other states  Massachusetts and Wisconsin, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Story continues

More: A tiny mosquito bite took away Michigan teen Savanah DeHart's ability to talk, walk

Last year, the virus sickened 38 people in the U.S.  more than in any previous year since it's been tracked by the CDC. Of them, 10 people were from Michigan.

In a typical year, there are seven cases nationally.

Of the 10 Michigan cases in 2019, six people died, and four others were hospitalized. Three of the four people who survived EEE infections in the state "have severe neurologic issues and continue to receive supportive care, either in rehab or at home with home care," said Lynn Sutfin, a spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

EEE symptoms, what to look for

The people most at risk from being sickened by EEE are those younger than 15 and older than 50.

There is no treatment for the EEE virus, except to offer support to help a severely ill patient with breathing, hydration and nutrition.

Symptoms of EEE typically appear from four to 10 days after the bite of an infected mosquito, according to the CDC. The infection can be either systemic or encephalitic, which involves the swelling of the brain. Some people who contract EEE do not have symptoms at all.

Feds: COVID-19 vaccine will begin moving 24 hours after the first one is approved

In those who develop a systemic infection, symptoms can appear suddenly and last up to two weeks. They include:

Chills

Fever

Malaise

Joint and muscle pain

In people who develop the encephalitic infection, the following symptoms typically follow after a few days of systemic illness:

Fever

Headache

Irritability and restlessness

Drowsiness and disorientation

Anorexia

Vomiting

Diarrhea

Cyanosis, which is bluish discoloration of the skin resulting from poor circulation or inadequate oxygenation of the blood

Convulsions

Coma

Anyone with any of those symptoms should seek care from a physician.

How to protect yourself from EEE

The only way to protect yourself from the Triple E virus is to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes.

Although the weather is beginning to cool down, the mosquitoes that spread EEE are still active. For that reason, health officials are urging people who live in the 10 affected counties to avoid outdoor activity in the evenings and after dark, when mosquitoes are most active. They suggest canceling outdoor events, especially those that might include children.

Aerial pesticide spraying details

Targeted spraying of pesticides to control mosquitoes began Wednesday night in certain areas of the state that are at high-risk for Triple E infections.

We are taking this step in an effort to protect the health and safety of Michiganders in areas of the state where we know mosquitoes are carrying this potentially deadly disease, Khaldun said in a news release. As people are spending more time outdoors because of COVID-19, they also need to be protecting themselves from mosquito bites.

The Michigan Department of Agricultural and Rural Development issued an emergency rule earlier this week to temporarily require mosquito-control treatment for parts of 10 counties in Michigan.

Spraying will be done using specialized aircraft, beginning in the early evening and continuing until the following dawn.

They will use Merus 3.0, the same product used in 2019 when the state also conducted an aerial mosquito-control program.

What are risks of aerial spraying?

According to state health officials, the risks are minimal and no special precautions are recommended.

People who have known sensitivities to pyrethrin can reduce potential for exposure by staying indoors during treatment. Aerial treatment is not expected to have any impact on surface water or drinking water.

Aerial treatment will be conducted in the nighttime hours as this is when mosquitoes are more active. It is also when fish are less likely to be at the surface feeding and honeybees are most likely to be in their hives. However, owners should cover small ornamental fishponds during the night of spraying.

Follow Kristen Jordan Shamus on Twitter @kristenshamus.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: EEE spreading in Michigan, with 6 more animal cases identified
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 11:37:13|Editor: huaxia

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CANBERRA, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Satellites in space could be used to monitor the quality of Australia's water, according to the nation's top science agency.

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) and SmartSat Cooperative Research Center (CRC) on Friday launched AquaWatch Australia, a 12-month scoping study aimed at improving water management.

The team will build a national monitoring system using ground-based sensors placed throughout Australia's extensive rivers and waterways.

The sensors will work together with purpose-built Earth observation satellites to deliver real-time updates on waterways.

The monitoring system will be capable of alerting authorities to natural events such as toxic algae blooms that contaminate drinking water.

"As well as monitoring the health of our inland rivers, dams and waterways, the project aims to grow the industry and create new job opportunities across the environmental data services sector, primary industry and agriculture, and support drought resilience efforts," Andy Koronios, the chief executive of SmartSat, said in a statement.

"We think the project has great potential to deliver two-fold benefits of improving water quality management as well as creating new skills and job opportunities in Australia across a range of industries."

Alex Held, director of CSIRO's Center for Earth Observation, said researchers were collaborating with partners from industry, research and government before going ahead with the project.

"We want to work directly with water agencies, community leaders and industry to better understand the challenges faced in water health monitoring," he said.

"The outcomes could lead to a step-change in Australia's national water quality information delivery, supporting decision makers in water agencies, local communities, water utilities and commercial water users to provide safe drinking water and manage this precious natural resource." Enditem
Over 70 migrants on rescue ship jumped into the sea, on September 17, while waiting for permission to dock in southern Italy, a Spanish humanitarian group said. A video showing the migrants who jumped wearing life jackets was shared by the Spanish charity, Open Arms, founder Oscar Camps. The organisation said that migrants jumped into the sea out of frustration after learning that permission to enter Malta had been refused.

While sharing the clip, Camps said, After repeated refusals #Malta and to inform #Italia From the situation of maximum vulnerability of some rescued people, more than 70 people jumped into the water in Palermo while we awaited instructions for landing. Some countries pervert agreements and human rights.

Despues de reiteradas negativas #Malta y de informar #Italia de la situacion de maxima vulnerabilidad de algunas personas rescatadas, mas de 70 personas se lanzaron al agua en Palermo mientras esperamos instrucciones para el desembarco. Algunos paises pervierten convenios y DDHH. pic.twitter.com/21TychNOaC  Oscar Camps (@campsoscar) September 17, 2020

READ: Germany To Take 1500 Refugees From Greek Islands, 150 From Burnt Moria Camps

According to international media reports, the groups ship had been carrying nearly 280 migrants and refugees rescued last week in the central Mediterranean as they tried to reach European shores in flimsy boats. Ten of Open Arms migrants had also need to be rescued on September 16 after they jumped into the sea off Sicilys southern coast, when they were reportedly informed nearby Malta had refused them entry. Following the incident, the ship then headed towards Palermo, awaiting instructions on where to disembark the passengers.

READ: UN Raises Alarm Over Refugee Killings In Uganda Settlement

EU is abandoning migrants

According to AP, the Spanish charity group complained that the European Union is abandoning migrants making the dangerous sea crossing from North Africa. The humanitarian group said that the EU is instead bolstering the Libyan Coast Guard, with the goal of preventing migrants from departing the lawless country where many complain they have faced torture.

On the other hand, earlier this week, Italy had allowed nearly 27 migrants who had spent around 40 days aboard a Danish tanker to be brought to land abroad an Italian humanitarian rescue ship. Th tanker had reportedly rescued them from the central Mediterranean after their vessel sank.

READ: Albanians Want Children Returned From Refugee Camps In Syria

READ: Pope Recalls Visit To Lesbos Refugee Camp, Urges Solidarity


Myth 5: Someone living with a mental illness is more likely to commit a crime or be violent | A mere 7.5 percent of violent acts are committed by people experiencing symptoms of mental illness, according to Bulthuis. More often than not, individuals with mental health issues are not violent. Someone with a mental illness is actually nearly 4 times more likely to be a victim of crime.(Representative Image)

An employee of Military Engineering Services (MES) was arrested in Haryana for allegedly passing classified information to a Pakistani Military Intelligence (MI) unit after getting honey-trapped on Facebook.

Mahesh Kumar, the civilian employee of MES, was arrested from Rewari by the Haryana Police's Special Task Force (STF) on September 16 on the basis of a specific input of Lucknow based Indian MI, reported Zee News.

According to the report, Kumar was in touch with operatives of the Pakistani MI unit for the last two and a half years and has received money from them on multiple occasions.

In June, the Lucknow MI received an input that the user of a mobile is sharing sensitive military information to a young woman associated with Pakistani MI in return of money, said the report. The user addressed the Pakistani operative as "Madamji", it said.

Following this, an operation code-named "Operation Madamji" was launched by the MI unit to identify the suspect, as per the report.

The number was reportedly used by Kumar.

In the investigation, it was found that 28-years-old Rewari resident Mahesh Kumar was a civilian cleaning staff at MES Jaipur and was friends with at least three known and established Pakistani Intelligence Operative (PIO)-run Facebook accounts, the report stated.

As the investigation went forward, details emerged that Kumar received at least two payments of Rs 5000 each from his Pakistani handlers via Kerala.

In the first week of September, it was learned that Kumar was staying around Rewari. The case was shared with STF Haryana and a joint team of both the agencies was formed, which planned to apprehend and interrogate him on September 13-14.

However before Lucknow MI could obtain desired sanctions and place a team near Rewari, the suspect suddenly moved out of Haryana, the report said.

After the arrival of the suspect in Rewari on September 16, he was apprehended.

During the probe, Kumar agreed to have shared various information. In included information like the ORBAT (Order of Battle, terminology for field formation) of a Jaipur based Army Brigade, details of some senior officers in Jaipur, location of PCDA Jaipur, details of MES complaint records, COVID-19 situation of the Jaipur cantonment, and posting order of civilian MES employees, added the report.
- Nollywood actress Bukunmi Oluwasina recently surprised her fans and followers after she announced that she has tied the knot

- The Yoruba actress shared a video of herself dressed in a beautiful white gown

- Bukunmi showered compliments on her hubby noting they have been together for 11 years

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Nollywood actress Bukunmi Oluwasina has crossed over to the other side after walking down the aisle with the love of her life.

The thespian and her man dated for more than a decade before deciding to get married.

The Yoruba actress shared the good news on her Instagram page as many took to her comment section to congratulate her on the new achievement.

READ ALSO: Billionaire Femi Otedola buys KSh 23 million Ferrari for each of his 3 daughters

Actress Bukunmi Oluwasina ties the knot with her lover. Source: @bukunmioluwasina

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Former pastor who denounced Christianity shows off his 2 wives

Bukunmi, who kept the news of her wedding under wraps till it was concluded, shared a video of herself in a flowing wedding gown.

In the clip, the Nigerian beauty stuck by her man's side and glanced at him with so much love in her eyes.

The star was proud of how far she and her partner had come since the day they started dating 11 years back.

According to her, in 2010, when she was leaving for university, she told her husband to give her something to hold onto so as to always be reminded of him.

READ ALSO: Enock Sikolia says Kalekye Mumo trolled his poor English, glad it made him successful

READ ALSO: Mike Tyson almost knocks out trainer during preparations for exhibition fight

He laughed when she said she would keep his wristband forever and even wear it on their wedding day.

Bukunmi's better half always thought she would fall for a man who was better than him then dump him as soon as that happened.

"It is 11 years now, and I have met a lot of men like you said, but I have not, and will never stop choosing you over everyone," she wrote.

The film star also shared how supportive her husband has been of her career, saying he encouraged her throughout.

READ ALSO: Bilionea Femi Otedola awanunulia mabinti wake 3 magari aina ya Ferrari Portofino kila mmoja

In other news, Muigai was Njoroge and his two wives decided to celebrate their daughter's birthday in a special way.

The three and their other kids went to a children's home in Korogocho armed with cake, snacks and shopping.

They shared their cake with the children, fed the little ones and donated the shopping before leaving.

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I was afraid my son would become a beggar-mumbi ndung'u | Tuko TV

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Mumbai:

The ED has issued summons to Zakir Naik as part of its probe against the controversial preacher and his Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) under anti-money laundering laws.

Officials said today the agency has issued the summons to Naik under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and has asked him to appear by this month-end.

The agency wants to record the statement of Naik, who is abroad, and hence the summons were issued, they said. Separate summons have been issued against his organisation.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had registered a criminal case against Naik and IRF last month after taking cognisance of a complaint booked by the NIA under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act against them.

ED is looking into the charges of alleged illegal funds laundered by the accused and the subsequent proceeds of crime thus generated.

The agency has already scanned some documents showing doubtful banking transactions.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had last month registered a case against 51-year-old Naik under anti-terror laws for allegedly promoting enmity between different religious groups.

After registering the case against Naik and IRF, the NIA along with Mumbai police had carried out searches at 10 places in the megapolis, including residential premises of some of the office bearers of the foundation, which was earlier put on restricted list by the Union Home Ministry for receiving funds from abroad.

Naik, who has been staying in Saudi Arabia to evade arrest after some perpetrators of the Dhaka terror strike last year claimed they were inspired by him, has been booked along with unnamed IRF officials under section 153-A of IPC (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) beside various sections of UAPA.

The charges levelled by the NIA also include those under sections 10 (being member of an unlawful organisation), 13 (punishment for being member of illegal organisation) and 18 (punishment for being involved in a conspiracy for committing any terror act) of UAPA.

IRF came under the scanner of security agencies after one of the terrorists involved in the Dhaka cafe attack allegedly posted on social media that they had been inspired by Naiks speeches.

Maharashtra Police has also registered criminal cases against Naik for his alleged involvement in radicalizing Muslim youth and luring them into terror activities.

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The United States on Thursday announced sanctions against 45 Iranian nationals and two entities, accusing them of conducting malign cyber activities.

The Treasury Department said in a statement that it had designated Iranian cyber threat group Advanced Persistent Threat 39 (APT39), 45 associated individuals, and Rana Intelligence Computing Company (Rana).

According to the statement, APT39 and Rana were blacklisted due to "being owned or controlled" by Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security.

"The Iranian regime uses its Intelligence Ministry as a tool to target innocent civilians and companies, and advance its destabilizing agenda around the world," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in the statement.

All property and interests of the property of the designated individuals in the United States have been blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging any transactions with them, said the statement.
Wipro Lighting released their latest digital campaign highlighting their Contactless lighting technology. With the rapid spread of coronavirus, social distancing, and constant vigilance on sanitization, have become basic necessities in our daily lives. And while we continue to hear of developments in technology to minimize physical contact, not many exist in India  at least till now. Wipro Lightings range of lighting controls enabled with voice instruction is a revolutionary move in the current scenario.

The latest campaign by the brand depicts its concept of touch free lighting through a fascinating story with a focus on the message of one less touch in our daily activities. The film opens in the middle of the night as a doctor returns home from duty. Instinctively his hand reaches out for the switchboard to turn on the lights, however, he quickly backs up and gives a voice command for the lights to turn on  avoiding any physical contact. As he goes on to search for some snacks, an innocent yet stern voice is heard as his daughter interrupts him saying, Alexa, switch on the Wipro dining room lights, and then points out: Sabka khayal rakthe hai. Par khud ka kaun rakhega?. The campaign manages to beautifully capture the story of our frontline heroes as they attempt to keep their loved ones safe at all times, while depicting the benefits of this contactless lighting range in their day to day activities.

Talking about the campaign Mr. Sanjay Gupta, Senior Vice President & Business Head, Wipro Consumer Lighting and Switches said Covid-19 has impacted everyones life and has completely changed the way we went about doing even the normal things. This new advertisement from Wipro lighting is to highlight the need to inculcate one more change for everyones good and safety. It brings out one of the benefits of Wipro smart lights whereby the consumer can avoid touching the switches; thereby ensuring one touch less for safety of everyone. We also zeroed in on this script as this also highlights the sacrifices being made by doctors (all health care professionals in general) and their family during these difficult times

"While technology products often choose the cold and direct approach, Wipro has always emphasized on taking the softer, warmer route for their communication. This one is no different. Considering the troubled times we are in; this is more of an homage to our doctors than a hard-selling product film. The smart light consciously takes a backseat in the narrative and plays an enabler of sorts, making its role surprisingly human", said Mr. Nikhil Narayanan, Creative Director, Ogilvy.
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.

LONDON -- The summer of protests following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis was not confined to the United States. Demonstrations featuring placards emblazoned with Floyd's face and his last words, "I can't breathe," spread to Canada and Brazil, to Europe, and even as far as Australia.

Yet the protesters weren't merely demonstrating in solidarity with their U.S. counterparts. They turned inward -- looking at their own countries' histories of racial violence, the present state of systemic racism, and police brutality.

How far these protests have impacted the nature of policing and the understanding of racism in Europe is a matter of debate, but the visibility and depth of the protests were undeniable in a continent that, in the words of one commentator, "offshored its slavery and colonialism" to the U.S.

The nature of policing

The deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other Black citizens at the hands of the police this year once again threw into sharp focus the United States' long history of police brutality. Elsewhere in the world, particularly in the U.K. and France, recognition of the deaths of Black people in confrontations with the police was a prominent feature of the Black Lives Matter movement, which is not directly linked to the U.S. equivalent.

"I think it's been an astonishing year, an astonishing summer, for a massive increase in anger at police all over the world," Lawrence Sherman, criminologist and director of Cambridge University's Center for Evidence Based Policing, told ABC News.

Yet, in terms of scale, tactics and accountability measures, police violence in the U.S. is "enormously different" than in other advanced democracies, according to Sherman.

PHOTO: Black Lives Matter protesters sit in front of the Houses of Parliament as activists give speeches during a demonstration, June 21, 2020, in London. (Dave Rushen/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images, FILE)

Police in the U.S., by far, kill more civilians per year than other wealthy democracies, according to data compiled by the Prison Policy initiative. Last year, 1,099 people were killed in confrontations with the police in the U.S., a rate of 33.5 citizens per 10 million per year; the next highest countries were Canada with 36 deaths (9.8 citizens per 10 million) and Australia with 21 (8.5 citizens per 10 million). In England and Wales -- the scenes of some of the largest Black Lives Matter protests outside the U.S. this summer -- only three people were killed in police shootings last year, a rate of 0.5 citizens per 10 million.

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Crucial to that disparity, according to Sherman, is not just the fact that many other national police are not armed -- but that the populations aren't either. There are an estimated 270 million civilian firearms in the U.S., which amounts to 89 firearms per 100 residents, according to the Small Arms Survey. In contrast, there are only 30 civilian firearms per 100 residents in Germany, the highest number among countries in the European Union, and just six guns per 100 people in England and Wales.

"Gun ownership is a huge factor," Sherman said. "And it differentiates the American police not only from Britain, where the police are unarmed, but from the rest of Europe where they all carry guns. But they never shoot anybody relative to U.S. numbers. So, why don't they shoot anybody? Because the population is largely unarmed."

Despite that difference, recent polls published after the death of Floyd suggest that even if the scale of fatal violence is not comparable, racism in the police is a very real and pressing issue. The anti-racism charity Hope Not Hate published poll findings in August that found 80% of Black Britons said that "police are biased against people from my background," with 65% of all ethnic minorities agreeing with the statement.

MORE: Turning Point: Hispanic Heritage Month is more than a weeks-long party

The racial breakdown of law enforcement and representation in the criminal justice system in the U.K. is broadly similar to that in the United States. Black people in the U.K. are nine times more likely to be stopped and searched by the police than white people, which the Equality and Human Rights commission attributes to "racial discrimination." In the U.K., Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) residents make up 25% of the adult prison population and 40% of the youth custody population, despite comprising 14% of the overall population. And although there are relatively few deaths at the hands of police, in confrontations with the police where force is used, BAME individuals are two times more likely to die than white people.

"The relationship between Black people here and Black people with American police is identical," Kehinde Andrews, professor of Black studies at Birmingham City University, told ABC News. "There's as much antipathy, distrust. And for good reason. There's the same problems -- it's just not as violent."

"It's less extreme, right? But it's not better," Andrews said. "It's the same system. There is no difference between American racism and British racism. They have the same root, they have the same logic. It's the same thing playing out over there and here."

There is, however, a marked difference in the levels of accountability between British and American police, at least on a legal level. Enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights, an international treaty with 47 state signatories, is a "duty to investigate all suspicious deaths" at the hands of state agents.

Each time serious injury or death in police custody occurs in the U.K., Sherman said, police forces refer themselves to the Independent Office of Police Conduct, a watchdog which has the power to take over internal investigations. In the U.S., on the other hand, such reviews are often "internal matters" for police departments.

Since 1856, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary in the U.K. has had the power to "defund" malfunctioning police departments, and the establishment of an equivalent entity in the U.S. could drastically change accountability, Sherman said.

"The remarkable thing about the regulatory process in the U.S. is that it's heavily driven by individual lawyers going to court, and that's how the information came out in Rochester [with the death of Daniel Prude]," he said. "But in principle the state could give an inspector general of the police [the power] to go in in the wake of any such event ... and the power to decertify all those officers after a review."

A reckoning with history

This summer was by no means the first summer of European protests sparked by a police killing, even if in this instance the impetus came from abroad. The U.K., Andrews said, has a long history of "urban rebellion," including the 2011 London riots sparked by the police shooting of Mark Duggan, and race riots in the London neighborhood of Brixton throughout the 1980s.

In France, the renewed scrutiny around Floyd's death prompted protests to demand justice for Adama Traore, a 24-year-old Black man who died in police custody in 2016.

PHOTO: Black Lives Matter demonstrators march through Oxford Street during a protest, June 21, 2020, in London. (David Mbiyu/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images, FILE)

So does the U.K. have its equivalents to Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, names that are used to call for an end to racial injustice?

"Within Black Britain, there are a number of names that we do have in the same way," Andrews said. "It probably hasn't caught the mainstream attention as much a to be honest, the only real difference between these [2020] protests and all the protests in the U.K. over the past 50 years is that white people paid more attention." The murder of Stephen Lawrence, a Black man killed in a racist attack in London in 1993, is perhaps the highest profile death of that kind, he said.

Both in the U.S. and Europe, images of Floyd and Taylor adorned many of the placards at the Black Lives Matter protests this summer. That's in part because countries often look to the U.S. as a focal point for social justice issues, since the U.S. "culturally does have dominance in general," Andrews said. But the history of the British Empire and slavery mean there is still an interconnection between Black experiences across the Atlantic.

MORE: Driving while Black: ABC News analysis of traffic stops reveals racial disparities in several US cities

"One of the things that gets missed sometimes with this is that Blackness is defined by diaspora," Andrews said. "So when we see something that's happening in America, or the Caribbean, or Africa, it does happen to us. There's a very real sense it happens to us."

That diaspora has its origins in Europe's slave-trading past -- which is why perhaps the defining images of the U.K.'s recent Black Lives Matter protests involved the denigration of monuments to the continent's colonial history.

In Bristol, England, protesters toppled a statue of Edward Colston, a 17th century slave trader whose name, to this day, is featured on some of the city's concert halls and pubs. The statue was unceremoniously thrown into the harbor where Colston based his slave trading, which is believed to have involved the kidnapping and trafficking of over 80,000 West Africans, about a quarter of whom died in transit to the Americas.

And in Brussels, Belgium, demonstrators protested a statue of King Leopold II, who was responsible for horrific atrocities in Congo, by climbing atop the monument and waving the African country's flag.

PHOTO: A statue of Edward Colston is pushed into the river Avon in Bristol, England, June 7, 2020. (Giulia Spadafora/NurPhoto via Getty Images, FILE)

A reckoning with Britain's imperial legacy appeared to be a central point of the protests. One participant in London's June protests told ABC News they were marching to help "educate" fellow Britons about their colonial past.

"One of the reasons why education and colonial history is such a big part of the movement here, is because we offshored our racial violence," according to Andrews. "Britain and Europe like to pretend that they're different from the States."

Even so, it is difficult to say whether Europe has reckoned with its past in the aftermath of a tumultuous summer. According to Sherman, who regularly consults with U.K. police leaders, "because of what happened in the U.S., there's much more pressure on British police than there was before George Floyd was killed."

The visibility of the protests has helped raise funding for grassroots organizations -- yet the national conversation around racism in the U.K. and the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on minorities has swiftly moved on, according to Andrews, who said he's surprised at "how quickly things have gone back to normal," with "race only talked about in the culture wars context."

Perhaps, said Andrews, the intensity of the summer's protests was partly a result of the pandemic.

"The cynic in me is mostly down to the fact that it was lockdown, there wasn't much else going on, and it kind of caught the imagination for that reason," he said. "I strongly doubt if we were going about our normal business whether this would have made the impact that it did."

Death of George Floyd prompts reckoning over race and colonialism in Europe originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
A divisional police headquarters at Gidan Madi in Tangaza Local Government Area of Sokoto State was attacked by gunmen with two officers killed on Thursday, the police said.

Tangaza is a border community along Nigerias border with Niger Republic.

The police spokesperson for Sokoto State, Muhammed Sadiq, in a statement, said the armed men numbering about 100, in military uniform, attacked the divisional headquarters around 1:30 a.m.

During the attack and an overwhelmingly heavy exchange of fire, the DPO, DSP Aliyu Bello and one Inspector Muhammad Abdullahi were shot dead, while one ASP Sani Abdullahi sustained injury on his leg, the police said.

Mr Sadiq said the state commissioner of police, Ibrahim Kaoje, immediately led a team of officers to the scene of the incident.

The commissioner, assessed the situation, convened an emergency meeting with the sole administrator, district head, heads of sister security agencies, including the Forward Operation Base Commander of the Nigerian Army, and other stakeholders with a view to strengthening the security architecture of the area in order to forestall further attacks and bring the perpetrators of the dastardly act to book.

Meanwhile, the DCP in charge of the state criminal investigation department has commenced investigation in earnest, while intelligence reports are also being gathered for aerial support.

Sokoto, in Northwest Nigeria, has suffered much fewer attacks from armed bandits compared to neighbouring states like Zamfara and Katsina.

The armed bandits attack communities at will and kill as well as kidnap residents for ransom.

A recent report by Nigeria Mourns, a nongovernmental organisation, said at least 1,165 people were killed in violent attacks in the Northwestern region of Nigeria between January and August this year.

No fewer than 113 people were also kidnapped in the region in the eight months.

The attacks have continued despite the heavy deployment of soldiers, police and other security agencies to the area.
ORLAND PARK, IL  Hundreds rallied at Crescent Park, 143rd St. and Southwest Hwy, Orland Park, Thursday evening, demanding that students be allowed to return to school. Attendees chanted "what are we doing" and "open up" while holding signs and wearing their school's spirit wear. The rally drew parents and students from elementary and high school districts across the south suburbs, including Dist. 230, Dist. 135, Dist. 140, Lincoln-Way, Lockport and Chicago Heights.

The COVID-19 pandemic has left millions of students around the country at home, away from friends, sports and their classrooms. Remote instruction has many students feeling outraged, saying they are wasting what should be the most memorable time of their lives.

Speeches, chanting and gathering took place at the event. Patch went live on Facebook during the speeches, viewable below. Speakers ranged from community activists, students from elementary to high school and teachers.

Many students that attended the rally have not been back in the classroom since March. Jacob, who did not want to share his last name or school, said he feels that he hasn't been able to learn anything since the last time he stepped foot in his high school.



"As a high school senior, I not only looked forward to this year for a really long time, I also need it, so I can be prepared for college," Jacob said. "I am sitting in math classes over Zoom hardly able to see or hear my teacher. I swear I have no learned one thing in the time I have been back. My teachers lecture us for 10 to 15 minutes, and then we get the rest of the class to sit with our cameras off and work. It helps nobody."

Dist. 230 parents and students demand to go back to school for in-person learning. | Yasmeen Sheikah

A retired Chicago Heights teacher of 34 years, Barbara Ruggles, told Patch she came out to the event because she believes democracy is based on educated citizens.

"It's not right. They have to open the schools," she said. "They have to educate the students. That's how you'll get your future leaders. I feel so strongly about this and education is how you get your sense of self; by implementing the knowledge you learn."

Story continues

Ruggles later gave a speech where she said the school districts have had months to try and prepare to bring kids back in a safe enough manner. She also told Patch that she understands the risks of going back, but that with the right precautions, it should be easily obtainable.

"Businesses can open and have enough of a safety procedure to function, that wasn't something they had much time to prepare for either. Look at hair salons. Thousands of people go through them and the right precautions are taken to ensure everyone's safety. How do some school districts not have a better plan than [remote instruction]," Ruggles said.

An educator who wanted to remain anonymous attended the rally in opposition of going back to the classrooms. Many were booing and some using foul language, as he walked with a sign that read "How many of us," "Dying is ok?" and "Keep Kids Home."

Yasmeen Sheikah | Patch

"I think that there's a safer way to do it," he said. "I have family members who are at risk. I have friends and coworkers who are at risk. Having them teach virtually in their classroom seems relatively safe. They're not interacting with people, adding kids into the mix... And I think pushing for the school to reopen is the wrong choice. I understand why people want them open. I want my child back interacting with people. I want kids back in the school I work in, I miss them terribly... but just opening them up during this time is not right and will backfire."

Last week a rally in Wheaton had drew hundreds of people. More rallies are expected to take place across the suburbs, with one scheduled on Monday in Naperville.





This article originally appeared on the Orland Park Patch
Power transmission lines in Vietnam under repair (Photo: VNA)

Bangkok  Three leading energy businesses of Thailand recently signed a joint deal to develop the Quang Tri 1 thermal power plant in Vietnam.

Local media reported that Egco Group, Egat International and Ratch Group signed the agreement on September 16 with Egat International holding a 40 percent stake in the plant and Egco Group and Ratch Group equally dividing the remaining 60 percent.

The coal-fired Quang Tri 1 plant, located in Hai Lang district of the central province of Quang Tri, will have an installed capacity of 1,320 megawatts.

It is expected to go into commercial operation by 2025, and the generated electricity will be sold to Vietnam under a long-term power purchase agreement.
VANCOUVER  When you think of Chinatown, you might think of colourful boutiques, one-of-a-kind heritage buildings and bakeries filled with steamed buns and sweets.

But a hotbed of sartorial flair?

A new book is pressing the case, and a pretty convincing one, that the poh pohs and gung gungs  grandmas and grandpas  of North Americas Chinatowns inhabit a savvy street style that should be celebrated.

San Francisco-area writing-and-photography duo Valerie Luu and Andria Lo have even put a name to the mashup of styles  modern and vintage, bold prints and monochrome, urban minimalism with floral flourishes  common among some Chinatown seniors.

They call it Chinatown Pretty.

In the process of photographing and talking to hundreds of Chinatown seniors  or accidental hipsters  over several years in Canada and the United States, the pair say they realized those clothes told a story of the seniors resilience and resourcefulness.

The independent spirit is something we found across all cities, Luu told the Star.

The origins of the book project go back several years, to when Luu and Lo would go on dim sum outings and share their love of Chinatown fashion.

We were just enamored by these grandmas and grandpas we saw on the street, Luu said.

It would be like a patchwork of different textures, colours and fabrics  sometimes three florals at once or six shades of pink. We were like, Who are they?

The two started approaching seniors on the street, greeting them with poh poh, hou leng (pretty grandma), and asking questions.

As we started to talk to the seniors, we learned more about the backstories, and that drew us deeper in, Lo said.

One of the seniors was Manning Yeung Tam, someone theyd often see getting off the bus wearing jade-green sneakers with speckled 80s print. Tam told them she had purchased them from a local store.

I liked them so much I bought 10 pairs, she said. I wear them until they break.

At one point, she pulled back her bob of hair to show a pair of matching jade earrings, they wrote. She received them when she got married in China at the age of 16.

Another person they regularly encountered was Buck Chew. The first time they met him, he was wearing a suit, fedora and white gloves. He was 96.

They learned he used to work as an accountant and abacus master in Macau and had a collection of 40 ties, including one with colourful parrots.

He showed them a small photo album he always carried with him. Flipping through the images, he proudly called out his grandchildrens professions  doctor, engineer and so on, they wrote.

During a visit to the apartment Chew shared with his wife, Luu and Lo learned their secret to a long life: cooking at home and eating fresh vegetables, ginger and fish.

In 2017, they published an online photo essay titled Chinatown Sartorialist, featuring images of some of the San Francisco seniors they had met.

Chinatown fashion combines urban utilitarianism with smart, unexpected combinations of prints, they wrote. Their use of colour makes you feel uplifted whenever you see it. Theyre fashionistas  worthy of any street-style blog.

Luu and Lo also created an Instagram photo gallery, showcasing the unwitting inhabitants of Chinatowns catwalks.

For their book, Luu and Lo ventured beyond San Francisco and visited the Chinatowns in Oakland, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Vancouver.

The project required a lot of patience. Most of the seniors they approached were camera shy.

We had a 10 per cent success rate, Luu said. Our process was: We go out on the street, walk two or three hours with an interpreter in the hopes of meeting someone who will talk to us, share their story and consent to a photo.

Those who did talk revealed that a lot of the items in their wardrobes were handmade. Some grandmas were retired seamstresses who repurposed fabrics and turned scraps from their work into wearable clothes.

They had also kept a lot of items they had brought with them from China decades earlier.

Youll see a mix of eras, Lo said. Folks really hold on to their clothing for decades and theyll mix it with a new puffy jacket, or a hat from Chinatown. That mix-and-match of eras and styles and layers and patterns is kind of how we describe the Chinatown Pretty style.

The pair also discovered theres a very practical aspect to Chinatown chic. A lot of seniors like to layer their clothes in case the weather changes.

They live in Chinatown because its easy to get around, hang out with your friends in the park, see your doctor, get groceries, Luu said. Since theyre out and about a lot, they have to wear a lot of layers to account for the shifting weather.

Hats and wide-rimmed bonnets were common, as were fishermens vests for the men, they said.

There was also a fair bit of customization. In Chicago, the windy city, chin straps were added to hats to prevent them from being blown away.

In Vancouver, Lo and Luu ran into Sui Chen Shen, 86, who was sporting a bright neon cap. Underneath her apple green jacket, she wore a blouse with bold 80s-era print made by a friend using leftover fabric.

I dont really have a thought process, she told them. I wear whatever I feel like.

Shen shared that she used to work at a clothing factory, where she steamed clothes to support her four daughters.

I was really tired and sweat a lot, she said. It was really hot  no air-conditioning.

Lo and Luu also encountered Helen Lok, 95, whom they described as having an Upper West Side vibe.

She wore a wool bowler hat, tailored cashmere pants, 80s bomber jacket and printed T-shirt, embroidered slip-ons and hexagonal eyeglasses with a blue tint.

Instead of pearls, it was a lanyard lined with smiley faces, they wrote.

They learned she had previously worked as a secretary for the British government.

The release of the book, of course, comes at a time when there are concerns about the gentrification of Chinatowns and growing calls for the preservation of their heritage and more affordable housing.

Its a topic that came up during their conversations in Vancouver.

One of the seniors they met was Xing Jun Ma, 86, who sported a blue skirt-suit custom-made in China and bright pink orthopedic shoes.

We liked how she accessorized her mature two-piece with a bright pink Dora the Explorer backpack inherited from her great-grandchildren, they wrote.

They learned Ma leads a group of tai chi practitioners every day at a nearby park and is a member of a group of seniors advocating for affordable housing in the neighbourhood.

Developers are trying to get rid of old architecture to build highrises, she told them. We dont want that. We want affordable housing.

We hope our book adds to that conversation, Luu said. This is a celebration of this place and the special people who live in it.

Luu, whose parents are Vietnamese refugees, and Lo, whose parents are from Hong Kong, say working on this project has also helped connect them with their Asian-American identities.

Now I feel like when I go (to Chinatown), I feel like Ive come home, Luu said. I see seniors that remind me of my grandparents. Im eating the food that brings me closer to my heritage.

They hope their book will spur readers to engage with their local Chinatowns, whether thats exploring the restaurants and businesses, volunteering with heritage-preservation campaigns, or just telling seniors they look pretty.

Their book, Chinatown Pretty: Fashion and Wisdom from Chinatowns Most Stylish Seniors, is set for release Tuesday.

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THOOTHUKUDI: Even before the shock over custodial deaths of two Sathankulam traders has calm down, an AIADMK functionary and Thattarmadam police inspector have been accused of killing a 28-year-old lorry driver on Thursday.

The murder happened a day after the brothers of the deceased filed an affidavit regarding custodial torture meted out to them by Thattarmadam inspector Harikrishnan at Madurai Bench of Madras High Court.

The deceased T Selvan of Chokkankudiyiruppu was a tanker lorry driver who supplies potable water to residents.

According to mother of the victim, T Elisabeth, the AIADMK commerce wing secretary Thirumanavel had attempted to grab their agriculture land and the Thattarmadam police had taken sides with the politician. The inspector Harikrishnan had lodged FIR against Selvan and his brothers Bangaru Rajan alias Rajan and Peter Raja in a bid to frame them as criminals and imprison them under Goondas Act, she said.

The complaint given by Elisabeth said that the inspector refused to receive a complaint against Thirumanavel on damaging her property using a country made bomb recently but instead seized a lorry owned by her son Peter Raja.

ALSO READ: Madurai youth found hanging from tree after being summoned by cops, kin allege foul play

The complaint also stated that Thirumanavel and his henchmen attacked Bangaru Rajan on January 19, 2020. When Rajan was under treatment at Palayamkottai government hospital, the inspector escorted him to Thattarmadam station and hung Rajan upside down, beat him and imprisoned him on a false complaint.

In connection to the custodial torture, Rajan had lodged a complaint with state human rights commission against inspector Harikrishnan and Thirumanavel.

In order to retaliate the brothers, the inspector had filed two FIR against them on a false complaint.

When the three brothers approached Madurai Bench of Madras High Court for advance bail, the justice sought to submit an affidavit on the tortures commited by the inspector. The affidavit was filed on September 16. The case came for hearing on September 17 and the details of the affidavit was intimated to the district police for further action.

On the same day, Thirumanavel with the instigation of the inspector, abducted Selvan who was standing at Kolunthattu diversion, in his car, beat him black and blue at a secluded place before abandoning him at the outskirts of Kadakulam village. The onlookers had shifted injured Selvan to Thisayanvilai primary health center, where the doctors declared him brought dead.

Meanwhile, a CCTV footage at Kolunthattu shows an Innova car hitting a stationed vehicle and abducting a person. Thirumanavel was appointed as Thoothukudi south district secretary of AIADMK'S commerce wing a month ago.

Superintendent of Police S Jeyakumar inspected the crime scene and held preliminary investigations.

SP S Jeyakumar told TNIE that Thisayanvilai police had registered a case against the politician Thirumanavel under section 364, 302 of IPC. The inspector name has been given in statement as instigator, and inquiry is going on, he added.

The deceased Selvan got married last year and gave birth to a daughter a month ago.
NASA United Space School scholars presented with certificates

Three Isle of Man students who took part in NASAs FISE United Space School  held online this year because of Covid-19, rather than in Houston  have been presented with certificates to mark their achievement.

Sophie Bell, Joseph Dunne and Benjamin Li attended the Department of Education, Sport and Culture headquarters in Douglas, where they received the certificates from Minister Dr Alex Allinson MHK.

The students were chosen as the recipients of scholarships, which have been awarded for the last 20 years by Manx satellite firm, the ManSat Group.

The scholarships are awarded in cooperation with the DESC and the very first recipient was Dr Jennifer Stone, who is now Chief Technical Officer for ManSat.

In previous years, the scholars have spent two weeks in Houston each July, working alongside peers from more than 20 countries on planning a simulated crewed mission to Mars, supported by NASA astronauts, engineers and scientists.

The global pandemic meant this years United Space School had to be held online, via video conference. However, Sophie, Joseph and Benjamin will be invited to attend the 2021 United Space School, to make up for missing out on the trip to the United States this year.
On Thursday, President Trump announced an upcoming executive order intended to return patriotism to American education. The "1776 Commission" will counter the Critical Race Theory training that schools across America are embracing under the banner of the New York Times' racist and divisive 1619 Project.

Leftists responded with fury, charging Trump with everything from imposing non-factual propaganda on American education to creating his version of the "Hitler Youth." The response was sickening, but it also showed how badly needed the 1776 Commission is if we are to prevent Marxists from completing their intellectual takeover of America.

Trump seemed to realize only a couple weeks ago that Critical Race Theory (CRT) is growing exponentially fast in America. This theory is both anti-white and anti-black. As to whites, it teaches that whites are innately evil and can, at best, be marginally redeemed if they acknowledge how evil, wrong, and racist they are, and then just bow out of life.

As to blacks, CRT teaches them that traditional American virtues such as self-reliance, hard work, ambition, punctuality, faith, etc., are all inextricably intertwined with whiteness. A black person who embraces those values is subordinating himself to the white privilege worldview and denying his essential blackness. In other words, CRT encourages the values that have kept generations of blacks stuck in physical and mental ghettoes, and dependent on the Democrat party to fulfill their basic life needs.

Trump's first attack on CRT was his order that federal agencies may no longer impose CRT on their employees. Showing how deep the CRT toxin runs in the federal government, the CDC nevertheless announced that it would host a 13-week CRT seminar despite the order, although it was quickly disabused of that idea.

Now Trump is attacking CRT in America's schools:

"Critical race theory, the 1619 Project, and the crusade against American history is toxic propaganda  an ideological poison that, if not removed, will dissolve the civic bonds that tie us together," Trump said. "The only path to national unity is through our shared identity as Americans. That is why it is so urgent that we finally restore patriotic education to our schools." [snip] "The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are the greatest charters of freedom the world has ever known," Pence said. "Our Founders knew history, but sadly we live in a time when too many are forgetting history today."

America's history isn't just being forgotten; it's being perverted as America's teachers, many of whom embrace the BLM movement, are aggressively inserting CRT into their classes.

Trump's initiative can't happen fast enough. If you're wondering how important the 1776 Commission is, look at the ugliness and ferocity of the pushback against Trump's announcement.

Yamiche Alcindor, the BLM propagandist who works for NPR as a faux reporter, cannot understand how the president can walk back the "facts" in the 1619 Project:

Hitler Youth Trump Youth He's following the Hitler playbook. Let's turn all the children into white supremacists.



https://t.co/P0pT3Tma4Q  Ferocious Opponent of Trump- Vote Biden!!!! (@SMurray1000) September 17, 2020

Trump youth is the 2020 version of a 1930s Hitler youth, Donald Trump needs to be removed from office now. pic.twitter.com/1jgLcMOe6e  KeanoTheDog (@judgeyourself99) September 17, 2020

How the Hitler Youth Turned a Generation of Kids Into Nazis. Trump signs an executive order to establish a 'national commission to promote patriotic education' where he controls the "facts".https://t.co/JN8d0GbBcs  Donna AvocadoOBiden/Harris 2020 #DemCastAZ (@ladalavara) September 17, 2020

What should we call the outcome...the Trump Youth League. Rhymes with Hitler Youth League. Oh and don't forget the League for German Girls...their job: to breed and breed more Aryans. pic.twitter.com/BcJ2IggiWH  Richard Saunders (@BoycottUtah) September 17, 2020

So basically he wants to establish America's "Hitler Youth"?



I have relatives who grew up in the American school system and it's already as flag waving star spangled patriotic as it can be.



He's talking about Republican indoctrination.  Stephen LeGresley (Black Lives Matter) (@S_LeGresley) September 17, 2020

Trump is correct that we have to reinstate a balanced and respectful approach to American history in our schools. If Trump gets another four years in office, he can make it happen. If he cannot, expect that our schools will swiftly continue their descent into being Marxist propaganda academies.

Item: Signing of the Declaration of Independence by Armand-Dumaresq (1873). Public domain.
Islamabad, Sep 18 : The Pakistan High Commission in London has received arrest warrants sent by the Imran Khan-led government for former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, it was reported on Friday.

The Mission was yet to make an official comment on the development but sources confirmed that it had received the paperwork regarding the arrest warrants, Dawn news reported.

The sources further said that all legal formalities and procedures would be followed in this regard.

Meanwhile, the assistant registrar of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) directed the Foreign Secretary to ensure that the former leader appears before it on September 22.

In 2017, the High Commission had received bailable arrest warrants for Hasan, Hussain, Maryam Nawaz and Captain Mohammad Safdar in National Accountability Bureau (NAB) cases.

The IHC earlier this week had issued non-bailable arrest warrants for the former Prime Minister, while dismissing his application seeking exemption from personal appearance in the hearing of appeals against his conviction in the Al-Azizia and Avenfield properties corruption cases.

Sharif has been in the UK since November 2019, after getting bail from the court on medical grounds and securing permission from the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government.

Earlier this month, he was declared a proclaimed offender over his continuous absence from proceedings and an Accountability Court issued a perpetual warrant for his arrest over his continued no-show.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Thousands of people in northwest China have tested positive for an infectious bacterial disease after a leak from a state-owned biopharmaceutical plant making animal vaccines.

Health officials in Lanzhou, a city of 2.9million, said 3,245 people had contracted brucellosis, a disease often caused by close contact with infected animals or animal products that can bring about fevers, joint pain and headaches.

Another 1,401 people tested as an early positive for the disease after the authorities screened nearly 22,000 residents. No death has been reported.

Thousands of people in northwest China have tested positive for an infectious bacterial disease after a leak from a state-owned biopharmaceutical plant making animal vaccines. This file photo shows a health worker taking a resident's temperature in Lanzhou on January 26

The Chinese officials also said there was no evidence of person-to-person transmission so far.

Brucellosis, also known as Malta fever or Mediterranean fever, can cause symptoms including headaches, muscle pain, fever and fatigue.

Some signs and symptoms may persist for longer periods of time while others may never go away or reoccur, such as arthritis or swelling in certain organs, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Person-to-person transmission of brucellosis is 'extremely rare', said the CDC.

Chinese authorities found a biopharmaceutical plant had used expired disinfectant in its production of Brucella vaccines for animals between July and August last year - meaning the bacteria was not eradicated in its factory exhaust.

Thousands of people in northwest China have tested positive for an infectious bacterial disease after a leak from a state-owned biopharmaceutical plant making animal vaccines

Contaminated gas from the China Animal Husbandry Lanzhou Biopharmaceutical Factory in Lanzhou formed aerosols containing the bacteria.

It was then carried by wind to the Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, infecting nearly 200 people there as of December last year.

More than 20 students and faculty members of Lanzhou University, some of whom had been to the institute, subsequently tested positive as well, according to Xinhua news agency.

Lanzhou's health commission said Friday that sheep, cattle and pigs were most commonly involved in the spread of the bacteria.

Health officials in Lanzhou, a city of 2.9million, said 3,245 people had contracted brucellosis. In this file photo taken on April 29, people are seen visiting a night market in Lanzhou

The factory - which apologised earlier this year - has had its brucellosis vaccine production licence revoked, Lanzhou authorities said.

Compensation for patients would start in batches from October, according to local authorities.

The Lanzhou Health Commission also designated 11 public hospitals to provide the infected patients with free and regular checkups.

While brucellosis is not unknown in China, it has declined since the 1980s after the emergence of vaccines and better disease prevention and control.

It is extremely rare in the UK, according to the NHS, but there have been a smattering of brucellosis outbreaks around the world in the past few decades.

In 2008, an outbreak in Bosnia infected about 1,000 people, prompting the culling of sheep and other infected livestock.
Harvey Weinstein has been stripped of his CBE.

The former movie mogul, 68, was granted an honorary CBE, for his contribution to the British film industry, in 2004.

He is currently serving a 23-year prison sentence in New York after being convicted of rape in February.

A notice in The Gazette, the UKs official public record, said: The Queen has directed that the appointment of Harvey Weinstein to be an Honorary Commander of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, dated January 19 2004, shall be cancelled and annulled and that his name shall be erased from the Register of the said Order.

Weinstein was once one of the most powerful men in Hollywood, with credits such as Pulp Fiction, The English Patient, Good Will Hunting, Gangs Of New York and Shakespeare In Love to his name.

Expand Close The Queen meeting Harvey Weinstein during a reception at Buckingham Palace (Yui Mok/PA) / Facebook

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He was the man Meryl Streep jokingly called God at the 2012 Golden Globes, with his films notching up more than 300 Oscar nominations.

Honours can been removed on the advice of the forfeiture committee and with the approval of the Queen.

The committee considers whether the holder of an honour has brought the system into disrepute.

Senior Labour MP Chi Onwurah has been calling for the CBE to be removed from Weinstein since 2017, the year several women came forward to allege serious sexual misconduct.

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Announcing his CBE in 2004, Weinstein said at the time: My life and my career have been greatly influenced and enriched by great British film-makers and authors and so I am especially honoured and humbled to be receiving the CBE.

Prosecutors in Los Angeles have filed a request to extradite Weinstein from New York, in a bid to try the disgraced Hollywood producer on five counts of sexual assault.

If successful, it would pave the way for Weinstein, the money and the power behind some of the biggest Hollywood films of the past 25 years, to be put on trial again.
NEW HAVEN  The city has cleared the first hurdle as it looks to put in place a mobile crisis response team that would answer emergency calls for problems best solved by social workers, rather than by police.

Dr. Mehul Dalal, head of the Community Services Administration, said the team would respond to lower-acuity situations with an emphasize on de-escalation, harm reduction and a rapid connection to services.

Dalal said they will study the lessons learned from other cities that have implemented such programs and see how they answer New Havens needs.

The administrator said data from the citys call center in calendar 2019 indicated that up to 11,000 calls, or 10 percent of the total requests for service, likely could have been screened and sent to the crisis response team.

Part of the call from residents protesting police brutality  a national phenomena  is to use social services rather than law enforcement in answer to some emergency calls.

Hearst Connecticut Media file

The Finance Committee approved the allocation of $100,000 to help it put together a program tailored for New Haven.

Dalal said the overall goal is to have a more holistic approach to first-response situations by deploying a qualified staff to address non-criminal issues, such as homelessness, mental health crises and intoxication, leaving police to answer calls dealing with criminal behavior.

Carlos Sosa-Lombardo, the Fresh Start director in the CSA office, is overseeing implementation of a crisis response team.

He said they want to hire a qualified service provider that will lead a six-month planning process and implement multiple phases of the effort leading to a 24/7 response program.

He said this service provider also would help put in place protocols and identify opportunities for diversion from the criminal justice system, as well as establish sites that have programs in place.

Hearst Connecticut Media /

Sosa-Lombardo said the crisis response team model would build in an independent evaluator as to how it is progressing and formalize partnerships with key service providers and a strategic plan that gradually would scale up operations.

Dalal said an important facet is to have valid community input and to build on existing systems, rather than starting from scratch. This would mean formalizing agreements with service providers already in New Haven rather than announcing yet another program in its own silo.

We have learned the lessons of the LEAD program where you cant just take a program off the shelf that another city (used) and plop it down in New Haven and expect it to work, Dalal said.

Dalal said they would spend most of the $100,000 in finding a qualified contractor with experience in this field. Sosa-Lombardo said some funds would be used to visit other sites and for training and to secure technical assistance.

Dalal said the city would put out a request for proposals for a contractor the city would like to use to oversee a pilot so they have the investment to make sure all the planning pieces are right.

To me the most important work product out of a planning phase is a feasible operational plan, he said.

Dalal said he, for instance, envisions the contractor will take a deep dive into the citys 911 system and see how exactly are they going determine whether the call is low-acuity enough to warrant triage over to a mobile crisis team.

He said it means coordinating the various legal, liability and labor considerations in implementing the program.

Having that standard operating plan at that planning period would really demonstrate to us that this looks very feasible and we can run with this, Dalal said.

Alder Jeanette Morrison, D-22, said she wanted to know what other departments are going to weigh in; Dalal said they already are talking with police, fire and the public safety communication departments.

Brian Zahn /Hearst Connecticut Media /

They are critical partners, he said.

Other than that, Dalal said the office working with the homeless and housing would be involved. The Health Departments harm reduction work underway on opioid addiction would be incorporated.

He said external agencies with experience in dealing with the mentally ill, such as Clifford Beers and the Connecticut Mental Health Center, would be part of the planning process, as well as state agencies the city would look to for help with funding.

Sosa-Lombardo said the contractor would be expected to get community input and he is envisioning having an alder sit on the review panel.

Morrison said everything is political and she advised Sosa-Lombardo to be in touch with ward leaders.

Dalal estimated up to $80,000 would be needed for the contractor putting together the plan. He said they dont have the capacity to develop this plan within CSA.

In answer to a question from Aldermanic President Tyisha Walker-Myers, D-23, he said they have access to the analysis of the LEAD program and while there may be aspects of it that may be useful, it was a different model in its involvement with law enforcement.

Brian Zahn / Hearst Connecticut Media /

This one flips that concept on its head, Dalal said, as law enforcement is out of the picture, in many cases.

Aldermanic Majority Leader Richard Furlow, D-27, pointed to the need for a workshop on the team.

Brian Zahn / Hearst Connecticut Media /

Chief Administrative Officer Scott Jackson said the emergency medical operation, police, fire and the 911 center all have been on the internal Zoom meetings on the proposed crisis response team and have been supportive of moving in this direction.

But at this point, he said there still is a lot of work that needs to be done to determine whether this is what the community wants and how it fits into the collective bargaining agreement and other parameters.

Furlow said the proposal seems to be more of a response to a public outcry, rather than having something done systematically, just to try to get something done quickly because this is what the people want. As elected officials of course we need to represent the people, but we need to move cautiously and make sure we are making the best use of city funds.

Alder Evelyn Rodrigues, D-4, said Furlow surfaced some sensitive issues and Im going to leave it at that.

mary.oleary@hearstmediact.com; 203-641-2577
Ryanair has announced it will further reduce its operations due to coronavirus travel restrictions and blamed 'government mismanagement' for lack of customer confidence in travel.

The budget airline said its capacity in October will be 40% of 2019 levels, compared with the 50% it previously announced.

The firm said it expects to fill 70% of seats on its planes.

A Ryanair spokesperson said: 'We are disappointed to reduce our October capacity from 50% of 2019 to 40%.

'However, as customer confidence is damaged by government mismanagement of Covid travel policies, many Ryanair customers are unable to travel for business or urgent family reasons without being subjected to defective 14-day quarantines.

Ryanair has announced it will further cut its operations due to coronavirus travel restrictions

'While it is too early yet to make final decisions on our winter schedule (from November to March), if current trends and EU governments' mismanagement of the return of air travel and normal economic activity continue, then similar capacity cuts may be required across the winter period.'

Which countries are on the UK's quarantine list? Andorra Austria Belgium Croatia Czech Republic France Gibraltar Greece (Scotland) Greek islands Lesvos, Tinos, Serifos, Mykonos, Crete, Santorini and Zakynthos (Zante) (England Wales and Northern Ireland) Netherlands Malta Monaco Hungary Luxembourg Portugal Slovenia Spain Switzerland Aruba The Bahamas Guadeloupe Jamaica Trinidad and Tobago Turks and Caicos Reunion French Polynesia Advertisement

Ryanair called on the Irish government to halt its 'excessive and defective travel restrictions', which include 14 days of self-isolation for arrivals.

Transport Minister Eamon Ryan 'has kept Ireland locked up like North Korea since July 1', the airline claimed.

The UK Government announced on Thursday that quarantine restrictions will be imposed on travellers from Slovenia and Guadeloupe from Saturday.

But travellers returning from Thailand and Singapore will no longer have to quarantine after they were added to the UK safe travel list tonight.

Announcing the latest changes to the travel corridors list tonight, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps tweeted: 'Latest data shows we need to remove Slovenia and Guadeloupe from the Travel Corridor list to keep everyone safe. This means if you arrive in the UK from these destinations after 4am Saturday, you will need to self-isolate for 14 days.

'Separately, we will be adding Singapore and Thailand to the Travel Corridor list. Please check before you travel as both countries may have extra requirements before entering.

'A reminder that travellers to the UK (from ANY location) MUST complete a Passenger Locator Form by law. This is vital in protecting public health & ensuring those who need to are complying with self-isolation rules.'

A DfT spokeswoman added: 'People arriving in England from Slovenia and Guadeloupe from 4am Saturday September 19 will need to self-isolate for two weeks as the countries are removed from the travel exemptions list.

'Data from the Joint Biosecurity Centre and Public Health England has indicated a significant change in both the level and pace of confirmed cases of coronavirus in both destinations, leading to Ministers removing these from the current list of Travel Corridors.

'Data from Slovenia shows that the weekly incidence (cases) per 100,000 has increased from 14.4 on September 9 to 29.1 on September 16. This equates to a 102 per cent increase.

'There has been a sharp increase in the weekly incidence rate of COVID-19 in Guadeloupe over the past 4 weeks, with a 558 per cent increase in weekly incidence per 100,000 between August 25 and September 15.'

The UK Government currently uses a threshold of 20 cases per 100,000 when it makes decisions on whether to add or remove countries from its quarantine list.

Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary last week hit out at the 'government mismanagement' of the Covid-19 crisis and the subsequent travel restrictions and said the winter is a 'write-off'

The decision to remove the quarantine requirement for arrivals from Thailand and Singapore is unlikely to lead in a surge of people from England visiting the destinations.

The countries are only allowing people to enter for a limited number of reasons, such as if they have a work permit or are the spouse or child of a resident.

Denmark retained its quarantine exemption, despite its seven-day case rate being 33.8.

In a statement, Ryanair described the latest announced capacity reductions as 'necessary due to damage caused to forward bookings by continuous changes in EU Government travel restrictions and policies'.

The firm says many of the restrictions are introduced at short notice, which 'undermine consumers willingness to make forward bookings'.

Ryanair, Europe's biggest budget airline, has previously announced it has already cut 250 office staff around the continent.

Michael O'Leary, Ryanair's CEO, has previously described the coronavirus pandemic has the 'worst downturn we have ever had in our 100-year industry.'

Mr O'Leary has said this winter is a 'write-off' and said the UK quarantine system was 'lumpy and defective'.

Last week, the CEO hit out at the UK and Irish governments in an interview with Sky News and said 'there is more chance of catching Covid in Bolton than Barcelona'.

He said: 'The aviation industry across Europe has been bedevilled by government mismanagement of travel restrictions and quarantines.'

He pointed to Italy and Germany as countries who had 'safely returned' to intra-European travel and had 'much better' tracing and testing systems than Britain or Ireland.

He said customers had no confidence in booking future holidays because 'you've got the UK government locking down Bolton one day, Preston another day' and said they were 'making stuff up as they go along'.
A 47-year-old man who died after a hit-and-run in east London has been named by police.

Police were called to a car park in Dagenham just before midnight on Sunday to reports that a pedestrian had been hit by a car.

Emergency services rushed to Whalebone Lane South where they found a 47-year-old man suffering serious injuries.

The victim, now formally identified as John Avers, died at the scene a short time later, Metropolitan Police said.

His next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specially-trained officers.

A post-mortem examination found that Mr Avers died from multiple injuries.

Detectives from the Mets Specialist Crime Command believe Mr Avers was hit by a car which then left the scene.

No arrests have been made but police are treating the incident as a murder inquiry.

Detective Chief Inspector Mark Wrigley, from the Mets Specialist Crime North team, is leading the investigation. He said: My thoughts are with Johns family at this very sad time.

I and my officers believe John was deliberately harmed and we are treating this incident as a murder inquiry. We are using every available tactic to trace who was responsible for Johns death.

I know that there were people in the area and I am asking them to tell us what they saw or heard. If you know anything at all about this horrible crime, please dont keep it to yourself.

If you dont want to talk to us, you can speak to Crimestoppers anonymously. The most important thing you can do is share what you know.

Any witnesses or anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or tweet @MetCC quoting CAD 8443/13Sep. Alternatively contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
The Narendra Modi government is planning to promote domestic industry which is going to play a critical role in shaping the post-COVID economy of India, Union minister said on Friday.

Addressing two separate webinars on 'World Day', Singh said the Northeastern region will be one of the favourite business destinations of India post-COVID-19 and is going to be the key pillar of economic activities.

He said many business houses are looking at the Northeastern region to exploit its vast agro-farming resources and people should not miss this opportunity.

"Modi government is planning to promote domestic bamboo industry, which is going to play a critical role in shaping the post-COVID economy of India," the Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) said.

Describing bamboo as a silver lining in the dark clouds of the pandemic, Singh said it will help in shaping the economy of the Northeast and the entire country in post-COVID era.

He said it will also herald a new momentum for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's clarion call of 'Aatma-nirbhar Bharat' by focussing on Vocal for Local.

The minister said the sensitivity with which the Modi government views the importance of bamboo is evident from the fact that it has amendedthe century-old Indian Forest Act by taking home grown bamboo out of the purview of the Act,in order to enhance livelihood opportunities through bamboo.

He also welcomed the decision of the central government to raise the import duty by 25 per cent on raw bamboo items.

Singh said this will help the domestic bamboo industries like furniture, handicrafts and 'agarbatti' (incense sticks) making in a big way and promote use of bamboo as building material.

He said time has come for Bamboo Mission to take a big lead to make bamboo a common man's utility item and unlock the huge potential in this sector in the Northeastern region. He said the region could become the 'New Engine of New India' with bamboo as a useful fuel.

The minister also stated that viability funding from the Ministry of DoNER for start-ups have caught the imagination of youths in the Northeastern region and it is fast becoming an attractive option for the youngsters.

(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.)
Farmers in Punjab will protest against the central governments three farm-related bills by staging a three-day rail roko agitation across the state from September 24-26, a farmers body has announced.

We have decided to hold a rail roko agitation from September 24 to 26 in the state against the farm bills, Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher said.

Already, different farmer organisations in Punjab have given a call for a bandh on September 25 in protest against the three farm bills. The farmers argue that the legislations would lead to the dismantling of the minimum support price (MSP) system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporates.

The government, however, says that the bills will help farmers across the country get a better market for their price and produce.

Nevertheless, farmers in both Punjab and Haryana have been protesting against the legislations for weeks now. On September 10, protesting farmers were lathicharged in Haryanas Kurukshetra.

On Thursday, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MP and union minister of food processing industries, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, resigned from Prime Minister Narendra Modis cabinet as a mark of protest against the bills. The party, however, will continue to support the government from the outside.

Badal was the only SAD representative in the Modi government. The party from Punjab is the oldest ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is in power at the Centre.

Harsimrat Kaur Badal jis resignation has come very late. Its to calm down anger of people. Even today, if Sukhbir Badal ji realises, then he should gherao the Parliament with lakhs of his workers, Pandher later said on the ministers resignation.

While one of the three bills- -the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill 2020- -was passed on Tuesday, two others were passed by the Lok Sabha on Thursday, with the SAD voting against them.

(With agency inputs)
Police on Friday identified two Brockton men suspected of being involved in a shooting at a shopping plaza that left one person wounded, authorities said.

The suspects, identified as 28-year-old Daronde Bethea and 27-year-old Eric Pereira, were charged with Class B drug possession after police discovered oxycodone in their car packaged for selling on the streets, according to a statement from the Brockton Police Department.

Detectives are also investigating their involvement in the shooting Thursday at the Crescent Plaza shopping center, the statement said. However, additional charges related to firing guns are pending.

Around 4:24 p.m. on Thursday, a man in a black SUV allegedly fired 19 rounds of bullets at a small light-colored sedan in the area of 675 Crescent St. near the shopping center, authorities said.

The person who was injured by the barrage of bullets refused to be driven by an ambulance to the hospital, according to the department.

The dark SUV sped off eastbound on Crescent Street toward Whitman, according to law enforcement.

Shortly before 8 p.m., Massachusetts State Police and local officers pursued a dark-colored Jeep Grand Cherokee that matched a description of the suspects vehicle, authorities said.

During the pursuit, a male passenger jumped out of the SUV in Easton, according to police

The chase, which cut through multiple Massachusetts communities, ended when the car crashed at the intersection of Adams and Church streets in Taunton, the Brockton Police Department said.

Three people ran away from the Jeep. A female passenger was eventually caught and released after questioned by police. Two male suspects remain at large, according to the department.

Brockton police K9 Enzo and his handler located and took into custody another man who ran away from the car in Easton. He was identified, questioned and released, the department said.
Charles Taylor, a provider of services and technology solutions to the global insurance market, announced today that it has acquired SBSA, Inc. (Solutions Before, Solutions After), a full-service engineering and architectural firm. Headquartered in Golden, Colorado, SBSA is licensed throughout the United States.

"The addition of SBSA significantly expands and strengthens Charles Taylor's engineering capabilities in the U.S.," said Rob Brown, Group CEO, Charles Taylor. "This acquisition aligns with our Group-wide strategy to grow the range of services we offer and to strengthen our technology and capabilities, so that we can do more for our existing clients and reach a broader client base. SBSA allows us to provide high-quality broad-based engineering and technical support to our clients, from design, testing, and repairs, to forensic investigations and litigation support."

SBSA delivers a wide range of expertise, including architectural, civil, and structural engineering, construction management, building envelope repair, performance testing, forensic analyses, and litigation support. The firm works primarily with clients in the construction, legal and insurance sectors, specializing in forensic engineering, construction management, new and re-design of properties.

Vince Cole, CEO, CT Adjusting and Technical Services U.S., said, "SBSA engineers are recognized experts and provide us with the expanded engineering support that we believe will enrich our client offering and service." He further added, "For insurance clients who work with Charles Taylor Adjusting, SBSA will offer the consistency and efficiency of a one-stop shop, with the independence of a separate forensic engineering business."

SBSA joins the Charles Taylor team of more than 3,000 professionals around the world. SBSA's clients will have access to Charles Taylor's full suite of global claims management, technical services, and technology solutions.

"Joining Charles Taylor provides our clients with access to a multitude of additional resources, in addition to decades of technical experience from industry experts whose skills complement our existing capabilities," said Edward Fronapfel, P.E., Owner of SBSA. "We believe Charles Taylor's commitment to high quality and growth in the U.S. will greatly benefit our clients and allow us to better serve their needs."

About Charles Taylor www.charlestaylor.com

Charles Taylor is a global provider of professional services and technology solutions dedicated to enabling the global insurance market to do its business fundamentally better. Dating back to 1884, Charles Taylor now employs over 3,000 staff in more than 120 locations spread across 30 countries in Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa.

Charles Taylor believes that it holds a distinctive position in its markets in that it can provide professional services and technology solutions in order to support every stage of the insurance lifecycle and every aspect of the insurance operating model. Charles Taylor serves a diversified blue-chip international customer base that includes national and international insurance companies, mutuals, captives, MGAs, Lloyd's syndicates and reinsurers, along with brokers, distributors and corporate insureds.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200918005532/en/

Contacts:

Philippa Ushio

Ph: 858-373-7052

Email: pro-charlestaylor@prosek.com
The body of a hiker was found in Death Valley National Park a day after the person went missing earlier this month, officials said Thursday.

According to a news release from the Inyo County Sheriff and Death Valley National Park, the hiker, who has not been identified, is believed to have died on Sept. 6 when temperatures reached 123 degrees Fahrenheit.

A search was mounted about 9 p.m. that day after authorities were alerted to a report of a potentially deceased hiker, but rangers and deputies called it off at about 2 a.m.

The next morning the search resumed, and a team found a males body about 45 yards off the Badlands Loop Trail and roughly a mile from the Zabriskie Point trailhead. The 2-mile Badlands Loop connects with the well-traveled Golden Canyon Trail.

Officials did not immediately give a cause of death but, according to the park, extreme heat appeared to be a factor. The high for Death Valley the preceding day was 123 degrees at Furnace Creek.

ALSO: 50 years after Jean Pierre Marquant's impossible trek across Death Valley

The body was taken to the Inyo County coroners office, where an autopsy was to be conducted.

The death was the second likely heat-related fatality at a California national park in two days. On Sept. 5, a 20-year-old man man died while hiking in 120-degree heat in Joshua Tree National Park.

Three weeks earlier, on Aug. 16, the temperature at Death Valley soared to 130 degrees, believed to be the highest verifiable temperature on Earth in at least 100 years.

The Harry Potter film actor Dave Legeno (Fenrir Greyback in Half-Blood Prince and both Deathly Hallows parts) died of heat stroke and heat exhaustion in a remote wash below Death Valleys Manly Beacon on July 6, 2014.

Manly Beacon is about a half mile north of the Badlands Loop Trail.

Legeno was a mixed martial arts fighter and reportedly in excellent physical shape.

Death Valley National Park rangers have long warned people about the dangers of hiking in the summer, at least after the early morning hours. Park visitors are advised to monitor both the weather and their own health and to always carry plenty of water.



Mike Moffitt is an SFGATE Reporter. Email: moffitt@sfgate.com. Twitter: @Mike_at_SFGate
This is compounded by using salary-focused, inward-looking, competitive vice-chancellors to focus solely on their own institution and personal welfare, to the detriment of staff and students at universities. Unless these senior executives and council members can unite as one to confront government, and put the sector as a whole front and centre, we will lose what is a rich, vital and critical part of our culture and society.

Geoff Wescott, Northcote Rural students are especially disadvantaged Labor education spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek implies that the new fee structure for university courses will make it more expensive and harder for many Australians to attend universities. Whilst some courses will be more expensive, many others will be cheaper. The HECS idea that Labor introduced meant that undergraduates do not have to repay their fees until they have graduated and entered the workforce. Hence the cost of a course is no hindrance to entering university. How quickly the debt is repaid depends on the individuals decision of what course they choose, the demand for the occupations the course leads to and the salary level available. Those who choose a high-paying occupation will repay their debt relatively quickly.

What Plibersek should be more concerned about is the financial disadvantage that potential students from regional and rural locations face. The cost of moving away from home and relocating to capital cities is considerable. This cost cannot be deferred, unlike HECS.

Ian Bennett, Jan Juc THE FORUM

Accentuate the positive Thank you, Janet Whiting (The Age, 18/9). Living in lockdown is stressful but is being made worse by the constant criticism and negativity being expressed. Protesters and critics are making a lot of noise but are not offering positive solutions or encouragement. Could we hear more about the creative and constructive ways in which people are working? This would lift our spirits and help us through this crisis.

Gwenyth McMahon, Blackburn South Face the harsh facts In your letters pages, apologists for Daniel Andrews are somehow taking the second COVID-19 wave overseas to rationalise why we have one in Victoria. Surely even the most rusted-on of his supporters have noticed there is no second wave anywhere else in Australia, and the enormous damage that has been done to lives and livelihoods here is due to the incompetence of the Andrews government in handling hotel quarantine and contact tracing.

Brian Healey, Brighton Lets all work together

How does the Victorian opposition think that putting forward a no-confidence motion in the Victorian government is a worthwhile move? Michael OBrien could have chosen to work, in a bipartisan way, to assist the government during this dreadful pandemic. Instead he has politicised the situation by undermining the government and Dan Andrews at every opportunity. Surely the worst thing, at the moment, would be a change to the leadership team. Let us get behind the Premier and his team and work together, as Victorians, to reach a satisfactory outcome for us all.

Pam Parnell, Footscray The psychology of fear Chris Uhlmann (Comment, 17/9) hits the nail on the head. His article suggests he is a realist. He says that, As a nation we seem comfortable with authoritarianism. I agree and feel that these days as a people, we lack courage. We are becoming more selfish and inward. In Victoria, Dan Andrews works on the psychology of fear. Too many people respond and become scared  a bit like a mob of sheep. This does not augur well for our future as a nation.

Richard Wilcox, Camberwell Impossible ring of steel Recently COVID-19 killed my 97-year-old mother-in-law. Although she had some dementia, she took no medication and was physically well. She still had her humour and Belfast feistiness.

Ann lived in aged care and received exemplary care. They were ahead in their precautions but COVID-19 got in. It appears a staff member caught it from her child who had been infected at school before anyone was aware of its presence. She isolated as soon as the outbreak was identified, but too late for Ann.

The worlds best contact tracing cannot prevent such occurrences. Chris Uhlmann suggests a ring of steel around aged care homes. It does not exist. He also neglects the fact that countries that have not locked down have had both the worst death rates and the worst economic outcomes. My mother-in-law was worth more than his neoliberal platitudes.

Peter Cook, Essendon Very faulty memories I can guarantee that in every government inquiry or royal commission, a key player when giving evidence will say at some point, I dont remember or I cant recall. In the hotel quarantine inquiry, former police chief commissioner Graham Ashton and Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp do not disappoint (The Age, 18/9).

Mandy Morgan, Malvern Health must come first I received an email from Qantas on Thursday asking me to click to support the opening of state borders. Here is my response: Hello Qantas, I have no desire to lobby to see borders opened until the chief health officers declare it is safe to do so. I imagine that many Qantas customers share this opinion and would prefer that the corporate sector stayed out of the discussion.

Carolyn OBrien, Richmond

In the spirit of WWII In England during World War II, local agricultural committees ran large, tented, harvest camps to help farmers bring in the harvest. You were taken by bus or truck to a farm, worked all day, and returned to the camp in the late afternoon. Perhaps a similar organisation could be formed to pick fruit this year if overseas workers and backpackers are not able to come here (The Age, 15/9).

Penny Garnett, Castlemaine Towards independence Congratulations, Barbados, on your intention to remove Queen Elizabeth as your head of state and become a republic. Come on, Australia, let us do the same and become an independent country.

Christine Hammett, Richmond Elephant in the room

I agree with Stephen Downes  Push to make us eat outdoors is just ridiculous (Comment, 16/9). The current number of cafes and restaurants with outside seating is not being disputed. What is being challenged is that this can work in all establishments, and must be part of the exit plan. I have spent my life in hospitality, as a successful owner, manager and maitre d, always working on the floor, dealing with the customers. I do not know how many times I have seated people, on a pleasant spring or summer evening, outside for drinks and/or dining and they have eventually requested to move to a table inside. Their reasons include its too hot, too cold, too windy, its starting to rain and even that people walking past are smoking. Not to mention flies and mosquitoes. Melbournes summer is usually short and the weather is unpredictable. Most cafe owners I have spoken to are shaking their heads. It needs to be 50/50, inside and outside.

Meredith James, Glen Huntly A man for all seasons Climate science denier Donald Trump has reassured the people of wildfire-ravaged California, Oregon and Washington that their fiery nightmare will soon be over, as the weather will get cooler. The people of Florida, Alabama and Louisiana, inundated by massive floods, must be waiting anxiously for him to announce that it will soon get drier.

Richard Hughes, Woodend Ensuring integrity

There has been concern that the US postal service will not be able to cope with the volume of postal voting in the coming presidential election. We need to raise a similar concern in Victoria where ballot papers for council elections will be mailed out in a couple of weeks. Australia Post is struggling to provide a basic service, with letter delivery reduced to three days a week so that it can cope with a deluge of parcels. Given my experience waiting weeks for letters to arrive, I worry about the integrity of council election results. Australia Post must guarantee pre-COVID collection and delivery for the election period.

David Glanz, Hadfield Get your priorities right How awesome that, according to Amber Collins, chief marketing officer at Australia Post, the staff have been so productive during lockdown (Comment, 18/9). Research, community sponsorships, digital programs, advertising campaigns, restructuring departments, promoting people and hiring team members does not actually get the post delivered.

On August 22, I posted a parcel to Belgium. According to the tracking device, it is still at Melbourne Airport. Amber, a little less marketing and advertising, and a little more attention to delivering mail, whether done from home or your office would (unlike my parcel) be well received.

Gina Brotchie, East Ballarat Another tearless tip

I have a similar solution regarding Richard Cornishs advice about how to stop the tears when cutting onions (Good Food, 15/9). I take a big sip of water and do not swallow until after I have finished the chopping. Somehow, it seems to work.

Cynthia Pollak, Elsternwick AND ANOTHER THING Credit:Illustration: Matt Golding Politics Could we please extend the foreign influence legislation to include corporate and donor interference.

Phil Bodel, Ocean Grove

Aged care: Theres a hole in the funding bucket, dear Henry.

Robin Jensen, Castlemaine An election slogan (technically one word more than usual) for the conservatives: Give Gas a Go.

Peter Angelovski, Hoppers Crossing Herd mentality: Republicans going over a cliff with Trump.

Ivan Glynn, Vermont Coronavirus I imagine there are smiles behind masks in Victorian regions.

Kaye Jones, Nagambie

The Andrews governments failed quarantine response: I know that I know nothing.

Alastair Wright, North Dandenong I suspect Chris Uhlmann (18/9) is referring to Toorak Village.|

Kristen Hurley, Seaholme Take the advice of Uhlmann and ignore the majority medical advice? Irony, surely.

Shane McGrath, Kialla Michael OBrien, show a bit of bipartisanship instead of persisting with unproductive, attack dog methods.

Angela Gill, Moonee Ponds Lets hope Andrews is under-promising so he can over-deliver.

Peter Walker, Black Rock

Yes, Janet Whiting (16/9), we must stop the blame game for now. All we are doing is giving nutters authority.

Marilyn Hoban, Mornington Furthermore Re the Commonwealth Banks ads on financial abuse. Does it get the irony?

Rosslyn Jennings, North Melbourne Lucky Susan Leeming (17/9). Parcels sent on August 7 from Fitzroy to Essendon are yet to arrive.

Ruth Finlayson, Fitzroy Susan Leeming, I sent an item to Eltham via registered mail on August27 and it still hasnt arrived.

Graziana Spinelli, East Bentleigh
Dr Reddy's Laboratories surged 8.83% to Rs 5252.75, extending gains for fourth day in a row.

The stock has added 20.34% in four sessions from its recent closing low of Rs 4,364.65 on 14 September 2020.

It jumped as much as 9.86% at the day's high at Rs 5302.85 today, which is a record high for the counter.

On the technical front, the stock's RSI (relative strength index) stood 79.147. The RSI oscillates between zero and 100. Traditionally the RSI is considered overbought when above 70 and oversold when below 30.

The stock is currently trading above its 50-day, 100-day and 200-day simple moving average (SMA) placed at 4391.38, 4159.49 and 3644.56, respectively.

In a BSE filing made after market hours on Thursday, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories announced that it has settled patent litigation with Celgene, a wholly-owned subsidiary of US based Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), for Revlimid (lenalidomide) capsules.

As part of the settlement, Celgene has agreed to provide Dr Reddy's with a licence to sell volume-limited amounts of generic lenalidomide capsules in the US after March 2022 subject to regulatory approval.

Additionally, Celgene has agreed to provide Dr. Reddy's Lab with a license to its patents required to manufacture and sell an unlimited quantity of generic lenalidomide in the US beginning no earlier than 31 January 2026.

Earlier this week, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Russia's sovereign wealth fund, and Dr Reddy's Laboratories agreed to cooperate on clinical trials and distribution of Sputnik V vaccine in India. Upon regulatory approval in India, RDIF shall supply to Dr. Reddy's 100 million doses of the vaccine. The Sputnik V vaccine, which is based on well-studied human adenoviral vector platform with proven safety, is undergoing clinical trials for the coronavirus pandemic.

Dr. Reddy's Laboratories is a pharmaceutical company. Through its three businesses - pharmaceutical services and active ingredients, global generics and proprietary products - the company offers a portfolio of products and services, including active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), custom pharmaceutical services (CPI), generics, biosimilars, differentiated formulations and new chemical entities.

The drug major's consolidated net profit skid 12.11% to Rs 594.60 crore on 14.93% jump in revenue from operations to Rs 4,417.50 crore in Q1 June 2020 over Q1 June 2019.

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After Barbados declared its independence, it still retained Queen Elizabeth as its head of state, as well as a governor general who serves as her representative in the country. Barbados will remain a member of the Commonwealth  a loose organization largely composed of former colonies of the British Empire  with a Westminster-style parliament and prime minister.

Ms. Mottley, analysts note, has called for Britain and other former colonial powers to pay reparations to Barbados and its neighbors for the slave trade. Between 1627 and 1807, British ships carried thousands of Africans to the island, where they were put to work in on vast sugar plantations in brutal conditions.

I do not know how we can go further unless there is a reckoning first and foremost that places an apology and an acknowledgment that wrong was done, and that successive centuries saw the destruction of wealth and the destruction of people, Ms. Mottley said in July at a conference of Caribbean nations.

The reparations campaign has bogged down over legal issues. But as demonstrators in Britain have torn down statues of slave traders, British companies that profited from slavery, including Lloyds of London, have pledged to make amends by recruiting more Black, Asian and other minority employees.

While the Black Lives Matter protests may be an accelerant, analysts point out that many of these issues have been building up for half a century, since the Caribbean nations declared their independence from Britain.

Such moves have been long in discussion in the Caribbean, said Matthew J. Smith, a professor of history at University College London who directs the Center for the Study of the Legacies of British Slave-ownership.
Colombias Financial Sector May Be Allowed to Pilot Crypto Transactions

Colombian banks may be permitted to test crypto transactions in a new regulatory sandbox, after a presidential advisor stated that a top financial regulator may actively seek the aid of the nations financial sector to pilot crypto-powered business.

Source: Adobe/Marek

In a tweet, presidential economic and tech adviser Victor Munoz wrote that the Superintendencia Financiera (Superfinanciera), a Colombian government agency that oversees financial regulation and markets, will issue a call for the financial system to test fiat in and fiat out transactions using cryptoassets using a new regulatory sandbox.

Details of the sandbox were unveiled earlier this week in a presidential decree.

Munoz added that the regulator wanted to accrue evidence for an intelligent regulatory framework, based on experience, data and knowledge.

However, some are calling for crypto enthusiasts in the nation to curb their excitement at the news. Media outlet Criptonoticias noted that the decree makes no mention whatsoever of cryptoassets in its 12 pages.

The media outlet also noted that many crypto exchanges have met the sandbox developments with some degree of skepticism.

The publication quoted Bitcoin Colombia chief Carlos Mesa, as stating,

We hope this call will come very soon and that it will welcome companies that are already established in this sector.

But others took a more optimistic tone, with Mauricio Tovar, the co-director of blockchain academic research group InTIColombia, tweeting,

This is important news. The financial sector will be able to experiment with crypto using the Superfinancieras sandbox.

Meanwhile, as reported this pas summer, Colombian regulators were urged to start drawing up the countrys crypto legislation again from scratch. A consultancy group comprising Columbian crypto and blockchain industry chiefs told Bogota to abandon earlier plans for regulation that were formulated back in 2018. The group stated that the plans were already outdated, and new debates needed to be held.

In August, the Colombian Ministry of Technology has spoken out in favor of blockchain and crypto innovation for the public sector. In an official release, the ministry claimed the country was lagging behind its international rivals when it came to adopting blockchain technology. The ministry suggested adopting blockchain-powered health record management platforms, crypto pay infrastructure, and blockchain-powered voting systems.

___

Learn more:

Brazil Dips a Cautious Toe in the CBDC Pool, Token May Debut in 2022

Buda CEO: Exchanges Must Comply or Risk Damaging the Crypto Industry
A Black Lives Matter protester blocks a counter-protester from entering a student-led rally that called for defunding school police. L.A. school board members on Tuesday reviewed potential cuts to the district police department. (Gabriella Angotti-Jones / Los Angeles Times)

Two months after a divided Los Angeles Unified school board slashed funding for its police department by more than a third, the contours of a dramatically diminished force emerged this week.

Under a plan presented to the board on Tuesday, police officers would be removed from school campuses and weekend patrols meant to protect schools from vandalism would be eliminated, among other cuts.

The debate over the proposed cuts, set for later this month, marks a wide split on the board over the role that armed, uniformed officers should play in providing security to hundreds of thousands of students enrolled at more than 900 campuses.

With some on the seven-member board calling for the complete elimination of the police department and others opposed to cuts, the sharply opposing views played out in the streets outside the district's downtown headquarters this week, where protesters in favor of police reforms sparred verbally with police supporters.

And in a signal of how unresolved the issue remains for many, a district task force said it intends to survey high school students, parents and employees around the district to evaluate opinions on school police.

Embedded in the proposal to cut spending is a recent district effort to rein in the widespread use of overtime in the police department. The practice has resulted in mid-level supervisors, detectives and rank-and-file officers taking home some of the the highest pay in the nation's second-largest school system, with about two dozen officers earning at least $190,000 last year.

The board first took up the idea of overhauling its police force this summer amid national protests over killings of Black people by police officers. Confronted with impassioned demands that they move decisively to rethink policing at schools, board members decided in a 4-3 vote on June 30 to cut $25 million from the police department's $70-million budget  a 36% reduction. The decision was largely viewed as a preliminary step by the board majority toward shutting down the department entirely.

Story continues

But the decision was made without any advance planning on how to carry out such a large funding cut. The district's eight-member Reimagining School Safety Task Force was left to come up with a proposal.

The biggest proposed cut, nearly $6.3 million, would entirely eliminate weekend and overnight patrol services that are set up to protect school property and respond to calls at or near schools. The district would instead have to rely on responses from Los Angeles police, the L.A. County Sheriff's Department and other police agencies that serve cities other than L.A. that are within the massive school system.

Complicating the task is that the school board resolution that called for a cut to police funding precludes the district from paying for service from other police forces or armed private security.

The second-largest reduction, close to $5.9 million, would remove all officers from campus-based assignments. Instead, they would shift to a plan under which officers would patrol areas around schools and come on campuses when summoned. Currently, high schools typically are assigned one officer, while two middle schools frequently share an officer.

Some cuts would affect ongoing efforts to improve interactions between students and police, in which officers serve as mentors and participate in school activities. The task force also suggested cuts to extra, non-mandated training that officers receive on the proper use of force and overcoming unconscious bias.

Some of the cuts did not seem to sit well with board members who saw them as too focused on simply taking services away rather than on rethinking how to make schools safe.

"I do want to just put on the table before we think about cuts, I hope that we can also spend time on the role  the choices between defining the role of a police force, Monica Garcia said at the meeting Tuesday. She supports gradually eliminating the department entirely.

George McKenna, the board's lone Black member, said he strongly supports efforts to end police brutality but believes school police are being unfairly maligned.

"The school police were never a danger to the students," McKenna said. "Are you under the assumption that there are no Crips, no Bloods, [that] there are no gangs out there and were going to do this with social workers?

He added: "Ill invite you to the first funeral that we have to have of a child [because] we dont have anyone protecting them on that campus.

The board action also called for officers to give up their uniforms and patrol off campus. A $25-million cut is expected initially to lead to the layoffs of 65 officers in the 471-employee department.

Twenty officers have resigned since the cuts were approved, concerned about the stability of the department, interim Chief Leslie Ramirez said. Her predecessor, Todd Chamberlain, resigned as chief the day after the board approved the cuts.

Money saved from the cuts is to serve the needs of Black students, who make up about 8% of students and who have a disproportionately high number of interactions with officers.

Joseph Williams, director of operations and campaigns with the group Students Deserve, said the survey the district plans to conduct should give weight to the view of Black students, who have endured an outsize burden from over-policing. His group, in which students set the policy, and others have complained about a lack of access to the district task force and its efforts to date.

"The lack of community engagement...sends a message: that the Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities that LAUSD serves are being shut out of a process that directly impacts us," a coalition of groups wrote in an early August letter to district officials.

Outside the building Tuesday, about 250 demonstrators called for eliminating the school police department, transferring its budget to counseling and other vital student services.

"We still haven't gotten the full, defunding of school police, which is what we want," said Sarah Djato, a senior at Dorsey High in southwest Los Angeles. "When we talk about reimagination, it looks like fully funding counselors. It looks like fully funding psychiatric social workers. It looks like having no cops on campus." And it means supporting teachers, she said, "who actually care and want to provide for students and do not criminalize us and instead encourage us to do better each and every day."

The demonstrators commandeered the block of South Beaudry Street at the entrance to school district headquarters for songs, chants and testimonials. They drew in chalk on the sidewalk: "Libraries not jails." "Arrested development."

"Hands off our kids," read one sign. "End the police."

About 20 minutes into the rally, about 30 counter-protesters rounded the corner. Many were off-duty officers from the L.A. school police and other departments. A few spoke about the weekend shooting in Compton of two sheriff's deputies. Among them was an off-duty officer who tried to drown out the anti-police rally by revving his customized Road King motorcycle.

His bike was loud, but the anti-police demonstrators had formidable loudspeakers and formed a protective ring that kept the pro-police demonstrators from getting close.

"The gloves are off," the officer explained about his noise-making. "Enough is enough. Everything that theyre about, we understand. Nobody hates bad cops more than good cops because its a reflection on us."

The man wore a dark-tinted helmet and a tank-top bearing a portrait of former President George W. Bush. He declined to say his name or name his department but said his wife is a district teacher and that he has school-aged children.

"Were tired," he said. "Were defeated. Theres good cops leaving the profession. And the people that are going to suffer the most are the law-abiding citizens and the victims. We want to keep the schools safe. We want to keep our kids safe."
Western Manitoba has gone from being a national COVID-19 hot spot to a shining example of how to fight the novel coronavirus and win.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 17/9/2020 (491 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Western Manitoba has gone from being a national COVID-19 hot spot to a shining example of how to fight the novel coronavirus and win.

On Thursday, chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin announced that, effective Friday, the Prairie Mountain health region's pandemic risk response level will be lowered from "restricted" orange to "caution" yellow, indicating community transmission is low.

That means indoor gatherings can increase to 50 people from 10 and masks are recommended but no longer mandatory in public places.

"What this shows is we know how to deal with this virus," Roussin said on a rare day with more than just one morsel of good news.

He reported only 11 new COVID-19 cases in Manitoba, eight of which are in Winnipeg, with no new cases at John Pritchard School where more than 250 students were sent home for remote learning Wednesday after seven people at the school tested positive. Public health investigators have now determined all seven cases are connected.

"It's always nice to be able to link cases together," said Roussin. "It leaves less uncertainty of further spread to be expected."

Two new COVID-19 cases were reported Thursday in the Southern Health region, including one worker at Bethesda Place nursing home, which now has 14 cases including eight staff and six residents, four of whom died. It will remain at a red or "critical" pandemic response level until 28 days  two incubation periods  after its last COVID-19 case, Roussin said.

The code red at Brandon's four personal care homes and the Carberry Plains Health Centre remain in place and are not affected by the lifting of restrictions in the Prairie Mountain health region, he said. The decision to lift them is based on several improved indicators, the public health chief said.

"Manitobans in Prairie Mountain health really stepped up in August and until now to really flatten that curve again and bring down those numbers," said Roussin.

At its peak, after the code orange was declared in Western Manitoba on Aug. 20, the region had 240 active cases with a higher number of COVID-19 infections per capita than hard-hit hots spots elsewhere in Canada. On Thursday, just one new case was reported, with 38 active cases in total, Roussin said.

The test positivity rate has fallen to 0.4 per cent Thursday from 5.6 per cent when it was at its highest, he said.

The number of cases at Maple Leaf Foods  where the union representing its 1,200 workers was calling for a temporary shutdown  has fallen to four active cases from 86, said Roussin, who refers to it only as the "Brandon business." There has been no evidence the virus was spread in the pork processing plant, he said. Most of the cases in Prairie Mountain were connected to large gatherings and infected people not properly self-isolating. A public health crackdown mandated masks in public, reduced crowd sizes to 10 and issued constant reminders for people to wash their hands, keep their distance, stay home when they're sick and get tested.

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They obeyed and it worked.

Roussin hopes people learn from it and take heart.

"Prairie Mountain is a great example of getting back to the fundamentals. We saw what occurred when we lost track of the fundamentals," he said.

"When we get back on track, we saw a really quick drop in cases," said Roussin.

"We can move forward with this and live with this virus."

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
Instead of burdening Pune citys hospitals, the administration should concentrate on strengthening hospitals in rural areas to deal with Covid-19 patients, said Punes district guardian minister and deputy chief minister, Ajit Pawar, on Friday.

Pawar held a meeting with elected members in the city to review the Covid-19 scenario.

NCPs cabinet minister Dilip Walse-Patil, and minister of state, Datta Bharne, apart from MLAs from the city and district were present at the meeting held at the council hall in Pune.

As Covid cases increase in Pune district, those critical rush to Pune for treatment. As there is a lack of oxygen beds in the rural areas, patients from there prefer to get admitted to hospitals at Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad.

Pawar said, The state government will provide enough funds to strengthen the rural hospitals. The administration should prioritise providing the necessary infrastructure and oxygen in rural areas, so patients get treated at their locations. The health department should speed up the work to ensure the maximum number of oxygen beds in the rural areas.

Walse-Patil said, Home isolation and patient numbers are increasing in the rural areas. The Pune Zilla Parishad and district collectorate should create a system to establish contact with these positive patients who are home isolated; to check on their health on a daily basis. The administration should guide these patients about the treatment.

Bharne said, Right now, the maximum number of positive patients are rushing to urban areas, mainly Pune, for treatment. Already, the bed situation in the city is critical. If the administration took enough effort and made available treatment in the rural area, it would help to ease the burden on the citys hospitals. Oxygen and ventilators should kept ready in rural hospitals.

The Maharashtra council vice-president, Neelam Gorhe, said, Women employees are going door-to -door for surveys in the rural areas. While doing this, the administration must ensure their security and they should not be troubled while carrying out the survey.

Decision on imposing Section 144 should be taken in consultation with elected members

Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar said that while bringing restrictions on citizen movement and imposing Section 144, the administration needs to consult with its elected members - mayors of both Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, and local MLAs. Mumbai imposed Section 144, but the state government assured citizens that there is no need to panic as the guidelines under its current unlock 4.0, would continue to be in place.

The civic administration is in favour of imposing Section 144 in Pune city as the number of fresh Covid19 cases being recorded on a daily basis hover around the 2,000 mark.
Bloomberg photo by Christinne Muschi.

It turns out the people of Asbestos, Quebec don't want their town to be named after a turtle, a mythical bird or the entrepreneur who first mined the deadly mineral.

Four days after unveiling proposed names for residents to vote on, mayor Hugues Grimard said negative reaction from residents in the town of about 7,000 people is sending the local council back to the drawing board. He defended the process, and said he wants residents to feel proud both of their past and of their new moniker.
VINNYTSIA, Ukraine  Thousands of Hasidic pilgrims who set out to celebrate the Jewish New Year at the grave in Ukraine of a revered rabbi started heading home on Friday, after being prevented from entering from Belarus due to coronavirus travel restrictions.

The pilgrims began piling up on the border between Belarus and Ukraine on Monday. Ukraine, with support from Israel, had closed the border and canceled the pilgrimage that typically draws tens of thousands of people, fearing a superspreader event.

After sleeping in the open and in buses for days in the buffer area between two border checkpoints, by late afternoon on Friday most of the about 2,500 pilgrims had given up and turned back to Belarus, according to Ukrainian border guards.

The tradition of visiting the grave, in the Ukrainian city of Uman, began in 1811 after the death of Rabbi Nachman, the founder of the Breslov branch of Hasidic Judaism. Pilgrimages were put on hold for decades in the Soviet period, but resumed in the late 1980s.
2020 has not crushed Americans spirits on one issue: their support for the United Nations, said Peter Yeo, President of the Better World Campaign. Even as Americans grapple with the economic impact of COVID-19, 68 percent of voters say the U.S. should pay our dues to the UN on time and in full.

As world leaders prepare for the first-ever virtual UN General Assembly, American voters reaffirmed their confidence in the international body, with 73 percent expressing that it is an organization that is still needed today.

Voters expressed support for the UN because the organization allows for multilateral engagement between countries, fosters international cooperation and global unity, and provides a forum for preventing wars, resolving conflicts, and promoting and keeping the peace.

Ahead of the Presidents annual speech before the UN, Americans remained overwhelmingly united in their belief that the U.S. needs to maintain an active role in the UN, with 85 percent of voters saying this is very important or somewhat important. Moreover, six in ten voters believe the UN supports Americas objectives around the world.

2020 has not crushed Americans spirits on one issue: their support for the United Nations, said Peter Yeo, President of the Better World Campaign. Even as Americans grapple with the economic impact of COVID-19, 68 percent of voters say the U.S. should pay our dues to the UN on time and in full.

Notwithstanding the recent announcements that the U.S. would withdraw from the WHO and withhold funds from the organization, six in ten voters expressed a favorable opinion of WHO. In stark contrast to that decision, two-thirds of voters (67%) stated that the U.S. should not withdraw from WHO.

Despite the state of affairs today, large majorities of voters continue to stand by WHO as it leads the global response to COVID-19 added Yeo. This poll confirms that Americans faith in the value of the UN and WHO stands true above politics or circumstances.

The nationwide poll of 800 registered voters (60% cells, 40% land lines) was conducted from September 28, 2020 by the bipartisan research team of Public Opinion Strategies and Hart Research Associates with a margin of error of  3.46 percent.

About the Better World Campaign

The Better World Campaign, an initiative of the Better World Fund, works to strengthen the relationship between the United States and the United Nations. It encourages U.S. leadership to enhance the UNs ability to carry out its invaluable international work on behalf of peace, progress, freedom, and justice. For more information, visit http://www.betterworldcampaign.org.
NEW DELHI: Post-Covid India would almost certainly be a "more ambitious worthwhile place" to do business in, Indian foreign minister S. Jaishankar said on Friday while inviting Japanese businesses to take the opportunities presented by the reforms India has recently unveiled.

Addressing an event organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Jaishankar said that the pandemic had expanded countries sense of national security to include in its ambit health security and economic security including resilient supply chains as integral elements of national security. The minister also released a report brought out by FICCI and the law firm Shardul Amarchand and Mangaldas titled India-Japan: Time to Seize New Opportunities on Friday.

In his remarks, Jaishankar noted how the India-Japan relationship had expanded from being a government to government relationship based on Japans overseas development assistance to a business to business relationship between the people of the two countries. While the government to government relationship is indispensible" the business to business ties had grown rapidly, he said. The ties had acquired many more facets" with the complexity and substance" reflecting the trajectory of the past 25 years, he said. That Japan was the only country with which India has a annual summit at the level of prime ministers and a 2+2" dialogue at the level of foreign and defence ministers was a testament to how much more the two countries were in sync" with each others views of the world, the minister said. The defence and security relationship had progressed remarkably well in a short space of time, he said noting that India and Japan had recently signed a logistics support pact. This was a practical manifestation of our ability and intent to work together and I am very confident that it would both be a big plus for the evolution of the Indo-Pacific vision of both countries as well as adding to the stability and security of Asia," the minister said.

An element of the relationship in its evolution stage" was looking at working together in third countries, Jaishankar said. India and Japan were working together in Sri Lanka and were looking to extend this to Bangladesh and Myanmar, he said. This India-Japan cooperation was against the backdrop of China increasing its footprint in South Asia  seen as Indias traditional sphere of influence, much to New Delhis chagrin.

If I were to look a little beyond the horizon I would flag  the possibility of economic cooperation in Russias Far East and in the Pacific Island countries," Jaishankar said. The Russian Far East borders China and New Delhi has offered $1 billion to Russia as a line of credit to increase development there. The region has seen an influx of Chinese nationals and investment something Russia is wary of, according to news reports. The Pacific Islands states are also countries where China has been trying to increase its influence. In 2018, Australia  which views the region as its backyard  had set apart $ 2 billion for infrastructure development in the region given the increased Chinese interest in the region.

On economic cooperation between India and Japan, Jaishankar said  we have seen a visible increase in economic relations" with FDI from Japan going up and the number of Japanese companies in India also rising.

Referring to the report he released, Jaishankar said that for Indians the message from the report was that we should not be benchmarking ourselves against ourselves. It is not enough to tell Japanese business that we were better today than we were six months ago. I think we need to realize that we are competing with the rest of the world and we need to think bigger, bolder, more strategically in an economic way."

For the Japanese side, the ministers message was on the importance of understanding Atmanirbhar Bharat" or the roadmap for a self reliant India unveiled by the prime minister Narendra Modi in May.

The thinking behind that is something that the Japanese should very easily relate to  the pioneer of atmanirbharta in Asia in Japan," the minister said.

India was trying to build up its manufacturing which would allow it to participate more effectively in global supply chains, the minister added.

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London, Sep 18 : Gareth Bale arrived in London on Friday to put the finishing touches of his loan move to Tottenham while Thiago Alcantara is in Liverpool to complete his transfer from Bayern Munich.

The plane carrying Bale, who will play on loan at the team he left to join Real Madrid in 2013, touched down at Luton Airport (north of London) at around 1 p.m. local time, Xinhua news agency reports. Spain international left-back Sergio Reguilon, who will also join Spurs in a move worth around 30 million Euros, was also on the plane.

The pair were then taken to Spurs' training ground in Enfield, where Bale was given a rapturous welcome by fans who had waited outside of the ground to greet him.

Both Bale and Reguilon are expected to take their medicals at the training ground with their contracts expected to be made official later in the day.

At approximately the same time, Thiago arrived in Liverpool to complete his move to the club after the Premier League champions agreed a 30 million Euro fee with Bayern Munich earlier in the week.

The Spain international's deal should also be confirmed on Friday, although he won't take part in Sunday's important league fixture which sees Liverpool travel to face big-spending Chelsea.
- HDFC Bank ranked no.1 for seventh year despite brand value decline in the banking sector

- Economic impact of COVID-19 leads to 6% drop in total value of ranking

- Reliance Retail becomes fastest riser with brand value growth of 102%

MUMBAI, India, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Retail and telecom brands have outperformed most other categories and seen their brand value increase in the 2020 BrandZ Top 75 Most Valuable Indian Brands ranking, released today by WPP and Kantar. In challenging economic and social conditions created by the global pandemic and a pre-COVID-19 slowdown in the Indian economy, brands have to adapt quickly, with innovation and agility helping to fuel growth.

This year's ranking was worth $216 billion in brand value, a decline of 6% over last year, driven largely by a slowdown in the brand value of companies in the banking and automotive sectors. Despite the overall decline in brand value of the Top 75, 26 brands increased in value and five were new entrants. India's top brands also performed well against other countries where declines in total brand value were much greater.

The retail sector in particular has adjusted to the needs of shoppers restricted by lockdown measures. Reliance Retail (+102%, no. 25, $2.3 billion) was the fastest riser this year, up 30 places, with telecom brand Jio (no. 7, $6.9 billion) contributing to the overall success of the parent company. The largest retailer in India, Reliance Retail has invested in its digital commerce capabilities, comprising JioMart's online B2C business and the kirana digitisation programme, with plans to digitise five million kirana stores by 2023.

Online retail brands, Flipkart (no. 8, +40%, $6.5 billion) and D-Mart (no. 16, +38%, $3.3 billion) also saw their brand value increase significantly, while instant food brand Maggi (no. 23, $2.5 billion) had one of the highest brand value growth figures (46%) this year.

For millions of Indians who stayed at home during the crisis, telecom providers have supplied a much-needed lifeline and fulfilled a growing demand for data-driven services like online gaming and media streaming. Airtel (no.4, +36%, $13.9 billion) was the top telecom brand, while Jio saw its value increase 26%. One of five new entrants, BSNL (no. 75, $583 million) also benefitted from the overall uplift in the telecom category, which contributed $25.5 billion to the ranking this year. As the sector continues to consolidate, local players will become more important and will need to continue to innovate for future growth.

HDFC Bank was India's top brand worth $20.3 billion, claiming the no.1 spot for the seventh consecutive year, and contributing to banking being the leading category in this year's ranking worth a total of $42.1 billion in brand value. Consistent in its financial performance and customer experience, the bank was also ranked no. 59 in the 2020 BrandZTM Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands report.

David Roth, CEO of The Store WPP, EMEA and Asia and Chairman of BrandZ, said: "Brands globally are being tested by the pandemic, especially in countries such as India where the economy was slowing down prior to COVID-19. Many Indian brands have risen to the challenge and demonstrated their ability to innovate and adapt in ways that are world class. Our analysis proves convulsively once again that companies who invest in brand building are better placed to survive such challenges and come out stronger."

BrandZ Top 10 Most Valuable Indian Brands 2020

Rank 2020 Brand Category Brand Value 2020 ($M USD) Brand Value Change 1 HDFC Bank Banks 20,262 -11% 2 LIC Insurance 18,294 -9% 3 Tata Consultancy Services Technology 14,582 -20% 4 Airtel Telecom providers 13,942 36% 5 Asian Paints Paints 7,972 14% 6 Kotak Mahindra Bank Banks 7,215 -6% 7 Jio Telecom providers 6,876 26% 8 Flipkart Retail 6,529 40% 9 Paytm Payments 6,272 50% 10 State Bank of India Banks 5,387 -36%

Preeti Reddy, CEO - South Asia, Insights Division, Kantar, said: "The performance of retail, telecom and FMCG brands has shown that being agile in times of crisis is critical for growth. Brands need to constantly innovate in order to survive and re-purpose themselves for the future, or risk being left behind. Those brands who continue to drive transformation, not just digitally, but in the total experience they deliver to meet consumer needs, will create opportunities to increase their value in the future."

BrandZ's strong brand portfolio continues to out-perform the market, where recovery during the pandemic is faster for strong brands. Globally, the BrandZ strong brands portfolios have consistently outperformed the market, including the S&P 500 and MSCI World Index. This validates the role of marketing and brand-building investment to support business recovery.

Other key trends in the BrandZ Top 75 Most Valuable Indian Brands Ranking, include:

The 'lipstick effect' : Newcomers included personal care brands, Dove (no. 61, $847 million ) and Close Up (no. 69, $663 million ), which benefitted as consumers, unable to spend on luxury items, such as holidays during an economic downturn, treated themselves to small luxury personal care items

: Newcomers included personal care brands, (no. 61, ) and (no. 69, ), which benefitted as consumers, unable to spend on luxury items, such as holidays during an economic downturn, treated themselves to small luxury personal care items Trusted brands have weathered the crisis better than brands with a low trust index. In a category where it is difficult to gain consumer trust, Airtel bet on its brand strategy of being open and transparent. It is now one of India's most trusted brands and grew 36% in its brand value over the past year

have weathered the crisis better than brands with a low trust index. In a category where it is difficult to gain consumer trust, bet on its brand strategy of being open and transparent. It is now one of most trusted brands and grew 36% in its brand value over the past year Innovation keeps it fresh : Despite the paints industry struggling in India , top 5 brand Asian Paints (no. 5, $8.0 billion ), grew its brand value by 14%, by focusing on meaningful difference, communications and innovation. The market leader, it has successfully brought out new products, while building a strong distribution network and raising its profile among key influencers like architects and professional painters

: Despite the paints industry struggling in , top 5 brand (no. 5, ), grew its brand value by 14%, by focusing on meaningful difference, communications and innovation. The market leader, it has successfully brought out new products, while building a strong distribution network and raising its profile among key influencers like architects and professional painters Brands with a strong purpose drive growth, particularly during challenging times. BrandZ analysis shows that consumer expectations of brands to act more responsibly have tripled in the last 10 years and this year's ranking demonstrates that Indian companies are striving to deliver better products and services, which contribute positively to people's lives, the environment and wider communities.

The BrandZ Top 75 Most Valuable Indian Brands report and ranking and extensive analysis are available online here and via BrandZ.com. The reports, rankings, charts, articles and more can also be accessed through the BrandZ app, which is free to download for Apple IOS and all Android devices from http://www.brandz.com/mobile or by searching for BrandZ in the iTunes or Google Play app stores.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

About the BrandZ Top 75 Most Valuable Indian Brands Ranking

Commissioned by WPP, the valuation behind the BrandZ Top 75 Most Valuable Indian Brands was conducted by brand equity research experts Kantar. The methodology mirrors that used to calculate the annual BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands ranking, which is now in its 15th year.

The ranking combines rigorously analysed market data from Bloomberg with extensive consumer insights from over 3.8 million consumers around the world, covering more than 17,801 different brands in over 51 markets - including opinions from over 121,500 Indian consumers on over 1140 brands in over 89 categories.

Grounded in consumer opinion, BrandZTM analysis enables businesses to identify their brand's strength in the market and provides clear strategic guidance on how to boost value for the long-term.

The BrandZ Top 75 Most Valuable Indian Brands is the most definitive and robust ranking of the country's brands available, and the brands ranked must meet at least one of these eligibility criteria:

The corporate parent is listed on a stock exchange in India .

. The brand originated in India and its corporate parent is listed on a recognized stock exchange.

and its corporate parent is listed on a recognized stock exchange. The brand is privately owned, but its complete financial statements are publicly available.

Indian unicorns make their most recent valuations available in the public domain.

The suite of BrandZTM brand valuation rankings and reports currently includes Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru), The Netherlands, South Africa, Spain, the UK and the US; reports for Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are scheduled to be launched later in 2020. Access a suite of customised reports and data packages from BrandZ via https://www.kantar.com/marketplace/solutions/brand-insights

About Kantar

Kantar is the world's leading evidence-based insights and consulting company. We have a complete, unique and rounded understanding of how people think, feel and act; globally and locally in over 90 markets. By combining the deep expertise of our people, our data resources and benchmarks, our innovative analytics and technology, we help our clients understand people and inspire growth. For more information, visit www.kantar.com

About WPP

WPP is a creative transformation company. We use the power of creativity to build better futures for our people, clients and communities. For more information, visit www.wpp.com

Media contacts:

Amanjit Singh

Amanjit.singh@kantar.com

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he All India Handloom Board rarely met and was thus disbanded, said Union minister for textiles Smriti Irani on Friday in Parliament, adding that it also did not contribute to policy formulation.

The minister said the decision to disband the board was taken based after a thorough review of its functioning.

The assessment revealed that weavers from across the Nation did not benefit from the Board which barely met, and did not take weavers across all states into confidence. There was no contribution from the Board as regards policy formulation and its implementation, Irani said in a written reply.

On the other hand, the Weavers Service Centres and the State Handloom departments have been working well in good coordination through interactions on policy, implementation of Government schemes, educating weavers about online marketing platforms including efforts to onboard weavers on Government e-marketplace (GeM), and addressing the problems of handloom weavers through Chaupals, she added.

The Textile Ministry decided to scrap the All India Handloom Board with effect from July 27 and the Handicrafts Board on August 3 to ensure a leaner government machinery, sparking controversy after the Central government ran a massive social media campaign celebrating National Handloom Day on August 7.

Craft activist and one of the founders of Dastkar, a society for craftspeople, Laila Tyabji took to Facebook to talk about the board, which gave a chance to artisans to directly engage with government policy.

All these years on, it remained the one official forum, however watered down, where the voices and views of weavers and craftspeople could be expressed directly. One place where representatives of the sector were present in considerable numbers, and were actually empowered to advise the government in policy and sectoral spending, Tyabji said.

According to a gazette notification issued by the ministry and accessed by Hindustan Times, the Boards were scrapped in consonance with the Government of India vision of Minimum Government and Maximum Governance.

A leaner Government Machinery and the need for systematic rationalization of Government bodies, the Government of India has abolished All India Handloom Board with effect from the date of issue of this resolution, states the notification.

Officials in the ministry said that this was just the first step in a massive churn-taking place to reduce the expenditure of the ministry and get rid of redundant boards and organizational units.

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A trio of Republican Congressmen worry that California's awarding of a $35M "Vote Safe" contract to SKD Knickerbocker, which boasts of being part of "Team Biden" represents a conflict of interest.

The contract to produce advertising to encourage voters to participate in the November election "will undoubtedly provide a partisan firm the opportunity to use taxpayer money to influence the federal election," according to the letter sent to Alex Padilla, California's Secretary of State.

Kentucky's James Comer, Illinois' Rodney Davis, and Georgia's Jody Hice have "serious questions about how the contract was awarded, whether the firm will have access to sensitive voter information and, if any of the firm's employees affiliated with 'Team Biden' will be involved in the project."

They note that SKD Knickerbocker "does not hesitate to trumpet its relationship with Joe Biden's political campaign, highlighting in a bold graphic on its homepage its pride in being 'part of Team Biden.'" The firm's managing director, Anita Dunn, is a senior strategist on the campaign.

The Congressmen have serious concerns "about why the contract was awarded to a firm that has such an obvious interest in the outcome of a federal election.

"In fact, being awarded a $35M contract to contact voters using taxpayer money while publicly advertising its work on behalf of Joe Biden's campaign for president and employing a serious advisor to his campaign essentially provides a pro-Biden entity the opportunity to conduct get out the vote efforts."

The letter also notes that SKD Knick was a target of a Russian hacking attempt.

The Congressmen want to receive all documents and information relating to the award of the contract, whether SKD Knick will have access to California voter information, ensuring that employees involved with the Biden campaign are not involved in the project and hacking attempts of foreign actors on SKD Knick networks.

SKD Knick, which is part of Stagwell Group, declined comment on the Republican letter.
Its no secret that robocalls, spam and call spoofing have all but destroyed Americans trust in telephone calls  to the point that many individuals have essentially stopped answering the phone. A widely cited Consumer Reports survey conducted in December 2018 suggests that 70 percent of U.S. adults will not respond if they do not recognize the number or if the callers number is anonymous.

This refusal to answer is certainly understandable from the consumers point of view (and were all consumers, after all), but it is costly for organizations that need to conduct business over the phone and have difficulty connecting with their customers.

It also represents a significant potential threat to public health and safety, as illustrated by health departments contact tracers current challenges in getting individuals exposed to COVID-19 to pick up the phone. According to a Reuters investigation in August, more than three dozen public health departments were hindered largely due to some residents failure to answer their phones.

Authentication to Tackle Unwanted Calls

In March 2020, in response to growing consumer complaints and newly passed legislation to combat malicious robocalling and illegal spoofing, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) mandated that service providers implement call authentication based on the STIR/SHAKEN framework, which authenticates caller identity via digital certificates, by June 2021.

Many carriers have already implemented the standards and are working with analytics partners to refine their algorithms to determine which calls are suspicious and deserve to be marked as spam or blocked entirely. These algorithms use STIR/SHAKEN attestation ratings (which are based on the originating service providers relationship to the telephone number) along with many other variables such as complaints and calling patterns.

The goal is, of course, to stop abusive and unwanted calls without hindering organizations ability to call consumers for valid reasons. But aggressive algorithms also introduce the risk that legitimate business calls may be mistakenly filtered out. In fact, many companies have seen their answer rates drop even further as their outbound calls are blocked or marked as spam.

So, what can businesses do to make sure their calls get through  and then encourage their customers to answer?

Following are seven steps that organizations can take to combat erroneous call blocking and increase answer rates. These measures will help businesses optimize contact operations, increase call performance, and protect and promote their brands by restoring trust in calls.

STEP 1. CENTRALIZATION: Validate Identity Across the Calling Environment

The first step to reestablishing trust in the phone channel is to make sure your companys numbers and contact information have been validated across the calling environment. Organizations often have several phone numbers sourced from different service providers. All these details need to be kept up to date across service providers and phone carriers so every number from your business is validated and doesnt wrongly show up on phone screens as spam or, worse, get blocked.

Start by validating each number across service providers and phone carriers so your organization is seen as the legitimate call originator for all your numbers.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

STEP 2. CONTACT: Connect with confidence

Some calls fail to connect because the number on file is incorrect or the call is placed at a time when the customer is unlikely to answer. One way to effectively address these issues and improve right-party contact rates is to incorporate predictive phone behavior intelligence into your CRM system.

This means making sure customer contact information is up to date, including which number is most likely to be answered (prioritizing the customers preference for landline or mobile calls, for example) and what days and times to call to increase the likelihood of a response. These types of solutions have been shown to increase right-party contact rates for outbound calls by an average of 33 percent.

STEP 3. CONSISTENCY: Enable an accurate call display

When calling customers, most enterprises use many telephone numbers beyond the few main published contact numbers. However, these additional numbers  especially internal extensions and corporate mobile numbers  often display inconsistent, inaccurate, or even blank caller ID names due to variations across internal systems and processes. But, as noted above, customers are much less likely to answer if they arent sure who is calling.

Managing the way your companys brand is displayed on outbound calls is critical to creating confidence in who is calling. Make sure the correct information is displayed, and measure call performance to see if certain caller names are more effective  and, if so, make adjustments to increase answer rates.

STEP 4. CONNECTION: Ensure that your outbound calls get through

Anti-robocall and anti-spoofing regulations, designed to protect consumers from unwanted and fraudulent telephone calls, have led service providers to implement measures that can mistakenly block legitimate business calls or flag them as spam. Many organizations do not even realize that their calls are being blocked or flagged until they receive negative feedback from their customers.

To make sure calls from your telephone numbers are being accurately assessed as legitimate business calls by service providers and caller ID apps, you should register all your numbers across the caller ID ecosystem of carriers and app providers. You will also need to understand your baseline call patterns (How are telephone numbers assigned to campaigns? Which carriers terminate your calls? Are call answer rates similar across carriers?) to identify any telephone numbers that are being wrongly blocked or flagged.

There is no central location to check which calls are being blocked, but you can perform regular test calls and monitor any changes to your registered telephone numbers reputation across carriers, which will allow you to respond promptly if calls are being incorrectly blocked or marked as spam. You will need to report any suspected inaccurate spam labels or mistaken blocking to the individual voice service (mobile, landline or VoIP) or app provider.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

STEP 5. CERTAINTY: Protect your brand from abuse by spoofers

Fraudsters often use spoofed calls to impersonate legitimate businesses and swindle consumers or trick them into handing over personal information. If your business telephone numbers are being used by spoofers, the fraudulent calls can damage your brand reputation and destroy customer loyalty and trust. Depending on the applicable consumer protection legislation, spoofing may also expose you to fines or penalties for purportedly making unwanted calls.

To protect your brands reputation and your customers  and reduce your liability risk  you should monitor the use of your brand across the caller ID ecosystem. Designate inbound, outbound, or bidirectional telephone numbers, and register inbound-only numbers as do-not-originate (DNO) numbers across the ecosystem, to prevent fraudsters from using these numbers. Also monitor the assigned caller names for third-party numbers, so you can identify attempts to spoof your organizations caller name.

STEP 6. CERTIFICATION: Authenticate the caller identity

Congress and the FCC have now mandated that voice service providers deploy STIR/SHAKEN call authentication by June 2021. By applying this digital certificate technology, carriers can notify recipients that a call has been verified using a symbol, a verification keyword, or another visual alert. If the call cannot be verified, the carrier may block the call and/or mark it as potential spam.

However, enterprise networks can introduce complications. When an enterprise acquires phone numbers from one carrier but originates calls on a different carriers network, the attestation level  essentially a confidence score indicating how reliably a carrier can identify the caller and source of the call  can take different values. The concern is that anything other than the highest level of attestation may not be accepted as trustworthy by consumers, or even downstream carriers.

To take control of how your calls will be signed and with what attestation level, make sure your call operations staff understand the impacts and limitations of the STIR/SHAKEN standards, verify your STIR/SHAKEN attestation levels, and integrate STIR/SHAKEN standards into your network and mobile applications. This will allow you to sign outbound calls, verify inbound calls and secure end-to-end calls.

STEP 7. CONTEXT: Enhance the mobile call display

Beyond providing an accurate calling name and number, most landline caller ID displays offer limited opportunity to add context. Mobile displays, however, are an entirely different matter. Smartphone users have become accustomed to a steadily improving digital customer experience  one that far outpaces the typical current call experience. Enterprises can enhance this experience by providing richer content on the mobile phone display, giving customers more reason to answer.

Beyond visually displaying the call authentication or verification result to increase customer confidence that the caller is legitimate, businesses can provide a customized brand display using logos, images and digital business cards to deliver expanded name information and the callers title, department and location, for example.

You can also add a targeted message  about the purpose of the call, for instance, or a URL to visit for more information  for a personalized brand experience. This enhanced context can be included in the call history to make sure customers see the information even for calls they dont answer.

The Impact of Restoring Trust

While digital communications are extremely popular among both businesses and customers (research suggests that customers often prefer to initiate contact via a web portal or email), everyone needs to speak with a real person sometimes.

The phone channel is frequently used at a more critical point in a relationship, such as when a complex issue escalates or in a high-priority interaction. Businesses regularly use voice calls for urgent or sensitive communications.

For enterprises, protecting and improving the customer experience, with the goal of boosting both customer retention and growth, is a key motivation for putting an end to robocalls and call spoofing.

Enabling organizations to reliably engage in high-value communications by phone  whether the dialing organization is a business nurturing an important client relationship, a health department tracing the contacts of a COVID patient, or a bank notifying a customer of attempted account fraud  will lead to both customer and operational business benefits.

Even more importantly, restoring trust in the phone is the first step in reenergizing a vital communication channel that, especially in todays world, offers the next best option to being there.
The Childrens Book Council, the nonprofit trade association for childrens publishers in North America, has revealed the winners of its third annual CBC Diversity Outstanding Achievement Awards. The awards are given each year in honor of childrens book professionals who have helped create and promote diverse titles for young readers and who foster more inclusive employment practices within the industry.

The 2020 winners, which were announced during the virtual CBC Annual Meeting on September 17, are as follows:

Kait Feldmann, editor at Scholastic/Orchard Books

Since joining Scholastic in 2014, Feldmann has shaped her list with a focus on picture books and graphic novels by BIPOC creators, including Isuri, Sarah Jung, Isabella Kung, Jon Lau, Aida Salazar, Shannon Wright, Gracey Zhang, and more. She is also v-p and director of special projects for People of Color in Publishing; the founder and chair of the Scholastic Diversity Committee; and a member of the Diverse BookFinder Advisory Council.

Ebony LaDelle, associate director of teen marketing at HarperCollins Childrens Books

Over the course of her eight years in book publishing, LaDelle has worked with authors such as Elizabeth Acevedo, Tahereh Mafi, Angie Thomas, and Ibi Zoboi, among many others. She helps strategize and create content for Epic Reads, HarperCollinss virtual YA community with more than seven million followers across all social platforms and online. LaDelle is also the co-host of Epics Why Not YA?, a monthly video series featuring interviews with YA authors, alongside Karah Preiss from Belletrist.

Christopher Myers, creative director of Make Me a World at Random House Childrens Books

In addition to his work as an acclaimed author and artist, Myers heads the Make Me a World imprint at Random House, which launched in 2019 with the release of Pet by Akwaeke Emezi. He has illustrated the works of numerous writers, including e.e. cummings, Zora Neale Hurston, and his father, Walter Dean Myers. The two worked together on the Caldecott Honor title Harlem, as well as the Coretta Scott King Honor winners Black Cat and H.O.R.S.E. Most recently, Myers collaborated with dancer Misty Copeland on the picture book Firebird.

Laura Pegram, founding editor and publisher of Kweli Journal; director of the Kweli Color of Childrens Literature Conference

Since 2009, under the direction of Pegram, the mission of Kweli (meaning truth in Swahili) has been to seek out and legitimize the work of Indigenous writers and authors of color who sing the truth. Kwelis Color of Childrens Literature Conference is the nations largest conference for BIPOC creators of childrens and YA books.

Jamie Tan, senior publicist at Candlewick Press

Tan entered the book business as a bookseller at Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe, Ariz., before earning a Masters degree in childrens literature from Simmons College. With a commitment to elevating diverse voices in publishing, she has worked at Candlewick Press for six years; is a former member of the CBC Diversity Committee; and is a PW Star Watch 2020 Honoree.

The winners will have the opportunity to select an organization to receive $1,000 worth of childrens books in their name.

Ryan Mita, CBC staff liaison to the CBC Diversity Committee, said in a statement: The committee had both the joy and responsibility of reviewing nominations from across childrens publishing. In making their selections, the committee is shining a light on five people who are leaders in the diversity movement through their passionate dedication to change in the childrens book community.

Executive director Carl Lennertz added, In 2018, I wanted to recognize role models who work every day to lift up diverse voices in every way possible. Shifa Kapadwala and the CBC Diversity Committee made these awards a reality, and now, while there is so very much still to do, the honorees to date and to come continue to inspire us, lead by example, and make lasting change.

An awards presentation and conversation among the winners will take place in November, moderated by 2019 winner Andrea Davis Pinkney.
Immigrants can boost productivity for Canadian businesses, study finds Statistics Canada suggests that immigrants contribute substantially to Canadian firms. Alexandra Miekus Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

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With an increase in the number of immigrant workers comes productivity growth for Canadian businesses.

This is the conclusion drawn in a recent Statistics Canada study that assessed the impact of immigration on company-level productivity outcomes.

The report titled Immigration and Firm Productivity: Evidence from the Canadian Employer-Employee Dynamics Database is based on data that tracks individual firms over time and assesses the effect of immigration on their overall productivity levels, worker wages, and business profits.

On average, between the years 2000 and 2015, immigrants who arrived in Canada after 1980 accounted for 13.5 per cent of workers in firms with 20 or more employees. The share of immigrants employed in a company can fluctuate quite a bit, generally ranging from an increase of 15 percentage points to a decrease of 15 percentage points, according to statistics presented in the study.

There is a positive association between the increase in the proportion of immigrant workers and business productivity growth, just as immigration tends to have a positive effect on workers wages and business profits, according to the findings.

Contact a lawyer to help you and your employer with the work permit process.

The effect of immigration on productivity increased with the length of the period used to measure changes. The longer the period, the greater the effect of immigration on productivity. For example, over a one-year period, the positive impact of the increase in the number of immigrant workers on business productivity was small; in contrast, over five or ten years, the positive effect of immigration on productivity increased.

On a statistical level, a 10-percentage point increase in the proportion of immigrants was associated with a 1.9 per cent increase in business productivity which Statistics Canada said was small. On the other hand, for individual businesses that experienced a large increase in the proportion of immigrant workers, the contribution could be substantial.

The impact on business productivity was more significant for low-skilled or less-educated immigrants than for highly skilled or university-educated immigrant workers, with the differences being particularly notable in technology-intensive and knowledge-based industries.

What explains the positive effect of immigration on productivity and the differences between different types of immigrants and different industrial sectors?

The positive effect of immigration on productivity is consistent with the proposition that immigrants are complementary to native-born workers in skills and firms increase job/task specialization to take advantage of comparative advantages of immigrants and native-born workers, the study says.

In other words, the complementary nature of immigrant worker skills with those of native workers may be an essential element in increasing labour productivity in technological or knowledge-based industries with high degrees of a division of labour and job specialization.

In these industries, for instance, less-educated immigrants may work in jobs that are often different from, but complementary to, those of domestic-born high-tech or knowledge-intensive workers. This can ultimately provide companies with more opportunities for specialization and productivity growth.

The same trend was observed, although less significantly, for highly skilled immigrants, who may act as important drivers of productivity within a company, as they have the potential to increase the degree of specialization of their firms, expand the use of new technologies, and stimulate innovation.

Contact a lawyer to help you and your employer with the work permit process.

 2020 CIC News All Rights Reserved
NEW YORK (JTA) - The truth is, there is no commandment in Judaism to dip an apple in honey on Rosh Hashanah. But what would the Jewish New Year be without the custom?

It's a question that bedevils vegans, many of whom won't eat honey because it's an animal product.

So what's a mock chopped liver/seitan brisket/vegetarian stuffed cabbage kind of Jew to do?

Jeffrey Cohan, the executive director of Jewish Veg, explains all the ways that honey production is problematic. In order to produce as much honey as possible, many honey producers manipulate the bees' natural living patterns, including...
DETROIT, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In light of Fall Prevention Awareness Day on September 22, ComForCare and At Your Side Home Care, a franchised provider of in-home caregiving services, will host a webinar with Tiffany Shubert, PhD, PT, a nationally recognized fall expert, who will present "Falls in Older Adults: Identifying Causes and Solutions."

The webinar will be from 7:30pm ET- 8:15pm on Tuesday, September 22. Those interested in attending can register HERE.

The webinar will review:

Factors and causes that lead to falls

Which medications increase fall risk

Practical tools to use to manage fall risk

Solutions and steps most important to try and embrace

"Each year, one in four older adults experiences a fall, and those who fall once are two to three times more likely to fall again. The result of a fall can be both physical and emotional, and in some instances, the fall can be deadly," says Stephanie Wierzbicka, Manager, Strategic Health Programs. "Our mission at ComForCare is to create safer communities and we hope this webinar will be a valuable resource for older adults and their caregivers."

For more information on ComForCare, visit ComForCare.com.

About ComForCare

ComForCare is a premier provider of home care services with more than 200 independently owned and operated locations in the U.S. and Canada helping older adults live independently in their own homes. ComForCare is committed to helping people live their best life possible and offers special programs for people with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. Founded in 1996, ComForCare was acquired by private equity firm The Riverside Company in 2017 and now is part of Best Life Brands, LLC, a multi-brand franchise parent company, which has plans for continued expansion of service brands across the continuum of care for aging adults. ComForCare operates as At Your Side Home Care in Houston. For more information, visit www.comforcare.com .

SOURCE ComForCare Home Care

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Kathmandu, September 18

The government has formally decided to borrow 50 metric tonnes of urea, a chemical fertiliser, from Bangladesh to combat the fertiliser crisis in Nepal.

A cabinet meeting held on Thursday approved the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Developments proposal in this regard, informs a source in the ministry.

The ministry says a fast-track tender process will be adopted to pack the fertiliser into sacks and supply to Nepal.

Officials of the two counties have already agreed that Nepal will borrow 50 metric tonnes of fertilisers, which Nepal will return within eight months. Prime ministers of both countries had made a telephone conversation to make a deal earlier this month.

Nepali farmers are hit by the fertiliser crunch for the past few months.
Thousands of people in northwest China have tested positive for a bacterial disease after a leak last year from a state-owned biopharmaceutical plant that produces animal vaccines.

Health officials in Lanzhou city, capital of the central Chinese province of Gansu, said 3,245 people had contracted brucellosis, a disease often caused by close contact with infected animals or animal products that can bring about fevers, joint pain and headaches.

According to a statement by the Lanzhou Health authorities said there was no evidence of person-to-person transmission so far.

Chinese authorities found a biopharmaceutical plant had used expired disinfectant in its production of Brucella vaccines for animals between July and August last year, and the bacteria was not eradicated in its factory exhaust.

On 7 December 2019, Xinhua News Agency first reported about the case, saying that of over 7,000 people tested, 96 were positive.

But effective action may have been hampered by the brutal emergence of the Coronavirus pandemic, which spread through China from January, before it was finally contained in May.

Aerosols

Contaminated gas from the China Animal Husbandry Lanzhou Biopharmaceutical Factory in Lanzhou formed aerosols containing the bacteria, and this was then carried by wind to the Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, infecting nearly 200 people there as of December last year.

Lanzhou's health commission said Friday that sheep, cattle and pigs were most commonly involved in the spread of the bacteria.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, person-to-person transmission of brucellosis is "extremely rare" but some symptoms may reoccur or never go away.

These include recurrent fevers, chronic fatigue, swelling of the heart or arthritis.

The factory, which apologised earlier this year, has had its brucellosis vaccine production licence revoked, Lanzhou authorities said.

Local authorities said that compensation for patients would start in batches as of next month.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, September 18, 2020 11:36 490 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c45a3a71 1 News Ngurah-Rai-International-Airport,Bali-Airport,Incheon-International-Airport-Corporation,Angkasa-Pura-I,COVID-19,aviation-industry,Airport,travel Free

State-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura I (API) has announced its collaboration with South Korea's Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC) regarding the implementation of the safe corridor initiative (SCI) at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali.

AP I president director Faik Fahmi said in a statement that the cooperation signed on Sept. 10 aimed to boost confidence among the public to travel by air as well as boost the country's tourism and economy.

Incheon is the world's first airport to receive the Airport Council International's Airport Health Accreditation.

The SCI is an alliance of airport managements initiated by the IIAC that aims to maintain their members' operational reliability through implementation of several health and security criteria, and help the aviation industry recover by building a positive perception among airport service users.

IIAC president and CEO Bon-Hwan Koo said Ngurah Rai was chosen as the first airport to implement the SCI program because it was one of the biggest airports in Indonesia and the most visited airport by Korean tourists.

As part of the collaboration, the IIAC will assess Ngurah Rai airport on inventory management, trained human resources, health communication, epidemic prevention and protocols and procedures such as competence related to departure and arrival. If all goes well, the IIAC will issue an SCI certificate and approval for the airport to become a member of the SCI.

As a result of the pandemic, Ngurah Rai airport served just 8,829 passengers in May, which increased to 19,816 in June. Following a relaxation of air travel restrictions, it saw the number rise to 77,472 in July and 172,721 in August.

"We're confident our COVID-19 prevention health protocols that have been implemented in all our airports, including Ngurah Rai, will fulfill the criteria required by the SCI guidelines. The SCI certification will then complement the World Travel & Tourism Council's Safe Travel stamp that we already received," said Faik. "All these efforts aim to convince the public that AP I airports have implemented global-standard health protocols and encourage [our customers] to no longer worry about doing air travel." (wir/kes)
Six rioters were charged by Colorado district attorneys on Thursday with allegations stemming from anti-police demonstrations in June and July.

The demonstrations occurred following the death of George Floyd, who was killed during his arrest by Minneapolis police officers. However, Colorado demonstrations also protested the August, 2019, death of Elijah McClain, an African American man who died after being put in a choke hold by officers in Aurora. Several officers in the Aurora Police Department were fired on July 3, 2020, after photos surfaced in which the officers reenacted the choke hold near the site of McClains arrest.

Riots over the summer in Aurora included a July 3 incident in which demonstrators barricaded police inside a precinct building for seven hours.

Prosecutors charged Lillian House and Joel Northam, organizers for the Party for Socialism and Liberation, as well as Whitney Lucero with first-degree kidnapping in connection with the July 3 demonstration. The defendants unlawfully and feloniously attempted to imprison or forcibly secrete 18 officers with the intent to force them or another person to make a concession to secure their release, prosecutors said in a press release. The charges were brought by the district attorneys for Colorados 17th and 18th judicial districts, both of which are in the city of Aurora.

The Party for Socialism and Liberation is a communist party that believes that the only solution to the deepening crisis of capitalism is the socialist transformation of society, according to its website. House, Northam, and their party have led many of the demonstrations in Aurora and Denver over the summer, the Denver Post reported.

Another demonstrator facing felony charges for engaging in and inciting a riot, Terrance Roberts, is a leader of a group called the Front Line Party for Revolutionary Action.

Riots that began after the death of George Floyd have caused almost $2 billion in damages, according to a report from Axios, in the most expensive damage from civil unrest in U.S. history. U.S. Attorney General William Barr has called to prosecute rioters for sedition.

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Ian Somerhalder appeared at the socially distanced premiere of his upcoming documentary, Kiss the Ground, on Wednesday.

As Hollywood events are being totally reworked in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the 41-year-old actor and executive producer attended his first drive-in screening in an olive green t-shirt and dark-wash denim bottoms.

The hunky Vampire Diaries alum appeared in high sprits, as he posed for a number of solo shots, before he was joined by the film's director, Rebecca Harrell Tickell.

Executive producer: Ian Somerhalder appeared at the socially distanced premiere of his upcoming documentary, Kiss the Ground, on Wednesday

While the pair posed for a few shots wearing masks, which had the name of the Woody Harrelson-narrated documentary emblazoned on them, they eventually slid them.

Despite strict CDC guidelines urging people to keep their mouths and noses covered in public spaces, the duo couldn't help but cheekily kiss the ground.

Additionally, Somerhalder sported a wide grin, as he expressed his gratitude by placing his two hands together, in a gesture of appreciation.

COVID-era red carpet: As Hollywood events are being totally reworked in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the 41-year-old actor and executive producer attended his first drive-in screening in an olive green t-shirt and dark-wash denim bottoms

Posing: The hunky Vampire Diaries alum appeared in high sprits, as he posed for a number of solo shots, before he was joined by the film's director, Rebecca Harrell Tickell

Masked up: While the pair posed for a few shots wearing masks, which had the name of the Woody Harrelson-narrated documentary emblazoned on them, they slid them

Rebecca opted to slip into a glamorous emerald gown, as they led the pack in celebrity arrivals, which also included Jason Alexander.

The 60-year-old Seinfeld opted for a casual look, as he rocked a grey button-down, jeans and a pair of sneakers.

Not long after, Blanca Blanco and John Savage appeared at the screening.

Kissing the ground: Despite strict CDC guidelines urging people to keep their mouths and noses covered in public spaces, the duo couldn't help but cheekily kiss the ground

Grateful: Additionally, Somerhalder sported a wide grin, as he expressed his gratitude and placed his two hands firmly together, in a gesture of appreciation

Making an entrance: Rebecca opted to slip into a glamorous emerald gown, as they led the pack in celebrity arrivals, which also included Jason Alexander

Blanco, 39, dressed to impress, as she donned a baby blue, thigh-skimming dress with a floral pattern.

She paired her semi-sheer frock with a pair of butterfly earrings and bold eyeshadow.

Meanwhile, her 71-year-old longtime partner wore a patterned button-down and tan trousers.

Supportive: The 60-year-old Seinfeld opted for a casual look, as he rocked a grey button-down, jeans and a pair of sneakers

Back: He made his red carpet return at the special drive-in screening

The new Netflix documentary, which will be released on September 22, takes a closer look at climate control and ways we can change the way we treat our planet.

Created by filmmakers Josh and Rebecca Tickell, Kiss the Ground aims to show viewers how to stabilize the Earth's climate, restore ecosystems, and replenish food supplies.

'There's so much bad news about our planet, it's overwhelming. Truth is, I've given up,' the film's narrator, Woody Harrelson, told People last month. 'This is the story of a simple solution, a way to heal our planet. The solution is right under our feet  and it's as old as dirt.'

Looking good: Not long after, Blanca Blanco and John Savage appeared at the screening

Dynamic duo: Meanwhile, her 71-year-old longtime partner wore a patterned button-down and tan trousers

The outlet revealed the film's trailer detailed how 'destroying soil in agriculture has created an influx of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.'

'To cure our planet we need to cure our soil,' a title card reads, with an expert speaking about biosequestration.

The star-studded documentary includes appearances from Patricia Arquette, Gisele Bundchen, Jason Mraz, David Arquette and more.
(Newser)  High school students in Attleboro, Mass., returned to school this week with the usual precautions in place for the pandemic. But already, about 30 students have been forced to quarantine for two weeks, though it's not because of a lapse in school protocol. Instead, it's because of what the mayor calls "egregious" judgment on the part of one teen's parents, reports WHDH. They sent their son to school on Monday knowing he had just tested positive for COVID-19. Details on that, and more on the coronavirus:

Tough words: The student tested positive on Sept. 11, then showed up at school on Sept. 14. Word began to spread of his diagnosis, and the school confirmed the rumors the following day, reports NBC News. "Egregious," says Mayor Paul Heroux, per WHDH. "It was a reckless action to send a child, a teenager to school who is COVID-positive. It was really poor judgment."

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Other schools: Something similar happened in Oklahoma City, reports the Washington Post. Parents sent their child to school despite a positive diagnosis because they mistakenly thought the quarantine period was just five days. And in Greenfield, Ind., a student tested positive on the first day of school, even though the student's parents were still awaiting results from a previous test.

Something similar happened in Oklahoma City, reports the Washington Post. Parents sent their child to school despite a positive diagnosis because they mistakenly thought the quarantine period was just five days. And in Greenfield, Ind., a student tested positive on the first day of school, even though the student's parents were still awaiting results from a previous test. Another world leader: Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei has tested positive, reports the AP. The 64-year-old, who has multiple sclerosis, says he feels fine. The development comes as his nation reopens its borders and international fights after six months.

Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei has tested positive, reports the AP. The 64-year-old, who has multiple sclerosis, says he feels fine. The development comes as his nation reopens its borders and international fights after six months. Abroad: The rate at which cases are spreading in India means that nation is on track to surpass the US total in the coming weeks. India now has more than 5 million cases, behind America's 6.6 million, notes NPR. Cases also are rising again in several European nations, prompting the WHO to warn of a "very serious situation," per Newsweek. Spain, France, and the Netherlands were among the nations rolling out new restrictions.

The rate at which cases are spreading in India means that nation is on track to surpass the US total in the coming weeks. India now has more than 5 million cases, behind America's 6.6 million, notes NPR. Cases also are rising again in several European nations, prompting the WHO to warn of a "very serious situation," per Newsweek. Spain, France, and the Netherlands were among the nations rolling out new restrictions. Better news: If a large second wave of cases emerges as feared this fall in the US, the Wall Street Journal reports that hospitals and doctors expect to be better able to cope. Much has been learned in the spring's "baptism by fire," and now medical experts have a better handle on matters such as which patients need ventilators and which drugs to use. Hospitals also have been stockpiling masks and other protective equipment.

(Read more coronavirus stories.)
This is one in a series of stories that are part of Swing County, Swing State, a collaborative project between lehighvalleylive.com and nj.com that explores Northampton Countys critical role in the upcoming presidential election.

People cheered when Mark McCloskey spoke of grabbing an AR-15 rifle from his house. They applauded when he said he was ready to kill a protester allegedly threatening him.

I thought, by God, were gonna go down fighting if we have to, he said of the now-infamous June day when photos went viral showing him and his wife Patricia outside their St. Louis mansion, pointing weapons at demonstrators.

The photos have resulted in charges  felony weapons offenses for the McCloskeys, trespassing charges for nine protesters  and speaking roles for the couple. Their first was for the Republican National Convention. The latest was Thursday evening for a rally at a public park in Northampton County, a county that could prove crucial in the 2020 presidential election.

Mark McCloskey did the speaking at Lower Saucon Townships Town Hall Park pavilion while his wife shared the small stage before an audience wearing red hats and waving Trump 2020 flags. The crowd was probably close to, if not over, Pennsylvanias 250-person limit for COVID-19 mitigation, which is currently in legal limbo. Few, if any, people wore masks. At least one person openly carried a handgun.

McCloskeys lengthy remarks mostly detailed the standoff, its lead-up and aftermath (What you see on television ... is the last 32 seconds of an event that lasted for 15 minutes, he said). But he summed it all up with a stump for Republican President Donald Trump: What youre choosing in this election is rule of law or rule of mob, he said.

In this June 28, 2020 file photo, armed homeowners Mark and Patricia McCloskey, standing in front of their house confront protesters marching to St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson's house in the Central West End of St. Louis. (Laurie Skrivan/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP File)AP

It was a high-profile visit in Northampton County, which has also seen Donald Trump Jr. in recent weeks, and a locally televised interview with Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. Biden was also in Pennsylvania on Thursday, taking questions from voters during a CNN town hall near Scranton.

Taking the stage before the McCloskeys arrived, Northampton County Republican Committee chairperson Gloria Lee Snover spoke about the importance the county carries in this election, calling it among the five most important counties in the country, one that can swing Pennsylvanias 20 electoral college votes.

Indeed, a lehighvalleylive.com analysis of a century of election returns shows Northampton backing the winning national candidate all but three times. The county voted for President Barack Obama twice before flipping for Trump in 2016. The latest RealClearPolitics average of major polls shows Biden leading Pennsylvania by 4.3 percentage points.

Snover fired up the crowd with rhetoric. People booed when she mentioned Thursdays Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision extending the deadline to count mail-in ballots and allowing more drop boxes. Snover alleged that Trump can only lose the election if they steal it.

The problem with the left, she said, is that they want their message out (but) they dont want our message of freedom out.

At the same time, she and other organizers repeatedly said the rally was closed to media. However, township rules allowed reporters, photographers and videographers to observe from other areas of the park a short distance from the pavilion, and no one was asked to leave. A group of bikers who escorted the McCloskeys to the park attempted to block cameras early in Mark McCloskeys remarks but they eventually stopped.

The location was actually the Northampton County Republican Committees Plan B. Their initial plan to hold the event at another public park 9 miles away in Palmer Township was rejected  township officials there feared attendance would exceed the states coronavirus-related limit.

So the event was moved to Lower Saucon Township. The night before the McCloskey event, a county Republican committee officer told residents there it would not be a rally but simply a committee meeting. Jason Banonis, who is listed as the GOP committees vice president but spoke as a Lower Saucon Township councilman during a town meeting on Zoom, said attendance would only be by RSVP.

That ran counter to the county GOPs own previous Facebook posts, which initially announced the McCloskeys' visit as a free rally with a message to the suburbs about protecting their life and their property. A public Facebook event was also created. Instead, it appeared the goal of Thursdays event was to fire up the cheering, flag-waving audience, who was instructed to share on social media any articles or posts favorable of Trump.

A Northampton County Republican Committee Facebook post on Sept. 8 announced that Mark and Patricia McCloskey would speak at a rally. The committee later tried to say that the event at a public park was private and closed to media.Facebook screenshot

Extra police officers were on duty Thursday evening, not in the park but on patrol nearby in case of any incidents, per the plans explained by Lower Saucon police Chief Thomas Barndt during the previous nights council meeting.

If there was any counter protest, it wasnt visible from the pavilions grassy hillside. The sole opposition, it seemed, was Karen Quick, of Palmer Township, who sat by herself near the driveway up to the parking lot, a small Black Lives Matter sign planted next to her.

Im just here with a gentle reminder, she told lehighvalleylive.com.

The Swing County, Swing State project is being generously supported in part by a $25,000 grant from The John Farmer Memorial Journalism Fund. Read more about it here. And please consider supporting ambitious local news like this with a subscription to lehighvalleylive.com.

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex joined the royal family in 2018. However, after less than two years as a duchess, she and Prince Harry decided to step down from their roles as senior members of the royal family.

While some fans still wonder whether Meghan and Harry might perhaps resume their roles in the future, royal experts now says there are clear signs the couple will probably not return to the royal family.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle | Steve Back/Getty Images

Why did Meghan Markle and Prince Harry step down from being senior royals?

There seems to several reasons behind Sussexitas Meghan and Harrys shocking departure was called.

After Meghan was revealed to be dating Prince Harry in 2016, she started receiving a lot of negative press. News outlets was publishing false rumors about her as well as invading her privacy. She and Harry even sued a few of them in the fall of 2019. Meghan was also expected to not speak out against the press, and in court documents, it was revealed she felt unprotected by the royal family.

Many sources say Meghan also had a hard time adjusting to the rigid and traditional ways of the British royals. Princess Dianas former butler, Paul Burrell, shared with the Daily Mail, Meghan soon found out she had to please everyone, she wasnt just marrying Harry. She was marrying a whole institution, a thousand years of royal history.

Additionally, royal experts and insiders also believe Harry had wanted to be out of the royal family long before Meghan came along.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are now living in California

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Make First Appearance Together in Their New Montecito Home https://t.co/eP0YX6bine  O The Oprah Magazine (@oprahmagazine) August 20, 2020

RELATED: Can Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Afford Their New House in Santa Barbara? Experts Are Concerned

After distancing themselves from the royal family, Meghan and Harry bought a home in Montecito, California.

The couple seems to now be in the process of setting up independent lives for themselves. For example, they chose to take out a mortgage for their new house instead of relying on money from other royals, such as Harrys father.

They also seem to be looking for ways to make money. Meghan and Harry recently signed a deal to produce content with Netflix. The deal is reportedly worth $100 million.

Experts say the Sussexes have given clear signs they are not coming back to the royal family

RELATED: What Could Meghan Markles Life Look Like Had She Not Left the Royal Family? This Swedish Princess Offers a Clue

According to royal experts Chris Ship and Lizzie Robinson, who host the podcast Royal Rota, Meghan and Harry are showing with their actions that they are more like private citizens instead of royals. As this could be a clear sign that they are not returning to the royal family anytime soon.

I suppose what theyre kind of trying to do is deny any justification for any media intrusion, Ship said, as reported by Express. Theyre not taking taxpayers money, theyre not working members of the Royal Family, theyve set up their own business, they are working with Netflix and taking money from them. There is no justification to hover cameras over their house and try and take pictures of Archie, not that there ever was to be fair.

He also added, A lot of the commentary around this was that this couldnt be a clearer sign that they are done, cut ties with their lives as working members of the Royal Family.

Meanwhile, Robinson said, Lots of people are saying this is significant because there are no ties anymore, theyre not coming back. Yes, the ties have been well and truly severed.
Italy opens international call for new director of Pompeii.

Italy's culture ministry has launched an international search for a new director to run Pompeii, the ancient Roman city buried in volcanic ash in 79 AD, with the chance that the job could go to a non-Italian for the first time.

Culture minister Dario Franceschini says he hopes that Italy's call to direct the renowned site, "loved by every archaeologist," will be "watched very carefully around the world," during a presentation on 17 September.

Significantly, for the first time the important role has been opened to international as well as Italian applicants, with Franceschini confident that the winning candidate will be the "best of the best."

Franceschini described the Pompeii of recent years as "a success story, a symbol of redemption," and spoke of how the Italian museum system has evolved due an international selection process which results in "the best people being chosen on the basis of their curriculum, merit and skills." The minister said that there was a "great deal of work" to be done around the sprawling archaeological site, in relation to its services and infrastructure, describing this as the "second part of the challenge."I leave Pompeii in a very different situation from 2014" - stated the outgoing director Massimo Osanna, who takes up his new role as director general of Italian museums, adding: "The next director will be called upon to follow important projects, including making safe the insula meridionalis and overseeing works on the 'buffer zone', beginning with the restoration of the Torre Annunziata Spolettificio."Over the last decade Pompeii has seen a remarkable reversal of fortune. Ten years ago the archaeological site was suffering a progressive and seemingly irreversible decline, with many of its most famous buildings declared unsafe and whole areas of the city placed off limits to visitors.

However thanks to the success of the Great Pompeii Project, and good management, the situation has been totally reversed. The requalification and restoration project was funded with grant of 105 million, 75 per cent of which was put up by the EU and the rest by the Italian government, leading to "extraordinary results" according to Franceschini.

Candidates for the new top job at Pompeii can apply until 3 November, with the appointment to be made on 31 March 2021.

The new director will have a fixed-term assignment of four years, renewable for a further four years and will receive a salary of 148,000 plus the potential of a performance bonus of up to 40,000.

For full details see culture ministry website . Photo credit: Emanuele Longo / Shutterstock.com.
On March 4, 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt spoke these immortal words during his first inaugural address as president of the United States: We have nothing to fear but fear itself.

In this statement, which was aimed at the psychology of the Great Depression, FDR identified fear as the real enemy. If we can overcome fear, then we can be victorious.

But what does that look like in an era of COVID-19?

Many people are afraid. They are either afraid for their health or for the economy or for their relationships. There is a high level of anxiety within our communities.

And what about people of faith? The Bible says, Do not be anxious about anything. (Philippians 4:6)

I once saw a church sign that said: Worry is prayer to the wrong god.

Are people in general, and people of faith in particular, bad or weak if they are experiencing some level of fear or anxiety?

Fear by itself is not our enemy. Early human civilization survived because people learned to fear the predators that were around them. There is such a thing as healthy fear.

On the day I am writing this, I passed some protestors with signs equating wearing masks with living in fear. But caution is not the kind of fear that either FDR or the Bible warned about. Here is FDRs quote in context:

So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself  nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.

The fear that we should fear is nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror. That is what the Bible warns us about as well.

The night before Jesus was crucified, we are told he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. (Mark 14:33) Jesus knew what crucifixion was like and he had a reasonable and justified anxiety about what was about to happen.

Should people be afraid during COVID-19? It depends on how we define fear.

If we mean fear as in caution, such as taking steps to protect the health of ourselves and others, and our financial well-being, yes, we should. If we mean fear as the natural human reaction to circumstances beyond our control, yes, we should.

None of that is a sin and it does not make us weak human beings or unspiritual people of faith. It makes us normal.

But if we define fear, as FDR did, as nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror, then that fear is unhealthy. It is the kind of fear that needs to be confronted with faith, hope, and love. It is the kind of fear that we need to seek support for within our community of faith or from mental health professionals.

Healthy fear makes us move forward aware of the potential danger. Unhealthy fear stops us from moving forward at all.

Fear should not be a label to be used as an insult but should be used carefully to help us make wise decisions.
Tourism is one of the worst-hit industries due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The sector relies on a steady inflow of tourists who are able and willing to spend on attraction and experiences.

For small countries such as Singapore, which relies heavily on tourists from China, Japan and Indonesia, the drastic fall in tourist numbers has dealt a heavy blow to many attraction operators.

For the first quarter of 2020, international visitor arrivals declined by 43.2% year on year at 2.7 million visitors, while tourism receipts fell by 39% year on year.

Unfortunately, the period above was merely the start of the pandemic, as conditions deteriorated considerably in the second quarter.

International tourist numbers plunged 99.9% year on year from 4.6 million to just 3,800.

With such dreary numbers and no let-up in the spread of the pandemic in many countries, is there hope for tourism companies?

Severe impact

Companies that are heavily exposed to tourism have reported a downbeat set of earnings.

For Genting Singapore Ltd (SGX: G13), the first half of 2020 saw total revenue plunging 65% year on year from S$1.3 billion to S$448 million.

The integrated resort operator reported both an operating and net loss of S$120.5 million and 116.7 million, respectively.

In its prospect statement, the group mentioned that air travel in Asia is only expected to reach 50% of pre-COVID levels by June 2021.

As a result of the challenging environment, the casino operator had to conduct a retrenchment exercise in July to cut costs.

Another tourism operator, Straco Corporation Limited (SGX: S85), reported a sharp 88% year on year fall in revenue for the first six months of this year.

Net loss came in at S$6.7 million, a far cry from the net profit of S$17.5 million reported during the same period last year.

The group operates aquarium attractions in China as well as the Singapore Flyer attraction, and these assets were forced to temporarily shut due to COVID-19 containment measures.

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Even though attractions such as the Singapore Flyer have resumed operations, it has to contend with shorter operating hours and restricted capacity as safe distancing rules still apply.

Government support measures

The Singapore government has not stood idly by, though.

It has announced a total of four Budgets to alleviate the financial pressure weighing on the affected sectors.

One key feature of the budgets is the Jobs Support Scheme or JSS.

This scheme provides wage support for affected local employees for the first S$4,600 of gross monthly salary.

For the tourism sector, the wage support level is at the maximum tier of 75% and initially was supposed to last from April 2020 till August 2020.

However, the JSS was extended in August for up to seven more months till March 2021 as the pandemic situation had not improved.

Businesses in the tourism sector will receive 50% wage support for this period to tide them over.

Domestic tourism

Besides the JSS, a S$45 million campaign was launched in early August by the Singapore Tourism Board, Enterprise Singapore and Sentosa Development Corporation called SingapoRediscovers.

And just yesterday, it was announced that every Singaporean aged 18 and above will receive S$100 in digital vouchers that can be used on staycations, leisure attractions and local tours.

These vouchers, known as SingapoRediscovers Vouchers, will be made available via SingPass in December and can be utilised to offset ticket purchases for attractions and hotel stays with a validity that lasts till June 2021.

This new scheme, which will cost the government S$320 million, is yet another measure by the government to help prop up the ailing tourism sector and must come as a breath of fresh air for beleaguered players.

The governments push for domestic tourism will allow pandemic-weary Singaporeans to explore more of their own country while helping tourism businesses to stay afloat.

Increased capacity

Tourist attractions can, from 18 September onwards, apply to increase their operating capacity from the current 25% to 50%.

Permission can be sought to scale up capacity for outdoor shows to 250 people from 50 currently, but with some restrictions in place.

This move is yet another sign of some form of normalcy slowly returning to the sector and is a positive development for all players.

Get Smart: A sliver of hope

Theres more than a glimmer of hope for the tourism industry as the government chips in to provide financial support.

Fortunately, companies such as Straco and Genting Singapore have robust balance sheets flush with cash accumulated from the good years.

The cash will allow them to tide over these tough times and slowly regain their former glory.

Investors, however, should be aware that a full recovery may still be years away, but the good news is that tourism companies will still chug along with all the support they are receiving.

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Disclaimer: Royston Yang owns shares in Straco Corporation Limited.

The post Tourism Stocks: Is There Light at the End of the Tunnel? appeared first on The Smart Investor.
The Korean minister, who is on an official visit to Vietnam on September 17-18, highly valued the Vietnamese Governments efforts to promote bilateral relations despite COVID-19 impacts, voicing her hope that the two sides will resume high-level mutual visits at an early date.

She also expressed her impression of Vietnams containment of COVID-19 and efforts to carry out bilateral exchanges amid the pandemic, noting that a large number of Koreans are wishing to enter Vietnam for investment and business purposes and so are many Vietnamese.

The RoK is ready to facilitate entry for Vietnamese people in the current context, Kang said, adding that she hopes the two countries will soon reach consensus on special entry procedures so as to further facilitate Korean experts and entrepreneurs entry into Vietnam.

The official suggested both countries soon sign an agreement on social insurance to better ensure employees interests. She also proposed Vietnam include the RoK in the reference country list in bidding for medical equipment procurement as her country has strength in producing international-standard medical equipment.

Appreciating the ministers opinions, PM Phuc affirmed that the best possible conditions will be provided for Korean experts and entrepreneurs to enter Vietnam.

Vietnam supports the RoKs New Southern Policy and hopes that the two sides will maintain high-level exchanges on the basis of ensured pandemic prevention and control, thereby bolstering bilateral cooperation, he said.

The Government leader asked the RoK to coordinate to carry out effective measures and create favourable procedures so that the countries can reach the trade target of 100 billion USD in the near future and balance bilateral trade.

Many major Korean businesses have been operating successfully in Vietnam, thus contributing to bilateral ties, he noted, affirming the Vietnamese Governments attention to all opinions from Korean firms.

At the meeting, the PM also voiced his hope that the RoK will reduce and then eliminate binding conditions for its ODA and concessional loans while expanding non-refundable aid for Vietnam, receive more Vietnamese guest workers, and provide more support for the Vietnamese community in the RoK, especially amid the current COVID-19 pandemic.

In terms of the East Sea issue, he hoped the RoK will keep supporting Vietnam and ASEANs stance in this regard, including maintaining peace and stability, ensuring safety and security of navigation and overflight in the waters, and respecting international law, particularly the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

* On the same day, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc hosted a reception for Country Director of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Vietnam Andrew Jeffries, during which he expressed his hope that Jeffries will further enhance the Vietnam-ADB partnership.

The meeting between Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) and ADB Country Director Andrew Jeffries on September 17, 2020. (Photo: NDO/Tran Hai)

The host leader affirmed the Vietnamese Government always considers the bank a closet and important development partner, noting that many ADB-funded projects have greatly contributed to local socio-economic development.

Since 1993, the ADB has assisted the country with US$17 billion, US$14 billion of which has been disbursed, he added.

Highlighting the close ties between Vietnam and the ADB, Jeffries said as the country is building development strategies for 2021-2025 and the next 10 years while the ADB is also working out its country partnership strategies for the next five and 10 years, the more their strategies match, the more optimal conditions for coordination activities will be generated.

He congratulated the Vietnamese Government on its concurrent successful control of COVID-19 and ensuring of socio-economic development.

The ADB has taken swift actions to assist regional countries, and it has also helped Vietnam in the pandemic combat, the director said, stressing the banks readiness to discuss with Vietnamese partners to seek the best measures for supporting the nation.

At the reception, PM Phuc appreciated the ADBs tripling of the COVID-19 response package for its members, including Vietnam.

He asked the ADB to help Vietnam design the socio-economic development strategy and plan for 2021-2025 and work closely with the country during the building and implementation of the country partnership strategy for the new period.

The two sides should also accelerate the disbursement of funding for projects on the 2020-2021 list so as to promote growth, he added.
Residents from slums located on railways land in Delhi on Friday received support from members of the civil society, as they held protests in different parts of the city to demand being made a part of the consultative process for their relocation.

The Supreme Court, on August 31, had directed the Railways to remove nearly 48,000 slums situated close to the safety zone of the tracks within three months. All courts were restrained from ordering a stay on their eviction. Hindustan Times was the first to report on the Supreme Court order on September 3.

After the Supreme Court order , over 65 organisations, movements and associations of residents of affected slums, have come together to voice their protest on the slum dwellers from being evicted.

A flurry of applications were filed in the top court after its order with a group of 11 slum dwellers living near railway tracks in various parts of the Capital moved an application to join the proceedings. This application followed a separate plea by senior Congress leader Ajay Maken in the Supreme Court demanding alternate housing for the slum dwellers under the Delhi Slum & Jhuggi Jhopdi (JJ) Rehabilitation and Relocation Policy, 2015, before they are removed.

On Friday, the Railway Basti Jan Sangharsh Morcha  a collective of NGOs, organisations working for welfare of urban poor and residents of slums  led the protests. Members of the outfit said that though they welcomed the Railways decision about no coercive action against settlements on railway land in Delhi for four weeks and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwals assurance to slum dwellers that they will not be evicted , they wanted the residents of such slums to be part of the consultative process.

The Centre had told the Supreme Court on September 14 that they were working in tandem with the Delhi government are in the process of making a decision with regard to clearing of 48,000 slums situated adjacent to railway tracks in Delhi. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had then informed the top court that no demolition action will commence till a decision is in place by the Indian Railways, ministry of urban development and Delhi government.

Shakeel Ahmed, convener of Basti Suraksha Manch, said, We will continue to hold protests till the government accepts our demands. The residents should be consulted while the state and the Centre draw up a plan for their rehabilitation as it affects their homes and livelihoods.

Ahmed said that they wanted the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Boards policy for rehabilitation of slums to be followed and in-situ housing be provided within 5km of the existing site.
Despite an already strong run, Just Life Group Limited (NZSE:JLG) shares have been powering on, with a gain of 52% in the last thirty days. The last 30 days bring the annual gain to a very sharp 40%.

Even after such a large jump in price, it's still not a stretch to say that Just Life Group's price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 22x right now seems quite "middle-of-the-road" compared to the market in New Zealand, where the median P/E ratio is around 23x. However, investors might be overlooking a clear opportunity or potential setback if there is no rational basis for the P/E.

Recent times have been quite advantageous for Just Life Group as its earnings have been rising very briskly. The P/E is probably moderate because investors think this strong earnings growth might not be enough to outperform the broader market in the near future. If that doesn't eventuate, then existing shareholders have reason to be feeling optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

View our latest analysis for Just Life Group

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We don't have analyst forecasts, but you can see how recent trends are setting up the company for the future by checking out our free report on Just Life Group's earnings, revenue and cash flow.

Does Growth Match The P/E?

The only time you'd be comfortable seeing a P/E like Just Life Group's is when the company's growth is tracking the market closely.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 50% gain to the company's bottom line. The latest three year period has also seen an excellent 44% overall rise in EPS, aided by its short-term performance. Accordingly, shareholders would have probably welcomed those medium-term rates of earnings growth.

In contrast to the company, the rest of the market is expected to decline by 1.1% over the next year, which puts the company's recent medium-term positive growth rates in a good light for now.

With this information, we find it odd that Just Life Group is trading at a fairly similar P/E to the market. It looks like most investors are not convinced the company can maintain its recent positive growth rate in the face of a shrinking broader market.

Story continues

The Final Word

Just Life Group appears to be back in favour with a solid price jump getting its P/E back in line with most other companies. Typically, we'd caution against reading too much into price-to-earnings ratios when settling on investment decisions, though it can reveal plenty about what other market participants think about the company.

We've established that Just Life Group currently trades on a lower than expected P/E since its recent three-year earnings growth is beating forecasts for a struggling market. There could be some unobserved threats to earnings preventing the P/E ratio from matching this positive performance. One major risk is whether its earnings trajectory can keep outperforming under these tough market conditions. It appears some are indeed anticipating earnings instability, because this relative performance should normally provide a boost to the share price.

We don't want to rain on the parade too much, but we did also find 5 warning signs for Just Life Group that you need to be mindful of.

If P/E ratios interest you, you may wish to see this free collection of other companies that have grown earnings strongly and trade on P/E's below 20x.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.



Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
New Delhi:

The Madras High Court on Friday dismissed a PIL seeking enactment of a special law with conditions by the Centre and the Tamil Nadu government for holding jallikattu, saying it cannot issue such a direction.

The court cannot issue such a direction, the bench, comprising Chief Justice S K Kaul and Justice M Sundar said while hearing a petition by K K Ramesh, Managing Trustee of Tamil Nadu Centre for Public Interest Litigation.

On a plea by advocate R Krishnamurthy for action against illegal gathering of a large number of people on the Marina beach in Chennai in support of jallikattu, the Bench said it is an administrative matter.

It is a matter of administration..., approach the government, it said.

Ramesh, in his PIL, submitted that jallikattu is a bull-hugging sport played in Tamil Nadu as part of Pongal festivities and is an old practice.

Though it looked similar to Spanish bull-fighting, it was different in Tamil Nadu as the bull is not killed, he said.

The petitioner claimed many people had been killed in jallikattu events over the past few years, but not a single bull had died or been harassed, proof of which was there in government records itself.

Jallikattu row: AIADMK MPs meet Rajnath Singh, say ordinance to lift ban likely in 2 days

Ramesh submitted that the sport was held in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh during Sankranthi with even the Chief Minister and his family in attendance.

Referring to the ongoing agitation across Tamil Nadu opposing the ban, he contended that students have organised meetings and taken out processions, demanding lifting of the ban and that it was the bounden duty of the central and state governments to bring forward a special law.

He said that the ban had resulted in a steep decrease in the number of particular breeds of bulls in Tamil Nadu.

Ramesh said he was forced to move the court as his January 16 representation in this regard to the state and central governments had not elicited any response.

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In May 2019, leaders of Congregations Organized for a New Connecticut, or CONECT, wrote that Bridgeport desperately needed real leadership in its Police Department. After last weeks news that Police Chief Armando Perez and Personnel Director David Dunn were arrested and charged with rigging the 2018 national search process for the police chief position in Perezs favor, the situation has gone from bad to critical.

At that time, we despaired at the lack of reform, learning and progress in the wake of the May 2017 killing of Jayson Negron by a rookie officer. Instead of clear efforts to professionalize and to prevent future incidents where officers used deadly force unnecessarily, the department at that time had a series missteps and mistakes further undermining public trust and department morale. These included:

the aggressive arrests of 11 peaceful protesters and a newspaper reporter during a May 2019 demonstration at the site of Negrons killing;

racist texts by Capt. Mark Straubel, a top deputy to Perez, about African-American fellow Bridgeport officer;

violations of procedures and policies by 17 officers in conjunction with the response to a house party in 2017 that came to light in March 2019;

reports of a physical scuffle in the Perezs office between police leadership and police union leadership in March 2019.

Now we all hear that the corruption and rot allegedly went deeper and all the way to the top to Chief Perez himself.

Perez continued to rely on Straubel even after he was ousted. When we pressed Perez publicly for commitments to specific reform measures back in November 2017 in front of 200 CONECT members at the Bridgeport Islamic Community Center, it was Straubel that he relied on even then to signal to him  shaking his head vigorously yes or no from the side of the room  what his answers ought to be.

Perez was charged with wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and lying to the FBI  but what it really amounts to is an alleged egregious abuse of power. This alleged abuse of power at the very top of the department sets a very dangerous precedent and example to every officer in the department: that cheating, breaking the law and rigging the system is OK. While millions have marched and protested in Bridgeport and across the nation calling for greater scrutiny and restrictions on police use of force, Bridgeports top cop was allegedly only in that position because he abused his power. This failure and the culture of corruption it fuels in the department may be the toughest part of this scandal to undo.

The need for new credible leadership and systemic reforms in the Bridgeport Police Department is undeniable. At this point, far more than running a fair, credible and legal search process is required.

To start the process required to right the ship, reset department culture, and start to regain public trust, we call on Mayor Joe Ganim to take leadership immediately to commit to:

conduct a transparent and fair process to hire the next police chief, which includes public participation at each stage;

make the ability to lead systemic and policing cultural change a top criterion for selecting the next police chief;

implement a civilian review board with independent authority to investigate and discipline officers who violate department policies or the law;

apply for and earn department accreditation at the state and national levels to demonstrate department professionalism and up-to-date officer training standards and department policies; and

use respected outside professional police institutions rather than highly paid individual consultants for recommendations and reform measures.

This crisis is now urgent and critical and demands the mayor and City Councils immediate and sustained attention.

The Rev. Anthony L. Bennett, pastor of the Mount Aery Baptist Church in Bridgeport. is co-chair of the Congregations Organized for a New Connecticut (CONECT); the Rev. Cass Shaw is president of the Council of Churches of Greater Bridgeport. The Rev. Iona Smith-Nze is pastor of the Bethel AME Church; and Dr. Khaled Elleithy is president of the Bridgeport Islamic Community Center.
Royal fans have had a fascination with Princess Diana ever since she and Prince Charles announced their engagement in February 1981. The interest has continued since her tragic death in August 1997. The focus has mainly been on her life as a royal, her split from Charles, and her tragic death. What is often missed are the years before Diana married into the royal family. Recently, her brother  Charles Spencer  shared a heartbreaking detail about Dianas childhood. It highlights just how much she suffered when her parents split.

Princess Diana | Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images

The Spencers have a connection to the royal family

According to Hello! Magazine, Dianas parents were Frances and Johnnie Spencer, Viscount Althorp and later the eighth Earl Spencer. They married at Westminster Abbey in 1954. At the time, he was 30 and she was only 18.

Diana was the fourth of their five children  Sarah, Jane, John, Diana, and Charles. John passed away shortly after his birth, one year before Diana was born.

Diana Frances Spencer arrived on July 1, 1961 at Park House, Sandringham in Norfolk. She and her siblings enjoyed a privileged childhood. Her father had a connection to the royal family, as he worked as an equerry for King George VI.

He also worked for a young Queen Elizabeth, and Her Majesty was a guest at Johnnie and Frances wedding. The Spencer family also rented out Park House on the queens Sandringham estate. When they were kids, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward would visit the Spencers and go swimming in their pool. She also knew Prince Charles for a number of years before they dated.

Princess Dianas mother left when she was 5

Sadly, Johnnie and Frances Spencer separated when Diana was only five years old. After a nasty fight, they officially divorced in 1969 and Frances lost custody of her four children. Frances walked out on her family because she was in love with another man. She went on to marry Peter Shand Kydd, the heir to a wallpaper fortune.

When Diana was 14, the family moved to the family seat, Althorp, when her grandfather died and her dad became the eighth Earl Spencer.

Diana, Princess of Wales | Bill Rowntree/Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix/Getty Images

RELATED: Prince Charles Denied Prince Harrys Final Request for Princess Diana

Her father also married again. His second wife, Raine McCorquodale, Countess of Dartmouth was the daughter of romantic novelist Dame Barbara Cartland. However, she wasnt popular with Diana and her siblings, and they nicknamed her acid rain.

Diana received her education via private tutors until she was 9. Then, she went to boarding school until she was 16 before completing her education at a finishing school in Switzerland. She reportedly had a picture of Charles above her bed at boarding school. Diana once told a classmate, I would love to be a dancer, or Princess of Wales.

Princess Diana was heartbroken when her parents divorced

According to Charles Spencer, Diana suffered tremendously when her parents divorced. She was only 7 at the time, and Charles was 2. He says the split led to an agonizing and ruptured childhood.

Charles explained that his mother abruptly walked out on her husband and children in 1966 for another man. But, she promised her youngest daughter, Diana, that she would come back to see her.

Dianas younger brother says that the future Princess of Wales would wait on the doorstep for her, but she never came. Charles also remembers Diana hearing him cry in his room at night. But, she was too scared of the dark to walk to his room and comfort him.

Our father was a quiet, constant source of love, but our mother wasnt cut out for maternity, Charles explained. She couldnt do it. She was in love with someone else, infatuated really.

Charles says that Princess Diana was the big sister who mothered him as a baby. The two siblings also endured those long train journeys together between their parents homes on the weekends.
A Springfield man who pleaded guilty in February to trafficking women for sex in Springfield and Hartford with a stable of as many as 20 women that he kept addicted to drugs was sentenced on Thursday to 15 1/2 years in federal prison.

William Coleman, 49, was sentenced by Judge Mark Mastroianni in U.S. District Court in Springfield after he admitted to nine separate charges of sex trafficking and a single count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. In addition to the prison time, Coleman was sentenced to 5 years probation once he completes his sentence.

Coleman admitted to operating a prostitution business in Springfield and Hartford between 2016 and 2018. Prosecutors said he commonly advertised on internet sites including Backpage.com, a sex-marketing website that was shut down by the federal government in 2018.

He had a stable of as many as 20 women that he coerced into the sex trade with threats of violence and by exploiting their drug addictions.

Prosecutors say he maintained strict control over the women he recruited. They were required to give him all the money they earned from customers, and they were only allowed to obtain heroin from him. Those who refused to obey him were beaten, sexually assaulted or not provided with heroin.

He recruited some of the women from the Western Massachusetts Regional Womens Correctional Facility in Chicopee, prosecutors said.

He employed Virginia Maldonado, the mother of his child, as his lieutenant to keep the other women in line, according to court records.

The case against Coleman was the result of efforts of the Western Massachusetts Human Trafficking Working Group, which was established in 2015 to investigate and prosecute charges involving sex trafficking.
THE UNIVERSITY of Limerick forked out nearly 4,000 on bed linen for the outgoing presidents campus residence, it has been reported this week.

First revealed by the Irish Daily Mail, expenses received under Freedom of Information show that of the expenditure on bed linen at Dr Des Fitzgeralds university abode, 800 was splashed out on pillow cases and 1,700 on duvet covers.

Dr Fitzgerald announced his resignation in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis, stating that the pandemic rendered it impossible for him to carry out his vision for the university.

Prof Kersten May has officially taken up office as ULs new president.

In addition to the huge bed linen expense, UL spent 11,000 on patio furniture from high-end stores and 12,000 on entertaining guests at the residence.

A spokesperson for UL said that the Presidents House is part of the UL campus and is used to host events which promote and publicise University priorities.

It is a condition of the Presidents contract that they are required to reside in the President's House on campus, as is commonplace in many universities both in Ireland and abroad. Accommodation in the house is provided to the President as a benefit-in-kind, which attracts income tax and other charges.

The house is configured in such a way as to provide a private living space for the president and their family and the remaining areas of the house are used for university business.

The spokesperson said that the bedrooms are also available for official university visitors.
States will be encouraged to spend money as fast as possible to revive the economy in a federal budget plan to build on more than $54 billion in wage subsidies paid in just four months.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is considering measures in the October 6 budget to push the states to speed up their assistance plans and complement mammoth federal outlays on the JobKeeper wage subsidy.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the JobKeeper figures were part of an unprecedented level of federal support for the economy. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

"There are things that we are considering about how we provide opportunities for states to spend the money that the government is providing in order to create jobs," Mr Frydenberg said on Friday.

"We'll have more to say in the context of the budget. But it's fair to say that when we are providing support to the states, or to various industries, we want that money to be spent as quickly as possible."
Two drug companies that are leading the race to develop coronavirus vaccines bowed to public pressure on Thursday, abandoning their traditional secrecy and releasing comprehensive road maps of how they are evaluating their vaccines. The companies, Moderna and Pfizer, revealed details about how participants are being selected and monitored, the conditions under which the trials could be stopped early if there were problems, and the evidence researchers will use to determine whether people who got the vaccines were protected from Covid-19. Modernas study will involve ...
Less than two months before the election, United States President Donald Trump seems to have something to celebrate -- a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Ritwik Sharma reports

IMAGE: US President Donald Trump has been nominated for the prestigious peace prize for his role in brokering peace between Israel and the United Arab Emirates last month. Photograph: Scott Olson/Getty Images

Donald Trump, who is approaching the end of a calamitous term as United States president and is running for re-election, was nominated last week for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize.

Although it's a far cry from winning the coveted prize -- the winner will be declared in October 2021 -- Trump's nomination has caused many to frown, given the criticism he continues to face for faltering on multiple fronts at home and abroad.

But how does the Nobel nomination process and selection of winners work?

Here are the answers:

Why was Trump nominated? Has he been nominated before?

The US president was nominated by Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a far-right politician and member of the Norwegian Parliament, for his role in brokering peace between Israel and the United Arab Emirates last month. The two nations decided to normalise relations after Israel agreed to suspend plans of annexing parts of the occupied West Bank.

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.

Trump received a nomination once earlier, also thanks to Tybring-Gjedde, after the US president met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at a historic summit in 2018.

Has any US president won the Nobel peace prize?

If Trump were to win, he would become the fifth US president to be a Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

Apart from his predecessor Barack Obama (in 2009), Theodore Roosevelt (1906), Woodrow Wilson (1920) and Jimmy Carter (2002) have won the prize.

Several US presidents have been nominated in the past, while one vice-president, Al Gore, won it in 2007. Obama's nomination, just months into his first year, was also met with criticism.

Who nominates candidates and who chooses the Nobel Peace Prize winner?

The Norwegian Nobel Committee selects recipients for the peace prize, which is awarded in Oslo, Norway, whereas the Nobel Prizes in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and economics are awarded by Swedish institutions in Stockholm.

The Norwegian committee, composed of five members appointed by the country's parliament, receives nominations from political leaders and heads of state worldwide.

National lawmakers, university professors, directors of foreign policy institutes, past Nobel recipients and members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee can also submit nominations.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee doesn't comment on nominees, and according to its rules, the information is required to be kept secret for 50 years.

The nominations have to be submitted before February 1 of the qualifying year. There are 318 candidates vying for the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize, which is to be declared next month (October 9).

Unlike the peace prize, nominations to the technical categories -- physics, chemistry, medicine and economics -- are by invitation only.

The literature committee, meanwhile, sends invitations to nominees, but it also allows a set of qualified persons to submit nominations.

The name of Rabindranath Tagore, for instance, was proposed by British poet Thomas Sturge Moore in his capacity as a member of the Royal Society of Literature in England. In 1913, Tagore became the first Indian to be awarded a Nobel prize.

Have there been controversial nominations in the past?

The prestigious award -- instituted in the memory of Swedish inventor, businessman and philanthropist, Alfred Nobel, and conferred since 1901 -- has had several famous recipients.

Among the peace prize winners are Martin Luther King Jr, Nelson Mandela and Mother Teresa, while notable omissions include Mahatma Gandhi and Eleanor Roosevelt.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has also received controversial nominations in the past such as Benito Mussolini in 1935, Adolf Hitler in 1939 (albeit non-seriously and withdrawn soon afterwards) and Joseph Stalin in 1945 and 1948.

Despite their universal appeal, the Nobel prizes are also criticised for being extremely subjective and for the lack of recognition of women.
An agreement between TikTok's Chinese owner ByteDance and Oracle includes a variety of concessions in an effort to make the deal palatable to the Trump administration and security hawks in Congress, according to a source close to the companies.

Driving the news: The deal, in the form of a 20-page term sheet agreed to in principle by the companies, would give Oracle unprecedented access and control over user data as well as other measures designed to ensure that Americans' data is protected, according to the source.

Why it matters: President Trump and U.S. leaders have been calling for a complete sale of the business. While this isn't that, it does create several layers of oversight, including a continuous third-party audit and an independent board approved by the U.S. government.

Details: Among the provisions of the term sheet, per the source:

Oracle will have the exclusive ability to oversee all tech operations for TikTok in the U.S.

Oracle will review TikTok's source code and related software to ensure there are no backdoors.

Oracle will also be able to review all updates to TikTok's software to ensure no adverse changes are made.

TikTok in the U.S. will have its own board, approved by the U.S. government.

That board will include a security director  an independent data security expert with national security credentials, so likely a former NSA or CIA official with a high-level security clearance.

There will also be a security subcommittee of the board composed of U.S. citizens with the final say on matters related to security and data privacy. It will have veto power over board decisions that go against the company's security commitments.

That subcommittee will also be responsible for ensuring compliance with CFIUS and other U.S. agency demands.

A separate entity, TikTok Global, will have its own board and be based in the U.S. Its that entity in which Oracle, as well as Walmart, will have an ownership stake.

TikTok Global will own TikTok's operations around the world, including the U.S. operation, which will have the extra security measures and its own governance.

Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom is one executive who has been approached about the possibility of leading the new company, according to a report in the New York Times.

The big picture: U.S. security officials and policymakers have regularly asserted that TikTok's popular video-sharing platform poses a risk to U.S. security because the Chinese government could gain access to U.S. user data.

TikTok has always insisted that it stores U.S. data outside of the reach of Chinese authorities.

Last month President Trump said he would ban the app in the U.S. unless ByteDance agreed to sell it to a U.S. company by mid-September.

Last weekend, Microsoft, which had long been seen as the frontrunner to acquire TikTok, said that ByteDance had rejected its bid.

Oracle is close to the Trump administration and might be better placed to win approval for a deal, but Wednesday President Trump said that he was "not going to be happy" if the deal left ByteDance as majority owner.

Between the lines: While the deal does not constitute a full sale and likely leaves a substantial chunk of the company in Chinese hands, the source notes this is way more than any other tech company is doing or being asked to do.
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Linkedin Ivany Atina Arbi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, September 18, 2020 18:28 490 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c45c1c6e 1 National armed-criminal-group,Papua,TNI,Intan-Jaya Free

An Intan Jaya-based armed separatist group in Papua reportedly launched several attacks against civilians and an Indonesian Military (TNI) member recently, causing at least two fatalities, according to the military.

The TNI spokesperson for the Joint Regional Defense Command III in Papua, Col. Suriastawa, said in a statement that the latest incident took place in Bilogai village of Sugapa district in Intan Jaya regency on Thursday against a civilian named Badawi and Chief Sgt. Sahlan of the TNI, on two separate occasions.

The 51-year-old ojek (motorcycle taxi) driver Badawi purportedly lost a lot of blood after his left hand was amputated by the armed criminal group using a machete, which eventually led to his death. The incident took place at around 10:50 a.m. local time.

Not long after that, at around 2:20 p.m., another attack reportedly took place against Chief Sgt. Sahlan, who was transporting logistics to nearby Hitadipa district, where he served as a village supervisory noncommissioned officer (Babinsa).

Read also: Papuan armed group accused of shooting COVID-19 team members

The victim, who suffered a gunshot wound, died on the scene, Suriastawa said, adding that the bodies of the two victims had been moved to the Bilogai community health center.

The official further revealed that the group had also launched criminal acts against two ojek drivers, Fathur Rahman and Laode Anas Munawir, on Monday. They are currently receiving treatment at local hospitals.

Joint security forces from the National Police and TNI are hunting down the perpetrators, Suriastawa said, while calling on residents to remain cautious.
The CDC has often been criticized during the pandemic for being too slow and cautious in issuing recommendations for dealing with the coronavirus. Thats partly because every document is cleared by at least one individual on multiple relevant teams within the agency to ensure the information is consistent with the current state of CDC data, as well as other scientific literature, according to a senior agency scientist who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Harsimrat Kaur Badal, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader who stepped down as the Union food processing minister on Thursday night, said on Friday farmers all across India are protesting against the three bills seeking to liberalise agricultural markets.

Harsimrat Kaur Badal had on Thursday resigned from the Union Cabinet in protest against three anti-farmer ordinances and legislation, which were approved by the Lok Sabha amid opposition protests.

I said the government should bring the bills after consultation with stakeholders. What is politics in this? Farmers are agitating not only in Punjab but also in Haryana, Rajasthan, UP, Maharashtra. There is opposition in south India, Harsimrat Kaur Badal was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

President Ram Nath Kovind accepted her resignation from the Union Cabinet and directed that Narendra Singh Tomar be assigned the additional charge of the ministry, according to a press release.

The SAD had been asking the Centre not to go ahead with the three agriculture-related bills for approval of Parliament until all reservations expressed by farmers organisations, farmers and farm labourers are addressed.

Though the new measures, which are aimed at freeing up farm trade from restrictions, at guaranteeing a legal framework for pre-agreed prices, and at laying down a new architecture for contract farming, have been hailed by economists, farmer groups fear that they will lead to exploitation by big food-trading monopolies.

I have resigned from Union Cabinet in protest against anti-farmer ordinances and legislation. Proud to stand with farmers as their daughter and sister, Harsimrat Kaur Badal wrote in a Twitter message.

Also read | Out of compulsion: Punjab Congress chief Jakhar on Harsimrat Kaur Badals resignation

Before her comment, the chief of the Bharatiya Janata Partys Punjab unit said Harsimrat Kaur Badals resignation was the political decision of the Shiromani Akali Dal. Ashwani Sharma said the three bills brought by the BJP-led Centre are in the interest of the farming community. He said these three bills would surely play an important role in boosting farm income.

Akali Dal is a part of the NDA but it is a separate political outfit. They have taken this decision because of some political reasons. We have an alliance (SAD-BJP) but both are different political outfits. They (SAD) have taken a political decision, Sharma said, according to PTI.

Also read | Agriculture bills passed in Lok Sabha, farmers protest: All you need to know

He added that the SAD had said they are part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) when he was asked about the continuation of the alliance between the parties.

SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal had said in Delhi on Thursday that his partys future course of action and whether to stay in the BJP-led alliance or not will be decided in a party meeting later.
The European Unions Brexit negotiator told the blocs 27 national envoys to Brussels that he still thinks a trade deal with Britain is possible despite a new crisis in the tortuous four-year saga, diplomatic sources told Reuters.

Britain left the EU last January and is in a standstill transition until the end of the year.

Talks on a new trade deal from 2021 have made little progress ahead of an EU deadline of end-October, while Londons moves to undermine its earlier divorce deal have further clouded the picture.

But the assessment from Michel Barnier, who addressed the ambassadorial gathering on Wednesday, was not all bleak, according to EU sources who either participated or were briefed.

Barnier still believes a deal is possible though the next days are key, said one of the EU sources.

The hope is still there, added another.

Barniers boss, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, echoed his view in an interview with the FT.

The first source said tentative concessions offered by the United Kingdom on fisheries  a major point of discord so far  were a glimmer of hope.

Reuters reported exclusively on Tuesday that Britain has moved to break the deadlock despite publicly threatening to walk away from the Withdrawal Agreement.

Talks on new trade arrangements descended into fresh turmoil this month over Prime Minister Boris Johnsons plans to pass new domestic laws that would undercut the withdrawal accord.

EU diplomats said they would assess the domestic political situation in Britain at the end of the month before the blocs 27 national leaders decide next steps at an Oct. 15-16 summit.

Too Little but Not Too Late

A third source, a senior EU diplomat, confirmed the UK offer on fisheries but said it was not going far enough.

It is too little but its not too late, the diplomat said, stressing that Londons offer for fishing concessions in the English Channel was largely irrelevant for EU fishermen who mostly trawl the North and Irish seas.

The diplomatic sources stressed the EU would go on negotiating with Britain, if only to avoid being blamed for jeopardizing an estimated $1 trillion in annual trade.

There is unease about what Britain is doing but Barnier has stressed he will keep negotiating until his last breath, said a fourth EU diplomat.

The person agreed with an estimate by Societe Generale bank, which put at 80% the probability of a damaging no-deal split.

EU states agreed in discussion with Barnier the bloc would not conclude any new trade deal with the UK should it end up approving the Internal Market Bill without amendments ensuring it does not violate Britains international legal obligations.

The bloc would also take a more rigid line in demanding a solid dispute settlement mechanism in any new UK trade deal should Johnson press ahead with his current plans on the law, according to the sources.

Most see it (the introduction of the Internal Market Bill) as a ploy to gain a negotiating advantage rather than an effort to sink the Withdrawal Agreement, said a fifth diplomat who also took part in the meeting with Barnier.

A sixth person, also present on Wednesday, said the bloc would sue Britain at the top EU court if it passes the law as proposed.

Barnier was further sounding out his UK counterpart, David Frost, in a meeting in Brussels on Thursday on whether the tentative offer on fisheries meant London was still open to sealing a deal, the EU sources said.

A UK government spokesperson said Britain would work hard to bridge outstanding gaps to get a deal in a month following Thursdays useful discussions with Barnier.

These covered a broad range of issues and some limited progress was made, but significant gaps remain in key areas, including fisheries and (state aid) subsidies, they said.

(Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska, Jan Strupczewski, John Chalmers; writing by Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by Hugh Lawson, Jon Boyle, William Maclean, Andrew Cawthorne)

Related:

Chances for Brexit Deal With Britain Fade Every Day, Warns European Union Leader

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Exactly 60 years ago, on September 19, 1960, the Indus Waters Treaty between Pakistan and India was signed. Despite the energy and voluminous paperwork that marked eight long years of negotiations, under the aegis of the World Bank (WB), the Treaty was largely viewed by both parties as one which gave away their respective water interests. The two leaders  Jawaharlal Nehru and Ayub Khan  for different reasons felt otherwise and soaked in the historic moment of the signing ceremony in Karachi on September 19, 1960. As a military dictator, Khans diktat overrode public opinion, while the democratic Nehru had to contend with domestic opposition.

The Treaty partitioned the Indus system of rivers. The three eastern rivers (Beas, Ravi and Sutlej) with a mean annual flow of 33 million-acre feet (maf) went to India while the control of over 80 maf of waters of the western rivers (Indus, Chenab and Jhelum) was granted to Pakistan. In terms of volume, however, 80.52% of water went to Pakistan and only 19.48% came to India. The ratio of 4:1 favoured Pakistan and Indias initial demand for 25% was raised in the Lok Sabha as a failure of its negotiations.

Many newspapers in India castigated the government for giving in to Pakistan and making concessions after concessions. Some parliamentarians felt that had India conceded to Pakistans water requirements in 1948, as a human consideration, the Treaty would possibly not have been required. As things developed, Pakistans demand became bigger and bolder. I wish, said Harish Mathur, a Congressman from Rajasthan, in the Lok Sabha, our government takes note of the feeling in this country. It is not that our over-generousness should be at the cost of the development of this country.

As the debate grew, Nehru was presented with some uncomfortable facts. First, the unfairness of the terms; second, the cost of the replacement of canal works; and, third, the overall context of India-Pakistan relations. Of the cultivable land in India, only 19% had irrigation facilities while in Pakistan it was 54%. Fundamentally, therefore, India was left with less-irrigated land and even fewer irrigation facilities. This could hardly be justified as fair to India. It is a kind of second partition which we are experiencing...this is being done again with the signature of our honourable prime minister, argued Ashok Mehta of the Praja Socialist Party.

The money allocated was equally disadvantageous. Pakistan was to get grants and not loans of about 400 crore of the 450 crore required to build its link canals; India would get 27 crore of the overall requirement of 100 crore to build infrastructure. The money was to be given as loans and not grants  15 crore from the United States (US) and 12 crore from WB. But this was not all. Indias commitment to pay 83 crore to Pakistan in pound sterling, without settling earlier financial dues with that country was incomprehensible to the Lok Sabha. Considering the desperate foreign exchange position in India, it was foolhardy to agree to this. In terms of adjustment of debts that Pakistan owed India, only 6 crore as dues for the waters that India spared over the years was adjusted.

Despite all this, Nehru had a different take. He felt he was looking at the larger foreign policy picture. He emphasised, It is the context that we have to consider, not a particular bit. In the political environment of the 1950s, Nehru was not averse to reaching out for peace and tranquillity. These were requisites, he strongly felt, for the stability and development that India desired. It was not that he was blinded by reconciliation with Pakistan. After all, in 1959, when Ayub Khan advocated a common defence in which both India and Pakistan would come together to guard the subcontinent, Indian leaders such as Jayaprakash Narayan and C Rajagopalachari welcomed the idea. Even General KM Cariappa was not entirely opposed to this. It was Nehru who cold-shouldered it by famously retorting defence against whom?. In the case of the Treaty, however, he felt it was a price worth paying and expressed his disappointment that the House treated it with such a narrow-minded spirit and tactfully praised the engineers who fought for Indias interest strenuously to take the heat off the debate.

However much Nehru tried to separate himself as the proponent of a broad perspective from the nitty-gritty of negotiations, there was an undeniable Nehruvian internationalist mindset to the whole water issue with Pakistan. His ideals of oneness though clashed with the realities of power politics and interest-oriented relations which he understood, but adamantly refused to accept. The goodwill and friendship that India hoped to gain from the generosity and sacrifice it had shown to Pakistan were belied by Khans statements. Soon after signing the Treaty, he talked about the physical possession of the upper reaches of the Indus basin rivers. The Indus Waters Treaty may have prevented another Korea, as WB had anxiously observed, but it did not fundamentally change Pakistans lower riparian angst nor in its perception of the upper riparian dominance of India.

Uttam Kumar Sinha is fellow, Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi

The views expressed are personal
" " Engagement rings, once symbols of a successful business negotiation, are considered signs of love today. Jamie Grill/Iconica/ Getty Images

No Valentines or romantic weekends shared between spouses to be found in this chunk of time. Marriages continued to be arranged affairs, particularly useful for solidifying status, wealth and power. Men of one family would present a potential bride to another family, and then they'd negotiate a dowry, or bride price. When the deal was struck, the men presented the bride-to-be with a ring to celebrate the successful transaction; of course, giving rings to celebrate betrothal has become much more romantic (and expensive) in recent times.

During this time, Christian churches began to take a more active role in the marriage process, a development we'll explore in the next element of our timeline.
HONG KONG, Sept. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in Hong Kong[1], hospitalising around 25,000 people each year[2]. Despite declines in stroke mortality over the past years, it remains one of the major causes of adult disability, greatly affecting the daily lives of sufferers. Individuals with stroke also have a higher risk of fall - up to 73% of patients fall in the first six months after being discharged from hospital.[3]-13] To shed light on ways to reduce the risk of post-stroke falls, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has conducted the world's first study to examine the effect of dual-task exercise on dual-task mobility and falls in people living with a chronic stroke, and subsequently designed an eight-week community-based rehabilitation programme for 84 people with chronic stroke.

The study, titled "Dual-Task Exercise Reduces Cognitive-Motor Interference in Walking and Falls after Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Study" (link), appeared in Stroke, a peer-reviewed medical journal published by the American Heart Association. It was revealed that dual-task exercises were able to help reduce the risk of falls and injurious falls by 25.0% and 22.2% respectively, bringing about significant improvement to the dual-task mobility of people post-stroke. As such, the programme has the potential to roll out in community and home-based settings, where healthcare resources are scarce.

According to Professor Marco PANG Yiu-chung, Professor of Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at PolyU, who led the study, single-task training on balance and gait is typically implemented during conventional rehabilitation. However, the rate of falling remains high (up to 73%) after the stroke survivors have returned to community living.[3]-[13] "Fall is one of the most common complications in stroke patients during the post-stroke period, frequently caused by poor dual-task mobility. While the ability to perform mobility and cognitive task simultaneously is essential to people's daily lives, their dual-tasking performance is often impaired after a stroke," Professor PANG explained.

For the study, 84 individuals with chronic stroke aged 50 or above with mild or moderate motor impairment (loss of physical function of a body part) were recruited from the community patient groups. They were randomly allocated to three groups (i.e. dual-task group, single-task group and control group). Each group received three 60-minute training sessions per week for eight weeks. The completion time of walking tests and correct response rate of the cognitive tasks of each patient under single-task and dual-task conditions were measured at three different stages: within one week before training commenced (as baseline), within one week after finishing training, and eight weeks after finishing training to assess the dual-task effect on participants. Fall incidence was also recorded monthly for a six-month period post-training.

The study showed the dual-task training was more effective in improving dual-task mobility, and reducing falls and fall-related injuries in ambulatory individuals with chronic stroke, as compared with single-task training or controlled intervention. "The dual-task group had a significantly lower proportion of individuals who sustained at least one fall or fall-related injury during the six-month follow-up period. Only five falls were reported in the dual-task group while there were 20 falls in the control group," Professor PANG said. "As the most commonly perceived cause of falls was related to problems with divided attention, like managing distractions while weight-shifting during standing, dual-task training could be an effective approach to enhancing the multi-task ability and reducing the risk of fall in attention-demanding environments."

Mr LAU Kim-hung, Chairman of The Hong Kong Stroke Association and one of the chronic stroke participants in this study, said, "After my stroke, I felt frustrated because my mobility had been weakened and my reactions were slow. I found it difficult to multi-task (for example, talking while walking) like I usually do. With the help of these specially designed exercises, my ability to multi-task was improved and, most importantly, I feel more confident when going outside." He added, "The dual-task exercises are user-friendly and fit easily into my daily life. They only involve some simple setup and require minimal support from my caregivers."

This research project is funded by the General Research Fund under The Research Grants Council. As many chronic stroke survivors do not have continuous access to rehabilitation support due to limited healthcare resources, the research team is planning to conduct training workshops for clinicians and to develop exercise manuals for patients, caregivers and service providers on dual-task exercise programme so that the dual-task exercises can be widely adopted in the community and home-based settings to help improve patients' quality of life in a gradual and sustainable way.

References

Number of Deaths by Leading Causes of Death, 2001  2019, Centre for Health Protection, Department of Health, The Government of the HKSAR (https://www.chp.gov.hk/en/statistics/data/10/27/380.html) No of Inpatient Discharges and Deaths due to Cerebrovascular Diseases, Department of Health, The Government of HKSAR (https://www.healthyhk.gov.hk/phisweb/en/healthy_facts/disease_burden/major_causes_death/cere_diseases/) Batchelor FA, Williams SB, Wijeratne T, Said CM, Petty S. Balance and Gait Impairment in Transient Ischemic Attack and Minor Stroke. J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis. 2015;24(10):2291-2297. Janus-Laszuk B, Mirowska-Guzel D, Sarzynska-Dlugosz I, Czlonkowska A. Effect of medical complications on the after-stroke rehabilitation outcome. NeuroRehabilitation. 2017;40(2):223-232. Czernuszenko A, Czlonkowska A. Risk factors for falls in stroke patients during inpatient rehabilitation. Clin Rehabil. 2009;23(2):176-188. Forster A, Young J. Incidence and consequences of falls due to stroke: a systematic inquiry. BMJ 1995;311(6997):83-86. Jrgensen KL, Engstad KT, Jacobsen KB. Higher Incidence of Falls in Long-Term Stroke Survivors Than in Population Controls: Depressive Symptoms Predict Falls After Stroke. Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association. 2002;33(2):542-547. Lamb SE, Ferrucci L, Volapto S, et al. Risk factors for falling in home-dwelling older women with stroke: the women's health and aging study. Stroke.2003 ;34:494501. Hyndman D, Ashburn A, Stack E. Fall events among people with stroke living in the community: circumstances of falls and characteristics of fallers. Arch Phys Med Rehabil.2002 ;83:165170. Hyndman D, Ashburn A. People with stroke living in the community: attention deficits, balance, ADL ability, and falls. Disabil Rehabil.2003 ;25:817822. Harris J, Eng J, Marigold D, Tokuno C, Louis C. Relationship of Balance and Mobility to Fall Incidence in People with Chronic Stroke. Physical Therapy. 2005;85(2):150-158. Schmid AA, Yaggi HK, Burrus N, et al. Circumstances and consequences of falls among people with chronic stroke. J Rehabil Res Dev. 2013;50(9):1277-1286. Liu T-W, Ng SSM. Assessing the fall risks of community-dwelling stroke survivors using the Short-form Physiological Profile Assessment (S-PPA). PLoS ONE. 14(5): e0216769.

SOURCE Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Related Links

http://www.polyu.edu.hk/htm/


A high-school students experience with her institutions sexist dress code is highlighting a double-standard when it comes to coronavirus mask policy that online commentators are blasting as idiotic.

The story was shared to Twitter by an enraged mother on Wednesday, who revealed her teen daughter had been sent home for a dress code violation just one week before her school refused a mask-wearing order, arguing they had no way to enforce the mandate.

US mum Kristine slammed the school for a jaw-dropping double-standard. Photo: Twitter

Last week my daughter was sent home from school to change a pair of shorts she was wearing they said were too short, mum Kristine wrote on Twitter.

This week the health district issued a mandatory mask in public order and the schools said they dont have anything they can do for noncompliance.

15-year-old Eliza was sent home for presenting to school in the following pair of denim shorts, despite the school saying it would be impossible to force students to wear masks just one week later.

Eliza was wearing this pair of shorts when she was asked to leave school for violating their dress code. Photo: Supplied

Kristine tells Yahoo Lifestyle she immediately withdrew her daughter from school after they ignored the mask-wearing order, and says she notified the school counsellor who processed the withdrawal of the ironic double standard.

While I was talking to the counsellor I mentioned to her how ironic I found the situationI know they can enforce it but choose not to because my daughter was sent home the week before over shorts, she says.

She said shed pass on the feedback to admin.

In the US public schools do not have uniforms and often include a strict dress code.

In recent years those dress codes have come under fire for what many argue is a sexist skew towards over-policing young womens bodies and sending them home over minor infractions like spaghetti straps, or short clothing.

Inconsistent standards on modesty and masks slammed on Twitter

Onlookers couldn't believe the school that won't enforce masks is still enforcing modesty codes. Photo: Getty Images/ Twitter

Many couldnt believe the school would police students in the interest of modesty, but wouldnt do the same in the interests of health.

They can police female bodies all day long, but they cant enforce masks to save lives, one response read. Because theyre cowards. Afraid of letting women live their lives and afraid of admitting science is right.

Story continues

Policing the behaviours/clothes of girls is easier than policing behaviour in the interest of public healthduring a pandemic, another baffled observer wrote. Insanity. And so telling.

RELATED:

Some pointed out that policing a few students violating dress codes was easier than making an entire school wear masks, but others couldnt move past the prioritisation of modesty over health.

One person called the situation disgusting while another said it left them seething with anger.

Look, Kristine, what should schools prioritisestudents' safety, or their fashion choices? was one sarcastic response. It's not like protecting their lives is more important than protecting their "modesty" or that your daughter's well-being matters more than someone's feelings.

That would be ridiculous.

Mask-wearing as US cases explode

Mask-wearing is recommended in places like Victoria and the US where there is widespread community transmission. Photo: Getty Images

The US has so far recorded 6.7 million cases of coronavirus, making it the worlds worst-hit country according to figures from John Hopkins.

An estimated 197,000 people have died from the virus in the United States, compared to a global toll of 943,000.

The World Health Organisation has stated that mask-wearing should be enforced wherever there is widespread community transmission.

Governments should encourage the general public to wear a fabric mask if there is widespread community transmission, and especially where physical distancing cannot be maintained, the guidelines read. Why? Masks are a key tool in a comprehensive approach to the fight against COVID-19.

Their fact sheet outlines how, when and why to wear a mask.

Its not the first time a dress code has sparked fury, in Australia a woman was recently booted from a gym after a school group complained about her inappropriate attire.

In a confusing tale, Sydney-sider Gabi Watson went to the gym in perfectly normal workout wear - a crop top and scrunch bum bike shorts - but was shocked when she was asked to leave due to her outfit, after a staff member asked her are you wearing a g-string?.

Gabi was initially told a school teacher supervising a gym class had complained, but later found out it was the gym staff who decided her attire was unacceptable.

Click here to sign up to our daily newsletter to get all the latest news and hacks. Or if you have a story tip, email us at lifestyle.tips@verizonmedia.com.
China has increasingly relied on military threats and diplomatic isolation to pressure Taiwan. That follows the apparent failure of its efforts to win over the islands 23 million people to the prospect of political unification under the one country, two systems framework used in Hong Kong, with a large majority of Taiwanese favoring maintaining the status quo of de facto independence.
At our founding, and more particularly at our Constitutional Convention, our Founders sought to create a system of government that at first could control the populace, and then control itself. By analyzing past democracies, republics, and monarchies, and the writings of Plato, Cicero, Locke, Burke, and Montesquieu, they arrived at a republic (if we can keep it), with a strong national government to serve the interests of the many states but strong state and local governments to serve the interests of the local communities and citizens they served.

Over time, we've seen gradual, and in some instances dramatic, lurches toward a centralized national government. A testament to this centralization is our $25-trillion national debt and the expansion of programs that were originally intended to be managed by the several states.

Today, we see a stark distinction of what remains of our federalist system, between leftist (blue) states and more conservative (red) states.

Over the past several decades, we've seen the philosophical divergence between blue and red state governing ideologies, with blue states becoming more and more (and more) Progressive. This past year, in particular, we've seen diametrically opposed handling of COVID-19 and the protests and riots that broke out, initially in response to the death of George Floyd.

With COVID, blue-state governors and mayors appeared gleeful in their newfound power to shut down just about every aspect of their economies and to implement ever more draconian limits on their citizens' personal liberties  at the same time permitting newfound privileges to those who sought to riot, pillage, and destroy what was left of their fragile communities.

There are huge costs to be borne by both these decisions. This here is the genius of federalism. Blue-state and blue-city citizens, in electing these representatives, would bear the burden of their electoral decisions. Portland and Oregon residents would bear the cost of the decisions made by Ted Wheeler and Kate Brown. New York City and New York State would bear the cost of the decisions made by Bill de Blasio and Andrew Cuomo. Los Angeles and California would bear the cost of decisions made by Eric Garcetti and Gavin Newsom. Easy-peasy.

Not so fast. With the 2020 elections for president and Congress looming less than two months away, there is no doubt that if (God help us) Joe Biden (or Kamala Harris) wins the presidency and Democrats claim the Senate, these blue-state expenses will be nationalized. You (red-state voter) will be asked (forced) to pay for the profligacy and mismanagement of these blue-state representatives.

Wealthy and middle-class blue-state citizens are leaving these jurisdictions in droves. It's been reported that 40% of New York tax revenues are borne by 1% of the state's wealthiest citizens. Andrew Cuomo recently offered to make dinner for these wealthy citizens, if only they'd return from the Hamptons. I'd imagine that wealthy people got wealthy not because they are stupid.

We will soon see either the continued genius of federalism and hopefully a wake-up call to blue-state voters or the end of our republic.

Elections have consequences. Choose wisely, my friends.

Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.
(Newser)  As far as prison escapes go, it was ingenious in its simplicity. In 2006, 48-year-old Toby Dorr drove away from the gates of a prison in Lansing, Kansas, with dogs from her prison foster program loaded in the back of her van. Inside a box in one of the crates was a 27-year-old convicted murderer named John Manard. He and Dorr had struck up a close relationship on her visits to the prison, and they cooked up the escape plan over time. It went off without a hitch, writes Michael Mooney in the Atlantic. His story takes a deep dive into the escape, the couple's brief time on the run before capture, and how Dorra married mother of two who was a rule-abiding goody-two-shoes her entire lifeturned into a felon herself. In a sense, it was an escape for her, too, from an unhappy marriage.

story continues below

Dorr received a 27-month sentence, Manard got 10 years added to his life sentence, and Dorr is now happily remarried to someone else. "You can't change the past," she tells Mooney. "I like the person I am today, and I wouldn't be the person I am today if I hadn't gone through all that." Dorr is also starting to speak publicly about her experience. "She's given just a handful of speeches, but each time she's been met with a line of women coming up to her afterward, confessing their own secret desire to escape," writes Mooney. "Her story resonates, she says, because so many women wonder if they wouldn't do the same thing." Read the full story here. (It may remind people of what happened in upstate New York.)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 11:10:44|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- There are clear, new opportunities for the United States and China to build a stronger relationship if there is sufficient political will for cooperation, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai has said.

"Going forward there are clear, new opportunities for our two countries to strengthen our cooperation, to build a stronger relationship between us," said Cui in a recent interview with former U.S. Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson on the podcast program "Straight Talk with Hank Paulson."

One of these opportunities is bilateral cooperation to deal with the current pandemic, to develop treatment, cures and possible vaccines, to save life, to protect people's livelihood and jobs, to restart economic growth and to give people better confidence in the economic prospects, said Cui.

The two countries should also resume and strengthen their cooperation on issues like climate change, as well as international hotspot issues or conflicts, such as the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue and the Iranian nuclear issue, he added.

"There are so many of them. If there is sufficient political will for cooperation, certainly the opportunities are there," he said.

Talking about his experience as ambassador for more than seven years, Cui said he feels grateful for "doing this job at this critical moment for both our countries."

"The relations between the two countries are faced with such tremendous challenges ... This is my dedication to my country and my people, and this is what I owe to all my American friends," the ambassador noted.

Cui said he will work with the U.S. side to make sure that China-U.S. ties will come back on the right track, calling for more efforts from the two sides to "open up new opportunities for further cooperation."

Held on Aug. 28 and aired on Monday, the Chinese ambassador's talk with Paulson covered topics including current China-U.S. relations, bilateral economic and trade cooperation, global governance, and China's economy. Enditem
If the Thwaites, also known as the "doomsday glacier," in Antarctica melts, it may cause up to ten feet of sea level rise.



The Doomsday Glacier

Thwaites is a glacier in west Antarctica which is roughly the size of Britain, which have been nicknamed by scientists as "doomsday glacier." It was given this moniker because it is currently melting at a rapid rate, losing approximately 2,625 feet or one-half mile of ice each year.

Scientists have estimated that Thwaites will be gone after two to six centuries, and once it melts, it will contribute to sea-level rise by up to two feet.

However, the direct contribution of the glacier's melting ice is not the only problem, because it triggers a cascade of events that worsen the rise in sea level.

READ: Polar Bears Drop Their GPS Tracking Collars, but Can Still Be Used To Track Drifting Ice



Rewriting the World Map

After Thwaites melts, its function as the buffer between other glaciers and the warming ocean will stop, triggering the collapse of nearby ice masses along with it. This will result in a rising of sea levels by almost 10 feet, which will permanently submerge many coastal cities such as parts of Miami, the Netherlands and New York,

New York University atmospheric science professor David Holland says that it will be a massive change, which will rewrite the coastline. Holland is a contributes his research work to the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration.

READ NEXT: Climate Change Causes Ice Larger than Paris to Break Off from Greenland Glacier and Shatter



New studies

Two new research studies have been published this month describing the bleak situation. The study published in Cryosphere discovered that the warm currents of the ocean could be eroding the bottom of Thwaites.

The study published in PNAS showed how sections of the Thwaites and Pine Island Glacier have faster melting rates than was thought in the past. These two glaciers melting has already increased sea levels worldwide by approximately five percent.



The Antarctic Ice Sheet

Thwaites is not the only problem. The ice sheet of the Antarctic also currently melts six times more rapidly than it did during the 1980s. It conrtibutes 252 billion tons of water per year, compared to 40 billion tons yearly four decades ago.

If the whole Antarctica ice sheet melts, it will cause a sea level rise of 200 feet.

According to University of Colorado senior scientist Ted Scambos, the satellites show that the Thwaites is being melted apart. The new study shows that this melting is due partly to the breaking up of the natural buffers sustaining Pine Glacier and Thwaites. The shear margins on Thwaites and Pine Island are losing integrity and are breaking.



Manhattan-Sized Cavity

Last February, researchers discovered a cavity under the doomsday glacier almost as massive as Manhattan. It would have held ice as big as 14 billion tons. It was detected last 2019.

Warm currents underneath are melting the glacier slowly from the underside, working to the top. Ice sheets that melt at the bottom melt and disintegrate more rapidly. This is what is happening to Thwaites.



Loss is as significant as L.A.

As for Pine Island Glacier, it already lost ice as large as the city of L.A. within the past six years. Lead author and satellite expert Stef Lhermitte says this ice shelf is starting to disappear.

A report says that rising sea levels can affect up to 800 million worldwide by the year 2050, with the power supply of 470 million threatened and high temperatures affecting 1.6 billion people. The threat of the doomsday glacier in Antarctica and sea level rise are just the beginning of this worldwide catastrophe.

READ NEXT: Ice Sheet Loss in Greenland is Now Irreversible

Check out more news and information on Melting Glaciers and Glaciology on Nature World News.
MEXICO CITY: President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador denied Friday that his administration has hurt freedom of expression in Mexico, as claimed this week in an open letter signed by hundreds of people, including dozens of well-known intellectuals.

The group objected to Lpez Obradors frequent accusations that those who disagree with him are frivolous or have financial or ideological ties to private interests or conservative groups.

The president has publicized some media outlets lucrative deals with past administrations, calling them wasteful. But the intellectuals say the tone of the attacks has damaged press freedom.

Lpez Obrador said Friday he has not censored anyone and does not intend to do so.

We are not going to censor anybody, we are not going to persecute anybody. They are always going to have all their freedoms guaranteed, Lpez Obrador said of the signers of the letter.

But at the same time, he added, this group always supported neoliberal policies and now they feel offended, when what they should be doing is apologizing for having stood by and done nothing while the country was looted.

The letter claims that freedom of expression is under siege in Mexico, and with that, democracy is threatened.

President Lpez Obrador uses the rhetoric of stigmatizing and defaming those who he calls his adversaries, the letter continues. This offends the public, degrades public discourse and debases the office of the presidency, which should use the language of tolerance.

The group also cited government legal threats against media outlets, though there has been only one big case. In August the government announced a fine of $45,000 against a magazine that has long been critical of Lpez Obrador, and it banned federal agencies from advertising in the magazine for two years.

The federal comptrollers office argued the magazine presented false documentation while trying to get paid for a public health promotional ad that a previous administration ran in the magazine in 2018. Press groups called the fine excessive, noting the magazine billed less than $3,000 for the ad.

Jan-Albert Hootsen, the Mexico representative of the Committee to Protect Journalists, said the presidents verbal volleys are concerning.

Expressions that stigmatize are very damaging for freedom of expression and the incentive to commit violence against journalists and intellectuals is large, Hootsen said.

Hootsen noted that 15 journalists have been killed in Mexico since Lpez Obrador took office on Dec. 1, 2018. In the six years of the previous administration, 39 were killed.

This administration is not carrying out the kind of direct censorship that was done under previous administrations, and that is good, Hootsen said. But violence against the press is at the same level, or higher."

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 recent $105-million sale of Peterboroughs municipally owned electricity distribution system to Hydro One has netted $59.7 million for the city now that debts and fees have been paid  which is at least $5 million more than projected.

The sale of Peterborough Distribution Inc. closed Aug. 1 after about five years of discussion and planning.

The sale includes the wires, poles and transformers of Peterborough Utilities, which delivers electricity to 37,000 customers in Peterborough, Lakefield and Norwood.

City staff had previously estimated that once debts, taxes and fees were paid the city would net somewhere between $50 million and $55 million on the sale price of $105 million.

But a new city staff report states that the city has now received net proceeds of $59.7 million.

Theres potential for even more money coming too, depending on the result of an auditors review of the book value of the property in the final month leading up to the sale.

The review is expected to be done by the end of 2020. The result could be even more money for the city, the report says, although it doesnt say how much more.

The citys money is now in a bank account because city council hasnt decided yet exactly how to use it.

Meanwhile there could be a decision soon: on the day the sale closed, Mayor Diane Therrien told The Examiner she expects council to debate later this year.

So far councillors have voted only to invest the principal and spend the returns, with no decision yet on exactly where to invest the money and what projects could benefit from the generated interest.

Last year city staff suggested council bank the proceeds in a Toronto investment firm or invest in the citys own renewable energy company.

In June, four new ideas emerged from citizens that council will consider: creating a home energy retrofit program, creating a trust to support renewable energy projects, investing all the money through a local investment firm (RBC Nesbitt Burns) or providing some of the money to the Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough to fund projects in the community.

PDI was the distribution arm of Peterborough Utilities Inc., which will continue to exist as a power generation company.

Peterborough Utilities Inc. was founded 105 years ago; PDI was one of its branches.

The sale idea was first proposed to council in early 2016 and it wasnt popular with some with many people concerned a sale would send electricity rates soaring.

But the board of City of Peterborough Holdings Inc., which governs PDI, had advised council at the time that replacement of PDIs aging infrastructure would cost so much it would soon threaten the distribution systems viability, and so the city was better off to sell.

Under terms of the sale, PDI customers received a 1 per cent decrease on the delivery rate for their electricity and that rate will be frozen for another rive years.
TOPSHOT-JAPAN-G20-SUMMIT

US President Trump and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman arrive for a meeting on "World Economy" at the G20 Summit in Osaka on June 28, 2019. Credit - Eliot BlondetAFP/Getty Images

The grainy video clip began trending on Arabic-language Twitter on Sept 16. It showed a famous speech by Saudi Arabias late King Faisal, who in 1973 embargoed the Kingdoms oil exports in a bid to punish the U.S. and other nations who had supported Israel in the Yom Kippur War. If all Arabs agreed to accept the existence of Israel and divide Palestine, we will never join them, Faisal says in the video, his head covered by a white keffiyeh and his voice cracking with emotion. Standing directly behind him is Saudi Arabias current ruler, King Salman.

Almost a half-century later, the House of Saud may have to decide whether to make good on that promise. Buoyant after the UAE and Bahrain signed a historic peace pact with Israel, President Trump suggested on Sept. 15 that up to nine other countries would soon join the Abraham Accords. Trump had spoken with Saudi Arabias King Salman, he told reporters at the White House, and he believed the worlds largest oil exporter would recognize Israel, at the right time.

Experts doubt thats anytime soon. For all its regional adventurism, the UAE is considered peripheral to the IsraeliPalestinian conflict, while it is seen as central to the legitimacy of Saudi Arabias kings. But the rise of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, often known by his initials MBS, adds an element of uncertainty to the Kingdoms traditionally conservative conduct.

Widely viewed as its de-facto ruler, the Crown Prince has spearheaded a number of radical foreign policy movesincluding the war in Yemen and the Gulf blockade of Qatar. Still, on relations with Israel, theres such a disconnect between the ideas of the Crown Prince and his advisors and the rest of Saudi Arabia that its going to be very difficult to push through in the short to mid-term, says a former advisor to Saudi Arabias government, who asked to remain anonymous in order to be able to speak freely.

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Heres what to know about the state of IsraelSaudi Arabia relations, why MBS is pushing for them to change, and how the issue speaks to deeper fissures in Saudi Arabias society:

Why would Saudi Arabia making peace with Israel be such a big deal?

Saudi Arabias Al Saud tribe is the custodian of Mecca and Medina, Islams two holiest cities, and the global seat of the ultra-conservative Wahabist ideology. Although Jordan acts as the custodian of Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, Saudi monarchs are also deeply vested in Sunni Islams third holiest site. Support for Palestinian statehood is woven into Saudi Arabias own identity as a state, and normalization of relations with Israel would carry far greater weight than other Gulf nations.

So experts say under the current regime theres little chance of Trumps prediction coming to pass. Saudi Arabia will not pursue full diplomatic relations with Israel while King Salman is in power, says Kristin Smith Diwan, a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Insitute in Washington (AGSIW).

But the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Israel is definitely warming. Backchannel diplomacy has been an open secret for years; like Israel, Saudi Arabia is concerned about waning U.S. influence in the region, and wants America to remain committed to pressuring its archrival Iran. Their bilateral co-operation on security strategy has seeded commercial relationships toosuch as Israels sale of spyware to Gulf leaders who used it to hack dissidents phones. As recently as July, a delegation headed by a retired Saudi General that included Saudi academics and business people visited Israel.

While other Gulf nations normalize relations, the Kingdom has made some concessions. Earlier this month, it agreed to open its airspace to flights traveling between Israel and the UAE, a move Trumps special advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner claimed showed that countries are starting to let go of old conflicts and move in the direction of peace.

More significant still is Bahrains last-minute signing of the accordwhich would not have occurred without the blessing of its much larger neighbor. The sudden turnaround in the Bahraini position only happened after the Emiratis got specific assurances from MBS that the King of Saudi Arabia wouldnt get upset with them going ahead with the Emirati plan, the former Saudi government advisor tells TIME.

Says Smith Diwan, there is a real generational divide within the ruling family regarding views toward Israel and the Palestinians, and the weight of Jerusalem to Saudi Islamic legitimacy.

Why does Mohammed Bin Salman want a closer relationship with Israel?

The commercial incentives are clear. MBSs Vision 2030a plan designed to wean the Kingdom from its near-total dependence on oilrelies heavily on inward investment into Saudi Arabia. Central to the Crown Princes plans is the development of the Kingdoms Red Sea Coastline through high-end tourism ventures and a new smart city called NEOM. Israel, which also has a Red Sea coastline and is a leader in tech innovation and desalination, would seem an ideal partner.

But making peace with Israel would also help repair MBSs tarnished image in the U.S. His attempts to cast himself as a modernizing reformer have been undermined by his brutal crackdowns on dissentincluding his jailing of activists that fought for those changes. The war in Yemen, the worlds worst humanitarian crisis, has further damaged the Crown Princes reputation. President Trump claimed to have saved his ass from Congress over the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Bob Woodward writes in his new book.

Saudi Arabia normalizing relations would repay Trump with a pre-election giftbut it would also be consistent with his stated plan to change Saudi Arabia by shock therapy rather than by increments, says Yasmine Farouk, a Saudi foreign policy expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. What would be more of an electric shock than having public relations with Israel?

Although Farouk agrees a peace accord is unlikely in the short term, she says MBS may be inclined towards action. This is how hes going to shock society, this is how hes going to shock the religious establishment. This is how hes going to shock the U.S.because this is the U.S.s definition of moderation and of a new Saudi Arabia.

What has Saudi Arabias media said about the deal?

The messaging has been mixed. According to Saudis state-run press agency, King Salman told Trump on their call that Saudi Arabia would not pursue normalization until there is a peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Saudis Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, meanwhile, offered a guarded assessment. The move could be viewed as positive, he said, a possible reference to the freeze the deal puts on Israeli plans to annex portions of Palestinian territory.

Thats consistent with the Kingdoms official line. After the UAEs August announcement of its intention to sign a pact with Israel, the foreign minister told reporters in Berlin that anything was possible but peace must be achieved with the Palestinians before the Kingdom would contemplate similar actions.

Media outlets, lobbyists, and clerics considered closer to MBS have adopted a different tone. Salman al-Ansari, the founder and president of the Washington-based Saudi Public Relations Affairs Committee, for example, has been effusive in his praise for the White Houses dealmaking, on Twitter crediting Trump and King Salman for paving the way for a tsunami of peace in the Middle East. In a sermon broadcast on state television on Sept 5, the Imam of the Grand Mosque in Mecca Abdulrahman al-Sudais urged Muslims to avoid passionate emotions and fiery enthusiasm towards Jews.

One can see an intentional Saudi policy of widening permissible views toward Israel and encouraging greater religious tolerance towards Jews using Saudi media and religious figures, says the AGSIWs Smith Diwan. It appears to be an intentional policy championed by personalities close to MBS to prepare the Saudi public for future warming of ties.

How have people in the Gulf responded to the Abraham Accords?

While Arab leaders clamped down on dissent towards the UAEIsrael pact in places like Jordan and Israel, Bahrains signing of the Abraham Accord has already proved contentious. Since then, nightly protests have broken out in the tiny Persian Gulf state, which hosts the U.S. Navys Fifth Fleet and was the only Gulf state to experience significant unrest as popular uprisings broke out against the regions autocratic leaders in 2010 and 2011. Placards held aloft by demonstrators in Bahrain carried slogans like normalization is treason, Reuters reports.

That sentiment has found echoes on Saudi social media. On Sept 16, the Arabic-language hashtag normalization is betrayal trended, as did the hashtag Gulfis_Against_Normalisation. Then there was the much-shared video of King Faisal: a symbol of the Kingdoms traditional policy towards the Israelis and Palestinians.

Although there are limits to how far one can read public sentiment based on Saudi Arabias social media, space notoriously compromised by armies of bots, experts say it appears to be largely critical. Right now the Saudi public is uneasy with these changes, says AGSIWs Smith Diwan. But as the Saudi leadership exerts pervasive control over public discourse, one can expect views to change.
DULUTH, Minn. - A solidly blue state for the past half century, Minnesota became an unquestioned presidential battleground on Friday as President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden fought for working-class voters in dueling events that marked the beginning of early voting.

Their campaigning was knocked off front pages and broadcasts in the state and nationally Friday night by the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, But before that, their contrasting styles and stances during the day and evening gave fresh signs of the campaign to come in the final weeks before Election Day.

The candidates steered clear of the states most populated areas near Minneapolis to focus on blue-collar voters, some of whom shifted to Republicans for the first time in 2016. Trump went to Bemidji, about 200 miles (320 kilometres) north of Minneapolis, while Biden campaigned in a suburb of Duluth, on the banks of Lake Superior and close to the Wisconsin border.

Biden railed against Trumps inability to control the pandemic, casting the presidents reluctance to embrace more serious social distancing safeguards as negligence and selfishness that cost American lives. Trump, before leaving the White House, said as he has many times that weve done a phenomenal job against the virus and predicted mass vaccinations by spring.

Biden, at a carpenter unions training hall in Minnesota, emphasized his plans to boost American manufacturing.

Its time to reward hard work in America and not wealth, Biden declared with roughly a dozen workers looking on.

When the government spends taxpayers money, we should spend that money to buy American products made by American workers and American supply chains to generate American growth, Biden said. He promised to invest $400 billion in federal money over his first term to ensure more products are made in America.

Trump, meanwhile, predicted victory in Minnesota in November despite the states long history of backing Democratic candidates.

Forty-six days from now were going to win Minnesota and were going to win four more years in the White House, Trump told thousands of supporters at the regional airport in Bemidji.

Since narrowly losing Minnesota in 2016, Trump has emphasized the state in hopes that a victory this year could offset losses in other states. He has visited regularly and kept a close eye on issues of particular importance to rural corners of the state. Hes reversed an Obama administration policy prohibiting the development of copper-nickel mining and has bailed out soybean, corn and other farmers who have been hurt by trade clashes with China.

More recently, hes embraced a law and order message aimed nationally at white suburban and rural voters who may be concerned by protests that have sometimes become violent. Thats especially true in Minnesota, where the May killing of George Floyd by a police officer sparked a national reckoning on racism.

But for all the work Trump has put into the state, it may elude him again in November.

A series of polls over the past week show Biden has built a consistent lead in Minnesota. And in the 2018 midterms, Democratic turnout surged in suburbs, small cities and even on the Iron Range, across the blue-collar mining towns that were once labour strongholds but had been trending Republican.

David McIntosh, president of the conservative Club for Growth, which has produced anti-Biden ads, said Minnesota may help the Trump campaign build momentum.

Theyre looking beyond the poll numbers and seeing the potential there, said McIntosh, a former congressman from Indiana. Its always smart strategy to go on offence somewhere.

In 2018, Democrats flipped two suburban congressional districts, took back control of the state House by winning suburban Trump-voting areas and came within one seat of winning control of the state Senate. Democrats won every statewide race that year, even as they lost a rural congressional district.

Trumps path to Minnesota success likely depends on finding more votes in rural, conservative areas - running up the score beyond his 2016 tally. Its a strategy hes trying to pull off in other states and it depends on a robust field operation with the money and time to track down infrequent or first-time voters. That could be a tall order since Minnesota already has one of the nations highest voter turnout rates.

I dont think theyre there, said Joe Radinovich, a Democrat who lost a bid for a northern Minnesota congressional district in 2018. Radinovich noted the major organizational challenge and expense in tracking new voters, making sure theyre registered and getting them to vote  especially during a pandemic. We have relatively high turnout already. Most people vote. I just dont think its there. I think those people showed up in 2016, he said.

In 2016, Trump won that district, which includes the Democratic city of Duluth, by 15 percentage points. But in the midterms two years later, Radinovich lost by just under 6 percentage points.

Still, Trump has spent more than a year building a sizable Minnesota ground game. Republicans are out knocking on doors and interacting personally with voters in ways that Democrats mostly have not, preferring online operations because of the coronavirus.

The presidents reelection campaign announced this week a $10 million ad buy in a series of states, including Minnesota. It has spent nearly $17 million on advertising in the state since last October, compared with almost $6.3 million for Biden over the same period, according to a review of Kantar/CMAG data by The Associated Press.

Democrats warn that Biden still may have his work cut out for him.

Duluth Mayor Emily Larson said the Trump campaign has far outpaced Biden in local yard signs  which indicates enthusiasm but may not ultimately affect the outcome.

One of the things the Trump campaign has been very good about is visibility in Duluth, but also in areas around Duluth, Larson said.

After Bidens speech, his motorcade rolled into downtown Duluth, where he stepped out onto a brick plaza in front of Little Angies Cantina and Grill and began to elbow bump and chat with passersby.

Within minutes, a crowd of around 200 gathered, virtually all of them in masks except for two men in Trump hats. It was the largest in-person crowd Biden has had since the pandemic exploded in March.

One man yelled from a deck above the plaza, Go home, Joe!

Two women closer to Biden responded, You are home, Joe.

___

Peoples reported from New York. Associated Press writers Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis and Aamer Madhani in Bemidji, Minn., contributed to this report.
Also working in their favor: Far fewer voters are undecided this year, lowering the likelihood of a late break in one direction or the other.

Democratic growth

The trend in Michigan toward Democrats over the past four years has been driven largely by white women and college-educated voters, as it has been nationwide. The phenomenon has been most visible in the suburbs just north of Detroit and Ann Arbor, where the pollster Stanley Greenberg first coined the term Reagan Democrats in the 1980s to describe the moderates who were flipping in large numbers to support Ronald Reagan.

Since then, much of the region has been solidly Republican. But the insurgent Democratic candidates Elissa Slotkin and Haley Stevens both won decisive victories in 2018 House elections there, turning their districts blue.

The changes in Oakland County have been shocking, Mr. Czuba said, referring to a suburban county that runs through both Ms. Slotkins and Ms. Stevenss districts. Oakland County used to be the breadbasket of the Republican Party. In the 1980s, Democrats would not have even considered winning Oakland County. But now were in a position where Oakland County has become a blood bath for the Republican Party.

Mr. Trump has also been leaking support in the western part of the state, long a Republican stronghold, and home to a heavily religious Protestant electorate. Two years ago in the governors race, Gretchen Whitmer won populous Kent County, which includes Grand Rapids, a typically Republican area in Western Michigan that had voted for Mr. Trump. Representative Fred Upton, a Republican representing the southwestern corner of the state, won re-election by less than five points in 2018, the narrowest margin of his career.

The pollster Bernie Porn, whose firm, EPIC-MRA, conducts surveys on behalf of The Detroit Free Press, said that it had found that respondents in Western Michigan registered a drop in approval for Mr. Trump after his photo op in front of St. Johns Church in Washington. But he added that Mr. Trumps recent emphasis on crime and safety had resonated there in ways it didnt elsewhere, helping the president recover some support in the most recent Free Press poll.

Some of the messaging that Trump is using in terms of crime in the cities  that is starting to take effect, Mr. Porn said.
The farmers agitation in Punjab against the passage of the three agriculture bills in Parliament is set to intensify in the coming days. Here is the line of action to mount pressure on the Centre to revoke the legislation.

September 19: Ten farmers groups, including Left-backed organisations, factions of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) and Kul Hind Kisan Sabha are meeting in Ludhiana to chalk out the course of action.

Hundreds of farmers have already been protesting for the last four days by taking out a march in tempos, buses, tractor-trailers and two-wheelers.

The Kisan Sangharsh Committee laid a three-day siege to three bridges on the Beas and Sutlej rivers in Punjabs Majha belt.

In Malwa, farmers organisations are holding dharnas, blocking traffic, taking out protest marches at various places.

September 24: The KSC, which has a support base in Amritsar and Tarn Taran districts, has announced a rail roko (rail blockade) protest on September 24. The agitation will be launched in Amritsar and Ferozepur districts next Thursday.

September 25: Farmer organisations will observe a statewide shutdown in protest against the passage of the three bills. Market labour and commission agents will join the farmers stir during the Punjab Bandh.

The KSC and Sikh organizations, which gathered at Akal Takht, the supreme temporal seat of the Sikhs, on Thursday announced support the bandh call.

September 26: The rail roko protest will be carried out in Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Pathankot, Jalalabad and Tarn Taran districts. No train will be allowed to ply by farmers through these districts.

During the rail roko andolan (rail blockade agitation), KSC activists will burn effigies of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre in villages.

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More than 1 GW of subsidized small solar arrays were installed in China last month alone and manufacturer Suntech has announced the start of operations at its 500 MW Indonesian cell and module fab.According to figures released by China's National Energy Administration, small scale PV systems with a combined generation capacity of 1,016 MW were grid-connected in August alone. Some 3,949 MW of such arrays have been installed in the first eight months of the year, leaving a little over 2 GW before this year's 6 GW incentives cap for small systems is reached. The provinces of Shandong - which added ...

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/TAIPEI: China began combat drills near the Taiwan Strait on Friday, the same day a senior U.S. official began high-level meetings in Taipei, as Beijing denounced tightening ties between Chinese-claimed Taiwan and the United States.

Beijing has watched with growing alarm the ever-closer relationship between Taipei and Washington, and has stepped up military exercises near the island, including two days of mass air and sea drills last week.

Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Ren Guoqiang said Fridays drills, about which he gave no details, were taking place near the Taiwan Strait and involved the Peoples Liberation Armys eastern theatre command.

They are a reasonable, necessary action aimed at the current situation in the Taiwan Strait and protecting national sovereignty and territorial integrity," Ren said.

Taiwan is a purely internal Chinese affair that brooks no foreign interference, he added.

Recently the United States and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities have stepped up their collusion, frequently creating disturbances," Ren said, referring to Taiwans ruling party.

Trying to use Taiwan to control China" or rely on foreigners to build oneself up" is wishful thinking and doomed to be a dead end, he added.

Those who play with fire will get burnt," he said.

Taiwans government did not immediately respond.

Chinas announcement came as U.S. Undersecretary for Economic Affairs Keith Krach began the first full day of his visit to Taiwan in a low-key way, with no open media events on his agenda.

He is due to meet President Tsai Ing-wen later in the day, and on Saturday will attend a memorial service for late President Lee Teng-hui.

China had threatened to make a necessary response" to the trip, straining already poor ties between Beijing and both Taipei and Washington. Sino-U.S. relations have plummeted ahead of Novembers U.S. presidential election.

Chinese fighter jets briefly crossed the mid-line of the Taiwan Strait last month as the U.S. Health Secretary Alex Azar was in Taipei, and last week China carried out two days of large-scale drills off Taiwans southwestern coast.

The United States, like most countries, only has official ties with China, not Taiwan, though is the islands main arms supplier and most important international backer.

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 former head of the William Tyrrell investigation, Gary Jubelin, has lost an appeal against criminal convictions for illegally recording conversations with a person of interest in the case.

But the ex-detective on Friday said he couldn't live with himself if he hadn't 'gone hard' in the search for the missing toddler.

Jubelin said outside Parramatta District Court court that he was 'disappointed' with the result but urged for investigations into the child's 2014 disappearance to continue.

'The court says that I went too hard to find out what happened to William Tyrrell ... (but) I couldn't live with myself if I did anything less,' Jubelin said.

Gary Jubelin (above, on Friday) showed 'no remorse' for illegally recording a one-time person of interest in the William Tyrrell investigation, a District Court judge said

William Tyrrell (left) vanished from his foster grandmother's home in Kendall on September 12, 2014, aged three and has never been found. Jubelin illegally recorded Paul Savage (right), a one-time person of interest in the investigation who has consistently denied any role in the boy's disappearance

'I stand by what I did. Obviously I'm disappointed, but I'll leave it at that.

'Sadly, we still don't know what happened to William Tyrrell.'

Tyrrell's disappearance is one of Australia's most enduring investigations into a missing child.

The three-year-old, dressed in a Spiderman suit, vanished from his foster grandmother's home on the NSW mid-north coast on September 12, 2014.

'I do not accept... that (Jubelin) recorded the conversations to protect his lawful interests Judge Anthony Townsend

Jubelin was the head of Strike Force Rosann, the dedicated unit for finding the missing boy, for most of its existence.

The NSW detective resigned from the police force last year after allegations of misconduct had him removed from the Tyrrell case in March.

Following a 10-day hearing this year, Jubelin was found guilty in April of illegally recording four conversations with Paul Savage in 2017 and 2018, and fined $10,000.

Mr Savage had lived on the same NSW mid-north coast street as then-three-year-old William when he went missing in September 2014.

He became a person of interest in the case but has consistently denied any role in the boy's kidnapping, and nor is he a current focus of the police investigation.

Jubelin's lawyer Margaret Cunneen SC told the District Court the veteran cop did not breach the elderly man's privacy during the first three phone recordings, because the NSW Supreme Court had already issued warrants that allowed police to install listening devices in his home.

The fourth tape was made in December 2018 when Mr Savage invited Jubelin into his home after the warrants had expired.

But the Crown argued that acquitting the high-profile former detective could entitle every police officer to bypass the law around listening devices.

A visibly disappointed Jubelin was flanked by supporters outside the Parramatta District Court today after losing his appeal

Jubelin supporters Mark and Faye Leveson - the parents of the late Matthew Leveson - attended court in western Sydney on Friday

John Bowers, representing the Crown, said the recordings were part of an ongoing investigation and were made for operational reasons.

'In those circumstances, there's no room for him to rely on the defence that he had to make them because it was reasonably necessary to protect his personal lawful interests,' Bowers told the District Court in August.

Judge Antony Townsden today dismissed Jubelin's appeal.

'In a democratic society, those placed in a position of authority have an obligation to exercise their power lawfully,' Judge Townsden told the court.

'This, the appellant failed to do.'

The judge also said the offender, despite showing prior good character, had shown 'no remorse' and maintained his innocence throughout the proceeding.

'I do not accept... that (Jubelin) recorded the conversations to protect his lawful interests,' he said.
She is the latest star preparing to welcome a Love Island baby.

And Camilla Thurlow is certainly getting excited about the arrival of her child with her co-star Jamie Jewitt as she took to Instagram on Thursday.

The former bomb disposal expert, 31, who starred in the third series of the show, posed for a pretty snap and lamented the size of her underwear.

Bumping along nicely! Camilla Thurlow is certainly getting excited about the arrival of her child with her co-star Jamie Jewitt as she took to Instagram on Thursday

Camilla was radiant in the picture as she smiled at the camera and showed the rising hem on her top around her growing stomach.

Revealing she's in her 35th week, she penned a caption reading: 'The tops are getting shorter, the leggings are getting higher, the ankles are getting bigger... and don't even get me started on the size of the underwear #35weeks'.

Clearly as excited as his girlfriend, Jamie wrote: 'So close!!!'

Camilla's post comes after she admitted there have been 'ups and downs' with her pregnancy, but that she's 'very happy' while talking to Andi Peters on Lorraine.

Ha! Revealing she's in her 35th week, she penned a caption reading: 'The tops are getting shorter, the leggings are getting higher, the ankles are getting bigger... and don't even get me started on the size of the underwear #35weeks', while Jamie also commented

New: Camilla has written a book called Not The Type: Finding My Place in the Real World - a memoir about finding courage at work and in her personal life. Pictured with Andi Peters

The star also discussed struggling to open up to people after working as an explosive ordnance disposal specialist in Afghanistan and Cambodia.

She said: 'The biggest part of it is about the work I did with the [charity] Halo Trust.

'Before Love Island that was the work I liked doing and I was lucky enough to travel to Afghanistan and Cambodia, and during that time I learned a huge amount.

Something for herself: Camilla was approached to go on Love Island at a time when she said she was 'struggling' after returning from Afghanistan

'As I travelled across several different countries, it changed in different places, but the work was majority in landmine clearance.

'You might clear land that can then be used for people to farm land for food for their family. Every country had different challenges, but it was an amazing experience.'

Camilla has written a book called Not The Type: Finding My Place in the Real World

The memoir is not just about finding the courage to go out and deal with lethal threats at work, but the courage to confront one's own fears and anxieties.
Washington: The US has imposed sanctions on two Lebanon-based companies and a man described as an official with the Lebanese militant group and political party Hezbollah, which it considers an Iran-backed terrorist organisation.

The new restrictions come as a senior US State Department official accused Hezbollah operatives of moving ammonium nitrate from Belgium to France, Greece, Italy, Spain and Switzerland for terrorism purposes.

A helicopter drops water following a large explosion at the Port of Beirut in Beirut, Lebanon, on August 4. Credit:Bloomberg

Ammonium nitrate is a chemical compound commonly used as a fertiliser, but it can be used to make explosives. It can also be dangerous in storage, as demonstrated by the huge explosion last month in the Lebanese capital of Beirut.

Nathan Sales, the State Department coordinator for counter-terrorism, said without offering evidence that the US believed Hezbollah has since 2012 transported the chemical around Europe in first aid kits with cold packs that contain the compound. The US believes these supplies are still in place throughout Europe, possibly in Greece, Italy and Spain.
While analysts have criticized the rushed procedure in which the impeachment proceeding was initiated within hours of the audios release, many agreed that the president owes Peruvians an explanation. Vizcarra didnt delve into details in his statement Friday, though he did point to inconsistencies in statements by a former aide who made the audios and said the only proven misconduct is having been illicitly recorded.
Dominic Raab's bodyguard sparked a police scramble at Heathrow airport after leaving his loaded, semi-automatic Glock 19 pistol on the seat of a plane.

The alarm was raised by a cleaner after she found the unattended weapon in its holster on board the United Airlines jet from Washington DC before officers descended on the scene.

But they were eventually stood down after realising the gun belonged to a protection officer assigned to the Foreign Secretary who had been in the US to discuss the issues of Brexit and Northern Ireland with political leaders.

The Metropolitan Police have since confirmed that the security officer has been suspended from operational firearms duties pending an investigation.

Dominic Raab's bodyguard sparked a police scramble at Heathrow airport after leaving his loaded, semi-automatic Glock 19 pistol on the seat of a plane

The United Airlines flight landed at Heathrow's Terminal 2 shortly before 6.30am yesterday.

'The protection officer began sorting out passports and preparing to escort Mr Raab off the flight,' a source told The Sun.

'For whatever reason, he took off his holster with the loaded Glock pistol inside and laid it on the seat.

'The officer then went off with the Foreign Secretary, leaving the gun behind. The cleaners came on and one of them found the gun in its holster.

'She was understandably shocked and called for help and police were called.'

The alarm was raised by a cleaner after she found the unattended weapon (stock image) in its holster on board the jet from Washington DC before officers descended on the scene

The United Airlines flight (stock image) landed at Heathrow's Terminal 2 shortly before 6.30am earlier today

Nick Aldworth, a former chief superintendent at Met Police, told Radio 4 the incident was 'embarrassing'.

He said this morning: 'The police are here to protect the public from harm, clearly leaving a dangerous firearm in the public domain where anybody could possibly pick it up is embarrassing and falling into the wrong hands clearly does present harm.

'However we're very fortunate that in this case and others, that hasn't happened, the recovery of the firearm has been very quick.

He added: 'It's not common but it does happen.

'It happens because human beings are in the system, and human beings operate under an enormous amount of stress sometimes, particularly when they're managing armed operations or are in the middle of an armed operation.

'This appears to be an unfortunate lapse in concentration for which this officer will pay a price in their career, in as much as they've been removed from operational duties, which is something they probably love doing and sadly will no longer be able to do.'

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police told MailOnline: 'We are aware of the incident on a flight into the UK on Friday, 18 September and we are taking this matter extremely seriously.

'The officer involved has since been removed from operational duties whilst an internal investigation into the circumstances is taking place.'

Civil Aviation Authority rules allow UK police to carry firearms on board in 'specific, controlled circumstances'.

The Foreign Office has been contacted for comment.

Earlier this year, one of David Cameron's security officers was suspended after he also left his gun, believed to be a 9mm Glock 17, in a toilet on board an aircraft.

It had been found along with Mr Cameron's passport and that of his bodyguard.

A terrified passenger handed the stash to flight attendants on board the British Airways scheduled service from New York to London with take-off delayed by an hour because of the commotion.

The officer was later removed from operational duties and is expected to face disciplinary action and an investigation by the force's Directorate of Professional Standards.

Earlier this year, one of David Cameron's bodyguards was suspended after he also left his gun, believed to be a 9mm Glock 17, in a toilet on board an aircraft. Pictured: The former PM on board a flight in 2010

Speaking at the time of the incident, a passenger said: 'A guy started to show pictures on his phone of a gun and two passports  one was David Cameron's  he said he found it in the toilet. 'They were just resting on the side by the sink.

'He was stunned by what he saw. Later the man pointed out the bodyguard as he came through our section.

'He was dressed casually, in jeans and a black and grey striped top.'

Mr Raab had been in Washington to meet politicians threatening to block a UK-US trade deal if Boris Johnson breaks international law during the Brexit deal.

The Prime Minister wants to introduce measures in new British legislation that would allow ministers to unpick part of the Withdrawal Agreement he signed last year relating to Northern Ireland's status.

Earlier this week, a No10 spokesman defended the bill, telling reporters: 'The PM has been clear throughout that we are taking these steps to precisely make sure that the Belfast Agreement is upheld in all circumstances and any harmful defaults do not inadvertently come into play.

'We continue to remain absolutely committed to no hard border and no border infrastructure between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland and we will continue to engage with our US partners on a bipartisan basis to ensure that our positions are understood.'
Whisky guru Jim Murray

Mithuna, from the Paul John distillery in Goa, has made it to the top three in Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2021, topped by Beam Suntorys Canadian Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye.

This is the first time a South Asian whisky has occupied the top slots in over a decade.

Murray described the Indian whisky as the feeling after you have just made love.

Murray reportedly delished the whiskys sensational chocolate and spices complexity, which earned the liquor 97 marks out of 100.

Mithuna, which is the second expression in Paul Johns Zodiac series, will be released in November 2020. It was named after the Indian name for the zodiac sign Gemini.

The brand describes Mithuna whisky as a nose of liquorice with gentle beeswax, ulmo honey on crisp toast and vanilla. The palate brings chewy flavours of coffee mocha, orange peel and delicate spice, along with a hint of dark cocoa.

Praising Mithuna high and low, Murray said this is a whisky to devour while it devours you.

Elated at being named as one of the worlds finest, Paul P John, chairman and managing director of John Distilleries, said the honour conferred upon an Indian whisky has proven that the country produces liquour better than international whiskies.

The whisky writer has declared Canadian Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye as the World Whisky of the Year for 2021. The whisky famously draws its waters from the Rocky Mountains.

The Spirit Business quoted Jim Murray describing it as something to truly worship.

He added: A succulence to the oils, balanced perfectly by ulmo and manuka honeys ensure for the most chewable Canadian mouthful possibly ever and yet this is constantly salivating, from the very first nanosecond. Truly world-class whisky from possibly the worlds most underrated distillery. How can something be so immense yet equally delicate?

Notably, the Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye had previously been named Canadian Whisky of the Year by Murray in 2006, 2007, 2008, and in 2009.

The second place was taken by American whiskey Stagg Jr Barrel Proof (64.2 percent abv), while Paul John Mithuna was his third choice.

The renowned and influential whisky writer tasted 1,252 new drams for the 2021 edition of the Whisky Bible.

Whisky Guru Jim Murray releases his Whisky Bible every year, which lists the bottlings that have secured top marks across categories such as Japanese, blended Scotch, and European.

Last year, all the three top spots were taken by American whiskies, all of which hailed from one producer  Sazerac. Their 1792 Full Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon had been named the worlds best whisky 2020 by Murray.
Fairview Heights facility will increase access to abortions FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS  Hoping to make abortion care more accessible, a facility near St. Louis is set...

One hurt in Friday crash ALTON  One person was hurt in a Friday evening accident in Alton. At about 5 p.m. Friday, Alton...

Sheriffs department emergency appropriations deferred EDWARDSVILLE  The emergency appropriation of approximately $153,000 for the Madison County...
Its a compulsion I cant quite explain, says Atul Sharma, a software engineer in Delhi. But hang on, he can.

Somewhere in me, there is a void only a shoe can fill, he says. The 40-year-old owns 150 pairs of sneakers (and another 40 pairs of leather shoes). Over 15 years, hes spent lakhs on this collection. One room in his rented 3BHK in Noida is dedicated to these soles.

Around the world, sneakerheads  people who spend lakhs on limited-edition sneakers that they may not ever wear  now exist in such large numbers that companies are making larger and larger batches of limited-edition kicks just to cater to them. A prime example is the Adidas Yeezy Boost series designed in collaboration with rapper Kanye West; new versions have been released every year since 2015. In India, prices for these start at Rs 20,000.

Sneakerhead-edness is the triumph of want over need. But where does that come from? And why kicks?

Going back to that void that only a shoe can fill, Sharma talks about how, as a young man growing up in Meerut, he dreamed of someday making it. And the people around him who had made it invariably had really good shoes.

If someone was wearing a nice pair of shoes that would always catch my attention. I wanted to be on the other side of that, he says. This feeling intensified when work took him to New York State in 2006.

Its exactly like the stock market, value based on perception. And when you have the right shoes, you feel like you belong, Sharma says.

That feeling led Sharma to set up Instagram page Sneaker Talk India, and a meet-up called Delhi Kicks Xchange in 2017, both platforms on which sneakerheads meet, flaunt their shoes and sometimes swap. Sharma says he would never swap; his shoes mean too much to him, he says, are too much a part of his identity, to just hand over.

And when something becomes part of your identity, how do you stop? Thats why no collector ever arrives at the point where their collection is complete. When people tell me Im obsessed, I tell them Ive gone from buying 25 pairs a year to 11 so Im definitely slowing down.

Its affected his savings and even caused credit-card debt, Sharma admits. But now he well and truly is on the other side of the divide. Hes worked to become one of the haves. The soles have given him such confidence that when Sharmas boss asked him, a few years ago, to wear leather shoes to a meeting, he refused. This is me I told him.

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By PTI

COLOMBO: The Sri Lankan government's proposed 20th Constitution Amendment Bill would be placed on Parliament's order book on September 22, a senior official said on Friday, ending speculation that 20A's presentation would be delayed amidst internal resistance from within the ruling party led by the powerful Rajapaksa family.

The government on September 2 gazetted 20A, the new proposed legislation that would replace the 19th Amendment introduced in 2015 that curtailed the powers of the President and strengthened the role of Parliament.

The 19A was seen as the most progressive pro-democracy reformist move since Sri Lanka came to be governed under the all-powerful executive presidency in 1978. It depoliticised the government administration by ensuring the independence of key pillars such as the judiciary, public service and elections.

The 20th Amendment proposes to restore full legal immunity to the President, removing the provisions made in the 19A to take legal action against the President. "The proposed 20A is to be placed on Parliament's order book on September 22," Parliament's Secretary-General Dhammika Dasanayake said.

The proposed legislation faced internal resistance from within a faction of the ruling Sri Lanka People's Party (SLPP) parliamentary group itself, following which Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa appointed a 9-member ministerial committee to review it.

"The bill will be submitted in Parliament soon. Anyone can challenge it in court thereafter and anyone wanting changes to it can do so at the committee stage (in parliament)," Keheliya Rambukwella, who is the minister of information and also the spokesperson for the government, said.

"Once the draft would be placed in the order book, interested parties are allowed a week from then to petition the Supreme Court. The court's determination would be sent to Parliament within a further 2 weeks," he said.

Ever since the government gazetted the 20A, some of the ruling SLPP's own parliamentarians and the party's allies have been publicly expressing unhappiness over its certain provisions, party members said.

If the 20A is implemented in its present form, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa will be the hardest-hit as his current powers as the premier would be diminished with his younger brother and the President, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, assuming full executive power, they said.

Moreover, Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is also a two-time president, will not be able to contest for the presidential election again as the two-term bar has been retained in the 20A draft, the party members said.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa outlined his commitment to abolish the 19th Amendment during his ceremonial address to Parliament last month. The 19A Amendment adopted in 2015 by the then reformist government was subject to much criticism by the powerful Rajapaksa clan as it prevented dual citizens from contesting elections.

At the time, two of the Rajapaksa family members, including the current president, were dual citizens of the US and Sri Lanka. Gotabaya Rajapaksa had to renounce his US citizenship to contest the presidential election in November last.

His younger brother and SLPP founder and its National Organiser, Basil Rajapaksa, is a dual citizen of the US and Sri Lanka. There are five from the Rajapaksa family already in the government.

During the August 5 general election, the SLPP sought two thirds parliamentary mandate or 150 seats in the 225-member assembly to effect constitutional changes, the foremost of them was the move to abolish the 19A.

The SLPP and allies won 150 seats and have a two-thirds majority to affect the constitutional change they desire.

While Gotabaya Rajapaksa was elected as the Sri Lankan President in November last year, his eldest brother Mahinda Rajapaksa won the general election and assumed charge as Prime Minister on August 9.
The Rockville, Md., artist often encases her creations in square wooden boxes, as if to give the rectangular the last word in a lively dialogue between curves and straight lines. But this selection includes four silk scarf sculptures whose fabric-like drape has an appealing sensuousness. Also relatively new in Abramss repertoire is a series dubbed Progressions, in which contrasting hues are contained in repeated shapes rather than flowing freely. These are flatter and less sculptural, yet just as eye-catching. Even when the clay curls more gently, the vibrant colors provide a sense of motion.
Perhaps no figure gets more attention in conspiracy circles than George Soros, the billionaire investor and Democratic donor. For years, he has been cast as an anticonservative villain by a loose network of activists and political figures on the right. And in recent months, he has become a convenient boogeyman for misinformation artists who have falsely claimed that he funds spontaneous Black Lives Matter protests as well as antifa, the decentralized and largely online, far-left activist network that opposes President Trump.

Mr. Soros popped up again on Friday, this time with an unusual twist: a claim that Fox News, a channel that regularly airs criticism of Mr. Soros, was working to hide his influence.

The No. 1 post among public Facebook pages on Friday morning was an article about Mr. Soros published by the far-right website Breitbart. The article said Fox News had attempted to silence Newt Gingrich, the former Republican House speaker, on a show that aired Wednesday when Mr. Gingrich brought up Mr. Soross role in supporting local prosecutors in elections.

On the show, Mr. Gingrich claimed that the main cause of violence at the recent Black Lives Matter protests was the George Soros-elected, left-wing, anti-police, pro-criminal district attorneys who refuse to keep people locked up.
Three juveniles, who were on the run after stabbing a 19-year-old man to death due to old rivalry, have been arrested, the police said on Friday.

The friends of the deceased had helped identify the accusedGaurav, alias Goru, Harsh, alias Nati, and Raman Chadda, all residents of Dadumajra Colony. Gaurav is a relative of a former BJP mayor.

After committing the crime on Wednesday night, the trio had left for Ludhiana on an auto-rickshaw. They, however, returned to the city after police started raiding their possible hideouts in Ludhiana, and were arrested on Thursday night at around 11pm.

ALSO READ: Trio on the run after stabbing 19-year-old man to death in Dadumajra Colony

Police said the deceased, Karan, and the accused had been at loggerheads since 2018. The juveniles are illiterate and used to pick fights to spread fear in the locality, said Chiranji Lal, station house officer, Maloya police station.

The trio were booked under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code.
RS chairman Venkaiah Naidu breaks down over oppn ruckus, equates it to 'sacrilege'

Om Birla says it pained him that Lok Sabha did not run smoothly during Monsoon session

Lok Sabha adjourned after Opposition uproar over Anurag Thakurs Nehru-Gandhi remarks

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Sep 18: The Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 5 pm on Friday after Opposition was irked and demanded apology from Anurag Thakur over his remarks on Gandhi Family.

As many opposition leaders criticised PM CARES fund during discussion on The Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation and Amendment of Certain Provisions) Bill.

Thakur "threatened to expose" those in the Gandhi family who benefited from the PM National Relief Fund.

"Opposition opposing PM Cares Fund, just for the sake of it, is like they opposed EVMs & then lost many elections. "They subsequently termed Jan Dhan, demonetisation, Triple Talaq and GST bad. They find defect in everything, truth is their intention is defected," said MoS Finance Anurag Thakur.

"PM-CARES Fund is a public charitable trust which has been set up for the people of India. You (Opposition) created trusts for Gandhi family. Nehru and Sonia Gandhi have been members of PM's National Relief Fund. There should be a debate on this," he added.

Thakur accused Gandhi family of 'cheating' public by accumulating money in trusts under different names.

Monsoon Session Day 5: Ruckus in Lok Sabha as FM Sitharaman tables tax bill

"Nehru ji ordered the creation of Prime Minister's National Relief Fund in 1948 like a royal order but its registration has not been done even till today. How did it get FCRA clearance?" Thakur asked.

After Akali Dal now JJP's Dushyant Chautala under pressure over farm bills row | Oneindia News

A bill to give effect to various compliance relief measures for taxpayers, including extending time limits for filing returns and linking PAN with Aadhaar, was introduced in Lok Sabha today.

The bill seeks to replace the Taxation and other Laws (Relaxation of Certain Provisions) Ordinance, 2020, issued in March.
Review at a glance









I ts a tale as old as time: two somewhat unfocused pals try to unite the world via a cultural artefact and, instead of buckling under the pressure, succeed. Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon, the best friends who wrote the screenplays for sci-fi comedies Bill & Teds Excellent Adventure and Bill & Teds Bogus Journey, penned this threequel. Theyve been fretting over it for almost a decade, and though much of the dialogue is scatter-shot and lazy, it barely matters. Dean Parisots film, already going great guns in the US, has an excellent third act and a final montage thats so non-bogus it made me shed tears.

Most Brits know something about Californian slackers Bill and Ted (Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves). Even clueless non-fans are familiar with the catchphrases. My dad assumed the whole thing was a Fast Show spin-off (Theyve made a film about Ralph and Ted? Thats nice!) Having been put straight, he sighed, O, THOSE two. Most rubbish!

Anyway, Bill and Ted, now middle-aged, married suburbanites, have spawned twentysomethings, Thea and Billie (Samara Weaving and Brigette Lundy-Paine), who are also music-mad layabouts, but somewhat less berk-ish.

In the new film, dads and daughters approach the same mission from a different angle. Bill and Ted have been trying, for years, to write a song that will put everyone on the same page. Now they learn they have 78 minutes to do so or reality will unravel. Of course. Quick-thinking Thea and Billie go back in time to form a super-group that includes Jimi Hendrix and a cavewoman. Meanwhile, Bill and Ted put their efforts into stealing the perfect song from their future selves.

Bill And Ted Face The Music - in pictures 1 /17 Bill And Ted Face The Music - in pictures Bill And Ted Face The Music Patti Perret/Most Excellent Productions, LLC Bill And Ted Face The Music Patti Perret/Most Excellent Productions, LLC Bill And Ted Face The Music Patti Perret/Most Excellent Productions, LLC Bill And Ted Face The Music Patti Perret/Most Excellent Productions, LLC Bill And Ted Face The Music Patti Perret/Most Excellent Productions, LLC Bill And Ted Face The Music Patti Perret/Most Excellent Productions, LLC Bill And Ted Face The Music Patti Perret/Most Excellent Productions, LLC Bill And Ted Face The Music Patti Perret/Most Excellent Productions, LLC Bill And Ted Face The Music Patti Perret/Most Excellent Productions, LLC Bill And Ted Face The Music Patti Perret/Most Excellent Productions, LLC Bill And Ted Face The Music Patti Perret/Most Excellent Productions, LLC Bill And Ted Face The Music Patti Perret/Most Excellent Productions, LLC Bill And Ted Face The Music Patti Perret/Most Excellent Productions, LLC

Reeves has always inspired lust and his career resurgence, post-John Wick, suggests he is still viewed as hot stuff. To be honest, as present-day Ted, hes resistible (its something about his lanky dark hair, which sits oddly against his vaguely frozen face; as he galumphs around, he could be a lead-booted version of the Child Catcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang). His future selves, whether naughty or nice, are more appealing. Ironically, its when hes allowed to look debauched and decrepit that his gorgeousness shines through.

Weaving and Lundy-Paine are totally delightful, somehow convincing as chilled youngsters who take no drugs. Though squeaky clean, they never come across as Disney Channel-esque moppets. It was an especially smart move to cast the non-binary Lundy-Paine as Billie. Thanks to the hair/make-up/costume department, the latter resembles cool and crafty rock icon, King Princess.

Best of all though is William Sadlers Death. First seen in Bogus Journey, this neurotic grim reaper has a Czech accent, defiantly forlorn body-language, plays bass like a man whos listened to a lot of Pixies and is a fount of wisdom (tambourine is not as easy as it looks). The plot gains momentum from the second Death shows up. As time starts to fly, words heard early on (Sometimes things dont make sense until the end of the story) prove entirely prophetic.

In cinemas
World Food Programme chief warns famine possible in up to three dozen countries, decries situation in Yemen and DRC.

A lethal mix of conflict, climate change and the coronavirus pandemic is pushing millions of people around closer to starvation, the World Food Programme (WFP) chief has warned, urging wealthier nations and billionaires to help ensure their survival.

David Beasley told the UN Security Council on Thursday that famine was possible in up to three dozen countries and could overwhelm places already weakened by conflict.

He cited the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) where violence has increased and instability has already forced 15.5 million people near starvation. He also said a lack of funding has forced cutbacks in assistance to feed people in war-ravaged Yemen.

Meanwhile, in Nigeria and South Sudan, millions of more people have become food insecure because of the pandemic, he added.

Beasley said the response to a warning five months ago of a potential hunger pandemic had averted famine but said more was needed to help the 270 million people marching toward the brink of starvation.

Those who have most must step up

The WFP needs $4.9bn to feed 30 million people who already rely solely on the UN programme for food to survive and will die without its assistance for a year.

Its time for those who have the most to step up, to help those who have the least in this extraordinary time in world history, Beasley said.





Worldwide, there are over 2,000 billionaires with a net worth of $8 trillion, the former South Carolina governor said, noting reports that some of the wealthiest Americans have made billions upon billions during the pandemic.

According to the Business Insider, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, casino magnate Sheldon Adelson and others all saw their wealth increase by billions since the pandemic began.

I am not opposed to people making money, but humanity is facing the greatest crisis any of us have seen in our lifetimes, Beasley said.

Yemen urgency

The situation is particularly critical in Yemen, which already faces the worlds worst humanitarian catastrophe.

The UN estimates that three-quarters of Yemens population of 29 million depend on some form of aid for survival.

On Thursday, Kuwait announced it would donate $20m towards humanitarian aid for Yemen, two days after UN officials called the country for not honouring its pledges, according to diplomats cited by AFP news agency.

Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Ahmad Nasser al-Mohammad al-Sabah made the announcement during a videoconference meeting behind closed doors that was organised by Germany, Kuwait, Sweden and the United Kingdom. China, France, Russia, the United States and the European Union also participated.

Other countries announced aid pledges during the meeting, but details were not given, the diplomats said.





On Tuesday, UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, Mark Lowcock, warned the Security Council that the spectre of famine has returned in Yemen.

Several donors  including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, who have a particular responsibility, which they have discharged in recent years  have so far given nothing to this years aid plan, he said, in a rare direct rebuke of member states.

It is particularly reprehensible to promise money, which gives people hope that help may be on the way, and then to dash those hopes by simply failing to fulfil the promise.

Lowcock added: Continuing to hold back money from the humanitarian response now will be a death sentence for many families.

The internationally recognised government in Yemen has been battling the Houthi rebel group since 2014, when the rebels seized much of the north including the capital, Sanaa. A Saudi-led military coalition intervened on the side of the government the following year.

More than five years of war have claimed tens of thousands of lives, mostly civilians, and devastated the countrys infrastructure.

UN chief Antonio Guterres said on Thursday the conflict has reversed development in the impoverished country by decades and left state institutions at the verge of collapse.

Guterres added that despite initial expressions of support by the warring parties to his call on March 23 for a global ceasefire to deal with the pandemic, the conflict continues unabated and in recent weeks, conflict has unfortunately escalated.
The fifth storm to enter the East Sea this year is heading to the central region of Vietnam. (Photo: kttv.gov.vn)

Hanoi - Noul, the fifth storm to enter the East Sea this year, is gaining strength, heading to the central region of Vietnam and is expected to make landfall on September 18.



According to Mai Van Khiem, Director of the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, the storm would directly affect central provinces, especially Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue and Da Nang with wind speeds of 90-100 km per hour and sometimes hitting 135 km per hour.



Heavy rain will blanket the central provinces from September 17 afternoon to September 18 night, he said, warning about high risk of flash flood and landslides in the central region.



By 1 pm on September 16, the storms eye was about 680 km away to the south east of Hoang Sa (Paracel) with the strongest wind of 60-75 km per hour, sometimes reaching 90-100 km per hour. The storm is moving west-northwest.



Its expected that by 1pm on September 18, the storm eye will be on the waters close to provinces from Quang Binh to Quang Ngai with wind at the storm eye reaching 100-135 km per hour or more.



After making landfall in central provinces from Quang Binh to Da Nang on September 18 afternoon or evening, the storm would be weakened to become a tropical low pressure.



About 1am on September 19, the heart of the tropical low pressure is on the border area of Lao and Thailand with strongest wind reducing to 40-50 km per hour.



Meeting with ministries and agencies on Wednesday morning to make preparations, Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung raised alert levels, calling for active and timely actions to respond to the storms movements.



He asked localities, border guards and the transport sector to tighten control over the operation of fishing vessels and tourist ships at sea so the vessels/ships would avoid entering storm-affected areas and find safe shelter.



By 10am on September 16, border guards informed 285,384 people on 58,345 vessels about the storm and instructed them to keep away from possibly affected areas.



According to Border Guard Command, by September 17 morning, about 700 vessels were in the areas possibly affected by the storm. The number does not include vessels/boats/ships that are operating in coastal areas.



Dung asked localities to instruct vessels to head to shelters, ensure safety for human life and property, particularly assist people to move/reinforce aquaculture growing facilities as the central region was a hub of aquaculture production with high economic value in Vietnam.



Localities were also asked to have evacuation plans in place to ensure safety for people living in vulnerable areas like coastal areas, river mouths and landslide/flood-prone areas.



Anti-flood measures must be taken into account to protect urban areas and agriculture production.



The Deputy PM asked for review and promptly fix problems at dams and reservoirs of hydropower plants.



Now, many reservoirs in the central region are dry, so their operators must closely oversee and adjust the storage of water to ensure the reservoirs safety.



He assigned specific tasks to ministries and agencies, urging them to make use available resources for actively, effectively and timely responding to the storm.



Vice head of the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disasters Prevention and Control Tran Quang Hoai said that proper attention must be paid to reservoirs because damages were found at 55 reservoirs in the central region including 16 ones Thanh Hoa, ten in Nghe An, eight in Ha Tinh, 12 in Quang Binh, six in Quang Tri and three in Thua Thien-Hue.



Another 41 reservoirs are under construction and 99 locations along key sea dyke system from Thanh Hoa to Da Nang need to be protected when the storm makes landfall.



There are also 26 dyke works including 13 carried out on sea dyke system or rivers mouths are being built.
The Bono Regional Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwame Baffoe a.k.a Abronye DC says legalization of commercial motorbikes, popularly known as ''Okada'', will do more harm than good to those who patronize it.



According to him, Okada business poses a major risk and advised Ghanaians to reject the NDC's pledge to legalize okada business should the party come into power.



Speaking on UTV's "Adekye Nsroma" Abronye DC iterated that; We don't want you to complete school and take to Okada business. Now NABCO and University graduates are not important, therefore when I come I will cancel it and legalize okada for all graduates to be on the streets againthis is what NDC is preaching. Was he (John Mahama) not the same Mahama who passed the law to cancel okada business in the country, so what has now changed if not that he is desperate for power?



''We can have a better alternative and we will give you a better option, he told Ghanaians.

Source: Josephine Acheampomaa/[email protected]









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President Donald Trump said Friday the U.S. will manufacture at least 100 million coronavirus vaccine doses before the end of the year and have enough to inoculate every American by April.

"Hundreds of millions of doses will be available every month, and we expect to have enough vaccines for every American by April, and again I'll say even at that later stage, the delivery will go as fast as it comes," Trump said at a White House press briefing.

Pfizer and Moderna, front-runners in the race for a Covid-19 vaccine, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Trump's forecast is at odds with the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who said earlier this week that the U.S. wouldn't start vaccinating people until November or December at the earliest and the doses would be limited at first. CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield said a vaccine wouldn't be widely available until the summer or early fall of next year.

"If you're asking me when is it going to be generally available to the American public so we can begin to take advantage of vaccine to get back to our regular life, I think we're probably looking at third ... late second quarter, third quarter 2021," he told the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies on Wednesday.

Trump said Friday that "massive amounts" of the vaccine "will be delivered through our great military."

"We are again very advanced on the vaccine, we think that sometime in the very near future we'll have it," he said. "We're ... I would say, I think I can say, years ahead of schedule what it would be if it were an administration other than this one."

Trump's comments came two days after he said the U.S. government could start distributing a coronavirus vaccine as early as October. He said Redfield was mistaken when he said the vaccine wouldn't be widely available to the general public until next summer or early fall.

"I think he made a mistake when he said that. It's just incorrect information, and I called him, and he didn't tell me that, and I think he got the message maybe confused, maybe it was stated incorrectly," Trump said Wednesday. "We're ready to go immediately as the vaccine is announced, and it could be announced in October, it could be announced a little bit after October but once we go we're ready."

There are currently three drugmakers backed by the U.S. in late-stage testing for potential vaccines. Earlier this week, the CDC outlined a sweeping plan to make a vaccine free to all Americans if and when one is approved for public use.

Public health experts have previously said that most Americans likely won't get immunized with a coronavirus vaccine until the middle of next year.

Earlier this month, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released a draft proposal for distributing a vaccine in the U.S. if one is approved. The vaccine would be distributed in four phases, with health-care workers, the elderly and people with underlying health conditions getting vaccinated first. Essential workers, teachers and people in homeless shelters as well as people in prisons would be next on the list, followed by children and young adults.

Whichever vaccine is authorized by the Food and Drug Administration, it will likely be in short supply once it's cleared for public distribution, medical experts warn. The vaccine will likely require two doses at varying intervals, and states still face logistical challenges, such as setting up distribution sites and acquiring enough needles, syringes and bottles needed for immunizations.

Trump's comments are likely to add to concerns from infectious disease experts and scientists that the White House is pressuring U.S. regulators to approve a vaccine before it's been adequately tested.

Last week, Stephen Hahn, the head of the FDA, attempted to alleviate concerns about political pressure in the vaccine approval process.

He said he has "no intention" of overruling career scientists at the agency on an approval of a coronavirus vaccine even though he has the authority.

"I will be briefed as commissioner all along about this. I will have the opportunity to see the data," Hahn said during a virtual Q&A with the Economic Club on Sept. 10. "I can tell you throughout this pandemic, throughout my tenure as commissioner, I have not reversed a decision by the career scientists on medical products. And I have no intention of doing that now."

The U.S. is manufacturing Covid-19 vaccines "at risk," meaning the doses are currently being prepared and can be sent out immediately once they're approved by the FDA.

"All of that cuts months off," Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told STAT News in June, saying that the U.S. could have a "a significant number of doses" by December and the beginning of 2021.

Whether the vaccines will be effective against the coronavirus in clinical trials hasn't yet been proven, he said. "I think we could do it within the time frame that I've outlined. But there's no guarantee that it's going to be effective," Fauci said.
Plus: Aunt Becky heads to jail and workers at small businesses will get more family leave under a new law.

Happy Constitution Day! It's on this day that we commemorate the formation and signing of the United States Constitution in 1787.

I'm Winston Gieseke, philanthropy and special sections editor for The Desert Sun in sunny Palm Springs, and I'll be wrapping up your week with the latest headlines and goings-on in this great state of California.

In California brings you top Golden State stories and commentary from across the USA TODAY Network and beyond. Get it free, straight to your inbox.

Hazardous smoke closes Yosemite, other parks

Janeatte Breeding, left, and her husband Robert Breeding of Eldorado Hills take a selfie as smoke from the Creek Fire hangs in the background at Tunnel View in Yosemite National Park on Wednesday, September 9, 2020.

Yosemite National Park and neighboring Kings Canyon National Park will close Friday due to concerns over dangerous air quality, a result of the wildfires scorching Californias Sierra Nevada. Park officials said that both parks "will reopen to visitors when conditions improve, and it is safe for visitors and employees."

This week, several Yosemite visitors posted photos of orange-hued skies and falling ash. Sequoia National Park shut down Tuesday after the SQF Complex Fire made its way toward the park.

Over the weekend, strong winds and millions of dead trees across the southern Sierra Nevada caused the fire to spread rapidly. The Creek Fire in Fresno and Madera counties have burned 245,000 acres. The Creek Fire is currently the 16th largest wildfire in California's history and is at 18% containment, according to Cal Fire.

Residents of parts of Three Rivers, the Gateway to the Sequoias in Tulare County, have been issued mandatory evacuation orders and many rangers' homes have been affected, according to park officials. Sequoia, Sierra, Inyo and other national forests near the parks have been closed since Sept. 7, with closure orders recently extended to Sept. 21. Whether they re-open on that date will depend on the condition of the fires.

New evacuation warnings issued in Bobcat Fire

Story continues

The Bobcat Fire continues to burn in the Angeles National Forest on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020.

In other fire news, residents in the unincorporated area of Juniper Hills in the Antelope Valley outside Los Angeles were given an evacuation order this morning as the Bobcat Fire grew by about 2,000 acres while remaining only 3% contained, according to Forest Service officials.

The area around the Mount Wilson Observatory and the southwestern edge of the fire remained active as firefighters worked to protect the historic facility and the nearby broadcast towers valued at more than $1 billion. Observatory personnel were evacuated this morning.

On Tuesday, U.S. Forest Service reported that the blaze had gotten within 500 feet of the 116-year-old observatory. As of Wednesday, the fire, which started Sept. 6 in the Angeles National Forest near Azusa, had burned 44,393 acres.

As a show of appreciation for their efforts, officials from the Mount Wilson Observatory tweeted a photo of firefighters from nearby Monrovia with a caption reading: "Heroes dont wear capes. They wear personal protection equipment (PPE)."

Firefighters from Monrovia, Calif., pose in front of the historic Mount Wilson Observatory after working to protect the 116-year-old structure from the Bobcat Fire.

DNA used to ID wildfire victims in NorCal

A smoky, yellow hue caused by the Bear Fire is seen in Berry Creek, California on Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 9, 2020.

In Northern California, the wildfire death toll stood at 15 as of Wednesday night. Butte County Sheriff and Coroner Kory Honea said DNA testing was being used to positively ID victims and that of the remains found in the North Complex Fire outside Oroville, 12 have been identified.

In news conferences, Honea told of elderly Berry Creek residents John and Sandra Butler. Family members called the sheriff's office on Sept. 9 to say they had not heard from the couple, and that in their last communication, they had said they would seek refuge in a pond if the fire got close. Their bodies were later found near their residence.

Two additional people were found that day. One, 68-year-old Philip Rubel, was found inside a burned-up Toyota pickup, while the other, 77-year-old Millicent Catarancuic, was discovered down an embankment with her vehicle not far from Rubel's.

"After speaking with family members, it is believed the decedents were aware of the fire in their area. They had packed their belongings in preparation to evacuate but later decided not to evacuate based on erroneous information that the fire was 51% contained," Honea said.

Other identified victims include Jacob Albright, 72, and Randy Harrell, 67, both from Feather Falls, and Paul Winer, 68, Mark Delagardie, 61, Josiah Williams, 16, Khawar Bhatti, 58, and Jorge Hernandez-Juarez, 26, all from Berry Creek

"My condolences to all of the families of the people who I've identified," Honea said.

Also on the fire front: On Tuesday, Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris and Gov. Gavin Newsom visited an area outside of Fresno that had been devastated by wildfires, and Harris shared a photo on Twitter.

Today, a family who recognized the photo's backdrop as the remains of their home are accusing the pair of trespassing on the ruins for their own gain.

"Im incredibly grateful for the courage of our brave firefighters and those who have come near and far to help those fleeing the destruction," tweeted Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris on Sept. 15, 2020 after visiting a fire-ravaged area outside of Fresno with Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Trampas Patten posted on Facebook (punctuation his own): "For the friends of mine that dont recognize the fireplace in the background, that is what is left of my parents house! What has me really frustrated right now is the fact that these two politicians used my parents loss for a photo opportunity to push their political agenda! ... Decent human beings that have character and class, wouldnt air someone elses misfortune on national television! Think about this when you go to the polls in a few weeks to vote."

Harris has yet to comment on the situation.

No emergency training for crew of sunken dive boat

In this Sept. 2, 2019, file photo provided by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, the dive boat Conception is engulfed in flames after a deadly fire broke out aboard the commercial scuba diving vessel off the Southern California Coast. The crew aboard a Southern California scuba dive boat had not been trained on emergency procedures before the deadly fire broke out last year, killing 34 people in one of the state's deadliest maritime disasters, according to federal documents released Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020.

According to federal documents released Wednesday, surviving crew members from a dive boat that caught fire and sank over Labor Day weekend 2019 say they received no instructions on what to do in the case of an emergency.

Thirty-four people  33 passengers and one crew member  were asleep below deck when a fire of unknown origin broke out on the Conception as she was anchored off Santa Cruz Island, about 25 miles south of the boat's home port in Santa Barbara.

While none of the casualties had an opportunity to escape, the five surviving crew members, including Capt. Jerry Boylan, were saved by jumping into the water.

It remains one of California's deadliest maritime disasters.

One crew member, Ryan Sims, told investigators he had asked the captain to discuss emergency plans the day before the fire. Boylan reportedly replied: "When we have time."

Boylan could face federal manslaughter counts.

'Don't wait  vaccinate' says health department

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is urging Californians to get their annual flu shot now in order to prevent a "twindemic" of COVID-19 and seasonal influenza.

"Flu will be hitting your community soon, and in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in California, getting your flu vaccine will be more important than ever," said Dr. Erica Pan, acting state public health officer.

Here in California, flu activity generally begins in late November or December. CDPH recommends an annual flu vaccination for everyone six months of age and older as part of a comprehensive public health strategy to not only reduce the burden of flu but to preserve resources for patients battling COVID-19.

Aunt Becky heads to jail, the Presidio has a birthday, and more family leave

Lori Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli have agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy charges.

Aunt Becky will likely serve prison sentence in Victorville. Former "Full House" star Lori Loughlin, who was convicted alongside her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, was sentenced last month to two months in prison by Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton for her participation in the college admissions scandal. Today, it was reported that Gorton signed off on a recommendation that the actress "be designated to a facility closest to her home in [California], preferably the camp at FCI Victorville, if commensurate with the appropriate security level."

On this day in history: The Presidio of San Francisco was founded Sept. 17, 1776, by the Viceroyalty of New Spain. The former military base is now a 1,500-acre park.

Californians to get stronger family-leave protections: Beginning Jan. 1, Californians who work at smaller businesses will be required to get 12 weeks of unpaid time off to bond with a newborn or care for a sick relative, thanks to a new bill signed by Gov. Newsom.

In California is a roundup of news from across USA Today network newsrooms. Also contributing: Fox News, Los Angeles Times, msn.com, nbcnews.com, Sierra Sun Times.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bobcat Fire, El Dorado Fire, Yosemite, flu vaccinations, Victorville
{child_flags:editors_pick}Your ballots are ready to be marked

{child_byline}By Bill Wyatt

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The Henry County Registrars office is all dressed up for Friday, the first day of early voting for the 2020 election cycle.

You dont have to wait until 6 a.m. on Nov. 3 and possibly stand in a line under pandemic-defined conditions  delays for cleaning and 6 feet of spacing  to cast your ballot either in person or by mail.

You know that President Donald Trump is facing Democrat Joe Biden and Libertarian Jo Jorgensen on that ballot. Incumbent Senator Mark Warner (D) also is facing the challenge of Republican Daniel Gade. Some of you will choose a new representative in the 5th Congressional District.

Because their has been a lot of political rhetoric about the security and advisability of voting by mail, we thought you might have a few questions that we anticipate and answer.

How

is COVID-19 going to affect the process this year?

In Virginia, the early voting period begins today and runs until Saturday, Oct. 31. In order to vote early, you will need to go to your local registrars office and be sure to bring an acceptable form of ID. You will also have to follow the rules of the building you are visiting.

For instance at the Martinsville Municipal Building, you are required to wear a mask and maintain social distancing. When you enter the building, your temperature will be scanned, and you will need to complete a questionnaire. Once you are inside for in-person voting, only two people will be allowed in the public area of the registrars office at a time, and with the anticipated increase of absentee voting this year, dont be surprised if you will have to wait for a short time.

Its business as usual in Henry County, with the registrars offices open from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Protective shields are in place at the front desk. That office is experiencing higher call volumes with inquiries about where to vote, the status of registration, this years requirements and early voting.

Patrick County registrars offices are also operating as usual, with social distancing in place and increased cleaning of high contact areas.

Who is my local registrar?

If you live in Martinsville, its Cynthia Barbour. Her phone number is 276-403-5122 and her email is cbarbour@ci.martinsville.va.us. If you live in Henry County, its Elizabeth Stone. Her phone number is 276-638-5108 and her email is estone@co.henry.va.us. For Patrick County residents, your registrar is Susan Taylor. Her phone number is 276-694-7206 and her email is staylor@co.patrick.va.us.

Are

my local officials equipped to handle this years election during a pandemic?

In Martinsville the registrars offices are small with a limited number of staff and space available for conducting an election under normal conditions. This year the Electoral Board will be assisting with the mailing and absentee in-person voting, and the philosophy appears to be that  Many prayers and everyones patience, it will work.

Henry County has added additional staffing to assist with the process and mitigate the additional work involved with the increase in absentee ballot application processing.

Patrick County has increased their staff for this years election, and the registrar expressed confidence that her office is prepared to handle the new workload.

What hours are the polls open?

They are open from 6 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Nov. 3. As long as you are in line by 7 p.m., you will be able to vote. Curbside voting is available at polling locations for voters with special needs and social distancing and masks are recommended for those voting inside the polling area. But there are more early voting opportunities this year, and its easier to vote by mail.

Do I need to bring proof that I am registered to vote?

No, but you do need a qualifying ID. Acceptable forms of identification include: voter confirmation documents, Virginia drivers license, Virginia DMV-issued ID, U.S. passport, employer-issued ID, student ID issued by a community college or university in the U.S., U.S. or Virginia government-issued ID, tribal ID, Virginia voter photo ID card or a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check or paycheck.

What about the drop boxes?

The General Assembly passed legislation to set up drop boxes for absentee ballots, so they wont have to be mailed.

How many people are registered to vote this year?

In Martinsville, there are 8,700 registered voters.

In Henry County, voter registration has increased from about 35,000 to 36,000 since 2016.

Patrick County has 12,532 registered voters.

Ive heard there is a need for poll workers on Election Day?

Martinsville and Henry and Patrick counties are in need of additional poll workers and people willing to serve as alternates in case someone drops out at the last minute.

To be a poll worker in Henry County, you must attend training in October and agree to work at a designated precinct from 5 a.m to 9 p.m. on Election Day. If you want to help or have questions, call your registrar in Martinsville at 276-403-5122, in Henry County at 276-634-4697 or in Patrick County at 276-694-7206.

Bill Wyatt is a reporter for the Martinsville Bulletin, created these responses from interviews with Martinsville Registrar Cindy Barbour and Patrick County Registrar Susan Taylor. Henry County Registrar Elizabeth Stone deferred questions to Henry County Electoral Board Member Ellen Boone, who provided answers specific to Henry County. Information was also obtained from the Virginia Board of Elections. Additional information may be found at www.elections.virginia.gov/registration/election-voter-faq/.

{child_tagline}

Bill Wyatt, a reporter for the Martinsville Bulletin, created these responses from interviews with Martinsville Registrar Cindy Barbour and Patrick County Registrar Susan Taylor. Henry County Registrar Elizabeth Stone deferred questions to Henry County Electoral Board Member Ellen Boone, who provided answers specific to Henry County. Information was also obtained from the Virginia Board of Elections. Additional information may be found at www.elections.virginia.gov/registration/election-voter-faq/.

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{child_related_content}{child_related_content_item}{child_related_content_style}Bio Box{/child_related_content_style}{child_related_content_title}More election information{/child_related_content_title}{child_related_content_content}

More details about voting in Virginia, Page A7.

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Bill Wyatt, a reporter for the Martinsville Bulletin, created these responses from interviews with Martinsville Registrar Cindy Barbour and Patrick County Registrar Susan Taylor. Henry County Registrar Elizabeth Stone deferred questions to Henry County Electoral Board Member Ellen Boone, who provided answers specific to Henry County. Information was also obtained from the Virginia Board of Elections. Additional information may be found at www.elections.virginia.gov/registration/election-voter-faq/.
(Newser)  "I am a normal, un-brave person. I am also a part of history now," writes Molly Jong-Fast, an editor-at-large for the Daily Beast and "Patient 1133" in Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine trial. In a New York Times op-ed, Jong-Fast describes the pride she felt (well, after the anxiety attack) at receiving the injection her smart, educated friendsincluding an "Ivy League-educated doctor"wouldn't have gone near. "As someone who suffers from pretty significant anxiety about my health, I am, in theory, the last person who should ever do any medical trial at all." But "I lived through New York City in March and April. I saw the field hospital in Central Park. I watched in horror as refrigerator trucks were enlisted to handle morgue overflow," Jong-Fast writes. Somehow, that "made me the kind of person who enrolls in medical trials. There was something I could do to help stop all this."

story continues below

The public distrust of a vaccinejust 21% of Americans said they would accept a free vaccine as soon as possible, according to a CBS News pollonly "strengthened my resolve," she writes. "I have never felt myself to have a calling but all of a sudden, I felt like a middle-aged Joan of Arc," she writes. "I knew I had to do my part to help create a safe vaccine." Jong-Fast received the first of two doses at Yale New Haven Hospital in Connecticut on Sept. 8. Apart from a sore arm, "the main side effect has been the incredible sense of pride that I am now walking around with," she writes. She hopes others will be inspired to follow her lead. "Normal will come back a lot faster if Americans take the chance and stick their arms out for science," she writes. "Ask not what your country can do for you but what vaccine trial you can enroll in." (Read about her full experience here.)
Allentown, PA (18103)

Today

Partly cloudy and very cold. Near or below zero wind chills again late at night towards sunrise. .

Tonight

Partly cloudy and very cold. Near or below zero wind chills again late at night towards sunrise.
S tudents at St Andrews University are being urged to remain in their rooms as much as possible from 7pm on Friday to help curb the spread of coronavirus.

In a message to students on Friday, St Andrews principal Professor Sally Mapstone asked students to enter a voluntary weekend lockdown.

She warned the situation is "just as serious" as when the pandemic took hold in March.

Prof Mapstone said: It is now very clear that rates of Covid infection are surging again in various parts of this country, and it is very likely that we are very close to a form of further national lockdown.

The First Minister of Scotland has today spoken of the urgent need to interrupt the chain of transmission of the virus.

"In these circumstances, I am writing to all of our students to ask you to please observe a voluntary lockdown this weekend, effective from 7pm this evening.

"This means that I am asking you all to remain in your rooms as much as possible, not to party, not to go to bars or restaurants, and to avoid mixing with any groups outside your own households. Catering will continue as normal in halls of residence.

"I appreciate that this request will appear to some of you to be premature, but a hallmark of this pandemic has been that, as a society, we have acted too slowly in the past, and thousands of people have died unnecessarily as a result.

Coronavirus: Weekend Round-up before New Rule of Six - In pictures 1 /30 Coronavirus: Weekend Round-up before New Rule of Six - In pictures People sing and dance as they watch a street performer in Leicester Square PA General view of people enjoying a night out in Soho PA People have been warned against having a "party weekend" PA A former chief scientific adviser said the UK is "on the edge of losing control" of coronavirus PA People sing and dance as they watch a street performer in Leicester Square PA A group of friends enjoy the Autumn sunshine at a bar in Brighton PA Beachgoers pack the beach in Brighton AFP via Getty Images General view of people enjoying a night out in Soho PA General view of people enjoying a night out in Soho PA People sing and dance in Leicester Square REUTERS People gather in the Soho area REUTERS People dance in Leicester Square REUTERS People sing and dance in Leicester Square REUTERS People sing and dance in Leicester Square REUTERS Beachgoers pack the beach in Brighton i AFP via Getty Images People gather on Primrose Hill AFP via Getty Images People gather in the food market in Camden AFP via Getty Images People gather on Primrose Hill AFP via Getty Images People drink and dine at restaurants and cafes on Northcote Road Getty Images People gather on Primrose Hill AFP via Getty Images People drink and dine at restaurants and cafes on Northcote Road Getty Images People drink and dine at restaurants and cafes on Northcote Road Getty Images People attend a busking show in Leicester AP

"Early action saves lives, and we have an opportunity as one community to take action to protect ourselves, and those with whom we share this town.

"We acted swiftly in March when the pandemic first hit Fife, and the situation we face now is just as serious."

She said all planned events over the weekend should be postponed, including sports and social activity.

Prof Mapstone added: "I must stress that this is preemptive and proactive action. There is no evidence that the virus is surging in our community.

Covid-19: UK sees widespread growth in cases

"Rather it is because as a country we are now in a very fast-moving phase where early intervention is key, and hours make a difference."

She said the situation will be kept under review throughout the weekend.

Last Friday police were called to disperse a gathering of about 50 young people on a beach in the town.

The previous day, NHS Fife said two people with links to the university had tested positive for Covid-19.

They were said to be experiencing mild symptoms and self-isolating at home.

The health board said: "There is no evidence at this stage that the two cases are linked and the risk of onward transmission within the wider community is considered to be low.

"The likely source of infection in both cases is understood to have been as a result of close contact with confirmed cases outwith the Fife health board area."


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Voters in The Times poll, which was taken before Justice Ginsburgs death, said they trusted Mr. Biden more than Mr. Trump to fill a Supreme Court seat, by wide margins in Arizona and Maine and a slim plurality in North Carolina. A Supreme Court fight could be particularly challenging for Ms. Collins, who has already been facing considerable backlash for her vote in 2018 to approve Justice Brett M. Kavanaughs nomination.

The poll, conducted among likely voters, suggests that the most endangered Republican lawmakers have not managed to convince many voters to view them in more favorable terms than the leader of their party, who remains in political peril with less than 50 days remaining in the campaign. Democrats appear well positioned to gain several Senate seats, and most voters say they would prefer to see the White House and Senate controlled by the same party. But it is not yet clear that Democrats are on track to gain a clear majority, and their hopes outside the races tested in the poll largely depend on winning in states Mr. Trump is likely to carry.

In the swing states, Mr. Trump is still lagging across the board. The Times has polled seven presidential battlegrounds in the last two weeks, and the president has not led in any of them, and in no state did he amass more than 44 percent of the vote. Though he has repeatedly tried to shift the focus away from the virus, he has not established a meaningful advantage over Mr. Biden on any issue of equal urgency: Voters see Mr. Trump as somewhat more credible on issues of the economy and public order than on the pandemic, but not to the point of offsetting their overall disapproval of him.

While Maine exhibited the widest gap over the handling of the virus, voters in North Carolina, the closest presidential swing state polled so far by The Times, also preferred Mr. Biden, by 52 percent to 41 percent. In Arizona, the difference was even more lopsided, with voters favoring Mr. Biden by 16 percentage points.
It was the kind of answer which would send a chill down the spine of any political leader.

"It would be an honour for any member of Fianna Fail to lead the party. I can't predict the future. I'm certainly not going to say I'm not interested, replied Jim OCallaghan yesterday when asked did he want to lead his party.

OCallaghan has emerged, for right or for wrong, as the person most likely to challenge Micheal Martin for control of their embattled party.

The Dublin-based senior counsel, who has fallen out of favour and was snubbed for ministerial preferment by the Taoiseach, is seen by many within the party as an ideal contender to succeed.

As one put it, there is something deliciously attractive to the Jim OCallaghan narrative.

OCallaghan has been, by his own admission on the Claire Byrne show, accepting invitations from local cumanns all over the country.

Insisting it is his responsibility as a senior backbench TD, others in his party see his movements as something more significant.

Even the timing of OCallaghans interview was seen as important in the week the partys poll rating was stated at just 10% in the Business Post poll.

He acknowledged the poll was disappointing but in his best Brian Lenihan manner, OCallaghan professed his loyalty and support for his leader.

Micheal Martin has my support, he is doing a good job. I want him to succeed and I want the country to succeed. I am willing to play my part, he said.

He also said that at a point when a vacancy arises and if colleagues want to nominate him, it is likely he will go for it then.

The Dublin Bay South TD stressed that he is not interested in doing anything which would undermine Mr Martin, even though he is aware that political journalism thrives on division and conflict.

OCallaghan was also speaking in the wake of an interesting parliamentary party meeting on Wednesday night where there were widespread complaints about the negativity currently circulating around the party.

At that meeting, Martin said he welcomed constructive engagement from his TDs and that his door is always open. Many within the party would say it has rarely been that way with a leader who is tolerated rather than loved by his own troops.

Such turmoil was given voice in the Dail chamber by Kilkenny TD John McGuinness yesterday.

He lashed out at Government Ministers in his own party who he accused of "bluff" and "spin".

"This House is used as a sounding board, a relief valve for people to get up, including myself, and say whatever you'd like to say on that particular topic, or specific issue in their own constituencies.

"You may as well be whistling past the graveyard, because the response generally from ministers is - and these are ministers that at one time were in opposition - the only answer they will give is the one that's handed to them by civil servants.

"I'm not blaming the civil servants, I'm blaming the political system for the manner in which they ignore the true value of this House. I have yet to meet a minister or a government that will proactively pursue an agenda of reform, of control of expenditure that is worthwhile and actually brings about resolution."

McGuinness claimed the Government is only focused on the wealthy and is ignoring vulnerable groups including the elderly and struggling families. He added: "No more bluff, no more spin, tell the truth."

McGuinness is not alone in feeling that way, but while there is no immediate prospect of a heave against Martin, the party is in desperate need of a win.

After almost 12 weeks in office, Fianna Fail has endured the sort of battering normally meted out to the minor party in government rather than the largest.

Matters are not yet at a critical stage but they are not far off it if Fianna Fails future is to be secured. Bottom line, things must change if the party is to succeed.
India at the UN on Thursday cautioned against securitisation of environmental issues, saying linking up everything related to environmental degradation to peace and security does nothing to address climate concerns meaningfully nor does it ensure that real perpetrators adhere to their commitments on environmental issues.

Environmental degradation can have humanitarian impact or effect just as many other aspects of human activity have humanitarian dimensions, India said in a statement to the UN Security Councils high-level open debate on maintenance of international peace and security: Humanitarian Effects of Environmental Degradation and Peace and Security.

However, merely to link up everything related to environmental issues with peace and security does nothing to enhance our understanding of the problem; nothing to help us address these issues in a meaningful way and does nothing to call out the real perpetrators and make them adhere to their commitments on environmental issues or help change behaviour of people at subsistence level, it said.

India said that in many cases, perpetrators of environmental degradation may well be outside national boundaries while the people suffering are inside.

Is peace and security then the right paradigm to address this issue or is strengthening implementation of agreements, an appropriate and probably a more effective way to do it? it said.

India said there has been an increasing tendency both in the Security Council and outside to start discussing environmental issues with a certain disregard for the various important principles which govern environmental discussions, including climate change and biological diversity.

Principles such as common but differentiated responsibilities are sacrosanct in this matter, it said.

India cautioned that steering away from these principles and other commitments and attempting to discuss such issues by obfuscating those responsible for addressing them will only do a disservice to the real issue rather than making it more meaningful to address them.

Consequently, linking up environmental degradation to humanitarian effect and then to peace and security does not enhance our collective effort to address environmental degradation in any meaningful way, India said.

It also said that there is need for a collective will to address such important issues multi-dimensionally without shirking commitments under important conventions such as the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, Convention on Biological Diversity, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and Paris Agreement.

What we need therefore is greater resolve to implement the commitments and contributions undertaken under environmental agreements instead of securitisation of environmental issues, India said.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has consistently said that big emitters such as the US, China, the European Union, Japan, Russia and India must commit to carbon neutrality in 2050.

He had also called on India and other G20 countries to invest in a clean, sustainable transition, particularly as they recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June launched the auction process for 41 coal blocks for commercial mining, a move that opened Indias coal sector for private players, and had termed it a major step in the direction of India achieving self-reliance.

Guterres has voiced concern over countries doubling down on domestic coal and opening up coal auctions, saying this strategy will only lead to further economic contraction and damaging health consequences.

At the UNSC debate, India noted that there is need for a greater sensitivity in connection with the energy mix of various countries many of which are not of their choosing.

One should resist the temptation of painting all countries with varied energy mix with the same brush. The touchstone should be whether respective commitments are being adhered to and not demonising one particular energy source and calling for action without allowing for organic energy transitions which require huge financial commitments, India said.

India stressed that environmental degradation is a multi-dimensional issue and it affects not just the ecosystem but also the people who depend and live on it.

New Delhi noted that environmental degradation can be caused by those who live on it due to a range of inter-related factors, which may be poverty and not necessarily greed.

In many developing countries, such problems arise from issues related to people living at subsistence levels. The question then is: Do we want to treat poverty and subsistence agriculture as peace and security issues? India asked.

India asserted that even the best science available does not indicate that environmental degradation is a threat to peace and security.

Highlighting its role as the leading contributor to climate action, India said over the past few years, the country has reduced 38 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually.

In the course of the last decade, around three million hectares of forest and tree cover has been added, which has enhanced the combined forest and tree cover to 24.56 per cent of the total geographical area of the country, it said.

Going forward, India aims to restore 26 million hectares of degraded and deforested land and achieve land-degradation neutrality by 2030.

The country has also set additional targets of eliminating single-use plastic by 2022 and installing 450GW of renewable energy by 2030.
Boston College has experienced a steady decrease in positive COVID-19 cases on campus this week, following a spike of 73 cases last week (September 7-13) that raised concerns throughout the BC community.

University Health Services (UHS) has conducted 3,465 COVID-19 tests thus far this week, with a total of 15 positive cases. By contrast, the University had 22 positive cases on September 8, and 21 cases on September 9, an increase, UHS officials said, that was attributable to several off-campus gatherings where students did not wear masks or practice physical distancing.

University Health Services expects to have conducted more that 4,000 tests by the end of today. They will report weekly and cumulative totals tomorrow via the Reopening Boston College website bc.edu/reopen.

The University increased its testing capacity this week, in light of last weeks increase in positive cases. Since testing began on August 16, the University has had a total of 122 positive tests, including 120 undergrads. By contrast, Boston University has reported 102 positive cases, Providence College 107, Northeastern University 54, and University of Notre Dame 675.

Currently, there are 85 BC undergraduates in isolation--34 in isolation housing at the Hotel Boston in Brighton, and 51 recovering at home. Thirty-five undergraduates have recovered and returned to normal activities. University administrators say that they have ample space for contact and isolation purposes, and can access beds at Pine Manor College.

Last weeks spike in cases was concerning to all of us, said Director of University Health Services Dr. Douglas Comeau. But the numbers have steadily decreased each day since, and we believe that downward trend will continue as a result of extensive contact tracing efforts.

Comeau said that Boston College is working closely in its contact tracing with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Contact Tracing Collaborative (CTC) and the departments of health in Boston, Newton, and Brookline. The Boston Globe had erroneously reported on September 15 that the state was taking over BCs contact tracing efforts, but issued a correction later that day. Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker called University President William P. Leahy, S.J., to clarify that he wanted BC to work collaboratively with the CTC, in light of BCs connections to the three communities of Boston, Newton and Brookline.

Read an excerpt from Governor Baker's September 15 press conference here.

The University continues to conduct contact tracing along with these entities. As of September 14, 74 of the 104 positive cases on campus were identified through the Universitys contact tracing efforts.

University Health Services, working with Information Technology Services, said that it would restate weekly undergraduate test totals on the Reopening BC website today to be consistent with The Broad Institute data collection process. The restated undergraduate test numbers do not affect cumulative totals that have been provided or the overall positivity rate.

UHS also announced that it would increase its asymptomatic testing, beginning next week, to Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays throughout the semester, all in the MAC Courts in the Margot Connell Recreation Center, in addition to its daily symptomatic testing conducted through University Health Services and The Broad Institute. The University expects to conduct more than 5,000 tests in the coming week.

University Communications / September 2020
Modern medicine has made tremendous strides in replacing organs and hips. But what about those all-important tendons, which enable joint movement by connecting muscle to bone? Tendon injuries, such as those in the knee, elbow, Achilles tendon and rotator cuff (shoulder) exact a huge cost in terms of health care, productivity and quality of life.

Prayag Murawala, Ph.D., a scientist at the MDI Biological Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine, has received a grant of 280,000 ($332,000) to address the problem of tendon injury. He is seeking to determine if the same cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for regenerating tendons during limb regeneration in the axolotl, or Mexican salamander, also come into play during tendon regeneration after injury.

The subject of the study draws on Murawala's previous research on the mechanisms governing tendon regeneration in the axolotl limb. The knowledge gained from the study of tendon regeneration in the axolotl could one day be used to develop drugs and therapies to trigger tendon regeneration in adult humans, who are for the most part incapable of regenerating tissues and organs.

Murawala and colleagues at the MDI Biological Laboratory's Kathryn W. Davis Center for Regenerative Biology and Aging use the axolotl, which is considered nature's champion of regeneration because of its ability to regenerate almost any body part, including limb, heart, brain, eye and spinal cord, to explore why the axolotl is capable of such remarkable feats of regeneration while humans are not.

Very few labs in the world are studying tendon biology, which is surprising given how common, painful and debilitating tendon injuries are, and the fact that existing treatments often fail to fully restore function. This grant is great because it will allow us to apply what we have learned from our studies of limb regeneration in the axolotl to an area of biology that is in urgently in need of greater investigation." Prayag Murawala, Ph.D., Scientist, MDI Biological Laboratory

In the United States, more than 15 million soft tissue and ligament injuries, which include tendon injuries, are reported every year, with Achilles tendon injuries being one of the most common due to overuse or repetitive use. Though tendon injuries are often associated with athletes, such injuries also occur among sedentary populations and are common among the elderly due to age-related degeneration.

The three-year grant from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), or German Research Foundation, which is financed by German state and federal governments, will support the salary of a doctoral student and consumable laboratory supplies. The student's time will be divided between the MDI Biological Laboratory and Hannover Medical School in Hanover, Germany, where Murawala also holds an appointment.

"We are very grateful to the German Research Foundation," said Hermann Haller, M.D., president of the MDI Biological Laboratory. "Because of our focus on aging, we are especially interested in applications for the elderly, for whom the traditional treatments for age-related tendinopathy, such as surgical stitching, are more challenging due to the deterioration in tissue structure and healing ability that occur as we age."

In his earlier research on limb regeneration in the axolotl, Murawala discovered that cells in a regenerating limb called fibroblasts acquire stem cell-like capabilities that allow them to differentiate -- or transform into -- tendon progenitor cells. Tendon progenitor cells are the main source of the various types of connective tissue that proliferate to form a newly regenerated limb, including tendon tissue.

The grant will allow Murawala to study whether a fibroblast's capability to transform into a tendon progenitor cell occurs only during full limb regeneration, or if it also takes place during injury; and, if the same mechanism is employed to heal a tendon injury as to regenerate a limb, what molecular signals guide the transitions that occur during the regenerative process and why they occur in axolotls and not in humans.

The grant will also allow him to study the role of the extra-cellular matrix (ECM), which is the three-dimensional network surrounding the cell, in the transformation of fibroblasts into tendon progenitor cells. Earlier research has demonstrated that the remodeling of the ECM is critical to tendon regeneration.

Murawala's interest in tendon regeneration represents one facet of his broader quest to understand limb regeneration. But his research also has applications for other types of regeneration, including kidney regeneration, which is a focus of research at the MDI Biological Laboratory. "What we learn about regeneration in one part of the body can be useful for understanding regeneration in other parts of the body," he said.

Marawala, who recently joined the MDI Biological Laboratory, was formerly a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Elly Tanaka, Ph.D., a highly regarded scientist who studies limb and spinal cord regeneration in the axolotl at the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology in Vienna, Austria.
Former defense attorney of actor Efremov disbarred

 RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov

17:09 18/09/2020

MOSCOW, September 18 (RAPSI)  The Council of North Ossetia Bar Association has disbarred Elman Pashayev over ethics violation during the trial of actor Mikhail Efremov.

Earlier, the Russian Justice Ministry submitted to the North Ossetian law chamber a disbarment plea against lawyer Pashayev over professional misconduct during the trial of Efremov.

The Ministry also urged from a Moscow bar association to open disciplinary proceedings against lawyer for the case victims Alexander Dobrovinsky.

The Justice Ministry said its pleas were related to public statements of the attorneys during the court proceedings against Efremov. The statements, according to the authority, contain signs of violation of the Federal law "On Legal Practice and Advocacy in the Russian Federation" and the Code of Legal Ethics, demonstrate disregard of the legal profession rules and show disregard of the corporate ethics, discipline and morality.

According to the Federal Chamber of Lawyers, the North Ossetian bar association will hear a disciplinary case against Pashayev on September 18. The Moscow law chamber has adjourned a case against Dobrovinsky upon his request.

On September 8, actor Efremov received 8 years in penal colony for and was banned from driving for three years. The Presnensky District Court of Moscow however returned him his broken Jeep. The court found that victim Sergey Zakharov was killed in the accident due to the defendant's driving behaviour. After the conviction the defendant waived the services of Pashayev.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2020 > Letter to The Readers - Mainstream, Sept 19 | Lockdown Edition no. (...)

Mainstream weekly has had a long journey. Its first issue in print appeared on September 1, 1962. It has appeared week after week non-stop ever since except for short period during the Emergency of 1975-77. It was closed for a brief period at the end of 1976 and it reappeared once the elections were announced in 1977.

It crafted a space on the national scene as an independent progressive magazine among the thinking people of India and was available at major public libraries across the country. As a journal of repute, scholars, journalists and serving and retired state officials continue to write for it; our readership and subscribers have been from all parts of reflecting the diversity of India. Producing the paper edition has been a rich and exhilarating experience but a difficult one at that as it was run on a shoestring budget. Historians of Indian journalism will surely accord story of Mainstream its due space.

On March 28, 2020 when the Government announced a nationwide lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic in India, we interrupted the publication of the print edition. This crisis has hit us hard and we now announce to our readers and the public at large that the widely read print edition of our magazine has ceased to exist. We bid goodbye to the paper edition and continue our journey online.

The online edition of Mainstream, which started in 2007 has grown in readership over the years and will now totally replace the print edition. We invite readers of the print edition to switch to the online edition which is now appearing totally free of any subscription charges in an expanded multimedia format. We strive to continue to bring to you every week analysis, debate and commentary of events in India and beyond. Mainstream will remain an open space for ideas and debate for different streams of the Left and democrats. We look to support from our readers and writers.

In the monsoon session of Parliament, the government has said it has no data and statistics on the migrant workers exodus out of our cities - on the biggest migration since days of Partition in 1947. There is no information on migrant worker deaths on their way home. It is a shame that the government with all its machinery and officialdom at its disposal has no such information while volunteers and students and some NGOs have been running a database compiling data on migration of the poor. They have tracked some 972 non-COVID deaths during the lockdown. Most of them are of migrants and their family members.

Similarly, the government has claimed it has no figures on the numbers of doctors or health workers who have died during the Covid-19 pandemic. So all that song and dance with Thalis and Helicopters flying across the country to celebrate the contribution of health workers was pure drama. Statisticians are expressing alarm at faked statistics showing that NREGA is creating much-needed employment in rural areas and that the agriculture sector is doing very well. But is it so? Observers are pointing at huge variations in the ground level figures as being put up on government websites regarding agricultural produce and regarding NREGA employment data. Questions are also being asked with regard to under-reporting of COVID related deaths and about the silence of the government on the Chinese military occupation of close to 1000 square kilometres of Indian territory. Thousands of workers have lost jobs, and the economy is contracting. Fudging statistics, resorting to propaganda to spin another reality is becoming normalised.

Those who are rightfully challenging the government claims are under attack by the government and anything goes. Anurag Thakur, a minister viciously attacked the opposition in the monsoon session of the parliament for asking questions about the PM Cares fund claiming instead that the previous Prime Ministers Relief Fund had been used for private purposes by leaders of the Congress Party when they were in power. Who is Anurag Thakur, he is the same minister who had allegedly instigated a crowd with rousing slogans to shoot the traitors. While several persons have been hauled up by the police for their supposed role in the riots this gentleman has been surpisingly left scotfree.

o o

Big questions have arisen about the nature of the Delhi Police investigation into the Delhi riots of February 2020; Is the Delhi Police consciously targeting and threatening those who took part in the movement against the citizenship law in North-East Delhi? Leading Opposition leaders met the President of India on Sept 17 to demand a proper and fair investigation into the Delhi violence. The police seem to have filed charge-sheets which are over 15000 pages. In an open letter to Delhi Police Commissioner S.N. Shrivastava, the Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) claimed that several persons were forced to make confessions during police interrogation. Even this is apparently very shoddily done. Identical confessional statements have been found by lawyers. Very senior retired police officers have written to the Delhi Police to not undermine its reputation as a constitutionally recognised entity. The Police is legally bound to protect law and order and to provide protection to citizens and not to go after critics of the government.

Top officials of central universities and the Police held a meeting on September 8th and have decided to allow police to enter campuses to weed out rowdy elements amongst students. This is another disturbing development open to misuse for targetting opponents of the government.

There are no signs of course correction so far. It is time to recall that in a landmark ruling of the Supreme Court known as the Prakash Singh & Others Vs. Union of India & Others 2006 the court had proposed the creation of a Police Complaints Authority at the district and State level to look into complaints against police officers of and up to the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police and above. Who will check the wrongdoing by the police force? Is impunity the law of the land?

The Uttar Pradesh government has officially announced the creation of an Uttar Pradesh Special Security Force (UPSSF) that will seemingly have the power to arrest a person without any order of a magistrate and without any warrant. We hope the courts are watching.

In the absence of checks and balances, we are headed for an Orwellian state.

o o

The prominent lawyer and civil rights activist Prashant Bhushan has blown the whistle on what was an open secret of sorts that the group India Against Corruption (IAC), which led to the birth of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of which he was also a leading member once, was propped up by the BJP and the RSS to topple the second term Manmohan Singh government. The RSS machine has played many games in mainstream politics ever since the Janata Government days, while all the time claiming to be just a cultural organisation.

The RSS calls the shots today. So we wonder what will be the verdict by the special CBI court hearing the Babri mosque demolition case which is to pronounce its judgment on September 30? Will the prominent accused former deputy prime minister LK Advani and BJP leaders MM Joshi, Kalyan Singh, Uma Bharti and Vinay Katiyar and other RSS bigwigs be booked as people who instigated the destruction of the 15th-century mosque?. Let us wait and see.

Tributes:

Anusuya Singh Estevez, the youngest daughter of Sardar Gurbax Singh, the renaissance man of Punjab and founder of the literary journal Preetlari, passed away in Venezuela on Sept 6, 2020. She was 84. She was a student from the first batch of students at the Patrice Lumumba Peoples Friendship University of Russia (PFU) in Moscow, in 1960. In 1965 she had moved to Venezuela where she taught English at Merida University in that country.

Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, 74, the Indian socialist politician, Minister of Rural Development (20042009) and MP (19962014), died of complications from COVID-19 on September 13, 2020. He was a colourful politician who never minced words and did hesitate to call a spade a spade. He played a prominent role in the anti-BJP movement since the onset of the BJP govt at the centre and in Bihar.

Dr Kapila Vatsyayan, 91, the widely known scholar of Indian classical dance, art, architecture, and art history passed away on September 16, 2020 in New Delhi. She had served as a Member of Parliament and had been the founding Director of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts. She was awarded Padma Vibhushan for her contribution in the realm of Arts. She spent a lifetime researching, exploring the complexities of Indian culture.

We pay our homage to the above personalities.

September 19, 2020 - The Editor
Nuoc Cham (Vietnamese Dressing)

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Add serious Southeast Asian flair to any salad or Buddha bowl with nuoc cham, the easy, no-cook sauce of Vietnam found in every meal!

Properly speaking, you only need 4 ingredients to kickstart a nuoc cham! Just make sure you have some fish sauce in the pantry. A little fish sauce goes a long way, but youll always find a use for it, in both cooked, uncooked, vegetarian, and meat dishes!

Essentially, it replaces soy sauce in this recipe, lending a more complex, fishy, sweet, and slightly sour taste that cant be replaced! Youll find it all throughout Vietnamese, Laotian, and Thai cuisines.

Try one of my favorites, Three Crabs Fish Sauce!

Here are the essential ingredients for Nuoc Cham:

Really, thats it!

With just 4 ingredients, youre off to the races, but if you wanna stop and bring in some spicy intrigue, definitely try the classic additions of minced Thai chiles (or any fresh hot chiles you have), and a few tablespoons of shredded carrots and daikon radish.

Rice bowls, salads, and grilled meats everywhere will be thanking you.

With the extra veggies, youll end up with something a little like this!

Additionally, feel free to substitute most of the lime juice with rice vinegar, if desired. I like Mizkan brand unseasoned rice vinegar.

However spicy or vinegary you decide to make it, this staple Vietnamese dressing is ready to enjoy.

Because garlic, lime, and chiles are fresh ingredients, youll want to use this within 2-4 days. Theres gonna be so much dipping action going on, youll probably be whipping up a new batch in no time anyway.

Yummy recipes that could benefit from a little nuoc cham love!

Rice Noodle Buddha Bowl

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

Ping Gai Chicken  Laotian Grilled Chicken Chicken

Vietnamese Spring Rolls with Slow Cooker Pork

Green Papaya Salad (Som Tam)
The Open Mainframe Project (OMP), an open source initiative that enables collaboration across the mainframe community to develop shared tool sets and resources, has launched a COBOL Working Group, four new projects, and added Micro Focus as a new member. The Open Mainframe Project is intended to serve as a focal point for deployment and use of Linux and Open Source in a mainframe computing environment.

The four new projects are CBT Tape, GenevaERS, Software Discovery Tool, and Mainframe Open Education. They join existing projects such as Zowe, COBOL Programming Course, and Mentorship.

COBOL Working Group

If COBOL code stopped working, so would the global economy, said Cameron Seay, chair of the COBOL Working Group and an adjunct professor at East Carolina University. Most people dont realize that COBOL plays an important role in our digital future. We can build upon the success of the past and its vitality in the present. This group will help raise awareness of this in not only the mainframe world but everywhere.

New Project: CBT Tape

With the launch of a COBOL Working Group , OMP expects to address misunderstanding about the technology and promote its continued usage, learning, and discourse. It is estimated that there are more than 200 billion lines of COBOL code in production and it has been a hot topic in recent months as there is a demand for program developers.

CBT (Connecticut Bank and Trust) Tape is an open library of free software distribution for the IBM mainframe Multiple Virtual Storage (MVS) and OS/390 operating system environment that dates back to 1975 and continues to grow and get updated. With each iteration of these tapes, new tools and examples became available.

We were open before open source was a thing, said Sam Golob, current editor of CBT Tape. We persevered to showcase our ambitious concept and extensive library. We are excited to learn more from the Open Mainframe community and continue to be available for the next generation of mainframers.

New Project: GenevaERS

GenevaERS is the single pass optimization engine for extraction and reporting on z/OS. Originally developed by PricewaterhouseCoopers and acquired by IBM, GenevaERS offers businesses a high-level reporting solution uniquely tuned for big data scanning and improved financial transparency for better decision-making. This project assists in the full analytical data supply chain, from efficiently transforming data to updating reporting repositories to creating multiple analytical outputs in a single pass for enhanced high-level, scaled and integrated reporting. It can be an application development platform for high-volume ledger systems for some of the largest businesses in the world.

New Project: Software Discovery Tool

There are so many different open source software programs available on Linux for the mainframe that it is often overwhelming for developers. For those who dont know where to begin, OMP's Software Discovery Tool will help match developers with the best open source software that meets their needs. Developers can search through open source software for zArchitecture/s390x for any Z operating system from any source, any repo, anywhere, in one place.

New Project: Mainframe Open Education

OMP has helped fill the skills gap with its Mentorship project and plans to go further with the new Mainframe Open Education project. Spearheaded by Broadcom and IBM, it offers a simple platform through which experts share up-to-date materials and foster collaboration with the broader community. The result is a clear learning path that rejuvenates the workforce and drives access to business-critical systems.

New Member: Micro Focus

As a new OMP member, Micro Focus says that its first priorities will be to continue to drive the effort of the COBOL Working Group. COBOLs success over 6 decades is legendary, and its usage remains significant across thousands of organizations, said Derek Britton, Application Modernization Group, Micro Focus. That value is not always fully understood. The new Open Mainframe Project COBOL Working Group aims to clarify and encourage the continued use of COBOL applications on the mainframe and beyond by providing insight, resources and information to help IT decision makers build their application, technology and training plans based on practical, factual input. COBOLs open and adaptable design makes the OMP working group a perfect platform to lead this discussion and Micro Focus are delighted to be able to lend our support to the group.

For more information, go to www.openmainframeproject.org.
The total cost of the Mekedatu project is around Rs 9,000 crores and aims to provide drinking water to Bengaluru and surrounding areas

Bengaluru: Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa on Friday urged the Centre for early clearances or approvals to Mekedatu and Kalasa-Banduri Nala projects aimed at providing drinking water supply, which the neighboring Tamil Nadu and Goa are opposed to, respectively.

Yediyurappa, who is in Delhi on Friday met Union Minister for Environment and Forests Prakash Javadekar and requested him to direct the concerned authorities in the Ministry to grant the Terms of Reference for Mekedatu Project, the Karnataka information department said in an official release.

He also sought first stage forest clearance for Kalasa and Banduri Nala Projects in the state.

Later, the chief minister also met Union Minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and sought early approvals and clearances for irrigation and drinking water projects, including Mekedatu and Kalasa Banduri Nala, to utilise the precious water resources allocated to the state.

The 'Mekedatu balancing reservoir and drinking water' project involves construction of a balancing reservoir across river Cauvery near Mekedatu, with a capacity of about 67.16 tmcft.

The total cost of the project is worked out to be Rs 9,000 crores, aiming to provide drinking water facilities to Bengaluru Metropolitan region and its surrounding areas (4.75 TMC) and generate 400 MW of power as an additional benefit.

Despite assurance that the project will in no way affect Supreme Court order to release 177.25 tmcft Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, the lower riparian state has been vehemently opposing it, raising apprehensions that it will be affected if the project takes shape.

On the other hand, the Kalasa-Banduri Project in the Mahadayi river basin aims to bring water to the drought-prone regions of Hubballi, Dharwad, Belagavi and Gadag districts by diverting water from the inter-state Mahadayi river to the Malaprabha river in Karnataka.

Goa has opposed the Kalasa-Banduri project claiming it would cause "ecological devastation" and increase the salinity in the waters of the Mahadayi river.

Yediyurappa also urged the Jal Shakti Minister to declare irrigation projects like Upper Krishna Project Stage-III and Upper Bhadra Project as "National Projects".

These were also among the developmental issues pertaining to the state that Yediyurappa had discussed with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the meeting, earlier in the day.

A release said, Yediyurappa also called on the Union Minister for Petroleum, National Gas and Steel Dharmendra Pradhan and requested to expedite the process of disinvestment of the Visvesvaraya Iron and Steel Limited.
As a credit union, you probably always feel like youre in a David v. Goliath situation when it comes to battling the big banks. If you want to take business away from those guys, youve got to find a way to stand out. During these crazy times, credit unions have a real opportunity to get a leg up on the competition. Here are three tips to help you become or remain your members primary financial institution

Go for it: There are probably a ton of ideas youve had that either seemed a little risky or a little too pricy. 2020 hasnt exactly been the year of things going right for your members, so give them something to get excited about. Whether its a new mobile app with all the bells and whistles, or a redesigned website thats ten times easier to navigate, show your members that youre here for them and are doing whatever you can to make their lives a little easier.

Keep in touch: You already know the value of things like PPP loans and skip-a-payment programs, but what are the little things your members really need right now. I guarantee that your employees are WAY more in tune with the lives of your members than those dummies at Bank of America. But take it a step further. As you interact with your members, make it blatantly obvious that youre looking to find out more ways your credit union can help right now. Members wont soon forget the people who supported them during these difficult days, and youll want to be one of the organizations that comes to mind when they think back on 2020.

Put your heads together: Members arent the only people who have boarded the Struggle Bus lately. Your employees have probably had their own fair share of struggles lately. And youre not the only credit union around. Talk to your staff and other managers at other credit unions and see what needs they come up with and listen to the solutions they have for dealing with those problems.
Las Vegas bars and lounges will be allowed to reopen after being shuttered since mid-March. (Matt York / Associated Press)

Las Vegas bars and lounges will be allowed to reopen at midnight Sunday, but at half capacity because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The easing of rules includes pubs, taverns, breweries, distilleries and wineries. Visitors and employees will need to wear face coverings, which is required at all indoor sites. Restaurants, hotels and casinos already got the green light to reopen after closing in mid-March.

Most resorts on the Strip opened months ago.

Wynn, Encore, the Cosmopolitan, the Mirage (including the popular Secret Garden & Dolphin Habitat), the Flamingo, Caesars Palace, the Linq and others are open. The Tropicana reopened Thursday, and the Four Seasons plans to welcome guests Sept. 25.

Park MGM, as well as restaurants Bavettes Steakhouse , Primrose and the Italian marketplace Eataly , will reopen Sept. 30. It is the first resort in the city to ban smoking in hotel rooms and in its casino.

What may not be coming back?

The future of two well-known, off-Strip resorts  Rio, a Caesars property, and Palms, a Station Casinos property are murky. Both are located along Flamingo Road west of the 15 Freeway.

Palms last year completed a splashy $690-million makeover, touted as the most expensive in Vegas history. It included a huge sculpture called Demon With Bowl by Damien Hirst in the pool area and other Hirst works, including two bull sharks suspended inside a tank filled with formaldehyde.

"Palms is currently undecided whether we are going to open it right now," Chief Executive Frank Fertitta said in an early August earnings call. Much of the resort's large collection of pricey artwork is on loan from the Fertitta family.

The show "Le Reve" has closed at Wynn Las Vegas. (Tomasz Rossa)

If you didn't see "Le Reve," the Cirque-like water-themed show at Wynn Las Vegas, it's too late. Since 2005, the show had been performed 6,000 times.

"'Le Reve' is a barometer for similarly scaled shows," said John Katsilometes, an entertainment columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "I think thats gotten a lot of people nervous in Las Vegas."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
For the third straight day, federal prosecutors have announced criminal charges accusing Iranian nationals with conducting cyberattacks in the US, with the charges this time targeting a member of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard.

The most recent charges announced Thursday in US District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, accuse a member of the Revolutionary Guard and two of stealing the identities of individuals working in aerospace and satellite technology.

The hackers would then use those identities to launch phishing campaigns on the tech workers' peers in order to launch malware and commandeer sensitive data and intellectual property, officials said.

The accused Revolutionary Guard member is Said Arabi, 34. The other two are Mohammad Reza Espargham, 25, and Mohammad Bayati, 34, all Iranian nationals residing in

Espargham is identified in a leader in the Iranian Dark Coders Team, described in the indictment as a notorious group of Iranian hackers responsible for numerous computer intrusions worldwide.

All three are living in Court records do not list an attorney for any of the men.

The use of malware, the theft of commercial data and intellectual property, and the use of social engineering to steal the identities of United States citizens to accomplish unlawful acts will not be tolerated," said US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia G Zachary Terwilliger, whose office is prosecuting the case.

Prosecutors say the conspiracy stretched from 2015 through 2019.

The indictment spells out one phishing attack that uses the name of an unidentified college professor who purportedly was seeking help on a project related to the processing of satellite images.

The email asks recipients to click on a link to assist with the project.

Earlier this week, prosecutors in Boston obtained indictments against an Iranian national and a Palestinian national for allegedly defacing websites across the US in retaliation to the targeted killing of General Qassem Soleimani, replacing the websites' content with pictures of the top Iranian general and messages such as Down with America.

And on Wednesday, the department announced charges against two Iranian nationals accused of stealing hundreds of terabytes of data in a campaign targeting institutions in the US, Europe and the Middle East.

On Thursday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced sanctions against an Iranian cyber threat group known as Advanced Persistent Threat 39 (APT39) and 45 individuals associated with the group.

In a statement, Pompeo called Iran one of the world's leading threats to cybersecurity and human rights online.

We will continue to expose Iran's nefarious behavior and impose costs on the regime until they turn away from their destabilizing agenda. Pompeo 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.)
Pirates are threatening to kill the three Russian sailors of Crimean origin who were abducted off the coast of Equatorial Guinea if ransom is not provided, Alexander Molokhov, the head of a working group on international legal issues in Crimea, told Sputnik

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th September, 2020) Pirates are threatening to kill the three Russian sailors of Crimean origin who were abducted off the coast of Equatorial Guinea if ransom is not provided, Alexander Molokhov, the head of a working group on international legal issues in Crimea, told Sputnik.

On May 10, Dryad Global company specializing in maritime security said that as a result of pirate attacks on two vessels in the port of Luba in the Gulf of Guinea, several Russian and Ukrainian nationals were abducted and possibly injured. The Russian embassy in Cameroon later confirmed that pirates kidnapped two Russian nationals from the Djibloho research vessel and one from the Rio Mitong cargo vessel off the coast of Equatorial Guinea.

"Relatives have said that the pirates contacted them and warned them that they would start killing the abducted sailors by one if the company did not provide a ransom. The sailors have been in captivity for four months. The first attempt to transfer the ransom in the summer failed," Molokhov said.

The Gulf of Guinea is Africa's most economically active and oil-rich region. Pirate activity in the region has increased in recent years, prompting Nigeria, Ghana and other surrounding regions to set up a naval coordination operation to combat the phenomenon.
Damiene Lewis was at his home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, watching his nephew play outside with the sound of kids playing in the distance  a stark juxtaposition to where the 41-year-old was just months before; a federal prison in Texas, serving a 60-month sentence on gun and drug charges.

The same goes for Quentin Burt, a 51-year-old who walked out of federal prison a free man in July after serving 30 years for drug offenses he committed when he was 20. After decades apart, he is now home with his wife in Southfield, Michigan, enjoying the things he missed the most: her cooking (especially vegetables) and sleeping in a bed of his own.

This year, both men benefited from compassionate release, a once seldom used remedy that allows inmates to receive a reduction in their sentence. The process, which is only used in extraordinary circumstances, has seen an uptick during the coronavirus pandemic.

Both men are at increased risk of serious illness if they contract the virus. Lewis suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a condition that has him consistently connected to an oxygen tank, while Burt lives with Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and moderate kidney disease.

After exhausting all requests with the Bureau of Prisons, both men turned to the courts for relief with the help of Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM), which assisted them with their petitions.

Burt filed his petition in June and was released less than a month later. A judge determined Burt served a "substantial portion" of his sentence for a non-violent offense, maintained good behavior and did not pose a danger to the community.

"I honestly didn't have a lot of hope. I said, 'Well, what's it going to hurt?'" his wife, Pam, told CBS News. "Within a week or two, a lawyer screener had called me, got some information and then they assigned a lawyer to Quentin's case. So, it really was a very quick turnaround."

Story continues

Pam and Quentin Burt / Credit: Handout

Petitions for compassionate release were rarely approved prior to the passing of the First Step Act in December 2018, which created a procedural change, making it easier for offenders and their families to bring their request to the court.

There were 145 offenders released in 2019  about five times more than the year before, when 24 people were granted release, according to a report by the U.S. Sentencing Commission. On average, the sentences were reduced by 84 months last year, compared to 68 months the year before.

Two-thirds of those who successfully obtained release did so by filing requests through the court, rather than going through the Bureau of Prisons, the report found.

The bureau, in a statement, said it has no direct authority to reduce an inmate's sentence, but rather, a director determines if an inmate is eligible and submits a request to the prosecuting U.S. Attorney's Office to file a motion on behalf of the director.

"Inmates who are found to be ineligible under agency criteria, or who are determined to be inappropriate for agency approval of a reduction in (a) sentence may file a motion themselves directly to the sentencing court per the First Step Act," the statement said.

So far, nearly 1,600 cases have been approved, the bureau said, meaning that in the year of the pandemic, the numbers of those being released have increased tenfold since the year before.

The virus has killed 120 federal inmates, the bureau said. Saferia Johnson, a 36-year-old with pre-existing health conditions, died from the virus in August after her petitions for release were reportedly denied by a prison warden in Sumterville, Florida.

Johnson was serving a 46-month sentence at the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex for conspiracy to steal public money and for aggravated identity theft. The bureau declined to comment on her case.

Compassionate release differs from home confinement, a program that Attorney General William Barr directed the Bureau of Prisons to enforce in March, just as the pandemic began to root itself inside the federal prison system. Home confinement allows current inmates to serve out the remainder of their sentence from the comfort of their home while still remaining under correctional supervision.

The Justice Department prioritized the elderly, those at high-risk, and non-violent offenders for home confinement. As time went on, the qualifying factors set by the bureau included those who had already served at least half of their sentence.

Since Barr issued the directive, over 7,600 inmates have been placed into home confinement. Notable recipients include President Trump's former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, and his former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen.

However, in light of the pandemic, judges have been approving more petitions for compassionate release, and organizations like FAMM are helping spearhead the effort.

FAMM, in conjunction with other civil rights groups, created the "Compassionate Release Clearinghouse" in 2019, and has advocated for inmates who qualify for the sentence reduction under the First Step Act.

"We didn't think it was smart to keep sick and elderly people in prison before COVID-19 hit  and it seemed downright immoral to trap them there once it did," said Kevin Ring, the organization's president.

"We don't usually do direct services, but this was a humanitarian emergency. We are grateful to the hundreds of federal defenders and volunteer attorneys  both in and outside of the Clearinghouse  who helped families get their loved ones out of harm's way."

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The General Secretary of the NDC Johnson Asiedu Nketia has assured that the next NDC government will expand access to water and electricity to most deprived areas by 2025.



He also says the next John MAHAMA administration will continue abandoned projects in the roads, education, and health sectors to improve the quality of the lives of people.



Johnson Asiedu Nketia who was addressing a gathering of Chiefs and People of Kejeji in the Sene East District of the Bono-East region on Thursday observed that the NDCs 2020 Manifesto which is people Centred has been carefully packaged to Address priority needs of Ghanaians.



He explained that while the Flagbearer John Mahama was on the Speak Out Tour collating direct inputs from chiefs, professional bodies, students, the youth and women groups, the government and the ruling party official a were mocking him claiming he was bereft of ideas



The NDC Chief Scribe said it has now become obvious here is only one manifesto for the 2020 elections because it has exposed President Nana Akufo ADDOs desperation for power following its u-turn and now implementing NDCs manifesto promises even before The December 7 elections.



He said after close to four years in government and campaigning on lies, the NPP has been exposed and Ghanaians will vote hem out for their failed promises.



Earlier the NDC delegation led by 2020 flagbearer John Mahama, National Campaign Chairman, Prof Joshua Alabi, former Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, former Minister for Power and MP, Dr Kwabena Donkor, National Organizer, Joshua Akamba MPs and Parliamentary candidates in the area and regional and constituency executives visited Atebubu Amanten, their first stop of his tour of the Bono East region where they paid courtesy call on the Paramount chief, Nana Manhene Owusu Ababio II and his subjects before addressing a mini durbar.



Former President John Mahama in his address urged the people and all Ghanaians to fully participate in the Electoral Commissions voter register exhibition exercise which starts tomorrow September 18th to the 25th.



He explained that it is the only way the people can guarantee they vote for their best choice in the upcoming elections.



Former President John Mahama also promised to upgrade the Amantin Health Center into a polyclinic to address the increasing pressure on the facility and end the stress they endure travelling to Mampong and Atebubu during emergencies.



In 2016 I came before you the Chiefs and people and made a promise to build you a polyclinic. It is a promise I remain committed to and will honour when I become President.



The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama, said he made that promise 2016 and like the major roads in the area through Kajeji which started before he left office, would have been completed.



President Mahama who, in the 4th Republic, is credited to have an unparalleled record in providing infrastructure across the country within a first term, again promised the chiefs and people to upgrade continue all abandoned projects.



The NDC Presidential Candidate also urged the people to participate fully in the planned population census in 2021.



He assured that if the figures meet expectations, a new district would be carved out for the people which will pave projects such as a district hospital, police station among others.



The former President also spent time to explain to the hundreds who turned out to mob him aspects of the 2020 Manifesto.



He promised to build an agricultural mechanization centre equipped with tractors, ploughs, boom sprayer etc. to provide services to the farmers.



He explained that the farmers can pay for the services after they harvest their crops; an initiative he believes will attract more youth to go into agriculture.



He also spoke extensively about the Vocational and technical skills training TVET programme and start ups for beneficiaries.



The Chief of Amantin, Osabarima Nana Owusu Ababio II, who spoke through his linguist asked that the 2020 elections be conducted in an atmosphere of peace.



President Mahama is on a three day tour of the Bono East Region.

Source: kasapafmonline.com









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Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 19:52:50|Editor: huaxia

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CANBERRA, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has declared that he is "encouraged" by the nation's fight against a second wave of COVID-19 infections in the state of Victoria.

Morrison on Friday held a meeting of the National Cabinet, which is composed of the prime minister and state and territory leaders, after which he welcomed a significant decline in new COVID-19 cases in Victoria, the hardest-hit state by the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, and praised the state government's decision to ease restrictions in regional areas.

"We're encouraged by what we're seeing out of Victoria now," Morrison told reporters on Friday.

"We're encouraged about the relaxation of the restrictions that we've seen in Victoria in regional areas."

"We are hopeful that the road map that has been outlined by the Victorian Premier continues to be achieved, and we hope it continues to be accelerated in response to the case numbers that we're seeing there."

As of Friday afternoon there had been 26,861 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Australia, and the number of new cases in the last 24 hours is 51.

There were five new deaths reported in Victoria on Friday, taking the national death toll to 837.

Of the new cases, Victoria confirmed 45 and New South Wales confirmed six more cases.

Victoria, Australia's second-most populous state, has now confirmed fewer than 50 cases for eight consecutive days, the first time it has done so in recent months.

"All of today's deaths are linked to known outbreaks in aged care facilities. To date, 750 people have died from coronavirus in Victoria," said a statement from the Department of Health and Human Services in Victoria on Friday.

The National Cabinet on Friday agreed to increase the cap on international arrivals to Australia in a staged way from 4,000 to 6,000 per week.

The prime minister also addressed Thursday's labor force data which revealed a surprise drop in the unemployment rate from 7.5 percent in July to 6.8 percent in August.

"I mean, these are employment numbers that have seen more than half now, more than half of the jobs lost come back. That's good news," he said.

Despite the positive news, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said on Friday that there was "a lot of uncertainty" in the economy.

He described the labor market as "challenging" and reiterated calls for strict COVID-19 restrictions across Melbourne, the capital city of Victoria, to be lifted earlier than currently planned.

"Now, I am hoping, the prime minister is hoping, that those restrictions can be eased as quickly as it is COVID-safe to do so," he told Sky News.

"Once that happens, more businesses will re-open, more people will get back to work and that will be good news for the overall economy." Enditem
The terrible consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil, with more than 135,000 deaths and nearly 4.5 million recorded cases, combined with the significant deterioration of the living conditions of the masses of Brazilian workers, are provoking mounting and explosive social discontent.

Actions by teachers against the homicidal drive to reopen schools has been joined by a month-long strike by postal workers throughout the country along with strikes by bus drivers and ticket collectors in the states of Rio Grande do Sul, Espirito Santo, Minas Gerais, Sao Paulo and Parana, just in September.

Classroom at a private school in Manaus. (Credit: Eduardo Cavalcante/ Seduc-AM)

The Brazilian ruling class is not only unable to provide any relief to Brazilian workers, rather, it is campaigning to further aggravate their suffering and anger, promoting a reopening of schools that will further escalate the spread of the pandemic.

On Wednesday, Brazils fascistic President Jair Bolsonaro presented a sinister public assessment of his governments response to the pandemic, dismissing its terrible human cost. At a ceremony that crowned Gen. Eduardo Pazuello as the acting health minister, Bolsonaro defended each of his homicidal steps.

He argued that businesses should never have been closed and that health had no priority over economics; he celebrated the doctors who dared to treat patients with hydroxychloroquine, even without scientific proof; and he attacked measures of social distancing implemented by governors and mayors as driven by panic spread by a catastrophic media.

To applause from his government team, Bolsonaro declared: We had no reason to close the schools, but the restrictive measures were no longer in the hands of the presidency. By judicial decision, they were exclusively in the hands of governors and mayors. I regret it. We are the country with the highest number of days of lockdown of schools. This is absurd.

This barbaric speech given by a mass murderer proud of his performance was received with indifference from the media and the supposed political opposition in the government. They are Bolsonaros accomplices and are jointly promoting the criminal reopening of schools in the country against the opposition of the majority of the working class.

The beginning of the week was marked by the government of Amazonas, whose capital Manaus was the first to resume classes in private and public schools, announcing a sudden increase in COVID-19 cases and the filling of ICU beds. The announcement was accompanied by a retreat in the reopening of state elementary schools, which were still closed. Governor Wilson Lima of the Christian Social Party, however, blamed the outbreak of cases on people in some places forming crowds, especially at private parties.

Seeking to sustain Limas hypocritical claim, the Health Surveillance Foundation of Amazonas (FVS-AM), which is responsible for authorizing the opening of schools, ended up making a terrible confession. We have noticed contempt for the precautionary measures against the coronavirus, such as social distancing of one and a half meters, said the president of FVS-AM. Its like entering a room on fire. Avoid crowding and continue wearing a mask. There is still no proof that this is not a mutant virus.

The rooms on fire, infested with a possibly mutant virus, are literally the hundreds of classrooms in Manaus attended by 110,000 students, which are kept open by FVS-AM and the government of Wilson Lima. The educators of Manaus, who, unlike the government, do not despise the precautionary measures against the coronavirus, responded to the outbreaks of COVID-19 in dozens of schools with strike action.

To force them into deadly workplaces, the state education secretariat has cut the strikers salaries and threatened to replace them with scabs. The governments attack was endorsed by the Union of Workers in Education of Amazonas (SINTEAM), which called off the strike on the grounds that the justice system authorizes imposing absences for [strikers], as well as fines against the union.

In Rio de Janeiro, the state with the second-highest number of recorded COVID-19 infections, some private schools resumed classes on Monday amid contradictory judicial decisions. The Military College of Rio de Janeiro, under federal jurisdiction, had also scheduled a return to classes, but this was preempted by strike action on the part of its teachers.

In Parana, faced with a possible, but still not scheduled, reopening of schools, some 2,700 teachers from the state gathered in an online rally this weekend and voted for a strike. In other states, such as Espirito Santo, teachers have expressed anger against the unions for failing to call meetings to organize actions.

In Sao Paulo, the state most impacted by COVID-19, which surpassed 900,000 cases of the disease this week and registered 321 new deaths on Wednesday, the government of Governor Joao Doria of the Brazilian Social Democratic Party (PSDB) has already allowed the partial reopening of schools. The mayor of the capital, Bruno Covas, also from PSDB, announced yesterday that face-to-face instruction in the schools, as well as regular classes in the universities, will resume on October 7.

A simulation made by researchers from major Brazilian and international universities showed that the reopening of schools in Sao Paulo, even following the restrictions stipulated by the government, would cause the infection of up to 46 percent of its students and teachers in only three months. The city of Sao Paulo has, according to 2018 data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), about 2.5 million students. The results of a reopening will be devastating.

Demonstrating the unanimity of the Brazilian political establishment on this homicidal policy, the Workers Party (PT) governor of Bahia, Rui Costa, once again expressed his readiness to reopen schools in his state. On Monday, as he addressed the further opening of inter-municipal transportation, Costa declared: this stage of transport relaxation is a stage that may include the reopening of schools.

This campaign is also being pushed by the countrys major media outlets, which are spreading pseudo-scientific arguments that favor the interests of the ruling class. Folha de Sao Paulo, the most circulated newspaper in the country, highlighted the opinion of Viviane Senna, president of the NGO Ayrton Senna Institute, whom the newspaper lauded as an education expert, with an article headlined It is clear that the reopening of schools does not aggravate the pandemic.

These statements are completely false. Children are contracting the disease. International data confirm that one in three children admitted to hospitals must receive intensive care, and that 6 percent need respirators. In Sao Paulo alone, more than 90 young people under the age of 19 have died of COVID-19. And recent large-scale studies in the US, Italy and South Korea have concluded that children are more likely to transmit COVID-19 than adults.

As the World Socialist Web Site has been reporting, the number of cases in Spain, France and other European countries is rapidly escalating. In the United Kingdom, the sinister growth in the number of new cases to the levels recorded in May is directly associated with the reopening of schools.

Opposition to the reopening of schools is growing among educators in Europe, just as in Brazil and on other continents. Meanwhile, unions around the world, bound to their national states and the ruling classes of their respective countries, are seeking to isolate workers, suppress their revolt and herd them into infected schools and workplaces.

In Brazil, the National Confederation of Education Workers (CNTE), to which most Brazilian teachers unions are associated, is publishing advice for governments on how to carry out safe gradual reopenings, while blocking the unification of Brazilian educators in struggle.

It is essential that Brazilian educators build rank-and-file committees in schools throughout the country to organize their strikes and other actions politically independent from the unions, directly confronting the interests of the ruling class and its governments.

The International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) is promoting a broad campaign for the formation of these rank-and-file committees all around the world, and for the unification of the struggle of the international working class. We urge Brazilian workers to take up this fight.
U.S. President Donald Trump will award the U.S. Legion of Merit, Degree Chief Commander, to Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, the White House said in a statement on Friday, saying it was the first time the honor has been given since 1991.

The emir arrived in the United States in July to complete his medical treatment, the Kuwaiti state news agency said at the time, adding the 91-year-old emir was in stable condition.

The emir's eldest son, Sheikh Nasser Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, will accept the award on behalf of his father at a private ceremony, the White House added. Separately, the White House said Trump would greet the emir's eldest son on Friday.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 21:35:45|Editor: huaxia

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CHENGDU, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Rosie Chawla has been working as an international education consultant in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, for more than three years. A few days ago, she took on a new role -- foreign liaison of an international residential community.

From New York, Chawla now lives in the Tongzilin Community in downtown Chengdu, one of the most concentrated communities of foreigners. The more than 4,000 expats account for one-fifth of the entire population of the community.

On the evening of Sept. 10, a meeting was convened, aiming to establish a committee of both Chinese and foreign residents so that the community will become more harmonious. Chawla recommended herself as a liaison at the meeting.

"If we want to motivate our neighbors to do good in our community, we need committees like this," Chawla said.

"We need to come here together to talk, to share, to know one another and explore each other's ideas, so we can become friends. And through friendships, we can grow our community to be more peaceful and meaningful," she added.

Chawla became the committee's liaison and, together with four other foreign residents -- from Peru, Ukraine, Sri Lanka, and the Republic of Korea -- and 11 Chinese residents, formed the first "Neighborhood Committee" of the Tongzilin International Community Center in Chengdu. They are expected to represent all Tongzilin residents in participating in the community affairs -- to find, report and solve community problems, and to assist the center's work.

In September 2018, the community established the Tongzilin International Community Center, a platform providing services for both Chinese and international residents.

The center played an important role in the fight against COVID-19 at the beginning of this year. It amassed more than 100 Chinese and foreign volunteers to help with epidemic prevention and control efforts not only inside the community but across the city. Many international residents benefitted from their efforts.

"Their performance showed us an opportunity for Chinese and foreign residents to participate in community construction," said Tan Hongdan, a worker at the center, adding that they hoped to establish a neighborhood committee to allow more Chinese and foreign residents to participate in managing community affairs.

The initiative has attracted many international residents since its publication last month, including university staff, overseas enterprise executives and foreign entrepreneurs.

Tharaka Kahaduwa, a 26-year-old Sri Lankan national who has lived in the community for years was already a community volunteer before joining the committee.

"The committee is made up of both locals and foreigners living in Tongzilin. To have all of these people together to share their ideas and thoughts is a really good way to understand what's going on in the community and how we can make it a better place for all the residents," said Kahaduwa.

As one of the most developed metropolis in western China, Chengdu has more than 17,000 foreign residents. The city plans to build 45 international communities by the end of 2020. Enditem
CAIRO  Egypts Minister of Education Tarek Shawki signed a cooperation protocol with Chinas Ambassador to Egypt Liao Liqiang to include Mandarin Chinese as an elective foreign language in Egyptian schools.

The agreement, signed Sept. 7, is part of growing Egyptian-Chinese relations as China seeks to expand its presence in one of the Middle East and North Africa's largest countries. But an Egyptian-Chinese partnership does run the risk of displeasing the United States in light of its trade war with China.

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Deputy Minister of Education Mohamed Mujahid said that under the agreement, Chinese specialists and volunteers with the Confucius Institute, a center for exchange and cooperation affiliated with the Chinese Ministry of Education, will be sent to train Egyptian teachers who speak the language on teaching it to middle, high school and technical school students.

Mujahid said Egyptian students are taught English as a first foreign language and they get to choose a second language to study among French, German, Italian and Spanish. Following the agreement, Chinese will be added to the list.

He said that the agreement is a step in the right direction and an asset to Egyptian students," explaining, "China has common interests and trade partnerships with Egypt, and we must keep pace with this development.

Mujahid noted, The protocol involves mechanisms to encourage and motivate students to learn Chinese, such as offering outstanding students grants to study in China. Also, the protocol offers a chance for technical school students to obtain training in Chinese companies.

He went on, The agreement will not be implemented this year since the academic year in Egypt begins this month. There are arrangements that need to be made by the Chinese side and teachers need to be trained first. It may come into play with the next school year.

According to the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics, last year Egypt had 8.7 million students in the program's range, including 5 million in middle school, 1.9 million in secondary school and 1.8 million students enrolled in secondary technical education.

In a speech at the signing ceremony of the cooperation protocol on Sept. 7, Egypts Minister of International Cooperation Rania al-Mashat said Chinese grants and low interest loans to Egypt amount to $1.835 billion, which includes $1.5 billion for the transportation and housing sectors, and grants of $335 million in higher education, scientific research, technical education and space technology.

Chinas embassy to Egypt wrote in a Sept. 7 Facebook post, Together we will witness history being written.  We hope that learning Chinese serves to build the Egyptian peoples livelihood and economic prosperity.

Nada Mogheeth, an Egyptian researcher at the Chinese Xiamen University, called the agreement a major breakthrough in Egyptian education, but said that societal and cultural challenges may impede its implementation.

She told Al-Monitor that a similar agreement for Chinese to be taught in Egyptian schools was signed in 2004, but problems such as a lack of demand and a shortage of teachers have hindered its implementation, she added.

Cairo-Beijing relations have strengthened since President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi took office in 2014. Sisi visited Beijing six times in five years and met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. Egypt and China signed a strategic partnership agreement in 2014 and Egypt has also participated in China's Belt and Road Initiative since it was launched in 2017.

Mogheeth said, The demand for the Chinese language continued to grow slowly until 2014, when Cairo-Beijing relations began to warm. The Chinese language is now taught in 25 Egyptian colleges graduating nearly 2,000 students with degrees in Chinese per year. In addition, the Confucius Institute opened centers in two universities [Cairo and Suez Canal] in addition to classes in four other universities.

She said explained China perceives Egypt as a hub for cultural expansion in the Arab region and Africa, noting, There is swift Chinese expansion that includes promoting the language in the Egyptian education sector, and it seems that there is a strong Chinese desire to implement this agreement now. Yet its implementation remains dependent on having a sufficient number of Chinese language teachers in Egypt and curriculum development, she added.

In a Sept. 9 press conference, Ambassador Liqiang said, The agreement is a reflection of the bright image of the two countries friendly relations. He said that Egyptian-Chinese cooperation is back on track after a dip due to the pandemic, as the two countries' trade volume hit $6.67 billion in the first half of this year.

Amid the coronavirus crisis that began in China, Egyptian Health Minister Hala Zayed flew to China in late February, and Beijing sent Cairo medical supplies in April and May.

Nadia Helmy, a professor of political science and specialist on Chinese affairs at Beni Suef University, said the agreement points shows how close political and economic relations between Cairo and Beijing have become. Helmy told Al-Monitor, China is a superpower that has veto rights in the international community [in reference to the United Nations]. It has a large market that Egypt must benefit from through cooperation and learning the language.

She said, The agreement reflects Egypt's strategy to diversify relations instead of limiting itself to teaching Western languages to students. Meanwhile, Beijing's interest is clear in its plans to strengthen its presence in Egypt.

Nevertheless, the growing closeness may stir US concerns amid the competition between Washington and Beijing, according to Helmy.

In August 2019, the Washington Institute reported that Beijing seeks to benefit from Egypt's position in the Arab world and Africa at a time when Egypt seeks to diversify its foreign relations and military options.

Imad al-Azraq, the head of the independent Tahir Center for Studies and Research and a specialist on Chinese affairs, said that Egypt considers relations with China key to achieving balance between East and West and is careful not to antagonize Washington in its outreach to Beijing.
(CNN) -- The pandemic has severely disrupted the education and childcare systems that millions of parents rely on while they're at work.

And that has many companies trying to figure out how to help working parents juggle the added responsibilities of remote learning and childcare while still getting their jobs done.

"Covid has accelerated the demand for programs that retain and attract working parents -- specifically working mothers," said Sarahjane Sacchetti, CEO of Cleo, a family benefits platform.

That has more companies prioritizing family benefits, she said. "We've seen an acceleration of 'middle ground' employers, who typically weren't in the perk wars, start to look at this category."

But there isn't a one-size-fits-all solution. The demands of a toddler on a working parent are much different than that of a sixth grader or a teenager, for example.

Here's a look at some of the programs companies have started to help working parents:

Financial help

Childcare is one of the biggest expenses families face. And with some schools opting to do remote learning full-time or only meeting a few days a week in person, some parents are facing the added expense of finding care during the workday.

Some companies are helping to offset those costs. Bank of America, for example, is reimbursing eligible employees $75 or $100 a day for childcare, depending on their compensation, through the end of the year. The reimbursement can be used for children 12 and younger and workers can choose their own childcare.

Additional paid leave

Some companies are hoping that giving working parents more time off will help lighten the load.

Parents at Microsoft received an additional 12 weeks of paid parental leave earlier this year to help with extended school closures.

Google extended its family leave to 14 weeks in April for workers to take care of their families during the pandemic.

Keeping kids occupied

Kids have a lot of energy, and it's hard to keep up with them while also trying to get your work done.

So software developer Globant decided to help working parents at its company by providing virtual activities for kids that are run by outside professionals. The activities include art classes, movement breaks and magic shows.

"The schedule is published ahead of time so parents can plan for it," said Sanja Licina, lead of Future of Organizations at Globant.

The company plans to continue to hold virtual activities until students can return to the classroom full time.

Flexible schedules

For some parents, the afternoons are the craziest time of day. They might be trying to help their kids with homework, participate in virtual after-school activities and prep for dinner, all of which makes focusing on work next to impossible. For other parents, this might be the most productive time because that's when their child is napping.

At Paylocity, employees work with their managers to set up a schedule that best meets their work-life demands.

"We provided guidelines to managers on all the different arrangements we could offer employees to still get work done," said CEO Steve Beauchamp.

That's led some workers to embrace split schedules, which could mean taking a long break in the middle of the day and coming back online in the evenings, or working a four-day week with 10-hour days. Some have also chosen to temporarily reduce their hours and have their pay adjusted.

The company also added more PTO and sick days to give workers more flexibility.

Expanding childcare

Toyota has done several employee surveys to identify what its workers are struggling with and how best to help them.

Workers at its Georgetown, Kentucky, manufacturing facility expressed concerns over virtual learning and how they were going to help their children if they were at work.

In response, Toyota created an on-site program for children in kindergarten through fifth grade to help with their virtual classes. The center has supervisors to help the children with remote learning as well as homework and after-school activities. The program costs parents $150 to $170 a week.

Talking about it

Childcare hasn't always been a welcome conversation in the office. But now, there's no hiding it. And some companies are embracing it.

At Cleo's bi-weekly All Hands meetings, children often make guest appearances, with no less than five babies popping up on the screen at a recent one.

There's also a parents' Slack channel, where parents actively share tips, swap funny stories and yes, voice any frustrations.

"To support the programs you are offering, you have to have a conversation and bring light around it," Sacchetti said.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "To help working parents, companies are getting creative"
Kate Mulvany owes her 25-year career as a playwright in part to a light-fingered thief in a Bondi let.

Taken was a laptop on which was notes for a draft novel, loosely based on her own experience as the daughter of a Vietnam War veteran.

Mulvany had just arrived in Sydney from her home town of Perth when she reported the theft to a detective who looked "like Magnum P.I" and seemed more concerned with the missing software she had borrowed from fellow actor Steve Bisley than the manuscript.

Kate Mulvany likes to tease out the hiccups in history. Credit:Janie Barrett

"I didn't know it was illegal to download software then," she says. "He got on his little walky-talky and I had to call Steve [at home] and say, 'Get out of there'. Never found the laptop, never found the software and Biso was halfway across the Nullarbor on a bike anyway."
Swedish English





Bilia expects to report operational earnings for the third quarter 2020 that are higher than last year and significantly above market expectations.

Bilias operational earnings has so far during the third quarter been impacted more positively than expected by a strong demand for used cars. Bilias operational earnings for the third quarter 2020 are expected to amount to between SEK 340 M to SEK 360 M, compared with SEK 280 M for the third quarter 2019. The demand within the Service business has remained on a good level during the third quarter. Government support for furloughing has been used to a very limited extent during the third quarter and support recognized as income are of minor amounts. There is no support for furloughing recognized as income for Sweden.

The figures are preliminary and not audited by Bilias auditors. Complete information will be reported as part of Bilias ordinary interim report on October 28 2020.

Gothenburg September 18, 2020

Bilia AB (publ)

For information please contact:

Per Avander, Managing Director and CEO, +46 (0)10 497 70 00,

per.avander@bilia.se

Kristina Franzen, CFO, +46 (0)10 497 73 40, kristina.franzen@bilia.se

This is information that Bilia 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, on September 18 2020, at 08:00 CEST.

Facts about the Bilia Group

Bilia is one of Europes largest car dealership chains with a leading position within service and sales of cars and transport vehicles. Bilia has about 140 facilities in Sweden, Norway, Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium. Bilia sells cars of the brand Volvo, BMW, Toyota, Renault, Lexus, MINI, Dacia, Alpine and transport vehicles of the brand Renault, Toyota and Dacia.

Bilia has today a fully expanded business with sales of new cars, e-commerce, spare parts and store sales, service and repair workshops, tyres and car glass and financing, insurance, car washes, fuel stations and auto salvage under the same roof, which gives a unique offer.

Bilia reported a turnover of about SEK 30 bn in 2019 and had about 5,000 employees.

Attachment
The Jordanian government says it will imprison or fine anyone holding large gatherings as the country contends with a surge in COVID-19 cases.

Jordan issued a defense order stipulating that people cannot hold weddings, mourning rituals or any event with more than 20 people, the state-owned Jordan Times reported Thursday. For gatherings under 20 people, attendees must socially distance, wear masks and refrain from shaking hands, among other measures.

Anyone who breaks the order faces imprisonment from three months to a year or a fine between 1,000 and 3,000 Jordanian dinars ($1,410-$4,230), or both, according to the publication.

The Hashemite Kingdom is in the middle of an outbreak of the coronavirus. For months, Jordans total confirmed cases were under 1,500  significantly below the figures in some of its neighbors. Infections began to rise rapidly in late August, according to Worldometer.

Jordan registered 213 new cases today, including 104 in the capital, Amman, the state-run Al-Mamlaka news outlet reported. This brings the number of cases Jordan has recorded to 4,344. It also recorded three new deaths for a total of 29.

Jordan has instituted some of the strictest anti-virus measures in the world. People entering the country from abroad must wear a bracelet that tracks their movements as they quarantine for two weeks in a hotel. Jordan imposed a total lockdown in March, but began easing restrictions in April.

Now the country is reversing course somewhat. Amman began a 24-hour ban on nonessential movement today. Photos from Al-Mamlaka showed empty streets with a noticeable police presence.

Some of the virus mitigation measures have been criticized. In August, Jordanian teachers told Al-Monitor that the government used defense orders that focus on the virus to detain and silence them. The Teachers Syndicate and other groups are critical of the effects the virus-related restrictions are having on the Jordanian economy.
NEW YORK, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Montefiore Medical Center is notifying patients about a security breach involving information accessed illegally by a former employee. In July of 2020, Montefiore discovered that the employee allegedly stole approximately four thousand patient names, addresses, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers between January 2018 and July 2020. The employee was fired, and an NYPD investigation is underway. To date, there is no evidence that this patient information has been used for identity theft.

Montefiore requires criminal background checks on all employees and has comprehensive privacy policies, including a strict Code of Conduct that prohibits employees from looking at patient records unless they have a work-related reason. The employee involved in this case received significant privacy and security training but chose to violate Montefiore's policies. Montefiore's sophisticated technology that monitors improper access to electronic patient records identified the employee.

In the wake of this breach Montefiore is expanding monitoring capabilities and employee training programs to bolster privacy safeguards and standards.

In addition, Montefiore is offering all affected patients identity theft protection services through ID Experts, a data breach and recovery services company. Patients will receive identity recovery services, 12 months of credit monitoring and a $1,000,000 insurance policy. Patients with questions regarding this incident can visit https://app.myidcare.com/account-creation/protect or call 1-833-755-1027 Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time, excluding major holidays. These costs will be fully covered by Montefiore.

Montefiore deeply regrets this incident and will not tolerate any violation of patient privacy. In support of all HIPAA guidance and laws, we view this activity to be criminal in nature and are fully cooperating with law enforcement as the case moves forward.

This press release is in accordance with the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act. Montefiore Health System has notified affected members and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

About Montefiore Health System

Montefiore Health System is one of New York's premier academic health systems and is a recognized leader in providing exceptional quality and personalized, accountable care to approximately three million people in communities across the Bronx, Westchester and the Hudson Valley. It is comprised of 11 hospitals, including the Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Burke Rehabilitation Hospital and more than 200 outpatient ambulatory care sites. The advanced clinical and translational research at its medical school, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, directly informs patient care and improves outcomes. From the Montefiore-Einstein Centers of Excellence in cancer, cardiology and vascular care, pediatrics, and transplantation, to its preeminent school-based health program, Montefiore is a fully integrated healthcare delivery system providing coordinated, comprehensive care to patients and their families. For more information please visit www.montefiore.org. Follow us on Twitter and view us on Facebook and YouTube.

SOURCE Montefiore Medical Center
Nearly 9 million Americans will soon receive a special letter from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) about stimulus payments from the CARES Act.

Of those, 216,145 live in New Jersey.

New Jersey neighbor Pennsylvania will see 276,066 letters, while New Yorkers will receive 537,726 letters.

Residents of California will receive the largest number of letters, at 1.1 million. Those in Vermont will receive the fewest at 13,665.

The letters, which will be sent to people who dont typically file tax returns, are meant to encourage people who havent yet received a stimulus payment to take steps to see if they qualify.

The letters urge recipients to use the Non-Filers: Enter Payment Info tool on the IRS website before Oct. 15 to register for a payment, which would be sent by the end of the year.

These mailings are the latest step by the IRS to reach as many people as possible for these important payments," IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig said. We are releasing this state-by-state information so that state and local leaders and organizations can better understand the size of this population in their communities and assist them in claiming these important payments.

"Time is running out to claim a payment before the deadline, he said.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage

Not everyone who receives the letter will be eligible, the IRS said, noting that people who are U.S. citizens or resident aliens, have a work-eligible Social Security number and are not claimed as a dependent on someone elses federal income tax return are probably eligible.

Those who wont use the tool by Oct. 15 will have to wait to claim the benefit on their 2020 tax returns.

Two weeks after someone registers, they can track the status of their payment using the Get My Payment tool on the IRS website.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Karin Price Mueller may be reached at KPriceMueller@NJAdvanceMedia.com.
Indonesian Minister for National Development Planning Suharso Monoarfa (R) and EU Ambassador Vincent Piket at the event (Photo: Internet)

Jakarta  Indonesian Minister for National Development Planning Suharso Monoarfa and European Union (EU) Ambassador to Indonesia and Brunei Vincent Piket launched the publication EU-Indonesia Cooperation 2020: Building Capacity for Green Growth during an online event on September 17.

Talking with the press, Monoarfa said the publication encapsulates efforts in advancing sustainable development to mitigate the impacts of climate change as well as highlights key achievements of the EU and its member states development programmes with Indonesia.

According to him, Indonesia-EU cooperation will support economic growth, health system, education, social inclusion, and environmental protection.

Ambassador Piket, for his part, said the EU recently launched a Team Europe package to support Indonesias response to the coronavirus pandemic. Looking forward, cooperation with Indonesia will include innovative methods to finance the green transition, urban development and the sustainable management of natural resources.

Last year, over 1,600 annual scholarships were awarded to Indonesian students through the EUs Erasmus programme and its member states scholarship schemes.
LITCHFIELD  Students across the district will be learning from home Friday after several students had prolonged exposure to someone with COVID-19, school officials said Thursday.

Multiple students from different schools were exposed when they attended a non-school event last weekend, Superintendent Chris Leone told the school community Thursday.

Due to the complex nature of this case, the ongoing contact tracing, and with an extreme amount of caution, the entire Litchfield Public Schools will be on remote learning for Friday, September 18, 2020, Leone said.

The district is working to perform contact tracing with the Torrington Area Health District and has begun isolating and quarantining, the superintendent said.

The decision to change the learning phase is not an easy one but the safest with all current information. With so many variables (multiple grade levels, classrooms and transportation) we must be vigilant to contain any possible community spread, Leone said.

Schools will be cleaned Friday. Anyone directly affected by the exposure will be contacted by either the school or Torrington health officials.

The district plans to share more information by Sunday.

In closing I am mindful that obstacles are part of day-to-day life. We will overcome this event and continue to move forward, Leone said.
Azadeh Shahshahani has spent years imploring people in power to do something about two notorious detention centers in rural Georgia. She and her colleagues at the advocacy group Project South had heard countless horror stories from detained immigrants about abuses they had faced at the privately run Stewart Detention Center and Irwin County Detention Center. In 2017, they published reports from Stewart detainees whose severe illnesses and injuries were treated only with ibuprofen, even when they had broken bones. Women at Irwin told them people were regularly fainting from hunger and that diseases were spreading like wildfire while staff ignored them. When people began dying at alarming rates at Stewart, Project South wrote letters to Georgias congressional delegation requesting an investigation. Theyve written a lot of letters over the years, without getting much of a response.

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Weve been to the U.N., she said. Weve been to the Inter-American Commission [on Human Rights], just asking for some attention and for accountability. Its been really frustrating because, you know, at Stewart, people keep dying, and at Irwin, the conditions keep getting worse in the midst of the pandemic  and its like, what is it going to take for the people in power to take a look at what is happening at this facility?

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This week, Shahshahani was caught completely off guard when something finally broke through. That would be the whistleblower complaint she and her team compiled and submitted on behalf of Dawn Wooten, a former nurse at Irwin, which stopped the news cycle in its tracks this week. The complaint primarily discussed the squalid conditions and violations of COVID-19 protocols at Irwin, but buried toward the bottom, Wooten and several anonymous detainees alleged that many women at the facility had been subjected to unnecessary hysterectomies without consent by a gynecologist known as the uterus collector. The hysterectomy allegation was first highlighted by LawandCrime.com, under the headline  Like an Experimental Concentration Camp: Whistleblower Complaint Alleges Mass Hysterectomies at ICE Detention Center. The disturbing reports that a doctor was sterilizing women without their informed consent quickly blew up. Soon it had generated accusations that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was running a genocidal eugenics program. In the following days, other news outlets have raced to corroborate the claims of mass hysterectomies.

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Suddenly, Project South was flooded with calls from congressional staffers and investigative reporters who wanted to know more. The Department of Homeland Security and Congress have launched probes. Investigative reporters identified the gynecologist at the center of the allegations within hours as Mahendra Amin. Attorneys have come forward on behalf of more women who say they were subjected to unnecessary surgeries that included hysterectomies. The AP spoke with several women who had surgeries done by Amin without giving fully informed consent, but said they could not find evidence of mass hysterectomies as alleged.

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One of these women, Pauline Binam, woke up from surgery to discover one of her fallopian tubes had been removed, according to her attorney, her mother, and an August 2019 psychiatric report provided to news outlets. She was nearly deported on Wednesday morning, but members of Congress intervened and she was pulled off a plane headed for Cameroon, a country she had not lived in since she was 2 years old. ICE said she was pulled off the plane due to a paperwork error, not because of congressional pressure. Retaliation against the women who spoke up was expectedShahshahani said thats why they withheld names in the complaint in the first place. Retaliation has happened before at this very detention center: Several women at Irwin secretly made a video in April begging for help and describing filthy conditions and overcrowding as the pandemic worsened. Soon after the video was picked up by media, they were reportedly taken from their dorm, many in handcuffs, and put in solitary confinement.

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Still, the videos begging for help barely made a dent in public consciousness. At the time, the pandemic had shut down large swaths of the world. And, after all, American news consumers have gotten accustomed to family separation, the creation of tent camps for migrants, reports of sexual assault and human rights abuses inside detention centers. So why are the detained women finally getting a response now? Given that were in the midst of the pandemic, we thought that folks would be very focused on the level of care or lack of care being provided to people in detention, Shahshahani said. I guess we had not expected such a level of attention to [the hysterectomies]which is really important. I mean, Im glad that folks are finally paying attention to what is happening.

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Abuses that do not rise to the level of eugenics are still inhumane, and in dire need of response.

The idea that ICE was running an experimental concentration camp, as one anonymous person said in the complaint, seems to have jolted something loose. The allegations have caused more of an uptick in moral outrage, perhaps particularly because of the way theyve been framed as being comparable to concentration camps. And the allegations evoke the United States long history of forced sterilization, which is often connected to racism. But as Dahlia Lithwick explained, the texture of what forced sterilization looks like in America these days isnt exactly what the language of a uterus collector evokes. The battle here is murkier, and frequently more difficult to prove, precisely because power imbalances and language barriers complicate the issue of informed consent.

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Still, Shahshahani is relieved at the response. Were talking about Black and brown immigrant women who are in a very vulnerable situation and have no control over whats happening to their bodies, Shahshahani said. So definitely this issue is receiving well-deserved attention. Shes also puzzled why it took so long. I have to say, there are human rights violations happening at the facility that have been happening for years. This is not a stand-alone issue.

ICE initially dismissed the hysterectomy claims as anonymous, unproven allegations, made without any fact-checkable specifics. Once attorneys representing women began coming forward with fact-checkable specifics, the ICE Health Service Corps released a statement saying the agency vehemently disputes the implication that detainees are used for experimental medical procedures.

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ICE seems to be banking on the likelihood that ongoing investigations will fail to reveal a Josef Mengeletype regime intentionally and diabolically experimenting on immigrant women. The evidence thus far points to one doctor who may have taken advantage of women in the custody of an indifferent and often hostile government agency. Amins attorney, meanwhile, has told the press that he and his client believe the investigations will clear Amin of any wrongdoing. But the surgeries, and the issues of informed consent, are entirely consistent with ICEs attitude toward immigrants health, including their reproductive health. Miscarriages experienced by migrants in detention have nearly doubled under the Trump administration. ICE has largely shrugged at multiple reports of pregnant people suffering increased risks and complications in detention. Abuses that do not rise to the level of eugenics are still inhumane, and in dire need of response.

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People need to be looking at the full picture, Shahshahani said. In addition to accountability for individual people who have performed these procedures and abuses, there has to be accountability for ICE and the private prison corporation because these are the entities that are holding these women.

Shahshahani emphasized that, if the allegations are borne out, it wont be sufficient to simply discipline one doctor or force officials to resign. Even leaving aside the allegations of forced sterilization, the advocates who filed the complaint argue there is ample evidence to shutter both Irwin and Stewart detention centers for good. We dont think that these facilities are going to be repaired, she said. We dont want to make them prettier. We want to shut them down.
A family in Zamalka who returned to their home in Zamalka, East Ghouta, Syria, in 2019 after seven years in displacement.  UNHCR/Bassam Diab

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi reaffirmed the commitment of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, to providing vital humanitarian assistance to the people of Syria and refugees in the country, following a three-day visit to the Syrian Arab Republic from 15-17 September.

The situation in Syria continues to be very difficult and people need urgent support, Grandi said. I met people who have returned from displacement to areas still facing many challenges. Their resilience is humbling, but they have urgent humanitarian needs: food prices have skyrocketed, water is seldom available, electricity is scarce and work difficult to find.

The challenges they face have been compounded by a severe economic downturn and the coronavirus pandemic, the High Commissioner added. UNHCR is committed to continuing its work to provide humanitarian assistance to those most in need.

UNHCR continues to ramp up measures to confront and contain the spread of COVID-19 among Syrian and refugee populations and is seeking to mobilize additional resources for the countrys pandemic and humanitarian response. The High Commissioners visit included meetings with senior government officials, NGOs, healthcare workers and Syrian families. His visit followed a recent spike in COVID-19 infections in the country.

The most pressing need is to respond and do more to combat the virus, including expanding the support to quarantine centers, enhancing testing capability and providing protective equipment to frontline and healthcare workers at public and university hospitals and UNHCR-funded community centers, Grandi said.

As part of its COVID-19 response, UNHCR has provided protective equipment to hospitals and health clinics, distributed medication to refugees and built quarantine areas in Rural Damascus.

The High Commissioner visited Dweir quarantine center where UNHCR and humanitarian actors have improved hygiene facilities, repaired patient rooms, provided equipment such as beds, mattresses and sheets and expanded capacity to accommodate up to 3,000 individuals.

Grandi also visited Eastern Ghouta in Rural Damascus. Urgent humanitarian needs persist there with limited access to potable water, scarce or unreliable electricity supplies, limited access to health care and soaring prices of basic necessities such as food, fuel and medicine.

He noted the severe damage to homes and buildings still prevalent since his last visit two years ago, but Syrian families that he spoke to told him the security situation was becoming more stable, and some internally displaced Syrians had returned to their homes.

The High Commissioner also visited a school in Eastern Ghouta that had recently reopened following the COVID-19 lockdowns. Lessons are taking place with up to 40 students per class, and he stressed how difficult it is to enforce physical distancing and ensure basic hygiene such as hand washing given the prevailing conditions.

The High Commissioner concluded his visit by meeting families that have recently returned to their homes after years in displacement. UNHCR has provided support to families in the area so they could make the small repairs necessary to render their homes safe and habitable.

Almost ten years into the Syria crisis, 11 million people inside the country are in need of humanitarian assistance and more than 80 per cent live below the poverty line. Economic turmoil compounded by the coronavirus crisis has only exacerbated the situation.

UNHCR and humanitarian partners are working to help the most vulnerable but fear that resources will become scarce as the global pandemic challenges the health, safety and economies of countries worldwide. This underscores the need for sustained international support for Syrians inside and outside the country, Grandi concluded.

For more information on this topic, please contact:
Good morning, Bay Area. Its Friday, Sept. 18, and despite literally everything, the Bay Area real estate market is still hot. Heres what you need to know to start your day.

They found the man on a hot stretch of highway, 11 miles northeast of Bidwell Bar Bridge in Butte County, which had been cast orange by the fire. He was past the Oroville Dam, nearly splintered three years earlier by record rainfall, and past shallow Lake Madrone, where the man might have sought refuge, as other people have done in other pools, from other fires.

By the time the firefighters found him, just before 8 a.m. on Sept. 9, the man had been lying facedown near the highway, probably for hours. He was unable to speak, with burns covering most of his body. The soles of his white running shoes had melted, his shoelaces still smoldering. The closest medical help was at Station 62 in Berry Creek, which was already filling with smoke.

Lizzie Johnson and Matthias Gafni tell about how a small firehouse in rural Butte County became a field hospital last week and how the county cant seem to escape disaster.

 In October 2018, two years before the deadly Bear Fire leveled Berry Creek, the community was selected to receive an $836,000 state grant for pruning vegetation and clearing fuel from potential fire spots. Strangled by delays and red tape, the forest management project was never completed, said local officials, who are now left to stew over the what-ifs.

 Two more victims of the North Complex wildfires are identified as deadly fires continue to burn. At least 15 have been killed to date.

 Yosemite National Park closes because of smoky air.

Schools, with a checklist

Paul Chinn/The Chronicle

This school has it down, said Ana Validzic, a COVID-19 command team leader at San Franciscos Department of Public Health, her digital checklist in her hands.

That wasnt an official decision, but the San Francisco School, a private institution in the Portola district, is hoping to become one of the first to bring children back to the classroom.

Jill Tucker watched the inspection and reports on the potential timeline for San Franciscos public schools to reopen.

 Gov. Gavin Newsom signs bill requiring businesses to disclose coronavirus infections.

 A city transformed: San Francisco marks six months of surreal living.

 The latest jobs numbers: Hiring resumes, but layoffs stay high.

Home sales soaring

Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle

Neither the coronavirus nor the wildfires put much of a damper on Bay Area real estate in August, as the median price of an existing single-family home hit a record high of $1,068,000, according to a California Association of Realtors report issued Thursday.

Kathleen Pender looks into some of the reasons the pandemic hasnt hurt home buying in the Bay Area and larger shifts in the real estate and rental markets.

 Veterans get chance to build new apartments on Treasure Island that veterans will live in.

Around the Bay

 Exclusive: Capt. Brett Crozier explains why he sent email warning of Roosevelt coronavirus outbreak.

 Divisive, anti-American: UC national labs suspend diversity training after Trump administration order.

 Policing BART: Half of the agency officers use-of force incidents were against Black men last year, but only 10% of the riders are Black, report shows.

 New business model: S.F.s newest seafood delivery meals come from an ex-Lazy Bear chef. More from the food team: 10 spacious outdoor restaurant patios in San Francisco and the Bay Area.

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.

 Subdued approach: Gavin Newsom didnt push Trump over ideological BS on climate change. Heres why.

 The ever-expanding Nuru corruption probe: Federal prosecutors charge the leaders of an Oakland construction management firm with bribery.

 Keeping count: S.F. workers were told their job was done, but the U.S. census tally is far from complete, Heather Knight writes.

 Arson investigation: Fire engulfs Armenian church offices in San Francisco.

 Replay reduction: As continue to find MLBs replay system a big challenge this season, Susan Slusser writes.

 Absolutely unacceptable: TechCrunch cuts ties with S.F. event manager after homeless sweep outside no-audience Disrupt conference.

Election questions

Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle

On Nov. 3, the Bay Area will be voting not only on the presidential ticket but a score of local candidates and ballot measures. As part of our election coverage, The Chronicle is reporting on the context for major local measures on your ballot.

First up: Measure RR, which is on the ballot in San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, seeks to throw a lifeline during the coronavirus crisis to Caltrain and then continue to fund long-term improvements.

If passed, Measure RR would allow a one-eighth-cent sales tax increase in those counties. The ballot measure has to be approved by two-thirds of voters in all three counties.

Read more from reporter Mallory Moench on Measure RR here.

Bay Briefing is written by Taylor Kate Brown and sent to readers email inboxes on weekday mornings. Sign up for the newsletter here, and contact Brown at taylor.brown@sfchronicle.com.
Army inquiry finds that its personnel exceeded the provisions of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA)

The Indian Army has said an internal inquiry has shown that its troops killed three young men working as labourers in an apple orchard in Shopian. (DC file photo by H U Naqash)

Srinagar: The Indian Army on Friday admitted that its troops killed three young men working as labourers in an apple orchard back in July this year. The three young workers from the frontier district of Rajouri disappeared shortly after arriving in Shopian to make a living.

The Army said an inquiry conducted by it showed that the killings were carried out by its troops during an 'operation'.

It said "disciplinary action" was being initiated under the Army Act against the officers and soldiers involved in the operation.

The inquiry "brought out certain prima facie evidence indicating that during the operation powers vested under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) 1990 were exceeded and the Dos and Donts of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) as approved by the Honble Supreme Court have been contravened," the Army said.

It, however, added that the slain men's "involvement with terrorism or related activities is under investigation by the J&K police."

According to the families of the three labourers, Muhammad Imtiaz, Abrar Ahmed Khan and Abrar Yusuf were killed by troops in a fake encounter in the Amshipora area on July 18.

The night before, the three men had informed their respective families on the phone that they had reached Shopian where they had been hired by a local fruit grower to work in his apple orchard.

After their killings, the Army had passed them off as "terrorists".

Earlier this month, the families accused the Army and the J&K Police of dilly-dallying on the probes ordered by them separately into the 'disappearance'. In a letter to Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, they sought his intervention into the matter.

They also demanded that an impartial and fair inquiry be held, the DNA reports made public and, if it is established that their kin are the same youth who were killed in the purported July 18 encounter at Amshipora, they be allowed to exhume their bodies so that the victims are given a decent burial by them.

Sinha had while speaking to reporters here on September 14 assured that justice would be done with the families of the slain youth. He had said, The Army has ordered its own inquiry and the administration is doing its own probe. I want to assure that justice will be done."

Director-general of police Dilbag Singh said on Thursday that the DNA reports in the case would be made public soon.

The DNA samples of the parents and siblings of the missing youth were collected from Rajouri under the aegis of the J&K Police in August and subsequently sent for matching with the trio killed on July 18.

Defence spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia said here on Friday that the inquiry ordered by the Army into Operation Amshipora has been concluded. He said that since the inquiry has brought out certain prima facie evidence indicating that during the operation powers vested under AFSPA 1990 were exceeded and the Dos and Donts of the Army chief, as approved by the Supreme Court, were contravened, the competent disciplinary authority has directed to initiate "disciplinary proceedings under the Army Act against those found prima facie answerable".

He added "The evidence collected by the inquiry has prima-facie indicated that the three unidentified terrorists killed in Operation Amshipora were Muhammad Imtiaz, Abrar Ahmed Khan and Abrar Yusuf, who hailed from Rajouri. Their DNA report is awaited. Their involvement with terrorism or related activities is under investigation by the police."

He further said "Indian Army is committed to ethical conduct of operations. Further updates on the case will be given periodically without affecting due process of the law of the land".

Last month, Amnesty International (AI) and Human Rights Watch (HRW) called for investigation and prosecution into the alleged extrajudicial execution of the three labourers by independent civilian authorities, saying civilian investigations and trials offer a degree of transparency and independence that is missing from the military justice system. Various political parties and human rights activists in J&K too demanded an impartial probe into the alleged staged encounter.
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Linkedin Inforial (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta, Indonesia  Sat, September 19, 2020 00:00 490 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c45c7037 4 Inforial Free

Teachers impact children powerfully yet people rarely appreciate teachers hard work. Therefore, we often refer to teachers as unsung heroes.

Recognizing the work of teachers is highly important. For instance, the 2020 Yale Educators Award selected Sinarmas World Academy (SWA) counselor Stanislav Sousek as one of its recipients.He has become the only educator from Indonesia to have received the award. The award is administered by the prestigious private Ivy League research university in the United States.

More importantly, the person who nominated Sousek for the award was none other than his former student: a 2020 SWA graduate and scholarship recipient from Yale University, Vijjasena Sugiono.

The Yale Educators award is a program that seeks to recognize outstanding educators from around the world who have supported and inspired their students to attain big dreams. The university then encourages its matriculating students to nominate their high school educators. Then, the Yale admissions committee will review each individual nomination before coming up with final award recipient names.

Out of this years 317 nominees, only 57 teachers and 24 counselors from seven countries were selected to receive the award, with only seven international educators, three of which are from Asian schools, including Sousek from Indonesias SWA.

Sousek works as a university guidance counselor for SWA, guiding junior high and high school students as they prepare for university. At SWA, university preparation starts in grade 6, where students are challenged to think about their learning goals and the kind of positive impact they want to have on the world.

By grooming these students to enter their dream university, majoring in the fields they are passionate about from such an early age, SWA has planted seeds of ideas in these childrens minds, which translate into purposeful portfolios and projects that help them in their university admission.

Vijjasena recalled fondly that Sousek had helped him get into his dream university  Yale, that is  by guiding and supporting him in a such a manner.

He selflessly sacrificed his lunchtime and freetime to meet me; his scope of help  including the amount of feedback that he was giving  actually went way beyond what school counselors actually gave their students, Vijjasena said.

He recalled that Sousek always replied to the texts he sent regarding his university application, even the ones he sent late at night. Not only that, Sousek also involved his parents closely in preparing his university application.

Without his help, I might not have gotten into Yale. So, I feel that it is just fair that I nominate him [to receive the award] for being such an outstanding counselor, he continued.

Furthermore, Vijjasena said he also would like to credit his other teachers at SWA, who had also been equally impactful in supporting him and his studies at SWA.

Its a pity were only allowed to nominate two teachers; otherwise, I wouldve nominated more teachers from SWA, he said.

He said that Souseks excellence as an educator reflected the high quality standard and culture of education he received from SWA.

In addition to having the skills and knowledge of a teacher, teachers at SWA are so special as they have the heart and passion in guiding the students to achieve their best, Vijjasena recalled.

Vijjasenas mother Selina Rachmat also conveyed her gratitude for how the educators at SWA had shaped her sons future.

I am grateful that Vijjasena was in this community [SWA] and was being nurtured and supported by extraordinary teachers. His teachers were special as they taught him beyond textbook and [rote] memorization, she said.

Furthermore, they open childrens insights, simplify complex concepts so that children could understand them from the latters point of view. These teachers also encourage students to apply the concepts in real life, until they deeply understand a concept, she continued.

Children are honed in thinking and analyzing, groomed into maturity by the teachers who teach them about the consequences of each decision they make. Obviously, not only the SWA teachers have the knowledge; they also have the passion and willingness to give their children their best, she concluded.

In response to the award received by Sousek and the praise Vijjasena and his mother expressed for the schools educators, SWA general manager Deddy Djaja Ria said he was truly proud of SWAs educators.

Not only are they smart, they are also committed in giving their students their best. We care and are passionate about the students growth and development  thats what makes the SWA community special, Deddy said.

Separately, Sousek said it was such an honor to be nominated by his own former student.

It highlights some of the reasons his applications have been accepted by so many Ivy League and top US universities  because of humility and sense of gratitude. To think he took the time to complete a nomination form, including an essay for the Yale awarding committee to consider me means a lot, more than the award itself, Sousek said.

As an educator, it always feels good to know youre making a difference, he added.
American Airlines planes parked at the gate during the COVID-19 outbreak at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, on April 5, 2020. (Joshua Roberts/Reuters)

White House Ready to Extend Payroll Relief for Airline Employees

With the first round of payroll support ending Sept. 30 and the furlough of tens of thousands of airline workers imminent, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows urged Lawmakers on Thursday to pass a bill extending payroll grants for airline employees for another six months.

Weve got tens of thousands of people that are about to be laid off, Meadows said during an interview Thursday morning on Fox News. So, if nothing more, lets go ahead and put that package on the floor and pass that.

Meadowss remarks Thursday come as Democrats and the White House remain in a stalemate over the next CCP virus pandemic relief bill which would provide payroll relief for thousands in the industry. The March Cares Act appropriated $25 billion in payroll support for airlines, with the stipulation that they couldnt enact furloughs or layoffs until Oct. 1.

If Congress does not act immediately to pass another payroll relief package, American airlines has said that 19,000 workers will be furloughed, United Airlines said they will have to lay off more than 13,000 workers, Alaska has estimated about 4,200 furloughs, and Delta could let go of more than 1,900 pilots.

Meanwhile, on Thursday American Airlines CEO Doug Parker spoke to reporters outside the White House after meeting with Meadows.

Without action, theyre going to be furloughed on Oct. 1, and its not fair. Its not fair to them, its not fair to our country. Theres enormous bipartisan support for an extension of the payroll support program, which would keep those people employed, Parker said.

So, were just here to plead with everyone involved to get to a COVID relief package before Oct. 1. On Oct. 1 those people are furloughed, and we just want to make people understand that without that, thats absolutely whats going to happen, and small communities will lose service.

United Airlines Chief Executive Scott Kirby and Southwest Airlines Chief Executive Gary Kelly also attended the meeting. Kelly told reporters the initial payroll support plan didnt go far enough and long enough.

The CEOs are asking for another $25 billion to provide sufficient relief for the coming six months.

Meadows told reporters that if Speaker Pelosi was willing to move a bill to keep people from being laid off in the airline industry thats stand-alone, that the president would certainly support it, referring to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

Meadows said extending the payroll relief for airlines is a small price to pay to keep 30,000 to 50,000 airline workers employed.

The airline executives said they reached out to Pelosi on Thursday and are hopeful she will meet with them to discuss the payroll relief extension.

Trump on Aug. 5 signaled support for renewed aid for airlines. Well if they need itI think its very important that we keep our airlines going, Trump said. We dont want to lose our airlines.

In addition, the majority of lawmakers in the House called for a 6-month extension of a payroll aid program to keep airline workers employed through March 31, 2021, according to the Virginia Aviation Dept.

In a July letter, members of the House wrote, Without an extension of the (payroll support program) before then, hundreds of thousands of airline workers will be fired or furloughed on October 1, signed by House Transportation Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio, and 223 House members, including 195 Democrats and 28 Republicans.

The Congressman said the layoffs, will eclipse those of any furloughs the industry has ever seen.

The Cares Act, the $2 trillion CCP virus pandemic relief package passed by Congress in March included $25 billion in payroll support for passenger airlines, $4 billion for cargo airlines, and $3 billion for contractors.
Resonate Delivers a First-of-Its Kind Segmentation of the American Electorate Based on the Values That Will Drive Their Vote in the Presidential Election

RESTON, Va., Sept. 17, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Resonate, the leading provider of A.I.-driven voter data, intelligence and managed media, today unveiled new voter research findings that provide deep insights into the values shaping the decisions of American voters who plan to vote in the Presidential Election. The research uncovered seven unique voter segments that candidates must consider as they plan their campaigns, and these segments are available for activation in advertising across all channels.



Now, more than ever, candidates and campaigns need to engage voters based on the current events and key issues that are shaping their worlds. No other company is tracking how highly divisive issues such as the pandemic, human rights and climate change are shifting voting intentions among the key audiences that will decide this important election, said Bryan Gernert, Chief Executive Officer of Resonate. Our voter segments recognize the unique human elements that influence voting decisions, and they provide campaigns with the critical insights they need to not only precisely target and engage voters, but also to motivate them to vote in their favor. Elections are won by the candidates and campaigns that can connect with and rally voters based on their personal beliefs.

To build this voter landscape, Resonate tapped into its continuously updated, highly accurate voter insights platform, which houses more than 13,000 attributes scaled to more than 200 million American voters. Using artificial intelligence (AI) and deep machine learning, Resonate discerned clustered groups and looked at how their values, motivations, issue and policy positions, candidate platform support, voting history and media consumption habits influence how theyll vote.

America First Populists (42 million U.S. voters - 19% of U.S. Population):

The America First Populists are distinguished by their economic populist leanings and loyal support of President Trump and his pro-nationalist policies. However, in a noticeable contrast to their far-right stances on security, this group is persuadable on socialist-leaning policies and an increased social safety net.

Resolute Republicans (13 million U.S. Voters - 6% of U.S. Population):

Resolute Republicans represent the core group of establishment Republicans, driven by their faith and support of a strong national security presence. This heavily Baby Boomer group is considerably more relaxed on the pandemic: 31% of this group falls into the Rushed Reopeners group thats almost 3X more likely to rush to reopen the pandemic economy than the average American.

In-Flux Inactives (68 million U.S. Voters - 31% of U.S. Population):

The In-Flux Inactives are a majority millennial group defined by their lack of definition. They are politically ambivalent, but persuadable across the board on issues. The key is finding where their opinions and ideology could align with your campaign. 91% identify as fiscally conservative or moderate, while 31% identify as socially conservative. How do you connect that with the fact they're 109% more likely to state that they're persuadable on their perception of President Trump?

Dedicated Democrats (22 million U.S. Voters - 10% of U.S. Population):

Dyed-in-the-wool Dedicated Democrats are moderate-leaning leftists who have rallied behind their support of Joe Biden. This group is active politically and more likely than the average American to contact politicians to share their thoughts and to vote based on issues. Theyre 89% more likely to support mail-in voting, and theyll make their final decision based on information from cable news, as well as newspapers and editorial endorsements.

Persuadable Progressives (27 million U.S. Voters - 12% of U.S. Population):

Left-leaning across the board, the Persuadable group identifies as liberal in most categories and is persuadable on issues of socialism, including a universal basic income and redistribution of wealth. This group initially supported Bernie Sanders in the primary and are 36% more likely to say theyre not excited about voting in the Presidential election. However, they're also 21% more likely to say they are voting for Biden.



Absolute Activists (26 million U.S. Voters - 11% of U.S. Population):

The Absolute Activists represent the TikTok generation. These are the voters you see watching and crafting clever videos to influence friends and familyeven politically. They're 217% more likely to look for Democratic candidates with a socialist platform and feel strongly about promoting race and gender equality in their own political actions.



Left Wing Loyalists (25 million U.S. Voters - 11% of U.S. Population):

This educated Gen-X segment of voters is eager to donate money to support political and advocacy groups, and theyre active in their volunteer work to support those groups. They lean toward the far left of the spectrum, and their active political stances are working toward moving Trump out of the White House. They enjoy sharing their political opinions, learning about policy issues, and discussing said topics with others.

Story continues

Now more than ever, elections cannot be won by campaigns that view constituents in terms of Republican or Democrat alone. Diverse voter populations have emerged, comprised of smaller factions across the left and right. If a candidate wants to win, they must know the values and motivations driving voters choices. For example, Resonate has found that many conservatives grapple with what it means to be a Trump Republican, while liberals consider whether they fall into the growing Democratic Socialist wing of the party.

Read the complete findings of Resonates Presidential Election Voter Landscape research here .

Resonates deep history in helping political campaigns identify and target niche voter audiences has manifested in a strong track record of candidate victories. The seven unique voter segments identified through Resonates unprecedented study are now available for targeting via the Resonate Ignite platform.

About Resonate

Resonate is a pioneer in A.I.-driven voter intelligence & analytics, delivering deep understanding, dynamic insights, cross-channel engagement and analysis in a single, simple-to-use SaaS platform. Resonate has deep voter insights and contextually relevant data across more than 13,000 attributes, including values, motivations and other psychographics, describing more than 200 million U.S. voters. Hundreds of companies have used Resonate to reveal and engage The Human Element, a 360-degree understanding of the individuals in their target audience that extends beyond traditional demographics, psychographics and behavioral data to uncover why voters support certain candidates or causes. Empowered with unparalleled insights, leading organizations use Resonate to identify, engage and analyze these audiences, driving growth and increasing customer lifetime value.

Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, Resonate is privately held and backed by Argentum Capital Partners, Revolution Growth, Greycroft Partners and iNovia Capital. For more information, please visit www.resonate.com .

Media Contact:

Kyle Kuhnel

kyle@broadsheetcomms.com




This image gallery of stellar winds around cool ageing stars shows a variety of morphologies, including disks, cones, and spirals. The blue colour represents material that is coming towards you; red is material that is moving away from you. CREDIT  L. Decin, ESO/ALMA

Astronomers present an explanation for the mesmerising shapes of planetary nebulae. The discovery is based on an extraordinary set of observations of stellar winds around ageing stars.

Contrary to common consensus, the team found that stellar winds are not spherical but have a shape similar to that of planetary nebulae. The team concludes that interaction with an accompanying star or exoplanet shapes both the stellar winds and planetary nebulae. The findings were published in Science.

Dying stars swell and cool to eventually become red giants. They produce stellar winds, flows of particles that the star expels, which causes them to lose mass. Because detailed observations were lacking, astronomers have always assumed that these winds were spherical, like the stars they surround. As the star evolves further, it heats up again and the stellar radiation causes the expanding ejected layers of stellar material to glow, forming a planetary nebula.

For centuries, astronomers were in the dark about the extraordinary variety of colourful shapes of planetary nebulae that had been observed. The nebulae all seem to have a certain symmetry but are almost never round. "The Sun - which will ultimately become a red giant - is as round as a billiard ball, so we wondered: how can such a star produce all these different shapes?" says corresponding author Leen Decin (KU Leuven).

Her team observed stellar winds around cool red giant stars with the ALMA Observatory in Chile, the largest radio telescope in the world. For the first time ever, they gathered a large, detailed collection of observations, each of them made using the exact same method. This was crucial to be able to directly compare the data and exclude biases.

What the astronomers saw, surprised them. "We noticed these winds are anything but symmetrical or round," Professor Decin says. "Some of them are actually quite similar in shape to planetary nebulae."

Companions

The astronomers could even identify different categories of shapes. "Some stellar winds were disk-shaped, others contained spirals, and in a third group, we identified cones." This is a clear indication that the shapes weren't created randomly. The team realised that other, low-mass stars or even heavy planets in the vicinity of the dying star were causing the different patterns. These companions are too small and dim to detect directly. "Just like how a spoon that you stir in a cup of coffee with some milk can create a spiral pattern, the companion sucks material towards it as it revolves around the star and shapes the stellar wind," Decin explains.

The team put this theory into models, and indeed: the shape of the stellar winds can be explained by the companions that surround them, and the rate at which the cool evolved star is losing its mass due to the stellar wind is an important parameter. Decin: "All our observations can be explained by the fact that the stars have a companion."

Up until now, calculations about the evolution of stars were based on the assumption that ageing Sun-like stars have stellar winds that are spherical. "Our findings change a lot. Since the complexity of stellar winds was not accounted for in the past, any previous mass-loss rate estimate of old stars could be wrong by up to a factor of 10." The team is now doing further research to see how this might impact calculations of other crucial characteristics of stellar and galactic evolution.

The future of the Sun

The study also helps to envision what the Sun might look like when it dies in 7000 million years. "Jupiter or even Saturn - because they have such a big mass - are going to influence whether the Sun spends its last millennia at the heart of a spiral, a butterfly, or any of the other entrancing shapes we see in planetary nebulae today," Decin notes. "Our calculations now indicate that a weak spiral will form in the stellar wind of the old dying Sun."

"We were very excited when we explored the first images," says co-author Miguel Montarges (KU Leuven). "Each star, which was only a number before, became an individual by itself. Now, to us, they have their own identity. This is the magic of having high-precision observations: stars are no longer just points anymore."

The study is part of the ATOMIUM project, which aims to learn more about the physics and chemistry of old stars. "Cool ageing stars are considered to be boring, old and simple, but we now prove that they are not: they tell the story of what comes after. It took us some time to realise that stellar winds can have the shape of rose petals (see, for example, the stellar wind of R Aquilae), but, as Antoine de Saint-Exupery said in his book Le Petit Prince: 'C'est le temps que tu as perdu pour ta rose, qui fait ta rose si importante' - 'It's the time you spent on your rose that makes your rose so important'," Decin concludes.

###

About KU Leuven

KU Leuven is Europe's most innovative university (Reuters) and ranks 45th in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. As Belgium's largest university, KU Leuven welcomes over 60,000 students from over 140 countries. Its 7,000 researchers are active in a comprehensive range of disciplines. KU Leuven is a founding member of the League of European Research Universities (LERU) and has a strong European and international orientation. University Hospitals Leuven, its network of research hospitals, provides high-quality healthcare and develops new therapeutic and diagnostic insights with an emphasis on translational research.

About ALMA

The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), an international astronomy facility, is a partnership of the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere (ESO), the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS) of Japan in cooperation with the Republic of Chile. ALMA is funded by ESO on behalf of its Member States, by NSF in cooperation with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) and by NINS in cooperation with the Academia Sinica (AS) in Taiwan and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI).

ALMA construction and operations are led by ESO on behalf of its Member States; by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), managed by Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI), on behalf of North America; and by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) on behalf of East Asia. The Joint ALMA Observatory (JAO) provides the unified leadership and management of the construction, commissioning and operation of ALMA.

Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook.
By Pamela Barbaglia, Valentina Za and Tom Sims

LONDON/MILAN/FRANKFURT (Reuters) - The London Stock Exchange will review offers valuing Borsa Italiana at up to 4 billion euros ($4.7 billion) at a Thursday board meeting, three sources familiar with the matter said.

The sale, dubbed "Project Botticelli", puts the Milan bourse at the centre of the latest shake-up in the European exchange sector, with non-binding bids from France's Euronext <ENX.PA>, Switzerland's Six and Germany's Deutsche Boerse <DB1Gn.DE>.

Sources said Six has made the highest offer for Borsa, which the LSE <LSE.L> bought in 2007 for 1.6 billion euros.

"The LSE is in no rush to take a decision. There are many stakeholders that LSE needs to please, including EU antitrust regulators and Italian lawmakers," one of the sources said.

The LSE declined to comment.

It is trying to sell Borsa Italiana as part of regulatory remedies needed to clear its $27 billion purchase of data provider Refinitiv and needs a deal by Dec. 16 when EU antitrust regulators are expected to make a decision.

Refinitiv is 45% owned by Thomson Reuters <TRI.N><TRI.TO>, which is the parent company of Reuters News.

Euronext, which has made the lowest bid, has teamed up with Italian state-owned lender Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) whose backing the exchange operator believes is key to selling the deal to lawmakers in Rome.

If their bid is successful, CDP is set to take a stake of around 8% in Euronext, becoming its top investor alongside Caisse des Depots et Consignations which also owns 8%.

'GOLDEN POWER'

Italy's Treasury can block any unwanted takeover of Borsa using its "golden power" legislation.

Rome is keen to have a tight grip on Borsa's MTS platform, which is used for trading Italian sovereign debt, sources have said.

Both Six and Deutsche Boerse are trying to lure Rome away from Euronext and have offered Italian officials guarantees on governance as well as representation on their respective boards.

Story continues

In an interview with Corriere della Sera, Six CEO Jos Dijsselhof said it would welcome an Italian partner and was ready to offer a governance structure that took into account Italy's interests in both Borsa and MTS.

Deutsche Boerse has offered to buy Borsa Italiana in tandem with Italian investors and would give Rome a seat on its supervisory board, sources have said.

($1 = 0.8483 euros)

(Reporting by Pamela Barbaglia in London, Valentina Za in Milan and Tom Sims in Frankfurt; Additional reporting by Elvira Pollina in Milan, Giselda Vagnoni in Rome and Mike Shields in Zurich; Editing by Alexander Smith)
LONDON, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The CEO of innovative fashion brand DRKN has won two awards in the 2020 Business Worldwide Magazine CEO Awards. Carl Bofeldt was the outright winner in two categories; "Best CEO in the Digital Fashion Industry" and "Most Innovative CEO of the Year - Sweden"

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, the focus on this program 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.

DRKN, which merges gaming culture with quality streetwear, was founded in Stockholm in 2015. Since Carl Bofeldt took over the label has gone from strength to strength, gaining a loyal following of fashion conscious gamers in the process. The brand produces a range of quality apparel and accessories, all made to the highest possible standards. Customers are able to show their allegiance to computer games like Call of Duty, Warzone, with the option of personalised features for a really individual look.

The company is one that's made "by gamers, for gamers", and in a short period of time has gained an impressive reputation as a leader in its field. DRK is also making special gaming themed masks featuring limited edition designs, including Six Siege based on Tom Clancy's Rainbow 6, and donating profits to hospitals, medical services and other key workers during the COVID-19 crisis.

Carl explained the ethos behind the company to Business Worldwide Magazine: "Our vision grew out of a collective passion for gaming and computer culture which remains the core inspiration for the brand. For every collection we aim to build upon that legacy. DRKN encapsulates the balance between the rough and refined, combining high quality fabrics with technical details to ease our everyday adventures."

For further information about DRKN visit the website at https://drkn.com/

An article on the company can be found on the BWM website: https://www.bwmonline.com/2020/08/17/drkn-merging-gaming-culture-with-quality-streetwear/

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: david@bwmonline.com
Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa urged Defence Minister Rajnath Singh over call on Thursday to set up an independent laboratory of the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) in Shivamogga.

As per an official release, the Ministry of Defence has considered his proposal for establishing a research cell of the at Kuvempu University.

"The state is expecting a full-fledged independent Laboratory in Shivamogga with ample number of Scientists and Technocrat," said Yediyurappa

Further, the Chief Minister said that the laboratory can explore natural remedial measures for military use from the Western Ghats.

The state government will provide the land required for the construction of the laboratory as well as the official quarters for the personnel.

(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.)
Mandy Taylor says her house in Elberta looks like a war zone, with downed trees scattered throughout the property.

But her personal cleanup project will have to wait. On a sunny Thursday, less than 48 hours since Hurricane Sally devastated the Baldwin County coast, Taylor stood outside next to a fuel pump at the Elberta Farmers Co-op assisting residents who were also in need.

Vehicles lined up outside the farmer-owned business, which has been around since 1948, in hopes of filling up fuel tanks for their generators, chainsaws and other devices. The fuel pumps at the small-town convenience store were the only ones within this small coastal community that was not among the many in Baldwin County devastated by Sallys punch.

Some are here waiting 1-1/2 hour and some of them are two hours, said Taylor, one of about a dozen or so employees who helped pump fuel and assist in controlling a long traffic jam into the Co-op.

The convenience stores were some of the few that remained open in Elberta, Foley, Gulf Shores and Orange Beach  all coastal Alabama cities that are without power and some without running water and sewer. Hurricane Sally, with wind gusts over 105 mph, walloped the area on Wednesday, making landfall in Gulf Shores and registering the most devastation from a hurricane in this region of Alabama since Hurricane Ivan in 2004.

Complete coverage of Hurricane Sally

All of Baldwin County remains under a curfew running from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily for the foreseeable future while work crews begin a massive undertaking of removing downed trees and collapsed power lines. Flood waters in portions of Gulf Shores continue to make some roads impassable  such as the main road that runs through Gulf State Park.

Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism is requesting visitors to not come to coastal Alabama for the next 10 days, running through September 26.

Grant Brown, a spokesman with the city of Gulf Shores, said the city is getting tons of people flooding us with calls about whether they can visit the Alabama beaches this weekend. He said that the answer is simply No, because there is no water running south of 12th Avenue near the Dive Shop, and power is out throughout the city.

He said that the city should have an update on the status on the countys power grid by Friday. Few homes within the county have running power south of Bay Minette, though some neighborhoods in Spanish Fort were reporting power being restored on Thursday.

We were told initially that we might see some power back within 72 hours or as much as five to seven days, said Brown. Were really in day three or so, so its possible we might start seeing some communities light up over the weekend. I hope that happens. It wont be months. Listening to (utility company) Baldwin EMC, it sounds like they are still on top of it. They have additional contractors coming to help restore power.

In Orange Beach, a massive cleanup project was underway as boat owners began assessing the damage to their property. Along Alabama State Route 161, near the Orange Beach water tower, stood several boats that had been dislodged from their moorings and flung onto the street.

On Old River near Ono Island, Mary Pilcher spent Thursday afternoon assessing the damage to her familys four boats. One of them was tossed onto the property next to her familys beach house. It was destroyed.

But another boat, a Boston Whaler, was salvageable.

This isnt my first hurricane, said Pilcher, a Fairhope resident. I made it through Ivan. Ive been through Katrina. But  everyone was caught flat-footed (with Sally). I thought it would be going to Biloxi and to Louisiana. By the time it was coming here, it was too late to get anything out.

Pilcher said the family rushed to the beach house on Tuesday to raise the boats and put up hurricane shudders before the storms arrival. While her familys pier was destroyed, the beach house suffered minimal roof damage.

I feel very blessed, she said.

In Gulf Shores, damage to some of the citys more iconic structures was a mixed bag. The Hangout suffered considerable damage, and the roof to Souvenir City was crushed. Palm trees were uprooted along the public beach, and downed power lines blocked a roadway near Mikees Seafood. The awning was destroyed at The Shrimp Basket.

Fishing piers were destroyed throughout Pleasure Island, as was the Gulf State Park Pier that had just undergone $2.4 million in renovations. A ribbon cutting ceremony had been scheduled for Wednesday but was canceled as Hurricane Sally began to tilt eastward to Baldwin County. A section of the pier was demolished by Sallys wrath.

Back at the Elberta Co-op, the diesel tanks were damaged by the storm and had to be shut off. But the regular fuel tanks were going to be operating as long as there was gasoline.

William Carlew, the owner of the business, said he was hoping that enough fuel would be available to fill up the small gas tanks for people who were waiting in a vehicle line that stretched for several blocks to U.S. 98.

About three hours before the evening curfew, Carlew was starting to have doubts. While his fuel supply would be replenished on Friday, he was uncertain the Co-op would have enough to meet the demand until Thursday evening.

We are going to run this until 7 oclock tonight, he said. But Im looking at our numbers. I doubt we can make it to 7.

More coverage:

Waffle House Index on red: 36 coastal restaurants closed after Hurricane Sally rips through Alabama

Hurricane Sally does mostly minor damage to South Alabama campus

Hurricane Sally: How much rain did Alabama get?

Research at risk: Dauphin Island Sea Lab hammered by Sally

Hurricane Sally: How you can help the victims
HealtheMed (http://www.healthemed.net) today announces the launch of its new telemedicine platform to bring healthcare into the homes of the most vulnerable Minnesota Medicaid populations. HealtheMed has closed a seed round of capital from angel investors to fuel the launch of its new service and expansion to markets across the United States.

HealtheMeds unique platform will enable Medicaid special needs populations to quickly access medical services, including medication adherence, medication management, remote patient monitoring, chronic disease management, and primary/specialty care. The HealtheMed platform will consist of a large TV with attached camera and microphone for two-way synchronous communications with healthcare providers.

HealtheMed has partnered with Best Buy Geek Squad to install the equipment.

Every state, including Minnesota, has thousands of Medicaid enrollees who cannot easily leave home because of their chronic health conditions and diseases, said Tom Spencer, CEO of HealtheMed. By installing a miniclinic in the homes of these vulnerable people, HealtheMed can help bring safer, lower cost medical care to the people who need it most.

HealtheMeds initial Minnesota focus will be on installing its technology platform to monitor patient medication adherence and to provide medication therapy through telemedicine visits by physicians and pharmacists. HealtheMed expects to improve medication adherence in special needs populations by 45% - 90%. Better medication adherence will lead to healthier patients, less expensive clinic visits, fewer hospital stays and tremendous costs savings to state Medicaid budgets.

County caseworkers in each of Minnesotas 87 counties can recommend their most vulnerable Medicaid clients to the HealtheMed program.

Interested investors and friends of HealtheMed can still invest in the company by visiting its WeFunder crowdfunding page at https://wefunder.com/healthemed/about.

About HealtheMed

HealtheMed, Inc. is a Minneapolis, MN telemedicine company that greatly improves the lives of the 53,000 special needs patients in Minnesota and over 4,000,000 patients nationally that live confined in their homes with chronic conditions. HealtheMed equips each special needs patients home to function as a virtual clinic. HealtheMed lowers Medicaid healthcare costs for states through a telemedicine centric approach with an initial focus on medication adherence, medication management, and remote patient monitoring. For more information visit http://www.healthemed.net.
C Shivakumar By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Prices of essential commodities like pulses, garlic and palm oil have shot up steadily since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out and traders have warned that there won't be any respite till Deepavali.

Traders in the Koyambedu foodgrain market, which opened after a gap of four months, say that the wholesale price of pulses has gone up by 10 to 20 per cent. "The prices of pulses have gone up by Rs 10 to Rs 20," says Koyambedu Foodgrains Association president D Manivannan.

Manivannan, who has been rearranging his shop in the foodgrain market, said that palm oil prices have also nearly doubled. "The 15 litre tin which was being sold at Rs 850 prior to the pandemic is being sold at around Rs 2000," he says.

K S Ganesh of Sruti Enterprises told The New Indian Express that prices of garlic have shot up by Rs 10 and will further increase due to shortage of arrivals following COVID restrictions in Madhya Pradesh. "We are not getting enough garlic from Madhya Pradesh," he says. Meanwhile, garlic in retail shops is being sold at over Rs 200 and in some places as high as Rs 240 per kg. This despite the wholesale price of garlic being Rs 100 to Rs 140 per kg.

Chennai Koyambedu Foodgrains Wholesale Merchants Association Secretary R Punnaiappan told Express that prices of pulses which were below Rs 100 in the wholesale market prior to COVID-19 have increased by around 10 per cent. "This is mostly due to local manufacturing being impacted by COVID-19 as well as shortage of manpower in the unit. This is temporary and the artificial rise can be corrected as the crop has been good," he says.

Asked why prices of pulses have nearly breached Rs 150 in many retail shops, Punnaiappan said retailers, who have hiked the prices of pulses and other essential commodities, should have gone in for price correction during the lockdown period.

S Chandran, president of Chennai Koyambedu Foodgrains Wholesale Merchants Association, feels that prices could not be regulated due to the shutdown of the foodgrain market and customers had no choice but to pay whatever cost the retailers demanded. "Now, with the opening of the market here, people will be able to identify the real price of essential commodities and there could be a 15 to 20 percent correction in the artificial prices demanded by retailers," he said.

Meanwhile, only 250 shops opened on Friday after a gap of four months. There was a smile on some faces while others were wrought with worry. Manivannan told Express that traders are now facing a big challenge to reopen their shops due to lack of money. "For the last four months, we have run out of business. The old stocks have rotted. In the entire market, stocks worth crores of rupee have been damaged. We have to start from scratch," he said.

Punnaiappan said that the remaining shops could reopen soon. "Some did not open as Friday was not so auspicious. They may open on Wednesday," he said. But the biggest challenge for traders at the foodgrain market is to win back customers.

The traders were solely dependent on canteens, caterers, hotels, hospitals and hostels. Now with many hostels being shut and restrictions on hotels, it would be difficult for traders to regain the market, says Manivannan. "It would take nearly three to six months for us to come back," he says.

Meanwhile, Chandran has urged the market authorities to take steps to ensure that two-wheelers are allowed in the market so that business can flourish. "The two-wheelers are used by local retailers who buy from us and sell locally. This could curtail the artificial price hike," he says.

However, many traders feel that once the vegetable and fruit markets open, business will pick up as people from far-off places will buy both vegetables and foodgrains for their shops as well as hotels and canteens.

Earlier, Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangangalin Peramaippu State president AM Vikramaraja, who was present when the market was reopened, said that he has been urging the authorities to reopen the fruit wholesale market along with the vegetable market on September 28. He also assured traders that the semi-wholesale market, flower market and retail market would also be opened soon.

Chandran, Market Management Committee Licensed Merchants Association President and Anaithu Sangankalin Kootamaippu general secretary, told Express that his federation has urged the government to open retail shops on alternate days on an odd and even basis. However, the government has yet to decide on it.
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When she was 17, Khady Kamara arrived from Dakar, Senegal, to study economics at Wells College in upstate Aurora, N.Y. What she discovered there - apart from snow - was a love of theater, which led her to an ascendant career that began as a sales associate at Arena Stage.

Two decades later, Kamara is taking another remarkable leap from those student days when all the English she fully understood was what professors wrote on whiteboards. She is leaving her job in Washington, D.C., as Arena's managing director to become executive director of Second Stage Theater, a highly regarded New York nonprofit group producing plays in theaters it operates both on and off Broadway.

As a result, she is joining a group of theater professionals of color - many of them women - who in recent weeks have been appointed to pivotal roles at some of the most important theater companies in the nation. The hires and promotions mark what may be a turning point for a field coming to grips with a challenge from Black, Latinx, Asian American and other racial and ethnic groups: to examine its White bias and bring more diversity into its leadership ranks.

The Public Theater, one of the anchors of off-Broadway and a pre-eminent incubator of work by artists of all colors, announced last month the appointment of two Black theater artists, Shanta Thake and Saheem Ali, as associate artistic directors - No. 2 jobs to artistic director Oskar Eustis. At Shakespeare Theatre Company in D.C., Whitney White, director of the organization's hit "The Amen Corner"this year, and Soyica (so-WEEK-ah) Colbert, chair of the department of performing arts at Georgetown University, were just hired as associate directors - new positions created by artistic director Simon Godwin. Lincoln Center Theater, too, made news in August when it added Lileana Blain-Cruz ("Pipeline," "Marys Seacole") as a resident director, joining "To Kill a Mockingbird" director Barlett Sher on the payroll of an institution with an international profile. And Tuesday, Roundabout Theatre Company named Miranda Haymon, who has staged work in its Roundabout Underground program, as its resident director.

Kamara sees progress in these efforts to widen an industry's racial gaze, but only as a baby step. "A number of phenomenal appointments are happening in rapid succession, but out of how many organizations?" she observed in a phone interview. "So there is change, but I think there is room for a lot more growth."

Theater has always been a haven for unorthodox thinkers from marginalized groups. But advocates for inclusion note that the myriad institutions that form the foundation of the industry have neglected to promote those minorities into management in meaningful numbers. New groups have formed, such as the Black Theatre Coalition, to encourage the recruitment of more managers and designers of color on Broadway - where out of 11,328 plays and musicals since 1866, only 21 have been staged by Black directors. And slowly the boards of nonprofit companies across the nation are recognizing the need for diversity at the top of their organizations and bringing on dynamic younger leaders, such as Nataki Garrett at Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Maria Goyanes at Woolly Mammoth Theatre.

Advocates hope that the latest spate of high-level appointments of others identifying as BIPOC - Black, indigenous and people of color - signals a deepening commitment to inclusion. Still, some wonder if these staff announcements are also face-saving reactions to the Black Lives Matter movement. One theater administrator of color, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the political sensitivity of the issue, pointed out that threads have cropped up on social media, waggishly labeling some of these personnel developments "panic hires."

It's clear that skepticism persists about the theater world's commitment to inclusion, even as the hires themselves represent hope. "It's about damn time," said Goyanes, who came to Woolly Mammoth from the Public Theater in 2018, and was in the midst of producing her first full season as artistic director when the pandemic shut theaters down.

"I am so thrilled that this is happening," she added, referring to the hires. "It is going to be incredibly important that they are able to not be tokenized. I hope these organizations know it is not just about making the hire - because it is not enough just to make the hire."

The new appointees know that, even after all this time, they are trailblazers of a sort. "I feel a great responsibility," said Blain-Cruz, a freelance director who regularly stages the work of the most sought-offer playwrights of the day: Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Dominique Morisseau, Pulitzer winner Jackie Sibblies Drury. "There is a little bit of history making here, in breaking open the doors and allowing new energy, new ideas and new communities inside of that space."

Many of them have existing relationships with their theaters: Thake, for example, has been at the Public Theater for 18 years, serving for much of that time as director of Joe's Pub, the company's cabaret. She and the Kenya-born Ali, until now a freelance stage director, join Mandy Hackett as a trio under Eustis.

"The real shift is in a much more collective energy," she said, by phone. "This idea of multivoiced leadership is very exciting to me." And contributing to the excitement, she added, is the prospect of opening the Public to a wider audience.

"Bringing in more communities of color into these White institutions means that we have to be listening differently," Thake said. "But it also means actually shifting, changing our buildings, changing the kind of work we do."

It's Ali's hope that the palette of themes in the work by artists of color expands - that, for instance, stories of "Black joy" are added to the more ubiquitous offerings recounting Black pain. In a phone interview, he recounted the experience he had with playwright Jocelyn Bioh, author of the lighthearted and widely admired "School Girls; or the African Mean Girls Play," as they pitched to various companies her "Nollywood Dreams," about a young Nigerian woman who yearns to be a star.

"We sat down with one theater that said, 'But what about Boko Haram?' " Ali recalled, referring to a militant Islamist group in Nigeria. "We were like, 'Really?' "

At Shakespeare Theatre Company, Godwin modeled White and Colbert's new positions on the associate directorship he still holds at London's National Theatre - a role, he said, devised to help keep the artistic planning vibrant. As an Englishman and recent arrival here, he said he has gained perspective on the broader cultural contribution his company can make. "The American soul is infinitely diverse, made of complex patterns that even living in America at first I never realized," he said. "And what is a classical theater for? It is to provide our widest and richest history."

Colbert, who served as a consultant on White's production of James Baldwin's "The Amen Corner," envisions being a resource for a wider classical canon. "I hope to bring my perspective as a specialist in Black theater and American theater, more broadly," she said. "I hope to bring my understanding of a long history of how American theater has had some missed opportunities to incorporate more diverse voices."

Mounting "The Amen Corner" - about the turbulence in the life of a female storefront Harlem preacher in the '50s - turned out to be a gateway for the company as well as for White, who, when things open up again, will direct at Shakespeare every season. "I appreciate Simon forever for letting me define myself by the projects I am interested in," she said, adding that he's not expecting her to stage, say, works by August Wilson. So maybe the best outcome for audiences is to expect the unexpected.

"The next title Simon and I are thinking about is 'The Crucible,' " she revealed. "I can't wait to touch the stories that touched me."
On Wednesday, Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential nominee, said in Wilmington, Delaware, that the process used to evaluate and approve a vaccine would have to be "totally transparent" to win public confidence. He has said that Trump's calls for companies and regulators to speed the process have shaken the public's faith in vaccines and that politics has no place in vaccine development. Loading Researchers in particular have been urging vaccine makers to share the detailed blueprints of their studies so that outside experts can evaluate them. At least one expert, after reading the plans, has already raised questions about the way the trials were designed. "I want to acknowledge a good deed done," said Peter Doshi, who is on the faculty at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy in Baltimore and an editor with The BMJ, a medical journal. He previously requested the plans from Moderna and Pfizer. "They have opened up, for the first time, the ability for researchers not involved in the trial to form their own independent judgement about the design of this study." Until now, none of the nine companies that are testing vaccines in large clinical trials had released this level of detail.

Moderna, AstraZeneca and Pfizer, which is collaborating with German company BioNTech, are among the front-runners in the global race to produce a vaccine to fight the pandemic. A spokeswoman for AstraZeneca said the company intended to publish its protocol shortly. Novavax, which is expected to start a large, advanced clinical trial later this year, also did not comment. Johnson & Johnson, which has said it plans to begin a large trial this month, said it would have "more information to share" when the trial starts. AstraZeneca's trial was stopped temporarily because of serious illness in a participant. It has resumed in Britain and Brazil, but not in the United States. 'Transparent to the point of discomfort' Earlier studies of both vaccines in small numbers of people found that after the second shot, they developed so-called neutralising antibodies, which can inactivate the virus in lab tests. The vaccines also produced a favourable response involving T-cells, another part of the immune system.

Dr Tal Zaks, chief medical officer for Moderna, the first coronavirus vaccine maker to release its detailed plan, said pharmaceutical companies were usually reluctant to do so for competitive reasons. "I'm proud of doing that," he said in an interview. "I don't think there's much there that we're disclosing that hasn't already been spoken to, but let the public be the judge of that." Take the time, the extra weeks. No shortcuts. Nobody will regret it. I've been doing clinical trials for decades. I don't know if there's ever been a more important one than this one. I'd like to see it done right, and not stopped early. Dr Eric Topol from Scripps Research Zaks said Moderna had consulted an outside ethics expert who advised the company that the only way to win trust was to be "transparent to the point of discomfort." In a statement, Pfizer said it did not usually release its protocols, adding, "We recognise, however, that the COVID-19 pandemic is a unique circumstance and the need for transparency is clear."

Dr Eric Topol, a clinical trial expert at Scripps Research in San Diego, gave Moderna "big kudos" for sharing its plan but said that he was disappointed that Moderna intended to include in its data people who had developed relatively mild cases of COVID-19. He said more compelling evidence of the vaccine's effectiveness would be produced if the company counted only moderate to severe cases. Moderna's plan also allows for the possibility of stopping the trial early after a relatively small number of cases, potentially leading to an exaggerated perception of the vaccine's efficacy and missing safety problems that could turn out to be significant later if the vaccine were given to millions of people, he said. Designed to stop early? Topol was more critical of Pfizer's plan because it allowed even milder cases than Moderna's to be counted and provided more opportunities to stop the trial early based on few cases, which he called troubling. "Take the time, the extra weeks," Topol said. "No shortcuts. Nobody will regret it. I've been doing clinical trials for decades. I don't know if there's ever been a more important one than this one. I'd like to see it done right, and not stopped early."

In both Moderna's and Pfizer's studies, half of the participants receive the vaccine, and half receive a placebo shot consisting of salt water, with neither the volunteers nor the doctors treating them knowing who gets which. Two shots are needed, four weeks apart for Moderna and three weeks apart for Pfizer. The participants are then monitored to see if they develop symptoms of COVID-19 and test positive for the virus. Side effects of the vaccines are also tracked. In earlier studies, both vaccines have caused transient reactions like a sore arm, fever, chills, muscle and joint pain, fatigue and headaches. To determine the vaccine's efficacy, Moderna counts COVID-19 cases only if they occur two weeks after the second shot. Pfizer starts counting them seven days after the second shot. A total of 151 cases of COVID-19 from among the tens of thousands of people participating in the trial  spread between the vaccine and placebo groups  would be enough to determine whether the Moderna vaccine is 60 per cent effective. Pfizer's case count for 60 per cent efficacy is 164. The Food and Drug Administration has said any coronavirus vaccines must be at least 50 per cent effective.

Many outside researchers have been watching for details about how the trials could be stopped early, given the push to bring a vaccine to market as soon as possible. Loading That could happen only when outside panels of experts examine the data while the trials are underway. If the vaccine is extremely effective, they could stop the trial because it would be unethical to continue giving some participants a placebo. The panel, called a data-safety monitoring board, will perform its first analysis of Moderna's efficacy data once 53 cases of COVID-19 have been diagnosed. Pfizer's first analysis will be done after 32 cases. The board could recommend stopping the Moderna trial after 53 cases if it was found to be 74 per cent effective. In the case of Pfizer, the effectiveness would need to be better than about 77 per cent.

Moderna has two more analysis points; Pfizer has four. Topol said studies often allowed only one look at the data partway through, and he had sharp words for Pfizer's use of four. "It's programming the trial to have so many looks that it might stop early," he said. Supply constraints Moderna's chief executive, Stephane Bancel, said the company would report publicly on the results of the first so-called interim analysis, and the next one, when they are conducted. Pfizer has said that it will share information about the analyses only if a decision is made that the trial should be stopped, either because it is very effective or because it does not appear to be working. The safety board can also put the trial on hold if there is evidence that a participant may have been harmed, as occurred recently in AstraZeneca's vaccine study.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 20:05:36|Editor: huaxia

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GUIYANG, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- In a spacious exhibition hall which used to be his house, Qin Fazhong enthusiastically tells curious visitors the stories behind the thousands of colorful masks bearing varied expressions -- amiable, ferocious, or fearful.

"This mask is called Tunkou. It has a sword in its mouth and looks ferocious, but it represents justice," said Qin, 48. "We usually hang it in the house to drive away evil spirits."

"Each mask has a different story," he said.

Qin is a craftsman living in the village of Zhouguan in the city of Anshun, southwest China's Guizhou Province. The village is home to many artisans like Qin, who specialize in making masks for a local traditional opera called Dixi. Dixi performers wear various masks while performing operas about history and rituals to ward off evil spirits. Dixi opera was added to a national list of intangible cultural heritage in 2006.

Since he was 14, Qin has been learning mask-carving skills from the village's older generations. After becoming a master himself, Qin toured the country and promoted and sold the masks in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai. Thanks to his hard work and exceptional carving skills, his business skyrocketed and his masks even gained popularity overseas.

Last year, his mask sales totaled more than 4 million yuan (about 591,600 U.S. dollars).

But the COVID-19 epidemic has completely disrupted his business chain this year, with the majority of mask sales evaporating.

"About 80 percent of previously confirmed deals have been canceled," he said.

As mask sales waned, Qin reinvented himself by adjusting his business model. Having built a private museum in 2016 to collect and display masks, he turned his attention toward drawing tourists to experience mask-carving.

The museum occupies a hall on the first floor of his house, with an area of about 270 square meters. The exhibition hall contains masks collected from around the world over the years, with some created centuries ago and boasting high values.

"In recent years, my museum has attracted more than 100,000 visits, mostly tourists from other provinces," Qin said. "But because I focused all my attention on selling masks in the past, the museum did not become a big business."

Beginning in May this year, Qin contacted local schools, government officials and market organizations to help promote rural culture tours featuring his museum. Qin also became an instructor at the museum, introducing the cultural value of his craft to visitors.

"I think after learning from him, I got to know mask culture a lot better," said Huang Rongkun, a 64-year-old tourist. "I am a local, so I knew a little bit about Dixi and the masks, but Qin told me a lot more and corrected some of my knowledge."

Qin has also opened a mask-carving studio beside the museum, allowing tourists to learn skills including mask-carving and coloring. Each visitor pays a little more than 100 yuan to experience the entire process. At the end of their visits, they take away the masks they made themselves as souvenirs.

The new business has been "pretty good," and Qin has received more than 10,000 visits in the last six months.

"I used to be a traditional craftsman and I made a living by creating the masks, but now I recommend our culture to tourists, and let them experience the culture by themselves. This not only makes money but also promotes rural culture," Qin said.

This year, Qin created a big, red bridal sedan chair, and in early September, he called on more than 100 villagers to help launch a "village tour" to boost rural tourism. Some villagers carried the chair, some wore masks, some donned traditional clothing, and some played drums and gongs as they toured villages in the vicinity.

"One important aspect of rural vitalization is the vitalization of culture, and it is my responsibility to dig, protect, inherit and promote traditional culture," he said. "I will do my best to promote culture and economic vitalization in rural China." Enditem
Friday, September 18, 2020

Kimberly Daniels, a member of our Emerging Fellows program envisions an equilibrium scenario within Eurasia's Heartland alternative futures through her eighth blog post. The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the APF or its other members.

A new equilibrium scenario could play out as a future in which geopolitical control in Eurasia's Heartland in 2050 among the U.S., Russia, and China is proportional to their alignment with pivotal Afro-Eurasian powers. In this alternative future, Continental Africa and Central Asia emerge as competing forces with enough economic brawn to disrupt the continuation of a unipolar world system. Along with India and Japan's foreign policy shifts, they bring about a redistribution of power that has kept the three civilizational states from dominating the Heartland. Characterized by a commercialized approach to Heartland and Afro-Eurasian power and a multipolar world order catalyzed by technological change, this scenario also considers geo-technological warfare as a change driver.

By 2050 in this scenario, India, Japan, and Africa have put the Asia-Africa Growth Corridor (AAGC) into operation in response to China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Eurasia's Heartland. Supported by Western Europe, parts of Eastern Europe, North America, much of Central and South America, and Australia, the AAGC and the Indo-African alliance has been key to Africa's economic rise. High-speed rail systems, Internet of Things (IoT) connected air travel, and joint militarized sea transport make it possible. AAGC success is attributable to foreign policy shifts by India and Japan and partnerships with Africa and Central Asia, enabling them to encroach on China's trade aspirations in Afro-Eurasia.

Free from colonial interference and economic subjugation but closely aligned, in foreign policy, with India, Japan, and the U.S., continental Africa is united. Having made the move to a singular digital currency backed by a robust cryptocurrency market, Africa is now a globally-competitive regional power. Her commercial economy, supported by artificial intelligence (AI) and rapid smartphone penetration elevated her as a pivotal international player. Despite clusters of religiopolitical extremism, Africa emerged as a pivotal disruptor to a US, Russian, or Chinese unipolar power position in the Heartland.

Allied with the U.S., India, and Japan; and through reimagined commerce and industry, as well as the freedom to reinvest BRI trade revenues into her economy, Central Asia grew in global competitiveness. No longer indebted to China and irrespective of US alignment motives of containing China's commercialized Heartland domination, Central Asia is a liberalized, self-governing region. She chose regional sovereignty with Western allies over the pull to a resuscitated Soviet regime.

As the primary supplier of cutting-edge green mining and clean-energy resources, U.S.-backed Kazakhstan leads Central Asia. India-aligned Uzbekistan engages her military, intelligence, and counter-terror capabilities to protect the region against most threats. Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, mutually aligned with the U.S., India, and Japan, are market leaders in augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) tourism. Central Asia, an annoyance to Russia, also emerged as a pivotal disruptor to US, Russian, and Chinese unipolar power positioning in the Heartland.

As the US, Russia, and China navigate a multipolar world order marked by technological change, commercialization, and new regional competitors shaping Heartland power, they drive an environment of geo-technological warfare. The US preemptively protects her Afro-Eurasian interests through sabotages of critical Russian and Chinese infrastructure. In response, she incurs New Cold War assaults from Russia, China, and Iran. Suspected hacks by China of Africa's IoT and AI systems and profit-making linked to surveillance capitalism incites the US and India to launch discrediting campaigns against China.

Russia, aligned with the Caucasus, Mongolia, and multiple Eastern European countries, is often blamed for cyberattacks against Central Asia's BRI and AR/VR infrastructure. Such accusations provoke reciprocal attacks from the US and China and intensified conflict with a Western-allied Turkey. For the three civilization states, alignment with pivotal Afro-Eurasia powers for proportional geopolitical control has also meant protecting them against geo-technological threats.

In this 2050 new equilibrium scenario, India, Japan, Africa, and Central Asia have brought about a multipolar world system resulting in redistributed Afro-Eurasian power. While they have prevented the US, Russia, and China from dominating the Heartland, they accept the three's extended power in support of commercial-oriented, tech-based foreign-policy agendas. Aligning with these pivotal Afro-Eurasian powers has given the US, Russia, and China proportional control in the Heartland and incentives for initiating or responding to geo-technological warfare tactics to protect their interests. One other alternative future to US, Russian, and Chinese Heartland geopolitics is depicted in a transformation scenario.

 Kimberly "Kay" Daniels 2020
On September 10, 2020, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York entered a final judgement against asset manager John Geraci in connection with his misappropriation of approximately $1 million of his clients' funds.

The SEC's complaint, filed on July 17, 2018, alleged that Geraci formed the Meridian Matrix Long Short Equity Fund, LP in 2015, and hired Nicholas Mitsakos and his company, Matrix Capital Markets, LLC as the fund's portfolio manager. According to the complaint, Mitsakos had no assets under management, but falsely claimed that he managed millions of dollars of assets and that he had generated returns of up to 66 percent in preceding years. Rather than verifying these claims, Geraci allegedly used Mitsakos' false and unsubstantiated claims to market his fund, and eventually obtained $2 million from investors. The complaint alleged that Geraci later learned of Mitsakos' deception and his misappropriation of nearly $800,000 of investors' funds, but continued to market the fund and to let Mitsakos trade the clients' assets. The complaint also alleges that, after Mitsakos returned approximately $1 million of the funds, Geraci then misappropriated the funds for his own use, telling his clients that Mitsakos had lost all of it.

The final judgment enjoins Geraci from violating the antifraud provisions of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, and Sections 206(1), 206(2) and 206(4) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and Rule 206(4)-8 thereunder. The judgment also orders Geraci to pay disgorgement of $1,098,971, plus prejudgment interest of $229,740, which was deemed satisfied by a restitution and forfeiture order in a parallel criminal action. The judgment also imposes an officer and director bar against Geraci, who also agreed to a lifetime bar from the securities industry in a parallel SEC administrative proceeding.

The SEC's litigation was led by Alison R. Levine, Kevin P. McGrath, and Thomas P. Smith, Jr. and was supervised by Lara S. Mehraban of the SEC's New York Regional Office. The SEC appreciates the assistance of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen (R), and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler, speaks during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington on Sept. 14, 2020. (Susan WalshAFP via Getty Images)

Justice Department: Sedition Charge May Apply to Violent Protesters

The Department of Justices second-in-command on Sept. 17 released a memo standing by an earlier directive made by Attorney General William Barr asking federal prosecutors to consider sedition charges against violent protesters.

Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen issued the letter to the nations federal prosecutors Thursday, saying he and Barr are urging federal prosecutors to use the full definition of seditious conspiracy to hold to account individuals involved in such activity amid the civil unrest plaguing the nation, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Unfortunately, despite valiant efforts by federal, state, and local law enforcement authorities, we still see the results of and continued instances of violent rioting in cities across the United States, Rosen wrote.

Rosen said he wanted to re-emphasize an initial directive made by Barr last week during a conference call that was leaked to the press. Barr was reported to have called on prosecutors to take action over concerns that violence could worsen in the countdown to the Nov. 3 presidential election, the Journal reported.

The deputy attorney general in his letter said that individuals can be charged under the seditious conspiracy statute, which makes it a crime to plot to overthrow the U.S. government or wage war against it, in a number of instances, and carries a penalty of up to 20 years imprisonment.

If prosecutors are not able to prove individuals are plotting to overthrow the government, the rarely used law still applies to conspiracies with either opposing by force the authority of the U.S. government; preventing, hindering, or delaying the U.S. authorities from enforcing the law; or seizing, taking, or possessing any property of the United States contrary to the authority, Rosen outlined.

The law, Rosen wrote, can be used in instances, for example, where a group has conspired to take a federal courthouse or other federal property by force. Federal property was incessantly targeted in Portland, Oregon, amid clashes between rioters and law enforcement officers this summer.

Rioters cut through a steel fence at the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Ore., on July 24, 2020. (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo)

U.S. authorities have used the law to successfully prosecute people who traveled overseas to fight U.S. forces after the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001.

Prosecutors also brought sedition charges against nine members of an anti-government militia in 2010 who were charged with plotting a violent uprising. That case was later dismissed due to the facts of the case, and not because of any infirmity in the law itself, Rosen said.

Rosen continued to describe some of the behavior that has occurred across the United States in recent months as dangerous and sometimes deadly acts of violence.

The attorney general, meanwhile, has been pushing for individuals who incite violence during protests to face federal charges where possible.

Barr has blamed the violence on left-wing Antifa activists. Prosecutors have also brought charges against members of right-wing militia groups involved in protests. Last month, Barr described Antifa as a revolutionary group like the Bolsheviks who toppled Tsarist Russia 100 years ago, and it seeks to establish socialism or communism in the United States.

Rosen denounced the misrepresentation and criticism of the leaked directives by some media reports, and said that he didnt want U.S. attorneys to be discouraged them.

I know that you share my disappointment over selective leaks of internal Department communications and deliberations which seem designed to misrepresent what the Department is actually doing to protect the rights and interests of the American people, he wrote. I hope that you take comfort in knowing that the overwhelming majority of the Departments employees continue to perform their jobs in an ethical manner.

Rosen noted that Barrs directives would encourage department employees to continue assisting state and local law enforcement authorities who shoulder the primary responsibility in responding to the violence gripping numerous U.S. cities.

Reuters contributed to this report.
The congress was held in online form in the presence of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc who is also Chairman of the Central Emulation and Rewards Council.

Speaking at the opening of the congress, VFF President Tran Thanh Man affirmed that the congress was considered an important milestone marking a new development step, on the basis of inheriting and promoting the glorious tradition and important results achieved during the 90 years of the VFF.

This is also an opportunity to encourage all the people to overcome their difficulties and challenges, bring into play the strengths of the great national unity bloc, spread the spirit of mutual care in the community; and strive to successfully implement all Resolutions of the Party, National Assembly, and Government for national construction and defence, he noted.

At the congress, on behalf of the Party and State leaders, PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc presented the second-class Labour Order to VFF Vice President Nguyen Huu Dung.

On the occasion, 40 individuals were honoured with certificates of merit from the Prime Minister and 136 others received certificates of merit from the VFF Central Committee.

In his speech, PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc emphasised that, with the great achievements of recent years, the VFF continued to deserve its role of political alliance, voluntary union and political base of the peoples government; representing and protecting the legitimate rights and interests of the people, serving as the core organisation in the countrys political system; contributing to consolidating and promoting the great national unity bloc, as well as creating a solid foundation and great strength for national stability and development.

The Government leader expressed his belief that after the VFFs Patriotic Emulation Congress, the spirit of the great national unity bloc will be further promoted; and patriotic emulation movements will continue to be strongin society and become an important driving force to help the entire Party and people to successfully carry out the task of national construction and development.
M ore than a tonne of heroin with a street value of 120 million was found hidden in sacks of rice in one of the UK's biggest ever drug hauls.

Some 1,196 kilos of the Class A drug and morphine derivatives were found aboard the Sembawang container ship at the Port of Felixstowe in an international operation led by the National Crime Agency.

NCA investigators received intelligence the vessel was being used by organised criminals to smuggle drugs before it docked in the UK en route to the Belgian port city of Antwerp on September 12.

After removing the drugs, detectives returned the container to the vessel which continued on to Antwerp and docked three days later.

Dutch and Belgian law enforcement agencies kept watch as it was driven by lorry to a warehouse south of the Hague where officers moved in and arrested three people, including the driver and two men involved in the unloading.

It had a street value of 120m / NCA

A fourth man aged 45 was detained on the M40 by Thames Valley Police assisting the NCA. He has been released on bail.

Nikki Holland, NCA Director of Investigations, said: This is a huge seizure which has denied organised criminals tens of millions of pounds in profits, and is the result of a targeted, intelligence-led investigation, carried out by the NCA with international and UK partners.

We know that a lot of these drugs would have ultimately been sold in the UK, through county lines networks.

There is violent competition between rival organised crime groups at all stages of Class A drug production and supply. The business model also involves the exploitation of vulnerable adults and children both in the UK and overseas.

Policing colleagues are tackling street level County Lines gangs who dominate and intimidate UK communities, working closely with front line NCA officers who are taking action against the most controlling and most serious and organised criminals causing the most harm across the UK.

By targeting those at the top of the chain and dismantling the county lines business model, we reduce drug supply to the UK, making it an unviable business.

Minister for Immigration Compliance and Courts Chris Philp said: Even though the container ship was destined for the Netherlands, it is highly likely its illicit cargo could have ended up on UK streets as well as mainland Europe.

Class A drugs like heroin and diamorphine wreak havoc on individuals and communities, and there is no place for them in any civilised society.

Working with our law enforcement partners at home and abroad, we are determined to do all we can to disrupt organised criminal networks and bring those responsible for this despicable trade to justice.
NEW YORK, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Educational Publishers Enforcement Group (EPEG) publishers, consisting of Cengage, Elsevier, Macmillan Learning, McGraw Hill and Pearson, have obtained a Preliminary Injunction from the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against 63 eBook websites that sell illegal, unlicensed eBooks using the functionalities of Google and Microsoft. EPEG publishers filed suit for copyright and trademark infringement against these websites on August 12, 2020, and on the same date obtained a Temporary Restraining Order that required the immediate shutdown of the infringing activity on these websites, as well as the cessation of the services that support the illegal websites. Through the Preliminary Injunction, that injunctive relief has now been extended through the pendency of the litigation. This is the third suit since November 2019 that EPEG publishers have brought against pirate eBook websites, and the third time they have successfully obtained a Preliminary Injunction.

Like the two prior lawsuits, the current lawsuit states that the operators of the pirate eBook websites pay Google to place prominent ads in response to searches for the publishers' legitimate content. The current case also involves the use of similar ads by some of the pirate websites on Microsoft's Bing search engine. The use of ads to sell infringing content runs counter to Google's and Microsoft's own policies and has led to an infestation of pirated eBooks for sale online. In addition to the veneer of legitimacy provided to these pirate websites by their seemingly legitimate Google and Bing ads, the websites rely on legitimate payment processors, domain hosts and other internet service providers, all of whom are required by the Court's injunction to stop facilitating the pirate websites' illegal activity.

"Once again, the Court has shown that illegal behavior doesn't pay for the operators of these pirate websites. Selling illegal eBooks harms authors, publishers and everyone else involved in the legitimate textbook industry. Publishers are committed to protecting their investment in scholarship, academic instruction and learning," said Matt Oppenheim, who serves as lead counsel to EPEG publishers.

The sale of pirated textbooks injures students, who do not receive legitimate copies of the products they seek to purchase. Piracy also causes publishers financial injury, creating a ripple effect impacting the ability to invest in the creation of new works and scholarly contributions that benefit education as a whole. EPEG publishers' enforcement efforts seek to stop online piracy and create a level playing field for those distributors and businesses that purchase and sell legitimate and licensed products.

About Cengage

Cengage is the education and technology company built for learners. As the largest US-based provider of teaching and learning materials for higher education, we offer valuable options at affordable price points. Our industry-leading initiatives include Cengage Unlimited, the first-of-its-kind all-access digital subscription service. We embrace innovation to create learning experiences that build confidence and momentum toward the future students want. Headquartered in Boston, Cengage also serves K-12, library and workforce training markets around the world. Visit us at Cengage.com or find us on Facebook or Twitter .

About Elsevier

Elsevier is a global information analytics business that helps scientists and clinicians to find new answers, reshape human knowledge, and tackle the most urgent human crises. For 140 years, we have partnered with the research world to curate and verify scientific knowledge. Today, we're committed to bringing that rigor to a new generation of platforms. Elsevier provides digital solutions and tools in the areas of strategic research management, R&D performance, clinical decision support, and professional education; including ScienceDirect, Scopus, SciVal, ClinicalKey and Sherpath. Elsevier publishes over 2,500 digitized journals, including The Lancet and Cell, 39,000 e-book titles and many iconic reference works, including Gray's Anatomy. Elsevier is part of RELX Group, a global provider of information and analytics for professionals and business customers across industries. www.elsevier.com.

About Macmillan Learning

Macmillan Learning is a privately held, family owned company that improves lives through learning. By linking research to learning practice, we develop pioneering products and learning materials for students that are highly effective and drive improved outcomes. Our engaging content is developed in partnership with the world's best researchers, educators, administrators and developers. To learn more, please visit www.macmillanlearning.com or see us on Facebook , Twitter , LinkedIn, or join our Macmillan Community.

About McGraw Hill

McGraw Hill is a learning science company that delivers personalized learning experiences that drive results for students, parents, educators and professionals. We focus on educational equity, affordability and learning success to help learners build better lives. Headquartered in New York City, McGraw Hill has offices across North America, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East and South America, and makes its learning solutions for PreK-12, higher education, professionals and others available in more than 75 languages. Visit us at mheducation.com or find us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter.

About Pearson

We are the world's learning company with more than 24,000 employees operating in 70 countries and a mission to help people make progress in their lives through learning. We combine world-class educational content and assessment, powered by services and technology, to enable more effective teaching and personalized learning at scale. We believe that wherever learning flourishes so do people. For more information, visit Pearson.com .

Media Contacts:

Cengage:

Emily Featherston

[email protected]

617-757-8035

Elsevier:

David Tucker

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+44 7920 536160

Macmillan Learning:

Marisa Bluestone

[email protected]

202-699-1495

McGraw Hill:

Tyler Reed

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646-766-2951

Pearson:

Scott Overland

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202-909-4520

SOURCE Cengage on behalf of EPEG publishers

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The Delhi government on Friday said all schools in the national capital will remain closed till October 5 for all students. The order, which came in the backdrop of a fresh spike in Covid-19 cases, ended speculation over whether students of classes 9-12, as per the central governments guidelines, will be allowed to visit schools to take guidance from teachers on a voluntary basis from September 21.

It is informed that all schools will remain closed for all students till October 5. However, online classes and teaching-learning activities will continue as usual and Head of Schools (HoS) are authorised to call teachers/ staff (as per requirement) for smooth conduct of online classes, teaching-learning activities and any other work, the Delhi governments Directorate of Education (DoE) said in its order.

Schools across the country have been shut since March-end in the wake of the coronavirus disease pandemic. Classes are being conducted online and links to online study materials are being sent to students via WhatsApp, emails and SMS.

A senior education department official, who did not want to be named, said the decision was taken after assessing the Covid-19 situation. The department has also received feedback from parents of both government and private schools, and a majority of them do not want their children to return to schools right now. We have also reviewed the situation and concluded that it is not suitable for the students to visit schools in Delhi for at least the next few weeks, the official said.

On Friday, Delhi reported 4,127 new cases and 30 deaths, taking the total infections to 238,828 and fatalities to 4,907. Authorities have ramped up testing as a measure to combat the current spike in infections.

Before the resurgence of cases, the seven-day average of daily cases in the Capital peaked at 3,446 on June 26 before falling to 983 on August 4. In the last seven days, Delhi has seen an average of 4,154 new cases every day.

Parents welcomed the Delhi government order on schools. My daughter and her friends had already decided that they will not be visiting school after September 21. We conducted an online survey to take parents opinion on partial reopening of schools, and 97% of the 1,000 parents who participated in the survey said that they did not want to send their children to schools amid the pandemic, Sumit Vohra, the father of a Class 10 student at DPS Vasant Kunj, said.

Jyoti Arora, the principal of Mount Abu Public School, said around 65% parents of enrolled students were not in favour of sending their children to the institute at this point. However, it has become a challenge for schools to teach practical-based subjects online. If schools were allowed to partially reopen, they could have conducted practical for students, especially those in board classes, in small groups while taking all precautions, she said.

AK Jha, the head of school at a government-run sarvodaya co-educational institute in Rohini, said: Although students want to rejoin the school, but their parents are not in favour of sending them. It is better if the schools continue to remain closed for the next few weeks.

The central government, in its guidelines for Unlock 4 issued on August 30, said though schools, colleges and other education institutions will remain closed till the end of September, there will be some relaxations for senior students.

Students of classes 9-12 may be permitted to visit their schools  only outside containment zones  on voluntary basis for taking guidance from their teachers, according to the guidelines.For doing so, students will have to give written consent of their parents/guardians. The guidelines said the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the same will be issued by the ministry of health and family welfare.

The guidelines also said states and Union Territories may permit up to 50% of teaching and non-teaching staff to be called to the schools at a time for online teaching/tele-counselling and related work from September 21.
Litterbugs who drop rubbish in a national park in Thailand have been warned their rubbish will be posted back to them at home.

Tourists at the popular Khao Yai National Park  which is full of wildlife  have been blamed for leaving bottles, cans and food packaging strewn across the 800 sq mile site.

But now all visitors will be ordered to register their home address before entering.

If they are found to have dropped litter, they will have it mailed back to them, the countrys environment minister has announced.

Varawut Silpa-archa posted pictures to Facebook showing waste collected from the park packaged up and ready to be mailed out along with a note: You forgot these things.

Recommended Tourist stuck in Thailand during pandemic falls 50ft to his death while taking selfies at waterfall

Your trash  well send it back to you, wrote the minister in the post before emphasising that littering in a national park is an offence in Thailand punishable by up to five years in prison.

The government is acting, he added, as litter has becomes increasingly common at the site.

During one of its busiest ever weeks, over the new-year holiday in 2016, some 154,000 visitors left more than 23 tonnes of waste behind, the Bangkok Post reports.

The litter is dangerous to the parks famous wildlife, which also includes elephants, bears, snakes, jackals and deer, authorities say.
5,488 new Covid-19 cases, 5,525 discharges and 67 deaths reported in Tamil Nadu today

177 new Covid-19 cases, 90 recoveries and 1 death reported in Manipur over last 24 hours

2,817 new Covid-19 cases, 2,645 recoveries and 62 deaths, reported today in Punjab

6,584 new Covid-19 cases, 98 deaths reported in last 24 hours in Uttar Pradesh

With 173 new cases, coronavirus tally in Ahmedabad rises to 34,581

Mumbai's Covid-19 tally rises to 1,80,542 with 2,267 new cases: BMC

27 new Covid-19 cases reported in Andaman and Nicobar

Gujarat records more than 1,400 new coronavirus cases, 16 deaths

Health worker work with collected samples for coronavirus testing after a swab sample collection.

The number of active coronavirus cases in India crossed the 1 million mark after a record 97,894 cases were reported between Wednesday and Thursday, the Union health ministrys dashboard showed. In the process, Indias total tally, too, crossed the 5.1 million-mark. India has 1,009,976 active cases of Covid-19 in a caseload of 5,118,253. Number of active cases and deaths, meanwhile, stood at 4,025,079 and 83,198 respectively.

Click here for complete Covid-19 coverage

On the global front, the number of coronavirus cases stand at over 30 million, with the United States, India, Brazil, Russia and Peru, in that order, being the five worst-affected countries, worldometers data shows. Colombias caseload is the sixth-highest, followed by Mexicos. South Africa, Spain and Argentina complete the list of ten worst-hit countries.

Follow live updates here:
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 07:28:24|Editor: huaxia

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Video: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warns on Sept. 17, 2020 that the COVID-19 pandemic is expanding risks to peace everywhere. (Xinhua)

Noting that peace is never a given, the UN chief says that "it is an aspiration that is only as strong as our conviction, and only as durable as our hope."



UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Thursday that the COVID-19 pandemic is expanding risks to peace everywhere.

"It poses an enormous threat to people caught up in conflict, which is why I made an immediate appeal for a global ceasefire," the UN chief said at the UN peace bell ceremony on the occasion of the 39th anniversary of the International Day of Peace, which is observed around the world each year on Sept. 21.

"I will repeat the call during the General Debate next week. We need to silence the guns and focus on our common enemy: the virus," said the secretary-general.

The annual meeting of world leaders at the UN is going virtual this year for the first time in its 75-year history because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The first day of the General Debate is on Sept. 22.

Noting that peace is never a given, the UN chief said that "it is an aspiration that is only as strong as our conviction, and only as durable as our hope."

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres rings the peace bell during the UN peace bell ceremony at the UN headquarters in New York, on Sept. 17, 2020. (Mark Garten/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)

"It can take decades, even centuries, to build peaceful, stable societies. But peace can be squandered in an instant by reckless, divisive policies and approaches," the UN chief noted.

"Beyond war zones, the pandemic is highlighting and exploiting inequalities of all kinds, setting communities and countries against each other," Guterres said.

He called for efforts to "push for peace wherever conflict is raging and wherever there are diplomatic opportunities to silence the guns."

The peace bell ceremony was beamed globally via live feed, with the UN chief and the new UN General Assembly president, Volkan Bozkir, standing at appropriately distanced podiums, in line with COVID-19 measures.

Bozkir said the pandemic has threatened health, security and the way of life of people everywhere.

"Today we stand separated and masked. The pandemic has brought unexpected levels of misery and hardship to many. But it is the most vulnerable who suffer most, and are still suffering, both in conflict, and at the hands of this disease," he said.

Volkan Bozkir, president of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly, makes remarks during the UN peace bell ceremony at the UN headquarters in New York, on Sept. 17, 2020. (Mark Garten/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)

Under normal conditions, UN messengers of peace, such as renowned American cellist Yo-Yo Ma, would travel to New York to take part in the peace bell ceremony.

Ma participated virtually in this year's commemoration, as did Jane Goodall, the British primatologist famous for her pioneering research on chimpanzees.

Prior to the official ceremony, the two UN messengers of peace participated in a student observance of the international day, held online. Their colleagues -- violinist Midori, conductor Daniel Barenboim, and Paulo Coelho, author of "The Alchemist" -- provided inspirational video messages.

Goodall was adamant that the world will get through the pandemic. "But when we get through it, we must get together as a human family," she said. "We must set aside differences between nations, religions, cultures, to tackle a far greater threat, which is the climate crisis."

Ma spoke of the need to build trust between various generations as a means to achieve peace.

"Intergenerational exchange is incredibly important," he told the young audience. "It's your world, and we need to hand you over as best a world as we can, and trust that you are going to be the great stewards over the next half century." 
Infarm, the vertical farming company that has built a network of urban farms to grow fresh food closer to consumers, has raised $170 million in new investment in a "first close" of a Series C.

Leading the round -- which is expected to reach $200 million and is a mixture of equity and debt -- is LGT Lightstone, with participation from Hanaco, Bonnier, Haniel and Latitude. Existing Infarm investors Atomico, TriplePoint Capital, Mons Capital and Astanor Ventures also followed on. It brings the companys total funding to date to more than $300 million.

That's likely testament to the speed of new retail partnerships over the last 12 months. They include Albert Heijn (Netherlands), Aldi Sud (Germany), COOP/Irma (Denmark), Empire Company's Sobeys, Safeway and Thrifty Foods (Canada), Kinokuniya (Japan), Kroger (U.S.) and Marks & Spencer and Selfridges (U.K.).

With operations across 10 countries and 30 cities worldwide, Infarm says it now harvests more than 500,000 plants monthly, and in a much more sustainable way than traditional farming and supply chains. Its modular, IoT-powered vertical farming units claim to use 99.5% less space than soil-based agriculture, 95% less water, 90% less transport and zero chemical pesticides. In addition, 90% of electricity used throughout the Infarm network is from renewable energy and the company has set a target to reach zero emission food production next year.

Founded in 2013 by Osnat Michaeli, and brothers Erez and Guy Galonska, Infarm's indoor vertical farming system is capable of growing herbs, lettuce and other vegetables. It then places these modular farms in a variety of customer-facing city locations, such as grocery stores, restaurants, shopping malls and schools, thus enabling the end-customer to actually pick the produce themselves. To further scale, it also installs Infarms in local distribution centres.

The distributed system is designed to be infinitely scalable  you simply add more modules, space permitting  whilst the whole thing is cloud-based, meaning the farms can be monitored and controlled from Infarms central control centre. Its also incredibly data-driven, a combination of IoT, Big Data and cloud analytics akin to Farming-as-a-Service.

Story continues

The idea, the founding team told me back in 2017 when I profiled the nascent company, isnt just to produce fresher and better-tasting produce and re-introduce forgotten or rare varieties, but to disrupt the supply chain as a whole, which remains inefficient and produces a lot of waste.

Behind our farms is a robust hardware and software platform for precision farming, explained Michaeli at the time. Each farming unit is its own individual ecosystem, creating the exact environment our plants need to flourish. We are able to develop growing recipes that tailor the light spectrums, temperature, pH and nutrients to ensure the maximum natural expression of each plant in terms of flavor, colour and nutritional quality.

On that note, I caught up with two of Infarm's founders to get a brief update on the Berlin-headquartered company and to dive a little deeper into how it will continue to scale.

TechCrunch: What assumptions did you make early on that have turned out to be true or, more interestingly, not panned out as expected?

Osnat Michaeli: When we first chatted about four years ago, we were 40 people in Berlin and much of the conversation centered around the potential that our approach to urban vertical farming might have for retailers. While for many it was intriguing as a concept, we couldnt have imagined that a few years later we would have expanded to almost 10 countries (Japan is on its way) and 30 cities, with partnerships with some of the largest retailers in the world. Our assumptions at the time were that retailers and their customers would be attracted to the taste and freshness of produce that grew right in front of them in the produce section, in our farms.

What we didnt anticipate was how much and how quickly the demand for a sustainable, transparent and modular approach to farming would grow as we, as society, begin to feel the impact of climate change and supply chain fragility upon our lives, our choices and our food. Of course we also did not anticipate a global pandemic, which has underscored the urgency of building a new food system that can democratize access to high-quality, amazing-tasting food, while helping our planet regenerate and heal. The past few months have confirmed the flexibility and resilience of our farming model, and that our mission is more relevant than ever.

In terms of signing on new retailers, based on your progress in the last 12 months, I'm guessing this has gotten easier, though undoubtedly there are still quite long lead times. How have these conversations changed since you started?

Erez Galonska: While lead times and speed of conversations can vary depending upon the region and retailer. In mature markets where the concept is familiar and were already engaged, deal conversations can reach maturity in as little time as three months. Since we last spoke we are already working with most of the leading retailers that are well established in Europe, U.K. and North America. Brands which in each of their markets are both forerunners in a retail industry rapidly evolving to meet the demand for consumer-focused innovation, while proving that access to sustainable, high-quality, fresh and living produce is not only possible, but can be available in produce aisles today, and every day of the year, with Infarm.

I'm interested to understand where Infarms are installed, in terms of if the majority is in-store and consumer-facing or if the most scalable and bulk of Infarm's use cases are really much larger distribution hubs in cities or close to cities, i.e. not too far away from places with population/store density but not actually in stores. Perhaps you can enlighten me on what the ratio looks like today and how you see it developing as vertical farming grows?

Erez Galonska: Today across our markets, the split between our farms in stores and in distribution centers is roughly 50/50. However, as you anticipate, we will be expanding our network this year with many more distribution hubs. This expansion will likely lead to an 80/20 split as early as next year, with the majority of our regions being served with fresh, living produce delivered throughout the week from centrally located hubs. This not only offers retailers and restaurants flexibility in terms of volumes of output, and the ability to adapt the presentation of our offerings to floor areas of different sizes, but it also allows us to begin to serve whole regions from our next-generation farms under development today.

Based in our hubs, these farms will deliver the crop equivalent of an acre or more of fresh produce on a 25 m2 footprint, with significant further savings in energy, water, labor and land use. We believe this technology will truly challenge ideas of what is possible in sustainable, vertical farming and we look forward to talking about it more soon.

Lastly, what are the main product lines in terms of food on the shelves?

Osnat Michaeli: We have a catalog of more than 65 herbs, microgreens and leafy greens that is constantly growing. Our offerings range from the known and common varieties like Coriander, Basil, or Mint, to specialty products like Peruvian Mint, Red Veined Sorrel or Wasabi Rucola.

Because our farms give us excellent control over every part of a plants growth process, and can imitate the complexity of different ecosystems, we will be able to expand the diversity of Infarm produce available to consumers to include root vegetables, mushrooms, flowering crops and even superfoods from around the world in the near future. What you see today with Infarm is still only the beginning.
Detectives from the Hunterdon County Prosecutors Office and New Jersey State Police are investigating a structure fire that engulfed a couples residence in the Asbury section of Bethlehem Township.

The agencies began investigating the fire shortly after 11 a.m. Thursday, according to a press release shared with NJ Advance Media. After walking his dog, the homeowner returned home to find it consumed with smoke.

Officials said the homeowner approached a neighbor and called 911.

Several firefighters were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation and overexertion, with none sustaining serious injuries. Two firefighters were transported to the Hunterdon Medical Center after suffering injuries fighting the fire.

Firefighters were on the scene for approximately four hours in total.

A GoFundMe page has been established for the Asbury couple by their neighbor, Ellen Russo. On the page, Russo wrote that the couple, a Vietnam War veteran with a Purple Heart and a health care worker, lost everything but their cars and dog, Jake.

They need help rebuilding their home and securing stability during the time it will take to get back on their feet, the GoFundMe page reads. They are good people and we would like to do what we can to help.

Barkleys Gourmet Marketplace in Flemington has pledged to donate three months worth of food and snacks to the the familys dog, and has already donated a large bag of premium dog food, snacks, water, a food bowl, toys and a bed.

The New Jersey Red Cross is assisting the homeowner with shelter and necessities.

Agencies responding to the incident include the New Jersey State Fire Marshals Office; Pattenburg Fire; Pattenburg Rescue; Glen Gardner Fire; Hampton Fire; High Bridge Fire; Quakertown Fire; Lebanon Boro Fire; Bloomsbury Fire; Califon Fire; Lebanon Township Fire; Oldwick Fire; East Whitehouse Fire; Fairmount Fire; Clinton Fire; Hunterdon Medical Center MICU; Kingwood Fire; Raritan Township Fire; the Hunterdon County Hazmat team; South Branch Rescue; and Hunterdon County Communications.

The Stewartsville and Franklin fire departments from Warren County also assisted at the scene.

I commend the dedication and commitment of the volunteer firefighters from Hunterdon and Warren counties and everyone who participated for their quick response to this fire, Michael J. Williams, Hunterdon County Acting Prosecutor, said in the press release. We are grateful to the firefighters that worked throughout the afternoon to extinguish the blaze."

"We are very fortunate to have such a fine and dedicated volunteer system of brave men and women.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.

Caroline Fassett may be reached at cfassett@njadvancemedia.com.
British accessories label Aspinal of London is looking at closing 10 stores across the UK as it becomes the latest retail business to be hit by the impact of Covid-19.

The brand is a favourite of the Duchess of Cambridge, Pippa Middleton and the Duchess of Cornwall, but their royal endorsement hasn't been enough to tempt British shoppers into stores in recent months.

The business has 'been impacted profoundly by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on consumer confidence and footfall,' according to KPMG, which is advising the brand, according to the Evening Standard.

British accessories label Aspinal of London is looking at closing 10 stores across the UK as it becomes the latest retail business to be hit by the impact of Covid-19. Pictured, the Duchess of Cambridge carries the 595 Midi Mayfair bag by Aspinal of London on an engagement in 2018

The Duchess of Cornwall carries the Aspinal of London Portobello bag, now discontinued, in 2016. Right, Zara Tindall with Aspinal's Midi Mayfair bag at Cheltenham Racecourse in January

The business has 'been impacted profoundly by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on consumer confidence and footfall,' according to KPMG, which is advising the brand. Aspinal of London is looking at closing 10 city centre stores across the UK. Pictured, a shop in London

Aspinal, which specialises in high-end leather goods like the handbags loved by Kate Middleton, was founded in 2001 by businessman Iain Burton, who co-founded now-defunct independent music label Fanfare Records with Simon Cowell.

Aspinal now employs more than 300 staff. It is unclear how many jobs would be at risk if the stores were to close.

The brand would keep its Selfridges and Harrods concessions open and its online store would also remain operational.

Despite the struggles it is facing at home, Aspinal remains popular overseas, particularly in China and the UAE, where it has a total of four stores. None of these are expected to close in the near future.

Part of the reason for its success abroad is that Aspinal has marketed itself as a quintessentially British brand that appeals to foreign shoppers who want to add a touch of refined 'Britishness' to their wardrobes, noted the Daily Telegraph's Acting Fashion Editor Melissa Twigg.

The Duchess of Cambridge with the Aspinal Midi Mayfair bag in black in November 2018 in Leicester (left) and with the lilac version of the handbag in London in March 2019 (right)

The Duchess of Cambridge's sister Pippa Middleton is also a fan of the brand. Pictured, Pippa wears an Aspinal cross-body bag for a day at Wimbledon in 2017

Among their most important clients are Chinese students studying in the UK, who have the disposable incomes to afford the pricey accessories and have also popularised the label at home.

Twigg noted: 'It is often difficult to know why brands appeal more to customers from certain countries than others

'But in the case of Aspinal of London, which is peddling a very particular sort of Britishness right down to its name, there is a romanticism to it internationally that hasn't quite hit the mark for audiences at home. But with a booming market in Asia and a loyal fan in Kensington Palace, perhaps that doesn't matter.'

The Duchess of Cambridge most recently wore her Aspinal bag in Bradford in January (left). Right, Kate Middleton chose the Aspinal bag for a visit to the Royal Opera House in 2019

The Duchess of Cambridge first carried Aspinal's 595 Midi Mayfair bag in 2013, and has since carried the bag on several occasions in both Black and Lilac colourways.

Her sister Pippa Middleton is also a fan and owns several Aspinal bags, including the Portobello, which has now been discontinued.

The Duchess of Cornwall and Zara Tindall also count Aspinal handbags in their personal collections. Other high-profile fans of Aspinal include First Lady Ivanka Trump.

Like many mid-range labels, Aspinal has faced greater c

ompetition in recent years from high street retailers producing more affordable accessories.

Aspinal has launched a series of high profile partnerships in recent years with actress Michelle Dockery, model David Gandy and designer Giles Deacon, but it has not been enough to save the company, at least in Britain.
Simbi Foundation, ColdHubs, Poket, and Plastics for Change, were selected as the four Global Maker Challenge winners at the first ever virtual award ceremony organised out of the UAE.

The four winners, along with eight runners-up, for Cohort 2 of the Global Maker Challenge of the Mohammed bin Rashid Initiative for Global Prosperity, will receive monetary prizes, mentorship, and access to global organisations, worth up to $1 million.

The winners were selected following careful evaluation led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technologys SOLVE initiative (MIT SOLVE) and an esteemed jury of 47 globally renowned subject matter and innovation experts.

The Initiative also identified the four most disruptive solutions, that will be connected to global organisations to receive guidance and mentorship through a programme in partnership with the University of Cambridge.

ID2020, Stixfresh, Agricycle Global, and AlgiKnit were identified to be the most disruptive solutions with the potential to generate significant social and economic change in the face of some of the worlds most pressing challenges.

These start-ups will benefit from the Global Prosperity Award mentorship programme and will receive guidance and support from global organisations to help them overcome their non-financial challenges, and put them on a path to scalability and greater social impact.

Cohort 2 was launched at the United Nations Industrial Development Organisations (UNIDO) 8th Ministerial Conference of the Least Developed Countries that was held in Abu Dhabi in November 2019, and received more than 3,400 entries from 148 countries. In partnership with 10 UN agencies, critical global issues that need urgent action, ,were identified, forming four challenges related to the themes of Innovation for Peace and Justice, Sustainable and Healthy Food for All, Innovation for Inclusive Trade, and Climate Change.

More than 6,800 social impact enthusiasts from around the world came together to witness the Global Maker Challenge finalists pitch their solutions, listen to expert-led discussions and keynotes, and watch the award ceremony, as part of the #Make4ProsperityWeek.

Speaking at the award ceremony, Badr Al-Olama, Head of the Organising Committee for the Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit (GMIS) said: We continue to be inspired by our patron, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashids humanitarian journey and drive for innovation to positively impact not only the UAE, but also the region and the world. Just like us, our humanitarian start-ups too believe that access to innovation paves the way to building prosperity. Today, we celebrate the social entrepreneurs that leverage innovation for work that transcends borders.

The whole world has been shaken by the coronavirus pandemic, but the strength of this years cohort has given us hope for the future. Our maker community put forward localised solutions for global problems, and through collaborative management between stakeholders, we can ensure that these inspiring innovations reach those who need it most. At the Mohammed bin Rashid Initiative for Global Prosperity, we believe that by demonstrating cohesiveness and having a shared destiny, we can strive towards a brighter future for all.

The Innovation for Peace and Justice challenge addressed issues refugees and displaced people face to access affordable, quality services that are essential to their safety and wellbeing; and included the following solutions:

Winner: Simbi Foundation is developer of solar-powered, centralised learning hubs that provide access to digital education. This service is designed to help rural and vulnerable communities access affordable and quality education to help nurture the careers of young people providing them a solid start to life.

Runner-up and Disruptive Innovation Solution for the Global Prosperity Award: ID2020 is a user-managed, digital ID platform that allows displaced people greater ownership of their own healthcare records, educational attainment information, and professional credentials. ID2020 need support to enhance the footprint and the back-end infrastructure of their platform, amending the business-model to make it fit for future purpose.

Runner-up: Aiyin runs virtual reality (VR) learning spaces for facilities without the physical and monetary capacity to build real ones.

The Sustainable and Healthy Food for All challenge tackled the issues that fast-growing urban populations face in accessing healthy and sustainable food; and included:

Winner: ColdHubs provides solar-powered walk-in cold storage for perishable foods produced by rural farmers in developing countries. One fridge can support an entire neighbourhood, helping provide access to healthy and sustainable food in the face of rapid urbanisation.

Runner-up and Disruptive Innovation Solution for the Global Prosperity Award: Stixfresh have developed stickers that create a protective layer around fresh food produce to slow down spoilage, providing economic benefit for small farmers without climate-controlled warehouses. Stixfresh keeps food fresh for longer, preserving nutrients vital for addressing hunger and malnutrition.

Runner-up: Nilus is a social enterprise platform that creates an affordable and healthy food digital marketplace for low-income people.

The Innovation for Inclusive Trade challenge addressed issues that rural communities face in accessing new supply chains and markets to create better livelihoods. The final candidates were:

Winner: Poket is a crowd-sourced registry of offline merchants capable of mapping last mile rural supply chains. The Poket app is capable of helping a whole network of suppliers across a region, allowing rural communities to increase their access to new supply chains and markets and nurture greater prosperity.

Runner-up and Disruptive Innovation Solution for the Global Prosperity Award: Agricycle Global is a zero-electricity postharvest food dryer technology that connects rural farmers to international markets in need of mentoring and support to access new communities.

Runner-up: Fantine is a blockchain-enabled marketplace that allows coffee farmers to transact directly with roasters and buyers

The Climate Change challenge brought in solutions that facilitate a low-carbon circular economy through smart use of existing resources; winners include:

Winner: Plastics for Change is an ethical sourcing platform that provides sustainable livelihoods and expedites transition towards a circular economy. This digital platform helps communities move towards a low-carbon, circular economy by eliminating waste and utilising existing resources to generate income.

Runner-up and Disruptive Innovation Solution for the Global Prosperity Award: AlgiKnit is a sustainable fibre for the fashion industry that is biodegradable, comfortable and low-cost, seeking support in scaling their offering, accessing new markets and supply chains.

Runner-up: Aquacycl is the first commercially viable Microbial Fuel Cell capable of generating electricity from wastewater

The Global Prosperity Award was formed to encourage global organisations to participate in making a lasting social impact on communities around the world. The solutions deemed to be the most disruptive will be invited to present to the corporate nominees, and outline the key non-financial challenges they might face when trying to scale their solutions.

The participating corporate nominees will then prepare and present a support plan to help the shortlisted innovators in overcoming their challenges. A panel of experts led by the University of Cambridge will judge the support plans on their potential for social impact, and the corporate nominee deemed to have submitted the support plan with the biggest potential to make an impact will be presented with the Global Prosperity Award. -- Tradearabia News Service
In the bruised days after Labors shock national election defeat last May, union boss Steve Murphy, a Maitland boy, thought long and hard about what went wrong  and came to a very different conclusion than the Hunter Valleys most prominent ALP figure, Joel Fitzgibbon.

Murphy, then the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union state secretary and from Monday its national leader, believed Labor had not failed because it had favoured action on climate change over jobs.

Environmental campaigner Felicity Wade and AMWU leader Steve Murphy outside the site of the demolished Clyde Petrochemical Plant in Rosehill. Credit:Louise Kennerley

We failed because we allowed the bosses to turn the workers and environmentalists against each other to their own benefit, the former fitter and turner said this week.

Murphys view  one that is far from universally shared  was if Labor could solve the culture war over coal and emissions in regions like the Hunter it could campaign on both climate action and job creation.
Speaking Thursday in the upper house of parliament, Singh said China had violated bilateral agreements by amassing troops and armaments along the Line of Actual Control in the Himalayas that divides their unsettled boundary. He blamed Chinese soldiers for not allowing Indian troops to patrol in traditional areas.

Both sides have put the blame on the other for sparking their most serious face-off in decades and called for a pull back of troops.

A military standoff between the two countries is now in its fifth month with troops from both sides deployed in huge numbers in the high Himalayas in Ladakh, a strategic cold desert region that borders Tibet.

Calling on Beijing to implement a recent understanding to disengage their troops, Singh said, "We can start a war, but its end is not in our hands."

Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said Thursday that New Delhi wants a peaceful resolution to its border dispute with China but is prepared for all contingencies to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Singh said India made troop deployments to counter those by Beijing and had foiled transgressions by China. According to the Indian minister, Beijing was trying to unilaterally alter the status quo along the ill-defined border. "Respecting and strictly observing Line of Actual Control is the basis for peace and tranquility in the border areas," he said.

Beijing blames New Delhi for the standoff. "The responsibility for the current situation does not lie with China," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a daily press briefing on Wednesday. He accused India of being the first to violate bilateral agreements, trespassing and firing shots to threaten the safety of the Chinese border troops. "What is pressing now is that the Indian side should immediately correct its mistake, disengage on the ground as soon as possible and take concrete actions to ease the tension and lower the temperature along the border," Wang said.

The sharp words come a week after the foreign ministers of the two countries agreed to disengage troops and deescalate tensions at a meeting held in Moscow. There is no word yet, however, on how the two sides plan to implement that agreement and with the situation along the border still volatile, the Indian military is preparing to keep troops deployed on mountain ridges of more than 4,500 meters through the winter.

Singh said that India has doubled its budget for border roads in recent years in response to Beijing's rapid infrastructure development on its side. The roads in the mountains are vital to transport supplies to troops -- in recent weeks the Indian army has been ferrying in food, fuel and ammunition into Ladakh ahead of winter when the mountain passes become blocked by snow.

The boundary dispute between India and China has simmered since they fought a war in 1962, but both countries set the decades-old issue aside in recent decades as economic ties blossomed. But with the latest standoff, the dispute has again put a deep strain in their ties.
TOKYO, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Japan's new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga began work as the nation's leader Thursday vowing to "meet people's expectations."

Speaking to reporters at the prime minister's office, Suga said his Cabinet would be results oriented.

"I want to meet people's expectations by creating a Cabinet that works for people and achieves results," Suga said.

Newly appointed Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato, meanwhile, reiterated the former administration's commitment to fighting the coronavirus pandemic and preventing an explosive rise in infections.

"The important thing is to prevent infections and bring economic and social activities back to normal and revive them," Japan's new top government spokesman said.

Kato added that under Suga's stewardship, the government will continue to tackle the nation's demographic crisis and forge deeper ties with Japan's closest neighbors.

Suga, the new leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, was chosen as Japan's new prime minister to succeed Shinzo Abe in an extraordinary parliamentary session on Wednesday.

The parliament formally chose Suga as the nation's 99th prime minister in an extraordinary session convened at which he was elected by both chambers of Japan's bicameral parliament, winning 314 votes in the more powerful 465-member lower house and 142 votes in 245-member upper chamber.

Late last month and just days after becoming the nation's longest-serving leader in terms of consecutive days in office, Abe abruptly announced that he planned to step down because of the same intestinal disease and ulcerative colitis that forced him to relinquish his role as prime minister during his first stint as leader beginning 2006.

Suga has formed a Cabinet comprising of a number of ministers who served under Abe in a bid to maintain continuity.

He has retained the services of LDP veteran heavyweights including Finance Minister Taro Aso, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi.

Fifteen of Suga's picks for his 20-member Cabinet held ministerial portfolios in the previous administration.

Suga, who at 71 is the oldest prime minister to take office since Kiichi Miyazawa in 1991, will serve as

LDP president for the remainder of Abe's current three-year term through September 2021.

There has been speculation, however, that he may call a general election as early as next month, although he has stated that for the time being tackling the coronavirus pandemic is his priority.
New Zealand's prime minister has pledged to achieve 100% renewable energy in the country by 2030 if her party wins re-election in October.

Why it matters: NZ plunged on Thursday into its worst recession in over 30 years, after its GDP fell 12.2% following two straight quarters of negative growth amid some of the world's toughest pandemic restrictions, though the drop was less than the 23.5% decrease projected in the May budget.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said during a briefing Thursday that the focus was now "about the rebound."

Robert McLachlan, a professor at Massey University's School of Fundamental Sciences, told Axios Labour's decision to bring its renewable energy goal forward by five years for its COVID-19 economic recovery plans is "ambitious, but it's doable."

The big picture: Ardern said in a statement announcing the plans, "The COVID-19 economic recovery represents a once in a generation opportunity to reshape New Zealands energy system to be more renewable faster, affordable and secure."

New Zealand already produces 84% of its electricity from renewable sources, but Labour has pledged NZ$70 million (U.S. $47 million) to "accelerate a potential dry year storage solution," such as a pumped hydro scheme at Lake Onslow on the South Island.

Zoom in: Judith Collins, leader of the opposition National Party, told RNZ Labour's policy would see electricity costs rise by up to 40% and predicted thousands of people would lose their jobs as a result.

Energy Minister Megan Woods said in an emailed statement to Axios that Labour was investigating the pumped hydro scheme to "shift away from our reliance on expensive fossil fuels and enable the development of more renewable generation."

"We believe this can lead to lower electricity prices over the longer term and accelerate the electrification of our economy," she added.

"If we proceed with the Lake Onslow project it is likely to create between 3,500 and 4,500 construction jobs, the initial investigation phase itself would employ hundreds of engineers and consultants."

 Energy Minister Megan Woods

Between the lines: McLachlan said analysis by the expert proposing the Lake Onslow scheme "suggests that it will actually lower" electricity prices. This notes claims a 40% rise in costs for renewable electricity are inaccurate as they do not account for a pumped hydro scheme.

"Even counting the cost of building it, you could still lower electricity in the long-run because you just end up with a much more robust system," McLachlan said.

"At the moment, we have .... whats called the dry air risk. If there's a year of low rainfall, which happens every five or 10 years, theres actually not enough electricity to go around, so the prices go really high and theres a shortage."

The bottom line: McLachlan said the Lake Onslow scheme would be a longterm solution "that has the capacity to almost completely de-carbonise the whole society."

For the record: Ardern delayed the country's election until Oct. 17 as authorities work to stamp out a coronavirus cluster in NZ's most populous city, Auckland, after the virus' re-emergence in NZ.
Brad Pitt's rumored new flame Nicole Poturalski has posted a cryptic quote on Instagram as her side amid rumors of tension between the "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" actor and his former wife Angelina Jolie.

Instagram Quote

The 27-year-old model appeared to have reacted to the rumor regarding Jolie by writing, "Happy people don't hate" followed by heart emojis on Instagram.

Reply to Trolls

Poturalski, Pitt's rumored girlfriend, seemingly was lured by the noise of the comment section and had her replying to a few of her Instagram trolls.

The German model, who is reportedly in an open marriage with one of Berlin's most popular restaurateurs, posted two Instagram photos posing in a bright orange With Jean dress.

One follower might have believed that she was throwing shade at Jolie, posting, "If so, then why (do) you & Brad hate Angelina. Practice what you preach, girl," reported Us Weekly.

Pitt's new girlfriend replied to the social media user saying that she is not hating on any person.

Her response ignited a dispute in the Instagram comments section involving social media users defending the model and other users condemning her.

One supporter wrote regarding Nicole Poturalski's side, "Come on Nicole never said she hates Angie. It was always the paps creating stories and saying 'a source close to reported....' I think it's only Brad who is dealing with Angie, Nicole has no business there," reported ET.

Also Read: Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston Reunite in an Anticipated Virtual Comeback in Table Read

Brad Pitt Moving On

Former married couple Pitt and Jolie's custody battle has dragged on into its fourth year. The actor seems to have begun moving on with Poturalski and both have reportedly been in a relationship for nine months.

Pitt reportedly recently took his new girlfriend to Chateau Miraval which was the place where he and Jolie got married.

New Phase for the Model

The 27-year-old now has to live with a new legion of fans and critics who are interested in her life and her Instagram account.

She regularly posts to her social media handle glamorous photos of herself with positive messages regarding gratitude and wishing fans a pleasant weekend.

People initially determined the resemblance between Poturalski and the "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" actress. Then it was made apparent that Poturalski is in an open marriage with a much older husband is open to a relationship with Pitt.

Timing of the Comment

Poturalski's comment against hate was also posted at an interesting timing due to the recent developments in Pitt and Jolie's years-long custody battle with each other.

Jolie attempted to delay proceedings by appealing to have their case's judge, John W. Ouderkirk, removed.

Nicole Poturalski later removed the comment and her response expressing her side from her Instagram comments section.

On why she was removing negative comments and being dubbed as "immature," she responded, "No I delete comments that are offending because nobody needs hater on theis page thats why its ciaaaaooo immediately (sic)," reported Daily Mail.

Related Article: Jennifer Aniston Once 'Overweight' for Hollywood, Almost Lost 'Friends' Role

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Passive investing in an index fund is a good way to ensure your own returns roughly match the overall market. Active investors aim to buy stocks that vastly outperform the market - but in the process, they risk under-performance. For example, the McMillan Shakespeare Limited (ASX:MMS) share price is down 49% in the last year. That contrasts poorly with the market decline of 7.2%. To make matters worse, the returns over three years have also been really disappointing (the share price is 44% lower than three years ago). More recently, the share price has dropped a further 9.4% in a month. This could be related to the recent financial results - you can catch up on the most recent data by reading our company report.

View our latest analysis for McMillan Shakespeare

In his essay The Superinvestors of Graham-and-Doddsville Warren Buffett described how share prices do not always rationally reflect the value of a business. One way to examine how market sentiment has changed over time is to look at the interaction between a company's share price and its earnings per share (EPS).

Unfortunately McMillan Shakespeare reported an EPS drop of 98% for the last year. This was, in part, due to extraordinary items impacting earnings. This fall in the EPS is significantly worse than the 49% the share price fall. It may have been that the weak EPS was not as bad as some had feared. Indeed, with a P/E ratio of 525.69 there is obviously some real optimism that earnings will bounce back.

The graphic below depicts how EPS has changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image).

We consider it positive that insiders have made significant purchases in the last year. Even so, future earnings will be far more important to whether current shareholders make money. Before buying or selling a stock, we always recommend a close examination of historic growth trends, available here..

What about the Total Shareholder Return (TSR)?

We've already covered McMillan Shakespeare's share price action, but we should also mention its total shareholder return (TSR). The TSR attempts to capture the value of dividends (as if they were reinvested) as well as any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings offered to shareholders. McMillan Shakespeare's TSR of was a loss of 47% for the year. That wasn't as bad as its share price return, because it has paid dividends.

Story continues

A Different Perspective

We regret to report that McMillan Shakespeare shareholders are down 47% for the year. Unfortunately, that's worse than the broader market decline of 7.2%. However, it could simply be that the share price has been impacted by broader market jitters. It might be worth keeping an eye on the fundamentals, in case there's a good opportunity. Unfortunately, last year's performance may indicate unresolved challenges, given that it was worse than the annualised loss of 2.8% over the last half decade. We realise that Baron Rothschild has said investors should "buy when there is blood on the streets", but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality business. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand McMillan Shakespeare better, we need to consider many other factors. Even so, be aware that McMillan Shakespeare is showing 3 warning signs in our investment analysis , you should know about...

McMillan Shakespeare is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on AU exchanges.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.



Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
President Donald Trump's former national security advisor H.R. McMaster joined a chorus of former security aides who have taken shots at the administration, blasting the troop drawdown in Afghanistan that the president has accelerated this fall.

McMaster tells CBS '60 Minutes' that the policy amounts to 'partnering' with the Taliban while Trump seeks to extract the nation from its longest war.

'I think what [President Trump] did with this new policy, is he, in effect, is partnering with the Taliban against, in many ways, the Afghan government,' McMaster said.

'I think what [President Trump] did with this new policy, is he, in effect, is partnering with the Taliban against, in many ways, the Afghan government,' said former White House Naitnal Security Advisor H.R. McMaster

'And so, I think that it's an unwise policy. And I think what we require in Afghanistan is a sustained commitment to help the Afghan government,' he continued.

He writes in his new book, 'Battlegrounds,' that the policy 'cheapened' the sacrifices of U.S. forces in the country in a war dating back to 2001. Afghan and Taliban representatives began meeting this month in Doha for the start of talks, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Doha to help commence them.

The military has announced drawdown from 5,200 to 3,000 as Trump seeks to fulfill pledge to end 'endless wars' by Election Day.

McMaster is a retired Army Lt. General who served as Trump's national security advisor after the sudden resignation of Gen. Mike Flynn just weeks into the Trump Administration.

His pushback comes after a scathing tell-all by his successor, John Bolton, and an explosive story in the Atlantic quoting unnamed officials who said Trump called fallen troops 'suckers' and 'losers.'

The military has announced a planned drawdown to 3,000 U.S. troops

President Donald Trump, right, listens as Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, left, talks at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., Monday, Feb. 20, 2017, where Trump announced that McMaster will be the new national security adviser. McMaster criticizes the nation's Afghan policy in his new book

U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo meets with the Taliban political affairs chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Doha, Qatar, on September 12, 2020

Afghan Taliban fighters and villagers attend a gathering as they celebrate the peace deal signed between US and Taliban in Laghman Province, Alingar district on March 2, 2020

McMaster told the program the threat to the U.S. remains in Afghanistan, even as Trump seeks to accelerate a gradual withdrawal.

'Terrorist organizations who pose a threat to us are stronger now than they were on September 10, 2001. Those who perpetrated the mass murder attacks of 9/11 were the mujahideen-era alumni of the resistance to Soviet occupation in Afghanistan,' he said.

'Today, we are facing an Al-Qaeda and an ISIS alumni that is orders of magnitude greater than that mujahideen-era alumni ever was. And they also have access to much more destructive capabilities.'
Its a much cliched saying that in a democracy, the ultimate accountability is to the Parliament. However, this is also true that howsoever much a government may make use of the various tools of mass communication to overcome an impression of shortcomings of governance, the proceedings of the legislature, especially the Indian Parliament, are such that executive benches cannot escape the scrutiny.

Despite the brute majority that Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) enjoys in Lok Sabha and a now dominant position in Rajya Sabha, the Opposition onslaught in the current Parliament session on the state of economic planning, aggression by China on the border and havoc wrecked by Covid-19 is but imminent.

Launching Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on social media as the face of the governments initiatives to counter Covid-19, a day before the commencement of the monsoon session, somewhere indicates the realisation within the ruling ranks of an urgent need for a new name and face for Indias fight against the global pandemic.

Ever since the onset of the epidemic in the country, Dr Harsh Vardhan has been conspicuous by his absence in the public domain.

A case in point is Home Minister Amit Shah taking charge of Delhi when the situation got out of control in the city. This, despite the fact that Harsh Vardhan is essentially a Delhi politician, has had a very successful tenure as city health minister in the 1990s, is a former Delhi BJP president and since 2014 been representing the Chandni Chowk constituency in Lok Sabha.

His absence from public domain baffled many, and the grapevine has it that party leaders thought that the pandemic would get controlled in due course. Vardhan, given the circumstances, too, decided to keep a low profile.

This was unfortunate as he is just not another medical practitioner in politics. He has had a long career as a medical professional, for long he was consultant with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and won worldwide appreciation by initiating and successfully executing Pulse Polio eradication campaign.

His obsession for the work had won him an unusual accolade from former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who was used to call him Swasthvardhan, that is somebody who could add to good health.

Why Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided not to have his Health Minister as the face of the campaign against Covid-19 would certainly be discussed in future date when an analysis would be made of the anti-Covid initiatives.

Harsh Vardhan becomes the face of government in the matters related to coronavirus at a time when the situation has turned real-time critical. Deaths caused due to Covid-related complications are hovering around 80,000 cases and the total number of infections in the country is set to touch 50 lakhs.

Though there are justifications from the government side of the situation being under-control as we have a large population, this narrative is becoming harder to sell by every passing day.

Now that pandemic has reached a stage where talk of containing it has become meaningless, Harsh Vardhan has tactfully chosen to focus on the development of the vaccine at an early date. In an interaction over a social media handle, the Health Minister released a tentative schedule of the vaccine being ready in the first quarter of the next year.

To add credibility to his claims, he also declared that he would be among the first few to be inoculated by the anti-Covid vaccine. Though on jogging memory one would realise that he would not be the first Health Minister to take such an initiative.

A decade ago, Ghulam Nabi Azad, then Union health minister, had officially launched Vaxiflu-S, the countrys first indigenous vaccine to counter H1N1/swine flu. Nevertheless, theatrics aside, Harsh Vardhan has in the past shown the capacity to rise to similar challenges and deliver on them. The same would be expected from him now.

At least three Indian identities  Serum Institute, Bharat Biotech and Cadila  are working towards development of the vaccines. Of the three, Serum Institute, which is working in collaboration with a United Kingdom-based multinational, is in the human trials stage whereas the other two are in second stage.

For now the Vardhan would have to work on two-fronts  to find ways and means to slow down the rapid pace of the spread and second push development of the vaccine. The next challenge that would rise before him is mass inoculation, once the vaccine is ready.

As Delhis health minister he has supervised mass inoculation of anti- polio vaccines and Harshvardhan for sure would deploy his experience this time too.

One of the hallmark of the Pulse Polio campaign was social inclusion. Today an environment of social exclusion prevails with an undercurrent of tension among communities. The government doesnt have a very encouraging report card as far as the issues of social inclusion goes though the tagline of government is Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas.

The tagline should actually be implemented in not just word but also in spirit when mass inoculation starts. And, for now, Vardhan would have his hands full in taking the members of the opposition benches in Parliament onboard about his initiatives and roadmap ahead.
A former doctor at a Veterans Affairs hospital in West Virginia pleaded guilty Thursday to federal charges that he molested three male patients and violated their civil rights.

Jonathan Yates pleaded guilty in court filings to three counts of depriving veterans of their civil rights under color of law, which means the crimes were committed while on duty. He faces up to 30 years in prison.

Yates worked at the Beckley VA Medical Center as a doctor of osteopathic medicine, which involves hands-on treatments through stretching and massaging. His patients and victims were seeking to manage their chronic pain.

Yates, 51, was arrested in April, and a grand jury indicted him a month later on five counts of depriving veterans of their civil rights and two counts of abusive sexual contact.

Yates admitted to rubbing the genitals of two veterans. He temporarily immobilized the two veterans, one by cracking his neck and the other with the use of acupuncture needles, the indictment from May said. He then molested them while they were incapacitated.

Yates also admitted to digitally penetrating a third veteran's rectum without any medical purpose.

By virtue of today's plea agreement, Yates stands convicted of heinous criminal acts committed against military veterans who served our country honorably and with great sacrifice, Mike Stuart, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia, said in a statement.

He did not plead guilty to the two counts of abusive sexual contact, which included allegations of Yates blocking a door in one case and engaging in unwanted sexual acts with two separate veterans. The indictment from May had said six male patients in total were molested between September 2018 and February 2019.

Yates' attorney did not immediately return an email for comment.

He is scheduled for sentencing on Jan. 4, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

The VA is the governments second-largest department, responsible for 9 million military veterans.
A Starbucks customer has been caught erupting into a furious foul-mouthed rant after a server 'spilled coffee on him'.

The driver got out of his car at a drive-thru in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, before repeatedly calling a female staffer a 'sl*t'.

Footage of the verbal attack was posted to social media on Wednesday with viewers slamming the man's response to allegedly having coffee spilled on him.

The clip, which is a minute-and-a-half long, was taken by the driver's passenger and showed him ranting at a Starbucks worker while standing outside of his car.

The driver (pictured left) got out of his car at a drive-thru in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, before repeatedly calling a female staffer a 'sl*t'

The worker calmly leaned against the drive-thru's window frame as he listened to the customer's vicious tirade of foul-language and insults.

The customer shouts: 'I bought a coffee. She was holding it from the top. She splashed the lid. You daft motherf***er.'

The worker quickly interrupted him with 'there's no need to swear' but it did little to stem the angry customer's rant.

The man added: 'She splashed the lid and it's burnt my hand. Do you understand.;

The worker calmly leaned against the drive-thru's window frame as he listened to the customer's vicious tirade of foul-language and insults

The worker continued to explain that he would 'sort it', but the customer was not appeased.

'You understand you daft motherf***er. It burned my hand,' he said. 'That's not no hire car that's cash paid. Tell that s**t it's cash paid.'

The worker said: 'Alright but no swearing. We'll sort this out.'

The customer shouted louder, saying: 'You've burned my f***ing hand. You understand. You're telling me it's my f***ing fault. You're serving me. You've handed the coffee out. You've burned my f***ing hand. Are you f***ing listening.'

The employee said: 'I haven't burned your hand. I'm just trying to sort it out but then you're calling me a fat f**k.'

The female staff member - thought to be the object of his fury - then appeared at the window and shouted something inaudible at the man

Pointing to his car the man said: 'Too right we're going to sort this out. Look at what she's done. You're going to pay for that as well. It's not a hire car it's cash paid.'

The female staff member - thought to be the object of his fury - then appeared at the window and shouted something inaudible at the man.

The driver continued to call her a 'sl**' before getting into his car and slamming the door.

The woman tried to argue back and he said: 'Come here you little sl**.'

The manager then told the man to drive 'around the front' of the shop where they could solve the issue out of the way of other customers.

The clip, which is a minute-and-a-half long, was taken by the driver's passenger and showed him ranting at a Starbucks worker

He said: 'This is a f***ing hundred grand motor. Are you going to pay me. I'm going around front.'

The explosive scene was shared on Facebook yesterday by user Sian Banham who called the man's actions 'vile.'

Her thoughts were echoed by hundreds of other people. Julie Kearney wrote: 'Pure d***, accidents happen.'

'Should have jumped the counter and nutted him.' Donna Morgan added: 'The first time he swore and called her slag those windows would have been closed.

'He was so aggressive I actually would have called the police.

Wayne Hills wrote: 'God he had patience I would have knocked him out rude t***.'
Colorized scanning electron micrograph of cell (green) heavily infected with CCP virus particles (purple), commonly known as SARS-CoV-2 or novel CCP virus, isolated from a patient sample on March 16, 2020. (NIAID)

House Passes Resolution Condemning Anti-Asian Sentiment Relating to COVID-19

The House of Representatives on Thursday passed a resolution condemning anti-Asian sentiment.

Since this pandemic began, there have been thousands and thousands of reports of discrimination and xenophobic attacks against Asian Americans in the united states, including in my district, which has one of the highest conservations of Asian Americans in the country, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) said on the House floor in Washington before the vote. As an Asian American myself, this is deeply personal and offensive to me.

People who call the new coronavirus the Chinese virus encourage bigotry and discrimination against Asian Americans, he continued, adding, To put it simply, promoting anti-Asian American sentiment or anti-Asian sentiment as related to COVID-19 is un-American, which is why I am proud to co-sponsor this resolution and encourage my colleagues to vote yes.

The Epoch Times refers to the coronavirus as the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus. The virus causes the COVID-19 disease.

Introduced by Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.), H.R. Res. 908 states that the 23 million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders account for 7 percent of Americas population, and that some 2 million of them are working on the front lines in jobs in hospitals and elsewhere.

The use of terms like Chinese virus and Wuhan virus have perpetuated anti-Asian stigma, the resolution states, citing a study that found over 400 cases of anti-Asian discrimination between Feb. 9 and March 7.

The CCP virus is believed to have originated in Wuhan, a city in Chinas Hubei province.

The resolution called on public officials to denounce and condemn all anti-Asian sentiment and for law enforcement to hold people who commit crimes against Asian-Americans accountable.

The House passed the resolution 243-164.

Many Republicans voted against it.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) told colleagues before the vote: We oppose this legislation. Everyone knows racism is wrong but thats not what this legislation is about.

He yielded to Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.), who said theres no denying where the virus originatedit was China.

Theres no denying the Chinese Communist Party has done everything in its power to cover up their role in the pandemic, he added.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) supported the resolution, speaking on the floor before its approval.

Sadly this bigotry is being fueled by some in Washington, and you would think, I thought this would be almost unanimous consent to condemn violence against Asian Americans, she said. Even from the White House itself, which uses dangerous, false, and offensive terms to describe the coronavirus.
'I could see ... demons': One womans shocking possession, exorcism story

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An Arkansas woman with no history of mental illness said she suddenly found herself in deep emotional turmoil in 2006, with doctors unable to diagnose her rapidly deteriorating condition.

Within months, overtaken by suicidal thoughts, Amy plunged from a second-story window, was paralyzed and nearly died.

Now, shes speaking out, explaining that she believes she experienced a dramatic demonic possession  and healing. Her experience is told in detail in the new book, Playing with Fire: A Modern Investigation into Demons, Exorcism, and Ghosts.

Ive never had any kind of mental problems, never been on medication for anything like that, Amy said in a recent interview, noting that, within days of her affliction, she went from a successful nurse to a person who couldnt think clearly.

Listen to Amy share her story on The Edifi Podcast With Billy Hallowell (download the Edifi app here for powerful Christian podcasts) at the 42-minute mark:

Amys personal drama unfolded one day while she was working at a hospital and dealing with a burn patient who had survived an explosion.

While I was in the ER giving [a] report, something wasnt right with me, she recalled. I went upstairs to do my chart and its like my mind went out the window.

Amy wondered what was unfolding; the mental duress continued to afflict her when she later went for a run and was unable to jog in a straight line.

GRAB A COPY: READ PLAYING WITH FIRE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THESE ISSUES

I told my husband, I think Im having a nervous breakdown. My mind is not right, she said.

As Playing With Fireexplains, doctors put Amy on antidepresents, but she said the drugs did nothing to curb her problems  and the situation further devolved.

They ended up putting me in a psychiatric hospital, she said, And the psychiatrist said, We dont know what were dealing with. Weve never seen anything like this.

As time went on, Amy was in and out of hospitals, with suicidal thoughts suddenly overtaking her mind and heart.

Nobody knew what was going on. And this happened in April and through the summer, she said. I was so messed up. I wanted to kill myself and I just could not think how to do it.

One day Amy found herself sitting in a second-floor window sill at her home, as thoughts of death once again flooded her mind.

I was sitting in the window and I thought to myself, If I fall out of this window, I bet Ill die, because its so far down and its a brick patio, she said. So I fell out of the window.

Amy said she doesnt remember much of what unfolded next, as she landed on her head on the hard patio two stories below.

Any person in their right mind  if youre falling youre going to brace yourself  thats a normal reflex, she said. My legs and arms were not broken. I did not brace myself.

The impact of the fall was sweeping, with Amy breaking the majority of her ribs, puncturing her lungs and breaking her back in three places; 14 years later, she is still paralyzed.

They didnt think I was going to survive, she said.

But while Amy lay in her hospital bed recovering, a stranger named Cindy felt compelled to visit. While there, Cindy performed what some Christians call a deliverance (similar to an exorcism).

She felt really led to come see me, Amy said. [She] said when they got there I looked at her and I had a male voice come out of my mouth saying, What are you doing here?

Amy believes Cindy cast a demon out, and that her life was transformed as a result. For her part, Cindy has also openly spoken about the experience.

I could see the demons, she told KATV-TV last year, noting that she uttered a simple command in that hospital room: Lord, in the name of Jesus, I command that these demons release her and come out of her and that she comes to her right mind, in Jesus' name.

In the end, Amy believes she was healed.

My family saw a difference and they were thinking, Somethings better, she said, noting, though, that there are still mysteries surrounding her story.

Amy, who was a churchgoer before the incident, isnt sure why she was afflicted. Regardless, she is now much closer to God, and is encouraging others to cling to their faith.

Its brought me so much closer to God and to know that his love for me. It wasnt Him that did that  of course, it was the enemy, she said. Gods love is amazing. Seek the Lord with all of your heart.

For more stories like Amys be sure to read Playing with Fire: A Modern Investigation into Demons, Exorcism, and Ghosts, a book that dives deep  through a journalistic and Christian lens  into the cultural discussion about spiritual warfare, demons, exorcism in the Bible and other related topics.

Billy Hallowell, author of "The Armageddon Code," has contributed to TheBlaze, the Washington Post, Human Events, the Daily Caller, Mediaite, and the Huffington Post, among other news sites. Through journalism, media, public speaking appearances, and the blogosphere, Hallowell has worked as a journalist and commentator for more than a decade.
Kim Jong Un will be showing his new ballistic missiles to scare America. The ICBM is touted as capable of destroying any city in the U.S. if it is used.

The North Korean dictator is saber-rattling again as poises in a provocative stance. Talks between North Korea have not been active since the Trump administration has more problems to deal with back home, the Sun.

To get America's attention, two weeks ago the North Korean leader planned a massive military parade to show the arsenal at his disposal, mentioned The Sun UK.

One of the highlights of the parade will be his newest rocket, which is the Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). It is touted to be one of the deadliest missiles at the disposal of North Korea,

According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, their analysts have concluded that the Hwasong-15 might be the real deal. The rocket can be tipped with any kind of warhead, better yet it has a range of 8,000-miles.

North Korean state media said it was a non-convention inter-continental ballistic rocket with a difference that makes it distinct from other rockets. This deadly missile is designed to carry a very heavy nuke warhead that can reach the U.S. easily.

Satellite photos from the rogue state depict the parade grounds where military displays are often held. Although, there is a new structure that hasn't been seen before. They are big shelters that are large enough to house Kim's Hwasong-15 rocket easily, which are quite massive too.

Other sources say that satellite images that were analyzed by NK News, have extra details that were observed. Pictures analyzed to show that extra reinforcement was done on the Okryu Bridge in the Capital of Pyongyang were identified.

Also read: President Trump is Glad That Kim Jong Un is Alive and Well

This bridge is important because it links to the Mirim parade ground, where the military is expected to pass through during the occasion.

Part of the improvements done on the infrastructure is to allow it to handle heavy loads. The bridge is expected to support the extreme weight of transporters and missiles mounted on it. Without reinforcement, the bridge might get damaged too.

According to 38 North, through commercial satellite images, there are indications of training at Mirim parade ground that is ongoing. This website actively monitors the activities in North Korea.

They added that after storage for heavy equipment has been built on the site as a permanent structure. Several extra temporary shelters near the garages for the transporter-erector-launchers (TELs) have been identified.

Sources say that these structures are just recent and erected from September 4 to 14 during times of cloud cover. Seasonal typhoons have been beneficial from the prying eyes of spy satellites especially.

38 North stated that satellite imaging on September 4 to 14 had no image resources, they confirmed.

More clues were mentioned like more tire marks on the concrete pavement. That could only be heavy vehicles moving about the parade grounds.

According to sources, the Hwasong-15 is more than 16 meters long, which is longer than the Hwasong -14. Its girth is 2 meters across, with a thick wall that give it more fuel and overall range.

It was in 2017 when the Hwasong-15 was revealed and when the missile was test-launched. Kim is confident in the capabilities of his newest rocket. How serious will the new ballistic missile be a threat is yet to be seen.

Related article: North Korea Hunting Leaker of Kim Jong-Un's Fake Death Video That Circulated Online

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(Bloomberg) -- TikTok-owner ByteDance Ltd. is getting more confident its envisioned alliance with Oracle Corp. will pass muster with Chinas regulators, a critical step in the political clash over the popular video app, people familiar with the matter said.

While Beijing has asserted its right to block the sale of critical technologies, it is likely to greenlight a deal as long as it doesnt involve the transfer of the artificial intelligence algorithms that drive TikToks service, they said, asking not to be identified discussing a private deal. Thats true even if ByteDance were to cede majority control over TikTok, they said.

ByteDance struck a deal with Oracle and later made revisions put forward by the Treasury Department aimed at addressing U.S. national security concerns, Bloomberg reported Thursday. The proposal calls for ByteDance to own most of a ringfenced TikTok, with Oracle, Walmart Inc. and venture capital investors holding a minority of a new company that will pursue an initial public offering in about a year. But President Donald Trump has the final word and has said he doesnt want the Chinese parent to retain majority control.

Its unclear if ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming will relinquish that much ownership over the app he built into a challenger to Google and Facebook Inc. But Beijings stance gives him that option -- so long as he maintains a tight grip over the services core technology.

The most worrying part for the Chinese government has been the algorithm, which is the most valuable asset for TikTok, said Yik Chan Chin, who researches global media and communications policy at the Xian Jiaotong-Liverpool University in Suzhou. If the latest proposal is okayed by Trump, we cant say Beijing wins, but it definitely loses less.

Read more: ByteDance Plan for U.S. TikTok Company Envisions IPO in a Year

In a sign the deal may go through, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, who held some of the strongest reservations about the agreement, has softened his opposition and told Trump so on Wednesday, according to two people familiar with the matter.

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The plan revised with Treasury calls for the new TikTok to be headquartered in the U.S. with an independent board, approved by the U.S. government and made up entirely of U.S. citizens. The board would include a national security committee -- led by an American data-security expert who would be the primary contact with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. -- which would oversee any issues of concern to Washington.

The new terms include 20 pages of detailed provisions over data and national security, the people said. Under the existing proposal, Oracle has power to review the software or source code underlying the TikTok service, but ByteDance maintains ownership.

That technological division could remain even if American investors end up with control of TikToks equity. Oracle and ByteDance have accepted Treasurys conditions, people familiar with the talks have said.

ByteDance executives have also spoken to Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom about a possible role in the new organization, according to another person familiar with the discussions. Its not clear if the discussions are advanced, the person said.

ByteDance representatives declined to comment. In its latest statement to Chinese media, ByteDance said a final deal needs approval from Chinese and U.S. regulators.

TikTok Drags On: Next China

TikTok has emerged as a top target in Trumps effort to crack down on China ahead of the Nov. 3 election. The president is trailing his Democratic opponent Joe Biden in the polls and seeking to use a tough stance with Beijing as a selling point to voters. Thats despite the fact that American investors collectively hold roughly 40% of ByteDances equity, with the rest owned by Zhang, his employees and a clutch of non-U.S. investors such as SoftBank Group Corp., a person familiar with the structure has said.

On the flip side, there are signs Beijing is backing one of its biggest internet companies, firing off a litany of comments condemning U.S. coercion and bullying. ByteDance also recently acquired a company with a coveted national digital payment license  a competitive arena that Beijing rigidly controls.

ByteDance has been trying to get this license for a long time, said Mason Xu, founding partner of Heyi Capital. The fact that it happened only recently, I would say -- at least from an external perspective -- it is a kind of endorsement from the Chinese government.

ByteDance Is Playing Chicken With Trump on TikTok: Tim Culpan

Despite the security measures in the revised Oracle deal, Trump administration officials remain wary about the proposed new ownership structure and how much influence that would give China over the company. If Trump balks, ByteDance and Oracle may have to tweak the deal.

In their opening proposal to the Trump administration, ByteDance and Oracle outlined a plan for Oracle and other American investors -- including Sequoia Capital, General Atlantic and Coatue Management -- to get minority stakes in the standalone business. The newly formed U.S. company will then hire 25,000 American workers in a wide range of jobs from content moderation and engineering to product and marketing.

ByteDance has tried to argue that TikTok will in effect have majority American ownership -- if you combine the minority direct stake in TikTok Global with the 40% of parent ByteDance that U.S. investors already hold. Yet some of Trumps advisors have advocated for Americans to hold a direct majority of the new TikTok outright.

Regardless, ByteDance will not sell or transfer its proprietary technologies to Oracle. The newly created company isnt going to recreate the powerful algorithms that ByteDance has built and trained with the help of data collected over many years, one of the people said.

Instead, the U.S. software giant will be able to check all source code to make sure therere no back doors that may let ByteDance gather data on the video-sharing apps users, according to people familiar with the matter. The worlds second-largest software maker can continue to review the code as updates come in, to make sure ByteDance doesnt create new points of access to the data, the people said. ByteDance itself will still have visibility into the algorithms, but Oracle will be able to monitor the data flows and review and approve all updates to the code.

(Updates with Pompeos stance and analysts comment from the fifth paragraph)

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OnScene TV

Houston firefighters on Thursday found a man dead in his living room while battling a house fire in south Houston, according to police.

Investigators said the fire appeared to be intentionally set. Police did not say how the man died.
Attorney General William Barr and top officials within the Justice Department have urged federal prosecutors to charge violent protesters who have burned buildings with sedition, an internal memo shows.

In the memo to US attorneys, Jeffrey Rosen, the department's No. 2 official, wrote that he and Barr have told federal prosecutors should aggressively go after demonstrators who cause violence.

The memo said prosecutors do not need to prove that protesters were plotting to overthrow the US government in order to bring rarely used sedition charges against them.

Invoking the rarely used law could instead be used when a defendant tries to oppose the government's authority by force, the memo reads.

'In appropriate cases - for instance, where a group has conspired to take a federal courthouse or other federal property by force - you should consider a charge,' he wrote.

Attorney General William Barr and top officials within the Justice Department have suggested charging violent protesters who have burned buildings with sedition

The 'seditious conspiracy' statute: The 'seditious conspiracy' statute makes it a crime to plot to overthrow the US government or wage war against it. It also outlaws attempts to stop authorities from enforcing the law. Those found guilty face up to 20 years in prison. US authorities used the law to successfully prosecute people who traveled overseas to fight American forces after the September 11 attacks in 2001. Prosecutors also brought sedition charges against nine members of an anti-government militia in 2010 who were charged with plotting a violent uprising but the case was dismissed. Advertisement

While the memo cited that as a hypothetical example, the real thing took place in Portland, Oregon, during clashes that erupted night after night between law enforcement and demonstrators.

The 'seditious conspiracy' statute makes it a crime to plot to overthrow the US government or wage war against it, but it also outlaws attempts to stop authorities from enforcing the law.

Those found guilty face up to 20 years in prison.

US authorities used the law to successfully prosecute people who traveled overseas to fight American forces after the September 11 attacks in 2001.

Prosecutors also brought sedition charges against nine members of an anti-government militia in 2010 who were charged with plotting a violent uprising but the case was dismissed.

Barr has mounted an aggressive response to racial-justice protests that have sometimes escalated into violence in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd.

He has deployed federal agents to disperse protests in Washington DC and Portland, Oregon, and urged federal prosecutors to bring criminal charges whenever possible.

He has been pushing his US attorneys to bring federal charges, which is allowing him to to keep a grip on cases even if a defendant could be tried instead in state court.

Federal convictions often result in longer prison sentences and sedition alone could lead to up to 20 years behind bars.

It follows reports that Barr has asked whether Seattle's Mayor Jenny Durkan could also be charged with sedition for allowing people to create a police-free zone.

A Department of Homeland Security officer emerges from the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse after demonstrators lit a fire in Portland back on August 2

People gather to protest in front of the Mark O. Hatfield federal courthouse in downtown Portland last month

Durkan hit back saying it was 'chilling and the latest abuse of power from the Trump administration.'

'The Department of Justice cannot become a political weapon operated at the behest of the President to target those who have spoken out against this administration's actions,' Durkan, a former US attorney, said in a statement.

'That is an act of tyranny, not of democracy.'

Barr has reportedly asked whether Seattle's Mayor Jenny Durkan could also be charged with sedition for allowing people to create a police-free zone in the city

Barr has blamed the violence on left-wing 'antifa' activists, although prosecutors have also brought charges against members of right-wing militia groups.

He has said there is no 'systemic racism' in law enforcement.

The Trump administration's crackdown on protest violence has already led to more than 300 arrests on federal crimes.

An AP analysis of the data shows that while many people are accused of violent crimes such as arson for hurling Molotov cocktails and burning police cars and assault for injuring law enforcement, others are not.

That's led to criticism that at least some arrests are a politically motivated effort to stymie demonstrations.

'The speed at which this whole thing was moved from state court to federal court is stunning and unbelievable,' said Charles Sunwabe, who represents an Erie, Pennsylvania, man accused of lighting a fire at a coffee shop after a May 30 protest.

'It's an attempt to intimidate these demonstrators and to silence them.'

The 'Capitol Hill Organized Protest was a three-week long 'occupation' by anti-racism protesters in Seattle who set up a several-block perimeter where there were no police presence within the boundaries. Two people were killed and several were wounded in shootings in the CHOP

Some cases are viewed as trumped-up and should not be in federal court, lawyers have argued, including a teenager accused of civil disorder for claiming online 'we are not each other's enemy, only enemy is 12,' a reference to law enforcement.

Pockets of violence have indeed popped up in Rochester, New York; Minneapolis, Washington, DC, and Chicago.

Federal officials were called to Kenosha, Wisconsin, after large protests and unrest following the shooting of Jacob Blake and the gunning down of two protesters and later arrest of 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse in their deaths. Notably, Rittenhouse has not been charged with any federal crimes.

Neither was a man accused of shooting and killing a demonstrator in Louisville, Kentucky following the death of Breonna Taylor.

While many local prosecutors have dismissed dozens of low-level protest arrests, some are still coming down hard. A Pennsylvania judge set bail at $1 million for about a dozen people in a protest that followed the death of a knife-wielding man by police.

Even some Democrats, including District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser, have called for the Justice Department to pursue federal charges against violent demonstrators, going as far as accusing the administration of declining to prosecute rioters.
JUNIPER HILLS, Calif.  Strong winds pushed a wildfire burning for nearly two weeks in mountains northeast of Los Angeles onto the desert floor and spread it rapidly in several directions, causing it to explode in size and destroy homes, officials said Saturday.

Meanwhile, officials were investigating the death of a firefighter on the lines of another Southern California wildfire that erupted earlier this month from a smoke-generating pyrotechnic device used by a couple to reveal their babys gender.

The death occurred Thursday in San Bernardino National Forest as crews battled the El Dorado Fire about 75 miles (120 kilometers) east of Los Angeles, the U.S. Forest Service said in a statement.

In northern Los Angeles County, erratic winds pushed the Bobcat Fire onto the Mojave Desert community of Juniper Hills on Friday after churning all the way across the San Gabriel Mountains. The winds and thick smoke over the area grounded water-dropping aircraft most of the day. Meanwhile, crews on the ground shifted from attacking the blaze to protecting homes because they were outflanked by the flames, fire spokeswoman Kerry Gillibrand said.

The fire grew by nearly 20,000 acres to 142 square miles (368 square kilometers).

Some residents in Juniper Hills fled as blowing embers sparked spot fires, hitting some homes but sparing others. Bridget Lensing said she feared her familys house was lost after seeing on Twitter that a neighbors house three doors down went up in flames.

The past year, I poured my heart and soul into improving this home, Lensing said. And it could be ripped away so quickly.

It wasnt immediately clear how many homes were burned in the area about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northeast of downtown LA. A crew will assess damages once the area is cleared of danger, said fire spokesman Sky Cornell. No injuries were reported.

He said crews will take advantage of slightly cooler temperatures to make headway on Saturday. However, winds were expected to remain strong with possible gusts of up to 25 mph.

On the south side of the blaze, firefighters continued to protect Mount Wilson, which overlooks greater Los Angeles and has a historic observatory founded more than a century ago and numerous broadcast antennas serving Southern California.

The fire that started Sept. 6 had already doubled in size over the last week. It is 15% contained.

Officials said the fire has been challenging because it is burning in areas that have not burned in decades, and because the firestorms across California have limited resources. There were about 1,660 firefighters on the lines.

The name of the firefighter killed in the nearby El Dorado Fire was being withheld until family members are notified.

Our deepest sympathies are with the family, friends and fellow firefighters during this time, Forest Service spokesperson Zach Behrens said in the statement.

No other information was released about the firefighter, the agency the firefighter worked for, or the circumstances of the death. The body was escorted down the mountain in a procession of first-responder vehicles.

A statement from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, said it was the 26th death involving wildfires besieging the state.

A new blaze sparked by a vehicle that caught fire was growing in wilderness outside Palm Springs.

To the north, a fire burning for nearly a month in Sequoia National Forest roared to life again Friday and prompted evacuation orders for the central California mountain communities of Silver City and Mineral King.

More than 7,900 wildfires have burned more than 5,468 square miles (14,164 square kilometers) in California this year, including many since a mid-August barrage of dry lightning ignited parched vegetation.

The El Dorado Fire has burned more than 34 square miles (89 square kilometers) and was 59% contained, with 10 buildings destroyed and six damaged.

Cal Fire said earlier this month that the El Dorado Fire was ignited Sept. 5 when a couple, their young children and someone there to record video staged the baby gender reveal at El Dorado Ranch Park at the foot of the San Bernardino Mountains.

The device was set off in a field and quickly ignited dry grass. The couple frantically tried to use bottled water to extinguish the flames and called 911.

Authorities have not released the identities of the couple, who could face criminal charges and be held liable for the cost of fighting the fire.

___

Associated Press writer John Antczak in Los Angeles and Daisy Nguyen in San Francisco contributed to this report.
Gritty. Bleak. Depressing. Those are some of the ways to describe the Salem State Hospital, where one Mildred Ratched ruled with an icy glare and an iron fist, in the Oscar-winning 1975 film One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest. Yet during the first concept meeting for Ratcheda 1947-set series that explores how the nurse became one of the most sinister villains in movie historyproducer and creator Ryan Murphy told his team to put the iconic images out of their minds entirely.

Photo: SAEED ADYANI/NETFLIX

Enter the ultra-elegant Lucia State Hospital in northern California, the locale at the heart of the eight-episode Netflix series (premiering Friday, September 18). Between its velvet lobby chairs and cozy pastel bedding in the rooms, the place looks warm and inviting to all guests who walk through its glass doors. That includes the tightly wound Ratched (Sarah Paulson), the new-in-town nurse whos hiding a secretand more than willing to perform the occasional lobotomy. Ryan said he wanted it to look like a fancy hotel that had been repurposed into a hospital but still retained a lot of its glamour, production designer Judy Becker, who also worked with Murphy on Feud, tells AD. Its supposed to look like you want to live there. Its supposed to hide all the horrors. Because it doesnt have that creepiness we all expect, its an even better foil for the events that unfold.

For design inspiration, Becker and her team scoured hotel destinations in California. The search led to the six-story Arrowhead Springs Hotel in San Bernardino, a grand Georgian-style resort and spa designed by famed Hollywood architect Paul Williams and decorated by the legendary Dorothy Draper. (Judy Garland attended the grand opening in 1939!) Its a glamorous institutional chic environment, Ratched set decorator Matthew Flood Ferguson tells AD. Adds Becker, The original detailing is still here. It was the perfect jumping-off point for our hotel-hospital.

Photo: SAEED ADYANI/NETFLIX

Photo: SAEED ADYANI/NETFLIX

Like any good hospitality planners, Becker and Ferguson spared no detail in conceptualizing and outfitting the sumptuous interior at the Fox studios in Los Angeles. (The sprawling Gillette Ranch near Malibu doubled as the Lucia exterior.) In the lobby, guests can check in at a sleek nurses desk. It connects to an airy solarium with floor-to-ceiling curtains and matching table and chairs, all decked out in a dirty teal. The nurses break room resembles a cute little restaurant inside an old department store, like a ladies tearoom, Becker explains, noting that she was particularly influenced by The Birdcage restaurant in the former Lord & Taylor. Each guest room is named after the print seen on its custom vintage wallpaper, such as the Ivy Room, the Rose Room, and the Trellis Room.

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Photo: SAEED ADYANI/NETFLIX

Photo: SAEED ADYANI/NETFLIX

Guests and staff also see green throughout the asylum, from the mint-colored carpeting in the Ivy Room to the seafoam seat cushions in the break room. It conveys a lot of different emotions without being necessarily obvious, Becker explains. There can be pretty natural-looking greens, fashionable greens, queasy greens, and institutional greens. It also photographs really well and its a big part of what you see postWorld War II. Beyond the hospital, she says that the green curtains inside Ratcheds maple-wooded motel room, filmed at the 1930s-built Lucia Lodge cliffside resort in Big Sur, is a loving homage to the classic 1958 Alfred Hitchcockdirected thriller Vertigo: Kim Novaks character lives in a crummy apartment and theres a green neon sign outside the window that lights the room and makes it look phosphorescent green. Its incredible. Becker notes proudly that she asked Ferguson to gather swatches of every sheer green he could find and light each fabric from behind until the exact replica was found.

Because of the specific color palette, Ferguson decorated the hospital using custom-made upholstered furniture made at SDM Co. and Sofa U Love. We strove to recreate Dorothy Drapers elegantly crafted interiors as accurately as possible, he says. (Some existing Draper-inspired pieces were picked up at the Antique Mall in Pasadena, California, local prop houses, and the odd thrift store.) The wall sconces were also manufactured for the production, while the chandeliers were purchased from local rental houses. The lighting fixtures were a deliberate part of the style used in hotels of that era and in any sort of glamorous Hollywood place, Becker added. As a bonus, the sconces in the hallway have an upward light and can give creepiness to the actors faces.

Photo: SAEED ADYANI/NETFLIX

Few guests ever check out of Lucia State Hospital, of course. But Becker did check in to the Lucia Lodge after production wrapped for a weekend stay with her husband. Its right on the cliffs of the ocean and in the middle of nowhere, she raves. I wouldnt want to stay there for weeks, but for a few nights it was amazing.

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
Doreen: Changing mail-in ballot process is not voter suppression Elections Administrator Carolyn Graves explains some of the changes to the mail-in ballot process.

County sales tax jumps by 80 percent in December Through two months of the fiscal year, the countys collection is $9.269,810  a 78.25 percent...

TWC: Midland at 'full employment' Midland's jobless rate drops from 8 percent in December 2020 to 4.1 percent last month.

Upstream M&A rises but still lags pre-COVID levels Upstream M&A market rose 25 percent in 2021 but remains below levels seen before the pandemic.

JC BASKETBALL: MC teams gear up to host South Plains College The Midland College basketball teams will look to close out the first half of conference play on...

Biz Buzz: Woman-owned liquor store opens with tribute to loved... Owners and longtime friends Dana Howery and Olvido Ramirez embarked on the journey after wanting...

Energy prices above $85; employment also up Upstream employment in Texas was 188,700 in December, a gain of 3,000 jobs from November and...
LONDON (dpa-AFX) - AstraZeneca (AZN.L, AZN) and Merck & Co., Inc., announced LYNPARZA showed a long-term progression-free survival benefit versus placebo as a 1st-line maintenance treatment in patients with newly diagnosed, advanced BRCA-mutated ovarian cancer who had a complete or partial response following platinum-based chemotherapy. The companies said five-year follow-up data from the phase III SOLO-1 trial showed LYNPARZA reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 67% and improved progression-free survival to a median of 56.0 months versus 13.8 months for placebo. At five years, 48.3% of patients treated with LYNPARZA remained free from disease progression versus 20.5% on placebo. The median duration of treatment with LYNPARZA was 24.6 months versus 13.9 months with placebo. The safety profile of LYNPARZA was consistent with previous observations. The phase III SOLO-1 trial met the primary endpoint of PFS in June 2018, which formed the basis of approvals in the US, the EU, Japan, China, and several other countries. 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.
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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott again came through for Texans on Thursday, but it wasnt just because he loosened restrictions on restaurants, hospitals and other businesses.

The most conservative governor most Texans have ever known came up with a new standard for how restrictions will be put into place. It was long overdue. The standard is if coronavirus patients make up less than 15 percent of hospital patients in a region, then businesses inside the county that have been open at 50 percent capacity will be permitted to expand to 75 percent capacity. Those businesses include stores, restaurants and office buildings. He also said achieving the standard allows hospitals in those regions to offer normal elective procedures again and for nursing homes to reopen for visitations under certain standards.

We appreciate the governor finding an acceptable solution in balancing health and economic activity. We also appreciate his comment that not all areas of the state are the same. Currently, 19 of 22 regions across the state meet the governors new standard. He is correct that other areas, including the Midland-Odessa region, where hospitalizations are less than 10 percent of capacity, shouldnt be punished.

Hospitalizations are key in making sure a city, region and state are prepared to deal with the problems caused by coronavirus. If our hospitals are overrun with coronavirus patients, it is difficult to demand widespread reopening. If our hospitals coronavirus patient levels are like what they are today, it is hard to justify the stricter regulations.

We give credit to Texans, in particular those in Midland, for taking it upon themselves to make those changes to help curb the spread of coronavirus. Thank you to those who wore a mask, practiced social distancing and made those other adjustments that protected yourself and your neighbor. It would be nice to tell you that the job is finished, but we know that is not the case. There is no vaccine, more of the community is opening up, and flu season is just around the corner. Midlanders and Texans alike must remain diligent in their efforts. Coronavirus must remain contained.

We wish the conditions allowed bars to be reopened. That was not the case. The governor said bars are nationally recognized as COVID-spreading locations. Still, we hope he is serious that the state will work with bar owners for ways for those businesses to open safely.

In the end, we remind our readers that you are in control of what happens next. We are proud of Midlanders for getting this community to the point where hospitalizations are down, as are the number of people testing positive and the percentage of people testing positive. That wasnt because of government; it was because residents in our community made a decision about their safety and the safety of others. Midlanders  like other Texans  walked the walk and made the governors announcement Thursday possible. So, thank you, to all. All Midlanders and most Texans will enjoy fewer restrictions because we decided to take control of our own destiny.

Lets keep it up.
Amid the row over three bills that led to one of his Cabinet colleagues quitting on Thursday, Prime Minister assured that the system of MSP and government procurement will continue.

Commenting the opposition his government is facing over the bills, the Prime Minister said "many powers are engaged in creating confusion among the farmers".

"The passage of historic agrarian reform bills in the Lok Sabha is an important moment for the farmers and agriculture sector of the country. These bills will truly free the farmers from middlemen and all obstacles," Modi said in a series of tweets.

"This agrarian reform will provide new opportunities for farmers to sell their produce, which will increase their profits. This will give our agriculture sector the benefit of modern technology, while empowering the farmers.

"There are many power trying to confuse the farmers. I assure my farmer brothers and sisters that the system of MSP and government procurement will continue. This bill will actually provide many more options to the farmers. They are truly empowering."



Harsimrat called the agriculture-related bills introduced in the Monsoon Session of Parliament "anti-farmer".

Modi's statement comes amid Shiromani Akali Dal leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal's resignation as Union Minister.

Harsimrat Kaur was the Minister for Food Processing. Her party is one of the oldest constituents of the BJP-led Democratic Alliance.

In a tweet, she said: "I have resigned from the Union Cabinet in protest against anti-farmer ordinances and legislation. Proud to stand with farmers as their daughter and sister."

She called the agriculture-related bills introduced in the Monsoon Session of Parliament "anti-farmer".
A TikTok logo seen displayed on a smartphone with a computer in the background. Photo: Sheldon Cooper/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

US President Donald Trumps administration has announced plans to officially block new downloads of Chinese apps TikTok and WeChat in the US from Sunday, following through on threats to ban the popular apps on national security grounds.

The US Department of Commerce said in a statement on Friday that the apps would be banned from app stores from Sunday. Internet service companies will be banned from working with both companies and financial transactions using WeChat in the US will be blocked.

Todays actions prove once again that President Trump will do everything in his power to guarantee our national security and protect Americans from the threats of the Chinese Communist Party, US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in a statement.

At the Presidents direction, we have taken significant action to combat Chinas malicious collection of American citizens personal data, while promoting our national values, democratic rules-based norms, and aggressive enforcement of US laws and regulations.

Watch: US banning use of TikTok and WeChat

READ MORE: Bytedances TikTok proposal isnt just up to Trump

TikTok and WeChat both collect data on things like where users are and mobile browsing history. The Commerce Department said it was concerned this information would be shared with the Chinese government, given the close links between the state and industry in China.

TikTok said in a statement it was disappointed with the governments action and said it had already committed to unprecedented levels of additional transparency and accountability well beyond what other apps are willing to do.

We will continue to challenge the unjust executive order, which was enacted without due process and threatens to deprive the American people and small businesses across the US of a significant platform for both a voice and livelihoods, the company said.

Vanessa Pappas, TikToks interim US chief executive, on Twitter urged Facebook and Instagram to publicly join our challenge and support our litigation.

Story continues

This is a moment to put aside our competition and focus on core principles like freedom of expression and due process of law, she said.

At the start August, Trump threatened to block TikTok in the US within 45 days unless it hived off its American operations. That deadline lapsed this week.

Trumps ultimatum sparked frantic deal talks in recent weeks. TikToks parent company ByteDance spoke to various US suitors, including Microsoft (MSFT). Enterprise software Oracle (ORCL) said this week it had won the race but said it would partner with TikTok, rather than buy it out-right. The deal still requires approval in both the US and China, and it is unclear whether it will satisfy the terms set out by Trump.

ByteDance launched video sharing app TikTok in September 2016 and has already amassed 300 million active users outside China and 1.4 billion total installs to date. TikTok has been downloaded 175 million times in the US alone. The apps success has turned ByteDance into the worlds most valuable startup, worth $78bn (61bn).
CARBONDALE  In the weeks and months after George Floyds death while pinned under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer, demonstrations spread throughout the country and world  and throughout Southern Illinois.

The social justice movement spurred by Floyd's death, which seeks racial equality and has primarily focused on reform in the criminal justice system, isnt a new one. Nancy Maxwell, a community organizer from Marion, notes the public may see activism in waves over time, but its a fight for the same cause. Weve been marching for 50 years now and we shouldnt have to be in this position to keep marching about the same thing  being mistreated for the color of your skin, she said.

Matt Wilson, a community organizer from Carbondale, shared similar sentiments. "The fight has never ended, he said. We studied civil rights in history classes, but the same goals and outcomes they were trying to achieve back then are the same ones were still trying to achieve. You cant let the flame die  the torch must always be lit.

A candlelight vigil held days after Floyd died brought hundreds from the region to Lenus Turley Park in Carbondale. Chastity Mays, a Carbondale mother who planned the event alongside her family, said it was impactful (to) look out and see such a diverse crowd and even recalls seeing some people become emotional during the event. I saw people cry in the audience, she said. Tears of a community coming together and acknowledging there's a big problem we have to solve.

Subsequent demonstrations have varied in size  from only a few people to a June demonstration that brought roughly 800 people to the streets of Carbondale. In the last couple of months, marches have been on the smaller side in Southern Illinois. Some organizers across the country have noted the realities of activism fatigue. At the end of the day, every day, I feel burned out," Chanelle Helm, the co-founder of Black Lives Matter Louisville said in a 2018 interview with Vice. The fact is, youre putting in so much work and dont always see the results.

Maxwell has seen a similar fatigue, she said, recalling the 2012 death of Travon Martin, an unarmed Black 17-year-old boy who was shot and killed by a white man. People were marching everywhere. I even marched here with a group and it was all over the world, she said. But then  it just stopped.

While Maxwell saw a similar trajectory after the first few marches this summer, she said this time it had to be different. I don't feel like you can quit, you just have to keep going, she said.

Shortly after Floyds death, the So. Ill. Unity Coalition was formed. The group is a self-described collective of community activists and allies working together to unify the Southern Illinois community through a combination of grassroots efforts and innovative approaches. The group is made up of various community members across ages and walks of life, including students, business professionals, mothers and community advocates. All have the same goal: keep the movement for change treading forward.

The So. Ill Unity Coalition has organized marches, and they have continued their activism through events designed to bring the community together, including variety shows and shopping events highlighting local Black businesses. Members of the group said their mission goes beyond the protest and relies on being in touch with the community and their needs while celebrating those who are a part of it.

A way to unite people is to have them in good spirits, Wilson said. With the multitude of negative things we see in the media  from the killings and everything else, we need some kind of positivity. If we can come together through music, through dance or through something else to unify us, thats what we need to do.

Maxwell said it can be difficult to surround themselves with such heavy topics all the time without having an outlet. She noted the group had a mental health professional speak at a recent variety show. Later in the event, music was played over speakers and attendees danced. The balance between more celebratory events and demonstrations, she said, is important.

You need something that is not always straight focused on the problem. Were going to have days when itll be more peaceful and were going to have times when we march, she said. But, at the end of the day, were not going to stop and were trying to keep the focus on this (movement) like they are in big cities  there is hope.

Elise Grabowska recently moved to Carbondale from Minnesota with her husband, Alex, and now works with the physician assistant program with the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. Grabowska, who is white, said being an ally to those who are calling for change is critical in amplifying marginalized communities, especially in Southern Illinois.

Its important being a white ally to listen, because it is impossible to understand the world that BIPOC (black, indigenous, people of color) people live in when the world that white people live in is completely different, she said. Its different dangers, different comforts, different privileges, different oppressions, and to think that we, as white people, can completely understand the circumstances people of color ... face everyday is kind of absurd.

There are multiple steps in being a good ally, Grabowska said, and she notes one of the most important steps is making sure your view is intersectional and you're not putting people into boxes that align with different stereotypes, realizing each person has their own unique experiences that have led them to the lives they live and circumstances they face today.

Emerald Avril, a community activist from Carbondale, said seeing the amount of support for their causes from people of different backgrounds has been one of the things that has stood out to her the most. I grew up here, so seeing so many allies really makes me really want to keep going because a lot of times when people are lost, they will follow after they see consistency, she said. It's encouraging to see people that dont look like you that want to fight for your right to be a human being.

Grabowska said it can, at times, be a challenge drumming up support for the social justice movement in rural communities due to smaller populations as well as geopolitical hurdles  Southern Illinois spans over 7,000 square miles. She said, generally, more rural communities may lean on the conservative side, and some may not see the full picture of the social justice movement as compared to their counterparts in more highly populated cities.

I think in Southern Illinois, there are areas where you can go to engage with different communities and there are other areas that you can go to if you want to completely isolate yourselves from marginalized communities, Grabowska said. Many Southern Illinois communities populations where demonstrations have taken place are predominately white  Carbondales population is over 60% white, Bentons population is about 92% white, Annas population is about 90% white and Cartervilles population is almost 90% white.

Mays said it is important to continue fighting for social justice and racial equality in small-town America because of racist ideologies that still may be embedded in some communities. The majority of America is (made up of) small towns, and I think cities are more progressive in the way they think and have a more diverse population, so they may not have as much racial discrimination as small towns, she said. Honestly, the small towns are where the work has to be put in.

This tenacious group of local activists has been doing just that  putting in the work for their cause. As social media has given traction to various activist events, in large cities and small towns, organizers say they have the ear of America this time, while adding the work they are putting in will help form a better future for younger generations.

If we want to see something better for them, we have to teach them and train them and educate them so they will continue to fight for the dream that we had, Wilson said. Its important to keep this going so that the youth can see and be inspired and one day grow up and continue on just like we did.

Maxwell agreed and said it was important to acknowledge those who have led the path in years past while continuing to fight for equality and justice and laying the groundwork for those to come. We must never underestimate the power of planting a seed, she said. When were out there marching  were planting the seeds.

Organizers said they are continuing to show Southern Illinois they support marginalized communities and wont stand for racism. The group announced Friday they will be holding a peaceful demonstration and rally in Vienna at 2 p.m. Sept. 27.

The action comes after a Black student experienced acts of racism with a lack of support from the high school, organizers said. The goal of the event, they said, is to raise awareness and show the Black community of Southern Illinois that we will continue to demand justice.

Southern Illinoisans hold demonstrations in response to George Floyd's death

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A teenager has been found guilty of murdering a 16-year-old boy in a "horrific and brazen attack" at a busy south London railway station.

The 17-year-old, who cannot be named because of his age, stabbed Louis Johnson to death at East Croydon station on January 27.

Mr Johnson was ambushed after being lured to a bridge over platforms at the station. He was than subject to a violent attack that police said lasted 40 seconds.

The 16-year-old admitted knifing the victim once in the chest, but claimed he acted out of fear he would be stabbed after he was threatened on Snapchat.

The teenager pleaded guilty to having a knife but denied murder. He was found guilty by an Old Bailey jury on Friday.

Police in East Croydon / Twitter / @M_CPFC

Judge Mark Dennis QC adjourned sentencing to October 16 for reports to be prepared, telling the teenager he must decide the minimum term he will spend at Her Majestys pleasure.

The court heard that the teenager, then 16, produced a large zombie knife when he saw Louis on the overbridge at the station shortly after 4.30pm on January 27.

Within a few seconds, the victim had suffered a catastrophic stab wound to the chest and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Giving evidence, the killer admitted that he regularly carried knives, having started at the age of 13 to look cool.

The teenager was stabbed at East Croydon station / NIGEL HOWARD 

He claimed to have had previous run-ins with Louis, who he said had made threats against him on Snapchat.

I thought he was going to stab me. I put my phone in my pocket. I saw him reaching for his waistband, he told jurors.

I pulled out my knife and thrust it towards him.

The teenager claimed he did not intend to kill Louis but was found guilty of murder by the jury.

CCTV captured him running out of the station still holding the knife before he fled to Chichester, where he handed himself in to police after shaving off his long hair in a bid to disguise himself.

Three days after the incident, a knife matching the description of the murder weapon was recovered from a chicken shop in Tooting.

British Transport Police Detective Superintendent Sam Blackburn said: Its frankly unthinkable that anyone would think to commit such a horrific and brazen act of violence, let alone in broad daylight at a busy station full of commuters and school children.

Louis was only 16 with his whole life ahead of him, and hes left a heartbroken family behind who are understandably still trying to come to terms with their loss.

While no verdict or prison sentence will ever be justice enough for them, I hope they can take some comfort in the fact that the individual has today been convicted and will now be spending a significant number of years in prison.

Mark Paul, the head of the complex casework unit at West Midlands Crown Prosecution Service, added: I would like to offer our deepest condolences to the family of Louis Johnson for the loss of their son.

Both the defendant and Louis Johnson were 16 at the time of the offence which shows just how tragic this case is.

I hope this case sends out a message about the dangers of knife crime. Just carrying a knife in public is illegal and we will prosecute those who commit knife offences to the fullest extent of the law.

Additional reporting by PA Media.
The government of Ghanas long-term foreign currency sovereign credit rating has being downgraded by Standard & Poors Global rating agency. The downgrade from B to B- was based on the deterioration of fiscal position as government increased fiscal expenditure to curb the impact of COVID-19 on both the population and small businesses. This, according to S&P, will exacerbate Ghanas fiscal challenges as government debt increase to over 70% of GDP and interest payments consuming half of fiscal revenue. In April, all the three international rating agencies cautioned Ghanas plans to pursue fiscal consolidation more slowly than what the government had previously indicated, warning that it will lead to a higher public debt trajectory.

The government has raised objection the S&Ps downgrade, indicating that it does not agree with it. It is of the view that, rating agencies is punishing it for choosing to prioritize save lives and livelihoods through once-off expenditures and temporary economic adjustments over saving the economy through expenditure cuts. In the words of President Nana Akufo-Addo, the governments priority of saving lives is more justifiable as an economy can later be revived. In addition, the government contend that the temporary expenditure adjustments have not significantly weighed on the countrys economic fundamentals, which remain strong with high growth prospects. The government of Ghana also criticized the timing of the rating downgrade, citing that it increases the impact of COVID-19 on its economy. Hence, it is calling for rating agencies to seriously consider freezing any rating actions during global pandemics such as COVID-19.

Fundamental critique of S&Ps rating downgrade

In a crisis it is a norm for government to increase expenditure through supporting the vulnerable population and businesses enterprises to counter the impact of the crisis by increasing demand, employment and income. Save the economy by increasing expenditure is not anything out of the ordinary. Both developed and developing countries have implemented these countercyclical fiscal policy measures to address the drag on an economy emerging from slower domestic activity and lower global demand. Under these conditions debt is of little to no concern. In addition, government expenditure on protecting jobs, creating employment and assisting business enterprises is classified as productive expenditure whose net economic output is beneficial to the government. This kind of expenditure finances itself through tax revenue, benefits to the larger economy and social returns.

Ratings agencies have been criticized for influencing domestic policy direction. Historical trends show ratings agencies prefer countries that implement austerity measures, emphasizing on fiscal consolidation, reducing public debt and cutting spending in their methodologies. They portray a message that austerity leads to higher ratings, a policy direction they recommend to all countries in their rating reports. These austerity-orientated policies of reducing government budget deficits through spending cuts and tax increases during a crisis, dubbed handbag economics policies, have been proven to be a huge failure at government level.

In my view, the downgrade of countries because of once-off public health, social and business support expenditure in times of crisis is faulty. It is paramount that countries deploy fiscal and monetary tools to limit the impact of the crisis and cushion the economy from shocks. In such circumstance, debt sustainability should be of secondary concern, policy recommendations from international development financial institutions affirms this view. Therefore, S&Ps risk-assessment methodology on Ghanas fiscal deterioration is inaccurate as the rating agency have noted the significant positive developments in the countrys current account position, external reserves build-up and the unparalleled stability in interest and exchange rates. Compared to its peers, Ghanas economic growth is still positive despite the COVID-19 crisis.

The fiscal consolidation myth

The popular myth that it is government overspending that leads to high debt levels, widening deficit and crowding out of the private sector has been economically proven incorrect. In contrast to this myth, high public debt is often a direct result of government bailouts, guarantees and contingencies to either state-owned entities or private businesses, to rescue them from bankruptcy. Another driver of public debt is inefficiency in revenue collection by the tax collection agency. Cutting government spending is in fact dangerously self-defeating as it often worsens the public debt level and budget deficit problem that it attempts to solve. In simple terms, it is the sum of government spending and private spending that makes up an economys total investment. Low government spending translates to lower levels of economic growth, high unemployment and a decrease in tax generation, making the debt and deficit even worse.

A Cambridge economist, Ha-Joon Chang, likened the cutting of a government budget in a time of crisis to digging oneself deeper into a hole.

Solutions

While it is incorrect for the ratings agencies to criticise the governments expansionary policy in response to the coronavirus crisis, there is a need to reconfigure the rating indicators from the traditional austerity-based risk factors. The following variables should be considered in rating models instead:

As proven in history, the capacity of the government to address deficit and debt problems should be measured by how it manages to efficiently create more and better-paying jobs.

Rather than discouraging expansionary policies, which are a necessity in Africas emerging economies, rating indicators should instead encourage effective investment in human and productive assets that battles inequalities, at the same time driving economic growth.

The effectiveness of monetary policies and fiscal policies should be measured based on their capacity to simultaneously build long-lasting social and economic assets while also stimulating spending in the low- and middle-income brackets, which have a higher propensity to spend than the higher-income earners. This will result in increasing tax revenues from economic growth that can be used to pay off deficits and public debt in the medium term.

By Misheck Mutize
The Yankees will be looking to extend their winning steak to nine on Friday night when they begin a weekend series against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

The pitching matchup will be made up of two left-handers, Jordan Montgomery (2-2, 4.76) for the Yankees and Martin Perez (3-4, 4.33) for the Red Sox.

The Yankees' lineup includes all of their regulars for the first time since July. Right fielder Aaron Judge will be playing for the second time in three days since returning from a calf injury that led to two injured list stints and 30 missed games out of 31.

Introducing Yankees Insider: Get exclusive news, behind-the-scenes observations and the ability to text message directly with beat writers

Here is the Yankees' lineup:

1. DJ LeMahieu, 2B

2. Aaron Judge, RF

3. Giancarlo Stanton, DH

4. Luke Voit, 1B

5. Gleyber Torres, SS

6. Aaron Hicks, CF

7. Gio Urshela, 3B

8. Gary Sanchez, C

9. Clint Frazier, LF

Jordan Montgomery, LHP

Here is the Red Soxs lineup:

1. Alex Verdugo, RF

2. Rafael Devers. 3B

3. Xander Bogaerts, SS

4. J.D. Martinez, LF

5. Christian Vazquez C

6. Kevin Plawecki, DH

7. Jackie Bradley Jr. CF

8. Michael Chavis 1B

9. Christian Arroyo 2B

Martin Perez, LHP

Here are Yankees game notes from the teams media relations department:

AT A GLANCE: The Yankees begin their final roadtrip of the regular season with the first game of a three-game set at Boston. The Yanks also will travel to Buffalo to face the Blue Jays for a four-game series (Monday-to-Thursday) before returning to New York for their last homestand (3 games vs. Miami from Sept. 25-27). ... The Yanks just swept their recent seven-game homestand (4-0 vs. Baltimore and 3-0 vs. Toronto). ... The Yanks are in second place in the AL East and trail first-place Tampa Bay by 3.5 games.

BRONX BOMBERS: The Yankees have hit 19 homers in their last three games, setting a Major League record for most home runs in a three-game span (previous: 16 by the 2019 Yankees, 2019 Nationals, 1977 Red Sox). ... The Yankees have hit 88 homers this season, their highest total through the first 50 games in franchise history. Prior to this season, the earliest the Yankees hit their 88th homer was in their 54th game in 2018 ... Their 88 homers are the eighth-most by a team through the 50 games in Major League history. ... The Yankees hit 5 homers in the fourth inning Thursday, setting a franchise record and tying a Major League record. They were just the seventh team to accomplish the feat, joining the 2017 Washington Nationals, 2006 Milwaukee Brewers, 1966 Minnesota Twins, 1961 San Francisco Giants, 1949 Philadelphia Phillies and 1939 New York Giants. ... The Yanks ave hit at least 6 homers in each of their last three games, becoming the first team to do so. ... The Yanks lead the AL and rank second in the Majors in HR (88), trailing only the Los Angeles Dodgers (95). ... The Yanks rank third in the Majors in on base percentage (.342) and walks (204), fourth in OPS (.809), and fifth in slugging (.467), runs scored (266) and runs per game (5.32).

START 'EM UP: Over their last 12 games, Yankees starters have posted a 2.26 ERA (71.2 IP, 18 ER) with 79 strikeouts. ... The starters have held opponents to three-or-fewer earned runs in each of those games.

HIGH VOITAGE: 1B Luke Voit has a Major League-leading 20 homers. Hes seeking to become the eighth Yankee (would be the 18th time/17th season) to lead the majors in home runs (outright or tied): Alex Rodriguez (2007), Roger Maris (1961), Mickey Mantle (1956), Joe DiMaggio (1937), Lou Gehrig (tied for the lead in 1931 and led in 1934, 36), Babe Ruth (led in 1920-21, 24, 26-29; tied for the lead in 1923 and 31) and Wally Pipp (tied for the lead in 1916).

SEEING RED: The Yankees have won 10 consecutive games vs. Boston and 15 of the last 16 between the clubs since July 28, 2019. Their 10-game winning streak against the Red Sox is their longest since winning a franchise-record-tying 12 in a row from Aug. 16, 1952 to April,23, 1953.

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TSX Venture Exchange (TSX-V): GRG

Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FSE): G6A

OTCQB Venture Market (OTCQB): GARWF

VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Golden Arrow Resources Corporation (TSXV: GRG) (FSE: G6A) (OTCQB: GARWF), ("Golden Arrow" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the results of its Annual General & Special Meeting of Shareholders held on Thursday, September 17, 2020.

"We had record voting at the 2020 Annual and Special Meeting with over 33 million shares voted of the issued and outstanding common shares, an increase of 10% over last year", stated Joseph Grosso, President and CEO of the Company. "I would like to thank our shareholders for their voting response and our gratitude to Golden Arrow shareholders in general."

The Company is pleased to announce all resolutions received overwhelming support from our shareholders at the meeting. Incumbent directors Joseph Grosso, Nikolaos Cacos, David Terry, Louis Salley, John Gammon and Alf Hills were re-elected to the Board of Directors of the Company.

About Golden Arrow:

Golden Arrow Resources Corporation is a mining exploration company with a successful track record of creating value by making precious and base metal discoveries and advancing them into exceptional deposits. The Company is well-leveraged to the price of gold, having recently monetized its Chinchillas silver discovery into a significant holding in precious metals producer SSR Mining Inc.

Golden Arrow is actively exploring a portfolio that includes a new epithermal gold project in Argentina, a district-scale frontier gold opportunity in Paraguay, a base-metal project in the heart of a leading mining district in Chile and more than 180,000 hectares of properties in Argentina.

The Company is a member of the Grosso Group, a resource management group that has pioneered exploration in Argentina since 1993.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Joseph Grosso"

_______________________________

Mr. Joseph Grosso,

Executive Chairman, President and CEO

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.

SOURCE Golden Arrow Resources Corporation
In this file photo taken on September 28, 2016, participants gather in the lobby ahead of an informal meeting between members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, in the Algerian capital Algiers. Global stocks fell September 17, 2020 as markets digested cautious outlooks from central banks, while oil prices rallied again as Saudi Arabia's top oil official called for compliance from other exporters on an OPEC+ production agreement. Though authorities in numerous countries have been recently upgrading their economic forecasts, central banks are warning that a quick, full recovery is far from assured.(Ryad KRAMDI / AFP)

Last month, ministers of OPEC nations and other major oil producers stuck to an agreement to lower production, underlining that only strict compliance could restore stability to prices sent plummeting by the coronavirus pandemic.

But the cartel has called out laggards, including Nigeria and Iraq, for over-producing and failing to implement their share of the cuts.

"Full compliance is not an act of charity," Saudi Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman said at a video conference of the expanded OPEC+ grouping of crude producing nations.

"It is an integral part of our collective effort to maximise the interest and gains of every individual member of this group."

The minister lashed out at members who were not complying, saying they were bringing "harm to our reputation and credibility" but without naming names.

"Tactics to over-produce and hide non-compliance have been tried many times in the past, and always end in failure," said the minister, half-brother of de facto Saudi ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

"They are damaging not only for those who carry them, but for us all."

At a news conference after the ministerial meeting, the Saudi energy chief went on to tell OPEC+ that "work still needs to be done and I urge you all not to relax the efforts of the past three months".

The cartel took up the same theme in a statement noting that despite "some signs of gradually improving market conditions... the pace of recovery appeared to be slower than anticipated with growing risks of a prolonged wave of Covid-19".

Although more countries around the world are gradually moving out of lockdown, crude consumption has not returned to pre-confinement levels, which were already relatively low.

Under the terms of an agreement in April, OPEC and the so-called OPEC+ pledged to cut output by 9.7 million barrels per day (bpd) from May 1 until the end of June.

The cuts were then to be gradually eased from July, to 7.7 million bpd until December.

But crude prices have stubbornly traded in a narrow range for months, with both the US benchmark, West Texas Intermediate (WTI), and Europe's Brent North Sea contracts hovering around $40 per barrel.

The ministers agreed to extend to the end of the year the compensation period for countries who bust their production quotas.

Brent and WTI crude held on to the two percent jump in market prices seen at the start of the meeting.
"[The ACT] has given us an assurance, and weve also had some correspondence from the airport as well, and that now gives us the week to make sure all that is bedded down." Canberra Airport did not previously screen outgoing travellers, who will now receive a simple paper form to declare they have not been in a coronavirus hotspot for 14 days and are therefore free to enter Queensland. Ms Palaszczuk said the ACT had to implement a screening program at its airport to secure a border easing with South Australia. Once that was in place, they revisited the arrangement from the Queensland side as well. Mr Barr said on Friday he was happy the travel arrangement was in place in time for the ACTs school holidays. He said he had been frustrated by Queensland treating the ACT as part of NSW because it had not put up a hard border, even though there had been no cases in the capital territory for 10 weeks.

"I understood that they would want to see what would happen; could we manage the situation here with an open border with New South Wales?" he said. "We have done so. The lived experience for six months has been we've managed that border." People travelling from the ACT to Queensland have to fly, not drive, because the rest of NSW is still considered off limits. But the change came too late for one high-profile case, that of Sarah Caisip, who came to Queensland from Canberra to attend her fathers funeral but was forced to spend two weeks in quarantine. That case received national attention and resulted in renewed calls for Queensland to ease its border restrictions, but the Premier insisted state authorities were acting on best practice health advice.

Queensland Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington said the border easing with the ACT was good news that came too late for many who had already tried to enter Queensland. "The Palaszczuk Labor government needs to demonstrate a lot more consistency, compassion and common sense when it comes to border controls and exemptions," Ms Frecklington said. Sarah Caisip (left) with father Bernard Prendergast, 11-year-old sister Isobel and mother Myrna. Credit: Ms Caisip was permitted to privately view her fathers body with full PPE and social distancing in force. Her step-sister, Alexandra Prendergast, wrote a scathing letter to the Prime Minister, saying he had politicised her fathers funeral, after Scott Morrison raised the issue with the Premier before calling in to talk radio host Ray Hadley to highlight the matter.

The lifting of restrictions on the ACT means the Prime Minister can now travel to Queensland to campaign on behalf of Ms Frecklington and the LNP opposition in the state election campaign, which kicks off next month ahead of the October 31 election. But he will have had to have spent the previous two weeks in the ACT, away from his Sydney electorate or any other declared hotspot. Asked on Friday about Mr Morrisons potential presence on the campaign trail, Ms Palaszczuk said he can "come [to Queensland] if he wants", before adding "it doesnt worry" her whether he comes or not. Queensland will allow travel from the ACT from 1am next Friday, September 25, just in time for the capital territory's school holidays. Queensland has also committed to increasing the number of international arrivals from 300 to 500 a week on Monday, September 28 increasing by a further 500 on Monday, October 5  taking the total to 1000.
TVS Motor Company rose 1.61% to Rs 464.50 after the company said it appointed Autotecnica Colombiana SAS as new distributor in Colombia.

TVS Motor Company on Thursday announced its new distribution partnership with Autotecnica Colombiana SAS (Auteco SAS), a leading motorcycle assembler in Colombia. Auteco SAS will operate 50 dealerships exclusive to TVS Motor Company and create dedicated space for the brand in over 600 retail outlets.

The Colombian firm will support TVS Motor with dedicated sales, service, spares and customer relationship management (CRM). It will also provide the brand with an assembly set-up in Cartagena along with a dedicated training centre.

As a part of this association, TVS Motor Company will introduce new segments among two-wheelers ranging from moped, scooters, motorcycles to premium motorcycles along with three-wheelers. The company said it will focus on creating customised as well as a wide portfolio of mobility solutions for the Colombian market.

Shares of TVS Motor surged 93.46% from its 52-week low of Rs 240.10 hit on 7 April 2020. The company reported a consolidated net loss of Rs 182.79 crore in Q1 June 2020 compared with net profit of Rs 151.24 crore in Q1 June 2019. Net sales slumped 61.3% to Rs 1,939.65 crore in Q1 FY21 compared with Rs 5,018.34 crore in Q1 FY20.

TVS Motor Company is a two and three-wheeler manufacturer and is the flagship company of TVS group.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Joe Biden, believing President Trump is suddenly vulnerable with military voters, goes up today with an ad called "Knock On The Door," featuring retired Air force Brigadier General John Douglass, a former casualty notification officer.

Douglass  who grew up in Florida, and now splits time between Virginia and Florida  used to deliver the dreaded "knock on the door" to military families, letting them know their loved one had made the ultimate sacrifice.

 who grew up in Florida, and now splits time between Virginia and Florida  used to deliver the dreaded "knock on the door" to military families, letting them know their loved one had made the ultimate sacrifice. Douglass, referring to accusations  which Trump disputes  in a widely covered article by The Atlantic, says in the ad: "These military families suffer, and those spouses are not suckers. And those children are not losers."

What I'm hearing: The Biden campaign argues that reports of Trump privately disparaging service members have broken through with everyday people who don't follow, or don't care about, other Trump scandals.

A poll of registered voters in military households by Politico/Morning Consult found an astonishing 73% had heard the reports.

The ad will air on TV and digital platforms in Arizona, Florida, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Wisconsin  targeting media markets and areas with a high number of military households and veterans.

Biden ads remain active in a total of 10 states  the ones above plus Michigan, Nevada, Ohio, Nebraska, and Minnesota.

The other side: Trump has denied the accusations by The Atlantic, as have many current and former aides. A key figure in the article  retired Marine general John Kelly, a former Trump chief of staff  hasn't spoken publicly about it.
A suspected paedophile killer was today arrested in Russia after two sisters aged eight and 13 were raped and murdered.

A massive manhunt had been underway in Rybinsk for Vitaly Molchanov, 41, a convicted sex attacker and killer who met the girls' mother on a dating app.

The suspect was found today hiding in bushes outside the city where he had been sleeping rough.

After being handcuffed in the long grass, he told police: 'At about 8pm I opened another bottle, and finished it at about 10pm. And... so to say... killed them.'

Vitaly Molchanov, 41, was arrested today over the rape and murder of two girls after a massive manhunt in Rybinsk

Divorcee nurse Valentina Saprunova, 40, had been living with Molchanov for only a month when she came home from her hospital job to find the bloodbath.

Sisters Elena and Yana Saprunova, eight and 13, were 'shredded' by a knife and the younger girl's body was dismembered, say law enforcement in a case that has shocked Russians.

Both girls had been raped, according to forensic evidence.

Molchanov was today being interrogated in the criminal investigation into the murder and rape of the two children.

Earlier police had released a chilling video showing the suspect walking out of his home in a red and black track suit as he 'went on the run'.

Saprunova has told police she had no idea of the seriousness of her lover's criminal record when they began a relationship.

Valentina Saprunova with her daughter Elena when she was a baby

Saprunova's daughter Yana is pictured at a younger age. Saprunova, 40, came home from work and found her daughters 'literally shredded' by a knife

Valentina had uprooted 1,600 miles across the country to move in with Molchanov one month ago after they met on a dating app.

But reports say she was unaware of his past as a child murderer and sex attacker for which he had been jailed for almost a decade.

He had told her he was wrongly convicted but not admitted the seriousness of the offences.

She is now in the care of a police psychologist too distraught even to talk to her family.

Neighbours said that the couple had appeared 'madly in love'.

They were often seen holding hands and jogging together or riding bicycles.

After walking out of his block of flats, he was reported to have made away on a white bike.

Molchanov (pictured with the mother of his victims), 41, had prior convictions for child rape and murder and was released from a long prison sentence in 2010, according to reports

A chilling video shows the suspected paedophile killer fleeing his home after raping and knifing to death girls aged eight and 13

His previous 2010 conviction included murder, rape and desecration of the dead. He was also described as a 'convicted paedophile'.

The governor of Yaroslavl region, Dmitry Mironov had offered a 5,000 reward for information leading to Molchanov's detention.

Russia's children ombudsman Anna Kuznetsova called the killings 'inhuman'.

'No words to describe,' she said. 'A terrible crime.

'It is known that he was previously convicted of the rape and murder of a child. 'Now two more girls have become victims.'

She demanded more action from the Kremlin to tackle paedophiles including a register and 'supervision' for child sex attackers.

She has previously pleaded for paedophiles to be tagged for life and banned from using the internet.

'Children are dying, let's take these or other measures to protect children,' she said.
Ozzy Osbourne has discussed the controversy over his 1980's song Suicide Solution and what the lyrics actually meant in a candid new interview.

In a chat with Rock Classics Radio on Apple Music Hits on Thursday, Ozzy spoke about the media storm that surrounded the hit and his wife Sharon's reaction.

The music star, 71, said: 'Suicide Solution wasn't written about, ''Oh that's the solution, suicide.'

Honest: Ozzy Osbourne has discussed the controversy over his 1980's song Suicide Solution and what the lyrics actually meant in a candid new interview

'I was a heavy drinker and I was drinking myself to an early grave. It was suicide solution. Wine is fine but whiskey's quicker. Suicide is slow with liquor. That's what I was doing for a long while. I just sort of stopped.'

Five years after the song's release, the parents of teenager John McCollum filed a lawsuit, alleging that their son took his own life after listening to the hit which featured on his Blizzard of Ozz album.

Recalling the case brought by McCollum's family and the media frenzy, Ozzy said he received an urgent phone call when he was in England from his wife Sharon.

He said: 'I got a phone call and Sharon said, ''Pack your bag. Get on a plane to Los Angeles. You've got to get out here right now.'

Controversy: In a chat with Rock Classics Radio on Apple Music Hits on Thursday, Ozzy spoke about the media storm that surrounded the hit and his wife Sharon's reaction

'I said, ''Wait a minute. What's happened?' She goes, 'Just do it. Just get on the god damn plane.'

'I want to know what they hell is going on. What's happened? So I get on the plane and I'm flying for 11 and a half hours, get to LA, go through the customs and I come out the customs, not knowing any of what's going on and there are 200 cameramen there.

'So as I'm coming through the gate, I'm thinking I'm walking in front of some film star or something else. I'm looking over my shoulder like, 'What's going on?' And so somebody pokes a mic in my face and goes, 'What have you got to say about the suicide?'

'I'm thinking, 'What are you talking about?' So I'm getting the car, it's right there, and Sharon tells me.'

Struggle: The revelations about the song come after Ozzy went public this January with his Parkinson's battle, after being diagnosed with the disease in February 2019

After landing in the US, Ozzy was at a 'very heavy, very intensive' press conference in LA with his lawyer Harold Weissman.

He recalled: 'The difference in them, the public, reporters and the serious press are nothing like music press. They give you some really difficult questions to answer. And the lawyer's just, 'Don't you say a word. Let me do all the talking.'

'It's very difficult to sit there quiet when they're throwing questions at you all the time. But it was a very unnerving situation.'

Battle: He announced in February that he was canceling the North American leg of his No More Tours II concert gigs, owing to an excruciating neck injury

Ozzy went public this January with his Parkinson's battle, after being diagnosed with the disease in February 2019.

He announced in February that he was canceling the North American leg of his No More Tours II concert gigs, owing to an excruciating neck injury.

What's more, he suffered a fall last year and required spinal surgery, ultimately scrapping his tour dates for 2019.

Ozzy was meant to hit the road again this year, but scrapped the North American leg of his tour so that he could seek treatment in Switzerland - only for the coronavirus lockdowns to leave him confined to his home and unable to travel to Europe.

Although Ozzy has not been seen out in public in months, he did appear with his family on Celebrity Watch Party with a finale that aired on 23 July.

The reality show is a take-off of the UK show Gogglebox and offers a glimpse at celebrities in their homes watching and reacting to TV.

Prior to that, he was seen in January, looking a little more like his old self, when he attended the Grammys with a walking cane alongside his daughter Kelly.

Despite his recent health crises and reduced mobility, the father-of-six and former reality star has repeatedly declared that he will never abandon showbusiness or rock and roll.
In a tweet Thursday, Gov. Greg Abbott applauded San Antonio shortly after the city council passed a budget that boosts police spending.

The city council unanimously passed a $2.9 million budget on Thursday, which included an $8 million raise in police spending. The city went forward with the jump despite calls from local activists for the council to spend less on San Antonio police.

The increase brings SAPD's total budget to $487 million for the 2020-21 fiscal year.

ON EXPRESS-NEWS.COM: San Antonio City Council passes $2.9 billion budget with boost in police spending despite calls from activists to defund police

"I applaud San Antonio for passing a budget that boosts police spending rather than cutting law enforcement spending like some other cities," Abbott tweeted. "Having well-trained law enforcement is essential to safe communities."

In August, Abbott proposed punishing cities that cut police funding by freezing property tax revenue.

Last month, the Austin City Council unanimously voted to cut its police department budget by $150 million in August. Abbott criticized Austin's motion in a statement, writing that Austin's decision puts the brave men and women of the Austin Police Department and their families at risk.

The push for police reform began after the killing of George Floyd, a Black man who died while in Minneapolis police custody.

Priscilla Aguirre is a general assignment reporter for MySA.com | priscilla.aguirre@express-news.net | @CillaAguirre
Youghal greyhound track will survive and thrive if efforts underway to revitalise the facility receive the financial support and commitment from all parties involved and specially the regions greyhound owners and trainers, according to Youghal Track Supporters Club (YTSC) chairman Paidi Walsh.

The chairmans view follows the Irish Greyhound Boards (IGB) decision to allow the track 28 months to justify long-term funding following Infecon consultants recommendation of closure amidst sparse attendances, poor infrastructure and general non-sustainability.

The consultancy report was published last week.

There were 20 appeal submissions to Indecon, including from Cork County Council, Youghal tourism and local businesses, with YTSC also making several remedial proposals.

These included costs savings/revenue increases for the IGB through increased entry fee from 9 to 10, reduction of 60 per race prize money, and a YTSC investment of 25,000 in the form of race sponsorship, free gate or annual track lease.

Ironically Youghal doesnt need footfall to turn a profit. It is the only one of eight Irish tracks in an agreement with broadcaster SIS to have two race nights transmitted into betting shops internationally.

The arrangement is worth an estimated 2m to the IGB annually, with Youghal supplying about 25%.

Closing the track would cost the board that revenue, while the lease agreement with a private party that the track be returned to greenfield status if racing ceases could incur costs of over 500,000.

Meantime, the supporters' club also mooted a weekly merger with Corks Curaheen Park by running three nights racing under SIS and two under IGB solely.

This could facilitate extending its long-running weekly lotto into Cork and vastly increase income.

Mr Walsh says it is too soon after the consultants findings were published to comment beyond speculation on much of the proposals.

What I can say with certainty is that we have further initiatives, some involving third parties, to bring forward and meantime we are in the process of improving things at ground level as we speak, he assures.

We are negotiating an arrangement with Cork County Council to improve the car park and are conducting general maintenance at the stadium.

I believe Youghal track has a bright future with adequate investment and a fresh approach to programming and marketing in the future months and hopefully years.
SPRINGFIELD - Springfield firefighters responding to a fire in a second-floor apartment at 741 Liberty St. Thursday uncovered an illegal marijuana-growing operation that led police to arrest two men, and confiscate 142 pounds of marijuana, $112,000 in cash and an illegal firearm, police said.

Police spokesman Ryan Walsh said that police arrested Jeffrey Erricolo, 37, of Liberty street, and Jared Via, 28, of Monson.

Erricolo is charged with trafficking between 100 and 200 pounds of marijuana, illegal cultivation of marijuana, and possession of a Class B. narcotic.

Via is charged with making a firearm without a serial number, six counts of possession of a high-capacity magazine, and possession of a Class C narcotic.

Walsh said firefighters responding to the fire at about 1 p.m. found a grow operation on the second floor and contacted police.

9/17/2020 - Springfield firefighters on the scene of an apartment fire on Liberty Street. They found an illegal grow operation inside and notified the police.

Police found several bags of marijuana and some THC edibles, oils and liquid cartridges, and the cash.

Under Massachusetts marijuana laws, people are allowed to grow and to possess marijuana, but at amounts fall below what was found in the apartment. The limit is 12 plants per household. To cultivate marijuana on a large scale requires a license from the state Cannabis Control Commission.

Via and Erricolo were each found in possession of firearms, but each had a license to carry. Police searched their two vans and found 10 high-capacity magazines and several handguns and semiautomatic rifles. One of the rifles appeared to be a ghost gun, or an untraceable weapon that has no serial number.

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Since historian Dr. Joseph Scalice delivered his lecture titled First as Tragedy, Second as Farce; Marcos, Duterte and Communist Party of Philippines on August 26, exposing the counter-revolutionary role of the Stalinist Communist Party of Philippines (CPP), its founder leader Jose Maria Sison has slandered Dr. Scalice as an agent of US imperialism and regurgitated Stalinist lies about Trotskyism.

The Socialist Equality Party (SEP), the Sri Lankan section of the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI), condemns these slanders and is in full agreement with Dr. Scalices revelations and his critique of the Maoist partys role in the Philippines and the consequences of Maoism internationally.

In Sri Lanka, as in the Philippines, organisations adhering to Maoism have brought one disaster after another for workers, young people and the rural poor. The SEP, like its predecessor the Revolutionary Communist League (RCL), is leading the political struggle against the treacherous role of such groups.

SEP (Sri Lanka) members at a public gathering several years ago

Dr. Scalice thoroughly exposed the role of Sison and CPP in supporting the rise to power of the Philippines fascistic president Rodrigo Duterte in 2016. Sison seeks to rewrite history, denying that the CPP ever supported Duterte. At the same time, in an interview entitled, On Trotskyites and other slanderers, he admitted that Duterte offered his party cabinet posts. Sison declared: I answered [Duterte] publicly that he could not appoint persons to the cabinet or other government positions as representatives of the CPP or NDFP but on the basis of individual merits.

Sison has responded with a series of diatribes, including an online interview entitled On Trotskyites and other slanders, where he heaped praise on Stalin and his anti-Marxist theories of socialism in one country and two-stage revolution.

The embrace of Duterte flowed from the anti-Marxist, Stalinist theories of socialism in one country and a two-stage revolution, which the CPP has upheld throughout its history. According to Sison, the oppressed peoples and nations still fighting for national liberation and democracy against imperialism and the local exploiting classes have the necessity of the new-type bourgeois democratic and socialist stages of the revolution and the need for winning over the national bourgeoisie... to the anti-imperialist alliance.

Socialist revolution, in other words, is off the agenda. The CPP and its predecessor the PKP (Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas) have instead pursued alliances with so-called progressive representatives of the bourgeoisie, including the dictator Ferdinand Marcos, with disastrous consequences for the working class and rural poor.

This line was imposed by Stalin on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in mid-1920s: the party was politically subordinated to the capitalist Kuomintang led by Chiang Kai-shek, a move justified with references to a bloc of four classesworkers, peasantry, petty-bourgeoisie and national bourgeoisieagainst imperialism. Stalins subordination of CCP to the Kuomintang led to the bloody suppression of revolutionary uprisings of working class in 19251927, culminating in the massacre of workers in Shanghai.

The Stalinists rejected the fight waged by Lenin, in opposition to the Mensheviks, for the political independence of the working class and its revolutionary partywhich prepared the Bolsheviks to lead the Russian Revolution in 1917. Leon Trotsky had arrived at the same basic political conclusion as Lenin in his theory of permanent revolutionwhich Sison vehemently denounces. Trotsky explained that in countries of belated capitalist development such as Russia and China, the national bourgeoisie was thoroughly hostile to the working class and therefore incapable of accomplishing democratic revolutionary tasks. These had to be achieved through an explicitly socialist revolution, led by the working class and supported by the peasantry, as part of the fight for international revolution.

Stalinist and Maoist parties slandered Trotskys theory of permanent revolution so they could pursue opportunist alliances throughout the twentieth century with different factions of the bourgeoisie.

A JVP May Day celebration in Colombo, 1999 (Credit: Wikimedia)

The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), which emerged in 1965 in Sri Lanka, provides a striking example of the catastrophic results of such a policy. It adopted a combination of Maoism, Castroism and Sinhala chauvinism. Like the CPP, the JVP rejected the Marxist insistence on the leading revolutionary role of the working class and instead glorified rural guerilla warfare, echoing Maos slogan that political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.

Preaching the two stage theory of revolution, the JVP promoted capitalist parties which it claimed were anti-imperialist. In the 1970 election it supported the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP)-led coalition with the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) and Stalinist Communist Party of Sri Lanka (CPSL) against the rival United National Party (UNP).

The JVP hailed the reactionary SLFP-LSSP-CPSL coalition regime as a progressive government, stating that reactionaries... cannot attack the unity government until destroying the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (Janatha Vimukthi, September 5, 1970).

Faced with growing unrest, however, the coalition government soon launched a major crackdown against the rural poor, including the JVP and its supporters. In response, the JVP launched an adventurist insurrection in 1971, which was crushed by government forces that killed about 15,000 rural youth. Two RCL members were also murdered by the security forces and party newspapers were banned.

The Beijing Maoist regime was among the foreign powers that supported the crushing of the 1971 JVP rebellion. This betrayal did not prevent Sison and the CPP from continuing to glorify Mao and hailing his establishment of diplomatic relations with the Marcos regime in 1972.

After a UNP government came to power in 1977 and released the JVP political prisoners, the JVP immediately switched to supporting the President J.R. Jayawardenes UNP regime, as it implemented open market economic policies to integrate Sri Lanka into the global operations of finance capital. The JVP opposed a 1980 general strike by public sector employees, helping the government to defeat the struggle and sack about 100,000 workers.

The JVP played a particularly sinister role in 1983, supporting the communal war against Tamils provoked by the Jayawardene government. This civil war was the culmination of anti-Tamil communal discrimination by the successive Sri Lankan regimes since 1948 to divide and weaken the working class. JVP leader Rohana Wijeweera sought to justify the war by falsely branding Tamil separatist groups including Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as fascist organisations seeking to divide the motherland.

In the late 1980s, President Jayawardene sought Indian help to disarm the LTTE, granting some concessions to the Tamil elite parties with the Indo-Lanka Accord in 1987. The JVP turned to what it called the anti-Indian progressive wing of the UNP led by R. Premadasa and helped him come to power in the 1988 presidential election.

At the same time, the JVP launched fascistic provocations, killing scores of workers and political opponents including RCL members. The Premadasa regime used the JVPs provocations as a pretext for genocidal attacks on rural youth, killing about 60,000, and decimating the JVP itself.

In 1994, the JVP returned to the political stage with the help of then-SLFP leader Chandrika Kumaratunga. The JVP declared Kumaratunga a progressive bourgeois leader, and supported her rise to power.

By this point, the Soviet Union had been dissolved by the Stalinist bureaucracy and China was integrated into the world capitalist economy. The JVP, in line with Maoist and Stalinist parties throughout the world, turned sharply to the right and refashioned itself as a party of the bourgeois political establishment.

In 2001, the JVP publicly declared its support for US President George W. Bushs invasion of Afghanistan and war on terror. In May 2005, when US Assistant Secretary to South and Central Asia Christina Rocca visited Colombo, JVP leaders met her and requested support to defeat the LTTE.

In 2004, the JVP had entered the government of President Kumaratunga, and helped it to implement IMF austerity measures. At the end of 2005, the JVP supported Mahinda Rajapakse to come to power as president on the condition that he resumed his racist war in the north and east. It called for repression against those who opposed the war, including the SEP. In May 2009 the JVP hailed the brutal conclusion of the war, including the killing of at least 40,000 Tamil civilians and the imprisonment of 300,000 in concentration camps.

Displaced Tamil civilians in Vanni (Credit: Wikimedia)

As mass opposition developed to the Rajapakse governments attack on living standards, the JVP distanced itself, only to form another alliance with the UNP in 2010, supporting the presidential campaign of former army commander Sarath Fonseka, who had presided over the final years of the war and was responsible for atrocities.

Since the end of 2014, the JVP has lined up with the UNP and Kumaratunga to bring Maithripala Sirisena to power in the January 2015 presidential election. Behind the election, Washington orchestrated a regime-change operation to oust Mahinda Rajapakse as he was developing close relations with China.

This JVPs political crimes are the logical outcome of its Maoist politics. Its evolution mirrors that of Joma Sisons CPP into the most ardent supporters of the fascist Duterte in 2016.

In the course of his Stalinist diatribe, Sison noted that Trotskyism had once been relatively strong in Sri Lanka but had disintegrated because of their anti-communist ideology and political line.

This fleeting reference was to the LSSP, which in fact carried out a historic betrayal of Trotskyism when it embraced positions akin to the Stalinist and Maoist two stage theory. The LSSP joined the Pabloite revisionist current that emerged within the Fourth International in the 1950s. It rejected the Trotskyist struggle for the political independence of the working class, and attributed a progressive role to Stalinist bureaucracies and bourgeois nationalist movements throughout the world. The LSSP betrayed socialist internationalism when it joined a bourgeois coalition government with Prime Minister Sirima Bandaranaike in 1964.

The global COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically accelerated the crisis of world capitalism. Revolutionary struggles of the international working class are on the agenda. This situation necessitates drawing fundamental lessons about the counter-revolutionary role of Stalinism and its Maoist variant, and the building of revolutionary parties based on Trotskys program of permanent revolution. The ICFI and its sections are fighting to build those parties internationally.
The U.S. Intelligence Agency has warned that there are foreign nations trying to influence the upcoming November's presidential election.

With only a few weeks before the election, around four in ten Americans believe that a foreign government has already interfered with the 2020 presidential election, according to a survey from the Democracy Fund + UCLA Nationscape Project.

The survey also found that 39 percent of Americans believe a foreign government has already interfered in the November election. Around 76 percent said it is somewhat or very likely to change the election's outcome.

"There is a deep amount of anxiety among the American public and foreign interference this time," Robert Griffin, research director for the Democracy Fund Voter Study Group, said in a report.

The survey was issued a month after an intelligence assessment was done by the National Counter-Intelligence and Security Center's chief.

The assessment found that Russia is actively trying to dimmish Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden's candidacy. At the same time, China sees President Donald Trump as "unpredictable" and prefers not to win the election.

Another foreign nation trying to influence the election is Iran, who is working to undermine Trump, according to the intelligence assessment.

Among those who were part of the survey, 59 percent believe that meddling in the election was done to benefit the Republican party, as stated under the Nationscape Insights analysis.

Twenty percent believe it is aiding the Democratic Party, while 12 percent say that interference was to help both parties.

The Democracy Fund + UCLA Nationscape Project is a study designed to conduct 500,000 interviews about presidential candidates' policies during the 2020 election cycle.

The most recent poll was conducted on Sept. 3 to Sept. 9, with 6,221 participants. The survey's margin of error is plus or minus 2.1 percentage points.

The poll also shows substantial partisan divides among those who say that foreign interference has already occurred.

Over 54 percent of Democrats say that foreign interference has already occurred, compared to 31 percent of independents and 31 percent of Republicans.

Commenting on the partisan divide, Griffin said that "we are still seeing the shadows of 2016."

"There's an element here where people's attitudes are just aligning with sort of the reality of the situation of 2016," Griffin noted.

Foreign nation interference was reported early this year. In February, a top election security official of the American intelligence community, told members of Congress that Russia favored Trump.

Meanwhile, William Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, said there would be the continued use of covert and overt measures to influence the election.

Evanina suggested that most would stop short of tampering with voting or results.

"They may also seek to compromise our election infrastructure for a range of possible purposes, such as interfering with the voting process, stealing sensitive data, or calling into question the validity of the election results," Evanina noted.

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The Supreme Court appeals to the Constitutional Court with a submission on the constitutionality of provisions of the law on the abolition of the list of state property objects that are not subject to privatization.

As the correspondent of the Interfax-Ukraine agency reports, the decree on appeal to the Constitutional Court with a submission on the constitutionality of paragraph 3 of Section III of the transitional provisions of the law on recognizing as such that it has lost effect, the law "On the list of objects of state property rights that are not subject to privatization," 129-1 of the Constitution of Ukraine, adopted by a plenum of the Supreme Court on Friday.
In May, a group of COVID-19 survivorsreferring to themselves as long-haulerspublished a patient-led research paper calling attention to and seeking to understand the phenomenon of extended, sometimes debilitating, illness ranging from weeks to months after initial COVID-19 infection.

A Slack group, which currently houses over 7,000 active members, was started in February by an online media group, Body Politic. Some of these members identify as long-haulers, a term used to describe people who have lasting symptoms two weeks past initial infection. These long-haulers used the channel to discuss their symptoms and personal backgrounds, attempting to find similarities that could explain the phenomenon.

Members of this group with backgrounds in qualitative and quantitative research created a survey tool through which group members could systematically share data. The group then published a report based on 640 survey responses that illuminates the clinical course of COVID-19 and the return to baseline health. The report is titled, What does COVID-19 Recovery Actually Look like; an analysis of the prolonged COVID-19 symptoms survey by patient-led research team.

It is important to mention that half of the respondents in the survey were not tested for COVID-19. The researchers made the decision to include them in the study due to the fact that testing was and is severely limited and did not and do not capture a large subset of COVID-19 patients.

All those surveyed were self-reported to be experiencing COVID-19 symptoms for over two weeks. Below are some highlights from the study.

Fifty-eight percent of respondents reported at least one preexisting condition. The most prevalent conditions were asthma and vitamin D deficiency.





Over 70 percent of participants experienced fluctuating long-term symptoms. Both the type of symptom and the severity would change day to day.





At the time the survey was taken, 90.6 percent of the respondents had not yet recovered. Out of the 640 participants, only 60 self-reported a full recovery. Those who had recovered stated an average symptomatic period of 27 days.





Those not recovered by the time of the survey had been symptomatic for an average of 40 days.





The most frequently reported symptom was a low-grade fever below 100.1F. Other highly reported symptoms include fatigue, severe fatigue, concentration difficulties, memory loss, chills/sweats, insomnia, anorexia, shortness of breath, chest tightness, joint pain and headache.





The symptoms that respondents reported to be the most distracting and challenging were concentration challenges, memory loss, dizziness, insomnia and problems with balance.





A majority of respondents were never hospitalized.





A decline in physical activity level was frequently reported, with 65 percent of respondents reporting a decline from moderately active to sedentary.

Other long-haulers have organized on Facebook and elsewhere to share stories of their struggle with prolonged COVID-19 symptoms. One group, in Britain, known as LongCovidSOS, is working to pressure the government to provide funding for researching the phenomenon.

The patient-led research and organization of long-haulers did gain attention from the scientific community. Shortly after its publication, a formal research study from the US Centers for Disease Control published data that appears to support the existence of the long-hauler phenomenon.

The CDC published a report in June based on telephone surveys with COVID-19 survivors, two to three weeks after a positive test result. Out of 240 people surveyed, 65 percent reported a return to baseline health after a median of 7 days from the day of a positive test result. Thirty-five percent reported they had not yet returned to baseline. This survey also showed that extended recovery was not limited to elderly individuals or those with comorbidities. Among those surveyed who were aged 18-34 with no chronic health problems, 1 in 5 had not yet returned to baseline health.

A Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) study from Italy published in July also worked to better understand the persistent symptoms of COVID-19. A group of 143 patients were assessed a mean of 60.3 days following the onset of first COVID-19 symptoms. Only 12.6 percent reported being completely symptom-free, 32 percent reported 1 or 2 symptoms, and 55 percent had 3 or more symptoms. Forty-four percent of patients also reported a worsened quality of life. The most common symptoms reported in evaluations were fatigue, dyspnea, joint pain and chest pain.

And while the concept that viral infections can morph into chronic health issues is not new or unresearched, the scientific understanding of the specific manifestation of the post-viral conditions of COVID-19 is still in the early stages. Experts are, however, beginning to warn that the pandemic could lead to a significant surge of chronic illnesses across the globe.

To a certain extent, the current gap in the research on the subject of persistent COVID-19 symptoms is expected, as data on long-term consequences of COVID-19 can only be gathered as the pandemic continues.

On the other hand, mistakes made in the early stages of the pandemic continue to haunt research today. Poorly organized and unavailable testing has created a subset of long-haulers who were never able to get tested and whose persistent symptoms can thus not be technically defined as stemming from an initial COVID-19 infection. Recovery data is also faulty, with many states defining patients as recovered if they are simply not dead after 30 days, without accounting for a return to baseline health.

It is also possible that signs and symptoms of long-term infection are under- or misreported. When seeking medical attention many patients have complained that their lasting symptoms are not taken seriously. They are often sent home from appointments with referrals to psychiatrists or simply told there is nothing that can be done for them.

It is speculated that lasting symptoms could be a result of organ damage from the COVID-19 virus itself, caused by the effect of COVID-19 on the immune system and/or damage caused by the treatment of COVID-19, such as intubation or medications. Some of the most common areas of the body where COVID-19 damage is seen are the pulmonary, cardiovascular and immune systems.

There are still a limited number of peer-reviewed studies published on the long-term effects of COVID-19 on the lungs. However, the available data as well as data from other coronaviruses such as SARS show evidence of month- to years-long damage to the lungs. An Austrian study from the European Respiratory Society showed that, after COVID-19 infection, damage to the lungs persisted but also lessened overtime. After six weeks from hospital discharge, 88 percent of patients still sustained lung damage. After 12 weeks, 56 percent still maintained signs of lung damage. On the level of daily life, this lung damage could mean patients still suffer from mild or moderate shortness of breath or continue to use an oxygen tank months after discharge.

It is not uncommon for a virus to cause lasting damage to the immune system. Long-term studies of the effects of SARS on the immune system have shown that the virus decreases the immune systems activity by slowing down certain signaling proteins. It is not yet known if this will be the case for COVID-19.

A virus can also kick an immune system into overdrive, triggering an increase in inflammation throughout the body, eliciting symptoms not unlike those caused by some autoimmune disorders. This severe inflammation appears to come on after the virus has run its course and it is not yet known how long it will take the immune system to settle down after initial infection.

A few examples of cardiovascular conditions caused by COVID-19 include cardiomyopathy, pulmonary embolisms, and damage to the lining of blood vessels. It is speculated that the aforementioned overactivation of the immune system could play a role in the damage to the cardiovascular system. How long these effects will last is still unknown.

How many people across the globe will suffer from continuing symptoms? While this is largely unknown, many experts agree that the range affected could be similar to previous viral outbreaks, with roughly 5-10 percent of those infected experiencing continuing symptoms.

With 6.64 million cases reported in the United States and 29.8 million cases reported internationally, even the low end of that range would mean roughly 330,000 people in the US and 1.5 million people across the globe could experience chronic symptoms of COVID-19. Of course, the pandemic is far from over, and rates of chronic illness can only be expected to rise.

A wave of chronic illness for years following the pandemic will continue to overwhelm the already crumbling health care system in the United States. The care of the chronically ill is notoriously unprofitable for hospital systems, and research and treatment in the area will likely not be prioritized. Conversely, chronic illness is notoriously expensive for the average worker, and it burdens people with hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical debt.

As the death toll across the world rises, so too will the number of walking dead, those saddled with severe chronic health issues, unable to work, unable to rise from bed, unable to afford the help of medical specialists or pay for prescription medications. They, too, have the global ruling elite to blame, whose policy of herd immunity has allowed the disease to spread without restraint, a response driven not by social need and public health but by profit alone.
Not for distribution to U.S. news wire services or for dissemination in the United States

TORONTO, Sept. 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Avante Logixx Inc. (TSX.V: XX) (OTC: ALXXF) (Avante or the Company) is pleased to announce its results of its annual general and special meeting of shareholders held on September 17, 2020 (the Meeting).

The Company put forward the following resolutions to be voted on by shareholders at the Meeting: (i) the election of directors; (ii) to appoint RSM Canada LLP as auditor of the Company for the 2021 fiscal year; (iii) the ratification of the Companys Stock Option Plan; and (iv) a shareholder proposal. Resolutions (i) to (iii) were approved by shareholders. Resolution (iv) was not passed.

A total of 10,047,482 Common Shares of the 21,192,004 Common Shares of the Company that were outstanding as at the record date were voted at the Meeting, representing 47.41% of the Common Shares.

The results are as follows:

Voted For Voted Withhold Voted For Voted Withhold 1. Election of Directors Samuel L. Duboc 10,031,062 15,500 99.846 % 0.154 % Carol Osler 10,031,062 15,500 99.846 % 0.154 % Craig Campbell 10,030,462 16,100 99.840 % 0.160 % Stewart Lyons 10,031,062 15,500 99.846 % 0.154 % Joseph Leeder 10,031,062 15,500 99.846 % 0.154 % 2. Appointment of Auditor 10,031,982 15,500 99.846 % 0.154 % Voted For Voted Against Voted For Voted Against 3. Ratification of Stock Option Plan 7,622,416 2,424,146 75.871 % 24.129 % 4. Shareholder Proposal 2,416,407 7,630,155 24.052 % 75.948 %

Each of the directors elected at the Meeting, being Samuel L. Duboc, Carol Osler, Craig Campbell, Stewart Lyons, and Joseph Leeder will hold office until the next annual meeting of the Company or until their earlier resignation or removal.

Further information with respect to the matters considered at the Meeting can be found in the management information circular dated August 17, 2020, which is available under Avantes issuer profile at www.sedar.com.

This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities described herein in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. This news release does not constitute an offer of securities for sale in the United States. The securities described herein have not been, nor will they be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and such securities may not be offered or sold within the United States absent registration under U.S. federal and state securities laws or an applicable exemption from such U.S. registration requirements. About Avante Logixx Inc.

Avante Logixx Inc. (TSXV: XX) is a Toronto based provider of high end security services. We acquire, manage and build industry leading businesses which provide specialized, mission-critical solutions that address the needs of our customers. Our businesses continuously develop innovative solutions that enable our customers to achieve their objectives. With an experienced team and a proven track record of solid growth, we are taking steps to establish a broad portfolio of security businesses to provide our customers and shareholders with exceptional returns. Please visit our website at www.avantelogixx.com and consider joining our investor email list.

Avante Logixx Inc.

Craig Campbell

CEO

(416) 923-6984

craig@avantelogixx.com
By Akbar Mammadov

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Ceyhun Bayramovs letter about Armenias inflammatory rhetoric and its illegal activities in Azerbaijans occupied territories, addressed to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on August 31, has been disseminated as UN General Assembly and Security Council documents, the Foreign Ministry reported on September 18.

In the letter, the foreign minister drew attention to Armenian authorities belligerent statements, Yerevans military provocation on the border, the illegal settlement of Lebanese Armenians in occupied Nagorno-Karabakh and other provocative actions of Armenia.

Bayramov reminded that in a blatant violation of the call for a global ceasefire, Armenia resorted to an armed attack against Azerbaijan along the Armenia-Azerbaijan state border in the Tovuz direction from 12 to 16 July. Having failed on the battlefield Armenia resorted to extremely provocative statements to sustain its policy of aggression.

The latest statements by Armenia threatening to strike the city of Ganja, the second largest settlement of Azerbaijan, as well as critical civilian infrastructure, such as the Mingachevir hydroelectric power station, are clear testimony that Armenia remains stuck to its policy of terrorizing the civilian Azerbaijani population in a blatant violation of international humanitarian law, the letter reads.

Furthermore, the minister emphasized that Armenias policy of changing a demographic feature of the occupied territories of Azerbaijan gained new momentum in the light of the horrific explosion that hit the city of Beirut, Lebanon, on 4 August. Thus, in the letter, he highlighted that the tragedy, apparently, is seen by Armenia as an opportunity to accelerate the already ongoing plan of implanting Lebanese-Armenians in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

It has already started the transfer of Armenian families. Like many ethnic Armenians from abroad, in particular those from Syria, Iraq and Lebanon initially transferred to Armenia under benign humanitarian slogans and then diverted to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, these families will also be finally abused for the purpose of the illegal settlement policy of Armenia.

Moreover, the minister spoke about the intention of the separatist regime established by Armenia in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, to move the so-called residences from Khankendi to Shusha. Bayramov pointed out that this reckless plan of Armenia is aimed at consolidating the results of its notorious ethnic cleansing policy and clearly demonstrates its disrespect for the essence of peaceful efforts under the auspices of the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

Shusha holds a special place in the context of the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict due to its exceptional historical, cultural and moral significance for the people of Azerbaijan. Accordingly, the safe and dignified return of all members of the expelled Azerbaijani population to their places of origin in the occupied territories, including the city of Shusha, is a red line in the negotiation process. Therefore, this extremely dangerous plan of Armenia, if not reversed, would inevitably lead to serious consequences for the entire peace process.

Bayramov also highlighted the illegal and malicious activities of Armenia with regard to the Sarsang water reservoir in the occupied territories continue to be a source of serious concern due to multiple accounts.

These illegal activities represent a permanent change to the infrastructure of these territories and the illegal exploitation of the natural resources of Azerbaijan, as well as interference with public and private property rights, he said.

In the letter, the foreign minister added that exploitation of the reservoir by Armenia as a tool of environmental terror has already deprived Azerbaijani civilians of water resources and led to serious environmental degradation of lands, including soil erosion, affecting biodiversity and productivity in residential areas along the occupation line.

Further interference with the infrastructure of the reservoir cannot but aggravate these environmental challenges, he stressed.

Bayramov emphasized that this illegal attempt, like other infrastructural changes, such as building a new road connecting Armenia and the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, should also be seen in the context of Armenias policy of illegal settlement and maintenance of occupation, as it is clearly aimed at providing additional incentives for attracting more ethnic Armenians to settle in the occupied territories.

The minister noted that the above-mentioned takes place in the context of the declared State policy of Armenia to consolidate the results of the use of force against Azerbaijan. He also stressed that numerous statements by the senior officials of Armenia to that effect have now found its reflection in its recently unveiled national security strategy, according to which the strategic goal of Armenia in the negotiation process is to safeguard the outcomes of the war.

This provides further testimony that Armenia is abusing the negotiation process being conducted under the aegis of the OSCE Minsk Group to pursue a policy of annexation of the internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan, the letter reads.

It is within this context that I renew my appeal to you to take all necessary effective measures to persuade Armenia to refrain from provocative bellicose rhetoric; cease its activities aimed at changing the physical, cultural and demographic character of the occupied territories; and comply with its obligations under international law through withdrawing its forces from all occupied territories of Azerbaijan, Bayramov concluded.

---

Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
The tactics date back to a battle between the Han Chinese and Chu dynasty 2200 years ago

New Delhi: Chinese troops played Punjabi songs on loudspeakers at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, apparently for the listening pleasure of the Indian soldier posted to the frontier, where for the first time in 45 years shots were last week.

While Indian soldiers are highly amused, this is a hark back to tactics employed by Chinese Han generals some 2,200 years ago during the so-called 'Battle of Gaixia'. It was in this battle that Han king Liu Bang beat his Chu rival Xiang Yu and established the Han dynasty in China.

Referring to the Punjabi song incident, the state-run Global Times newspaper said the Indian army is in a situation of "hearing Chu songs on four sides." This apparently is a message to India that the Indian army is isolated and besieged.

"Hearing Chu songs on four sides is a Chinese idiom. It is said to have originated from the Battle of Gaixia. After the fall of the Qin Dynasty, the state of Chu and the state of Han fought for control of China around 206 BC to 202 BC. As per legends from 202 BC, Chu king Xiang Yu was trapped and surrounded by Han forces in the hills at Gai Xia.

To weaken the morale of Chu forces, particularly King Xiang, who was a ferocious fighter, Han soldiers started singing Chu songs from all sides. After listening to these songs, Chu soldiers thought that Han people had captured their homeland and brought the Chu people to the battlefield.

So the Chu soldiers became worried about their family and became homesick and lost the will to fight. Many deserted. Even the Chu king is said to have cried. Xiang Yu committed suicide after his forces failed to break the trap.

However, it seems fanciful for the PLA to assume that the present standoff can be won by playing some Punjabi songs. Only last week, the Indian Armys Sikh regiment observed the 123rd Saragarhi Day to mark a battle in which 22 soldiers of 4 Sikh in a famous last-stand fought thousands of Pathans in the North West Frontier Province on 12 September 1897.
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New Delhi:

A day after the Centre cleared the Jallikattu ordinance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said all efforts are being made to fulfil the cultural aspirations of the people of Tamil Nadu.



We are very proud of the rich culture of Tamil Nadu. All efforts are being made to fulfil the cultural aspirations of Tamil people, he tweeted.



Modi said the central government is fully committed to the progress of Tamil Nadu and will always work to ensure the state scales new avenues of progress.

We are very proud of the rich culture of Tamil Nadu. All efforts are being made to fulfil the cultural aspirations of Tamil people.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 21, 2017

Central Government is fully committed to the progress of Tamil Nadu & will always work to ensure the state scales new avenues of progress.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 21, 2017

His statement came a day after the Centre, moving swiftly, cleared a draft ordinance to allow Jallikattu, paving the way for Tamil Nadu to promulgate it to end the widespread protests that have paralysed the state for last five days.



The Union ministries of Home, Law and Environment cleared the ordinance on Friday night.



Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Paneerselvam had met the Prime Minister on Wednesday to seek ordinance.

Read | TN rejoices as Centre clears Jallikattu ordinance, to get governor's nod today

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Reuters/Henry Nicholls

LONDONLawyers representing the United States at Julian Assanges extradition trial in Britain have accepted the claim that the WikiLeaks founder was offered a presidential pardon by a congressman on the condition that he would help cover up Russias involvement in hacking emails from the Democratic National Committee.

Jennifer Robinson, a lawyer, told the court that she had attended a meeting between Assange, then Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, and pro-Trump troll Charles Johnson at Assanges hide-out, the Ecuadorian embassy in London, on August 15, 2017.

Robinson said the two Americans claimed to be emissaries from Washington and wanted us to believe they were acting on behalf of the president. The pair allegedly told Assange that they could help grant him a pardon in exchange for him revealing information about the source of the WikiLeaks information that proved it was not the Russians who hacked Democratic emails.

They stated that President Trump was aware of and had approved of them coming to meet with Mr. Assange to discuss a proposaland that they would have an audience with the president to discuss the matter on their return to Washington, D.C., Robinson said.

The White House has denied that Trump took part in any such plan.

The claim itself is not newAssanges lawyers previewed the allegation in a pre-trial hearing in Februarybut this is the first time Robinsons testimony has been heard in full. The WikiLeaks lawyer said Rohrabacher offered Assange the deal a year after emails that damaged Hillary Clinton in the presidential race had been published, when the Russia investigation was gathering pace. The stolen DNC emails posted by WikiLeaks were hacked by Russian operatives.

After Robinson read her testimony in a London courtroom on Friday, lawyers representing the U.S. accepted the witness statement as accurate and confirmed they had no intention of cross-examining the claim. They did dispute, however, that President Donald Trump gave his blessing for the pardon offer.

Story continues

James Lewis, who was representing the U.S. government, said, The position of the government is we don't contest these things were said. We obviously do not accept the truth of what was said by others.

Rohrabacher, who was known as Putins favorite congressman, partially corroborated the claim back in February, saying at the time, I spoke to Julian Assange and told him if he would provide evidence about who gave WikiLeaks the emails I would petition the president to give him a pardon... He knew I could get to the president.

Rohrabacher said he followed up the meeting by calling then White House chief of staff John Kelly to discuss the pardon. However, the ex-congressman said he never spoke to Trump about it.

Regardless, Assange turned the offer down, his lawyers said.

Assange has argued that he should not be extradited to the U.S. because the American case against him is politically motivated. He spent almost seven years hiding in the Ecuadorian embassy in Central London, claiming that he would be jailed in the U.S. if he wasnt granted asylum. He was kicked out of the embassy last year.

If Assange fails in his fight against extradition to the U.S., he will face 18 charges including conspiracy to commit computer intrusion, which, his defense argues, could result in a prison sentence of 175 years.

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Q. This plate has been in my wifes Wakopa, Man., family for some time where the family ran the general store that this plate came from. Their store was briefly famous in 1927. Earle Nelson, who was wanted for strangling at least 22 women, was walking back to the United States. (Wakopa is only a few miles north of the border). He stopped into their store to get a drink. My wifes relative recognized Nelson and his wife called the police while he and another fellow trailed Nelson. The police soon arrested Nelson  he was tried and executed. Can you tell me anything about this plate? Thank you for your time.

Bruce, Kanata, Ont.

A. Wow  that is quite the provenance. Nelson carried out these heinous crimes through deception, use of aliases and several escapes from authorities. His 16-month-long crime spree began in 1926 in the United States and ended in Winnipeg. What you have is a Japanese plate with Eiraku decoration  the family name of potters in Kyoto. This is silver deposit on a red background and it became popular from the 1820s for about a century. The dragon is coiled around a central medallion that is often an archaic Chinese character mark from the Ming dynasty with a happy meaning such as longevity. Although many pieces of Eiraku are dated for the 19th century I believe this one was made close to the time of your provenance  during the Taisho period  named for the emperor of Japan who reigned from 1912 to 1926. A museum might be interested. But its value is more of a personal significant memento. It is worth $60.

Q. We inherited two similar paintings by G. Barbaro from my wifes parents. He was born in 1864 in Italy and then he moved to England. His prolific period lasted from 1890-1907. He died in 1915. Thats all we know about him. Each painting is 35.5 x 81 cm (14 x 32 inches). We are wondering what they might be worth. Nobody in our family wants them and we have no room on our walls any more. Cheers.

John, Waterloo

A. Giovanni Barbaro was born in Amalfi, Italy. These formulated still-life artworks were much in demand at the time and a mainstay for him. Many similar prints, by various artists were produced  often in the form of yardlongs  but yours are original, which is rare to see. He also did fish and Middle Eastern scenes of street markets or camels in the desert and exhibited in Bath and London, England, with the Royal Academy and the Royal Society of British Artists from 1890 to 1907. There is debate that the name of Arthur Dudley is a pseudonym for this artist  a name associated with the same information. Regardless, both of your works are worth $450 each.

Q. I like to give my grandchildren storied memories about family treasures, woven into our family lore, such as this brooch watch from my grandmother. One inevitably asks, how much is it worth today, Nanny? My great-grandfather had a successful lumber mill in the 1920s in what is now Gatineau, Que. It is five cm long (two inches) and is marked Birks on the face. It works and I wear it occasionally but when you dress up, who cares what time it is as long as you are having a good time?

Shirley Anne, Ottawa

A. Brooch watches are rarer than wristwatches. Even though the gold plating is worn, the decorative side has stunning enamelling called guilloche  produced by coloured glass paste applied to a patterned metal background (often sterling silver). The worn enamel of the bow tie top equates to well-loved. Small watch faces are not friendly to quick glances and are not as popular. But this is a showy example, in good condition, and Birks is a distinguished name. It is worth $75.
Pronab Mandal By

Express News Service

KOLKATA: The ruling Trinamool Congress is all set to ride on the Durga Puja sentiment of the people to ensure the electoral dividend in the 2021 Assembly polls. The party has begun Puja preparations with 'Mahalaya pledge', the event from where the countdown of the festival begins.

On the auspicious occasion of Mahalaya, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee undertook a pledge, #MahalayaProtishruti to serve the community by bringing the joys of Durga Puja to those who have had to battle the twin crises of COVID-19 and Amphan. She also urged everyone in the state to come forward and extend a helping hand to those in need and celebrate the festival in its true spirit of togetherness.

"On the auspicious occasion of Mahalaya, I extend my warm regards to one & all. Although #COVID19 has restricted how we celebrate festivals, we shall not allow it to dampen the spirit of this Durga Puja. To this end & to lighten up every home, I undertake #MahalayaProtishruti," Mamata tweeted.

On the auspicious occasion of Mahalaya,I extend my warm regards to one & all.Although #COVID19 has restricted how we celebrate festivals, we shall not allow it to dampen the spirit of this Durga Puja. To this end & to lighten up every home,I undertake #MahalayaProtishruti. (1/2)  Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) September 16, 2020

The festival found a place in the arena of Bengals politics since 2019 general elections when the Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and his deputy Amit Shah had hit out at the West Bengal chief minister accusing her of not allowing Hindus to celebrate Durga Puja and Kali Puja in the state.

"Maintaining all precautions amid Covid-19 pandemic, we will be with the people. Last year, the BJP wanted to step into puja committees in Kolkata but their efforts proved futile. Other than inaugurating a few pujas in suburban areas, their presence and involvement in the festival was not visible. Since the assembly election is a few months away, we will be with the people in the festive season," said a senior TMC leader.

Mamatas nephew and partys young wing chief Abhishek Banerjee, too, asked his young workers to stand beside the people and Covid warriors.

Mahalaya is here & the countdown to Durga Puja commences! The most profound aspect of Bengal's Durga Puja is sharing the festive joy as a community & to this end, I too undertake #MahalayaProtishruti. Together, let's ensure this month brings immense cheer to every home in Bengal, tweeted Abhishek.

The state government will shortly issue a guideline for the puja organisers in the wake of the present scenario.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. Governor of Tavush Hayk Chobanyan has called for both engineering and technological advancements at the frontline military positions in order to protect the lives of the on-duty troops at the border with Azerbaijan. His comments come two days after the Azerbaijani military opened cross-border gunfire and killed an Armenian soldier in an unprovoked attack.

We must do everything in terms of both engineering and technology so that nothing threatens the lives of our troops at the border, Chobanyan said. He said the July 16 killing of the soldier must receive a reaction in the strongest possible terms. The Governor also offered condolences over the servicemans death, stressing that human life is the highest value.

Governor Chobanyan says he believes the recent spike of Azerbaijani ceasefire violations at the Armenia border in his provinces section has to do with the Armenian militarys reinforcement of positions  something Azerbaijan dislikes.

They are trying to continue provocations.

We observe an increase of adversary activeness at the border since the July events, he said, referring to the most recent Azerbaijani offensive on Armenia in July 2020.

Before the July events, especially in the past one and a half year, there was relative calm, and from this perspective the latest developments are a significant change compared to the earlier situation, the Governor said.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
18 Sep  Kyline Alcantara recently revealed that she is taking Tourism in college in order to further promote the Philippines in the global world.

As reported on GMA News, the 18-year-old actress who spoke about her decision to take the said course, stated that she wanted to have enough knowledge about the country that she can express her pride in the Philippines whenever she is abroad.

"It seems like a "showbiz" answer, but that really is the reason why I took Tourism," she added.

However, due to the pandemic, Alcantara can only attend her classes online.

"I'm very nervous because it's a new school. Everybody there seems to know each other, while it is my first year of college and online. But I am excited for the challenge and how I can manage my time," she said.

(Photo Source: Kyline Alcantara Instagram)
Photo provided

A resident of the Bronx borough of New York City who was wanted for second-degree murder in New York was arrested Wednesday in Jacksonville.

U.S. Marshals responded to a parole violation warrant from New York for the arrest of Jose J. Aviles, 29, who was in Jacksonville at the time of his arrest. He was apprehended without incident on Wednesday, according to an official with the Marshals Central District of Illinois. The warrant later was elevated to a charge of second-degree murder.
Fake News About Iran, Russia, China Is U.S. Journalism's Daily Bread By Moon Of Alabama September 17, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - Every few days U.S. 'intelligence' and 'officials' produce fake claims about this or that 'hostile' country. U.S. media continue to reproduce those claims even if they bare any logic and do not make any sense. On June 27 the New York Times and the Washington Post published fake news about alleged Russian payments to the Taliban for killing U.S. troops. The stories ran on the outlets' front pages. Two week later the story was shown to have no basis: [T]hat the story was obviously bullshit did not prevent Democrats in Congress, including 'Russiagate' swindler Adam Schiff, to bluster about it and to call for immediate briefings and new sanctions on Russia. Just a day after it was published the main accusation, that Trump was briefed on the 'intelligence' died. The Director of National Intelligence, the National Security Advisor and the CIA publicly rejected the claim. Then the rest of the story started to crumble. On June 2, just one week after it was launched, the story was declared dead.

...

The NYT buried the above quoted dead corpse of the original story page A-19. Despite that the Democrats continued to use the fake story for attacks on Donald Trump. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Newsletter Yesterday the commander of the U.S. forces in the Middle East drove a stake though the heart of the dead corpse of the original story: Two months after top Pentagon officials vowed to get to the bottom of whether the Russian government bribed the Taliban to kill American service members, the commander of troops in the region says a detailed review of all available intelligence has not been able to corroborate the existence of such a program. "It just has not been proved to a level of certainty that satisfies me," Gen. Frank McKenzie, commander of the U.S. Central Command, told NBC News. McKenzie oversees U.S. troops in Afghanistan. But as one fake news zombie finally dies others get resurrected. Politico's 'intelligence' stenographer Natasha Bertrand produced this nonsensical claim: The Iranian government is weighing an assassination attempt against the American ambassador to South Africa, U.S. intelligence reports say, according to a U.S. government official familiar with the issue and another official who has seen the intelligence. News of the plot comes as Iran continues to seek ways to retaliate for President Donald Trumps decision to kill a powerful Iranian general earlier this year, the officials said. If carried out, it could dramatically ratchet up already serious tensions between the U.S. and Iran and create enormous pressure on Trump to strike back  possibly in the middle of a tense election season. U.S. officials have been aware of a general threat against the ambassador, Lana Marks, since the spring, the officials said. But the intelligence about the threat to the ambassador has become more specific in recent weeks. The Iranian Embassy in Pretoria is involved in the plot, the U.S. government official said. Ambassador Lana Marks is known for selling overpriced handbags and for her donations to Trump's campaign. To Iran she has zero political or symbolic value. There is no way Iran would ever think about an attack on such a target. Accordingly the South African intelligence services do not believe that there is such a threat: South African Minister of State Security Ayanda Dlodlo said the matter was receiving the necessary attention and that the State Security Agency (SSA) was interacting with all relevant partners both in the country and abroad, to ensure that no harm will be suffered by the US Ambassador, including any other Diplomatic Officials inside the borders of our country. However, an informed intelligence source told Daily Maverick that although the matter has been taken seriously as we approach all such threats, specifically, there appears to be, from our perspective, no discernible threat. Least of all from the source that it purports to emanate from. There was no evidence or indicator, the source said, so the plot was not likely to be real. The associations made are not sustainable on any level but all precautions will be put in place. The source suggested this was an instance of the tail wagging the dog, of the Trump administration wielding a weapon of mass distraction to divert attention from its failures in the election campaign running up to President Donald Trumps re-election bid on November 3. The spokesperson for the Iranian ministry of foreign affairs, Saeed Khatibzadeh, strongly denied the allegation in the Politico report which he called hackneyed and worn-out anti-Iran propaganda. In January the U.S. assassinated the Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad. Soleimani led the external campaigns of the Iranian Quds Forces. He was the one who orchestrated the campaign that defeated the Islamic State. His mythic-symbolic position for Iran and the resistance in the Middle East is beyond that of any U.S. figure. There is simply no one in the U.S. military or political hierarchy who could be seen as his equal. Iran has therefore announced that it will take other ways to revenge the assassination of Soleimani. As an immediate response to the assassination of Soleimani Iran had launched a precise missile attack against two U.S. bases in Iraq. It has also announced that it will make sure that the U.S. military will have to leave the Middle East. That program is in full swing now as U.S. bases in Iraq are again coming under daily missile attacks: More than eight months after a barrage of rockets killed an American contractor and wounded four American service members in Kirkuk, Iraq, militia groups continue to target U.S. military bases in that country, and the frequency of those attacks has increased. "We have had more indirect fire attacks around and against our bases the first half of this year than we did the first half of last year," Gen. Frank McKenzie, the commander of the U.S. Central Command, said. "Those attacks have been higher."

...

McKenzie's comments came just hours after he announced the United States would be cutting its footprint in Iraq by almost half by the end of September, with about 2,200 troops leaving the country. Just hours agon two Katyusha rockets were fired against the U.S. embassy in Baghdad's Green Zone. Two British/U.S.convoys also came under attack. U.S. air defense took the missiles down but its anti-missile fire is only further disgruntling the Iraqi population. These attacks are still limited and designed to not cause any significant casualties. But they will continue to increase over time until the last U.S. soldier is withdrawn from Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and other Middle East countries. That, and only that, is the punishment Iran promised as revenge for Soleimani's death. The alleged Iranian thread against the U.S. ambassador to South Africa is just another fake news propaganda story. It is useful only for lame blustering: Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump - 3:04 UTC  Sep 15, 2020 According to press reports, Iran may be planning an assassination, or other attack, against the United States in retaliation for the killing of terrorist leader Soleimani, which was carried out for his planning a future attack, murdering U.S. Troops, and the death & suffering...

...caused over so many years. Any attack by Iran, in any form, against the United States will be met with an attack on Iran that will be 1,000 times greater in magnitude! The danger of such fake stories about Russia or Iran is that they might be used to justify a response in the case of a false flag attack on the alleged targets. Should something inconvenient happen to Ambassador Lana Marks the Trump administration could use the fake story as an excuse to respond with a limited attack on Iran. It is well known by now that U.S. President Donald Trump is lying about every time he opens his mouth. Why do U.S. journalists presume that the agencies and anonymous officials who work under him are more truthful in their utterings than the man himself is hard to understand. Why do they swallow their bullshit? - " Source " - Post your comment below See also The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House.
President Donald Trump declared he's the best thing that has happened to Puerto Rico after his administration released $13 billion in aid as Democrats accused him of playing politics with the timing.

'I'm the best thing that ever happened to Puerto Rico. Nobody even close,' Trump said at a White House press conference on Friday.

Trump announced the federal funding on Friday to help the island recover from the devastation brought by 2017's Hurricane Maria but it also comes at a time he is courting Hispanic voters for his re-election bid, particularly in the critical state of Florida.

Democrats accused the president of playing politics with both money and the timing, noting the funding was coming three years after the island was struck by the devastating storm, which knocked out the electrical grid and caused the longest blackout in U.S. history.

President Donald Trump declared he's the best thing that has happened to Puerto Rico

Rep. Nydia Velazquez, a New York Democrat who was born in Puerto Rico, said the president was doing it purely for political reasons

Trump, meanwhile, tossed the blame to President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, saying 'they were a disaster for Puerto Rico, a disaster.'

Rep. Nydia Velazquez, a New York Democrat who was born in Puerto Rico, said the president was doing it purely for political reasons.

'It's obvious why this is happening now,' she told the New York Daily News. 'Forty-six days before Election Day  he's playing politics with this assistance.'

The money the administration released will focus on the island's electrical grid system and to help the recovery of its education system.

'These grants exceed the total Public Assistance funding in any single federally-declared disaster other than Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy,' White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement.

Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico in September 2017 with winds of 155 mph. The storm caused around $100 billion in damage and killed almost 3,000 people. Trump claimed the death toil was exaggerated to make him look bad.

President Trump and first lady Melania Trump visited the island in October 2017 after the storm struck

Both Trump and Joe Biden are courting the Hispanic vote, above Biden talks to Puerto Rican voters in Florida when he was in the state on Tuesday

Puerto Rico saw its electrical grid wiped out after Hurricane Maria hit the island

The announcement comes less than two months before the November election, when both candidates are fighting to win Florida, a critical state with a large number of Puerto Rican voters.

Joe Biden was in the state on Tuesday to court that voting bloc.

Biden said Trump 'has done nothing but assault the dignity of Hispanic families' in a speech in Kissimmee, where many people settled after fleeing Maria's devastation.

Kissimmee, a city outside Orlando, is the center of the state's Puerto Rican vote.

Trump is also wooing Hispanic voters and has bragged how he is doing better among them than Biden.

Polls have shown he has an edge over his Democratic rival in that voting bloc.

Puerto Rico was already struggling financially before Maria made landfall three years ago.

It had filed a form of municipal bankruptcy in 2017 to restructure about $120 billion of debt and obligations.

Trump used that filing to with hold aid to the island after the deadly hurricane, saying he was concerned about corruption and speculating that federal funds could go missing.

He feuded publicly with the mayor of San Juan over his holding up of funds. And, on his October 2017 visit, he was criticized for throwing rolls of paper towels into the crowd when he stopped by a church.

Democrats earlier this year posted an image of the scene on a billboard in Kissimmee, the AP reported.

Maria decimated Puerto Rico's power grid in addition to landslides and structural damage it caused. In the aftermath, the island was hit by Hurricane Isaias, a series of earthquakes and the coronavirus.

Meanwhile, Florida is rapidly becoming Ground Zero in the 2020 campaign.

Biden made his rare in-person appearance in the state on Tuesday on the same day a Monmouth poll showed him leading Trump by five points in Florida.

And Michael Bloomberg announced this weekend he will spend at least $100 million of his own money to support Biden's campaign in Florida, mainly through television ad buys. With 10 media markets, Florida is one of the most expensive TV ad states in the nation.

Trump mocked the former mayor's investment in the state.

'Mini Mike Bloomberg, after making a total fool of himself as he got badly beaten up by Pocahontas and the Democrats in the Primaries, is at it again. He tried to buy an Election and went away with a major case of Depression. Now he's throwing money at the Dems, looking for a job!,' he tweeted on Friday.

Puerto Rico was subject to flooding and landslides after Maria hit the island

President Trump tossed paper towels to the crowd during his October 2017 visit, a move that was criticized

Hurricane Maria caused $100 billion in damage and killed almost 3,000 people

If Biden wins Florida's 29 electoral votes, Trump's path to a second term is hard to see.

It's been almost 100 years since a Republican has won the White House without taking Florida.

And, to show of competitive and contested it is, in six of the last seven presidential races, the Sunshine state has been decided by less than five points.

Biden's two events were focused on Latino voters and veteran communities, as he needs to firm up his support with Hispanic voters.

The Trump campaign is also campaigning hard in the state. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have made several appearances there.

The campaign is also running a Women for Trump bus tour through Florida, being led by Lara Trump, the president's daughter in law and popular campaign surrogate.

Meanwhile, Ivanka Trump campaigned in Florida on Thursday: Pam Bondi, left, former Florida Attorney General, talks with her during a Fireside Chat at the Columbia Restaurant in Tampa

Master Baker Anthony Ali, left, teaches Ivanka Trump how to roll Cuban bread at La Segunda Central Bakery during another campaign stop

Additionally, first daughter Ivanka Trump was in Tampa on Thursday to campaign for her father.

Ivanka Trump, who serves as an adviser to Trump in the White House, held a 'fireside chat' with former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi in Tampa for her father's campaign.

She also learned how to roll Cuban bread at La Segunda Central Bakery, where she ordered three loaves of Cuban bread and some guava pastries to bring home with her to Washington D.C.




Haiti - Justice : 4 individuals imprisoned as part of the investigation into the murder of Me Dorval





Thursday, September 17, in connection with the assassination of Me Monferrier Dorval, President of the Bar of Port-au-Prince https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-31661-icihaiti-pelerin-5-assassination-of-the-president-of-the-bar-of-port-au-prince.html , Me Ducarmel Gabriel, the Government Commissioner at the Court of First Instance of Port-au-Prince carried out the first hearing since their arrest in the afternoon of Thursday, September 10, 2020, at Delmas 75, of 4 individuals suspected of having participated in the assassination of Me Dorval, these are Mackender Fils-Aime, Modler Senegeau, aka "Abidy", Valery Dort and Vilpique Dunes.



Following the interrogation where the defendants were questioned in particular on the facts surrounding the assassination of Batonnier Dorval, warrants of committal were issued against the 4 defendants who were transferred to the National Penitentiary on charges of assassination, complicity of assassination, armed robberies and criminal conspiracy indicated the Government Commissioner adding that in this case "Other individuals are actively sought by the national police".



The investigation continues...



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-31717-haiti-news-zapping.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-31668-haiti-insecurity-rain-of-reactions-around-the-assassination-of-me-monferrier-dorval.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-31661-icihaiti-pelerin-5-assassination-of-the-president-of-the-bar-of-port-au-prince.html



SL/ HaitiLibre


















TriggerPhoto/iStockBy KATHERINE FAULDERS, ABC News



(WASHINGTON) -- A former top White House official has joined the ranks of other past Trump administration officials speaking out against President Donald Trump's reelection.



Olivia Troye, who served as Vice President Mike Pence's homeland security adviser, described her time in the White House as "terrifying" and says the president "could have saved lives" in his response to the coronavirus pandemic in a video released Thursday.



"When we were in a task force meeting, the president said, 'Maybe this COVID thing is a good thing. I don't like shaking hands with people. I don't have to shake hands with these disgusting people.' Those disgusting people are the same people that he claims to care about, these are the people still going to his rallies today who have complete faith in who he is," Troye said in the video released by "Republican Voters Against Trump."



"If the president had taken this virus seriously, or if he had actually made an effort to tell how serious it was, he would have slowed the virus spread, he would have saved lives," she added.



Troye has been a Republican her whole life and announced she will be voting for former Vice President Joe Biden because the country is at a time of "constitutional crisis."



Pence called Troye a "disgruntled employee" who's "decided to play politics" at a roundtable with the Coronavirus Commission for Safety and Quality in Nursing Homes at the White House Thursday.



"Well, I haven't read her comments in any detail, but it reads to me like one more disgruntled employee has left the White House, and has decided to play politics during an election year," he said. "I think my staff has indicated that she made no comments like that when she was serving on our team here at the White House coronavirus task force, and I couldn't be more proud of the work we've done all along the way."



The anti-Trump group Republican Political Alliance for Integrity and Reform -- or REPAIR for short -- has also released an initial list of "advisers" comprised of many former senior U.S. government officials.



Miles Taylor, the former chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security launched the group. Troye is an adviser to the group, along with Josh Venable, the former chief of staff at the Department of Education.



The group describes themselves as "a group of current and former senior U.S. government officials and conservatives -- including from the Reagan, Bush 41 and 43, and Trump administrations -- seeking to restore principled leadership in Washington, refocus the Republican Party's priorities, and repair the American republic."



ABC News' Justin Gomez contributed to this report.



Copyright  2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
PM Modi will remembered fondly in history of health reforms, says health minister

Congress MP from Maharashtra Rajeev Satav speaks in favour of the bill

Reuters

On the fifth day of the monsoon session, the Rajya Sabha passed four bills on Friday, including Homeopathy Central Council (Amendment) Bill, 2020, the Indian Medicine Central Council (Amendment) Bill, 2020, the Salaries and Allowances of Ministers (Amendment) Bill, 2020, the Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2020.

During the discussion on homeopathy bill, the members of Parliament raised concerns on bringing an ordinance. Responding to the concerns, the health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said that the the government is committed to providing affordable and easy healthcare facilities to every citizen.

There was nothing "abnormal" and that governments have been taking this route, depending on the necessity, he also said.

Meanwhile, the Salaries and Allowances of Ministers (Amendment) Bill and the Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament (Amendment) Bill were moved by the union ministers G Kishan Reddy and Pralhad Joshi.

All four bills were passed by the voice vote.

The session commenced at 9am today amid the rising Covid-19 cases in parliament. It began with Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu condoling the demise of BJP leader Ashok Ghasti. The house was then adjourned for 30 minutes.

Follow the live proceedings of monsoon session here:
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East Brisbane's Mari Hirata crawled into a series of airconditioning ducts then twisted and pulled them apart to create a huge, award-winning sculpture.

The experienced sculptor has won the major sculpture prize at the 2020 Swell Sculpture Festival on the Gold Coast.

The festival exhibits 50 large-scale sculptures on Currumbin Beach. Hirata won in the first year she has exhibited at the festival.

Brisbane artist Mari Hirata has won the major sculpture award at the Gold Coast Swell Festival with her work, 'Sentinels'.

Hirata's sculpture, Sentinels, adorns Currumbin Rock and tells a whole new story for recycling industrial airconditioning tubes.
Story Highlights Biden viewed favorably by 46% of U.S. adults, Trump at 41%

VP nominees have similar favorable scores; Pence has higher negatives

Melania Trump's rating unchanged following GOP convention

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Heading into presidential debate season, former Vice President Joe Biden edges out President Donald Trump in favorability ratings from the American people, 46% to 41%, while the candidates' running mates are roughly tied in favorability. Sen. Kamala Harris, running for vice president on the Democratic ticket, is viewed favorably by 42% of Americans, similar to the 41% rating for Republican Vice President Mike Pence.

Americans' Views of 2020 Presidential Candidates Next, we'd like to get your overall opinion of some people in the news. As I read each name, please say if you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of that person -- or if you have never heard of them. Favorable Unfavorable No opinion % % % Donald Trump 41 57 2 Joe Biden 46 50 4 Mike Pence 41 50 9 Kamala Harris 42 43 15 Gallup, Aug. 31-Sep. 13, 2020

The latest results are based on Gallup's annual Governance poll, conducted by telephone Aug. 31-Sept. 13.

Trump and Biden's unfavorable ratings are about the inverse of their favorable ratings. Both receive higher unfavorable than favorable ratings, although the balance of opinion is more negative for Trump. Trump now earns a -16 net-favorable rating (percentage favorable minus percentage unfavorable) while Biden has a -4 net-favorable rating.

Trump is better viewed today than he was at the same stage of the campaign in 2016 when 33% viewed him favorably and 62% unfavorably. Trump's ratings that year hadn't improved by Election Day when 34% viewed him favorably and 62% unfavorably. His opponent, Hillary Clinton, also suffered from sub-40% favorability in a late August/early September poll. And while her favorable rating rose to 43% by Election Day, it was still among the lowest for presidential candidates since Gallup began measuring favorability with this question wording in 1992.

The only other candidate to receive a favorable score in the low 40s in Gallup's final pre-election reading was George H. W. Bush in 1992. Mitt Romney had a 46% in 2012, while all other candidates earned 50% or better favorability.

Favorable Ratings of Presidential Candidates Since 1992 % Favorable Late August/Early September Final pre-election % % 2020 Donald Trump 41 -- Joe Biden 46 -- 2016 Donald Trump 33 34 Hillary Clinton 38 43 2012 Barack Obama 53 55 Mitt Romney 48 46 2008 Barack Obama 63 62 John McCain 59 50 2004 George W. Bush 54 51 John Kerry 52 52 2000 George W. Bush 60 55 Al Gore 64 56 1996 Bill Clinton 61 56 Bob Dole 53 50 1992 George H. W. Bush 45 43 Bill Clinton 57 51 Gallup

Pence Lags Harris in Net Favorability

Despite having similar favorable ratings, the vice-presidential candidates' images diverge when factoring in their unfavorable ratings, as more view Pence (50%) than Harris (43%) unfavorably. As a result, Pence's image tilts negative, while Harris is viewed about equally positively and negatively.

Pence's current unfavorable rating is up from 40% in April and is the highest to date in his time as vice president.

Line graph. Trend in favorable ratings of Mike Pence. He was viewed about as positively in 2017 and 2018, but his image has since been more negative than positive, except for early 2020. His latest reading from early September is 41% favorable, 50% unfavorable.

The main change in Harris' image since being tapped as Biden's running mate on August 12 is that she has become more widely known. Whereas 40% had either not heard of the California senator or had no opinion of her as recently as July, this has dropped to 15%. Meanwhile, both her favorable and unfavorable ratings have increased, which is typical when public figures gain national visibility.

Line graph. Trend in favorable ratings of Kamala Harris since February 2019. Her favorable and unfavorable ratings have continuously been closely matched, but more recently saw both ratings rise as the percentage not familiar with her dropped sharply after she was chosen to be the running mate for Joe Biden. She is now viewed favorably by 43% and unfavorably by 42%.

Harris Choice Receives Subdued Praise

Gallup has measured public reaction to vice-presidential selections every election year since 2000, asking registered voters to describe the choice as "excellent," "pretty good," "only fair," or "poor." With 47% of registered voters nationally describing Harris as an excellent or pretty good choice, she is viewed about as well as both parties' vice-presidential choices in the week following their respective conventions in 2016: Tim Kaine, at 45% and Pence at 43%.

According to Gallup trends, new presidential running mates received more praise in all earlier elections. This ranged from 51% calling Rep. Paul Ryan an excellent or pretty good choice when he was chosen by Mitt Romney for the Republican ticket in 2012, to 64% rating John Edwards this well after John Kerry put him on the Democratic ticket in 2004.

Biden was one of the more highly rated vice-presidential choices when he was first tapped by Barack Obama in 2008, with 63% seeing him as an excellent or pretty good choice.

U.S. Voters' Reaction to Vice-Presidential Selections, 1992-2020 How would you rate [Joe Biden's] choice of [Kamala Harris] for vice president? Would you rate this choice as -- excellent, pretty good, only fair, or poor? Excellent/Pretty good Only fair/Poor % % Biden's choice of Kamala Harris (2020) 47 52 Hillary Clinton's choice of Tim Kaine (2016) 45 48 Donald Trump's choice of Mike Pence (2016) 43 51 Mitt Romney's choice of Paul Ryan (2012) 51 39 John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin (2008) 60 38 Barack Obama's choice of Joe Biden (2008) 63 33 John Kerry's choice of John Edwards (2004) 64 28 Al Gore's choice of Joe Lieberman (2000) 53 28 George W. Bush's choice of Dick Cheney (2000) 55 34 Based on registered voters. 2000-2004 trends based on immediate reaction during convention; 2008-2020 trends based on post-convention measures. Gallup

Voters' ratings of Harris as the vice-presidential candidate are quite partisan, with 83% of Democrats calling her an excellent or pretty good choice, versus 39% of independents and 10% of Republicans.

Melania Trump's Favorable Rating Unchanged at 47%

Spouses of presidential candidates have not generally been viewed as important to the outcome of elections; nevertheless, they are used by the campaigns as high-value assets -- serving as surrogate speakers, offering testimonials for the candidate in advertising, or regularly appearing alongside them to soften the candidate's image. Their perceived value was demonstrated in this year's convention with both Melania Trump and Jill Biden being featured speakers -- a trend that took off in 1996 when both the first lady and the challenger's wife spoke at their respective conventions.

Melania Trump and Jill Biden are each viewed favorably by just under half of Americans -- 49% for Biden and 47% for Trump. Trump's 43% unfavorable rating is significantly higher than Biden's 27%. However, she is still viewed more favorably on balance than Donald Trump, underscoring her potential value on the campaign trail.

Trump's favorable rating hasn't changed since April, although her unfavorable rating has increased seven percentage points to 43%.

Line graph. Trend in Melania Trump favorable rating since January 2017. After rising to 54% from 37% as she became better known as first lady in her first year, it slipped to 47% in 2018 and remains at that level in September 2020.

Bottom Line

This is only the second presidential election since 1992 that both major party candidates are viewed favorably by less than half the public, with the other instance occurring in 2016. Whether this reflects increased polarization and will be the norm going forward, or is specific to the nature of the candidates running, won't be known until future elections either continue or break the trend. However, one thing that can be said for 2020 is that the candidates' favorability ratings are better on average the candidates' ratings were in 2016.

Trump is now viewed more positively than he was in 2016, still reflecting a rise in his favorable image, especially among Republicans, after winning the election. As a result, his current favorable rating effectively matches Hillary Clinton's final 2016 rating, while Biden is viewed more positively than either 2016 candidate at a similar point in time.

2016 broke another norm in that Clinton, the candidate with significantly higher favorability, did not win the election, although she did win the popular vote. Should Trump and Biden's favorability ratings hold steady through Election Day, Trump would need to overcome the favorability barrier a second time to win a second term.

View complete question responses and trends (PDF download).

Learn more about how the Gallup Poll Social Series works.
<p>The UN says more than 10,000 people have died in the past 18 months - 100,000 since 2015 - and 80% of its population of 30 million are dependent on aid.</p><p><strong>Warning: This report contains distressing images of seriously malnourished children.</strong></p><p>More than 20 million require urgent humanitarian assistance - <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/the-hellish-fight-to-keep-children-alive-in-a-yemeni-hospital-12073718" target="_blank"><strong>almost half of them children</strong></a> - and more than three million people have been displaced.</p><p>There is little sign of an end to the conflict because it has drawn in the big powers of the region whose rivalry shows no sign of abating.</p><p>The roots of the war go back to the Arab Spring uprising. Huge crowds of protesters forced the ousting of longstanding strongman ruler Ali Abdullah Saleh.</p><p>The transition to his successor President Mansur Hadi was plagued with problems. Corruption, political infighting and economic failure all strengthened the Houthis, a Shia movement supported by Iran.</p><p>The Houthis took over the capital of Sanaa and ousted the Sunni government. Neighbouring Saudi Arabia looked on in alarm at the rise of a group it sees as proxies for Iran, its longstanding enemy. The Saudis began their military intervention.</p><p>What had been an internal civil war was transformed into a regional conflict with devastating consequences.</p> <p>Yemen has become a proxy conflict. Sunni Saudi Arabia and its great Shia enemy Iran have used the war to play out their longstanding rivalry.</p><p>While America tried in the past under the Obama administration to play a more even-handed role in treating Saudi Arabia and Iran, the Trump administration has given Saudis their full blown support and Saudi Iranian enmity has only deepened.</p><p>Saudi Arabia has been supported by Arab allies, including the UAE and Egypt, and Britain and America who've supplied them with weapons and warplanes and insist they have the right to defend themselves.</p><p>They have air superiority, but their offensive from the skies over Yemen has led to enormous numbers of civilian casualties.</p> <p>Saudis claim the Houthis are armed, trained and supported by Iran. The Iranians are using the conflict to undermine their Sunni rival and neighbour, say their critics.</p><p>Their Houthi enemies have been blamed for multiple rocket attacks on targets deep inside Saudi Arabia, including oil refineries and airports, and reaching as far as its capital Riyadh striking military and civilian installations there.</p><p>The Saudis have produced plenty of evidence the Houthis are using weaponry that could only have been supplied to them by a more advanced military - drones, guided rockets and unmanned naval weapons.</p><p>They insist they have no choice but to defend their borders and to prevent Iran establishing a stronghold on its doorstep.</p> <p>But the weaponry supplied to them has been used at devastating cost to civilians. Yemen was already one of the poorest nations on Earth.</p><p>Coalition air strikes have caused enormous damage to the country's infrastructure worsening already poor sanitation.</p><p>Fighting around the country's main port Hodeida has made matters worse. The country has been plagued by famines and outbreaks of disease including cholera.</p><p>The statistics are bleak. Save the Children says 12.3 million youngsters need humanitarian assistance, with 10 million facing famine, according to says UNICEF. 24 million people rely on aid.</p><p>While fighting has recently increased in intensity, the UN is warning that famine is likely once again.</p><p>"Unfortunately, those who are in a position to help," said the UN's chief humanitarian official Mark Lowcock, "and who have a particular responsibility to do so - are mostly choosing not to".</p><p>Several donors - including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait - who have a particular responsibility - have, unlike recent years, given nothing so far to the $2.41bn UN assistance fund, says the United Nations.</p><p>The suffering of the people of Yemen seems only to likely to get worse.</p>
Richard Curtis, creator of some of the best-loved romantic comedies of all time - Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones's Diary and Love Actually - is back with a new film. This time, theres little to laugh about.

The Bafta winner, 63, features in Our Planet: Too Big To Fail, a documentary released on Friday from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Silverback Films, the team behind Netflix series Our Planet and David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet.

The film, which includes Sir David and former governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney, is a sweeping look at the global climate crisis and the flawed financial system which has played a significant role in bringing the planet to the brink of catastrophe.

Scientists have warned for decades that fossil fuels are driving global heating. And yet since the Paris Climate Accords were signed in 2016, banks have financed the fossil fuel industry with $2.7 trillion (2trn) globally.

Finance has played a "major role" in the crisis, Mr Curtis told The Independent. The screenwriter, who founded Comic Relief with Sir Lenny Henry and Live 8 with Bob Geldof, has more recently set up Make My Money Matter, a campaign aimed at raising awareness among British pension holders that their combined 3trn pot often ends up invested in harmful places - from fossil fuels and arms, to tobacco and gambling. The hope is to pivot those investments to more sustainable causes, amid calls to "build back better" following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Or, as Mr Curtis puts it: Theres no point inheriting a pension in a world on fire.

"Finance has helped create the problem, but it also has the power to be the solution."

He added: There is a growing movement calling for change in the financial sector. What I hope for is that business people now see that they are the necessary heroes here  and they can be heroes without sacrificing profits.

Curtis, who is one of 2020s UN Sustainable Development Goals advocates, recently put his money where his mouth is to combat climate change.

This year, Ive moved my savings into investments that have a positive impact on the world, and I also now have an account with a sustainable bank  even their debit card is bio-degradable," he noted.

If Too Big To Fail opens with a bleak view of the state of the world, it later offers up something of a plot twist: where bankers are presented with the chance to go from villain to victorious by re-engineering capital markets to invest in projects that are both socially conscious and environmentally sound.

Do we invest money in the practices that take us deeper into this crisis, or in the solutions that could get us out of it? David Attenborough asks in one scene of a speech he made earlier this year to some of the most powerful figures in finance.

And, as the film suggests, you dont even have to appeal to the finance worlds better angels: an improved economy which supports the planet is in its own self-interest.

For example, over the next decade, it will take an estimated $95trn to adapt global infrastructure in the race to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. And as the food sector shifts from methane-intensive livestock production, alternative proteins are expected to make up 10 per cent of the $1.4trn meat market by 2030.

The financial sector needs to listen to us and the science  and the evidence of their own eyes - and make these shifts," says Curtis.

"At the same time, if the financial sector doesnt make these shifts, theyre eventually going to lose money. I was once in a room where someone said that the insurance business as a whole will collapse when the temperature rises by 3.5 degrees.

"The future of business and investment is about sustainability  they would be wise to support the businesses of the future. If your money is in coal, oil and gas, these are the industries of the past and youre going to lose.

The documentary presents solutions for shifting away from toxic investments and backing more resilient, long-term ideas that work with the natural world rather than deplete it.

The finance sector must drastically raise its ambition and move away from funding the destruction of natural systems towards a more resilient, low-carbon future. The solutions exist  now we just need to embrace them, said Tanya Steele, chief executive at WWF.

To not succeed, draws out dire predictions in the film, even from leading figures in a profession that is known for calculated and measured tones.

Mr Carney, who stepped down from the Bank of England in March and is UN Special Envoy for Climate Change and Finance, described it as a Minsky moment  a banking term for an abrupt and catastrophic crash following an unsustainable run.

The biggest risk is inaction today. If we continue to downplay the scale of the transition that needs to happen across the entire economy, across all economies around the world, then the adjustment when it comes will be much more severe," he said.

Others were even more blunt about the outcomes if the financial world fails to change. If they do not succeed, the economies will collapse and civilization itself is at risk, said Steve Waygood, Chief Responsible Investment Officer, at Aviva Investors.

Mr Curtis says that individuals, and particularly young people, can create an enormous amount of pressure on the financial system to change.

I find that people I know, especially younger people, are really beginning to think  what can I actually do, in my own life? And they are forcing these shifts across all sorts of businesses  in the choices they make about the clothes they wear, the cars they drive and the way they travel, the food they eat, the use of plastics. We need to do the same with finance, he said.

Perhaps its down to a career in rom-coms, but the director says that he is by nature, an optimist.

This optimism extends as far as a post-Brexit UKs ability meet its climate goals  net zero in carbon emissions by 2050  and globally in the face of a wave of populist leaders, like President Trump and Brazils Jair Bolsonaro, whose denial of the crisis has hampered change that is becoming more urgent by the day.

Mr Curtis pointed to the UKs role in 2021 as host of the G7 Summit and UN Climate Change Conference, COP26.

This really is a moment when the UK could demonstrate world-changing leadership, he said.

The British public want action on the climate and environment emergency, so the government has their backing to do more.

He added: "The rise in movements this year has been remarkable  on climate, on gender justice, on all the issues raised by Black Lives Matter. The texture of conversation is changing, the level of awareness is changing, and peoples sense of personal responsibility is growing.

The combination of business and grassroots movements is a very potent combination to tackle the climate and environment crisis.
New Delhi, Sep 18 : To garner international community's attention over the Jammu and Kashmir issue ahead of the 75th session general debate in the UN General Assembly (UNGA), Pakistan has planned an online anti-India and free Kashmir propaganda on social media platforms from Saturday, Intelligence source said.

"Pakistan has conspired and executed a Twitter campaign throughout the world with the hashtag #KashmirWantsFreedom on September 19, 2020," said the source.

The source said that the "propaganda seems to be targeting present Indian government" ahead of 75th session general debate of the UN General Assembly and it is based on "completely baseless and fictitious arguments".

The Pakistan Army and Inter-Services Intelligence will be executing the online anti-India campaign from Saturday.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will address the 75th session of the UN General Assembly on September 25. A day later, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address the session.

The UNGA session opened on September 15 against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic. Representatives of the UN member states will be delivering virtual addresses during the general debate which will begin on September 22.

They have planned campaigns in Australia and New Zealand at 10 a.m. local time.

In the US, they have planned a campaign in New York at 11 a.m. and California at 8 p.m.

Pakistan will carry out an online campaign in Toronto in Canada at 11 a.m. In the UK, they will start the campaign at 1 p.m. In Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar, Pakistan has planned at 3 p.m. In Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, the campaign started will start at 5.30 p.m., and in Pakistan, they will start at 5 p.m. and at Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia at 8 p.m. All at local time.

"Pakistan has always been trying to undermine the efforts of India in developing Kashmir by all means possible be it terrorism or use of various platforms to incorrectly portray the situation in Kashmir," a senior IPS officer said.

Pakistan started an anti-India campaign after the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5.

"This year, on the anniversary of the event, Director General (DG) Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) along with the ISI had launched a series of events to portray the situation in Kashmir as alarming and to portray India as an oppressor," he said.

(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
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A young woman in Ho Chi Minh City had a severe case of allergic reaction after having a permanent make-up procedure done on her lips.

N.T.H., a 25-year-old resident of Thu Duc District, recently visited the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital of Dermato-Venereology with her lips swelling and discharging pus.

According to H., she had had a lip blush  a cosmetic tattoo on the lips that enhances their natural color  at a private beauty clinic just four days before.

The patients lips began swelling and discharging pus just one day after the procedure.

When she revisited the clinic to check on her condition, H. was prescribed a tube of topical antiviral which she was asked to apply to the irritated area.

However, the cream only worsened her condition.

Doctors at the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital of Dermato-Venereology diagnosed H. with allergic contact dermatitis with superinfection after tattooing.

She is under treatment with antibiotics, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory medication.

The remedy process is expected to take a long time while a full recovery of her lips is uncertain, said Dr. Tran Nguyen Anh Tu, deputy head of the dermatology department at the infirmary.

A few days prior to H.s case, the hospital also admitted two other patients with lip blush complications, Tu said.

Their lips had developed thick scabs, causing pain and itchiness. They also experienced skin-darkening in patches around the treated area.

The hospital receives an average of three to five cases of permanent lip make-up complications a month, the highest rate among all areas of body tattoos, the hospital said.

According to Dr. Tu, lip tattooing potentially carries a high risk of complications.

Firstly, infections are more common with this type of tattoo and not using sterilized equipment and imposing proper procedures can lead to the transmission of a number of illnesses, such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.

Also, the use of poor quality tattoo ink can cause severe allergic reactions including swelling, redness, and blisters.

However, even when good tattoo ink is used, it is impossible to completely rule out an allergic reaction to the ink, especially the red ink used in lip blushing procedures.

And finally, aftercare instructions should be emphasized as most complications happen because patients are not aware of how to take care of their tattooed lips.

Tattoo fans should carefully research and choose a reputable tattoo shop equipped with sterile equipment, Dr. Tu advised.

Should there be any unexpected complications caused by a lip tattoo, the patient should rush to the hospital to avoid worsening conditions."

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Deputy Minister of Information, Pius Enam Hadzide says the decision that went into the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) plan to legalize the Okada business can only be based on impulse and not on deep thinking.



According to him, the NDC bringing back the Okada business policy that the Mahama administration outlawed in 2012 means clearly that they did not consult the stakeholders, industry players and interest groups before making the Okada operations illegal.



Speaking on Okay FMs 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show, Pius Enam Hadzide said that the NDC under Mahama did not think of the consequences before coming up with the law to ban the operations of Okada in the country.



Did they think of the consequences before coming up with that law? What consultation went into the decision to come up with the law to ban the operations of Okada in the country? We are talking about a law that is just one election cycle old by former President Mahama," he doubted.



He, however, was certain that the NDC in its manifesto is planning to legalize Okada business that the former President did not think deep about before passing the law to make its operations in the country illegal.



The Deputy Information Minister stressed that by this conduct of the erstwhile Mahama administration to ban Okada operations in the country kills every hope that the decision of the same former President to legalize Okada business is possible.



By the new position of Mr. Mahama, it means that he didnt think deeply about it before passing a law to ban Okada business. This means that the NDC worked on impulse; they decided to do anything that came into their minds without consulting with the stakeholders, industry players, and interest groups," he said.



He said that by the conduct of the NDC, they are giving evidence that their intention to legalize the Okada business has not been thoroughly scrutinized; demanding the NDC to tell Ghanaians what informed the decision to ban Okada operations in the country in the first place.



The difference between NPP and NDC is that the ruling NPP will not do anything on impulse. We will consult and discuss and that is why the Transport Minister said that since the government saw the challenge with the Okada operations it started discussions with the stakeholders, he said.





Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected]









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Linkedin Bjorn Lomborg (The Jakarta Post) Copenhagen  Fri, September 18, 2020 14:38 490 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c45b1219 3 Opinion california,wildfire,forest-fires,climate-change,environment Free

Pictures of the big fires and orange skies on the US West Coast have been published worldwide as unmistakable evidence of climate change. The Los Angeles Times wrote on its full front page: Californias climate apocalypse. People from California Governor Gavin Newsom and Democratic US presidential candidate Joe Biden to most of the media tell us that the cause is climate change, and anyone who thinks differently is in denial.

Climate change is real, man-made and something we need to deal with smartly. But the claim that the fires are caused by climate change is dramatically misleading and steers us toward the worst way to help.

One way to realize this is that California wildfires used to be much bigger. This past decade, California has seen 0.7 percent of its area on average burnt. Before 1800, California typically saw between 4 to 12 percent of its land area burn every year, up to 17 times more than the last decade. Unsurprisingly, the academics who did these studies conclude that back then, skies were likely smoky much of the summer and fall in California. Indeed, old newspapers across the US are filled with descriptions of terrible fires. In 1781, the New York Times tells us, the smoke was so dense that many persons thought the day of judgment had come.

This all changed after 1900 when fire suppression became the norm, and fire declined precipitously. In the last half of the twentieth century, only about 0.2 percent burned annually. But because most fires were stopped early, this left more unburnt fuel in the forests. One estimate is that there is now five times more wood fuel debris in California forests than before Europeans arrived.

Clearly, we used to have much more fire before global warming. Even this years record-breaking 2.2 percent burnt area is about half the lower end of a typical year in earlier times. And the main reason we are now seeing more and bigger fires is that our century of fire suppression has left what researchers call a fire deficit  all the fuel that should have burnt but didnt. It is now waiting to burn even hotter and fiercer.

Climate does play a part. It does create a more favorable fire environment by increasing hot and dry conditions. But experts estimate this plays a minor role. The much more critical role is how we manage lands and build many of our new houses where fire is frequent.

When we keep suppressing fire, we ask for bigger and fiercer future fires. And we know how to fix this. We simply have to make many more prescribed burns that eliminate the built-up fuel. This is doable, smart and would help reduce fire risks in just a few years. Unfortunately, it is also unpopular because of increased smoke and risks from uncontrolled fires.

One prominent study published in Nature Sustainability earlier this year estimates that California will have to burn about 20 percent of its area to get rid of all the excess fuel. But because of widespread opposition, legal challenges and regulatory limits, California prescribes burns for less than one-thousandth of that.

At the same time, many more Californians are building homes in fire-hazard zones. It is likely that over the past 70 years, the number of houses built in the highest hazard zones has increased more than 10-fold and will likely increase 50 percent more by 2050. One of the best ways to prevent fires from destroying lives and property is to ensure that people dont put themselves in harms way by building homes in high-risk areas.

Building codes matter, too. California has strict codes for new buildings, but older homes with more flammable roofs are quicker to catch fire, endangering the houses around them. Indeed, the states so-called wildland-urban interface code highlights how to build safer houses by ensuring better placement, more fire-resistant building materials, sprinklers and less vegetation.

When fires are explained almost exclusively in terms of climate change, it is not surprising that virtually no attention is given to the solutions that could actually help  prescribed burns and lower vulnerability. Instead, everyone is pushing climate policies that will help trivially. Californias Governor seriously suggests that the answer to the fires is to speed up Californias promise to go to 100 percent renewables.

But climate policy will not fix the fire problem. With any policy, temperatures will still go up, only less. Even if you believe that only temperature is driving fire, the fires would still get worse, only slightly less so. Even if the entire rich world were to cut all its emissions tomorrow and for the rest of the century  an incredibly fanciful and enormously expensive assumption  UN climate models show temperatures would still climb steeply, reduced by just 0.4C at the end of the century.

California fires are slowly coming back to their prehistoric state because of the enormous excess fuel load. Putting up solar panels and using biofuels will be costly but do virtually nothing to fix this problem. Vulnerability reduction and prescribed burns will. What we choose depends on the information we receive.

***

The writer is president of the Copenhagen Consensus and visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. His new book is False Alarm - How Climate Change Panic Costs Us Trillions, Hurts the Poor, and Fails to Fix the Planet.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
You are here: China

The All-China Journalists Association (ACJA) on Thursday announced winners of the 30th China Journalism Award and the 16th Changjiang Taofen Award, the two most prestigious journalism prizes in the country.

A total of 350 news entries by media outlets, including Xinhua News Agency and some local newspapers, won this year's China Journalism Award, while 20 people won the Changjiang Taofen Award.

A list of the winners has been released on zgjx.cn and xinhuanet.com to invite public feedback via phone, fax, mail, or email until Sept. 27, said the ACJA, adding the final results will be announced at a later date.
NEW YORK, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Low Speed Autonomous Driving Market Research Report by Level (Level 1 - Driver Assistance, Level 2 - Partial Driving Automation, Level 3 - Conditional Driving Automation, Level 4 - High Driving Automation, and Level 5 - Full Driving Automation), by Application (Automotive, Consumer Applications, Industrial Logistics, Military & Defence, and Public Transport) - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19







Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05968835/?utm_source=PRN







The Global Low Speed Autonomous Driving Market is expected to grow from USD 2,490.67 Million in 2019 to USD 7,281.67 Million by the end of 2025 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 19.57%.



Market Segmentation & Coverage:

This research report categorizes the Low Speed Autonomous Driving to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets:



Based on Level, the Low Speed Autonomous Driving Market studied across Level 1 - Driver Assistance, Level 2 - Partial Driving Automation, Level 3 - Conditional Driving Automation, Level 4 - High Driving Automation, and Level 5 - Full Driving Automation.



Based on Application, the Low Speed Autonomous Driving Market studied across Automotive, Consumer Applications, Industrial Logistics, Military & Defence, and Public Transport.



Based on Geography, the Low Speed Autonomous Driving Market studied across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas region surveyed across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The Asia-Pacific region surveyed across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand. The Europe, Middle East & Africa region surveyed across France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom.



Company Usability Profiles:

The report deeply explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Low Speed Autonomous Driving Market including Auro Robotics, AutoX, Beijing Idriverplus Technology Co. Ltd, BestMile, Coast Autonomous, Easy Mile, GACHA, getthere, Konecranes, Local Motors, May Mobility, Meituan, Micron Technology, Inc., Navya, Neolix, Nuro.ai, Optimus Ride, PIXMOVING,INC., Ridecell, Inc, SB Drive, Starship Technologies, Transdev, Voyage, and Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd..



FPNV Positioning Matrix:

The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Low Speed Autonomous Driving Market on the basis of Business Strategy (Business Growth, Industry Coverage, Financial Viability, and Channel Support) and Product Satisfaction (Value for Money, Ease of Use, Product Features, and Customer Support) that aids businesses in better decision making and understanding the competitive landscape.



Competitive Strategic Window:

The Competitive Strategic Window analyses the competitive landscape in terms of markets, applications, and geographies. The Competitive Strategic Window helps the vendor define an alignment or fit between their capabilities and opportunities for future growth prospects. During a forecast period, it defines the optimal or favorable fit for the vendors to adopt successive merger and acquisition strategies, geography expansion, research & development, and new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth.



Cumulative Impact of COVID-19:

COVID-19 is an incomparable global public health emergency that has affected almost every industry, so for and, the long-term effects projected to impact the industry growth during the forecast period. Our ongoing research amplifies our research framework to ensure the inclusion of underlaying COVID-19 issues and potential paths forward. The report is delivering insights on COVID-19 considering the changes in consumer behavior and demand, purchasing patterns, re-routing of the supply chain, dynamics of current market forces, and the significant interventions of governments. The updated study provides insights, analysis, estimations, and forecast, considering the COVID-19 impact on the market.



The report provides insights on the following pointers:

1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on the market offered by the key players

2. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyzes the markets

3. Market Diversification: Provides detailed information about new product launches, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments

4. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: Provides an exhaustive assessment of market shares, strategies, products, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players

5. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and new product developments



The report answers questions such as:

1. What is the market size and forecast of the Global Low Speed Autonomous Driving Market?

2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Low Speed Autonomous Driving Market during the forecast period?

3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Low Speed Autonomous Driving Market?

4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Low Speed Autonomous Driving Market?

5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Low Speed Autonomous Driving Market?

6. What are the modes and strategic moves considered suitable for entering the Global Low Speed Autonomous Driving Market?



Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05968835/?utm_source=PRN



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



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Daphne Pearl Hampstead (pictured) left her Sydney home in 1958 and lived a secret life in Queensland until her death in 2007

Right up to Daphne Hampstead's death in a Queensland hospital in November 2007 - supposedly aged 83 - she was deeply secretive about her long life.

A year earlier, Diann Green, who knew her stepmother as Daphne Jones, saw her at the paper shredder she routinely used to destroy letters, Christmas cards and other personal documents.

Months before Daphne's death, Diann and her husband Tryone travelled to the New South Wales Riverina region looking for clues as to who she really was.

In the cemetery at Cootamundra the pair searched for Daphne's father's gravestone but could not find any Frederick Onslow, the surname with which she claimed to have been born.

Upon their return to Queensland the Greens told Daphne what they had done and she reacted with extreme anger that the couple, whom she loved dearly, had been digging into her past.

The 62-year mystery around the identity of Daphne Hampstead - or Onslow or Shaw or Jones - was not officially solved until 13 years after she died.

Her death certificate recorded her age as 83, her father as Frederick Onslow and that she was 49 when she 'married' Diann's father Raymond Charles Jones.

None of that was true.

She died as Daphne Pearl Jones - the same name on her birth certificate, but that was entirely coincidental. She had never remarried after fleeing an abusive husband half a century earlier and was in fact 89.

Daphne Hampstead's second family - who knew her as Daphne Jones, nee Onlsow - when looking for the grave of her father Frederick Onslow at Cootamundra cemetery in the Riverina region of NSW. They didn't find it because Frederick Onslow did not exist

Two days after Daphne disappeared a letter in her handwriting arrived at her western Sydney home. 'My darling Sid,' the 39-year-old began the note. 'Oh darling what it is costing me to write this letter, you will never know.' The letter's words are reproduced in this image

Daphne Hampstead was a 39-year-old mother of eight when she vanished from a dairy on Cowpasture Road (pictured) at Bossley Park in Sydney's west. Her family never saw her again

While Daphne's past remained a mystery to the Greens even after her death, another family completely unknown to them was searching for answers of its own.

Daphne Hampstead had walked out on her husband and eight children in 1958 and apart from a few letters shortly after her disappearance had never been heard from again.

The two families were eventually brought together three years ago and learnt the Daphne they all mourned was the same woman who had lived two completely separate lives.

The Hampstead family was driven to crack the six-decade missing person case when Daphne's daughter Daphne Lillian was on her deathbed in August 2017.

Daphne Lillian's daughter Donna Gough hired private investigator Luke Athens from Melbourne Confidential in an attempt to make her mother's final wish come true.

'I was engaged because it was Daphne's daughter's last dying wish to find her mum,' Mr Athens told Daily Mail Australia.

Athens said he solved Daphne's disappearance in only four hours. Once he had put together the documentation to support his claims, the billable hours totalled 12.

The private investigator began his search by asking the Hampstead family what they knew about Daphne's identity.

'I then gathered all historic information available on our database systems on Daphne and created a timeline,' he explained.

Daphne's granddaughter hired private investigator Luke Athens from Melbourne Confidential to locate her. 'I was engaged because it was Daphne's daughter's last dying wish to find her mum,' Athens said. He solved Daphne's disappearance in 12 hours. Invoice is pictured

On Wednesday NSW Deputy State Coroner Elaine Ms Truscott (pictured) found Daphne Hampstead and Daphne Jones were the same person. Ms Truscutt is pictured during the 2016 search for missing 20-year-old Matthew Leveson's body in Sydney's Royal National Park

Athens then generated a Python computer programming language script to create variations on how to spell Daphne's name and date of birth.

'From that I was able to conduct a link analysis which assisted me to identify close associates to Daphne in the past and use that information to connect to others that knew of Daphne via a timeline and found my results.'

'All information was cross-referenced with other people who knew of Daphne, followed up with facial recognition, photo comparisons and statements from individuals that were close to her.'

'The time line of Daphne's life matched. We also noted that her new changed name just appeared out of nowhere on our historic databases.

Daphne Hampstead's family hired private investigator Luke Athens (pictured) to investigate her disappearance

'Because she wasn't 18 this name should have had previous records registered historically, plus that little thing called a coroner's investigation summed it up.'

The whole job cost the Hampstead family just $2,280, with GST.

Athens put Donna Gough in touch with Diann and Tyrone Green and three of them exchanged photographs of Daphne. Each family saw marked similarities between the younger and older person in the images.

Analysis of the pictures by an Australian Federal Police facial recognition expert helped confirm they were of the same woman.

Daphne Hampstead's disappearance had been investigated in 2012 by a coroner who found she was likely dead but could not determine how or when she died.

A fresh inquest by Deputy State Coroner Elaine Truscott this year was armed with the new information and has finally closed the case.

On Wednesday, Ms Truscott ruled that Daphne Hampstead of NSW and Daphne Jones of Queensland were the one person and she died in 2007 at age 89.

Why Daphne never made contact with her original Sydney family is still unclear but how she managed to keep her second life secret for decades was revealed, in part.

Daphne was born Daphne Pearl Jones to Frederick and Eva Jones, then aged 26 and 20 respectively, at Cootamundra on July 13 or 15, 1918.

Frederick and Eva would have four more daughters: Lucy, Pamela, Linda and Eva.

Daphne gave a poem called What to Count to her 'granddaughter' Megan Kirley who kept it on her fridge and posted to Facebook with the caption: 'This was my beautiful nanna's poem'. Megan, who was part of Daphne's Queensland family, was shot dead in Brisbane last year

Daphne married Sidney Thomas Hampstead at Cootamundra when she was 18 and he was 27. Over the next ten years the couple had eight children: Leslie, Patricia, Marcia, Daphne Lillian, twins Barry and Clifford, Helen, and Janet.

The family lived at Cootamundra, Tumut, Grafton, Taree, Oxley Island and Muswellbrook, where they worked as share farmers before buying their own farm at Scone.

Financial difficulties forced the couple to sell the farm and move to a dairy at Bossley Park in Sydney's west in 1956, by which time their two eldest daughters were married and living at Muswellbrook.

'Daphne was a loving mother who enjoyed cooking and was apparently social and engaging,' Ms Truscutt found.

'Daphne and Sidney are described to have had a loving relationship however Sidney was possessive and jealous and violent to Daphne.

'After leaving the farm in Scone and moving to Bossley Park the domestic violence became more frequent.'

Daphne worked in the city as a cook - under the name Daphne Hanson or Hamson - and would leave home in the early hours of the morning, returning about 4pm.

'However, as time went on her returning hours became later around 10pm and Sidney likely suspected she was having an affair and he became more obsessive,' Ms Truscott found.

Before her disappearance Daphne was working in a restaurant in Sydney's central business district. It is named as Carl's in court documents but could have been Cahill's (pictured)

Shortly before dawn on May 10, 1958, Daphne was picked up from the Cowpasture Road dairy by a taxi. She was two months shy of her 40th birthday and left carrying most of her photographs and clothes.

Two days later her husband received a handwritten letter from Daphne inside an envelope with a postmark from nearby Fairfield.

'My darling Sid,' the letter began. 'Oh darling what it is costing me to write this letter, you will never know.

'I left work today, I just can't go on. I thought there was no love left at home for me at all. But I have realised how wrong I was over the last week.

'I think it has been a week I shall never forget. I am going away for a while (by myself) don't worry about me, I will be okay.

'I know now I can always come to you for understanding I do wish I had known that before dear.'

Daphne also sent a letter to her daughter Daphne Lillian asking her to look after her father and younger brothers and sisters.

Another letter found by Daphne Lillian was from a man called Eugene who lived in Tasmania and had promised to pick her up from the airport.

Megan Kirley knew Daphne Jones as 'nanna' and inherited a share of her home at Maryborough on the Fraser Coast when she died in 2007. What Megan did not know was that Daphne was a widow six years older than she claimed and had left husband and eight children in 1958

However, Ms Truscott heard the letter had been ripped into pieces; whether that was done by Sidney or Daphne was still unknown.

'Daphne's departure caused Sidney to be a broken man and he buried his sorrows in alcohol,' Ms Truscott found.

Sidney lived with Daphne Lillian from 1963 and in early 1973 moved to Dubbo in the state's central west where he spent the last six months of his life with daughter Marcia.

He died of broncopneumonia and arteriosclerotic cerebral disease on May 2, 1973 aged 64.

Daphne, who had changed her date of birth to make herself six years younger, was by then living in Queensland where she had begun a de facto relationship with plantation owner Roy Shaw.

In 1963 the couple, who might have met in Papua New Guinea, had a place in Brisbane where she worked in a sewing machine shop and called herself Daphne Shaw.

Roy Shaw died in 1972 and Daphne moved on with his close friend Raymond Jones whose wife Vona had died the same year.

Following a 'celebration' of her relationship with Raymond in 1973 - the year her husband Sidney died - Daphne took his name and became stepmother to his daughter Diann.

Daphne spent her last years living in a single-storey brick house (pictured) in Steindl Street, Granville, an eastern suburb of Maryborough. The house was passed to her Queensland family

Daphne, an accomplished seamstress with and eye for design and Raymond, an electrician, bought and renovated houses.

The couple shifted around many locations in Queensland before moving to Maryborough on the Fraser Coast in 2003.

Raymond died of a heart attack in Princess Alexandra Hospital, South Brisbane, on July 7, 2004 aged 74.

His death certificate listed Daphne Pearl Onslow as his third wife, although they were not married and that was never her name.

Daphne's last Queensland driver's licence issued in 2004 recorded her date of birth as July 13, 1924 - six years after she was born.

Ms Truscott said the photograph on Daphne's licence was taken when she was 86, 'though she might not even look 80'.

'There are younger photographs of Daphne Pearl which show that she was a youthful looking woman and from reports of Tyrone and Diann she was very well groomed.'

Daphne and Raymond Jones shifted around many locations in Queensland before moving to Maryborough on the Fraser Coast in 2003. Raymond died of a heart attack in South Brisbane's Princess Alexandra Hospital (pictured) on July 7, 2004 aged 74

'It would appear she could easily have been accepted as being 12 years younger than she was.'

Daphne spent her last years living in Steindl Street, Granville, an eastern suburb of Maryborough. She died of rectal and liver cancer at Maryborough Hospital on November 2, 2007.

Her death certificate stated Daphne had been married to Raymond Jones and died aged 83 when she was actually 89, Ms Truscott found.

'Searches in Queensland also demonstrate that Daphne Jones or Onslow or Hampstead never engaged in a registered marriage consistent with her not having actually remarried after she left Sidney back in 1973,' she said.

Ms Truscott said after Daphne's granddaughter Donna met her stepdaughter Diann and her husband Tyrone the three of them compared notes.

Diann and Tyrone told Donna her grandmother had a 'magnetic, charismatic personality' and 'disliked talking about her past'.

The couple made statements to the coroner in which they said Daphne had talked of having twin sons but mentioned no other children.

'She was very guarded about her history,' Ms Truscott found.

'Diann reports that in 2006 she saw that Daphne was using a paper shredder and remarks that this was consistent with her experience that Daphne would destroy all things about her past.'

Ms Truscott hoped that confirming Daphne Hampstead, Daphne Onslow, Daphne Shaw and Daphne Jones were the same person would bring some relief to those who missed her.

Daphne died of rectal and liver cancer at Maryborough Hospital (pictured) on November 2, 2007. Her death certificate stated Daphne had been married to Raymond Jones and died aged 83 when she was actually 89

'I note that the notice of Daphne's death exhibited in the newspaper indicated that she was the beloved wife of the late Roy Jones,' she said in her findings.

'Loved mother and mother-in-law of Diann and Tyrone, Ted, Esme (deceased) and Theresa (deceased). The loved Nana of 7 and Great nana of 10.

'Added to that she was the mother of eight and grandmother and great grandmother from her NSW family.

'I hope having the record adjusted to reflect that Daphne's death is properly recorded in some way brings a sense of completeness to both Daphne Pearl's NSW and Queensland families.'

The Coroner's Court would be notifying the NSW and Queensland registries for Births, Deaths and Marriages to record the true facts of Daphne Hampstead's life.

In a tragic twist, one of Daphne's Queensland relatives, 40-year-old mother-of-two Megan Kirley, who knew her as 'nanna', was shot dead in Brisbane last year.

Private investigator Athens said the Hampstead family was thankful to have fulfilled Daphne's daughter's dying wish to 'find' her long-lost mother.

'I received my first hug and thank you from my client after 25 years in service,' Athens said.

Its vital to openly discuss matters like these, not from a egotistic point of view with media though the story represents hope and will helps others

'There are people out there that feel hopeless, depressed because of childhood trauma and family mysteries.

'The truth will set everyone free.'
Previous iPhone devices have dropped 40% in value upon the release of a new model. Photo: Drew Coffman/Unsplash

Your iPhones value could drop by over 40% in the weeks after Apple (APPL) releases its new 2020 models, research suggests.

Brits who are planning to upgrade should be on the lookout for the best time to trade-in their device to earn the highest return, tech buyback and seller site Decluttr advised.

The value of older Apple devices typically plummets within hours of a new one being announced.

This year, Apples much-anticipated first ever 5G-enabled phone could hit markets  meaning the rate of depreciation could be even higher than in prior years, although the tech giant said it was delaying the release of its signature smartphone during Tuesdays virtual event.

Decluttrs Annual Phone Depreciation Study found mobile phones lose about 40% of their value within just the first month of their release. The value of older mobile devices then drops another 15% just in the first month of a new phone announcement.

READ MORE: The best iPhone accessories for 2020

However, the quickest and most significant drop from past releases was the iPhone XS and XS Max  they lost 40% and 39% of their value, respectively, in the month the XR was released.

Higher value mobile devices costing $900 (693) or more go down 51% in value in the first six months months. Meanwhile, mid-range mobile devices costing $700 (539) to $899 lose about 56%, and cheaper phones costing $699 or less lose about 64%, according to the study.

After 12 months of release, depreciation continue. High-value devices lose about 58% of their launch value, mid-range devices lose about 65%, and low-cost handsets lose about 66%.

For non-Apple device users, the need for timely trade-ins is even more important, Decluttr warned.

READ MORE: Huawei phone prices rise in China on fears of chip shortage

Compared to other manufacturers, Apple phones are by far the best, losing 51% of their value in the first 12 months, and 67% over a typical two-year contract period.

In comparison, Samsung (BC94.L) devices lose about 67% of their value in the first year, and 80% by the end of the second year. The Samsung S10 5G  one of the most expensive models the brand has released  has so far had one of the worst depreciations ever for the brand, losing a massive 72% of its worth in just 12 months after release.

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Google, Huawei and OnePlus phones are among the worst when it comes to depreciation rate, typically losing between 69% and 72% of their value after the first year of release, the study found.

Overall, iPhones maintain eight of the top 10 spots for retaining value in their first year of release, showing the brands ability to hold value, compared to others.

READ MORE: How you could be invalidating your mobile phone insurance

Of every phone analysed, the iPhone XS and XS Max, which cost $999 and $1,099, retained the highest percentage of their values in the first 12 months after release, dropping by just 45% and 43%, respectively.

The iPhone X also performed well, losing just 58% of its value in the first year of its release.

With the expectation that Apple will be releasing its first 5G-enabled device, wed encourage everyone planning to make an upgrade to trade-in their devices as early as possible to get the best return, said Liam Howley, CMO of Decluttr.

Weve seen how the availability of innovative features has previously impacted depreciation of other devices and its likely to play a significant role this year.
A Perth entrepreneur has created Australia's first "Uber for pets", a rideshare service dedicated exclusively to taking the family's companion to the groomer, the airport, and the vet.

Animal lover Terry Butts came up with the idea of offering pet owners an A-grade transport service after seeing a St Bernard crammed in the front seat of a tiny Toyota Camry.

Terry Butts, the chief executive of Pawba, with pet labrador Maisy.

"It got me thinking, our furry friends need us to go the extra mile when it comes to transport and the existing services out there just don't cut it," Mr Butts said.

"Pets are our most cherished family members and the current rideshare players treat them as an afterthought or ignore them altogether."
By Lisa Lambert

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. emergency agency is sending almost $13 billion to Puerto Rico, directed at the territory's energy and education systems, to help it recover from 2017's devastating Hurricane Maria, the White House said on Friday.

The "federal share" of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's grants to the territory totals $11.6 billion, with most money, $9.6 billion, going to the battered power authority, according to a White House announcement, which did not provide details on the remaining funds or explain why they were not part of the federal share.

Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vazquez Garced said in a statement the full FEMA package is $12.8 billion, with $10.5 billion for power.

The White House said the aid exceeds the total public assistance funding in any single federally-declared disaster other than Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, the destructive 2005 storms. According to the National Hurricane Center, Maria is the third costliest hurricane in U.S. history behind Katrina and 2017's Hurricane Harvey.

Top Democrats said President Donald Trump had delayed and withheld the aid for the last three years, stunting Puerto Rico's ability to rebuild from the storm that killed more than 2,500 people and left the island without power for weeks. Representative Nydia Velazquez said he was "blatantly playing politics" by announcing the package 46 days before the Nov. 3 election, where he is in a tight race against Democrat Joe Biden.

Both Trump and Biden have been working to woo Hispanic voters. Their support is considered critical in the perennial swing state of Florida, where many Puerto Ricans relocated after Maria.

Puerto Rico was already struggling financially before Maria struck, and filed a form of municipal bankruptcy in 2017 to restructure about $120 billion of debt and obligations. A large portion of its financial distress was linked to the power utility.

Since then, it has weathered more hurricanes, earthquakes, the coronavirus pandemic and political upheaval, as well as increased federal scrutiny into its use of U.S. aid.

(Reporting by Lisa Lambert; Additional reporting by Karen Pierog and Makini Brice; Editing by Susan Heavey, Jonathan Oatis and Grant McCool)
EDWARDSVILLE  Alderpersons approved salary changes for a few elected city officials Tuesday during city council.

An ordinance amending the salary of the mayor from $20,000 to $24,000, effective May 1, 2021, was passed Tuesday.

The ordinance will not benefit Mayor Hal Patton, who is not running for a third term next year.

The vote was 5-2, with Aldermen Will Krause and Chris Farrar dissenting. Neither one felt like this is the proper time to give the mayor more money, even though the general council sentiment is that there is no right time for pay raises. Patton disagreed.

All of our non-union positions received pay raises; our union contracts have never had a zero percent increase. Im not advocating for myself since Im not running for re-election, Patton said. But in 16 years, not to have a step or a percentage increase; I respectfully disagree with those who dont think it should be raised.

An ordinance amending the salary of the city treasurer from $16,200 to $18,000, effective May 1, 2021, was also approved. The final vote was 6-1, with Alderman Chris Farrar dissenting.

In addition, the council unanimously approved an ordinance amending the salary of the city clerk from $38,000 to $18,000, effective May 1, 2021.

An ordinance amending the salary of the aldermen from $6,000 to $9,000 received no council support. This was unanimously defeated by the aldermen, who believe that candidates should run for office because they love the city and want to give back to it, not because they want extra money.

Elected city officials salaries are set by city ordinance and per state statute; any salary changes must take place 180 days prior to the election of those positions or they must wait another four years to change it. The 2021 consolidated election is April 6. None of the elected positions salaries have been adjusted since 2004 and the next time city officials will be able to adjust these salaries will be in 2024

In other action, the council unanimously approved the following items Tuesday:

 A resolution authorizing the mayor to sign a grant agreement with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

 An ordinance authorizing donation of certain personal and governmental property to the Glen-Ed Pantry

 An ordinance authorizing donation of certain personal and governmental property to be sold

 A sign variance request for Amazon at 30350 Gateway Commerce Center Drive South

 A sole source resolution authorizing replacement of city halls heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system. City Administrator Kevin Head said there have been about $200,000 worth of service calls on the current system, which is on its last legs per Public Works Director Eric Williams. The new system and a related roofing repairs and replacement on the rear of city hall will cost just under $400,000

 A resolution authorizing acceptance of a deed of conveyance of 419 S. Buchanan, which is adjacent to the Col. Benjamin Stephenson House

 An ordinance pertaining to the local CURE program. The council first agreed to suspend the rules to pass this on first reading

 Approval for American Legion Post 199 to hosts its annual Veterans Day Parade on Nov. 11
The play deals with something everyone right now is figuring out, which is grief, Saurer said. How do we deal with grief in our lives when every single one of us has encountered a loss in the last six months? Some losses have been big, some small, but they have all been significant in our lives . The ultimate outcome of the play is that we find a way to the other side of grief. We always do.
(City of Richmond)

A Virginia bus passenger was robbed as he was having a heart attack by a man who told the driver he would help care for him.

The robbery took place shortly after the elderly victim, a US Air Force veteran, fell sick and collapsed on the bus in the city of Richmond.

Police say that when the driver pulled over and ordered all of the passengers off the bus to clear it for emergency responders, Damontea Chappell offered to stay with the victim until help arrived.

Chappell, 20, was then allegedly caught on bus security cameras going through the victims pockets and stealing $200 in cash from his wallet.

Authorities say the victim, who was on his way to see a doctor, was pronounced dead of natural causes at the scene.

He was a wolf in sheeps clothing, Richmond Police Detective Greg Russell told NBC12 of the man who reportedly offered to help the victim.

He ended up removing money from the victims wallet, and putting it in his pocket.

Ive been a policeman for 30 years, and this might just take the cake. Its a vile incident that happened.

It should not have happened. This man deserved respect.

Authorities say the footage came from cameras positioned inside and outside the Greater Richmond Transit Company bus.

Its already a very difficult time when you lose a loved one, but to find out that there was somebody who took that last piece of dignity from them, is extremely upsetting, said GRTC spokesperson, Carrie Rose Pace.

Police say that Chappell later turned himself in and is being held in custody without bail.

Read more

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'Stay the hell away from Richmond': Mother of Charlottesville victim Heather Heyer gives warning about Virginia gun rally
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 21:21:11|Editor: huaxia

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SOFIA, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Bulgarian authorities have seized more than 1,500 ancient coins and arrested five suspects, the country's Interior Ministry and Specialized Prosecutor's Office said in a joint statement on Friday.

The operation against illegal seekers and traders of archaeological artifacts was conducted on Wednesday evening in Sofia and three other towns, the statement said.

In homes and cars used by the suspects, authorities found and seized more than 1,500 ancient coins, as well as hundreds of artifacts -- such as rings and metal plates with images -- whose origin and historical value are yet to be established, the statement said.

Authorities also seized two metal detectors, one of them for deep scanning, it added.

Bulgaria, located on the Balkan Peninsula at the crossroad of different civilizations, has one of the richest archaeological heritages in Europe. Enditem
By PTI

WASHINGTON: The US on Friday issued orders to ban popular Chinese social media apps TikTok and WeChat from Sunday to safeguard national security, weeks after India banned them, saying they were prejudicial to the sovereignty, integrity, and security of the country.

The move comes a day after US President Donald Trump said he is looking into American major Oracle's reported bid for the Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok and wants to ensure there is no compromise on national security before approving the deal.

Last month, Trump signed an executive order to ban TikTok and WeChat by September 15 unless the ownership of the two Chinese companies changed to American.

"At the President's direction, we have taken significant action to combat China's malicious collection of American citizens' personal data, while promoting our national values, democratic rules-based norms, and aggressive enforcement of US laws and regulations," US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said.

The Department of Commerce warned other social media apps of replicating WeChat or TikTok's illicit behaviour.

The president has the authority to consider whether additional orders may be appropriate to address such activities.

Beginning September 20, US has banned any provision of service to distribute or maintain WeChat or TikTok mobile applications, constituent code, or application updates through an online mobile application store in the US.

It also bans any financial transactions including transferring funds or processing payments within the US, the department said in a statement.

From September 20, for WeChat and from November 12, for TikTok, the US has banned any provision of internet hosting services enabling the functioning or optimisation of the mobile application in the US; content delivery network services enabling the functioning or optimisation of the mobile application in the US.

India banned 59 Chinese apps, including TikTok, We Chat and UC Browser on June 29, saying they were prejudicial to sovereignty, integrity and security of the country.

It was expanded to 224 Chinese apps later.

The ban was imposed in the backdrop of a tense stand-off along the Line of Actual control in eastern Ladakh with Chinese troops.

President Trump had also cited India's action against the Chinese apps while announcing his plan to ban them last month.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has demonstrated the means and motives to use these apps to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and the economy of the US, the statement said.

The announced prohibitions, when combined, protect users in the US by eliminating access to these applications and significantly reducing their functionality, it said.

"Today's actions prove once again that President Trump will do everything in his power to guarantee our national security and protect Americans from the threats of the Chinese Communist Party," Ross said.

The president has provided until November 12 for the national security concerns posed by TikTok to be resolved.

If they are, the prohibitions in this order may be lifted, the department said.

While the threats posed by WeChat and TikTok are not identical, they are similar, the Department of Commerce said, alleging that each collects vast swaths of data from users, including network activity, location data, and browsing and search histories.

"Each is an active participant in China's civil-military fusion and is subject to mandatory cooperation with the intelligence services of the CCP.

This combination results in the use of WeChat and TikTok creating unacceptable risks to our national security," it said.

On August 6, Trump signed executive orders which determined that the apps capture vast swaths of information from US users, leaving the data vulnerable to CCP access for nefarious purposes.

As per the executive order, the Department of Commerce was required to identify transactions within 45 days to protect national security and the private data of millions of people across the country.

The US has also banned any provision directly contracted or arranged internet transit or peering services enabling the function or optimisation of the mobile application within the US; and any utilisation of the mobile application's constituent code, functions, or services in the functioning of software or services developed and/or accessible within the US.
Winston Groom, whose novel Forrest Gump was made into a six-Oscar winning 1994 movie that became a soaring pop cultural phenomenon, has died at age 77.

Mayor Karin Wilson of Fairhope, Alabama, said in a message posted on social media that Groom had died in that south Alabama town. The death was confirmed by a local funeral home, which said arrangements were pending.

It is with great sadness that I share the passing of our dear friend Winston Groom, Wilson wrote on Facebook, adding her community had lost an iconic author. Forrest Gump was the improbable tale of a slow-witted man who was a participant or witness to key points of 20th Century history  from Alabama segregationist Gov. George Wallaces stand at the schoolhouse door, to meetings with presidents. Stars including Tom Hanks gained in popularity through the acclaim the movie and their performances received.

Groom was a 1965 graduate of the University of Alabama, according to the university, which said it was saddened by the passing of what it called a legend. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey also issued a statement that Groom will forever be remembered for his classic work.

Saddened to learn that Alabama has lost one of our most gifted writers. While he will be remembered for creating Forrest Gump, Winston Groom was a talented journalist & noted author of American history. Our hearts & prayers are extended to his family, Ivey said in a message posted online.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)

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Investors with losses are encouraged to contact the firm before October 5, 2020; click here to submit trade information



LOS ANGELES, Sept. 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Portnoy Law Firm advises investors that a class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of Airbus SE (OTC: EADSY, EADSF) investors that acquired shares between February 24, 2016 and July 30, 2020. Investors have until October 5, 2020 to seek an active role in this litigation.

Investors are encouraged to contact attorney Lesley F. Portnoy, to determine eligibility to participate in this action, by phone 310-692-8883 or email , or click here to join the case.

In August 2012, the United Kingdom ("U.K.") Serious Fraud Office ("SFO") announced that it had opened a formal criminal investigation into one of Airbus's subsidiaries, GPT Special Project Management Ltd. ("GPT"), which Airbus acquired in 2007. The allegations called into question a service contract entered into by GPT prior to its acquisition by Airbus, relating to activities conducted by GPT in Saudi Arabia.

Unbeknownst to investors and the public, however, Airbus was at an increased and foreseeable risk of facing significant potential liabilities for other alleged illegal activities that would later be investigated by governmental authorities around the world. These activities, combined with the investigation into GPT, implicated all three of Airbus's divisions, calling into question the sustainability of the Company's reported earnings during the Class Period.

The complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company's business, operational, and compliance policies. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose: (i) that Airbus's policies and protocols were insufficient to ensure the Company's compliance with relevant anti-corruption laws and regulations; (ii) 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; (iii) that, as a result, Airbus's earnings were derived in part from unlawful conduct and therefore unsustainable; (iv) the full scope and severity of Airbus's misconduct; (v) 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 (vi) that, as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.

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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 serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than October 5, 2020.

Please visit our website to review more information and submit your transaction information.

The Portnoy Law Firm represents investors in pursuing claims arising from corporate wrongdoing. The Firms founding partner has recovered over $5.5 billion for aggrieved investors. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

Lesley F. Portnoy, Esq.

Admitted CA and NY Bar

lesley@portnoylaw.com

310-692-8883

www.portnoylaw.com

Attorney Advertising




"We have been talking to youth groups ... and talking to frankly the entire community to ensure we get the clear message. Number one, you cannot and should not mix across different households." Premier Daniel Andrews sharply rebuked those who were breaching restrictions on visiting others at home. "Visiting others is the real issue here, frankly. The rules are in place by reason - the rules are in place for a reason and anyone who undermines this, undermines entire strategy," he said. "If you break the rules, particularly if you are breaking the rules in your home or somebody else's home, where there is no infection control, there is no formality, it is by its very nature, close contact for potentially prolonged periods, all you will do is spread this virus. "I cannot rule out and none of us would rule out that there may not be additional cases beyond the 34. That's why it is so, so important if you have any symptoms at all ... come forward and get tested. That is how you keep it at 34 and not see the things spread out to 340."

Earlier his week Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton revealed the five families involved in the Casey cluster have links to a particular local ethnic community. Mr Andrews said community leaders should not feel as though they have been scapegoated. "The one thing that is almost certain, is if you have this and spend time on other people's homes, you will give it to them. That is the basic point here," he said. "So, just like the virus, it doesn't discriminate, neither does the public health response that we bring to bear. So, anyone who feels that, I would simply say to them, there is no basis in fact for that. "We will continue to work with you and every single Victorian to make sure that, as I said, just as the virus does not discriminate, neither does the public health response."

Mr Andrews stressed people should not be visiting other people's homes. "It's not a new feature, we have seen is all the way through, whether it be dinner parties from people who have been on skiing holidays in Aspen ... or families that live in the outer south-east ... [the virus] does not discriminate," he said. "How big your house is, no matter how big your bank balance is, if you go visiting and you have this, you will take it with you. That is the key." The cluster features small children as well as their elderly relatives, Mr Andrews said. He said the government would start door-knocking houses, as authorities did when clusters emerged in Broadmeadows in the city's north, if necessary.

"If we need to feel we need to put the mobile van at the end of the street [and go] door-knocking up and down, saying, 'if you've got symptoms walk 50 metres and you can get tested', we'll look at that," Mr Andrews said. He would prefer to do that than lock down suburbs and certain industries, he said. "We believe we've got our arms around this - that's a very impressive effort." Language concern Royal Australian College of General Practitioners spokesman Abhi Verma practises in affected communities of Narre Warren and Fountain Gate and said while some of his patients had understood public health messages, some older people in particular had low "health literacy".

"They really do struggle. They dont understand the concept of flattening the curve and what the restrictions are for and why we need to cover our face with a mask," he said. The GP also said that some people in the community had lower paid jobs and casual work, leading them to put health concerns on the "backburner". "They may be doing things like Uber driving  there is a financial imperative for them to keep going to work, or they dont get paid," Dr Verma said. A number of doctors working in the area are concerned social distancing rules have not always being adhered to, particularly by young people. Dr Amena Azizi, a GP in Narre Warren South, said she was surprised to visit a shop in Dandenong in July where she found 16 people within a very small space.

"I was shocked," she said. Mr Andrews said COVID-19 information has been translated into 55 languages for Melbourne's multicultural communities. "I would respectfully not concur with the view that there are large groups of people out there who don't know there's a pandemic and who don't know there are rules and who don't know you're not allowed to be visiting each other," he said. "I just don't think that's a fair reflection of the very high level of awareness across the Victorian community." Victoria's Deputy Chief Health Officer Allen Cheng said at least one essential worker was among the Casey COVID-19 cluster, although authorities do not suspect their colleagues are at risk.

"I think it's disappointing but what has happened has happened and we are concentrating on stopping further spread," he said. "I understand there were essential workers among them, but they have not been in those workplaces. We have been following those people up. I think there is a range of people otherwise, both young and old, involved. "We think that most of the cases are linked between contact between these households. But there has been visits to Fountain Gate and we are not aware of any links of transmissions in that setting, but obviously we want people to come forward for testing if they are unwell." 14-Day average falls The move to stamp out the outbreak in Melbourne's south-east comes after 28 cases were recorded on Thursday and 42 cases on Wednesday and Tuesday. Another five Victorians have died, taking the state's death toll to 750.

Melbourne's 14-day case average, which is crucial to easing lockdown restrictions from September 28, has fallen to 42.7. Premier Daniel Andrews said 32 of today's 45 new cases were linked to known outbreaks and complex cases, he said, while 13 remain under investigation. One man in his 50s, one man in his 70s, one man in his 80s and two women in their 90s died from the virus overnight. All of their deaths are linked to aged care outbreaks. There are now 920 active cases in Victoria, including 30 cases in country areas where lockdown restrictions eased earlier this week.

"They continue to fall and that is very pleasing news," Premier Daniel Andrews said. "There is just one new case in regional Victoria, which I believe is in that Geelong corridor." Across aged care homes there are 474 active cases and just one active case - a staff member - linked to a disability facility. Mr Andrews said he would leave any announcements regarding this morning's national cabinet meeting to the Prime Minister. There are 90 Victorians in hospital battling the virus, including 11 in intensive care and seven on a ventilator.

Deakin University epidemiology chair Catherine Bennett said Melbournes 14-day average was likely to be "comfortably" within the required 30-50 range by September 28. "It would be nice if we could break through the bottom of that range and be in the high 20s by then. Thats actually possible," she said. Traffic chaos at Little River checkpoint Traffic was banked up for kilometres at the Little River police checkpoint on Melbourne's south-west border on Friday morning. Motorists were stuck for hours waiting for a police check on the Princes Freeway before Geelong, with images showing the gridlock stretched as far back as Werribee.

A caller to radio station 3AW also told regional Victorians to avoid the Hume Freeway, which was reportedly banked up from the Kalkallo police checkpoint, about 30 kilometres north of Melbourne, all the way back to the Craigieburn bypass. Police beefed-up the so-called "ring of steel" around Melbourne this week after lockdown restrictions were eased in regional Victoria. Melburnians trying to escape the city face an almost $5000 fine at the roadblocks. Traffic at the Little River police checkpoint on the way to Geelong. Credit:Nine News Mr Andrews said he was not aware of reports that Melburnians were changing their address in order to move to their second residence in regional Victoria to dodge the city's tough lockdown. "If that were the case, no doubt there would be submissions made to me," he said.
WASHINGTON: U.S. presidential candidate Joe Bidens recent warning that Britain must honor Northern Irelands 1998 peace agreement to secure a U.S. trade deal adds new complexity to already tough trade talks between the United States and the U.K.

We cant allow the Good Friday Agreement that brought peace to Northern Ireland to become a casualty of Brexit," Biden wrote on Twitter on Wednesday, referring to the deal that ended three decades of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland and created a shared regional government.

Biden was echoing Democratic House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosis warning last week that any move by Britain to erect physical customs borders between British-ruled Northern Ireland and European Union member Ireland meant no chance" for a U.S.-U.K. trade deal.

U.S. President Donald Trumps special envoy to Northern Ireland, Mick Mulvaney, also warned against creating a hard border by accident," telling https://www.ft.com/content/e71b7301-4b35-4a13-bee2-f9446b438e05 the Financial Times that the Trump administration and Congress were aligned in their desire to preserve the 1998 Good Friday Agreements border prohibitions.

The warnings come as U.S. negotiators in the Trump administration wrap up a fourth round of trade talks with their British counterparts in Washington this week. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday the talks could reach a successful conclusion before too long."

No matter how they end, U.S. law gives Congress authority over trade policy. Trump has sometimes sidestepped that authority on trade issues, but U.S. and British officials have said they are aiming for a comprehensive agreement that would need Congresss approval.

The U.S. election on Nov. 3 is expected to leave the House in Democratic hands, giving extra weight to Pelosis words.

Both the U.S. and Britain have other hurdles to clear as well, trade experts say.

Removing the Good Friday Agreement is a nonstarter, but there are five or six other potentially really difficult issues that the two countries are still far apart on," said Harry Broadman, managing director at the Berkeley Research Group and a former senior U.S. trade official, including agriculture, the British healthcare system and Britains proposed digital services tax.

NON-NEGOTIABLE

Asked about the Trump administrations view Thursday, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizers office pointed to his June testimony to Congress, where he said there is no chance Congress would pass a trade deal if Britain put up borders in Ireland, violating the Good Friday Agreement.

Ive made that quite clear. The chairman (of the committee) has made it quite clear to me. The president agrees this is not something on which were going to have a negotiation," he said.

The Good Friday Agreement is in jeopardy, some diplomats say, because of new legislation proposed by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

British trade officials have repeatedly said they are seeking a comprehensive trade deal and are not seeking to rush into an agreement before the U.S. election, nor waiting to see who wins at the polls in November.

U.S. and British trade negotiators were expected to discuss one of the thorniest issues between the two countries in the current round of trade talks: increased access for agricultural products.

British trade minister Liz Truss has pledged to drive a hard bargain" with the United States, vowing that Britain would not diminish its food safety standards to import American products such as chlorine-treated poultry and genetically modified crops.

Britain wants access for lamb and beef exports to the United States.

Autos are the largest source of trade between the two economies, and another point of friction. Britain maintains a 10% tariff on any U.S. imports, four times the U.S. tariff on British cars. An outstanding threat by Trump to impose 25% tariffs on imported vehicles makes negotiating down the British rate unlikely, trade experts say.

Pompeo, speaking Wednesday at a news conference with British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, said he trusted Britain to find a solution.

We know the complexity of the situation," Pompeo said. In the end, this will be a set of decisions with respect to this that the United Kingdom makes and (I) have great confidence that they will get this right in a way that treats everyone fairly and gets a good outcome."

Raab told CNN on Thursday that the 1998 agreement is not in jeopardy."

There is not going to be any hard border, certainly not applied by the UK," Raab said, adding that if the EU made a similar commitment, it would also help the negotiations."

Jacob Funk Kirkegaard, a nonresident senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said Bidens warning suggests that perhaps he is just not that interested in a deal.

The phrasing of not wanting Northern Irish peace to be a victim of Brexit, thats a really forceful intervention by a potential future American president - basically disavowing the signature project that defines the current British government. Its difficult to imagine that wording is not reflective of Bidens overall interest in pursuing this deal."

Trump has developed close ties to Johnson, but Bidens warning suggests he may not do the same, he said.

This signals to me that the special relationship between a Biden administration and Boris Johnsons government, especially in a no-deal Brexit, is not going to be very special."

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
Hurricanes. Fires. Floods. Tornadoes. Blizzards. We tend to think of these things as being freak accidents, natural disasters that no one could have seen coming. But the reality is that this weather is a normal part of meteorological cycles in many parts of North America, and it is likely that at some point one of these extreme weather events could require you to evacuate your office.

Unfortunately, many offices only have a perfunctory evacuation plan that doesn't take into account the needs of all employees, so if you want to ensure that your plan is up-to-date and will keep every member of your team safe, here are three ways you can make it more comprehensive.

1. Evacuation Chairs

One of the most common unforeseen challenges in the event of an evacuation is navigating stairs. While most office buildings are equipped with escalators or elevators to ensure workers with limited mobility can comfortably enter and exit the building, these options may not be available in the case of an evacuation.

This is why companies need to make sure they have evacuation chairs for stairs to ensure all employees can evacuate in a timely fashion. Evacuation chairs are equipped with handgrips, wheels, rubber runners, and safety belts, which makes getting employees with mobility issues get to safety alongside the rest of the team easy. Because they are lightweight and can be folded up, they can be kept ready at hand in case of an emergency.

2. A Plan for Visitors

Every office's evacuation plan should include lists of all active employees who will need to be accounted for to guarantee no one is left behind. But what about visitors, contractors, or clients who might be visiting the building?

While having visitors sign in might seem like an unnecessary hassle, especially if you have a more relaxed office where people are frequently coming and going, sign-in and sign-out lists are an essential safety feature that can save precious time in the event of an emergency.

3. Personal Protective Equipment

All the planning in the world will not ensure that everything goes smoothly in the event of a fire, flood, or other disaster, and there is always a chance that some team members will need to navigate risky environments on their way to safety.

That's why many experts recommend keeping personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks, gloves, face shields, or goggles to protect against smoke and fumes.

For as long as people have been living together in settlements, there has always been a possibility that we will need to evacuate should things go wrong. But as climate change alters global weather patterns, many scientists predict that they will become a bigger part of everyday life.

This means that it is more important than ever for companies to be prepared to evacuate their team in the event of bad weather. Make sure to check over your evacuation plan this autumn to make sure that you have the tools, equipment, and procedures you need to keep everyone safe even in the worst-case scenario.

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
After a long discussion, the Central Council (Amendment) Bill, 2020, was passed in the on Friday.

Speaking on the Bill, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan told the Upper House that the Centre is committed to ensuring that all kinds of medicines are available to the citizens. However, he objected to the use of the term "quackery" in reference to certain ancient Indian medical system.

"The government is committed to ensure that all kinds of medicines are available to the citizens. We also have the Digital Mission. New medical institutes are opening under which there are blocks dealing with Indian medicines," he said.

"A member of the House called the reform and regulation of the Indian systems of the medicine being undertaken through the bills, as promoting 'quackery'. I am pained by the use of this word. Yoga and naturopathy need a separate medical commission. Also, the Medical Commission for modern medicine will be functional soon," the Union Health Minister said.

The Central Council (Amendment) Bill, 2020 was introduced in on September 14, 2020. The Bill, which is now an Act, amends the Central Council Act, 1973.

The Act sets up the Central Council of Homoeopathy which regulates homoeopathic education and practice. The Bill replaced the Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020 which was promulgated on April 24, 2020.

Apart from that the Indian Medicine Central Council (Amendment) Bill, 2020 has also been passed in the

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
SPRINGFIELD  As visitors walk into Art for the Soul Gallery in Springfield this month they will see the work of Latinx artists presenting their culture and history through a variety of mediums.

We have a little bit of everything from digital pieces to masks and paintings, said Rosemary Tracy Woods, the executive director of Art for the Soul Gallery located on the second floor of the Tower Square building on Main Street.

The exhibition, titled Roots/ Raices: The Diversity of the Latinx Community, opened on Sept. 15 and will run through Oct. 15 in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. It was a collaboration between Woods and guest curator Ashley Zurc Pereira, who is a member of the gallerys Board of Directors.

She wanted to do this exhibition and while we were hesitant because of COVID-19, we knew we still wanted to do something, especially with the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement highlighting the struggle of Black people and people of color in general including Latinx people, she said.

The primary goal of Art for the Soul Gallery has always been to showcase the work of underrepresented artists including people of color and female artists.

We exhibit artists of diverse backgrounds whose work addresses social injustices and community issues, Woods said. While we have featured many Latinx artists over the years, we have never had an exhibit dedicated solely to Latinx, particularly Puerto Rican, artists.

Woods said she participates in the Springfield Puerto Rican Parade every year and is saddened that the parade had to be virtual this year, but understands the importance of keeping people safe during the pandemic.

On Sunday, Sept. 20, several hours after the Springfield Puerto Rican Parade will host its first ever virtual parade, the gallery will host a free, in-person event from 2-4 p.m. where the community can meet some of the artists whose work is on display.

We will also have a virtual poetry reading from Springfields Poet Laureate Magdalena Gomez and several other cultural activities, she said.

Gomez created a performance art piece that will debut Sunday and will paly on a television screen in the gallery.

Due to COVID-19, everyone will be asked to wear masks and only 20 people will be allowed in the gallery at one time, but the reception area is in the upper level of Tower Square which can accommodate social distancing.

We wanted to do something celebratory, but also safe," she said.

Woods said the adjoining photo gallery The Valley Photo Center featuring the work of photographer Richard Bulda will also be open for visitors.

His work right now is focused on the Black Lives Matter movement and we feel both of these communities face similar issues and even share some common ancestry so we wanted to have the space open for people to view as well, she said.

Featured artists at Art for the Soul will include:

 Elizabeth Erazo Baez, a Puerto Rican visual artist and art teacher based in Miami, Florida. Her paintings capture tropical scenes, the art of Puerto Rico, the Caribbean and tell visual stories of Latino culture.

 Ellis Echevarria, an Afro-Puerto Rican artist whose work includes the digital medium and fine art pieces. His work is inspired by his experiences growing up in Hartford, Connecticut.

 Jason R. Montgomery, is a Chicano/Indigenous Californian writer, painter, and playwright from El Centro, California. In 2016, along with Poet Alexandra Woolner, and illustrator Jen Wagner, Montgomery founded Attack Bear Press in Easthampton. His work is a cross-section of Chicano/Indigenous identity, cultural hybridization, post-colonial reconstruction, and political agency.

 Raymond Escribano is a painter and muralist from Puerto Rico and is featured in the artist archives of the Museo del Barrio in New York City. Through his art he seeks to vividly illustrate traditional and/or contemporary cultural expressions in the Puerto Rican community. He currently lives in Springfield.

Alexx Diaz is a Puerto Rican artist based in Springfield who creates work focused on her Taino and African ancestry. She works with canvas, paints, pencils, Papier-mache, and especially recycled materials when creating her artwork such as the Vejigante masks which are on display at the gallery.

Those who cannot attend the Sunday event, but would like to view the exhibition can go anytime during the gallerys operating hours: Tues.-Fri. from 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturdays 12 p.m. -5 p.m. and Sundays by appointment only.

Related content:
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: A day after the City Crime Branch (CCB) questioned actors Diganth Manchale and Aindrita Ray, investigation officers issued notices to a few other actors.

Based on information revealed by arrested accused Viren Khanna, the officers asked those involved in supplying drugs at parties to appear before the CCB on Friday and Saturday.

A senior police officer said that Khanna, who used to send out invitations through text messages to VIPs, celebrities and budding actors, gave some more names of those involved in the drug racket.

ALSO READ: Ragini Dwivedi miserable in jail, cried in her cell till midnight, say sources

We have issued notice to a senior actor as well, and dont want to reveal names at this stage, the officer said.

It is said that a couple of actors were caught by Jayanagar police in 2017, but action was not taken against them as police did not find strong evidence.

One of them also met with an accident after consuming drugs, and escaped with minor injuries. The incident was not reported to police. The actor would also take his brother to parties on Vittal Mallya Road, the police officer added.

ALSO READ: Be merciless in Sandalwood drug case, says Karnataka Opposition leader Siddaramaiah

During interrogation, prime accused Ravishankar revealed the names of some politicians sons too. Police sent notices and gathered details about their lavish lifestyles and bank cards.

Sanjjanaa did not sleep

Actor Sanjjanaa Galrani, who was remanded to judicial custody on Wednesday, did not sleep the whole night due to mosquitoes.

She asked for a mosquito net, but jail officers said there were no such facilities in the cell. Though she shared the cell with actor Ragini Dwivedi, the duo did not speak much as Ragini was busy reading books.

Meanwhile, Aindrita Ray on Thursday spoke to the media at her house.

We are cooperating with CCB in the investigation and have instructed police not to reveal any details shared with the officer. We have answered all questions asked by CCB officers on Wednesday, and will again appear before CCB whenever we are called.
(Bloomberg) -- The new U.S. company that TikToks owner ByteDance Ltd. plans to form with Oracle Corp. intends to hold an initial public offering in about a year, according to people familiar with the matter.

The new company, which would be called TikTok Global, according to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, will be the result of a transaction forced by President Donald Trump last month because of national security concerns about TikToks Chinese ownership. Bloomberg News reported earlier that the Treasury Department, ByteDance and Oracle agreed to terms for the deal late Wednesday.

Mnuchin sent ByteDance a revised terms sheet late Wednesday and the company and Oracle accepted it. People familiar with the matter described the governments changes as addressing national security concerns about the transaction and asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter.

An administration official, who was granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive negotiations, said Thursday night that Trump had been briefed on some of the parameters of the deal and that the president didnt want China to retain a controlling interest in TikTok that would imperil Americans personal information.

Situation Is Very Fluid

As he left the White House for a campaign trip to Wisconsin, Trump told reporters that administration officials had spoken with the companies involved in the deal on Thursday but didnt elaborate.

We spoke today, to Walmart, Oracle, I guess Microsoft is still involved, well make a decision but nothing much has changed.

ByteDance rejected Microsoft Corp.s bid for the U.S. operations of TikTok last weekend, and a person familiar with the company said Thursday night that it was no longer involved in talks related to TikTok.

During the trip to Wisconsin, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said, The situation is very fluid. Theres no definite proposal that the presidents being asked to consider or reject at this point. And obviously hell need to weigh in before the deadline on Sept. 20.

Story continues

In a sign that the deal may go through, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, who held some of the strongest reservations about the agreement, had since softened his opposition and told Trump so on Wednesday morning, according to two people familiar with the matter.

ByteDance is trying to win U.S. approval for a transaction with Oracle that would leave the Chinese-headquartered parent company with majority ownership of TikTok.

Any deal must be approved by both Trump -- who could still reject the transaction -- and the Chinese government. Beijing is unlikely to oppose an arrangement that doesnt involve the transfer of ByteDances technology, especially if the Chinese parent retains majority control of TikTok, another person close to the negotiations has said.

White House senior adviser Jared Kushner is aware of the revised terms but hasnt reviewed the latest details in depth and hasnt weighed in on whether Trump should sign off on the deal, one person familiar with the matter said.

The White House, Treasury and TikTok declined to comment.

Chinas Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin urged the U.S. to provide an open, fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment for foreign companies operating in the U.S. during a briefing.

Meadows said earlier Thursday that hes concerned that Oracles bid for TikTok may be a repackaging that wont meet the presidents goals.

Were still looking at the potential details of the deal, and whether it meets the national-security thresholds, the American-interest thresholds, Meadows said. My big concern is if all were doing is repackaging it and still keeping it as a predominantly Chinese-government run company, that would not sit well with the original goal the president outlined.

Under the plan, Oracle would acquire a minority stake in a newly formed TikTok that would be headquartered in the U.S. with an independent board approved by the U.S. government.

The new terms, which are designed to protect the data of U.S. citizens from falling into Chinese hands, include 20 pages of detailed provisions over data and national security, the people said. Under those terms, the board of directors would have to consist entirely of U.S. citizens and would include a national security committee.

That body would be led by an American data-security expert who would be the primary contact with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., which would oversee any issues of concern to the U.S. government. The previous terms hadnt included language on the formation of that committee.

Terms of the proposed deal would give Oracle full access to TikToks source code and updates to make sure there are no back doors used by the companys Chinese parent to access data on the video-sharing apps 100 million American users, Bloomberg reported.

At least three shareholders in TikToks Chinese parent company -- General Atlantic, Sequoia Capital and Coatue Management -- would take stakes in the new business, Bloomberg has reported.

Walmart Inc., which had previously partnered with Microsoft Corp. to make an outright bid for TikToks U.S. business, remains interested in investing as well, and could also end up with a seat on the board, according to one of the people. With Oracle, Walmart and the continued involvement of existing U.S. investors, the new company, TikTok Global, would have a strong contingent of American investors, some of the people said.

(Updates with Pompeos position, in ninth paragraph.)

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NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro is taking mental health leave for up to four weeks after a tumultuous fortnight dominated by the koala protection policy.

The outspoken NSW Nationals leader will miss next week's sitting of parliament.

His deputy Paul Toole has been installed acting leader.

Mr Barilaro put himself in the firing line last week when he threatened to implode the coalition government if concessions on the state's koala protection policy were not made.

He backed down after Premier Gladys Berejiklian gave him an ultimatum that Nationals MPs support the government or its ministers be sacked from cabinet.

He survived a no-confidence motion in state parliament on Wednesday despite senior government's minister publicly disparaging his actions.

The deputy premier texted his colleagues on Friday afternoon, announcing his leave and expressed he had been 'struggling'.

NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro (pictured) is taking mental health leave for up to four weeks after a tumultuous fortnight dominated by koala protection policy

'Some of you are aware of the issues I've been dealing with, added with the past 10 days I'm not in a good way,' he said in messages obtained by Seven News.

'Whatever has occurred in the past week, I'm sorry for not being the leader you needed.

'I'm struggling. I've never felt this way and I need to address everything I'm facing.'

Mr Barilaro told his colleagues he had 'no regrets' and believed they were on the 'right side of history'.

Ms Berejiklian confirmed she had been advised by the deputy premier he was taking up to a month's leave.

'I have offered him any support he may need. I wish John and his family all the best during this time,' Ms Berejiklian said in a statement.

A source close to Mr Barilaro told The Daily Telegraph he was in need of a 'rest'.

'After nine months of helping people rebuild their lives after the worst fires in history, after dealing with farmers who have just faced the worst drought on record and compounded with losing his father a month ago, it's time for a rest,' the source said.

He was given a standing ovation on Friday morning after telling his party he would continue to fight against the koala policy.

Mr Barilaro said the policy would be the 'nail in the coffin for farmers' and strip them of their land rights.

His leave comes after he was given a standing ovation on Friday morning after telling his party he would continue to fight against the koala policy

The Nationals leader told his colleagues on Friday afternoon he was 'not in a good way' and would be taking time off to deal with his mental health

The Koala Habitat Protection State Environment Planning Policy identified 123 trees that were needed as food or shelter for the animals - which is a jump from the ten trees which were already considered 'core' habitat for the animals.

Debates around the policy have caused tensions in the NSW government to boil over in recent weeks.

'If we were to support that we would become the laughing stock of regional and rural NSW,' Mr Barilaro earlier said.

'This is the right thing to fight for on behalf of the community.'

Mr Barilaro's leave will mean he will miss a cabinet meeting on October 6 where the koala policy is expected to be debated.

Colleagues of the deputy premier expressed concerns over his health this week.

'I am furious with him but on another level, I am very worried about the bloke. He is not in a good place,' one senior Liberal minister said, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Last week Mr Barilaro had blindsided the premier announcing his MPs would abstain from voting on coalition bills as they fought changes to the koala protection plan.

The move effectively robbed the government of its majority and provoked a stern response from the premier.

'It is not possible to be the deputy premier or a minister of the Crown and sit on the crossbench', Ms Berejiklian fired off in a media statement.

She said Mr Barilaro and his Nationals ministerial colleagues had until Friday morning to declare support for her government or be sacked from cabinet.
Credit: Wikimedia Commons

The coronavirus pandemic has been compared with many previous contagions, including the great plague and the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. However, there has been little consideration of probably the most significant historical episode of disease. The modern world as we know it would not have existed without the epidemics that swept through the Americas in the 16th and 17th centuries. These epidemics created the modern world.

In the wake of Christopher Columbus's voyages of exploration, Europeans arrived in the Americas in ever-increasing numbers. They brought with them a range of viruses, such as smallpox, influenza, measles, mumps and chickenpox, to which Native Americans had no prior exposure and no immunity. Historians call the resulting epidemics "virgin soil epidemics."

Coronavirus has demonstrated the impact that epidemic disease can have on a vulnerable population. Similarly, these virgin soil epidemics rapidly swept through Native American communities. Societies were overwhelmed. Everyone fell sick at once: there was no one to care for the sick and no one to plant or harvest crops.

The impact of the epidemics was extensive. At one level, they removed the people who could have resisted European expansion. Studies now suggest that the population of the Americas may have been as high as 100 million before contact with Europeans. In many regions, within a century of exposure to these diseases, 95% of the population died.

We are well aware of the Aztec and Inca empires, but similar, if not quite so complex, societies existed elsewhere. When Hernando de Soto explored what is now the south-eastern United States in the 1540s, he found the local population living in large towns, which could raise armies with thousands of men. When English explorers entered the region at the end of the following century, they found only a few scattered tribes.

For many years, historians questioned the validity of the accounts of de Soto's expedition. However, archeology has now verified many of the descriptions that his men brought back. These societies were eradicated by virgin soil epidemics, even though their direct contact with Europeans was limited.

These epidemics not only killed the people, but they also destroyed culture and morale. Most Native American societies were non-literatethey did not have a written language. Consequently, when elders died simultaneously, much of the community's culture and knowledge also disappeared. This loss fed into a cycle of despair and demoralization, which both undermined Native American resistance and provided a justification for European expansion.

Manifest destiny

Some observers in east Asia have viewed the failure of western governments to control the coronavirus as evidence of the weakness and fragility of western democracy. Similarly, in the 16th century, Europeans saw the virgin soil epidemics as proof of their moral and biological superiority. They were evidence that God intended Europeans to take control of the Americas.

When the Pilgrims arrived in New England in the 1620s, they found the local population already decimated by disease. Along the coast were abandoned villages that provided perfect settlement sites. It was as if God had blessed the Pilgrims' mission.

The epidemics themselves helped to rationalize colonialismit was God's will, after all. They allowed Euro-Americans to appropriate native lands while abrogating them of any blame, and to view their imperialism as some divinely preordained "manifest destiny."

We do not yet know how extensive the long-term social and economic effects of coronavirus will be, but these virgin soil epidemics had unexpected consequences. Many of the early European adventurers anticipated that Native Americans would provide the labor to work their fields. When they began to produce lucrative staple crops such as sugar, coffee and tobacco, the demand for labor became intense. Without a local population to exploit, Europeans turned to Africa to provide them with that workforce.

Atlantic slave trade

The slave trade had long existed in various forms, but its scale in the 17th and 18th centuries, the methods used, and the justifications provided, were unprecedented. The absolute ownership of peoplechattel slaveryjustified by concepts of racial superiority was, in many respects, a result of these virgin soil epidemics.

While "alternative history" can be difficult and dangerous, it is apparent that had these virgin soil epidemics not swept the Americas, the modern world would have developed very differently. The American nations, not least the US, would not have existed in their current form.

The clearly defined racism and sense of European superiority that emerged in the 18th century, and that has plagued the world ever since, would not have developed in the same way. We might also consider whether, without the profits from the natural wealth of the Americas, Europe would have become so predominant in the world.

Without virgin soil epidemics, the world would have been very different. It remains to be seen how far coronavirus will also transform the world.

Explore further The ecological footprint of European colonization at the doorway to the Americas

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Gov. Greg Abbott announced that most Texas restaurants and retail stores are among businesses that can expand capacity starting Monday.

Noticeably missing from the governors announcement were bars, which will remain closed statewide for the time being.

Abbott said restaurants, retail stores, office buildings, manufacturing facilities, museums, libraries and gyms can increase capacity from 50 percent to 75 percent across the state, but only in regions deemed safe enough.

Abbotts Strike Force to Open Texas carved out 22 hospital regions in the state and will only allow the expanded capacity in regions with COVID-19 hospitalizations under 15 percent of the regions capacity for seven days straight.

The expanded capacity rules start Monday.

Only three regions  Rio Grande, Laredo and Victoria  are over the threshold as of Thursday.

That level of hospitalization shows COVID is spreading too much for those regions to expand their openings, Abbott said. The other 19 regions are able to open at the expanded capacity announced today.

Hospitals in the safe regions can start offering elective surgery again.

Nursing homes and long-term care facilities can also reopen for visitation inside safe regions. They can also restart essential caregiver visits, both starting Sept. 24.

Abbott said bars are too dangerous to reopen at this point in the pandemic.

We are focused on finding ways to get them open, Abbott said. We will continue to work with them on that process.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 05:48:00|Editor: huaxia

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United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres makes remarks during the UN peace bell ceremony at the UN headquarters in New York, on Sept. 17, 2020. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Thursday that the COVID-19 pandemic is expanding risks to peace everywhere. The UN peace bell ceremony was held here on the occasion of the 39th anniversary of the International Day of Peace, which is observed around the world each year on Sept. 21. (Mark Garten/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Thursday that the COVID-19 pandemic is expanding risks to peace everywhere.

"It poses an enormous threat to people caught up in conflict, which is why I made an immediate appeal for a global ceasefire," the UN chief said at the UN peace bell ceremony on the occasion of the 39th anniversary of the International Day of Peace, which is observed around the world each year on Sept. 21.

"I will repeat the call during the General Debate next week. We need to silence the guns and focus on our common enemy: the virus," said the secretary-general.

The annual meeting of world leaders at the UN is going virtual this year for the first time in its 75-year history because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The first day of the General Debate is on Sept. 22.

Noting that peace is never a given, the UN chief said that "it is an aspiration that is only as strong as our conviction, and only as durable as our hope."

"It can take decades, even centuries, to build peaceful, stable societies. But peace can be squandered in an instant by reckless, divisive policies and approaches," the UN chief noted.

"Beyond war zones, the pandemic is highlighting and exploiting inequalities of all kinds, setting communities and countries against each other," Guterres said.

He called for efforts to "push for peace wherever conflict is raging and wherever there are diplomatic opportunities to silence the guns."

The peace bell ceremony was beamed globally via live feed, with the UN chief and the new UN General Assembly president, Volkan Bozkir, standing at appropriately distanced podiums, in line with COVID-19 measures.

Bozkir said the pandemic has threatened health, security and the way of life of people everywhere.

"Today we stand separated and masked. The pandemic has brought unexpected levels of misery and hardship to many. But it is the most vulnerable who suffer most, and are still suffering, both in conflict, and at the hands of this disease," he said.

Under normal conditions, UN messengers of peace, such as renowned American cellist Yo-Yo Ma, would travel to New York to take part in the peace bell ceremony.

Ma participated virtually in this year's commemoration, as did Jane Goodall, the British primatologist famous for her pioneering research on chimpanzees.

Prior to the official ceremony, the two UN messengers of peace participated in a student observance of the international day, held online. Their colleagues -- violinist Midori, conductor Daniel Barenboim, and Paulo Coelho, author of "The Alchemist" -- provided inspirational video messages.

Goodall was adamant that the world will get through the pandemic. "But when we get through it, we must get together as a human family," she said. "We must set aside differences between nations, religions, cultures, to tackle a far greater threat, which is the climate crisis."

Ma spoke of the need to build trust between various generations as a means to achieve peace.

"Intergenerational exchange is incredibly important," he told the young audience. "It's your world, and we need to hand you over as best a world as we can, and trust that you are going to be the great stewards over the next half century." Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 06:06:56|Editor: huaxia

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HOUSTON, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Governor of the U.S. state of Texas Greg Abbott announced Thursday that COVID-19 restrictions will be loosened in most areas of the state from Monday.

According to Abbott, businesses in areas where coronavirus patients make up less than 15 percent of all hospitalizations can open at 75 percent of capacity starting Monday. Those businesses include retail stores, restaurants and office buildings.

Hospitals in those areas will also be allowed to have normal elective procedures. Nursing homes and assisted living centers can reopen for visitations under certain standards starting from Sept. 24, he added.

However, Abbott said bars are not ready to be reopened, saying they are "nationally recognized as COVID-spreading locations."

After the announcement, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said the procedure might be "a little more aggressive."

"The state has taken a little more aggressive approach rather than cautious approach in announcing the next round of reopening," he tweeted.

According to official figures, the state reported 3,518 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday and 112 new coronavirus related deaths. Enditem
RTHK: US Democrats set out China response plan

US Senate Democrats announced their own programme to counter China's global influence on Thursday, unveiling a sweeping US$350 million package of legislation seeking to boost US competitiveness and recast diplomacy with Beijing.

The plan was backed by 11 Democrats, including Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, but its prospects were unclear because President Donald Trump's fellow Republicans control the Senate and determine which legislation it considers.

However, Senator Jim Risch, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he hoped the Democrats' ideas could be combined with Republican proposals for a bipartisan plan.

"This is an American issue. This is not a partisan issue," Risch told a committee hearing at which State Department officials testified about China's global influence, with one calling Beijing a "lawless bully."

The "America LEADS Act of 2020" would, among other things, restore an emphasis on human rights, related to issues such as protests in Hong Kong and the treatment of Uighurs in Xinjiang.

It also would strengthen trade enforcement measures, provide new resources to the US education system, and renew US diplomacy with China by strengthening the US commitment to international allies and international organisations like the World Health Organisation.

Senator Bob Menendez, the committee's ranking Democrat and a leader of the Democratic effort, said he looked forward to working with Republicans "to forge a strong, unified and bipartisan approach" on the matter.

Relations with China have become an issue in campaigning for the November 3 elections, with Trump running for re-election and control of Congress up for grabs. Trump and his fellow Republicans have sought to portray Democrats as weak on China, which Democrats dispute.

Relations between China and the United States have nosedived in recent months, with disagreements over Taiwan, Hong Kong, trade, human rights and the coronavirus pandemic. (Reuters)

This story has been published on: 2020-09-18. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Californias real-estate industry is bringing back a failed idea with dressed-up appeal. Prop. 19 would let older property owners take their low tax assessments on to their next home anywhere in the state. It would also plug an inheritance loophole with new funds going to firefighting, an inviting idea amid the states raging wildfires.

But its still a flawed package, designed to rev up home sales that benefit real estate agents who could reap more in commissions. It favors one narrow segment of the tax-paying public but does nothing for the rest of the states home buyers. The measure shows the convoluted extremes that Californias tangled property tax system produces.

Making it worse isnt the answer.

Existing law allows homeowners 55 and older to take low tax valuations with them when they go house hunting in their empty nester years. Its a one-time gift and generally limited to the same county. Only 10 counties including Alameda, Santa Clara, and San Mateo allow qualified buyers from outside counties to use their prior tax valuations. But the majority of the state has balked at accepting a low tax bill from older buyers while younger ones pay full freight.

Two years ago, a plan to go statewide with portable tax bills failed by 20 percentage points. Now its time for a rerun with some deft rewriting. Sorry to say, the Legislature bowed to the real estate lobby and put this mishmash on the Nov. 3 ballot.

The measure sticks with the plan to let older and disabled homeowners carry lower tax bills to their next purchase but with a twist. But that low tax rate could be used up to three times instead of just once. To wipe away objecting counties, the measure would allow a would-be buyer to purchase anywhere in the state. Thats the prize that real estate brokers see in Prop. 19.

There are modest reforms in the package. The measure largely ends a loophole that allows children or grandchildren to inherit family homes at older tax rates, even if they rent it out or use it as vacation spot. Under Prop. 19 only the first $1 million in value would be protected from higher taxes.

At the last minute, the measures backers added a grabber feature. If new money flowed, presumably from the loophole fix, it would go to a wildfire fund used to pay firefighters. That add-on won the backing of organized firefighters now appearing on TV ads for the measure. Special interest was married to special interest to try to sell the measure to voters.

The basics of the measure sound appealing: Let older, longtime homeowners keep their low tax rates in their retirement years. But this group already has that privilege under present law. Prop. 19 would enlarge that opportunity to please a hungry real estate world against the wishes of most of Californias counties.

Theres another factor to weigh. One argument in favor of the proposition is that it will encourage older couples to leave mostly empty family-sized homes, freeing up space for younger couples with children. But the measure wont contribute to the states crying need for more housing. It only reshuffles the existing deck.

Older homeowners will continue to get a break, but young buyers will still face high property taxes keyed to a purchase price. Its advertised as reform, but its nothing of the sort. Its a contrived tweak of an already convoluted tax system through a multimillion-dollar campaign that is being bankrolled by the real-estate industry.

It makes no sense to add another warped change to the landmark Prop. 13 of 1978. California tax laws are a tangle, but adding to the inequities is the opposite of sensible tax reform. Vote no on Prop. 19.

This commentary is from The Chronicles editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters.
Suspended Congress leader Sanjay Jha on Friday said the opposition party and the BJP were on the same page on the farm sector bills as the Congress had before the 2019 parliamentary elections proposed abolition of the APMC Act to make agricultural produce free from restrictions. Jha, who was suspended a few months ago, sought to embarrass the Congress saying opening up the national market for farmers is a sensible move and was a welcome step.

His tweets found favour with the BJP, whose IT department head Amit Malviya said Jha is the only person who seems to have read the Congress manifesto and is appalled at the duplicity of its leadership. Jha also said the amendment in the Essential Commodities Act is consistent with the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance's own intent earlier and "will benefit what Congress's FDI in multi-brand envisaged. Bipartisan politics please!" "Folks, in our Congress Manifesto for 2019 Lok Sabha elections, we had ourselves proposed abolition of APMC Act and making agricultural produce free from restrictions. This is what Modi government has done in the farmers bills. BJP and Congress are on the same page here," the suspended Congress leader said on Twitter.

Responding to his tweet, Malviya said, "The only person, who seems to have read the Congress manifesto, remembers it and is appalled at the duplicity of its leadership, who are conveniently abroad, while the Parliament is on and important steps to empower farmers are being taken" Jha also said, "Opening up the national market for farmers is a sensible move to give greater control over fair to attractive remuneration; less middlemen will boost farmer profitability. Protection against corporate exploitation can be built-in, as an assured MSP. Prima facie, welcome step!" He said the farm bills eliminate middlemen and "isn't that supposed to be BJP's core vote-bank?"

Malviya, in another tweet, said, "Congress can ignore their manifesto but how about Dr Manmohan Singh?" He also put out the link to a report of February 2012 where then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urged states to amend the APMC Act. Lok Sabha has passed the bills  the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill. They are likely to be taken up in Rajya Sabha soon.
Russia resuming flights to Maldives after Coronavirus-related pause

Moscow, Sep 10 (Sputnik) Russia is on Thursday resuming flights to the Maldives interrupted due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Russian carrier Aeroflot starts flights to Male.

As Aeroflot reported earlier, flights to the Maldives will be carried out from September 10 from Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport according to the following schedule: flight SU0322 Moscow-Male on Thursdays and Sundays, return flight SU0323 Male-Moscow on Fridays and Sundays.

On March 27, amid the coronavirus pandemic, Russia stopped regular and charter flights with other countries. The exceptions were flights to take citizens home, as well as cargo, mail, sanitary and humanitarian flights, flights of empty planes for maintenance, transit flights with landing for refueling or changing crews in Russia and flights carried out in line with individual decisions of the Russian government.
The Supreme Court of North Macedonia has upheld sentences of ex-Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, former Interior Minister Gordana Jankuloska and her aide over abuse of office

BELGRADE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th September, 2020) The Supreme Court of North Macedonia has upheld sentences of ex-Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, former Interior Minister Gordana Jankuloska and her aide over abuse of office.

In May 2018, Gruevski, prime minister from 2006 to 2016 and a former head of the largest opposition VMRO-DPMNE party, was sentenced to two years on charges of abuse of office over purchase of a 500,000 euro ($593,000) luxury car. The ex-interior minister and her aide, who were found complicit in the deal, were sentenced to four and four-and-half years, respectively. Several months later, the Skopje Court of Appeal upheld the ruling.

All the three appealed the decision.

"By its verdict, the Supreme Court of the Republic of North Macedonia has rejected the demands of the convicts, submitted in person and through representatives, and upheld the decisions of the Skopje Court of Appeal," the press release said.

Gruevski escaped punishment by fleeing to Hungary, where he received political asylum. Gruevski and his fellow party members are facing charges as part of several cases of corruption and abuse of office, as well as in connection with violent riots in the Macedonian parliament on April 27, 2017. The VMRO-DPMNE party calls these court proceedings "political persecution."
An Accra magistrate court has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of a fetish priest, who allegedly murdered a 52 -year-old farmer, at Dormeliam, near Akuse, in the Eastern Region.



The suspect, Torgbe Ngorbea Mawufeasi,38, and five accomplices, reportedly lured Richard John Kluboito to a farm, shot him, chopped off his head and buried the headless body.



The Director of Homicide Unit of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), of the Ghana Police Service, Chief Superintendent (Chief Supt) William Sedrame, confirmed the story to the Ghanaian Times, in an interview, in Accra, yesterday.



According to him, Kluboito had a protracted land litigation in his home town, Mafi Vodza, near Adidome , in the Volta Region, with some relatives, including Torgbe Mawufeasi (now on the run).

Chief Supt Sedrame said there had been several threats by the suspect to wipe away the deceased and his family.



He said in January this year, the suspect and Sampson Agbeehia Kudoha, contracted Joseph Anane Henor to lure the deceased to Janak Farm at Dormeliam, under the pretext of giving him a job as a farm manager, but with the intension to kill him.Chief Supt Sedrame said Kluboito, who did not suspect foul play, went to the farm and met the suspects and accomplices.



The Director of Homicide Unit said without any provocation the suspect shot Kluboito, cut off his head and buried the headless body on the farm.



Chief Supt Sedrame said that five suspects were arrested, but Torgbe Mawufeasi, was on the run, adding that the body has since been exhumed, but the head was not found.



In another development, Chief Supt Sedrame said the CID was on the manhunt for a businessman, who allegedly defrauded a company of $173,000.00.



He said the complainant in the case, Yaw Oppong Dompreh, who represented Blaze Metal Resource Limited, had a discussion with Daniel Ackom Dompreh on the sale of a concession located at Boadi in the Western Region.



Chief Supt Sedrame said the suspect produced documents covering the concession, and started negotiations.

He said the suspect and complainant agreed on terms to purchase the concession at $1,500,000.00.



Chief Supt Sedrame said that the suspect collected $173,000.00 from complainant and promised to secure all necessary documents from the Minerals Commission and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).



He said Dompreh produced letters and receipts, which were purported to have been issued by the EPA and the Commission, but were later identified to be fake.

Source: The Ghanaian Times









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The Nifty50 erased all its gains in the last hour of trade and closed flat with a negative bias amid mixed global cues on September 18, the last day of the week, dented by weakness in banking and financials.

The index formed a bearish candle that resembled a Bearish Belt Hold pattern on daily charts while for the week, it gained 0.4 percent and formed a Doji candle on the weekly scale.

A Bearish Belt Hold pattern is formed when the opening price becomes the highest point of the trading day and the index declines throughout the session, making a large body. The candle will either have a small or no upper shadow and a small lower shadow.

A Doji candle indicates indecisiveness among the bulls and the bears. Bounces were being sold in the absence of follow-up buying interest.

The Nifty50 started off strong at 11,584.10, which was also the intraday high and stayed strong. But in the last hour of the trade, the index erased all the gains to hit the day's low of 11,446.10 before closing the session at 11,505, down 11.10 points.

Experts said 11,500 should act as the psychological support going ahead and if it breaks, then there could be a sharp correction.

Traders should avoid long positions on the index, whereas positional shorting opportunity shall be considered on a close below 11,500, Mazhar Mohammad, Chief StrategistTechnical Research & Trading Advisory at Chartviewindia.in told Moneycontrol.

"This kind of indecisive and bearish candle formations after retracing 62 percent of the fall from the highs of 11,794  11,185 is hinting that rally is losing its steam," Mohammad said.

Unless the Nifty closes above 11,618, upward momentum should not be expected. A close below the psychologically important support of 11,500 shall set the tone for a sharper correction, which can drag the index below 11,185.

However, some meaningful support is placed between 11,334 and 11,278 levels on a closing basis, he said.

A close above 11,620 can extend the upswing, initially towards 11,672 but with a potential target to retest recent swing highs of 11,794, according to Mohammad.

India VIX declined marginally by 0.27 percent from 20.10 to 20.04 levels.

After the correction and volatility, the Nifty trading range, indicated by the options data, lowered to 11,300-11,700 from 11,400-11,800 levels.

On the option front, maximum Put open interest was at 11,500 followed by 11,000 strike, while maximum Call open interest was at 12,000 followed by 11,600 strike. Call writing was seen at 12,000 then 11,800 strike while Put writing was seen at 11,500 then 11,200 strike.

The Bank Nifty failed to surpass the immediate hurdle of 22,500 and witnessed sharp selling pressure in the last hour towards 21,750 to hit the day low of 21,784.90 after opening at 22,439.35.

The index fell 289.35 points or 1.30 percent to close at 22,031 and formed a bearish candle on the daily as well as the weekly scale. In fact, the index has been underperforming the last couple of trading sessions. It corrected 2 percent for the week.

"The Bank Nifty has broken its multiple support of 22,000 and given the lowest daily close in the last 20 trading sessions. Now if it sustains below 22,000, then weakness can be seen towards 21,750 then 21,500 while on the upside, key hurdles are likely to be at 22,500 and 22,750 levels," Chandan Taparia, Vice President | Analyst-Derivatives at Motilal Oswal Financial Services said.

Positive setup was seen in Cipla, Lupin, Divis Labs, Cadila Healthcare, Apollo Hospitals, M&M, Grasim, Tech Mahindra, Wipro, Balkrishna Industries and UPL while weakness was seen in Petronet LNG, PNB, M&M Financial, Shree Cement, BHEL, Kotak Mahindra Bank, etc, he added.
THE shock news that Ulster Banks parent is seriously considering closing or selling the bank it has here has left its customers reeling.

If the bank is closed down, what does it mean for residential mortgage holders, savers and current account customers and business borrowers? Here we answer some of your questions.

A: The British owners of Ulster Bank, Edinburgh-based NatWest, appear to have lost patience with its Irish operation. The bank is struggling to impose itself on the Irish market.

No final decision has been made to close the operation, but if that is the outcome it will happen over a six-year period.

Read More

NatWest, which used to be called Royal Bank of Scotland, is keenly aware that Ulster is number three in this market. The bank lost 276m in the first half of the year. It is operating in a market with weak loan demand, low interest rates and has to contend with the economic disruption due to the pandemic.

The bank is seen as having a high cost base, as it has 88 branches and 2,500 staff.

Ulster generates a high level of complaints to the Financial Services Ombudsman, and has been dogged for years by IT problems which cause periodic shut-downs of its systems.

Q: What is the scale of Ulster Banks operations in this market?

Q: The bank is number three in this market. It had loans outstanding of 20.5bn in June this year.

A: There are some 22bn of deposits, according to a banking analyst with Goodbody Stockbrokers, Eamonn Hughes.

He says the bank is the number three SME (small and medium sized enterprises) market, with a market share of around 20pc, and it has a strong corporate banking franchise. A lot of this is made up of commercial property lending.

Q: I have a mortgage with Ulster Bank. It is a tracker with a current net rate of 1.15pc. Will it be sold on to a vulture fund?

A: If a final decision is taken to close the bank then your mortgage would in all likelihood be sold on. A fund is highly likely to be the buyer, although rival banks such as AIB and Bank of Ireland might try to cherry pick the more profitable of Ulster Banks mortgages for themselves. Regardless of which institution takes over the mortgage you will retain consumer protections. The servicer of the loan will likely be a regulated entity, such as Pepper. The terms of your mortgage will not change, and you will not lose your tracker rate.

Consider that it is a very low rate and there is not rush to pay it off, even if the bank is sold. Remember too that there is no need to do anything quickly, as any closure is likely to be over a six-year period.

Q: What happens to my savings account, and my Ulster Bank current account?

A: If the bank does close, and nothing has been finalised, you will have to shut your savings account. If you do not move the money you will be sent a cheque for the amount you have saved, as happened in the last few years when the likes of Rabobank closed its savings operation here. If you have a current account you will have to switch to another provider. Other banks are an option, and current accounts are operated by the credit unions, An Post and fintechs such as Revolut and N26. A Central Bank switching code means any transfer of your current account should be a hassle-free operation. Any planned shut-down would be over a six-year period, so you have plenty of time to act.

Q: I have a business overdraft and a loan with the bank, but the business is struggling due to Covid-19. What happens if the bank does close?

A: Firms that do their banking through Ulster Bank need to act now to put alternative banking arrangements in place, according to the head of business lobby group ISME, Neil McDonnell. There is every chance your loans will be sold off if you have not cleared them by time the bank closes, if indeed that is the final outcome. KBC recently sold business mortgages and loans.

Unlike residential mortgages, a business loan in default or arrears is not covered by the same level of consumer protection. This means a lender may have the option to call it in, Mr McDonnell said. This means a lender can demand full repayment at short notice.




BOSTON, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Royer, a premium Canadian manufacturer of occupational footwear, has hired Boston's The Fantastical agency to lead marketing efforts for an upcoming expansion in the United States. Already an industry favorite for many in Canada, Royer manufactures a premium footwear solution for workers in a variety of industries including police and military, construction, welding and fabrication, and many more. All of Royer's boots are CSA certified, having passed the stringent testing for protective equipment and apparel and manufactured in Canada.

One of the few manufacturers still assembling footwear in North America, Royer is looking to expand distribution into the United States through a new e-commerce/D2C web experience, as well as partnerships with key brick and mortar distributors. "As we look to bring our boots to the United States, we needed to partner with a firm who understands that footwear is one of, if not the, most important tools that a worker needs. On a daily basis, your boots are responsible for keeping our customers both safe and comfortable  Royer ticks both of those boxes. The team at The Fantastical has deep occupational footwear experience and has demonstrated a passion for helping us to bring these to market in the States." Said Patrick Gaudreau, Director of Marketing for Royer in Sherbrooke, Quebec.

The Fantastical has worked on brands such as MassMutual, Johnny Rocket's, White Elephant Resorts, Veracode, Four Seasons, Mind Body, and many more. Steve Mietelski, co-founder of the Fantastical, shared "We all have had a hand in building some pretty significant footwear brands over our years in the industry. We're particularly excited to partner with Royer because we can personally attest that their boots are some of the most comfortable in the industry! We're looking forward to helping to craft their US launch and getting these boots on the feet of people who need to be protected and comfortable, day in and day out."

Contact:

Gillian Lynch

+1-617-680-8750

[email protected]

SOURCE The Fantastical

Related Links

https://www.thefantastical.com


FP Trending

The European Space Agency (ESA) has awarded 129.4 million in contracts to design, manufacture and test its Hera spacecraft, the space agency's first planetary defence mission.

According to a report by The Guardian, Hera is the European Space Agency's contribution to an experiment called the asteroid impact and deflection assessment. The second component in this assessment is NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test, slated for a 2022 launch. Both spacecraft have been designed to visit the double asteroid system Didymos.

As per a release by Thales, named after the Greek goddess of marriage, the Hera mission is aiming to find out if we are capable of deflecting an asteroid and prevent it from hitting Earth. Hera is scheduled for launch in 2024 and will travel for the first time in history to explore a binary asteroid system.

As per the statement, the systems provided by Thales Alenia Space will allow researchers to control and track the spacecraft from a distance up to 500 million kilometer far away and send all information gathered by Hera back to Earth and to perform radio science.

The #Didymos asteroid is ~800m in diameter

~1km away is the smaller #Didymoon ~150m in diameter

Didymoon completes a full revolution every ~11.9 hrs

~1/6 of known near-Earth asteroids are in binary/multi-body systems

Naidu et al., AIDA Workshop, 2016#PlanetaryDefense pic.twitter.com/nQMysIMO97  ESA Operations (@esaoperations) May 1, 2019

Eduardo Bellido, CEO of Thales Alenia Space in Spain said that it is exciting to be part of the historic experiment for humanity to protect the Earth against asteroid collisions. According to Bellido, their technology will deliver essential data to scientists to be able to establish a planetary defence strategy based on asteroids deflection and to prevent the threat of an impact on Earth.

As per the statement, Hera will send key information to Earth on the physical properties of Dimorphos to determine the momentum transfer efficiency of the impact and to allow scaling it to different asteroids among other things.

According to the Thales statement, the Didymos binary asteroid system is like thousands of asteroids that pose a hazardous risk of impact to our planet. Around the main body of Didymos, orbits a 160 meter moonlet, Dimorphos, which is similar in size to the great pyramid of Giza. Hera will target this moonlet, which will become the smallest asteroid ever visited by a probe.

Also read: Asteroid's moon gets a name before NASA's DART crashed into it in 2022

NASA's DART mission will deliberately smash into an asteroid in 2022
DETAILS ADDED - FIRST VERSION POSTED 11:07

BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 18

Trend:

The letter of Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister, Jeyhun Bayramov about the aggressive rhetoric of Armenia and its illegal activities carried out in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, addressed to UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, on August 31, 2020, has been published and disseminated as a document of the General Assembly and the Security Council of the UN, Trend reports citing the Azerbaijani MFA.

In the letter, Bayramov highlights the provocative statements of Armenia, which didnt achieve political and military goals due to the military provocation committed in the direction of Azerbaijans Tovuz district on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border on July 12-16, 2020, as well as due to its ongoing occupation activities.

The letter highlights such concrete facts as the threat of bombing the second most important city of Azerbaijan - Ganja, the Mingachevir Hydroelectric Power Plant, and other civilian targets of strategic importance, terrorizing the Azerbaijani civilian population, the policy of changing the demographic situation in the occupied Azerbaijani territories, illegal settlement of Lebanese Armenians in these territories, as well as the intention to transfer from Khankandi to Shusha some fictional "structures" of the puppet regime created by the aggressor country in the occupied lands, infrastructural changes in these lands, including the construction of a new road connecting the occupied territories of Azerbaijan with Armenia, the policy of ecological terror of the aggressor country, as well as the blocking of water communications of the Azerbaijani civilian population.

Through the letter, Bayramov informs the UN Secretary-General about Armenia's abuse of the negotiation process, conducted under the leadership of the OSCE Minsk Group, and about conducting the annexation policy by this country.

Azerbaijans FM called on the UN Secretary-General to take all necessary steps to suppress the aggressive provocative rhetoric of Armenia, as well as activities aimed at destroying the cultural heritage and changing the demographic situation in the occupied territories, as well as forcing the country to follow the obligations of international law and withdraw the occupational troops from the occupied Azerbaijani territories.

The letter can be read here: https://undocs.org/a/74/1003

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.
With Mr. Market moving up, down and sideways over the last few days, theres a growing feeling of uncertainty about investing in stocks. Things look even more uncertain when you consider that the elections are right around the corner. And the elections have always added to the uncertainty.

News has also started trickling in about retail sales that wont track historical patterns. Black Friday wont see the long lines were used to. There could still be the deals and promotions online, but without the throngs of people in the holiday spirit, filling the shops, restaurants and bars, it just wont be the same thing.

The holiday season usually goes to retailers, but there are, understandably, many unknowns this year. So whatever you do right now, its best to tread with caution.

With that in mind, Ive made safety the main criterion to pick a few stocks.

The first step in that direction is choosing stocks with Zacks Ranks #1 (Strong Buy) or #2 (Buy) because they have historically offered above-market returns.

Second, try to leverage our Style Score system that uses a number of criteria to identify winners. Undervalued/cheap stocks with prices that dont reflect their potential would have a Value Score of A or B. A stock with strong growth potential would have high grades for growth. And similarly for Momentum stocks that would generate quick returns. When were playing safe, we really want stocks that the system ranks higher for growth and value.

Third, take a look at revenue growth trajectory in the last few years. A steadily rising graph is a big positive. At times, however, a stock with good grades may not have a good history. If youre in doubt, its better to trust the score because its very likely that the bad phase is over. This actually brings us to the next point.

So fourth, take a look at growth estimates for the current and future years. You should see a rising trend. If you see a big jump in the current year estimate followed by a smaller increase or even a slight decline in the following year, this may not be negative.

Story continues

There are two reasons for this. First, very strong growth in the current year would make for harder comparisons in the next because the next years growth would be coming off a high base. So as long as the next years (2021) numbers are at or around last years (2019), it wouldnt be such a bad thing, considering the pandemic. The second reason is, 2021 results are a long way off and unless there are significant events that change in the trend, theres a very good chance that the number will be raised in the future. Theres certainly a lot of time to do it.

So fifth, to double-check that youre on a plane set to fly high, check the long-term growth estimate. If that looks good, theres a good chance youre safe. But it doesnt end there.

Sixth, check the valuation. If youre not comfortable with valuation multiples, simply look for P/S and PEG ratios of under 1. Now youre totally safe.

So here are a few stocks that satisfy all of the above criteria-

Aarons, Inc. AAN

The company is a major omnichannel provider of lease-purchase solutions, mainly to underserved and credit-challenged customers. It is also a specialty retailer of furniture, home appliances, consumer electronics and accessories.

Management said last week that the companys businesses are doing well in the third quarter with strong customer payment activity and lease portfolio performance. Therefore, despite some supply chain issues and more conservative lease decisioning, third-quarter guidance was raised.

Other details-

Zacks Rank #1

Growth Score A

Value Score B

Revenue and earnings expected to grow 5.56% and 17.48%, respectively in 2020

Revenue and earnings expected to grow 7.77% and 5.14%, respectively in 2021

Long-term (3-5 year) growth rate18.10%

Dividend yield 0.18%

P/S 0.94X

PEG 0.69X

Beta 1.70

Market cap 3.84B

Graphic Packaging Holding Company GPK

A leading provider of paperboard packaging solutions for a wide variety of products including food, beverage and other consumer products, the company counts as its customers, companies like Anheuser-Busch, MillerCoors, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Kraft Heinz, General Mills, Inc., Nestle USA, Kellogg, HAVI Global Solutions, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, McDonald's, Wendy's, Panda Express, Dairy Queen, Chipotle, Panera and Kentucky Fried Chicken, among others.

The move toward online ordering of as many things as possible is a natural positive for this company and will support its growth for many quarters to come. This is however only a continuation of an ongoing trend that was accelerated in recent history.

Other details-

Zacks Rank #2

Growth Score A

Value Score A

Revenue and earnings expected to grow 4.49% and 21.84%, respectively in 2020

Revenue and earnings expected to grow 1.49% and 7.55%, respectively in 2021

Long-term (3-5 year) growth rate 25.00%

Dividend yield 2.11%

P/S 0.63X

PEG 0.53X

Beta 1.21

Market cap 3.97B

JELD-WEN Holding, Inc. JELD

The company is a global leader in the design, manufacture and sale of interior and exterior doors, wood, vinyl and aluminum windows and related products for new construction as well as repair and remodeling of old residential and non-residential buildings. It has operations across 20 countries in North America, Europe and Australia.

As such it is impacted by demand patterns across many markets. Thats what led to a weaker 2019, with management implementing measures to modernize and trim cost. These efforts continued in the current year, with the company claiming market share gains, even as overall revenue remained weak.

The encouraging thing is that the rebound seems to be in progress all over the world and especially in the U.S. as many people settle down to working and learning from home on a more permanent basis. As a result, theres extremely strong demand for new homes and increasingly, for existing ones as well. The exposure to the repair/remodeling/existing home segment is also positive for the long term, because it is generally a more stable business than the one tied to new construction activity.

Other details-

Zacks Rank #1

Growth Score B

Value Score B

Revenue and earnings expected to grow -4.32% and 11.67%, respectively in 2020

Revenue and earnings expected to grow 4.50% and 24.50%, respectively in 2021

Long-term (3-5 year) growth rate 19.57%

Dividend nil

P/S 0.56X

PEG 0.88X

Beta 2.82

Market cap 2.32B

BJs Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. BJ

BJs operates 218 warehouse clubs and 145 gas stations in 17 states concentrated in Eastern USA. It primarily sells a broad range of groceries that span perishables, edible grocery, non-edible grocery, general merchandise, gasoline and related services through its physical outlets, online stores and mobile app.

Because it sells essentials, BJs March sales soared as people attempted to hoard these items. But there was no slowdown in the following quarter as sales continued to grow strongly, albeit at a somewhat moderated rate. The strength came from the firms rapid digitization, especially across key categories like appliance, home improvement and telemedicine; a new focus on healthy foods and successful targeting of younger customers.

Earnings followed the path of revenue, despite increased COVID-related costs and rising beef prices.

Before 2020, revenue was following a very gradual upward trajectory, which is a general positive. But the pickup this year has come from both pandemic-induced buying and internal efforts.

Other details-

Zacks Rank #2

Growth Score B

Value Score B

Revenue and earnings expected to grow 15.66% and 77.40%, respectively in 2020

Revenue and earnings expected to grow -4.07% and -7.84%, respectively in 2021, because of tougher comparisons coming off a very strong 2020, but remain above 2019 levels

Long-term (3-5 year) growth rate 15.78%

Dividend nil

P/S 0.37X

PEG 0.95X

Beta 0.41

Market cap 5.35B

At Home Group Inc. HOME

The company offers a wide range of mainly unbranded, private label or specifically designed home products, including furniture, mirrors, rugs, art, housewares, tabletop, patio and seasonal decor.

The company didnt start trading until 2016 and public records show a steady upward revenue trend since then (ignoring seasonal variations). Since it operates through physical stores, it was badly impacted by the lockdowns, but sales came back very strongly, hitting all-time highs in the last-reported quarter. The strength is obviously attributable to the new and emerging at-home economy.

Other details-

Zacks Rank #2

Growth Score A

Value Score A

Revenue and earnings expected to grow 13.19% and 196.49%, respectively in 2021 (ending January)

Revenue and earnings expected to grow 2.19% and -11.48%, respectively in 2022 (2020 earnings are roughly a third of 2022 earnings)

Long-term (3-5 year) growth rate 42.55%

Dividend nil

P/S 0.68X

PEG 0.21X

Beta 2.92

Market cap 965.98M

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.

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Former Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) chief Anil Dhasmana has been appointed as National Technical Research Organisation, Indias technical body that is responsible for geospatial intelligence and satellite imagery.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has cleared the appointment and the decision was formally conveyed to the retired Indian Police Service officer on Friday.

Dhasmana succeeds former Intelligence Bureau officer Satish Jha who demitted office on Thursday.

Dhasmana, a 1981 batch Indian Police Service officer, is a Pakistan expert and was the lead planner of the Balakot air strikes in February 2019 after Pakistan-backed terrorists killed 40 CRPF soldiers in the Pulwama car bombing.

Dhasmana had stepped down a few months later when his extended term due to the general elections ended in June 2019.

The top police officer returns to the center of action 14 months later at a time the NTRO is playing a crucial role, tracking movements of the Chinas Peoples Liberation Army near the many friction points along the Line of Actual Control that have seen heavy deployment of soldiers and support elements from both sides. The two countries have been speaking to each other at military and diplomatic levels to resolve the stand-off but there are some indications that the stand-off would continue for some time.

Dhasmana had joined R&AW, Indias external spy agency in 1993 from his parent cadre Madhya Pradesh and had worked extensively with the agencys Pakistan desk.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Shishir Gupta Author of Indian Mujahideen: The Enemy Within (2011, Hachette) and Himalayan Face-off: Chinese Assertion and Indian Riposte (2014, Hachette). Awarded K Subrahmanyam Prize for Strategic Studies in 2015 by Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA) and the 2011 Ben Gurion Prize by Israel. ...view detail
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A new bacterial infection spread in China that can leave men infertile



Thousands of residents of a northwest China city have been diagnosed with a highly infectious bacterial disease known as brucellosis after being exposed to polluted air from a pharmaceutical company last year. Health authorities in Lanzhou, capital of Gansu province, said on Tuesday they had tested 21,847 people and 3,245 were positive for brucella bacteria antibodies. The infections were caused by contaminated exhaust fumes from the Lanzhou Biopharmaceutical Plant, a unit of state-owned China Animal Husbandry Industry.



The company was found to have used out-of-date sanitisers in the production of brucella vaccines, allowing the bacteria to enter its exhaust air and infecting people living and working nearby. Health authorities said in December the factory used the expired sanitisers between July 24 and August 20. The company had its licence to manufacture the vaccines revoked and eight of its senior managers were punished.



The brucella bacteria affects livestock such as sheep, goat and pigs but can be passed from animals to humans. Symptoms of infection include fever, bone and joint pain, and reproductive system problems. Many of the people affected worked at the Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, located just a few hundred metres from the plant. Read More...


Its frightening; this is the first time Im doing this without my dad, Cheung said. Every time something happens, I find myself wanting to grab the phone and call him. But sometimes, you do what you know. I tried to do other things, and it just wasnt me. I owe my dad this; I owe it to myself to try this. Hopefully Ive learned enough from him over the years.
Though nothing may be as scary as the current year, these local haunted attractions will do their best this year to scare you silly - even if things look a little different.

From mandatory masks and temperature checks to monsters behind plexiglass, haunted houses are adjusting their scares to meet the state's COVID-19 guidelines.
YEREVAN, 18 SEPTEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 18 September, USD exchange rate up by 0.86 drams to 485.26 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 3.39 drams to 574.98 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate stood at 6.46 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 1.21 drams to 629.67 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 344.37 drams to 30208.35 drams. Silver price down by 9.15 drams to 417.26 drams. Platinum price down by 456.80 drams to 14665.38 drams.
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.
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Linkedin Riska Rahman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, September 18, 2020 14:49 490 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c45b159d 1 Business Himbara,working-capital,loan-disbursement,COVID-19,Bank-Rakyat-Indonesia,Bank-Negara-Indonesia,bank-mandiri,bank-tabungan-negara,economic-recovery Free

State-owned banks have collectively disbursed Rp 88 trillion (US$5.94 billion) in working capital loans using funds placed in them by the government, with almost all of the banks reaching their credit channeling target.

Three of the four State-Owned Banks Association (Himbara) members, namely Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI), Bank Mandiri and Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI), have all reached their target of disbursing three times the amount of government funds placed in them.

BRI president director Sunarso said on Thursday that the micro-business-focused bank had disbursed a total of Rp 30.2 trillion in working capital to 695,750 debtors as of Aug. 7, long before the governments deadline of this month.

Most of those loans are aimed at the micro segment, with around 56 percent of the recipients being existing customers and the remaining 44 percent are new ones, he said during a hearing with House of Representatives Commission XI, which oversees financial affairs.

The government in June placed a total of Rp 30 trillion in four state-owned banks to be channeled as loans to businesses to help support economic recovery amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Of those funds, BRI and Bank Mandiri each received Rp 10 trillion, while BNI and BTN each received Rp 5 trillion.

Himbara then pledged that it would disburse up to Rp 90 trillion in loans by the end of September to help small businesses recover from the severe economic impact of the pandemic.

Bank Mandiri vice president director Hery Gunardi said the bank had also reached its target. Weve disbursed Rp 32 trillion in loans to 78,759 debtors following the fund placement, he said.

BNI, too, has disbursed three times the amount of government funds placed in it, mostly as working capital for businesses in the micro segment, with a total disbursement of Rp 16.39 trillion to 63,573 debtors.

Only mortgage-focused Bank Tabungan Negara (BTN) has yet to reach the target. President director Pahala N. Mansury said the bank had only disbursed a total of Rp 9.42 trillion to 34,000 debtors as of the end of August, or 62.8 percent of the banks disbursement target of Rp 15 trillion.

Around 81 percent of BTN loans were disbursed for the housing sector, mostly in the form of subsidized housing mortgage loans for first-time homeowners, he said, admitting that the bank faced several challenges in implementing the program.

One of the main issues is the weak purchasing power as companies dismiss their employees due to the restrictions to prevent further spread of the virus, he said.

Several regions in the country enforced large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) in April and May to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The move abruptly limited economic activity as the government advised people to stay home.

As a result, Indonesias economy contracted by 5.32 percent in the second quarter of this year as household spending, which accounted for more than half of the countrys gross domestic product (GDP), plunged by 5.51 percent.

Another challenge was the lack of basic infrastructure like roads and electricity in several subsidized housing complexes, which discouraged buyers from buying their first house, Pahala said.

Despite the challenges, the bank expressed optimism that it could reach the loan disbursement target this month.

We expect to disburse up to Rp 15.38 trillion by Sept. 25, he said, adding that the bank would continue to be prudent to prevent its bad loan ratio from increasing.

BTNs nonperforming loans ratio jumped to 4.71 percent in the first half of this year, much higher than the 3.32 percent ratio recorded in the same period of 2019.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept.18

By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend:

The problem of destruction of historical monuments by Armenians in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan is always on the agenda, First Deputy and Acting Minister of Culture Anar Karimov said, Trend reports.

Karimov made the remark at a meeting of the Committee on Culture of Azerbaijans Parliament.

He added that these issues need to be raised at the international level.

One could also think about the development of the Action Plan, he said.
PHOENIX, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A study conducted by the CDC in late June shows 40% of Americans report struggling with mental health or substance abuse. 11% of Americans reported seriously considering suicide this year (36 million people). 13% have started or increased substance abuse in 2020. These numbers should give us all pause.

Suicide mortality rates have been increasing at alarming rates over the last 20 years (70% increase among kids ages 12-17). Since 2011, there's been nearly a 400 percent increase nationally in suicide attempts by self-poisoning among young people. And the current pandemic has created a storm of suicides and suicide ideation in this country. A combination of economic stress, social isolation, reduced access to community and religious services, barriers to mental health services, increased screen time, and overall national anxiety have created an uptick in death by suicide that our country has never seen before.

Death2Life is an Internet based non-profit whose mission is to help hurting teens and adults. Their team of counselors and peer-support specialists interact with 300-600 people a day who find the website by googling "I want to die," "easy ways to kill myself," or other variations of such a search. "We saw a need to reach hurting people around the world and offer them hope. And Google saw a need to combat a growing trend on the Internet. Together we can intervene. We stand in the gap with them and introduce them to a hopeful life," explained Death2Life Vice President.

Today the organization announces the launch of their new website to offer help to a wider audience. Calling themselves a "Refuge for the Hopeless," they now are widening their net and offer help to people who have suicidal thoughts, addiction to substances, addiction to porn, surviving family members of suicide, and people who have been affected by disability and bullying.

Death2Life.com offers live counseling via 4 outlets: online chat (death2life.com), text chat (text D2L @494949), Facebook Messenger (OfficialD2L), or Instagram DM (@officialdeath2life). All services are free of charge to the public.

Death2Life works closely with well-known personalities who also have a passion for reaching people who struggle with suicide and hopelessness. Names like Brian "Head" Welch (Guitarist, Korn), Lacey Sturm (Flyleaf), Kelly Clark (Pro Snowboarder), and Christian Hosoi (Pro Skateboarder) can be found on the website, sharing their own stories of how they made a comeback from addiction, depression and suicide in their own lives. "For years I struggled with thoughts of hopelessness and suicide. D2L is an awesome resource for all those like me who struggle with hope." Brian "Head" Welch, Korn

Death2Life President adds, "People who are suicidal need to know that someone cares about them. Sometimes it's that simple. Because they can remain anonymous, we are a non-threatening place to start. They need to know that their feelings are not a burden to the people in their lives and that there are people they can count on to hang in there with them. We are here to remind them that they matter to us and that they will not always feel the way they do today. We walk them through the darkness as long as they need us, and we point them toward hope."

To learn more or chat online, visit: Death2Life.com

To text with someone who cares: Text D2L @494949

To donate, visit: JoinD2L.com

SOURCE Death2Life (D2L)

Related Links

http://death2life.com/


LINDSAY  More than the 2,300 marijuana plants were seized after a Kawartha Lakes Police Service raid Wednesday at a farm on Highway 35 South in Lindsay.

Four people who were found on the property after a search warrant was executed have been charged with production and cultivation of cannabis without proper authorization, police said.

The four, who were not named by police, are to appear in the Ontario Court of Justice in Lindsay on Nov. 19.
U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy to Northern Ireland, Mick Mulvaney, has warned against creating a "hard border by accident" on the island, the Financial Times reported on Friday.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is proposing new legislation that would break the Northern Ireland protocol of the Brexit divorce treaty that seeks to avoid a physical customs border between British-ruled Northern Ireland and EU-member Ireland.

"The Trump administration, State Department and the U.S. Congress would all be aligned in the desire to see the Good Friday Agreement preserved to see the lack of a border maintained," Mulvaney said in an interview with the newspaper.

His remark comes two days after U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden warned Britain that it must honour the 1998 agreement as it withdraws from the European Union or there would be no separate U.S. trade deal. (Reuters)

Source: www.businessworld.ie
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Boris Johnson last night warned that Britain was 'seeing a second wave coming in' as he contemplated six months of 'on-off' restrictions to tackle the upsurge in coronavirus cases.

The Prime Minister, who fears the country is just six weeks behind coronavirus-afflicted Spain and France, said it was 'inevitable' that a second wave would reach the UK.

He is now looking at six months of 'on-off' nationwide restrictions amid concerns in Downing Street that the public is ignoring rules on social gatherings. The new approach to get the country through winter would see it alternate periods of stricter measures with intervals of relaxation.

Fortnight-long 'circuit breakers' would see tough restrictions introduced temporarily across the whole country to suppress the virus, before they would be lifted for a time and then re-introduced if necessary.

Measures could include bans on social contact between households, shutting down hospitality and leisure venues such as bars and restaurants, or restricting their opening hours.

Downing Street was spooked by warnings from the Government's Joint Biosecurity Centre that the UK is now six weeks behind Spain, which recorded 239 deaths on Thursday.

But the move to sink Britain back into lockdown one region at a time has led to protests from the Treasury, as allies of Chancellor Rishi Sunak argue that a two-week 'circuit breaker' would be 'far better' than being forced into a full lockdown by October, with a source adding: 'What can we implement that doesn't tank the economy?'

Meanwhile, the new architect of the Government's response to coronavirus and SAGE adviser Professor Graham Medley has argued for a half-term shutdown of leisure and hospitality, claiming that 'short, planned periods of reducing R below one can greatly reduce the risk of longer, unplanned emergency lockdowns'.

'This option has to be balanced with local and more targeted measures which are less economically and socially disruptive, but do not appear, to date, to have prevented exponential increase of infection,' he told The Times.

'If we are going to have to have another period of lockdown then presumably it would be better to know in advance when and for how long it will be (to allow) individuals and businesses to prepare.'

SAGE adviser Professor Susan Michie warned ministers not to repeat the mistake of the March lockdown in implementing measures to slowly, as she proposed closing pubs, bars and restaurants, slashing the number of households meeting, work from home if possible and an extension of furlough until 2021.

'We need a stitch in time. We need to learn the lessons of the spring. Every day's delay to a step change in measures to restrict transmission when it is increasing exponentially will be expensive in terms of health and lives in the short term and the economy in the long term,' she told The Daily Telegraph.

Another SAGE adviser called for longer and quicker lockdowns, saying it was 'the only thing that we really know' that works. A Whitehall source said there was a fear in official circles of being accused of 'being sluggish' if they were slow to act to rising cases, adding: 'It feels like we're back where we were in February and March'.

Today the Government's original lockdown architect, Professor Neil Ferguson of Imperial College London, recommended 'rolling back' freedoms 'sooner rather than later' by 'reducing contact rates between people'.

The epidemiologist, who was sacked from SAGE for flouting his own lockdown rules, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'Right now we're at about the levels of infections that we were seeing in late February ,if we leave it at another two to four weeks we will be back at levels we were seeing more like mid March.

'That's going to clearly cause deaths... I think some additional measures are likely to be needed sooner rather than later, the timing of any more intensive policy, temporary policy, is open to question'.

Nightingale hospitals were today ordered to be ready to open again within 48 hours - and another swathe of England was plunged into lockdown. Health bosses have revealed the temporary hospital in Birmingham's NEC arena has been placed on standby so it can start treating patients within two to three days.

The dramatic move came as the UK's daily infections hit a four-month high of 4,322, with figures showing the outbreak has nearly doubled in size in a week and the R number is potentially as high as 1.4.

Parts of England are being forced back into lockdown, with curbs including a 10pm curfew on pubs and restaurants and a ban on socialising outside of households across the North West, Midlands and West Yorkshire from Tuesday. A total of around 13 million people are now under under local restrictions.

In coronavirus developments yesterday:

Tough new measures to control coronavirus were announced for the North East of England last night, ahead of further rules which were unveiled across parts of the North West, Midlands and West Yorkshire;

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said that it is 'increasingly likely' that draconian lockdown restrictions will soon be needed to slow the spread of coronavirus in the capital amid fears of transmission;

Matt Hancock told the Today programme that hospital admissions in the UK are doubling every eight days;

The Government's testing fiasco worsened after the Health Secretary doubled down on claims that coronavirus 'tests are available' despite people queuing for hours and being turned away by staff

Boris Johnson last night warned that Britain was 'seeing a second wave coming in' as he contemplated six months of 'on-off' restrictions to tackle the upsurge in coronavirus cases

The Prime Minister is considering abandoning the Rule of Six as he claims people are flouting the Government restrictions (pictured, a group of 10 on the beach in Bournemouth as people make the most of the September sunshine)

Student Emily Gittings, 19, has her temperature taken before heading into a mobile coronavirus testing unit for asymptomatic staff and students set up in a car park at the University of Portsmouth

A graphic shows where the latest restrictions are being enforced across Great Britain

The Government is also looking at the possibility of introducing 'targeted shielding' that would see people with serious medical conditions given tailored advice.

Unlike previously when more than two million people across England were given blanket instructions to stay at home for several months, individuals would be given more specific recommendations according to how vulnerable they were deemed to be.

Hold Cobra meeting NOW, urge Sir Keir Starmer and Nicola Sturgeon as PM imposes restrictions in England Nicola Sturgeon and Sir Keir Starmer yesterday demanded the Prime Minister convene an emergency Cobra meeting this weekend to discuss the rise in cases. The Scottish first minister said she had requested a meeting between Boris Johnson and the devolved administrations. She also warned of further national restrictions, telling Scots 'hard but necessary' decisions may have to be taken in the next few days. Miss Sturgeon said she hoped to avoid a second national lockdown, adding: 'Ideally we will be able to have a joined-up approach across the UK.' She added that she could not remember the last time she spoke to Mr Johnson. Labour leader Sir Keir echoed her plea. He said: 'This is the time for swift, decisive national action.' Miss Sturgeon claimed most of the recent discussions between the Government and the three devolved administrations have involved Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove rather than the Prime Minister. Advertisement

There is concern in No 10 that people are flouting the 'rule of six' that came into force in England on Monday.

Mr Johnson said last night said he was considering whether the Government needed to 'go further' than the current national restrictions.

He said: 'We're looking very carefully at the spread of the pandemic as it evolves over the last few days and there's no question, as I've said for several weeks now, that we could expect (and) are now seeing a second wave coming in.

'We are seeing it in France, in Spain, across Europe  it has been absolutely, I'm afraid, inevitable we were going to see it in this country.'

Spain recorded 239 deaths in a single day this week.

The Prime Minister insisted a second lockdown was the 'last thing anybody wants' but said the current measures would need to be kept 'under review'.

He added: 'On Monday, we brought in the measures that we did, the 'rule of six', to really try and restrict what people are doing and to bring in a new buffer.

'But the crucial thing is at the same time to observe the basic rules on social distancing  hands, face, space  that is what everybody has got to do if we want to continue to beat this thing.

'But as we look at this particular curve and what is happening now, clearly we are going to keep everything under review. I don't want to get into a second national lockdown at all  it is the last thing anybody wants.

'I don't want to go into bigger lockdown measures at all, we want to keep schools open. We want to keep the economy open as far as we possibly can, we want to keep businesses going.

'The only way we can do that is obviously if people follow the guidance.'

Asked about the possibility of a two-week October half-term in order to bring in a short lockdown, Mr Johnson said: 'We want to keep the schools open, that is going to happen. We want to try and keep all parts of the economy open as far as we possibly can.'

Earlier in the day, Matt Hancock suggested measures would need to be in place into next year.

The Health Secretary said: 'The strategy is to keep the virus down as much as is possible whilst protecting education and the economy. And doing everything we possibly can for the cavalry that's on the horizon  the vaccine and mass testing, and the treatments that, frankly, this country has done more than any other around the world to develop.'

Coronavirus cases have been increasing rapidly across NE England. Newcastle has recorded a sharp rise in its weekly infection rate, up from 51.2 cases for every 100,000 people to 64.1 in the seven days to September 13

He also insisted that coronavirus 'tests are available' despite people waiting in queues that last for hours, only to be turned away by staff when arriving at the swab centres.

London lockdown IS likely admits Mayor Sadiq Khan after coming out of emergency meeting on lack of testing in the capital as he warns 'we should not wait for virus to spiral out of control' The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has admitted it is 'increasingly likely' that lockdown restrictions will soon be needed to slow the spread of coronavirus in the capital. Mr Khan said he was of the 'firm view' that action should be taken before the virus spirals out of control, and leaders were considering measures already imposed in other parts of the UK. In a statement, he said he held an emergency meeting with London council leaders, the Government and Public Heath England (PHE) to discuss the next steps. Mr Khan added: 'The Prime Minister has said that we are now seeing the start of a second wave of Covid-19 across the UK. Londoners should also know that I am extremely concerned by the latest evidence I've seen today from public health experts about the accelerating speed at which Covid-19 is now spreading here in London. 'It is increasingly likely that, in London, additional measures will soon be required to slow the spread of the virus. We will be considering some of the measures which have already been imposed in other parts of the UK. 'I am of the firm view that we should not wait, as happened six months ago, for this virus to again spiral out of control before taking action.' Advertisement

No10 officials have said they are not aware of anything to suggest that tests are not available 'in some parts of the country' as there are reports of a nationwide testing fiasco.

When asked about testing availability, a No10 spokesman told reporters: 'We are ramping up capacity or we are working to ramp up capacity in terms of tests. We are obviously targeting those tests in terms of areas where we are seeing higher rates of infections.

He was asked: 'Are you saying tests are available in every part of the country, despite the fact that many of our readers and viewers are saying that they are not?

He replied: 'You have seen the Health Secretary's words. I am not aware of anything to suggest that tests aren't available in some parts of the country.'

But desperate Britons have told of their battle to get a coronavirus swab this week, with two parents missing an appointment for their unwell daughter because they were stuck in traffic for three hours.

Parents Thandio and Marcio missed their slot at the newly-opened testing centre in Catford, Lewisham, after being stuck in gridlocked traffic leading up to the facility.

Their 11-year-old daughter had been rushed to hospital in an ambulance that morning, but when she was discharged, A&E medics told her parents to book her in for a swab at a testing centre, the Daily Telegraph reported.

They told the newspaper at the scene: 'There's no one here. We had an appointment but we missed it because were stuck in traffic. She'll need to go into isolation and our other children can't go to school.'

Meanwhile, a leading scientist warned that Covid testing 'is dying on its a**e' as he said he was 'appalled by what I saw' at the Government's testing labs.

Concerns have been raised about the Government's seven 'Lighthouse Labs' and their ability to process results, due to shortages of staff and equipment.

Genomics scientist and inventor Phil Robinson, who was invited into one of the labs to see how they work, said it was poorly managed, running out of staff and had failed to set up automatic processes - despite fears that the UK would inevitably be hit by a second wave.

He told The Times: 'Every part of the process was poor. The other ludicrous issue they have is they have 20 different types of tube coming into the lab. When you are running a high throughput lab it's only sensible to have one. Why they haven't standardised that I have no idea.

'Testing is dying on its a**e because schools are going back and here we are again. They haven't used that period of lockdown to implement automation.'

Amid chaos in the laboratories, the Government's test and trace system was also criticised as being 'barely functional', with workers taking up to two weeks to contact friends, relatives and workmates of those who have tested positive for Covid-19.

Baroness Dido Harding, who leads the test and trace system, admitted yesterday that demand for swabs is up to four times Britain's capacity, but declared the sudden rise as children returned to school and parents went back to the office had not been predicted - despite repeated warnings.

The Government's testing fiasco has seen hundreds of people who queued for Covid swabs at a south London testing centre turned away after not being sent important QR codes, while other sites across the country have been practically deserted.

The proportion of people getting their Covid-19 test results within 24 hours has plummeted for all kinds of test, performance data showed today

Chancellor Rishi Sunak begs Boris Johnson 'Don't go too far' with new lockdown rules - hours after PM warns 'inevitable' second wave is coming in Rishi Sunak has urged Boris Johnson not to risk the recovery by going too far with any new lockdown rules. Issuing his sombre warning, the Chancellor highlighted the huge potential damage to the economy  including mass job losses. A Government source said: Everybodys general health depends on the economic health of the UK  there is a way to bring in restrictions without going overboard. Advertisement

Hundreds of revellers hit the town in Newcastle last night to sink their final pints before a 10pm curfew, meanwhile partygoers in Leeds are making the most of what could be their final weekend of freedom as the city teeters on the brink of its own lockdown.

Students and young people appeared undeterred by the new early curfew as they flocked to Big Market - a popular area with bars and pubs in Newcastle - in the early evening and knocked back drinks.

Young women were pictured laughing and saying cheers with their final pints before being kicked out by bar staff at 10pm. Some revellers were clearly not done with the night's partying and were seen picking up booze from local convenience stores after the pubs shut up shop.

Police officers were pictured surveying empty streets as partygoers headed home and the city centre became eerily quiet for a Friday night.

Meanwhile in Leeds people took to the streets in droves as the city faces its own lockdown after a surge in coronavirus cases. Groups of people gathered in the city centre and queued for bars, as bouncers used temperature guns on patrons as part of new safety measures.

Tough new restrictions to control the spread of coronavirus were announced for the North East of England last night, ahead of further rules which were unveiled today across parts of the North West, Midlands and West Yorkshire.

The latest measures, which include a 10pm curfew on pubs and bars, will affect Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland, Northumberland, South Tyneside, North Tyneside and County Durham.

Revellers still had a great time in Newcastle city centre despite the curfew in place at 10pm tonight

Drinkers in Newcastle were booted out of the pub at 10pm as the city gets used to its newly imposed lockdown

Young people enjoyed a night out in Newcastle tonight, but it was enjoyed at 10pm due to a newly imposed curfew

Students and young people went out in Newcastle city centre to enjoy the pubs and bars before the 10pm curfew

Police officers survey the normally heaving Big Market area of Newcastle. Pubs are closing at 10pm due to a new localised lockdown to battle the pandemic

Similar lockdown measures will then come into force in Lancashire, Merseyside, Warrington, Halton, Wolverhampton, Oadby & Wigston, and parts of Bradford, Kirklees and Calderdale from Tuesday.

Residents in these areas are banned from socialising in homes or gardens with people outside their household or 'bubble' and food and drink venues are restricted to table service only. Restaurants, bars and pubs will have to close between 10pm and 5am.

Drinkers last night flocked to watering holes across the North East for a final night of carnage after Health Secretary Matt Hancock confirmed the region would be hit by a 10pm curfew on pubs and bars starting tonight.

Those in Newcastle, where 40,000 university students are expected to return in the coming days, were photographed in close proximity outside busy clubs and bars despite the growing numbers of Covid-19 cases in the area.

Similar scenes were spotted in Leeds last night, as rising numbers of infections in the city prompted warnings the it may soon head in the same direction as other parts of West Yorkshire with additional restrictions.

The increased measures, which were announced today across parts of the North West, Midlands and West Yorkshire, will mean a total of 13 million people are now under lockdown restrictions across Britain.

It comes as Mr Hancock admitted that a new national crackdown is on the cards as he warned infections are 'accelerating across the country' and more people will die due to the pandemic.

The Health Secretary pleaded with the public to 'come together to tackle this virus' as ministers consider imposing draconian restrictions for a fortnight in a 'circuit break' to stop the spread.

Mr Hancock said a national lockdown was the 'last line of defence'. But he warned that it was a 'big moment for the country' with cases now doubling every eight days, and unless the Rule of Six restrictions worked more would have to be done.

'The virus is clearly accelerating across the country,' he told Sky News. 'We have got to take the necessary action to keep people safe. We will do what it takes to keep people safe.'

National or local lockdown, shielding, curfew or do nothing? As Covid infections double each week, debate is raging what IS best for Britain, asks BEN SPENCER

It's the debate dividing Britain. Covid infections are doubling each week and experts believe the death toll will soon start to climb. Should ministers act quickly to stop a second wave or hold off to prevent more damage to the economy? With no easy options, these are some of the possibilities they are considering.

DO NOTHING

Simply carry on through to Spring with the current level of restrictions.

Revellers enjoy drinks in Newcastle on the first day after strict coronavirus curfews were introduced

PROS: The lockdown imposed in March successfully curbed infections, but had a devastating impact on businesses, education and the NHS. Boris Johnson is desperate to avoid a repeat. There is a strong argument that the need to act is not nearly as urgent as it was in the spring. We now know the virus has little impact on anyone other than the elderly, doctors are much better at treating it and they now have effective drugs. And although our testing system is not what it should be, capacity is 25 times bigger than it was in March. Death rates are currently tiny  with suicides, flu and pneumonia all taking far more lives than the dreaded coronavirus.

CONS: It is clear Covid is getting out of control in France, Spain and the US. Doing nothing could see Britain going down the same road  with a wave of deaths as rising infections feed through from the young into more at-risk groups.

CHANCE OF THIS HAPPENING: 1/5

LOCAL LOCKDOWNS

Localised restrictions, already imposed across swathes of the UK encompassing 13million people, could be extended when outbreaks flare.

PROS: Targeted, proportionate restrictions in virus hotspots slow the spread and spare the rest of the country. This was successfully carried out in Leicester over the summer, with rates quickly slashed.

CONS: Such specific measures rely on an effective test and trace programme  and at the moment the system is not up to scratch. Critics also point out that rates in many parts of the North West, which have been subject to restrictions for weeks, have actually continued to rise. And with local lockdown widened to the North East and Lancashire, there are now more than 13million people affected. With the lives of so many British citizens curtailed, this is arguably just a national lockdown imposed by stealth. Local action is also divisive  national unity will be badly hit if only half the country is allowed to celebrate a family Christmas.

CHANCE OF THIS HAPPENING: 4/5

SHIELDING

Most young people are barely affected by Covid. So a logical solution is to shield the elderly.

Most young people are barely affected by Covid. So a logical solution is to shield the elderly

PROS: This could protect the most at-risk while allowing the rest of the population to keep the economy going. The Government reportedly already has tentative plans to assign each person over the age of 50 a 'risk score'.

CONS: A crude version was used during the first lockdown, with 2.2million people with cancer, asthma and other conditions asked to stay indoors. That scheme was riddled with problems  many of those asked to shield were in fact not particularly susceptible. Any new scheme would have to be far more targeted. But it would rely heavily on age  by far the biggest risk factor for Covid. This will be resisted by many pensioners who see themselves as perfectly healthy. It is also impossible to effectively shield those who need it most  care home residents, who require contact with carers.

CHANCE OF THIS HAPPENING: 4/5

CURFEW

Curfews on the opening of bars and restaurants have already been used in many areas  and could be rolled out nationwide.

PROS: The increase in infection rates this summer was put down to young people gathering in pubs, homes and at illegal raves. Curfews, trialled in Bolton and other areas, aim to stop this by ordering restaurants and pubs to close at 10pm. This is arguably a proportionate response  asking pubs to close an hour or two early is better than forcing them to shut entirely.

CONS: It is clearly harmful to the hospitality industry and is widely seen as a chilling restriction of personal liberties. Curfews can only do so much. After all, most of the population are not out and about beyond 10pm.

CHANCE OF THIS HAPPENING: 4/5

CIRCUIT BREAK

This is the option being most carefully considered. Ministers hope a short lockdown  lasting as little as two weeks  would stop the pattern of infection and reinfection driving cases up.

PROS: If people do not meet and interact, the virus cannot pass between them, the chain of transmission is broken and infection rates will stop rising. If this is done quickly it could nip the problem in the bud before rates rise to dangerous levels. And if it is imposed over the October half term, it would have a limited impact on children's education. Scientists hope such a measure would also give some breathing room to allow the testing programme to get back on track. And if infection rates drop far enough, it might even allow Christmas to take place after all.

CONS: Scientists worry that as soon as restrictions are lifted, cases would rise again. This raises the prospect of the country following an 'on-off' lockdown pattern until a vaccine becomes available. Two weeks might simply not be long enough  meaning restrictions might drag on and on and turn into a full lockdown.

CHANCE OF THIS HAPPENING: 4/5

NATIONAL LOCKDOWN

A return to spring-style nationwide measures which led to most people having to work from home, with schools, non-essential shops and workplaces shut.

A return to spring-style nationwide measures would see most people having to work from home, with venues such as pubs closed

PROS: If Covid infections get out of control, and if they coincide with a bad winter flu season, the death toll could be monumental. Mr Johnson might be left with little choice but to order another lockdown. There are also ways to soften the blow  primarily keeping schools open. Many scientists now believe closing schools was unnecessary last time round. Children are not in danger from the virus yet untold harm was done to their education and mental health by keeping them at home. It also made it hard for parents to work.

CONS: This is the 'nuclear' option the Prime Minister does not want to take, an extreme that even the gloomiest of scientists do not currently advocate. With 'crisis fatigue' setting in, he also might find it much harder to persuade people to follow the rules a second time round. And even a pared-back version of national restrictions would risk doing more harm than good. The economy is already holed below the water line  a return to lockdown could sink it completely.

CHANCE OF THIS HAPPENING: 2/5
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / September 18, 2020 / Bernstein Liebhard, a nationally acclaimed investor rights law firm, reminds investors of the deadline to file a lead plaintiff motion in a securities class action that has been filed on behalf of investors that purchased or acquired the common stock of Braskem S.A. ("Braskem" or the "Company") (NYSE:BAK) between May 6, 2016 and July 8, 2020 (the "Class Period"). The lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey alleges violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

If you purchased Braskem securities, and/or would like to discuss your legal rights and options please visit Braskem Shareholder Lawsuit or contact Matthew E. Guarnero toll free at (877) 779-1414 or MGuarnero@bernlieb.com.

The Complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company's business, operations and prospects. Specifically, Defendants misrepresented and/or failed to disclose to investors that the Company was overstating and/or mischaracterizing: (i) Braskem's salt mining operations were unsafe and presented a significant danger to surrounding areas, including nearly two thousand properties; (ii) the foregoing foreseeably increased the risk that Braskem would be subjected to remedial liabilities, including, but not limited to, increased governmental and/or regulatory oversight or enforcement, significant monetary and reputational damage, and/or the permanent closure of one or more of its salt mining operations; (iii) accordingly, earnings generated from Braskem's salt mining operations were unsustainable; (iv) Braskem downplayed the true scope and severity of the Company's liability with respect to its salt mining operations; and (v) as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times

On April 2, 2019, media sources and, later, Braskem, disclosed that the Company had been sued by local authorities in connection with a geological event it had purportedly caused in the state of Alagoas, Brazil. Specifically, Braskem disclosed, in relevant part, that the Company "ha[d] become aware, through the media, of a lawsuit filed against it by the Public Prosecutor's Office and the Public Defender's Office, both of the State of Alagoas." The Company disclosed that the lawsuits were "requesting the freezing of amounts and assets in a total of approximately R$6.7 billion [i.e., 6.7 billion reais] to guarantee any potential damages owed to the general public affected by the geological phenomenon which occurred in districts near the rock salt extraction area in Macei."

Story continues

On this news, Braskem's American Depositary Share ("ADS") price fell $1.60 per share over two trading days, or 5.98%, to close at $25.14 per share on April 3, 2020.

Finally, on July 9, 2020, during pre-market hours, Braskem disclosed that authorities in northeastern Brazil had advised the Company that the geological damage from its salt mining operations was more widespread than initial estimates. Specifically, among other things, 1,918 properties needed to be evacuated because of the geological event associated with Braskem's mining operations, and Braskem estimated that moving the residents would cost the Company an additional R$850 million in possible payments to those residents, with another additional R$750 million in expenses to "definitively" shut down Braskem's salt mining operations.

On this news, Braskem's ADS price fell $0.59 per share, or 6.20%, to close at $8.93 per share on July 9, 2020.

If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than October 26, 2020. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as lead plaintiff. If you choose to take no action, you may remain an absent class member.

If you purchased Braskem securities, and/or would like to discuss your legal rights and options please visit https://www.bernlieb.com/cases/braskemsa-bak-shareholder-class-action-lawsuit-stock-fraud-296/apply/ or contact Matthew E. Guarnero toll free at (877) 779-1414 or MGuarnero@bernlieb.com.

Since 1993, Bernstein Liebhard LLP has recovered over $3.5 billion for its clients. In addition to representing individual investors, the Firm has been retained by some of the largest public and private pension funds in the country to monitor their assets and pursue litigation on their behalf. As a result of its success litigating hundreds of lawsuits and class actions, the Firm has been named to The National Law Journal's "Plaintiffs' Hot List" thirteen times and listed in The Legal 500 for ten consecutive years.

ATTORNEY ADVERTISING.  2020 Bernstein Liebhard LLP. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Bernstein Liebhard LLP, 10 East 40th Street, New York, New York 10016, (212) 779-1414. The lawyer responsible for this advertisement in the State of Connecticut is Michael S. Bigin. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.

Contact Information:

Matthew E. Guarnero

Bernstein Liebhard LLP

https://www.bernlieb.com

(877) 779-1414

MGuarnero@bernlieb.com

SOURCE: Bernstein Liebhard LLP





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Global maps of places where people and forests coexist show that an estimated 1.6 billion people live within 5 kilometers of a forest. The assessment, based on data from 2000 and 2012 and published September 18 in the journal One Earth, showed that of these 1.6 billion "forest-proximate people," 64.5 percent were located in tropical countries, and 71.3 percent lived in countries classified as low or middle income by the World Bank.

"There were no data at all on how many people live in and around forests globally," says first author Peter Newton, an Assistant Professor in Environmental Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder. "The exercise was an initial step of trying to quantify the potential target population for projects that look at people's livelihoods in a forest environment."

People who rely on forest resources for subsistence or income are commonly known as forest-dependent people. Although the number of forest-proximate people coincidently matches the 1.6 billion forest-dependent people from a widely cited estimation from the World Bank, living near the forest doesn't necessarily mean one relies on the forest for livelihood. Newton says that while "forest-dependent people" widely refers to people who derive some benefits from forests, the term "forest-proximate people" merely captures the spatial relationship between people and forests.

"Large numbers of people do live in and around forests, so that makes forests an important habitat and biome for thinking about sustainable development as well as about conservation," says Newton. "The programs, projects, and policies that affect forests also affect large numbers of people."

To map out the spatial relationship between people and forests globally, Newton and his colleagues combined forest cover and human population density data for the year 2000 and 2012. They counted the number of people who lived within 5 km (3.1 miles) from the border of forests, which they defined as any area with more than 50 percent tree cover over 2 hectares (5 acres). But they excluded urban areas with a population above 1,500 people per square kilometer (0.4 square miles).

The work provides a sketch to which other researchers and decision-makers could add on different layers of data, such as social, economic, or cultural details to paint a more complete picture. However, many of these datasets aren't available at a global level.

"What other researchers or we could do in the future is home in on a particular region where we did have data," says Newton. From local data, scientists could infer how many of those forest-proximate people were also forest dependent or living in poverty to help decision-makers implement spatial targeting and impact assessment.

###

The researchers were supported by the Department for International Development, the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the European Union, the International Forestry Resources and Institutions, and the Forests and Livelihoods: Assessment, Research, and Engagement (FLARE) community of practice.

One Earth, Newton et al.: "The Number and Spatial Distribution of Forest-Proximate People Globally" https://www.cell.com/one-earth/fulltext/S2590-3322(20)30425-5

One Earth (@OneEarth_CP), published by Cell Press, is a monthly journal that features papers from the fields of natural, social, and applied sciences. One Earth is the home for high-quality research that seeks to understand and address today's environmental Grand Challenges, publishing across the spectrum of environmental change and sustainability science. Visit http://www.cell.com/one-earth. To receive Cell Press media alerts, contact press@cell.com.
When Colaiste Ris student Calvin Magee received his Leaving Cert results last Monday, he was devastated to discover that he had missed out on his dream to study either Speech and Language Therapy or Occupational Therapy at Trinity College.

On the day of the results, Calvin was distraught to find that he had been given a H5 in biology. This meant that he would not qualify for the entry requirements, which is H4, for both courses.

I was heartbroken but accepted that my teacher obviously used his professional judgement to give me this grade, which meant I was not fit to do the course, he stated.

This year, teachers applied grades and class rankings for each student before passing them on to the department.

The department applied a standardisation process which saw grades adjusted to ensure the national performance is similar to previous years.

On Monday morning when Calvin logged into the Calculated Grades Student Portal, he realised that he had been given 63% by his biology teacher. But the standardisation process had reduced his mark to 59%, just 1% shy of the entry requirements of his first and second preference courses.

I then checked the remainder of my grades and noticed I was downgraded in every single subject, my biggest downgrade being nearly 8%, which statistically would most likely bring me down a grade in the subject, he explained.

This standardisation process downgraded me, and I did not get my course. The Dundalk student, who has dyspraxia, told the Democrat that he was attracted to that particular field of healthcare because I wanted to help people who were in a similar situation to myself.

Bitterly disappointed, the 18 year old contacted the Minister for Education, Fianna Fail and the CAO yesterday. Each was as unhelpful as the next, and each placing blame on each other, he claimed.

He acknowledged that he still had the option to sit the Leaving Cert in November but felt that he would miss out on a year if he did that.

The unfair system downgraded me randomly and now I will not get my course despite meeting both the points and matriculation, he pointed out.

Calling the system flawed and unfair he says he believes it will have a major impact on the mental health of young people affected. He believes the process is unfair to teachers too.

They put our teachers through emotional stress, they made these teachers rank their students, give them marks that would affect their lives forever, he points out.

I am very angry about the situation, he stated, but acknowledged that he had, at least, secured his third preference course , English Literature and History at Trinity College.

I got my third choice but lots of people didnt and they will be forced to take a year out, he pointed out. He believes this could put a strain on the mental health of many students who have already endured six months of pressure during lockdown.

For now, Calvin has appealed his results but is sceptical about the process as appeals do not look into the difference between the marks given by a school and the grade awarded by the Department of Education.

He believes that the appeals process was set up only to cover the departments back, adding: the problem isnt the information, its the system.
Anger has been expressed by sections of the hospitality sector at a move by Government to tighten coronavirus restrictions in Dublin.

Irish premier Micheal Martin announced the capital would move to risk level three of the Governments blueprint plan to deal with Covid-19.

Only pubs that serve food and restaurants with outdoor facilities may be permitted to open, while sporting events will also be prohibited.

It is quite clear now that the Government has little say in how this country is being run and we are now being ruled by NPHET. Welcome to NPHET-landhttps://t.co/qpEdAJ3iie  LVA (@LVADublinPubs) September 18, 2020

Meanwhile, all pubs in the rest of the country will be allowed to open on Monday.

The Licensed Vintners Association (LVA) has accused government of closing down swathes of businesses.

They are closing down swathes of businesses in Dublin, pushing thousands of people out of work and yet NPHET admits they dont have any data to show where the infections are arising in Ireland, LVA chief executive Donall OKeeffe said.

Lets remember pubs that serve food and restaurants have been open for several months without a spike in infections, having reopened on 29th June. But still NPHET has imposed the most severe, draconian and punishing restrictions on the hospitality sector in all of Europe.

The pubs of Dublin widely accepted and backed the approach being taken by NPHET and Government at the beginning of this crisis. The approach being taken is shattering that support among the pubs of Dublin.

Elaina Fitzgerald Kane, president of the Irish Hotels Federation also expressed concerns.

With 100,000 tourism jobs already lost and a further 100,000 at risk, urgent Government intervention is now required. @ElainaFitzKane #IHF  Irish Hotels Federation (@IHFcomms) September 15, 2020

The tourism and hospitality industry has become the economic front line of the Covid crisis, she said.

Urgent Government intervention is now required in the form of additional sector specific supports for an industry that has been disproportionately impacted by the Covid restrictions.

The measures announced tonight fall far short of what is required not only in Dublin but for the entire country.

Prior to Covid, tourism supported 270,000 livelihoods, one in ten of all Irish jobs. Of these 100,000 jobs have been lost already and a further 100,000 are at immediate risk.
A memorial dedicated to the 34th president of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower, has been unveiled in Washington D.C.

The ceremony was held virtually after being delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

US Republican Senator from Kansas Pat Roberts alongside members of the Eisenhower Commission participated in the ribbon cutting during the dedication ceremony on Thursday evening.

One of the statues of Dwight D Eisenhower on display at the opening of the Dwight D Eisenhower Memorial, honoring the legacy of the World War II Supreme Allied Commander and nation's 34th President

US Republican Senator from Kansas Pat Roberts, second left, with members of the Eisenhower Commission participate in a ribbon cutting on Thursday evening

A statue of Dwight D. Eisenhower's D-Day address to the troops on display at the opening of the Dwight D Eisenhower Memorial

The memorial, which was commissioned by Congress in 1999, honors Eisenhower's legacy as commander of allied forces in World War II.

The president is remembered for leading the invasion of Normandy, a turning point in the war.

Roberts gave a keynote speech during the event, while recorded remarks from former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former Senator and World War II veteran Bob Dole, and Memorial designer Frank Gehry were also heard.

Eisenhower's grandson, David Eisenhower, spoke of his grandfather's legacy.

From Abilene, Kansas, Eisenhower went on to become a General, a U.S. President and one of the most notable and successful leaders of the last century.

Members of the Eisenhower Memorial Commission cut a ribbon at the Eisenhower Memorial dedication ceremony in Washington on Thursday

David Eisenhower, grandson of former president Dwight D. Eisenhower, speaks during the Eisenhower Memorial dedication ceremony

Attendees listen to remarks during the dedication ceremony for the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Designed by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry, the memorial encapsulates Eisenhower's legacy in a four-acre urban park at the base of Capitol Hill.

The memorial features a one-of-a-kind stainless steel tapestry depicting beaches of D-Day, heroic-sized bronze sculptures, and stone bas reliefs.

Gehry is a renowned architect who has worked on the Guggenheim Museum in Spain and Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris.
The former Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery along the Schuylkill River. Hilco Redevelopment Partners of Chicago, the current owner, is seeking tax breaks for its project to transform the 1,300-acre site into a logistics center. Read more

In a reversal of its earlier stand, the Philadelphia school board late Thursday voted to approve a tax break for the citys largest development project, a former South Philadelphia refinery site that is to be rebuilt into a massive logistics hub.

The board voted, 7-0 with one abstention, to approve a 10-year extension of the sites Keystone Opportunity Zone (KOZ) designation, a proposal backed by Mayor Jim Kenney. Hilco Redevelopment Partners, which bought the 1,300-acre property out of bankruptcy in June, has said the tax break is important to its project, which will require hundreds of millions of dollars for environmental cleanup before the property can be redeveloped.

The school board in August rejected the proposal when three progressive board members, Ameen Akbar, Mallory Fix Lopez, and Angela McIver, voted no. They switched course Thursday, they said, after the city detailed more information about the money the district would see and the safeguards that would be put in place to make sure Hilco fulfilled its promises.

McIver said that she changed her vote after Hilco met with district officials and promised job opportunities for recent graduates, but that she still had concerns about trade unions that often function as private clubs" and shut out Black and brown people.

Hilco, which paid $225.5 million for the site formerly owned by Philadelphia Energy Solutions, has pressed the city to extend the propertys KOZ status, which was granted in 2014 and set to expire in 2023. According to the citys website, KOZ status applies to six parcels totaling about 950 acres of the 1,300-acre property.

Businesses in Keystone Opportunity Zones pay little to no state and local business taxes through an assortment of credits, waivers, and abatements, but since 2016, the city also requires a payment in lieu of real estate taxes. Hilco has promised to pay $1.36 million next year in lieu of property taxes, up from $1.25 million paid by the former owner.

The city says the payment in lieu of taxes is calculated at 110% of the amount the owner would pay based on the propertys assessed value. The revenue is allocated 55% to the School District and 45% to the City General Fund, the same allocations that would be applied to real estate tax payments, said Kevin Lessard, a spokesman for the Philadelphia Commerce Department.

The Kenney administration has called the project an unprecedented opportunity to revitalize one of the largest and most important parcels in the city of Philadelphia.

Hilco (HRP) said Friday that it was humbled by the Philadelphia school boards faith in this project and committed to working with the School District to build a Career Connected Learning system.

HRP will engage leadership staff in advising on curriculum design, providing virtual and in-person career exposure opportunities, paid work-based post-learning experiences, and building direct pipelines to permanent employment in partnership with the Philadelphia School District, the company said in a statement. "We are looking forward to a long and productive partnership with the School District and City of Philadelphia.

The vote drew anger from teachers, parents, and activists who opposed corporate tax breaks and were pleasantly surprised by the boards earlier rejection of the designation. Many of the 73 people who registered to speak Thursday night were opposed to the KOZ extension.

One, Hannah Holiday, said she was completely appalled that you would reject a stream of revenue from Hilco being taxed. We all know that Hilco can afford to pay these taxes, she said.

Hilco says it intends to redevelop the site into a multimodal industrial park with ancillary rail infrastructure, energy infrastructure, marine capabilities and commercial uses.

An economic impact study commissioned by Hilco estimates the project would generate 19,000 full-time, permanent, direct and indirect jobs, and deliver an annual economic impact of about $3 billion to the region at build-out, after about a decade. It would also generate 13,000 construction jobs.

Keystone Opportunity Zones are abandoned, unused, and underused areas the state says would benefit from additional investment. The Commerce Department has designated about 500 properties as KOZs.

This story was updated to include information that Hilcos payment in lieu of taxes would increase next year to $1.36 million.
San Francisco, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/18/2020 -- Package leak detectors are widely used to add quality control to packaging applications. These machines run several testing methods to check if seals, seams or closures on packages have leaks or pressure issues that may result into damaged or spoiled product through faulty seals or packaging. Seal integrity of packaging products can be compromised due to various factors including transportation hurdles, misalignment of heating element, and others, resulting in loss of protective atmosphere, reduced shelf life of products, and costly returns. Package leak detectors allow the detection of even the smallest leaks and have been established as an integral part of quality assurance for various packaging applications.



Growing trends of adopting such equipment in wide range of industries including food processing, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, electronics and appliances to ensure seal integrity and product quality has led to development of global package leak detectors market.



Request Sample of Package Leak Detectors Market Report for more Industry Insights @ https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=B&rep_id=5357



Package Leak Detectors Market  Notable Developments



In May 2019, AMETEK MOCON, a leading player in package leak detectors market, announced the launch of two analytical instruments, Dansensor LeakPointer 3 and LeakPointer 3+, to detect leaks in Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) packages by measuring escaping carbon dioxide from packages tested in closed control environment.

In October 2018, Sepha launched Sepha Multi-Q, its latest innovation for rigid and flexible packaging, at Pack Expo Chicago. The new multi-functional, non-destructive leak system offers all-in-one solution to test the integrity of all kinds of rigid and flexible packaging such as pouches, sachets, bottles, bags, trays, and devices.

In August 2018, Emerson introduced Rosemount CT4215 Food and Beverage Leak Detection System, designed to help assure quality and safety, maximize production volume, and to reduce waste for food and beverage products. The new equipment uses laser technology to detect leaks at a sensitivity as low as 0.3mm and automatically rejects any defective package without slowing down the production.



Oxipack Leak Detection



Founded in 2010, Oxipack Leak Detection is headquartered in Houten, Netherlands, and offers support to the packaging industry worldwide, with unique, accurate leak testing equipment and solution. The company specializes in non-destructive leak detection in vacuum or airtight packaging for food and pharmaceutical industries.



TM Electronics Inc.



Founded in 1961, TM Electronics Inc. is headquartered in Devens, Massachusetts, and manufacturers a range of automated, high technology leak testers, leak and flow testers, and package testers. The company develops product line to offer measuring equipment for improving quality and productivity in various industries.



Haug Quality Equipment



Founded in 1995, Haug Quality Equipment is based in Morgan Hill, CA, and is the leading supplier of package leak detectors and quality assurance equipment for the food packaging industry. The company Pack-Vac Detectors with Electronic Controller for Altitude Simulation is ideal solution for testing packages for burst strength.



Enquiry For Discount on the Package Leak Detectors Market @ https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=D&rep_id=5357



Package Leak Detectors Market Dynamics



Package Leak Detectors Market to Grow, as Efforts to Improve Seal Integrity Increase



Package leak detectors have been witnessing increasing demand, underpinned by growing efforts to reduce the risks of product damage across several industries. Rising trends of automation in industrial sector along with growing demand for new machinery from developing markets continue to influence growth of package leak detectors market. In packaging process, if seal integrity issues go undetected, problems are likely to arise with product resulting in potential damage and unwanted returns to the supplier. This, coupled with increasing focus on quality assurance of products has led to surge in the demand for package leak detectors. Further, rising scope of application in packaging of processed food & beverages, pharmaceutical products, medical devices, automotive components, electronics, and certain industrial components will continue to boost the expansion of package leak detectors market.



Package Leak Detectors to Witness Significant Demand in Pharmaceutical Industry



Growing popularity and adoption of leak detection in pharmaceutical packaging for increasing quality control procedures to ensure product stability and overall shelf life have been a key growth influencer of the package leak detectors market. Manufacturers are continuously focusing on implementation of advanced technologies in their products to generate more accurate results, eliminate waste, and to integrate with quality systems of pharmaceutical industry, which in turn is likely to create potential growth prospects of the package leak detectors market.



Package Leak Detectors Market Dynamics



Based on control systems, package leak detectors market can be segmented into:



Manual

Semi-automatic

Fully automatic



Based on testing methods, package leak detectors market can be segmented into:



Bubble Emission

Vacuum Package Test

Altitude Simulation

Internal Pressurization



Based on application, package leak detectors market can be segmented into:



Food Packaging

Pharmaceutical Packaging

Medical Device Packaging

Electronics

Automotive Components

Industrial Components



Get TOC of Package Leak Detectors Market Report for more Industry Insights @ https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=T&rep_id=5357



About TMR Research:



TMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in today's supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients' conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.
Harvey Weinstein has been stripped of his honorary CBE following his conviction for rape and sexual assault.

The former film mogul was sentenced in March to 23 years in a New York state prison.

The conviction came two years after a number of sexual misconduct allegations against Weinstein sparked an international reckoning for abuses of power through multiple industries.

Weinstein was awarded his CBE in 2004, for services to the film industry. As co-founder of Miramax Films, Weinstein produced and distributed dozens of high-profile movies including Pulp Fiction, Sex, Lies and Videotape and Shakespeare in Love.

A notice in the official public record of The Gazette confirmed that Weinstein had been stripped of his title.

The statement reads: The Queen has directed that the appointment of Harvey Weinstein to be an Honorary Commander of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, dated 29 January 2004, shall be cancelled and annulled and that his name shall be erased from the Register of the said Order.

The decision was made at a recent meeting of the Honours Forfeiture Committee, which acts independently from the British government.

Harvey Weinstein arriving at Manhattan Criminal Court in February 2020 (Angela Weiss/AFP)

Other celebrity figures to have been stripped of honours in recent years include the entertainer Rolf Harris, whose CBE was cancelled following his conviction in 2014 for 12 indecent assaults.

Weinstein is currently imprisoned in the maximum-security Wende Correctional Facility in Erie County, New York.
(TRAVPR.COM) SWITZERLAND - September 18th, 2020 - Renowned hospitality experts Alphy Johnson and Chris Mumford have joined HoCoSo. They become part of an exceptional hospitality expert community that brings together some of the greatest minds in the hospitality industry, on one single platform.

The network already features, among others, Jonathan Humphries, Chairman of HoCoSo and co-creator of several ground-breaking and award-winning concepts in the hotel industry and in hospitality education; Katharine Le Quesne, Managing Director UK with a track record of helping owners and operators realize their vision and create value in hotels and resorts; and Irene Zijlmans, Project Director and a leader in the field of asset management and development.

Alphy Johnson, who describes himself as a modern elder, has had an incredible career spanning over 45 years, with companies including Rosewood and Westin. He has opened 12 hotels across 10 countries, in North and Central America and the Middle East and Asia. He has also led his teams successfully through several crises. He specializes in creating high-performance service teams in multi-cultural environments, brand architecture for start-up hotel companies and mentoring hotel General Managers and executives, particularly through crises.

As part of the HoCoSo Expert Community, Alphy takes on the role of Managing Director of the Americas and aims to provide operational wisdom, strategic, development, contract, pre-operations support and crisis leadership for the networks clients.

Chris Mumford is an advisor to the global hospitality sector in the areas of leadership and talent. The founder of Cervus Leadership Consulting, Chris provides services in executive search, compensation consulting, organizational structuring, succession planning and management due diligence. Over the past 20+ years, Chris has helped build leadership teams on behalf of some of the industrys most prominent operators, developers and investors throughout EMEA, Asia and North America. A frequent author and speaker on human capital issues in the hospitality industry, Chris is a promoter of hospitality as a career choice and an advocate for greater diversity in the workplace.

As Head of Leadership Services for HoCoSo, Chris brings to the table his exclusive approach to holistic leadership and team engagement.

HoCoSo brings together the ultimate team of hospitality expertsand consultants. This community offers all-inclusive solutions for businesses looking to grow and thrive, combining unique talents, creative mindsets and experience backed by great track records. The corporate ethos is rooted in the spirit of community. The work model focuses on going on a life-journey with clients so that the objectives of each project are met collaboratively, equally and successfully.

To find out more about our unique team of consultants - or to joins us - visit www.hocoso.com

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The Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) has revealed that about 46,000 people living with HIV have refused treatment.

According to the Director-General of the commission, Mr Kyeremeh Atuahene, that development had presented a challenge to the national HIV epidemic control and viral suppression programme.

Speaking during a courtesy call on the Managing Director (MD) of the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL), Mr Ato Afful, in Accra last Wednesday, Mr Atuahene said the situation was one of the major difficulties the commission was facing in its bid to prevent the national prevalence of 342,307 from going up.

He said what was equally disturbing was that the situation had rather resulted in new infections.

The courtesy call on the GCGL MD was to enable the commission to solicit the support of the countrys biggest media organisation to boost the delivery of the advocacy for behavioural change and also strengthen existing relations between the two institutions.

In attendance were management members of the GCGL and officials of the GAC.

Reasons

Giving reasons for the refusal of the patients to undergo treatment, Mr Atuahene said some of them were living in denial of their status, others feared stigmatisation, while some had fallen prey to false claims of cure by traditional healers and spiritualists.

He said those who had fallen prey to the false healing claims of herbalists and spiritualists often returned to the hospital in very deplorable conditions, which led to many of them dying.

Some say that they have done nothing to contract the virus, while others also refuse treatment for fear of being stigmatised in health facilities, which I agree is very high and we are working around the clock to address.

Some feel that once they visit a health facility for the anti-retroviral, they will be identified by other people who will subject them to stigmatisation, he said.

More highlight

Highlighting the national burden, Mr Atuahene said the prevalence rate of HIV in Ghana was 2.0 per cent, while that among people aged 15 to 49 was 1.70 per cent.

Based on the 2019 fact sheet, the country recorded 20,068 new HIV infections and 13,616 deaths that year.

He said out of the number of new infections, 17,096, representing 85 per cent, were from 15 years and above, while 2,972, representing 15 per cent, were children of 14 years and below.

He indicated that while some stakeholders were asking about how to reduce prevalence (the number of people living with the condition), it was clear that that was impossible.

HIV prevalence cannot be brought down because there is currently no cure for the condition. The only intervention is that anti-retroviral medications, when taken consistently on a daily basis, as scheduled by medical officers, are very effective in suppressing the viral load to a negligible stage.

"At that stage, it becomes virtually impossible for a carrier to infect others with the virus.

"Consistency with medications will also enable people living with the condition to live healthy normal lives, just like any other people, he said.

The GAC boss warned that once people stopped taking their medication, there could be a retrogression in their well-being, which could lead to death.

Prevention interventions

Mr Atuahene said the challenges affecting viral suppression and epidemic control had brought to the fore the need to heighten public sensitisation and education.

This is why we have come to you, the GCGL, to solicit your support in the form of the platform to churn out the requisite public education and sensitisation materials.

Anytime we put out information, the Daily Graphics reports are the best in the media space, considering accuracy and presentation, and so we see you as a valued partner, he said.

Dwindling funds

Mr Atuahene said the support of the media, particularly the Daily Graphic, had become more critical in recent times because donor funding, which in the past represented 90 per cent of the commissions funding meant to deliver on its mandate, was now 40 per cent.

Therefore, he said, it had become necessary to find innovative ways to deliver on our mandate, and this is why we are here to solicit your support.

Graphic commits

Responding, Mr Afful commended the commission for its work at managing HIV in the country. Describing the mandate of the commission as a worthy cause, he gave an assurance that the GCGL was committed to supporting its efforts with insightful publications in all its brands.

He asked the commission to take advantage of the GCGLs digital platforms, as well as the Graphic News Plus, the digital version of the newspaper, to advance the delivery of its mandate.

Our doors are always open to you any time, any day for discussions, and be assured of our support always, he said.

The Director in charge of Marketing of the GCGL, Mr Franklin Sowa, informed the commission that there were some low-cost platforms of the company that it could leverage to advance its mandate, in the face of limited funds, as well as platforms that required no monetary commitments, such as placing news articles in the newspaper.

The Editor of the Daily Graphic, Mr Kobby Asmah, reiterated the commitment of the Daily Graphic and the other GCGL brands to support advocacy on HIV, describing such support as the companys call to national duty.

He said, however, that the challenge had always been with timely access to information, adding: You dont have to bother so much about money when it has to do with news articles for advocacy and information sharing.

---graphic.com.gh
Viernes, 18 de Septiembre de 2020 | 19:19 (actualizado a las 19:20) imprimir | A+ A- |
MEC has reached a deal that will see the company acquired by a U.S.-based investment firm. (Richard Lautens/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

2016 was a busy year for outdoor recreation retailer MEC. The company was in the midst of an expansion, opening six new stores in B.C., Alberta, Ontario and Quebec, and announcing plans for two more in Calgary.

The store developments are part of an unprecedented period of growth for MEC, the company touted in a news release at the time.

Today, one  or more  of those store locations may be slated to close after the companys board of directors unanimously approved a deal to sell MEC to Kingswood Capital Management, a U.S. private investment firm. Kingswood Capital has committed to keeping 17 of the companys 22 retail locations open.

The deal  reached after the company obtained creditors protection under the Companies Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA)  will also mean the end of the companys 49-year run as a co-operative, a move that has been met with backlash by many members.

Today's announcement, including the transition from a co-operative structure, is creating a positive path forward for MEC. Kingswood's commitment to honouring the MEC ethos and the solid financial footing that this transaction will provide gives us tremendous confidence in the future, MEC board chair Judi Richardson said in a statement released this week.

Since our founding in 1971, MEC's deeply loyal customers have been synonymous with who we are and what we do. That won't change."

But some members are worried the transition from co-operative to private company owned by an American investment firm will change the business. An online petition calling on the board of directors to cancel the deal and hold immediate board elections has received more than 86,000 signatures.

A joint statement from Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada and the British Columbia Co-op Association called on federal and provincial governments to confirm that legislation has been fully respected allowing the sale of this iconic Canadian co-op retailer to a foreign entity, and that the best interests of MEC members, employees and the communities they serve are being given full consideration.

Story continues

Steven Jones, a MEC member who ran unsuccessfully for the companys board on several occasions, called it a worst case scenario. He believes members should have been consulted by the board before the deal was approved. He also says the company lost its way pursuing an aggressive expansion strategy that led not only to a greater store count, but to selling products in categories that were highly competitive.

As a co-operative, its important to be fairly conservative with your finances, Jones said.

I was worried that the growth story was just a bit too aggressive in a few different dimensions, and that as a result, we were potentially putting that future at risk.

How MEC got here

MEC had been grappling with financial challenges before the coronavirus pandemic struck and exacerbated the issues at many struggling retailers.

Last year, MEC reported a loss of $11.49 million on sales of $462.45 million.

The financial issues were dire enough that the company said it formed a special committee to engage in an extensive examination of options and alternatives to address the persistent financial challenges faced by MECs business in recent years.

A cash flow forecast included in a pre-filing report part of the CCAA proceedings shows that the company expects to lose $17.4 million in the 11-week period ending Nov. 29. Its total debt will hit $92.4 million by the end of November, and it expects to require interim financing of up to $89 million.

According to court documents filed as part of the creditor protection process, MEC was at risk of defaulting on its existing credit line without support or accommodations from its lenders. The company owed $74 million on the existing credit facility, led by RBC, that was maturing on Sept. 30.

MEC said that the special committee looking into its financial woes sought refinancing from a variety of lenders, explored government support and funding MEC through voluntary member assessments. In the end, the committee recommended the acquisition, a solution that ensures MECs mission will continue.

After careful consideration of all viable options, the Board made this difficult decision," Richardson said.

"Despite significant progress on a thoughtful turnaround strategy undertaken by new leadership, no strategy could have anticipated or overcome the impact of the global pandemic on our business.

MEC not alone in COVID-19 struggles

MEC is certainly not the only retailer that has turned to CCAA amid struggles in the coronavirus pandemic. Another outdoor retailer, Sail Outdoors Inc., filed for bankruptcy protection in June. Aldo, Reitmans, DavidsTea, Groupe Dynamite have also filed for creditors protection.

If the deal goes through, one challenge for MECs new owners will be to hold onto the loyal customers that have expressed outrage over the proposed transactions, says strategy expert Mark Satov. Still, he expects MEC members will continue shopping at the store.

They will because at the end of the day its actually a great store, they merchandise really well and they have really cool things that you cant get anywhere else, he said, adding that the company has made errors over the last several years, including moving its marquee Toronto location from King St. to the pricier Queen St. a few blocks north.

I think there are a lot of missteps but Im not worried about the backlash.

Charles De Brabant, executive director of McGills Bensadoun School of Retail Management, says MEC lost the plot when it came to its strengths, including experience-based retail and engaging with its loyal customer base. Whether a private equity acquisition will solve the company issues remains to be seen, he says.

Private equity firms have been pretty bad if not abysmal at buying highly-branded companies and building them for the long term, he said, pointing to J. Crew and Neiman Marcus as recent examples. But he also believes that the company has hired the right CEO in Eric Klaus, and retail trends in the the outdoor recreation category are positive going forward.

At the end of the day, I think if you go back to the roots of the brand and focus on that niche, you can be successful.

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'China is mindful of the fact that it is not confronting the Indian Army of 1962. But the sabre rattling will continue.'

IMAGE: Indian soldiers at a forward airbase in Ladakh, September 15, 2020. Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters

"I doubt China would indulge in aggressive activity in Arunachal Pradesh because they have been taught a lesson by Indian forces in Ladakh,' says Lieutenant General Shakti Gurung, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, VSM (retd).

General Gurung commanded 70,000 troops of the IV Corps entrusted with securing peace and tranquility along the Line of Actual Control in Arunachal Pradesh.

The general served as general officer commanding of a mountain division in charge of securing the Manipur-Myanmar border and also as brigade commander on the Line of Control in Kashmir.

From his home in Dehradun, General Gurung tells Rediff.com's Archana Masih why it won't be prudent for China to open up all fronts across a long and extensive border with India.

The PLA has been building up its presence, in the Arunachal sector. Is there are possibility of a military flashpoint on this side of LAC as well?

I don't think that would be possible. It will not be prudent for China to open all fronts across such a long and extensive border.

The entire border area from the western to the eastern sector falls under China's western theatre command.

When there is an offensive going on on the Western Front (Ladakh), I don't think they will open one on the Eastern Front (Arunachal Pradesh).

Moreover, our Eastern Front has adequate deployment of troops which does not make it easy for the Chinese to try any military action.

What actions can China undertake on the Arunachal border that India must be cautious about?

The Tsang Po river lies deep into Chinese territory and it takes 5-6 days of travel to reach the LAC from the river.

Chinese forces would have to cross 11 bridges on the Tsang Po in case they want to come up to the LAC.

The moment the Chinese try to cross the Tsang Po, they will come under Indian surveillance. It would provide Indian troops adequate early warning to mobilise troops to defensive locations.

But the Chinese could try some offensive postures. They can undertake some grab actions along the LAC in case they want to open up that front.

But I doubt they would indulge in that activity in Arunachal because they have been taught a lesson by Indian forces in Ladakh.

The two sectors that reportedly are seeing enhanced PLA activity are the Tawang and Walong sectors which saw the brunt of Chinese offensive in the 1962 War. How precarious are these sectors?

We have to be cautious all along the border.

Indian troops have had enough time to mobilise substantially.

The traditional routes of Chinese ingress would be Walong, Siang and the Dibang Valley and that entire area is very securely held by the Indian Army.

The Chinese would need a very large force level to launch an assault and I doubt the Chinese western theatre command has that kind of force level.

Are we likely to see more aggressive posturing by the PLA like the abduction of porters from Arunachal Pradesh two weeks ago? What are the kinds of actions that one can expect?

I don't know if they were porters or cattle grazers. There are a number of disputed areas along the LAC in Arunachal and the Chinese can take similar actions.

They may undertake nibbling actions. I don't think those actions will be significant because there is hardly any area that is not held by Indian forces.

With a harsh and hard winter ahead, I don't see much action across the LAC for the next four, five months. The snow will set in by October and will prohibit movement.

IMAGE: Indian Army artillery gun being displayed during a practice rescue and other operations carried out by the Army Engineers in Ladakh, September 15, 2020. Photograph: ANI Photo

What are the challenges of the weather during the winter months in the Arunachal sector as compared to Ladakh?

In winter you are basically combating the weather. There are winter vacated posts both in Ladakh and Arunachal. These posts are generally located in areas where you don't expect infiltration or intrusion.

But this time, Indian troops will have to continue holding these posts, at least till April-May when the passes open up.

The supporting elements will have to be stocked for the winter, and the mobile reserves and artillery moved adequately forward.

The habitat along the LAC will have to be reinforced with well-equipped bunkers and Arctic tents.

The stand-off has been building up for months and the Indian Army must have made adequate preparations and mobilised for the long haul.

The troops are eyeball-to-eyeball all along, especially in areas which saw action in the 1962 War.

Some of the most crucial battles have been fought in Arunachal in the 1962 War. What changes/improvements did you see when you served as a young officer in 1986 and went back as corps commander in 2011?

There has been tremendous improvement.

In 1986, we could still see the remains of collapsed 1962 bunkers, unexploded grenades and rifle magazines.

We also gathered the remains of some jawans and cremated them.

It was shortly after the Somdorung Chu crisis when the Chinese ingressed in the Tawang district.

Infrastructure, roads, helipads, communication and digital connectivity, hospitals have all improved greatly since then.

Our force levels have gone up tremendously.

The defence equipment and weapons carried by our jawans are advanced and modern. It is not easy for the Chinese if they try any misadventure.

China also is mindful of the fact that it is not confronting the Indian Army of 1962.

They will be taught a lesson. I have no doubt about it.

IMAGE: Military tankers move towards forward areas in the Ladakh region, September 15, 2020. Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters

Do you feel the baggage and disappointment of the 1962 defeat is firmly behind us?

I have served in that area and I feel we tend to look at the 1962 India-China War under a shadow of defeat, but the Indian Army fought some of its most heroic battles like Rezang La, Jaswantgarh, Walong, where we were victorious.

The overall war machine and political system collapsed, but the manner in which the Indian jawan fought with limited resources was fantastic.

Each and every battle was fought heroically.

In Namka Chu, where I was company commander, the 7th Brigade under Brigadier John Dalvi had fought heroically even though they were woefully outnumbered by the Chinese forces.

I continue to be impressed in the manner the Indian Army fought at every place as the battle progressed to Sela and beyond to Bomdilla and the Tezpur plains.

The manner in which the Indian Army fought at every step was exceptional and must be written about and told.

As a military man, how do you see the stand-off unfolding in the coming months?

With winter setting in, both the forces will remain where they are.

Diplomatic and military talks are ongoing. Meanwhile, the world is getting worried about China's expansionist design, especially its neighours.

The media keeps talking of the looming war clouds, but winter restricts movement.

We have occupied the dominating heights in Ladakh and are firmly entrenched which will deter China from launching an offensive, but the sabre rattling will continue.
The meeting between Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) and ADB Country Director Andrew Jeffries on September 17 (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi  Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc hosted a reception for Country Director of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Vietnam Andrew Jeffries in Hanoi on September 17, during which he expressed his hope that Jeffries will further enhance the Vietnam-ADB partnership.

The host leader affirmed the Vietnamese Government always considers the bank a closet and important development partner, noting that many ADB-funded projects have greatly contributed to local socio-economic development.

Since 1993, the ADB has assisted the country with 17 billion USD, 14 billion USD of which has been disbursed, he added.

Highlighting the close ties between Vietnam and the ADB, Jeffries said as the country is building development strategies for 2021-2025 and the next 10 years while the ADB is also working out its country partnership strategies for the next five and 10 years, the more their strategies match, the more optimal conditions for coordination activities will be generated.

He congratulated the Vietnamese Government on its concurrent successful control of COVID-19 and ensuring of socio-economic development.

The ADB has taken swift actions to assist regional countries, and it has also helped Vietnam in the pandemic combat, the director said, stressing the banks readiness to discuss with Vietnamese partners to seek the best measures for supporting the nation.

At the reception, PM Phuc appreciated the ADBs tripling of the COVID-19 response package for its members, including Vietnam.

He asked the ADB to help Vietnam design the socio-economic development strategy and plan for 2021-2025 and work closely with the country during the building and implementation of the country partnership strategy for the new period.

The two sides should also accelerate the disbursement of funding for projects on the 2020-2021 list so as to promote growth, he added.
The smoked ocean trout from Buon Riccordo Credit:Louise Kennerley Those teachers proved a major influence on Swanns style, often large-scale, Modernist abstract pieces. He also worked as an assistant to Henry Moore, perhaps the world's best-known modern sculptor. Before moving to London, Swann had studied sculpture at East Sydney Tech, now the National Art School, and "was smitten from that point on". "I was wandering around, I was in the army and doing odd jobs and all of a sudden I found what I wanted to do. Thats all theres ever been." The course involved art history, colour theory, painting and ceramics, and Swann credits teachers including Dadswell and Peter Rushforth with lighting a fire in him. "They made me fall in love with their love of something," he says. "So much of this stuff in life is good luck. I knew bugger all and these people showed me the way and I am eternally grateful to them."

Robertson-Swann and Ayako Saito in 2019. Credit:Australian Galleries/Instagram Awarded a medal of the Order of Australia in 2002, things came full circle when Swann began teaching at the Canberra Art School and later at his alma mater, the National Art School, where he was head of sculpture for many years, retiring in 2018. He and fellow sculptor Ayako Saito have been together seven years, marrying three years ago. Theres a significant age gap: "Next year for a couple of months its 40 years  Ill be 80 and shell be 40. I wasnt going to go in to that so early " Buon Riccordo's butterflied char-grilled spatchcock Credit:Louise Kennerley They work in the studio every day and he adores her, saying shutdown together has been a joy. Although having an artist - especially one who has taught - as partner can be fraught. "When shes in the middle of resolving something in her work and I jump in, that causes serious problems," he says. "Ive learnt to restrain myself, which will come as a surprise to a lot of people  Shes got to find her own voice. Shes copped a lot of criticism being with me."

For Swann, the creative process is a great mystery; Ludwig Wittgenstein's idea that "art is unsayable" appeals. "That just touches me because even if its literature or poetry, you cannot explain why [it] is so bloody good, why it stays in your head." Our conversation is wide-ranging, covering Vault's impact ("it has no equivalent in Sydney and its architecture is much duller as a result"), Sculpture by the Sea ("which changed the profile of sculpture in the whole country"), and cancel culture. "Probably the two greatest artists of the 20th century, Picasso particularly but also Matisse, they were arseholes ... But they were geniuses and they produced extraordinary stuff," he says. Receipt for lunch "For me its not a problem - its a sadness, but you must separate those things. They are different things. Bertrand Russell was an arsehole, his relationships with women were destructive, but that doesnt make what he did in mathematics wrong. It makes him as a man wrong," he says. "Youve got to treat everything on its merits. And there are important distinctions between things."

Swann is particularly concerned by the conflation of politics and art, arguing that too much funding is tied to ideology. Here again, the merit of the work should be the focus. The Australia Council, of which he was a founding board member alongside Fred Williams, James Mollison, Ann Lewis and Patrick McCaughey, should be disbanded, he says. "Its run by idealogues - if you dont tick certain boxes, you dont have a hope in hell. I know a lot of serious artists who dont even bother to apply  It is the state telling artists what to do  the state shouldnt be telling artists what to do. This is not bloody Russia." "Vault was something radically different, bright yellow and abstract." Credit:Rodger Cummins With regard to public art, Melbourne has been more adventurous, more generous and as a result is much richer than Sydney, he says, citing Architectural fragment, outside the State Library and Public purse in Bourke Street Mall. Of Sydney City Councils Pavilion, a massive milk crate, he is dismissive: "Boring as bat shit." Growing up, there was little sculpture in the public domain. At the Art Gallery of New South Wales, a series of Aboriginal burial poles resonated, in part because they had colour and form. "Colour is something I find very exciting; colour is the closest thing to the emotions of music for me," he says. "I try to incorporate colour into my sculpture."

Which leads back to Vault. Legend has it even the Queen observed it could have been "a more agreeable colour". Four decades on, its hard to understand why the sculpture generated such outcry; Swann himself is not sure. "That City Square that Denton Corker Marshall designed was mostly bluestone and I just thought it needed a lift," he says. "It needed the sunshine in, in some ways. You need a colour for a sculpture that kind of fits its mood; I thought yellow fitted its mood. I just didnt know Id release all sorts of hell on myself." Loading Sculpture in the Vineyards, the Wollombi Valley Sculpture Festival, runs from October 17 to November 1. The bill, please
A California man has been arrested after he allegedly attacked several people, including an elderly woman, during a rally held in support of President Donald Trump on Wednesday night.

Alvin Gary Shaw, 33, confronted the small group of people during the gathering in Aliso Viejo - 50 miles south of Los Angeles - around 6.30pm.

Shaw allegedly blew smoke in some of the supporters' faces and used his cigar to burn one person's Trump sign, according to local reports.

He also reportedly punched two people, including an 84-year-old woman, and knocked a third person to the ground before he was taken away in handcuffs.

SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO

Donna Snow, 84 (pictured), was punched by a man as she attended a Trump rally in Aliso Viejo, California, on Wednesday night

Alvin Gary Shaw, 33 (left and right), is said to have confronted the group and screamed profanities. He allegedly blew smoke in some of their faces and used his cigar to burn one person's Trump sign

The rally, held on the corner of Aliso Creek Road and Pacific Park Drive, saw between 20 and 30 people gathered.

Supporters of the commander-in-chief wore 'Make America Great Again' hats and carried signs that read 'Trump-Pence' and 'Trump-Keep America Great 2020.'

One woman carried a black sign that read: 'Jesus is King.'

Videos show the supporters laughing and cheering as cars drive by, some honking their horns in support.

Witnesses told KTLA that their two-hour event was coming to a close, when Shaw began walking over to them.

Cynthia Cantrelle-Westman told the local station that when she first saw him approaching, she thought he was coming to join the group.

'Instead, he was pretty upset and he started using profanity from the minute he arrived,' she said.

Donna Snow, another Trump supporter, added: 'He kept coming over to me and getting in my face, and all I could say was the F-word.'

In the video, Shaw is heard saying: 'F*****g goodbye, I'm not going to be respectful when you out here disrespecting my people.'

Witnesses say he blew smoke in their faces and used his cigar to burn one supporter's Trump sign.

That's when the altercation turned violent with Shaw accused of striking three people, aged 55, 74 and 84-year-old Snow.

Shaw is accused of reportedly striking three people, including Snow (left and right). One of the other victims was taken to a local hospital with a neck injury

Snow (pictured) said that during the attack she was struck in the face so hard that her earrings were knocked off

Shaw was confronted by a retired police officer (above) and arrested on suspicion of elder abuse, assault with a deadly weapon and assault and battery

'He took his hand way back like he was going to punch me, and [he] hit me right across the face,' Snow, told CBS Los Angeles.

'Broke my earrings off.'

One of the other two victims was taken to a local hospital with a neck injury, but it is unclear how old he or she is.

Shaw then pulled out a small pocket knife, which is when a retired police officer arrived on the scene and drew his gun.

The assailant tried to run, but was eventually forced to the ground, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office.

The rally, which was held on the corner of Aliso Creek Road and Pacific Park Drive (pictured), saw between 20 and 30 people gathered

Supporters of the commander-in-chief wore 'Make America Great Again' hats and carried signs that read 'Trump-Pence' and 'Trump-Keep America Great 2020' (left and right)

Shaw was arrested on suspicion of elder abuse, assault with a deadly weapon and assault and battery.

Records show he was released from jail on Thursday after posting bail. According to the Orange County Sheriff's Department, Shaw works for the US Postal Service.

'This could have been a very serious incident,' Sgt Dennis Breckner told CBS Los Angeles.

'In this case, this was just two groups that disagree, and while we support people and their using their First Amendment rights to put out their message, we prefer that that remain peaceful.'

Videos shows the supporters laughing and cheering as cars drive by, some honking their horns in support (pictured)

In a Facebook post, one of the witnesses, Cynthia Cantrelle-Westman, said she was interviewed by the investigation team at the police station in Aliso Viejo

In a Facebook post, Cantrelle-Westman said she was interviewed by the investigation team at the police station in Aliso Viejo.

She says she wants to 'speak openly about the mayhem' because she considers the gathering 'a beautiful event that went south because of one individual.

'Fear and faith cannot live in the same house.' she wrote

'We will go on with God at the helm in the face of adversity. Thank you Law Enforcement for keeping us safe. We know what you face each day and will pray for our enemies.'
Amalapuram : , Sep 19 (IANS) All kinds of protests, rallies and demonstrations are banned in Amalapuram in East Godavari district after the Deputy Collector imposed Section 144 of the CrPC for a week on Friday.

"Section 144 of the CrPc and Section 30 of the Police Act are in force for one week. No dharnas, rallies or any type of agitational programmes will be allowed," Eluru range Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police K.V. Mohan Rao told IANS.

Rao said that BJP and its allied cadres have descended on Amalapuram without any permission from the police or any other authority as part of their 'Chalo Amalapuram' call to protest against the recent chariot blaze at the temple of Antarvedi Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy.

"They tried to organise some rallies and dharnas, mobilising hundreds of people," he said.

Since the BJP and its allies did not have permission to protest, and also considering the raging coronavirus pandemic situation, the police requested them to submit a memorandum to the revenue divisional officer (RDO) or the joint collector.

"We requested 4-5 people to submit a memorandum to the respective RDO or joint collector but they refused and came in large numbers," said the DIG.

Consequently, 70 people were arrested in Amalapuram, who had sneaked in despite the ban order while many BJP leaders are under house arrest across the state.

"Some people who already came to Amalapuram area have been arrested. The situation is peaceful now," he said.

Some of the BJP leaders under house arrest include Vishnuvardhan Reddy (Tirupati), Sridevi (Rajamundry), Yamini Sharma (Hyderabad) and Suryanarayana Raju (Narsapuram).

A state BJP official claimed that the police arrested some party workers when they were peacefully protesting the arrest of some people at the Amalapuram RDO office.

Meanwhile, BJP MPs G.V.L. Narasimha Rao and C.M. Ramesh have written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, complaining that the Andhra Pradesh government is hindering all kinds of BJP activities protesting attacks on temples.

On September 5, a six-decade-old seven-tiered wooden chariot of the famous Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple at Antarvedi in East Godavari district was gutted in a fire under mysterious circumstances, leading to a spate of protests.

Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has handed over the chariot case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as the local police could not crack it. The state government has also sanctioned nearly Rs 1 crore to build a new chariot.
Jaipur Foot USA has said it will organise a state-level free artificial limb fitment camp in Gujarat that will provide limbs, hearing aids, clutches and wheelchairs to differently-abled persons.

Making the announcement on Prime Minister Narendra Modis 70th birthday, Jaipur Foot USA Chairman Prem Bhandari said the camp will be organised as soon as it is safe amid the pandemic. He said an inaugural function will take place in Vadnagar, Modis birthplace, and the camp is likely to come up in Mehsana or Ahmedabad.

The camp will provide Jaipur Foot limbs, hearing aids, clutches and wheelchairs.

Bhandari said Jaipur Foot USA has communicated to the Prime Ministers Office about the planned camp.

As part of the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi, the Ministry of External Affairs had launched the India for Humanity initiative in October 2018, under which 13 artificial limb fitment camps were organised in 12 countries and more than 6,500 artificial limbs were fitted.

The MEA had said the artificial limb fitment camps generated a lot of goodwill for India in countries where these were organised such as in Malawi, Iraq, Nepal, Egypt, Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Syria. India has been extending humanitarian assistance under its Development Partnership which is derived by its core value of Vasudhaiv Kutumbkam.

Bhandari also lauded Modis leadership in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic and the Chinese aggression.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)

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Indian and Pakistan armies traded heavy fire on the Line of Control (LoC) in Gurez sector of Bandipora district on Friday.

The Pakistan army resorted to unprovoked shelling to target Indian positions, Colonel Rajesh Kalia, defence ministry spokesman said. It used mortars and other weapons at LoC in Kanzalwan area.

"Befitting response is being given by the Indian army," spokesman added. Reports from the area said heavy exchange of fire has been going on between the two sides since 11 a.m.

Panic gripped villagers living close to the LoC in Gurez and some of them started shifting with families to safer places.
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The global Industrial Sugar market is projected to grow at a substantial rate and capture a CAGR of 4.5% over the forecast period of 20162024, reveals a research report by Market Research Future (MRFR). Sugar is among one of the most widely consumed and traded commodities, and industrial sugar finds different application in various industry verticals such as the food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, confectionery and others. Industrial sugar is primarily used for a broad range of sweetening solutions, and its diverse application range is one of the primary reasons for the growth of the Industrial sugar market trends. Sugar is the primary ingredient in the baking and a rise in consumption of bakery and confectionery products has led to an increase in the industrial sugar market. Growth in global retail industry, coupled with an increase in sugarcane production across the globe are major factors which fuel the growth of the market.

Moreover, sugar crops serve as excellent feedstock which also adds to the growth of the market. Furthermore, sugarcane extraneous matter is a rich source of renewable biomass. Rising disposable income and technological developments in sugar processing and extraction techniques have also provided an impetus for market growth. Growth in demand for sweeteners, the rise in consumption of packaged food and beverages, rising consumer base of industrial sugar and the recent surge in demand for sugar beet are other factors augmenting the market growth. The current trend of manufacture of VHP (Very High Pol) and VLC (Very Low Color) Sugar and exports for the overseas market has provided opportunities for the industrial sugar market. Production of these higher quality sugar not only creates additional efficiencies at the new refineries but also requires less fossil fuel energy consumption. Industrialization of operations of local sugar crop farmers also is a crucial driver of the market. However, unlike any other market, the industrial sugar market too faces essential sustainability issues. The relatively low and fluctuating profit margins for sugar, reduction in consumption of sugar due to rising health consciousness and rise in demand for sugar substitutes and alternative sweeteners such as honey, dates, coconut sugar, etc., and drop in sugar prices due to overproduction are factors restraining the market growth. Additionally, sugar crops require a vast amount of water which has the potential to hamper the market growth.

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Segmentation

The global industrial sugar market has been segmented based on source, type, form, application, and products. By source, the market has been segmented into sugarcane, sugar beet, date palm, sorghum, sugar maple, and others. By type, the market has been segmented into granulated sugar, icing sugar, brown sugar, liquid sugar, specialty sugars and others. By form, the market has been segmented into granular, powder, solid, liquid, paste and others. By application, the market has been segmented into food, beverage, confectionery, pharmaceuticals, and others. By products, the market has been segmented into molasses, sugar, and bagasse and press mud.

Regional Analysis

By region, the global industrial sugar market has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and rest of the world (ROW). Europe accounts for the largest share of the market followed by Asia-Pacific. Increased disposable income and rise in demand for sweetened and confectionery products in developed countries of Europe and North America has helped in the growth of the market. The major exporters of industrial sugar market include U.S., China, Germany, U.K, and Indonesia. The growth in the Asia-Pacific region can be attributed to increased sugarcane farming and presence of large number of small and medium-sized local players in the region. Moreover, China and India have a strong concentration of key players which also aids in the growth of the Asia-Pacific market.

Competitive Landscape

Sudzucker Group (Germany), Tereos (France), Rogers Sugar Inc (Canada), Imperial Sugar Company (U.S.), Rizhao Lingyunhai Sugar Group (China), Guangxi Fengtang Biochemistry Co., Ltd. (China), Bannari Amman Sugars Limited (India), Rana Sugars (India), Upper Ganges Sugar & Industries (India), Guangxi Guitang Group Co., Ltd (U.S.), British Sugar (U.K.), Cargill (U.S.), Michigan Sugar (U.S.), COFCO Tunhe Co., Ltd. (China), Guangxi Funan East Asia Sugar Co., Ltd (China), Rajshree Sugars (India), Shree Renuka Sugars (India), Bajaj Hindustan Limited (India) are the key players operating in the market.

Industry Updates

In June 2018, around 2000 members of the sugar industry in South Africa led a protest march to highlight the plight of the sugar industry due to excess imports. The protest was an initiative to appeal to the International Trade Administration Commission (Itac) to quicken its decision on the application of South African Sugar Association (Sasa).

Access Full Report: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/industrial-sugar-market-2371

Note : Our team of researchers are studying Covid-19 and its impact on various industry verticals and wherever required will be considering covid19 footprints for a better analysis of markets and industries. Cordially get in touch for more details.

About Market Research Future:

At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.

MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.

To stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.

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We had a falling-out over something quite petty, on its face: After a fun party weekend in the mountains, I felt compelled to ask her (and her boyfriend) to pay for part of the lodging expenses. It really wasn't about the actual money, but I couldn't help but to feel used. It embarrassed me to ask her to contribute after the fact, when I had assumed that they would step up without asking.
It is time we move beyond our obsession with revolutionary aesthetics and engage with its politics.

Black Power! was an utterance popularised by radical Black activists in the 1960s and 1970s.

Although often ignored ideologically, the iconography of Black Power continues to be circulated in popular culture  without a thorough engagement with the politics that led to its creation.

The glamorisation of Black Power imagery is a phenomenon that stretches as far back as the 1960s. However, with the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, it is time that we move beyond our obsession with revolutionary aesthetics and engage with its politics.

In recent weeks, artists Ciara and Teyana Taylor have posted images of themselves on Instagram wearing Black Power-inspired costumes, replicating a 1968 photograph of Black Panther Party (BPP) co-founder Huey P Newton that showed him sitting on a wicker chair wearing the partys outfit. Both artists were dressed in all-black leather with black sunglasses to match  the only difference being Taylors beret and rifle. Despite Ciara and Taylor using their images as symbols of Black pride, they failed to recognise or critically engage with the history and ideology of Black Power.

Formed in 1966, by Newton and Bobby Seale, the BPP was a revolutionary self-defence organisation formed to safeguard the Black community from police brutality and Americas ubiquitous racism. Members of the party quickly assumed a uniform, which included black leather jackets, black trousers, black berets and black sunglasses. This outfit was adopted due to its militant appearance and its similarity to those worn by revolutionaries such as Che Guevara and Fidel Castro.

As frequently expressed in its organisational newspaper, Black Panther, the BPP believed in Black self-defence, self-reliance and self-determination. The organisation placed itself in opposition to white imperial capitalism, which it saw as the cause of societal inequality and racial brutality. Despite communicating their objectives through traditional political avenues such as demonstrations and manifestos, the Panthers were aware of the political uses of imagery and fashion.

The iconic black uniform served as a visual representation of the organisations objectives and principles, as it not only presented the BPP as militant, powerful and revolutionary, but it also gave them visibility at a time when the Black community often felt ignored. Such clothing also served as cultural capital within Black radical circles as it affirmed ones refusal to assimilate within the dominant white culture. Party members, identifiable by their distinct outfits, were frightening to many white Americans, as the authorities deceptively began presenting Black Power advocates as dangerous and violent extremists.

Black Panther Party members demonstrate outside the New York City court on April 11, 1969 [Photo by David Fenton/Getty Images]

Black Power iconography was not only about clothing but also the natural afro hairstyle. The afro became a symbol of the 1960s Black is beautiful cultural movement. It expressed pride in ones African features and challenged social norms which largely pressured Black women to conform to Western beauty standards by straightening their hair. During this era, young men and women began wearing their afro despite pushback from those in mainstream society and even some conservative members of the Black community.

Black American radical Angela Davis became the embodiment of Black Power after the FBI issued a search warrant for her, falsely charging her with conspiracy to murder. While hiding from the authorities, Davis became a recognisable figure as a mugshot of her wearing her afro was broadcast not only in the US but internationally. In the eyes of the state, Davis represented violent radicalism, but for many in the Black community, she became a heroine and a representation of Black Power in action.

In the aftermath of her acquittal, Davis became a revolutionary style icon and, consequently, her image was reproduced as a fashion symbol within radical and mainstream circles. This, as Davis criticised in a 1994 essay, was a disturbing exploitation of her image which erased her radical politics from popular discourse. She noted that there was a danger that this historical memory may become ahistorical and apolitical.

An FBI Wanted poster for Angela Davis [Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images]

Despite, her protestations in the 1990s, images of Davis and her afro continue to be co-opted and manipulated today, with fashion label Prada producing a $500 t-shirt, in 2018, with an illustration of Davis shouting Right On!. Similarly, the British government chose to use images of Davis in their controversial counter-radicalisation campaign, Prevent.

The irony of an anti-capitalist and communist being selected on both these occasions appears to have been lost on the organisations.

Glamorising Black Power images not only erases the radical politics of the movement, but also leads to a sanitised and inaccurate retelling of the past. Romanticising Black Power icons and their aesthetics without critically engaging with the reality of this history often results in a narrative that only recognises the successes of the movement and overlooks the lasting pain and trauma of that generation of Black radicals.

In recent interviews, American former Black Panther Denise Oliver-Velez and her British counterpart Beverley Bryan spoke to me about the harsh realities of the Black Power movement. Bryan spoke candidly about the many young people who became casualties of the movement and were subsequently left broken. Likewise, Oliver-Velez raised awareness of the older brothers who are still being incarcerated for their involvement in Black radical politics.

Instead of merely focusing on Black Power visuals or nostalgically fawning over its fashion, people should explore the ideologies that underpinned the movement, such as anti-capitalism, anti-imperialism and pan-African solidarity. Such ideas helped form an international movement and provided radical alternatives to the pre-existing systems. The Panthers succeeded in raising Black consciousness, challenging police racism and bringing Black struggles to the forefront of political discourse.

However, despite these gains, Black communities around the world are faced with similar issues of institutional racism, police brutality and societal marginalisation. Only through serious engagement with the radical politics of Black Power will we be able to draw on our revolutionary predecessors and come up with creative solutions for our current struggles. It is time we focused on politics and not just spectacle.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.
ALLENDALE, MI -- Grand Valley State University students who take a daily health screening for novel coronavirus can earn money in return.

The university is incentivizing its students with $200 in tuition funds to take a COVID-19 health screening test every day for the remainder of the fall semester, GVSU said in a Facebook post.

The students can use the funds toward toward next semesters tuition, officials say. The per-semester cost of tuition for a full-time undergraduate student from Michigan is $6,622 for the 2020-21 school year.

Students who will be graduating after the fall semester will be rewarded in January 2021, according to the website.

The number of positive cases within our community has trended down for the last couple of days after leveling off last week, the university said in an update to its COVID-19 response page.

In spite of the recent trend, the overall positive numbers for Grand Valley since the opening of the fall semester have been concerning to both university community members and public health officials.

The disclosure statement for the COVID-19 Self Assessment says it is a part of the individual responsibility to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

GVSU students were recently ordered to stay in their on- or off-campus residence for two weeks because of a surge in the number of coronavirus cases.

Related: Grand Valley students who break stay-home order could be subject to sanctions

The Ottawa County Department of Public Health issued the mandatory stay-at-home order for all GVSU students in Allendale Township beginning Thursday, Sept. 17, and ending at 11:59 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, officials said Wednesday.

Health officials offered some exceptions, including attending in-person classes, for when students can leave their residences.

There have been more than 600 coronavirus cases tied to Grand Valley since Aug. 23, when many students returned to campus, according to the health department. The school of about 25,000, which began the fall semester Aug. 31, is offering a mix of in-person and virtual classes this fall.

A total of 791 cases have been confirmed in the GVSU community since Aug. 1, according to the most recent data.

Officials say it is critical that people who are part of the university community understand the details of the plan to mitigate the virus. For each positive case, county health officials, with university support, will conduct contact tracing to notify all those potentially connected to infected individuals. This has uncovered asymptomatic people who went first to quarantine, got tested, and if positive, went into isolation.

According to the university, this plan is catching asymptomatic cases earlier and helping to stop the spread.

Control of the COVID-19 pandemic is necessary to protect the health of Ottawa County communities, said Lisa Stefanovsky, Ottawa County public health officer, in a Wednesday release regarding the stay-at-home order.

COVID-19 has not spread through large parties at Grand Valley  as has been the case at some Michigan colleges  but rather through small gatherings at off-campus residences, school leaders said.

Most COVID-19 spread at Grand Valley has occurred between roommates in off-campus housing, health experts have found. The Ottawa County health department has found a number of small clusters in apartments or households with GVSU students, senior epidemiologist Derel Glashower previously told MLive.

Ottawa County has reported a total of 3,100 confirmed coronavirus cases since its first case was found March 15, according to the countys COVID-19 data dashboard. There have been 65 confirmed deaths linked to the novel virus.

Ottawa is one of eight Michigan counties coded orange, signaling heightened concern over COVID-19 cases, based on a metric developed by the Harvard Global Health Initiative to assess coronavirus risk levels.

Four of the eight counties house state universities with coronavirus outbreaks, including Ottawa (GVSU), Isabella (Central Michigan University), Mecosta (Ferris State University) and Houghton (Michigan Tech University).

Also on MLive:

Its not worth it: GVSU students alarmed by off-campus gatherings as coronavirus cases surge

Novi suspends all fall sports until Sept. 20 as 5 students test positive for coronavirus

Michigan school data on coronavirus outbreaks may be a week old when you get it
The top members of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee have urged Afghanistans leaders to preserve the advances of women as Kabul negotiates a peace deal with the Taliban aimed at ending the nearly 19-year war.

Rights activists fear that hard-fought gains made by women since the collapse of the Taliban regime will be given away as part of a peace settlement with the extremist group.

Representatives Eliot Engel (Democrat-New York), chairman of the committee, and Michael McCaul (Republican-Texas) said the governments negotiating team must make unequivocally and abundantly clear that women will have a significant role to play in any future Afghanistan.

At such a critical moment in Afghanistans future, we offer our unwavering support and encouragement for the progress that your country has made in the area of womens empowerment and urge you to make this an ongoing priority of your government, Engel and McCaul said in a joint statement on September 18.

Under the Talibans 1996-2001 rule, the militants prevented women and girls from working or going to school.

Since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001, millions of girls have gone to school and continue to study, women have joined the workforce in meaningful numbers, and dozens of women are members of parliament and work in the government or diplomatic corps.

The Taliban has said it will protect womens rights, but only if they dont violate Islamic or Afghan values, suggesting it will curtail some of the fragile freedoms gained by women in the past two decades.

The constitution guarantees the same rights to women as men, although in practice women still face heavy discrimination in society, particularly in rural areas.

But the Taliban has demanded a new constitution based on "Islamic principles, prompting concern among Afghan rights campaigners.

Intra-Afghan peace negotiations that started on September 12 will tackle tough issues, including a permanent cease-fire, the rights of women and minorities, and the disarming of tens of thousands of Taliban fighters.
The Peacemakers: Jared Kushner, Yossi Cohen, Ron Dermer, Avi Berkowitz and David Friedman

Ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates have been warming below the surface for decades, but a major turning point came in 2015, as the US and other world powers negotiated a nuclear deal with Iran.

Mossad chief Yossi Cohen

Both Israel and the UAE made their opposition to the agreement known to the Obama administration. Israel made its position very public, while the UAE kept it private. Israeli Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer tried to convince his Emirati counterpart Yousef Al Otaiba to join Israels open campaign, to no avail, though the UAE continued its opposition behind the scenes.

Dermer and Otaiba  who, despite being not Jewish, deserves a place of honor in these pages, too  carried on a remarkably close relationship in Washington. A Huffington Post article that year said the two agree on just about everything except for the Palestinians. Dermer even invited Otaiba to Congress to hear Netanyahus speech there, but the Emirati ambassador said no. His office also denied to the Huffington Post that he and Dermer were friends.

Kushner was the lead on that project, but Friedmans fingerprints were all over the plan and played a key role in trying to nail down a detailed map for Israel to extend its sovereignty to communities in Judea and Samaria.

In hindsight, its clear that the friendship that could not be publicly acknowledged helped lay the groundwork for the historic normalization between Israel and the UAE, Israels third-ever peace treaty with an Arab country and the first in 26 years.

As the ambassadors liaised in Washington, Mossad chief Yossi Cohen was quietly hopping around to visit moderate Sunni Arab states.

The Mossad has always been a major part of quiet Israeli foreign policy with moderate Arab countries, and the United Arab Emirates was no exception. Any likely future new deals with Bahrain and Oman would also involve the Mossad, and Cohen has already been in touch with top Bahraini officials about the next steps.

In July 2019, Cohen made a rare major public speech in which he explicitly stated that his spy agency had been behind much of the progress with the moderate Sunni Gulf countries.

This was not just another theoretical, optimistic statement. Cohens critical involvement in the Sudan normalization meeting in February and in coronavirus diplomacy in March were also huge in moving escalating Israel-UAE ties across the finish line. In June, The Jerusalem Post was first to report on close Israeli-UAE cooperation to combat the coronavirus, but the seeds were planted by Cohen under the radar in March.

Cohens constant communications, many quiet meetings and corona diplomacy helped the spymaster seize the diplomatic moment.

However, the third side to the UAE-Israel-US peace triangle played a key role. US President Donald Trump has made a point of looking at the Middle East in a very different way from his predecessor.

Special Adviser to the President Jared Kushner, a former businessman with assets in real estate and media; US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, Trumps bankruptcy lawyer; and Special Envoy for International Negotiations Avi Berkowitz, a Harvard Law student and aide to Kushner, do not come from the Washington foreign policy swamp that Trump promised to drain. As such, they bucked conventional wisdom and saw Israels place in the region in a different light.

As opposed to the previous administration that looked at Iran as a rising regional power and sought to work with it, the Trump administration wanted to isolate the Islamic Republic and stop it from destabilizing the region and sowing seeds of terrorism around the world. And there were no better partners for that than Gulf states and Israel, Irans enemies.

Once it became clear that Gulf leaders, such as Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, known respectively as MBZ and MBS, did not hold a grudge against Israel and, in fact, were working with them against Iran. Kushner, who had a good relationship with both, saw no reason why Americas allies against Iran couldnt work with each other, and began pressing the issue.

Meanwhile, the 31-year-old Berkowitz proved to be a White House wunderkind, playing an instrumental role in getting the Israel-UAE agreement off the ground. Kushner deals with a number of major issues for the Trump administration, while Berkowitz would often do the necessary groundwork. Over the past year, he gained the trust of administration officials from the UK to Saudi Arabia who knew that he spoke on behalf of Kushner, perhaps the presidents closest adviser. He traveled to the region multiple times, from Israel to Bahrain, Oman and Qatar for sensitive talks to promote the administrations agenda to create a united front of Israel and Arab countries that could counter the Iranian influence in the region.

In January, this team also rolled out the Peace to Prosperity economic plan for the Middle East, including a map designed to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But the Palestinians boycotted the ceremony and refused to engage with the team, citing as their reasons Trumps decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and moving the US Embassy there.

Kushner was the lead on that project, but Friedmans fingerprints were all over the plan and played a key role in trying to nail down a detailed map for Israel to extend its sovereignty to communities in Judea and Samaria. Friedman was also responsible for taking in the very diverse opinions from within Israels government and society about how to implement that plan, and working with the peace team members in Washington on how to encourage Israel to proceed.

In the end, the administrations decision was that it would be better for Israel to have peace in the immediate term with the UAE, a paradigm-shifting move. Normalization between Israel and another Arab country exemplified what Kushner and Friedman had been saying publicly for years; that the Palestinians recalcitrance does not mean that other countries should be begging for their approval. The Palestinians do not get veto power over what happens to Israel or the UAE or anyone else, and if theyre not able to move forward, the rest of the Middle East might just leave them behind.

Twenty-nine days after normalization with the UAE was announced, Bahrain followed suit, and another Arab state may be on the way. These five played a role in what could end up being a realignment that will benefit Israel, the Middle East and the world.

Courtesy: Jerusalem Post
Sanjay Dutt And Maanayata Reunite With Their Children In Dubai; Thank God For The Gift Of Family
Amid protests by farmers in Punjab and Haryana against the central governments three new farm bills, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Friday warned Haryana deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala not to support the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the anti-farmer bills.

Singh also congratulated Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal for resigning from the Union cabinet in protest against the legislations.

I want to congratulate Harsimrat Kaur Badal for resigning from the government in support of farmers and would want Dushyant Chautala not to support the BJP on these anti-farmer bills, otherwise he will suffer big defeat in future. He should support farmers, the senior Congress leader said.

Chautalas Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) is in alliance with the BJP in Haryana and Punjabs SAD, meanwhile, is the BJPs oldest ally. Badal was the sole SAD representative in the central government, holding the food processing industries portfolio.

Singh further praised his party for making the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) Act pro-farmers. Congress government had made APMC Act in favour of farmers. But now, any big trader can open a mandi and under these new anti-farmer bills, any dispute at mandi will be handled by officials. All these four anti-farmer ordinances should be seen in totality, he further said.

Farmers are against these bills as, according to them, these would lead to complete dismantling of the minimum support price (MSP) system. Opposition parties, including the Congress, have vociferously protested against these legislations in Parliament. However, PM Modi has assured farmers MSP would not be withdrawn.

The three contentious bills are: The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020, Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020.

While the Lok Sabha passed the latter two on Thursday, the former was passed by it on Tuesday.
A 32-year-old man with a history of mental illness is in an induced coma following his brutal arrest by Victorian police at Epping in Melbournes north on Sunday.

Amateur footage of the incident revealed that Timothy Atkins was intentionally rammed by a police car, forcing him to fall flat on his back. Atkins was then chased on foot by police, pepper-sprayed, and repeatedly kicked after he collapsed to the ground.

Another video, taken moments later, shows the man face down, surrounded by at least five police officers, one of whom stomps Atkins head to the ground when he attempts to stand. Police had been called to the scene after reports that Atkins, who was unarmed, had been behaving erratically.

A screenshot from video of the attack as an officer stomps Atkins' head

Following public outrage when the videos were circulated, the senior constable who stomped on Atkins was suspended on full pay pending investigation by the Professional Standards Command, a division of the Victoria Police.

Any suggestion that the violent arrest of Atkins was an isolated incident, was dealt a blow by the news of a police shooting in Lilydale, east of Melbourne, on Tuesday morning.

While the 24-year-old victim was in this case armed with a knife, witness accounts suggest that he was not threatening and appeared confused before he was shot multiple times.

One witness told 3AW radio just before the shooting: Hes not waving the knife or anything, hes just wandering.

Another told the Age that after police followed the man across the carpark towards a service station: He stopped for a second and looked around, he looked like he didnt know where he was ... he took a few steps and started to speed up and the senior policeman fired first and two other [officers] shot as well.

Weeks earlier, a 32-year-old Aboriginal man, Korey Penney, was tackled and verbally abused by police while riding his bicycle to work, ostensibly because it did not have a headlight.

Speaking after the Lilydale shooting, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews insisted that there was not a systemic problem with the police. Victoria Police are out there doing very important work, he declared. Im grateful to them, but where an individual incident occurs, which I dont think speaks to culture, it should be properly investigated and I have confidence that thats exactly what will happen.

Any such investigation will be a whitewash. Ruth Barson, legal director of the Human Rights Law Centre, wrote on Twitter following the Atkins arrest: Professional Standards Command is code for police investigating police. This should be referred to IBAC, the independent police watchdog, for investigation. Time and again we have seen that when police investigate their own, impunity results.

The reality is that while dozens of such independent investigations by IBACthe Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commissionor royal commissions, have been conducted, and occasionally resulted in prosecutions of police officers, nothing has fundamentally changed in the conduct of police.

This is because police violence is not the product of bad individuals, but of the role of the state as an instrument of class oppression. The victims are almost invariably working class, poor, Aboriginal or minority, or suffering from a mental illness.

Atkins, a roof plumber who is married with three children, had been at the Northern Hospital attempting to receive treatment for mental health issues, but had left after waiting more than a day in the emergency department.

In the Northern region, only 26 percent of adults seeking mental health treatment at emergency departments are transferred to appropriate beds within eight hours. This is significantly lower than the statewide average of 54 percent, which itself falls far short of the officially-stated 80 percent target.

As reported on the World Socialist Web Site last week, the COVID-19 crisis and the associated social and economic crisis has seen significant increases in anxiety, depression and other mental health issues across the country and around the world.

The coronavirus pandemic has exposed the underlying crisis in Australias health system, including in mental health. As is the case in capitalist economies the world over, successive Australian governments, state and federal, Labor and Liberal-National, have slashed funding for essential public services including health and education, while vastly expanding military and police funding.

Per-capita spending on mental health services is lower in Victoria than in any other state or territory. While an estimated 3.1 percent of the population requires specialist mental health care, no state or territory achieves this. Only 1.8 percent of Australians are able to access this treatment, and just 1.1 percent of Victorians.

In the absence of adequate clinical care, Australians suffering from mental illness frequently fall victim to violent treatment at the hands of police. While recent protests over police violence have focused on the appalling record of official cruelty towards Aboriginal people, the reality is that all of Australias most disadvantaged layers are subjected to the same brutality.

Under the guise of preventing the spread of COVID-19, police across the country have been granted unprecedented emergency powers to arrest and fine people for minor transgressions. Most notably, these have been used to shut down protests against police violence motivated by the global wave of unrest that followed the murder of George Floyd.

The limited coronavirus lockdowns that have been enacted in Australia have not had the character of a public health response, but of police measures. Rather than a major deployment of health workers for testing and contract tracing, people, especially in working-class areas, have been accosted in their homes by police and military personnel.

At the same time, every effort has been taken to minimise disruption to the profit interests of big business. All responsibility for preventing the spread of COVID-19 has been placed on the shoulders of individuals, under conditions of a health crisis, mass unemployment and growing poverty. While governments are rushing to overturn all lockdown measures, in order to force workers back to their places of employment, regardless of the health dangers, repressive police powers are being retained and expanded.

This did not begin in March. The COVID-19 pandemic is merely being used as the latest pretext for the internal deployment of military forces and expanded policing provisions. Sweeping state of emergency powers were introduced during the bushfire crisis last summer, and a series of environmental demonstrations last year led the federal government, backed by the Labor opposition, to legislate five-year jail terms for advertising unauthorised protests on social media.

While Australia has not yet witnessed paramilitary deployments on the scale of what has taken place in Portland or elsewhere in the US, the underlying processes are the same.

The murder of Floyd, captured on video like the arrest of Atkins, ignited a powder keg of social tension among workers and young people confronting not only the threat of death or major illness by the global pandemic, but also the prospect of mass unemployment and years of austerity to pay back the trillions handed to big business by governments, as bailouts.

As the utter failure of the capitalist system has become apparent to millions of workers and young people, governments around the world are resorting to increasingly authoritarian measures to suppress the mounting unrest.
Amal Clooney has quit as Britains special envoy on media freedom in protest at the UK governments lamentable decision to override the Brexit divorce settlement, in breach of international law.

In a letter to UK's Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, the prominent human rights lawyer said she had no alternative but to resign after he made clear the Government would change its position.

She said the UKs actions threatened to embolden autocratic regimes that violate international law with devastating consequences all over the world.

Although the Government has suggested that the violation of international law would be specific and limited, it is lamentable for the UK to be speaking of its intention to violate an international treaty signed by the Prime Minister less than a year ago, she wrote.

Out of respect for the professional working relationship I have developed with you and your senior colleagues working on human rights, I deferred writing this letter until I had had a chance to discuss this matter with you directly.

But having now done so and received no assurance that any change of position is imminent, I have no alternative but to resign from my position.

Ms Clooney, a British-Lebanese barrister, was originally appointed to the role of special envoy by the then foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt in 2019.

In her letter to Mr Raab, she said she was disappointed to have to give up the position having always been proud of the UKs reputation as a champion of the international legal order and of the culture of fair play.

However, very sadly, it has now become untenable for me, as special envoy, to urge other states to respect and enforce international obligations while the UK declares that it does not intend to do so itself, she said.

Her decision to quit follows the resignations of two other senior lawyers  the advocate general for Scotland, Lord Keen of Elie, and the head of the Government Legal Department Jonathan Jones.

It will add to the pressure on Boris Johnson who has been facing calls to drop measures in the UK Internal Market Bill enabling ministers to override provisions in the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement relating to Northern Ireland.

Mr Johnson appeared to have headed off a looming Commons revolt through a deal with Tory rebels in which he agreed there would have to be a vote by MPs before ministers could activate the powers.

However, it is not clear whether the move will be enough to placate all the critics of the Bill who voiced deep concern that the Government would even consider going back on its international treaty obligations.

Former Conservative party leader Lord Howard of Lympne has already said the change isnt enough for him.

Even if the Bill gets through the Commons unscathed next week, there are likely to be further attempts to amend the legislation when it gets to the House of Lords.

For Labour, shadow media minister Chris Matheson said: It is humiliating that the UKs special envoy on media freedom has felt unable to continue in her role.

This shows that by threatening to break international law instead of getting Brexit done as we were promised, the Government is trashing the UKs reputation around the world.

A Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office spokesman said: Wed like to thank Amal Clooney for all her work as Special Envoy to defend journalists and promote media freedom around the world.
On September 17, Malis Junta announced that it was working to meet the demands of West Africas regional bloc about the transitional government. As per reports, As per reports, the move comes after Junta's meeting with 6 West African presidents in Ghana, whose president is the new chairman of the 15 nation regional bloc known as ECOWAS. The West Africa regional bloc has opposed Junta's plan for the transitional government that ensures continued support for military coup leaders instead of Mali's civilian opposition leaders.

Read: West African Leaders Urge Civilian Rule In Mali Within Days

Junta could face new sanctions

According to reports, Junta spokesman Col. Major Ismail Wague said that ECOWAS had given them one week's time to meet the requirements or face new sanctions. Wague said, We are working in this direction to give a quick response.

Earlier on September 13, Mali opposition coalition, known as M5-RFP, publicly opposed the Junta proposal on the transition period. As per reports, the Junta plan allowed a military leader to oversee an 18-month transitional period, deepening the divisions between Malis military coup leaders and the countrys political opposition who had initially come together to oust President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.

Read: West African Leaders Discuss Mali In Ghana

While Junta leader Col. Assimi Goita said that the transitional leader could come from the military, ECOWAS is not in favour of this move. Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo pressed for "a civilian leadership of the transition. He added, From the minute that leadership is put in place, the regional sanctions on Mali will be lifted.

On August 18, an orchestrated coup in Mali saw President Keita and Prime Minister Cisse's arrests along with several other officials. The military leaders forced Keita to resign on state television and the act was condemned by several world leaders who called for the release of the aged leader and the return of power to the civilian administration.

France, Malis former coloniser, and the United Nations also condemned the actions of the military and had urged for Keita to be reinstated. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in a statement, said that he hopes for a "for an immediate restoration of constitutional order and rule of law" in Mail. The Economic Community of West African States has already revoked Malis membership from the bloc and has been threatening sanctions.

Read: Mali's Former President Moussa Traore Dies At 83

Also Read: Mali's Coup Leaders' Meeting With West African Mediators Ended After Just 20 Minutes

(Image Credits: AP)
Pennsylvanias top court ruled on Thursday that state officials dealing with a surge in mail-in ballots due to the coronavirus pandemic can accept them up to three days after the Nov. 3 election, as long as they were mailed by Election Day.

The ruling granted a request by the state Democratic Party that arose in part from concerns that postal delivery delays could disenfranchise voters in the contest between President Donald Trump, a Republican, and Democratic challenger Joe Biden. Pennsylvania is one of a handful of important swing states that both parties consider crucial to winning this years election.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that late ballots can be accepted if they are postmarked by Election Day, or if they lack a legible postmark, unless a preponderance of the evidence demonstrates that it was mailed after Election Day."

Like other states, Pennsylvania saw a deluge of mail-in ballots during its primary election in June, as voters stayed home due to the coronavirus, delaying official results in several close races by days or weeks.

The court also ruled that state law allows counties to collect absentee ballots using drop boxes and upheld a statute requiring poll watchers to reside in the county where they are stationed. In both cases, Republicans had sought to overturn those provisions.

This is a victory that will help ensure that every eligible voter will more easily be able to cast their ballot and have it counted fairly," the states Democratic governor, Tom Wolf, and attorney general, Josh Shapiro, said in a joint statement.

In a separate case, the courts Democratic majority also rejected a bid from the Green Party to add its presidential and vice presidential candidates, Howie Hawkins and Angela Walker, to Novembers ballot, ruling that the partys paperwork was flawed under state law.

The court had previously ordered clerks to pause preparations for the election earlier in the week while it considered the Green Party case. Thursdays decision frees officials to resume printing and mailing ballots.

The Pennsylvania courts two Republican justices agreed that the paperwork was insufficient but questioned whether the Green party should have been given an opportunity to cure the problem.

The ruling was similar to one issued this week in Wisconsin, where the Green Party was also barred from joining the ballot due to paperwork problems. [nL1N2GB282]

In both cases, Democrats had worried that a third-party candidate could siphon support from Biden, while elections officials had warned that forcing them to reprint hundreds of thousands of ballots could create massive confusion and delay.

A spokesman for Hawkins campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In a third case on Thursday, the court said state law prohibits third parties from collecting and returning ballots for voters, a practice sometimes derisively known as ballot harvesting" that Republicans oppose.

In a post on Twitter, Trump praised that decision, writing, We will be watching that the Democrats do not Ballot Harvest - a felony."

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: There is no proposal to provide reservations to the Anglo-Indian community in jobs and educational institutions, the government said in the Parliament on Thursday.

Union Minister of Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told the Lok Sabha that it has no separate data on the economic and social status of Anglo-Indians.

Naqvi was responding to questions posed by Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party MP Talari Rangaiah.

The parliamentarian also asked the minister whether the government is aware that the people belonging to Anglo-Indian community are poor and backward, and sought details of the same.

In response, Naqvi said, Details of the economic and social status of any community, including the Anglo Indians, are not maintained by this Ministry separately. The minister further said that meetings with the representatives of Anglo-Indian community are held from time to time and based on the interactions with them, states and Union territories are advised to look into the problems and grievances of the community.

When asked whether the government has made any efforts for the welfare of Anglo-Indian community by supporting them financially, Naqvi said that all the welfare schemes of the Ministry of Minority Affairs are available to the members of Anglo-Indian community belonging to the notified minority.

There are six notified minorities namely Buddhists, Christians, Jains, Muslims, Sikhs and Zoroastrians (Parsis). The Anglo-Indian community emerged when Europeans married Indian women and their descendants from the 16th century. They were recognised by the British by the Act of 1935 and defined in Article 366 (2) of the Indian Constitution. Earlier, the government scrapped the quota for the Anglo-Indian community in the Parliament and some other state assemblies.

The number of people who identified themselves as Anglo-Indian was 296, according to the 2011 census.
The former governor of California has said that residents of his state should consider heading north of the border as the pattern of climate change-driven wildfires continues to worsen.

Jerry Brown, who served as Democratic governor of California from 1975-1983 and again from 2011-2019, also suggested that buying property in Canada was something his family was considering, in an interview with CBC Radio on Wednesday.

My wife reminds me that her grandmother was born in Canada and that we ought to be looking for some property because if this smoke doesn't clear, she certainly doesn't think it's livable. So I would say that's a real possibility, Mr Brown told listeners.

Of course, Canada is not letting Americans in. So we'll have to solve that problem if you want to have a little migration from California, which you may not want.

He added that from the climate projections, California and the West in America is going to burn. Canada is going to have a lot of nice spots. It's going to have the water. So, yeah, you better be on your guard because I think you've got millions of people that may be headed your way.

Mr Brown, who lives outside of Sacramento, made climate change one of the central issues of his political career and now heads up the California-China Climate Institute.

He said that the wildfires, which have burned a record 3.4million acres in California and left 25 people dead, were the chickens are coming home to roost on climate change predictions that were made decades ago.

He said that Californians, along with the rest of the planet, must face a hundred per cent of the responsibility for the climate crisis caused by burning fossil fuels. But he added, it's also the failure of leaders of the world.

When asked by the CBC host whether he could have done more during his time as governor, Mr Brown was blunt about his own record of success, saying that he believed he did everything humanly possible and that most people said I did too much.

He went on: "Now, was it enough? No, it's not enough. But I can tell you, as a guy who's been around the political world for 50 years, I pushed the politicians to the limit.

The fact is, the political class in America, with maybe a 20 per cent exception, does not want to make the hard decisions because they cost money and they require a price on carbon and they require regulations that constrain the way we're functioning today.

Mr Browns belief in scientific consensus on climate change has led to past clashes with Donald Trump, an avowed climate change denier.

During the devastating 2018 California wildfires, the president blamed Californias poor forest management for the blazes.

While Governor Brown acknowledged forest management was part of controlling the fires at the time, he also said: Managing all the forests everywhere we can does not stop climate change  and those that deny that are definitely contributing to the tragedy."

Mr Trump repeated his refrain about forest management this week in the face of fierce opposition from California public officials and Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden, who pointed out the realities of climate change.

When trees fall down after a short period of time, they become very dry  really like a matchstick. And they can explode. Also leaves. When you have dried leaves on the ground, its just fuel for the fires," Mr Trump said on Monday.

California Governor Gavin Newsom acknowledged that his state had not done enough to manage forests. But he reminded Mr Trump with a colour-coded, piechart handout that 57 per cent of forests in California are under federal management  and just 3 per cent are state lands.

During a meeting with public officials in Sacramento, California Secretary for Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot told the president: We want to work with you to really recognise the changing climate.

"It'll start getting cooler. You just watch, the president shot back.

In a rare public rebuke of a sitting president, Mr Crowfoot replied: "I wish science agreed with you."

Mr Trump countered: "Well, I don't think science knows actually."
Highlights US is banning TikTok from app stores on Sunday in a very surprising move.

Along with TikTok, the Trump government is also banning WeChat in the country.

The orders are likely to reach Google and Apple on Sunday to delist these apps.

In what may come as the most surprising turn of events, the US has said it will ban TikTok and WeChat from the app stores this Sunday. If the Trump administration finally has its way, ByteDance's controversial app TikTok will be removed from the Google Play Store and Apple's App Store in the US. WeChat will also meet the same fate as its other unlucky counterpart that has been mired in various controversies.

The Associated Press quotes Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross that the order was passed Friday to "combat China's malicious collection of American citizens' personal data." The US Commerce Department will issue the orders to Apple and Google to delist TikTok and WeChat on Sunday. This comes against the backdrop where ByteDance freshly roped in Oracle as its "technology partner" in the US after a month-long discussion with other companies, including Microsoft, to find a way to avoid the impending ban on TikTok.

US President Donald Trump had warned to ban TikTok in the US towards the middle of September if it does not find a way to comply with the regulations. The Trump administration displayed its apprehension toward the Chinese origin of TikTok and its parent company ByteDance and that the popular app might be siphoning off US data to Beijing. Trump has repeatedly criticised the growth of Chinese companies, which is why he had earlier suspended all trade deals with Huawei, only to reconsider them later with some laxity.

In the case of ByteDance, the Trump administration did not even extend the deadline to when the ban was supposed to come into effect. Consequently, ByteDance chose Oracle but not to sell off its TikTok US operations but as a company to aid in its US operations by providing necessary and compliant server infrastructure. The new partnership between China's ByteDance and America's Oracle emerged after a critical evaluation of the exchange of technologies that will be a part of the deal. China was not in favour of selling TikTok to an American company. It even said that it would rather see TikTok get banned in the US. The deal between ByteDance and Oracle is subject to clearance from both China and the US.

The popular communication app WeChat is also facing the ban in the US over the same security-related reasons. The Trump administration had said WeChat is a threat to national security and should not be allowed to operate in the country. But unlike ByteDance, Tencent, the owner of WeChat, did not move ahead with a similar move to sell of US operations.

The blockade from the Play Store and App Store would mean that both the app will no longer be available to download from these stores but existing users will continue to have access to TikTok and WeChat unless the government issues a fresh ban on their operations. Android users can also sideload TikTok from an APK file but iOS users do not have that option and will be stuck with not having TikTok on their device if they do not already have it.
Rohingya refugees gather at the Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh to mark the second anniversary of a mass exodus from Myanmar's Rakhine state, Aug. 25, 2019.

A global human rights group has claimed that more than 100 Rohingya refugees were victims of extrajudicial killings in Bangladesh since 2017, but a senior government official told BenarNews that all Rohingya slain in crossfire incidents were drug traffickers.

A statement issued Tuesday by Amnesty International gave the tally of slain Rohingya refugees, citing information from a local human rights group. Neither organization responded to BenarNews requests for more information about these claims.

However, a police superintendent in Coxs Bazar gave BenarNews an even higher figure of 104 Rohingya killed by security forces since May 4, 2018. The southeastern district is where about a million Rohingya Muslims are sheltering in refugee camps after more than 740,000 people fled violence against members of the stateless minority group in neighboring Myanmar three years ago.

More than 100 Rohingya refugees were victims of alleged extrajudicial executions between August 2017 and July 2020, according to Bangladeshi human rights organization Odhikar, the London-based rights watchdog said in a statement on Tuesday, in which it called for a full and thorough investigation of the allegations.

Yet none of these cases have been investigated and no suspected perpetrators have been brought to justice.

Bangladesh officials continue to state that extra-judicial killings do not take place in their country while asserting that suspected criminals are shot dead by security forces during exchanges of gunfire, or crossfire.

None of the Rohingya killed in the crossfire with the border guards and law enforcement agencies were the victims of extrajudicial killings. They were armed narcotics smugglers coming from the Myanmar side of the border, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal told BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service, when asked about Amnesty Internationals allegations.

The duty of our border guards is to foil infiltration into Bangladesh from the other side of the border. Our border guards come under fire from the yaba [narcotic] pill smugglers when they attempt to stop intrusions, and when the guards retaliate with fire some smugglers are killed, he said.

Similar incidents take place when law enforcement officials conduct anti-narcotics drives, Khan said.

Again, our law enforcers came under fire from the Rohingya drug peddlers and smugglers. During the exchange of fire, drug peddlers are killed. Our forces have the right to fire in self-defense, the home minister said, adding, We investigate all incidents of crossfire. Departmental action follows if law enforcers are found to have violated the law.

Higher Death Tally

Meanwhile, police in Coxs Bazar said 104 Rohingya were killed in alleged crossfire incidents between March 4, 2018 and July 31, 2020. By comparison, Amnesty Internationals statement had a similar tally but over a longer period.

Here, too, the Rohingya deaths were due to gunfights or conflicts within the refugee community, said Iqbal Hossain, an additional superintendent of police in Coxs Bazar district.

Those who were killed in gunfights had been involved robbery, criminal activities, and smuggling of yaba pills. There were several cases of robbery, criminal activities, and drug smuggling against all of the slain Rohingya, Hossain told BenarNews.

Many Rohingya also died in the internecine conflicts among different Rohingya criminal groups.

Hossain also referred to a 2019 incident, which led to the deaths of five Rohingya refugees.

Violence broke out in Coxs Bazar on Aug. 22, 2019, when gunmen, suspected to be Rohingya, gunned down a youth wing official of Bangladeshs ruling Awami League party.

The killing of Omar Faruk triggered protests the next day, with participants blocking highways and vandalizing shops and houses inside a Rohingya camp, local media reported at the time.

In follow-up operations, five refugees were killed, at least two of them by police who described them as suspects in Faruks killing.

The Rohingya robbers whisked away Jubu League leader Omar Faruk and killed him, Hossain said.

They killed my son

Some relatives of Rohingya refugees who were allegedly killed by Bangladeshi authorities claimed that their loved ones were not involved in criminal activities.

Md. Shafi, a Rohingya refugee living at the Leda camp in Teknaf, a sub-district of Coxs Bazar, said police killed his 28-year-old son, Rashid Ullah, in July.

The police took away my innocent son from a shop. Then they killed my son saying hes an armed thief, Shafi told BenarNews.

The police put me in jail too for 40 days.

Amnesty International said in its Tuesday statement that it had spoken to family members of five Rohingya refugees who were victims of alleged extrajudicial executions in Coxs Bazar.

Every incident has a strikingly similar narrative where the victims were killed during a gunfight with members of law enforcement agencies who claimed that they only opened fire in retaliation, Amnesty said.

Three of the five Rohingya men were reportedly picked up from their homes by the police and were then found dead, said their family members.

Nur Khan, a former executive director of rights group Ain-O-Shalish Kendra, a local human rights group, said all the incidents of crossfire were actually extrajudicial killings.

Maybe some Rohingya were involved in drug peddling and smuggling. But this does not justify their extrajudicial killings. They can be tried. We have a judicial system in place.

Reported by BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service.
By PTI

INDORE: The Madhya Pradesh BJP on Friday demanded registration of an FIR against the Congress candidate from Sanver, where a bypoll will be held, for allegedly painting a slogan and his party symbol on a cow.

An image of the cow, with the slogan 'Sanver ka Vikas, Premchand Guddu', has gone viral on social media and state BJP spokesperson Umesh Sharma demanded that a case be lodged under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act against Congress candidate Guddu for the "shameful" use of "the holy cow for poll advertisement".

Guddu, meanwhile, said he had nothing to do with the act and alleged it may be the handiwork of local BJP workers to defame him.

Sub Inspector Manoj Kataria of Sanver police station said a search for the animal had proved futile and claimed it may be from some other area.

Priyanshu Jain, president of the local unit of the outfit People for Animals said he had approached police on the issue.

Sanver is among the 28 Assembly seats which will require bypolls, though no date has been fixed as yet for them.

Guddu is pitted against MP minister Tulsiram Silawat, who joined the BJP from the Congress, in Sanver.
Public health agencies need ethical guidelines for deciding what to do when anonymous student health surveys discover a very high local rate of suicide-risk, according to CU researchers.

In a report published today in the highly influential American Journal of Bioethics, the researchers describe a student health survey team that discovered a Colorado school with extremely high rates of suicide risk, and a lack of ethical guidance on whether or how to intervene.

The case came from the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey, a voluntary statewide anonymous survey completed by students in participating schools across Colorado. In addition to reporting results for the entire state, the survey team compiles and returns results to each school.

"While compiling school results, the HKCS team noticed that one school's suicide-risk rate was off the charts. They were alarmed but weren't sure how to proceed, since the survey promises confidentiality of results," said lead author Arnold H. Levinson, PhD, MJ, professor of Community and Behavioral Health at the Colorado School of Public Health.

In the end, the surveyors called the principal at the school, who said he would use the information to ask the district for extra resources to address suicide risks. The decision to call the principal was endorsed by a multidisciplinary team of CU researchers and ethicists from the CU Center for Bioethics and Humanities who examined the case.

But the authors of the new report note that the decision was not informed by ethical guidance.

"We searched for guidance from research ethics, medical ethics, public health ethics and education ethics," Levinson said. "And we couldn't find any directly applicable guidelines."

"We urge national public health and education associations to produce guidance that clarifies the ethical and legal duties owed to randomly chosen schools and students that participate in anonymous surveys when surveillance activities identify high-risk clusters."

Adolescent suicide is at epidemic levels in Colorado and the nation, noted a research team member, M. Franci Crepeau-Hobson, PhD, associate professor and director of clinical training, University of Colorado School of Education and Human Development.

"Schools should be conducting suicide-prevention programs, and administrators are responsible for ensuring their students' health and safety," she said. "Screening for suicide is the best approach, but at a minimum, school personnel should be trained to see signs of risk and appropriate ways to respond."

###

The work was conducted by faculty at the Colorado School of Public Health and University of Colorado School of Medicine, located on the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, and the University of Colorado Denver. In addition to publishing the report, the American Journal of Bioethics has arranged a national webinar (9:00-10:15 a.m. MDT Wednesday, October 14) for the team to discuss the topic.

The Healthy Kids Colorado Survey is led by Ashley Brooks-Russell, assistant professor of Community and Behavioral Health in the Colorado School of Public Health, with funding from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

About the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is a world-class medical destination at the forefront of transformative science, medicine, education, and patient care. The campus encompasses the University of Colorado health professional schools, more than 60 centers and institutes, and two nationally ranked independent hospitals that treat more than two million adult and pediatric patients each year. Innovative, interconnected and highly collaborative, together we deliver life-changing treatments, patient care, professional training, and conduct world-renowned research. For more information, visit http://www.cuanschutz.edu.
Rampant Kitten, a Six-year Iranian Surveillance Operation Unraveled

septembre 2020 par Check Point

Security researchers at Check Point have unraveled a six-year, ongoing surveillance operation apparently run by Iran-based threat actors against regime dissidents. Going back as far as 2014, the attackers used multiple attack vectors to spy on their victims, including hijacking victims Telegram accounts, extracting two-factor authentication codes from SMS messages, recording a phones audio surroundings, accessing KeePass password manager account information, and distributing malicious Telegram phishing pages using fake accounts.

The victims appear to have been hand-picked from anti-regime organizations and resistance movements such as Mujahedin-e Khalq, the Azerbaijan National Resistance Organization, which advocate the liberation of Iranian people and minorities within Iran, and Balochistan citizens.

The attackers used malware-laced documents to lure victims into infecting their devices. The core functionality of the malware is to steal as much information as it can from the target device. The payload targets two main applications : Telegram Desktop and KeePass, the famous password storage manager. The main features of the malware include :

 Information Stealer

o Uploads relevant Telegram files from victims computer. These files allow the attackers to make full usage of the victims Telegram account

o Steals information from KeePass application

o Uploads any file it could find which ends with pre-defined extensions

o Logs clipboard data and takes desktop screenshots

 Unique Persistence

o Implements a persistence mechanism based on Telegrams internal update procedure

Android Backdoor

During their investigation, Check Point researchers also uncovered a malicious Android application tied to the same threat actors. The application masquerades as a service to help Persian speakers in Sweden get their drivers license. This Android backdoor contains the following features :

 Steals existing SMS messages

 Forwards two-factor authentication SMS messages to a phone number provided by the attacker-controlled C&C server

 Retrieves personal information like contacts and accounts details

 Initiates a voice recording of the phones surroundings

 Performs Google account phishing

 Retrieves device information such as installed applications and running processes

Telegram Phishing

Some of the websites related to the malicious activity also hosted phishing pages impersonating Telegram. Surprisingly, several Iranian Telegram channels issued warnings against the phishing websites, claiming that the Iranian regime is behind them. According to the channels, the phishing messages were sent by a Telegram bot. The messages warned their recipient that they were making an improper use of Telegrams services, and that their account will be blocked if they do not enter the phishing link. Another Telegram channel provided screenshots of the phishing attempt showing that the attackers set up an account impersonating the official Telegram one. At first, the attackers sent a message about the features in a new Telegram update to appear legitimate. The phishing message was sent only five days later, and pointed to a malicious domain.

Other Possible Attack Vectors

A removed blog entry from 2018 accused a cyber-security expert of plagiarism, when he was interviewed by AlArabiya news to discuss Iranian cyber-attacks. Researchers believe this page was created as part of a targeted attack against this person or his associates. The blog included a link to download a password-protected archive containing evidence of the plagiarism from `endupload[.]com`. It appears that `endupload[.]com` has been controlled by the attackers for years, as some of the malicious samples related to this attack dating to 2014 communicated with this website.

Lotem Finkelsteen, Manager of Threat Intelligence at Check Point said : After conducting our research, several things stood out. First, there is a striking focus on instant messaging surveillance. Although Telegram is un-decryptable, it is clearly hijackable. Instant messaging surveillance, especially on Telegram, is something everyone should be cautious and aware of. Second, the mobile, PC and web phishing attacks were all connected to the same operation. These operations are managed according to intelligence and national interests, as opposed to technological challenges. We will continue to monitor different geographies across the world to better inform the public around cyber security.
Would you buy couture online? As couture designers, brands and labels begin to take to e-commerce platforms, high fashion gets a virtual reset

Think couture, and what comes to mind is intricately detailed clothes made to order by fashion houses and customized for clients. The termmeaning high sewing in Frenchhas merged with occasion-wear in India, showcasing the countrys diverse and rich craftsmanship.

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Couture spells bespoke, so the approach has always been personalized, with the process involving detailed interactions between the label and the client, right from choosing the design to the final fitting. It (couture) is an experience thats specifically for yourself. Its going into a store and buying something for yourself that suits your colour, height and parts of your body, says Tina Tahiliani Parikh, executive director of Ensemble India.

Selling couture online, then, involves a whole new set of processes and complexities.

During the covid-19 pandemic, several Indian labels and designers specializing in couture took the plunge and launched/relaunched their e-commerce platforms, keeping in mind the approaching festive and wedding season. These range from new platforms, such as those of Raw Mango, Akaaro by Gaurav Jai Gupta, Rahul Mishra, Vaishali S. and Gaurav Gupta, to relaunches of websites with contemporary e-commerce services, such as Tarun Tahiliani and J.J. Valaya. It also includes retailers such as Ensemble India and Curato.

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How it works

Apart from the general process of ordering couture on a website, fashion houses and retailers have been initiating virtual styling consultations for clients. This includes discussing the garment, offering high-resolution photographs of it, and video calls, amidst considerable back and forth.

Designer duo Falguni and Shane Peacock, who have been running a dedicated website for their couture collections for four years, say they have built a large international market. For this audience, we have had a virtual styling service for the last two years and all of the clients needs and our suggestions are discussed on them, says Shane.

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Valaya, who launched his e-commerce platform in August, says, People dont need to be afraid of buying online any more because there are so many ways of making sure that you are getting what you want. The virtual appointments offered by his brand involve seeing the garment inside out and up close, and being sent the muslin or toile for fittings (no matter where the client is based in the world) before the final garment is sent. Theres very little room for error, claims Valaya.

Tahiliani Parikh says, Oftentimes, we (at Ensemble) would have someone with a similar height and weight try the ordered garment on and show them (the client). With the lockdown regulations easing gradually, garments can also be sent home for trial.

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Making it user-friendly

Since the value of couture lies in its physical and human experience, its important to understand how the brand and retailer ethos has been translated online for a seamless digital experience. There are few buyers for online couture at the moment but designers and retailers believe quality is not a worry for customers since they are assured of those benchmarks.

There are, however, other concerns. As Shane says: A website works for two reasons; to know the brand and to find out what it sells. But a third factor of a human interface becomes important because the customers need that guarantee that since they are spending so much money, their clothes will be looked into carefully. So brand customer services are active and available on hyper-connected apps, like WhatsApp.

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Nisha Kundnani, founder of Bridelan India, a consultancy service for South Asian weddings, says shes currently handling about 20 weddings. In the wake of the pandemic, brands have come to understand the clients needs with sensitivity, care and quickness to make sure the latter are satisfied. The human aspect of couture is not really lost but has (in fact) been enhanced, she says.

Ways to help clients include naming every garment on the website, like Falguni and Shane Peacock do, or including an Inspiration Storythe designers mood board of the creative references for the garment on displaylike Valaya does.

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The idea of a virtual store isnt far away. Designer Vaishali S. flagship store in Mumbai has already beenvirtually rendered on her websitecustomers can take a tour and click on products for information.

Valaya, who is working on a virtual experiential space for 2021, says the current website design is different from the brands physical stores. The translation of the brands physical store presence on the e-commerce website is not the experience I want to give my clients. The virtual experiential space will be much larger, and the customer will be able to holistically see what the brand is all about, with the brands other parts, such as Valaya Home, my fashion photography and the brands licensed projects, with other brands such as Swarovski, on display.

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Overcoming Challenges

No matter how transparent virtual reality makes the shopping process, there are bound to be customer concerns about not being able to physically experience the garments.

People are now sure about what they want to wear, or at least which designer they want to wear, especially for occasions. They have done their research, maintains Shane. But a change of mind is only human. With the growing number of choices, websites and options, decisions may take time. Kundnani says customers who dont use personal shopping services should opt for safer, classic choices in terms of design and textile or buy from designers or retailers they are familiar with.

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Valaya says: More than touch-and-feel, the most magical moment for me is when the customers try the garment on. Theres a tangible shift in their psychology, because they might have discovered exactly what they were looking for. Clothes, especially couture, should always be bought by wearing them. And we are trying to strike a balance there, through photographs of the garments on models, still and in movement, and from all angles. Its a feature used by several e-commerce websites.

The additional problem for customers is being able to imagine the garment in their size, or their preferred fabric, colours and embroidery. Since every little sense of the customer has to come alive, in Valayas words, such concerns are tackled during virtual consultations. Falguni and Shane Peacock are also able to send swatches of the details once the purchase has been finalized.

And if the customer is not happy? Brands are now taking queries from customers more seriously and will try to deliver the experience of couture in other ways now, says Kundnani. Policies vary but she recalls a recent experience where the brand Gaurav Gupta remade a blouse for a bride who was not completely happy with what they had given her, without charging extra.
WA Police have fitted a second person alleged to have breached quarantine with an electronic monitoring device.

It is alleged a 35-year-old man from Secret Harbour, who arrived on Tuesday from Queensland and was directed to self-quarantine in a hotel in Redcliffe for 14 days, was visited twice at the hotel by a woman.

A 35-year-old man who flew into WA from Queensland has been fitted with a tracking bracelet after he allegedly breached his hotel quarantine twice.

He allegedly breached his quarantine again by leaving the hotel to attend a party, mingling with a small group of people.

The man has been charged with four counts of failure to comply with a direction and was transferred to another quarantine hotel. He will appear in the Perth Magistrates Court on Wednesday, September 23.
FLINT, MI  Burger enthusiasts rejoice! Flint-based Halo Burger is celebrating its 97th anniversary and National Cheeseburger Day with $1.97 QP burgers, available between Friday, Sept. 18 and Sept. 30.

Halo Burger, Americas second-oldest burger chain, is offering the special burger price to people who are registered Halo Rewards members and others, according to a Halo Burger press release.

Halo Burger is giving all Halo Rewards guests who are registered by Friday, Sept. 18 a coupon for a $1.97 QP on the brands mobile app, redeemable at any Halo Burger restaurant. To sign up, individuals can visit here.

Coupons are being mailed to customers in the Genesee County area during mid-September with a golden-offer, redeemable for a $1.97 QP, beginning Sept. 13 and valid into October. Official dates for in-store celebrations have yet to be announced.

The following is a list Halo Burger locations where customers can redeem their QB burgers:

Fenton - 1355 N Leroy St.

Grand Blanc - 2248 Hill Road

Flint - 3388 S Linden Road

Burton - 1166 N Belsay Road

Flint - 4451 W Pierson Road

Halo Burger, originally called Kewpee Hotel Hamburgs', began in 1923 in downtown Flint, serving burgers from a box-car style restaurant on Harrison Street. Halo Country, LLC, who took over in 2016, has worked to return to the foundations Halo Burger was built upon when the Thomas family operated the brand. This has included bringing back the original recipe, sourcing more Michigan products and continuing the legacy of being a people-first company.

Brands such as Vernors, Abbotts Meats, Sanders, Koegels, Metropolitan Baking Company, Wolverine Meats, Hausbeck Pickles, Paramount Coffee, Pioneer Sugar and Kellogg can be found on the menu, bringing an array of Michigan flavors.

Related news:

Starlite Coney Island, Halo Burger to reopen May 1

Halo Burger in downtown Flint to reopen Monday
DUBLIN, Sept. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --

The "Asia Pacific SVOD Forecasts" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

From the 200 million SVOD subscription additions between 2019 and 2025, China will supply 80 million, Japan 22 million and India 45 million. China will add 27 million SVOD subscribers in 2020 alone.

Although China dominates the region, there will be plenty of growth elsewhere. Netflix will have 44.4 million subscribers by 2025; closely followed by Disney+ [including Hotstar] with 43.6 million.

Asia Pacific will have 467 million SVOD subscriptions by 2025, up from 267 million in 2019. China will contribute 279 million SVOD subscriptions in 2025 - or 60% of the region's total. India will supply a further 66 million - triple its 2019 total.

Key Topics Covered:

Published in September 2020, this 118-page PDF and excel report provides extensive research for 22 territories. Covering movies and TV episodes, the report comes in two parts:

Insight: Detailed country analysis for Australia , China , Hong Kong , India , Indonesia , Japan , Malaysia , New Zealand , Philippines , Singapore , South Korea , Taiwan , Thailand and Vietnam in a 65-page PDF document.

, , , , , , , , , , , , and in a 65-page PDF document. Excel workbook covering each year from 2010 to 2025 for 22 countries by household penetration, by SVOD subscribers and revenues for movies and TV episodes. As well as summary tables by country and by platform;

Companies Mentioned

Amazon Prime Video

Apple TV+

Avex dtv

Disney+

HBO

Hulu

Iflix

MyTV Super

Netflix

Tsutaya

U-Next

Viu

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/b5vk3m

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]



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BRIDGEPORT  A former judicial marshal accused of sexually assaulting a woman he had assisted in the Milford courthouse was granted an unconditional discharge Friday after pleading guilty to a reduced charge.

Ezekiel Zeke Carr Jr., who resigned as a marshal following his arrest in November 2018, pleaded guilty before Superior Court Judge Kevin Russo to one count of disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor.

Carr had been charged with first-degree sexual assault, third-degree sexual assault and first-degree unlawful restraint.

States Attorney Joseph Corradino told the judge that he decided to reduce the charges against Carr after reviewing the evidence and after notifying the victims lawyer.

Corradino said surveillance video outside the Milford courthouse only showed Carr and the victim walking together.

It would have been impossible for the state to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that there was a lack of consent by the complainant. The complainant had made similar allegations in the past and had been convicted of assaults on men, Corradino said.

The resolution gives Carr a criminal record while sparing the complainant of an expected vigorous cross examination, by Carrs lawyer, Hugh Keefe, Corradino said.

Carr and Keefe declined comment as they left the Fairfield County Courthouse after the hearing.

Police said the victim complained on Oct. 22, 2018, that she had been at the Milford courthouse for a legal matter and asked a marshal, whom she later identified as Carr, what courtroom she should be in. Police said the woman told then that later, during a court recess, Carr had approached her and told her to take a walk with him so that he could discuss her case with him.

While walking in the direction of the train station, police said, Carr allegedly grabbed the woman by the neck and roughly kissed her.

I told him I didnt brush my teeth, but he kissed me anyway. He shoved his whole tongue down my throat. While hes kissing me, he put his hands in my pants, police said the woman told them. I told him I had a disease, that I couldnt have sex. He was like, I dont care.

She said Carr then raped her, according to police. After the assault, she told police, Carr told her to go back into the courthouse and put her smile back on.

Police said that when the woman went back into the courthouse, she told a family relations counselor what she claimed Carr had done to her. The counselor then told police.

Police said that when they later confronted Carr with the womans allegations, he said he had sex with her, but that she had dared him to do it and that it had been consensual.
Sixty-five years after Emmett Till's murder lit fire to the civil rights movement, two US senators have introduced legislation to award Till and his mother the country's highest civilian honor.

Republican senator Richard Burr of North Carolina and Democratic senator Cory Booker of New Jersey said the Congressional Gold Medal is long overdue for the Till family.

Till was just 14 when he was kidnapped, beaten, and lynched in Mississippi by white men who were later acquitted by an all-white, all-male jury, despite eyewitness testimony linking them to the brutal murder. The Black teenager had been accused of whistling at a white woman at a convenience store.

Following her son's death, Mamie Till-Mobley chose an open-casket funeral to show the 50,000 mourners, and the world, the horror he endured. She later founded the Emmett Till Justice Campaign, which fought for the reinvestigation of her son's murder, and remained a Civil Rights activist until her death in 2003.

"That legacy is still felt today and honoring it is more important than ever," Mr Burr said in a statement announcing the legislation. Awarding [the Congressional Gold Medal] posthumously to Emmett Till, and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, would be a long overdue recognition of what the Till family endured and what they accomplished in their fight against injustice.

Mr Booker added, "While his lynching and the impunity that followed was unique in its horror, it revealed the persistent legacy of radicalized terror and violence waged against Black Americans and reflected the stain of racism and bigotry that this nation continues to struggle with today."

In February, the House of Representatives passed a bill named after Till that finally labeled lynching as a hate crime under federal law. The Emmett Till Antilynching Act designates the crime as punishable by up to life in prison, a fine, or both. The bill is currently, however, stalled in the Republican-led Senate by Kentucky senator Rand Paul.
Trent University, Peterborough Public Health and Peterborough Police are warning they will crack down on Trent students who put the health of others at risk during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A warning that students defying provincial safety orders limiting large gatherings are at risk of $750 fines was issued Tuesday after some students were seen close together without masks during orientation week outdoor parties last week.

Video from one of the gatherings made national news headlines.

On Tuesday, Trent president Leo Groarke also denounced the students who were not following the student code of conduct that was set out to protect them during the pandemic now that some in-person classes have resumed and student residences have reopened.

It is disappointing a group of students has put their safety and that of others at risk and tarnished our reputation in this way  and in doing so, the reputation of their own alma mater, Groarke stated.

There has been a surge of confirmed COVID-19 cases this week in Peterborough, though as of Tuesday there were no cases at Trent, according to Groarke.

Nona Robinson, associate vice-president of students at Trent, said university administrators share the concerns of the campus community and the broader community about the risky behaviour of some students.

To discourage future behaviour like this, the university has instituted a multi-pronged approach to prevent it from happening again.

The approach includes campus-wide communications from herself, Groarke and the president of the Trent Central Student Association, and more targeted communications from residence and orientation staff to new students.

The messages to students also involve warnings from both the health unit and city police about consequences and penalties for not following protocols during the pandemic.

Medical officer of health Dr. Rosana Salvaterra said the health unit has been working with city police to issue warnings to students that they will be enforcing all provincial protocols during the pandemic.

We worked with Peterborough Police to issue a warning letter advising Trent students we will be enforcing the provincial social gathering limits under the Reopening Ontario Act and they will be charged if found to be in non-compliance, Salvaterra said.

Robinson said the university in continuing to develop harm reduction approaches to matters like this and takes these kinds of behaviours that endanger the community extremely serious.

Trent takes any behaviour that endangers the community very seriously. Behaviour in residence is covered by the Housing Community Standards in the residence contract, and on the rest of the campus by the Student Charter of Rights and Responsibilities, Robinson said.

There are a range of potential sanctions, up to and including removal from residence or suspension or expulsion from the university.

Regularly scheduled events on campus including the Head of the Trent regatta and homecoming have been cancelled this year, replaced by virtual events keeping with the government guidelines.

This year, we are providing a wide range of activities to encourage students safe social connections, including through the colleges, student affairs, student associations and student groups and academic departments, Robinson said.

This social connection is extremely important for students well-being, mental health and success.
The success of Melbourne's ongoing lockdown could be at risk with a new cluster emerging in the southeast of the city, testing the capacity of COVID-detectives.

There are currently 101 active coronavirus cases in the Casey and Dandenong area with 34 infections linked to five households in the Afghan community.

As residents in the city are still under strict Stage Four lockdown which restricts families travelling more than 5km from their homes to visit other households, it's thought the infected group may have breached the stay-at-home orders.

Health authorities are now scrambling to track and trace the new surge in cases and the Victorian government has even began a new recruitment drive that will see retired officers re-enlisted to bolster the state's frontline virus efforts.

There are currently 101 active coronavirus cases in the Casey and Dandenong area with 34 infections linked to five households

The Victorian government has even began a new recruitment drive that will see retired officers re-enlisted to bolster the state's frontline virus efforts

'Members of those households visiting other households,' Department of Health and Human Services COVID-19 testing commander Jeroen Weimar said.

'It is that limited amount of contact, relatively infrequent contact between these five households that has now meant that we have 34 people in five houses experiencing or living with a very real threat of the coronavirus.'

The cluster, which has impacted the five households in Hallam, Clyde, Narre Warren South and Cranbourne North, first emerged on September 4.

Cases in the southeast have now spread to Dandenong Police Station and a number of industrial work sites.

Premier Daniel Andrews on Friday said the actions of the family's involved in the cluster is 'disappointing'.

The cluster which has impacted the five households in Hallam, Clyde, Narre Warren South and Cranbourne North, first emerged on September 4

'Five kilometres is one thing and visiting others is the real issue here.' he said.

'The rules are in place for a reason and anyone who undermines this, undermines the entire strategy and it means the rules will be on for longer.'

But the Victorian leader ruled out fines for the group, telling reporters it may discourage others from being completely honest with contact tracers.

'I know many Victorians, when you see examples of people not following the rules, that's disappointing, it makes you angry,' Mr Andrews said.

'You need to look at the bigger picture here.

'We don't want a situation where people don't have a sense of confidence and indeed, you know, the sense they're obliged to tell us the full story as quickly as possible. That's what we need.'

The success of Melbourne's ongoing lockdown could be at risk with a new cluster in the southeast of the city. Pictured: A coronavirus testing centre in Cranbourne on September 17

The Casey and Dandenong cluster is testing the capacity of COVID-detectives. Pictured: Heathworkers are seen at a coronavirus testing centre in Cranbourne on September 17

A health worker is pictured approaching a vehicle at a COVID-19 testing centre in Cranbourne on September 17

Despite the new cluster, Victoria's overall case numbers are continuing to decline.

There were 45 new cases on Friday bringing the total number of infections above 20,000.

However the number of active cases has fallen to 920.

Sadly, another five deaths today takes Victoria's death toll to 750.

With contact tracers 'painstakingly' working around the clock to slow the spread of the virus and bringing the city out of lockdown, the Victorian government is set to introduce a controversial new policy that will see retired cops re-enlisted in the force.

The Department of Justice and Community Safety and the Department of Health and Human Services is behind the push that will see former cops given paid training before being assigned specific COVID-19 roles including, industry enforcement, testing support, door-knocking and the airport patrol.

A heavy Police presence is seen in Dandenong following an anti-lockdown protest on August 28

A man with a dog is seen being questioned by two police officers in the Dandenong area

But not everyone is in favour of the move to bring back veteran police.

'Police veterans have a real contribution to make to the ongoing safety of the community but their use to issue infringements, detain people and conduct checks on private property is entirely inappropriate,' Opposition Police & Community Safety spokesman David Southwick told the Herald Sun.

Ivan Ray, who served in the Victorian Police Force for over three decades said it's a recipe for disaster for the veterans.

'It's effectively a health department police force, and we know the Health Department is no good at enforcement, we saw that in the hotel quarantine operation,' Mr Ray said.

'Veterans can play a part and they can support policing, but it has to be by the police department,' he said.

Health authorities are urging anyone in the southeast of Melbourne to diligently monitor their health and immediately get tested if feeling unwell.
Anyone who's been hip to military media for the past few years probably knows the second largest air force in the world is the U.S. Navy's air forces. What people may not know about is the old fleet of United States ships floating around out there with the prefix USAF instead of USS.

The U.S. Air Force has its own navy  but no, it is not the second largest navy in the world. The U.S. Navy isn't even the second largest, by the way. More on that some other time.

Now, does the Air Force field anything that could actually rival the naval forces of another country? No, of course not. The Air Force Navy is a very specific fleet with very specific missions. For example the USAF Rising Star is the air service's lone tugboat, used for the two months of the year that ships near Greenland's Thule Air Force Base can access the port there  750 miles north of the Arctic Circle, Thule is the northernmost deepwater port in the world.

The tugboat is needed during the critical summer resupply period on Greenland, aligning huge cargo ships, moving tankers into position, and helping pump fuel to the base. It also pushed icebergs away from the area in which these big ships operate.

THULE AIR BASE, Greenland  The Rising Star normally launches the first week in July, in preparation for port season. Thules deepwater port, located 750 miles north of the Arctic Circle at the Air Forces northernmost base, is only open for two months of the year when the ice clears from North Star Bay. (U.S. Air Force photo)

The rest of the USAF's current fleet operates in the Gulf of Mexico out of Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. Tyndall is home to the 82d Aerial Targets Squadron, a unit that still flies the F-4E Phantom fighter plane. Only these converted F-4s have a special mission. Flying in groups of three, one acts as a chase plane and another two, unmanned drone planes flying with advanced countermeasures. These two are actually converted into drones and destined to be full-scale aerial targets for the Air Force. That's where the ships of the USAF "Tyndall Navy" come in.

Tyndall's three 120-foot drone recovery vessels are used in the Gulf of Mexico to recover the wrecks and assorted bits and pieces from the waters below the Air Force's "Combat Archer" aerial target practice training area. At its peak, the USAF had a dozen or so ships in the water, each with a designated role in supporting Air Force operations. At one point, the Air Force had so many ships, the Coast Guard might have been envious.

More articles from We Are the Mighty:

5 differences between Navy and Air Force fighter pilots

Army, Navy provide Tyndall much-needed support

These were Britain's 'manned torpedoes' in World War II

We Are The Mighty (WATM) celebrates service with stories that inspire. WATM is made in Hollywood by veterans. It's military life presented like never before. Check it out at We Are the Mighty.

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American airplane giant has named B. Marc Allen as its new chief strategy officer and senior vice president for strategy and corporate development.

On Thursday, the company also announced Christopher Raymond as the company's chief sustainability officer, a newly created position reporting to Executive Vice President of Enterprise Operations and Chief Financial Officer Greg Smith, reports Xinhua news agency.

Allen, first appointed to the company's Executive Council in 2014 as president of International, will now take on responsibility for the enterprise's overarching strategy, including long-term planning, global business and corporate development, and strategic investments, acquisitions and divestitures, said.

Before joining the Executive Council, Allen served in leadership positions across the enterprise as president of Boeing Capital Corporation, president of Boeing China, vice president for Global Law Affairs and general counsel to Boeing

"Marc is a creative, inclusive and forward-thinking leader whose strategic vision will help Boeing navigate the challenges facing the global aerospace market and position us for long-term success in the future," Boeing President and CEO David Calhoun said.

As Boeing's first chief sustainability officer, Raymond will be responsible for further advancing Boeing's approach to sustainability that is focused on environmental, social and governance priorities, stakeholder-oriented reporting and company performance, according to Boeing.

Raymond first gained responsibility for Boeing's sustainability strategy in April when his role leading strategy was expanded to integrate corporate development and deepen the company's focus on environmental and social considerations.

The appointments are effective October 1.

As a top US exporter, Boeing employs more than 160,000 people worldwide.

--IANS

ksk/

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
EV

This effort aims to stick to the latest Maserati design language, thus incorporating elements from the new MC20 supercar. The most visible styling cues of the sort are found up front, being used for the headlights, the grille and perhaps even the angular side air intakes.Then we have the wheels, which have been borrowed straight from the MC20. As for the posterior, it seems to stay closer to the visual identity of the discontinued model, albeit while adding fresh touches such as the taillights.In fact, the overall shape of the grand tourer seems to have been built on that of the retired GranTurismo. And you should know that Capriottis day job involves designing cars for Chinese automaker Great Wall Motors.As for how this proposal compares to the silhouette showcased in the said official teaser, you can easily compare the two by checking out the image gallery.Anybody who's at least partially familiar to the history of Maserati knows that the company is currently in the midst of a reinvention and that we're not looking at the first plan of the sort. Nevertheless, this time around, Stellantis (this is the name of the new merger between Maserati owner Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and the Peugeot Citroen Alliance) seems fully committed to the task, which should bring us no less than 13 new models by the end of 2024.And, as the automaker has revealed, every new model will come with a fully electric version. In the case of the GranTurismo, themodel is set to make its debut in 2022. And yes, there will also be a new generation of the GranCabrio, with the gas and the electric open-top models expected to debut at the same time or close to their fixed-roof counterparts.
Stuart D. Inglis, PhD, records videos for his flipped classroom approach to teaching gross anatomy in a studio located on the sixth floor of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences building.

Flipping the Traditional Classroom With Technology

The COVID-19 global health pandemic may have forced educational institutions to alter the way they present instruction, but the atmosphere was already ripe for innovation.

Its only very recently with all of the massive changes in technology  within the last 20 to 30 years  that we have a lot more options available. So this is really a prime time to be rethinking the best approaches.  Stuart D. Inglis, PhD Instructor of pathology and anatomical sciences

Stuart D. Inglis, PhD, instructor of pathology and anatomical sciences, has long been using a flipped classroom approach for his teaching of gross anatomy. His in-class video sessions are active learning, where students are challenged with clinical questions that they work in groups to solve. He says he had an epiphany of sorts years ago while looking at the history of art in anatomy and in looking at images from hundreds of years ago, noting they had not really changed much over the course of time. It got him to thinking about the earliest traditional universities that began to originate, with all of them predating the printing press by hundreds of years. Textbooks were scarce back then, but people wanted copies of information, so the most effective way of disseminating that would be to have large groups of individuals sitting in lecture halls and instructors standing at the front of the room, essentially reading from a textbook so that everyone could transcribe what was in there, he notes.

Replacing Traditional Didactic Lectures

By the time textbooks became widespread and were something that people could afford, several hundred years of university practice had ingrained a strong tradition, so there wasnt any reason to change anything, Inglis says. Its only very recently with all of the massive changes in technology  within the last 20 to 30 years  that we have a lot more options available. So this is really a prime time to be rethinking the best approaches, he says. And you are seeing it right now with the pandemic. Empirical evidence suggests that sitting in a lecture hall for 50 minutes at a time, listening to an individual and trying frantically to write down what they are saying is not an effective means of learning material, Inglis adds. That got me looking more at the educational paradigms and what the educational research was showing, and to think with the technology that we currently have, what would be the best way of being able to educate todays students.

Video Lectures Provide Consistent Instruction

The use of videos and video conferencing have become critical components in todays teaching environment. While it is a time-consuming effort to develop high-quality videos that can be put online, Inglis notes that the benefits for instructors and students are plentiful. If you take the time and effort when it is initially done, you can keep the video up for several years, he says. You do want to update them every so often, but because I can go back and do a lot of editing and take out mistakes and make sure everything flows correctly, I now have a recorded copy of the best possible way that I could present the information with no mistakes because they have been edited out. That is something that students can listen to year after year and I dont have to be concerned that I forgot to mention something a particular year or forgot to stress a certain point, because it is the same record that students are consistently getting.

Students Gain Added Amount of Flexibility

There are a number of advantages from a students perspective, Inglis points out. When you think about the traditional lecture in a classroom, the student would have to do it at the exact same time as everyone else because there was a set time. They would have to make sure they were on time, he says. They would not be able to take any breaks or leave to use the washroom. If they did, they would just have to accept they were missing that portion of the lecture, Inglis adds. Educational research shows that attention span lasts less than 15 minutes, so invariably, everyone is going to tune the instructor out part way through. With the new approach, students can access the videos whenever it is convenient for them. They can pause the recordings if they need to take a break. With the speed function, students who feel they already understand the material can watch it at double speed  or slow it down if there is a point being made that they just werent familiar with before. The students who are really struggling can pause it multiple times and they can go back and rewatch, Inglis notes. In a lecture setting, youll occasionally get students who will say can you repeat that point? but you cant consistently do that or you will never get through a 50-minute lecture. Inglis says whether he is leading in-person sessions or on a Zoom video conference, he is having students work through clinical cases that he wants them to be able to solve. These are things that would traditionally be worked on outside of class time, but the students have me in the room with them or on the Zoom call while they are working through it so they have direct access to me, he says. So it is more of an interaction back and forth, and I can get a sense as to whether the students are understanding the material.

The Briefer the Better to Hold Attention Span

Inglis has more than 100 videos uploaded to his YouTube channel. One trait they all have in common is they are brief. It goes back to the philosophy of attention span lasting 15 minutes. When I first started the YouTube videos, I would take my entire lecture and recorded it en masse. Reviews I got back from students were that they liked the concept, but they found the lengths overwhelming, Inglis says. It occurred to me it didnt need to be like that. There are certain break points, where I was able to make the videos around 15 minutes, he says. Students are sometimes required to watch several a night so they are strongly encouraged to take mental breaks, to get up and walk away from their computer and process what they have just learned. Inglis has a long-term goal of creating videos lasting five minutes or less featuring a number of clinical experts who will discuss specific topics that tend to be high yield for board examinations. The idea is they can just create a script, come in and lay down the audio, and I do all the post-production, he says. Inglis notes that the production studio  located on the sixth floor of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences building on the downtown campus  is open to anyone affiliated with the University at Buffalo. It is particularly useful for the medical community that works or is located close to the downtown campus  to anyone on the medical campus who thinks they might be able to make use of a recording space, he says. Its small, but I have put in some bells and whistles that can create some pretty impressive effects.

An Early Morning Teaching Moment Goes Viral

Inglis says his interest in using YouTube videos came about due to an experience he had while teaching at the University of South Dakota. I gave the review for an examination on a Friday. The exam was on Monday. Everyone seemed fine, he says. Saturday morning, I woke up and I already had two emails from students who had questions about a very particular topic. It was something that was very difficult to explain over email, so here I am in my pajamas, maybe two sips into my coffee, I pull out my cellphone and do a very quick three-minute video where I explain this concept, Inglis says. I title it appropriately, upload it to YouTube and then send out the link to the entire class for anyone who has questions. It was about 150 students. He notes that several of his students sent emails thanking him for the explanation, but he never thought much more about it. Then a year later, Inglis was looking for new lecture material and new sources. When I typed in that topic, I had a very surreal experience when I looked at the very first thing I saw on the Google page, he says. It took me a few seconds, but I said to myself I think those are my hands. It was a hand topic. So I clicked on the link, and I had completely forgotten I had made this video. And it was up to 5,000 views. And last time I checked, I think it was over 80,000 views. The topic of the video Inglis made was about the ulnar paradox. It is covered on the board exams and is apparently incredibly confusing to many people. So here we have a bunch of medical students from around the United States and more globally, that were studying this and couldnt quite understand it, so they did a Google search, came across my video, and it seemed to be beneficial, Inglis says. So the most pronounced, widespread educational thing I had ever done took me all of three minutes while I was half asleep in my pajamas. But the thing that made that video work was it was less than five minutes and it was appealing. It was something that was high yield for board exams and something that students generally find confusing. So if I can record a series of these topics and get the right clinicians to come in and do some audio, then we can start building this viral library up of these quick little explanations of some clinical puzzles, Inglis says.

Open Educational Resources Provide Options

Inglis is also a huge proponent of using Open Educational Resources (OER), which is a way to deliver lessons to a wider population base without violating copyright restrictions. I was looking at these Wikipedia pages, and I was wondering how they are getting away with using these anatomical images. Then I found out that everything that was posted was more than 100 years old and was now part of the public domain, he says. That got me to thinking I could be doing the same thing. Initially, he used a lot of artwork from the original Grays Anatomy textbook by an artist named Henry Vandyke Carter and found that Wikipedia and Wikimedia had a large number of these images. The easiest thing to do is a Google image search, and under the tools there is a button called usage rights, and you can select labeled for reuse, and it will only give you material that is not protected by copyright. It is the same with Wikipedia. Any images found on that page should be available to use as long as you cite the sources, Inglis notes. And then that introduced to me a concept called Creative Commons, where people who want their work shared may put a Creative Commons license on it. It is a special type of copyright which says this is mine, but anyone who comes across it can use it for their purposes as long as they cite it properly. There are a few different flavors to it, but ultimately its a collection of altruistic individuals who are interested in education and just want everyone to be able to benefit from it, Inglis says.

Free, Virtual Textbooks Solve Age-Old Dilemma

Another advantage of OER is not having to worry about copyright issues when posting content. Even for our students, I can generally present all the information they need and not require an incredibly expensive textbook that they have to use, Inglis notes. I still do have a textbook for the class that I do find beneficial, but there is a potential through Creative Commons and other groups, such as Open Stax, where you can develop online educational textbooks that wholly contain OER. So essentially anyone can go to Open Stax, put in a topic they are teaching, hopefully find a textbook that is there, and then send out a link to the students, he adds. The students have free access to it. No one has to pay a cent for the textbook. Open Stax content is also completely modifiable. Once you get the source, you can take it, and its not stealing it. It is written in there that once you get this textbook, you can change it anyway that you like, Inglis says. You can delete chapters, add chapters and personalize it for your specific class. Or take a combination of chapters from a variety of different textbooks. That is something that is loaded to Open Stax and that a persons students can access completely for free.

SUNY System Embracing Utilization of OER

Inglis recalls that his experience of the ulnar paradox video going viral around the world  and people clicking away and leaving comments of gratitude and notes  had a significant impact on him. Although I am a UB professor, I like the notion that I am an educator, and I like the idea that people anywhere can learn something from me, he says. It can benefit people who may not necessarily have the advantage of being able to enroll in the university. Inglis says he was discouraged from pursuing use of OER at his previous position, but when he came to Buffalo he found that SUNY has a huge push for OER. I was finding my ideas were welcomed and encouraged. Its just been a wonderful fit because UB has championed the idea.
A senior Citigroup employee was placed on leave after being revealed as the operator of a QAnon website promoting the paedophile conspiracy theory.

Qmap.pub was quickly shut down after a fact-checking group identified a 48-year-old New Jersey man, Jason Gelinas, as the developer last week.

The website was one of the most popular aggregate archives of posts from the QAnon conspiracy's figurehead, known as Q, who many adherents believe to be Donald Trump or a member of his administration.

Citigroup said Mr Gelinas was placed on paid leave pending an internal investigation.

As outlined in our code of conduct, employees are required to disclose and obtain approvals for outside business activities, Citigroup said in a statement shared with media on Thursday.

According to Bloomberg, Mr Gelinas was receiving $3,000 a month from crowd-funding site Patreon to cover the costs of operating the QAnon site. He told the outlet that QAnon was a patriotic movement to save the country.

QAnon stems from an anonymous figure known as "Q" leaving cryptic but supposedly prophetic messages about a mysterious satanic cult on websites such as 4chan.

Adherents believe Q, either a former intelligence officer, a group of people or even the president himself, is secretly working to expose this deep state of paedophiles and cannibals.

Well I havent heard that, but is that supposed to be a bad thing or a good thing? You know, if I can help save the world from some problems, Im willing to do it, Im willing to put myself out there, Mr Trump said when asked about the theory in August.

And we are actually, were saving the world from a radical left philosophy that will destroy this country, and when this country is gone the rest of the world would follow.

In 2016 a heavily armed North Carolina man drove to the restaurant to free the children he believed were trapped there and opened fire. However, the restaurant had no basement and there were no children. The gunman, Edgar Maddison Welch, was sentenced to four years in jail. He apologised for his actions and said he had made an "incredibly ill-advised decision".
There is a saying that behind every successful man there is a woman who obviously supports his goals and aspirations.

Install our latest app for Android and read the best news about Ghana

One of such women who is a clear example of this saying is wife of Vice President, Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia, Samira Bawumia.

Knowing how difficult and tough it is to do politics, the pretty wife of the vice president of Ghana has always stood by him.

From their campaign days through to him becoming the vice president of Ghana, she has shown massive support for her spouse in his political career.

Samira Bawumia is indeed a force to reckon with when it comes to supporting her spouse in his line of work.

Even with the responsibilities of being a mother of four and having roles to play, she still finds time to do that.

YEN.com.gh has compiled pictorial evidence of the number of times Samira has shown support to Dr. Bawumia doing his work.

1. Samira gallantly led the way as her husband was attending the 2020 State of the Nation's Address

2. At the launch of the Party's Manifesto, she was in Cape Coast to support him.

3. At the town hall meeting on the the NPP's infrastructural achievements.

4. At the Economic management meeting.

5. Sitting next to her husband at the 40th anniversary since the passing of Dr Abreka Busia.

In other news, the winner of the 2019 edition of Di Asa, PM, has shared beautiful photos with a plus-size model like herself. PM and her friend who could pass for her twin sister dazzled in yellow and white attires.

Her twin sister, whom she identified as B Ankrah, wore long braids, and that was the only difference between them.

Anyone who sees the photo would have to take a second look to be sure that it is not PM.

Vox Pop: Mahama or Akufo-Addo? Who deserves to win Election 2020? | #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
My boss wants me to go back to the office. I am immunocompromised. What can I do? Do I have any legal protections?

In March, Connecticut implemented Gov. Ned Lamonts executive order stating that to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus, all businesses needed to use telecommuting whenever possible. The number of people working from home skyrocketed. At the same time, his order exempted workers at essential businesses whose duties were deemed critical.

Businesses now have begun to reopen as Connecticuts COVID-19 metrics dramatically improved. However, many employees with medical conditions have been reluctant to return to work due to the greater risk they could face.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission noted that persons with certain impairments were at greater risk of suffering serious illness or death if they were to contract COVID-19. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, individuals with certain underlying medical impairments were hospitalized at six times the rate of, and died 12 times as often as, otherwise healthy individuals. The CDC listed several medical conditions that might place individuals at higher risk including serious heart disease, diabetes, asthma, kidney disease, blood disorders, liver disease, severe obesity and folks otherwise immunocompromised.

If the person with such a medical impairment had been working from home during the lockdown period, this employee could request that the employer permit him/her to continue to work from home as an accommodation under Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Connecticut Fair Employment Practices Act. The employee would need to request an accommodation, disclose the nature of the impairment and, if the employer requests, provide documentation of the impairment.

If the employer believes that allowing the employee to continue working from home would give rise to an undue hardship  meaning significant difficulty or expense  it should explain the basis for its conclusion. The EEOC said in guidance issued Sept. 8 that the employers temporary shift to having all of its employees work remotely does not mean the company must accept all remote work requests in the future. Nevertheless, the employer should be prepared to explain why it would now be an undue hardship even if the employee previously had been able to work remotely. The employer also should consider whether there might be alternative accommodations other than working remotely that would reduce the risk to the employee, such as physical changes to the work environment, a temporary transfer to another position, a leave of absence or a modified work schedule.

If the employer refuses to let the employee with a medical condition work from home, the employee will be faced with the difficult decision: resign or return to the workplace despite the health risks. However, the employee is not without other options. For example, regardless of whether or not he or she returns to the workplace, that person may choose to file a disability discrimination claim with the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities and EEOC. If the person prevails, the remedies could include lost wages and benefits, reinstatement with an accommodation or front pay, compensatory damages, punitive damages and attorneys fees. The employee also might want to consider trying to negotiate a severance agreement that would include a waiver of their legal claims.

If the employee chooses to resign, he or she also should consider filing a claim with the Connecticut Department of Labor for unemployment benefits. The DOL website explains that if you turned down work requiring interaction with other individuals, in person, whether in an office setting or public setting, that was not suitable because you were at high risk under the CDC guidelines, you can answer no to the question Did you refuse an offer of suitable work or rehire, quit a job or get discharged from a job? If the employer protests the employees receipt of unemployment benefits, a fact-finding conference will be held.

Under the federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation Act, employees were entitled to receive $600 per week until July 31, 2020, if their unemployment was due to disruption caused by COVID-19. Under the Lost Wages Assistance Program, an employee in Connecticut may be eligible for a payment of $300 per week in addition to the individuals weekly unemployment benefits payment if their total or partial unemployment was due to disruption caused by COVID-19. The Connecticut Department of Labor has provided comprehensive guidance related to eligibility for unemployment benefits at its website, www.ctdol.state.ct.us.

Gary Phelan is a partner at the law firm of Mitchell & Sheahan, P.C. in Stratford and Westport. He is an adjunct law school professor at Quinnipiac University School of Law and co-authored the book, Disability Discrimination in the Workplace.
China will hold a summit on digital transformation in October to showcase its achievements in the field and build platforms for industry exchanges and cooperation, the organizers said Thursday.



The 3rd Digital China Summit will be held in the city of Fuzhou in southeast China's Fujian Province from Oct. 12 to 14, Yang Xiaowei, deputy head of the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), said at a press conference.

The summit, jointly organized by the CAC, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the provincial government of Fujian, will be held both online and offline, and will consist of seven sections, including a main forum, an exhibition and 12 sub-forums.

The exhibition will showcase China's achievements in digital transformation through virtual reality and artificial intelligence (AI), said Zhao Long, vice governor of Fujian.

Various activities will be held on the development and application of digital technologies, including AI, big data and blockchain, according to Zhao.

Tech giants such as Huawei, Alibaba and Tencent will also exhibit their cutting-edge products during the summit.
Its a greeting wishing good health and literally translates as have life or be healthy.

Saying hello with a smile in any language can break down barriers, says author Rachel Weston who has published a new book titled Hello! Kia ora! Welcome new friend!

The book, beautifully illustrated by Deborah Hinde, captures those moments when young children meet each other for the first time and are made to feel welcome.

It was due to the experiences I had with our own three children, says Rachel.

The culture of an early childhood centre has a huge impact on whether they feel they belong.

She smiles as she recalls the caring and kind attitude that permeates through a centre, flowing down from the teachers.

You know your children are cared about, are feeling safe and welcome and they flourish in that environment.

Rachels book also reflects something as simple as children remembering what its like to be the new person on their first day at kindergarten.

You want your children to have a sense of belonging and make friends, says Rachel.

Children learn from whats being modeled such as kindness and caring for others.

The book also says kia ora in 24 other languages.

Children are great with trying new languages, even if its just the hello greeting. If you see someone without a smile, then give them one of yours really sums it up.
LONDON  Social media users are re-evaluating whether they should have accounts on platforms like Facebook and Instagram after a new documentary-drama called "The Social Dilemma" dropped on Netflix.

The 90-minute show, which focuses on the downsides of the major tech platforms, features interviews with Silicon Valley whistleblowers who used to work at the likes of Google and Facebook. In many ways, they're sounding the alarm on their own creations. One former Facebook executive, Tim Kendall, who was asked what worried him most, said: "In the shortest time horizon, I'm most worried about civil war."

Somewhat ironically, social media is awash with people saying they plan to delete their social media accounts after watching the show, with Facebook and Instagram appearing to be called out most frequently.

"Everyone should watch The Social Dilemma documentary on Netflix and then make the necessary changes," one Twitter user wrote. "Tonight I deleted Facebook and turned off notifications from Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. It's time to take back control of our minds."

Another Twitter user said: "Just watched this and immediately deleted #Facebook and #Instagram. A must watch to understand the manipulation."

Ranked as the 5th most watched show on Netflix in the U.K. on Friday and hailed as "the most important documentary of our times" by The Independent newspaper, "The Social Dilemma" shines a light on how tech companies influence national elections, "follow" billions of people around the internet in order to deliver targeted ads to them and come up with features that drive addiction.

Facebook, which also owns Instagram, declined to comment when asked whether it was concerned about a potential user backlash.

Instead the California-headquartered firm pointed to several announcements and resources on safety and mental health. For example, earlier this month, on World Suicide Prevention Day, it announced that it was creating new "Instagram Wellness Guides" and launching "crisis support" over chat. Last year, Facebook released a "Let's Talk" Stories filter on Facebook and Messenger, which was designed to act as an invitation for friends who might be struggling to reach out for support through Messenger.

Google did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.

While many people are urging their friends and family to watch the "The Social Dilemma," it's not without its critics.

Tech analyst Benedict Evans, a former partner at venture firm Andreessen Horrowitz, told CNBC: "I thought it hilarious how manipulative and misleading it was."

He added that he thinks it will have "zero effect" on the likes of Facebook and Instagram.

Timothy Armoo, chief executive of Fanbytes, a company that helps brands advertise through social video, told CNBC that most people already know many of the things that the show discusses. "Maybe older people might see it and think twice," he said. "Especially parents. But Gen Z and millennials I don't think are going to care as much."

The tech giants, who have weathered big storms in the past, are facing increasing amounts of scrutiny from regulators and their users. The "Delete Facebook" movement, for example, has been around for years now and several media outlets have written instruction guides to help people to do it. But Facebook's profits continue to grow quarter after quarter, year after year.

In 2019, Netflix launched another attack on Silicon Valley with a documentary called "The Great Hack," which focuses on Facebook's Cambridge-Analytica data scandal.
6 A balloon on the shore. Irina Kozlovskikh says: At school graduation parties in St. Petersburg, people release balloons into the sky. The reserve and the shore are later littered with them. They dont burn in the stratosphere. They fall down, polluting the environment and sometimes cause the death of an animal.


Eva and Frankie Diaz, parents of Frankie Diaz Jr., a young man who died in custody at the Philadelphia Detention Center. The family, friends and their supporters marched on the streets of Center City Thursday. Read more

On Thursday morning, Frankie Diaz Jr. was scheduled to have his day in court, a repeatedly delayed trial for a 2019 drug-dealing charge.

Instead, his mother, Eva, and a dozen family members and friends were gathered outside the Stout Center for Criminal Justice, demanding answers about Frankies death in city custody in August.

They dont give me no answers, Eva Diaz said. My son was found supposedly unresponsive in the shower of the dorm that he was in. I know my son was assaulted. I know my son was found without a pulse.

Diaz said she got that information from his medical records and other prisoners. If true, it would be the first homicide at the Philadelphia jails in about five years.

The medical examiner and the Department of Prisons say the death is under investigation and no information can be released. Diaz wants to know what happened, who is responsible, how long it took corrections officers to discover Frankie on the ground, and whether anyone will be held accountable.

So, she and her family have been protesting  holding lonely roadside vigils as cars whoosh past on a highway, like State Road by the prison complex, and on Thursday chanting Say his name outside the courthouse, the starting point of a march to the offices of the district attorney and the managing director.

Frankie, who was 30, worked in demolition and was engaged to Betsaida Powell, who described him as gentle, kind, and generous. He was the nice one, and I was the spice one, she said.

He also had a history of drug convictions and grappled with addiction to heroin, according to his younger brother Josh. He was arrested Dec. 31, 2019, and spent eight months in jail, contracting COVID-19 there, according to his family. A probation detainer (his arrest put him in violation) prevented him from posting bail.

But his family does not believe he was dealing drugs at the time of his arrest, and said the charges reflected only the routine over-policing of their impoverished corner of North Philadelphia. We live in this neighborhood where ... if you walk around, forget about it, you get shot or the cops can arrest you, Eva said.

On Aug. 18, they got the call that Frankie had been taken to Aria-Jefferson Health Torresdale.

Josh said he raced to Torresdale and was told Frankie had died of a brain aneurysm. He said he demanded to see his brother, and what he saw told a different story, he said: a broken nose, a swollen black eye, and lacerations on his lips.

I seen my brothers face. My brother did not pass away of a brain aneurysm. He was brutally murdered," he said.

He, and his siblings, ages 14 to 35, have joined their parents in the weekly protests, taking days off work from jobs as hospital workers, home health aides, and rideshare drivers to make signs and pass around a microphone, handing flyers to passersby.

Theyve been piecing together information thats trickled out from the inside: that there was only one camera in the dorm, that there were two corrections officers on the whole cell block, that Frankie was not found until the prison conducted its lunchtime headcount.

The family believes the Detention Center, the jail where Frankie died, was short-staffed at the time of his death. They wonder if his death is what triggered administrators to empty the Detention Center, the citys oldest functioning jail, in late August.

A spokesperson for the corrections officers union, AFSCME District Council 33, Local 159, did not respond to questions for this story but previously described a staffing crisis at the jails, such that workers were being held hostage at the end of their shifts and forced to work overtime to cover the shortfall. Reports related to a federal lawsuit over jail conditions during the pandemic also document staffing shortages this summer.

Carlos Rivera, Frankies oldest brother, said its hard to understand how it could take a month to investigate a death that occurred in such a confined space. For now, he said, the lack of certainty has put his family in danger.

At this point, we dont know whats going on, or if we got to live in fear from someone in there calling someone out here to come for us. Were not getting any information. We dont know if theres a gang member. And we cant just live not knowing who did this.

Eva Diaz said right now only one thing is certain: Im not going to stop until I get justice for my son.
The pending sale of the Ekati Diamond Mine is just the latest glimmer of hope that the diamond industry is beginning to recover from the hammering it has taken as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dominion Diamond Mines announced the $166-million deal this week. A subsidiary of The Washington Companies, based in Montana, made the only bid received for Dominion's assets after the company moved into creditor protection earlier this year.

Ekati, which is about 300 kilometres northeast of Yellowknife, has been shut down since March. Dominion said it closed the mine for the safety of workers during the pandemic. In announcing the sale, Dominion said it plans to return the mine to full operations, but said one of the prerequisites for doing that is the recovery of global diamond sales.

Submitted by Paul Zimnisky

"This industry is dependent on buyers and sellers getting together in person and inspecting the diamonds before a transaction is made," said independent diamond industry analyst Paul Zimnisky. "The travel restrictions have really made that difficult."

Zimnisky said that at the height of the pandemic sales were about 80 to 90 per cent below normal levels. But he said recent developments show diamond miners' optimism is increasing.

"There were eight larger-scale commercial mines that had been suspended for multiple months due to the pandemic," said the New York-based analyst. "In recent weeks it was announced that two of those mines would recommence production shortly."

The two diamond mines that are reopening are the Renard Mine in Quebec and the Mothae mine in Lesotho, Africa.

Zimnisky said in recent weeks buyers and sellers have returned to in-person sales after trying to make due with video conferences and more detailed descriptions of the diamonds being offered.

Company says reopening a work in progress

Dominion refused to say when it plans to reopen Ekati. Its president reportedly told workers at the end of June that the company plans to reopen the mine sometime between October and December of this year. An official refused to comment on whether that is still the plan.

Story continues

"We are working to restart operations at Ekati as soon as possible and will keep our employees and other stakeholders updated as we have more information," said a communications official in an email.

When it is operating, Ekati is one of the biggest employers in the Northwest Territories with more than 700 northerners working there for Dominion and contractors, according to the company's 2018 socioeconomic report.

In an emailed statement, the president of the union that represents most of those workers says the sale of Ekati is good news.

"We hope that the recent sale announcement will reduce some of the uncertainty that our members are facing with regard to job security and a return to full operations," said Union of Northern Workers president Todd Parsons.

"The past six months have been incredibly stressful for the workers at Ekati and their families; especially those who have been temporarily laid off, but also those who continue to work on care and maintenance and have seen dramatic changes to their rotations and working conditions."
Two videos showing large quantities of spoilt local farm produce were sent to Asbert News Network earlier this week. In one 0.38-second clip, a voice narrated the scene as being evidence of "sack loads of wastage generated by the governing Unity Labour Partys (ULP) Love Box Initiative.





The Initiative was rolled out by Agriculture Minister Saboto Caesar as part of his governments response to the economic fallout occasioned by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.





It was meant to stimulate agricultural production with governments guarantee to purchase famers harvests nationwide.





Once bought, fruits, vegetables and ground provisions were carted to centralized sorting depots, where they were packaged in boxes and later distributed to the communitys most needy.





Responding to one of the videos which showed an unknown quantity of breadfruit, oranges, lengths of cane and avocados strewed behind the Rose Bank Community Centre, North Leeward MP Roland Patel Matthews told to listeners to an episode of ANN and ITFX Digital Solutions On The Spot Facebook live talk show, "This has been happening a long time., I did my own investigation to find out why are there so many wastage [sic] at this centre in Rose Bank. .. I understand that some of the produce that was spoilt before was discarded so this has to be a new batch .





Matthews advanced two reasons for the wastage:

"One: the politicization of the Love Box Initiative when initially they were given only to the supporters of the ULP. And then later on when things start to get plenty and they buying more, they would give a few to the New Democratic Party (NDP) supporters. "





He alluded to having witnessed people in Petit Bordel being told they could not get a Love Box because they were not supporters of the ULP.





Matthews also cited what he said was a deliberate act of allowing the produce to rot instead of giving to NDP supporters.





"Also some of the produce that they buy was of a sub-standard nature and as a result they were easy to spoil, the NDP incumbent MP added.





This, plus the fact that they over purchased with ULP supporters demanding that their produce be bought, created over supply and eventual rotting and wastage, Matthews said.





The two-term MP emphasized that he gave the concept his full support.





"The intention of the programme I have no problem with, but the implementation . is where the problems are.





"They are also buying from some famers who selling goods that are not up to standard and as a result some of the stuff spoil and they have to dump them. In the end monies have to come from somewhere to pay for them so thats wastage.





Matthews suggested that the programme should have allowed for individual households to purchase the food so as to avoid suppliers ending up with their own produce when they accepted Love Boxes.





"In North Leeward, for example, a farmer told me he said, Mr. Matthews Stories I sold some zabouka (avocados) and I got back some of my zabouka along with some other stuff in a Love Box. So you see wah going on deh? So you see? Totally disorganized.





"A proper assessment wasnt done to determine the needs of the people, who they send the boxes to or the particular community. If it was properly organized it might mean a different or better distribution of the boxes.

We are yet to reach out to Agriculture Minister Caesar for his take on the development.
Wildfire smoke obviously is not good for your health. It can cause shortness of breath and a racing heartbeat, with long-term exposure potentially even leading to a heart attack or stroke.

Such health problems apply to wildlife as well as humans.

Any animal with lungs can be in serious trouble from exposure to wildfire smoke, and of course squirrels and birds cant retreat into a house, close all the windows and turn on an air purifier.

This kind of pollution is going to be damaging to all living things, pointed out Portland Audubon director of conservation Bob Sallinger, referring to the thick smoke that has blanketed Portland and much of Oregon over the past week.

Birds in particular are in danger because their respiratory systems are so sensitive, Sallinger said.

Birds know what to do when faced with fire and smoke: they fly away. But wildfires right now stretch from Southern California to Canada. Birds might not be able to make it to safer climes, especially with food sources harder to find along the way.

Portland Audubon hasnt seen an influx of birds being brought into its Wildlife Care Center in recent days. But that isnt an indication that a large percentage of the areas birds managed to escape to distant clear air. Sallinger figures its because the good Samaritans who come upon distressed animals while hiking or biking have been hunkered down in their homes waiting for the smoke to dissipate.

And, sure enough, there is evidence that our avian friends are in distress. One example comes from Portland lawyer Sarah Laidlaw, who, with her husband Rob, recently launched a sailboat for a round-the-world tour -- and last week found herself in a thick, endless wave of smoke three miles out to sea.

The couples boat was coming around Cape Blanco off the southern Oregon coast at about 1:30 in the morning when a storm petrel, a small seabird, crashed into the back of Laidlaws head and fell into the cockpit.

It was stunned or tired or confused, she told The Oregonian/OregonLive. It just sat with us for about 45 minutes before flying away.

This is highly unusual behavior for a storm petrel: the birds live in the open ocean and only come ashore to nest.

It also wasnt an isolated incident. Over the next couple of days, three more storm petrels landed on the boat amid the smoky haze, possibly disoriented or stressed from smoke inhalation. One of them stayed for nine hours, huddled on the deck, Laidlaw said. It let us pick it up. It just sat there in my hand.

Laidlaw said she talked to a California wildlife-rescue expert who told her that uninjured petrels like the ones that landed on her boat should be released back into the water -- and that, if theyre found at the shore, they should be released at night so that they have a better chance of avoiding being dinner for a gull.

Some birds and other wildlife benefit from fire, which can open up new food sources, but the issue is larger than the pros and cons of any particular wildfire. Bob Sallinger says climate change, which scientists believe is making fire season worse, is outpacing the ability of species to adapt.

A burned out truck sits on Graystone Lane after the Bear Fire near Lake Oroville in Northern California. (Paul Kuroda/ZUMA Wire)TNS

He said the massive fires along the West Coast this year hit at the worst possible time for birds. This is the peak of migration, when theyre especially vulnerable. Many migrating birds use constellations to navigate -- and this can be disrupted by wildfire smoke as well as everyday urban light pollution. If birds are forced to reroute or have unusual difficulty finding food because of large-scale fires, their chances of survival plummet.

Birds already live their lives on the edge, Sallinger said. This adds insult to injury.

With rain falling Friday morning in the Portland area, the smoke is beginning to clear out and squirrels and birds are showing up once again outside our windows. This is good news, but it doesnt mean its back to normal.

The long-term impact of fires on wildlife simply isnt well understood.

We dont have a way of gauging the full implications, Sallinger said. There arent studies on squirrels living shorter because of lung damage.

-- Douglas Perry

dperry@oregonian.com

@douglasmperry
The obscene spectacle staged by the Trump administration on the South Lawn of the White House on Tuesday, bringing together the two monarchical Arab dictatorships, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, with Israel for the signing of what were pretentiously labeled the Abraham Accords, represents yet one more link in the decades-long chain of betrayals carried out by the Arab bourgeoisie.

The Abraham Accords, all of five paragraphs in length, manage to repeat the name Donald J. Trump four times, lest anyone should forget who is the champion of Middle East peace in the midst of his reelection bid, which threatens to bring the US itself to the brink of civil war.

For Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the trip to Washington served as a welcome diversion from a spiraling crisis in Israel, which is gripped by soaring coronavirus infections, a deepening economic crisis and mass protests, even as he himself faces imminent indictment on fraud and bribery charges.

As for the royal Arab signatories, the bowing and scraping before Trump was a price they were more than willing to pay for increased US security aid and the chance to buy advanced military hardware, including F-35 fighter jets.

The Accords proclaim that they will commence a new chapter of peace in the Middle East. What a farce! The formalization of ties between the Sunni Gulf oil sheikdoms and Israel is part of Washingtons strategy of forging an anti-Iranian axis in preparation for a potentially world-catastrophic war aimed at regime-change in Tehran and the rolling back of both Chinese and Russian influence in the region.

As for the quest for Middle East peace, historically it has been predicated, at least formally, on resolving the plight of the Palestinians, including the 4.75 million living under Israeli occupation, the nearly two million living as second-class citizens in Israel itself and the millions more scattered among refugee camps in neighboring Arab countries and in a wider diaspora.

What the Israeli-Emirati-Bahraini deal made clear is that for world imperialism and the Arab bourgeois regimes, the Palestinian issue is no longer considered an issue at all. It has done away with the fiction, codified in the so-called Arab Peace Plan drafted by Saudi Arabia, that normalization of relations between the Arab states and Tel Aviv was dependent upon Israel withdrawing from territories it occupied in the 1967 war and allowing the formation of a Palestinian state: the so-called two state solution. Indeed, when Palestinian representatives proposed that the Arab League adopt a resolution condemning the UAEs deal with Israel, they were dismissed out of hand.

This normalization process has a long and bitter history. Trumps peace farce on Tuesday was meant to evoke previous US-brokered deals, including the September 1978 Camp David Accords, signed by Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, which assured Israel the neutrality and outright collaboration of the Arab worlds largest nation in its conflicts with the Palestinians.

This was followed 15 years later by the Oslo Accords, signed on the White House lawn by Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in September 1993, in which Arafat agreed to recognize Israel and guarantee its security, while renouncing the armed struggle for Palestinian liberation with which the PLO had long been identified.

This inaugurated the nearly three-decade peace process, which has served as a cover for the vast expansion of Israeli settlements and theft of Palestinian land in the West Bank and successive bloody wars and a punishing blockade against the 1.8 million Palestinians trapped in the open-air prison of Gaza.

Under the Oslo Accords, the PLO took charge of the political monstrosity known as the Palestinian Authority (PA) in a process that involved the unexplained death of Arafat in 2004. His successor, Mahmoud Abbas, has served as the unelected president of the PA for 15 years, running a regime that serves to enrich a thin layer of the Palestinian bourgeoisie off of aid kickbacks, while providing a vital auxiliary police force to suppress the population of the West Bank in the interests of Israel and imperialism.

This transformation of the PLO, the most radical of the bourgeois nationalist movements, which enlisted tens of thousands of Palestinians in the unequal combat with Israel, underwent countless sacrifices and assassinations of its leaders and inspired masses of the oppressed throughout the Middle East, was part of a universal process.

All of the national movements that gained prominence from the 1950s to the 1970sfrom Nasserism and Baathism in the Middle East, to Pan-Africanism and Peronism, Castroism and Sandinismo in Latin Americaadvancing national liberation as some separate stage of development, achievable through the suppression of any independent revolutionary intervention of the working class for socialism, have proven bankrupt. So too have the Stalinist, Maoist and Pabloite revisionist proponents of national liberation movements based upon the petty bourgeoisie and the peasantry as a substitute for resolving the crisis of revolutionary leadership in the working class.

The surrender and transformation of the PLO was prepared over a protracted period of bloody betrayals produced by the Faustian bargains struck by its leadership with various Arab bourgeois regimes as well as the Moscow Stalinist bureaucracy. Their limited and highly unreliable support was conditioned on the PLOs foreswearing any revolutionary appeal to the masses of workers and oppressed of the Arab world.

The result was an endless succession of stabs in the back at the hands of the Palestinians Arab patrons and brothers. This extended from the 1970 Black September massacre of Palestinians by the Jordanian monarchy, to the Syrian backing of the Lebanese Falangist slaughter of Palestinians at the Karantina and Tel al-Zaatar camps in 1975, to the complicity of Syria and all of the Arab regimes in allowing the US-backed Israeli invasion of 1982 to expel the PLO from Lebanon.

The PLOs attempts to base its survival on maneuvers between the different Arab regimes and by exploiting the Cold War conflicts between Washington and the Moscow Stalinist bureaucracy were fatally undermined by the profound changes in world capitalism that coincided with its military defeat.

The 1982 Lebanon invasion was part of a global counteroffensive made possible by the betrayals and defeats of the worldwide mass struggles of the 1960s and 1970s. The growing global integration of capitalist production, meanwhile, eliminated the relationship of forces upon which the PLO had depended. The Stalinist bureaucracys capitalist restorationist policy and ultimate liquidation of the Soviet Union was accompanied by the sharp turn by supposedly nationalist Arab regimes toward ever closer collaboration with imperialism, consummated in the support given by many of them to the 1991 US war against Iraq.

This process was accompanied by the outbreak of the first intifada, a spontaneous rebellion among workers and youth in the occupied territories. This revolt developed independently and over the opposition of the PLO leadership, which feared that such a struggle from below would fatally undermine its project of establishing an independent bourgeois state in collaboration with imperialism.

This bourgeois nationalist project has reached a complete dead end. Israeli facts on the ground in the years since the signing of the Oslo Accords have included a relentless growth of settlements in the occupied territories, the division of what little remained of the West Bank outside of direct Israeli control by walls, security roads and countless checkpoints and its separation from Gaza and Jerusalem. The conception that the carving out of a Bantustan-style independent state will improve the desperate conditions of the masses of Palestinians is today patently absurd.

In July 1939, little more than a year before his death at the hands of a Stalinist assassin, the great Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky wrote presciently about the premier nationalist movement, the Indian Congress Party (from which the African National Congress of Nelson Mandela in South Africa would take its name):

The Indian bourgeoisie is incapable of leading a revolutionary struggle. They are closely bound up with and dependent upon British capitalism. They tremble for their own property. They stand in fear of the masses. They seek compromises with British imperialism no matter what the price and lull the Indian masses with hopes of reforms from above. The leader and prophet of this bourgeoisie is Gandhi. A fake leader and a false prophet.

This characteristic of the bourgeois nationalist movements in the colonial countries exposed by Trotsky in the 1930s has been fully borne out by the subsequent, and in many cases tragic, developments in the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Historical experienceincluding the latest betrayals of the Arab bourgeoisiehas provided the irrefutable vindication of Trotskys theory of permanent revolution, which guided the Russian Revolution of October 1917. It established that in the oppressed countries and those with a belated capitalist development, the democratic and national tasks that in an earlier historical epoch were associated with the rise of the bourgeoisie can, in the epoch of imperialism, be achieved only through the independent revolutionary mobilization of the working class based on a socialist and internationalist perspective.

The liberation of the Palestinian people and an end to the imperialist wars that have killed and maimed millions in the Middle East will never be achieved through imperialist-brokered peace negotiations or the fantasy of a two-state solution. The only way forward lies in the independent mobilization and unification of Arab, Jewish and Iranian workers in a common struggle for a Socialist Federation of the Middle East as part of the fight to put an end to capitalism all over the world.
Luis German Espinoza Acuna, left, the suspect in the Sept. 17, 2020, ambush shooting of an Arizona detective, and the AK-47 pistol that Acuna allegedly used. (Arizona Department of Public Safety)

Police Officer Was Ambushed, Officials Say

A police officer was ambushed on Thursday in Arizona, triggering a Blue Alert, officials said.

Arizona Department of Public Safety detectives were conducting a criminal investigation in Phoenix just before 9 a.m. One detective, dressed in attire that clearly identified him as a police officer, was sitting in his unmarked police vehicle when a silver Infinity passenger car approached him.

The driver of the vehicle stopped it near the front of the detectives car and honked the horn. At the same time, the passenger in the front seat stepped outside and fired an AK-47 pistol as the detective exited his vehicle and returned fire.

He was ambushed, Department of Public Safety Director Heston Silbert told reporters at a press conference.

Our trooper was clearly visible in his vest that said police. There was no question it was an ambush and he was identifiable as a police officer.

A driver pulled up a silver vehicle to an unmarked car with a uniformed police officer sitting inside in an ambush attack, authorities said, in Phoenix, Ariz., Sept. 17, 2020. (Arizona Department of Public Safety)

If the detective did not have the wherewithal to quickly get out of his car and return fire, he undoubtedly would have been shot or killed, Silbert said.

Another detective who was nearby also engaged the shooter.

No one was injured in the firefight, which took place at 37th Avenue and Portland Street.

The driver of the Infinity took off, leaving the shooting suspect behind. The suspect, 17-year-old Luis German Espinoza Acuna, was arrested.

Law enforcement is seeking the driver of the vehicle, described as a silver Infinity model G-37 sedan from sometime between 2008 and 2013. The vehicle has a temporary paper license plate and appears to have chipped or missing paint just below the plate. It is also believed to have custom wheels.

The unmarked police vehicle that an Arizona Department of Public Safety detective was in when he was ambushed in Phoenix, Ariz., Sept. 17, 2020. (Arizona Department of Public Safety)

Phoenix residents were sent a Blue Alert, part of a notification system that provides immediate information following a violent attack upon a law enforcement officer.

The alert lacked details about the vehicle and suspects, which officials described as a glitch.

The ambush came just two days after a federal court security officer was shot outside a U.S. courthouse in Phoenix. The suspect in that shooting was arrested.

Referencing that shooting, Silbert told reporters: Im disgusted by the actions of people toward law enforcement that Ive seen take place in this country over the past several months.

U.S. Marshal David Gonzalez added: Theres this unspeakable theme thats going on in our country right now and involving police officers, not just the shooting and killing of them, but targeting by street gangs, officers that are that are threatened with intimidation through social media, receiving threats when involved in shootings, regardless of the circumstances, and, in my career  never seen anything like this.

Gonzalez called on community leaders and elected officials to stand up and say, were not going to take this anymore.
There is a crisis unfolding in Indias education sector that has barely got the attention of either the media or the government. Children, some younger than 10 years, are being thrown out of online classes at some of our poshest, most prestigious schools, as many parents struggle to pay the fees.

For the last two weeks, I have been tracking and chronicling the stories of these parents. In the Capitals Delhi Public School (DPS) at Mathura Road, a group of parents have spent the last several days camping and protesting at the gates; they have been prevented from even entering. A couple who requested anonymity (we fear our child will be embarrassed or punished by the school) has been struggling with the coronavirus pandemic; the father tested positive. The last few months have been a period of enormous hardship. Both their daughters are students at DPS in Delhi. According to the parents, both children have been blocked from online classes and were thrown out summarily in front of the other students. They also say that at least 250 students were locked out of online classes and school WhatsApp forums over the issue of non-payment of fees.

Finally, the school proposed that a minimum of two months fees must be paid. Some managed, some dipped into their savings and others who still could not pay up had to face the trauma of their children not just being locked out online classes, but key internal exams as well. I have personally corroborated this by speaking to at least half a dozen parents.

DPS is not the only school where a serious battle is simmering between the parents and the school management. Vaibhav Garg in Uttar Pradesh lost his job in May and received his last salary up until the end of March. His wife is self-employed in a small business that barely has any earnings. He has been requesting his childrens private school to charge only the tuition fees and not the full package, but to no avail. He told me that they are able to manage at the moment because of the moratorium on EMI payments. Once that lifts, there is no way he can pay full school fees and repay his loans. With no jobs in the market, he considers himself blessed that the household already owned two laptops for his childrens online classes. If I needed to purchase a laptop, I dont have the money today.

His story is a grim reminder that only 11% of homes in India have any computing devices. The digital divide is only being compounded by the contracting economy.

For many parents, coming out and speaking about the struggle to pay their childrens fees is difficult. They feel embarrassed to admit that they may have had their salaries cut or lost their jobs altogether. Most, however, worry more for their children than their own standing. My inbox is flooded with plaintive pleas from parents, most of whom requested anonymity. They worry that if they go on the record, the school management will take it out on their children and they will lose any wiggle room for a compromise.

School managements argue that full fees are necessary because they have to maintain the upkeep of infrastructure for a post-Covid-19 time. They also say that teachers, all of whom have had to unlearn and relearn skills in this online era, need to be valued and paid. No parent is disagreeing with that. But the irony is that multiple teachers have also reached out to me to say that they have faced salary cuts, or in some institutes, not been paid at all.

This lack of transparency is what is worrying. Parents say when they try and organise themselves into parent-teacher association groups that can negotiate with school managements, these are not given any official recognition by the executives. Even in the prestigious Mayo College, this battle is raging with parents forums unable to get any access to the school management.

I am sure schools have their own struggles. But the perception that most private schools are often owned by business barons and influential groups has only added to the disbelief that they are struggling to pay their staff. Their silence is only adding to the confusion and chaos. Making matters worse is that every state has its own rules on whether children can be blocked from online classes over the non-payment of fees.

But just like governments stepped in to cap the fees private hospitals could charge, a similar move might be needed for schools.

Im not a big fan of government interference in most matters. But when children start getting hurled out of classrooms, we should all be alarmed.

Barkha Dutt is an award-winning journalist and author

The views expressed are personal

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Six universities have banned sex between lecturers and students and two authors have claimed that more should be doing the same.



The measures came into place after a survey found that only one in 20 institutions in England and Wales expressly forbids it.



Some 51 universities said they discouraged the relationships while 45 didn't give any guidance.



Lancaster, Leeds, Nottingham Trent, the University of Greenwich, the University of Roehampton and UCL are the only universities which explicitly prohibit lecturer-student sex.



The authors of Unsafe Spaces: Ending Sexual Abuse in Universities disagree with the position that it's wrong for universities to get involved in the private lives of consenting adults.



Eva Tutchell and John Edmonds argue that universities have a responsibility to protect their students and that 'almost every' relationship between a lecturer and a student 'ends by hurting the student', according to Times Higher Education.



They add: 'It feeds a suspicion of favouritism which weakens faith in the assessment process and leaves a residue of disharmony and cynicism which persists well beyond the end of the affair.'



Ms Tutchell is an education consultant and Mr Edmonds is a visiting academic at King's College London and Durham University.



The pair are unsure whether a sexual relationship between a lecturer and a student could ever be fully consensual because there is the possibility that the former will abuse their power.



They even suggest that the lecturers involved in such relationships are often 'serial predators'.



Their book, which is set to be published on September 24, also estimates that a minimum of 15 percent of female students have been abused and three percent of male students have been abused.



Meaning that at least 50,000 students across England and Wales are sexually abused every year.



They found that 61 universities had recently introduced new complaint procedures in cases of alleged misconduct but only nine had noticeably made changes towards becoming more professional and evidence-based.



The universities of Cambridge, Oxford and Sussex; Keele, Durham and Lancaster universities; Goldsmiths, University of London, Imperial College London and the London School of Economics.



However, Ms Tutchell and Mr Edmonds suggested that a few of those had a 'wake-up call' as they were recently been the centre of sexual scandals.



The pair are fighting for a 'major programme of reform' for universities to be able to tackle sexual harassment and they are calling for institutions to carry out detailed surveys to find out the full scope of the issue.

Source: dailymail









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Immervision, the Montreal-based leader in wide-angle intelligent vision, introduces JOYCE, the first humanoid robot developed by the computer vision community to help machines gain human-like perception and beyond.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200917005563/en/

(Graphic: Business Wire)

Watch the video: https://vimeo.com/458617443

The purpose of JOYCE is to further advance computer vision technologies by inviting the community to help JOYCE gain a better understanding of her environment by upgrading her optics, sensors and AI algorithms.

To support the realization of this complex task, Immervision is also unveiling the JOYCE Development Kit for engineers and AI developers. This JOYCE IN A BOX development kit is equipped with three ultra-wide-angle panomorph cameras calibrated to give 2D hemispheric, 3D stereoscopic hemispheric or full 360 x 360 spherical capture and viewing of the environment. It uses data-In-picture technology so that each of her video frames can be enriched with data from a wide array of sensors providing contextual information to AI and neural networks, computer vision and SLAM algorithms to help increase her visual perception.

Moreover, JOYCE will be streaming live so that people can, not only follow the evolution of her capabilities, but also look through her eyes while she travels around the world, skydives, visits a business conference or a computer vision lab.

JOYCE stems from the Immervision InnovationLab which mission is to accelerate the emergence of new innovative solutions and help build the next generation of intelligent vision systems for a wide range of industry devices.

At Immervision, we strongly believe in the value of bringing together the computer vision community to break down the silos that are slowing the innovation cycle. Instead, lets push forward the boundaries of machine perception through cross-pollination. We believe that JOYCE will help develop extremely innovative solutions to resolve complex industry challenges, said Pascale Nini, President and CEO of Immervision.

Potential use cases include:

Enhance the performance of smart home devices such as vacuum cleaners, lighting systems and home appliances.

Improve optics technologies to ensure driver safety in assisted driving and autonomous cars.

Improve fire fighters ability to detect people and objects over trees and see through smoke.

Improve medical diagnostics to better identify cancer tumors or other conditions on a CT scan.

Help identify early signs of crop diseases, and many more.

To follow JOYCEs progress and collaboration within the community, visit her at JOYCE.VISION and follow her on her social channels.

About Immervision

Immervision enables intelligent vision in any device. Our Deep Seeing technology and renowned experts in wide-angle optical design and image processing enable smart devices with superhuman eyes to capture high quality visual and contextual data. We invent, customise and license wide-angle lenses and imaging software technology for AI, machine vision and user applications, from capture to display, in the mobile, automotive, robotics, security, and other industrial and consumer product industries. www.immervision.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200917005563/en/
The planning legislation has been panned by politicians across the political spectrum, who described it as a "wild power grab by the Planning Minister" that benefited developers at the expense of the community. Liberal MP Mike Nahan said it provided developers with a shortcut to get approval for projects that would otherwise never have been allowed without any input from residents and local government. "The minister can override existing plans, override councils, override the JDAPs, and expedite the process. They have carte blanche powers," Dr Nahan said. "These people basically went out and said, 'Listen, come forward with your big projects and we will facilitate you, go for your life'. "The bill lacks transparency and lacks a requirement to have input from the local council and the community and isn't supported by necessary investment in infrastructure."

Dr Nahan voiced concerns about the influence exerted by property developers because there were few restrictions on their donations to political parties in WA. Opponents are concerned developers will misuse the new planning pipeline to avoid opposition. Credit:Erin Jonasson Greens MP Alison Xamon echoed Dr Nahan's concerns and said the lack of safeguards around donations, paired with unprecedented ministerial powers, would undermine the community's trust in the planning system. "The legislation will give power to the minister to issue directions to other government agencies and bodies to comply with the WAPC approval," she said. "It is almost as though there will be an implicit expectation that the project will be approved."

Loading The state's peak industry body for local councils, the WA Local Government Association, has also raised concerns about the shift in decision-making power to the WAPC. "These changes represent a major shift to the role of local government in the planning assessment process and do not necessarily make use of the existing planning expertise across the sector in assessing development applications and applying local planning schemes," WALGA president Tracey Roberts said. A lack of transparency in WA's planning system has long been a concern for local governments and residents, particularly regarding the WAPC. In 2018, head David Caddy flagged incoming changes and earlier this year began to publish agendas and minutes online, but most of the items remained confidential, and those that weren't contained only a snippet of information about the projects due for consideration.

However, a spokeswoman from Ms Saffioti's office said the WAPC was the decision-maker, not the minister. "All the Minister for Planning can do is refer a development application to the Premier through cabinet for their consideration," she said. "The WAPC would still be the ultimate decision-maker if the premier, through cabinet, chose to refer a development." The spokeswoman said the new pathway was limited to 18 months and approvals would lapse if construction on the project hadn't substantially started. It also required consultation. "This is all about supporting the economy and local workers through COVID-19," she said.

Loading Nedlands Mayor Cilla de Lacy said the council had made the decision to retrospectively amend the local planning scheme after realising a loophole in the policy meant there were no limits on the bulk and build of future developments in the area. "As you can understand, any new legislation that comes to place has loopholes, this is what we are finding because we are being tested every single day," she said. "I do not believe that we have reacted poorly with this particular proposal." Ms de Lacy said since opening up to higher density development, the council had been swarmed by applications and was currently assessing more projects than the Stirling and Wanneroo councils combined.
Chevron Australia has sacked 230 workers, sparking fears for staff at the $US54 billion ($73.7 billion) Gorgon plant in the Pilbara.

In a statement, the company said the latest forced redundancies were the result of an adjustment of the business in response to the impact of COVID-19 and a deteriorating business outlook.

Repairs at Gorgon's train two have been delayed. Credit:

The news of the massive job losses comes on top of another 180 voluntary redundancies at the company.

The losses represent about one quarter of the company's Australian workforce.
(Newser)  Britain on Friday stripped disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein of an honor recognizing his contribution to the UK film industry. Weinstein, 68, was given the honor in 2004, the AP reports. The 68-year-old former Hollywood producer was convicted earlier this year of rape and sexual assault against two women and sentenced to 23 years in prison. Accusations by dozens of women in 2017 led to the end of his career and helped spur #MeTooa global movement demanding that powerful men be held accountable for their sexual misconduct.

story continues below

"The Queen has directed that the appointment of Harvey Weinstein to be an Honorary Commander of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, dated January 19 2004, shall be cancelled and annulled and that his name shall be erased from the Register of the said Order," according to a notice in the Gazette, the UK's official public record. The forfeiture committee can remove a honor, with the approval of the queen. Once one of the most powerful people in Hollywood, Weinstein's credits include The English Patient and Shakespeare in Love.

(Read more Harvey Weinstein stories.)
ANN ARBOR, MI - Revised calendars designed to reduce the amount of back-and-forth travel for students during the COVID-19 pandemic will eliminate spring break for University of Michigan students.

UMs Board of Regents approved the updated calendars for all three of its campuses Thursday, Sept. 17. The revised calendar ensures that UM adheres to the federal definition of a credit hour along with minimum standards for providing direct faculty instruction to students, the university noted.

The university previously announced plans for no fall break on its Ann Arbor campus, making the last day of in-person classes for the fall semester Nov. 20.

After the Thanksgiving break, students will finish out the remainder of the semester remotely beginning Nov. 30, continuing through Dec. 8, with exams on Dec. 10 through 18. The university does not plan to offer a commencement ceremony in December.

The spring semester resumes on Tuesday, Jan. 19, after the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, allowing UM to to implement any changes to public health protocols before students return to campus, the university noted.

Eliminating spring break will allow students to close out the semester with final exams on April 22 through 29.

READ MORE:

University of Michigan confirms cluster of 19 coronavirus cases in South Quad residence hall

Confusion over vote of no confidence in University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel leads to review

Graduate employees reach deal with University of Michigan to end strike
News and commentary on organized crime, street crime, white collar crime, cyber crime, sex crime, crime fiction, crime prevention, espionage and terrorism.
La Biennale Paris chez Christies

A mahogany table gifted by Tsar Alexander I and a dining set designed by Charlotte Perriand are among the highlights of an online collaboration with Pariss leading antiques fair

An early 19th-century pedestal table from Galerie Neuse, designed by Heinrich Gambs (1765-1831) and presented to Queen Luise of Prussia by Tsar Alexander I, is among the eye-catching items included in an innovative online sale organised by Christies and La Biennale Paris.

Traditionally a highlight of the Paris Rentree, the Biennale brings together art and antique dealers, design galleries, jewellers and collectors under the vaulted glass roof of the Grand Palais.

Heinrich Gambs, after a design by Andrej Woronichin, 1803. Pedestal table from the study of the Crown Princes Palace in Berlin. Mahogany, bronze-gilt mounts and malachite. Height: 31 in (79.5 cm), width 21 in (55 cm). Offered in La Biennale Paris, 24 September-8 October, Online

With the 32nd edition postponed until September 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, however, the organisers have teamed up with Christies to take the event online  with galleries consigning select items to a sale that will run from 24 September to 8 October. The 42 art galleries taking part are all world-renowned specialists in their field, while the works span 4,000 years of history. There are more than 90 lots, says Biennale president Georges de Jonckheere, and as an Old Master dealer myself, I am very pleased to see this discipline well represented in the sale.

Everything fuses in a way that suggests the interior of a collector who has brought together the best of art and history

Other areas of interest include Chinese ceramics, Antiquities, Indian, African and Oceanic works of art, and Impressionist and Modern Art paintings. At first glance these works may not seem connected, says De Jonckheere, but everything fuses in a way that suggests the interior of an informed collector who has brought together the best of art and history. Launched in 1956, the Biennale was conceived by Pierre Vandermeersch, the former chairman of the Syndicat National des Antiquaires, to promote the preeminent dealers of art and antiques in France. By the early 1960s it was attracting more than 350,000 visitors, including members of the Rothschild family and actors Greta Garbo, Cary Grant and Jean Seberg.

Charlotte Perriand, Dining table, 1968. Rectangular top in ash wood, bevelled edges, visible dowels, on four elliptic legs. Height 28.1 in, length 78.1 in, width 29.9 in. Steph Simon edition. Charlotte Perriand, Six rush chairs, 1960. Structure and backrest in solid black lacquered wood, straw seat. Height 30 in, width 16.5 x 16.1 in. Seat height 17.7 cm. Steph Simon edition. Offered in La Biennale Paris, 24 September-8 October, Online

Today, the event features temporary exhibitions and sets by celebrated designers such as Nathalie Criniere and the late Karl Lagerfeld  and one of the highlights of this years online sale is a dining table and chair set by Charlotte Perriand (1903-1999), one of Lagerfelds favourite furniture designers. Other highlights include a painting, offered by Perrotin, by the lyrical abstractionist Hans Hartung (1904-1989)  which De Jonckheere describes as possessing all the magic and depth the painter is known for  as well as a mysterious sarcophagus mask in ancient Egyptian wood from the Ariadne Galleries.

Hans Hartung, P1973-A36, 1973. Ink, pastel and acrylic on cardboard. 29  41 in (74.6 x 104.4 cm). Offered in La Biennale Paris, 24 September-8 October, Online. Courtesy of @perrotin

Proceeds from the sale will go to support the charity Mission Stephane Bern, which aims, like the Biennale dealers themselves, to safeguard French heritage.

Face from an anthropoid coffin, Third Intermediate to Late Period of Ancient Eygpt, 21-26th dynasty, circa 1070-525 BC. 17 in (43.8 cm). Offered in La Biennale Paris, 24 September-8 October, Online

Looking ahead, De Jonckheere is excited about next Septembers event in the Grand Palais Ephemere, a temporary structure by the French architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte that will stand in for the permanent building until 2024 while it undergoes major renovations. (Before now, Wilmotte was best known for the interiors of the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha and the Mandarin Oriental in Paris.)

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Minister of Health Patty Hajdu in Ottawa on Sept. 16, 2020. (The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick)

Timeline: Chinas Handling of the Pandemic and Canadas Stance

Health Minister Patty Hajdu has once again defended Beijings conduct regarding the pandemic, saying on Sept. 13 that China was quick to share details about the virus, and dismissed reports of Beijing not being forthcoming with data.

Click to enlarge the timeline

Click to enlarge the timeline. (The Epoch Times)

Look, very early on China alerted the World Health Organization to the emergence of a novel coronavirus and also shared the sequencing of the gene which allowed countries to be able to rapidly produce tests to be able to detect it in their own countries, Hajdu told Global News.

Heres a look at Beijings response to the virus outbreak in the early days, its crackdown on whistleblowers, WHOs response, Canadas reliance on WHO, reactions from world leaders, and comments made by Canadian officials as the pandemic unfolded.

Early Developments in China and Coverups

2019

Nov. 17: First person is infected, according to SCMP citing government documents.

Dec. 1: Earliest documented patient is infected.

Mid-December: First evidence appears of human-to-human transmission, a Jan. 29 study says.

Dec. 27: A Chinese laboratory sequences most of the virus genome.

Dec. 31: China officially informs the public about cases of a viral pneumonia via a press release by the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission. Taiwan sends an email to WHO pointing out signs of the human-to-human transmission of the virus, and asks for more information. It later says the organization ignored its request.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing in a file photo. (Andrea Verdelli/Getty Images)

2020

Jan. 2: A Wuhan virology lab obtains the full virus genome. This information isnt made public for over a week.

Jan. 3: Chinas National Health Commission tells regional health commissions to strengthen precautions for the prevention and control of a major sudden outbreak of infectious diseases, leaked documents show.

Jan. 11: China makes the genome of the virus public.

Jan. 14: Chinese officials determine that they are likely facing a pandemic, but dont make the information public, internal documents reported by Associated Press show.

Jan. 15: Publicly, Chinese officials say the risk of human-to-human infection is low. An internal document obtained by The Epoch Times shows health officials knew of human-to-human infection risk and were preparing for it.

Medical staff in protective suits treat a patient at the Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, in Wuhan, Hubei province, China on Jan. 28, 2020. (China Daily via Reuters)

Jan. 18: Local government in Wuhan allows 40,000 families to gather to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

Jan. 20: China officially confirms that the virus can be transmitted between humans.

Jan. 23: Wuhan imposes a lockdown. By then, around 5 million people had left the city without being screened for the virus. But international travel was allowed from Wuhan to the rest of the world.

Jan. 27: Wuhan Mayor Zhou Xianwang concedes that disclosures of the outbreak were not timely, shifts blame to the central government.

Chinas Response to Whistleblowers and Containment of Information

Dr. Li Wenliang. (Courtesy of Li Wenliang)

Dr. Li Wenliang and Early Detentions

2019

Dec. 30: Dr. Li Wenliang of Wuhan shares a report about Chinas lab sequencing of the virus on Dec. 27 with other colleagues on social media. Later that day, Wuhan Central Hospital warns health workers not to spread information about the unknown pneumonia or face penalties.

2020

Jan. 3: Li is called in by local police and reprimanded for rumourmongering. On the same day, eight other individuals are also detained for talking about the disease.

Arrests

Beijing lawyer Chen Qiushi as seen in videos he took previously. (Screenshot via WeChat)

2020

Feb. 6: Blogger Chen Qiushi who was filming hospitals is disappeared.

Feb. 9: Citizen journalist Fango Bin who shared footage of hospitals is detained.

Feb. 15: Rights activist Xu Zhiyong is arrested after calling for the Chinese leader to resign over the coverup of the virus.

Feb. 16: Academic Xu Zhangrun is put under house arrest after criticizing Beijings response to the outbreak.

Feb. 26: Citizen journalist Li Zehua is arrested for reporting on the outbreak.

Li Zehua, 25, a former state broadcast CCTV anchor, during a live stream on Feb. 26, 2020. (Screenshot)

Stopping Tests and Censorship

2020

Jan. 1: A Hubei genomics company is told by authorities to stop testing virus samples and to destroy all existing samples.

Jan. 3: The National Health Commission tells researchers to hand over virus samples or destroy them.

Feb. 15: Chinese leader Xi Jinping calls for more control on online discussions on the virus, state media report.

Foreign Media

2020

Feb. 19: Three Wall Street Journal reporters are told to leave China after the paper runs an op-ed that isnt favourable to Beijing.

March 17: At least 13 journalists at The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post are told to leave China.

Sept. 7: Two Australian reporters flee China.

A Chinese paramilitary police officer gestures while standing guard at the entrance to the Forbidden City in Beijing, China, on May 1, 2020. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

Timeline of Developments and Canadas Response

2020

Jan. 9: The World Health Organization (WHO) advises against any travel or trade restrictions on China.

Jan. 14: WHO says Chinese authorities had found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission, while noting limited human-to-human transmission, potentially among families is possible. Leaked internal documents issued on Jan. 14 later show Chinese officials knew they were likely facing a pandemic.

Tedros Adhanom, director-general of the World Health Organization, shakes hands with Chinese leader Xi Jinping before a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Jan. 28, 2020. (Naohiko Hatta/Pool via Reuters)

Jan. 21: First case of infection is reported in Taiwan. The government changes border control procedures. People travelling from high-risk areas undergo mandatory quarantine at home for 14 days. Government announces a ban on the export of face masks.

Canadas Health Minister Patty Hajdu confirms there are no plans to impose travel restrictions on China.

Jan. 22: Canada announces passengers arriving at major airports will undergo additional questioning to find out if they have travelled to Wuhan. People showing symptoms are asked to voluntarily self-isolate for 14 days.

Jan. 25: Canadas first case of infection is reported in a man in Toronto who had recently travelled to Wuhan.

Chief Public Health Officer of Canada Dr. Theresa Tam participates in a press conference in Ottawa on Jan. 26, 2020. (The Canadian Press/Justin Tang)

Jan. 29: Dr. Theresa Tam, Canadas chief public health officer, reiterates that WHO doesnt recommend travel bans, adding: We are a signatory to the international health regulations and well be called to account if we do anything different. Tam also praises China for its handling of the outbreak: What we have seen, given my close communication with WHO, is how impressed they are by the work of China. The astoundingly rapid way in which they tried to get a handle on what is causing the outbreak, and giving the world the sequence of the virus, was very helpful.

Jan. 30: WHO declares the outbreak a global health emergency. Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says WHO opposes any restrictions for travel and trade or other measures against China, while also praising China for its response to the outbreak.

Feb. 3: A spokesperson for Beijings foreign ministry praises Canada for not imposing travel restrictions on China, while rebuking the United States for its travel restrictions.

Feb. 4: Senior WHO expert John Mackenzie breaks rank and accuses China of not reporting virus cases fast enough in the early stages, saying the countrys response was reprehensible.

Feb. 5: Canadas ambassador to China Dominic Barton commends China for what its doing in trying to contain the virus.

Canadas ambassador to China Dominic Barton in a file photo. (The Canadian Press/Paul Chiasson)

Canadas chief public health officer Dr. Tam reiterates that WHO advises against any kind of travel and trade restrictions. She advises against measures that very negatively affect a country thats trying very hard to do its best, saying it could impact whether China would cooperate in the future. China posted the virus genome very quickly. What are they getting out of it? I think the idea is to support China, she says.

Feb. 6: Over 50 countries, including Taiwan, Australia, and the United States have announced travel restrictions on China.

A Chinese regime spokesperson lashes out at countries restricting travel over the outbreak, saying we deplore and oppose those countries who went against WHOs professional recommendations.

Feb. 9: Foreign Affairs announces that Canada has shipped 16 tonnes of personal protective equipment such as masks and gloves to China.

Feb. 11: An internal Foreign Affairs document says, China is making all-encompassing efforts on mobilization and deployment for epidemic control.

Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne in Ottawa on Feb. 3, 2020. (The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld)

Feb. 17: Canadian Health Minister Hajdu says, China has been very open. Now some will say, Were they open enough? and How fast were they open? But what we know is that within a week or so they were letting the World Health Organization and therefore all of the partner countries know that they had an outbreak on their hands.

Feb. 22: An internal Foreign Affairs document shows speaking points for Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois- Philippe Champagne to be delivered at a luncheon with the Asia-Pacific Heads of Mission. It reads: Here I would like to recognize the tremendous burden on China, which is fighting to maintain public health and is making a tremendous effort to contain the epidemic from spreading.

An undated document from Foreign Affairs released in February along with other documents, shows speaking notes for minister Champagne for a phone call with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi that say, Impressed by efforts deployed to contain the outbreak and the transparent approach taken by China thus far.

Feb. 25: Canadas Health Minister Hajdu tells parliamentarians that Canada has been following the World Health Organization recommendations since we noticed the cluster in late December.

Minister of Health Patty Hajdu speaks during Question Period in the House of Commons in Ottawa on Feb. 25, 2020 in Ottawa. (The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld)

Feb. 29: WHO reiterates that it advises against the application of travel or trade restrictions to countries experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks.

March 12: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian says the virus was brought to China by the U.S. military. U.S. summon the Chinese ambassador over the conspiracy theory.

March 13: A study by the University of Southampton says if China had responded to the outbreak three weeks earlier than it did, COVID-19 cases

could have been reduced by 95 percent.

Canadian Health Minister Hajdu says border measures are highly ineffective.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says, A number of weeks ago, in the beginnings, there was discussions on whether or not we should entirely close our borders to China the way the United States did. We did not, and we were able to manage it in a way that allowed for control and non-spread of the virus. That gives us confidence that our public health officials are giving us the right recommendations for Canada.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during a news conference in Ottawa on March 29, 2020. (Dave Chan / AFP via Getty Images)

March 17: WHO Director Tedros writes to Chinese leader Xi Jinping, praising Xis extraordinary leadership and Chinas incredible efforts in relation to the ongoing COVID-19 situation, according to Chinas ministry of foreign affairs.

March 18: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the Chinese Communist Party covered up details about the virus outbreak, warning that a similar situation could unfold again if we dont get to the bottom of this.

March 16-18: Canada announces severe restrictions on international flights and U.S. border crossing.

March 26: Chinese leader Xi replies to WHO Director Tedros, saying he appreciates his efforts promoting Chinas readiness to continue its support for the global response to the outbreak.

March 29: British media report that scientists have told British Prime Minister Boris Johnson that China could have downplayed its number of infections by a factor of 15 to 40 times. The media report that the U.K. government is furious over Chinas behaviour.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo holds a press briefing in Washington on Jan. 7, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

April 1: A classified intelligence report submitted to the White House says the Chinese regime has concealed the extent of the virus outbreak in China, under-reporting the number of cases and deaths, Bloomberg reports.

April 2: Japanese Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso says WHO should be renamed Chinese Health Organization.

Canadian Health Minister Hajdu says Ottawa has no reason to believe Beijings infection and death rates are falsified, and adds that Canada relies on WHO to coordinate the collection of data from various countries. When a reporter asks whether WHOs numbers can be trusted if Chinas arent reliable, she accuses the reporter of fuelling conspiracy theories.

April 7: U.S. President Donald Trump criticizes the WHO for being too China-centric.

April 10: Beijing defends WHOs Tedros in his confrontation with Taiwan, which is excluded from WHO. Beijing considers the self-ruled island part of Chinas territory.

British Foreign Minister Dominic Raab Dominic Raab in London, England, on April 8, 2020. (Peter Summers/Getty Images)

April 16: British Foreign Minister Dominic Raab says China has to answer hard questions on how the virus outbreak happened and whether it could have been prevented.

French President Emmanuel Macron says it is naive to say China has done better than other countries in handling the virus crisis.

April 17: Amid other countries raising concerns about Chinas handling of the virus, Trudeau says now is not the time to raise questions about other countries management of the pandemic, and evades questions from reporters on whether China has concealed the extent of the pandemic.

April 18: Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne calls for a global inquiry on the spread of COVID-19, and says the WHO should stay out of the inquiry. A day later, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison says all members of the WHO should support an independent review.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison during a press conference in Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on April 07, 2020. (Sam Mooy/Getty Images)

April 21: WHOs Tedros doubles down on his denial that Taiwan had sent warnings about possible human-to-human transmission of the new virus on Dec. 31.

April 29: In response to a question from an MP if she trusts data coming out of China, Canadian Health Minister Hajdu says data gathering is a challenge for all countries. She again praises Chinas response to the pandemic: The extent to which China tried to contain the outbreak from spreading to other countries was noted by public health officials across the world as extraordinary.

April 30: Swedens Health Minister Lena Hallengren says an independent investigation needs to be conducted about the origin and spread of the virus.

Swedish Health Minister Lena Hallengren in Stockholm, Sweden, on March 31, 2020. (Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP via Getty Images)

May 3: U.S. intelligence documents show that U.S. officials believe China initially covered up the extent of the outbreak to stock up medical supplies, Associated Press reports.

May 12: Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau says the first Canadian trials of a Chinese COVID-19 vaccine have been approved by Health Canada. The vaccine is developed by a Chinese company in collaboration with the Chinese military.

Early May: More countries, including Australia, Germany, as well as the European Commission, call for probes into the origins of the virus.

May 13: An Angus Reid poll shows Canadians views toward China at a new low, with only 14 percent saying they have a positive view of China.

Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau changes his response on Chinas need to answer for the pandemic: I think its clear there are many questions for countries around the origins and behaviour in early days around the COVID-19 situation, particularly questions for China.

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney speaks during a press conference in Edmonton on February 24, 2020. (The Canadian Press/Jason Franson)

May 14: Alberta Premier Jason Kenney criticizes Chinas handling of the pandemic, saying Beijing must face a great reckoning for how it contributed to the spread of the pandemic. The fact that China allowed people to fly around the world from Wuhan even when they blocked Wuhanese travellers from the rest of China must never be forgotten. The role they played in suppressing whistle-blowing scientists who as early as December were reporting human to human transmission.

In response to a question from an MP on Chinas role in the pandemic, Canadian Health Minister Hajdu avoids mentioning China: I think, as our government has been very clear, a post-pandemic review of all of the actors, including Canada, will be an important part of how we assess the worlds response to this pandemic.

May 15: After China imposes trade blockades against Australia for its criticism of Beijings handling of the pandemic, Prime Minister Scott Morrison says, We are standing our ground on our values and the things that we know are always important.

May 18: U.S. Secretary of Health Alex Azar slams WHO for its handling of the pandemic, saying that the organization had cost many lives. He said: There was a failure by this organization to obtain the information that the world needed.

Canadian Minister of International Development Karina Gould says it is not WHOs place to question information provided by China, in an interview with CBC.

Minister of International Development Karina Gould in a file photo. (The Canadian Press/Fred Chartrand)

May 20: U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo dismisses claims by Chinese leader Xi Jinping that China acted with openness and transparency, saying Beijing withheld virus samples and access to facilities.

May 21: In response to a question from an MP on whether she supports an independent investigation into the origins of the virus, Hajdu again avoids mentioning China: There is an imperative that we have a review not only of the international response to the outbreak of COVID-19 but also our own countrys response.

June 8: U.S. chief medical officer Dr. Anthony Fauci criticizes China for its lack of transparency in handling the outbreak and for silencing scientists.

July 22: British media report that U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo told U.K. politicians that WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has been bought by China.

Aug. 26: Canadian clinical trials of the Chinese vaccine are scrapped after Chinese authorities hold up shipments of the vaccine to Canada.

Minister of Health Patty Hajdu speaks at a news conference in Ottawa on April 3, 2020. (The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld)

Sept. 13: In an interview with Global News, responding to a question on when she had dismissed a reporters question on whether China was underreporting infection cases as a conspiracy theory, Canadian Health Minister Hajdu again defends Chinas handling of the pandemic. Look, very early on China alerted the World Health Organization to the emergence of a novel coronavirus and also shared the sequencing of the gene which allowed countries to be able to rapidly produce tests to be able to detect it in their own countries, she says.
MBC's special broadcast referred to as "Youth Documentary 20 Again" released its official trailer and confirmed the premiere date for the "Coffee Prince" reunion!

After 13 years, an exciting reunion of hit drama "Coffee Prince" cast - Gong Yoo, Yoon Eun Hye, Chae Jung Ahn, Kim Dong Wook, Kim Jae Wook, and Lee Sun Kyun - will transpire and excite the viewers. They all gathered once again in Seogyo-dong and Buam-dong where a few of filming locations of the drama happened.

ALSO READ: MBC to Release Youth Documentary About "Coffee Prince" + Lead Actors to Reunite After 13 Years

The actors shared their encouragement and thoughts about the drama while watching video clips that brought back memories. In addition, the production will also reveal new stories from director Lee Yoon Jung's insights about the lineup casting and other behind-the-scenes secrets nobody knew about.

To recall, MBC did a reunion documentary season 1 back in 2018 for Jang Na Ra, Park Kyung Lim, and cast in the drama series "Nonstop" (2000). The whole cast reunited after 18 years. The documentary received a favorable response as members went into the realm of nostalgia.

RELATED: WATCH: "Coffee Prince" Cast Reunites in New Documentary + Teaser Released

This time, MBC relives again the hit drama "Coffee Prince" in season 2 of "Youth Documentary" as it reunites the talented actors and actresses who shot to fame after the drama aired.

"Coffee Prince" has been a classic K-drama series that is irreplaceable and best fits to discuss the life of being young.

Check out the "Coffee Prince" OST below:

According to PD Kim Hyun Ki, "Back in 2018, when we thought of a youth documentary and brought back the "Nonstop" cast, I planned only with the thought of wanting to see the old photos and where members gathered once again. But "Coffee Prince" came in the same context, considering now that the retro craze is back. I hope that it will give others the opportunity to look back on their past life and make up one's mind at the present time."

The broadcast will be available on September 24th and October 1st at 10:40 p.m. KST.

Watch the official trailer here!


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden demanded President Donald Trump's resignation saying he was not honest in handling of the coronavirus pandemic.



'If the president had done his job... had done his job from the beginning, all the people would still be alive,' Biden said during a CNN town hall event Thursday night.



'He knew it and did nothing. It's close to criminal,' he told the audience in Scranton, Pennsylvania, 'This president should step down,' said the former Vice President.



Contradicting the earlier admission that he intentionally misled the country by playing down the risk of the coronavirus pandemic to avoid panic among the public, President Donald Trump said at an election campaign event this week that he 'up played' it.



Coronavirus infections and deaths continue unabated in the United States, the worst affected country in the world, with more than 44,000 new cases recorded in the last 24 hours. This is almost twice the numbers reported earlier this month.



The total infections in the country rose to 6675560 as per Johns Hopkins University's latest data.



With the addition of 851 cornavirus-related casualties in the last 24 hours, total national death toll reached 197655 Friday.



The latest ensemble forecast published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention projects between 207,000 and 218,000 deaths caused by the deadly virus in the United States by October 10.



Nine months after the first case of coronavirus infection detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan, global cases have surpassed 30 million. More than 940,000 people were confirmed dead due to the viral disease across the world.



Meanwhile, Providence College in Rhode Island reportedly issued stay-at-home order to its students after more than 80 of them tested positive for coronavirus.



College President Rev. Kenneth Sicard was quoted as saying that tuition will continue through remote learning for at least a week.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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New Delhi, Sep 18 : Reacting on the resignation of Harsimrat Kaur Badal, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said that she resigned under the pressure of Punjab's local politics. However, the party still hopes that the matter will be resolved after discussion with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).

BJP spokesperson on economic affairs Gopal Kirshna Agarwal told IANS, "The three agricultural bills passed in the Parliament on Thursday will benefit the farmers. But the way the Congress has spread lies in Punjab, I think the SAD has also come under the pressure of local politics that's why Harsimrat Kaur resigned. The SAD is also aware about the benefits to farmers from the bills." Agarwal said we are continuously exposing the lies being spread about the bills. Parties like Congress are lying that the minimum support price (MSP) has been scrapped while it has nothing to with all the three bills. Not only MSP but APMC is also not been scrapped." He said that the opposition is spreading lies about the agricultural reforms in a similar way it did at the time of Citizenship Amendment Act adding that the government is trying to meet the demands of the farmers through these three bills.

The Modi government brought three major bills related to agricultural sector while the Opposition is opposing the bills. The first bill is related to the Essential Commodities Act while the second one is on Farm Produced and Trade (Promotion and Facilitation) which allows everyone to buy and sell agricultural products.

The third bill is on Farmer (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services which legitimates contract based farming. Opposition said that the bills will benefit the capitalists not farmers.
Samsung is reportedly planning to make some major changes to its smartphone supply chain in order to lower production costs and increase profits. The company will get rid of some of its suppliers responsible for assembling camera modules beginning next year.

Most of smartphone manufacturers rely on third-party suppliers for assembling the camera modules on their devices. With more and more smartphones now coming with triple or quad-camera setups on the back, the cost of assmebling those modules have gone up in recent years. This has hit the profitability for OEMs and Samsung is seemingly starting to feel that more now.

In 2019, camera module suppliers such as Mcnex, Partron and Powerlogics all posted over one trillion won in revenue. On the other hand, Samsungs smartphone business saw a drop in profit over the same period. The company is now mulling a change in the supply chain in hopes of increasing the profitabilty.

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Samsung to assemble its smartphone camera modules on its own

According a new report by The Elec, Samsung will now abandon some of its camera module suppliers. Instead, the company will assemble a significant portion of the rear camera modules on its own. This will reduce manufacturing cost, thus increasing the profitability for the company.

This move, however, will reportedly affect Samsungs suppliers in different ways. Companies like Namuga and CoAsia, that primarily focus on front camera modules, are seeing this as an opportunity. With Samsung now planning to assemble the rear camera modules on its own, they are expecting more orders from the company for the front cameras.

On the other hand, companies like Mcnex will suffer a huge loss in revenue because of this change by Samsung. Mcnex has been reportedly assembling rear multi-camera modules for the South Korean behemoth. The company is now expecting lesser orders from the largest smartphone vendor in the world.

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In addition, Samsung will also continue to diversify its suppliers for camera modules. For the Galaxy S20 FE, the company reportedly has tapped on Mcnex, Partron, Cammsys, Powerlogics, Namuga, and Sunny Optical of China as camera module suppliers. Samsungs own Electro-Mechanics division is also in the mix.

While competition among suppliers will lower the production costs, The Elec speculates that this move may result in camera defects as well. Nonetheless, Samsung has seemingly figured out a way to increase its profitability from the smartphone business. It remains to be seen if this change in supply chain will pass any benefits to consumers as well.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 23:58:54|Editor: huaxia

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BEIRUT, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Representative in Lebanon Yukie Mokuo warned of the danger of illegal immigration attempts by Lebanese children and women to other countries, Elnashra news website reported on Friday.

"We affirm our continued commitment to support Lebanon to ensure the well-being of children at all times and address the root causes of immigration including poverty and lack of economic opportunities," Mokuo said.

The Lebanese army intercepted over a week ago a boat off the northern coast of Lebanon with a number of people including children onboard attempting to leave the country illegally to Cyprus, then to other European countries.

Lebanon has been suffering from its worst economic crisis, prompting some Lebanese to leave the country for better living conditions. Enditem
Dublin is moving into Level 3 of the government's Living with Covid-19 plan, meaning further public health restrictions will come into effect from midnight.

The Cabinet met this afternoon to finalise the decision to impose restrictions on Dublin following a number of weeks of rising Covid-19 cases. The capital has accounted for half of all cases recorded in the country since the beginning of September.

The move from Level 2 to Level 3 comes after a recommendation from the National Public Health Emergency Team.

It is the first time a single county will move from one level to another under the new government plan. Previously, Laois, Offaly and Kildare were put back into a state of semi-lockdown following a spike in cases in August.

Level 3 restrictions mean that residents of Dublin should not leave the county unless for essential work and education. They must seriously restrict their movements between households. Wet pubs will not re-open in Dublin on Monday, September 21.

You can read the full set of restrictions coming into force in Dublin tonight HERE.
18.09.2020 LISTEN

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Marrer Ghana Limited and Sustgad Boat Building and Fishing Industry, Mr Novihoho Afaglo has urged all media houses and journalists across the country to be circumspect in their reportage ahead of the December 7 general elections.

He advises media practitioners to avoid sensationalism that seeks to flame people's passion and cause confusion before, during and after the elections.

Mr Afaglo said, this is the time media houses need to start preaching peace and educating the general public on issues relating to violence.

According to him, Ghana has come a long way in terms of democratic rule and therefore cannot risk the peace and security it had enjoyed during all these years to election violence.

He urges all media houses not to allow politicians and other players to use their platform to insight other through ethnic bigotry.

He said many politicians and other bootlickers would use all means including financial influence to entice media owners and journalists just to thwart facts and figure toward their benefits in the upcoming general elections.

This is because politicians in the past find ways and means to mislead their followers with false promises and hopes knowing well that the things they are promising are hard to achieve, Mr Afaglo stated.

He said politicians must give the citizenry reason why they should vote for them to gain political power indicating that it is about time again we throw more light on peaceful election rather than engaging in all manner of insults and counter insults."

The CEO said African politicians will never change, after giving their followers a reason to fight for them stressing that "should anything happen to you, youre on your own and mind you the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) are the same people."

He continued, "outside their homes, they portray pictures for the followers to think they are enemies but in close doors they are the best of friends.

Mr Afaglo said NPP and NDC help each other in case one is in opposition because we all know that the presidency is rotational based on the peoples choice.

He calls on all Ghanaians especially the youth not to avail themselves to be used by these politicians as an instrument of violence in the upcoming general elections.
Economists have done plenty of speculating about why the mandate didnt work as expected. The penalties were relatively small  $695 or 2.5% of income, whichever was higher  in an effort to tamp down political resistance and court Republican legislators. That was largely unsuccessful: No Republican legislators voted for Obamacare, and within days of its passage, false claims went viral that the Internal Revenue Service would send thousands of armed agents to Americans' homes to collect the fees.
The cattle industry is an intrinsic piece of New Mexicos history and culture and a vital component of our states economy. Spanish explorers brought a small herd of cattle to the upper Rio Grande nearly 500 years ago, and today New Mexico is home to more than 1.6 million head of beef and dairy cattle. Together, they are our states most profitable agricultural products.

The coronavirus has impacted nearly all industries and sectors worldwide, and New Mexicos cattle industry is no exception. As we complied with public health orders, our eating habits changed. Typically, 49% of food products are consumed in the home and 51% is sold to food services, such as restaurants and schools. With restaurants and schools closed, demand plummeted.

New York and the East Coast are the primary markets for New Mexicos cheese and dairy industry, and virtually overnight milk didnt have a home.

The beef industry took the next blow. Meat processing plants shut down due to virus outbreaks among workers, stressing the supply chain and making it impossible for ranchers to market their cattle. In fact, processing is expected to be backed up until March 2021.

Fortunately, there is a lifeline that could come in the form of a bilateral trade agreement with Taiwan.

On Aug. 28, Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen announced she will lift restrictions on the importation of U.S. beef more than 30 months old. This is good news for New Mexicos economic interests.

Taiwan-U.S. relations are at their strongest level in decades. Taiwan is the United States ninth-largest trading partner and seventh-largest agriculture export market. Taiwan is also one of New Mexicos most important investors.

In 2018, Taiwanese manufacturer Admiral Cable committed to investing $50 million in a manufacturing facility in Santa Teresa that will soon be operational and is expected to employ more than 250 people. Other deals involving Taiwanese investment in New Mexico have been brought forward and negotiations are underway.

A trade deal between Taiwan and the U.S. would make economic, strategic and political sense. Deepening trade between Taiwan counters Chinas efforts to isolate Taiwan economically and would be meaningful from the perspective of supply chain security in the post-coronavirus world. As a trusted and reliable partner of the U.S., a Taiwan-U.S. trade agreement would further ensure that products ranging from semiconductors to cattle flow directly between our countries.

China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, although the Chinese Communist Party has never governed the island. Nevertheless, before a BTA is signed, the U.S. will have to recognize Taiwans sovereignty. The U.S. and Taiwan must also agree to call a tariff truce.

Cattle producers have suffered massive economic damage as a result of the coronavirus. A bilateral trade deal with Taiwan is an exciting opportunity for the U.S. beef industry to expand its reach overseas and level the playing field. I encourage our congressional leaders to embrace a deal that would benefit both countries and save rural America.
The Atlantics record-breaking crazy hurricane season got a bizarre European remake Friday as forecasters ran out of traditional names and trotted out the Greek alphabet for subtropical storm Alpha. And the geographically misplaced storm promptly sloshed ashore in Portugal.

But wait theres more. The busy Atlantic is beta testing the Greek alphabet as Beta formed late Friday afternoon.

This is only the second time National Hurricane Center forecasters have had to pull out the Greek alphabet for names, with the last time being 2005. Tropical Storm Wilfred, the last of traditional names, officially formed little more than an hour before Alpha, prompting the hurricane centre to tweet get out the Greek alphabet.

And they quickly had to use it again, when a tropical depression in the western Gulf of Mexico became Tropical Storm Beta. Thats three storms forming in about six hours.

Its crazy, said University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy. This is just off the charts., Weve made a joke of breaking records.

Wilfred, Alpha and Beta set records for earliest 21st, 22nd and 23rd named Atlantic storms, beating 2005 by a few weeks.

Alpha is odd in another way. Its misplaced into an area where storms dont generally brew. Thats so unusual that Alpha barely shows up on the hurricane centres real time storm tracking map, which is focused on the Americas. Only the Al of its Greek name shows and it was expected to dissipate in less than a day.

But Alpha fits with the rest of this season in another way. About half of the storms this busy hurricane season have only lasted a few days and have been quite weak, McNoldy said. Vicky for example popped up quickly and soon dissipated without much notice. And with 22 storms only two of them  Laura and Teddy, which is still swirling  reached major hurricane status, which is also kind of unusual, McNoldy said.

McNoldy said the environmental conditions reduce high level winds enough for storms to form, but not enough for them to strengthen or even survive long. La Nina, which is a cooling of parts of the equatorial Pacific that changes weather worldwide, is a factor in making some but not all of the Atlantic more active, he said. It doesnt explain Alpha forming, he said.

McNoldy does not see a human-caused climate change connection at work in the number of storms.

Just to remind people, the hurricane centre tweeted out the entire 24-letter Greek alphabet, with a red slash through Alpha. McNoldy joked that after that theres no official name list, but the Russian alphabet is available.

With at least another month of the heart of the busiest part of hurricane season to go, one weather-watcher on Twitter talked of Hurricane Pi on Thanksgiving.
For Prajakta Koli, meeting Michelle Obama in Washington has been the most favourite moment in the "history of her existence." She collaborated with Michelle Obama for a YouTube original documentary on girl's education last year, which was released in March. "Working on this project was amazing," says Koli, or @mostlysane, the YouTuber with 5.57 million subscribers. Her videos mostly focus on the comedy in daily life, and carries social messages.

Such is her popularity that within an hour of uploading any new video, she attracts around 150,000 views. In just two years, her followers have grown from 1 million to 5 million on YouTube. She recently forayed into movies, releasing her first short-firm Khayali Pulao in July. She has signed up for a Netflix original series, Mismatched, the release date of which is yet to be announced. "Early in my life I had figured what I was good at. I started doing theatres and anchoring gigs when I had just completed 12th. As a child I would fill pages giving autographs to myself. I always wanted to become a performer."

In 2018, she put out a Google form, inviting her followers for a Meet and Greet event. To her surprise, more than 10,000 people signed up. "I was amazed by the number of registrations. We scrambled to book a bigger venue. It was an overwhelming experience. I hugged more than 4,000 people on D-day."

Has all these changed her as a person? "Initially I would spend all of what I earned. Now when I receive my pay cheque, I save first," she says.
What were the origins of the album?

A lot of people seem to think, quite naturally, that it came about because of the famous Liszt and Thalberg duel. But no, though it does contain work featured in that duel. For a long time, I wanted to do a disc of Liszt operatic transcriptions, and I also wanted to explore Thalberg. But the more I studied Thalberg and his transcriptions, the less successful they seemed to me. A lot of his opera transcriptions arent held together well; these on the album [the Mose and a fantasy on Donizettis Don Pasquale] are his two successes by a good margin.

So I stuck to what I knew of Liszt; I did Hexameron at the 92nd Street Y in 2007, and [Bellinis] Norma and [Verdis] Ernani Ive been playing forever. He was more successful than Thalberg as an architect; he knew how to shape works of this kind from beginning to end. There are only a few examples of Liszt rambling. I thought it best stylistically to stick to Italian opera, for homogeneity, or I could have added his arrangement of the Faust waltz [originally written by Gounod], the Liebestod [Wagner] and, if I was very brave, the Tannhauser overture [Wagner again].

Is there still a prejudice against whats been perceived as Liszts empty-headed bombast?

Liszt has been pooh-poohed a lot  for his overt virtuosity, I guess. I cant think of a better word, but virtuosity should be something very positive. Maybe hes been criticized for his excessive writing. But I think that anybody who hurls that criticism at Liszt should do that at Paganini, too, dont you think? But virtuosity has always been considered part and parcel of violin playing and not of the piano  even though Liszt was the greater musician. If you take the time to really look at Liszts writing and his accomplishments, he practically gave us the symphonic poem. He is at the root of the harmonic explosions of the 20th century; Liszt and Wagner really started it all.

But Liszt has been polarizing. I have copies of the old Urania records that my dad had of the symphonic poems, the Dante and Faust symphonies, and he used to just wear those out. He was a little militant about Liszt. But then I have a friend who was a concert presenter in Montreal who really, really did not like Liszt; he thought all of it was a circus. Except every year he put on a performance of the Via Crucis. He loved late Liszt; it was stripped of the excess, stripped to its essentials.

The unavoidable question: How are you doing in this crazy time?

Like all of my colleagues, or most, theres been a colossal loss of income. My wife and I had to have recourse to loans, which have kept us afloat. Happily, there are some concerts on the horizon. If Im admitted at the border, I have the first two and a half weeks of October playing in Europe. Thats really encouraging.

And I do have a recital on Sept. 25 near Montreal, with an audience. Its the Lanaudiere Festival; they made up a mini festival with five events, and Im one of them. Its in a town called Joliette, and the concert was relocated to the cathedral. Im including two pieces by Enescu, a chorale and a carillon nocturne, which is very interesting, especially considering it was written by someone who is not known for his pianistic production. Its nothing but harmonics effects, and in a church, itll be perfect.
(Natural News) Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently raised a lot of eyebrows when he revealed that his company would like to develop a wearable device that is capable of reading peoples brains.

In Facebooks ongoing discussion series, Zuckerberg mentioned the concept of technology translating brain signals into information that could be useful to machines.

The goal is to eventually make it so that you can think something and control something in virtual or augmented reality, he said.

The company has already been making strides in this area, with big investments in virtual reality technology via its hardware company Oculus. Theyve also been rumored to be working on augmented reality glasses.

Facebook purchased CTRL-labs in an undisclosed deal that is believed to have been worth as much as a billion dollars. The company has been working on technology for brain-to-computer interfaces. One of their products is a watch-style device that can intercept signals sent from the brain to the fingers to control a phone. It assigns nerve messages from the brain to commands inside the computer that could theoretically eliminate the need for pressing any buttons.

Perhaps even more disturbingly, he said that although signals can be read superficially, there are also cases where a device may need to be implanted, such as when your ability to translate the things that are happening in your brain to motor activity is limited. He stopped short, however, of declaring weather Facebook was interested in pursuing invasive means of meshing humans with computers.

One executive who is not afraid of using invasive approaches to mesh brains with computers is Elon Musk. His Neuralink technology, which has been likened to a Fitbit in your skull, can be surgically implanted into peoples brains by robots, where he claims it could address serious medical problems like blindness and paralysis. Of course, many experts immediately responded with extreme skepticism to his claims.

Zuckerberg has said in the past that his company is more focused on noninvasive approaches and was hoping to make augmented reality and virtual reality popular within the coming years. They are also reportedly looking into a non-invasive technology that uses near-infrared light to detect changes in the blood flow of a persons brain while remaining outside of it.

Experts point out that there are serious health risks associated with implantable technology

Of course, there are also some very real ethical and health concerns here. Facebook would essentially be able to access peoples brain data, which may be one of the only types of data they dont already possess about people. Given their track record of mishandling data, privacy scandals like Cambridge Analytica, and censorship, it is pretty scary to think of what they could do were they are able to read peoples brains.

University of British Columbia Bioethicist Roland Nadler told Vox: Facebook is already great at peering into your brain without any need for electrodes or fMRI or anything. They know much of your cognitive profile just from how you use the internet.

He added: This is why I worry about this research program in the hands of Facebook in particular. Its being able to couple that dataset with actual in vivo brain data that has the potential for any number of unforeseen consequences.

Indeed, it raises questions that previous generations have never had to consider, such as the potential for interfering with the very basic right we all take for granted of mental privacy for our most intimate thoughts or the ability to determine where your own self ends and a machine starts.

Although motivations like helping paralyzed people to control prosthetic limbs are fairly above board, like all technologies, this one has the potential to go horribly wrong, especially in the hands of someone like Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook.

Sources for this article include:

DailyMail.co.uk

Vox.com
The United States Postal Service drafted plans to distribute 650 million reusable cotton face masks to Americans last spring -- five to every household -- as the country grappled with the first wave of the coronavirus outbreak, according to USPS internal documents obtained by a watchdog group.

The draft was among nearly 10,000 pages of USPS documents turned over to American Oversight in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. The emails, memos and legal correspondence released illustrate how the agency struggled to address the pandemic in its earliest weeks, as front-line postal workers feared for their safety and executives worried about disruptions to the agency's service and funding.

MORE: Gulf between Trump and doctors on mask wearing gets wider

According to the draft release, the agency, working with the Department of Health and Human Services, would first send masks to areas with high COVID-19 transmission rates at the time -- including Louisiana's Orleans and Jefferson parishes; King County, Washington; New York; and Wayne County, Michigan.

"Our organization is uniquely suited to undertake this historic mission of delivering face coverings to every American household in the fight against the COVID-19 virus," the then-postmaster general and CEO, Megan J. Brennan, said in the prepared release.

The White House declined to comment on the draft proposal, referring questions to the Department of Health and Human Services.

An HHS spokesperson said roughly 600 million of the total 650 million masks have been delivered under Project America Strong as "part of a multi-prong approach to re-opening the American economy while limiting the spread of COVID-19."

A spokesman for the Postal Service did not respond to a message seeking comment.

PHOTO: Adm. Brett Giroir, assistant secretary of Health and Human Services,, Robert Kadlec, on Capitol Hill, Sept. 16, 2020. (Anna Moneymaker/New York Times, Pool via AP)

"There was concern from some in the White House Domestic Policy Council and the office of the vice president that households receiving masks might create concern or panic," one administration official told The Washington Post about the proposal.

Story continues

Instead, the initiative, announced by the Trump administration under the "Project: America Strong," was a more targeted program to send face masks to critical infrastructure sectors, companies and health care, community and religious organizations.

The program is no longer accepting new requests for face masks, according to its website, and instead encourages applicants to purchase face masks elsewhere or make their own.

President Donald Trump said on Aug. 12 that the government would also send 120 million face masks to schools ahead of the fall.

"The Postal Service connects every single person in American, and the president could have used it for public health, but he didn't," Austin Evers, the executive director of American Oversight, told ABC News, calling out Trump. "An opportunity to deliver science-based public health tools to every person in the country was lost."

MORE: How the Postal Service became a flashpoint ahead of the 2020 election

"Giving out masks to everyone doesn't mean that people will necessarily wear them, but it does send a strong message that mask wearing is a public health imperative," Dr. Leana Wen, a public health professor at George Washington University and former health commissioner of Baltimore, told ABC News.

Trump has been criticized by public health experts for failing to aggressively promote the widespread use of masks across the country to help stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.

While the White House claims Trump supports mask wearing, he initially downplayed needing to wear one himself, and said he couldn't imagine sitting behind the Resolute Desk with a mask on.

PHOTO: A U.S. Postal Service worker wearing a protective mask and face shield removes mail from a dropbox in San Francisco, Calif., Aug. 17, 2020. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

He wasn't seen wearing a mask in public until July, when he visited wounded service members at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, and tweeted that wearing a mask was "patriotic."

But he continued sending mixed messages on the subject this week. After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director, Robert Redfield, told Congress on Wednesday that masks might offer better protection than a vaccine from COVID-19 -- comparing the research about the effectiveness of masks to the unknown efficacy of the vaccines still in development -- Trump told reporters Redfield "made a mistake" with his comments.

"A lot of people think that masks are not good," Trump said in an ABC News town hall with undecided voters on Tuesday.

When pressed on his comments by ABC News' chief anchor, George Stephanopoulos, Trump only said he had heard that from "waiters."

MORE: How the Postal Service became a flashpoint ahead of the 2020 election

"Our entire response has been hampered by mixed messaging," Wen told ABC News. "At this point, it's way beyond mixed messaging, we're talking about an absolutely disruptive message that goes against public health."

USPS itself has also struggled to keep its workforce healthy. In a video released Thursday, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy revealed that more than 11,000 USPS employees have contracted COVID-19 to date -- and 87 of those infected have died.

DeJoy, who took control of the beleaguered agency in June, has come under immense scrutiny in recent months after a set of cost-cutting initiatives slowed mail delivery service during the summer months.

Congressional Democrats have accused DeJoy, who is a longtime Republican donor and Trump ally, of deliberately slowing mail service as part of an effort to undermine absentee voting in the upcoming election. On Thursday, a federal judge in Washington State ordered USPS to halt those measures, reportedly calling the company's actions "a politically motivated attack on the efficiency of the Postal Service" ahead of the November election.

Postal Service's plan to send 650M face masks to Americans allegedly nixed by White House originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
SCORE Southeastern Connecticut is offering a free workshop series, Fundamentals of Starting or Growing Your Business, beginning later this month, according to a release.

The workshops are intended for people considering starting a business or current business owners looking to grow their operation, the release said.

The first workshop is titled Whats the Big Idea? and explores the feasibility of your product/service idea, how it can become a business, who your customers and competitors are, your vision, strengths and more. You will establish your value to your target audience and begin to understand how to communicate it, the release said.

Other workshops in the series are Customers and Competition, Marketing and Sales Basics, Digital Marketing Must-Haves and Show me the Money.

The workshop series is sponsored by Guilford Savings Bank and will be held online via Zoom on five consecutive Wednesdays: Sept. 30 and Oct. 7, 14, 21 and 28. The workshops run from 5:30-7 p.m. and those wishing to attend must register in advance. For information on each workshop as well as links to register for them, visit https://sect.score.org/fundamentals-starting-or-growing-business.

For more information on SCORE, visit https://sect.score.org.

Operation Fuel announces new board members

Operation Fuel, an organization that helps people in need with energy costs, has announced five new members elected to its board of directors this summer.

Operation Fuel is fortunate to have expanded our Board of Directors with leaders in fields that will benefit our organization, Brenda Watson, executive director of Operation Fuel, said in a release. The experience our new members bring coupled with our additional board members will help our organization better serve Connecticut residents through their knowledge, connections, and innovation.

The new members, according to the release, are:

 Rauchell Beckford-Anderson of Hartford, an associate attorney at Rose Kallor LLP.

 Amy McLean of Tariffville, the senior policy advocate and Connecticut director at Acadia Centers Connecticut office. In this capacity, she is a registered lobbyist and tracks clean energy legislation and regulatory issues.

 Nicholas Neeley of New Haven, who was employed by the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (formerly the Department of Public Utility Control) for 35 years, retiring in 2019.

 Lisa Vallera of Berlin, an associate account executive with Eversource Energy.

 Lorenzo Wyatt of Stratford, owner Home Comfort Practice, an Energize Connecticut contractor that has reduced the electric and heating costs of more than 12,000 low- and moderate-income households over the past 10 years.

Caruthers named partner with Neubert, Pepe & Monteith

NEW HAVEN  Sean R. Caruthers has been named a partner with the law firm of Neubert, Pepe & Monteith, P.C., according to a release.

Caruthers practice is focused in the areas of insurance defense and coverage disputes, premises, products and professional liability as well as commercial, construction, employment, and municipal litigation, the release said.

He is a member of the American, Connecticut and New Haven County Bar Associations and the Connecticut Defense Lawyers Association, according to the release, and earned his B.A. from Providence College and his J.D. from Michigan State University.
Both President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden will be in Minnesota on Friday as the state begins its early voting in the presidential election.

Trump will be in the northern part of the state where he'll hold a rally at Bemidji's airport on Friday evening while Biden will be 150 miles away in Duluth where he'll visit a union training center in the afternoon.

Friday also marks the first day of Minnesota's early voting period during a year many voters are expected to use the mail-in voting option because of the coronavirus.

President Donald Trump will be in the northern part of Minnesota where he'll hold a rally at Bemidji's airport on Friday evening

Joe Biden will visit a union training center in Duluth on Friday afternoon

Secretary of State Steve Simon announced Thursday that he will mail an absentee ballot application to every registered voter in order to encourage people to vote from home.

'The math problem is we've got about 3,000 polling places and we're expecting roughly 3 million voters,' he said. 'This is very rough math and it wouldn't really be like this this, but that's 1,000 voters per polling place. If we can lighten the numbers of people at polling places, that's a good thing for public health.'

Voters have until Election Day to mail in their ballots. All ballots post marked by Nov. 3 will be counted as long as they're received by Nov. 10.

That also means Minnesota's result may not be known immediately after polls close on Election Day in yet another sign the results of the 2020 election could take a few weeks to be confirmed.

Meanwhile, the governor has asked both campaigns to obey coronavirus restrictions while in the state, following safety guidelines on crowd sizes, masks and social distancing.

Democratic Gov. Tim Walz sent a letter to both camps, reminding them that state guidelines require events not exceed 25 per cent capacity or 250 people, whichever is less. Social distancing and face masks are required for indoor events while masks are strongly encouraged for outdoor events.

President Trump held events in Nevada over the weekend and in Arizona on Monday that violated those states' restrictions on events due to COVID.

Minnesota DFL Party Ken Martin said Democrats will follow state recommendations.

'I have no doubt that the Biden campaign is going to follow the advice of local elected officials as well as public health officials,' Martin told MPR News and urged Trump's campaign to do the same. 'If you come to Minnesota you have to follow our rules, you have to follow the law, you have to follow the advice of public health officials so you are not contributing to the spread of this virus.'

Trump campaign spokesperson Tim Murtaugh told the radio station there will be masks and hand sanitizer at the airport rally but noted the campaign wouldn't limit attendance.

Bemidji is birthplace of the fictional Paul Bunyon and is in Beltrami County, which Trump flipped to his side in 2016.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz asked both campaigns to follow COVID restrictions while in the state

Vice President Mike Pence said the Trump campaign is looking to turn Minnesota blue this year

Both campaigns have been focused on the northern area of the state, called the Iron Range, known for mining and manufacturing.

The Trump campaign is seeking to flip Minnesota to its column after Hillary Clinton won it by less than one point in the 2016 election.

'We're actually looking at expanding the map now. I've been campaigning in Minnesota. So has the president,' Vice President Mike Pence told The Hill newspaper earlier this week. 'We think Minnesota is in play.'

But Minnesota and its 10 electoral votes could be a tough win for the Trump team. In an ABC News/Washington Post poll out Wednesday, Biden led in the state by 16 points.

A Republican presidential candidate hasn't won Minnesota since Richard Nixon took the state in 1972.
Harvey Weinstein (Dennis Van Tine/STAR MAX/IPx 2020 3/22/20)

Harvey Weinstein is to be stripped of his honorary CBE after being convicted of rape.

The disgraced movie producer  who was convicted of rape and sexual assault earlier this year  was given the honour in 2004 for his contribution to the British film industry.

However, a notice in The Gazette, which is the UK's official public record, said the award will be cancelled and annulled.

Watch: Racheal Leigh Cooks manager protected her from Harvey Weinstein

Read more: Judge rejects tentative 19m-dollar Weinstein deal with accusers

The announcement said: THE QUEEN has directed that the appointment of Harvey WEINSTEIN to be an Honorary Commander of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, dated 29 January 2004, shall be cancelled and annulled and that his name shall be erased from the Register of the said Order.

Harvey Weinstein (RW/MediaPunch /IPX)

Weinstein, 68, was one of the most powerful men in Hollywood until October 2017, when allegations of sexual assault started to emerge.

Actresses Rose McGowan and Ashley Judd were among the women to come forward, and many more followed.

In February this year he was convicted of sexually assaulting a former production assistant in 2006 and raping an actress in 2013.

Rose McGowan speaks during press conference on 1st day of Harvey Weinstein trial (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/Sipa USA)

Read more: Harvey Weinstein tests positive for coronavirus in prison

In March, Weinstein - who has consistently denied allegations of non-consensual sex - was sentenced to 23 years in prison.

In 2017, a Fellowship that Weinstein received from the British Film Institute several years earlier was also taken away. He was also expelled from the Oscars Academy in the wake of the allegations.
A HSE led committee of which three Longford county councillors are members of, had a lucky escape after it emerged the trio had been due to attend a meeting at a four star hotel in Offaly which has closed its doors temporarily after an outbreak of Covid-19.

Cllrs Paraic Brady, PJ Reilly and Paul Ross had been scheduled to attend a meeting of the Dublin-Mid Leinster HSE Forum on Tuesday at Tullamore's Bridge House Hotel.

It emerged last night the hotel had been forced to temporarily close after around half of the people from a group of 40 tested positive for the virus.

The group had stayed at the premises from Sunday to Thursday of last week, five days before the HSE meeting was pencilled in to take place and 48 hours after the alarm was raised concerning an outbreak at the hotel.

"There are councillors on the forum from Longford, Westmeath, Laois, Offaly, Kildare, Westmeath and south Dublin," said Cllr Ross.

"It's a huge area and cross party so it was a huge relief that a decision was taken to hold a zoom meeting instead otherwise there could have been much graver implications as to the virus' spread."

The Longford County Council cathaoirleach revealed how the forum, which meets bi-monthly, held two previous meetings at the Bridge House Hotel earlier this year.

Cllr Ross said both he and his fellow elected representatives on the committee were this afternoon counting themselves extremely fortunate at the decision to hold a meeting remotely.

"We did have an AGM in July and there was pressure to get that done which we did," he said.

"The HSE had been actively seeking a venue that would meet social distancing standards because our meetings would normally see up to 50 people attend.

"It was a great call in the end to have a zoom meeting at the end of last week especially what with what has emerged since.

"It just goes to show you even with the strictest of precautions you just don't know how or where it (virus) will spread next," he said.
Around 14 per cent or one in seven volunteers who have been administered the Russian coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V have complained of side effects, according to the country's health minister Mikhail Murashko. The minister said that more than 300 out of the announced 40,000 volunteers have been vaccinated with Sputnik V.

"Approximately 14% have small complaints of weakness, muscle pain for 24 hours and an occasional increase in body temperature," said Murashko as quoted by state-run TASS news. He added that the symptoms go away the next day. "The complications are described in the instructions and are predictable," he said.

Volunteers would receive a second shot of the Russian COVID-19 vaccine within 21 days of the first shot. The adenovirus-based viral vector vaccine is yet to complete a large-scale clinical trial but has been approved by the Russian government. It is the first coronavirus vaccine to be cleared for human use globally even though the final trials began earlier this month.

Meanwhile, Hyderabad-based GV Prasad-helmed Dr Reddy's Laboratories (Dr Reddy's) and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) are planning to roll out the coronavirus vaccine as early as November. In an exclusive interview with India Today, GV Prasad said, "We have signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with the Russian Development Investment Fund (RDIF). Hope to bring vaccine (Sputnik-V) to India as soon as possible."

The RDIF and Dr Reddy's also signed a pact to manufacture around 10 crore vaccines in India. Prasad also said the company had received approval from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) to conduct trials.

However, scientists worldwide have auctioned against the use of a coronavirus vaccine that has not fully cleared safety and efficacy trials.

Also read: Russian coronavirus vaccine to arrive in India in November, clearances pending

Also read: Coronavirus vaccine: October, November or December -- when will we have COVID-19 cure?
I ts set to be a busy day at Tottenham with Gareth Bale and Sergio Reguilon set to be unveiled as Spurs players.

The Real Madrid duo underwent part of their medicals in the Spanish capital on Thursday before flying to London on the same private jet on yesterday.

Left-back Reguilon is expected to join Spurs on a permanent deal for around 25million, while Bale will sign a season-long loan deal as he returns to the club he left seven years ago.

Stay tuned to Standard Sport for all the latest Tottenham news and updates

Bale return CONFIRMED!

Spurs sign Reguilon on permanent deal

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Spurs edge out Plovdiv in tight Europa League qualifier

Tottenham needed two goals in the final 10 minutes to beat Lokomotiv Plovdiv 2-1 in the second qualifying round.

Spurs named a strong team in Bulgaria but were facing an embarrassing loss when Georgi Mindev put the hosts ahead in the 71st minute.

But Jose Mourinho's men saved face with an impressive comeback as a Harry Kane penalty, after an incident which saw two Plovdiv players sent off, and Tanguy Ndombele's 85th-minute winner sent them through.
Kangana Ranaut who has been in the headlines for her bold opinions over the past few months on Thursday said that she might seem to be someone who initiates and gets into fights a lot but she is not that person. She further said that she would quit Twitter if someone proves otherwise.

New Delhi [India], September 18 (ANI): After being involved in a Twitter spat with several people over the past few weeks, actor Kangana Ranaut on Thursday said that she may come across as ladaku (bellicose) but it is not true. The Queen actor who has been making headlines since the past few weeks with her tussle with Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut and several Bollywood actors, took to Twitter to make statements about her.

She said that she might come across as a very ladaku person but its not true, she had a record of never starting a fight. She went on to state that she can quit Twitter if anyone can prove otherwise.

The 33-year-old actor said that she would quit twitter if anyone could prove otherwise, she never starts a fight but she finishes every fight. She added, Lord Krishna said when someone asks you to fight you mustnt deny them. The statements came shortly after she engaged in a Tweet spat of sorts with filmmaker Anurag Kashyap earlier in the day.

Also read: Eminent Director- Producer Sandeep Agarwal personifies versatility through his career graph

I may come across as a very ladaku person but its not true, I have a record of never starting a fight, I will quit twitter if anyone can prove otherwise, I never start a fight but I finish every fight. Lord Krishna said when someone aks you to fight you mustnt deny them   Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 17, 2020

Also read: Happy Birthday Narendra Modi: Bollywood celebrities wish PM Modi on his 70th birthday

Days after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) demolished actor Kangana Ranauts Mumbai office, the Queen actor on Thursday said that the demolished office has rendered many people jobless as a film employs several hundred people.

The 33-year-old actor took to Twitter to share pictures from the demolished parts of her Mumbais Pali Hill-based production office and penned down how the ones who rendered so many people jobless are now celebrating the hundred people, Kangana tweeted in Hindi.

Also read: Swara Bhaskar says Jaya Bachchan is a source of inspiration for the outsiders
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BOSTON, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The STEM Next Opportunity Fund today announced a multi-year grant to the Massachusetts Afterschool Partnership (MAP) as part of the Million Girls Moonshot. The Intel Foundation and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation have joined STEM Next Opportunity Fund and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation to launch the Million Girls Moonshot. The effort is designed to engage 1 million school-age girls in the United States in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) learning opportunities over the next five years. The organizations will provide grant funding and in-kind resources to Mott-funded afterschool networks in all 50 states to increase access to hands-on, immersive STEM learning experiences. The first year Massachusetts grant, just awarded, is for $55,000.

The Mass Afterschool Partnership plans to use the funds to help afterschool programs in the state provide STEM education. MAP's Million Girls Moonshot project will promote an engineering mindset in thousands of youth, including girls, underserved minorities, and boys, and will incorporate transformative programming to create more equitable and inclusive STEM programming and learning opportunities.

"The Million Girls Moonshot arrives at exactly the right time for youth in our state," said Network CEO Ardith Wieworka. "The pandemic-driven reliance on virtual learning is a reminder that STEM is the wave not just of the future, but the present as well. Afterschool programs have developed a strong track record on STEM, giving children the sleeves-rolled-up, hands-on experiences so critical to learning in this area. We plan to build on that expertise, and are deeply grateful to STEM Next, the Intel Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation for their generous support, now and over the years."

Read the full news release here.

SOURCE Million Girls Moonshot

Related Links

https://milliongirlsmoonshot.org/


The army on Friday said that powers vested under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) were violated in the July killing of three people, believed to be terrorists, in Shopian in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir, and that the three were actually locals from Rajouri in the same UT, although their involvement in terror activities is still being investigated.

The families of the three had blamed army for killing them in a fake encounter.

Army spokesman Rajesh Kalia said in a statement that the inquiry ordered by army authorities into the operation at Amshipora in Shopian on July 18 has concluded.

The inquiry has brought out certain prima facie evidence indicating that during the operation, powers vested under the AFSPA 1990 were exceeded and the Dos and Donts of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) as approved by the Honble Supreme Court have been contravened. Consequently, the competent disciplinary authority has directed initiation of disciplinary proceedings under the Army Act against those found prima-facie answerable, the spokesman added.

He said the evidence collected showed that the three unidentified men killed in Amshipora are actually Imtiyaz Ahmed, Abrar Ahmed and Mohd Ibrar, from Rajouri.

Their DNA report is awaited. Their involvement with terrorism or related activities is under investigation by the police. Army is committed to ethical conduct of operations, the spokesman said.

Last week, the families of the three wrote to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, seeking his intervention after the DNA reports were delayed.

The three men, related to each other, were gunned down in an encounter on July 18. DNA samples from their families were sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) Srinagar, and the FSL at Chandigarh. People familiar with the matter said the government has received the FSL report from the Srinagar lab, but its content had not been made public.

Our children left for Shopian on July 16, in search of work where one of our relatives, Imtiyaz Ahmed, works in the house of the Lambardar. After a couple of days, we lost contact with the children. So, we decided to lodge a missing complaint, the letter from the families said, adding that on August 10, they came to know, via social media, that all three men were killed in an encounter.

We identified them from pictures of the bodies. On August 13, a Shopian police team collected DNA samples from us. We were assured that the DNA report would be out within 10 days. To date, we have not been informed about the reports, the plea to Sinha said.

Our children had no connection with militancy. For this, we are demanding an inquiry. They were killed in cold blood, and were merely students and labourers. We are demanding an impartial and fair inquiry into the killings as well as the DNA reports, so that things can be made public, read the letter. The families added in the letter that several of its members are still serving in the army.
The United Nations General Assembly typically draws world leaders and philanthropists from all around the globe, packing New York City with their entourages. At the 75th edition of the annual event, however, there won't be a single one.

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows ended the Will he? Wont he? intrigue surrounding President Donald Trumps possible in-person appearance at the U.N., telling reporters aboard Air Force One Thursday night that the president will not go to New York next week to give his speech to the assembly.

That confirms a State Department email, seen by POLITICO, labeled a final update regarding UNGA, that states neither President Trump nor Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would travel to New York. Dignitary Protection does not have any planned protection details planned for UNGA 75, the email said, further noting the Department of Homeland Security has canceled this years designation of UNGA as a National Special Security Event.

In the event that we have a detail pop up it will be managed as we normally do for visits to NYC throughout the year, the email said.

U.N. Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric also said Thursday that the organization was not expecting any head of state or government to visit New York this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, but stressed that the final decision remained with the White House.

Trump was the last national leader who was considering attending the annual gathering in person, having first signaled his interest in delivering his General Assembly speech in person as far back as July.

This is the 75th anniversary (of the U.N.), so it makes it even more special, Kelly Craft, Americas U.N. ambassador, said on July 30, suggesting the fanfare fed the presidents desire to appear live.

All other world leaders have already announced they would participate in the U.N. General Assembly virtually this year, rather than comply with New Yorks 14-day self-isolation period for visitors from most parts of the country and world. It made it impossible for any leader to come, said U.N. General Assembly President Volkan Bozkr.

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The White House  unlike many other administrations  has not yet submitted a pre-recorded speech for the Assembly. The U.N. has asked that countries submit those videos by Friday.

Trump's virtual remarks will eliminate some of the drama of a live speech, particularly given a seating plan that's placed Irans delegate directly in front of the speaking podium. Due to coronavirus restrictions, just one New York-based representatives from each country will be allowed in the hall for the speeches, instead of its normal six-person delegation.

The Trump administration is still likely to spark tension, however, with its demand that the U.N. reinstate sanctions on Iran that were in place prior to the 2015 nuclear deal reached signed by then-U.S. President Barack Obama and other members of the U.N. National Security Council. Trump has threatened to try and trigger whats known as a snapback provision within that nuclear deal, despite having withdrawn the U.S. from it in 2018.

Its going to be a nasty weekend, said one European ambassador, who requested anonymity.

Richard Gowan, U.N. Director at the International Crisis Group, told POLITICO that if Trump delivers his remarks are via pre-recorded video, they could carry more weight, especially if the president threatens to cut funds to the U.N. the same way he pulled the U.S. out of the World Health Organization (WHO), the U.N.s health arm, earlier this year.

If it's live, people may treat it as an off-the-cuff thing, and not take it that seriously. If he says it on video from a script, it's a lot harder to walk back or ignore, Gowan said.

European Union diplomats also said theyll be watching to see if the speech reflects a typical text that has been worked on by multiple government agencies, or if it amounts to an extension of the president's Twitter threads.

Diplomats are even more reticent than usual when asked about their expectations for Trump next week  a sign of how nervous they are that the U.S. president will ruin whats left of a long-planned U.N. 75th anniversary commemoration.

The centerpiece of those commemorations is a declaration negotiated over several months, to be adopted, hopefully consensually, on Monday, said Olof Skoog, the EUs ambassador to the U.N.

Some foreign diplomats fear the U.S. may prevent consensus adoption of the resolution, after already objecting in June to earlier draft language around the Paris climate deal and a shared vision for common future.

The celebrations are already clouded by the Trump administrations broadsides on U.N. bodies such as the WHO and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); the patchy global response to the coronavirus pandemic; and an ongoing failure of U.N. member countries to stay on track with the bodys Sustainable Development Goals and Paris Climate Agreement.

On Monday, world leaders will deliver speeches marking the U.N.s successes and failures. The U.S., as host, is set to deliver the first speech. Thats a move European diplomats consider to be an own goal: letting the United Nations most powerful critic set the tone for a landmark anniversary. The U.N. is great for inflicting upon itself these unwritten rules that make no sense under the current circumstances, said one European ambassador.

Gowan said that Trumps real audience is not other governments, but domestic and social media. He is good at firing off well-prepared zingers like little rocket man in 2017, that seem out-of-place at the U.N. but are made for TV and Twitter. So the big question is not how this looks in New York but how it will look on Fox, he said.

Nahal Toosi and Meridith McGraw contributed reporting
Celebrity cheerleader Jerry Harris, a performer from the Netflix reality series Cheer who rose to stardom this year and even interviewed Joe Biden, has been charged with producing child pornography.

Harris, 21, was arrested and charged by the FBI on Thursday following an investigation into allegations he solicited photos and sex from minors.

Federal court records show Harris admitted to agents that he solicited and received explicit messages through Snapchat from 10 to 15 individuals, all of whom he knew were minors. He also admitted to paying a 17-year-old for nude photos, and allegedly had sex with a 15-year-old at a cheering competition last year.

A criminal investigation into Harris was launched after 14-year-old twin brothers Charlie and Sean, whose last names are being kept private because they are minors, came forward with allegations Harris had sexually harassed both online and at cheer competitions for more than a year, starting when they were 13 and he was 19.

Their mother filed reports with the Forth Worth, Texas, police in July and then with the FBI in August. The FBI initiated a search warrant on Harris home in Naperville, Illinois, on Monday.Messages reportedly include Harris requesting nude photos and sex from the two boys.

A spokesperson for Harris previously denied allegations against him in a statement to TMZ, saying we are confident that when the investigation is complete the true facts will be revealed.

Harris gained international attention and acclaim on social media when Cheer premiered on Netflix in January. He was praised as one of the more outgoing and positive personalities on the cheerleading competition series.

The cheerleader saw such a rise in stardom, that he hosted an Instagram conversation with presidential hopeful Joe Biden in June, a post that has now been deleted. The exchange was part of Bidens voter outreach campaign in getting young people to register to vote.

I had the opportunity to speak with Vice President @JoeBiden a few days ago about some really important issues facing our country right now, in particular young adults and the Black community, Harris wrote at the time.

This video is weirdly difficult to find on the internet now. pic.twitter.com/EQbFMadOXw  L  (@SomeBitchIKnow) September 17, 2020

Wow, Joe Biden's Instagram influencer has been arrested!!Jerry Harris From Netflix's "Cheer" Has Been Arrested On Child Pornography Charges https://t.co/eofTpEKDVJ via @salhernandez  Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) September 17, 2020

Harris arrest has not helped Netflixs public image problem at the moment, mainly stemming from the release of the highly-controversial Cuties, a film some have described as child pornography for its depiction of minors twerking and dancing in suggestive outfits for adults. The streaming services marketing of the series, which put the children and the outfits front and center, has also been criticized.

Netflix has a pedophile problem. First Cuties now this.Time for a federal investigation into every executive.https://t.co/FT96PmvCbR  Cernovich (@Cernovich) September 17, 2020

What on earth is going on over at Netflix?https://t.co/hws36HCD2V  Rob Smith  (@robsmithonline) September 17, 2020

The Cuties controversy escalated on the same day as Harris arrest with over 30 Republican congressmen signing a letter, obtained by The Daily Caller, demanding the Department of Justice prosecute the streaming giant for the distribution of child pornography and visual fodder for pedophiles.

Cuties clearly meets the United States legal definition of child pornography, the letter reads. Cuties contains, a scene where an 11-year-old girl dressed in a tank and panties is splashed with water and begins twerking in a frenzied kind of way, and numerous other, equally distressing depictions of minors including the display of an 11-year-old childs bare breast.

To us, and to the vast majority of Americans, its deeply upsetting to see a mainstream media company promote the sexualization of children, they add.
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Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, September 18, 2020 16:00 490 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c45b5073 1 National Medan,regional-elections,simultaneous-elections,coronavirus,COVID-19,pandemic Free

The North Sumatra National Movement to Safeguard the Ulema Fatwa (GNPF) has filed a lawsuit against the General Elections Commission (KPU) and the Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) demanding the two state bodies postpone the upcoming regional elections in Medan.



The class action lawsuit was filed by 10 members of the GNPF at the Medan District Court on Wednesday.



The head of the GNPF's regional elections working group in North Sumatra, Tumpal Panggabean, said Medan had seen a rising trend in new COVID-19 cases in the last three months, which made regional elections unfeasible.



"The number of new COVID-19 cases in Medan is increasing every day, the city had been declared as a level 3 red zone," Tumpal told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.



"If [the government] insists on carrying out the regional elections on Dec. 9 as planned, it's almost certain the elections will become a horror scene," he added.



Tumpal explained that, based on World Health Organization guidelines, the government needed to meet six criteria before conducting elections amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read also: KPU criticized for allowing crowd-pullers during campaigns for Decembers elections



"[According to the WHO,] the government needs to prove that the outbreak is already under control and that the transmission risks have been lowered. The Medan administration has not met these criteria," he said.



Tumpal argued that conducting elections amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases was an act against the law.



"What's the use of regional elections if it inflicts casualties? Don't make the elections a killing machine for Medan residents," he said.



According to Tumpal, Medan mayoral candidates took a large entourage with them upon registering for the elections at the Medan KPU office.



"Who can guarantee that there is no COVID-19 transmission [at the event]. That is our main concern at the moment," he said.



The head of the Medan General Elections Commission (KPUD), Agussyah Damanik, said he would soon coordinate with the North Sumatra KPUD and the National Elections Commission regarding the lawsuit.



"We don't have the authority to postpone the elections, we're only carrying out the law and KPU regulations on simultaneous regional elections. Only the National Elections Commission has the authority to put off the elections, he said. (nal)
Members of Congress are pressing the administration for further inquiries after the Department of Homeland Security announced this week it is looking into a whistleblower complaint that claimed federal immigration detainees underwent unnecessary gynecological surgeries  including full hysterectomies  without their consent.

Immigration attorneys said they were interviewing detainees this week to determine how widespread the problem might be, with some clients describing experiences where parts of their Fallopian tube and their ovaries had been removed while in custody.

More than 170 Democratic members of Congress dispatched a letter Tuesday to Homeland Security's Inspector General, urging the office to open "an immediate investigation."

The allegations stem from a 27-page complaint compiled by Project South, an Atlanta-based advocacy group, as well as Georgia Detention Watch, Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights and South Georgia Immigrant Support Network. The complaint lists Dawn Wooten, a former nurse at the Irwin County Detention Center, as a whistleblower who details medical neglect such as refusal to test detainees for COVID-19 and an alarming practice of subjecting female detainees to hysterectomies without them fully understanding what was happening. The detention center is run by private prison company LaSalle Corrections and overseen by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement,

Dawn Wooten, a nurse at Irwin County Detention Center in Ocilla, Georgia, speaks at a Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020, news conference in Atlanta protesting conditions at the immigration jail. Wooten says authorities denied COVID-19 tests to immigrants, performed questionable hysterectomies and shredded records in a complaint filed to the inspector general of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Officials at LaSalle Corrections, which runs the center, did not return several requests for comments.

The complaint doesn't name the doctor who allegedly performed the procedures, but several attorneys representing the women have identified him as Dr. Mahendra Amin, of Douglas, Georgia.

A person answering the phone at Amin's office Thursday declined to answer questions or locate Amin for comment. In an earlier interview with The Intercept, the doctor confirmed he has treated immigration detainees and said he had performed "one or two" hysterectomies on patients in recent years, but said all procedures on immigration detainees are approved by officials at the detention center.

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According to ICE data, two individuals at the Irwin County facility have been referred to medical professionals for hysterectomies since 2018. But in a statement, Dr. Ada Rivera, medical director of the ICE Health Service Corps., said she "vehemently disputes the implication that detainees are used for experimental medical procedures" and vowed a full investigation.

"Detainees are afforded informed consent, and a medical procedure like a hysterectomy would never be performed against a detainees will," the statement said.

A hysterectomy is the surgical removal of a woman's uterus, which eliminates any possibility of conceiving a child. Other procedures  including the removal of an ovary or a Fallopian tube  can significantly reduce a woman's chances of conceiving.

The whistleblower complaint alleges that immigration detainees were routinely sent outside the detention center to a gynecologist who performed full hysterectomies, partial ones, and other surgical procedures without their full understanding or consent. In one case, Wooten said a detained young woman was supposed to have her left ovary removed because of a cyst but the doctor remover her right ovary instead. The doctor still had to remove the left ovary, Wooten said, leaving the detainee completely infertile.

"She still wanted children  so she has to go back home now and tell her husband that she can't bear kids," Wooten said in the complaint.

Attorneys representing detainees at the Irwin County Detention Center said they didnt realize the extent of the problem until they started talking with each other about their clients after the whistleblower complaint was filed. National organizations have since asked attorneys around the country to review their cases and talk to their clients to see if the allegations out of Georgia have been seen elsewhere.

Sarah Owings, an Atlanta-based immigration attorney, is working with a team of lawyers to identify women who have received medical care from the doctor mentioned in the complaint. By Wednesday, the team had identified more than 15 cases of women who underwent questionable surgeries at the hands of the doctor, including the removal of parts of the Fallopian tube and removal of the ovaries.

Protesters gather at a news conference Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020, in Atlanta decrying conditions at Irwin County Detention Center in Ocilla, Georgia. Nurse Dawn Wooten says authorities at the immigration jail denied COVID-19 tests to immigrants, performed questionable hysterectomies and shredded records in a complaint filed to the inspector general of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

"We are still in the process of comparing notes," she said. "I wouldnt say there is a systemic pattern, but based on people who have gotten in touch, it points to a lack of informed consent and full understanding by people of these medical treatments."

Benjamin Osorio, a Virginia immigration attorney, read about the allegations Monday night on a social media site shared by other attorneys and immediately thought of two clients he recently served at the Irwin facility.

One of them, Maria Nunez de Rosales, of El Salvador, was at the facility in 2018 when doctors told her she had cancer and needed a hysterectomy, Osorio said. De Rosales, who only speaks Spanish, had the procedure done without entirely realizing what had happened, he said. De Rosales has since been returned to El Salvador.

"There was no explanation to her and no interpreter," Osorio said. "She woke up and didnt even know what had happened."

Another client, who didn't wish to be named because she's still in removal proceedings, also had a hysterectomy done at the facility, he said. After complaining of abdomen pain, doctors at the center performed a biopsy and told her she had cervical cancer. Amin performed a hysterectomy on her in August 2019, Osorio said.

After leaving the facility, she had a follow-up exam done by her primary doctor in Charlotte, North Carolina, who told her she was cancer-free. Osorio said he doesn't know if the 2019 procedure cleared out the cancer or if his client ever had it in the first place.

"Obviously, there are real questions here: whether this doctors giving the best medical advice, if he's getting informed consent," Osorio said. "All these questions are out there. Hopefully, these investigations could figure out what was going on."

Katie Shepherd, national advocacy counsel with the American Immigration Council, a group that advocates for immigrants and files lawsuits on their behalf, said they're hoping to learn more about the allegations through attorneys because ICEs historic "lack of transparency" makes it hard for them to truly know whats happening inside immigration detention centers.

"I would not be surprised if there are similar fact patterns in other corners of the ICE detention system," she said. "But obviously we want to learn more."

U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., who has been leading the congressional response to the allegations, said the complaint also raises questions about how ICE ensures that detainees consent to medical procedures. She said Homeland Security agents have a long history of forcing immigrants to sign all kinds of documents  dropping immigration court appeals, submitting to voluntary deportations  without having a translator present or fully understanding what theyre signing. Those questionable consent procedures would be even more disturbing, she said, if they led to partial or full hysterectomies.

"I'm concerned that the stories that the women tell may be quite different from what the medical records say," Jayapal said. "Even if the medical record says, 'We did x, y and z,' if the women haven't been informed or much less consented to (a procedure), where they dont have any clue what theyre signingthat is significant."

A 2019 USA TODAY investigation into the federal governments increasing use of private prison companies and local jails to house civil immigration detainees revealed systemic problems in the medical care provided to those detainees. An analysis of inspection reports highlighted problems at several facilities and court documents showed multi-million dollar settlements paid to detainees who were mistreated while in custody.

Most of the complaints focused on a lack of access to medical care, with one detainee saying her breast cancer returned after she was unable to get cancer medication while in custody and a civil rights organization creating a specialized medical team to respond to the growing medical complaints from ICE detainees.

"People who need life-saving medical treatment dont get the care they deserve," said Lorilei Williams, a senior staff attorney for the Southeast Immigrant Freedom Initiative in Georgia. "But it is interesting we have seen a lot of folks who receive gynecological care."

Immigrant attorneys and advocates have been flagging concerns about medical mistreatment at the Irwin center for years. The center is located in Ocilla, Georgia, a city of roughly 3,000 residents almost 200 miles south of Atlanta. It housed about 650 detainees under ICE custody as of Sept. 8.

In April, a group of eight medically vulnerable detainees at the Irwin detention center and the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia, sued DHS claiming a lack of medical care and deplorable conditions at these facilities made them vulnerable to COVID-19. The people named in the lawsuit, filed by the Southern Poverty Law Center, had preexisting medical conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure and asthma, among other conditions.

They described living in very close quarters that made social distancing and recommended hygiene measures impossible. The conditions were described as "flagrantly unsanitary and dangerous to the health of detained individuals."

At Irwin, detainees said they were punished if they requested medical attention, sometimes by being placed in solitary confinement, according to the lawsuit. One man at Irwin reported that a guard told him "medical staff would only take him to the hospital if they see him dying."

Others said that the Irwin center lacks a medical alert system to notify guards of an emergency. The lawsuit also claims that a 2017 inspection of the facility found that medical unit cells were so dirty, that "floors need to be mopped, walls wiped down, toilets cleaned, and trash and refuse removed."

Follow Jervis, Gomez and Clark on Twitter: @MrRJervis, @alangomez, @MariaPClark1.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Allegations of hysterectomies of ICE detainees spurs investigation
Chinese Medical Expert Teams Bid Farewell to Hon. Vice President of Sierra Leone

2020/09/17

On September 16, 2020, H.E. Ambassador Hu Zhangliang and representatives of the three Chinese Medical Expert Teams in Sierra Leone paid a courtesy call on Hon. Dr. Mohamed Jalloh, Vice President of the Republic of Sierra Leone.

Hon. Vice President Jalloh, on behalf of H.E. President Julius Maada Bio, the Sierra Leonean government and people thanked the government and people of China for the long-term valuable support to Sierra Leone in various fields, and spoke highly of the Chinese Medical Expert Teams for their great contributions to Sierra Leones medical and health development. Hon. Vice President Jalloh said that Sierra Leone-China health cooperation is a critical element of the cooperation between the two countries. The Sierra Leonean government and people will always remember the touching stories of the three teams working with the Sierra Leonean side in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The Honorable Vice President pointed out that the three teams traveled long distance to provide precious medical services to the Sierra Leonean people, which is a vivid manifestation of the genuine and cordial friendship between the two countries. He affirmed that the Sierra Leonean side will continue to work with the Chinese side to deepen the practical cooperation in various fields, and promote the Sierra Leone-China relations to a new high.

H.E. Ambassador Hu Zhangliang said that China and Sierra Leone have always been sincere friends, supported each other and conducted fruitful cooperation in all fields. Ambassador Hu commended Sierra Leones achievements in fighting against the pandemic under the staunch leadership of H.E. President Bio. He noted that China will work with Sierra Leone to further strengten the cordial bilateral relationship.

The representatives of the three teams thanked the Hon. Vice President for taking time to meet with them. They affectionately recalled their experiences and feelings of working and living in Sierra Leone. They said that they were delighted and proud to provide support to Sierra Leone, fight against the pandemic shoulder by shoulder with their local counterparts and make contributions to the China-Sierra Leone friendship. They sincerely wished Sierra Leone greater achievements in the future.
Great Lakes independent Booksellers Association executive director Larry Law announced yesterday that the 2020 recipient of its Voice of the Heartland Award, co-sponsored by GLIBA and Midwest Independent Booksellers Association, is Two Dollar Radio, an indie publisher and bookseller headquartered in a Columbus, Ohio. Two Dollar Radios three-year-old bookstore specializes in books from indie presses and features a vegan cafe and full bar.

In his nominating letter to GLIBAs board, bookseller Gary Lovely of the Book Loft, a Columbus indie, wrote, Since Two Dollar Radio's beginning in 2005, they've consistently published fresh, bold voices and have been a shining example of indie publishing. With only a handful of employees, TDR has managed to grab acclaim from both literary icons and every major reviewer. Not only are the books good, but through their Purchase with Purpose program, they've consistently donated portions of their sales to fight racial inequality, lift up the LGBTQIA+ community, and more.

TDR editorial director Eric Obenauf and COO Eliza Wood-Obenauf founded TDR 15 years ago along with Obenauf's brother, Brian, by publishing a single title, Obenaufs novel, Can You Hear Me Screaming? It still specializes in literary fiction though it has expanded into nonfiction and published a cookbook this month inspired by its own cafes offerings, Two Dollar Radio Guide to Vegan Cooking by Jean-Claude Randy and Speed Dog with Obenauf.

In the past 15 years, TDR has published a literary journal and produced several micro-films. There are 58 TDR titles currently in print, including such critically acclaimed books as Hanif Abdurraquibs collection of essays, They Cant Kill Us Until They Kill Us. In a 2015 interview, Obenauf emphasized the presss commitment to quality and refusal to saturate the market by focusing upon high production values and low print runs. It produces six books each year.

In a release, Law stated, We feel Two Dollar Radios mission, and especially their commitment to actively elevate and publish the voices of BIPOC authors, is the very embodiment of what the Voice of the Heartland Award seeks to honor. Their work is meaningful, not only to our collective regions, but also in elevating and expanding the voices heard in American arts & letters. Among the press's many honors, in 2010, a TDR release, 1940 by Jay Neugeboren was longlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award.

GLIBA noted also that TDR's bookstore and cafe have created a third space that has proven to be an anchor to its community. Obeanuf and Wood are also co-founders of The Flyover Fest , an inclusive and fresh three-day Columbus arts festival called Flyover Fest that engages the city, stimulates creativity, and sparks conversation through multiple arts in walkable, distinctive venues.

Past recipients of the Voice of the Heartland Award include the Binc Foundation, authors Wendell Berry, Kate DiCamillo, Jim Harrison and Studs Terkel. TDR is the second publisher to receive the Voice of the Heartland Award in its 19 year history since Indiana University Press won the debut award in 2001.

TDR's co-founders and their five employees will be honored in a virtual ceremony on October 15.
After the Lok Sabha witnessed four adjournments on Friday due to a ruckus over his remarks pertaining to the PM National Relief Fund set up by independent India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Union Minister of State Anurag Thakur expressed regrets in the House.

The Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs expressed regret over his statement made while speaking during the introduction of the Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation and Amendment of Certain Provisions) Bill, 2020.

As the opposition members led by the Congress objected to his remarks against Nehru and Congress President Sonia Gandhi, the House saw four back-to-back adjournments.

"During the introduction of taxation and other laws, it was not my aim to hurt anyone while putting information (before the House). If anyone got hurt, I also feel the pain on that statement," Thakur said when the House reassembled at 6 p.m. following the four adjournments.

Thakur's statement came after Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla discussed the issue with the treasury benches and opposition leaders in his chamber in the wake of protests by opposition members. Birla later asked the Minister in the House to speak on his remarks so that the proceedings of the session could be regularised.

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said his party was hurt by Thakur's statement against his party leaders and said his MPs will be happy if the treasury benches did not repeat such things in future.

"You made us feel very hurt. The government's duty is to do work for the welfare of the country while the opposition's duty is to help the government. Parliament is for both. We will all run this session together. It is the responsibility of both the treasury and opposition benches," Chowdhury said.

Speaking on the Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation and Amendment of Certain Provisions) Bill, 2020, Thakur raised questions on Nehru's trust which he claimed is not yet registered even though it was set up in 1948 on the then PM's orders.

"In 1948, then Prime Minister Nehru ordered the PM National Relief Fund. Since then, there has been no registration of that fund. How did that fund get the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act nod is not known? The trust is not registered. How did you (Congress) give that trust FCRA clearance?" Thakur said earlier.

His remarks came as the Bill, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, has provisions about Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM-CARES) fund on which the opposition has raised question on several occasions after it was set up to undertake and support relief or assistance of any kind relating to a public health emergency during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Thakur said that the PM-CARES fund is a constitutionally authorised trust and was set up for the welfare of 130 crore people of the county.

The Prime Minister is the ex-officio Chairman of PM-CARES while the Ministers of Defence, Home Affairs, and Finance are ex-officio Trustees.

"You (Congress) made PM National Relief Fund Trust only for (welfare) of one Gandhi family," Thakur alleged.

Nehru and Interim Congress President Sonia Gandhi have been members of the Prime Minister National Relief Fund, continued the Minister, an MP from Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh.

He sought a detailed discussion to clear things about that fund.

The statement led to chaos in the House as Congress and Trinamool Congress members objected to his speech and continued to sloganeer, leading to four adjournments of the House.
LOS ANGELESPineapple Support hosts a series of online wellness workshops from Sept. 23 to 25 specifically aimed at adult industry members in the United Kingdom.

The three-day Virtual Wellness Event begins at 10 a.m. BST on Sept. 23. To register, click here.

Were really excited to bring this event to the U.K., said Pineapple Support founder Leya Tanit. We'll be focusing on self-care, mental and physical well-being and education. There will be presentations from U.K.-based organizations NUM and Dean Street, as well as legal information from sex worker-positive law firm Gillen De Alwis Solicitors. To top it all off, the event will end with five hours of comedy and music to get feet moving and faces smiling.

The event will feature Pineapple Support therapists, as well activities such as breathwork, meditation and workouts.

Tanit founded Pineapple Support in 2018 after a string of losses in the adult industry from depression and other mental illnesses. The organization, which is a registered 501(c)3 tax-deductible qualifying charity in the U.S. and a registered charity in the U.K., offers free and low-cost therapy, counseling and emotional support.

The event schedule is as follows (all times BST):

September 23

1010:45 a.m.: The Power of Self Hypnosis (with Sinead Rochford)

11.30 a.m. -12.30 p.m.: National Ugly Mugs (with Dr Raven Bowen, Hannah Wilcox and Rosie Hodsdon)

12.45 - 1:45 p.m.: Dean Street Sexual Health Clinic (with Rachel Ali)

2 - 2:45 p.m.: Pilates Full Body Conditioning (with Ami Collins)

3 - 3:45 p.m.: Mental Health in the Adult Industry (with Leya Tanit)

4 - 4:45 p.m.: Breathwork and Yoga Nidra for Inner-Healing (with Jess Birks)

September 24

10 - 10:45 a.m.: Managing Adversities Through Self-Compassion (with Silva Neves)

11 - 11:45 a.m.: Introduction to Yin Yoga (with Michele Karban)

12 - 12:45 p.m.: The Use of Hypnotherapy in Overcoming Stress, Depression and Anxiety (with George Lewis)

2 - 2:45 p.m.: Mindful Eating (with Sofie Every)

3 - 3:45 p.m.: EMDR  Treatment for PTSD (with Fulvio Maciaccia)

4 - 4:45 p.m.: What It Means to Be a Pineapple Listener (with Areneae Mactans)

September 25

10 -10:45 a.m.: Navigating Relationship Conflicts  the Top Tips (with Silva Neves)

11 - 11:45 a.m.: Vinyasa Flow Yoga Class to Awaken Your Inner Goddess (with Jess Birks)

12 - 12:45 p.m.: Legal Review (with Gillen De Alwis Solicitors)

2 - 2:45 p.m.: How to Look After Yourself Emotionally in an Uncertain World (with Silva Neves)

3 - 3:45 p.m.: Thank You from Pineapple Support

4 - 5 p.m.: Live Acoustic Set (with Elijah Miller)

5 - 5:15 p.m.: Comedy Set (with Dan Nightingale)

5:15  5:45 p.m.: Acoustic Set (with Ishod Black)

5:45  6 p.m.: Comedy Set (with Dan Nightingale)

6 - 7 p.m.: DJ set (compiled by Sonic Emporium)

7 - 9 p.m.: DJ set (compiled by Man Power)

9 - 10 p.m.: Journey Men DJ Mix

For more information, visit PineappleSupport.org/wellness.
Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 18 : The controversial Kerala gold smuggling case appears to have taken a new turn with the Holy Quran now taking centre stage.

This was expected to happen ever since State Higher Education Minister K.T. Jaleel came under the scanner of both the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

By now the NIA has also questioned him for the role he played in distributing the Holy Quran that was given to him by the UAE Consulate.

The latest buzz is that Jaleel will now be called in by the Customs as well.

CPI-M state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, writing in party organ Deshabhimani said that the Congress, Indian Union Muslim league and the BJP were spreading canards in the name of the Quran and targeting Jaleel.

"The UAE Consulate sought the help of Jaleel to distribute the Holy Quran and Ramadan kits. He distributed that at various places. Is that a crime? A section of the media and the opposition is now spreading canards," wrote Balakrishnan.

"Is distributing the Quran a crime in India and is there any such order in the country? The RSS and the BJP have always been against the Quran and they have always been against Muslims and Communists. To ensure that this happens, the Centre is trying to use the national agencies for it. It's understandable for the RSS to have an allergy to the Quran, but I fail to understand why the IUML and the Congress are doing it," stated Balakrishnan.

On Friday, speaking to the media after the CPI-M state secretariat meeting, Balakrishnan said the Congress and BJP were conspiring against the government.

"Both these parties are now using the help of goons to take on our Ministers. The people in Kerala now understand everything and this united protest has no support of the people. The Congress is jittery as they realise the Vijayan government will get a second term and is now resorting to usurp this Left government with the BJP's help," added Balakrishnan.

Meanwhile Jaleel, who has not come before the media ever since he first appeared before the ED and later the NIA, on Friday wrote on Facebook that regardless of whichever agency questions him, something which is not there won't be discovered.

"I have nothing to fear as I have done even the slightest of the wrong. I can only sympathise with the media who are providing live information to where I am travelling and where I am staying, to those who are waylaying me," wrote Jaleel.

Hitting back at the CPI-M and Jaleel State BJP president K.Surendran told the media here on Friday that it was Jaleel who had used the Quran to engage in gold smuggling.

"It's Jaleel who has maligned the Quran and the CPI-M is trying to use the Quran to give Jaleel a martyr's status. Jaleel has not been given a clean chit by any of the agencies. After being caught, the CPI-M is trying to ride on Quran to rake up passions among the minority community," said Surendran.

Senior IUML Lok sabha member P.K.Kunhalikutty said the Left government is playing third-rate politics in the name of gold smuggling.

"The Left here is using the Quran for petty political games and this is nothing but cheap politics," said Kunhalikutty.
The government will add around 4,000 more Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras (PMBJK), the public outlets offering medicines at subsidised prices, over the next five years.

with a vision to provide quality medicines at affordable rates for the common man, especially the poor, the government has set a target to increase the number of PMBJK to 10,500 by March 2025, said a statement from the Union ministry of chemicals and fertilisers.

At present, there are 6,606 PMBJK outlets, which sell subsidised generic medicines across the country.

Also Read: Wearing glasses may offer some protection from Covid-19, but more studies needed: Scientists

The proposed new PMBJK outlets will cover all the 736 districts in the country, making affordable medicines accessible to everyone.

This will ensure easy reach of affordable medicine to the public in every nook and corner of the country, the statement added.

The government is putting an expansion plan in place through effective information technology (IT)-enabled logistics and supply chain management for ensuring real-time distribution of medicines at all the outlets in a bid to avoid a scarcity of stocks.

Also Read: Will Covid-19 vaccine be ready by this year? Trump promises defy the lessons of pharmaceutical history

Such a crisis had occurred during the 68-day nationwide lockdown restrictions that were enforced from March 25 in a bid to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak.

Between March and June, PMBJK had faced many challenges regarding shortage of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and other raw materials of pharmaceuticals, disturbance in supply of medicines to the centres from central and regional warehouses due to non-availability of vehicles for transportation, etc. Keeping this in view, the expansion plan is being chalked out, the ministry said.

At present, PMBJK stocks are stored in four warehouses that are located in Gurugram, Chennai, Bengaluru and Guwahati. Plans are afoot to open two more warehouses in western and central India.

The government is also considering the appointment of distributors in states and union territories (UTs) in a bid to strengthen the supply chain system.

The scheme has been approved with a budget of 490 crore between 2020-21 and 2024- 25.

Despite the Covid-19-induced lockdown restrictions and testing times because of the pandemic, PMBJK achieved appreciable sales turnover of 146.59 crore in the first quarter of 2020-21, as compared to 75.48 crore achieved in the same year-ago period. Between July and September 15, the stores added sales of 109.43 crore. The total sale up to September 15 is 256.02 crore. It has drastically brought down the prices of quality medicines and making medicines available within the reach of large section of population, especially the poor, the ministry added.

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The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday asked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which rules the three municipal corporations in Delhi, to immediately withdraw worksheets that contained a distorted map of India.

The worksheets issued to students of class 4 in schools operated by the north Delhi civic body had a map that excluded Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK)

The BJP-ruled MCDs books for class 4 students have distorted map of India. The same that were once issued by China and Pakistan. Playing with Indias territorial integrity is a shameful and unacceptable act. The AAP demands immediate withdrawal of the books by the BJP. Also, people associated with this act should be booked for sedition, said Durgesh Pathak, the AAPs in charge of municipal affairs.

The BJP said the concerned school assignment workbook was already withdrawn and accused AAP of indulging in cheap melodrama.

Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said, This distorted map issue came to our North DMC civic leaderships knowledge yesterday and the Mayor immediately ordered an inquiry as to who issued the wrong map and the home-work assignment was withdrawn. Durgesh Pathak should refrain from indulging in cheap melodramas like he has done today after the map issue was resolved yesterday itself.

The workbook in Hindi for use in classes 4 and 5 in schools of the North MCD, has images of two maps of the country, one before and the other after Independence. The Jammu and Kashmir region in the post-Independence map has been shown as truncated, said an official in the North MCD.
India: Sand mining is an underrated threat

by ABHISHEKH R GANESH

September 17,2020 | Source: The Statesman

Vinay Kumar, a 22 year-old labourer who works for a sand miner, sat on the banks of River Sone and said, We are definitely in deep trouble. The river-bed has dropped at least 6 feet since I began mining as a teenager. Sone River of central India is the second largest of the Ganges southern tributaries, after the Yamuna. Thousands of men in Bihar toil to pack at least 300 trucks of sand. This is one example of the overexploitation of riverbed sand in India.



Our cities depend heavily on sand. Humankinds total consumption of sand is estimated to be 400 billion tons a year, according to a United Nations study. Since the demand for sand substantially exceeds the supply, sand and gravel extraction is a sustainability challenge. Between 2011 and 2014, the Chinese alone poured more concrete, mostly made of sand, than the United States used during the whole of the 20th century.



According to a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report, sand has been mined at rates greatly exceeding natural replenishment rates. While 85 to 90 per cent of global sand demand is met from quarries and sand and gravel pits, the 10 to 15 per cent extracted from rivers and seashores gives rise to environmental and social impacts. These extractions result in coastal depletion; soil erosion; threats to freshwater and marine fisheries and aquatic ecosystems; instability of river-banks leading to increased flooding; and lowering of groundwater levels.



The UNEP report also indicates that China and India are major hotspots for sand extraction impacts in rivers, lakes and coastlines. With its accelerating urbanization, the Indian Peninsula ranks second in the worlds sand consumption. Sand has become so valuable that it is even exported to distant locations. Sand is used in paved roads, concrete, fracking, ceramics, metallurgy  even the glass on a smart phone. River sand is best: Grains of desert sand are often too rounded to serve as industrial binding agents, and marine sand is too corrosive. Sand mining changes the course of rivers. It also hurts wildlife by removing basking and their egg laying habitat. Massive sand mining also affects humans. The depleting water tables have already become a major issue in cities like Chennai, Bengaluru and Mumbai.



Unlike other prominent environmental issues like climate change or air and water pollution, sand mining has not received the attention it deserves. Unsustainable sand mining processes have also severely impacted the flow of rivers across India. Removal of sand also leads to an increase in water pollution and impacts biodiversity. The issue of sand mining has always been a controversial topic in India. It has been in the news for one reason or another regularly for the past several years. Media houses publicized the issue when the National Green Tribunal in August 2013 passed an order banning sand mining without proper environment clearance.



The sand mafia has become a frequent subject in the sand mining debate in India. Much like organized criminals, these sand mafias are believed to receive political protection. In the federal system of India, state governments have the power to make policies on law and order and natural resources. State-level politicians are said to be using their discretionary power to extend support to sand mafias in return for financial gains. Major corporations also play a huge part in this arena.



Besides financial gains, sand mafias sometimes resort to violence. As a result, local authorities avoid monitoring their activity. The nexus between mafias, politicians and corporations has been identified by stakeholders as a major hindrance to effective monitoring and regulatory enforcement. How do we deal with this major environmental issue? In January 2020, the government released rules to stop illegal sand mining. These rules come four years after the 2016 guidelines to promote sustainable sand mining which didnt help in clamping down on illegal sand mining.



The 2020 guidelines for sand mining aims to protect rivers and species habitats. It calls for such sensitive areas to be declared no-mining zones. The new guidelines suggest the use of effective technologies like drones with night vision for surveillance of sand mining sites; procedures to replenish sand; post environmental clearance monitoring of sand mining sites; steps to identify sources of sand; a procedure for environmental audit of such areas; and steps to control illegal mining.



Involving the public in the process should make a large difference in dealing with illegal sand mining. River conservation is crucial. The Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change introduced the Sustainable Sand Management Guidelines 2016. These guidelines failed to end rampant illegal sand mining across the country. Let us hope the new Enforcement & Monitoring Guidelines for Sand Mining 2020 has more impact than its predecessors.


Dr. Jean-Christophe Rufin appointed President of the Sanofi Espoir Corporate Foundation

PARIS - September 18, 2020 - Sanofi today announced the appointment of Dr. Jean-Christophe Rufin as President of the Sanofi Espoir Corporate Foundation. Jean-Christophe Rufin succeeds Xavier Darcos, who presided over the Foundation since 2015.

"We are delighted that Dr. Jean-Christophe Rufin has accepted to serve as President of the Sanofi Espoir Foundation", said Serge Weinberg, President of Sanofi. "His experience as both a physician and diplomat gives him a broad expertise in humanitarian and public health issues around the world. He will enable us to step up our response to health distress among vulnerable populations. Through his literary work, he has amply demonstrated his humanist commitments and his capacity to understand international realities."

The Sanofi Espoir Foundation's mission is to help reduce health inequalities among the world's most vulnerable populations. At the end of 2019, the Foundation was coordinating 77 projects in 50 countries in four main areas of focus:

The fight against pediatric cancers in countries with limited resources

Combating maternal and neonatal mortality in low- and middle-income countries

Access to healthcare for people in vulnerable situations in France

Support for families in the event of health crises

"It is a great honor for me to preside over the Sanofi Espoir Foundation," said Dr. Jean-Christophe Rufin. "I salute the work accomplished over the past 10 years to reduce health inequalities, and I am committed to taking this even further, by broadening the Sanofi Espoir Foundation's areas of involvement and methods for action."

Jean-Christophe Rufin

A French doctor, diplomat, and writer, Jean-Christophe Rufin is a former intern and senior physician with Paris public hospitals (1976-1983), a neurologist and a hospital practitioner (1995). He was a pioneer of Medecins Sans Frontieres, of which he was vice-president (1991-1993), and President of Action contre la Faim.

Rufin has also been an adviser to the Secretary of State for Human Rights (1986-1988), the cultural and cooperation attache in Brazil (1989-1990), and advisor in charge of peacekeeping operations for the Minister of Defense (1993-1995). In 2007, he was appointed French Ambassador to Senegal and the Gambia, a post he held until 2010.

An Officer of the Legion of Honor, Rufin is Doctor honoris causa of Laval University (Canada) and the Catholic University of Louvain (Belgium), and a member of the Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium and the Brazilian Academy of Letters.

Rufin has also written a series of novels and narratives over more than 20 years that reflect his international experience. His books have been published in some 20 countries, and he was awarded France's Goncourt prize in 2001 for Brazil Red.

He was elected to the Academie francaise in 2008.

About the Sanofi Espoir Corporate Foundation

Created in 2010, the Sanofi Espoir Corporate Foundation aims to reduce inequalities in health in France and internationally. Its actions aim to improve the health of the most vulnerable populations, particularly children. These serve the Foundation's vision of a world in which everyone has a chance to be born, grow and maintain their health. This ambition covers four strategic areas: maternal and neonatal health, pediatric cancers in low- and middle-income countries, access to healthcare for the most vulnerable populations in France, and responding to humanitarian crises. Find out more at: http://fondation-sanofi-espoir.com/en/ (http://fondation-sanofi-espoir.com/en/)





About Sanofi







Sanofi is dedicated to supporting people through their health challenges. We are a global biopharmaceutical company focused on human health. We prevent illness with vaccines, provide innovative treatments to fight pain and ease suffering. We stand by the few who suffer from rare diseases and the millions with long-term chronic conditions.







With more than 100,000 people in 100 countries, Sanofi is transforming scientific innovation into healthcare solutions around the globe.







Sanofi, Empowering Life











Media Relations Contact

Quentin Vivant

Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 77 46 46

mr@sanofi.com (mailto:mr@sanofi.com)





Sanofi Espoir Foundation

Laurence Bollack

Tel.: +33 (0)6 81 86 80 19

laurence.bollack@sanofi.com (mailto:laurence.bollack@sanofi.com)













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"Brazil's Indigenous Lands are unbelievably valuable - socially, ecologically and economically," Ms Siqueira-Gay said. Credit: Juliana Siqueira-Gay

Research has found a proposal to regulate mining of Indigenous lands in Brazil's Amazon rainforest could affect more than 863,000 square kilometers of forest and harm the nation's economy.

Led by University of Queensland visiting Ph.D. student Juliana Siqueira-Gay, an international collaboration has warned that President Jair Bolsonaro's 2020 bill to mine inside recognized Indigenous Lands would come at a cost.

"Brazil's Indigenous Lands are unbelievably valuablesocially, ecologically and economically," Ms Siqueira-Gay said.

"They're a unique category of protected area, covering 1.2 million square kilometersor 23 percentof what is legally recognized as the Amazon.

"The Brazilian government wants to capitalize on this value, by bolstering the economy through extending mining.

"But we've calculated that this proposed policyintroduced in February this yearcould lead to millions, if not billions, of dollars in losses each year.

"The loss would be primarily due to effects on rubber, timber and Brazil nut production, increased damage to greenhouse gas mitigation ecosystem services and other vital ecosystem services.

"It's a portfolio of ecological assets currently providing Brazil an estimated $7 billion AUDit simply makes no financial sense to destroy something so valuable."

The researchers, based in both Brazil and Australia, crunched existing data and reviewed potential mining locations, quantifying threats from mining to forests and their ecosystems.

"The figures were astonishingit's clear that much of the Amazon is at threat from this proposed policy, including extremely rare ecosystems conservation and incredibly diverse Indigenous groups and their culture" Ms Siqueira-Gay said.

"If the 4,600 known mineral deposits existing outside currently protected areas were to be developed, you're looking at 698-thousand square kilometers of forests to be potentially affected.

"But, with the approval of this proposed policy, that affected area could increase by 20 percent, up to 863-thousand square kilometers.

"This increase alone is roughly the same size as Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Denmark and Israel combined."

Study collaborator, Dr. Laura Sonter, said she had real concerns for these forests and their supported communities, and hoped the research was heeded by the international community.

"If President Bolsonaro's bill is approved by Brazil's congress, there'll be a cascade of negative effects, both domestically in Brazil and internationally," Dr. Sonter said.

"These lands are home to 222 Indigenous groups, with more than 644 thousand families living in traditional communities and speaking 160 languages.

"So, beyond economic costs to the nation, the lives of Indigenous communities will be permanently altered, and there will be significant environmental impacts.

"We hope this data can help the Brazilian government, and people, make smart decisions and protect these precious lands."

The research has been published in One Earth.

Explore further Brazil to deploy army to fight Amazon deforestation

More information: One Earth, DOI: 10.1016/j.oneear.2020.08.008
2020 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Platinum AWD

BODY STYLE: 5-door, 7-8 passenger mid-size crossover

Drive Method: Front-engine, All-wheel drive

ENGINE: (Hybrid Synergy Drive system) 2.5L, 4-cylinder + electric motors; Combined Power: 243 hp, e-CVT

CARGO CAPACITY: 456-2,076 litres

FUEL ECONOMY: (Regular Gasoline in L/100 km) 6.6 city; 6.8 highway; 6.7 combined

FUEL ECONOMY (observed): 6.5 L/100 km

PRICE: $ 45,490 (base); $58,215 (as-tested)

WEBSITE: www.toyota.ca

Large SUVs arent the fuel sucking, emissions-spewing beasts they once were. The race to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and develop more advanced powertrains less dependent on fossil fuels has flooded the market with more three-row crossovers and trucks than ever before. We can thank turbochargers, compact electric motors, and power-dense lithium-ion batteries that help very small engines move very big vehicles.

The Toyota Highlander is one of the most popular entries in the mid-size SUV class and one of just two that offers a hybrid option and three rows of seating. Fords Explorer is the other. It uses a V-6 where the Highlander, all new for 2020, has switched over to a frugal four-cylinder.

Some of the most efficient cars Ive driven have been Toyota hybrids  not ones that can be plugged in, just good old-fashioned hybrids that return great mileage without much input from the driver. The new Highlander Hybrid might just be the most impressive of the lot.

Its pinned on a version of Toyotas TNGA-K platform that also sees duty in the Camry, RAV4 and soon-to-arrive Venza. As expected, the Highlander grows slightly in every dimension and gets an additional 60 mm added to the length for a bump in cargo capacity and increased adjustability for the second row of seating.

With space for up to eight, the label on the Highlander might say mid-size but it looks and feels much bigger. The fully loaded Platinum tester I was driving was equipped with captains chairs in the second row instead of the standard bench. Third row access is easier this way but you do lose a seat. The third row is a great option for kids and will work for adults if you dont have to too far to go. Or you can quickly drop those seats for an Ikea-friendly 1,150 litres of cargo room. With all three rows in place, theres still an acceptable 456 litres left over, good enough for a weeks groceries.

A standard Highlander will come with Toyotas corporate naturally aspirated V-6, but opt for the hybrid and it gets replaced with an Atkinson cycle 2.5L four-cylinder and a couple of small electric motors. A third motor on the rear axle drives the rear wheels independently and without a physical connection to the front, giving the Highlander a trick electric AWD system. Total output is 243 hp. Eagle-eyed readers will be quick to point out that the previous Highlander hybrid made more power and while thats true, the new one is much more efficient, so its a good tradeoff.

Toyota rates this eight-passenger SUV at a combined 6.8L/100 km, an astounding figure for something so big. But what impressed me more was how easy that figure was to achieve  and even beat with little effort.

It drives much like any other SUV as well, but the size of this one is apparent all the time. Its big and youre not going to forget it. But that doesnt mean its intimidating or difficult to drive. Its better in the corners that youd expect it to be, and the relaxed cruising demeanour and cushy ride are perfect for this class of car and its buyers. Its peppy too. Dont think Prius here. The Highlander in Sport mode will use a combination of gas engine and electric motors to scoot you down the road with more urgency than you would think. Couple that with a massive cruising range and none of the range anxiety associated with EVs, and this might be the ultimate family conveyance.

While theres no learning curve to driving a hybrid, there are techniques you can use to siphon the most out of every hydrocarbon in the tank, and Toyota makes this fairly easy. Instead of a traditional r.p.m. gauge, there is a power meter. Keep it in the Eco zone as much as possible and youll maximize the distance a tank of gas will take you. If you find youre always in the power zone, then you should have probably stuck with the regular Highlander. You can also watch for a small EV light in the cluster. When you see this, you are using no gas at all, and provided youre in town and keep a light foot on the throttle, youll be in EV mode quite frequently.

When you come to terms with the fact that youre basically driving a small bus and are getting numbers youd expect from a tiny hatchback, and that youd only need to fill up once a month rather than every week, the Highlander Hybrid suddenly becomes one the most the most attractive vehicles in its class.

And Toyota is basically giving the technology away. The base Highlander L starts at $39,990, but its front-wheel drive only. In this country, that means no one is going to buy it and will instead step up to the LE and XLE trims to get all-wheel drive. The hybrid will only run you another $2,000 on top of one of those.

NRCan data tell you that a Highlander Hybrid will save you just about $1,000 a year over the gas-only model. So in less time than it will take you to pay one off, youll have already recouped the extra cost in fuel. Seems like a win-win to me.

All Highlanders come with Toyota Safety Sense 2.0, a comprehensive suite of safety systems including pre-collision with pedestrian detection, dynamic cruise control, lane departure assist, automatic high beams, blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert.

An LE Hybrid is well equipped but if you want all the frills including the enormous 12.8-inch screen, and unique grille, wheels, and seats that you see here, youll need to walk all the way up to the Platinum, but at $55,990 itll cost you. Id personally be more than happy with the base LE, but your mileage may vary.

No matter what you pick, youll be astonished at just how far a tank of fuel will take you. In this space of three-row SUVs and crossovers theres no shortage of choice and as popular as the Highlander already was this new hybrid comes with little compromise and should be kept near the top of your shopping list.
Exporters, investors, and energy policy analysts in Houston and elsewhere are increasingly concerned about what they regard as magical thinking in Mexico about the oil and electric power industries.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is moving to repeal energy market reforms and return control to the state-owned oil companies Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, and Federal Electricity Commission, or CFE.

If Lopez Obrador succeeds, it would damage opportunities for trade and investment on both sides of the border, especially for Texas energy suppliers, shippers and service companies. Mexican consumers and businesses would lose out on new brands and sources of supply, which, before the reforms, were limited to those of Pemex.

Today, some filling stations in Mexicos northern states proudly advertise 100 percent American gasoline.

Pemex could lose out, too. For the first time, Pemex was allowed have partners. It made deals with the Australian mining company BHP, the U.S. oil major Chevron and European major Royal Dutch Shell to develop deepwater blocks, tapping into the know-how of some of worlds biggest and successful companies.

On the power side, the energy reform created a wholesale market overnight with new generation from wind and solar plants.

The reforms promised to increase supplies and consumption of both petroleum and power while lowering prices. It also promised to expand the distribution network for both refined petroleum products and electricity to rural areas.

Looking inward

But Lopez Obrador is disparaging the reforms, invoking an inward-looking, national narrative that critics regard as anachronistic.

In August, two documents leaked to the press in Mexico portend darker days ahead for energy market reform  and consumers. The documents call for self-sufficiency in refined products, but Mexico imports 65 percent of its gasoline, making that goal unrealistic.

UNEVEN PLAYING FIELD: How systemic bias hurts private oil companies in Mexico

Likewise, the proposal to limit private electricity generation to 46 per cent of the total and market rules favoring power generated by CFEregardless of marginal cost jeopardizes the future of investors in renewable energy and combined-cycle natural gas plants. Mexico is the major market for Texas natural gas.

Meanwhile, proponents of free markets and competition have mounted only a limited defense of the reforms. In June, the American Petroleum Institute expressed concern about the discriminatory treatment received by members making pipeline and refining investments in Mexico. API chooses not, however, to initiate a policy statement regarding discriminatory treatment in exploration and production, explaining that its members have made no such request to push back.

In Mexico City, there is an association of international oil companies, AMEXHI (by its acronym), but its leaders are compromised. They are unable to speak publicly, first, for having Pemex as a member and, second, for having Pemex in a partnership with their companies.

Not everyone, though, is keeping quiet. On September 9, a federal judge in Mexico City, ruling on a petition by Greenpeace, issued a temporary injunction blocking the implementation of the Energy Ministrys program for 2020 to 2024, which would undermine renewable power markets and give CFE unfair advantages.

Greenpeace cheered the ruling as a warning to the government not to delay the transition to renewable energy.

FOREIGN RELATIONS: Oil companies urge Trump to pressure AMLO on energy reforms

For some Houston oil companies, the 20-year horizon is less worrisome than the 365-day outlook. Under rules adopted in 2018, when an oil reservoir extends into lease holdings of one or more parties, the Energy Ministry has a year to decide the claims of and impose terms on how the resources will be shared and managed.

Cold front

Energy Minister Rocio Nahle, however, has an inherent conflict of interest. She serves both as chair of the Pemex board and as the official responsible for the fair treatment of international investors and Pemex and CFE competitors. Investor protection under the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, which went into force on July 1, 2020, is less than under NAFTA, so recourse to international arbitration is likely to be ineffective.

Lopez Obrador has said that a new energy regime would be deferred to the second half of his six-year term and would depend on his expanding power in the midterm elections of 2021. Meanwhile, Texas companies are already feeling the cold front.

George Baker is the platform director of Energia.com and publisher of Mexico Energy Intelligence, an industry newsletter based in Houston. He was a guest at the inauguration of President Lopez Obrador on December 1, 2018.
Kate Shemirani strides into the hotel where we meet with such confidence that, despite the signs insisting masks must be worn, nobody challenges her lack of face covering.

By the time the receptionist has emerged from behind the desk, the 54-year-old suspended nurse has already swept off down a corridor in her strappy white stilettos.

Had she been stopped, goodness only knows what kind of kerfuffle would have ensued. For anti-vaxxer Shemirani is pretty forthright when it comes to imparting her views on the global Covid-19 pandemic  or 'scamdemic' as she calls it.

Over the past few weeks, this glossy mother-of-four from East Sussex has emerged as the new face of the UK's anti-vaccination movement. At the end of last month, she joined conspiracy theorists David Icke and Piers Corbyn, older brother of former Labour leader Jeremy, at a protest against coronavirus restrictions and plans for a Covid-19 vaccine.

A couple of weeks ago, she popped up again outside Downing Street where she gave a speech to the assembled masses about the 'Covid-19 myth' before being briefly arrested. This weekend, she will appear centre-stage at another rally in Trafalgar Square.

Over the past few weeks, Kate Shemirani, a glossy mother-of-four from East Sussex, has emerged as the new face of the UK's anti-vaccination movement

Covid-19, says Shemirani, doesn't exist. Its symptoms are linked to the roll-out of new 5G wireless technology. There is no pandemic  it's a conspiracy to control the masses.

The upcoming Covid-19 vaccination is, in reality, a political tool to gain access to and to change people's DNA. She likens the ongoing lockdown restrictions to the Holocaust, asking whether the public will wake up 'on the cattle truck? Or in the showers?'

These outlandish claims have landed her in hot water with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), who suspended her registration in July, and seen her kicked off Facebook and Instagram for spreading misinformation. But they've also seen her Twitter following treble in the past three weeks.

And despite 35 years as a registered nurse, Shemirani couldn't give two hoots about the NMC suspension because the organisation is a 'criminal governing body' with a 'terrorist agenda to commit genocide'.

'These are not views. This is the truth,' she snaps, adding  not for the last time  'I've done my research and if you slander me, I'll sue you.'

Within minutes of sitting down, the conversation gets really weird. The new Covid-19 vaccine, she says, contains particles powered by military-style 'Darpa' technology. 'They will be able to look at every aspect of what is going on in our brains,' she says, 'Not only can they pick it up, they can download into us.'

The big question, of course, is who on earth would want to do this? Her reply is to talk about a global 'narrative'  a powerful elite using the pandemic to create a new world order.

Next comes her most astonishing claim of all: 'No vaccine has ever been proven safe or effective,' she says.

This is preposterous. Take polio, for example, where cases dropped following a mass vaccination programme in the 1950s, with no UK cases since the mid 1980s. 'What is polio?' she says, before launching into a conspiracy theory about it being caused by the insecticide DDT.

Conversing with Shemirani is an unsettling experience. On one level, she's the epitome of conventional middle-classdom  a former NHS nurse and stay-at-home mother with an ex-husband who worked in the City and four children, now between 17 and 21, who were privately educated.

At the end of last month, she joined conspiracy theorists David Icke and Piers Corbyn, older brother of former Labour leader Jeremy, at a protest against coronavirus restrictions and plans for a Covid-19 vaccine

When she is addressing the crowds at a rally, she can also call upon her working-class roots.

The postman's daughter from Nottingham, who left school before completing her A-levels, worked variously in a factory, a bar in Spain and in Argos and, after qualifying at Glasgow Royal Infirmary in 1984, supplemented her salary as a theatre nurse with modelling assignments. From 1990 to 1998 she worked as a long-haul BA air stewardess.

After her children were born, she briefly set up her own business administering Botox, fillers and peels, and it was only a diagnosis of breast cancer in 2012 that saw her perform a complete volte-face in terms of her attitude to conventional medicine.

After undergoing a double mastectomy and reconstruction, she refused chemotherapy on the advice of her then husband, himself a conspiracy theorist who believed 9/11 was an inside job.

She embarked on a fat-free, salt-free, sugar-free vegan regime including high doses of vitamins as well as 13 juices a day, five coffee enemas and mistletoe injected into her stomach. Nine years on and still largely following that regime, she has had no recurrence of disease. Now describing herself as a nutritionist after taking an online diploma, she recommends the same treatment to other cancer patients.

She is unperturbed by the fact that there are no clinical trials to support her recommendations and rebuts any attempt to provide evidence, with the counter-claim: 'There are no studies in oncology that tell you that you are going to die if you don't do the (chemotherapy) treatment.'

There is, however, an abundance of evidence showing cancer patients' survival rates improve when they do have it.

During our interview, I notice how she often takes isolated pieces of information and puts them together to present a new 'truth' of her own. Vaccines, for example, do indeed contain aluminium. But the amounts are too small to be harmful  aluminium is one of the most common metals found in nature and is present in air, food and water.

In Shemirani's world, anyone who disagrees with her is lying, misinformed or jealous. Overweight, envious nurses come in for particular criticism.

'The fact that I was always graced with decent looks and I'm always very slim has generated jealousy throughout my career,' she said in another interview.

This weekend, the campaigner, pictured, will appear centre-stage at another rally in Trafalgar Square

And she certainly has no time for official health organisations or their peer-reviewed studies. Public Health England is 'just a bunch of criminals'. Cancer Research UK 'crooks' and the NHS is 'the new Auschwitz'.

It was in March this year that her claims finally landed her in hot water. As the resident 'health and wellness' expert on her local Sussex radio station Uckfield FM, she spent 20 minutes telling listeners 'the truth' about Covid-19.

Her summary of this broadcast is baffling: 'I talked about Covid-19  how there was an inversion in the genome sequence, indicative of vector technology.

'That Wuhan, according to the telecommunications network in China, had been the test city for 5G from autumn of 2019, that mandatory vaccinations came into force in December of 2019 in China.' After complaints from listeners, Uckfield FM was reprimanded by Ofcom and ordered to broadcast an apology.

Anti-vaxxers, of course, have been coming out with this kind of stuff for years. Britain has been a hub of bogus claims about vaccine safety ever since Andrew Wakefield falsely claimed a link between the MMR vaccine and autism in the late 1990s. He was later struck off for serious misconduct and research fraud.

And yet Shemirani describes 61-year-old Wakefield, who continues to promote his views in the U.S., as an 'amazing' man. This weekend, he will join her at the Trafalgar Square rally.

But while she and other conspiracy theorists continue to dismiss the current health crisis as a 'scamdemic' designed to engender fear among the populace, surely the most terrifying prospect of all is the outlandish world she believes in.
Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal has stressed that Ukraine is interested in deepening bilateral relations with the Republic of Bulgaria and suggested resuming the work of the Ukraine-Bulgaria Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation.

"Unfortunately, the Commission was summoned 10 years ago last time, so we have to resume its work. Holding regular meetings of the Commission will contribute to the further growth of bilateral trade and investment cooperation between our countries," Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal said at a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister for Judicial Reform, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria Ekaterina Zaharieva, the Government portal reports.

The Head of the Government of Ukraine noted that the trade turnover of 2019 between the countries had exceeded USD 1 billion. Therefore, efforts should be united to overcome the negative effects of the pandemic and to restore bilateral trade volumes. As Denys Shmyhal emphasized, Ukraine-Bulgaria Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation is among the important instruments of bilateral economic cooperation.

Shmyhal and Zaharieva agreed to hold the Ukraine-Bulgaria business forum in Sofia in 2021. A meeting of the Ukraine-Bulgaria Joint Intergovernmental Commission is to take place within the framework of the forum.

The parties also raised issues of strengthening economic cooperation, military-technical cooperation, as well as discussed the prospects for the development of transport and tourism industry, which was negatively affected by the spread of COVID-19.

For his part, the Prime Minister noted the importance of launching an international checkpoint across the state border for ferry, passenger and freight services between Orlivka (Ukraine) and Isaccea (Romania).

"This will allow the countries to increase the tourist flows and expand business contacts between our countries as well as to provide an opportunity to improve direct road transportation. It is also crucial to make efforts to sign an agreement simplifying the conditions of transportation of goods in the direct international railway-ferry connection Chornomorsk Sea Port  Varna Ferry Complex", the Prime Minister said.

In turn, Ekaterina Zaharieva noted that Bulgaria supported Ukraine's aspirations for integration with the EU and NATO. She expressed gratitude for the preservation of the Bolgrad district and its community, which plays an important role in the development of bilateral relations.

Shmyhal thanked Zaharieva and the Republic of Bulgaria for their consistent support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and its path towards European and Euro-Atlantic integration.

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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.

Teachers in Elizabeth public schools will work from home for the next two weeks after at least three staffers tested positive for COVID-19 after reporting for work in school buildings, district officials said Friday.

Students in Elizabeth, one of the states largest public school districts, have been learning from home since the start of the school year. But district employees were required to come to school as teachers taught remotely from computers in their classrooms.

On the recommendation of Elizabeth City Health Officer Mark Colicchio, the district is directing instructional staff to work from home until Oct. 2," said Pat Politano, a spokesman for the Elizabeth School District. Support staff will work on a staggered basis.

In Elizabeth, the Thomas A. Edison Career and Technical Academy closed Friday, Sept. 11, for cleaning after a staff member tested positive for coronavirus. The school reopened the following Monday.

At least two other Elizabeth schools staff members have tested positive for COVID-19 since then in Mabel G. Holmes School No. 5 and Juan Pablo Duarte-Jose Marti School No. 28, school officials said.

The cases are not believed to be linked, but the 28,300-student district wants to reduce the number of people in its buildings, Politano said.

While there are no documented cases of transmission from within the schools, the district has made all of its decisions since the global health emergency began on the basis of data and science. The current data indicates this is the best decision at this time," Politano said.

Elizabeth was one of several school districts in New Jersey requiring teachers to report to their classrooms during the school day even though their students were home. Many of the teachers used their districts computers, webcams, smart boards and internet access to lead lessons in empty classrooms for their students watching on Zoom or other streaming video services.

Elizabeth originally planned to reopen its schools for the 2020-2021 school year with a hybrid plan combining in-person and at-home learning. But that plan was nixed in favor of an all-remote plan for students after at least 375 Elizabeth teachers requested to work from home for health reasons.

Elizabeths teachers' union president said he is pleased the district is allowing teachers to work from home temporarily, but more needs to be done before they return to school.

I look forward to engaging the board in discussions regarding additional safeguards and protocols. We need these put into place to help ensure safe places to work, on Oct. 5th and beyond, said John Griffin, head of the Elizabeth Education Association, the 3,900-member teachers' union.

COVID-19 will continue to pose a threat two weeks from now when the majority of staff is scheduled to return, and the cycle continues unless we step up and make smart choices, Griffin added.

As of Friday, at least 14 New Jersey school districts have closed schools or switched to remote learning for several days or longer after students or teachers tested positive for the virus in the first few weeks of school. In addition to Elizabeth, the districts that reported positive cases include: Belvidere, Chatham, Frankford, Howell, Little Silver, Lenape Regional, Middlesex County Vocational Schools, Hopewell Valley Regional, Pompton Lakes, Washington Township in Gloucester County, West Windsor-Plainsboro, Westfield and Woodcliff Lake.

State officials said they have no proof any of the COVID-19 cases were the result of transmission within schools.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.

Kelly Heyboer may be reached at kheyboer@njadvancemedia.com.

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WASHINGTON - Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is seeking to push through a TikTok deal that would enable the wildly popular app to retain some Chinese ownership, despite significant national security concerns from some lawmakers, other agencies and President Donald Trump's own skepticism.

The president signed an executive order banning undefined transactions with the app in the U.S. starting Sept. 20, as well as another order requiring its divestiture. But Mnuchin has been lobbying hard for a deal in which TikTok outsources data management to Oracle while allowing TikTok to keep ties with its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, according to people familiar with the talks who were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

The deal would require extensive outside oversight of TikTok in the United States, including a plan for the company to go public within the next year or so to increase transparency into its operations, one of the individuals said.

Mnuchin called Department of Defense officials Wednesday and briefed them on the deal but told them it was going to get done regardless, according to some of the people familiar with the talks.

His message was, "Give me your concerns and I will try to address them, but we are doing this," said one former U.S. official briefed on the call, who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Oracle chief executive Safra Catz has developed a close relationship with the White House, including serving on Trump's transition team as he took office. Nonetheless, Trump met with Oracle on Wednesday and expressed concerns with the deal, a senior administration official said.

Trump told reporters Wednesday that he would not be happy if ByteDance maintained its majority stake in the business.

"Conceptually, I can tell you I don't like that," Trump said. "If that's the case, I'm not going to be happy with that."

Mnuchin will have to overcome Trump's reluctance. "I don't think anybody has the ability to push something through if the president is opposed to it," said a senior administration official.

TikTok confirmed this week that it has chosen Oracle as its "trusted technology partner" after two months of confusion and harried dealmaking, as Trump moved to ban the short-form video app in the country, citing national security concerns. Suitors including Microsoft, Walmart and Oracle were interested bidders, but as government requirements conflicted in the District of Columbia and Beijing, TikTok eventually presented a deal that marked a significant step back from a full sale.

Instead, the proposed deal would make TikTok's U.S. user data entrusted "exclusively" to Oracle and give Oracle oversight over all TikTok's technical operations in the country, according to the person familiar with the talks. The entire deal is designed to quell officials' fears that TikTok poses a national security threat because of its Chinese parent company. TikTok has said repeatedly it does not share U.S. customer information with the Chinese government.

U.S. officials say, however, Chinese laws require Chinese companies to share data with the government if directed and give the companies no discretion to refuse.

The Treasury Department sent the proposal back to the companies Wednesday with revisions on how the security structure would work, and ByteDance accepted the changes, one of the people said.

Under the proposed deal, the U.S. government would be able to approve the board members of the new TikTok entity, which would probably include Walmart chief executive Doug McMillon. Walmart would invest in the company, one of the people said.

TikTok would also prepare for a U.S. public offering in the next year. And it would allow a third-party organization to conduct audits and oversight of its operations.

Oracle, Walmart and TikTok did not comment beyond previous public statements earlier this week.

The Treasury Department did not respond to a request for comment.

Pentagon spokeswoman Jessica Maxwell had no comment.

TikTok's saga with the U.S. government heated up this summer when Trump threatened to ban the app and eventually issued an order that takes effect Sunday, though the government hasn't said exactly what that ban would look like. The Commerce Department will issue an order Friday spelling out what transactions will be subject to the ban.

"We're not interested in going after the college kid in his dorm room taking videos," the senior administration official said. "We are focused on the corporate level transactions, the business-to-business relationships. If people have TikTok on their phones, they're not going to find themselves before a judge."

Trump issued a second order that would require ByteDance to essentially divest from TikTok in the U.S. under a process by the Committee of Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), an interagency organization that oversees mergers with foreign companies for national security risks.

The irony, said the former U.S. official, is that the administration had a potential answer to its concerns through a deal in which Microsoft would buy TikTok, including its valuable algorithm, which determines what users see on the app. But that deal fell through.

Longtime CFIUS staff are upset about how the deal is being handled and have expressed concerns that what is supposed to be a walled-off national security process is being increasingly politicized, according to a former CFIUS official.

By law, the Treasury Department "is the chair of CFIUS and therefore the 'first among equals,'" said another former official, "but it does not grant them authority to blatantly steamroll other CFIUS member agencies and ignore legitimate national security concerns. Unfortunately, the system has drifted off course."

The companies and government have been working to finish the deal before the ban is set to take place in just a few days. Mnuchin previously said on CNBC that the deal would also require TikTok to establish a U.S. headquarters for the newly created company and hire an additional 20,000 people here. Currently, TikTok runs its U.S. operations from Culver City, Calif.

Oracle was a somewhat surprising choice to win the TikTok deal after weeks of speculation that Microsoft was the front-runner in the bidding process.

Oracle, which provides database and other services to large companies, does not have a consumer business. But its executives have close ties to Trump, and TikTok is probably an attractive target to boost Oracle's cloud technology business, which has failed to break into the top of the pack.

TikTok could also bolster Oracle's data brokerage business, which collects detailed information on consumers to sell to advertisers. TikTok has a growing U.S. base of about 100 million users quarterly.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 03:36:24|Editor: huaxia

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U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Sept. 10, 2020. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua)

The resolution argued against connecting the virus with a specific geographic location, citing warnings from the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that doing so creates a stigma.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. House on Thursday passed a resolution condemning "all forms of anti-Asian sentiment as related to COVID-19."

The passage of the resolution by a 243-164 vote came as Democratic lawmakers have long been condemning President Donald Trump for referring to the novel coronavirus as the "Chinese virus." The lawmakers said the rhetoric has led to escalating discrimination against Asian Americans.

Spearheaded by Democratic congresswoman Grace Meng of New York, the resolution argued against connecting the virus with a specific geographic location, citing warnings from the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that doing so creates a stigma.

"Sadly this bigotry is being fueled by some in Washington, and you would think, I thought this would be almost unanimous consent to condemn violence against Asian Americans. Even from the White House itself, which uses dangerous, false, and offensive terms to describe the coronavirus," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said ahead of the vote.

"The World Health Organization and the CDC, the Centers for Disease Control, have explicitly warned against linking infectious diseases to specific ethnicities because of the stigmatizing effects, which has serious impacts on health and defeating the virus. As the CDC medical officer has said, stigma is the enemy of public health," the California Democrat said.

Republicans, for their part, blamed the Democrats for introducing what they said was a nonbinding resolution at a time when political gridlock on Capitol Hill continued to impede the passage of a new coronavirus relief bill. 
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The pandemic has affected the worlds economy like nothing ever before, especially in Latin America, due to countermeasures taken by the government like people staying home and business closing.

FREMONT, CA: With the lockdown easing in some parts of the region, the pandemics impact on the business ecosystem is turning to be evident, unveiling, among other things, stories about the companies that survived the storm and even increased their profitability. In a survey, above half of the executive and business owners in Latin America spoke about their concern about the pandemics negative impact on the regions economy.

Opportunities for online businesses in the region

While the pandemic has had some severe consequences for Latin Americas economy, it meant a rise in profits for numerous businesses that were already prepared to provide their services or products via e-commerce platforms. As people were asked not to go outside, there was only one way to continue doing business using the internet. The experience that companies earned in the last few months indicate that businesses that can operate online may have been more resilient to the pandemics impacts.

Growing markets in Latin America drive a call for digitization

According to a survey, more than 45 percent of the respondents displayed that they expect Latin American economies to recover and grow in the future despite the present challenging times. Also, more than 57 percent of the participants in this survey already own a business in Latin America and spoke about expanding further into other countries in the region.

Increasing amounts of foreign investors seek to expand their business to Latin America, a region with a dynamic market and a population of above 626 million people whose access to mobile phones will reach 80 percent in 2025. Business opportunities in Latin America are massive, even for those who have not yet decided to build an online business brand.

Tech ecosystem overview in Latin America

Companies in Latin America are highly dependent on technology and innovation to provide their products and services to a broader audience. The Fintech industry is an excellent example of this, as this sector is regarded as one of the most attractive sectors for foreign investors.

Financial entities that provide their services with the help of technology are considerably increasing across Latin America. Countries such as Mexico, Chile, and Colombia lead the countries rankings with most Fintechs startups in Latin America. Furthermore, the regions governments have promoted the creation of regulatory frameworks to define this sector's operating rules.

See Also: Top BI and Analytics companies
BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- The State Council, China's cabinet, on Thursday decided to further streamline government administration and improve services.

It also specified measures to support the country's state-owned and private firms, according to a statement issued after a State Council executive meeting, chaired by Premier Li Keqiang.

The country will facilitate the inter-provincial handling of frequently-processed administrative items, such as the registration of market entities and applications for social security cards, according to the statement.

The meeting also decided to simplify the procedures for residents and small companies to get electricity.

The country will support the development of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) as well as private companies. SOEs will be relieved the burden of offering social services and encouraged to strengthen major innovations, while more areas will be open to private companies, the statement said.
Californias unemployment rate was 11.4% in August, down from Julys 13.5%, according to government figures released Friday. The state has the nations fifth-highest unemployment rate, reflecting its early and prolonged shutdowns, as well as its reliance on travel and tourism, which remain moribund.

While the state added 101,900 payroll jobs in August, a total of 2.13 million people remained unemployed, according to the California Employment Development Department.

The unemployment numbers are still completely staggering, said Julia Pollak, labor economist at online jobs marketplace ZipRecruiter. While the country has recovered about half of the jobs lost during the pandemic, California has only recovered only about a third, she said.

Much of the boost in the unemployment rate was due to a decrease in the labor force, which was down by 117,000 for the month and a whopping 807,000 since its peak in February, as Sung Won Sohn, economics professor at Loyola Marymount University, said in a research note.

The crisis has been a huge labor supply shock, Pollak said. Many people decided not to work now to avoid getting sick, or not to look for a job now while their industry is dead. In addition, some parents are staying home with children, and workers may be using this time to return to school to learn new skills.

The state added 101,900 jobs in August  the majority, 66,100, in government. Labor Secretary Julie Su said many of those were U.S. census outreach workers  which are temporary positions.

It is still grim, said Mark Schniepp, director of the California Economic Forecast, a consulting firm. Job creation is moving at a snails pace. There really isnt a recovery now occurring in personal services, food services, hotels. Thats just sad.

Professional and business services added 19,400 jobs. It is now up 90,000 from its bottom in April. Technology remains a big help for the economy, Sohn said. Remote working, online shopping, social media and digital streaming have added jobs especially in the southern Bay Area including the San Jose metro area.

Buoyed by tech, the Bay Area continues to post better unemployment numbers than the state. Professional services are saving the principal Bay Area counties, Schniepp said, but noted that there are countervailing forces. San Mateo County is affected by SFOs decline, while San Francisco, Sonoma and Napa counties are hurt by tourisms plunge.

Leisure and hospitality, the hardest-hit industry group, remains in bad shape. While many sectors saw modest employment gains, leisure and hospitality actually lost 14,600 jobs in August  more than any other industry  bringing its total losses since a year earlier to 633,000, the state said.

About 8,100 of the 9,000 hotel workers in hotel union Unite Here Local 2, in San Francisco and San Mateo counties, remain furloughed, according to union spokesman Ted Waechter.

Maria Mata, 57, was furloughed in early March after eight years as a housekeeper at San Franciscos W Hotel. It took her six weeks to get her unemployment benefits, and even then a couple of weeks were never paid.

Improving conditions Unemployment rates in almost all Bay Area counties in August were better than that in California as a whole. County rates are not seasonally adjusted. Data from survey week including Aug. 12. County or area August unemployment rate July Alameda 11.6% 12% Contra Costa 9.8 12 Marin 7 8.8 Napa 8.3 10.4 San Francisco 8.8 10.9 San Mateo 7.5 9.2 Santa Clara 7.5 9.3 Solano 10.3 12.4 Sonoma 7.7 9.8 Bay Area 8.7 10.5 California 11.4 13.5 Source: California Economic Development Department See More Collapse

The stress was immense  so much so that she thinks it triggered her newly diagnosed diabetes.

Mata supports her mother, Maria Valencia, 88; her son, Jose Rendon, 37; and granddaughter, Valeria Rendon, 7.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

A U.S. citizen, Mata had spent seven years seeking to sponsor her son and granddaughter to come here. They arrived in February, and her son found a janitorial job  which was slated to start the first day of the economic shutdown.

I felt so happy because finally the whole family could be together, she said. Now I feel so frustrated; the situation really blindsided us.

She pays $800 to rent a bedroom for them all in a relatives Concord apartment. (Her son sleeps in the living room.) After the extra $600-a-week federal supplement to unemployment benefits ended in late July, she couldnt pay this months rent, but her relative helped out. The family has started going to a food bank on Sundays for some groceries.

Unite Here Local 2 has used a fund run jointly with hotels to cover workers insurance, but it will be out of money Oct. 31. My big worry is that my medical insurance will end, she said. I really dont know what to do.

Her son is seeking work but its been slow going. She said he got work cleaning houses but has not always been paid.

Shes looking for work, but my hope is that I can go back to the (W) hotel and that it will have good norms around cleaning, she said. Im afraid of COVID-19 because Im at higher risk because of my diabetes. She hopes San Francisco will make permanent its temporary Healthy Buildings ordinance, which mandates multiple daily cleanings at hotels and offices. Supervisors are slated to vote on it Tuesday, but it faces opposition from the hotel industry, which sued to block it.

My dream for a long time was to be able to afford my own place for me and my mom and son and granddaughter, she said. Now that dream feels impossible.

Carolyn Said is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: csaid@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @csaid
The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition government in Maharashtra, comprising the Shiv Sena, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress, has postponed the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the 450-foot (ft) statue of Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar after a row was sparked off over not inviting opposition party leaders and the family members of the social reformer.

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray was to preside over the ceremony at Indu Mills in Dadar on Friday.

As per the invite accessed by HT, the dignitaries invited included deputy CM Ajit Pawar, urban development minister Eknath Shinde, tourism minister Aaditya Thackeray and other cabinet ministers of the Thackeray government.

Also read: Monsoon withdrawal delayed by one week according to IMD

Dr Ambedkars grandson Prakash did not receive any invitation for the event. While his other grandson Anandraj got a last-minute invite.

Former Maharashtra CM and a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis and Pravin Darekar, also of the BJP, were not invited for the event.

Anandraj Ambedkar, who has raised several objections in the past over the quality of construction work of the project, has accused the state government for the alleged snub.

I have been raising objections about the quality of the construction work. I got an invite at the last moment on Friday, he said.

He also questioned the timing of the event because the state is facing several challenges, including the raging coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak.

Prakash took on the state government and asked whether it has the authority to decide who all should attend the event.

Darekar, the leader of opposition in the Maharashtra legislative council, accused the state government of arrogance. It seems the MVA has become arrogant and does not take cognisance of others, he alleged.

In a statement released on Friday afternoon, CM Thackeray said that the event would be held soon and all the leaders would be invited.

There is no need to politicise the issue. Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has made all preparations to revise the design of the statue following the Cabinet approval, the statement read. An important ceremony like this needs everyones participation and I have instructed MMRDA to do the needful, he added.

In January, the Maharashtra Cabinet had given its nod to raise the height of the statue to 350 ft from 250 ft, along with a 100 ft pedestal. The total height of the structure, to be made in bronze, will be 450 ft.

The project cost has also escalated owing to delayed implementation and changes in the initial plan.

At present, the total cost of the project is at Rs 1,089.95 crore, as compared to the earlier estimate of Rs 763.05 crore.

Though the groundbreaking ceremony for the project was done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in October 2015, the construction work is yet to gather momentum.

The project is expected to be completed by April 2022.
A 57-year-old man, who was on Wednesday night arrested over the death of an 18-year-old girl following a botched abortion conducted by him, has now confessed to helping 15 girls of school-going age conduct abortions since Kenya recorded its first coronavirus case in mid-March.

The suspect said he first learnt how to conduct abortions in 1993 from a friend, who was a medical doctor. He (suspect) says he has never had any medical training, let alone interacted with medical books.

After his arrest Wednesday, the suspect told journalists that for the 27 years, which he has been conducting unsafe abortions, very few have died in my hands.

He said he has conducted hundreds of abortions on young girls, youthful women and even, on a few occasions, middle-aged women.

During the COVID-19 schools break, the suspect said he has conducted 15 abortions, including the latest, which, according to him, was the only exercise of the 15 to have ended in a fatality.

The suspect further said for his services, he charged between Ksh7,000 and Ksh10,000 per abortion.

His 15 clients of school-going age during the COVID-19 period were aged between 12 and 18 years old, he said.

The suspect was arrested last night (Wednesday, September 16) after an 18-year-old girl from Ikolomani Constituency died while he was conducting abortion on her.

The deceased, a Form Two student, had been taken to the suspects Imulundu Village home in Lurambi Constituency by her parents.

The deceaseds parents paid the suspect Ksh9,000 for the exercise, authorities said.

However, the Wednesday night exercise backfired after the 18-year-old girl, who was five months pregnant, bled to death at the suspects home.

The girls parents, thereafter, organised the transportation of their daughters body home. However, members of the public got to know about what had transpired, prompting one of the residents to file a report with area chief.

Shimanyiro Sub-Location assistant chief Geoffrey Ikutwa told K24 Digital that the suspect had for long been conducting abortions in the area.

He has been arrested, and we are now investigating allegations that the abortion was sponsored by the girls parents, Anthony Mumakutu and Martha Bunyiwa. If true, they (parents) will also be arraigned, said Ikutwa.

Kakamega Central OCPD, David Kabena, however, said that the trio will be charged with murder.

The girls mother, Martha Bunyiwa, told police that it was her husbands idea to have their daughter undergo an abortion.

The deceased is my daughter from a previous relationship. So, when she got pregnant, my husband, who is the girls step-father, threatened to stop financing her education. He said he did not want to look after a grandchild this early. He, therefore, said the only way he would support our daughter, was after she aborts.

Left with no choice, our girl had to undergo the abortion despite pleading with her step-father to forgive her. It was my husband who offered to pay for the abortion, not me. I wish I had not given in to his pressure, said Bunyiwa, who is being held at Kakamega Central Police Station alongside her husband.

The body of the 18-year-old girl was taken to Kakamega County Teaching and Referral Hospital mortuary as investigations continue.

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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Rome  Fri, September 18, 2020 21:02 490 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c45c5e95 2 Art & Culture pompeii,Italy Free

The world-famous archaeological site of Pompeii could choose a non-Italian as its next general director for the first time, after an international search open to all candidates, Italy's culture minister said on Thursday.

The ruined city that was submerged in ash after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD is the country's second-most visited tourist attraction after Rome's Colosseum, receiving nearly 4 million visits last year.

"We think this contest... will be watched with a lot of interest by the world," Italian Culture Minister Dario Francheschini told journalists during an online press conference.

Pompeii, along with the majority of Italy's cultural sites, has always been led by an Italian. In 2015 for the first time, seven international directors were named to some of the countries' most prestigious museums -- such as Germany's Eike Schmidt at the Uffizi Galleries in Florence -- in an attempt to modernize their dusty, bureaucratic operations, although the appointments have not been without controversy.

Read also: Paris show relives Pompeii's final horrifying hours

Candidate names for the Pompeii post will be accepted until Nov. 3 and a director will be chosen by March, Francheschini said.

The massive site that spreads over 44-hectares is what remains of one of one the richest cities in the Roman empire. Layers of ash buried many buildings and objects in a nearly pristine state, including curled-up corpses of victims.

But the hugely popular site near Naples came to symbolize decades of mismanagement of many of Italy's cultural treasures after a series of wall collapses sparked concern, prompting UNESCO to warn it could be struck off its World Heritage list.

Before the coronavirus crisis hit in late February, Pompeii celebrated the culmination of a US$113 million restoration project, paid for largely by European Union funds, although other restoration projects continue.

Outgoing head Massimo Osanna -- who will become the new director of Italy's state museum system -- said he hoped his successor would pursue the policy put in place two years ago of programmed maintenance "that we didn't have for decades".

That includes regular checks and inspections and using digitized data to help prioritize projects.

Nearly a third of the ancient city has yet to be uncovered by archaeologists.

Topics : pompeii Italy
The Member of Parliament for the Ablekuma West constituency, Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful has for the second time charged the people of the Nkwanta South Constituency to vote massively for the NPP in the December 2020 elections in appreciation of the goodwill shown by President Akufo Addo to the good people of the Oti Region.



The Ablekuma West Lawmaker having fell in love with the newly created Oti region visited to rally support for the NPP's Parliamentary Candidate for Nkwanta South, Sherifa Sekyere Tijani who is poised to make history by wrestling the seat from the NDC.



Joined by the Oti Regional NPP executives, Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful toured the Constituency amidst a retail rally which saw many youth groups present their expectations from government. The groups promised to support the NPP in achieving its developmental goals.



The NPP's Parliamentary Candidate for the Constituency, Madam Sherifa Sekyere Tijani was full of praise for Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful for the support she has given her bid. She was confident that come December 2020, the NPP will win the Nkwanta South Seat for the first time in Ghana's history.



The Ministry of Communications under the leadership of Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful trained about 583 basic school girls in computer skills in the Oti Region.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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A Petrolimex gas station on Hai Ba Trung Street, Ha Noi. The company's shares dropped 1.6 per cent on Thursday. - VNA/VNS Photo Tran Viet

The benchmark VN-Index on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange lost 0.38 per cent to 894.04 points, retreating from a four-day increase of total 0.97 per cent.

The large-cap tracker VN30-Index was down 0.32 per cent to 831.34 points and the VN30 futures due on Thursday slipped 0.43 per cent to 831 points.

The mid-cap and small-cap indices ended almost flat on Thursday.

In the large-cap basket, 21 of the 30 largest stocks by market capitalisation and trading liquidity stepped down while seven were up.

Realty firms Vincom Retail (VRE) and Vingroup (VIC), consumer firm Masan (MSN), petrol company Petrolimex (PLX), and PetroVietnam Power Corp (POW) led the large-cap baskets downturn.

On the other side, steel maker Hoa Phat (HPG), sugar company Thanh Thanh Cong-Bien Hoa (SBT) and SSI Securities (SSI) were among the gainers.

Construction and material sectors still performed well but property, retail, energy, technology and consumer reversed to the negative territory.

On the Ha Noi Stock Exchange, the HNX-Index gained 0.47 per cent to 128.47 points on Thursday.

The northern market index bounced back from a 0.04 per cent drop on Wednesday.

Nearly 457 million shares were traded on the two exchanges, worth VND7.31 trillion (US$313.5 million).

Foreign investors continued net-selling local shares as they offloaded a net value of VND138.7 billion worth of Vietnamese assets, down 31.6 per cent from the previous day.

The domestic market followed a downside across Asian stocks after investors were disappointed at the US central bank Fed for not giving clues about further stimulus packages.

The VN-Index being pushed down from a four-day rally with increasing liquidity proves sellers are becoming stronger, Sai Gon-Ha Noi Securities (SHS) said in its daily report.

But a positive signal is the market sentiment is not negative, given the VN30 futures ending higher than the large-cap VN30-Index, SHS said.

It is likely the VN-Index may fall back to 885 points after it has failed to conquer the short-term peak of 900 points in recent days, the brokerage said.

It should be noted that foreign investors would still net-sell local shares, putting heavier pressure on the market, SHS added.
President Ramaphosa is challenging South Africans this Heritage Day to do the Jerusalema dance challenge.



People across the globe have been jiving to Master KG's hit song.



Now, the President wants SA to do the same to celebrate heritage day.



"There can be no better way to celebrate our South Africans than joining the global phenomenon that is spreading across the world, and that is the Jerusalema Dance Challenge. I urge all of you to take up this challenge on Heritage Day," he said.



President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that South Africa is moving to Level 1 of the lockdown.









President Ramaphosa is challenging you to show us your best dance moves on #HeritageDay. He's urging South Africans to do the #JerusalemaDanceChallenge next Thursday. #eNCA Courtesy #DStv403 pic.twitter.com/wBIdEGBE1c

 eNCA (@eNCA) September 17, 2020

Source: enca.com









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Linkedin Dian Septiari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, September 18, 2020 14:14 490 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c45af2a2 1 World diplomacy,colonialism,Middle-East-conflict,Indonesia,UAE,bahrain,Saudi-Arabia,Palestine,Israel Free

The normalization of diplomatic relations between Israel and some Gulf Arab countries will not change Indonesias support for the Palestinians in the longstanding Middle East conflict, a government spokesman has said.

As a staunch supporter of the Palestinian struggle for independence, predominantly Muslim Indonesia has paid close attention to the latest developments in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Most recently, United States President Donald Trump hosted on Tuesday officials from the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, who signed deals to consolidate furtive ties with Israel despite protests from the Palestinians.

The two countries became the third and fourth Arab states to normalize ties since Israel signed peace treaties with Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994.

Trumps showmanship in celebrating the so-called Abraham Accords has exposed fault lines in the Arab worlds solidarity with the Palestinian people, experts have said, but the move has not persuaded Indonesia to abandon its position on the matter.

For Indonesia, the settlement of the Palestinian issue needs to respect the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and internationally agreed parameters, including a two-state solution, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Teuku Faizasyah told reporters on Thursday.

We understand the intention of the UAE and Bahrain to provide space for the relevant parties to negotiate and change the approach to solving the Palestinian issue through this agreement. However, the effectiveness of the agreement depends to a large extent on Israel's commitment to respect it, Faizasyah said.

He said Indonesia believed that all those involved had to ensure that all initiatives for peace do not derail the decisions made through the Arab Peace Initiative and Organization of Islamic Cooperation resolutions.

Therefore, it is time to consider that these initiatives and agreements are geared toward restarting a credible multilateral process. This will allow equal footing for all parties and be based on agreed international parameters, the official added.

Read also: Kindred spirits: Indonesias 75 years of unwavering support for Palestine

Decades of impasse have weighed down international efforts to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, from the defunct Middle East Quartet to various OIC commitments and the Arab Peace Initiative.

The Arab Peace Initiative was endorsed by the Arab League at the 22-member group's 2002 summit. The proposal calls for the establishment of ties between Israel and the Arab world in exchange for the former's withdrawal from occupied Palestinian territories as well as parts of Syria and Lebanon, along with the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Yon Machmudi, a scholar from the University of Indonesias Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies, said it was becoming increasingly difficult for Indonesia to support the Palestinian cause, on account of the countrys good relations with the UAE, Bahrain and other Gulf countries.

Of course, theres a commitment not to interfere in the affairs of other countries that have normalized [ties with Israel], but Indonesia will still gently remind them not to forget the plight of the Palestinians, he said.

Both UAE and Bahraini officials have sought to reassure the Palestinians that their countries were not abandoning them or their quest for statehood in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, despite the Palestinian leadership having decried the deals as a betrayal of their cause.

Bahrains interior minister said on Monday that its latest policy was aimed at protecting Bahrains interests and strengthening its strategic partnership with the US amid an ongoing threat from Iran.

It is not an abandonment of the Palestinian cause, it is to strengthen Bahrainis security and their economic stability, minister Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa said in a statement, as quoted by Reuters.

Read also: Saudi king calls for 'fair' Palestinian solution in Trump call

Yon noted that, diplomatically, when Arab countries began to recognize the state of Israel, that would have an effect on efforts to support the independence of Palestine.

If we look at the numbers, Israel is gaining acknowledgement of the existence of its statehood, while the numbers in support of Palestines independence do not change. We dont see countries that do not recognize Palestine suddenly change their position, he said.

Before the signing ceremony, Trump told Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu that there were at least five or six countries coming along very quickly to forge their own accords with Israel, Reuters reported.

Trump went on to say a third Gulf Arab state, Saudi Arabia, would strike an agreement with Israel at the right time, but the Saudi cabinet immediately issued a statement on the need for a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue.
When multi-award-winning Ghanaian rapper, Sarkodie received a fake 'UN Kofi Annan Excellence Awards,' he immediately took to social media to brag about it.

During the same time that the 'UN Award' was handed to him at the Alisa Hotel in Accra, musical youngster Kuame Eugene had toppled him for the coveted 'Best Artiste of the Year Award' at the Vodafone Ghana Music Award (VGMA).

Sarkodie lost the top music award and the biggest bragging right in Ghana, but he was compensated with a UN Award and when he shared the success story with his fans, he ended up throwing the spotlight on the organiser of the Global Blueprint Excellence Award, one Dr Kwame Owusu Fordjour  a man who has described himself in many quarters as the Global Ambassador of the United Nations.

The rapper is not the first person to have received the 'UN Humanitarian and Excellence Awards.' Other distinguished personalities, including the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor Ebenezer Oduro Owusu and the Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin were awarded by the organiser this year. The administrator of Ghana's foremost institution of higher learning was presented with the 'Companion of Global Public Excellence Award' for his leadership and vision for humanity.

The other awardees were, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Chairman Wontumi, Berla Mundi of TV3, Angel FM Morning Show host, Captain Smart, Daughters of Glorious Jesus, musician D-Black, Natalie Fort of TV3, and DJ Black of Joy FM, among others. A total of 21 people received the award.

Some Ghanaians have been quick to label the award scheme as a scam but others have praised the organiser for his smartness. I bet those Ghanaians who have taken issues with the Award scheme may not have done that had it not been linked to the United Nations (UN) and the foundation of late UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan.

Kwame Fordjour is reported to have said that the Global Blueprint Excellence Award is organised in collaboration with the United Nations and the Kofi Annan Foundation, a claim that has been disputed by the UN office in Ghana.

But let me state that it is never wrong to create an award scheme to recognise the extraordinary and heroic works of people. No law is breached by doing that. This is done the world over. Prizes in whatever form are a highly visible indicator of recognition. They shape the incentives of the recipients to remain true to their chosen career and strive for excellence.

In Ghana here, there are many awards schemes that started from a position of unknown to a place of known. Today, a few of these schemes are recognised as prestigious platforms because of the hard work of the organisers. I am by no means suggesting the organiser of the Global Blueprint Excellence Award is not a hardworking man. Far from it.

In fact, Kwame Fordjour is one of the hard-working people I have heard and read about in 2020 because of the ease with which he assembled the bigwigs in society. Perhaps, his chief sin which everyone would be quick to point out was the immediate recognition he tried to cloth his award scheme by claiming to be working with the UN and the Kofi Annan Foundation.

In a Facebook post shared on his barely four-month-old page 'Global Public Excellence' on August 30, 2020, he claimed he had been appointed by the then UN Secretary-General to spearhead the award scheme in Africa. He wrote that:

As part of the full Global interactions, Inter-Governmental Researches and reports of the Globe on each region of the World spearheaded by Ambassador Dr Kwame Fordjour's Group, Former Secretary-General institutionalized the Global Public Excellence to award (yearly) World Excellence in which Amb. Dr Fordjour was honoured to Chair in Africa which needed Global Excellence by practices and Exemplary Leadership.

But the United Nations in Ghana has issued a disclaimer saying it has no affiliation with Dr UN and the Global Blueprint Excellence Awards in whatever shape or form. In a strongly-worded statement issued on Sunday, the world body said all genuine UN notices follow strict rules and procedures and are announced/published on UN websites.

If he had not sugar-coated his award and said all those things that are being repeated in the media today, Sarkodie, for instance, would not have abandoned the so-called prestigious Vodafone Ghana Music Awards 2020 for the Global Blueprint Excellence Award.

If ever there is a lesson that this episode serves us, it is that we are all vulnerable at some point  rich and poor, strong and weak, politicians and musicians, and chiefs and lecturers, etc.



The author, A. Kwabena Brakopowers is a development communications practitioner, journalist, essayist and a novelist whose works focus on development communication, politics, gender, migration, and international relations.

He could be reached at [email protected]
Kabul, Sep 18 : Abdullah Abdullah, Chairman of Afghanistan's High Council for National Reconciliation, has said that the talks between government and the Taliban will be difficult, stating that the Afghan team will face issues that will require hard decisions to be made.

"I don't say that these talks will be very simple, these talks will be very hard. We will face issues that will need hard decisions to be made," TOLO News quoted Abdullah as saying in a statement on Thursday.

"But the delegation of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan has gone to Qatar with the support of the government and politicians," he added.

Abdullah also pledged that all the achievements of the last 20 years will be preserved during the negotiations.

"Citizens' rights, women's rights, human rights, victims' and minorities' rights, justice and freedoms that were achieved through many sacrifices, will be preserved in these talks," he said.

Meanwhile, Acting Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar has said that Kabul considers reaching a ceasefire a "key step" in the negotiations, reports TOLO News.

"To achieve a lasting peace, we consider the ceasefire a fundamental step, and peace can be secure when it guarantees the preservation of the country's independence and territorial integrity," said Atmar.

This comes as contact groups of Afghan government and the Taliban continue their discussions about the procedural structure of the talks in Doha.

A member of the Afghan delegation told TOLO News on Thursday that there was a possibility the two sides will finalize their discussions on the procedures by Saturday.

Naming the cause of the war in Afghanistan is said to be one of the key points of contention between the negotiating teams.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Paul Krugman: Why my relaxed view of inflation has been refuted

Its time for policymakers to pivot away from stimulus  in particular, that the Federal Reserve is right to be planning to raise interest rates in the months ahead.
Photo: (Photo : unsplash/Corentin Largeron)

Coconut oil for weight loss has been a topic of choice for health gurus. Many are confused about whether to treat the oil as a health food or to avoid taking it. Only less than 30 percent of nutritionists are aware that oil is 90 percent saturated fat.

President of the Coconut Research Center, Bruce Fife, said that the fat found in the oil is different from the ones found in other oils. He noted that the saturated fat in this oil could help your body burn fat.

3 effective uses of coconut oil to reduce fat

You could use the oil with gusto so long as you could take its strong taste. But, if you are clueless about how to incorporate it into your everyday life, read on to find out three effective uses of the health oil to lose weight.

Cooking

Substitute margarine, vegetable oil, and/or olive oil with the oil when you are cooking. It is a good way of introducing health oil into your system without affecting the taste of your food.

Add to rice

You may also add the oil while you are cooking your rice. For every half-cup of rice, add a teaspoon of coconut oil to the boiling water. The American Chemical Society did research and found that by doing so, you could reduce your caloric intake by 50 to 60 percent.

See also: Coconut Oil Uses: Replacement of Toxic Household Products

Add to salads

Dr. Fife, the author of "The Coconut Oil Miracle," said that you may add it to salad recipes. Apart from that, you could also at it to homemade mayonnaise to maximize nutrient uptake and to help with digestion.

How can coconut oil help you lose weight

The medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) in coconut oil competes with glucose to become the preferred energy source of your body. They take another route through the digestive system to boost your metabolism, which promotes weight loss.

Do take note that you have to take the oil with caution as there was only a small amount of research done about its link to weight loss. Here are three facts about the wonder oil.

See also: Virgin Coconut Oil: How to Use for Baby's Eczema Treatment

Boosts metabolism

Based on research, MCT oils could help you burn more calories per day than oils with long-chain fatty acids. It is the fatty acid found in olive oil, soybean oil, and avocado oil.

Keeps you feeling full

A study proved that the oil satiates the hunger for longer periods than other fats. It noted that taking virgin coconut oil (VCO) daily could help increase your good cholesterol. Associate professor of the University of Pennsylvania clinical medicine, Dr. Neel P. Chokshi, M.D., explained why.

He said that since fats are more satiating and filling, it could help you to lose weight. American Heart Association (AHA) advises that you should limit saturated fat intake to 13 grams only.

See also: How to Detox Using Virgin Coconut Oil Cleanse

Blasts belly fat

A study revealed that the oil could help burn fat, specifically belly fat, the one that is dangerous for your heart.

Points to remember

Since too much intake of the oil could increase your cholesterol, you should still take it in moderation. And if you plan to use oil extracted from this fruit, make sure to buy organic, unrefined, virgin coconut oil.
Commercial real estate investment platform PropShare Capital on Friday launched its second distressed assets fund since the outbreak of the pandemic with a corpus of Rs 100 crore.

This comes on the back of the success of its first distressed listings offering worth Rs 80 crore earlier this year, PropShare Capital said.

The company made the first close of the second fund on Friday with around Rs 50 crore, while it has already received demand for close to Rs 600 crore.

PropShare is a platform that provides ordinary investors access to rent-yielding commercial real estate at much lower investment thresholds of Rs 50 lakh.

The pandemic has created a rare opportunity to acquire high quality realty assets with blue chip tenants at significantly higher yields, it said.

PropShare had raised Rs 80 crore in its first distressed assets fund earlier this year with participation from HNIs, ordinary investors, family offices and select institutional investors.

A part of this offering has already been allocated to a Grade A property in Hyderabad with an estimated internal rate of return of 19 per cent, said Kunal Moktan, co-founder and chief executive of PropShare.

By investing in distressed offerings, investors are provided 25 per cent lower management and performance fees, which subsequently increases their cash yield by up to 1.75 per cent, he added.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Linkedin Kazutoshi Chatani and Fasrul (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, September 18 2020

Being able to work from home and receiving a full salary is a privilege for some groups of people during the COVID-19 pandemic. Millions of people in the world have lost their jobs. Others are obliged to take the risk of virus infection by working outside the home for the sake of their familys survival.

In Indonesia alone, the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) has just announced an increase of the unemployed by 3.72 million. This figure, of course, excludes the workers whose wages are cut due to reduced working hours.

Meanwhile, the government has just announced economic growth of minus 5.3 percent in the second quarter of 2020 and is predicted to remain negative in the third quarter. The World Bank in last July predicted that the recovery would take quite a long time. In fact, many studies show that long-term unemployment can affect individuals, society and the national economy. Those who have been unemployed for a long period of time tend to find it more difficult to find new jobs, earn lower wages, and are late in moving up their career ladder.

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PARK CITY, Utah, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Beechtree Labs has chosen Curavit Clinical Research for a fully decentralized clinical trial to investigate a promising Covid-19 therapy. The FDA-authorized phase 2 clinical study will evaluate the effect of Beech Tree's BTL-TML therapy on mean duration and severity of disease in 40 outpatients aged 60 years or older with underlying conditions. The study also assesses the safety of BTL-TML over 10 days of treatment and an additional four days of follow-up.

The trial is unique in that it is a fully decentralized clinical trial, made possible by applying virtual trial design protocols, digital telehealth technologies, electronic patient reported outcomes (ePRO), and full web and contact center patient support to eliminate the need for in-person office visits.

Thomas Hatch, Director of Business Development at Beech Tree said: "We chose Curavit because of their exclusive focus on designing and executing virtual trials. We needed a company with Curavit's expertise in this important new discipline of clinical research in order to make this trial possible." Joel Morse, CEO of Curavit added: "This is a unique opportunity to apply modern trial design and telehealth technologies to allow patients to participate in this study without the potential risk of traveling to physical sites and to participate from the safety and comfort of their own homes."

ABOUT CURAVIT

Curavit is a new type of clinical research company that designs and executes decentralized - also called "virtual" - clinical trials. Curavit brings together the world's leading researchers, enrolls previously untapped and underserved patient populations, applies machine learning algorithms to health and social engagement information, and leverages leading telehealth, patient data platform, and medical device technologies. Connect: https://www.linkedin.com/company/curavit/ Follow: https://twitter.com/CuravitClinical

ABOUT BEECHTREE LABS

Located in Providence, RI, Beech Tree Labs, Inc. (BTL) focuses on the discovery and early development of therapeutic agents that address a spectrum of unmet medical needs. The company has an extensive portfolio of patented formulations for products intended to treat such disorders as urinary incontinence, allergies, benign prostatic hypertrophy, anxiety, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and herpesvirus infections. BTL has conducted over 15 FDA- authorized phase 2 trials and has out-licensed both technology and products.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS STUDY

The current FDA-approved Phase II pilot study is taking place in Draper, Utah at Intermountain Clinical Research. Additional sites will open in the future. To learn more about this study:

You or your doctor may contact the study research staff ( [email protected] ) or call 833-358-3784.

) or call 833-358-3784. Visit the study website: https://www.sickwithcoronavirus.com/

You can also visit clinicaltrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine database of clinical studies conducted around the world. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT04522830

SOURCE Curavit Clinical Research

Related Links

curavitclinicalresearch.com


A heartwarming moment has been captured in a video and when you see it, youll probably want to know who is cutting onions around you. But the clip is so beautiful, you cannot afford to miss it. The video captures the delightful moment a little baby hears his moms voice for the first time after getting hearing implants. The precious moment has brought smiles and happy tears to many on social media and will likely have the same impact on you as well.

My baby got his hearing aids today. Look at his face, says the caption shared along with the video that has collected over 4.5 million views, and counting.

The moment was recorded when Maison McMillian and his mother Lauryn Webb were at VCU Childrens Hospital in Richmond, Virginia, United States to get the one-year-old his hearing aids, reports ABC News.

Maison, hi, can you hear me? Webb asks her son in the video. The boy immediately smiles and even responds to her in the sweetest way. Watch the video to see the heartening moment. And let us remind you, its alright to tear up.

my baby got his hearing aids today. look at his face  pic.twitter.com/IwwdsQVrSN  finessa hudgins (@lil_lopeep) September 16, 2020

The clip was followed by pictures showing Maisons excitement.

he is so pleased pic.twitter.com/B2JYa0O3oA  finessa hudgins (@lil_lopeep) September 16, 2020

The video, since being shared on September 16, has also collected over 4.9 lakh likes and more than 81,000 reactions. The comments section of the post is flooded with reactions from Twitter who cant help but celebrate the wonderful moment.

Who is slicing onions? wrote an individual. The greatest thing Ive seen all year, thank you for sharing this experience, wrote another.

Omg omg omg omg!!! As a hearing impaired person whos been wearing hearing aids for 25 years, Im sooooo excited for him!!! Theres literally no better feeling in the world than to discover sounds you never knew existed! Awww this made my year!!!  LadyJoub, MOM.D. (@mjoub2020) September 17, 2020

He is the sweetest little angel in the world  his reaction is so precious, the look in his eyes melted my heart into a puddle that some happy tears made bigger. What a blessing to live in a time where this is possible   saoirsequitulias (@s_quitulias) September 17, 2020

what a cutie pie!!! Congratulations - this must have been such a touching moment for you and your son!  Captain Smirk (@spacemanspiff76) September 17, 2020

The response, the excitement in his face...I just cant  God bless you guys  pic.twitter.com/wPUUEMruXt  YouTube: AlexasStarr (@AlexasStarr) September 16, 2020

What do you think about the video?
Ashgabat hosted an international media forum via videoconference dedicated to the 25th anniversary of Turkmenistan's neutrality and the country's election as Vice-President of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly.

The forum was organized by the Turkmen side jointly with the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union. It was attended by heads and representatives of a number of Turkmenistans departments, foreign embassies and international organizations accredited in Ashgabat, as well as more than 300 reporters of news agencies from 68 countries.

The forum participants noted the importance of election of Turkmenistan as Vice-President of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly, taking into account Turkmenistans previous positive experience of work in this capacity. As is known, Turkmenistan was Vice-President of the 58th, 62nd, 64th, 68th and 71st sessions of the UN General Assembly.

Speakers emphasized the relevance of Turkmenistans status of neutrality in modern times for promoting peace, stability and sustainable development. It was noted at the forum that as a new phenomenon in the international legal practice Turkmenistans neutrality laid the foundation for a new concept of cooperation and preservation of peace on the planet.

 TURKMENISTAN.RU, 2022
Kathryn Newton stars in Universal's "Freaky," which will make its world premiere at Beyond Fest. (Universal Pictures)

While film festivals and much of public life have gone virtual in the pandemic, Los Angeles' genre-focused Beyond Fest is here to say: "F COVID."

Starting next month, the seven-day lineup of physical screenings will feature the world premieres of Universal's body-swap slasher "Freaky," director Adam Egypt Mortimer's "Archenemy" (starring Joe Manganiello), the U.S. and West Coast debuts of additional anticipated horror and genre titles and a timely David Lynch triple feature.

All films will be screened from a safe social distance in double bills paired with new or repertory classics at the Mission Tiki Drive-In in Montclair, where Beyond Fest programmers just capped a summer residency of sold-out genre fare.

We specifically wanted to give COVID-19 a resilient middle finger and provide a safe, communal respite for filmmakers and film fans to celebrate the best genre cinema on the biggest screens possible," said Beyond Fest co-founder Christian Parkes.

Joe Manganiello is Max Fist, a hero from another dimension, in Adam Egypt Mortimer's dark superhero tale "Archenemy." (RLJE Films)

Beyond Fest's "F COVID edition" (as proclaimed on this year's poster) officially kicks off with the world premiere of Jim Cummings' "The Wolf of Snow Hollow," a small-town werewolf horror comedy marking the late Robert Forster's final performance.

Christopher Landon's ("Happy Death Day") upcoming Blumhouse horror comedy, "Freaky," starring Kathryn Newton as a teenager who switches bodies with a serial killer (Vince Vaughn), will close the fest on Oct. 8 before Universal opens the film in theaters Nov. 13.

Ahead of the festival, which runs Oct. 2-8, a special screening of Brandon Cronenberg's mind-bending "Possessor Uncut" (starring Andrea Riseborough and Christopher Abbott) will whet appetites a week early on Sept. 24, paired with the 1966 John Frankenheimer film "Seconds."

Proceeds benefit the nonprofit American Cinematheque, whose Egyptian Theatre has been home to past iterations of Beyond Fest.

Story continues

Buzzy titles coming off of splashy fest debuts include A24's "Saint Maud," from filmmaker Rose Glass; Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson's time-twisting "Synchronic," starring Anthony Mackie and Jamie Dornan; and Justin Simien's 1989-set horror-satire "Bad Hair."

The festival will also host the North American premiere of Canadian filmmaker Steven Kostanski's ("The Void," "Manborg") latest, "Psycho Goreman"; the U.S. premiere of "The Dark and the Wicked," from writer-director Bryan Bertino ("The Strangers"); and the U.S. premiere of gothic horror "The Reckoning," directed by Neil Marshall and starring Charlotte Kirk, the British actress in the news lately over the exits of two studio heads.

A salute to Lynch will unfold in what programmers describe as "a timely dissolution of the American Dream" as Beyond Fest screens three of the auteur's signature works: "Blue Velvet" (1986), "Mulholland Drive" (2001) and "Lost Highway" (1997).

Tickets are now on sale. For more details and the full lineup, visit beyondfest.com.
The explosion of coronavirus cases in more and more schools in Romania will cause the closure of more and more education units, courses will be moved online, but many schools lack tablets for teachers and students and Internet access, the Free Trade Union Federation in Education (FSLI) mentions in a press release sent on Friday.

"The Free Trade Union Federation in Education draws the attention of all state institutions responsible for the proper conduct of the instructional-educational process in schools in Romania that we risk getting into a standstill! The explosion of cases of infection with the novel coronavirus registered in more and more schools in Romania brings us face to face with a situation that the government should have anticipated: schools will close and classes will take place in the red scenario, respectively online. Unfortunately, even at this time, after the first week of the new school year, the educational units have not been equipped with the necessary infrastructure: tablets for students and teachers are missing from many localities, as well as the Internet connection of the schools. Under these conditions, the courses cannot take place, and the students have their fundamental right violated, that of benefiting from access to education," reads the release sent by FSLI.

The teachers' trade union estimates that hundreds of thousands of students are at risk of not being able to attend online courses.

"The Free Trade Union Federation in Education considers that in the absence of a national government program to provide equipment for students and teachers, hundreds of thousands of students will not be able to attend the online school. It's a vain hope to believe that local authorities will provide this equipment, because there are only a few schools that have the necessary funds, and the option for the educational units to make projects, through which to purchase equipment, is also utopian," the FSLI communique specifies.

The Free Trade Union Federation in Education calls for the involvement of the Government in resolving legislative loopholes due to which teachers and students may become victims of the coronavirus.

The president of the teachers' trade union, Simion Hancescu, emphasizes that due to the lack of training of state institutions, many schools become epidemiological bombs.
ByteDance's bid to keep most of TikTok faces major hurdles FILE PHOTO: A TikTok logo is displayed on a smartphone

By Yingzhi Yang and Brenda Goh

BEIJING (Reuters) - China will need to approve ByteDance's proposed deal with Oracle Corp for its TikTok app, the Chinese company said on Thursday, indicating how its bid to stave off a ban in the United States could be further complicated.

Oracle has submitted a proposal to the Trump administration that will allow it to become a technology partner in the TikTok app, as ByteDance hopes to head off a Trump order that it divest TikTok's U.S. operations.

The proposal envisages making TikTok Global a U.S.-headquartered company.

But U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday raised questions about ByteDance's plans to keep a majority stake in TikTok's U.S. operations and said he did not favor the idea of the Chinese firm retaining control, after six Republican lawmakers urged him to reject the proposal.

Trump has said he would ban TikTok in the United States as early as Sunday if ByteDance does not comply amid U.S. concerns that the company could pass user data to China's Communist Party government.

An outright sale of TikTok's operations or technologies was not included in ByteDance's proposal to the United States, Chinese state media reported on Thursday citing a separate statement from the company.

ByteDance declined to comment when asked about this by Reuters.

When asked about ByteDance's comments regarding the need for China's approval, the foreign ministry on Thursday urged the United States to respect the principles of the market economy and fair competition, and to stop politicising normal economic and trade cooperation.

China late last month updated its export control rules to give it a say over the transfer of technology such as TikToks user recommendation algorithm to foreign buyers.

Reuters has reported that the Oracle deal would not require ByteDance to apply to Chinese authorities for an export licence for TikTok's algorithm.

ByteDance and its founder Zhang Yiming have faced public criticism in China for seeming to give in to U.S. pressure after it was reported it was contemplating a sale of TikTok's U.S. operations to Microsoft Corp. Some netizens said they would stop using Douyin, ByteDance's Chinese version of TikTok.

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"ByteDance, as it works to find a solution to keep TikTok's U.S. business alive, is walking a tightrope between the demands of the U.S. government on the one side and the expectations of both the Chinese government and public on the other," said Mark Natkin, managing director at Marbridge Consulting.

"It can't afford to make any missteps along the way."

(Reporting by Yingzhi Yang in Beijing and Brenda Goh in Shanghai; additional reporting by Yew Lun Tian in Beijing; editing by Christopher Cushing and Jason Neely)
Owner Sarah Trubnick stands in the Barrel Room restaurant in San Francisco in July. The city will permit inside dining at restaurants when it moves to the next less-restrictive tier. (Jeff Chiu / Associated Press)

San Francisco will allow inside dining at restaurants when the city moves into the next tier of reopenings, possibly by the end of the month, city officials said Friday.

Indoor dining will be limited to 25% capacity, up to 100 people. The Department of Public Health is working with the restaurant industry to develop health and safety guidelines for the reopening.

Restaurants have been hit hard by COVID-19, Mayor London Breed said in a news release. Many have adapted with takeout and outdoor dining, but theyve still been barely hanging on and, sadly, some have closed for good.

California has established color-coded tiers for reopening. San Francisco is now in the red zone, the second most-restricted tier, indicating transmission of the virus is substantial.

City officials said restaurants can reopen for indoor dining when the city moves into the less-restrictive orange tier, which will occur no sooner than the end of the month, the release said.

Our restaurants have been devastated during this pandemic, & we're hopeful that this can provide another small measure of relief while still protecting public health. I want to thank @ggrasf and all of the restaurant owners who have been working with us to create a workable plan.  London Breed (@LondonBreed) September 18, 2020

Under the current system, counties are allowed to reopen indoor dining at limited capacity while in the red tier. However, San Francisco  the second densest city in the country after New York  has moved more slowly than other places to reopen, following its own local health indicators rather than the states.

Our measured approach to reopening is grounded in science and facts, and science clearly tells us that indoor activities come with additional risk, said Dr. Tomas Aragon, the citys health officer.

We must work with the restaurants and business owners to implement strong safety protocols that help mitigate this additional risk and protect the safety of our employees, customers and the community.

City officials said in-classroom instruction with limited capacity would resume Monday for schools that have submitted safety plans and received approval.
Trying to lock down a professional haircut in Melbourne is a hairy proposition under Stage 4 restrictions. But its a risk that countless furry and grey-tinged folk  plus brazen barbers and hairdressers  are willing to take.

On Airtasker, Gumtree and Facebook Marketplace, dozens of people from South Yarra to Caroline Springs and Kilsyth are seeking black market hair services, with some cutters receiving numerous recent reviews.

Clandestine haircuts: the 2020 trend we didn't see coming. Credit:iStock

Thanks James for coming out and cutting my hair in such a small space. Hes a great guy who was lovely to talk to! wrote Daniel three weeks ago, as other bids continued to trickle in on jobs advertised this week.

On Facebook Marketplace, Michael was seeking someone to tame his unruly mop. But he said hed received no bites and was destined to look like Albert Einstein unless his family gave him a home job.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 10:01:59|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- China's armed forces have sent over 40,000 peacekeepers to 25 United Nations peacekeeping missions over the past 30 years, says a white paper released by the State Council Information Office Friday.

The peacekeepers have faithfully performed their duties and made a positive contribution to world peace and common development, according to the white paper titled "China's Armed Forces: 30 Years of UN Peacekeeping Operations." Enditem
A law that allowed an 89-year-old womans house to be put up for auction because she owed 6 cents in back taxes would be amended under a bill that her state senator plans to introduce in the coming weeks.

The story of the octogenarian Ocean Township homeowner, Glen Kristi Goldenthal, drew international attention this week after her daughter in Virginia bitterly denounced township officials in a video she posted September 9 on Twitter.

Today, I spent the entire day saving her home from a tax sale that was happening today that she didnt want to tell me about because she has Alzheimers, Goldenthals daughter, Lisa Suhay, said in the video, posted above.

So, half the time she didnt even remember it was happening, and the other half the time she was too terrified to tell me, and too ashamed, and too afraid and too worried," Suhay said. "A tax sale for an 89-year-old womans home in the middle of a pandemic. And do you want to know how much my mother owed? Six cents. Six pennies. And for that, they put her house up for sale today.

Goldenthals house didnt ended being auctioned off, after Suhay had paid what was owed on the property, which totaled more than $300, including fees.

And the threat of an auction stemming from a similarly small delinquency may be less likely in the future, after the incident prompted Mayor Christopher Siciliano to reach out to State Sen. Vin Gopal, D-Monmouth, asking the lawmaker to introduce legislation to prevent such a minuscule debt from threatening the loss of a home in the future.

Reached on Thursday, Gopal said he would do just that, with a bill that would set a minimum dollar amount owed, probably $100 or less, before a property was subject to auction.

As it stands now, state law governing tax sales, NJSA 54:5-20.1 calls for an auction when a lien exceeds $100, but leaves it up to the discretion of the local tax collector to decide whether and when to put a property up for a tax auction when the amount owed is less than that.

This would remove the discretion, said Gopal, who added that there was an increased likelihood that property owners of any age might fall behind on their taxes amid the coronavirus-related economic downturn.

I think its a little ridiculous and unfortunate, and we need to do everything we can to make sure that those who are most vulnerable shouldnt be shut out, especially during these tough times, Gopal said.

In defense of Oceans tax officials, Siciliano said the six cents owed on the property was part of a years-long pattern of delinquency related to Goldenthals Redmond Avenue property that persists to this day. He said her address was among those on a computer-generated list of properties subject to auctioning due to non-payment of liens, without details of the property owners ages or other circumstances.

The six cents owed from 2019, he said, was actually the amount that a purchaser of a prior tax lien on the property had shorted the township when paying  or intending to pay off  the lien, which had been for a much more significant amount.

Siciliano added that the property was delinquent on its 2020 taxes by a total of $6,261.97 as of Sept. 10, and that it had been delinquent for most of the last five years, or 16 of the last 20 quarters.

Siciliano said he felt badly for Goldenthal  which is why he intervened  an elderly woman reliant on a daughter living hundreds of miles away to keep her taxes and other bills paid.

I feel terrible for her, Sicliano said of Goldenthal. She has a long-distance caregiver, and Im sure its tough for her to keep on top of everything.

Reached on Saturday, Suhay said she has tried without success to get the township to substitute her own contact information for her mothers to assure that the propertys taxes are paid on time. If thats the case, Siciliano said Saturday, it would be fixed.

CORRECTION: This story was corrected to state that Mayor Christopher Sicilianos intervention in the case only occurred after the impending tax sale had been halted by the payment of the delinquency, when the mayor called on a state lawmaker to introduce legislation addressing the situation. The mayor had not intervened to halt the sale. A statement by the property owners daughter, Lisa Suhay, regarding contact information for the property, as well as a response from the mayor, were added.

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Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveStrunsky. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips
National Farm Safety and Health Week Uplifts Agricultural Workers

The event, hosted by the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety, will run from September 21 to September 25.

The National Education Center for Agricultural Safetys National Farm Safety and Health Week will start on September 21 and run through September 25.

The week-long event was created to combat the dangers of the agricultural industry during fall harvest, which includes about 23.4 deaths per 100,000 workers, according to 2018 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The theme for this year, Every Farmer Counts, will celebrate farmers and acknowledge the difficulties they have encountered during the pandemic this year.

Each day of the week will highlight a new topic. The first day of National Farm and Health Week will focus on tractor safety and rural roadway safety and will go on to include topics like overall farmer health and safety and health for women in agriculture.

Webinars that correspond with the days designated topic will be held to further inform participants and provide an interactive experience.

For more information on National Farm Safety and Health week events, visit necasag.org
He looks at light and shade and wants to know what makes his subject tick. He says he finds me interesting and intense. Paint fumes will do that. While I sit there, I try to work out what makes him tick. He talks while he paints. It is a story that could make a movie. His journey to Melbourne took three generations, a family that triumphed over crimes against humanity on three continents and sliding-door moments of unexpected romance stretched across the globe. Mica Pillemer: A self-portrait. Credit:Mica Pillemer We begin in Lithuania in the 1940s. It is the darkest and deepest hole of the Holocaust. When Germany invades, there are 210,000 Jews living there. When they retreat three years later, there are 15,000. Mikas grandmother, Edith, is 16 when she is imprisoned in a concentration camp. She eats only what she knows is safe and keeps well enough to work in factories and avoid the gas chambers.

One of her friends becomes a camp guards mistress. Mica says: He told this girl, I dont want you to die and they are going to liquidate the camp. I want to get you out.' She said, Im not going without my friends, and my grandmother was her best friend. If it wasnt for her sticking her neck out for my grandmother, she wouldnt have survived. The guard smuggles them out and hides them in a flat. They live on tiny portions of sugar and a few potatoes until liberated by the British. Years earlier, a successful Berlin baker had seen the beginning of the Nazis' Final Solution. He had two Catholics working for him as delivery men. The SA Brownshirts killed one driver because he worked for a Jew. That was the sign to my great-grandfather that if they would kill someone for working for a Jew, they would eventually kill all the Jews.

The family fled to Palestine. When Edith sailed into the same port, a young man was assigned to greet her, and so Sol Goodrich - the Berlin baker's son  became Micas grandfather. Meanwhile in Latvia, there is a family of eight sons and eight daughters. Well before the Nazis' reign of terror, anti-Jewish sentiments are growing and the eldest son escapes on a cargo ship to South Africa. He worked day and night and saved enough money to send for a brother and they worked until they had enough to get two more brothers [out], and then they got the four remaining ones, Mica says. They urge their sisters to join them but they are married and decide to stay. They are all killed in the Holocaust. The man who jumped on the cargo ship died young and his son became a partner in a prestigious South African law firm. They are wealthy but the family that was oppressed in Europe sees the same racist overtones in apartheid.

The lawyers son  Mica's father, David  is an outspoken critic of a regime that doesnt tolerate outspoken critics. He couldnt keep quiet, he marched and protested. The secret police parked outside the house and in the middle of the night, knocked on the door and told my grandfather his son was hanging around with the wrong people and something needed to be done or there would be trouble." David was put on a plane to Israel. When David's father died, more than 200 people of colour came to pay their respects to a man who had secretly helped them for years. Mica says they told his widow your husband paid for my kids to go to school" or "your husband helped set up our business". In New York, Ediths daughter, Arna, takes a year out to study at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and answers an ad for shared accommodation. One of the renters is David Pillemer. Mica's portrait of his grandfather Sol Goodrich. Credit:Mica Pillemer He hated her at first, says Mica. Eight months later, they were married.

The couple set up a law firm in California. They give their son, Mica, a career choice: be a lawyer or a scientist (a relative had won the Nobel Prize for chemistry, so it was a pretty high bar). The trouble is that from the age of 17, Mica knows he wants to be an artist. He has to overcome more than his parents concerns, for in the beginning he isnt very good. I was actually quite lousy. I thought I was a genius but I was actually pretty awful. He drops out of university and moves home. I was getting pressure to drop all this art rubbish and become a lawyer. He sent a portfolio of work to Disney to join their animators' art school. I thought I was a shoo-in but I was rejected with a note saying: Learn how to draw first.

While at Disney, he picks up a pamphlet for an art school where the works look as if they are produced by historical masters. He eventually enrols for one class. Soon, he is doing 14 a week. In New York, Melbourne lawyer Tania Mattei is a big cheese in the Big Apple's world of international takeovers. It is energy-sapping work, with all-night cramming considered part of the job. A photo taken after American Airlines Flight 11 hit the North Tower of the World Trade Centre, before the South Tower was hit on September 11, 2001. Credit:Tania Mattei It is a Tuesday, about 8.45am, and she is running late for work when she hears a plane flying at an unusually low altitude. Moments later, an American Airlines Boeing 767 ploughs into the World Trade Centre. It is September 11, 2001. She grabs her camera and is taking pictures when the second plane hits. She takes the lift to the foyer of her apartment building, where the doorman directs everyone to head away towards Brooklyn.

As she was heading there, she thought this doesnt feel right, says Mica. She turns around and heads back against the flow. She is near her apartment again when the first tower falls. She felt something was going to happen and started to run. She just heard this collective gasp from people behind her, Mica says. Mica is living in Los Angeles and after September 11 considers giving up his art dreams to enlist. Then his parents decide having a son who is struggling artist is not such a bad idea. He moves to New York and takes classes at the Art Students League. A shot taken by Tania Mattei as she left her apartment building on September 11, 2001. Credit:Tania Mattei

After September 11, Tania takes stock of her life: It drove home to her that if there is anything you want do in life, seize it, because in a moment it can all be gone. Tania wanted to paint and enrolled at the Art Students League. Thats where we met, Mica says. Soon, they are travelling to the great art cities of Europe. In Florence, she is delighted when a care package arrives from Australia. Her father has included DVDs of Melbourne's AFL games. "She said, 'this is AFL, now sit down and I will teach you the rules'," Mica recalls. "She made me watch every single game and they always lost. At the end you could see she was just miserable. She couldnt wait for the next game. Eventually, he understood and is now a rusted-on Demons supporter, believing AFL is the best sport in the world.
Janelle Monae, left, and London Boyce in "Antebellum." (Matt Kennedy / Lionsgate)

Once Jordan Peele's searing Oscar winner "Get Out" kicked open the doors to cinema's Sunken Place in 2017, many hoped that a wave of similarly minded thrillers would follow, using genre storytelling to confront the racism simmering beneath the American veneer. "Antebellum," a woefully miscalculated high-concept horror tale from writer-directors Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz, reminds us that when new films aim to jangle those raw nerves with the same sharp-edged accuracy, they just might fail  some spectacularly so.

Such is the case of "Antebellum," despite its convincingly sadistic villains, M. Night Shyamalan-esque twist and ominous violin-filled score; despite being credited to two of the producers of "Get Out" and Peele's hit follow-up, "Us"; and despite a grueling performance by Grammy-nominated recording superstar Janelle Monae, who squeezes blood, sweat and tears onto the screen in her first leading role.

Monae certainly deserved to anchor a far better film than this. With a tinge of speculative sci-fi horror, Bush and Renz initially set up something with grander potential. Playing an enslaved Black woman named Eden, trapped in bondage on a 19th century Southern cotton plantation  and also PhD sociologist and successful author Veronica Henley, who lives a blessed present-day life with her young daughter and loving husband  the "Dirty Computer" artist turns in a dual performance as the film teases its structural mystery: How are these two women connected?

From its first moments, "Antebellum" roots itself in a sickly familiar dread. The film opens on a quote from William Faulkner  "The past is never dead. It's not even past."  before a showy single-take shot by cinematographer Pedro Luque brings an ugly slice of America's past to life. His omniscient camera floats, as if carried on an invisible wind, through a picturesque plantation in full bustle  gliding by grazing farm animals, a white mother and child in period dresses, Confederate soldiers marching in formation, slave women in crisp aprons whose faces are half-frozen in fear  before finally landing on a defeated and distraught Eden, who's been slung over a horse and returned after a failed escape attempt.

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Inspired by a nightmare codirector Gerard Bush awoke from years ago, "Antebellum" marks the feature writing and directing debut of Bush and Christopher Renz. The duo transitioned to filmmaking from a career in fashion and luxury advertising, after helming short films and music videos. (Matt Kennedy / Lionsgate)

From there the first act's unrelenting brutalities unfold, and the film racks up a chilling parade of verbal, physical and psychological abuses inflicted on Eden and her compatriots, including the heartbroken Eli (an affecting Tongayi Chirisa), who urges her to plan another escape, and new arrival Julia (Kiersey Clemons), who bristles against Eden's reluctance to rise up against their captors.

The monsters of "Antebellum," white villains who get off on the silence and subservience of their Black prisoners, drip with a honeyed evil, from mercurial overseer Captain Jasper (a drawling Jack Huston) to the controlling plantation owner, known as "Him" (Eric Lange), who rapes Eden nightly in her own bed. Jena Malone walks an expert line between razored, genteel condescension and hateful resentment as a poisonous Southern belle named Elizabeth, arguably the film's most fearsome character.

So heavy are the first 40 minutes of trauma and suffering, it's almost a welcome relief when a jarring cut introduces us to Monae's other persona, Veronica, and her life a world away from Eden's horrific existence. She's a picture of modern superwomanhood who seems to have it all: a great house, a flourishing career, an adorable daughter (London Boyce), a loving husband (Marque Richardson) and a hit book about empowering the historically marginalized. That work has landed her choice gigs on cable news shows, where her viral takedowns of old white men have made her a national sensation.

When Veronica takes a quick work trip to New Orleans to speak at a summit on inclusion, Monae shines with confidence and charisma. Chemistry crackles when she meets up with her friends Dawn (a scene-stealing Gabourey Sidibe) and Sarah (Lily Cowles) for a night on the town, and the filmmakers add layers to their exploration of the link between the bigotry of the past and that which still persists in the present. We watch as Veronica deftly navigates microaggressions from various white strangers, even as increasingly sinister inklings of dread creep into view.

Janelle Monae stars in "Antebellum," whose mystery revolves around the horrors of America's past and present. (Matt Kennedy / Lionsgate)

As "Antebellum" approaches its third act, fate intervenes and the timelines collide. (Much of the film's plot is best left unspoiled.) How Veronica and Eden are linked should be the film's most satisfying turn, but the first-time feature directors tip their hands far too early and often, clumsily telegraphing clues and leaning on a twist that turns out to be more cheap than clever. Antebellum ultimately trips over its gimmicky plotting en route to a conclusion that rings false.

Initially slated to open in theaters this spring, the film Antebellum arrives on VOD following a summer of widespread protests in an urgent period of racial reckoning in America in America. The title, referring to the era preceding the Civil War, also seems now to hearken to our volatile present and uncertain future, with an election now only months weeks away and current attempts, including from President Trump, to minimize educational efforts to explore the historical impact of slavery, such as the New York Times 1619 Project. But considering the subject matter and the filmmakers own socially conscious aims, it too often feels like Black lives should matter more in Antebellum.

By spending more time lingering in slow-motion on Monaes face during a visually striking horseback chase than is spent exploring the traumas she endures onscreen, the film wants it both ways  to try to provoke serious conversations around Americas legacy of white supremacy, and also thrill audiences with lurid turns toward sensational revenge fantasy. Overly enamored of their own tepid twist and reliant on on-the-nose platitudes, Bush and Renz, advertising veterans and self-described activist filmmakers, mine America's original sin of slavery and botch the landing. The results are neither cathartic nor a convincing call to action; such horrors without humanity yield hollow frights.
The festival of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is a joyous occasion celebrated by members of the religious community all over the world.

The festival consists of many elements, including prayer services in synagogues and the blowing of an ancient musical horn called a "shofar", which is made from a rams horn.

However, one of the most anticipated aspects of Rosh Hashanah is undeniably all of the delicious, sweet foods that Jewish people eat throughout the festival, which starts this year on the evening of Friday 18 September and ends on Sunday 20 September.

During Rosh Hashanah, Jewish people will frequently say the Hebrew phrases: Shana Tova or Shana Tova UMetukah to one another, meaning: A good year or A good and sweet year.

The sweet foods that are eaten during Rosh Hashanah are therefore meant to symbolise the hope for a sweet and happy year ahead.

Recommended The reason why representation of Jewish people in art is so crucial

One of the most recognisable food staples that adorns the dinner table during Rosh Hashanah is apple and honey, a traditional combination that has passed down the generations for centuries.

This is accompanied by a song that is taught to young children at cheder (Jewish Sunday school), which goes: Dip the apple in the honey, make a bracha [blessing] loud and clear. LShana Tova UMetuka, have a happy sweet New Year.

In addition to dipping the apple in the honey, Jewish people also frequently eat honey cake, pomegranates and round raisin loaves of challah to see in the New Year.

Read all about the foods that are traditionally served during Rosh Hashanah, from honey cake to a fishs head:

Apple and honey

Apple and honey (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The dipping of the apple in the honey is one of the most recognisable traditions associated with Rosh Hashanah.

The honey symbolises the excitement for a sweet New Year ahead.

Its believed that centuries ago, the apple was chosen as the fruit that was to be dipped into the honey on Rosh Hashanah due to the symbolic nature of the fruit.

According to a Lexicon of Jewish Cooking, written by Patti Shosteck, in medieval times apples were so revered that people would carve prayers into the apple skins before eating them.

Pomegranate

Pomegranate (Getty Images)

The pomegranate is also a highly symbolic fruit eaten by the Jewish people during the New Year.

The Torah, the Jewish scroll that contains the first five books of the Tanakh, consists of 613 mitzvot, or commandments.

The Jewish Museum in New York City states that a pomegranate supposedly consists of 613 seeds, which is why it is eaten during Rosh Hashanah.

On top of that, its also a sweet fruit, which is why it ties in nicely with the festival.

Jewish people also eat many other types of fruits during Rosh Hashanah, including dates, lychees and star fruits.

Round raisin challah

Round challah (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Challah is a special Jewish bread that is frequently eaten on Shabbat and during religious festivals.

Usually challah loaves are plaited and adorned with different types of seeds, such as sesame or poppy seeds.

However, when Rosh Hashanah comes around, round raisin challahs become especially popular as opposed to long, plaited variations.

Project Genesis, a Jewish education organisation, recommends substituting the raisins for dried cranberries or sour cherries as an alternative to the raisin loaf.

Kiddush wine

Kiddush wine (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A Jewish celebration isnt complete without an abundance of kiddush wine to mark the occasion.

A kiddush is a type of blessing recited over wine or grape juice during Shabbat or other Jewish festivals.

Kiddush wine is typically much sweeter than other types of wine.

Its explained on the Chabad website that during periods of time when Jewish communities were impoverished, many couldnt afford to buy expensive wine for Shabbat.

Therefore, they would often have to resort to buying cheap, sweet wine that was sometimes made from raisins instead.

Honey cake

Honey cake (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

It should come as no surprise that honey cake is eaten during Rosh Hashanah, what with the festivals focus on sweet food.

Many Jewish people who make honey cake to celebrate the New Year will make batches that they will then give to friends and family to spread love and happiness during the festive occasion.

The cakes ingredients often include cinnamon, ginger and  of course  honey or syrup.

Fish head

Fish's head (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Its customary for some Jewish people to eat the head of a fish during Rosh Hashanah.

Why, you may ask? The reasoning stems from the literal translation of the festivals name.

Since Rosh Hashanah translates literally as Head of the Year, eating a fish head on the holiday became a little joke about the verse, explained Jeremy Kalmanofsky, rabbi of New York Citys Conservative Ansche Chesed.

You should start your year as the head [or leader] and not the tail [or follower]."
When a hotel opens, the area around it is almost spontaneously revitalised. Likewise, when one closes, even for a few months, it has a devastating effect on local shops, bars and restaurants. That's why the spine-chilling forecast that 80 per cent of hotels will close for the winter is likely to have a major impact on the economy of the province.

The knock-on effect of tourism has yet to be seen and its consequences will be measured in loss of wealth and employment. Not even the hotels that stayed open or the busiest resorts have been spared the Covid-19 crisis. The sector sees no sign of the decision to stop tourists coming 'sine die' being reversed. The times in which we are living make it more inviting to save companies and jobs than to take risks.

And how have we come to be in this situation? Well, the general answer is that there is no demand. Occupancy levels are at a minimum, even though prices are starting to touch rock-bottom. Recommendations by countries such as Germany, Holland, Belgium and Denmark not to travel to Spain, and the UK's quarantine on travellers coming from Spain, have taken the sector to the limit.

There is no activity from tour operators, no bookings from the clients who always come in winter, because most of them are retired Europeans and are now too scared to leave their homes, and little in the way of leisure options to tempt brave souls who would like to travel. In addition, there are continual last-minute cancellations and events and conferences are being called off.

The Costa has entered a tunnel which, at the moment, appears to have no end. Experts say the authorities should have anticipated this situation and carried out massive testing before departure and upon arrival as the only way of selling safety after the borders reopened, not when peak tourist season is over for most Spanish destinations; they are only trying to save this situation now with rapid testing at airports in the Canary Islands.

The sector has felt abandoned and the government has been stabbing in the dark, the consequences of which will be seen later on.

The winter closure is just the first step in an unprecedented crisis which will get worse as companies fail to cope with the debts incurred during three months of enforced closure and a disastrous peak season with occupancy levels lower than the quietest months of the year.

Some have no idea when they will reopen, because they don't know whether in 2021 there will be Holy Week celebrations or not, whether there will be a peak season or not, or whether the Malaga Fair will take place again or not.

The virus is incompatible with tourism, even though the sector has invested in looking after visitors and its employees. The zero contagion figures in hotels speak for themselves. Now the administrations and businesses will need to work hard together to get over this. They need to start now, and to do it with determination and purpose.
AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --

Jeep Adventure Academy to provide hands-on, off-road driving instruction for any Jeep 4x4 owner, novice to advanced

Seasoned instructors from Jeep Jamboree USA to lead in-depth instruction at three locations across the country, beginning in October

The Jeep brand will introduce its first-ever Jeep Adventure Academy to provide hands-on, off-road driving instruction to Jeep 4x4 owners. Beginning this October, the Jeep Adventure Academy will take place in select locations across the country and will be led by off-roading experts and prominent instructors from Jeep Jamboree USA. Participants will learn off-roading basics and even more about their Jeep brand vehicle's legendary capability, while building confidence and connections within the Jeep brand community of adventure seekers.

"Off-roading is a rite of passage for Jeep 4x4 owners and the new Jeep Adventure Academy will provide key knowledge every off-roader can use for hitting the trails," said Jim Morrison, Head of Jeep Brand, FCA - North America. "The new Jeep Adventure Academy underscores the Jeep brand's commitment to delivering Jeep 4x4 vehicles that provide owners with a sense of capability, safety and security to handle any condition or adventure with confidence."

Jeep Adventure Academy classes will focus on several essential areas of off-roading instruction, including 4x4 system basics, driving techniques, trail etiquette, vehicle preparation and equipment, how to properly read terrain and challenging obstacles, safety tips and more.

The Jeep Adventure Academy will take place during the first three weeks in October at the following locations:

Registration is available at jeepadventureacademy.com. A one-day session starts at $99 and requires Jeep 4x4 vehicle ownership. The academy sessions will be led by professional staff from Jeep Jamboree USA, an organization that has been conducting off-road adventures since 1953.

Jeep Brand

Built on nearly 80 years of legendary heritage, Jeep is the authentic SUV with capability, craftsmanship and versatility for people who seek extraordinary journeys. The Jeep brand delivers an open invitation to live life to the fullest by offering a full line of vehicles that continue to provide owners with a sense of security to handle any journey with confidence.

The Jeep vehicle lineup consists of the Cherokee, Compass, Gladiator, Grand Cherokee, Renegade and Wrangler. To meet consumer demand around the world, all Jeep models sold outside North America are available in both left- and right-hand drive configurations and with gasoline and diesel powertrain options. Jeep is part of the portfolio of brands offered by global automaker Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. For more information regarding FCA (NYSE: FCAU/ MTA: FCA), please visit www.fcagroup.com.

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The saying goes, the internet is forever. Now, the Wayback Machine and Cloudflare are doing their part to strengthen that adage. The two are joining forces to ensure more web pages are archived, according to a post on the Internet Archive blog.

The Wayback Machine, a project of Internet Archive, allows you to view web pages as they appeared on certain past dates. Internet Archive obtains URLs to archive a few different ways, including user submissions and crawling from lists of millions of sites. The partnership with Cloudflare means Internet Archive has another source for URLs -- websites that use Cloudflares Always Online service. Always Online creates a static image of web pages for clients in case their servers go offline. As customers enter URLs to Always Online, they will also automatically be submitted for archiving at the Wayback Machine.

There are currently more than 468 billion web pages available using the Wayback Machine, and about 1 billion URLs are archived each day, according to the blog post. Its unclear exactly how many more URLs the Cloudflare partnership will bring, but at any rate it will back up more of the internet for public use -- which is a good thing.
The Congress has said it will lodge a complaint with the Election Commission (EC) over ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)s alleged attempts to misuse government machinery to manipulate elections after a video went viral on social media showing Madhya Pradesh minister Imarti Devi purportedly saying they can win any seat in the crucial by-polls in November by just telling a collector to ensure that. The BJP enjoys a wafer-thin majority in the 230-member state assembly. It needs to win nine out of 28 seats for which by-polls are scheduled to stay in power. The BJP currently has 107 seats while Congress 88 in the House with an effective strength of 202.

Devi was among the 21 Congress lawmakers whose resignations brought down chief minister Kamal Naths government in March and paved the way for BJPs return to power.

Also Read: Harsimrat Kaur ejects out of Cabinet over farm bills, her party stays in NDA

In the video, she is seen addressing a gathering in a village in her Dabra constituency, where she is due to contest the bypolls in November. We [BJP] need only eight seats whereas Congress needs at least 27 seats. Please tell me if it is possible that the government will keep its eyes shut and they will win all the seats? The government enjoys so much majority that it can get any seat just by telling a collector that it wants this seat, she is purportedly heard saying in the 30-second video. HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.

Devi said her statement was distorted and that she had said it is the duty of officers to provide benefits of government schemes to the people and develop the area. If officers work properly, the government will get the benefits of the schemes.

Congress spokesman JP Dhanopia said they will lodge a complaint with the EC. What the minister Imarti Devi said speaks volumes about the ruling partys design to misuse government machinery during the bypolls.

BJP leader Hitesh Bajpai said Devi has denied having made such a statement. Distorting her statement must be a handiwork of some mischievous elements to defame the government and the ruling party. People know well who these elements are. In the manner the video has been edited gives strong evidence that there are some people behind it.

Devi was also a minister in the Kamal Nath government before she joined the BJP.
Universities overseas are chartering flights for thousands of Chinese international students to return to their studies, leaving Australia racing to keep up with its top competitors, Britain, the US and Canada, in its third biggest export industry.

As Australian universities endured a horror-week of staff layoffs as border closures continued to cripple their budgets, China's Ministry of Education has also begun plans to recognise degrees partially completed at overseas universities in its own institutions, eliminating the need for some international students to return to Australia.

More than 20 universities in the UK have joined together to charter flights for Chinese students to Britain. Credit:AP

The Ministry on Thursday told Chinese state media it would allow universities to accept students studying abroad to study in domestic universities "on the premise of ensuring education equity" while recognising foreign qualifications for partially completed degrees at local institutions.

More than 20 universities in the United Kingdom have joined together to charter flights for Chinese students to Britain. The UK had earlier declared it would treat Chinese students the same as those from the European Union for visa purposes. The flights through Hainan Airlines will ferry students from Chongqing to Manchester in time for the start of semester at the end of September.
M ore than four in five schools currently have children self-isolating at home because they cannot access a coronavirus test, a survey suggests.

The majority (94 per cent) of schools in England have pupils who have had to stay at home due to suspected or confirmed cases of Covid-19 this term  and more than three in four (78 per cent) have had staff who had to self-isolate, according to a poll by the school leaders union NAHT.

Nearly nine in 10 (87 per cent) have children not attending school because they are waiting for test results, while 82 per cent of schools have pupils at home because they cannot access a test to rule out Covid-19.

The findings come after organisations representing heads and governors, including the NAHT, have urged Prime Minister Boris Johnson to "take charge" of tackling the testing delays to ensure schools remain open.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders union NAHT, has warned that childrens education is being "needlessly disrupted" by a testing system which is in chaos.

Mr Whiteman said: "Tests for Covid-19 need to be readily available for everyone so that pupils and staff who get negative results can get back into school quickly.

"But we are hearing the same thing repeatedly from our members across the country  chaos is being caused by the inability of staff and families to successfully get tested when they display symptoms.

"This means schools are struggling with staffing, having to send groups of students home to isolate or close classes, and ultimately that childrens education is being needlessly disrupted.

Schools return in England during Coronavirus pandemic 1 /16 Schools return in England during Coronavirus pandemic Year 7 pupils arrive for their first day at Eden Park high school. Lucy Young Pupils wash their hands on the first day back to school at Charles Dickens Primary School in London PA Pupils on the first day back to school at Charles Dickens Primary School in London PA Year 7 pupils arrive for their first day at Eden Park high school. Lucy Young A sign shows the different drop off times for pupils on the first day back to school at Charles Dickens Primary School in London PA Pupils on the first day back to school at Charles Dickens Primary School in London PA Year 7 pupils arrive for their first day at Eden Park high school. Lucy Young Pupils on the first day back to school at Charles Dickens Primary School in London PA Pupils on the first day back to school at Charles Dickens Primary School in London PA Pupils wash their hands as they arrive on the first day back to school at Charles Dickens Primary School in London PA Pupils and parents queue at drop off on the first day back to school at Charles Dickens Primary School in London PA Pupils and parents queue at drop off on the first day back to school at Charles Dickens Primary School in London, as schools in England reopen to pupils following the coronavirus lockdown PA

Mr Whiteman added: "It is in no way unpredictable or surprising that the demand for Covid-19 tests would spike when schools reopened more widely this term.

"And yet the system is in chaos. The Government has failed schools and children.

"It is unacceptable for this to happen when schools have put so much effort into getting their part of the plan right, and when pupils have had to endure so much uncertainty and disruption already."

One in seven (14 per cent) of schools have had confirmed cases of Covid-19 since they began welcoming back students for the autumn term, the poll suggests.

The survey, of 736 school leaders over the past 24 hours, found that three in five (60 per cent) have staff staying home because they are waiting for test results.

Schools may go part-time faced with testing problems

Nearly half (45 per cent) of schools have staff not at work because they cannot access a test to rule out Covid-19.

Of the schools who have had to send pupils home due to suspected or confirmed cases of Covid-19 this term, nearly three in four (70 per cent) have only sent home individual pupils.

But 7 per cent have had to send home whole classes, 5 per cent reported sending home whole year groups, and 4 per cent sent home small groups of pupils.

Only 0.3 per cent reported having to close their school, the survey suggests.

Coronavirus: Weekend Round-up before New Rule of Six - In pictures 1 /30 Coronavirus: Weekend Round-up before New Rule of Six - In pictures People sing and dance as they watch a street performer in Leicester Square PA General view of people enjoying a night out in Soho PA People have been warned against having a "party weekend" PA A former chief scientific adviser said the UK is "on the edge of losing control" of coronavirus PA People sing and dance as they watch a street performer in Leicester Square PA A group of friends enjoy the Autumn sunshine at a bar in Brighton PA Beachgoers pack the beach in Brighton AFP via Getty Images General view of people enjoying a night out in Soho PA General view of people enjoying a night out in Soho PA People sing and dance in Leicester Square REUTERS People gather in the Soho area REUTERS People dance in Leicester Square REUTERS People sing and dance in Leicester Square REUTERS People sing and dance in Leicester Square REUTERS Beachgoers pack the beach in Brighton i AFP via Getty Images People gather on Primrose Hill AFP via Getty Images People gather in the food market in Camden AFP via Getty Images People gather on Primrose Hill AFP via Getty Images People drink and dine at restaurants and cafes on Northcote Road Getty Images People gather on Primrose Hill AFP via Getty Images People drink and dine at restaurants and cafes on Northcote Road Getty Images People drink and dine at restaurants and cafes on Northcote Road Getty Images People attend a busking show in Leicester AP

A Government spokesperson said: "The latest official statistics show that 99.9 per cent of schools are open with the vast majority of pupils attending.

"Where staff or children have symptoms of Covid-19, testing capacity is the highest it has ever been, and we are working to provide further priority access for teachers.

"Schools only need to identify close contacts and ask them to self-isolate if and when a case is confirmed from a positive test result.

"Close contacts of confirmed cases must follow the full 14-day self-isolation period and should only seek a test if they have symptoms."
China on Friday launched real-combat drills near the Taiwan Strait as a top US official visits Taiwan, which Beijing claims as a breakaway region.

Chinese fighter jets appeared in Taiwanese airspace from four directions, media reports from Taipei said as Beijing launched maritime and airspace drills near the self-ruled island on Friday, leading Taiwan to scramble its own warplanes.

The drills come as Keith Krach, US Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment, arrived in Taiwan late Thursday, and will attend the memorial service for former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui on Saturday.

Krachs visit comes within a month of US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azars trip to Taiwan as Washington and Taipei warm up ties, much to the anger of Beijing.

Krach and Azar are two of the highest-level US officials to visit Taiwan in decades.

In Beijing, defence ministry spokesperson, Ren Guoqiang said those who play with fire will get burnt as he announced the drills on Friday, adding that the exercises were a necessary move aimed at the current situation in the Taiwan Strait to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

He accused the US and Taiwan of stepping up collusion, frequently causing disturbances without directly referring to Krachs ongoing visit.

Reiterating that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, Ren was quoted as saying by Chinese media that the Taiwan question is purely Chinas internal affair and allows no outside interference.

Commenting on Krachs visit, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Friday that China has the firm will to thwart external interference and secessionist acts in Taiwan.

During his visit, Krach will attend the memorial service of former Taiwanese leader Lee, who is known as the godfather of Taiwan secessionism on the mainland.

The US official is scheduled to meet Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen for dinner at her official residence later on Friday.

Also Read: Encouraging separatist forces: China strongly opposes US envoys visit to Taiwan

Beijing has ramped-up military activity near Taiwan in recent months and have conducted several exercises in the region.

In June, Taipei scrambled jets in response to warn off the aircraft from the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force, which had deployed fighter aircraft across the Taiwan Strait hours after an US transport plane flew over the island.

In August, Beijing conducted exercises near the island, which coincided with health secretarys Azars visit.

The US is also preparing to sell seven tranches of weapons systems to Taiwan, the CNN reported on Thursday, quoting a US official.

The US, like India and the majority of countries, does not have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan though the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 allows Washington to sell arms to the island.

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CHICOPEE  Early indications from the 2020 Census show Massachusetts' population is growing fast enough to retain all nine of its Congressional districts, U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal said Friday.

Neal spoke at a Chicopee event urging people across the region to respond during what officials fear will be the last 12 days of the 2020 count.

Neal said hes basing his assessment on conversations with the states top Census official, Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin. Earlier, thered been hope that Massachusetts could gain a seat, but that now seems unlikely.

The new districts wont be drawn up for more than a year after the Census.

Massachusetts lost a Congressional district in the 2010 Census.

The U.S. Census Bureau has said it plans to end the count in Massachusetts by Sept. 30 while Neal, Galvin and others are pushing for enumeration work to continue through October in a year when nearly every aspect of life has been constrained by the coronavirus pandemic.

If anyone needs help, this is our last push, said Chicopee Mayor John Vieau. September 30th is the day.

The event was held on the front steps of Kevin A. Dupont Memorial Middle School in Chicopee.

People can get information on responding to the Census at www.census.gov/. Chicopee Registrar of Voters Janina Surdyka is assisting city residents.

Both Vieau and the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission said Friday that there has been outreach for months in hard-to-reach communities, including among lower income and English-as-a-second-language residents. But many of the community events were Census boosters had hoped to get the word out didnt happen.

And we all know why they didnt happen, Vieau said.

Chicopees self response rate is 70.8%, according to the Census Bureau. That trails the citys final 2010 response rate of 74.6%. In Springfield, its 60.9%, compared with 67.4% in 2010.

Across the 1st Congressional District Neal represents, Census response rates average 68.7%  below the 71.1% final completion rate for 2010.

Thats just the self-response rate, though, with enumerators now following up house-by-house.

This is a snapshot of what the American Family looks like every decade, Neal said, adding that census numbers determine federal spending and not just federal, state and local representation.

He complained that the Census  which used to be a nonpartisan civic endeavor  is now caught up in the divisive politics of the moment. He said President Donald J. Trumps administration was wrong to attempt to add a question asking about citizenship and wrong in its attempt to exclude undocumented immigrants for purposes of drawing congressional districts.

But now Congressional seats are in play, said Neal, chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means.

He reiterated criticism of the Department of Justice for its partisanship in not turning over records to a federal judge hearing a lawsuit brought by Neal and his fellow House Democrats over Census documents.

We want to make sure that everyone is counted, Neal said. Because that makes sure down the road that every vote is counted.
The rally, the largest since the 2014 military coup, will be held on the campus of Thammasat University. Students are getting stronger and putting pressure on the government and the monarchy. The country is divided between protesters and the salim, the regimes apologists.

Bangkok (AsiaNews)  At least 100,000 people are expected to gather tomorrow on the campus of Thammasat University to protest against the government, a student group announced.

The university said it would prevent the rally, but the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration student group has pledged to carry out its protest, the largest since the 2014 military coup. Another rally is set for this Sunday in front of Government House.

Partly due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, public pressure has been mounting against Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a former Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army, who came to power in a coup six years ago.

Since last year, Prayuth has led a civilian administration, but his critics accuse him of rigging the election that marked the formal end of the military regime. Meanwhile, the military-dominated cabinet has also been criticised for the way it has managed the pandemic crisis.

Thailands economy is heavily dependent on international tourism, which the COVID-19 epidemic has brought to a standstill; forecasts indicate that the countrys GDP will contract by 8.5 per cent this year.

The protesters, mostly young students, are calling on the government to quit, end the dictatorship, and reform the Constitution along democratic lines.

They also want a review of the political role of the monarchy and of its financial endowment, as well as the abolition of the crime of Lese-majeste, whereby anyone criticising the sovereign can get up to 15 years in prison. The Thai king is seen as a sacred figure.

Prime Minister Prayuth appealed to the protesters yesterday. In a televised message he asked them to avoid mass gatherings that could trigger another viral outbreak.

The current wave of protests began in mid-July. According to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, 61 people have been indicted on sedition charges and face up to seven years in prison.

For Prajak Kongkirati, from Thammasat Universitys Faculty of Political Science, the students are putting pressure on the government at a time of declining popularity.

The youth movement has the potential to gain momentum and include the middle class, working class and people outside of Bangkok as part of the protests, Prof Kongkirati said.

Indeed, the country seems split. When the national anthem is played, especially in cinemas, people divide between protesters who stay sitting and those who stand.

Anti-government protesters call the latter salim (a traditional Thai dessert), a derogatory term denoting submission to the establishment and its conservative values.
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Maharashtra forest department, which has been rebuffed by Gujarat for the past three years for the transfer of Asiatic Lions from its Gir National Park, has decided to turn to other states such as Telangana to increase the lion population at Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) in Borivli, Mumbai.

The department will send a proposal to the Telangana forest department next week requesting the authorities concerned for two pairs of lions to be sent to SGNP from Nehru Zoological Park in Hyderabad.

The Hyderabad-based park has 15 lions, including two African cubs born in April.

Also Read: Centre to launch projects for lion, dolphin conservation

Forest officials said Telangana authorities have given a positive response and asked for a proposal.

I have spoken to the Telangana principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF). Lions can be brought from Hyderabad. They have asked for a proposal. SGNP authorities were asked to submit their requirements. We will be sending our proposal to the Telangana officials by next week, said Nitin Kakodkar, PCCF (wildlife), Maharashtra.

G Mallikarjuna, conservator of forests, SGNP, said they sent the proposal to the PCCFs office in Nagpur on Wednesday.

The public can enjoy the lion safari more if the animals population in the park can be increased. Perhaps, an in-house breeding programme will help increase the lions population, said Sunil Limaye, additional principal chief conservator of forest (APCCF) (wildlife-west).

Also Read: Indian Navy develops Mumbais largest Miyawaki urban forest

At present, SGNP is home to three lions  a male, Ravindra (17); its brother and sister Jespa and Gopa, who are both nine years old.

Forest officers said all three hybrid lions -- a cross between Asiatic and African -- and their parents were brought to the park from abandoned circuses.

The Central Zoo Authority (CZA) does not allow inbreeding of wild cats and has also directed states to ensure that breeding of hybrid lions was phased out. In such circumstances, the park needs at least two pairs of lions to have a healthy population, said Mallikarjuna.

In August, Maharashtra minister for forest Sanjay Rathod had submitted a proposal to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray to request Gujarat and the Centre to expedite the process of transferring at least one lion to SGNP, preferably a female. We are still pursuing the case with the Gujarat authorities, but they have not responded positively so far, said Kakodkar.

Though transfer of lions from other states was planned earlier, it proved to be a non-starter, In July 2018, then Karnataka forest minister R Shankar had visited SGNP to view facilities and also discussed the possible exchange of lions and rusty spotted cats from Bannerghatta National Park and Mysore Zoo. Shankar had then told HT they had agreed for the transfer but subsequently when a final proposal was sent, Karnataka rejected it as SGNP did not have required animals to offer in an exchange programme.

Limaye said SGNP authorities had also requested Kakodkar that sub-adult tigers from Chandrapur district, which is prone to human-animal conflict and accounts for 56% of Maharashtras tiger population, be sent to the national park in Mumbai.

This could help us improve our tiger population. Nagpurs Gorewada Rescue Centre has reached its capacity and releasing these big cats at other sanctuaries may not be a safe option. They can be rehabilitated at SGNP. The PCCF has agreed to our proposal, he said.

SGNP is home to five Royal Bengal tigers, including four females, who are aged between eight and 10 years and are called Mastani, Bijlee and Laxmi. The other tigress Basanti is 20 years old. Sultan (4) is the lone male tiger.

The tigresses are dominant and steer clear of Sultan or dont allow it to come close to them. As a result, translocation of sub-adult big cats is essential for the park and the future of safaris, said a forest official requesting anonymity.

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A huge wetland is burning in Brazil, and the fires are far bigger than California's

The world's largest tropical wetland is not supposed to burn.

And yet, Brazil's Pantanal is on fire.

Thick smoke rises all around the village of Pocone as the wind whips it into little tornadoes. Fire crackles and races through the brush, jumping from forest to pasture to swamp.

The flames have destroyed some 25,000 square kilometres roughly four times the area that has burned in California in 2020 so far.

A UNESCO heritage site and one of the world's most diverse ecosystems  home to dozens of endangered species and the densest concentration of jaguars anywhere  is in jeopardy. Charred jaguar carcasses now litter the ground, along with burned alligator-like caimans and fallen birds.

Amanda Perobelli/Reuters

Local ranchers struggle to survive. Traditionally, they use fire to revitalize and clear the land, but not on this scale or under such dry conditions.

"It hasn't rained in three months, and we don't know if it will rain in September. I hope so," said Dorvalino Camargo, fanning himself with a straw hat after helping to beat back the flames. "Cattle are suffering. We are all suffering."

'I feel defeated'

Preservationists who have worked most of their lives to protect the area from loggers and poachers now face a new, much deadlier threat.

"We've never dealt with fire conditions so big, so severe," said Angelo Rabelo from his home in the Pantanal. "We're just not prepared to confront it."

WATCH | Fires rage through Brazil's Pantanal wetlands

Rabelo is a former police colonel who came to the region 37 years ago to stop illegal hunting, and stayed to start the environmental organization Instituto Homem Pantaneiro.

"I feel impotent and defeated," he said. "It's a deep pain."

Normally the Pantanal gets abundant moisture from the Amazon rainforest, showers spawned in the vast jungle to the north which feed wetlands throughout the heart of South America, not only in Brazil but also in Bolivia and Paraguay.

Story continues

But the Amazon itself is struggling with drought along with fire that experts have repeatedly linked to deforestation and human activity. More and more of the Amazon's wilderness has been taken over by land developers, illegal logging and expanded agriculture.

'Going to get worse'

"These fires, we have no idea where it's going to go, when it's going to stop, and as the dry season intensifies, it's just going to get worse," said Matt Finer from Amazon Conservation, a U.S.-based non-profit group that tracks fires in the rainforest through satellite images.

CBC News

Preliminary satellite images from Brazil's national space research agency INPE and from NASA suggest fires in this region hit a 10-year high in August.

Amazon Conservation counted an average of 53 major blazes per day in the first week of September, up from 18 per day in August.

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro has dismissed the problem.

Maria Ferreira

"This story that the Amazon is going up in flames is a lie," he said last month. The president, who was elected on a promise to expedite development of the Amazon, last year fired the head of the INPE after the agency released data showing a significant rise in deforestation since Bolsonaro took office. He has blamed NGOs for stirring up trouble, and denounced foreign governments who have criticized Brazil for its handling of the emergency.

In a speech to other South American leaders in August, Bolsonaro challenged foreign representatives to fly over the Amazon, saying that travelling by air from the far-flung cities of Boa Vista to Manaus, one would not see a single flame.

This despite the fact that his own government agencies  including INPE  have confirmed the widespread fires.

Effects will last 'for decades'

And things are only going to get worse, predicts biologist Philip Fearnside, because of continuing deforestation. He's lived in the Amazon for more than four decades, working at the National Institute for Research in Amazonia in Manaus.

He said he's seen an area "larger than France" deforested since he's been studying the implications.

"A lot of what the government is doing is encouraging [deforestation]," he said. "You have highways that are being built, roads that open up these new areas. And then people move in. You have this process of land being invaded.

The damage is likely to far outlast Bolsonaro's presidency.

"It's something that lasts for decades, not a problem that ends at the end of one presidential administration," Fearnside said.

In the wildlife-rich areas of the Pantanal, that will continue to make survival precarious.

Amanda Perobelli/Reuters

Eduarda Fernandes is a nature guide who had been working with veterinarians trying to rescue injured animals from the wetlands, including jaguars with paws "burnt to the bone."

She says there isn't much visible life in the area, no "ants or crabs"  which serve as food for different types of animals.

"Animals will die not only due to the fires but also due to dehydration and hunger," she said. "It's very sad to see what is happening here."
This year's Nobel Peace Prize could go to green campaigner Greta Thunberg and the Fridays for Future movement - to highlight the link between environmental damage and the threat to peace and security, some experts say.

The winner of the $1 million prize, arguably the world's top accolade, will be announced in Oslo on October 9 from a field of 318 candidates. The prize can be split up to three ways.

The Swedish 17-year-old was nominated by three Norwegian lawmakers and two Swedish parliamentarians and if she wins she would receive it at the same age as Pakistan's Malala Yousafzai, the youngest Nobel laureate thus far.

Asle Sveen, a historian and author of several books about the prize, said Ms Thunberg is a strong candidate for the award, her second nomination in as many years, with the US West Coast wildfires and rising temperatures in the Arctic "leaving people in no doubt" about global warming.

"Not a single person has done more to get the world to focus on climate change than her," Mr Sveen said.

The committee has given the prize to environmentalists before, starting with Kenya's Wangari Maathai in 2004 for her campaign to plant 30 million trees across Africa, and in 2007 to Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The committee could also choose to highlight the threat of pandemics to peace and security, said Dan Smith, director of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

"There is a relationship between environmental damage and our increasing problem with pandemics and I wonder if the Nobel Peace Prize Committee might want to highlight that," he said.

If the committee wanted to highlight this trend, he said, "there is obviously the temptation of Greta Thunberg".

The Fridays for Future movement started in 2018 when Ms Thunberg began a school strike in Sweden to push for action on climate change. It has since become a global protest.

The teenager and her father Svante, who sometimes handles her media queries, did not reply to requests for comment.

Many were sceptical when Greta, as she is often referred to, became the bookmaker's favourite to win last year's Nobel Peace Prize - but her second nomination could strengthen her chances.

Paddy Power has the World Health Organization (WHO) as its favourite for the prize at odds of 5/2, followed by Ms Thunberg at 3/1 and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at 5/1.

"Greta is re-nominated, which was the case for Malala [Yousafzai, who won in 2014]. I said Malala was young when she was nominated the first time and I said Greta was young the first time she was nominated," Mr Sveen said.

Other known candidates included the "people of Hong Kong", NATO, Julian Assange, Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden and jailed Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul.

Other possible choices are Reporters Without Borders, Angela Merkel and the WHO, experts said, though it is unclear whether they are nominated yet.
A pregnant woman was attacked by another woman who ripped the baby out of her. The female was not in the right mental state and claimed the unborn child as hers.

According to the records, the pregnant woman had her stomach cut open. The perpetrator left her to die in the basement of an unknown residence. With insides exposed, she did survive the ordeal.

The shocking incident happened in Longmont, Colorado, that involved two women. One mother to be, Michelle Wilkins would lose her unborn child in the worst way. Even nearly dying from the attack. However, she did survive. Her pregnancy is lone of the most perfect times of her life in 2015. Her child had a name already, Aurora, reported Meaww.

Terror begins soon

An ad was placed in Craigslist for baby clothes and maternity outfits on March 15, 2017. Michelle talked to the seller and made an appointment the next day. On that day, she met Dynel Lane, who had motives that will change the other woman's life. Dynel's target was the contents of the pregnant woman's belly, cited CNN.

According to the victim, she had her throat slit open the woman. Even with her injured throat, a call was made to 911. It reached dispatcher Beth Kemper that day, that call saved her life. Or she would be dead, mentioned Denver Post.

Responders on the scene were shocked at what they saw

After the 911 call got through sent a flurry of action to the scene with Officer Billy Sawyer. He came upon the victim in the throes of trying to keep alive, he stays until other officers saw them. The first responder described blood all over, close by is a bloody knife. This possibly was the instrument used by the perpetrator.

Also read: Jealous Boyfriend Burned His Fiancee to Death Because She Exposed Her Body on the Beach

To be exact, the crime scene is where the victim was lying across a bed with a phone held in hand. The victim released the phone when he got inside.

He saw several things that would have made those with lesser constitutions belch. Broken glass was on the bed when the victim wanted to reach out. Asking for a glove from another officer because blood was all over her, a gruesome sight. The officer was looking for a 7-month pregnant woman because her belly was flat. He did not know it was the victim who called 911.

Kemper asked the EMTs if the victim is pregnant when they stabilized the victim. Based on the caller's report it was assumed that it was a lie. Sawyer thought that it was the attacker he was talking to. There was a miscommunication made, talking to the victim who drew attention to her belly, cited WNEP.

Realizing it was a stab wound she was pointing and had maternity pants on. He checked her maternity pants with her innards sticking out from a gouged belly. This was how the attacker attempted to get the baby inside, thought the doctors at Boulder County hospital.

The mother survived the harrowing ordeal though her child died at Dynel Lane's attack. She spent five days in the ICU but lost Aurora forever. Getting better she worked, with authorities, and Dynel was arrested for her crime.

Michelle Wilkins had her unborn baby ripped out of her by Dynel Lane, but the sentence given to her attacked is justice accordingly.

Related article: Russian Ballerina Dismembered, Dissolved in Sulfuric Acid Amid Fears of Lewd Picture Leak

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Shiromani Akali Dal leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Thursday said her decision to resign from the Union cabinet to protest three farm sector bills 'symbolises my party's vision, its glorious legacy and its commitment to go to any extent to safeguard the interests of farmers'.

IMAGE: The SAD leader said that before, during and after the promulgation of the three ordinances, she had tried her best to persuade the Cabinet to take the actual stakeholders of this decision, the farmers, on board and remove their apprehensions and concerns. Photograph: Manvender Vashist/PTI Photo

'I am proud that today I am able in my humble way to take that legacy forward,' she said.

In her four-page resignation letter addressed to the prime minister, she said, 'In view of the decision of the government of India to go ahead with the Bill on the issue of marketing of agricultural produce without addressing and removing the apprehensions of farmers and decision of my party, Shiromani Akali Dal, not to be a part of anything that goes against the interest of farmers, I find it impossible to continue to perform my duties as a minister in the union council of ministers.'

Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill.

It has already passed Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill. They will replace ordinances promulgated by the Union government.

The SAD leader said that before, during and after the promulgation of the three ordinances, she had tried her best to persuade the cabinet to take the actual stakeholders of this decision, the farmers, on board and remove their apprehensions and concerns.

'All this while, I was given the impression that since an Ordinance is only a temporary arrangement, my concerns and pleas would be addressed while legislating on the issue in the Parliament.

'But I write it with a very heavy heart that despite my persistent pleas as well as repeated efforts of my party, SAD, in this regard, the government has not taken the farmers on board,' she wrote.

'The trust farmers place in us is sacred to us,' she said.

'My decision symbolises my party's vision, its glorious legacy and its commitment to go to any extent to safeguard the interests of the farmers,' she said.

Kaur said her decision to resign was guided by the 'iconic legacy' of former Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal for fighting to defend national interests, be it against the Emergency or for the establishment of a federal structure in the country as well as preserving external security or food security.

She said that her party always followed the 'great Guru Sahiban' who taught them never to compromise on one's principles and to stand up for what one strongly believes to be right.

'That is precisely what I am doing today,' the parliamentarian from Punjab's Bathinda said.

Kaur, who held the food processing industries portfolio, said, 'I and my party are deeply pained that we were not able to persuade the government to refer the Bills governing the marketing of farmers produce to a select committee.'

She, however, expressed satisfaction that she was able to live up to the expectations of the people who have placed their complete trust in her.

Describing her tenure as minister as 'a remarkable and most memorable period of my life', she said she was satisfied that the National Democratic Alliance-led government delivered on many critical and long-standing issues of the Sikh community, including justice for 1984 riots victims.

She also recounted Goods and Services Tax waiver on 'langar', permission granted to foreign donations to the Darbar Sahib as major achievements.

'But the most memorable moment for me and for every devout Sikh came with the historic opening of Kartarpur Sahib corridor for which the Sikhs had been praying in their daily ardas for three quarters of a century,' she said.

She also recalled the three-decades-old alliance formed by Parkash Singh Badal and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

She said she was confident that the SAD-Bharatiya Janata Party alliance would continue to work together to maintain the hard earned atmosphere of peace and communal harmony in Punjab.

Talking to the media later, she said she did not consider her step as any 'sacrifice' but just a natural and normal course for any proud Akali wedded to the 'Panthic' values and to the cause of the farmers.

'The real sacrifices are made by the farmers themselves. I am just standing by them as their daughter and sister,' she said.

She said she has requested the prime minister to accept her resignation 'with immediate effect'.

'I have resigned from Union Cabinet in protest against anti-farmer ordinances and legislation. Proud to stand with farmers as their daughter & sister,' she tweeted.
Rubbishing claims that his son B Y Vijayendra was interfering in the administration, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Friday alleged that a systematic conspiracy was going on to unnecessarily bring in his name to create confusion.

The chief minister said he was in New Delhi to discuss cabinet expansion and issues relating to the development of the state with the Prime Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party national president J P Nadda, as he rejected speculation about his recent meeting with Janata Dal-Secular leader H D Kumaraswamy.

"It is natural that people cannot tolerate those who are growing. Vijayendra in no way at any moment has interfered (in administration).

"As state vice president (BJP), he is doing his duty by travelling across the state to strengthen the party," Yediyurappa said in response to a question.

Speaking to reporters after laying the foundation for the reconstruction of Karnataka Bhavan-1 'Cauvery' at a cost of Rs 120 crore in New Delhi, he said, "Some people are indulging in a systematic conspiracy to unnecessarily bring his (Vijayendra) name and create confusion."

Leader of the Opposition in the assembly, Siddaramaiah on Thursday had said Vijayendra was the de facto chief minister, accusing him of interfering with the administration.

"Vijayendra is the de facto CM, whereas Yediyurappa is the de jure CM," he had said.

Recently, the Congress had taken exception to Vijayendra allegedly holding a meeting with the government medical officers and sought to know who gave him the power for such an interaction though he did not hold any Constitutional position.

There have been allegations of Vijayendra's interference in the administration by opposition and few within, ever since BJP came to power last year, a charge rejected by Yediyurappa.

Ahead of his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the chief minister said he will discuss all the issues concerning the development of the state, also cabinet expansion.

"... discussion also has to happen regarding the cabinet expansion, I will bring it to his notice and take clearance and leave for Bengaluru tomorrow," he said, adding that he will meeting BJP national president J P Nadda in the evening.

Cabinet expansion or reshuffle is expected to be a tightrope for the 77-year-old leader, considering too many aspirants.

While several old guard are waiting for a chance to be inducted into the Ministry, those who defected from the Congress and JD-S like A H Vishwanath, R Shankar and M T B Nagaraj, who are now BJP MLCs, are also aspiring for slots.

The cabinet currently has 28 members and six berths are still vacant.

There are also strong speculations about the possible change in leadership in the future, considering Yediyurappa's age.

However it has been rejected by senior party leaders like its state President Nalin Kumar Kateel, Minister R Ashoka among others.

To a query about his recent meeting with JD-S leader H D Kumaraswamy, Yediyurappa said there is no room for any speculation.

"... as an opposition party leader he(Kumaraswamy) had come to my home office Krishna to discuss the issues pertaining to constituencies of his party MLAs. No other things have been discussed, there is no need for it also.

"We have the majority and we will give a stable government in the remaining three years," he added.
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The global smart diapers market is thriving on the launching of innovative baby products. Smart diapers are well-designed with sensors and adhesives that provide assistance in monitoring the state of the diapers. If it senses anything then it alerts the caregiver so that babies do not suffer from any kind of symptoms associated with longer exposure to the wetness of diapers. The market is witnessing a rapid down in the price as a direct impact of the competition. In addition, the rising reach of the e-commerce industry is expected to provide better assistance to the user. There are other factors like high birth rate in developing countries, better advancement in the technological sector inspires new innovations, growing acquaintance with smart devices, and others can trigger better market growth.

All these factors are going to inflate the Smart Diapers Product Market size and help it achieve a USD 5.2 bn market value by 2025. The smart diapers market share would grow with 6.6% CAGR between 2019 and 2025, which as per Market Research Future (MRFR) is the forecast period.

Segmentation

The global market report on smart diapers includes a segmentation that relies on the type, end user, and distribution channel. Such an analysis would inspire better market understanding and facilitate planning for the coming years.

By type, the global market for smart diapers covers non-disposable and disposable. The disposable segment is larger in size and is convenient in terms of use owing to which it is witnessing such growth. The non-disposable segment can enjoy significant growth as the sensor is detachable and can provide guidance to parents regarding wetness.

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By the end-user, the market report covering smart diapers can be segmented into baby and adult. The baby segment is witnessing hike as it aids caregivers in monitoring sleep and other various cycles of a baby. The adult segment has a higher market coverage and it would be boosted by a growing number of geriatric population.

By distribution channel, the global market for smart diapers can be segmented into store-based and non-store based. The store-bases segment has convenience stores, specialty stores, and supermarkets and hypermarkets. This segment has a better market reach. By non-store-based, the market mostly covers e-commerce sites that are getting high traction due to people showing an increasing preference for such methods.

Regional Analysis:

The regional-specific analysis for the smart diapers has several zones in focus that includes North America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific as major market contributors with friendly-demographic scenarios. The North America market is currently leading the charge as the number of working parents is quite high. In addition, the market also has a huge number of geriatric takers who use these diapers to reduce the workload of caregivers. In Europe, similar growth can be achieved as the increasing public awareness has started fuelling the demand. The region is also known for its use of sophisticated technologies, which can assist in the growth.

In the Asia Pacific region, a massive population would boost the regional market and it would be the fastest-growing region during the forecast period. Increasing digitalization can make sure that the market gets better traction. The global market is witnessing an advanced setup of the e-commerce sector, which is helping in the market percolation of smart diapers. But in many cases, the price becomes a decisive factor that can hold back the growth.

Competitive Landscape:

Companies making profit from the global market for smart diapers are Kimberly-Clark Corporation- (Huggies) (India), Procter & Gamble Company (Pampers) (US), Simavita (AlertPLUS) (Australia), The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (Earths Best) (US), ElderSens (US), Monit Corporation (US), Abena A/S (Abri-Form) (Denmark), Opro9 (Taiwan), Smart Bottoms (US), Pixie Scientific (US), Sinopulsar (Taiwan), Vandrico Solutions Inc. (Canada), Smartipants (US), Enka Hygiene (Turkey), Bambo Nature USA (US), and others.

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In December 2019, Smardii announced that it would launch a smart early detection system, fully-connected for a diaper monitoring system that is expected to boost the smart diaper industry.

Note : Our team of researchers are studying Covid-19 and its impact on various industry verticals and wherever required will be considering covid19 footprints for a better analysis of markets and industries. Cordially get in touch for more details.

About Market Research Future:

At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.

MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.

To stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.

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By Trend

Azerbaijan's parliamentary delegation led by speaker Sahiba Gafarova will pay an official visit to Russia on September 21, the Azerbaijani parliament told Trend on Sept. 17.

The delegation includes the MPs and officials of the Azerbaijani parliament.

During the visit, Gafarova will meet with Chairperson of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of Russia Valentina Matviyenko and Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of Russia Viacheslav Volodin.

The views on the current and future spheres of the development of inter-parliamentary relations will be shared and discussed.

During the visit, Gafarova is expected to deliver speech at the plenary session of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of Russia.

The ceremony of signing the Agreement on Cooperation between the Azerbaijani parliament and the State Duma of the Russian Federation will be held during the visit to the State Duma of Russia.

A meeting between Gafarova and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is also envisaged.

The views on making regular visits at the level of the parliaments, the exchange of experience and information in the legislative process, the participation of delegations in influential international organizations, the ways of resolving the regional conflicts, strengthening the ties in the economic, political, cultural, humanitarian spheres and others issues will be exchanged during the meetings within the visit.

The visit will end on September 23.

--

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
The Oregon Health Authority is embracing contact tracing technology from Apple and Google that will allow Oregonians to use their cell phones to find out if theyve been exposed to coronavirus.

Oregon will launch a pilot project this fall with a goal of about 30,000 participants, likely involving college students who are tech savvy and in close contact with others.

If state officials determine the technology is effective, they could make it widely available for Oregonians as soon as December or early 2021. Officials are cautiously optimistic about the project and say if several hundred thousand Oregonians use it, the technology could help slow spread of the virus in a meaningful way.

But state leaders remain guarded in their enthusiasm, recognizing some Oregonians may be unlikely to participate over privacy concerns and acknowledging equity challenges over who may access the technology. An unrelated symptom-monitoring project touted as a game changer by Gov. Kate Brown got shelved last month for failing to ensure enough participation among people of color.

Knowledge is power when it comes to stopping the spread of COVID-19, and this pilot project will help people make informed decisions to keep themselves healthy, while still protecting individual privacy, Brown said in a statement this week announcing the new technology effort.

COVID-19 knows no state borders, and my goal is to make sure, if more widely implemented, this exposure notification technology is made available to those communities that have been disproportionately impacted by this disease  Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Pacific Islander and Tribal communities, as well as those living in the rural parts of our states.

Late on Wednesday, health officials announced Oregon would join California, Washington, Colorado and Nevada in embracing the technology as part of a months-long pact between western states. California is rolling out the system, called Exposure Notification Express, at the University of California San Francisco and the University of California San Diego.

Oregon officials would not say where the technology will be available under the pilot, noting details are still being finalized. But the Oregon Health Authority is in talks with a university or universities about promoting the system for students, suggesting it could be available in Eugene at the University of Oregon, Corvallis for Oregon State University or in Portland at Portland State University.

The digital contact tracing system will be voluntary and completely anonymous, said Dr. Timothy Menza, a senior health adviser for the Oregon Health Authority.

It works by using Bluetooth signals from cell phones to record anonymized identifiers for cell phones that are in close proximity. The technology is able to determine roughly how close and how long the phones are near one another, with the federal government considering close contact as within six feet for at least 15 minutes.

That anonymized data would stay on an individuals phone unless the person later tests positive for COVID-19, Menza said. At that point, the infected person would receive a personal identification number from the state or county health department after the COVID-19 diagnosis had been confirmed.

The person could then voluntarily enter the PIN into their cell phone, which would begin the process of uploading the anonymized Bluetooth data to a national server, Menza said. Other participants' phones would regularly scan the national database to see if theyve been in close contact with a confirmed coronavirus case  and if theres a match the person would receive a notice on the phone about exposure and suggesting testing.

State and local health departments would not receive notice about exposures, Menza said. But people who are infected, or people who seek testing after receiving a notice, could voluntarily disclose that they are using the technology.

The Oregon Health Authority will launch a pilot project that will allow residents to determine if they've been exposed to coronavirus.

So-called proximity tracing applications do not take the place of traditional contact tracing by public health officials that involves detailed case investigations to determine the names of people who might have been exposed to a person with a confirmed infection.

But the technology does allow for more thorough tracing efforts, allowing notification among people whose identities might not be known to an infected person  such as someone who rode the same bus, ate at the same restaurant or attended the same party.

Proximity technology is controversial, particularly among some Americans who are unwilling to share personal data for privacy reasons and skeptical of the big tech companies offering the service. But its been embraced in some places, including Scotland, where a new app was reportedly downloaded 600,000 times.

Menza said proximity tracing apps have the potential to make a big difference if widely adopted. He pointed to research by the University of Oxford, which estimates that cases and hospitalizations could decline if just 15% of the population uses the technology.

Modeled for the state of Washington, that adoption level suggested a 15% decline in infections and 11% reduction in deaths.

In that sense, Menza said, it seems pretty powerful.

But that would require participation of more than 600,000 Oregonians, essentially the entire population of Portland.

Well have to put in the work to make that happen, Menza said.

Menza acknowledged potential challenges, not the least of which will be participation. Officials plan to roll out the technology slowly to ensure it works well and to determine if there are any glitches. They also plan to learn from pilot efforts in other participating states.

What we need to do, and do well, is communicate clearly about what this app can and cannot do, and all the privacy protections that are part of it, and make the technology accessible to everyone, he said.

State leaders had been internally discussing the potential to use exposure notification technology for several months but decided to work with Apple and Google this month, said Charles Boyle, a spokesman for Oregons governor. States must opt into the program for the technology to be available to residents.

The tracing software is not yet accessible to Oregonians. It will be available for Apple users in iPhone settings while others will need to download the technology through Google Play, Menza said.

State officials will make the technology available on a limited basis initially.

Oregon officials plan to do the soft launch and limit participation until making a decision to move forward more broadly.

Menza said officials expect to receive aggregate data from tech companies about how many people use the technology, which theyll compare to how many people voluntarily disclose participation during coronavirus testing.

Im optimistic, he said, that this might do us some good here.

-- Brad Schmidt; bschmidt@oregonian.com; 503-294-7628; @_brad_schmidt
COPPELL, Texas, Sept. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Costar Technologies, Inc. (the "Company") (OTC Markets Group: CSTI) announced today that the Company's 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders will be held on October 29, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. local time at its corporate headquarters located at 101 Wrangler Drive, Suite 201, Coppell, Texas 75019. The Company also announced that it has set the close of business on September 16, 2020 as the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to receive notice of and vote at the annual meeting.

The Company anticipates mailing its proxy statement to stockholders on or around September 25, 2020, which will include a description of the matters to be considered at the annual meeting. Stockholders may also obtain a copy of the 2020 proxy statement when it is available, as well as other information concerning the Company, at www.costartechnologies.com.

About Costar Technologies, Inc.

Costar Technologies, Inc. develops, designs, manufactures and distributes a range of security solution products including surveillance cameras, lenses, digital video recorders and high-speed domes. The Company also develops, designs and distributes industrial vision products to observe repetitive production and assembly lines, thereby increasing efficiency by detecting faults in the production process. Headquartered in Coppell, Texas, the Company's shares currently trade on the OTC Markets Group under the ticker symbol "CSTI". Costar was ranked as the 35th largest company in a&s magazine's Security 50 for 2019. Security 50 is an annual ranking by the magazine of the world's largest security manufacturers in the areas of video surveillance, access control and intruder alarms, based on sales revenue.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the Company's ability to grow revenue and earnings, that are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in or suggested by the forward-looking statements, including but not limited to risks related to the ability to diversify business across vertical markets, secure new customer wins, and launch new products. You can often identify forward-looking statements by words such as "believe," "may," "estimate," "continue," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "expect," "predict," "potential," or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations but they involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements as a result of the risks and uncertainties.

You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. The Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions, or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking information, except to the extent required by applicable laws.

SOURCE Costar Technologies, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.costartechnologies.com


Factors determining economic freedom include the effectiveness of law protecting private property, the overall fairness and quality of the court system; size of government and level of taxation; the ease with which businesses can open and operate; and the freedom to trade and invest.

We find that the United Arab Emirates is not just the most economically free of all the Persian Gulf states; it is one of the most economically free countries in the world. It ranks No. 18 out of 180 countries, one down from the United States.

Israel is also among the most economically free countries in the world, ranking No. 26.

Immediately after the UAE stepped up to make peace with Israel, Bahrain followed suit. Bahrain ranks 63rd on the Heritage list, also not bad. It is one above France.

This is a wake-up call for the whole world.

Power, force, hate, destruction: These things lead nowhere except to the perpetuation of human suffering.

Creation, not destruction, is the answer. And this happens when basic rules are respected, starting with law, ownership and private property -- in other words, economic freedom.
Mumbai: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), probing drugs angle in the actor Sushant Singh Rajput death case, on Friday arrested five persons in separate cases and seized over 1.4 kg of contraband, an official said. Rahil Vishram (42) was apprehended from his residence in suburban Versova and arrested after questioning in the drugs case related to Rajputs death, the NCB official said.

A team of the NCB Mumbai unit raided Vishrams house following the questioning of Ankush Arenja (28), arrested by the agency earlier, about drug peddlers, he said. The team seized 928 gm of charas and Rs 4,36,000 in cash during the raid on Vishrams house, he said.

In a separate case, 490 gm of ganja was seized from four persons about whom Arenja had provided some leads. Vishal Salve (25) and Jaichetan Raichera (29) were arrested from Badlapur in Thane district, while Rohan Talwar (29) and Nongthung Lotha (30) were arrested from suburban Powai.

The NCB has so far arrested more than a dozen persons, including actor Rhea Chakraborty and her brother Showik, in the drugs case lodged in connection with the Sushant death probe.
FILE PHOTO: The Huawei logo is seen on a communications device in London, Britain

(Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said on Thursday it is seeking comments on possible national security risks to the electric system from certain equipment and services providers.

FERC, which regulates the nation's power grid, said it is seeking comments on reliability and security risks, and possible actions it should consider to address such risks.

"Huawei Technologies Co and ZTE Corp have been identified as examples of such entities because they provide communication systems and other equipment and services that are critical to bulk electric system reliability," FERC said in a statement.

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has pushed governments around the world to stop using Huawei's 5G telecommunications equipment, arguing that the firm would convey data to the Chinese government for spying.

Huawei, founded in 1987 by a former engineer in China's People's Liberation Army, denies it spies for Beijing and says the United States is trying to smear it because Western firms are falling behind in 5G technology.

(Reporting by Asha Sistla in Bengaluru; Editing by Dan Grebler)
China's coronavirus response has been both hugely efficient and chillingly inhumane, says artist and activist Ai Weiwei after releasing a documentary about the world's first virus lockdown in the Chinese city of Wuhan.

Ai, a dissident who left China five years ago, directed and produced the film "Coronation" from Europe, where he now lives, using footage shot often in secret by dozens of volunteers in hospitals, homes and quarantine zones during the city's lockdown early this year.

"Undoubtedly, China has controlled this most devastating pandemic with unbelievable efficiency," he told AFP.

"Compared to what has happened in the US, France, Brazil, or India, we can see China has managed to control the situation," he said.

But, he said, "you must go deeper and also ask what kind of societies they are and what kind of sacrifices they have made to deal with a crisis like this".

The coronavirus first emerged in Wuhan in December and has since killed more than 946,000 people across the world, according to official statistics.

Ai said he doubted that virus data released by China, which has reported just over 4,600 deaths to date, was accurate.

Nor was it known how many people had been "jailed or detained for speaking out" against the official line in this "opaque, authoritarian, military-style society, under the control of one person's will," he said.

- 'Urgency and necessity' -

Ai chronicles the massive means deployed by China to fight the virus outbreak, its strict rules and resulting human tragedies in captivating scenes.

Citizens robbed of their humanity. Patients who can't leave hospital despite apparently being cured. A worker who was hired to help build a hospital and who is not allowed home, so he lives penniless in the street. Families deprived of last rites for their loved ones.

Ai said he felt both "the urgency and necessity of such a film."

Story continues

"If I did not do it then it would be completely over," he said. "People would not care or would easily forget and state propaganda would dominate the situation."

Ai Weiwei also has some angry words for Europe, whose leaders, in their dealings with China, "have put short-term profit ahead of principles," he said.

"I have not seen any European states taking substantial action in dealing with situations such as the democratic uprising in Hong Kong or the re-education camps in Xinjiang," he said.

"The only thing they have expressed are their 'concerns,' but to use human rights as a bargaining chip for economic gain is so pitiful, the lowest act imaginable in the human struggle of our time," he said.

Ai said he submitted the documentary to film festivals in Venice, Toronto and New York but was turned down.

"If you have seen what the festivals promote, you can clearly see China's influence," he said.

Netflix and Amazon, he said, also rejected the film, which can be seen on on-demand streaming platforms including Alamo and Vimeo.

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A chart-topping French rapper is under investigation over his song lyrics after several elected officials and organisations accused him of promoting anti-Semitism.

Freeze Corleone, 28, released his debut studio album LMF last week and a music video for one of his songs posted on YouTube that Friday has already amassed more than a million views.

In an announcement on Thursday afternoon, Paris Prosecutor Remy Heitz said Corleone was being investigated for 'inciting racial hatred' based on the content of his songs and videos posted online.

Senegal-based French rapper Freeze Corleone, 28, is now under investigation over the content of his lyrics and videos. Dozens of politicians and organisations have accused him of promoting anti-Semitism

LMF, the rapper's (pictured above in blue jacket) debut solo album, was released last week and one video has more than a million views on YouTube. He has made no official statement on the investigation that was announced on Thursday but posted a cryptic Tweet apparently comparing the situation to the farcical television serious South Park

Frederic Potier, the interministerial delegate for the fight against racism, anti-Semitism and anti-LGBT hatred (Dilcrah), had earlier announced he had reported the rapper to the public prosecutor's office.

He said he did so after having identified nine passages that he said were criminal.

The International League against Racism and Anti-Semitism, known by its French acronym Licra, condemned Corleone and the music industry promoting him.

'Impunity must end. We call on all partner actors to take responsibility,' the organisation wrote on Twitter, tagging music streaming sites and apps including Google Play and Apple Music.

The investigations and accusations of inciting hatred come as Freeze Corleone's debut album climbed to the top of the French charts

About 50 politicians with President Emmanuel Macron's LREM party condemned the rapper on Thursday, as several of his songs climbed to the top of the country's music charts.

A number of individual politicians also called on digital platforms to remove Corleone's songs and for radio stations to ban them from broadcast.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin also called on Facebook and Twitter 'not to spread this rubbish.'

Freeze Corleone is the stage name used by French-born Issa Lorenzo Diakhate, who lives in Senegal.

The rapper appeared to acknowledge the investigation in a Twitter post on Thursday.

He said: 'I wake up and we're in a South Park episode'.

One follower commented that the reference to the popular adult cartoon series - which often courts controversy and features a character who frequently denigrates his friend for being Jewish - was 'the best summary of the absurdity of the situation.
A high-powered government panel on China on Friday reviewed the latest developments in the eastern Ladakh theatre, with focus on charting out the course of future negotiations to restore status quo ante of mid-April along the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC), officials familiar with the developments said.

The officials said the agenda for the next of round military talks between Indian and Chinese corps commander-ranked officers - expected to take place shortly - was discussed at the high-level meeting attended by defence minister Rajnath Singh, national security adviser Ajit Doval, chief of defence staff General Bipin Rawat, army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane and other top officials.

The meeting took place a day after Singh told Parliament that no force in the world can stop the Indian Army from patrolling borders, signalling a resolve to regain access to several areas that are now difficult to reach due to actions by the Chinese army along the LAC.

While the date is yet to be finalised, the corps commander-ranked officers could meet in the next few days to take the military talks forward, the officials said. The situation in Ladakh remains tense after a series of recent maneuvers by the two armies in the Pangong Tso area.

Corps commander-ranked officers have so far met five times but failed to break the deadlock. The upcoming meeting will be their first meeting after the Indian Army swiftly moved and occupied key heights to prevent the Peoples Liberation Army from grabbing Indian territory on the southern bank of Pangong Tso in a stealthy midnight move on August 29.

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. 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 where rival soldiers are deployed barely a few hundred metres from each other.

The recent developments have increased Indias bargaining power as there will definitely be an element of quid pro quo in the talks, the officials said.

In tensions that began in mid-May, Indian and Chinese troops have come face-to-face at multiple points along the de-facto border, known as the LAC. In some of these areas, particularly the Finger Area and Depsang in Ladakh, Indian forces have been cut off from reaching areas they could previously patrol.

No force in the world can stop Indian jawans from patrolling. If our soldiers have made sacrifices, it is for this reason that they have laid down their lives, Singh told Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 18

By Elchin Mehdiyev  Trend:

A new era began in Azerbaijan and in the region as a whole after signing the "Contract of the Century" 26 years ago, Azerbaijani Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov said.

Shahbazov made the remark during a videoconference of the secretariat of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party dedicated to The Contract of the Century" and the Modern Realities of Azerbaijan, Trend reports on Sept. 18.

The minister said that this, in its essence, was one of the most important events in the history of Azerbaijan's independence.

Azerbaijans today's place in the world differs from that which was 26 years ago, Shahbazov added. "Today, Azerbaijan from a country with the weak, unstable, socio-economic situation, which during that period was taking the first uncertain steps on the path to independence, has turned into the leader of the region, creator of global energy and communication projects, a steadily developing country with high prestige on international arena.

The achievements that have raised our country to this level are based on the "Contract of the Century", the minister added. If gaining independence in 1991 was the official confirmation that Azerbaijan is entitled to be master of its own destiny, then the "Contract of the Century" became the practical evidence.

The signing of the "Contract of the Century" thanks to determination, high authority and foresight of national leader Heydar Aliyev ensured Azerbaijan the long-term development of hydrocarbon resources of the Caspian Sea on the basis of international cooperation, the use of advanced experience, new technologies and investments of giant oil and gas companies," Shahbazov said.

The energy projects have made Azerbaijan an integral part of the global energy security system, a reliable partner, the minister added. Azerbaijan realized the idea of diversifying the energy routes in the region with the help of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan main export gas pipeline, which is the contribution of the "Contract of the Century".

"Then, the signing of an agreement on the Shah Deniz gas field, as well as the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum export gas pipeline with further implementation of the Southern Gas Corridor project continued this trend, the minister said. Foresight in forecasting of such goals in Azerbaijan as diversification of energy routes and energy security, today found confirmation in the realities of our modern world.

All these continuing achievements of the "Contract of the Century" are the results of the purposeful energy policy of President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, the selfless labor of the Azerbaijani oil workers within the implementation of this policy and our effective cooperation and reliable partnership with international oil companies, Shahbazov said.

Thus, with the extension of the agreement on the development of the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli fields until 2050 three years ago, thanks to the results of our joint work with foreign partners over the past 26 years and the political will of President Aliyev, this contract, in fact, received the status "A contract of two centuries"," the minister said.

Shahbazov stressed that the coronavirus pandemic set new challenges for humanity, has caused great changes in the existing geopolitical order and the energy situation of the world.

"Azerbaijan's entry to a new level in its development will also depend on bringing its energy policy in line with the modern requirements, maintaining the relevance of its position as an energy center in terms of new geopolitical realities, challenges in the economy, energy and environmental security, the minister said.

In this regard, the policy linking the national security of our country with the formulas of global security through the "Contract of the Century" and specific projects emanating from it is expected to play an important role, Shahbazov said.

From the moment of commissioning until September 2020, 516 million tons of oil were produced at the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli fields, Azerbaijan exported 305 million tons of oil produced from these fields to the world market, more than 48 billion cubic meters of associated gas were supplied to the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan SOCAR, and in general, the total revenues from the project reached $145.8 billion, the minister said.

The development of deposits until 2050, the launch of new projects will allow us to consolidate this success for 30 more years, Shahbazov said.

Given that the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli fields are the country's main source of income and that the oil and gas sector will continue to play an important role in Azerbaijan's economy in the coming years, the sustainability in upstream operations is of strategic importance, the minister said.

The presence of such a contract in terms of declining demand for oil, low prices, when many international energy companies in the period of energy transformation are abandoning oil and gas projects, adopting the strategies in which the preference is given to the renewable energy sources, is a fairly reliable guarantor," Shahbazov said.
While Rhiannan Timmermann desperately waited outside of the vet clinic to find out the result of Pogo's X-ray analysis, she realized an amputation would likely be the best option for her dog, who could now barely walk.

"Over the summer, I started to notice that her leg was not working as properly as it should," Timmermann said. "I woke up one morning, and her ears were down, tail was down, didn't want to get up, couldn't eat."

Timmermann, a junior sociology and pre-physician assistant major at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said she knew Pogo, her 1-year-old Samoyed, was born with a deformity in her right front leg, but that had never stopped Pogo from living her best life. Until now.

She took Pogo to a local animal clinic, but veterinarians there recommended only anti-inflammatory medication.

"I didn't really like what they told me," Timmermann said. "I think it's more of a serious issue."

So she decided to visit an emergency animal clinic, where Pogo was X-rayed and immediately referred to a specialist at Ehlers Animal Care.

"The doctors (at Ehlers) looked at her X-rays, and one of the surgeons came up to me.  They said an amputation is going to be the best option for Pogo," Timmermann said.

She had purchased Pogo in February from a breeder in Chicago, who had informed Timmermann about Pogo's deformity.

She didn't think it would cause long-term issues, but the ectrodactyly deformity, which split Pogo's right paw in half, affected more than just her paw. According to the X-rays, Pogo's right leg is missing wrist bones, her toes are twisted and her humerus is pushing through her radius and ulna bones, causing those bones to separate.

There was more bad news: The estimated cost of the surgery was $1,600.

"I didn't know what to do," Timmermann said. "I'm a first-generation student, and my parents have low-income jobs. I don't have the means to afford that."

Timmermann's boyfriend, Alex Becker, suggested she start a GoFundMe account for Pogo's surgery. Timmermann said she set the financial goal for $2,500.

"I laughed the first night because I thought I would only make $20. The next morning, I had $1,700."

Timmermann said she received donations from people around the U.S. and other countries, including Canada and Australia, and reached her goal in three days. She said she posted the fundraiser on all of her social media pages, including the Instagram page of her two Samoyeds. Other than the GoFundMe page, Timmermann was accepting donations through Becker's Venmo account as well.

"I can't even believe it. It makes me realize how many good people there are," Timmermann said. "I appreciate it because it's bringing awareness to people about animal needs and animal care."

Becker said it is sad to see Pogo in her current condition and he is thankful for the GoFundMe donations.

"Most people end up putting their dogs or cats down because they can't afford the procedures," Timmermann said. "I'm so thankful I'm not in that position because so many people did help me out."

Pogo's surgery is scheduled for Friday. After that, Pogo will go through several weeks of rehabilitation and physical therapy at Ehlers. Timmermann said she feels ready to help Pogo through the process.

"There's an Instagram and Facebook page called 'Tripods,' for pets who have lost a limb," Timmermann said.

She said the posts share tips on how owners can take care of their three-legged pets.

"I'm really optimistic about her journey," Timmermann said.

Becker said Pogo has already strengthened her other three legs, so that might make the transition easier.

Timmermann said she, Becker and Jay, her 7-year-old Samoyed, will all be there for Pogo.

"This experience has taught us some lessons of being appreciative of what we have and keeping up that resilience," Becker said. "We both think she'll do just fine."

Reach the writer at nsaenz@journalstar.com or 402-473-7223.

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NORRISTOWN  While a program aiming to provide representation to offenders at preliminary hearings is still in its infancy, representatives from the Montgomery County Office of the Public Defender remain optimistic.

Now more than ever we believe that having a public defender present at the preliminary arraignment is essential; its vital, said Gregory Nester, co-deputy public defender.

Nester, and Co-Deputy Public Defender Carol Sweeney offered a progress report for the Public Defender Preliminary Arraignment Pilot Program on Thursday morning during a Montgomery County Board of Commissioners meeting. While officials had been mulling the initiatives idea for nearly three years, Nester said they launched the program earlier this summer.

Were all well aware of the issues surrounding cash bail, Nester said. How pretrial detention can take away not only ones freedom, it can affect employment, it can affect housing, it can separate people from their loved ones, and it can strip away human dignity, and all this at a time when someone is presumed innocent. Studies show that pretrial detention as brief as three days can have devastating and sometimes irreversible effects.

Nester relayed the prosecutorial process as it relates to bail, hearings and arraignments.

Theyre going to get a summons in the mail to appear for a preliminary hearing, he said. Theres no bail determination made when theres a summons issued. Those are traditionally issued in lower end cases: DUIs, nonviolent cases, retail thefts, things of that nature, and that summons will direct you to appear to your local magisterial district justice for your preliminary hearing.

The other thing that can happen is the person can be arrested and taken before the magisterial district court for the preliminary arraignment, Nester went on to say.

He added that bail can be set by being released on his or her own recognizance, at an unsecured amount or via cash bail.

So if youre sent to the jail on cash bail your next appearance in front of a judge could be about 14 days later, Nester said.

However, Nester pointed out a difference that some may not be aware of.

Historically, individuals who appear at a preliminary arraignment appear alone, he said. They have not yet had the services of an attorney who can advise them, support them, and most importantly, advocate for them.

Many states require that an individual be represented in this circumstance, but for some reason, here in Pennsylvania, that is not a legal requirement, and  I dont really know of other circumstances where its OK for someone to not be represented in a legal setting like this, said Valerie Arkoosh, chairwoman of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners.

According to a county spokesperson, there are six magisterial district courts involved in the program. Nester added the states third most populous county has 30 six magisterial district courts, and 19 police departments use the Montgomery County Correctional Facility as the designated booking center.

When working with the respective partner agencies, Nester acknowledged several potential obstacles of operating the program and speaking with those accused, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. They include navigating the general process, technology and privacy.

We are also fine-tuning the technical issues involved, including video platforms, video privacy, and exchanging documents, Nester said.

In order to address some of the aforementioned concerns, Nester and Sweeney assured county officials theyve been in touch with the magisterial district courts, participating police departments and Montgomery County Correctional Facility Warden Julio Algarin to locate a secure space to speak with clients.

Along with a designated judge, the duo was tasked with operating the preliminary arraignments.

A typical on-call evening begins around 5 p.m. and will last up until 10:30 p.m, Nester said in a statement Friday afternoon. On weekends, arraignments can be throughout the day and into the late evening.

As these proceedings take place virtually outside of regular business hours, Sweeney recalled having a surprise visit from her golden retriever while she was on a call Wednesday evening. The visit was welcomed by the woman on the other side of the screen.

He came over  to be petted and she seemed to react immediately to that, Sweeney said. It was almost like a comfort dog that she could see so that calmed her down.

So far, Nester and Sweeney have worked with 30 clients over the past month, according to a county spokesperson.

In order to gain a better understanding of those incarcerated, Nester and Sweeney plan to aggregate information about the person going into jail and how long theyre there.

I also want to mention the other importance with having a public defender present at the preliminary arraignment is that it gives us the opportunity to see who is going into the jail, Nester said. What are their concerns? What are their issues?

Nester added that determining any mental health or substance abuse issues is crucial.

We just need to connect that person being admitted to the jail to those programs, he said. So were happy to try and provide a bridge for that.

For instance, Sweeney recalled speaking with a particularly mentally ill man who was incarcerated at the countys correctional facility. While he was agitated and very upset, Sweeney was able to eventually get him calmed down. She added he was later 302 committed, which meant mental health treatment was authorized, according to the countys office of public health.

He was particularly young, so it was particularly heartbreaking for me, she said.

As the representatives from the countys public defenders office gave their preliminary report, Sweeney said this initiative has truly impacted the lives of those in need of these services.

So it is vitally important and  the feelings and emotions as Im relaying to you are palpable, and the people are grateful and they do contact us afterwards to say how grateful they were to just see a face that was comforting, and willing to listen and take a step back, and try to give them the layout of whats gonna happen from here, she said.

County leaders expressed their appreciation for the presentation as they endorsed the program.

This is something Ive been committed to for a long time, and Im just so glad to see that its actually starting and I look forward to it being everywhere, Arkoosh said.

Montgomery County Board of Commissioners Vice Chairman Ken Lawrence Jr., agreed, adding that he has high hopes for the ventures long term success.

I know youre calling it a pilot program,' Lawrence said. This will be a permanent program, and I know youre gonna continue to lead forward to make sure we cover the entire county on this.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. Years of recurrent cross-border gunfire from Azerbaijan has become a usual thing for three generations of the Aghasyan-Chobanyan family living in the Armenian village of Chinari, which came under heavy bombardment most recently in July 2020.

When this happens, we immediately take shelter as usual, we dont care for these shots, but we didnt expect them to use such heavy artillery this time, Lidia Chobanyan, a mother of two, told ARMENPRESSs Lilit Demuryan at the damaged home. Lidia Chobanyan and her husband Samvel Aghasyan live here with their daughter, son, daughter-in-law and 5 grandchildren.

During the Azerbaijani artillery strikes the family lost their bread bakery, solar power panels, household equipment and their house suffered major damages.

We took shelter, but I wasnt scared, and I am not scared of those sounds, the familys 7-year-old Samvel Junior, a 2nd grader said.

Lidia Chobanyan, a teacher by profession, said that one of the artillery shells directly hit the house, and one exploded in the yard. Windows were destroyed, the bread bakery were I used to frequently bake bread is gone. The solar power station is destroyed, wed installed it only a month before, she said when asked what happened on the morning of July 16.

Now, the government is building a brand new 7-room house for the family, something Chobanyan says they didnt even hope for. She said they used to rebuild the damages from cross-border shelling at their own expense in the past.

Before this happened we had started a renovation, we didnt manage to finish it, but now, after the July events the Prime Minister issued a directive and a new house is being built for us. We are very happy, but we dont believe that the construction will be finished because Azerbaijan is shooting all the time, even during these past few days they started shooting more, Chobanyan said.

As much as these incidents have become usual for them, Chobanyan admitted that every day they are living in fear, but at the same time with hope.

The government has allocated more than 64,000,000 drams for the new, 208 square meter house with an additional 110 square meter bomb shelter.

It is very important for residents of the villages who were targeted by adversary artillery to know that the government is standing by their side and is doing more than they think, PM Nikol Pashinyans advisor Robert Ghukasyan said. He said the construction will most probably be finished by yearend 2020.

Photos by Tatev Duryan

Similar government-funded reconstruction works are underway in other villages of the Tavush province  Aygepar and Nerkin Karmiraghbyur  which were also damaged when Azerbaijani military began shelling peaceful civilians.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
National eyewear chain Oscar Wylee has been hit with a $3.5 million penalty over a misleading advertising campaign that claimed the company would donate a pair of frames to "someone in need" for every pair sold.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission launched Federal Court action against the chain in December last year over marketing claims made between January 2014 and December 2018 about the company's philanthropic work and charitable affiliations.

The ACCC took Oscar Wylee to court over its 'Buy 1 Pair, Give 1 Pair' campaign.

The court heard Oscar Wylee had sold 328,010 pairs of glasses in that period and donated 3181 pairs  falling 324,829 frames short of its "buy a pair, give a pair" marketing slogan. It donated no frames between 2015 and 2017.

In 2019, after the ACCC investigation began, the company donated 333,404 frames to charities, foundations, hospitals or prisons, and $80,000 to charitable causes.
shantanu david By

Express News Service

There used to be a time when the promenade of DLF Cyber Hub, that Mecca of foodies in Gurugram, would be thronging with people most times of the day, with weekday afternoons often as busy as weekend nights for the scores of restaurants there, thanks to all the executives who work in the MNC conglomerates that rim around the hub.

Today, with an ongoing pandemic, universal work from home options, and a general fear of stepping out, we have no problem getting a table at Viet: Nom, our first dining out review since those early chaotic days in March. While the kitchen is helmed by Executive Chef Aakash Nakra, the restaurant staff does their part in making sure you feel safe and secure, from each setting of crockery and cutlery crisply packed for your safety, and staff armed in gloves, visors, masks, and much handwash.

Char Grilled Pork Spare Ribs

The restaurant bar is open as well so you can gain some liquid courage through their top nosh, er, notch signature cocktails, while you wait for your food. Try the fruity, peppery Gin and Nom, as delish as it sounds. We start our meal with some Southeast Asian staples: a Papaya and Pomelo Salad and Crispy Lotus Stems. These dishes, and the ingredients that are used in them, are common across the region, as noted by the chef, but used in differing quant i ti es and compositions.

For instance, this Vietnamese variation of the Thai Som Tam, uses tiny Pomelo oranges and grape fruit to give the salad its familiar citric tang. Similarly, the lotus stems are also gentler and a tad sweeter than their Oriental counterparts, and indeed that would be an ideal descriptor of Vietnamese food, for those not too familiar with it: a gentler type of Thai and Malay flavours, with as much complexity of tastes, but subtler inferences. Similarly, the Pork Spare Ribs marinated in tamarind paste, are as tender, juicy, and falling of the bone than any Asian preparation of the same succulent meat, but not as in your face as some of the more fiery and robust renditions.

And by the way, this, dear reader, the feeling of digging into fabulously prepared dishes, fresh out of the kitchen, is why dining out can never be replaced, or even recreated, no matter how competently home delivery or take out are done. Our mains comprise Vietnams national dishes: namely a Seafood Pho, and Mango Curry with Jasmine Rice. The Pho (pronounced fuh) is an ambrosial clear soup in which bits of fresh fish, tender prawns, squid swim amidst a forest of glass noodles and fresh herbs and spices. It would be the perfect winter dish but we enjoy it just fine in a balmy September.

Mango Curry

However, our personal favourite is the Chicken Mango Curry, which is our new favourite Asian curry. Think the best Thai Red Curry you have ever had, with its heat tempered by mango pulp that doesnt so much sweeten the dish as bring its spices to the forefront. We continue to bid the summer adieu, sticking to mango to the last with a dessert of a chilled mango and sticky rice pudding, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. As always, theres always room to finish a good dessert.

How to tell South Asian flavours apart

The lotus stems are gentler and a tad sweeter than their Oriental counterparts, and indeed that would be an ideal descriptor of Vietnamese food, for those not too familiar with it: a gentler type of Thai and Malay flavours, with as much complexity of tastes, but subtler inferences.
The TTC is testing ultraviolet light technology as one of the ways to keep riders safe from COVID-19, as they return to the transit system.

According to an update on its pandemic recovery plans published Friday, the agency is piloting the use of UV light to treat air circulating through its vehicles ventilation systems. TTC spokesperson Stuart Green said a UV light has already been installed in the rooftop air-conditioning unit of one bus as a test.

Green explained that the light kills mold, bacteria, and viruses in the air as it passes through the ventilation system. Frequent air recirculation through the bus is utilized to sterilize airborne bacteria and viruses multiple times, treating air inside the bus up to once per minute on high speed, he said. Transit agencies in Dallas and Houston are among the operators that are testing the technology or have already adopted it, according to Green.

He said the agency is also exploring the use of photo-hydro-ionization technology, which uses UV light to create microbe-killing hydrogen peroxide and has been successfully deployed in hospital ventilation systems to fight H1N1 and the avian flu. The TTC plans to test the technology, which it says poses no harm to passengers, on one of its streetcars.

Additional air treatment technologies the TTC is testing, according to the report include higher efficiency and anti-viral filters,. Its also looking at the use of steam treatments to clean porous surfaces such as vehicle seats.

Green provided no timeline for possible implementation of the UV technology, but the report recommends moving ahead with installing higher efficiency filters on TTC vehicles, at an estimated cost of $3.3 million. The agency could pursue other air treatment methods depending on test results. The TTC expects to spend more than $39 million on COVID-19 safety measures this year, according to the report.

The agency has already implemented measures such as enhanced station and vehicle cleaning, and on Thursday, a new rule went into effect requiring TTC workers to wear masks in virtually all workplace settings. Face coverings have been mandatory for passengers since July.

The degree to which Torontos transit system is safe is coming into sharper focus this month as students go back to school and vehicle crowding increases.

In the report, TTC staff asserted that research from other jurisdictions indicates there is no direct correlation  between the use of urban public transit and transmission of COVID-19.

The report states its possible the virus isnt spreading widely on transit because passengers tend not to stay on vehicles for long and dont speak to one another, and these behaviours limit the spread of airborne droplets. The risk is further reduced if riders follow mandatory mask rules.

However, experts have told the Star the lack of conclusive evidence linking COVID-19 to transit isnt necessarily a sign the virus isnt spreading on public transportation.

Instead, this could be explained by the fact that its difficult to trace transmission to settings where everyone is a stranger. According to Toronto Public Health data cited in the report, the origin of 22 per cent of cases in the city is unknown.

The report states that as of last week, ridership system-wide was at 41 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, up from a low point in the spring of just 14 per cent.

The agency expects ridership will continue to increase this fall as a result of elementary and secondary schools resuming classes, post-secondary institutions allowing limited on-campus activity, some employees going back to the workplace, and colder weather limiting transportation options.

Depending on how those factors play out, the ridership could be between 40 and 60 per cent of normal this autumn, but, for budgeting purposes, the TTC has landed on a prediction of 45 per cent.

If current trends continue into next year, the agency is projecting eye-watering losses of nearly $950 million between April 2020 and March 2021. By the end of this year, even after taking into account cost-saving measures, the TTC expects to have a budget gap of $589.5 million as a result of revenue losses and increased costs related to COVID.

Most of that amount will be offset by $404 million Toronto will receive from relief funding the Province and Federal government announced in July. According to the report, the TTC expects a second phase of the funding coming next year to offset the rest of its shortfall this year, but the agency will push Ottawa and Queens Park for continued emergency funding for COVID-19 losses it expects to incur in 2021.

Ben Spurr is a Toronto-based reporter covering transportation for the Star. Reach him by email at bspurr@thestar.ca or follow him on Twitter: @BenSpurr

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Tropical Storm Noul has unleashed heavy rains and high winds in Vietnam's central coastal region

Tropical Storm Noul pounded Vietnam on Friday, killing one person and injuring dozens more as it unleashed heavy rains and high winds on the country's central coastal region, authorities said.

Images on state-run Vietnam Television showed damaged houses and trees, and power poles pulled from the ground as the country's biggest storm of the year made landfall in Hue, Vietnam's old imperial capital.

On Thursday, authorities said more than one million people across three central provinces as well as the city of Danang would be evacuated.

At least one person was killed and dozens others injured, state media reported, as 90 kilometre-per-hour (56 mph) winds struck.

"It was scary as the wind was so strong when the storm arrived," said Nguyen Xuan Vu, who lives in Hue.

"So many trees are down. Our city looks in bad shape," Vu told AFP.

Late Friday, the storm was downgraded to a tropical depression, according to Vietnamese forecasters.

All airports in central Vietnam remain closed while a ban on fishing vessels has been in place since Thursday.

Electricity has been completely cut off in Thua Thien Hue province.

Vietnam is routinely hit by tropical storms from around May to October, with its central coast most frequently affected.

Official reports said 68 people have been reported dead or missing in national disasters this year.

tmh/aph/qan
Indias coronavirus disease (Covid-19) tally surged to 5,214,677 after 96,424 new cases and 1,174 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours from across the country, according to the Union health ministry on Friday.

The health ministrys Covid-19 dashboard showed there were 1,017,754 active cases and the countrys death toll has gone up to 84,372.

Close to half or 48.45% of the active cases of Covid-19 are concentrated in three states of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, the ministry said on Thursday. Along with Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, these states contribute nearly 60% of the total active cases in the country, it added.

Also read | Moderna shares Covid-19 vaccine trial blueprints, Pfizer follows

According to the health ministrys dashboard at 8am, 87,472 Covid-19 patients recovered between Thursday and Friday morning. With this, the number of recoveries in India has climbed to 4,112,551 and the recovery rate to 78.86%.

India has recorded more than 82,000 recoveries for three days in a row now and the recovered cases exceed active ones by more than 3 million, according to the ministrys data.

These high levels of recovery have resulted in a 100% increase in the number of recovered cases in the past 30 days. Maharashtra (17,559) contributed more than one-fifth of the new recoveries (21.22%) while the States of Andhra Pradesh (10,845), Karnataka (6,580), Uttar Pradesh (6,476) and Tamil Nadu (5,768) contributed 35.87% of the new recoveries, the health ministry said on Thursday.

Also read | Parliament tweaks testing after 2 more MPs test Covid-19 positive

It added that these states together account for 57.1% of total new recoveries.

Maharashtra accounted for more than 40% of the new deaths related to the coronavirus disease. The following four States of Uttar Pradesh (86), Punjab (78), Andhra Pradesh (64), West Bengal (61) contributed 25.5% of the fatalities in the last 24 hours, the ministry had said on Thursday.

There are more than 30 million coronavirus disease cases worldwide and 944,887 people have succumbed to the viral disease, according to Johns Hopkins Universitys Covid-19 data.
Its also positive that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suspended plans, widely viewed as illegal, to annex part of the West Bank. Thats where we are: Getting Israel not to violate international law is notched up as an achievement. Netanyahu also did not insist the U.A.E. and Bahrain recognize Israel as a Jewish state  perhaps the most ludicrous demand Israel ever made of the Palestinians.

Yet this cannot mask the fact that Israels problems are not with the U.A.E. or Bahrain (normalization surfaced an existing web of relations), but with the Palestinians over the division of the land between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. For all the pious sentiments in the agreement about resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the reality is that Trump, Kushner, Friedman et al. have treated the Palestinian national cause with contempt. Their peace plan released earlier this year made a mockery of Palestinian statehood. It offered near carte blanche for Israel.

The Trump administration has no interest in history. Therefore, it cannot understand that the Palestinian struggle is a historical one, as that of the Jews for a homeland was. The Palestinians will not be bought off, a concept foreign to Trump. No Palestinian leader will accept anything resembling the Trump-Kushner plan.

Talk of the Palestinians being pressured now into folding betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of the Palestinian psyche. Peace, the one that matters, has not been served by this administration; and some 6.5 million Palestinian Arabs in Gaza, Israel and the West Bank are not going away. The status quo can offer lulls, but not dawns.

The Palestinians have contributed to their own humiliation. You cannot talk about elections and not hold them without being viewed as unserious. The Palestinian Authority, established as part of a defunct peace process, is a collection of undemocratic has-beens.

Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian leader, sits atop a house of cards that does little or nothing for the Palestinian people. One day it will collapse. Feeble, corrupt leadership has allowed Palestinians to be sold down the river.

Theres another reason for my queasiness at Trumps Middle East peace show. The Abraham Accords declare: We support science, art, medicine. They say, We seek tolerance and respect for every person, regardless of race, faith or ethnicity.
Sigfox, the global 0G network and cloud provider for industrial data, announces a new strategic alliance with Cube Infrastructure Managers.

Cube Infrastructure Managers brings together the Sigfox 0G network operators in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, through the acquisition of a majority stake in Heliot Europe and the acquisition of Sigfox Germany.

This transaction will accelerate the deployment of IoT infrastructure, which is essential to the competitiveness and sustainable development of the European economy.

Sigfox, the global 0G network1 and cloud provider for industrial data, is proud to announce a new strategic alliance with Cube Infrastructure Managers (Cube), through the sale of its German 0G network to Cube. Sigfox has grown its 0G IoT services by rolling out 0G networks across 72 countries and regions, which was largely achieved with partners called Sigfox Operators. These operators are the owners of the 0G networks, which they operate as exclusive connectivity providers of Sigfox IoT services, offering worldwide connectivity to customers. The sale of the German network to Cube will allow Sigfox to finance its continued innovation efforts in data value extraction and improvements in cloud algorithms to reduce energy consumption and allow the implementation of even more cost-effective devices and sensors.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200918005116/en/

Cube Infrastructure Managers, the European infrastructure fund manager, is proud to announce its strategic alliance with Sigfox with the acquisition of a majority stake in Heliot Europe, the owner and operator of the Sigfox 0G networks in Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein and the acquisition of Sigfox's 0G network in Germany, which it is acquiring through Heliot Europe. Cube is therefore bringing together the 0G networks of all these four countries, which will together form the largest 0G network in Europe. Cube's objective is to accelerate the growth of this essential and exclusive IoT infrastructure in the region in joint venture with the operating management of the networks, which retains a minority stake in Heliot Europe.

What started out as Sigfox's early disruptive 0G network, has built trust with numerous industries, which have been able to significantly improve the management of their supply inventories and product distribution, realizing significant efficiency gains by capturing small messages using affordable, autonomous and long-lasting sensors. Rather than competing with cellular technology, Sigfox 0G has proved to complement this technology where it is not suitable thanks to devices which use far less energy and radio spectrum and cost far less. Cube's acquisitions of Sigfox Germany and Heliot Europe mark a milestone in the IoT's market maturity as it recognizes the long-term growth potential of IoT 0G infrastructure networks. The inclusion of Cube in the Sigfox ecosystem thus confirms Sigfox' long-thought growth strategy. It is also a milestone for the entire Sigfox ecosystem: the other Sigfox network operators, suppliers, partners and customers.

"We challenge and invite industries to evaluate the data they want to collect, to improve their business. Our goal at Sigfox, with our operators and our ecosystem partners, is to minimize data extraction costs. Sharing infrastructure is a first step toward lower TCO, and higher reliability and interoperability" says Ludovic Le Moan, CEO and cofounder of Sigfox

"We are known as pioneers among infrastructure funds for investing early in optic fiber infrastructure companies in Europe, long before fiber became the "fourth utility" and have over the last decade accompanied the growth of several European infrastructure operators. Today, we see the development of massive IoT as a critical enabler and driver of economic, social and environmental progress in the context of the digital transformation of our economies. With this investment in the Heliot platform and strategic alliance with Sigfox, we are now aiming at consolidating a new communication infrastructure, harnessing its potential to enhance the competitiveness of our industries and territories, and contributing to the efficient use of public services and scarce resources consistent with our ESG objectives" explains Henri Piganeau, Managing Partner at Cube Infrastructure Managers

"We are pleased to welcome Cube as our main shareholders to drive our vision started 2 years ago with our agreements signed with Sigfox for Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. The acquisition of Sigfox Germany is a key milestone in our development and we will pursue commercial development initiated by Sigfox Germany with tier one customers in the country and beyond, in retail, automotive and logistics. This new combined 0G network from the Adriatic to the North Sea reflects our clients expectations and plays well to our operational strengths. We are looking to further accelerate and foster the adoption of IoT at the heart of European industry. This is made possible with the successful and entrepreneurial team already fully integrated into the Sigfox ecosystem as well as the powerful financial backing and experience of Cube Infrastructure Managers. This is also an unprecedented opportunity to reinforce our strategic and long-term alliance with Sigfox"explains Thomas Scheibel, CEO at Heliot.

"From the very beginning, Sigfox has been aiming to offer customers an ever-better service, through innovation, densification, a mature ecosystem, and a high return on investment. Selling Sigfox Germany to dedicated and long-term partners such as Heliot and Cube will allow us to keep this promise" addsLudovic Le Moan. "We have built and created value to the world's first low power network. A network built to last. This is reflected in the ever-increasing number of customers who join us every day."

About Sigfox

Sigfox is the initiator of the 0G network and the world's leading IoT (Internet of Things) service provider. Its global network allows billions of devices to connect to the Internet, in a straightforward way, while consuming as little energy as possible. Sigfox's unique approach to device-to-cloud communications addresses the three greatest barriers to global IoT adoption: cost, energy consumption and global scalability.

Today, the network is available in 72 countries, with 1.3 billion people covered. ISO 9001 certified and surrounded by a large ecosystem of partners and IoT key players, Sigfox empowers companies to move their business model towards more digital services, in key areas such as Asset Tracking and Supply Chain. Founded in 2010 by Ludovic Le Moan and Christophe Fourtet, the company is headquartered in France and has offices in Madrid, Munich, Boston, Dallas, Dubai, Singapore, Sao Paulo and Tokyo.

About Heliot

HELIOT Group is today the exclusive owner and operator of the global Sigfox 0G IoT dedicated network for Switzerland, Austria and Liechtenstein. With the Sigfox 0G IoT enabling technology, HELIOT provides a seamless, easy-to-use, low-cost and energy efficient LPWA nationwide networks without barrier or border for sensors and devices used for the Internet of Things and Mass IoT as well as providing innovative IoT business solutions.

About Cube Infrastructure Managers

Founded in 2007, Cube Infrastructure Managers is an independent management company, focusing on equity investments in the European infrastructure space addressing the essential infrastructure needs of local public authorities and populations, with strong ESG commitments. Cube Infrastructure Managers has raised an aggregate 2.6 billion and manages three funds. Cube Infrastructure Fund and Cube Infrastructure Fund II are focusing on investments in regulated, brownfield infrastructure and target mainly three strategic markets, Public Transport, Energy Transition and Communication Infrastructure, with a "Buy Grow" strategy. The Connecting Europe Broadband Fund is a fund dedicated to investment in broadband infrastructure projects.

https://www.cubeinfrastructure.com/

1 Also known as Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWA)

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200918005116/en/

Contacts:

Sigfox

Antoine Mege, PR Content Manager

antoine.mege@sigfox.com



Cube Infrastructure Managers

Caroline Kragerud, Head of Investor Relations

+352 248 734 6874



Agnes Catineau, Xavier Mas

CUBEIM@brunswickgroup.com

+33 (0) 1 53 96 83 83



HELIOT Group KAG

Thomas Scheibel, CEO

thomas.scheibel@heliotgroup.com
In the lead-up to the US presidential election, Donald Trump and friends are dribbling out new attacks on Joe Bidens mental acuity. Earlier attacks smearing the Democratic challenger as sleepy and senile didnt go down too well with seniors. So now Trumps tweaked the slur, telling Fox News that Biden possibly, I hear uses prescription drugs to lift his performance in debates.

Donald Trump has questioned Joe Bidens mental health. Credit:TOM COMPAGNONI

The fact some intelligent observers are propagating this line about Bidens unfitness of mind is discombobulating. Sometimes his sentences indeed meander and disintegrate, sometimes he muddles words. Poor kids are just as bright and just as talented as white kids, he said last year. Apparently he meant wealthy kids". Whoops. But  why does the but always feel like defeat?  Trumps claims about Bidens drug use and intellectual decrepitude are without evidence, as journalists say these days.

The claims are lies. They echo an apparent disinformation campaign by the merry assassins in Russian intelligence to tar Biden as mentally unstable. They are ableist in alluding to Bidens stutter. They are ageist, even though Biden, 77, is only three years older than Trump, who tries to mask his age by projecting macho virility.

They are also plain dumb because since when has not being the sharpest tool in the box disqualified a white male for the US presidency, a point Ill come back to, but first, the friggin obvious: the slur against Biden is the mother of all pots calling the kettle black. It is one huge covfefe.
An Ohio man who murdered his pregnant wife three decades ago inadvertently caused investigators to reopen the case after he mentioned her alleged suicide 'outta the blue.'

Scott Purk was found guilty of murder and tampering with evidence in the death of his first wife, Margaret, in November 2015. He was convicted of arson and serving a separate prison sentence at the time.

Margaret had been 24-years-old and expected to give birth to their first child just days before her death in March 1985.

Prosecutors say Purk put a belt around Margaret Purk's neck and strangled her before trying to make it look like she hanged herself in their Akron apartment.

The death was originally ruled a suicide, and may have remained that way had Purk not spoken about Margaret's death to Lt. Ken Mifflin of the City of Stow Police Department years later.

Scroll down for video

Scott Purk (left) was convicted of murdering his wife, Margaret (right), nearly three decades after her death was ruled a suicide

In a new NBC Dateline episode scheduled for Friday at 10pm ET, Lieutenant Ken Mifflin said that he was motivated to re-investigate Margaret's death while responding to a house fire.

In March 2009, authorities dispatched to a fire at a residence Purk shared with his second wife and two children.

Purk, now 62, would later serve a 28-year prison sentence for arson related to insurance fraud, but at the time investigations had just begun.

Mifflin had been speaking to Purk about the house fire when the man unexpectedly brought up his deceased wife.

'Scott just outta the blue says to me, well, his first wife had committed suicide - in 1985. And she was pregnant, nine months pregnant,' Mifflin told Dateline.

Lt. Ken Mifflin (pictured): 'Scott just outta the blue says to me, well, his first wife had committed suicide - in 1985. And she was pregnant, nine months pregnant'

He added that he was caught off guard by the admission since it had nothing to do with the house fire or their conversation at the time.

'I was shocked at and - it made me wonder, "Okay, now I need to look into this." I I'm looking at someone who I believe is an arsonist,' said Mifflin. 'Now I'm wondering, "Okay, was he a murderer?"'

Following that conversation, authorities in Stow launched parallel investigations into Purk.

Mifflin would reexamine Margaret's alleged suicide in Akron, while now-retired arson investigator Jim Liedel would look into the fires in Stow.

Stow authorities launched a parallel investigation that saw Mifflin (left) reexamining Margaret's death, while arson investigator Jim Liedel (right) would look into the fires

Both Mifflin and Liedel told NBC Dateline reporter Josh Mankiewicz that they had a good working relationship throughout the case.

'He knows exactly what he's doing,' Mifflin said about Liedel.

But the two investigators would need to bypass a number of obstacles, including the fact that Margaret's death happened many years ago and that she died in Akron - an entirely different jurisdiction than Stow.

When asked by Mankiewicz how they approached Akron authorities, Mifflin said it was done with caution but they two departments are on good standing with each other.

'You have to approach it very carefully. But we have a good working relationship with the police department in Akron And I - you have to make the phone call,' said Mifflin.

Scott Purk (left and right) was serving a 28-year prison sentence related to arson when he was convicted of Margaret's murder

According to Record-Courier, authorities had suspected Purk of setting his own home on fire for the insurance money, but did not have the evidence to convict him.

It wasn't until one year later, when Purk set fire to a duplex, that authorities noted that the fire resembled the one at Purk's home.

Mifflin told the publication that he visited the Bridgewater Parkway apartments where Purk was staying with his family.

There, he discovered a vital clue that linked Purk to the fires.

'Thats when things really started to unravel for him because that morning it was like 23 degrees, it was freezing,' Mifflin told Record-Courier.

'And every car in the parking lot by his apartment all had ice on it and frosted windows except for one car and it ended up being one of the Purks cars and that was the car he used to drive to commit the fire.'

'He wanted us to think there was a serial arsonist in the neighborhood,' Mifflin added.

It was around this time that the murder investigation in Akron hit a stride regarding the autopsy report.

Margaret was exhumed for a second autopsy that found she had marks consistent with ligature strangulation  not suicide by hanging as the first autopsy determined.

Mifflin: 'Had he not said anything, had he not told me anything, I would have had no reason to have looked into [Margarets death], let alone known that his first wife had died' Pictured: Scott Purk

Photos from the 1985 autopsy clearly showed what happened, prosecutors said.

Purk told police and paramedics that he used a knife to cut his wife down from the rope, then tried CPR to revive her, Hicks said.

Police and prosecutors didn't have the rope, the knife, the original crime-scene photos or the recording of the 911 call.

'He really thought he was a smart criminal,' Mifflin told Record-Courier.

'Had he not said anything, had he not told me anything, I would have had no reason to have looked into [Margarets death], let alone known that his first wife had died.'
PHOENIX  Gov. Doug Ducey and the head of the U.S. Census Bureau encouraged Arizonans on Thursday to complete their census forms as statistics showed more than 10% of the states residents havent yet participated in the once-a-decade national count.

With just 13 days remaining before the count ends, Arizona could lose as much as $500 million a year in federal Medicaid payments alone if those numbers dont improve, according to a new study. More than 40 states have better participation, Census Bureau statistics show, meaning they will get more in per-person federal payments.

Ducey and Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham said at a news conference that more than 400 additional census workers have been brought in since last week to help locate people who havent completed their census forms.

We have every intention of exceeding 90%, of capturing every dollar and counting every Arizonan, and thats why Director Dillingham is here today, Ducey said Thats why were having the press conference.

A group of cities, counties and civil rights groups are suing to get the census completion deadline extended by a month to the end of October as was previously planned. Theyre urging a federal judge to act because the pandemic, fires on the West Coast and hurricanes on the Gulf Coast have hurt outreach and completion efforts.

Government attorneys have argued that the census must finish by the end of September to meet a Dec. 31 deadline for turning over numbers used for deciding how many congressional seats each state gets in a process known as apportionment.

Besides determining how many congressional seats each state gets, the census helps determine the distribution of $1.5 trillion in federal spending annually.

Theres also action in Congress, as a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a bill to extend the head count through October and push back the deadline for turning over apportionment numbers from the end of December to the end of next April.

A study released by the American Statistical Association Thursday showed ending the 2020 census at the end of September instead of the end of October, could cost Florida and Montana congressional seats. It could also result in Texas, Florida, Arizona, Georgia, and North Carolina losing $500 million annually in federal funding for health care for its neediest residents.

The Census Bureau has counted 89.9% of Arizona residents, Dillingham said, although some areas such as the Navajo Nation and largely Latino areas of metro Phoenix have much lower participation. He said the agency is working to ensure that Arizona as well as areas hit by wildfires and hurricanes get as complete a count as possible

It is a challenge, Dillingham said. Were trying to make sure we meet that challenge and were making tremendous progress.

He also said the Bureau will adjust to whatever court or congressional changes occur.

The Census Bureau sent out millions of letters to Arizonans asking them to fill out forms online, in writing or by phone. They are following up with in-person contacts at homes where they did not get a response.

Residents who have not responded to the census can do so by phone, online or by returning the form mailed to their home.

___

Associated Press reporter Michael Schneider in Orlando, Florida, contributed.
Local and national political analysts generally portrayed the Markey-Kennedy primary as a clash of different generations of progressive Democrats, but also as a test of whether the Kennedy family legacy remained relevant in 21st-century American politics, especially in the state where it began. There was doubt that Markeysometimes cast as a wonk whose congressional career was associated with work on arms control and telecommunicationscould appeal to younger voters, especially on climate change-related issues, because they tended to view him as more of a centrist Democrat.

Instead, Markey was able to win supporters from the more liberal wing of the Democratic Party, notably U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, through his backing of the Green New Deal. Kennedywho had a sizable lead in polls early on in the racecould not mount an effective campaign, especially in the midst of a pandemic.



Boston College faculty experts recently offered their perspectives on Markeys victory. Associate Professor of Political Science David Hopkins called it one of the most successful political reinventions of the year.
The Nigerian government on Friday apologised for misinforming Nigerians about its new self-certification policy.

Tweeting via the handle @NigeriaGov, the government said the message contained in the notice does not affect all Nigerians as erroneously communicated on Thursday.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the Nigerian government had on Thursday directed account holders in financial institutions across the country to complete a new self-certification form.

In a series of tweets, the government said the new forms must be obtained, completed, and submitted by all account holders in financial institutions, including banks and insurance companies.

The form must be completed in order to enable financial institutions in Nigeria carry out due diligence in line with extant tax regulations, the government said.

The announcement was, however, greeted with outrage on Twitter and other social networking sites.

Many Nigerians, who commented on the issue, expressed worry over the duplication of such efforts across different departments and agencies of government.

Others wondered why the nation was fixated on such analogue and laborious means of generating data from its citizens.

Apology

In a subsequent tweet on Friday, the government apologised for misleading Nigerians.

We apologize for the misleading tweets (now deleted) that went up yesterday, regarding the completion of self-certification forms by Reportable Persons, the tweet reads.

The message contained in the @firsNigeria Notice does not apply to everybody. FIRS will issue appropriate clarification shortly.

Earlier on Friday, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) clarified that the directive is not for all bank customers.

The FIRS said that the form is required to be completed by customers of financial institutions who maintain accounts in countries and tax jurisdictions other than Nigeria.

The new development becomes necessary to enable regulatory bodies use the details for tax and anti-money laundering monitoring purposes.

This is to clarify that the publication for financial institutions account holders in Nigeria to complete the self-certification form, pursuant to the Income Tax (Common Reporting Standard) Regulations 2019 which is for the fulfilment of Automatic Exchange of Information Requirements, the FIRS said.

The Self-Certification form is basically to be administered on Reportable persons holding accounts in Financial institutions that are regarded as Reportable Financial Institutions under the CRS (Common Reporting Standard).

Reportable persons are often non-residents and other persons who have residence for tax purposes in more than one jurisdiction or Country. Financial Institutions are expected to administer the Self Certification form on such account holders when information at its disposal indicates that the Account holder is a person resident for tax purpose in more than one jurisdiction.
More behind the cutPlays excerpts. Joy thought he did great. Sara really liked his ability to connect and empathize with voters but also answered tough questions like the teacher with MS who is still nervous about going back to her classroom, he didnt give a Pollyanna answer, gave a realistic answer. Meghan thought he did well. Most of them call out the Russiapublican talking points that hes feeble and senile, yet when he interacts live, hes normal and has command of the topics.Rage alert. This f/cker said he forbids the 1619 Project from being taught in school, calls it child abuse to teach children these ~lies. He signed an Executive Order to teach Patriotic programs in school [narrator: he didnt sign an EO, the federal government doesnt determine school curriculum, and Patriotic programs is another Fascist move]. Plays clip of drugged up slurred speech T45. He said this at the National Archives where he talked about historian who is dead. Children should learn about our history including the unvarnished truth, so we dont repeat the same mistakes. A recent [UK]poll showed a lot of young people in America didnt know about, or didnt believe, the Holocaust was real or as significant as it was. /facepalmKim Klacik is running for the MD House seat vacated by Elijah Cummings. She lost the special election in April by a margin of 73.8% to 25.1%. Yikes.Plays a campaign ad. Meghan is the reason Kim is even on the show, because of course. Sara points out her poor performance in the special election, wants her sales pitch why shes running again. Sunny points out Kim will be representing Baltimore, where Kim has never lived. Kim says she supports Elijah and her proof is that she has pictures with him. Joy points out the Democratic controlled House passed a second stimulus bill, while the GOP controlled Senate has refused to vote on it. Kim has all the MAGA talking points. Ana wonders why the country has to be made Great Again when it was already great despite its flaws [mostly the slogan is from N@zism, not so much that it is or was -great-. Brings up T45 history on racism with his business. Kim claims hes not racist. Ana says the NY exonerated 5 would disagree.Kim claims the usual MAGA talking points about what T45 has done for the Black community. Meanwhile, Sunny fact-checks her on multiple points that proves Kim false. Kim says she doesnt support BLM movement, claims it was hijacked, while blaming BLM even though outside groups are who did the hijacking. Doesnt blame T45 for his failure over covid and inexplicably name checks Bill Clinton who has been out of office for (checks calendar) 20 years.Lol x infinity. The other hosts have poker face but you know they wanted to laugh.Panel talks about getting Black and Latino ~male voters. Ana clarifies those polls are coming out of south FL, with residents from countries that fled communism. T45 has been lying that Democrats are the equivalent of the communist countries theyve come from and its working with that group. Things Biden should go to that group in FL and talk to them directly, call out the lies, point out the irony that T45 has bromance with Russia, N Korea, etc. Meghan says stuff. Speculates that the Latino men like T45 braggadocio, but that they may not vote for T45, vs staying home and not voting. Sara brings up Eva Longoria comments from last Friday show (about the subsets within the Latin voting community and various reasons for low voter turnout in that demo).Former cohost Keke and Michael pop on to surprise Sara for her birthday. They bring out a special cake for her. Shes getting a massage, they wear a mask, but her body is hurting-for-certain, and then dinner with her husband with an adult beverage.Source links are below each video or section
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Last months controversial testing guidelines that suddenly deviated from the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions previous stance to encourage Americans to get tested for the coronavirus were not formulated by the agencys scientists and were posted on the CDCs website without undergoing the normal scientific review process, the New York Times reports. Instead, the guidelineswhich were revised to recommend that individuals exposed to the virus but not exhibiting symptoms should not get testedwere composed by the Department of Health and Human Services and posted to the health agencys site over the objections of CDC scientists.

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The document contains elementary errorssuch as referring to testing for Covid-19, as opposed to testing for the virus that causes itand recommendations inconsistent with the C.D.C.s stance that mark it to anyone in the know as not having been written by agency scientists, according to a senior C.D.C. scientist who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of a fear of repercussions, according to the Times. The information comes mere days after revelations that political appointees at H.H.S. meddled with the C.D.C.s vaunted weekly reports on scientific research.

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The general suspicion is that the Trump administration is trying to suppress the number of positive cases by discouraging testing of asymptomatic cases, even though they are widely considered a significant driver of the viruss spread. How do we know that the Trump administration might just want to keep that number down via reduced testing? Because the leader of the Trump administration, President Donald Trump himself, has suggested so over and over and over again.

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Our testing is so much bigger and more advanced than any other country (we have done a great job on this!) that it shows more cases. Without testing, or weak testing, we would be showing almost no cases. Testing is a double edged sword - Makes us look bad, but good to have!!!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 15, 2020

Cases are going up in the U.S. because we are testing far more than any other country, and ever expanding. With smaller testing we would show fewer cases!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 23, 2020

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Fewer tests, fewer cases of the coronavirus! 1+1=Apple. Absolutely genius. Its, of course, not an actual solution, but the appearance of one, which is all Trump has ever been afterat least until Nov. 3, after which, one way or another, he wont even have to feign interest. Thats why there are more and more accounts emerging of political fiddling with the scientific process of assessing the U.S. pandemic response. The decision of what to do with the scientific information, and how to implement it, is surely a political decision, but the actual science upon which decisions are being made shouldnt be. The CDC is set to issue new, revised guidelines shortly, which the Times reports have been written by a scientist at the CDC, but are currently being edited by HHS and the White House Coronavirus Task Force.
BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Several foreign financial institutions have raised their forecasts of China's economic growth for the rest of the year as the country's key economic indicators point to strong recovery amid COVID-19 prevention and control.

Quick containment of the epidemic and effective monetary and fiscal policies have largely contributed to the country's stronger-than-expected rebound and will further boost gross domestic product (GDP), the institutions have said.

Global credit rating agency Moody's raised its growth forecast for the Chinese economy this year to 1.9 percent from 1 percent in a report on China's economic recovery earlier this week, representing the firm's only upward revision of growth of major economies in 2020.

Chinese policymakers have increased the emphasis on reforms in some areas of the economy, facilitating access of foreign firms to the industrial and finance sectors, which if effective would contribute to increasing competition and supporting productivity, Moody's said in a press release.

The ongoing shift toward consumers and the services sectors combined with the continued upgrade of technology and digitalization support a shift toward higher value-added sectors, it said.

China's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) released a series of indicators Tuesday, showing improvement in retail sales and industrial output among others.

Retail sales of consumer goods, a main gauge of China's consumption, returned to growth the first time this year, rising 0.5 percent year on year in August.

The value-added industrial output increased 5.6 percent year on year last month, accelerating from a rise of 4.8 percent registered in July.

If the recovery momentum sustains in September, the country's GDP is expected to see "an evident acceleration" in the third quarter, said Fu Linghui, an NBS spokesperson.

Earlier NBS data showed China's GDP expanded 3.2 percent year on year in the second quarter, rebounding from a contraction of 6.8 percent in the first quarter.

The Asian Development Bank expects China's economy to increase 7.7 percent next year in its Asian Development Outlook 2020 Update released this week.

In a research report, analysts from global financial giant Standard Chartered Bank summarized China's measures to enhance financial support for foreign trade companies, facilitate domestic sales of export products, boost demand with new infrastructure and investment in urbanization and support part-time employment growth.

The infrastructure investment, real estate, finance and IT sectors are key growth drivers of China's economy, and there is sufficient room for the country to expand fiscal stimulus in H2 as per the budget, according to the report.
A masked student works on her laptop on the campus of Ball State University in Muncie, Ind., Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020. College towns across the U.S. have emerged as coronavirus hot spots in recent weeks as schools struggle to contain the virus. Out of nearly 600 students tested for the virus at Ball State, more than half have returned been found positive, according to data reported by the school. Dozens of infections have been blamed on off-campus parties, prompting university officials to admonish students. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) (Michael Conroy/AP)
BART police officers used force more frequently last year than the previous year and nearly half of all incidents were against Black men, who are a small share of the trains riders, a new report revealed.

The 2019 use of force report comes amid the agencys push over the past few years to address racial disparities in policing and more recently as the nation grapples with police brutality.

The number of arrests also rose to 2,011. The report said use of force incidents didnt increase proportionally, although not all incidents result in arrests. Incidents dropped in 2018 following a policy change that ordered officers to use the minimum amount of force necessary and de-escalation techniques whenever possible.

The most common reason for use of force was resisting arrest, according to the report.

Approximately 61% of those involved in use of force incidents were Black, but only 10% of BARTs ridership was Black at the last pre-pandemic count in 2018. That number rose to 22% during shelter-in-place, but the report does not include use of force incidents for that period.

The racial breakdown is unchanged from the year before, leading to calls for action from some of BARTs leadership and the agencys Police Citizen Review Board this week.

Theres a problem that disproportionately African-Americans are affected by contact with the police, and we havent changed that, Citizen Review Board member Todd Davis said during a meeting Monday. The more contact we have, the more potential we have for something turning violent and deadly, and weve seen it.

Kate Munsch / Special to the Chronicle

High-profile deaths at the hands of BART police rocked the agency in the past decade. In early 2009, police shot Oscar Grant to death at Fruitvale Station, followed almost exactly nine years later by the fatal shooting of Sahleem Tindle in West Oakland.

The police budget is $80 million, its union head said. Of the departments 351 employees in July, 34% were white, 22% Asian, 21% Hispanic, 19% Black, 2% Native and 2% Pacific Islander, the latest report said.

Amid nationwide calls for police reform this summer, some of BARTs leaders have pushed to reshape the systems policing model. The Police Department banned carotid control holds and created a new bureau of progressive policing and community engagement. The Board of Directors redirected $2 million in police funds to non-armed ambassadors and anti-racism training and is formulating an upcoming plan for alternatives to tackle homelessness and mental health issues.

BART Police Chief Ed Alvarez told the Citizen Review Board on Monday that we are all looking to get better and invited feedback. Deputy Police Chief Lance Haight said disparities are very complex social issues with multiple factors that stem from a number of causes. He added that individual officer bias and department culture are within the control of the police.

Were looking for quick fixes, but were also for the long-term systematic things we can do in order to prevent bias on the part of our officers, Haight said. By no means are we turning a blind eye, and we are continually striving to improve. Can we fix this tomorrow? Absolutely not.

Both Haight and Keith Garcia, president of BARTs Police Officers Association, pointed out that proof of payment citation data reported a demographic breakdown similar to use of force subjects. Proof of payment is enforced through non-sworn personnel, who check everyone in a train car. Garcia added that fare evasion citations given by officers, who do have more discretion, showed a similar racial breakdown.

I see no racial bias, Garcia said. To me it shows that our officers are doing a good job. Theyre not being influenced by any unconscious or conscious bias.

Other BART leaders said the report highlights issues that demand action.

The data from 2019 absolutely disturbs everyone in our institution, said Lateefah Simon, president of BARTs Board of Directors who is also leading Gov. Gavin Newsoms task force on police reform. We need to make clear and defined goals of how we get those numbers down and how we make amends in ensuring that we are living out our goal of progressive policing.

BART polices policy defines force as the application of physical techniques or tactics, chemical agents or weapons to another person. Here are the main takeaways from the 2019 use-of-force report.

 Use-of-force incidents rose to 277 in 2019 from 212 in 2018.

 Last year, officers employed de-escalation techniques 213 times. When using force, police officers most frequently used their body weight (95), took down subjects (86), placed control holds (85) and pointed handguns (64).

 124 incidents were initiated by calls for service and 119 initiated by police officers.

 In a third of the instances where force was used, the suspect was not arrested, and 37 incidents resulted in psychiatric detention.

 In 78% of incidents, there were no injuries. In total, 62 subjects and 52 officers were injured.

 In 2019, the second most affected group after Black men were Hispanic men (15%), white men (14%), and Black women (12%). People aged 20 to 29 were the largest share of those affected.

In Mondays meeting, BARTs Police Citizen Review Board Chairman David Rizk acknowledged past reforms, but called for a bolder, more experimental approach.

We cant continue to just look on as year after year we see numbers that reflect serious disparities in the way use of force targets communities of color, Rizk said.

BARTs Board of Directors already voted this summer to redirect $2 million in police funds to hire more ambassadors and conduct anti-racism training for officers. The Board is working with General Manager Bob Powers to reshape the systems policing model. Simon said she will introduce a plan at the October meeting that will propose a listening tour among community members and experts, and new funding for the initiatives.

A main goal is to reimagine how to address homelessness and mental health, problems that plague the train system. BART already works with counties to help homeless riders, but responding to crises often falls to police officers.

Were clear that our officers should not have to do everything, Simon said.

Garcia of the police union supported connecting riders to long-term help and adding resources to help police do their jobs, but said that officers couldnt be replaced entirely at scale.

Were actually trained a lot on how to deal with people who are in crisis, people who are homeless and drug addicted and mentally ill, because we are the first responders, Garcia said. We can talk about ambassadors and social workers and we can add different resources that we have the ability to access, but it will never stop the reality on the ground that police officers will be responding first to the vast majority of these scenarios.

Simon is running for re-election this year against a candidate backed by the Police Officers Association. She said that we cant train our way out of racism, but that she believes change with committed leadership is possible.

We have to think about public safety in a completely different way than we have, she said.

Mallory Moench is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mallory.moench@sfchronicle.com Twitter:@mallorymoench
Islamabad, Sep 18 : The blame game between India and Pakistan continue, as tensions move from bad to worse with griming hopes of table talks.

With both parties exchanging heavy gunfire and reporting casualties on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC), diplomatic offensive is also in full swing with criticizing statements coming with full force from both sides.

In a latest, Indian Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan said that New Delhi wishes to have good neighbourly relations with Pakistan, but for that Islamabad had to create "a conducive atmosphere by taking credible, verifiable and irreversible actions against terrorism".

The statement did not go well with Pakistan as it hit back, stating that the "onus was on India to create an enabling environment for normalization of relationship by reversing its illegal and unilateral actions, ending state terrorism against the Kashmiri people and agreeing to resolve the dispute in accordance with the international legitimacy".

This was stated by spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri during a weekly press briefing in Islamabad.

"With its gross systematic human rights violations and state terrorism in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), India cannot mislead the world community by leveling unfounded allegations against others," he added.

"It is India that has vitiated the atmosphere with its illegal and unilateral measures of August 5, 2019 in IIOJK and with continuous belligerent rhetoric and aggressive actions." Tensions were also escalating along the border as heavy exchanges of gunfire at the Line of Control (LoC) has killed civilians and soldiers on both sides.

Pakistan has been summoning a senior Indian diplomat to register its protest over what it called ceasefire violation by Indian forces along the LoC.

In the past few days, the diplomat has been summoned at least four times.

On Friday, Indian diplomat was summoned at the Pakistan foreign office and a strong protest was registered over ceasefire violations.

"A senior Indian diplomat on Friday was summoned to register Pakistan's strong protest over the ceasefire violations by Indian forces along the LoC in Hotsrping and Jandrot sectors, resulting in serious injuries to three innocent civilians," a statement from the Pakistan Foreign Office said.

"Due to indiscriminate and unprovoked firing by Indian occupying forces, 15-year-old Irum Riaz, 26-year-old Nusrat Kausar and 16-year-old Mukkheel - residents of Andrala Nar Village - sustained serious injuries," it added.

Pakistan claims that India has committed at least 2,280 ceasefire violations this year, which have resulted in "18 martyrdoms and 183 serious injuries".

"These egregious violations of international law reflect consistent Indian attempts to escalate the situation along the LoC and are a threat to regional peace and security," the statement said.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
FARMINGTON, Minn.  Roger DuWayne Larson, 66, of Farmington passed away at his home Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020, surrounded by his loving family. Roger was born in Viroqua, April 16, 1954. He was the third of five sons born to James and Doris Larson, of rural Westby.

Roger was preceded in death by his parents; older brother, David; and infant nephew, John. Growing up on a dairy farm served as the foundation for Roger to continue his passion for working in the dairy industry. Following his graduation from UW-River Falls, he worked for Midland Cooperative. that later became Land O Lakes, where he spent 33 years in numerous roles in the dairy feed division, helping dairy farmers. While working at Land O Lakes, he earned his MBA from St. Thomas University. Upon retirement from Land O Lakes, he continued his career in the livestock feed business, spending nine years at Quality Liquid Feeds (QLF) in Dodgeville, Wis.

Roger never forgot his roots and made it a priority to annually attend the Westby Ski Jump, Syttende Mai Festival, and the Vernon County Fair. Rogers greatest joy was his family who cherished the love he showed them. Roger enjoyed yearly family trips to the North Shore, and attending Packers, Twins and Wild games. He was a loving husband, devoted father, and adoring grandfather.

Roger is survived by his loving wife, Georgia; son, Anthony (Kathleen) Larson; daughters, Andrea (Eric) Harms, Laura (Kent) Olson, and Melissa Watts. Roger and Georgia have been blessed with four grandchildren, Matthew, Kathryn, Adisson, and Jackson. He is also survived by sister-in-law, Jan Larson; and brothers, Larry (Nila), Gary (Lori), Kevin (Julie); as well as two aunts; and several nieces and nephews.

The memorial service will be held outdoors at 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 11, at Farmington Lutheran Church, at 20600 Akin Road, Farmington, MN 55024, with visitation at 10 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Farmington Lutheran Church or Twin Cities Autism Foundation (www.tcautism.com). Interment will be at a future date at the Country Coon Prairie Cemetery in Westby. Online condolences at: www.whitefuneralhomes.com.
BALLSTON SPA  Saratoga Supervisor Tom Wood has said his invocation before each Saratoga County Board of Supervisor meeting is meant to help the supervisors stop, pause and think and reflect back that life is pretty good.

But in recent months, the pre-meeting prayers morphed into something else, some supervisors say: thinly veiled indictments of supervisors who dont agree with Wood and his allies.

"In Saratoga County, even the prayer isn't sacred," Clifton Park Supervisor Phil Barrett said. "This is not a prayer. This is an insult to prayer."

He referred to the invocation before Tuesday evening's meeting, calling the prayer - penned by Wood, the board's official chaplain, but read by another supervisor - as an indirect slap to the face.

Read by Providence Supervisor Sandra Winney, who filled in for an ailing Wood, it implored supervisors to end bickering and being vindictive and hurtful to each other and to other county employees.

Wood's prayer also referred to putting the past behind us and accepting "reality and move forward. Its whats ahead that is more important than whats behind. It also urged supervisors without sin "to cast the first stone."

Over the last six months, many stones have been thrown. The rub centers largely on a pay scandal in which administrators, some elected officials and employees were paid time and a half for every hour worked during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. Barrett and some members of the overwhelming Republican majority on the board blasted the plan while other Republicans broke with them to defend it. The plan came at a high cost, $325,000 a week, and has led supervisors from the larger towns to call for the resignation of county Administrator Spencer Hellwig, who was a leading architect of the plan.

Barrett and several other supervisors from the county's largest towns seized on the controversy as part of an effort to wrest control of the government from fellow Republicans who represent the county's smaller towns.

Wood, who was unavailable for comment, and other small town supervisors want to cast the pay debacle as a mere misunderstanding and move on without retaliation against administration. Wood has been subtly inserting that point of view in the prayers since the scandal exploded publicly at the end of March.

In August, his prayer admonish supervisors' personal attacks, faultfinding and improper language are not productive and get in the way of working through the situation. In May, the prayer was more introspective, asking that the supervisors to "work cooperatively" and be "nonpolitical."

Saratoga Springs Supervisor Tara Gaston, a Democrat and an agnostic who always stands quietly during the prayers, said she will no longer tolerate it.

I recognize the legality of the legislative prayer, Gaston, a lawyer, said. It wasnt bothersome or offensive as long as it was with good intentions; please guide us, please keep us safe and please help us make good decisions. Those are all values we can get behind. But when it starts changing, month after month, with these people need to stop doing what they are doing and these people are acting vindictively; thats not a prayer. I'm not going to stand for something that is attacking people.

Barrett, a practicing Catholic who attends church weekly, agreed.

"There isn't any kind of prayerful intent," said Barrett who sat down during the prayer. "And its insulting and in bad taste. Whether you are someone who practice religion or not, its insulting and bad taste to use the prayer as a way to scold your colleagues. It was truly breathtaking to listen to theses so-called prayers every month....It's an insulting diatribe against supervisors they don't agree with. This is a disgusting. This is a mockery."

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Winney took issue with that, saying Tom hit it right on the head. She told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday evening that she thinks what is happening at the meetings is petty, adding "we all better grow up" if the boards member cant discuss their differences.

Winney, a Republican, did not return a Times Union call for comment. Neither did Day's Supervisor and Board Chair Preston Allen, a fellow Republican and ally of Wood and Winney.

Prayer prior to meetings is not unusual. They are recited at the Schenectady and Rensselaer county legislatures. In Schenectady, a list of rotating clergy give the invocation. But in Rensselaer, like Saratoga County, one of the elected officials leads the prayer.

Some local governments invite members of the clergy to say prayers or offer words of encouragement before government meetings, But in Saratoga County, Wood, a former shop teacher and elementary school principal, has been designated at the Board of Supervisors as its chaplain. And thus, he writes and recites the invocation.

Prayer at government meetings is protected. In May 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court decided in a 5-4 vote that prayer has been an integral part of government business since the country's founding -- as long as the prayers do not attempt to convert or denigrate others' beliefs.

Waterford Supervisor John Lawler, who wrote the internal report an the pandemic pay and concluded that it was a problem of communication during a confusing time, said the country has long held that prayer has a rightful place in government. But he feels if someone is offended, they should feel free to step out of the room.

"That's reasonable," Lawler said. "And no one should judge them for that."

But with some saying the prayer is more disturbing than soothing, Gaston has asked the county attorney to give her an opinion on the legality of the prayers that she says are "offensive."

"I stood there emotionally stunned," said Gaston who was raised in the Southern Baptist and Methodist tradition. "This is not Christian-like behavior. It's growing increasingly political. I will not stay for the prayer anymore."
The crown prince is now King Vajiralongkorn, but the name landed like a thud: the judge made no mention of it when sentencing Thammanat over his part in moving 3.2 kilograms of heroin from Bangkok to Bondi. Since the scandal broke last year, Thammanat not only kept his post but was named among Prawits deputies within the ruling Palang Pracharat party. Prefers life abroad: Thailands King Maha Vajiralongkorn, left, and Queen Suthida. Credit:AP A politician like Thammanat Prompao, he wasnt created by this particular government, Voranai says. Hes a relic of how Thailand has functioned for decades and decades and decades. Having this character in [power] as a politician is nothing new in Thailand, and this sort of character becomes an MP simply because they are the strongman in their own province. Thammanat Prompao will always be relevant in Thai politics as long as he runs Phayao province, because he gets the vote. Thats a flaw in our system, or maybe a stain in the cultural fabric. Being a democracy in its infancy, or not even a democracy at all, people still tend to vote for whoever is the patron of their province rather than voting for someone who would actually benefit them in a democratic system.

Where Thammanat was trying to cover up an embarrassing past as a young soldier, Prawit flashed his undeclared assets in broad daylight. After being photographed with one Richard Mille watch, online sleuths found evidence of 25 others he had worn in public and estimated the combined value at $1.75 million. None was declared, but two years after the scandal broke the National Anti-Corruption Commission investigated and found Prawit had no case to answer. They took his explanation of simply borrowing these watches from a friend who has already passed away, Voranai says. Then US defence secretary Jim Mattis, right, is greeted by Thai Minister of defence general Prawit Wongsuwan, who was cleared of a scandal. Credit:AP Sunai Phasuk, the Thailand researcher for Human Rights Watch, says since the watch scandal, other accusations of land theft and hidden wealth have been made against key figures in the government. Merit is clearly not a prerequisite criteria for the government, Sunai says.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha led a coup in 2014 and ruled the junta for five years; after last years elections he was invited to remain in power. One of his key promises was to rid politics of corruption, which has plagued elected governments and military dictatorships alike. Sunai says at this point, no one believes Prayut is any different. Thai politics is not getting cleaner. In fact, it is as dirty as ever and the legacy of military dictatorship means that it is even harder to hold them to account for misconduct. Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan's million-dollar watch collection was the subject of a scandal and is a current focus for protesters. Credit:Getty Images Prayut and Prawit are often described as brothers as they rose through the same army faction. Both were involved in the coups of 2006 and 2014 which ousted elected, if flawed, governments. The man installed as PM in 2006, former army chief Surayud Chulanont, would later set a template for land theft since copied by other leading figures. Surayud had built a large property on protected land in Khao Yai Thiang reserve, which he returned to state control after it was discovered. He never faced charges.

He got away with it by saying he would return the land, Sunai says. Its the same with illegal loans, they say oh, well return the money and nothing wrongs happened. That was a model for the others that followed. Creating the model: Supreme Commander General Surayud Chulanont. Credit:AP Not only did Surayud escape legal consequences once the land was returned, he served as a member of the kings privy council. On January 2, King Vajiralongkorn made him president of the royal advisory body.

As military figures loom large in political circles, they are also pervasive in Vajiralongkorns business dealings. His personal private secretary is an air chief marshal who is the chairman of two listed companies, a director of a bank, chairs the board of eight other companies and is the director-general of the Crown Property Bureau. The CPBs assets are estimated at anywhere between $40 and $70 billion, and were made Vajiralongkorns personal property in mid-2018. In more placid times: people gather to pray and take photos in front of a portrait of King Bhumibol at Sanam Luang park in December 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand. Credit:Getty Images Protesters want this returned to the state, along with greater control and oversight over the taxpayer money spent on the royal family.

Also on the CPB board is General Apirat Kongsompong, the army chief set for mandatory retirement this month who has been at the centre of coup rumours. The son of one of the men who led the coup in 1992, Apirat is known for his ultra-royalist views and is set to take up a senior position within the royal household on leaving the army. Loading Apirats comments targeting nation haters who could not be cured have alarmed democracy activists. There is danger in dissent, including the threat of prosecution for sedition. There have also been disappearances in Laos and Cambodia which have not been investigated. Two anti-monarchists were found dead, and others are reported to have been abducted. Protesters and opposition parties are urging their cases to be investigated, which governments have so far resisted.

Sunai says the lack of commitment to investigate the disappearances and deaths is disturbing. Loading It basically shows that if you are on the other side to the government, if you are against the government, you are not [deemed a] Thai citizen who deserves to be protected, he says. But there has been some positive movement in another wildly controversial case. Red Bull heir Vorayuth Yoovidhya allegedly killed a policeman in a high-speed car crash in 2012 and has been living overseas to escape charges. After charges were dropped, the public outcry spurred the government to investigate the agencies responsible for the case. The backlash shows protesters are performing the functions of checks and balances which the political system lacks, Thisrupts Voranai argues.

They have been working to check the corrupt power of the government, in making sure that they dont get away with whatever they want to get away with, which they have been able to do in the five years of the dictatorial regime of General Prayut, he says. These are good things, these are steps forward. We are nowhere near where we should be, but these are steps forward. Pro-democracy students raise a three-finger salute, a symbol of resistance, during a protest rally in front of the Education Ministry in Bangkok. Credit:AP Acknowledging meaningful change could take years, Voranai sees in the protest movement the chance to set Thailand on a path to good governance and an end to old-school politicians. All those guys will be gone in the near future if Thailand is willing to do what the student protesters are demanding. This is the correct path, he says.
Lady Gaga found New Mexico enchanting enough for her latest short film for the song, 911.

The superstar released the project on Friday.

In an Instagram post, Lady Gaga said this short film is very personal to me, my experience with mental health and the way reality and dreams can interconnect to form heroes within us and all around us.

The film begins with Lady Gaga waking up in White Sands, then cuts to a church.

During one scene, a man on horseback is carrying the New Mexico flag.

Towards the end of the film, a movie poster is seen that reads, New Mexico White Sands National Park.

According to the New Mexico Film Office, there was no video project registered with the office. Productions only register with the office to get the tax incentive and there were no new productions since pandemic.

Lady Gaga thanked her crew for making the short film safely during the pandemic without anyone getting sick.

Its been years since I felt so alive in my creativity to make together what we did with 911,  Lady Gaga posted.

As of Friday afternoon, her post had 1.3 million views and nearly 20,000 comments.
CBC

Alberta RCMP received a complaint of a car speeding on Hwy 2 near #Ponoka. The car appeared to be self-driving, travelling over 140 km/h with both front seats completely reclined & occupants appeared to be asleep. The driver received a Dangerous Driving charge & summons for court pic.twitter.com/tr0RohJDH1  RCMP Alberta (@RCMPAlberta) September 17, 2020

That vehicle was, of course, a Tesla  a 2019 Tesla Model S , according to an official statement released to CBC Canada . The incident happened in the afternoon of July 9, on Highway 2 near Ponoka, where the speed limit is of 110 kph (68.3 mph). The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) were alerted of the speeding vehicle and found it to be traveling at a speed of about 140 kph (87 mph).But that wasnt the strangest thing. The fact that it was empty was.I've been in policing for over 23 years and the majority of that in traffic law enforcement, and I'm speechless, RCMP Sgt. Darrin Turnbull tells the media outlet, in reference to the incident. I've never, ever seen anything like this before, but of course the technology wasn't there.Perhaps even stranger was the fact that the Tesla accelerated when the police car approached it, with the lights and sirens on. Turnbull says it no longer had any other car in front, and it shot off at 150 kph (93.2 mph).The Tesla did eventually pull over, with the RCMP saying both driver and passenger were sleeping with their seats fully reclined. They dont say whether the car stopped on its own or if all that ruckus ended up disturbing the drivers nap.The driver, a 20-year-old man, had his license suspended for 24 hours over fatigue and was charged with speeding. Later, he was also criminally charged with dangerous driving. Hes expected in court this December.The police say the driver must have turned Autopilot on and employed one of the after-market things that can be done to a vehicle against the manufacturer's recommendations to change or circumvent the safety system. Autopilot is not a self-driving system but driver-assist technology. Tesla clearly states that drivers must be alert at all times when its active, with their hands on the wheel so as to be ready at a moments notice to take over driving responsibilities.Angie Dean, president of the Tesla Owners Club of Alberta, tellsthat the only silver lining to this incident is that no one got hurt before the driver was stopped. Otherwise, it gives all of us a bad name. Truer words havent been spoken in a while.
A Chinese company sanctioned this week by the U.S. Treasury Department for land grabs, rights abuses, and corruption in Cambodia has been targeted unfairly and is operating in line with the countrys laws, Cambodias defense minister said on Friday.



The Union Development Group (UDG)which is building the U.S. $3.8 billion dollar Dara Sakor project including a seaport, resorts, and casinos in Cambodias Koh Kong province was sanctioned by the Treasury Department on Tuesday under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.



The Department also raised concerns that Beijing may be using the project to secretly build a naval base and airstrip for military use as part of a bid to secure its territorial claims in the disputed waters of the South China Sea.



Speaking to RFAs Khmer Service in an interview on Friday, Cambodian Defense Minister Tea Banh challenged the charges made against UDG, saying the Chinese state-owned developer has invested properly in the Southeast Asian country and is operating within Cambodias laws.



It is not true at all to say that this company is involved in corruption and human rights violations, the defense minister said. The company has properly invested in Cambodia according to Cambodian laws, and has always complied with guidelines issued by the government, just the same as other companies investing [in Cambodia].



Though UDGs investments in Cambodia have had impacts on residents of the areas near projects, the company and the Cambodian government have properly compensated villagers displaced by the companys work and are finding solutions for the problems that remain, Tea Banh said.



The Dara Sakor project has been mired in controversy ever since UDGs parent company, Tianjin Wanlong Group, was granted a 99-year lease to 90,000 acres along 20 percent of Cambodias coastline in May 2008. The lease was handed to Tianjin Wanlong without an open bidding process, and provided the company with more than triple the size of any concession allowed under Cambodias land law.



UDG soon began clearing large swathes of forest from the Botum Sakor National Park, which was included as part of the land lease, and forced hundreds of families to relocate. Many have yet to receive the compensation they were promised as part of the deal 12 years ago.



The Treasury Department confirmed on Sept. 15 that UDGs seizure and destruction of villagers land was carried out in part by Cambodian military forces, which controlled villagers movements, prevented them from planting rice paddies on disputed land, and burned down the houses of villagers with whom UDG had conflicts.



Meanwhile, much of the Dara Sakor project, touted by Beijing as one of its signature Belt and Road Initiative projects, remains unfinished, and completed structures like casinos and a hotel have been left largely to rot.



Work has continued though on Dara Sakors international airport, which will be the largest in Cambodia when finished, heightening U.S. concerns that the facility and a deep-sea port under construction nearby will be used someday to base and support Chinese military forces.



Reports that Cambodia will allow a Chinese military presence on its territory are unfounded, Tea Banh told RFA.



Frankly, these accusations based on so-called credible reports only serve the geopolitical interests of the United States within the region, the defense minister said, adding, Cambodia has no real concerns about this.



The U.S. itself has several military bases around the world, but no one questions them about that. I find this really hard to explain, he said.



'China has been an enabler'



Observers meanwhile welcomed the U.S. moves against UDG, with Sophal Earan associate professor of diplomacy and world affairs at Occidental College in Californiasaying that the U.S. has now shown there will be consequences for Chinas economic, political, and military encroachments in Cambodia.



The U.S. is like a wedding crasher. China and the Hun Sen regime were getting married, and the U.S. showed up to ruin their perfect ceremony! Sophal Ear said.



The regime isnt going to like their money or power relationships being touched. But then again, there ought to be consequences for human rights abuses, the destruction of democracy, and the curtailing of freedom.



China has been an enabler of the Hun Sen regimeand it needs to be told in no uncertain terms to cut it out, he said.



Cambodia-based political science professor Em Sovannara said that by sanctioning UDG, the United States has signaled its continuing willingness to enforce international law and help smaller countries be more cautious in their dealings with China, whose companies always violate legal principles.



But I think that Cambodia wont benefit much from these latest measures because of the strong and close relations it has built with China in recent years, he said.



Alex Gonzalez-Davidsonan environmental activist and founder of Mother Nature, a group working to protect the environment in Koh Kongcalled the U.S. sanctions against the Chinese development firm a warning to Hun Sen to roll back Beijings influence in the country.



This is a clear signal to Hun Sen that if he doesnt limit Chinas influence, and doesnt restore human rights and democracy [in Cambodia], he can expect even more entities to be placed on a U.S. black list, Gonzalez-Davidson said, adding that even Hun Sens family members and Hun Sen himself may find themselves sanctioned someday.



China has stepped in to wield significant influence in Cambodia in recent years as relations between Phnom Penh and Western governments have cooled amid concerns over the countrys human rights situation and political environment following a broad crackdown on the political opposition in 2017.



Chinese investment has meanwhile flowed into Cambodia, but Cambodians regularly chafe at what they call unscrupulous business practices and unbecoming behavior by Chinese businessmen and residents.



Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Richard Finney.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday attacked the government for stating that data on healthcare staff who were affected by COVID-19 or had died from it is not maintained centrally and alleged that "corona warriors" are being insulted.

Minister of State for Health Ashwini Choubey informed the Rajya Sabha this week that health is a state subject and "such data is not maintained at Central level by Ministry of Health". This was in response to a question on the number of healthcare staff, including doctors, nurses, support staff and ASHA workers, who have been affected by coronavirus or died due to it.

Tagging a news report on Choubey's reply, Gandhi titled his tweet, "Adverse data-free Modi government!"

"Their (healthcare workers') safety and respect are more important than beating plates or lighting lamps," the former Congress chief tweeted in Hindi, referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi initiated campaigns honouring 'corona warriors'.

"Modi government, why this insult of corona warriors?" Gandhi asked.

Choubey, in his reply, however, also said the database of those seeking relief under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Insurance Package is maintained at national level.

As many as 155 healthcare staff, including 64 doctors, have died due to the coronavirus infection, according to the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package Insurance Scheme for Health Workers Fighting COVID-19, he said.
Chinese debt trap has cast a shadow over Maldivian economy with some estimates suggesting that island nation maybe owing huge amount to Beijing.

China has faced criticism for its infrastructure projects in the developing countries, which are disguised as debt traps intended to increase Chinese footprints in the region.

According to a BBC report, a 2.1 km (1.3-mile), four-lane bridge was built with USD 200m (148m) from Beijing. The Sinamale bridge or China-Maldives Friendship Bridge, the first built between any islands in the Maldivian archipelago, has also led to a boom in new property and commercial developments on the island of Hulumale, the report said.

It was one of the several projects undertaken during the tenure of Maldives' pro-China President Abdullah Yameen, who was elected in 2013. As per the report, Yameen's tenure was also marked by allegations of human rights abuses with many politicians including former President Mohamed Nasheed, who is now Speaker, getting detained.

Yameen suffered a surprise defeat in the election in 2018 and Ibrahim Mohammed Solih became President.

"The [Chinese debt] bill was USD 3.1bn," Nasheed was quoted as saying. As per the report, the figure included government-to-government loans, money given to state enterprises and private sector loans guaranteed by the Maldivian government. The Speaker of Maldvies' Parliament is worried his country walked into a debt trap.

"Can these assets produce enough revenue to pay back the debt? The business plan of none of these projects has any indication to suggest that it will be able to pay back the loan."

However, former Maldivian officials and Chinese representatives put the figure Male owes China between USD 1.1 to 1.4 billion, a huge sum for a country with GDP of around USD 4.9 billion.

Nasheed worries Maldives could meet same fate as Sri Lanka where Chinese debt trap led to a Chinese state-run enterprise acquired a 70 per cent stake in the Hambantota port on a 99-year lease in 2017.

Maldvies, which is heavily reliant on tourism has been hit hard by coronavirus. According to the report, the foreign tourist arrivals were down 55 per cent by the end of June and estimates suggest the country may lose more than USD 700m, more than a third of its tourism income, this year if the pandemic persists.

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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.

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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



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Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 22:59:11|Editor: huaxia

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GUIYANG, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Nearly 180,000 people from 52 county-level regions in southwest China's Guizhou Province were affected by floods as the province has been hit by torrential rains since Sept. 9, according to a Friday working conference on flood control and disaster rehabilitation.

Meteorological data show that Guizhou has witnessed three regional rainstorms since September, with an average precipitation of 236.3 mm and over 400 mm in some areas, a period with the highest rainfall in history since 1961.

Guizhou has set up 40 temporary relocation sites for the affected residents, the provincial department of emergency management said.

A total of 1,504 houses have collapsed or were severely damaged, and 44,791 houses needed repair across the province.

Guizhou requires the restoration and reconstruction of the houses, as well as the resettlement of residents whose houses can not be rebuilt, to be completed by the end of the year. Enditem
So far 12 people have been arrested in the Bengaluru drug case, including actors Ragini Dwivedi and Sanjjanaa Galrani, who are currently in judicial custody

In the ongoing investigations into the Bengaluru drug racket case in which Aditya Alva, son of late politician Jeevaraj Alva was named, the Central Crime Branch (CCB) officials have intensified their search at his farmhouse in Hebbal.

Aditya, one of the prime accused in the case, along with Shivaprakash Chappi, who works with the transport department, is still absconding after 13 days of the FIR being registered.

So far 12 people have been arrested, including actors Ragini Dwivedi and Sanjjanaa Galrani, who are currently in judicial custody.

Joint commissioner of police (crime) Sandeep Patil told Times of India they are making best efforts to trace Alva and the others.

Asked about the delayed raid on Aditya's house, Patil said: "Search warrant is given by courts on evidence and materials placed by the investigating officer. We submitted the evidence collected so far in court and obtained the warrant. In the raid, narcotics have been found."

In a statement, the CCB said, "search warrant obtained and searches being conducted at Aditya's farmhouse near Hebbal called 'House of Life'."

The police team stormed into his grand house situated on the banks of Nagwara lake in Hebbal and searched the premises. The bungalow is spread over four acres and is used by Alva to organise parties, where drugs were allegedly supplied.

Those arrested in the case include film actresses Ragini Dwivedi, Sanjjanaa Galrani, party organiser Viren Khanna, realtor Rahul Tonse and an RTO clerk BK Ravishankar.

The CCB took up the matter after the Narcotics Control Bureau arrested three people, including a woman with a huge cache of synthetic drugs, who was allegedly supplying them to the Kannada film actors and actresses.

Another report claimed that Ravishankar had informed the police that most of the drug parties were held at Aditya's farmhouse. He had also confessed to the use and consumption of drugs in these parties. According to Ravishankar, it is the same farmhouse where ecstasy pills were consumed.

On Thursday, a video had gone viral, which led to allegations that one of the actors arrested in the case was involved in honey-trapping. A senior officer said that the video is yet to be verified, Bangalore Mirror reported.

CCB sleuths on Thursday arrested three more drug peddlers and recovered 90 kg of marijuana worth Rs 50 lakh, the report further said.

The accused have been identified as Azam Pasha (25) owner of the flat in Doddabanahalli where the marijuana was found, along with two of his associates: Masthan Vali (25) and Mohammed Abbas (27). All three have been arrested.

Police said that the accused would purchase marijuana from their contact Praveen from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and smuggle it to the city concealed in a goods vehicle. They would then store it at the flat and sell it to other peddlers in the city.

In the crackdown against drug peddlers in the state, many more actors and musicians, are under the police scanner for their alleged links to the massive drug racket.

The CCB sleuths on Wednesday also grilled actors and couple Diganth Manchale and Aindrita Ray in connection with the alleged drug trafficking case.

CCB sources said that they allegedly found pictures of the couple attending parties that other accused persons Ragini Dwivedi and Sanjjana Galrani had also attended.

They further said that the couple would be questioned about their links to other accused in the case, including Viren Khanna, Aditya, Rahul Tonse and Ravishankar.

"There was a video of Aindrita Ray promoting a party that went viral in some party groups. We want to question the couple based on that and also regarding the information provided by other accused persons," the CCB source said.

All the accused have been booked them under Sections 21, 21C, 27A, 27B, and 29B of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.
New Delhi: Amidst the ongoing border tiff between India and China, there has been a rise in concern about Chinese goods and brands.

Notwithstanding their huge popularity in India, many would be surprised to know that some of these top selling brands are actually Chinese owned.

Here is a list of 5 such popular apps and brands that have a Chinese stake or are owned by Chinese Companies

Motorola

In 2014, China's Lenovo Group closed its acquisition of the Motorola handset unit from Google Inc by paying $2.91 billion. Google had acquired the iconic smartphone brand and its prized patent portfolio in 2012 for $12.5 billion, though under the Lenovo deal, the search engine giant is believed to have retained a significant portion of Motorola's patents.

PUBG Mobile

The answer to this question is not very straight. PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, popularly known as PUBG, is a multiplayer game made by South Korean video game company Bluehole subsidiary PUBG Corporation. However, for the PUBG MOBILE, which is not made by the same Bluehole subsidiary, Chinas Tencent Games holds a 1.5 percent stake. So while PUBG is an out and out South Korean developed game, PUBG Mobile has a Chinese stake holder.

It must be noted here that in September 2020, the South Korean gaming company said that China's Tencent Games will no longer be authorised to distribute the PUBG MOBILE franchise in India. The development has come after India banned 118 apps, including PUBG MOBILE in the country.

MG Motor

(Image Courtesy: Pixabay)

MG Motors has made its foray into the Indian automobile market. MG Motor is a subsidiary of SAIC Motor UK, actually owned by the Chinese state-owned SAIC Motor.

GE Electric appliances

Chinese white goods company Haier acquired the General Electric's appliance division in 2019. The deal gave Haier ownership of a century-old business involved in making of refrigerators, freezers, clothes washers and dryers.

Riot Games

If you are a gamer, it is but obvious that you will know Riot Games. Even those non-gamers would also be aware of the popular League of Legends yet another very popular name in the video gaming world. Chinese company Tencent now own riot, all of it. Chinese Internet Company Tencent Holdings acquired a majority stake in Riot Games in 2011.
(UN) Secretary-General urged all parties in to cease hostilities and pledged that the UN will continue to support them in implementing agreements signed since 2018.

"I urge all parties to cease hostilities. The will continue to support them in implementing these agreements," the UN chief told the High-level Meeting on on Thursday, which aims to mobilize support for a nationwide ceasefire in as well as economic and humanitarian measures, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Since 2018, Yemeni parties have reached a series of agreements, namely the UN-brokered Stockholm Agreement and the Saudi-facilitated Riyadh Agreement, which, if implemented, would lay the groundwork for sustainable peace. We must build on these important milestones," said the secretary-general.

"More than five years of war have devastated the lives of tens of millions of Yemenis, brought state institutions to the verge of collapse and reversed development by decades," Guterres said.

"With the coronavirus pandemic, the urgency of reaching a negotiated political settlement to end the conflict has only grown," he added.

Speaking of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the UN chief said that there are more than 2,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Yemen. "But experts estimate that there are possibly up to 1 million affected by the virus, with a fatality rate as high as 30 percent, as war has decimated the country's health facilities."

On the conflict situation, Guterres noted that the conflict continues unabated, "despite initial expressions of support by the warring parties for my call for a global ceasefire and a Yemeni-specific truce."

"In recent weeks, conflict has unfortunately escalated," he added.

He said airstrikes and ground clashes result in many civilian casualties, and Houthi drone and missile attacks on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia persist.

"More civilians were killed in August than any other month of the year, with one in four civilian victims killed and injured in their own homes," he said.

"I call again on all parties to cooperate under the facilitation of my special envoy and engage in good faith, without preconditions, in efforts to reach an agreement on the Joint Declaration, comprised of a nationwide ceasefire, economic and humanitarian confidence-building measures, and the resumption of the political process," the UN chief said.

He also expressed deep concern over the SAFER oil tanker, moored off the western coast of Yemen.

"Since 2015, it has had almost no maintenance. An oil spill, explosion or fire would have catastrophic humanitarian and environmental consequences for Yemen and the entire region," he said.

Talking about the high-level pledging conference on June 2, Guterres said all donors should fulfill the pledges made at the conference and increase their support.

"Donors at the June 2 event pledged only half as much as the year before, so it is very worrying that meaningful sums still remain unpaid," he said.

He added that only 30 per cent of the UN response plan is funded, noting that the fulfillment of the pledges is vital to prevent a devastating famine.

"Now is the time to step up for the people of Yemen," the UN chief said.

--IANS

rt/

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By PTI

NEW DELHI: A total of 6,05,65,728 samples were tested for COVID-19 in India between March 23 and September 16, and the testing capacity increased manifold with over 1,700 laboratories conducting these tests as against one in January, Union Minister Ashwini Choubey told Parliament on Friday.

In a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha, the Union minister of state for health said an effective COVID-19 vaccine is likely to be available by the first quarter of 2021 if the advanced trials of vaccines succeed.

A total of 6,05,65,728 samples had been tested across India for detection of COVID-19 from March 23 to September 16, Choubey said in a written reply to another question.

Tests (4,43,40,875) had been done on approximately 3.23 per cent of the total projected population of 1,37,23,60,351 till September 1, he said.

Recognising the importance of early detection of cases through testing, capacity for COVID-19 testing in the country has been enhanced manifold, Choubey said.

From a single laboratory equipped to undertake testing for COVID-19 in January, presently (as on September 16) 1,751 laboratories are conducting testing, he said.

Laboratories have been established in difficult terrains like Ladakh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland as well as other northeastern states, Lakshadweep, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands, he informed.

"Currently, the testing is about 1 million tests a day (which translates to 720 tests per million population per day), much higher than that stipulated by WHO which is 140 tests per million population per day," the minister said.

Besides the gold standard Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR), testing is being done through Truenat and CBNAAT platforms.

In addition, rapid Point-of-Care (PoC) Antigen detection tests are being utilised which have a quick turnaround time.

On the accuracy of the RT-PCR testing kits in detecting the SARS-COV-2 viral infection, Choubey said the kits for COVID-19 testing as per ICMR acceptance criteria have a specificity of 99 per cent or more.

"This means out of 100 tests conducted on negative samples, only one will yield a false positive," he said.

For tests like POC, a specificity of 99 per cent or more is desired.

For quantitative IgG antibodies and CLIA, a specificity of 95 per cent is desired, he said.

In a written reply to another question on the time by when a COVID-19 vaccine is likely to be commercially launched, Choubey said, "If the advanced clinical trials of Covid vaccine succeed, then an effective Covid vaccine is likely to be available by the end of the first quarter of 2021."

More than 30 vaccine candidates have been supported which are in different stages of development, three candidates are in advanced stages of Phase I/II/III trials and more than four are in the advanced pre-clinical development stage, he said.

A National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19 has been constituted on August 7, he said.

The minister said 13 clinical trials of repurposed drugs have been undertaken to build a portfolio of therapeutic options for COVID-19 patients.

On whether the government has considered the request by states and union territories to increase funding through the National Disaster Response Fund, Choubey said no such request has been received.

Expenditure related to COVID-19 measures, for quarantine, sample collection and screening, procurement of essential equipment/laboratories, relief measures, etc.

is allowed under the State Disaster Response Fund only, he said.

Choubey said states are being supported in terms of supply of logistics.

A total of 1.41 crore PPE kits, 3.44 crore N-95 masks, 10.84 crore tablets of hydroxychloroquine, 30,663 ventilators and 1,02,400 oxygen cylinders have been supplied to states, UTs and central government hospitals till September 14, he said.

A total of Rs 4,256.79 crore of grants were provided under the COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness package, the minister informed.

Besides, states and UTs have been supported for technical guidance in terms of guidelines, advisories, containment plans, Standard Operating Procedures, etc, he said.

Choubey said the Union of India has taken a series of actions to prevent, control and mitigate the impact of the pandemic and India followed a "whole of government and whole of society approach".

Public health actions were taken in a pre-emptive, pro-active, graded manner based on the evolving scenario.

A number of travel advisories were issued restricting the inflow of international travelers.

Commercial flights were suspended on March 23, he said.

Till then, a total of 14,154 flights with 15,24,266 passengers had been screened at airports.

Screening was also done at 12 major and 65 minor ports and land border crossings, he added.

In the initial days of the pandemic, India evacuated a large number of stranded passengers from then COVID affected countries like China, Italy, Iran, Japan and Malaysia.

In the un-lockdown phase, a total of 13,18,891 passengers have been brought back till September 14 and followed up, Choubey said.

The Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) is conducting contact tracing through community surveillance, he said.

In the earlier part of the pandemic, this was done for travel-related cases and subsequently for cases being reported from community as a part of the containment strategy.

As on September 14, a total of about 40 lakh people have been kept under surveillance, the minister said.

Till September 15, a total of 15,360 COVID treatment facilities with 13,20,881 dedicated isolation beds without oxygen support have been created, he said.

There are a total of 2,32,516 isolation beds with oxygen support and 63,194 ICU beds, including 32,409 ventilator beds, he informed.

Choubey said a dedicated helpline (1075) has been started to guide the community at large which is being used by the citizens very effectively and on a regular basis.

Government cancelled ICMR's purchase orders from China for COVID-19 test kits: MoS Health Choubey

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had placed purchase orders for COVID-19 antibody test kits to Indian firms which were cancelled subsequently with no payment made to any Chinese company, the Lok Sabha was told on Friday.

In a written reply to a question, Minister of State for Health Ashwini Choubey said the ICMR has not imported huge quantities of antibody test kits from China.

Narrating the sequence of incidents which led the government to withdraw the faulty COVID-19 antibody test kits from China and the grounds on which the import orders were cancelled, Choubey said antibody kits of M/s Aark Pharmaceuticals (Wondfo) and M/s Gene2me (Livzon) were sent to the field.

"When complaints were received from states of Rajasthan, Punjab, Karnataka regarding non-performance of the antibody test kit in the field, and based upon the said feedback from the field, those purchase orders were cancelled without any payment," the minister said in his reply.

"Simultaneously, the licenses of these companies were also cancelled by Drug Controller General," he said.

The minister further replied in negative to a question on whether there exists any complaints against massive profiteering and over-pricing in kits imported from China.

However, a public grievance was received primarily describing a commercial dispute amongst different distributors of the kits supplied by Wondfo company, China, Choubey said.

The ICMR is not a party to the said dispute among different distributors of a commercial entity.

As there was no payment made by ICMR to any supplier, there was no further action to be taken by ICMR.

Stating whether the government has taken any action or proposes to take any action against the persons involved in this serious lapse, the minister said that 17 importers were issued licenses between March 23 and April 24 for import of antibody rapid diagnostic kits from China under Medical Devices Rules, 2017 subject to various conditions.

ICMR reported that the above test kits do not meet the specification in the field and issued orders on April 26 cancelling the purchase orders.

Pursuant to above information from ICMR, the importers were issued directions on April 28 to stop import of the said diagnostic kits as well as they were asked to show cause as to why action will not be taken to suspend or cancel their licenses.

Subsequently, on April 29, after verification of the responses, as received, the importers were directed that no batches of the said diagnostic kits should be imported for sale/stock/distribution or be sold or offered for sale.

Further, they directed that entire batches imported and supplied, should be recalled from the market including hospitals and accordingly, their import licenses were made infructuous and cancelled with immediate effect, Choubey said.

Informing the steps taken by the government to ensure availability of genuine testing kits to combat the disease, the minister said detailed requirements and conditions of the manufacturing/import license required to be complied by the licensee are prescribed in the MDR 2017.

In addition, the ICMR in co-ordination with CDSCO has issued guidelines for validation and batch testing of COVID-19 diagnostic kits and for validation centres.

Acceptance criteria for COVID-19 diagnostic kits and regents has been fixed by the ICMR experts group for testing product and quality at the ICMR designated labs to ensure the quality of the product for recommendation to use in the country for testing patient samples, the minister said.
Militant group Hezbollah has stored chemicals that can be used to make explosives in several European countries, a senior State Department official said as he appealed to countries in Europe and elsewhere to impose bans on the organization.

Hezbollah operatives have moved ammonium nitrate from Belgium to France, Greece, Italy, Spain and Switzerland in recent years and are suspected to still be storing the material throughout Europe, said Nathan Sales, the State Department coordinator for counter-terrorism, on Thursday.

Ammonium nitrate is a chemical compound commonly used as a fertilizer, but it can be used to make explosives. It can also be dangerous in storage, as demonstrated by the huge explosion last month in the Lebanese capital of Beirut.

Sales, without offering evidence, said the US believes that Iran-backed Hezbollah has since 2012 transported ammonium nitrate around Europe in first aid kits with cold packs that contain the compound. The United States believes these supplies are still in place throughout Europe, possibly in Greece, Italy and Spain.

Why would Hezbollah stockpile ammonium nitrate on European soil? he said. The answer is clear: Hezbollah put these weapons in place so it could conduct major terrorist attacks whenever it or its masters in Tehran deemed necessary. Sales made the remarks in an online forum hosted by the American Jewish Committee, which has called upon more countries to ban Hezbollah and its operations.

The US has designated Hezbollah as a foreign terrorist organization since 1997, but some countries distinguish between the organizations military wing and the political wing.

The EU lists Iran-backed Hezbollahs military wing as a banned terrorist group, but not its political wing, which has been part of Lebanese governments in recent years. Some individual countries, including Germany and the UK, have outlawed the group in its entirety. Sales called on more countries to do the same.

Hezbollah is a unitary organization that cannot be subdivided into a military and so-called political wing, he said. Without a full ban, the group can still raise money and recruit operatives. Hezbollah is one organization, he said. It is a terrorist organization.
As weve commented here many times, any liberal who talks about Republican dog-whistles is the dog. Right now Democrats are in a panic about Trumps strong showing with Hispanic voters, which could flip Nevada and even New Mexico into Trumps column.

Today in the New York Times, two left-leaning academics totally blow the narrative with this passage reporting on the results of some in-depth focus groups with minority voters (with my emphasis added):

The results are sobering. We began by asking eligible voters how convincing they found a dog-whistle message lifted from Republican talking points. Among other elements, the message condemned illegal immigration from places overrun with drugs and criminal gangs and called for fully funding the police, so our communities are not threatened by people who refuse to follow our laws. Almost three out of five white respondents judged the message convincing. More surprising, exactly the same percentage of African-Americans agreed, as did an even higher percentage of Latinos.

In other words, the woke platform liberals are using to appeal to fellow woke white liberals has little appeal to the people woke white liberals say they want to help.

To continue: weve reported here about how over 90 percent of Hispanics have no use for the popular campus term Latinx. The authors of the Times article note:

Progressives commonly categorize Latinos as people of color, no doubt partly because progressive Latinos see the group that way and encourage others to do so as well. Certainly, we both once took that perspective for granted. Yet in our survey, only one in four Hispanics saw the group as people of color. In contrast, the majority rejected this designation. They preferred to see Hispanics as a group integrating into the American mainstream, one not overly bound by racial constraints but instead able to get ahead through hard work.

My goodness: these Latinos sound positively racist, wanting to be judged on individual merit and hard work and all that white supremacy stuff.

Finally, this:

Democrats should call for Americans to unite against the strategic racism of powerful elites who stoke division and then run the country for their own benefit.

You mean like the powerful elites at the New York Times, which has gone all-in for racial division? I suspect the irony here is lost on the authors.
Sarah Jessica Parker opened her flagship shoe store -- SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker Collection -- in New York City in early July.

And on Thursday the Sex And The City star paid a visit to the midtown location at 31 West 54th St., looking casual cool in baggy military-green pants and a grey v-neck shirt.

Parker paired the ensemble by wearing black-patterned knee-high boots.

Sarah Jessica Parker, 55, gave a friendly wave when she was spotted walking towards her Midtown Manhattan shoe store on Thursday

The actress and entrepreneur, 55, appeared to not have a care in the world when she was first spotted walking down the street towards her shoppe with headphones on.

She looked nearly unrecognizable with large-rimmed sunglasses and a purple protective mask over her mouth and nose amid the still ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

On this day, the Ohio native pulled her golden blonde tresses back into a braided ponytail as she carried a backpack and small purse over her shoulders.

Fashionista: The Sex And The City star oozed casual cool in baggy military-green pants and a grey v-neck shirt when she paid a visit to her store at 31 West 54th St.

Hip mom: The actress added a touch of style by wearing black-patterned knee-high boots

Parker makes regular visits to her New York City stores, which also includes a location near the South Street Seaport in Downtown Manhattan.

She sometimes will take to her social media platforms to let her fans and followers know when she will be greeting shoppers in person.

With the coronavirus crisis still very much a concern, precautions have been taken to keep customers safe, with only three shoppers allowed in at a time and hand sanitizer available.

Safety first: Parker also donned a purple protective mask in adherence to health and safety precautions due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Fan friendly: Parker sometimes takes to social media to let fans and followers know when she will be at her stores, which also includes a location near the South Street Seaport in Downtown Manhattan

In all there are eight SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker Collection stores that includes Las Vegas, Oxon Hill, Maryland near Washington, D.C., Edmonton, Canada and three in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The SJP Collection was first launched in 2014, and not only includes footwear but handbags and fragrances.

Parker and husband Matthew Broderick have lived in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Downtown NYC since 2009.

They are parents to a son James, 17, and twin daughters Marion and Tabitha, 11.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 21:06:29|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has called for solid efforts to prevent forest and grassland fires in autumn and winter.

Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks in an instruction on the country's fire prevention and control work.

Authorities should strengthen coordination and make joint efforts to prevent and control fires, Li said.

He also called for better use of high-tech means to prevent and control fires and the accelerated construction of fire-control facilities.

Efforts should be made to enhance the country's ability to prevent and put out fires and forestall major accidents, Li said.

Attending a national teleconference on forest and grassland fire prevention and control on Friday, State Councilor Wang Yong called for solid preparation against major fires during the peak fire seasons.

Wang, also head of the national headquarters of forest and grassland fire prevention and control, stressed fire control efforts during the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival and the National Day holiday. Enditem
Just 47 days before Election Day, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Thursday delivered key rulings for anyone voting on Nov. 3.

Heres what they mean:

You wont see the Green Party on the ballot

Democrats succeeded in removing Green Party presidential candidate Howie Hawkins from the ballot, after the party ran afoul of the states candidate paperwork filing procedures. In a split verdict, the court ruled that a prior presidential candidates error in her nominating papers disqualified Hawkins from replacing her.

This is a big win for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden in a highly-contested swing state with 20 electoral votes up for grabs.

Losing Pennsylvania could prove fatal to Bidens chances of defeating President Donald Trump. No Democrat has won the presidency without winning Pennsylvania since Harry S. Truman in 1948.

In 2016, Trump beat Democrat Hillary Clinton by 44,292 votes in Pennsylvania, providing a crucial stepping stone to the White House. The Green Partys nominee that year, Jill Stein, drew slightly more votes than that, 49,941.

The court holds a 5-2 Democratic majority.

This legal battles prevented counties from printing mail-in ballots, which they otherwise could have started sending out this week.

Northampton County sent its ballots to print Thursday and hopes to have them in hand next week.

The vote by mail deadline is 3 days later

The Supreme Court also extended Pennsylvanias mail-in ballot deadlines in another ruling Thursday.

The battleground states fledgling vote-by-mail law is being put to the test in its first presidential general election. This lawsuit sought fixes to glitches and gray areas in the law.

State law says mail-in ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day to be counted. The states highest court said Thursday mail ballots can be counted if they are received by 5 p.m. Friday, three days after the election.

For them to be counted, ballots must either be postmarked by Nov. 3 or have no sign  such as a postmark  they were sent after the deadline. Ballots that meet the new deadline with an illegible or missing postmark would still be counted barring evidence it missed the deadline.

We refuse, however, to disenfranchise voters for the lack or illegibility of a postmark resulting from the USPS processing system, which is undeniably outside the control of the individual voter, the majority opinion states.

The deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot is seven days before the election  Oct. 27 this year  and ballots must be received by 8 p.m. Nov. 3, under current state law. The suit argued that turnaround window was too tight given the coronavirus pandemic and lagging U.S. Postal Service delivery times.

The court agreed there was a risk of voter disenfranchisement, pointing to a letter from the postal service warning Pennsylvania its deadlines might be too tight.

You can put your ballot in a drop box

The court also ruled that Pennsylvania election law does allow counties to use ballot drop boxes for voters to hand deliver their ballots.

President Donald Trumps campaign filed the suit to try to block Pennsylvania counties from using the boxes alleging it would result in massive voter fraud. A federal judge put the suit on hold to allow state courts a shot at deciding the matter first.

You must deliver your own mail-in ballot

In a separate case, the state Supreme Court says you cannot have another person deliver your ballot, unless you fall under an existing exception.

You must use the secrecy envelope

The court told county election officials to reject any naked ballots that arrive without the secrecy envelope that accompanies every mail-in ballot.

State law is clear that the envelopes are required, if a ballot does not have one it is invalid, according to the ruling.

This is a significant decision because Pennsylvanians are new to absentee and mail-in voting. The blank secrecy envelopes are meant to offer voters privacy,

Once you fill out your mail-in ballot, you are supposed to place it into the secrecy envelope. Then that ballot goes into a bigger mailing envelope with a bar code that you sign.

County election boards check the envelope thats mailed back, open the envelope and then there is a stack of unidentifiable ballots to be counted. This is how you still have privacy when you vote by mail.

The Pennsylvania Department of State had told counties in August to develop a process for naked ballots that included placing such ballots into a secrecy envelope and putting them with the rest of the ballots for counting. It argued the failure to include the inner envelope does not undermine the integrity of the voting process.

The state removed the guidance from its website Thursday afternoon after the ruling.

Where can poll watchers live?

The court upheld that per state law poll watchers must live in the county where they are observing the election.

You cannot travel to another county to act as a poll watcher.

This is one in a series of stories that are part of Swing County, Swing State, a collaborative project between lehighvalleylive.com and nj.com that explores Northampton Countys critical role in the upcoming presidential election. The project is being generously supported by a $25,000 grant from The John Farmer Memorial Journalism Fund. Read more about it here. And please consider supporting ambitious local news like this with a subscription to lehighvalleylive.com.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Sara K. Satullo may be reached at ssatullo@lehighvalleylive.com.
LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / September 18, 2020 / Decision Diagnostics Corp. (OTC PINK:DECN) www.decisiondiagnostics.co, a leading manufacturer and worldwide distributor of diabetic test strips engineered to operate on legacy glucose meters through its subsidiary Pharma Tech Solutions, Inc., today announced it is finalizing its Covid-19 Saliva Swift Kits for international use along with its recommended pricing for the global market. International product launch is still expected to begin on September 26, 2020 and last several weeks.

As stated in a prior announcement, the Genviro! Covid-19 Saliva Swift Kits have completed a rigorous round of testing at the Company's manufacturing and product development facility in Daegu Korea. Initially we will make three retail products available for International professional use: the Genviro! Swift Kit Saliva consisting of 1 test strip, an interface sleeve adapter, one saliva collection vessel, diluent, package inserts and will be priced at $8.95 wholesale with an MSRP of $29.95; the Genviro! Swift Kit Meter that will include 1 meter good for up to 100 test readings, an instructional video on computer media, which can also be accessed at the web site www.pharmatechdirect.com, a meter user's guide manual, and package insert. The meter will wholesale for $19.95 with an MSRP of $39.95 and will include a user's manual, package insert and the afore mentioned DVD containing the company's GenViro! instructional video in English, with sub-titles in four other languages, Russian, German, French and Spanish. Finally the third product will be our Genviro! Swift Verify Kit which will include 1 test strip, an interface sleeve adapter and package insert, and is designed to provide a follow up Covid-19 test should that be desired. The Swift Verify kit will be priced at $6.95 wholesale with an MSRP of $24.95.

"With our target date of September 26th to have our first distributor order in place and delivery expected soon thereafter, the tweaking we are now doing represents the final stages of bringing this to international markets," said CEO Keith Berman. "We have created a "skinny" version of the full Swift Kit that we are calling Verify for the purpose of addressing any potential errors on the part of professionals administering the original test, or in the rare event the test is inconclusive, as well as assisting those individuals who for whatever reason may want the test administrator to help provide the additional peace of mind that a second result will bring."

The Swift Kit Meter will be capable of providing a positive or negative result in approximately 10 seconds and allows for multiple testing to take place anytime, anywhere.

ABOUT DECISION DIAGNOSTICS CORP

Decision Diagnostics Corp. is the leading manufacturer and worldwide distributor of diabetic test strips engineered to operate on legacy glucose meters. DECN's products are designed to operate efficiently and less expensively on certain glucose meters already in use by almost 7.5 million diabetics worldwide. With newly inspired technology diabetic test strips already in the final stages of development, DECN products compete on a worldwide scale with legacy manufacturers currently selling to 71+ percent of a $15+ billion at-home testing market. On September 26, 2020 the company plans to launch its International package versions of its GenViro! Swift Kit and Swift Meter. The company, as a patriotic American company, would have loved to have first introduced our Genviro! Swift Kits in the USA, however, our GenViro! product is awaiting FDA authorization and is not yet available in the United States or Puerto Rico. Emergency (EUA) Waivers are in process with the U.S. FDA.

Forward-Looking Statements:

This release contains the company's forward-looking statements which are based on management's current expectations and assumptions as of September 17, 2020, regarding the company's business and performance, its prospects, current factors, the economy, and other future conditions and forecasts of future events, circumstances, and results.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Decision Diagnostics Corp.

info@decisiondiagnostics.co

sdoniger@bdcginc.com

Twitter: @covidswiftkit

www.genultimate.com

www.genultimatetbg.com

www.pharmatechdirect.com

SOURCE: Decision Diagnostics Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/606673/DECN-Announces-Finalizing-of-International-Genviro-COVID-19-Saliva-Swift-Kits-for-Global-Market-and-Establishes-Introductory-Sales-Pricing
The Mornington Peninsula Shire is urging the state government to designate the popular coastal area as part of regional Victoria and release it from lockdown to allow local businesses to prepare for the summer holiday rush.

Mayor Sam Hearn has written to Premier Daniel Andrews, saying it makes little sense for the Mornington Peninsula to be included in metropolitan Melbourne.

Mornington Peninsula mayor Sam Hearn says the area should be reclassified as part of regional Victoria and not Melbourne. Credit:Eddie Jim

"There is significant concern with summer being just around the corner that we will be inundated with visitors and we won't have had the time our [regional] neighbours do to implement the necessary changes outlined in the government's road map," he said.
President Trump famously won the 2016 election thanks to a surge of support from white voters. This year, Trump is trailing Joe Biden largely because some of those voters have swung back to the Democrats. In several recent swing-state polls, Biden is even winning a narrow majority of white voters.

But Biden is not quite running away with the election. He leads by six percentage points in The Timess national polling average, down from almost 10 points earlier this summer.

Whats going on? In large part, Biden continues to struggle with Hispanic voters. Trump, despite making repeated appeals to white nationalism and castigating immigrants, has a chance to do better among Hispanic voters than he did in 2016, and win more than a third of them, even as he does worse with white voters.

One possible explanation  a worrisome one for Democrats in the long run  is that Hispanics are following a path not so different from earlier European immigrant groups, like Italian and Irish Americans. As they assimilated, they became less reliably Democratic. To oversimplify, they voted for F.D.R. and then for Reagan.
The client, James Irwin of Central Texas, alleged that Texas Lawyers Insurance Exchange (TLIE) claims attorney Patricia Peterson told him that the insurer and attorneys had accepted liability and would pay his damages, Texas Lawyer reported. But Irwin also claimed that Peterson said he shouldnt do anything until after a separate piece of litigation was concluded, because that litigation would determine the amount of his damages.

However, a couple of years later, Peterson told Irwin that the statute of limitations for him to file a claim had passed, the lawsuit alleged.

According to the lawsuit, Irwins former attorneys, Adam Stephen Wilk and Joseph Allen Holbrook Jr. of Austin firm Sneed, Vine & Perry, represented him when he purchased a piece of property. Wilk allegedly waited 30 days to file a memorandum of purchase record and transmit it to local title insurance agencies, Texas Lawyer reported. Due to that delay, the seller entered an agreement with another party to sell the property. Only after that did Wilk file Irwins memorandum of purchase. But Wilk and Halbrook didnt advise Irwin of that, according to the lawsuit. Instead, they told him that his only chance to buy the property was to file a lawsuit. In that 2016 suit, Halbrook represented Irwin.

During discovery in the lawsuit Irwin learned of Wilks negligence and the fact that Wilk and Halbrook of Sneed Vine had failed to disclose Wilks negligence to him, the new litigation said.

Wilk and Halbrook allegedly acknowledged the negligence and withdrew from the case, Texas Lawyer said. Halbrook said that the firms legal malpractice carrier, Texas Lawyers Insurance Exchange, would pay for Irwins damages, and told Irwin to call Peterson to make his claim.

Peterson indicated that she accepted Irwins claim and she did not deny the liability of Wilk and Sneed Vine, the lawsuit said. However, Peterson advised Irwin that she (TLIE) could not pay his damages now because she (TLIE) wouldnt know the extent of his damages until the Anglim lawsuit was finally concluded.

Peterson allegedly told Irwin not to do anything until the end of his lawsuit in the real estate matter. However, two years later  after Irwin won his lawsuit in the trial court and it was pending on appeal  Peterson allegedly told him that the statute of limitations had run out on his legal malpractice claim, Texas Lawyer reported.

The defendants entered into a plan and scheme to insure that Irwins claim would never be honored by TLIE, and that he would never be paid for the damages he sustained as a result of Wilks admitted negligence, the new lawsuit said. The goal of the defendants plan was to make sure that Irwin did nothing, until the two-year statute of limitations, as calculated by the defendants, had purportedly expired.
Brasilia, Sep 18 : Sao Paolo, the largest Brazilian city and also one of the hardest hit by the coronavirus) pandemic, has authorized the restart of in-person classes at universities from October 7, Mayor Bruno Covas said.

In an announcement on Thursday, Covas said that classes throughout the educational system have been held online since the last week of March, as part of lockdown measures designed to contain the outbreak, reports Xinhua news agency.

A decision about resuming in-person classes at the primary and secondary levels will be made in November, a month before the end of the academic year, said Covas.

Some 81 per cent of residents are against a return to in-person classes for fear of more infections, according to a public opinion poll published last week.

Brazil currently accounts for the third highest number of Covid-19 cases and third highest deaths.

As of Friday, the number of cases increased to 4,455,386, while the death toll stood at 134,935.

The state of Sao Paulo is the worst-hit, accounting for over 917,000 positive cases and 33,472 fatalities.

The other hard-hit states include Bahia, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and Ceara.
The exterior of the White House is seen in Washington on Oct. 2, 2003. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

White House Reveals Former Pence Aides Departure Letter After Her Appearance in Anti-Trump Ad

The White House on Sept. 17 released a letter that former adviser to Vice President Mike Pence, Olivia Troye, sent to coronavirus task force members and White House staff on her departure from her role, contradicting remarks she made about the Trump administrations handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Thursday, the anti-Trump group Republican Voters Against Trump featured Troye, who worked for Vice President Mike Pence for two years as a special adviser for homeland security and counterterrorism issues, in a new online attack ad.

In the advert, the former aide claimed that Trumps biggest concern about the CCP virus had been how it would affect his re-election and his record of success, adding that she was shocked to see the President saying that the virus was a hoax when he knew it was not. Despite being a lifelong Republican, she said she would vote for Democratic candidate, Joe Biden.

In an interview with The Washington Post published on Sept. 17, Troye said that Trumps response to the coronavirus pandemic showed his flat-out disregard for human life because his main concern was the economy and the election.

However, in her departure letter released by The White House, Troye praised her colleagues for their dedication and work on fighting the pandemic, saying she had witnessed first hand how dedicated and committed all of you have been to doing the right thing, and that their commitment was an inspiration to me and Americans across the nation.

Supporting the Vice President in leading all of you on this effort has been the experience of a lifetime, she added in the letter, which made no mention of Trump.

Speaking at a press conference before departing on Marine One to Wisconsin on Thursday, Trump told reporters he had never met Troye but understood that she was on the task force as some kind of a lower-level person.

I have no idea who she is, he said. She doesnt know me. Its just another person that leaves, and whether its CNN or Washington Post, they say negative things.

The president also noted Troyes departure letter praising her colleagues in the administration.

Mike Pence came to me; he told me about her. He said she left. They let her go with cause, but they let her go. And then she wrote a beautiful letter, as I understand ita letter praising the administration. But then the people get a hold of her and said, Lets say some bad things about Donald Trump.'

We have a big government, he said. Every time somebody leaves government, 99 percent of the time, Im not going to know these people. And they leave on a basis of almost like its a personal thing with me, he said.

Troye said in her interview that she still had a lot of respect for the vice president.

I worked very loyally for him to do everything I could for him. I dont want this to become a speaking-out-against-him thing, she told the paper.

The president told reporters outside the White House, I have no idea who this person was, but we wish her well.
A Muslim woman is suing the LAPD for an incident in which she alleges several officers forcibly removed her hijab. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

A Muslim woman has alleged in a federal lawsuit filed Thursday that her civil and religious rights were violated when Los Angeles police officers pulled her from a Police Commission meeting and forcibly removed her religious head covering last year.

Nusaiba Mubarak, now 26, said during an online news conference that she was standing in line at the meeting, waiting to comment on a deadly LAPD shooting the year prior, when she was "aggressively manhandled by three police officers nearly twice my size, who without any warning grabbed me and pushed me to the wall, handcuffed me, and shoved me into another room where I was stripped of my hijab and humiliated."

Mubarak, represented by attorneys from the Council on American-Islamic Relations chapter of Los Angeles, said police initially rushed into the area where she was lined up after another protester had gone over his allotted time to speak, but that there was no cause or reason given for her own detention and no justification for the removal of her hijab in the presence of male officers  a violation of Muslim religious tenets.

She was released without charge. The episode left her "shocked and quite terrified," she said.

Mubarak said she had attended the Police Commission meeting last September to denounce the October 2018 killing of Albert Ramon Dorsey. Dorsey was fatally shot by an LAPD officer after punching another officer in a locker room at a 24 Hour Fitness gym in Hollywood. LAPD Chief Michel Moore found that the shooting was justified, but the Police Commission disagreed, saying the officer had violated department policy.

Mubarak's lawsuit is against the LAPD, the city of L.A., Moore, Det. Corey Harmon and four other unidentified LAPD officers. It says Mubarak is suing "to challenge illegal LAPD behavior that callously humiliated her, stripped her of a religious garment in front of others, and erased her chance to address the public body that oversees the very officers who violated her rights."

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The lawsuit alleges that a lack of LAPD policies that specifically protect individuals' religious freedom to wear head coverings shows the city and the department permit such violations, and calls for the LAPD to reform its policies for arrests of Muslim women.

Josh Rubenstein, an LAPD spokesman, said the department could not comment on pending litigation.

Lena Masri, CAIR's national litigation director and one of Mubarak's attorneys, said Mubarak's experience reflects a broader trend in law enforcement.

"Muslim women across the country are having their hijabs senselessly removed by police officers, during even traffic stops for minor traffic violations, in court houses, in correctional facilities, and when having their booking photos taken," Masri said.

Such actions are in direct violation of the women's constitutional rights, and must be challenged, Masri said.

"The callousness that the LAPD officers exhibited towards Nusaiba was a senseless attack against her religious liberty," she said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 23:58:02|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on Sept. 18, 2020 shows the entrance to a voting location of in-person early voting for U.S. president in Alexandria, Virginia, the United States. In-person early voting for the U.S. president kicked off Friday in the U.S. state of Virginia and will run through Oct. 31. Residents have the option of either voting in-person or by mail before Election Day on Nov. 3. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- In-person early voting for the U.S. president kicked off Friday in the U.S. state of Virginia and will run through Oct. 31.

Residents have the option of either voting in-person or by mail before Election Day on Nov. 3.

For those who are not willing or unable to cast in-person ballots, absentee ballots will be sent to them upon request. Voters who opt for voting by mail will have to request a mail-in ballot by Oct. 23.

Hours and numbers of locations for in-person early voting vary by places, with areas including Alexandria planning to expand voting locations and hours so as to avoid large gatherings of voters that add to the possibility of transmitting the coronavirus.

"Plan out your vote. Plan out when you want to come, when you think it's going to be a low turnout," Alexandria City Councilman John Chapman was quoted as saying by NBC4, an NBC affiliate that provides news service in Washington, D.C., Virginia and Maryland. "The reason we're expanding voting times and opportunities is to make sure people aren't waiting in line."

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam tried on Tuesday to reassure residents that mail-in voting is safe, stressing a range of measures the state has taken to prioritize "free and fair elections." Those steps included using drop boxes for early voting and putting barcodes on absentee ballot envelopes to track when they are delivered.

Northam said so far 790,000 people have requested absentee ballots. He said that in the 2016 presidential election, there were a total of 566,000 votes cast absentee.

U.S. President Donald Trump has long been attacking mail-in voting, a method he claimed, without evidence, will lead to voting fraud. The president, however, encouraged voters to cast absentee ballots, tweeting Thursday, "Want to register to vote? Request an Absentee Ballot or vote early."

A U.S. federal judge on Thursday issued a decision to block until Election Day the adoption of wide-ranging operational overhauls to the U.S. Postal Service led by U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, measures Democrats and other critics said would cause a delay in mail delivery, consequently sabotaging the election results.

In his court opinion, Judge Stanley Bastian of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington mandated that all election mail, regardless of postage, must be treated as first-class mail.
Yesterdays signing to formalize continuous partnership between the MoET and partners in supporting GPE in Vanuatu
ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- Jailed Kazakh civil rights activist Sanavar Zakirova has been placed in solitary confinement for allegedly attacking three cellmates, which her daughter called part of a politically motivated campaign against her.

Malika Zakirova told RFE/RL on September 18 that her mother, who is being held in a detention center in Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty, was defending herself from an attack by the three inmates, which lead to her being placed in solitary confinement.

Officials at the detention center told RFE/RL that Zakirova was transferred to solitary confinement for five days "for attacking three inmates."

Zakirova's lawyer, Zhanar Balghabaeva, told RFE/RL on September 18 that her client had complained since mid-August that the detention center's administration was using other inmates to pressure her and officially asked for a transfer to another penitentiary as her life was in danger.

Zakirova, who is well known for her political and civil-rights activities, was sentenced to one year in prison in mid-July after the Medeu district court in Almaty found her guilty of assaulting the daughter of a woman who had hurled vulgarities at a rally in March.

Zakirova has insisted that all of the accusations against her are groundless and politically motivated.

She was an initiator of and leading participant in rallies in Almaty and Nur-Sultan, the capital, last year by residents of Kazakhstan's different regions, demanding action on what they called "wrong court decisions" in various cases.

In March 2019, Almaty city authorities denied Zakirova permission to hold a congress to establish a new political party, Our Right.

In November 2019, Zakirova and two other activists were found guilty by a court in Almaty of distributing false information about the ruling Nur-Otan party over the Internet.

They were ordered to pay the equivalent of $15,000 to the party. Zakirova and her supporters said then that the case was politically motivated.

Days later Zakirova and three other female activists mocked Nur-Otan, staging a public action -- asking worshipers outside a mosque in Nur-Sultan for money to help pay a fine to the ruling party.

Police detained the women then and fined them the equivalent of $32 each for causing a public nuisance.

Last week, Kazakhstans human rights organizations recognized Zakirova a political prisoner.
ATHENS - About 6,000 of the 13,000 migrants in the camp on the island of Lesbos devastated by a fire have been lodged in new facilities, Greek authorities noted Friday.

They added that 157 had tested positive for COVID-19.

After a fire during the night between September 8 and 9, refugees staying at the Moria camp - notorious for its extremely poor living conditions and dubbed the ''shame of Europe'' - had camped out in a section of a street and in supermarket parking lots.

Later, after a police raid and threats that their asylum requests would not be processed, thousands were persuaded to enter the new camp.

All were tested for COVID-19 on arrival and were placed in two quarantine areas.

The new camp was built quickly and can host between 8,000 and 10,000 people.

UNHCR noted that it had supported this camp as a ''temporary solution'' but warned against the perpetuation of an emergency installation.

The Moria camp, where at least 7 migrants have died this year after clashes, is expected to be torn down soon.


A family eats breakfast at the PK3 site for Internally Displaced People in Bria, Central African Republic, May 2019.  UNHCR/Adrienne Surprenant

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has warned that millions of displaced people in need of protection and assistance, and their host communities, are feeling the pinch of massive underfunding, as the COVID-19 crisis continues to increase humanitarian needs globally.

The agency has so far received just 49 per cent (US$4.5 billion) of the $9.1 billion required for its global operations this year. The consequences of this funding gap are particularly devastating in low- and middle-income countries, which currently host more than 85 per cent of the worlds refugees. In many such countries, the pandemic has destabilized economies, exacerbated internal displacement and reduced access to asylum.

A report released by UNHCR today describes the COVID-19 pandemic as a force multiplier, increasing the needs of the displaced population, including refugees in many countries, while also making those needs more difficult to address.

A shortage of resources for humanitarian operations could have devastating impacts for millions of people around the globe putting women and children in particular at heightened risk, and disrupting vital services including, health, shelter, water and sanitation, and many other essential relief programmes.

The report highlights 10 situations particularly affected by funding gaps: Afghanistan, Burundi, Central African Republic, the Central Mediterranean route, Iraq, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, and Venezuela. These situations make up 56 per cent of UNHCRs annual budget.

While some instances of underfunding are due to new needs resulting from COVID-19, many others pre-date the pandemic and demonstrate the impact that chronic underfunding can have on the lives of displaced populations and host communities.

As violence, persecution and civil strife continue to uproot millions, the coronavirus pandemic is destabilizing entire sectors of the economy, with millions depending on fragile incomes that are now at risk, said UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees, Kelly T. Clements. In these unprecedented times, the world needs to broaden its focus making sure displaced populations and their generous but under-resourced hosts are not forgotten. The time to step up support is now.

Underfunding has already brought many programmes to a halt. Other essential activities, such as child protection, support for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, health services, education, and water, sanitation and hygiene activities are on the brink of being cancelled or scaled back if more funding is not forthcoming soon.

For example, child protection and psychosocial care services in Ugandan settlements hosting South Sudanese refugees had to be scaled down this year due to lack of funding. Further reductions in the number of case worker staff will result in at-risk children not receiving home monitoring visits.

Without adequate funds, UNHCR will also have to reduce or stop its winterization assistance to vulnerable displaced people in Syria and Syrian refugees in the region, which includes cash transfers and the distribution of relief items this winter.

Lack of funds already forced UNHCR to end its support to the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital in Peshawar, Pakistan in March. A programme to provide medical equipment related to cancer treatment had benefitted both Afghan refugees and members of the host community.

As of September 2020, a shortfall in funding will prevent UNHCR from assisting Venezuelan families with emergency cash, vouchers and core relief items in key border and urban areas in Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Ecuador.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a US$223 million funding shortfall has forced UNHCR to cut programmes across a number of sectors. The provision of emergency shelters to internally displaced families in South Kivu Province stopped in January and planned construction of classrooms for Congolese refugee children in Burundi and Zambia has been put on hold.

As well as additional funding, UNHCR is calling for donor flexibility when contributions are made so that resources can be targeted to where the needs are the greatest.

For more information on this topic, please contact:
The degradation and decline of the city of Minneapolis proceed apace. 5 Eyewitness News has posted the report by Jay Kolls (video below) from inside the citys autonomous zone, a/k/a the Free State of George Floyd. Whatever you do, you dont want to be in need of police help in the Free State of George Floyd  Marcia Howard to the contrary notwithstanding.

Compare and contrast Kollss report with the lovely tour of the Free State of George Floyd posted here on YouTube.
By Imraan Inamdar, TwoCircles.net

Maharashtra: At a time when educational institutions across the country have been shut due to the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic, online teaching has become the new reality. While online classes have come as a boon to students who otherwise would have lost valuable time, for the teachers adapting to online classes meant creating educational videos, conducting online classes via Google meet, synchronizing activities through WhatsApp groups.

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While those students who have smartphones, internet availability, laptops and other electronic gadgets are getting benefits from it, other students belonging to Indias rural areas and considerably underprivileged are scrambling to access education through smartphones.

In Solapur district of Maharashtra, nearly 60 per cent of students are underprivileged and dont have smartphones or adequate access to the internet.

Responding to this crisis, a Zilla Parishad Urdu primary teacher Javed Kazi from Solapur came forward with an idea of the workbook of all the subjects including drawing, maths and languages to provide an option to the deprived students from 1st standard to 5th standard. The workbook offers these children to learn, read, write and solve equations at home under the telephonic guidance of concerned teachers and elderly people.

Talking to TwoCircles.net, Javed said he is doing it with the aim to serve his mother tongue Urdu and its students. I am not intending to make money from it, he said.

The notebook is not expensive, and as per Javed, is paid for by concerned class teachers from. We dont want to put a financial burden on our poor students, he added.

Javed said that the notebook was a success and he has received an overwhelming response from teachers and students. I have received calls from private schools and other cities of Maharashtra as well, he said.

Javed said that three thousand copies of the trimmed syllabus based workbook have nearly finished and they are planning to publish three thousand more to meet the demand of all the five thousand students of 65 Zila Parishads, 22 corporation and 12 Nagar Parishad school students of the district.

Amid the ongoing pandemic, the government has encouraged Online Educational Resources OER but the availability of OER for Urdu medium students is very limited.

In such a situation, we have to provide something to these students to engage them, he said.

A Zila Parishad primary school teacher Mohsina Bangi said that the workbook has made learning activity easy for them. We are supervising by making calls and students are giving a good response. They are reading textbooks and writing answers and solving problems of other subjects in the workbook, she added.

A parent of a student from Aurad Zila Parishad school told TwoCircles.net that concerned teachers send educational videos and other online learning material but, our children cant get the benefit of it because we have four children and only one smartphone that I always carry.

This workbook has made all the children busy in learning activities. Children are reading, writing and informing their teachers as per convenience, he added.

Ayesha Wasim Bagwan, mother of a fourth standard student expressed happiness over the provision of this workbook. This has given momentum to my daughters learning process. Now she is giving some time to study, trying to solve maths problems, writing answers by taking my help, she said.
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that it was inevitable that the country was seeing a second wave of coronavirus and that while he did not want a second national lockdown, everything was being kept under review.

"We are going to keep everything under review," Johnson told UK media on Friday.

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There is no shortage of cryptocurrency wallets promising to keep users digital assets safe, but in a sub-sector that moves at warp speed, Coin.Space Founder Jonathan Speigner is focused on the fundamentals: adding features, supporting new coins, and onboarding first-time users. A veteran in the industry, Speigner has witnessed many rivals come and go since launching the platform in 2015, when bitcoins price was in the low hundreds.

The Path to Mainstream Crypto Adoption

The value of bitcoin isnt the only thing thats changed since Speigner created a low-fee crypto wallet aimed at novices. The digital asset ecosystem has expanded exponentially, with numerous projects pushing the envelope as far as technological innovation is concerned. From the ICO boom to the birth of stablecoins via the Cash App and Facebooks Libra, the landscape has changed immeasurably. While Speigner is proud to have reached over 20 million wallets users and been used by so many first-time crypto users around the world, he is keen to help the industry move to the elusive next level: mainstream adoption.

There is no set criteria to determine when such a level will have been reached, but recent developments augur well: in June, news broke that PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) would roll out direct sales of cryptocurrency to its 325 million users. Payments giant Mastercard (NYSE:MA), meanwhile, has been helping to power crypto-fiat payment cards; it also just launched a testing platform to simulate the issuance, distribution and exchange of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) between banks, financial service providers and consumers. While some believe CBDCs will negatively affect cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, others  such as Grayscale Investment (OTCMKTS:GBTC) CEO Barry Silbert  believe they will pave the way for institutional interest.

I find it interesting and encouraging that the likes of Mastercard and Bank of America have done an about-face from just a year ago, when they were banning crypto transactions, says Jonathan Speigner. The last holdouts have been governments and financial institutions, so I see this as the start of some really big changes for crypto and early adopters of crypto wallets.

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Jonathan Speigner

Jonathan Speigner

While Coin.Space is a global brand, Bank of America  which has filed a patent for a crypto-inclusive digital currency wallet  will more than likely only be offered to US users. I hope Mastercard takes a more global approach.

They will certainly need to if they seek to bank the unbanked, a common enough goal touted by fintech companies, especially those in the cryptosphere. Having worked on the technical side of security as well as cryptocurrency and cloud computing, Speigner understands the challenges of achieving such an ambition  but he remains undaunted.

Anything that helps the unbanked I am in support of, he explains, referencing the burgeoning decentralized finance (defi) movement that seeks to widen access to financial services and whose products include borrowing and lending. From day one weve had the same goal, and I am most proud of achieving that in so many countries, with millions of crypto transactions. Its very early days with defi, and there will be a lot of work to do. We are always watching to see how things like defi will play into and help with wallet adoptions. We have some exciting partnerships in the works with some defi leaders, actually.

A Crypto Wallet Thats Pro-Privacy

Bitcoin was conceived as a digital currency that couldnt be manipulated by authorities, a secure asset that empowers individuals to directly manage their own finances without relying on custodial service providers. However, many users have neglected to retain ownership of their private keys, meaning their funds sit on centralized cryptocurrency exchanges which are notoriously vulnerable to malicious attacks. This year alone, $1.4 billion has been stolen from crypto users  a large percentage of which was thieved from insecure exchange platforms.

As a noncustodial wallet, Coin.Space is a different proposition, utilizing AES-256 and BIP 39 passphrase encryption and a four-digit PIN for wallet access. The wallet is also enabled with Tor and VPN support, and its been designed to ensure that even those with low bandwidth connections can still make transactions.

Security has been our number one priority and most of our roadmap is focused on adding more security for our users, explains Speigner. Hardware wallet-level security in a mobile wallet will be an industry first. Tor and VPN support were added due to customer requests, since some users desire an additional layer of security. Theyve also historically been needed by users whose governments have tried to block cryptocurrency.

Since we do not log or track users, I couldnt say what percentage of users use VPN or Tor, but we want to make sure if they need to for their own reasons, we support that additional level of privacy for them.

Bullish on Bitcoin

It doesnt matter how useful or feature-rich they are; to many people, crypto wallets will always be synonymous with bitcoin. If the currency takes a hit, the very concept of a crypto wallet also suffers. So, what are Speigners impressions of bitcoin after the events of 2020, with BTC having broken the resistance level of $10,000 more than once?

I am bullish on crypto, dont get me wrong  I spent five years building Coin.Space because I believe it's the future. But the emotional roller coaster of the ups and down of BTC, ETH or indeed any other crypto is something I have learned to put aside. We like to keep focused on adding new features and support new coins and other trends. From what I have seen, I think BTC will be around and stay at the benchmark for the foreseeable future.

Whatever happens, the CEO is unlikely to deviate from his mission to solidify Coin.Spaces status as a premier crypto wallet, with 20 million users in over 20 countries. With competition more intense than ever, and the likes of PayPal and Mastercard moving into the crypto business, itll be no mean feat.

Disclosure: None.
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Entrance mats are soothing and appealing to eyes when they are correctly and finely designed either at home, restaurants, or any other place. Manufacturing of quality entrance mat is a boon to technology and construction industry. Market Research Future reveals that the global entrance matting market is ready to expand at a CAGR of 4.6% during the estimated period from 2018 to 2023. The extensive study has segmental analysis, reviews of factors that can sway the market in the coming years, and expert views for an all-engrossing understanding of the market in a detailed manner.

ALSO READ:

Market Drivers & Trends

The entrance matting market is likely to witness a sustainable growth throughout the forecast period with the increased consumption of matting products such as walk-off mats, anti-fatigue, and logo & specialty mats mainly in residential as well as commercial areas. These factors are booming the construction industry, which is directly influencing the entrance matting market. In the past years, the sales of the entrance mats have been improved a lot, which has grabbed more demand for these mats in the coming years. Such establishment of the market is touted to achieve more valuation during its growth period.

At the same time, the supportive government regulations & initiatives have also further anticipated influencing the market prospects in terms of demand and sales. On the other hand, the growing flooring market coupled with rising in focus on interior and exterior decorations to attract customers have also impacted the entrance matting market and is going to experience impressive growth during the forecast period.

Other factors, such as rapid urbanization and industrialization, have exponentially enhanced the demand for remodeling and renovation activities, which in turn, largely contributes to the tremendous growth of the global entrance matting market.

Market Segmentation

The segmental analysis of the global entrance matting market has been done on the elements of type, material, application, and usage.

In terms of type: anti-fatigue, walk-off mats, logo, and specialty are the segments. Among these, walk-off mats segment is likely to exhibit a maximum growth rate owing to soar in commercial flooring products for hospitality, retail, sports, workplaces, healthcare, and more.

In terms of material: Nylon, rubber, polypropylene, vinyl, and others are the segments. The nylon segment accounted for the largest market share in 2017, which will retain its dominance by 2023. Nylon mats offer superior moisture absorption features which reduce the risk of tripping on a wet floor.

Regional Outlook

The region-wise analysis of the global entrance matting market has been done under the key regions of North America, Europe, Asia-pacific, and Rest of the World.

Among these, North America is recorded to have the largest market for entrance matting as this region also accounted for the leading market share in 2017. Such a significant market share is credited to the surge in adoption of walk-off mats along with the increase in the event shows in the USA, which has enhanced the growth of entrance matting market more than before in this region.

Asia-Pacific region is also ready to exhibit maximum growth rate over the forecast period, owing to the surge in the hospitality industry, mainly in developing countries such as India, China, and Indonesia. Such proliferation is creating hike in demand for entrance matting, which is simultaneously gaining popularity in the upcoming years.

Key Players

The well-known players in the entrance matting market are listed as Birrus Matting, Superior Manufacturing Group, 3M, Unifirst Corporation, Bergo Flooring AB, Cintas Corporation, Forbo Holdings AG, Eagle Mat & Floor Products, and among others.

FOR MORE DETAILS 

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/entrance-matting-market-7173
TikToks existence in the US is hanging by a thread. This week, we discovered that TikTok has agreed to team up with Oracle to still be present in the US market.

Reuters

And while the details were still being finalised, a Reuters report has revealed that the U.S. Commerce Department is on the verge of issuing an order on Friday that would bar people in the country from downloading TikTok and WeChat starting September 20.

This ban is in response to the 45-day deadline that was allotted to these apps to figure out whether theyd like to sell their part of the U.S. business to a company based in the country or whether theyd like to pack up their bags and exit the market. This was initiated since the U.S government felt the apps deemed to pose a national security threat.

This order will deplatform the two apps in the United States, barring Apples App Store, Googles Play Store as well as other app stores from allowing these apps to be displayed in the U.S versions of the store.

This ban, however, wont stop U.S. based companies from doing business with WeChat outside the nation -- something that companies like Walmart and Starbucks surely enjoy using with the mini-app programs that allow people to transact for purchases in China.

This order also doesn't prohibit Tencents other businesses in the United States, including the beloved mobile version of the PUBG franchise that recently got banned by the Indian government.

According to a report by FT, Bytedance and Oracle have entered into an agreement that doesnt include the complete sale of the short video platform. In fact, under the deal, Oracle will be termed as ByteDances technology partner and will look after and store US user data, as per a report by Reuters. Oracle is also in discussions to take a stake in TikToks US assets, according to sources.

Reuters

The order is expected to be published at 8:45 AM EDT (6:15 PM IST). However, Officials in charge have said to the news agency that this order could still be rescinded by POTUS before it goes live on Sunday if the companies make necessary changes in their management in the U.S. in time.
At the General Audience in the San Damaso Courtyard on Wednesday morning, 16 September, Pope Francis continued his series of catecheses on the theme of healing the world. He reminded the faithful that emerging from the pandemic requires that we all look after each other and our common home. All forms of life are interconnected, he said, and our health depends on that of the ecosystems that God created and entrusted to us to care for. The following is a translation of the Holy Fathers catechesis, which he shared in Italian.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Good morning!

To emerge from a pandemic, we need to look after and care for each other. And we must support those who care for the weakest, the sick and the elderly. There is the tendency to cast the elderly aside, to abandon them: this is bad. These people  well defined by the Spanish term cuidadores (caretakers), those who take care of the sick  play an essential role in todays society, even if they often do not receive the recognition and recompense they deserve. Caring is a golden rule of our nature as human beings, and brings with it health and hope (cf. Encyclical Laudato Si [LS], 70). Taking care of those who are sick, of those who are in need, of those who are cast aside: this is a human and also Christian wealth.

We must also extend this care to our common home: to the earth and to every creature. All forms of life are interconnected (cf. ibid., 137-138), and our health depends on that of the ecosystems that God created and entrusted to us to care for (cf. Gen 2:15). Abusing them, on the other hand, is a grave sin that damages, harms and sickens (cf. LS, 8; 66). The best antidote against this misuse of our common home is contemplation (cf. ibid., 85; 214). But why? Isnt there a vaccine for this, for the care of our common home, so as not to set it aside? What is the antidote against the sickness of not taking care of our common home? It is contemplation. If someone has not learned to stop and admire something beautiful, we should not be surprised if he or she treats everything as an object to be used and abused without scruple (ibid., 215). Also in terms of disposable objects. However, our common home, creation, is not a mere resource. Creatures have a value in themselves and each one reflects in its own way a ray of Gods infinite wisdom and goodness (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 339). This value and this ray of divine light must be discovered and, in order to discover it, we need to be silent; we need to listen; we need to contemplate. Contemplation also heals the soul.

Without contemplation, it is easy to fall prey to an unbalanced and arrogant anthropocentrism, the I at the centre of everything, which overinflates our role as human beings, positioning us as absolute rulers of all other creatures. A distorted interpretation of biblical texts on creation has contributed to this misinterpretation, which leads to the exploitation of the earth to the point of suffocating it. Exploiting creation: this is the sin. We believe we are at the centre, claiming to occupy Gods place and so we ruin the harmony of creation, the harmony of Gods plan. We become predators, forgetting our vocation as custodians of life. Of course, we can and must work the earth so as to live and to develop. But work is not synonymous with exploitation, and it is always accompanied by care: ploughing and protecting, working and caring.... This is our mission (cf. Gen 2:15). We cannot expect to continue to grow on a material level, without taking care of the common home that welcomes us. Our poorest brothers and sisters and our mother earth groan for the damage and injustice we have caused, and demand we take another course. They demand of us a conversion, a change of path; taking care of the earth too, of creation.

Therefore, it is important to recover the contemplative dimension, that is, to look at the earth, creation, as a gift, not as something to exploit for profit. When we contemplate, we discover in others and in nature something much greater than their usefulness. Here is the heart of the issue: contemplating is going beyond the usefulness of something. Contemplating the beautiful does not mean exploiting it: contemplating is free. We discover the intrinsic value of things given to them by God. As many spiritual masters have taught, the heavens, the earth, the sea, and every creature possess this iconic capacity, this mystical capacity to bring us back to the Creator and to communion with creation. For example, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, at the end of his Spiritual Exercises, invites us to carry out Contemplation to attain love, that is, to consider how God looks at his creatures and to rejoice with them; to discover Gods presence in his creatures and, with freedom and grace, to love and care for them.

Contemplation, which leads us to an attitude of care, is not a question of looking at nature from the outside, as if we were not immersed in it. But we are inside nature, we are part of nature. Rather, it is done from within, recognizing ourselves as part of creation, making us protagonists and not mere spectators of an amorphous reality that is only to be exploited. Those who contemplate in this way experience wonder not only at what they see, but also because they feel they are an integral part of this beauty; and they also feel called to guard it and to protect it. And there is one thing we must not forget: those who cannot contemplate nature and creation cannot contemplate people in their true wealth. And those who live to exploit nature end up exploiting people and treating them like slaves. This is a universal law. If you cannot contemplate nature it will be very difficult for you to contemplate people, the beauty of people, your brother, your sister.

Those who know how to contemplate will more easily set to work to change what produces degradation and damage to health. They will strive to educate and promote new habits of production and consumption, to contribute to a new model of economic growth that guarantees respect for our common home and respect for people. The contemplative in action tends to become a guardian of the environment: this is good! Each one of us should be a guardian of the environment, of the purity of the environment, seeking to combine ancestral knowledge of millennia-long cultures with new technical knowledge, so that our lifestyle may always be sustainable.

Lastly, contemplating and caring: these are two attitudes that show the way to correct and re-balance our relationship as human beings with creation. Oftentimes, our relationship with creation seems to be a relationship between enemies: destroying creation for our benefit. Exploiting creation for our profit. Let us not forget that this comes at a high price; let us not forget that Spanish saying: God always forgives; we forgive sometimes; nature never forgives. Today I was reading in the newspaper about those two great glaciers in Antarctica, near the Amundsen Sea: they are about to fall. It will be terrible, because the sea level will rise and this will bring many, many difficulties and so much harm. And why? Because of global warming, not caring for the environment, not caring for our common home. On the other hand, when we have this relationship  let me say the word  fraternal in the figurative sense with creation, we will become guardians of our common home, guardians of life and guardians of hope; we will safeguard the patrimony that God has entrusted to us so that future generations may enjoy it. And some may say: But, I can get by like this. But the problem is not how you are going to manage today  this was said by a German theologian, a Protestant, a good man: Bonhoeffer  the problem is not how you manage today; the problem is: what will be the legacy, life for future generations? Let us think of our children, our grandchildren: what will we leave them if we exploit creation? Let us protect this path so we may become guardians of our common home, guardians of life and hope. Let us safeguard the heritage that God has entrusted to us so that future generations may enjoy it. I think especially of the indigenous peoples, to whom we all owe a debt of gratitude, also of penance, to repair the harm we have done to them. But I am also thinking of those movements, associations, popular groups, that are committed to protecting their territory with its natural and cultural values. These social realities are not always appreciated; and at times they are even obstructed, because they do not earn money. But in reality they contribute to a peaceful revolution: we might call it the revolution of care. Contemplating so as to care, contemplating to protect, to protect ourselves, creation, our children, our grandchildren, and to protect the future. Contemplating to care for and to protect, and to leave a legacy to the future generation.

However this must not be delegated to others: this is the task of every human being. Each one of us can and must be a guardian of the common home, capable of praising God for his creatures, and of contemplating creatures, and protecting them. Thank you.

Before concluding the General Audience , the Holy Father led the faithful in silent prayer for Father Roberto Malgesini, a priest from the Diocese of Como, Italy, who was killed on 15 September.

I join in the sorrow and prayer of his family and the community of Como the Holy Father assured and, echoing Bishop Cantonis sentiments, he added, I give praise to God for the testimony, that is, for the martyrdom of this testimony of charity towards the poorest. With these words Pope Francis recalled Fr Roberto Malgesini, a 51-year-old priest from Como, who was killed on Tuesday morning, 15 September, by one of the many needy people who received his support and help. The Pope then invited the faithful in the Courtyard of San Damaso and those connected through the media to pray in silence for Fr Roberto Malgesini and for all the priests, nuns, lay people who work with the needy and those discarded by society

Special Greetings

I cordially greet the English-speaking faithful. In these days, my thoughts turn especially to the elderly and infirm, and those who generously care for them. Upon all of you and your families I invoke the joy and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. God bless you!

Lastly my thought goes as usual to the elderly, to young people, to the sick and to newlyweds. We recently celebrated in the liturgy the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. May the Cross, a sign of faith in Christ, be comfort for all and the image of an unwavering hope.
Baker Nobutoshi Nobu Mizushima and his wife, Yuko Kawashiwo, have some devoted fans.

When they launched a Kickstarter campaign to defray the costs of opening their bakery in Nob Hill, supporters came through with more than $16,000. The injection of funds helped the bakery, dubbed Ihatov Bread and Coffee, open in March just before the pandemic rolled in. It has survived since then on a brisk takeout business.

Mizushima first built a following at Cloud Cliff Bakery in Santa Fe. Successful trips to the farmers market at the Albuquerque Rail Yards inspired him and his wife to strike out on their own. Last year, they found a prime location in a former Starbucks at Central and Tulane next to a small parking lot and set about refurbishing it.

The long, narrow building, with its rounded roof and arched, windowed front, looks modernist, like something dreamed up by local architect Bart Prince, but its actually the remnants of an Arbys from back when the roast beef shacks were designed to resemble covered wagons.

Ihatov  the name is derived from an idealized dreamland invented by renowned Japanese poet and novelist Kenji Miyazawa  is warm and homey, with one side given over to the bakery and the other to a few tables set around a fireplace. Through the large windows in the front, you can see across Central to the Peruvian restaurant Tio Davids and El Camino Donuts, two new arrivals in the neighborhood.

The place was abuzz with activity during a recent lunch hour. Kawashiwo worked the espresso machine while Mizushima and an assistant pulled breads and pastries from the oven and stacked them on cooling racks. Even through a mask, the smell was intoxicating.

The selection of baked goods changes as things sell out and replacements come forth from the oven. Breads include eight varieties made from sourdough, one from buckwheat flour and one from potato flour. Prices are $5 to $7 a loaf. Each loaf is like a work of sculptural art, the crusts split on top and mottled in various shades of brown from the heat of the oven.

A popular choice, Kawashiwo told me, is the nigella sativa ($5), a torpedo-shaped baguette with a crackling shell covered in black seeds. Pieces of sweet and savory caramelized onion permeate the bread without overpowering it, and the nigella seeds add a little nuttiness along with, purportedly, many health benefits.

The pastry menu features massive buttermilk biscuits ($3), their surfaces golden brown and craggy. The crunchy shells yield to an airy core thats not at all flaky like the traditional buttermilk biscuit. Mizushima told me he achieves the effect by using more butter and buttermilk in his recipe. The spongy texture makes the biscuits ideal for butter and jam.

Several of the items in the display case were still warm from the oven, like an impeccably done pain au chocolat ($5). I knew as soon as I bit through the crisp, wispy skin and reached the still slightly melted chocolate core, there were not going to be any leftovers.

Equally good was an almond croissant ($5), dusted with powdered sugar and filled with a sweet, buttery almond paste.

Less sweet, more spicy, the morning glory muffin ($3) comes packed with apples, carrots, raisins, coconut flakes and nuts. Its like a spice cake in muffin form. A mixed berry scone ($3 each) that materialized in the display cabinet just before I left was nicely done, the brick of flaky pastry enlivened with blueberries, dried cranberries and golden raisins and some crunchy turbinado sugar on top.

The espresso machine, fed with beans from Flat Track Coffee in Austin, Texas, was running almost nonstop during my visit. I can testify that Kawashiwo whips up an excellent Americano ($4), a shot of espresso diluted with hot water. You can get drip coffee here too.

Ihatov also turns out a quiche ($5.75), and there are plans to offer additional lunch items.

Ihatov is a showcase for Mizushima and Kawashiwos hospitality and dedication to the craft of baking. Its not surprising that so many patrons pitched in to help launch the place.

IHATOV BREAD AND COFFEE

3.5 stars

LOCATION: 3400 Central SE, 539-5445, ihatov.us

HOURS: 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday; closed Monday

NO ALCOHOL
A West Virginia insulation plant set to open next year is being investigated over complaints that it will foul the air and water in the state's eastern panhandle and allegations that political improprieties led to the project's approval.

The complaint against Rockwool International by West Virginians for Sustainable Development was filed to NCP Denmark last October. The Danish institution, which encourages responsible international business conduct, is an arm of the multinational Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OCED).

Rockwool is based in Denmark.

NCP Denmark said this week that the complaint against Rockwool "cannot be dismissed" although it has not yet determined whether any violations of its international guidelines have taken place.

Environmental advocates in West Virginia want an immediate end to construction of the factory, which is scheduled to open in early 2021 in the tiny town of Ranson, near Charles Town in affluent Jefferson County.

A year ago, activists said the $150 million plant did not belong across the road from an elementary school and within two miles of five other schools and day-care centers, and on soil that has developed sinkholes and could lead to the fouling of the community's groundwater.

Rockwool, which prides itself on its environmental standards, pointed out last year when the issue first arose that it has repaired sinkholes as they appear and that the insulation it plans to create at the plant will help reduce energy use by its customers.

Rod Snyder, chair of West Virginians for Sustainable Development, declined to comment on the complaint, citing NCP Denmark's request that all parties do not argue the matter in public.

The complaint noted that Ranson, in 2004, annexed the site of a former orchard several miles north of its borders. In 2017, the town's leaders changed the zoning of the site to allow heavy industry, knowing that it would prompt significant protests once word got out.

Neither the state nor the company held any local public hearings on the proposed plant,the complaint said. The state's commerce secretary helped to negotiate the deal that brought Rockwool to the site, and his company, Thrasher Engineering, was selected to perform the engineering and design work for the project.

The complaint also cites Rockwool's air quality permit application, which anticipates emitting 471 tons per year of volatile organic compounds; 239 tons per year of nitrogen dioxides - "the building blocks of ozone," the complaint notes - and 154 tons per year of particulate matter. Its wastewater retention ponds are on land that tends to collapse, giving the wastes access to the groundwater from which most residents draw their drinking water, and there are questions about its sewage discharges, the complaint says.

NCP Denmark is not a governmental body, and its job is to resolve disputes between multinational organizations and others who object to their practices. It does not have a mandate to issue sanctions, but could criticize the company and offer recommendations if it finds the company has failed to observe OCED guidelines, an organization spokesperson said Friday.

Rockwool declined its first offer of formal mediation earlier this year because the company deemed it "highly unlikely to resolve the dispute to either party's satisfaction." That triggered the investigation.

Rockwool has since announced that it will use natural gas instead of coal as a source of fuel, which will "significantly reduce the environmental impact of our operations," it said in an announcement. Its heavy truck traffic, previously estimated at 100 trips per day to bring in not just coal but rocks from which the insulation is made, will be reduced but it's unclear by how much.

"We are entirely confident that we have planned and are executing the project respecting all local and international requirements," said Michael Zarin, vice president for group communications for Rockwool. "Factory construction is well underway, and we are pleased to see significant interest in employment and economic development opportunities from the local community."

John Doyle, a West Virginia delegate who was elected two years ago on the strength of anti-Rockwool opposition, said the company has been able to "coax a number of people who oppose them to believe it's a done deal, that opposition is futile."

"Rockwool has been attempting to cultivate a green image across the globe and their reputation will be damaged by this" complaint, said Doyle (D), who co-signed the complaint. "I am convinced the majority of the people of Jefferson County do not want Rockwool here. But if they were willing to make some significant changes in its air and water pollution and be more willing to be transparent in its dealings with West Virginia, I think the public would be willing to accept them."
The fortified downtown area of Pensacola, which has received significant attention and hurricane-proofing in recent years, saw significant flooding this week, but its high waters receded quickly as the storm passed early Wednesday and the tide went out. Wedgewood, on the other hand, is nearly defenseless against storm surge off the Gulf of Mexico, and its waters do not go away so quickly.
Im so delighted that my pub can resume operation. Of course we must ensure safety for our customers. Everyone entering my pub has to undergo temperature measurement and hand sanitizing, says Duy Cong, manager of a pub on No.12 Ta Hien street, Hanoi. Photos: Minh Hieu/Vietnam+
WASHINGTON, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Latino Corporate Directors Association (LCDA) announced "Latino Voices for Boardroom Equity," in partnership with leading business and civic leaders, including League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) , UnidosUS , the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund (MALDEF) , the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) , the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA) , and the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) . This initiative will target and engage with US public companies lacking Latino representation. Progress will be tracked and shared through the publication of a quarterly scorecard.

Latinos in the US are the largest racial or ethnic group in this country, totaling 58 million, 18% of the population, and projected to grow, on average, 1.2M per year between 2017 and 2060. US Latino consumers are the economic engine of the country; they command $2.3T GDP and are driving consumption growth in every mass consumer category.

"In a country where Latino GDP is 24.4% of total US GDP growth , no company can be effectively governed without Latino voices on their board. Supply is not the issue. Despite a strong qualified pool, Latinos have long been systematically excluded and bypassed," stated Pat Pineda, LCDA Board Member.

The number of US Latinos on corporate boards is staggeringly low and there has been no progress in the last decade by any measure . In stark contrast to the size and economic strength of the US Latino population, US Latinos hold a mere 2.2% of the board seats among the publicly-traded companies listed in the Russell 3000 Index, according to ISS ESG data as of August 31, 2020 .

The "Latino Voices" initiative asserts that diversity without the inclusion of Latinos is not acceptable:

Triple Latino representation on public company boards by 2023. Act to target corporations with no Latino representation. Track progress through publication of a quarterly scorecard.

"Latinos were excluded in the push to add women to the boardroom and are being excluded again by efforts solely focused on Black directors," stated Roel Campos, former SEC Commissioner and LCDA Board Chair. "Diversity in America is not black and white. A truly diverse boardroom is inclusive of Latinos," said Campos.

"Diverse representation on boards of directors is more than just a goodwill gesture, it is good for a corporation's bottom line since research shows that companies with diverse boards are more successful financially. And given the highly competitive 21st century economy, continuing to neglect a trillion dollar market and the future American workforce is a costly, short-sighted, and an unnecessary business decision," said Janet Murguia, UnidosUS CEO.

"What we continue to have today is systemic exclusion which is not acceptable in 2020. Latinos are the current and future workforce of America with a growing purchasing power that impacts the bottom line of major corporations across all industries. We are closely watching the actions taken in the corporate boardrooms and will not hesitate to publicly denounce companies who market and profit from our community but fail to include us on their corporate boards," stated Sindy Benavides, LULAC National CEO.

"Latino businesses across the country are supplying value-added goods and services for corporate America and Fortune 1000 public boardrooms would greatly benefit from our business acumen, experience and grit," stated Ramiro A. Cavazos, President & CEO, U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC).

"Since 2008, Latinos have comprised 82% of the growth in the US workforce. Any company seeking growth must look to engage the U.S. Latino community in all facets, as customers, employees, executives, and board members. It is irresponsible for companies not to have Latinos included in their Boardroom given those statistics. This should be an easy decision, it's both the right thing for society and for shareholders," said Damian Rivera, ALPFA CEO.

"With Latinos comprising over one quarter of all public school students in the United States, public companies must recognize Latino importance, today and tomorrow, as leaders, workers, and consumers; board inclusion is critical to these companies' future success," stated Thomas A. Saenz, MALDEF president and general counsel.

"If corporations do not want to give us a seat at the boardroom table, these corporations are going to feel the absence of the buying power of the U.S. Latinx, which is expected to reach 1.9 trillion by 2023. It'll be time for us to withdraw our money and take our business to corporations that believe, support, and uplift our community," said Brenda Victoria Castillo, President & CEO, National Hispanic Media Coalition.

ABOUT LATINO VOICES FOR BOARDROOM EQUITY

Latino Voices for Boardroom Equity was formed by the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), UnidosUS, the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC), the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA), the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC), and the Latino Corporate Directors Association (LCDA).

This effort will target companies that lack US Latino directors, starting with some of the largest companies based in California, then spanning nationwide. LCDA CA Company Board research found that of the 662 California-based public companies, 87%, 571 corporations have no Latino representation on their board of directors.

A Latino Board Tracker , maintained by the Latino Corporate Directors Association (LCDA), analyzes companies on the Fortune 1000, identifying corporations with one or more Latinos/as on their board. In 2019, LCDA analysis found that 76.8% of the Fortune 1000 companies do not have a Latino on their board. In turn only 23.2% of the F1000 companies had one or more US Latinos on their boards, occupying only 2.7% of Fortune 1000 board seats.

ABOUT THE LATINO CORPORATE DIRECTOR'S ASSOCIATION

The Latino Corporate Directors Association (LCDA) is a national, membership organization promoting C-level and board diversity. Our organization champions diversity at the highest levels of corporate leadership behind a critical mission: increase the representation of US Latinos on corporate boards.

LCDA actively works with Blacks, Asian-Americans, women, and LGBTQ+ organizations to advocate for board diversity. LCDA serves as an advocate and resource to corporate boards, search firms, private equity, and institutional investors interested in gaining access to exceptional Latino board talent.

Contact for Interviews:

Monique Navarro

(915) 790-7788

For more information about Latino Voices: latinocorporatedirectors.org/latino_voices_for_boardroom_eq.php

SOURCE Latino Voices for Boardroom Equity
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Die-hard Jewish pilgrims have refused to leave Ukraine's border with Belarus after more than 1,000 give up hope and turn back due to coronavirus restrictions.

Orthodox-Jewish believers, including hundreds of children, have camped out throughout the week in no-man's land at the border crossing ahead of Jewish New Year celebrations this weekend.

Tens of thousands of Hasidic Jews travel to the central Ukrainian city of Uman every Jewish New Year to visit the tomb of Rabbi Nahman, the founder of the Breslov Hasidic movement.

Die-hard Jewish pilgrims have refused to leave Ukraine's border with Belarus after more than 1,000 give up hope and turn back due to coronavirus restrictions. Pictured: Ukrainian armed security services facing the crowd of pilgrims

Tens of thousands of Hasidic Jews travel to the central Ukrainian city of Uman every Jewish New Year to visit the tomb of Rabbi Nahman, the founder of the Breslov Hasidic movement. Pictured: A Hasidic Pilgrim camping at the crossing

Orthodox-Jewish believers, including hundreds of children, have camped out throughout the week in no-man's land at the border crossing (pictured) ahead of Jewish New Year celebrations this weekend

The standoff between pilgrims and armed Ukrainian security services sparked tensions at the Novi Yarylovychi border crossing and inflamed a diplomatic row between Minsk and Kiev.

Ukrainian border guard spokesman Andriy Demchenko said earlier today that most pilgrims had returned to Belarus and only 'a few pilgrims' hoping to enter Ukraine remained at the crossing point.

Belarus, which earlier said the pilgrims should be allowed to visit holy sites in Ukraine, confirmed that fewer than a dozen people were attempting to cross.

Ukrainian border guard spokesman Andriy Demchenko said earlier today that most pilgrims had returned to Belarus and only 'a few pilgrims' hoping to enter Ukraine remained at the crossing point (pictured)

The believers - mainly Israeli, but also American and French - departed for Uman this year even though both the Ukrainian and Israeli governments last month urged them not to travel because of the pandemic. Pictured: A pilgrim leaning on the fencing

Orthodox-Jewish believers, including hundreds of children, have been living in makeshift camps (pictured) at the border crossing throughout the week

Belarus's Border Committee representative Anton Bychkovskiy said pilgrims were 'leaving the border en masse' and travelling onwards to nearby cities by bus and taxi.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday wished Jews a happy New Year and acknowledged the country had been 'forced to limit mass events' over safety concerns.

The believers - mainly Israeli, but also American and French - departed for Uman this year even though both the Ukrainian and Israeli governments last month urged them not to travel because of the pandemic.

Kiev closed its borders for most of the month of September citing a growing number of coronavirus infections, but the pilgrims attempted to bypass the restrictions by travelling through Belarus. Pictured: Pilgrims in their makeshift camps

Ukrainian border guards announced Friday they had arrested several pilgrims. Pictured: Crowds of Hasidic Pilgrims gathered at the crossing point

An Israeli minister on Thursday called on those camping out on the border to return home and uphold quarantine rules on arrival in Israel. Pictured: Crowds of Hasidic Pilgrims gathered at the crossing point ahead of the New Year celebrations

An Israeli minister on Thursday called on those camping out on the border to return home and uphold quarantine rules on arrival in Israel.

Kiev closed its borders for most of the month of September citing a growing number of coronavirus infections, but the pilgrims attempted to bypass the restrictions by travelling through Belarus.

Ukrainian border guards announced Friday they had arrested several pilgrims, including Israeli and US citizens, trying to enter the country illegally from Hungary, Poland and Romania.

The standoff between pilgrims and armed Ukrainian security services (pictured) has sparked tensions at the Novi Yarylovychi border crossing and inflamed a diplomatic row between Minsk and Kiev

Rubbish now litters the streets near the border crossing between Ukraine and Belarus after Hasidic Pilgrim heading to the Ukrainian city of Uman for celebrations of the Jewish New Year were stranded amid coronavirus restrictions

The standoff on the border aggravated strained ties between Kiev and Minsk, which have traded barbs over disputed presidential elections in Belarus last month. Pictured: Ukrainian armed security services facing the crowd of pilgrims

Kiev has reported more than 169,000 cases of coronavirus and 3,468 fatalities. On Thursday, officials registered a record one-day increase in infections.

The standoff on the border aggravated strained ties between Kiev and Minsk, which have traded barbs over disputed presidential elections in Belarus last month.

Belarus strongman Alexander Lukashenko earlier instructed officials to negotiate a travel corridor with Ukraine and offered to provide buses to transport religious believers to holy sites in Ukraine.

Employees of the Belarusian Red Cross Society are seen near the Novi Yarylovychi-Novaya Guta crossing point where Hasidic Pilgrims have been camped

An Israeli minister on Thursday called on those camping out on the border (pictured) to return home and uphold quarantine rules on arrival in Israel

Ukrainian armed security services wearing face masks have been guarding the border between Ukraine and Belarus as Hasidic Pilgrim attempt to cross for Jewish New Year celebrations

Kiev in turn accused Belarusian authorities of giving false hope to the Hasidic pilgrims that they would be allowed to travel to Uman.

Both Ukraine and Israel are keen to avoid a spike in coronavirus infections.

Israel imposed a second nationwide lockdown on Friday to tackle one of the world's highest coronavirus infection rates, despite public protests over the new blow to the economy.

The groups of Hasidic Pilgrims who remained at the makeshift camps on the border looked to be in good spirits as they huddled together in tents (pictured)

Belarus strongman Alexander Lukashenko earlier instructed officials to negotiate a travel corridor with Ukraine and offered to provide buses to transport religious believers (pictured at the border) to holy sites in Ukraine

Kiev in turn also accused Belarusian authorities of giving false hope to the Hasidic pilgrims (pictured) that they would be allowed to travel to Uman

The three-week shutdown starts just hours before Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year.

Meanwhile, up to 3,000 Hasidic Jews have arrived in Uman for the celebrations entering Ukraine before the ban, police said.

Law enforcement has tightened security near Rabbi Nachman's tomb where pilgrims have congregated.
Mumbai, which contributes about 30 per cent of countrys direct collections, saw the rate of contraction in advance tax collection lower to 20 per cent as against an over 33 per cent decline in Q1.

Advance tax collections from top jurisdictions have fallen by around 25 per cent on average, as against about 40 per cent decline seen in the first quarter (Q1), indicating optimism on earnings of corporate houses as the economy gradually recovers from the lockdown.

Overall, net direct tax collection after the advance tax payments stood at Rs 3.28 trillion, down 25 per cent from last years Rs 4.4 trillion.

Gross collections are down 20.1 per cent to Rs 4.33 trillion and refunds up 4 per cent to Rs 1.05 trillion as of September 16.

Incidentally, while Bengaluru had shown 10 per cent growth rate till a couple of days ago, an 18 per cent decline in advance tax mop dragged overall direct taxes growth in the city to just over 1 per cent.

Nevertheless, the IT city was the only jurisdiction that showed growth in net direct tax collection.

Mumbai, which contributes about 30 per cent of countrys direct collections, saw the rate of contraction in advance tax collection lower to 20 per cent as against an over 33 per cent decline in Q1.

The rate of decline in advance tax payments has certainly come down in Q2 and is on expected lines, with the economy reviving with the unlocking process.

"The trend is in line with the 24 per cent contraction in GDP in Q1.

"The next quarter will see further improvement with companies seeing improvement in earnings forecast, said a government official.

Advance tax is paid as and when the money is earned, rather at the end of the fiscal year.

It is considered an indication of economic sentiment.

The first installment or 15 per cent of advance tax is to be paid by June 15, the second by September 15 (30 per cent), third by December 15 (30 per cent) and the rest by March 15.

The rate of decline in Delhi reduced to 30 per cent from 45 per cent contraction in Q1 on a year-on-year basis.

Kolkata and Hyderabad also saw the rate of contraction lower to 22 per cent and 20 per cent, from declines of 51 per cent and 36 per cent in Q1, respectively.

For Ahmedabad and Pune saw the rate of decline was 20 per cent and 30 per cent.

Tax deducted at source, another major contributor of overall taxes is down by around 10-12 per cent across jurisdictions.

About 45 per cent direct tax revenue collection comes from advance tax, 35 per cent from TDS, 10 per cent from self-assessment and 10 per cent from recovery.
On the eve of International Coastal Clean-Up Day which is celebrated across 100 countries since 1986, Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) on Friday announced at a virtual event that for the first time eight beaches of India have been recommended for the coveted International eco-label, the Blue flag certification.

The recommendations are done by an independent national jury composed of eminent environmentalists and scientists. Blue Flag beaches are considered the cleanest beaches of the world. The eight beaches are Shivrajpur in Gujarat, Ghoghla in Daman&Diu, Kasarkod and Padubidri beach in Karnataka, Kappad in Kerala, Rushikonda in Andhra Pradesh, Golden beach of Odisha and Radhanagar beach in Andaman and Nicobar.

Live TV

Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar who couldnt attend the event due to the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament said through a video message that the government is committed to clean the beaches across the country. He said clean beaches are the testimony to the environment in the coastal area. He said, the issue of marine litter and oil spilling has caused disturbances to the aquatic life and the Government of India is undertaking various efforts for the sustainable development of coastal regions.

In a first, 8 beaches of India recommended for the coveted #BlueFlag International eco-label.

World Bank has applauded Indias coastal zone mgmt efforts. Kasarkod, Padubidri beach (KA); Kappad (KL); Rushikonda (AP) are in list.#BEAMS program aims at sustainable coastal mgmt. pic.twitter.com/JcuVlwRBLx  Y. Satya Kumar (@satyakumar_y) September 18, 2020

The event also saw the launch of Indias own eco-label BEAMS by e-hoisting the flag -#IAMSAVINGMYBEACH simultaneously at these eight beaches. SICOM, MoEFCC in pursuit of promoting its policies for sustainable development in coastal regions have embarked upon a highly acclaimed program BEAMS (Beach Environment & Aesthetics Management Services) under its ICZM (Integrated Coastal Zone Management) project.

This is one of the several other projects of ICZM that Govt of India is undertaking for the sustainable development of coastal regions, striving for globally recognized and the coveted eco-label Blue flag.

The flag hoisting program was conducted simultaneously at these 08 beaches virtually from MOEFCC and physically at the beaches by respective States/UTs through its MLAs and/or Chairman of Beach Management Committees (BMCs).

Speaking on the occasion, Union Environment Secretary, RP Gupta said that high standards are being maintained to clean the beaches to keep the environment safe and in the next four to five years 100 more beaches will be cleaned.

In a video message, World Banks country director Zunaid Khan applauded Indias efforts towards cleaning up its beaches and said that India with its strategies for sustainable coastal zone management shall act as a lighthouse for other countries in the region.

With a view to protect and conserve the coastal and marine ecosystems and the environment through holistic coastal management, the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change launched the Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) activities in India for a holistic approach with an interactive, dynamic, multidisciplinary, and iterative planning process to promote sustainable development & management of coastal zones through its own wing SICOM.

The concept of ICZM was introduced in 1992 during the Earth Summit at Rio de Janeiro and most of the coastal countries in the world have been adopting ICZM principles for managing their coastal zones. Thus, adoption of ICZM principles for managing and sustainably developing our coastal regions is helping India in keeping with its commitments to international agreements on ICZM.

The objective of BEAMS program is to abate pollution in coastal waters, promote sustainable development of beach facilities, protect & conserve coastal ecosystems and natural resources, and seriously challenge local authorities & stakeholders to strive and maintain high standards of cleanliness, hygiene & safety for beachgoers in accordance with coastal environment & regulations. This program promotes beach recreation in absolute harmony with nature.

International Coastal Cleanup Day got its start in 1986 when Linda Maraniss met Kathy OHara while working for Ocean Conservancy. OHara had just completed a report called Plastics in the Ocean: More Than a Litter Problem. The two of them reached out to other ocean-lovers and organized a Cleanup for Ocean Conservancy. The first Cleanup consisted of 2,800 volunteers. Since that time, the Cleanup has grown into an international event in more than 100 countries.
Former President John Dramani Mahama, has advised members of NDC to verify their names in the provisional voters register during the Electoral Commissions exhibition exercise at polling stations in all constituencies.

Addressing the chiefs and people of Amanten in the Atebubu Amanten constituency to kick start his three-day tour of the Bono East Region, Mr Mahama said it would be unfortunate for any eligible voter to be disenfranchised due to a failure to verify their names.

We should use the energy that was exhibited during the voter registration exercise for the exhibition exercise because it might happen that your name was not captured or was spelt wrongly, and the needed correction will be done to enable you to take part in the elections, he advised.

The EC will begin an eight-day voters' register exhibition exercise on Friday, September 18, 2020.

The exercise will take place simultaneously across all 33, 367 centres nationwide from 7 am to 6 pm daily, including Saturday and Sunday.

At a press briefing ahead of the exercise on Thursday, September 17, 2020, the EC said it has recruited and deployed over 73,000 officials including COVID-19 ambassadors, to oversee the exercise.

Chairperson of the Commission, Jean Mensa, underscored the need for all registered voters to fully participate in the exercise.

---citinewsroom
Sailors looking to pocket extra cash ahead of the holiday season can now volunteer for a unique assignment.

The Hallmark Channel is looking for dress blues-owning extras to appear in its upcoming holiday movie, "USS Christmas." Filming runs from Sept. 28 through Oct. 1 in Charleston, South Carolina. Participants dont need to commit to filming every day.

The Hallmark Channel did not respond to questions about the movie's plot, who's starring in it, how many sailors it wants to serve as extras, or when and where the movie will air.

Read Next: Former SecDef Mattis Delivers Moving Tribute to Grammy Winner, Navy Vet Bill Withers

Chris Hauff, a spokesman for the Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum in Charleston, told Military.com that most of the filming will take place on the aircraft carrier Yorktown. The World War II-era carrier is one of three Navy vessels on display at the museum, along with the destroyer Laffey and submarine Clamagore.

The plotline on the Polaris, which is what Hallmark is calling the Yorktown in the movie, centers around what's known as a tiger cruise, Hauff said. Tiger cruises are when family and friends of sailors and Marines get a chance to go out on a Navy vessel to experience what their loved ones do while deployed.

Like a lot of Hallmark flicks, someone on the ship doesn't believe in Christmas, while others aboard want to spread holiday cheer. Christmas always tends to win out in the end in Hallmark plotlines, which Hauff said might be what everyone needs during a holiday season that falls in the middle of a global pandemic.

"Given how everyone's feeling right now, everybody needs a win," he said.

Production on the movie has moved fast, Hauff added. Within weeks of talks with the Hallmark Channel, producers, the director, stagehands and others working on "USS Christmas" have been out to visit the ship.

Museum staff is now waiting on a big tractor-trailer full of Christmas decorations to arrive and are planning how they'll use the ship's weapons elevators to get all the set equipment where it needs to be.

This isn't the first starring role for the Yorktown. The ship was first featured in the 1944 Academy Award-winning documentary "The Fighting Lady," before going on to appear in "Tora, Tora, Tora" and an episode of the 1960s TV series "Get Smart."

Hallmark has asked the Patriots Point staff lots of military-related questions, Hauff said, who credited the channel's decision to get real sailors to appear as extras. The sailors on set will likely be all too willing to point out where they might be getting the military details wrong, he said.

"I think it was a great move and one that should be recognized for them to actually reach out to active-duty service members or veteran sailors," Hauff said. "... Hopefully that goes a long way in their movie."

Sailors and vets who want to appear in the movie must be over the age of 18, according to Hallmark's casting call. Hallmark is looking for men and women to serve in background roles.

The base pay for an eight-hour shift is $64, but sailors and vets will be paid an extra $50 for bringing their own uniforms. Anyone participating must also undergo a mandatory test for COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus, before shooting starts.

That mandatory nasal swab comes with a $20 bump in pay. Testing is set for Sept. 24 at a drive-through location.

Hauff said Hallmark's decision to feature the Yorktown in "USS Christmas" came at a good time for the museum, which has been forced to lay off staff during the pandemic as tourism fell across the country.

Since Hallmark Christmas movies tend to reach a different demographic than the museum's typical patrons, Hauff said the staff hopes it inspires new visitors.

"This couldn't have come at a better time," he said. "It creates a whole new market for us and brings in new people that may not know much about the Navy at all. And when they get here because of the movie, they'll get to learn about our heroes and what veterans did for our country."

-- Gina Harkins can be reached at gina.harkins@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @ginaaharkins.

Related: The True Story of the USS Kidd, the Ship Used to Film 'Greyhound'
Nate Berkus and his family have been spending the last six months self-isolating at their home on the water in Mountauk, New York, but the designer admitted it wasn't always an easy decision for him to live by the beach.

On Dec. 26, 2004, Berkus lost his partner, photographer Fernando Bengoechea, in a devastating tsunami while they were vacationing in Sri Lanka.

EDC100120_080 (Richard Foulser / Richard Foulser)

Spending time by the water has always been a part of Berkus' life, so when his husband, Jeremiah Brent, suggested they look at buying a second home in Montauk last year, Berkus was finally ready.

I was raised in Southern California and lived on a lake outside of Minneapolis. The water has always been how I think of a carefree afternoon, Berkus, 49, told Elle Decor for the magazine's October issue.

Even still, he thought of the tsunami and decided he wanted his children with Brent, daughter Poppy, 5, and son Oskar, 2, to have the same happy experiences he had on the water growing up. (Their youngest is named after Bengoechea, whose middle name was Oskar.)

I didnt want my experience in the tsunami to deprive our family of summers like that," Berkus said.

The family of four have been living in the gorgeous home since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March. Berkus and his husband took an easygoing approach to decorating, which ended up creating a sense of calm during what has been a trying time.

The pressure was off. We were building and selecting things thinking, 'It doesnt have to be perfect,' Berkus said. I think that opened up something in both of us. The spirit in which we decorated and renovated this house is the spirit in which we live here."

Berkus and his family appear in the current October issue of ELLE Decor, available on newsstands now.
Photo: The Canadian Press Prime Minister Justin Trudeau holds a closing press conference on the third and final day of the Liberal cabinet retreat in Ottawa on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020. Trudeau will begin consultations today with opposition leaders about next week's throne speech, which could theoretically bring down his minority Liberal government if no opposition party is willing to support it. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau began consulting opposition leaders Thursday about next week's throne speech, which could theoretically bring down his minority Liberal government if none of their parties support it.

He spoke by phone with Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet, who told Trudeau that his party wants to see a commitment to significantly boost unconditional transfer payments to the provinces for health care.

And he also spoke to Elizabeth May, the Green party's parliamentary leader, who bluntly warned him that she and her two colleagues in the House of Commons are not prepared as Greens to support a speech from the throne that leaves out climate action.

He is expected to speak with Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole  who, like Blanchet, is in isolation after a staffer tested positive for COVID-19  and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh on Friday.

Blanchet said in an interview Thursday that he outlined the Bloc's expectations for the throne speech. Topping his list was a six per cent annual increase in unconditional health transfer payments to the provinces.

Trudeau is likely to receive more pressure on that front Friday, when four conservative-minded premiers  Quebec's Francois Legault, Ontario's Doug Ford, Alberta's Jason Kenney and Manitoba's Brian Pallister  hold a news conference in Ottawa to detail their hopes for the throne speech.

At a meeting last week in Toronto, Legault and Ford argued that provinces and territories need a "significant" increase in the health transfer, on top of the $19 billion Ottawa is already giving them to help cope with the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, including some $10 billion for health-related expenses.

The federal government will transfer almost $42 billion to provinces and territories for health care in the current fiscal year, under an arrangement that currently sees the transfer increase by at least three per cent each year.

Blanchet said the Bloc also wants to see more help for seniors, which he got the impression is coming, and compensation for dairy farmers hurt by trade deals. Should the throne speech recommit the Liberal government to developing a national pharmacare program, he said the Bloc will demand provinces have the right to opt out with compensation.

On Wednesday, following a cabinet retreat, Trudeau continued to say the speech will offer an "ambitious" plan for a healthier, safer, fairer, cleaner and more inclusive economy.

However, with positive cases of COVID-19 on the rise for the past few weeks, Trudeau and his ministers were also clear that their top, almost all-consuming priority is doing everything possible to prevent a second deadly wave of the novel coronavirus.

May said she wasnt able to actually be sure from her conversation with Trudeau on Thursday whether climate change crisis is getting pushed to the back burner while the government deals with the pandemic.

I think you have to do both at the same time and thats what I stressed with the prime minister is we dont have the luxury of time," she said in an interview.

To avoid (climate change) becoming a global catastrophe  to avoid extinction, we have a very small window for action, which means we dont have the luxury of time to say, 'Well get to that later.'

In particular, the Greens want to see a commitment to invest in renewable energy, retrofitting existing buildings to make them more energy efficient and a massive tree-planting program.

The throne speech will be put to a confidence vote. The Liberals will need the support of at least one of the main opposition parties to avoid losing that vote, which would trigger an election.

Blanchet said the Bloc won't back down on its demands just to avoid an election in the midst of the pandemic.

"(Trudeau) may surf on the fear of a second wave, which would push back the possibility of an election, but we will not lower our expectations for such reasons," he said.

May said neither Trudeau nor the Greens want an election. Still, she said she and the prime minister discussed the need for immediate amendments to the Canada Elections Act to ensure that Elections Canada is able, if need be, to safely conduct an election during the pandemic.

Blanchet also said he's concerned that the speech may amount to little more than "simply giving money to targeted clienteles to please the NDP," rather than measures to help save jobs and support Canadians who have already lost them.

New Democrats have been clear they want to see billions more in federal funding for child care and affordable housing. They also want the government to back off its plan to wind down the $2,000-per-month Canada Emergency Response Benefit.

Singh has said he expects the speech to be full of nice but "empty" words and he's more interested in what actually makes it into the subsequent federal economic update and budget.

The speech is expected to focus on three main areas: further measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 and avoid another countrywide lockdown; to help Canadians stay afloat while the pandemic continues; and longer-term measures to structurally rebuild the ravaged economy.

It's expected to include promises of more funding for health care, including long-term care homes that have been hardest hit by the pandemic, and child care, so that women can get back to work.
Over subsequent months and years, Trump boasted about the benefits of his plan. It would be cheaper yet somehow also more generous than Obamacare. It would be so easy, even though nobody knew health care could be so complicated. It would take care of everybody, even as it took literal care away from many.
A state report released Wednesday shows Carroll College has eight of the 10 COVID-19 cases confirmed in Lewis and Clark County schools so far this school year.

The other two cases are at Radley Elementary School in East Helena, according to a weekly report now being released by the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. Although no other schools in the county are included in the report, Helena Public Schools reported one COVID-19 case in a summer school student and one case in a student athlete before the fall semester began.

Carroll, along with Montana State University-Billings and MSU-Northern, have kept their total number of cases in the single digits. MSU-Bozeman and Montana Tech have each reported more than 30 cases since the start of school, and the University of Montana reported 24 new cases in the past week, narrowly missing the DPHHS report.

Carroll has not had any new cases in the last two weeks, President John Cech said.

Under Carroll's COVID-19 procedures, the affected students are placed into self-isolation, which is a separate living arrangement where they can recover without infecting others. Cech said there are protocols in place for these students to notify their professors and, when possible, they do participate in classes remotely.

"We were among the first colleges and universities in the region to publicly share our data once a week with the greater community regarding active cases on campus. We did this because we view ourselves as an integral part of the Helena and greater Montana community," Cech said. "The safety and security of Carroll students, faculty and staff remain the number one priority for us. That priority is part of every decision we make."

Cech thanked the city of Helena and Lewis and Clark County officials for assisting the college in its efforts to maintain a safe environment. Lewis and Clark Public Health performs all of the contact tracing procedures when a positive case is confirmed. Cech called them "an invaluable partner to us throughout our planning an implementation."

There are a number of implemented procedures that Cech said helps keep the number of cases low. Offering free COVID testing for all students upon their arrival on campus was a major success. School officials were immediately able to identify five positive cases and those students were quickly put into isolation and their contacts traced, reducing the potential for community spread.

Cech also pointed to the extensive "Marching Back" plan the administration crafted over the summer. Cech said it provided a blueprint for the school on how to most safely reopen the campus.

Finally, there is the constant reinforcement of mask wearing, hand washing and social distancing, which Cech says happens continually.

"Our students recognize that we are in an enviable position being able to hold the majority of our classes in person when other colleges across the country are solely online or have had to move online after only a few weeks of classes," Cech said. "We are proud of the care our community has shown for one another in diligently following our safety protocols."

This isn't to say things have been easy for Carroll. Cech noted the school had to make several adjustments after the beginning of the semester. Dining services had to be adjusted and the administration noted that when in quarantine, students were not receiving the full support they needed, according to Cech.

According to Cech, many of these issues have been addressed in conjunction with the staff and public health officials. He also credited students for their contributions. An example is the "instrumental" role that nursing students played in testing at the beginning of the semester, he said.

"Our success so far has been a full team effort. Our Marching Back task force, consisting of faculty and staff across all spectrums of campus, continues to meet and identify ways to improve and refine our plans," Cech said. "We have administrators continually working on our testing efforts. In fact, we are in the final stages of planning for asymptomatic testing for select populations of students, faculty and staff in the coming weeks."

Cech said what remains is to determine a vendor for these services. The individuals who are the targets of this testing are those who are at higher risk of exposure. This includes athletes, coaches, resident assistants, peer ministers, nursing students and faculty who are teaching in person.

"It has been a full campus education effort. From coaches, faculty and staff, residence life and most importantly the students themselves," Cech said. "We are all reinforcing the importance of each of us doing our part to keep our campus safe, healthy and open."

For more information on Carroll's COVID-19 plan and measures visit https://www.carroll.edu/safety-emergency/covid19.

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Automakers should cut royalty payouts to foreign parents and boost efficiency to reduce vehicle prices instead of asking the government to lower taxes, a senior finance ministry official said, ruling out tax breaks for the companies to ride out the coronavirus crisis and the economic slowdown that has crimped demand.

Companies including Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Ltd, Hero MotoCorp Ltd and Ashok Leyland Ltd have been demanding cuts in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) rate on automobiles, as well as incentives to scrap old vehicles, to help revive sales after the pandemic hit India. A 15 September Bloomberg report cited Shekar Viswanathan, vice-chairman of Toyota Kirloskar, as saying that the company wont expand further in India because of high taxes.

The government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, rejected suggestions made by the automakers that high taxes have dampened demand, arguing that India has a moderate corporate tax regime and allows companies to make royalty payments without restrictions.

Still, the payouts for using a parent companys technology and branding have been a matter of tax disputes, and the government has, at times, considered re-imposing curbs to limit excessive payments.

Royalty payments are typically linked to sales and can be made even if the local arm is loss-making unlike dividends paid from profits to the foreign parent. Royalty payments can, of course, impact the final sales price as it adds to the cost. Although businesses have compelling reasons to pay royalty for technical knowhow, brand, licences, etc., obtained from the parent, they can be viewed as means of shifting profits if they are not at arms length," said Amit Maheshwari, partner, Ashok Maheshwary and Associates Llp.

Maruti Suzukis latest annual report showed that royalty expenses paid to parent Suzuki Motor Corp. for FY20 were 3,817 crore, falling from 4,490 crore in the previous fiscal.

Companies should cut their costs of manufacturing by cutting down the royalty payments to their parent companies abroad instead of asking the government to reduce GST," the official suggested. Royalty payments also get concessional tax rates, depending on the terms of Indias tax treaties with other countries.

View Full Image Sarvesh Kumar Sharma/Mint





Vehicle manufacturers have been witnessing a steady decline in sales from the second half of FY19 due to an economic slowdown and an increase in prices because of a shift to the stricter Bharat Stage-VI emission norms as well as new safety regulations. In the year ended 31 March, sales of vehicles fell in the range of 15% to 25% across categories after reporting low-single-digit growth in the previous year.

Automobiles now attract 28% GST and a cess ranging from 1% to 22%. GST has brought in transparency in taxation which highlights the total tax incidence on the final product, the official said, adding that the tax structure was complex in the earlier fragmented tax system.

Vehicle sales are expected to fall in the range of 25% to 45% across segments this fiscal, according to lobby group Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers.

Affordability factor is most important in India and has become even more now because income levels have come down. They will take some time to grow to the normal level and grow beyond that," R.C. Bhargava, chairman, Maruti Suzuki, said in an interview on 9 August.

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The family-run Italian fabric house Dedar is beloved by the design cognoscenti not for its unifying aesthetic but for its freewheeling approach to pattern and texture. Fabrics must arouse emotions, and in our approach, there is room for audacity, says Caterina Fabrizio, 52, who, with her 50-year-old brother, Raffaele, runs the company that their parents founded in 1976 in Milan. Of course, what elicits that sort of response from them is highly idiosyncratic, informed as much by their travels as the architecture of Northern Italy, where they grew up. The result is a collection that looks like no other and attracts clients such as the Italian director Luca Guadagnino, who featured one of the companys abstract florals in his 2017 film, Call Me by Your Name; the Italian interior designer Michele Bonan, who installed their elegant-but-durable upholstery throughout the J.K. Place hotels in Rome, Florence, Paris and Capri; and Hermes, which has collaborated with Dedar on fabrics and wallpapers since 2011.

Dedar  short for design darredamento (design for interiors)  was started by Caterinas father, Nicola Fabrizio, who began his career selling limited-edition lithographs and silk screens by postwar and Pop artists including Robert Rauschenberg and Cy Twombly to the design trade in the 1970s. After that business failed to take off, he and his wife, Elda, founded Dedar, producing hand-woven textiles and sourcing antique tribal rugs from around the world, often taking their two young children on buying trips in India, Thailand and Anatolia. We spent days in warehouses of rugs, Caterina recalls. In the early 1990s, the Fabrizios decided to focus on artisanal fabrics after a series of fortuitous trade-show encounters: The first was with Jack Lenor Larsen, the eminence grise of late 20th-century American textiles, who began representing Dedar in the United States after becoming besotted with its offerings. Next came the French designer Jacques Garcia, who in 1995 chose one of Dedars damasks, patterned with plants and animals, to use throughout the Hotel Costes in Paris. What set the firm apart was its dedication to experimentation, working with craftspeople to develop new techniques  synthetics that feel like silk, jacquards that appear woven in reverse  while incorporating rich colors and historical references as varied as Japanese xylography (woodblock printing) and the intricate flower-and-bird patterns found on 17th-century Chinese decorative screens.
The Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, has protested the visa restrictions placed by the United States government on sponsors of violence in the Kogi and Bayelsa states governorship elections.

The American government had imposed visa restrictions on some Nigerians for undermining electoral processes in the elections.

According to Morgan Ortagus, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, the decision also targets those accused of working to undermine the November 2019 governorship polls in Kogi and Bayelsa.

In a statement on January 24, 2019, the U.S. Government said we would consider consequences  including visa restrictions  for individuals responsible for undermining the Nigerian democratic process or for organizing election-related violence. In July 2019, we announced the imposition of visa restrictions on Nigerians who undermined the February and March 2019 elections.

Today, the Secretary of State is imposing additional visa restrictions on individuals for their actions surrounding the November 2019 Kogi and Bayelsa State elections and in the run up to the September and October 2020 Edo and Ondo State elections.

The U.S. did not, however, make the names of the affected persons public.

This development has been lauded by good governance advocates and political activists who described it as a step in the right direction.

A member of the House of Representatives, Teejay Yusuf (PDP, Kogi) has said history will applaud the United States visa ban on some Nigerians undermining the electoral process, urging the European Union, United Kingdom and other developed nations to follow suit.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the Kogi State election was marred with different irregularities and violence. Ballot boxes were snatched and voters were intimidated by thugs in many polling units.

However, in a protest letter sent to the American embassy in Nigeria, Mr Bello accused the U.S. of partisan politics. The letter dated September 16 was written by the secretary of the state government, Folashade Ayoade.

Mr Bello noted that the state is only bothered by the timing of the press statement and the mention of the Kogi elections.

He also stated that the regrettable incidents at the polls were limited to a few polling units, insisting that larger portions of the ballot were free, fair and credible.

For the most part, we concede that elections in Nigeria are complex affairs which will continue to require improvements for the foreseeable future. The 2019 Kogi State gubernatorial election was also not without its challenges. However, it is also crystal clear from critical and composite analyses of the records (official, media, observers, etc) of the November 16, 2020 polls that regrettable incidents were limited to a few polling units, while the overwhelmingly larger portions of the ballot were free, fair and credible.

Further, and in line with Nigerian law, the few political parties and individuals who alleged widespread electoral malpractices had free rein to contest the outcome in court. They vigorously litigated their claims over a grueling nine-month period, through a three-step hierarchy of courts, to the inescapable conclusion at the Supreme Court of Nigeria that the said elections satisfactorily complied with the Nigerian Constitution and the Electoral Act.

He said the presumption is that in spite of the U.S. intervention, the Supreme Court still discovered no merit in the petitions against him and dismissed them accordingly.

The inference from your timing is that the judgment is somehow tainted and did not meet the justice of the case, thereby casting aspersions, not only on the Nigerian judiciary, but on the second term mandate freely bestowed on His Excellency, Governor Yahaya Bello by the good people of Kogi State.

We find this unacceptable, and we protest your presumption. The least you could have done, if indeed this is about democracy and human rights as claimed, is create room, no matter how slim, for fair hearing. As it is now, partisan speculation as to who is indicted, who is not and for what, has become cudgels, furiously swung in the media space by all comers. Your action has therefore added abundant grist to the rumour mills and electrified the merchants of fake news.

We believe that if the United States of America, despite her commanding heights and much longer experience as the acclaimed bastion of democracy in the world, is still locked in a fight to defend the integrity of her own electoral processes to this very day, then she ought to accord greater empathy, more civility and much less disruption, to nascent democracies, he wrote.
A strong bipartisan group has now emerged in the Congress and is pushing for a new stimulus payment. There might be some changes that you need to know.

Receiving the second round of stimulus payment, particularly the stimulus checks, should not be complicated.

It is undeniable that millions of Americans are still waiting for the benefits under the CARES Act, which includes the $500 dependent stimulus payments.

There are many factors why qualified individuals did not receive their benefits from the first stimulus package until today. One of these is the failure to update information with the Internal Reserve Service (IRS), including bank account details.

With the possible new round of stimulus payment, these are the things that you should know:

1. A New Stimulus Check

There is still a chance for a new $1,200 stimulus check. It could be through an executive order, implementing the use of the unspent $300 billion under the CARES Act, which President Donald Trump has been urging.It could also be through the approval of the roughly $2 trillion that has bipartisan support.

The White House and lawmakers from both parties are optimistic that the second stimulus check could be delivered before the election.

In fact, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Monday: "It's very important that we have a stimulus that helps the areas of the economy that need support. I've told [House Speaker Nancy Pelosi] I'm available anytime to negotiate, no conditions."

2. The IRS Might Send the Second Check Faster

Mnuchin assured that payment for the second stimulus check would be faster. Last month, he said he could quickly get out $50 million payments and start sending them a week after a bill is signed.

The federal government took them about two and a half weeks to send the first stimulus checks.

3. Qualifications

If a new coronavirus relief stimulus bill is signed into law, there will be some changes to who will qualify. However, you do not need to worry because these changes will likely benefit your family more. The new bill will redefine who counts as qualifying dependents. These are the things that you should know:

Your Adjusted Gross Income will have a huge role in the new stimulus payment

People who are not required to file taxes could also get a check

Children under 16 years old could get a $500 dependent stimulus payment

4. How Additional Money Could Arrive

The IRS wants to send the money as quickly as possible to eligible Americans. The Treasury Department also took several approaches to send the money, like through direct deposit, physical checks, and EIP cards. This is how the 160 million Americans got their payments during the first round:

Direct Deposit: 75 percent or 120 million

Paper Check: 22 percent or 35 million

EIP Card: 3 percent or 4 million

These are just some of the things you should remember about the new stimulus payment with strong bipartisan support.

The tension within the rank of Democrats putting a pile of pressure on Pelosi to act on the stimulus payment is a good sign that the financial aid will likely arrive before the election or before the government shuts down.

Check these out!
BEIJING, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Third UNESCO Creative Cities Beijing Summit is held in Beijing from September 17-18, 2020. With the theme of "Creativity empowers cities, technology creates the future", the summit is co-hosted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, People's Government of Beijing Municipality, National Commission of the People's Republic of China for UNESCO.

"Beijing, as the City of Design of UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN), has set a good example of integrating the thousands of years of history and cutting-edge technology," the Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, remarked in her opening speech.

"The city serves as a special space for unity, cooperation, and innovation. The development of the city will determine the vision of our future society," added Audrey Azoulay.

During the summit, the e-publication of "UNESCO Creative Cities' Response to the COVID-19" was globally launched. It collates best practices from member cities of UCCN around the world, leveraging the power of culture and creativity in response to COVID-19. The publication is now available in Chinese, English, French, and the Spanish version to be launched soon.

This summit includes a main forum and three panels. Entitled "Creativity and Innovation: A path to the cities of tomorrow," the main forum highlights on the digital economy and the importance of creativity and innovation as the driving force to build a more sustainable and resilient city in the future. Furthermore, the three panels emphasize three different topics on Creative Cities, Science, Technology and Creativity, as well as Inter-city Collaboration.

For more information on the summit, please visit here.

About UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN)

The UCCN was created in 2004 to promote cooperation with and among cities that have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development. The 246 cities which currently make up this network work together towards a common objective: placing creativity and cultural industries at the heart of their development plans at the local level and cooperating actively at the international level.

SOURCE Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission
As the COVID-19 pandemic leads banking customers to lean into online technology to manage their money, those trying online banking for the first time may find themselves with questions about how to handle things previously done in person or with paper documents.

If you're stuck on how to handle some of the practical aspects of online banking, here are answers to common questions.

Should I save monthly statements?

Experian, one of the three major credit bureaus, recommends keeping bank statements for tax purposes to confirm your income or deductible expenses. If you do end up using your statements for your taxes, you may want to hang onto your statements for up to seven years in case the IRS decides to audit you. Even if your bank keeps digital records of your statements, you may want to print or download your statements just in case.

When should I shred the paper check from a mobile deposit?

Major banks recommend that after you've made a mobile deposit, you write "mobile deposit" and the date of deposit on the front of the check. Keep the check until you've made sure the deposit has gone through  which may take several days  and that the bank doesn't need the original check for any reason. Once the check has been cleared in your account, it's best to shred it.

How do I send money or pay bills through my mobile banking app?

If you want to send money to friends or family, your bank may have you covered with the Zelle money transfer service. Zelle, which is integrated with many major banks and also available as a separate app, allows registered users to receive and send money from their bank accounts.

You can also sign up for money transfer apps like Venmo or Cash App and link them to your bank account to send and receive money, as long as your sender or recipient has the same app.

To pay your bills online, your bank might have the option to set up recurring payments to services like your cell phone provider or utility company, allowing you to automate your monthly bills. Some banks can also send a check on your behalf if necessary. Wells Fargo, for example, offers online bill pay services, but you can also schedule paper checks to be sent for you if your service provider doesn't accept electronic payments. Search your bank's FAQs or reach out to its customer service department for details on its bill-pay features.

What should I do if my mobile banking app isn't working?

It's a universal truth that technology comes with occasional frustrations. Sometimes banks experience app outages, and sometimes there are problems on the user side. There are a few things you can do to diagnose the problem:

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Make sure your login credentials are correct: Entering an incorrect username or password is a common stumbling block and will prevent access to your account. Some banks might lock you out after too many failed login attempts so contact your bank's tech support team.

Check your email and your bank's social media accounts: Your bank may have posted on its Facebook or Twitter accounts or sent an email notification about any known app problems. Many consumers today also use their banks' platforms to flag problems themselves. If there's an outage, your bank may post information on how long it's expected to last and how you can access your account in the meantime. Bookmark or follow your bank's social media accounts for quick access.

Update your app and/or your phone software: Your version of the app could be out of date, or your phone's software may need updating to use a newer version of the app. Go to your phone's app marketplace (e.g., Apple App Store or Google Play Store), search for your bank's app and see if there's an option to update.

Get technical support from your bank: Reach out to your bank's customer service representatives by phone, email or chat.

Use your desktop login or visit a branch or ATM: If your app isn't working, you may still be able to log in on a desktop computer. If your bank has physical branches, get in-person service, although COVID-19 precautions may mean hours are limited or appointments required. If you're trying to deposit a check or check your balance, you can use an ATM, as long as your bank offers use of a network.

cbessette@nerdwallet.com
A California family whose home was burned to the ground in the states raging wildfires has slammed vice presidential hopeful Kamala Harris for allegedly trespassing on their property to stage a photo-op.

Senator Harris and California Governor Gavin Newsom posed for pictures as they inspected damage caused by the fires in the town of Auberry, near Fresno.

The politicians first inspected Pine Ridge Elementary school during the 15 September trip, before going across the street to the destroyed home of the Patten family.

While standing where the house once was, Joe Bidens running mate described the neighbourhoods remaining chimneys as tombstones.

But the photo-op has upset the homeowners, who say they are frustrated the politicians ventured onto their property without approval when they themselves have not been allowed back to survey the destruction.

Now the son of the homeowners, Trampas Patten, has hit out at Sen Harris.

For the friends of mine that dont recognise the fireplace in the background, that is what is left of my parents house! Mr Patten wrote on Facebook.

What has me really frustrated right now is the fact that these two politicians used my parents loss for a photo opportunity to push their political agenda!

Political party wouldnt have made a difference in this moment.

Decent human beings that have character and class, wouldnt air someone elses misfortune on national television!

Think about this when you go to the polls in a few weeks to vote.

Look at this picture closely, imagine it is what is left of your hard work, hopes, dreams, place of sanctuary.

Do you want this kind of leadership, using you and your loss for political gain?!

For the record, my parents havent even been let back in yet themselves, to sort through what is left of their lives, but these two felt the need to go traipsing around my parents property without permission.

I guess those property taxes my parents pay allow politicians to do this! Private property doesnt exist in California anymore!

The home remains under an evacuation order and residents have not been allowed yet to return by officials.

Pattens sister, Bailee Patten, told FOX26 that seeing the familys destroyed home for the first time on social media was devastating.

When we saw those photos, it was  there aren't words, because it's like, we haven't even seen our house, said Ms Patten.

We haven't seen our property. There is no house, we haven't even seen our property.

This isn't just devastation, this is our lives. This is where we grew up, these are our memories. And to not have that, to feel so helpless and I guess that's what we've all been thinking, is that we were so helpless.

Because we weren't there, we haven't gotten to deal with our loss. Instead, we're having to watch it play out on social media and news.
NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWS WIRE SERVICES

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / September 18, 2020 / Emgold Mining Corporation (TSXV:EMR) ("Emgold" or the "Company") is pleased to report that it has closed its previously announced non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement") of (i) 10,410,000 flow-through units of the Company (the "FT Units"), at a price of CDN$0.10 per FT Unit, for gross proceeds of CDN$1,041,000.00, and (ii) 15,411,540 non-flow through units of the Company (the "NFT Units"), at a price of CDN$0.09 per NFT Unit, for gross proceeds of CDN$1,387,038.60. Total combined gross proceeds are $2,428,038.60.

Each FT Unit consists of one common share (a "FT Share") of the Company and one-half non-transferable common share purchase warrant (the "FT Warrant"). Each whole FT Warrant, will entitle the holder to purchase one common share of the Company (the "FT Warrant Share") at a price of CDN$0.16 per FT Warrant Share for a period of 24 months from the date of issuance.

Each NFT Unit consists of one common share (the "NFT Share") of the Company and one non-transferable common share purchase warrant (the "NFT Warrant"). Each NFT Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one common share of the Company (the "NFT Warrant Share") at a price of CDN$0.12 per NFT Warrant Share for a period of 24 months from the date of issuance.

In connection with the issuance of the FT Units, the Company paid finders' fees of CDN$66,860 in cash and 628,600 common share purchase warrants issued on the same terms as the FT Warrants. In connection with the issuance of the NFT Units, the Company paid finders' fees of CDN$25,970 in cash and 288,555 common share purchase warrants issued on the same terms as the NFT Warrants.

The proceeds from the issuance of the FT Units will be used for qualifying exploration on the Company's Canadian properties in Quebec and will entitle the holder to receive the applicable tax benefits in accordance with the provisions of the Income Tax Act (Canada).

The Private Placement remains subject to final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. All securities issued under the Private Placement will be subject to a statutory hold period of four months plus a day following the date of issuance.

About Emgold

Emgold is a gold and base metal exploration company focused on Nevada and Quebec. The Company's strategy is to look for quality acquisitions, add value to these assets through exploration, and monetize them through sale, joint ventures, option, royalty, and other transactions to create value for our shareholders (acquisition and divestiture (A&D) business model).

In Nevada, Emgold's Golden Arrow Property, the core asset of the Company, is an advanced stage gold and silver property with a well-defined measured and indicated resource. New York Canyon is a base metal property subject to an Earn-in with Option to Joint Venture Agreement with Kennecott Exploration, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto Plc (NYSE:RIO). Buckskin Rawhide East is a gold and silver property leased to Rawhide Mining LLC, who operate the adjacent Rawhide Mine and represents a royalty opportunity for the Company.

In Quebec, the Casa South Property, is an early stage gold property adjacent to Hecla Mining Corporation's (NYSE:HL) operating Casa Berardi Mine. The East-West Property, which Emgold has an option on to acquire up to a 55% interest, is a gold property adjacent to and on strike with Wesdome Gold Mine Ltd.'s (TSX:WDO) Kiena Complex and O3 Mining Corporation's (TSX:OIII) Malarctic Property (Marban Project). Emgold also has a 1% NSR in the Troilus North Property, part of the Troilus Mine Property being explored by Troilus Gold Corporation (TSX:TLG).

Note that the location of Emgold's properties adjacent to producing or past producing mines does not guarantee exploration success at Emgold's properties or that mineral resources or reserves will be delineated. For more information on the Company, investors should review the Company's website at www.emgold.com or view the Company's filings available at www.sedar.com.

This news release does not constitute an offer of sale of any of the above-mentioned securities in the United States. The foregoing securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act") or any applicable state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons (as defined in Regulation S under the 1933 Act) or persons in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor will there be any sale of the foregoing securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

David G. Watkinson, P.Eng.

President & CEO

For further information, please contact:

David G. Watkinson, P.Eng.

Tel: 530-271-0679 Ext 101

Email: info@emgold.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as the term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements made and information contained herein may constitute "forward looking information" and "forward looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation. These statements and information are based on facts currently available to the Company and there is no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. Forward-looking statements and information may be identified by such terms as "anticipates", "believes", "targets", "estimates", "plans", "expects", "may", "will", "could" or "would". Forward-looking statements and information contained herein are based on certain factors and assumptions regarding, among other things, the estimation of mineral resources and reserves, the realization of resource and reserve estimates, metal prices, taxation, the estimation, timing and amount of future exploration and development, capital and operating costs, the availability of financing, the receipt of regulatory approvals, environmental risks, title disputes and other matters. While the Company considers its assumptions to be reasonable as of the date hereof, forward-looking statements and information are not guarantees of future performance and readers should not place undue importance on such statements as actual events and results may differ materially from those described herein. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements or information except as may be required by applicable securities laws. The Company's Canadian public disclosure filings may be accessed via www.sedar.com and readers are urged to review these materials, including any technical reports filed with respect to the Company's mineral properties.

SOURCE: Emgold Mining Corporation

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/606674/Emgold-Closes-Flow-Through-and-Non-Flow-Through-Private-Placement-to-Raise-CDN242-Million
With the Bollywood industry coming under the scanner amid mounting allegations of drug abuse during the investigation into Sushant Singh Rajputs death, actress Sana Khan has hit out at celebrities for maintaining silence on the matter.

The actress took to social media to take a dig at Bollywood celebs, sharing a couple of posts on her Instagram story. In one of the posts, she expressed her disappointment towards the media that are discussing Bollywood rather than discussing other issues of relevance.

In another post, she wrote, And actors who are supporting this campaign know that the cat is out of the kitty so lets do something before everyones names pop up. She further wrote that she hopes for people to get to see the real faces of their idols.

Sana is quite active on social media and often stuns her fans and followers with amazing pictures and posts. The actress left her fans awestruck with her recent pictures in beautiful hijabs. She recently shared a picture of herself wearing an off white Hijab and captioned it, Do chizey hai jinko dene se kisika kuch nahin jata. Ek Dua, Dusri Muskurahat.

The actress looks simply gorgeous in her beautiful headgears. She was last seen in Hotstar special Super Ops. She has appeared in special songs in movies like E, Bombay to Goa and Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal.

Earlier, the actress was in news for her relationship issues with the choreographer Melvin Louis. She accused him of some serious allegations including cheating on her.
More than 100 lives of professionals working in the health care field have been lost in Illinois this past six months since COVID-19 began its deadly march through the state. The Tribune has identified and interviewed the families of nearly 50 deceased health care workers in Illinois to chronicle the devastating loss of life and acts of heroism.
Whats new: Fintech behemoth Ant Group Co. Ltd., which is set to list in Hong Kong and Shanghai, has received approval from the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission to set up a consumer finance company in the southwestern city of Chongqing.

Software services provider China TransInfo Technology Co. Ltd. was notified of the approval by Ant Group on Thursday, which allows it to jointly set up the consumer finance company with Ant Group, medical device company Jiangsu Yuyue Medical Equipment and Supply Co. Ltd. and several other companies, China TransInfo said in a Friday filing (link in Chinese) to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.

Ant Group is set to hold 50% of the new company, according to an August filing by Yuyue Medical.

Whats the background: The regulatory approval came ahead of Ant Groups widely anticipated IPO, as it aims to accelerate the growth of its online lending business.

Ant Group is just one of many companies in the online lending business eyeing consumer finance licenses to take advantage of rules that allow such firms to lend a lot more than typical microlenders.

Quick Takes are condensed versions of China-related stories for fast news you can use.

Read more

New Consumer Lending Arm Gives Ant Group License to Lend a Lot More

Cover Story: How Ant Grew Into an Elephant-Sized Behemoth

Tang Ziyi contributed to this report.

Contact reporter Timmy Shen (hongmingshen@caixin.com) and editor Marcus Ryder (marcusryder@caixin.com)

Support quality journalism in China. Subscribe to Caixin Global starting at $0.99.
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has released the list of successful candidates shortlisted for the 2020 airmen/airwomen recruitment selection b...

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has released the list of successful candidates shortlisted for the 2020 airmen/airwomen recruitment selection board interview.

NAF announced this in a post on its official Twitter handle on Thursday night.

Candidates who applied are advised to check for their names.

The post read: LIST OF SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATES FOR THE 2020 NIGERIAN AIR FORCE AIRMEN/AIRWOMEN RECRUITMENT SELECTION BOARD INTERVIEW

Successful candidates (listed @ https://airforce.mil.ng/downloads) are hereby invited to attend Year 2020 @NigAirForce Airmen/Airwomen Recruitment Selection Interview Nigerian Air Force @NigAirForce

At the NAF Base, Kawo  Kaduna from 24 Sep  12 Nov 2020. Candidates are to report with the following:

Originals & Photocopies of their Credentials, 2 White Vests, 2 Blue PT Shorts, One Pair of Canvas Shoes, 4 Passport Photographs, Face Masks & Hand Sanitizer.
Inside Hook

Buying an electric vehicle in the U.S. up till now has been about compromise. They usually cost more than their gas counterparts, but theyre more environmentally friendly. They have instant torque, but towing depletes the battery quickly. All this is fine for car owners, but for trucks, especially for people who actually use their pickups for work? The compromises are out of the question.



Not only does Ford not want to compromise on its upcoming all-electric F-150 pickup, but in new announcements this week, the Blue Oval promised that the EV truck will absolutely crush older models in terms of performance, operational cost and even cargo.



The electric F-150, which is undergoing tens of thousands of hours of torture testing and targeting millions of simulated, laboratory and real world test miles, will be more powerful than any F-150 available today, the automaker said in a press release.



Specifically, Ford says it will offer more horsepower and torque, the fastest acceleration and, most importantly for EV skeptics concerned about hauling, the ability to tow heavy trailers. But power isnt the only incentive the company is using to entice potential converts; the electric F-150 will also feature a giant front trunk (colloquially known as a frunk) thanks to the reconfigured powertrain in EVs, and it will reportedly cost 40% less than traditional F-150s in terms of the lifetime total cost of operation, which includes things like fuel, oil and maintenance.



The pledge came alongside a few large-scale manufacturing announcements. First, Ford patted itself on the back for starting production on the latest F-150, but more importantly it broke ground on the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center, a new factory in the companys Dearborn, Michigan industrial park where the electric F-150 will begin production supposedly by mid-2022 for a 2023 model.



All of this, it should be said, isnt particularly surprising. Of course Ford needs to offer something undeniable to get Americans who have driven traditional F-150s their entire lives, and families who have driven them across generations, to consider going electric. One thing we didnt expect this early is to get a preview of what the design will look like.



The preview image of the front-end [pictured above], which appears to feature a huge LED bar running along the top of the grille and around the headlights, shows up for just a split second in the middle of the half-hour Rouge Center presentation, which isnt particularly exciting for people outside the industry.



If Ford has piqued your interest, youd be better off watching this video of the prototype testing, which still has the old-school look, but some newfound power:
Austrian businessmen are ready to participate in the implementation of projects to develop the infrastructure of Ukraines Carpathian Mountains, in particular to invest in the construction of ski resorts.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said this during a press conference in Lviv on September 17, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

Zelensky noted that during his visit to Austria on September 15, he discussed these issues with the chancellor and business representatives.

I had an important issue - the development of the Carpathians, especially attracting investment to ski resorts. We agreed that after COVID-19 we will be able to bring together Austrian business and specialists. I am even ready to provide our plane to gather all Austrian businessmen and meet them in our Carpathian Mountains to show all the prospects of the region," Zelensky stressed.

He added that ski resorts bring Austria EUR 15 billion annually.

Zelensky stressed that the Ukrainian state is ready to provide infrastructure, and also recalled that large-scale road repairs are underway in the Carpathians.

As Ukrinform reported, on September 17, President Volodymyr Zelensky was on a working trip to Lviv region, where he took part in the opening of Rapid Trident 2020 and the presentation of a regional development strategy.

During a visit to Austria on September 15, Zelensky invited Austrian investors to take part in the implementation of infrastructure projects in Ukraine, in particular in tunneling and the creation of ski resorts.

ish
New Delhi, Sept. Sep 18 : Government has directed customs formations across the country for strict scrutiny of all imports from free trade agreement (FTA) countries to prevent entry of goods at concessional duty misusing the country of origin rules.

The idea is to plug third country imports from countries such as China reach ing India using the concessional duty or zero-duty benefit available under FT As.

While India has signed FTAs with several key countries, such as Japan, South Korea, ASEAN members (which include Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam), it do es not have a similar arrangement with China.

Finance ministry sources said that from September 21, when new rules of orig in under FTAs comes into force, customs officials would strictly verify all major import consignments to check for any misuse of the trade agreement and would also need proper verification documents to be provided by importers.

The FTA imports, particularly of electronic items, refrigerators, air-conditioner, camera, mobiles and telecom equipment, set-top box, parts like head phones, camera modules, aggarbatti, and other items in which rampant misuse is likely, would be under the lens and Importers claiming benefits will face s trict scrutiny by customs.

From September 21 the new rules - Customs (Administration of Rules of Origin under Trade Agreements) Rules, 2020 or CAROTAR comes into effect that casts a greater onus on the importer to satisfy customs officials that the goods being imported and claiming FTA benefits meet the 35 percent value addition in the country of export.

Preferential duty would be denied if sufficient declaration is not given by the importer. Also, if it is found that benefit has been wrongly availed in respect of a consignment, the FTA benefit would be denied in subsequent consignments of identical goods.

The customs department is explaining the new Rules and necessary precautions that importers require to take to comply with these Rules so as to avoid hassles later, said the Finance Ministry Sources adding that stricter provisions on rules of origin have been introduced as the domestic industry was claiming serious damage on accounts of these imports and had been urging the Government to take strict action to curb such irregular imports done by flouting FTA provisions.

A look at trade with FTA countries makes this point clearer. While India's exports to FTA partner countries has remained flat, imports have risen rapidly with the trade deficit widening from $5 billion in 2000 when ASEAN FTA was implemented to more than $22 billion now.

Finmin sources said that it will be the responsibility of importers to ensure that the goods being imported by them should have been only manufactured or produced on the foreign countries but also minimum 35 percent value addition have taken place in those countries.

Now the importer must possess all such proof and on being asked by the Customs, he shall have to produce these proof demonstrating the correctness of 35 percent value addition. Mere a certificate by the exporters would not suffice.

If importers are not able to satisfy the customs that good have been manufactured with at least 35 percent value addition, FTA benefits would be denied.

Fin Min sources said that to ensure that FTA benefit is not misused, the rules provide for temporary denial of preferential treatment to goods where further verification has been initiated. In such cases the importer shall have e ither to deposit full duty or furnish bank guarantee/security equal to the benefit claimed in terms of duty concession.

Also, if it is found that benefit has been wrongly availed in respect of a consignment, the FTA benefit would be denied in subsequent consignments of identical goods (in terms of country of exports and exporter, etc.) and importer shall have to pay full applicable duty.

Fin Min sources explained that the ASEAN FTA allows imports of most of the items at nil or concessional basic customs duty rate from the 10 ASEAN member countries.

Major imports to India are coming from 5 ASEAN countries -- Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam. The benefit of concessional customs duty rate applies only if ASEAN member country is the country of origin of goods. This means that a goods originating from China and routed through these countries will not be eligible for customs duty concessions under ASEAN FTA.

"The country of origin is determined by application of certain set of conditions as prescribed in the FTA agreement itself. In respect of goods, other than natural products native to these countries, the required condition is that a value addition of at least 35% of the export value of goods must have been contributed by the ASEAN member country", added the sources.

"In addition, the goods should undergo some appreciable transformation (as prescribed for product separately in the FTA by way of product specific criterion)", said the same Source, illustrating that if a mobile is exported from, say, Indonesia to India, then it would qualify of being Indonesian origin only if such mobile is made significantly in Indonesia and 35 % of its FoB value is contributed by Indonesia.

At present, a country of origin certificate, issued by notified agency in th e country of export, is produced by the importer and there is no additional obligation on importer to satisfy him of origin of goods even though he claims substantial benefit.

Fin Min sources said that investigation into FTA imports in last few years has revealed that the rules of origin, under respective FTAs, were not being followed in the true spirit. In a number of cases, it was discovered that ite ms from Non-ASEAN countries were being diverted into India through ASEAN countries with mere packing/repacking, assembly or some minor processes and declaring 35% value addition or wrongly claiming significant transformation in ASEAN member country.

Another source in the know of the matter said that this practice has been rampant in electronic items like mobile, TVs, set-top box, air conditioners, electronic parts and telecom equipment. The FTA partner countries have been exporting these goods without having the necessary technological capacity to achieve required value addition.

Moreover, rules of origin were flouted even in products such as aggarbatti, arecanut, black pepper, etc. The Certificates of Origin were joyously issued by the agencies in the country of exports without any accountability and if verification is initiated, these agencies either do not respond or responding casually.

(Subhash Narayan can be contacted at subhash.n@ians.in)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
A public rift has widened between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's dynastic administration and one of its longest-serving and most powerful former figures.

The gray cardinal who midwifed Aliyev to power as his autocratic father lay dying in 2003, Ramiz Mehdiyev, posted on a state-backed website an attack on "our authorities and the media" -- which is nearly all state-controlled in Azerbaijan -- for allegedly harming the country.

The 82-year-old's outburst followed the leak of embarrassing videos of his son-in-law in handcuffs after a lavish wedding reception hosted by Mehdiyev that flouted the anti-pandemic measures weighing so heavily on ordinary Azerbaijanis.

Mehdiyev's public attack marks a conspicuous challenge to Aliyev's yearlong push to replace some of the regime's old guard with new faces to usher in fresh economic and managerial thinking.

But the spat has also spawned questions as to how, in a country so tightly controlled by formal and informal strictures from the president, the posts have been allowed to continue -- and speculation about what's in it for both sides.

"Azerbaijan is facing the biggest political, economic, and social crisis it's faced probably since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the first part of the Nagorno-Karabakh war [in the late 1980s]," said Paul Stronski, a senior fellow in the Carnegie Endowment for International Peaces Russia and Eurasia Program.

He pointed to a double whammy of low oil prices and the economic and political aspects of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Stronski also warned that Baku risks further marginalization amid evolving perceptions of European energy security and the threat to the West from extremism that was "the glue of the relationship 10 years ago."

"And when you are a regime in crisis, very often you turn back to your old ways."

Old Face, New Drama

Ditching powerful veterans of the past two presidents' inner circles, while rare, is not unprecedented.

Ali Hasanov was one of the regime's most strident ideologues and an assistant to the president before he was gradually sidelined and then abruptly sacked during Ilham Aliyev's late-2019 political flurry.

Hasanov pledged to remain an "Aliyevist" but lost control of major business holdings and is still under investigation over alleged corruption as he remains in Turkey for purported "health" reasons.

Close watchers of Azerbaijan suggest that they are unconvinced of Mehdiyev's sincerity until some of his considerable assets and past actions are given similar scrutiny.

Mehdiyev is an unlikely poster child for reform or opposition to the Aliyev regime.

"Under his supervision, this regime over the last half century used every textbook human rights violation," Alex Raufoglu, a cofounder of the Virginia-based Eurasia Media Institute and Azerbaijan specialist for Amnesty USA, told RFE/RL of Mehdiyev. "He understands at this age that there is no exit door for him. So he just is playing his last role for the regime."

After burnishing his Soviet political and academic careers, Mehdiyev joined the late Heidar Aliyev's inner circle in 1994. Less than a decade later, he was a leader of the coterie that ensured that Ilham Aliyev would succeed his terminally ill father.

He had led the presidential administration ever since, amassing considerable wealth, until his dismissal in October 2019.

Mehdiyev was allowed to stay on as head of the national Academy of Sciences and, until this month, was allowed to keep his chairmanship of a commission that picks who should receive presidential pardons.

So it came as a shock to many Azerbaijanis when 15-day jail sentences were ordered for the bride and groom's fathers after images of a wedding hosted by Mehdiyev for his granddaughter appeared to show guests ignoring anti-COVID-19 measures.

Still more shockingly, state-friendly TV stations showed images of Mehdiyev's son-in-law (also named Ilham Aliyev) and the groom's father, a State Security Service commander, in handcuffs.

Then, in an August 31 speech that mostly focused on the country's fight against the coronavirus, President Aliyev warned that "those breaking the rules, organizing large-scale public events, and thus not reckoning with the country's laws and existing practices in a demonstrative manner will be and are being punished."

He added, according to the presidential website: "No one can be above the law, no one can have any privileges, and no one can or will be given any concessions."

Mehdiyev responded to the public humiliation in statements he posted to the Academy of Sciences' official website.

While tiptoeing cautiously to avoid direct criticism of Aliyev himself, Mehdiyev blamed "gangsters" who are "no friends of the state" for spinning "fairy tales" to damage him and to cover up their own wrongdoing.

He also sought to associate himself with the country's beleaguered and fractious opposition, which faced decades of persecution under Mehdiyev's tenure and has since faced suggestions by Aliyev that it is a "fifth column" working to undermine the state.

Whose Opposition Is It?

Critics including The Washington Post have accused Baku of using the coronavirus pandemic to try to "finish off" the genuine political opposition within Azerbaijan.

Authorities there have reportedly stepped up the jailing of political opponents.

One of them, opposition Musavat Party and senior National Council of Democratic Forces politician Tofiq Yaqublu, has launched a hunger strike in detention this month. He is protesting his conviction and sentencing earlier this month to more than four years in prison for alleged "hooliganism" following a fender-bender in Baku that he and his defenders say was a setup.

A newly leaked memo by ousted senior Facebook data scientist Sophie Zhang alleges that Aliyev's ruling New Azerbaijan Party was using "thousands of inauthentic" accounts and other assets last year "to harass the opposition en masse."

As they have continued the persecution of avowed critics, Aliyev and senior officials have publicly dismissed the Popular Front and other traditional opponents as part of a "radical opposition."

In a Norouz speech in March, Aliyev warned of "enemies among us...calling themselves opposition" who are receiving support from abroad.

He described them as a "fifth column" seeking "to destroy Azerbaijan."

Raufoglu alleges Aliyev is pursuing what he calls an "Erdogan strategy" reflecting Turkish President Recep Tayyan Erdogan's brutal crackdown on perceived opponents and tens of thousands of arrests following a 2015 coup whose origins are murky.

That could leave room for a new political foil for Aliyev's administration in the form of what officials there have taken to referring to as the "dialogue opposition."

Aliyev gave an uncharacteristically warm welcome recently to a budding and seemingly less confrontational opposition group.

When a senior Aliyev representative met with the head of the newly registered Republican Alternative Party (ReAL), Ilgar Mammadov, earlier this month, he was said to have passed along a congratulatory message from the president.

"Mehdiyev is trying to willingly link himself to the opposition -- that role he's trying to do, and by doing it he is doing his last service for the regime," Raufoglu said. "And then you are trying to create an environment where the actual opposition, the most dangerous opposition, seems to be Mehdiyev, both in the international eyes and also back at home."

Talk Of Reform, But...

In a key speech in October, with his regime still stinging from a steep currency devaluation in 2015 and falling oil and gas prices, Aliyev outlined a way forward for his notoriously insular regime.

While touting the appointment of a longtime loyalist as prime minister, he hinted at a generational rift between long-serving officials and an undefined new guard by calling for "personnel reforms" and a desire for "qualified young people."

Aliyev took aim at "some people who are in power today [who] also oppose reforms." He suggested that his reform plans "affect their personal interests" and accused those unspecified individuals of "trying to interfere with our work in every way."

He added: "Anyone who follows this path will work, of course. And those who oppose this and try to covertly hinder our work, then, of course, we cant go any further with such people."

Less than a week later, two deputy prime ministers -- with resumes stretching back to the Soviet Union -- and a handful of other senior loyalists were sacked.

Two days after that, Mehdiyev was out as head of the presidential administration.

There have been appointments of new faces -- many of them with familial or other connections to the ruling elite, and some of them English-speaking and Western-educated -- and many distractions, but few signs of systemic reform.

"I'm always a little bit skeptical. This is a government that has, in theory, been pro-Western, you know, since the 1990s, and sort of saw the West as a key economic partner," said Stronski, a former State Department analyst on Azerbaijan and director for Russia and Central Asia on the U.S. National Security Council staff. "I would always hear from the apologists in the United States, 'There are elements around Aliyev, namely Mehdiyev, who are doing bad things and thwarting this relationship.'"

By the end of last year, after Mehdiyev was removed, Aliyev had dissolved the country's rubber-stamp parliament and declared snap elections for February that gave so little time for preparation that much of the opposition boycotted them.

Aliyev's New Azerbaijan Party emerged the easy winner with 70 of 125 seats. The second-place party won three in elections that were, yet again, deemed neither free nor fair by international observers.

Later this year, KGB officers stormed the offices of local officials and arrested several district heads over alleged embezzlement and other corruption amid anti-pandemic measures.

The meticulously planned and widely trumpeted operations appeared aimed at demonstrating to the public the central government's resolve to crack down on such abuses.

But critics cite examples of more large-scale corruption within the central government going unpunished.

Azerbaijani officials have also maintained their tight grip on the state-dominated media sector and are among the global leaders in jailing journalists. The country is 168th out of 180 countries in the Reporters Without Borders' annual press-freedom rankings.

More Like 'Dynasty'

Mehdiyev's generation of regime stalwarts appears to have come under increasing pressure after constitutional changes were rammed through in a dubious referendum in 2016.

Those changes gave Aliyev what critics said was "unchecked power" and created a first vice president's post to take over in the event of an emergency while curbing Mehdiyev's authority.

Aliyev named first lady Mehriban Aliyeva first vice president in a move decried by critics as a preemptive move toward succession and a blow to hopes of democratic gains in Azerbaijan.

Her formal rise also set off speculation of high-stakes jockeying for power, influence, and profit between the so-called old guard and the entrenched interests of Aliyeva and the rest of the extended first family, often dubbed the Pashayev clan.

While it is unclear whether the push-and-shove of pro-Aliyev elements quarreling among themselves is anything like a real-life Game of Thrones, Mehdiyev's actions do seem to signal a split -- however small -- among the ruling elite.

"When you look at the broader picture and want to comprehend what exactly is going on in Azerbaijan right now, then we have to follow a single watchword: passing the presidency from husband to wife, what some people are calling 'saving the regime,'" Raufoglu said.

"We can't just sit and wait for another 30-40 years with the idea of, you know, getting the 'good guy' and chasing the 'bad guys' in Azerbaijan," he added. "There is no good guy in Aliyev's regime."
Eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar said on Friday his forces would let oil production resume after an eight-month blockade and a senior politician in Tripoli said a committee would be formed to ensure fair distribution of revenues.

However, National Oil Corporation (NOC), which operates Libya's energy sector, said overnight it would not lift force majeure on exports until oil facilities were demilitarised.

The blockade by eastern forces has cost Libya $9 billion in lost revenue so far this year, the Tripoli-based Central Bank of Libya said this week. The stoppage has become a big obstacle to new efforts to seek a path forwards in peace talks after Haftar's assault on Tripoli collapsed in June.

Libya and many of its state institutions have been split for years between the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli and Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) in the east.

"It was decided to resume production and export of oil with all the necessary conditions and procedural measures that ensure a fair distribution of its financial revenues," Haftar said in a televised broadcast.

In Tripoli, the GNA's deputy prime minister, Ahmed Maiteeg, issued a statement immediately after Haftar's speech also saying it "had been decided" to resume oil production and adding this would involve a new committee to oversee revenue distribution.

The committee would coordinate between the two sides to prepare a budget and transfer funds to cover payments and deal with the public debt, he said.

GNA Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj said on Wednesday he planned to step down by the end of October and analysts have said this would lead to political jockeying among other senior figures in Tripoli to succeed him.

However, neither Haftar nor Maiteeg addressed the presence of LNA and allied foreign forces in oil production and export facilities, which NOC has said must be withdrawn to ensure the safety of its staff before it will resume output.

(REUTERS)
Prime Minister extended an invitation to the Bhutanese king and his family to visit India at a mutually convenient time during a telephonic conversation with him in which both leaders underlined the unique ties of trust and affection that bind their countries.

An official statement said that Bhutan's King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck spoke to the prime minister on his birthday on Thursday to convey his greetings.

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa also called up Modi to convey their warm wishes on his birthday and expressed their strong desire and commitment to further strengthen the relations between the neighbouring countries, it added.

"They expressed appreciation for the continued bilateral cooperation, including in the joint fight against COVID pandemic... The prime minister thanked both the leaders for their warm wishes and conveyed that he looked forward to working with them to further expand cooperation between the two countries in line with India's Neighbourhood First policy," it said.

In his conversation with the Bhutanese king, Modi conveyed his keenness to welcome his and his family in India at a mutually convenient date, the statement said.

The prime minister expressed his thanks to him for the guiding role that the kings of have played in nurturing this special friendship between the two countries.

"The prime minister conveyed his appreciation for the effective management of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Kingdom of Bhutan, and assured His Majesty The King of India's readiness to provide all required support to in this context," it said.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept.18

By Fidan Babayeva  Trend:

The International Energy Charter has announced the organization of the Baku International Energy Charter Forum as a part of the cooperation with Azerbaijans Ministry of Energy, the ministry told Trend on Sept.18.

The forum will be held online on October 28, 2020, on the Transition to renewable energy sources in power generation, transport, heating, and cooling: modern challenges and trends theme.

The forum will address the challenges and opportunities of a more sustainable world based on renewable energy sources. It will also discuss the modern strategies, projects, and technologies forming the future of the energy sector across the globe.

The event will bring together high-level rapporteurs from the Energy Charter Member Countries and international organizations, as well as leading international experts.

Participation in the forum is by invitations only. All those willing to participate are invited to register online.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) is looking set up a national database to track settlements of ex-gratia payment, according to documents accessed by HT.

At present, the poll watchdog pays Rs 10 lakh to the next of kin of those who died in poll duties through cheques. A system of making the payment immediately using bank transfers is being considered.

Last month, Pramila Devi, the wife of late Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan Ramesh Kumar, 31, wrote to chief election commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora, highlighting the delay in such payments.

Kumar died in a grenade attack during the 2002 Jammu and Kashmir elections.

In her letter dated August 10, Devi said she had not received the payment; she was entitled to Rs 5 lakh as per the allotment 18 years ago.

Arora sent an email to Devi on August 26, apologising for the delay. The commission ordered the transfer of Rs 20 lakh to her bank account.

Although money cannot compensate for the loss of his, but I would like to apologise for the delay and assure you that your husbands sacrifice will not be forgotten, Arora wrote in his email.

The poll watchdog also sent a strong message to state election commissions to assess if any such cases were pending with them.

A stern view has been taken of the institutional failure and lack of sensitivity, bordering on apathy, on part of the administrative machinery, which failed to respect the memory of the departed, ECI said in the letter to chief electoral officers (CEOs). HT has seen a copy of the letter.

The letter asked CEOs to create a digital database to track the settlement of such legacy claims and all future claims. A national level database will also be created by the commission.

According to officials, only two such cases were found in Jammu and Kashmir, and they were being immediately addressed.

ECI is also working out the modalities of how payments will be expedited to reduce any kind of inconvenience to the families.

The idea is that once death on duty is confirmed, ECI will directly transfer the compensation into the bank of account of the next of kin if available, said an official.

According to former CEC SY Quraishi, ex-gratia payments should be completed as soon as possible. Such cases of severe delay are rare, said Quraishi. Bank transfers make sense, as salaries and other benefits too have moved to that platform.

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They are safe and they are happy.

Those basic comforts mark a fresh beginning for a mother and daughter at the core of a bizarre domestic violence case and Hamiltons longest criminal trial.

Speaking publicly for the first time, Dr. Sara Salim says she and her six-year-old daughter  who The Spectator has chosen not to name  are settled into their new existence in Rochester, N.Y.

Life is going wonderfully, she says softly of the past 20 months. Her daughter has made friends and has just started back to school. Things are going quite well. I dont want things to change one bit.

Sara, a medical doctor, is warm and laughs frequently. Yet she speaks carefully. Her ex-husband has twisted and weaponized her words against her before.

She says her life with him seems like a long time ago.

In April 2015, Adeel Safdar  the star McMaster University scientist Sara wed in an arranged marriage  was arrested by Hamilton police and charged with assault, assault with a weapon, assault bodily harm, threatening death and aggravated assault upon Sara.

His mother, Shaheen Safdar, faced the same charges, while his younger brother, Aatif Safdar, was charged with assault bodily harm, assault with a weapon, assault and threatening death.

All lived together in a house in Binbrook.

There was evidence Sara was branded with a clothes iron, her jaw broken, her ear disfigured and a death threat against her child carved into her leg.

The Safdars argued Sara was mentally ill and harmed herself. They said she made up stories about abuse to win her custody case.

The day Justice Andrew Goodman was expected to release his verdict, he instead tossed the charges against the Safdars because their right to a speedy trial had been violated. The trial had been spread over 14 months and Goodman decided the case violated the Jordan Decision limit of 30 months, arrest to resolution, for a serious criminal matter.

The Crown is taking that controversial decision to the Court of Appeal for Ontario next month in the hope that ruling will be overturned.

If it is, Goodman made a creative move in anticipation of that possibility. He came up with a verdict on the case, locking it away  literally  so it could be delivered at a later date. His hope was to eliminate the need for a second lengthy trial.

It is unclear if his unique solution is legally viable.

Meanwhile, on Jan. 25, 2019, in unified family court  two days after the criminal stay  the decision was loud and clear: Adeel confined, abused and tortured Sara.

Fearing Adeel would flee the country with his daughter (he was born in Saudi Arabia), Justice Mary Jo McLaren secretly sent police over to the Safdar familys new home on Stoney Creek Mountain to apprehend the girl while he was sitting in the courtroom awaiting her verdict.

It was an extraordinary move and one rarely seen  if ever  in Canadian court.

McLaren said she had never before made such an order ahead of delivering a decision. Saras lawyer, Michael P. Clarke, said in his 30 years of practice, it was a first.

Hours later, full custody was awarded to Sara.

Adeel was allowed one supervised visit each month with his daughter for up to three hours. A restraining order was issued to prevent him from having any contact with Sara.

Clarke predicted the judges decision would give hope to other victims of domestic violence.

For Sara, the impact on her and her daughter was immediate.

That judge changed our lives, she says now.

Adeels life changed too.

A once-revered kinesiologist, his work on the effects of exercise on aging earned him highly coveted research jobs at McMaster and Harvard. He attracted six-figure grants to his laboratories.

But amid his personal troubles, he also came under investigation by McMaster University for academic fraud, accused of falsifying research results.

At the time his trials ended, he had racked up more than $1 million in debt and was working at Popeyes Louisiana Chicken.

And the possibility of prison still looms.
Urmila Matondkar expressed her gratitude to the real people of India and unbiased media for speaking up for her after Kangana Ranaut made personal attacks on her and called her a soft porn star. She tweeted that she was overwhelmed by the support.

Thank you the Real People of India and a rare breed of unbiased,dignified media for standing by me. Its Your victory over fake IT trolls n propaganda. Deeply touched... #JaiHind, she said.

Thank you the "Real People of India" and a rare breed of unbiased,dignified media for standing by me. Its Your victory over fake IT trolls n propaganda.

Deeply touched..humbled #JaiHind  Urmila Matondkar (@UrmilaMatondkar) September 18, 2020

Earlier this week, Urmila got into a verbal duel with Kangana. Urmila called Kangana rudali, a professional mourner hired in certain areas of Rajasthan after the death of a relative, and said that she always plays the victim card. Kangana retaliated by calling Urmila a soft porn star who is not known for her acting, for sure.

Kangana was severely criticised for her comments by members of the film fraternity as well as fans. Many including Ram Gopal Varma, Swara Bhasker, Sayani Gupta, Pooja Bhatt and Anubhav Sinha came out in support of Urmila.

Also read | Disha Salians last call was to her friend, she didnt dial 100, says Mumbai Police: report

Despite the backlash, Kangana stood by her comments and questioned why porn star is considered an insult if former adult star Sunny Leone is accepted in the film industry as a mainstream actor.

Liberal brigade once virtually lynched a renowned writer in to silence for saying people like Sunny Leone should not be our role models, Sunny is accepted by the industry and entire India as an artist, suddenly fake feminists equating being a porn star to something derogatory, she tweeted.

Kanganas sister and manager, Rangoli Chandel, also asked why Urmila was feeling hurt to be called a soft porn star, when in the past, she has said that she is proud to be considered a sex symbol.

Meanwhile, Urmila said that she was willing to apologise for calling Kangana a rudali if it was offensive. I said rudali in a certain context, and if at all it was offensive, I have absolutely no qualms in saying I am sorry about it. Maybe not her, maybe the people who support her so dearly. So I am sorry if anything like that has gone out of context. It doesnt make me small, she told Barkha Dutt.

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If you feel "the need for speed" at the US Navy's elite fighter pilot school, you'd best not say it, or be prepared to pay the price.

At the Navy's decades-old tactical air combat training center commonly known as TOPGUN, there are fines for various infractions. Any quote from the iconic 1986 film "Top Gun" starring Tom Cruise as the hotshot naval aviator Lt. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell will cost you $5, former fighter pilot and TOPGUN instructor Cmdr. Guy "Bus" Snodgrass reveals in his new book, "TOPGUN's Top 10: Leadership Lessons from the Cockpit."

Snodgrass' book shares lessons on successful leadership from his career as a naval aviator while offering unique insight into the TOPGUN experience, everything from dogfighting to daily life at this prestigious training center.

While assuming that the reason for the rule against "Top Gun" quotes is that TOPGUN instructors are tired of hearing "you can be my wingman any time" or "your ego is writing checks your body can't cash" is reasonable, there is actually more to it than that, Snodgrass explained.

Snodgrass says in his new book that he fell in love with aviation at a young age. He had posters of planes on the walls of his room, and watching air shows as a kid with his Boy Scout troop in Texas fueled his interest in flying.

"I watched with utter fascination as the US Air Force Thunderbirds and US Navy Blue Angels amazed crowds with their precise maneuvers and outofthis-world skill level," he wrote. "The energy, excitement, and jet noise were all I needed  I was hooked."

But, the movie "Top Gun" was also an inspiration. "I think that's where my real true initial love for naval aviation started," Snodgrass told Insider. "I loved the flying scenes. It was exciting. I felt myself going, 'Man, if I could ever do that, it would be a dream come true.'"

'You don't turn TOPGUN into a joke'

Looking back on the action film as someone who had the opportunity to serve as a Navy fighter pilot, he said, "The 'Top Gun' movie had such an impact on most of our lives."

He revealed that as a junior officer, it was common for pilots to make jokes and throw out lines from the movie. "It's ingrained in our culture to a certain extent," he said.

"But," Snodgrass explained, "when you get to TOPGUN, because it is such a professional organization and you want to emphasize that you are at the top of your game, that it's about professionalism, about good leadership, you don't turn TOPGUN into a joke by referencing the movie."

The Navy's advanced Fighter Weapons School was established on March 3, 1969, during the Vietnam War at Naval Air Station Miramar in California with one very important mission: "To teach aircrew how to not just survive in dogfighting  but to win," Snodgrass wrote of TOPGUN's origins.

Decades later, the school, since relocated to Naval Air Station Fallon in Nevada, is still producing some of the world's top combat aviators. And, the Navy pilots selected to attend the institution take it seriously.

"So, it is a part of our bylaws that if someone overtly references the movie  it could be a direct quote, it could be something that is really close to a direct quote  that's an automatic $5 fine. And it's enforced. And you are expected to pay right then. You pull out your wallet and pay the $5," Snodgrass said.

Old habits die hard though. "I think at some point we were all fined because it's so ingrained in our aviation culture," he told Insider. Snodgrass declined to reveal his favorite "Top Gun" film quote but did say he loved the movie and is looking forward to the sequel.

Although he never quotes it, Snodgrass does reference the "Top Gun" movie in his new book, calling attention to the scene where Maverick abandons his wingman and flight lead, Hollywood, in a dogfighting training situation to chase an "enemy" fighter.

By acting impulsively and looking out only for himself, Maverick gets his wingman "killed" and falls right into the trap of the "enemy" aircraft.

"There's a reason why the actual TOPGUN instructors consulting on the movie insisted on this scene being included: it accurately reflected real combat," Snodgrass wrote.

"When you fly the skies alone and unafraid, bad things can  and do  happen," he said, explaining in his book that both in the air and in life, it's good to "always have a wingman." This is something Snodgrass learned himself in the Navy and one of a number of lessons he picked up from his time at TOPGUN.

Snodgrass served in the US military for two decades. He is a TOPGUN graduate and former instructor, as well as a retired naval aviator who flew combat missions overseas. He is also a former Pentagon official who worked closely with the secretary of defense and authored the 2018 National Defense Strategy.

Read the original article on Business Insider.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 13:58:35|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- A former aide to U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday slammed President Donald Trump's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, and said she will vote for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in the November election.

Olivia Troye, Pence's former lead staff member on the White House Coronavirus Task Force, which is headed by the vice president, made her case against the president in a video ad for anti-Trump group "Republican Voters Against Trump."

"Towards the middle of February, we knew it wasn't a matter of if COVID would become a big pandemic here in the United States, it was a matter of when," Troye said in the ad. "But the president didn't want to hear that because his biggest concern was that we were in an election year and how is this going to affect what he considers to be his record of success?"

"It was shocking to see the president saying that the virus was a hoax, saying that everything is OK when we know that it's not," said Troye, also homeland security and counterterrorism advisor to Pence. "The truth is he doesn't actually care about anyone else but himself."

"At some point I would come home at night. I would look myself in the mirror and say, 'Are you really making a difference? Does it matter?' Because no matter how hard you work and what you do, the president is going to do something that is detrimental to keeping the Americans safe," she said, adding although she has been a Republican her entire life, she will vote for Biden because she truly believes Americans are "at a time of constitutional crisis."

In response, Pence told reporters at the White House on Thursday that although he had not read the comments, "it reads to me like one more disgruntled employee who's left the White House decided to play politics during an election year," adding, "I couldn't be more proud of the work we've done."

"Outside of generally watching the White House Coronavirus Taskforce from the overflow staff room, this disgruntled former detailee was never in private meetings with the President and her assertions have no basis in reality and are flat out inaccurate," White House spokesperson Judd Deere said in a statement responding to Troye's remarks.

"The truth is President Trump always put the well-being of the American people first as evidenced by his shutdown of the country, which saved millions of lives, activating the greatest mobilization of the private sector since World War II to deliver critical supplies, the development of a never-before-seen testing system that is the envy of the world, and an unending focus on the rapid research and approval of scientifically proven therapeutics and an eventual vaccine," Deere said. Enditem
KEY FACTS 11:35 a.m.: Canada/U.S. border closure extended to Oct. 21

11 a.m.: Tory calls alarming jump in Toronto troubling

10:23 a.m.: Ontario surpasses 400 infections for first time since June

9:05 a.m.: EMA recommending steroid for treatment

The latest coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Friday. This file will be updated throughout the day. Web links to longer stories if available.

3:34 p.m. There have been 141,606 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Canada, including 9,201 deaths, (of these, 123,462 have been resolved), according to The Canadian Press.

These break down as follows (NOTE: The Star does its own count for Ontario; see elsewhere this file.):

Quebec: 66,653 confirmed (including 5,792 deaths, 58,218 resolved)

Ontario: 46,077 confirmed (including 2,825 deaths, 40,600 resolved)

Alberta: 16,274 confirmed (including 254 deaths, 14,537 resolved)

British Columbia: 7,663 confirmed (including 220 deaths, 5,719 resolved)

Saskatchewan: 1,757 confirmed (including 24 deaths, 1,624 resolved)

Manitoba: 1,540 confirmed (including 16 deaths, 1,199 resolved)

Nova Scotia: 1,086 confirmed (including 65 deaths, 1,020 resolved)

Newfoundland and Labrador: 272 confirmed (including three deaths, 267 resolved)

New Brunswick: 194 confirmed (including two deaths, 189 resolved)

Prince Edward Island: 57 confirmed (including 56 resolved)

Yukon: 15 confirmed, all of which have been resolved

Repatriated Canadians account for 13 confirmed cases, all of which have been resolved

Northwest Territories: five confirmed, all of which have been resolved

Nunavut reports no confirmed cases.

3:25 p.m.: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says a second wave of coronavirus is coming, on a day when the government reported 4,322 new confirmed cases, the highest since early May.

Speaking at a vaccine manufacturing centre under construction near Oxford, Johnson says: We are seeing it in France, in Spain, across Europe  it has been absolutely, Im afraid, inevitable we were going to see it in this country.

The weekly survey released Friday by the Office for National Statistics revealed an average of 6,000 people in England were estimated as newly infected between Sept. 4-10, about double from the previous week.

2:55 p.m.: Civil jury trials in British Columbia are being suspended for a year in an effort to help courts remain safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A statement from Attorney General David Eby says theyve made the changes in consultation with key legal sectors in an effort to find the best way forward during the pandemic.

The suspension starts Sept. 28 and civil jury trials will resume Oct. 4, 2021.

The statement says any civil trial between those dates will be heard by a judge alone and neither side in the case will be allowed to adjourn it unless the judge orders otherwise.

The government says the suspension will help minimize delays linked to measures needed to keep a jury safe from COVID-19 while in court.

Law Society of B.C. president Craig Ferris and Jennifer Brun, the president of the B.C. branch of the Canadian Bar Association, say their groups support changes that ensure some civil cases can continue during the pandemic.

Meanwhile, in Toronto, jury selection has started again. The Stars Betsy Powell has the story.

2:52 p.m.: Civil jury trials in British Columbia are being suspended for a year in an effort to help courts remain safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A statement from Attorney General David Eby says theyve made the changes in consultation with key legal sectors in an effort to find the best way forward during the pandemic.

The suspension starts Sept. 28 and civil jury trials will resume Oct. 4, 2021.

2:45 p.m.: Premier Doug Ford says newly announced restrictions on social gatherings in three provincial virus hot spots will be expanded to other areas of Ontario.

Ford says some mayors and regional medical officers of health have indicated they would also like to see the rules applied to their municipalities.

Ford says he will be discussing the further tightening of the rules with his cabinet, but gave no further details about the plan.

On Thursday, the premier announced that he was cracking down on people holding social gatherings in Toronto, Ottawa and Peel where virus cases have increased.

The new rules mean only 10 people will be allowed to gather indoors, down from the previous limit of 25, while the number for outdoor gatherings will drop from 100 to 25.

They also come with minimum fines of $10,000 for gathering organizers and $750 for those who attend.

Ford made the comments in Ottawa today with the premiers of Quebec, Alberta, and Manitoba as they asked for more federal funding for health care.

2:30 p.m.: Newfoundland and Labrador is reporting one new case of COVID-19, bringing the provinces number of active cases to two.

The new case involves a man in the central region of Newfoundland who is between 20 and 39 years old and was travelling to the province from the U.S.

The Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Health said in a news release the man was asymptomatic while travelling and is now self-isolating while contact tracing takes place.

This is the first new case in the province in six days, and its brings the total since the pandemic began to 272, of which 267 have recovered.

There have been three deaths linked to the novel coronavirus.

On Thursday a provincial Supreme Court judge upheld the provinces travel ban, which had been challenged by the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and a Halifax woman who was denied entry.

2 p.m.: A medical officer of health in eastern Ontario says the slow lab turnaround time for COVID-19 tests is hampering the ability of local public health officials to do effective contact tracing and control outbreaks.

Dr. Robert Cushman, acting medical officer of health with Renfrew County and District Health Unit, says universal testing for COVID-19 has led to major problems such as expired samples and test results that take upwards of seven days to get back.

He says the slow turnaround times in the Ottawa laboratories where the health unit sends their samples for processing have hindered investigations into COVID-19 cases at a local school and a popular gym.

Its bad science to do universal testing, but its good politics, he says.

Cushman says his health unit has received results five days later where samples had expired before the lab was able to process them, thereby necessitating another test.

Epidemiologists across the country believe mass testing is the best way to identify and control COVID-19 outbreaks. But Cushman says that requires testing capacities that are not currently available.

I think in principle it makes a lot of sense, but in practice its starting to impinge our ability off where the action is, he says.

1:45 p.m.: Quebec is reporting 297 new cases of COVID-19 and one additional death from the virus.

The province has now reported 66,653 cases and 5,792 deaths linked to the novel coronavirus.

Authorities say that 58,218 people are considered recovered.

The number of people in hospital remained stable at 136, with one more patient in intensive care, bringing the total to 30.

The death reported today was from an unknown date.

The province also reported 29,726 tests had been conducted on Wednesday, the last day for which figures are available.

Eight regions  about 75 per cent of the provinces population  are considered at early warning yellow level under the provinces COVID-19 colour-coded alert system.

In some of those pre-alert regions, there have been complaints about long waits to get tested.

1:34 p.m.: Ontario is reporting 11 additional active COVID-19 cases among students and staff in publicly-funded schools across the province, for a total of 72.

The latest report Friday morning revealed that there are 60 schools affected across the province, with 37 of them in the GTA. The report does note that 60 schools is 1.24 per cent of the 4,828 schools in Ontario.

Only one school has closed because of an infection, Fellowes High School in Pembroke, where a teacher came to work with symptoms of COVID-19 before school reopened.

The Toronto District School Board confirmed its first case of COVID-19 in a student Thursday at York Memorial Collegiate Institute. According to TDSB spokesperson Ryan Bird, the student visited the school briefly on Monday before the start of full-time classes. An enhanced cleaning was conducted in the school as a precaution.

Epidemiologists told the Star earlier this week that the numbers in the schools arent a surprise, and that the cases will be proportionate to the amount of COVID thats in the community.

Read the full story by the Stars Ann Marie Elpa

12:53 p.m. Voters in the Toronto ridings of York Centre and Toronto Centre will vote in federal byelections on Monday, Oct. 26. Both vacancies are in seats that were held by the governing Liberals.

12:21 p.m.: The British Columbia Teachers Federation is asking the Labour Relations Board to address its concerns about health and safety measures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Documents filed with the board say the federation has heard from many of its members about inconsistent and inadequate health and safety precautions in schools.

The complaint says the protections do not meet what was promised by the provincial government over the summer about reopening schools.

The teachers have filed the submission under a section of the Labour Relations Code that allows the board to make settlement recommendations if disputes arise while a collective agreement is in force.

The federation urges the labour board to act on an expedited basis to resolve concerns that may cause teachers to refuse to perform unsafe work or file a tsunami of grievances about how school districts have implemented Ministry of Education policies.

The ministry did not immediately respond with a comment.

The B.C. government announced in July that most students would go back to school full time in September. The ministry said Thursday that 85 per cent of kindergarten to Grade 12 students have returned.

12:19 p.m.: The federal minister overseeing key aid programs for workers during the pandemic says there could still be changes to a proposed package of income-support benefits as the country faces renewed pressure from COVID-19.

That includes caregiver payments for anyone who cant go to work because their childs school or daycare is closed, or they have to keep them home for COVID-19 reasons.

To get the help after the fact, workers would have to show they could not work at least 60 per cent of their usual hours, or about three days out of a five-day workweek.

Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough says shes heard that eligibility criteria might be too restrictive for parents who have to take off a day or two to wait in hours-long lines for a COVID-19 test.

She says the proposed package and eligibility rules are a baseline and that the government wants them to be flexible to take into consideration that some people may only need one or two days.

The alternative would be to start from scratch on benefits, which Qualtrough says the Liberals want to avoid.

12:16 p.m.: As the six-month freeze on federal student loan payments nears its end, students are calling for an extension of the measure they say offered relief from the financial pressures of the pandemic.

Bryn de Chastelain, chair of the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations, says his group wants Ottawa to extend the moratorium.

He says the job market is still reeling from COVID-19, creating stress among students and recent grads juggling loans, high tuition costs and other bills.

Ottawa suspended repayments for approximately one million borrowers in repayment from March 30 to Sept. 30, saying no interest would accrue on students loans during the same period.

12:15 p.m.: Several provinces are imposing tougher measures in a bid to tackle a rapid increase in new COVID-19 cases.

Quebec has announced a blitz to enforce public health rules, saying theyll send officers to 1,000 bars across the province over the weekend.

The province, which has been the hardest hit by the novel coronavirus, announced 297 new cases on Friday.

Ontario, meanwhile, hiked fines for those caught congregating in overlarge groups to $10,000, and cut down the maximum size of gatherings in three hotspot regions.

In Toronto, Ottawa and Peel region, only 10 people will be allowed to gather indoors  down from the current limit of 25  while the number for outdoor gatherings will drop to 25 from 100.

Ontario reported 401 new cases on Friday  a daily increase not seen since June.

But soaring case numbers are not limited to the two provinces that have been hardest hit by the virus.

British Columbia, for instance, reported 165 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday  an all-time daily high for the province where cases started soaring in August in spite of a previously flattened curve.

12:13 p.m.: Deputy public health officer Dr. Howard Njoo declines to say generally theres a second wave across Canada.

The seven-day average of new daily cases is now 849, he said at his daily media briefing.

Its too early to declare a second wave, but the increase is the trend thats concerning us.

11:50 a.m.: Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet has tested positive for COVID-19, the party says.

His wife said earlier this week she had tested positive.

Blanchet was already in self-isolation after a staff member contracted the illness.

In a statement, Blanchet says he feels healthy.

11:35 a.m. (updated): Public Safety Minister Bill Blair says the partial closure of the border with the United States is being extended another month, to Oct. 21.

Crossings of the border have been largely restricted to trade goods, essential workers and citizens returning home since March, in an attempt to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Blair and his American counterpart, acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf, each tweeted the latest one-month extension of the closure agreement this morning.

The pandemic has raged in the United States throughout the spring and summer, and cases in Canada have recently started rising again as well.

At the same time, leaders in border communities have asked federal authorities to loosen restrictions slightly to allow people with links on both sides to live more normally.

The Conservatives also called Friday for Blair to allow more compassionate exemptions to the closure, such as for people who are engaged to be married or where loved ones are seriously ill.

11:10 a.m.: New Democrat Leader Jagmeet Singh is accusing his Liberal and Conservative counterparts of doing the bidding of big business during the pandemic.

Singh takes the swipe at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Erin OToole in a speech today that lays out the NDPs priorities ahead of next weeks throne speech.

Singh is calling on the Liberals to do more to help working people cope with the economic hardship of the COVID-19 crisis.

That includes extending benefits for unemployed Canadians that he says the Liberals are planning to curtail.

Hes also calling on the government to do more to help seniors, and address the crises in climate change and affordable housing.

But Singh is differentiating himself from Trudeau and OToole by telling his supporters his two main political rivals are essentially in the back pocket of big business and the super-rich, who he says have profited massively during the pandemic at the expense of working people.

11 a.m.: In light of an alarming jump Friday in new COVID-19 infections in Toronto, Mayor John Tory says the city is looking hard at new restrictions.

Calling the increase of 130 cases for Toronto reported by the provincial governmen troubling, Tory said rules could include applying the new smaller gathering limits to banquet halls and other businesses.

Toronto had asked Premier Doug Ford to apply the new limits  10 people indoors, 25 people outdoors  to businesses that host wedding.

But the new rules announced this week for Toronto, Peel and Ottawa apply only to private events and not Ones hosted by businesses.

The mayor said city officials will over the weekend what other steps Toronto can take on its own.

Tory said he learned Friday of a fifth Toronto wedding where infections occurred.

Toronto is also expected next week to introduce new mandatory mask rules applying to workplaces.

The Stars David Rider and Jennifer Pagliaro has the story.

10:23 a.m. (updated): Ontario is reporting 401 new cases of COVID-19 today, a daily increase not seen since early June.

Health Minister Christine Elliott says Toronto is reporting 130 new cases, with 82 in Peel Region and 61 in Ottawa.

She says nearly 70 per cent of the new cases are in people under the age of 40.

The total number of cases in Ontario now stands at 46,077, which includes 2,825 deaths and 40,600 cases classified as resolved.

There were also 176 cases newly marked as resolved over the past 24 hours.

The province says it processed 35,826 tests over the previous day.

The Stars Rob Ferguson has the story.

10:15 a.m.: Hamilton has its first confirmed case of COVID connected to a school.

A late-Thursday release from Hamilton public health says a staff member at the Umbrella Family and Child Centres of Hamiltons before- and after-school program at Templemead Elementary School tested positive for COVID-19. Templemead is located on the east Mountain and is part of the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board.

HWDSB is working with public health officials to facilitate case and contact tracing, the release states.

No information was provided on when the person tested positive, nor what their role with the program is or when they last worked.

It is vital that personal health information and identifiers are not released, and the privacy of everyone involved is respected, the release states.

10:10 a.m. Two Canadian film and television organizations say hundreds of productions and thousands of jobs are on hold because the government has yet to intervene and help them get COVID-19 insurance.

The Canadian Media Producers Association and the Association quebecoise de la production mediatique say $1 billion in production volume is at risk because of the lack of insurance options.

They have identified 214 camera-ready film and TV projects that cannot move forward because they cant find insurance and say those productions would generate 19,560 jobs.

The organizations pitched a federal government-backed insurance program in June, but say politicians have yet to act on the proposal.

The groups say the lack of government help now means that the entertainment industry is facing an even more dire situation and they hope intervention will come soon.

Several Canadian productions were halted when COVID-19 started spreading across the country in March, but many are slowly returning with added precautions, including mandatory distancing and mask policies.

9:05 a.m.: The European Medicines Agency is recommending an inexpensive steroid be licensed for the treatment of people with severe coronavirus who need oxygen support.

The EMA says it is endorsing the use of dexamethasone in adults and adolescents age 12 or older who need either supplemental oxygen or a ventilator to help them breathe. The drug can be taken orally or via an infusion.

In June, British researchers published research showing dexamethasone can reduce deaths by up to one third in patients hospitalized with severe coronavirus. Shortly afterward, the U.K. government immediately authorized its use in hospitals across the country for seriously ill coronavirus patients.

Steroid drugs like dexamethasone are typically used to reduce inflammation, which sometimes develops in COVID-19 patients as their immune system kicks into overdrive to fight the virus.

9:02 a.m.: Statistics Canada says retail sales rose 0.6 per cent in July to $52.9 billion, helped by higher sales at motor vehicle and parts dealers and gasoline stations.

Economists had expected an increase of 1.0 per cent for the month, according to financial markets data firm Refinitiv.

Statistics Canada says sales were up in six of 11 subsectors in July with the motor vehicle and parts dealers subsector contributing the most to the increase with a 3.3 per cent increase. Sales at gasoline stations rose 6.1 per cent.

However, the agency said core retail sales, which exclude those two subsectors, fell 1.2 per cent.

Sales at building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers fell 11.6 per cent, while sales at food and beverage stores dropped 2.1 per cent.

Retail sales in volume terms were up 0.4 per cent in July.

8:07 a.m.: Young people are reporting higher levels of stress and anxiety due to the COVID-19 pandemic compared to those over age 60 despite their significantly lower risk of dying from the virus itself, a new study has revealed.

Levels of generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder are proving to be the highest and more prevalent among those under 25, while those over age 60 reported the lowest levels for both disorders.

These numbers are revealed in new research published in early September by Dr. Izunwanne Nwachuchwu from the University of Calgary, alongside researchers from the University of Alberta and Alberta Health Services. The study shows that 96 per cent of people under age 25 said theyve experienced moderate or high levels of stress as a result of the pandemic, compared to 68 per cent of people over the age of 60.

Read the full story by the Stars Nadina Yousif

7:31 a.m.: Canadas top curling teams are trying to cobble together a competitive fall season despite the COVID-19 pandemic decimating the calendar.

The Grand Slam of Curling was whittled from six events this winter to just two scheduled for next April and Novembers Canada Cup of Curling was cancelled, creating a competitive void for the countrys elite curlers.

A slew of September and October bonspiels across Canada have been called off, but some remain on the calendar.

Curling Canadas return-to-play guidelines provide a template for events to go ahead with several modifications on and off the ice to prevent the spread of the virus.

We want to play as much as we can under whatever guidelines are set and get some competition in, said skip Brad Jacobs of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.

Thats about all we can hope for. Its not about going out and trying to win prize money and points. None of that stuff really matters.

6 a.m.: British Health Secretary Matt Hancock has hinted that fresh restrictions on social gatherings in England could be announced soon as part of efforts to suppress a sharp spike in confirmed coronavirus cases.

Following reports that the government was considering fresh curbs on the hospitality sector, such as pubs and restaurants, Hancock said this is a big moment for the country.

He said that another national lockdown is the last line of defence and that most transmissions of the virus are taking place in social settings.

Hancock says the governments strategy over the coming weeks is to contain the virus as much as possible whilst protecting education and the economy.

The government has come under sustained criticism in the past week following serious issues with its virus testing program.

5:45 a.m.: Confirmed cases of the coronavirus have topped 30 million worldwide, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally.

The worldwide count of known COVID-19 infections climbed past 30 million on Thursday, with more than half of them from just three countries: the U.S., India and Brazil, according to the tally kept by Johns Hopkins researchers.

The number increased by 10 million in just over a month; global cases passed 20 million on August 12.

5:31 a.m.: Joe Biden on Thursday went after President Donald Trump again and again over his handling of COVID-19, calling Trumps downplaying of the pandemic criminal and his administration totally irresponsible.

Youve got to level with the American people  shoot from the shoulder. Theres not been a time theyve not been able to step up. The president should step down, the Democratic presidential nominee said to applause from a CNN drive-in town hall crowd in Moosic, outside his hometown of Scranton.

Speaking about Trumps admission that he publicly played down the impact of the virus while aware of its severity, Biden declared: He knew it and did nothing. Its close to criminal.

Later, Biden decried Americans loss of basic freedoms as the U.S. has struggled to contain the pandemic, like the ability to go to a ball game or walk around their neighbourhoods. I never, ever thought I would see just such a thoroughly, totally irresponsible administration, he said.

5:21 a.m.: China says imported coronavirus cases climbed to 32 over the previous 24 hours.

Thirteen of the cases reported Friday were in the northern province of Shaanxi, whose capital Xian is a major industrial centre. The eastern financial and business hub of Shanghai reported 12.

China has gone more than a month without reporting any cases of locally transmitted coronavirus cases within its borders.

5:18 a.m.: U.N. World Food Program chief David Beasley is warning that 270 million people are marching toward the brink of starvation because of the toxic combination of conflict, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Beasley on Thursday urged donor nations and billionaires to contribute $4.9 billion to feed the 30 million he said will die without U.N. assistance.

He reminded the U.N. Security Council of his warning five months ago that the world stood on the brink of a hunger pandemic, and welcomed the response, which averted famine and led countries to fight back against the coronavirus.

Beasley said the U.N. food agency is keeping people alive and avoiding a humanitarian catastrophe but he said the fight is far, far, far from over.

5:14 a.m.: Indias coronavirus cases have jumped by another 96,424 infections in the past 24 hours, showing little signs of slowing down.

The Health Ministry on Friday raised the nations confirmed total since the pandemic began to more than 5.21 million. It said 1,174 more people died in the past 24 hours, for a total of 84,372.

India is expected within weeks to surpass the reported infections seen in the United States, where more than 6.67 million people have been reported infected, the most in the world.

Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday made a fresh appeal to people to use face masks and maintain social distance as his government chalked out plans to handle big congregations expected during a major Hindu festival season beginning next month.

5:10 a.m.: The Australian government on Friday announced a 5 million Australian dollars ($3.7 million) grant to the national news agency as part of pandemic-related assistance to regional journalism.

Australian Associated Press is critical to media diversity and has consistently demonstrated its commitment to accurate, fact-based and independent journalism over its 85-year history, including a strong contribution to regional news, Communications Minister Paul Fletcher said in a statement.

The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered unprecedented challenges for Australias regional media sector, with severe declines in advertising revenue threatening the sustainability of many news outlets, Fetcher said.

AAP provides services to more than 250 regional news mastheads across Australia, covering public interest content on national, state and regional news. This allows regional mastheads to concentrate on local news stories important for their communities, he said.

AAP Chair Jonty Low and Chief Executive Emma Cowdroy welcomed the funding as an endorsement of the role that AAP plays in providing a key piece of Australias democratic Infrastructure.

5 a.m.: Israel is set to go back into a full lockdown later Friday to try to contain a coronavirus outbreak that has steadily worsened for months as its government has been plagued by indecision and infighting.

The three-week lockdown beginning at 2 p.m. (1100 GMT) will include the closure of many businesses and strict limits on public gatherings, and will largely confine people to their homes. The closures coincide with the Jewish High Holidays, when people typically visit their families and gather for large prayer services.

In an address late Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that even stricter measures may be needed to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed. There are currently more than 46,000 active cases, with at least 577 hospitalized in serious condition.

It could be that we will have no choice but to make the directives more stringent, Netanyahu said. I will not impose a lockdown on the citizens of Israel for no reason, and I will not hesitate to add further restrictions if it is necessary.

Under the new lockdown, nearly all businesses open to the public will be closed. People must remain within 1 kilometre (0.6 miles) of home, but there are several exceptions, including shopping for food or medicine, going to work in a business thats closed to the public, attending protests and even seeking essential pet care.

4:05 a.m.: Four conservative-minded premiers are to issue today their wish list for next weeks throne speech on which the fate of Justin Trudeaus minority Liberal government could hinge.

Quebecs Francois Legault, Ontarios Doug Ford, Albertas Jason Kenney and Manitobas Brian Pallister plan to hold a news conference in Ottawa to spell out what they hope to see in the speech.

Billions more for health care is likely to top their list.

Ford and Legault last week called on Ottawa to significantly increase the annual federal transfer payments to provinces and territories for health care.

The transfer this year will amount to almost $42 billion under an arrangement that sees it increase by at least three per cent each year.

On top of that, the federal government is giving provinces and territories $19 billion to help them cope with the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, including some $10 billion for health care.

4 a.m.: A new survey finds that young people have been vaping less frequently since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

The survey, conducted by the Lung Association of Nova Scotia and Smoke-Free Nova Scotia, finds that respondents decreased vaping to five days per week from six, on average.

They also cut back to an average of 19 vaping episodes per day, down from 30.

The survey funded by Heart & Stroke also found the decrease in vaping frequency is most notable in British Columbia and Ontario.

The researchers say it may be related to warnings of potential complications from COVID-19 for e-cigarette users.

The survey heard from more than 1,800 respondents between 16 and 24 years old, and found most begin vaping at around the age of 15.

Thursday 8.18 p.m. B.C. has once again topped its previous daily record for new COVID-19 cases, the Richmond Sentinel reports.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced 165 new cases since Wednesday. That raises the total number of cases since the pandemic began to 7,663. There are 1,705 active cases, an increase of 91 from yesterday, and of nearly 300 from a week ago, the Sentinel reports.

Health Minister Adrian Dix said its important to put the high case count in context; yesterday, there were 7,674 tests conducted across B.C., the highest number in a single day since the pandemic began.

Click here for more of Thursdays COVID-19 coverage.

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IRCC gradually resuming in-person services Canadas immigration department will soon offer in-person services by appointment. Shelby Thevenot Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

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Immigration services that are not available virtually will begin to resume on September 21.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is testing out the new protocols and procedures for offering in-person services during the coronavirus pandemic.

The services being offered next week include:

Citizenship : Vancouver Expo will be reopening for citizenship knowledge re-testing and citizenship hearings for a select cohort of applicants. IRCC will schedule appointments by email.

: Vancouver Expo will be reopening for citizenship knowledge re-testing and citizenship hearings for a select cohort of applicants. IRCC will schedule appointments by email. Permanent residence : IRCC offices will reopen for permanent residence-related services in Etobicoke, Ontario, and Montreal, Quebec. People who need to pick up their permanent residence card, or do their permanent residence interview (permanent residence determination) will be contacted by IRCC via email to schedule an appointment.

: IRCC offices will reopen for permanent residence-related services in Etobicoke, Ontario, and Montreal, Quebec. People who need to pick up their permanent residence card, or do their permanent residence interview (permanent residence determination) will be contacted by IRCC via email to schedule an appointment. Asylum: Limited asylum-related services will resume at IRCC offices in Calgary, Edmonton, Hamilton and Niagara Falls. IRCC will schedule appointments via epost, Canada Posts online service, with clients who need to collect or submit documents, provide their biometric information, or come in for an interview. They also say that if the pilot goes well they will open offices to provide asylum services in Vancouver (Hornby), Montreal, and Etobicoke in the future.

IRCC will contact clients to book appointments based on their file status, location in Canada and other factors, the immigration departments media release says, Client selection is largely based on the date of the clients application.

Find out if you are eligible for Canadian immigration

IRCC will only allow immigration candidates to use in-person services if they have a scheduled appointment.

The immigration department will also start making biometrics appointments. Permanent residence applicants in Canada waiting to give biometrics will receive a call from Service Canada over the next few months to book an appointment. People living in a region where more people are waiting to give biometrics, such as the Greater Toronto Area, may have to wait longer for the call, IRCC says.

We know that this is a challenging and frustrating time and we are grateful for your patience, IRCC writes. Service Canada will contact you as soon as they can.

They also warn that permanent residence applicants waiting on biometrics should not go to a Service Canada Centre unless they have been called for an appointment. Applicants whose contact information has changed or if they had a representative apply on their behalf can update their details on the IRCC webform.

Safety measures at IRCC offices

In an effort to protect IRCC staff and clients from coronavirus, the following safety measures are being put in place:

Clients are asked to complete a Health Canada self-assessment questionnaire before coming in for an appointment.

These questions will be asked again when clients arrive at the office so that IRCC can determine if clients can enter the premises.

Everyone must wear a mask, maintain social distance, and follow signs directing the flow of foot traffic.

If clients appear ill, they will be asked to reschedule their appointment.

IRCC shut down services on March 18 in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Over the past few months, immigration services have been offered virtually where possible but services have been significantly reduced.

The Public Health Agency of Canada and regional health authorities set the guidelines and recommendations for operating services during the pandemic. IRCC is monitoring the offices where in-person services are offered to help plan for reopening more services in the future.

Find out if you are eligible for Canadian immigration

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 14:35:36|Editor: huaxia

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FRANKFURT, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Despite the shrinking global trade market due to the COVID-19 outbreak, trade flows between China and the European Union (EU) remain comparatively steady and resilient, facilitating the combat against the pandemic and economic rebound in both sides.

In a post-pandemic world where international cooperation and the value of multilateralism are more important than ever, China and the EU could see new opportunities emerge in economic cooperation, experts have said.

DYNAMIC TRADE

Xavier Wanderpepen, who is responsible for China-Europe rail freight activities at Forwardis, a subsidiary of France's national railway company SNCF Logistics, was impressed by the surge of freight train operations between China and Europe during the first half of this year.

"In my company, since April 2020, demand for trains has increased sharply. The increase is more than 20 percent compared to 2019," Wanderpepen said.

The rise contrasted with the overall gloomy picture of global trade in the early months of the pandemic, during which the World Trade Organization in June forecast an 18.5-percent drop in global trade in the second quarter.

Wanderpepen noted that rail transport has been playing an indispensable role in delivering medical supplies from China, which are most needed in Europe for containing coronavirus, and at the same time facilitating transport of massive goods made in France to China where demand picks up robustly, boosting exports and imports in both countries.

Late August, the first freight train with goods exclusively "Made in Austria" pulled out of the Vienna South Terminal for Xi'an, China, while the first "Bay Area" carrying industrial products made in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area left south China's economic hub Shenzhen for Duisburg in Germany.

With new routes launched one after another, the number of China-Europe freight trains hit a record high of 1,247 in August, up 62 percent year on year, marking the sixth consecutive month with double-digit growth, data from China State Railway Group showed.

According to the General Administration of Customs, China saw its trade with the EU rise 1.4 percent year on year during the first eight months of 2020, contributing to 14 percent of China's overall foreign trade.

For the EU, in the first seven months of this year, China became the bloc's top trading partner, a position previously held by the United States, said Eurostat on Wednesday. EU's imports from China increased by 4.9 percent in the January-July period from a year ago, while its imports from the United States dropped by 11.7 percent.

For Germany, the largest economy in the EU, China also surpassed the United States for the first time in the second quarter to become its largest export market. Moreover, Germany's exports to China in July have rebounded almost to last year's level, according to Germany's Federal Statistical Office.

VIGOROUS CROSS-BORDER BUSINESS

With the newly-injected 2 billion euros (2.37 billion U.S. dollars), Germany's Volkswagen Group, the largest auto manufacturer in Europe, announced in May the decision to expand investment in China to develop its electric vehicle business.

Noting that China is the world's biggest market for e-mobility, Stephan Woellenstein, CEO of Volkswagen Group China, said "by opening up the market, China is giving Volkswagen new business opportunities."

Sharing the common stance with the EU of upholding multilateralism, and resisting unilateralism and protectionism, China sticks to opening-up with concrete actions, providing European enterprises with flourishing opportunities in the post-pandemic era.

"The COVID-19 pandemic did not stop the Chinese government from promoting a new round of high-level opening-up," said Li Jian, senior vice president of Danone Greater China, citing the implementation of the country's foreign investment law, as well as pilot projects in free trade zones and cross-border e-commerce zones.

The French food giant announced in July an investment of 100 million euros (118 million dollars) to strengthen specialized nutrition business in China, including the opening of a research center in Shanghai and the acquisition of local infant milk formula capabilities.

The sheer sizes of both China's economy and the European common market cannot be neglected by entrepreneurs of either side, said Xin Hua, executive deputy director of the Center for European Union Studies at Shanghai International Studies University.

In his view, the already-intertwined bilateral networks of production, trade and investment are based on naturally formed divisions of labor, and have already brought tremendous benefits to businessmen, investors and workers from both sides.

A recent survey by the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China showed that European companies in China reported no significant change in plans to redirect current or planned investments elsewhere.

In the meantime, the Brussels-based China Chamber of Commerce to the EU (CCCEU) saw continuous expansion of its membership, mirroring the steady pace of Chinese enterprises' investing and developing in Europe.

"Europe remains a key destination for Chinese enterprises," said CCCEU Chair Zhou Lihong.

A recent survey jointly conducted by the CCCEU and consulting firm Roland Berger indicated that Chinese companies in the EU are willing to increase investment if the business environment in the bloc gets better.

NEW OPPORTUNITIES

At a virtual meeting on Monday, Chinese and EU leaders affirmed their commitment to speeding up the negotiations of the China-EU Bilateral Investment Treaty to achieve the goal of concluding the negotiations within this year.

They also announced the official signing of the China-EU agreement on geographical indications, and decided to establish a China-EU High Level Environment and Climate Dialogue and a China-EU High Level Digital Cooperation Dialogue, and to forge China-EU green and digital partnerships.

Zhou from the CCCEU said leaders of the EU and China have sent clear messages that the two sides should unswervingly promote a sound and stable development of their comprehensive strategic partnership, and adhere to peaceful coexistence, openness, cooperation, multilateralism, as well as dialogue and consultation.

"Especially in times of global protectionism, which has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, we need a positive signal for international trade," Thilo Brodtmann, executive director of German Mechanical Engineering Industry Association, said in a statement commenting on Monday's meeting.

Meanwhile, some European experts have seen "green growth" as a sustainable way out of the coronavirus crisis and hope to expand and deepen cooperation on green solutions with China.

Finn Mortensen, CEO of State of Green, a Copenhagen-based environmental consulting firm, believed 2020 will mark an important milestone in Denmark-China collaborations.

"We have had very strong cooperation over the years, and now in particular in 2020 we will be focusing further on green solutions, the green transition and sustainable issues in general," Mortensen said. Enditem
I graduated high school this year, and I have yet to receive my diploma. When I contact my school to inquire, they tell me the Doug Ford government hasnt sent the diplomas to schools yet. Ill be the first to admit that, during a pandemic, getting diplomas to graduates isnt a priority, but how hard can it be? Its been well over two months since Ive graduated and I havent received my diploma yet. The Ford government is now telling schools they will get them in the fall. The government originally told schools they would get them before the end of July. When is that? Will I get it before Thanksgiving? When will I get my diploma? Our graduating class missed out on so much. Dont make us miss out on getting our diplomas.

David Fernandes, Toronto
The residents of over 48,000 jhuggis along railway tracks in Delhi are demanding that they be consulted in the making of any plan that affects their homes

With threat of eviction looming close, slum dwellers squatting on railways land in New Delhi, on Friday launched a stir demanding resettlement and/or upgradation offer from the government at their own terms.

The Railway Basti Jan Sangharsh Morcha, a coalition of slum residents and activists working for the rights of those living in temporary hutments along railway tracks in New Delhi, noted that even though the court had said that there will be no forced eviction immediately, it demanded that the government should provide in-situ upgradation rather than resettling them away from their homes.

The protests come in the wake of a 31 August Supreme Court order in which the apex court had directed removal of 48,000 slum dwellings along 140 kilometres of railway tracks in Delhi within three months in a phased manner.

The top court had also restrained any court from granting any kind of stay with respect to removal of encroachments in the area, adding that there shall not be any kind of political interference in execution of the plan.

"The encroachments which are there in safety zones should be removed within a period of three months and no interference, political or otherwise, should be there and no Court shall grant any stay with respect to removal of the encroachments in the area in question," the court had said.

Following this, Congress leader Ajay Maken and several residents from these clusters urgently approached the court for relief against the demolition order, The Hindu reported.

Slum dwellers have a fundamental right to the city. They are an integral part of the social and economic fabric of the town... If the demolition of slums is carried out amidst the current pandemic, more than 2,50,000 persons will be forced to move around the city in search for shelter and livelihood, Maken said in his submission to the court, according to the newspaper.

As per rough estimates, there are around 2,40,000 people living in slums in Naraina Vihar, Azadpur, Vihar, Shakur Basti, Mayapuri, Sriniwaspuri, Anand Parbat and Okhla among others.

The Central Government, in response to Maken's plea, clarified on Monday that it had no immediate plans to uproot over 2 lakh families in the middle of the pandemic, adding that discussions were underway between the Union Ministry of Urban Housing Development, the Railways and the Government of NCT of Delhi to implement the top court's order, Hindustan Times reported.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal also assured the slum residents that no sudden coercive action will be taken against them and that their representatives will be invited to be a part of the consultations deciding the fate of the slum residents.

The Delhi government also clarified that any resettlement of rehabilitation will have to be done as per the Delhi Slum and JJ Rehabilitation and Relocation Policy, 2015.

According to the said policy, residents of jhuggi jhopri clusters which have come up before 01 January 2006 shall not be removed without rehabilitation. Furthermore, the policy favours in-situ rehabilitation  which provides for alternative accomodation in the same place as the slum cluster.

The residents association welcomed the statements made by the Central and state governments, but decided to go ahead with the protest to seek a lasting solution to the problem.

Among other things, the residents have demadned to be consulted during the planning, the rehabilitation plan prioritises in-situ upgradation, and that resettlement should be treated only as a last resort.

The slum dwellers feel that the timing of the Supreme Court order was particularly harsh as the poor had been already reeling under the impact of COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing lockdown.

Forty-eight-year-old Veeramma, who works as a domestic help in the nearby domestic clusters, says that the pandemic took away her entire family's livelihood and now the court's order could mean that she may also become homeless.

"My husband cannot move. My son is a daily wager, he doesn't have much work, too. We don't have enough ration to feed the family for another week," said Veeramma looking at her two-year-old granddaughter, a third generation to be born in the slum cluster.

"We don't have the money for my granddaughters milk. Even if we beg, we wont get anything. The times were never so bad," she told PTI.

Elumalai, 35, reminded the government''s promise of "jahan jhuggi wahin makan" made before the elections.

"We do not say we won't accept the court''s order. This land belongs to the railways and they will take it one day, but where will we go? No one cares for us," Elumalai, whose father came to Delhi from Chennai in 1978, told PTI.

Interestingly, each household in the slum has got electricity connection, Aadhaar card, voter id, and ration card, the news agency reported.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government had built community toilets for the slum dwellers last year, so that no one defecates in the open or on the tracks, Shankar Sarangam, a driver told PTI.

"The salary has been reduced by half. I have a family to feed. We were thankful to god that we have a roof over our head. Now the jhuggi will be gone, too. The railways should have at least considered the timing of the move. The impact of the pandemic will linger on for another three years," Sarangam added.

With inputs from PTI
ELKO  How should Elko proceed with COVID-19 restrictions and a possible marijuana dispensary in city limits?

Those were among the questions fielded by four candidates for Elko City Council, vying for two seats up for election in November.

Incumbent Mandy Simons, along with Gratton Miller, Clair Morris and Rowena Smith, participated in the hour-long forum Wednesday evening, which included a wide range of topics on the future of Elkos economic prospects tied to several areas, including virus regulations and cannabis sales revenue.

When asked about how the candidates would have changed any city councils decisions regarding emergency directives, Simons answered first. She explained that most of the councils decision-making powers in that situation were taken out of their hands, leaving them only to enforce the state regulations.

Not a lot of decisions have been put in front of the council concerning this. Most of this has been done on a state and national level, Simons said. Many [decisions] were made for us. I sincerely wish the counties were given more say as to what happens in their jurisdictions, and the cities too, of course.

Simons added her goal is to see the economy and churches reopen and schools to resume in-person learning.

Morris, a 40-year law enforcement veteran, said he agreed with Simons regarding the reopening and the fact that Gov. Steve Sisolak is the one driving this boat. We arent allowed to make decisions on COVID-19 and how were going to react.

One way to give local government more control would be to allow the city to investigate businesses for violations instead of having OHSA levy fines and order closures, Morris explained.

I think it could be handled differently, and Id like to see it done on a more local basis, but right now, with the CARES money, [Sisolak] is pulling the strings. I think the council is committed to whatever he says we have to do, Morris concluded.

Citing her business background, running a restaurant and nursing home, Smith said she absolutely disagrees with Sisolaks enforcement of directives, particularly the thousands of dollars in fines ordered by OHSA against non-compliant businesses.

We can do so much without punitive damages and OSHA  coming into our rural communities, Smith said. I love Elko, but unfortunately, our hands are tied. The local leaders hands are tied.

Miller, who also sits on the Elko City Planning Commission, criticized local leadership. Our local leaders have not pushed masks or at least been leaders in taking the brunt of all the backlash to it, he said. ... They should be following CDC regulations and practicing personal responsibility.

Although most Elko businesses did not close because they are mining-related, Miller said enforcing masks could have most of our businesses open, and to a certain extent, most of our businesses have not closed. Have they had slowdowns? Absolutely! Theres no question about that.

Miller agreed with the rest of the candidates that the City Council would remain required to follow state directives, but said that until the countys virus infection rates fall, were not opening anything.

Were not bringing in people to visit and travel and spend money in our shops. Until we figure this out, or until we all have a tacit agreement with it, this is going to continue to wreak havoc on our community, he said.

When the panelists were asked about maintaining the citys moratorium on marijuana dispensaries, should the state allow Elko County more dispensary licenses, Miller and Smith voiced their support for lifting the ban.

I think we should absolutely open up the city to having that extra source of income, Miller said, suggesting the dispensary could be located next to the Elko Police Department. Our sales tax  and room tax has plummeted. We need to find a new revenue source, and we need to do it now. Is that going to solve all of our problems? No, but we can do it.

Smith, a registered nurse, said her research into the biochemistry of cannabis had so many values, but stated the issue had Constitutional aspects for Elko.

Citizens of the United States have the right to lead a prosperous and healthy life, she said. They have a right, and their freedoms are involved in testing other naturopathic [methods]. Hopefully, Trump will de-schedule it from Schedule 1.

Conversely, Simons and Morris stated they were both against a potential marijuana dispensary in Elko and would keep the moratorium.

Recalling the debate over marijuana dispensaries more than two years ago when the city council approved a ban on medical and recreational establishments, Simons said the experience taught her that some people benefited from medical marijuana. However, she still wants more federal studies on cannabis.

As far as recreationally, if its a medicine, why would I use it? she asked rhetorically. I dont want my kids to use a cough drop recreationally. I dont get the recreational use of medicine.

Morris, a former chief of police and Elko County undersheriff, cited his four decades of law enforcement experience for his stance against a dispensary, saying that it could give kids one more avenue to get marijuana.

Pointing to the Elko Bands Newe Cannabis dispensary that opened in April, Morris said, We have to wait and see what impact it has on our community. But you can ask any methhead, or any heroin addict what the first drug they tried as a kid is, and theyre going to tell you marijuana.

Simons is running for her third term in office. City Councilman Robert Schmidtlein declined to run for a third term.

The city council forum was the third in a four-part series of candidate Q&As sponsored by the Elko Area Chambers Government Affairs Committee, moderated by Matt McCarty of the Great Basin College Foundation and live-streamed on the Elko Daily Free Press Facebook page.

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Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks at a joint press conference with Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg at Belvedere Palace in Vienna, Austria, on Aug. 14, 2020. (Thomas Kronsteiner/Getty Images)

Pompeo Expects Every Country to Comply With Snapback of UN Sanctions on Iran

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday that the United States expects every country to comply with U.N. Security Council resolutions on Iran.

We expect every nation to comply with U.N. Security Council resolutions, U.S. State Secretary Mike Pompeo said at a joint press conference with Surinames President Chandrikapersad Chan Santokhi in Paramaribo, Suriname on Thursday.

Requested by the United States in August, the snapback of all U.N. sanctions on Iran aimed at preventing Teheran from purchasing weapons will take effect on Saturday, Sept. 19 at 8:00 p.m., Elliott Abrams, U.S. Special Representative for Venezuela said at a press briefing on Wednesday.

The United States is intent on enforcing all the U.N. Security Council resolutions. And come Monday, there will be a new series of U.N. Security Council resolutions that we enforce, and we intend to ask every country to stand behind them, Pompeo said.

Iranians walk past a replica of a rocket during commemorations marking 41 years since the Islamic Revolution, in the capital Tehran on Feb. 11, 2020. (Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images)

The 2015 nuclear deal offered Iran the lifting of a conventional arms embargo in five years in exchange for limiting its nuclear activities to civilian ones. Thus the arms embargo is set to expire on Oct. 18.

The snapback will re-impose the arms embargo indefinitely and will reinstate other restrictions including the ban on Iran engaging in enrichment and reprocessing-related activities, the prohibition on ballistic missile testing and development, and sanctions on the transfer of nuclear and missile-related technologies to Iran, Abrams said.

After the United States initiated the snapback, the three European signatories of the Iran nuclear dealFrance, Germany, and the United Kingdom (the E3)said in a statement that because the United States withdrew from Iran nuclear deal, they cannot support the U.S. action, which was also incompatible with their current efforts.

In 2018, the Trump administration withdrew the United States unilaterally from the Iran nuclear deal saying that the deal had failed to prevent Iran from pursuing nuclear weapons and allowed the Iranian regime to support terrorist activities internationally.

The United States has made every diplomatic effort for almost two years to try to renew the arms embargo, Pompeo told the press in August.

Before requesting the sanction snapback, the U.S. initiated a resolution to extend the arms embargo on Iran indefinitely. The U.N. Security Council failed to pass it as China and Russia voted against it while 11 of 15 members of the Security Council abstained, including France, Germany, and Britain. Only the United States and the Dominican Republic voted for the resolution.

The United States, first of all, is not isolated with respect to the arms embargo, Abrams said, there are many countries in the world sharing the U.S. view, including in Europe.

There was a letter from the Gulf Cooperation Councilall the membersto the U.N. Security Council, saying please do not let the U.N. arms embargo end, Abrams said.

The European countries told usthe E3 and others as wellthat they dont want the arms embargo to end, but they were unable to take any action that kept the U.N. arms embargo in place, Abrams said.

The EU has a separate arms embargo on Iran and they can maintain it indefinitely in order to prevent Iran from buying weapons, he added. European countries can also enforce the U.N. sanctions or cooperate with the United States if they see that Russia, China, or anybody else tries to sell arms to Iran, Abrams said.

If the EU ensures that no EU country engages in an arms sale to Iran and helps to enforce the U.N. sanctions obviously it would have an impact on companies that were contemplating a sale, Abrams explained.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab hold a news conference at the State Department in Washington on Sept. 16, 2020. (Nicholas Kamm/Pool/Reuters)

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said at a joint press conference with Pompeo on Wednesday that Iran must never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.

The UK shares the concerns of the United States regarding the Iranian threat both on the nuclear side of things but also the wider destabilizing activities in the region, Raab said. He also agreed that the Iran nuclear deal is not perfect and should be broadened.

The UK and the United States share the view that the diplomatic door is open to Iran to negotiate a peaceful way forward. That decision, that choice is there for the leadership in Tehran to take, Raab said.

Pompeo said at the joint press conference that the sanctions imposed on Iran by the United States unilaterally after its withdrawal from the nuclear deal have been successful. Iranian resources to finance Hezbollah and the Shia militias operating in the Middle East have been greatly reduced along with their capacity to inflict harm around the world, he added.
Protestors demonstrate against Proposition 209, which banned affirmative action, in San Francisco in 2012. (Paul Sakuma / Associated Press)

University of California regents banned the use of quotas based on race and gender in admissions, hiring and contracting Thursday  underscoring their intent to limit how they would restore affirmative action if state voters approve its use again.

In June, regents unanimously backed an effort to eliminate the longtime ban on affirmative action in public education and employment, which California voters approved in 1996 with passage of Proposition 209. That ban would be repealed by a proposed constitutional amendment, Proposition 16, on the Nov. 3 ballot.

But to make clear the UC system would not use quotas even if Proposition 16 passes, regents adopted an official policy against them. The action aligns the 10-campus system with federal law and court decisions that ban quotas, although they allow the consideration of race in limited circumstances. UC officials have said they would use race and gender in admissions decisions as just two of several factors considered, along with grades, high school coursework, special talents, and family economic and educational backgrounds.

"It makes very clear that we do not engage nor will we engage in race-based quotas and caps," Board of Regents Chairman John A. Perez said of the new policy. "This puts this on the record squarely."

After affirmative action was banned by Proposition 209, the UC system adopted myriad race-neutral policies and programs to increase diversity, including aggressive outreach to students who are low-income and the first in their families to attend college. Today, 40% of UC students are first-generation college students and 36% are low-income.

But officials say the inability to consider race in admissions and hiring decisions has hobbled efforts to fully represent the state's broad diversity. Latino and white students are the UC systems 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.

Story continues

Latinos, for instance, made up 44.7% of that qualified pool but only about a quarter of UC undergraduates. White students 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.

Some regents said Thursday that restoring race-based affirmative action would allow the UC system to use the power of its purse to stimulate economic growth among businesses owned by members of underrepresented groups, which have particularly suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic. A UC Santa Cruz study found that 440,000 of the nation's 1 million Black-owned businesses permanently closed between February and March, regents were told. After affirmative action was banned in California, the proportion of UC spending for goods and services from businesses owned by people of color dropped from 10.2% in fiscal year 1995 to 2.79% today, a UC analysis found.

But support for the measure appears shaky. A new survey by the Public Policy Institute of California found that only 31% of likely California voters support Proposition 16, with the measure failing to win majority support among Latino and white respondents and other races and ethnic groups.

Regent Sherry Lansing said she was "horrified" by those survey results. "The greatest thing we can do is advocacy," she said. "Otherwise it's not going to pass and we'll be sitting here with the same problem."
South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myun-hee departs for Washington, D.C., from Incheon International Airport, Sept. 15. Yonhap



By Do Je-hae



South Korean trade minister Yoo Myung-hee has joined a select group of candidates in the second round of voting for the next World Trade Organization (WTO) chief, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Friday.



She is among five candidates that passed the first round of the competition for the job which began in July to find a successor to the current WTO head Roberto Azevedo, who announced plans to resign early.



"Eight candidates competed from July to early September, and candidates from three countries, Mexico, Egypt and Moldova were eliminated in the first round. Candidates from five countries  Korea, Nigeria, Kenya, Saudi Arabia and Britain have entered the second round," the ministry said in a statement.



Only two of the five candidates will make it to the final round after the second round of voting among member states from Sept. 25 through Oct. 6. Yoo's immediate challenge now is to overcome the grueling competition to become one of the two in this round.



"Most of the member countries have shown support for the trade minister's expertise accumulated during her 25 years of experience in the field; the trust and leadership acquired during a wide range of successful negotiations with developing countries; and Korea's experience in economic development through free trade," the ministry statement said.



The WTO chief election comes amid growing pressure for the organization to increase its relevance, in addition to tackling complex challenges, in particular the mounting trade disputes arising from the U.S.-China rivalry.



"We need a new director-general who can deliver successful outcomes," Yoo said in a CNN interview last week. "Throughout my career, I have negotiated, finalized and implemented numerous trade deals not only with major countries such as the U.S, China and EU members, but all also with countries spanning all levels of development."



During the CNN interview, she showed confidence and resolve to turn the COVID-19 crisis into an opportunity for the WTO. "Historically speaking, when we had global crisis, that actually led to a transformation in global governance and that could be the moment of opportunity for another reform," Yoo said. "And in some sense, this COVID-19 crisis has forced us to reflect upon what is needed from multilateral negotiating organizations and what should be done. So this could be the moment of opportunity for WTO reform and improvement."



All-out support



Cheong Wae Dae and relevant ministries have exerted all-out support for the election of Yoo as the next WTO leader.



The government established a taskforce, led by Kim Sang-jo, the senior presidential secretary for policy, to support the trade minister. "Yoo's advancement into the second round is a result of her qualifications and expertise as an incumbent trade minister, Korea's heightened global status in light of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and cooperation and support from the government taskforce," the foreign ministry said.



Since Yoo launched her bid, President Moon Jae-in has actively promoted her as the most qualified candidate to lead WTO reform and strengthen the multilateral trade system during his phone calls to the leaders of New Zealand and Australia last month.



Yoo is the first woman to hold the post of trade minister in Korea and has long been considered one of the country's most recognized negotiators in free trade deals.



If she wins the election, she will be the first Korean to head the global trade body, in addition to being the first woman to take the post. Korea has had two previous candidates for the top WTO job.



Yoo entered the civil service in 1992 and has also served at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Cheong Wa Dae. She holds a J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School.


This obituary is part of a series about people who have died in the coronavirus pandemic. Read about others here.

Henrietta Boggs, a young college student from Alabama, stared into a volcano in Costa Rica as she mulled over a marriage proposal from Jose Figueres Ferrer, a coffee farmer with electric blue eyes. He stood beside her while the wind whipped around them and smoke clouded the air.

Will marriage to you be like this volcano? she asked.

Marriage to me will be much worse, he answered. But I can guarantee, you will never be bored.

That was all Ms. Boggs needed to hear to cast aside her cosseted Southern upbringing. The two married in 1941, and after a few years in exile and then a revolution, he would become president of a governing junta in Costa Rica. As first lady, she would help win the countrys female and minority citizens the right to vote.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 19:51:06|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- China's approach to poverty alleviation as well as to containing the COVID-19 pandemic is a window for foreigners to understand how the country's system actually works on the ground, said Robert Lawrence Kuhn, chairman of the Kuhn Foundation.

MICROCOSM OF CHINA'S DEVELOPMENT

"What I recognized in the process of focusing on poverty alleviation was how significant this is to understand China, to understand all of China's development over 40 years of reform and opening-up," said Kuhn in a recent interview with Xinhua, while sharing his experiences on filming a documentary on China's fight against poverty.

"Poverty alleviation is a microcosm of China's development, as it showcases how China's system actually works on the ground," he said.

Hosted and written by Kuhn of the Kuhn Foundation, directed by award-winning director Peter Getzels, and executive-produced by Adam Zhu, "Voices From the Frontline: China's War on Poverty" has been aired on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) stations since its premiere on PBS SoCal.

Kuhn and his team followed how six Chinese families struggled to find a way out of poverty with help from local government officials. Director Getzels took a more observational approach, instead of a journalistic one.

"China has brought over 850 million people out of poverty, the greatest developmental success story in human history. It is the China story that must be told," Kuhn said. "When historians of the future write the chronicles of our times, a feature story may well be China's targeted poverty alleviation."

Kuhn noted a striking correlation between China's approach to fighting the coronavirus outbreak and to fighting poverty.

"Although all political systems have trade-offs, the system that effectively contained the coronavirus in China is the same system that has been able to eliminate almost all extreme poverty in a little over a decade. They both take national commitment and massive mobilization of resources," he said.

"This is an extraordinary accomplishment of social-engineering," he said.

MASSIVE, HIGHLY TARGETED

The documentary, which took Kuhn and his team three years to complete, revealed a rare, behind-the-curtain glimpse of the poverty alleviation plan in China, the huge government program that has pledged to lift China's most indigent citizens out of extreme poverty by the end of 2020.

Kuhn, who has been closely following China's dramatic transformation for over three decades, said he was fascinated that China's solution was to create a massive, highly targeted, individualized poverty alleviation program.

"To truly understand China, one has to recognize their genuine commitment to eradicate poverty," he said, adding he was impressed by the sheer scope and determination of China's poverty alleviation program, energized by the commitment and intensity of President Xi Jinping.

Like no other on Earth, China's program was based on crafting an individualized plan for every single family below the poverty line, then having them be visited regularly by a young local official who helps them implement new strategies to increase their income, he said, adding that progress is monitored and reports are filed monthly.

"I visited with these young local officials working on the frontlines of poverty alleviation, on some occasions intensely for several days: seeing stark, concrete rooms in which they live and watching them cook their food over simple kerosene burners or even candles. And they are dedicating their lives, often spending two full years in a remote village with no modern conveniences, not even flush toilets," he said.

A GOOD EXAMPLE

Since China's targeted poverty initiative began, 3 million cadre officials have been mobilized and, today, 775,000 are still hard at work, Kuhn said. As of the beginning of 2019, through their efforts, China's absolute poverty level had dropped to less than 20 million, and as of the beginning of 2020 to about 5.5 million.

Kuhn said China's poverty alleviation could serve as a good example for the world's other developing countries.

"All countries are different, all cultures and histories are different, such that one cannot transplant wholesale a particular system from one country into another. So, while to understand the Chinese experience is exceedingly important, it must also be recognized that it cannot be just transplanted simply; rather, poverty alleviation principles and practices need to be learned and adapted," he said.

"There is nothing more important in the world in terms of global equality, equity and sustainability than poverty alleviation, and in this regard, China's poverty alleviation program makes a vital contribution. It shows how the Chinese experience can benefit developing countries," he said. Enditem
Ryan Murphys new Netflix show, Ratched, premiered to generally lukewarm reviews.

The show stars American Horror Story alumnus Sarah Paulson as Mildred Ratched, the notorious antagonist from One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest. The story follows Nurse Ratcheds descent from being a regular-if-cold nurse into a heartless monster completely lacking empathy. Other cast members joining Paulson include Sharon Stone (Basic Instinct) and Vincent DOnofrio (Full Metal Jacket).

#Ratched #Ratched I just wanted to write that to see that emoji. #ratched there it is again! Weeeeeee!  Sarah Paulson (@MsSarahPaulson) September 18, 2020

Despite its heavy hitter cast, many critics found Ratched to be rather anticlimactic. The American Horror Story creators latest series is noted for its beautiful scenery and design but found wanting in plot. Some critics claim that the show makes no sense at all despite Paulsons generally favorable performance, chalking it up to nothing more than 'American Horror Storys' worst season.

Linda Holmes, a pop culture correspondent for NPR and host of the Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast, notes that the project was doomed from the start because Nurse Ratcheds character doesnt really need a backstory to begin with; an inherent lack humanity such as that exhibited by Ratched doesnt necessarily warrant nuance.

I wish I had better news about RATCHED, but it's pretty much oof all the way down. https://t.co/AjEeIEQJsu  Linda Holmes Thinks You're Doing Great (@lindaholmes) September 18, 2020

Ratched is now available for streaming on Netflix
A lawyer for Julian Assange says representatives for Donald Trump offered the Wikileaks founder a pardon if he disclosed the source of a hack of Democratic email servers during the 2016 election.

That is what Assange lawyer Jennifer Robinson told a London court on Friday, saying she witnessed a meeting in which former Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher and Charles Johnson, then Trump campaign associate, suggested the two sides trade the name of the hacking source for a possible pardon.

"The proposal put forward by Congressman Rohrabacher was that Mr. Assange identify the source for the 2016 election publications in return for some form of pardon," Robinson told the UK court in a witness statement.

Mr Assange is resisting extradition to the United States for allegedly releasing classified documents in 2010 and 2011.

The US president has in the past said he never floated a pardon for the Wikileaks founder.

Another Assange lawyer earlier this year said a pardon was floated if the Wikileaks founder denied any Russian involvement in a 2017 dump by the organisation of Democratic documents.

At that time, Mr Trump denied the accusation.

"The president barely knows Dana Rohrabacher other than he's an ex-congressman. He's never spoken to him on this subject or almost any subject," a White House spokesman said then.

"It is a complete fabrication and a total lie," the spokesman added. "This is probably another never ending hoax and total lie from the DNC."
Numbers of cattle on the ground in Great Britain continue to shrink, according to the latest data from the British Cattle Movement Service.

The total number of cattle (all types) under 30 months of age is down 1 percent as of 1 July 2020 - a drop of around 67,500 head year-on-year.

The breeding herd - dairy and beef females over 30 months - contracted by slightly more, BCMS's figures show.

Supplies of prime cattle available for beef production in the short-term - dairy males and beef animals of both sexes, accounting for suckler replacements - aged between 12-30 months were down 76,500 head (-4%) year-on-year.

Looking at the figures, AHDB livestock analyst, Hannah Clarke noted that the majority of this decline was in numbers of beef males (-34,200 head), with dairy male numbers down 24,500 head and beef females down 17,800 head.

She explained that the lower numbers stemmed from the poor calving season of 2018.

Looking further ahead, the number of animals available for beef production under 12 months of age is steady compared to last year.

Ms Clarke said a rise in the number of beef animals had offset a fall in dairy male numbers - a reflection of the increased usage of sorted semen in the dairy industry.

Figures also show that both the dairy and suckler herds contracted in July, resulting in the total breeding herd being 76,400 head (-3%) lower than a year ago.

The number of dairy cows fell by 52,700 head (-3%), while suckler cows fell by 23,700 head (-2%).

Ms Clarke explained that this followed a long-term period of steady decline in both herds.
Not having a position on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and a model for settlement is dangerous and means that Armenia will hear a bad proposal from the mediators. This is what second President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan told analysts during a meeting devoted to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and posted on Kocharyans official YouTube channel.

The negotiations will continue. The question is whether they will be effective or not. The last statement was about substantive negotiations. This was what Azerbaijan always demanded. There is something troubling since substantive is a matter of content and territories. There will be negotiations, but I dont think the sides will reach an agreement. I dont know if there will be pressure or not. The mandate of the OSCE Minsk Group implies persuading the sides to finally settle the conflict, not impose a settlement.

In essence, Armenia doesnt have a position, and the formula [a solution that will satisfy all sides] is not a position. It is a nice wish. What I dont understand is when Karabakh says its and Armenias approaches are the same. Armenia doesnt have an approach or position, and if there is no clear position, the next proposal will not be in your favor.

I view Turkeys factor as an element for not only the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, but an overall security issue. I get the impression that Turkeys military exercises and the countrys coarse position have always helped defend Azerbaijan, but there has never been this much willingness. Turkey is trying to counterbalance Russia to a certain extent, and this is my impression. Turkey will be the factor that Russia has to always talk to, reckon with. When Turkey entered Syria, it established its presence, and it is clear that the Syrian issue cant be resolved without Turkey. Now the Turks are trying to do the same in the South Caucasus. If this happens, Armenia will lose, and it has to do something to go against this. However, Armenia isnt doing anything. I even think that the government doesnt have an analysis of what Im saying. Turkey has shown that it is much more independent. Turkey has great ambitions, and it has always had an eye on the South Caucasus. Today, it is taking very practical and daring steps to try to establish its presence, Kocharyan said.
Misguiding the farmers, PM lashes out at opposition for opposing farm bills

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Sep 18: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the farm bills by Lok Sabha are historic. The PM also hit out at the opposition parties for misguiding the farmers.

Farmers have been given new independence in agriculture. They will now have more options and opportunities to sell their produce. I congratulate them on the passage of the bills. It was necessary to bring these to protect them from middlemen. These are a shield for the farmers, the PM also said.

Agriculture bills passed by Lok Sabha are historic, a protection shield for farmers. Those who remained in power for decades trying to mislead farmers, lying to them on the agriculture bills the PM also said.

To oppose farm bills, Arvind Kejriwal appeals to all non-BJP parties to unite in Rajya Sabha

After Akali Dal now JJP's Dushyant Chautala under pressure over farm bills row | Oneindia News

Farmers are aware and can see who are standing with middlemen and opposing new opportunities for them. My government committed to providing farmers appropriate price through MSP, govt purchase of their produce will continue: No govt has done as much for farmers as NDA in last six years. What govt has done was promised in manifestos of those who ruled country for decades, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also said.
Prime Minister and Russian President had a telephonic conversation on Thursday during which the two leaders reiterated their strong commitment to further strengthen the 'Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership' between India and Russia.

Putin conveyed his greetings on the occasion of Prime Minister's Modi 70th birthday. Prime Minister Modi expressed his warm appreciation for Putin's gesture, according to a statement by Prime Minister's office.

Prime Minister Modi thanked President Putin for his personal commitment to strengthening bilateral relations with India and said that he looked forward to welcoming President Putin in India for the next bilateral summit at a mutually convenient date.

"Both leaders reiterated their strong commitment to further strengthen the 'Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership' between India and Russia and expressed appreciation for the continued momentum in bilateral interactions despite the COVID-19 pandemic. In this context, they referred to the recent productive visits to Moscow by Raksha Mantri and External Affairs Minister," the statement read.

PM Modi thanked President Putin for the successful Russian Chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and BRICS this year. "He conveyed his eagerness to participate in the forthcoming SCO and BRICS Summit later this year, as well as the Council of SCO Heads of Government to be hosted by India," the statement read.

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(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.)
OTTAWA A group of conservative-minded premiers say the federal Liberal government must give provinces tens of billions of dollars more for health care, infrastructure and fiscal aid, but should not tell them how to spend it.

The four provincial leaders of Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba personally delivered that message in a news conference on behalf, they said, of all 13 provincial and territorial governments, and addressed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau directly, saying he should focus on health care, not on other issues in next weeks throne speech.

Premiers Doug Ford, Jason Kenney, Francois Legault and Brian Pallister all came to the nations capital, where public health officer Dr. Vera Etches warned a second COVID-19 wave is underway, not to meet with Trudeau  they didnt even ask for a meeting  but to tell him to prioritize health care spending in next weeks throne speech.

The provinces want Trudeau to commit to much higher annual health-care spending beyond the pandemic. Their demand: that Ottawa raise the Canada Health Transfer by $28 billion before April 1, meaning hiking the $42 billion transfer to $70 billion, and to keep it on an escalating path.

Legault said the federal portion of health-care spending should rise from 22 per cent to 35 per cent, and the federal share should remain at that level on an ongoing basis and have no conditions attached.

Were here to ask the federal government, step up to the plate, said Ford, who dismissed questions about a national pharmacare program, saying health care is strictly the provinces domain.

Its a provincial jurisdiction and thats going to be up to each province to decide if we go down that route or we dont, Ford said.

Others too warned Trudeau not to indulge in new programs or spending obligations as the prime minister sets out next week what he previously billed as an ambitious new governing agenda.

Dont come and invent all sorts of new programs and new spending when the priority of Canadians is to properly finance health care. And right now it is not well financed, said Legault.

Manitobas Brian Pallister sounded a note of impatience.

This throne speech needs to focus. I know that is difficult for any government. It is especially difficult for a minority government. But they must focus and keep the main thing the main thing. The main thing is the personal health and well-being of each and every Canadian.

Pallister mocked talk of creating a new national pharmacare program.

If your foundation of your house is beginning to crumble, do you redecorate the second-floor sitting room? We need a federal government to focus on the fundamentals, the foundation, and the foundation of our health-care system surely rests on our ability to get care when we need it in a timely manner.

However health care wasnt the premiers sole focus Friday.

They added to their wish list, saying Ottawa must spend $10 billion a year more on infrastructure for the next 10 years, for a total of $100 billion; and lift a per-capita limit on a federal fiscal stabilization program that is meant to cushion have provinces from economic shocks, like the oil and gas sector downturn that has hit hard in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Albertas Kenney, backed by the others, said his province has been shortchanged by about $6 billion. Later, on CBCs Power and Politics, Kenney said it would be a one-off payment to aid Alberta, not a recurring commitment.

Kenney said all premiers are concerned by talk from Trudeaus cabinet about a green relaunch which he said could be even more damaging to resource sectors. He said Trudeau should not be indulging in ideological fancies when there is a job crisis at hand.

Trudeau has already agreed to a first ministers meeting this fall to discuss health care and the premiers demand that the automatic increase in federal health spending should increase from three per cent each year to 5.2 per cent annually.

On Friday, they said health-care costs across the country are rising anywhere from five to six per cent a year due to an aging population, the need to hire more health workers with the salary costs that entails, and more expensive innovations in medicines and technology. Ford said Ontarios health system also faces a capital spending crunch.

For all their talk and criticism of Trudeau, the premiers praised the level of federal-provincial collaboration during the pandemic, through some 18 first ministers conference calls with Trudeau.

Ford insisted it wasnt about criticizing any one party, that governments of all political stripes going back 20 or 30 years are to blame.

Trudeaus Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic Leblanc said the premiers know Trudeaus immediate priority is dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic crisis.

He took a shot at the provinces who have received $19 billion, including $11 billion for health-care costs, under Safe Re-Start agreements, yet are having trouble ramping up testing in places like Ottawa where COVID-19 is spiking. Leblanc said the premiers know Trudeau shares their concerns for the long-term sustainability of a quality health-care system.

Its not a surprise to the premiers, Leblanc said. What is a surprise to us is that they came to Ottawa today to take yes for an answer. But he declined to say whether Ottawa has the capacity to meet their demands, saying only that questions about Ottawas fiscal capacity are now under consideration.

Leblanc, who was celebrating the one-year anniversary of a successful stem cell transplant for cancer, said he recognizes the critical importance to Canadians of an accessible high-quality health care system.

But he took a dig at Kenney, saying he found the irony pleasant  that Kenney had been a member of the Harper government that never showed any interest in the kinds of meetings the premiers are demanding, including to discuss health care with the provinces.

But we think it is very important and very urgent to continue to focus on the health-care issues linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, Leblanc said repeatedly.

And Leblanc underscored that provinces have still not spent many billions of dollars in infrastructure money. Lets start by properly investing the billions of dollars that remains unallocated.

The federal parliamentary budget office, in its latest report on the federal governments $188 billion infrastructure package, said While federal infrastructure transfers increased by $1 billion in 2018-19, overall provincial infrastructure spending decreased by $800 million.

Read more about:
Francis Koster, in his column Sunday, will have more about the amount of money lost from not being counted. An example he gave me earlier this week showed that if one person counted is worth $1,000 in funding returned to the area, then one missed household (average of three people per household in Cabarrus and Rowan counties) could be $30,000 lost over 10 years. Thats a lot of money that will go somewhere else. You can still respond by visiting 2020census.gov or by calling 844-330-2020 in English or 844-468-2020 in Spanish.

No. 5

Crime reporting for Midland, Mount Pleasant and Harrisburg. Last week, we told you Advisor Smith rated Concord as the third-safest large city in North Carolina. That ranking was based on crime statistics.

Cabarrus three smaller cities were not ranked because of the way crime statistics are compiled. The Cabarrus County Sheriffs Office handles law enforcement in those areas. The sheriffs office also covers all of our unincorporated areas. So, crimes in Georgeville or Rimertown are included, along with something that might happen on Main Street in Mount Pleasant or on N.C. 49 in town.
Although implementation challenges, including a global pandemic, have stymied participation in two programs intended to narrow educational gaps, state lawmakers and the Public Education Department mustnt give up on the states K-5 Plus and Extended Learning Time programs.

Because unlike simply raiding the Land Grant Permanent Fund to throw money at a problem, the data shows that these programs, which do require logistical effort, deliver real results for our students.

Unfortunately, a Legislative Education Study Committee brief says participation in the two programs has been dramatically lower than anticipated.

State lawmakers earmarked $120 million for K-5 Plus for the summer of 2019, which extended the school year by 25 days for 87,000 elementary students. But only $22 million was distributed. The program was scuttled in the summer of 2020. Lawmakers appropriated $62.5 million for Extended Learning Time programs for 124,000 students in the 2019-20 school year, but only $42.2 million for 83,000 students was spent.

A legislative analyst questions whether the programs are the most effective way to increase time spent on learning, citing implementation challenges.

But lawmakers, including career educator Sen. Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, will tell you the programs are stringent for good reasons that include continuity. The K-5 Plus program requires students be kept with the same teacher for the summer program and the school year. The Extended Learning Time program adds 10 instructional days per school year while also requiring after-school programs.

New Mexicans clearly want to see improvements in public education. A poll in 2018 by the Journal found 68% of those polled consider the quality of public school education a very serious problem and another 24% defined it as somewhat serious.

Stewart told the Journal Editorial Board recently she would like to see the current school year extended 10 days for every student. The LESC brief also suggests an expanded school year or making the programs mandatory.

Unused money for K-5 Plus and Extended Learning Time reverts to the public education reform fund, where its ultimate use is nebulous. The LFC brief says if school districts and charter schools are unable to implement the programs quickly, the Legislature might consider rethinking them.

They might give them a fighting chance first.

N.M. Public Education Deputy Secretary Katarina Sandoval says the 2020-21 school year should see a significant increase in participation  to 135,479. And while the LESC brief says thats down from earlier projections, we had a little thing called COVID-19 that shuttered schools and businesses, threw parents out of work, and more. Expecting these programs to be on pace is patently unfair and unrealistic.

Giving up on K-5 Plus and Extended Learning Time so soon  especially given the challenges the coronavirus pandemic presented  is not the answer. The unused money should be re-invested in the programs, and the Public Education Department should work with districts to not only roll them out, but to fill empty seats and expand availability.

The landmark 2018 Yazzie-Martinez court ruling determined the state is not providing adequate education for all. These programs, which have proven track records, should be part of the solution.

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / September 18, 2020 / Potbotics Inc. o/a RYAH ("RYAH" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce that it has entered into a binding definitive agreement (the "Merger Agreement") with Prime Blockchain Inc. ("Prime",and together with the Company, the "Parties") pursuant to which the Parties intend to complete the business combination transaction (the "Transaction") previously announced in the press release of Prime dated June 27, 2019. Subject to certain conditions and applicable shareholder and regulatory approvals, the Transaction will result in a reverse takeover of Prime by the Company. The combined public company resulting from the Transaction (the "Resulting Issuer") will carry on the business of RYAH. The Merger Agreement marks a significant step forward in the Company's plans to complete the Transaction and apply for listing of the securities of the Resulting Issuer on the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE").

The Merger Agreement and the Transaction with Prime is an important milestone, which will allow the Company to, through the Resulting Issuer, reinforce RYAH's presence in the capital markets. The Company plans to reach out to its shareholders with respect to the proposed Transaction in the upcoming weeks.

Under the terms of the Merger Agreement, the Transaction will be completed by way of a three-cornered merger (the "Merger") among the Company, Prime, and Ryah Acquisition Corp. ("Subco"), a Florida corporation and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Prime incorporated for the purposes of completing the Transaction, under the laws of the State of Florida. The Merger will result in the Company combining its corporate existence with Subco, and the entity resulting from the Merger will be a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Resulting Issuer.

Additional details of the Transaction will be available in the related meeting materials to be communicated to the shareholders of the Company and Prime in connection with the various matters required to be approved by the shareholders of the Company and Prime in connection with the Transaction and the listing statement to be prepared in connection with the Transaction, and readers are cautioned that, except as disclosed therein, any information released or received with respect to the Transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon.

Completion of the Merger is subject to a number of conditions customary to transactions of the nature of the Merger, including, but not limited to the receipt of all required regulatory, corporate, shareholder, stock exchange, and third-party approvals. There can be no assurance that any one or more of the Merger, and/or the proposed CSE listing will be completed as proposed or at all. In particular, the proposed CSE listing is subject to meeting the initial listing requirements, and obtaining the approval, of the CSE.

"RYAH is a technological leader in the plant-based treatment market with its unique combination of proprietary IoT devices, data analytics capacity, supported by patented AI technology" said Gregory Wagner, CEO, RYAH Medtech. "Our recently signed merger agreement and subsequent anticipated listing on the CSE is intended to provide direct access for investors to participate in our rapidly growing IoT device and data analytics story as we outpace our peers and expand across the globe."

About RYAH

RYAH is a big data and technology company focused on valuable predictive analysis in the global medical plant intake industry. The company manages a complete digital ecosystem leveraging both Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence to create a dynamic data service for the medical plant industry. It is developing a suite of IoT devices, including a dry-herb vaporizer device capable of storing all plant lab results, measuring patient inhalation sessions in real-time and capturing instant feedback for plant dose management. Its robust artificial intelligence platform aggregates and correlates HIPAA-compliant medical data, which is intended to help doctors and patients personalize plant-based treatments to better predict treatment outcomes. The data collection is also relevant for pharmacies, clinics, growers, dispensaries and Licensed Processors (LPs) to monitor and manage plant strain effects on patients. With a strong IP portfolio, RYAH gathers deep and insightful data on the complete medical plant lifecycle, from seed to consumption.

Cautionary Statements

The CSE has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. The CSE does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute "forward-looking information" as such term is defined in applicable Canadian securities legislation and United States rules and regulation. The words "may", "would", "could", "should", "potential", "will", "seek", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" and similar expressions as they relate to the Company are intended to identify forward-looking information. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking information. Such statements reflect the Company's current views and intentions with respect to future events, and current information available to the Company, and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. 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 the Company 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, the Company 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 the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information, other than as required by applicable law.

RYAH Contact:

Sofiya Kleshchuk

Client Relations

+1 917 210 0543

Invest@ryahgroup.com

SOURCE: RYAH Medtech Inc

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/606689/RYAH-Enters-into-Merger-Agreement-with-Prime-Blockchain-in-respect-of-Previously-Announced-Proposed-Reverse-Takeover
(TNS)  The Oregon Health Authority is embracing contact tracing technology from Apple and Google that will allow Oregonians to use their cell phones to find out if theyve been exposed to coronavirus.Oregon will launch a pilot project this fall with a goal of about 30,000 participants, likely involving college students who are tech savvy and in close contact with others.If state officials determine the technology is effective, they could make it widely available for Oregonians as soon as December or early 2021. Officials are cautiously optimistic about the project and say if several hundred thousand Oregonians use it, the technology could help slow spread of the virus in a meaningful way.But state leaders remain guarded in their enthusiasm, recognizing some Oregonians may be unlikely to participate over privacy concerns and acknowledging equity challenges over who may access the technology. An unrelated symptom-monitoring project touted as a game changer by Gov. Kate Brown got shelved last month for failing to ensure enough participation among people of color Knowledge is power when it comes to stopping the spread of COVID-19, and this pilot project will help people make informed decisions to keep themselves healthy, while still protecting individual privacy, Brown said in a statement this week announcing the new technology effort.COVID-19 knows no state borders, and my goal is to make sure, if more widely implemented, this exposure notification technology is made available to those communities that have been disproportionately impacted by this disease  Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Pacific Islander and Tribal communities, as well as those living in the rural parts of our states.Late on Wednesday, health officials announced Oregon would join California, Washington, Colorado and Nevada in embracing the technology as part of a months-long pact between western states. California is rolling out the system, called Exposure Notification Express, at the University of California San Francisco and the University of California San Diego Oregon officials would not say where the technology will be available under the pilot, noting details are still being finalized. But the Oregon Health Authority is in talks with a university or universities about promoting the system for students, suggesting it could be available in Eugene at the University of Oregon, Corvallis for Oregon State University or in Portland at Portland State University.The digital contact tracing system will be voluntary and completely anonymous, said Dr. Timothy Menza, a senior health adviser for the Oregon Health Authority.It works by using Bluetooth signals from cell phones to record anonymized identifiers for cell phones that are in close proximity. The technology is able to determine roughly how close and how long the phones are near one another, with the federal government considering close contact as within six feet for at least 15 minutes.That anonymized data would stay on an individuals phone unless the person later tests positive for COVID-19, Menza said. At that point, the infected person would receive a personal identification number from the state or county health department after the COVID-19 diagnosis had been confirmed.The person could then voluntarily enter the PIN into their cell phone, which would begin the process of uploading the anonymized Bluetooth data to a national server, Menza said. Other participants' phones would regularly scan the national database to see if theyve been in close contact with a confirmed coronavirus case  and if theres a match the person would receive a notice on the phone about exposure and suggesting testing.State and local health departments would not receive notice about exposures, Menza said. But people who are infected, or people who seek testing after receiving a notice, could voluntarily disclose that they are using the technology.So-called proximity tracing applications do not take the place of traditional contact tracing by public health officials that involves detailed case investigations to determine the names of people who might have been exposed to a person with a confirmed infection.But the technology does allow for more thorough tracing efforts, allowing notification among people whose identities might not be known to an infected person  such as someone who rode the same bus, ate at the same restaurant or attended the same party.Proximity technology is controversial, particularly among some Americans who are unwilling to share personal data for privacy reasons and skeptical of the big tech companies offering the service. But its been embraced in some places, including Scotland, where a new app was reportedly downloaded 600,000 times Menza said proximity tracing apps have the potential to make a big difference if widely adopted. He pointed to research by the University of Oxford, which estimates that cases and hospitalizations could decline if just 15% of the population uses the technology. Modeled for the state of Washington, that adoption level suggested a 15% decline in infections and 11% reduction in deaths. In that sense, Menza said, it seems pretty powerful.But that would require participation of more than 600,000 Oregonians, essentially the entire population of Portland.Well have to put in the work to make that happen, Menza said.Menza acknowledged potential challenges, not the least of which will be participation. Officials plan to roll out the technology slowly to ensure it works well and to determine if there are any glitches. They also plan to learn from pilot efforts in other participating states.What we need to do, and do well, is communicate clearly about what this app can and cannot do, and all the privacy protections that are part of it, and make the technology accessible to everyone, he said.State leaders had been internally discussing the potential to use exposure notification technology for several months but decided to work with Apple and Google this month, said Charles Boyle, a spokesman for Oregons governor. States must opt into the program for the technology to be available to residents.The tracing software is not yet accessible to Oregonians. It will be available for Apple users in iPhone settings while others will need to download the technology through Google Play, Menza said.Oregon officials plan to do the soft launch and limit participation until making a decision to move forward more broadly.Menza said officials expect to receive aggregate data from tech companies about how many people use the technology, which theyll compare to how many people voluntarily disclose participation during coronavirus testing.Im optimistic, he said, that this might do us some good here.
By Jessica Resnick-Ault NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices rose more than 2% on Thursday, turning positive as OPEC and its allies said the producer group would crack down on countries that failed to comply with output cuts and planned to hold an extraordinary meeting in October if oil markets weaken further. After falling early in the session amid bearish jobs numbers and a ramp up in Gulf of Mexico oil output following Hurricane Sally, crude benchmarks reversed course to gain on the day, bolstered by comments from OPEC. 'Although no amendments to the current supply-cut deal have been proposed by OPEC+ today, the producers group gave the impression that it does not sweep troubles under the carpet,' said Rystad Energy's Head of Oil Markets, Bjornar Tonhaugen.

By Jessica Resnick-Ault

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices rose more than 2% on Thursday, turning positive as OPEC and its allies said the producer group would crack down on countries that failed to comply with output cuts and planned to hold an extraordinary meeting in October if oil markets weaken further.

After falling early in the session amid bearish jobs numbers and a ramp up in Gulf of Mexico oil output following Hurricane Sally, crude benchmarks reversed course to gain on the day, bolstered by comments from OPEC.

"Although no amendments to the current supply-cut deal have been proposed by OPEC+ today, the producers group gave the impression that it does not sweep troubles under the carpet," said Rystad Energy's Head of Oil Markets, Bjornar Tonhaugen.

Brent oil futures extended gains to settle up $1.08 or 2.56% at $43.30 a barrel. U.S. crude futures settled higher by 81 cents, or 2.02% at $40.97 a barrel. Both contracts rose more than 4% on Wednesday.

The panel of major producers, including Saudi Arabia and Russia, did not recommend any changes to their current output reduction target of 7.7 million barrels per day (bpd), or around 8% of global demand, according to a draft press release and an internal report.

The panel pressed laggards such as Iraq, Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates to cut more barrels to compensate for overproduction in May-July, while extending the compensation period from September to the end of December, according to three OPEC+ sources.

"They were coming down hard on the UAE," said Phil Flynn, senior analyst at Price Futures Group in New York. The expectation that output could fall as the UAE and others trim production bolstered prices, he said.

The OPEC news overshadowed the restart of U.S. offshore production after Hurricane Sally passed through the Gulf of Mexico and bearish U.S. economic news.

U.S. energy companies were starting to return crews to offshore oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico after Sally halted operations for five days, shutting down nearly 500,000 bpd of output.

Prices were also under pressure from the slow economic recovery from the pandemic.

Global coronavirus cases are expected to pass 30 million on Thursday, according to a Reuters tally.

The U.S. Labor Department's report showed the number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell last week, but remained at extremely high levels as the labor market recovery shifts into low gear and consumer spending cools.

Even OPEC+ cautioned that the pandemic could continue to curb demand. An OPEC+ technical panel warned that a rise in coronavirus cases in some countries may curb oil demand despite signs of economic recovery and initial indications of a decline in oil stocks, according to an internal document seen by Reuters.

(Additional reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin in London, Sonali Paul in Melbourne and Roslan Khasawneh in Singapore; Editing by Marguerita Choy, Emelia Sithole-Matarise and Tom Brown)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Special Deal

18 September 2020

Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills announces today that its award-winning dining destination, Jean-Georges Beverly Hills, is welcoming back guests with the reopening of its outdoor terrace on Oct. 1, 2020, to offer an eight-course tasting menu with signature favorites and decadent dishes for a redefined dining experience.

World-renowned chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten is reinventing the upscale dining experience with a sumptuous eight-course tasting menu, available three days a week, Thursday through Saturday, with two seatings at 6 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. The tasting menu will offer new dishes each month, showcasing seasonal flavors and tantalizing surprises to be discovered.

The Patio eight-course tasting begins with Chef's Nightly Amuse Bouche, followed by Toasted Organic Egg Yolk with caviar and dill. Seafood lovers can indulge in the Yellowfin Tuna Noodles with avocado, radish and ginger dressing, King Crab Risotto with black pepper and dill, and Roasted Black Cod with lemon braised celeriac and fragrant green curry. Next, the Caramelized Wagyu Beef Tenderloin offers robust flavors, with a beet-red wine reduction and potato dauphinoise. To conclude, the famous Jean-Georges Warm Chocolate Cake and Chocolate Mignardises satisfies the sweet tooth for a rich finish.

To complement the evening, guests can opt to experience a curated wine pairing prepared by Jean-Georges Beverly Hills' very own sommelier. Premium wines are specifically selected for each course as the menu items evolve, with caviar, foie gras and truffles paired with the perfect sip. Themed wine pairings will take place with Crystal, Laurent Perrier and Hundred Acre.

The elegant open-air terrace will be capped at a reduced capacity to meet current local social distancing requirements and maintain the health and safety of all guests and team members. As part of Hilton's newest cleanliness and sanitation program, Hilton CleanStay, sanitation stations will be available throughout the hotel and restaurant for guest use, and person-to-person contact will be limited through pay-at-table technology and QR codes for menu viewing. Valet parking is available and car seats, wheels, and gearshifts will be covered by the valet staff. In alignment with the guidelines and practices adopted by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), and as part of the Hilton CleanStay program, face coverings will be required prior to entering the hotel and restaurant.

The new specialty tasting menu is $180++ per person with an optional wine pairing at $140. To make a reservation, please call (310) 860-6700.

Learn more about Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts at www.waldorfastoriabeverlyhills.com.

About Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills

Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills is Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts' first new build on the West Coast and second California property, joining the legendary Waldorf Astoria portfolio of now 26 hotels and resorts. The hotel's 119 deluxe rooms and 51 suites are part of a world-class, Art Deco-influenced design created by renowned interior design firm Pierre-Yves Rochon, Inc. (PYR). World-class dining can be discovered at the hotel with three venues created by the legendary French chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten: the elegant Jean-Georges Beverly Hills, the chef's signature restaurant, as well as The Rooftop by JG and Jean-Georges Beverly Hills Bar. Helmed by a top-notch team of culinary experts hand picked by Vongerichten and including Executive Chef Steve Benjamin of L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon fame, the chefs are committed to sourcing foods locally whenever possible and a cornerstone of the menus in all the food and beverage offerings at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills. The hotel also features 6,300 square feet of meeting spaces, perfect for social events, corporate meetings or gala celebrations.

The property recently won the Forbes Five-Star Award, was ranked No. 1 in the Conde Nast Traveler 2017 Readers' Choice Awards as Best Hotel in Los Angeles, and has also been named best new hotel on the Travel + Leisure It List, Travel + Leisure "World's Best" Awards, and by U.S. News and World Report. For more information, visit www.waldorfastoriabeverlyhills.com.
Incidental Moments Of The Day (YouTube)

Verdict: Nelsons column draws to a close

Rating:

Credo (iPlayer/nationaltheatreofscotland.com)

Verdict: Signing off in style

Rating:

WERE not out of the woods yet, as far as Covid is concerned, and there may be more woods on the way  like those that came to meet Macbeth at Dunsinane.

But although some really great work emerged out of this years lockdown, the time has already come to say goodbye to some of it.

One was the charming series of Apple Family plays, written for Zoom by New York-based playwright Richard Nelson  the first was released on the citys Public Theater website. The Apple clan, in Upstate New York, came to feel like old friends to me.

I have been particularly grateful for the sanity of the trilogy  the final episode of which is called Incidental Moments Of The Day.

It follows the usual format, with the fifty-something Apple siblings shooting the breeze on successive Zoom calls, discussing themselves, the Government, their hopes and fears.

In this instalment we find retired brother Richard (Jay O. Sanders) moving house, after finding a girlfriend whos inspired him to take up theatre.

Virtually perfect: Incidental Moments Of The Day

Melancholy Marian (Laila Robins) is away on a date with a fellow whose face shes never seen, thanks to his Covid mask. Younger sister Jane (Sally Murphy), whos struggling with depression, wonders if siss mystery man actually has a nose.

M EANWHILE, Janes partner Tim (Stephen Kunken) finds himself in his childhood bedroom, now that his mother has moved into a care home.

Perhaps most bravely, the older sister Barbara (Maryann Plunkett) expresses her fears about the continuing charge of the woke brigade.

And in an unusual touch for the normally chat-orientated Nelson, one of Barbaras former English students logs on from France and performs a dance to a piece of ragtime music.

If, like me, you loved the first two in the series, What Do We Need To Talk About? and And So We Come Forth, then this is a fond farewell. There are other plays in Nelsons war chest, and now weve sampled his work, perhaps an intrepid producer will bring some of it to the UK.

Liz LochheaD, Scotlands first lady of verse, is an equal fountain of good sense in Credo

n Liz LochheaD, Scotlands first lady of verse, is an equal fountain of good sense in Credo, part of the terrific Scenes For Survival shorts from the National Theatre of Scotland, which conclude this week. I will miss them greatly. The poet offers her rhyming rules on writing for the stage: Just tell the one and only, ever lovin, rootin tootin story! Amen to that.

Credo is a wry but warm six-minute work featuring Lochhead, looking a bit like a bag lady, sitting on a bench in a Glasgow open air theatre and reading from a battered script binder.

Andy Clark illustrates her commandments with Chaplin-esque routines on a stage, which are set to jazz trumpet.

Also worth a squint this week, from the same series, is The Quiz, which features Sanjeev Kohli as Sukhdeep, a Currys area manager organising his high schools 30th anniversary reunion quiz.

Its a bit like The Office, on furlough in Glasgow, with a nice twist at the end.

Not everything was gold in Scenes For Survival  including, surprisingly, Scottish-American actor Alan Cummings creepy perambulations in the woods near his home in the Catskills, New York.

But I shall remember Mark Bonnar as the penitent politician in Larchview, and Peter Mullan as the Glaswegian hardman visited by disgruntled birds in Fatbaws, long after this year is over.

Somethings stirring in the West End

ONE of the many concepts weve had to get to grips with this year has been that of disinfectant fogging. Its a method of cleaning an entire auditorium first mooted by Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber as a way of bringing audiences back to West End theatres.

But its Nica Burnss Nimax theatres that will be the first West End venues to reopen  at a loss, but helped by those antiseptic vapours. Fittingly, former doctor Adam Kay leads the way in an NHS comedy, This Is Going To Hurt, from October 22 at Shaftesbury Avenues Apollo Theatre.

The musical Six, about Henry VIIIs half dozen wives, is set to return to the same street  in the Lyric  from November 14 (unless it goes divorced, beheaded, postponed). The dancing queens vehicle will be the first musical to open in the West End.

Burns is hoping Everybodys Talking About Jamie, Magic Goes Wrong and The Play That Goes Wrong will follow soon after.

Harry Potter And The Cursed Child is waiting until social distancing is completely over, so there will be no magic at the Palace Theatre for a while.

Sir Nicholas Hytners Bridge Theatre has already shown how a return to live theatre can be achieved, with a little help from e-tickets, temperature checks, one-way systems, face masks  and a good blast of that sanitising mist (see review, right).

Lyrical: Courtney Bowman as Anne Boleyn in Six

Over at Sir Nicholass former stomping ground the National Theatre, they are hoping to get back on track next month with Giles Terera in Death Of England: Delroy. This is Clint Dyer and Roy Williamss follow-up to Death Of England, which starred Rafe Spall what seems like a lifetime ago, but was actually earlier this year.

Its being staged in the Olivier, which has been reconfigured in the round to allow greater numbers while maintaining social distancing. And its a monologue  an art form we may have to learn to love.

Kristins left to moulder away among the antiques

The Hand Of God/The Outside Dog (Bridge Theatre, London)

Verdict: Loveless Bennett

Rating:

KRISTIN Scott Thomas can be seen live at Londons Bridge Theatre, reprising her vinegary turn in The Hand Of God (first seen on the BBC this summer), in the latest pairing of Alan Bennetts Talking Heads monologues.

Its as though her character from 1994s Four Weddings And A Funeral had grown, in the intervening decades, into an embittered old antiques dealer.

Celia (Scott Thomas) alternates between sneering at her ignorant customers, and enduring long, lonely vigils as she waits for those same ignoramuses to buy some of her good cottage furniture. I thought wed reached a low point when she starts casting a covetous eye over the furniture of a dying neighbour, from which she hopes to make a mint.

But worse follows, when shes given the framed drawing of a single finger, which she judges to be of little value and even less taste.

Bitter: Scott Thomas as Celia

Scott Thomas is effortlessly withering, with her aristocratic hooter and crystal consonants  even if shes sometimes a little hard to hear. But Celia, in pink cashmere, quilted gilet, flat shoes and Liberty print skirt, is treated with disdain by Bennett, who is himself a connoisseur of antiques.

Nor is there much relief in the evenings curtain raiser, which stars Rochenda Sandall as a feisty but downtrodden working-class Leeds woman who comes to suspect that her slaughterman husband could be a serial killer.

This one is played out as a dark psychological thriller, in Nadia Falls sharply drawn production. But I found both offerings more than a little loveless.

The Hand Of God/The Outside Dog runs until September 26. Book tickets at bridgetheatre.co.uk.
The Department of Homeland Security is investigating allegations that immigrant women detained at a privately run detention center in Georgia underwent gynecological procedures without fully understanding or consenting to them.

The allegations, some of which were submitted this week as part of a whistleblower complaint by a nurse at the facility, already have prompted more than 170 members of Congress, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi, to call for an immediate inquiry.

The complaint details medical procedures ordered or undertaken by a physician who has treated patients detained at the Irwin County Detention Center, which is run by a private company, LaSalle Corrections, in Ocilla, Georgia.

The nurse, Dawn Wooten, claims in the complaint that several women detained at the facility told her their uteri had been removed without their consent, a claim The New York Times was unable to verify. One detainee whose testimony was included in the complaint said her medical treatment left her shaken and confused.

The woman, who like the others was not identified because she feared retaliation from immigration authorities, said she was transported this year to Irwin County Hospital for a procedure but was given three different explanations of what it would be, ranging from having her womb removed entirely to instead having a small amount of tissue scraped away.

Ultimately, the complaint says, the hospital declined to operate on the woman because she tested positive for antibodies to the novel coronavirus. But the woman said the experience left her feeling scared and frustrated, saying it felt like they were trying to mess with my body, the complaint said.

The hospital did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It was a defendant in a federal lawsuit alleging the creation of false Medicare and Medicaid claims that the government said resulted in overpayments. The case was settled, and the defendants, including several doctors, agreed to pay $525,000 to the federal government.

Dr. Ada Rivera, medical director of the ICE Health Services Corps, which oversees health care in the agencys detention system, said that the reports would be fully and independently investigated but that the agency vehemently disputes the implication that detainees are used for experimental medical procedures.

In a statement, he said that two women detained at the facility had been referred for hysterectomies since 2018. The agency did not respond to requests for information about how many of the referrals were acted on, nor how many tubal ligations or other potentially sterilizing procedures had been conducted in the past several years.

The complaint does not name any specific staff members, but the lawyers for several detainees who have come forward have said that they center on a particular doctor, Mahendra Amin, an obstetrics and gynecology specialist who practices in the nearby city of Douglas.

Scott Grubman, a lawyer for Amin, said he and his client vehemently deny the allegations. Dr. Amin is a highly respected physician who has dedicated his adult life to treating a high-risk, underserved population in rural Georgia, Grubman said in a statement.

He pointed to an admission made to The Washington Post by the lawyer who handled the filing of the complaint that she had not personally spoken with anyone who was sterilized without their consent but that she included the secondhand reports in the document with the intention of triggering an investigation into whether or not the claims were true.

The complaint was filed by the organizations Project South, Georgia Detention Watch, Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights and the South Georgia Immigrant Support Network.

Two immigration lawyers representing women currently or previously detained at the facility in Irwin County, Elizabeth Matherne and Van Huynh, who were not included in the whistleblower complaint, said their clients were also left shaken after being treated by Amin while in immigration custody.

Matherne said that at least half a dozen clients had complained to her about what they described as rough treatment by the doctor. Matherne lodged a request with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the fall of 2018 on behalf of one of them, Nancy Gonzalez Hidalgo, who had an underlying medical condition that was worsening.

Matherne said her client was refusing to see Amin, who had treated her earlier, because she said the doctor had hurt her during previous exams. The doctor did not speak Spanish or use a translator to explain what he was doing, Matherne said her client told her.

Eventually, Gonzalez Hidalgo worsened to the point that she was running a fever and could not stop from crying or sit up straight during their in-person meetings because she was doubled over in pain, Matherne said.

The lawyer said she was so concerned after one of the meetings that she walked over to the facilitys inmate services coordinator and pleaded with the person to find another doctor for her client. Months later and after repeated follow-ups by Matherne, Hidalgo Gonzalez was eventually sent to another doctor who confirmed she had an infection in her uterus and prescribed her medication, after which she started to feel better. Hidalgo Gonzalez was eventually deported to her home country of Mexico.

If they act like they had no idea there were issues with this doctor, theyre lying, Matherne said.

The other lawyer, Huynh, said her client Pauline Binam underwent a procedure for an ovarian cyst in 2019 that involved general anesthesia. When Binam woke up, Huynh said, Amin told her that he had removed part of her fallopian tube and that she would be unable to conceive without in vitro fertilization.

Binam, who was 29 at the time of the procedure, told Huynh that she would never have consented had she known there was a risk of infertility.

Huynh said her client, who has since been transferred to an ICE detention facility in Texas, had not had a period at all since the procedure. Binam was nearly deported Wednesday, but two Democratic members of Congress, Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas and Pramila Jayapal of Washington, rushed to contact ICE, and Binam was removed from the plane before it took off.

We need her to testify, Jayapal said. This story sends a chill through any woman.

Also part of the whistleblower complaint are allegations that the facility has not complied with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for containing the coronavirus. A total of 43 detainees there have tested positive for the virus, according to government data, and Wooten alleged in her complaint that officials at the facility knowingly placed healthy detainees near those who were sick and contagious.

There is a long history of substandard health and safety conditions in immigration detention facilities. Soon after President Donald Trump took office, the administration moved to roll back detention standards that were meant to rectify the problem.

In 2019, staff members of the House Oversight Committee visited several detention facilities, including the Irwin County Detention Center, and wrote in a letter to ICEs inspector general that they had left with significant concerns after detainees said they were being verbally abused and subject to sleep deprivation.

The committee has also called for an emergency investigation into the facility following the whistleblower complaint.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Members of the public queue outside the new walk-through testing centre as it opened today at Glasgow Caledonian University's ARC sports centre in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Sept. 18, 2020. (Andrew Milligan-WPA Pool/Getty Images)

UK Sees Spike in CCP Virus Cases, Second Lockdown Possible

The United Kingdoms top health official said Friday that its not clear if the country will mandate another COVID-19 lockdown due to a surge in cases across the UK and Europe.

I cant give you that answer, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said, according to Reuters. He noted that the number of infected persons being hospitalized is doubling every eight days.

Officials said that about 6,000 cases were reported Friday.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the second wave of COVID-19 cases is now unstoppable.

We are now seeing a second wave coming in  It is absolutely, Im afraid, inevitable, that we will see it in this country, Johnson said, according to the news agency. When he was asked about a lockdown, he demurred, saying: I dont want to get into a second national lockdown at all.

Johnson said he will not rule out more lockdowns in the future.

A man wears full protective equipment to protect against the CCP virus as he shops in London, on May 4, 2020. (Kirsty Wigglesworth /AP Photo)

UK lawmakers including Leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg, center left, queue outside the Houses of Commons in Westminster, London, on June 2, 2020. (Jonathan Brady/PA via AP)

When you look at what is happening, youve got to wonder whether we need to go further than the rule of six that we brought in on Monday, he said in reference to a ban on gatherings of more than six people.

Johnson earlier this week told Sky News that a second lockdown would be a disaster for the UK economy.

The UK imposed new virus regulations on the North East area on Friday, and will impose restrictions on the North West, Midlands, and West Yorkshire areas from Tuesday next week.

The speculation comes as the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus cases are increasing dramatically across Europe.

Weekly cases have now exceeded those reported when the pandemic first peaked in Europe in March, WHOs Dr. Hans Kluge said in a news conference. Last week, the regions weekly tally exceeded 300,000 patients.

In the spring and early summer we were able to see the impact of strict lockdown measures. Our efforts, our sacrifices, paid off. In June cases hit an all-time low. The September case numbers, however, should serve as a wake-up call for all of us, he said. Although these numbers reflect more comprehensive testing, it also shows alarming rates of transmission across the region.

France, for example, has reported about 10,000 cases of the CCP virus per day.
'Project Botticelli' takes shape as LSE board examines Borsa bids FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: A logo is seen at the seat of Swiss stock exchange operator SIX Group in Zurich

By Pamela Barbaglia, Valentina Za and Tom Sims

LONDON/MILAN/FRANKFURT (Reuters) - The London Stock Exchange will review offers valuing Borsa Italiana at up to 4 billion euros (3.64 billion pounds) at a Thursday board meeting, three sources familiar with the matter said.

The sale, dubbed "Project Botticelli", puts the Milan bourse at the centre of the latest shake-up in the European exchange sector, with non-binding bids from France's Euronext <ENX.PA>, Switzerland's Six and Germany's Deutsche Boerse <DB1Gn.DE>.

Sources said Six has made the highest offer for Borsa, which the LSE <LSE.L> bought in 2007 for 1.6 billion euros.

"The LSE is in no rush to take a decision. There are many stakeholders that LSE needs to please, including EU antitrust regulators and Italian lawmakers," one of the sources said.

The LSE declined to comment.

It is trying to sell Borsa Italiana as part of regulatory remedies needed to clear its $27 billion purchase of data provider Refinitiv and needs a deal by Dec. 16 when EU antitrust regulators are expected to make a decision.

Refinitiv is 45% owned by Thomson Reuters <TRI.N><TRI.TO>, which is the parent company of Reuters News.

Euronext, which has made the lowest bid, has teamed up with Italian state-owned lender Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) whose backing the exchange operator believes is key to selling the deal to lawmakers in Rome.

If their bid is successful, CDP is set to take a stake of around 8% in Euronext, becoming its top investor alongside Caisse des Depots et Consignations which also owns 8%.

'GOLDEN POWER'

Italy's Treasury can block any unwanted takeover of Borsa using its "golden power" legislation.

Rome is keen to have a tight grip on Borsa's MTS platform, which is used for trading Italian sovereign debt, sources have said.

Both Six and Deutsche Boerse are trying to lure Rome away from Euronext and have offered Italian officials guarantees on governance as well as representation on their respective boards.

Story continues

In an interview with Corriere della Sera, Six CEO Jos Dijsselhof said it would welcome an Italian partner and was ready to offer a governance structure that took into account Italy's interests in both Borsa and MTS.

Deutsche Boerse has offered to buy Borsa Italiana in tandem with Italian investors and would give Rome a seat on its supervisory board, sources have said.

(Reporting by Pamela Barbaglia in London, Valentina Za in Milan and Tom Sims in Frankfurt; Additional reporting by Elvira Pollina in Milan, Giselda Vagnoni in Rome and Mike Shields in Zurich; Editing by Alexander Smith)
'We have taken technology to the mandal and booth level.'

Aditi Phadnis reports.

IMAGE: Bharatiya Janata Party President Jagat Prakash Nadda launching the Aatmnirbhar Bihar Abhiyan'at the BJP state office in Patna. Photograph: ANI Photo

The year was 2002 (September-October) and campaigning for assembly elections in Gujarat was in full swing.

The crowd was waiting for Narendra Modi. As the Mazda truck, redesigned as an air-conditioned chariot (rath) glided to a halt, a makeshift podium with a canopy emerged slowly from the middle of the rath via a hydraulic lift.

Standthe ing at the centre, raising his hands, smiling, was Modi, in a scene that was a cross between the Mahabharat and Star Wars.

The gasp of the crowd was almost audible.

However, COVID-19 has changed all of that. There will be few public meetings, even fewer yatras.

Zoom and Cisco Webex are now the favoured modes of communication with voters.

The rath will still be there -- but fitted with LED lights, playing clips from the prime minister's past speeches and nationalist songs, festooned with posters, a kind of mobile audio-visual display, as it trundles through villages and towns.

Instead of public meetings, much of the Bharatiya Janata Party's campaign in the election will be conducted digitally.

"We have taken technology to the mandal and booth level," says Devesh Kumar, the BJP general secretary and co-convenor of the campaign committee.

There is no choice. Guidelines issued by the Election Commission stipulate that no more than five people will be allowed for a door-to-door campaign, a maximum of five vehicles can be used in road shows and public rallies will be allowed in grounds pre-identified by district election officer, with social distancing, sanitisers, masks and a cap of 100 people.

"Even at the panchayat level, people have begun to understand Zoom and Cisco Webex," Kumar adds.

The Bihar BJP has undertaken extensive workshops to train cadres on how to download and operate the systems, including the 'mute' and 'unmute' functions and how to speak.

"Our office-bearers have visited every assembly segment to train people: First, we held virtual conferences and then we visited the locations personally to hold small sessions with people -- no more than 50 or 55 people at a time, all wearing masks. The last round was in Araria and Kishanganj," he says.

When Union Home Minister Amit Shah held the first virtual public meeting in June, the party was expecting 100,000 people to join; however, 15 million heard him.

This was a result of the technology familiarisation exercise. The meeting was Webcast on Facebook Live, YouTube and Zoom.

All news channels aired the meeting live. Small screens were also put up at the booth level. Nobody had to go far to attend the meeting.

Kumar says in the future too, the same pattern will be followed, even for rallies addressed by the prime minister.

"For example, he might hold a rally of 100 in Muzaffarpur. That will be beamed all across the state using technology," Kumar says.

Earlier this month, Chief Minister and Janata Dal-United President Nitish Kumar also held a virtual public meeting.

BJP MP Rajeev Chandrashekhar, who has interests in media, says campaigning will be via paid time on television in addition to digital media.

All political parties will have to tailor their campaigns accordingly. "You will see campaign spends on TV go up," he says

Social scientist Milan Vaishnav cautions against blithe assumptions about the capabilities of technology to power elections.

"If you look at all other walks of life -- consumer products, sports, film, music, work -- data and digital applications are all the rage. Why should politics be exempt from these sweeping changes?" asks Vaishnav.

"But let's also not forget the realities of India. There are still barriers to digital communications."

"Smartphone penetration is highly uneven," Dr Vaishnav points out. "There is a tremendous potential to misuse digital platforms, which could spark a backlash."

"If technology were the determining factor," he adds, "the BJP would not have lost major state elections going back to 2017."
Northeastern University says it will credit the 11 freshmen who were dismissed following a gathering at the Westin Hotel for the tuition costs incurred as part of their dismissal.

The students were found to be in violation of Northeasterns code of conduct and COVID-19 health protocols amid the coronavirus pandemic, the university said previously. The college issued a statement on Thursday, noting that the tuition portion of the students' fall semester expenses, totaling $27,760, will be credited toward the spring semester.

While the students remain dismissed from the NUin program, they will continue to have access to academic advising, mental health, and other support services, the university tweeted.

A statement from Northeastern University: pic.twitter.com/jge3LQpXyX  Northeastern U. (@Northeastern) September 17, 2020

The college said its student conduct appeals board unanimously upheld the original sanction, which included the loss of tuition, room, and board.

Last month, Northeastern officials said that any students who host or attend large parties during the pandemic will face expulsion from the school.

Northeastern expects the same simple, healthy behaviors of each person in its communityto practice healthy distancing, wear face coverings, participate in testing as required, and to comply with university policies and public health guidelines, read a letter to students from Madeleine Estabrook, the senior vice chancellor for student affairs.

As of Friday, 54 Northeastern University students and faculty members have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the colleges testing dashboard.

Related Content:
Brumby was premier when Victoria exploded into flame on Black Saturday - February 7, 2009. For the next three months he spent every day in the fire zone while also planning Victoria's longer-term recovery from the disaster. John Brumby (left) with then prime minister Kevin Rudd in February 2009, just two days before Black Saturday. Credit:John Woudstra Andrews, he says, has met all the critical elements for leading through crisis: the requirement to communicate clearly, to share as much information as possible, to be available to the public, to have a clear plan, to display agile decision-making and to show empathy for those suffering. "He has made unthinkably tough decisions and he has withstood unbelievable pressures to roll over on those measures. "He has remained very clear that it is about protecting the welfare of the public health and hospital systems, and the long-term welfare of Victorians."

Brumby says Victorians only need to look at the United States unravelling, a second wave spiralling out of control in Britain and Europe, India suffering and Israel imposing a harsh curfew to recognise the value of Andrews' approach. "I believe that when people look back, knowing how incredibly tough it was and how there was so much anger and disappointment, they will recognise that at the end of the day, we will have emerged into a better position than just about any other place in the world," he says. Jeff Kennett

Victorian Premier 1992-1999 "The legacy of Daniel Andrews' government is going to be deaths, social and economic destruction and debt," says Jeff Kennett. "I am not commenting personally or politically. I actually liked Daniel Andrews on the few occasions we have been together.

Jeff Kennett. Credit:Pat Scala "My comments are a reflection of what I feel has happened to Melbourne and the state I and my colleagues had to rebuild in the 1990s. It became a thriving city and state, with Melbourne successively voted the most liveable city in the world. "But now it is a shadow and a shell of its former self." Kennett blames "monumental hubris" for the Andrews government's failure to take advice on how to run a hotel quarantine system, which in turn allowed COVID-19 to spread into the aged care system. The result was unnecessary destruction of the economy and businesses, enormous social pain among families and individuals and ballooning debt.

"You talk of Daniel Andrews going out in front of the media every day, but he wouldn't have needed to go out every day if he wasn't such a control freak, hadn't refused to take good advice and hadn't stuffed up everything," Kennett says. "I have never seen anyone more disrespectful of the Westminster system. If I had done anything like this, you in the Press would have ripped me to shreds. "I'll mark him one out of 10 because I think he can spell his own name." Malcolm Turnbull

Prime Minister 2015-2018 Malcolm Turnbull says he will not criticise Andrews' current approach to the crisis in Victoria.

"I'm just happy I'm living in NSW," he adds. On Andrews' decision to appear for daily media conferences, Turnbull says one of the central principles of crisis management was to keep citizens informed. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull addresses the media on Thursday, April 23, 2018. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen "When you are faced with any form of crisis, you have to build confidence," he says. "Keeping the public informed is 101 of crisis management. "You need to deliver as much information as possible and not talk gobbledigook. Having all the facts and figures out there is very important.

"But should Mr Andrews be taking it upon himself to do it by himself every day? "Having led a government, I can tell you that the daily pressures on any leader are very great. "The truth is, no one is at their best when they are dog-tired. "I wonder, with the benefit of hindsight, if Mr Andrews would choose this approach again." Denis Napthine

Victorian Premier 2013-2014

"Daniel Andrews gets no sympathy from me," says Denis Napthine. "We see evidence every day of the total and utter blundering and mismanagement that led us here. "My view is that, tragically, Daniel Andrews and his team totally mismanaged hotel quarantine and contact tracing, inflicting disaster on Victoria's community, its economy, its businesses, and costing hundreds of lives." Denis Napthine in Victorian Parliament at the height of the Geoff Shaw controversy. Credit:JOE ARMAO Napthine, who studied epidemiology for his Masters in Veterinary Science at Melbourne University, says he had been alarmed from the start when he discovered "bouncers" were being used to guard travellers in hotel quarantine. "They chose completely the wrong people for a vital biosecurity role," he says.

Napthine recognises that Andrews has displayed persistence in his daily media conferences, but says that did not count against the gravity of the original mistakes. "It's a bit like an arsonist, having lit the fire, seeking praise for trying to put it out," he adds. Kevin Rudd

Prime Minister 2007-2010, 2013 Andrews should devote time each day to listening to good music and reading books that have nothing to do with the current crisis, according to former prime minister Kevin Rudd. "When you are under great pressure, you need to unwind with people you love and trust, and refresh yourself with good reading and good music.

"During the 2007 election campaign, I read the histories of the American Revolution. During the Global Financial Crisis, I turned to the history of the Tudors." Kevin Rudd (right) and his treasurer Wayne Swan at the height of the Global Financial Crisis in 2008. Credit:Glen McCurtayne Rudd finds no fault with Andrews' decision to put himself at the centre of the COVID-19 crisis strategy every day. "I'd give the guy eight of 10 for his performance, maybe a bit better than that," he says. "I ask myself the question: what would I do if I was him? "I don't think, given the gravity of the challenge, that he could absent himself from the field.

"On the first day he did, he'd most likely come in for attack. "Right now, of course, you have Daniel Andrews unfairly attacked for choosing a strategy of locking down the city of Melbourne. "But none of those doing the attacking are asking what the consequences would be of abandoning the lockdown and allowing the virus to spread unchecked." Rudd says that when he was prime minister during the Global Financial Crisis, he learned how difficult it was to have confidence in the accuracy of data being provided by others. "You can have all the confidence in yourself, but the real anxiety is how accurate is the data you receive from others and the advice you are getting."

Ted Baillieu

Victorian Premier 2010-2013 Ted Baillieu recognises that Andrews has expended significant energy during the crisis, but if he were counselling the Premier he would advise him to take a step back. Baillieu says he does not believe it is helpful for a former leader to personally criticise a Premier in the midst of a crisis. Ted Baillieu at the end of his premiership in March 2013. Credit:Pat Scala But he believes the biggest crisis for Andrews and the state of Victoria lies ahead.

The reduction in COVID-19 cases is likely to lead to what might be perceived in the short term as a success, Baillieu says. But beyond that there is likely to be a crippling economic disaster that will last much longer than Victoria's lockdowns. "Even though the failures in coronavirus quarantine and contact tracing in Victoria have already led to the greatest public policy disaster we have seen, even bigger mistakes may be made as the extent of the economic disaster unfolds," he says. Baillieu says although Andrews had obviously made the decision to carry the weight of the crisis and to wear "all of the flak", he should become more inclusive during the coming economic crisis. "We can't change the past, but the more bipartisan he can make the future, the better we will all be," Baillieu says. "He needs to address the growing lack of trust and confidence in the state. When things go wrong in a disaster, you need to change the message, or the policies, or the people involved.
The delay in bringing in Gardner has raised eyebrows  and questions. In a Twitter thread Wednesday night, Justin Wayne, a Nebraska state senator and the attorney for the Scurlock family, questioned what was going on. He later deleted one of the tweets, but two tweets remained visible Friday:

 ATTORNEYS: Next time you have a client with a warrant say we want the Jake Treatment. 

Give us a few days to get our affairs in order and we will let you know when we surrender. Just say, hey, we will get back to you on that  i.e. the Jake Treatment. 

Dornan has declined to comment on behalf of his client.

On June 1, Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine announced at a press conference that he wouldnt be charging Gardner because interviews with witnesses and video of the scuffle between Gardner and Scurlock supported the self-defense claim. But Franklin came to a different conclusion. Omaha police and Franklins investigators, both of whom are retired Omaha police detectives, continued to investigate the case. The investigators interviewed 60 witnesses.
Houston's famous restaurant scene could find itself in an even more dire position without a significant influx of government cash, according to a recent survey.

The Texas Restaurant Association released results of a survey this week predicting half percent of Texas restaurants will close within the next six months if they don't receive federal funding.

Latest survey results available and they are not good. The biggest takeaways: - 71% of Texas operators say they dont... Posted by Texas Restaurant Association on Wednesday, September 16, 2020

In Texas, the pandemic took a particularly heavy financial toll on the restaurant industry, leaving many of the restaurants to shutter their doors. The industry lost an estimated $4.2 billion in sales and nearly 700,000 jobs from March to April, according to the TRA.

Houston restaurant favorites including Patrenella's, Bernie's Burger Bus and Barry's Pizza were forced to close permanently as the pandemic dragged on and sales foundered.

"We'd been thinking about [the possibility of closing] since Christmas, but then the virus came along and we had to close. The restaurant business was in terrible shape," Patrenella's Owner Sammy Patrenella told Chron.com's Marcy de Luna.

According to the survey, 71 percent of restaurant operators dont believe sales will return to normal (pre-coronavirus numbers) within the next six months.

The cost of doing business has also risen, with 73 percent of those surveyed saying operational costs have increased.

Many restaurants have moved their sales online and are offering delivery, curbside pick-up or purchases through third-party delivery apps. The survey noted that 77 percent of businesses reported that off-site sales currently outweigh in-store sales.

Houston foodies, there's a way to support some of your favorite restaurants. The TRA has created a Texas Relief Restaurant Fund, a nonprofit which has provided $2.5 million in grants to more than 500 restaurants. Donations can also be made by texting TRRF to 31996.
SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Carrying a concealed weapon: Chagrin Boulevard

At 10:05 p.m. Sept. 12, an officer saw a car at the intersection of Lee Road and Chagrin Boulevard being driven without a license plate. Police stopped the car, which was being driven by a Cleveland man, 27, and which was also occupied by a Phoenix, Ariz. man, 20.

During the traffic stop, the Arizona man ran from the car. He was quickly apprehended and found to be in possession of a loaded gun. He was arrested on charges of carrying a concealed weapon, obstructing official business and resisting arrest. The driver was cited for the license plate violation.

Warrant arrest: Pennington Road

At 11:15 p.m. Sept. 10, an officer stopped a car that was driven through a red light. It was then discovered that the driver, an Oakwood woman, 28, was wanted on traffic warrants issued by police in Beachwood and Parma. The woman was cited for the red light violation and turned over to Parma police.

Warrant arrest: Chagrin Boulevard

At 9:20 p.m. Sept. 11, an officer watched as a Jeep was driven through a red light at Lee Road and Chagrin Boulevard. A traffic stop was conducted and it was learned that the driver, a man, 24, was wanted by Warrensville Heights police for attempted murder. The man was arrested on the warrant and turned over to the WHPD.

Theft from auto: Van Aken Boulevard

At 4:50 a.m. Sept. 13, a man, 59, called police to report that he saw two males damaging the window of his SUV, parked in his apartment lot. Officers learned that the suspects entered the vehicle and stole $16. The suspects were not apprehended.

Assault: Chagrin Boulevard

At 4:40 p.m. Sept. 13, police were called to the Boston Market restaurant at 16773 Chagrin Blvd., where a Garfield Heights woman, 33, reported that a relative, a Cleveland woman, 30, grabbed her by the hair, threw her to the ground and punched her several times. The 30-year-old left the scene before police arrived.

Disturbance: Sutton Road

At 7:30 p.m. Sept. 14, police were called to a Sutton Road residence where it was learned that a woman, 44, had been involved in an argument that turned physical with another woman, 19. The women declined medical attention. There were no charges filed.

OVI: Van Aken Boulevard

At 9:05 p.m. Sept. 15, an officer watched as a car was driven through a red light at Lee and Avalon roads. A traffic stop was conducted and it was found that the driver, a Euclid woman, 31, was intoxicated. The woman refused to take a breath test.

Police arrested the woman and charged her with OVI.

See more Sun Press news here.
(Natural News) A Chinese professor became nationally renowned in his country virtually overnight and among Chinese communities around the world after he took to social media recently to say that Beijing ought to deploy more nuclear weapons as a counter to U.S. actions.

According to his verified profile on a Twitter-like social media platform known as Sina Weibo, Zhao Shengye is a professor at the Shenyang Institute of Technology and has in excess of 3 million followers  making virtually anything he posts go viral.

The Epoch Times reports:

The Trump administration in recent months has taken tougher action against Beijing on multiple fronts, including Chinese tech companies posing security threats and firms involved in Beijings militarization of the South China Sea.

On Sept. 12, Zhao posted: if [U.S. President Donald] Trump is bent on fighting against Chinaeven intervening in a future war to liberate Taiwan, the ultimate result of Trumps actions will be the destruction of all mankind. Zhaos rhetoric on Taiwana self-ruled island that Beijing claims as part of its territory, despite Taiwan having all the features of a nation-statematches Beijings recent aggression, such as intruding on the islands airspace. The United States has consistently condemned Beijings threats on Taiwan and is the islands main arms supplier.

Specifically, he outlined three ways in which China could attempt to destroy the U.S. (and the rest of the world) with nuclear weapons:

 Detonate a nuclear sub that is loaded with nuclear weapons in the Pacific Ocean so that the shock waves exceed 2,000 meters and submerge surrounding areas;

 Setting off thousands of nuclear bombs in the Himalayan Mountains all at once to change the orbit of the planet;

 Drill 10,000 meters deep in the Sichuan basin and plant thousands of nuclear weapons and then detonate them all at once, theoretically collapsing the earths core and wreaking global extermination.

His outrageous suggestions were panned by netizens, including Kantie, an online Chinese-language media outlet, which argued that Zhao represented the Chinese regimes authoritarian mentality of, if I cannot survive, no one else shall be allowed to survive.

About 10 hours later, his highly controversial post was deleted from the platform, however. Still, it was chilling.

The U.S. is treaty-bound to help Taiwan defend itself. And more than any recent president, President Trump has been keen to assist Taipei with its defense needs.

In fact, just this month the Trump administration was preparing a major arms sales package for Taiwan, as CNN reported.

According to a congressional aide, the Trump administration is preparing seven weapons packages, including a large sale of MQ-9B Reaper drones. (Related: Trump admin orders Chinese embassy closed immediately amid charges of privacy violations and theft of intellectual property.)

As a matter of policy we do not comment on or confirm proposed defense sales or transfers until they have been formally notified to Congress, said a State Department official.

Previously, the Trump administration had approved a number of major arms deals with Taiwan totaling more than $13 billion. Weapons sold include scores of upgraded F-16 fighters, M1A2 Abrams tanks, Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, and MK-48 Mod6 torpedoes.

I would like to thank the US government for supporting the enhancement of Taiwans self defense capabilities. In the past four years the Trump administration has approved seven arms sales package to Taiwan totaling $13.2 billion, looking ahead we will further develop and bolster indigenous defense and asymmetrical warfare capabilities, Taiwans Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said Tuesday during a virtual address to the Global Taiwan Institute Annual Symposium in Washington.

Confronted with the Chinese communist regime, Taiwan is on the frontlines defending democracies, he added.

As for Zhao, he (and the Chinese government, which controls all social media communications) wanted his message to get a wide audience because he posted it in English.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

NaturalNews.com
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Livetalk: Many Zimbabweans living in the diaspora are assisting their communities back home amid preparations for the new school term. Some are providing personal protective equipment, sanitizers and other material for protecting students and teachers against contracting COVID-19
On Friday, September 18, Chile celebrates its national Independence Day. The countrys wine exporters can also raise a glass to a recent sales turnaround: Reversing a ten-year downward trend, Chilean wines sales are up in the U.S.

According to the latest import data, Chile is the seventh largest source of imported wine in the U.S., and the only one of the top seven to experience an increase in U.S. sales in the first quarter of 2020. Comparing year-to-year sales, Chile sold 1,352,111 x 9L cases in the U.S in the 12 months ending June 30, 2020, representing a 40.68% increase in volume and translating into a 36.57% uptick in dollars, ($13,823,000 to $18,878,000) over the previous 12 months, concluding June 30, 2019. While bulk wines account for roughly two-thirds of that volume, bottle sales have risen by 2% in volume, and 13% in value.

Wines of Chile USAs New York-based Executive Director Julio Alonso is cautiously optimistic: In the current environment, our historic strength in the off-premise category, accounting for over 70% of our sales, is an advantage. As consumers move to buying online and the economic situation remains in flux, its unclear how all these variables will behave moving forward. But with our broad range of wines spanning all price points, we are confident that Chilean wines are on the right track in the U.S. marketplace.

Red wines continue to drive sales, led by red blends and Cabernet Sauvignon. Chile has also done well in three on-trend categories: roses, bag-in-box, and Mediterranean wines. The countrys rose sales have more than doubled (up 114%) here in the 12-month period ending June 30, 2020, while bag-in-box exports have grown by over 19% in volume. Lastly, Mediterranean varieties like Pais and Carignan are not only catching the attraction of the trade and wine experts, but also gaining space in big box supermarkets, channels less known for those wines in the past, according to Alonso.

The leading driver for Chiles wine sales in the U.S. continues to be the countrys larger, well-established players with broad nationwide U.S. distribution, who are benefitting from consumer reliance on tried-and-trusted, familiar and reliable brands during the pandemic. The current pricing sweet spot for Chile in the U.S. is $10-$20, with the biggest growth in the $11-$15 category. According to Alonso, This is where Chile can excel and showcase the best value-to-quality performance, whatever the origin. This relatively broad pricing range has also enabled the Chilean category to absorb with relative ease the average downward 1% pricing decrease affecting both domestic and imported wines seen in the first semester of this year.

Chile is poised to benefit from two other trends. In a new Wine Opinions survey, 48% of consumers who regularly spend over $20 a bottle reported an increase in their average weekly wine consumption. With great values at the $20-plus end of the spectrum, Chile looks to attract new converts. During COVID-19, the data also shows that the largest consumers of wine have been millennials. While millennials drink less wine than the previous generation, when they do, they are more adventurous, and willing to try new varieties such as Pais -- and they care about health and the environment. Eighty percent of Chilean wines exported are sustainable and verified as such. Notes Alonso: Chile is a world leader in sustainability from vineyard to table and Wines of Chile has been instrumental in settings standards in this area. The Wines of Chile Responsibility Code covers: (1) sustainable technical management of vineyards, (2) winery and bottling practices, (3) safety and social responsibility covering workers, nearby communities and even customers, and (4) Sustainable Wine Tourism, a recently launched initiative.

About Wines of Chile: The mission of Wines of Chile is to promote the quality and image of Chilean wines throughout the world. With offices in the United States, China, the United Kingdom, Canada, Brazil and Chile, the organization, working closely with ProChile, develops and offers promotional and educational programs. Its members represent over 75% percent of Chiles bottled wine exports.
Rain has returned to Oregon, helping alleviate poor air quality and raising concerns over debris flows and flash flooding in areas burned by wildfires.

The National Weather Service has cautioned Oregonians about possible flash flooding and debris flows in the areas of the Riverside, Beachie Creek, Lionshead and Holiday Farm fires.

The agencys flash flood watches cover the northern Oregon Cascades, Lane County Cascades and their foothills. It lasts through Friday evening.

Loose rocks and other debris will likely tumble down hillsides during bouts of heavy rain, according to the weather service.

Flash flooding and debris flows also may block roads including the Oregon 22 corridor between Mehama and Marion Forks, the Oregon 224 corridor between Estacada and Ripplebrook, and the Oregon 126 corridor between Vida and McKenzie Bridge.

Meanwhile, the rain is expected to help improve poor air quality that has plagued the region amid its spate of wildland blazes.

Parts of the Oregon coast continued to have good air quality early Friday, and one pocket of good conditions pushed east past Roseburg. Part of southeastern Oregon also had good air quality.

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality on Friday extended an air quality advisory for northwest, central, eastern and parts of southern Oregon through Saturday.

State officials confirmed the death of a ninth person killed by wildfires that swept across western Oregon in early September.

Here is the latest on Oregons wildfires. This report will be updated throughout the day Friday.

Marion County fires

Authorities on Friday rolled back evacuation levels for some communities in Marion County.

People are allowed to return to Mill City and Gates, which are now under Level 2 (be set) evacuation orders.

Oregon 22 is closed between Oregon 226 and milepost 29, which is near the west end of Mill City, but has reopened between Mill City and Gates.

The county sheriffs office has published a travel route for people returning to Gates and Mill City.

Detroit, Idanha and Breitenbush are among the areas under mandatory evacuation orders.

The Beachie Creek fire now covers 191,661 acres and is 20% contained.

The Lionshead fire has grown to 192,719 acres and is 10% contained.

Clackamas County

Firefighters are increasingly upbeat about their progress on the Riverside fire, with the blaze now 10% contained and burning slowly.

Things are looking good on the fires west side, nearest population centers, Ralph Lucas, an operations section chief for the incident management team fighting the blaze, said Thursday. The north portion near Estacada is looking extremely good.

Still, heavy rain forecasted for much of the fire area could cause flash flooding and debris flows in recently burned areas, fire officials said Friday. Gusty winds could also knock fire-weakened trees onto roads.

While the rains may help dampen fire growth for a few days, they will continue to present other hazards for our firefighters and communities, Incident Commander Alan Sinclair said in a statement. Please avoid roads near previous fire activity, low-lying areas, and continually check weather alerts to keep yourself and your loved ones safe.

The fire burned within a half mile of Estacada last week and as that entire community, and many surrounding communities, were put under evacuation orders. All of Clackamas County was under some level of evacuation notice last week.

Clackamas County allowed residents in Estacada to return home Wednesday, reducing the evacuation notice there to Level 2, but much of the county remains under a Level 3 evacuation order.

The blaze has grown 2,341 acres to a total of 137,865 acres, according to new figures released Friday.

Lane County

State officials on Wednesday said more than 500 homes and other buildings have been destroyed by the Holiday Farm fire, which swept through rural communities along the McKenzie River east of Eugene and Springfield.

Crews have so far assessed 770 structures in the burn area of the blaze, whose 260-mile perimeter, roughly the length of Portland to Medford, stretches into Lane and Linn counties.

On Thursday, some Level 3 evacuations in the McKenzie Bridge area were lowered to Level 2.

Firefighters have contained 10% of the 172,510-acre blaze.

Lake County

Firefighters working the 44,800-acre Brattain fire expect a reprieve in the weather late Friday afternoon after five straight days of red flag conditions, officials said.

Paisley, population 270, has been downgraded to a Level 2 evacuation notice. Other areas are under Level 3, 2 and 1 orders.

The blaze is 30% contained.

Douglas County

The Archie Creek fire east of Roseburg has grown over 2,400 acres to a total of 130,429 acres. Its now 25% contained.

Doug Grafe, chief of fire protection at the Oregon Department of Forestry, also said Thursday that he remains concerned with the Thielsen fire near Diamond Lake.

The blaze has grown 1,350 acres to a cumulative 9,995 acres. Its now 15% contained.

Grafe said the Thielsen fire area is tough to access and is mainly being handled by hand crews.

The Diamond Lake, Lemolo Lake and Toketee Ranger Station areas are under Level 3 evacuation orders.

Jackson County

The South Obenchain fire near Medford has grown only 19 acres. It now covers 32,833 acres and is 35% contained.

Josephine County

The Slater fire, which burned into Oregon from northern California, now covers 143,092 acres and remains 10% contained.

Klamath County

Firefighters have increased containment of the 14,473-acre Two Four Two fire at Chiloquin to 37%. The blaze has not grown.

My hope is that holds over the next 24 to 48 hours and we can put that one behind us, Grafe said Thursday.

Lincoln County

Some firefighting resources were beginning to be demobilized Thursday from the Echo Mountain Complex, which remains 2,552 acres and is now 53% contained, fire officials said.

Crews on Thursday were continuing to identify and mitigate hazardous trees, focusing on ones that might threaten structures, infrastructure and travel routes, according to fire officials.

On Friday afternoon, authorities announced a reduction of the areas under a Level 2 evacuation order. Full details of which areas were reopened were available on the countys website.

NEWS UPDATES

12:10 p.m.: Thousands of wildfire evacuees have filled rooms in the hotels across the state, providing a much-needed boost to the hospitality industry, which had struggled mightily under COVID-19 social distancing measures. As of Wednesday night, 2,195 evacuees were staying in 1,243 hotel rooms across 68 different hotels within Oregon, according to numbers provided to the state by the American Red Cross. Those numbers were likely higher last week when a greater portion of the state was under evacuation notice.

Many hotels are offering discounted rates for wildfire evacuees and the state has a wildfire page online with information about available hotels and shelters, along with other resources for those who have been forced to flee their homes.

11:20 a.m.: The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has extended an air quality advisory for northwest, central, eastern and parts of southern Oregon through Saturday.

The agency said smoke is starting to clear from the Interstate 5 corridor and that conditions in the Portland and Salem areas should keep improving throughout Friday.

Smoke should start clearing from the Columbia River Gorge, central Oregon and eastern Oregon on Saturday morning, according to the agency.

Unhealthy or hazardous air quality may persist for some southern Oregon areas, including Cave Junction, through Saturday or longer.

8:45 a.m.: The weather service reported rainfall totals from across the region.

Some notable figures:

Eugene Airport: 0.97 inches at 2:11 a.m.

Camas area: 1.6 inches at 4:45 a.m.

Happy Valley area: 1.31 inches at 3:45 a.m.

Canby area: 1.91 inches at 3:45 a.m.

West Salem area: 1.75 inches at 8:04 a.m.

8:35 a.m.: Pacific Power reported thunderstorms caused scattered power outages in Oregon. Nearly 4,900 Pacific Power customers were without power.

7:30 a.m.: Many schools, parks and government buildings have been closed for much of the last week due to hazardous wildfire smoke. Some of those began to reopen Friday as air quality improved, but some were still closed.

Meal services at the Parkrose and Longview school districts were on hold and all schools in the Lincoln County School District were still closed on Friday. Residents should check with their individual school districts for closure information.

Thursday: A woman who survived the Beachie Creek fire, which killed her son and mother, remains hospitalized in Portland.

Angela Mosso is in serious condition at Legacy Oregon Burn Center, a spokesman for the hospital system confirmed Thursday. She was initially in critical condition.

Her 13-year-old son, Wyatt Tofte, and her 71-year-old mother, Peggy Mosso, died in the wildfire that burned the familys home near Lyons Sept. 7.

Two other people, Cathy Cook, 71, and her son Travis Cook, 41, were also killed by the blaze.

Relatives of both families said the victims had little warning to escape the flames.

-- Jim Ryan

jryan@oregonian.com; 503-221-8005; @Jimryan015

Kale Williams of The Oregonian/OregonLive staff contributed to this report.
Samsung launches production of a new film shot in 8K on Galaxy S20 and Note20 devices

In Korean news, Samsung Electronics announces that it is going to produce a new film in 8K, entirely shot with this years Samsung Galaxy flagship phones. The Galaxy S20 Ultra and Galaxy Note20 Ultra will be shooting the new film called Untact in 8K resolution.

According to Samsung, some special scenes might use new equipment. The project is meant to promote Samsungs flagships and their ability to record video in 8K resolution.

Samsung is going to open two 8K theathers in Seoul next month where it will hold small showings of the film on its QLED 8K TVs. A reservation system will accommodate low-person showings. The film will eventually be available to stream via YouTube.

In the photo above, actors Kim Ju-hun and Kim Go-eun sit with director Kim Jee-woon in an event to announce the production of the film.

Source
(Newser)  "Do we have enough freezers?" That's a question many may not be pondering now, but it's an important one when it comes to a COVID-19 vaccine, per the Wall Street Journal. That's because the inoculation samples that may soon emerge might need to be stored at incredibly cold temperatures, and freezers that get that chilly aren't typically found in pharmacies, hospitals, and doctors' offices, which would theoretically be distributing the vaccine. Pfizer and BioNTech, for example, have a vaccine in the works that needs to be kept at -70 degrees Celsius (-94 degrees Fahrenheit)a temp about 30 degrees Celsius frostier than the North Pole at its coldest, Quartz notes. "Theres no precedent for vaccines to be stored at that low of a temperature," a pharmacist and purchaser for health care facilities tells the outlet, which notes these types of freezers are typically found only in labs.

story continues below

So why don't states just find companies that make these freezers and stock up now? The CDC is advising against doing that, as there's still no vaccine out, meaning that although this is being presented as a hypothetical issue, we don't really know for sure what the best way to store an eventual vaccine will be. And the freezers themselves aren't the only problem. The number of days a vaccine is viable could be cut into during transport (i.e., this could especially affect rural areas), and the containers Pfizer has created to hold its vaccinecapable of carrying up to 5,000 dosescould lead to waste if there aren't enough people in a particular region to use them all. Pfizer, however, doesn't seem too concerned just yet. "We are confident of our capability to deliver and store doses to the [destinations] governments designate," the company said in a recent statement, per ABC News. (Read more coronavirus vaccine stories.)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 17

By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend:

Chinas Universal Energy company is planning to expand its business in Azerbaijan to further support the transition of energy structure, the company official told Trend.

Currently Universal Energy has six new energy projects in Kazakhstan including three photovoltaic (PV) power projects in operation and three wind power plants which are under construction.

"Aiming to become a leading market player in countries along the Belt and Road Initiative, Universal Energy has been active in Kazakhstan market- the buckle of the Initiative, for five years. The company is now one of the largest investors for renewable energy projects in Kazakhstan," the company said.

The company official noted that with a total capacity of 380 MW, all six projects had been included in the Main list of China-Kazakhstan Industrial and Investment Projects.

"After all these projects completion, the annual power generation is expected to reach 980 million kWh, which can meet the electricity demand of about 600,000 local households," the company official said.

The company official added that it is also estimated that the projects will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 987,500 tons per year.

"By leveraging UEs advantages in Kazakhstan, including cost control, design optimization and flexible business model, UE plans to expand its business in Azerbaijan to further support the transition of energy structure, bringing green energy to power the local community," the company noted.

Universal Energy is a Shanghai-based international company focusing on the renewable energy industry and specializing in investing, constructing and operating wind power and solar power projects across the world.

---

Follow the author on twitter: @nargiz_sadikh
A construction worker on a morning stroll on the beach finds a brain wrapped in foil. The shocking discovery was unexpected and how it got on the beach is quite a mystery.

According to Jimmy Senda of Racine who had the habit of a morning stroll, he did not expect to pick a brain up from the shore. He usually would stroll to find peace of mind, but came across a whole brain. It might be even said this a bit too much to mind too, reported Daily Mail.

He found the brain along the shore of Lake Michigan that is close to Samuel Myers Park. It was Tuesday when he made this brainy discovery.

One of the reasons why he spends the time beachcombing is to look for items that he can use for his artwork. Also a part-time artist, he has time to make his art looking for sea glass specifically as part of his sculptural work.

The 47-year old construction worker and artist find the brain wrapped in tinfoil with a rubber band to keep it on. It was spotted at the water's edge when he saw it.

Saying that the object made him curious enough to pick it up and open it. Realization came that what he got was not chicken breast as he assumed, telling Fox6. Looking at the object, he realize that he found a brain taken from someone's cranium.

It was not just finding the brain that made it bizarre for him. The package with a person's brain intact brain where two pink flowers and Chinese money. What he found was not on the usual morning stroll at all.

Also read: Teen Boy Smashes Sister's Skull With Hammer While Asleep Because of Tablet

He mentioned that it was hard processing what was found and not comprehending with ease. He was overwhelmed by it. Senda knew what he had but was suspended in disbelief as most people would.

Still not sure, the construction worker wanted confirmation and asked city workers what they thought. Most agreed that a brain was found. Finally, he called the police, who identified it as a brain. The evidence was taken by them to investigate more.

Soon after, the police say it is not human brains, to be sure the brain will be examined by the Racine County Medical Examiner's Office. A statement from the examiner's office relayed to the Daily Mail that it is an animal's brain. However, they need to determine from what animal it came from.

But TMZ says that it might be a cat's brain based on the current investigation.

As the Examiner's Office is looking for answers in the investigation, the construction worker's find is baffling everyone's interest online.

On Senda's Facebook post one commenter said that there might be a cannibal out there. There are lots of speculations where the brain came from, if it was human or otherwise with other ideas to confirm its origin. More eccentric assumptions say that is a kind of cultish and sacrificial worship.

Senda still takes his walks but has not visited Myer's Park recently. He is happy he found the brain and rued if some else did.

Related article: Jealous Boyfriend Burned His Fiancee to Death Because She Exposed Her Body on the Beach

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
VANCOUVER - Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. is confirming a third death after an underground accident Monday at its Platreef mine development project in South Africa.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/9/2020 (490 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. logo is shown in this undated handout photo. Vancouver-based Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. is confirming a third death from an underground accident Monday at its Platreef mine development project in South Africa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, Ivanhoe Mines Ltd.*MANDATORY CREDIT*

VANCOUVER - Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. is confirming a third death after an underground accident Monday at its Platreef mine development project in South Africa.

The Vancouver-based company says the workers were killed when a "kibble bucket,'' commonly used to haul water, ore or refuse to the surface, fell down a mine shaft, striking the side of a platform where four employees were conducting routine water-pumping activities.

Ivanhoe initially reported two workers were killed in the accident while another was injured and a fourth was missing.

The company says a rescue team who retrieved the bodies of the two dead miners on Friday also found the body of the missing fourth person, also deceased.

The injured employee who was taken to hospital in Johannesburg is now expected to make a full recovery.

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.

Ivanhoe indirectly owns 64 per cent of the palladium-platinum-nickel-copper-rhodium-gold mine through its subsidiary, Ivanplats, and is directing all mine development work.

In July, it completed construction of the 996-metre-level station at the bottom of the shaft, positioning it to be equipped as Platreefs initial production shaft if phased development to expedite production proceeds.

Ivanhoe says it has brought in specialist engineers to assist the investigation into causes of the accident and development activities at Platreef have been suspended until safety at the site can be assured.

"The safety and well-being of our employees is our topmost priority and we will work closely with the authorities to investigate this accident fully," Ivanhoe Mines president Marna Cloete said in a statement.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2020.

Companies in this story: (TSX:IVN)
Holidu, a Munich, Germany-based travel tech company, received an investment of more than 4m former Booking.com CEO Kees Koolen.

Koolen has invested into the company from his personal fund as part of a 5m extension to the 40m Series C round of the previous year.

Founded by brothers Johannes and Michael Siebers in 2014, Holidu provides a search engine for vacation rentals which allows travelers to book the ideal accommodation listed by Holidus 1,000+ partners worldwide. The company also provides holiday rental owners with a software and service solution under the Bookiply brand. This enables owners to increase their bookings by distributing properties to the largest travel websites, synchronizing calendars, and creating multilingual descriptions and professional photos.

The company turned profitable in May and since then generated seven-digit positive EBIT figures. In July alone, more than 27 million users visited the website, resulting in a 2.6x growth in year-on-year bookings and more than 130 million of newly generated bookings that month.

Holidu now has a team of more than 200 people.

FinSMEs

18/09/2020
Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) arrives to hear testimony from U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondlandin Washington, on Oct. 17, 2019. (Erin Scott/File Photo/Reuters)

House Democrat Subpoenas Head of Governments Foreign Broadcast Media Agencies

A Democratic-controlled House panel issued a subpoena for Michael Pack, the CEO of several federal government news outlets, after the agency told the panel he would not appear at an upcoming hearing.

Mr. Packs office informed the Committee last night that he intended to back out on his commitment to appear at a hearing on September 24, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) said in a statement Friday. His office failed to provide any reasonable alternative dates and his excuse for breaking his commitment is not acceptable.

Now, Engels committee will send out a subpoena to compel Pack to testify in front of the panel.

Pack is in charge of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, and several other news outlets.

The USAGM was run by an appointee of President Barack Obama before Pack was confirmed about a year ago by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Michael Pack speaks at his nomination hearing at the Dirksen Senate Office Building at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, on Sept. 19, 2019. (Screenshot of hearing video/U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations)

Pack was called to testify before the House Foreign Affairs earlier in the summer after he dismissed the heads of several international broadcast networks. Democratic lawmakers and some conservatives criticized the move at the time.

The USAGM did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Previously, Pack said the personnel changes were a part of new leadership at the large organization.

Some veteran journalists for Voice of America (VOA), which is also overseen by USAGM, sent a letter in protest on Monday denouncing Pack while alleging that he is damaging the agenda of the broadcasters.

They alleged in a letter (pdf) sent late August that his decisions endanger the personal security of VOA reporters at home and abroad, as well as threatening to harm U.S. national security objectives.

Pack said in an interview with The Federalist on Aug. 27 that there is a deep-rooted bias at Voice of America and its affiliates and potential security problems.

Its one thing for CNN or MSNBC, or Fox for that matter to have a point of view, but this agency is required by law to be objective and represent all points of view. So it has to adhere to those standards, whatever the rest of the media does, he said.

There needs to be a separation between us the political appointees and what journalists are reporting. I would never tell a journalist how to cover a story or what to say, Pack added. However, I am there to make sure that the procedures and practices that ensure the highest journalistic standards and the contract of the VOA charter are fulfilled.

But Pack also warned that the agency could be used as a tool for foreign agents and espionage.

Its a great place to put a foreign spy, Pack said, saying there were significant security lapses by previous leadership.
Dr. Sung Yang Explains How Hiking Trails Across the State Can Improve One's Health

HONOLULU, HI / ACCESSWIRE / September 18, 2020 / Many patients turn to their doctors for lifestyle advice. They don't want medication to improve their health. They simply want to know what they can do to help their health without medications. Dr. Sung Yang, a medical doctor in Honolulu, Hawaii, talks about the many benefits of hiking.

Dr. Sung Yang, who has offices in Honolulu and Waipahu, spends a significant amount of his off-time exploring the many walking and hiking trails throughout Hawaii. He loves the beaches and the mountains. He also believes that spending time on the trails is a great way to become one with the aloha spirit found across the state.

Dr. Sung Yang recommends hiking as an activity for many of his patients. Every hiking trail is identified as mild, moderate, or extreme. For those who are in shape, they can handle the trails that have more changes to the altitude. However, Dr. Sung Yang will recommend some of the milder trails to patients who are obese or who have mobility issues.

The benefits of hiking can be numerous. Dr. Yang Waikiki has written many blogs about the top Hawaiian hiking trails for this reason. Hiking can improve blood pressure and lower one's risk of heart disease. Also, it can burn a lot of calories and help one to lose weight. Walking is considered a weight-bearing exercise, so it can improve bone density, too.

Dr. Yang Waikiki has said that hiking is not only for cardio health. It is capable of strengthening the core muscles of the spine, hips, thighs, and legs. When going on some of the more extreme hikes, it can build the strength of these muscle groups, too.

With so many different hiking trails to choose from, Dr. Sung Yang says that it's easy for people to find one that suits their level of fitness. The Waimea Valley Trail and the Manoa Falls Trail are some that Dr. Sung Yang recommends to those who want an easier hike. For those who want something more advanced, he recommends the Koko Crater Trail. The climb is steep and includes a number of steps on an abandoned railroad.

Dr. Yang Waikiki reports that his personal favorite is Kealia Trail, one of the oceanfront scenic trails on the north shore of Oahu. According to Dr. Yang, the trail is the ultimate combination of cardio work-out, breathtaking ocean views from the mountains, and serene path with colorful foliage, which not only stimulates the physical body but also calms the mind and spirit.

Everyone should look to improve their cardio health. as well as their mental well-being. Even when a person has controlled blood pressure and cholesterol levels, Dr. Yang Waikiki explains that there's room for improvement. Hiking once or twice a week can be a great exercise. The doctor recommends that hydration and proper walking shoes are critical.

Although Dr. Yang Waikiki has decided to make his home in Hawaii, he does travel elsewhere around the country periodically, exploring hiking trails where he goes. He recommends that anyone who wants to improve their heart health take up hiking. By researching the hiking trails in advance, people can prepare for what they will encounter. Finding a hiking buddy can also help people to stay motivated, especially on the longer and more advanced trails.

CONTACT:

Caroline Hunter

Web Presence, LLC

+1 7865519491

SOURCE: Web Presence, LLC

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/606708/Dr-Sung-Yang-Explores-Hiking-Trails-in-Hawaii-to-Boost-Cardio-Health
OUR TEAM

After creating florals for events and editorial projects in New York for almost 10 years, Buunch began as a way to share the flower magic with clients on a smaller scale.

After creating florals for events and editorial projects in New York for almost 10 years, Buunch began as a way to share the flower magic with clients on a smaller scale.

Buunch NYC Hamptons_Online_Floral_Subscription_and_Delivery_Company

New York City BUUNCH.com, online luxury flower shop by the creative force behind floral events studio LAtelier Rouge has launched team building and professional development services designed as virtual classes

New York City BUUNCH.com, online luxury flower shop by the creative force behind floral events studio LAtelier Rouge has launched team building and professional development services designed as virtual classes

New York City, NY, Sept. 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As COVID-19 has fragmented workplace culture and professional relationships between teams, organizations across the globe are struggling to recover that cohesion necessary for a level of collaboration and productivity that is conducive to their survival and their bottom line.

We are amazed and excited, says founder Caroline Bailly, that our skills, developed over years of experience in weddings, events, hospitality and now subscription services could be leveraged to regroup coworkers and team members in a new, refreshing setting that matches nature and beauty with an activity that is so refreshingly therapeutic in these times of fear and uncertainty. Buunch Virtual Services for team building and professional development was born out of the request by a long time client, also one of the top financial data companies in the world, for a team building event centered around floral arranging. The success of the event, Bailly continues, coupled with the enthusiasm of the attendees was all we needed to solidify this as an equitable offering in a virtually untapped market- and, its another expression of what we love to do.

Buunch continues to thrive under the international influence of founder Caroline Bailly and Creative Floral Director Takaya Sato, known for their clients such as fashion institution Dior and the Michelin-starred Marea with a unique blend of art, ikebana and flower therapy using internationally sourced flowers of the highest quality. The encouraging growth has inspired spin-offs of Buunch, including floral therapy services, weekly gift / subscriptions and even lifestyle event planning and services.

Story continues

The Buunch Virtual Services information is available on the Buunch.com website at the URL:

https://buunch.com/pages/virtual-services

About Buunch.com

Caroline Bailly: Before founding LAtelier Rouge, famed NYC floral and event design company in 2010, Caroline worked under the tutelage of Olivier Guigni and developed a detailed knowledge of luxury floral services designing both large scale events and small residential intimate floral decor. Arriving stateside in the late 90s, Caroline practiced her skills managing events for Daniel Boulud and Geoffrey Zakarian, building off of her training from the prestigious Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne in Switzerland where she majored in the impact of environmental design and customer behavior.

Takaya Sato: Recognized as a classically trained ikebana master in his native Japan, Takaya is the craftsman behind Buunchs cutting-edge floral arrangements. After beginning his training back in Japan more than twenty years ago at his fathers flower shop, Takaya has been designing for some of the most elite events in New York and around the globe and brings his refined sensibility to Buunch.

Contact: Caroline Bailly

5166061730



info@buunch.com

www.buunch.com

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The first ruler of Beijings Forbidden City was different from the rest. Emperor Yongle was brutal like his predecessors and dictatorial like his descendants, but he was more worldly than any of them. For a brief period between 1405 and 1433, China would embark on a massive maritime campaign to legitimise their own prestige by engaging with foreign nations, reaching the African south and possibly as far as the west coast of Australia.

Trade boomed, Chinese spices found new ports and giraffes and rhinoceroses would follow the armada of treasure ships back home, but eventually suspicion of collusion with foreign powers took hold and Emperor Yongles successors imposed a ban on sea trading.

China has instructed the private sector to work more closely with the Party. Credit:Matt Davidson

Our Celestial Empire possesses all things in prolific abundance and has no need to import the manufacturers of outside barbarians, Emperor Qianlong wrote in a letter to Britains King George III in 1793.

The European Union's Chamber of Commerce in China recounted the more than two-century old message from Beijing this week.
A slow-moving Tropical Storm Beta formed in the Gulf of Mexico on Friday, carrying the potential for heavy rains and flooding along the Texas coast.

A hurricane watch was issued along the Texas coast from Port Aransas to High Island, including Galveston. A tropical storm watch was put in place by the National Hurricane Center from south of Port Aransas to the mouth of the Rio Grande and east of High Island to Morgan City, La. A storm surge watch was announced from Port Mansfield to High Island.

The system strengthened into a tropical storm on Friday afternoon, becoming the 23rd named storm of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season. Wilfred was the last of 21 names selected for this season. In the case where all 21 names are used  which, before Friday, hadnt occurred in 15 years  storms are named using the Greek alphabet.

Wilfred, Alpha and Beta received names on Friday.

FLOOD TRACKER: Interact with the map for real-time flood updates in the Houston region

As of 10 p.m. Friday, Tropical Storm Beta was forecast to move north through Saturday and then shift to the west, where the storm's center could approach South Texas or the Coastal Bend regions Sunday night and Monday. It could be near hurricane strength Sunday.

It is then expected to track slowly up the Texas coast, prompting the National Hurricane Center to warn of an increasing risk of heavy rainfall and flooding along the northwest Gulf Coast from Sunday through at least the middle of next week.

A presentation from the National Weather Services Houston/Galveston office said its most immediate concern was minor to moderate coastal flooding.

And while it's too early to determine what areas of Texas could see direct wind and storm surge, the Houston/Galveston office said Texans should prepare for significant beach erosion, possible water inundation in some beach and bay communities, and poor street drainage.

As of 4 p.m., Tropical Storm Wilfred was in the east Atlantic Ocean and was not expected to make landfall. Subtropical Storm Alpha had made landfall in Portugal and was expected to dissipate on Saturday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season continues through Nov. 30. Its the first time since 2005 that the Greek alphabet has been required. There were 27 named storms (through Zeta in the Greek alphabet) in 2005.
The Calcutta High Court on September 18 issued directions restraining Harsh Vardhan Lodha from holding any position in the Rs 25,000 crore MP Birla Group, or its associated entities, and also from drawing any benefit from the assets of the estate.

The 16-year-old legal row between the MP Birla Group companies, represented by a faction led by MP Birlas sister Laxmi Devi Newars scions Arvind along with his brother Ajay and the Lodhas, over controlling the Birla Estate had its genesis in the contested will of the late Priyamvada Devi Birla, the widow of MP Birla. This will was executed in July 1982 after the purported will allegedly transferred the shares of the MP Birla Group, collectively called the Birla Estate, in favour of the late Rajendra Singh Lodha.

The legal tussle began after the July 13, 1982 mutual wills gave away all the assets to charities, but another will dated April 18, 1999 granted them to Rajendra Lodha, now being pursued by his son Harsh Lodha, and other heirs of the senior Lodha.

A new twist emerged in the story in July 2019, when in a 2:1 order, the Calcutta HC-appointed three-member administrator committee (APL panel), headed by retired Bombay HC judge Mohit Shah, opposed the board's decision of the three listed MP Birla Group companies to re-appoint Harsh Lodha as Non-Executive Chairman.

This forced the Lodhas to challenge the APL order in the High Court saying the board decision should have been above that of the panel, which also should have decided unanimously and not by majority.

In its report submitted to the Calcutta HC, the administrator pendente lite (APL) panel, appointed in August 2012, also said it "does not support payment of commission on net profit to the non-executive chairman of group companies.

Following this, the Lodhas moved the HC first on August 2, 2019, and then twice on August 5 and August 9 the same year, to cancel the annual general meetings (AGMs) of these companies scheduled for August 13 in Kolkata. But the HC gave the go-ahead for the AGMs but asked to withhold the results till the pendency of the case, which was then ordered in favour of the Lodhas.
Explained: What is 70:30 quota in Maharashtra's medical admissions, why was it removed?

India

oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P

New Delhi, Sep 18: Maharashtra Medical Education Minister Amit Deshmukh has recently announced the repealing of the 70:30 regional quota in admission to state medical colleges in favour of 'One Maharashtra, One Merit' principle. The medical fraternity, including student organisations, welcomed the move as the successful conclusion of a long battle for seats in colleges.

What is 70:30 quota?

70:30 quota was a longstanding policy of regional reservation of seats in medical colleges. For the purposes of this quota in admissions, the state was divided into three regions: Marathwada, Vidarbha, and Rest of Maharashtra (RoM). According to 70:30 formula, as many as 70 per cent of seats were reserved for locals, and 30 per cent were available to candidates belonging to other parts of the state.

Dubai suspends Air India Express flights for 15 days ferrying COVID patients twice

It can be seen that the number of colleges and the number of seats available in the three regions are different. Marathwada has fewer colleges and fewer seats, which puts students from this region at a disadvantage compared to students availing the 70 per cent quota elsewhere. This would often result in complaints about even meritorious students failing to get admission.

What are the present changes in the policy?

As per the amendments to the 2016 Act published by the state government, all seats shall be made available to all candidates from the state, and shall be filled on the basis of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) merit list.

5 point roadmap hammered out by India-China foreign ministers yet to move forward

Earlier, about 25 per cent seats in unaided private professional educational Institutions would be allotted to candidates from the constitutional reservation category.

Thirty per cent of seats at the disposal of the competent authority shall be reserved for women in all courses. The same provisions will apply to ayurveda, unani, homeopathy, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, prosthetics and orthotics, and B.Sc Nursing courses.

According to officials, there was considerable resentment among people in Marathwada, where medical seats did not increase for many years. The current Minister for Medical Education, Deshmukh, belongs to Latur in Marathwada.

It can be seen that reservation was introduced nearly 20 years ago, when almost all the seats would have been filled by local students only. Due to norms that allowed medical colleges to only admit students from select regions, meritorious students from other zones were deprived of seats in the sought-after colleges in Mumbai, Pune, and Nagpur.
The Dubai Civil Aviation Authority has suspended Air India Express operations to the Dubai airport after the airline allegedly carried a passenger who had tested positive for COVID-19.

The suspension kicks in from September 18 and will be valid till October 2.

The suspension notice says that the airline had carried the passenger on September 4, on flight IX1135, from Jaipur to Dubai. The passenger, whose identity Moneycontrol is not revealing, had reportedly had a positive test result, issued on September 2 at a diagnostic centre in Jaipur.

Going by the notice, this was the second time that the Dubai authority had detected the airline carrying a passenger who had the infection.

"You are aware of the previous intimation made to you by our letter dated September 2, for boarding a passenger with a COVID-19 positive result, who endangered the other passengers on board and also caused a serious health risk," the letter to the regional manager of Air India Express said.

It added that boarding a passenger with the infection, for the second time, "is contrary to and is in violation of the laid down procedure...in the Emirate of Dubai, during the coronavirus SARS Cov. 2 pandemic."

In addition to the suspension, the airline has been asked to pay for all the expenditure incurred by authorities for medical services, including quarantine, for passengers.

To resume services, the Air India subsidiary has been asked to submit a "detailed corrective action/procedure implemented to prevent such incidents..." the letter said.

Moneycontrol has seen a copy of the letter.

Dubai is among the busiest destinations for passengers from India. As per the air travel bubble that the Indian government had arranged with a few countries, airlines from both the sides could operate scheduled flights.

This is a second such instance of Air India or its subsidiary being suspended for carrying passengers infected with the virus. On August 18, Hong Kong had banned the national airline from operating till August 31.

Separately, Malaysia had barred Indians from entering the country starting September 7, in a bid to curtail imported COVID-19 cases amid a spate of new clusters in the country.

(This is a developing story. Check back for more details.)
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - A Florida county commissioner is firing back at an anti-mask critic who took to social media, claiming to show the officials hypocrisy for pushing coronavirus safety precautions on the public while letting her COVID-19 positive daughter defy them.

After Palm Beach County Commissioner Melissa McKinlay announced Tuesday that her 19-year-old daughter was in the emergency room with COVID-19, Boca Raton resident Rachel Eade posted pictures and video on Facebook taken from the commissioners daughters Instagram page.

In one image Eade grabbed from the teens Instagram account, McKinlays daughter shows off a tattoo. She lip-syncs with a friend in a video. And a Sept. 6 photo shows her with a friend, with neither wearing a mask.

Tattoo parlours have reopened across much of Florida and it is not clear when the daughter got the tattoo. Also, McKinlay says her daughter is following all protocols at the University of Central Florida in Orlando where she attends classes.

Three days after the Sept. 6 photo, she was tested for the coronavirus and learned a week later she was positive, the commissioner said. McKinlays test was negative.

Eade has pushed for reopening shuttered businesses and joined a lawsuit to quash the countys mask policy, the Palm Beach Post reported.

After Eades post, McKinlay shot back with a fiery missive of her own on her county commission Facebook page at those accusing her daughter of wrongdoing.

My God, the hate in this community is absurd, she wrote. You should be ashamed of it. I dont give a damn if you dont vote for me again. Your vote isnt one I want.

McKinlay, a Democrat, won re-election to a second four-year commission term in 2018, and will be forced out by term limits in 2022.

Eade told the newspaper she made the post to hold McKinlay accountable because it was no different than when commissioners used images of people flouting COVID-19 rules at nightclubs to make a point that health advice was not being heeded.

As a representative of the people, this board cannot expect to stop the world, shutter businesses in our community, destroy livelihoods, take food off the plates of families and children, restrict the breathing and movement of an entire community, and not expect there to be individuals who investigate whether their actions back up their words, Eade told the newspaper.

Critics of the countys measures to control the coronavirus quickly added their own thoughts to Eades Facebook post.

Josie Machovec, a fellow plaintiff in the mask mandate lawsuit, wrote that the post made her rageful because she (McKinlay) expects all of us to change our behaviour to protect her child. But when we bring up the fact that those things can and do harm our children she doesnt care. Only her childs comfort is important.

Eade called McKinlays announcement about her daughter Tuesday a partial sob story.

As a mother, I certainly wish no child ill, but we have to ask why she feels her own child is not bound by the rules she is creating and trying to enforce? Eade wrote.

McKinlay said her daughter is not defying coronavirus protocols.

She was home with me all summer. She followed the rules, she wore her mask, she washed her hands, McKinlay said. Her daughter attends the University of Central Florida in Orlando, where her mother says she is adhering to the schools coronavirus policies.

She takes that threat seriously, McKinlay said. She finds it absolutely ridiculous and laughable that people are making these accusations.

In an Instagram post made Thursday, the daughter said she likely contracted the virus from a friend of her roommate who visited their Orlando apartment.

This should show many of you, that jumping to conclusions can often leave you looking quite dense. Maybe if you put half the time you spent stalking a college girls Instagram, into worrying about more important things going on in the world, you could help a cause in need, she wrote, attaching links to wildfire relief, child trafficking awareness, addiction prevention and Black Lives Matter.

___

Follow AP coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak.
Limestone Networks x Path Network

Limestone Networks, a leading provider in bare metal and cloud hosting services, is announcing a new partnership with Path Network to provide DDoS mitigation backbone services for its datacenter facilities in Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, and Salt Lake City.

Limestone Networks is proud to announce that it has partnered with Path Network, a revolutionary provider of stateful DDoS mitigation services, to power the network backbone for its Enterprise DDoS mitigation service. Limestone Networks, through its partnership with Path, will offer its clients an invaluable amount of security and insight against threats directed at their infrastructure hosted in Limestone's datacenters.

Limestone's new Path-powered Enterprise DDoS mitigation service is available across all of its data-centers, including Dallas, TX (DFW1), Los Angeles, CA (LAX1), New York, NY (JFK1), and Salt Lake City, UT (SLC1). Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks target specific network resource capacity limits, such as the infrastructure that enables a companys website, and mitigation services inspect the large volumes of incoming traffic in order to block malicious network traffic. Ensuring the privacy and security of all our customers is highly important to me and Limestone Networks, working hard to ensure that our customers and services have the best security infrastructure, partnering with Path Network allowed us to do so, stated Preston Gosdin, Limestone Networks COO.

Path provides unprecedented coverage and insight into website, application, and network uptime and performance. Marshal Webb, Path CEO, states, "We are excited and proud to be working with Limestone as they have expressed their interest in providing their customers with the best security infrastructure possible. During these very troubling times, we have seen a surge in cybercrime which has left the valuable data of many companies vulnerable to the wrong people. We are glad to be working with Limestone to ensure they stay secure and safe from any possible threats."

About Limestone Networks

Limestone Networks is the premier provider of on-demand cloud, bare-metal, and colocation solutions with four Data Centers located in Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, and Salt Lake City. Technical and customer support are American-based and available 24/7/365. All services include multi-layered physical security, triple redundancy, and premium bandwidth carriers. The combination of quality, state-of-the-art hardware, with fast and knowledgeable support sets Limestone apart and the new website will allow for a faster, cleaner customer experience from the start.

For more information please contact Limestone Networks via live chat or email sales@limestonenetworks.com.
It's a perfect morning in the Phoenix Park and the lush parkland is an oasis of calm.

But high levels of fear and frustration were palpable among those grappling to live their lives as the coronavirus continues to gain a grim foothold in the capital.

Some blame the soaring case numbers on house parties, some on young people congregating at night-time, while others think complacency has set in as the death rate drops.

Concerned

For others not living in Dublin, yesterday was probably the last chance to see loved ones, like grandparents Mary and Willie Clancy from Waterford. Up for a day trip to the zoo, they had "snuck in a visit" with their Dublin-based daughter Jane and grandson Jack Allen (22 months).

"I'm pretty concerned. Jack just started creche so we're concerned about what he might catch in there but you just have to get on with things as well," said Jane.

"As much as I do think it's the right thing to do, it's obviously not easy. If you're from Dublin and your family are here, it's maybe not as difficult.

"I think it is for the best, I don't want to see the hospitals overwhelmed. The flu season is coming so winter is going to be tough as it is so whatever they have to do, they have to do," she added.

Her mum Mary reckoned that we've "just become a bit complacent" when it comes to following the guidelines.

Caoimhe Heagney (20), from Carpenterstown, and Conor Duffy (20), from Blanchardstown, also reckoned that people had become too relaxed with the guidelines.

"Where we live in the west side of Dublin, there's a lot of cases and there's more every day so it's worrying. You see a lot of people are getting tested.

"The restrictions were lifted very fast and even with the travel, most people are going abroad again, having their normal holidays like there's no virus," said Caoimhe.

"I'd say we have to go into level three because Dublin's the worst part of Ireland now."

Steven Byrne, from Ballyfermot, out for the day with his children Rosie (3) and Oscar (1), said there was a lot of confusion for Dubliners around the restrictions.

"We're between level two and level three. You can travel to Berlin but you can't travel to Cork. Hopefully we'll get more of an answer soon," he said.

Navan Road residents Maureen and Brendan Sweeney said it was "more frustrating" than anything else.

"It is pretty concerning, the fact that we were locked down before and that didn't seem to flatten the curve. It's hard to believe that it's been going on since early March and we're not into September," said Brendan.
New York state filed civil charges on Thursday accusing Johnson & Johnson of insurance fraud for downplaying the risks of opioid painkillers, including to doctors and elderly patients.

Governor Andrew Cuomo said the charges by New Yorks Department of Financial Services in that regulators opioid industry probe follow charges against Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd, Allergan Plc, Endo International Plc and Mallinckrodt Plc.

Johnson & Johnson and its Janssen Pharmaceuticals affiliate were accused of specifically targeting elderly patients for opioid treatment despite the risks, and in marketing materials characterizing opioid addiction as a myth.

Misrepresentation of opioids to consumers for profit is inexcusable, Cuomo said in a statement.

Johnson & Johnson did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

New York said Johnson & Johnson manufactured opioid products in the state such as the fentanyl patch Duragesic and drug Nucynta, and said its Norman Poppy was once responsible for as much as 80% of the global supply for oxycodone raw materials.

The New Brunswick, New Jersey-based company was charged with violating two New York insurance laws, with civil penalties of up to $5,000 per violation.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

Topics Claims Fraud Abuse Molestation New York
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 18

Trend:

About three months have passed since the Armenian armed forces violated the ceasefire and opened fire on civilians on July 12 in the direction of Tovuz on the border with Azerbaijan. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, which mediates in the negotiations on a peaceful settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, drew attention to the tension on the border and held "intensive consultations" in Paris, member of Azerbaijani Parliament Nagif Hamzayev said, Trend reports.

The MP noted that the reluctance of the OSCE Minsk Group to oppose the policy of occupation and illegal settlement of Armenians worries Azerbaijanis, who have been subjected to forced evictions, ethnic cleansing, and deportation by Armenians several times over the past two centuries.

"Intensive consultations" between the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs also called on the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia to begin "unconditional" negotiations in the coming weeks. The co-chairs said in a statement that "they discussed the situation in the region, paying particular attention to the tensions on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border in July." The co-chairs had a separate telephone conversation with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister, Jeyhun Bayramov, and Armenian Foreign Minister, Zohrab Manatsakanyan. During the telephone conversation, the ministers of the two countries were asked to clarify their positions in the coming weeks and to personally meet with the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group to resume substantive negotiations without any preconditions.

"The inability of the OSCE Minsk Group, which has undertaken the task of settling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, to take a firm position on the illegal actions of Armenia, which is internationally recognized as an aggressor, also seriously undermines the credibility of the co-chairs," Hamzayev said.

"Despite four UN Security Council resolutions calling for the immediate, complete, and unconditional withdrawal of the Armenian occupying forces from all occupied territories of Azerbaijan, the country continues to occupy 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory. UN Security Council resolutions are legally binding and implementation is the responsibility of every state. However, the occupying Armenia has not yet been held responsible for the failure to comply with the requirements of these four resolutions," Hamzayev said.

"The July events, the resettlement of Armenians living in Lebanon and Syria to Nagorno-Karabakh under various promises, and the Armenian policy of aggression must be unequivocally and resolutely condemned by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs. The situation is aggravated by the spectator approach of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs to the process," Hamzayev said.

"The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group should not discuss the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, the sovereignty and inviolability of its internationally recognized borders, but should soon resolve the conflict based on the principles and norms of international law. More than a million of our compatriots who were forced to leave their indigenous lands must return to their homes," Hamzayev said.
While many Indian candidates are surging ahead with their COVID-19 vaccine trial processes, Russian COVID-19 vaccine, Sputnik-V that has been launched in Russia, may become the first official vaccine to launch in India. For this, GV Prasad-led Dr Reddy's Laboratories has signed a pact with Russia's sovereign wealth fund Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) to manufacture around 10 crore vaccines in India.

Hyderabad-based Dr Reddy's Laboratories (Dr Reddy's) and Russia's RDIF now plan to roll out the vaccine in India as early as November. In an exclusive interview with India Today, GV Prasad said Russian vaccine Sputnik-V will be launched in India at the earliest. "We have signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with the Russian Development Investment Fund (RDIF). Hope to bring vaccine (Sputnik-V) to India as soon as possible," Prasad said.

Prasad said Dr Reddy's has partnered with RDIF, considering the signs (of the vaccine being effective) are good. "We are trying to get this in the shortest period of time," he added. Prasad also said the company had received approval from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) to conduct trials.

He said Russian vaccine is the first official coronavirus vaccine in the world, and that others are also progressing towards finding the COVID-19 cure.

CEO of RDIF, Kirill Dmitriev said India will play a vital role in fighting Covid-19. He added the government's Make in India initiative has made the pharma sector strong in India.

On the controversy around safety concerns regarding the use of Sputnik V, Dmitriev said it's a clear example of negative propaganda by the western companies. "Our vaccine is based on human cells. Western vaccines have not been tested and competitors are trying to attack. Our vaccine is safe and much advanced," he added.

ALSO READ: Dr Reddy's Lab share climbs 4% as Russia to sell 100 mn Covid-19 vaccine doses to pharma firm

He said India could get the vaccine as soon as November, subject to the approval of regulatory authorities.

Notably, Sputnik V vaccine is undergoing final-stage clinical trials in Russia. It is also being tested in several other countries. "Deliveries could potentially begin in late 2020 subject to completion of successful trials and registration of the vaccine by regulatory authorities in India," a joint statement issued by RDIF and Dr Reddy's had earlier said.

Dr Reddy's, which is one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in India, has a well-established and respected presence in Russia for over 25 years.

On September 4, a research paper on the results of Phase I and Phase II clinical trials of the Sputnik-V vaccine was published in The Lancet, one of the leading international medical journals, demonstrating no serious adverse effects and a stable immune response in 100 per cent of participants.

Prasad said the Phase I and II results of Sputnik-V vaccine have shown promise, and Dr Reddy's will be conducting Phase-III trials in India to meet the requirements of the Indian regulators.

ALSO READ: Coronavirus vaccine: October, November or December -- when will we have COVID-19 cure?
A motorcyclist has died after after he collided with a vehicle in Scarborough on Thursday night.

A 23-year-old driving a white Mercedes sedan was heading south on Warden Avenue and making a left turn to the eastbound Highway 401 ramp at about 10:40 p.m. Thats when he collided with a 32-year-old motorcyclist heading north on Warden, police said.

Toronto police Const. David Hopkinson told the Star that the man had no vital signs when checked at the scene.

The other driver remained on the site.

Police are asking local residents, businesses and drivers, who may have security or dash camera footage of the area or incident, to contact investigators at 416-808-1900 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477).

With files from Ann Marie Elpa

Kevin Jiang is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star's radio room in Toronto. Reach him via email: kjiang@thestar.ca
SINGAPORE, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CocoSign, an easy and secure digital signature service, owned by CocoSign Technology Co., Ltd., is helping businesses e-sign documents on the go in these tough times.

COVID-19 has brought the entire world to a standstill. The current immobilization has not only affected general people but also businesses. A report released by WTO says that world trade is estimated to fall from 32% to 13% in 2020. While large firms can afford to raise capital from investors, small and medium-sized businesses don't have that luxury. During this unprecedented time, CocoSign is helping businesses transit their workflow management digitally.

CocoSign is a cloud-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provider offering online signature services for businesses and individuals to simplify workflow.

Due to the imposed lockdowns and restrictions on movement, businesses have found it hard to get documents delivered and signed physically. CocoSign realized this problem and offered a solution to sign documents remotely anywhere in the world. All that's needed is a CocoSign account, after which users can upload the document, sign it, and send it over the internet.

Since signatures are sensitive and have to be precise, CocoSign's proprietary software allows users to draw signatures either using a touchpad or on touchscreen devices. Alternatively, they can also generate their own signatures by typing in their names. The signature generator software of CocoSign will then create a variety of signatures for users to choose from. This way, CocoSign ensures the digital signatures are close to users' handwritten signatures.

Businesses have the option of creating a separate CocoSign account for each of their employees. This way, team members can collaborate remotely on a single document.

The signed documents can be saved on the cloud securely. CocoSign provides a secure storage system for a set period. The saved documents can be exported to the local machine anytime.

This process of document creation and signing is legally binding. CocoSign is compliant with regulations like eIDAS, ESIGN, and HIPAA (specifically for healthcare documents).

Furthermore, to sign in and allow signatures, there's an added layer of protection that requires fingerprint and passcode. Finally, the digital audit trail enables the recovery of every transaction made with a specific user at any given point of time.

Users can start with a free account with limited features. Once satisfied and if their business demand grows, users can switch to a monthly subscription account starting from as low as $10 per month, including two months of free access. This is really useful for cash-strapped companies withstanding the COVID-19 pandemic.

About CocoSign

CocoSign is a leading e-signature software product development company that releases software tools aimed to streamline business operations. For media inquiries, contact [email protected]

To explore CocoSign's e-signature services, visit: https://cocosign.com/

To know how to e-sign documents online, visit: https://cocosign.com/electronic-signature/sign-documents-online/

You may also browse CocoSign's collection of 400+ forms and templates at https://cocosign.com/templates/

Jumpstart your business and boost workflow efficiency now with CocoSign!

SOURCE CocoSign
A 28-year-old man is facing manslaughter charges after he allegedly caused the death of a man in August 2019.

Police and the Multnomah County District Attorneys office have released scant details about the incident after which officers found Lavoy Blackledge, 60, dead on a Southwest Portland sidewalk.

On Thursday, the district attorneys office said Alex Delane Alexander has been charged with two counts of manslaughter and one of second-degree assault. He has pleaded not guilty to all three charges.

A statement from the district attorneys office says a week after Blackledges body was found, the state medical examiner determined he died of homicidal violence. A year later, on August 28, a grand jury indicted Alexander and a judge issued an arrest warrant for him. Alexander turned himself in on Wednesday.

The district attorneys office has not released any information about what happened between Alexander and Blackledge, nor any information about how exactly Blackledge died.

Jayati Ramakrishnan; 503-221-4320; jramakrishnan@oregonian.com; @JRamakrishnanOR

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
Amitabh Gupta has been named as Pune police chief months after he was sent on compulsory leave for facilitating the visit of scam accused businessmen Kapil, Dheeraj Wadhawan, and their 23 family members to Mahabaleshwar even as non-essential travel was barred as part of measures to check the Covid-19 spread in April.

The elevation came as part of a shuffle in the Maharashtra police with the transfer of 40 Indian Police Service (IPS) officers on Thursday. Gupta will replace K Venkateshan, who has been named additional director general (special operations), as the Pune police commissioner.

A fact-finding committee, which was formed to look into the permission granted to the Wadhawans to travel from Khandala to Mahabaleshwar, found Gupta exceeded his jurisdiction and had no authority to issue a letter to them for it. Gupta then maintained he issued the letter on humanitarian grounds. He was reinstated as principal secretary (special) home department over a month later.

Kapil and Dheeraj Wadhawan, the Diwan Housing Finance Limited (DHFL) promoters, are accused of money laundering in the multi-crore Yes Bank fraud case. Yes Bank is alleged to have invested Rs3,700 crore in short term non-convertible debenture of DHFL between April and June 2018. Its promoter, Rana Kapoor, allegedly received Rs600 crore as kickbacks from DHFL in terms of loan advanced to two firms, DOIT Urban Ventures (India) Private Limited and Morgan Credits Private Limited. Kapoors three daughters hold 100 stakes in DOIT and his wife controls Morgan Credits.

Also read: Auditor flags fraudulent transactions worth 17,394 cr in DHFL case

The Wadhawan family travelled to Mahabaleshwar, bypassing sealed district borders after Gupta issued the letter on his letterhead as the principal secretary (special), home department. The outrage over the facilitation despite the national lockdown to ensure social distancing prompted the Maharashtra government to order an inquiry against Gupta. Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh in April called the letter uncalled for and inappropriate and added such permission could have given only in case of an emergency and promised stringent action.

The family was detained from the Diwan farmhouse after locals raised objections to them staying there amid the pandemic for violating the prohibitory orders of the nationwide lockdown in April. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had them issued non-bailable warrants against the two in connection with the scam.

The Maharashtra government drew flak from the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party for allowing the Wadhawans to holiday in Mahabaleshwar with official permission.

Neither Deshmukh nor additional chief secretary (home) Sitaram Kunte responded to calls or messages for comments.
A sculpture entitled "We are one" is displayed at a park in Paju City, Sept. 18, ahead of the second anniversary of the Pyongyang Declaration. Yonhap



By Do Je-hae



Two years ago on Sept. 19, the leaders of the two Koreas signed the Pyongyang Joint Declaration that included measures to reduce military tension on the Korean Peninsula and boost cooperation in various areas.



The declaration was the outcome of the third summit between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during an eventful year in inter-Korean relations, starting with a visit to South Korea by a high-level delegation led by Kim's sister Yo-jong during the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games earlier in the year.



The second year anniversary of the declaration comes amid a deadlock in both inter-Korean relations and the denuclearization talks between the U.S. and North Korea.



Although Pyongyang has made no mention of the anniversary, Seoul is eyeing it as an occasion to renew momentum for inter-Korean cooperation. In this regard, speculation has been rising for weeks that President Moon could make some proposals regarding the North during his upcoming online speech at the United Nations General Assembly to be held next week.



Cheong Wa Dae announced earlier this week that Moon will give a speech at the U.N. General Assembly focusing on the need for global solidarity and cooperation in tackling the COVID-19 crisis. But he is expected to devote part of the speech to the situation on the Korean Peninsula.



"The President will seek the support of the international community and interest in our government's efforts for peace on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia," presidential spokesman Kang Min-seok said during a briefing, Sept. 17.



Reviving momentum



As time is running out on Moon's presidency, the U.N. speech is expected to be one of the last public occasions for the South Korean leader to make any big gesture toward the North.



"As Moon's mid-term has already passed, it is not the time to announce new proposals," Hong Min, director of North Korea division at the Korea Institute for National Unification, told The Korea Times. "It would be better to focus on what is most realistic and acceptable from the perspective of the North Koreans."





North Korean soldiers observe the South Korean side through telescopes during Unification Minister Lee In-young's visit to the true village of Panmunjeon, Sept. 16, ahead of the second anniversary of the Sept. 19 Pyongyang Declaration. Joint Press Corps/Yonhap



The government has previously mentioned cooperation in quarantine and tourism projects, but Pyongyang has shown no interest in these.



The North Korean leader ordered that no "outside aid" would be allowed to deal with the flood damage last month. Prior to this Pyongyang demolished an inter-Korean liaison office in Gaeseong, a historic symbol from the first Moon-Kim summit in April 2018.



Concerns are rising that any move from the South will be ignored for the time being as North Korea awaits the results of the U.S. presidential election in November before making the next move regarding talks with the U.S. Experts predict very different scenarios following the election, making North Korea's future course of action highly unpredictable.



"If Donald Trump were to win, I would first suspect a shakeup of his core national security team  with the possible departures of Mike Pompeo, Robert C. O'Brien and others  could signal a change in policy and focus for the second term," Harry Kazianis, a senior director at the Center for the National Interest, a Washington, D.C.-based national security think tank, told The Korea Times.



"One could see the rise of Stephen Biegun as the new secretary of state, who would clearly champion a much more restrained, realistic and deal-orientated approach to North Korea. If that were all to happen, Trump could very well try to take the Hanoi Agreement that was on offer  liaison offices, end of war declaration and sanctions relief for a big first step toward denuclearization  as the framework for a deal instead of renegotiating everything all over again," he said.



"If Joe Biden were to win, the most likely course would be a two month policy review where nothing happens on North Korea until March or April 2021  with the North Koreans becoming enraged and testing long-range missiles and nuclear weapons as a show of strength," Kazianis said.



The presidential office has shunned going into specifics about what the President may say with regard to North Korea and the stalled denuclearization talks during the upcoming speech.





North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, second from right, inspects the typhoon-hit South Hwanghae Province, Aug. 28. Yonhap
White US Christians becoming less motivated to address racial injustice: Barna

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White, self-identified Christians in the United States have become less motivated to address racial injustice and are less likely to believe that the country has a race problem compared to last year, according to a new report by the Barna Group.

In findings made public on Tuesday, Barna reported that 33% of white self-identified Christians believe that the United States definitely has a race problem, down from 40% last year.

By contrast, 81% of black self-identified Christians agreed that the nation definitely has a race problem, up from 75% in 2019. Hispanic self-identified Christians stayed about the same, with 54% responding definitely in 2019 and 55% responding the same in 2020.

Barna also found that from 2019-2020, the number of white self-identified Christians who felt very motivated to address racial injustice dropped from 14% to 10%.

White self-identified Christians who were motivated to address racial injustice also declined from 18% in 2019 to 15% in 2020, with those not at all motivated rising from 11% in 2019 to 22% in 2020.

In contrast, from 2019-2020, the number of black self-identified Christians who were very motivated to address racial injustice rose from 33% in 2019 to 46% in 2020.

Despite the decrease in motivation to address racial injustice and a drop in the belief that the nation has a race problem, Barna did find an increase in belief among white self-identified Christians that the United States has historically been oppressive to minorities.

White self-identified Christians who agreed with that sentiment increased from 43% in 2019 to 48% in 2020, while those who disagreed dropped from 30% last year to 23% this year.

For the report, Barna surveyed 1,525 U.S. adults online from June 18-July 6, over-sampling African Americans, Asians, and Hispanics. The data has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.8%.

Barna also found a decline in the belief that the U.S. has a race problem among the entire U.S. adults sample, with 46% agreeing in 2020, versus 49% in 2019.

Further, the number of U.S. adults in general who responded that they were not at all motivated to address racial injustice grew from 9% last year to 16% this year.

The research was conducted not long after Barna President David Kinnaman penned a blog entry calling for action regarding the divergent views on race between white and black evangelicals.

Simply put, most white Christians miss and misunderstand the lived experience of Black Christians. Weve been tracking this gap for years, including the higher degree to which Black Christians perceive police brutality, experience the effects of racism and believe the effects of slavery continue to this day, wrote Kinnaman.

It is the Churchs responsibility to reject racism, embrace responsibility to tear down unjust and white-centered systems and, in the Spirits power, advance justice and reconciliation.

The United States has experienced renewed internal conflict over race and racial reconciliation following the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota, back in May.

This has included protests, both violent and peaceful, as well as increased dialogue within churches over the existence of systemic racism in both sacred and secular institutions.

New protests occurred after a black man named Jacob Blake was shot seven times in the back by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last month.

Earlier this year, polls indicted a growing support for the Black Lives Matter movement, with a Pew Research Center report finding that about two-thirds of all Americans were in favor.

However, a new Politico-Morning Consult poll from Wednesday found support for the BLM movement drop by nine points to a 52% favorable opinion among voters compared to June.

The PMC poll also found that while 57% of respondents supported the Floyd protests earlier this year, 49% of respondents recently voiced support for the Blake protests.
Chief Minister on Friday directed senior officials to start recruitment drives in the coming three months and issue appointment letters for selected candidates in six months' time, an official said.

In a meeting with senior officials, the chief minister sought details of vacant posts in all departments, a government spokesperson said.

He directed them to ensure that recruitment drives are carried out in the coming three months in a transparent manner, as was done in the recruitment for some three lakh jobs, and distribute appointment letters in six months' time, he said.

Adityanath will soon hold meetings in this regard with chiefs of all commissions and recruitment boards, the official said, adding that he said it should be carried out in a manner similar to the transparent and fair recruitment done in the Public Service Commission and others.

So far, 1.37 lakh recruitments have been made in the state police, 50,000 for teachers and over one lakh have been recruited in other departments, the spokesman added.

On Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday on Thursday, workers of main opposition parties -- the Samajwadi Party and the Congress -- had staged protests against the BJP government on the issue of "rising" unemployment.

"Samajwadi Party workers protested in all the districts of against rising unemployment... The state government's move to go for contractual jobs and anti-youth policies has given rise to hardships for youths," SP state president Naresh Uttam said.

As a mark of protest, Congress workers fried 'pakodas' along with the local unemployed youths and observed 'Berozgari Diwas' on the prime minister's birthday , Congress media convenor Lalan Kumar 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.)
Scott Morrison has revealed arrival caps preventing Australians from coming home will be increased in stages.

From 28 September New South Wales will take an extra 500 people per week and Queensland and Western Australia will take an extra 200 per week.

On 4 October Queensland will take an extra 300 per week and on 12 October WA will accept an extra 300.

Passengers at Sydney International Airport arriving after flying in from Auckland, New Zealand on Friday

From 28 September New South Wales will take an extra 500 people per week. Pictured: Passengers land at Sydney Airport

The new cap numbers were agreed at a National Cabinet meeting on Friday.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the caps are being increased steadily because the states asked for time to prepare their hotel quarantine systems.

He has offered extra ADF troops to enforce quarantine to help prevent the virus escaping as happened in Melbourne in late May.

'I want to enable as many Australians to get home as soon as possible and I want to do that safely and I want to do that in as constructive a way as we can,' he said.

Some 25,000 Australians are stranded overseas, unable to get a flight home because of the arrival caps which were introduced in July to ease pressure on hotel quarantine.

About 3,500 of them are considered medically or financially vulnerable.

The prime minister also said he was prepared to use a federal facility at Howard Springs near Darwin to quarantine returned travellers if any evacuation flights were required.

'Howard Springs is a facility that we will be able to use to deal with those type of evacuation charters, if they become necessary. Now, at present, we don't have any of those currently planned,' he said.

Tasmania and the ACT, which do not have international flights, have offered to accept charter flights.

On 4 October Queensland will take an extra 300 per week and on 12 October WA will accept an extra 300. Pictured: Passengers lands at Sydney Airport

Sheree Richardson, from Perth, and her three young children were forced to sleep on the floor of London's Heathrow airport for three days after being bumped from flights because of coronavirus travel caps

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said: 'Our expectation is that we would have one chartered flight in every quarantine cycle so approximately every 14 to 18 days.'

He said each flight would contain about 150 people and they would be taken to a dedicated hotel with no other guests.

Labor has been urging Mr Morrison to pay for charter flights to bring vulnerable Aussies home since last week.

Mr Morrison also revealed that he is continuing to work with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on setting up a travel bubble.

About 15 per cent of Aussies in quarantine have come from New Zealand so this would free up a considerable number of places in the quarantine system.

'Another way we'll be able to help more Australians get home is we're working to ensure that New Zealanders can come to Australia, and Australians can return to Australia from New Zealand without the need to go through quarantine if they're not coming from an area where there is an outbreak of Covid-19. For example, the whole of the South Island,' he said.

Australians trying to get home have said they were forced to buy business class tickets on planes with just 30 passengers. Here a child plays in the completely empty economy section
By pulling out of race, Jeanine Anez could increase chances the October 18 election will be pushed to a second round.

Jeanine Anez, Bolivias right-wing interim president has said she will not run in the upcoming election next month, in a move that is expected to strengthen opposition against the party of the longtime former president, Evo Morales.

In a video message addressed to the nation late on Thursday, Anez, who took over as president in a power vacuum last year promising swift new elections, cited the need to unite in order to defeat Moraless Movement for Socialism (MAS) party and to preserve democracy.

Today I put aside my candidacy for the presidency of Bolivia, for the sake of democracy, she said. If we do not unite, Morales will return. If we do not unite, democracy loses.

NO ES UN SACRIFICIO, ES UN HONOR

Hoy dejo de lado mi candidatura en homenaje a la libertad y a la democracia.

Lo que esta en juego en esta eleccion no es poca cosa. De verdad, esta en juego la democracia en Bolivia. pic.twitter.com/vpbKKWaeou  Jeanine Anez Chavez (@JeanineAnez) September 18, 2020

Morales, the countrys longest-serving president, was pressured to resign last November amid widespread protests over allegations he committed election fraud, charges that have since been disputed.

In her message, Anez did not endorse any of the remaining candidates running in the elections, scheduled for October 18.

By pulling out of the race, Anez could increase chances that the presidential contest would be pushed to a second round, complicating the MASs prospects, Raul Penaranda, a journalist and political analyst based in La Paz said

Anezs intention is to avoid the possibility of a MAS victory in the first round, Penaranda said, and if the MAS heads to a second round, it becomes very likely that they will lose, because the entire opposition, some 60 percent of the electorate will de facto unite against them.

To avoid a runoff in Bolivias elections, a candidate would need to secure at least 40 percent of the votes in the first round, and have a 10-point advantage over the closest competitor.

Former Bolivian President Carlos Mesa, is currently polling second [File: Manuel Claure/Reuters]

Recent polls have placed MAS party candidate Luis Arce in first place with more than 40 percent support among likely voters, while former President Carlos Mesa was at 26 percent, and right-wing protest leader Luis Fernando Camacho in third place with 14 percent. Anez was lagging in fourth place with 10.6 percent support.

Experts believe Anezs withdrawal is likely to favour Mesa, a centrist who welcomed her announcement. I value the decision made by President Anez as a contribution to democracy, Mesa said in a Tweet, we are always ready for dialogue.

But in a surprising move, Camacho tweeted scathing criticisms of Anez calling her candidacy artificial and blasted her move as akin to defeat.

Valoro la decision asumida por la Presidenta @jeanineanez como una contribucion a la democracia. Estamos siempre dispuestos al dialogo. La decision de cerrarle el paso al MAS y abrir una nueva etapa donde Primero este la gente siempre sera del pueblo boliviano.  Carlos D. Mesa Gisbert (@carlosdmesag) September 18, 2020

Anezs administration has been dogged with allegations of corruption and accusations of human rights violations against political opponents.

Earlier in September, a Human Rights Watch report found that members of Anezs administration had used their positions in power to clamp down on MAS supporters, and had, without evidence, charged Morales with terrorism for political gain.

She has been criticised for her handling of the coronavirus pandemic  a disease which has killed at least 7,511 people in Bolivia.

Evo Morales speaking to the presidential candidate for the Movement to Socialism party (MAS) Luis Arce during a meeting of their party, in Buenos Aires, Argentina [File: Agustin Marcarian/Reuters]

Morales, who was in office for 13 years, saw his support dwindle among voters when he insisted on running for a controversial fourth term in office in 2019. His time in office was overshadowed by allegations of mismanagement, corruption and violations against political rivals.

His party, however, remains the largest and most popular in Bolivia, and Morales from exile in Argentina, continues to command authority and loyalty among his loyal base of supporters.

Jim Shultz, a public advocacy activist and author of the book, My other country, nineteen years in Bolivia, said Anezs resignation is a positive development for a country that has for months been marred by political instability and unrest.

But despite the MASs lead in the polls, he said, it is far from certain the party could come out on top in the highly polarised country.

The only way that the MAS could win is if they can turn a base of support of about 40 percent into a victory, Shultz told Al Jazeera. And for people who are not part of the MAS base of support, they dont want them at all.

The MAS have to convince a whole lot of people who do not like Morales, that theyre going to be different, he added. But thats not what theyre doing.
Representative image

The Ministry of Heath on September 18 said that Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has granted test license permission for the manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccine for pre-clinical test, examination and analysis to certain manufacturers in India, news agency ANI reported.



The manufacturers granted permission include, among others, the Serum Institute of India, Bharat Biotech International, Reliance Life Sciences and Aurobindo Pharma.

The CDSCO also informed that requirements and guidelines to conduct clinical trial or grant of permission for marketing of new drugs, including vaccines, have been prescribed under New Drugs and Clinical Trials Rules, 2019.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) also laid out the stages of vaccine development.

Disclaimer: Reliance Industries Ltd. is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd.

The Ministry of Science and Technology said that there are nearly 30 Covid vaccine candidates that are under development and are in different stages of pre-clinical and clinical development. Out of these, three candidates are in advanced stage of Phase I/II/III trials and four are in advanced pre-clinical development stage.
A Niagara Falls elementary school has become the first school in the region to report a COVID-19 case this term.

In a Thursday night news release, the Niagara District Catholic School Board said a person at Mary Ward Catholic school has tested positive for a novel coronavirus infection.

The release does not say if that person, who is now in isolation, is a student or staff. However, it does say that students and staff have been potentially exposed to the virus.

Niagara Region Public Health is in the process of contacting all students and staff who had direct contact with this individual this evening, the release says.

Anyone who came into contact with this individual is advised to stay at home tomorrow and to follow the advice of Niagara Region Public Health.

The schools principal has sent a letter home to students parents to inform them of the situation.

This is the second educational facility to report a positive COVID-19 case this week.

On Wednesday, Brock University reported a off-campus student has tested positive for the virus. The university said this student had not yet been on campus. Since testing positive, the student is in isolation.

The Mary Ward case is the first in a Niagara school since classes resumed after a pandemic shutdown.

Earlier in the pandemic, a secondary school reported a positive case.

In March, a 30-year-old man who worked at Saint Francis Catholic Secondary School tested positive for COVID-19, becoming the regions first non-travel related transmission case, as well as its first case in a local school.

The staff member exhibited symptoms March 12, the day before classes were suspended by the provincial government. Schools did not open again until after Labour Day.

This is a breaking story. More to come.
There may be no building still standing in San Francisco that embodies the city's working class roots more than Red's Java House.

The beloved shack perched on the corner of Pier 30 has served the city its famous sourdough cheeseburgers and cheap beer since 1955, and despite all the chaos of 2020, it's not stopping anytime soon.

"San Franciscans own Red's," owner Tiffany Pisoni tells me, as we sit out back in the shadow of the Bay Bridge. "It's an institution. I may have purchased it 11 years ago, but it belongs to the city."

That back patio feels like an oasis of normality from another era right now. Situated between the looming bridge and a giant COVID-19 testing center that looks like its dropped in from a disaster movie, Red's is somehow weathering the storm.

"I thought: We're going to survive this, we're going to show San Franciscans that we're not going anywhere. No matter what." Pisoni says. "It's been an amazing feeling knowing that people are coming out and want to keep this place going."

The tiny diner that veteran Chronicle writer Carl Nolte once called the Chartres Cathedral of cheap eats remained open even through the darkest days of the pandemic, that has seen over one hundred S.F. restaurants permanently close.

Reds shifted to take-out through April and May, but now diners can order inside and take their $10.47 hamburger and beer lunch combo to the tables on the back deck over the water.

The restaurant gets its name from the pair of seafaring redheaded brothers who bought the place in 1955. Pisoni became the third owner, after taking over the restaurant in 2009.

"My father, an engineer, was working on Pier One at the time, and he said 'I heard buzz that Red's may be for sale, just go check it out,'" she says. "So I did ... and I walked away. A month later he convinced me to check it out again."

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

Pisoni was finally persuaded to invest in the historic spot.

"My thought was I could come in and change it, not the menu, but clean it up, and put my own touch on it," she says.

"And did you?" I ask.

"I did not." She laughs. "Within the first month I realized I wouldn't be changing Red's. I got so much slack from our regulars."

Pisoni describes some of the protests long time Red's customers made to change.

"The mop bucket was always under the TV, not in the mop closet. And so I moved it into the closet, and they were like 'Where's the mop bucket?...Where is it?! That bucket has been there for fifteen years and that's where it belongs!'"

The mop bucket was just the start.

"I repainted the interior in the exact same color, but they told me I was making the place too clean. There was also an old coffee roaster in here that hadn't been used in years. I removed it  They did not like that. So I didn't change the patio, or anything. The tables inside are the original tables, the stools are the original stools."

I ask if the staunch defense of the old ways was a little scary.

"No. I think it's love," she says. "Their parents brought them here, you know. And they're bringing their kids here."

Like the original brothers, Pisoni is a San Francisco native. We talk about the old city, and how the mile of land between the Chronicle building on 5th and Mission and Red's has changed over the years. From our spot out back, with jazz drifting over the patio, the imposing Salesforce Tower and glassy skyline of Downtown looks down on the humble hut.

"We have construction workers, bikers, financial district people  All walks of life come to Red's, and they all feel like they belong."

One thing that Pisoni did add to the decor was more photos, and the cluttered interior walls of Red's tell the tale of one of the most storied restaurants in San Francisco.

In 1955 brothers Tom and Mike McGarvey purchased Francos Lunch that had been serving food to longshoremen and sailors since 1929 on Pier 30, and renamed it Reds.

Courtesy Tom McGarvey

The joint was a hit among longshoremen and downtown office workers alike.

In 1981 The Examiner told readers that "Drinking hot coffee and looking at the sunrise on the underbelly of the Bay Bridge is an early morning sight not to miss. Even if you've been out all night  or maybe especially if you've been out all night  dancing, of course, at the Mark ... Rosie, the waitress, will smile and give you a glazed donut to dunk for an extra 35 cents."

Joe Montana stopped in for a burger before the 49ers Super Bowl victory parade in 1989.

Tom McGarvey, now with white hair, is still a customer at Red's.

"I just spoke with Tom last week!" Pisoni says. "He had his 90th birthday here. I call him to check in. He's a character, an amazing man."

Reds regulars know all the staff by name, order things not on the menu, and walk in with the exact change. The last change to the menu was over twenty years ago, when french fries were first offered. The most popular item by far is the cheeseburger, served on sourdough bread with pickles, mustard and not much else.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

"We don't do lettuce, we don't do tomatoes," Pisoni laughs. "When out-of-towners come in and ask us to hold the tomatoes, I'm like, sure thing!"

The burger is worth the hype. I'm no food critic but it tastes like a glorious, chewy mustardy release of 2020 tension, and the million dollar view doesnt hurt.

Anthony Bourdain once described Reds as a wonderful, old school, high fat, high protein, beer for breakfast kind of a place, adding, any time you begin to doubt the wonderfulness of San Francisco, really, all you gotta do is come here.

With the passing crowds from Giants games and FiDi lunch break diners thinning out due to the pandemic, Pisoni has changed opening hours to suit whenever people come to Red's.

"People have started coming a little later after working from home, so we stay open later; like I said, San Franciscans run this place," she says. "If they're here, we're staying for them."

Red's has survived a lot. A massive fire destroyed the pier in 1984, but the restaurant was saved by the SF Fire Departments fireboat Phoenix.

The Loma Prieta earthquake that collapsed a steel section of the Bay Bridge couldnt even damage the scrappy little shack that lives in its shadow.

Pisoni is sure Red's will make it through 2020, as will San Francisco.

We're a resilient city, we're gonna come back, she says.

Chef Carlos Medina brings us drinks as Pisoni tells me that Red's has managed to keep all their employees through the crisis. "The customers know all my staff, it's family here. My team is amazing."

One day soon the COVID-19 testing center, the smoky skies and the masks will be gone, but San Francisco's favorite little burger joint will still be in the exact same spot, as will the mop bucket.

Red's is located at 30 Pier, San Francisco, CA 94105. Hours are Monday-Friday: 7:00am-6:00pm, Saturday-Sunday: 9:00am-6:00pm

Andrew Chamings is an editor at SFGATE. Email: Andrew.Chamings@sfgate.com | Twitter: @AndrewChamings
The Belfast Telegraphs front page on August 31, 1994 was unforgettable in its stark simplicity. Above three awful images of IRA atrocities sat the most significant headline in modern Irish history - Its Over.

The photos showed a bloodied survivor of the 1972 Abercorn bomb; the grief-torn face of Gina Murray whose 13-year-old daughter was killed in the Shankill bomb just a year earlier; and bodies being lifted from the rubble following the 1987 Enniskillen attack.

After 3,168 deaths inflicted by all sides over 25 years of the Troubles, the Provisionals were ending their campaign at midnight. While unionists were filled with doubt, the newspaper struck a confident tone and dared to hope.

The crisp, clean copy of political correspondents Vincent Kearney and Mark Simpson was all the more amazing given the frenetic activity involved in turning around the story so quickly. Kearney had met a republican contact outside a west Belfast cafe that morning. I was asked to get into the back of a car, to lie down, and to put a blanket over my head, he says.

I was driven around for about 10 minutes and then the car stopped, and I was told to go into a house. I sat in front of an unmasked man whom I didnt know. He said Im going to read you a statement from the Army Council of the Provisional IRA. There will be no questions.

He spoke very quickly and I struggled to get it all down word for word. At the end, I asked him for a copy and he said no. I think security concerns ruled that out. It was a very small piece of paper with tiny typed writing.

The journalist was returned to the cafe by car, this time with no blanket over his head. It was only 400 yards from where Id been picked up despite the protracted driving around earlier, he says.

Kearney rushed back to Belfast Telegraph offices in Royal Avenue to tell his editor, Ed Curran. My heart-beat and pulse rate were racing. I knew this was something huge, something genuinely historic, he recalls.

There had been months of expectation about a big move from the IRA. But the talks and the rumours had gone on so long that you began to wonder if it would ever happen. Ed just said Wow, this is it! when I read the statement to him.



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The paper was due to hit the streets at 10.30am but the ceasefire story was under embargo until 11 a.m. so Curran made the decision to hold the presses.

Ed convened a meeting of myself and a few senior staff. It was all kept very tight. The newsroom wasnt told in case word leaked out before the paper was printed, Kearney says.

I remember Ed picking up a blank A4 sheet of paper and a pen and designing the front page in front of us. He said to me You better have got this right, Vincent, because we have no plan B for the front page  and, if its wrong, youre out of a job and so am I.

Kearneys fellow political correspondent, Mark Simpson, rounded up reaction to the imminent ceasefire. SDLP leader John Hume told him that it was a piece of news that will be welcomed by Irish people everywhere and in particular people on the streets of Northern Ireland.

In Downing Street, the reaction was more muted. Tory Prime Minister John Major said he was greatly encouraged by the ceasefire but had to be sure it represented a permanent renunciation of violence. If so, many options are open, he added.

Unionists appeared unsettled by the news. Ulster Unionist leader, Jim Molyneaux, immediately demanded that the IRA hand over its weapons. The DUPs Nigel Dodds noted that the Provos hadnt used the word permanent.

He saw other shortcomings in the IRA statement. Far from renouncing violence, they have praised violence, Dodds said. They have praised the so-called sacrifice of their people.

Loyalist paramilitaries asked their political leaders to establish if the Union was under threat.

Simpson says he felt a huge rush of adrenalin as he gathered the comments for the front page story with Kearney. The quicker we wrote, the quicker people on the streets of Belfast would get the news. There was no internet and no smart phones in those days, he says.

Kearney went into the print hall at 11am. There was a big red button that kicked the machines into action. Ed told me to hit it, and the presses rolled, he recalls.

A fleet of vans waited at the back door to pick up bundles of newspapers. I watched as one van was loaded up as quickly as possible, drove off, and another moved into its spot for the process to be repeated.

There was a huge print run that morning  we printed tens of thousands of extra copies. The papers were taken to shops and news-stands all over Northern Ireland.



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Kearney, now an RTE correspondent in Belfast, is still filled with pride over the story. I walked into the political section of the Linenhall Library one day, and a framed copy of the August 31, 1994 front page was hanging on the wall. It was a great feeling.

I havent kept many papers from my time in newspaper journalism, but I have about half a dozen copies of that edition in my attic.

Simpson has a framed copy of the front page - given to him by a former Belfast Telegraph colleague  hanging on a wall in his home.

Hes now a BBC Northern Ireland TV reporter. At the time I was in my mid-20s. Ive since written and broadcast thousands of other stories, but that Wednesday morning in August 1994 is a day Ill never forget, he says.

I worked in the Irish Times Belfast office at the time of the IRA ceasefire. That afternoon, I went up to cover a celebration staged by Sinn Fein outside its Connolly House headquarters in Andersonstown.

Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness were feted like all-conquering heroes. They were swamped in a sea of hugs and kisses. There was speculation among the crowd that a secret deal had been negotiated with Downing Street which would lead to a British withdrawal and to the ending partition.

Further scenes of jubilation followed at midnight in west Belfast when the IRA ceasefire came into operation. There werent enough bin lids to go around so women took saucepans from their kitchens and banged them on the metal fencing outside Andersonstown barracks.

"Brits out! Brits out!" they yelled at the soldiers and police inside. "You're going home. Buy your plane tickets now!" There were shouts of I,I, IRA!

Four men, including a local Sinn Fein councillor, climbed up the fencing and planted Tricolours on top of the barracks as the crowd cheered.

"We've won because otherwise theyd be firing plastic bullets, theyd be shooting us. But weve won and they cant shoot us, exclaimed one exuberant young man.

IRA checkpoint was painted at the junction of the Springfield and Falls Roads.

A cavalcade of around 100 cars, horns tooting crazily, toured the streets. People sat on the bonnets, or hung out the windows waving Tricolours. It was enough to give even the most moderate unionist heart failure.

Ultimately, there was no need for them to be concerned. There was no secret deal negotiated between the IRA and London to end the Union. Prisoner releases and policing reform would eventually follow in the years to come, but the constitutional position of Northern Ireland remained unchanged.

Despite the scenes in west Belfast that night, physical force republicanism had not won.

The IRA ended its campaign without achieving its goals. It came to a de facto acceptance of the constitutional nationalist argument that Irish unity couldnt be achieved through armed struggle. Over a quarter of a century later, hundreds of people are alive because of that changed stance.

The shame is that Abercorn, Shankill and Enniskillen; Loughinisland, Greysteel, and McGurks; Bloody Sunday and Ballymurphy - and all the other less high-profile massacres - ever happened in the first place.
The NYC Schools Chancellor warned Thursday that the city's schools will not be able to reopen unless another 2,500 teachers are recruited, hired, and trained in the next 12 days.

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio had previously said that the city will need to bring in 2,000 additional teachers, bringing the total number needed to 4,500 if in-class and at-home live learning was to be successful.

Chancellor Richard Carranza told parents leaders on Wednesday night that talks were underway with City University of New York to hire laid-off adjunct professors and graduate students, yet no further details were offered on how the mass hiring is expected to take place in less than two weeks.

Even if that number is hit, some warned that thousands more will still be needed to ensure that middle schools and high schools can properly open.

The news was met with anger from parents who learned Thursday morning that the NYC school reopen date had been pushed back once again due to de Blasio's fears that there arent enough teachers to handle both in-class and at-home students.

NYC Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza told parents leaders on Wednesday night that talks were underway with City University of New York to hire laid-off adjunct professors and graduate students as the new plan to hire 2,500 additional teachers was revealed

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio had previously said that the city will need to bring in 2,000 additional teachers, bringing the total number needed to 4,500 if in-class and at-home live learning was to be successful in the largest school system in the country

Even teachers only learned of the change on Thursday morning. Pictured, Marisa Wiezel, a teacher at Yung Wing School P.S. 124 , prepares her classroom for the 2020/2021 school year

Gathering on the city's Lower East Side, the 200-strong group had harsh words for the mayor and the current reopening plan.

'I wish he'd done it sooner,' said Manhattan mom Catherine Cook told New York Daily News. 'So much planning is needed. My family has to make very quick decisions, it's very disruptive. We're going virtual.'

Teachers were also unaware of the change, which happened just four days before they were set to return to in-person teaching. They only learned of the delay through de Blasio's announcement.

'I was in the middle of planning for next week, and then I got a text from a friend saying "OMG this is madness,"' said Annie Tan, a fifth-grade teacher in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.

'It's extremely frustrating to get tossed around like we don't matter. A lot of educators are scared they're going to keep pushing back every week,' she added.

'It's not sustainable. It's just downright disrespectful, all of it.'

'The announcement today is just another slap in the face to public-service-working parents,' Mia Eisner-Grynsberg, a public defender and spouse of a public school teacher whose seven-year-old was supposed to be in class next week, added to the Daily News.

'Having nowhere to send our children when we desperately need them to be educated and not getting an apology from the mayor is just devastating,' she added.

On Thursday morning, the mayor announced that the nation's largest public school district would not welcome all of its one million students back on September 21 as previously planned.

Instead, the district will bring students back on a rolling basis, with preschools reopening next week, followed by kindergarten to fifth-grade schools on September 29, and then middle and high schools on October 1.

Teachers have protested over the past few days about the changes in reopening

A protest in Union Square called for a more definite plan for reopening

The last-minute shift to a phased return sparked renewed fury and confusion among parents and school administrators already frustrated by de Blasio's repeated flip-flops on the reopening.

Thursday marked the second time that de Blasio has delayed the start of in-person classes, which were originally set to begin on September 10.

He confirmed that the staffing shortage was one of the major issues driving the latest delay and announced the Department of Education is hiring an additional 2,500 teachers on top of the 2,000 he said were being added earlier this week.

'When I heard Mark [Cannizzaro] and Michael [Mulgrew] talk about specific school staffing needs that still were not being resolved in time enough, I heard an honest concern,' the mayor said.

'It just was clear to me that we did not have a clear enough number and that we had to agree to a number that folks who had the ability to hear exactly from every school what was going on in a different way that DOE bureaucracy hears.'

He added that it was known the school system would need more teachers to open weeks ago but the true extent of the numbers has only just come to light.

'We did not have a clear enough number,' he said, claiming that the teachers and principal unions 'had to help us figure out what the true number was and how long it would take to put that number into play'.

Yet both the administrators' union head and the United Federation of Teachers president Michael Mulgrew told Daily News that even if the city hit its pledge of 4,500 new staffers by September 29, it will likely only cover staffing needs for a portion of students and will leave middle and high school reopening in jeopardy.

'This number is specifically what we think we need to get moving right now on pre-K, 3-K, District 75, and K-to-eight education. We're going to do another analysis later in the week on middle schools and high schools,' Mulgrew explained.

New York City public schools will no longer resume in-person classes for all students on Monday, September 21, as previously planned, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Thursday

After the announcement, an outraged New York City principal called for de Blasio and Carranza to be fired over the decision to delay in-person classes yet again.

The principal, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retribution by de Blasio and NYC Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza, spoke to DailyMail.com on Thursday.

The principal told DailyMail.com that they were especially shocked because they were not given a heads up about the change and heard about it with everyone else on the news.

'Governor [Andrew] Cuomo needs to step up and fire Mayor de Blasio and Chancellor Carranza. They should be led out in handcuffs for what they have done,' the principal said.

'They have failed our students and teachers by what they have done. They do not listen to what the schools need. They don't consult us. It is a dictatorship.

'Our school is ready to welcome back children. We have been ready for almost two weeks. How can they do this?'

The principal branded the mayor and chancellor 'pathetic and incompetent b*****ds' for how they've handled the entire process for reopening classrooms.

'De Blasio and Carranza have failed the kids of America's biggest city,' the principal said.

'They are despicable and disrespectful to all of the hard-working staff and parents who want their children educated. Welcome to how they have treated principal's throughout the entire pandemic.'

This is a complete and utter failure that rests right at the feet of De Blasio and Carranza. They need to be terminated.

The principal said they haven't been able to take a single day off since all campuses in the nation's largest school district were shuttered when the coronavirus crisis took hold in March.

'I come in every day at 6am and leave at 7pm to ensure my school is ready  and it is  yet they pull the rug right out from under us,' they said.

'These fools should've made the call in May to go all remote from September through January, but they didn't. So we prepared to come back. We are ready.'

'This is a complete and utter failure that rests right at the feet of De Blasio and Carranza,' the principal added. 'They need to be terminated. Our kids deserve better, our teachers deserve better and our city deserves better.'

De Blasio and union leaders said they switched to a phased model for reopening schools because the city needed more time to prepare buildings and recruit more teachers.

'We are doing this to make sure all of the standards we set can be achieved,' the mayor said, adding that he 'literally made a list of 20 different concerns that we're going to work through to address because they were real concerns'.

Labor leaders, who had sounded alarms in recent days that the schools still didn't have the teachers or the coronavirus safety measures needed to reopen safely, appeared alongside de Blasio at Thursday's news conference.

'Opening Monday to everyone would not have been safe for our students,' said Mark Cannizzaro, president of the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators, the union that represents principals.

Mulgrew called reopening the school district 'an unprecedented challenge'.

'We want our school system up running and safe and we want to keep it up running and safe. That's what the families of the children of this city deserve,' Mulgrew said.

'We are protecting our schools, our families our children and ourselves against this horrendous situation that is known as the pandemic.'

Just last week, Mulgrew posted a scathing nine-minute rant on UFT's website pointing out safety issues that had already arisen since teachers began returning to campus earlier this month to prepare for the arrival of students.

He slammed the Department of Education's failure to properly clean buildings or to provide enough personal protective equipment as he called on educators to broadcast their own concerns on social media so that officials would start paying attention.

De Blasio and union leaders said they chose to use a phased model for reopening schools because the city needed more time to prepare for the students' return

De Blasio's continuing failure to commit to a plan at the 11th hour has fueled a chorus of critics who say the Department of Education is completely unprepared to bring the nation's largest school district back online amid the coronavirus pandemic

The United Federation of Teachers posted photos of educators working outside last week to highlight anxieties with returning to in-person classes too soon

The news of the delayed reopening was immediately met with backlash on Twitter as parents accused de Blasio and other education officials of ignoring union leaders' concerns until the last minute.

'NYC Mayor decides less than a week before school opens to delay and phase reopening (advocates made this call months ago),' one man tweeted.

'This is the height of arrogance and poor planning. We've wasted the last 3 months. Unacceptable.'

Another critic used de Blasio's own phrase - 'staggered reopening' - against him, writing: 'Mission accomplished: parents, teachers and students staggering away in disbelief.'

'You had all summer, you delayed opening once already. This failure falls on the Mayor and the Chancellor. Someone should lose their job,' a third user quipped.

The news was immediately met with backlash on Twitter as parents moaned that de Blasio had months to get schools ready for reopening but failed to listen to union leaders' concerns

Many of the outraged parents pointed out that de Blasio was causing significant harm to powerless children by failing to execute a coherent plan.

'How are you making these last minute changes three days before school was supposed to start?' a woman tweeted.

'Do you have any idea how bad this is for the kids who were thrilled to start school on Monday and are going to be crushed when they hear about this delay?'

'What a monumental bumble! Didn't you know you would need more teachers before now??? What are you 'leaders' thinking????? Obviously not about students and teachers and learning...' a man wrote.

Another woman wrote: 'My kid is in fourth grade, doesn't know how to read or write, and you expect him to learn remotely... Good luck getting on him when I'm at work... I guess this will be another year wasted for special needs children.'

De Blasio has repeatedly assured that the city can pull off the hybrid learning system that he announced back in July, which will see 58 percent of students attend classes three days a week while learning at home the other two days.

On Wednesday the mayor had insisted that in-person classes would start as planned on September 21, as the school year kicked off remotely with three days of online orientation this week.

'We've said repeatedly it will not be a perfect start,' de Blasio said Wednesday.

'We'll be making a lot of adjustments in the weeks after we begin to continue to improve things.

'But the important reality here is to say we're going to be providing the best education possible in person, the best education possible remotely, we're going to keep making improvements as we go along, we're going to keep adjusting and figuring out what we need in terms of staffing.'

A small number of students began returning to physical classrooms on Wednesday for the first time since March, when COVID-19 forced the closure of schoolhouses in New York and much of the rest of the nation.

The reopening comes as an average of about 240 people a day are still being diagnosed with coronavirus in New York City, one of only a few large US cities attempting to start the school year with students in real classrooms.

The city previously agreed with the unions that there would be monthly coronavirus testing of students and staff, with systems in place to send home classrooms or shut down entire schools if new COVID-19 cases are found.

De Blasio has repeatedly assured that the city can pull off the hybrid learning system that he announced back in July, which will see 58 percent of students participate in classes both online and in person

The new school reopening plan marked de Blasio's second major U-turn this week.

On Monday he announced that the city had reversed its decision to transfer homeless individuals out of a luxury hotel on the Upper West Side, after some residents protested the transfer and others expressed outrage that the scheme was allowed to continue.

De Blasio said that 'the whole system is being looked at right now' after facing criticism from all sides over his plan to house some 13,000 homeless people in hotels across the city during the coronavirus pandemic.

In another big move, the mayor revealed on Wednesday that he will furlough himself and up to 500 of his own mayoral staff for a week in a symbolic gesture that will save New York City $860,000 as it faces a budget deficit of $4.2billion.

The mayor's plan will put 495 City Hall staffers - including his wife Chirlaine McCray - out of work for a week at some point between October and March 2021. De Blasio has said that he will continue working without pay during his own furlough.

The decision to put his staff out of a job for a week comes after de Blasio threatened to cut up to 22,000 city employees by next month. He said the furloughs may serve as a 'useful symbol' if the union cannot agree on cost-cutting measures by then.

The pandemic has cost New York City $9billion in revenue and forced a $7billion cut to the city's annual budget. It also needs to plug a $4.2 billion deficit in next year's budget. The city has also asked the federal government for aid, but so far none appears to be coming.
The Securities and Exchange Commission today filed an emergency action against Adam Rogas, the former CEO of Las-Vegas-based NS8, Inc., which purports to provide fraud detection and prevention software to e-commerce merchants, seeking an asset freeze and charging Rogas with defrauding investors by falsely claiming millions of dollars in revenue.

According to the SEC's complaint, from at least 2018 through June 2020, Rogas altered NS8's bank statements to show millions of dollars in payments from customers. Rogas allegedly sent the falsified bank statements and revenue figures on a monthly basis to NS8's finance department, which used them to prepare NS8's financial statements. In at least two securities offerings, NS8 and Rogas allegedly provided investors and prospective investors the false financial statements, showing millions of dollars in revenue and assets and other information incorporating the falsified revenue figures. The SEC alleges that as a result of Rogas's fraud, NS8 raised approximately $123 million in 2019 and 2020, and that Rogas ultimately pocketed at least $17.5 million of investor funds.

The SEC's complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, charges Rogas with violating the antifraud provisions of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder. The SEC seeks injunctions, disgorgement of allegedly ill-gotten gains with prejudgment interest, and financial penalties.

The SEC's investigation, which is continuing, is being conducted by Eric Day and John A. Dwyer of the Denver Regional Office and supervised by Danielle R. Voorhees, Jason J. Burt, and Kurt L. Gottschall. The SEC's litigation is being led by Polly A. Atkinson, under the supervision of Gregory A. Kasper. The SEC appreciates the assistance of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 05:56:57|Editor: huaxia

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ROME, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Analysts and observers expect tourists from China to play an over-sized role when the beleaguered Italian tourism sector starts to recover.

In recent years, tourism has accounted for nearly 15 percent of Italy's gross domestic product. But the sector was among the first and hardest-affected parts of the economy when the coronavirus pandemic hit Italy in February.

International tourists began to trickle into Italy starting in early June when the country lifted restrictions on international travelers from most parts of Europe, but tourists from lots of non-EU countries still face travel restrictions. In the end, this year is shaping up to be one to forget about for tourist-oriented restaurants, hotels, shops, airlines, and tour companies.

Minister of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism Dario Franceschini said the sector is unlikely to see a full recovery before 2023. Key analysts and observers said that as the sector does recover, China will play a major role.

"Of all the foreign tourists who visited Italy last year, those from China represented a relatively small number, around 2.4 percent," Gianfranco Lorenzo, the head of the research department for the Center for Touristic Studies, a not-for-profit organization that monitors the sector, told Xinhua. "That may sound unimportant compared to the number of arrivals from other countries, but their impact has been significant."

Lorenzo said that one reason for that is because, according to data from the Bank of Italy, Chinese travelers have a larger-than-average economic impact when measured on a per-capita basis.

He said the data show that Chinese travelers are often more interested in what he called "Italian style" -- luxury fashion and design -- as in the country's cultural attractions. He also noted that the number of Chinese travelers has increased at a faster rate than the sector as a whole and that the potential for growth was "almost unimaginable."

He added: "Once this crisis is over, I expect the role of Chinese tourists to be bigger than it was before" the crisis.

Riccarda Saggese, an author and self-employed shopping consultant who splits her time between Rome and Florence, echoed some of Lorenzo's points. Her job involves helping travelers navigate thousands of shops to find the items they are looking for.

"Ten years ago, it was unusual to have a client from China," Saggese said in an interview. "But over the last couple of years, the number of clients I have had from China has been one out of every five or six, and growing."

Saggese said the impacts of tourists from a specific place, like China, go beyond the immediate impacts of their visit.

"I like to think about the cultural exchanges: believe that the more Chinese tourists come to Italy and the more Italians travel to China the closer the two countries become on a human level," she said. "Also, when travelers return from a trip they found enjoyable they speak about it with their friends, and that's the best kind of advertising." Enditem
NEW MILFORD  Residents of a skilled care facility are participating in one of their first socially distant activity in months  and its for a cause.

Its been since mid-March residents of Candlewood Valley Health & Rehabilitation have had any type of group activity due to health and safety guidelines in place during the coronavirus pandemic.

Earlier this month, a number of them sat individually, each wearing a mask, at tables in the dining room to tie-dye white face masks for students going back to school.

An added bonus: the proceeds will benefit the centers team for the Alzheimers Associations virtual Walk to End Alzheimers next month.

Its such a cute project, Recreation Director Kathleen Horvath said. Residents are very excited to be part of the community and have a community service project.

A donation of approximately 1,000 white face masks was recently made to the care facility. Administrator David Segal approached Horvath about the possibility of having the residents tie-dye the masks.

Horvath immediately jumped on the idea and, with facility social worker Cindy LaCour, came up with the idea to support the Alzheimers Association.

This shows us were all in this together, Segal said of the community project. Everyone cares.

Two hundred masks have already been made, with many of them donated to a few classrooms in the New Milford and Bethel school systems. Others have been purchased by residents in the community. A donation of $1, or any amount, is welcome, Horvath said.

First of all, I am so proud of my students and their commitment to using their masks appropriately, said fourth-grade teacher Karen Rivero of Sarah Noble Intermediate School in New Milford. They realize that they are doing their part in keeping their classmates at SNIS safe.

However, the disposable masks are not that sturdy, and as a result, often break, she said. Our new tie dyed ones will give the kids an opportunity to be an individual in a sea of blue and white medical masks when they choose their favorite pattern.

Rivero said the masks represent a connection to our community.

Over the past few years, Rivero has introduced her students to her father, who is a resident of Candlewood, via a video of his harmonica concerts or by having the students make cards for the residents. to let them know they havent been forgotten.

But now, they are on the receiving end, Rivero said. Many students do not have, or cannot visit elderly relatives. This gift to them is a treasure in so many ways.

Horvath recently received an email from a para-educator in a school system elsewhere in the state who heard about the project from a story that aired on WFSB-3. The teacher, who works with autistic children, requested seven masks for her circle of teaching staff.

We want to support as many people as possible, Horvath said.

As of Monday, about $900 has been raised.

This has been a wonderful and valuable project to help keep children safe and the community at large safe during the continuing health crisis, LaCour said.

She said the activity has been rewarding for residents because it has been difficult during this time for them not being able to participate in regular activities.

I thought it was a good idea (to make the masks), resident Jane Palmer said. I enjoyed it. It was fun.

Resident Evelyn Burkland shared her creativity with the tie-dying, giving much thought to how colors mix.

She really thought about the colors connecting them to green grass, blue sky and purple flowers, Horvath related.

Residents listened to music while tie-dying in the centers main dining room.

They didnt want to leave the room, Horvath said of how much of the residents enjoy the activity. It was social, but distant, and they felt it was important for them to give back to the community.

Staff members, including CNAs and others, stopped by the dining room to assist residents.

Were especially thankful for the staff who participated, Horvath said, noting how it brightened up the residents.

Residents of all the facilitys wings participated in the project in some way. The secure unit helped fold all the masks.

Funds raised through the individual purchases of the masks will be used for Candlewoods efforts in the Walk to End Alzheimers.

Our residents will be walking or wheeling to raise funds for this important cause, LaCour said.

To purchase a mask, email khorvath@candlewoodvalley.com or call 860-355-0971, ext. 19.
Union minister Anurag Thakur on Friday expressed regret for his Nehru comment in the Lok Sabha, which led to a furore in the Lower House. I had no intent to hurt the sentiments of anybody. Agar kisi ko thes pahunchi hai, to mujhe bhi is baat ki peeda hai, Anurag Thakur said.

Defending the PM-CARES fund, Thakur said, PM-CARES Fund is a public charitable trust which has been set up for the people of India. You (Opposition) created trusts for Gandhi family. Nehru & Sonia Gandhi have been members of PMs National Relief Fund. There should be a debate on this.

Also Read | Row over Anurag Thakurs remark on Nehru-Gandhis, Lok Sabha adjourned

Opposing PM Cares Fund, just for the sake of it, is like they opposed EVMs and then lost many elections. They subsequently termed Jan Dhan, demonetisation, Triple Talaq and GST as bad. They find defect in everything, truth is their intention is defected, the minister added.

Drawing a parallel to Prime Ministers National Relief Fund, the minister said, Nehru ji ordered the creation of Prime Ministers National Relief Fund in 1948 like a royal order but its registration has not been done even till today. How did it get FCRA clearance?

Anurag Thakurs comment evoked sharp reaction from the Congress. How did Nehru come into this debate? Did we take (Prime Minister) Narendra Modis name? Who is this boy from Himachal? Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said.

The Opposition raised Goli maro mantri resign solgans inside the House.
The first-ever 50 state survey testing how much millennials and Gen Zers know about the Holocaust was released Wednesday. And in New York, where 55,000 Holocaust survivors live in New York City, some respondents knew little to nothing about the most horrific genocide in modern times.

In fact, 19 percent of the 200 New Yorkers surveyed thought Jews caused the Holocaust. Thats more than any other state. In Louisiana, Tennessee, and Montana 16 percent shared that view while 15 percent of respondents in Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Nevada and New Mexico blamed Jews for the Holocaust.

The survey of 18 to 39-year-olds is called Holocaust Knowledge and Awareness Study. It was commissioned by the nonprofit The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany which was founded in 1951 by 23 international Jewish organizations to negotiate reparations for Holocaust survivors and return of property stolen by Nazis. The group is commonly known as the Claims Conference.

Schoen Cooperman Researchwhose clients include HBO, Vice News, Walmart and Time Warner Cablewas contracted to interview 200 millennials and Gen Zers in each of the 50 states by landline and cellphone. Spokesman Benjamin Grossman told the Times Union that 200 interviewees were in every state whether it was as thinly populated as Idaho and Montanaor had a population as huge as New Yorks or Californias. Numbers were crunched for each individual state as well as a national score.

Nationally, 11 percent of respondents blamed Jews for the Holocaust.

But New York was one of the states ranked lowest in knowledge of the Holocaust. New York was just ahead of Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi and Arkansas at the bottom of the list. Wisconsin respondents were the most knowledgeable followed by those in Minnesota, Massachusetts, Maine, Kansas, Nebraska, Pennsylvania and Idaho.

And 58 percent of the New Yorkers surveyed, compared to 48 percent of respondents nationwide, couldnt name even one of the 40,000 concentration camps that existed in Europe during World War II. And 36 percent of New York respondents did not know the Holocaust was related in some way to WWII.

Claims Conference executive president Gideon Taylor said, "the results are both shocking and saddening and they underscore why we must act now while Holocaust survivors are still with us to voice their stories. We need to understand why we arent doing better in educating a younger generation about the Holocaust and the lessons of the past. This needs to serve as a wake-up call to us all.

Taylor told the Times Union that he and his colleagues are struck by how much of what millennials and Gen Z know about history and how much of their pop culture is filtered through social media.

"Holocaust deniers were once considered the lunatic fringe but social media gave them a platform and a megaphone," Taylor said.

The Claims Conference has launched the #NoDenyingIt campaign in which survivors shares videos online of Holocaust survivors remembering their brutal ordeals. The conference has also pleaded with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to consider denialism as a form of hate speech and banish denialists from platforms he owns which include Instagram and virtual reality brand, Oculus.

Zuckerberg has not banned Holocaust denialists, although Facebook has taken down some bogus conspiracy theory posts blaming Jews for a gamut of catastrophes. Facebook policy director Joel Kaplan said last spring that Facebook wants users to "feel safe to share" opinions based on inaccurate information "even when the posts are offensive."

Wednesday, Kim Kardashian West, Jamie Foxx, Michael B Jordan, Leonardo DiCaprio and dozens of other celebrities boycotted Facebook and Instagram to protest Zuckerberg's refusal to ban hate speech from his website.

Taylor hopes to enlist influencers and celebrities in the conference's continuing effort to persuade Facebook and Instagram to define Holocaust denialism as hate speech and ban it.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

He also sees ways in which technology can engage and educate Gen Z. He is especially inspired by the Artificial Intelligence-equipped holograms of Holocaust survivors that film director Steven Spielberg's Shoah Foundation is creating. When the holograms appear in a museum or memorial, they can chat with visitors, answer questions and share their memories.

He takes some hope from survey respondents who were, at least, aware that the Holocaust happened and could recognize propaganda and disinformation when they spotted it online.

When asked if they had seen Holocaust denial or distortion on social media or elsewhere online, 57 percent of respondents in New York say they had, the survey reports. And 65 percent of respondents in New York believe Holocaust education should be compulsory in school.

But 34 percent of New York millennials and Gen Z respondents said the Holocaust happened but the number of Jews who died has been greatly exaggerated or that the Holocaust is a myth or that it did not happen - or are unsure if it occurred.

A third of respondents nationwide reported seeing Nazi symbols on their social media platforms or in their community. The state with the highest response was Nevada with 70 percent. For New York, the number was 67 percent followed by Arizona and Texas with 64 percent.

Also 59 percent nationally said they thought something like the Holocaust could happen again.
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Bob Saget continues to use comedy to shed light on a very heavy subject and make it lighter, by presenting and curating the Scleroderma Research Foundation's (SRF's) signature annual fundraising event, Cool Comedy - Hot Cuisine. This year, audiences from around the world will be able to participate in a re-imagined virtual gathering of comedy greats and music legends, which broadcasts on YouTube on Sunday, October 18th, at 5 p.m. PDT/8 p.m. EDT. To register, visit https://srfcure.org/events/cool-comedy-hot-cuisine/.

Bob Saget, an SRF Board Member who lost his sister to scleroderma, hosts the evening alongside fellow board member and Top Chef Master, Susan Feniger. The star-studded event features appearances by Jason Alexander, Jack Black, Bill Burr, Kelly Clarkson, Jim Gaffigan, Jeff Garlin, Nikki Glaser, Regina Hall, Ken Jeong, Queen Latifah, George Lopez, Howie Mandel, John Mayer, Joel McHale, Pat Monahan, Ray Romano, Jeff Ross, Sarah Silverman, John Stamos, and more to be announced. The show is being executive produced by Bob Saget and Emmy Award winning producer Joel Gallen, with support from Studio71.

After selling out venues in in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Las Vegas since its inception in 1986, this year's Cool Comedy - Hot Cuisine invites audiences to experience a heartfelt night of laughs and inspiration from the comfort of their own homes. Viewers from around the world can participate in a virtual gathering of comedy greats and music legends, all of whom are generously donating their time and talents to support SRF's innovative research and help raise funds and awareness for this rare and often deadly autoimmune disease.

The need for visibility and research funding remains crucial for patients and their families. As Bob Saget explains, his commitment is very personal; "I fortuitously became involved with the Scleroderma Research Foundation in 1992. Sharon Monsky, the Founder and first CEO just cold called and asked me to be part of an event called "Cool Comedy Hot Cuisine" and said that Robin Williams had done the very first one. I couldn't say "no" to this wonderful woman, who soon became my dear friend. Two years later my sister, Gay, was diagnosed with this disease-- and by the third time I hosted the event in 1994, she had lost her life to scleroderma. It's my life's mission to support those affected and do what I can to help find a cure for this horrible disease. I'm so proud to be on the board of this amazing organization."

But the star-power doesn't end with the show - complementing the virtual experience is an online silent auction featuring one-of-a-kind packages such as the chance to join Bob Saget and Joel McHale for tequila shots in a Zoom room, a virtual cocktails & conversation with Susan Feniger and Superstore star Ben Feldman, a private, personalized workout with legendary distance swimmer, Diana Nyad, plus many more unique bidding opportunities. Register for the auction starting Thursday, October 1, to be one of the first to preview and bid (not contingent on event registration). Bidding opens Monday, October 12, and ends post-event at noon on Monday, October 19. For more information, visit http://bit.ly/SRFAuction .

The 2020 Cool Comedy - Hot Cuisine is presented by Actelion, a Janssen Pharmaceutical Company of Johnson & Johnson. All funds raised benefit the Scleroderma Research Foundation. Advance online registration to watch this unforgettable evening is required. For more information, visit www.srfcure.org.

About Scleroderma and the Scleroderma Research Foundation :

Cool Comedy - Hot Cuisine benefits the Scleroderma Research Foundation, the country's first and leading nonprofit investor in medical research into scleroderma. Since its founding in 1987 by patient and advocate Sharon Monsky, the SRF has taken a collaborative approach, bringing together some of the world's top scientists and medical institutions to unravel the mystery of this complex autoimmune disease. Sharon lost her battle to the disease in 2002, but her vision lives on today.

The word scleroderma literally means "hard skin," but the disease is much more, often affecting the internal organs with lethal consequences. Although scleroderma strikes people of all ages and ethnicities, eighty percent of those afflicted with the disease are women. The symptoms and severity of scleroderma vary from one person to another and the course of the disease is often unpredictable. While significant progress has been made in managing the symptoms and some of the most serious complications of scleroderma, currently, there is no way to prevent scleroderma and there is no cure.

The Scleroderma Research Foundation is singularly focused on bringing the best minds in science together to find a cure and depends on charitable gifts from individuals and corporations to achieve that goal. Through the generosity of donors and support from events like Cool Comedy - Hot Cuisine, the SRF has raised over $45 million dollars to fund and facilitate the most promising, highest quality research at top universities such as Johns Hopkins, Stanford, and UCSF, aimed at improved treatments and - one day - a world where no one will suffer from scleroderma.

Scleroderma Research Foundation

Joanne Gold, Executive Director

220 Montgomery St, Suite 484

San Francisco, CA 94104

O: 415-834-9444

SOURCE Scleroderma Research Foundation

Related Links

http://www.sclerodermaRESEARCH.org


Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 22:55:53|Editor: huaxia

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan talks to media in Istanbul, Turkey, on Sept. 18, 2020. Erdogan on Friday said the government had to boost the measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 as the daily infected cases in the country have been on the rise for the last month. (Xinhua)

ISTANBUL, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday said the government had to boost the measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 as the daily infected cases in the country have been on the rise for the last month.

Authorities recently limited the number of passengers in public transport and imposed new restrictions on bars, restaurants, and cafes across the country. Weddings and other ceremonies in Istanbul's Bosphorus Strait, as well as open-air concerts and other festivals in the city, were also banned.

The daily number of cases in the country was reported as 1,648 on Thursday, taking the total number of infections to 298,039. The death toll reached 7,315, with the daily addition of 66.
Belarus tries to muzzle opposition leader at UN Belarus opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya speaks via video message to an urgent debate of the UN Human Rights Council

Belarus and several allies tried Friday to block a video message from opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya at the UN Human Rights Council, where she urged "the strongest" international response to Minsk's abuses.

Tikhanovskaya demanded "immediate international attention" for her country as it reels from a brutal crackdown on protests over the disputed re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko.

But her short video message, in a rare urgent debate at the council, had barely begun before Belarus Ambassador Yuri Ambrazevich demanded it be switched off.

He repeatedly interrupted the screening, raising procedural objections and insisting her words had "no relevance on the substance... on the events that are taking place today."

He was overruled by council president Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger.

The debate on the rights situation in Belarus, requested by the European Union, focused on violations and the crackdown on the unprecedented demonstrations which broke out after disputed August 9 elections.

Lukashenko, who has ruled the ex-Soviet state for 26 years, claimed to have defeated Tikhanovskaya with 80 percent of the vote.

- 'Brutality' -

The leader, who on Thursday warned of a possible "war" with some neighbouring countries, has refused to step down and has turned to Russia for support.

His security forces have meanwhile detained thousands of protesters, many of whom have accused police of beatings and torture. Several people have died.

Tikhanovskaya, who has taken shelter in neighbouring Lithuania, insisted that the country's violation of its international obligations to respect "human dignity and basic human rights... means the international community has a right to react in strongest terms."

"The scope and the brutality of the extensive force used by the regime is in clear violation of all international norms," she said.

A long line of countries also voiced alarm.

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"We have witnessed a brutal crackdown on peaceful protests," said German ambassador Michael Freiherr von Ungern-Sternberg on behalf of the EU.

He raised concerns at "reports of attacks on -- and torture and cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment of -- peaceful protesters as well as harassment, intimidation and detentions of opposition leaders."

Minsk's envoy Ambrazevich meanwhile slammed the "lopsided picture of reality presented by the losers in the election," rejecting allegations of abuse by authorities.

He insisted that protesters had been violent and had injured numerous police officers.

Ambrazevich and his counterparts from Russia, Venezuela and China also voiced multiple objections to statements by the UN deputy rights chief Nada Al-Nashif and Anais Marin, the UN special rapporteur on the rights situation in Belarus, saying they had no place in the debate.

- 'Torture, rape' -

Marin told the council that more than 10,000 people had been "abusively arrested for taking part in peaceful protests", and lamented that "over 500 cases of torture, committed by state agents, have been reported to us."

"I have been informed of allegations of rape, electrocution, and other forms of physical and psychological torture," she told the council via video link, adding that the perpetrators appeared to be acting with "impunity".

Friday's debate ended with a vote approving a resolution submitted by the EU insisting that the vast array of serious abuses urgently require "independent investigation."

The voting process was slowed down by Russia, which proposed 17 amendments to the text, all of which were rejected, and in the end the resolution was adopted unchanged by the 47-member council, with 23 in favour, 22 abstentions and only Venezuela and Eritrea voting against.

The text calls on Belarusian authorities to "enable independent, transparent and impartial investigations into all allegations of human rights violations in the context of the election."

It also calls on Minsk to "guarantee access to justice and redress for victims as well as full accountability of the perpetrators."

And it calls on the office of UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet to closely monitor the situation in the country and to present her conclusions in a report during the next council session in March 2021.

The discussions mark only the sixth time in the council's 14-year history that it has agreed to hold an "urgent debate" -- a special debate within a regular session of the council.

During its last session in June, the council held an urgent debate on racism and police brutality following unrest in the United States and beyond over George Floyd's death.

nl/rjm/pvh
CVS Health on Friday added more than 2,000 COVID-19 drive-thru test sites at the pharmacys locations across the country in an effort to increase access to testing and help slow the spread of the coronavirus.

The expansion includes three CVS locations in San Antonio: 10225 Wurzbach Road, 16580 Huebner Road and 5975 Old Pearsall Road, as well as one in Universal City at 1836 Pat Booker Road.

Consumers now can find the self-swab tests at 25 local CVS pharmacies.

On ExpressNews.com: Get the latest update on coronavirus and a tracking map of U.S. cases

COVID-19 tests are free for patients. Costs are covered by a patients insurance company or through a program for the uninsured funded by the U.S. Health and Human Services Department.

Results are available within two or three days, according to a CVS spokesperson.

Since opening our first test site in March, weve been able to quickly adapt to the changing landscape in order to make it easier for people in the communities we serve to access testing, said Jon Roberts, chief operating officer at CVS Health and acting president of CVS Pharmacy.

Headquartered in Woonsocket, R.I., the company plans to operate more than 4,000 testing sites by mid-October.

Patients are asked to register in advance at CVS.com to schedule an appointment if they meet the criteria set by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The government health agency recommends COVID-19 tests for anyone who has symptoms or has been in close contact with an infected person for at least 15 minutes.

Procedures vary by location. Some sites require patients to stay in their vehicle, while others may direct patients inside the store or to a designated parking spot so an employee can observe the self-swab process.

On ExpressNews.com: New COVID-19 hospital admissions tick up in San Antonio

While Metropolitan Health District officials have downgraded the coronavirus risk level to safe, officials still advise people to stay home when possible. Bexar Countys total number of cases since the start of the pandemic is 50,425. The death toll has reached 1,024.

Laura Garcia covers the health care industry. To read more from Laura, become a subscriber. laura.garcia@express-news.net | Twitter: @Reporter_Laura
So, no full-electric Le Mans, Sebring, or Daytona for now, but were getting there. After all, didnt Toyota for instance snatched the win in the TS050 hybrid last year?Until that time comes though, well have to make do with short outings of the EVs currently on the market. Porsches Taycan, for instance, is getting ready for track duty at Le Mans this weekend, disguised as a safety car.Were talking of course about one of the most potent Taycans in the bunch, the Turbo , which has been specially prepared for its duties by receiving the proper livery and a light bar up top, in a combination that makes it look more like an European cop car.The Taycan will have its moment under the spotlight in France just before the actual 24 hours race kicks-off. It is then when, for 45 minutes, an army of 911 GT3s will descend upon the tarmac for 45 minutes of racing as part of the Porsche Carrera Cup.That means the electric car would be pacing a variety of the 911 bred for the racetrack, powered by 4.0-liter engines capable of sending 485 hp of power and 480 Nm of torque to the rear wheels.As a side note, and an interesting one at that, all the GT3s were shipped to France by trucks. The Taycan safety car, on the other hand, arrived there by road, taking the long, hard way.Le Mans is taking place this weekend after being postponed from June. Initially, organizers said the rescheduled race would be open to spectators who already had a ticket, but in August it was decided that a closed-door event would be better suited to the current situation in Europe.
Like a puppy chasing its tail, some new investors often chase 'the next big thing', even if that means buying 'story stocks' without revenue, let alone profit. And in their study titled Who Falls Prey to the Wolf of Wall Street?' Leuz et. al. found that it is 'quite common' for investors to lose money by buying into 'pump and dump' schemes.

In contrast to all that, I prefer to spend time on companies like CACI International (NYSE:CACI), which has not only revenues, but also profits. Now, I'm not saying that the stock is necessarily undervalued today; but I can't shake an appreciation for the profitability of the business itself. While a well funded company may sustain losses for years, unless its owners have an endless appetite for subsidizing the customer, it will need to generate a profit eventually, or else breathe its last breath.

View our latest analysis for CACI International

How Quickly Is CACI International Increasing Earnings Per Share?

If a company can keep growing earnings per share (EPS) long enough, its share price will eventually follow. That makes EPS growth an attractive quality for any company. As a tree reaches steadily for the sky, CACI International's EPS has grown 24% each year, compound, over three years. As a general rule, we'd say that if a company can keep up that sort of growth, shareholders will be smiling.

One way to double-check a company's growth is to look at how its revenue, and earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) margins are changing. CACI International maintained stable EBIT margins over the last year, all while growing revenue 15% to US$5.7b. That's a real positive.

You can take a look at the company's revenue and earnings growth trend, in the chart below. Click on the chart to see the exact numbers.

You don't drive with your eyes on the rear-view mirror, so you might be more interested in this free report showing analyst forecasts for CACI International's future profits.

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Are CACI International Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?

Since CACI International has a market capitalization of US$5.6b, we wouldn't expect insiders to hold a large percentage of shares. But we are reassured by the fact they have invested in the company. With a whopping US$74m worth of shares as a group, insiders have plenty riding on the company's success. This should keep them focused on creating long term value for shareholders.

It means a lot to see insiders invested in the business, but I find myself wondering if remuneration policies are shareholder friendly. Well, based on the CEO pay, I'd say they are indeed. For companies with market capitalizations between US$4.0b and US$12b, like CACI International, the median CEO pay is around US$7.3m.

CACI International offered total compensation worth US$5.8m to its CEO in the year to . That comes in below the average for similar sized companies, and seems pretty reasonable to me. While the level of CEO compensation isn't a huge factor in my view of the company, modest remuneration is a positive, because it suggests that the board keeps shareholder interests in mind. I'd also argue reasonable pay levels attest to good decision making more generally.

Does CACI International Deserve A Spot On Your Watchlist?

For growth investors like me, CACI International's raw rate of earnings growth is a beacon in the night. If that's not enough, consider also that the CEO pay is quite reasonable, and insiders are well-invested alongside other shareholders. This may only be a fast rundown, but the takeaway for me is that CACI International is worth keeping an eye on. We should say that we've discovered 2 warning signs for CACI International that you should be aware of before investing here.

Of course, you can do well (sometimes) buying stocks that are not growing earnings and do not have insiders buying shares. But as a growth investor I always like to check out companies that do have those features. You can access a free list of them here.

Please note the insider transactions discussed in this article refer to reportable transactions in the relevant jurisdiction.

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.
Over 200,000 candidates did not take the Joint Entrance Examination or JEE (Main) exam held earlier this month, a figure that is more than double the number of absentees the previous year, according to data shared by the Union education ministry in the Rajya Sabha. According to the data, of the 858,395 registered candidates, 649,612 took the exam this year, leaving over 200,000 absentees.

In 2019, for the second attempt for JEE (Main), which was held in April, there were registered 11,05,514 candidates. Of them, 10,25,128 took the exams, leaving 80,386 absentees, according to the data shared in the Upper House.

Candidates can take the JEE (Main) twice every year.

The first test is held in January and the second in April. In 2020, the second test could not be held in April due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The exam was held earlier this month amid strict safety measures. The candidates were frisked by hand-held metal detectors and allowed into examination centre after hand sanitisation and thermal scanning at the entry points.

A maximum of 12 aspirants were seated in every examination hall.

On Thursday, the issue of holding of the exam in the midst of Covid-19, was raised in the Rajya Sabha.

Congress leader Ripun Bora said government must conduct the exams again.

Only then can the exams be considered fair and just to the student community of the country, Bora said in the Upper House. The government has defending holding the exams to protect the academic interests of the students.
Airplanes can be a COVID-19 breeding ground: youre crammed into a large aluminum tube with a few dozen strangers, hoping they all adhere to airline policies to wear a mask while in the air.

But not everyone can avoid being on a flight right now; some are forced to travel for work, others are heading home for family emergencies.

Theres no denying it. Travelers are coming back to Houstons airports. Heres how to safely take a trip on a plane during a global pandemic.

Should I fly?

More Information What is this? I'm Gwendolyn Wu, and I'm writing "Houston How To," a series on how to navigate the city and its complexities. Humans have an innate drive to improve themselves, and we're always striving to live better, smarter and more efficiently by throwing countless dollars and hours at our problems. The Houston Chronicle wants to simplify that for you. As a reporter, I usually ask the questions, but I can't be the only one wondering how something works. What are things you need to know how to do, Houston? You can find me on Twitter at @gwendolynawu or by email at gwendolyn.wu@chron.com. See More Collapse

Whether you buy that cheap airplane ticket depends on your comfort level. Flying is riskier than driving from an infectious disease control standpoint, said Firas Zabaneh, director of system infection prevention and control at Houston Methodist. If its possible to drive to your destination within a reasonable amount of time, Zabaneh recommends doing that.

But should people avoid airplanes altogether?

Its not necessarily that they have to avoid it, Zabaneh said. However, they have to know the risk not just for themselves, but when they come back from travel, to their loved ones and significant others.

The shorter the trip, the safer it is. Maybe rethink those international flights if theyre for leisure.

Also, keep in mind that any travel time might be eaten up by self-quarantine periods. Workplaces may also require employees to quarantine at home before returning to work, even if its business travel.

According to the New York Times tracker of statewide restrictions, the following states and territories are asking travelers from Texas to quarantine for 14 days: Alaska, Connecticut, Washington, D.C., Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont.

Some counties and cities may have more specific requirements, or accept negative tests to get out of self-quarantine. Others merely recommend quarantining if traveling from out-of-state. You can also find a map of restrictions at AAA Texas.

Going through security

The Transportation Security Administration is temporarily allowing travelers to bring a bottle of 12-ounce or less of hand sanitizer through the checkpoint. If you do, though, it might result in a delay, so federal officials advise budgeting extra time.

Experts advise packing light and bringing just one carry-on so that you dont have to stick around at a crowded baggage claim. Belts and personal items such as wallets and phones should be placed in the carry-on bags, according to TSA.

MORE HOW TO: Your questions answered on voting, drivers licenses, COVID life

Also, if you were worried about having an expired driver license, theres an exemption for that. Licenses that expired on or after Mar. 1 can be used to fly. As for REAL ID, the federal law enforcing which forms of state-issued IDs can be used to fly, that has also been granted an extension from the Department of Homeland Security to October 2021. (The original expiration date to fly with a non-compliant state-issued ID was October 2020.)

Waiting in the airport

Airport officials are asking all visitors to wear a mask, practice social distancing, regularly wash their hands and use hand sanitizer while on-site. Dont travel if you think youve been in contact with someone who recently contracted COVID-19.

Houstons airports have stepped up cleaning procedures in the terminal waiting areas, bathrooms and even on the tram that runs around IAH. There are also more than 420 new hand sanitizer stations all over both airports to encourage personal hygiene, said Augusto Bernal, a spokesman for the Houston Airport System.

The airports have never been this clean, really, Bernal said.

If youve forgotten your mask, airport employees will be around to provide you one before you get far into the terminals. At Hobby, travelers wishing to get an extra mask for their travels can pick one up for $3.99 at a PPE vending machine stationed just outside the TSA entrance. Need an infrared thermometer? Thatll run you $89.99.

Just because fewer people are taking to the skies doesnt mean that security is a breeze. Bernal recommends allocating two hours of buffer time for people flying domestically, and three hours flying internationally.

On the plane

Expect a few departures from the norm once youve boarded. Many airlines are not putting passengers in middle seats to increase distance between travelers. Every airline has different cleaning policies so be cautious if youre worried about germs and call ahead to hear about their procedures.

Of course, for peace of mind, maybe bring your own antibacterial wipes.

You want to wipe down your tray table, armrests, seatbelt and screen, said Joshua Zuber, an AAA Texas spokesperson.

ON THE MOVE: How do you move in Houston during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Certain airlines have suspended snack and drink service on flights less than 350 miles, while others are offering limited prepackaged snacks and bottled/canned drinks on longer flights. Check ahead with the carrier if youre worried about your cheese sandwich crackers and coffee.

If you need to eat, you dont have to remove your mask and sit down for a meal at one of the airports restaurants. Some snacks could be carried on  think solid foods like cookies or nuts. Federal recommendations suggest putting all food items into a clear plastic bag to make it easier to screen. But thats, of course, if you want to risk taking your mask off, even for the brief moments youre sneaking Chex mix in your mouth.

Lets be honest, Zabaneh said. Everyones going to take their mask off to eat, drink or take a breather. But make it extremely brief. Look around, make sure people dont have their masks off at that time. Youll be fine. Its a short time youre going to have it off to take a sip of your drink and youll put it back on right away.

gwendolyn.wu@chron.com

twitter.com/gwendolynawu
The Netherlands on Friday launched a bid to hold Syria responsible under international law for gross human rights violations, in a case that could end up in the UNs top court.

The Dutch government said it was invoking the UN Convention against Torture and that Damascus was also guilty of murder and using poison gas on own citizens.

The Assad regime has committed horrific crimes time after time. The evidence is overwhelming. There must be consequences, Foreign Minister Stef Blok said in a statement.

The Dutch decided to take action after an attempt to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court  after years of impunity  was vetoed in the UN Security Council, Blok said.

The Assad regime has not hesitated to crack down hard on its own population, using torture and chemical weapons, and bombing hospitals, he added.

The victims of these serious crimes must obtain justice, and we are pursuing that end by calling the perpetrators to account.

The Netherlands said it had informed Damascus via a diplomatic note telling it to stop violations of the UN Convention against Torture and to enter negotiations.

If the two countries cannot resolve the dispute it could then go to arbitration, and, If no agreement can be reached on this issue, the Netherlands will submit the case to an international court.

The most likely court would be the International Court of Justice in The Hague, the top judicial organ of the United Nations, which deals with disputes between UN member states and breaches of UN treaties.

There was no immediate reaction from Damascus.

Human Rights Watch said the Netherlands was standing for countless victims of the Syrian regime.

All those, particularly governments, that have been appalled by the widespread brutality documented in Syria should publicly welcome this step and explore similar ways to assert the rule of law, said Balkees Jarrah, HRWs associate international justice director.
First among equals, however, is Sarins Rajasthani laal maas, a baby-goat preparation that, back in his home state, might pack as many as 40 dried chiles in a single batch. Those who fear the pepper need not worry: Everything at Bansari can be ordered to your preferred heat level. Sarin will simply add more ground Kashmiri chiles to your dish as you move up the Scoville scale. Those same Kashmiri peppers, along with Guntur chiles from the state of Andhra Pradesh, are part of the base for laal maas. A friend and I sat on the patio one evening, ignoring the drone of traffic along Gallows Road, and marveled at the depth of the dish, its gravy enriched with more aromatics than I could identify by taste alone: green cardamom, cumin, coriander and more.
Kannur:

Six CPI(M) workers were arrested on Saturday in connection with the murder of a BJP worker at Andaloor in nearby Dharmadam a few days ago.



Police said the accused, aged between 25-31, were Marxist party workers and sympathisers hailing from Andaloor, from were the victim also belonged.



While the CPI(M) leaders had earlier claimed that the attack on 53-year-old Santosh was a fallout of a property dispute between his relatives, police said it was due to some political rivalry.

Read | Kerala: BJP calls for hartal after workers murder



The incident was said to be in retaliation to the attack by alleged RSS workers on some Student Federation of India students who had gone on an excursion earlier.



Santosh was attacked inside his house and had 21 injuries, mostly on hands and legs. His wife and children were away at the time of the incident on January 18 at around 11 PM. BJP had observed a hartal the next day protesting against the attack.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Putin: He's persistent. Reuters

Three NATO intelligence sources tell Insider they believe Russia's Putin will attempt to kill opposition leader Alexei Navalny again. Navalny is currently recovering from a nerve-agent poisoning in Berlin.

Navalny may believe that Germany might threaten its gas pipeline deal with Russia in response to the attempted assassination, thus complicating Putin's ambition to murder him.

But in the long run that's a mistake, these sources say. The West has a history of responding feebly to Russian security threats, and Putin is playing the long game.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the latest critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin to be mysteriously poisoned, has announced he plans to return to Russia after his recovery from exposure to a deadly nerve agent.

But Navalny, who is recovering in a Berlin hospital, will be taking an enormous personal risk, according to three officials from NATO intelligence services who focus on Russian intelligence operations.

All three are in agreement that Navalny might change his mind (or be convinced by Western intelligence services) that the risk of returning to a country where the president apparently wants to murder him is too high.

But they also concluded that for now, Navalny is under the impression that the failure to kill him in Siberia will make it more difficult for Putin to try again. Germany is furious over the incident, and the German government has leverage it can apply to Putin over the multi-billion-euro Nord Stream gas pipeline projects intended to link the two nation's economies.

The assassination attempt has hurt Russia's ability to borrow money  but that's it

"There's no other explanation than this was an assassination attempt ordered at the highest levels of the Russian government," said one counter-intelligence official from a Baltic nation. "There is some disagreement over whether it is possible that Putin did not directly order the attack but rather it was an initiative undertaken by his henchmen. But the presence of Novichok  which is made in a strictly controlled military lab  convinces me that Putin had to authorize it himself. There's a concern in some NATO circles [about] what it might mean if Russian officials decided to use a nerve agent on their most high profile dissident without Putin's formal approval, this is possible but in my opinion this is unlikely."

Story continues

On Thursday, Navalny's legal team announced that a German lab had concluded the agent was administered in a free bottle of mineral water provided by his hotel.

The German government has officially issued strongly worded demands for information on the incident even as there is renewed debate on whether the Nord Stream project is appropriate in light of Putin's apparent history of murdering or attempting to murder his opponents.

Already, Russia has indicated that German talk of strong economic sanctions or even the cancelation of the Nord Stream project has hurt its ability to borrow money on international markets. But will this pressure be enough to keep Navalny alive if he returns to Russia after he recovers?

"Short-term maybe, but long term absolutely not," a Central European intelligence official who is frequently at odds with Russian intelligence services told Insider.

'Putin is ruthless and but never stupid'

"Putin is ruthless and but never stupid or rash. If Navalny returns to Russia he will face massive harassment and possibly arrest. This is how Putin ties up domestic opponents with a neverending stream of lawsuits, tax investigations, arrests on ludicrous charges. This will keep Navalny busy for years but eventually Putin is likely to decide that as Nord Stream becomes complete that the West, which he sees as greedy and weak, will probably not respond in a manner that really hurts him. The moment he makes that calculation  and of course he will never indicate he's made it, we will just know because Navalny is dead  then it will just be about finding a time or opportunity that suits him."

The Baltic official agrees that another attempt on Navalny would probably not come immediately. But if Putin concludes the poisoning attempt and harassment did not change Navalny's focus on the corruption of Putin's inner circle, then he would not consider the West's reaction as a major factor.

"What Putin has learned about the West in the last 20 years is, at least in his mind, the West's concerns about human rights and freedom take the back seat to powerful people making money from Russia," said the Baltic official. "The way he sees it, he openly sent assassins with radioactive poison to London to murder Alexander Litvinenko in 2006 and the UK did nothing serious in response. Then in 2018 he sends two more assassins to Salisbury to kill more defectors and instead nearly kill a policeman and does kill a British citizen. The response was some diplomatic back-and-forth but ultimately nothing serious."

'The guy sent assassins to spray Novichok all over Salisbury, killed an English woman, and the Brits didn't even kick out the ambassador'

"If he doesn't give a f--- about killing people on British soil because nobody will do anything to him, what on earth will stop him from killing one of his own in Russia?" concluded the official.

A military intelligence official based at NATO headquarters outside Brussels  who asked that their home country not be named  said that while the Germans are likely to push harder than the UK on their leverage against Putin, ultimately it's not hard to imagine that the West's feckless behaviour has convinced him that the EU cannot or will not take harsh measures.

"I'm not sure if he will have Navalny killed right away or wait for the appropriate time," said the official. "But I am convinced that he doesn't see the West as being willing to stand up to him over some dissidents. The guy sent assassins to spray Novichok all over Salisbury, killed an English woman, and the Brits didn't even kick out the ambassador."

Read also:

Read the original article on Business Insider
The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) recently tweeted: We are completely frightened by, completely impressed by and completely in support of wherever this is headed. The tweet was in a response to a video of demonstrators building a guillotine outside of Jeff Bezos home to protest Bezos becoming the first person to reach a net worth of $200 billion.

Predictably, the backlash was immediate with teachers all over the country  including several belonging to CTU  voicing their disapproval. Perhaps finally recognizing the radical nature of the tweet, and presumably in response to a large amount of negative criticism, CTU removed the tweet just days later.

It was too late, however, to prevent Chicago teachers and the general public from realizing the unions true priorities. Instead of focusing its energy on school safety and re-openings in the midst of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, CTU decided to spend its time and resources condoning threatening rhetoric against Jeff Bezos. Interestingly, the Chicago Teachers Pension Fund held Amazon stock worth $86 million in 2019.

While certainly one of the more extreme cases, the tweet is an example of a teachers union persistent failure to advocate for issues directly affecting teachers and education more broadly.

However, any Chicago teacher who was outraged by the tweet and wishes to leave the union over CTUs misplaced priorities will likely hit a brick wall. Teachers who want to end their $1,140 in annual dues payments are only allowed to end their payments during a specified opt out window.

Unfortunately, CTUs opt out window ended on August 31st. Now, Chicago teachers hoping to end financial support of their unions political posturing and support of violence will likely have to wait a full year before they are able to end their automatic dues payments.

CTUs troubling tweet underlines a larger problem that many teachers face today: in many cases, unions have made it unfairly difficult for a teacher to opt out of paying union dues.

In 2018, the Supreme Court ruled in Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) that public employees cannot be required to join a union or pay union dues as a condition of employment. However, many teachers unions still limit the period in which teachers can opt out. In some cases, these opt out windows are as short as two weeks at the beginning of the school year, when teachers are busy setting up their classrooms and preparing for their students. In other cases, just calculating the opt out window is needlessly complicated because its based on your hire date, or the date you signed the form joining the union.

For example, teachers belonging to the California Federation of Teachers can only opt out during the period not less than 30 days and not more than 45 days before 1) the annual anniversary date of [agreeing to join the union] or 2) the date of termination of the applicable contract between the employer and The Local [union], whichever occurs sooner.

This is not to say that you cannot leave the union outside of these opt out windows. Teachers unions are willing to let you out of union membership, so long as you keep paying dues until the next opt out window.

It is clear that teachers deserve better and deserve to make their own decisions about workplace representation on their own time. As recognized by Janus, Chicago teachers have the right to decide whether or not to continue funding a union that condones violent rhetoric ahead of advocating for teachers in the classroom.

If we trust our teachers to educate the next generation, we can trust these educated professionals to assess whether their needs are best met by union representation or representation from an alternative association. And instead of limiting when they can opt out to a few arbitrary weeks out of the year, CTU and all teachers unions should acknowledge the right of teachers to act on these decisions whenever they are made.
In 2007, as Apple's iTunes was cementing its dominance over digital music distribution, Amazon tried something bold. It launched the Amazon MP3 store, where all the music was DRM-free. It even used the slogan: "DRM: Don't Restrict Me."

It worked. Companies initially lured to iTunes by the promise of DRM as an anti-piracy measure had increasingly come to see that DRM was a trap. Because Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act makes it a felony in the U.S. to provide someone with a tool to remove DRM, every song sold through iTunes was permanently locked into Apple's platform. And it didnt take long for the music business to recognize that DRM didn't stop piracy. All it did was make labels beholden to a tech company that put its interests first.

Enter Amazons new MP3 store. Wary of Apple, the record companies supplied Amazon with MP3 files stripped of DRM. And Apples dominance over the music download business basically died...forever.

A few months after its move in the music business, Amazon completed its acquisition of a scrappy upstart audiobook company called Audible. At the time of the acquistion, Amazon publicly announced it would remove Audible's DRM. After all, why would a company with a self-proclaimed "relentless customer focus" impose such restrictions on audiobook users?

Fast-forward 12 years, and Audible has accomplished remarkable things. The company has helped grow the audiobook market to the point where it is a vital revenue stream for publishers. And Audible commands a huge share of the digital audiobook marketas much 90% of the market in some verticals.

But, they never removed the DRM.

Fighting Back

In 2008, I took Amazon at its word when they promised to kill Audibles DRM. But I told Random House, the publisher bringing out the audiobook for my bestselling book Little Brother, to hold off on Audible distribution until that happened. I was naive. And some 12 years later, we're still waiting for that to happen.

But I'm done waiting. On October 13, Tor is bringing out Attack Surface, a standalone sequel to Little Brother and Homeland (also a bestseller, but whos counting). However, given that I won't let my audiobooks be sold through Audible, Tor took the absolutely reasonable position not to acquire the audiobook rights for Attack Surface. And that's OK. I understand that logicafter all, I was basically demanding they eschew as much as 90% of the potential audiobook market for the book.

Instead, I retained my audiobook rights and contracted with Skyboat Media, an audiobook powerhouse (that happens to be around the corner from my home in Burbank) to record the Attack Surface audiobook. We hired Amber Benson (a spectacular Random House author who played "Tara" on Buffy the Vampire Slayer) to read the book. And we hastily retooled our recording plans when the lockdown started, setting up a week's worth of Zoom calls between Amber's basement studio, the director's home, and my home office. The result is a superb, 15-hour unabridged audiobook, mastered by John Taylor Williams, who's been editing my podcast for more than a decade.

Last week, I launched a Kickstarter for presales of the audiobook. Because I am set up to act as an e-book retailer for my publishers (including both Tor and Attack Surface UK publisher, Head of Zeus) I was able to list both the series backlist and the Attack Surface audiobook on the crowdfunding campaign. As of this writing, we have raised more than $207,000.

Look, $207,000 is a lot of money. And my family's finances have taken a severe beating since the Covid-19 crisis hitI'm sure you can sympathize. We need this. Thank you.

But I'm not doing this for the money. Rather, my not-so-secret plan is to fundamentally shift how publishers relate to authors who are willing to stand up against Audibles exclusive non-negotiable DRM-enforced exclusive market strategy. Giving authors leverage over Audible isn't just about getting it to back down on its DRM policy. It also empowers us work with libraries, against whom Audible maintains a total blackout, refusing to license any of its exclusive audio content at all, forcing America's library users to buy subscriptions through Amazon's data-hungry, monopoly-reinforcing app.

My belief is that once more authors and publishers find they can succeed outside of the Audible funnel, Amazon will have to give Audible customers and the authors and publishers who supply the content the technical means and legal right to take their business elsewhere if they choose. And once that happens, publishers and authors will finally regain some of the leverage needed to negotiate fair deals from Audible.

I recognize that not every author can do what Ive done with Attack Surface. That said, there are plenty of writers with platforms who canI mean, if I can do it they can do it too.

I want to be the pebble that starts the avalanche that changes the face of the mountain. Think of it: if more bestselling authors declined to offer their audiobooks under Audible's current DRM-enforced terms, and Audible became the place on the web where you couldn't get a bestselling audiobook, how much pressure that would create for fairer terms?

Chickenization

We know this much is true: using technology to lock in your customers is great if you're the dominant player. It's terrible for everyone else. Amazon hated DRM when it was challenging Apple for the music industry. But it loves DRM now that it has a dominant position in the audiobook market. And Audibles practices are enabling the company to effectively seize control over both sides of the audiobook transaction, setting the terms for suppliers and customers.

Thats never good. Take for example the hyper-concentrated U.S. poultry industry. Labor economists have identified a practice they've dubbed "chickenization, by which three firms have divided up the U.S. market so that any given chicken farmer basically has one processor who can handle their birds.

Here's how it works: poultry processors sell farmers their chicks, they tell them how to build their coops, set the light and feeding schedules, and tell the farmers which vets and which medicines to use. Sometimes, poultry processors even experiment on their farmersthey change the variables without telling the farmers why or giving them the chance to opt out. They also use sensors in the farmers' barns to collect and aggregate data about market activity.

 In reality, the only entity Audible DRM serves to protect is Audible. And the thing Audible DRM protects the company from is competition. 

Only when the birds are ready for market does Big Chicken tell the farmer how much they will get for their birds. And thanks to all the data they have collected, they can titrate the dose of money so it's just enough for the farmer to keep going, but never enough to get ahead. Meanwhile, farmers must sign nondisclosure agreements with their processors so they can't compare notes on their treatment.

Like most chicken farmers, authors are also independent small businesses. Audible is basically chickenizing digital audiobook publishingand DRM is the tool they are using to do it.

Now, Audible will say it uses DRM to protect publishers and authors from piracy. But the fact is, removing Audibles DRMthough illegalis not hard. In reality, the only entity Audible DRM serves to protect is Audible. And the thing Audible DRM protects the company from is competition. Because every audiobook licensed through Audible increases the switching costs for customers who might take their business to a more publisher-friendly platform. And every dollar a customer spends with Audible is a dollar they have to surrender if they decide to switch platforms.

Look, you can't shop your way out of monopoly capitalism any more than you can recycle your way out of climate change. Monopoly is a structural problem created by more than 40 years of lax antitrust enforcement. If there was any doubt, last month's Congressional antitrust hearings, which included a litany of complaints from Amazon suppliers who've been comprehensively chickenized, laid that to rest.

But reversing monopolies is an iterative process. My effort to whittle away at Amazon's audiobook hegemony I believe will help show authors, publishers, and readers that there is a path to a more pluralistic and fair marketplace. And, in the process, fuel the growing support for more stringent antitrust enforcement.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 20:18:05|Editor: huaxia

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BERLIN, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Bundestag, the lower house of German parliament, agreed to fund the modernization of the country's hospitals with up to 4.3 billion euros (5.1 billion U.S. dollars), Germany's Ministry of Health (BMG) announced on Friday.

The German government would provide 3 billion euros to enable nearly 2,000 hospitals to invest in modern emergency response capacities, digitization and information technology (IT) security, according to BMG.

Germany's federal states as well as hospital operators would cover the remaining 30 percent of the total investment costs, according to BMG.

Hospitals in Germany are mostly financed via a dual system. While the federal states cover initial investment costs such as construction of buildings and equipment, national health insurance funds the ongoing operating costs through fees paid for hospital treatment.

"Germany's hospitals should remain strong," said German Health Minister Jens Spahn in a statement. "We are investing in their digital future -- because the pandemic in particular has shown us how important well-equipped and functioning hospitals are." (1 euro = 1.18 U.S. dollars) Enditem
Taiwans KMT Pulls out From Cross-Strait Forum Due to CCTVs Beg for Peace Comment

Li Hong, the host of Cross the Strait program of Beijings official mouthpiece CCTV made a comment on the show on Sept. 10 that drew strong backlash among Taiwans political parties. She said on the show that Wang Jinping, who would lead the Kuomintang (KMT) delegation to attend the annual Cross-Strait Forum, was coming to the mainland to beg for peace.

Although CCTV changed its rhetoric soon after, it refused to apologize, which has been unable to quell criticism among Taiwans political parties. KMT later announced that it would not participate in this years forum as a political partythis is the first time since the Cross-Strait Forum started 11 years ago.

The Forum will be held in Xiamen city on Sept. 19. The KMT originally decided to send a delegation led by Wang Jinping, the former President of the Legislative Yuan.

On Sept. 10, Li Hong, the host of the CCTV Channel 4 Cross the Strait, said on the show that Wang was sent by Taiwans Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to relay the message that cross-strait economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) should not be disrupted. Then she commented on a short video, saying that war is coming to the Taiwan Strait and this person (Wang Jinping) wants to come to the mainland to beg for peace.

Lis comment has triggered cross-party criticism from both KMT and DPP in Taiwan. Taiwans ruling party DPP ridiculed it, and the opposition party KMT said its unacceptable. Taiwans Executive Yuan President Su Zhenchang said that at this moment when many countries around the world are criticizing communist China, the KMT was still planning to send a delegation to participate in the Forum, which is part of the CCPs United Front strategy. And even now the Chinese media have described the KMTs action as begging for peace. It is really not worth it, he concluded. Hong Mengkai, a KMT legislator, said that the Kuomintang can be poor, but it cannot be without dignity.

The mainland Taiwan-related departments have come forward to ease the situation, pointing out that CCTVs comments are unofficial. On Sept. 12, Li tried to tone down her original comment, saying that beg for peace originally meant seek for peace. She also said that her expression was purely personal and not official. CCTV also issued a comment on Sept. 13, welcoming Wang to lead a delegation to attend the Cross-Strait Forum.

On the afternoon of Sept. 14, the KMT held a press conference, hosted by Wang Yumin, chairman of the Cultural Biography Committee. He stated that the KMT originally announced that Wang Jinping would lead a delegation to attend the Forum, but the improper beg for peace comment in the CCTV program has changed the tone of the exchanges. He announced that due to the current overall atmosphere on both sides of the strait which is detrimental to exchanges and dialogues, the KMT will not participate in the Forum as a political party this year.

The Central News Agency reported that after the KMT announcement, former KMT acting chairman Lin Rongde, who originally planned to participate in the Forum in his personal capacity, told the media on Sept. 15 that he would cancel his trip to the Forum in accordance with the KMT policy.

Regarding the CCTVs change of rhetoric, Lin Zhongbin, the former Minister of Defense of Taiwan, told Radio Free Asia that the change from beg for peace to seek for peace, meant that on one hand, it is a shift of direction towards Taiwan. And (the CCP) as whole have not realized it. There is always a disconnection among them. The second is to make trouble for you anyway, if you ask me to change it, I will change it and make a fool of Xi Jinping.

Professor Fan Shiping of Taiwan Normal University believes that Lis inconsistency in her words highlights the internal conflicts of the CCP regarding its Party lines.

There are various analyses on the background of the beg for peace comment. However, the CCTV has not apologized. The KMT made an announcement on Sept. 15 to cancel its participation in the Forum and KMT Chairman Johnny Chiang said that exchanges between Taiwan and China should be based on the principle of equality and dignity.

The Cross-Strait Forum was first held in 2009 and is the largest exchange event between Taiwan and mainland China. Over the years, the political parties that have participated in the Forum are the KMT, the People First Party, and the New Party on Taiwans side; while the Chinese side is led by representatives of the CCP and its Taiwan Affairs Office. In previous years, the chairman of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Wang Yang, attended.

In recent years, the Mainland Affairs Council of Republic of China (MAC) has identified the Cross Strait Forum as one of the ways that the CCPs United Front policy can push for unification with Taiwan. Therefore, the MAC prohibits any government unit from participating in activities involving the CCPs One Country, Two Systems Taiwan Program or Democratic Consultation, and reminds people to abide by relevant regulations regarding the cross strait activities.

The DPP even bans all its party members from participating in the Forum.
China said on Friday it is conducting military exercises near the Taiwan Strait in response to the current situation there and to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Following Thursdays abrupt resignation of Wale Babalakin as the pro-chancellor and chairman of the governing council of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, another external member of the council, Bayo Adaralegbe, has tendered his resignation letter.

Mr Adaralegbe, a lawyer and partner at Babalakin and Company, a law chamber founded by Mr Babalakin, addressed his resignation letter, which is dated September 18, to the education minister, Adamu Adamu.

According to the former council member, the decision hinged on the crisis rocking the university, even as he accused the substantive vice-chancellor, Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, of falsifying the result of an interview conducted for applicants into the position of director of works on the campus.

In his letter, Mr Adaralegbe said his resignation takes immediate effect, even as he extolled the leadership qualities of the erstwhile chairman of the council. He said Mr Babalakin committed his personal resources into the university without seeking any favour from the institution.

The letter reads in part; I was inaugurated along with other Federal government appointees on the 6th April 2017. In that period, Dr Babalakin provided very strong moral leadership as Pro Chancellor and Chairman of Council. He kept scrupulously to the promise he made at our maiden Council meeting not to bid for, or be awarded contracts from the University. He actually did more. By December 2019 he had poured approximately N100 million of his own personal resources on different endeavors in the University. At the time this situation arose, he was in the process of transferring to the University (at no cost to it) 40 hectares of land he owned in Ogudu, Lagos to address its staff housing problems.

Mr. Adaralegbe accused unnamed persons of politicising his membership of the council, saying as a proud son of his father, who he said was a former deputy vice-chancellor at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), and an adviser to a former education minister, he had served the university conscientiously.

He added; They have even turned my position on the Council as propaganda material, claiming that I lied about my state of origin in order to get appointed. My association with Dr Babalakin since 1991, something that I am incredibly proud of, and which is very common knowledge has also been weaponised by these people.

Recent developments have, unfortunately, made my continued stay on the Governing Council of the University of Lagos very untenable. I experienced first-hand, the Vice Chancellor of a University falsifying interview results for the position of Director of Works. Professor Toyin Ogundipe threatened to beat me up during an interview session for the position of Director of Works because I resisted his attempt to falsify interview results. It was also in University of Lagos that I experienced a Vice Chancellor attempting to appoint a Professor in respect of a discipline that the University did not have a department, did not admit undergraduate or postgraduate students, and through a one-page Memorandum to the Pro-Chancellor that touted the candidate as an agent of change. This is of course apart from a litany of corrupt practices.

I consider my continued stay on the Governing Council of University of Lagos, a serious dishonor and desecration of my late fathers memory, Professor Adeniji Adaralegbe one (if not the very first) of the first set First Class holders of UNN, former Deputy Vice Chancellor, University of Ife and Special Adviser to Professor Aliu Babatunde Fafunwa, Honourable Minister Federal Ministry of Education.

Another member may resign

Meanwhile, another external member of the governing council has confided in PREMIUM TIMES that he is considering resignation of his appointment.

The member is also an associate of Mr Babalakin but does not want to be named. He said he is already in talks with his principal, and that the final decision would be taken in a few days.

Yes, my spirit is no longer in that university. It left there long ago. This is not because Dr. Babalakin resigned but because my dignity and integrity are very important to me. I cannot sit where I wouldnt be able to address illegalities, the source said.

Background

In May, 2017, five external members of the governing council of the university were inaugurated in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, with the announcement of Mr Babalakin as chairman.

Other members of the council include Saminu Dagari, a senior lecturer at the Federal University, Gashua, Yobe State; and Yomi Kasali, a pastor and founder of Foundation of Truth Assembly. Mr Kasali doubles as the chairman of the Nigerian Christians Pilgrims Commission (NCPC).

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Other members include Alli Hussein, a former commissioner in Katsina State, and a director at the federal ministry of education, Adetokunbo Adebanjo.

The council at different times was joined by internal members from the institution representing the management as vice-chancellor, deputy vice-chancellors, and as representatives of the senate and congregation.

However, crisis rocking the university broke out in 2018 following frequent disagreements between the chairman of the council and the institution management, leading to the setting up of an audit committee led by Mr. Dagari.

The report of the committee has remained a subject of controversy, and formed the basis upon the controversial removal of Mr. Ogundipe on August 12.

In reaction, the President announced the composition of a seven-member visitation panel led by a former vice-chancellor of Federal University of Technology (FUT), Minna, Niger State, Tukur Saad.

The panel also has Victor Onuoha, Ikenna Onyido, Ekanem Braide, Adamu Usman, Jimoh Bankole, and Grace Ekanem as secretary.

In his letter of resignation, Mr. Babalakin disagreed with the panels composition, saying the members had no capacity to address the issues in contention.

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Understanding workers' knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding COVID-19 is crucial to preventing it and controlling it.

Now, researchers reporting in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases report that Chinese workers are highly aware of, and informed about, COVID-19 but there is still a need for strengthening this knowledge, and health interventions, among older and less-educated workers.

The importance of public education and community engagement in outbreak responses is well established. Previous studies have indicated that surveys on knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) have helped inform many outbreak responses.

The vast majority of studies on COVID-19 have focused on the disease's etiology, clinical characteristics, and therapies or vaccines.

In the new work, Chen Mao of Southern Medical University, China, and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional study based at a large labor-intensive factory in Shenzhen, China, which has 180,000 factory workers from around China.

Between February 2 and 7, 2020, all workers were invited to participate in an online survey that asked about sociodemographic characteristics, and KAP related to COVID-19.

Data from 123,768 respondents was included in the final analysis. The mean knowledge score regarding COVID-19 was 16.3 points out of a total possible score of 20 points.

Most respondents understood basic information about the symptoms, knew preventive measures for the disease, agreed that COVID-19 is a serious disease, and knew where and how to seek treatment.

However the researchers also found common misperceptions, such as only 29.4% of respondents disagreed with the statement that gargling salt water can protect against infection.

Overall, older respondents had lower levels of knowledge and practices related to COVID-19 and better-educated respondents tended to have the highest levels of KAP.

These results suggested that health authorities need to ensure correct information on COVID-19 prevention and strengthen health interventions, particularly for older and less-educated workers, to combat rumors and misinformation and reduce public panic." Study Researchers, PLOS
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 22:09:45|Editor: huaxia

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BAGHDAD, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi Health Ministry on Friday reported 4,305 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total nationwide infections to 311,690.

The ministry also confirmed 76 new deaths from the infectious disease, taking the death toll to 8,408. Meanwhile, 4,205 more patients recovered from the disease, bringing the total number of recoveries to 245,305.

The new cases included 1,462 in the capital Baghdad, 380 in Wasit, 302 in Basra, 254 in Erbil, 227 in Dhi Qar, and 206 in Qadisiyah, while the other cases were detected in other provinces, the ministry said in a statement.

It said that the ministry has carried out up to 2,021,586 test kits across the country since the outbreak of the disease in February, with 23,291 done on during the day.

Meanwhile, Hassan al-Khalatti, a member of the health parliamentary committee, told the official Iraqi News Agency (INA) that the committee held a meeting with the Health Minister Hassan al-Tamimi and discussed the ministry's current measures to contain the spread of coronavirus and its plans for the coming period.

Khalatti said that the ministry is planning to prepare makeshift hospitals with around 9,000 beds in Baghdad and other Iraqi provinces to enable current hospitals to return to their usual medical services, according to INA.

The ministry also directed the provinces and the provincial health departments to build a central epidemiological hospital in each province in preparation for other possibilities during the coming period, Khalatti said.

"The ministry is in contact with some countries, which have started developing the coronavirus vaccines so that Iraq will be one of the first countries to import the vaccine after being approved by the World Health Organization," INA quoted al-Khalatti as saying.

Iraq has taken a series of measures to contain the pandemic since February when the first coronavirus case appeared in the country.

However, despite the continuing resurgence in the pandemic, the Iraqi Higher Committee for Health and National Safety, headed by Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, has decided to ease the anti-coronavirus restrictions by permitting people's movement among the country's provinces, reopening the border crossings, restaurants, tourist facilities of five-star hotels, and lifting the ban on sporting events.

China has been helping Iraq fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

From March 7 to April 26, a Chinese team of seven medical experts spent 50 days in Iraq to help contain the disease, during which they helped build a PCR lab and install an advanced CT scanner in Baghdad.

Since March 7, China has also sent three batches of medical aid to Iraq. Enditem
This is the hilarious moment a Chinese zookeeper had trouble raking leaves in an enclosure after a group of mischievous baby pandas could not stop playing around with the pile.

In a viral video, Mei, the keeper, was trying to sweep up leaves inside a panda enclosure when the cubs rolled and tumbled around, getting in her way.

The footage filmed at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding has melted the hearts of millions on social media.

This is the hilarious moment a Chinese zookeeper had trouble raking leaves in an enclosure after a group of mischievous baby pandas could not stop playing around with the pile

In a viral video, Mei, the keeper at the Chinese breeding centre, was trying to sweep up leaves inside a panda enclosure when the cubs rolled and tumbled around, getting in her way

The footage of the naughty panda cubs, filmed at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Sichuan province, has melted the hearts of millions on social media

Before entering the enclosure, Mei threw a broom over the fence to distract the cubs from possibly running out of the entrance.

The adorable pandas tumbled and rolled around playfully while two of them even managed to get their paws inside the basket of leaves.

One of the cubs started rolling inside the basket before Mei carried him out, struggling to keep the other panda away as she tried to complete her job.

The adorable pandas tumbled and rolled around playfully while two of them even managed to get their paws inside the basket of leaves

One of the cubs started rolling inside the basket before Mei carried him out, struggling to keep the other panda away as she tried to complete her job

This is the hilarious moment a Chinese zookeeper had trouble raking leaves in an enclosure after a group of mischievous baby pandas could not stop playing around with the pile

The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, located in southwestern Chinese province Sichuan, is a non-profit research and breeding facility for giant pandas

The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, located in southwestern Chinese province Sichuan, is a non-profit research and breeding facility for giant pandas and other rare animals.

The adorable footage has melted the hearts of millions on social media.

One user commented: 'I think it's hilarious that they move all slow but the chaos they cause happens so fast.'

Another added: 'It's like babysitting a bunch of drunk children.'

The footage of the naughty panda cubs, filmed at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Sichuan province, has melted the hearts of millions on social media

In a viral video, Mei, the keeper at the Chinese breeding centre, was trying to sweep up leaves inside a panda enclosure when the cubs rolled and tumbled around, getting in her way

This is the hilarious moment a Chinese zookeeper had trouble raking leaves in an enclosure after a group of mischievous baby pandas could not stop playing around with the pile

A third person wrote: 'Just thinking about how this womans literal job is to clean the home of big furry chaotic toddles.'

Wild pandas, which were considered an endangered, have now been upgraded to 'vulnerable' on the global list of species at risk of extinction, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) announced.

Lo Sze Ping, CEO of WWF-China, warned: 'Everyone should celebrate this achievement. But pandas remain scattered and vulnerable, and much of their habitat is threatened by poorly planned infrastructure projects. Remember, there are still only 1,864 left in the wild.'
A shared education campus in Co Tyrone will not open for at least another five years.

Work on the project, on a former Army base in Omagh, started in 2013. It was due to be completed this year.

Six schools, catering for 3,700 pupils, will eventually be built and based on the site. However, only Arvalee Special School has been completed to date.

The finish date for the campus was pushed back several times - to 2021, then 2022 and then, earlier this year, to 2024.

Now Education Minister Peter Weir has said it will be September 2025 "at the earliest" before it opens.

His update came in response to an Assembly question from SDLP MLA Daniel McCrossan.

Mr Weir said: "I remain fully committed to delivering this educationally and strategically significant programme.

"My officials and I have been working diligently to progress the Strule Shared Education Campus to the next stage in the procurement process. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has touched all aspects of business resulting in the projected go live date being revised.

"Provisional opening of the Campus is now planned for September 2025 at the earliest.

"Treasury officials have confirmed access to Fresh Start Agreement funding for the Programme through to completion. This will be formally notified in the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) outcome in the autumn."

Mr McCrossan, a local MLA, said he was "extremely disappointed" at the fresh delay.

He said the project must be a priority.

"When work began on the project, people in Omagh were promised that this campus would be opened this year. Instead we've had delay after delay and now the Education Minister has confirmed that the earliest opening date is now September 2025," he added.

"At this rate we'll be lucky if children born the year the project started will be able to set foot in the campus.

"It's really hard to argue that this is a priority for the Education Minister when there has been so much delay."

Loreto Grammar School, Omagh High School, Sacred Heart College, Omagh Academy and Christian Brothers Grammar School are set to move to the shared site.

The scheme's final cost is estimated at 213.7m - well above the original 168.9m estimate.
President Donald Trump announced an $13 billion aid package for Puerto Rico on Friday to help the island recover from the devastation brought by 2017's Hurricane Maria, coming at a time he is courting Hispanic voters for his re-election bid.

The money will focus on the island's electrical grid system and to help the recovery of its education system.

'These grants exceed the total Public Assistance funding in any single federally-declared disaster other than Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy,' White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement.

President Donald Trump announced an $13 billion aid package for Puerto Rico to help the island recover from the devastation brought by 2017's Hurricane Maria - above the president and first lady Melania Trump visited the island in October 2017 after the storm struck

Both Trump and Joe Biden are courting the Hispanic vote, above Biden talks to Puerto Rican voters in Florida when he was in the state on Tuesday

Puerto Rico saw its electrical grid wiped out after Hurricane Maria hit the island

The announcement comes less than two months before the November election, when both candidates are fighting to win Florida, a critical state with a large number of Puerto Rican voters.

Joe Biden was in the state on Tuesday to court that voting bloc.

Biden said Trump 'has done nothing but assault the dignity of Hispanic families' in a speech in Kissimmee, where many people settled after fleeing Maria's devastation.

Kissimmee, a city outside Orlando, is the center of the state's Puerto Rican vote.

Trump is also wooing Hispanic voters and has bragged how he is doing better among them than Biden.

Polls have shown he has an edge over his Democratic rival in that voting bloc.

Puerto Rico was already struggling financially before Maria made landfall three years ago.

It had filed a form of municipal bankruptcy in 2017 to restructure about $120 billion of debt and obligations.

Trump used that filing to with hold aid to the island after the deadly hurricane, saying he was concerned about corruption and speculating that federal funds could go missing.

Maria decimated Puerto Rico's power grid in addition to landslides and structural damage it caused. In the aftermath, the island was hit by Hurricane Isaias, a series of earthquakes and the coronavirus.

Meanwhile, Florida is rapidly becoming Ground Zero in the 2020 campaign.

Biden made his rare in-person appearance in the state on Tuesday on the same day a Monmouth poll showed him leading Trump by five points in Florida.

And Michael Bloomberg announced this weekend he will spend at least $100 million of his own money to support Biden's campaign in Florida, mainly through television ad buys. With 10 media markets, Florida is one of the most expensive TV ad states in the nation.

Trump mocked the former mayor's investment in the state.

'Mini Mike Bloomberg, after making a total fool of himself as he got badly beaten up by Pocahontas and the Democrats in the Primaries, is at it again. He tried to buy an Election and went away with a major case of Depression. Now hes throwing money at the Dems, looking for a job!,' he tweeted on Friday.

Puerto Rico was subject to flooding and landslides after Maria hit the island

President Trump tossed paper towels to the crowd during his October 2017 visit

If Biden wins Florida's 29 electoral votes, Trump's path to a second term is hard to see.

Its been almost 100 years since a Republican has won the White House without taking Florida.

And, to show of competitive and contested it is, in six of the last seven presidential races, the Sunshine state has been decided by less than five points.

Biden's two events were focused on Latino voters and veteran communities, as he needs to firm up his support with Hispanic voters.

The Trump campaign is also campaigning hard in the state. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have made several appearances there.

The campaign is also running a Women for Trump bus tour through Florida, being led by Lara Trump, the president's daughter in law and popular campaign surrogate.

Meanwhile, Ivanka Trump campaigned in Florida on Thursday: Pam Bondi, left, former Florida Attorney General, talks with her during a Fireside Chat at the Columbia Restaurant in Tampa

Master Baker Anthony Ali, left, teaches Ivanka Trump how to roll Cuban bread at La Segunda Central Bakery during another campaign stop

Additionally, first daughter Ivanka Trump was in Tampa on Thursday to campaign for her father.

Ivanka Trump, who serves as an adviser to Trump in the White House, held a 'fireside chat' with former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi in Tampa for her father's campaign.

She also learned how to roll Cuban bread at La Segunda Central Bakery, where she ordered three loaves of Cuban bread and some guava pastries to bring home with her to Washington D.C.
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump's public rebuke of a top federal health official who did not parrot White House talking points about a fast-track coronavirus vaccine is the latest example of the president's effort to enforce an upbeat narrative about the pandemic,even if that does not square with the facts.

Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is the most recent government physician or scientist to run afoul of Trump's coronavirus message machine. He did so in congressional testimony Wednesday, saying a vaccine greenlighted later this year would probably not be available to most Americans until sometime in 2021 because those most in need would get the first doses. Redfield also rankled Trump by saying face masks are "more guaranteed to protect me against covid than when I take a covid vaccine."

Trump said Redfield "made a mistake" on both counts, although the CDC director's projection about the timetable for vaccine approval and distribution mirrored those of other top officials, including Operation Warp Speed chief scientist Moncef Slaoui and Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

"It's just incorrect information," Trump said, adding that he had called Redfield after his Senate testimony.

With fewer than 50 days before the Nov. 3 election, Trump has keyed on a prospective coronavirus vaccine as a piece of good newsthat demonstrates his leadership amid a grinding pandemic, with continued job losses, school closures and disruptions to daily life. Trump argues that the worst of the crisis is past and that states should lift remaining restrictions meant to curb the spread of a disease that has killed nearly 200,000 Americans.

But health and science experts say his continued swipes at the government's own experts are undermining public trust in their guidance - as well as in an eventual vaccine.

"If you want people to have confidence in a national vaccine program, you don't trash the director of the CDC, especially when he was accurately describing the likely timeline of the program," said Tom Inglesby, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. "This is the time for U.S. government leaders to be on the same page. Instead it's personal attacks, contradictions and confusion."

Americans remain deeply pessimistic about the direction of the country and skeptical of Trump's handling of the pandemic, according to an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll released Thursday.

Only 39% of respondents approved of Trump's handling of the crisis, and about 70% said the nation is on the wrong track, the AP reported.

After a confusing flurry of statements Wednesday evening from Redfield and the CDC, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows told reporters Thursday morning that Redfield is not closely involved with the multibillion dollar vaccine development process.

"That timeline is not consistent with what I have had personal interaction with," Meadows said at the White House.

A vaccine could be ready as soon as next month and could be administered to those at greatest risk, with a goal of 300 million doses ready to go in January, Meadows said.

"We believe that we can get the vast majority of those at risk with a distribution model that would be available at the end of October," he said, offering an optimistic scenario based on assumptions thatclinical trialswill bear fruit within weeks and then win quick approval from the Food and Drug Administration. No one knows if a vaccine will be shown effective by October.

The White House also says the massive public-private vaccine development program, known as Operation Warp Speed, is proof of Trump's sure-footedness in offering Americans a path forward. The White House has assumed an unusual level of control over that process and the way its progress is described, and has cut some federal experts and agencies out of the loop.

The CDC is one of the lead agencies overseeing vaccine distribution, and authored reports to Congress and a 57-page planning document to states released Wednesday.

Redfield is only the latest of a series of health and science advisers who have clashed with the White House over the pandemic response, including Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, Fauci and White House coronavirus response coordinator Deborah Birx.

During the same briefing Wednesday where Trump said Redfield had gotten it wrong, the president turned to his favored in-house adviser on the pandemic, Stanford Hoover Institution neuroradiologist Scott Atlas, to describe the document to reporters.

Trump in recent weeks has favored Atlas, who joined the White House this summer. Atlas, who has no background in infectious diseases or epidemiology, has echoed Trump in pushing for schools and college sports to resume, falsely said children and young people have nearly zero health risks from contracting the virus, and pressed for protecting the elderly and vulnerable while letting the rest of the country reopen.

Trump meets with Atlas almost every day, far more than any other health official in his administration, and often invites Atlas to attend press briefings. Atlas did not wear a mask as he sat in the press briefing room Wednesday and then took questions at Trump's request, although he said he had not been involved in preparing the administration's planning documents for distribution.

YouTube late last week pulled a video featuring Atlas, in a Hoover Institution interview, questioning universal social distancing measures.

Redfield's remarks at the Senate hearing Wednesday - that a safe and effective vaccine could be approved by federal regulators and be made available in limited doses in November and December - were consistent with what other health and science officials, such as Fauci and Francis Collins of the National Institutes of Health, have said for weeks.

But they were considered more specific and angered the president, according to one administration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share sensitive discussions. "He was the first one who said it quite like that," the official said.

The first doses are intended to be distributed to priority groups, including health-care and other essential workers, according to the administration's vaccine distribution planning documents released Wednesday by the CDC.

The CDC has told states and localities to prepare for distributing those first doses as early as November.

Large numbers of doses, however, aren't expected to be widely available until later in 2021, according to Fauci and other health officials.

In his testimony, Redfield echoed that sentiment and said doses would not be "fully available to the American public" until later in 2021. "I think we're probably looking at late second quarter, third quarter 2021."

Complicating the finger-pointing were Redfield's comments about masks as he stressed the importance of safety measures.

Hours later, Redfield sought to clarify his remarks in a pair of tweets, because administration officials were concerned that Redfield's message would undermine efforts to get people vaccinated, the official said.

Redfield's tweets, sent at 6:41 p.m. Wednesday, explained that in the absence of a covid-19 vaccine, it was important to rely on measures such as mask-wearing, hand-washing and being careful about crowds.

Redfield's testimony was encouraging to some at the CDC because he sought to communicate what he knows, based on the latest science and evidence, said another administration official who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the record.

"Those statements about large amounts of vaccine not being available until 2021 - he's being very honest," the official said.

In the past, Redfield has been criticized for failing to defend CDC career scientists against political interference that has tarnished trust in the agency. In the past few months, CDC guidance documents on the safe reopening of churches, schools and testing of asymptomatic individuals have been revised under pressure from the White House. And earlier this week, HHS's top communications official, Michael Caputo, was put on leave and his senior adviser, Paul Alexander, was removed based in part on backlash to their efforts to edit the agency's weekly science reports on the virus.

- - -

The Washington Post's Lenny Bernstein and Yasmeen Abutaleb contributed to this report.
Turkey announced the death of two of its soldiers, killed in an operation against blacklisted PKK group in Northern Iraq.

The two soldiers, according to Turkish defense ministry, were killed in an attack by the terrorists to the Operation Claw-Tiger area in northern Iraq on Thursday. Another soldier was injured, the ministry said in a statement.

Turkey launched in June the operation in view of weeding out PKK and other terror groups, coming from northern Iraq used as a safe haven and for cross-border attacks.

Ankara has been battling for more than 30 years the separatist PKK group also listed as terrorist group by the US and the UE.
(Natural News) When the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) hit China late last year, the country mounted a gargantuan effort to procure face masks and other PPEs. While that effort succeeded in getting China the supplies it needed, it has come at the cost of the rest of the world, which is now facing a shortage of masks.

As the coronavirus was making its first footholds in countries outside China in late January, Chinese civic organizations in dozens of countries on five continents began buying masks and other PPE. This was the beginning of a massive and unprecedented humanitarian mobilization to send PPE to China, orchestrated by the Chinese Communist Partys United Front Work Department.

United Front mobilized overseas Chinese for PPEs for China

The response to the United Fronts call was swift, with Chinese expatriates overseas quickly mobilizing to send PPEs back home. In Nagoya, Japan volunteers were able to acquire 520,000 masks from pharmacies according to Chinas Xinhua news agency. Meanwhile, in Canada, almost 100 people drove to Toronto  some making the trip overnight on icy roads  to help buy boxes of supplies.

One overseas Chinese association in Argentina sent around 25,000 masks within a week of receiving the request. Meanwhile, in countries such as Kenya and Italy, planes were packed with boxes and suitcases filled with PPE bound for China.

The efforts succeeded in plugging a gaping hole in the countrys supply of PPE at the time. On January 22, the eve of the lockdown in Wuhan, Alibaba reported that it only had 46.1 million masks in its inventory  only enough to allow one mask each for every resident of Beijing and Shanghai, never mind the rest of the countrys 1 billion residents. By the end of February, however, the campaign had sent 2.5 billion PPEs worth 8.2 billion yuan ($1.2 billion), including 2 billion masks.

This, however, coincided with other countries beginning to experience shortages of masks and other equipment. In that same month, the World Health Organization was already issuing warnings of an impending PPE shortage.

In the months that followed, China started exporting PPEs to the countries that were now experiencing shortages. The shortage was such that some countries even had to lower their standards for the importation of PPEs just to meet the demand.

PPE effort shows the extent of the United Fronts influence

The quick turnaround from having a shortage to actually exporting PPEs has put a focus on the organizational skill of the United Front. In late January, calls for help went out through United Front-affiliated overseas Chinese organizations or promoted through websites of Chinese consulates around the world.

It demonstrated how the United Front can mobilize thousands of organizations and social media groups. The group is the organizer or close affiliate of thousands of overseas associations focused on Chinese expatriates, who numbered 60 million according to government estimates from 2015. This includes people of Chinese origin born outside the country. (Related: Return to China or commit suicide: FBI Director says Chinas Fox Hunt program a way to silence and imprison Chinese dissidents abroad.)

These groups  which include more than 250 such organizations in the U.S. according to a testimony made before the House Intelligence Committee  typically have words like friendship and benevolent in their names or are chambers of commerce or associations of people from select regions of China.

The United Front has actually caught the attention of the U.S. Congress since it is more than just a humanitarian organization. In June, 148 U.S. lawmakers called for sanctions on top United Front officials, citing the organizations malign influence campaigns as a factor.

Beijings exploitation of diaspora networks to gather personal protective equipment from overseas is a stunning example of how it is integrating economic, political, and security campaigns, with the United Front Work Department as the vanguard, stated Robin Cleveland, chairman of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, the bipartisan congressional organization that had previously published a report on the United Front in 2018.

Under the regime of Chinese President Xi Jinping, who set about revitalizing the organization in 2015, the United Front the grown to an unprecedented scale. Now, its campaign is providing countries around the world a unique opportunity to understand how powerful it is.

Xi has clearly given a strong push to the United Front system to do more and be bolder, said Alex Joske, who wrote a report about the organization for the Australian Strategic Policy Institute in June.

The question remains, however, whether the United Front can muster a similar result in a non-humanitarian context. After all, many overseas Chinese moved so they could get out of the Communist Partys tight hold. Meanwhile, the PPE campaign may have resonated among overseas Chinese because it felt that it was more than political  there was an emergency in the old country. Indeed, other countries also sent aid to China.

That said, its clear that the influence of the United Front is something other countries will have to account for moving forward. According to Canadian member of Parliament Erin OToole, who heads the opposition Conservative Party, every democratic country should be very concerned, because it is the influence of a foreign state in your home country.

Follow Pandemic.news for more on the state of PPE shortages around the world and how China has been exploiting these for its gain.

Sources include:

Bloomberg.com 1

Bloomberg.com 2

CIDRAP.UMN.edu

CBC.ca

ASPI.org.au
Welcome to the News Release Wire Selection Control Panel.

Instant News Wire
EAST ALTON  Join the Illinois RiverWatch Network and the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC) for the Illinois RiverWatch Fall Speaker Series, featuring free Zoom presentations from four different scientists.

The RiverWatch Fall Speaker Series will help make RiverWatch more of a year-round program, said RiverWatch director and stream ecologist Danelle Haake, whos with the program through the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center, located at 1 Confluence Way, East Alton.

We hope the series will give people an opportunity to learn more about water through a series of online events, Haake said. We are focusing on how the choices we make in the watershed can impact streams and the animals who live in them.

The series kicks off with a discussion led by Megan Pagliaro, a doctorate student at the University of California, Berkeley (UCB).

Im going to be talking about freshwater fish in urban systems, Pagliaro said. I look forward to discussing my research and answering any questions on freshwater ecology.

Following is a list of remaining dates, times, speakers and topics along with registration information:

 The Important Role of Streamside Vegetation in a Changing Climate, 7 p.m., Oct. 6

Speaker: Dr. Jason Knouft, professor of Biology at St. Louis University

 3D Printing and the Evolutionary Ecology of North American Riverine Snails, 7 p.m., Oct. 26

Speaker: Dr. Paul Brunkow, associate professor of Biology at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

 How Winter Road Salt Hurts Water Quality and What We Can Do About It, 7 p.m., Nov. 12

Speaker: Dr. Danelle Haake, NGRREC RiverWatch Director and Stream Ecologist

To sign-up for one or more of these free events, registration links can be found at the Illinois RiverWatch Facebook page www.facebook.com/IllinoisRiverWatch or send an email to riverwatch@lc.edu.

Those interested can register until the day of the event. Zoom links will be emailed to registrants prior to each presentation.

For more information about the Illinois RiverWatch program, visit www.ngrrec.org/RiverWatch or contact Haake at 618-468-8724 or dhaake@lc.edu.

RiverWatch is a statewide partnership of organizations and individuals working to protect Illinois streams and waterways. Established in 1995 as a sub-program of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Eco Watch Network, RiverWatch certified volunteers, called citizen scientists, examine indicators, such as stream habitats and macroinvertebrate (stream bug) communities, to provide reliable water-quality data that can be used by scientists to determine how the conditions of streams are changing over time.
Seaborne hard coking coal indices in both fob and cfr markets rose slightly on Friday September 18 following the latest transaction, though most market participants remain in wait-and-see mode.

Fastmarkets indices

Premium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $122.95 per tonne, up $1.22 per tonne

Premium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $134.41 per tonne, down $0.73 per tonne

Hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $107.49 per tonne, up $3.46 per tonne

Hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $113.21 per tonne, up $2.75 per tonne



An 80,000-tonne cargo of hard coking coal, with October laycan, was traded at $107.50 per tonne fob Australia on either Thursday or Friday. A trader from China procured the cargo, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday.



The hard coking coal price rose following the uptrend in the premium hard coking coal price. Its possible that the volumes came from long-term contracts which cant be fulfilled by certain end users from China due to lack of [coking coal] import quotas, a buyer source said.



A trader source in Singapore increased his estimates for both premium low-volatility hard coking coal and premium mid-volatility hard coking coal by $1 per tonne fob Australia compared with previous day. The bids for premium mid-vol hard coking coal with October or November laycan on GlobalCoal platform are above $130 per tonne fob Australia now, which indicates bullish sentiment, he said.



Meanwhile, the source also raised his estimates for hard coking coal and pulverized coal injection because everything is up now in the spot market.



While some market participants from China were uncertain if the demand from Chinese steel mills would continue, most market participants have aligned their expectations to actual transaction prices, admitting seaborne prices had rebounded.



Dalian Commodity Exchange

The most-traded January coking coal futures contract closed at 1,277 yuan ($188.66) per tonne on Friday, up by 17 yuan per tonne.



The most-traded January coke contract closed at 1,988.50 yuan per tonne, up by 40.50 yuan per tonne.
















Digital Element, the global IP geolocation data and services provider, today announced the integration of its GeoMprint location technology with the 51Degrees data pipeline for both existing and new clients.

51Degrees platform is used by adtech companies, brands, publishers, eCommerce, digital agencies and content management systems. The companys mission is to provide insights into online user preferences and device-specific behaviour, enabling companies to target advertising, tailor web content, help prevent fraud and enrich experiences no matter what device the customer is using or where they are in the world. By integrating Digital Element, 51Degrees will broaden its scope and offering to its customers, enabling businesses to improve localised content and ad targeting.

GeoMprint is a reverse geocoding solution from Digital Element which takes latitude and longitude data from mobile device traffic and converts the raw location coordinates into more useful geographical information  such as postcode, country, city and region. Prior to reverse geocoding, opted in location-based services could only provide coordinates in the form of numbers and decimals, but with GeoMprint, these coordinates can enable the provision of more contextually and locally relevant advertising and content for on-the-go mobile interactions.

We were delighted to integrate the Digital Element GeoMprint location solution for the launch of our new real-time data pipeline. Digital professionals can add location data to analytics, address capture and targeting systems. said James Rosewell, CEO and Founder of 51Degrees. Setup takes a matter of minutes using the free trial options. The permissively open source APIs make enhancements and audit super simple.

We are delighted this collaboration will now be readily available to 51Degrees clientele. This long-term partnership of industry-leading solutions through specialist suppliers will bridge the gap to offer a total package for current and prospective clients, said Charlie Johnson, VP, UK and Ireland, Digital Element. 51Degrees has a reputation for providing high-quality device detection and this combined with GeoMprints rich geographic and connection data that has unmatched accuracy, and reliability, will not only compliment 51Degrees solution but also broaden the scope of what they already offer within the marketplace.

GeoMprint can be trialled and purchased from 51Degrees today.

Learn more | Try it now

About Digital Element

Since 1999, Digital Element has been providing global geolocation data and services that bring anytime, anywhere relevance and context to online initiativesfrom desktops to mobile devices. The companys patented technology has been certified and accredited to deliver real-time access to accurate and reliable location intelligence without invading Internet users privacy. For nearly two decades, many of the worlds largest websites, brands, security companies, ad networks, social media platforms and mobile publishers have trusted Digital Elements technology to target advertising, localize content, enhance analytics, and manage content rights as well as detect and prevent fraud.

Visit http://www.digitalelement.com for more information on how to bring the power of location to the online world. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter @DigitalElement then like us on Facebook.

Headquartered in Atlanta and London, Digital Element is a division of Digital Envoy Inc.

About 51Degrees

51Degrees was founded in the UK in 2010 and is the only commercial open source device detection solution available. Leaders in AdTech, Publishing, Content Management Platforms, Digital Agencies and over 1.5 million* websites including global brands like eBay, Sitecore, Opentext, Tencent and HSBC use 51Degrees.

Visit https://51degrees.com/ for more information.

*Numbers accurate at time of publication but may be higher

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200917005553/en/
Grab and MoMo are veterans in their core business fields, but they are the newcomers in the e-commerce market.

The e-commerce field in Vietnam is expected to become busier in the time to come with the presence of Grab, a ride-hailing app, and MoMo, an e-wallet. Grab began earlier, and it is already seeing an increase in sales on its platform.

The 2020 E-commerce White Book published by the E-commerce and Digital Economy Agency shows that 44.8 million Vietnamese shopped online in 2019, an increase of 39.9 million over 2018. The shopping value also increased from $160 in 2015 to $225 in 2019.

The figures show that Vietnam is among the top 3 fastest growing e-commerce markets in Southeast Asia.

The leading general e-commerce platforms in Vietnam, including Shopee, Tiki, Lazada and Sendo, have received huge amounts of capital.

The e-commerce field in Vietnam is expected to become busier in the time to come with the presence of Grab, a ride-hailing app, and MoMo, an e-wallet. Grab began earlier, and it is already seeing an increase in sales on its platform.

The big money poured into these businesses demonstrates the great potential of online shopping in Vietnam.

The book also showed that e-commerce sales in Vietnam in 2019 reached $10.08 billion, which accounted for 4.9 percent of total sales of goods and services in the country.

The figure is relatively low compared with the global figure of 12 percent, according to Hootsuite and We Aare Social.

Only 42 percent of Vietnamese shop online, a proportion which is lower than the 56 percent level of Southeast Asia, according to a Forrester survey.

The great potential of the market prompted many businesses to jump into the e-commerce market over the last 10 years, but many of them left the the market later.

However, analysts believe that Grab and MoMo have advantages when joining the e-commerce market. Both them have built their own ecosystems, and e-commerce will help them become a super app used by people every day.

By launching GrabMart in Vietnam and some Southeast Asian countries. Grab has set foot in the land of e-commerce.

In Vietnam, in addition to fresh food, GrabMart distributes household-use products, food supplements, cosmetics and childrens items. The platform is expanding and seeking more suppliers. Big C, Co-op Food, Cheers, Lotte Mart and small shops are the partners of the platform.

Meanwhile, MoMo has added di cho online (online shopping) feature to its app. The service is provided with the cooperation of Co-op Smile and Cheers as suppliers.

The White Book showed that the number of shoppers on websites decreased sharply from 74 percent in 2018 to 52 percent in 2019, while the number of shoppers through apps rose from 52 percent to 57 percent.

Both MoMo and Grab have advantages in this trend as both of them are apps on smartphones. In the e-commerce playing field, Grabs advantage lies in the high number of deliverymen, while MoMo advantage is in payment services.

By cooperating with Moca, Grab has powerful tools in both delivery and payment, two important factors in e-commerce. Meanwhile, 20 million clients of MoMo use online payments.

Analysts commented that MoMo and Grabs clients are high-quality clients because they are ready to pay when they install the apps.

However, unlike other e-commerce platforms, both Grab and MoMo will follow their own way, considering online shopping as a part of the apps, and not use 100 percent of their strength to develop e-commerce.

When reporting that it had 20 million customers by September, MoMo announced a plan to become a super-app. MoMo displays goods and completes the payments, while transportation is carried out by its partners.

Meanwhile, Grab has a strong delivery team and Moca a payment platform. Grabs drivers are used to both online and cash payments, and COD (cash on delivery). If it can increase the number of goods suppliers, the platform will have advantages to develop an online shopping channel.

Luong Bang

E-commerce gives impetus to woodworking sector In the rapid development of e-commerce, online stores and factories are one of the solutions with which enterprises can cope with the prolonged Covid-19 pandemic while laying a foundation for digitalized business
More than 30 million people around the world have been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus and 943,515 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University. Some 20.4 million people have recovered.

New Zealand reported no new cases of the coronavirus for the first time in five weeks as Australias hotspot of Victoria logged a rise in infections amid an ease in restrictions.

Canada could lose its ability to manage the pandemic due to a spike in new COVID-19 cases, the countrys top medical officer warned, as the province of Ontario clamped down on parties, setting fines for people who hold social gatherings in defiance of new limits.

Here are the latest updates:

Friday, September 18

23: 37 GMT  Hours after US-Canada border closure extension, Trump says it will open pretty soon

US President Donald Trump said border restrictions between Canada and the United States would be lifted pretty soon, just hours after the two countries confirmed they would remain in place until at least October 21.

Were looking at the border with Canada. Canada would like it opened and we want to get back to normal business, Trump told reporters in Washington. Were going to be opening the borders pretty soon.

There was no immediate explanation from the White House for the discrepancy or what Trump meant by pretty soon.





22:41 GMT  Colombia football match postponed after players, coaches test positive

A match planned to kick off Colombias soccer league had to be postponed Friday after seven players and six members of the coaching staff on one of the teams tested positive for COVID-19, the countrys football association said.

Players and coaches from the Tolima football club, which leads the Colombian league with 16 points from eight matches, tested positive.

The team had already arrived in Medellin to compete against rival team Nacional at the Atanasio Girardot stadium on Friday night when the decision was announced.

This is not the best way to start the league, the president of Colombias football association, Fernando Jaramillo, said in a virtual press conference.

22:30 GMT  Brazil reports over 850 new deaths linked to coronavirus

Brazil is reporting 858 new deaths linked to the novel coronavirus, bringing the total to 135,793 since the pandemic began.

The countrys health ministry said on Friday that an additional 39,797 cases were recorded  for a total of over 4.4 million.

Meanwhile, officials in Rio de Janeiro said they intended to return about 100 beds to hospital intensive care units after they were dismantled in an effort to deal with COVID-19 patients. The city said Friday that ICU beds were at 85 percent capacity.

20:59 GMT  Frances economy minister tests positive for COVID-19

French economy minister Bruno Le Maire says he has tested positive for COVID-19 but has no symptoms and is working from home as cases soar again in France.

Le Maire, who is responsible for reviving a French economy battered by the months-long pandemic, is not the first member of President Emmanuel Macrons government to have been diagnosed with the disease.

20:46 GMT  Canada Public Health Agency president resigns as COVID-19 cases spike

The president of the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is stepping down only 18 months into the job, leaving the federal agency tasked with coordinating the countrys COVID-19 response without a seasoned leader.

Tina Namiesniowski said she would be stepping aside immediately to make way for a new president.

A spokesperson for Health Canada said the government expects to have a replacement for Namiesniowski by next week.

In a letter to staff, Namiesniowski, a long-serving bureaucrat, said she needs to take a break and step aside so someone else can step up to lead the agency as caseloads rise and testing times creep up in some parts of the country.

20:33 GMT  NYC tries $50 fines to get rule-breakers to don masks on subway

The agency that runs New York Citys subway and bus systems has implemented a $50 fine this week for the rule-breakers who, even in a region with more than 25,000 coronavirus deaths, refuse to follow rules requiring masks to be worn at all times on public transport.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials have promised to enforce the rule with a light touch [File: Mike Blake/Reuters]

20:10 GMT  Trump expects enough COVID-19 vaccines for every American by April

US President Donald Trump says he expects enough COVID-19 vaccines for every American to be produced by next April, and the first doses will be distributed immediately after approval later this year.

Claiming historic progress with three vaccines in the final stages of development and trials, he said at least 100 million doses would be manufactured by the end of the year.

President Donald Trump announced $13 bn in federal aid to Puerto Rico during a news conference at the White House on Friday in Washington. [Alex Brandon/AP Photo]

19:26 GMT  T cell shortage linked to severe COVID-19 in elderly

A lower supply of a certain type of immune cell in older people that is critical to fighting foreign invaders may help explain their vulnerability to severe COVID-19, scientists say.

When germs enter the body, the initial innate immune response generates inflammation not specifically targeted at the bacteria or virus.

Within days, the more precise adaptive immune response starts generating antibodies against the invader along with T cells that either assist in antibody production or seek out and attack infected cells.

In a small study published on Wednesday in Cell, COVID-19 patients with milder symptoms had better adaptive immune responses, and in particular, stronger T cell responses to the coronavirus.

19:13 GMT  Coronavirus: UK now seeing a second wave coming in

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said it was inevitable the country would see a second wave of coronavirus infections and while he did not want a second national lockdown, the government may need to introduce new restrictions.

The United Kingdom was reported to be considering whether to impose a new lockdown across the country, after new COVID-19 cases almost doubled to 6,000 a day, hospital admissions rose and infection rates soared across parts of northern England and London.

Read more here.

18:53 GMT  CDC drops controversial testing advice that caused backlash

US health officials have dropped a controversial piece of coronavirus guidance and said anyone who has been in close contact with an infected person should get tested.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention essentially returned to its previous testing guidance, getting rid of language posted last month that said people did not need to get tested if they did not feel sick.

That change set off a rash of criticism from health experts who could not fathom why the nations top public health agency would say such a thing amid the pandemic.

Johnson was told it was his mess [and] his failure that created any alleged problems in the Brexit treaty [Parliamentary Recording Unit via AFP]

17:50 GMT  French coronavirus cases jump to new daily record of more than 13,000

France has reported 13,215 new confirmed coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours, a new daily record, after the number of cases on Thursday exceeded 10,000 for the second time in a week.

The health ministry also said the total number of deaths from COVID-19 increased to 31,249 from 31,095 on Thursday, an increase of 154  that is a four-month high.

17:25 GMT  Greece tightens coronavirus curbs in Athens as infections surge

Greek authorities have tightened restrictions to stem the spread of the coronavirus in the greater Athens area, saying the pandemic was showing steadily rising trends.

Earlier, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the government stood ready to impose further COVID-19 restrictions in Athens due to the surge in infections.

Effective from Monday and until October 4, authorities set a limit of nine people in all public gatherings outdoors and suspended indoor and outdoor concerts. They also set a limit of 20 people attending funerals, weddings and baptisms.

17:07 GMT  Guatemalan president tests positive for coronavirus

Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, he said.

The coronavirus test result was positive, he told a local radio station.

The 64-year-old president did not say whether he is experiencing any symptoms related to the virus.

Guatemalas President Alejandro Giammattei plans to address the nation later on Friday [File: Echeverria/Reuters]

16:59 GMT  US will extend border restrictions with Canada, Mexico

The United States and Canada have extended existing border restrictions until October 21 as authorities continue their efforts to fight the coronavirus pandemic, both nations said.

The month-long extension, which does not cover trade or travel by air, follows restrictions first imposed in March and rolled over several times. They were due to expire on September 21.

The United States has similar restrictions on the border with Mexico and these will also be in effect until October 21, said Chad Wolf, acting secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security.

Canadian officials confirmed the extension.

16:50 GMT  Ireland to tighten Dublin COVID-19 restrictions as cases surge

The Irish government has signed off on new, stricter COVID-19 restrictions for the capital, Dublin, including the closing of indoor restaurant dining, after a surge in cases in recent days, state broadcaster RTE reported.

A government spokeswoman declined to comment ahead of an official announcement of new measures due later on Friday.

16:43 GMT  Spanish capital region orders partial lockdown in some COVID-hit areas

The region including the Spanish capital, Madrid, will limit movement between and within areas badly affected by a new surge in coronavirus infections, which would affect more than 850,000 people, regional leader Isabel Diaz Ayuso said.

Ayuso said access to parks and public areas would be restricted, and gatherings will be limited to six people, but people would not be stopped from going to work in the hardest-hit region in Spain, which has the highest number of cases in Western Europe.

16:22 GMT  UK records highest daily number of COVID-19 since early May

The United Kingdom has recorded 4,322 new cases of COVID-19, an increase of nearly a thousand on Thursdays tally and the highest since May 8, according to official statistics.

16:04 GMT  Moderna expects to make 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine candidate by end of 2020

Moderna Inc says it expects to produce 20 million doses of its experimental coronavirus vaccine by the end of the year.

The company continues to expect to make 500 million to one billion doses of the vaccine in 2021, Moderna said in a filing with the US securities regulator.

There are currently no COVID-19 vaccines approved by US regulators, although a handful are in late-stage trials to prove they are safe and effective.

Modernas COVID-19 vaccine is among the furthest in development and the company had enrolled 25,296 participants out of a planned 30,000 in its late-stage study as of Wednesday.

15:34 GMT  COVID-19 state of calamity extended by one year in Philippines

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has extended for one year a state of calamity imposed in the country at the start of a lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus, his spokesman said.

The proclamation extending the emergency measure until September 12, 2021 was signed on Wednesday, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said.

The extension would give government officials ample latitude to continue utilising appropriate funds  in their disaster preparedness and response efforts to contain the spread of Covid-19, the proclamation said.

15:01 GMT  Almost all Jewish pilgrims leave Ukraine frontier

Most of the Jewish pilgrims that camped out on the Ukrainian border with Belarus for several days have left after Kyiv refused them entry, in line with its coronavirus rules.

Only a few pilgrims remained at the Novi Yarylovychi crossing, Ukrainian border guard spokesman Andriy Demchenko told AFP, compared to more than 1,000 on Thursday, while the Belarus border service said fewer than a dozen people were still attempting to cross.

14:25 GMT- Iran on coronavirus red alert due to rise in deaths

A senior Iranian health official has declared a coronavirus red alert covering the entire country as daily deaths and cases increase at an alarming rate, Iranian state TV reported.

Iran, one of the Middle Eastern countries hardest hit by the pandemic, has been divided into white, orange/yellow and red regions based on the number of infections and deaths.

The death toll rose by 144 to 23,952 on Friday, while the total number of identified cases rose by 3,049 to 416,198, health ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on television.

In the northwestern city of Tabriz, for instance, the number of hospitalised patients had jumped from less than 40 a day to 160 [File: Anadolu]

14:01 GMT  Dutch register new 24-hour record in coronavirus cases

There were 1,972 new coronavirus cases registered by Dutch health authorities in the past 24 hours, according to data published by health authorities, marking the fourth consecutive day of all-time highs in the country.

Case data is submitted by local health authorities across the Netherlands and published daily by the National Institute for Health (RIVM).

Prime Minister Mark Ruttes government is expected to announce regional measures such as bans on large gatherings and early closures for bars and restaurants later on Friday in response to the rise in cases.

13:30 GMT  UK COVID-19 R rate rises

The reproduction R rate of COVID-19 infections in the UK has risen to a range of 1.1-1.4 from last weeks figure of 1.0-1.2, the government said.

An R number between 1.1 and 1.4 means that on average every 10 people infected will infect between 11 and 14 other people, it said. It added that the number of new infections was growing by 2 percent to 7 percent every day.



Hello, this is Arwa Ibrahim, taking over our live updates on the coronavirus pandemic from my colleague, Virginia Petriomarchi.



11:31 GMT  Iceland orders pubs to close for fours days

Iceland has ordered the closure of entertainment venues and pubs in the capital area for four days  September 18-21  in order to counteract the spread of COVID-19, the government said in a statement.

10:50 GMT  EU endorses dexamethasone for patients on oxygen therapy

The European health regulator endorsed the use of widely known steroid dexamethasone in the treatment of COVID-19 patients on oxygen or mechanical ventilation.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said based on its review of results of a study by UK researchers, it concluded that dexamethasone  a commonly used drug against a range of inflammatory conditions  can be considered a treatment option in adults and adolescents needing oxygen therapy.

The recommended dose in adults and adolescents, from 12 years of age and weighing at least 40kg, is six milligrams once a day for up to 10 days, the EMA said.

10:30 GMT  Russias R-Pharm secures approval for Coronavir





Russia has approved R-Pharms Coronavir treatment for outpatients with mild to moderate COVID-19 infections and the antiviral drug could be rolled out to pharmacies in the country as soon as next week, said the company.

Coronavirs approval follows the green light for another Russian COVID-19 drug, Avifavir, in May. Both are based on favipiravir, which was developed in Japan and is widely used as the basis for viral treatments.

R-Pharms announcement is another sign Russia is pushing hard to take a global lead in the race against the virus. It is already exporting its COVID-19 tests and has clinched several international deals for supplies of its Sputnik V vaccine.

9:55 GMT  French city tightens restrictions as cases soar

The city of Nice on the French Riviera will ban gatherings of more than 10 people in public spaces and tighten rules on alcohol consumption outdoors as it seeks to curb COVID-19 infections that are soaring in the region, according to local authorities.

France registered a record 10,593 new confirmed coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, the health ministry data showed on Thursday, the countrys highest single-day count since the pandemic began.





09:25 GMT  US CDC testing guidance published against objections: Report

US President Donald Trumps administration posted controversial recommendations on coronavirus testing to the website of the countrys health agency against the objections of its scientists, according to a report by The New York Times citing people familiar with the matter and internal documents.

The guidelines, which said testing was not necessary for people who were exposed to COVID-19 but not displaying symptoms, were criticised when they were issued last month.

To know more, read the full story here.

08:57 GMT  Czech Republics daily cases surpass 3,000





A surge in COVID-19 infections in the Czech Republic accelerated, with more than 3,000 cases reported in a day for the first time, a day after the daily tally first exceeded 2,000.

The country has seen one of the biggest increases in new coronavirus infections in Europe, with daily case numbers quickly growing from the hundreds into the thousands.

The government has reacted by tightening measures, including limiting bars opening hours from Friday, banning stand-up indoor events and widening mask use in schools.

08:35 GMT  Australia to ease border limits, allow more citizens home

Australias weekly limit is currently set at 4,000 people [File: Stephen Coates/Reuters]

Scott Morrison, the prime minister of Australia, has said his government will increase the number of citizens allowed to return home each week to 6,000 people.

Speaking to reporters after a cabinet meeting on Friday, Morrison said states have agreed to boost quarantine capacity and that the cap on the number of people allowed into Australia each week will increase by 2,000 by mid-October.

The countrys weekly limit is currently set at 4,000 people.

Read the full story here.

07:59 GMT  Israel enforces second lockdown

Israel is about to enter a second nationwide lockdown at the onset of the Jewish holiday season, forcing residents to stay mostly at home amid a resurgence in new coronavirus cases.

The new lockdown, which is due to begin at 2pm local time (11:00 GMT) and will last three weeks, coincides with the start of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashana, traditionally a time for large family gatherings and group prayer.

Ultra-orthodox Jews maintain physical distancing inside dividing cells while participating in the Slichot prayer, the last prayer on the eve of Rosh Hashana at the Western Wall in Jerusalems Old City [Emmanuel Dunand/AFP]

Under the new rules, Israelis must stay within 500 metres (546 yards) of home, with exceptions for activities such as commuting to work, shopping for essentials and walking outdoors for exercise. Workplaces will operate on a limited basis.

Social distancing and limits on the number of worshippers will go into effect at synagogues, usually packed for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement that begins at sunset on September 27.

07:45 GMT  Countries latest figures

Russia: 1,091,186 cases (+ 5,905), 19,195 deaths (+134)

Indonesia: 236,519 cases (+ 3,891), 9,336 deaths (+114)

07:27 GMT  Thailand reports first death in 100 days

Thailand reported its first coronavirus death in more than 100 days, a health official said, after an infected Thai citizen had returned from abroad earlier this month.

The 54-year-old man, who was an interpreter based in Saudi Arabia working for the Thai labour ministry, had been treated in a Bangkok hospital for two weeks and died on Friday, Somsak Akksilp, head of the Department of Medical Services, told Reuters.

06:45 GMT  COVID-19 admissions doubling every 8 days in UK





The coronavirus is accelerating across the country with hospital admissions doubling every eight days, said the British health minister, adding that he is unable to answer whether another national lockdown would be imposed next month.

Asked repeatedly by Sky News about the prospect of a second national lockdown next month, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said lockdown was a last resort but that the government would do whatever it takes to tackle the virus.

The number of people in hospital is doubling every eight days or so  we will do what it takes to keep people safe, Hancock said. We keep these things under review.

06:20 GMT  Work from home still highly recommended: French minister

Working from home remains highly recommended, said French employment minister, Elisabeth Borne, as President Emmanuel Macrons government battles to contain a likely second wave of the COVID-19 virus.

It remains a practice that is highly recommended, Borne told local radio.

The comments were made after France registered a record 10,593 new coronavirus cases in the previous 24 hours. The death toll also rose by 50 to 31,095, the second-highest daily number of deaths in two months.

Hi, this is Virginia Pietromarchi taking over the coverage of the coronavirus pandemic from my colleague, Zaheena Rasheed.

05:05 GMT  India logs another daily jump of more than 96,000 infections

Indias coronavirus cases jumped by another 96,424 infections in the past 24 hours, showing little sign of levelling.

The health ministry on Friday raised the nations total past 5.21 million, 0.37 percent of its nearly 1.4 billion people. It said 1,174 more people died in the past 24 hours, for a total of 84,372 fatalities.

India is expected to have the highest national total of confirmed cases within weeks, surpassing the United States, where more than 6.67 million people have been infected.





04:46 GMT  EU travel industry steps up quarantine pushback

Leaders of Europes coronavirus-stricken travel and tourism industries have appealed to the EUs chief executive to press governments to end quarantine requirements and instead embrace coordinated restrictions and testing.

This chaotic situation requires your immediate personal involvement, a broad ad-hoc group of more than 20 industry groups including airline body IATA told European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in a letter seen by Reuters.

The appeal came as data from airports group ACI Europe, one of the signatories to the September 17 letter, pointed to a double-dip air traffic slump, with passenger numbers down 73 percent in the first two weeks of September, after a 65 percent decline in August.

04:16 GMT  Australia looks set to ease border limits and allow more citizens home

The Australian government is expected to announce an increase in the number of citizens able to return home after a National Cabinet meeting later on Friday, where states will be asked to boost quarantine capacity.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is seeking to raise the cap on the number of people allowed into Australia each week by 2,000 from next Friday.

The countrys weekly limit is currently set at 4,000 people but there are an estimated 25,000 stranded Australians wanting to return home which the government has pledged to facilitate before Christmas.





03:50 GMT  First case-free day for New Zealand in five weeks

New Zealand has reported no new confirmed cases of the coronavirus for the first time in more than five weeks as hopes rise that an outbreak discovered in Auckland last month has been stamped out.

Fridays report also marked the fourth consecutive day without any cases of community transmission. All recent cases have been found among quarantined travellers returning from abroad.

Authorities have still not pinpointed the origin of the August outbreak, which they believe was imported. New Zealand has reported a total of just over 1,800 cases and 25 deaths.

03:30 GMT  US House condemns racism against Asian Americans

The United States House of Representatives has voted to condemn racism against Asian Americans tied to the coronavirus outbreak, approving a Democratic resolution on a mostly party-line vote.

Republicans called the legislation an election-year effort to criticise President Donald Trump and woke culture on steroids.

The resolution, approved 243-164, calls on all public officials to condemn anti-Asian sentiment and to investigate hate crimes after a rise in aggression and violence from those blaming people of Asian descent for the pandemic.

The measure does not name Trump but notes inflammatory terms used by him and other Republicans  including Chinese Virus, Wuhan Virus, and Kung flu  and says they have perpetuated an anti-Asian stigma.





2:56 GMT  Serbia sets new rule for arrivals from high-risk areas

Serbia will require all travellers returning from areas it considers high-risk for COVID-19 to fill in an online form ahead of time.

The measure will help authorities quickly trace returnees who develop symptoms of the coronavirus, Serbian media reported. It comes into effect at 6pm local time on Friday.

Returnees will not be required to enter quarantine or produce a negative test at the border.

02:42 GMT  China reports 32 new cases, all imported

Health authorities in mainland China have reported 32 new COVID-19 cases, all imported cases, marking the highest daily increase in more than a month and up sharply from nine cases reported a day earlier.

Although the latest increase still remains well below the peaks seen at the height of the outbreak in China early this year, it is the biggest since August 10 and suggests continued COVID-19 risks stemming from overseas travellers coming into the country as the pandemic rages on in other parts of the world.

Mainland China has not reported any local COVID-19 infections since mid-August.





02:26 GMT  Biden slams Trump over close to criminal COVID-19 response

US Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden attacked President Donald Trump for disregarding the risks of the coronavirus, blaming him for thousands of unnecessary American deaths and vowing to mount a coordinated national response if elected.

He knew it  he knew it and did nothing, Biden told a CNN town hall. Its close to criminal.

01:41 GMT  Australias Victoria state reports 45 new cases

Australias coronavirus hot spot of Victoria has reported its biggest daily rise in coronavirus infections in more than a week as the state began relaxing lockdown restrictions.

Victoria, Australias second-most populous state, reported five deaths from COVID-19 and 45 cases in the last 24 hours. The state reported eight deaths and 28 cases a day earlier, its lowest daily rise in infections in nearly three months.

The southeastern state started easing curbs this week after a hard lockdown helped bring down the daily rise in infections to double-digits after it touched highs of more than 700 in early August.





01:12 GMT  California requires workers compensation for virus infection

Companies in the US state of California must compensate any workers who contract the coronavirus while on the job and must warn employees of any potential exposure to the virus under two laws that Governor Gavin Newsom signed on Thursday.

Business groups have criticised the measures as unworkable.

The law on informing employees requires that businesses tell workers whenever they have been exposed to someone who has either tested positive, been ordered to isolate or died because of the virus.

00:43 GMT  Ontario clamps down on parties

Ontario, Canadas largest province, will fine people who hold social gatherings in defiance of new limits amid a rise in cases in the cities of Toronto and Ottawa, as well as a region just outside Toronto.

Starting on Friday in those three areas, only 10 people will be allowed to gather indoors  down from the current limit of 25. The number for outdoor gatherings will drop to 25 from 100.

The penalty for organisers of events that violate the limits will be 10,000 Canadian dollars ($7,600). People attending the gatherings will be fined 750 Canadian dollars.





00:33 GMT  Global coronavirus cases surpass 30 million

Global confirmed coronavirus cases surpassed have 30 million, according to a tally by the Johns Hopkins University, as the number of deaths from COVID-19 neared one million.

The US remains the worst-hit country in the world, logging more than 6.7 million cases. India and Brazil had 5.1 million and 4.4 million cases, respectively.

Some 20.4 million people have recovered from the disease worldwide.

00:03 GMT  Rise in virus cases among refugees on Lesbos

Greece has reported 135 cases of coronavirus infections among migrants and refugees made homeless by a fire at a large refugee on the island of Lesbos.

Notis Mitarachi, the migration affairs minister, said the infections were discovered after some 5,000 migrants were escorted by police to a temporary new site and given rapid tests for the coronavirus.





Hello and welcome to Al Jazeeras continuing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. Im Zaheena Rasheed in Male, Maldives.

For all the key developments from yesterday, September 17, go here.
London: Amal Clooney has quit as a special United Kingdom envoy for media freedom over the British government's threat to renege on the Brexit deal signed with the European Union.

Clooney wrote to Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Friday saying she was "dismayed" by the government's own admission that a bill it, currently before the Commons, to override the agreement would be breaking international law.

Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney said she was "dismayed" by the government's actions. Credit:AP

"It is lamentable for the UK to be speaking of its intention to violate an international treaty signed by the Prime Minister less than a year ago," Clooney said.

The human rights lawyer with London's Doughty Street Chambers  which represents Julian Assange  said she had waited to discuss the matter with Raab directly before quitting, but had to resign having received "no assurance that any change of position is imminent".
Schematic evolution of the spin polarization of composite fermions as a function of the density. At large densities, the composite fermions are fully spin polarized (all spinning in one direction). As the density is lowered below n = 4.2  10^10 cm^-2, the full spin polarization is lost (i.e. some composite fermions are spinning clockwise, and the rest are spinning counterclockwise). At even lower densities n = 3.51 10^10 cm^-2, however, the composite fermions suddenly become fully spin polarized (all spinning in one direction), signaling a Bloch-like transition. Credit: Md Shafayat Hossain et al.

Composite fermions are exotic quasi-particles found in interacting 2-D fermion systems at relatively large perpendicular magnetic fields. These quasi-particles, which are composed of an electron and two magnetic flux quanta, have often been used to describe a physical phenomenon known as the fractional quantum Hall effect.

Researchers at Princeton University and Pennsylvania State University recently used composite fermions to test a theory introduced by physicist Felix Bloch almost a century ago, suggesting that at very low densities, a paramagnetic Fermi "sea" of electrons should spontaneously transition to a fully magnetized state, which is now referred to as Bloch ferromagnetism. Their paper, published in Nature Physics, provides evidence of an abrupt transition to full magnetization that is closely aligned with the state theorized by Bloch.

"Composite fermions are truly remarkable," Mansour Shayegan, professor of Electrical Engineering at Princeton University and one of the researchers who carried out the study, told Phys.org. "They are born of interaction and magnetic flux, and yet they map such a complex system to a simple collection of quasi-particles that to a large degree behave as non-interacting and also behave as if they don't feel the large magnetic field. One of their most interesting properties is their spin polarization."

When strong magnetic fields are applied to them and the Zeeman energy is predominant, composite fermions are known to become fully spin polarized (i.e., fully magnetized). At lower magnetic fields, on the other hand, they are typically only partly magnetized, as the Coulomb energy plays a considerably larger role.

Fascinated by this unique characteristic of composite fermions, Shayegan and his colleagues set out to probe and investigate it further. To do this, they used a technique for directly measuring spin polarization that relies on the ballistic (collision-free) transport of composite fermions over relatively long distances, of the order of 0.2 micron.

"We saw that as we lowered the density of composite fermions (and hence the magnetic field at which they are formed), they indeed lost their full spin polarization, as expected," Shayegan said. "But then came a completely unexpected surprise: As we lowered the density even more, all of a sudden, the composite fermions became fully spin polarized again. We had a hunch that this may be a result of the weak 'residual' interaction between the composite fermions, but we were unable to prove it."

If the phenomenon observed by Shayegan and his team does, in fact, result from the weak residual interactions between different composite fermions, this phenomenon would be highly reminiscent of Bloch ferromagnetism, the state predicted by Bloch in 1929. Remarkably, this effect has so far proved to be very difficult to demonstrate experimentally.

"A key to the success of our experiments was the availability of modulation-doped, gallium-arsenide/aluminum-gallium-arsenide semiconductor structures of extremely high quality," Shayegan said. "These were grown, using molecular beam epitaxy by our Princeton colleague Loren Pfeiffer and his group."

To gain greater insight on whether the phenomenon they observed was actually comparable to Bloch ferromagnetism, Shayegan and his team reached out to Jainendra Jain, a theoretical physicist at Pennsylvania State University. Jain and his students, Tongzhou Zhao and Songyang Pu, carried out a series of calculations aimed at ascertaining the validity of the researchers' hypothesis.

Magnetization of fully-spin-polarized composite fermions at low densities. Credit: Md Shafayat Hossain et al.

"When my Princeton colleagues first told me about their experimental result, it came as a total surprise," Jain said. "The model of free composite fermions works so well for their Fermi sea at the half-filled Landau level, that I did not expect Bloch type physics here; such behavior was certainly not predicted by any existing theory. This is a very complex problem to tackle theoretically, because it relates to very tiny changes in energy as a function of the density."

To gain a theoretical understanding of the phenomenon observed by Shayegan and his team, Jain and his students used a tool known as 'the fixed-phase diffusion Monte Carlo' method. When they applied this theoretical construct to the problem at hand, they found that the ferromagnetic state was predominant below a critical density.

Moreover, Jain and his students found that the critical density value derived from their calculations was close to the value observed by their colleagues at Princeton. Their results thus support the hypothesis that the observed state resembles Bloch ferromagnetism.

"The underlying physics was revealed to be similar to that for electrons at zero magnetic field," Jain explained. "The interaction energy of composite fermions prefers the ferromagnetic state whereas their kinetic energy the paramagnetic state. As the density is lowered, at some point the interaction energy wins, causing a transition into a fully ferromagnetic phase."

Simple systems with interacting electrons are very common and interacting fermions are found in all metals, so these systems have often been the focus of physics studies. Although they have been widely investigated, Bloch ferromagnetism in these systems has not yet been clearly observed.

This team of researchers was among the first to observe an effect that resembles Bloch ferromagnetism. Moreover, they observed this effect in an unusual set of quasi-particles (i.e., a Fermi sea of composite fermions), which was surprising and unexpected.

"The theory of composite fermions is well-established," Md Shafayat Hossain, the lead author of the study, told Phys.org. "Most phenomenology in theory and experiments involving the composite fermions can be understood without any interaction between the composite fermions. Therefore, this is perhaps the last platform where one expects to find signatures of strong interactions. Surprisingly, however, our experiments reveal that the composite fermions undergo Bloch ferromagnetism, which is a prototypical manifestation of strong inter-fermion interaction."

The recent work by Shayegan, Jain, Hossain and their colleagues yielded a number of interesting results, which have important implications both for the study of Bloch ferromagnetism and composite fermions. On one hand, it demonstrates the existence of an interaction-induced transition to ferromagnetism that is aligned with the phenomenon predicted by Bloch in 1929.

On the other hand, the recent paper enhances the current understanding of composite fermions, as it shows that at very low densities these quasi-particles can have strong interactions with each other. In their next studies, the researchers plan to continue searching for Bloch ferromagnetism in fermions, specifically in conditions characterized by zero magnetic field.

"When an electron system is made sufficiently dilute so that the Coulomb energy dominates over the kinetic (Fermi) energy, the electrons should align their spins and become fully magnetized," Shayegan said. "This is the original problem that Bloch, and later on Edmund Stoner (in 1947), and others discussed; a classic, textbook problem that has eluded experiments. The experimental challenge is to make the electron system very dilute, and yet keep the disorder potential (that competes with the Coulomb interaction and wants to tarp electrons at random sites) to a minimum level. We think with new, modulation-doped electron systems, there is a chance to finally nail down the Bloch transition for zero-field electrons."

Explore further Potential new applications stem from controlling particles' spin configurations

More information: Bloch ferromagnetism of composite fermions. Nature Physics (2020). Journal information: Nature Physics Bloch ferromagnetism of composite fermions.(2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41567-020-1000-z

 2020 Science X Network
A proposal to celebrate Armed Forces Day in Belfast has failed after a knife-edge vote during a city council committee meeting.

At this weeks Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, DUP Councillor Dale Pankhurst presented a motion that the council forward a Belfast bid to host National Armed Forces Day in June 2022.

The matter went to a vote on commissioning a report on the practicalities and costs of holding the celebration in Belfast.

Ten councillors, six from the DUP and four from the Alliance Party, voted for the report, while ten councillors, seven from Sinn Fein, two from the SDLP, and one from the Green Party, voted against.

The draw then required a casting vote from the Chair of the Committee, Sinn Fein Councillor Christina Black, who voted against the motion.

Armed Forces Day, formerly Veterans Day, is an annual event in the United Kingdom held in late June to commemorate the service of personnel in the British Armed forces past and present. It was first held in 2006, and was held remotely this year.

Councillor Pankhurst said: Such an event would be beneficial for our local economy. In a post-pandemic era, this event would bring much needed income to our citys commerce, particularly engaging with the hospitality and tourism industry, both of which have been hardest hit by the lockdown measures.

He quoted figures from profits made by cities and surrounding regions from the event in Great Britain.

Sinn Fein Councillor Seanna Walsh responded: I dont think there will be anyone in any way surprised that our party will not be supporting this motion, and in fact we have a very different view of the occasion itself.

And we also have a very different experience of the British army in this city, particularly in the years of the recent conflict. Our community suffered a hell of a lot at the hands of the British army.

It has to be accepted that there is a contested history and a contested politics in regards to our experience and our relationship with Britain, dating right back to the foundation of the northern state.

It took years and blood and sweat and many long hours to bring about a peace process here, and some of us worked very hard on that, not least some by those who would be our political opponents in the council.

There are two polar opposites as to how people in Belfast regard the British army, and a whole load of opinions in between. It doesnt make any sense to me why anyone at this stage would want to poke our community in the eye.

He added: its a lot easier to start a fire, than to put one out.

DUP Alderman Brian Kingston said: We think this is positive for the city and Northern Ireland if we could host this event. We would encourage Councillor Walsh to challenge his own thinking.

We understand we have a different view on constitutional politics and on events in the past. But this is about the current. This is about young people involving themselves in cadet organisations, about young people choosing to take up a career in the armed services, as well as people who serve in the reserve forces. Northern Ireland has the highest per capita rate of service in the reserve forces in the UK. That is something we can be proud of.

Alliance Councillor Michael Long stated a similar event held in Belfast had no major issues when his wife, the Justice Minister and Alliance party leader Naomi Long, was Lord Mayor of the city from 2009 to 2010.

He said: We have supported events that will support British identity, Irish identity and indeed Northern Irish identity in the past, and we will be content to support this particular issue as well.

Green Councillor Aine Groogan said: I come from a party whose core value is peace, and non-violence, and as such I reject militarism in all its forms.

She added: I believe it is hyper masculine and quite toxic. That goes for official armies and a lot of commemorations for other things here. She said there was a problem with young working class men fighting wars that were not theirs.

SDLP Councillor Brian Heading said: If this had been an event to support peace, or the work of the United Nations I would be inclined to support it, but this is about militarism, this is about encouraging young people into thinking about how good it is to dress up in a uniform and go out and fight.

And the reality is it is not great to dress up in a uniform and go out and fight. You can come back seriously injured from a war, or you may not even come back at all.
All Air India Express flights to and from Dubai will resume its operation from Saturday. Taking to micro-blogging site Twitter, Air India Express said that all its flights "from/to Dubai will operate as per original schedule". Air India Express is a subsidiary of Air India.

Earlier, Air India Express had said its flights were suspended for 24 hours on Friday by the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) for bringing two passengers with COVID-positive certificates on August 28 and September 4.

"Attention Passengers from/to Dubai! All Air India Express flights from/to Dubai will operate as per original schedule w.e.f tomorrow, September 19, 2020," it tweeted on September 18.

Attention Passengers from/to Dubai! All Air India Express flights from/to Dubai will operate as per original schedule w.e.f tomorrow, September 19,2020.@HardeepSPuri @MoCA_GoI @cgidubai pic.twitter.com/mFrvJHzv1w  Air India Express (@FlyWithIX) September 18, 2020

As per the UAE government rules, each passenger travelling from India is required to bring an original COVID-negative certificate from the RT-PCR test done 96 hours prior to the journey. Earlier during the day, Air India Express said it had received a "notice of suspension" from the DCAA on September 17 to suspend its Dubai flights from September 18 to October 2 for carrying two passengers, who had COVID-positive certificates with them, on different flights, reported news agency PTI.

"A passenger, who had a COVID-positive certificate dated September 2, travelled on Air India Express' Jaipur-Dubai flight on September 4. A similar incident had happened with a passenger on one of the airline's other Dubai flights previously," a government official told PTI. In August, Air India passenger flights were barred from landing in Hong Kong between August 18 and August 31 after 14 passengers on its Delhi-Hong Kong flight of August 14 tested positive for COVID-19 post arrival.

Live TV

Scheduled international flights have been suspended in India since March 23 due to the coronavirus-triggered lockdown. However, special international passenger flights have been operating in India under the Vande Bharat Mission since May and under bilateral air bubble arrangements formed between India and other countries since July.

The United Arab Emirates is one of the 10 countries with which India has established a bilateral air bubble pact. In such a pact, airlines of both the countries can operate international passenger flights with certain restrictions.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Political heat may be rising over three farm sector bills amid strident protests by the Opposition and revolt by the BJP's oldest ally Shiromani Akali Dal, but the ruling party is confident that numbers are stacked in its favour in Rajya Sabha where these draft laws are expected to be tabled soon.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's forceful defence of the three bills and blistering criticism of the Opposition for protesting against them on Thursday made it clear that he remains unfazed and that his government will press on to get Parliament's nod for these measures aimed at opening private avenues for farmers to sell their produce.

His assertion came amid Congress and several other parties besides the SAD coming out strongly against these bills, calling them "anti-farmers".

Farmers in states like Punjab and Haryana have been protesting against these proposed laws which, their leaders allege, will end up dismantling the existing government-backed support system they have.

While the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance is yet to have a clear majority of its own in the 245-member Rajya Sabha, many regional parties have backed it for the last several sessions to ensure passage of various legislations proposed by the government.

BJP leaders expressed confidence that they will get the support of over 130 members, including nine of the AIADMK, and seven of the TRS and six of the YSR Congress -- all three of whom are not part of the ruling alliance, if a division of votes is sought on these bills.

The BJP has the highest tally with 86 seats, followed by 40 of the Congress.

The three members of the SAD are sure to vote against the bills, but Shiv Sena, a former BJP ally and now in opposition, has expressed it support for these bills.

The Maharashtra party has three members in Rajya Sabha.

Several other regional parties, including three-member Aam Aadmi Party, Samajwadi Party with eight seats, and BSP with four, have joined the opposition's ranks in protest against these bills but it may not prove enough to hinder their passage.

A number count of parties that have come out against these draft legislations suggests that there are as of now nearly 100 MPs opposing them.

There is no clarity about the stand of some small parties which have around a dozen members put together.

Since the Modi government assumed office for its second time in 2019, its rivals have not been able to scuttle any of its major bills due to a rise in the ranks of treasury benches and a corresponding fall in the opposition ranks.

The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill were passed by Lok Sabha on Thursday, while the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill was passed on Tuesday.

These bills seek to replace ordinances already promulgated by the government.

Speaking at a virtual launch of several rail projects in Bihar, Modi chose to speak at length on these bills, which have sparked protests by farmers in states like Punjab and Haryana, and sought to assuage concerns of the farming community by assuring them the government procurement of their produce will continue and so will the minimum support price (MSP).

He asserted that these reforms have brought "freedom" to farmers and given them a "protection shield", as he accused the opposition of standing with middlemen and "misleading" peasants by "lying" to them.

With opposition parties dubbing the three bills as "anti-farmers" and the SAD quitting his government to protest them, Modi refuted their criticism, describing these proposed laws as "historic" and stating that they will unshackle farmers by allowing them to sell their produce anywhere at a better price.

A day after resigning from Union Cabinet, senior SAD leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal said she feels "saddened" that her voice in support of farmers was not heard and demanded that the government should pause on these legislations by referring them to a parliamentary panel for wider consultations.

The government has presented these bills as pro-farmers, saying these will ensure that farmers get better prices for their produce and do not get subjected to regulations of 'mandis'.

Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar had said on Thursday in Lok Sabha that farmers will be free to sell their produce to anyone and these bills will increase competition and promote private investment, which will help in the development of farm infrastructure and generate employment.

However, opposition parties have slammed the bills as "anti-farmers", claiming that the agriculture sector will be left to the fate of corporate interests.

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal also appealed to all non-BJP parties to unite in Rajya Sabha and oppose the three bills that he claimed would leave farmers in the hands of big companies for exploitation.
TROY  The first witness for state prosecutors in the criminal trial of former Rensselaer County District Attorney Joel Abelove testified about the multitude of evidence that he said Abelove did not present to a 2016 county grand jury investigating the fatal shooting of a DWI suspect by a Troy police sergeant.

Antoine Karam, deputy chief investigator for the state attorney generals office, recounted how he had obtained the sealed grand jury records from Abelove and reviewed its contents, finding no indication that the panel had been provided evidence from any firearms analysis, toxicology or autopsy reports, or a reconstruction of the shooting scene.

Karam's testimony served as the foundation of the attorney general's case accusing Abelove of official misconduct and later lying to the grand jury that investigated his handling of the case. Abelove had hurriedly presented the case to the grand jury five days after the fatal shooting of Edson Thevenin by then-Sgt. Randall French.

Although grand jury proceedings are secret, the extraordinary criminal trial enabled the attorney general's office to share with jurors the full testimony of what that panel had been provided by Abelove before they cleared French of any wrongdoing in the shooting.

Abelove, who lost re-election and is now running a private law practice, faces two misdemeanor counts of official conduct and a felony perjury count for allegedly lying to the grand jury investigating his handling of the fatal shooting. The perjury count relates to Abelove's testimony about how his office's handling of another police shooting, in which he claimed a Troy police officer had been granted immunity from prosecution before testifying before a grand jury.

That statement was false. In the Thevenin shooting, Abelove had granted French immunity from prosecution before he testified, which means the panel could not have indicted the officer even if it believed he had acted improperly or lied about what happened.

As the judge listened Friday, assistant Attorney General Nick Viorst, acting chief of the attorney generals special investigations unit, read Abeloves questions and statements from the grand jury proceeding in the Thevenin shooting. Another assistant attorney general, Jennifer Sommers, read the testimony of the witnesses who had appeared before the grand jury in the fatal shooting.

The only physical evidence the grand jury saw were eight photographs of the shooting scene and a short video recorded by a passing tow truck driver. The rest of the case Abelove presented to the panel was testimony from French, the county medical examiner and six other city police officers.

Abelove told the grand jury he was going to call the tow truck operator, Phil Gross, but did not. Trevor Hannigan, Grosss attorney, testified he was prepared to accompany Gross to the grand jury, but Abelove didnt respond when Hannigan said his client was ready to appear.

Because Abelove did not have French waive immunity before testifying, it meant the panel could not have indicted the officer, raising questions about the legality of the proceeding. The grand jury voted unanimously to not indict French for second-degree murder  and 15-1 against indicting him for second-degree manslaughter.

The official misconduct counts allege Abelove acted improperly as a prosecutor by not presenting evidence to the grand jury and for not having French waive his immunity from prosecution.

During the reading of Dr. Michael Sikiricas testimony of the autopsy he performed on Thevenin and his fatal wounds, Gertha Depas, the mother of Thevenin, became emotional and left the courtroom. She returned later in the day to hear more testimony.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Sommers reading of Frenchs grand jury testimony indicated he claimed that he was pinned between his patrol car and Thevenin's revving Honda Civic when he opened fire.

I drew my gun. I thought I was going to die. I shot, French testified, later adding he fired again after thinking: This is how I die; on the Collar City Bridge.

French died in April from symptoms of COVID-19.

A 69-page internal affairs report on the shooting, which was concealed from the public and from attorneys for Thevenin's survivors, who have filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Troy, had recommended four disciplinary charges against French, including unjustifiable use of deadly force and providing false testimony.

The investigation was handled by former Troy police Capt. Joseph L. Centanni, whose internal report described Frenchs account of the shooting as "inconceivable," and said the sergeant's "empirically untruthful statements ... cause disquiet because they're all interconnected as they relate to his justification surrounding the first two shots which occur prior to him becoming immobilized between the vehicles."

Centanni was in charge of internal affairs for the department before taking command of the Detective Bureau. Centanni retired from the department earlier this year.

Columbia County Judge Jonathan D. Nichols is presiding in Abeloves bench trial. Abelove, through his attorney William J. Dreyer, waived his right to a jury trial and opted for Nichols to decide the case. Nichols had previously thrown out the criminal charges against Abelove, but they were reinstated by an appellate court's ruling.
With summer fast approaching in the southern hemisphere, a sunscreen creator has busted the biggest 'myths' around the protective cream.

Former professional surfer Jake Paterson, 47, is the managing director of We Are Feel Good Inc, a sunblock brand that is free of parabens and preservatives.

Jake, from Dunsborough in Western Australia, partnered with skin cancer physician Dr Scott McGregor to ensure each of the products had a positive impact of the skin, were non-greasy, SPF 50+ and water-resistant for four hours.

Despite the average Australian broadly knowing how important sunscreen is, we still have one of the highest rates of melanoma in the world, just behind New Zealand.

So the Australian-made brand is working hard to dispel some of the 'myths' around using the life-saving cream.

A sunscreen creator has busted the common 'myths' around the protective cream

'The concern for us as a sunscreen company is that these myths stop people from properly protecting their skin,' Jake told FEMAIL.

'Some of them include sunscreen causes health problems, sunscreen causes a vitamin D deficiency and a tan is healthy. The bottom line is Australian sunscreen is safe and if you don't use sunscreen you will prematurely age and increase your risk of serious skin cancer.'

MYTH 1: YOU DON'T NEED SUNSCREEN IN WINTER

You need sunscreen whenever the UV rating is over three, and the UV rating is over three in most parts of Australia all year long.

If you're based in or north of Margaret River, Adelaide or Sydney the chances of the UV rating reaching three on most days in winter is high. Once it hits 3, it takes less than 10 minutes for sun damage to occur, the We Are Feel Good blog reported.

Even cloud cover only blocks out 20 per cent of UV rays.

The free to download SunSmart app will tell you what the UV rating is on any given day, wherever you are.

You need sunscreen whenever the UV rating is over three, and the UV rating is over three in most parts of Australia all year long

Former pro surfer Jake Paterson (middle), 47, is the managing director of We Are Feel Good Inc, an Australian-made sunblock brand that is free of parabens and preservatives

MYTH 2: I WILL GET A VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY IF I WEAR SUNSCREEN

The sun is one of the best sources of vitamin D for humans but you only need 10 to 15 minutes a day to convert enough for a healthy dosage.

'Sunlight can penetrate clothing and sunscreen too so you will be surprised by just how much you are inadvertently gaining,' the blog read.

'No sunscreen can completely block out 100 per cent of UV light so you are absorbing UV light and converting it to vitamin D even if you expertly reapply every two hours.'

Ensure your sunscreen is applied 20 minutes before you go outside. This is the amount of time it takes to sink into your skin and do its optimal job.

'Sunlight can penetrate clothing and sunscreen too so you will be surprised by just how much you are inadvertently gaining,' the blog read

MYTH 3: SUNSCREEN MAKES ACNE WORSE

In a YouTube video Dr Scott McGregor said he gets asked this question 'a lot' by acne-sufferers who are concerned by the 'greasy' nature of sunscreen.

'Sunscreens containing zinc can be a little bit thick and it might be thought that it blocks pores. But there is actually no evidence that it can cause pimples or make them worse,' he said.

He recommends shopping around and finding a 'thinner' textured lotion that sits more easily on the skin, to give you peace of mind, but says the worst thing you can do is skip the step altogether.

In a YouTube video Dr Scott McGregor said he gets asked this question 'a lot' by acne-sufferers who are concerned by the 'greasy' nature of sunscreen

MYTH 4: TANNED SKIN PROTECTS YOU FROM THE SUN

While it's true that there is more protective melanin in darker skin types, which is thought to diffuse UVB rays, they are still at risk of skin cancer, pigmentation and collagen depletion.

This is because melanin alone doesn't counteract the affect of UVA rays, which penetrate much deeper into your skin and cause permanent damage to your DNA.

'Everyone should be using a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF rating of 50+,' the blog read.

MYTH 5: I DON'T NEED MUCH SUNSCREEN

The average-sized body will require 35ml of sunscreen for every application.

'This means 5ml for the face [and] 5ml for each limb, front and back. Obviously this is a lot, so use protective clothing and a hat as much as you can,' Jake said.

If you apply less than that you won't be receiving the full SPF50+ protection, and the same goes for SPF 30+ and 15+.
- By James Li





According to the All-in-One Screener, four stocks trading below the Peter Lynch earnings line with a high Joel Greenblatt (Trades, Portfolio) earnings yield are Caledonia Mining Corp. PLC (CMCL), Industrias Bachoco SAB de CV (NYSE:IBA), Miller Industries Inc. (NYSE:MLR) and NetApp Inc. (NASDAQ:NTAP).





All-in-One Screener gets new "efficiency rank" feature

According to the new feature announcement, GuruFocus investigated the correlations between a stock filter and trailing 12-month stock returns and identified the filters with the strongest positive correlation. Figure 1 gives a snap shot of the Screener's "Valuation Ratio" tab.

4 Peter Lynch Companies With High Greenblatt Earnings Yields

Figure 1

As Figure 1 illustrates, the green thumbs up indicates the Screener filter has an efficiency rank of at least 5, indicating a strong correlation between the filter and the stock's return over the past 12 months. Examples include the price-earnings ratio and the Greenblatt earnings yield ratio, with efficiency ranks of 6 and 10.

Legendary value investor Peter Lynch, who managed the Fidelity Magellan Fund during the 1980s, developed a simple rule to measure a stock's valuation. The investor set his earnings line at 15 times earnings, i.e., a stock is undervalued if the price-earnings ratio is less than 15.

Greenblatt, manager of Gotham Asset Management, defined earnings yield different from the inverse of the price-earnings ratio. Instead, the developer of the "Magic Formula" defined earnings yield as the ratio of Ebit to enterprise value. Greenblatt sought stocks with high earnings yield and return on capital using his own definitions for each.

Historical data screen feature highlight

This month, GuruFocus Premium Plus members received a new Screener tool that allows them to screen using multiple years of data at one time. For example, one can identify stocks that had cash-to-debt ratios of at least 1 each year over the past five years. Figure 2 illustrates a sample historical data screen for cash-to-debt, which measures a company's ability to pay off debt with cash on hand. A cash-to-debt ratio of at least 1 means the company can pay off debt with cash on hand; otherwise, the company may have a debt burden especially if its interest coverage ratio is less than Benjamin Graham's safe threshold of five.

Story continues

4 Peter Lynch Companies With High Greenblatt Earnings Yields

Figure 2

Caledonia

Caledonia's Greenblatt earnings yield of 18.68% outperforms 96.52% of global competitors.

4 Peter Lynch Companies With High Greenblatt Earnings Yields

Caledonia explores, develops and mines gold primarily in the Blanket Gold Mine region of southwest Zimbabwe. GuruFocus ranks the company's financial strength 9 out of 10 on several positive investing signs, which include a high Piotroski F-score of 7 and a strong Altman Z-score of 9.33.

4 Peter Lynch Companies With High Greenblatt Earnings Yields

Additionally, Caledonia's debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01 outperforms approximately 82% of global competitors even though cash-to-debt and interest coverage ratios underperform more than half of global gold miners.

4 Peter Lynch Companies With High Greenblatt Earnings Yields

Industrias Bachoco

Industrias Bachoco's Greenblatt earnings yield of 19.97% outperforms 92.04% of global competitors.

4 Peter Lynch Companies With High Greenblatt Earnings Yields

Industrias Bachoco produces, processes, markets and sells chicken and eggs in both the U.S. and Mexico. GuruFocus ranks the Mexican packaged food company's financial strength and profitability 8 out of 10 on several positive investing signs, which include a three-star business predictability rank, a high Piotroski F-score of 7, a strong Altman Z-score of 4 and a return on assets that outperforms over 73.6% of global competitors.

4 Peter Lynch Companies With High Greenblatt Earnings Yields

Miller Industries

Miller Industries' Greenblatt earnings yield of 12.74% outperforms 87.93% of global competitors.

4 Peter Lynch Companies With High Greenblatt Earnings Yields

The Ooltewah, Tennessee-based company manufactures a wide range of vehicle towing and recovery equipment, including wreckers, car carriers and trailer bodies. GuruFocus ranks the company's financial strength and profitability 8 out of 10 on several positive investing signs, which include a 3.5-star business predictability rank, expanding operating margins, a strong Altman Z-score of 5.5 and a cash-to-debt ratio that outperforms 84.53% of global competitors.

4 Peter Lynch Companies With High Greenblatt Earnings Yields

Gurus with holdings in Miller Industries include Chuck Royce (Trades, Portfolio)'s Royce & Associates, Jim Simons (Trades, Portfolio)' Renaissance Technologies, Jeremy Grantham (Trades, Portfolio)'s GMO and Robert Olstein (Trades, Portfolio)'s Olstein Capital Management.

4 Peter Lynch Companies With High Greenblatt Earnings Yields

NetApp

NetApp's Greenblatt earnings yield of 11.48% outperforms 83.4% of global competitors.

4 Peter Lynch Companies With High Greenblatt Earnings Yields

The Sunnyvale, California-based company provides enterprise data management and storage solutions. GuruFocus ranks the company's profitability 8 out of 10 on several positive investing signs, which include a 3.5-star business predictability rank, a high Piotroski F-score of 7 and an operating margin that has increased approximately 15.50% per year on average over the past five years and is outperforming over 90% of global competitors.

4 Peter Lynch Companies With High Greenblatt Earnings Yields

Disclosure: The author is long Miller Industries. A cash-to-debt ratio of 10,000 means that the company had zero long-term debt for the period.

Read more here:

4 Good Companies Trading at Fair GuruFocus Value

3 Reasonably Valued Stocks Warren Buffett and Bill Nygren Agree On

New GuruFocus Screener Feature: Historical Data Screener







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This article first appeared on GuruFocus.


A Tory MP has been ordered to apologise for breaking parliamentary rules by asking a question in the Commons that sought to benefit a company that had given him 10,000.

David Morris asked the question and sent a follow-up email to the Business Secretary relating to energy firm Aquind  owned by a Russian-born oil and gas tycoon.

It came shortly after the company had donated the five-figure sum to Mr Morris.

MPs are prohibited from lobbying for financial or material benefit for a person or organisation from whom they have received a donation in the previous six months.

Mr Morris had accepted the 10,000 from the firm in September last year.

Tory MP David Morris (pictured) accepted 10,000 from energy firm Aquind  owned by a Russian-born oil and gas tycoon, in September last year. Shortly after, he asked a question in the Commons that sought to benefit the company

But then in the Commons in October he asked for energy watchdog Ofgem to make regulations to protect companies such as Aquind through a regulatory regime.

An inquiry ruled the MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale had inadvertently breached the code of conduct.

The report by the parliamentary commissioner for standards, Kathryn Stone, concluded that Mr Morriss question sought to confer a financial or material benefit on the company.

The standards committee recommended that Mr Morris apologise to the Commons by means of a personal statement.

Viktor Fedotov, a former executive at the Russian oil and gas giant Lukoil, has owned Aquind since February last year.

The firms donation to a Tory MP is entirely legal and Mr Fedotov is not accused of any wrongdoing.

Ms Stone said: I consider Mr Morriss conduct during my inquiry to be regrettable and disrespectful of the Houses system of standards.

Mr Morris has now acknowledged and apologised for his breach of the rules and for his conduct during my inquiry.

'I have also accepted that his breach of the rules was inadvertent.

Ms Stone concluded that Mr Morriss question sought to confer a financial or material benefit on the company.

Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner (pictured) said: 'This is an open and shut case of cash for questions. The Tory Party should immediately cease taking any donations from Aquind, as Labour has already called for. Our democracy shouldnt be up for sale to Tory donors.

The next day, Mr Morris emailed the business secretary with additional questions.

The commissioner found this also breached the paid advocacy rule.

Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner last night said: The public will rightly be disgusted by Russian tycoons who bankroll the Tory Party being able to buy influence over our politics in this way.

'This is an open and shut case of cash for questions.

The Tory Party should immediately cease taking any donations from Aquind, as Labour has already called for.

'Our democracy shouldnt be up for sale to Tory donors.

Both Mr Fedotov and Mr Temerko are British citizens and Aquind is a UK-registered company so their donations to the Conservatives are entirely legal and are not accused of any wrongdoing.
Leading cement manufacturer Holcim Philippines, Inc. is planning to make available its one-day concrete SuperFast(SF)Crete outside the National Capita Region to support contractors looking to participate in government road repair projects in other urban areas and help lessen disruption to commuters.

Holcim Philippines will roll out its SFCrete road repair solution outside Metro Manila to help partners lessen disruption from rehabilitation of busy urban thoroughfares

The company recently held a webinar to promote SFCrete among road contractors in Metro Manila, who expressed strong interest in using the building solution in their projects. The company also plans to offer SFCrete to contractor partners in Davao and Baguio, who are interested in lessening closure time of thoroughfares due to repairs. Since its launch in 2016, SFCrete has been used to repair close to 15 kilometers of roads all over Metro Manila.

Holcim Philippines Senior Vice President for Marketing and Innovation noted that SFCrete is only one of the two one-day concrete solutions accredited by Department of Public Works and Highways. He added that SFCrete can help the government reduce disruption from the rehabilitation of main roads in urban areas. With SFCrete, roads can be reopened in 24 hours after repairs compared with regular concrete, which needs three to 14 days for curing.

SFCrete is part of the companys thrust to provide building solutions to support local partners engaged in the countrys infrastructure upgrades including road rehabilitation. We are committed to further introducing these construction solutions to help the country build better, he added.

Maganti said that aside from the proven performance of SFCrete in fast curing time and concrete strength, contractors are provided superior technical support in optimizing the design of concrete. Furthermore, SFCrete is also useful today in keeping workers safe as its superior workability enables contractors to deploy less people and follow social distancing guidelines in projects. Partners may also avail of Holcims trainings on cement and concrete technology, SFCrete application, road construction and road safety to help them build better.
The reward money offered for information leading to the arrest of the gunman who shot two Los Angeles County deputies last week has grown to over $500,000, officials said.

According to an ABC News report, the reward is now standing at $675,000. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors first allowed for a $100,000 reward that may lead to the gunman's arrest and conviction.

The deputies sustained critical injuries as they were shot multiple times while inside their parked patrol car Saturday night. Officials described the attack on the deputies as an ambush-style attack.

The reward has since grown due to various contributions, including $75,000 from the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs and $25,000 from the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

There were also two private donors who gave $75,000 for the reward money. According to Orange County Register, donors have pledged over $530,000 as of Thursday.

Meanwhile, around $800,000 has been donated to help fund hospital bills and recovery of the deputies.

One of the deputies has been released from intensive care on Wednesday. According to Sheriff Alex Villanueva, the 24-year-old deputy suffered gunshot wounds to his forehead, arms and a hand.

He will need more surgeries performed on his arm, said Villanueva.

"He has a long road ahead for recovery. But he's not alone," Villanueva said in a social media post. "We, as a community, are in this together."

The other officer is still at St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood. The deputy, who suffered a shot in the jaw and arms, is still in the intensive care unit as of Wednesday night.

Villanueva thanked all donors and other people who have offered support to the deputies. There was an outpour of support in social media and interviews since the shooting.

No arrest of the gunman was announced as of Thursday evening.

Oversight Board Calls for Villanueva to Resign

Some Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission members and two LA county supervisors called for Villanueva's resignation, the Los Angeles Times reported.

They said the sheriff has a tense relationship with the Board of Supervisors. The commission also said Villanueva resisted to oversight his department.

"It is with great reluctance that I call on Sheriff Villanueva to resign," said Commissioner Robert Bonner Thursday. "The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deserves better and so do the people of Los Angeles County."

Bonner said Villanueva is the only sheriff in Los Angeles who had "no effective relationship with the Board." He noted that Villanueva went out of his way to "alienate and insult supervisors."

He said Villanueva did little to enforce policy that bans deputy cliques within the department.

He added that the sheriff did not want to provide information to county inspector general Max Huntsman, indicating they will be investigating Huntsman himself. Other commissioners concurred with Bonner's statements.

In a statement, the sheriff's department said the commission is "playing politics." It said considering the motion, especially after the department had two of its members in a life-threatening ambush, is "morally repugnant."

Lt. John Satterfield, a spokesman for the department, said it was "obvious" that the commission was fighting against the sheriff's efforts to investigate the potential criminal activity.

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The YMCA of Greater Houston has announced its food distribution sites for September. For updates go to ymcahouston.org/food-distribution.

Fort Bend County Fairgrounds: 9 a.m. until supplies are gone on Mondays; 4310 Texas 36, Rosenberg

Connect YMCA: 9 a.m. until supplies are gone on Mondays; 6700 Bellaire Blvd., Houston

Holy Name Catholic Church: 9 a.m. until supplies are gone on Mondays; 1920 Marion, Houston

Houston Texans YMCA: 9 a.m. until supplies are gone on Tuesdays; 5202 Griggs Road, Houston

East End YMCA: 9 a.m. until supplies are gone on Tuesdays; 6001 Gulf Freeway, Houston

Aldine-Greenspoint Family YMCA: 9 a.m. until supplies are gone on Tuesdays; 12351 Kuykendahl Road, Houston

Wendel D. Ley Family YMCA: 10 a.m. until supplies are gone Wednesdays; 15055 Wallisville Road, Houston

YMCA International Services: 10-11:30 a.m. Wednesdays and Fridays; 6300 Westpark Dr., Suite 600, Houston

Aldine-Greenspoint YMCA at Tom Wussow Park: 9 a.m. until supplies are gone on Thursdays; 500 Greens Road, Houston

HCC Alief Hayes Campus: 9 a.m. until supplies are gone on Fridays; 2811 Hayes Road;

Southwest Central Church of Christ: 9 a.m. until supplies are gone on Sept. 26; 4011 W. Bellfort

Tellepsen Family YMCA Food Pantry: Monday-Friday by appointment only. Call 713-659-8501.

SNAP Application: The Community Assistance Program has reopened its doors at the Houston Food Bank, 535 Portwall St. From 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday, the CAP staff hellps eligible, low-income residents apply for economic benefits. You can also apply for help by calling 832-369-9390 or sending an email to cap.resource@houstonfoodbank.org. SNAP benefits can be used to buy food products.

Grocery and PPE Give-away: Texas Rep. Ron Reynolds, state Sen. Borris Miles and state Rep. Ron Reynolds will host a COVID-19 grocery distribution and PPE give-away 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 10, at the Mustang Center, 4521 F.M. 521, Fresno.

HOW TO HELP

Houston Food Bank: The food bank needs volunteers to help with increased distribution demand and to help with hurricane preparedness. The food bank has a new warehouse  referred to as North Branch, at 146 Knobcrest  to help alleviate demand at the main warehouse at I-10 and Gellhorn. Volunteers age 16 and older are needed to build home delivery kits and disaster boxes from 8 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Masks are required and social distancing is practiced. Sign up in advance at houstonfoodbank.org/ways-to-give/give-time or call 713-547-8604. Make money donations online at houstonfoodbank.org.

Test and donate: The Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center is in need of blood donations. It is by appointment only; to register or find a list of places to donate blood, go to giveblood.org or call 409-948-4211.

UTILITIES

BakerRipley: BakerRipley is offering assistance to low-income Harris County residents in need of help paying utility bills. To apply, go to bakerripley.org/services/utility-assistance-program or call 713-590-2327.

LEGAL HELP

Fighting evictions: Several local legal groups are banding together to help Houston-area residents fighting evictions. Anyone needing assistance should go to hba.org/evictions for information on free legal representation. It includes a self-representation kit, mediation and lawyer referrals. Groups participating are the Houston Bar Association, Houston Volunteer Lawyers, Houston Lawyer Referral Service, Dispute Resolution Center, Lone Star Legal Aid, South Texas College of Law Houston, Thurgood Marshall School of Laws Earl Carl Institute for Legal and Social Policy, and the University of Houston Law Center. Other sources of information include makejusticehappen.org, email info@hvlp.org or call 713-228-0735. Anyone who has received an eviction notice should act as soon as possible.

Veterans Legal Initiative: Legal clinics with free advice and representation for low-income veterans are offered 2-5 p.m. Fridays by phone. Submit applications by phone (713-228-0735) or online at makejusticehappen.org. The clinic is open to all low-income U.S. veterans and spouses of deceased veterans in the Houston area.

To get your organization included in our resource guide, send information to features@chron.com.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 18

Trend:

A video conference entitled "Heritage of Caucasian Albania" was held within the expert platform of the Baku Network.

The conference was held on the occasion of organizing of the first expedition exactly ten years ago to restore the pearl of the historical Caucasian Albania - a church in Kish village, Sheki district.

First, moderator of the event, director of the Baku Networks Expert Council, Ph.D. Elkhan Alasgarov delivered the speech at the conference.

Then, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor Mahabbat Pashayeva, Chairman of the Udi Community of the Volgograd Region of the Russian Federation, Doctor of Philosophy Richard Danakar, Executive Director of the Baku International Multiculturalism Center Ravan Hasanov, Chairman of the Albanian-Udi Christian Community Robert Mobili, renowned Azerbaijani historian and expert Rizvan Huseynov, as well as Deputy Director-General of Trend News Agency, Gulnara Mammadzade delivered speeches.

A big expedition of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences arrived in Kish village in Sheki district ten years ago upon the instructions of the Azerbaijani government, Alasgarov added. The work on the restoration of the ancient Christian church was launched.

It was a period when Azerbaijan was healing its wounds associated with the war and the country did not have huge funds, director of the Baku Networks Expert Council said. But, despite this, Azerbaijan took a big step, which also has historical significance.

Azerbaijan, a country predominantly inhabited by the Muslim population, restored and opened a church, of one of the most ancient people of the Caucasus, the Udi who inhabited the historical Caucasian Albania of the Christian faith, Alasgarov said.

I think that this is an unprecedented case in the world history when a country that is busy with the issues of occupation of 20 percent of the territory, a country that healing its wounds, a country that should have to ensure and ensured the viability of a million of refugees, at the same time helped small but native for Azerbaijan - Udi-Albanian community," director of the Baku Networks Expert Council said.

Alasgarov stressed that Azerbaijan has very strong traditions of Albanian studies.

"The issue is the heritage of all those people who inhabited Azerbaijan during the Christian period, rather than one nation, director of the Baku Networks Expert Council said. Azerbaijan has preserved this heritage in the person of the small Udi community.

I think that this is an example for so many countries that have tried in every way to assimilate this community, Alasgarov added. Here we must say that Armenia, which occupied our territories, presents the Albanian church as the Armenian church.

Azerbaijan makes an invaluable contribution to the preservation of the historical heritage of world civilization, restoring ancient Christian churches, while Armenia, which claims the title of an ancient Christian country, shamelessly presents the Albanian churches as for its own, Alasgarov said. Azerbaijan and the peoples inhabiting it are the descendants of Caucasian Albania.
S&P Global Ratings analyst Vittoria Ferraris said that the new forecast follows a first-half 2020 sales slump of 25 per cent, an unprecedented shock for the global industry.

Global light vehicles sales are expected to fall by 20 per cent this year compared with 2019 following sales and production disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic, S&P Global Ratings in a report published on Friday. S&P Global Ratings analyst Vittoria Ferraris said that the new forecast follows a first-half 2020 sales slump of 25 per cent, an unprecedented shock for the global industry.

We project global vehicle sales to expand 7 to 9 per cent both in 2021 and 2022, meaning that light vehicle sales two years from now will still be 6 per cent below 2019 volumes.

Any upside to our sales scenario will stem mainly from the Chinese market, the most dynamic but least predictable among the main global auto markets, said Ferraris adding that China may be the only market to catch up with 2019 volumes by the end of 2022.

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Also read: Indian economy to shrink by 9 pc in FY21: ADB

S&P said its global auto sales forecast is more conservative than general market standards. But it deems it consistent with the pandemic-related dramatic squeeze on potential car-buyers finances across the globe combined with pressure on affordability stemming from higher prices of new hybrid and electric vehicles that carmakers are trying to promote in Europe and China.

Many automakers and suppliers plants are likely to operate at sub-optimal capacity and at less efficient levels for the remainder of 2020. A large proportion of rated issuers will end 2020 with a higher debt load than at the start of the year.

We, therefore, expect companies profitability and cash flow adequacy metrics to be weaker in 2021 than in 2019, said S&P.

This combined with the enduring profitability pressure generated by the transition to electric mobility (unimpeded by Covid-19) and the sizable investments needed to upgrade existing and develop future technology leads us to maintain a negative outlook for the auto industry despite some evidence of recovery.

Also read: Rs 30,000 cr Special Liquidity Scheme under Atmanirbhar Bharat package: Finance Ministry
Updated: 18/09/20 4.45pm

Cabinet has accepted the full advice of the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) to move Dublin to Level Three of its Living with Covid-19 plan, with additional restrictions on pubs and restaurants.

A full announcement of the new restrictions for the capital is expected from Government later this evening.

In addition to these restrictions set out as part of Level Three, NPHET has advised that pubs serving food and restaurants only remain open in Dublin if they have outdoor dining facilities or takeaway services, with indoor dining banned.

The priority under Level Three is to keep schools, early learning and childcare services open and to minimise disruption in the workforce. A number of services will be moved online and some businesses will be closed, such as museums and other indoor cultural venues.

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Dubliners are asked to reduce the number of people they meet to a minimum and to not travel outside of the region.

On Wednesday evening, NPHET first recommended to Government that it move Dublin to Level Three to curb the spread of the virus there.

A meeting of senior officials took place yesterday evening to discuss the implementation of the new restrictions and reported to a meeting of the Cabinet committee on Covid-19 chaired by Taoiseach Micheal Martin scheduled for this morning. The measures were then put to a full Cabinet meeting shortly afterwards.

The recommendation comes after NPHET held its weekly meeting on Thursday to discuss the spread of the virus around the country and to formulate key recommendations for Government.

Warnings

It comes as the Government has come under scrutiny for deciding to place the capital on Level Two of its plan with the remainder of the county, as Dublin is experiencing an incidence rate of the virus twice the national average.

On Wednesday, Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe said there is a strong and a very real possibility that Dublin will move to Level Three.

Additional measures are already in place in the capital to curb the spread of the virus, including increased restrictions on gatherings between households and wet pubs remaining closed.

Minister for Public Expenditure Michael McGrath also said on Wednesday that although there has not been an instruction for the public not to visit Dublin, if people did not need to travel to the capital they should not do so.

It was announced yesterday evening that there has been one new death and a further 240 cases of Covid-19 confirmed in the State, with about 50 per cent or 119 of the cases located in Dublin.

The day before, three new deaths and 254 new cases of the virus were confirmed, with 136 of the cases located in Dublin.

Updates were provided by health officials concerning the growth rate of the virus, with projections of 1,000 cases per day by October 16th if transmission remains uninterrupted, with 50 to 60 per cent of these cases in Dublin.

Dr Ronan Glynn, Acting Chief Medical Officer said that "things have gotten worse than when NPHET last met on Friday when asked about his letter to Government of last week in which he described Dublin as a "disease reservoir.

Dublin now has a 14 day incidence rate of 109.6 cases of the virus per 100,000, which is twice the national average, according to figures from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HSPC).
MANZINI - Fed up liquor traders are expected to be littered along the streets of Mbabane today as they continue to mount pressure on government to lift the ban on alcohol sale.

This is according to the Swaziland National Liquor Association (SNLA) Secretary General, Thamsanqa Hlatshwayo, who is also heading the committee that coordinates the logistics of the petition delivery march. He said today, they would be implementing a decision which was taken by the liquor traders during their meeting which was held at The George Hotel last Friday. He said the march was a legal one as they had applied for permission to use the streets of the capital city (Mbabane) from Mbabane City Council on Monday, which meant that the application was made on time as per the Public Order Act of 2018.

Application

The secretary general said despite filing the application on time, he got a call from the municipality late yesterday afternoon, informing them that they did not receive their correspondence.

In that regard, he said they invited him and the committee to a meeting this morning at 8am in the municipality. He said he supposes they would be talking about the routes.

Otherwise, he said with or without a response, their march was legal as they applied for the routes on time and the person who received the application on behalf of the municipality signed to confirm that he received it. He said they would assemble at the Coronation Park at 10:30am and march to the PMs Office to deliver the first petition. Thereafter, he said they would go to the South Africa High Commission before marching to the European Union Commission.

Support

In that regard, Hlatshwayo invited all liquor traders to attend the activity without fail. He said consumers, who wanted to support them, would do so if they saw that they (liquor traders) were at the forefront. Meanwhile, by the time of compiling this report, the Municipal Council of Mbabane Information and Public Relations Officer Lucky Tsabedze said he had difficulties in getting hold of the office responsible for the matter.

On the other hand, Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati said they had not received any communique regarding the matter. To the PMs Office, the liquor traders will demand the reopening of liquor trade, while at the EU and SA High Commission, they will report the Eswatini Government that it has allegedly breached the Free Trade Agreement between the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) States and Southern African Customs Union (SACU) States by banning the sale of alcohol in the kingdom. Their argument is that most of the liquor they are selling comes from outside the country.
Sacred Heart University in Fairfield said it is expanding its quarantine order to an entire residence hall after a mislabeled test last week prevented a student who tested positive for COVID-19 from being identified.

All students living in Merton Hall are being asked to stay in their rooms except for trips to their designated bathrooms, the university announced Wednesday evening.

The decision came after two more students living in the hall tested positive for COVID-19. The two new cases were on a different floor than the original cases, the school said.

So far six students living at Merton have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. None have shown symptoms of the illness, the school said.

On Tuesday, the school reported a student tested positive last week, but their test result was mislabeled by the lab, Sacred Heart said. The school said the student was isolated when they learned about the error on Tuesday.

The university is bringing meals to the quarantined students dorm rooms.

Sacred Heart previously barred some students living off campus in Bridgeport from coming to campus over the Labor Day weekend amid a spike in off-campus cases.

As we said in our earlier email, this is a temporary pause while we determine how much spread there is through testing, the school said in a message to the community. All Merton Hall students will be tested, and the results will determine the length of the quarantine. We are hoping it will only need to be for a few days.

The outbreak at SHU came as the University of Connecticut reported 21 new COVID-19 cases among students who attend its Storrs campus. Four of the new cases were among residential students, and the remaining 17 are students living off campus, spokeswoman Stephanie Reitz said Thursday.

Four of the off-campus cases involve students living in The Oaks on the Square apartment complex. UConn and local officials ordered students living in those apartments to quarantine last week amid a spike in cases. Non-student residents were not told to quarantine.

The school currently has 33 positive or suspected cases among students living on campus, according to UConns public dashboard.

No new cases were reported at the universitys four other campuses, or among employees.

The school has begun pool-testing students as a way to speed up testing.

Students provide a saliva sample in a tube, which is pooled with other samples to create one large batch for testing, Reitz said. If the pooled sample is negative, all students in that pool are deemed negative; if it is positive, the students in the pool are tested individually.

Other colleges and universities around the state have also recorded new cases.

Trinity College in Hartford reported nine new positive tests this week, with a cumulative total of 17 cases since mid-August.

Connecticut College in New London reported one new positive case this week. The school currently has two active cases.

Central Connecticut State University in New Britain reported four new cases Wednesday, the most recent data available. Fifteen people are currently in isolation there, according to the schools data.

The University of Bridgeport reported one new case among commuter students Tuesday.
RIDGEFIELD PARK, N.J., Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Gallery Collection, a leading publisher of personalized business greeting cards and company holiday cards for over 90 years, is excited to announce their Pet Photo Contest. All pet owners are invited to compete for the title of having the cutest pet by submitting their best pet photo for a chance to win a $500 cash prize.

The Gallery Collection

The photo contest is free to enter, and entries are being accepted now through October 15th, 2020, with the winner being announced on October 29th, 2020. To review the official contest rules and submit your best pet photo, visit the Pet Photo Contest Submission Page. The Gallery Collection has been running a successful Create-A-Greeting-Card Scholarship Contest for 14 years as well as the recently concluded 2020 Summer Photo Contest which will announce the $500 winner soon. The company is happy to continue the tradition of giving away another cash prize through this pet photo contest.

The pet photo contest will now be The Gallery Collection's second photo contest for the 2020 calendar year. The company encourages all pet owners to help make this photo contest equally as successful as the first by snapping those pet photos to show off their adorable companions. This has been a difficult year for many with the pandemic and other adversities; in light of this, The Gallery Collection is proud to be able to provide an enjoyable diversion through the launch of another contest giveaway and award a cash prize to the lucky winner.

About The Gallery Collection  Prudent Publishing's The Gallery Collection is a leading publisher of premium quality business greeting cards in the United States. Established in 1929 and still family owned, the company offers direct-from-the-publisher prices that include customized ink and foil imprints, a large selection of memorable greetings, and matching deckle-edged envelopes made of recycled paper. The Gallery Collection offers an extensive array of company Christmas cards, personalized holidays cards, business birthday cards, presentation folders, certificates, holders, and business cards; many of which are produced by wind power using environmentally friendly recycled paper stock.

Media Contact:

Gary Gutierrez

Phone: 201-641-7900 x249

Email: [email protected]

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SOURCE The Gallery Collection
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Rising hospitalisations among people with coronavirus could mean admissions hit levels not seen since April next month, current trends show as Matt Hancock warned patient numbers are doubling every eight days.

Another 4,322 people have been diagnosed with Covid-19, the Government announced today in the highest one-day rise since May 8, as a raft of worrying statistics revealed the Covid-19 crisis appears to be rebounding.

Data from the Office for National Statistics suggests 6,000 people are catching the life-threatening illness every day in England while hospital admissions have doubled in a week and government scientists warn the R rate could now be as high as 1.4.

The Health Secretary has warned another blanket national lockdown was the 'last line of defence' but said now is a 'big moment for the country'.

Government data shows 183 newly-infected Covid-19 patients were admitted to hospitals in England on Wednesday, compared to just 84 eight days ago and just 38 on August 30. It means 160 patients are needing NHS care each day, on average  triple the figure of 52 on September 1.

More than 3,000 people each day were being admitted to NHS hospitals during the peak of the first wave in April. Analysis suggests, at the current trend, it would take little more than three weeks for daily admissions to top the 2,000 mark. But experts insist a second wave of Covid-19 in Britain would not be nearly as fatal as the first because doctors have got better at treating the disease, thanks to scientific breakthroughs.

The ONS report suggests swab-testing is picking up around half of all infections, with an average of 3,300 people currently testing positive for Covid-19 each day. It is considered the most accurate data of its kind and falls in line with figures from a separate symptom-tracking app, which estimates cases have also doubled in a week to 7,500.

SAGE today revealed the R rate of the virus in the UK could be as high as 1.4 - the highest estimate since the group began making them. Outbreaks are also growing in all regions and expanding by up to eight or nine per cent per day in some places, Number 10's advisory board also warned.

Health officials today also announced 27 more coronavirus deaths in the UK's official count, with 14 in NHS hospitals in England.

Scientists said the numbers, which they noted are rising across the board, were 'undoubtedly concerning' but 'not surprising'. Although the Government fears a second wave is coming, case, hospital and death rates are still significantly below where they were during the depths of the crisis and many scientists agree that Britain is unlikely to find itself in the same situation again.

It comes as another swathe of England is being ordered into coronavirus lockdown as Mr Hancock today admitted that a new national Covid squeeze is on the cards and Professor Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer for England, is reported to be pushing the Prime Minister to consider it.

New curbs in some regions include a curfew on pubs and restaurants and a ban on socialising outside of households, and will be introduced across parts of the North West, Midlands and West Yorkshire from Tuesday.

And health bosses revealed the first of the mothballed NHS Nightingale hospitals has been told to be ready to be reopened within just 48 hours. The temporary site in Birmingham's NEC arena - officially opened by Prince William via videolink in April - has been placed on 'higher alert' footing.

In other coronavirus developments today:

London mayor Sadiq Khan has cancelled the capital's New Year celebrations and warned that the city is only two weeks behind areas of the country plunged into local lockdowns;

The Northeast saw a busy night in bars after Matt Hancock confirmed the region would be hit by a 10pm curfew from tonight;

Ministers have defended the shambolic testing system as thousands of people struggle to get checked for the disease, after Dido Harding claimed no-one expected the scale of demand as schools returned;

Mr Hancock repeatedly ducked saying whether people should snitch on their neighbours for breaking the Rule of Six, after Boris Johnson and Priti Patel sent starkly different messages;

Boris Johnson begs Brits to 'save Christmas' by obeying 'Rule of Six', warning lockdown will only get stricter.

Analysis suggests, at the current trend, it would take little more than three weeks for daily admissions to top 2,000

But experts insist a second wave of Covid-19 in Britain would not be nearly as fatal as the first because doctors have got better at treating the disease, thanks to scientific breakthroughs. Data shows how the case-fatality rate, the number of deaths for every confirmed case, has dropped since the start of the outbreak in Britain

The Health Secretary pleaded with the public to 'come together to tackle this virus'

Today's ONS data comes as part of mass regular testing that has been done over the past six weeks, taking in 208,730 swab test results from the same people each week.

It showed that around 0.11 per cent of them were infected with the virus between September 3 and September 10, up from 0.07 per cent last week.

This equated to a total of 136 actual positive tests, showing around one in every 900 people is infected.

The report said London and the North West were the areas that appeared to have highest infection rates, while the virus was least widespread in the West Midlands and the South West.

London has escaped local lockdown rules since the national restrictions were lifted, despite bearing the brunt of the outbreak during the first wave.

But the ONS report shows that the capital now appears to have one of the highest infection rates in the country, with an estimated 0.2 per cent of people testing positive. This was second only to the North West, which was thought to have the same level of infection.

The stats confirmed that young people appear to be driving the surge in new cases.

INFECTION RATE IN PEOPLE IN THEIR 20s NOW FALLING The Covid-19 infection rate of people in their 20s in England fell last week for the first time in 10 weeks. Public Health England data shows that the number of cases per 100,000 population in the 20-29 age group dropped from 55.9 to 51.8 in the week ending September 13. Rates rose in all other age groups except the over-80s over the same time period, the data shows. Infections are, however, still significantly higher among 20-somethings than they are in any other age group. The next closest rate is in the most closely related group, with 37.5 cases per 100,000 people in people aged between 30 and 39. Young people have been blamed for much of the resurgence in cases since infections began to rise noticeably around a fortnight ago. Officials have blamed this on them being lax around social distancing rules and returning to pubs and restaurants, meeting up with large groups of friends and having parties - against the rules. In a press conference earlier this month Boris Johnson said that young people should consider their behaviour 'for the sake of your parents' and your grandparents' health'. Advertisement

'In recent weeks,' the report said, 'there has been clear evidence of an increase in the number of people testing positive for Covid-19 aged 2 to 11 years, 17 to 24 years and 25 to 34 years.'

In addition to the ONS data, the weekly prediction from King's College London, which runs a symptom-tracking app with healthcare tech company ZOE, suggests that 5,962 people in England are catching the virus each day, with another 1,600 in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The King's data is based on 8,000 tests done between August 31 and September 13 and found that infections appear to be highest in the North East and North West of England, which are both seeing an estimated 1,600 cases per day.

Professor Kevin McConway, a statistician at The Open University, said: 'This is undoubtedly concerning, and particularly so when we take into account that the data behind these estimates come from several sources, many of which - such as hospital admissions, admissions to intensive care, and deaths - lag behind the growth in new infections, because it takes time for people to become ill enough to require hospital treatment or, sadly, to die.

'So the estimates cannot take into account very recent changes in the patterns of new infections.'

Dr Simon Clarke, a microbiologist at the University of Reading, said: 'These data show a significant increase in the number of infections, albeit possibly at a slower doubling-rate than had been reported previously.

'This does not yet mean that the epidemic is uncontrollable and it may still be possible to hold it at bay with sufficient social distancing and hygiene, but that does require the public to engage properly.

'There has been a lot of argument about the significance of the current uptick in infections, but this loses sight of the fact that in the spring, Covid-19 put a large numbers people into hospital, very quickly, hindering the ability of the NHS from delivering care to people in pain on waiting lists, cancer sufferers and denied pregnant women from having the support of their partners. That could easily happen again and academic hair-splitting makes no difference to peoples day-to-day lives.'

The Health Secretary has today pleaded with the public to 'come together to tackle this virus' and admitted that a new national crackdown could be on the cards because it 'isn't just cases' that are increasing.

Professor Chris Whitty, England's chief medical officer, is reportedly pushing for another lockdown to try and get the virus back under control.

According to former World Health Organization expert Anthony Costello, the PM has been told by Professor Whitty that such a move may be needed to stop the recent rise in infections.

He said: 'Im hearing from a well-connected person that government now thinks, in absence of testing, there are 38,000 infections per day. Chris Whitty is advising PM for a two week national lockdown.'

Government statistics show 194 newly-infected Covid-19 patients were admitted to hospitals in England on Tuesday, compared to just 84 eight days ago and just 38 on August 30. It means 154 patients are needing NHS care each day, on average  triple the figure of 52 on September 1.

CHEST INFECTION OUTBREAKS IN CARE HOMES AND SCHOOLS SURGE IN A WEEK The number of outbreaks of coughs and chest infections in care homes, schools and offices have surged dramatically in the first half of September. Acute respiratory infection outbreaks - when two or more people have the same coughing bug - became eight times more common in the second week of September than in the first in England's schools. Not all the outbreaks will be Covid-19 - they are chest infections more generally - but some are. In educational settings there were 193 outbreaks in the week ending September 13, up from just 23 the week before. Children across England returned to classrooms during that week, with many of them going to their first full-time lessons since before lockdown. In care homes the number of outbreaks rose from 69 to 313 in the same week - a nearly five-fold rise. And in workplace settings - offices and other places of work - they doubled from 65 to 110 in the same week. Advertisement

More than 3,000 people each day were being admitted to NHS hospitals during the peak of the first wave in April. Analysis suggests, at the current trend, it would take little more than three weeks for daily admissions to top 2,000.

And a top infectious disease expert today warned that it is 'plausible' the doubling rate of every eight days could continue. Professor Paul Hunter, of University of East Anglia, told MailOnline the number of admissions could surpass the daily rate seen in March and April in just a month's time.

Cases have spiked over the same time frame, with another 3,395 infections recorded yesterday  a 33 per cent rise in a week. Deaths are also starting to creep up, with the average number of patients dying each day now standing at 14  up from seven a fortnight ago.

A weekly report by SAGE today said that the R rate for the UK appears to be between 1.2 and 1.4, while it is between 1.1 and 1.4 in England. These are the highest estimates the chief scientists have given since their regular updates began.

The R appears to be highest in the Midlands and North West, where it is thought to be between 1.2 and 1.5, meaning each infected case passes it on to 1.2 to 1.5 others, or every 10 infect 12 or 15 more.

If the R remains above 1 the outbreak will continue to grow and cases will keep surging, running the risk that local outbreaks spiral out of control into regional and even national problems.

SAGE cautions, however, that its estimates of R are around three weeks out of date each time they are published, because they are calculated by watching how the numbers of positive tests and hospital cases change over time.

More aggressive measures, including a national 'circuit breaker', are on the cards to stop the growth of the outbreak. The move could come as soon as next week, with pubs, restaurants and hotels facing being shut to prevent 'significant' casualties.

It comes as hospitals have been warned they must clear beds and brace themselves for a rise in coronavirus patients in the next few weeks.

MPs in London have been informed of plans to increase 'step down' beds in the capital, it was reported today. The beds will be made available to coronavirus patients who no longer need any hospital treatment, but can recover from the disease while isolating.

Hospitals cancelled thousands of surgeries like hip operations and cancer treatment to free up space for infected patients at the peak of the crisis, causing the NHS to have a record-high waiting list for routine treatment. The drive to free up beds in the first wave also saw coronavirus-infected patients discharged into care homes, where the virus was allowed to spread.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits the Jenner Institute in Oxford, England, today Friday, September 18

Boris Johnson is pictured during a visit to a testing lab in Oxford today. The Jenner Institute is the lab at the forefront of attempts to make a vaccine to prevent Covid-19

In an interview with BBC Breakfast this morning, Mr Hancock warned that it was 'absolutely critical' that people continued to follow the basic rules with regard to coronavirus.

He said: 'We have seen an acceleration in the number of cases over the last couple of weeks and weve also sadly seen that the number of people hospitalised with coronavirus is doubling about every eight days, so we do need to take action.'

LONDON ON THE BRINK OF LOCKDOWN? COVID CASES RISE 33% IN A WEEK Lockdown fears are brewing in London as cases have risen 33 per cent in one week - faster than the North East, which today was hit by tougher restrictions to control the spread of the virus. The number of cases per 100,000 has jumped up from 18.8 to around 25 in seven days amid schools re-opening and a drive to get people back into offices and pubs, data suggests. If it crosses over 50, a 'local lockdown' could be triggered, documents seen by The Evening Standard reveal. And the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates 0.2 per cent of London's population - 18,000 people - are currently carrying the coronavirus, which is second only to the North West. For comparison, the rate in the North East is just 0.16 per cent. Public Health England figures today revealed Redbridge, a borough in the east of the city, has the highest Covid-19 infection rate at 34.2 and cases have risen in the authority for four weeks in a row. For comparison, the highest in England is 175.2 in Bolton, Greater Manchester. It is followed by Hounslow (32.5) and Barking and Dagenham (29.3) - boroughs on two opposite sides of the city, suggesting spread is not just limited to one part of the capital. But none of these have yet been listed as an 'area of concern' by PHE today as attention diverts to the hotspots in the north and middle of England. South London has escaped the current spike in cases, with the three boroughs with the lowest infection rates at present being Sutton (9.3), Bromley (11.8) and Bexley (12.1). Today the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan pleaded with city-dwellers to adhere to social distancing rules because London is 'two weeks behind' some regions of the UK where curfews and bans on socialising have come into force. But No10 has denied claims there are plans for London to follow in the footsteps of the North East, North West and Midlands, where around 12million people have been placed under tough restrictions - including a ban on seeing friends and family outside the same household - to stop the spread of Covid-19. Advertisement

The government's most-up-to-date data shows 194 Covid-19 patients in England were admitted to hospital on September 15  at an average of 154 a day over the past week.

For comparison, the rolling seven-day average had dipped to as low as 45 on August 22, when just 25 hospital admissions were recorded across the country.

At the height of the pandemic at the start of April, the average number of daily admissions was 2,700. Britain's lockdown and tough social distancing measures allowed the rate to plummet to below 1,000 by the start of May.

Department of Health chiefs say data is not updated every day by all four nations and the figures are not comparable. For instance, Wales include suspected Covid-19 patients while all the other nations include only confirmed cases.

Professor Hunter told MailOnline that the spike in admissions is 'predictable' and 'expected', given the spike in cases over the past few weeks.

He added: 'It's worrying that it's going up but the big concern is how many hospital admissions we will end up seeing.

'I suspect it will carry on... but I suspect we won't see it doubling quite as rapidly because, often, these things start off quite fast and then they tail off after a little while.

'It doesn't always tail off, but ultimately it does because if it carries on doubling [at that speed], then soon every single person on the planet will be on hospital. So it has to tail off eventually.

'The issue is when does it start tailing off? I have no way of knowing.'

Professor Hunter added that it was 'plausible' England's hospital admissions could get up the levels seen in April but admitted he think it's probably won't happen.

He said: 'The evidence is older people are still, sort of, social distancing themselves more than other groups, and they're the group most likely to get hospitalised. There's also a smaller pool to get infected and be hospitalised than we saw back in March and April.

'But it may well continue, and it's plausible that England could well in a month's time be surpassing that figure. But I hope not.'

It comes as hospitals have been warned they must clear beds and brace themselves for a rise in coronavirus patients in the next few weeks. One MP who has seen the plans told the Telegraph: 'I was told hospitals have reserved beds for people coming out of hospital who need somewhere to re-cover.

'At the start of lockdown they were having to send people back to care homes or back to other facilities, with dire consequences, so they've booked places in respite care or empty care homes, so people will go out of hospital, but won't return to their normal place of living.'

Another source said that councils have also been asked to find extra beds

It comes amid more testing chaos yesterday as Baroness Dido Harding, head of NHS Test and Trace, revealed that demand for coronavirus tests is currently up to four times greater than the system's capacity.

The government's testing tzar also blamed the Government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) for seemingly getting its predictions wrong as she said testing capacity had been built based on the panel's recommendations.

Last night it emerged the country's faltering testing system could be outsourced to Amazon, as reported by The Telegraph.

A source said: 'At the moment the man- agement of NHS Test and Trace has been in-house but as we go into winter we need experts in this area to take it forward.'

The government is also expected to announce tighter restrictions on care home visits in areas with high numbers of coronavirus cases are expected to be announced by the Government in its winter action plan.

Care homes in areas subject to local lockdowns may be advised to temporarily restrict visits in all but end-of-life situations, it is understood.

For parts of the country where there is no local lockdown, but where community transmission is a cause for concern, an option officials are considering is advising that visits are restricted to one designated visitor per resident.

The Government will set out further details on Friday in its social care action plan to help fight the spread of coronavirus over winter.

HOW HAS THE GROWTH RATE CHANGED OVER THE PAST WEEK? AREA England UK -- East London Midlands North East North West South East South West THIS WEEK 3% to 7% 2% to 7% 0% to 5% 3% to 7% 4% to 8% 3% to 8% 3% to 8% 3% to 7% 0% to 9% LAST WEEK 1% to 4% -1 to +3 -1 to +4% 2% to 4% -1% to 3% 1% to 5% 2% to 5% 0 to +4% -1% to +4% Advertisement

HOW HAS THE R RATE CHANGED OVER THE PAST WEEK? AREA England UK -- East London Midlands North East North West South East South West THIS WEEK 1.1 - 1.4 1.2 - 1.4 1.0 - 1.3 1.1 - 1.4 1.2 - 1.5 1.2 - 1.4 1.2 - 1.5 1.1 - 1.4 0.9 - 1.6 LAST WEEK 1.0 - 1.2 1.0 - 1.2 0.9 - 1.2 1.1 - 1.3 0.9 - 1.1 1.0 - 1.2 1.1 - 1.3 1.0 - 1.2 0.9 - 1.2 Advertisement

As part of the plan, care homes will receive free protective equipment and providers must stop 'all but essential' movement of staff between homes, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said.

This will be supported by an additional 546 million announced on Thursday as part of the extended infection control fund.

A new dashboard will monitor care home infections and help local government and providers respond quickly.

And a chief nurse for adult social care will be appointed to represent social care nurses and provide 'clinical leadership'.

Local authorities and the Care Quality Commission will be asked to take 'strong action' in instances where providers are not restricting staff movement adequately.

The DHSC said this could include restricting a service's operation and issuing warning notices.

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said: 'We are entering a critical phase in our fight against coronavirus with winter on the horizon.

'Our priority over the next six months is to make sure we protect those most vulnerable receiving care and our incredibly hard-working workforce by limiting the spread of the virus and preventing a second spike.

'This winter plan gives providers the certainty they need when it comes to PPE and provides additional support to help care homes to limit the movement of staff, stop the spread of coronavirus and save lives.

'We will be monitoring the implementation of this carefully and will be swift in our actions to protect residents and colleagues across the country.'

It comes as Age UK said some older people are 'dying of sadness' because they have been cut off from loved ones over a long period of time.

Charity director Caroline Abrahams said it is important the plan achieves an 'appropriate balance' between ensuring infection control and allowing residents to keep in contact with loved ones.

She said: 'All in all what we have seen so far is promising, but we will await with interest to read what the plan says about visiting in care homes.

'With Covid-19 cases on the rise and winter on the way it's right that every activity that could potentially place residents at risk is considered very carefully, including visiting, but any sense of a 'blanket ban' would be highly inappropriate, however anxious we may all feel.

'Risks, capabilities and opportunities of all kinds differ hugely across care homes and for the sake of older people this enormous variation must be taken fully into account.'

Liz Kendall, Labour's shadow social care minister, welcomed the appointment of a chief nurse and increased funding.

She continued: 'But the real test of this plan is whether the Government delivers on weekly testing of all care staff - first promised in July but still not delivered, with serious concerns about delays in getting results back.

'Ensuring families can visit their loved ones is also critical, as without this care home residents can end up fading fast.'
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

Bern, 08.09.2020 - A global pandemic does not only pose a threat to people. It is also a major obstacle for humanitarian aid. If protective equipment is not available, it is not possible to provide assistance on the ground. Swiss Humanitarian Aid is therefore donating three million face masks in response to this problem and in order to protect the people working on the front lines. The consignment was handed over to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Tuesday, 08 September 2020.

Two weeks ago, it became mandatory to wear face masks on public transport in Switzerland. Certain institutions, schools and parts of the public sector are also relying on masks as part of their protection concept. While supplies in Switzerland are guaranteed, protective equipment and sanitation facilities in some African countries are often in short supply. At the same time, it is precisely in these regions  particularly those affected by major humanitarian crises  that rapid and unbureaucratic assistance in the field is essential for people's survival. "There are numerous challenges when it comes to humanitarian aid. Either the roads are impassable, or there's no end to the exchanges of fire. And with COVID-19 there's now a new risk  infection," explains Manuel Bessler, head of Swiss Humanitarian Aid.

Switzerland donates three million masks

The shortage of masks, gloves, gowns and other personal protective equipment means that many organisations are forced to restrict or even stop their activities in places with large numbers of people, such as refugee camps. This is also a problem for the UNHCR, which works in countries whose health systems are particularly vulnerable to the current challenges.

To help aid workers and healthcare staff provide assistance on the ground during these difficult times, Switzerland is donating three million masks with a total value of CHF 1.5 million in response to an appeal by the UNHCR. The action is being coordinated by the Humanitarian Aid Department of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). The supplies were handed over to the UNHCR in Pratteln on Tuesday, 08 September 2020. A first consignment left Switzerland for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and others are planned for Sudan and South Sudan. The masks are intended for aid workers and healthcare staff in these three countries.

No competition for supplies in Switzerland

The need for humanitarian assistance in South Sudan was high even before the current pandemic broke out. More than one million people have been forcibly displaced and the country's health system is precarious. Global pandemics put millions more people at risk. This donation will allow healthcare staff and workers on the front lines to carry out their crucial and urgently needed work in spite of the ongoing pandemic.

The SDC's Humanitarian Aid Department closely examined how the masks would be handed over to the UNHCR before the donation was made. This was done in consultation with the Armed Forces Pharmacy, the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) and the Federal Office for National Economic Supply (FONES). The supply of masks required for Switzerland is not affected by the current action. The donated masks are not from the country's reserve that had to be recalled in July 2020.

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A year ago, the two Beluga whales were transported from China to Iceland with the help of Cargolux. Now, they have finally been released into their natural habitat.

Around this time last year, 'Little Grey' and 'Little White' arrived on the island of Heimaey, where they were placed in quarantine to allow them to adapt to the climate and water temperatures.

However, due to weather conditions and the coronavirus, the whales have only been transferred to their new bay this August.

After ten years of captivity, it would be impossible to release them into the wild; a large net has thus been installed to separate the bay from the ocean, giving them at least 30 times the area of their pool in China.

The RTL magazine report follows the journey that the Beluga whales undertook to regain their freedom after a decade of captivity in China.
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HONG KONG and SHANGHAI, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd. (hereafter "Ping An" or "The Group", HKEx: 2318; SSE: 601318) showcased a range of its digital innovations at the Institute of International Finance (IIF). Jessica Tan, Co-CEO of Ping An Group, was a featured speaker at the IIF Digital Interchange: The Global Dialogue on Digital Finance on the acceleration of digital transformation across the Group as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"COVID has really accelerated digitization even for us, and we have always been on the forefront of digitization," Jessica said. The Group's "finance + ecosystem" strategy is to use technology to empower five ecosystems: financial services, health care, smart city services, real estate services and auto services. These ecosystems help the Group extend its reach to internet users beyond its core financial businesses. As of June 30, 2020, Ping An had more than 210 million retail customers and 560 million internet users.

Ping An's Health Care Innovations at Center of COVID-19 Fight

The health care businesses played a critical role during the pandemic. COVID-19 drove skyrocketing demand for Ping An Good Doctor, the largest mobile internet telemedicine platform in China, with nearly 350 million users as of June 30, 2020. "A lot of consumers with small illnesses don't want to go to hospitals for fear of further infection  I think (demand for telemedicine) is going to continue accelerating," Jessica said.

In the first half of 2020, Ping An Good Doctor saw an average of 831,000 medical consultations daily, up 26.7% year-on-year. Ping An Good Doctor provides end-to-end service for patients, including 24/7 online consultations, prescriptions, referrals, appointments, second medical opinions and drug deliveries  supported by the in-house full-time medical team and proprietary artificial intelligence (AI)-based medical system.

For medical service providers, Ping An Smart Healthcare supports more than 17,000 medical institutions, providing comprehensive services including integrated regulatory platforms, AI-based disease prediction, medical image recognition and AskBob, a consultant and treatment assistance tool. Ping An launched its COVID-19 smart image-reading system in early 2020 to assist doctors with fast and accurate diagnoses to help control the epidemic. The system can generate smart analysis results in about 15 seconds, with an accuracy rate above 90%. AskBob was used 22.04 million times by approximately 413,000 doctors in the first half of 2020.

The rise of telemedicine began long before the pandemic, Jessica noted. "We started working with the government about 10 years ago on how to better manage health care costs." Ping An's AI medical capabilities are helping to control rising costs and support medical professionals to provide more efficient and accurate diagnoses and treatment.

"So in the whole healthcare ecosystem, we really go in with a long-term mentality, providing better services for our customers, not just insurance but also good, reliable online health care services, helping to manage costs across the whole system."

Financial Services Adapted to Remote Working and Customer Service

Ping An's technologies also enabled its financial businesses to maintain service to customers during the pandemic. The company shifted its 1.4 million agents and staff to remote working within five days, Jessica told the IIF. Artificial intelligence (AI) service robots handled 82% of service calls with the rest handled by contact center agents working remotely. Ping An's fintech company OneConnect also helped 60 financial institutions shift to remote working and customer service in the first three months of the pandemic.

Digitization of Government Services Accelerated

Jessica said another trend highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic is the digitization of government services. Ping An's smart city services is helping 118 cities in China digitize their services, including Shenzhen, where Ping An is headquartered. Ping An is working with the Shenzhen government to provide 7,000 services on one mobile app. As face-to-face interactions were not possible in the pandemic, citizens were able to access 70% of the government's services from the app.

Ping An is committed to continue developing its technological capabilities. As of June 30, 2020, Ping An's technology patent applications increased by 4,625 year to date to 26,008. Ping An topped the 2020 global fintech patent ranking list for the second consecutive year with over 1,500 applications in the area. In 2019, Ping An ranked second globally by published digital healthtech patent applications.

About Ping An Group

Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd. ("Ping An") is a world-leading technology-powered retail financial services group. With over 210 million retail customers and 560 million Internet users, Ping An is one of the largest financial services companies in the world.

Ping An has two over-arching strategies, "pan financial assets" and "pan health care", which focus on the provision of financial and healthcare services through our integrated financial services platform and our five ecosystems of financial services, health care, auto services, real estate services and smart city services. Our "finance + technology" and "finance + ecosystem" strategies aim to provide customers and internet users with innovative and simple products and services using technology. As China's first joint stock insurance company, Ping An is committed to upholding the highest standards of corporate reporting and corporate governance. The Group is listed on the stock exchanges in Hong Kong and Shanghai.

In 2020, Ping An ranked 7th in the Forbes Global 2000 list and ranked 21st in the Fortune Global 500 list. Ping An also ranked 38th in the 2020 WPP Kantar Millward Brown BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands list. For more information, please visit www.pingan.cn.

SOURCE Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd.

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Linkedin Moch. Fiqih Prawira Adjie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, September 19 2020

The Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) has urged people to adhere more strictly to health protocols as the number of doctors who have died of COVID-19 has increased to 171.

IDI mitigation team chief Adib Khumaidi said the rising number of doctor fatalities showed that the public was still ignoring COVID-19 prevention measures, including wearing masks, washing hands regularly and physical distancing.

We understand that there are economic needs being considered. However, as the front line against the COVID-19 pandemic, we ask the public to be more disciplined in following health protocols in their daily activities, Adib said in a statement on Friday.

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By Finian Cunningham

September 17, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - The United States has hit a dangerous threshold when a senior member of the Trump administration is warning citizens to arm themselves because leftwing hit squads are about to seek retribution.

If you carry guns, buy ammunition, ladies and gentlemen, because its going to be hard to get, urged Michael Caputo, a Trump-appointed spokesman on public health affairs. He made the remarks reportedly in a social media forum, claiming that his life was in danger from political assassination.

And when Donald Trump refuses to stand down at the inauguration, the shooting will begin, added Caputo. He also claimed that government health experts at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention were trying to undermine Trump by exaggerating the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. And that from a supposed spokesman for the health department!

These kind of rantings have gained prominence among Trumps family, aides and supporters, primarily the followers of the QAnon network which peddles a vast array of other outlandish conspiracy theories, such as Trump being the nemesis of pedophile trafficking by an elite cabal.

The central idea being promoted is that the forthcoming presidential election will be a stitch-up against Trump orchestrated by powerful political opponents embedded with the deep state. Trump associates like the convicted political lobbyist Roger Stone are reportedly exhorting that he should refuse to recognize any electoral defeat to Democrat rival Joe Biden and thence to declare martial law.

The White House incumbent has led the way in fomenting an atmosphere of paranoia and distrust. Trump has repeatedly warned of electoral fraud being perpetrated through mail-in voting and has sought to delegitimize the election as possibly the most corrupt ever.

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A nightmare scenario is that if Trump is defeated fair and square in the November 3 ballot, then he and his followers have created enough paranoid treachery so that the fraught outcome could precipitate civil war-like chaos.

Whenever senior Trump administration officials are earnestly claiming in public that leftwing hit squads are gunning for opponents then that is an alarming sign of an unprecedented and pernicious threshold having been reached.

Caputo and other Trump boosters have been referring to the self-declared Antifa member who last month shot dead a pro-Trump supporter in Portland. The anti-fascist gunman was days later reportedly shot dead by law enforcement officers who tracked him down.

There are armed groups on both left and right, although predominantly they are on the right, espousing white supremacist politics. Trump has openly flirted with such groups, praising them as patriots, even though rightwing extremists are reckoned to have carried out much more violence than supposed leftwing radicals.

A nebulous and unconvincing theory is that deep state forces are mobilizing Antifa as some kind of internal color revolution against Trump. A variant of this idea is that the Democrat party in connivance with the deep state have been orchestrating civic strife over the past months through Antifa and Black Lives Matter protests.

In denial are the glaring facts that widespread protests across the United States in recent months have been engendered organically by routine police killings of black citizens. These protests have been multiracial and documented as largely peaceful. When demonstrations have turned violent it is often due to heavy-handed militarized police tactics. The idea that mass protests and violence have been pushed by Democrats and the deep state in conjunction with multibillionaires like George Soros, Antifa and Black Lives Matter is simply a ludicrous denial of the endemic and chronic social problems facing America stemming from its dysfunctional oligarchic system.

Layered on top of this paranoia are other irrational ideas like the deep state training leftwing death squads for the eventual electoral coup.

Or the latest nonsense about Antifa operatives acting as arsonists to unleash the wildfires that are engulfing the West Coast states of California, Oregon and Washington.

Federal and state law enforcement officers have dimissed rumors of Antifa activists starting the fires which have destroyed record numbers of towns and land area all along the entire Pacific coast. False social media claims of political arsonists posted by QAnon and other Trump supporters have compounded the immense challenge to firefighting and other emergency services in containing the disaster. There are reports of journalists being warned away at gunpoint by residents accusing them of being Antifa arsonists.

It is a hallmark of the rampant delusional thinking when an ecological crisis, like social crises over police brutality, racism and poverty, are labelled as the subversive work of deep state-sponsored radicals trying to overthrow the Trump administration.

Now, is there such a thing as deep state in the US? Yes, indeed, there is. Is there an unelected political opposition to Trump which has tried to thwart his presidency by peddling false conspiracy claims about Russian interference? Again, yes. These are valid conspiracy theories, much like ones which contend that the murder of former President John F Kennedy or the terror attacks on 9/11 had a deep state hand in them.

But there are conspiracy cases, and then there are conspiracy nut-cases where malign plots are imagined without any evidence or rational analysis.

The Land of the Free and Brave is now overrun with conspiracy paranoia which has lost all mooring in intelligence or objective conditions. When administration officials are seriously warning followers about assassination plots, then a nation has reached a combustible danger point.
The department's move is an enforcement of Trump's original executive order from Aug. 6 that gave TikTok 45 days to sell its U.S. business to an American company or face a ban in this country. The end of the 45-day period is Sunday. WeChat, one of the world's most popular social messaging apps, is owned by the Chinese company Tencent . TikTok's parent company is Beijing-based ByteDance. Trump's executive order cited national security concerns over the Chinese government's access to user data in those apps to justify the potential ban.

"At the President's direction, we have taken significant action to combat China's malicious collection of American citizens' personal data, while promoting our national values, democratic rules-based norms, and aggressive enforcement of U.S. laws and regulations." Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in the announcement.

The Commerce Department's announcement leaves room for a deal to go through before the Sunday deadline, and it could be an aggressive move from the Trump administration to push for its original intention to force TikTok to become fully owned by a U.S. company .

When asked about the TikTok deal during a press conference Friday afternoon, President Donald Trump said it could happen "quickly," and pointed to the U.S. companies involved, like Oracle. He also brought up Microsoft as a bidder, even though Microsoft said it backed out of the deal last Sunday after its bid was rejected.

The announcement comes as the Trump administration continues to look at a deal in which Oracle would take a minority stake in TikTok and become a "trusted technology partner" for the company in the U.S .

The Commerce Department announced Friday morning that it will ban U.S. business transactions with Chinese-owned social apps WeChat and TikTok on Sunday.

A picture of U.S. President Donald Trump is seen on a smartphone in front of displayed Tik Tok and WeChat logos in this illustration taken September 18, 2020.

The Commerce statement said that starting Sunday, U.S. companies will be banned from distributing WeChat and TikTok, meaning the two major mobile app stores run by Apple and Google will have to remove the apps from their libraries. The statement also blocks U.S. companies from providing services through WeChat "for the purpose of transferring funds or processing payments within the U.S."

But the announcement also lays out a separate time frame specific to TikTok, giving it until Nov. 12 to resolve the U.S. national security concerns. The rules that start Nov. 12 include provisions that block U.S. companies from providing internet hosting and services for TikTok. This could be directed at the deal being negotiated between TikTok and Oracle, which would provide cloud services for TikTok if Trump approves, and could give TikTok and Oracle more time to hammer out a deal that will satisfy the president.

In an interview with Fox Business on Friday, Ross said the bans will affect TikTok and WeChat differently at first. He said TikTok will still function, but users will not be able to upgrade the app.

"It's not doing the same thing to TikTok as to WeChat," Ross told Fox. "As to TikTok, it's just upgrades, maintenance things like that, that would be shut down at this stage. The real shutdown would come after Nov. 12 in the event that there is not another transaction. So it's very different how the way the two are being handled."

Commerce Department officials who spoke with reporters on the condition of anonymity Friday slightly contradicted Ross' statements on Fox Business and said neither TikTok nor WeChat will be available to download as of midnight Sunday.

The officials also said that WeChat may continue to function for users who have it installed on their devices, but there may be problems since WeChat uses services run by U.S. companies to deliver data in the app. The officials said TikTok will still function after Sunday if you already have it on your device, but it will cease to function after the Nov. 12 deadline unless a deal is reached before then or Trump rescinds his executive order.

WeChat is a popular marketing and sales tool for U.S. companies primarily in China, but around the world as well. With U.S. social apps like Facebook and Instagram banned in China, WeChat is the primary app people use for social networking and e-commerce. It's also popular with people in the U.S. to communicate with people in China, since U.S. apps are banned in China.

TikTok's Nov. 12 deadline is more than a week after the Nov. 3 presidential election, meaning Trump won't be accused of banning a popular app used by 100 million Americans before they cast their votes. In an interview posted on Snapchat last month, Trump confidant Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C., said he urged the president not to ban TikTok.

In an emailed statement, TikTok said it had already made numerous concessions to address security concerns raised by the Trump Administration, including choosing a U.S. company to host its data and services.

Here's the full statement from TikTok:

We disagree with the decision from the Commerce Department, and are disappointed that it stands to block new app downloads from Sunday and ban use of the TikTok app in the US from November 12. Our community of 100 million U.S. users love TikTok because it's a home for entertainment, self-expression, and connection, and we're committed to protecting their privacy and safety as we continue working to bring joy to families and meaningful careers to those who create on our platform. In our proposal to the U.S. Administration, we've already committed to unprecedented levels of additional transparency and accountability well beyond what other apps are willing to do, including third-party audits, verification of code security, and U.S. government oversight of U.S. data security. Further, an American technology provider would be responsible for maintaining and operating the TikTok network in the U.S., which would include all services and data serving US consumers. We will continue to challenge the unjust executive order, which was enacted without due process and threatens to deprive the American people and small businesses across the US of a significant platform for both a voice and livelihoods.

A Tencent spokesperson told CNBC in a statement that it would continue its discussions with the U.S. government to find a way to keep WeChat functioning in the U.S.

Here's the full statement from Tencent:

We are reviewing the latest announcement from the Department of Commerce restricting the use of WeChat by U.S. users. WeChat was designed to serve international users outside of mainland China and has always incorporated the highest standards of user privacy and data security. Following the initial executive order on August 6, we have engaged in extensive discussions with the U.S. government, and have put forward a comprehensive proposal to address its concerns. The restrictions announced today are unfortunate, but given our desire to provide ongoing services to our users in the U.S.  for whom WeChat is an important communication tool  we will continue to discuss with the government and other stakeholders in the U.S. ways to achieve a long-term solution.

Representatives for Apple and Google did not respond to requests for comment.

TikTok's interim boss Vanessa Pappas, in a reply to Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri, called on Facebook to join its lawsuit against the U.S., which claims the company wasn't allowed due process ahead of a ban. Mosseri told CNBC last week that a TikTok ban would be bad for Instagram and Facebook, since it would lead to a country-by-country regulation of the internet.

Meanwhile, no final decision has been made on the Oracle-TikTok deal, and all parties are still hashing out how the technology and ownership structures of the deal will look, CNBC's Eamon Javers reported Friday, citing a senior administration official. So there's still a chance for TikTok to survive Trump's executive order, but WeChat is considered dead in the U.S., according to the official. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) has not formally met on the TikTok-Oracle deal either.
Denise Paleothodoros was forced into the spotlight due to a past relationship with Steve Easterbrook. Denise Paleothodoros

Denise Paleothodoros saw her personal life dragged into the spotlight because of her romantic relationship to McDonald's ex-CEO Steve Easterbrook from 2014 to 2018.

Easterbrook made headlines when he was fired in November. In August, McDonald's alleged Easterbrook covered up sexual relationships with three employees after he and Paleothodoros broke up.

British tabloids latched onto the scandal, sending reporters to target Paleothodoros, her family, and her ex-husband in what she calls a "surreal and panic-inducing" experience.

"I was deeply and personally hurt. ... My online reputation went from bruised to battered," Paleothodoros told Business Insider in one of a series of recent interviews.

Now, Paleothodoros is working to repair her reputation and build her own PR consultancy.

Easterbrook did not respond to a request for comment placed through his attorney.

Denise Paleothodoros found out she was about to be dragged into a corporate sex scandal when her friend texted her: "Oh my God."

The text was accompanied by a link to the news  that her ex, Steve Easterbrook, had been accused by McDonald's of covering up sexual relationships with three employees during his time as McDonald's CEO. McDonald's said in its complaint, filed in August, that investigators found nude and sexually explicit photos of employees attached to an email that Easterbrook sent himself.

Video: Exploring what McDonalds menu items look like around the world

Within 24 hours, Paleothodoros' name and photo were everywhere. Headlines about sexting and claims against Easterbrook were accompanied by photos of Paleothodoros and Easterbrook together. If any of her PR clients Googled her name, allegations against Easterbrook were the top hit. To make matters worse, the news broke just a few weeks after Paleothodoros launched her own PR consultancy.

"I was deeply and personally hurt," Paleothodoros told Business Insider. "That's when my online reputation went from bruised to battered."

Story continues

Read more: Insiders reveal how former McDonald's CEO Steve Easterbrook went from the chain's savior to its worst nightmare as sex-scandal accusations threaten to envelop the fast-food giant

Paleothodoros recently spoke to Business Insider in a series of interviews about her experience being dragged into McDonald's corporate scandal via Easterbrook, who she dated from 2014 to 2018.

Easterbrook did not respond to a request for comment placed through his attorney.

She shared what it was like for a past relationship to become tabloid fodder, including the invasive experience of being doggedly pursued by the British press. And, she explained how she is now rebuilding her career  including launching her own PR consultancy.

"My first priority was to set the record straight for my children and family, and second, to hopefully avoid misconceptions with potential business partners," Paleothodoros said. "My priority was definitely not about publicity. It was about what is discoverable online in the face of misinformation."

Easterbrook and Paleothodoros met through McDonald's

Paleothodoros was dating Easterbrook when he was promoted to McDonald's CEO. Alyssa Schukar/AP Images

Paleothodoros and Easterbrook met in Sochi, Russia in 2014. She was on the McDonald's account for the Chicago-based PR firm Golin, while he was McDonald's chief brand officer.

In the following months, the professional relationship grew into a friendly flirtation, she said. Paleothodoros and Easterbrook were both going through divorces, and mindful of the impact the relationship could have on their families and careers. When things began to move in a romantic direction, Paleothodoros said both she and Easterbrook alerted higher-ups and she was taken off of the McDonald's account.

"We knew we were above board and that's all that really mattered to us, quite honestly," Paleothodoros said. "We did not flaunt the relationship."

There were some perks of dating Easterbrook, including three trips on the McDonald's private jet. However, Paleothodoros emphasized that their relationship was overall "very, very normal." They would cook dinner in on weeknights, with Easterbrook cleaning up and making Paleothodoros coffee afterwards. On weekends, they explored new restaurants in Chicago and spent time with their families.

"My friends were always very impressed by how he was so humble," Paleothodoros said.

Paleothodoros said she sometimes offered Easterbrook advice as a PR professional, but her correctives were primarily on how to use social media. Nothing about their relationship hinted at McDonald's future allegations against Easterbrook. Indeed, Easterbrook was thriving at the company, being promoted to CEO in 2015.

"He definitely wanted employees to feel energized, to come to work everyday and be passionate about the company and the brand," Paleothodoros said. "He wanted employees to feel proud of who they work for. Professionally speaking, it was important to him that he remain humbly grounded."

The pair broke up as trust 'eroded'

Paleothodoros said Easterbrook changed after he found success at McDonald's. Getty Images

Paleothodoros said that the pair grew apart as Easterbrook found success as McDonald's CEO.

Easterbrook had started spending more time with a group of men within McDonald's network of employees, franchisees, and suppliers. A former McDonald's employee told Business Insider that Easterbrook and his social circle were known to frequent the so-called Viagra Triangle, a Chicago neighborhood filled with bars where older wealthy men go to pick up younger women. Paleothodoros said she was not invited on these outings, and felt that Easterbrook wanted to give the appearance he was single on these nights.

"The trust just eroded. It's just kind of as simple as that," Paleothodoros said. "The actions say it all."

Paleothodoros and Easterbrook stayed in occasional touch following their mutual breakup in April 2018. In October 2019, Paleothodoros reached out to Easterbrook to get coffee after hearing that he was not doing well emotionally. Paleothodoros said she assumed he was dealing with stress related to his high-profile job, as well as separation from his family and friends in the UK. Over coffee, Paleothodoros said, Easterbrook seemed unsteady and emotionally distant  like an entirely different person.

Easterbrook's behavior began to make sense to Paleothodoros a few weeks later. In early November, Easterbrook called Paleothodoros to tell her that he was being terminated from McDonald's, after the company investigated his relationship with a female employee. McDonald's investigators found that the relationship was sexual in nature, allegedly involving sexually explicit text messages and photos, but not physical contact.

"I got the courtesy call, [and] it all started to make sense to me," Paleothodoros said.

Paleothodoros had the 'surreal and panic-inducing' experience of being a British tabloid obsession

After the news of Easterbrook's termination broke, Paleothodoros LinkedIn views skyrocketed as McDonald's employees, PR professionals, and reporters searched her name. She began receiving media inquiries from reporters who heard she and Easterbrook had dated after meeting at work. Ultimately, Paleothodoros decided to confirm her relationship with Easterbrook with The Wall Street Journal.

"The Wall Street Journal had its facts straight  that we had properly disclosed our relationship and I had been removed from the McDonald's business to avoid conflicts of interest," Paleothodoros said. "So, I offered them one comment."

Paleothodoros saw people begin to start searching her LinkedIn after Easterbrook was terminated. When the Wall Street Journal story ran, views exploded. Denise Paleothodoros

That might have been the end of things, if not for the fact that Easterbrook's termination had caught the attention of the British press. Tabloids like The Daily Mail followed the case closely  and soon began targeting Paleothodoros, her friends, and her family as potential sources. The experience, Paleothodoros said, was "surreal and panic-inducing."

"They splashed my LinkedIn picture all over their stories, tried accessing me at my home and office, and went even deeper into my personal life, making home visits to my former husband and also at his restaurant," Paleothodoros said. "They went to the home of my father and my former in-laws. They also visited with my former neighbors."

Paleothodoros said her first instinct was to protect her children, who were 14 and 18 years old at the time. She stayed home from work for weeks to avoid the press. Reporters waited outside her father's house and left notes in his mailbox. Paleothodoros grew fearful and anxious about how intrusive reporting could get.

Easterbrook and Paleothodoros reconnected in the aftermath of the scandal. Paleothodoros said Easterbrook expressed sorrow and remorse for putting her in this position, as he dealt with similar tactics from the British press.

"We were both in professional crisis management mode," Paleothodoros said. "And, because we had this shared experience, we were also there for emotional support."

'I had a constant feeling of embarrassment'

Paleothodoros struggled with lingering anxiety even after reporters moved on from the Easterbrook story. She returned to the office in December, but continued to struggle emotionally.

"I had a constant feeling of embarrassment," Paleothodoros said. "I also felt bad for the unwanted attention that it brought to my company."

After nearly 20 years working at Golin, Paleothodoros began discussing leaving the company. The pandemic created an opportunity to quietly exit in May. While Paleothodoros said the departure was the logical choice for herself and the PR firm, she knew the Easterbrook headlines could make it difficult to find a new job.

"Recruiters were honest with me  that in the current environment, my online reputation may give some hiring managers pause," Paleothodoros said.

So, instead of looking for a new job, Paleothodoros started working on building her own consultancy. She tapped into her network of clients who knew her track record. Paleothodoros said that she was finally letting go of the anxiety that plagued her for months. She quietly launched her consultancy in July.

Then, on August 10, McDonald's sued Easterbrook  and Paleothodoros was dragged right back into the scandal.

This time around, Paleothodoros sprang into action

Paleothodoros sprung into crisis management mode after McDonald's lawsuit. Denise Paleothodoros

Easterbrook hadn't given Paleothodoros a courtesy call before McDonald's filed its lawsuit. The pair haven't spoken since February, Paleothodoros said, when they decided it was time to independently prioritize addressing all the changes in their lives.

While Easterbrook's initial termination was a blow to Paleothodoros' reputation, his being accused of exchanging nude photos with employees was even more devastating.

"This time, tabloids and online AI content were identifying me as the only known woman associated with nude photos," Paleothodoros said. "These stories now topped Google searches on my name. Google trends showed high activity of my name being searched, and my LinkedIn views quickly increased nearly 4,000%."

Paleothodoros leaped into crisis management mode almost immediately. She spoke with clients one-on-one to tell them about the news and what actions she planned to take. Paleothodoros said she has not lost a single deal because of the scandal. Paleothodoros also decided to speak with The Daily Mail  one of the tabloids that had relentlessly sought out interviews in November.

"While I knew I'd surrender to their sensational style of storytelling, I agreed to move forward for a few reasons: their content does not hide behind a paywall, they were already cobbling together secondary information about our relationship, and they had already been dominating my Google search for months," Paleothodoros said.

Some of Paleothodoros' other plans for crisis management were already in place prior to the latest allegations against Easterbrook.

After getting a proposal saying it would cost more than $200,000 to clean up her Google search results, Paleothodoros developed her own multi-year plan to fix her SEO. Paleothodoros has been more active on social media and started writing about things she is passionate about, including how menopause impacts women professionally. She is also planning on changing her name back to her maiden name, losing the unique "Paleothodoros" surname.

As she manages the chaos, Paleothodoros remains struck by how different the version of Easterbrook portrayed in McDonald's lawsuit is from the man she knew. Paleothodoros never thought she would speak publicly about her relationship, much less more than two years after it ended. But, she said, she felt it was the decision she had to make.

"When you're faced with a crisis like this, you act in ways that prioritize the audience that matters the most to you," Paleothodoros said. "When all is said and done in the end, who and what really matter?"

Read the original article on Business Insider
Following a new study released by the Centers for Disease Control suggesting a connection between the spread of COVID-19 and going out to eat, the top immunologist in the nation has called for continued shutdowns.

In an interview with MSNBC, Dr. Anthony Fauci said bars and restaurants should remain closed until the spread of COVID-19 can be maintained in areas of the nation seeing rising cases.

When you have restaurants, indoors, in a situation where you have a high degree of infection in the community, youre not wearing masks, thats a problem, Dr Fauci said.

Bars are a really important place of spreading infection, theres not doubt about that.

In a CDC study released last week, researchers spoke with hundreds of Americans, including more than 300 symptomatic patients sought testing at 11 health care facilities across the United States, including Baystate Medical Center in Springfield and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

Patients were asked about their adherence to social distancing protocols and wearing a mask as well as their work and recreational activities prior to receiving a positive diagnosis for coronavirus.

Among the social activities asked about were shopping, dining in a restaurant and going to a coffee shop, gym or salon.

About half of the participants reported shopping or visiting others inside a home within two weeks of reporting symptoms. No significant differences were observed between case-patients and control-participants in shopping or small gatherings of less than 10 people in a home. However, researchers say the data suggests a strong correlation between dining out and positive COVID cases.

Adults with positive SARS-CoV-2 test results were approximately twice as likely to have reported dining at a restaurant than were those with negative SARS-CoV-2 test results, the report states. This included both indoor dining as well as patio and outdoor seating, researchers said.

The CDC study cites the difficulty to maintain social distancing and mask use when eating and drinking on-site.

In Massachusetts, restaurants were restricted to carry out service only in late March amid a series of COVID health orders, including the closure of schools and non-essential businesses.

The state has reopened in phases over the months since, with restaurants allowed to offer outdoor dining under strict restrictions starting in early June, then indoor dining two weeks later.

For indoor dining, tables need to be placed at least 6 feet away from each other unless the tables are separated by some of barrier. Tables may only have groups of up to six people.

All patrons must wear a mask while waiting to be seated. Restaurants cannot hand out reusable menus and must either give out single-use paper menus or use a chalkboard or online menu to display items.

Restaurants are being encouraged to use call-ahead seating or reservations.

If a restaurant has a COVID-19 case, it must temporarily close to undergo cleaning.

More on the guidelines can be found here.

Bars cannot reopen until the state enters its final phase of reopening, which is scheduled to start when a vaccine is available. Bars were moved to the final phase in June. Gov. Charlie Baker said the decision was made in part due to issues presented in other states.

The big issue with respect to bars is coming up with a model that we actually believe can be done safely, Baker said in June. As weve seen in a number of other places around the country that have moved forward very aggressively, theyve started to see a pretty significant rise in new cases, and were going to work very hard to make sure that doesnt happen in Massachusetts.

The commonwealth is one of just over two dozen states where the number of new cases remain relatively low compared to other parts of the U.S.

Massachusetts officials confirmed 419 new cases of COVID-19, for a total now of at least 124,139 as of Thursday. The statewide death count topped 9,000 this week since the start of the pandemic.

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A 21-year-old woman was arrested in Bhopal on Friday for allegedly killing her one-month-old daughter since she wanted a male child, according to the police.

The woman, Sarita Mewada, a resident of Dehriya Khajoori village of the district was arrested under Section 302 (murder) of IPC after the police found inconsistencies in her statements. She confessed to the crime later, the police said.

Deputy inspector general (DIG) of police, Bhopal, Irshad Wali said, The father of the baby, Sachin Mewada, lodged a complaint with the Khajoori police station on Thursday about his daughter reported missing from inside his house. A police team recovered the body of the baby from inside a 500 litre water tank kept inside a room of the complainants house with the lid shut from the top.

During the investigation police got to know that the child and her mother Sarita were alone in the house when the child was reported missing by the mother, he added.

Police interrogated Sarita Mewada and she confessed to having committed the crime.

The DIG said, In her statement given to the police, Sarita said she married Sachin Mewada a year ago. In August, she gave birth to a girl child but she was not happy as she wanted a boy. Sarita said her in-laws were also unhappy over the birth of the girl child. On Thursday, the baby was crying when she got upset and dropped her in the water tank. Then, she closed the lid of the tank.

The woman was produced before the district court from where she was sent to jail under judicial remand.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Shruti Tomar She is a senior reporter based at Bhopal. She covers higher education, social issues, youth affairs, woman and child development related issues, sports and business & industries. ...view detail
The lawyer leading the inquiry into Victoria's hotel quarantine has foreshadowed strong conclusions likely to embarrass the state government.

Counsel assisting the inquiry Rachel Ellyard said on Friday evidence would show the system might have increased the risk of spreading COVID-19 and that Victorian authorities probably knew of the offer of military help, despite statements that appear to contradict the claim.

Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton. Credit:Jamie Brown

The comments came on Friday as Premier Daniel Andrews, Health Minister Jenny Mikakos, Police Minister Lisa Neville and Jobs Minister Martin Pakula prepare to face the hearings next Wednesday.

Final submissions to the inquiry are expected within the next fortnight. In summarising the evidence, Ms Ellyard said inadequacies in cleaning, poor comprehension about the use of personal protective equipment and infection prevention and control in hotel quarantine were known to be deficient before outbreaks occurred.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Experiencing multiple stressors triggered by the COVID-19 pandemicsuch as unemploymentand COVID-19-related media consumption are directly linked to rising acute stress and depressive symptoms across the U.S., according to a groundbreaking University of California, Irvine study.

The report appears in Science Advances.

"The pandemic is not hitting all communities equally," said lead author E. Alison Holman, UCI professor of nursing. "People have lost wages, jobs and loved ones with record speed. Individuals living with chronic mental and physical illness are struggling; young people are struggling; poor communities are struggling. Mental health services need to be tailored to those most in need right now."

In addition, the research highlights the connection between mental health and exposure to media coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting the need to step away from the television, computer or smartphone to protect psychological well-being.

"The media is a critical source of information for people when they're faced with ambiguous, ongoing disasters," said Roxane Cohen Silver, professor of psychological science and one of the study's principal investigators. "But too much exposure can be overwhelming and lead to more stress, worry and perceived risks."

With funding from a National Science Foundation RAPID grant, Holman, Silver, and co-investigators Dana Rose Garfin and Rebecca R. Thompson conducted a national survey of more than 6,500 U.S. residents in March and April 2020, as illness and deaths were rising around the country. Using the NORC AmeriSpeak panel, the study was the first of its kind to examine early predictors of rising mental health problems across the nation. The design let researchers evaluate the effects of the pandemic as it was unfolding in real time.

"Over the course of the study, the size of the pandemic shifted dramatically," Holman said. Accordingly, people surveyed later in the study period reported the highest rate of acute stress and depressive symptoms.

The UCI team's findings offer insights into priorities for building community resilience in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic:

Those with pre-existing mental and physical conditions are more likely to show both acute stress and depressive symptoms.

Secondary stressorsjob and wage loss, a shortage of necessitiesare also strong predictors in the development of these symptoms.

Extensive exposure to pandemic-related news and conflicting information in the news are among the strongest predictors of pandemic-specific acute stress.

"It's critical that we prioritize providing resources to communities most in need of support right nowthe unemployed, poor or chronically ill people, and young people," Holman said. "We also encourage the public to limit exposure to media as an important public health intervention. It can prevent mental and physical health symptoms and promote resilience."

More information: The unfolding COVID-19 pandemic: A probability-based, nationally representative study of mental health in the U.S. Science Advances (2020). advances.sciencemag.org/conten  09/18/sciadv.abd5390 Journal information: Science Advances The unfolding COVID-19 pandemic: A probability-based, nationally representative study of mental health in the U.S.(2020). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abd5390
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Coronavirus restrictions were tightened in Dublin for the second time in a week on Friday, as Ireland's capital becomes the epicentre of a fresh wave of infections countrywide.

"Here, in our capital, despite people's best efforts over recent weeks, we are in a very dangerous place," Prime Minister Micheal Martin said in a national televised address.

"Without further urgent and decisive action, there's a very real threat that Dublin could return to the worst days of this crisis."

The new measures, which include not crossing Dublin county boundaries unless for "work, education and other essential purposes", take effect at 2300 GMT and last for three weeks.

Home visits will only be permitted from one other household with a maximum of six individuals.

Meanwhile outdoor gatherings are limited to 15 and "no organised indoor gatherings should take place", Martin outlined.

Indoor dining at restaurants, pubs and cafes will also be discontinued.

At a news conference after the address, Martin said "there will be regulations in respect of quite a number of the measures", including an increased police presence in Dublin.

But he appealed to residents to comply voluntarily.

A total of 1,792 people have died in the coronavirus outbreak in Ireland, according to latest department of health figures.

Daily deaths peaked at 77 in April and now remain consistently in the single digits but, as elsewhere in Europe, the country is seeing a sharp rise in new infections.

Of the 253 new cases announced on Friday, 116 were from Dublin and the city has a 14-day incidence rate roughly double the national figure.

The fresh restrictions for the 1.3 million population of Dublin County follow an earlier set of localised measures announced on Tuesday.

The government then restricted household gatherings and announced the city's so-called "wet pubs"those serving drink onlywould not open on Monday in line with those in the rest of the country.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2020 AFP
Washington: A former adviser to Vice-President Mike Pence says President Donald Trump once suggested that COVID-19 might be a good thing because it would stop him from having to shake hands with "disgusting people".

Olivia Troye, who served on the White House coronavirus taskforce, is the latest former member of the Trump administration to urge voters to back Democrat Joe Biden for the presidency.

She joins a growing list that includes Miles Taylor, former chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security, and former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci.

Trump said on Thursday that he did not know Troye, who was Pence's homeland security adviser.
The world is filled with influencers and content creators, focusing on their craft and sharing it upon the whole world. Recently, a 14-year-old teenager in Germany, Silas Heineken, gathered buzz, popularity, and a considerable subscriber count on YouTube for providing the world with Tesla's Gigafactory Berlin drone shots, showing its updates and progress. 'Tesla Kid' will also see Musk in the future with a promised internship in his company.

During Elon Musk's trip to Germany for a visit to CureVac, Musk also toured the country and went on places he has business in. Musk's primary concern is to push through and review the status of the partnership between Tesla and CureVac to create its unique RNA-based Coronavirus vaccine to help the world get back on its feet.

Once released, the vaccine would be a revolutionary take on the race to provide the world immunity as it utilizes ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecules to fight off the virus. After Musk visited CureVac's facility, the CEO went to Berlin and visited the Tesla Gigafactory Berlin facility that is still under construction.

Elon Musk faced the press and engaged in interviews with reporters, and mingled with fans. Among the vast audience, Silas Heineken was waiting for Musk patiently, until a chance showed itself, allowing a short but meaningful conversation between the two.

Silas Heineken did not waste time with fanboying and admiring Elon Musk in the flesh; Instead, 'Tesla Kid' asked the CEO for an internship position on Neuralink to which Musk himself answered, "Yes, It's in California, but yes."

Here is the audio of me talking to him: pic.twitter.com/wxnEOA1If7  Tesla Kid Grunheide (@TeslaKidGiga4) September 2, 2020

ALSO READ: Tesla Saves! Twitter User Thanks Elon Musk for Survival of Husband After Horrific Crash-Some Oppose CEO's Efforts

Meet Silas Heineken a.k.a. 'Tesla Kid Grunheide'



As he calls himself, Tesla Kid is from Grunheide (Mark), Germany, near the Gigafactory Berlin construction site. The 14-year-old kid was fascinated with Tesla's first European plant near his home; he decided to fly his drone to see the updates and, of course, give the world an 'insider' with the cutting-edged construction process.

Tesla Kid gains support from his father, who assists him by bringing him near Gigafactory's construction site and even the famed interview to meet the Tesla and SpaceX CEO during his September Germany trip.

Tesla Kid's Social Media Status

Silas Heineken is primarily based on Germany, who received a wide-audience on his YouTube Channel, Tesla Kid, with more than 14,400 subscribers up to date. Heineken first set up his YouTube account in May 2019 and has grown to have 735,834 views for all of his videos.

'Tesla Kid' gives the world high-quality 4K drone shots, which he shoots, flies, and edits. Silas Heineken also shares his videos and progress on Twitter (@TeslaKidGiga4). Twitter also saw Heineken's tweets, including screenshots and the audio clip from his famed interview with Elon Musk.

Silas Heineken's first video was uploaded seven months ago in February 2020 that showed the world the first changes in the famed Gigafactory Berlin. The breathtaking and high-quality video was loved by Tesla Fans and enthusiasts worldwide and received a whopping 111,000 views as of today.

Neuralink Internship and the future awaits Tesla Kid

Silas Heineken created a name for himself using his skills and talent as a drone pilot operator. Technology runs in 'Tesla Kid's veins as he aspired to go to Neuralink for an internship, learn more of the medical science, and get somehow close to his inspiration, Elon Musk.

According to Tesmanian, Silas Heineken would ask to write a formal letter addressed to Neuralink and Elon Musk to take the CEO's opportunity to him.

Heineken would travel to California on Easter 2021 and go under Neuralink's internship program to know more about the brain implant surgery and technology that the company proudly shares.

ALSO READ: Fact Check: Will Elon Musk's Neuralink Get U2 Record Preloaded on Brain Chip as a Memory and Not Spotify?









This article is owned by Tech Times





Written by Isaiah Alonzo

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: The city police, along with a private organisation, distributed Rs 10.75 lakh towards the education of the children of police personnel who died in the last two years. The cheque was provided by Jain International Trade Organisation. The cash was distributed among 96 children who had lost their parents to Covid, other ailments or accidents.

The initiative took shape after Police Commissioner Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal visited the St Thomas Mount Police Quarters in August. I visited the place to inaugurate a community hall for the police families. There I met a Class 12 girl who lost her father a few weeks back.

Her mother requested me to extend their stay in the quarters and I later heard that the girl could not get admitted to college as they were mourning the policeman, Aggarwal said. The girl was then secured admission in a private college with scholarship, and the Chennai police decided to get help to support the education of children of policemen who died recently.

The city police had lost around 70 personnel in the past two years. Around 13 students studying professional courses each received Rs 25,000. While 17 college students (UG and PG) and diploma students received Rs 15,000 each, around 66 school children received Rs 7,500 each. The police said arrangements are being made to provide the stipend to the children throughout their education.
Adding calcium to graphene creates an extremely-promising superconductor, but where does the calcium go?

Adding calcium to a composite graphene-substrate structure creates a high transition-temperature (Tc) superconductor.

In a new study, an Australian-led team has for the first time confirmed what actually happens to those calcium atoms: surprising everyone, the calcium goes underneath both the upper graphene sheet and a lower 'buffer' sheet, 'floating' the graphene on a bed of calcium atoms.

Superconducting calcium-injected graphene holds great promise for energy-efficient electronics and transparent electronics.

STUDYING CALCIUM-DOPED GRAPHENE: THROWING OFF THE DUVET

Graphene's properties can be fine-tuned by injection of another material (a process known as 'intercalation') either underneath the graphene, or between two graphene sheets.

This injection of foreign atoms or molecules alters the electronic properties of the graphene by either increasing its conductance, decreasing interactions with the substrate, or both.

Injecting calcium into graphite creates a composite material (calcium-intercalated graphite, CaC6) with a relatively 'high' superconducting transition temperature (Tc). In this case, the calcium atoms ultimately reside between graphene sheets.

Injecting calcium into graphene on a silicon-carbide substrate also creates a high-Tc superconductor, and we always thought we knew where the calcium went in this case too...

Graphene on silicon-carbide has two layers of carbon atoms: one graphene layer on top of another 'buffer layer': a carbon layer (graphene-like in structure) that forms between the graphene and the silicon-carbide substrate during synthesis, and is non-conducting due to being partially bonded to the substrate surface.

"Imagine the silicon carbide is like a mattress with a fitted sheet (the buffer layer bonded to it) and a flat sheet (the graphene)," explains lead author Jimmy Kotsakidis.

Conventional wisdom held that calcium should inject between the two carbon layers (between two sheets), similar to injection between the graphene layers in graphite. Surprisingly, the Monash University-led team found that when injected, the calcium atoms' final destination location instead lies between buffer layer and the underlying silicon-carbide substrate (between the fitted sheet and the mattress!).

"It was quite a surprise to us when we realised that the calcium was bonding to the silicon surface of the substrate, it really went against what we thought would happen", explains Kotsakidis.

Upon injection, the calcium breaks the bonds between the buffer layer and substrate surface, thus, causing the buffer layer to 'float' above the substrate, creating a new, quasi-freestanding bilayer graphene structure (Ca-QFSBLG).

This result was unanticipated, with extensive previous studies not considering calcium intercalation underneath the buffer layer. The study thus resolves long-standing confusion and controversy regarding the position of the intercalated calcium.

###

THE STUDY

The paper Freestanding n?Doped Graphene via Intercalation of Calcium and Magnesium into the Buffer Layer?SiC(0001) Interface was published in Chemistry of Materials in July 2020 (DOI 10.1021/acs.chemmater.0c01729).

As well as the Australian Research Council (Laureate Fellowship and Centres of Excellence program), the authors acknowledge support of the Australian Government Research Training Program, Monash Centre for Atomically Thin Materials (MCATM), Ministerio de Ciencia Innovatio?n y Universidades, Comunidad de Madrid, and the US Naval Research Laboratory.

Computational support came from the Monash Campus Cluster, NCI computational facility and Pawsey Supercomputing Facility, and research was undertaken in part at ANSTO's Australian Synchrotron.
WASHINGTON  Lev Parnas, a Soviet-born former associate of Rudy Giuliani who worked to dig up dirt on President Donald Trump's political rivals, is facing additional charges for allegedly defrauding potential investors in order to raise money for his company.

Parnas and a business partner were charged with wire fraud in connection with an effort to raise money for a company called Fraud Guarantee, federal prosecutors in Manhattan announced Thursday. He and three other men are already facing charges in a scheme to funnel foreign money to U.S. political campaigns.

The criminal charges, first filed at the height of the impeachment inquiry against Trump, were brought by an office of the Department of Justice that has also been examining Giuliani and his business ties in Ukraine. Giuliani, Parnas and another Soviet-born associate, Igor Fruman, were instrumental in the effort to find damaging information on Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden  the scheme that led to the impeachment inquiry against Trump.

Lev Parnas arrives at federal court for an arraignment hearing on October 23, 2019.

The middleman: How Lev Parnas joined Team Trump and became Rudy Giuliani's fixer in Ukraine

Before they were indicted, the two showered Republican campaign committees with nearly $500,000 and dined with Trump at the White House.

The new fraud charges involve Parnas and his business partner, David Correia, who are accused of swindling victims into investing in Fraud Guarantee, a company that was supposed to protect investors from fraud.

"'Fraud Guarantee' takes on a different meaning in light of todays allegations that the company was a vehicle for committing fraud, not insuring against it," Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said in a statement.

Prosecutors said the two falsely claimed the funds will be used for legitimate business purposes, but, instead, used the money to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in rent and luxury car leases and to make political donations.

From left in this Facebook post, Donald Trump Jr., Tommy Hicks Jr., Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman.

More than $30,000 in investors' contributions went to luxury car companies, and $50,000 funded a political contribution, according to the indictment.

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At least seven investors collectively put more than $2 million into Fraud Guarantee, including one who taped Correia saying, "Millions, man. I don't misspeak," when the victim asked how much had been invested in the company, according to the indictment.

Giuliani associates charged: Two Giuliani associates involved in Trump-Ukraine controversy arrested on campaign finance charges

Parnas and Correia also misrepresented Parnas' personal investment in Fraud Guarantee, claiming that his "capital account" was as high as $1.1 million, prosecutors said.

Parnas, Fruman, Correia and another associate, Andrey Kukushkin, were charged in October 2019 of violating campaign finance laws by funneling hundreds of thousands of dollars in foreign money to federal and state candidates and political action committees.

The questioned funding included a $325,000 contribution to a political action committee backing Trump.

Responding to the new charges, Joseph Bondy, Parnas' attorney, said in a tweet that his client has been on strict home confinement for nearly a year as he waited for the additional charges.

Correia's attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ex-Giuliani associate Lev Parnas faces fraud charges tied to Fraud Guarantee
Higher education staff are furious a top American university is receiving JobKeeper wage subsidies when Australian institutions are missing out.

Public university staff blame thousands of job losses on the Morrison government's decision to exclude them from the JobKeeper scheme.

They are baffled the New York University's Sydney campus qualifies for the payments.

National Tertiary Education Union president Alison Barnes said Australian public universities had already slashed more than 11,000 jobs and more cuts were on the way.

National Tertiary Education Union president Alison Barnes (pictured) said Australian public universities had already slashed more than 11,000 jobs and more cuts were on the way

She asked how the government could allow four private universities and even the Sydney campus of New York University (pictured) to access JobKeeper

'The Morrison government changed the rules three times to prevent these universities from accessing JobKeeper,' Dr Barnes said on Friday.

'Yet four private universities in Australia and even the Sydney campus of New York University have been able to access JobKeeper.

'How can the government allow this to happen? The higher education sector is being decimated daily. Most of these job losses could have been prevented if universities were able to access JobKeeper.'

Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi accused the federal government of double standards.

'The government should have exactly the same rules for universities and not try to exclude public universities,' she said.

But Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said Australian universities were being funded by taxpayers in other ways.

'That is not support that is available to foreign universities that may have a domestic campus, so it's a different situation,' he told reporters.

'You are talking about an apple and an orange.'

Labor's education spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek described the explanation as insane.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg (pictured) said Australian universities were being funded by taxpayers in other ways

'I would like Scott Morrison to answer to those families that have lost jobs, why is it that their jobs don't matter?' she said.

'Why is it that these Australian jobs don't matter and yet the government has subsidised this very wealthy foreign university?'

The sector is under immense pressure, with the Australian National University and the University of NSW announcing major jobs losses this week.

While around 250 ANU staff have taken voluntary redundancies, a further 215 will go over the next nine months.

UNSW, which has also accepted voluntary redundancies, will axe a further 256 staff.

New York University spokesman John Beckman told Daily Mail Australia that COVID-19 prevented students from travelling to the international campus.

'Because of the COVID-related restrictions on international travel, students were not able to travel there as usual for this year's fall semester, resulting in a very large impact on NYU Sydney's budget,' Mr Beckman said.

'NYU Sydney's employees are all Australian workers. NYU Sydney applied for Jobkeeper funds for the reason we understand the program to have been put in place: to provide financial support to Australian workers who otherwise might have been laid off or furloughed due to the financial impact of the COVID crisis.

'And that's the purpose to which the funding has been put.'
Ex-Khabarovsk Region Governor accused of businessmen murder to stay detained until winter

 The press service of Moscow's Basmanny District Court

13:00 18/09/2020

MOSCOW, September 18 (RAPSI)  The Moscow City Court on Friday upheld extension of detention of Khabarovsk Region Governor Sergey Furgal charged with organized murders of businessmen in 2004-2005, RAPSI reported from the courtroom.

On September 3, the Basmanny District Court of Moscow extended detention of Furgal until December 9.

On July 10, Moscows Basmanny District Court placed Furgal charged with killing and attempted murders of businessmen in detention. The hearing was held behind closed doors. A judge took the decision granting a motion of investigators who said about threats against other defendants in the case.

Furgal denied his guilt and political nature of the case.

Governor of the Khabarovsk Region Sergey Furgal was arrested on July 9. According to investigators, crimes were committed by an organized criminal group allegedly led by Furgal in Russias Khabarovsk and Amur Regions in 2004-2005. Earlier, four alleged members of the gang were arrested and placed in detention.

Born in the Amur Region, Furgal worked as general physician at a hospital more than 6 years before the start of his political career. After being discharged from healthcare in 1999, he went in for business, according to his biography on the Khabarovsk Krai governments website. He was elected as the State Duma lawmaker three times.

In September 2018, he was elected as a Khabarovsk Region governor by popular vote.
Seattle Center photo

There will be no grape stomp this year  but people can still join in online Sept. 26-27 as Seattle Center Festal celebrates All Things Italian, with music, cooking demonstrations, Italian dog and car shows, Le Arti della Festa, historical photos and more.




ROSS TOWNSHIP, PA The North Hills School Dtstrict will move to a hybrid operational mode on Oct. 5 after school directors on Thursday approved superintendent Patrick Mannarino's recommendation to do so.



Under the hybrid plan, students will attend school two days in-person and three days virtually.

Students with last names A-L will attend in-person on Monday and Tuesday and virtually Wednesday through Friday. Students with last names M-Z will attend school virtually Monday through Wednesday and in-person on Thursday and Friday.



"Ill admit, the incredible job were doing [in the full virtual model] is making the decision to change the operational model to hybrid a difficult one but we all agree that the best place for children to receive their education is in-person and face-to-face," Mannarino said at the start of Thursdays meeting, according to a district release.

Mannarinos recommendation was based on, among other things, the community transmission rate as defined by the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

The metric weighs two factors from the most recent seven day period, the incidence rate per 100,000 residents and percent positivity rate. The two statistics together lead to a countys

transmission rate, which can be low, moderate or substantial. Allegheny County has been moderate since the end of July and when in the moderate range, hybrid instruction is acceptable.



Traditional building start and end times will return under the hybrid plan and that schedule will remain for the rest of the school year regardless of the instructional model, whether the student is remote or in-person or if there is an unplanned school closure related to COVID, the weather or another factor.

In hybrid, lessons will be streamed live from teachers classrooms so both in-person and remote students can watch, however, interactions with the teacher and remote students will be limited during the live instruction.

The online attendance form must be submitted for each school day a student is attending virtually. Teachers will take attendance of students on in-person days.

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October 1 and 2 will be asynchronous and independent school days to allow teachers time to prepare their classrooms for the hybrid. There will be no live lessons.

There will be no district morning or after school care during the hybrid. Information regarding YMCA after care is forthcoming.

All student meals are free through Dec. 31 via the cafeteria on in-person days or curbside pick up on virtual days. Complete information is available at nhsd.net/menus.aspx.

The district has launched a new COVID-19 tracker to keep track of both active cases in the district by building and cases that have been cleared by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

This article originally appeared on the North Hills Patch
Iconic Hollywood actress Glenn Close shared never-before-seen snaps from her Stepford Wives days.

The 73-year-old Golden Globe winner took to Instagram on Thursday to give fans a behind the scenes look at her cinched undergarments from the 2004 film as she posed in her dressing room.

Wearing nothing but a nude corset, she put her fantastic frame on display as she showed off for the camera in full hair and makeup.

Snatched: Glenn Close, 73, shared flashback snap from her time filming Stepford Wives in 2004. The then 56-year-old actress looked absolutely stunning in a cinched corset as she revealed her elaborate undergarment worn daily on set

Glenn who was 56 at the time of her role as Claire Wellington, looked fantastic for any age as she posed for the sultry '#tbt' that oozed Marilyn Monroe vibes.

Taking a trip down memory lane, Close revealed some insider information as she discussed the 'unexpectedly long' filming process while flashing some skin.

'Throw back to my dressing room at the Kaufman Astoria Studio in Astoria, Queens, where much of STEPFORD WIVES was shot. Rather elaborate underpinnings! Quite a challenge to wear for a full day of shooting!' she shared.

'Beside me are Bill and Peteymy faithful entourage. Love the crinoline slip in the closet. It was an unexpectedly long shoot' she added as she admired every detail of the photo.

Stepford Wives: Glenn played the role of puppet master villain Claire Wellington - a woman who creates a 'utopian' town where women are forced to display picturesque beauty and must claim antiquated gender roles

Glenn continued to share with her fans, 'My dear friend Chris Walken and I didnt know which of us were to be robots until the very end. Ironically, that uncertainty had no impact on our performances!!'.

She added, 'Great wig built and styled by the genius wig maker, Martial Corneville' as she paid respect to the impeccable hair and makeup that pervaded all the women in the film.

The 2004 film was a movie adaptation from a 1975 thriller novel of the same name.

With a $90M budget the film garnered a star studded cast including Christopher Walken, Nicole Kidman, Bette Midler, Matthew Broderick and Faith Hill.

Spilling tea: In her post Glenn revealed that neither she nor Christopher Walken knew which of their characters would end up as a robot til the very end of shooting

Glenn played the role of puppet master villain Claire Wellington - a woman who creates a 'utopian' town where women are forced to display picturesque beauty and claim antiquated gender roles.

In Close's real life she is nothing like her character though she does reside in a picturesque community on the east coast.

The seven-time Oscar nominee has had an estate in Bedford, New York for almost 30 years that she calls Beanfield, though she finally sold it in February.

The actress fancies herself a bit of an outdoors-woman as she frequently shares hiking snaps to social media of her and her Havanese, Pip on her down time.

Beanfield: Glenn has owned an estate in Bedford, NY for over 30 years. In quarantine Close has taken her love of the great outdoors to the next level as she shares hiking snaps often to her social media

Just days ago she revealed that she had fallen during hiking and had to receive nine stitches in her leg, though at her age she has proven to be quite resilient

Close has also been incredibly devoted to her nonprofit organization Bring Change 2 Mind which focuses on mental health.

She shares a daughter, Annie Stark, 32, with friend and producer, John Starke, who she was linked to when she got her breakthrough role in Fatal Attraction in 1987.

Glenn is set to appear in Hillbilly Elegy, a movie from Ron Howard that will be released on Netflix in November 2020.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 05:49:02|Editor: huaxia

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BUENOS AIRES, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Argentina's national budget for 2021 includes a 50 percent increase in spending on healthcare to better tackle the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Health Minister Gines Gonzalez Garcia said on Thursday.

"Health is a priority," Gonzalez Garcia said in an interview with Public Television, Argentina's state-run channel.

"Despite all the difficulties Argentina's economy has, and all the things that must be corrected, the budget for next year that is going to Congress has a 50 percent increase compared to what we have in 2020, which is already very generous," said Gonzalez Garcia.

"We have provided the entire country with ventilators, monitors and personal protective clothing, and in many provinces we even expanded the capacity of the private (health) sector, providing equipment on loan to improve their response," he said.

The effort has paid off, said Gonzalez Garcia, adding "we are a country with a low fatality rate, among the three lowest in the Americas."

Argentina has reported a total of 589,012 cases of COVID-19 infection and 12,229 deaths from the disease, for a fatality rate of 2.07 percent. Enditem
Queen Elizabeth II officially decided Friday that Harvey Weinstein will no longer hold his CBE title. The disgraced movie mogul had originally received the prestigious honor for his production of the film, Shakespeare in Love and his contribution to the British film industry.

The palace placed an official statement in the London Gazette proclaiming, The Queen has directed the appointment of Harvey Weinstein to be an Honorary Commander of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, dated 29 January 2004, shall be cancelled and annulled, and that his name shall be erased from the Register of the said Order. The honor is typically granted to those individuals who have done exemplary work within the arts and sciences, charities, or other forms of outstanding public service. The honor was first established by King George V in 1917 to reward civilian and military wartime service.

Harvey Weinstein arrives at a Manhattan courthouse for his rape trial, Monday, Feb. 24, 2020, in New York. A jury convicted the Hollywood mogul of rape and sexual assault. The jury found him not guilty of the most serious charge, predatory sexual assault, which could have resulted in a life sentence.(AP Photo/John Minchillo)AP

NBC News reports that stripping a recipient of an official U.K. honor is rare. Instances in which this occurs includes when the honoree has been found guilty by the courts of a criminal offense and sentenced to a term of imprisonment of more than three months.

Weinstein certainly falls within the aforementioned instance. He is currently sentenced up to 23 years in prison on convictions of rape and sexual assault. The revelation of his activities sparked the #MeToo movement, inspiring discussions surrounding the darker parts of Hollywood.
Faced with a bureaucratic logjam above him and a spiraling coronavirus outbreak aboard his aircraft carrier, Navy Capt. Brett Crozier told investigators he knew sending up a red flare would jeopardize his military career, but he did it to avoid catastrophe.

My intent in sending the email ... was to bring a sense of urgency to a rapidly deteriorating and potentially deadly situation onboard the (Theodore Roosevelt) and avoid a larger catastrophe and loss of life, Crozier said in a witness statement obtained exclusively by The Chronicle on Thursday.

Although my method may have been imperfect, I reached out to those in my Chain of Command whom I believed were in the best position to provide immediate assistance to expedite the necessary decision and action, he said. Despite possible long term repercussions to my career, I acted in what I believed was in the best interest of the Sailors aboard TR.

The Santa Rosa natives 26-page witness statement, recorded during the Navys investigation into the handling of the outbreak aboard the nuclear aircraft carrier, provides the first glimpse into Croziers thought process before he sent the letter that shook the Navy and military world to its core.

The 50-year-old captain, subsequently stripped of his position and found unfit to command a Navy unit, discussed his decision-making process from an early March port visit in Vietnam to his final discussions with Thomas Modly, then-acting Navy secretary. Modly later resigned over the incident.

In addition to Croziers statement, The Chronicle reviewed thousands of pages of investigatory records and witness statements that showed that much of Croziers crew was fiercely loyal to the captain and suspicious of his firing. Some crew members questioned whether Navy brass did the bidding of President Trump, who had criticized Crozier early on.

I feel (Crozier) was willing to fall on his sword to show that appropriate actions were not being taken. ... I think that he was relieved because of a political decision by Modly or possibly at the OSD/POTUS level, said Roosevelt Executive Officer Capt. Daniel Keeler in his witness statement.

He likened Croziers dismissal to dropping a nuclear bomb in the middle of an ongoing crisis.

However, many of Croziers bosses were critical of his actions, saying his email was unnecessary because action was already under way to evacuate the crowded and infected warship. When asked how much trust he had in Crozier commanding a ship, Vice Adm. William Merz, commander of the 7h Fleet, was frank: Zero.

Based on the regular and timely feed of information to him and his team, either he wasnt listening, could not comprehend, or maliciously undermined the response, Merz told investigators. When he did act, he did so in a way arguably the most inappropriate possible and in spite of all other avenues being available. All fatal flaws  not fit for command.

The Roosevelt saga began in March at the infancy of the pandemic and with few outbreaks among the military. On March 30, as dozens of sailors tested positive after the carrier docked in Guam, a frustrated Crozier wrote a letter saying more needed to be done to remove his 5,000 sailors from the ship or lives would be lost. He complained that pier-side accommodations didnt have proper social distancing, lacked individual bathroom facilities and had poor ventilation.

Over 1,200 sailors  more than 1 in 5  would test positive for the virus, including Crozier, who spent a month in Guam isolation before he tested negative and returned home to San Diego. Several would be hospitalized and one would die from COVID-19 complications. Days after The Chronicle exclusively reported on Croziers explosive email, he was relieved of his command, receiving a heros send-off from his crew.

In April, Navy officials initially recommended Croziers reinstatement, but a deeper investigation led to a June decision to not bring Crozier back to helm the Roosevelt. Naval officials said only that Crozier would be reassigned and be ineligible for future command posts. Crozier has kept a low profile and not spoken publicly since the ordeal, but has been showered with international accolades.

Crozier gave his statement to investigators on May 8.

In mid-March, when the first three positive cases were found aboard the warship, Crozier described how he instituted Bleachapalooza  twice daily scrubbing with all hands  along with shutting down gyms, a barbershop and other operations. Infected sailors and those with close contacts were isolated in the aft of the ship. Crozier would later be criticized for prematurely releasing sailors from that quarantine zone, possibly spreading the virus among the rest of the ship.

However, his second-in-command, Keeler, called the aft berthing plan a failure, and said the spread was already taking hold in the rest of the ship.

We had some true human suffering in aft berthing. Conditions were poor, Keeler told investigators. Family members were complaining about sailors stuck in close quarters with sick colleagues, a lack of food and bleak conditions. I regret attempting it and would not do it again.

As more men and women got sick, conditions deteriorated and Crozier and his officers worked to get the bulk of the crew offloaded and isolated, with a limited number of sailors staying onboard. Testing capabilities were limited, Senior Medical Officer Capt. John York said, with the ship limited to 40 diagnostic tests a day.

handout / Courtesy US Navy

As Crozier began discussions with Navy higher-ups, he pushed for individual hotel rooms on Guam for isolation and told investigators he was concerned that the Navy was pushing unrealistic plans to fly sailors to Okinawa or house the sailors pier-side.

Meanwhile, sailors were infecting one another in the gym and not getting enough to eat, leading some to order pizza from a base restaurant to eat, Crozier said. And the Roosevelt medical staff painted a dire picture based on studies of cruise ships with outbreaks. The carrier had tighter conditions and more communal berthing and bathrooms than stricken cruise ships. Crozier said even though his crew was younger and healthier than the average cruise passenger, he felt if nothing was done, five to six sailors from the crew could die in the near future.

On March 28, Crozier said he was told to expect a call from Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday, but the call was canceled.

The phone call might have provided a more thorough understanding of wider Navy efforts to combat the virus onboard and with our crew, allowed me to communicate our desire to get Sailors into effective isolation quarters ashore, and instilled confidence that the situation was being rapidly addressed at the appropriate levels, Crozier told investigators.

By March 30, Crozier was fed up. Navy heads were stuck debating inconsequential details, such as whether to put Social Security numbers on testing kits, he said.

I believe everyone involved was well intentioned, but some up the chain of command were proceeding more slowly than I would have liked and getting unnecessarily wrapped up in the status quo of (plan) development, Crozier told investigators. From my perspective, even just one more week of routine planning would have resulted in another week of exponential growth in positive cases and greater risk to more Sailors. We wanted to stop the administrative bureaucracy ... so I sent up a red flare.

After his dismissal, Navy officials insisted that Crozier was not being punished for sending an email asking for assistance, but for needlessly breaking the sacrosanct chain of command and for poorly managing the unfolding outbreak on his ship. The captain said he left Merz, commander of the 7th Fleet, off his email because he wanted to send it to flag officers in his chain of command that I know.

(Merzs) staff was still trying to bound the problem, and information flow there suggested they might see the email as a hindrance to normal staff work (versus) see it as a red flare, Crozier told investigators. In hindsight, there was no good reason for not including (Merz) and I suspect that he would have been as responsive as everyone else was.

Crozier said he sent the email through unclassified channels because speed was of the essence and quicker to read than on a government smartphone. Top Navy officers have said this led to the memo being leaked and jeopardized sensitive plans with the Guam government to house sailors in hotel rooms.

In hindsight, there was higher risk that the letter would end up in the open press by sending it on an unclassified network, but that was not my intent, Crozier told investigators.

His crew overwhelmingly agreed with his decision to send the email, as his operations officer told investigators in his statement.

After Capt. Crozier sent the email, we suddenly had an ability to get hotel rooms. All of a sudden we have progress, he said. I think 100% it had to do with the letter because magically, we had rooms available.

Crozier was dismissed from command April 3 in Guam after an angry phone call from Modly, who was upset Crozier hadnt reached out to him personally about my continuing concerns, Crozier said. On April 6, the captain said, Modly visited him in quarantine in Guam and said he relieved him of duty because he lost trust and confidence in me.

However, based on incorrect comments he made to the press and onboard the (Roosevelt) to the crew earlier that day, where he said I sent the email to 20 to 30 people, and that I panicked as a leader and raised alarm bells unnecessarily, Crozier said, I think his decision was premature.

Matthias Gafni is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: matthias.gafni@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @mgafni
South Africa: SA to keep close watch on countries COVID-19 status as borders reopen

Government says while a ban will be put in place for international countries still experiencing high infection rates when South Africa reopens its border for global travellers, this will be reviewed regularly.

Addressing media on Level 1 regulations on Friday, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, said government will publish a list of affected countries in due course.

While South Africa will move to lockdown Level 1 on Monday, international border gates will reopen on 1 October 2020.

International travel on the continent is allowed to and from all countries. However, for other international travel, there will be a schedule of countries where infections are high, which will temporarily not be allowed, until such time their infections get under control.

Even for these countries, [the ban is] not permanent. It will depend what happens to their infections [and when] they come under control, they will be allowed.

The Health Minster will make sure that the affected countries are properly identified. I dont know the exact date [for the list publication] but it will be before we start travelling... This is not a static list and it will be changing all the time, said Dlamini-Zuma.

This, she said, is because some countries will experience peaks at different periods.

Visa applications at embassies will be permitted from next week. The Minister said long-term visas will be reactivated immediately.

South Africans returning from abroad, she said, will be expected to produce a medical certificate not older than 72 hours, clearly indicating their negative COVID-19 test results.

That means they wont have to be quarantined if they dont have symptoms, she said.

South Africans who do not comply will be quarantined, a service they will be charged for.

The long-term visa will be re-established. People can then use those visas from 1 October.

Land borders, sea ports

On land borders, the Minister said the 18 that were opened during the lockdown for the import and export of goods, will now be allow the movement of people and tourists.

The 35 land borders that were closed will remain closed. We are just opening the 18 fully so that they can take traffic for tourists [and other forms of travel]. We must remember that we [are only permitted] to use the 18 borders, she said.

While all commercial sea ports will resume operations, passenger-ferrying cruise ships will be not be allowed to offload.

The OR Tambo, King Shaka and Cape Town international airports will remain the only reception for global travellers.

On domestic travel, regulations will not change for long distance (200km) buses and taxis will still be allowed to fill to 70% capacity, while observing health protocols.

When we move around, we need to remember that at level 5, we were under a 24-hour curfew and the hours of the curfew have been diminishing with the levels. At this level, the curfew will start at 00:01 and end at 4:00.

Everything will be looked at from time to time, said Dlamini-Zuma.

The Minister said while there is an improvement in the infection rate, caution still has to be taken.

We are not out of the woods yet. Lets just be clear about that, she said.

Night vigils, nightclubs, initiation schools and passenger ships for international travel remain banned.

Beyond this, spectators are still not permitted at sporting venues. In this regard, international sporting events are still not allowed.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-09-18. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
But the Vancouver Tenants Union said that PortLiving is adhering to just the bare minimum of the citys tenant welfare policies.

Were in the middle of a pandemic. Theres no rush to get these tenants out, said Vince Tao, a member of the unions steering committee. What we want, really, is PortLiving to come to the table and give these tenants extra time.

PortLiving said that it has worked very hard with these tenants on solutions, and that it has offered tenants six months worth of free rent. The developer also said that it has provided referrals to help them relocate.

But doubts about the developers ability to follow through on its promises are strong: Less than half a year ago, PortLiving founder Macario Reyes said in a sworn affidavit that the company did not have the ability to pay more than $400 million in loans. The document also pointed to an estimated $46 million owed to CMLS Financial and Aviva Insurance.

Nelia and Wilfredo Guevarra, both residents of The Carolina for more than 24 years, said that they have received a letter to vacate the property by the end of September. They also said that the developer has threatened them with a court bailiff to enforce the eviction if necessary  a move that the couple called inhuman considering the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic.
Sufficient number of beds and ventilators for coronavirus infected patients were available after March 24 in AIIMS and other central government-run hospitals of the country, Minister of State for Health Ashwini Choubey told the Lok Sabha on Friday. The minister replied in the negative to a question on whether an increase in deaths of patients has been registered due to insufficient beds and ventilators in hospitals.

There were 1,707 beds and 292 ventilators in March which have been increased to7,403 beds and 906 ventilators in September in the Health Ministry's 13 COVID dedicated hospitals in the country, Choubey said. Providing data on the number of pathological labs available across the country for conducting COVID-19 tests in response to a question, Choubey said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), an autonomous organisation under the Department of Health Research, has informed that as on September 13, a total of 1,717 COVID-19 testing laboratories are registered on its portal comprising 1,049 government labs and 668 private labs.

In addition, ICMR has a total of 5,134 antigen testing sites in their database as on September 17, he said. "The ICMR has informed that till September 13, a total 5,72,39,428 COVID-19 tests have been performed by the testing laboratories, of which 48,46,427 have been reported as COVID-19 infected," the minister said.

He also stated that ICMR has informed that it is in the process of on-boarding more new labs through its 14 mentor institutes. Private and government medical institutions that have not yet set-up a lab have been issued instructions to expedite the process for the same. According to ICMR, there are more than 250 labs which are in the process of setting-up COVID-19 testing facilities, the minister said.

Further, in response to another question, the minister informed that India's testing strategy includes rapid antigen test for fast detection of COVID-19 infected patients. Rapid antibody tests can be used for detecting the presence of antibodies in recovered individuals. These are not used for patient diagnosis, he said. The ICMR has informed that it has been interacting with national and international manufacturers who have expressed their interest in supplying diagnostics to India.

The kit manufacturers are required to submit their product for validation at the designated centres of ICMR. "Only the approved kits are provided marketing permission by the Drugs Controller General of India. However, US-FDA approved kits are exempted from validation.

"Price of procurement is based on a competitive tendering process. ICMR's validation process is based on standardized protocols developed under consultation of experts and are in line with global standards," he said.

.
Questions raised by opposition parties on the alleged lack of transparency in the PM CARES Fund, and a comment by minister of state for finance Anurag Thakur about the alleged lapses in the paperwork of the PM National Relief Fund created by then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1948, led to the first major disruption of Parliaments pandemic-hit monsoon session, leading to at least four back-to-back adjournments on Friday.

Amid protests and heated exchanges between members from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Congress, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla held meetings with both sides to come out with a compromise formula. It is my responsibility to protect all the members, I would request Mr Anurag Thakur to say a few words on the objections raised by the other members, whatever I said was aimed to run the House effectively, if anyones sentiments got hurt, I personally apologise for it, Birla said.

Following the direction, Thakur expressed regret over his remarks. I had no intent to hurt the sentiments of anybody. If anyone is hurt, then I regret it, Thakur said. Some other remarks made by the minister about the current Congress leadership were expunged, and are therefore not being included in this report.

During the introduction of the Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation and Amendment of Certain Provisions) Bill in the Lower House quickly turned into a debate about the PM CARES Fund on Friday, as Congress floor leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and former ministers Shashi Tharoor and Manish Tewari criticised the charitable trust while opposing the bill.

The bill seeks to provide the same tax treatment to the PM CARES Fund  created for emergencies and disasters such as Covid-19  as is available to the Prime Minister National Relief Fund (PMNRF).

Also read: Lok Sabha adjourned 4 times after row over Anurag Thakurs remark on Nehru-Gandhis

Adhir said when Nirmala Sitharaman started speaking, we heard her patiently. We didnt say anything unparliamentary. We didnt even referred to the prime minister. How could he (Thakur) take these names?

Opposition parties have previously demanded that the government be more transparent about the PM CARES fund, a charitable trust set up to deal with emergencies such as that posed by Covid-19 pandemic.

Thakur, who stood in support of the bill, said in response: In 1948, the PM ordered like a king for the formation of the PMNRF. But the fund has not been registered so far... How did the fund get FCRA clearance? How did it become a trust without registration? How did you give exemptions under ATG? I want to ask you all these questions, Thakur said as massive protests erupted.

Chowdhury lashed out at Thakur. There was no problem when [finance minister] Nirmala Sitharaman was speaking. But [the minister] came and spoiled the situation. When Nehru is no more, why is he trying to defame him? he asked.

Other MPs also stood up, and some left their seats to stand in the aisles, demanding an apology from Thakur.

The Lok Sabha was adjourned and a meeting of floor leaders to resolve the disruption was called.

Later, defence minister Rajnath Singh praised the Speaker for having resolved the differences.

During the arguments after the bill was introduced, Congress leader Tharoor said: This (the bill) would permit the Government to retrospectively validate its failure and extend the time limit indefinitely while disbursing compensation to states. That is an unconstitutional violation with government undertakings in the name of Act of God.

Trinamool Congress leader Saugata Ray demanded that the PM CARES Fund be abolished and all the money be transferred to the Prime Ministers National Relief Fund. Whoever wants to be benefited from the Prime Ministers National Relief Fund, let them apply to the Prime Ministers National Relief Fund, and not to the newly formed entity called the PM CARES Fund, he said.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh, who was involved in the ending the logjam, described Anurag Thakur as a good speaker and young leader. The minister has clarified and now the House should run properly, he said.

During the debate, Bharatiya Janata Partys Jayant Sinha defended the bill saying, Credit is the life blood of the economy and if during this time of Covid-19 pandemic emergency, our financial sector suffers and the life blood of our economy is not available, it will be very difficult for our economy to recover, for companies to get the credit that they deserve, for MSMEs to be able to get working capital loans and also for smaller entrepreneurs to be able to fund their activities and prosper.
Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed has appointed political newcomer Mohamed Hussein Roble as the countrys prime minister, hours after brokering an agreement with regional leaders for elections next year that abandons a promised one-person, one-vote model.

In a statement late on Thursday, the presidents office wished Roble to take duties and tasks ahead with diligence.

Mohamed, who is usually referred to by his nickname of Farmaajo, is likely to run for a second term as president when polls are held, competing against at least two other former presidents.

Roble studied civil engineering and previously worked for the International Labour Organization, a United Nations agency.

He will replace former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire, who was voted out of office by parliament in July for failing to pave the way for fully democratic elections due before February 2021.

Voting plan

The foreign-backed government in Mogadishu has been in drawn-out negotiations with Somalias federal states over how to proceed with parliamentary and presidential elections.

However the process has been held up by political infighting between the president and the countrys regional leaders.

Somalia had set itself a goal of holding its first fully democratic, one-man one-vote election since 1969  as opposed to a complex system in which special delegates pick politicians who then vote for the president.

But an agreement reached between the president, five regional leaders and the mayor of Mogadishu has conceded that such a vote would be impossible within the timeframe remaining before Somalias parliament expires in November, and Farmaajos term ends in February.

In an official communique on Thursday, the negotiators said delegates from Somalias many clans would elect the 275 MPs of the lower house, who in turn would choose the president.

While the process mirrors the last election held in 2017, it will go a bit further in terms of inclusivity, with 27,775 delegates voting  almost twice as many as last time.

No timeline was given, and it remains unclear what role the countrys independent electoral commission will play, with the federal and state governments to appoint their own agencies to oversee their respective polls.

The plan still needs to be approved by Somalias parliament.

The United Nations had described the pursuit of one-person, one-vote elections as an historic milestone on Somalias path to full democratisation and peace after decades of war and violent instability.

But observers had warned that such a goal was looking increasingly unlikely due to tensions with the states, technical aspects such as voter registration, and security challenges posed by the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabab armed group.

The fragile central government, chaired by Farmaajo, controls only part of Somali territory and relies on an international peacekeeping force to confront an armed campaign from al-Shabab in the countryside.

Mogadishu had been criticised by observers for engaging in political feuds with federal states to gain control in the election process, rather than focusing on the fight against the armed group.
Forest management has not affected all forests in the same way. In dry forests, such as those now aflame in Californias Sierra Nevada and coastal mountains and in eastern Oregon and Washington, there is too much fuel as a result of a century of fire suppression. Before then, these forests burned (less severely) with some regularity. Lightning started some of the blazes, which helped clear out fallen trees and dead vegetation  what ecologists call surface fuel. They also killed younger trees, leading to more variety in forest density; such variety can limit the size of fires. Indigenous peoples, until they were driven out, managed the forests for food and fiber by intentionally lighting fires in a practice similar to todays prescribed burning.
The 360 shows you diverse perspectives on the days top stories and debates.

Whats happening

White suburbanites have been at the center of discussion for most of the presidential campaign. Joe Bidens ability, or lack thereof, to cut into President Trumps support among suburban swing voters will be what ultimately decides the election, many experts believe.

While theres truth to that view, the focus has shifted recently to another demographic group that may play just as big a role in determining the winner: Hispanic voters. Biden has made significant gains with suburban voters compared with Hillary Clinton in 2016, but recent polling shows he is lagging behind with Hispanics in several key swing states. Biden will almost certainly win a majority of support from Latino voters. Trump received 28 percent of the Hispanic vote in 2016. Thats comparable to how other recent Republican presidential candidates have performed. But if Bidens margin with the group shrinks, it could potentially open a path for Trump to put together another electoral college victory.

A record 32 million Latinos will be eligible to vote in November, making them the largest nonwhite voting bloc in the country. Four of the most important battleground states  Florida, Arizona, Nevada and Texas  have substantial Hispanic populations. There are also enough Hispanic voters in other crucial states like Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan to make a difference in a closely contested election.

Trump and Biden both made overtures to Hispanic voters during campaign stops this week. The president held a Latinos for Trump event in Arizona. Biden traveled to Florida for the first time in his campaign, where he attended a Hispanic Heritage Month event and discussed his plan for supporting the people of Puerto Rico.

Why theres debate

Though they are often discussed as a homogeneous group, there is an enormous amount of diversity among Latinos in America. This complexity poses a challenge for both candidates, but especially for Biden. Bernie Sanders outperformed Biden among Hispanic voters during the primary, largely by proposing progressive policies that appealed to voters under 35  who make up 40 percent of the U.S. Latino population. Embracing those policies could help Biden in Arizona, Nevada and Texas. But that same strategy could doom him with Cuban-Americans in Florida, who tend to have a strong negative view of Sanders-style socialism.

Story continues

Some Democrats have criticized the Biden campaign for what they see as an insufficient focus on Hispanic voters over the course of the campaign. A lack of direct outreach and poor Latino representation at the Democratic National Convention could stifle Hispanic turnout, they argue.

Trumps reelection chances also depend heavily on Hispanic voters, particularly in Florida. If he loses the Sunshine State, his path to victory becomes incredibly narrow, experts say. Though Trumps support with white voters in the state has slipped, Bidens struggles with Latinos have the race virtually tied in recent polls. If Biden can reverse that trend and win Florida  perhaps by mobilizing the thousands of Puerto Ricans who moved to the state after Hurricane Maria  he would have overwhelming odds of winning the presidency.

Whats next

Hispanic voters have proved to be a challenging group to predict in recent elections, in part because they are more likely than other groups to be undecided until right before Election Day, experts say. It remains to be seen whether the renewed focus on Latinos by both campaigns will sway their support.

As crucial as they are this year, Hispanic voters will become even more important in the next few decades. They are projected to make up more than a quarter of the American population by 2045, which will contribute to the U.S. becoming a majority minority nation.

Perspectives

Many young Latinos feel underrepresented and may decide not to vote

We cant have so many young Latinos disconnected from the process because they dont feel part of it. And that is not on them, that is on us, the government, on schools for not educating us on how to be civically engaged and the politicians who are choosing to ignore them.  Political organizer Sarah Audelo to NBC News

High Hispanic turnout could win the election for Biden

The power of Latino voters is evident in states such as Florida and Arizona. Had the Latino turnout been higher in those states in 2016, Mr. Trump might not be president. But over half of all Latinos eligible to vote didnt do so, and consequently history was written in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.  Jorge Ramos, New York Times

Cuban-Americans could help Trump keep his chances alive in Florida

Adding to Bidens challenge in Florida, a must-win state for Trump, is the complexity of the Hispanic population, where the president is popular among conservative Cuban Americans and Republican attacks on Democrats as socialists have resonated.  Sean Sullivan, Washington Post

For a variety of complex reasons, Trump could garner just enough Latino support to win

Whether its because Trump is able to convince Latinos that his economy was working for them before the pandemic, or that only he can quell the protests that have rocked the country, or because Joe Biden has failed to excite them, the result could be the same: Somewhere between a quarter and a third of Latinos could vote for Trump, and that result, especially in key battleground states, could help him win re-election.  Geraldo Cadava, Boston Globe

Biden still can win the presidency even if he struggles with Latinos

Biden's best path to the White House largely relies on winning states Trump won four years ago and where Hispanic voters make up less than 5% of the electorate.  Indeed, Biden can struggle with Hispanic voters and still win the election. Its, in fact, something hes doing right now.  Harry Enten, CNN

Neither party has done enough to harness the power of Latino voters

Without stronger and more consistent efforts to mobilize these Americans, Latinos will not soon become the political force they are poised to be. The result? The major political parties could once again dismiss Latino voters as a sleeping giant too unreliable to vote.  Christian Paz, Atlantic

Latino voters present opportunity, but also risk, for Biden

Whats most interesting about Bidens pocket of weakness here is the extent to which it reflects fairly generic strategic vulnerabilities. Biden is well-known but not sharply defined.  That creates the possibility that sustained attacks from Trump will bring Bidens numbers down, but also an opportunity for a positive introduction to push them up further.  Matthew Yglesias, Vox

Trumps success with Latinos is more about his strengths than Bidens weaknesses

Team Biden will surely make a greater effort to more actively compete for the Hispanic vote. The consistent pro-Trump, pro-GOP polling and election data, though, show that likely wont help them as much as they think.  Henry Olsen, Washington Post

Biden has hurt his support among Latinos by focusing too much on white suburbanites

There are still concerns, especially among progressives, that Biden hasnt done enough to engage Latino community leaders or young voters who could help drive turnout to levels necessary to ensure a Democratic victory, and that the campaign and the party are still too focused on winning over moderates at the expense of the base.  Travis Waldron, HuffPost

Is there a topic youd like to see covered in The 360? Send your suggestions to the360@yahoonews.com.

Read more 360s

Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Getty Images
You cant go against well-known Western funds and Russia, or meet the Western funds expectations and not take steps that will be very sensitive for the Russian side at the same time. This is what second President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan said during a meeting with analysts, touching upon Russia-Armenia relations. The meeting was devoted to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and is posted on the official YouTube channel of Robert Kocharyan.

Today, the government is truly doomed to stay alone. This is why it has to decide what is important for them. Is it the countrys security, or getting on the good side of certain funds and certain circles of the West? Now the fact that those funds and circles are shutting an eye on all of these illegal acts, and the one shutting an eye is the West, which would zoom in on every incident and issue statements during the administration of the former authorities, shows that they still havent gotten ultimately disappointed, but there are certain indicators that show that the funds and circles are starting to lose patience, Kocharyan said.
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Beijing, China  Fri, September 18, 2020 07:16 491 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c458e05e 2 World wuhan,Wuhan-lockdown,Wuhan-coronavirus,coronavirus,COVID-19,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,reopening,international-flights,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus Free

China's Wuhan, ground zero for the coronavirus outbreak sweeping the globe, has re-opened for international flights, ending an eight-month moratorium since the deadly disease first emerged.

China stopped international flights in March as global alarm increased about the spread of COVID-19, but has now largely brought the disease under control at home through travel restrictions, testing and lockdowns.

A flight operated by South Korean carrier T'way landed at Wuhan's Tianhe International Airport Wednesday morning with 60 passengers, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Officials in white hazmat suits, masks and visors were seen checking the passports of arriving passengers.

All international passengers arriving in Wuhan have to pass a test within 72 hours of departure, Li Yizhuo, director of Wuhan's Civil Aviation Office, told CCTV.

China still bans most foreigners from entering and those allowed have to undergo two weeks of quarantine.

South Korean budget carrier T'way will operate one weekly round-trip flight between Wuhan and Incheon International Airport, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

Other major Chinese cities -- including Beijing and Shanghai -- already allow direct international flights, but have tightened visa processes and health checks.
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Press Release

September 18, 2020 Hontiveros urges DOH: Address unpaid pay, benefits of health frontliners now "The best way we can thank our frontliners is to ensure that they receive all the proper salaries and benefits due to them under the law. Ibigay natin ang sweldo at proteksyon na nararapat para sa ating mga health worker bilang pagkilala sa kanilang kabayanihan at sakripisyo." Senator Risa Hontiveros made the statement as she urged the Department of Health (DOH) to immediately resolve numerous reports of unpaid salaries and benefits of health frontliners, who have been enduring months of difficult and dangerous work amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The senator made the call after news reports revealed the plight of many contractual contact tracers hired 4 months ago by the DOH, who have yet to receive their salaries, in some cases even after their contracts had expired. Likewise, some medical workers in public medical facilities like the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) have reportedly not been able to receive hazard pay as required by law. "Maliit na nga ang sahod, hindi pa naiibigay on time. Ito ba talaga ang tamang pagtrato sa ating frontliners? The DOH needs to act with more haste in processing the salaries and benefits of our medical workers, who perform tasks critical to our health response against the pandemic, such as contact tracing, testing and treatment of COVID-19 patients," she said. Hontiveros said that DOH must work overtime and streamline its processes so that it could end months-long delays in payments to medical workers. "Hindi pwedeng isisisi lang lagi ng DOH sa kulang na documentary requirements ang mabagal na pagbigay ng sweldo ng ating contact tracers at ibang frontliners," she said. She said that the DOH must fix the problem immediately since the new Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Bayanihan 2) mandates that all public and private health workers treating COVID-19 cases must receive an additional P10,000 as Special Risk Allowance: "Sana naman itong special risk allowance ay hindi abutin ng ilang buwan bago makuha ng ating frontliners." If government fails to address the delays in the payment of health workers, Hontiveros warned that the country's frontliners will be further demoralized, thus affecting the government's campaign to recruit more nurses, doctors, contact tracers and other medical professionals for the country's COVID-19 related programs. "Pinipilit natin ang mga health workers na manatili sa bansa sa pamamagitan ng health worker deployment ban, pero hindi natin maibigay ng tama ang sweldo na kailangan nila para buhayin ang kanilang pamilya. This is an unjust situation which government must correct immediately," Hontiveros concluded.
ESIC Pune Recruitment 2020 notification, esic.nic.in: Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Pune has invited applications for the posts of Super Specialists/Senior Residents for ESIC Hospital, Bibvewadi, Pune-37. Interested and eligible candidates can appear for the walk-in-interview scheduled on 29 September 2020.

ESIC Pune Recruitment 2020 notification, esic.nic.in: Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Pune has invited applications for the posts of Super Specialists/Senior Residents for ESIC Hospital, Bibvewadi, Pune-37. The walk interview is scheduled for 29th September 2020, interested candidates may appear. The interview will be held at Sub Regional Office, Employees State Insurance Corporation, Panchdeep Bhavan, S.No.689/690, Bibvewadi, Pune -37.

The qualifications required are given below.

Full Time /Part Time Specialist-MBBS with P.G Degree or equivalent from recognized university with post PG experience of 3 years OR PG Diploma from recognized university having post PG experience of 5 years respectively in particular Specialty.

Senior Residents-MBBS with PG Degree Or Equivalent / PG Diploma in concerned specialty from recognized university.

If PG Degree / diploma candidates are not available in particular specialty, then candidates having 2 years experience after MBBS in the concerned specialty may also be considered.

ALSO READ: Common Law Admission Test 2020: CLAT admit card released @clat.ac.in, heres how to download

Vacancy Details for ESIC Pune Recruitment 2020:

Departments

Medicine-01

Radiology-01

Pathology-01

Obs and Gynae-01



Senior Residents-03

Medicine-01

Radiology-01

Paediatrics-01

For more information, you may chec out the link given below, to the official website, @esic.nic,in

ESIC Pune Recruitment 2020: PDF

How to Apply for ESIC Pune Recruitment 2020:

Interested candidates can appear for the walk-in-interview as per given schedule along with their original documents & Xerox copies in support of their Date of Birth, Proof of Educational Qualification, Experience Certificates and with duly filled the form as given on website. Check the details Interview schedule available on the official website.

ALSO READ: AILET admit cards 2020 released @ nludelhi.ac.in, heres the direct link and steps to download hall ticket
Washington: An Indian-American Congressman has urged China to end its military provocations of India and pursue a diplomatic resolution to the tense border standoff in Ladakh.

Raja Krishnamoorthi said this following a classified briefing on the issue by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, of which he is the first and only Indian-American member. The committee's meeting was the first ever on the issue.

"I am deeply concerned about this issue, which is why I authored a bipartisan resolution overwhelmingly approved by the House urging China to end its military provocations of India and to pursue a diplomatic resolution," Krishnamoorthi said.

"I will continue to closely monitor this dispute until it is fully resolved," he said.

Earlier Thursday, Lisa Curtis, deputy assistant to the US president, told a top American think-tank the US is encouraged by India's strong yet responsible approach to the Chinese aggression. "While always seeking to de-escalate through diplomatic means, India also demonstrated military and economic resolve," she said.

"From a bilateral perspective, China's recent actions on Line of Actual Control has further reinforced the importance of the US-India strategic partnership, and our resolve to strengthen the US-India ties as a bulwark against Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific," she said.

"Throughout this crisis, the United States has provided strong and unambiguous support for India, and our cooperation has grown closer," Curtis said.

Over the past few months, top American lawmakers have expressed their concerns over blatant Chinese incursions.
Karabakh was left out of the process of negotiations after the 1996 Lisbon Summit. This is what second President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan told analysts during a meeting devoted to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict posted on the official YouTube channel of Robert Kocharyan, touching upon the statement that he removed Karabakh from the negotiations.

The meetings of the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan began in 1991. It was a format that remained during the administrations of all presidents, and it would be strange, if the Co-Chairs didnt try to use international platforms for such meetings. If there is a multilateral meeting, and the presidents are present, it is very natural that the Co-Chairs have to try to sit the conflicting sides down around a table. Therefore, my meetings with Aliyev were nothing new. Karabakh was left out of the process after the Lisbon Summit. In essence, I dont remember any meeting with the participation of Karabakh in 1997, and the format was simply excluded from the negotiations. I continued the meetings that the first President had had before my term of office. The negotiations started becoming very active in 1995 when presidential advisors Zhirayr Liparityan and Vafa Guluzadeh would meet. The President of Karabakh and I were told about the results of the meetings. In other words, there was a certain format. The process ended after the adoption of the decisions made in Lisbon where Armenia was simply left alone.

I got the impression that the negotiators from the Armenian side didnt believe that Karabakh can be recognized as an independent state at all. What formats do we have now? The first is the work of the OSCE Minsk Group, that is, the visits to the region and meetings with the Presidents of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Karabakh. During my term of office, visits to Karabakh were mandatory, and the Minsk Group would meet with the President of Karabakh in his office. The second format is the meetings between the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan which continue to this day, and the only difference is that the Prime Minister is attending the meetings on the part of Armenia. The third format is the activities of the monitoring group, which is also working actively with the authorities of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Karabakh. In essence, Karabakh is not part of one the formats, and it is simply wrong to say that Karabakh is not part of the negotiations at all. Karabakh must be brought back to the negotiating table, but I dont think Azerbaijan will agree. However, it is always necessary to aspire.

In essence, Karabakh has never been out of the process of negotiations. I assumed the presidency in 1998, and Karabakh was not in the previous format, which hasnt been restored without Karabakh because if the format is restored, it is clear that Karabakh will also be a part of the format, he said.
In his meeting with journalists from a Belgian Christian weekly, Francis said that the presence of Christian media specialised in quality information on the life of the Church in the world, capable of contributing to the formation of consciences, is very important. Christian journalists can nurture hope in the pandemic situation the world is [now] going through.

Vatican City (AsiaNews)  Pope Francis on Friday met with journalists from Tertio, a Belgian Catholic magazine, which gave him an opportunity to express his thoughts about the role of Christian media.

Social communication "is an important mission for the Church, said the pontiff. For Christian journalists, "seeking a positive vision of people and facts, rejecting prejudices, it is a matter of fostering a culture of encounter through which it is possible to know reality with a confident gaze."

In the society we live in, information is an integral part of our daily life. When it is high quality, it allows us to better understand the problems and challenges that the world is called to face, and inspires individual, family and social behaviours. Above all, the presence of Christian media specialised in quality information on the life of the Church in the world, capable of contributing to the formation of consciences, is very important."

The contribution of Christian media is also noteworthy in fostering a new lifestyle in Christian communities, free from any form of preconception and exclusion. In fact, we know that gossip closes the heart to the community, closes off the unity of the Church. The great gossiper is the devil, who always goes about saying bad things about others, because he is the liar who seeks to separate the Church to distance brothers and sisters and not create community (Angelus, 6 September 2020).

Communication is an important mission for the Church. Christians involved in this area are called to implement in a very concrete way the Lord's call to go into the world and proclaim the Gospel (cf. Mk 16:15). Due to their high professional ethics, Christian journalists are required to bear new testimony in the world of communication without hiding the truth or manipulating information.

In fact, Amid the cacophony of voices and messages that surround us, we need a human story that can speak of ourselves and of the beauty all around us. A narrative that can regard our world and its happenings with a tender gaze. A narrative that can tell us that we are part of a living and interconnected tapestry. A narrative that can reveal the interweaving of the threads which connect us to one another (Message of His Holiness Pope Francis for the 54th World Communications Day, January 24, 2020)".

Christian journalists must therefore be bearers of hope and trust in the future. Because only when the future is accepted as a positive and possible reality, does the present also become livable. These thoughts can also help us, especially today, to nurture hope in the pandemic situation the world is [now] going through.

Addressing the journalists, the Holy Father said: You are sowers of this hope for a better tomorrow. In the context of this crisis, it is important that social communication media contribute to ensuring that people do not fall ill from loneliness and can receive a word of comfort.

Francis concluded by quoting John Paul II, who said: "To you who work in the field of culture and communication, the Church looks with confidence and expectation since, as protagonists of the changes taking place in these sectors in a time of increasing globalization, you are called to interpret the present time and identify ways for communicating the Gospel according to the language and sensibility of the contemporary human person. (Address of John Paul II to the participants in the Conference for those working in communications and culture promoted by the Italian Bishops' Conference, 9 November 2002).
New Delhi, Sep 18 : Actress Lizaa Malik has claimed that late actor Sushant Singh Rajput and actress Kriti Sanon might have denied dating each other, but they were very much in a relationship and looked happy together.

Lizaa had a professional relationship with Sushant, and she says she saw him happy in his relationship with Kriti at a birthday party.

"The last time I met Sushant was some two and a half years back when he was with Kriti. It was during Kriti's birthday celebrations in a Bandra club. He was always a very charming, full-of-life guy, who would walk into a party and get a smile on people's face. We had a lot of common friends, like Mahesh Shetty," Lizaa told IANS.

"He was a fun loving guy, who had his sense of humour in the right place, always joking and keeping the energy level up," she added.

Asked why she felt that Sushant and Kriti seemed like a couple, Lizaa replied: "When it is a public gathering and a birthday party, the host is always busy. So, Kriti was busy attending guests as it was a big party. I saw Sushant all charged up, dancing, getting a drink at the bar and socialising. They looked pretty happy and they were trying to be good hosts. Even if you're not going out loud, telling the world that 'oh, we are dating', one can see the spark." The actress continued: "If somebody was playing the host with the actual host, there has to be something. We all knew that they were seeing each other, as much as they kept denying it." Kriti and Sushant never confirmed or denied the news of their relationship. The two actors co-starred in the 2017 film "Raabta".

Sushant was found dead in Mumbai on June 14 this year. He was 34. His death is being investigated by the CBI, NCB and the ED.

Latest updates on Sushant Singh Rajput Death Mystery
By David Shepardson, Echo Wang and Alexandra Alper

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration will ban WeChat and video-sharing app TikTok from U.S. app stores starting Sunday night, a move that will block Americans from downloading the Chinese-owned platforms over concerns they pose a national security threat.

The bans, announced on Friday, affect only new downloads and updates and are less sweeping than expected, particularly for TikTok, giving its parent group ByteDance some breathing space to clinch an agreement over the fate of its U.S. operations.

WeChat, an all-in-one messaging, social media and electronic payment app, faces more severe restrictions from Sunday. Existing TikTok users, on the other hand, will see little change until Nov. 12 when a ban on some technical transactions will kick in, which TikTok said would amount to an effective ban. For a Q&A on the real impact, click

"We disagree with the decision from the Commerce Department, and are disappointed that it stands to block new app downloads from Sunday and ban use of the TikTok app in the U.S. from Nov. 12," the company said in a statement. "We will continue to challenge the unjust executive order."

China's Commerce Ministry expressed its "resolute opposition" and urged the United States to stop its bullying and wrongdoing.

"If the U.S. side obstinately clings to its course, China will take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies," it said, without elaborating.

Trump on Friday did not indicate whether he would back a TikTok deal. He said a deal "could go quickly."

"We have some great options and maybe we can keep a lot of people happy," Trump told reporters. "We have to have the total security from China."

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told Fox Business Network that "the basic TikTok will stay intact until Nov. 12."

Story continues

The ban on new U.S. downloads of the widely popular app could still be rescinded by President Donald Trump before it takes effect if ByteDance seals a deal with Oracle <ORCL.N> that addresses concerns about the security of users' data.

"This is the right move - ratchet up the pressure on Beijing, protect Americans," said Republican Senator Josh Hawley on Twitter.

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden promised to review security risks surrounding TikTok if he beats Trump in the Nov. 3 election.

"I think that it's a matter of genuine concern that TikTok, a Chinese operation, has access to over 100 million young people particularly in the United States of America," Biden told reporters at a campaign stop in Minnesota.

The Trump administration has ramped up efforts to purge untrusted" Chinese apps from U.S. digital networks amid escalating tensions with Beijing on a range of issues from trade and human rights to the battle for tech supremacy.

The ban on WeChat, used by over 1 billion people worldwide, bars the transfer of funds or processing of payments to or from people in the United States through it. Users could also start to experience significantly slower service or sporadic outages from Sunday night.

WeChat developer Tencent Holdings' <0700.HK> called the order "unfortunate" but said it "will continue to discuss with the government and other stakeholders in the U.S. ways to achieve a long-term solution."

The Commerce Department order bars Apple Inc's <AAPL.O> app store, Alphabet Inc's <GOOGL.O> Google Play and others from offering the apps on any platform "that can be reached from within the United States," a senior Commerce official told Reuters.

While the bans are less dramatic than some had feared, the Commerce Department said it could issue additional orders if it finds "that WeChats or TikToks illicit behavior is being replicated by another app somehow outside the scope of these executive orders."

Oracle shares closed down 0.3% after initially dropping 1.6% in pre-market trading.

The American Civil Liberties Union said the Commerce order "violates the First Amendment rights of people in the United States by restricting their ability to communicate and conduct important transactions on the two social media platforms."

The order does not ban U.S. companies from doing businesses on WeChat outside the United States, which will be welcome news to U.S. firms such as Walmart <WMT.N> and Starbucks <SBUX.O> that use WeChat's embedded 'mini-app' programs to facilitate transactions and engage consumers in China, officials said.

The order will not bar transactions with WeChat owner Tencent's other businesses, including its online gaming operations, and will not prohibit Apple, Google or others from offering TikTok or WeChat apps anywhere outside the United States.

On Friday, a U.S. judge in California declined to block the Commerce Department WeChat order, but set a new hearing for Saturday at 4:30 p.m. EDT to decide whether to issue an emergency order blocking the Commerce order in a suit brought by WeChat users.

The bans are in response to a pair of executive orders issued by Trump on Aug. 6 that gave the Commerce Department 45 days to determine what transactions to block from the apps he deemed pose a national security threat. That deadline expires on Sunday.

Commerce Department officials said they were taking the extraordinary step because of the risks the apps' data collection poses. China and the companies have denied U.S. user data is collected for spying.

Apple and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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TikTok has 100 million users in the United States and is especially popular among younger Americans.

Many TikTok U.S. users did not express alarm over the new restrictions. "It's kind of like the boy who cried wolf," said Carter Kench, a 17-year old from Atlanta, Georgia with 2.4 million followers.

WeChat has had an average of 19 million daily active users in the United States, analytics firms Apptopia said in early August. It is popular among Chinese students, ex-pats and some Americans who have personal or business relationships in China.

The Commerce Department will not seek to compel people in the United States to remove the apps or stop using them. "We are aiming at a top corporate level. We're not going to go out after the individual users," one Commerce official said.

Over time, officials said, the lack of updates will degrade the apps usability.

"The expectation is that people will find alternative ways to do these actions," a senior official said. "We expect the market to act and there will be more secure apps that will fill in these gaps that Americans can trust and that the United States government won't have to take similar actions against."

Commerce is also barring services for WeChat that will significantly reduce the usability and functionality of the app in the United States and halt data hosting within the U.S., content delivery services and networks that can increase functionality.

Commerce will bar the same set of technical transactions for TikTok, but that will not take effect until Nov. 12.

(Reporting by David Shepardson, Echo Wang and Alexandra Alper; additional reporting by Pe Le, Sheila Dang, Karen Freifeld and Jarrett Renshaw, and Beijing newsroom; editing by Chris Sanders, Carmel Crimmins, Andrea Ricci and Daniel Wallis)
"Alexs deep understanding of our industry and keen strategic insights will bring an important perspective to the Board as we transition to a clinical stage company with multiple products in development. - Jeffrey Strovel, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Veralox

Veralox Therapeutics, a biotechnology company developing first-in-class small molecule therapeutics that treat the underlying pathologies of diseases with significant unmet medical needs, today announced the appointment of Alex Martin as Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Mr. Martin brings to the Chairmans role over 25 years of experience in senior executive roles in the life sciences industry, with a focus on business development, operations, and financing. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Palladio Biosciences, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing medicines for orphan diseases of the kidney. Mr. Martin was previously Chief Executive Officer of Realm Therapeutics, which was acquired by ESSA Pharma in July 2019, and has held executive roles at biopharmaceutical companies including Intercept Pharmaceuticals (ICPT) as Chief Operating Officer and BioXell as Chief Financial Officer. He began his career at SmithKline Beecham and later became Vice President, Global Business Development & Licensing at Novartis.

I am thrilled to welcome Alex as Chairman of our Board of Directors, said Jeffrey Strovel, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Veralox. He is an accomplished industry leader who brings a strong track record in operational, business and drug development experience. Alexs deep understanding of our industry and keen strategic insights will bring an important perspective to the Board as we transition to a clinical stage company with multiple products in development.

Its an honor to be appointed Chairman and Im excited for the opportunity to leverage my experience to provide additional perspectives and insights at such an important time in Veraloxs evolution, added Martin. Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a life-threatening disease where the only approved treatment still carries the risk of significant bleeding and mortality, and Veraloxs lead candidate, VLX-1005, could be a game changer for people suffering from this condition. I look forward to working with Jeff and the entire Veralox Board to further develop this opportunity.

Mr. Martin received his B.A. from Cornell University and an M.B.A. from Harvard University.

About Veralox Therapeutics

VERALOX Therapeutics Inc. (https://veralox.com/) is developing first-in-class therapeutics that target the underlying pathologies of diseases with unmet medical needs. The companys lead candidate, VLX-1005, will be developed initially to treat patients with heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) and HIT with thrombosis (HITT). Second generation therapeutic products are under development for type 1 diabetes (T1D) as well as other immune-mediated and inflammatory diseases.
It is reported that Qilong Area where Qilong Innovation Park is located is the initial construction area of the Demonstration Zone for China-Japan Regional Development Cooperation and one of the six industrial functional communities in Chengdu New Economic Zone. In the future, it will focus on the development of animation games, information services, creative design, cultural trade, and cultural finance, and strive to build a China-Japan joint innovation and creativity center.

Since April this year, based on the concepts of park city construction, zoned development, TOD, EOD, etc. Chengdu Hi-tech Zone has been open to collect urban designs with international standard, global vision, and Chengdu characteristics from excellent design companies at home and abroad, with the goal to strengthen the management and control of urban style, improve land resource utilization efficiency, guide industrial development, further give play to the role of overall planning and coordination, and create a high-quality urban space with Chengdu characteristics.

The construction of Qilong Community will further enhance Chengdu's international influence and help build a park city demonstration area that truly embodies the new development concept.

SOURCE Chengdu Hi-tech Zone
IPS Officer Amitabh Gupta who allegedly facilitated the travel of Wadhawan brothers during the lockdown has now been appointed police chief of Pune.

Gupta was the principal secretary with the Maharashtra home department when he granted permission to 23 members of the Wadhawan family to travel to Mahableshwar from Mumbai for a "picnic" in April, days after the country went into lockdown.

At that time, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh sent Gupta on compulsory leave. Besides, an FIR was lodged against Kapil Wadhwan, Dheeraj Wadhawan--promoters of the tainted Dewan Housing Finance Limited (DHFL) group, and 22 other family members and servants for violating lockdown orders.

They were taken into custody in Mahabaleshwar soon after their travel was revealed. The Wadhawans have been linked as accused in the Punjab & Maharashtra Cooperative Bank and Yes Bank scams along with the entities, DHFL-HDIL.

However, Gupta resumed duties in May after he was cleared by an inquiry panel headed by senior IAS officer Manoj Saunik. Gupta will now take over as Pune Police Commissioner from K Venkatesham. Maharashtra government on Thursday night transferred Venkatesham as an additional director general of police (special operations) in Mumbai.

Gupta's post of Principal Secretary (Law and Order) in Maharashtra's home department has gone to Vineet Agarwal.

Meanwhile, additional commissioner Manoj Sharma who was in charge of Mumbai West is now an additional commissioner in state security corporation. Shivdeep Lande is posted in the ATS. Ranjan Sharma, who was the DCP in Mumbai traffic branch is now posted in state CID.

Maharashtra has transferred a total of 22 deputy commissioners and superintendents of police yesterday night.

The transfer of IPS officers which are usually done in June/July was delayed this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the 10-day Ganesh festival which concluded on September 1.

Also read: Farm bills 2020: 'Misinformation being spread that farmers won't get right prices,' says PM Modi

Also read: 74% FDI in defence only for new licenses, all investments to undergo scrutiny
Within the space of a month, a coronavirus outbreak in Myanmars western state of Rakhine has erupted and quickly spread across the entire country. Confirmed infections have increased tenfold, while the death toll has climbed more than six times. Despite the imposition of lockdowns, the virus threatens to spiral out of control.

Surrounded by nations afflicted with the pandemic, Myanmar fared relatively well between March and August, with cases limited to 374 and six deaths. Its first new case in a month was reported on August 16, as a cluster emerged in Sittwe, the state capital of Rakhine. Ever since, new infections have doubled every week.

Official figures now stand at 3,636 cases and 39 deaths. These numbers no doubt underestimate the actual extent of the spread, as smaller clusters are being found daily throughout the country. Only the diminutive state of Kayah is reportedly free from the disease.

Major cities have recorded sharp increases in infection rates over the past two weeks. In Mandalay, cases grew from six to 96. The national capital Nay Pyi Taw, where the most severe restrictions have been imposed, has witnessed a growth from two to 34 cases, including several government officials.

The virus epicentre is the commercial hub Yangon, a densely populated city of over 7 million people. Cases jumped from 236 to 1730 in just two weeks. The citys hospitals are overwhelmed in a nation with one of the worlds poorest healthcare systems. In response to the sudden influx, city authorities are struggling to provide extra facilities, creating two tented hospitals with hundreds of more beds.

The governments health ministry has been inconsistent in its announcements of new data, failing to reveal where cases were found until days later. When two patients died on September 7, for instance, the government waited more than 24 hours to inform the public.

Partial lockdowns were already implemented in 29 of Yangons 44 townships, when the government last Friday announced a ban on all travel out of the city. Public transport, including domestic flights and long-distance bus routes, ground to a halt nationwide, and will remain closed until October 1.

Neighbours China and Thailand are both intensifying security on shared borders to curb the spread. While the Thai military has begun tightening border restrictions and sending back Myanmar nationals, China recently detected two new coronavirus cases in the Yunnan city of Ruili, separated from Myanmar by a shallow river.

Rakhine state, which accounts for nearly a quarter of total cases, has been under semi-lockdown since August 26. Measures include the temporary closure of businesses and night-time curfews across Sittwe, and in the townships of Kyaukphyu, Mrauk-U, Taunggok, and Thandwe.

Aung San Suu Kyi 3 (Credit: Wikimedia)

Myanmars leader, State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, has called for a union spirit among Rakhine residents to fight the pandemic, promising sufficient food and financial assistance. The government, however, continues to block internet networks throughout Rakhine as part of its ongoing campaign of state repression waged against the Rohingya minority.

In addition, medical access to areas affected by military offensives has been limited, allegedly for security reasons, therefore undermining any effective COVID-19 response. In April, when the virus first appeared in Myanmar, a vehicle from the World Health Organisation (WHO) transporting swab samples came under fire, killing the driver.

Since 2017, the Myanmar armed forces, known as the Tatmadaw, have engaged in brutal operations in Rakhine to terrorise the mostly Muslim Rohingya population. This has forced over 700,000 to flee to Bangladesh where they live in squalid refugee camps.

A Rohingya village in Rakhine state after it was burned down by the military (Credit: Wikimedia)

The spread of a highly contagious virus has provided the countrys military-dominated regime with the opportunity to further stoke racial and communal tensions. This is aimed at diverting social anger away from the government and inciting hatred against the Rohingya.

State media outlets have promoted smears claiming that the Rohingya brought the virus to Myanmar from Bangladesh. Local outlet the Voice ran a racist cartoon labelling the Rohingya as illegal interlopers. One of the numerous government-run newspapers published a list of the names of travellers who had recently returned to Yangon from Rakhine, demanding they turn themselves in to face legal punishment.

One Rakhine official revealed the private details of a Rohingya COVID-19 patient on his Facebook account, posting photos of the mans home along with its address.

Far from distancing herself from such blatant attacks on democratic rights, Suu Kyi has threatened to imprison returnees from Bangladesh, as well as severely punish immigrants and anyone harbouring them. Whereas she previously encouraged returnees from Thailand into Mon and Kayin states to seek medical care and quarantine facilities, there was a dramatic shift in policy when cases were first reported in Rakhine in June.

Displaced Rohingya people in Rakhine state (Credit: Wikimedia)

The military, meanwhile, has ramped up its assaults on the largely poor rural population of Rakhine. On September 3, the Tatmadaw swept through two villages in Kyauktaw township at night, firing indiscriminately and setting houses alight. Local media reported that 166 homes had been razed and two men shot dead.

Thousands of villagers fled their homes, while patients at overcrowded quarantine centres were forced to leave due to the shooting, facilitating potential community transmission. One resident who witnessed the attacks told Al Jazeera: I am not worried about the virus. I am only worried about the Tatmadaw attacking our village again.

Military raids in Rakhine have displaced hundreds of thousands of people since late 2018 and have only escalated amid the pandemic. Suu Kyi has repeatedly claimed these are conflicts between national armed forces and Rohingya separatist groups. In doing so, she continues to fulfil her role as a crass apologist for a conscious policy of ethnic cleansing by the military.

Rohingya camp in Rakhine state (Credit: Wikimedia)

The coronavirus resurgence comes as Myanmar prepares for national elections in November. Opposition parties, citing apparent concern for the safety of voters during the pandemic, are beginning to call for polls to be delayed. Political tensions are mounting, as a postponement of two months poses the risk of a constitutional crisis and even the invocation of a state of emergency.

The social impact of the pandemic is also deepening. With economic growth predicted to slow to just 1.8 percent this year, the Asian Development Bank has warned that Myanmars manufacturing sector and ability to attract foreign investment will be hit hard by global demand and supply shocks.
The body of a missing boater has been recovered at Dark Brook Reservoir in Auburn, officials said.

Divers located the person Friday morning, Auburn fire officials wrote on Facebook around 10:15 a.m., following a boating accident on Thursday night.

The District 7 Regional Dive Team, Massachusetts State Police Divers and Environmental Police searched for the victim at the reservoir, also known as Electric Pond.

Around 5 p.m. Thursday, the man took his boat to the reservoir and apparently fell into the water. People called 911 to report an empty boat circling in the water. The vessel eventually ran ashore, according to the office of District Attorney Joseph Early Jr.

The victim, whose name has not been publicly released, was found in 18 feet of water, Earlys office said.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner accepted the case, the district attorneys office said.

No further information was immediately available.

Divers have located the victim and they have been removed from the water. Posted by Auburnmassfire on Friday, September 18, 2020
Gov. Tom Wolf likely will veto the Republican-controlled legislatures latest effort to do as little as possible about climate change. A bill approved on Sept. 9  as waves of wildfires incinerated parts of the West  would derail Wolfs executive order for Pennsylvania to cut carbon pollution from power plants, and would prevent Pennsylvania from joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). Wolf vetoed a separate Republican anti-RGGI bill in May; Pennsylvania emits the fourth highest amount of greenhouse gases of any state in the country.

Wisely, Pennsylvanias independent Environmental Quality Board voted 13-6 earlier this week to advance a separate gubernatorial executive order to join RGGI. But the new GOP measure would mandate that only the legislature could make such a decision. The bill also would prohibit the state Department of Environmental Protection from taking any other action "designed to abate, control or limit carbon dioxide emissions without getting the legislatures permission. This would put politicians and their industry patrons, not scientists or other professionals, in charge of Pennsylvanias air quality.

Supporters such as Republican state Sen. Bob Mensch, who represents portions of Bucks and Montgomery counties, like to portray this attempt to usurp gubernatorial and regulatory authority as a noble battle against executive overreach. But with its own act of overreach, the GOP seeks to tie the hands of the governor and the DEP and privilege the economic and political demands of the states powerful fossil fuel industry.

Wolf capitulated to the lobbys influence in July, when he signed off on a measure to provide a 25-year, $670 million tax break for a quartet of petrochemical facilities that utilize natural gas. He had vetoed an earlier version of the bill; the final result is a law that will burden Pennsylvania taxpayers with a corporate welfare obligation for the next quarter of a century.

 READ MORE: Gov. Wolfs support for a petrochemical tax credit is a mistake. He should veto the bill. | Editorial

The RGGI bill attracted some Democratic votes as well as blue-collar union support. Philly labor leader John J. 'Johnny Doc Dougherty sent a letter to legislators backing the bill on behalf of the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council. Regardless of whether GOP-driven legislative maneuvers have served to divide Democrats in a swing state during a presidential election year, both the anti-RGGI bills also used employment concerns as a pretext for policies likely to have more damaging long-term impact than any industry job losses.

Launched in 2009, RGGI is a 'cap-and-trade system to cut emissions, encourage alternative energy, and create jobs by encouraging electric power producers to gradually shift away from high carbon-emitting fuels and technologies. Environmental advocates say participating states in New England and the Mid-Atlantic region have dramatically cut carbon emissions and raised revenue to support alternative and renewable energy. A 2018 study also credited RGGI with cutting the cost of power.

The states environmental quality board expects joining RGGI would keep 188 million tons of Pennsylvania carbon emissions out of the atmosphere, create 30,000 jobs, and prevent hundreds of fatal air pollution-related medical conditions statewide. Given that people of color and other residents of poor and polluted neighborhoods, like those adjacent to the former PES refinery, often face serious health challenges adds environmental justice to the case for Pennsylvania to join the RGGI.
They're both portrayed British Queens on the big and small screens during their successful careers.

And now Olivia Colman and Dame Judi Dench are set to see who can rule the charts when they both release musical projects on November 6, reports The Mirror.

The Crown star, 46, is set to narrate a poem to music while Dame Judi, who has previously acted as Queen Elizabeth I and Victoria, will sing on Aled Jones' album.

New release: Olivia Colman (pictured) is set to feature on a music album which is being released on the same day that another project featuring Dame Judi Dench is released

Oscar winner Judi, 85, will show off her vocal talents alongside Welshman Aled to song How Can I Keep From Singing.

Called Blessings, the album will touch on different faiths including Quaker, Christian, Catholic, Muslim and Buddhism, reports Classic FM.

And as well as Dame Judi, other guest stars appearing on the album include Susan Boyle and Brian Blessed.

While Olivia's voice will feature on album Carnival which will feature classical music by the Kanneh-Mason and poems by Michael Morpurgo.

Coming soon: Dame Judi (pictured) will sing How Can I Keep From Singing on Aled Jones' new album Blessings

The War Horse author wrote a series of new poems inspired by Saint-Saenss The Carnival of the Animals which the talented family put to music.

One of the Kanneh-Mason siblings, Sheku, is already well-known for his skills after he played at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding.

MailOnline has contacted representatives for Dame Judi and Olivia for a comment.

Dame Judi and Olivia have worked together in the past with them both appearing in 2017 film Murder on the Orient Express.

And this is not Olivia's first time featuring in the recording industry as she also appears on a 2019 Children in Need album, covering Portishead's Glory Box.

Royalty: Both of the actresses have portrayed British royalty in the past, with Olivia playing the Queen in Netflix's hit show The Crown (pictured)

In character: Dame Judi played Queen Victoria in the 2017 film Victoria and Abdul

However, the actress wasn't too confident about her singing abilities at the time, joking: 'I think I should definitely stick to my day job.'

Also appearing on that album with Olivia was Helena Bonham-Carter, 53, who took on Joni Mitchell's song Both Sides Now.

The actresses have also been working together on Netflix series The Crown, in which they play sisters The Queen and Princess Margaret.

Each star has handpicked their cover song so that it is significant to them for the album.
The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts is defending its plan to have Carnival 2022 events on a limited basis.

This as the decision has been met with mixed reviews from stakeholders and members of the public.

In a release yesterday, the ministry said: To reiterate, the ministry has proposed a Taste of Carnival which would include specific types of Carnival activities for vaccinated persons only in safe-zone arrangements deemed to pose the least risk from a public health standpoint in the context of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
Two scientific pursuits excite me more than others: studying ant behaviour and the search for life elsewhere in this universe. So I was thrilled to read that a team of astronomers has detected signs of life on another planet. In this strange time when lives by the thousand of lives every day are being snuffed out by a virus, we find there may be life on Venus.

Exciting? But allow me to explore some other signs of possible life out there that we might have detected.

In late 2017, there was Oumuamua, which zoomed in and out of our solar system. (See my Cigar from outer space, 5 January 2018). Of course many objects zip through space, but this one was about 250m long and only 35m wide. In a universe filled with generally rounded artefacts, this one was like a cigar. What did that mean?

Many astronomers speculated that it might be a spaceship. For if you wanted a vehicle to explore other worlds, you might choose to build it in that shape. Had some technologically advanced civilization come to the same conclusion and shaped Oumuamua that way?

So as Oumuamua sped away from us, we started listening for radio signals from it. For youd expect a craft like that to emit signals, from its machinery or for communications or both. After all, our own spacecraft  Voyager, Pioneer, Cassini and morehave all communicated with Earth as they roamed our system, sending out radio signals.

Only, we found no signals from Oumuamua. Perhaps it was no more than an odd-shaped rock.

Then theres KIC 8462852, or Tabbys Star, about 1,500 light-years away. In around 2011, its brightness started varying in a bizarre way (See my Have we found a structure?, 23 October 2015). Once it dimmed by as much as 22%. Various explanations were offered, of which one was particularly interesting: a Dyson sphere" around the star.

Originally conceived by the thinker and mathematician Freeman Dyson, this is what he called an artificial biosphere which completely surrounds (a) star." He imagined that a civilization might attempt to build such a sphere in order to gather and use all the energy from its star, rather than just a tiny fraction of it like we do with our Sun. Certainly this would have to be a civilization in possession of technology and knowledge far greater than our own.

So was Tabbys Star dimming because someone was building a Dyson sphere around it? Was this a sign of life there? Its possible, but over the last few years, astronomers have offered other, more plausible explanations. For example, perhaps an exomoon" is disintegrating as it orbits the star. The resulting debris could obscure our view of it. Whatever the explanations, it is unlikely that Tabbys dimming is a sign of life.

In both these cases, the signs we sought to confirm were of sentient, intelligent life. That is, of course, what the well-known Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) is all about. Patterns in radio signals, evidence of structures, an effort to communicateany of those would fit that particular bill.

Yet think of this: life doesnt necessarily have to be technologically advanced, nor offer us signs that it is intelligent. After all, if some extraterrestrial civilization checked out our planet millions of years before the appearance of homo sapiens, they would have found trees and early animals, water and bacteria and carbon dioxidenothing there we would term intelligent as we understand that word today. And yet even those millions of years ago, the Earth was teeming with life. In fact, if life-forms in that civilization also produced carbon dioxide, they would undoubtedly take the presence of that gas as a sign that theres life on Earth.

So just what do we mean by life? Or really, what is a sign of life?

Water is one. For life, as we denizens of Earth know it, at any rate, water is fundamental. So when we find evidence of water on other bodies in space, it intrigues us, because it suggests that life is possible there. For example, we have images of what looks like flowing water  or more accurately, the trails flowing water would leave behind  on Mars. Jupiters moon Europa, astronomers believe, has a huge subsurface ocean that contains up to three times as much water as the Earth does (see Giant steps are what you take walking to the moon, 11 July 2019). How do we know this? Among other things, the Hubble Space Telescope once photographed what look like enormous plumes of water vapour erupting off Europas surface. (Aside: spare a thought for photographing such water vapour, even enormous eruptions, with a telescope thats 700 million km away).

Evidence of water is a major reason theres so much interest in Mars among astronomers, and also why NASA is planning to launch a mission to Europa in 2024.

But we dont need to detect water. There are other possible signs, and scientists refer to them as biosignatures". For example, take my mention of carbon dioxide above. To that other civilization, it would have been a biosignature: a substance that amounts to scientific evidence of life as that civilization knows it. Similarly, there are biosignatures we might find on other celestial bodies.

And thats where Venus  remember Venus? This column began with Venus  comes in. Because what the team of astronomers found on Venus is the presence, in its cloud cover, of a gas called phosphine. Made of phosphorus and hydrogen atoms, phosphine is explosive and tends to smell of garlic or rotting fish. It is also poisonous: it can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, pulmonary problems, muscle pain and more. Not a pleasant gas to have wafting around you, certainly, and thats why it has been used as a chemical weapon in wars. It even made an appearance in the hit series Breaking Bad, killing off two bad guys.

But heres why phosphine is a biosignature: it occurs naturally when organic matter decomposes. It is produced by bacteria that dont need oxygen (anaerobic bacteria). It is found in swamps and in animal excretain relatively large amounts, for instance, in the air above penguin colonies. We know of no other way, here on Earth, that phosphine is naturally produced. As the teams paper (Phosphine gas in the cloud decks of Venus", Nature Astronomy, 14 September 2020) explains, Trace (phosphine) in Earths atmosphere is uniquely associated with anthropogenic activity or microbial presence  life produces this highly reducing gas even in an overall oxidizing environment." Or, in the simpler language one member of the team used: As far as we can tell, only life can make phosphine."

(Second aside: spare a thought for detecting phosphine in a cloud with a telescope thats 150 million km away. How that happened is a story, perhaps, for another column).

So, if theres phosphine in the clouds of Venus, thats pretty Venus-shattering news, for we have long assumed that Venus, with its severely acidic atmosphere and fierce surface temperatures, is utterly inhospitable to life. With this new discovery, well have to revisit, at least, that assumption. What produced that phosphine? Answering that may even force us to revisit our ideas of life itself.

Just that much is exciting enough. Though if someone found evidence of ants on Venus, thatll really make my day.

Once a computer scientist, Dilip DSouza now lives in Mumbai and writes for his dinners. His Twitter handle is @DeathEndsFun

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While former Democratic Vice President Joe Biden has held a steady six or seven-point lead over President Donald Trump in the national public opinion polls, Trump has held one clear advantage over Biden  on the question of who voters believe is best suited to handle a troubled economy.

As recently as mid-August, a CNN poll indicated that 53% of voters believed Trump, the one-time New York real estate magnate, was the better candidate for economic issues, with 45% in the survey preferring Biden. But even that advantage has begun to dissipate. Just two weeks later, the same poll found Trump with a razor-thin 49% to 48% advantage. Other polling has shown a similar narrowing. Early September polling from CBS News and Quinnipiac showed a virtual tie in voters' beliefs about who would better handle the economy.

The reasons for the change are not completely clear, analysts say, but some of the movement is likely related to Biden taking a much more aggressive posture in challenging the president's handling of the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

While Trump has boasted that the 8.4 percent August unemployment rate was "much better than expected" and was down from the jaw-dropping 14.7 percent in April and 10.2 percent in July, the U.S. nonetheless is suffering historic economic hardship with roughly 14 million people out of work.

"We all know it didn't have to be this bad," Biden said in a fiery speech last week charging Trump with neglecting those most affected by the economic slowdown. "It didn't have to be this bad if the president just did his job."

Trump has relied on his go-to strategy of hyperbolic warnings of disaster if anybody but him is in the White House. In rally speeches and all-caps tweets, Trump regularly ties Biden to the most radical elements of the political left, claiming that a Biden presidency would usher in "socialism" and would lead to economic disaster.

Polling evidence can vary. The Economist/YouGov poll, conducted weekly, asks voters whether they believe the economy would get better or worse under Trump or Biden. In that poll, Trump's advantage had appeared to be shrinking, but polling out this week found that Trump has actually widened the gap. Of nearly 1,500 respondents, 39% said they believe the economy would improve under a second Trump term, while 38% believe it would get worse. The same poll found that 34% of respondents believe the economy would improve under Biden compared to 41% who said it would get worse.

From a big-picture perspective, the difference between the two candidates' economic policies breaks down along fairly predictable party lines. Trump offers Republican-friendly promises of more tax cuts and reduced regulations, while Biden offers a more traditional Democratic line, with higher taxes on the wealthy and businesses and increased government spending on infrastructure and social welfare. Both men are proposing measures to entice businesses to hire more workers in the U.S. rather than offshoring jobs to lower-wage countries.

Assessing the two candidates' economic visions at a more granular level is difficult, in part because of the difference in detail that the two campaigns have offered. The Biden campaign has put out dozens of detailed position papers on economic policy issues, replete with specific proposals and figures. The Trump campaign, by contrast, has issued a set of bullet points with general themes and few specifics.

Biden tax policy

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the area of tax policy  for both candidates arguably the most significant part of their economic agenda.

The Biden campaign has issued more than 50 specific proposals on taxes alone, and the former vice president's priorities are clear. He would raise the corporate tax rate to 28% from 21% and the top marginal income tax on individuals would go from 37% currently to 39.6%. Many of the tax increases the Biden campaign is proposing are tied to specific spending priorities, meant to fund things like expanded access to child care and major infrastructure projects.

An analysis of Biden's plans by the Tax Foundation, a leading independent tax policy nonprofit, found that over the coming decade, Biden's plans would raise federal tax receipts by approximately $4 trillion, or about 1.5% of Gross Domestic Product.

What Biden proposes would amount to a significant tax increase, but it is not, as Trump has repeatedly claimed, the largest in history. The rates Biden is proposing are also well within historical norms for the United States. And Biden says his tax hikes would target those making more than $400,000 a year.

"Joe Biden is looking to primarily raise taxes on higher earners," said Garrett Watson, a senior policy analyst at the Tax Foundation. "And that's through higher tax rates on ordinary income, on income coming from investments, and business income."

Trump tax policy

Trump signed a major Republican tax cut and jobs bill in 2017 and more recently proposed additional tax cuts as part of his second term agenda. Experts say the new plan is light on specifics, although in general it would expand existing tax breaks, create credits for specific industries, and unspecified tax cuts for individuals.

"We have far less information on the details and the specifics of the Trump tax plan," Watson said.

The lack of detail coming from the Trump campaign is a real stumbling block for those searching for a clear picture of what an economic future under a second Trump term would look like.

"For us as analysts, that provides a challenge," said Janet Holtzblatt, a senior fellow at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center in Washington. While her organization has plans to release a comprehensive analysis of the Biden plan next month, she said developing one for Trump is proving difficult.

But the problem isn't just for policy analysts, she pointed out. "It's a challenge for voters who may be trying to compare the two plans."


We have been often told that sabr ka phal meetha hota hai or as the Czech say, patience brings roses and the same has come true for Marvel fan(atics) this time around. Word has it, that finally, after a long, long wait spanning years, the Marvel Universe has finally found its *drumroll* SHE-HULK.

 Twitter/CosmicWarren13

Yes, it has finally happened and now we have a face to put on The Hulks fierce female cousin. Orphan Black actor Tatiana Maslany has been roped in to play the role of She-Hulk in an upcoming MCU TV series which shall be released on Disney+.



35-year-old Tatiana will be seen portraying the role of Bruce Banners cousin sister Jennifer Walters, which also happens to be one of the last characters Stan Lee co-created. Walters transforms into She-Hulk following a blood transfusion mishap which transfers his superpowers to her.

 twitter/beingshubhamjai

Walters is originally a lawyer by profession, so apart from doing her bit as a superhero, she also helps other superheroes by providing them with legal counsel. However, the highlight of this Marvel character lies in her being a feminist icon as many fans believe her to be.

 Twitter/DrawsTom

Often considered a rule-bender, She-Hulk is seen as a feminist trendsetter in her calm and confident demeanor as the female counterpart of The Hulk. In her ability to not live up to the demands to look a certain way as a female superhero, she rejects the subservient persona and rewrites her role in the Universe on her own terms.



Who else is stoked about the series?
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. The reopening of regular flights between Armenia and Russia is under discussion both bilaterally and as part of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), the Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergey Kopirkin told reporters.

He said the reopening depends on the COVID-19 situation.

We are following the epidemiological situation in Russia and Armenia because the reopening of borders depends on it. These issues are under discussion bilaterally and within the framework of the EEU, he said.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 21:35:56|Editor: huaxia

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ISLAMABAD, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani customs in a joint action with Afghan customs authorities thwarted an attempt to smuggle tonnes of iodine, which can be used for the synthesis of drugs, an official said on Friday.

Pakistan Customs Port Control Unit in the country's southern port city of Karachi has conducted the operation with Afghan customs officials on credible information that a container en route to Afghanistan from the United Arab Emirates through Pakistan, carried a huge quantity of contraband, an official from Pakistan customs told Xinhua.

The official said after the container was identified as having suspicious profiling, Pakistani customs officials immediately informed the Afghan authorities, adding that acting upon it, Afghan customs in coordination with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime(UNODC) seized the iodine.

The seized iodine could be used to produce a large amount of synthetic drug namely methamphetamine, and according to the UNODC survey report, the methamphetamine that could be manufactured through the seized iodine has an international market value of about 546 million U.S. dollars, local TV channel Dawn said.

The en route movement was closely monitored from Karachi to Torkham border with Afghanistan by Pakistan Customs to avoid any en route pilferage, said Pakistan Customs in an official statement.

"This unprecedented operation has successfully averted the illicit movement of 546 million U.S. dollars from going into the hands of criminal syndicates. The seizure has immense international impact and shows Pakistan's commitment with the charter of FATF (Financial Action Task Force)," the statement added. Enditem
On Monday, federal Judge William S. Stickman IV struck down Gov. Tom Wolfs orders to limit gathering sizes and close certain businesses designed to limit the spread of the coronavirus. This is alarming. As medical professionals, we can tell you Gov. Wolfs actions have saved hundreds, if not thousands, of lives. This decision should be guided by public health, not partisan politics.

It wasnt so long ago that cases of COVID-19 were surging in Pennsylvania. For several weeks in the spring, more than 100 people died each day as our hospitals filled to the brim. Doctors, nurses, and other essential members of the health professions worked long hours to keep patients safe, not knowing what the next day would bring. Patients suffered and died away from their families.

Research shows that COVID-19 restrictions  like those in Pennsylvania  prevented as many as 60 million infections in the U.S.; they helped us contain the virus and prevent hospitals from becoming overwhelmed, like the experiences of Italy and New York. Indeed, Gov. Wolfs swift, decisive action saved lives.

Right now, Pennsylvanians can be cautiously optimistic about our COVID-19 numbers  they are low and staying low in most parts of the state, allowing us to consider reopening schools and businesses safely. But that can change with careless actions and misguided court rulings.

Already, college students in Happy Valley and Delaware County (and their propensity for parties) are driving an increase in infections throughout the state. Yet ironically, these large gatherings are exactly the types of events targeted by Gov. Wolfs order. This news comes after a new report from the Philadelphia Department of Public Health showing too many residents still arent wearing masks. Striking down lockdown orders could send the wrong message to our residents that the situation is safe when, in reality, significant risk remains.

With flu season looming, more students returning to school, and colder weather limiting safe outdoor socializing, smart stay-at-home orders and thoughtful plans for reopening businesses are as crucial now as they were last spring.

We need not remind Pennsylvanians of Arizona, Texas, or Florida  states that thought they had COVID-19 beat, only to relax restrictions and reemerge as hot spots. Shutdown orders, like the ones struck down Monday, were designed to prevent Pennsylvania from being next.

And although we are health-care workers and not lawyers, we believe these restrictions are absolutely constitutional.

Defending his ruling, Judge Stickman wrote In an emergency, even a vigilant public may let down its guard over its constitutional liberties only to find that liberties, once relinquished, are hard to recoup. We agree that individual liberties are important, but public safety is, too. And as medical providers who are putting our own lives at risk to care for Pennsylvanians with COVID-19, we have to balance both, a balancing act that is supported by the Constitution.

Theres no shortage of legal precedent defending a governors restriction of individual liberties during a pandemic  what is actually unprecedented is the politicization of this public health crisis. Remember: In the early days of the pandemic, President Donald Trump called COVID-19 a hoax by the Democrats as he downplayed the threat. Now, Judge Stickman, a Trump appointee, is striking down Gov. Wolfs necessary and legal order.

We all want the pandemic to end. We want to revitalize our economy and get back to normal. That can only happen when public health  and not politics  guides our leaders.

Catherine Auriemma is a pulmonary and critical care fellow at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Hatem Abdallah is an MD candidate at Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Austin S. Kilaru is an adjunct assistant professor of emergency medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
President Donald Trump has spent $20 million of his political war chest to stop it. He riffs about it at rallies. He tweets relentlessly about it.

Yet six months into a crusade to stop universal mail-in voting, Trump hasnt yet prevented a single state from sending voters the unsolicited ballots he claims, with minimal evidence, are ripe for fraud.

His attempts in Nevada, New Jersey and Montana are tied up in court. His legal challenge in California was circumvented by the state legislature. And he hasnt challenged the mailing of ballots in the six other states that plan to mail them, including Vermont, the last state that switched to full remote voting this year following the coronavirus outbreak, according to the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee.

Time is running out. Ballots are already being sent across the country. Some counties in New Jersey began mailing them last week. Both Vermont and Nevada, a battleground state the president campaigned in last weekend, expect to mail ballots within days.

Once the ballots have gone out, its hard to see how the courts could grant meaningful relief on the claims, said Richard Pildes, a leading expert on election law and a professor of constitutional law at the New York University School of Law. There would be no way to put the genie back in the bottle, no way to put the toothpaste back in the tube.

And by mid-October, the rest of the universal mail-in voting states will have started sending out ballots, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Since 2006, the Supreme Court has repeatedly warned courts not to allow significant voting changes close to Election Day, in one case citing 75 days out as a deadline.

A judge could still order a state to delay ballot mailings to let a case run its course  this week, for instance, the Texas Supreme Court halted ballot applications from being sent in the Houston area while a GOP case is pending. But in New Jersey, Republicans didnt ask for a postponement.

Story continues

The presidents push against mail-in voting  which began in the spring as the pandemic raged and his poll numbers dropped  has allowed him to present himself as a fighter on a process Trumps most ardent supporters say will let Democrats manipulate the election to favor Joe Biden.

But there are signs Trumps strategy is causing confusion and fear among his Republicans allies. Recent polling shows Republicans have become concerned about remote voting, and Democrats are outpacing Republican requests for absentee ballots in some swing states.

If there is a threat to our election this year, its not mail-in ballots, said Tom Ridge, a former Republican governor of Pennsylvania, who now co-chairs VoteSafe, a bipartisan voting group pushing for more mail-in votes and safer in-person voting. Its the president sowing doubt in the results of the election.

Ridge said Americans need to accept that voting will be different this year. There will be an unprecedented number of absentee ballots, some states will start verifying ballots before Election Day and the country will likely not know the winner of the presidential race on Nov. 3.

The pandemic has changed everything about our lives, so why wouldn't it change the way we run elections, too? he said.

In near-daily diatribes, tweets, interviews and speeches, Trump has spent months making evidence-deficient allegations about mail-in voting leading to massive election fraud. On Thursday, he tweeted about it nine times. His campaign has used the issue in appeals to supporters.

FILE - In this Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020 file photo, workers prepare absentee ballots for mailing at the Wake County Board of Elections in Raleigh, N.C. Nearly 10,000 North Carolinians had their mail-in ballots accepted in the first week of voting, according to data released Friday, Sept. 11 by the State Board of Elections. North Carolina was the first state in the country to send absentee ballots to voters who requested them. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome, File)

I want to know the names of EVERY Patriot who stands with me against rampant and fraudulent mail-in-ballots. My team is giving me the list first thing TOMORROW morning. Will I see your name on there? Trump wrote in an email to supporters in June.

On Facebook, Trump campaign ads asking for donations have similarly focused on the issue. The Radical Left is trying to STEAL THE MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION OF OUR LIVES, so President Trump is calling on you to join his White House Defense Team, one ad said.

Democrats  and even some Republicans  say Trump is making the allegations to undermine confidence in the election results in case he loses.

You have to wonder to what extent any of the players  are trying to use delay as a tactical advantage or chaos, said Ned Foley, director of election law at the Moritz College of Law at Ohio State University. Some sides might benefit or think they benefit from rocking the boat because they think theyre going to lose or they think they want to create a narrative that the system is untrustworthy.

The Trump campaign didnt comment on the record for this report but, an official proclaimed victory in California and New Jersey, where legislatures were forced to act after courts ruled that governors overstepped their authority by ordering mail-in ballots be sent to all voters. Other Trump-backing Republicans argue its unfair to say Trump hasnt been successful in halting new universal mail-in voting systems since several cases are pending. And they cite victories in three key states for Trump  New Mexico, Minnesota and Pennsylvania  where the GOP successfully opposed lawsuits designed to force those states to send universal ballots or ballot applications to all voters.

The RNC is involved in several cases in which we are challenging attempts to mail unsolicited, live mail-in ballots to every voter on the voter roll in contradiction of both state and federal law, RNC spokesperson Mandi Merritt said. As recent experience in the Nevada, New Jersey, New York, and Montana primaries have demonstrated, these poorly conceived and poorly implemented programs create chaos by straining the resources of election officials, and they result in a glut of loose, live ballots floating around the state where they could be found and returned by anyone.

While Trump argues unsolicited ballots can result in fraud, there is little evidence of that. Instead, other problems are more likely: Voting rolls that determine who receives a ballot could be inaccurate, ballots could be sent to the wrong address or lost in the mail, or voters may have their ballot tossed out for not following directions, for not having a proper signature or for having a name that doesnt exactly match information on file with election officials.

Hans von Spakovsky, who manages the conservative Heritage Foundation's Election Law Reform Initiative, said courts should stop states from moving to universal voting this year and states should spend time training poll workers for in-person elections.

They shouldnt be changing the rules this close to the election, said von Spakovsky, a former member of the Federal Election Commission. If I was a federal judge, there would be a hearing the next day. You just cant make major changes before an election.

A record number of Americans are expected to cast their ballot by mail this year  many in Republican-dominated states and swing states where GOP turnout is crucial for Trump.

Trumps campaign and the RNC pledged to spend $20 million to challenge voting rule changes resulting from the pandemic. They have had successes in some lawsuits that address everything from ballot drop boxes, voting deadlines and witnesses for absentee ballots. But so far, none of the lawsuits have impeded the 10 states planning to send out ballots to all voters.

The campaign and RNC do have ongoing lawsuits in three states  Nevada, New Jersey and Montana. Republicans sued Nevada after the Democratic-controlled legislature passed a plan to mail ballots to all registered voters. Democratic governors in New Jersey and Montana made the decision to send out unsolicited ballots, and the New Jersey legislature quickly voted to do the same to head off the Republican lawsuit.

New Jersey has already started mailing out its ballots, and in their lawsuit there, Republicans never actually asked a judge to halt that process. U.S. District Court Judge Michael Shipp even had to push the GOPs attorneys to hurry up, saying the case was butting up against the election. In Montana, Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democrat running for U.S. Senate, is giving counties the authority to mail ballots  and most have decided to do so.

Trump also fought Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsoms order in California. But after the Republican legal challenges, the states legislature passed a bill ordering ballots be mailed to all voters. While the unsolicited ballots are still going out, the Trump campaign and RNC declared victory after legislators prevented them from being mailed to voters who have not participated in recent elections.

Up in Vermont, state-based Republicans challenged the decision of Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos, a Democrat, to send ballots to all voters. But the Trump campaign did not join that suit, according to the RNC.

The Trump campaign also did not sue to stop ballots in the five states  Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah and Washington  that were already conducting all-remote elections before the pandemic, according to the RNC.

Richard Hasen, an election law expert at the University of California, Irvine School of Law, said Republicans have an uphill battle in these suits: First, they need to prove to a judge that they have a legal interest in cases; then, they have to prove their fraud allegations.

The courts have been skeptical of those kinds of claims and more deferential to the states if theyre going to allow mail-in ballots or not, he said. Claims of widespread voters fraud are unproven.

Matthew Friedman, Jeremy White and Zach Montellaro contributed to this report.
Back to school is a busy time of year and this September is a different experience for everyone. Even during these challenging times, books can help us make sense of things by naming them and allowing us to be relevant and responsive to the times we are living in. We must think critically about the books we share and ensure they allow us to centre conversations around identity, belonging, community, inclusion, allyship and anti-racism. I hope these recommendations can help us in our journey of doing this very important and necessary work with children.

I Promise By Lebron James, Nina Mata, illus., HarperCollins, 40 pages, $24.99

I Promise explores themes of belonging and community. The book shares affirmations like I promise to be open and try new things that set a foundation for a caring learning community where all belong. Readers will learn that they are capable, competent and can work toward goals they set.

Your Name is a Song By Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, Luisa Uribe, illus., The Innovation Press, 40 pages, $21.95

Your Name is a Song is a powerful story that explores identity and the importance of names. In the story, the girl is disheartened when her name is mispronounced at school. Her mother reminds that one way to create an inclusive community is to celebrate, respect and honour all names.

Speak Up By Miranda Paul, Ebony Glenn, illus., Houghton, Mifflin, Harcourt, 40 pages, $24.99

Speak Up expands ideas around ways to speak up to make a difference. Readers learn to speak up by becoming critically conscious members of their communities. The book shows readers that speaking up is action-based and can be loud and quiet.

A Place Inside of Me By Zetta Elliott, Noa Denmon illus., Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 32 pages, 24.50

A Place Inside of Me is an important poem that can springboard discussions around current events. It explores the different feelings a Black boy experiences as his community is affected by a police shooting. This exploration is affirming, healing and centres on self-love and the Black Lives Matter movement.

The Train By Jodie Callaghan, Georgia Lesley, illus., Second Story Press, 32 pages, $17.95

The Train is a vital story that helps readers learn about residential schools and intergenerational trauma. In the story, a girl learns about the unfair and cruel schooling experiences many Indigenous children experienced. Readers learn they can have a powerful role to play in working toward Truth and Reconciliation.

I Am Every Good Thing By Derrick Barnes, Gordon C. James, illus., Penguin Young Readers, 32 pages, $23.99

I Am Every Good Thing is a story about the importance of seeing all children through an asset based lens. Readers see this through the experiences and positive affirmations a Black boy shares. A timely reminder to reinforce that all children have passions, expertise and are every good thing.
India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) has revised its outlook on public sector banks to 'negative' from 'stable' for October-March period of the current financial year 2020-21. The outlook was downgraded in view of expected rise in stressed assets, higher credit costs, weaker earnings on account of interest reversals and lower fee income, and muted growth prospects in the wake of the measures taken to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Given that capital buffers for most public sector banks (PSBs) remained modest, the spike in stressed assets due to pandemic is expected to double the credit costs for banking system than estimated pre-COVID-19 levels for FY21, the agency said.

"The agency has revised the rating outlook on PSBs to negative for H2 FY21 from stable. The state-owned banks modest capital buffers are expected to deplete further in FY21, due to provisioning requirements. Also, pre-COVID profitability expectations for FY21 would be belied and most banks are likely to report net losses," Ind-Ra said.

Also Read: Divestment of majority stake in PSBs credit negative for these banks: ICRA

As per Ind-Ra, public sector banks will need to continue to build-up their provision cover in FY22 for restructured assets as some of the restructured assets could turn bad loans in FY23. They would require Rs 35,000 crore -Rs 55,000 crore in H2 FY21 for Tier 1 ratio of 10 per cent. The provisions are much lower in case of private banks.

Meanwhile, Ind-Ra has maintained a 'stable' outlook for private banks, as they are better placed to withstand the challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic. Most large banks have strengthened their capital buffers, built contingent provisions and have been proactive in managing the loan portfolio.

Also Read: Public banks need much more than Rs 20,000 crore capital infusion

"While the system's credit growth could remain anaemic, and short-term financial performance could deteriorate modestly, large banks may benefit from credit migration. As opportunities arise, these banks are in a position to gain substantial franchise growth in the medium term, given that they have also added to their capital buffers over the past few months," it said.




(Alliance News) - BHP Group PLC said on Friday announced the pricing and early acceptance of tenders for its multi-currency note repurchase plan.

The Anglo-Australian mining company said the USD2.25 billion in notes at a yield of 0.263% will have an early consideration of USD1,230.38 per USD1,000, with a final acceptance amount of USD1.50 billion. The principal amount outstanding after early settlement will be USD745.8 million.

For the EUR750.0 million notes with a negative yield of 0.451%, these will have an early consideration of EUR1,182.01 per EUR1,000 with a final acceptance amount of EUR35.3 million. The principal amount outstanding after early settlement is USD745.8 million.

The early settlement date for the notes is expected to be September 21.

Both offers are scheduled to expire end September 30.

Lead dealer managers include: Deutsche Bank AG, Merrill Lynch International, JP Morgan Securities and Lucid Issuer Services Ltd.

The exchange rate used for pricing was EUR1.00 to USD1.1808.

BHP said that the tenders submitted and not withdrawn by the early tender deadline exceeded the offer cap of USD1.90 billion.

BHP shares were up 1.3% at ZAR374.63 each in Johannesburg around midday. They were up 1.8% at 1,790.20 pence in London.

By Greg Roxburgh; gregroxburgh@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
THE TURKS and Caicos Islands has inched one step closer towards inking a historic agreement with the Bahamas to combat illegal migration in both nations.





Cabinet has approved a final draft of the long-awaited Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the TCI Government and the Government of the Bahamas.





It will see the Royal Bahamas Defence Force and TCI Joint Task Force combining efforts, sharing intelligence and conducting training to cut human trafficking and illegal migration.





Premier Sharlene Cartwright Robinson made this announcement during a press conference held at her office in Providenciales on Tuesday (September 16).





She said: "I am pleased to announce that Cabinet at its last meeting has approved a final draft of the MoU with the Bahamas in an effort to enhance our border protection initiatives.





"This is the first of its kind and we are proud of this initiative which we know will strengthen our border protection efforts.





The premier explained that the final draft of the agreement has been submitted to the UK for appraisal and will be sent back for a final review and consultation with the Bahamas soon.





She stressed that creating a better network and collaboration with the Bahamas will bode well for the TCI since the territory has struggled with containing illegal migration for years.





Although the Bahamas has assisted the territory with interception and intelligence sharing for years, the MoU when signed will provide a legal framework for the cooperation.





The unification will see the Bahamas marine forces patrolling the TCIs waters in an effort to reinforce the work of the territorys Immigration Task Force and Police Maritime Unit.





Chasing the traffickers

For years, the TCI has been overwhelmed by a large number of Haitian migrants who often embark on a treacherous 190-mile journey to the TCI in search of a better life.





Governor Nigel Dakin said that while the US, the UK or the TCI cannot prevent the push factors out of Haiti, the TCI can work towards addressing the pull factors.





"It is at present our international obligation to pay for that repatriation and it is an extremely frustrating fact, he said.





"Frankly the more successful we get at the arrests we make at sea the larger the bill becomes in terms of repatriation.





"So this is why it is so important that we stop playing this game, essentially trying to just prevent the sloops coming and again take a strategic approach.





He said instead the TCI must go after those who run and profit from the illegal trafficking networks.





"and we start to reduce the pull factors that allow people to believe that when they come here they can be employed.





"So our answer to this is to get after the networks and get after those that make this place a comfortable environment for illegal immigrants.





Governor Dakin said there has been a shift from detection and enforcement, and energies are now geared towards clamping down on those that profit from illegal trafficking.





He said: "Hard work and teamwork, locally but internationally is paying off.





"Its now a very long time since a large sloop got past our collective defences and deposited hundreds on our beaches.





"At another level, since I last spoke to you, we have extradited a world class criminal wanted - globally - for people smuggling who evaded many jurisdictions but didnt get past ours.





"Beyond the large, slow sloops we are increasingly able to intercept smaller faster boats.





He said the territory is now gaining "serious traction against this decades long problem.





"This is before two further radar sites become operational... it is before the regiment becomes operational who can support the maritime police operations on sea and land delivering over-watch to our most vulnerable approaches and beaches, and before new treaties and MoUs, that bind us ever closer to our allies, the Bahamas and the US Coastguard - come into force.





"Following the deployment of the Royal Marines and the UKs Wildcat helicopter there are further plans to make our command and control arrangements, already good, ever tighter.





"Scoping work has started - led by the police commissioner - to procure a sustainable and persistent aerial platform that can see over the horizon.





The TCI Military Regiment once operational will also assist the maritime officers at sea and also through land based operations.




An unidentified Dallas teacher is facing backlash after giving students a two-part assignment that many people deemed racially insensitive.

Seniors, and their parents, at W.T. White High School in Dallas complained about an English assignment asking students to potentially defend suspected Kenosha, Wisconsin, shooter Kyle Rittenhouse. The assignment placed the alleged murderer on a list of "modern heroes," according to CNN's Harmeet Kaur.

Kaur reported that the first part of the assignment asked students to write a half-page biography for six people, including 17-year-old Rittenhouse and George Floyd, who had deep ties to Houston's Third Ward and died in Minneapolis police custody in May. It also listed Mahatma Gandhi and Malcolm X, whose names were misspelled.

SCHOOL NEWS: Texas teacher reinstated after BLM, LGBTQ virtual posters controversy

"It was just like, 'Oh my gosh, the spelling,' 'Oh my gosh, there are no women on here,' and then very ardently the fact that a white supremacist murderer's name is on a list with important historical figures," Kristian Hernandez, the sister of one of the students, told CNN affiliate KTVT.

The second part of the assignment required students to write a one-page essay on which of the six people they believed "best demonstrated the concept of a hero."

If you haven't been keeping up with the news, Rittenhouse is accused of killing two people and wounding a third at a demonstration over the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man. He's currently facing homicide and attempted homicide charges.

Social media users also criticized the assignment, saying the teacher should be fired.

"Dallas ISD has a teacher they need to fire IMMEDIATELY. There was an assignment that cited Kenosha murderer Kyle Rittenhouse as an example of a "modern hero." Seriously, WTF, @DallasISDMedia? #TexasProblems," said Twitter user @JTS65.

Twitter user @momobrewer said, in part, "Why does the community pay for that racist employee? Pray for the children of color."

The Dallas Independent School District apologized for the unapproved assignment and said in a statement that students were not required to complete it, Kaur reported for CNN.

"Racial equity is a top priority in Dallas ISD, and we remain committed to providing a robust teaching environment where all students can learn," the statement read. "It is important that we continue to be culturally sensitive to our diverse populations and provide a space of respect and value."
(Natural News) A recent probe into three weird batches of gamma-ray bursts suggests that magnetars fissured due to magnetic field instabilities, releasing intense gamma rays that bombarded Earths atmosphere.

These bursts occurred on three separate occasions in the last 40 years. They lasted only about one-tenth of a second and posed no threat to the planet. But their premium intensity is highly unusual for the gamma-ray beams that regularly bounce around the universe.

First detected in 1979, they were found to be coming from magnetars, extremely dense and highly magnetized stars that are known to possess the strongest magnetic fields in the universe.

Scientists believe that some cataclysmic event occurred which caused magnetars to lash out with enormous energy, unleashing superstrong gamma ray bursts across space. However, its still unclear what those cataclysmic events are.

Researchers from the the University of Valencia and the University of Alicante in Spain offers an answer. They argued that the magnetic field of a magnetar was acting up, which caused the stars crust to briefly crack open and emit inordinate levels of gamma rays.

They published their findings in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Starquakes caused intense gamma ray bursts

The researchers looked into magnetic field instabilities to explain the three outlier gamma ray bursts. They relied on equations governing the twisted magnetic fields around magnetars. While these are usually stable, theres a branch of equations in which those magnetic fields are unstable.

According to the team, unstable magnetic fields are self-correcting; they slam around until they find a new, stable configuration. This process releases about 30 percent of the total magnetic field energy across a magnetars crust. They take the form of magnetic energy waves that can be so tall as to span the south shore of Long Island to Connecticut. This energy can rupture a magnetars rigid crust, which is about half a mile thick.

When the crust busts open, a massive fireball blasts into space at a fraction of the speed of light. Previous research imagined a fireball as a bubble of particles that emerges on the side of a star. It is held in place by a bright beam of radiation that emits a giant burst of energy such as gamma rays. The fiery bubble slowly shrinks back down to the beam like the ball dropping on New Years Eve.

Our results show that for typical magnetar field strengths the instability is likely to break a large fraction of the crust down to the inner crust, wrote the researchers. For the largest magnetic fields the stresses induced in the crust are sufficient to shatter the entire crust.

They also pointed out that the magnetars that generated the three gamma-ray bursts have extremely powerful magnetic fields.

This theory dovetails with an earlier explanation. Scientists classified the three intense gamma-ray bursts as products of starquakes, crustal ruptures that occur on stars and are similar to earthquakes. These cataclysmic events are thought to occur on magnetars. According to one theory, they occur because a magnetars magnetic field is moving, causing the crust to rip apart.

A magnetar is wrapped in a crust resembling superhot, dense, iron crystal. But while its made up of strong material, a magnetars crust is not quite strong enough to contain the effects of magnetic field shifts. Scientists estimated that a typical starquake measures magnitude 23 in comparison to the 1960 Chilean earthquake, which is considered the most powerful recorded earthquake at magnitude 9.4 to 9.6.

Starquakes, in turn, could unleash bursts of energy that could travel deep into space. (Related: Recurring bursts of cosmic radio waves reach Earth yet again.)

Learn more about the mechanisms that trigger starquakes at Cosmic.news.

Sources include:

Space.com

ScienceLine.org
All eyes will be on Queensland in the coming weeks as 3.3 million residents prepare to decide which major party it trusts more to pull the state out of pandemic-induced recession and keep the virus at bay. Ms Palaszczuk, who hopes to become the state's longest-serving Labor premier since World War II, will face off against the LNP's Deb Frecklington on October 31. It is the first time in Australia's federal or state political history that two female leaders will vie for the top job. LNP leader Deb Frecklington. When the first COVID-19 case was found in Queensland in late January, the Liberal National Party were equal if not outright favourites to win, after Labor's electoral bloodbath at the 2019 federal election helped secure Prime Minister Scott Morrison's "miracle" win. Labor suffered a 4.31 per cent statewide swing and failed to win a seat outside the state's capital. The Palaszczuk government would be annihilated if those results are repeated at state level.

Labor insiders concede the party was "in big trouble" at the start of the year, particularly in regional parts of the state, but Ms Palaszczuk's steady hand during the crisis has boosted her ratings. Recent polls suggest the LNP has a slim lead on the two-party-preferred vote but it is within the margin of error. The spectre of a hung parliament has been raised in the senior ranks of the major parties, which could put (Bob) Katter's Australian Party, the Greens, One Nation or independent MPs in the box seat. The LNP has major hurdles to clear if it wants to govern in its own right. In a parliament with 93 MPs, the LNP must retain all its seats and pick up nine more. It has suffered a backlash after calling for the state's borders to reopen as a second wave of COVID-19 began to take hold in Victoria. It has also struggled with infighting. Party president David Hutchinson recently resigned after he was linked to an attempted coup against Ms Frecklington. There was a mass exodus from party headquarters a week ago, with treasurer Stuart Fraser and Young LNP president Nelson Savanh also resigning.

Labor's challenges include three ministers  Kate Jones, Anthony Lynham and Coralee O'Rourke quitting state politics in the past week. Its track record in office has been harmed by its handling of the Adani Carmichael coal mine and integrity scandals. Former deputy premier Jackie Trad resigned from the front bench after being referred to the state's corruption watchdog twice in 12 months, despite being cleared on both occasions. Labor's attempts to "walk the tightrope" on Adani were blamed for the party's thumping at last year's federal election. Member for South Brisbane Jackie Trad is facing a strong challenge from the Greens. Credit:Robert Shakespeare Labors former state secretary Anthony Chisholm, who now represents Queensland in the federal Senate, was the architect of Ms Palaszczuk's historic 2015 election win. He expects Labor's campaign to focus strongly on the governments pandemic management credentials and feature the Premier front and centre in a presidential-style campaign.

"I have got no doubt she will be a pivotal figure," he says. While a pandemic-focused strategy saw Labors Michael Gunner retain government in the Northern Territory last month, University of Queensland political expert Chris Salisbury says it was fraught with risk. "If there is a downturn in Queensland's management of the pandemic and we have more than just these small isolated outbreaks, then that... could turn against them," he says. "I think the Premier is probably, reasonably, banking on the popularity she enjoys at the moment influencing the way the party campaigns and also the result. "But the Premier plays a risky game just sitting back and hoping the crisis conditions are going to be enough to see her and the party carried over the line.

"I think people in larger numbers will begin to question just what's going to be done on the other side [of the pandemic]." The pandemic has not only shaken up what was already expected to be a tight race but also changed the machinery of this election. Pre-poll locations will be increased and phone voting will be ramped up in the fortnight preceding October 31 and voters will be told to bring their own pencil to reduce the risk of spreading the virus. Electoral Commission Queensland has been given the power to move entire electorates to a postal vote if there is an outbreak of COVID-19. Queensland's March council elections and two state government byelections were held during a surge in COVID-19 cases. Of the 2.5 million votes across the state, more than 1 million were cast at pre-poll booths. Another 570,000 votes were mailed in and 37,000 were cast over the phone.

Candidates were forbidden from handing out how-to-vote cards and other cornerstones of campaigning  handshaking, baby-kissing and sausage sizzles  will also be avoided. Candidates challenging incumbents have had a difficult time building their profiles during lockdowns and have capitalised on social media. Labors candidate for Chatsworth, which covers the south-eastern suburbs of Brisbane, is Lisa ODonnell. She has been ringing around homes across the electorate to introduce herself. "I've also found that our more mature-aged volunteers who are in the vulnerable category have taken to online campaigning," she says. "For example, we've relied heavily on Zoom meetings to keep them up to date on all our campaigning ideas and stories."

Janet Wishart, the LNP's candidate for the marginal south-east Brisbane seat of Mansfield, sent a team of volunteers to conduct welfare checks on vulnerable residents. "We did things like shopping but also helping the oldies who were feeling vulnerable at home, who needed security lights up," Ms Wishart says. Griffith Business School's Dr Ferran Martinez i Coma says the local government elections in the state had been a valuable test for election procedures. "There were calls to postpone but the ECQ defended its decision on the grounds that elections are an essential service for the continuity of democratic representation. In retrospect their health risk assessment was right - there was no spike in new cases following the election," he says. Dr Martinez i Coma says that while banning how-to-vote cards had been a minor change, "in some key seats where strategic voting really matters, these how-to-vote cards can be critically important".
Ciaran Martin, who stepped down as head of the UKs National Cyber Security Centre this month, will call on Boris Johnsons government to make it illegal for companies to pay cyber hackers a ransom.

If I had one policy card to play in the next year, I would ask for a serious examination of whether we should change the law to make it illegal for organizations in the UK to pay ransoms in the case of ransomware, Martin will tell the Royal United Services Institute on Friday. The case is not a slam dunk, and if the answer is no, then we should think of something else to counter ransomware, the single biggest contemporary scourge in cyber space.

Johnsons government is part-way through a review of the UKs defense and security policy. Due to be published in November, it will set out a strategic direction for conventional warfare, espionage and countering cyber threats.

It could also update the nations outdated spying legislation, including the Official Secrets Act, which was designed before cyber warfare was properly considered.

According to insurer Hiscox Ltd., which published a 2020 survey on cyber crime, one in six businesses attacked in eight western nations were held to ransom, with costly consequences. Some of the largest losses were seen in Britain, including one U.K. financial services firm which was hit by an attack worth $87.9 million.

Martin, who is now a professor at Oxford University, will also announce he is joining private equity investors Paladin Capital Group as a managing director, offering expertise in cyber threats.

Related:

Business Cyber Losses Soar but Firms Fight Back with Extra Security Spending: Study

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.

Topics Cyber
Some other news related to apps and smartphone launch is also there. So, check out our daily tech wrap and stay updated with the latest news.

While people were getting ready for the weekend, the tech industry was abuzz with some major news related to Paytm, much-anticipated headphone launch and Apple taking a big step in the Indian market. Some other news related to apps and smartphone launch is also there. So, check out our daily tech wrap and stay updated with the latest news.

Apple's first online store in India to launch on September 23

Apple is finally debuting its online store in India, and it is scheduled to launch on September 23. Apple will offer its full range of products along with direct customer support through online team members.

Microsoft Xbox Series X, Series S India pre-order details revealed

Interested gamers can start pre-ordering the Xbox Series X and Series S starting next week from September 22. The release will take place starting November 10. The pre-orders will go live in India from 8.30PM.

Rumoured Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max shows up in Antutu benchmark, reveals RAM capacity

This time, the most powerful in the lot, Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max seems to have showed up on Antutu benchmarking, revealing some crucial specs. As shared by Antutu on its Weibo account, the AnTuTu Benchmark score of iPhone 12 Pro Max shows it to feature 6GB RAM and 128GB inbuilt storage.

Google briefly removes Paytm app from Play Store

It's been a rough day for Paytm. After being pulled off the Google Play Store, it's managed to find its way back again in just a few hours. Earlier in the day, Google pulled off the payment app from the Play Store for violating its app store policies.

Sony launches it much-anticipated WH-1000XM4 headphone in India

With WH-1000XM4, the bar has definitely been raised this time. But the question is, by how much? Does WH-1000XM4 just catch-up with others in the market or are the improvements really worth 29,990 price tag?

iOS 14.2 developer beta reveals new features for Shazam

Apple just released iOS 14 for iPhones, and it comes with some major visual changes and new features. Apple is working on another new feature for the Shazam app. It will make Shazam more accessible by adding it as a shortcut in the Control Center.

Amazon Alexa app on Android and iOS gets Hindi support

Amazon rolled out Hindi language support for Alexa last year. On the completion of one year, Amazon has now made Alexa available in Hindi for Android and iOS devices.

Realme 7i with Snapdragon 662 chipset, 5,000mAh battery launched

Realme has launched a new smartphone from its latest Realme 7 series. Its the Realme 7i that launched alongside the Realme 7 in Indonesia. Realme 7 has already made its debut in India but Realme 7i is a new addition to the series.
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Linkedin Tri Indah Oktavianti and Galih Gumelar (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, September 18 2020

The National Polices Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim) has found evidence that the fire that ravaged the main building of the Attorney Generals Office (AGO) complex in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, in August was lit intentionally.

Bareskrim chief detective Comr. Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo said the fire was caused by an open flame rather than an electrical short circuit, leading investigators to conclude in a preliminary probe that there could be criminal factors behind the fire.

The police have now finished the preliminary investigation and are focusing on finding those responsible for the blaze.

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Manufacturer of speciality chemicals Chemcon Speciality Chemicals Limited on Friday fixed price band at 338- 340 per share for its initial public offering (IPO). The three-day share sale will be open for subscription during 21-23 September.

The company aims to raise 318 crore at the upper end of the band with a fresh issue of equity shares aggregating up to 165 crore and offer for share (OFS) by promoters of up to 45 lakh equity shares.

The issue has fixed minimum bid lot at 44 equity shares or in multiples thereof. The floor price is 33.8 times the face value of the equity shares and the cap price is 34 times the face value of the equity shares," a company statement said.

The company intends to utilize net proceeds from the fresh Issue towards capital expenditure towards expansion of manufacturing facility, to meet working capital requirements and towards general corporate purposes.

Chemcon is a manufacturer of speciality chemicals such as Hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) and Chloromethyl Isopropyl Carbonate (CMIC) which are chemicals predominately used in the pharmaceutical industry. It manufactures Inorganic Bromides used as completion fluids in the oilfield industry.

As per a Frost & Sullivan Report, the company was the only manufacturer of HMDS in India and was the third largest manufacturer of HMDS in terms of production in 2019. It earned revenue from operations of 262.05 crore with EBITDA of 70.26 crore and profit after tax is 48.85 crore in FY 2020.

Additionally, the company has long standing relationships with its key customers namely including Laurus Labs Limited , Hetero Labs Limited, Aurobindo Pharma Limited ,Macleods Pharmaceuticals Limited, Lantech Pharmaceuticals Limited, Vivin Drugs & Pharmaceuticals Limited , Ind-Swift Laboratories Limited, Water Systems Speciality Chemical DMCC, CC Gran Limited Liability Company, Shree Radha Overseas. It also exports its products to global markets covering US, Germany, Italy, South Korea, Peoples Republic of China, Japan, United Arab Emirates, Serbia, Russia, Spain, Thailand and Malaysia," it said.

Intensive Fiscal Services Private Limited and Ambit Capital Private Limited are book running lead managers to the issue.

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Two weeks ago, Princeton Universitys president, Christopher Eisgruber, issued a letter to the Princeton community in which he admitted that the institution he has run for seven years is plagued by systemic racism. This is quite an admission for a number of reasons.

One of them, as I pointed out, is that it confesses to a violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Title VI provides that No person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. Those who attend a systemically racist college are, by definition, subjected to discrimination by the college.

I wasnt the only one who spotted this problem. The U.S. Department of Education has spotted it, too.

Yesterday, the Department sent its own letter to Eisgruber. The letter informs him that the Department is opening an investigation into racism at Princeton  an investigation that could have important adverse financial consequences for the University.

The letter includes probing requests for information. And it informs Eisgruber that he will be called on to answer questions, under oath, about Princetons racism.

It also warns that Princetons response to the Departments information requests falls under 18 U.S.C. Section 1001. This means that knowingly and willfully providing false information carries a fine and a prison sentence of not more than 5 years.

The Departments letter begins by reminding Eisgruber that Princeton has received more than $75 million in federal aid during his tenure as president, and that as a condition of receiving this aid, the University has repeatedly certified that it complies with Title VIs non-discrimination requirement. In addition, Princeton represents to the public, including students and their parents, that it does not discriminate on the basis of race.

The letter then notes the contradiction between Princetons representations that it doesnt discriminate and Eisgrubers confession that the institution is systemically racist. Based on this contradiction, and perhaps understating the obvious, the Department tells Eisgruber that Princetons representations may have been false. It also expresses concern that Princeton perhaps knew, or should have known, these assurances were false at the time they were made.

Consequently, the letter says, it is opening an investigation that could lead to an action to recover funds from Princeton. It could also lead to a fine proceeding if Princeton is found to have made substantial misrepresentations about the nature of its educational program.

The document request in the Departments letter makes for enjoyable reading. Among other things, Princeton is asked to produce all records relating to Princetons systemic and/or embedded racism, as those terms are used in the Presidents Letter  the one that confessed to systemic and/or embedded racism. The time frame of the request is 2013 to the present  Eisgrubers time as Princetons president.

The Department also requests a spreadsheet identifying each person who has, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, been excluded from participation in, been denied the benefits of, or been subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving financial assistance as a result of Princetons racism or damage referenced in the Presidents Letter. The spreadsheet should (1) identify each such person, (2) provide his or her last known address and contact information, and (3) specify his or her damage, if known.

Next, the Departments letter asks Princeton to produce Eisgruber for a transcribed interview, under oath, within 28 days. It also makes the same request for a designated corporate representative with knowledge regarding the bases and accuracy of Princetons assurances regarding compliance with Title VI.

I hope the transcribed interviews will become publicly available.

Then come the Departments written questions. First, Princeton is asked this:

The Presidents Letter admits Racism and the damage it does to people of color. . .persists at Princeton and racist assumptions remain embedded in structures of the University itself. Do these admissions mean Princetons non-discrimination and equal opportunity assurances and representations to the Department and/or to students, parents, and consumers in the market for education. . .have been false and misleading? If not, why not?

Good question.

The second question is:

How many individuals were, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, excluded from participation in, denied benefits of, or subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance by Princeton January 1, 2015 and the present? Is this number evidence of systemic or embedded racism?

Finally, the Department asks for the number of public nondiscrimination and equal opportunity representations. . .Princeton has made, measured by website visits, between January 1, 2015 and the present.

Eisgruber has put Princeton in a box. It either must formally admit to engaging in unlawful discrimination, which might well result in serious financial penalties, or it must admit, in effect, that Eisgruber was blowing smoke when he copped to systemic racism at Princeton  an admission that surely would enrage the militant students and alumni Eisgruber has been working so hard to appease.

Presumably, Princeton will first try to run out the clock, hoping for a new administration in Washington, D.C.

If that doesnt work, Princeton will try to talk its way out of the dilemma. However, I question whether that needle can be threaded.

Systemic and damaging racism at Princeton without any anyone actually having been discriminated against? Good luck claiming that.
DALLAS, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Securus Technologies today released its weekly update detailing the total number of free calls, video connections, and JPay stamps it has provided since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The offerings are part of an emergency program Securus deployed with its correctional partners on March 13, when the pandemic was declared a national emergency. It was developed to help incarcerated individuals stay connected with loved ones during this challenging time.

To date, those free offerings total:

26.0 million free call credits for incarcerated individuals and their families, resulting in 201.0 million free minutes of phone connections;

5.2 million free video connections to friends and families of incarcerated individuals;

13.2 million free JPay Stamps for electronic messaging;

Total accommodations for 399 agencies and 740 sites across the United States .

In addition to this ongoing assistance, Securus is offering compassion credits designed to accommodate incarcerated individuals who fall ill with COVID-19. Those credits, which are uploaded onto prepaid cards and distributed by correctional facilities, allow additional free access to Securus phone calls and video connections throughout an individual's medical care. The company is also making free calls available to public defenders at many locations.

For those facilities enabled with Securus tablet technology, the company has introduced select free movie and game titles during the COVID-19 pandemic, which have been downloaded almost 2 million times. This expanded assistance is in addition to the no-cost resources, including educational offerings, free eBooks, podcasts and other self-help tools that are always available free of charge.

"Digital communications tools are an essential way for incarcerated individuals to stay connected with their loved ones, especially during these challenging times," said Dave Abel, president and CEO of Aventiv Technologies, parent company of Securus Technologies. "That's why Aventiv is proud to have provided 26 million free call credits for incarcerated individuals. It's also encouraging to see facilities begin to reduce visitation restrictions, as nothing can replace the impact of seeing a loved one in-person."

The program is an element of an ongoing transformation effort by Securus Technologies to improve access to its services and provide greater support for those impacted by incarceration. The company continues to work with its partners to garner feedback about the situation on the ground. All support from Securus will be in accordance with the latest public health guidelines to ensure that the support is tailored and responsive to the unique needs of the incarcerated community.

ABOUT SECURUS TECHNOLOGIES

Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Aventiv Technologies serves more than 3,450 public safety, law enforcement and corrections agencies and over 1,100,000 incarcerated individuals across North America, Aventiv is committed to serve and connect by providing emergency response, incident management, public information, investigation, biometric analysis, communication, information management, incarcerated self-service, and monitoring products and services in order to make our world a safer place to live. For more information, please visit www.Aventiv.com. Aventiv is a portfolio company of Platinum Equity. Founded in 1995 by Tom Gores, Platinum Equity is a global investment firm with a portfolio of approximately 40 operating companies that serve customers around the world.

SOURCE Securus Technologies

Related Links

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The Director of Urban Studies and Head of the Geography and Resource Development Department at the University of Ghana, Professor Martin Oteng Ababio has endorsed calls for the legalisation and regularisation of the okada business in the country.

Legalising and regulating the okada business has become a major national debate ahead of the 2020 general elections.

While flag bearer of the NDC, John Mahama is promising to legalise and regulate the business, running mate of the NPP, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia shot down the idea, promising to facilitate the acquisition of safer options.

But speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show today, Thursday, September 17, 2020, Prof. Martin Oteng Ababio chided the politicisation of the phenomenon.

If we turn everything into NPP and NDC, then we are not going to go anywhere. Within the various media houses in Ghana, each one has an agenda they are pursuing, and they will allow those with louder mouths to talk but the truth of the matter is that we can never swerve reality and it is a fact that okada has come to stay and lets all find a better way of solving it and the only way out is to regularise it and let the police make the best out this situation. So lets regulate it and move on as a nation.

Prof Oteng Ababio further added he believes no research was conducted before a law was passed to ban okada operations in Ghana.

The truth of the matter is that any law that is not backed by research is bound to fail. The failure of this law is not surprising to some of us. I suggest we look at the law in its totality because I don't foresee the current law standing the test of time in Ghana today and in the near future, Professor Oteng Ababio added in the interview on the Citi Breakfast Show.

---citinewsroom
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Linkedin Dyaning Pangestika (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, September 18, 2020 15:22 490 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c45b41c7 1 National COVID-19,COVID-19-in-Indonesia,quarantine,coronavirus,virus-korona-indonesia,virus-corona,Tourism-and-Creative-Economy-Ministry,Wishnutama-Kusubandio,self-isolation,hotels Free

The Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry is working with the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) to provide hotel rooms to isolate COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms.

Minister Wishnutama Kusubandio said the ministry had allocated a Rp 100 billion (US$6.7 million) budget to turn three-star hotels into self-isolation centers for patients. The hotels would also provide food, beverages and laundry services for the patients.

The hotels were expected to house 14,000 patients from September until December.

Each patient will spend 14 days in the quarantine centers.

The selected hotels are not allowed to accept guests during the period, Wishnutama said during a press briefing on Thursday.

Read also: Indonesia to provide more self-isolation centers for asymptomatic, mild COVID-19 cases

He added that the patients would also be monitored during their quarantine by medical personnel provided by the Health Ministry.

Medical workers would also be tasked with monitoring the implementation of health protocols at the hotels and providing supporting facilities, such as ambulances and medicine.

The hotels are required to implement health protocols to avoid creating new clusters, said the minister.

The ministry would focus the program in five provinces, namely Jakarta, Bali, North Sumatra, West Java and South Kalimantan. Wishnutama said several hotel groups had agreed to participate in the program, such as Tauzia Hotels  the operator of Yello and Pop! hotels  and Accor, which runs Ibis, Novotel and Mercure hotels.

President Joko Jokowi Widodo previously said the government would provide more facilities to house asymptomatic coronavirus patients or those with mild symptoms to self-isolate, as the number of daily COVID-19 transmissions continued to rise.

A number of one-star to three-star hotels and training centers will be transformed into self-isolation centers, the President said.
Paulson is watchable, as always, but Ratched pays more attention to her perfectly applied crimson lipstick and color-coordinated hats and gloves than it does to what makes her tick. Early on, Mildred seems like a cold-blooded manipulator, then we find out shes been scarred by an awful past, then she seems fine with killing innocent people, then were supposed to be touched by her coming to grips with her trauma and falling in love with someone who  for no reason we can fathom  is drawn to Mildred.
A worker tests an experimental vaccine for the COVID-19 at the Sinovac Biotech facilities in Beijing on April 29, 2020. (Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images)

Chinas Cynical Pandemic Diplomacy

Beijing targets strategic nations, regions with vaccine access but it comes with strings attached, unanswered questions

Commentary

Is China leveraging its pandemic in new ways? It appears that Beijing is taking a page out of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) debt-trap strategy and applying it to countries victimized by the CCP virus (novel coronavirus).

Its viral pandemic diplomacy at its finest.

Another Debt Trap?

Chinas BRI strategy has been to loan poorer nations money that they cant pay back. China then collects on the debt by taking ownership of ports and parking its navy there, and perhaps build a sprawling military base on the nations soil, whether its wanted or not.

Could Beijings vaccine diplomacy be just as simple?

Could the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) have hatched the idea to initiate a global pandemic and then sell or even give the vaccine to the poorer countries it wishes to exploit or dominate militarily?

For those nations that cant afford the billion-dollar price tag, you offer to loan them the money for the vaccine that you know they cant repay.

Then, when the poor countries default on the debt, China ends up owning infrastructure, utilities, or farmland in the host countries.

To paraphrase The Godfather, it sounds a lot like, an offer they cant refuse.

Strategic Vaccine Offers

This latest twist in the CCPs power calculus is, in many cases, aimed at countries aligned with the United States or of strategic importance to China, or both.

A big target, for example, is Latin American and Caribbean nations. According to the Mexican foreign affairs ministry, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi conducted a virtual meeting with Latin American and Caribbean national leaders. In that meeting, China offered a $1 billion loan for access to its vaccine. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador publicly thanked China after the loan and for other medical supplies that China has sent Mexico.

Undoubtedly, China plans to leverage this assistance for future expansion plans in Americas geopolitical backyard and gain further influence at the expense of the United States. And its no coincidence that neighboring Mexico would be a target.

What could Mexico offer in return? The opportunity for China to open factories in Mexico?

That would certainly nullify some of effectiveness of the tariffs against China, wouldnt it? Well have to wait and see.

On the other hand, it should be to no ones surprise that Beijing is also pushing its pandemic diplomacy much closer to home.

Indonesia, for instance, which has challenged Chinas territorial claims in the South China Sea for years, now is singing a different tune. It wants and needs a vaccine to the CCP virus, and knows that the CCP has a vaccine. Or, at least, the Indonesian government believes Beijings claim that it has one.

In either case, a personal phone call between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Indonesian President Joko Widodo has resulted in a promise by China to get the vaccine to Indonesia. What is uncertain is what Indonesia promised in return.

Perhaps one of the most important countries from a strategic point of view is the Philippines. That nation is located in the South China Sea and will be key to Chinas military dominance in the region. In fact, its quite plausible that Beijing will eventually come to rule over it one way or another.

As in Latin America and the Caribbean, the target of Chinas pandemic policy with the Philippines is the U.S.-Philippines strategic relationship. Its proximity to China allows U.S. naval and ground forces a key staging area from which to counter Chinese military moves. From that perspective, China sees a major opportunity to end that threat.

Thats because even though the U.S.Philippine alliance goes back to 1951, the relationship has become much more tenuous over the past two decades. The closure of U.S. military bases in the late 1990s was followed up with a subsequent Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA). The VFA replaced the former military treaties and lightened the Philippines commitment to their alliance with the United States.

Duterte Having Second Thoughts?

Then, in February, President Philippine Rodrigo Duterte notified Washington that it was terminating the VFA with the United States within 180 days. Its likely that Dutertes aim was to cut ties with Washington and move closer to Beijing. Undoubtedly, he saw a potential payoff in doing so, even if its at the expense of his countrys national security and sovereignty.

At the same time, it gave him room to negotiate with the United States as well as with China. Apparently, however, Duterte has realized that a closer relationship with Beijing comes with risks. Chinas militarization of the South China Sea, its treatment of Hong Kong, and growing belligerence toward Taiwan may have given the Philippine president second thoughts.

That may explain why, in June, Duterte suspendedat least temporarilythe termination of the VFA with the United States.

Giving the Devil His Due?

There are several outcomes that remain to be seen from Chinas pandemic diplomacy, however.

To begin with, what political or military considerations will China manage to extract from the nations it has vaccinated? In what way will they threaten the United States? What potential U.S. response could there be?

Perhaps just as critical, how will it be determined that Chinas vaccine is effective or if it is safe?

And, given Chinas record, why would the leaders in all of these countries trust China for a vaccine that, somehow, they have suddenly developed?

Furthermore, why would any leader trust the Chinese regime after it deceived the world about the existence of the pathogen to begin with, denied the source of it, and its human transmissibility?

Are these leaders living in denial? Or are they facing reality?

Is their willingness to believe Chinas claim to have a vaccine to the virus an acknowledgment of the likelihood that whoever created the virus would best know how to cure it?

Give the Devil his due.

James R. Gorrie is the author of The China Crisis (Wiley, 2013) and writes on his blog, TheBananaRepublican.com. He is based in Southern California.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
NASA-NOAA satellite sees tropical depression 22 strengthening in gulf of Mexico

NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite provided an infrared image of Tropical Depression 22 in the Gulf of Mexico during the early morning hours of Sept. 18. TD22 is expected to become a tropical storm, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

NASA's Night-Time View

The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard Suomi NPP provided a nighttime image of Tropical Depression 22. The nighttime image taken on Sept. 18 at 3:40 a.m. EDT (0740 UTC) showed Tropical Depression 22, centered in the Gulf of Mexico, east of northern Mexico.

The image was created using the NASA Worldview application at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

By 11 a.m. EDT, the National Hurricane Center noted satellite imagery showed Tropical Depression 22 was getting better organized, with gradually increasing convective banding (of thunderstorms) in the northeastern semicircle.

NHC Senior Hurricane Specialist Jack Beven noted, "Given the lack of organization seen in earlier scatterometer data, the intensity will be held at 30 knots pending the data from the next set of scatterometer overpasses. It should be noted that the Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft that was scheduled to investigate the depression had to turn back after getting hit by lightning."

TD22's Status on Friday, Sept. 18

At 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC), the center of Tropical Depression 22 was located near latitude 23.8 degrees north and longitude 93.9 degrees west. The depression is moving toward the north-northeast near 7 mph (11 kph), and this general motion is expected through early Saturday. Maximum sustained winds are near 35 mph (55 kph) with higher gusts. The estimated minimum central pressure is 1005 millibars.

TD22's Forecast

A slow westward motion is forecast to begin late Saturday afternoon or Saturday night, and this motion will likely continue into early next week. Strengthening is forecast during the next few days, and the depression is expected to become a tropical storm later today. The system could be near or at hurricane strength by Sunday.

NHC Key Messages for TD22

The National Hurricane Center issued three key messages for Tropical Depression 22:

Tropical Depression 22 is expected to strengthen to a tropical storm, and possibly a hurricane, while moving slowly over the western Gulf of Mexico during the next few days.

There is an increasing risk of heavy rainfall and flooding along the Texas coast from Sunday through at least the middle of next week as the system is forecast to move slowly near the Texas coast.

While it is too early to determine what areas could see direct wind and storm surge impacts from this system, interests throughout the western Gulf of Mexico should monitor the progress of this system and future updates to the forecast.

###

About NASA's EOSDIS Worldview

NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) Worldview application provides the capability to interactively browse over 700 global, full-resolution satellite imagery layers and then download the underlying data. Many of the available imagery layers are updated within three hours of observation, essentially showing the entire Earth as it looks "right now."

NASA Researches Earth from Space

For more than five decades, NASA has used the vantage point of space to understand and explore our home planet, improve lives and safeguard our future. NASA brings together technology, science, and unique global Earth observations to provide societal benefits and strengthen our nation. Advancing knowledge of our home planet contributes directly to America's leadership in space and scientific exploration.

For updated forecasts, visit: http://www. nhc. noaa. gov

By Rob Gutro

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

This story has been published on: 2020-09-18. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept.18

By Zeyni Jafarov  Trend:

The Compulsory Insurance Bureau of Azerbaijan paid compensations to approximately 1,000 creditors of Standard Insurance Company OJSC, which was declared bankrupt, Trend reports on Sept.18 referring to the bureau.

In accordance with the Azerbaijani legislation, the bureau has begun fulfilling its obligations under compulsory insurance contracts concluded with the insurance company, and within one day paid out about 800,000 manat ($470,500) to the creditors.

Reportedly, a preliminary assessment of the situation, together with the temporary administrator appointed by the Central Bank of Azerbaijan, who constantly keeps in the spotlight the protection of the rights of consumers of insurance products, laid the foundation for accelerated payments.

(1 USD = 1.7 manat on Sept.18).

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @jafarov_zeyni
She may be a self-made near-billionaire but Kylie Jenner still has a soft spot for her regular neighborhood spots.

The 23-year-old make-up mogul was seen leaving a lunch at Calabasas favorite Sagebrush Cantina on Wednesday.

She flaunted curvaceous figure in a clinging sleeveless black 'Melbourne' bodysuit by sustainable clothing brand Dream Bandits Australia contrasted by flowy matching trousers as she left the local Mexican restaurant.

Scroll down for video

Hometown girl: Kylie Jenner was seen leaving a lunch at Calabasas favorite Sagebrush Cantina on Wednesday

Though she dined in at the restaurant, she made sure to take all other precautions as she sported a plain black face mask.

She completed the dark look with a pair of leather heels as she hopped into her black Rolls Royce.

Kylie accessorized with gold Bottega Veneta chainlink earrings, a gold watch and a small alligator leather black bag.

Moving on: The 23-year-old make-up mogul flaunted curvaceous figure in a clinging sleeveless black bodysuit contrasted by flowy matching trousers as she left the local Mexican restaurant

Safety first: Though she dined in at the restaurant, she made sure to take all other precautions as she sported a plain black face mask

Making moves: She completed the dark look with a pair of leather heels as she hopped into her black Rolls Royce

On-the-go: Kylie accessorized with gold Bottega Veneta chainlink earrings, a gold watch and a small alligator leather black bag

Bling, bling! Naturally she was dripping in pricey jewels that have become synonymous with the Kardashian-Jenner clan

Her brunette tresses were worn down in a middle-part as she accentuated her stunning looks with complementary make-up.

No doubt Kylie is every bit the fashionista as on Tuesday she took to her Instagram to share photos of herself rocking a designer ensemble with her 195million followers.

'bottega baby,' captioned Jenner, referencing to the Italian fashion label Bottega Veneta.

Jenner served major bombshell vibes in a white Bottega Veneta shirt dress that she had customized to highlight her unique curves.

Swanky: She was seen heading into her car later in the night

Wow! She showed her love of supercars as she headed out

Wow! She put her showstopping curves on full display

Designer doll: No doubt Kylie is every bit the fashionista as on Tuesday she took to her Instagram to share photos of herself rocking a designer ensemble with her 195million followers

Loyalty: 'bottega baby,' captioned Jenner, referencing to the Italian fashion brand Bottega Veneta

She had the waist taken in, some buttons down the front removed in order to expose more of her chest, and she shortened the length of the dress.

The Kylie Cosmetics founder had a chainlink pouch purse, a highly sought after Bottega Veneta accessory, tucked under her arm as she posed for photos at her Hidden Hills home.

To coordinate with the bag's eye-catching strap, Jenner wore a pair of gold chainlink earrings.

Custom fit: Jenner served major bombshell vibes in a white Bottega Veneta shirt dress that she had customized to highlight her unique curves

A must have bag: The Kylie Cosmetics founder had a chainlink pouch purse, a highly sought after Bottega Veneta accessory, tucked under her arm as she posed for photos at her Hidden Hills home

She slipped her feet into a pair of white heels, also by Bottega Veneta, that featured a triangular heel and espadrille-inspired ankle straps.

Kylie had her hair parted down one side and she let her lengthy brunette strands flow down her back.

She opted for a more subdued version of her go-to makeup look, which included a neutral pink pout, some soft winged eyeliner, and a generous amount of pink blush.

The KUWTK star shared a total of six stunning snapshots with her 195million followers, which allowed them to get a 360 degree view of her outfit.

Soft and sweet: Jenner opted for a more subdued version of her go-to makeup look, which included a neutral pink pout, some soft winged eyeliner, and a generous amount of pink blush
WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 25: Kierra Igo of Jacksonville, N.C

A visitor lights a candle in the Hall of Remembrance at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 25, 2018. Credit - Thomas SimonettiThe Washington Post / Getty Images

Holocaust education will soon reach a pivotal moment. Not too long from now, we will no longer be able to depend on first-hand accounts of the atrocities Holocaust survivors suffered at the hands of the Nazis while many collaborated and others stood witness. Now is the moment to reflect upon the horrors they lived through and have shared with us so that the often-repeated admonition to never forget does not become an empty promise when the connection to their living history is gone.

Seventy-five years after the Holocaust ended, this is a fitting time to look back and see what has been learned about a watershed event that shaped the world we live in today. The U.S.a nation where many Holocaust survivors rebuilt their lives, and that was the home of over 400,000 soldiers who died defeating fascism as well as many veterans who were among the first eyewitnesses to the Holocausthas made a significant commitment over the decades to Holocaust education. This has ranged from ceremonies, memorials, courses, curricula and education mandates by some states, to the creation of centers and museums, and the establishment of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

But as the eyewitness generation diminishes, it is worth assessing the impact of that commitment. Decades have been spent teaching about the Holocaustbut have Americans been learning?

To that end, the Claims Conference commissioned a study by Schoen Cooperman Research of 11,000 Millennials and Gen-Z Americans across 50 states to look at the state of Holocaust knowledge as well as the perceptions of the Holocaust. Its conclusions were surprising and sobering. Because of investment in Holocaust education and presence of so many Holocaust survivors, one would expect New York to rank higher in certain categories than, say, North Dakota and West Virginia. That turns out not to be the case. The study, which focused on emerging adults ages 18-39, indicated that state education mandates appear to have mixed results. A majority of respondents nationwide could not say how many Jews were murdered, and nearly half could not name a concentration camp.

Story continues

More alarmingly, the study demonstrated significant exposure and susceptibility to Holocaust denial and distortion. Approximately half (49%) of U.S. Millennials and Gen Zers have seen Holocaust denial or distortion posts on social media or elsewhere online. And nationally, 11% of respondents believed Jews were responsible for the Holocaust and 15% nationally believe holding neo-Nazi views is acceptable.

These results leave us asking some fundamental questions: Why do we teach the Holocaust? And how do we do so in a way that ensures its universal meaning without losing its historic specificity, achieving both relevance and rigor?

Get your history fix in one place: sign up for the weekly TIME History newsletter

Part of the answer is that this European event is American history, too. The U.S. played a key role in defeating Nazism and in shaping the post-war world order that followed. The worlds failure to respond to the Holocaust inspired new norms in international justice, including the recognition of genocide as a crime and the rights of refugees.

Equally important is the fact that in the wake of the Holocaust, the world committed itself to the promise of Never Again. How is that aspiration possible without teaching new generations what went wrong? Education can help them think about fundamental questions, such as: How did the Nazis come to power in a democratic system in a well-educated country? What was the nature of anti-Semitic racial ideology, how did they promote it and what was its impact? What choices did people have? Why did so many in Germany and throughout Nazi-dominated Europe, at all levels of society, actively collaborate in or acquiesce to the systematic murder of Jewish men, women, and childrenoften their own coworkers, neighbors, even friends?

As for the second question, curriculum mandates by themselves are not always the answer. We should also focus on formally assessing and understanding a different question: What precisely constitutes effective Holocaust education and what are the conditions that further effective learning?

Our experience working with educators has shown that local and community support is critical. That includes ensuring teachers have the preparation, time and resources to bring this complex history into their classrooms. We also need a commitment to empirical research that investigates the impact of various methodological approaches, types of curricular resources, and educator skills and training.

Though the results of the recent survey are troubling, they constitute an important starting point. Fortunately there is no shortage of interest and willingness to expand and improve Holocaust education. With rising anti-Semitism and hatred, there is also no doubt about its relevance and urgency. We have been teaching about the Holocaust for decades, but the world is constantly changing and so is how we educate our children. We need to re-examine how to obtain accurate, systematic data about what constitutes quality Holocaust education.

And we need to start nowso that future generations can learn from the survivors unimaginable experiences, before its too late.

Sara J. Bloomfield is director of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Greg Schneider is executive vice president of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
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The orange pall cast over Brandon will last a while, even as public health officials downgrade the citys pandemic response colour to yellow effective today.

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This article was published 18/9/2020 (490 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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The orange pall cast over Brandon will last a while, even as public health officials downgrade the citys pandemic response colour to yellow effective today.

During the three weeks that additional restrictions came to the area, restaurants remained at the yellow caution level, like much of the rest of the province. But such designations did not change the fact the COVID-19 rollercoaster ride deeply affected two local restauranteurs who have managed, since March, to keep their businesses going.

Benny's Restaurant owner Ben Hernandez chops up meat in his business's kitchen on Thursday. (Tyler Clarke/The Brandon Sun)

Ben Hernandez owns Bennys Restaurant on Rosser Avenue, and like many other people in a similar position, he has counted on delivery and take-out to keep his business afloat during the pandemic. Both Hernandez and East Side Marios Greg Clemmensen said that facet of catering to the public began slowly, but built up over time.

When restaurants reopened, people were hungry to get out again. Clemmenson had an edge because of his patio, which operated at 50 per cent capacity before indoor dining, also restricted, resumed. Hernandez said it took a bit of time before people were comfortable coming out again and into his dining room.

"Then we started building a nice little niche there, where people were comfortable. We were getting into a nice routine with walk-ins and reservations. But in the middle of August, when we started getting new cases, everything kind of came to a standstill," Hernandez said.

"Not quite like it was in March, but the feeling was kind of the same."

Regulars have been sad about the effects of the pandemic, but happy to get out, despite restrictions  such as wearing masks until seated at a table.

Its been a wild ride and a blur for both men  and its hard for them to remember just when the peaks and valleys took place. But along with the original lockdown, restrictions that came with level orange left a strong impression.

"It doesnt matter if they call us yellow or orange or red. Its red. Theres a lot of people who dont want to wear a mask. If you have a three, a five and a seven-year-old, putting masks on all of their kids to walk into a restaurant  its just not going to happen," said Clemmensen, who is both general manager and co-owner of the family eatery located at the east side of Shoppers Mall.

"It didnt matter what level they put on a certain business, in my opinion. In the end, the message was, from the government, were at a higher level of infection rate."

Clemmensen is partners with the Jacobson & Greiner Group of Companies, as well as a franchisee with the Recipe Unlimited Corporation. That means he has support, and he cant imagine not having it and what it must be like for businesses that do not have that kind of support.

"This (restaurant) is a huge liability when it comes to rent. Having the franchise owner help us out with some of that stuff has been a blessing," he said

For Hernandez, owning his own building was a boon. He didnt have to worry about a landlord demanding rent. Nevertheless, he took advantage of the interest-free small business loan program. He hasnt used all that money, but it did help in scarce times.

Clemmenson also benefitted from the federal governments pandemic-related financial aid programs.

"Its a fine line between a decent day and a day thats not very good," Clemmensen said, adding all non-essential businesses would have felt the brunt of the uptick in cases, except perhaps drive-throughs.

Clemmensen echoes the statement of many others during these times  this is territory nobody knows. He doesnt think the city moving to yellow will mean a miracle for restaurants.

"Its not going to hurt, but I think people are conditioned right now," he said. "Especially that there is so much on the news about the second wave. Were in the northern hemisphere, and the flu season and cold season.  I think there will be a slight downtick anyway because of that."

Bennys is a complex restaurant and catering business that has woven itself into seasonal lulls and demands. For example, the restaurant normally caters weddings in the summer. With large-group gatherings a no-no, much of that activity has dried up. Similarly, events like Ag Days cancelling means that the usual annual business, due to the influx of visitors, is now absent.

Clemmensen also theorized that Brandonites were quick to get back to normal life after the initial lockdown because, as a community, they didnt really feel the effects of the pandemic. But, with recent events, people will likely remain cautious and vigilant.

Fluctuating staffing needs, depending on the situation at any given time, makes planning difficult. Same with stocking perishables.

"In the end, Im happy that I am still here and Im happy that right now Im looking for employees for the winter because I have to be realistic and I have to plan for a busy Christmas season, even though we dont know where things are going to end up," Hernandez said.

What Hernandez has witnessed, not just in relation to his own restaurant but with all small local businesses, is the support Brandonites are showing.

"I am most grateful to everyone that has supported me and my colleagues in the restaurant industry here in Brandon," he said.

"Sometimes people order from home because they want to be safe or they want to support us. Or maybe because theyre sick and tired of cooking  if thats the case, thats OK. I just want them to know that I am very grateful for all the support that they have given, not just myself, but all the small businesses in town."

 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.
Americans will no longer be able to download TikTok and WeChat starting on Sunday when the Trump administration will have it banned from U.S. app stores.

The Commerce Department issued an order Friday that will bar people in the United States from downloading the Chinese-owned video sharing app and messaging app after this weekend.

People who already have the apps on their phones will be able to keep using TikTok - but not able to download updates - while WeChat will effectively be shut down as of Sunday.

TikTok, the popular video app, got a longer grace period. It won't be completely shut down until November 12 - after the general election - as negotiations continue with American companies interested in purchasing it. Oracle and Walmart are both in talks.

An official told Reuters that TikTok U.S. users would not see 'a major difference' in the app's performance until Nov 12.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross discussed the changes users would see in an interview with Fox Business' Maria Bartiromo on Friday morning.

'WeChat is essentially a funds transfer and payment processing mechanism. For all practical purposes, it will be shut down in the U.S., but only in the U.S., as of midnight on Monday,' he said.

'So as to TikTok, the only real change as of Sunday night will be - won't have access to improved apps, updated apps, upgraded apps, or maintenance. So if that were to continue over a long period of time there might be a gradual degradation of services. But the basic TikTok will stay intact until November 12th,' Ross noted.

But he said that deadline could be lifted if there is a purchasing deal - otherwise the app will be banned after the election.

'If there's not a deal by November 12th under the provisions of the old order, then TikTok also would be, for all practical purposes shut down,' Ross said.

TikTok said it will challenge the unjust executive order, which was enacted without due process and will deprive the American people of its platform.

We disagree with the decision from the Commerce Department, the company said in a statement after the decision was announced.

TikTok noted it has committed to unprecedented levels of transparency, including third-party audits, verification of code security, and U.S. government oversight of US data security.

President Trump's administration to ban downloads of TikTok and WeChat, two Chinese owned-apps

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said WeChat will be shut down after this weekend but TikTok can be used - but not updated - until November 12

ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, has been talks with Oracle Corp and others to create a new company, TikTok Global, that aims to address U.S. concerns about the security of its users' data.

The markets didn't react much to the news of the ban. Both Oracle and Walmart's shares dipped slightly but Wall Street has otherwise gone on with business as usual.

President Donald Trump must approve any sale.

The Commerce Department order will 'deplatform' the two apps in the United States and bar Apple Inc's app store, Alphabet Inc's Google Play and others from offering the apps on any platform 'that can be reached from within the United States.'

'Today's actions prove once again that President Trump will do everything in his power to guarantee our national security and protect Americans from the threats of the Chinese Communist Party,' Ross said in a statement.

Trump said Wednesday he was not ready to sign off on a deal for Oracle to buy TikTok from its Chinese parent company, citing both national security concerns and wanting to ensure the U.S. government gets its cut.

'It has to be 100 percent as far as national security is concerned. No, I'm not prepared to sign off on anything. I have to see the deal,' Trump said. 'They going to be reporting to me tomorrow morning and I'll let you know.'

He also said he was surprised to learn that the U.S. cannot take a cut of the TikTok deal and he's going to have the government look into that.

'Amazingly, I find that you're not allowed to do that,' he said at his press conference when asked about payments to the Treasury Department for the sale, an idea he had pushed. 'There is no way of doing that from - there is no legal path to doing that.'

Trump was briefed on the matter by Treasury officials on Thursday morning.

'They are willing to make a big payment to the government and we are not allowed to take their money? When does this happen? How foolish can we be? We are looking into that right now. I said no, I want a big chunk of that money to go to the United States government because we made it possible,' he complained.

'The lawyers come back to me and say there is no way of doing that. You know why?' he said. 'Because nobody ever said we will approve the deal but we want a lot of money to go to the government. Because by approving the deal we are making the deal valuable. They had never heard of that before. Okay? Can you believe that?'

Trump said he also didn't like that the U.S. purchasing company would have a minority stake in the Chinese venture.

'I don't like that. That hasn't been told to me yet. That has been reported but not told to me. It could be accurate reporting for a change. If that's the case I'm not going be happy with that. Assuming ByteDance is China and I think it is,' he said.

Meanwhile, Oracle and Walmart could work together to take a significant stake in the company, The Wall Street Journal reported.

That partnership, if combined with existing American investors, could put majority ownership in U.S. hands, which would alleviate some of Trump's concerns.

Walmart, which was working with Microsoft in an earlier bid to buy the popular app, said in a statement Sunday it 'continues to have an interest in a TikTok investment and continues discussions with ByteDance leadership and other interested parties.'

Trump said Thursday he had spoken with both WalMart and Oracle about the matter.

'We'll make a decision, but nothing much has changed. We'll make a decision soon,' he said.

The fate of the ownership of TikTok remains in limbo with both Oracle and WalMart interested

But Chinese authorities have said they would not allow ByteDance to sell the algorithms used by TikTok, which are believed to hold much of the value for the app.

While a deal is being negotiated, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Thursday that 'innovation is the most important quality of business management, and it is also what we must overcome obstacles to do in the future.'

'Key core technology must be firmly kept in our own hands,' he added, according to China's official Xinhua news agency.

Friday's order will not ban U.S. companies from doing businesses on WeChat outside the United States, which will be welcome news to U.S. firms like Walmart and Starbucks that use WeChat's embedded 'mini-app' programs to facilitate transactions and engage consumers in China.

'WeChat is mainly used by American companies as a payment mechanism in China and elsewhere. That's not being disturbed at all,' Ross told Fox Business.

The order will not bar transactions with WeChat-owner Tencent Holdings' other businesses, including its online gaming operations and will not prohibit Apple, Google or others from offering TikTok or WeChat apps anywhere outside the United States.

The bans are in response to a pair of executive orders issued by Trump on Aug. 6 that gave the Commerce Department 45 days to determine what transactions to block from the apps he deemed pose a national security threat. That deadline expires on Sunday.

Commerce Department officials said they were taking the extraordinary step because of the risks the apps' data collection poses. China and the companies have denied U.S. user data is collected for spying.

The Trump administration has ramped up efforts to purge 'untrusted' Chinese apps from U.S. digital networks and has called TikTok and WeChat 'significant threats.'

The Trump administration has ramped up efforts to purge 'untrusted' Chinese apps from U.S. digital networks and has called TikTok and WeChat 'significant threats'

TikTok has 100 million users in the United States and WeChat has 19 million users in U.S.

TikTok has 100 million users in the United States and is especially popular among younger Americans.

WeChat has had an average of 19 million daily active users in the United States, analytics firms Apptopia said in early August. It is popular among Chinese students, ex-pats and some Americans who have personal or business relationships in China.

WeChat is an all-in-one mobile app that combines services similar to Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and Venmo. The app is an essential part of daily life for many in China and boasts more than 1 billion users.

Commerce is also barring additional technical transactions with WeChat starting Sunday that will significantly reduce the usability and functionality of the app in the United States.

The order bars data hosting within the United States for WeChat, content delivery services and networks that can increase functionality and internet transit or peering services.

'What immediately is going to happen is users are going to experience a lag or lack of functionality,' a senior Commerce official said of WeChat users. 'It may still be usable but it is not going to be as functional as it was.' There may be sporadic outages as well, the official said.

Commerce will bar the same set of technical transactions for TikTok, but that will not take effect until Nov. 12 to give the company additional time to see if ByteDance can reach a deal for its U.S. operations.

Commerce will not penalize people who use TikTok or WeChat in the United States. The order does not bar data storage within the United States for WeChat or TikTok.

Some Americans may find workarounds. There is nothing that would bar an American from traveling to a foreign country and downloading either app, or potentially using a virtual private network and a desktop client, officials conceded.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Friday received the letters of credence of five new envoys accredited by their respective countries to begin their duty tour of Ghana.



The envoys are: Tiemoko Moriko of Cote D'Ivoire, Daniela d'Orlandi from Italy, Austrialia's Gregory Andrews, Mohammed Abdelrahman Yasin Mohamed from Sudan and Jan Fury of the Czech Republic.



At separate ceremonies at the Jubilee House, Accra, the new envoys relayed the best wishes of their respective governments to President Akufo-Addo for his election as the Chairman of ECOWAS and expressed confidence in him to provide the right leadership to surmount the region's challenges.



They also commended Ghana for leading the integration agenda on the continent and for hosting the secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).



They expressed their commitments to further deepen the ties of friendship between their countries and to seek new opportunities for cooperation for the mutual benefit of thier nations and Ghana.



Sudanese Envoy Mohamed Abdelrahman Yasin Mohamed who first presented his credentials, said he looked forward to further strengthen the cordial and constructive relations that exist between the two countries.



I promise to take this responsibility with all due seriousness and dedication, and to exert possible effort to discharge it



Mr Mohamed said Sudan viewed Ghana as a model of peace, political stability, beacon of democracy and economic issues, saying

we acknowledge and admire the positive and active role that Ghana plays in peace building and peace keeping endeavour in the continent and beyond



He told the President that Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council and government was keen on ending the war, building sustainable peace among others, to advance the socio-economic fortunes of that country.



Ivorian ambassador designate, Moriko, relayed the best wishes of Cote d'Ivoire's leader Alassanne Ouatarra to President Akufo-Addo on his recent election as the chairperson of the ECOWAS.



He noted the cordial relations that has existed between the two countries over the years and the forming of strategic partnerships that had mutually benefited both countries.



Mr Moriko mentioned one such joints efforts between Ghana and Cote d'ivoire, the Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA), which to him, would consolidate the foundation of an ambitious cooperation between the two countries.



The agreement which was signed between the two countries in 2017, set up a strategic co-operation framework, that covers the areas of Defence and Security; Cocoa and cashew economy and other strategic crops; Maritime cooperation; Mining, energy and environment; Transport; and Economic policies.



Moriko pledged to further strengthen ties between the two countries at the political and economic fronts.



When he took his turn, the Austrialian envoy, Mr Andrews said he was optimistic that the long-standing relations and history of partnership between his country and Ghana would be strengthened further.



He said both nations shared the same important values of democracy, freedom equal opportunity and optimism for the future.



The envoy was particularly impressed with Ghana's management of the COVID-19 pandemic, saying, Here in Ghana, the government responded quickly and, like in Australia, has consistently put people, safety and science first.



Mr Andrews lauded Ghana's leadership on economics, free trade and the hosting of the Secretariat of African Continental Free Trade Area and for its principle of self-determination through the 'Ghana Beyond Aid' vision.



I particularly admire the Presidents Ghana Beyond Aid approach. And it is terrific to see Ghana as the host of the African Free Trade Agreement. I know Ghana is setting an example of how we can all work together to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals," he said.



Mr Fury, the Czech ambassador recounted the diplomatic ties between the two countries, which dated back to 1959 during the time of Ghanas first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, adding, We would like to continue in this tradition of support and cooperation. 



He referred to the number of high level political and business exchanges that took place between both nations last year, all in the bid to further strengthen ties, and pledged his countrys commitment to ongoing cooperation in the field of development.



Mr Fury said his country welcomed the industrialisation vision of Ghana and the Ghana Beyond Aid agenda, saying that Czech companies could make significant contribution in that direction.



Additionally, he was optimistic that cooperation which were mostly focused in areas of health care, infrastructure agriculture and security would be advanced to include other opportunities in power generation and distribution, Agro -processing and water and sanitation.



The Czech envoy placed emphasis in the fact that the quality of relations between the two countries would be determined to a great extent by the intensity of their economic cooperation.



One of our goals is therefore to negotiate the Agreement on Protection of Investments and sign the Economic Cooperation Agreement with Ghana.



We seek to fully exploit all opportunities of multilateral diplomacy; hence we will not hesitate to access funds from different sources including the European Development Fund to enhance the development cooperation between Ghana and the Czech Republic 



The Italian envoy, Madam Daniela d'Orlandi extolled Ghana's democratic credentials and for her commitment to the implementation of the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals.



She said the relations between Italy and Ghana remained excellent and had grown over the years leading to high level exchanges, with a common commitment to combat terrorism, piracy innthe Gulf of Guinea and for the stabilisation of the Sahealian belt.



Madam d'Orlandi appauded Ghana's role in pushing forward the African integration agenda.



She pledged to do her best to fortify and promote investment, credit opportunities and trade cooperation between Itali and Ghana.



President Akufo-Addo, on his part, congratulated the new envoys on their appointment and welcomed them to Ghana.



He expressed his administrations commitment to deepen the relations between Ghana and their respective countries.



The President said Ghana's commitment to work together within ECOWAS, the AU and within the world body was one of the important basis of the country's foreign policy.



He described the African Continental Free Area (AfCFTA) agreement as one of the most important decisions of the African Union, and said Ghana was committed to the integration agenda of the continent and would pull all stops to ensure its success.



If, indeed, it works, it would be a major platform to the development and empowerment of the continent, he said.



He wished the envoys a successful duty tour of Ghana.

Source: GNA









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In April 2019, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was slated to file his nomination papers for the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency, a gesture of the PM had created quite a flutter on social media.

The PM had touched the feet of veteran Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) leader and former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal (92), which was recorded by TV cameras for posterity.

Badal is over two decades senior to the PM both in age and politics.

The PMs respect for the SADs patron had underlined the importance of the ties between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the SAD, the oldest constituent in the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

The BJP top brass has always been proud of its special ties with the SAD for decades.

Also Read: Farm bills: Farmers body announces three-day rail roko agitation in Punjab from September 24

In May 1996, when the BJP had emerged as the single-largest party after the parliamentary polls, the SAD was the first political entity to endorse the formers bid to form the government at the Centre.

Perhaps, SAD has been the only BJP ally, whose unflinching loyalty to the senior partner has never been in doubt through the years.

Leaders of both parties valued each others role in agitations, especially during the Emergency, declared by the then PM Indira Gandhi, between June 25, 1975 and March 21, 1977.

In Punjab, the SADs home turf, the BJP is largely seen as an urban political force, while the junior ally has deep rural connect in the agrarian state.

The SAD-BJP alliance had ruled Punjab for a decade between 2007 and 2017. This was largely because the SAD had managed to wean away a section of urban voters, who had chosen the Congress in the past.

Also Read: Why farm sector reform bills are angering farmers: 5 things you need to know

Leaders from both the parties on various occasions had described the alliance as unbreakable and everlasting.

The BJP was content to play second fiddle to the SAD in the latters bastion, despite the former calling the shots at the Centre.

The exit of the BJPs most prominent Jat Sikh and Punjabi face, Navjot Singh Sidhu, who had advocated a tougher stance against the Badals, is also attributed to the party leaderships decision not to upset the SAD.

However, there were strains, despite a common ideological mooring to oppose the Congress.

Many felt that the Akalis had moved away from their core Panthic agenda because of the close proximity with the BJP.

The SAD, which is trying to regain its lost ground in Punjab to the ruling Congress and a new entrant the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), is primed to play the role of an aggressive opposition in state politics after the BJPs oldest ally withdrew from the NDA government on Thursday.

Union minister for food processing Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigned from the Modi government on Thursday in protest against the legislations aimed to liberalise trade in agricultural commodities.

The timing could not have been more opportune as the SADs move is aimed at tapping its huge rural constituency, where farmers issues have traditionally struck electoral chords.

Though the lone SAD representative in the Modi government has resigned, the party is still a part of the NDA.

Now, the decades-old ties are on the line as the Centres legislative push is seen to hit the SAD where it hurts the most  anti-farmers issues.
BEIRUT - Public street lighting during the night has returned to Raqqa, a city in northern Syria that was heavily damaged by the war and years under Islamic State (ISIS) occupation.

The city was the Syrian 'capital' of ISIS for three years and it was where, seven years ago, the Italian Jesuit priest Paolo Dall'Oglio disappeared.

Many claim he was kidnapped by jihadist militants.

On social media profiles for the Raqqa town council, photos were posted on Friday showing new colourful lighting on the city streets and its bridge over the Euphrates River.

Raqqa entered the Syrian conflict directly in 2012 when the Syrian army withdrew and armed opposition forces took control of the city.

Later, several radical Islamist groups took over areas of the city and in 2013 IS set up its headquarters in the city.

On July 29 of that year Dall'Oglio disappeared, a Jesuit priest of Roman origins who had lived and conducted his mission of bringing Muslims and Christians together in Syria for decades.

IS took over all of Raqqa in 2014 and for three years transformed it into its 'capital' in Syria.

Thousands of bodies have been found, some only recently, in mass graves inside and outside the city, of the victims of crimes attributed to IS between 2014 and 2017.

''But now the city has returned to the light, even at night," was one of the comments posted by a resident below the photos of the public street lighting posted by the Raqqa town council on one of its social media accounts.
Enraged because his friend was reprimanded and humiliated by her employer for stealing clothes from her boutique, a 25-year-old man created a fake social media profile of the boutique owner, projecting her as a sex worker and uploaded the woman and her mothers cellphone number, police said on Friday after arresting the man.

Senior police officers said that the boutique owner and her mother were flooded by inappropriate calls. As the frequency of such calls increased, the boutique owner approached the police and filed a complaint.

A case of sexual harassment was registered at the Greater Kailash police station and its investigation led to the arrest of the friend of a 24-year-old woman employed in the boutique. The arrested man has been identified only his by first name as Suraj alias Shivam, a resident of Jahangirpuri who is working in a private firm, said deputy commissioner of police (south) Atul Kumar Thakur.

During the interrogation, Suraj told us (police) that he wanted to settle a score with the boutique owner for scolding his friend for stealing dresses from the boutique and frequently reprimanding her thereafter, said DCP Thakur.

According to the police, Suraj had met and befriended the 24-year-old woman on social media around two years ago. Before the lockdown, the womans employer (the boutique owner) caught her stealing in the shop.

The owner scolded her but did not report the theft to the police. The matter was settled amicably, said DCP Thakur, adding that when the womans friend learnt about it, he decided to harass her employer.

He created a fake social media account (on Facebook) and uploaded some obscene pictures along with mobile numbers of the owner and her mother, he added.

DCP Thakur said they are probing the role of Surajs friend to ascertain if she was aware the fake social media profile he had created.
Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is an annual observance celebrated by Jewish people across the world.

Translated from Hebrew to mean head of the year, it is observed by attending prayer services in synagogue, listening to the blowing of an ancient musical horn and eating a variety of symbolic  and delicious  foods.

Here is everything you need to know about the two-day celebration.

When is it?

This year, Rosh Hashanah begins on the evening of Friday 18 September and ends on the evening of Sunday 20 September.

The date of the festival on the Gregorian calendar varies on an annual basis, as the Jewish calendar is lunisolar - meaning that it is based on lunar and solar cycles.

Every year, Rosh Hashanah takes place on the first day of the month of Tishrei.

Tishrei is the first month of the civil year and the seventh month of the ecclesiastical year, according to the Jewish calendar.

It always falls at some point in September or October on the Gregorian calendar.

Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of 10 days of repentance in Judaism.

This period culminates with Yom Kippur, a holy day which sees Jewish people fast and pray to atone for their sins.

To wish someone of the Jewish faith a happy new year, you can say Shana Tova, meaning good year, or Shana Tova Umetukah, meaning good and sweet year.

What does it commemorate?

While Rosh Hashanah celebrates the Jewish New Year, it also signifies the creation of the universe.

In Judaism, it is taught that Hashem (God) created the universe in six days.

This six-day period  which included the creation of Adam and Eve on the sixth day  ended with a seventh day of rest, something that is commemorated every week by Jewish people on Shabbat.

It is the birthday of the universe, the day God created Adam and Eve and its celebrated as the head of the Jewish year, explains Chabad, an Orthodox Jewish Hasidic organisation.

How is it celebrated?

During Rosh Hashanah, as with Shabbat, Jewish people who are devout refrain from partaking in certain activities such as using electric devices, driving or writing.

Throughout the festival, it is tradition to attend prayer services at synagogue, although this year fewer people are likely will be in attendance due to the coronavirus pandemic.

On both mornings of the religious festival, a shofar, an ancient musical instrument usually made from a rams horn, is blown during the prayer service.

When a person blows a shofar on Rosh Hashanah, they are instructed to make sounds of varying lengths.

A shofar (iStock)

The Tekiah is when one long sound, Shevarim are three short blasts, and Teruah is made up of nine short, staccato blasts.

It is customary to hear the blowing of the shofar 100 times over the course of Rosh Hashanah.

Another tradition that is followed during the religious festival is Tashlich, which comes from the Hebrew word to cast.

In an act that represents the casting off of sins, those who take part in the ritual visit a body of water on the first day of Rosh Hashanah (typically a river or a stream), where they recite special prayers.

While some Jewish people throw bread in the water as part of the tradition, according to Chabad, this act was condemned by rabbis in the 14th century.

 Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

What food is eaten during Rosh Hashanah?

During Rosh Hashanah, festive meals are shared between family and close friends.

These feature a variety of sweet foods, symbolising a sweet new year ahead.

Foods one can expect to see on the table during the Jewish New Year include apple and honey, pomegranate, round raisin challah and honey cake.

Candles are also traditionally lit in the home to welcome the festival.

To read more about the symbolic foods that are eaten during Rosh Hashanah, click here.
A wheelchair-bound man was dragged to the ground, robbed and left injured after he sat outside Mercy University Hospital on Monday afternoon.

A 39-year-old man has now been arrested and charged with carrying out the robbery of the victim, understood to be a 50-year-old amputee.

Detective Garda Lorna Healy arrested Connie Foley of 7 Ceoil na nEan, Gouldshill, Mallow, County Cork and charged him with carrying out the robbery.

Det. Garda Healy said members of the public passing Gravel Lane, near the Mercy University Hospital shortly before 4pm on Monday helped the victim. Det. Garda Healy said the injured party was bruised all over his body as a result of the incident.

Connie Foley made no reply when he was arrested, charged with robbery and cautioned.

The allegation in the case was that the victim was approached by a man who asked him for his mobile phone and he refused.

Det. Garda Healy said the man then grabbed the wallet belonging to the injured party, dragging him from his wheelchair in the process. The wallet was later recovered and 100 was missing from it.

The detective said there was excellent CCTV footage of the incident and it was alleged that the defendant was identified in this and subsequently arrested in Mallow.

Gardai would have serious concerns that he would commit further serious offences if released on bail, Det. Garda Healy said.

Defence solicitor, Cathal Lombard, said in cross-examination of the detective at the bail application in Cork District Court: He strenuously denied he was the person in this incident when he was interviewed by gardai.

Det. Garda Healy said: That is incorrect, he made no comment throughout interview.

Mr Lombard called Foley to give evidence in the bail application. Mr Foley denied the robbery charge in the witness box.

I was at home all day on that date. If you go back and look at cameras. I will stick by whatever rules (if granted bail), I will sign on three times a day at Mallow garda station, Foley said.

Judge Olann Kelleher refused bail and remanded the accused in custody until September 25.

Sergeant Gearoid Davis said directions were awaited from the Director of Public Prosecutions.

It was reported that the robbery happened after the wheelchair user had attended the Mercy University Hospital for a medical appointment on Monday afternoon and was resting in his wheelchair at nearby Gravel Lane.

A passing taxi driver heard the wheelchair users cries for help and he and several members of the public helped him back into his wheelchair before alerting gardai who were quickly on the scene.
Actor Sanjay Dutts wife Maanayata shares a new picture of the family with her husband and her kids - Iqra and Shahraan. She said how she just wanted to be with her family and had no complaints against the almighty.

She wrote: Today...I want to thank God for the gift of family. No complaints...No requests... just to be together, forever. Amen #blessedbeyondmeasure #love #grace #positivity #dutts #beautifullife #thankyougod. A number of fans of the actor wrote in to express solidarity with him. One user wrote love u baba while another said Godbless u all. Sanjay and Maanayata had left for Dubai earlier this week to be with their kids.

In August this year, Sanjay was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer. Taking to Instagram, Sanjay had addressed his illness with fans. Hi friends, I am taking a short break from work for some medical treatment. My family and friends are with me and I urge my well wishers not to worry or unnecessarily speculate. With your love and good wishes, I will be back soon!

However, soon after, speculations were rife that the actor would leave for the US for further treatment. However, Maanayata had released a statement clarifying that the actor would complete preliminary treatment in Mumbai. She had said: For those asking, Sanju will complete his preliminary treatment in Mumbai. We will formulate further plans of travel depending on how and when the Covid situation eases. As of now, Sanju is in the best hands of our esteemed doctors at Kokilaben hospital. I request everyone, with my folded hands, to stop speculating the stage of his illness and let the doctors continue to do their work. We will update you all regularly with his progress.

Also read: PM Narendra Modi thanks Karan Johar for birthday wishes, tells Virat Kohli, Anushka Sharma and you will be amazing parents

Sanjay was recently seen in Sadak 2 along with Pooja Bhatt, Alia Bhatt and Aditya Roy Kapur. The actor has a number of films in various stages of production including Kannada film, KGF 2, Torbaaz, Prithviraj, Shamshera and Bhuj: The Pride of India.

Follow @htshowbiz for more

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A rare Mediterranean cyclone began to rake western Greece with heavy rains on Thursday and was expected to slam into the country in full force on Friday, with hurricane-force wind and life-threatening flooding in some places, forecasters said.

Cyclone Ianos is an example of what meteorologists sometimes call a Medicane  a powerful type of storm all but unknown until the 1990s. It has been seen more often as the atmosphere and sea warm.

Greeces National Meteorological Service issued an unusual bulletin warning of extraordinary danger for southern portions of the countrys mainland  a region known for its mild weather  beginning Thursday afternoon and continuing into Saturday. Forecasters warned that a foot or more of rain could fall in places.
Campus News

UB Art Galleries reopening for fall with four exhibitions

UBNOW STAFF

Four exhibitions that ask what it means to remember  our loved ones as well as traumatic histories of a nation-state  will open in the UB Art Galleries this semester, offering a dynamic range of artistic practices and processes of engaging with the past.

Appointments to visit the exhibitions in the UB Art Gallery in the Center for the Arts and the UB Anderson Gallery can be made online, and virtual tours and programs are planned throughout the year as well to accompany the exhibitions.

The exhibitions present large-scale sculptures by Trinidadian-born, Philadelphia-based Karyn Olivier that explore what it means to make a monument; photographs and videos by Eritrean-Canadian artist Dawit L. Petros that bring vivid images of legacies of colonialism in east Africa; new, text-based work by esteemed photographer Justine Kurland featured alongside paintings by her father, the late Buffalo-based artist Bruce Kurland; and drawings and maquettes by Philip Pavia that accompany the installation of outdoor sculpture by Pavia on the UB North Campus.



The exhibitions



Karyn Olivier: Everything Thats Alive Moves

Oct. 29 through May 15, UB Art Gallery, Center for the Arts



Karyn Olivier makes monuments. She investigates scale, public memory and how they relate to issues of inclusivity and acceptance. Everything Thats Alive Moves brings together two themes the artist has focused on in recent years: larger-than-life scale and the minute, modest gesture. An obelisk sculpture, a car made entirely of shoes and a brick wall built using discarded clothing as mortar are among the works selected to be reimagined and constructed on site at UB Art Galleries.



Karyn Olivier: Everything Thats Alive Moves is organized by the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) at the University of Pennsylvania, and is curated by ICA Daniel and Brett Sundheim Chief Curator Anthony Elms. The Buffalo presentation is organized by Liz Park, curator of exhibitions, UB Art Galleries.

Support has been provided by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, the Edna Wright Andrade Fund of the Philadelphia Foundation, the Henry Moore Foundation, and a Tyler Dean's Grant from Temple University.



Dawit L. Petros: Spazio Disponibile

Sept. 24 through May 16, UB Anderson Gallery



Dawit L. Petros art stems from his research into the complex layers of colonial histories that connect East Africa and Europe. Spazio Disponibile  Italian for Available Space  is an exhibition of photo, video and sound that scrutinizes historical gaps in memory, particularly that of modern Italy. Alluding to vacant advertising sections that appeared in Rivista Coloniale, a widely circulated early 20th-century magazine and the official organ of the Italian colonial project, the title is also a reference to the colonial gaze that viewed the lands of Africa as available space to occupy and exploit.



Dawit L. Petros: Spazio Disponibile was initiated, organized and circulated by The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery in Toronto, in collaboration with the UB Art Galleries. It is curated by guest curator Irene Campolmi, of The Power Plant; UB curator Liz Park will curate for the Buffalo presentation.

The exhibition is sponsored by The TD Ready Commitment and supported by lead donor Lonti Ebers. Additional support for the tour is provided by Canada Council for the Arts and The Gilder.

Bruce Kurland & Justine Kurland  Two Worlds: Illusion & Document

Sept. 24 through May 15, UB Anderson Gallery



Two Worlds: Illusion and Document features work by photographer Justine Kurland and her father, the late-painter Bruce Kurland. Justine is widely known for her fantastical photographic tableaus of American landscapes as inhabited by real and imagined communities of girls and women. Bruce was a classically trained painter of still life based in Buffalo until his death from cancer in 2013.

The paintings in this exhibition reveal his unceasing fascination with common objects and what they can say about life and death. In response to her fathers paintings, Justine presents text-based gelatin silver prints. Like pages of a memoir, the prints capture Justines memories of Bruce  joy and passion from his small victories, as well as stinging pain from his illness and poverty.

A formal departure from her previous bodies of luscious, color photographs, this new work continues Justines exploration of the sense of rootedness and belonging through a social unit, which, for all of us, begins with a family  in the widest and the most generous sense of the word.



Philip Pavia: Drawings and Small Sculptures

Oct. 29 through March 13, Center for the Arts Gallery



Philip Pavia (1911-2005) was a leading sculptor in the American postwar abstraction movement, who worked alongside Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning and Arshile Gorky. This exhibition  organized in conjunction with the unveiling of East Pediment, Sun-up (1965-66), a large-scale, outdoor sculpture that will be installed on the North Campus  documents Pavias process through drawings and small marble sculptures created in the 1950s-80s.



There is a will to shambles, curator Thomas B. Hess says of Pavias work of this period. The act of lifting and tilting, countered by the evident heavy pull of gravity, by the weighty mass of stone units, establishes the drama. It is a strong willful kick at the limits of art.



Both the Center for the Arts Gallery and the Anderson Gallery are now open, by appointment only, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. Visit the exhibitions individual websites to schedule a viewing. Admission is free.
As people gear up for the upcoming festive season in the midst of the global pandemic, News18 India has lined up special programming Shri Ram Roop to usher in the festivities and spread cheer. The special series will keep the viewers positively engaged and entertained by narrating untold tales and mystic legends associated with Shri Ram.

Anchored by Kishore Ajwani, Managing Editor, News18 India, the special line-up will take the viewers on an enthralling journey with each episode showcasing numerous sides of Shri Ram and many age old tales for the first time on television. Shot in documentary style, the series will travel the length and breadth of the country to bring to life innumerable stories associated with Shri Ram. Special shows such as Ram Lalla and Ram ka Yodha Roop will capture Shri Rams childhood, his upbringing & education and his valiant encounters with rakhasas, respectively. The latter will also showcase locations in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh where such battles took place. The series will also follow his encounters with his most devout followers such as Hanuman, Sugrivs Vanar Sena and Shabri amongst others in Bhakton ke Ram; and visiting historical sites such as Nasik and Rameshwaram where celebrated temples of Shiva were constructed by Shri Ram, in Shiv Bhakt Ram.

The concluding episode of the series will take viewers to Orchha where it is believed Lord Rams coronation took place 500 years ago by local king. It will further showcase his virtuous rule as a king, while prominently featuring the famous Raja Ram temple in the city. Remembering the stories associated with these places, the show promises to present a gripping narrative which will be both informative and engaging.

With a carefully crafted content strategy and an array of most seasoned anchors, News18 India has always been working towards delivering the best and most diverse content to the viewers. With Ram Roop we will continue to further this approach of providing truly distinct content to our viewers..

Watch Shri Ram Roop, from 19th September onwards, every Saturday & Sunday at 9 PM only on News18 India
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Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 07:14:04|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Worsening insecurity in Burkina Faso has forced more than 1 million people to flee their homes, many of them displaced several times, a UN spokesman said on Thursday.

"Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance has increased by 30 percent, from 2.2 million in January to 2.9 million in July," said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Dujarric said 15 percent of the population is now facing crisis levels of food insecurity or worse, according to the government data.

The population of Burkina Faso, one of the world's poorest countries, is about 21 million people, according to UN data.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Burkina Faso has increased to 1,733 with 56 deaths and 1,141 recoveries, the spokesman said.

Climate shocks have also contributed to the country's woes, including the worst food crisis in a decade, he said. Since the beginning of April, floods and windstorms have hit more than 71,000 people across the country, more than 60 percent of them in two regions most affected by conflicts. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-17 23:44:10|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- American companies will have better prospects to grow their operation in China as the country moves to build up resilience against external shocks while sharing its opportunities for development with the rest of the world, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai has said.

"Now we are preparing for the 14th Five-Year Plan, which will start next year. The emphasis is very clear. As you said, we would like to have this new development pattern with both the internal and external cycles reinforcing each other and with the internal one as the mainstay," said Cui in a recent interview with former U.S. Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson during the podcast program "Straight Talk with Hank Paulson."

"But this does not mean we will close our doors. It does not mean we will have a closed internal loop. Actually, we will open up even wider in the process," he said. "We will open our door even wider because our real aim is to give full play to the potential of the domestic market, to make the domestic market function more effectively and much better, so that the two cycles could really reinforce each other."

The ambassador expressed his hope that many foreign companies, including American ones, which are operating in China, will "seize the great opportunities."

"They are already part of this domestic cycle or domestic market. With great emphasis on the internal market forces, they will have better prospects to develop, to grow their operation in China. At the same time, they are the natural link between the internal cycle and the external cycle. So that would mean great opportunity for them," he said. Enditem
ARCHIVED - 162 deaths and 11,291 new cases in 24 hours; Spain coronavirus 17th September



WHO warns that current level of transmission in Europe is very serious

The Spanish Ministry of Health has notified an increase of 11,291 in the total number of coronavirus cases registered in Spain during the last 24 hours, bringing the total from the 614,360 reported on Wednesday to 625,651 on Thursday.

Using the complicated system by which the Ministry reports its coronavirus figures, 4.541 have been diagnosed in the last 24 hours and the remainder of the figures have been compiled from cases notified by the health authorities of the 17 autonomous regions of Spain in preceding days, which have now been verified and entered into the system in the last 24 hours, bringing the total up to the 11,291 by which the figures have increased in the last 24 hours.

This does of course, mean that some of the cases reported today by the autonomous communities are not included in the total shown today, but will be incorporated over the next few days as they are verified; the Ministry is always playing catch-up.

For this reason, the figures published by the Ministry showing the breakdown of new cases by region on the official daily report must be taken with a pinch of salt, as they do not reflect the figures actually reported on any given day.

However, there is no doubt whatsoever, that the figures do represent a significant upward movement and in most cases the total increase from day to day is the figure most widely used.

Click here to see detailed source data published by the Ministry today.

Fatalities:

162 fatalities have been verified by the Ministry in the last 24 hours, bringing the total during the last 7 days up to 419 (on a rolling basis).

The total number of fatalities officially diagnosed by PCR is now 30,405.



Hospitalisations:

At the moment there are 10,003 patients hospitalised with coronavirus across Spain, and 1,331 in intensive care units.

During the last 24 hours, there have been 1317 admissions and 1036 discharges, giving a balance of 281 more patients than yesterday.

The occupancy of beds by coronavirus patients across Spain is 8.6%, although there is significant regional variation.



Cases amongst medical staff

59,858 confirmed cases have been reported in health personnel up to September 16th. However, since May 11th, 9,438 have been infected, of which 5,326 work in a health center, 3,038 in a social health center and 1,074 in another center.



More than 850 new outbreaks in a week

Since the de-escalation ended, 4,673 outbreaks have been reported with around 44,500 cases, affecting all autonomous communities and cities. Since the last update (10.09.2020), 851 new outbreaks accounting for around 5,150 cases have been reported.



79.1 percent of the outbreaks are small, with fewer than 10 cases. The outbreaks with the highest number of cases, some with more than 100, have occurred in leisure settings, among workers in vulnerable situations and in social and health centers.



Of the outbreaks reported in the last week, the area in which the highest number of outbreaks and cases has been recorded continues to be social, representing 38.2 percent of outbreaks and 36.5 percent of cases. Among them, outbreaks related to family and friends gatherings (266 outbreaks and 1,491 cases) stand out, which continue to increase.



It is worth highlighting those outbreaks that affect members of the same family living in different homes (18% of the outbreaks and 14.5% of the cases) and those with a mixed component, where transmission moves, for example, from the family environment to other areas, such as labor or social, or vice versa (12.8% of outbreaks and 13.8% of

the cases).



Other relevant outbreaks are those that occur in the workplace, which account for 13.3 percent of the outbreaks reported in this last week and 13.1 percent of the cases. Outbreaks related to workers in situations of social vulnerability (seasonal workers and fruit and vegetable companies) stand out in this classification.



Also in recent weeks there has been an increase in job outbreaks that occur in catering establishments and in the business and construction sectors. In addition, outbreaks that occur in social and health centers continue to increase (9.9% of outbreaks and 13.1% of cases) and those that occur in health centers (3.5% of outbreaks and 4.6% of cases).



WHO warns that current level of transmission in Europe is very serious



The regional director for Europe of the World Health Organization (WHO), Hans Kluge, has warned that currently the transmission level of coronavirus in Europe is "very serious", given that weekly cases have exceeded those reported when the pandemic reached its maximum peak in March.



At a press conference, Kluge pointed out that more than half of European countries have experienced a 10 percent growth in Covid-19 cases and, of these, seven have doubled their incidence of infections. "Although these numbers reflect further testing, they also show alarming transmission rates across Europe," he said.



Kluge reported that in the first week of September there was an increase in cases among the oldest age groups, 50-64 and 65-79 years, although the highest proportion is still found among people from 25 to 49 years old. "This pandemic has taken a lot from us. In Europe, there have been 4,893,614 cases of Covid-19 and 226,524 deaths, but this tells only part of the story, as the impact on our mental health, economies, livelihoods and society has been monumental, "Kluge said.



For this reason, he has made a call for regional coherence, and for a greater collective effort to be made by all of Europe, recalling that the response to the pandemic has been "very effective" when actions have been implemented quickly and decisively, but not so much when "partisanship" and "misinformation have prevailed.

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By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) will take a call on whether to remain in the BJP-led NDA or not after taking into consideration the fate of three contentious farm bills in Rajya Sabha and consulting its cadre, party sources said on Friday, a day after its lone Union minister quit the government.

A senior party leader said the priority of the SAD at the moment was to safeguard the interests of farmers, and not the alliance issue.

The party's core group met this afternoon here with many leaders joining through video conference from Punjab to discuss its next course of action, after Harsimrat Kaur Badal's resignation in protest against the three farm sector bills.

The bills were passed by Lok Sabha this week and likely to be taken up in Rajya Sabha soon.

Asked whether the SAD would pull out of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) as well, Harsimrat told PTI it was for the party to decide and a collective decision would be taken on the issue by all senior leaders together.

ALSO READ | 'Very unfortunate' that farmers not taken on board over farm bills: Sukhbir Singh Badal attacks NDA

Another senior party leader Naresh Gujral said, "Even in a marriage there are disagreements. So, similarly, in coalition it doesn't mean you have to subscribe to each other's ideology. Each political party has to protect its interests."

Gujral, a Rajya Sabha member, said the government should refer these three bills to a select committee.

Asked whether the SAD will remain in the ruling alliance or not, Gujral said, "Akali Dal is very mindful of the fact that today our army is standing eye ball to eye ball with PLA at LAC. Pakistan is trying to disturb the atmosphere of Punjab."

He said the party would not take any decision which would disturb the atmosphere in Punjab, a border state.

The Akali Dal represents Sikhs, who are known for their patriotism and made huge sacrifice for the country in the past, Gujral said.

He also said both the Akali Dal and the BJP feel the void created by the untimely demise of senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley.

Echoing similar sentiments, party leader Prem Singh Chandumajra said the alliance issue was not a priority for the SAD as of now as the Assembly elections in Punjab are still far away.

SAD sources said the party will wait for the fate of the bills in Rajya Sabha before taking a final call on remaining in the NDA.

ALSO READ | Saddened my voice in farmers' support was not heard: Harsimrat Kaur Badal after resigning from Modi cabinet

The BJP is confident that numbers are stacked in its favour in Rajya Sabha for the passage of the bills -- the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's forceful defence of the three bills and blistering criticism of the opposition for protesting against them on Thursday made it clear that he remains unfazed and that his government will press on to get Parliament's nod for these measures aimed at opening private avenues for farmers to sell their produce.

Farmers in states like Punjab and Haryana have been protesting against these proposed laws which, their leaders allege, will end up dismantling the existing government-backed support system they have.
The Trump administration is pushing forward with its plan to ban the Chinese social media apps TikTok and WeChat from American app stores.

The Commerce Department announced on Friday that beginning on Sunday, it will prohibit downloads of WeChat and TikTok in U.S. app stores, and ban transactions made through WeChat. The Commerce Department said the move would protect Americans for national security reasons.

So what does that mean for you?

The details of the prohibition are set to have a significant impact on people who use TikTok and WeChat. TikTok, which has more than 50 million active users in the United States, according to the research firm App Annie, is mostly popular here among teenagers who post short dance videos. WeChat, which has about 3.5 million active users here, is a messaging app with a host of features including a mobile wallet service.

Here's what you need to know.

What is happening, exactly?

The immediate effects of the action: As of Sunday, Americans will no longer be able to download TikTok or WeChat from the Apple and Google Play app stores. WeChat users in the United States will not be able to use the messaging app for sending payments, among other features.
On September 14, Richard A Hannah, Jr., departed this life to enter the joy of Heaven to be reunited with friends, family, and Jesus Christ where he will enjoy life eternal. Born November 24, 1933, to Richard and Ruby Hannah of Draketown, GA, Richard attended Auburn University for two years then entered the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. He graduated from pilot training at Bryan AFB in October, 1955 and was assigned to go directly to Navigator Bombardier School where he graduated triple rated in May 1956. He then entered the Strategic Air Command where he flew B-47 Bombers for four years. Afterwards, he flew for an oil company in Houston where he covered most of the globe during the next 30 years. In 1956, Richard married Helen Maria Sedrani and they were blessed with a daughter, Deborah Ann, and a son, Richard Scott. Richard was preceded in death by his wife of 55 years and both children.
My mother was born in a small village in Mexico and became a citizen of the United States only after toiling for many years in a byzantine U.S. immigration system. My father, a third-generation Texan, hailed from deep West Texas, where his ancestors were persecuted merely for the fact they were successful ranchers and mercantile families who also happened to be Hispanic.

But make no mistake: My parents love America because it offers what no other country in the world can provide: opportunity based solely on hard work, sacrifice and dedication. It doesnt matter where we were born or who our parents were. What matters in America is our ability to make this a better country for our fellow citizens.

Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation Find more information at www.txhpf.org. See More Collapse

My parents and grandparents are not only role players in the ageless story of Texas; their histories and voices are interwoven into the very tapestry of what this great state represents. They embody what it means to be a Texan.

And yet we do not fit the stereotype of what most people think of when they think of Texas Latinos. I, just one generation removed, do not speak Spanish. I am not a Catholic. I was elected to the Texas Legislature as a card-carrying member of the Republican Party. Texas Hispanics are not as we are characterized on television or in the newspapers. We are a diverse, unique, disparate group of America-loving people who come from many different backgrounds.

2020 Voter Guide: A roadmap of the races, candidates and issues on the ballot

This is why some of the states most well-respected Hispanic leaders from both parties have launched the Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation  to provide polling and other research to explore the beliefs and behaviors of Hispanic Texans. We believe the publics understanding of Texas Hispanics should be based on data rather than outdated, presumptuous punditry.

After all, the Hispanic community is vastly diverse. Some of us are from Mexico. Some of us are from South America or Europe. We are wealthy, poor, educated and illiterate. We fight for our country in the armed forces, but we are also day laborers on Americas farms and factories. We help raise the children of the United States, while simultaneously cleaning and cooking to keep your homes tidy. With or without documents, we are Americans.

Now, as our numbers grow in states such as Texas, Florida, California, Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico, our political voice is being heard. For many years, we have been the deciding votes in elections for city council, county judge and state representative. But as our numbers increase, our vote becomes vital to anyone seeking statewide or national office.

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Neither President Donald Trump nor former Vice President Joe Biden can win the presidency without receiving a material proportion of the Hispanic vote in several critically important states. In states like Texas and Florida, if Joe Biden can obtain the level of support from Hispanic voters that Hillary Clinton was able to garner, he would likely win those states, and thus the presidency.

This is not conjecture. Our foundation released polling last month showing Trump with a seven-point lead in Texas and Biden with a lead of 9.5 percentage points among Texas Hispanic voters. But according to exit polls, Clinton won Hispanic Texans by 27 points four years ago.

If Trump can cut into Hispanic support, as polls in both Texas and Florida currently show, he would win both states. But if Biden can engage and win the mindshare of Hispanics in a meaningful way in Texas, Florida and Arizona, he has several wide-open paths to the Oval Office.

What is clear is that the Hispanic vote is the key. He who can win the hearts and minds of hardworking and America-loving people like my mother and father will be the next president of the United States.

Former state Rep. Jason Villalba of Dallas is president of the Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation. More information at www.txhpf.org.
Following the Delhi high courts order on Friday asking schools to provide gadgets and internet access to students from economically weaker section (EWS) and disadvantaged groups (DG) categories to assist in their online education during the Covid-19 crisis, private schools in the capital have raised concerns over the implementation of the order.

According to the Right to Education Act, 25% of the seats at entry-level classes of private unaided schools are reserved for children under the EWS/DG category whose families earn less than 1 lakh annually. These children are entitled to free textbooks, notebooks, stationery and uniforms, and state governments are supposed to reimburse schools for these expenses. However, schools have claimed that over the years, the delay in transfer of funds by the government has added to the expenses of parents or schools, who spend the money and wait for reimbursements.

Puneet Mittal, counsel for Delhi Public School, submitted in the high court that in the past decade, of the 30.36 crore spent for EWS students in the five DPS schools in the capital, only 2.92 crore had been reimbursed by the state government and the outstanding balance stands at 27.43 crore.

Also read: Digital divide in mind, Delhi HC tells pvt schools, KVs to bridge gap

While the court on Friday directed private unaided schools to file their claims for reimbursement to the Delhi government within eight weeks from the date of supply of gadgets or equipment and stated that the said claim shall be processed and reimbursed to the schools within eight weeks from the date of their submission, schools are apprehensive of when they will be compensated for these expenses.

SK Bhattacharya, president of the Action Committee Unaided Recognised Private Schools, said, While the court has given a time frame [for the reimbursement], compliance and red-tapism is often an issue. Several private schools have not received funds for providing textbook, uniform and other items to EWS children for the past five years. How can we expect to receive reimbursement for laptops and other facilities now?

Bhattacharya will also be a part of the three-member committee that the high court has directed to ensure uniformity and expedite the supply of gadgets/equipment to EWS/DG students, along with formulating standard operating procedure on the matter.

We welcome the decision by the court to call for serious deliberation on the matter and take the views of private schools into cognisance. Investments on laptop and internet facilities will be expensive and difficult to facilitate during a pandemic, since schools are already facing financial issues due to fee restrictions, he said.

Officials in the Delhi government said they have received the high courts order and examining it. They refused to comment further on the matter.

A pragmatic solution would be that the government should give money in advance to the schools to purchase the material and distribute among children so that they can continue with their online classes, he added.

Om Prakash Gautam, chairman of Green Valley International Public School, agreed. We havent received the reimbursements for books and uniforms provided by us to the EWS students for three years now. When the old reimbursements are not being fulfilled, how can we expect to receive new reimbursements for expensive devices like smartphones and laptops?

While parents have welcomed the move, questions remain over the academic loss in the six months since the Covid-19 lockdown was imposed moving the teaching-learning processes online.

Malkeet Singh, a resident of Tilak Nagar, whose two children study in top private schools in west Delhi, said his children were still unable to appear for their ongoing tests. Their academic year is under jeopardy as they couldnt attend their classes or appear for the class tests for the past six months. I lost my job as a contractual driver and there was no possibility of buying a new smartphone to help with their classes, Singh said.

My son still hasnt received his books from the school creating further problems in following his studies. While the order intends to help students, we dont know how it will be implemented. Often, schools dont even talk to us to resolve our queries and help our children, he said.

Advocate Shikha Sharma, petitioner in the case and secretary at NGO Justice for All, said, The judgement would help in combating the mass dropout of students along with assisting those who could not access a single class or missed examination due to lack of devices.

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We used to lead a complementary foreign policy, but there is almost no leeway anymore. This is what second President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan said during a meeting with analysts devoted to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, touching upon the impact that the sharp deterioration of Russia-West relations may have on the balance of the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and Armenias foreign policy. The video of the meeting is posted on the official YouTube channel of the second President of Armenia.

I would like to remind that my administration was leading a complementary foreign policy between 1998 and 2008. Back then, Russia-West relations were rather warm relations, and even imagine that NATO had more programs with Russia than with Armenia. Russia and NATO cooperated rather effectively until the Georgian conflict. There hasnt been a meeting during which the relations between Russia and NATO have been circumvented. Back then, it was possible to try to seek our interest under the principle of complementarism. Yes, there is almost no leeway, and this will lead to the emergence of the need to develop new approaches that will provide the opportunity to defend our national interest in a totally new situation. Back then, Armenia wasnt a member state of the Eurasian Economic Union, and it joined several international organizations, but never went against its cordial ties with Russia in all sectors. I believe Armenia brilliantly took advantage of the moment when it was possible to integrate into the world and maintain extremely good ties with its strategic partner. Now the picture is totally different. Today the authorities need to be able to find the intellectual potential and develop a plan that will provide the opportunity to make sure the country doesnt face problems.

Political scientist Yervand Bozoyan said the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is perhaps one of the unique platforms where the United States, France and Russia have a common denominator, and when asked how the escalation of the conflict can have an impact on this platform, Kocharyan said the following:

There has always been competition. It is a matter of escalation. The conflict has never escalated to the extent that the negotiations fail. Now I think that the bridges for the process of settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict wont burn and the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs will be capable of coming to terms to a certain extent. My assessment is that the disagreements over the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict wont go deep, but the solution, which will imply serious steps, will also become difficult because the negotiations are one thing, and a solution is another thing.

According to Robert Kocharyan, the interests of the co-chairing countries in the region vary, but maintenance of peace in the region is in everyones interests.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 18:20:06|Editor: huaxia

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DAMASCUS, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Syrian forces targeted two Turkish armored vehicles in the northwestern province of Idlib on Friday, a war monitor reported.

The targeting took place near a village in the Zawiya Mountain in the southern countryside of Idlib, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The UK-based watchdog group said the vehicles were set ablaze with no reports on casualties yet.

This comes as the Syrian forces renewed shelling on rebel positions in the southern countryside of Idlib after midnight, said the Observatory.

In another report on Friday, the Observatory said the Turkish forces brought in a new batch of military gears and logistic support to Turkish observation points in Idlib.

It said Turkey has brought in 6,330 military vehicles and thousands of troops into Syria since the cease-fire went into force in March.

The Syrian government has repeatedly condemned the presence of Turkish forces in Syria, branding them as "forces of occupation." Enditem
Former Vice President Joe Biden skewered President Donald Trump for refusing to say outright he would accept the results of the election, then provided his own answer to the question.

'Sure, the full results. Count every vote,' Biden responded, asked by CNN host Anderson Cooper about the freighted topic during a live, outdoor town hall-style meeting.

'Look, i mean, can anybody  any of you are history majors out there think of any president early on who said I'm not sure I'm going to accept the results of the election? It depends?' Biden said, raising his voice for emphasis. 'What's happened to us? This is not who we are. This is not what America is. No president's ever said anything like that.'

Former Vice President Joe Biden blasted President Donald Trump for refusing to say he will accept the election results. 'Sure, the full results. Count every vote,' Biden responded when asked if he would do so

Responding to a question about mail-in voting  the subject of repeated escalating attacks by President Trump  Biden responded: 'Look, if the president had even remote confidence that he was likely to win the election, he wouldn't be doing this.'

He told Cooper: 'Remember, I wasn't on your show, but I said some months ago, I predict the president is going to try to move the Election Day. Everybody said oh he'd never do that. Guess what? He suggested maybe we should move the election date, postpone the election,' Biden said.

Powerful Senate Republicans immediately shot down the idea after Trump floated it.

President Donald Trump has refused to say he will accept the election results. He said in July: 'Trump said in July: 'I have to see. No, Im not going to just say yes. Im not going to say no, and I didnt last time either'

In this file photo, absentee voting manager Matt Kelly holds the ballot envelopes that will be used to mail ballots at the Franklin County Board of Elections office in Columbus on Wednesday, July 29

Trump loyalist Attorney General Bill Barr has also blasted mail-in voting

'He's done every single thing, including having a postmaster general who still doesn't know who dismantled those machines  who ordered picking up those places to mail your ballots,' Biden said. 'I mean, it just is all about trying to delegitimize the effort.'

Trump told Fox News Sunday's Chris Wallace in July when pressed on whether he would accept the results: 'I have to see. No, Im not going to just say yes. Im not going to say no, and I didnt last time either.'

Trump took a similar posture in 2016, when he said: 'I will tell you at the time. I will keep you in suspense.'

Cooper asked him point blank: 'Would you commit tonight to accepting the results of the election?'

Biden's call to 'count every vote' only hints at the political and legal battle that lies ahead. He is assembling a team of top litigators, including former solicitors general, to fight to allow ballots and anticipating challenges.

Trump continues to rail against mail-in voting, as he did at the White House yesterday.

Trump tweeted Thursday morning: 'Because of the new and unprecedented massive amount of unsolicited ballots which will be sent to voters, or wherever, this year, the Nov 3rd Election result may NEVER BE ACCURATELY DETERMINED, which is what some want. Another election disaster yesterday. Stop Ballot Madness!,'

Asked by a Philadelphia voter what he would do to secure mail-in voting if elected, Biden said: 'I would not try to throw into question the legitimacy of the election like this president and the people around him have done.'

He spoke about an election two years ahead, when COVID-19 will hopefully be on the wane. 'Look it's all about people showing up and voting. And i'm confident notwithstanding all the efforts the president's made, I think you're going to see a massive turnout,' he said.
US officials say current TikTok users will see little change on Sunday and Trump could still recind order before then.

The United States Department of Commerce plans to issue an order on Friday that will bar people in the US from downloading Chinese-owned messaging app WeChat and video-sharing app TikTok starting from September 20, three officials have told Reuters News Agency.

The officials said the ban on new US downloads of TikTok could be still rescinded by President Donald Trump before it takes effect late on Sunday as TikTok owner ByteDance races to clinch an agreement over the fate of its US operations.

ByteDance has been in talks with Oracle Corp and others to create a new company, TikTok Global, that aims to address US concerns about the security of its users data. ByteDance still needs Trumps approval to stave off a US ban.

The commerce department order will deplatform the two apps in the United States and bar Apple Incs app store, Alphabet Incs Google Play and others from offering the apps on any platform that can be reached from within the United States, a senior department official told Reuters.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the announcement had not yet been made public.

The order will not ban US companies from doing businesses on WeChat outside the United States, which will be welcome news to US firms like Walmart and Starbucks that use WeChats embedded mini-app programs to facilitate transactions and engage consumers in China.

The order will not bar transactions with WeChat owner Tencent Holdings other businesses, including its online gaming operations, and will not ban Apple, Google or others from offering TikTok or WeChat apps anywhere outside the US.

The bans are in response to a pair of executive orders issued by Trump on August 6 that gave the Department of Commerce 45 days to determine what transactions to block from the apps he deemed pose a national security threat. That deadline expires on Sunday.

Commerce department officials said they were taking the extraordinary step because of the risks the apps data collection poses. China and the companies have denied US user data is collected for spying.

In a statement to Reuters, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said:  we have taken significant action to combat Chinas malicious collection of American citizens personal data, while promoting our national values, democratic rules-based norms, and aggressive enforcement of US laws and regulations.

The order is set to be published at 8:45am EDT (12:45 GMT) on Friday, the officials said.

Popular apps

The Trump administration has ramped up efforts to purge untrusted Chinese apps from US digital networks and has called TikTok and WeChat significant threats.

TikTok has 100 million users in the US and is especially popular among younger Americans.

WeChat has had an average of 19 million daily active users in the US, analytics firm Apptopia said in early August. It is popular among Chinese students, expatriates and some Americans who have personal or business relationships in China.

WeChat is an all-in-one mobile app that combines services similar to Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and Venmo. The app is an essential part of daily life for many in China and boasts more than one billion users.

The Department of Commerce will not seek to compel people in the US to remove the apps or stop using them but will not allow updates or new downloads. We are aiming at a top corporate level. Were not going to go out after the individual users, one department official said.

Over time, officials said, the lack of updates will degrade the apps usability.

The expectation is that people will find alternative ways to do these actions, a senior official said. We expect the market to act and there will be more secure apps that will fill in these gaps that Americans can trust and that the United States government wont have to take similar actions against.

Commerce is also barring additional technical transactions with WeChat starting on Sunday that will significantly reduce the usability and functionality of the app in the US.

The order bars data hosting within the US for WeChat, content delivery services and networks that can increase functionality and internet transit or peering services.

What immediately is going to happen is users are going to experience a lag or lack of functionality, a senior department official said of WeChat users. It may still be useable but it is not going to be as functional as it was. There may be sporadic outages as well, the official said.

Commerce will bar the same set of technical transactions for TikTok, but that will not take effect until November 12 to give the company additional time to see if ByteDance can reach a deal for its US operations. The official said TikTok US users would not see a major difference in the apps performance until November 12.

The department will not penalise people who use TikTok or WeChat in the US. The order does not bar data storage within the US for WeChat or TikTok.

Some Americans may find workarounds. There is nothing that would bar an American from travelling to a foreign country and downloading either app, or potentially using a virtual private network and a desktop client, officials conceded.
New Delhi, Sep 19 : The Central Bureau of Investigation on Friday filed two supplementary charge sheets in two separate chit fund scam cases.

A CBI official said that in the first case, a supplementary charge sheet has been filed against 25 accused including the promoter and director of Golden Land Developers Group in Delhi and others, including officials of sister companies, on the allegations of misappropriation of the amount collected from the public.

The official said that the agency registered the case on June 5, 2014 on the orders of the Supreme Court and took up the investigation of the case, earlier registered at Kaniha Police Station in Odisha's Angul district against a private group of companies based at Delhi.

"It was alleged that officials of said group of companies based at Delhi allured depositors with false promise of paying high rate of interest against their deposits but had cheated the public by running money circulation scheme without authorisation.

"The total amount collected from the public was Rs 862 crore," the official said adding that a charge sheet was filed on June 11, 2019 before the Special CBI court in Bhubaneswar and further investigation was continuing.

In the second case, a supplementary charge sheet has been filed against Abcindya Networks Private Ltd, based in Delhi, and two others including its Director.

The agency had registered the case on June 5, 2014 on the order of the apex court.

The case was earlier registered at EOW Bhubaneswar (Odisha) where it was alleged that a private company based at Paschim Vihar in Delhi was a money circulation networking company having its website "abcindya.com" and information website "info@abcindya.com" and the said company allured depositors by offering lucrative returns and collected huge money from the public without having authorisation and cheated them.

"It was further alleged that the accused during the period 2006-10, in conspiracy with each other, had unauthorisedly collected deposits from investors to the tune of Rs 63.72 crore from different places in India," the official said.

He said that it was also alleged that these deposits were collected in the schemes of the company in the garb of providing online games with false promises of high returns and without having any authority from Reserve Bank of India or from SEBI to collect deposits from the public.

"Out of this, an amount of Rs 13.49 crore was collected from investors of Odisha," the official said.

He further said that in pursuance to the conspiracy, the accused did not return the said amount and thereby cheated the investors and misappropriated huge amounts.

The CBI had filed a charge sheet in April last year and further investigation was continuing.
Pelosi Reiterates Demand for $2 Trillion COVID-19 Relief Package

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Friday that she will continue to demand an approximately $2 trillion COVID-19 relief package, saying she would reject a proposal supported by centrist Democrats and Republicans in the House.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers called the Problem Solvers Caucus introduced a $1.5 trillion bill that includes extra unemployment benefits, $1,200 stimulus checks, and about $500 billion in state and federal funding. Democrats in May passed the $3.4 trillion HEROES Act, which includes $1 trillion in funding to cities and states.

In a news conference, a New York Times reporter asked her about why she would not support the smaller measure. Just go read my statement, Pelosi replied.

Pelosi, in an interview, rejected calls to hold a vote on the smaller relief bill.

We can put a bill on the floor, but we want to put a bill on the floor that will become law, she said Thursday.

In a rare move, eight Democratic committee chairs released a statement in an attempt to quell support for the Problem Solvers Caucus bill.

When it comes to bolstering the public health system, supporting state and local governments, and assisting struggling families, the Problem Solvers proposal leaves too many needs unmet, their statement said.

President Donald Trump, meanwhile, said he supports the $1.5 trillion bipartisan plan.

I like the larger amount, Ive said that, Trump said in a White House press briefing. Some of the Republicans disagree, but I think I can convince them to go along with that because I like the larger number. I want to see people get money.

Earlier this week, Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a joint statement that they welcome calls from President Trump and the White House to pass a higher-dollar bill. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Trump wants a bill greater than $500 billion.

We are encouraged that after months of the Senate Republicans insisting on shortchanging the massive needs of the American people, President Trump is now calling on Republicans to go for the much higher numbers in the next coronavirus relief package, the two top Democrats said in their statement. We look forward to hearing from the Presidents negotiators that they will finally meet us halfway with a bill that is equal to the massive health and economic crises gripping our nation.

Several weeks ago, after negotiations between the two parties stalled, Pelosi and Schumer said they would cut about $1 trillion from their deal, which Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin rejected.

Its not clear when the White House will meet with Pelosi and Schumer over the details of a new deal.

Trump and the GOP have accused top Democrats of not wanting to support a CCP virus deal because it could benefit the presidents reelection chances.
BAKU -- Azerbaijani opposition politician Tofiq Yaqublu, who was sentenced to more than four years in prison earlier this month, has been transferred to house arrest after needing hospitalization due to health complications arising from a hunger strike he was on.

The 59-year-old deputy chairman of the opposition Musavat Party and a senior member of the National Council of Democratic was in a Baku hospital when Judge Elmar Rahimov changed the terms of Yaqublu's sentence on September 18.

Later in the day, Yaqublu left the hospital surrounded by his relatives and colleagues and addressed dozens of his supporters as he exited the building.

"Thank you very much for your support, the fight for justice and the truth will continue. I have not changed my stance and consider all charges against me as bogus. Courts, investigators, and their witnesses are all people who took part in the falsification and they must be held responsible for that," Yaqublu said.

Yaqublu 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.

The politician was arrested in March after the car collision.

Investigators accused Yaqublu of "using a wrench to conduct an act of hooliganism" against the other driver, a charge he has denied.

The Oslo-based Human Rights House Foundation welcomed the move but urged the government to overturn Yaqublu's conviction.

"He is innocent, the charges against him are false and they should be dropped altogether," Kety Abashidze, the foundations Eastern Europe officer, wrote on Twitter.

European Union officials have expressed concerns over Yaqublu's conviction and called on Baku to revisit his case.

Last week, Azerbaijans leading human rights defenders appealed to authorities to release Yaqublu and his supporters staged several rallies in Baku demanding his immediate release.

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.
Bombay High Court is on Friday scheduled to hear the bail pleas of three people, including actor Rhea Chakrabortys associate Samuel Marshal Miranda, arrested in the drugs case related to the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

A bench of Justice Sarang Kotwal is expected to hear the bail applications of Miranda, Rajputs personal staff Dipesh Sawant and alleged drug peddler Abdul Basit Parihar at around 3pm.

A special court in Mumbai had last week rejected the bail plea of actor Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik, Dipesh Sawant, Samuel Miranda, Abdul Basit and Zaid Vilatra. However, Rhea and her brother have not moved a bail plea in the high court yet.

Also read: AIIMS to submit final report next week

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), which has arrested the accused in the drugs case related to the actors death, had opposed their bail pleas in the special court. According to NCB, Sawant was arrested for his role in procuring and handling of drugs based on evidence and statements.

The NCB had launched an investigation after it received official communication from the Enforcement Directorate (ED), in which there were various chats related to drug consumption, procurement, usage and transportation in connection with Sushants death.

Also read: Rakul Preet Singh moves HC alleging a media trial, court issues notice

ED had registered an Enforcement Case Information Report in the late actors death case on July 31 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.

(With agency inputs)
NIAMEY: Nigerien student Hachimou Abdou has had to catch a boat to classes since river water swamped his route to university in the capital Niamey - one of about 760,000 people hit by severe flooding in recent weeks in parts of West and Central Africa.

Floods are common during the rainy season, but in recent years climate change, land degradation and poor urban planning have led to more frequent disasters as rapidly-growing cities struggle with heavier-than-normal rainfall.

Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Ghana, Niger, Mali, Nigeria, Congo Republic and Senegal are among those worst-hit this year, with at least 111 people killed, according to latest figures from the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Waters have yet to recede in parts of Niamey since torrential rains in August caused rivers to burst their banks, destroying nearly 32,000 houses and 5,768 hectares of farmland across Niger.

I have to get to university - either I take a boat or I walk in the water," Abdou said, before settling into a traditional wooden pirogue to travel up the flooded highway.

Flooding across landlocked Niger alone has so far impacted nearly 333,000 people. Over 188,000 people have been affected in neighbouring Chad, with OCHA warning of potential food shortages due to inundated land.

With further rain expected, particularly in Central Africa, the situation is expected to worsen, said OCHAs director for West and Central Africa, Julie Belanger.

Communities ability to cope with natural disasters has been eroded by instability, food shortages and mass displacement in some areas. Over 25 million people are in need of humanitarian aid in the violence-plagued Sahel area, which includes Niger, Chad and Mali.

Many of those populations live in flood-prone areas. Its just a matter of time for them to be at risk of epidemics," Belanger said, describing how quickly diseases can spread once floods wipe out access to clean water and sanitation.

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
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Linkedin Eleonore Dermy (Agence France-Presse) Paris  Fri, September 18, 2020 15:07 490 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c45b27cb 2 Entertainment rapper,anti-Semitic,France,song,Freeze-Corleone Free

French prosecutors on Thursday opened an investigation into the song lyrics of a fast-rising rapper who has been accused by several elected officials and organizations of promoting anti-Semitism.

Freeze Corleone's debut studio album "LMF" was released last week and a music video for one of his songs posted on YouTube on Friday has already amassed more than a million views.

Paris Prosecutor Remy Heitz said Corleone was being investigated for "inciting racial hatred" based on the content of his songs and videos posted online.

Frederic Potier, the interministerial delegate for the fight against racism, anti-Semitism and anti-LGBT hatred (Dilcrah), had earlier announced he had reported the rapper to the public prosecutor's office after having identified nine passages that he said were criminal.

The International League against Racism and Anti-Semitism, known by its French acronym Licra, condemned Corleone and the music industry promoting him.

"Impunity must end. We call on all partner actors to take responsibility," the organization wrote on Twitter, tagging music streaming sites and apps including Google Play and Apple Music.

Read also: French anti-Semitic comedian banned from Tiktok

About 50 politicians with President Emmanuel Macron's LREM party condemned the rapper on Thursday, as several of his songs climbed to the top of the country's music charts.

A number of individual politicians also called on digital platforms to remove Corleone's songs and for radio stations to ban them from broadcast.
People with a criminal history could be barred from accessing supportive housing for decades, if a draft set of rules from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs is signed as-is.

If the new rules are enacted, people who are on a sex offender registry (national or state) or have been convicted for illegal manufacture or distribution of drugs would be permanently banned from the combination of affordable housing and services that is known as supportive housing. People who have been convicted of violent felonies would be barred for three years, nonviolent felonies get a potential tenant barred for at least two years, and anyone with a Class A misdemeanor would be barred for at least a year.

This will have a disastrous impact on potential clients of supporting housing projects, said Elizabeth Roehm, a staff attorney at Texas Housers. Supportive housing projects are meant to serve very vulnerable populations who may have had contact with the criminal justice system. If instated, it would require the housing providers to screen out potential tenants.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Whos protected by the CDC eviction order? That might depend on the judge.

Roehm said that the new rules are contrary to what providers have thought of as best practices.

A big concept in the homelessness provider world is housing first  the idea that people need to be able to access low-barrier housing, she said. These proposed tenant screenings for criminal history flies in the face of that.

The new rules allow for an appeals process if the property chooses to include it, that could include documented treatment or letters of recommendation.

Kristina Tirloni, TDHCA spokesperson, said in an emailed statement that the language was put in to make sure that there is a basic level of minimum consideration as it relates to tenant admission policies. She added that in the 2020 application period, there had been applications submitted that didnt have tenant selection criteria.

On HoustonChronicle.com: With 53 cents in the checking account and no job, pandemic life is tough for Houston-area renters

At a September TDHCA board meeting, an agency staffer said the change was in response to complaints.

There was quite an outpouring from community members and others regarding the lack of what they felt to be sort of a safety check to have a supportive housing development in their community, TDHCA Director of Multifamily Finance Marni Holloway said.

She did not specify who complained. Neither she nor Tirloni provided statistics showing there was a crime problem at TDHCA-backed housing. Tirloni said shes unaware of anyone keeping such data.

Catherine Villarreal, communications director for the Coalition for the Homeless, said the group was opposed to the proposed changes because they created more barriers for tenants.

A large percentage of our clients are housed at tax credit properties, she said in an emailed statement. Wed like to see any reference to tenant background be eliminated.

She added that the rules would disproportionately impact Black people, as they are overrepresented in both the criminal justice and homeless systems due to systemic racism.

On HoustonChronicle.com: The coronavirus pandemic is still raging in Texas. Its mental health toll will only get worse.

Joy Horak-Brown, CEO of New Hope Housing, submitted a comment asking for not only changes to the language, but for any tenant selection criteria to be moved somewhere else. By putting the language in whats called the qualified allocation plan, the agency enshrines it for decades in the rules for any successful applications. A successful applicant could modify the agreement, Horak-Brown said, but its a long, cumbersome process.

The draft is open for public comment until Oct. 9. After the comment period closes, staff will sift through responses, make edits and present the rules to the TDHCA board. The approved rules must be sent to the governor by Nov. 15 and signed by Dec. 1.
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As I studied the Bible, I found another truth, too. Theres opposition to the reign of King Jesus, a false kingdom controlled by the evil one. Paul put it this way: For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Eph. 6:12). It couldnt have been plainer. The evil one had his own political system, his own false kingdom, and it stood in opposition to the rule and reign of King Jesus. Those powers influenced so many in the world around us, people who lived as enemies of the Cross. What would their end be? As Paul wrote, Their destiny is destruction (Phil. 3:19).

I began to understand there was a spiritual war between the two competing kingdoms: the true kingdom of King Jesus and the false kingdom of the evil one. And that war was playing out in the world around me, influencing my friends, my family, my community, and my countrys politics. As a follower of the true King, shouldnt I do whatever it took to bring the kingdom of God to earth as it is in heaven? Shouldnt I do my best to bring love, life, peace, and spiritual prosperity to a world of chaos and death?



I continued learning about the competing kingdoms, and as I did, I shared with anyone whod listen. I shared it with my old running buddies, folks like Big Al Bolen, the redneck teacher from Arkansas whod become an atheist under the influence of his university professors. I shared it with men and women who were down and out, whod grown so dependent on government assistance that they refused to work. I shared it with women whod had abortions and the men whod paid for them. I shared and shared and shared. And as I did, I realized just how much the war between the kingdom of heaven and the false kingdom of the evil one was playing out in everyday politics in America.



Through the political process the government had removed God from the public schools and given people like Big Al atheism in its place.



Through the political process the government had legalized abortion in 1973, sanctioning the murder of millions and saddling the men and women who sought them with guilt and shame.



Through politics America had been given a welfare system that locked its people in hopeless poverty.



Through politics the government had liberalized sexuality, removed it from the confines of marriage. Through politics itd begun to call lawful what the Bible called lawlessness.

The more I paid attention, the more I saw it. The evil one  the power of this dark world was pushing his agenda down on the American people through the democratic process. The result? We were becoming more ruthless, more brutal, and more lawless. A nation of death headed for destruction.



So no matter what side of the political aisle you choose, know this: if you are a member of the kingdom, King Jesus makes demands on your life. This includes the political candidates you support, the political groups you give your money to, and the votes you cast.

Taken from Jesus Politics by Phil Robertson. Copyright  2020 by Phil Robertson. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson. www.thomasnelson.com.

This article is an excerpt from My Faith Votes influencer, Phil Robertsons new book, Jesus Politics: How to Win Back the Soul of America, available wherever books are sold. To learn more about voter registration and how to think biblically about elections, visit My Faith Votes.

My Faith Votes is a nonpartisan movement that motivates, equips and activates Christians in America to vote in every election, transforming our communities and influencing our nation with biblical truth. By partnering with national faith leaders, My Faith Votes provides resources to help Christians Pray, Think, and Act to create an America where God is honored in the public square. Learn more at MyFaithVotes.org.
Importers will now have to provide sufficient proof to the domestic customs authorities that the goods being imported have a minimum 35 per cent value addition in the country from which it is being exported to India.

Beginning Monday, Indian customs authorities will strictly scrutinise documents provided by importers claiming duty benefits under free-trade agreements, a move aimed at curbing serious misuse of the concessions under these pacts, finance ministry sources said.

Importers will now have to provide sufficient proof to the domestic customs authorities that the goods being imported have a minimum 35 per cent value addition in the country from which it is being exported to India, they said.

"It will be the responsibility of importers to ensure that the goods being imported by them should have been only manufactured or produced on the foreign countries and minimum 35 per cent value addition have taken place in those countries," the sources said.

For example, if a mobile is exported from, say, Indonesia to India, then it would qualify to be of Indonesian origin only if such mobile is made significantly in Indonesia and 35 per cent of its value is contributed by that country.

The move assumes significance in the backdrop of concerns being raised by certain quarters of the domestic industry about misuse of free trade agreement (FTA) benefits from 10-member ASEAN countries.

The importer has to possess all documentary proof to prove that the 35 per cent value addition requirement has been met and showing a mere 'certificate of origin' provided by the exporting country to Indian importer would not suffice.

This certificate has to be shown to the Indian customs to claim duty concessions under FTAs.

If it is found that benefit has been wrongly availed in respect of a consignment, the FTA benefit would be denied in subsequent consignments of identical goods, and the importer shall have to pay full applicable duty, the sources said.

"With new mechanism coming into force on September 21, the FTA imports would be under the lens

Importers claiming FTA benefit be prepared for the strict scrutiny by customs," the sources added.

They added that the products under the lens will include those in which rampant misuse of FTA relaxations is likely, such as electronic items, refrigerators, air-conditioner, camera, mobiles and telecom equipment, among others.

Currently, a country of origin certificate, issued by a notified agency in the country of export, is produced by the importer, and there is no additional obligation on the importer to satisfy the authority of origin of goods even though he/she claims substantial benefit.

"Importers claiming FTA benefit should be prepared themselves for the strict scrutiny by customs," the sources said.

They added that the customs department has been engaging with industry and associations to sensitise them on the details of the new rules for verification of rules of origin of FTA imports, which will come into effect from September 21.

After the amendments made in the customs law in the Budget session, the government issued these new rules last month as a measure to curb the serious misuse of custom duty concessions under FTAs.

The domestic industry, claiming serious damage on accounts of these imports, has been urging the government to take strict action to curb such irregular imports done by flouting FTA provisions.

The finance ministry sources explained that the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) FTA allows imports of most of the items at nil or concessional basic customs duty rate from this 10-nation bloc.

Major imports to India are coming from five ASEAN countries -- Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam.

The benefit of concessional customs duty rate applies only if ASEAN member country is the country of origin of goods.

This means that goods originating from China and routed through these countries will not be eligible for customs duty concessions under ASEAN FTA.

Further, they said investigation into FTA imports in the past few years has revealed that the rules of origin, under respective FTAs, were not being followed in the true spirit.

In a number of cases, it was discovered that items from non-ASEAN countries were being diverted into India through ASEAN countries with mere packing/repacking, assembly or some minor processes and declaring 35 per cent value addition or wrongly claiming significant transformation in ASEAN member country.

This practice has been rampant in electronic items like mobile, TVs, set-top box, air conditioners, electronic parts and telecom equipment.

The FTA partner countries have been exporting these goods without having the necessary technological capacity to achieve required value addition.

The sources said the rules of origin were flouted even in products like aggarbatti, areca nut, black pepper.

In the past five years, the customs authorities have detected fraudulent claims under FTA to the tune of Rs 1,200 crore.

Photograph: Aly Song/Reuters
Mueller expressed hesitation, saying the number is currently small enough that people could figure out a students identity in some cases, but we will be at a point relatively soon where we can start sharing just general numbers where I think it would be easier  where you cant trace who that is.

When Thome asked how people would know who the individuals are if the district shares a number and not whether theyre students or staff members, Mueller pointed to conjecture on Facebook that she said could give away identities.

Mueller urged people, especially those with connections to the district who fear they may have been exposed to the virus, to understand that Sauk County Health officials decide who in any given situation needs to quarantine.

If people are not hearing from us or Sauk County Public Health, then theres not something to be concerned about specific to their health and safety, and what weve asked our staff to do is trust that when we can communicate that out, we will be communicating that out, Mueller said. Were not trying to hide anything or hold anything back  were just responding in conjunction with Sauk County Public Health on when we make those notifications.
Minsk, Sept 18(UNI) Belarus's president Alexander Lukashenko on Friday announced that he is putting the country's troops on high alert and closing the country's borders with Poland and Lithuania.

The beleaguered president who has been facing mass protests for the past six weeks demanding his resignation underlined his repeated claim that these protests are driven and supported by the Western powers, while making this latest announcement.

"We are forced to withdraw troops from the streets, put the army on high alert and close the state border on the west, primarily with Lithuania and Poland," Lukashenko said at a women's forum, adding that the border with Ukraine would also be further strengthened, Al Jazeera reported.

Lukashenko also said that "I don't want my country to be at war. Moreover, I don't want Belarus and Poland, Lithuania to turn into a theatre of military operations where our issues will not be resolved,". He however did not mention Latvia, which like Poland and Lithuania is a NATO member.

Protests in Belarus have been going on ever since the results of the August 9 presidential elections were announced which gave Lukashenko an overwhelming victory, which the opposition parties have disputed claiming that the elections were heavily rigged in favour of the president who has been in power since 1994.

UNI XC ACL0428
We knew Hurricane Sally had the potential to be a devastating storm, Gov. Kay Ivey said Friday afternoon. But Im telling you, after I have flown over Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Fort Morgan today, its mighty bad.

Ivey spoke outside the town hall on Dauphin Island, where she was flanked by local, state and federal leaders. Among those who spoke were the mayors of Dauphin Island, Bayou La Batre and Mobile; state EMA head Brian Hastings; U.S. Sen. Doug Jones; Mobile County Commissioner Jerry Carl; and Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Commissioner Chris Blankenship.

Its one thing to sit in Montgomery  and see the pictures, Ivey said. But its a whole eye opener to see the damage with your own eyes.

Thank goodness only one life has been lost that we know of so far, said Ivey. Our prayers certainly go out to that family. (Baldwin County officials had confirmed a second death later Friday, but that news had not reached the governor during the flyover.)

This has been a tough, tough storm and its going to take time to recover, so patience is going to have to be a virtue of our people, Ivey said.

The consistent theme of those who spoke was that, as Carl put it, government was working. Local leaders praised Ivey for her responsiveness, with Stimpson saying she was engaged before the storm ever became a storm, really. Ivey praised the responsiveness of the Trump White House, saying federal leaders had responded in a very timely fashion to her requests. The Governor also recognized the efforts of first responders and local leaders.

Theres a lot of people that are hurting out there, there are a lot of people who are going to need help, were going to do everything we can to make sure that we move the process along, Jones said of the federal response. The only way we get through this is by pulling together.

Hastings predicted a long recovery, but said that it was off to a good start. Local leadership sets the stage for state and federal support, he said, so if the community and the city or the county fails, Alabama fails.

Blankenship said that aside from the work taking place on land, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources officials would be hitting the water to gauge the storms effects on local oyster reefs, and also to check on shoreline restoration projects put in place since the Deepwater Horizon disaster. We think that many of those held up very well, he said.

Alabama Power tells me they have some 4,000 professionals from 14 states here in Alabama to help get power back on in Baldwin and Mobile County, Ivey said.

The people of Alabama are praying for the people of this area, she said. You are in their thoughts and prayers, and together if we stand strong and do the very best we can, well all get through this. Weve done it before and weve done it again. And I predict well be stronger in the future than we are today.
Angela Rayner last night accused Boris Johnson of 'abandoning' care homes to their fate as she blamed his 'failure and incompetence' for the thousands who had died.

In a stinging attack on the PM, Labour's deputy leader - who was a care worker herself before she entered politics - lambasted him for reneging on his promise to sort out the social care crisis.

Speaking on the weekend before Labour's virtual conference, she accused the PM of demeaning his office by seeking to blame care home staff for the spread of coronavirus.

Angela Rayner, pictured, last night accused Boris Johnson of 'abandoning' care homes to their fate as she blamed his 'failure and incompetence' for the thousands who had died

The Prime Minister, pictured, was lambasted for reneging on his promise to sort out the social care crisis

And she said it was a 'moral outrage' that a half of home helps and carers earned less than a living wage and often could not even access sick pay.

'It is a disgrace that Boris Johnson demeaned the office of Prime Minister by attempting to blame care workers for the spread of coronavirus in our care homes,' she said.

'It is his failure and incompetence that has resulted in 15,000 deaths in our care homes due to coronavirus. He should concentrate on fixing the crisis in social care that has become even more urgent because of this pandemic.'

Last July, Mr Johnson promised on the steps of Number 10 that he had a plan to fix the social care crisis 'once and for all'.

This plan has never appeared and the Mail revealed last week that it had been delayed yet again. It is now not expected until 2021.

Mrs Rayner, who worked as a home help herself and represented care workers as a union official before becoming an MP, said it was 'unconscionable' that the average wage for a care worker is just 8.10 an hour, while half don't even earn the real living wage.

She attacked the government for 'empty gestures' such as clapping for carers that 'don't pay the rent or put the food on the table', as she demanded the real living wage of 9.30 an hour, rising to 10.75 in London.

'On his first day in office the Prime Minister promised to fix the crisis in social care with a plan he said he had already prepared, she said. 'Now it turns out that it won't be published until next year.

'He must publish his plan to fix the crisis in social care without any more delays, and that plan must guarantee all care workers are paid at least the real living wage.'

Under England's broken care system, people have to pay the full cost of their care down to their last 23,250 - denying their children much of their inheritance and in many cases preventing them from passing on the family home

Attacking the Prime Minister for only offering care workers 'warm words, the deputy leader said: 'It was a moral outrage before this pandemic that the average wage for a care worker is a little over 8 an hour and half don't even earn the real living wage, but now it is unconscionable.

'The Prime Minister and government Ministers have fallen over themselves to clap for our carers and offer them warm words, but applause and empty gestures don't pay the rent or put the food on the table.

'We can't clap our key workers and then abandon them. We can't go back to business as usual, where the very same people who have helped to get our country through this crisis are still underpaid and undervalued.

'After all their sacrifice and bravery, the very least that our care workers deserve is a pay rise.'

Mrs Rayner said it was dreadful that many carers do not have the right to statutory sick pay of 94.25 a week.

'They are left in an appalling position, forced to choose between going to work and putting vulnerable people at risk or doing the right thing, isolating at home and not being able to pay the bills,' she said.

The Mail has highlighted the Prime Minister's repeated failure to launch his promised plan for social care.

Under England's broken care system, people have to pay the full cost of their care down to their last 23,250 - denying their children much of their inheritance and in many cases preventing them from passing on the family home.

On the steps of Number 10 last July, Mr Johnson said: 'I am announcing now - on the steps of Downing Street - that we will fix the crisis in social care once and for all with a clear plan we have prepared to give every older person the dignity and security they deserve.'

But earlier this week health minister Lord Bethell said: 'I cannot commit to a social care plan before the end of the year I suspect it will take longer than the next few months.'
For more than 6 months, the world has been in chaos ever since the coronavirus pandemic struck. People across the planet have been stuck indoors whiling away their time, dreaming of simpler days.

Many might have even thought of getting on a seemingly imaginary flight to nowhere, just to get away from the monotony of daily life.

And now, many airlines in Asia have started to make this idea a reality, providing these flights to nowhere.

A Flight Meant For Sightseeing

Due to the restrictions on travel, Qantas, an Australian airline, has turned to provide a flight to nowhere, a 7-hour flight that will depart and arrive at the same place. The airline will be using a Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, which is generally used for long intercontinental travel, to fly 134 people from Sydney on October 10th.

Tickets, the costs of which ranged from AUD $787 to $3,787, were snagged by eager customers in barely 10 minutes, thus making it the fastest-selling flight in the airlines history.

People clearly miss travel and the experience of flying. If the demand is there, well definitely look at doing more of these scenic flights while we all wait for borders to open, said a spokesperson for the airline.

Passengers can view the Great Barrier Reef, Sydney Harbour, Bondi Beach and the Australian Outback, amongst others, from the Dreamliner aircraft which has big windows

The scenic flight will fly at lower altitudes to allow passengers views of the Great Barrier Reef, Sydney Harbour, Bondi Beach and the Australian Outback, amongst others. A surprise celebrity host has also been promised by the airline.

A Popular Trend In Asia

Qantas isnt the only airline to offer such services.

In August, ANA, a Japanese airline, provided 300 passengers with a Hawaiian resort experience on a 90-minute scenic flight on an aircraft that is otherwise used for flights to Honolulu. EVA, a Taiwanese airline used its iconic Hello Kitty aircraft for a special fathers day flight in August.

EVAs Hello Kitty aircraft

Singapore Airlines is also deliberating whether to start such a service in the pandemic, though no confirmations have been made so far.

Story continues

Passengers are keen on enjoying such flights. The pandemic has a devasting impact on the tourism and airline industry, so I want to help boost the economy, and I miss flying, said Chen Shu Tze, an engineer from Taipei.

With the emphasis on staying indoors as much as possible and avoiding physical human contact, there are risks associated with travelling by air. But not all passengers are too worried. No doubt the risk is not zero, but I would say it is still pretty low. After being grounded for so long  I am itching to fly again, said Lee Kai Lun, a physician from Singapore.

Aviation Industry In Disarray

It is not an easy time for airlines across the globe, with air travel having gone down by more than 85% when compared to last year. In Asia specifically, international travel has taken a hit by 97.5%, according to the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines. In fact, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced in July that global air travel wont recover from the Covid-19 crisis until 2024.

Qantas, which is offering the 7-hour scenic flight, reported losses totalling nearly $2.9 billion in 2020.

While airlines turn to novel ways of dealing with the travel restrictions, environmental groups have expressed their disapproval of these flights to nowhere, calling these flights as encouraging carbon-intensive travel for no good reason.

Concerns of climate change arise with air travel

Would you undertake such a trip in a pandemic? Tell us in the comments section below.

Image Sources: Google Images

Sources: CNN, CNBC, Reuters

Find the blogger: @RoshniKahaHain

This post is tagged under: flight to nowhere, Qantas airline flight to nowhere, fastest selling flight tickets, Singapore airlines flight to nowhere, Taiwan Hello Kitty aircraft, pandemic travelling trend, 7 hour flight, travelling in a pandemic

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The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) on Friday asked telecom companies to publish details of their tariff plans for both prepaid and postpaid services within 15 days. The "essential disclosures", mandated in TRAI's directive, include information on units of voice, data and SMS, and its rates, limits of usage rates and speeds beyond entitled use. The directive has been issued to enhance transparency in disclosure and publishing of tariff offers which are rolled out by telcos.

The regulator believes that current format was insufficient and did not provide complete information related to tariff plans. "It has been observed that existing measures adopted by telecom service providers are not transparent as they should be and that some of the telecom service providers are not prominently highlighting additional terms and conditions and are also collating the terms and conditions applicable to various tariffs on a single web-page and that the relevant information either gets lost in the maze of detail or becomes ambiguous and incomprehensible to consumers," TRAI said.

According to Trai, transparency in communication of tariff by the telcos to the customers will help them take informed decision and would also aid in maintaining and promoting competition, which is vital for the growth of the industry.

Also Read: TRAI's no-regulation stance on WhatsApp, Messenger, JioChat to keep chats private, free

"Tariffs to be charged by service providers from subscribers for telecommunication services along with the conditions thereof shall be published in such a manner as the authority may from time to time direct," Trai said in a circular.

The telcos have been directed to publish details of each tariff plan for postpaid and prepaid subscribers, and offer information to subscribers at customer care centres, points of sales, retail outlets and websites, and apps with requisite disclosures. Telcos will also have to transparently inform subscribers about upfront cost along with details like advance rentals, deposits, connection fee for postpaid services as well as top up, tariffs vouchers and others, the directive said.

Also Read: Why Moody's, Fitch Ratings are going gaga over Bharti Airtel?

TRAI said it had initiated the exercise in view of the changes in composition of tariff plans, over a period of time, which led to the possibility that consumers may be facing situations of lack of information, unclear or hard to find details -- affecting their ability to make an informed choice.

"...the authority, after due consideration of comments received from stakeholders, has arrived at a conclusion that the existing regulatory measures relating to publication of tariff plans need to be revised," it said.

Telcos have been asked to submit to TRAI a compliance report within 15 days. They will also have to ensure continued compliance by way of self-certificate by the 7th of the month after each quarter-end.

On tariff advertisements, TRAI has directed telcos to prominently highlight additional terms and conditions and also provide a link to the norms for each of the offering, while disseminating tariff-related information, within the next 15 days.
Good morning.

Record-setting wildfires in California have leveled entire communities and displaced thousands of residents. As the fires continue to burn, relief organizations are on the ground providing support for victims and emergency workers.

For those looking to help people affected by the wildfires, weve compiled a list of organizations operating in the state. Remember, unsolicited donations of items like food can actually overwhelm relief organizations, so its best to check what is needed before giving.

For a comprehensive list, Californias Office of Emergency Services has also partnered with Philanthropy California to maintain a vetted list of relief funds where you can safely donate cash. You can also consult GuideStar or Charity Navigator for a list of trustworthy organizations that are working to provide aid to wildfire victims.

Heres what else to read today
A record number of 119 heads of state and 54 heads of governments will virtually deliver their messages at the UN General Assembly high-level event next week, the spokesperson for the President of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly, Brenden Varma, told reporters on Thursday.

"As of right now, according to the list, we have 119 heads of state and 54 heads of government," Varma said when asked about the number of leaders who confirmed their participation in the UN General Debate.

This year, the annual UN General Assembly high-level gathering will be held online due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

World leaders will submit their pre-recorded messages, presented by a country's delegate, who is already in New York.

In previous years, the General Assembly event would see the participation of leaders from over 100 countries speaking at the UN headquarters in-person.

According to the President of the 75th session of the General Assembly, Volkan Bozkir, initially, several high-level officials, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the country's Foreign Minister, had confirmed their in-person participation at the upcoming event planned for September 22-29.

However, Bozkir explained that due to New York State rules, requiring all visitors from abroad to quarantine for 14 days, all officials had to cancel their visits.

Varma said that as of Thursday, he did not have information about any country leader coming to the UN General Debate in-person.

(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.)
Even incognito mode couldn't save this sneaky (or not so sneaky) MP.

Thai MP Ronnathep Anuwat was snapped looking at pornographic images on his phone during a budget reading in parliament on Wednesday, LadBible reports.

Anuwat, who represents Chonburi province for ruling military Palang Pracharath Party, was looking at the images for about ten minutes, giving reporters enough time to snap some images of the embarassing ordeal.

The MP was confronted and admitted to looking at the x-rated images while in parliament, but actually made an excuse as to why he was looking at them for so long.

Anuwat told local media that the photos were sent unsolicitedly from a woman 'asking for help', and he wanted to 'observe the environment surrounding the girl in the picture incase she was being harassed by gangsters who had forced her to take the images'.

But he said after he realised the woman was just wanting money, he deleted the images.

Suuuure buddy, suuuure.
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday stoutly defended farm sector reform bills, asserting that they will act as a protection shield for farmers and accused those opposing the measures of standing with middlemen and deceiving and lying to peasants.

With opposition parties dubbing three bills, passed by Lok Sabha and now to be tabled in Rajya Sabha, as "anti-farmers" and the BJP ally Shiromani Akali Dal quitting his government to protest them, Modi refuted their criticism, saying these laws will unshackle farmers by allowing them to sell their produce anywhere by negotiating a better price.

Live TV

He asserted that the government purchase of farm produce will remain, adding that the mechanism of minimum support price will continue in the same way it always has.
Last week was a tale of two stories for CNN. The best of the network, and the worst, all at once.

On September 2, senior national correspondent Kyung Lah reported the rapidly increasing rate of evictions in Houston, mostly attributed to the economic crisis shaped by the pandemic. Lah embedded with an officer in charge of evicting tenants and interviewed people who were kicked out of their homes and onto the street at a time of roiling uncertainty. Lah also interviewed Francisco Munoz, hired by a landlord to physically remove tenants belongings from their apartments during the eviction process. I have a family. I have a sister. I have, you know, my mom. And we never know, Munoz explained, through tears. Maybe today its her, tomorrow its me, you know.

The piece was informative and heartfelt, and provided vital context about the pandemic, the flailing economy, and communities at risk. Those types of stories dont make it to air often enough; when I was a producer, I rarely succeeded in getting them on television. (It was easier on public radio.)

The journey from great journalistic impulse to on-air package is a long, precarious one. Lahs piece required significant time and resources in the field. It represents exponentially more effort than interviewing a former Trump administration official, or discussing a tweet.

Typically, for a story such as Lahs, each interviewee has to be preinterviewed and persuaded to give the kind of access that makes for compelling documentary footage. That can take days, or even weeks, of work. Shooting events that are actually happening is inherently riskyyou might end up with little of interest, despite a fiendishly expensive day of shooting with up to half a dozen crew members and producers. And that is before you begin editing those hours and hours of footage into minutes, all while trying to keep your story fair and accurate.

Anderson Cooper 360hosted by John Berman, who stood in for show namesake Anderson Cooperalso gets credit for making time to discuss the story during prime time two nights in a row, because its simply not the type of story that tends to draw in viewers (and, by extension, advertisers). In fact, AC360 slipped behind MSNBCs All In with Chris Hayes that night in the key adult 2554 demographic, 334,000 to 347,000. Otherwise, theyve been leading the 8pm hour for eight straight months in that demo.

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Coopers team certainly scrutinized why they dropped to third place that night. They might have attributed it to a guest host, of course. (They never rate as well.) But its also true that segments about poor people of color tend not to draw as many viewers as the latest sugary Trump story. If you defy the urge to run those, you can expect that executive producers will receive an unhappy call from the money people.

Fortunately, the producers at AC360, Berman and Lah, got it on air before Jeffrey Goldbergs Atlantic piece, in which Trump was accused of referring to veterans as losers, among other glib insults, and before Bob Woodwards book was released. Its highly doubtful the evictions feature would have survived that sort of competition for precious airtime. As it was, AC360 managed to prevent the cable network from going completely wall-to-wall those two nights with coverage of Trump, a reliable ratings magneta fact Jeff Zucker, the president of CNN, certainly understands fully.

Last week, Foxs Tucker Carlson Tonight reported on audio it had obtained in which Zucker seemed to offer Donald Trump help during the 2016 election. Taped on the phone with Michael Cohen, Zucker said, I have all these proposals for him. Like, I want to do a weekly show with him and all this stuff. Zucker also offered specific advice for the Republican primary debate being hosted on CNN that night. Carlson used the tape to criticize CNNs leader: Its all bewildering. But thats what its really like. Thats the real Jeff Zucker, a man who believes in nothing.

Maybe Zuckers offer wasnt serious. CNN hasnt responded to the story, so we dont know what he was thinking. But, depressingly, it seems plausible if only because it would have been great for business. (The Wall Street Journal reported this summer that Zucker sold his New York City apartment, listed for $17.5 million, and the New York Times says Zucker sheltered in place in East Hampton this summer. Its easy to lose sight of your journalistic roots from those vantage points.)

Zucker knows he doesnt score points for upholding the highest ethical standards. He doesnt make millions for telling viewers things they didnt already know, or for showing them the world as it is. He doesnt keep his job, and the power it grants him, by pushing risky, complicated stories. So, as far as we can tell from CNNs output, he doesnt do that often.

Which is why we should celebrate stories, like Lahs, that dodespite the pressures Zucker (and the industry overall) places on his journalists.

THE MEDIA TODAY: Whistleblowers and the cacophonous sounds of America

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Ariana Pekary is the CJR public editor for CNN. She was an award-winning public radio and MSNBC journalist for two decades. Now she focuses on the systemic flaws of commercial broadcast news. She can be contacted at [email protected]
President Donald Trump's administration posted controversial recommendations on coronavirus testing to the US health agency's website against its objections, the New York Times reported Thursday.

The guidelines, which said testing was not necessary for people who were exposed to Covid-19 but not displaying symptoms, were criticized when they were issued last month.

That is because healthcare experts at the time were pushing for more, not less, testing to help track and control the spread of the respiratory disease that has now killed almost 200,000 people in the United States.

The newspaper said the recommendation was posted to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website "despite their serious objections," citing internal CDC documents and unnamed officials familiar with the issue.

"The Department of Health and Human Services did the rewriting and then 'dropped' it into the CDC's public website, flouting the agency's strict scientific review process," the newspaper said.

A federal official told the paper that the document came from the Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS, and from the White House Coronavirus Task Force.

"That policy does not reflect what many people at the CDC feel should be the policy," the official said.

The Times said healthcare experts at the CDC had "serious objections" to the document, and noted that it contained "elementary errors" as well as recommendations "inconsistent" with the CDC's advice, making it obvious it came from elsewhere, a senior CDC scientist told the paper under condition of anonymity.

The Times said that at the time of the guidelines' publication, administration officials had said the "document was a CDC product and had been revised with input from the agency's director, Dr Robert Redfield."

jh/bfm/kaf
When Gary Ly and Lung Ly used to roam around New York, they talked about returning to Houston one day and opening a restaurant together. They both agreed theyd only do it if it was the type of chill spot where they enjoyed hanging out with friends.

That meant a restaurant focused on the food they enjoy cooking surrounded by the sounds of the music they love.

Thus, the idea of 93 Til was born.

The restaurant, which will be located in the Montrose area at 1601 West Main and scheduled to open in mid-November, gets its name from underground hip hop song 93 Til Infinity by Oakland group Souls of Mischief.

The song may have never reached crossover smash hit status, peaking at No. 72 on the Billboard charts in 1993, but its a single most hip hop fans agree is a classic.

(Full disclosure: My groomsman and I entered to the 93 Til Infinity instrumental at my wedding, and I choose which strangers I talk to at the bar by who recognizes my prized 93 Til T-shirt.)

I think a lot of people do know the song 93 Til, but dont know they know it, Lung said. When you play it, theyll be like, Oh yeah, I know that song.

The chefs are hoping a blend of fresh food and nostalgic music will have people - to quote Souls of Mischiefs Tajai - stepping to the cool spots where crews flock.

93 Til diners will spend their meals being treated to nothing but vinyl records, as the sounds of 1990s hip-hop and other genres the pair grew up loving plays.

It will be strictly vinyl, Gary said, as Lung mentioned that he was hitting up record shops to add to his vinyl collection before he moved back to Houston from Los Angeles. It wont be exclusively hip-hop. It will be music that we love, like blues and soul, some old R&B. We may have certain nights for certain music, we havent crossed that bridge yet, but it definitely will be music that we grew up on and that we listen to.

The chefs connection to Souls of Mischief makes perfect sense because, although theyre not related, theyre both West Coast transplants who moved to Houston as kids.

Me and my family moved to Houston in 93, and now were moving back to Houston til infinity, right?, the 36-year-old Lung said.

Both Gary and Lung are high-level chefs. Gary was a sous chef at Underbelly, before moving on to work at David Changs Momofuku restaurants in New York City and Wasington, D.C., as well as opening his own pop-up in Los Angeles. Lung is a charcuterie expert, working at places like Portlands Laurelhurst Market before relocating to hip spots in Los Angeles.

They plan to have a seasonal menu at 93 Til with a menu that features shareable items that will vary depending on whats in season.

Lung is really into curing meats and charcuterie, and Im really into vegetables, Gary said. Itll be food that people would want to sit around and pick at while they have a good night out, listening to good music and having good food.
(@FahadShabbir)

The ship owner is discussing ransom with pirates who captured the Russian crew near Equatorial Guinea, the Russian Embassy in Cameroon told Sputnik on Friday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th September, 2020) The ship owner is discussing ransom with pirates who captured the Russian crew near Equatorial Guinea, the Russian Embassy in Cameroon told Sputnik on Friday.

"As far as we know, and we are in contact with the company that owns the ship and is in talks with pirates, they have not agreed the ransom yet. The talks are ongoing," a Russian diplomat said, adding that the crew was healthy and well.
Its been more than a decade in the works, comes with a $1.7 billion price tag and has overcome controversies, political hurdles and the onset of a global pandemic, but construction of the Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital is now complete.

The long-awaited building, located minutes from Highway 400 and within view of Canadas Wonderland, means residents of Vaughan  one of the countrys fastest-growing cities with a population of 335,000  can receive hospital care within their community.

A part of Mackenzie Health, the hospital will open its doors to patients in early 2021 after training thousands of staff, testing hundreds of pieces of equipment and computer systems and practising how to safely deliver care in a new building.

A smart hospital, the Vaughan building will be able to seamlessly connect patients to their electronic medical records at all parts of their care journey. It also has a state-of-the-art ventilation system that contains air flow within some rooms  and even entire hospital floors  which is vital to curb the spread of infectious diseases, including COVID-19.

Critically, and especially during a pandemic, the new hospital will relieve pressure from Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital, which in recent years has operated consistently above capacity with long emergency department waits, as it struggles to keep pace with York Regions rapid population growth.

This (Vaughan) hospital is coming online at the right time, said Mackenzie Health president and CEO Altaf Stationwala. The second wave of COVID  the challenges (our region) has had with hallway medicine.

For me, as a resident in this community, thats what I take the most comfort in  that were adding capacity in a region thats really stretched for health-care resources.

The hospitals construction partners handed over keys to the building on Aug. 26, a milestone being marked Friday by hospital leaders, construction partners and local and provincial government officials.

As staff complete the final touches to the building, the Star was given exclusive access to the 11-floor hospital, including the Magna Emergency department, the birthing centre and the hospitals Vic De Zen Family Welcome Centre.

David Stolte, vice-president of strategy and redevelopment, said one of the key goals in the hospitals design is to bring an abundance of natural light into the building, with large windows in patient and staff areas and the use of sky lights and courtyards in the layout.

Right from early planning, we knew in our evidence-based design that we wanted natural light; its conducive to a healthy environment, he said, adding that all the facilitys roofs visible from patient and staff areas are green roofs and planted with vegetation.

We set out to design this hospital through the eyes of a patient. We think this is something weve been able to hold true through the planning, design and implementation process.

Another fundamental element patients will immediately notice is how technology is integrated into all aspects of the building and patient care, Stolte said.

For example, nursing staff will have hand-held devices that connect to patients electronic medical records. Hospital beds will weigh patients, monitor their vital signs and send alerts if a patient is at risk of a fall. Equipment is tagged with real-time locating systems. And patients admitted to hospital will be provided a bedside tablet that connects them to medical records, allows them to learn about prescribed medications and procedures and notifies them of the name of their care providers when they walk into the room.

The technologies will help patients and their families with their experience, Stolte said. It will help with the safety and help the staff by improving their day-to-day job. The type of job that can be handled with technology will be, so the care team can spend more face time with patients and their families.

Stolte said his team planned for everything  except for a global pandemic. Keeping the project on track while working through pandemic protocols and ensuring everyones safety was among the projects biggest challenges, he said.

There were a lot of challenges with supplies and materials, the construction teams being able to maintain their workforce on-site. It took a lot of effort, and kudos to our construction partners for being diligent and thoughtful during that process.

The idea of a hospital in Vaughan was conceived in 2003, and got support from the province in 2007. But for years, the project was bogged down by a complicated land deal between the City of Vaughan and a third party, the Vaughan Health Campus of Care (VHCC), which believed it had a stake in the 33-hectare parcel after it helped broker a land deal for the city.

The VHCC initially had wanted to build the hospital, but when the province distanced itself from the group, the VHCC decided it would use it for hospital-related services.

But as years ticked on, taxpayers became frustrated at the slow movement, especially because they were on the hook for the $80 million land cost that showed up as a surcharge on their property taxes in 2009, which is expected to continue until 2022. They were also upset at having to go outside of the city for medical care.

Stationwala, who became CEO in 2010, said there were times during the decade-long journey when he wasnt sure if the project would proceed.

I would occasionally have these moments of reality, when my neighbours would say: That hospital is never going to get built, the politics are always going to get in the way,  Stationwala said.

There were many bumps along the way. Every day I had to keep looking at my kids and my parents and my spouse and say, You know what, I believe in this. I have a much greater stake in this (hospital) because Im going to need health care in this community.

A breakthrough came in 2015 when the VHCC signed a deal with the City of Vaughan to transfer land to Mackenzie Health for the hospital. The city then signed a 99-year lease with Mackenzie Health allowing them to start accepting proposals for the project to move forward.

I didnt let the politics get to me, said Stationwala. I looked at data and evidence and thats what I kept putting in front of all of those stakeholders that wanted to go a different way.

But I think in the end, the community came together and we got through it.

Dr. David Rauchwerger, Mackenzie Healths chief of emergency medicine, is looking forward to offering care to all those who need it in the community. He said the Richmond Hill hospital has been stressed and over capacity for some time now due to population growth in the region.

The (patient) numbers we were told that would justify two hospitals, we surpassed that about five years ago, he said, adding that being constantly over capacity leads to ongoing issues with hallway medicine, particularly in the emergency department. In Richmond Hill, we have 20 designated stretchers in the hallways because of our capacity issues.

Vaughans emergency department will relieve the current pressure in Richmond Hill and is designed to reduce wait times by more efficiently moving patients from triage to registration to the departments designated treatment zones, Rauchwerger said.

Its also designed with individual treatment cubicles to ensure patient privacy, often among the biggest concerns people have when coming to hospital, he said.

As well, the new emergency department can quickly offload patients arriving by ambulance into a private bay, again protecting privacy, he said.

Rauchwerger was among the hospital staff who participated in life-size mock-ups of hospital spaces during the new buildings design process. He said this allowed those who deliver care to tweak spaces, such as advising on the placement of medical equipment, so both patients and staff have the best possible experience.

Staff also rehearsed how they would provide care in the mocked-up spaces, something the emergency teams and other staff will do in Vaughan many times before the hospital opens next year, said Mary-Agnes Wilson, Mackenzie Healths executive vice-president, chief operating officer and chief nursing executive.

Wilson is leading the team that will recruit 1,500 staff and train more than 3,000 between the two hospitals, including physicians and nurses, environmental services staff and lab and pharmacy technicians.

We need to train teams so they know where the equipment is and get to it as quickly as possible, she said. They need to know where to get the medication, and how to deliver that as efficiently as possible.

Thats the kind of thing well be testing and training our staff through over and over and over again, so that on opening day, our first patient who comes to Vaughan is treated with the same level of care  or better  that theyre getting today.

In June, Mackenzie Health announced its new site would be named the Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital to formally recognize the family of Toronto-based developers that donated $40 million to the hospital campaign. The name, which is featured prominently on the hospital, generated some controversy due to Cortelluccis run for the Italian Senate in 2018 alongside a coalition of right-wing parties who have called for, among other things, closing Italian mosques and removing migrants from the country.

The hospital tower also features the names De Gasperis-Muzzo  prominent developers in the GTA  for their $15 million donation. The Muzzo family name has recently come under scrutiny after the conviction of drunk driver Marco Muzzo, whose actions led to the horrific deaths of four members of the same family, including three siblings, in 2015.

Stationwala defended the naming of buildings for private individuals, a practice that was reinstituted by the Conservative government in December 2019, saying it was not unusual.

Benefactors to any institution have their names on it, whether its a library, whether its a university, whether its a hospital. So what weve done is no different than any other hospital, he said, referring to Torontos Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital or Michael Garron Hospital, as examples.

So we as a society  celebrate our donors and what they give back to society in all dimensions of our public and civic institutions.

Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital, by the numbers 1.2M square feet (equivalent to 20 football fields) 1,800 parking spaces (for both staff and visitors) 7,300+ square metres of green roofs 40,000+ cubic metres of concrete poured (equivalent to over 75 km of sidewalk) 6,000+ metric tons of rebar 800+ metric tons of structural steel 24,000+ square metres of glass 3M+ construction worker hours 4,700 approximate number of construction workers for duration of project 30,000 pieces of furniture and equipment 25,000 surgical instruments 1,800 access card readers 3,000 staff, including physicians, nurses, environmental services staff and lab and pharmacy technicians, need to be trained Source: Mackenzie Health

Noor Javed is a Toronto-based reporter covering current affairs in the York region for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @njaved
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The global mouth fresheners market is getting ample traction from several sectors and is currently slated to rise by 7.1% CAGR during the forecast period of 2019 to 2024 to a market valuation of USD 2.2 million by 2024. Market Research Future (MRFR) revealed several factors that can provide thrust to the market for growth.

These factors are hike in smoking and drinking alcohol, where people want to reduce the after taste with mouth fresheners. Also, the growing demand to maintain oral hygiene is expected to provide thrust to the market. The variety available is expected to ensure the market gets proper traction.

Segmentation:

MRFRs attempt to get close to the global Mouth Fresheners Market Forecast reveals a proper segmentation that includes segments like type, category, distribution, and channel. This segmentation has several insights regarding factors, dynamics, and demographic challenges. This would simplify the process of strategy development in the future.

By type, the study containing details of the global mouth fresheners market can be segmented as flavored candies, mouth sprays, chewing gums, breath strips, and others. The chewing gum segment is expected to garner a lot of credits from several quarters.

By category, the report on the global mouth fresheners market includes sugar-free and conventional. The conventional segment has a huge market share.

By distribution channel, the study on the global mouth fresheners market can be segmented as store-based and non-store-based. The store-based segment includes a convenience store, supermarket & hypermarket, and others. The supermarket and hypermarket segment is getting better growth due to a wide range of product availability.

Get a FREE Sample Copy of Report: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/8185

Regional Analysis:

North America is leading the market as the taker of such mouth fresheners in the region is high due to its popularity among smokers and alcohol consumers. The market is getting better traction due to the availability of a wide range of products, better innovation, technological advancements, research facilities, and others. In Europe, similar features will boost the market prospect. In the Asia Pacific, the market will enjoy backing from the huge population in countries like India and China. Major players look at these regions as better growth opportunities.

Competitive Landscape:

The global market for mouth fresheners is expecting a boost from several countries like Perfetti Van Melle Group B.V. (Italy), Ferrero (Italy), Nestle (Switzerland), Cipla Inc. (India), Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc. (US), Mondelez International (US), Mars Incorporated (US), Harsh Nutricare (India), Haribo GmbH & Co. Kg (Germany), Leaf Holland B.V. (Sweden), Ferndale Confectionery Pty Ltd. (Australia), Hager Worldwide. (US), The PUR Company Inc. (Canada), Zed Candy (Ireland), INVENTZ Lifesciences (India), and others. The process would include several methods like mergers, collaborations, acquisitions, hike in investment for the research and development sector, improvement in packaging, better marketing strategies, and others are expected to play crucial roles in taking the market ahead. MRFR recorded the latest proceedings to understand how the market would grow in the coming years.

Industry News:

In February 2020, Tic Tac launched a new campaign, Mouth Fresh, Mood Refresh to get positioned in a better way. The intent is to establish the brand as an enjoyable mouth freshener that would provide a continuous release of refreshing taste, and it would last long.

Access Full Report: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/mouth-fresheners-market-8185

In April 2020, surveys in India revealed that paan or betel leaf is getting hit by the onslaughts of COVID-19. This is due to the crisis in the agricultural process, transportation, and lockdown that led to the closure of factories and various brick and mortar shops.

Note : Our team of researchers are studying Covid-19 and its impact on various industry verticals and wherever required will be considering covid19 footprints for a better analysis of markets and industries. Cordially get in touch for more details.

About Market Research Future:

At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.

MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.

To stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.

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I frequently log onto Republican web sites and Facebook pages. Its a calculated risk since I have high blood pressure, but its important to keep tabs on the opposition. On Wednesday I came upon a meme that Trump supporters evidently think conveys a profound truth.

The text, which is set against an American flag, reads: We live in a time when if you see an American flag on someones home, car, boat or clothing, you dont even need to guess who theyre voting for. The writer-editor in me mentally changed who theyre voting for to for whom theyre voting, of course. However, I was considerably more offended by the assumption of this memes creator that everyone who displays the Stars and Stripes intends to vote for Donald Trump.

I was born into a Democratic family, although my values quickly became more liberal than those held by other family members. I turned 18 in December of 1971 and cast my first vote in the Illinois primary held in March of 1972. For some reason Ive long forgotten, George McGovern wasnt on the ballot in Illinois. I wound up casting a protest vote for Eugene McCarthy, who got thoroughly trounced in the primary by Edmund Muskie. That November I proudly voted for McGovern, who lost 49 states to Richard Nixon.

My late father became Altons First Precinct Democratic Committeeman in 1976. I helped Dad canvass the precinct during that years presidential election, when a peanut farmer from Georgia named Jimmy Carter defeated Gerald Ford. I also worked for Carter in 1980 and Walter Mondale in 1984, when those two fine Democrats got their butts kicked by Ronald Reagan, whose qualifications for the presidency included opposing all our nations 1960s-era civil rights legislation as well as predicting that Medicare would destroy freedom in America.

I was elected to the position once held my father in the 1988 Democratic primary. The late Ed Voumard, Sr. served as chairman of the Alton Democrats in those days. Big Ed, as we was known, ran an efficient organization and it was an honor to work with him. That was the year Democratic candidate Mike Dukakis lost to George H. W. Bush. Reagans vice-president denounced Dukakis as that liberal governor from Massachusetts who had allowed a black convict to be released from prison on a furlough program. The convict, Willie Horton, then committed armed robbery and rape. Bushs campaign played the race card for all it was worth. Ironically, Bush had called for a kinder, gentler nation in his acceptance speech at the GOP convention.

I campaigned tirelessly for Clinton, Gore and Obama. How my friends and I rejoiced upon the election of our nations first black president in 2008! Obamas re-election in 2012 was nothing less than extraordinary, especially in light of the racist barbs hurled at him by his enemies. In retrospect, I shouldnt have been surprised that Trump garnered 62 million vote in 2016. The hatred directed at President Obama revealed that America has a sordid underbelly where bigotry festers and oozes like a gangrenous wound.

So why have I just recounted my involvement in our nations presidential races? To refute that memes contention that displaying the American flag indicates one is a Trump supporter. Book shop customers as well as anyone driving down East Broadway know that the flag proudly flies outside The Second Reading every business day. Those same people also know that I strongly support Joe Biden for president of the United States.

I strongly advise you not to assume that everyone who displays the American flag is a Trump supporter. However, youre safe to assume that everyone who displays the Confederate flag will vote for Trump on Nov. 3. We Biden supporters want nothing to do with that foul symbol of slavery, white supremacy and treason.

John J. Dunphy is an author, the Godfrey 15th Precinct Democratic Committeeperson and recording secretary for the Godfrey Democrats.
Jewish Academy of Orlando has upgraded the school's remote learning offering by investing in new technology and by naming Emily Watson, a veteran teacher as remote learning coordinator. Twenty percent of the school's enrollment has opted for remote learning to start the year. These investments create an educational opportunity that equals the high standards and success for which JAO is known.

"Our goal is to make the remote student experience connected, social, meaningful, authentic and relevant; whether a student is enrolled in person or remote learning," said Watson. "This is accompli...
The US Department of Education launched an investigation into Princeton University after its president's acknowledged that racism remained 'embedded' at the institution.

Officials with the Trump administration on Wednesday addressed a letter to Princeton University President Christopher Eisgruber over his recent comments about systematic racism.

The Department of Education (DOE) noted that Princeton University had received more than $75million in federal funding, despite potentially not adhering to the Title VI mandates.

'No person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance,' according to the DOE.

Under such a statute, federal officials claimed that Eisgruber's acknowledgement has led them to question the university's commitment to non-discriminatory practices.

The US Department of Education said this week that it launched an investigation into Princeton University after its president Christopher Eisgruber published an open letter addressing systematic racism

'Based on its admitted racism, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) is concerned Princetons nondiscrimination and equal opportunity assurances in its Program Participation Agreements from at least 2013 to the present may have been false,' the letter read.

'The Department is further concerned Princeton perhaps knew, or should have known, these assurances were false at the time they were made.

'Finally, the Department is further concerned Princetons many nondiscrimination and equal opportunity claims to students, parents, and consumers in the market for education certificates may have been false, misleading, and actionable substantial misrepresentations.'

Subsequently, the DOE could force Princeton University to pay back the millions of dollars it's collected over the years.

The DOE, led by US Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, also requested additional documents and transcribed interviews with selected individuals.

On September 2, Eisgruber published an open letter on Princeton University's website that discussed efforts to combat systematic racism.

The letter was meant to bring attention to initiatives implemented at Princeton University to dispel racial inequality.

Princeton University President Christopher Eisgruber (pictured) wrote in an open letter on September 2 that 'Racist assumptions from the past also remain embedded in structures of the University itself'

The letter read: 'Racism and the damage it does to people of color nevertheless persist at Princeton as in our society, sometimes by conscious intention but more often through unexamined assumptions and stereotypes, ignorance or insensitivity, and the systemic legacy of past decisions and policies.

'Race-based inequities in Americas health care, policing, education, and employment systems affect profoundly the lives of our staff, students, and faculty of color.

'Racist assumptions from the past also remain embedded in structures of the University itself.'

The letter offered an example of systematic racism at the institution, like 'Princeton inherits from earlier generations at least nine departments and programs organized around European languages and culture, but only a single, relatively small program in African studies.'

Princeton University in the past has acknowledged is participation in racism, starting in 1746 when it was founded as the College of New Jersey.

'The University's first nine Presidents all owned slaves, a slave sale took place on campus in 1766, and enslaved people lived at the President's House until at least 1822. One professor owned a slave as late as 1840,' according to Princeton University's website.

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos (pictured) answers questions following a visit to Forsyth Central High School in Cumming, Georgia

Following the DOE's announcement, Princeton University released a statement that pushed back at the agency's accusations.

'It is unfortunate that the Department appears to believe that grappling honestly with the nations history and the current effects of systemic racism runs afoul of existing law,' the statement read.

'The University disagrees and looks forward to furthering our educational mission by explaining why our statements and actions are consistent not only with the law, but also with the highest ideals and aspirations of this country.'

The statement also furthered the institution's stance regarding systematic racism and defended Eisgruber's mention of racism at the school.

'The University also stands by our statements about the prevalence of systemic racism and our commitment to reckon with its continued effects, including the racial injustice and race-based inequities that persist throughout American society.' it read.

Under the Trump administration, experts told The New York Times that this latest investigation suggested a move by conservative politicians to stop race-based college admissions

As noted by The New York Times, this investigation by the DOE is the latest in a series of obstacles leveled at Ivy Leagues by the Trump administration.

Experts told NYTimes that the decisions were likely an extension of GOP efforts to stop race-based college admissions.

The US Department of Justice in August accused Yale University of breaking federal laws by discriminating against Asian-Americans and white Americans.

As a result, the DOJ was asked to stop looking at race or national origins when considering admissions. The DOJ threatened a lawsuit if Yale University did not comply, but the school declined earlier this week.

Yale University argued that its admission policies were in line with federal law.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a signing ceremony for the Great American Outdoors Act in the East Room of the White House on August 4, 2020. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Some American Jews are sharply condemning President Donald Trump's remarks that Israel is "your country" as anti-Semitic.

"We really appreciate you, we love your country also and thank you very much," Trump said during a call with American Jewish leaders on Wednesday.

"It's really important that we separate out American Jews and Israel  we are not one in the same. It's anti-Semitic to suggest that we are," said Sophie Ellman-Golan, a progressive Jewish strategist.

The outrage comes as Trump has made attempts to rally support from Jewish voters, which some have dismissed as "pandering" to his own base.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Some Jewish Americans are fiercely condemning President Donald Trump for repeating rhetoric they consider to be "textbook anti-Semitism."

During an annual White House conference call to honor the upcoming High Holidays on Wednesday, Trump told American Jewish leaders, "we really appreciate you, we love your country also and thank you very much."

The president's apparent suggestion that Americans are Israelis is similar to previous remarks Trump has made and sparked outrage over, including when he told an audience of Jewish Americans that Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu is "your prime minister" and called Jews who are Democrats "disloyal."

Several American Jews and groups said they felt alarmed by Trump's language because it invokes age-old anti-Semitic tropes.

"Trump seems unable to grasp the simple fact that Jewish Americans are Americans, period," Stosh Cotler, CEO of Bend the Arc-Jewish Action, a Jewish political action committee, said in a statement. "The implication that American Jews have some kind of 'dual loyalty' is textbook anti-Semitism, and has been used for centuries to demonize Jewish people and justify persecution and violence, including the Holocaust."

Story continues

"Dual loyalty," which insinuates that Jews are more loyal to Israel than their own home country, is widely known to be a pillar of anti-semitism.

"My initial reaction was visceral fear. It's really scary to see the president using that kind of rhetoric, but I also wasn't surprised," Becca Lubow, spokesperson for left-leaning Jewish activist group If Not Now, said. "Unfortunately for Trump, American Jews aren't going anywhere."

The comments also come ahead of important celebrations for the Jewish community, marking the start of the Jewish New Year and Yom Kippur.

"We want to start our holiday, not worry that some other Pittsburgh shooter 2.0 is going to walk into a synagogue because he thinks that Jews don't belong here, which is not hypothetical," Abby Stein, an author and ordained rabbi said, referring to the October 2018 mass shooting that took place at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh and killed 11 people.

Trump, during the High Holidays call, shifted gears into campaigning and attempted to court the Jewish American vote by touting his support toward Israel.

The president's reelection team this week also launched a new initiative dubbed "Jewish Voices for Trump," aimed at rallying support from Jewish voters.

"I have to say this, whatever you can do in terms of Nov. 3 is going to be very important because if we don't win, Israel is in big trouble," Trump said. "This is really a time that's very important in the life of Israel and the safety of Israel. And we will do a great job."

Some American Jews criticized the gesture, signaling that their priorities are not explicitly equivalent to those of the Israeli government and that equating the two is harmful.

"It's really important that we separate out American Jews and Israel  we are not one and the same. It's anti-Semitic to suggest that we are," said Sophie Ellman-Golan, a progressive Jewish strategist. "When politicians treat Israel, including support for Israel, as a stand-in for Jews, that's what they're doing."

Many expressed concerns that such perceptions extend beyond the president, and reflects certain beliefs that members of the Republican Party hold, and some blasted Trump's efforts as merely dog-whistle appeals to his base.

"A lot of the right-wing support for Israel is inherently anti-Semitic coming from a point that all the Jews should go live there and leave us alone," Stein said. "It's not just that it's hateful rhetoric, it's the reality that it has led to millions of us, including my own ancestors, my own great grandparents, being killed."

"Trump was willing to say that on a Rosh Hashanah call because he's not speaking to Jews," Lubow said. "It's about pandering to his white Evangelical Christian base."

Read the original article on Business Insider
A Nigerian agro-allied company, Flour mills of Nigeria Plc, has announced the appointment of Juliet Anammah into the companys Board of Directors.

Flour Mills made this known in a disclosure notice sent to the Nigeria Stock Exchange.

This disclosure signed by the Companys Secretary, Umolu Joseph, said Mrs Anammahs appointment became effective from 10th September.

The new appointee is the current Chair of the Board, Jumia Nigeria, and Head of Institutional Affairs across Africa

The disclosure said she brings a vast experience in the consumer product industry, along with excellent skills in product creation and high-profile brand building.

Commenting on the appointment, John Coumantaros, Chairman of the Board of Flour mills, said: I am truly excited to welcome Juliet to the Board of Directors. Her over 28 years of executive leadership experience in business consulting and e-commerce in Africa will be of tremendous value to FMN, as we continue to position the group to take advantage of the changing consumer landscape in the foods and agro-allied sectors. Her appointment represents our determination to ensure that we have a diverse mix of skills and viewpoints on the FMN board

Profile

Mrs Anammah is a business consultant with many years spent in management consulting at Accenture, Nigeria.

She has also served on the board of a number of non-profit organizations, as well as those focused on issues of gender and trade.

Between 2017 and 2018, she served as a non-executive director at Diamond Bank.
Research shows that human children face challenges, too, from pollution over all and wildfire. A study of a fire that burned 4,200 acres in San Diego in 2017  a blaze far smaller than the ones in the West today  found sharp increases in emergency room visits  16 excess visits per day  at a childrens hospital in the region during a span of around 10 days during the fire.

A study of hospital visits during and just after wildfires in San Diego in 2007 found a 136 percent increase in asthma-related emergency-room visits for children ages 4 and under. The study concluded: Young children appear at highest risk for respiratory problems during a wildfire, which is cause for particular concern because of the potential for long-term harm to childrens lung development.

Children have been less well studied than adults but experts said the challenges of youth are very likely intensified by at least three key differences: childrens lungs remain in development, which means their immune systems may be altered; their airways are narrower; and they simply breathe more often and faster. That leads to more toxic intake for their body mass. Infant respiration may be double or triple adults, said Dr. Cornfield of Stanford.

At the particularly high levels of smoke in places like Portland, Dr. Cornfield said, at the least, families should consider getting an air filter or using air conditioning to the clear the air inside. In a perfect world, he would urge stronger measures, at least for the short term.

I honestly think that if theres the potential to relocate to a less challenged environment, one should really do that, he said. Most people are not so blessed with a plethora of options.
Albany, N.Y.  The percentage of people testing positive for the coronavirus in Central New York rose to 1.6% on Thursday, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomos office.

Thats up from 1.2% Wednesday and 1.1% Tuesday. Central New Yorks rate on Thursday was the highest of any New York region.

Only two other regions, the Mid-Hudson region and Western New York, had a positive rate over 1%.

Still, Central New Yorks rate is down after reaching 2% on Saturday.

For the states purposes, Central New York includes Onondaga, Oswego, Cayuga, Cortland and Madison counties.

Onondaga County alone consistently reports more favorable infection rates than the state health department.

The state does not fully include pooled saliva tests in its calculation, county officials have said. Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon has said the state also double-counts some cases by, for example, including repetitive positive tests for the same individual.

READ MORE: SUNY Oswego suspends in-person classes but not sending students home

Statewide, the positive test rate was 0.88% on Thursday. It was the third day in a row the rate was below 1%.

We went from the highest infection rate in the nation to one of the lowest, and thats a testament to the hard work of New Yorkers, who came together and flattened the curve, Cuomo said in a press release. As we head into fall and the flu season ahead, its going to take the work of all us to protect this progress weve gained: We must all keep washing our hands, wearing our masks and remaining socially distant.

Another 10 people in New York died due to the virus on Thursday, which brings the statewide death toll to 25,423.

Thursday was the second day this week with double-digit deaths. Eleven people in state died on Monday, which was the first time more than 10 people died in a day since Aug. 14.

A total of 478 people in the state were hospitalized due to the virus on Thursday, down eight. A total of 141 people were in intensive care units, up six, and 62 people were intubated, down six.

Another 81 people were newly admitted to hospitals with the virus.

The state conducted another 89,727 tests for the virus on Thursday and confirmed 790 new cases. New York now has 448,052 confirmed cases of the virus.

MORE ON CORONAVIRUS

Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources

SUNY Oswego suspends in-person classes but not sending students home

Sick school kids in Onondaga County can get quick test for coronavirus

Football season is delayed, but many CNY marching bands will begin to practice in the coming weeks

Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com

Contact Kevin Tampone anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-282-8598
STRATFORD  Police have charged a 31-year-old Bridgeport man with shooting a woman on Birch Drive this month.

Calvin Williams faces charges of first-degree assault, first-degree robbery, home invasion, first-degree threatening, carrying a pistol without a permit, possession of narcotics with intent to sell, reckless endangerment and risk of injury to a minor.

Most of the charges related to the shooting, which was reported about 8:30 p.m. Sept. 3, Stratford Police Capt. Frank Eannotti said in a prepared statement released Friday.

Upon arrival one female gun shot victim was located, he said. She was transported to the hospital for treatment and is in stable condition.

Stratford detectives obtained a warrant charging Williams and arrested him in Bridgeport Friday with the help of Bridgeport police.

Recovered at the time of arrest was ammunition, a large amount of cash and narcotics (Ecstasy), Eannotti said.

Williams was being held on $750,000 bond Friday, Eannotti said.
"This ain't resort diving." I'm on the phone with Dave Sommers asking about booking a scuba dive on a shipwreck off Cape Hatteras, N.C., and Sommers is stressing that wreck-diving in the open Atlantic Ocean is a step up from finning along near-shore coral reefs, and that neither he nor his crew will babysit clients underwater. Basically, I'd better know what I'm doing.

On the one hand I do. I have an advanced open-water scuba certification from the Professional Association of Diving Instructors and dozens of dives to my credit, including six in the past year. On the other hand, all of those were near shore, mostly on coral reefs and guided by dive masters - people whose job it was to look out for their clients' safety. Still, I'm a strong swimmer, comfortable in the ocean and old enough not to ignore a seasoned expert like Sommers. After I share all of this with him, he agrees to take me on.

The fact is, I didn't need Sommers to provide a sobering take on wreck-diving. The author Robert Kurson had already accomplished that through his gripping nonfiction book, "Shadow Divers," about a mission to identify a mysterious wreck that lay in 230 feet of cold, dark water 60 miles off New Jersey.

Everything about that account - the wreck, the conditions, the divers, their persistence and preparation, and, despite all that, the number of things that went wrong - imprinted on me the stakes of open-ocean diving.

I've wanted to dive off Hatteras ever since I heard it was a thing. There are hundreds of wrecks in the area, dating from the Civil War era to post-World War II. Dozens are in diveable range because of a confluence of factors, chief among them that a major north-south shipping lane passes close to the cape. Before the advent of electronic navigation, many ships succumbed to storms, shifting shoals, the vexing collision of the northern Labrador and southern Gulf currents, or, during World Wars I and II, German submarines.

But I always had other priorities in the Outer Banks - wind, waves and beach time - and I resisted the advance commitment needed to secure a spot on a dive boat. That changed this summer when my family and I booked two consecutive weeks on Hatteras Island, a stanza that allowed me to dive with minimal FOMO on other activities. Even better, my sister Gina, also a recreational diver with no wreck experience, agreed to join me on the day trip.

We meet Sommers at his 42-foot Duffy, the Lion's Paw, at a sound-side dock in Hatteras Village, on a hot Friday morning in early July. Sommers, in his second career after 35 years as a Fairfax County, Va., cop, looks like a Magnum P.I.-Jimmy Buffett mash-up, his graying mustache offset by blue patterned swim trunks, unbuttoned fishing shirt, sun hat and aviator shades.

Four other divers are joining us - Joe Stradley from Windsor, Va.; David Metacarpa, from Charlton, N.Y.; and a father-son duo, Eugene and Jude Link, from Seaford, Va., who are relatives of Sommers's first mate, Marc Corbett. All are experienced, although Metacarpa concedes he's only done a couple of wreck dives.

Sommers and Corbett fit Gina and me with gear - we'd brought only masks, snorkels and fins, while the other divers arrived with full kits, including air tanks - before our captain runs through the safety briefing: Manage your own gear, bottom time and decompression stops, and descend and ascend hand-over-hand via the anchor line to avoid getting swept away by currents. If you do get separated, get to the surface safely, inflate your signaling device (neon tubes that are visible from a great distance away), and don't panic. "I'll find you," Sommers says, "but don't let it come to that: The record is four miles and you don't want to break it."

The rest of the briefing was about coronavirus precautions: Wear a mask in the cabin, be respectful of people's space, handle only your own gear, use hand sanitizer often, and don't look for the community rinse bucket (a staple on dive boats for quickly desalting masks, snorkels and camera housings) because Sommers removed it. He describes himself as a "covid believer," and an extensive section on risk and responsible behavior on his website supports the claim. Our trip is his first with clients in 2020.

As he steers us through the shoals and buoys of Pamlico Sound toward Hatteras Inlet a pod of dolphins appears off our starboard side, ripping through the small swells with sinewy efficiency. To port, Hatteras Island narrows toward its southern tip, with lime-hued marsh grasses, patches of maritime forest and hyphens of sand alight in the morning sun.

After we pass between Hatteras and Ocracoke islands, Sommers leans on the throttle, and the Lion's Paw rears its bow toward the horizon. Eighty minutes later, and two hours after leaving dock, we slow to an idle on a milky blue sea, a tropical hue created by our proximity to the Gulf Stream.

We're eight miles off the beach of Ocracoke and 90 feet above the wreck of the Dixie Arrow, a 468-foot tanker that was torpedoed by a German U-boat on March 26, 1942, at the height of World War II. According to the informative website nc-wreckdiving.com, the tanker was approaching Cape Hatteras, en route from Texas City, Texas, to Paulsboro, N.J., with 96,000 barrels of crude oil.

"The U-71 had spent the night waiting near the Diamond Shoals Light Buoy hoping to intercept targets. With the breaking dawn, the U-boat captain, KK Walter Flascheenberg, was about the order his boat to the bottom when he spotted the masts of the approaching tanker on the horizon," the site's account of the incident reads. "The first torpedo hit at the midship deckhouse, destroying it and killing most of the deck officers. 60 seconds later the 2nd and 3rd torpedoes hit just aft of the deckhouse and cracked the tanker in two."

Such details are a draw for wreck divers, offering a connection to the dive site and a slew of facts and trivia, mental snack food for a community already prone to nerding out on gear, dive travel and the life-or-death math of their sport.

For the moment, I'm connected to one goal: get suited up and in the water before I hurl. I rarely get seasick, but I also rarely stand on the deck of a motor boat for two straight hours, bucking over ocean swells while whiffs of diesel fumes taint the sea air. But, really, it's mostly luck of the draw. The swell is a reasonable three to four feet, and none of the others seem the least bit bothered.

We are far out of sight of any land, but not alone: There's a smaller dive boat already positioned over the Dixie's bow, so Sommers parks over the stern and drops anchor. Corbett is getting ready to splash and set the granny line - a horizontal cable about 15 feet deep, so named for its ease of use, which we'll use to pull ourselves over to the anchor line before descending to the wreck. He'll also tie a line from our anchor line to the wreck as added insurance against the Lion's Paw drifting away.

Just before taking that giant stride, I look around - at the sun glinting off the endless swells, the everythingness, nothingness and vast loneliness of the open ocean - and take a deep breath to settle my stomach and my nerves.

As soon as I reach the seafloor, my anxiety recedes into the familiarity and thrill of the sport. There's a current sweeping away from the Dixie Arrow, but it's manageable. The corroded, encrusted remains of the tanker loom from the sand, but my eyes are drawn first to the clouds of fish - snappers, amberjacks, African pompanos, cleaner wrasses, Atlantic spadefish and more - a density of free-swimming life to rival most coral reefs. The fish are here because of the wreck.

The visibility is excellent - not aquarium clarity but far better than I expected. The same currents that can carry off a diver can also stir up sand and sediment, but for the moment we're in luck.

Still towering from the Dixie Arrow's stern are three hulking boilers, and Gina and I linger there, taking in the silhouette of man's audacious engineering against the haunting relief of the endless blue beyond. We work slowly along the port side of the ship, which, thanks to salt, currents, storms and time, more resembles a vaguely contiguous mound of rubble than a distinct section of a vessel.

While all ocean wrecks will eventually dissolve, some are still enough intact that divers can swim well into the interior and sometimes find decades- or centuries-old artifacts. And worldwide, there's a modest community of divers who live for the fleeting moments of the hunt. Because of how the human body responds to pressure and processes compressed air at depth, safely advisable bottom time decreases the deeper you go. So, as in the case of the crew in "Shadow Divers," someone hoping to explore a wreck at 230 feet might have only 10 minutes to do so before heading back up.

Bad things can happen on any dive, even within seemingly benign, near-shore sites. But, as Stradley will tell me later, when I catch up with him by phone to fill some gaps in my reporting, deep, open-ocean diving "is a different animal." He's returning from another Dixie Arrow dive, one in which a sudden spike in wind caused the Lion's Paw anchor line to pull free from the wreck, fortunately while all the divers were close enough to recognize what was happening and return to the boat.

We're in 90 feet of water and thus have 40 minutes of bottom time. Since I'm not here to solve a historical mystery, I take a look-at-all-the-pretty-fish approach. Gina and I kick over the cluttered, decaying deck to starboard as two massive Atlantic stingrays cruise beneath us and a four-foot barracuda hovers above. We then head along the wreck - into the current, which will set up an easy coast back to the anchor line later - but in the time we have left, we don't even make it amidships, where the fateful torpedo bisected the hull 78 years ago.

Back on board for our safety interval - time budgeted between dives to allow our bodies to outgas nitrogen - I lie down on a cushioned bench in the cabin, barely clinging to my equilibrium, as the others swap stories.

For our second and final dive of the day, Sommers had initially intended to take us to the Proteus, a 390-foot luxury liner that sunk in 1918 after colliding with another ship, but with the superb visibility on the Dixie Arrow, he decides to stay put.

Unfortunately, despite zero change in the surface conditions, when we get back to the Dixie the visibility has deteriorated. We can still see the ship's remains and the abundant sea life but a gauzy layer of sand mutes the view.

Such are the whims of Poseidon. Besides, the change gives the setting an appropriately eerie mien. I peer into the void, hoping for one of the large animals that are common here - a shark, manta ray or goliath grouper - to materialize, but none do. Stradley later says he once saw 27 sand tiger sharks together off the bow of this wreck. Our most unusual sighting is a toadfish, a cantankerous-looking creature almost completely camouflaged in a rusty pocket of the wreck.

In the end I find peak Zen drifting through clouds of fish, humbled by their numbers, their graceful movements and their dazzling beauty. When our time is up, we kick unhurriedly back to the anchor line and climb, hand over hand, toward the sun.

- - -

IF YOU GO:

- Dive Hatteras

Saxon Cut Dr., Hatteras Village, N.C.

703-517-3724

divehatteras.com

Captain Dave Sommers offers two-tank dives from $170, if you have all gear. We paid $220 each, which included rental of buoyancy control device, regulator, air tanks, and dive computers. Trips to some of the more-distant wrecks require additional charge for fuel. Lunch and snacks not included.

INFORMATION

- outerbanks.org
China issues white paper on its armed forces' participation in UN peacekeeping operations chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2020-09-18 10:02 Chinese peacekeepers to Lebanon parade at the medal-awarding ceremony at the camp of the Chinese peacekeeping multi-functional engineer detachment to Lebanon in Hanniyah village in southern Lebanon, on April 6, 2018. [Photo/Xinhua]

BEIJING, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- China on Friday released a white paper on the participation of the country's armed forces in the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations.

The white paper, titled "China's Armed Forces: 30 Years of UN Peacekeeping Operations," was released by the State Council Information Office.

Serving on the UN missions for world peace, China's armed forces have become a key force in UN peacekeeping operations over the past three decades, says the document.

Chinese peacekeepers have left their footprints in over 20 countries and regions including Cambodia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Sudan, Lebanon, Cyprus, South Sudan, Mali and the Central African Republic.

They have made a tremendous contribution to facilitating the peaceful settlement of disputes, safeguarding regional security and stability, and promoting economic and social development in host nations, the document says.

China has faithfully implemented the pledges it announced at a UN Summit to support UN peacekeeping through actions including setting up a peacekeeping standby force, sending more enabler troops to UN peacekeeping operations, helping train foreign peacekeepers and providing military aid gratis to the African Union, it says.

China's armed forces have also cooperated on peacekeeping with over 90 countries and 10 international and regional organizations, it says.

Contributing to building a community with a shared future for humanity, China will continue to play its part as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and firmly support and participate in the UN peacekeeping operations, according to the white paper.

The document also includes a timeline of Chinese armed forces' activities in the UN peacekeeping operations.

Full text: China's Armed Forces: 30 Years of UN Peacekeeping Operations
Its name is Kompania Bello, and for years its been one of the most ruthless and innovative drug trafficking networks in the world. According to international law enforcement officials, its no longer in existence.

In the early morning hours of Tuesday, police across 10 countries quietly fanned out and swooped in to bust the underground organisation in what is being described as the biggest takedown of an Albanian-led criminal ring in history.

Authorities arrested 20 men and seized four tonnes of cocaine and nearly 5.5m (5.2m) in cash, according to a press release issued on Thursday.

The suspects face charges of murder and international drug trafficking, according to prosecutors. EuroJust, the Netherlands-based federation of international prosecutors, said the raids resulted in the complete takedown of the criminal syndicate, which is part of an increasingly global narcotics-trafficking business.

The raids were part of a five-year investigation into the Albanian mafia begun by Italian authorities. They follow the arrests of scores of others in recent weeks, including in the UK and Latin America. The busts have spanned the globe. Among those arrested on Tuesday was Denis Matoshi, detained by police in Dubai, which accused him of smuggling drugs through European seaports.

Albanian media reported that five others were arrested in four cities of the western Balkan nation. Video posted online by EuroJust showed police in full body armour storming into an apartment at night and escorting a handcuffed suspect into a police station. Law enforcement officials wearing surgical masks coordinated activities at the organisations headquarters in The Hague. In another segment, police remove tightly wrapped bundles of what appear to be drugs from behind the dashboard of a motor vehicle.

Albania has emerged as a global hub of narcotics trafficking. Heroin from South Asia and cocaine from Latin America are smuggled into the tiny country or Montenegro to the north through seaports or land routes and then taken by boat to Italy for distribution across the continent.

Kompania Bellos leader  a 40-year-old Albanian in Ecuador  cut out the middlemen. He oversaw the entire process of drug distribution, brokering deals with producers across the world to obtain narcotics while his deputies oversaw dealers on the streets distributing them. The network used sophisticated encrypted messaging systems to place orders and built secret compartments in vehicles to move drugs across borders.

Kompania Bello moved money using the Chinese fei chien networks used by labourers to send remittances. Police and prosecutors from Italy, the UK, the Netherlands, Hungary, Greece, Romania, Germany, Spain, Albania and Dubai participated in Tuesdays raids.
By Akbar Mammadov

Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and the European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi have discussed the cooperation between Azerbaijan and the European Union in a phone conversation on September 18, the ministrys press service has reported.

The sides have stressed the importance of finalizing negotiations on a new Draft Agreement, which will form the legal basis of bilateral relations.

During the telephone conversation, the sides discussed the existing mutually beneficial cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan.

Furthermore, the sides also exchanged views on the existing strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and Europe in the field of energy and projects implemented with the initiative and participation of Azerbaijan to supply energy to Europe, including the supply of gas to the European market and possibilities of future expansion of the project.

At the meeting, European Commissioner congratulated Minister Bayramov on his appointment and wished him success in his future endeavor.

It should be noted that earlier, on July 7, Azerbaijans former Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and EU Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhely discussed a new bilateral agreement between Azerbaijan and the European Union (EU). High on the agenda of the meeting was bilateral partnership between Azerbaijan and the EU, as well as Azerbaijan's participation in the Eastern Partnership.

The sides exchanged views on a new bilateral agreement between Azerbaijan and the EU, and both sides expressed interest in finalizing the agreement. Moreover, the parties also discussed the Agreement on the Establishment of the Common Aviation Space, Partnership Priorities, Azerbaijan's participation in EU programs, the abolition of visas.

---

Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
The Delhi High Court on Friday sought to know from Delhi Police what action they had taken against police officers who allegedly used excessive force against students of Jamia Milia Islamia violence during the violence that had broken out at the university in December last year.

Citing a National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) report on the Jamia violence, a bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan said it had pointed out instances of police violence and that no action had been taken so far.

It sought to know from Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Aman Lekhi, representing Delhi police, whether FIRs had been registered against erring police officials.

Lekhi said an enquiry is on against individual cases where some police officers used excessive force. However, the NHRC report supports police intervention, he said.

The court said, But you need to satisfy us as to what action has been taken against those individual cases? Whether FIRs have been registered against those police officers?.

The court was hearing a bunch of pleas seeking relief in the Jamia violence while urging for the constitution of an SIT or a court-monitored probe in the matter.

Lekhi justified the police action, saying the officials were constrained because there was stone-pelting from inside the varsity. He said the mob started vandalising the properties and blocking the roads.

To this the bench remarked, The argument is not that you dont have a right to enter the University. The argument is that you should have taken prior approval of the admin before doing so.

Violence had broken out in the varsity after student protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). Police have been accused of entering the campus and assaulting students after protests against the Act turned violent on December 15.

At least 10 vehicles were allegedly torched by protesters. The Jamia students had said they were not involved in the violence and that their peaceful march was hijacked by outsiders.
MINSK -- A man in Belarus has been hospitalized in a grave condition after he set himself on fire in the city of Smalyavichy near Minsk.

The Interior Ministry said on September 18 that the man, whose identity was not disclosed, poured a flammable liquid on himself and set himself on fire in front of a police directorate.

The ministry placed the video of the incident on YouTube.

It was not immediately clear why the man set himself on fire.

Interior Ministry spokeswoman Volha Chamadanava said that the man is a 36-year-old local resident with a history of alcoholism and who had attempted to commit suicide in the past.

Some social-media users had speculated the man was attempting a form of protest against President Alyaksandr Lukashenka.

Mass protests challenging the results of an August 9 presidential election that declared Lukashenka the winner have swept across Belarus over the past month.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-19 00:01:17|Editor: huaxia

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ISLAMABAD, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani President Arif Alvi told his Turkmen counterpart Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov in a telephonic conversation on Friday that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) would boost regional connectivity, the president house said.

Alvi said countries of the region particularly Afghanistan and Central Asian countries would tremendously benefit from CPEC's road and railway infrastructure, according to a statement issued by the president house.

He also highlighted the importance of the Gwadar port in southwestern Balochistan province, which offers a great trade route to Turkmenistan, and suggested an early finalization of a memorandum of understanding on sister port relationship between the ports of Gwadar and Turkmenbashi.

"The two leaders expressed satisfaction over the existing relationship and emphasized the need to further strengthen and diversify trade, economic and energy cooperation between the two brotherly countries," the statement said.

Alvi talked to Berdimuhamedov about Pakistan's policy of smart lockdown that successfully contained the COVID-19 pandemic. He also appreciated the remarkable measures taken by the government of Turkmenistan in curbing the spread of the virus.

Both sides also discussed the Afghan peace process and stressed the need for an early peaceful solution to the long-drawn war.

According to the statement, Berdimuhamedov proposed online meetings of existing institutional mechanisms between the two countries on trade, communications, agriculture, industry, transport, and science and technology so as to enhance cooperation in these areas. Enditem
The guidelines said testing was not necessary for people who were exposed to COVID-19 but not displaying symptoms.

US President Donald Trumps administration posted controversial recommendations on coronavirus testing to the website of the countrys health agency against the objections of its scientists, according to a New York Times report citing people familiar with the matter and internal documents.

The guidelines, which said testing was not necessary for people who were exposed to COVID-19 but not displaying symptoms, were criticised when they were issued last month.

That is because healthcare experts at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at the time were pushing for more, not less, testing to help track and control the spread of the respiratory disease that has now killed almost 200,000 people in the country.

The reversal shocked doctors and politicians and prompted accusations of political interference. But Admiral Brett Giroir, assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)  the CDCs parent  said at the time the goal was appropriate testing, not more testing for its own sake, and that there had been no political pressure.

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In Thursdays report, a federal official told the Times that the guidelines came from the HHS and the White House Coronavirus Task Force.

That policy does not reflect what many people at the CDC feel should be the policy, the official said.

The Times said healthcare experts at the CDC had serious objections to the document, and noted that it contained elementary errors as well as recommendations inconsistent with the CDCs advice, making it obvious it came from elsewhere, a senior scientist at the agency told the paper under condition of anonymity.

Guidance dropped on CDC website

The Times said that at the time of the guidelines publication, administration officials had said the document was a CDC product and had been revised with input from the agencys director, Robert Redfield.

However, the Times also reported that the HHS rewrote and then dropped the guidance into the CDCs website, flouting the agencys review process.

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The guidelines, coordinated in conjunction with the White House Coronavirus Task Force, received appropriate attention, consultation and input from task force experts, Redfield said in a statement to the Reuters news agency.

A HHS spokeswoman told Reuters that guidance always receives input from medical and scientific experts on the task force.

A new version of the guidance, expected to be posted on Friday, has not been cleared by the CDC and is being revised by HHS officials, the Times reported, citing a federal official.
While researching my upcoming book, I discovered, to my surprise, a white evangelical theologian who attended, and later pastored, a predominantly African American church in Pasadena, California. Paul King Jewett belonged to Scott United Methodist Church while a theology professor at Fuller Theological Seminary from 1955 to 1991. Learning about Jewett, I wondered, why dont more white Christians attend predominantly black churches?

Image: Courtesy of Fuller Theological Seminary

Jewett, a renowned moral theologian, possessed a passion for promoting racial solidarity. He attended a predominantly black church, mentored black students at Fuller, became the first white board member of the National Negro Evangelical Association (currently known as the National Black Evangelical Association). He also attended the March on Washington in 1963 and the funeral of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968. Jewett was the epitome of a Christian bridge-builder. In a conversation with Ruth Lewis Bentley, widow of former National Black Evangelical Association president William H. Bentley, she recalled Jewetts personal friendship with her husband and his interest and active involvement with African American social justice efforts. Bentley even reflected upon Jewetts extended stay in their home on a visit to Chicagos west side.

Jewett recognized the biblical devotion that informed Kings efforts to lift up the poor and socially disenfranchised. Jewetts commitment to racial equality was contrary to the racial barriers prevalent within his own evangelical tradition. As evangelical theologian Carl F. H. Henry expressed in his 1947 work, The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism, If the Bible-believing Christian is on the wrong side of the social problems such as war, race, class, labor, liquor, imperialism, etc., it is time to get over the fence to the right side. The church needs a progressive Fundamentalism with a social message.

Many white Christians bought into the wrong-headed idea of segregated worship as sanctioned by God. Antebellum white Christian enslavers regulated the preaching content over the enslaved. Messages like Slaves, obey your masters, Love your enemies, and Do not steal served as biblical pretexts along with conflated readings related to the so-called Hamitic curse in Genesis 9 and the runaway slave narrative in the letter to Philemon. Such readings promoted the enslavement of dark-skinned peoples. From postCivil War through the Jim Crow era, legal mandates dictated worship divided by race.

Speaking about white American Christians regularly attending church, Daniel Schultz notes that, . . . as white American Christianity contracts, the people left behind in the pews are indeed those most committed to preserving the social order. Keeping their churches alive requires preserving outdated traditions that promote social rigidity and racial resentment conditioned from the past. Many white churches situate residentially in white communities and draw their membership from there. Passe social attitudes go unchecked and unrecognized. Evangelicals have long sidestepped responsibility for advancing racial equality and solidarity. Edward J. Carnell, the second president of Fuller, confessed his personal difficulty in choosing to do the Christian thing over personal interest. Decades since, many white Christians still choose personal interest (such as social privilege) over the Christian thing to do.

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For some white Christians, resistance to changing harmful traditional attitudes is viewed as giving in to worldly secularism and political correctness. But its possible to adapt to growing social changes without dethroning the God of Scripture.

For some white Christians, resistance to changing harmful traditional attitudes is viewed as giving in to worldly secularism and political correctness. But its possible to adapt to growing social changes without dethroning the God of Scripture. For white Christians to align with black congregations necessitates their leaving largely homogenous residential churches, neighborhoods, and attitudes. Misperceptions creating roadblocks to racial solidarity include white Christians views of African Americans as less educated, hence socially and culturally inferior to whites, compelling most white Christians to reject the idea of submitting to African American spiritual leadership.

The small cadre of black leadership in white Christian fellowships ironically raises further suspicion about commitments to racial and social justice, what Cornel West characterizes as race-effacing leaders or race-distancing elitists. In an attempt to appeal to a large white constituency, West contends this type of [Black] leader tends to stunt progressive development and silence the prophetic voice in the Black community. West argues that despite these individuals being the only black representatives in exclusive white circles, they are not necessarily the best ones to espouse black Americas concerns.

Multiracial churches, congregations where no single racial or ethnic group constitutes more than 80 percent of the membership, are typically headed by white leaders. These churches have been reeling due to protests and racial unrest in response to the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and other young African Americans at the hands of police officers. Multiracial and predominantly white churches promoting race neutral positions or post-racial climates get singled out as creating ironic roadblocks to racial solidarity.

The racial and ethnic divide within Christianity is akin to the first-century rift between Jews and Samaritans. Jesus encounter with a Samaritan woman at Jacobs well, considered scandalous by his disciples and other Jews (John 4) exposed this division. Jesus engaged with the Samaritan woman at a deeper level beyond her gender and ethnicity, resulting in a spiritual liberation that brings forth reconciliation. Jesus confronted the status quo of Jewish-Samaritan ethnic division with his own privilege as a Jewish male teacher of the law. He aligned with this woman, serving as a bridge-builder of solidarity, reconciliation, and healing.

There are hopefully many white Christians who attend and align organically in solidarity with black Christian fellowships. Yet reconciliation must go beyond attendance and alignment. A majority of white Christians resist attending black churches or multiracial fellowships headed by African American leadership. Failure to cultivate racial solidarity misrepresents Christianitys role in genuine reconciliation and healing. The life of Jesus, exuded by Paul Jewett, presses for deeper engagement, tapping into Christianitys capacity as a bridge toward solidarity we all must be willing to travel.

Jamal-Dominique Hopkins is dean and associate professor of religion and theology at Allen Universitys Dickerson-Green Theological Seminary. An ordained minister, he also is a Christ and Being Human Pedagogy Fellow at Yale Universitys Center for Faith and Culture.
A lab technician sorts blood samples for COVID-19 vaccination study at the Research Centers of America in Hollywood, FL on Aug. 13

A lab technician sorts blood samples for COVID-19 vaccination study at the Research Centers of America in Hollywood, FL on Aug. 13 Credit - Chandan KhannaAFP/Getty Images

The authorization of an effective vaccine will mark perhaps the biggest turning point in the battle against coronavirus, but only if enough people are willing to get vaccinated. There have been substantial declines in public willingness to get vaccinated against COVID-19, despite immense, unprecedented public investments in vaccine development. In one survey, barely half of Americans said they would get the vaccine as soon as it was available, numbers that will undermine the benefits of even a highly effective vaccine.

It is no mystery why trust in a potential vaccine has plummeted. Operation Warp Speed, the Trump Administrations $10 billion vaccine initiative, and other vaccine efforts have compressed processes that usually take years into months. This speed alone can raise concerns, but to date, that pace has been matched with strict adherence to the basic principles of scientific integrity. However, increasing politicization of key regulatory bodies and unexplained decisions in trial procedures threaten to undermine the entire project. We need a lot more transparency in this process to ensure that only a vaccine proven by data to be safe and effective will be approved.

Unlike medical treatments given to the sick, vaccines are given to healthy people. Historically, vaccines have been very safe and highly effective due to the rigor and care of both the scientists conducting the trials, and the regulators deciding whether to approve vaccines for public use. Even rare adverse events are carefully identified and studied. For vaccinations to work, we must be able to trust our doctors when they tell us it is time for a shot.

The coronavirus vaccine approval process has consequences that extend well beyond the pandemic. Driven by misinformation, so-called vaccine hesitancy has been growing for years. But as long as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could be trusted to rigorously follow the science, most of us continued to get vaccinated. That has changed in the pandemic. The politicization of the FDAapparent in the handling of the authorization of hydroxychloroquine and convalescent plasma, amongst othershas substantially damaged faith in the FDA. If the FDA again acts politically in approving a vaccine, it will further increase vaccine hesitancy. If safety concerns emerge after the vaccine has been approved, confidence in vaccines could be destroyed for a generation, in a single stroke, undoing a century of public health gains.

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But restoring trust in FDA alone will not be enough. We need the companies making the vaccines, and the researchers studying the data, to act differently as well. Recently, one of the major trialsfor the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, supported by more than $1 billion in public funds from Operation Warp Speedwas paused following a possible adverse reaction to the virus in a trial participant. But while the leadership of AstraZeneca mentioned the event in a private phone call with investors, they did not share the details with the public. A few days later, the trials resumed again, with little information of what changed. This will not do. Given that the American taxpayer has invested billions of dollars into these trials, and will foot the bill for billions more when the vaccine is released, the American people have a right to know much more.

Beyond more fully disclosing safety events, the pharmaceutical companies working to develop a vaccine should publish the protocols of their clinical trial protocols, as Moderna did on Thursday, so we understand how the trials are structured, if changes have been made, and why. This is essential. Further, they should publish their analysis plan so the public can see what subgroups of patients the investigators had planned to study, why, and whether their approach is sound. Each time a trial is paused tell the public what happened, how it was investigated, and why the trial was allowed to continue.

Making these critical documents public would be unusualthey usually arent made public until a trial is published. However, these are extraordinary times and failure to secure confidence in a COVID-19 vaccine would have disastrous consequences.

With just weeks until the election, the pressure on the FDA to quickly approve a vaccine will mount. But the more the timeline is politicized, the more vaccine hesitancy will grow. Transparency can stem the tide of skepticism, even if it cannot entirely extinguish the persistent current of misinformation and mistrust of science. We must practice aggressive transparency, and let the FDAs career scientists, not political appointees, make the decisions about approvals and explain those decisions to the American people.

The publics faith in the vaccine development process is a critical component of the vaccine, because vaccines dont save lives, vaccinations do. For a vaccine to help bring this pandemic under control, hundreds of thousands of healthy Americans must undergo vaccination. We need to assure them that the vaccines workand that they are safe. These are unprecedented times. They need unprecedented transparency.
The head of the World Food Programme (WFP) David Beasley attends a press conference about an updated aid appeal for South Sudan on May 15, 2017 at the United Nations Office in Geneva. FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images

The UN's top food official has urged billionaires and businesses to help save 30 million people around the world who are at risk of dying from hunger this year without aid. UN World Food Programme Executive Director David Beasley said on Thursday that the organization requires $4.9 billion to feed those at risk for one year. "Worldwide, there are over 2,000 billionaires with a net worth of $8 trillion. In my home country, the USA, there are 12 individuals alone worth $1 trillion," Beasley told a UN Security Council panel on conflict-induced hunger. "In fact, reports state that three of them made billions upon billions during Covid. I am not opposed to people making money, but humanity is facing the greatest crisis any of us have seen in our lifetimes." As the world reeled from the coronavirus crisis, a number of CEOs saw their net worth rise amid a broad market rally, led by the tech sector. As of Friday, according to Forbes real-time data, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos remains the world's richest person with a net worth of $177.9 billion. He was reported to have added $13 billion in a single day in July.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos Alex Wong | Getty Images

In terms of net worth, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg are worth $115.4 billion and $93.7 billion, respectively, while Tesla CEO Elon Musk's net worth is estimated at $88.9 billion. Beasley highlighted that the Covid-19 pandemic had compounded widespread food insecurity caused by years of conflict in Nigeria, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Yemen. This, combined with conflict and climate change, meant that "the 270 million people marching toward the brink of starvation need our help more than ever," he said, dubbing 2021 a "make-or-break year." The WFP is working with more than 50 governments to scale up their safety nets, in an attempt to help 138 million people and avert what Beasley termed a "hunger pandemic." "We're doing just about all we can do to stop the dam from bursting. But, without the resources we need, a wave of hunger and famine still threatens to sweep across the globe," Beasley said. "And if it does, it will overwhelm nations and communities already weakened by years of conflict and instability."

Villagers collect food aid dropped from a plane in gunny bags from a plane onto a drop zone at a village in Ayod county, South Sudan, where World Food Programme (WFP) have just carried out an food drop of grain and supplementary aid on February 6, 2020. Tony Karumba | AFP | Getty Images
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 19:43:30|Editor: huaxia

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FUZHOU, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- China plans to launch Taiji-2, a satellite to conduct in-orbit experiments on key technologies related to space-based gravitational wave detection, before 2024, Wu Yueliang, chief scientist of the Taiji program, said on Friday.

Taiji-1, China's first satellite in the program, was launched in August 2019 and has been performing well in orbit, said Wu, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), at the ongoing 2020 China Space Conference held in Fuzhou, capital of east China's Fujian Province.

"Taiji-1 has taken the fundamental step in China's gravitational wave detection. Its experimental results have verified the correctness and the feasibility of the whole Taiji program," Wu added.

CAS set out a three-step strategy to implement the Taiji program. It took a research team about one year to develop Taiji-1. Two satellites are expected to be launched in the second step, and three more in the third step. Enditem
National Youth Organizer of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Henry Nana Boakye says persons or political parties which cannot afford to pay the EC's filing fee should bow out of the electoral contest and allow those who can to go into the elections.



Presidential aspirants are obliged to pay a fee of Ghc 100,000 while Parliamentary candidates are paying Ghc 10,000 to file their nominations, according to the Electoral Commission (EC) Chairperson, Madam Jean Mensa.



"The Presidential Candidate will be required to deposit an amount of Ghc 100,000 in a form of a Bankers draft to the Commission, Parliamentary Candidates will be required to deposit Ghc 10,000 in a form of a Bankers draft as well. We wish all candidates for both presidential and parliamentary elections well, we trust that the nomination process will be efficient, seemless and orderly..." she said.



Submission deadline for the nomination forms is from Monday, 5th October to Friday, 9th October, 2020 between the hours of 9am and 12noon, and 2pm and 5pm each day.



Following the EC's announcement, some political party members have opposed the filing fee, particularly with the Presidential seat.



They argue the fee is immoderate and want the EC to reduce it for the candidates.



Addressing the issue, Henry Nana Boakye wondered why there are calls for the EC to reduce the filing fee for the Presidential candidates.



In his view, the fee is very moderate and any person who wants to become President should afford to pay.



"We're making it look like it's student politics. Even in students' politics, when a person wants to become SRC President, you'll have to pay some filing fee and in this case, we're talking about vying for President of the nation. I mean why are we acting like this? So you want to say as a whole political party or an independent candidate, you cannot marshall resources. Some have also raised questions like are we selling the Presidency? No! The explanation is if you're interested in this contest, you need to be resourceful," he stressed on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo'.



Nana Boakye called on the political parties to attach seriousness to the Presidential seat, asserting that to be President of Ghana is no joke.



"We're talking about becoming a President; that you want to be called the President of the Republic, Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, it's not simple . . . It's like going to wed a lady and the family gives you a list, then you ask them if they're selling the lady to you. What are talking about? Are you not serious? If you're not serious, go home," he stated.







Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Shopian encounter: Army finds prima facie evidence against troops for misusing powers under AFSPA

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Srinagar, Sep 18: The Army has found "prima facie" evidence its troops violated powers under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act during an encounter in Kashmir's Shopian district in which three men were killed in July this year and has initiated disciplinary proceedings, officials said on Friday.

Indian Army indicts troops involved in J&K encounter | Oneindia News

On July 18, the Army claimed three militants were killed in Amshipura village in the higher reaches of south Kashmir's Shopian district.

Indian Army ready to fight full-fledged war with China even in winters

Committed to ethical conduct during anti-militancy operations, the Army initiated an inquiry after social media reports indicated the three men hailed from Rajouri district of Jammu region and had gone missing at Amshipura, said Col Rajesh Kalia, the defence spokesperson in Srinagar. The probe was completed in a record four weeks.

"The inquiry has brought out certain prima facie evidence indicating that during the operation, powers vested under the AFSPA 1990 were exceeded and the Do''s and Don''ts of Chief of Army Staff as approved by the Supreme Court have been contravened. "Consequently, the competent disciplinary authority has directed to initiate disciplinary proceedings under the Army Act against those found prima-facie answerable," a brief statement from the Army said.

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Story first published: Saturday, September 19, 2020, 0:16 [IST]
I am a relatively new San Antonian, although my family visited a few times when our daughter was young. The first place we went to was the Alamo, like millions of people before and after us.

I am also a lover of history and culture. When I think of seminal moments in American military history, top of mind are Concord and Lexington, winter at Valley Forge, the Battle of Gettysburg, the Meuse-Argonne offensive, D-Day and the Battle of the Alamo.

However, the Alamo area is so much more.

During my first visit, I learned the 1836 battle was a seminal, multidimensional event in Texian and Mexican histories. I also learned about the missions and their role in Spanish expansion and conquest in the New World. And we know the battle catalyzed cultural, social, economic and civic changes critical to forming todays United States stretching from shore to shore.

Since moving here, Ive learned more about the history and culture of the indigenous peoples whose roots and heritage of this area are timeless. And about San Antonio being the first southern city to voluntarily desegregate lunch counters, including at the Woolworth and Kress buildings neighboring the Alamo.

Several years ago, community leaders from all sectors came together to envision a singular, world-class destination and experience worthy of the cultural importance of the Alamo. A vision for everyone who loves San Antonio, the largest Hispanic-majority and seventh-largest city in America.

Continuing coverage: New rendering shows vision for Alamo Plaza makeover

The Alamo Plan would reclaim the plaza as the center of civic life, substantially strengthen our downtown economy and elevate the San Antonio brand nationally and internationally.

The plan includes an awe-inspiring visitor center, museum, and collections of art and artifacts for San Antonians and visitors from across the world to enjoy and cherish.

The center would foster a comprehensive education curriculum that would investigate, interpret and present centuries of individual, community and national growth through living history explorations, excavation interactionsand other experiences based on historical and archaeological evidence. It aims to expand beyond the heroic exploits and mythologized narratives to uncover and discuss all the stories and histories of this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Looking toward the past, the Alamo Plan is essential to archaeological discovery and to preserving, conserving and making crucial repairs to the deteriorating Alamo Church and other historic structures. This includes the Cenotaph.

Looking toward the future, a revitalized, incomparable Alamo environment and experience would provide inspiration and opportunities for artistic, educational, cultural and economic advancement as the Alamo, San Antonio and Texas continue to innovate, evolve and make new history.

To punctuate the economic impact of the Alamo Plan, lets start with the hospitality industry being the third-largest sector in San Antonio. According to the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank, from January to April, this sector saw employment decline at an annualized rate of 89.3 percent.

The San Antonio economy needs every hand it can find to help the recovery  and more importantly, build a stronger, more resilient economy and community.

According to a 2019 analysis, the Alamo Plan is forecast to boost economic activity here by $1 billion over five years. This represents a major increase in annual visitors and related spending, as well as thousands of jobs.

Unfortunately, the current location of the Cenotaph would prevent all of this from happening.

2020 Voter Guide: A roadmap of the races, candidates and issues on the ballot

I leave the experts to provide evidence regarding the architectural, archaeological, historic, design, and other well-founded and reasoned analyses supporting moving the Cenotaph.

To my heart and mind, the Alamo battleground is hallowed. It is indisputable the Cenotaph is a monument honoring its fallen defenders. Moving the Cenotaph within the battlefield retains its critical connection to this hallowed ground and relationship to the church. It would be framed and illuminated at the entrance so all visitors would experience its solemn grandeur, day or night.

I do not see this situation as moving the Cenotaph; I view it as saving the Cenotaph from ruin while elevating its significance as a celebrated and critical feature of the Alamo Plan. A plan that arguably is the most significant cultural, civic, communal and economic initiative for San Antonio in a generation.

For the sake of the future of our beloved San Antonio, we should support and advance the Alamo Plan. Join us at supportthealamoplan.com to become another San Antonian and Texan who wants an Alamo that is unforgettable.

Matthew Brown is the CEO of Centro San Antonio.
Victorians face unprecedented changes to their holidays this summer  including wearing masks on the beach  as anxious coastal communities prepare for an influx of Melburnians.

Encouraging people to visit busy beaches at low tide when there's more room and promoting lesser-known destinations are set to be part of a push to prevent the potential spread of coronavirus in regional areas where the case numbers are much lower than they are in Melbourne.

Geelong mayor Stephanie Asher says holidaymakers should consider visiting the beach at low tide to allow crowds to spread out. Credit:Jason South

Melburnians won't get to see the ocean until the city moves to step three on the coronavirus road map, which requires an average of no more than five daily cases statewide in a fortnight and no more than five mystery cases.

Even so, tourism groups say people hoping to visit popular attractions will need to consider going in off-peak periods  even at sunrise or sunset.
Those entering Vietnam from September 1 have to pay costs of their quarantine at concentrated facilities, as Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc recently agreed with the Finance Ministrys proposal related to this issue.

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Accordingly, the quarantine stay at military bases or other facilities designated by authorised State agencies will cost 120,000 VND (5.2 USD) per day, including 80,000 VND for food and 40,000 VND for daily necessities.

Those who want to stay in hotels and resorts will pay the fees decided by the lodging facilities.

All of them have to take tests for the coronavirus and pay testing fees themselves, the PM ordered.

Vietnamese COVID-19 patients will continue to receive free check-ups and treatment. For foreigners, the PM has assigned the Ministry of Health to make a report to the Government that will be submitted to the National Assemblys Standing Committee for consideration.

Bills for other diseases during the quarantine period will be borne by health insurance. Those without health insurance will cover the bills themselves.

The rules are applied for those who have come to Vietnam and undergone concentrated quarantine as from September 1.

On September 16, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh approved a proposal on resuming regular international passenger flights between Vietnam and some partners submitted by the Transport Ministry.

Accordingly, Vietnam will resume four air routes to Guangzhou (China), Taiwan (China), Seoul (the Republic of Korea), and Tokyo (Japan) from September 15, and to Phnom Penh (Cambodia) and Vientiane (Laos) from September 22.

The maximum number of flights will not exceed two per week on each route and may be further increased depending on the situation./.VNA
LONDON - A lawyer for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has told a London court that her client was indirectly offered a win-win deal by President Donald Trump that would see him avoid extradition to the U.S. if he revealed the source of a leak of documents from the Democratic Party before the 2016 election.

Assange, who didnt reveal the source of the leak of the Democratic National Committee emails, is fighting efforts by the U.S. to extradite him to face an array of charges related to his work at WikiLeaks.

Jennifer Robinson, who has represented WikiLeaks for a decade, relayed to the court Friday via a written statement that her client had been made an offer at a meeting on Aug. 15, 2017, with former Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher and Trump associate Charles Johnson.

In her statement that was read out at Londons Criminal Court, Robinson said the pair wanted us to believe they were acting on behalf of the president and that they had stated that Trump was aware of and had approved of them coming to meet with Assange to discuss the proposal. She also said the pair said they would have an audience with the president to discuss the matter on their return to Washington.

Robinson said that Rohrabacher had said he had come to London to talk to Assange at his then-refuge at the Ecuadorian Embassy about what might be necessary to get him out, presenting him with a win-win situation that would allow him to leave the embassy and get on with his life without fear of being extradited to the U.S.

The proposal put forward by Congressman Rohrabacher was that Assange identify the source for the 2016 election publications in return for some kind of pardon, assurance or agreement which would both benefit President Trump politically and prevent U.S. indictment and extradition, Robinson said. Any information on the source of the link would be of interest, value and assistance to Trump, the pair said, according to Robinson.

Robinson said that Rohrabacher explained at the meeting that he wanted to resolve the ongoing speculation about Russian involvement in the leaks. Russia has been widely blamed to have been behind the email theft. At the time of the meeting, special counsel Robert Mueller was investigating alleged ties between Russia and Trumps 2016 election campaign.

Assange didnt reveal the source of the leak of the Democratic National Committee emails, which were published by WikiLeaks, among others, in 2016 in the run-up to the election. They are considered to have damaged Hillary Clintons presidential campaign against Trump.

Rohrabacher, who lost his seat in the 2018 midterm elections, has previously said he never spoke with Trump about Assange and wasnt directed by the president or anyone else connected with him to meet with Assange.

James Lewis, a lawyer acting on behalf of the U.S. government, said it wasnt contesting that these things were said.

We obviously do not accept the truth of what was said by others, he said.

U.S. prosecutors have indicted the 49-year-old Assange on 17 espionage charges, and one of computer misuse, over WikiLeaks publication of secret U.S. military documents a decade ago, largely around the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq a decade ago. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison.

Assanges lawyers say the prosecution is politically motivated and that he wont receive a fair trial in the United States. They also argue that Assange was acting as a journalist entitled to First Amendment protection.

Assange has been in a British prison since his ejection from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London in April 2019. He had been granted asylum by Ecuador in 2012 over fears he would face possible extradition to the U.S. related to his work with WikiLeaks.

The extradition hearing is due to last until early October.
New Delhi: In a major security breach, a malware has attacked more than 100 computers of the National Informatics Centre (NIC), the governments nodal agency which is responsible for securing critical cyber-infrastructure in the country and comes under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

The incident triggers concerns in view of recent reports about alleged snooping by Chinese firms on Indian politicians, armed forces officials, leading, entrepreneurs and journalists, among others. Soon after the bug was identified, Delhi Polices Special Cell begun its investigation into the matter.

It has also registered a case under the Information Technology (IT) Act in this connection.

According to the initial investigation, an email from a firm in Bengaluru is suspected to have created the malware. An employee at MeitY said in his police complaint that he was unable to access his email and that there was something amiss.

Later, it was found that not just his computer, but several others, too, were compromised.

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During preliminary investigation, it was found that several of these systems had received an email, suspected to be a malware attack. When the users clicked on the email, their systems were affected.

The origins of the bug have been traced to an IT company in Bengaluru, however, it is also being suspected that the email containing bug was reportedly sent from the United States via a proxy server to the Bengaluru based firm.

According to police sources, the computers at NICs cyber hub contain crucial information and data on Indias security, citizens and important government functionaries, including the prime minister, National Security Advisor, the home minister, among others.

The NIC, which comes under the MeitY helps in the implementation of national and state-level e-governance projects, provides consultancy to government departments and is responsible for research and development, and capacity building.
New Delhi: Computer Age Management Services (CAMS) has announced that its initial public offering (IPO) will hit the primary market on September 21 while the anchor investors' portion will open on Friday (September 18).

CAMS, which acts as a registrar and transfer agent (RTA) for mutual funds is targeting to raise Rs 2,240 crore from investors.

The company's chief executive Anuj Kumar said NSE decided to sell its entire holding in the company after capital markets watchdog Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) directing the top equity bourse to pare its holding in the company, PTI said.

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Here is all you need to know about the CAMS IPO

Anchor investors' portion will open on September 18.



The issue will open on September 21 and close of September 23.



Half of the issue is reserved for qualified institutional buyers.



35 percent is reserved to retail investors, 15 per cent to non-institutional bidders.



1.82 lakh shares are reserved for employees, who will get the shares at a 10 per cent discount.



The price band has been set at between Rs 1,229-1,230 per share.



Company will raise Rs 2,242 crore at the upper end of the band.



The offer will see sale of 1,82,46,600 equity shares or 37.4 per cent stake by NSE Investments.



NSE Investments is the subsidiary of National Stock Exchange (NSE).



The entire quantum of shares being sold to investors is NSE's holding.



There will not be any new issue of shares which may see money coming into the company.



The issue is being managed by Kotak Mahindra Capital Co Ltd, HDFC Bank Ltd, ICICI Securities Ltd and Nomura Financial Advisory and Securities (India) Pvt Ltd.

CAMS is a technology-driven financial infrastructure and services provider to mutual funds and other financial institutions. Headquartered in Chennai, CAMS is co-owned by NSE Investments, Warburg Pincus, Faering Capital ACSYS Investments and HDFC Group.
Mumbai Police has quashed media reports that claim late celebrity manager Disha Salian dialed 100 from her phone before she allegedly died by suicide on June 8.

The last call from Disha Salian's phone was made to her friend Ankita. The claims that she tried to dial 100 the last time, is false: Mumbai Police official #SushantSinghRajput's former manager Disha Salian was found dead on June 8 in Mumbai. ANI (@ANI) September 18, 2020

Some have also alleged that the deaths of Sushant Singh Rajput and Disha are interlinked, but the Mumbai Police did not investigate the Disha angle. Dishas death was allegedly caused by a fall from the 14th floor of building in Mumbais Malad area.

Disha (28) used to work for a talent management company and handled Sushants account. Six days after Dishas death, Sushant allegedly died by suicide. Both the cases are being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and a possible link is also being probed by the agency.
If you are here reading this post then you are probably going to be in Mumbai, India for 24 hours. If you are visiting the city for the first time in your life, then it can be quite an overwhelming experience for you. Mumbai is well connected to all major cities inside and outside India. If you are arriving at the national capital of Delhi, then you can directly fly from Delhi to Mumbai or even take a train to experience the journey. In this post, we are going to talk about a few places that you can visit in Mumbai when you are in the city for 24 hours.

Top Places to Visit in Mumbai in One Day

Film City If you are in Mumbai, then your visit will be incomplete without experiencing a little Bollywood magic. Hence, make sure you take a guided tour of the Film City and witness a number of films being filmed. Bandra Fort Though not much of a spectacle, witnessing the coastline of Mumbai from the fort is a different experience altogether. The fort dates back to the 1600s and was constructed by the Portuguese. Juhu Beach If you wish to catch some Bollywood celebrities and simultaneously enjoy the sea, then Juhu Beach is the place where you should go. It is one of the most popular beaches of Mumbai and you can spot celebs hanging around here as well. Elephanta Islands If you plan to visit the Elephanta Islands, then you require catching a ferry from the Gateway of India. Make sure you catch the early ferries since it takes a substantial time to reach and explore the Elephanta Islands and you require coming back to the city to explore other popular tourist destinations. The islands contain a multitude of caves dedicated to Shiva, the God in Hindu Mythology. Gateway of India As mentioned above, the ferry to the Elephanta Islands, you need to catch from the Gateway of India. So, while visiting the islands, you will cover one more iconic tourist spot in Mumbai. When King George V visited India in 1911, his visit was commemorated by constructing the Gateway of India. Please note that after the terrorist attacks in 2008, security is pretty tight at the place. Taj Mahal Palace Hotel Again, since you are at the Gateway of India, you must not miss the amazing Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. It is one of the most luxurious hotels in Mumbai. You can catch some amazing shots of the hotel from outside, however, from inside the shots will be much more fantabulous and splendiferous. Even if you are not staying in the hotel, you can have a dining experience as the hotel is open to the general public. If you are planning to have a grand dining experience in the hotel, make sure you book well in advance.

Final Words

These are some of the major places which you must visit when you are in Mumbai for one day. Enjoy the experience.
South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha held a meeting with her Vietnamese counterpart Pham Binh Minh on Friday to discuss bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

Kang's two-day visit to Hanoi is being seen as an opportunity for the ministers to strengthen ties between the two Asian strategic partners

South Korea is Vietnam's largest foreign investor with almost 8 billion US dollars poured in the Southeast Asian country last year.

South Korea is also among the few countries with which Vietnam is resuming commercial flights after being grounded for months due to COVID-19.
A Tesla driver has been charged after being found asleep at the wheel of his self-driving car speeding along at 93mph while using the 'autopilot system' in Canada.

The man's Model S Tesla was pictured with its seats fully reclined while roaring along near the town of Ponoka, about 60 miles south of Edmonton in Alberta.

Both the driver and another passenger were said to be asleep in the two front seats of the car.

When cops discovered the car traveling at about 86mph, they turned on their emergency flashing lights - only for the Tesla to 'automatically begin to accelerate' to 93mph. The speed limit on that stretch of highway is about 68mph.

'The car appeared to be self-driving, traveling over 140km/h, with both front seats completely reclined and both occupants appearing to be asleep,' said a statement from the Royal Canadian Mounted police (RCMP).

It is not clear why the car sped up to 93 mph (exactly 150 km/h) as the cars moved out of the way when the police gave chase.

The driver, 20, from British Colombia, was charged with speeding and given a 24-hour license suspension for fatigue.

A Tesla driver has been charged after being found asleep at the wheel of his self-driving car speeding along at 93mph in Canada. Pictured: A picture taken by the Royal Canadian Mounted police of the Tesla Model S involved in the incident

He was later also charged with dangerous driving and he was served a summons to appear in court in December.

RCMP Sgt. Darrin Turnbull told CBC News: 'Nobody was looking out the windshield to see where the car was going. I've been in policing for over 23 years and the majority of that in traffic law enforcement, and I'm speechless.

'I've never, ever seen anything like this before, but of course the technology wasn't there.'

Tesla Model S sedans have autopilot functions which includes auto-steer as well as 'traffic-aware' cruise control. In this case both functions appeared to be in use..

Turnball added: 'We believe the vehicle was operating on the autopilot system, which is really just an advanced driver safety system, a driver assist program. You still need to be driving the vehicle.

'But of course, there are after-market things that can be done to a vehicle against the manufacturer's recommendations to change or circumvent the safety system.'

Pictured: A Tesla Model S, the same model that was caught speeding down a Canadian highway while its driver was using the auto-pilot features to take a nap (stock image)

The auto-pilot function will steer, accelerate and brake for the car within its lane, according to Tesla's website, but notes that the driver still needs to be paying attention. The function does 'not make the vehicle autonomous', it says.

RCMP superintendent Gary Graham said in the statement: 'Although manufacturers of new vehicles have built-in safeguards to prevent drivers from taking advantage of the new safety systems in vehicles, those systems are just that  supplemental safety systems.

'They are not self-driving systems. They still come with the responsibility of driving.'

In all Canadian provinces, using the self-driving feature is illegal without an alert driver present, with the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) stating that a driver is responsible for the vehicle's actions when driver assistance is turned on.

In July, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said he expects his company's vehicles to be fully autonomous by the end of the year, saying it was already 'very close' to meeting the requirements of 'level-five' autonomy, which requires no input from a driver.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has boldly claimed that Tesla cars could have 'level-five' autonomy by the end of the year. Level-five autonomy means the vehicle requires no input from the driver

Laws on autonomous vehicles in Canada, U.S. and U.K. Laws regarding self-driving or autonomous vehicles are currently at different stages from country to country. Canada is yet to adopt any comprehensive federal legislation that targets their use, or the liability issues they raise. While the use of autonomous vehicles is legal, currently, a human driver is required at all times to be able to take control of the vehicle when alerted to do so. Therefore, they must be aware and ready to drive the car in any given moment, and all existing laws - such as those regarding the use of a cell phone or remaining awake - still apply. In the U.S., the legality of operating an autonomous vehicle varies from state to state, although no state has an outright ban on them. As of 2020, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont all require a human operator in the vehicle. Some states (Florida, Georgia, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, and Washington) require a human operator to be present based on the level of the vehicle's automation. Some states have no legislation or executive orders regarding autonomous vehicles. These are Alaska, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wyoming. Some, such as California, have actively encouraged the testing of autonomous vehicles on the road as far back as 2012. In the U.K., legislation to regulate the use of automated vehicles is currently under consultation, although this is specifically related to the use of some safety features. The use of a self-driving auto-pilot system on U.K. roads is illegal, but hands-free driving on some roads could become legal by next year. This would would mean a driver must be ready to take control of the vehicle, but can do things such as checking their phone while the steering assist and cruise control is engaged on highways. Advertisement

Currently, Tesla vehicles have 'level-two' autonomy, but Musk claimed that current Teslas on the road can be upgraded to 'level-five' with a simple software update push.

'I remain confident that we will have the basic functionality for level five autonomy complete this year. There are no fundamental challenges remaining. There are many small problems,' he said in July.

'And then there's the challenge of solving all those small problems and putting the whole system together.'

But IHS Markit analyst Tim Urquhart said while level-five autonomous driving was the 'holy grail' in the industry, 'Even if Tesla can reliably roll out the technology in a production environment, the regulatory environment in all the major markets is way behind allowing completely autonomous vehicles on the road.'

The incident in Canada in July is not the only example of drivers being caught while being overly reliant on Tesla's self-driving function, with some resulting in accidents.

In January, an Ontario driver was charged with reckless driver after police caught him using both hands to floss his teeth while behind the wheel as his vehicle shot down the highway at 83 mph.

Two months before, a Tesla was filmed in Richmond driving the wrong way down a road in a parking lot - without a driver.

In the United States, a number of fatal crashes involving the 'autopilot' function are being investigated by officials, including one in which a driver was using the feature to play on his smartphone.

Last week, a TikTok video emerged of a Tesla car driving down a California highway on autopilot with nobody in the driving seat as four passengers drink cans of seltzer and sing along to Justin Bieber.

The shocking footage, posted on the TikTok account @BlurrBlake, showed three young men - alongside the unknown person behind the camera - partying inside the vehicle as it flies down the highway.

The car allegedly reached speeds of 60 mph, all with no human driver ready to take over the vehicle, reported TMZ.

As per Tesla's website, the vehicle's autopilot system must be used 'with a fully attentive driver, who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to take over at any moment'.

The technology has been connected to four fatal accidents in the U.S.

In March 2019, Florida driver Jeremy Banner, 50, died when his Tesla Model 3 slammed into a trailer truck.

National Transportation Safety Board investigators said Banner turned on the autopilot feature about 10 seconds before the crash, and the autopilot did not execute any evasive maneuvers to avoid the collision.

Three other fatal crashes date back to 2016.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  A man who was shot at close range by a police riot device intended for long-range targets has filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Grand Rapids and two officers.

Sean Hart and his fiancee, Tiffany Guzman, accused police of misconduct and excessive force after he was shot in the shoulder during the May 30 riot in Grand Rapids.

Officer Phillip Reinink, who served a two-day, unpaid suspension for use of unreasonable force, is named as a defendant in the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids.

Cellphone video of the incident went viral.

Reinink thought he was firing a chemical agent intended for short-range targets but instead fired Spede-Heat CS, a long-range projectile that is not supposed to be fired at people, police said.

Grand Rapids police declined to comment on pending litigation. A message seeking comment was left with City Attorney Anita Hitchcock.

Chief Eric Payne earlier said the officer admitted he mistakenly loaded the less-than-lethal ammunition.

The canisters look similar. Police have since color-coded the canisters.

Payne has said that his officers were trying to control a chaotic situation with rioters looting downtown businesses and torching patrol cars. Bottles, bricks and fireworks were launched at police.

The riot followed a peaceful protest earlier that day over the May 25 killing of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man who died when a now-former Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck. The death led to protests and in some cases rioting across the country.

Harts attorney, Ven Johnson, said police admitted wrongdoing but he considered the punishment light. His client could have been killed, he said. The episode shows the need for true reform, and not just police reform, its the entire system of justice that makes exceptions for police officers," Johnson said.

Hart and Guzman live in Ionia Countys village of Muir. They were fishing the Grand River in Grand Rapids when they heard sirens and saw smoke and decided to take a look. Hart says they were driving through the city when police in riot gear stopped them from entering a one-way street, the lawsuit said.

He wasnt sure where to go and stopped, his attorney said. Three officers, including Reinink, quickly approached the vehicle and illegally threatened Hart and Guzman by pointing a loaded weapon at them and screaming to make what normally would have been an illegal left turn.

Hart made the left turn, but shaken by the encounter, stopped and walked toward a police line to complain about the officers' conduct. He was about 20 feet away when an officer, without warning, approached and sprayed a chemical agent  such as mace or pepper spray  in his face, his attorney said.

Reinink then shot Hart at point blank range with a long-range projectile designed to be launched from 375-450 feet away, Johnson said.

Hart was treated at a local hospital for burns and bruises to his eyes, face and shoulder, his attorney said. He did not use alcohol or drugs and was unarmed that night, his attorney said.

Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker earlier determined that no criminal charges would be filed against the officer.

Reinink, a seven-year officer, had no previous use-of-force complaints and is highly respected by colleagues, Chief Payne said earlier. He said Hart even admitted he had bad intentions when he returned and approached police.

The lawsuit said Hart was pointing toward Reinink and started to ask what gave him the right to point the gun at them when he was sprayed with the chemical agent and hit with the projectile.

None of the officers checked to see if he was OK, the lawsuit said.

Johnson said he is waiting for the Police Department to identify the officer who fired the chemical spray at his client. The unnamed officer is also a defendant.

Read more:

Officers unreasonable use of force in riot was mistake, not intentional, police chief says

Grand Rapids officer who fired riot device at man in viral video cleared criminally

Grand Rapids police chief: Riot, George Floyds murder at hands of police traumatize many
BOSTON, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- This week, Corporate Accountability and a global coalition of climate organizations released a first of its kind liability roadmap: a tool outlining how local to global decisionmakers can hold polluting industries liable for the climate damage they knowingly cause, while unlocking climate finance needed to address the climate crisis and implement solutions.

This roadmap, released just before New York Climate Week is the next stage in the global campaign to Make Big Polluters Pay and comes amid a flurry of lawsuits against the fossil fuel industry and polluting countries.

"The liability roadmap is about more than lawsuits and courtrooms," said Sriram Madhusoodanan of Corporate Accountability. "This is about making Big Polluters pay for the havoc they've wreaked by fueling the climate crisis and about forcing them to end their abuses."

Last September, international climate organizations launched a global call for Big Polluter liability at the UN Secretary General's Climate Action Summit in New York City. And at COP25 in Madrid, the demands of hundreds of thousands of people to make Big Polluters pay were delivered to government delegates.

"The liability roadmap is a tool we can use to call to account those who have knowingly caused the climate crisis, and make them pay," said Sara Shaw of Friends of the Earth International, "Not only that, it lays the foundations for systemic change  reducing corporate power and ensuring resources for the much-needed just transformation."

Liability has taken on new importance amid the COVID-19 pandemic and unprecedented climate disasters and is a growing area of focus for experts, activists, academics and governments alike as the industry's long history of denial and the link between industry emissions and climate impacts becomes more evidenced. From U.S. states to Vanuatu to Peru, elected officials and people are exploring holding polluters like the fossil fuel industry liable for its long history of deceit and environmental destruction. Last year, The Philippines' commission on human rights concluded that the fossil fuel industry can be held legally responsible for their role in climate change and an Indian fisherman challenging the International Finance Corporation (IFC) secured a precedent-setting judgement in the U.S. Supreme Court.

Quotes from launch partners can be found here.

SOURCE Corporate Accountability

Related Links

https://www.corporateaccountability.org


Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 18)  The Supreme Court has dismissed the petition for release and protection filed against progressive activist group Anakbayan in connection with the alleged disappearance of a student.

The high court on Friday said the petition for the issuance of a writ of amparo  or protection order from the court  filed by the parents of 18-year-old student Alicia Jasper Lucena was "not proper" as the legal remedy is confined to instances of enforced disappearances and extralegal killings.

"The Court said that there is not much issue that Alicia Jasper or AJs situation does not qualify either as an actual or threatened enforced disappearance or extralegal killing," the Supreme Court said, citing the decision penned by Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta on Wednesday.

The magistrates also junked the prayer for the issuance of a writ of habeas corpus -- which is an order to bring a detained person before the court to determine if detention is lawful.

Alicia's parents filed the petition in May, claiming their daughter was missing and she was threatened to join and go on hiding with Anakbayan. The student publicly denied that she was "missing," saying she willingly left their home due to abuse.

The Supreme Court noted that Alicia is not missing as she is known to be staying with officers of Anakbayan. It also said that she is of legal age, therefore, free to make her own decisions.

"AJ, in the eyes of the State, has earned the right to make independent choices with respect to the places where she wants to stay, as well as to the persons whose company she wants to keep," the decision read.
Egypt reported 131 new coronavirus cases on Friday, bringing the total infection tally to 101,772 since the outbreak began in mid-February, the health ministry announced.

The ministry also reported 18 new deaths, bringing the total fatalities from the virus to 5,733.

The ministry said that 800 patients had been discharged from hospitals over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of recoveries to 87,958.

Egypt saw a slight increase in the daily tally of coronavirus cases in recent weeks, reversing a low of 89 on August 22, the lowest daily case toll since April.

The government has repeatedly urged caution to avoid a second wave of the pandemic, particularly with the advent of autumn.
Vice PM has noted the importance of "team play."

Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories Oleksiy Reznikov says the negotiations within the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) on a peaceful settlement in Donbas are "extremely difficult."

"Is it easy for us to negotiate within the Trilateral Contact Group? No, it's very difficult. Negotiations are very difficult, opponents often fail to play by the rules. But the Ukrainian delegation is doing everything possible to defend the interests of our country," he said during a traditional Q&A session in the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, on September 18.

Read alsoKyiv agrees to integrate "Steinmeier formula" into law on Donbas special status  Ukraine delegate to TCGAddressing the lawmakers, Reznikov noted the importance of "team play."

"That's for the government, parliament, and negotiators to act in synergy. Because this only strengthens Ukraine's position and sends the right signals to our foreign partners. And this applies not only to Donbas, but also to Crimea and Sevastopol," the official said.

Truce in Donbas: background

A new ceasefire regime, which was agreed upon by the Trilateral Contact Group during Minsk peace talks, began to operate in Donbas at 00:01 Kyiv time on July 27.

The following rules came into force on July 27:
It's great that everyone's taking health insurance but for insurance companies the claims are mounting

New Delhi: Health insurance may be the fastest growing business segment in the general insurance sector due to popular awareness about the Covid-19 pandemic, but a significant surge in the number of claims is a cause of concern for insurers.

Insurers have earned revenue to the tune of Rs 450 crore through the sale of corona-specific products, whereas they settled a huge number of claims, paying out Rs 1,430 crore -- almost three times the premia they earned.

This fact was revealed by Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai) chairman S C Khuntia during a virtual summit held by CII on Thursday.

"Life insurance claims relating to Covid-19 are being settled by insurers within a weeks time. There has been a surge in health insurance claims relating to Covid-19 with a total of 2.38 lakh claims. Of these, 1.48 lakh claims amounting to 1,430 crore have already been settled," Khuntia said, adding that the sector has still witnessed a positive growth of 2.4 per cent between April and August end 2020 as compared to a year ago.

The insurance regulator, however, will be introducing the risk-based solvency margin for insurers in the next three years. "As of now, insurers are supposed to maintain solvency margin to the tune of 1.5 times of their total premium. As the risk varies segment wise, it is why the regulator is working on varying solvency margins for various segments," he said.

Khuntia also further asked all general insurance companies to ensure repeat purchase and renewal of policies as these are largely for a one-year time period. "This should be an indicator of your efficiency and customer relationship, he said, adding that the Irdai is working on standard products for insurance of dwelling units as well as term insurance which would be introduced by all insurers.

The insurance regulator is monitoring the persistency levels of life insurance companies and is also working on standard products for dwelling unit insurance and term insurance as well. The Irdai also wants 13th month persistency at at least 90 per cent and 61st month persistency at a minimum of 65 per cent. I would urge all of you to move towards this at the earliest. The Irdai would be monitoring this and has also asked all life insurers to try and meet these targets," he added.
EDWARDSVILLE  Adapting  like everyone  the Edwardsville Arts Center has found its way to connect.

There was never a better time to stay anchored than now, Edwardsville Arts Centers Gallery Manager Carolyn Tidball noted.

We are working to adapt how we connect with patrons during this time, she said. The health and safety of all who come to the center and attend our events is extremely important to us. Our gallery is currently closed for in-person visits, but we are still hosting art classes and exhibitions online.

Edwardsville Arts Center built an entirely new website, with help this summer from a high school intern who took photographs to upload to EACs recently rebuilt website, www.edwardsvilleartscenter.com. The intern photographed all of the artwork exhibited at the nonprofit Edwardsville gallery, 6165 Center Grove Road, for the site, where all available classes also are listed and linked for easy access to the public.

In the summer we realized that we needed to do everything online, said Tidball, of Edwardsville, who began working at the gallery in 2014; the gallery opened in 2011. The former site was not really set up for that. We had to use third party websites for signing up for things. Now, everything we do, you can sign up for and do on our new website. You can join classes, view exhibits, purchase from the Gallery Shop and access our free Saturday art tutorials, all available online, geared for a virtual experience.

Tidball added a few more virtual classes in recent days, but the Edwardsville Arts Center has held virtual classes since May. EAC will have yet more classes for fall, available at the website, which is the same URL as always  edwardsvilleartscenter.com.

Every Saturday, at 10 a.m., the EAC posts its tutorials online, as well as on its Facebook page and via email to anyone on its email list.

In March and April, we were not really sure if we were opening up again in May, but once it was clear we would stay this way, we moved things online, Tidball explained.

She found response to online classes better than expected.

We were not able to have as many students on Zoom, as in person, keeping the class sizes lower, but most have, on average, had around ten students, kids and adults, she said.

Classes include drawing, painting, ceramics and needle felting, among others.

The needle felting class coming up, you process wool using a burnt needle, agitating the fibers so they become hard and you can make little animals or other shapes, said Tidball, who earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in ceramics from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

The EACs first virtual showing, Metal and Mud: An Exhibition of Jewelry and Ceramic Cups, is a juried and invitational exhibit celebrating a collection of ceramic drinking vessels and art jewelry. Both artforms were created, and utilized, prior to recorded history. Both define the individuality of the makers and the owners. More than 40 artists from across the country are featured in their first online exhibition, which runs through Saturday, Sept. 19. Jurors Aimee Howard-Clinger and Joe Page, metalsmithing and ceramics faculty, respectively, at SIUE, accepted 39 artists to participate in this exhibit and invited five other artists to show their work. Howard-Clinger and Page are well-known artists in their fields.

The result is a superb collection of jewelry and ceramic cups, made by hand, by many talented hard-working artists  some of whom are students and some of whom are working, Tidball noted.

The jewelry in the exhibit is not limited to metal. Patrons will find a ring featuring black walnut bark, by Lisa Hamilton, necklaces made with bioplastic, by Beth Browne, and gutter foam juxtaposed with chalcedony in a wearable neck piece, by Tracy Welling.

Metalsmiths are notoriously scrupulous in their practice, both in technique and thought, and this show does an excellent job of featuring the beauty of metalsmithing in both craft and idea, Tidball said.

Ceramic cups in the show highlight a range of techniques and aesthetics.

And though the Edwardsville Art Fair is canceled, which is facilitated by the Edwardsville Arts Center in partnership with the city of Edwardsville, the EACs plan is to include the artists who would have participated in the juried show and fair in the EACs annual November Holiday Show. The show will be virtual and the exhibited art will be for sale.

The Edwardsville Arts Center also launched a new membership drive, sending out letters this week. But anyone can become a member online at www.edwardsvilleartscenter.com. Membership supports all of EACs programs.

Pandemic or not, the Edwardsville Arts Centers mission continues: To inspire the lives of youth and the creative spirit of adults through classes, exhibits and cultural events, especially underscoring the centers education programs, vast in scope and variety through public art classes. A new program, Art Out of the Box, meets all the tenets of the EACs mission.

Art Out of the Box kits have step-by-step instructions to complete as complex-as-possible art projects that are engaging and that kids can do without personal instruction, Tidball explained. Its art that is focused on historical and contemporary artists.

Art Out of the Box will be offered as long as funding continues, as long as needed, as long as school is altered during the pandemic, Tidball said.

Tidball lives in Edwardsville with her husband, Alex, and their 3-year-old son, Enno. Tidball grew up in the Chicago suburbs and moved to Edwardsville to attend SIUE.

The Edwardsville Arts Center is a community visual arts center that features local, regional and national artists.While the Edwardsville Arts Center will remain closed until at least 2021 due to the pandemic, the EAC is enthusiastic and thankful to be able to utilize its new and improved website to host an entire art exhibition that would normally be on display on its gallery walls.

Art is more important now than ever during this time when many of us are more isolated than ever before, Tidball said. Both making and viewing art is healing to the body and soul, and the EAC is committed to fulfilling their mission, even when they cant share their work with the community in person.

Visit the EACs website to view this exhibit, join classes and for more information at www.edwardsvilleartscenter.com.
T rumpeting new season trends for autumn/winter and beyond comes a bevy of decor brands  but they lack herd unity.

There are two camps, one saying interiors ahead will be warm, low-key and nurturing, the other going for the sensory shock of clear, joyful brights.

For Dulux, the UKs leading paint brand, its firmly the former, with natural and neutral touted for Brave Ground, the companys new colour of the year.

This is an elemental warm clay but you could say mud, really, and crueller tweets have lambasted just another beige.

In fact, Brave Ground is a very usable base. Team with the suggested palettes of companion shades for instant colour combinations that are professional and assured.

Dulux's Brave Ground is their colour of the year for 2021

The Earth Palette has the radiant blues of sea and sky, while the Expressive Palette is livelier, with reds and pinks.

Check these out on the shade boards already installed in B&Q. These are the colours for comfort and wellbeing, says Dulux, promising a personal sanctuary in difficult times.

By contrast, a luscious plum called Epoch, in a finish so matt it almost has a bloom, is the fave shade at Lancashires Graham & Brown, celebrating their 75th anniversary next year.

This is proud, regal and luxurious, they say. Add a flash of teal for the opulence of a peacock, or use tone-on-tone with lilac, lavender and heather.

But Crown Paints is sitting somewhat on the fence, punting Antidote  which essentially is any hue thats used tone on tone  as calm and relaxing. Or powder your walls with a pink beauty palette of blusher and lipstick. Or simply stick to greys.

With nine London stores, the no-nonsense Wilko chain has been doing own-brand paints since 1973.

Its top 10 best sellers sensibly embrace four greys along with immortal magnolia, duck egg blue, terracotta and a sunny yellow.

While a designer brand of emulsion could cost pushing 50 for 2.5 litres, Wilko does the same size for 12 with good customer reviews. Stores include Kensington, Fulham and Putney.

Trend expert Georgia Metcalfe (frenchbedroomcompany.co.uk) is definitely doing a Dulux: Earthy tones like fawn, taupe and beige are the new neutrals pushing out grey.

And that natural look can come effectively from rattan, bamboo, bleached wood, and undyed wool, with filtered light perhaps through soft linen sheers, or the traditional warm glow of table lamps.

Find this at boutique furnishers Graham & Green in Notting Hill and Bayswater.

Predominantly a wallpaper maker, Graham & Brown has a pattern of the year as well as paint. Called Timepiece, its a clever patchwork of archive motifs.

Tapping into history is a big trend all round, noticeably at Morris & Co, the UKs most Instagrammable wallpaper brand with 12,763 hashtags, according to SellHouseFast.uk.

Interior designer Ben Pentreath has re-coloured Morris classics, giving evergreen Willow Bough (1887) modern slashes of turquoise and pink, with new looks for many more old treasures.

The cherished brand of Warner, 150 years old, was failing but dynamic new owners have revamped its gracious archives for a scintillating whole-home offering of papers, fabrics, furniture, trimmings, made-to-order curtains and more.

We believe colour can bring happiness at home, says Amanda Mountain, who has used the archive of her greetings card label Lola for a first wallpaper collection.

Flamboyant and flowery, these bold botanicals with their cheeky bee motifs include fashionably dark backgrounds for the moody-minded, who should also check out House of Hackney in Shoreditch.

Graham & Brown's wallpaper of the year is Timepiece Amethyst, costing 60 per roll

So whats behind this disparate trend parade? Are trend reports more PR stunts than real life?

Our trends shape our thinking and stimulate creativity, which rubs off on products and ideas for the customer, says Alan Kemp head of marketing at Graham & Brown. But if you want to plough your own furrow, just go for it  we suggest paint shades for every wallpaper, however arcane.

Focus on pattern

Decor fair tips

The annual Focus decor fair is on now until Friday at the 120 showrooms of Design Centre Chelsea Harbour, SW10, part of London Design Festival which runs until Sunday.

This year, Focus is for trade only but an ambitious line-up of talks, seminars and interviews is free to view at dcch.co.uk/focus.

Optimism prevails, with piles of pattern in vivid shades.

Caroline Lindsell and Dylan OShea of A Rum Fellow are pushing terracotta, with rich, robust printed patterns based on unique tribal weaves.

Kirkby Design has a soft new pink tartan velvet and Romo is using recycled yarns from the fashion industry for subtle, tactile cloths.
Workforce management platform Zuper has raised $1.1 million in seed funding from Prime Venture Partners along with other investors Gunderson Dettemer and Gemba Capital.

Zuper is a SaaS-based mobile first workforce management platform that helps businesses modernise operations and provide on-demand customer experience.

In a note shared with the press on Thursday, the company said they will use the funds to expand into North America, UK and South East Asia. It will also expand its teams across functions in the US and in India.

Zuper was founded in August 2016 with offices in Seattle, US and Chennai by Raghav Gurumani, Karthik Rao and Vijay Narasiman. Anand Subbaraj, joined Zuper as its chief executive in 2020, having spent more than 13 years in Microsoft as a head of product in Azure Data.

Since its inception, the company has processed over two million work orders and is used by few thousand users globally. The company claims that enterprises and mid-sized businesses which have used Zuper have benefited from 50 percent increase in workforce utilization, 35 percent reduction in service turnaround time, 45 percent increase in customer adoption and profitability, and 30 percent reduction in costs.

The platform helps manage field staff and remote workforce by leveraging the power of artificial intelligence and machine learning. It helps automate repetitive tasks thereby increasing efficiency.

The company has also launched COVID-19 Compliance Pack for businesses to manage operations post-lockdown. The solution helps businesses across different industries ensure their workforce stays compliant and up-to-date with the latest COVID-19 protocols and guidelines.

We formulated our hypothesis based on our own experiences with customer service and started reaching out to service businesses in different parts of the world...we soon realized that it was a huge global problem that needs to be tackled at scale using a modern technology solution, said Anand Subbaraj, co-founder, Zuper.
DUBLIN, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Ecompass Market Size Analysis and Outlook to 2026 - Potential Opportunities, Companies and Forecasts for Fluxgate, Hall Effect, Magnetoresistive Electronic Compass Market across End User Industries and Countries" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Ecompass market is one of the dynamic sensor technology segments with major factors such as technological advancements, wide range adoption and large scale applications.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on the market size for the year 2020, with small and medium scale companies struggling to sustain their businesses in the near term future. The Ecompass market growth has become variable by region with some countries offering huge growth potential while others face closures and low profit margins.

Over the medium to long term future, the analyst anticipates the Ecompass market to regain growth momentum, mainly with support from developing markets.

The multi-client study on Global Ecompass markets provides in-depth research and analysis into Ecompass industry trends, market developments and technological insights. The report provides data and analysis of Ecompass penetration across application segments across countries and regions. The report presents a strategic analysis of the global Ecompass market through key drivers, challenges, opportunities and growth contributors. Further, the market attractiveness index is provided based on five forces analysis.

The global Ecompass market delivers value to customers through reliable market size for 2019 on the basis of demand and price analysis. The report presents near term and long term forecast of the addressable Ecompass market size to 2026.

Most of the leading Ecompass providers are designing their strategies for the long term future instead of short term cost savings. Accordingly, company wise products and recent developments are analyzed in the report to provide competitor benchmarking. Further, to provide detailed insights into the operating companies, business, SWOT and Financial profiles of leading Ecompass companies are included in the report.

Country wise analysis and Ecompass market growth potential in each country is provided in the report. Further, five regions across the world along with their growth prospects are analyzed across Ecompass types, application and end user segments.

The report delivers value to the clients through market forecasts by types, different segments and end-user applications of global and regional Ecompass markets to 2026.

In addition, recent industry developments including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and new product launches are provided in the report.

Scope of the Ecompass Market report includes:

The base year for the market analysis is 2019 and forecasts are provided from 2020 to 2026

Annual Forecasts of Ecompass markets, 2018 to 2026

Ecompass Market Size as a whole, 2018-2026

Market Size of Ecompass across Types, 2018-2026

Ecompass other segments, 2018-2026

Applications and End User Verticals, 2018-2026

Ecompass Market across Countries and Regions, 2018-2026

Regions covered - Asia Pacific , Europe , Middle East and Africa , North America and Latin America

, , and , and Geography

Reasons to Buy:



Gain a complete understanding of Global Ecompass industry through the comprehensive analysis Evaluate the pros and cons of investing/operating in country level Ecompass markets through reliable forecast model results Identify potential investment/contract/expansion opportunities Drive your strategies in the right direction by understanding the impact of latest trends, market forecasts on your Ecompass business Beat your competition through information on their operations, strategies and new projects Recent insights on the Ecompass market will help users operating in the market to initiate transformational growth

Key Topics Covered:



1. Global Ecompass Market Overview

1.1 Key Snapshot, 2020

1.2 Introduction to Global Ecompass Market

1.3 Global Ecompass Market Definition-Types

1.4 Global Ecompass Market Definition-Applications

1.5 Global Ecompass Market Definition-Regions

1.6 Market Research Methodology



2. Ecompass Market Opportunities and Business Prospects

2.1 Fastest Growing Types of Ecompass, 2018-2026

2.2 Potential Application verticals of Ecompass, 2018-2026

2.3 Fastest Growth markets being targeted by leading players, 2018-2026



3. Ecompass Market Strategic Analysis Review

3.1 Near term and Long term trends set to shape up the future of Ecompass market

3.2 Market Drivers

3.3 Market Challenges

3.4 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

3.4.1 Overall Index

3.4.2 Supplier's Power of Ecompass Market

3.4.3 Buyer's Power of Ecompass Market

3.4.4 Competitive Rivalry in Ecompass Market

3.4.5 Threat of New Entrants in Ecompass Market

3.4.6 Threat of Substitutes in Ecompass Market



4. Global Ecompass Market Outlook

4.1 Global Ecompass Market Outlook by Type, 2018-2026

4.2 Global Ecompass Market Outlook by Application, 2018-2026

4.3 Global Ecompass Market Outlook by Country, 2018-2026



5. Asia Pacific Ecompass Market Outlook

5.1 Key Snapshot, 2018

5.2 Asia Pacific Ecompass Market Outlook by Type, 2018-2026

5.3 Asia Pacific Ecompass Market Outlook by Application, 2018-2026

5.4 China Ecompass Market Outlook, 2018-2026

5.5 India Ecompass Market Outlook, 2018-2026

5.6 Japan Ecompass Market Outlook, 2018-2026

5.7 South Korea Ecompass Market Outlook, 2018-2026

5.8 Rest of Asia Pacific Ecompass Market Outlook, 2018-2026



6. Europe Ecompass Market Outlook and Growth Opportunities

6.1 Key Snapshot, 2018

6.2 Europe Ecompass Market Outlook by Type, 2018-2026

6.3 Europe Ecompass Market Outlook by Application, 2018-2026

6.4 United Kingdom Ecompass Market Outlook, 2018-2026

6.5 Germany Ecompass Market Outlook, 2018-2026

6.6 Italy Ecompass Market Outlook, 2018-2026

6.7 Spain Ecompass Market Outlook, 2018-2026

6.8 France Ecompass Market Outlook, 2018-2026

6.9 Rest of Europe Ecompass Market Outlook, 2018-2026



7. North America Ecompass Market Outlook and Growth Opportunities

7.1 Key Snapshot, 2018

7.2 North America Ecompass Market Outlook by Type, 2018-2026

7.3 North America Ecompass Market Outlook by Application, 2018-2026

7.4 United States Ecompass Market Outlook, 2018-2026

7.5 Canada Ecompass Market Outlook, 2018-2026

7.6 Mexico Ecompass Market Outlook, 2018-2026



8. South and Central America Ecompass Market Outlook and Growth Opportunities

8.1 Key Snapshot, 2018

8.2 South and Central America Ecompass Market Outlook by Type, 2018-2026

8.3 South and Central America Ecompass Market Outlook by Application, 2018-2026

8.4 Brazil Ecompass Market Outlook, 2018-2026

8.5 Argentina Ecompass Market Outlook, 2018-2026

8.6 Rest of Latin America Ecompass Market Outlook, 2018-2026



9. Middle East Africa Ecompass Market Outlook and Growth Opportunities

9.1 Key Snapshot, 2019

9.2 Middle East Africa Ecompass Market Outlook by Type, 2018-2026

9.3 Middle East Africa Ecompass Market Outlook by Application, 2018-2026

9.4 Middle East Africa Ecompass Market Outlook by Country, 2018-2026



10. Ecompass Market Competitive Analysis

10.1 Leading Players in Ecompass Market

10.2 Key Strategies/Initiatives of Leading Players

10.3 Business Profiles of Leading Ecompass Companies

10.3.1 Introduction

10.3.2 Ecompass Products

10.3.3 SWOT Analysis

10.3.4 Financial Analysis



11. Recent Developments in Global Ecompass Market

11.1 New Product Launches

11.2 Mergers and Acquisitions

11.3 Manufacturing Developments



12. Appendix

12.1 Publisher's Expertise

12.2 Online Data Portal

12.3 Sources and Research Methodology

12.4 Contact Information



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/56e9ko

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]



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Written and directed by Charlie Kaufman

Im Thinking of Ending Things, the latest film from American writer-director Charlie Kaufman, is loosely based on Canadian author Iain Reids 2016 novel.

Kaufman is known for writing and, more recently, also directing eccentric, self-reflective and sometimes self-obsessed works, which also often display genuine sensitivity toward marginalized and alienated individuals.

Jesse Plemons and Jessie Buckley in Im Thinking of Ending Things

He scripted Being John Malkovich (1999), Adaptation (2002) and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), making his directorial debut with Synecdoche, New York (2008). Kaufman has been associated with figures like Michel Gondry, director of Eternal Sunshine, and Spike Jonze, director of John Malkovich.

The new film is an enigmatic work, at least at first glance. The reader should be forewarned that there is no way to discuss Im Thinking of Ending Things seriously without revealing its various twists and turns, and secrets.

One way of summing up the films story might be the following:

A low-paid custodial worker at a rural high school is scoffed at, deeply isolated and generally ignored. His head is full of cultural references, both high and low. In the dead of winter, while a snowstorm rages outside his place of work, he laboriously mops up the schools hallways. In the moments before his final mental collapse and physical self-destruction, the janitor has his lifeor, rather, for the most part, a fantasy version of his lifeflash before his (and our) eyes.

Portraying the life and fate of a downtrodden, excluded individual with a rich inner world, who feels that he or she has never truly lived, is legitimate, potentially fascinating subject matter for a work of art. One thinks of a film like R.W. Fassbinders The Merchant of Four Seasons (1972). And what would dramatists Ibsen and Chekhov be without such semi-tragic overlooked figures (albeit from a different social layer)? As a rule, plays, novels or films about failed, stifled and suppressed lives tend to carry with them a left-wing social critique. They almost inevitably raise questions about a society that permits such human misery and waste. However, Kaufmans work has none of that quality. Why? What does he concentrate on instead?

Jessie Buckley, Abby Quinn, and Hadley Robinson in Im Thinking of Ending Things

This is what we see. Jake (Jesse Plemons) takes his new girlfriend Lucy (Jesse Buckley) on a road trip to meet his parents (Toni Collette and David Thewlis) at the family farm. During the drive in the snowy, dank landscape, Lucy, whose thoughts we hear in a voiceover, contemplates ending things with Jake (the films title is open to a more ominous interpretation as well), although she makes a point of mentioning the close, even telepathic nature of their union. Meanwhile, we see shots of an older man (Guy Boyd), apparently going to work as a school janitor.

Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone elses opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation. Thats an Oscar Wilde quote, Lucy observes in one of her many musings. At another point, Jake repeats William Wordsworths famed line, The Child is father of the Man and refers to the poets Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood (1804), while Lucy in turn recites a poem (as her own) from Eva H.D.s collection, Rotten Perfect Mouth.

The 20-minute scene in the car has its oddities, but things become even less stable and reliable as soon as Lucy and Jake arrive at his parents house. First, during a tour of the barn, Jake tells Lucy an unpleasant anecdote about the death of a maggot-infested pig. An awkward dinner ensues with his parents, who shape-shift between younger and older, dementia-inflicted versions of themselves. Meanwhile, Lucy discovers that the basement washing machine contains several janitorial uniforms (similar to the one worn by the old man of whom we catch recurring glimpses.)

People and things change and transform as in a dream. Lucy (or is she Lucia, Louisa, Amy?her name slips from one to the other) is successively studying medicine, physics or gerontology, then a painter and a poet.

On the treacherous drive home, Lucy momentarily assumes the persona of film critic Pauline Kael critiquing John Cassavetes movie, A Woman Under the Influence (1974). Various references are made to the musical Oklahoma! (1943) and despite blizzard-like conditions, Jake decides to stop at the Tulsey Town ice cream stand. He then detours to his local high school, describing its architecture with the details of someone who knows it intimately and professionally (130 classrooms  two locker rooms  ten bathrooms, etc.).

Im Thinking of Ending Things

Other cultural references include the final scene of a (non-existent) movie attributed to US director Robert Zemeckis and a ballet, which again seems to refer to Oklahoma!, that occurs in the schools corridor, involving a trio of dancers: A janitor dancer and a Jake-like dancer fight over a Lucy-like dancer.

The movies climax takes place on the schools auditorium stage, with an aged Jake being honored in a retirement ceremony that morphs into John Nashs Nobel Prize acceptance speech taken from the finale of Ron Howards A Beautiful Mind (2001). Jake tops it off with a song from Oklahoma!. In the movies closing moments, there is a long shot of the janitors pickup truck covered with snow in the school parking lot. It is now morning.

For his film, Kaufman assembled an immensely talented quartet of actors (Buckley, Plemons, Colette and Thewlis), a score composed by Jay Wadley that draws from Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel and Igor Stravinsky and beautifully eerie cinematography contributed by Lukasz Zal.

Kaufman has unmistakable gifts, as his other films have also demonstrated. Bits and pieces of this movie are amusing in their unsettling and absurd logic. He captures something of the quality of a dream, during which the dreamer wills and directs its changes.

Overall, however, Im Thinking of Ending Things is not successful. It is self-conscious, contrived and largely distant from its own nominal subject matter.

First of all, it is not a healthy sign when it takes an exegesis to make sense of a script. The average viewer will have a difficult time knowing that the film examines the last moments of an unhappy janitors existence during which he colorfully imagines what his life might have been.

Although he is theoretically at the center of things, the passive custodian is unmemorable for the most part, uninvolved in the action and an unlikely repository of the various fragments of cultural and scientific knowledge. One is not asking for a linear, didactic piece of social realism from Kaufman, he has every right to bring dream and fantasy to bear, but, in the end, he has not treated this mans life with genuine seriousness.

Kaufman is not committed enough to telling that story. Behind that failure lie historical and social processes. The director belongs to a milieu uninterested in such tragedies, oriented to other issues  and to themselves.

Bound up with that, the character does not add up. Not for an instant. If we accept the films logic, everything that takes place occurs in the janitors brain. How do feelings for Wordsworth, Wilde and A Beautiful Mind co-exist in the same being? Whats more, there are references to painters Andrew Wyeth and Ralph Albert Blakelock, novelists Leo Tolstoy, Anna Kavan and David Foster Wallace, to physicists Marie and Pierre Curie, to German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethes theory of color, to Soviet Stalinist leader Leonid Brezhnev and, most absurdly, to postmodernist Guy Debord and his The Society of the Spectacle!

The filmmakers are so bent on being clever, on showing off, they dont notice that they have failed to create a coherent, believable human being. No one truly oriented to the janitors situation would have been so cavalier. To a considerable extent, the character is a pretext, a springboard for the narrative fireworks and unusual framework.

Important facets of life are missinggenuine and spontaneous human vitality, social conflict, people learning from events and experiencesin short, existence itself, not simply a depressing, artificial endgame. Gloom hovers over the drama. The janitor/Jake refers to the high school as somewhere he has endured every tortured day for so long. People can be cold to me, he also explains. I need to end it, he says at another point. And further, I suppose I watch too many movies  I fill my brain with lies to pass the time.

The references to viruses, to animals eaten by maggots, to old age as the ash heap of youth and actress Bette Davis comment that growing old is not for sissies, add to the general bleakness.

In one of the climactic speeches, Jake blurts out, It seems hopeless  Everything  So many wrong turns  The lie of it all  That its going to get better, that God has a plan for you, that age is just a number  Its always darkest before the dawn, that every cloud has a silver lining.

Unhappily, there is no discernible radical impulse associated with Im Thinking of Ending Things, nor any great desire to confront the real conditions of life. The self-consciousness of the film calls attention to itself. Indeed it is the single most dominant feature in the work.

About Kaufmans 2008 movie Synecdoche, New York, the WSWS wrote: Kaufman has written and now directed a number of clever, dark, playful works. They correspond to a certain period (which has now come to an end): of political and cultural stagnation, of a stock market and profit boom for a handful, of postmodern faddishness, of general unseriousness within artistic and especially film circles. Hes accurately depicted some of his own frustration with, and ambivalence about, the time and place hes been inhabiting.

Kaufman reveals something of his own pessimism when he has a protagonist assert: Other animals live in the present, humans cannot, so they invented hope. No one who looks at present-day society and the various social forces at work with a genuinely critical and thoughtful eye could draw such a banal, mistaken conclusion.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 10:27:21|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Since 2015, China has been responding actively to the UN call for more enabler assets including engineering and medical capabilities to support UN peacekeeping missions, says a white paper released by the State Council Information Office Friday.

Twenty-five rotations of engineer and medical units totaling 7,001 troops have been committed to missions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, Sudan's Darfur, Mali and Lebanon, according to the white paper titled "China's Armed Forces: 30 Years of UN Peacekeeping Operations." Enditem
By Jeff Mason and David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows met with major airline chief executives on Thursday as the industry braces for thousands of job cuts in two weeks, and urged lawmakers to embrace a $1.5 trillion coronavirus aid package proposed by a bipartisan congressional group and endorsed by President Donald Trump.

Meadows told reporters "if (House) Speaker (Nancy) Pelosi was willing to move a bill to keep people from being laid off in the airline industry that's stand-alone, that the president would certainly support it."

But congressional aides say it is unlikely that Congress would agree to a stand-alone bill to assist airlines when so many other sectors are struggling and seeking assistance.

"The needs have only grown. Some of the needs for the small businesses, needs for restaurants, needs for transportation and the rest," Pelosi said Thursday.

Other transportation sectors are also seeking billions of dollars in new bailout funds, including public transit, bus companies and the Amtrak passenger rail service.

Meadows said the administration had examined executive action options, all of them less than ideal.

Airlines did not offer a new proposal but again made the case that helping avert airline job cuts was one good reason to pass a broad coronavirus relief bill.

After the meeting with Meadows, American Airlines <AAL.O> Chief Executive Doug Parker said it was "not fair" that thousands of airline workers were about to be laid off.

"It's not fair to them, it's not fair to our country. ... We're just here to plead with everyone involved to get to a COVID relief package before October 1," Parker said.

He said there is "enormous bipartisan support" but there is no legislative vehicle yet to win approval.

Senator Maria Cantwell, a Democrat, said the payroll assistance should be extended. She urged lawmakers to "come back to the table" before the major layoffs.

Story continues

United Airlines Chief Executive Scott Kirby and Southwest Airlines <LUV.N> Chief Executive Gary Kelly also attended the meeting. Kelly told reporters the initial payroll support plan "didn't go far enough and long enough."

American has said it plans to end service to 15 small communities without additional government assistance and furlough about 19,000 workers.

At the end of this month the $25 billion in federal payroll assistance airlines received when the coronavirus first began spreading around the world is set to expire.

Congress also set aside another $25 billion in government loans for airlines, but many have opted not to tap that funding source.

Companies such as American are now pleading for a six-month extension while they simultaneously negotiate with employees to minimize thousands of job cuts that are expected without another round of aid.

Air travel has plummeted over the last six months as the coronavirus pandemic has claimed nearly 196,000 American lives and prompted many to avoid airports and planes, seriously depressing airline revenues.

(Reporting by Lisa Lambert, David Shepardson and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Steve Orlofsky and Jonathan Oatis)
STEPANAKERT, SEPTEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. President of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan held a meeting on September 18 in Stepanakert with a delegation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia headed by its Secretary General Vahagn Melikian to discuss foreign policy.

A wide range of foreign policy issues were discussed, Harutyunyans office said.

President Harutyunyan attached importance to close and coordinated work with partner organizations, emphasizing the need for conducting a united and harmonious foreign policy for withstanding common challenges.

Melikian told the president that the meetings and discussions will contribute to exchange of experience and strengthening of cooperation between the Armenian and Artsakhi foreign ministries.

Artsakhs Minister of Foreign Affairs Masis Mayilian also participated in the meeting.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
Chair of the Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group tracking the incidence of Covid-19 in Ireland, Professor Philip Nolan, has explained why restaurants and pubs serving food are being closed in Dublin despite no significant clusters linked to those settings.

He took to Twitter on Friday:

It is reasonable to ask: why close restaurants and pubs if there are so few outbreaks associated with those environments? However, this is misreading and misinterpreting the data on outbreaks and clusters. 1/10 pic.twitter.com/REEUqoin12  Professor Philip Nolan (@President_MU) September 18, 2020

If I went out 5 days ago and caught the virus in a restaurant, it will have multiplied silently inside me for 3 days; then I will have started shedding virus, and potentially infecting others, for 2 days; today I become symptomatic, self-isolate, and get a test. 2/10 September 18, 2020

Public health only ask me about my contacts for the 48 hours before I developed symptoms. They dont need to know where I got the virus; that happened 5 days ago. They want to know where the virus is going, who I might have infected, and prevent onward transmission. 3/10  Professor Philip Nolan (@President_MU) September 18, 2020

My contacts are tested, and unfortunately two of my family are infected. Its now a household outbreak, and I am a case of community transmission. Even though I got it in a restaurant and brought it home. 4/10  Professor Philip Nolan (@President_MU) September 18, 2020

We would like to go back and find out where people are getting the virus, but we dont have the time or resources to pursue this academic exercise. 5/10  Professor Philip Nolan (@President_MU) September 18, 2020

We have lots of international evidence from better resourced systems on how the virus transmits: we know that social settings, including bars and restaurants, drive community transmission. 6/10  Professor Philip Nolan (@President_MU) September 18, 2020

We know that in Dublin at least one in three cases are community transmission. Where is this happening? Wherever we mix socially: our houses, gyms, bars, restaurants. Sadly, unless we stop mixing in these settings, we know the disease will spiral out of control. 7/10 pic.twitter.com/lJ2DlQY3ko  Professor Philip Nolan (@President_MU) September 18, 2020

This is really difficult. Restaurant and gastropub owners have worked very hard to minimize the risk of transmission. Their livelihoods and our safety are at stake, and their work allows us to socialize and enjoy ourselves safely when the level of the virus is low. 8/10  Professor Philip Nolan (@President_MU) September 18, 2020

However, the level of the virus is rising again rapidly, and we have to radically reduce mixing between households. 9/10 pic.twitter.com/CzC6F8ZgKK  Professor Philip Nolan (@President_MU) September 18, 2020
Vivian Tsai, Chair, College Savings Foundation The COVID-19 pandemic has upended what higher education looks like for students across the country; and now parents are adjusting their expectations in terms of how their children are learning and what they are paying for. -- CSF Chair Vivian Tsai

For students and their families heading to higher education this fall, COVID-19 has made a mighty impact on their education paths, their career plans and their financing decisions. A survey of nearly 1,000 parents across the country found that one-third (34%) of their college-age children had changed their career plans; and 30% had altered the kind of higher ed institution they planned to attend  with most of those attending public rather than private college, going to a community college rather than a 4-year school, or taking a year off entirely.

The COVID-19 pandemic has upended what higher education looks like for students across the country; and now parents are adjusting their expectations in terms of how their children are learning and what they are paying for, said Vivian Tsai, Chair of the College Savings Foundation, the nonprofit helping American families save for higher education that conducted the survey.

This is the 14th consecutive year that CSF has surveyed parents, but the special 2020 Survey of Parents during COVID-19, released during College Savings Month, focused solely on parents of students who had just graduated high school or were already enrolled in postsecondary education or training.

The vast majority of students - 87% - will be either completely online (47%) or a mix of online and in-person learning on campus (40%). More than half (51%) of all parents said they were not willing to pay full tuition for remote classes and an overwhelming 89% said that traditional, in-person universities should discount tuition if classes are offered only online.

A stark backdrop to these findings is the effect of COVID-19 on families income. The majority of parents, 53%, said that one earner had lost a job or had work hours reduced and almost 8% had a catastrophic experience with all sources of income lost; only 40% were unaffected by COVID-19..

Despite these challenges, two-thirds of parents exhibited sound higher education funding strategies, with 28% saving for many years and 37% having some savings, although not enough. Overall, 23% of all parents surveyed invest in 529 higher education savings plans for their children, yet only 41% of all parents know that they can also use 529 plans to pay student debt.

Parents also said they were avoiding debt in paying for their childs higher education: 48% said they werent taking out loans, with 53% of those explaining that they do not want to take out debt in this economy and 20% saying they do not think debt for education is a good idea ever.

We are heartened to learn that families have maintained sound savings strategies that support their childrens higher education goals during a changing and challenging environment, Tsai added.

The following is a snapshot of what families said about their childrens plans as of the first week in September 2020:

Higher education plans:



45% of students currently plan to attend public 4-year college or university, 19% private 4-year college or university, 20% attending community college, 7% career or technical program, 2% an apprenticeship and 8% none.

This represented a change for 30% of the families, with 28% of those going to public rather than private college, 27% going to community college rather than a 4-year school, 26% taking a year off, and 11% going to a career/technical/trade school or apprenticeship.

Career plans:



34% of parents said their children were changing their career plans, with 26% of those now interested in health services (doctor, nurse or medical worker), 21% now interested in public service (first responder, state or local government, public health, urban planning and design); 17% going into career/technical/trade program because it is essential work and 16% going into the same due to reduced costs of the program.

Online vs. in-person learning:



Two-thirds of parents (66%) said they would follow the schools plan of online, in-person or a combination. The remaining 34% of parents changed their plans because their child was not attending for health concerns, they were unwilling to pay for online learning and lack of a social experience, or their child was not able to attend due to the financial effects of COVID-19 on their family.

For those families with a change in plans, heres how their plans changed: 38% will stay with the same school but attend online from home; 26% will take a year off; 18% will switch to community college online or in-person and 18% will transfer to a less expensive school.

The CSF 2020 Survey of Parents during COVID-19 was conducted with 952 parents across the country and income brackets via Survey Monkey. The College Savings Foundation (CSF) is a Washington, D.C.- based not-for-profit organization helping American families achieve their education savings goals.

To see an infographic on the results go to http://www.collegesavingsfoundation.org
Your Money

Fulfill your higher education dream

It is that time of the year when overseas-bound students are getting ready to pack their bags to head for their chosen destination country for higher studies. Now, if you are looking for a bank loan to pay your fees, read here to know which bank is offering the lowest rate on education loans.
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, learns about progress in consolidating poverty eradication at a villager's home in the village of Shazhou, Rucheng county, Central China's Hunan province, Sept 16, 2020. [Photo/Xinhua]



Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, stressed the CPC's people-oriented attribute during an inspection tour in central China's Hunan Province Wednesday.

Xi made the remarks while visiting the home of a descendant of the protagonist of a revolutionary story, in the village of Shazhou, Chenzhou City.

The revolutionary story features an impoverished villager named Xu Jiexiu, who offered shelter to three women Red Army soldiers during the Long March in the 1930s. Upon the soldiers' departure, they cut their only quilt into two pieces, leaving one part with Xu to show their care.

The descendant told Xi that his family has shaken off poverty and their lives have improved a lot.

Xi said that the changes illustrate the people-oriented nature of the CPC and the Party delivers on its promises.

At a public square, Xi told villagers that the CPC has remained true to its original aspiration over nearly a century since its founding, and the people have considered the CPC as a party of their own.

Xi said he, as a member of the Party and a leading Party official, will perform his duties well, and work with the 1.4 billion Chinese people and more than 90 million Party members to make the country better and the people happier. Enditem




At first glance, it was a quiet, sunny Friday morning on Clinton Street in East Camden, a close-knit block with well-maintained brick row homes. Cats napped on stoops and a man stood on his front step, chatting with a contractor who was helping him replace his front door.

But the reality is much grimmer, given the bullet holes that pock-marked the door and the first floor of the home. A closer look at several vehicles on the street revealed Camden County Police Department officers sitting in unmarked cars.
The reward for information leading to an arrest of the suspects who fired a barrage of bullets at the home of two Camden County Police officers earlier this week doubled Friday afternoon, authorities said.

The reward had reached $52,500 after two new organizations pitched in to aid in the effort to find the people who fired 10 shots at the home of the married cops who were on the second floor of their Clinton Street home with their newborn baby.

The New Jersey Policemens Benevolent Association (PBA) offered $20,000, and First Colonial Bank of Collingswood offered an additional $2,500 to help bring the suspects to justice, according to a statement from the Camden County Police Department. Lawmen Supply Company has offered another $10,000.

These contributions are in addition to those already announced by the FBI ($10,000), the Fraternal Order of Police ($5,000), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives ($5,000), police said.

On behalf of the entire Camden County Police Department, I want to express my sincerest gratitude to each of these organizations that have stepped up to aid us in this search, Camden County Police Chief Joseph Wysocki said in a statement. This was an attack on two members of our department who have not only sworn to protect the people of this city, but who have worked tirelessly to better their community each and every day. We are continuing to ask that anyone with information that may be related to this crime to contact our department.

The only clue police have divulged to the public is that three people were in the vehicle that fired upon the home and they identified a 1998 dark-colored Honda Odyssey with a temporary paper tag in the area during the incident. Early Thursday morning, police located and towed the minivan for further investigation, police said.

Anyone with information on the shooting or the vehicle that was used in the shooting was urged to call the departments tip line at 856-757-7420 or use the STOPit app. More contact information for the agency can be found at www.camdencountypd.org and the public was reminded that all tips and information will be considered anonymous.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.

Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com.
Anyone who thinks the abuse of women isnt baked into our culture need only sit back and listen closely to a few of our greatest hits.

Take the jaunty Working my Way Back to You Babe, by the Spinners (yes, after the Four Seasons). The lyrics reveal a classic case of a lying, cheating emotional abuser trying to claw his way back into his partners affections: I used to love to make you cry. It made me feel like a man inside.

Illustration: Simon Letch Credit:

Then theres Pink Floyds Dont Leave Me Now: I need you, babe, to put through the shredder in front of my friends ... To beat to a pulp on Saturday night.

And what about the menacing song written by John Lennon  whose record of beating his wife Cynthia seems to have been virtually erased from history. In Run for Your Life a jealous man threatens a woman: Id rather see you dead, little girl / than to be with another man.
Rich nations representing a fraction of the global population have already bought up over half the promised Covid-19 vaccine stocks, a study showed, as US President Donald Trump pledged to begin inoculating Americans within weeks.

Big pharma is racing to produce an effective jab to counter a virus that has now killed more than 935,000 people around the world and infected almost 30 million.

European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday warned against "vaccine nationalism" that she said could put lives at risk by depriving the most vulnerable in poorer nations of immunity.

But a study released by Oxfam showed a group of wealthy countries representing just 13 percent of the world population has already secured the lion's share of doses.

"Access to a life-saving vaccine shouldn't depend on where you live or how much money you have," said Robert Silverman of Oxfam America.

"Covid-19 anywhere is Covid-19 everywhere."

The five leading vaccine candidates currently in late-stage trials will be able to supply 5.9 billion doses, enough to inoculate about three billion people, the Oxfam report said.

Some 51 percent of those jabs have been snapped up by the wealthy world, including the United States, Britain, the European Union, Australia, Hong Kong and Macau, Japan, Switzerland and Israel.

The remaining 2.6 billion have been bought by or promised to developing countries including India, Bangladesh, China, Brazil, Indonesia and Mexico.

- 'Vaccine nationalism' -

Trump on Wednesday said he would begin rolling out a vaccine in America as soon as next month, contradicting doubts expressed by a top health expert in his administration who said a jab was unlikely to be widely available until mid-2021.

"We're very close to that vaccine as you know... We think we can start sometime in October" or shortly thereafter, Trump said.

Democrats have expressed concern that Trump is pressuring government health regulators and scientists to approve a rushed vaccine in time to help his uphill bid for re-election in early November.

"We're within weeks of getting it, you know -- could be three weeks, four weeks," the president told a town hall session with voters in Pennsylvania Tuesday.

But in an implicit swipe at Trump's America First approach to the pandemic, von der Leyen said Europe would support multilateral bodies such as the World Health Organization with its attempts at a more equitable rollout.

"None of us will be safe until all of us are safe -- wherever we live, whatever we have," she said.

"Vaccine nationalism puts lives at risk. Vaccine cooperation saves them."

- 'Going hard and early' -

The global economy has been devastated by the pandemic, with many nations still maintaining restrictions on their populations to contain fresh outbreaks.

New Zealand was added to the list of economic casualties on Thursday when it reported it had plunged into recession for the first time in a decade.

The country posted a record contraction of 12.2 percent for the April-June quarter, which coincided with a strict lockdown from March to May.

The decline follows a 1.6-percent contraction in the first three months of 2020, confirming New Zealand is in recession.

But there was optimism that the stage had been set for a strong recovery.

"Going hard and early means that we can come back faster and stronger," finance minister Grant Robertson said.

"Economists expect the current September quarter to show a record jump back to growth."

There were also positive signs in South Africa where authorities announced borders would be reopened to most countries from next month -- part of a wider easing of anti-virus curbs as infection figures improve.

Africa's most industrialised economy closed its frontiers at the start of a strict nationwide lockdown in late March.

The number of new infections has dropped from an average of 12,000 per day in July to fewer than 2,000 in recent days.

President Cyril Ramaphosa said in an address to the nation that international travel would "gradually and cautiously" resume from October 1.

"We have withstood the coronavirus storm," he said.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.

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MECOSTA COUNTY  Mecosta County recorded eight new confirmed coronavirus cases Friday, bringing the pandemic total to 173 cases and three deaths.

The District Health Department No. 10 reported one case added to Fridays numbers moved into Mecosta County from Mason County.

The eight new confirmed cases comes one day after health officials reported a Mecosta County man in his 60s died from COVID-19.

On Thursday, a total of 209 tests  203 diagnostic and six serology  were administered to Mecosta County individuals, putting the countys one-day positivity rate at 3.8%.

Since the pandemic began, Mecosta County has administered 10,859 diagnostic tests and 242 serology tests with a total of 11,319 tests being completed.

Seventy individuals in Mecosta County have recovered from the virus. The health department defines a recovery as a person with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis who is alive 30 days after date of confirmation.

Ferris State, on Friday, confirmed seven new cases on the Big Rapids campus, putting its total to 105 cases since the week of Aug. 24. The university has confirmed 52 cases since Sept. 11.

The DHD No. 10 serves residents in Mecosta, Crawford, Kalkaska, Lake, Manistee, Mason, Missaukee, Newaygo, Oceana and Wexford counties.

This is Fridays breakdown of coronavirus numbers in the health departments jurisdiction:

Cumulative total:

 1,492 positive COVID-19 cases in the DHD No. 10s jurisdiction.

 109 positive cases in Crawford County

 65 positive cases in Kalkaska County

 32 positive cases in Lake County

 64 positive cases in Manistee County

 117 positive cases in Mason County (one case moved to Mecosta and one case moved outside of the jurisdiction)

 41 positive cases in Missaukee County (one case removed due to residing outside the jurisdiction and one case moved from Wexford to Missaukee so total remains the same)

 302 positive cases in Newaygo County (7 cases moved from Newaygo to Oceana)

 486 positive cases in Oceana County (7 cases moved into Oceana from Newaygo)

 103 positive cases in Wexford County (one case moved to Missaukee)

Deaths:

 26 deaths from COVID-19 in the DHD No. 10s jurisdiction. Deaths are included in the positive cases listed above.

 5 deaths in Crawford County

 4 deaths in Kalkaska County

 2 deaths in Manistee County

 1 death in Missaukee County

 6 deaths in Oceana County

 4 deaths in Wexford County

Recoveries:

 1,168 recoveries from from COVID-19 in the DHD No. 10s jurisdiction (based on whether individuals are still alive 30 days past the confirmed date).

 96 recoveries in Crawford County

 39 recoveries in Kalkaska County

 28 recoveries in Lake County

 38 recoveries in Manistee County

 96 recoveries in Mason County

 70 recoveries in Mecosta County

 27 recoveries in Missaukee County

 256 recoveries in Newaygo County

 459 recoveries in Oceana County

 59 recoveries in Wexford County

The state lists the total recovered at 85,513 cases, as of Sept. 11, which represents COVID-19 confirmed individuals with an onset date on or prior to Aug. 12.

As of Friday, there are 115,387 confirmed cases and 6,638 confirmed deaths in Michigan.
New Delhi, Sep 18 : The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the nation's premier investigating agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), on Friday met senior officials and apprised them of the findings into the mysterious death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

The team, which returned from Mumbai almost a month after recording the statements of several people and recreating the crime scene met the senior officials of the agency and briefed them about their investigation.

According to agency sources, CBI Superintendent of Police (SP) Nupur Prasad and Deputy SP Anil Yadav met the senior officials at the agency headquarters and apprised them about the development in the case so far.

The CBI had registered a case on August 6 on the orders of the Central government following the recommendation from the Bihar government on the complaint of Sushant's father K. K. Singh.

The CBI team before going to Mumbai recorded the statement of Sushant's elder sister Rani Singh and father.

A team of the CBI's SIT led by Prasad had gone to Mumbai along with the members of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) on August 20, a day after the Supreme Court gave its nod for a federal agency probe into the death of Sushant.

The CBI team was exempted from the mandatory quarantine of 14 days by the BMC. The CBI team stayed at the DRDO guest house, which also acted as its makeshift office. The team collected the documents relating to the investigation by the Mumbai Police and the statements it recorded in the matter.

The CBI team also visited the flat of Sushant, where he was found dead on June 14 along with the CFSL team and recreated the crime scene. The CBI team also met the doctors of the Cooper Hospital, who performed the post-mortem of Sushant and collected the reports. The team had also visited the Waterstone resort, where Sushant stayed for a few months.

During its stay in Mumbai, the CBI team was also joined by the team of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), which also visited the Mont Blanc Apartment where Sushant was found dead. The entire crime scene was recreated in the presence of the late actor's sister Mitu Singh and flatmate Siddharth Pithani, personal staff Neeraj Singh, Keshav Bachne and Dipesh Sawant.

The AIIMS forensic team will be sharing its findings with the CBI team on September 20. The CBI team during its stay in Mumbai also recorded the statement of Sushant's girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik, father Indrajit, Sushant's house manager Samuel Miranda, Pithani, former manager Shruti Modi, talent manager Jaya Saha and several others.

To know the real cause of the death of Sushant, the CBI team has questioned Rhea, Showik, Pithani and his personal staff multiple times to know what happened between June 8 to 14. Besides the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) are also probing the money laundering angle and the drug angle in the case. The NCB has arrested Rhea, Showik, Miranda, Sawant and several others in connection with the case.

Latest updates on Sushant Singh Rajput Death Mystery

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Coronavirus has kept children away from peers and pushed them in front of screens, causing some to suffer from an overdose of them.

A 15-year-old has been arrested in Malaga city for hitting her mother for turning off her router.

Local Police were called over a heated argument between a woman and her daughter. Officers arrived and the mother answered the door, visibly shaken.

She said she had had a huge row with her daughter over her compulsive use of the internet. The addiction was such that she had imposed a midnight curfew on use of the small screen. The woman said that the teenage girl had objected and broken one of the bedroom doors in disgust before going out.

The girl returned to be calmed by officers, telling them that she couldn't be told what to do.

The police left only to be called again at 4.30am by the mother who said this time she had been physically assaulted. After forcing the girl out of her room, police arrested her.
MEXICO CITY  Bolivias interim president, Jeanine Anez, said Thursday that she was abandoning her election campaign, capping a stormy year in power during which divisions in her polarized nation grew only deeper.

The announcement came just a day after a well-regarded poll reported that she had slid into fourth place in the presidential race. The vote is scheduled for Oct. 18.

Ms. Anez said she was dropping out to help unite the conservative vote and try to block the current front-runner, the leftist former economy minister Luis Arce, from winning.

Im doing this because of a risk that the vote gets divided between various candidates, Ms. Anez said in a national address published on social media. Its not a sacrifice, its an honor.
Its Go Time for Gold Price! Next Stop $2,250

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS:

Gold Pennant/Flag formation is now complete and setting up new momentum base near $1,925.

Our Adaptive Fibonacci Models suggest support will prompt new Gold rally to $2,250.

The rally in Gold will continue to extend higher over the next 4+ weeks.

The US Dollar may move lower and/or the US stock market may break recent support to prompt this new rally in Gold.

If you are a follower of my research, then you know I follow gold and silver closely. I believe Gold has completed a Pennant/Flag formation and has completed the Pennant Apex. Further, a new momentum base has setup near $1,925~1,930, near the upper range of our Adaptive Fibonacci Price Modeling Systems support range. My team and I believe the current upside price move after the Pennant Apex may be the start of a momentum base rally targeting the $2,250 level or higher.

MOMENTUM BASE SHOULD PROMPT +15% RALLY IN GOLD

We believe the current momentum base in Gold, near $1,925, will prompt a move higher that will initially target $2,100, then breach this level and attempt to move to levels near $2,250 fairly quickly. My research team and I have called nearly every upside price move over the past 6+ months, clearly and accurately describing the measured moves in precious metals. Please take a moment to review some of our earlier Gold research posts:

August 4, 2020: REVISITING OUR SILVER AND GOLD PREDICTIONS  GET READY FOR HIGHER PRICES

July 13, 2020: GOLD & SILVER MEASURED MOVES

April 25, 2020: FIBONACCI PRICE AMPLITUDE ARCS PREDICT BIG GOLD BREAKOUT

This Daily Gold chart above highlights our Fibonacci Price Amplitude Arcs, suggesting support is sloping downward near $1,915 right now. We believe the momentum base that is setting up after the Pennant Apex is just starting to build upside momentum. We believe the rally in Gold will continue to extend higher over the next 4+ weeks. This aligns with our Fibonacci Price Modeling Systems support range on the Weekly chart, which we will look at shortly.

The Weekly Gold chart, below, highlights the Pennant/Flag formation in YELLOW together with the Fibonacci Price Amplitude Arc support levels (in MAGENTA). Additionally, weve drawn a LIGHT GREEN rectangle through the support range identified by our Adaptive Fibonacci Price Modeling System. We believe this support range will continue to act to support the momentum base in Gold and push Gold prices higher once the upside momentum gains strength. Our upside price target is more than $300 higher than the current price levels. We believe the next upside price leg will target $2,250 or higher.

It is likely that this move in Gold will be associated with moderate risk factors related to the US Dollar and/or the US Stock market. We believe a lower US Dollar and/or a weakening US stock market that breaks recent support will lick start this new rally in Gold. Now is the time to really start to pay attention to how the US stock market holds up after the deep downside price rotation over the past 2+ weeks, and start positioning for a gold rally.

We are actively trading gold and have positions in this precious metal. If you would like to ride my coattail with my trade alerts and my pre-market videos where I walk through the charts every day before the opening bell, then take a look at the Technical Trader, my Active ETF Trading Newsletter. If you have any type of retirement account and are looking for signals when to own gold, equities, bonds, or cash, be sure to become a member of the Technical Investor, my Long-Term Investing Signal Newsletter.

Chris Vermeulen

www.TheTechnicalTraders.com

Chris Vermeulen has been involved in the markets since 1997 and is the founder of Technical Traders Ltd. He is an internationally recognized technical analyst, trader, and is the author of the book: 7 Steps to Win With Logic



Through years of research, trading and helping individual traders around the world. He learned that many traders have great trading ideas, but they lack one thing, they struggle to execute trades in a systematic way for consistent results. Chris helps educate traders with a three-hour video course that can change your trading results for the better.



His mission is to help his clients boost their trading performance while reducing market exposure and portfolio volatility.



He is a regular speaker on HoweStreet.com, and the FinancialSurvivorNetwork radio shows. Chris was also featured on the cover of AmalgaTrader Magazine, and contributes articles to several leading financial hubs like MarketOracle.co.uk

Disclaimer: Nothing in this report should be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell any securities mentioned. Technical Traders Ltd., its owners and the author of this report are not registered broker-dealers or financial advisors. Before investing in any securities, you should consult with your financial advisor and a registered broker-dealer. Never make an investment based solely on what you read in an online or printed report, including this report, especially if the investment involves a small, thinly-traded company that isnt well known. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report has been paid by Cardiff Energy Corp. In addition, the author owns shares of Cardiff Energy Corp. and would also benefit from volume and price appreciation of its stock. The information provided here within should not be construed as a financial analysis but rather as an advertisement. The authors views and opinions regarding the companies featured in reports are his own views and are based on information that he has researched independently and has received, which the author assumes to be reliable. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any content of this report, nor its fitness for any particular purpose. Lastly, the author does not guarantee that any of the companies mentioned in the reports will perform as expected, and any comparisons made to other companies may not be valid or come into effect.

Chris Vermeulen Archive

 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.




(Sharecast News) - London stocks were still a little weaker by midday on Friday amid concerns about rising coronavirus cases and the introduction of further restrictions, as investors digested the latest UK retail sales data.

The FTSE 100 was down 0.2% at 6,040.57, after Health Secretary Matt Hancock said in response to reports of a possible two-week national lockdown in October that such a move would be the "last line of defence" but did not rule it out.



Speaking to Sky News, Hancock said: "We do have to recognise that the number of cases is rising and we do have to act because we know, especially from looking at other countries, that inexorably leads to more hospitalisations and sadly more deaths. And that is what we want to minimise and we want to protect people's livelihoods at the same time."



According to reports, measures being discussed by the government, described as a "circuit break", include asking some hospitality businesses to close, or limiting the opening hours of some pubs and restaurants in England.



Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, said: "Amid growing chatter about a potential two-week nationwide lockdown in October in the UK, it was perhaps no surprise to see investors lose interest in stocks that could be negatively affected by such activity.



"The Government wants to avoid economic disruption, but clearly a return to tighter lockdown measures next month would disrupt businesses and put further pressure on jobs."



On the data front, figures from the Office for National Statistics showed that retail sales grew for the fourth month in a row in August as the post-lockdown recovery continues.



Sales rose 0.8% on the month, coming in ahead of expectations for a 0.7% increase. On the year, retail sales were 2.8% higher, versus expectations of 3% growth.



Retail sales are currently 4% higher than they were before the Covid-19 pandemic in February.



The figures showed that spending on home improvements continued to rise in August, with sales at household goods stores up 9.9% compared with February. Online retail sales fell 2.5% in August when from July, but the strong growth seen over the pandemic means sales were still 46.8% higher than pre-crisis levels.



Deputy national statistician for Economic Statistics Jonathan Athow said: "Retail sales continued to grow, further surpassing their pre-pandemic level.



"Sales of household goods thrived as the demand for home improvement continued and, despite a dip this month, online sales remained high. However, clothing stores continued to struggle with sales still well below their February level. Overall, the switch to greater online sales means the high street remains under pressure."



In equity markets, travel-related stocks were hit by concerns about Covid, with British Airways owner IAG, InterContinental Hotels, Premier Inn owner Whitbread, easyJet, Carnival and Wizz Air all lower.



Plastic and fibre products supplier Essentra slumped after raising 100m in a placing and subscription to help fund the acquisition of US packaging business 3C!.



Investment manager Investec fell after saying it would scrap an interim dividend as it guided for a fall of up to 57% in headline earnings per share in volatile market conditions caused by the pandemic.



On the upside, London Stocks Exchange was higher as it confirmed that it has entered into exclusive discussions with Euronext over the sale of Borsa Italiana.



Man Group gained as it announced a one-year share buyback programme of up to $100m (77m) to reduce its share capital and pay shares to employees.







Market Movers



FTSE 100 (UKX) 6,040.57 -0.15%

FTSE 250 (MCX) 17,586.76 -0.85%

techMARK (TASX) 3,863.87 0.14%



FTSE 100 - Risers



Fresnillo (FRES) 1,340.00p 4.69%

Evraz (EVR) 349.20p 2.77%

Sainsbury (J) (SBRY) 195.70p 2.38%

Smurfit Kappa Group (SKG) 3,102.00p 2.31%

BHP Group (BHP) 1,792.40p 1.90%

Rio Tinto (RIO) 5,082.00p 1.84%

Avast (AVST) 530.50p 1.82%

Antofagasta (ANTO) 1,110.00p 1.74%

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It was a huddle to marshal the faithful, featuring dozens of Black luminaries, from hip hop mogul Jay-Z to radio personality Charlamagne tha God to civil rights attorney Ben Crump. Vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris presided over the virtual meeting, which grappled with a nagging question for Joe Bidens campaign: How to woo more Black men?

Last weeks call was the second in as many weeks focusing on Bidens appeals to Black male voters. The mood, Crump said, was upbeat. But callers were frank about their concerns, urging Biden to deliver a positive message, so its not just about anti-Trump but what were going to do on our side.

We know Black women are the backbone of the party, said one participant, who asked not to be identified. But Black men are going to have to overperform.

But right now, theyre underperforming. And, according to a spate of recent polling, so are Latino men, a subject Harris tackled recently in Zoom meetings with Hispanic influencers.

Black and Latino men still need to be convinced that Biden represents their interests, Crump said. Black men want to hear more about opportunities to build businesses and fixes for the economy, in addition to talk about criminal justice and policing reform.

Over the years, the Democratic Party has not always prioritized Latino men, which has left some disillusioned about politics altogether, Democrats said. Some Hispanic men with roots in Latin American countries that have a long history of strongmen leaders are drawn to Donald Trumps braggadocio, particularly in Florida, Democrats told POLITICO. And some young Black or Latino men could protest by voting third party or simply sit out the election. A few holdouts among that population in battleground states like Arizona and Michigan could determine the election.

That's not to say they're breaking for Donald Trump, said veteran pollster Cornell Belcher, who worked on Barack Obamas campaigns and is African American.

Story continues

But, Belcher said, they don't see a great deal of difference between Democrats and Republicans.

Black women and Latinas are two of Bidens most reliable constituencies, and hes expected to still win big majorities of both Black and Latino men, too. But as Biden aims to replicate Obama-era levels of support among voters of color, POLITICO interviews with more than 20 Democratic strategists, lawmakers, pollsters and activists reveal ambivalence on the part of Black and Latino men. And President Donald Trumps campaign is working to exploit that ambivalence.

Republicans are aggressively courting Black and Latino voters, outspending Democrats on social media outlets like Facebook. Last week, the Trump campaign spent six figures on ads in urban radio markets featuring former NFL player Herschel Walker and Georgia state Democratic Rep. Vernon Jones. And one week after Biden picked Harris as his running mate, the campaign opened a joint Black and Latino community center in Philadelphia. They also opened a field office earlier this year in Milwaukee on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive  a first for a Republican presidential candidate.

In rallying the Latino community, Bidens campaign needs to reach beyond establishment Democrats to grass-roots Latino leaders who are in contact with young people and their communities, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), former Biden rival, told POLITICO in a recent interview.

But I think there is a likelihood that if that is not done, turnout in the Latino community could be lower than we would like and it could result in Biden losing some very key states, he said.

Rev. Al Sharpton said he frequently gets calls to his radio show from Black men asking what Democrats plan to do for them: Ive had Black men call up and say, Well, what about us?

Super PACs are spending hundreds of millions of dollars on ads that talk to white people, said Chuck Rocha, a former senior adviser to Sanders presidential campaign. By contrast, Latino-run PACs have raised roughly $6 million.

They're leaving no stone unturned with white people, but there are rocks all over the field that aren't being turned over for brown people, Rocha said. Black and Brown voters, especially Latino men, are being left out of the equation.

The holdouts

Part of the urgency comes from the mixed picture emerging in public polling. A recent Monmouth University poll found Biden at 67 percent support among Black, Latino and Asian voters  far ahead of Trump but below the usual Democratic consolidation of voters of color. Hillary Clinton won the same demographics, 74-21 percent, in 2016.

Theres a notable swath of voters who are holding back from Biden, Belcher said. Last week, the pollster shared data with members of Congress that demonstrated Bidens relative vulnerability among Black men, particularly younger ones. (Belcher did not discuss specifics of the data with POLITICO.)

Belcher addressed another argument some Democrats are making: that Bidens strong support among white college-educated voters, along with a slight increase in support from non-college-educated and elderly white voters, could compensate for any weakness among voters of color in battleground states. Clinton lost Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin by less than 80,000 votes, and Florida by a little more than 1 percentage point.

Belcher cautioned that Democrats need only remember 2016 if they think they can rely on white voters to secure the race. But he said the Biden campaign's outreach efforts show that it is paying attention to voters of color; the Democrat's vulnerability on that front, Belcher said, "is fixable."

As for Hispanic voters specifically, Biden has extra work to do with Latino men, who appear to be more drawn to Trump than Latinas.

In Arizona, the Latino population  which is overwhelmingly Mexican American and Democratic  supports Biden 62-29 percent, according to a poll by Equis Research, a Democratic firm. But there was a notable shift among young Latino men under age 50, whom Trump made marginal gains with in August compared to earlier this year. The group isnt sold on Trump, though, with only 26 percent saying theyre very likely to vote for the president.

Among Latino voters in Florida, men support Biden over Trump by 10 percentage points, but women back Biden by 21 points, another recent Equis survey showed.

A separate internal Republican poll of likely Hispanic voters in the state, taken a month earlier in August and shared with POLITICO, showed Biden and Trump deadlocked among men, 40-39 percent, while women supported the Democrat by 18 points.

Following a playbook that worked for them in 2018, Republicans and Trump have courted these voters by hammering away at socialism. Thats a message which has resonance for voters hailing from Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela, countries with a complicated relationship to both communism and socialism.

Rep. Darren Soto (D-Fla.) said he thinks Biden, who has repeatedly said hes not a socialist, needs to drive the message home in South Florida on his next visit.

Soto, who became the first person of Puerto Rican descent in the state to win a congressional seat, said Biden has another dynamic working against him as well with some Latino men.

There is some machismo in our community, unfortunately, said Soto.

Theres good machismo, Soto said, and there is caudillo machismo, referring to henchman-style leaders, whose style sometimes appeals to Latino men. For fans of caudillo machismo, he said, Trumps aggressiveness appeals.

Josh Ulibarri, a Democratic pollster, said the party's failure to secure overwhelming Latino support is long in the making. Were in this position because we havent worked [to win over] Latino men in the last decade.

Biden is clearly trying to remedy that. On Tuesday, he visited Florida to court Latinos after a number of polls showed his weakness with the states unique mix of pan-Latin American voters. Though hes ahead overall among Florida Latino voters, Bidens margins lag behind those of Hillary Clinton in 2016, when she narrowly lost the state.

The campaign is sensitive about the perceived wariness among Black and Brown men. Reporters were not invited to listen in to the two calls with Harris  one last week, another on Aug. 29  and the campaign refused to discuss details or provide comment to POLITICO. The calls included Black men who had previously signed a letter urging the selection of a Black woman running mate. And sources said they were told not to talk to reporters about the virtual meetings.

The difficulty of reaching young Black and Latino men  many of whom don't get their information from traditional channels  has been complicated by the pandemic. But the Zoom meetups with Harris, as well as ad buys and Latino outreach stops in Florida, are aimed specifically at these crucial voters.

Trumps play at the margins

As the election nears, Democrats are inclined to replay everything that went wrong in 2016. But the two election cycles are dramatically different. Theres the coronavirus, for one. Whats more, the incumbent remains unpopular and the country is in the midst of a national debate about systemic racism and police brutality.

The nations state of chaos brings a particular urgency to Trumps push for voters at the margins.

President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the Central Wisconsin Airport Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020, in Mosinee, Wis.

Trumps campaign believes he needs to siphon a few more percentage points from voters of color, building on his successes in 2016, when relatively low Black and Latino turnout compared to white voters helped him squeak by in battleground states. To that end, his campaign is spending millions, particularly on digital ads, and focusing on the economy and criminal justice  two top policy priorities for these groups.

As Trump made swings through Nevada and Arizona this week, he held Latino-focused events with local officials.

It is getting a lot easier to be Republican ... whether youre Hispanic or anything else, Trump said at a Phoenix event.

Florida could be one of Trumps biggest plays to win over Latinos. The diversity of the states population makes it fertile ground. And QAnon conspiracy theories  which lie about the Black Lives Matter movement and falsely accuse Biden of being a pedophile  are infiltrating Spanish-language radio, online conservative news sites and social media feeds, likely boosting Trump's profile.

Florida, a must-win state for Trump, has a sizable population of Republican-leaning Cuban Americans, who wield political power and could account for at least 30 percent of the Latino vote there. Theyve found common cause with other members of the Latin American diaspora fleeing left-wing revolutions in their home countries.

In Florida, its extraordinary, the reversal of trends," said former Miami Rep. Carlos Curbelo, a Republican.

"The Republican [is] gaining ground with minorities and the Democrat [is] gaining ground with ... white voters and seniors, said Curbelo.

Still, Trump is trying to cram his election-year appeals to Black and Latino men into a career and presidency spent extolling police power, chanting build the wall, and furthering birther conspiracies about the countrys first Black president. (And more recently, Harris.) At the same time, hes hoping to drum up support among white voters with ominous warnings of suburbia on fire.

The week after the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, Trump started running a flurry of ads about law enforcement and crime on Facebook, according to an analysis by New York Universitys Online Political Ads Transparency Project.

Prior to Floyds killing, the campaign spent only $50,000 on Facebook ads about criminal justice, according to data from Bully Pulpit Interactive, a Democratic firm. In the months following, Trump pumped $6 million into Facebook ads touting his record on criminal justice.

Terrance Woodbury, a Democratic pollster with HIT Strategies, thinks Trumps tactic on social media is having an effect. In 2016, Trump won 8 percent of Black voters under the age of 35; he's now at 16 percent with that demographic, Woodbury said.

During recent focus groups with Black voters in Wisconsin, Georgia and Florida, Woodbury asked participants what Trump has done to make their life better. When Trumps messaging about pre-Covid-19 Black employment and investments in historically black colleges came up, young men could "recite it verbatim.

Democrats go on the offensive

In an attempt to address the relative lack of enthusiasm among Black men, Bidens team launched ads this week directly aimed at the demographic. Two of the spots feature mask-wearing Black men hanging out at a barbershop, cracking jokes about Trump and chatting about the economy and the havoc wreaked by coronavirus.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, in partnership with the Congressional Black Caucus, the Biden campaign announced a virtual bus tour in more than a dozen battleground states to activate the Black vote.

The campaign also expanded its polling of Latinos to states including Pennsylvania and North Carolina, which it said is a first for a Democratic candidate.

The Latino vote is a legitimate part of the discussion in Pennsylvania now, said Matt Barreto, a pollster for the Biden campaign.

Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign stop, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020, in Philadelphia.

On Thursday, Harris met with Latino elected officials and community advocates at a Puerto Rican and Latino nonprofit in Philadelphia. Harris told reporters she and Biden would earn Latino support by talking about relevant policy, such as the disparity among Latinos and whites when it comes to contracting Covid-19.

This week, the progressive group United We Dream Action and its PAC launched two voter engagement programs aimed at mobilizing 6 million voters on the margins, including undecided or unmotivated Latino voters, as well as young and first-time voters. The effort by the immigrant youth group will encompass states such as Arizona, Florida and Minnesota.

Similarly, billionaire Mike Bloomberg announced he would spend as much as $100 million in Florida, much of it specifically targeted toward Latinos.

The Collective PAC, a group focused on growing Black political power, is working with a range of groups to target Black male voters, including Unite the Country. It intends to spend at least $7 million on mobilization efforts focused on Black men in Milwaukee, Detroit, Philadelphia and Charlotte, including micro-targeting on digital, social and radio, said Quentin James, the group's founder.

Despite the recent push by Bidens campaign and Democratic outside groups to court Black and brown voters, the Democratic nominee is still dogged by aspects of his long record in Congress, said Desmond Meade, executive director of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition.

He pointed to Bidens refusal to clearly apologize for his authorship of the 1994 crime bill. Trumps signing of the First Step Act in 2018, which expanded early release for certain felony offenders in federal prison, has prompted some Black men to give the Republican a second look, Meade said.

As a returning citizen, I had to admit the error of my ways and make amends for what I did. Joe Biden hasnt owned up to his mistake, said Meade, who helped lead Floridas voter-approved effort to give people with felony convictions the right to vote.

Even so, he said, Trump hasnt said enough to condemn police brutality and abuse, which Biden has done.

The issue came up on the conference call with Harris last week.

A lot of people still have issues with the 1994 crime bill, said Crump, the civil rights lawyer. You have to go ahead and own that and talk about how it was a mistake.

Democrats working to mobilize voters said the most effective tack is persistent communication. In Philadelphia, former Mayor Michael Nutter is assembling an independent effort to reach out to Black voters in battleground states, especially men. It features family members of those killed by police violence.

In 2016, we ignored this as a problem, Nutter said. "Were not now."

During the virtual meeting last week, Harris, who served as California attorney general before being elected to the Senate, talked about the need to manage expectations. She said she couldnt get all the reforms she wanted in her home state. But, repeating a favorite talking point, she said she tried to change the system from the inside.

I don't have all the answers, Harris told the group, according to Crump and another source. But together," she said, "we can figure out solutions.

Holly Otterbein contributed to this report.
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- In May, I went back to Portland, Oregon, my hometown. It was the week George Floyd was killed by police in Minneapolis.

Protests in Portland followed, as they did around the country. Unlike the rest of the nation, though, what began as peaceful and constructive political expression devolved into something else entirely. In fact, a cruel inversion took place over the summer: The proximate (and righteous) cause was increasingly buried by violence. One receded and the other rose, a dynamic that paused only when the larger, more lethal force of wildfire took hold.

Over more than 100 nights, federal buildings, police precincts, shops, stores and restaurants were assailed. Local police, federal forces and protesters of every persuasion clashed. Portland saw rocks, eggs, flash-bang grenades, tear gas and worse.

One video shows a man being pulled from a truck and beaten. Its shocking enough, and then you realize that the scene is unfolding in the heart of downtown, and not in some frontier county, and that it goes on for 20-plus minutes without any sign of intervention.

In late August, a pro-Trump parade was somehow allowed to drive those same downtown streets. A 39-year-old man riding in the caravan was shot and killed by a 48-year-old self-described anti-fascist, who was then himself shot and killed by officers with the U.S. Marshals Service a couple days later.

Much of this took place at night, but the effects were plainly visible in the day  even as those days became shrouded in the haze and smoke from the forest fires that ravaged the West. Portland got the nickname Stumptown because of the stumps that dotted the pioneer landscape, a record of rapid expansion in the 19th century. Today the trees have been put to another use: to blanket downtown businesses in plywood.

The boards cover Tiffany and Co., Zara, 7-Eleven and bunch of local stores  selling luggage, legal supplies, mens suits  that have been around since I was a kid in the 1960s. Some of the wood is mottled composite, some of it is serpentine-grained, nearly all of it is covered with graffiti. The slogans signal how far things have gone off track; only a fraction of them refer to George Floyd or Breonna Taylor or the other names Americans have been calling out for remembrance.

Story continues

On a walk downtown earlier this month, two things caught my eye. One was a man in an orange vest removing spray paint from a big street-level window. Hed decided to start in the middle and had just managed to clear a path halfway up the frame, like a snow plow cutting through the center of a road after a blizzard. He had a long way to go.

The other was a man I saw from behind, reaching into the back of his hatchback to put on a protective vest.

Well before it was enveloped in smoke, Portland was a city in retreat. Even its 110-year-old elk statue had gone into hiding.

***

Not that long ago, Portland had a visionary, progressive and capable government. It was activist in the best sense  it took action and managed change. A bright mayor and an energetic city council in the 1970s brought the city light rail and an urban growth boundary and the green space that made it a magnet for hipness in the 00s. This is not to minimize Portlands failings, most notably its well-documented history of codified and tacit racism and exclusion, but government was present. It was there. And it was trying.

A true story: Fifty years ago, in August of 1970, Portland was host to an American Legion convention. President Richard Nixon was scheduled to speak. The Vietnam War was at its height and anti-war riots were feared. The last thing leaders wanted was a reprise of the violence that bedeviled the Democratic National Convention in Chicago two years earlier, or at Kent State that spring, which is exactly what the F.B.I. envisioned.

Governor Tom McCall, a Republican, endorsed a plan: The state would sponsor a free, multi-day music festival, modeled on Woodstock, to take place at the same time as the convention. It would be held in a state park just far enough from Portland that travel back and forth would be a hassle. The police would stay away. Miraculously, Vortex I: A Biodegradable Festival of Life  thats what it was called  redirected thousands of potential protesters away from the city. (My family  mom, dad, three little kids  was among them. I dont remember this, but according to my father, we met a guy as we were scouting for a place to put down our blanket. He was naked. Nice day for a picnic, sir, is what he told my dad, with a smile.)

This story has been on my mind as I think about Portland today. Government, at its most basic and competent, is about making places safe so that lots of people (with their varying agendas and needs and desires) can coexist peacefully and get on with their lives. Sometimes it means diverting a crowd so that you can avoid the harm that gets in the way of bringing about deeper change. This is what Tom McCall, who went on to enact the states visionary environmental agenda, did  at least in this case. And its the opposite of the leadership we had this summer.

***

Portlands bad summer started long before this summer. Governance in Portland has been struggling for years, but its diminishment has been overlooked  obscured by its restaurants, wine and design, bike parades, coffee, Portlandia, quirk. A Fred Armisen sighting covers a multitude of civic failings  of which the citys omnipresent homelessness is only the most visible.

Some of the problems can be laid at the feet of a succession of one-term mayors, none of whom were able to stay around long enough to have a sustained effect. Some can be attributed to Portlands commission form of city government, where no one (neither the mayor nor the elected commissioners) has quite enough power, and everyone is always running for re-election. A divided and underfunded state government, with a legislature that has a habit of staging walkouts, has been a factor, too, as has the absence of a sales tax to bring in needed revenue.

Then theres the stuff thats harder to pinpoint.

One thing that struck me this summer was the experience of no longer having a regular local newspaper. Walking to the end of the driveway every morning, grabbing the Oregonian in its rain-dotted plastic, was once a daily routine. Its front page defined the important events: Nixon resigns, the Trail Blazers win, Mount St. Helens erupts, the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh flees.

Now the paper gets delivered only a few days a week. Its online, sure, but theres no reliable shared document to chronicle a small citys experience. Social media doesnt fill the void; its too balkanized. On days without delivery, you feel disconnected.

This wasnt an isolated feeling. You might think the turmoil downtown would be all that anyone in Portland would want to discuss, and that it would prompt constant outrage and interrogation. Certainly, it was the subject people from outside the state called, emailed and asked about. But here engagement on the protests was sporadic, like the newspaper schedule.

Part of this disparity can be explained. Things often look worse from the outside. The news shows the smoldering wreckage of a bombed-out building, not the busy mall around the corner. If you arent on the ground, thats all you see. And Portland as broadcast looked really bad, especially when it became entangled in a broader political narrative; there were nights when it felt like MSNBC and Fox were in a bidding war over who was to blame for the citys descent.

But part of this disparity was harder to fathom. The story of the summer was Portlands anger. What got less attention was its lack of anger, particularly among those who had real reason to be angry: Portlanders themselves.

It was their hometown that was burned, held hostage by a small group of angry extremists. It was their money that was going to sweep up the garbage, power-wash buildings, and remove and store 6,800-pound elk statues. It was their businesses getting boarded up, their jobs cut. It was their elected officials who failed to provide the effective policing that was needed, and who gave Donald Trump an opening to barge in with untrained federal officers and make things worse.

Most of all, it was their sincere, concerted effort, in the days after George Floyds death, to address the racism rooted in Oregons history and in its once-exclusionary state constitution that got derailed, obscured and burned away.

If ever a city deserved to get pissed off at what was happening to it, it was Portland. And yet the anger never came. The Wall of Moms and the Leaf Blower Dads went home and left the protesting to the rowdies. The citys Black community watched its cause overwhelmed by other forces. The overdue reckoning on race and homelessness and the ills laid bare by the pandemic went back in its box.

Hard-to-see, harder-to-solve problems have a way of creeping up until its too late. In Portland, and throughout the West, the effects of climate change became cruelly visible this last week. A brutal reminder of the costs of forestalling action. Perhaps the image of a state in ashes will spur collective action; perhaps the unseemly speed with which political division entered the discourse  the outlandish idea that the fires were set by extremists on the left or right  will be enough to make Portlanders (and the rest of Oregon) say Enough.

Its easy, I know, to be beguiled by Portland, to let things slide. This has been true for a long time, but maybe not anymore. Youre surrounded by beauty  green mountains and open skies. But those mountains can turn to fire, weve seen, those skies to a suffocating orange.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

David Shipley is senior executive editor of Bloomberg Opinion. He was deputy editorial page editor and op-ed page editor of the New York Times, and served in the Clinton administration as special assistant to the president and senior presidential speechwriter. Shipley is co-author of Send, a guide to email.

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion

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Ros Altmann: The Government had a duty to ensure women affected by age rise were aware of it, so they could adjust their plans

A landmark case against the increase in women's state pension age to 66 has been dismissed by the Court of Appeal.

Two claimants, supported by the BackTo60 group, argued that raising their pension age discriminated against them.

Former Pensions Minister and campaigner Ros Altmann says the Government may have misled many women and caused them hardship, but this may be due to maladministration rather than discrimination.

The Court of Appeal has issued a clear ruling that the sharp increases in women's state pension age did not discriminate against those affected.

The judges expressed sympathy for their plight, but the legal conclusion was a victory for the Government against the women who challenged the changes on the grounds of gender discrimination and wanted their state pension age returned to 60.

I have long considered that the increase in women's state pension age may have created injustice and hardship, but it is not clear this qualifies as discrimination.

I believe there is a strong case for helping women who have been badly impacted, because they did not know their pension age had changed.

Many are seriously ill or they retired to care for loved ones, expecting to receive their state pension sooner than the law allowed.

Yet the problem seems to me to relate more to maladministration and misinformation, rather than the gender discrimination alleged in the judicial review.

Successive Governments since the 1990s failed to properly inform the millions of women facing a state pension age rise that they would not be able to receive any of the state pension they may have been relying on at age 60.

Women, especially those already in their later years, have much lower pensions than men  both in private and state pensions.

For the majority, receipt of state pension is a crucial part of their retirement income. Any delay in the starting date is likely to be more serious for those who have little or no private pension.

So what did Governments do wrong? I do not believe it was wrong to increase the state pension age for women, so that it would be equalised with men.

However, if a Government is making such a fundamental change, it surely has a duty to ensure the women affected are aware of what is going to happen, so they can adjust their plans for the future. This is where the problem seems to me to lie.

When I was Pensions Minister in 2015-2016, I saw copies of official letters written by the Government to millions of these women in 2003 and 2004 about their state pension.

These failed to clearly state that their pension would not start being paid at age 60. They merely informed them what state pension they might receive when they reached state pension age, but they did not tell them what that age would be!

In fact, receiving a letter from the Pensions Department about their state pension, which did not urge them to check what their state pension age would be, may have lulled them into a false sense of security that they would receive it from age 60  just like all the other women they had ever known.

This looks like maladministration. It is certainly the case that the Government seems not to have realised that many women had no idea their pension age would not be 60.

Of course, the officials and Ministers writing the letters all knew, but they failed to appreciate that those women they were writing to had never been directly told.

The original increase in state pension age was legislated for in 1995 when those affected were only in their 40s or younger.

There were some newspaper articles that mentioned the change in the law, which would see women's pension age start to rise in 2010, to reach age 65 by 2020.

The change was assumed to be widely known, but was just not communicated properly to those who needed to know over the years.

Indeed, Government websites also failed to alert women to the impending increase and, even worse, when I became Pensions Minister, I discovered that official websites still wrongly stated that women's state pension age was 60.

This careless approach to an issue that is so vital to many women was rather surprising.

This failure of oversight of state pension information, and the damage to women's pension prospects, was then compounded by the decision in 2011 (which I vigorously opposed at the time) to accelerate the already planned rises in women's state pension age, so it would reach 65 in 2018 and increase to 66 in 2020.

This second rise caused further hardship and added to the problems faced by many women who desperately needed their state pension and had no time to change plans they had already made.

The Government did try writing to women in 2009, but that was very close to the 2010 start date for the pension age increases, then shortly after women received those letters, the next Government decided to delay their state pension even further.

Governments are legally entitled to change the terms of state pensions, but surely they also have a duty to ensure those affected are made aware of what the changes are going to be.

So what happens next? There may now be an appeal to the Supreme Court.

But many cases are also already in progress with the Parliamentary Ombudsman over maladministration, and these were frozen while the judicial review and the appeal were under way.

If there is no further appeal these would go ahead, and if maladministration is confirmed by the Ombudsman perhaps there can yet be a resolution to this problem.

I have not supported a return to pension receipt from age 60, but I do think there is a strong case for Government to help those women  and men  facing hardship caused by delaying receipt of state pension.

This could involve increased access to pension credit, or early access to state pension for people who are seriously ill or caring for others.
KYODO NEWS - Sep 18, 2020 - 17:15 | World, All

Desperate to locate their loved ones who went missing in waters off Japan early this month, the families of the Filipino crew on a capsized cargo ship are calling for continuation of the search, which Tokyo says is still under way.

Philippine lawmaker Risa Hontiveros said Friday she has sent a letter to the Department of Foreign Affairs urging it to press Japan to continue and expand its search operations to find those still missing, including the 36 Filipino seafarers, who were on the Gulf Livestock 1.

"It has been two weeks. There is still no news about their family members. They are anxious and worried how their husbands, fathers or sons are doing," the senator said in the letter referring to the families of the missing crew.

The Panamanian-registered cargo ship en route to China from New Zealand sent a distress call in the stormy East China Sea in the early hours of Sept. 2, from about 185 kilometers west of Amami-Oshima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, according to the Japanese coast guard.

The ship was carrying 43 crew members, including two Australians and two New Zealanders, as well as about 5,800 head of cattle.

Two Filipino crew members were later rescued by the Japanese coast guard, with a third Filipino found dead, according to Philippine authorities.

"One of the survivors said the crew were able to (put on) their life jackets before jumping into the water. This gives families hope they might still be alive at sea or on an island," Hontiveros said.

An official at the Japanese Embassy in Manila said the coast guard's operations are "ongoing."

The senator said search and rescue efforts should continue and be expanded, while allowing other countries to join the search.

The families of the missing crew from Australia and New Zealand have also called for help from authorities.

"There are definitely, we know, four life rafts out there somewhere -- whether they have people on them or not -- which are unaccounted for," said Sarah Mainprize, whose brother William is one of the missing.
South Africa interested in supply of crocodile meat to Ukraine

13:10, 18.09.20 1309

Ukraine, in turn, may ship poultry and pork to that country.
Looking again at using cover crops to build soil structure and mitigate the effects of increasing weather extremes could reap benefits for farmers in Scotland.

This is according to Zach Reilly of SAC Consulting, part of Scotlands Rural College (SRUC), who is working with Farming for a Better Climates Soil Regeneration Group.

The five farmers in the East of Scotland involved in the group have each been trialling different seed mixes and establishment methods to keep costs low and returns high.

Mr Reilly, facilitator of the three-year regenerative farming project funded by the Scottish government, said many had been put off by the expense or extra work of establishing cover crops, combined with a short, often wet, weather window for it to gain ground.

However, in recent months SAC Consulting has received a lot of enquiries from farmers reconsidering it.

Mr Reilly said: We are increasingly seeing extreme weather patterns which can challenge crop growth as well as milder wetter winters and the pests and weed species that come with this.

"Cover cropping builds resilience in the soil to cope with extremes and, over time, improves the chances of the crops that follow.

"Although growing cover crops will never be completely free, focusing on the benefits and driving down the costs can provide good justification for implementing it.

Cover cropping can reduce erosion and nutrient leaching over the winter months, while also improving biodiversity and soil structure, all key principles of regenerative agriculture.

Cover cropping can reduce erosion and nutrient leaching over the winter months, while also improving biodiversity and soil structure

Each member of the group is taking a different approach to growing cover crops and is at different stages of experimentation which allows them to learn from each other and decide what they should translate to their own farm.

Keeping costs down is a priority for all of them and they are achieving this by broadcasting seed into standing crops prior to harvest.

This approach gives cover crops several weeks to germinate and establish under the protection of the cash crop in a warm moist environment, perfect for growth.

This is an advantage over England, where the soil is often very dry pre-harvest and they have to sow later but before the temperature drops.

There is no silver bullet, said Mr Reilly, the key, as well as establishing early, is to find the right seed mix and method that works for your farm, which is what we are continually looking at within the group.

"Broadcasting seed pre-harvest, for example, has the potential to slash sowing costs due to the high work rates of sprayers or fertiliser spreaders.

"And, if the cover crop can be grazed, it can help recoup some of the costs of establishment as well as add the benefits of having livestock in the rotation.

The five farmers are all growing diverse mixes at varying costs, and one of the main deciding factors on what to grow is the existing crop rotation.

Douglas Ruxton, who farms 121ha at Moss-side of Esslie near Fettercairn, has been interested in regenerative farming since 2012.

He has chosen fodder radish, vetch, phacelia and also to include mustard, as he doesnt grow oilseed rape and therefore club root is not an issue. He used his fertiliser spreader to spin cover crops into standing crops pre-harvest.

I tried growing cover crops before but it just didnt seem to stack up as it was putting wear on the machinery, as well as the labour and fuel costs, and cover crop seed still holds a premium price.

Douglas Ruxton, who farms 121ha at Moss-side of Esslie near Fettercairn, has been interested in regenerative farming since 2012

"Having heard the discussion around it between the group, I am keen to give it another try and am focusing on how to make it both easy and keep the costs down.

"I used the fert spinner to broadcast the seed, which was quick and reasonably cheap to do. The challenge will be to see whether the seeds will go far enough and if the higher seed rate I have used will make sense cost-wise.

"Ultimately though, if it means better profits and better margins, and just feeling more confident about the crops when it is very wet or very dry, then it will be worth it.

Hugh Black at Carmyllie mounted slug pellet applicators on to his 36m sprayer to spread seed, while James Hopkinson of Cloud Farming used a mix of drilling with a Claydon drill and broadcasting.

Ross Mitchell at Castleton has modified his sprayer for the job and is also experimenting with rye grass and clover. There are situations where planting cover crops may not be necessary.

Ben Barron at Leitfie Farms, for example, believes that his natural seed bank should provide enough winter cover to protect his soils and he is actively encouraging volunteers to germinate.
The Yuan Wang class research vessel had entered the Indian Ocean Region from Malacca straits last month. It was constantly tracked by Indian Navy warships deployed there in the region, Government Sources told the media.

New Delhi : In a significant development, Indian Navy warships constantly tracked a Chinese research vessel which entered the Indian Ocean Region last month at a time when tensions rose on the land borders in Ladakh between the two nations.

The Chinese research vessel returned to China a few days ago after being under constant watch of Indian Navy vessels, the sources said.

Such research vessels have been coming regularly from China and they try to gain sensitive information about Indian maritime territory.

In December last year, the Chinese research vessel Shi Yan 1 was carrying out research activities in the Indian waters near Port Blair in Andaman and Nicobar Islands and was detected by maritime surveillance aircraft operating there.

Such vessels could have also been used by the Chinese to spy on the Indian activities in the island territory from where India can keep a close eye on the maritime movements in the Indian Ocean Region and South-East Asian region.

Since laws do not allow foreign countries to carry out any research or exploration activities in the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the Indian Navy warship at that time had asked the Chinese research vessel to move out of Indian waters.
The wildfires sweeping across the US West Coast have so far burned nearly 8,000 square milesmore than the land area of New Jerseydisplaced tens of thousands, and cast a thick screen of smoke across the western states. At least 35 people have died in the three coastal states, and hundreds of homes and entire neighborhoods have been burned to the ground.

California has seen five of the ten largest wildfires in its history this season, including the August Complexnow the largest fire in state historyand the LNU, SZU, and CZU Lightning Complexes, which are burning on all sides of the San Francisco Bay.

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)

Twenty other major fires are still burning throughout the state. As of September 14, 7,718 wildfires have burned more than 3.45 million acres in California. This accounts for more than 3 percent of the states roughly 100 million acres of land.

The town of Malden in Washington state was virtually destroyed last week as wildfires burned 80 percent of the buildings in a city of 200 people. Washington governor Jay Inslee, a Democrat, later took a trip to Malden where he offered no immediate help to town residents aside from boxes of apples picked from the grounds of the governors mansion. The apples were later found to have maggots inside.

In Oregon, four massive fires are burning near Portland, Salem, and Eugene, the states three most populous cities, and officials warned last week that they were preparing for a mass fatality event. Some 40,000 people have been evacuated, and 22 people were still missing in the state as of Tuesday. Until Sunday, the entire city of Portland was on alert for a mass evacuation.

Five towns in Oregon have been substantially destroyed, and thousands of structures have been leveled across the state. On Monday, 70 people in Detroit, Oregon were forced to evacuate along dirt roads used by the US Forest Service, and on Tuesday, fire debris blocked roads and trapped dozens of people trying to evacuate near Eugene, Oregon.

A wall of smoke continues to enshroud the entire West Coast, with tens of millions from Seattle to San Diego exposed to hazardous air for successive days. Portlands air quality has been the worst in the world since Sunday, and Los Angeles is suffering its worst smog in 26 years.

Thousands of people living in temporary shelters and parking lots across the three states are being forced to contend with the dual disasters of the wildfires and the COVID-19 pandemic, which threatens to spread through shelters and evacuation sites.

The official COVID-19 Interim Shelter Guidance from the office of Oregon Governor Kate Brown admits these dangers. The document warns: All shelter residents, even those without symptoms, may have been exposed to COVID-19 and should self-quarantine after leaving the shelter in accordance with state and local recommendations. Smoke inhalation threatens to make millions more susceptible to the virus and inundate hospitals with patients suffering from respiratory symptoms.

The wildfires have also severely disrupted public education. In California, more than 70,000 students have been impacted by halts to remote education, as students and teachers have had to evacuate. CalMatters reports that over 8,000 California students and educators have lost their homes to wildfires since 2015.

The kids are confused because we spent three days online doing our Zoom meetings, and now thats gone away, kindergarten teacher Kristie Summerrill told CalMatters. Now, theyre staying at friends houses or hotels. Theyre not understanding why there is no school right now.

While 2020 is already a record year for wildfires, the offshore wind seasonthe period in autumn when the West Coasts most destructive fires tend to take placeis just beginning, and the fire season could last into December.

According to the US Forest Service, what was once a four-month fire season now lasts six to eight months in some parts of the country. The length of the fire season has increased by about 75 days in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, according to Cal Fire.

Even after the fires end, the return of wetter conditions in the winter will heighten the danger of post-fire flooding and mudslides. According to the National Weather Service, following wildfires, locations downhill and downstream from burned areas are very susceptible to flash flooding and debris flows, especially near steep terrain.

In January 2018, heavy rain on hillsides burned by the Thomas Fire caused rapid erosion and powerful mudslides resulting in catastrophic damage in the town of Montecito, California, killing 23 people and destroying 130 homes. The burn scars created by the 2020 fire season, which now span millions of acres, will remain vulnerable to erosion for years and will pose an ongoing threat to countless communities.

A recent study by researchers at Arizona State University and the University of California, Los Angeles found that climate change is increasing the risk of debris flow from wildfires throughout California.

In addition to hazardous air, West Coast residents may soon have to contend with toxic chemicals released by burnt electronics, cars, plastics, and industrial equipment, which can be carried into rivers and waterways by rain.

Earlier this month, officials in Santa Cruz County announced that the CZU Lightning complex had melted seven miles of plastic pipeline, leeching the carcinogenic chemical benzene into the water supply. Benzene was previously found in the water supply in Santa Rosa, California following the Tubbs Fire in 2017, and in the town of Paradise, California, after that town was largely destroyed by the Camp Fire in 2018.

This years unprecedented fire season has undoubtedly been fueled by climate change, which has brought about hotter and dryer conditions. A five-year drought from 2011 to 2016, the driest in Californias history, killed and desiccated over 100 million trees.

Across the West Coast, fires are moving faster and growing larger. Doug Grafe, chief of Fire Protection at the Oregon Department of Forestry, told reporters that the extent and speed of the wildfires in Oregon was unprecedented. Seeing them run down the canyons the way they havecarrying 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.

In the last twenty years, Oregon has experienced eleven megafires, as compared to six megafires in the entire twentieth century, according to Jim Gersbach from the Oregon Department of Forestry. Until this year, no more than two megafires had been observed in the state in a single year. There are now four megafires burning at once. Professor Michael Gollner, who leads the Berkeley Fire Research Lab, wrote that weve never seen fires of this magnitude, and called the behavior of the fires unreal.

The devastation caused by the 2020 fire season, like the COVID-19 pandemic, is a direct consequence of the criminal policies pursued by the ruling class. Like the pandemic, the threat of wildfires was entirely foreseeable, yet Republican and Democratic administrations alike have cut federal funding for fire science for decades.

The Trump Administration has pushed through $2 billion in cuts from the US Forest Service budget, while threatening to cut off federal aid for California wildfires. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party, which politically dominates California, Oregon, and Washington, has refused for decades to take any substantial action to mitigate the danger of wildfires, and has systematically defunded social infrastructure and cut firefighter staffing.

Vast social resources exist to stop the unfolding environmental catastrophe and protect human life, but this can only be achieved by mobilizing the working class to reorganize economic and political life to satisfy social need rather than private profit.
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has said it detained four people from Mumbai and Thane and seized drugs and cash worth 4.36 lakh on Thursday as part of its ongoing probe into alleged drug angle to the Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajputs death.

The accused were detained after their names cropped up during interrogation of arrested accused Ankush Arenja alias Arneja, said NCB officials.

Also read: Bombay HC to hear bail pleas of 3 accused in drugs case

One suspect Rahil Arafat Vishra alias Sam has been detained in connection with alleged drug angle to Sushant Singh Rajput case while other three suspects Rohan Talwar, Nogthoung and Vishal Salve have been detained in separate cases of NDPS [Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances] Act, said NCBs deputy director, KPS Malhotra.

Based on Arenjas statement that Rahil had supplied hashish to him, a team of NCB officials raided his residence in Versova on Thursday, and seized 928 grams of hashish and cash worth 4.36 lakh.

Arenjas questioning led NCB to Rohan Talwar. Rohan Talwar is involved with Arenja, and raids were conducted at Talwars residence in Powai. We recovered 10 grams of marijuana, said Malhotra.

Talwars questioning led NCB to Nogthoung who was intercepted in Thane. NCB officials allegedly recovered 370 grams of marijuana from him. Nogthong revealed the name of another suspect Vishal Salve who was also intercepted in Thane and NCB allegedly found 110 grams of marijuana in his possession, said Malhotra.

We have detained Rahil, Rohan Talwar, Nogthong, and Vishal Salve, and are questioning them to get more information regarding drug syndicates in the city and also to find out who are the main supplier of drugs, said Malhotra.

NCB has till now arrested 18 accused in the case. They include Rajputs girlfriend, Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik and his friend Suryadeep Malhotra.
Fishing has a strong impact on coastal marine food webs, but its a hard effect to measure. When Hurricane Harvey hit Texas in 2017, it temporarily halted fishing in one area of the Gulf Coast and set up a natural experiment for our team. We found that when the hurricane halted recreational fishing, populations of sport fish rebounded almost immediately, causing a cascade of effects throughout marine food webs in the area.

In August 2017, Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Aransas Bay. The high winds and storm surge destroyed docks, piers and boats in addition to homes and businesses. With fishing infrastructure destroyed, fishing in this area declined significantly the following year.

The storm then moved north, dropping record setting rainfall near Houston in the Galveston Bay watershed. In both Aransas and Galveston bays, rainfall significantly reduced salinity and altered water quality. But, Galveston Bay was spared from the worst wind damage and fishing continued as normal.

This set up a natural experiment: Fishing was reduced in one area  Aransas Bay  but not in another  Galveston Bay  allowing us to assess how the ecosystems recovered under high or low fishing pressure.

After the storm reduced fishing in Aransas Bay, populations of sport fish  many of which are top predators  boomed the next year and we saw a trophic cascade throughout the food web. With more predators around, populations of shrimp, crabs and smaller fish that sport fish commonly eat, all declined. On oyster reefs, mud crabs that commonly eat small oysters were hard to find because of higher predation by fish.

Although Galveston Bay experienced similar rainfall and water conditions, very little fishing infrastructure was damaged, and fishing continued as normal after the storm passed. Sport fish populations remained steady, and we didnt see any serious changes to the food webs of Galveston Bay.

The hurricane, by curtailing fishing, showed just how much of an effect fishing has not only on the targeted species, but on entire food webs.

Why it matters

Researchers know that humans are important components of food webs, but measuring these effects is challenging. The hurricane occurred in the midst of ongoing studies on fish populations and afforded us a unique opportunity to measure its effects, including reduction of fishing.

In Texas, fish populations bounced back quickly after fishing activity ceased, suggesting that these fisheries are well managed and that fishing regulations are being followed. This is in stark contrast to many fish stocks that have been historically overfished, leading to collapse of coastal ecosystems. The results highlight that science-based fishing regulations and conservation planning need to be maintained, as well as how important it is for fishermen to follow the rules.

What still isnt known

The oceans face many challenges from fishing, pollution and climate change. Food webs are inherently complex and difficult to study  especially when the conditions that affect them are constantly changing  and there is a lot scientists dont yet know about how they might change with so many variables in flux. Understanding these relationships is critical if conservationists want to better protect marine resources.

Whats next

Studies that examine how multiple factors affect individual species and the food webs they are a part of will improve conservation planning. We believe these studies should also investigate how changes to one species can affect not only other animals but plants and nonliving systems too. It is also important to study how these changes affect humans and vice versa.

Finding the right balance between the needs of people and the needs of healthy ecosystems is difficult but important work. Hurricane Harvey was destructive, but it gave us an opportunity to learn valuable information about these complicated systems.

Smee is an assistant professor of marine science at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Reustle is a SPIRE postdoctoral scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This piece was previously published in The Conversation.
Legal efforts to reverse Cherry Countys 2019 endorsement of a 19-turbine wind farm near Kilgore continue, more than a year after the project was submitted to county officials.

County commissioners, the county itself and BSH Kilgore LLC filed answers Monday to a lawsuit by wind-farm opponents seeking to overturn an Oct. 29, 2019, County Board vote granting BSH a conditional use permit.

Their filings followed an Aug. 14 order by District Judge Mark Kosizek to let that suit continue, albeit with an altered lineup of plaintiffs and a trimmed-down list of defendants.

Meanwhile, Kosizek dismissed on Sept. 10 a fresh lawsuit by wind-farm opponents objecting to a June 9 County Board vote to give BSH an extra four years to complete its project.

The newest suit repeated claims that the fragile environment of the Sandhills would be compromised by wind farms. It again alleges that Commissioners Martin DeNaeyer of Seneca and Tanya Storer of Whitman have conflicts of interest because both have family members in pro-wind entity Cherry County Wind LLC.
The head of the pseudo-Christian sect Sarang Jeil promoted mass gatherings for thousands of people. After the rallies, Covid positive cases grew from less than 10 to 150 per day. The "Korea model" is very effective. To date, there have been 22783 cases and 377 deaths across the country.

Seoul (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Today at 4 pm the Seoul city government will present a complaint and a request for damages against Pastor Jun Kwang-hoon, who with his mass rallies in the city center (see photo), reignited the pandemic. The government is asking for at least 4.6 billion won (about 3.34 million euros).

Despite warnings against mass rallies, in mid-August the pastor of the pseudo-Christian sect Sarang Jeil Church planned anti-government demonstrations, which gathered thousands of people in central Seoul, contributing to the spread of the virus. Jun himself then tested positive.

In a press release, the city government explains that "even if we limit the damage to the cases reported in Seoul", we must add the difficulties produced "to the city government, transport, hospitals, the nation and health insurance". Which puts the costs incurred by around 13.1 billion won. The sum also includes 330 million won to treat 641 patients and 663 million to support people left in quarantine, due to possible contacts with the church.

The city government accuses Jun of hindering efforts to trace the cases by presenting false documents of Church members. Lawyers for the religious community reject the accusations and in turn accuse the government of being incompetent and not doing enough to contain the virus. They are also pushing for a claim for damages from China, where the virus arose.

According to the Kdca (Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the state agency for the control and prevention of diseases), the number of positive cases per day in Seoul was under 10 in early August; after the demonstrations of 15 August, they grew to 150; 154 on August 26.

The KCDA states that there are at least 1168 cases related to the Sarang Jeil Church; 587 relating to the 15 August rally.

At present, Seoul has 46 new cases, bringing the total to 4904. Across the country - with a population of nearly 52 million - there have so far been 22783 cases and 377 deaths.

South Korea is one of the countries where the coronavirus has hit the least, thanks to the efficiency and promptness of prevention and testing measures implemented by the government. Many think that the "Korea model" is better than the "China model" based on total lockdowns.
On September 1, Boston underwent its annual move-in day, when tens of thousands of college students move in from across the United States and world into apartments in advance of the beginning of their fall semesters. Additionally, many students move into on-campus housing shortly before this chaotic day.

On a typical year, the influx of students and vast number of leases ending on August 31 and starting September 1 create immense amounts of traffic and piles of furniture and other discarded belongings on sidewalks. This year, the annual ritual also portends a terrible COVID-19 outbreak.

Boston University College of Arts and Sciences (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)

Despite the ongoing pandemic, colleges and universities across the Greater Boston area have made the reckless, profit-driven decision to reopen their campuses. This has endangered the lives of not only university students, faculty and staff, but residents of the area as well, as cases will inevitably spike and hospitals become at serious risk of becoming overwhelmed by an influx of COVID patients.

COVID-19 outbreaks have taken place across the country as colleges have seen surges in cases after reopening. Over 88,000 new cases have been recorded at nearly 1,200 colleges since the criminal reopenings, according to the New York Times. Of these schools, more than 150 colleges are reporting more than 100 cases, and more than a dozen report 1,000-plus cases.

College websites claim that the health and safety of their students and faculty are of paramount concern and are informing all decision-making. However, at the root of all safety decisions of day-today operations lies the fundamentally deadly one of opening schools in the first place.

A sharp class line is also emerging among schools in their separate and anarchic plans and precautions to allegedly keep students, faculty and the surrounding communities safe. At most state and community colleges, these measures include the paltry addition of hand sanitizer, recommendations on wearing masks, and telling students to stay home if they feel sick. Meanwhile, some elite universities have actually built the infrastructure to test thousands of students per day, are requiring every student to be tested and are conducting internal contract tracing.

Boston University (BU) has developed the ability to give over 5,000 tests per day on campus and is testing more than 4,000 students and faculty daily, having performed 96,499 tests since July 27, with 91 positive tests. They also have in-house contact tracing teams. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has done nearly 46,000 tests since August, 11,700 of these done in the first week of September, with 22 positive results.

While the elite universities test thousands of students per day, state and community colleges either have bare minimum testing or no testing at all. Bunker Hill Community College has no testing and is allowing students and faculty on campus if they are not feeling sick, requiring check-ins and -outs to assist with contact tracing. Baystate, Massasoit, Northshore, and Roxbury Community Colleges will also have no testing.

At Framingham State University, 1,226 students are taking at least one in-person course, with a total of 52 faculty members and 158 staff working on campus. The university is working in coordination with the state Department of Higher Education and Department of Public Health to implement testing, resulting in an average of only 82 tests per day. As of this writing, a spike in cases has already begun, with 10 out of 429 tests resulting positive on September 8, compared to only 5 positive tests out of all 1,600 tests beginning August 21. Revealing their complete lack of care and preparation for the situation, following the 10 positive results on September 8, as of September 15, they had only tested once, on September 11, conducting just 114 tests.

Salem State University is likewise doing only limited testing, requiring all resident students to be tested at move-in, followed by a rotating segment of the resident students to be tested every other week. It is not clear how large this segment will be. Additionally, commuting students with on-campus classes, jobs or in-person field placements are not required to take tests prior to coming to campus and are given the option to electively take tests on campus, if so desired, only once every two weeks. They have tested only 1,109 students thus far, and 104 employees, resulting in 1 positive case.

Boston College (BC), with medium testing capacity, is already seeing exponential growth in new cases going from 3 positive cases out of 7,681 tests August 16-23, to 8 of 10,127 tests August 24-30, 26 of 4,322 tests August 31-September 6, and 67 out of 2,954 tests on September 9-12. In other words, BC has gone from a >0.1 percent positivity rate to over 2 percent in three weeks. This trend has no reason to slow. Just two weeks after opening, San Diego State University reported 64 positive cases, which spiraled into a staggering 513 cases just one week later.

Northeastern University (NU) has created the infrastructure to test students and staff, requiring students be tested every three days. Even with strict limitations on social interaction and robust testing, early signs of increased rates of transmission are developing at NU. September 8 saw its highest number of positive cases and positivity rate, with 8 cases out of 6,947 tests.

The as-for-now slow burn of on average more than three cases per day at NU, while in itself an unforgivable cost, is an experiment with the potential energy for near spontaneous combustion. Regular testing alone, while important, cannot stop transmission of the deadly virus. If specimen collection is not done perfectly, or if tested at an early stage of infection or partial recovery, test samples may not contain enough viral material for a positive result. This could lead at any time to large spikes, especially since students feeling emboldened with negative results will undoubtedly socialize with each other off-campus.

It is clear that even at schools with state-of-the art testing capacities and facilities, as well as other precautions, viral transmission is taking place at varying degrees, with the potential for large spikes, far-reaching community transmission, and a situation that could easily spiral out of control.

Also made clear from the Boston-area campus testing is the criminality of the state and federal response to the pandemic. A handful of universities with a few tens of thousands of students have surpassed the testing capabilities of the entire state of Massachusetts, one of the wealthiest states in the US, with nearly 7 million people.

In addition, the anarchy of each school developing and following its own protocols is so irrational in stopping the spread of the virus more broadly that the internal contact tracing program at BU, for instance, will only contact close contacts of a positive case if they are a student or faculty member of BU. Any other member of the public at large is of no concern to the BU administration.

Wealthy university testing and tracing programs, isolated from a state, national and global program to fight the pandemic, are not the solution. Even with these programs, the decision to open schools has left students at these campuses at risk. They should never have been opened in the first place. Only a global and coordinated response can stop this virus in its tracks.

The struggle to close schools and implement the proper safety measures to stop the pandemic must be linked to other schools, workplaces and industries, across state and national borders, in rank-and-file safety committees independent of the school administrations and authorities, big business parties and trade unions. The International Youth and Students for Social Equality and the Socialist Equality Party are fighting to build an independent movement and leadership of the working class to support all students, teachers, parents and workers who are taking a stand against the homicidal drive to reopen schools.
Access to cancer medicines and clinical trials show stark variations across Europe

Lugano, Switzerland, 18 September 2020 - Access to cancer medicines is highly unequal across Europe both for new drugs in development because of uneven access to clinical trials and for currently approved drugs due to huge disparities in healthcare spending by different countries, according to results from studies presented at ESMO 2020. (1,2)

Countries in Western Europe run a higher number of clinical trials for novel cancer treatments than countries in Eastern and Central Europe, showed an analysis of clinical trials active in different countries (1) that indicated large differences in access to new treatments in development for cancer patients depending on where they live.

"Our study gives us proof of what we previously suspected, that there is a huge asymmetry in the number of clinical trials for cancer treatments in different countries," said study co-author Dr Teresa Amaral, from University Hospital Tubingen, Germany.

"Having access to clinical trials confers several benefits to cancer patients. It means they can potentially access novel therapies earlier during the trial phase rather than having to wait for licensing and reimbursement," she explained. "Also, all trial participants benefit from the regular follow-up and monitoring involved in taking part in a clinical study."

The researchers searched the Clinicaltrials.gov database for interventional clinical trials in adults with tumours between 2009 and 2019. Analysing the number of trials in 34 European countries revealed huge differences. Albania had the lowest number of active clinical trials for cancer (0.14 clinical trials per 100 000 population) while Belgium had the highest number (11.06 per 100 000).

Further results showed that the total number of oncology clinical trials performed in European countries increased by 33% between 2010 and 2018, with a much greater increase in early phase trials (61% increase in phase I-II trials) than late-phase trials (7% increase in phase 2-3 trials).

Amaral suggested that this might be due to a shift in clinical trial design: "There is no longer a clear progression from first-in-human studies to phase 1, phase 2 and then much larger phase 3 trials. Instead we tend to have more trials in earlier phases, namely phase II, which might expand to later phases."

The increase in early phase trials was again asymmetrical and the growth rate depended on the baseline number of trials. "Countries need to have the necessary infrastructure and expertise to conduct trials of any type, including early phase trials."

"A higher number of phase I trials is a sign of more active research going on in a particular country, with the appropriate infrastructure and necessary incentives to conduct clinical trials," said Thomas Cerny, Professor of medical oncology at the University of Berne, Switzerland and member of the ESMO Principles of Clinical Trials and Systemic Therapy Faculty. "And the only way to develop new cancer drugs is to be able to put patients into clinical trials," he added.

"The difference in the number of clinical trials per head of population, with more trials in wealthier countries, means access to clinical trials and innovative drugs is just not possible for cancer patients living in many less wealthy countries." Although the study is descriptive, he considered it made best use of the available data to evaluate differences in clinical trial availability in different countries.

He added: "Clinical studies require a solid infrastructure in terms of personnel and equipment, and this depends on a country's overall financial situation. These requirements are increasing so the gap in clinical trial capacity is not likely to reduce soon."

"There is still a lot to do to increase access to clinical trials for cancer patients in different countries," agreed Amaral. "The voluntary harmonisation procedure, in which trial sponsors can submit trial documentation to several countries at the same time, has streamlined the process and reduced the approval time for trials. But more is needed to increase access to clinical trials in countries where the number of trials is currently low." The research group is currently exploring the reasons for the asymmetry to inform potential solutions.

A health economics analysis also reported at ESMO 2020 showed that wealthier European countries spent ten times as much as poorer countries per inhabitant on cancer medicines in 2018, following a similar pattern to that seen for clinical trials. (2)

"There was a huge difference in spending on cancer medicines," said lead author Dr Nils Wilking, from the Karolinska Instituet, Stockholm, Sweden. "We found that inequalities are mainly related to countries' economic strength and not to the disease burden of cancer."

The researchers estimated cancer-specific health expenditure for 31 countries (EU-27 plus Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and the UK) using national figures for 2018. Results showed the top spenders on cancer medicines were Austria, Germany and Switzerland (Euros 90 to 108 per capita) while the lowest spenders were the Czech Republic, Latvia and Poland (Euros 13 to 16). The largest differences in spending between countries were seen for immuno-oncology drugs.

"There are two main factors accounting for the differences in spending on cancer medicines: one is shortage of money and the other is drugs not being approved for use by some healthcare systems," suggested Wilking. He noted that, although the study did not consider data at the individual patient level, the difference observed in access to cancer medicines would affect patient outcomes.

Cerny commented: "It is difficult to assess the real costs in any country because systems vary in different countries and there are many hidden costs not reflected in the databases used. But the study essentially shows the more a country has to spend, the more its inhabitants have access to cancer medicines."

Considering how to widen access to cancer medicines, Wilking suggested: "We need a model in which we incentivise innovation of valuable medicines through outcome-based payment models and consider a disease area and what a society is able to pay for treatment." He added: "The work of health technology assessment organisations has been important and a critical scrutiny and evaluation of new drugs should always be applied."

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Notes to Editors

Please make sure to use the official name of the meeting in your reports: ESMO Virtual Congress 2020

Official Congress Hashtag: #ESMO20

Disclaimer

This press release contains information provided by the authors of the highlighted abstracts and reflects the content of these abstracts. It does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of ESMO who cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the data. Commentators quoted in the press release are required to comply with the ESMO Declaration of Interests policy and the ESMO Code of Conduct.

References

(1) Abstract LBA66_PR 'Disparities in access to oncology clinical trials in Europe in the period 2009-2019' will be presented by Ana Carneiro during the Proffered paper session "Public Policy" on Monday, 21 September 2020, 14:25-16:05 CEST. Annals of Oncology, Volume 31 Supplement 4, September 2020

(2) Abstract 1588MO_PR 'A comparative study on costs of cancer and access to medicines in Europe' will be presented by Niels Wilking during the Mini Oral session "Public Policy" available on demand?as of Friday, 18 September at 09:00 CEST. Annals of Oncology, Volume 31 Supplement 4, September 2020

About the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO)

ESMO is the leading professional organisation for medical oncology. With more than 25,000 members representing oncology professionals from over 160 countries worldwide, ESMO is the society of reference for oncology education and information. ESMO is committed to offer the best care to people with cancer, through fostering integrated cancer care, supporting oncologists in their professional development, and advocating for sustainable cancer care worldwide. http://www. esmo. org

LBA66_PR - Disparities in access to oncology clinical trials in Europe in the period 2009-2019

A. Carneiro1, T.M.S. Amaral2, M. Brandao3, M. Scheffler4, K. Bol5, R. Ferrara6, M. Jalving7, G. Lo Russo8, I. Marquez-Rodas9, A. Matikas10, L. Mezquita11, G. Morgan12, C.E. Onesti13, S. Pilotto14, E. Saloustros15, D. Trapani16

1 Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Oncology, Lund University, Skane University Hospital, Lund, Sweden, 2Dermatooncology Center, University Hospital Tubingen, Tuebingen, PT, Germany, 3Clinical Trial Support Unit, Institute Jules Bordet, Brussels, Belgium, 4Lung Cancer Group Cologne, Department I of Internal Medicine, Uniklinik Koln, Cologne, Germany, 5Medical Oncology Department, Herlev Hospital - National Center for Cancer Immune Therapy, Herlev, Denmark, 6Medical Oncology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori di Milano, Milan, Italy, 7Department of Medical Oncology, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands, 8Dipartimento Oncologia Toraco-Polmonare, Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori di Milano - Fondazione IRCCS, Milan, Italy, 9Medical Oncology, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Maranon - Fundacion Investigacion Biomedica, Madrid, Spain, 10Oncology-Pathology Department, Karolinska University Hospital-Solna, Stockholm, Sweden, 11Medical Oncology Department, Hospital Clinic y Provincial de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain, 12Oncology, Skane University Hospital, Lund, Sweden, 13Medical Oncology department, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sart Tilman, Liege, Belgium, 14Section of Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Verona School of Medicine and Verona University Hospital Trust, Verona, Italy, 15Department of Oncology, University Hospital of Larissa, Larissa, Greece, 16IRCCS, Istituto Europeo di Oncologia, Milan, Italy

Background: Clinical trials are essential for advancing cancer treatment. Yet, there is limited data on their distribution and access in Europe. To ascertain the extent of potential inequalities in access to clinical trials in Europe, we compared their distribution among European countries.

Methods: The Clinicaltrials.gov database was searched for interventional clinical trials in adults with neoplasms. Available data from phase I-III trials between 06/2009 to 06/2019 in Europe were retrieved. We considered the number of clinical trials registered in each country and one "trial-entry" was defined as one trial/country.

Results: In total, 18454 trial-entries were identified, of which 12% were phase I, 10% phase I/II, 32% phase II, 2% phase II/III and 44% phase III; 74% were industry-sponsored, 15% were academic and 11% were an academic/industry partnership. The number of trials per country varied from 2.48 in Central/Eastern Europe to 5.33/100 000 inhabitants in Northern Europe. The proportion of phase I-II trials was higher in the Southern and Western regions (13-15%) compared to Central/Eastern and Northern regions (4-9%). The number of trial-entries/100 000 inhabitants/country ranged from 0.14 (Albania) to 10.7 (Belgium). Between 2010 and 2018, the total number of trials per country in Europe increased by 33%. The increase in early-phase trials was larger (phase I-II, 61%) than in late-phase trials (phase II-III, 7%). Portugal, Ireland, Finland, Greece and Norway registered the largest percentage increase in early-phase trials, while Ireland, Spain, Norway, Italy and Belgium led the largest percentage increase in late-phase trials. Five countries dominated in terms of an increase in the absolute number of total trial-entries in both early- and late-phase trials: Spain (90/40), France (45/16), UK (45/13), Italy (38/19) and Belgium (35/12). During this period there was no significant variation in the distribution of industry and academic sponsored trials but an increase in industry/academic partnerships was observed (approximately 8%).

Conclusions: The number of clinical trials varies greatly among European regions resulting in potential asymmetries in patients' access to clinical trials. The disparities in access to oncology trials need to be addressed by all the stakeholders.

Legal entity responsible for the study: The authors

Funding: Has not received any funding

Disclosure: T.M.S. Amaral: Honoraria (self), Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Novartis; Honoraria (self), Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: BMS; Honoraria (self): Pierre Fabre; Honoraria (self): CeCaVa.

M. Brandao: Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony, Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Roche/GNE.

M. Scheffler: Advisory/Consultancy, Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony: Boehringer Ingelheim, AMGEN, AstraZeneca, BMS, Roche, Pfizer, Takeda; Research grant/Funding (self): AMGEN, Dracen.

R. Ferrara: Advisory/Consultancy: MSD.

M. Jalving: Advisory/Consultancy: MERCK, BMS, NOVARTIS, PIERRE FABRE, TESARO, ASTRA ZENECA; Research grant/Funding (self): BMS, ABBVIE, MERCK, CRISTAL THERAPEUTICS.

G. Lo Russo: Advisory/Consultancy: MSD, BMS, ASTRAZENECA; Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: BMS, ROCHE.

I. Marquez-Rodas: Advisory/Consultancy: BMS, MSD, NOVARTIS, ROCHE, PIERRE FABRE, AMGEN, ASTRA ZENECA, REGENERON, SANOFI, HIGHLIGHT THERAPEUTICS, INCYTE, GSK.

L. Mezquita: Research grant/Funding (self): Bristol-Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim; Non-remunerated activity/ies, Lectures and educational activities: Bristol-Myers Squibb, Tecnofarma, AstraZeneca, Roche; Advisory/Consultancy: Roche Diagnostics, Roche; Travel/Accommodation/Expenses: Bristol-Myers Squibb, Roche; Research grant/Funding (self), International Mentorship Program : AstraZeneca.

S. Pilotto: Advisory/Consultancy, Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony: Astra-Zeneca, Eli-Lilly, BMS, Boehringer Ingelheim, MSD and Roche.

E. Saloustros: Advisory/Consultancy: Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Roche; Speaker Bureau/Expert testimony: Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Roche, Amgen, BMS.

All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

1588MO_PR - A comparative study on costs of cancer and access to medicines in Europe

N. Wilking1, G. Bradvik2, P. Lindgren3, C. Svedman2, B. Jonsson4, T. Hofmarcher5

1 Oncology and pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, 2The Swedish Institute for Health Economics, Lund, Sweden, 3Karolinska Institutet, The Swedish Institute for Health Economics, Lund, Sweden, 4Economics, Stockholm School of Economics, Stockholm, Sweden, 5Lund University, The Swedish Institute for Health Economics, Lund, Sweden

Background: Costs and value of new cancer treatments are often causing headlines without being discussed in a larger context. This study estimates the cost of cancer and access to medicines in Europe in 2018 and extends a previous analysis for 1995-2014.

Methods: Cancer-specific health expenditure for 31 countries (EU-27 plus Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and the UK) were derived from national estimates. Data on cancer drug sales were obtained from IQVIA. Productivity loss from premature mortality was estimated from data from Eurostat and the WHO. Productivity loss from morbidity and informal care costs were estimated based on previous studies.

Results: The total cost of cancer was EUR 199 billion in 2018. Total costs ranged from EUR 160 per capita in Romania to EUR 578 in Switzerland (after adjustment for price differentials). Health expenditure on cancer care were EUR 103 billion, of which EUR 32 billion were spent on cancer drugs. Informal care costs were EUR 26 billion. The total productivity loss was EUR 70 billion, composed of EUR 50 billion from premature mortality and EUR 20 billion from morbidity. Patient access to cancer medicines was much greater in wealthier than poorer countries in 2018, in terms of value and volume. The top spenders were Austria, Germany, and Switzerland (EUR 92 to EUR 108 per capita), whereas Czechia, Latvia, and Poland spent the least (EUR 13 to EUR 16). The largest country differences were seen in immuno-oncology medicines. Between 1995 and 2018, cancer incidence increased by 50% in Europe, but cancer mortality increased only by 20%. Health spending on cancer doubled from EUR 52 billion to EUR 103 billion (in 2018 prices and exchange rates), but the share of cancer care on the total health expenditure remained stable at around 4-7%. A shift from treatment in inpatient care to ambulatory care has likely saved costs. Expenditure on cancer medicines tripled from EUR 10 billion to EUR 32 billion between 2005 and 2018 (excluding confidential rebates). Productivity loss from premature mortality decreased over time, linked to mortality reductions in working-age patients.

Conclusions: There are large and persistent country differences in spending on cancer care, access to new cancer medicines and outcomes in Europe. Inequalities are mainly related to countries' economic strength and not to the disease burden of cancer.

Legal entity responsible for the study: The Swedish Institute for Health Economics, Lund, Sweden

Funding: European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), Brussels, Belgium (unrestricted grant)

Disclosure: N. Wilking: Advisory/Consultancy, This study has been supported by an unrestricted grant from EFPIA: Bayer, BMS, EFPIA,Eisai, Oasmia, Roche, Sanofi,.

G. Bravik: Advisory/Consultancy, IHE conducts research and evaluations for a large number of for-profit health care companies: IHE and EFPIA (unrestricited grant).

P. Lindgren: Advisory/Consultancy, IHE conducts research and evaluations for a large number of for-profit health care companies: IHE and EFPIA (unrestricted grant).

C. Svedman: Advisory/Consultancy, IHE conducts research and evaluations for a large number of for-profit health care companies: IHE and EFPIA (unrestricted grant).

B. Jonsson: Advisory/Consultancy, IHE and EFPIA (unrestricted grant): Bayer, BMS, AZ, Allergan, Celgene, Jansen, Takeda, Vifor, Pfizer, Novartis.

T. Hofmarcher: Advisory/Consultancy, IHE conducts research and evaluations for a large number of for-profit health care companies: IHE and EFPIA (unrestricted grant).

This story has been published on: 2020-09-18. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
New Delhi:

Weeks after her spat with Congress government in Puducherry, Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi on Friday met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh here and discussed with him various issues concerning the Union Territory.

During the 20 minute meeting, Bedi briefed the Home Minister on various issues concerning Puducherry, official sources said.

Differences between the ruling Congress government in Puducherry and Bedi were witnessed earlier this month after the UT government issued an order, directing all officers, heads of departments and employees of government-owned undertakings to immediately desist from using the social media such as Twitter, WhatsApp and Facebook.

Later on January 5, Bedi had cancelled the order of Narayanasamy banning the use of social media for official communication.

Bedi had posted a copy of her order on her personal Twitter handle declaring the government circular null and void with immediate effect on the ground that it was issued in contravention of guidelines, rules and policies of the government.

A day after Bedi cancelled the order, eight of the 15 Congress MLAs in the Union Territory said they have sent a joint memorandum to Home Minister Rajnath Singh complaining about her publicity mongering and rigidly autocratic style of functioning.

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In this article we are going to estimate the intrinsic value of Breedon Group plc (LON:BREE) by projecting its future cash flows and then discounting them to today's value. Our analysis will employ the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. It may sound complicated, but actually it is quite simple!

Remember though, that there are many ways to estimate a company's value, and a DCF is just one method. For those who are keen learners of equity analysis, the Simply Wall St analysis model here may be something of interest to you.

Check out our latest analysis for Breedon Group

Step by step through the calculation

We are going to use a two-stage DCF model, which, as the name states, takes into account two stages of growth. The first stage is generally a higher growth period which levels off heading towards the terminal value, captured in the second 'steady growth' period. To begin with, we have to get estimates of the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, so we need to discount the sum of these future cash flows to arrive at a present value estimate:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast

2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 Levered FCF (, Millions) UK80.4m UK85.7m UK84.5m UK84.0m UK84.0m UK84.3m UK84.8m UK85.5m UK86.2m UK87.1m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x3 Analyst x2 Est @ -1.34% Est @ -0.57% Est @ -0.03% Est @ 0.34% Est @ 0.61% Est @ 0.79% Est @ 0.92% Est @ 1.01% Present Value (, Millions) Discounted @ 7.1% UK75.1 UK74.7 UK68.8 UK63.9 UK59.6 UK55.9 UK52.5 UK49.4 UK46.5 UK43.9

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = UK590m

Story continues

The second stage is also known as Terminal Value, this is the business's cash flow after the first stage. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield (1.2%) to estimate future growth. In the same way as with the 10-year 'growth' period, we discount future cash flows to today's value, using a cost of equity of 7.1%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2030  (1 + g)  (r  g) = UK87m (1 + 1.2%)  (7.1% 1.2%) = UK1.5b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= UK1.5b ( 1 + 7.1%)10= UK757m

The total value is the sum of cash flows for the next ten years plus the discounted terminal value, which results in the Total Equity Value, which in this case is UK1.3b. In the final step we divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of UK0.8, the company appears about fair value at a 4.0% discount to where the stock price trades currently. Valuations are imprecise instruments though, rather like a telescope - move a few degrees and end up in a different galaxy. Do keep this in mind.

dcf

Important assumptions

The calculation above is very dependent on two assumptions. The first is the discount rate and the other is the cash flows. Part of investing is coming up with your own evaluation of a company's future performance, so try the calculation yourself and check your own assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Breedon Group as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 7.1%, which is based on a levered beta of 0.977. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business.

Looking Ahead:

Whilst important, the DCF calculation shouldn't be the only metric you look at when researching a company. It's not possible to obtain a foolproof valuation with a DCF model. Instead the best use for a DCF model is to test certain assumptions and theories to see if they would lead to the company being undervalued or overvalued. For instance, if the terminal value growth rate is adjusted slightly, it can dramatically alter the overall result. For Breedon Group, we've put together three important aspects you should consider:

Risks: For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for Breedon Group that you should be aware of. Management:Have insiders been ramping up their shares to take advantage of the market's sentiment for BREE's future outlook? Check out our management and board analysis with insights on CEO compensation and governance factors. Other Solid Businesses: Low debt, high returns on equity and good past performance are fundamental to a strong business. Why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals to see if there are other companies you may not have considered!

PS. The Simply Wall St app conducts a discounted cash flow valuation for every stock on the AIM every day. If you want to find the calculation for other stocks just search here.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.



Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
NEW DELHI: Dubai Civil Aviation Authority has suspended all operations of Air India Expressthe no-frill subsidiary of national carrier Air India Ltdto operate across all airports in the country till 2 October after the airline was found to have carried covid-19 infected passengers on board of its flight to the Gulf nation on 4 September.

According to a communication addressed to the airline's regional manager of Gulf, Middle East and Africa region on 17 September, Dubai's Civil Aviation Authority states that it is suspending the airline's operation in Dubai for a fortnight starting 18 September as the air carrier violated laid down protocols by carrying covid-19 infected passenger for the second time.

"Boarding a passenger with covid-19 positive test result for the second time, is contrary to and is in violation of the laid down procedures and/or protocols related to air travel to and from airports in the Emirate of Dubai, during the coronavirus SARS Cov. 2 pandemic," the communication from Dubai's aviation regulator said.

"Therefore, all operation of Air India Express to Dubai Airports is temporarily suspended, for a duration of 15 days, effective from 00:01 hrs on Friday 18 September 2020 until 23:59 hrs of 2 October 2020," it said.

"In addition to the suspension of operation, you will be further notified to pay all the expenditure incurred by the respective authorities for medical services and/or quarantine of any passenger(s) and the other passengers in the flight and also any other expenditure connected thereto," it added.

The Kochi-headquartered airline has also been asked to submit a detailed corrective action plan or implementation procedure to prevent such incidents from occurring again for resumption of its flights to Dubai.

A copy of the communication has been reviewed by Mint.

A senior Air India Express official said that the airline will divert its Dubai-bound flights to Sharjah during the suspension period.

"The airline has apologized to the civil aviation authority of Dubai for the unfortunate incidents," the official said requesting anonymity.

The latest incident of suspension of Air India Express's operation in Dubai comes a month after one of the airline's Boeing 737 jetliners carrying 191 people from Dubai skidded off a wet runway while landing at the Kozhikode airport in Kerala. The aircraft crashed into a ravine, breaking into two and leaving 17 people, including the two pilots, dead and several critically injured.

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Birmingham is one of seven cities in the U.S. where Mastercard is focusing a $500 million initiative to narrow the divide in opportunity and wealth to Black communities.

The five-year initiative mapped out by the company Thursday includes products, services, technology and financial support for Blacks and Black-owned businesses.

Birmingham, along with Atlanta, Dayton, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York City and St. Louis, will receive support through partnerships, technology and data.

Mastercard did not give many details on Birmingham specifically, though it mentioned outreaches in other cities. In Atlanta, the companys efforts include working with the citys Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion to provide rent relief to avoid evictions. The program has already distributed $36 million to Los Angeles residents affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and helped 24,000 residents of New York City through community organizations.

All seven cities will be seeing digital services offered through Black-owned fintech company MoCaFi, providing financial product access to Black families that may have previously relied on payday lending. Mastercard also committed to expanding work with Black-owned businesses and Black-owned startups.

Mayor Randall Woodfin said the citys partnership would allow Birmingham to achieve the goal of becoming a Southern hub for minority-owned businesses.

Black business owners who are looking to reach the next level, or those attempting to rebound following setbacks from the COVID-19 global pandemic, now will be able to find solid financial footing," Woodfin said in a statement. "This goes a long way in creating a more even playing field for all our residents.
An entrepreneur who moved a Playboy model into the luxury flat he shared with his ex-wife during their messy divorce has lost a bid to take a larger slice of their fortune.

Richard Rothschild, 45, was last year handed just 26,000, which he claims left him 'penniless' compared to the millions awarded to 46-year-old Charmaine de Souza.

Ms de Souza was given 1.73million - 95 per cent of the family wealth - as well as their 2.3million Miami condo.

Claiming the ruling was 'unfair' and left him with 'in effect no capital at all and no income', Mr Rothschild challenged the decision.

But a judge today threw out his appeal and upheld the original ruling, which split the money so unevenly because of Mr Rothschild's actions and rampant spending on legal bills during their divorce.

Richard Rothschild, 45, (pictured with Playboy model Sherra Michelle) was last year handed just 26,000, which he claims left him 'penniless' compared to the millions awarded to 46-year-old Charmaine de Souza

Ms de Souza was given 1.73million - 95 per cent of their wealth - as well as their 2.3million Miami condo

The court heard that the couple had enjoyed a 'very good' lifestyle together - Mr Rothschild drove a Lamborghini and they also enjoyed the expensive condo in an exclusive Miami Beach apartment block (pictured)

The court heard that the couple had enjoyed a 'very good' lifestyle together - Mr Rothschild drove a Lamborghini and they also enjoyed the expensive condo in an exclusive Miami Beach apartment block.

They had met as students in 2005 and managed a successful London telecoms firm together.

But following their split in 2016, they clashed in court two years later when Mr Rothschild moved his then girlfriend, Playboy model Sherra Michelle, into the couple's apartment.

It prompted a bid by Ms de Souza to get him jailed for contempt of court and saw Mr Rothschild run up over 1million in legal bills during their divorce.

In December last year, Mr Justice Cohen scolded Mr Rothschild for pursuing the 'most destructive litigation'.

He said the entrepreneur had 'brought it [the ruling] on himself' because of the 'huge and unnecessary haemorrhage of money to pay for this litigation'.

Lord Justice Moylan today upheld the December order, claiming it had been 'just' and 'fair'.

Mr Rothschild (left) moved Playboy model Sherra Michelle (right) into the apartment he once shared with his wife and children, following their split

The appeal judge said the wife had set out numerous ways in which her ex-husband's conduct had 'impacted adversely on the financial circumstances of the family,' diminishing what was left to divide up.

It included 'deliberate and wanton' overspending, 'destructive behaviour' which reduced the value of their fortune and his 'sustained refusal to participate appropriately' in the court case by bringing hopeless applications and failing to comply with orders, 'needlessly increasing costs by a vast amount.'

Lord Justice Moylan added that 'the husband acknowledged that the impact of the breakdown of the marriage had caused him "to stray from the path of reason and, occasionally, focus upon peripheral rather than fundamental aspects of the proceedings".'

He noted that the husband 'has no current earned income', adding that he 'has taken no steps to achieve one,' although as a natural entrepreneur he is likely to prosper in future.

Ms de Souza had a 21-year relationship with Mr Rothschild after meeting as students, marrying in 2005

Ms De Souza, pictured here in Miami, has two young daughters with Mr Rothschild

He said Mr Justice Cohen had described the husband's lifestyle after the split as 'extraordinary.'

Mr Rothschild had 'spent the time travelling the world' and claimed that it was in the family's financial interest that, instead of trying to earn money, it was better that 'he preserves his non-domiciled tax status and lives a life of luxury on the back of the Airmiles'.

'The judge noted that it was 'hard to follow the logic',' Lord Justice Moylan added.

Quoting Mr Justice Cohen, he said: 'It is obvious that this has been the most destructive litigation. There is no avoiding the fact that the husband is very largely responsible for the situation that has arisen.

'Since the breakdown of the marriage, he has acted destructively and throughout the litigation without any regard to the normal rules... the husband has brought this upon himself.'

For the husband, Patrick Chamberlayne QC argued that the 'central problem' with the divorce ruling was that Mr Justice Cohen had made it clear that he was not taking Mr Rothschild's conduct into account and was basing his decision on the former couple's financial needs.

However, the judge must have taken the husband's behaviour into account, because that would be the only way to explain such an equal split of the couple's wealth, he said.

Dismissing the appeal, Lord Justice Moylan said: 'It is plain...that the judge was entitled to take the husband's litigation conduct into account.

'The amount spent on legal costs would have been a modest fraction of this but for the husband's conduct.

'I do not accept Mr Chamberlayne's submission that the disparity in outcome cannot be justified in this case.

'I do not accept that conduct cannot lead to a party receiving less than their needs. It plainly can be justified.

'The judge was entitled to conclude that the resources allocated to the wife were no more than sufficient to meet her needs both in the short term and the long term.

'He was equally entitled to conclude that the amount allocated to the husband, also taking into account the husband's prospects, and the other material factors such as his conduct, was a just proportion of the assets and was sufficient to meet his needs at a level which was fair to him in the circumstances of this case.'

Dismissing the appeal, Lord Justice Moylan also upheld a previous ruling that a 610,000 debt owed to Mr Rothschild's mum, Wanda, was unlikely to be enforced by her.

'The disparity between the parties is, therefore, not as great as that suggested by Mr Chamberlayne,' he said.

Lord Justice Newey and Lord Justice Patten agreed with Lord Justice Moylan's ruling and the appeal was dismissed.
Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi  Three new imported cases of COVID-19 were detected on September 17, raising the national count to 1,066, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

The three new patients arrived in Noi Bai airport in Hanoi on a flight from Uzbekistan on September 2 and were quarantined immediately after arrival. They were negative for SARS-CoV-2 in the first test taken on September 3 and 4, but the result of their second tests on September 15 and 16 turned positive.

On September 17, four more patients were declared to have recovered from COVID-19, bringing the total number of recoveries to 940. The fatalities remain at 35.

Among patients under treatment, 14 have tested negative once, 7 negative twice and 19 negative thrice. Meanwhile, three patients are in very critical conditions.

A total 30,653 people are being quarantined across the country, with 454 at hospitals, 15,120 at designated facilities and 15,079 at home or accommodations.
Singapore is an organizer of the 2020 Smart China Expo Online in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, held from Tuesday to Thursday. It is the first time China and Singapore have cooperated to host the event.

The expo, which has been held twice in Chongqing since 2018, serves as a platform to promote global exchanges of smart technologies and international cooperation in the smart industry.

More than 30 Singaporean companies have participated in the online exhibition at the overseas venue in Singapore, showcasing intelligent products and technological solutions.

Stephen Ho, managing director of Skylab Services Pte. Ltd., said in an online interview that China has a huge market and its intelligent transformation has opened up new cooperation space between China and Singapore. Singaporean companies hope to find more partners through the expo to share in China's intelligent opportunities.

"COVID-19 has made going digital central to everyday interaction. Like China and other economies, Singapore is keen to turn adversity into opportunity. Let us turn adversity into opportunity. This is even as we explore the use of digital technologies to unlock new value and business models in every sector of our economy," said Josephine Teo, Singaporean minister for manpower.

In the previous two expos, Singapore participated as the guest country of honor. With the country taking an active role as an organizer of this year's expo, China-Singapore cooperation continues to deepen.

This year marks the fifth anniversary of the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity, an intergovernmental cooperation initiative covering finance, aviation, logistics and transport, as well as information and communications technology.

Under the framework of the initiative, China and Singapore have signed 68 platform cooperation agreements of various types and 228 cooperation projects with a total value of approximately 32 billion U.S. dollars as of the end of July 2020.

A WeChat mini-program for travel co-developed by Chinese and Singaporean companies has covered most tourist attractions in Chongqing, providing tourists with navigation, ticket purchase, catering, and personalized itinerary customization services.

Representatives of Singapore's Ministry of Trade and Industry stated in a previous video networking meeting that Singapore hopes to strengthen cooperation and the construction of the innovation ecosystem by co-hosting the expo with China, allowing the two countries' companies to find business opportunities in the Southeast Asian and Chinese markets.
A county-driven passenger rail authority, the first concrete step toward restoring passenger rail service across southern Montana, is within weeks of being established.

Such service disappeared with the North Coast Hiawatha in 1979 in the face of drastic cuts to Amtrak. On Thursday panelists, experts and more than 300 participants from Montana and across the nation Zoomed in to a three-hour virtual summit and were almost all in accord that its time to bring it back.

I dont know about you, but I am frankly a little bit tired of snaking around with my tail between my legs in a defensive posture trying to ward off retrenchment of passenger rail service, Missoula County Commissioner Dave Strohmaier said at summits end.

I think its time, and this was borne out by some of the other speakers, to go on the offensive. Lets not just try to maintain what we have, as important as that is, but lets try to make a transportation future and system that is resilient and robust, and one that is truly forward looking.

Reestablishment of passenger service through the states most populated corridor  one that includes Billings, Bozeman, Helena and Missoula  is seen as an economic driver for communities, an eco-friendly transportation alternative, and a good way to get around Montana during the winter.

State law allows counties to create a regional rail authority to administer and fund passenger rail service. Just two counties are needed to do it. Strohmaier took the banner for Missoula County and said 11 have expressed interest in joining the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority, and nine have adopted resolutions. The list includes Missoula, Sanders and Silver Bow counties on this end of the state. So far Yellowstone County, Montanas largest, isnt signed up.

Amtrak, the quasi-public corporation, was created after Congress passed the Rail Passenger Service Act in 1970 to rescue a service in steep decline. State and federal subsidies keep the trains running. Amtraks Empire Builder has long run across Montanas Hi-Line.

Panelist Jim Mathews, president and CEO of the Rails Passenger Association in Washington, D.C., said the Empire Builder provides $327 million in annual economic benefit, yet the government pays just $57 million a year to operate it.

Its a team effort. You dont want to be splintered," Mathews said. "You want to be in lockstep and united around a very simple idea: This is not spending, this is investment. Its not about profit for the trains, its about the return in taxpayers equity.

Panelist John Robert Smith, a former chairman of the Amtrak board of directors and now chairman of Transportation of America, said the new passenger rail authority would be wise to tap connections in Congress.

As a region, its not enough to be passionate advocates. You need to be advocates with power, and thats Congressional authority, Smith said.

The summit included messages of support from Montana U.S. Senators Jon Tester and Steve Daines; Congressman Greg Gianforte and Gov. Steve Bullock.

Some mentioned the dark cloud that hangs over Amtrak. Facing budget cuts and reduced ridership during the coronavirus pandemic, the company announced recently it was reducing service from the Empire Builder from daily to three times a week starting Oct. 19.

Thats our concern on the Hi-Line, panelist Paul Tuss, executive director of Bear Paw Development Corp., in Havre said. Im all supportive of a southern route. What we cant do is sacrifice what we have here for that southern route. Unfortunately the storm clouds are not only gathering, theyre already here.

Missing from the summit were the two freight rail lines that will be directly affected by a southern passenger route.

Montana Rail Link operates from east of Billings to northern Idaho. BNSF owns track on either end of that, as well as the Hi-Line route through Montana.

The decision to pursue a new passenger service rests with a responsible public or quasi-public agency, in that the financial decisions to build needed infrastructure and to support on-going operations rests with the public, not BNSF, spokesperson Courtney Wallace of BNSF Railway said in an email. BNSF evaluates each proposed passenger service on a case-by-case basis and by using our long-standing Passenger Principles, which dictate that we protect our capacity to serve our current and future freight customers.

Montana Rail Link spokesman Ross Lane said its too early for MRL to offer a substantive opinion on passenger service on its line.

However, MRL believes that a feasibility study, including a viable business plan, market availability of liability insurance and indemnifications, and a clearly defined operating model needs to be completed, Lane said in an email. MRL is committed to providing the necessary information required to complete a new feasibility study.

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MUMBAI, India, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Retail and telecom brands have outperformed most other categories and seen their brand value increase in the 2020 BrandZ Top 75 Most Valuable Indian Brands ranking, released today by WPP and Kantar. In challenging economic and social conditions created by the global pandemic and a pre-COVID-19 slowdown in the Indian economy, brands have to adapt quickly, with innovation and agility helping to fuel growth.

This year's ranking was worth $216 billion in brand value, a decline of 6% over last year, driven largely by a slowdown in the brand value of companies in the banking and automotive sectors. Despite the overall decline in brand value of the Top 75, 26 brands increased in value and five were new entrants. India's top brands also performed well against other countries where declines in total brand value were much greater.

The retail sector in particular has adjusted to the needs of shoppers restricted by lockdown measures. Reliance Retail (+102%, no. 25, $2.3 billion) was the fastest riser this year, up 30 places, with telecom brand Jio (no. 7, $6.9 billion) contributing to the overall success of the parent company. The largest retailer in India, Reliance Retail has invested in its digital commerce capabilities, comprising JioMart's online B2C business and the kirana digitisation programme, with plans to digitise five million kirana stores by 2023.

Online retail brands, Flipkart (no. 8, +40%, $6.5 billion) and D-Mart (no. 16, +38%, $3.3 billion) also saw their brand value increase significantly, while instant food brand Maggi (no. 23, $2.5 billion) had one of the highest brand value growth figures (46%) this year.

For millions of Indians who stayed at home during the crisis, telecom providers have supplied a much-needed lifeline and fulfilled a growing demand for data-driven services like online gaming and media streaming. Airtel (no.4, +36%, $13.9 billion) was the top telecom brand, while Jio saw its value increase 26%. One of five new entrants, BSNL (no. 75, $583 million) also benefitted from the overall uplift in the telecom category, which contributed $25.5 billion to the ranking this year. As the sector continues to consolidate, local players will become more important and will need to continue to innovate for future growth.

HDFC Bank was India's top brand worth $20.3 billion, claiming the no.1 spot for the seventh consecutive year, and contributing to banking being the leading category in this year's ranking worth a total of $42.1 billion in brand value. Consistent in its financial performance and customer experience, the bank was also ranked no. 59 in the 2020 BrandZTM Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands report.

David Roth, CEO of The Store WPP, EMEA and Asia and Chairman of BrandZ, said: "Brands globally are being tested by the pandemic, especially in countries such as India where the economy was slowing down prior to COVID-19. Many Indian brands have risen to the challenge and demonstrated their ability to innovate and adapt in ways that are world class. Our analysis proves convulsively once again that companies who invest in brand building are better placed to survive such challenges and come out stronger."

BrandZ Top 10 Most Valuable Indian Brands 2020

Rank 2020 Brand Category Brand Value 2020 ($M USD) Brand Value Change 1 HDFC Bank Banks 20,262 -11% 2 LIC Insurance 18,294 -9% 3 Tata Consultancy Services Technology 14,582 -20% 4 Airtel Telecom providers 13,942 36% 5 Asian Paints Paints 7,972 14% 6 Kotak Mahindra Bank Banks 7,215 -6% 7 Jio Telecom providers 6,876 26% 8 Flipkart Retail 6,529 40% 9 Paytm Payments 6,272 50% 10 State Bank of India Banks 5,387 -36%

Preeti Reddy, CEO - South Asia, Insights Division, Kantar, said: "The performance of retail, telecom and FMCG brands has shown that being agile in times of crisis is critical for growth. Brands need to constantly innovate in order to survive and re-purpose themselves for the future, or risk being left behind. Those brands who continue to drive transformation, not just digitally, but in the total experience they deliver to meet consumer needs, will create opportunities to increase their value in the future."

BrandZ's strong brand portfolio continues to out-perform the market, where recovery during the pandemic is faster for strong brands. Globally, the BrandZ strong brands portfolios have consistently outperformed the market, including the S&P 500 and MSCI World Index. This validates the role of marketing and brand-building investment to support business recovery.

Other key trends in the BrandZ Top 75 Most Valuable Indian Brands Ranking, include:

The 'lipstick effect' : Newcomers included personal care brands, Dove (no. 61, $847 million ) and Close Up (no. 69, $663 million ), which benefitted as consumers, unable to spend on luxury items, such as holidays during an economic downturn, treated themselves to small luxury personal care items

: Newcomers included personal care brands, (no. 61, ) and (no. 69, ), which benefitted as consumers, unable to spend on luxury items, such as holidays during an economic downturn, treated themselves to small luxury personal care items Trusted brands have weathered the crisis better than brands with a low trust index. In a category where it is difficult to gain consumer trust, Airtel bet on its brand strategy of being open and transparent. It is now one of India's most trusted brands and grew 36% in its brand value over the past year

have weathered the crisis better than brands with a low trust index. In a category where it is difficult to gain consumer trust, bet on its brand strategy of being open and transparent. It is now one of most trusted brands and grew 36% in its brand value over the past year Innovation keeps it fresh : Despite the paints industry struggling in India , top 5 brand Asian Paints (no. 5, $8.0 billion ), grew its brand value by 14%, by focusing on meaningful difference, communications and innovation. The market leader, it has successfully brought out new products, while building a strong distribution network and raising its profile among key influencers like architects and professional painters

: Despite the paints industry struggling in , top 5 brand (no. 5, ), grew its brand value by 14%, by focusing on meaningful difference, communications and innovation. The market leader, it has successfully brought out new products, while building a strong distribution network and raising its profile among key influencers like architects and professional painters Brands with a strong purpose drive growth, particularly during challenging times. BrandZ analysis shows that consumer expectations of brands to act more responsibly have tripled in the last 10 years and this year's ranking demonstrates that Indian companies are striving to deliver better products and services, which contribute positively to people's lives, the environment and wider communities.

The BrandZ Top 75 Most Valuable Indian Brands report and ranking and extensive analysis are available online here and via BrandZ.com. The reports, rankings, charts, articles and more can also be accessed through the BrandZ app, which is free to download for Apple IOS and all Android devices from http://www.brandz.com/mobile or by searching for BrandZ in the iTunes or Google Play app stores.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

About the BrandZ Top 75 Most Valuable Indian Brands Ranking

Commissioned by WPP, the valuation behind the BrandZ Top 75 Most Valuable Indian Brands was conducted by brand equity research experts Kantar. The methodology mirrors that used to calculate the annual BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands ranking, which is now in its 15th year.

The ranking combines rigorously analysed market data from Bloomberg with extensive consumer insights from over 3.8 million consumers around the world, covering more than 17,801 different brands in over 51 markets  including opinions from over 121,500 Indian consumers on over 1140 brands in over 89 categories.

Grounded in consumer opinion, BrandZTM analysis enables businesses to identify their brand's strength in the market and provides clear strategic guidance on how to boost value for the long-term.

The BrandZ Top 75 Most Valuable Indian Brands is the most definitive and robust ranking of the country's brands available, and the brands ranked must meet at least one of these eligibility criteria:

The corporate parent is listed on a stock exchange in India .

. The brand originated in India and its corporate parent is listed on a recognized stock exchange.

and its corporate parent is listed on a recognized stock exchange. The brand is privately owned, but its complete financial statements are publicly available.

Indian unicorns make their most recent valuations available in the public domain.

The suite of BrandZTM brand valuation rankings and reports currently includes Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru), The Netherlands, South Africa, Spain, the UK and the US; reports for Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are scheduled to be launched later in 2020. Access a suite of customised reports and data packages from BrandZ via https://www.kantar.com/marketplace/solutions/brand-insights

About Kantar

Kantar is the world's leading evidence-based insights and consulting company. We have a complete, unique and rounded understanding of how people think, feel and act; globally and locally in over 90 markets. By combining the deep expertise of our people, our data resources and benchmarks, our innovative analytics and technology, we help our clients understand people and inspire growth. For more information, visit www.kantar.com

About WPP

WPP is a creative transformation company. We use the power of creativity to build better futures for our people, clients and communities. For more information, visit www.wpp.com

Media contacts:

Amanjit Singh

[email protected]

SOURCE Kantar
Chinese steel products went from being the most competitive to the most expensive sold to South America through most of the period from April onward, during which the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic were strong in the continent, because of the quick recovery of the domestic market in China.But with Chinese demand growth slowing down, new export offers began to be presented at lower levels than those from other sources. Mills from other countries were affected by lower availability, prompting swifter price increases to the export markets.Brazilian steelmakers are enjoying good demand, and are doing their best to secure most deals domestically, a US-based trader source said.

China went back to being the most competitive source of imported steel in South America, a...
A female prison guard accused of sex with an inmate has had her love affair with another ex-prisoner apparently end in tears - with the rapper accused of punching her and threatening to stomp on her head.

Melissa Goodwin's former flame Caleb Valeri, 23, appeared before a western Sydney court on Friday charged with assaulting and stalking or intimidating Goodwin.

Goodwin was stood down by Corrective Services NSW over a separate romance with a third prisoner, Corey London, in May.

Afterwards, she began a relationship with ex-inmate Valeri, who she shared gushing social media posts about, describing him as 'my world, my king'.

But wannabe rapper Valeri allegedly punched Goodwin in the face about 3pm on August 31, Penrith Local Court was told during a bail hearing on Friday.

Police have taken out an AVO for the protection of Melissa Goodwin (left), with Valeri charged with assaulting and stalking or intimidating her about 3pm on August 31

Goodwin shared a series of gushing posts about the couple earlier this year - saythe couple at the gym together earlier this year, saying: 'He said he loves me thick'

Goodwin described her ex-con lover as 'king' and 'my world' on Instagram previously but their relationship has now allegedly taken a disturbing turn

Police prosecutor Brian Johnson said Goodwin was 'crying, her hands were shaking profusely' when officers attended her home in Ingleburn on August 31.

Officers noted there was a 'large red mark on her left cheek' and described her as 'visibly upset', Mr Johnson.

AVO documents tendered in court earlier this week and detailed in a report by Seven News alleged that Goodwin had confronted Valeri about cheating on her.

That allegedly led him to exclaim: 'That was ten months ago'.

Valeri allegedly punched Goodwin in the face and she claimed to police he said: 'I'm going to shoot up your house, I'm gonna stomp on your's and your mum's head'.

In opposing bail today, Mr Johnson told the court the incident was disclosed to police 'almost immediately after it occurred'.

Valeri appeared before the court by video link, dressed in a salmon pink T-shirt and black tracksuit pants and sporting 90s-style bleach blonde hair. He entered not guilty pleas.

In seeking bail, Mr Valeri's lawyer Jessica Tohi said she didn't want to verbal Ms Goodwin, who wasn't present at court. But she said if there was evidence Goodwin had attempted to contact police to amend or contract her statement it would 'significantly undermine' her original complaint.

Goodwin was charged with misconduct and engaging in a relationship with an inmate, causing a safety risk earlier this year, in a case still before the courts. It came weeks after she appeared on the front cover the Corrective Services NSW magazine (pictured)

Valeri has previously spent time in prison (above) but it's not suggested that Goodwin began her relationship with him in prison

Goodwin's charges of misconduct in public office and engaging in a relationship with an inmate relate to Corey London (above), who she's accused of sex with

Ms Tohi told the court Valeri had made extensive attempts to seek mental health treatment in the lead up to the alleged incident.

That included seeking seven appointments with mental health professionals.

But prosecutor Mr Johnson said the court could not have faith he would abide by bail conditions.

'His record reads as someone who pays absolutely no attention or compliance to any form of court order or bail or even community corrections orders,' he said.

Mr Johnson noted he was on bail for allegedly intimidating his brother and other offences at the time of the alleged incident.

Magistrate Bree Chisholm said Valeri seeking mental health treatment was the 'strongest' evidence in favour of him being released.

But the magistrate then said there was no suggestion he wouldn't be able to get help in prison and that the safety of the public loomed large in her considerations.

Valeri was refused bail with his case to return to court at a later date.

The two charges Goodwin was hit with - of misconduct in public office and engaging in a relationship with an inmate - are still before the courts.
By Aparajita Ghosh, TwoCircles.net

Mumbai: Tum Hindustan mein rehne ke laayak nahi ho, tum yahan nahi reh sakte. These were the words of the assailants who allegedly beat Suhail Tamboli, Aslam Ather, Sayyed Layak, Nizamuddin Qazi on the night of 16 September in Beeds Hol village in Maharashtra.

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Talking to TwoCircles.net, the Tablighi Jamaat members said that they were travelling to Ambajogai village from Dharur for their friends funeral when the car they were travelling in developed a glitch and they had to halt.

Suhail Tamboli and Sayyed Layak went to get water for coolant and parked the car.

Meanwhile, two men on a bike arrived at the spot where their car was parked and for no reason started verbally abusing Aslam and Nizamuddin, and as per them, used filthy language against our community. The men were wearing skull caps and Kurtas.

The Jamaat members politely tried to deal with the situation but within a span of a few minutes, the men made a call and six more men arrived at the spot, armed with sticks.

They certainly intended to kill us that night, said the 34-year-old Suhail Tamboli. They also pulled our beards and threw our caps, he added.

The incident took place at around quarter to ten and went on for the next forty minutes. The police arrived at the site an hour later.

One of them smashed a brick twice on my head and kept hitting me with a stick till it broke, said Suhail. I thought Im going to die that night.

Aslam Ather, 24, was waiting near the car when the incident took place, They hit me with punches and sticks, he said. I ran away and saw them hitting others mercilessly. I was too scared, he added.

It felt like we were their enemies for a long time. We were clueless for why they were constantly hitting us, said Sayyed Layak. They were not ready to listen to us at all. Before we could speak anything they started hitting us with bricks, the 38-year-old said.

Sayyed and Aslam successfully managed to escape the site and hid in the nearby farm. We fled to the farm but we were watching. We could not rescue them, all of us would have been killed then, said Sayyed.

They kept hitting us till we fell on the ground and kept kicking our chest and head. I fell unconscious after that, said Suhail.

The assailants damaged the car after beating them and left. We heard them saying they are dead to other boys and left, Aslam said.

Aslam and Sayyed made calls to their village and informed them of the incident after which Suhail and Nizamuddin were taken to Ambejogai Government Hospital.

However, an FIR has been registered on 17 September at Yusuf Wadgaon Police Station under Section 307 (Attempt to murder), 324 (Voluntary assault with weapon), 323 (Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 147 (Punishment for rioting), 148 (Punishment for rioting and armed with deadly weapon), 149 (Individual of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 405 (Criminal breach of trust) and 527 (Imprisonment for lifetime)of IPC.

According to API Anand Zote of Yusuf Wadgaon Police Station, two assailants namely Narayan Dhanraj Ghuge and Rahul Tukaram Ghuge among six have been arrested presently.
A classic, charming and out-of-the-box fashion show was held by Designer Christian Siriano in his Connecticut home which not only livestreamed for the New York Fashion Week from his backyard but also featured backstage moments in his kitchen. Picnic baskets, masks, beautiful ball gowns and collection inspired from movies he loved as a child, left fans gushing over his unique presentation.

Amid COVID-19 restrictions, quarantine fashion has dominated the industry with no traditional runway shows. Figuring an innovative way out for his socially distanced runway show, the designer flaunted Christian Siriano Collection 37 on Thursday afternoon at his private outdoor location in Westport, Connecticut.

Taking to his Instagram handle, Siriano treated fans to a sneak peek of his preparations where models and guests, including Emmy winner Billy Porter, wore maks and were seated at least six feet apart from each other. One of the models was Coco Rocha who pulled off stunning looks in her pregnant state and even took a dip in the pool while dressed in red.

In a statement, Siriano had shared, The collection feels romantic with touches of evening however some of our favorite pieces this season are made of a light heather gray knit for easy living  while remaining chic and elegant. Even at home, things can inspire us, and I hope this collection shows that fashion remains powerful despite the circumstances.

On the runway, he even used footwear from the SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker line. I cant wait for the world to see them, Siriano had written in as he shared pictures with his tapped friend and longtime muse.

Ahead of his spring-summer collection, Siriano had turned his atelier into a mask-making machine. Apart from featuring inspirations from the movies that he loved as a child, Sirianos Spring 2021 collection also had touches of his favourite comic books, his paintings and sketches his mom sent him when he moved into the house in April.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)

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Hes just one of the thousands of restaurant owners in the Chicago area whove devoted their lives to the family business. Just one of the many faces we came to expect behind the counter, who knew our orders by heart. Just one of those who may never go back to work again at the place that made them and us and our city.
Jane Fonda made an appearance on 'Watch What Happens Live' Thursday night, where the actress and political activist revealed that she once met Vladimir Putin, long before he became the President of Russia. Fonda shared that, back in the early '90s, when she was married to Ted Turner, the couple traveled to what was then known as Leningrad for Turner's Goodwill Games. "We landed at the airport and the person who picked us up, and drove us around, was Vladimir Putin. He was the travel guide. He was like our interpreter at the time," shared Fonda, who said that it was back in the early 1990s. Fonda also shared how, even back then, Putin showed his ruthless side. "His wife had gotten sick and she was heading to the hospital. He told us that in the car and Ted said, 'You have to go to the hospital. You have to go to the hospital to check on your wife,' and he wouldn't. Vladimir Putin wouldn't do it. He stayed with us," recalled Fonda.

Video Transcript

[MUSIC PLAYING]

ANDY COHEN: How about a dictator? Have you ever met a dictator?

JANE FONDA: OK, I'll tell you something. This guy was-- he was our travel guide.

- On "Watch What Happens Live" Thursday night, Jane Fonda revealed that she once met Vladimir Putin long before he became the president of Russia, when she was married to Ted Turner and visited what was then known as Leningrad for Turner's Goodwill Games.

JANE FONDA: We landed at the airport, and the person who picked us up and drove us around was Vladimir Putin. He was the travel guide. He was like our interpreter at the time. This was--

ANDY COHEN: Wow.

JANE FONDA: --'91, 2, 3, in the early '90s.

- Fonda also shared how even back then Putin showed his ruthlessness.

JANE FONDA: His wife had gotten sick, and she was heading to the hospital. He told us that in the car, and Ted said, "You have to go to the hospital. You have to go to the hospital to check on your wife." And he wouldn't. Vladimir Putin wouldn't do it. He stayed with us.

Story continues

- And because it is believed that Putin deliberately poisons his enemies, host Andy Cohen drew this conclusion.

ANDY COHEN: Yeah, he probably poisoned her, knowing him.

[MUSIC PLAYING]
Nano-microscope gives first direct observation of the magnetic properties of 2D materials

Australian researchers and their colleagues from Russia and China have shown that it is possible to study the magnetic properties of ultrathin materials directly, via a new microscopy technique that opens the door to the discovery of more two-dimensional (2D) magnetic materials, with all sorts of potential applications.

Published in the journal Advanced Materials, the findings are significant because current techniques used to characterise normal (three-dimensional) magnets don't work on 2D materials such as graphene due to their extremely small size - a few atom thick.

"So far there has been no way to tell exactly how strongly magnetic a 2D material was," said Dr Jean-Philippe Tetienne from the University of Melbourne School of Physics and Centre for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology.

"That is, if you were to place the 2D material on your fridge's door like a regular fridge magnet, how strongly it gets stuck onto it. This is the most important property of a magnet."

To address the problem, the team, led by Professor Lloyd Hollenberg, employed a widefield nitrogen-vacancy microscope, a tool they recently developed that has the necessary sensitivity and spatial resolution to measure the strength of 2D material.

"In essence, the technique works by bringing tiny magnetic sensors (so-called nitrogen-vacancy centres, which are atomic defects in a piece of diamond) extremely close to the 2D material in order to sense its magnetic field," Professor Hollenberg explained.

To test the technique, the scientists chose to study vanadium triiodide (VI3) as large 3D chunks of VI3 were already known to be strongly magnetic.

Using their special microscope, they have now shown that 2D sheets of VI3 are also magnetic but about twice as weak as in the 3D form. In other words, it would be twice as easy to get them off the fridge's door.

"This was a bit of a surprise, and we are currently trying to understand why the magnetisation is weaker in 2D, which will be important for applications," Dr Tetienne said.

Professor Artem Oganov of Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech) in Moscow said the findings have the potential to trigger new technology.

"Just a few years ago, scientists doubted that two-dimensional-magnets are possible at all. With the discovery of two-dimensional ferromagnetic VI3, a new exciting class of materials emerged. New classes of material always mean that new technologies will appear, both for studying such materials and harnessing their properties."

The international team now plan to use their microscope to study other 2D magnetic materials as well as more complex structures, including those that are expected to play a key role in future energy-efficient electronics.

###

Other organizations involved in the research include University of Basel, RMIT University, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Northwestern Polytechnical University, and Renmin University of China.

This story has been published on: 2020-09-18. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
US undersecretary of state Keith Krach met business and political leaders including President Tsai Ing-wen on the second day of a visit to Taiwan that has enraged Beijing.

Krach  the most senior State Department representative to visit the island in 41 years  held a closed-door meeting with officials led by Vice-Premier Shen Jong-chin and Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua on Friday, to exchange views on US-Taiwan economic ties.

They also discussed a new economic dialogue that was announced by Washington last month  only after Tsai agreed to lift import bans on US beef containing the controversial additive ractopamine and beef from cattle aged over 30 months.

Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China.

Taiwanese media had reported that Krach would visit the self-ruled island to begin the new trade talks, but instead the two sides discussed what should be included in the dialogue.

That drew criticism from main opposition party the Kuomintang, which said Tsai should never have agreed to remove the import bans, which were in place out of safety concerns.

The Tsai government has publicised Krachs visit as being related to a bilateral trade agreement or economic dialogue, but it appears that Krach is not in Taiwan to do this, KMT chairman Johnny Chiang said.

Hsiao Bi-khim, Taiwans top envoy to the US, told Taiwanese media that the main purpose of Krachs visit was to attend a memorial service for former president Lee Teng-hui on Saturday, but that the two sides would also hold talks on the format, potential topics and schedule for the economic dialogue.

Meanwhile, Premier Su Tseng-chang, who met Krach on Friday afternoon, said the US official would use the trip to discuss issues of mutual concern. Krach also had dinner with Tsai on Friday.

Alexander Huang Chieh-cheng, a professor of international relations and strategic studies at Tamkang University in Taipei, said the visit was a first step towards future economic exchanges and potentially a bilateral trade agreement.

Story continues

Taiwans top envoy to the US Hsiao Bi-khim said the main purpose of the trip was for Krach to attend a memorial service for former president Lee Teng-hui on Saturday. Photo: CNA

The [trade pact] negotiations are expected to be led by the Office of the US Trade Representative in the future  its not something that can happen in a short, 48-hour visit, Huang noted.

He said Krachs trip was just the latest sign of warming relations between the US and Taiwan since the Taiwan Travel Act  allowing high-level official exchanges with Taipei  was signed into law in 2018.

In addition to sending an undersecretary from the State Department to former president Lees memorial service, the American delegation has also engaged in a range of discussions  not limited to economic affairs  with Taiwanese officials and experts, Huang said.

Lu Yeh-chung, a professor of diplomacy at National Chengchi University in Taipei, said those discussions could have included issues to do with global and Indo-Pacific cooperation, given the other members of the delegation.

Krach is accompanied on the trip by Robert Destro, assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labour; Randall Schriver, former assistant secretary of defence for Indo-Pacific security affairs; Kelley Currie, ambassador-at-large for global womens issues; and Ian Steff, assistant secretary for global markets and director general of the US and Foreign Commercial Service.

Although the two sides have yet to go so far as resuming official diplomatic relations, Krachs visit paves the way for institutionalisation of bilateral exchanges, which is what Taiwan wants, Lu said, adding that this would further anger the mainland.

Washington recognises Beijing diplomatically, but is a key ally for Taiwan  which mainland China sees as part of its territory to be brought under its control, by force if necessary.

Beijing reacted to Krachs visit by sending 18 warplanes to the southwest side of the islands air defence identification zone, according to Taiwans military.

As tensions rise between Beijing and Washington over Taiwan and a host of other issues, there are further signs of growing ties between the US and Taipei.

On Friday, a US Federal Bureau of Investigation official stationed in Taiwan, Nicholas Garcia, made a rare appearance at a news conference held by the islands Investigation Bureau on cybersecurity cooperation between the US and Taiwan.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 15:12:18|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- China has adopted multiple measures to ensure the safety of its peacekeepers around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic, a military official said Friday.

China's central military authorities have attached great importance to protecting overseas peacekeepers and adopted four important measures, Luo Wei, director general of the peacekeeping affairs center of the Ministry of National Defense, told a press conference.

Introducing the major steps, Luo said China has established a response mechanism and worked with the UN to closely track the pandemic situation in host countries and monitor the health conditions of peacekeepers.

"We have also strengthened the protection and management of our overseas personnel, raising their awareness and ability to protect themselves and imposing strict control on all forms of gathering activities," said Luo.

He added that China is also well-prepared in ensuring medical supply and providing medical treatment.

According to Luo, the peacekeepers have to make strict preparation before dispatch and undergo quarantine upon return.

"All Chinese peacekeepers overseas are in good health," Luo said. Enditem
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Natural Polymer Market  Competitive Analysis

Global Natural Polymer Market Size is fragmented in nature and is characterized with the presence of large number of players across the globe. Key industry participants are integrated across the value chain in order to gain competitive advantage and capture market share. The market is price sensitive and is influenced largely by the availability and supply of raw materials. Companies are investing in product innovation to extend application scope in new sectors.

Industry/ Innovation/ Related News

August 2017: Dupont and Archer Daniels Midland received bioplastics honor from Plastics Industry Association in Washington. The award was given to both the companies for developing a method to produce dicarboxylic methyl ester, a bio-based monomer, from fructiose derived starch.

August 2016: Ashaland Inc. announced the spike in hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC) by 8% due to rising raw materials prices. The company aims at providing premium products to its customer base and thus had to increase prices. Industry participants in the Natural Polymer Market has faced the issue of volatility in raw material price and availabilty. In addition, certain raw materials are indigeneous and companies have to suffer with profit margins in such cases.

Natural Polymer Market  Overview

Rising demand for green alternatives in end-use industries such as packaging, textile, and medical is anticipated to drive Global Natural Polymers Market growth over the forecast period. Shift in preference for bio-based products coupled with growing end-use industries is further expected to uplift demand for Natural Polymers.

Growing application scope in medical industry such as osteoarthritis and pharmaceuticals treatments is a key factor driving product demand. The growth of medical industry in developing economies of Asia Pacific, Middle East and South America is a major factor contributing towards market growth. Increasing per capita disposable income coupled with presence of advanced healthcare facilities in developed region including North America and Europe is slated to boost overall market growth.

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Environmental benefits associated with Natural Polymers has escalated their adoption across end-use industries such as food & beverages, oilfield and packaging significantly. Stringent regulatory framework promoting the usage of bio-based products along with rising environmental concerns is slated to fuel Natural Polymer consumption over the forecast period.

The strong growth of pharmaceuticals is expected to further benefit the growth of Natural Polymers Market. The growth of pharmaceutical industry will subsequently uplift the demand for fermentation products and starch. End-Use Industries such as medical, food & beverages and packaging widely utilize cellulose ethers obtained from various plants such as wood pulp and cotton. Other commonly used cellulose ethers are hydroxyethyl cellulose, methyl cellulose, and microcrystalline cellulose.

Increasing application in End-Use Industries such as adhesives & sealants, toiletries, construction, and leather tanning among others is expected to result in increased product demand over the forecast period. However, high cost in comparison to synthetic polymers along volatile raw material availability is anticipated to hinder market growth and pose challenges for market participants. Rising awareness regarding deforestation, stringent norms, along with unavailability of seasonal raw materials are few of the areas that obstruct the development of Natural Polymer Industry.

North America was the leading regional market in 2016 and is set to witness robust growth rate over the coming years. Presence of advanced technologies coupled with rising need for reducing dependence on petroleum based derivatives are few of the key factors set to augment regional market growth. Medical application was the leading segment in the region followed by food & beverages. U.S. government aims at reducing carbon footprints significantly that is expected to benefit the growth of Natural Polymer Industry.

Region such as Asia Pacific and Latin America are anticipated to witness moderate growth owing to heavy usage of synthetic polymers and relatively easy regulatory framework. However, rising consumer awareness coupled with environmental concerns in Indian & Chinese cities such as Delhi and Beijing is expected to shift focus towards bio-based alternatives.

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Canada faithful turn to 'God Pod' as church services resume Pastor Rev. Joel Crouse (R) of Saint John Lutheran Church chats with a parishioner in a see-through, 4' x 6' enclosed compartment, called the "God Pod" on September 16, 2020 in Ottawa, Canada

As in-person religious services start resuming in Canada after a pandemic lockdown forced many churches to close, one Ottawa parish is offering its congregation a unique way to connect with their faith -- in a "God Pod."

The four-by-six-foot glass compartment with a partition between two sides and an air filtration system to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, was unveiled to the public this week at the Saint John Lutheran Church in Ottawa's New Edinburgh neighbourhood.

Pastor Reverend Joel Crouse, who gave the donated pod its nickname, said it has allowed parishioners to connect safely in these difficult times.

"During this pandemic, many people have felt isolated and lonely. We've missed simply being together, to sit and listen, we're always wondering if it's safe," he told AFP.

"The God Pod resolves all of the logistical issues -- sitting too close, or having to wear a mask," he said.

"One parishioner said it was great just to be able to laugh out loud (in the pod) without worrying about spreading the coronavirus."

A recent uptick in the number of new Covid-19 cases in Ontario province -- which, along with Quebec, account for the most coronavirus deaths in this country -- has been blamed in part on religious gatherings, including a Toronto wedding that led to a cluster of new infections.

As of Thursday, 9,238 deaths across Canada have been linked to Covid-19, out of 140,539 confirmed cases.

- Pandemic hard on soul -

Most parishes are now limiting seating for church services.

Crouse said the "God Pod" is wiped down and disinfected after each use, in accordance with public health guidelines.

Its use is by appointment only. But all -- pious and non-believers alike -- are welcome to give it a try.

The prototype was designed and built by SnapCab, an Ontario company that makes enclosed office spaces. It is now ramping up production of the pods to sell.

The pod has been used for prayer, but also for casual meetings as well as grief and marriage counselling sessions.

Story continues

A grandmother with terminal cancer used it to see her grandchild, and another woman availed herself of it to chat with her sister who is in a separate small group or "bubble" of people with whom each are allowed close contacts under government rules.

Isabelle Geraets-Rose told broadcaster CTV that her spirit suffered during the pandemic without regular contact with her congregation.

She tried the pod at Crouse's urging, telling CTV she quickly realized just "how much I missed seeing him and getting so much off my chest. The fact there was no mask and the glass was there; you really felt like you were free and safe."

The pastor said the pod also makes it easier for him to read non-verbal communications, including facial expressions, body posture, and intonation.

"Psychiatrists, social workers and pastors, we're all trained to read those cues from people," he said. "You can't do that through a mask or over the phone, and not always very well on Zoom."

"At a time of elevated stress, it's especially hard."

amc/mdl
While the sheriff was putting the finishing touches on preparations for the first ever hanging in Maverick County on Sep. 18, 1891, four devious schoolboys came up with a clever plan to watch the private execution in person.

Two years earlier on a crisp winter morning in 1889, three miners took the short walk down to the Rio Grande to just look around. From a bluff high above the waterway that separates Texas and Mexico, one of them saw a partially submerged human form.

Such unsettling sights were quite common. At the turn of the 20th century, the river was a popular dumping ground for border bandits as it is today for the drug cartels. What made this particular discovery stand out was that the body was not Mexican but that of a middle-aged Anglo woman.

A miner went for the sheriff six miles upriver in Eagle Pass. The lawman soon returned with his deputies, pulled the corpse from the water and examined the remains.

The cause of death was clear - a crushed skull. The likely weapon of choice was one of the two 50-pound stone blocks used in an unsuccessful attempt to keep the bloated body from bobbing to the surface.

Over the next three days, the river yielded three more victims: a man and a woman both in their twenties and a younger female in her teens each with the same fatal injuries. All were strangers to the sheriff, who knew everybody in the county on sight.

The bodies were transported to Eagle Pass and laid out on the courthouse lawn in the hope that someone might recognize them. Hundreds of people came by for a look at the gruesome attraction, but not a single person was able to offer so much as an educated guess as to the identities of the dead.

By the time the quartet was buried, the murders were front-page news in practically every paper in the state. With no leads nor any idea who the victims were or where they came from, the sheriff was at a loss what to do next.

He wisely turned to Texas Ranger Frank Jones, captain of the Frontier Battalion, who assigned the investigation to Ira Aten. For the 27-year-old sergeant the case was the chance to get out of Jones doghouse after taking the extreme step of booby-trapping fences with dynamite to deter wire-cutters.

Weeks later and 250 miles to the north at San Saba, Aten finally caught a break. A farmer told him about the night his neighbors, the widow Williamson and her three grown children, had up and moved in the middle of night after selling their spread to a local character named Dick Duncan.

Asking around town for any information on the missing family, the Ranger hit the jackpot at the hardware store. The owner remembered selling a brand-new wagon to Duncan, who told him he needed it to take the Williamsons to Mexico.

Atens next stop was the sheriffs office, where he learned none other than Duncan was under lock and key for a petty crime. Granted permission to interrogate the suspect, the Ranger merely let him talk himself into four counts of first-degree murder.

Disavowing any knowledge of the Williamsons whereabouts or fate, Duncan speculated they were probably murdered by Mexican bandits for their money. Aten smiled to himself because he had not said a word about the killings, and the apparent fact they were carrying a large amount of cash was news to him.

Convincing the sheriff to keep Duncan behind bars until he came for him, Aten returned to Eagle Pass as fast as his horse could carry him. He secured the obliging prosecutors cooperation in going forward with the case and arranged for the inquest that produced a bombshell revelation.

While in San Saba, Aten had tracked down the dentist who tended to the teeth of the entire Williamson family. Removing a plate from the mouth of the exhumed body of the widow, he declared in open court, This is my work. He went on to positively identify the three other members of the close-knit clan as well.

The only card Dick Duncans attorney had to play at the July 1889 trial was the weak alibi supplied by the defendants father and brother, who asked the jury to believe he was with them south of the border at the time of the heinous crime. Their statement carried no weight with the 12-man panel, which promptly convicted the accused and sentenced him to death.

To avoid the bloodthirsty spectacle of a public execution, the sheriff built the gallows inside the jail and limited attendance to 25 spectators who had to show their printed invitations. That was why the four schoolboys, who escaped their classroom by stabbing a teacher in her ankle with a hatpin, never got inside.

The disappointed delinquents did receive a consolation prize compliments of an understanding deputy. He presented each boy with a piece of the rope as a souvenir of the first and last hanging in Maverick County.

Texas Boomtowns: A History of Blood and Oil available at the reduced price of $20.00 by mailing a check to Bartee Haile, P.O. Box 130011, Spring, TX 77393.
Its not yet clear when a report will be completed and released by the group reviewing protests that ended with tear gas released in downtown Huntsville earlier this summer.

The Huntsville Police Citizens Advisory Council held its final public hearing Thursday night, but the group still has a growing collection of evidence to review and more than 750 online comments to consider. Residents can still submit videos and other evidence through the HPCACs police review website.

Liz Huntley, one of the Birmingham attorneys hired to help the HPCAC with the review, said they are sorting the public comments and online evidence submissions to prioritize those with eyewitness account.

The most important are the first-hand accounts and videos, Huntley said.

Vicki Guerrieri, the chairwoman of the HPCAC, said the group is considering all of the comments and evidence. There is no deadline for when the review will be finished.

The HPCAC is a group of 10 volunteers appointed by the mayor, police chief and city council members to serve as liaisons between the police department and the public. But the groups role expanded when the Huntsville City Council asked the volunteers to review the actions police took at downtown protests on June 1 and June 3. On both of those nights, protests against racism and police violence were broken up by law enforcement with tear gas and other riot gear deployed in downtown.

Jordan Steelman, of the local social justice group Essential Nonviolent Uprising Force (ENUF), said the force shown by police was excessive. Steelman described the scene at the June 3 protest: police lined up in riot gear, snipers pointing rifles from the courthouse roof, protesters and medical personnel shot with rubber bullets, and officers indiscriminately spraying demonstrators with pepper spray.

This image shows one line of scores of Huntsville Police Department officers who a short while later moved in behind a wall of tear gas and scattered peaceful protesters from the city's Courthouse Square on June 3, 2020. It was the second use of tear gas in Huntsville in three days. Rubber bullets were believed fired at a group that fled into Big Spring Park. (Ian Hoppe | IHoppe@al.com)

Huntsville, like other cities across the U.S., saw protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, a Black man killed in police custody in Minneapolis on Memorial Day.

Steelman said the posture of local law enforcement, not the actions of protesters, escalated the protests on June 1 and June 3. Protests on May 30 and June 5 ended peacefully, Steelman said, noting that the police presence was much smaller at those events.

Related: Rubber bullets, tear gas, pepper spray: What happened in Huntsville

The Citizens Coalition for Criminal Justice Reform, a local justice organization, told the HPCAC it conducted a survey of protesters and found that more than half were affected by tear gas and about 48 percent reported suffering from anxiety or nightmares. Most of the respondents said police didnt communicate the times on permits for the protests and that police were blocking roadways as they tried to leave.

Police have said they used tear gas to disperse the crowds on June 1 and June 3 to pre-empt violence and because more than an hour had passed since permits for the protests expired.

Related: We did the right thing: Huntsville law enforcement says tear gas, rubber bullets kept city from burning

On Thursday night, the HPCAC also heard from representatives of the Chaffe Neighborhood Association and Green Mountain Civic Association, who spoke in support of the police department.

Latoya Piper, a military veteran and the owner of Lions Pride, a private security company in Huntsville, said she was shot in the back by a rubber bullet while trying to aid protesters.

After seeing the June 1 protest end with tear gas, Piper said, her company attended the June 3 event to assist protesters and to try to keep out any agitators so that those who wanted to peacefully protest could do so. She said she told the Huntsville Police Department ahead of time that her company would be there.

What we didnt expect was to be attacked by law enforcement, she said.

She said the law enforcement response didnt match what was happening at the protests.

I believe they tried to set into play a game plan was based on a violence that hadnt even happened yet, she said.

Piper said her security company routinely works with the police department. She said she doesnt blame the officers who were following orders, nor does she blame a lack of training.

I dont think a retrain is in order, she said. I think different leadership is in order.

The people are hurt, she said. The people have lost their faith in the police department. And its awful because these are people that have to go out in their communities and police and interact with people who now dont trust them. Or for the people who already didnt trust them, now they trust them even less because of what happened.

Read more:

Alabama cities embrace police citizen advisory committees. But do they have any teeth?

Protests, monuments, rubber bullets, arrests: The week that reshaped Alabama

Huntsville protesters want police held accountable for tear gas, rubber bullets
India on Friday allowed export of onions lying stranded in ports across the country for transit to all countries including Bangladesh, government sources said.

Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) sources had earlier said that onion-filled trucks and containers stranded at ports in the wake of the Centre's export ban of the vegetable, might be given clearance as part of partial relaxation. DGFT was understood to have communicated to the Customs Department to give the go-ahead to cargo that have arrived at the port, but not to ones which are in transit, they said.

However, there was some confusion among the exporters on the relaxation and its grounds. "We are unsure whether all the cargo that have reached the ports would be allowed for export or only those which had received Let Export Order (LEO)," a trader said.

LEO is the last step in the list of compliance requirements required to export goods out of India. "There are 500-600 trucks stuck at the land borders,"a Malhadipur Exporters' Association official had told .

The number of stranded Bangaldesh-bound trucks loaded with onions continued to rise at various land borders in West Bengal in the wake of the Centres export ban of the commodity, official said on Thursday. There are 500-600 trucks stuck at the land borders," a Malhadipur Exporters Association official told PTI.

Land ports of Gojadanga and Petrapole in North 24Parganas District also reported stranded, onion-filled trucks, the officials said. The Centre on Monday banned the export of all varieties of onions with immediate effect, a move aimed at increasing availability and curbing prices of the commodity in the domestic market.
All concerned agencies of the Centre and Delhi government will identify in the next two weeks locations under their jurisdictions for setting up charging stations for electric vehicles, a Delhi government statement said. This decision was taken in the first meeting ofthe charging infrastructure working group of Delhi government on Thursday. The meeting was chaired by Jasmine Shah, vice chairperson, Dialogue and Development Commission of Delhi.

"All the government agencies in Delhi including municipal corporations, PWD, Transport department, DTC, DMRC, DDA, among others will identify concessional locations within their jurisdictions in the next two weeks for setting up charging stations," said the statement.

Delhi government will aggregate these locations and work out a unified model for setting up 200 charging spots in the city in the next one year, it said. The Electric Vehicle Policy 2020 was notified last month by the Transport department of Delhi government.

In view of the multiplicity of agencies in Delhi, the task of devising and implementing a coordinated strategy for setting up charging infrastructure in Delhi has been entrusted to the charging infrastructure working group. Delhi government will soon be rolling out financial incentives promised under the EV policy," Shah said.

Various agencies including At Discoms, EESL, DMRC, Delhi Transco Ltd., NDMC, East MCD and North MCD gave detailed presentation of their proposals during the meeting, for rapidly augmenting the public charging infrastructure as well as private charging infrastructure in the city, the statement said.

"It was agreed at the meeting that given the emphasis of Delhi EV Policy on mass adoption of electric two-wheeler and three-wheeler, the charging infrastructure should focus primarily on setting up a large number of slow-charging stations consisting of AC-001 charging points (3.3 kW each) and limited number of DC-001 fast chargers (15 kW each)," it said.

Developing a wide network of battery swapping stations was also identified as a key priority. Once the location mapping exercise is completed, Delhi Transco Ltd, which is the state nodal agency for setting up charging infrastructure, will implement a coordinated plan for setting up of 200 charging stations at the most prominent places in the city, with subsidy support from Delhi government, the statement said.

In addition to public charging stations, establishing charging facilities at malls, office complexes, group housing societies, hotels, education institutions, hospitals and other restricted spaces, was also identified as a priority at the meeting. Given that these premises have high capacity commercial connections, it was discussed that setting up of a large number of slow-charging points at these facilities would be inexpensive and a quick way of setting up thousands of additional charging points in the city, it said.

Dialogue and Development Commission and Delhi Transco Ltd. were entrusted with the role of working out a special scheme on the lines of RESCO model for rooftop solar plants, to empanel energy operators who could then be engaged by the owners of these premises to invest, install and maintain charging points for public use within these facilities, added the statement.

Also read: Kia's electric foray-7 new BEVs by 2027, 25% share of global sales by 2029

Also read: Kia Sonet set to launch in India on September 18; expected price, key features
A coyote bit a woman on Tennessee Beach in the Marin Headlands this week, reports the Marin Independent Journal.

The woman reportedly told park rangers that the animal was acting aggressively as it approached her Tuesday afternoon. After the bite she walked the 1.7-mile trail back to Tennessee Valley Road and drove to a hospital, where she was treated for minor injuries.

Coyote sightings are on the rise in 2020, after being seen on the empty streets of San Francisco, howling in North Beach and even on rooftops.

The National Park Service has voiced concerns that people feeding wild coyotes is leading to the animals learning to associate humans with food, and then exhibiting aggressive behavior.

"Coyotes are key predators in park ecosystems. People feeding them erodes visitor and coyote safety," a statement on their website reads. "Food-conditioned coyotes also spend more time along roads, increasing their chances of being hit by cars."

Park officials are attempting to collect a sample of the coyotes DNA using a piece of the womans clothing, park service spokesman Charles Strickfaden told the Journal. The DNA will be then used to identify and track the animal with a GPS collar as part of a new program that aims to address the growing problem.

The Humane Society advises yelling, making loud noises and waving your arms if approached by a coyote.

Andrew Chamings is an editor at SFGATE. Email: Andrew.Chamings@sfgate.com | Twitter: @AndrewChamings
The Telangana government on Friday claimed that the state has become free of fluorosis, a bone-crippling disease, that has ruined thousands of lives over the decades due to contamination of water with high fluoride content.

Quoting a report of the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, tabled by the central government in Parliament on Thursday, Telangana municipal administration minister KT Rama Rao tweeted that Telangana, along with Gujarat and Uttarakhand, had been declared a fluorosis-free state with zero affected areas.

No of Fluoride affected villages at the time of formation of #Telangana was 967. After the successful implementation of the Mission Bhagiratha, the number has come down to Zero. This is an excerpt from an official statement in parliament by Govt of India, the minister tweeted.

Mission Bhagiratha is a flagship programme introduced in the state in 2015, aimed at providing piped safe potable drinking water to every household. Special focus was laid on providing safe drinking water to villages where the fluoride content in the water was high.

Nalgonda in Telangana was the worst-affected district due to the disease that affects bones and teeth.

Over one lakh people are suffering due to fluorosis in villages such as Munugode, Nampally, Marriguda and Devarakonda that have high fluoride content in water.

The Indian Natural Resource Economic and Management (INREM) Foundation, which conducted a survey in the fluoride-affected villages of Nalgonda, declared this February that there had been no new cases of fluorosis in the district in the last six years.

INREM director Dr Rajnarayan Indu said the intensity of the disease had come down due to supply of safe drinking water under Mission Bhagiratha. He suggested that focus should be laid now on setting up Fluoride Rehabilitation Centre in all Primary Health Centres (PHCs) of all fluoride-affected blocks.

However, Fluorosis Vimochana Samithi, an NGO working in Nalgondas affected areas, said the problem still persisted in several villages.

Successive governments have taken measures such as setting up of reverse osmosis and mineral water bottling plants in some villages and installation of defluoridation plants. But what about the groundwater? It still contains a high quantity of fluoride that enters the body through food, Samithi convenor Kanchukatla Subhash said.

He pointed out that one can still notice several people with crippled limbs, twisted joints, bent spine, stunted growth and yellowish or brownish enamel on their teeth. We dont want symptomatic treatment for a chronic disease. We want a permanent solution, Subhash said.

Congress MLA from Munugode assembly constituency Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy said the credit for Telangana fluorosis-free state would go to the Congress and not the TRS.

During the Congress regime itself, systems were established for supply of Krishna water to all the affected villages. What the TRS government had done was only to take the water to the houses through pipes. Even this project is not complete, he said.

The permanent solution, according to Subhash, is to complete the Srisailam Left Bank Canal project, which will lift water from Srisailam reservoir, which would provide irrigation to three lakh acres of agricultural lands and drinking water to 516 villages, including the fluoride-hit villages of Nalgonda district.

The project, which began in 2005, has come to a halt. There is no sign of the project being completed in the near future, Subhash said.

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"First and foremost, I would like to extend an apology on behalf of the District and the Board of School Directors to the student who was involved and to his family. They did not ask for this incident to occur, nor do they deserve the negative attention that it has brought." - school board President Tina Stoll
MIDLAND  It's 9 a.m. Friday, and Michigan Speaker of the House of Representatives Lee Chatfield is at a Midland testing lab on North Stark Road.

It's Impact Analytical, a company that consists of about 30 employees and four college interns and works with consumer products  cleaners, detergents, cosmetics and more  pharmaceuticals, medical devices, packaging, plastics and other specialty chemicals. The laboratory is licensed with the FDA, DEA, EPA and LARA to handle products even such as controlled substances.

CEO Neil Chapman said often their work is investigative. For example, they might be asked by a medical device company to analyze what kind of gas exists inside the sealed surgical pouches, or how flammable an aerosol olive oil spray is.

Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, theyve stayed busy as testing needs have only increased, he said. And they have their sights on another industry that could grow their company by $4.5 million and increase their employee count by 30%  bioanalytical testing, which would cater to companies such as Corteva AgriScience who make pesticides.

While testing hasnt slowed down, Impact still has faced hardships due to certain mandates. Specifically, Chapman said the executive order (2020-161) that required businesses to always keep a supervisor onsite with employees, was difficult for their small team of 30.

Chatfiled was in Midland on Friday to visit Impact Analytical to learn more about the challenges they are facing amidst the pandemic. He also was in town to lobby for State Rep. Annette Glenn's re-election in the 98th District.

At Impact Analytical, Chatfield, Glenn and business officials also talked heavily about the growing marijuana and hemp businesses in Michigan and how to regulate those, and where challenges exist.

As a small business owner, I think its always important that we have local representatives pay attention to what our needs are, Chapman said. Weve had great support from the community ever since I came here about three years ago.

Glenn said anytime she makes a visit to a business or elsewhere, shes always looking for information and solutions she can bring back to other lawmakers and turn into action.

Before leaving Impact on Friday for their next stop, Chatfield took the time to answer a few questions posed by the Midland Daily News. Heres what he had to say on topics such as statewide challenges, lawmaker responses, and absentee voting.

Q: What have you been up to today, and what do you have planned for the rest of your visit here?

A: Im spending my day in Midland  doing all I can to learn more about Rep. Glenns district and also all I can to ensure that she returns to the House of Representatives this fall. So, were all hands on deck for the next 46 days ensuring that we return a Republican majority and we dont want to take any seat for granted. So, Rep. Glenn has been an incredible part of our team, we want to ensure that she has another opportunity to go back in a couple of years.

We had an event last evening where we got to meet a lot of different supporters of Rep. Glenn and now todays focused on business leaders and understanding what makes Midland tick. Because Midlands got a very renowned reputation in our state for being (a) business community and really contributing to our overall success. And we want to make sure that were not overlooking it.

And, Rep. Glenns done an incredible job with the flood recovery relief as well. So, coming in and getting some updates on that and what else the state needs to do to partner with Midland and the surrounding areas.

Q: What do you see as Michigans biggest challenges right now?

Well, certainly living in 2020, the focus is on you know, COVID recovery, and how do we ensure we have healthy business environment so people around the country know that Michigan is open for business. No. 1 priority is making sure that people have jobs available so they can have money in their pocket to put food on the table.

Obviously, theres going to be additional political confrontations because its a presidential election year, but it is ensuring that were paving the way for the next generation and have a healthy business environment, while also focusing on some really critical policy initiatives regarding the criminal justice reform in our state. Michigan led the country in 2019 in criminal justice reform and we want to finish that out in 2020.

And then on the side of what Rep. Glenns been working on and advocating a lot is relief for the Midland area for the you know, catastrophe that they went through recently. So, those are some of the couple of key items on our plate in terms of policy, in terms of budget. Obviously, its a political year as well so were walking and chewing gum as the same time.

Q: How have lawmakers been responding to Michigans challenges?

A: During past crises in American history, we got through it by working together and we didnt have partisanship and it wasnt a Republican or Democrat issue  it was, we came together as Americans and worked through it together. And I think right now, we have to have more of a desire to reach a consensus. I think recent actions taken by the administration have been an afront to the regular democratic process weve seen in our country and we have Republicans genuinely wanting to simply work together and set partisanship aside. And, were hopeful that the Democrat(ic) administration and Gov. Whitmer can come to the table and begin to negotiate in good faith with us. Because this isnt a Democrat or Republican issue. Were all facing this  rural America, rural Michigan, urban Michigan. Weve been able to take some very positive steps in the last couple months with ensuring that the budget gets done and hopefully we can finish that process out next week.

Q: How has the pandemic changed how you do your work?

A: The pandemic has changed how everybody does their work, right. And weve taken additional health and safety precautions in the House to ensure theres more social distancing and we ensure those who are healthy have the opportunity to come to work. But the Legislature and government hasnt taken time off in past crises and I think right now, the people of our state need to see that the people they sent to work for them are still doing it. So, its changed how we interact with our constituents. Were finding new and safer ways to do it  many of it now is virtual. But, weve been hard at works since the state of emergency hit our state and were going to be hard at work until this is all past.

Q: Where do you see Michigan down the road 6 months to a year? Where do you see promise; where do you see challenges still?

A: It will all depend on our recovery plan. Right now, unfortunately, Michigan has a higher unemployment rate than many of our surrounding states and higher than the national average and I believe thats because of how weve handled the pandemic. COVID itself did not cause some of the economic difficulties were going through  it was the governments reaction to COVID. So, I think that we need to be focused on ensuring that Michigan can open safely and responsibly. And you know, early on there were some disagreements with the administration. Im convinced the more we work together, the more balanced approach were going to have. So, we can learn from some of our surrounding states and I dont believe that taking the virus seriously and having a robust economy are virtually exclusive. We can do both, we just have to be smart about it and ensure that were opening responsibly and sensibly.

Q: Do you have any advice for readers who are considering voting by mail this election?

A: We want to ensure people have access to voting and have access to voting safely. The Michigan voters made it loud and clear in 2018 that theres no reason absentee voting available to Michiganders, and I encourage anyone who doesnt feel safe voting in person to take advantage of the laws that we have in this state of Michigan. One of our concerns is making sure that we have election integrity. Its one thing that makes this country sacred and our system of government. So, we want to ensure that the people have confidence that the election results is truly what the people wanted. So, we want to ensure people have access to voting while at the same time, being equally concerned about election integrity and I think we can do both.
We cant think of another year where a holiday celebrating food could be more welcome. 2020 has offered up a lot for us to deal with, so this Sept. 18, take a moment to honor one of our favorite things to eat, the humble, and sometimes not so humble, cheeseburger. Its National Cheeseburger Day, and we have plenty of absolutely amazing ones to enjoy all across Michigan.

One highlight for us here at Michigans Best this year was our search for Michigans Best Burger, which we completed this July. We discovered lots of new spots, a few hidden gems, and revisited some old favorites.
While the Frankfurt Book Fair officially canceled its in-person fair only two weeks ago, American agents have been planning for an online-only event for months. So what will this years fair look like for them? Lots of Zoom calls, with some bells and whistles thrown in to make the chats more personal and fun.

Frankfurt, for its part, is offering a number of virtual tools to help sellers connect with buyers. The fair is allowing agents to register this year as exhibitors. Once theyve done so, Frankfurt Book Fair v-p Riky Stock explains, they will be given a contact person who can edit their entries and upload content for them. They will also have access to an event calendar, through which they can plan invitation-only meetings, and to an exhibitor catalog. The catalog, which is now live, will give the agencies the ability to have a digital presence by including links to their company websites, social media information, and uploaded documents such as rights catalogs. The fair is also providing a digital rights platform where, Stock says, agents can upload their rights guides, title information, rights availability, and previews of titles. The platform has been branded Frankfurt Rights and borrows elements from IPR License, a virtual rights trading and licensing company owned by Frankfurt. The platform will be free to use through at least June 2021 and, unlike IPR License, will not be taking commissions.

Stock added that some agents may also opt to host webinars. Writers Houses Cecilia de la Campa hosted a webinar at last years Bologna Book Fair and told Stock that webinars have advantages over the in-person meetings. Notably, de la Campa says, webinars allow more people to tune into the presentation, and they can also be saved and shared afterward. We can reach publishers with whom we dont yet have major business, and we can announce any exciting new deals and sales on the spot to everyone at once, de la Campa says.

Frankfurt will also help promote webinars that agents and rights directors choose to host. While the agents will host the meetings on their own, using whichever platforms they choose, the fair will post the webinars in the events calendar and on its Frankfurt Rights dashboard. We will help with visibility and, to a certain extent, promotion, Stock says.

For some agents, like Jennifer Weltz at the Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency, this years unusual event doesnt offer as many obstacles as one might assume. Weltz says she has been doing Skype meetings with her coagents pre-fair for years; its a tradition she started in 2010, when an erupting volcano in Iceland unexpectedly kept numerous Americans from attending the book fair. When I started [doing the Skype meetings], lots of agents said, I cant. I dont have a webcam.  Editors were also resistant. Now, of course, plenty of people are on videoconferencing platforms for most of the day. With that being the new reality, Weltz is predicting that this years Frankfurt could be her busiest yet, given that she is, as she notes, totally unshackled by the standard constraints of an in-person eventmeetings dont have to feature only a few people, and they dont have to happen within the time frame of the fair. And, while she admits shell miss seeing people in person, she says shes confident about getting everything done. We could be on the moon, she exclaims, and she can make sales as long as those in her audience have my list in front of them and were facing each other and talking.

While other agents acknowledge that their fair will be chock-full of Zoom meetings, some are trying different tactics to make the interactions more fun. Sanford Greenburgers Stefanie Diaz says they have added a meet the author feature for this years event. Were highlighting debut authors and other standout titles with short author videos, she explains. These will be shared during the meetings Diaz has planned throughout September and October.

That theres no need to contain business to the run of any physical showusually three to four days for most agentsis something other agents say is a boon this year. Baror International is, like Sanford Greenburger, stretching business out over two months, with virtual meetings happening throughout September and October. Theres no reason to tie meetings to a few days, says the agencys Heather Baror. Without the constraints of the fair schedule we can have more meaningful meetings and more of them. Baror also thinks the virtual realm can allow for more productive chats than [those held] within the bustle of the fair.

Foundry Literary + Media is also trying to inject a little fun into the proceedings. The agency has put together an interactive rights guide and, rather than having prospective buyers schedule meetings with the agencys rights people, they will instead get to talk with the titles agent or, in some cases, authors. Each meeting will be a discrete Zoom call that I believe will be more fun and informative than any German agent center meeting ever could be, explains agency cofounder Peter McGuigan. Were making lemonade out of lemons here. Hopefully itll stand out and people will notice our books.

Return to the main feature.
Lebanon's prime minister-designateMustapha Adib said Thursday he was extending efforts to strike a deal on an emergency cabinet line-up despite missing a French deadline.

"I am fully aware that we do not have the luxury of time," he said in a brief statement after meeting President Michel Aoun.

French President Emmanuel Macron had given Lebanon's main political players a two-week deadline to agree on a line-up of experts whose job would be to address multiple crises.

The deadline expired on Wednesday with no result, prompting Macron to voice his disappointment.

"I am counting on everyone's cooperation to form a government whose task will be to implement what was agreed upon with President Macron," said Adib.

The French leader, who travelled to Beirut twice since an August 4 port explosion disfigured the city, had demanded Lebanon's factions set no conditions on the line-up of the crisis government.

France had warned that the combined effects of one of the largest explosions in history and of a critical debt crisis posed an existential threat to the 100-year-old state.

The two main Shiite groups in Lebanon's usual power-sharing arrangement, however, have insisted on retaining the finance ministry, effectively blocking Adib's efforts.

The parliamentary bloc affiliated to the Shiite movement Hezbollah, in a statement, said it "categorically rejected" any effort to impose names or block names for "any cabinet portfolio, especially the finance ministry".

According to political officials, the young premier-designate has been pushing for a tighter cabinet of 14 ministers while the dominant alliance in parliament wants 24.

Lebanese media had raised the possibility he would throw in the towel if the French deadline was not met, but Adib looked set to pursue his efforts.

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A three-month-old puppy has been found covered in glue after the owner dumped it in a plastic bag on a rural street in China.

Heart-breaking pictures show the poor animals entire body layered with a white mixture of gypsum powder and adhesive building materials when it was rescued on Tuesday.

Vets found the dogs eyes were burned and blinded by the glue. It also suffered multiple bone fractures with a broken tail, believed to be injuries from being savagely beaten by its previous owner.

A three-month-old puppy has been found covered in glue after the owner dumped it in a plastic bag on a rural street in China. Heart-breaking pictures show the poor animals entire body layered with a white mixture of gypsum powder and adhesive building materials

The puppy is now in stable condition while being treated at an animal clinic, according to a local rescue group.

The puppy is now in stable condition while being treated at an animal clinic, according to a local rescue group.

The animal was discovered by a local resident after it was abandoned on a rural street outside Shijiazhuang in Hebei province of north China.

It was wrapped inside a plastic bag which was placed in a box with a sign that read adopt the puppy.

Appalling images show the dog glued with a thick mixture of gypsum powder and other adhesive building materials.

The animal was discovered by a local resident after it was abandoned on a rural street outside Shijiazhuang in Hebei province of north China. The incident sparked outrage and widespread criticism online as horrified animal lovers described it as shocking and abusive

The vets believed that the dogs injuries were caused after being beaten up by someone, according to the animal rescue group. A vet is seen cleaning the puppy's eyes after they were glued with a mixture of gypsum powder and adhesive building materials by its previous owner

After it was taken to an animal clinic, the vets found the puppys eyes had been blinded by the glue with the burned cornea.

Footage shows medical workers carefully removing the sticky substances from the animal with water and a shaver.

The dog couldnt stand up as it also suffered multiple bone fractures on its back legs and a broken tail.

The vets believed that the dogs injuries were caused after being beaten up by someone, according to the animal rescue group.

This puppy is only three months old and it has been artificially blinded, the local volunteers wrote in a post.

Its hard to imagine what kind of abuse it has experienced. Its also hard to imagine what kind of so-called owner they were as they did such things.

The dog couldnt stand up as it also suffered multiple bone fractures on its back legs and a broken tail. The X-ray released by the local animal group shows the fracture on the dog's paw

Police have launched an investigation of the incident after it was shared on Chinese social media on Friday and quickly became a trending topic, sparking public anger

The dog, which is still being treated at the vet clinic, has been adopted by the resident who found it.

Theyve also named the puppy Hu Hu, or Sticky, referring to the ordeal it had overcome.

Police have launched an investigation of the incident after it was shared on Chinese social media on Friday and quickly became a trending topic.

The incident sparked outrage and widespread criticism online as horrified animal lovers described it as shocking and abusive.

One commenter wrote: Ive never seen such abusive behaviours! These people should go to hell.

Another one wrote: This is horrifying. When are we going to have laws to protect animals?!

Despite a rising public focus on the rights and welfare of animals in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, China remains to lack established regulations to protect them.
An Everett, Wash., construction company with a history of safety violations is facing fines of more than $230,000 after inspections at two Seattle job sites reportedly found numerous problems that placed workers at significant risk.

Chilos Builders LLC was recently cited for eight safety violations, including exposing employees to fall hazards while working two and three stories above ground.

The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries issued the citations for violations at job sites in the Georgetown and Ballard neighborhoods in Seattle.

As a result of these recent violations, L&I has designated the framing contractor a severe violator. That means inspectors will continue to inspect the companys work sites until the unsafe conditions no longer exist.

Apart from the two most recent inspections, L&I has inspected Chilos Builders under its current name and a previous name five times since 2016. Each of those inspections resulted in L&I citing the company for safety issues including fall violations. Chilos has appealed the citations from one of the inspections in 2018.

Chilos Builders, owned by Ana Iglesias and managed by Cecilio Solorio, has reported 30 worker injuries under the two companies since 2016. The injuries include three caused by workers falling from heights of 8 to 15 feet. The claims have cost the workers compensation system more than $280,000 in medical treatment and related services.

In a separate action, L&I suspended the companys contractor registration in April for failing to have liability insurance. The registration remains suspended.

The most recent safety violations reportedly occurred in April when the company was helping build new apartments in Georgetown. Inspectors found inadequate safety rails on the roof, where six of the companys framers were working just over 28 feet above ground.

In addition, there were four unguarded wall openings 9.5 feet above ground and no handrails on stairways leading to the second floor.

The Georgetown violations resulted in three citations totaling $126,000 in fines. The citations were designated willful, meaning the employer knew or should have known the rules, but refused to follow them.

The company corrected the safety hazards the day after inspectors first arrived.

Two months earlier, in February, inspectors found five safety violations when the company was working in Ballard on another multi-unit residential project.

Two of the citations were considered willful, including one for failing to install fall protection on window and door openings on the three-story building. Inspectors saw at least two workers on the second floor and one worker on the third floor exposed to the potential fall hazards.

The company, which said it had 66 workers, was also cited for failing to train at least three employees on how to prevent fall hazards, failing to document weekly safety inspections and weekly safety meetings, and failing to ensure crew leaders and supervisors held valid first-aid certificates.

The Ballard site citations resulted in a total of $108,360 in fines.

Employers have 15 business days from the time they receive a citation to appeal.

Penalty money paid as a result of a citation is placed in the workers comp supplemental pension fund, helping injured workers and families of those who have died on the job.

Topics Workers' Compensation Washington Contractors
The new controversial Companies and Allied Matters Act, also known as CAMA Law, assented to recently by President Buhari, had shown that the Illuminati have hijacked Nigeria's National Assembly, NASS, and our parliament and government has become a breeding ground for chaotic dispositions.

This is the National Assembly that reportedly collected $10 million dollars bribe from Bill Gates to pass an obnoxious bill which sets to force Nigerians to be vaccinated by a yet to be produced vaccine, when other countries are trying hard to avoid a compulsory vaccination.

When the leader of conglomerates of opposition politicians, Congress of United Political Parties CUPP , Ikenga Ugochinyere, raised alarm concerning the bribe $10 million dollar bribe, he was hounded, arrested and intimidated with the police, to provide evidence of where the bribe took place as if bribes are given on top of rooftops or the parade grounds of Eagle Square.

I have written several piece on how the Chinese invented a virus and the Illuminati wants to use the occasion to drive a vaccine aimed at instituting a 'One World Government'. I wrote most of these piece in March and April, and many doubted and called me conspiracy theorist, today nobody is in doubt about the deliberate origin of Corona Virus, nor the failed attempt by the vaccinists to turn the world into a huge field of digitally certified zombies. Thanks to Dr Stella Emmanuel in the United States who proved that the entire Covid-19 scare is a big scam.

Back home, The CAMA Law has sections which seems to oust the authority of religious bodies , charities, foundations , mosques and churches to internally resolve their issues, and vested it on the Corporate Affairs Commission and the courts. In a nation where the courts have become a bureau de change and the government agencies dance to the tunes of those in power, the churches have smelt rat and cried foul over the act

From Bishop Oyedepo, Apostle Suleman, Archbishop Kaigama, Cardinal Onaiyekan, to the pastor of the church near my house, they have all vented vituperation on Buhari and his Fulani stock for the law.

I wrote a piece in May 5 th titled, Forced Covid-19 Vaccination: Illuminati Hijacks NASS' I argued that ;

"The forced vaccination bill which scaled speedily through second reading last week at the National Assembly is enough evidence that the Illuminati have hijacked the Nigeria parliament and the Covid 19 Disease Control Team.

"The bill named Control of Infectious Diseases Bill 2020 grants more administrative powers for forceful vaccinations to limitations on Freedom of association to the DG of Nigerian Centre for Disease Control NCDC.

"Nigerians have woken from sleep but the truth is that Illuminati, like Boko Haram, had penetrated the highest echelons of governance and are set to test what failed in United State and Europe on some Nigerian monkeys whose penchant for corrupt bananas is fantastic"

Continued further in the piece by asserting that ;

"I want to say to Nigerians, Illuminati Here they Come!

"What was rejected in Europe and America is about to be tested in Nigeria.

"Illuminati Here they Come!  all the prosperity preachers and jet preachers will soon be asked to surrender their members for vaccination or be thrown out of spiritual business.

"Illuminati Here they Come!- Soon who governs Nigeria will not be determined by the APC or PDP, ACF, Ohanaeze, Afenifere, rather the Skulls and Bones Society and associated Colleges will determine who governs Nigeria.

"Illuminati Here they Come!- all the years corruption, ineptitude which led to the wastage of successive years of oil windfalls , especially when oil sold for between $100-$140 dollars will haunt us -No Electricity, No Healthcare, No Social Security

"However, five weeks ago, I saw a vision where people moved about freely in Nigeria with face masks, and last week, I saw another vision where people moved about without face mask. This means that Nigeria will miraculously overcome the Corona virus challenges".

I Wrote another titled 'Governor Abiodun Hits Bishop Oyedepo, Locks Down Saturdays and Sundays' I said that;

"Covid-19 has relegated the flamboyant church of Jesus Christ to spineless beggars who must operate at the behest of filthy government officials while conflicting incompetent directives from the WHO is ruining the world. This is my position and I have not seen any superior argument to change it. China, India and Japan are not relying on any WHO guidelines to rid their country of Covid-19, and these counties are of Buddhists, Hinduist, Shintoist and atheist religious leanings while the sons of Abraham; Christians, Muslims and Judaists are pandering to the whims and caprices of a discredited WHO.

"Things have fallen apart! The church is in terrible mess! In the coming weeks, these corrupt officials will be ordering them about the manner village headmasters orders pupils about. This evil seed of ceding influence to corrupt and confused government officials the church is about to reap. The early church defied Emperor Neros orders and continued worship, despite persecutions. The early church had earlier defied the Sanhedrin, the Chief Priests, the Pharisees and Sadducees and continued until they become strong. Therefore, these lame excuses that we should obey government are products of monumental bootlicking and spiritual senselessness."

A follow up titled 'Covid-19; Gates of Hell Swallows Lagos Churches' I argued that

The government is confused; the church is begging confused people for a solution. Tufiakwa! Why then are they trying to open up the economy if their initial measures were correct? Nonsense! The church should use the spiritual resources at their disposal, if they have not mortgaged it to marine spirits, to force these unbelievers, drunkards and looting addicts to open places of worship and let the dehumanized Nigerians ask their Maker for Solutions. They should act fast before Hollywood, Nollywood, Champions League, Music Shows, Movie Premieres and Owambe takes the position of God and the church.

Our religious leaders underestimated the influence of the Illuminati, and while they became errand boys to Covid-19 scammers, closing churches and claiming new found obedience, the Illuminati moles in government pressurized the President to sign a bill he had rejected twice. CAMA in its entirety is a good act which helps remove the cumbersomeness associated with business registrations and operations in Nigeria. It seeks to bring in more transparency and ease in business practices according to best practices worldwide. However, those who smuggled the contentious sections, knew they are sparking controversy. Those who smuggled the contentious sections into a good law are agents of the Illuminati and their plans are already working. Illuminati Government officials are as mischievous as Boko Haram Government officials who suffocated the 'Transformation Agenda' of former President Goodluck Jonathan, and caused him to be rejected by the Muslim north and western world.

They have hijacked critical sectors of the Nigerian political space, and creating tensions capable of a coup, religious conflict or mass revolution aimed at bloody conflict, and they will bring a solution and everyone will be grateful. The religious leaders of the Christian fold are already dancing to the tunes. Everybody is blaming Buhari, Fulani, Hausa, Muslims for the CAMA Law. Soon the Muslims will spit fire, sponsor terrorism on churches and a much awaited religious war will en sue.

CAMA Act is not about Buhari, Fulani, Islamization and all that balderdash, it is about a government Hijacked by Illuminati.

1.N2 Trillion naira Covid-19 palliative and stimulus is 'food for the boys' , a scam meant to unleash more poverty on Nigerians. Where are the N2 Trillion economic stimulus, who are the beneficiaries

2. A most unfortunate fuel and electricity hike in the midst of national poverty, is meant to spread discontent and mass revolt.

3. Obsession with unscrupulous Chinese loans is another attempt to enslave the 'Gant of Africa' to the Chinese

Illuminatic officials are everywhere. They have invited me severally to join them, and I know what IAM talking about. I have friends who belong there and it is frightening what they still have in the offing for Africa, after God frustrated their Covid-19 plans. Nigeria is the new testing ground.

Church leaders are blaming the wrong person for the bill. It is not Buhari's bill. Those Illuminati members in NASS who sponsored the bill and enabled it pass through all levels, including Committee levels, are members of Winners Chapel, Redeemed Christian Church of God, Mountain of Fire, Catholic and Anglican Churches. They include members of Izalla Movement, Shiites, Sunnis. They pay tithes and Zakkat in their churches and mosques but their allegiance is to the Illuminati ethnos. They have accomplices in WHO, US, UK and many congresses of the western world.

They don't care about Bishop Oyedepo, Pastor Adeboye, Apostle Suleiman - they don't even care about Pope Francis, Cardinals' Arinze, Onaiyekan or Okogie.

The church have woken up late Let them wait till the last week of November, and they will be dealt a major blow that will last till January-then they will know that the 'Skulls and Bones Society' meant business.

President Buhari is not responsible for CAMA Law, the Fulanis are not part of it, neither are Muslim Ulamas nor the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs NSCIA as being alleged. Illuminati growing influence in Nigeria is responsible for it.

My consolations that Illuminati is not God. God frustrated their plan to cause millions to die in Africa. In one of my piece titled in the peak of national lockdown in May, titled 'Shut Up: Covid-19 Will not Swallow Nigeria, Africa' I said that

"Covid-19 will not swallow Nigeria according to the visions and revelations I saw on the high mountains and Bill Gates, NCDC, WHO and Covid-19 Task force should shut up!

"The vision that I saw was in four phases

Phase1-Seen in February 2020- Flood of evil ravaging the world, penetrating into NAfrica and Nigeria and I had to climb higher to avoid the flood.

"Phase 2 -Seen in March 2020- Soldiers on the streets of Abuja and Lagos harassing and keeping people indoor forcefully

"Phase 3 -Seen in April 2020 - Churches, including Our Lady, Queen of Nigeria Pro- Cathedral, Abuja holding services with face mask, hand sanitizers, hand wash and few social distancing

"Phase 4-Seen in April 2020-Churches, including Faith Tabernacle, holding services without face masks and services jam-packed"

Illuminati government officials have hijacked NASS, and smuggled CAMA Law into Nigeria, let the church direct their tantrums correctly , and stop firing in the wrong direction, before an unexpected holocaust is unleashed on the citizenry

Obinna Akukwe, Columnist, Cleric, [email protected], @obinnaakukwe
Ghana's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ms Shirley Oyorkor Botchwey has briefed members of the Diplomatic Corps on the outcome of the consultative meeting on the Malian political crisis.



Members of the Diplomatic Corps present at the briefing included; Ms Cludia Turbay Quintero, the Columbian Ambassador to Ghana, who doubles as the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps.



Ms Botchwey outlined some of the key decisions reached at the consultative meeting held at Aburi on Tuesday, September 15, including the need for a transition government led by a civilian President and Prime Minister in Mali.



She said the Authority asked the National Committee for the Salvation of the People (CNSP), the military Junta that ousted Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita on August 18, 2020, to immediately nominate two civilians as President and Prime Minister, to oversee the transition process, which should not go beyond 18 months.



Ms Botchwey said the Authority reaffirmed its demand for

civilian-led transition administration to ensure a swift return to constitutional rule in Mali.



The Authority stated that the military Junta would be dissolved immediately the civilian transition government was constituted, she added.



Ms Botchwey noted that the ECOWAS Authority agreed to lift all the sanctions imposed on Mali when the transition president and prime minister were appointed.



Ms Botchwey said the Leader of the Military Junta, Colonel Assimi Goita, and his delegation, however, told the Authority that, they would have to go back and make further consultations with the decision-makers in the CNSP.



It is expected that Nigeria's former President Goodluck Jonathan would visit Bamako next week to assess the status of the implementation of the decision arrived at the Aburi meeting.



ECOWAS suspended Mali and imposed sanctions due to the political uprising that ousted President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita's government on August 18, 2020.



The bloc suspended financial transactions between Mali and its 14 other member countries, and also suspended the troubled nation from its internal decision-making bodies, and asked the military Junta to appoint a President and Prime Minister by September 15, 2020, or face further sanctions.



Tuesday's meeting in Aburi was convened by President Akufo-Addo, Chair of ECOWAS, to reinforce the decisions in the Charter agreed on at the 57th ECOWAS ordinary summit held in Niamey, capital of Niger.

Source: GNA









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Knowing she is as qualified, if not more, as any other person in the race brings a sense of pride about HBCUs and validates our path, Blair said. I know I, for one, used to always get questions, What is an HBCU about? Why did you go there? Thats not the real world. At the end of the day, Im a corporate attorney the same as any of my white colleagues. Our paths were different, but that doesnt mean mine was any less engaging or fulfilling.
Exports of cars in East Chinas Anhui province rose in August after five monthsdecreases, data released by local customs showed.

9,164 cars were sold abroad in August, up 1.9 percent from the same period a year ago. The export value increased 2.4 percent year on year to 580 million yuan ($85.8 million), Hefei Customs said.

The province exported 53,000 cars from January to August, down 19.3 percent from the same period last year. The exports were worth 3.6 billion yuan, down 16.5 percent.

Brazil was the largest export market for automobiles in Anhui. In August, the province sold 2,883 cars to Brazil, a year-on-year increase of 9.2 percent. The export value stood at 160 million yuan, up 19.5 percent.

Meanwhile, 1,434 and 1,080 cars were exported to Russia and Egypt, up 117.6 percent and 350 percent year on year, respectively.




The Rangers have granted right-hander Luis Garcia free agency, per a team announcement. The club previously designated Garcia for assignment on Tuesday, but the reliever subsequently cleared waivers.

Garcia will head back to the open market eight months after signing a minor league contract with the Rangers in January. The 33-year-old wound up throwing 8 1/3 innings with Texas this season and surrendering nine runs (seven earned) on 10 hits and nine walks, though he did strike out 11 hitters along the way.

This will count as the third straight subpar season for Garcia, who has also spent time with the Phillies and Angels, but he has mostly posted respectable numbers in the majors. Since he debuted with Philadelphia in 2013, Garcia has logged a 4.26 ERA/4.32 FIP with 8.31 K/9, 4.77 BB/9 and a 55.1 percent groundball rate. Garcia has also averaged 96.2 mph on his fastball during his time in the bigs.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 18)  The Department of Foreign Affairs is working to bring home 127 seafarers stuck on ships abroad due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Undersecretary Brigido Dulay.

Dulay on Friday said the department has already sent a note verbale to foreign governments, requesting that they allow stranded Filipinos to dock at their ports, so repatriation may be arranged. Several countries are still banning ships from docking, as they close their borders to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

He also noted that some nations still have limited or no international flights, which proves as an additional challenge in bringing home overseas Filipino workers.

Iba rin po kasi ang kalagayan ng seafarers, he added. Nasa laot po ito, hindi kamukha sa land-based na madali silang lipunin."

[Translation: The seafarers situation is different. Theyre at seas, unlike land-based workers who are easier to gather in one place.]

Based on DFA data, over 175,000 OFWs have been repatriated amid the health crisis. Nearly 62,000 of this number are sea-based workers.

Meanwhile, Dulay assured families of stranded seafarers that the DFA and the Labor Department are already coordinating with concerned agencies to ensure the return of their loved ones. He added that Foreign Affairs chief Teodoro Locsin Jr. has ordered embassies to work round the clock to speed up repatriation.

Earlier, President Rodrigo Duterte directed the DFA to identify and help stranded Filipino nationals at seas, saying they should not be left behind to rot.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 21:45:59|Editor: huaxia

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A Fijian woman tries to write Chinese calligraphy during Chinese cultural activities brought by China Cultural Center in Fiji, at Koroqaqa village, about 30 km north of Suva, capital of Fiji, Sept. 17, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Yongxing)

by Zhang Yongxing

SUVA, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- "Chinese culture is marvelous, we like it and we want to have more chances to enjoy it in the future," some Fijian women told Xinhua after having had a special and unforgettable experience of the Chinese culture in a remote Fijian village.

With the support by Fiji's Department of Heritage and Arts and the Nausori Multi-Cultural Center, the staff of China Cultural Center in Fiji went on Thursday to Koroqaqa, a riverside village about 30 km north of Suva, capital of Fiji, entertaining local Fijians with a Bamboo Culture photo exhibition and teaching them how to play Chinese Tai Chi.

It is the first time for the staff of China Cultural Center in Fiji to bring their cultural activities to rural Fijians and also the first time for them to jointly celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with rural Fijians.

Besides showing a promotional video "Beautiful China", which showcases China's beautiful and unique landscapes as well as the great achievement that China has made over the past decades, the staff of China Cultural Center in Fiji also briefed the Fijians from different parts of the Nausori district on the cultural exchanges they have had with Fijians in recent years.

Some Fijian women also took notes while listening carefully to the introduction about China. A Fijian woman could not help but telling Xinhua that the Chinese culture is very good, and she hopes to have more chances to experience it.

For the Fijians and their Chinese guests, they were also touched by the beautiful traditional dance by a 13-year-old Fijian girl and a moving Chinese song related to the Mid-Autumn Festival by a Fijian college student. She surprised everyone when she sang the song in Chinese, and loud applause came just after she finished her song.

Some Fijians also practised calligraphy enthusiastically.

Needless to say, it is a good chance for the two different cultures to walk into each other's heart and touch both sides by the uniqueness and irresistible charm of the cultures.

Seini Vakaloloma, principal officer of Fiji's Department of Heritage and Arts, told Xinhua that the cultural activities brought here by the China Cultural Center in Fiji is useful and they have learned a lot from the Chinese culture.

"We have learned a lot from your culture and I really appreciate it. I hope the China Cultural Center in Fiji can bring their activities to other communities in the island nation in the future," she said.

For her part, Anjana Maharaj, administration officer of the Nausori Multi-Cultural Center, told Xinhua that "We believe culture exchange is very important. When we know each other's culture, then we know the people, we know we can interpret each other. We belong to the multi-cultural center, we believe learning each other's culture make sense."

Sun Jie, director of the China Cultural Center in Fiji, told Xinhua that such cultural exchange can help promote the mutual understanding between the peoples of the two countries.

"This is the first time for our center to bring our cultural activities to Fijians in the rural area. Our aim is to do cultural exchange and also celebrate our Mid-Autumn Festival with our Fijian friends. We and our Fijian friends do believe that such cultural exchange can help promote the mutual understanding between the peoples of our two countries," he said. Enditem
Tony McDowall (pictured) fell to his death from a seventh-floor window in Istanbul while on holiday in Turkey

A British tourist has died after falling from a seventh-floor window in Turkey.

Shocked bystanders watched Tony McDowall fall to his death after he tried to climb from one window to another on the side of a building in Istanbul.

Police told local media that the Briton had been staying in Turkey's largest city with his American ex-girlfriend and another US friend.

The three had apparently argued in the hostel reception on the day of the man's death.

Onlookers watched the topless Briton fall to his death on Hacimimi Mahallesi Karabas Street in the district of Beyoglu, on the European side of Istanbul.

He was seen clinging to one of the top-floor window sills while apparently trying to edge his way over to the next window.

While shifting his body weight to the adjacent window, he lost his balance and fell out of sight.

According to Turkish media, he died at the scene and police have since opened an investigation.

Reports say he had checked in at the hostel the day before and spent a night there before arguing with his friends on the day of his death.

After watching security footage, investigators said there was nobody else in his room at the time he was dangling from the window.

Onlookers watched the topless Briton fall to his death on Hacimimi Mahallesi Karabas Street in Istanbul (file photo)

Three people, two of them women, have reportedly been questioned by Turkish police after McDowall's death.

Although born in Britain, McDowall was apparently travelling on a US passport. It was not clear whether he was living in the UK.

Southside United AFC, a Scottish amateur football team where McDowall played, said it was 'devastated' to hear of his death.

'Tony was a great player and more importantly a great guy. Our thoughts are with his family & friends,' the club said.

A UK Foreign Office spokesman said: 'We are supporting the family of a British man following his death in Turkey and are in touch with the local authorities.'
At least two aspects of these proposed changes are concerning.

The measures, which would be implemented until April 2021, would broaden the types of people who can be appointed as authorised officers to enforce public health interventions to include protective services officers and WorkSafe inspectors.

The COVID-19 Omnibus (Emergency Measures) and Other Acts Amendment Bill 2020 was announced on Minister for Health Jenny Mikakos website and is now before Parliament.

New powers proposed by the Victorian government could see people considered a high risk being detained by a broader category of authorised officers.

The explanatory memorandum to the bill provides for an authorised officer, who reasonably believes that a high risk person (someone either diagnosed with COVID-19 or a close contact) who is required to comply with a self-isolation direction and is likely to refuse or fail to comply with the direction, to detain that person. So the first concern is the speculative or predictive nature of the assessment that the authorised officer is to make before depriving a person of their liberty.

And this leads to the second concerning aspect  by whom this is to be considered and determined.

Under a web of legislative provisions emanating from the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 (Vic), the Chief Health Officer has issued the self-isolation direction. Police are empowered to enforce that direction in a number of ways, including to direct a person to return to their home or to another location.

The proposed additional measures appear to contemplate a person being apprehended and detained. The Age has reported a government spokesman as indicating that the new measures could be applied to conspiracy theorists who refuse to self-isolate or to severely drug-affected or mentally impaired people who do not have the capacity to quarantine.

It is apparent enough that police, who have relevant training, sometimes struggle to deal with vulnerable members of the community, particularly those with complex mental health issues. Recent events in Epping and Lilydale exemplify this, even where trained incident response officers are involved.
The lady came and hit the car. You should file a hit and run case on your cars behalf, a social media user said, as reported by Daily Mail.

Another social media user added: Faking an injury scam in a country with free healthcare. Good luck.

According to Daily Mail, insurance scams amount to around $2 billion a year in Australia. As a result, many motorists have installed dashcams to protect themselves from fault as it can help authorities to find out who was to blame for a collision.

Cameras have also become necessary for Russian drivers amid claims of insurance fraud and police corruption. Meanwhile, staged accidents as a common type of insurance fraud remain rampant in the US.

Fraud is simply another form of theft which involves some type of trick or deception to gain a financial advantage, said the Insurance Fraud Bureau Australia on its website.
British filmmaker Steve McQueen is back with more deception. His new feature Lovers Rock opens the 58th New York Film Festival with an uncharacteristic exhibition of hedonism  West Indian residents in 1980 London throw a recreational Blues Party filled with dancing, singing, and weed-smoking. At first, it seems to be pure pleasure, the kind of celebration McQueen owed the world after the racial horror film 12 Years a Slave. Has McQueen learned to appreciate black peoples joy and survival?

True to form, McQueens 72-minute mood piece  recalling the amateur sound-system apparatus and reggae-inflected toasting (an emcees verbal accompaniment) that are the roots of hip-hop culture  also conveys an undercurrent of anxiety. Yes, although the images and ambience of subculture revelry are mostly intoxicating, theres also suspicious trepidation at the edges.

Thats because Lovers Rock (named after a genre of reggae) is another McQueen art-feint. He uses Caribbean-immigrant culture conceptually. These blacks are species of sociological difference. None of the sexually diverse cast is a real character; the flirtatious women and libidinous men are all random types aimed at curious, touristy progressives. Lovers Rock continues the New York Film Festivals late emphasis on racial politics that, since Precious (2009) and The 13th (2015), has been geared to the delectation of Manhattans Upper West Side liberals.

McQueens reggae safari in Lovers Rock is his first black film after his debut with Hunger (NYFF 2008); thats where McQueen flipped the indie-movie scheme in which white filmmakers get cred by using black subjects. McQueen, instead, was the first black director to calculate the benefits of a white subject by using the Bobby SandsIRA story as his calling card. And it worked, the conspicuously artful exploitation of British tribal politics, underclass anger, and gruesome violence established McQueens bona fides. His films work like the art installations of his early institution-funded museum career, timed to film cultures shameless establishment of political agitation as a cause. Grant Lives Matter.

Story continues

Lovers Rock might impress viewers who are unfamiliar with British director Isaac Juliens Paradise Omeros (2002), an artful exploration of Caribbean immigrants cultural conflict that hit an insightful high point with the Paragons 1967 recording The Tide Is High (a song best known from the cover version by Blondie). McQueen mimics Isaac Julien when three black females sing Blondies Sunday Girl, a mixed-culture stunt. Julien had observed authentic roots while McQueen shrewdly caters to deracination  the better to orient his white patrons.

Several scenes in Lovers Rock are undeniably effective. The first accompanies Carl Douglass Kung Fu Fighting, where the revelers emulate its pop novelty. The second is Janet Kays Silly Games, where the women take on the records falsetto entreaty and make it their own. The third, expressing the mens energy, is the films most explosive and deliberately threatening.

It starts with a reggae dub sequence in which a violent males frustration requires ganja to calm the demon of isolation. This is McQueens only show of narrative wit, but note the stereotyping: He uses racial essentialist tropes (dusky masculine dance rites illuminated by a single light bulb), then vents enigmatic spiritualism. Let go the lion! shout the scrum of empathetic brothers. Its like The Bottle Dance in Fiddler on the Roof, but this is Rastafarianism  exploited. The black bacchanal in the Wachowskis Matrix Revolutions (2003) tendered a similar fantasy combining black sensuality with political prophecy.

McQueens phony nostalgia for the pre-hip-hop era when blacks were more culturally unified (Put a smile on everybodys face, no frowns! urges the rotund DJ), inspires this films segregated visual scheme. The colorfully dressed partiers waft through a ganja haze, warm hues keyed to a blue-vinyl record placed on the turntable  a Gauguin touch. But these roving tableaux, also borrowed from Harlem photographer Roy DeCarava and Ernie Bankss cover art for Marvin Gayes I Want You album, cannot be entirely trusted. The exoticism satisfies those self-aggrandizing political poseurs who pretend identification with black culture but have hijacked and perverted it in the political world.

On screen, Claire Denis employed black Parisian exoticism without condescension in 35 Shots of Rum, but the exoticism of Lovers Rock is sinister (prelude to an upcoming series of political tracts under the title Small Axe). McQueen is the celebrated turncoat revolutionaries used to condemn as a native informant.

More from National Review
A college professor has been suspended after she reportedly admitted during an online class that she hoped President Trump supporters caught COVID-19 and died before election day.

Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, said on Friday that it was aware of an 'overtly political statement' made by Assistant Professor Jennifer Mosher during a recent virtual classroom session.

Footage of Mosher's comments were shared to social media on Wednesday after a student captured the moment during the lesson.

In the clip, Mosher allegedly expressed frustrations over people attending Trump's 2020 campaign rallies and not wearing CDC recommended face masks.

Assistant Professor Jennifer Mosher (pictured) of Marshall University was placed on administrative leave this week over an 'overtly political statement'

'Ive become the type of person where I hope they all get it and die. Im sorry, but thats so frustrating I dont know what else to do,' says Mosher.

'You cant argue with them, you cant talk sense with them. I said to somebody yesterday "I hope they all die before the election". That's the only saving hope I have right now.

Mosher then added that she 'should not be talking politics' at the clip's end. The story was first reported by WOWK-TV.

Although the clip does not show Mosher specifically referencing Trump supporters, she does mention a recent indoor event where attendees did not wear face masks.

Most recently, Trump hosted an indoor campaign rally that gathered thousands inside a manufacturing plant in Las Vegas where very few people donned the protective gear.

The crowd size greatly dwarfed the Nevada's mandate limiting indoor gatherings to under 50 people.

Trump was noted by critics to repeatedly defy health guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as clash with leading public health experts on his response team.

His Tulsa, Oklahoma, rally ended with an unexpectedly small crowd, eight members of the advance team contracting the virus and campaign staff having to self-isolate afterward in case of infection

He boosted beforehand that face masks and social distancing would not be required for the June 20th event, despite cases still rising across the country at the time.

Hermain Cain, a prominent Republican businessman and fervent Trump supporter, died of COVID-19 on July 30 after attending the Tulsa rally.

Pictured: President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where few people wore masks or social distanced

Hermain Cain (center), a prominent Republican businessman and fervent Trump supporter, died of COVID-19 after attending a campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma

None of the people photographed with Cain wore face masks and were not the recommended six feet apart. He was first tested positive for COVID-19 on June 29 and was hospitalized on July 1.

Trump was pictured for the first time publicly wearing a face mask in July and told Fox News that he's 'all for masks.'

But in April, he ignored advice from that Center for Disease Control and Prevention and said he likely wouldn't wear one.

'I don't think I'm going to be doing it. Wearing a face mask as I greet presidents, prime ministers, dictators, kings, queens - I just don't see it,' he said at the time.

Since the video clip of Mosher surfaced online, she and Marshall University have both faced backlash.

Marshall University replied to Twitter comments and said it did not 'condone the use of any of its educational platforms to belittle people or wish harm...'

A number of Twitter users spoke out against the video and implored Marshall University to take action over the matter

Twitter user: 'Marshall must take appropriate action to discourage and extinguish this sort of behavior'

'This represents Marshall University, which represents our region. Everyone is entitled to opinions, but wishing death on people who disagree with your opinion is evil and we expect better,' one person wrote on Twitter.

'Unacceptable!' another wrote. 'Marshall must take appropriate action to discourage and extinguish this sort of behavior. She needs our prayers but also needs to be let go. A black eye for Marshall if nothing is done.'

Marshall University responded to comments on Twitter, saying: 'The university does not support or condone the use of any of its educational platforms to belittle people or wish harm on those who hold differing political views.'

The institution said in its statement that Mosher has been been placed on administrative leave and an investigation is pending.

'The university does not support or condone the use of any of its educational platforms to belittle people or wish harm on those who hold differing political views,' it said.
Duggar sister Jill Dillard admits she drinks alcohol socially despite her strict upbringing

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Jill Duggar Dillard responded after making headlines last week for drinking an alcoholic pina colada. The reality star revealed that she drinks socially.

We have boundaries, Dillard told PEOPLE in a new interview. In our faith, we believe like we're not supposed to get drunk. So, with drinking, it's not like we're just like going crazy.

Its more socially here and there, or at home, for a date or something, the Duggar daughter continued. Our kids are pretty young right now, but I think it's good for them to see a healthy balance.

The 29-year-old was raised by her devout Baptist parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar. Their family life was on full display on the TLC series 19 Kids and Counting, which documented the strict conservative upbringing of Dillard and her 18 siblings. The family became popular for their "modest" dress code and strict rules about dating.

Growing up, the whole idea of drinking was not encouraged, Dillard explained. I know my parents would not be happy with it, and I know that my siblings, some more than others, would probably have an issue with it. Other ones would probably be like, 'Whatever's good for yall, that's fine. Live your life.' So far, nobody's said anything to us about it.

Dillard and her husband Derek Dillard first disclosed their social drinking during a Q&A series on their blog, DillardFamily.com, which runs on their YouTube channel, Dillard Family Official.

We believe Scripture is clear that alcohol is sinful, Derek shared in the Q&A. Neither one of us have ever drank to drunkenness but that doesnt mean that Jill wont have a pina colada at dinner.

Fans of the couple are encouraged to submit questions on the blog in the comments section and after an Instagram post showing an alcoholic beverage on their dinner table, fans wanted to know if they drink. The Dillards said they know other people struggle with alcohol so they are sensitive to that.

However, the parents of two, Israel, 5, and Samuel, 3, chose to address it publicly because they want to live transparently.

Dillard told PEOPLE she and her husband have changed in more ways than one recently.

I think we've grown a lot as a couple, and Im OK with people not being OK with it," she said. "Sometimes it's a good thing. I'm very much a people pleaser, so not doing something because I was afraid of what other people would think or keeping my opinion quiet because I don't want to have to worry about conflict.

"The journey that we've been on as a couple, were being better about having boundaries and our own family life.

The Christian couple maintained that letting people see more of their life and journey has been healthy for them.
The dawn crested penguin Eudyptes atatu in New Zealand, three million years ago. Image by Simone Giovanardi. Permission for use of the image for a press release is granted by the artist. Credit: Massey University

New Zealand is surrounded by highly productive oceans that attract seabirds from around the world, forming a global hotspot for seabird diversity. Establishing how and when this hotspot formed has been challenged by a lack of fossil discoveries connecting New Zealand's living seabirds to their ancient relatives.

Researchers from Massey University, Bruce Museum (CT, U.S.), Canterbury Museum, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, and Iowa State University (IA, U.S.) have analyzed fossil bones from an ancient penguin discovered in coastal Taranaki in the North Island of New Zealand. Museum curators Alan Tennyson and Paul Scofield recognized the importance of fossil bones being found by local collectors and assembled collections to begin the investigation.

The newly described three-million-year old dawn crested penguin Eudyptes atatu from Taranaki now provides a crucial connection to the past, confirming crested penguins, and perhaps other types of seabird, have been living in Zealandia, or the New Zealand continent Te Riu-a-Maui, for millions of years.

"This has been an exciting research collaboration to be part of," Daniel Thomas from the School of Natural and Computational Sciences at Massey University says.

"It's given us an important into the evolution of crown penguins and re-enforces the importance of the New Zealand continent for seabird evolution. Our growing fossil record suggests that Zealandia was an incubator of penguin diversity in which the first penguins likely evolved and later dispersed throughout the Southern Hemisphere. The name of the newly described penguin species Eudyptes atatu comes from a contraction of ata tu, which is 'dawn' in Te Reo Maori. Dawn references the fact that this species is the beginning of our knowledge for crested penguins in New Zealand."

The research is detailed further in a paper titled "Ancient crested penguin constrains timing of recruitment into seabird hotspot" published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B. The study concludes that the ancestor of all penguins lived in Zealandia over 60 million years ago, and that the ancestor of crested penguins may have originated in Zealandia before its descendants dispersed throughout the Southern Hemisphere.

Explore further Ancient crested penguin fossil found in New Zealand

More information: Daniel B. Thomas et al. Ancient crested penguin constrains timing of recruitment into seabird hotspot, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (2020). Journal information: Proceedings of the Royal Society B Daniel B. Thomas et al. Ancient crested penguin constrains timing of recruitment into seabird hotspot,(2020). DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1497
TRENTON  The exodus continues.

Another member of the mayors cabinet is leaving to pursue other professional opportunities, the mayors office confirmed.

The Trentonian earlier this week asked Mayor Reed Gusciora about the rumored departure of Shakira Abdul-Ali, the director of health and human services.

His office sent out a news release Thursday confirming her intention to step down Oct. 2.

Abdul-Alis resignation was announced less than a week after it was learned that fire director Derrick Sawyer was resigning, effective Sept. 18.

Along with Sawyer, Abdul-Ali joins Dr. Shing-Fu Hsueh and former police director Carol Russell as cabinet members who have left the Gusciora administration.

Russells departure was forced by council, which refused to confirm her nomination.

Abdul-Ali did not respond to an emailed request for comment. In a statement, she called her time as capital city health director a tremendous honor.

Im proud of what this administration has achieved in the last two years, and Im thankful to have worked with a wonderful staff and countless community groups and advocates who fight for Trenton every day, she said.

Former Health Director James Brownlee, who retired in July 2018, is rejoining the city while officials conduct a national search for Abdul-Alis replacement.

Brownlee has more than 30 years in public health management, and served under mayors Tony Mack and Eric Jackson. He was previously an assistant commissioner for the state Department of Health and Senior Services.

Abdul-Ali, a longtime city resident, is leaving two days shy of her two-year anniversary of being confirmed by council. She was the second of Guscioras cabinet members approved by legislators who did little questioning before voting 7-0 for her nomination.

Abdul-Ali was among the city officials who helped guide the response to the COVID-19 crisis.

She was involved in coordinating efforts to open overflow homeless shelters for those without a place to stay during the pandemic.

Abdul-Ali seemed somewhat demoralized after a crook stole a dozen mounted 40-inch flat-screen TVs from inside the Coordinated Entry Assessment Center, one of the overflow centers on the 500 block of Perry Street.

The TVs were donated by HomeFront NJ in Lawrence.

I know people are desperate, but you just cant do this, Abdul-Ali said at the time.

Gusciora also applauded the directors efforts to combat youth homelessness, expand health services in Trenton schools and launch Resilient Trenton!

The campaign partners 22 agencies with ensuring the capital city becomes trauma-informed by 2024.

Director Abdul-Ali has been a tireless advocate for the most vulnerable members of our community who struggle with poverty, healthcare, addiction, homelessness, and trauma from violence, Gusciora said in a statement. We wish her the very best in her future pursuits.
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's sovereign wealth fund has agreed a deal to sell 100 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine, Sputnik-V, to a major listed pharmaceutical company in India, a source close to the deal said on Wednesday.

Clinical trials of the Russian vaccine in India are expected to follow and to be held jointly with this firm, the source said. Both the trials and supply deal depend on domestic regulatory approval.

The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) has already inked vaccine supply deals with Kazakhstan, Brazil and Mexico and has reached a manufacturing partnership agreement with India to produce 300 million doses of the Sputnik-V vaccine there.

RDIF will announce the name of the Indian firm later on Wednesday, the source said.

Russia has billed Sputnik-V as the first vaccine against coronavirus to be registered in the world. Large-scale trials, known as Phase III, involving at least 40,000 people, were launched in Russia on Aug. 26 but have yet to be completed.

(Reporting by Polina Ivanova; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
State public health officials are continuing to emphasize testing and basic precautions to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

Data reported Thursday by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control shows the incidence of COVID-19 around the state is still high, although numbers have dropped off since the peak in disease activity in July.

"If you are out and about in the community, around others, or not able to socially distance or wear a mask, we recommend that you get tested at least once a month," DHEC said.

Federal officials announced plans to surge testing in Richland County starting Saturday.

The ramp up in testing, which will be offered free, comes as cases in the county have spiked in recent weeks as schools reopened.

But during the past two weeks, Richlands average case rate is more than double any S.C. urban county and was the fourth highest in the state behind three rural counties, according to state public health data.

Statewide numbers

New cases reported: 740, a 368 percent increase from the 158 tallied on March 31, the day Gov. Henry McMaster ordered nonessential businesses to close.

Total cases in S.C.: 132,565, plus 2,881 probable cases

New deaths reported: 27

Total deaths in S.C.: 2,992, plus 166 probable deaths

Hospitalized patients: 733

Percent of positive tests, 7-day average: 13.5 percent. Five percent of tests or fewer returning positive results is a good sign the virus' spread is slowing, researchers say.

Total tests in S.C.: 1,179,715

Hardest-hit areas

The three South Carolina counties with the highest number of new COVID-19 cases reported Thursday are: Richland, with 95; Greenville, with 72; and Spartanburg with 64.

What about tri-county?

Charleston County had 33 new cases, Berkeley had seven and Dorchester nine.

Deaths

Of the 27 new deaths, 23 were elderly patients aged 65 and older, and four were middle-aged patients ages 35 to 64, DHEC said.

Hospitalizations

Of 733 coronavirus patients who were hospitalized as of Thursday, 203 were in intensive care and 123 were on ventilators, DHEC said.

What do experts say?

Authorities continue to urge the public to take precautions like wearing a mask in public, washing hands frequently and social distancing.

For those needing to be tested, there are 328 mobile testing events scheduled through Oct. 31 and there are 236 permanent COVID-19 testing facilities across the state. Find a testing clinic or event near you at scdhec.gov/covid19testing.

DHEC recommends routine testing of anyone with known exposures or concerns about exposures.

If you've been out in the community, around others, participating in group events, and have not been able to socially distance or wear a mask, DHEC recommends you get a test once a month or sooner if someone you've been around tests positive or you develop symptoms.

For information on whether you need to get tested, visit DHEC's Who Should Get Tested For COVID-19 page.

Andy Shain contributed to this report.
Britain is now in grave danger of sleepwalking into a second national lockdown. The consequences of doing so would be disastrous.

We find ourselves in this wretched position partly because the Governments main achievement since the pandemic first emerged in China has not been suppressing the virus or saving lives or the economy, but in spreading irrational fear.

I understand peoples anxieties, especially those who are elderly or suffering other chronic ailments.

The disruption to family life caused by the summer lockdown, and the new restrictions imposed since then, have demoralised and isolated many.

Their fear has been compounded by the actions of a Government that is not in charge of events, buffeted by the conflicting advice of scientists.

The disruption to family life caused by the summer lockdown, and the new restrictions imposed since then, have demoralised and isolated many. Pictured: Loved-ones kept apart by glass at a care home during lockdown

Britains much-expanded  but still imperfect  testing regime has detected an increased infection rate in many regions.

In some parts of the UK, the famous R figure is nudging 1.4.

This is not disastrous, but its certainly far from ideal.

However, a return to a blanket lockdown is the last thing we should be contemplating if we are serious about the nations mental and physical well-being.

We simply cannot afford to panic.

Yes, the rate of infection is rising. It has risen sharply in recent weeks in Spain too, leading to much talk about a second wave there.

Crucially, though, Spanish hospital admissions have lagged far behind the infection rate.

On Tuesday, 154 people were admitted to hospital with Covid-19 in the UK, about double the week before.

The question is: will these cases be containable, as they seem to be in Spain, or will we soon be suffering the exponential increase in hospital admissions we all remember from April?

This second wave or, in Boris Johnsons typically memorable phrase, the second hump on the camels back, will not trigger the explosion in deaths we saw in the spring. To put it bluntly, it doesnt matter much if healthy young people get Covid, so long as they do not pass it on to elderly or vulnerable relatives. Pictured: A Covid-19 patient is treated by staff in an ICU

On the basis of all the current evidence, I believe it will be the former.

For one thing, the vast majority of those currently testing positive for Covid are experiencing mild symptoms and remain in good overall health.

The other point to remember is that the terrible death toll Britain suffered in the spring was due largely to the grotesque error of clearing hospitals of elderly patients and sending them, untested, into care homes.

While coronavirus rates rise across Europe, death figures remain comparatively on the Continent

This second wave or, in Boris Johnsons typically memorable phrase, the second hump on the camels back, will not trigger the explosion in deaths we saw in the spring.

To put it bluntly, it doesnt matter much if healthy young people get Covid, so long as they do not pass it on to elderly or vulnerable relatives.

Not a single young child has died in the UK from Covid without some other serious pre-existing condition.

According to Cambridge statistician Sir David Spiegelhalter, anyone under 50 is more likely to die in a car crash than from the virus.

Yet Health Secretary Matt Hancock has been on the airwaves this week floating the idea of a two-week national lockdown to serve as a circuit-breaker for the virus.

If only. A circuit breaker instantly shuts down a dangerous current of electricity.

A time-limited lockdown, however, takes weeks to work, if at all  and there is every chance the virus would rebound as soon as it was lifted.

Most depressingly of all, word has gone out from Whitehall to NHS trusts to start preparing wards for an influx of new cases.

Just as NHS diagnostic services are revving back up again, they risk being forced into a screeching U-turn.

NHS hospitals need to get on with their routine business of keeping the nation healthy.

For one thing, the vast majority of those currently testing positive for Covid are experiencing mild symptoms and remain in good overall health. Pictured: People use a relatively quiet Covid-19 testing centre in Bolton

My field is cancer. I make no apology for highlighting that 30,000 extra cancer deaths will soon emerge thanks to delays in doctors picking up symptoms and in patients being referred for scans and tests.

Tragically, these people are doomed to die, though many of them do not know it yet. Many will be thirty or forty years younger than the vast majority of those dying of Covid.

And its not just cancer: Roughly 100,000 people suffer a stroke every year.

This year, almost one third of sufferers have put off seeking treatment during the pandemic, delaying the use of vital blood-thinning drugs that limit the long-term damage caused by a stroke.

We live in an age when ministers who lack basic confidence in their abilities come up with ever sillier gimmicks about circuit-breaking lockdowns and testing moonshots.

We need basic common sense from the top, not confusion and retreat.

Covid-19 is a very dangerous virus for the elderly, the medically vulnerable and the obese.

Those groups need to take personal responsibility for keeping themselves safe, but that does not mean cowering at home.

They should still take a walk along a river or in a park, keep away from crowds and remain in an environment where they, not others, can be responsible for keeping their distance.

All of us should be washing our hands regularly, and yes, wearing a mask  but the young and healthy must also get on with their lives.

In the short term, this is a virus we are going to have to live with. Let us start doing so.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 21:23:47|Editor: huaxia

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TEHRAN, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The number of COVID-19 infections confirmed so far in Iran reached 416,198 on Friday, after an overnight registration of 3,049 new cases, Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education announced.

Sima Sadat Lari, the spokeswoman for the ministry, reported at her daily briefing 144 new deaths in Iran over the virus, taking the total death toll to 23,952 so far.

Of the new infections, 1,593 patients required hospitalization, Sadat Lari said, as quoted by the ministry's website.

As of Friday, 355,505 COVID-19 patients have recovered and been dispatched from hospitals, but currently 3,869 people remain in critical conditions in intensive care units, the spokeswoman added.

According to Sadat Lari's figures, 3,691,399 laboratory tests for COVID-19 have been carried out so far in Iran.

13 Iranian provinces are in high-risk situation, and 15 others are on alert, she added.

Iran announced its first cases of COVID-19 on Feb. 19.

Iran and China have offered mutual help in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.

In mid-February, at the early stage of the coronavirus outbreak in China, Iran lit up the Tehran Azadi (Liberty) Tower to show its solidarity with China, and donated 3 million masks to China.

In return, China delivered several shipments of medical supplies to Iran. On Feb. 29, a five-member Chinese medical team visited Iran for a month-long mission to help Iran fight the pandemic. Enditem
JUNIPER HILLS, Calif. - Strong winds pushed a wildfire burning for nearly two weeks in mountains northeast of Los Angeles onto the desert floor and spread it rapidly in several directions, causing it to explode in size and destroy homes, officials said Saturday.

Meanwhile, officials were investigating the death of a firefighter on the lines of another Southern California wildfire that erupted earlier this month from a smoke-generating pyrotechnic device used by a couple to reveal their babys gender.

The death occurred Thursday in San Bernardino National Forest as crews battled the El Dorado Fire about 75 miles (120 kilometres) east of Los Angeles, the U.S. Forest Service said in a statement.

In northern Los Angeles County, erratic winds pushed the Bobcat Fire onto the Mojave Desert community of Juniper Hills on Friday after churning all the way across the San Gabriel Mountains. The winds and thick smoke over the area grounded water-dropping aircraft most of the day. Meanwhile, crews on the ground shifted from attacking the blaze to protecting homes because they were outflanked by the flames, fire spokeswoman Kerry Gillibrand said.

The fire grew by nearly 20,000 acres to 142 square miles (368 square kilometres).

Some residents in Juniper Hills fled as blowing embers sparked spot fires, hitting some homes but sparing others. Bridget Lensing said she feared her familys house was lost after seeing on Twitter that a neighbours house three doors down went up in flames.

The past year, I poured my heart and soul into improving this home, Lensing said. And it could be ripped away so quickly.

It wasnt immediately clear how many homes were burned in the area about 50 miles (80 kilometres) northeast of downtown LA. A crew will assess damages once the area is cleared of danger, said fire spokesman Sky Cornell. No injuries were reported.

He said crews will take advantage of slightly cooler temperatures to make headway on Saturday. However, winds were expected to remain strong with possible gusts of up to 25 mph.

On the south side of the blaze, firefighters continued to protect Mount Wilson, which overlooks greater Los Angeles and has a historic observatory founded more than a century ago and numerous broadcast antennas serving Southern California.

The fire that started Sept. 6 had already doubled in size over the last week. It is 15% contained.

Officials said the fire has been challenging because it is burning in areas that have not burned in decades, and because the firestorms across California have limited resources. There were about 1,660 firefighters on the lines.

The name of the firefighter killed in the nearby El Dorado Fire was being withheld until family members are notified.

Our deepest sympathies are with the family, friends and fellow firefighters during this time, Forest Service spokesperson Zach Behrens said in the statement.

No other information was released about the firefighter, the agency the firefighter worked for, or the circumstances of the death. The body was escorted down the mountain in a procession of first-responder vehicles.

A statement from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, said it was the 26th death involving wildfires besieging the state.

A new blaze sparked by a vehicle that caught fire was growing in wilderness outside Palm Springs.

To the north, a fire burning for nearly a month in Sequoia National Forest roared to life again Friday and prompted evacuation orders for the central California mountain communities of Silver City and Mineral King.

More than 7,900 wildfires have burned more than 5,468 square miles (14,164 square kilometres) in California this year, including many since a mid-August barrage of dry lightning ignited parched vegetation.

The El Dorado Fire has burned more than 34 square miles (89 square kilometres) and was 59% contained, with 10 buildings destroyed and six damaged.

Cal Fire said earlier this month that the El Dorado Fire was ignited Sept. 5 when a couple, their young children and someone there to record video staged the baby gender reveal at El Dorado Ranch Park at the foot of the San Bernardino Mountains.

The device was set off in a field and quickly ignited dry grass. The couple frantically tried to use bottled water to extinguish the flames and called 911.

Authorities have not released the identities of the couple, who could face criminal charges and be held liable for the cost of fighting the fire.

___

Associated Press writer John Antczak in Los Angeles and Daisy Nguyen in San Francisco contributed to this report.
Gorgon Stare will be looking at a whole city, so there will be no way for the adversary to know what were looking at, and we can see everything. That same persistent eye in the sky may soon be deployed over U.S. cities.

At the time he made that comment about surveillance drones over Afghanistan, Maj. General James Poss was the Air Forces top intelligence officer. He was preparing to leave the Pentagon, and move over to the Federal Aviation Administration. His job was to begin executing the plan to allow those same surveillance drones to fly over American cities.

This plan was ordered by Congress in the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act. It directed the Departments of Defense and Transportation to develop a plan for providing expanded access to the national airspace for unmanned aircraft systems of the Department of Defense. Gen. Poss was one of nearly two dozen ex-military officers who, starting in 2010, were put into positions at the FAA to oversee drone integration research. With little public scrutiny, the plan has been moving forward ever since.

If youre thinking that this is a partisan issue, think again. This plan has been enacted and expanded under Presidents and Congresses of both parties. If youre uncomfortable with a President Biden having the ability to track the movements of every Tea Party or Q-Anon supporter, you should be. Just as we should all be concerned about a President Trump trackingwell, everybody else.

Along with civil liberties, a major concern must be safety. The military and the drone manufacturers, principally General Atomics, are arguing that the technology has advanced far enough that flying 79-ft. wingspan, six-ton drones over populated areas and alongside commercial air traffic is safe. We have one response: self-driving cars. Self-driving cars present a technological problem that is an order of magnitude simpler than aircraft flying hundreds of miles per hour in three dimensions. Yet they still cant keep these cars from plowing into stationary objects like firetrucks (or people) at 60 mph in two dimensions. Are we really comfortable with pilotless aircraft operating in the same airspace as the 747 at 30,000 feet that is bringing your children home for Christmas? These drones have a troubled history of crashing and unfortunately, the process for determining whether these drones are now truly safe has been compromised by having the military, which wants this approval, largely in charge of the testing.

Which brings us to San Diego. Last October, General Atomics announced that they would be flying their biggest, most advanced surveillance drone yet, the SkyGuardian, over the City of San Diego sometime this summer. The stated purpose was to demonstrate potential commercial applications of large drones over American cities. In this case, the drone would be used to survey the citys infrastructure.

But when General Atomics first began preparing for the flight, the goal was a very different one: Back in 2017, military technology analysts were predicting that by 2025, drones similar to those used in Afghanistan and Iraq would be hovering above U.S. cities, relaying high-resolution video of the movement of every citizen to police departments (and who knows who else). When there was public pushback to this police department drone useeven a pro-industry reporter called the idea dystopianGeneral Atomics changed the purpose of the flight from providing data to the police to mapping critical infrastructure in the San Diego region.

The FAA, which is responsible for granting permission to General Atomics, has kept the process secret. When the Voice of San Diego asked for more information, the FAA refused on the grounds that this supposed commercial demonstration was actually military. The Voice of San Diego is now suing to get answers and the ACLU has also expressed concern about the flight. Amid the scrutiny, General Atomics quietly announced that the flight was cancelled, but this is certain to be a small hiccup in their long-term plan.

In fact, General Atomics drones are already being used domestically. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) flies Predators over parts of the U.S.- Mexico and U.S.-Canadian borders. Recently, CBP has expanded their reach, using these drones to assist police in Minneapolis, San Antonio and Detroit in the wake of protests against police brutality. Deeply concerned, members of Congress wrote to federal agencies denouncing the chilling effect of government surveillance on law-abiding Americans and demanding an immediate end to surveilling peaceful protests.

The concerns of these members of Congress should be echoed by the general public. What are the possible effects on our civil liberties from having high-tech surveillance platforms circling over millions of Americans, gathering information about our every move? We know from past experience that every government surveillance technology that can be abused has been abused. Allowing this powerful technology to be taken from overseas wars and turned inward on American citizens isnt something that should happen without a robust public debate. The implications for civil liberties are too profound.

Feature photo | Thomas J. Cassidy, Former President and CEO of General Atomics, is reflected in the camera gimbal on a prototype Predator B, Sept. 6, 2001 in El Mirage, Calif. Doug Benc | AP

Medea Benjamin is author of Drone Warfare: Killing by Remote Control and codirector of the peace group CODEPINK.

Barry Summers is an activist living in North Carolina who has been researching military drone integration since 2014.
Afghan mothers will have their names on their children's national identification cards, after a years-long campaign by womens rights advocates.

President Ashraf Ghani on September 18 signed into law the amendment to the countrys Citizens Law.

The change has been long sought by rights activists in the deeply conservative and religious country where women are identified by the names of their male relatives.

For men, revealing the names of their female relatives in public is considered shameful.

Until now, only a father's name was printed on ID cards.

Based on Ghanis decree, a draft of which was recently passed by parliament, mothers' names will be included alongside fathers' names on birth certificates and national identity cards.

The change comes after a high-profile campaign by Afghan women under the hashtag #WhereIsMyName.

The mothers name is officially included in the national identity cards, along with other personal details, Ghanis spokesman, Sediq Sediqqi, said on Twitter on September 18.

Human Rights Watch said the amendment was a major victory for Afghan womens rights activists.



This will have immediate real-world consequences for women, making it easier for them to obtain education, health care, and passports and other documentation for their children, and to travel with their children, Heather Barr, an interim co-director of the New York-based Human Rights Watch, said in a statement on September 18.

Barr added that the decree is important amid ongoing peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban extremist group in Qatar.

Rights activists have raised concerns that a political settlement with the militant group could result in setbacks for womens rights.

Under Taliban rule, girls and women were banned from working and going to school.

The struggle for womens rights in Afghanistan has been long and hard, and many Afghan women fear their rights could be rolled back in the negotiations, Barr said.

Political observer Ahmad Saeidi told RFE/RLs Radio Free Afghanistan that Ghani wants to highlight his commitment to womens rights.

Earlier this week, a former Taliban commander Sayed Akbar Agha said including mothers names on Afghan ID cards would be a dishonor."

Laleh Osmany, founder of the #WhereIsMyName campaign, told the BBC that she was overjoyed by the change.

"There is no doubt that this victory is the result of a persistent campaign and consonance among the campaigners and citizens," she said.

With reporting by dpa and the BBC
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated new rail lines and electrification projects in Bihar via video-conferencing. He also dedicated the historical Kosi Rail Mega Bridge to the nation at the event. Railway Minister Piyush Goyal was also present at the event.

PM Modi said that the projects would improve Bihar's railway network and strengthen connectivity in areas of West Bengal and West India. Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said that the Kosi Rail Mega Bridge will connect the two places as well as help the state's economy. "This will aid in the overall development of the state," he added.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also thanked PM Modi and Piyush Goyal for their work aimed at Bihar's development. Bihar Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi said that these rail lines will connect Jain and Buddhist pilgrimage sites that will encourage tourism in the state.

The government said that the bridge has strategic importance along the India-Nepal border. "The historical project to build the bridge, which is 1.9 kilometres long and has been constructed at a cost of Rs 516 crore, was sanctioned by the Centre in 2003-04," it said. The government further added that the project was completed during the pandemic and saw the participation of migrant labour.

PM Modi took a dig at the Congress government for not expediting the Kosi Rail line programme. The foundation was laid by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. "If the government continued to work at the rate it was working on after 2004, the project could never have been completed on time," said PM Modi.

PM Modi said that efforts are being made in the last 6 years to shape Indian Railway as per the expectations of Atma Nirbhar Bharat.

Also read: Farm bills 2020: 'Misinformation being spread that farmers won't get right prices,' says PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday celebrated his 70th birthday amid a sea of good wishes. But even as the PM responded to the birthday wishes from famous celebrities and world leaders from the world over, one particular birthday wish and his response to it have been going viral.

Even as the film and Bollywood industry came out to wish PM Modi, actor and model Milind Soman took to Twitter and wrote, I wish you good health and good and proactive opposition, to push you to do better for our great country.

In response, PM Modi wrote, Thank you for your birthday wishes and wishful thinking.

READ: In Cheeky Reply to Actor Milind Somans Birthday Wish, PM Modi Takes a Swipe at Oppn

The response has left many on Twitter baffled and attempting to decipher" what the PMs Wishful thinking" comment meant. While some called it a dig at Congress, others construed it as an error.

There are so many ways to read this response. One of them is: "a good and proactive opposition in India is wishful thinking because we have already ensured (and will continue to ensure) that no opposition party has enough money, credibility or even voice ever." pic.twitter.com/s5XG9oWKUu Karthik (@beastoftraal) September 18, 2020

hahaha! Missed this EPIC reply!Modi ji doesn't mince words here while terming "Proactive opposition" as "wishful thinking!" https://t.co/pQK42V4hmQ Utpal     (@PunyaPrakop_) September 17, 2020

Thank you for your birthday wishes and wishful thinking.  https://t.co/cnit2tfVvD Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 17, 2020

Does not your 'Master's in Entire Political Science' teach you the meaning of 'wishful thinking'? https://t.co/nJYRNbnWpm Ashok Swain (@ashoswai) September 18, 2020

Truth comes out of error more readily than out of confusion - Francis Bacon https://t.co/vB8iGpPzvn HOLLA! (@AshokaHolla) September 18, 2020

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has extended greetings to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his 70th birthday, wishing him good health, happiness, well-being and success.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Siddaramaiah took a swipe at the PM, claiming that the youth of India have decided to celebrate September 17 as National Unemployment day as 14 crore people allegedly lost their jobs in the past six months. Siddaramaiah took to Twitter to hit out at Modi alleging job losses in the country.
WILLIAMSPORT -- The state Superior Court has been asked to unseal a seven-year-old whistleblowers suit against the officers and directors of a nonprofit corporation of which the late U.S. Rep. Allen E. Ertel was principal.

Maria Casey, former in-house counsel for Firetree Ltd. in Williamsport, filed the suit in 2013 claiming she was fired for providing financial records to the state attorney generals office that resulted in an investigation into Firetree that Ertel help establish in 1991.

Court documents state she also had expressed concern to Ertel and Firetree president William C. Brown about alleged improprieties.

My client is distressed that the entire case has been sealed for seven years, hiding the evidence of the misconduct of Firetrees managers from public scrutiny, her attorney James J. Rodgers said.

There is no compelling reason why the entire case should be sealed, which frustrates the principle of open courts and the rights of the press to access matters of public concern under the First Amendment.

Potter County Senior Judge John Leete recently issued an order under seal denying Caseys request to unseal the case.

Casey, who is clerk of courts in Schuylkill County, has filed an appeal with the Superior Court.

Leete also refused to reconsider his ruling that Caseys damages would be limited essentially to the two-week period between her firing and when Firetree became aware she was the source of the attorney generals investigation.

Caseys suit is related to one then Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane filed in 2013 accusing the Firetree and related entities of violating Nonprofit Corporation Law and the Solicitation of Funds for Charitable Purposes Act.

That case remains active in Commonwealth Courts mediation program. Documents filed after June 15, 2015, have been unsealed but not earlier ones.

Casey claims she was terminated because she refused to sign and file a complaint against Kane in an effort to avoid compliance with subpoenas issued to Firetree and related entities.

Defendants in the Casey suit, Ertels estate, his widow Catherine, son Edward, daughter Amy and Brown, contend she violated the Pennsylvania Rule of Professional Conduct by disclosing confidential information about the organization to the attorney general.

Ertel, a Democrat who served three terms in Congress and ran unsuccessfully for governor and attorney general in 1982 and 1984, respectively, died unexpectedly on Nov. 19, 2015.

Defendants in the Commonwealth Court case are Ertels estate, his widow, son and daughter, Brown, Firetree, New Foundations Inc. and Orange Stones Co.

Firetree and Orange Stones offer drug and alcohol treatment and community re-entry services. Capitol Pavilion in Harrisburg is one of Firetrees facilities.

New Foundations provides adoption and foster care services in Philadelphia.

Accusations in the attorney generals suit include:

Individual defendants received significant financial benefits through transactions between the non-profits and companies they owned or operated.

Funds were routinely moved among the non-profits although they had different missions./p

New Foundations paid Firetree $144,000 per year for management services although Firetrees mission does not provide for such services.

Firetrees website was used to promote a for-profit corporation owned by Allen, Catherine and Amy Ertel.

The defendants deny the allegations and point out the missions of Firetree and New Foundations are intertwined.

The Internal Revenue Service Form 990 filed by Firetree for 2018, the latest available, lists revenue of $21.7 million, expenses of $20.6 million and total assets of $42.2 million. Salaries for its 114 employees totaled $4.3 million.

READ MORE: Whistleblowers suit against late U.S. Rep. Ertel, others remains sealed after nearly six years
DENVER, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Tre Pennie, U.S. Congressional Candidate for District 30 (TX) was invited to Denver to speak at the home of Vicki and Rob Schwartz. Dr. Pennie is a nationally-recognized, African-American, law enforcement advocate, who has appeared on many national media outlets.

Dr. Tre Pennie and Vicki Schwartz Rabbi Heschel walking arm-in-arm with Dr. Martin Luther King in Selma

Dr. Pennie is a U.S. Army veteran with a Doctorate in Higher Education. He is also an "active" 21-year Dallas Police sergeant. In 2017, he filed federal lawsuits against Black Lives Matter and social media giants  Facebook, Google and Twitter on behalf of Jews, law enforcement and others who faced radicalized attacks because of anti-Semitic and hate content online used to incite violence.

When asked, why did a group of Denver Jews come together to support Candidate Pennie? Vicki Schwartz, co-host of the fundraiser, said, "Inviting Dr. Pennie to Denver was a no-brainer. He is a strong African American candidate, who supports Israel and has a record of fighting against anti-Semitism. Having heard his interviews and reading stories on him, I was impressed with his courage in fighting anti-Semitism, racism and community violence. We also researched his opponent Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and found out that she supports a documented anti-Semite, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), and constantly votes against Israel."

Dr. Pennie told the audience, "When I received the invitation to speak to the Jewish community, I didn't hesitate because I have always valued our religious kinship." Pennie said that his grandmother was a devout Southern Baptist, who believed that Jews were God's chosen people and respected their contributions to the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960's including  helping to register Black voters, organizing protests and funding many prominent civil rights groups. One of her fondest memories was that of Rabbi Abraham Heschel marching arm-in-arm with Dr. Martin Luther King in Selma, Alabama in 1965. Pennie stated, "Growing up, she impressed upon me those same ideas, so when the opportunity came for me to speak, I was honored to do so."

He spoke for about 15 minutes and acknowledged the rise in social acceptance of anti-Semitic and false narratives seeking to undermine the historic Black and Jewish relationship. He expressed that it was important for America to maintain its 72-year geo-political and strategic partnership with Israel and he formally condemned the Boycott, Divestment and Sanction Movement; which sought to isolate Israel from the international world. He also expressed the importance of preserving history, so that future generations won't be manipulated by misleading narratives seeking to divide us and impede our quest for global peace.

Dr. Pennie's comments were timely, considering that the following week, two historic events occurred: The National Urban League partnered with the AJC to declare the post-Labor Day period as Black-Jewish Unity Week and the United States brokered a historic peace agreement with Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Now, as the Jewish community prepares for Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), it can rest easy knowing that America is still upholding its promise of peace.

At the conclusion of the Denver event, Andrea Hyatt, one of the event sponsors, stated, "I wish everyone in Dallas could have heard how sincere and eloquent Dr. Tre Pennie spoke. It was truly an honor for members of the Denver Jewish community to set an example for others to follow in support of his candidacy. He will definitely be a great asset for our country."

SOURCE Tre Pennie for Congress Campaign

Related Links

https://www.pennieforcongress.com/


Kerry Rooney, Haslem team member; James Sinton, group finance director, Beannchor; Phil Pettitt, Haslem team member; Conall Wolsey, director, Beannchor, and Josh Fraser, Haslem team member, at the groups new 4 million hotel in Lisburn

A 45-bedroom hotel costing 4m opened its doors in Lisburn today, creating 50 jobs.

Described as a "casual and relaxed, no fuss hotel", the Beannchor Group-owned Haslem is located at Lisburn Square in the city.

Boasting an 80-seat open plan lobby and bar area, a 68-seat restaurant, residents' gym and conference room, it's hoped the new premises will attract business travellers from the Republic and UK, as well as local people.

With Northern Ireland's hospitality sector struggling to recover from the pandemic, Beannchor director Conall Wolsey said it was a much-needed boost for the economy.



"Despite the ongoing challenges that 2020 has brought, and may continue to bring, we are delighted we've been able to move our latest project forward to completion and create 50 full and part-time roles at a time when hospitality jobs are scarce," he said.

"Haslem is an entirely new concept for Beannchor.

"But we are confident that the demand is there - for locals who are seeking out a place to come and socialise, and for tourists travelling for business and leisure from UK and Republic."

Lisburn Square's development director Nicky McCollum added: "We are pleased to see Haslem open its doors today.



"We have no doubt that the hotel's arrival will significantly enhance the Square and really boost the city's day and night-time economy."

As Northern Ireland's largest hospitality group, Beannchor's portfolio includes the Merchant and Bullitt Hotels in Belfast; the Dirty Onion, also in Belfast, and the Hillside in Hillsborough.

Beannchor also owns eight Little Wing Pizzerias across the province, including one in Lisburn Square.
On Thursday, September 24, at 11.00, the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency's press center will host a press conference entitled "Abolition of Laws No. 128-IX, No. 129-IX on Software for Payment Transactions Recorders (SPTR) and Transparent Business Rules Cannot be Allowed." Participants include: Manager of Consumer Electronics Committee of the European Business Association Victoria Kulikova; Director General of the Association of Importers and Distributors of Automotive Components Viktoria Cherkach; Director General of the Association of Ukrainian Importers of Household Electronic Appliances Sofia Araslanova; Director of the Pharmaceutical Professional Association of Ukraine Volodymyr Rudenko (8/5a Reitarska Street). The press conference will be broadcast on the YouTube channel of Interfax-Ukraine. Accreditation and additional information by phone: (063) 638 6871 (Oksana).
MISSOULA - The National Institutes of Health has awarded the University of Montana a five-year, $33.4 million award for the development and clinical trials of opioid vaccines. It is the largest such award in University history.

The award was funded through the NIH HEAL Initiative, a national effort to speed scientific solutions to the national opioid health crisis. It includes funding for two Phase One clinical trials of opioid vaccines developed by UM's Center for Translational Medicine in collaboration with Inimmune Corp. (Dr. Kendal Ryter and Dr. David Burkhart) and the University of Minnesota (Dr. Marco Pravetoni).

The UM vaccine research team has spent more than two decades working to improve vaccines through the use of adjuvants - components added to vaccines to improve the immune response - and novel delivery systems to ensure vaccines are safely and efficiently delivered to the right cells.

Dr. Jay Evans, principal investigator on this award and director of UM's Center for Translational Medicine, said this is a great opportunity for UM and Missoula to make an impact on a local and global health crisis.

"This funding is an enormous boost to the research we've already done on the development of an opioid vaccine and is validation of our world-class research team at UM," Evans said. "It will allow us to advance lead opioid vaccine candidates to Phase I human clinical trials and better understand the safety and efficacy of our vaccine adjuvants, which early research have shown will be needed to increase the quantity and quality of the anti-drug antibody response in people with opioid addictions."

Scott Whittenburg, UM vice president for research and creative scholarship, said the award demonstrates UM's continued commitment to using its research faculty and facilities to address problems of concern to the country and Montana.

"Drug addiction is an on-going concern to the state, where roughly half of all deaths from drug overdoses are due to opioids," Whittenburg said. "The development of an adjuvant vaccine for treatment of opioid addiction is key to overcoming a major health issue for the state."

UM received one of only two awards granted from this NIH Request for Applications. UM collaborators at Boston Children's Hospital were the other recipient. Both institutions are working in partnership with Missoula's Inimmune Corp., a start-up company located in UM's business incubator, MonTEC.

"The public/private partnership between UM and Inimmune provides a critical mechanism to advance multiple vaccine research programs to human clinical trials for the benefit of patients," said Burkhart, COO at Inimmune Corp. and co-investigator on the award.

Other collaborators on the UM Opioid Vaccine award include Pravetoni and Dr. Sandy Comer from Columbia University. Both are experts in opioid addiction and drug-addiction vaccine clinical trials.

"The growing success of the Center for Translational Medicine and its business partner, Inimmune Corp, demonstrates the value of a tightly coupled public/private partnership that provides economic growth for the community while working to solve issues critical to the state," said Whittenburg.

This new award comes on the heels of growing national recognition of UM's work in vaccine development and funding for development and trials. The center is currently in the middle of a five-year, $17.2 million contract to develop a universal flu vaccine. This spring, the NIH also awarded the center $3.7 million to advance a COVID-19 vaccine candidate. UM's COVID work garnered UM a ranking in Successful Student's Top 10 list for "Best Universities Solving the Coronavirus Pandemic," joining schools like Harvard and Oxford.

UM President Seth Bodnar said the University's prominence in medical research mirrors its overall reputation for innovation.

"When our nation's healthcare, environmental, and business leaders are looking to invest in world-class research, they are turning to UM," Bodnar said. "That is one of the reasons we have seen UM's research expenditures grow by more than 90% in the past six years. This award will further strengthen the efforts of our vaccine research team to develop life-saving solutions to some of our world's biggest problems."

###
With Belarus facing a shaky future after a disputed election sparked a wave of protests and a brutal crackdown by authoritarian President Alyaksandr Lukashenkas government, Russia appears eager to keep the smaller country, a longtime ally, firmly in its orbit.

But the spoils of tighter control, if Moscow manages to achieve it, could also include industrial assets in Belarus, whose Soviet-style economy has long been propped up with Russian subsidies to a country the Kremlin sees as a buffer bordering NATO and the European Union.

In their first face-to-face talks since the August 9 election which Lukashenka claimed to win a sixth term by a landslide amid opposition assertions of widespread fraud, Putin promised him a $1.5 billion lifeline in the form of a loan.

Whether Lukashenka promised anything specific in return is not publicly known, but Lukashenkas opponents fear he may cede sovereignty in exchange for Russian support, and analysts have said Moscow may have its eye on a handful of Belarusian companies.

Everyone is paying attentionto the $1.5 billion, but its worth noting what we did not learn about the content and results of the September 14 talks in the Russian Black Sea resort city of Sochi, said Leu Lvouski, a senior researcher at the Minsk-based Belarusian Economic Research and Educational Center (BEROC).

Ahead of the talks, Lvouski said, experts expected pretty much the following: refinancing for $1 billion plus the sale of some Belarusian assets for much more money. Whether this was discussed and what the outcome was we do not know.

If pressed by Putin, Lukashenka would have little choice, given the Belarusian economys addiction to Russian energy and capital, Lvouski told Current Time, the Russian-language channel led by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA.

For a long time, we were able to mask the inefficiencies in our economy through various subsidies, through the import of Russian oil into Belarus at a reduced price, and thus this surplus could go into the Belarusian budget, Lvouski said. Many Belarusian banks have Russian capital. So, of course, the addiction is pretty serious.



The countrys economy was already in dire straits before the postelection upheaval, leaving it vulnerable. The World Bank had predicted Belarus could face severe shock as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which Lukashenka dismissed as a mass psychosis as he refused to take lockdown measures.



Slim Pickings?

However, some analysts say many Belarusian firms are not exactly attractive.

The economic performance of most of these enterprises is quite poor, so they have significant debts and are permanently subsidized by the government, said Hanna Baraban, a Belarusian journalist and analyst. It helps them to survive, but this money is not enough for the proper upgrade of the facilities -- that is why many enterprises still use old technologies made in the Soviet Union, she explained to RFE/RL in e-mailed remarks.

Plus, Baraban said, there are added headaches related to the postelection crisis -- such as strikes at state giants including the Minsk Tractor Factory, Belruskali, a major potash mining facility, and Hrodna Azot, a large chemical plant.

For the Kremlin, there are cheaper and more effective ways of exploiting Lukashenkas weak position then acquiring unprofitable and outdated state enterprises, she said.

Despite the apparent pitfalls, some Belarusian firms have their plusses, such as the Mozyr and Naftan oil refineries as well as Belruskali and Hrodna Azot.

Together, those four account for two-thirds of Belaruss exports to the West, according to Anders Aslund, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Atlantic Council.

Try, Try Again

A push by big Russian companies to seize control of key Belarusian industrial assets almost a decade ago was only partial successful, Aslund wrote in a blog post on September 7.

In 2011, Gazprom acquired the Belarusian gas company and the half of the trunk pipeline it did not already own. Slavneft, which is controlled by Russian state company Rosneft, took over 42.5 percent of Mozyr oil refinery. Russian oligarch Mikhail [Gutseriyev] is another major mover in the Belarusian oil refining industry, focusing on the Naftan oil refinery. Meanwhile, the three Russian state banks, Sberbank, VTB, and Gazprombank, play key roles in the Belarusian banking system. All are subject to U.S. sanctions, he wrote.

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.

Observers say Russian potash giant Uralkali has long desired to acquire Belaruskali -- the worlds biggest potash producer.

In 2012, Lukashenka claimed he was offered $5 billion in kickbacks by unidentified Moscow oligarchs if he agreed to sell Belaruskali for $10 billion.

Uralkali is now controlled by Suleiman Kerimov, who was hit with U.S. Treasury Department sanctions in April 2018 that targeted what U.S. authorities said were Kremlin-linked oligarchs in response to Russias worldwide malign activity.

According to FitchRatings, China is Belaruskalis most important export market, although the company has a significant presence in all main potash-consuming markets, particularly in India, Europe, and Southeast Asia.

FitchRatings also predicted a drop in exports by Belaruskali as a result of strike action that could result in higher global potash prices, underscoring the stature of the Belarusian company.

'Unpopular'

According to Aslund, Hrodna Azot, Belaruss fourth biggest export company, has reportedly caught the eye of Belarus-born Russian tycoon Dmitry Mazepin, who is also reportedly close to Kerimov.

Whether Lukashenka has made any firm commitment so far to Putin on the sale of any Belarusian state firms is unclear.

But if such a deal is eventually done, it will likely be a short-term solution for the embattled Lukashenka, said Lvouski. He added, however, that any sale to Russia will not sit well with Belarusians already angry with Putins role in the crisis so far.

Perhaps the economic future of the current government, and maybe even its political future one, will depend on such a potential sale. On the one hand, this will make it possible to bring some real money into the country, Lvouski told Current Time. On the other hand, any such sales are likely to be unpopular among the people.

With reporting by Current Time
A health-care official takes information as people line up at a COVID assessment centre during the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto on Friday, September 18, 2020. Ontario is reporting 401 new cases of COVID-19 today, a daily increase not seen since early June. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
A 21-year-old University of Zimbabwe student has been brought before the court accused of raping his niece.

The suspect, Terrence Musekiwa, was not asked to plead when he appeared before Harare magistrate Judith Taruvinga who released him on $1000 bail and strongly warned him not to interfere with State witnesses till the matter is finalised.

The court heard that in April this year just after the first 21 days of the national lockdown, Musekiwa and the complainant were at home while her parents were at work and her siblings were playing outside.

Musekiwa reportedly told the complainant to take her books to his bedroom so that she would study under his supervision and when she entered the room, he reportedly told her that he loved her and she kept quiet.

He then pushed her onto the bed and took off her clothes and raped her but she didnt scream because he had told her that he would beat her up if she did, the court heard.

After the incident, he further threatened the complainant that if she confessed to any living soul that she had been raped, he was going to beat her and that if asked she should say that she had consented to have sexual intercourse with him.

The complainant is said to have gone away and cried but didnt tell anyone about it and he continued to rape her on several occasions.

The court heard that the matter came to light on August 6 when the complainant told her mother that she had vaginal thrush and when she asked to see it, she confessed that she had been raped by Musekiwa leading to his arrest.

Lancelot Mutsokoti appeared for the State. H Metro
(Natural News) The Minneapolis City Council is pleading with Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) chief Medaria Arradondo to respond to a recent violent crime wave that is plaguing the city. They are doing this just three months after they unanimously voted to defund and effectively abolish the MPD and replace it with a holistic public safety team.

The city councils proposal will not be put to a public referendum in the November ballot thanks to the intervention of the Minneapolis Charter Commission. Despite this, the police are still recovering from the near-endless rioting in their city as well as the damage caused to its morale by groups like Antifa and the Black Lives Matter movement and the threats to its continued existence thrown at them by the most vocal anti-police members the city council, like known Antifa affiliate Jeremiah Ellison, who regularly talks about how they are going to dismantle the MPD.

At an over two-hour long hearing, Arradondo and the city council discussed how their constituents can recover from the surge in violent crimes they are now experiencing. Some of these crimes include carjackings, assaults and homicides.

Several members of the city council described conversations they had with constituents. Council President Lisa Bender said that her constituents were not being served by the MPD. She said that the police told her constituents that the council needs to hire more officers or else the violence will continue.

Bender is further alleging that the MPD are campaigning either to get the current city councilmembers replaced with more pro-police candidates or to get them to change their minds regarding defunding the police department.

How do we get this under control? asked Bender.

Other councilmembers have expressed similar instances wherein their constituents have pleaded with them to support the police in order to solve the citys current crime wave.

Residents are asking, Where are the police? said Councilman Jamal Osman. [The MPD are] the only public safety option they have at the moment. They rely on MPD.

Chief Arradondo, the first African American to serve as the MPDs chief of police, said that the comments from councilmembers like Bender and Osman are very troubling to hear.

In a show of good faith towards a government body that has shown the MPD nothing but contempt for the past few months, Arradondo promised that he would address the issue with departmental supervisors.

Arradondo noted that many of the citys residents are currently very apprehensive about calling the MPD during emergency cases, as a lot of them feel like they are being held hostage by the anti-police environment. This environment is perpetrated by the citys chapters of Antifa and the Black Lives Matter movement, and supported by the city council.

Arradondo further stated that both the councilmembers and their constituents will need to figure out how to move forward as the MPD gets effectively abolished. (Related: Defanged Minneapolis police tell residents to be prepared to be robbed, providing instructions on how to comply with criminals.)

That may mean you making commitments that might be uncomfortable for some of those constituents that you represent, said Arradondo, speaking to the city council. If your ultimate goal is to have true community safety, I will tell you right now, we have to work together in that effort.

Other Democrat-controlled cities like Minneapolis are also experiencing surging crime rates. Listen to this episode of the Health Ranger Report, a podcast by Mike Adams, the Health ranger, as he talks about how liberal cities are collapsing under the combined pressures of the pandemic, the engineered rioting and decades of ineffective Democratic Party governance.

City Council: Defunding MPD is the right choice

During the discussion regarding the surging crime rate, Councilman Phillipe Cunningham pointed out how his fellow councilmembers were backtracking on their earlier pledges to demolish the MPD.

What I am sort of flabbergasted by right now is colleagues who a very short time ago who were calling for abolition, who are now suggesting that we should be putting more funding and resources into MPD.

Cunningham represents Minneapolis Fourth Ward, where a 17-year-old boy was shot and killed on Monday and two other people were wounded by stray bullets entering their homes.

Despite this, the councilman is determined that the city council needs to push forward with instituting some of the alternative policing policies that they came up with, such as the hiring of unarmed violence interrupters, who will intervene and defuse violent confrontations. The council will be funding this new team with $1 million taken from the police budget.

If we have these systems in place, we are getting ahead of the violence, said Cunningham, determined that the MPD should remain defunded. That is why I have advocated so strongly for the violence interrupters, because if they are interrupting the violence before the guns are being fired, then the MPD doesnt have to respond to that violence.

According to Chief Arradondo, around 100 officers have resigned from the MPD or have taken a leave of absence since the year started, which is more than twice the regular number of officers who step down or are inactive.

As the statements from the councilmembers have shown, this has dire effects. For 2020, there have been 382 shooting incidents and 59 homicides, the highest numbers the city has seen in 15 years.

Despite this, Arradondo is still willing to work with the city council. He said that he would like the city council to help him do deeper research on what has caused a lot of the violence in the city.

Arradondo explained that the MPD often finds itself acting as a reactionary force, instead of a preventative one. If the MPD, the city council and the rest of the city are unable to come together to try and solve this, Arradondo warns that when the year ends Minneapolis will have an unconscionably high body count.

The vote to defund the police has been delayed. The city is experiencing a massive rise in violent crimes. Recent polling shows that, while the residents of Minneapolis are in favor of shifting some of the departments funding to social services, nearly half of the citys voters are not in favor of reducing the size of the police force. Given all these factors, the city council needs to act fast in order to not lose the support of the city it was elected to serve and protect.

Learn more about the effects that the police defunding and abolition movements have done to cities like Minneapolis, Seattle and Portland by subscribing to and reading the articles at PoliceViolence.news.

Sources include:

ZeroHedge.com

FreeBeacon.com

NPR.org

Edition.CNN.com

Twitter.com

StarTribune.com

MPRNews.org
A former CSIRO employee has avoided jail after he was caught using government supercomputers to mine for cryptocurrency, depriving sensitive scientific projects of critical computer processing power.

Jonathan Khoo, who worked as a contractor at the federal government's scientific research agency between January and February 2018, installed code in two supercomputers that allowed him to harness their power to mine cryptocurrency for personal financial gain.

A former CSIRO employee has avoided jail after he was caught using government supercomputers to mine for cryptocurrency. Credit:Bloomberg

Cryptocurrencies are digital assets that allow people to conduct financial transactions directly with each other online. "Cryptomining" is the use of computer processing power to solve complex equations, helping to build and secure the cryptocurrency system. The miner is then rewarded for the resource-intensive activity with cryptocurrency tokens.

Khoo, 34, was able to generate $9420 worth of cryptocurrency, which was deposited into his Ethereum and Monero "wallets". The CSIRO estimated the mining activity cost them $76,668 worth of computer power and other resources.
This recipe originally appeared on Food52.

In the harrowing early days of the pandemic, Prin Polsuk, a preeminent chef and scholar of Thai cuisine, could source many of his ingredients directly from farms and suppliers outside of Bangkok. But still, he visited Khlong Toei, one of the largest wet markets in Thailand, almost every day.

The market makes me feel alive, he tells me over a choppy video call, his youthful face framed by salt-and-pepper scruff. I go there to get inspired.

Wandering through Khlong Toei late one night during the year I spent cooking in Thailand, I was overwhelmed by this very aliveness. There were mountains of multi-colored chile pastes, mounds of bright red rambutan, stacks of dried squid and snake beans. The air was vibrant with the sharp smells of charcoal smoke and chili spice, and the buzz of conversation.

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But as the pandemic ravages the globe, the future of wet markets appears uncertain. Early reports tracing the origin of COVID-19 to live wild animals sold in the Huanan market in Wuhan, China triggered an international panic, with many powerful figures calling for the worldwide abolition of wet markets.

I think they should shut down those things right away, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in a Fox & Friends interview in early April, citing the dangers of wildlife trade. Five days later, a bipartisan group of 66 US lawmakers echoed him in a statement calling for the global shut down of live wildlife markets, known as wet markets. Recent evidence undermines the hypothesis that the novel coronavirus originated in Huanan, but demands for the elimination of wet markets have continued to spread. In their haste to act, the international community is at risk of making a catastrophic mistake.

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The sale of wild animals does present health risksthough experts caution against a global banbut wet markets rarely sell wildlife at all. Possibly derived from the Cantonese for fresh produce (sup for), literally wet goodsthe phrase was first used in Singapore and Hong Kong to describe markets selling fruit, vegetables, and prepared meat in open stalls, with perhaps a few live fish in buckets or chickens awaiting slaughter. In the panicked rush to cover the emerging pandemic, foreign journalists and political figures stripped the phrase of its nuance, equating wet markets and live wildlife markets.

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This confusion has proven difficult to eradicate, perhaps in part because it plays into longstanding, toxic stereotypes of Asian (and more specifically, Chinese) eating habits. In his comprehensive history of American Chinese food, From Canton Restaurant to Panda Express, Haiming Liu quotes an 1853 column in the Daily Alta California that falsely claims [r]ats, lizards, mud-terrapins, rank and indigestible shell fish have been and continue to be, the food of the no ways partickler Celestial, where flour, beef and bacon, and other fare suitable to the stomachs of white folk abound. Nearly a century later, in the 1944 hit, Meet Me in St. Louis, Judy Garland sings: Chinaman eats dead rats, chews them up like gingersnaps!

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Some of the recent coverage of wet markets veers dangerously close to these old tropes. What Happens in These Wet Markets Will Give You Nightmares, warns a PETA video of vendors selling grilled, skewered rats and butchered dogs, set to foreboding music. This video is hardly alone in blurring the line between health concerns and cultural attacks.

I admit [wet markets] are dirty, says Chalee Kader, chef of 100 Mahaseth and Surface in Bangkok. But though he believes markets will need to transform in the coming years to meet a higher standard of sanitation, Chef Kader also sees how the traditions of Thai cooking take risks of infection or spoilage into account. Every culture has their own way of maneuvering around these things to cook in a way that makes sure theyre safe, he observes. In Thailand, this means dishes with a squeeze of citrus or a shower of herbs rich in antimicrobial properties, and ancient fermentation technologies used to preserve fish, shrimp, soy beans, and other perishable foods.

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Frank Hartwich, an agricultural economist working for the United Nations, sees hazards in wet markets that sell unrefrigerated meat, saying they harbor all kinds of diseases. But when I ask him about shifting informal sector food supply completely into supermarkets, he calls the idea complete madness. Wet markets, he explains, support an intricate network of local, small-scale producers; just the kind of people, he says, who are pushed aside by volume-oriented supermarkets. With short supply chains and limited infrastructure, wet markets force competing supermarkets to narrow their margins, preventing them from driving up prices.

The more established companies in the world are fighting this informal market, he tells me. They want to just get rid of it because its in their way. Wet markets, then, protect both consumers and local producersas well as vendorsfrom being priced out of a rapidly globalizing, industrializing economic space. But their value goes beyond pure economics.

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When I finished a two month stage at Bo.lana Michelin-starred restaurant in Bangkok where Chefs Bo Songvisava and Dylan Jones resurrect forgotten Thai dishes, and work with farmers to preserve traditional ingredients and sustainable practicesI asked the chefs for a next step in my study of Thai food. Songvisava hardly hesitated. Go to the markets, she instructed. Wet markets, she explained, are not just sources of ingredients, but also reservoirs of cultural knowledge.

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Chef Kader, another advocate for local and sustainable ingredients, often taps this knowledge in developing his menus. If youre looking at some vegetable, Kader explains, [vendors will] ask you about it, what are you going to do with it? That five or ten seconds of conversation, that exchange gives you this knowledge you cannot find in any book or at any supermarket. Nothing compares to it.

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And in contrast to the streamlined uniformity of produce and products typical of supermarkets, wet markets, particularly in Thailand, display a regional specificity and variety of ingredients I find staggering. You can be dropped into a wet market in Thailand, says Austin Bush, a photographer and author who has spent the last fifteen years covering the intricacies of Thai food culture. If you were familiar with Thai food and looked around a bit you would probably be able to determine what province you were in just by the stuff on offer there.

Traveling the country by bus, on Chef Songvisavas advice, I got a taste of the markets diversity. In Nan, a town in northern Thailand, I saw market stalls heaped with bundles of mouth-numbing makhwen; stacks of the dried, fermented soy cakes called tua nao; and wild-foraged greens like bitter dragon tongue, to be grilled and served with laap. In Trang, a southern town near the Andaman coast, the markets were filled with vegetables harvested in the nearby hills; tannic purple-green cashew leaves and mango shoots; fresh fish mere minutes from the sea. Even an hours travel by bus was reflected in the shifting contents of the markets, the kaleidoscopic display of a culture deeply attuned to place.

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Wet markets value can, perhaps most directly, be measured in their resilience, even in the face of government and corporate pressure. In 2002, China instituted the Wet Market Transforming into Food Supermarket program. But a 2015 paper, published in the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, describes the attempted transformation as painfully slow, citing consumers preference for traditional markets as a key factor. When I ask Chef Kader if he thinks supermarkets will ultimately replace wet markets in Thailand, he shakes his head. I think theyre the soul of each city, the soul of each town. No supermarket can replace that.

The push to eradicate wet markets, in China and beyond, is hardly new. In the early 20th century, New Yorks Lower East Side was filled with over 2,500 pushcart vendors selling affordable produce and other goods. But in 1938, in preparation for the Worlds Fair, Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia cracked down on the pushcarts, driving many vendors out of business and herding others into covered markets designed to hide them from the public eye.

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Food historian Sarah Lohman sees this as one factor in the eventual depopulation of the Lower East Side, as a thriving neighborhood was deprived of a critical source of food, income, and community. Far from an inevitable march of progress, Lohman views this transformation as a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy. In his contempt for the market, LaGuardia remade it as something less vital, less useful to the community, than what it had been.

When I mention American lawmakers more recent determination to eliminate wet markets to Chef Jones, he doesnt mince words. Idiots, he spits. In the international communitys haste to condemn wet markets, Jones sees fear of infection risk dovetailing nicely with governmental and corporate interests. If you want to really safeguard humanity, Jones suggests, you should probably stop industrial farming completely and localize food chains and food systems. This may be unfeasible, but the research seems to support him.

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As Takeshi Watanabe, food historian and professor of East Asian studies at Wesleyan University, puts it, a slaughterhouse is not necessarily more hygienic than a market. Though industrial meat production is accompanied by a whole range of sanitation technologies, from antibiotics to cold chain storage, research suggests that it remains higher risk than low-volume, backyard husbandry. The wholesale replacement of wet markets (which tend to support small-scale, local agriculture) with supermarkets (which favor international commodity meat and big agriculture), could accelerate dangerous trends in the food system.

Extrapolating existing dynamics in the system, Watanabe imagines this transformation reaching nearly comical extremes. Lets say that China shuts down wet markets completely, he muses. Does it mean were going to have more pigs flying to China, you know, on Boeing 747s? Its not actually as outlandish as it sounds.

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As the food system shifts around them, wet markets are changing, too. Now everythings commercial, chemical, big farms, they dont concentrate on quality, says Chef Polsuk. Not the same, I feel, as before when I was young. As large agro-business spreads, and small scale local farmers are threatened, some of the variety is lost. Where in Polsuks childhood in rural Lampang, the local market was filled with produce fresh-picked from the fields, now refrigeration allows for days-old product to make it into the markets, only to wilt within hours of purchase. With growing competition from supermarkets and pressure to improve their sanitation practices, there is no doubt that wet markets will continue to transform in the coming years.

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Chef Polsuk agrees more change is coming, but on this he seems wistful. Many markets in Bangkok, he tells me, have already tightened their regulations. But he thinks Khlong Toei, whose tightly choreographed chaos has swirled on through the pandemic, is the most alive. And as Bangkok stirs after months of lockdown, thats still where youll find him, in the small hours of the morning, searching for inspiration.

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Washington

Christopher Wray, director of the FBI, warned a House committee Thursday that Russia is actively pursuing a disinformation campaign against former Vice President Joe Biden and expressed alarm about violent extremist groups.

"Racially motivated violent extremism," mostly from white supremacists, has made up a majority of domestic terrorism threats, Wray told the House Homeland Security Committee. He also echoed an intelligence community assessment last month that Russia is conducting a "very active" campaign to spread disinformation and interfere in the presidential election, with Biden as the primary target.

"We certainly have seen very active  very active  efforts by the Russians to influence our election in 2020," Wray said, specifically "to both sow divisiveness and discord, and I think the intelligence community has assessed this publicly, primarily to denigrate Vice President Biden in what the Russians see as a kind of an anti-Russian establishment."

Wray's blunt comments were the latest example of a top national security official contradicting President Donald Trump's downplaying of Russian election interference. A homeland security official has accused the Trump administration of soft-pedaling both the Russian and white supremacist threats because they would make "the president look bad."

Wray's testimony also came a day after another top administration appointee, Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, undercut the president's dim view of wearing protective masks and said that a coronavirus vaccine was most likely several months away. The president later lashed out at Redfield, saying he "made a mistake" on the vaccine timeline.

The hearing was also notable for the absence of the acting secretary of homeland security, Chad Wolf, who was ordered to testify but skipped the appearance, defying a congressional subpoena.

He instead met with the Senate Homeland Security Committee to prepare for his upcoming confirmation hearing, a department official said. Kenneth Cuccinelli, the acting deputy secretary, criticized the committee on Twitter for not welcoming him in Wolf's place.

Wray condemned all acts of bloodshed but refrained from overemphasizing violence caused by far-left groups like antifa, the loose movement that purports to be against fascism, which Trump and Attorney General William Barr have repeatedly blamed for unrest in U.S. cities.

Barr described antifa this month as "the ramrod for the violence," and the president's re-election campaign has portrayed the group as a major threat to U.S. cities. While some claiming affiliation with antifa have committed violent acts, racist extremists have been the more lethal threat in recent years, Wray said.

A former career prosecutor, Wray has attracted little attention as FBI director, giving speeches focused on following rules and procedures. He has said he wants plowhorses, not showhorses, at the bureau.

Democrats pressed him on whether the administration was focusing enough on armed militias and white supremacists, while Republicans expressed similar concerns about antifa, which Wray described as an "ideology or movement" rather than an organization.

Wray said the FBI averaged roughly 1,000 domestic terrorism investigations annually and had recorded about 120 arrests on domestic terrorism suspicions this year. But he made it clear that white supremacist and anti-government groups were the primary threats.

In particular, neo-Nazi groups such as Atomwaffen Division and the Base have drawn the attention of the FBI, which has arrested violent members of those organizations. White supremacists have carried out the most lethal attacks on U.S. soil in recent years.

Wray's descriptions of Russian interference and white supremacist efforts echoed a draft of a homeland security threat assessment that a whistleblower said department leaders had blocked.

The whistleblower, Brian Murphy, the former head of the Homeland Security Department's intelligence branch, filed a complaint with the House Intelligence Committee asserting that Wolf and Cuccinelli blocked the release of the annual assessment because of how portions on white supremacist extremism and Russian interference would reflect on Trump.

A draft of the report, dated Aug. 31, said white supremacist extremists "will remain the most persistent and lethal threat in the homeland through 2021."

It added that Russia will be "the primary covert foreign influence actor and purveyor of disinformation."

Murphy accused Homeland Security Department leaders of directing analysts to highlight threats posed by China and Iran. Those nations have targeted Trump but do not pose as much of an immediate threat to the United States as Russia, intelligence officials have said.

The complaint prompted the House committee to expand its inquiry into the department's intelligence gathering, but department leaders are resisting. Beth Spivey, an assistant secretary for homeland security, told the committee in a letter this week that witnesses from the department should not be expected to answer questions about Murphy's complaint.

The Homeland Security Department was also scrutinized last month after it emerged that the agency declined to publish a July 9 intelligence document warning of Russian attempts to denigrate Biden's mental health and of China's and Iran's efforts to target Trump.
New Delhi, Sep 18 : The Bank of Baroda on Friday announced three new initiatives towards improving credit penetration in farm mechanisation.

The initiatives are focused on providing better financial service to farmers and empowering them towards farm mechanisation, the bank said in a statement.

Executive Director Vikramaditya Singh Khichi said: "Agriculture sector is the only resilient sector with least impact by the Covid pandemic. With more than normal monsoon, the economy is expected to revive through contribution from the agriculture sector." "At Bank of Baroda, we strive to make our products competitive and improve our processes keeping the customers at the centre. The new cluster model will help in maintaining TAT for customers and improvise the credit quality," he added.

The bank has replicated 'Cluster Model for Tractor Financing' presently operational in its Lucknow Zone in its Ahmedabad, Baroda, Rajkot, Jaipur, Bhopal, Pune, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mangaluru, Meerut and Chandigarh zones too.

The 'Cluster Model for Tractor Financing' will ensure a focused approach at all levels with dedicated officers being assigned specific roles to ensure a qualitative and compliance-oriented growth of the segment, apart from reducing the turnaround time, it said.

Secondly, the Bank of Baroda entered into an MoU with Baroda-based Tractor OEM Gromax Agri Equipment Ltd (GAEL), the erstwhile Mahindra Gujarat Tractor Ltd, and an entity of Mahindra Group. The Gujarat government also has a 40 per cent stake in GAEL, which has its registered office and high-tech manufacturing plant in Vadodara.

This MOU will help Bank of Baroda customers to get discounts up to Rs 1 lakh on purchase of tractors directly from the company outlets. Further, on purchase in other states, except Gujarat, a discount up to Rs 15,000 will be given by GAEL in the form of payment of first EMI for its '45 HP' and '50 HP' models.

Thirdly, Bank of Baroda celebrated 'Maha-Disbursement Day' for tractor finance and sanctioned over 600 loans in a single day through the Cluster Model wherein few loans have been sanctioned using the Central Processing Centre (CPC). Sanction letters were handed over to eligible farmers at various locations across the country, the statement said.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- China's market will continue to open further for U.S. companies in areas where the United States is most competitive such as energy, agriculture and finance, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai has said.

"The answer is certainly yes," said Cui when former U.S. Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson raised the question in a recent interview with the ambassador during the podcast program "Straight Talk with Hank Paulson."

"We're still making our best efforts to have further reform and opening-up. We will not give up. For American companies and other foreign companies operating in China, there will be better access, better opportunities and certainly greater predictability," said Cui.

"For the last four decades, China has implemented the policy of reform and opening-up, and it remains a basic state policy. It will not change. Even at the time of the global pandemic, we have initiated new measures for reform and opening-up in the last few months," he said.

For instance, he said, the new Foreign Investment Law took effect on Jan. 1 this year. "There is certainly better predictability for foreign investors, who will have better confidence in China. China still attracts a lot of foreign investment," Cui said.

What's more, the ambassador said that China announced the 2020 version of the negative list for the access of foreign investment and the negative list for pilot free trade zones, and the negative lists are getting shorter and shorter.

Also last June, China came up with a master plan for the development of Hainan Free Trade Port. It's the first time in an official Chinese government document that the idea of "zero tariff" and "zero barrier" is used.

"But at the same time, what is very challenging for us is that while we are trying to be more open to the rest of the world, some people in other parts of the world are trying to raise barriers to us," he said. "They are raising barriers for TikTok, Wechat and Huawei, etc. This is a real challenge for us. We are trying to open our door wider, but they are building walls. They're raising barriers. What should we do? "

"Actually, we have opened our financial sector more in the last couple of years. We have removed some of the restrictions on foreign investment in the financial sector," he said.

"For many very good high-tech American companies, they're increasing their investment or their operation in China. Companies like Tesla are a good example because they see the market potential. They want to be part of China's economic growth. They want to contribute to it and they certainly want to benefit from it. So we welcome them all and will create a much better environment for foreign investment, better rule of law, etc.," he said.

As for the concept of self-reliance, the Chinese diplomat noted, there has always been self-reliance throughout the 70 years and more since the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, including the four decades of reform and opening-up.

"In this regard, it's extremely unfair to say that China has become the second largest economy in the world just by taking advantage of others or even by stealing things from others," he said, calling it "extremely unfair" to the Chinese people.

"You know China and Chinese so well. We have very hard-working people, very creative people. And we understand, for such a big country, for 1.4 billion people, you must have the spirit of self-reliance to develop. Otherwise, you cannot have achieved development," he said.

"The self-reliance is always there, but it's not to close the doors. We will open our door even wider because our real aim is to give full play to the potential of the domestic market, to make the domestic market function more effectively and much better, so that the two cycles could really reinforce each other," he said.
HEALDSBURG, Calif., Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Kendal at Sonoma, A Zen Inspired Community, announced that it has completed the purchase of 16.02 acres in Healdsburg, California for its Life Plan Community. The partnership between the Kendal Corporation and the San Francisco Zen Center is considered a first of its kind in senior living, blending the proven experience and track record of Kendal with the Zen teaching and principled approach to contemplative care that can only come from the San Francisco Zen Center.

While the Enso Village development process is in the early stages, interest in the new community has been both robust and humbling according to Susan O'Connell, Enso Village Spiritual Advisor.

"This journey to creating Enso Village has shown me many things, but we are truly humbled by the outpouring of interest and support for this community. Healdsburg has welcomed us warmly and we look forward to becoming a positive addition to this amazing community."

Plans for Enso Village are moving ahead. In the coming months, the design team will be working with the Planning Commission during the Design Review process. "This land acquisition is a significant step for Enso Village," said Stephen Bailey, Kendal's Senior Vice President of Development and New Business. "It is a commitment to the project and to our prospective residents during changing times, and we look forward to groundbreaking next year."

Enso Village is slated to include 221 residences for independent living, 30 assisted living and 24 memory care residences. When complete, Enso Village will mark a first-of-its-kind community in the United States blending Kendal values, which are founded on Quaker principles, with the mindfulness of the San Francisco Zen Center.

Contact: Marcus Young

415-505-2524

[email protected]

SOURCE Enso Village
Tesla recently launched a website for South Africans to directly place orders for its Powerwall 2 backup battery system.

A single Powerwall 2 unit offers an electricity storage capacity of 13.5kWh, and can be connected to draw and store power from both the Eskom grid and a users own solar installation.

In the event that a power outage or load-shedding takes place, the Powerwall can supply a household or business with power.

Rubicon Renewables is the official distributor of Powerwalls in South Africa.

It brought the first iteration of the Powerwall to the country back in 2016, which it claimed sold as quickly as local suppliers could get stock.

Following this success, it then launched the Tesla Powerwall 2 in South Africa at the end of 2019.

According to Rubicon sales director Greg Blandford, the company has seen excellent demand for this system as well.

Blandford said many hundreds of Powerwall units have been sold in South Africa.

The Tesla brand has a strong following in South Africa. Elon Musk is one of our own and there is a certain pride South Africans take in Tesla and Elon, Blandford said.

He explained the Powerwall serves two main benefits for South Africans  energy independence and energy security.

Load-shedding will continue for a few years to come and coupled with steep increases for power, many South Africans are migrating from the grid towards solar power and energy storage.

Hands-on experience

MyBroadband spoke to two Tesla Powerwall 2 owners  Richard from Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape and Mike from Howick in KwaZulu-Natal  to hear about their experiences using the system.

Both said they chose the Powerwall as they believed Tesla to be the world leader in battery technologies.

There are many alternatives out there, but for those of us who do not have much knowledge of electrical matters, the peace of mind of knowing that we were getting the best, tried and tested product outweighed the potential savings of a cheaper, less well-known and possible less reliable product, Richard said.

Basically, I wanted a system which I never had to worry about and worked automatically when required, he added.

Both owners said they would definitely recommend the system to people seeking a backup power solution.

Mike noted after he installed the Powerwall at his home, four other people in the retirement village also purchased the system and since then, all have been over the moon with its performance.

Installation and setup

Mikes Powerwall and PV solar system were installed in March 2020 and was completed after a day and a halfs work.

Richard had his Powerwall installed in July 2020, and opted for the backup-only option with no solar connected, which took a day to complete.

Both owners said the installations were carried out in a professional and effective manner.

The total cost for each installation, including labour, was as follows:

Richards setup  R150,000 with single Tesla Powerwall.

with single Tesla Powerwall. Mikes setup  R269,500 with Tesla Powerwall and 23-panel solar system.

Mike described the appearance of the Powerwall as neat and tidy, while Richard said its design makes it fit in well anywhere in the house.

Richards Powerwall was installed inside a closet in one of his homes hallways, while Mikes was placed in his garage.

Avoiding load-shedding

Both Richard and Mike said they barely notice when load-shedding is implemented.

I dont even know when theres load-shedding. I dont worry about it  actually I look forward to it, Mike said.

The change-over which happens when the power goes off and the battery kicks in is instantaneous and automatic, Richard noted.

During lockdown, my wife and I were both working from home and both our children were having their school lessons online, he explained.

The Powerwall has meant that we have been able to continue our work and schooling without any interruptions or hassles, he added.

Richard added the system has not used more than 10% of its capacity when powering their four-bedroom house during any load-shedding period.

Costs versus convenience

My average consumption was between 530kW and 570kWh per month, but at the moment I am feeding Eskom [with power], he said.

Mike said he estimated the system cut his monthly bill down by around R700.

Halfway through the month of September, for example, he had consumed 523kWh of electricity, of which only 78kWh was drawn from Eskom grid.

However, the primary purpose of his installation is not to save on electricity costs.

We didnt install it to pay for itself, its for the convenience that we can carry on with our lives as normal, he noted.

Richard explained that the system provides further peace of mind for home security.

Feeling secure at night as you can have inside and outside lights on as well as knowing your alarm is unaffected give you peace of mind, he said.

Drawbacks

Mike said it was important to manage the system while it is feeding power to the home, particularly with regards to appliances which consume loads of electricity.

When the geysers are on, I dont put appliances like the stove, kettles, and air conditioner on. When the geysers are off, I can put everything else on, he explained.

Similarly, Richard said his homes geyser and stove are not connected to his Powerwall.

All the other appliances are connected, although they do not use the washing machine, tumble dryer, or dishwasher while the system is providing power.

Below are images of Richard and Mikes Powerwall installations.

Richards Powerwall installation

Mikes Powerwall installation
The year is 1985. Place: Departure terminal, Rome airport. They knew they would not meet ever again. Moghul was flying to his home in Lahore, Pakistan, and Pramod Kumar Padhy was returning to Delhi.

Government employees in their respective countries, both were part of a scholarship programme organised by the Italian government in the mid-80s, in which 50 participants from 30 countries stayed together in a hotel in Naples. Six months later, all went back to their places.

Decades rolled along and the Italian sojourn became a distant memory. Mr Padhy retired as a senior bureaucrat in the central government in 2013, and settled down with wife, Usha, at their 12th floor apartment in Noidas Sector 121. He did mention the Naples friendship to his family, once or twice, but never extensively. It had become a dead chapter of my life.

Mr Padhy, 67, is chatting on WhatsApp video.

And then the coronavirus pandemic arrived, forcing the couple to stay cooped at home. I started writing about stories from my life, says Mr Padhy. And one of the stories that surfaced was about you guessed it!

The first reader of Down the memory lane: An Unforgettable Encounter was his wife, who convinced Mr Padhy to share the account with their daughter, Priyanka, who lives in Sarita Vihar. She, in her turn, convinced her father to share it within the extended familys WhatsApp group.

The story is moving. Two people from traditionally hostile nations strike a friendship in a foreign land. Mr Padhy was in his early 30s then, and his friend in his early 50s. Often missing their home while in Italy, they would find consolation in each other by talking of their families. The ghazals of Chitra Singh and Jagjit Singh were a common passion.

A scene from the storys finale is particularly poignant: As the moment to part finally arrived, Mr Moghul gave me a tight embrace and wished customary Khuda Hafeez in a voice choking with emotion. Then he said something in a whispering tone which is still reverberating in my mind after all these years. Said he and I quote Pramod, I am a Muslim and do not believe in rebirth. But you are a Hindu and you believe in rebirth. If there is something like rebirth, I would like to have you as my younger brother in my next life.

Mr Padhy says he never got in touch with his friend after returning from Italy. Somewhere, the friendship lives inside me. Maybe it is too late now to think of meeting him again. He must be in his 90s. But if we happen to meet, Im sure he will instantly recognise me.
It does seem ironic, said Jonathan Ball, a professor of molecular virology at the University of Nottingham, that after encouraging mass attendance at pubs, cafes and restaurants through Eat Out to Help Out, that we are now contemplating restricting or closing those activities down.

The latest signs of the viruss resurgent march through Britain left the government little choice. The R number, a measure of how many people on average a single patient will infect, rose to between 1.1 and 1.4, the government said on Friday, meaning that on average every 10 people infected will spread the virus to between 11 and 14 other people. Any number over 1 is a worrisome indication that the epidemic is growing.

In the week ending September 10, there were roughly 6,000 new cases of the coronavirus every day outside hospitals and nursing homes in England, the governments official statistics authority estimated, nearly a doubling of new infections from the week before.

We need to learn the lessons of the spring, Susan Michie, the director of the Centre for Behaviour Change at University College London and a member of a government advisory group, said on Twitter. Every days delay in implementing measures to restrict transmission when it is increasing exponentially will be expensive in terms of health and lives in the short term and the economy in the long term.

Mr. Johnson is considering what the BBC described as two weeks of closures or limited hours for restaurants, pubs and other hospitality businesses. Scientists said the goal appeared to be to slow down, but not stop, transmission of the virus by restricting risky, non-essential activities, like eating at restaurants.

Some government scientists, though, are pressing Mr. Johnson to go further by imposing something closer to a full national lockdown, including the closure of schools, for two weeks in October, news reports said. By implementing the closures around an October schools holiday, the scientists hope to limit the disruption of a school year that just opened in early September.
Energy giant Adani Mining Australia on Friday said that its billion dollar Carmichael project in central Queensland has created jobs for more than 1,500 people and awarded over 1.5 billion Australian dollars (USD 1.09 billion) in contracts.

The company said construction of the railway line and mine was set to continue through into 2021 and it was expecting to generate more direct jobs.

Adani''s USD16 billion Carmichael coal mine project has been surrounded by controversies since its inception due to regulatory and environmental issues.

Adani Mining CEO David Boshoff said the COVID-19 recession meant Adani''s investment was needed more than ever.

We are proud to have made good on our promises to Queensland, and especially regional Queensland. We''ve created more than 1,500 jobs and signed more than $(AUS)1.5 billion in contracts, Boshoff said.

The Stop Adani movement said our project would never go ahead and would never create a single job. We have proved our opponents wrong, he said in a statement.

The company last year won the approval to produce 60 million tonnes of thermal coal annually from the Carmichael mine.

The Carmichael rail network, that is built at the cost of USD 350 million, will construct about 200 kms of rail track to transfer of coal from the Carmichael mine to the Port of Abbot Point.

Mining has cushioned the Queensland and Western Australian economies from the worst of the devastating economic impact of the COVID-19 lockdowns and we are proud to be a part of that, he said.

As we work with smaller, private, and Queensland-based contractors and suppliers, we have been able to keep working through the COVID-19 pandemic with appropriate measures in place.

More than 88 per cent of our contracts are being delivered in Queensland and have been spread across all corners of the state to give as many regions as possible the opportunity to benefit from our project, while also enabling us to tap into the highly-skilled construction and resources industry workforce that Queensland possesses, Boshoff said.

The rail camp operations are based in Collinsville; earthworks and civil works contractors are from Townsville and Rockhampton; fuel supply from Townsville; telecommunications from Mackay; rail track laying and rail camp construction from Rockhampton, and quarry contracts are going to Toowoomba.

The construction of the Carmichael Project has been underway in earnest since approvals were obtained in June last year and the project is on track to produce coal in 2021, the statement said.
- Coleen Garcia experienced one of the most difficult yet fulfilling things in her life when she gave birth to her child, Amari

- Just a week after giving birth, Coleen showed off her fit and slim postpartum body

- The celebrity mom was able to easily lose weight even if she had just delivered her baby a week ago, based on the photo

- Many netizens commented that the actress seems to not have gotten pregnant and given birth recently due to her current fitness level

PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed

Coleen Garcia (Photo from Flickr)

Source: UGC

Coleen Garcia went through one of the most difficult yet fulfilling experiences of her life when she gave birth to her child, Amari.

KAMI learned that just a week after giving birth, Coleen showed off her fit and slim postpartum body.

The photo shows that the celebrity mom was able to easily lose weight even if she had just delivered her baby a week ago.

Netizens expressed their shock over the viral picture, commenting that the actress seems to not have gotten pregnant and given birth recently due to her current fitness level.

PAY ATTENTION: Shop with KAMI! The best offers and discounts on the market, product reviews and feedback

Here is Coleen Garcia's viral Instagram photo that shocked a lot of netizens:

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Coleen Garcia is a popular actress, product endorser, and television host in the Philippines. She and her husband Billy Crawford worked together on the noontime show Its Showtime. The famous lovebirds have a child named Amari.

She recently made waves on social media when she uploaded more adorable photos of baby Amari. Netizens also gushed after seeing the said pictures, telling Coleen that Amari looks adorable.

A few days ago, Billy also went viral when she showed to the public the struggle of his wife while giving birth to their little angel. Coleen Garcia can be seen in the photo showing courage amid the painful delivery of their baby.

Please like and share our amazing Facebook posts and stories to support the KAMI team! Dont hesitate to comment and share your opinions about our stories either. We really love reading and learning about your thoughts and views on different matters!

Source: KAMI.com.gh
Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), the country's sovereign wealth fund, recently signed a pact with Hyderabad-based Dr Reddy's Laboratories (DRL) for clinical trials and distribution of 100 million doses of the fund's vaccine candidate, Sputnik V, in India. The vaccine should soon be available in the country if it gets regulatory go-ahead.



While Dr Reddy's Labs is preparing for clinical trials of Sputnik V, major manufacturers in the country are sceptical about the drug. They feel Sputnik is still a work in progress and needs time to develop.



In fact, Russia's health minister also commented about the vaccine saying one in seven volunteers complained of side effects, including weakness and muscle pain.



Business Standard's Sohini Das outlines the key developments and explains the process of clinical trials.

Tune in to the podcast for more
US Commerce Department is set to issue orders to Apple and Google for taking down TikTok from their applications stores from Sunday. Similar action will be taken against Chinese messaging application WeChat. This will be in accordance with the first two executive orders signed by US President Donald Trump on August 6 which barred US companies from dealing with the two Chinese apps from September 20.

The Commerce Department stopped short of forcing Apple and Google to take down the Chinese version of TikTok and WeChat from their app stores active in China, The Financial Times reported.

ALSO READ: US investors, firms set to hold majority stake in TikTok

The Sunday deadline looms close even as Trump administration is "making a decision" on a proposed deal for transferring TikTok's ownership to an American company. Oracle, which was picked by ByteDance as the US buyer for TikTok, and the Chinese app are in talks with the Trump administration to clear existing concerns.

Oracle has tabled a proposal before the Trump administration to become a technology partner in the TikTok app. As per the proposed deal, TikTok will be majority owned by ByteDance initially but will be listed publicly in the US in future. The app's global business will be handed over to a separate US company with an all-American board and a security committee led by someone with government security clearances.

ALSO READ: ByteDance mulls US IPO of TikTok Global as it races to clinch WH deadline

Trump is unhappy with a Chinese company retaining control of TikTok after the deal after six Republican lawmakers urged him to terminate the proposal. Senators Marco Rubio, Thom Tillis, Roger Wicker, Rick Scott, Dan Sullivan and John Cornyn have written to Trump over concerns regarding reports that Oracle has confirmed a deal with ByteDance to become a trusted technology provider for TikTok's US operations, including that the arrangement could violate the requirements set about in the August 6, 2020, executive order on addressing the threat posed by TikTok and would do little to satisfy the range of concerns expressed in that order.

Meanwhile, Senator Ted Cruz, who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations and Judiciary Committees, in a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin expressed reservations that the TikTok-Oracle deal could leave the American people exposed to undue influence by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and undermine US national security interests. Referring to certain reports, Cruz said that other companies interested in purchasing ByteDance felt they were unable to address national security concerns under the conditions imposed by the Chinese government.

ALSO READ: Working on making a decision on TikTok-Oracle deal: Donald Trump

"We're making a decision. We spoke today to Walmart, Oracle - I guess, Microsoft is still involved. We'll make a decision. But nothing much has changed. We'll make a decision soon," Trump told reporters at the White House earlier today.

Moreover, the TikTok-Oracle deal will have to be cleared by China, ByteDance has clarified. Notably, Beijing recently reformed its list of technologies that will face export restrictions, and it includes items that make up crucial algorithms used in TikTok.

As per a third executive order signed by Trump, ByteDance has till November 12 to divest TikTok's US business. It seems this storm is far from over.
The United States and Maldives have signed a defence framework agreement aimed at deepening cooperation towards maintaining peace and security in the Indian Ocean and ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific. The pact will see the two countries engage in military-to-military dialogue at senior levels and in joint activity relating to maritime domain awareness, response to natural disasters and humanitarian relief operations among other things.

But more important than its bilateral component are the pacts implications for regional geopolitics. In the context of growing overlap of Indian and American strategic interests in the Indian Ocean and Indo-Pacific regions, the US-Maldives pact puts Maldives more firmly on Indias side in the India-China contest for strategic influence in the Maldives. Under former president Abdulla Yameen, Maldivess economic ties with China had soared, triggering concern in New Delhi that the resulting economic indebtedness would culminate in Male ceding strategic ground to the Chinese. The US-Maldives defence pact is likely to ease such apprehensions.

The pact signals the dramatic change not only in Indias relations with the US but also in how India is looking to enhance its own security and other interests. A few decades ago, India was strongly opposed to the presence of extra-regional powers in the Indian Ocean.

They were perceived as a threat to its security and its position in the neighbourhood. As recently as 2013, India stood in the way of Maldives signing the Status of Forces Agreement with the US. Chinas clout in the archipelago, which surged between 2015 and 2019, seems to have changed Indias thinking on that. India has welcomed the US-Maldives defence pact now.

It is unlikely that the US and Maldives would have signed the agreement without Indias concurrence. There is a possibility of New Delhi having encouraged Maldives to pursue such a deal. It raises several questions. In the past, India was confident about its capacity to be the net security provider for its neighbours. That appears to have changed now. It is looking to the US to play the role of a security provider in the region in order to beef up its own security. India has been the dominant power in South Asia.

To keep out China, India is allowing the US to play a larger role. Its laying out of a welcome mat for the US may seem a welcome development in the context of Indias current spat with China in the Himalayas, but its downgrading of its own security role in the Indian Ocean is neither in Indias long-term security interests nor will it further New Delhis global ambitions.
TICKERS: FENX

Source: Peter Epstein for Streetwise Reports (9/17/20)

Peter Epstein of Epstein Research delves into this company's exploration plans in Colombia.



Five weeks ago, gold hit an all-time high of US$2,073/oz. Since then, it's down 6.2% to US$1,944/oz. (still above 2011's record level). Yet, based on the share price declines in some well-known juniors, one would think gold was down 23 times as much.

Apollo Gold is down 52% from its recent high, Evergold Corp. is down 51%, Freegold Ventures down 45%, Vizsla Resources down 41%, Spanish Mountain down 38% . dozens of juniors are off >35%.

Is now the time to give up on gold? Never in the past 15+ years that I've been following this sector have I been more bullish on gold fundamentals. However, my optimism is not predicated on the price soaring, it's already quite high. I believe it will remain strong well into 2021.

In a world gone mad, gold junior stocks make sense as a safe haven

Elevated uncertainty in my home country, the U.S., due to economic, COVID-19, race relations, climate change and protracted political concerns, will not end soon. We have a presidential election in seven weeks, but the next president is not sworn in until January 20, 2021.

If the election is contested, which seems increasingly likely, it could be months before things calm down. Or, the situation could spiral out of control, making 2021 worse than 2020. The chances of smooth sailing? Close to zero.

If a second wave of COVID-19, in concert with the typical flu season, hits this fall/winter, the money printing exercise will likely be much larger and longer lasting. All roads lead to bullish backdrops for gold juniors.

If gold was ever a safe haven asset, now might be a wise time to own gold stocks. Adding to the growing fear and uncertainty, on multiple fronts, is unprecedented money printing, deficit spending and debt issuance around the world.

In the U.S., 2020's fiscal deficit will be nearly $4 trillion, ~18% of GDP. In 2009, the worst year of the Great Recession, the deficit was 9.8%. The last time it approached or surpassed 20% was during WWII. Globally, deficits will be huge this year, and probably quite large again in 2021.

FenixOro could deliver evidence of a major deposit within 2 months

A company I continue to be excited about, despite it being very speculative, is FenixOro Gold Corp. (FENX:CSE). Despite the ongoing correction in the junior space, FENX shares have been surprisingly resilient. If I'm mostly right on gold fundamentals, and if the drill bit delivers some high-grade intercepts, there could be a re-rating in FenixOro's valuation before year-end.

Make no mistake, FenixOro is a speculative low-cap play, but given the state of the world, investors might benefit from owning gold juniors. The big news this month is that the company's drill permits have been issued. This means we are a few weeks from starting a critically important drill program on the 100%-owned Abriaqui project in northwestern Colombia.

Readers may recall that earlier this year, evidence of porphyry-style gold mineralization was discovered in a mineralized surface outcrop. The alteration type and grade identified is typical of gold-bearing portions of mineralized porphyry systems around the world.

Ground magnetics defined a strong near-surface anomaly measuring about one sq. km. Analysis indicates that it continues on, at roughly the same diameter, to a depth of >700 meters. Already, 1 km length x 1 km width x 700+ m depth = a potentially attractive deposit. Large-tonnage porphyry deposits of >1 g/t gold have the potential to be long-lived, low-cost, cash-generating machines.

Is FenixOro's 100%-owned Abriaqui project the next C$2B Buritica?

The primary target at Abriaqui is a sequence of >80 closely spaced, high-grade veins developed in 500 meter wide corridors, of which >20 have assayed 20 g/t+ gold, and up to 146 g/t gold. They outcrop over 800+ vertical meters with areas of intervening lower grade mineralization.

Near-term catalysts like drilling, new discoveries and strong results are often well rewarded in bull markets. Management is optimistic about this particular drill program due in large part to the nearby, world-class C$2B Buritica project's geology, but also a recent ground magnetometry survey, promising soil sampling results and geo-chem studies.

Ten angled drill holes (4,500 meters) have been carefully planned, one searching for a large-tonnage gold porphyry target. Four drill pads and a core shack facility are being built right now. A vertical depth of 300350 meters is considered to be ideal for these first passes. If successful, management would likely do an additional 1,5002,000 meters in this phase.

CEO John Carlesso commented,

"The preliminary exploration program has had a lot of success and we've generated multiple new target areas for the drilling that's about to begin. We're seeing potential for much more of the high-grade "Buriticastyle" vein mineralization throughout the full extent of the project, and we've identified a potential large-tonnage, gold porphyry target. With drills now being mobilized, our entire team is eager to uncover the full potential of the Abriaqui project."

In speaking at length with FenixOro's VP of Exploration Stuart Moller, who led the discovery team at Buritica for Continental Gold (acquired by Zijin Mining) from 20072011, he explained that the COVID-19 situation in and around the project area is well contained. There have only been a few cases, and no new ones in the past month. Work is progressing without any restrictions.

Very serious 10-hole drill program (4,500m) testing new zones .

Next, we discussed the imminent drill program. He assured me it's not going to be about twinning high-grade holes to generate a feel-good press release. No, the technical team has had months to develop optimal drill targets and they think they have nailed it.

The program will drill test, for the first time, six or more families of stacked, high-grade vein systems. Each target is distinct, drilling will go after showings at different depths, angles and orientations, across multiple types of mineralization.

Many new veins will likely be identified. Management expects to gain valuable insights on grades, depths, continuity, vein spacing and widths.

In addition, a better understanding of indicative grades/thicknesses between, above and below newly discovered and existing higher-grade zones should be forthcoming.

If enough higher-grade vein material exists, interspersed with wider zones of 2+ g/t material, there could be one or more compelling deposit(s). In fact, management believes results from the recently completed soil sampling program point to this distinct possibility. Evidence of a potentially meaningful project will be shared within a few months.

Most juniors require multiple drill programs (and capital raises)over multiple seasons to get a decent glimpse of what their properties might hold. However, since FenixOro's project is so near to the giant Buritica project, and given that the two projects share geological characteristics, and the considerable amount of exploration work donedrill results should give investors good visibility into the company's prospects.

That's why I believe FenixOro has the potential to experience a re-rating in valuation upon the release of assays, expected to begin being received by November, that would tie Abriaqui ever closer to the nearby 12M+ ounce Buritica project.

Readers please note, I don't use the term "re-rating" lightly. Buritica is not just an attractive analog deposit, it's one of the world's premiere advanced-stage, high-grade gold development projects. Commercial production is expected there within six months.

I asked Carlesso and Moller about the share price, which has enjoyed a nice move. Have investors missed the boat? While no one can predict the future, they indicated that some institutional investors are waiting for drill results before potentially initiating a position. This is common for small-cap exploration plays; passing on potential earlier-stage, higher-risk returns, trying to capture smaller, but less risky gains.

This suggests FenixOro Gold Corp. (CSE: FENX) is not a go-go stock about to run out of steam. The best comparable project, which happens to be just 15 km awayis soon to be a world-class, high-grade minevalued at roughly 60 times FenixOro's C$33 million valuation.

Near-term, very impactful investment catalysts are right around the corner. I strongly believe there's room for this valuation gap to shrink upon further de-risking of the Abriaqui project.

Peter Epstein is the founder of Epstein Research. His background is in company and financial analysis. He holds an MBA degree in financial analysis from New York University's Stern School of Business.

[NLINSERT]

Disclosures: The content of the above article is for information only. Readers fully understand & agree that nothing contained herein, written by Peter Epstein of Epstein Research [ER], (together, [ER]) about FENIXORO GOLD CORP., including but not limited to, commentary, opinions, views, assumptions, reported facts, calculations, etc., is not to be considered implicit or explicit investment advice. Nothing contained herein is a recommendation or solicitation to buy or sell any security. [ER] is not responsible under any circumstances for investment actions taken by the reader. [ER] has never been, and is not currently, a registered or licensed financial advisor or broker/dealer, investment advisor, stockbroker, professional trader, money manager, compliance or legal officer, and does not perform market making activities. [ER] is not directly employed by any company, group, organization, party or person. The shares of FENIXORO GOLD CORP. are highly speculative, not suitable for all investors. Readers understand & agree that investments in small cap stocks can result in a 100% loss of invested funds. It is assumed & agreed upon by readers that they will consult with their own licensed or registered financial advisors before making investment decisions.

At the time this article was posted, FENIXORO GOLD CORP. was an advertiser on [ER] & Peter Epstein owned shares in the Company.

Readers understand & agree that they must conduct their own due diligence above & beyond reading this article. While the author believes he's diligent in screening out companies that, for any reasons whatsoever, are unattractive investment opportunities, he cannot guarantee that his efforts will (or have been) successful. [ER] is not responsible for any perceived, or actual, errors including, but not limited to, commentary, opinions, views, assumptions, reported facts & financial calculations, or for the completeness of this article or future content. [ER] is not expected or required to subsequently follow or cover events & news, or write about any particular company or topic. [ER] is not an expert in any company, industry sector or investment topic.

Streetwise Reports Disclosure:

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ERBIL, Iraq  Turkeys aggressive cross-border operations in northern Iraq against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) are not letting up, again putting the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in the difficult position of having to manage its relationships with Baghdad and Ankara as well as decreasing number of the Iraqi Kurdish population, which retains sympathy for the PKK.

On Sept. 18, a PKK rocket attack on a military base in northern Iraq killed two Turkish troops and wounded another.

Although Turkey sees the presence of its military bases in northern Iraq as legitimate based on previous agreements between Baghdad and Ankara, Baghdad has complained about and condemned Turkish operations in northern Iraq.

The PKK is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union and Turkey.

Peshmerga Gen. Sirwan Barzani, whose Sector Six area of command in Makhmour, Gwer and one side of the Qarachogh Mountains is still prone to IS attacks, told Al-Monitor in an interview in Erbil on Sept. 6 that the PKKs presence in border areas continues to be a problem for the local communities and urged the Iraqi central government to act.

"This is inside the borders," he stressed. "It is not the responsibility of the KRG. Unfortunately, they dont do anything. Maybe they dont have enough forces. We dont know the reason [Baghdad has not found a way to expel] the PKK and any other foreign presence in those mountains."

The Qandil Mountains in northern Iraq have become practically synonymous with the PKK and have long been used as a training ground and foreign hideout for fighters of the outlawed, mostly Turkish group.

A new wave of airstrikes and other operations against PKK targets inside northern Iraq launched in mid-June by the Turkish government was the largest since 2015. It targeted numerous objectives, including many in Mount Sinjar to the west and the Qandil Mountains to the east.

A Turkish strike in August killed Iraqi officials who had reportedly been meeting with members of the PKK, sparking an outcry.

Barzani noted that "the problem" of attacks and instability in that area "is not new," stressing that "more than 4,500 [Kurdish] villages were destroyed during [Saddam Hussein's] time, but now more than 300 or 400 villages have not yet been rebuilt because of the problem between the PKK and Turkey on the border. Unfortunately, [this means] the people cannot go back to this area."

He said that the Iraqi central government had "opened some more police positions on the border" in recent weeks. "This is good, at least to give a message to Turkey that we are here," but "nothing else" was done, he said, adding, "This will not solve the problem."

Barzani stressed, "We hope they will solve the problem inside Turkey; it has nothing to do with the KRG or Iraq," adding, "Relations between the KRG and Turkey are good and, as you know, the only corridor to Europe is Turkey for us."

Investment in and the economy of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq is in large part dependent on the stability of the area and an open route to and from the country on its northern border.

The Kurdistan Democratic Party, with which Erbil and the Barzani family are closely associated, tends to be closer to Turkey and more against the PKK. Its largest rival party in the Kurdistan Region, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, strong especially in the southern part near Sulaimaniyah, is closer to the PKK, and some in that part of the region support it.

On the issue of Mount Sinjar and the town of Sinjar, known for its Yazidi population, Barzani said, "They do not allow many people to go back. There are too many forces there. There is the Iraqi army. PKK troops are there. There is Hashd al-Shaabi. This is also part of Iraqs duty. They have to solve this problem. Kurdish people are living there, but it is part of the disputed territories. It is not under the KRG. So it is very bad for all those poor people. All the Yazidi people; you know what happened with them. And still now, today, 80% of them are still in the camps and cannot go back because of this mess of fighters and militias, unfortunately. So this should be a priority of the Iraqi government, to solve this problem."

United Nations Human Rights Council has considered IS attacks against Yazidis "crimes of genocide," including "multiple crimes against humanity and war crimes."

Barzani, who said that in his sector alone there had been over 100 IS operatives killed in the past three months by the international coalition and peshmerga operations in the Qarachogh Mountains, lashed out at what he called the massive presence of diverse armed groups in the Sinjar area.

Its not fair, he said. "We dont have any more IS there. We do not have any terrorist group or Islamic State there. But because of these militias, these people cannot go back."

Relations between northeastern Syria, which is under a Kurdish-led administration, and the KRG are good. "But there are some issues like not allowing the Rojava peshmerga to go back," Barzani said.

The Rojava peshmerga  Syrian Kurds trained by the KRG in previous years  "are still here," Barzani added. "We hope they will come to an agreement so that they and many other Syrian refugees now in the KRG can go back to Syria. But the parties are still negotiating."

He estimated the number of peshmerga forces from northeastern Syria still stuck in the KRG due to the refusal of the Syrian Democratic Forces in northeastern Syria to allow them back to their home area to be between 4,000 and 5,000 Rojava peshmerga who were on the front line fighting against IS like any peshmerga.

As to whether the Syrian Democratic Forces and its leading component, the People's Protection Units, can be considered part of the PKK, as is often claimed by Turkey, Barzani said, They are of course very close to the PKK, but I cannot say that they are actually PKK. But they have a very close relationship with them, and many PKK fighters were there and were killed there during IS times.

During the war against IS, he noted, fighters from the outlawed Turkish PKK were able to enter northeastern Syria freely and were welcomed there.

I do not know whether this is still the case, he said. I do know that the Rojava Peshmerga, the people who are from there but trained here, are still not allowed to go back."

Barzani said that he strongly supports Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimis pledge to bring all weapons under state control, noting that this is one of the most important things for the safety of the people, the stability of Iraq and the future of Iraq. Without this, he said, the situation is like now: No one can invest in Iraq, and people get attacked.
The Ebonyi State Government on Friday debunked reports that it was planning to write the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) questions on blackboards instead of the usual question papers.

The Commissioner for Education, Onyebuchi Chima, stated this during a meeting with principals of junior secondary schools in the state in Abakaliki, the state capital.

He was reacting to reports in some national dailies which claimed that Ebonyi State Government had directed that BECE, popularly known as Junior WAEC examination questions, are to be written on the blackboard with chalks and markers instead of standard typed question papers.

The commissioner maintained that at no time did the state government contemplate using such outdated method to conduct the examination and wondered where the reports emanated from.

He assured students that the exam, which is scheduled to commence on September 21, will follow the standard used in previous years.

Mr Chima also debunked reports that the Ministry of Education had collected registration fees ranging from N30,000 to N500,000 from private schools to register their students for 2020 BECE.

According to him, the assertion is false, a blatant and malicious attempt to deface the good reputation of Ebonyi State Ministry of Education.

He noted that the examination would have been written earlier in the year but was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

He stated that the BECE exam is essential as it marks the end of the nine year Universal Basic Education especially as it prepares and enables JS3 students to graduate into senior secondary education.

He appealed to students and parents to disregard negative publications about the BECE exam, urging them to read hard to correctly answer their questions.

He assured that students who perform well would not just be issued with their BECE certificate but will qualify to register for senior secondary one (SS1).

The commissioner encourage the media to be factual and to make efforts to be truthful by confirming thier information before dissemination.

According to him, the media have positive roles to play in strengthening the quality of teaching, learning and the evaluation mechanisms in Ebonyi State education system and Nigeria in general.

Meanwhile, schools in Ebonyi are set for reopening on October 5, the state government has said.

Mr Chima stated this after the state Executive Council meeting.

He said primary, secondary and tertiary institutions are to resume on the said date.

He,however, noted that there will be staggering of classes in line with COVID-19 protocols in place in the state.

The commissioner also noted that nursery/creche will not be reopening this year.

The Honorable Commissioner for Education in a memo presented in Exco today for reopening of all school: primary, secondary and tertiary, the Exco approved 5th October 2020

Note that Nursery Schools/creche are not reopening until 2021

There will be staggering of classes in two sessions (morning 8am- 12pm and Afternoon 12:15  4.15pm) in order to maintain social distancing, he said.

Schools in the state were shut down in March following the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country.

But, exit classes in secondary schools resumed in August to write SSCE exams.

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The commissioner promised to give details of modalities for the reopening in the coming days.
(Nikkei Asian Review)  In late July, Vietnam-based steelmaker Hoa Sen Group made a surprising announcement: it was abandoning the construction of a $10 billion production complex.

The current objective situation is no longer consistent with the original strategic goals, the company said. The group originally proposed the project in 2016. It was to construct multiple blast furnaces that together would have the capacity to turn out 16 million tons of steel a year.

Meanwhile, in China, Chen Derong, president of the countrys top steelmaker, Baowu Steel Group, had recently announced a five-year plan to invest $2.8 billion in Hubei province.

Hoa Sens retreat and Baowus big step ahead illustrate how the pandemic has divided steelmakers into winners and losers  with the winners in China and the losers everywhere else.

With the pandemic hammering steel demand in much of the world, Hoa Sen is not alone in pulling back in a bid to survive. Well-known Asian players, from Japans Nippon Steel to South Koreas Posco, are shuttering blast furnaces and reviewing capital spending plans.

Analysts say these moves are overdue. The pandemic has highlighted steelmakers lagging structural reforms, said Atsushi Yamaguchi, a senior analyst at SMBC Nikko Securities.

Asian steelmakers are now rushing to shutter high-cost facilities and reduce their capacity. Posco in July announced it will shutter a furnace at the Pohang works that can produce up to 1.3 million tons of steel a year, or 3% of Poscos total capacity. The company said it will also consider closing or revamping another furnace as early as 2025.

The announcement came three years after Posco first said it would shut the furnace. This time, the death sentence seems certain, with the pandemic crushing domestic steel demand and revenue plunging 16% in the April-June quarter.

In Japan, annual steel production is expected to be less than 80 million tons for the first time in 52 years.

Wherever they are, except China, steelmakers are bracing for huge net losses.

In February, Nippon Steel, announced that it would be shutting two blast furnaces, in Hiroshima and Wakayama prefectures, for good in the next few years.

And in a capital expenditure review, Japans largest steelmaker slashed 300 billion yen ($2.8 billion) from its initial 2018-2020 target. Spending on business investments, including mergers, will be reduced by 10% from the initial 2018-2020 target of 600 billion yen, according to a company representative. Well carefully and strictly select the targets, the representative said.

JFE Steel, Japans No. 2 player, in March announced it would close a blast furnace by 2023 to cut production capacity by 13%. The move is part of structural reforms announced the same month.

Before the pandemic, steelmakers outside of China were already struggling as the U.S.-China trade war took a toll. After Washington raised tariffs on steel, exports from Turkey and Russia originally meant for the U.S. made their way to Asia, pulling down prices in the region.

Chinese steelmakers, meanwhile, rode a rebound in domestic demand prompted by government-led economic stimulus and infrastructure spending, with steel production in 2019 hitting a record high and accounting for 53% of the global supply.

As China bought more iron ore to meet growing domestic demand, other Asian players began suffering from low margins, squeezed by climbing raw material prices and tumbling product prices.

Then the pandemic struck, reinforcing Chinas dominance in the global steel market.

When Hubei went into lockdown, the Chinese economy slowed, construction projects went dark and steel demand declined. But authorities responded by loosening the money supply and pouring more money into infrastructure projects. The steel markets recovery was rapid. In July, Chinese steel production increased 9.1% from year-earlier levels to 93.36 million tons, the highest monthly output on record.

Global production that month fell by 2.5%.

China Baowu Steel Group is set to become the worlds biggest steelmaker this year for the first time, unseating ArcelorMittal, the European giant that has long dominated the global market.

In August, the Asian price for hot-rolled steel coil, used by auto and electrical-appliance makers, was up 20% from April. Chinas accelerated production has also pushed up the price of iron ore, by 30% from January, leading to a significant jump in profit for Australian iron ore suppliers like Fortescue Metals Group.

Rising steel prices in China made exporting to the country profitable for some overseas steel suppliers like Ukraine and Russia, said Miller Wang, principal consultant at Wood Mackenzie.

Indias Tata Steel is also exporting to China. It has increased exports more than twofold since April. Indian mills will continue on opportunistic exports until domestic demand finds more legs, said Ritesh Shah, a research analyst at Investec.

But not many companies are benefiting from these exports. The fact is only 2% of Chinas steel consumption is fed by imports. Chinas steel market is actually quite independent, Wang said.

Japanese steelmakers cannot access the brisk demand in China, said Eiji Hashimoto, chairman of the Japan Iron and Steel Federation and president of Nippon Steel.

This is partly because construction accounts for 60% of all steel consumption in China, while Japanese steelmakers focus on high-end products mainly used by automakers. But Japans mills still struggle with the repercussions of Chinese demand  higher raw material prices. They are also being squeezed by falling domestic demand.

Eventually, Chinas appetite for steel will be sated. When this happens, conditions in Asian markets could rapidly deteriorate if cheap exports from China flood in.

We are carefully monitoring steel exports from China, a Nippon Steel representative said.

Wood Mackenzies Wang wonders whether China might make a financial policy pivot that could trigger a downturn. In doing so, he is looking back at what happened after the Lehman shock, which came 12 years ago this month.

China responded by launching an extensive stimulus package to rescue crisis-hit local companies that was so large it ended up having a positive impact on the global economy. The government also provided incentives for real estate projects, which resulted in skyrocketing real estate prices. All of the government measures created an investment effect that lasted four or five years.

Today, however, Chinese authorities are concerned about a housing bubble and have been trying to suppress real estate prices. President Xi Jinping in 2017 famously declared that houses are built to be lived in, not for speculation.

Currently, the goal is to stabilize real estate prices while maintaining a certain level of economic growth.

With China taking measures to control real estate prices, the duration of the infrastructure investment effect will be shorter than what followed the Lehman shock, Wang said, adding that peak steel production will come faster this time.

Already there are concerns of a steel glut. To allay these worries, the Chinese government has set a goal of raising the share of the domestic market controlled by the countrys top 10 steelmakers to 60% by the end of this year.

The top 10 steelmakers combined share now stands at around 37%, as many private companies that account for 60% are reluctant to merge. Unlike state enterprises that the government can coax into merging, private companies are difficult to consolidate as they are important employers and taxpayers in their local areas.

Asian players are not only fearful of a steel glut in China.

Chinese steelmakers, in search of a way out of the U.S.-China trade war, have been on a blast furnace construction binge in Southeast Asia. As a result, the regions capacity has swelled so significantly that the Southeast Asia Iron and Steel Institute has issued a warning: In the next few years, the region may face risks of overcapacity with a production increase of more than 61.5 million tons a year.

Despite these concerns, Vietnams Hoa Phat Group began operating a new blast furnace in late August, increasing its output capacity by 50%. A fourth furnace is to come online next year, making the group the countrys largest steelmaker.

Meanwhile, steelmakers that manage to weather the pandemic will emerge into another storm. It will take time for steel demand to recover, a Nippon Steel representative said, given the existence of multiple negative factors like the U.S.-China trade war and weakening emerging-market currencies.

JFE Steel executives agree. Post-coronavirus steel demand trends are very uncertain, a representative said, and even if demand does recover, we expect the pace to be quite slow.

Nippon Steel and JFE Steel believe they have to speed up their reform drives. Given the accelerated pace of structural changes in the business environment, a Nippon Steel representative told the Nikkei Asian Review, we will have no choice but to add more measures to the structural reforms we announced in February.

Those reforms included reducing costs by more than 200 billion yen ($1.8 billion), shuttering two blast furnaces and retreating from unprofitable businesses such as the titanium round bar business.

Downsizing and reducing operational costs will be key to weathering the storm ahead, SMBC Nikko Securities Yamaguchi said. Whether steelmakers can survive in the post-coronavirus era depends on what they do now, he added.

But as Asias steelmakers do this, their Chinese rivals are using the pandemic to further increase their presence in the global market, according to Yuji Matsumoto, a senior analyst at Nomura Securities. More than ever, Matsumoto said, global steel supply and demand will depend on the situation in China.

Additional reporting by Tomoya Onishi in Hanoi.

This story was originally published by Nikkei Asian Review

Contact editor Yang Ge (geyang@caixin.com)

Download our app to receive breaking news alerts and read the news on the go.
Photo credit: Maarten de Boer/The Licensing Project

From Women's Health

Throughout her long, high-profile careerfirst as a federal prosecutor and later as a legal analyst and The View co-hostSunny Hostin has focused on a singular mission: to give a voice to the voiceless. That intrinsic sense of justice took root early onlike, really early onas a child growing up in a New York housing project. There are lessons to be learned in adversity, Hostin tells Womens Health. The South Bronx made me who I am, for better or for worse.

Born to a Puerto Rican mother and an African American father, Hostin has often faced racism and bigotry. At the age of just 7 years old, she witnessed the stabbing of her uncle, and though he survived the initial attack, he would die years later from complications. That early brush with violence spurred Hostin to become a lawyer.

When you see that kind of devastation and trauma at a young age, it shapes you, she says. It certainly shaped me.

After a successful run as a federal prosecutor, she parlayed her legal expertise into a TV reporting role, and while at CNN, she became one of the first journalists to bring national attention to the tragic shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. Hostin chronicles her career path, struggle with infertility (she suffered five miscarriages before carrying her firstborn son to term), and journey to reconcile her backgrounds in her new memoir, I Am These Truths (out September 22).



I started to cover these issues of social justice in our country, and I started to realize that the themes of identity and intolerance and injustice that I experienced from a really young age, were really timely because they continued to happen, she says of the inspiration to write the book. And because I was able to overcome so many of them, I thought, Wow, I better put pen to paper and give people some hope.

But, in order to spread hope and help others, Hostin realizes she also needs to nurture herself. Over the years, shes developed a self-care toolkit that includes walking, stretching, and yoga.

Story continues

I keep thinking Im going to get into meditation, but it is very hard for me to quiet my mind, Hostin says. I started doing yoga, and its wonderful. It centers me, and I find this sense of calm. I try to do it several times a week, at least.

She also attributes a portion of her zen to a unique hobby inspired by Martha Stewartraising hens.

I started with four, and now I have 20, she says. Its really therapeutic. They all have names and personalities. You know, they can remember 30 different phrases! Theyre actually smarter than people give them credit for. (According to Hostin, after recently doing a shoot with Stewart, the domestic goddess promised shed give Hostin some geese to protect her hens!)

True to her calling, though, Hostin adds that no 24-hour period would be complete without doing a little good.

I think that you cant really live a perfect day without doing something for someone who cant repay you, she says. That is my mantra.

Hear more from Hostin on resilience, strength, and staying calm under pressure in her IGTV chat with Womens Health editor-in-chief Liz Plosser:





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The Electoral Commission (EC) has begun the eight-day voters register exhibition exercise starting today, September 18.

The exercise will take place simultaneously across all 33, 367 centres nationwide from 7 am to 6 pm daily, including Saturday and Sunday.

At a press briefing on Thursday, September 17, 2020, the Electoral Commission said it has recruited and deployed over 73,000 officials including COVID-19 ambassadors, to oversee the exercise.

Chairperson of the Commission, Jean Mensa, underscored the need for all registered voters to fully participate in the exercise.

If for nothing at all, the verification of a persons details is important as it affords each voter the opportunity to check whether his or her name is on the register. It helps them check their details as captured on the register and gives them the opportunity to amend mistakes.

Meanwhile, the Electoral Commission has, in a curious twist of events, announced that voters who check their registration details via the mobile short messaging service will have to pay a service charge of 30 pesewas.

Officials of the Commission had at an earlier event said the service would be free of charge for voters who will access it from Friday.

But the Chairperson of the Commission said subscribers would have to pay an inbuilt service charge to cater for the set up with the mobile network operators.

The register has over 16.9 million voters with over 30,000 voters delineated onto an exception list.

It is however still not clear how many registrations have been successfully challenged.

The 8-day exercise will thus afford registered voters the opportunity to match their details against what has been captured on the register.

---citinewsroom
Since NCB's finding a connection between drugs and Bollywood, many celebs have spoken up about the allegations. After Kangana Ranaut's recent allegation about many Bollywood celebs taking drugs, Jaya Bachchan opened up about the former's numerous comments and claimed it as vilification of Bollywood. Jaya Bachchan during her speech at the Rajya Sabha said, "Jis thaali mein khate hai, usme chhed karte hai" is receiving a mixed response.

While many netizens and people have shown support to Jaya Bachchan, Mukesh Khanna has called out the veteran actress for the same. In an interview with Times Now, Khanna claimed that Jaya's statement was 'ridiculous' and said that because one is getting paid from working in an industry, that doesn't mean he/she can't criticise it.

Giving an example from Mahabharat, the senior actor explained, "This is like saying to Bhishma Pitamah and Dronacharya that you have been Kaurav because you were eating their food. That was the vivashta of Bhishma Pitamah and Dronacharya to fight with the Kaurav. But if industry people start saying 'Aapne yahi se kamaya hai, yahi se sab kuch kiya hai, toh you don't talk anything against the industry'."

Mukesh Khanna, Says Nobody Owns The Industry; Everyone Works Hard "Why? Everybody has a right to work in the industry and if some people say that 'we have served' that means they are owing the industry. Nobody owns the industry; industry kisi ke baap ki nahi hai. industry saalon se chali aa rahi hai. We can say aaj kal nepotism badh gaya hai groupism badh gaya hai,' he added. He Also Added Consumption Of drugs Is A Crime Furthermore, Mukesh also emphasised everyone works hard. "If anybody feels uncomfortable of this investigation to be done for drugs, you say whether he is right or wrong. You have not given us the food. Everyone works hard. Truth is always bitter. There are certain people in the industry who consume drugs. This is a crime. They should be prosecuted. The industry needs sanitization," Mukesh added. Kanagan Ranaut Had Claimed 99% Superstars Have Been Exposed To Drugs Kangana Ranaut earlier had asked the government to take blood tests of actors before giving them national awards. She also claimed, "99% superstars have been exposed to hard drugs and I guarantee this."

Taapsee Pannu Hails Jaya Bachchan For Speaking Up For Bollywood

Jaya Bachchan's Residence's Security Beefed Up After Her Stand In Defence Of Film Industry
Chennai:

Tamil Nadu Governor in charge Vidyasagar Rao on Saturday promulgated ordinance for conducting Jallikattu in the state. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam will inaugurate Jallikattu at Alanganallur at 10am on Sunday, while all state ministers will inaugurate the bull-taming sport in their respective districts at 11am.

Tamil Nadu Governor has approved the jallikattu ordinance and the bull taming sport will be held at Alaganallur in Madurai and other parts of the state on Sunday, Chief Minister O Panneerselvam announced.

I urge the youths, students and the general public to make the jallikattu events across Tamil Nadu a grand success by participating in large numbers, he said.

Here are the highlights:

#I thank PM for this; after a long gap the people of TN will be celebrating Jallikattu. Congratulate everyone, says Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan

#This ordinance has been brought in with the support of Centre, PM continously supported our cause: Tamil Nadu CM



#Since ordinance will last for 6 months, in coming assembly session will formulate new law so Jallikattu takes place without hindrance: TN CM



#TN govt has successfully put an ordinance to lift the Jallikattu ban: Tamil Nadu CM



#This matter could still go to the SC, & we could get an adverse decision from SC, for those who're agitation against decision: Salman Khurshid

ALSO READ | Who said what after governor clears Jallikattu ordinance

#This will not resolve the problem, there has to be a long term solution: Salman Khurshid, Congress



#On behalf of Government and people of TN, thank you for your support in enabling Jallikattu to be held in Tamil Nadu once again: TN CM to PM

#Ordinance promulgated today by TN Govt, Jallikattu is to be conducted with customary fervour with all necessary safeguards: TN CM to PM



#TN Governor V Rao approves Jallikattu ordinance says CM Panneerselvam. Sasikala Natarajan thanks PM for ensuring conduct of Jallikattu



People continue to flock to Chennai's Marina Beach in support of the bull taming sport #Jallikattu. pic.twitter.com/laWtDIXiCb  ANI (@ANI_news) January 21, 2017

#The Bill to replace today's Ordinance on Jallikattu will be tabled in State Assembly on January 23 when the first Assembly session begins



#Tamil Nadu State Ministers will inaugurate Jallikattu in their respective districts tomorrow at 11 AM



#TN CM O Panneerselvam to inaugurate Jallikattu at Alanganallur at 10 AM tomorrow



#People in Bengaluru take to the streets to show support for Jallikattu, raise 'We want Jallikattu' slogans

#Tamil Nadu Governor Vidya Sagar Rao gives his concurrence for the emergency ordinance to hold Jallikattu: AIADMK

Vidyasagar Rao, who holds additional charge of Tamil Nadu, reached Chennai on Saturday in the backdrop of the Centre clearing the state governments proposal to promulgate an ordinance to hold Jallikattu, the bull-taming sport banned by Supreme Court.

Rao, currently the Governor of Maharashtra, holds additional charge of Tamil Nadu after K Rosaiahs tenure ended in August last year.

The TN government had proposed to issue an ordinance to allow Jallikattu.

Since the subject falls in the concurrent list of the Constitution, it is mandatory to get a nod from the Centre.

ALSO READ | Jallikattu row: Actor Suriya send legal notice to PETA, demands unconditional apology

As the state-wide protests including at the Marina beach by tens of thousands of protesters entered the fifth day, Panneerselvam said the assent of President Pranab Mukherjee to amend the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 by Tamil Nadu was received last night.

The assent for the ordinance (amending the PCA Act) has been obtained from Govenor also, he said, adding, our dream to conduct jallikattu this year has come true.

He said a draft Bill to replace the ordinance and amend the PCA Act paving the way for holding jallikattu without any hindrance will be introduced and adopted in the Tamil Nadu Assemblys session which begins on January 23.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Safe-T-Scope 360HD 3D Surround View System This year has been void of physical trade shows due to health concerns, so were looking forward to reconnecting with folks in the industry. Rosco will be featuring some new products during our hosted session so were hoping for a great turnout!

Rosco, a leading manufacturer of vision safety solutions to the commercial vehicle market, has signed on to sponsor the School Bus Technology Summit (BTS), hosted by School Transportation News (STN), on September 21-24, 2020.

BTS and STN are bringing the school bus industry together in this virtual event, allowing student transportation professionals to remotely receive training and network with peers and suppliers. Being a school bus driver during COVID-19, ensuring students safety is more important than ever. Offering both integrated systems and individual components to support efficiency, safety, and reliability, Roscos digital products and solutions allow drivers to complete their routes with confidence. At this Virtual Conference and Trade Show, Rosco will feature vision safety technologies such as Roscos MOR-Vision Mirror/Monitor series, Safe-T-Scope 360HD 3D Surround View System, Dual-Vision XC4 Recording Cameras with Cloud Based Fleet Management, and the new Eye-Max LED downlit crossview mirror.

This year has been void of physical trade shows due to health concerns, so were looking forward to reconnecting with folks in the industry. Rosco will be featuring some new products during our hosted session so were hoping for a great turnout! says Amy Ahn-You, Rosco Director of Marketing.

If you are attending the Bus Technology Summit, visit Rosco at Virtual Booth #18. Additionally, Rosco is hosting a live discussion on FMVSS 111 with Dave McDonald, VP of Business Development on Wednesday, September 23 at 11:15am EST. Dave will be joined by school bus industry experts Ron Marion and Matt Eckert to talk about how FMVSS 111 has evolved over the years, why its still important, and how you can be compliant. Rosco will also be showcasing safety products in a virtual demonstration at 4:30pm EST. To learn more about these products or the other Rosco products, please visit our website.

As with many events during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bus Technology Summit is completely virtual. Over the course of three days, attendees will learn about the latest technological innovations that can help make student and school bus transportation safer and more efficient. In addition to online sessions, attendees will partake in a virtual trade show experience that links attendees with exhibitors.

School Transportation News (STN), is a monthly business-to-business news magazine serving the field of pupil transportation. STN has been driving the industry as the source of school bus and student transportation news since 1991. The magazine is also available in digital format.

About Rosco

Rosco, Inc. is North America's largest bus mirror manufacturer, and a vision safety leader in rearview cameras, automotive windshield-based camera recording, rearview interior/exterior mirrors and sun visors in numerous bus, truck, specialty, recreational and military vehicle markets. Rosco is now the largest supplier of mirror and camera systems to the North American bus, truck, military and insurance markets, selling to all major OEMs and parts distributors including Freightliner/Thomas Built, Blue Bird, Navistar/IC Bus, Blue Bird, New Flyer, Prevost, Gilling and other bus manufacturers.
KYODO NEWS - Sep 18, 2020 - 20:30 | All, World, Japan

Japan will send an accident investigation team to Mauritius to look into the cause of an oil leak from a Japanese bulk carrier that ran aground off the Indian Ocean island nation in July, the country's transport minister Kazuyoshi Akaba said Friday.

The five-member team will leave Japan on Sunday to carry out a two-week investigation into the Panama-flagged bulk carrier Wakashio. The probe will begin after a two-week quarantine to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

Although the Japanese government does not have authority over the Panamanian-registered vessel, it has obtained approval from Mauritius and Panama for Tokyo's investigation as the ship was owned and operated by Japanese companies, Akaba said.

"We plan to inspect the ship and interview people involved (in the oil leak) in cooperation with both countries," the minister told a press conference on Friday.

The Japanese government has set up a task force for the probe at the ministry's Japan Transport Safety Board in charge of investigating transport accidents. The team will be led by Yuji Sato, who formerly headed the Japan Coast Guard, according to the board.

Separately, the Foreign Ministry said it plans to dispatch a team to Mauritius around October to compile measures to support the island country's efforts to recover from the environmental and economic damage.

Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi pledged to Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth in their online meeting on Sept. 7 to provide long-term assistance to the country, including steps to enhance safety at sea and revitalize local fishery communities.

The ministry also said its relief teams sent in three batches since Aug. 12 to help oil removal and probe the conditions of coral reefs, mangroves and birds, have completed their on-site activities on Monday.

On July 25, the Wakashio owned by Nagashiki Shipping Co. and operated by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. ran aground near Pointe D'Esny, an area designated as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.

The vessel, which was en route to Brazil from China via Singapore, was transporting around 3,800 tons of fuel oil and 200 tons of diesel. More than 1,000 tons of fuel oil has spilled from the ship since Aug. 6, prompting the Mauritian government to declare an environmental emergency.

Mauritius arrested the male captain, an Indian national, as well as a Sri Lankan crew member on Aug. 18 on suspicion of negligence in operating the vessel.

The vessel was broken in two and the front section of the ship was towed to open water and sunk as instructed by local authorities, according to a Japanese disaster relief team dispatched to Mauritius following the incident.

Related coverage:

Mitsui O.S.K. vows 1 bil. yen in aid for Mauritius oil cleanup

Japan to provide long-term support to Mauritius after oil spill

Japan proposes wiping down Mauritius mangroves by hand to remove oil
Guelph, ON, Sept. 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Grain Farmers of Ontario, the provinces largest commodity organization, representing Ontarios 28,000 barley, corn, oat, soybean and wheat farmers today has deep concerns about the current Clean Fuels Standard (CFS) proposed by the Canadian government, are opposed to the criteria for land use, and ask for transparency around carbon numbers and any certification processes.

The CFS currently contains restrictions on land use, which will discourage farmers from planting and growing biofuel crops. The restrictions do not take into account the sustainability efforts that farmers already take, or the competitive advantage that will now benefit other countries selling corn and soybeans into Canada for biofuels.

Farmers today already use less land to grow more. Our farmer-members are constantly evolving their operations to be more sustainable, meaning we can help to provide the grains needed for true carbon emission reduction practices across the country in a sustainable, renewable way, but not if we are continually restricted by a government that is not making decisions based on scientific analysis, said Markus Haerle, Chair, Grain Farmers of Ontario.

Over the last 30 years, grain farmers have increased land use efficiency by 39 percent and reduced their climate impact by 45 percent in corn production alone.

Grain farmers in Ontario produce most of Canadas corn and soybeans  both important grains in ethanol and biodiesel production. Ethanol is proven to reduce carbon emissions by almost 40 percent in vehicular emissions  one of the largest culprits of GHG. Any regulations that make it harder for farmers to produce crops for domestic biofuels use are actually detrimental to the goals of the CFS.

Our growing practices have been assessed and deemed sustainable by the US Environmental Protection Agency. We are shocked to see a regulation that will damage our ability to trade freely and negatively impact our own domestic markets. Instead of embracing the hard work farmers do to grow crops for the green economy, the proposed Clean Fuels Standard will penalize farmers, Haerle continued. The potential impacts to the rural communities we farm in, and support, are very concerning to us.

The CFS puts needless regulatory burden on farmers and the important role that Ontario-grown corn and locally produced ethanol plays in reducing carbon emissions. The CFS also diminishes the potential of Ontario agriculture in assisting with a post-COVID economic recovery.

Grain Farmers of Ontario urges the government to:

Exclude the land use criteria in the CFS as unnecessary red tape that will negatively impact the ability of Ontario farmers to drive ethanol production, which ignores the tremendous work that farmers have done and continue to do to improve their environmental footprint.

GRAIN FARMERS OF ONTARIO

Grain Farmers of Ontario is the provinces largest commodity organization, representing Ontarios 28,000 barley, corn, oat, soybean, and wheat farmers. The crops they grow cover over 6 million acres of farm land across the province, generate over $4.1 billion in production value, result in over $18 billion in economic output and are responsible for over 75,000 jobs in the province.
In an effort to help insureds avoid falling victim to scams and abuse, as well as to speed up the claims process, Citizens Property Insurance Corp. is urging its policyholders to Call Citizens First as they recover from Hurricane Sally.

The storm hit the Gulf Coast on Wednesday as a powerful Category 2 storm. It hovered over Alabama and the Florida Panhandle, inundating some areas with more than two feet (60 cm) of rain. Pensacola, Florida, east of the storms landfall, experienced up to 5 feet (1.5 m) of flooding.

According to a statement from Citizens, representatives are available 24/7 to handle claims calls at 1.866.411.2742. More information can be found in the Claims section of the Citizens website.

For flood-related claims, individuals with flood insurance policies through FEMAs National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) should also reach out to their insurance agents for more information about filing a claim. Consumers may also reach FEMA directly at 1.800.621.3362

Citizens is ready to assist our policyholders as they recover from Hurricane Sally, said Barry Gilway, Citizens president/CEO and executive director. Our claims representatives are ready to help. All you have to do is call.

The insurer said policyholders should be wary of unscrupulous contractors and repair companies that thrive in the frenzied days following any storm. Policyholders must be wary of unlicensed contractors or deals that sound too good to be true. 

Policyholders who have experienced a loss should Call Citizens First to ensure they stay in control of their claim. Further, Citizens advises policyholders not to sign anything, including an assignment of benefits, before consulting with Citizens or their insurance agent.

Citizens said policyholders are most likely to be offered an assignment of benefits (AOB) while making emergency repairs or when companies come to the door soliciting business. Policyholders may be told repairs cannot be completed until they have signed an AOB contract, which allows the company to submit the claim and deal directly with Citizens.

Citizens first launched the Call Citizens First educational initiative in 2016 in an attempt to improve customer claims handling while taking steps to combat an increase of fraud and abuse that has since driven up premiums across the state.

Call Citizens First focuses on educating policyholders and agents about contacting Citizens immediately after any type of loss to their property while reminding customers that fraud, abuse and other factors can increase property insurance costs.

The initiative is part of a multi-faced approach Citizens has enacted over the last several years as water loss claims and litigation has risen. After major catastrophes, the chance for fraudulent claims increases. Gilway said recently that prior to the 3-year Hurricane Irma claims deadline the insurer was still receiving 450 to 600 claims per month from the storm.

The claims that we received, initially started out as being legitimate, solid claims. Its very, very clear that when it comes to hurricane claims, people want to put the claim in, they want to put it in now because it is very real damage and they need a response to the damage, Gilway said. As time goes on, what you find is youre getting more and more claims that are extremely questionable.

The insurer also enacted a managed repair program in 2018 that incentivizes policyholders to work with contractors who have been vetted and approved by the insurer.

Anyone can report suspected insurance fraud by calling Citizens Special Investigations Unit toll-free at 1.855.748.9596 or by submitting a report online. Customers also can contact the Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Consumer Services Insurance Consumer Helpline immediately at 1.877.693.5236. Concerns will be referred to insurance fraud investigators.

Source: Citizens Property Insurance Corp.

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Florida Claims Fraud Flood Hurricane
The movement to remove police from schools has reached Winnipeg after sweeping across the nation in recent years, beginning with a historic decision by Canadas largest school division.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 17/9/2020 (491 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The movement to remove police from schools has reached Winnipeg after sweeping across the nation in recent years, beginning with a historic decision by Canadas largest school division.

In November 2017, after nearly a decade of action from students, parents and community members, the Toronto District School Board voted to axe its decade-old, onsite police program.

A Toronto police officer in front of Central Technical School in Toronto in 2010. In 2017 the Toronto District School Board voted to axe its decade-old, onsite police program. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

It came on the heels of a six-week review that involved consultation with more than 15,000 students, said Phillip Morgan, an organizer with Education Not Incarceration community group.

"If we believe that schools are places where people are supposed to feel safe, and where they should access education without any sort of barriers, then it doesn't really make sense for us to have police in schools. When we know that there are people in our communities who have very different experiences of police, who don't feel safe around them, who have been harassed by police, profiled by police," Morgan said in an interview Thursday.

"Those histories dont stop at the threshold of the school entrance, those things are brought into the school. So if we want students to be able to focus and study and have a barrier-free experience, we can't have police in schools."

Another major Ontario city division followed suit in June 2020, when pressure from community members led the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board to scrap its police liaison program.

A campaign led by the Latinx, Afro-Latin-America, Abya Yala Education Network (LAEN) is currently calling to extend the example struck by Toronto and Hamilton to school boards across Ontario.

Also in June, the Edmonton Public School Board voted to conduct its first independent study of the onsite police program (in effect since 1979) but stopped short of pulling officers out during the review.

Dozens of members of the public registered to speak to trustees, with many criticizing the boards reluctance to act, citing the schools-to-prison pipeline and numerous studies depicting the impact of police officers on racialized students as impetus for change.

Andrea Vasquez Jimenez, co-director of LAEN, threw support behind the Alberta organizers and demanded both a suspension and an end to the program.

Jimenez told the Edmonton board that, in the year since the removal of Torontos police-in-school program, suspensions had dropped 24 per cent and expulsions fell 53 per cent (in comparison to the 2016-17 school year), with more emphasis placed on communication with parents, social workers and guidance workers.

"Having healthy, equitable, police-free schools is a public health issue, and is a labour issue," Jimenez said during the June 30 meeting. "Not only are police-free schools fiscally responsible and a professional obligation, but it moves beyond that because it indeed is a legal obligation, it is a human right, and the continuation of police in schools is gross negligence and an ongoing human rights violation on the part of your school board."

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Earlier this month, trustees conceded and announced the program would be shelved during the review in favour of a "Youth Enhanced Deployment" model, which will have officers continue to work with youth without being stationed in schools.

Meanwhile, in Vancouver, a petition from parents, educators and community members demanding the immediate end of the school liaison officer program and reinvestment of resources into community-led school programs reached nearly 3,000 signatures as of Thursday, and has garnered support from advocacy groups.

While movements across the country work to diminish the presence of police in school hallways, Winnipegs schools are expanding police presence, adding a new officer to the River East Transcona School Division this year.

"Were alarmed that while countless other cities are defunding and reconceiving and dismantling these programs, Winnipeg is only expanding them. We think that that is a regressive and dangerous commitment to prioritizing police reach into marginalized communities over health and equity," said Cam Scott, an organizer with Police-Free Schools Winnipeg.

julia-simone.rutgers@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jsrutgers
CAMBRIDGE  Police are investigating after shots were fired at a home in Cambridge.

On Wednesday, early in the morning, witnesses report gunshots on Forestview Drive near Saginaw Parkway and Townline Road.

A vehicle was then heard speeding away, said Waterloo Regional Police. No one was injured.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 519-570-9777, ext. 2299, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
PNC/Getty Images

SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)  Police in San Francisco arrested a man after he allegedly carjacked an ambulance while a patient was inside early Thursday morning.

Police said around 3:55 a.m., emergency medics near Golden Gate Avenue and McAllister Street flagged down an officer and said their ambulance had been carjacked with a patient inside.
WEST HARTFORD  A Hartford gang member, who was shot this month while released on bond on federal charges, was sentenced to more than a year in prison on a drug distribution offense.

During his court appearance Thursday, a judge sentenced Kendall Fair, 21, to 15 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

The charges against Fair stemmed from an investigation targeting gang-related drug distribution and associated violence in North Hartford that began in July 2019 after a spike of gun violence.

Investigators learned a significant amount of the gun violence was committed by members of two rival neighborhood street gangs, the Dumouts and the Hoodstars, according to a news release from the office of U.S. Attorney for Connecticut John Durham.

Fair was a member of the Dumouts, according to authorities. Investigators said they bought crack from Fair three times, and crack and fentanyl from him twice.

More than a year ago, on Sept. 13, 2019, investigators arrested Fair at his home. A search of his bedroom led investigators to 15 grams of crack, an undisclosed quantity of cocaine and six bags of fentanyl, authorities said.

Fair pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, cocaine-based crack.

He was released on a $100,000 bond on May 14.

The conditions of Fairs release included that he must live with family in West Hartford and be confined to the home with electronic monitoring.

Then, in the early morning hours of Sept. 7, Hartford police responded to Huntington Street for a call of shots fired. Responding officers found Fair suffering from two gunshot wounds to the leg, authorities said.

A handgun and about 40 different caliber shell casings were recovered by investigators, authorities said.

Fairs criminal history included multiple felony convictions. He was also previously shot in March 2018 and May 2018.

He was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals after Thursdays court proceeding.
Hours after the governor took the next step in reopening Texas, San Antonio officials reported Thursday that area hospitals had admitted 37 new patients with COVID-19  nearly double the number reported the day before.

Government officials said that because the number of new cases fluctuates from day to day, its too soon to know whether Labor Day gatherings spurred the slight uptick or whether it will continue. Wednesday saw 20 new hospital admissions, while Tuesday saw 28.

Were watching to see how it trends, Mayor Ron Nirenberg said during the daily city-county briefing. But from one day to the next, its really hard to tell.

The mayor said health officials should have a better idea of the holidays ramifications  if there are any  by the end of the week.

Earlier in the day, Gov. Greg Abbott loosened COVID-19 occupancy restrictions for businesses including gyms, restaurants, offices and retail stores. Those businesses can now operate at 75 percent occupancy, unless theyre in Victoria, Laredo and the Rio Grande Valley, where hospitals are still under strain from COVID-19 patients.

My instinct is that the success of the reopening and whether or not we can do it safely will hinge on whether or not people are still committed to the behaviors  mask-wearing, physical distancing and also avoiding large crowds, Nirenberg said. I think if we can do that, we can keep our infections under control.

Even with Thursdays increase in San Antonio, the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients represents a small fraction of the 1,200 hospitalized in July.

Thursday saw 214 patients in area hospitals. Of those, 100 were in intensive care units, the same as the day before, and 43 were on ventilators, up from 42 Wednesday.

The increase in new coronavirus cases remained similar to recent days, with 141 new confirmed cases and two deaths reported Thursday. Officials on Wednesday reported 153 new cases and three deaths.

Bexar Countys total number of COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic now stands at 50,425. The death toll is 1,024.

In neighboring Comal County, officials reported 10 new cases, bringing that countys total cases to 3,270.

With the height of flu season approaching, officials urged residents Thursday to get a flu shot so hospitals arent overwhelmed with patients sick with the flu, on top of those with COVID-19.

County Commissioner Justin Rodriguez said the county is partnering with health care groups to offer free drive-thru flu shots to residents Sept. 26 at Freeman Coliseum.

People dont need health insurance to get one, but they do need to make an appointment by visiting Bexar Countys website. Those without internet access can call the BiblioTech at 210-289-0963 for assistance making an appointment.

Marina Starleaf Riker is an investigative reporter for the San Antonio Express-News with extensive experience covering affordable housing, inequality and disaster recovery. To read more from Marina, become a subscriber. marina.riker@express-news.net | Twitter: @MarinaStarleaf
Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion at 9 PM. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times.

DRI official critically hurt after he was shot by gold smugglers, 5.5 kg of gold seized

A Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) official was critically injured after he was shot by gold smugglers in Jodhpur on Friday morning, officials said. Read more

ED attaches three hotels worth Rs 100 crore in PMC Bank fraud

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached three hotels in Delhi worth Rs 100 crore in connection with its money laundering probe in the Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) bank fraud, officials familiar with the development said. Read more

Esha Gupta makes fans jaws drop in awe as she pulls off Upavistha Konasana neatly in latest fitness picture

Encouraging fans to prioritise health and fitness with her regular Yoga posts on social media throughout COVID-19 quarantine, actor Esha Gupta made jaws drop as she neatly pulled off Upavistha Konasana this Friday. Giving netizens the right workout boost ahead of the weekend, Esha flaunted pulling off the Yoga asana effortlessly in her latest fitness picture. Read more

Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare movie review: Bhumi Pednekar, Konkana Sen Sharma are in search of their shining stars

After battling the world for Lipstick Under My Burkha, Alankrita Shrivastava got a relatively easier release for Dolly Kitty Aur Chamkakte Sitare. After a big debut at the Busan International Film Festival last year, the film was to arrive in Indian movie theatres this year. But a pandemic later, Dolly and Kittys stars have descended upon our Netflix accounts. Good for us because of all things, Dolly Kitty Aur Chamkakte Sitare is not worth catching the coronavirus for. Read more

This tweet may remind you of your grandma for the sweetest reason

Grandparents play a really huge and beautiful role in a kids life, especially their growing up years. From showering us with love to protecting us from mom and dads scolding to advocating for an extra hour of playtime for us to spoiling us with our favourite things to eat, grandparents pamper their grandkids in every way possible. Read more

IPL 2020: Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings rivalry  All you need to know

When it comes to IPL rivalries, nothing tops the one shared by Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings. The two most successful IPL franchises have made for some wonderful one-on-one contests from the very first edition of the IPL 12 years ago. Read more

Watch: BJPs Nehru-Gandhi jibe Vs Congress Himachal ka chokra counter

A huge ruckus broke out in Lok Sabha after MoS Finance Anurag Thakur attacked Nehru and Sonia Gandhi during a discussion on PM CARES fund. Defending the fund, Thakur slammed the oppositions constant attempts to question PM CARES fund and said that the Prime Ministers National Relief Fund created by then Prime Minister Nehru had not even been registered till now. Watch more
Council say they are responding to two complaints against supermarkets but give short shrift to request from MS to visit each store

This article is old - Published: Friday, Sep 18th, 2020

Wrexham Council are responding to two complaints against supermarkets in Wrexham, however appear to have rejected a request from the local MS to visit each supermarket to check for compliance with coronavirus regulations.

Locally multiple accounts of possible social distancing and other pandemic non-compliance at supermarkets have been circulating on social media.

Speaking about possible local inspections of supermarkets recently Chief Executive of Wrexham Council Ian Bancroft said, We have our environmental health team, our public protection team, if we have any concerns raised to us or aware of those, clearly we have those powers to go out, theyve obviously been extended in terms of Welsh Government to deal with issues.

So clearly from a general management point of view, thats our normal business if weve got concerns with business premises, but obviously well review that and also well look at what complaints we get, or issues raised by members of the public or by other people.

One such complaint has come in to Wrexham Council via local MS Lesley Griffiths, who is also the Minister responsible for the issue on a Wales-wide basis.

Wrexhams MS made a letter from the 10th of September public this week, where she wrote to the Leader of Wrexham Council Mark Pritchard asking that each supermarket in Wrexham is visited by Council Officers and conveyed complaints from constituents:

We asked Wrexham Council if each supermarket in Wrexham had been visited, or that was underway to confirm how many had been visited so far.

We also pointed to Rhondda Cynon Taf council who published a named list of supermarkets with issues found and notices served, so asked if there were any such supermarkets in Wrexham is it possible to know the brand and location.

Cllr Hugh Jones, Lead Member for Communities, Partnerships, Public Protection and Community Protection, on Wrexham Council replied: Public Protection officers have been responding to two complaints against supermarkets in Wrexham County Borough and over 100 complaints relating to social distancing concerns at other premises over the last few months.

Our Officers have a good understanding as to current Covid19 related risks and efforts have been undertaken to proactively inspect specific business sectors such as the pubs and bars to ensure that social distancing measures are being appropriately implemented. We will also be undertaking a specific programme to advise and monitor those business providing close contact services, such as hairdressers/barbers etc. as these present specific covid19 related risks. Our Officers have and will continue to take enforcement action if required to ensure that all business within the County Borough comply with relevant measures, however we are also mindful that certain business sectors present higher risks than others, this is reflected in the different measures outlined in Welsh Governments guidance.

Officers will continue with their pro-active work for as long as necessary in order to Keep Wrexham Safe.

I encourage everyone in Wrexham to continue to exercise social distancing and to pay close attention to hand hygiene. We none of us wish to have any of the freedoms recently gained to be taken away as has happened in Caerphilly, Rhondda Cynon Taff and now the North East of England.

Please help us all to keep Wrexham safe.

Wrexham Council have not named the two supermarkets subject to complaints.

The Council said anyone with concerns about premises not operating within the mandatory guidelines should contact them via email at contact-us@wrexham.gov.uk

Last week we asked the asked First Minister about the issue and if Welsh Government should enforce the standards at such companies with outlets in multiple local authority areas. We noted that often councils are talking to lower level staff who cant alter national chain policy. We also asked how fines of a few hundred pounds was any kind of penalty to such large entities.

The First Minister said: We do set national rules that all those supermarkets are bound by.

My colleague Lesley Griffiths MS meets almost every week with national representatives of the supermarkets in Wales, and most supermarkets have done a remarkable job and many of them continue to do so.

But, we have too many examples of where in local areas, local arrangements are no longer at the level that we need to see to protect staff and customers from the risk of coronavirus.

Thats why I am pleased to see those improvement notices being served. I think it brings home to the supermarkets the need for them to sustain the standards that they had in place earlier in the pandemic.

I dont think that the the incentive for supermarkets to do the right thing is in the few hundred pounds worth of fines. I think its in the reputational damage that is done to them where customers see in the window of a supermarket that an improvement notice has had to be served.

I think its much more likely that people voting with their feet and going to places that are well managed and well run that will cause supermarkets to make sure that they are not the place where improvement notice is needed.

Top Pic: Wrexhams MS Lesley Griffiths back when the Senedd was full.
An Accra High Court Judge, Justice Amos Wuntah Wuni, has stated that he has not received any orders from the Supreme Court to stop proceedings in the contempt case against Kennedy Ohene Agyapng.

The case has, however, been adjourned to Friday, September 25, for his lawyers respond to the charges against him.

The court said its attention has been drawn to the Supreme Court case filed but there has not been any orders from the Supreme Court for him to stop the case.

Lawyers of Keneday Agyapong led by Kwame Gyan argued that, the returned date at the Supreme Court is October 13, 2020.

But the court said it cannot wait for a whole month to dispense with justice and said it was going to deal with the matter until the Supreme Court determines otherwise.

He said the contemnor and his lawyers cannot just file processes to frustrate the court in dispensing with justice.

The court has, however, adjourned the case to Friday October 25 for the lawyers to make legal argument on the matter

The MP who was summomed to appear before the court at 9am arrived at 8:30, that is 30 minutes before the court directed time.

Supreme Court

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Assin Central, has asked the Supreme Court to stop contempt proceedings against him by the Accra High Court.

Lawyers for the MP filed a judicial review application at the apex court Thursday, barely 24 hours after he was supposed to appear before the High Court and explain why he should not be punished for allegedly describing the judge as stupid.

The MP wants the Supreme Court to prohibit the High Court from hearing the contempt case and also quash the order of summons for him to appear before the court on the basis that the particular court (Land Court 12) that summoned him had no jurisdiction to do so.

Different court

In his affidavit in support, the MP avers that his comments was not against Justice Amos Wuntah Wuni of Land Court 12 but was rather against a different judge in another matter at Labour Court 2, for which he said he had duly apologized.

The words uttered which I deem uncomplimentary and I have since apologized were not directed at the Court, presided over by his Lordship Amos Wuntah Wuni, the Court is not seized with jurisdiction to order the applicant to appear and to answer why he should not be severely punished for contempt of court, the MP said in his affidavit in support.

Substituted service

The High Court in Accra last Monday issued further directives in the form of Substituted Servcie for MP for Assin Central Kennedy Ohene Agyapong to appear before court on his contempt charge.

The High Court judge Amos Wuntah Wuni summoned maverick politician Kennedy Ohene Agyapong for contempt after he was said to have used unprintable words on the judge.

In court last Monday, when the case was called the contemnor (Ken Agyapong) was not in court because he has not been served personally with the order to appear before the court.

The court said.That being the current state of affairs regarding the service of order to appear in court, service of the order will be made by substituted service in the following manner;

By posting a copy of the order and the courts surmons to show cause issued on Sept 9 to be served on the said Kenneddy Ohene Agyapong to appear before this court on the notice board of the High Court, Land Division, Law Court Complex.

By posting a copy of the order together with the hearing notice on a conspicuous part of Net2 TV and Oman FM stations, Holywood Building, Medina Zongo Junction, Accra.

The court said the order shall remain posted for three days (returnable on Friday Sept 18).

The suit is adjourned to Friday, Sept 18, 2020.

Non-service

The court said said there was a proof of non-service on Kennedy Agyapong to appear before the court personally.

---starrfmonline
WASHINGTON - The Latest on the 2020 presidential campaign (all times local):

9:20 p.m.

Joe Biden says Russia will pay a price for interfering in U.S. elections if he wins the White House.

The former vice-president said Thursday during a CNN town hall staged near his birth city of Scranton, Pennsylvania, that Russia would face repercussions for attempting to influence Novembers vote. When pressed by moderator Anderson Cooper, however, he refused to say exactly what that meant.

It wouldnt be prudent to be more specific, Biden said. He instead said he thought Russian President Vladimir Putin was doing his best to divide Europe.

Biden also said he viewed Russia as an opponent but declined to be quite as critical of China. Instead, he said he viewed China as a serious competitor.

U.S. intelligence officials believe that Russia is using a variety of measures to denigrate Biden ahead of the November election and that individuals linked to the Kremlin are boosting President Donald Trumps reelection bid. Russia also interfered in the 2016 election to help Trump beat Democrat Hillary Clinton.

___

HERES WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WHATS HAPPENING IN THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE:

President Donald Trump spoke at the National Archives to commemorate Constitution Day and is holding a rally in central Wisconsin on Thursday night. His Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, joined Senate Democrats for an online lunch and is participating in a drive-in CNN town hall in Moosic, Pennsylvania, on Thursday night.

Read more:

 Trump aims to boost rural turnout in crucial Wisconsin

 AP-NORC poll: Trump faces deep pessimism as election nears

 Fired up Biden discusses strategy with Senate Democrats

___

HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

6:10 p.m.

A former adviser to Vice-President Mike Pence has joined the chorus of former Trump administration officials urging voters to deny him a second term.

Olivia Troye was Pences former homeland security adviser and served as a member of the White Houses coronavirus task force.

She says in a new video released Thursday by the group Republican Voters Against Trump that Trump was more concerned about his reelection chances than the virus. She says if the president had taken the virus seriously, he would have saved lives.

She also claims Trump once suggested the coronavirus might be a good thing because it would stop him from having to shake hands with disgusting people. She says she is a lifelong Republican who plans to vote for Democrat Joe Biden for president.

The White House adamantly denies Troyes allegations. Pence said her remarks read to me like one more disgruntled employee that has decided to play politics during election year.

___

5:55 p.m.

President Donald Trump is intensifying efforts to appeal to his core base of white voters by downplaying the historical legacy of slavery in the United States and blasting efforts to address systemic racism as divisive.

The president spoke Thursday at the National Archives to commemorate the 233rd anniversary of the signing of the Constitution. His speech amounted to a defence of white culture and a denunciation of Democrats, the media and others whom he accused of trying to indoctrinate schoolchildren and shame their parents whiteness.

He also argued that Americas founding set in motion the unstoppable chain of events that abolished slavery, secured civil rights, defeated communism and fascism and built the most fair, equal and prosperous nation in human history.

But he did not mention the 246 years of slavery in America, including the 89 years it was allowed to continue after the colonies declared independence from England. Nor did the president acknowledge the ongoing fight against racial injustice and police brutality, which has prompted months of protests this year.

___

5:45 p.m.

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is returning to Pennsylvania for a socially distanced town hall near his birthplace of Scranton.

For the first time since winning the nomination, Biden was to face live, unscripted questions from voters. Thursdays CNN event will have an unusual format because of the coronavirus pandemic: Its being held as a drive-in of 35 cars parked outside PNC Field.

Preparations were made to let audience members watch the candidate speak on a stage and listen on their radios from inside their cars.

President Donald Trump participated in an ABC town hall Tuesday in an auditorium in Philadelphia. Pennsylvania is considered a crucial battleground state.

The format of Bidens event is a stark reminder of the issue thats been a central focus of Bidens campaign  that the pandemic rages on, affecting Americans lives in ways large and small, and that stronger leadership in White House could have eased the crisis.

___

4:40 p.m.

Joe Biden has joined Senate Democrats for a conference call lunch and told them he is taking nothing for granted in the race for the White House and the down-ballot effort to wrest the Senates majority control from Republicans.

The Democratic presidential nominee fielded questions Thursday afternoon about his strategy win back the chamber and defeat President Donald Trump.

Michigan Sen. Gary Peters says, You could tell hes really fired up and hes working hard and is going to be be out there and be much as he possibly can.

On the private call, Biden did not take on Trump directly but outlined whats at stake in the election.

Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow says, He just said, You know what were up against. You know why this is so important.

Bidens message, said Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin, was clear: Theyre ready.

___

3:45 p.m.

President Donald Trump is aiming to boost enthusiasm among rural Wisconsin voters, looking to repeat his path to victory four years ago.

Making his fifth visit to the pivotal battleground state this year, Trump views success in the states less-populated counties as critical to another term.

He is set to hold a rally Thursday evening in Mosinee, in central Wisconsin, an area of the state that shifted dramatically toward Republicans in 2016, enabling Trump to overcome even greater deficits in urban and suburban parts of the state.

Trump, hinging his campaign on turning out his core supporters, has increasingly used his public appearances to elevate cultural issues important to his generally whiter and older base.

___

3:35 p.m.

Joe Biden says his presidential campaign will focus on mobilizing people to vote early, especially in places where such ballots are counted quickly, to keep President Donald Trump from declaring victory before all the results are in.

Speaking on a virtual fundraiser with Colorado leaders on Thursday, Biden noted that more Trump supporters are likely to vote in person while his own supporters might cast absentee ballots because of fears about the coronavirus.

Referring to Trump, Biden said, His hope is that, by the time the polls close, hed have more votes than I would have had, even though only a relatively small percentage of votes (were) counted.

The former vice-president said so many states now have early voting and count ballots quickly that he doesnt believe the scenario will happen. But he says his team has to stay prepared.

On Friday, both Trump and Biden will travel to Minnesota, which holds its first day of early voting.
By David Shepardson, Stephen Nellis and Echo Wang (Reuters) - China's ByteDance is planning a U.S. initial public offering of TikTok Global, the new company that will operate the popular short video app, should its proposed deal be cleared by the White House, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday. ByteDance is racing to clinch a deal with the White House that will stave off a U.S. ban on TikTok that President Donald Trump has threatened could happen as early as next week. Trump ordered ByteDance last month to divest TikTok amid U.S. concerns that the personal ...
A contact tracing map released by the Middlesex London Health Unit shows the start of the COVID-19 outbreak among University of Western Ontario students.

The graphic shows the path of infected students over the course of a six-day period from Sept. 8 to Sept. 13, as the route visits local businesses and student bars, including La Cucina, Chucks Roadhouse, Crunch Fitness. Several students were also shown sharing drinks and e-cigarettes, as well as car rides, without a mask.

With almost 30 active cases among students, 15 are believed to be linked to the outbreak. Eleven of those cases are linked to three student houses and four linked to Lost Love Social House, a popular student nightclub.

Weve recognized there is the importance of being able to tell the story of how COVID is transmitted in our community and doing that requires being able to break down the day to day activities of the cases and contact over the people that get infected with COVID-19 says Dr. Alex Summers, associate medical officer of health at the Middlesex-London Health Unit.

Western University contact tracing visualization View document on Scribd

We also recognized, as we went into the Fall, it was social activities, where people were interacting with one another often outside of organized locations like schools or campuses or businesses. These were the events that were of highest risk, and yet theyre the ones that people may not have recognized to be of high risk

Two employees of Lost Love, labelled as F1 and G1, were seen working at the club with masks on and contracted the virus after sharing car rides together. Lost Love shut down operations on Sept. 12 for a deep clean and plans to reopen on Sept. 26.

In a statement to The Star, Matt Reesor, president of Western Universitys students council, stated that the union is actively working alongside Western University, the Middlesex-London Health Unit, and the City of London to curb the spread of COVID-19.

The health and safety of Western students and the broader London community is a shared responsibility and a top priority for the USC.

Correction - Sept. 19, 2020: This article was edited from a previous version that mistakenly said there are 30 active cases of COVID-19 in London. In fact, that is the number of active cases amongst students at the university.
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases globally has passed 30 million, as new infections continue to grow at an accelerating rate.

Daily cases around the world now average close to 300,000, up from around 200,000 per day in July.

The accelerating rate means that it has taken just five weeks to pass the latest 10m milestone, having taken six months to reach the first 10 million cases.

The majority of new cases come from just three countries  India, Brazil and the US  with India alone accounting for nearly a third of all new infections.

The US continues to have the highest number of total cases with close to 7 million, though new daily cases have dropped from above 60,000 in early August, to less than 40,000 in September.

(The Independent)

Despite the dip, the US remains the second worst affected country in terms of new daily cases, behind only India where more than 90,000 cases are currently being recorded each day.

Other badly affected countries that saw a dramatic drop in infections following a first wave of the deadly virus are now seeing an even more severe second wave.

The surge in new cases has been particularly noticeable in Europe, after countries lifted strict lockdown restrictions in May and June.

(The Independent)

The European director of the World Health Organisation warned on Thursday that Europe was experiencing alarming rates of transmission.

Dr Hans Kluge called for regional coherence to help stem the spread of Covid-19, after the region saw more than 300,000 confirmed cases over the last week.

(The Independent)

Speaking at a press briefing, Dr Kluge said that many countries were going into a worsening situation and warned against public resistance to measures like face masks and quarantines that are needed to control the pandemic.

At the moment we see a fatigue and resistance in the behaviour that is helpful in fighting the virus, he said.

In the spring and early summer, we were able to see the impact of strict lockdown measures. Our efforts, our sacrifices paid off. In June, cases hit an all-time low. The September case numbers, however, should serve as a wake-up call for all of us."
A middle school teacher and mother of four lost her life trying to save her 9-year-old daughter from drowning on Labor Day. Sarah Jackson entered a Georgia lake and did not survive, though her daughter made it out alive.

Sarah, 45, formerly a special education teacher at Duluth Middle School, rushed into the water at Tribble Mill Park in Lawrenceville when she saw her daughter in trouble. Bystanders were able to perform CPR on the young girl after she was rescued, reports 11 Alive.

The mother was also retrieved from the water but was unable to be revived. Sarah died at the hospital.

Sarahs brother, James Jackson, shared the tragedy on a GoFundMe page set up to raise money for her surviving children.

Tribble Mill Park in Lawrenceville (Screenshot/Google Maps)

Sarahs eldest child mourned tearfully during her mothers final moments in the hospital room, James recalled. The doctors told her that there was nothing more they could do, he said. James is now taking care of his four nieces.

He and his sister both faced adversity since early childhood, as their mother died when Sarah was 2 years old.

Later as a young mom, Sarah was briefly homeless during her college years at Georgia Gwinnett College.

After recovering financially and dedicating herself to her chosen profession as a teacher, she worked hard to provide for her four daughters, now aged 9, 11, 13, and 20.

James surmised that she wouldnt have lost her life that day had it not been for another traumatic incident a day earlier when Sarah was robbed at gunpoint by three masked armed men in Atlanta who stopped her car and stole her purse and cell phone.

As a result, the mothers plan to take her children to Savannah for Labor Day fell through. Unable to make the trip without cash, credit cards, or identification, the family went to the lake at Lawrenceville instead.

Duluth Middle School shared a Facebook post in memory of their lost teacher on Sept. 10, captioned:

The Duluth Middle School family is grieving the tragic and sudden loss of one of our wonderful teachers, Ms. Sarah Jackson. Ms. Jackson was a gift to our students. She leaves behind four daughters, three of whom attend Duluth Cluster schools. Please keep this family, and our students and staff, in your prayers.

Georgia Gwinnett College (Screenshot/Google Maps)

In May 2013, Sarah delivered a speech at Georgia Gwinnett Colleges spring commencement ceremony where she talked frankly about being a homeless single mom while trying to finish her degree.

One of my daughters was extremely sick at the time, she said. She was in and out of the hospital for three years and required 24-hour care.

The family of five ended up in a homeless shelter program, but Sarah finished her degree on a scholarship.

School was one of the main driving forces for me during this difficult and humbling experience, she added, because I knew completing my education would open the door to a career that would ultimately create financial stability, and change the quality of life for my family.

Sarah is a hero on so many levels, said James.

We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.nyc
The police arrested three persons Friday, suspected to be involved in robbing an ATM cash loading vehicle in Manipur, which led to the killing of a cash replenishment agencys security personnel.

The police said the three arrested persons are employees of Writers Safeguard Group (WSG), a cash replenishment agency sub-contracted by State Bank of India for cash management.

The police identified them as V Thangkhanmuan (40) of V Munhoih village, Churachandpur, K Somen Singh (36) of Khuga Tampak, Zoveng, Churachandpur, and Kongkham Brojen Singh (40) of Bamon Kampu, Imphal East. The police suspect them of being involved in siphoning off money and killing the security personnel.

The police have recovered 20 lakh from the possession of one of the arrested persons, they said.

On September 4 around 10.30am, armed miscreants robbed an ATM cash-loading vehicle in Churachandpur and fled with about 1.15 crore after shooting Arambam Ranjan (37), a security personnel who was sitting alone in the vehicle. The victim was a resident of Khuga Tampak, Zoveng in Churachandpur.

Protesting against the incident, residents of Khuga Tampak and other areas have been demanding justice.

The police had announced a reward of 1 lakh to anyone who could provide information leading to the arrest of the culprit(s).

Condemning the incident, state chief minister N Biren Singh had also said that the government will take steps to provide all necessary assistance to the victims family.
PHILIPSBURG:--- On Thursday, September 17, the Council of Ministers held a cooperation meeting with the Collectivite of Saint Martin at the Government Administration Building. Although this meeting was planned since earlier in the week, both governments are elated with the outcome of the unity march of Wednesday, September 16, that took place at the Cole Bay/Bellevue border checkpoint which led to the lifting of the border controls at the Bellevue and French Quarter checkpoints.

Present during the meeting were Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs, Ministers Egbert Doran, Anna Richardson, Ardwell Irion, Ludmila de Weever, drs. Rodolphe Samuel, and Richard Panneflek as well as President of the Collectivite of Saint-Martin Daniel Gibbs together with Vice-Presidents Valerie Damaseau, Annick Petrus, and Yawo Nyuiadzi and their support staff.

Several points were addressed, such as the lifting of border controls, the synchronization of preventive health measures, the creation of a United Congress of St. Martin, and the continuation of joint cultural projects. The discussions were particularly constructive and fruitful, specifically the exchanges on the health protocols currently enforced in each territory and the joint measures that could be implemented to protect the populations such as the proposal of joint COVID-19 testing. Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs stated that a meeting would be held with Prefete Deleguee of Saint-Martin and Saint Barths Sylvie Feucher, the Regional Health Agency (ARS), local Public Health Department, and Collective Prevention Services (CPS) on Tuesday, September 22, 2020, to discuss the possibilities of synchronization and implementation of these health measures.

Both governments emphasized the importance of pursuing cooperation efforts on issues of common concern, such as the relaunching of the tourist destination and the estimated tourist arrival activity for the upcoming season and prevention of the spread of COVID-19. They also discussed the decision to accelerate the process for the creation of a United Congress; a joint institutional body, which would have been particularly decisive in the current crisis and possibly avoid reoccurrences of such unilateral decisions. Regular working meetings will be planned in order to make concrete progress on these topics of cooperation.

In closing of the meeting, all officials present expressed their elation for the people of St. Martin whom they stood in solidarity with. They expressed that Wednesday, September 16, signaled a day in history for St. Martin, a day of unity and strength as one island and one people.

Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs stated that she was happy to facilitate the meeting because there is so much that should be done in terms of actions to be taken in order to move both sides of the island collectively forward. It will take continued collaboration and dialogue, and as such, if we have to be the example to show the state and the kingdom how it is to be done, let it be so, she further stated.

President of the Collectivite of Saint-Martin Daniel Gibbs stated that what transpired on Wednesday, September 16, is what we need to have translated legally so that it does not occur again. This is one of the reasons why he initiated the idea of a United Congress St. Martin in order to dialogue about all the issues discussed in the meeting as communication is of utmost importance in St. Martins mutual functioning.
BEIJING, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- China's State Council Information Office on Friday released a white paper titled "China's Armed Forces: 30 Years of UN Peacekeeping Operations."

China's Armed Forces:

30 Years of UN Peacekeeping

Operations

The State Council Information Office of

the People's Republic of China

September 2020

Contents

Preface

I. Embarking on Missions for World Peace

II. A Key Force in UNPKOs

III. Implementation of Pledges Announced at the UN Summit

IV. Active Efforts for Greater International Cooperation

V. Contributing to Building a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind

Closing Remarks

Annex I Timeline of Activities in UNPKOs

Annex II Participation in UN Peacekeeping Missions

Annex III Service Personnel Fatalities on UN Peacekeeping Missions

Preface

This year marks the 75th anniversary of victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. It is also the 75th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations (UN) and the 30th year since China's armed forces first participated in UN peacekeeping operations (UNPKOs).

Peace is an ever-lasting aspiration of the Chinese people and the salient feature of China's development. Since its founding, the People's Republic of China (PRC) has been firmly committed to the path of peaceful development; it has made a significant contribution to world peace and development while realizing its own development. China has always resolutely safeguarded the UN-centered international system and the basic norms governing international relations underpinned by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and worked with countries around the world to uphold multilateralism, equity and justice.

China takes concrete actions to safeguard world peace and has actively participated in the UNPKOs. China is the second largest contributor to both peacekeeping assessment and UN membership fees, and the largest troop-contributing country (TCC) among the permanent members of the UN Security Council. Over the past 30 years, China's armed forces have resolutely delivered on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and sent over 40,000 peacekeepers to 25 UN peacekeeping missions. They have faithfully performed their duties and made a positive contribution to world peace and common development. They have stood fast as a disciplined force for peace and justice.

In the new era, China's armed forces comprehensively implement the pledges announced by President Xi Jinping during the UN Leaders' Summit on Peacekeeping. To contribute to building a community with a shared future for mankind, China's armed forces have stepped up their support for and participation in the UNPKOs, bringing greater confidence and hope for peace and development to areas beset by conflict. As a critical element and key force in the UNPKOs, China's armed forces in the new era have instilled more positive energy into world peace and development.

The world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century. Despite mounting risks and challenges, peace and development remain the overriding theme of the times. No matter how the international landscape evolves, China will always strive to maintain world peace, promote global growth, and uphold international order. China's armed forces will always be a force of justice for world peace and development.

The Chinese government is issuing this white paper to review the glorious journey of China's armed forces in the UNPKOs over the past 30 years, to expound their ideas on safeguarding world peace in the new era, and to elaborate on the efforts they make.

I. Embarking on Missions for World Peace

UN Peacekeeping, as an instrument developed for peace, has made a significant contribution to world peace. In 1971, China recovered its legitimate seat in the UN and began to play a more active role in international affairs. After reform and opening up began in 1978, China gradually increased its involvement in UN peacekeeping affairs. In April 1990, China's armed forces dispatched five military observers to the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) and embarked on a new voyage as a participant in the UNPKOs. In the past three decades, China's armed forces have engaged in the UNPKOs with courage and determination, always aspiring to fulfill their missions of meeting the responsibilities of a major country, safeguarding world peace, and contributing to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. China's Blue Helmets have become a key force in UN peacekeeping.

China's armed forces participate in the UNPKOs, because the pursuit of peace is in the genes of the Chinese nation. The Chinese nation values peace and harmony. Ideas such as "unity of man and nature" "harmony among all nations" "harmony without uniformity" and "kindness towards fellow human beings," voice the mind of the Chinese people on the universe, international relations, society and ethics. The pursuit of peace, amity and harmony has long been the primary aspiration of our nation. The philosophy of upholding peace, harmony, cooperation and common development has been passed down from generation to generation in China. For millennia, peace has been in the veins and the DNA of the Chinese nation. It is a consistent goal of China's armed forces.

China's armed forces participate in the UNPKOs, because the Chinese people care about the wellbeing of humanity. The Chinese people always dream of living in a harmonious world where everyone belongs to one and the same family. They advocate that "a just cause should be pursued for the common good" and that one should put concern for the wellbeing of other people before personal interests. They hope for a better life not only for themselves, but also for other peoples across the world. Chinese service members join the UN efforts to bring hope and promote peace.

China's armed forces participate in the UNPKOs, because serving the people is the fundamental purpose of the people's armed forces. China's armed forces come from the people, have their roots in the people, developed to serve the people, and fight for the people. They serve the people wholeheartedly at all times and under all circumstances, remain close to the people, and always put the people's interests first. With love and humanity, Chinese peacekeeping troops make efforts to bring peace and happiness to people in mission areas.

China's armed forces participate in the UNPKOs, because China honors its responsibilities as a major country. As a founding member of the UN and a responsible member of the international community, China honors its obligations, firmly supports the UN's authority and stature, and actively participates in the UNPKOs. China is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, and therefore, it is incumbent on China as a major country to play an active part in the UNPKOs. World peace is indivisible and humanity shares a common destiny. To participate in the UNPKOs is integral to China's joint efforts with other countries to build a community with a shared future for mankind.

China's armed forces commit themselves to the following policy stances on UN peacekeeping:

Upholding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. China always abides by the primary principles of the UN such as sovereign equality of all members and settlement of international disputes by peaceful means. It respects the social systems and development paths independently chosen by other countries, and respects and accommodates the legitimate security concerns of all parties.

Following the basic principles of the UNPKOs. China always adheres to the basic principles of UN peacekeeping, including consent of the host nation, impartiality, and non-use of force except in self-defense and defense of the mandate. It respects the territorial integrity and political independence of sovereign states, always remains impartial, and strictly fulfills the mandate of the Security Council.

Championing the vision of global governance based on extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits. China stays committed to building a world of lasting peace through dialogue and consultation, to combining its efforts with others to bring about a world of common security for all, and to creating a world of common prosperity through win-win cooperation, an open and inclusive world through exchanges and mutual learning, and a clean and beautiful world by pursuing green and low-carbon development.

Pursuing common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security. China always respects and ensures the security of each and every country. It upholds security in both traditional and non-traditional fields, promotes the security of both individual countries and broader regions through dialogue and cooperation, and focuses on development and security so that security would be durable.

Staying committed to peaceful means in settling disputes. China advocates that disputes and differences between countries or within a country should be resolved through peaceful means. Countries should increase mutual trust, settle disputes and promote security through dialogue. Willful threat or use of force should be rejected.

Building stronger peacekeeping partnerships. China strives to bring about greater involvement of host nations, TCCs and fund contributing countries (FCCs) through UN peacekeeping reform. It leverages the role of regional and sub-regional organizations, and promotes closer partnerships in peacekeeping operations.

II. A Key Force in UNPKOs

Over the past 30 years, China's armed forces have contributed a growing number of peacekeepers across an expanding range of deployments. From a few military observers at the outset of its involvement, China's armed forces are now sending both formed units and military professionals. Chinese military peacekeepers serve on the UN missions in engineer, medical, transport, helicopter, force protection and infantry units, and as staff officers, military observers and seconded officers. Chinese military peacekeepers have left their footprints in over 20 countries and regions including Cambodia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Liberia, Sudan, Lebanon, Cyprus, South Sudan, Mali and the Central African Republic. They have made a tremendous contribution to facilitating the peaceful settlement of disputes, safeguarding regional security and stability, and promoting economic and social development in host nations.

1. Ceasefire Supervision

Ceasefires are supervised to ensure that conflicting parties abide by their agreements. It was the earliest function of UN peacekeeping, and the first task undertaken by Chinese military peacekeepers. Since 1990, in addition to military observers, more military professionals have been involved in UN peacekeeping as staff officers and seconded officers. In the past three decades, China's armed forces have sent 2,064 military professionals to 25 missions and UN headquarters (UNHQ). Thirteen of them have been appointed to key positions as force commander, deputy force commander, sector commander, and deputy sector commander. In August 2020, 84 military professionals were working on missions and at UNHQ on patrols, observation, ceasefire supervision, liaison, negotiation, command and control, and operations planning.

Military observers are deployed in conflicts to gather information for decision making. Their lives are often threatened by armed conflicts. On July 25, 2006, during the Israel-Lebanon conflict, Du Zhaoyu, a young Chinese military observer deployed in south Lebanon, bravely remained at his post, fulfilled his duty, and made the ultimate sacrifice for peace. He was posthumously awarded First Class Merit by the Chinese military and the Dag Hammarskj ld Medal by the UN.

2. Stabilizing the Situation

Promptly stabilizing the situation paves the way for the peace process. This is a main task of UN peacekeeping missions, and an important area to which Chinese peacekeeping troops have expanded their functions in recent years. The security situation in some mission areas is challenging, marred by frequent conflicts, terrorist attacks and violent riots. Among all peacekeeping units, it is the infantry battalions that are mainly tasked with armed patrol, separating conflicting parties, riot control, cordoning, and search. They are the backbone for UN peacekeeping and the stabilizers of security.

In January 2015, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) dispatched an infantry battalion of 700 troops to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), the first organic unit of its kind to operate overseas in a peacekeeping mission. Over the past five years, six rotations have been committed to UNMISS. The Chinese infantrymen worked day and night amid the rattle of gunfire and the rumble of explosions in the mission area. As of August 2020, these battalions had completed 51 long-range and 93 short-distance patrols, 314 armed escorts, and over 30,000 hours of patrols in weapons-free zones, making a significant contribution to stabilizing the local situation. In August 2018, when a large riot erupted in Juba, capital of South Sudan, the Chinese infantry battalion acted immediately on orders and quelled the violence decisively and promptly.

3. Protecting Civilians

The Protection of Civilians (POC) is an important part of the UNPKOs. It is a duty that Chinese military peacekeepers resolutely undertake. The Chinese people suffered immensely from the scourge of war in modern times, and Chinese service members know only too well the value of peace and life. In war-torn mission areas, Chinese military peacekeepers maintain peace with their sweat, youth and lives.

In July 2016, an armed conflict broke out in Juba between government and opposition forces. Heavy weapons including tanks, large-caliber artillery, and armed helicopters were employed by both sides in fierce exchange of fire, putting a large number of civilians in severe danger. The Chinese infantry battalion, together with peacekeepers from other countries, was responsible for protecting civilians in downtown Juba and over a hundred surrounding villages. Facing a raging storm of gunfire and artillery bombardment, the Chinese infantrymen risked their lives to build a defense for life and prevented the militants from approaching the POC camp, and ensured the safety of over 9,000 civilians. Corporal Li Lei and Sergeant Yang Shupeng sacrificed their lives in the action. They lived up to the solemn pledge and sacred obligation of protecting lives and safeguarding peace with bravery and sacrifice. They were posthumously conferred First Class Merit by the Chinese military and the Dag Hammarskj ld Medal by the UN.

4. Providing Force Protection

Force protection is vital to securing the personnel and assets of UN peacekeeping missions. As an important contributor to the UNPKOs, China's armed forces have been active in sending in troops to the UN missions to provide reliable force protection.

In December 2013, China's armed forces dispatched a force protection unit of 170 troops to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) to conduct guard duties and VIP protection at the Sector East Headquarters. This was the first time that China's armed forces had dispatched troops to carry out force protection duties for the UNPKOs. Mali is among the most dangerous mission areas, afflicted by frequent suicide attacks, roadside bombs and other terrorist assaults. Over the past seven years, China's armed forces have sent 1,440 troops for force protection in eight rotations to MINUSMA. The units have fulfilled their tasks effectively in the hazardous southern edge of the Sahara Desert, including over 3,900 armed patrols and armed escorts. They have earned themselves the reputation of "des troupes d'elite" of Sector East. On May 31, 2016, First Sergeant Shen Liangliang was killed trying to prevent a terrorist vehicle laden with explosives from crashing into the UN camp. He was posthumously conferred First Class Merit by the Chinese military and the Dag Hammarskj ld Medal by the UN. On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the PRC, First Sergeant Shen Liangliang was conferred the national honorary title of People's Hero.

On March 12, 2017, an intense conflict broke out in Yei, a border town in South Sudan. Seven UN civilian staff were caught in the crossfire and they were at severe risk of losing their lives. The Chinese infantry battalion immediately sent in 12 officers and soldiers to the rescue. Despite threats and dangers in their way, they outmaneuvered the militants, defeated three interception attempts, and successfully evacuated the trapped personnel. This timely and efficient operation was hailed and publicized as an exemplary model of rescue operations by UNMISS.

5. Deploying Enabling Capabilities

Force enablers such as engineer, transport, medical, and helicopter units play an irreplaceable role in the UNPKOs. Currently, the majority of Chinese peacekeeping troops perform such enabling tasks. On UN peacekeeping missions, Chinese military peacekeepers in the logistic support units have become the embodiment of China's quality, speed and standards through their skills, professionalism and dedication.

In January 2020, some terrorists attacked the Tessalit Camp in the Sector North of MINUSMA and wounded more than 20 people. The Chinese medical unit in Sector East was rushed in by air and evacuated seven injured Chad peacekeepers to the Chinese medical camp. All the wounded were saved by prompt emergency treatment. In May 2020, despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and a tense security situation, the Chinese engineer unit built a bridge over the Sopo River in South Sudan to the highest quality standards. This bridge created a transport route between Wau and Raga, which was highly commended by the local government and residents.

In the past 30 years, China's armed forces have contributed 111 engineer units totaling 25,768 troops to eight UN peacekeeping missions in Cambodia, the DRC, Liberia, Sudan, Lebanon, Sudan's Darfur, South Sudan, and Mali. These units have built and rehabilitated more than 17,000 kilometers of roads and 300 bridges, disposed of 14,000 landmines and unexploded ordnance, and performed a large number of engineering tasks including leveling ground, renovating airports, assembling prefabricated houses, and building defense works. Twenty-seven transport units totaling 5,164 troops were dispatched to the UN peacekeeping missions in Liberia and Sudan. They transported over 1.2 million tons of materials and equipment over a total distance of more than 13 million kilometers. Eighty-five medical units of 4,259 troops were sent to six UN peacekeeping missions in the DRC, Liberia, Sudan, Lebanon, South Sudan, and Mali. They have provided medical services to over 246,000 sick and wounded people. Three helicopter units totaling 420 troops were sent to Sudan's Darfur. They completed 1,951 flight hours, transported 10,410 passengers and over 480 tons of cargo in 1,602 sorties.

6. Sowing the Seeds of Hope

It is the common aspiration of all peoples throughout the world to live a better life. Far from home, Chinese military peacekeepers have made concrete efforts to bring peace and hope to war-afflicted peoples.

To actively facilitate humanitarian assistance. Over the past 30 years, China's peacekeeping troops worked extensively and effectively with international humanitarian agencies, and have played an active role in resettling refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), distributing food, building refugee and IDP camps, and carrying out disaster relief tasks. In April 2020, Uvira in eastern DRC was struck by a rare flood, which posed a severe threat to the lives and property of the locals. The Chinese engineer unit was assigned to disaster relief work at the most critical moment and rushed to help reinforce levees and restore damaged bridges. They have given the locals access to help and protection, and effectively ensured the safety and security of the affected population.

To participate extensively in post-conflict reconstruction. In a post-war country or region, when a peace agreement is reached, it is essential to restore livelihoods and social order in order to prevent the recurrence of conflict and achieve lasting peace and stability. Chinese peacekeeping troops have played an active role in post-conflict reconstruction of host nations. They built important infrastructure, monitored elections, trained local doctors and nurses, and promoted environmental protection. Their efforts have been acclaimed by the governments and peoples of host nations. Darfur lies on the edge of a desert with complex geology. It is one of the regions afflicted by the world's most severe water shortages. From 2007 to 2013, Chinese military engineers drilled 14 wells in the most difficult circumstances, and effectively alleviated the problem of water scarcity for the locals.

To pass on love and care. Chinese military peacekeepers are not only guardians of peace but also messengers of friendship. The Chinese medical units in the DRC ran a twinning project in SOS Children's Village Bukavu to offer help. Touched by the love and care from the units, children in the village called the female members their Chinese mothers. The consistent efforts of the Chinese units over the past 17 years have won widespread praise from the locals. In UNMISS, Chinese military peacekeepers provided agricultural techniques, farming tools and vegetable seeds to local people. They were invited by local middle schools to teach lessons on Chinese culture and language, which were very popular with the students.

Over the past 30 years, China's armed forces have contributed more than 40,000 service members to 25 UN peacekeeping missions. Sixteen Chinese military peacekeepers have sacrificed their lives for the noble cause of peace. As of August 2020, 2,521 Chinese military peacekeepers were serving on eight UN peacekeeping missions and at UNHQ. Chinese service women are playing an increasingly important role in peacekeeping. More than 1,000 female peacekeepers have worked in medical support, liaison, coordination, demining, explosive ordnance disposal, patrol, observation, gender equality promotion, protecting women and children, and other fields. They demonstrated the talent and professionalism of Chinese women on their UN missions. Chinese peacekeeping troops have been commended by the UN and the international community for their contribution. They have won honor for their country and military. On October 1st, 2019, Chinese military peacekeepers were reviewed for the first time by the country and the people in the parade celebrating the 70th anniversary of the PRC.

III. Implementation of Pledges Announced at the UN Summit

On September 28, 2015, President Xi Jinping addressed the Leaders' Summit on Peacekeeping at UNHQ and announced six measures that China would take to support UN peacekeeping. The Chinese government and armed forces have faithfully implemented the decisions and directions of President Xi Jinping, and taken concrete steps to honor their promises. Important progress has been made over the past five years. China's armed forces have expanded the composition of their peacekeeping troops from single service to multiple military branches, enabling Chinese peacekeepers to perform diverse tasks in addition to enabling functions. The objectives of China's peacekeeping efforts have extended beyond conflict prevention to building lasting peace. As a result, the peacekeeping capacity of China's armed forces has been further strengthened.

1. A Peacekeeping Standby Force in Position

Rapid deployment of peacekeeping forces means greater opportunities to maintain peace and protect lives. China's armed forces fully support the UN in developing the Peacekeeping Capability Readiness System (PCRS) and reinforcing UN rapid deployment capacity. In September 2017, China completed the registration of a UN peacekeeping standby force of 8,000 troops. This force has 28 units in ten categories -- infantry, engineer, transport, medical, force protection, rapid response, helicopter, transport aircraft, UAV, and surface ship units. In October 2018, after a satisfactory Assessment and Advisory Visit (AAV) by a UNHQ team, 13 of these units were elevated to PCRS Level 2. In 2019 and 2020, six units were upgraded to PCRS Level 3 from Level 2. The Chinese standby force has been trained in strict compliance with the UN criteria and maintained the requisite degree of preparedness. It is now a well-trained, well-equipped and disciplined specialized force. China has become the country with the largest number of standby peacekeeping troops of the most diversified profile. In addition, in June 2016, the Chinese Ministry of Public Security set up a permanent peacekeeping police squad, the first of its kind in the world. The squad was pledged to the PCRS Rapid Deployment Level (RDL) in October 2019.

2. More Enabling Capabilities to the UNPKOs

Enabler troops including engineer, transport and medical units provide vital support to peacekeeping missions. They play an important part in promoting the effectiveness of UN missions, facilitating post-conflict reconstruction and improving lives in host nations. China traditionally deploys hard-to-source enabler troops. After the Leaders' Summit on Peacekeeping in 2015, China responded actively to the UN call for more enabler assets including engineering and medical capabilities. Twenty-five rotations of engineer and medical units totaling 7,001 troops have been committed to missions in the DRC, South Sudan, Sudan's Darfur, Mali and Lebanon. As of August 2020, six Chinese engineer units of 1,188 troops and four medical units of 199 troops were serving on UN missions. In the danger, turbulence and harsh conditions of mission areas, Chinese military peacekeepers have successfully performed all tasks entrusted by the UN including building paved roads and bridges, clearing mines and explosives, providing medical services, and supporting reconstruction in host nations. They have contributed to the local peace process and promoted the public image of UN peacekeepers.

3. Training Foreign Peacekeepers

China's armed forces are willing to share their peacekeeping assets in a spirit of win-win. They have actively helped other TCCs improve training, build capability to respond to complex situation, and better perform in the UNPKOs. In the past five years, China has provided 20 training programs to over 1,500 peacekeepers from more than 60 countries, covering civilian protection and courses for senior mission officials, trainers, military professionals, and female officers. The Chinese military provided assistance in demining and trained more than 300 professionals from countries including Cambodia, Laos, Ethiopia, Sudan, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The Chinese Ministry of Public Security also trained more than 1,000 foreign peacekeeping police officers.

4. Military Aid Gratis to the African Union (AU)

Africa has the greatest need for peacekeeping. In order to help the African countries improve their ability to maintain peace and stability, and provide African solutions to African issues, the PLA has honored China's commitment of gratis military aid to the value of USD100 million to support the African Standby Force and the African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crisis. The first installment of the aid including military equipment and supplies has been delivered to the AU, and Chinese military experts have been sent to complete the hand-over and provide end-user training. The PLA has agreed with the AU on the arrangement of the next aid installments.

5. The First Peacekeeping Helicopter Unit in Operation

The PLA helicopter unit made its first flight on a peacekeeping mission in August 2017. China's armed forces deployed their first peacekeeping helicopter unit of 140 troops to the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID). The unit was composed of four medium multi-purpose helicopters and tasked with force delivery, operational support, search and rescue, medical evacuation, and logistic supply. The unit adapted itself to the unknown complexities of overseas missions and fulfilled multiple high-risk tasks. It has become an essential airborne arm of UNAMID and a pillar of the UN peacekeeping operations in Darfur.

6. China-UN Peace and Development Fund in Support of the UNPKOs

To support the UN efforts for peace and advance multilateral cooperation, China has established a China-UN Peace and Development Fund. From 2016 to 2019, the fund financed 52 peace and security projects to a total value of USD33.62 million. Twenty-three of these projects were in support of the UNPKOs, which cost USD10.38 million. The goal of these projects is to strengthen coordination and planning of the UNPKOs, increase African peacekeeping capacity, provide protection for peacekeepers, and improve lives in Sudan's Darfur, Mali and other mission areas.

IV. Active Efforts for Greater International Cooperation

World peace is the responsibility of all countries and peacekeeping calls for expanding multilateral cooperation. China's armed forces have cooperated on peacekeeping with over 90 countries and 10 international and regional organizations. They have enhanced mutual understanding, shared experience, extended practical cooperation, strengthened bilateral and multilateral relations, and promoted peacekeeping capability through exchange of visits, expert discussions, joint exercises and training, and personnel training.

1. Strengthening Strategic Communication to Build Consensus on Peacekeeping

Better strategic communication with the UN leadership is an important means to move the UNPKOs forward. Since 2012, President Xi Jinping has had 11 meetings with UN Secretary-Generals, proposed Chinese ideas and Chinese solutions for world peace and development on multiple international occasions, and reiterated China's support for the UNPKOs. In 2015, President Xi Jinping attended the Leaders' Summit on Peacekeeping at UNHQ and presented proposals that the basic principles of peacekeeping should be strictly followed, the peacekeeping system needs to be improved, rapid response needs to be enhanced, and greater support and help should be given to Africa. Accordingly, China's armed forces are resolved to implement the consensus reached by the leaders. They have strengthened communication with relevant UN agencies, attended several sessions of the UN Peacekeeping Defense Ministerial and the UN Chiefs of Defense Conference, and actively promoted peacekeeping cooperation.

China's armed forces are committed to strengthening bilateral and multilateral communication for better understanding and mutual trust. They have carried out active peacekeeping cooperation with the militaries of countries including Russia, Pakistan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, France, Germany, the UK, and the US. Through reciprocal visits, China's armed forces and their foreign counterparts have strengthened communication on policies, made cooperation plans, and advanced friendly state-to-state and military-to-military relations. In May 2010, the first China-US consultation on the UNPKOs was held in Beijing. In April 2015, the defense ministers of China and Vietnam signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on peacekeeping cooperation between the two ministries in Beijing. That same year, China conducted the first BRICS consultation on the UNPKOs with Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa. In February 2017, the first China-UK dialogue on peacekeeping operations was held in the UK. In April 2018, military advisers of Russia, France, the UK and the US to the UN Military Staff Committee visited China and exchanged extensive views on the UNPKOs with the Chinese side. In May, the defense ministries of China and Pakistan signed a protocol on policy collaboration with regard to the UNPKOs. In October, the German defense minister visited the Training Base of the Peacekeeping Affairs Center of the Chinese Ministry of National Defense (MND), and a peacekeeping delegation from the Chinese MND visited the German Armed Forces United Nations Training Centre.

2. Contributing Chinese Wisdom and Sharing Experience

Sharing experience and learning from each other is an effective approach to improving the UNPKOs. China's armed forces have actively conducted international exchanges on peacekeeping. The PLA sent delegations to visit the peacekeeping training facilities of countries including Argentina, Finland and Germany, and received more than 180 visits from other countries and international organizations including the UN and the AU. China has hosted over ten international events on peacekeeping, including the Sino-UK Seminar on Peacekeeping Operations, the International Seminar on Challenges of Peace Operations -- Into the 21st Century, the China-ASEAN Seminar on Peacekeeping Operations, and the 2009 Beijing International Symposium on UN Peacekeeping Operations. Meanwhile, Chinese peacekeeping troops in Mali, Sudan, South Sudan, the DRC, Liberia, and Lebanon have exchanged experience with their counterparts from France, Senegal and Spain.

China's armed forces have participated extensively in UN peacekeeping consultations and policy-making, and provided input on the UNPKOs. They have played a dynamic role in the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations of the UN General Assembly and the TCC Contingent-Owned Equipment (COE) Working Group, invited officials from the UN High-level Independent Panel on Peace Operations and the UN Security Council to China, and offered suggestions on reforming UN peacekeeping, raising its effectiveness, and ensuring the safety and security of peacekeepers. Expert meetings have been hosted by China to draft and review documents including the United Nations Peacekeeping Missions Military Engineer Unit Manualand the Military Peacekeeping-Intelligence Handbook, and Chinese experts have been sent to participate in updating the manuals of UN peacekeeping infantry, force protection, aviation, transport, medical support units and civil-military cooperation.

3. Extending Cooperation on Joint Exercises and Training to Build Capability

Joint exercises and training are important as a means of improving the UN's peacekeeping capability and its talent pool. To learn from each other and improve skills, China's armed forces have conducted various peacekeeping exercises and training with the UN, and with relevant countries and regional organizations. In June and July 2009, China and Mongolia held a joint exercise codenamed Peacekeeping Mission-2009 in Beijing. In addition, China's armed forces have sent military personnel to participate in multilateral engagements including the ADMM-Plus Experts' Working Group Table-Top Exercise on Peacekeeping Operations in the Philippines in February 2014, the Khan Quest multinational peacekeeping exercises in Mongolia from 2015 to 2019, the ADMM-Plus Experts' Working Group on Peacekeeping Operations and Humanitarian Mine Action field training exercises in India in March 2016 and in Indonesia in September 2019, peacekeeping table-top exercises in Thailand in May 2016 and May 2018, and the multinational computer-assisted command-post exercise Viking 18 in Brazil in April 2018.

China's armed forces established a specialized peacekeeping training institution in June 2009. Since then, the PLA has run over 20 international training programs for UN peacekeepers, including the UN Military Observers Course, the UN Staff Officers Course, the UN Peacekeeping Training of Trainers Course for Francophone Countries, and the UN Senior National Planners Course. The PLA has also invited UN experts and senior instructors from other countries for pre-deployment training of Chinese peacekeeping troops and military professionals, and sent instructors to assist peacekeeping training in countries including Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Thailand, and Vietnam. More than 100 PLA officers have attended courses or observed exercises hosted by the UN or other TCCs.

V. Contributing to Building a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind

The world is going through profound changes unseen in a century, and the COVID-19 pandemic is accelerating such changes. Uncertainties and destabilizing factors in the international security situation are on the rise, and there are diverse threats to world peace. The UNPKOs are faced with multiple challenges, including increasing constraints, heavier tasks, and a more complex security environment. China will continue to play its part as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, firmly support and participate in the UNPKOs, actively respond to the Action for Peacekeeping (A4P) initiative, and support reasonable and necessary reforms in the UNPKOs. China will contribute its fair share to building an open, inclusive, clean, and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity.

1. Upholding the Vision of a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind and Working Together to Promote World Peace

In today's world, people in conflict-ridden areas are still suffering. They have a deep yearning for peace, higher hopes of the UN, and greater expectations of peacekeeping operations. Countries should treat each other with respect and equality. Disputes and problems should be settled through dialogue and consultation with the maximum sincerity and patience. No country should willfully resort to threat or use of force, or undermine world peace and the national interests of sovereign states. Instead, countries should commit themselves to raising the awareness that people across the world are members of a community of shared destiny. They should uphold humanitarianism, and increase support for and participation in the UNPKOs. China will continue to fulfill its responsibilities as a major country, scale up support for and involvement in the UNPKOs, and join forces with other countries to promote a sound and reasonable UN peacekeeping reform. China's armed forces will endeavor to play a stronger role in the UNPKOs, comprehensively improve peacekeeping capability, faithfully fulfill their responsibilities, and contribute more to world peace.

2. Improving the Peacekeeping System and Addressing Both the Symptoms and Root Causes of Conflict

Only by giving equal attention to development and security and by addressing both the symptoms and root causes of conflict can sustainable peace be assured. Peacekeeping operations should be aligned with preventive diplomacy and other peace-related endeavors, and at the same time coordinated with political mediation, rule of law, national reconciliation, and improvement of living standards. China supports the UN in improving the peacekeeping system. With a focus on the primary tasks of the UNPKOs, a bigger share of limited resources should be allocated to development. China advocates that the rights of host-nation governments to independently choose social systems and development paths based on their national conditions, and local people's rights to subsistence and development should be respected. Only then will host nations be able to focus on development and reconstruction so that peacekeeping gains and sustainable peace are secured. In the UNPKOs, China's armed forces will, as always, contribute to a safe and stable environment for countries and regions in conflict. They will actively participate in medical support and health care, humanitarian assistance, environmental protection, improving lives, and social reconstruction, and provide more public services to enable the local people to enjoy the benefits of peaceful development.

3. Pursuing Extensive Consultation, Joint Contribution, and Mutual Complementarity and Building a New Type of Peacekeeping Partnership

Both TCCs and FCCs are important contributors to the UNPKOs. In peacekeeping, all countries should shoulder their respective responsibilities, follow the principles of consultation and collaboration, and leverage each other's strengths for greater synergy. China supports the UN's efforts to improve peacekeeping partnerships by strengthening coordination among the Security Council, the Secretariat, TCCs and host nations, and optimizing the UN's coordination and collaboration with regional and sub-regional organizations. China's armed forces will actively respond to the triangular cooperation initiated by the UN, and provide all possible support to other TCCs and regional and sub-regional organizations in terms of technology, equipment, personnel and funding.

4. Supporting the UN Efforts to Refine Security Council Mandates and Improve Peacekeeping Effectiveness

Security Council mandates are the basis and guidelines for UN peacekeeping missions, and a decisive factor in the legitimacy and effectiveness of the UNPKOs. When developing and renewing peacekeeping mandates, it is necessary to take into account various factors such as national conditions and the actual needs of host nations, and the capability of the TCCs. It is also important to reset the priorities and main lines of action at each phase in accordance with changing needs. China supports the establishment of an accountability mechanism for peacekeeping performance by the UN, the economic use of resources, and the employment of advanced technology with a view to improving the effectiveness of the UNPKOs and fulfilling the role they are expected to play. China is in favor of the UN measures in helping developing countries build peacekeeping and stabilization capability, improving troop and equipment capacities, and enabling peacekeeping forces to perform their duties. China's armed forces will continue to train more excellent professionals for other countries.

5. Giving Full Play to the PCRS and Enhancing Rapid Response

The PCRS is an important guarantee for the UN's rapid response to crises and conflicts. China supports the UN in strengthening the PCRS and will first select and deploy the units of the standby force that meet the UN standards. China's armed forces will follow the PCRS criteria, continue to build the 8,000-troop peacekeeping standby force and maintain a high level of preparedness. Surface ships, rapid response units and other capabilities can be provided to the UNPKOs if needed.

6. Proactively Addressing Risks and Threats and Ensuring the Safety and Security of Peacekeepers

The operational environment of the UN missions is becoming more hostile and complicated. Only by ensuring the personal safety and security of peacekeepers can the mandates of UN Security Council be effectively fulfilled. With a view to fully protecting the safety, security and health of peacekeepers, China advocates a systematic approach to addressing the increasing traditional and non-traditional security threats, and stands for comprehensive UN solutions to strengthen information collection and sharing, reinforce early warning and risk awareness, upgrade security equipment and facilities, improve medical services, and enhance the prevention and control of infectious diseases.

Closing Remarks

Seventy-five years ago, people across the world won an epic victory against fascism, following a heroic struggle and huge sacrifice. A UN-centered international system was then established. Looking back through history, people are more keenly aware that peace has not come easily and to safeguard it requires great effort. At present, humanity is at a crossroads: Peace or war, cooperation or confrontation, progress or regress -- these are significant choices that all countries need to make.

Peace needs to be fought for and safeguarded. China is firmly committed to the path of peaceful development, and hopes that other countries will also pursue peaceful development. Only when all countries do so, can common development, peaceful coexistence, and world peace be secured. As always, China's armed forces will continue to provide unfailing support for the UNPKOs, fulfill their commitments to safeguarding peace, and bring greater confidence and hope to conflict-ridden areas and local people. China is ready to join hands with all peace-loving nations to champion and pursue multilateralism, and uphold the international system centered on the UN and the basic norms of international relations underpinned by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. China will exert itself in building a community with a shared future for mankind, and in making the world a better place.

Annex I

Timeline of Activities in UNPKOs

In April 1990, China's armed forces dispatched five military observers to UNTSO and embarked on a new voyage as a participant in the UNPKOs.

In April 1992, China's armed forces dispatched an engineer unit of 400 troops to UNTAC. This was the first formed military unit committed by China to the UNPKOs.

In September 2000, Chinese President Jiang Zemin addressed the UN Security Council summit and expanded on China's stance on the functions of the Security Council, the UNPKOs and African issues.

In December 2001, the Peacekeeping Affairs Office of the MND of the PRC was established. The office took on the responsibility for coordinating and managing the peacekeeping affairs of China's armed forces, and conducting international peacekeeping exchanges.

In February 2002, China officially joined the United Nations Standby Arrangement System (UNSAS) level 1 and specified one engineer battalion, one level-2 hospital and two transport companies as UN peacekeeping standby units. These were pledged to deploy to mission areas within 90 days of a request made by the UN.

In April 2003, China's armed forces dispatched an engineer unit of 175 troops and a medical unit of 43 troops to MONUC.

In December 2003, China's armed forces dispatched an engineer unit of 275 troops, a transport unit of 240 troops and a medical unit of 43 troops to UNMIL.

In April 2006, China's armed forces dispatched an engineer unit of 182 troops to UNIFIL.

In May 2006, China's armed forces dispatched an engineer unit of 275 troops, a transport unit of 100 troops and a medical unit of 60 troops to UNMIS.

In January 2007, China's armed forces dispatched an additional medical unit of 60 troops to UNIFIL and expanded the engineer unit to 275 troops.

In February 2007, during his state visit to Liberia, Chinese President Hu Jintao visited China's peacekeeping troops deployed on the UN mission there, and wrote words of encouragement: "Fulfill missions faithfully and safeguard world peace."

In September 2007, Major General Zhao Jingmin was appointed as Force Commander of MINURSO. He was the first Chinese military officer to assume a senior command position in the UN peacekeeping forces.

In November 2007, China's armed forces dispatched a multipurpose engineer unit of 315 troops to UNAMID. The unit was the first UN peacekeeping force to enter the mission area.

In June 2009, the Peacekeeping Center of the MND of the PRC was established, which took over the responsibility for peacekeeping training, research and international cooperation for China's armed forces.

From June to July 2009, China's armed forces held a joint exercise codenamed Peacekeeping Mission-2009 with their Mongolian counterparts. This was China's first joint peacekeeping exercise with a foreign force.

In September 2010, the Peacekeeping Affairs Office of the MND of the PRC and the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (UNDPO) co-hosted the UN Senior Mission Leaders' Course in Beijing, China -- the first senior-level peacekeeping training program held by China's armed forces.

In March 2011, UN Training of Trainers Course was co-hosted by the Peacekeeping Affairs Office of the MND of the PRC and the UNDPO for the first time.

In July 2011, Chinese engineer and medical units committed to UNMIS were transferred to the newly-established UNMISS. The transport unit completed its tasks and returned home.

In June 2013, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon paid a visit to China, during which he visited the Peacekeeping Center of the MND of the PRC.

In December 2013, China's armed forces dispatched an engineer unit of 155 troops, a force protection unit of 170 troops and a medical unit of 70 troops to MINUSMA.

In October 2014, the Peacekeeping Affairs Office of the MND of the PRC hosted the International Forum for the Challenges of Peace Operations 2014 in collaboration with the China Institute for International Strategic Studies and Folke Bernadotte Academy of Sweden. Eighty-six delegates from the UN and 19 countries participated in the event.

In January 2015, China's armed forces dispatched the first infantry battalion of 700 troops to UNMISS.

In April 2015, the defense ministers of China and Vietnam signed an MOU on peacekeeping cooperation.

In May 2015, China's armed forces dispatched an additional construction engineer unit of 200 troops to UNIFIL.

In June 2015, China's armed forces sent troops to participate for the first time in the Khan Quest multinational peacekeeping exercise in Mongolia.

In June 2015, the UN Peacekeeping Operations Protection of Civilians Course was co-hosted by the Peacekeeping Affairs Office of the MND of the PRC and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women).

In September 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping addressed the Leaders' Summit on Peacekeeping at UNHQ and put forth four propositions and six measures that China would take to support and improve the UNPKOs.

In November 2015, China's armed forces held a photo exhibition entitled "In Course of Peace -- Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of China's Armed Forces in UN Peacekeeping Operations" at UNHQ.

In July 2016, during his visit to China, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited the first peacekeeping helicopter unit to be dispatched to Sudan's Darfur by China's armed forces.

In January 2017, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech entitled "Work Together to Build a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind" and provided a profound, comprehensive and systematic analysis of the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind at the UN Office at Geneva.

In June 2017, China's armed forces dispatched the first helicopter unit of 140 troops to UNAMID.

In September 2017, the 8,000-strong Chinese peacekeeping standby force completed its PCRS registration.

In December 2017, as deputy chair of the expert working group, China hosted the drafting of UN Military Peacekeeping-Intelligence Handbook.

In May 2018, China and Pakistan signed a protocol on policy collaboration with regard to the UNPKOs in Islamabad.

In June 2018, the Peacekeeping Affairs Office was restructured into the Peacekeeping Affairs Center of the MND of the PRC, and the Peacekeeping Center into the Training Base of the Peacekeeping Affairs Center of the MND of the PRC.

In September 2018, representatives of China's peacekeeping troops attended the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

In October 2018, 13 units of the Chinese peacekeeping standby force passed the UN assessment and were elevated to PCRS Level 2.

In December 2018, as deputy chair of the expert working group, China hosted the updating of the United Nations Peacekeeping Missions Military Engineer Unit Manual.

In 2019 and 2020, six units of the Chinese peacekeeping standby force passed the UN assessment and were elevated from PCRS Level 2 to Level 3.

In October 2019, a grand celebration was held in Beijing to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the PRC. The Chinese military peacekeepers were reviewed by the country and the people for the first time in a National Day military parade.

Annex II

Participation in UN Peacekeeping Missions

Annex III

Service Personnel Fatalities on UN Peacekeeping Missions
A teenager armed with an AK-47 shot three protesters, killing two. Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Students and parents were upset when the suspected Kenosha shooter was on a list of "modern heroes" that they could choose to defend as part of a Dallas high school's class assignment, CNN reported.

Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, was arrested and charged with first-degree intentional homicide and a string of other felonies tied to the killing of two people at a protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Joseph Rosenbaum, who was shot and killed in Kenosha, was also on that list.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Students and parents complained after a Dallas high school's class assignment placed the suspected Kenosha shooter on a list of "modern heroes" that they could choose to defend, CNN reported.

Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, was arrested and charged with first-degree intentional homicide and a string of other felonies tied to the killing of two people at a protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

He was suggested as a "hero for the modern age" along with others like Malcolm X, George Floyd, Mahatma Ghandi, and even Joseph Rosenbaum, a man who was shot and killed in Kenosha, NBC reported.

Related: Fox anchor slams colleague for justifying Kenosha shooter

KTVT, which reviewed a photo of the assignment, reported that the names of Gandhi and Malcolm X were misspelled.

The school district has apologized for the assignment, which was given to seniors at W.T. White High School in the Dallas Independent School District (ISD).

"Racial equity is a top priority in Dallas ISD, and we remain committed to providing a robust teaching environment where all students can learn. It is important that we continue to be culturally sensitive to our diverse populations and provide a space of respect and value," Robyn Harris, director of news and information for Dallas ISD told Business Insider in a statement.

Harris said the assignment was removed from Google Classroom and students are not required to complete it. The teacher who assigned it has not been identified by the district.

Story continues

According to district data, 81% of the students at the school are Hispanic and 10% are African American.

"The juxtaposition of George Floyd's name with Kyle's name was just astounding," Kristian Hernandez, whose younger brother attends W.T. White High School told KXAS about the assignment. "The value of Black lives are not up for debate, and that's what it felt like this was sort of getting at -- by way of the names that were included."

Hernandez said her brother was in "disbelief" that this was assigned.

Read the original article on Insider
For 11 days, the Koya Adivasis of Telangana's Satyanarayanapuram village camped on their lands, for fear of being rendered landless. They were finally evicted by officials, citing a lack of documents to prove ownership.

We were dragged out of our lands and thrown into buses, narrates Narsamma, a 45-year-old Koya Adivasi farmer from the Satyanarayanapuram village in Bhadradri-Kothagudem district, Telangana. Hers is among 81 other Koya families from this village to be evicted from their agricultural lands in the last week of June. Satyanarayanapuram is a small village, home to the forest-dwelling Koyas, who have been cultivating lands here for over 22 years.

These evictions are the result of a plantation drive called Haritha Haram by the Telangana government. The Telangana Ku Haritha Haram (which translates to A Green Garland for Telangana) scheme, as it is officially known, was launched on 3 July, 2015, by Chief Minister Kalvakuntla Chandrasekhar Rao to raise vegetation levels in the state from 24 percent to 33 percent.

Ever since the beginning of this initiative, the resultant plantation drives have allegedly disturbed various Adivasi-inhabited regions.

The last 11 days of June saw the residents of Satyanarayanapuram camping on their 200-acre agricultural lands, to prevent them from being seized. Their fate is just like lakhs of other forest-dwelling Adivasi communities in the country  they dont have the necessary documents to prove ownership, and they have been fighting for decades to prove that they rightfully deserve land titles.

***

Legal entanglements and loopholes

According to Section 4 (3) of The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006  which is commonly referred to as the Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006  tribes and other traditional forest dwellers are entitled to up to four hectares of land, if the land was used as an occupational source and was being cultivated on or before 13 December 2005.

This Act was an attempt to recognise forest-dwelling communities as a part of the ecosystem and to ensure their livelihood as the traditional residents of the land. Despite the Act granting lands by recognising dwellers, according to the data collected by the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs in 2017, 80,890 claims out of a total of 1,86,535 received by the government from across the country were rejected without providing valid reasons.

The Koyas of Satyanarayanapuram have been trying to get documentation for their lands for many years, in vain. In 2002, cases were booked against a few villagers under Section 20 (1) (C) (ii), (iii), (iv), (vii) of the Andhra Pradesh Forest Act 1967, for illegal cultivation in Reserved Forest Areas. Ironically, it is the Preliminary Offence Report filed in this 2002 case that is the only existing proof the villagers can present, to state that they have been cultivating these lands before December 2005, thereby making them eligible for land titles under FRA 2006.

On 25 June, 2020, CM Rao inaugurated Haritha Harams sixth phase. We cooked and slept in the forest for 11 days. Forest officials and the police would visit the land every day, asking us to evacuate. We refused to give in, and it eventually enraged them. We asserted that these lands had been used for cultivation for more than 20 years, but they rejected our plea since we did not possess the required documents, Narsamma says. Even after they presented the Preliminary Offence Report from 2002, the officials still went ahead and evicted them.

Despite the Scheduled Area Land Transfer Regulation 1 of 1970, commonly known as 1/70, which prohibits the transfer of Adivasi land to non-tribals to safeguard forest-dwelling communities in Scheduled Areas, plantation drives have been conducted at a vast scale without giving intimation to gram sabhas.

Sanjeev Gumpenapalli, a student of law and a Koya Adivasi hailing from the Bhadradri-Kothagudem district, says, The State is considered to be a non-tribe. Acquiring land for anything in a Scheduled Area, including social forestry, without taking permission from the gram sabha is illegal. Acquiring means taking a position, so it indicates that these plantation drives are also a way of positioning themselves as controllers of the land.

According to residents and local activists, gram sabhas are hardly ever informed about government intervention in these lands. My permission was not sought before the officials entered the area. To my knowledge, the villagers have been practising podu cultivation there for over 20 years, but I do not wish to be involved in this conflict. Days after the officials started approaching the villagers to evict them, to plant saplings in their podu lands, they came to me asking me to coerce the tribals to move out, but I refused to do so," says Srinu, the Sarpanch of Satyanarayanapuram.

As reported by Telangana Today, the Minister of Forests and Environment of Telangana, Allola Indrakaran Reddy, announced at the launch of the sixth phase of Haritha Haram that 182 crore saplings have been planted since 2015, and that the Telangana government aims to plant 230 crore more across the state to reach its goal. "Thousands of villages across the state have fallen prey to this scheme. The Forest Department has been conducting plantation drives exclusively in the areas where tribals have been cultivating for several generations, says activist Lingaswamy who hails from Bhadradri-Kothagudem.

A response to an RTI filed by activist J Sudheer states that thus far, Rs. 4572.94 crore were spent on Haritha Haram from the time of its launch in 2015 to 4 September 2020. It received Rs 26.76 lakh as a donation. The RTI also revealed that 203 crore saplings were planted during the past five years, although there is no data on the number of saplings that have survived.

Responding to the Writ Petition filed in 2008 by Wildlife First and several other prominent wildlife NGOs questioning the constitutional validity of FRA 2006, the Supreme Court passed an order on 13 February, 2019, directing states to evict up to two million forest dwellers, whose claims had been rejected. On 28 February 2019, the bench deferred the eviction order and instead demanded a review on the process of the implementation of the Act and if the state governments duly followed procedures before rejecting pleas for land titles.

Uke Ramakrishna Dora, State President of the Adivasi Rachiyetala Sangham, says that between 2002 to 2004, up to three lakh tribals were evicted from their lands in the name of development and conservation. Regardless of the FRA being passed, not much has changed. Scheme after scheme falls into place to drive the traditional forest-dwelling communities away from their lands.

***

Growing dissent

Several clashes between the tribals and the Forest Department have been reported since the implementation of Haritha Haram. The officers visited us for 11 days and then turned up with a large troop. It seemed like they were everywhere in the forest, their jeeps and vans surrounded us. We were told that they were charging 20 of us with cases, and we were pushed into their vehicles. Our lands have been targeted before, but this was the first time we were being physically attacked, Narsamma says, in distress.

It was chaos. Children were crying and watching their mothers being pushed away into vehicles. We sat there for 11 days with barely any belongings, with the real threat of being bitten by insects and snakes. We had spent the last few months ploughing the land and sowing jowar, red gram and corn seeds, which had begun to sprout. They came and destroyed all that, she alleges.

The villagers and activists say that three members of the community had been severely injured, and some of the elderly had to be rushed to the hospital as they were trampled amid the chaos.

I was trying to stop them. They were taking away young children, and this could jeopardise their future'' says 60-year-old Venkatamma, Troops were all over, and I kept insisting they leave youngsters out of this. I fell and couldn't manage to get up, and I was trampled on. My husband and I have worked for most of our lives on these lands, why are these people claiming that we are the encroachers? she says.

As reported by NewsClick, by the end of July, tribals in 13 villages resisted the Forest Departments actions. Social activists and political leaders from opposition parties have consistently criticised Haritha Haram. Gudur Narayana Reddy, the treasurer of the Congress Committee (Telangana Pradesh), demanded a census of every single tree to prove the authenticity of the project in a press conference held on 20 July. He accused the government of scamming in the name of a plantation drive and also revealed that Rs 3,630 crore was spent on Haritha Haram in the past five years, by quoting an RTI query.

However, government officials have rejected claims of attacks on the villagers by the Forest Department. The Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) PV Raja Rao told The News Minute that according to the Forest Rights Act, the officials working in the forest do not touch the lands where dwellers have valid documents. He said that if an individual from the forest Department tries to interfere or does something that violates the Act, they will have to bear the consequences. He also asserted that action would be taken against a forest official on the grounds of inefficiency if they are found to be incapable of protecting the forest department's land when someone tries to infringe upon it or cultivate anything on it.

P Gowtham, the Project Officer at ITDA Bhadrachalam, also told The News Minute that there were no FRA claims pending in Satyanarayanapuram, as opposed to the allegations being made. He stated that officials were not approaching anyone who possessed documents and said they would set up an inquiry if they received any complaints against officials who were conducting plantation drives on lands where people had titles.

The National Herald reported that activists had appealed to Arjun Munda, the Union Minister of Tribal Affairs, stating that the use of Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management (CAMPA) for Haritha Haram, which is undermining the fundamental rights of tribals, needs to be thoroughly reviewed, while expressing their concerns about the considerable social distress that this scheme is causing to tribals in Telangana.

***

Legislation versus reality

Procuring documents by proving ownership under the guidelines of FRA 2006 has been a long, ardous process for indigenous communities across India. The government has labelled traditional forest dwellers as being encroachers without conducting proper land surveys. Officers have been visiting our villages for more than ten years! We cooked for them, we worked as daily wage labourers when they needed us to. How could they call us encroachers? Narsamma asks in despair.

According to the Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) (PESA) Act 1996, panchayats in a Scheduled Area are empowered to prevent alienation of any land that takes place unlawfully. Although the Act protects the rights of tribals, the ground reality is that implementation is challenging due to constant systemic repression of tribals at the hands of the State.

The incident at Satyanarayanapuram is one among many similar ones that have unfolded in the states Adivasi villages  some of which are as recent as the last five years. In September 2017, 200 forest officers arrived at Jalagalancha village in Jayashankar Bhupalapally district and razed the homes of 36 Gutti Koya families with tractors, claiming they were encroachers. The villagers were beaten up, and the women abused. The Gutti Koyas migrated from Chhattisgarh to Telangana more than 15 years ago. They possess Aadhaar cards and voter IDs, which recognise them as residents of Telangana.

This case sparked significant outrage from activists and opposition parties, following which, in 2017, a division bench of the High Court directed the government to stop the displacement of Gutti Koyas from Jalagalancha.

Tribals in Telangana who were employed as daily wage workers have extensively helped in the initial phases of plantation drives under Haritha Haram. Vetti Ramesh, a resident of Jalagalacha, says, Most of the saplings that were planted have died. We were forced out of our lands, and our crops were destroyed to plant these saplings. We were first accused of encroaching and destroying the forest, and then made to plant these saplings, which have hardly survived.

The State of Forest report 2017, by the Forest Survey of India (FSI), indicates that the green cover in the state had increased by 565 sq kilometres as compared to the green cover reported in 2015. The increase in tree cover was attributed to areas outside recorded forest cover, whereas the forest cover showed depletion, the report stated. Contrary to the 2017 report, the State of Forest report 2019 shows that the forest cover increased by 0.8 percent, but the states tree cover outside recorded forest areas decreased by 155 square kilometres. The increase and decrease of the tree cover outside the recorded forest area is visible, but there is no noticeable change in the forest cover.

Most reserved and protected forests across the globe have been guarded and conserved by tribal communities. Colonial methods of conservation rely on bureaucratic approaches to take away lands from indigenous people in the name of environmental safeguarding. Various studies have shown that indigenous conservation has a greater level of efficiency compared to methods where forests are imagined to be naturally free of human presence  termed as fortress conservation.

A 2018 Rights and Resources Initiative study conducted in 28 countries, including India, reveals that instituting fortress conservation is not only harmful to the indigenous communities, but also flora and fauna. It shows that when the traditional dwellers handle conservation, the land and resources are more likely to be respected and protected on an everyday level. Despite several environmentalists raising their voice against fortress conservation while presenting adequate proof of significant results through indigenous conservation, State-implemented projects in the name of conservation continue to take place, by evicting and abusing those who call the forest their home.
Tuolumne County Public Health View Photo

Sonora, CA  Tuolumne County Public Health has confirmed four new positive COVID-19 cases and also a fourth death related to the virus.

Of the four new cases, one is already recovered and two are in isolation. Health officials add that one person that had been hospitalized has since recovered.

Health officials also release new information regarding a woman in her 60s who died last week and had tested positive for coronavirus, as reported here. Her death was being investigated as to whether it was COVID related. In the departments written daily update, it states, Based on confirmed details, this was a COVID-19 related death, making this the fourth COVID-19 death of a Tuolumne County resident.

To date, 11,032 coronavirus tests have been administered. The county has had 220 cases with 195 recovered. There are no individuals hospitalized, 7 active cases, and four deaths related to coronavirus.

If you are having COVID-like symptoms, self-isolate and contact your healthcare provider or the Adventist Health Triage Line at 209-536-5166 Mon-Fri, or 209-536-5000 after hours. If you need immediate medical attention, please call ahead and go to Rapid Care or the Emergency Department. You can also visit www.valleycovidhelp.com for more information.

The no-cost state testing site is open at the Calaveras County Fairgrounds Tuesday  Saturday 7am to 7pm. Appointments can be scheduled ahead of time at: https://lhi.care/covidtesting Appointments are recommended. The site offers to test children ages 3 and older (accompanied by a parent or guardian).

It is important that people continue to follow prevention guidelines to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, including:

Practice physical distancing at all times. Keep 6 feet space between yourself and others who are not part of your household. Stay in your household bubble!

Wear a face-covering in public

Wash your hands thoroughly and frequently.

Avoid gatherings of any size with people who are not part of your household.

Stay home if you are sick.

Avoid unnecessary travel, and limit your outings to essential tasks

Daily COVID-19 Cases County

Active Date New Today Hospital/

ICU Alpine 0 9/15 0 0 Amador 8 9/17 1 0 Calaveras 13 9/15 7 1 Mariposa 2 9/18 0 1 Madera 485 9/17 3 15 Merced 597 9/17 27 61 Mono 1 9/17 0 0 San Joaquin 847 9/17 78 62/25 Stanislaus 462 9/17 73 109/35 Tuolumne 7 9/17 4 0 Totals (Cumulative) COVID-19 Cases County

Recovered (increase) Total Positives Deaths Alpine 2 (+0) 2 0 Amador 226(+1) 249 15 Calaveras 279(+26) 305 13 Mariposa 71 (+0) 75 2 Madera 3,727(+21) 4,270 58 Merced 7,989(+39) 8,692 133 Mono 160(+0) 163 2 San Joaquin 18,447(+84) 19,701 407 Stanislaus 15,363 (+116) 16,150 317 Tuolumne 195(+2) 220 4
AEI report: Graduates of Protestant schools most likely to have intact marriages, fewer divorces

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A new report from the conservative think tank American Enterprise Institute concluded that those who attended Protestant private schools as children were less likely to get divorced and have children out of wedlock than their public school peers.

AEIs Institute for Family Studies examined data from the Understanding America Study from 2015 and 2016, as well as the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, first conducted in 1997. They compiled their findings in a report titled The Protestant Family Ethic: What Do Protestant, Catholic, Private, and Public Schooling Have to Do with Marriage, Divorce, and Non-Marital Childbearing?

Men and women who have been educated in a private school tend to be more likely to be married, less likely to have ever divorced, and less likely to have had a child outside of wedlock, the report, released Wednesday, showed.

Sixty-three percent of adults who attended Protestant schools were in an intact marriage compared to just 42% of adults who attended public schools, according to the 2015-2016 study. The share of Catholic and secular private school attendees who were in an intact marriage stood at 49% and 53%, respectively.

The results of the Understanding America Study demonstrated a similar pattern regarding the differences in divorce rates among alumni of Protestant, Catholic, secular private schools, and public schools.

Forty-three percent of adults who graduated from public schools have been divorced at least once. The share of Catholic School alumni who have ever been divorced stood at 40% while the share of Protestant and secular private school graduates who have been divorced stood at 21%.

Among adults who attended public school, 26% have had a child out of wedlock compared to 16% of Catholic school alumni. Among Protestant and secular private school graduates, 11% said that they have had a child out of wedlock.

The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, cited in the AEI report, asked students who attended school in the late 1990s a series of questions about their school environments. The results of this inquiry showed that students at different types of schools had varying perceptions about morality.

When asked if almost NO kids ever had sex in their grade, only 16% of public school students answered in the affirmative. A much higher share of Protestant school students (75%) reported that almost no students in their grade ever had sex while 51% of secular private school students said the same; 38% of Catholic school students said that almost none of their peers engaged in sexual activity.

Just 37% of public school students reported that almost NO kids use illegal drugs; 83% of Protestant School attendees reported an almost drug-free school environment, along with 65% of secular private school students and 55% of Catholic school students.

The reported difference in regular religious service attendance between students at religious schools and those who attended secular private schools and public schools was stark: 61% of Protestant school students said that almost all of their peers attended church services regularly compared to 21% of Catholic school students, 5% of public school students, and 4% of secular private school students.

The results of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth indicated a noticeable difference in post-secondary school plans among public and private school students. While 20% of public school students said that almost all of their peers planned to attend college, 62% of Catholic school students said the same; 60% of Protestant school students and 57% of secular private school students reported that a high percentage of their peers planned on pursuing higher education.

Twenty years later, the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth looked at the marriage and family lives of the subjects they had surveyed in their 1997 report. The results demonstrated that 43% of millennials who attended secular private and public schools were in intact marriages compared to 51% of their Catholic peers and 57% of those who attended Protestant schools as children.

Thirty-one percent of the millennials who attended public schools had been divorced. The share of respondents who had ever been divorced was much lower among those who attended Catholic (18%), secular private (20%), and Protestant schools (21%).

The share of millennial public school graduates surveyed in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth who had a child out of wedlock (36%) was more than double that of their private school peers. Fourteen percent of Protestant school graduates, 16% of Catholic school alumni, and 19% of those who attended secular private schools had at least one child outside of marriage.

In an effort to account for some of the factors that led to adults who attended different types of schools as children to see varying outcomes in their marriage and family lives as adults, the report compared the schools teachings on the controversial issues of marriage and human sexuality.

When it comes to family life, public schools stress the importance of being tolerant and accepting of family diversity or just avoid talking about loaded matters touching on marriage, divorce, and non-marital childbearing, the report explained. Catholic schools often address church teaching regarding human sexuality and marriage, but some schools do not focus on these controversial teachings so much as on less controversial virtues and values, like charity, forgiveness, and the Golden Rule.

In contrast to many Catholic schools, which have sought to be more catholic in the sense of being open to those of various religious and moral perspectives, including beliefs about sexual morality and marriage, the report asserted that Protestant schools are more likely to stress the importance of marriage as a good in and of itselfand of having and raising children in marriage.

Religious schoolingand particularly Protestant schoolingis associated with higher rates of stable marriage, lower rates of divorce, and lower rates of out-of-wedlock births, even after controlling for key aspects of respondents backgrounds, the report continued.

Explaining the impact that intact marriages and the traditional nuclear family have on society as a whole, the report emphasized, Men and women who forge strong and stable marriages are typically happier, healthier, and more prosperous. Any children they have are also more likely to be in better shape emotionally, economically, and educationally.

The communities dominated by successfully married men and women are more prosperous, economically mobile, and safer.

The report was authored by W. Bradford Wilcox, a senior fellow at the Institute for Family Studies, Wendy Wang, the director of research at the Institute, Albert Chang, a professor at the University of Arkansas, and Patrick Wolf, a professor at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.
Matt Hancock today desperately dodged saying whether Britons should snitch on their neighbours for flouting the 'Rule of Six'.

The Health Secretary insisted that the UK is facing a 'big moment' with Covid cases rising and the threat of another national lockdown.

But he repeatedly refused to answer when challenged on when people should call the police to report breaches of the new law limiting social gatherings.

The evasion came after Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel sent starkly different messages about the responsibility on neighbours.

Social gatherings of more than six people were made illegal indoors and outdoors on Monday, punishable with fines of up to 3,200 and potentially criminal records.

Ms Patel said earlier this week that she personally was ready to report her own local community if there were rule breaches.

But in an interview yesterday, Mr Johnson said: 'I have never much been in favour of sneak culture, myself.

'What people should do in the first instance is obviously if they are concerned is raise it with their friends and neighbours.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock (left on BBC Breakfast today) desperately dodged saying whether Britons should snitch on their neighbours for flouting the 'Rule of Six'. Boris Johnson (right) has said Britons should not call the police unless they are having a huge 'Animal House' type party

'But I think what is reasonable for anyone to do is if they think there is a serious threat to public health as a result of their neighbours' activities  if there is some huge kind of Animal House party taking place, as I am sure, hot tubs and so forth, and there is a serious threat to public health then its reasonable for the authorities to know.'

Animal House is a 1978 American comedy which marked John Belushi's film debut as a hard-partying college fraternity member.

Pressed on the issue on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Hancock refused to give a clear answer.

'Everybody should follow the rules,' he said.

Pushed again over whether people should shop their neighbours, he replied: 'Of course, in the normal way, people should follow the law.'

He went on: 'My point is as Health Secretary I am saying to the nation, we have all got to follow the rules. It is deadly serious. The results of not doing will be this goes more out of control.'

Told that he seemed to be backing the Home Office's stance rather than the softer line from Mr Johnson, Mr Hancock said: 'No... These are very serious times...

'People need to follow the Rule of Six, full stop.'
COVID-19 vaccine will come by mid-2021: AIIMS doctor

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Sep 18: Dr Sanjay Rai, head of the Community Medicine Department at AIIMS-Delhi on Friday said that there is a possibility of normalcy returning to India by mid-next year, with or without a coronavirus vaccine.

Speaking to news agency ANI, the public health expert said, "By mid-next year, there's a possibility of normalcy even if vaccine comes or not. Till the time there is no effective vaccine available, Covid-19 preventive measures like wearing masks, hand hygiene etc, should be followed."

COVID-19 may lead to declines in life expectancy globally, study finds

"Phase 2 clinical trial for Covid-19 vaccine is underway in India with a good sample size of more than 600 motivated volunteers. Any vaccine will come by mid-next year, anywhere in the world, if everything goes as planned," Dr Sanjay Rai said.

Indian Army indicts troops involved in J&K encounter | Oneindia News

Commenting on the sero-survey reports which suggest that 6.4 million adults in India have had the virus, Dr Rai said that the sero-survey only shows the direction of infection while testing shows the actual number of infections

"Testing should rational and should focus more on symptomatic patients. The strategy should be changed in case of community spread. We should now focus on reducing mortality rather than patient isolation," Dr Sanjay Rai said
James Mike Anderson was a hospital employee in suburban Philadelphia with a low-profile though critical job: changing air filters in COVID patients' rooms.

By late March, new COVID cases in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, had ramped up to as many as 90 per day. At the hospital, Anderson handled air filters and other surfaces that might have been contaminated with the deadly virus, also known to hang in the air.

In early April, Anderson, 51, came down with what he thought was a cold, according to his familys lawyer, David Stern. On April 13 Anderson was rushed to the hospital, where he died of acute respiratory distress syndrome from COVID-19, according to the county coroner. He left behind a wife and two children, ages 5 and 9.

Anderson was exposed to the virus at work, the lawyer contends, making his family eligible for workers' compensation death benefits paid by his employers insurer.

His family deserves to have that income replaced, Stern said. Their husband and father certainly cant be.

But in a June 16 response to Sterns death benefits claim, St. Mary Medical Center denied all allegations.

As the COVID toll climbs, sick workers and families of the dead face another daunting burden: fighting for benefits from workers' compensation systems that, in some states, are stacked against them.

In interviews with lawyers and families across the nation, KHN found that health care workers  including nurses' aides, physician assistants and maintenance workers  have faced denials or long-shot odds of getting benefits paid. In some cases, those benefits amount to an ambulance bill. In others, they would provide lifetime salary replacement for a spouse.

Legal experts say that in some states COVID-19 falls into a long-standing category of diseases like a cold or the flu  conditions not covered by workers' compensation  with no plans to change that. Other states force workers to prove they caught the virus at work, rather than from a family member or in the community.

We are asking people to risk their lives every single day  not just doctors, nurses and first responders, but also nurses' aides and grocery store clerks, said Laurie Pohutsky, a Democratic Michigan lawmaker who proposed a bill to help essential workers get coverage more easily. These people are heroes, but we have to actually back those words up with actions.

In at least 16 states and Puerto Rico, officials have passed measures to make it easier for workers infected with the coronavirus to qualify for benefits for lost wages, hospital bills or death. Similar bills are pending in other states, but some face opposition from business groups over costs.

Many of the proposed actions would turn the tables on the status quo, forcing employers to prove workers did not catch the virus at work. Bills vary in the scope of workers they cover. Some protect all who left home to work during stay-at-home orders. Others are limited to first responders and health care workers. Some would cover only workers who get sick during states of emergency, while others would cover a longer period.

An early glimpse of data shows that health care workers and first responders, two groups hit hard by the virus, make up the majority of those seeking benefits. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that more than 95,000 health care workers have been infected, a figure the agency acknowledges is an undercount. KHN and The Guardian U.S. have identified more than 700 who have died and told the story of 139 of them. For these workers' families, the stakes of the pending laws are enormous.

In Virginia, attorney Michele Lewane is representing a nurse and a physician assistant who contracted the coronavirus while working at the same urgent care center. The physician assistant, who administered COVID tests, was hospitalized with COVID-19 and pneumonia for about a week. He missed five weeks of work.

When the physician assistant asked the urgent care center for paperwork to file a workers' compensation claim to cover his hospital bill, an administrator refused to hand it over, saying coronavirus treatment wouldnt be covered, Lewane said. He was laid off days later and left with a $60,000 hospital bill.

Lewane said the law in Virginia will likely consider COVID-19 an ordinary disease of life, akin to a cold or the flu. She said shed have to prove by clear and convincing evidence that he caught the coronavirus at work.

The bar is so high, she said, that shes waiting to file a claim in hopes that Virginia joins many other states passing laws that make it easier for health workers to prove their cases.

Craig Davis, president-elect of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, said he took on a test case and received a quick denial of workers' compensation benefits for a COVID-positive physician assistant.

We think theres an infinitesimal possibility of prevailing under our laws as currently written, he said. His group is pushing for a legislative change.

In Montana, which has largely been spared by the pandemic, workers face even longer odds. A 64-year-old nurse at a small hospital there was hospitalized for eight days with COVID-19 in April, according to her Great Falls lawyer, Thomas Murphy. She remains at home on oxygen, unable to work.

The woman filed a workers' compensation claim, which could qualify her for up to $800 a week in lost wages plus lifetime coverage of medical bills related to her condition. Instead of agreeing to those benefits, Murphy said, the insurer offered to settle for $17,000, which she declined because it would not cover her medical bills.

Murphy said the employer, which he did not name to protect his client from retaliation, is arguing that she was the first person at the hospital to contract the virus, so she likely didnt get it at work. However, he noted that two other hospital employees and six patients tested positive within the next two weeks and his client went few places other than work.

In Montana law, the burden of proof lies on the employee to show an illness was work-related.

Were going to have to try to piece together all of the sources that might have infected her  and prove that its more probable than not that she got it at work, Murphy said. Women like this woman are going to have a hard road ahead of them.

The Montana Legislature isnt set to meet until January, and an executive order appears unlikely.

In New Jersey, attorney Rick Rubenstein is representing the widow of a man who worked as a housekeeper at a nursing home, doing laundry and occasional patient care. Not given protective gear by his employer, the man caught COVID-19 and had a lengthy stay in the intensive care unit before he died.

His wife has the virus now and was faced with a default  no answer in 35 days  after seeking benefits in New Jerseys workers' compensation system. They would cover her husbands $188,000 hospital bill and survivors pay of $308 per week.

Shes isolated, doesnt know what her own health future holds and doesnt have an explanation of why this stuff is happening, Rubenstein said. Its terrible.

A bill proposed in New Jersey would make it easier for essential workers who got COVID-19 during the state of emergency to prove that they got it on the job. The bill was passed by the state Senate and is pending before the General Assembly.

The New Jersey Business & Industry Association has opposed the bill, saying it would push higher workers' compensation insurance rates onto businesses that are struggling to survive.

Our concerns are primarily that the cost of these claims can overwhelm the system, which was not designed to handle claims during a worldwide pandemic, NJBIA Chief Government Affairs Officer Chrissy Buteas said in a statement.

While there are no national estimates of how many are filing claims for workers' compensation  or getting approvals  Massachusetts provided KHN with a summary of its coronavirus reports from March, April and May.

During those months, employers filed 3,482 first reports of injury regarding a worker with COVID-19  2,915 were for health care workers. Insurers denied benefits to 216 health care workers, according to Massachusetts records.

Florida posted similar data, showing a higher rate of denied claims for health care workers. While 1,740 health care workers sought benefits related to COVID-19, about 30%, or 521 claims, were fully denied. Among the 1,200 who were paid benefits, the amount paid added up to $1.3 million.

The cost of covering 9.6 million first responders and health workers nationally could range from $1 billion to $16 billion, according to the National Council on Compensation Insurance, which provides insurance rate recommendations for 38 states. The bill is paid by employers who buy workers' compensation insurance, employers that self-insure and taxpayers, who support government agencies.

Those estimates do not include New York or California, where Gov. Gavin Newsoms executive order broadening coverage through July 5 is projected to add about $1.2 billion to Californias costs.

In many states, business associations consider proposals to expand workers' compensation too costly and too broad.

A proposed California bill would extend Newsoms executive order and put the burden on employers to prove that critical workers, including those in retail, warehousing and delivery, who got the coronavirus did not get it at work. The bill has critics.

California employers have been significantly impacted by this crisis and simply cannot be the safety net for this pandemic by providing workers' compensation benefits for all employees, even when they are not injured at work, according to a letter of concern signed by the California Chamber of Commerce, California Hospital Association and others.

A federal backstop may become available. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a bill that would create a federal fund for essential workers, including health care personnel, who get sick or die from the coronavirus. The Pandemic Heroes Compensation Act would be modeled after the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.

In Pennsylvania, there is no presumption that COVID-19 is acquired on the job.

Stern, the lawyer for Andersons family, filed a fatal claim in May with the state workers' compensation board, which passed it on to the employer.

A St. Mary Medical Center spokesperson confirmed in an email that Anderson worked there for 23 years and was a maintenance mechanic. She would not discuss his case. We are extremely saddened by his death, she wrote. We are not able to provide additional information out of respect for his and his familys privacy.

Mark Banchi volunteers with hospital chaplains and knew Anderson for over 30 years. He said co-workers are reeling from the death of a man who was enthusiastic, gregarious, friendly.

His loss to the hospital is real, Banchi said. Some people lift spirits, some people make you glad you came that day, and Mike was one of those people.

In addition to working at St. Mary for $22 an hour, Anderson had a cleaning job at a car dealership. Stern said Anderson was unlikely to be exposed to the virus there. If Stern prevails, the family would receive two-thirds of Andersons combined pay, capped at $1,081 a week.

KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a nonprofit news service covering health issues. It is an editorially independent program of KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation), which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.
The debate over how to safely quarantine migrant farm workers in Norfolk County may not be over.

Simcoe farmer Brett Schuyler has decided to seek leave to appeal his recent loss at divisional court, where a three-judge panel unanimously upheld the Haldimand-Norfolk Health Units three-person bunkhouse limit on workers quarantining after landing in Canada.

Schuyler appealed the health units Section 22 order in the spring, and in June the provinces Health Services Appeal and Review Board struck down the three-person limit, calling it unreasonable and arbitrary.

Federal guidelines do not cap the number of workers who can quarantine together, as long as they can maintain physical distancing.

During the six-day hearing before the review board, Dr. Shanker Nesathurai, Haldimand-Norfolks chief medical officer of health, argued that the limit was needed to protect the health of workers sharing common areas such as bathrooms, and to avoid widespread COVID-19 outbreaks on farms.

Nesathurai appealed the review boards ruling, which led to the Aug. 27 court decision in the health units favour.

I kind of wonder what (the judges) got in four hours that the six days of hearings missed, Schuyler said.

While Schuylers legal team readies its submission to the Court of Appeal, the health unit order issued on March 24 remains in force. And though this growing season is winding down, Schuyler said he is persisting since the pandemic may again be a reality next spring and farmers need to know what regulations will be in place.

Much has changed since March 24, including the need for a class order on migrant farm workers in Haldimand-Norfolk, Schuyler said. Its time we come on board with the rest of the province and work together as a community to ensure we can continue to produce food, protect worker health and protect farm worker jobs.

Schuyler contends that the three-person limit makes it more difficult for farmers to bring in the migrant workers needed to plant and harvest crops, which could impact food security in the region and beyond.

Schuyler employs over 200 seasonal workers, most of whom work on 1,500 acres of cherry and apple orchards.

Norfolk County Mayor Kristal Chopp said she always had confidence in our medical officer of healths approach to managing COVID-19 in the community.

Im pleased that the court has agreed, she said in a statement. Were looking forward to working with our farming community, as well as the federal and provincial governments, to better prepare to manage COVID-19 next growing season.

Schuyler said he has been trying for months to collaborate with the health unit on rules that protect workers health and ensure a steady food supply.

Thats been the constant request  sit down with the farm community and have a chat, he said. And I dont see it happening. Weve got to get there, because theres a lot on the line for a lot of farm workers (and) operations for food production.

He added that support from fellow farmers and farm-connected businesses has been empowering throughout what has become an expensive legal process.

With files from the Toronto Star
Taiwan scrambled fighter jets Friday as the Chinese military conducted exercises near the Taiwan Strait during a rare visit by a high-ranking US diplomat to the self-ruled island.

According to Taipei's defence ministry, 18 Chinese aircraft -- including bombers and fighters -- entered Taiwan's southwest air defence identification zone (ADIZ) and also crossed the so-called median line that divides the Taiwan Strait.

Taiwan's military "scrambled fighters, and deployed its air defence missile system to monitor the activities", the ministry said.

The exercises came after Keith Krach, US undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment, landed in Taipei on Thursday for a three-day visit, the highest-ranking State Department official to visit in 40 years.

China's Communist leadership baulks at any recognition of Taiwan -- which has been ruled separately from China since the end of a civil war in 1949 -- and has pursued a decades-long policy of marginalising the democratic island.

Beijing considers Taiwan part of its territory, to be absorbed into the Chinese mainland -- by force if necessary.

Relations between the United States and China are also at their lowest point in decades, with the two sides clashing over a range of trade, military and security issues as well as the coronavirus pandemic.

At a press conference Friday, a Chinese defence ministry spokesman said Beijing was "holding actual combat exercises near the Taiwan Strait" when asked how it would respond to Krach's visit.

"This is a legitimate and necessary action taken to safeguard China's sovereignty and territorial integrity in response to the current situation in the Taiwan Strait," Ren Guoqiang told reporters.

Ren also warned that the Chinese military had "sufficient ability" to counter any external threat or challenge from Taiwan separatists.

- 'Causing trouble' -

Ren accused the United States of "frequently causing trouble" over Taiwan, which he said "is purely China's internal affairs, and we won't tolerate any external interference".

Story continues

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hit back, accusing China of "military blustering."

In recent weeks, Taiwan has reported a sharp rise in incursions by Chinese warplanes into its ADIZ.

"We hope the other side can exercise restraint and not... heighten conflicts between the two sides. These military intimidations have caused resentment among the Taiwanese people," its defence ministry said in a statement Friday.

Chinese jets also made a brief incursion across the midline of the strait in August, as US health chief Alex Azar made his country's highest-level visit to Taiwan since 1979 -- the year Washington switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing.

Washington's increased outreach to Taiwan under President Donald Trump has become yet another US-China flashpoint.

The US said Krach was visiting Taiwan to attend Saturday's memorial service for late former president Lee Teng-hui, who died in July aged 97.

On Friday, Krach met with foreign minister Joseph Wu to discuss bilateral issues and exchange views on future collaborations, according to Taipei authorities. He is also scheduled to join President Tsai Ing-wen for dinner at her official residence.

China has ramped up pressure on Taiwan since Tsai came to power in 2016, as she refuses to acknowledge its idea that the democratic island is part of "one China".

On Friday, an editorial in the nationalist, Chinese state-backed Global Times newspaper warned "war will inevitably break out" if the US and Taiwan continue to "make provocations."

ehl-rox-aw/rma/bfm
If other matters are allowed to matter, the floodgates open. It matters that Trump engages in bold, systematic and daily deception, to the point of inhabiting a separate, conspiratorial universe of self-serving lies. It matters that Trump has stoked White, suburban fears of dark-skinned invasion and augmented the legitimacy and morale of white supremacy on the political right. It matters that Trump has been a cheerleader for cruelty against migrants and their children and has refused to see a common humanity beneath national differences. It matters that Trumps administration is shot through with corruption and self-dealing. It matters that Trump sees blue states as part of a foreign and hostile country and seems incapable of serving citizens who dont show him undivided adoration. It matters that Trump seems inspired by authoritarians and sullies democratic norms like so much Kleenex.
For years, the Trump administrations peacemaking efforts in the Middle East have been the object of relentless derision in elite foreign-policy circles, some of it justified. Yet with Bahrain joining the United Arab Emirates as the second Arab state in 30 days to normalize ties with Israel, the administration has done more for regional peace than most of its predecessors, including an Obama administration that tried hard and failed badly.

There are lessons in this, at least for anyone prepared to consider just how wrong a half-centurys worth of conventional wisdom has been.

At the heart of that conventional wisdom is the view, succinctly put by U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres in February, that resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains key to sustainable peace in the Middle East. Untie that Gordian knot, so the thinking goes, and the regions many problems become easier to solve, whether its other regional conflicts or the anti-Americanism that feeds international terrorism.

That thinking was always dubious though it had the convenience of giving Arab regimes a good way of deflecting blame for their own bad governance. But since the (misnamed) Arab Spring began nearly a decade ago, the view has become absurd.

The rise and fall of ISIS, civil war in Syria and anarchy in Libya, Turkeys aggression against Kurds, proxy battles and hunger in Yemen, political turmoil and repression in Egypt and Iran, the bankruptcy of the Lebanese state, the plight of Middle Eastern refugees  if any of these catastrophes have something in common, its that they have next to nothing to do with the Jewish state or its policies. One may still hope for a Palestinian state, but it wont save the region from itself.

What would? The best option is an alliance of moderates and modernizers  anyone in power (or seeking power) who wants to move his country in the direction of greater religious and social tolerance, broader (that is, beyond energy) economic development, less preoccupation with ancient disputes, more interest in future opportunities. Such an alliance is the only hope for a region being sucked into the maw of religious fanaticism, economic stagnation, environmental degradation and perpetual misrule.

Now this alliance may finally be coming into being. Unlike Israels peace with Egypt and Jordan  both based on strategic necessity and geographic proximity  the peace with the Emirates and Bahrain has no obvious rationale, even if a shared fear of Iran played a role.

The larger factor is shared aspiration. Israel is the most advanced country in the region because for seven decades it invested in human, not mineral, potential, and because it didnt let its wounds get the better of its judgment.

The choice for the Arab world is stark. It can follow a similar path as Israel; be swallowed by Iran, China, Russia, Turkey or some other outsider; or otherwise continue as before until, Libya-like, it implodes.

As consequential as the peace deals themselves is the Arab Leagues refusal to condemn them, eliciting a furious Palestinian reaction. Thats not surprising: It means the Palestinian grip over the leagues diplomatic agenda may finally be loosening.

Perhaps it also means that the grievance-driven politics that have dominated the Palestinian issue for decades are finally over, too. If so, its bad news for those Palestinian leaders and activists who think that, with unflagging obstinacy, they can somehow restore the status quo ante 1948, when Israel didnt exist.

Whats bad news for some Palestinian leaders may be good news for ordinary Palestinians. Peace between Israelis and Arabs will not come from the inside out.

Yet it isnt crazy to think that peace might come from the outside in: from an Arab world that encircles Israel with recognition and partnership rather than enmity, and which thereby shores up Israels security while moderating Palestinian behavior.

A final point about these deals: This wasnt supposed to happen. Not under the leadership of Israels supposedly bellicose Benjamin Netanyahu; certainly not through the diplomatic offices of the usually crazy/amateurish/perverse Trump administration. Luck and timing played a part, as they always do.

But it behooves those of us who are so frequently hostile to Netanyahu and President Donald Trump to maintain the capacity to be pleasantly surprised  that is, to be honest.

Whats happened between Israel and two former enemies is an honest triumph in a region, and a year, thats known precious few.
Lawmakers will consider two bills next week on goods made with forced labor from China's Xinjiang region, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Friday, with one that would restrict imports and another requiring publicly traded U.S. companies to make disclosures on supply chains.

"If we refused to speak out about human rights in China because of commercial interests, then we lose all moral authority to speak about human rights any place in the world," Pelosi said.

Relations with China have become an issue in campaigning for the Nov. 3 U.S. elections, with Republican President Donald Trump running for re-election against his Democratic challenger, former Vice President Joe Biden. Control of Congress is up for grabs, with Pelosi's fellow Democrats trying to retain control of the House and hoping to gain control of the Senate, where Republicans have a small majority.

Trump and his fellow Republicans have sought to portray Democrats as weak on China, which Democrats dispute.

In her remarks on China at her weekly news conference on Friday, Pelosi noted that she has been a critic of China on issues such as trade and human rights for more than 30 years.

The United States and other countries have been ratcheting up pressure on China over its treatment of Uighur Muslims in the remote Xinjiang region, where the United Nations cites credible reports as saying 1 million Muslims held in camps have been put to work.

China has rejected allegations of forced labor in Xinjiang and criticized the United States for meddling in its internal affairs.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 00:43:34|Editor: huaxia

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MOGADISHU, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Somali President Mohamed Farmajo and five regional leaders wrapped up a five-day meeting in Mogadishu on Thursday by agreeing on a revised election model for the 2020/21 polls which is crucial for the country's stability.

Farmajo who hosted leaders of the regional states of Galmudug, SouthWest State, Hirshabelle, Puntland and Jubaland including Mogadishu mayor agreed to make a number of changes to the three previous election agreements which were reached in Dhusamareb, the capital of Galmudug.

A joint statement issued by President's Farmajo's office said both the government and regional states will appoint federal and regional-level electoral commissions to manage the election.

The Somali leaders who have been meeting in Mogadishu since Sunday also agreed to revise the Electoral Constituency Caucuses model where each caucus will be consisting of 101 electoral delegates who will vote for a seat in parliament, down from 301 which was agreed in the previous meetings.

"The leaders agreed that the number of delegates voting for each member shall be 101 delegates representing the community sharing the seat," they said.

They said the agreement which was reached at the end of the fourth round of talks must be approved by the Lower House of Parliament.

The leaders said the selection of delegates will be done in collaboration with traditional elders, civil society and the State Government and that the election will take place in two places, down from four as had been previously agreed.

The leaders also said there will be no political parties taking place in the elections, noting that the country's election plan will begin on Nov. 1 and that both national and regional governments would provide security during the elections.

The leaders also agreed to retain 30 percent quota for women.

Analysts say holding the 2020 universal vote is considered critical for the sake of entrenching the federal system of governance, which is required to appease communities and regions claiming systematic exclusion and marginalization for decades.

The Horn of Africa nation last held one-person, one-vote elections in March 1969 when the government was overthrown in a military coup.

Parliamentary and presidential elections took place in late 2016 and early 2017 through a system of indirect suffrage. Enditem
Technavio has been monitoring the hair wigs and extension market and it is poised to grow by USD 2.42 billion during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of almost 6% during the forecast period. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200918005275/en/

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Hair Wigs and Extension Market 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire)

Although the COVID-19 pandemic continues to transform the growth of various industries, the immediate impact of the outbreak is varied. While a few industries will register a drop in demand, numerous others will continue to remain unscathed and show promising growth opportunities. Technavio's in-depth research has all your needs covered as our research reports include all foreseeable market scenarios, including pre- post-COVID-19 analysis. Download a Free Sample Report on COVID-19 Impacts

Frequently Asked Questions-

Based on segmentation by product, which is the leading segment in the market?

The human hair wigs and extensions are expected to be the leading segment in the global market during the forecast period.

What are the major trends in the market?

Technological advances in the production of synthetic hair wigs are one of the major trends in the market.

At what rate is the market projected to grow?

Growing at a CAGR of almost 6%, the incremental growth of the market is anticipated to be USD 2.42 billion.

Who are the top players in the market?

Aderans Co. Ltd., Artnature Inc., Donna Bella OpCo LLC, Evergreen Products Group Ltd., Godrej Consumer Products Ltd., Great Lengths Universal Hair Extensions Srl, Klix Hair Inc., Rebecca Hair Products Co. Ltd., Shake-N-Go Inc., and Shandong AY Hair Products Co. Ltd. are some of the major market participants.

What are the key market drivers and challenges?

The need for premium human hair goods is one of the major factors driving the market. However, the high labor costs for handwoven wigs restrains market growth.

How big is the North America market?

The North America region will contribute 44% of market growth.

The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. Aderans Co. Ltd., Artnature Inc., Donna Bella OpCo LLC, Evergreen Products Group Ltd., Godrej Consumer Products Ltd., Great Lengths Universal Hair Extensions Srl, Klix Hair Inc., Rebecca Hair Products Co. Ltd., Shake-N-Go Inc., and Shandong AY Hair Products Co. Ltd. are some of the major market participants. The need for premium human hair goods will offer immense growth opportunities. To make most of the opportunities, market vendors should focus more on the growth prospects in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments.

Buy 1 Technavio report and get the second for 50% off. Buy 2 Technavio reports and get the third for free.

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Technavio's custom research reports offer detailed insights on the impact of COVID-19 at an industry level, a regional level, and subsequent supply chain operations. This customized report will also help clients keep up with new product launches in direct indirect COVID-19 related markets, upcoming vaccines and pipeline analysis, and significant developments in vendor operations and government regulations.

Hair Wigs and Extension Market 2020-2024: Segmentation

Hair Wigs and Extension Market is segmented as below:

Product Human Hair Wigs and Extension Synthetic Hair Wigs and Extension

Geography North America Europe APAC MEA South America



To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download a free sample: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR43605

Hair Wigs and Extension Market 2020-2024: Scope

Technavio presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources. The hair wigs and extension market report covers the following areas:

Hair Wigs and Extension Market Size

Hair Wigs and Extension Market Trends

Hair Wigs and Extension Market Analysis

This study identifies technological advances in the production of synthetic hair wigs as one of the prime reasons driving the hair wigs and extension market growth during the next few years.

Technavio suggests three forecast scenarios (optimistic, probable, and pessimistic) considering the impact of COVID-19. Technavio's in-depth research has direct and indirect COVID-19 impacted market research reports.

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Hair Wigs and Extension Market 2020-2024: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2020-2024

Detailed information on factors that will assist hair wigs and extension market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the hair wigs and extension market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the hair wigs and extension market

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of hair wigs and extension market vendors

Table of Contents:

Executive Summary

Market Landscape

Market ecosystem

Market characteristics

Value chain analysis

Market Sizing

Market definition

Market segment analysis

Market size 2019

Market outlook: Forecast for 2019 2024

Five Forces Analysis

Five forces summary

Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition

Market Segmentation by Product

Market segments

Comparison by Product

Human hair wigs and extension Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Synthetic hair wigs and extension Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Market opportunity by Product

Customer landscape

Geographic Landscape

Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

North America Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Europe Market size and forecast 2019-2024

APAC Market size and forecast 2019-2024

MEA Market size and forecast 2019-2024

South America Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Key leading countries

Market opportunity by geography

Market drivers

Market challenges

Market trends

Vendor Landscape

Vendor landscape

Landscape disruption

Competitive scenario

Vendor Analysis

Vendors covered

Market positioning of vendors

Aderans Co. Ltd.

Artnature Inc.

Donna Bella OpCo LLC

Evergreen Products Group Ltd.

Godrej Consumer Products Ltd.

Great Lengths Universal Hair Extensions Srl

Klix Hair Inc.

Rebecca Hair Products Co. Ltd.

Shake-N-Go Inc.

Shandong AY Hair Products Co. Ltd.

Appendix

Scope of the report

Currency conversion rates for US$

Research methodology

List of abbreviations

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Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 15:29:26|Editor: huaxia

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CAIRO, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's COVID-19 total cases rose to 101,641 as the country confirmed 141 new infections on Thursday, said the Health Ministry.

Meanwhile, 19 patients died from the novel coronavirus on the same day, raising the death toll to 5,715, while 609 others were cured and discharged from hospitals, increasing the total recoveries to 87,158, the ministry's spokesman Khaled Megahed said in a statement.

Total recoveries in the most populous Arab country have currently reached 85.7 percent of the total cases registered in the country.

Egypt announced its first confirmed COVID-19 case on Feb. 14 and the first death from the viral disease on March 8.

Around mid-June, Egypt saw a peak of COVID-19 daily infections and deaths, with a record 97 deaths on June 15 and 1,774 infections on June 19, before they started to gradually decline in the first week of July.

Amid declining COVID-19 infections and fatalities as well as increasing recoveries, Egypt has been easing relevant restrictions over the past couple of months as part of a coexistence plan to maintain anti-coronavirus precautionary measures while resuming economic activities.

Egypt and China have been working together on fighting the pandemic through exchanging medical aid and expertise.

In early February, Egypt sent a batch of medical supplies to China to help with its fight against COVID-19 and China later sent three batches of medical aid to the North African country. Enditem
WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump said Friday that every American will have access to a coronavirus vaccine by April, the latest in a series of ever more optimistic predictions about a vaccination program that has yet to secure FDA approval.

Several of Trump's critics expressed skepticism about that timeline.

As he faces reelection in November, Trump has often offered rosy  and incorrect  assessments about the speed for defeating the virus. In March, he said he wanted to see "packed" churches and businesses reopened by Easter. He also repeatedly set unrealistic deadlines for when everyone in the nation would have access to a test.

Yet Trump nevertheless set a marker Friday for the vaccination, a hard deadline  even if the target comes six months after the election. To hit the goal, White House aides said the government would need to have 100 million doses produced by year's end.

"Hundreds of millions of doses will be available every month, and we expect to have enough vaccines for every American by April," Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday. "I think distribution will go even quicker than most people think."

Trump's critics expressed skepticism about the speed of delivery, citing logistical challenges as well as concerns that Trump will promise virtually anything in the weeks before the election and as the nation wrestles with a pandemic that has killed nearly 200,000 Americans. Though several vaccine trials are underway, none have been approved and public health experts have noted the process takes months at best.

Jonathan Reiner, professor of Medicine and Surgery at George Washington University, said the logistical challenges are daunting.

"This country has never vaccinated more than about 160 million people in a single year for the flu," he said. "Now we need to vaccinate 330 million people with 2 doses (660 million injections) of vaccines that have not yet been shown to be safe and effective and have unique transport and storage requirements necessitating ultra cold transport."

Story continues

Reiner added: "To vaccinate the entire country by April would require more than 4 million inoculations per day. I dont see it happening that quickly."

Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine, noted that there currently isn't a vaccine known to be effective and safe.

"And we probably wont have that information until end of the year at earliest," he said. "At that point how quickly the vaccine can be rolled out depends on which one works, and these have different degrees of storage complexity."

More: Trump says CDC Director Robert Redfield 'confused' about coronavirus vaccine, mask efficacy. Redfield responded.

Trump's political foes were more blunt.

"Anybody who believes anything he says about vaccines is an idiot," said former Rep. Joe Walsh of Illinois, who briefly challenged Trump for the GOP presidential nomination.

Trump's assessment was more optimistic than the one offered recently by Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Redfield told lawmakers this week that a vaccine could be available by late spring or next summer.

"If you are asking me when is it going to be generally available to the American public so we can begin to take advantage of (a) vaccine to get back to our regular life I think we are probably looking at third  late second quarter, third quarter 2021," Redfield said.

The testimony drew a sharp rebuke from Trump, who said he believed Redfield was "confused by lawmakers' questioning.

Scott Atlas, one of Trumps coronavirus advisers, told reporters Friday the U.S. will have more than 100 million vaccine doses available by the end of this year. Doses will first go to first responders and individuals with high risks. Those priority recipients will be able to take the vaccine by January at the latest, he said.

"By April, every single American who wants to be vaccinated will have the ability to be vaccinated, Atlas said.

Contributing: Nicholas Wu

FILE - President Donald Trump points to a question as he speaks during a briefing with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House. TikTok and its U.S. employees are planning to take the Trump administration to court over a sweeping order that could ban the popular video app, according to a lawyer preparing one of the lawsuits.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coronavirus: Trump says Americans will have COVID-19 vaccine by April
China Targets Pompeo as the Number One Enemy; Twitter Suspends Virologist Account for Virus Origin

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has been targeted as a top enemy of the Chinese regime with the CCPs mouthpiece TV station calling him the common enemy of mankind. Other state-media have chimed in and even called Pompeo a fat pig.

Meanwhile, Dr. Li-Meng Yan, a Chinese virologist who defected to the United States, had her account suspended by Twitter after publishing a research paper that suggests the novel coronavirus had a lab origin. Dr. Yan and others are now criticizing Twitter for restricting scientific research based on political interests.

Meanwhile, it appears the two main political factions in China are now fighting for financial power. These would be the faction under Xi Jinping, the head of the Party, and another faction led by former Party leader Jiang Zemin.

And in the United States, the Trump administration is now investigating the investigators when it comes to the team of former Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who ran the Trump-Russia investigations. It has now been revealed that when the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General went to review the devices of the investigative team, Muellers team had erased the data on many of the phones for various reasons. To learn more about this, and its significance, weve invited to speak with us today Marc Ruskin, who is a 27-year veteran of the FBI.

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
The bills to reduce salaries, allowances of Members of Parliament, and Ministers by 30 percent was passed unanimously in the Rajya Sabha on Friday.

Earlier, Union Ministers G Kishan Reddy and Pralhad Joshi had moved the Salaries and Allowances of Ministers (Amendment) Bill, 2020 and the Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2020 in the Rajya Sabha.

Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, the Minister of State (MoS) Home Affairs said that he was moving the Bill on behalf of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

While MPs from Congress, Biju Janata Dal (BJD), and other parties wholeheartedly supported the bill, they asked the Centre to restore the MPLADS Funds at the earliest.

The MPs said that the MPLADS Funds are used by them to help the public in their constituencies and will be of great use during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Earlier, AIADMK MP A Vijayakumar and BJD MP Prasanna Acharya had also demanded that the government release their arrears of the MPLADS funds for previous years.

The Monsoon session of the Parliament which began on Monday is slated to conclude on October 1.
The 55th Annual Country Music Awards Fails to Entertain

In the Age of Covid, the 2020 CMA awards finally were aired in empty music halls all around Nashville, which much of the music presented, representing this New Country genre served up within these empty spaces, actually deserved.



I watched a small part the Country Music Awards last night, and these are my thoughts:



I kind of like Country and Western: old Cowboy Songs, Traditional Country, some of the older Pop Country; Country Rock with Pedal Steel Guitars; "Americana" Country; all manner and measure of Bluegrass especially, with Alison Krauss with Union Station (though they have not recorded anything since their classic "Paper Airplane") still one of my top 10 favorite recording artists of all time.



If we were to hold Ms Krauss and Union Station up to what passes today as "Country Music", we all, who know anything about music, would be sadly dissatisfied with the comparison. Today's Country is a pale imitation of what was once so real and endemic to what was the America heartland.



But the "Times They Are A Changing", and I cannot stomach the drinking songs, the 4 chord combos, with no noticeable baseline, with no measurable lead instruments, posturing as the background sound to some really decent singing about nothing real, so, why should I care about their product. They, these new Denzions of Nashville, certainly don't give a damn about what they produce, which is totally unmemorable.



I really do not think today's Country knows who their fan base is or was. Cancelling their musical past, even many of their band's names as they cower to be political correct in this dystopic society of stupid people taking temporary controlling what is Fake, will not show any stability in a world that needs real people expressing a real message.



And note Keith Urban ( I do not believe I can remember anything he has ever recorded), who hosted the remote /virtual event: the Social Injustice motif, which is all the rage in the world of the Fool, is not a "pandemic". Don't you just hate when pseudo important people passionately profess egregiously stupid stuff; I was embarrassed for this Fool - Mr. Urban.



When I pick up my guitar to play songs that I like, many songs from my era and earlier and later as well, with deep country /folk roots, it will not be any of this pedestrian crap that I heard tonight ... not now, not ever.



My apologies to any musicians that produced music that was decent that I did not witness. I just could not take it any more - the music or their pathetic messaging.



Next time you put on one of these strange, uneventful events, about music that is supposed to be real: Drop the politically correct crap, coax the far better musicians back to the stage, and stick with the basics. Find someone to perform Marty Robbin's "Streets of Loredo" - it would be hard to mess-up this simple but real song - just get back to your roots if you really want to matter.


By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Sixty-three doctors have died due to COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu, of whom 12 are from Chennai, according to data released by the Indian Medical Association Headquarters, Delhi.

The association has published a list of 382 doctors who died of COVID-19 and the majority of them are general practitioners.

In a press release issued on Wednesday, the association said, "We demand they be acknowledged and treated as martyrs. Their families and children deserve solace and solatium from the national government."

Dr Rajan Sharma, National President, IMA, and R V Asokan, Honorary Secretary General, IMA, in the press release said, "Honorable Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan's statement in parliament acknowledged the contribution of health care workers during this pandemic. It faithfully conceals the morbidity and mortality of doctors, nurses and health care workers. This indifference to the sacrifice of doctors and health care workers is the reality of COVID-19."

"It appears that they are dispensable. No nation has lost so many doctors and health care workers like India," they said.

Meanwhile, reacting to the data released by the IMA, the Tamil Nadu State Branch President Dr CN Raja said they are still collecting the figures in Tamil Nadu and have asked office bearers to submit relevant documents.

Dr Raja also said the data was released to demand relief from the government for the deceased doctors' families but the issue was getting politicised in Tamil Nadu.

"The purpose of releasing the data is to get a solatium from the state and Union governments. But that has not been met. Instead, the number is getting politicised and that has become a big headache for us. We have asked the state government itself to collect the data from the district levels and publish it openly. We have now learnt that the state government has instructed the joint directors of the health services in the districts to collect the data at the district level. So let them do it and publish the Tamil Nadu figures," Dr Raja said.
COVID-19 cases were climbing at Michigans McLaren Flint hospital. So Roger Liddell, 64, who procured supplies for the hospital, asked for an N95 respirator for his own protection, since his work brought him into the same room as COVID-positive patients.

But the hospital denied his request, said Kelly Indish, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 875.

On March 30, Liddell posted on Facebook that he had worked the previous week in both the critical care unit and the ICU and had contracted the virus. Pray for me God is still in control, he wrote. He died April 10.

The hospitals problems with personal protective equipment (PPE) were well documented. In mid-March, the state office of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) received five complaints, which described employees receiving zero PPE. The cases were closed April 21, after the hospital presented paperwork saying problems had been resolved. There was no onsite inspection, and the hospitals written response was deemed sufficient to close the complaints, a local OSHA spokesperson confirmed.

The grief and fear gripping workers and their families reflect a far larger pattern. Since March, more than 4,100 COVID-related complaints regarding health care facilities have poured into the nations network of federal and state OSHA offices, which are tasked with protecting workers from harm on the job.

A KHN investigation found that at least 35 health care workers died after OSHA received safety complaints about their workplaces. Yet by June 21, the agency had quietly closed almost all of those complaints, and none of them led to a citation or a fine.

The complaint logs, which have been made public, show thousands of desperate pleas from workers seeking better protective gear for their hospitals, medical offices and nursing homes.

The quick closure of complaints underscores the Trump administrations hands-off approach to oversight, said former OSHA official Deborah Berkowitz. Instead of cracking down, the agency simply sent letters reminding employers to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, said Berkowitz, now a director at the National Employment Law Project.

This is a travesty, she said.

A third of the health care-related COVID-19 complaints, about 1,300, remain open and about 275 fatality investigations are ongoing.

During a June 9 legislative hearing, Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia said OSHA had issued one coronavirus-related citation for violating federal standards. A Georgia nursing home was fined $3,900 for failing to report worker hospitalizations on time, OSHAs records show.

We have a number of cases we are investigating, Scalia said at the Senate Finance Committee hearing. If we find violations, we will certainly not hesitate to bring a case.

A March 16 complaint regarding Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville, New Jersey, illustrates the life-or-death stakes for workers on the front lines. The complaint says workers were not allowed to wear masks in the hallway outside COVID-19 patients' rooms even though studies have since shown the highly contagious virus can spread throughout a health care facility. It also said workers were not allowed adequate access to PPE.

Nine days later, veteran Clara Maass registered nurse Barbara Birchenough texted her daughter: The ICU nurses were making gowns out of garbage bags.  Dad is going to pick up large garbage bags for me just in case.

Kristin Carbone, the eldest of four, said her mother was not working in a COVID area but was upset that patients with suspicious symptoms were under her care.

In a text later that day, Birchenough admitted: I have a cough and a headache  we were exposed to six patients who we are now testing for COVID 19. They all of a sudden got coughs and fevers.

Please pray for all health care workers, the text went on. We are running out of supplies.

By April 15, Birchenough, 65, had died of the virus. They were not protecting their employees in my opinion, Carbone said. Its beyond sad, but then I go to a different place where Im infuriated.

OSHA records show six investigations into a fatality or cluster of worker hospitalizations at the hospital. A Labor Department spokesperson said the initial complaints about Clara Maass remain open and did not explain why they continue to appear on a closed case list.

Nestor Bautista, 62, who worked closely with Birchenough, died of COVID-19 the same day as she did, according to Nestors sister, Cecilia Bautista. She said her brother, a nursing aide at Clara Maass for 24 years, was a quiet and devoted employee: He was just work, work, work, she said.

Responding to allegations in the OSHA complaint, Clara Maass Medical Center spokesperson Stacie Newton said the virus has presented unprecedented challenges.

Although the source of the exposure has not been determined, several staff members contracted the virus and a few have died, Newton said in an email. Our staff has been in regular contact with OSHA, providing notifications and cooperating fully with all inquiries.

Other complaints have been filed with OSHA offices across the U.S.

Twenty-one closed complaints alleged that workers faced threats of retaliation for actions such as speaking up about the lack of PPE. At a Delaware hospital, workers said they were not allowed to wear N95 masks, which protected them better than surgical masks, for fear of termination or retaliation. At an Atlanta hospital, workers said they were not provided proper PPE and were also threatened to be fired if they raise[d] concerns about PPE when working with patients with Covid-19.

Of the 4,100-plus complaints that flooded OSHA offices, over two-thirds are now marked as closed in an OSHA database. Among them was a complaint that staffers handling dead bodies in a small room off the lobby of a Manhattan nursing home werent given appropriate protective gear.

More than 100 of those cases were resolved within 10 days. One of those complaints said home health nurses in the Bronx were sent to treat COVID-19 patients without full protective gear. At a Massachusetts nursing home that housed COVID patients, staff members were asked to wash and reuse masks and disposable gloves, another complaint said. A complaint about an Ohio nursing home said workers were not required to wear protective equipment when caring for COVID patients. That complaint was closed three days after OSHA received it.

It remains unclear how OSHA resolved hundreds of the complaints. A Department of Labor spokesperson said in an email that some are closed based on an exchange of information between the employer and OSHA, and advised reporters to file Freedom of Information Act requests for details on others.

The Department is committed to protecting Americas workers during the pandemic, the Labor Department said in a statement. OSHA has standards in place to protect employees, and employers who fail to take appropriate steps to protect their employees may be violating them.

The agency advised its inspectors on May 19 to place reports of fatalities and imminent danger as a top priority, with a special focus on health care settings. Since late March, OSHA has opened more than 250 investigations into fatalities at health care facilities, government records show. Most of those cases are ongoing.

According to the mid-March complaints against McLaren Flint, workers did not receive needed N95 masks and are not allowed to bring them from home. They also said patients with COVID-19 were kept throughout the hospital.

Filing complaints, though, did little for Liddell, or for his colleague, Patrick Cain, 52. After the complaints were filed, Cain, a registered nurse, was treating people still awaiting the results of COVID-19 diagnostic tests  potentially positive patients  without an N95 respirator. He was also working outside a room where potential COVID-19 patients were undergoing treatments that research supported by the University of Nebraska has since shown can spread the virus widely in the air.

At the time, there was a debate over whether supply chain breakdowns of PPE and weakened CDC guidelines on protective gear were putting workers at risk.

Cain felt vulnerable working outside of rooms where COVID patients were undergoing infection-spreading treatments, he wrote in a text to Indish on March 26.

McLaren screwed us, he wrote.

He fell ill in mid-March and died April 4.

McLaren has since revised its face-covering policy to provide N95s or controlled air-purifying respirators (CAPRs) to workers on the COVID floor, union members said.

A spokesperson for the McLaren Health Care system said the OSHA complaints are unsubstantiated and that its protocols have consistently followed government guidelines. We have always provided appropriate PPE and staff training that adheres to the evolving federal, state, and local PPE guidelines, Brian Brown said in an email.

Separate from the closed complaints, OSHA investigations into Liddell and Cains deaths are ongoing, according to a spokesperson for the states Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity.

Nurses at Kaiser Permanente Fresno Medical Center also said the complaints they aired before a nurses death have not been resolved. (KHN is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.)

On March 18, nurses filed an initial complaint. They told OSHA they were given surgical masks, instead of N95s. Less than a week later, other complaints said staffers were forced to reuse those surgical masks and evaluate patients for COVID without wearing an N95 respirator.

Several nurses who cared for one patient who wasnt initially suspected of having COVID-19 in mid-March wore no protective gear, according to Amy Arlund, a Kaiser Fresno nurse and board member of the National Nurses Organizing Committee board of directors. Sandra Oldfield, a 53-year-old RN, was among them.

Arlund said Oldfield had filed an internal complaint with management about inadequate PPE around that time. Arlund said the patients illness was difficult to pin down, so dozens of workers were exposed to him and 10 came down with COVID-19, including Oldfield.

Lori Rodriguez, Oldfields sister, said Sandra was upset that the patient she cared for who ended up testing positive for COVID-19 hadnt been screened earlier.

I dont want to see anyone else lose their life like my sister did, she said. Its just not right.

Wade Nogy, senior vice president and area manager of Kaiser Permanente Fresno, confirmed that Oldfield had exposure to a patient before COVID-19 was suspected. He said Kaiser Permanente has years of experience managing highly infectious diseases, and we are safely treating patients who have been infected with this virus.

Kaiser Permanente spokesperson Marc Brown said KP responded to these complaints with information, documents and interviews that demonstrated we are in compliance with OSHA regulations to protect our employees. He said the health system provides nurses and other staff with the appropriate protective equipment.

California OSHA officials said the initial complaints were accurate and the hospital was not in compliance with a state law requiring workers treating COVID patients to have respirators. However, the officials said the requirement had been waived due to global shortages.

Kaiser Fresno is now in compliance, Cal/OSHA said in a statement, but the agency has ongoing investigations at the facility.

Arlund said tension around protective gear remains high at the hospital. On each shift, she said, nurses must justify their need for a respirator, face shield or hair cap. She expressed surprise that the OSHA complaints were considered closed.

Im very concerned to hear they are closing cases when I know they havent reached out to front-line nurses, Arlund said. We do not consider any of them closed.

KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a nonprofit news service covering health issues. It is an editorially independent program of KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation), which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.
Storyful

An observatory in Hawaii captured atmospheric pressure waves created by the eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haapai volcano on January 15.The Gemini Observatory in Hawaii was 5,000 kilometers (3,000 miles) away from the eruption when it captured the atmospheric pressure waves on three different cameras. They are the faintly red waves seen in the footage, NOIRLab explained.The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haapai volcano erupted on January 15, triggering a tsunami on the South Pacific nation of Tonga with waves up to 15 meters, according to information released by the Tongan government. At least three people were killed and dozens of properties were damaged across the islands. Credit: NOIRLab via Storyful
Trying to navigate through a maze blind without legs  this is how Molly McNamara describes the feelings of pain and hopelessness accompanying the trauma of suicide.

McNamara is the founder and executive director of the Cypress-based nonprofit His Whole House, a ministry that uses a faith-based approach to help trauma survivors. The organization works to break the cycle of trauma and shame through training, mentoring and counseling. Among its clients are people whose loved ones have attempted or carried out suicide, as well as individuals who may themselves struggle with suicidal thoughts.

Know the warning signs of diabetes: Cypress mother advocates with campaign to differentiate diabetes symptoms from viruses like COVID

We are not a crisis intervention ministryhowever, what Ive come to understand is there is a long-term recovery period for all of us  including myself, said McNamara, who had herself overcome attempts of suicide as a teenager.

As a suicide survivor, McNamara will be sharing her story of loss and resilience during a live online talk Sept. 30 in observance of National Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Outreach program created in response to increase in sexual violence during COVID-19

On March 31, 1998, McNamara said she received the most horrendous news of her life  her son, Adam Thomas, had died of suicide.

It was in that moment that I became the most reluctant survivor of suicide and truly felt a very, very dark cloud come over, she said. It had been one of several traumas that had occurred within a short period of time. Id lost both my parents just months beforeand this was my only living child. It was something that took me to the bottom of my ability to function and I felt as if I was in a maze, blind without legs.

She lived in the oppressive shadow of that dark cloud for 11 years. She finally came to recognize that what shed experienced was trauma  the trauma of loss. She founded His Whole House in 2010.

When I came out of the silence of my own pain and trauma and started the 501(c)3, my intention was to begin to share and give a place for people to share their pain, their story, she said. To be able to find a place to connect to life-giving principles to bring them back into a place of healing and wholeness and a place where they can be welcome and connected and comfortable.

Recognizing the signs

Suicide was the tenth leading cause of death in 2018 in the United States, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. Despite its prevalence, McNamara said that people may be reluctant to discuss suicide because of perceived stigmas surrounding the topic.

Suicide is a silent epidemic and one of the components is the sense of helplessness and hopelessness that comes forward when a person is considering it, McNamara said. Theres also a component of stigma and because of that, it feels like the person has a sense of feeling like what they have to bring is a rotten basket of fruit. We need to learn how to connect with peoples pain. We need to learn how to unpack the story that has brought them to that place and the silence can be broken so that we can see people begin to build some resilience.

If a loved one exhibits warning signs of suicide, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline recommends having an open and non-judgmental conversation with them about suicide. According to the website, some signs that an individual may be at risk of suicide include: expressing hopelessness, feeling trapped or in pain; feeling theyre a burden to other people; increased alcohol or drug use; anxious or agitated behavior; and becoming withdrawn or isolated from others.

Help for people at risk

McNamara said it may be difficult but initiating that conversation with at-risk loved ones is key to getting them the help they need.

Its about being willing to be that friend and to learn how to move past that barrier  it definitely feels like a barrier  and be able ask the question, are you considering suicide, McNamara said. Even those words in western culture have been very, very difficult because mostly people dont know what to do with it except to take someone to the hospital. And as we know, the hospitals are overrun. It may be a matter of taking them to the hospital, and sometimes its a matter of listening first to see what direction to take with that person. Learning how to get down into the hole with the person and say, hey, this is hard, this is painful, I hear what youre saying, tell me more. Being able to ask them if theyre willing to let you walk with them as you walk them out of the pit.

Suicide rates in the United States have climbed steadily over the past decade according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and recently, there has been a dramatic spike in the number of people seeking help for mental health distress, McNamara said.

That is related to COVID. This is not a small condition and the awareness and prevention thats necessary is critical at this moment especially as people have been tucked away and isolated even more so with the COVID, she said.

A few local resources for mental health and crisis intervention include: Crisis Intervention of Houston, www.crisishotline.org; NAMI Greater Houston, www.namigreaterhouston.org; Mental Health America of Greater Houston, www.mhahouston.org; and UTHealth Harris County Psychiatric Center, www.hcpc.uth.edu.

More about His Whole House

His Whole House offers an online option for people requesting prayer counseling. McNamara said that those who provide counseling through the organization are trained under the Elijah House international model.

The model is a faith-based perspective of Christian counseling in relation to people that are licensed in ministry or perhaps theyre counselors already or health care workers. It requires about 6,000 hours of practicum, she said. The people that come for counseling, we see individuals and couples  and you dont have to be Christian of course to receive counseling.

The organization houses its administrative office at The Work Well near U.S. 290 and FM 1960, and has locations in Katy and the San Antonio area.

In addition to faith-based counseling and prayer ministry, resources available through His Whole House include a 12- to 16-week mentor partnership program geared toward leaders of organizations and businesses; and staff and group training on trauma resilience.

His Whole House is developing an awareness training program called Fully in Touch, or FIT, which will train participants to help others by asking authentic questions and engaging in empathetic conversations. McNamara said the organization is scheduled to roll out the new training in 2021.

Among its community partners is an organization called The Get Together, which is a group of business professionals who pool their resources to help support faith-based nonprofits like His Whole House.

We look for ministries that are meeting a unique need in our city and can utilize the resources of our business network, said Ginger Harris, executive director of The Get Together. When we met Molly McNamara and her team at His Whole House we knew that we wanted to participate in their work. Weve now partnered with them for over a year and will continue this partnership. They serve the community by walking alongside people who are experiencing trauma and need to experience freedom. They host community events to educate, encourage and restore attendees. They are a lifeline for our community.

McNamaras live online talk in observance of National Suicide Prevention Month is scheduled from 2:30-3:30 p.m. on Sept. 30. Anyone can register by Sept. 25 to attend Grasping in the Dark: Journeying Through the Trauma of Suicide by visiting www.hiswholehouse.org/events.

mfeuk@hcnonline.com
By engaging directly with prospective buyers, agriculturists will be able to evade paying massive commissions at APMCs to sell their produce

The Lok Sabha passed the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 on Thursday. It had already approved the vital amendment to the Essential Commodities Act earlier in the ongoing session.

These decisions will offer farmers the freedom to sell their produce beyond the restrictions of the mandis of the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC). It permits them to indulge into contract farming with a legal support framework and opens up a wider market for their products by removing the barriers of inter-state trading.

Entrepreneurs will not have to abide by a stringent stock limit for commodities like cereals, pulses, oilseeds, edible oils, onion and potatoes. With the new bill, they will be able to take advantage of cold storage facilities and prevent the wastage of excess produce of the farmers caused by a fruitful harvest season.

Free trade, effective and mutually beneficial collaboration with larger businesses and elimination of hindrances on mass purchase and storage of vital products are instrumental in unshackling the massive underlying potential in the farm industry.

Only political powers that harness vested interests in middlemen can possibly develop an opposition to these bills. Or, as in the case of the Indian National Congress (INC), spread a misinformation campaign on the three farm bills in question. Apparently, talks are doing the rounds that farmers will be deprived of a minimum support price (MSP) for their products through these acts.

Firstly, it has been clarified by key stakeholders in the government that the MSP will continue to exist parallel to these reforms. Secondly, the defanging of APMC is in fact an attempt to ensure that farmers manage to gain a greater value for their produce than these support prices that are arbitrarily fixated by mandi agents according to their whims and fancies.

By engaging directly with prospective buyers, the agriculturists will now be able to evade paying massive commissions at APMCs to sell their produce. The market intermediaries had been making hefty profits over the years because of the huge cost difference between the price paid to farmers and the cost at which the final produce is sold to consumers.

Moreover, the creeping demand for an MSP to exist is because of the vast insecurity of agriculture not being a profitable, professional industry that adequately rewards its growers. Hence, the farmers crave for the assurance of a minimum fee for their produce; regardless of the fact that the market price of that commodity could multiply extensively if a larger base of customers is available to them.

Unsurprisingly, forces that so far have benefitted by constraining the growers into a dogma are baffled by these long-due measures. Mandis had become a breeding ground for unceremonious political powers at local levels.

Local politicians derived revenue through the commissions gained by the agents in these places. Hence, Harsimrat Kaur Badals resignation from the union cabinet in opposition of these bills glaringly indicates the possibly illicit profits that regional parties acquired from the mandis. Pressure is being mounted on Jannayak Janata Party chief Dushyant Chautala to oppose this decision in Haryana, thus pushing the Manohar Lal Khattar-government on the edge.

As for the Congress, having mentioned their intent to take these steps in their manifesto before the general elections in 2019, the party is just solidifying its intellectual dishonesty and petty opportunism at the expense of farmers of this country.
Olivia Troye, Vice President Mike Pence's former homeland security, counterterrorism, and coronavirus adviser. Screenshot/Republican Voters Against Trump

Olivia Troye, Vice President Mike Pence's former top coronavirus task force adviser, slammed President Donald Trump's pandemic response in an interview and in a video published Thursday.

Troye said Trump actively undermined the task force's efforts to protect Americans and that he cared primarily about the economy and his reelection, rather than the pandemic response.

Troye described one COVID-19 task force meeting in which she said the president remarked that the pandemic might be a "good thing" because it prevented him from having to shake hands with "disgusting people."

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Olivia Troye, who until recently served as Vice President Mike Pence's top coronavirus task force adviser, slammed President Donald Trump's pandemic response in an interview with The Washington Post and in a new video for the group Republicans Voters Against Trump.

In the video, Troye describes a COVID-19 task force meeting in which she says the president remarked that the pandemic might be a "good thing" because it prevented him from having to shake hands with "disgusting people." Troye said the president was referring to his supporters.

Related: 6 times Trump contradicted coronavirus public officials

"When we were in a task-force meeting, the president said, 'Maybe this COVID thing is a good thing -- I don't like shaking hands with people. I don't have to shake hands with these disgusting people,'" Troye says in the two-minute video. "Those disgusting people are the same people he claims to care about. These are the people who are still going to his rallies today, who have complete faith in who he is."

Troye, who served as a senior aide to Pence on homeland security and counterterrorism for two years, was deeply involved in the administration's coronavirus response. She said she left her White House job in August after concluding that the president was undermining efforts to keep Americans safe.

"The truth is he doesn't actually care about anyone but himself," she said.

Story continues

In an interview with The Washington Post published Thursday, Troye said Trump's pandemic response showed a "flat-out disregard for human life" and that he was more concerned with the economy and his reelection than with protecting Americans.

"The president's rhetoric and his own attacks against people in his administration trying to do the work, as well as the promulgation of false narratives and incorrect information of the virus have made this ongoing response a failure," Troye told The Post.

Troye also said any vaccine produced before the election might be dangerous.

"I would not tell anyone I care about to take a vaccine that launches prior to the election," she told The Post. "I would listen to the experts and the unity in pharma. And I would wait to make sure that this vaccine is safe and not a prop tied to an election."

Republican Voters Against Trump (@RVAT2020) September 17, 2020

The White House and Pence's team dismissed Troye's allegations, characterizing her as a "disgruntled" former employee.

"Ms. Troye is a former detailee and a career Department of Homeland Security staff member, who is disgruntled that her detail was cut short because she was no longer capable of keeping up with her day-to-day duties," Pence's national security adviser, Lt. General Keith Kellogg, told The Post in a statement. "Ms. Troye directly reported to me, and never once during her detail did she every express any concern regarding the Administration's response to the Coronavirus to anyone in her chain of command. By not expressing her concerns, she demonstrated an incredible lack of moral courage."

Judd Deere, a White House spokesman, called Troye's allegations "flat out inaccurate."

Read the original article on Business Insider
THANE: A 19-year-old man was arrested by the Thane city police for allegedly kidnapping and raping a minor girl, an official said on Friday (September 18).

The 16-year-old victim had become friends with the accused, a contract worker with the Thane Municipal Corporation, on social media, sub-inspector Deepali Lambate of Kopri police station said.

The matter came to light when the victim went missing on August 30, following which her parents lodged a complaint with the police, the official said.

On investigation, the police found that the accused had wooed the victim and taken her to Osmanabad, she said.

The victim was rescued on Wednesday, while the accused was arrested under section 376 (rape) among other provisions of the IPC and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the official said.

The accused has been remanded to police custody till September 21, she said, adding that further probe is underway.
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump's campaign manager didn't vote for his boss in the last presidential election. He didn't vote at all.

The last time Bill Stepien voted, according to public records, was 2015 when he lived in New Jersey and was registered there.

Stepien registered to vote in Washington, D.C., where he's been living since 2017, at the end of July - two weeks after he was tapped to take over Trump's reelection bid.

Stepien, a onetime aide to former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, R, first joined Trump's team in August 2016. A senior campaign official said Stepien requested an absentee ballot that never arrived, so he didn't vote in 2016.

He wasn't registered in either New Jersey or Washington to vote in the 2018 midterm elections.

Neither Stepien nor a campaign spokesman responded to further questions about his voting record, including whether he made additional efforts to obtain a ballot or considered voting in person to support Trump.

Trump, who this year voted by absentee ballot in Florida, repeatedly has attacked voting by mail, claiming without evidence that it is susceptible to widespread fraud and corruption. He has encouraged people to vote in person amid the coronavirus pandemic to ensure their vote is counted, even suggesting they try to vote once by mail and once at their polling place, which is illegal.

Despite Trump's antagonism to widespread voting by mail, at least 16 top Trump officials regularly vote that way, including Vice President Mike Pence, Attorney General William Barr and White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany.

Stepien, however, appears to be the first high-level aide not to have voted in the 2016 GOP primary or presidential election when Trump was on the ballot.

Christie fired Stepien in 2014 amid the Bridgegate scandal. Christie had ordered most lanes closed on the George Washington Bridge, the nation's busiest, to Fort Lee, N.J., to punish the city's Democratic mayor for not endorsing Christie's reelection bid. The Supreme Court in May overturned the fraud convictions of two Christie aides in the scandal.

Stepien joined Trump's campaign in its final months to oversee field operations and help strategize which states to target.

New Jersey, where Stepien would have voted in 2016, was not one of them as it reliably votes Democratic in presidential elections.

- - -

The Washington Post's Alice Crites contributed to this report.
New Delhi, Sep 18 : Freelance journalist Rajeev Sharma has been arrested by the Special Cell in a case under the Official Secrets Act and is being interrogated, Delhi Police said on Friday.

"He was found to be in possession of some defence-related classified documents," Sanjeev Yadav, DCP, Special Cell, said.

Sharma, a senior journalist who worked for various newspapers and news agencies, was arrested on Monday and was produced the next day before a Delhi court, which sent him to six-day police custody.

After his arrest, the Delhi Police seized his laptop, his mobile phone and are scanning his call detail records to know with whom he was in contact.

Sources said that Delhi Police got secret information about his involvement in procurement of classified documents and hence he was arrested by the Special Cell under the Official Secrets Act.

The Special Cell is interrogating him to know how he procured classified defence-related documents and if there is an involvement of more people.

Following his arrest, his Twitter account is flashing a message that the account showed suspicious activity and hence, has been restricted.

Sharma was also supposed to be one of the many victims of the alleged Pegasus snooping.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Authorities in northeastern China have stepped up security in areas with a significant population of ethnic Koreans as the ruling Chinese Communist Party introduces changes to the national curriculum that will phase out Korean-language teaching from the region's schools.



Plans to end the use of the Mongolian language have sparked weeks of class boycotts, street protests, and a region-wide crackdown by riot squads and state security police in the northern region of Inner Mongolia, in a process described by ethnic Mongolians as "cultural genocide."



Since the start of the new semester, schools that previously offered Korean-medium teaching will start using Mandarin Chinese instead, phasing out any Korean-language teaching materials, according to media reports and a local resident who spoke to RFA.



An ethnic Korean living in the northeastern province of Jilin who asked to be identified only by a nickname, Kim, said there is now tight security on the streets of his home region.



"There are police everywhere on the streets right now," Kim, who hails from the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, told RFA on Friday. "At least four police officers are deployed at every intersection."



"On the first day of the new semester, there were a lot of police cars and armed police vehicles patrolling the area," Kim said. "The atmosphere is pretty somber, and it's been that way for a long time now."



"Personally, I think this is an attempt to prevent the sort of mass incidents we have seen in Inner Mongolia," he said.



Kim, who is now in this 30s, said he had a Korean-medium education throughout primary school.



"Basically, all the classes were taught in Korean with the exception of Mandarin Chinese classes," he said. "Even then, all of the vocabulary we learned there was explained in Korean."



"It looks as if the new teaching materials are now all the same across both Korean schools and Chinese schools," Kim said. "The Korean schools are now having to use the same teaching materials as the Chinese schools."



'Education for national unity'



South Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper recently reported that Korean schools in China had started replacing Korean-language teaching materials with Chinese-language equivalents since the start of this semester.



The new emphasis on "education for national unity" had sparked concerns that the Korean language would be marginalized as a result.



"Some Korean schools are replacing Korean textbooks in other subjects with Chinese textbooks used by Han Chinese [schools]," the paper quoted an anonymous source as saying in a Sept. 14 report.



"Although there isn't the same obvious centrally led policy like they have in Inner Mongolia, they are also trying to strengthen Chinese-medium education [in ethnically Korean areas]," the source said.



The report traced the "education for national unity" policy back to a September 2019 speech by ruling Chinese Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping, who told a conference on national unity: "The Chinese nation is one big family, and we will build the Chinese dream together."



China is home to roughly 2.3 million Koreans, according to government figures from 2009, the largest population outside of the Korean Peninsula, of whom just under two million are Chinese nationals of Korean ethnicity.



Kim said ethnic Koreans in China have until now been allowed to sit national university entrance exams in their own language, although it was unclear whether that policy will remain in the absence of Korean-medium teaching in schools.



But he said many Korean parents also preferred to send their children to Chinese-medium schools in the hope of boosting their life chances.



"More and more people are switching to Chinese-language college entrance exams in ethnic minority areas these days," Kim told RFA.



He said there is an endemic problem with corruption in some areas.



"A lot of teachers want bribes," he said. "Many Korean parents hate all of that and send their children to Chinese schools instead."



"The proportion of Koreans in Chinese schools is very high; sometimes nearly half of the people in a class are Koreans," Kim said.



Reported by Gao Feng for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Thankfully, the Air Force has said that StratComs old facility, Building 500, will not go to waste. They plan to invest millions more to bring it up to date before the 55th Wing makes it their new home.

There is also cause for celebration for the Nebraska National Guard. Due to the leadership of Adjutant General Daryl Bohac and the support of the Nebraska delegation in Congress, the Army National Guard recently committed to an approximately $60 million flood recovery plan for Camp Ashland, the Nebraska National Guards main training facility. The groundbreaking ceremony for this exciting project is scheduled to take place next week.

This is good news for the entire country, not just for Nebraska. All Americans can be glad that some of our militarys most talented men and women will continue to train at Camp Ashland.

The future is bright for Nebraskas men and women in uniform. The Department of Defense is committed to Nebraska because they recognize how important our state is to our national security. These investments are an opportunity to continue to play a leading role in defense, and there is tremendous room for further growth.

Deb Fischer is Nebraskas senior U.S. senator. She serves as a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and chairs the committees Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, which is responsible for oversight of our nations nuclear and strategic forces.
Argos became the butt of shoppers' joked after advertising a pair of curtains that 'look like cigarettes'.

The British retailer advertised its printed border eyelet curtains at a reduced price of 5.99.

The bottom third of the drapes is a mustard yellow colour, while the rest is an off-white shade.

The way the eyelets are positioned causes the curtains to fall in waves which makes them look like 10 vertical cylinders - and people spied a likeness to a packet of 10 cigarettes.

Argos became the butt of shoppers' joked after advertising a pair of curtains that 'look like cigarettes'

The interior design item was previously listed as 15 but was available in the Argos clearance sale for a third of its original price.

The image of the curtains, widely shared online, shows the floor-length drapes hanging from a silver pole - but several shoppers pointed out they bear a striking resemblance to a 10-pack of cigarettes.

Dozens took to social media to mock the design fail, which saw Argos trending on Twitter yesterday.

One tweeted: 'Argos have released these curtains that appear to look like Richmond Superkings.'

Dozens took to social media to mock the design fail, which saw Argos trending on Twitter yesterday

Another wrote: '5.99 for a set of curtains that look like a packet of cigarettes from @Argos_Online.'

And another asked: 'Why have Argos made curtains looking like JPS Superkings,' followed by a series of crying emojis.

While one joked: 'Ten cigars would have been better.'

The curtains are no longer listed for sale, however retailers can purchase the same design in shades of natural and grey.

The image of the curtains, widely shared online, shows the floor-length drapes hanging from a silver pole - but several shoppers pointed out they bear a striking resemblance to a 10-pack of cigarettes

The original description of the curtains on the Argos website read: 'Looking to liven up a room with bright and colourful curtains?

'We can help you there. These unlined 2-tone Dublin curtains are 100 per cent cotton and will give you lots of natural light and plenty of privacy.

'We love their eyelet design for its fast and fiddle-free fitting and should disaster strike you can pop them in the wash. Like your room a bit darker?

'These curtains are also available fully lined.'

According to a screenshot of the mustard curtains shared online, the curtains boasted an average four out of five stars out of 18 reviews.
D. Fahleson /Houston Chronicle

The Chopstars from Houston and prolific author and San Antonio native Shea Serrano joined forces earlier this week to give Selena's music a chopped and screwed remix.

The ChopNotSlop remix dropped Wednesday night, which also happened to be Mexican Independence Day. The mixtape, which is available on the free ChopNotSlop app and Soundcloud, features 12 tracks, including favorites like "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom," "Amor Prohibido," "Como La Flor," "Baile Esta Cumbia" and more.
The Woodlands Township Board of Directors heard updates Thursday on mental health concerns stemming from the COVID pandemic as well as a damage assessment of Fire Station No. 5, which has slab and foundation issues.

Director Ann Snyder, who is the COVID-19 charitable organization liaison, invited Evan Roberson, executive director of the Tri-County Behavioral Healthcare, to speak to the board about continuing issues related to mental health and suicide caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Related: Experts worry about mental health as COVID-19 continues

Roberson provided some information and statistics, saying that there have been significant increases in demand for all mental health care. In June, there was a 27 percent increase year-to-year for calls to the organizations hotline and in July, the year-over-year increase in calls was 47 percent higher than in 2019. For the week of Sept. 6-12, he said, the all-time record for adults seeking mental health assessments was set.

The pandemic and lock-downs, he said, have caused crises including escalating emotions, irrational thoughts, suicidal ideations and heightened anxiety in both children, teens and adults.

It is important to hang out with positive people, he advised. Make personal contact (with others), avoid overloading youreself with negative new. Avoid excessive alcohol or drugs. Your mental health is important.

According to township policing statistics, there have been a total of 45 suicides or attempted suicides in The Woodlands in 2020. In April, there were three, in May there were five, in June there were six and in July there were a total of eight. The issue of mental health and suicide prevention has been a high priority for the township in recent years, and officials have partnered with others in the community to combat the issue.

Fire Station 5 damage analysis done

Palmer Buck, fire chief of The Woodlands Fire Department, told the board members that a long-awaited study on damage to Fire Station No. 5, as well as of stations No. 3 and No. 4, had been completed by Martinez Architects and would be presented to the board in October.

Weve had significantly more movement since 2019, Buck said.

Related: Woodlands Fire officials still waiting for structural analysis for Station No. 5

Ann Snyder said the issue has been present since at least 2009 and nothing has been done to resolve the problems and the delay was in her opinion unacceptable.

I feel it is our responsibility as a township board to look at (Fire Station NO. 5) and get it fixed, Snyder said. The facility they are currently using is not adequate and has deficiencies. Weve put Band-aids in issues since 2010.

Fire Station No. 5 has unknown structural damage to the slab and foundation of the building due to unknown causes. Officials suspect seismic activity or subsidence, which has possibly led to cracking of the foundational slab and uneven floors. It is not known if the station will need to be torn down and rebuilt or can be repaired.

Inspire Film Festival back

Township officials announced briefly that the popular Inspire Film Festival would return for a fifth year in February 2021 with details to be announced in the coming months.

The festival, founded by local resident Jane Minarovic, spans four days in mid-February each year bringing films, shorts and documentaries to the township that inspire viewers to be more active in life or causes. There are also dozens of events such as a fashion show, VIP opening night party and special talks with film producers, directors and actors.

Related: Township News & Notes: Woodlands named a film-friendly community

Director Bruce Rieser, who is also chairman of the Visit The Woodlands board, said the film festival is a great event and he was glad it was back for another year.

We certainly want to support them, Rieser said of the festival.

The Woodlands was recently named a Texas Film Friendly Community for the townships efforts to host filming of commercials and other productions as well as Inspire.

jeff.forward@chron.com
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 16:32:22|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- An 18-meter-tall display in the shape of a flower basket will be placed at the center of Tian'anmen Square as a decoration for China's National Day holiday.

The basket will contain representative flowers from all over the country and decorative fruits with auspicious meanings.

Along Chang'an Boulevard, the main artery of Beijing that forms the northern boundary of the square, 10 floral displays will be placed with different themes depicting China's development and achievements.

The decoration work that started on Wednesday will be completed around Sept. 25. Enditem
New Delhi, Sep 18 : Ending months of speculation, Apple is all set to launch its first exclusive online store in India on September 23 just ahead of the festive season, offering a full range of products, support and premium experience to consumers across the country.

For logistics support, Apple has partnered with Blue Dart to be its on-ground fulfillment partner. Given the current pandemic situation, customers can expect safe, contactless deliveries in 24-72 hours from the date of purchase of all premium and new products, including the ones (Apple Watch Series 6 and new iPad Air) launched earlier this week.

"We are super excited to bring Apple Store Online to India. We love the passion Indians have for our products and supporting them has been our passion too. The Online Store will ensure seamless, safe and contactless delivery of our products in these Covid times as safety of staff and customers is our topmost priority." Deirdre O'Brien, Apple's Senior Vice President of Retail + People, told IANS.

The Apple India store, the 38th online store worldwide, would have specialists to lend expert advice and support to the Indian customers.

From learning more about product features to setting up new devices, customers can receive guidance directly from Apple, including online support in English and phone support in Hindi and English.

Those who buy Apple products will be eligible for a 30-minute, one-on-one online session with a trained executive to explore more about the device, set it up and or solve any other query.

The online store also provides the ability to custom-configure any Mac with just a few clicks.

With financing options and available trade-in programme, the Apple Store Online offers a range of affordability options.

Students can shop for a Mac or iPad with special pricing, and receive discounts on accessories and Apple CareA+ that extends warranty with up to two years of technical support and accidental damage cover.

Apple currently has third-party reseller outlets and online channels to sell its devices in the country and its own branded online store will certainly help the company in giving a controlled experience of its devices and services.

Welcoming the Narendra Modi cabinet's decision to ease the 30 per cent local sourcing norm in single-brand retail (SBRT) in August last year, Apple said it looks forward to welcoming customers at its first retail store in India soon.

"We love our customers in India and we're eager to serve them online and in-store with the same experience and care that Apple customers around the world enjoy," Apple said.

Apple, which has already started manufacturing certain iPhone models in India, has reportedly selected locations for its exclusive retail stores in the country as well.

Apple currently has over 500 physical retail stores worldwide, with the world's first floating retail store at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.

On its online India store from September 23, customers can expect free online 'Today at Apple' sessions led by local creative professionals, focused on photography and music in October.

Just in time for the festive season, signature gift wrap and personalised engraving will be available for select products.

Engraving of emojis or text in English, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Tamil, and Telugu will be available for AirPods, and English engraving will be available for iPad and Apple Pencil.

For the health and well-being of Apple's teams, customers, and communities, all orders from the Apple Store Online will ship with contactless delivery.

Orders that do not require a signature will be left at the customer's door, and those that do will need only a verbal confirmation from a safe distance instead of a written signature.

Apple has been operating in India for more than 20 years, and the company's ongoing investment and innovation support almost 900,000 jobs across the country.

(Nishant Arora can be reached at nishant.a@ians.in)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
According to a Tweet published by Lockheed Martin on September 18, 2020, Romania has received its first American-made PAC-3 MSE Patriot air defense missile system. This the first country in the Black Sea region to receive the Patriot missile system.

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The official ceremony for the delivery of the first American-made PAC-3 MSE Patriot air defense missile system to Romania. (Picture source Romania MoD)

The U.S. Department of Defense announced on May 25, 2018, the contract calls for Raytheon to build Romania's first brand-new Patriot air defense missile fire unit Configuration 3+. In July 2017, the U.S. State Department had made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Romania for Patriot air defense systems, related support, and equipment.

The first Patriot air defense missile system manufactured by the American Companies Raytheon and Lockheed-Martin was delivered to Romania on September 17, 2020, during an official ceremony at the Cape Midia military base near the Black Sea port of Constanta attended by the Prime Minister of Romania Orban Ludovic and Minister of National Defence Nicolae Ciuca. Three other Patriot missile systems will be delivered in 2022.

Recently, Poland also has selected the Patriot as a new air defense missile system. In November 2017, the U.S. State Department approved a $10.5 billion sale of four Patriot missile defense systems to Poland. The air defense missile system is now in service with 16 countries including Germany, Greece, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Netherlands, Poland, Qatar, Romania Saudi Arabia, Spain, South Korea, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, and the United States.

In June 2020, a Lockheed Martin PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) interceptor successfully detected, tracked, and intercepted a tactical ballistic missile target today in a test at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico.

The family of PAC-3 missiles is high-velocity interceptors that defend against incoming threats, including tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and aircraft. Thirteen nations  the U.S., Germany, Kuwait, Japan, Qatar, the Republic of Korea, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, the Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, Romania, Poland, and Sweden have chosen PAC-3 and PAC-3 MSE to provide missile defense capabilities.

Building on the combat-proven PAC-3, the PAC-3 MSE uses a two-pulse solid rocket motor that increases altitude and range to defend against evolving threats.
A rare storm known as a 'medicane has made landfall in western Greece, causing power cuts and flooding on the Ionian islands of Kefalonia, Zakynthos and Ithaca.

The fire brigade has received at least 60 calls for assistance, mostly related to uprooted trees and flooding in homes and shops.

Kefalonia's mayor, Theofilos Michalatos, said no one has been injured but there had been damage to the islands houses, transport infrastructure and water facilities. A boat also sank off the island.

Zakynthos and Ithaca have been affected similarly, with power outages impacting much of the region.

Storm Ianos was moving at a speed of 100 kph (62 mph) before hitting the island of Lefkada on Friday morning, according to the Hellenic National Meteorological Service.

It arrived on the western Peloponnese peninsula around noon.

"The cyclone will remain west, with the same intensity for 6-9 hours and then, weaker, will start moving to the south," Nikos Hardalias, the Deputy Citizen Protection minister, said.

Ianos may also hit central Greece, before moving on to the wider Athens region on Saturday.

The Hellenic National Meteorological Service issued a weather warning for the Ionian islands, the Peloponnese and central Greece on Friday.

The medicanes intensity and course is difficult to accurately predict, authorities said.

These storms were first observed in Greece in 1995, and have become increasingly common in recent years.
Chaos continue in Daraa with a number of former members of the Syrian opposition being gunned down in the street reports SY 24.

Unknown gunmen carried out new assassinations in Daraa Governorate, targeting former military leaders in the Syrian opposition.

The SY 24 correspondent said, Unidentified persons targeted Abd al-Salam al-Halqi, known as al-Jandoli, which led to him being seriously injured in the city of Jasim in the northern countryside of Daraa, and he was subsequently transferred to the al-Sanamayn Military Hospital.

Halqi works as a security representative for the regimes security services in Jasim. He has had this position since the settlement agreement was concluded in Daraa. He was previously a leader in the opposition factions.

This came a few hours after the so-called Muhammad al-Juhmani was subjected to an assassination attempt in the city of Nawa in the countryside of Daraa, where he was shot and seriously injured.

An explosive device went off in a car in Daraa on Wednesday, injuring Salem Thayb from Branch 265 of the Intelligence Division in Daraa. Thaybs legs were amputated. A civilian, Muhammad Musa Shehadat, was also injured near a spot infested with military checkpoints affiliated with the regime security.

On Tuesday, the people of Sahwa al-Qamh, in the eastern countryside of the governorate, found three dead bodies belonging to members of the regime forces who are based in one of the military spots on the agricultural road leading to the town of al-Musifra.

Last Sunday, unknown persons assassinated Firas Muhammad Khair al-Naasan, who led a local group working for the Air Force Intelligence Branch, and was shot in the town of Taseel in the western countryside of Daraa.

The SY 24 correspondent also confirmed that military assistant, Hisham Hussein al-Fajr, and conscript, Hussein Hassan al-Dahuk, were killed by unidentified gunmen who were riding a motorbike in a street in al-Sheikh Maskin in the Daraa countryside. He added that the two belonged to the 61st Brigade of the Syrian army in Daraa.

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.
A former Orangeburg County deputy has been sentenced to probation and community service for his role in an immigration scheme.

Willie Paul David Rogers pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy involving immigration visas and aiding and abetting visa fraud.

U.S. District Judge Joseph Anderson sentenced Rogers on Wednesday to three years of probation and 200 hours of community service.

Character letters presented to the court praised Rogers leadership and dedication as a staff sergeant in the United States Army.

One letter praised his charisma and devotion as a platoon sergeant.

Each of the nine co-defendants in the 2019 case have pleaded guilty to various charges.

Back on Dec. 19, 2019, when Rogers pleaded guilty, the following co-defendants also pleaded guilty: Orangeburg businessman Saurabhkumar Patel and former Orangeburg County Sheriffs Office deputy Carolyn Franklin. They have not yet been sentenced.

The pair pleaded guilty to conspiracy involving immigration visas. The maximum penalty they face is five years in prison.

Franklin also pleaded guilty to three counts of aiding and abetting visa fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of prison for 10 years and a fine of $250,000.

She also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, which carries a maximum term of 20 years in prison and a fine of $1 million.

On Oct. 29, 2019, three other former Orangeburg County deputies pleaded guilty: Nathaniel Miller Shazier III, Allan Hunter and Stanley LaValle Timmons.

Shazier pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine.

Hunter, whod left the sheriffs office and was employed as a Springfield police officer at the time of his arrest, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine and four counts of visa fraud.

Timmons, who was employed as an Orangeburg County deputy at the time of his arrest, pleaded guilty to conspiracy.

Lacra Jenkins, who was the police chief of Springfield and a former deputy, pleaded guilty earlier last fall to conspiracy to violate federal law, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance and two counts of visa fraud.

Another co-defendant, Tarang Kumar Patel, earlier pleaded guilty to conspiracy and visa fraud. On Oct. 31, 2019, Anderson sentenced him to time served and a fine of $200.

Hunter, Timmons, Shazier and Jenkins have not yet been sentenced.

Charges are pending against James Albert Tucker, who represented himself as a sheriffs office reserve deputy. He is facing charges of conspiracy, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.

In March 2019, the defendants were indicted in various schemes.

One involved the fabrication of documents that allowed some foreigners to remain in the United States longer than otherwise allowed.

The scheme turned into a sting operation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Undercover agents recruited some local officers to guard supposed cocaine transports and freight, including proceeds from drug trades.

Contact the writer: mbrown@timesanddemocrat.com or 803-533-5545. Follow on Twitter: @MRBrownTandD.

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It was incredibly hot, and my mouth and throat were really sore, she recalled. I should have seen a doctor, but we dont have health insurance.

If Vicenta thought her years of service had banked some good will, she was wrong. Early in May, both families called and left a message with her 16-year-old son, explaining that for the time being, she could not visit and clean. There was some vague talk about eventually asking her to return, but messages she left with the families for clarification went unreturned.

Mostly, I feel really sad, Vicenta said. My children were born here, so they get coupons for food, but my husband lost his job as a prep cook in a restaurant last year and we are three months behind on rent. I dont know what will happen next.

Housekeepers have long had a uniquely precarious foothold in the U.S. labor market. Many people still refer to them as the help, which makes the job sound like something far less than an occupation. The Economic Policy Institute found that the countrys 2.2 million domestic workers  a group that includes housekeepers, child care workers and home health care aides  earn an average of $12.01 an hour and are three times as likely to live in poverty than other hourly workers. Few have benefits that are common in the American work force, like sick leave, health insurance, formal contracts or protection against unfair dismissal.

A treadmill life

This underclass status can be traced as far back as the 1800s, historians say, and is squarely rooted in racism. Domestic work was then one of the few ways that Black women could earn money, and well into the 20th century, most of those women lived in the South. During the Jim Crow era, they were powerless and exploited. Far from the happy mammy found in popular culture like Gone With the Wind, these women were mistreated and overworked. In 1912, a publication called The Independent ran an essay by a woman identified only as a Negro Nurse, who described 14-hour workdays, seven days a week, for $10 a month.

I live a treadmill life, she wrote. I see my own children only when they happen to see me on the streets.

In 1935, the federal government all but codified the grim conditions of domestic work with the passage of the Social Security Act. The law was the crowning achievement of the New Deal, providing retirement benefits as well as the countrys first national unemployment compensation program  a safety net that was invaluable during the Depression. But the act excluded two categories of employment: domestic workers and agricultural laborers, jobs that were most essential to Black women and Black men, respectively.
Bengaluru, Sep 18 : Assuring the government doctors of considering their demand for wage revision, Karnataka Medical Education Minister K. Sudhakar on Friday urged them to call off their strike and report for duty.

"Going on strike at a time when the state government and other stakeholders were fighting the pandemic, does not behold the doctors as their absence is affecting healthcare, especially Covid-19 patients," Sudhakar told reporters at an event here.

Though the Karnataka Government Medical Officers' Association agreed to withdraw the strike at a meeting with the state health department recently, many of its 5,000 members have not been reporting for duty since September 15, demanding salary revision, among other things.

Asserting that the state government was committed to address the concerns of the doctors, the minister said it was inhuman for anyone to use the Covid-19 situation for one's gain.

Admitting that the doctors had a great responsibility in the fight against the deadly disease, Sudhakar hoped they would withdraw the strike and report for duty from Saturday.

Inaugurating the molecular diagnostic laboratory and the skill training centre of B. R. Ambedkar Medical College in the city's south-east suburb, the minister said the chief minister (B.S. Yediyurappa) had agreed to some of the demands, including wage revision and was waiting for the nod of the state finance department.

"The salaries of doctors under the state health department will be based on 6-year, 13-year and 20-year promotion," said Sudhakar.

The doctors also sought pay parity with their counterparts in the state medical education department or as per the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS).

With 1,03,631 active cases, Karnataka ranked second after Maharashtra on the country's Covid-19 tracker on Thursday.

Though 4,94,356 patients tested positive since March 8 across the southern state, 3,83,077 were discharged till date, while 7,629 have succumbed to the virus so far.

"As we are conducting about 75,000 tests per day, we are recording more positive cases and the pandemic is under control in the state compared to other southern states," asserted Sudhakar.

The state government is also increasing beds in the intensive care units (ICU) of the state-run hospitals, especially in Bengaluru where more patients are being admitted.

"We are increasing ICU beds and ventilators due to rise in severe cases, while beds in general wards are adequate for new cases," Sudhakar added.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Trump admin. can end humanitarian protections for refugees: appeals court

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A three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has ruled that the Trump administration can end a program aimed at giving humanitarian aid to refugees.

At issue were the efforts by the administration to end the Temporary Protected Status program for beneficiaries from countries including Sudan, Nicaragua, Haiti, and El Salvador.

Administered by the Department of Homeland Security, the program gives temporary benefits to refugees from countries that have experienced major disasters, both natural and manmade.

In a 2-1 decision filed Monday, the appeals court panel vacated a preliminary injunction issued by a lower court, with Circuit Judge Consuelo M. Callahan authoring the court opinion.

The Callahan opinion rejected the claims of plaintiffs who argued that the decision to end their TPS protections was unlawful given the potential negative impact it would have on them.

The TPS statute also does not dictate any substantive guidelines or restrictions on the manner by which the Secretary may reach her TPS determinations, other than setting forth the three possible findings that the Secretary must make before designating a country for TPS, wrote Callahan.

Nothing in the language of the TPS statute requires the Secretary to consider intervening events prior to terminating TPS, or to explain her failure to do so.

In the dissenting opinion, Circuit Judge Morgan Christen argued that the plaintiffs complaint had merit, as the lower court provided a long list of evidence of racial animus from the administration.

One example cited was a January 2018 Oval Office meeting in which President Donald Trump called some of the nations involved in the TPS program s***hole countries.

 we cannot sweep aside the words that were actually used, and it would be worse for us to deny their meaning. Some of the statements expressly referred to people, not to places. The Presidents statements require no deciphering, argued Christen.

The [district] court recognized that the government could not in good faith argue that it would suffer any concrete harm if TPS holders are allowed to remain in the United States pending resolution of this litigation because they have been lawfully present in the United States for many years.

Crista Ramos, lead plaintiff in the lawsuit, denounced the appeals court panel decision, saying in a statement that the government has failed me and the other 250,000 US citizen children of TPS holders.

If this decision stands, it means Trumps termination of TPS will move ahead and TPS holders will only have until January 2021 to legally live and work in this country, stated Ramos.

We need our senators to act now and pass the Dream & Promise Act to grant TPS holders a permanent residency before another wave of family separations occurs. Despite the courts decision, our fight must continue.

In 2017 and 2018, the Trump administration moved to terminate the TPS program for people who came to the country from Sudan, Nicaragua, Haiti, and El Salvador.

Supporters of the decisions to drop the four countries from the program argued that the conditions used to justify their addition to TPS have considerably changed.

For example, while Haiti was added to TPS due to the 2010 earthquake, the Department of Homeland Security concluded that conditions there had since sufficiently improved.

Since the 2010 earthquake, the number of displaced people in Haiti has decreased by 97 percent, stated DHS in 2017. Haiti is able to safely receive traditional levels of returned citizens.
A manhunt is underway for at least two gunmen who fired 10 shots at the Camden home of married county police officers who just had a baby.

Seven of the shots hit the home and six penetrated the structure  two through the front door  during the Tuesday, Sept. 15 incident shortly before midnight on Clinton Street, Camden Police Chief Joseph Wysocki told the media at a press event Thursday evening.

The officers and their 10-day-old baby were not injured. They were on the second floor at the time.

The officers, a man and woman, have been with the department for four years and two years, respectively, and remain on leave, officials said. They were born and raised in Camden.

Wysocki said the motive for the shooting is unknown, but its very common knowledge that the officers live at the home. "I do know that this is a targeted attack against this residence where the officers reside, Wysocki said.

The chief said one neighbor told investigators, I dont go to bed at night until I see the officers' cars come home, when they finish their shift. I watch as their car pulls up. Its a quiet, tight-knit neighborhood, he said.

Wysocki spoke with several other leaders, who all urged the public to come forward with any tips on the identities of the shooters. A combined reward stood at $20,000.

Camden County Freeholder Louis Cappelli spoke directly to the perpetrators, and did not hold back. He said he told the chief to do whatever is necessary to stop anymore more violence against our officers, immediately.

This mindless evil conduct will not be tolerated, Cappelli went on.

I want to share a very clear message to the scumbag thugs behind this senseless act. Were coming to get you and you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. If you think you can get away with these crimes under the cover of some unfortunate acts taking place in other parts of the nation, or under cover of some national movement, you are wrong."

FBI Special Agent Michael Driscoll, in charge of the Philadelphia office, said anyone who opens fire on a private home is a threat.

Add to that the possibility that someone may have targeted law enforcement causes a true threat to the citizens of Camden, he said. Were determined to get to the bottom of this together.

Detectives found seven empty shell casings in front of the home, and investigators identified a 1998 dark-colored Honda Odyssey with a temporary paper tag in the area during the incident. Early Thursday morning, they located and towed the minivan for further investigation, police said.

Wysocki said there were three people in the vehicle during the shooting, a driver and two suspected gunmen.

A reward of $20,000 for information leading to arrest of the shooters was offered by the FBI, ATF and local Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 218.

Anyone with information on the shooting or the vehicle that was used in the shooting was urged to call the departments tip line at 856-757-7420.

Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com.

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A day after Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik voiced disappointment over enforcement of COVID-19 guidelines in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, Odisha Police on Thursday deployed extra personnel to keep a close vigil on violators to put a brake on unabated surge in Corona cases.

As many as 50 more police officers and five platoons of armed police personnel will be deployed in the state capital Bhubaneswar and Cuttack to strictly enforce COVID-19 guidelines as the pandemic situation in the twin cities appeared to have taken an alarming shape, a senior police officer said.

Director General of Police (DGP) Abhay said he held a review meeting with senior officers including Commissioner of Police, Cuttack-Bhubaneswar about enforcement of COVID regulations in the twin cities. It was decided to take necessary steps to substantially enhance the COVID-19 enforcement activities in the two cities, he said.

The police chief said that he also interacted with several police officers of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack as part of the efforts to enhance enforcement operations in the two cities and they were quite enthusiastic in their response though several of them were infected with COVID-19. He said the deployment of additional police force has been arranged in order to ensure strict compliance of the COVID norms in the two cities.

The move by the police comes a day after the chief minister expressed dissatisfaction over the enforcement of COVID-19 guidelines in the police commissionerate area.

"I get good feedback about enforcement activities throughout the state, the same in the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Police Commissionerate area is not encouraging. I have been repeatedly emphasising on this. DGP must look into this and do the needful," the chief minister said during a review meeting held on Wednesday.

As part of efforts to strengthen enforcement activities in the two cities, Bhubaneswar will be divided into three zones and each zone will have a DCP level officer to ensure stricter enforcement of the COVID-19 guidelines. While additional police personnel are being deployed, the enforcement teams will keep a close vigil on the COVID-19 hotspot areas and market places in the cities, Commissioner of Police Sudhansu Sarangi said.

In Cuttack, as many as 17 enforcement squads are being formed under the supervision of senior officers to ensure that COVID-19 guidelines are strictly followed by people in the city, Cuttack DCP Prateek Singh said. Patrolling is also being strengthened and action will be taken against those found flouting guidelines. Special attention is being taken to ensure that people wear masks, maintain social distancing and hygiene, he said.

Shops found violating the COVID-19 guidelines will be sealed and fined, while people are being urged to refrain from stepping out unless it is very urgent, he said. Of the 1,67,161 COVID-19 cases reported in Odisha so far, 28,794 are from Khurda district, where Bhubaneswar is located. On an average, around 400 COVID cases are being reported from the state capital every day. Similarly, 14,502 cases have so far been reported from Cuttack district and bulk of these are from Cuttack city.

(Image Credits:PTI)
Marty Sheargold recently did his last show at Nova FM after revealing he was leaving the radio station in July.

Now the radio host has addressed chatter about his next move - shutting down talk he could head to Triple M or start a new podcast.

Speaking to Radio Today, the 49-year-old said: 'I'll be happy to go out for dinner by then, let alone any kind of gainful employment'.

Moves: Marty Sheargold (pictured) recently did his last show at Nova after revealing he was leaving the radio station in July. Now the radio host has addressed chatter about his next move - shutting down talk he could head to Triple M or start a new podcast

Radio Today reported that the major podcast networks have denied they have any plans with Marty.

According to The Herald Sun, industry whispers had recently suggested that the radio host could be joining the Hot Breakfast show next year, which is hosted by Eddie McGuire and Luke Darcy.

The publication reported that the two hosts will have contract talks later this year.

Speaking to Radio Today, the 49-year-old said: 'I'll be happy to go out for dinner by then, let alone any kind of gainful employment'

Marty broadcast his final show for Nova on Friday, and has been replaced on the drive show by comedian Joel Creasey, 30.

He shocked fans in July when he announced he was leaving his Nova national drive show, Kate, Tim and Marty.

During the announcement, he explained to his co-hosts Kate Ritchie and Tim Blackwell that he 'spent the last 'four or five months tossing up' what to do in 2021.

New gig? According to The Herald Sun, industry whispers are suggesting that the 49-year-old could be joining the Hot Breakfast show next year, which is hosted by Eddie McGuire (pictured) and Luke Darcy

New talent: Marty broadcast his final show for Nova on Friday, and has been replaced on the drive show by comedian Joel Creasey, 30 (pictured)

'Kate, Tim and Marty will no longer feature Marty at the end of the day,' he said on-air. 'Thank you to the network for having me, putting up with me.

'Over the last four or five months I've been tossing up what I'd like to do in 2021, and what I've decided to do is leave the show,' he added.

In an official statement, Marty thanked his co-hosts for their support in his decision.

Gone: Marty shocked fans in July when he announced he was leaving his Nova national drive show, Kate, Tim and Marty. Pictured with his former co-hosts

'I've had a fantastic 10 years with the Nova Network, having worked with buildings full of talented and dynamic people,' he said.

'I'd like to thank Tim and Kate for their support of my decision and wish them continued success with the show.

'Now feels like the right time for me professionally to keep challenging myself and to embrace future opportunities with renewed vigour and enthusiasm.'

While he's yet to reveal his next move, Radio Today understands a podcast and a return to his comedic roots may be on the cards.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Triple M for comment, in relation to this story.
INRS researcher receives $670,000 grant to continue research on Batten's disease

Quebec City and Montreal, September 18, 2020 - Institut de la recherche scientifique (INRS) announces that Stephane Lefrancois, a professor at its Centre Armand-Frappier Sante Biotechnologie (AFSB), has received a grant of more than $670,000 from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) for his work on Batten's disease. He will be using the funds to continue his research into this rare genetic and degenerative disease, which mainly affects children.

Professor Lefrancois and his research team are primarily interested in the most common form of the disease, called Batten CLN3, which is caused by mutations in its namesake protein, for which there is no treatment to date. "This disease is often asymptomatic before the age of five to seven. We are conducting research to stop its progression. Finding a treatment is of utmost importance since life expectancy with the disease is about 30 years," says the researcher. "A grant such as this one from CIHR is a great opportunity to make progress."

INRS's AFSB Centre draws on a wide range of expertise to detect, prevent, and treat various diseases. "Research into neurodegenerative diseases plays a very big part at INRS. The skills of faculty members like Stephane Lefrancois are driving advances in our understanding of diseases that affect a great many people around the world," said Pascale Champagne, INRS scientific director. "Financial partners such as CIHR provide key support for the advancement of science in Canada."

The study of cell biology

With his team in Laval, the researcher is studying the cell biology of the CLN3 protein in order to better understand its function and find therapeutic targets. When functioning normally, the CLN3 protein ensures ongoing delivery of proteins to the endosome, an intracellular compartment that acts as a sorting centre for the various proteins in the cell.

"In this cellular process, the receptor should be thought of as a truck that transports proteins from the Golgi apparatus--the production plant--to the sorting centre, the endosome. The truck--CLN3--is constantly going back and forth, picking up and delivering more proteins from the Golgi," explains Dr. Klein. "When there are mutations, the truck does not return to the Golgi after unloading the proteins. Instead, it heads to the lysosomes, where it is destroyed as cellular waste."

Since the receptor is degraded, the proteins required for the lysosomes to function are not transported. These organelles are no longer able to destroy cellular waste, which then accumulates and causes cell degeneration. "The child's development is thought to be normal for the first few years because the cell compensates by creating other trucks. But eventually it's not able to generate enough, so the system is no longer functional and starts to degrade," adds Professor Lefrancois.

Professor Lefrancois is collaborating with a team of European researchers to restore the normal function of the CLN3 protein using a promising molecule. It is hoped this molecule will prevent the receptor from degrading and enable it to continue transporting proteins.

Worldwide, it is estimated that the various forms of Batten's disease affect one person in 100,000.

###

About INRS

INRS is a university dedicated exclusively to graduate level research and training. Since its creation in 1969, INRS has played an active role in Quebec's economic, social, and cultural development and is ranked first for research intensity in Quebec and second in Canada. INRS is made up of four interdisciplinary research and training centres in Quebec City, Montreal, Laval, and Varennes, with expertise in strategic sectors: Eau Terre Environnement, Energie Materiaux Telecommunications, Urbanisation Culture Societe, and Armand-Frappier Sante Biotechnologie. The INRS community includes more than 1,400 students, postdoctoral fellows, faculty members, and staff.

This story has been published on: 2020-09-18. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 19:38:09|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- China hopes U.S. Ambassador to China Terry Branstad will continue to play a positive role in the healthy development of bilateral relations after leaving his post, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Friday.

Wang made the remarks when asked to comment on Branstad's announcement of stepping down on Thursday.

The United States on Monday officially informed China of Branstad's leaving in early October, Wang told a daily press briefing.

"Branstad has done a lot to promote exchanges and cooperation between the two peoples, when he served as governor of Iowa and U.S. ambassador to China," Wang said.

Saying China has made remarkable development over the past decades, Branstad noted in his statement that "the Chinese people's work ethic, commitment to education and family, and entrepreneurial spirit have fueled this country's growth."

The Chinese side appreciates ambassador Branstad's remarks, Wang said.

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, especially since the reform and opening up, China has made remarkable development achievements and grown into the world's second largest economy, the largest manufacturing power, and the largest trader in goods, he said.

"These achievements have been made by the Chinese people with their diligence, wisdom and innovative spirit," Wang stressed.

Over a period of time, certain U.S. politicians have asserted that China's development achievements were realized by "stealing other countries' technologies and taking advantage of others," Wang said, reiterating that this accusation, driven by ulterior motives, lacks common sense.

"The international community and people of insight in the United States have their fair judgment on this," said the spokesperson. Enditem
Customers who visit Baierl Toyota during the month of September are able to save money on lease and financing agreements for select vehicles at the dealership with the Big Labor Day Sale. There are five new Toyota vehicles that feature savings as part of the Big Labor Day Sale this September. These five Toyota models include the 2020 Toyota RAV4 LE, the 2020 Toyota Camry LE, the 2021 Toyota Corolla LE, the 2020 Toyota Highlander LE AWD and the 2020 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6.

As part of the Big Labor Day Sale, customers who purchase or finance a 2020 Toyota RAV4 LE can receive $1,750 cash back. If customers would prefer to lease this vehicle instead, they can do so for $269 per month for 36 months. This lease agreement requires a $2,499 down payment as well. 2020 Toyota Camry LE models offer a $2,000 cash back when purchased and a $269 monthly lease for 36 months. This lease agreement only requires a $1,999 down payment.

Additionally, customers are able to receive $1,000 cash back when purchasing a 2021 Toyota Corolla LE model or a 2020 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 model. The 2021 Toyota Corolla LE models also offer a 36-month lease for $219 per month and a $1,999 down payment. The 2020 Toyota Tacoma SR5 V6 models also offer a 36-month lease. However, the price for this vehicle lease is $259 per month with a $2,799 down payment. Finally, the 2020 Toyota Highlander LE AWD models feature $1,500 cash back and a 36-month lease for $319 per month that requires a larger $4,499 down payment.

Customers can learn more about the Big Labor Day Sale at Baierl Toyota by contacting the dealership staff directly. More information about the dealerships lease and financing specials can be found by visiting the dealership website at http://www.baierltoyota.com. Customers can also reach the dealership by phone at 878-332-7116 or by visiting the dealership in person at 19045 Perry Highway in Mars, Pennsylvania.


The resolution was backed by 532 MEPs.

The European Parliament (EP) has demanded that sanctions against the Russian Federation should be strengthened and the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline should be halted over the poisoning of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny.

This is stated in a resolution posted on the EP's website.

Read alsoGermany offers U.S. deal to waive sanctions against Nord Stream 2  media

During the voting, 532 MEPs voted for the resolution, 84 voted against it. Another 72 abstained.

The document "calls on the Foreign Affairs Council to take an active stance on this matter at its meeting on September 21; demands that the EU establishes as soon as possible a list of ambitious restrictive measures vis-a-vis Russia and strengthens its existing sanctions against Russia; urges the deployment of such sanctions mechanisms as would allow for the collection and freezing of the European assets of corrupt individuals in accordance with the findings of Alexei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation."

The resolution is not legislative in nature and is not legally binding on EU institutions and the governments of the EU member states.

Navalny poisoning: Background

On August 20, Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny felt sick on board the plane he was flying from the city of Tomsk to Moscow. His rapidly deteriorating condition forced the captain to perform an emergency landing in Omsk. Two days later, he was evacuated from Omsk to Charite, a hospital in Berlin, Germany.

On September 4, it became known that experts from the German military's Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology in Munich had found traces of a toxic substance from the Novichok group in samples of Navalny's blood, urine, and skin.

European politicians have repeatedly called on Russia to investigate Navalny's poisoning.

Further developments
Dennis Sides wanted a little extra cash and to do a good deed so he signed up to work for the U.S. census. After months of poor communication and false starts, he finally got trained in early August and hit the streets of the Tenderloin to count people. He used his Spanish to count monolingual immigrants and talked his way into hard-to-access single-room-occupancy hotels.

I really felt like this was important, said the 76-year-old retired book editor. And then, boom, one day it just stopped.

After just five days of counting, his supervisor told him on Aug. 11 there was no available work. He showed text messages spanning the next week and a half from his supervisor indicating there was nothing for her San Francisco team to do. Even though the tallying in this large, crowded, hard-to-count city had just begun.

Another team member texted the group on Aug. 20 asking whether there was any more work in the city.

I will ask because clearly they need help!! the supervisor texted back. But no more work ever came.

Interviews with six San Franciscans hired by the U.S. Census Bureau to work as enumerators or trainers revealed a similar pattern. Months of delays because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a chaotic, slipshod training in early August, a short time of poorly organized counting and then an abrupt cutoff of their work.

Several reported being offered counting jobs in Reno, Fort Bragg (Mendocino County) or the far reaches of the East Bay instead. But San Francisco, their supervisors told them, was fully counted even though statistics reported in this column last week showed that was far from the truth.

Joshua Green, a spokesman for the U.S. Census Bureau, disputed that characterization, saying the census operations are running well and will be completed on time. He said 895 enumerators were working in San Francisco in mid-August, and that their combined workload in the city is now nearly 90% complete. He said its normal for enumerators to be moved to other locations that need more assistance.

The census operation is fast-moving, and we adapt, and I know thats hard for some enumerators because they dont really understand the ins and outs of the operation, but thats how it works, he said.

But data from Thursday  more than a month after Sides assignments ended because the counting was supposedly complete  showed just 65.3% of San Franciscans had filled out their census questionnaire on their own. Enumerators try to track down the remaining households and ask the questions themselves, and several in San Francisco say theyre doubtful the remaining households are getting fully and accurately counted.

Certain neighborhoods  including Bayview-Hunters Point, parts of the South of Market district, and yes, the Tenderloin  as of Thursday had fewer than 50% of residents proactively answer the census, putting them squarely in the bottom 20% nationally for self-responding.

Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle

Its essential that everybody in the already financially walloped city be tallied because each one will bring $20,000 in federal dollars to the city over the next decade. That means every 10,000 people who arent counted will result in a loss of $200 million. The numbers also determine the boundaries for supervisorial and congressional districts.

Enumerators reports of a rush job come after the Trump administration supported the move in early August to finish counting by Sept. 30, a month earlier than previously planned. That was despite the concerns of civil rights advocates that the COVID-19 pandemic was already making it harder to do a good count, particularly in immigrant and low-income neighborhoods.

U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh has ordered the census to continue collecting surveys and to wait until Thursday to decide whether it will wind up early. Shes expected to hold a hearing Tuesday on whether to move the finish line for counting back to Oct. 31. Clearly the disasters of 2020  the COVID-19 pandemic, wildfires, terrible air quality and more  mean census takers should have more time to count, not less.

Lizette Escobedo is the director of the National Census Program at NALEO Educational Fund, a nonprofit that tries to get Latinos involved in the American political process. She said her organization has heard similar reports of enumerators in San Diego being told theyre no longer needed after just a few days of counting. Her nonprofit intended to help with outreach, she said, but now has to play a watchdog role to make sure the U.S. Census Bureau does its job.

Its honestly become a huge mess across the board, she said. The quality of the data is not going to be up to par at all.

City Hall is scrambling to boost the local tally. Bill Barnes, spokesman for the City Administrators Office, which oversees the local census efforts, said nonprofit workers will be at events in Chinatown, the Civic Center, the Bayview and the Mission District in the coming days to help people fill out the questionnaire on tablets. Unlike enumerators hired by the census, they cant take the answers on their own and can only encourage people to fill out the online questionnaire.

The numbers speak for themselves. San Francisco obviously has a far way to go to be fully counted, he said. We are two weeks away from a Trump-imposed deadline. Were going to put all the resources we have remaining into making sure people are counted.

Anybody who hasnt filled out the census yet can do so at my2020census.gov.

Several enumerators in San Francisco are confounded by the census operations. Richard Bolingbroke, a 68-year-old artist who lives in the Mission, has worked for previous census counts  and agreed this one has been chaotic. He spent two weeks counting in the Mission before being reassigned to Fort Bragg for a week. When he returned, he asked for more work in the city  and has received none. He called various census hotlines, which nobody ever answered. He said the bureau seems to be rife with crazy incompetence.

Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle

Amy Tanner, a 47-year-old stay-at-home mom who lives in the Mission, said she counted in her neighborhood before quickly being reassigned to Pittsburg and Antioch. She got tired of all the driving and asked her supervisor for more work in San Francisco.

Suddenly my phone just shut down, and I had no cases in my phone at all, she said of the census-provided phone that includes an app for enumerators to track their cases. All of the cases listed were gone.

She eventually did get more work in the Mission, but she has no idea why since shed been told before there was no more work there.

It is very weird, she said. Its just been so crazily disorganized.

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.

David Babbitz, a retiree who lives in the Lower Haight, said he counted in Duboce Triangle, the Tenderloin and the Western Addition for three weeks before being told there was work for him in Fort Bragg or Reno.

They were pretty much closing up shop in San Francisco, he said. It was hard to believe they could have accomplished in three weeks what they said they were going to have a problem accomplishing by the end of September.

He was told he could get his questions answered on a conference call with his bosses, but the call never happened.

Phil Williams, a 67-year-old former cabdriver who lives in the Richmond District, was hired as a trainer of enumerators. On July 1, he was given a box of equipment including iPads, phones and extension cords and sent home to endure 40 hours of online training. There were many glitches, but he plugged along. Until someone called him from Los Angeles and told him he was fired. He had to return all the equipment promptly and was never paid for his time. He has no idea what happened.

Nobody returns my calls, he said. This is the census. This is 10 years of numbers that are supposed to be important about how this country is going to go on, and somebodys messing with it. The plane is being crashed.

Freddy Sweet, a 78-year-old who lives in the Inner Richmond, worked as a census enumerator in 2010 and said this year has been a very different experience.

Its really making me angry, Sweet said. I really believe in the census, and I would like to see that everyone is counted, but there were too many obstacles in our path.

He cited numerous flaws that made counting in the Inner Richmond challenging. Hed find an address that didnt exist, input that into the system and then be sent there again the next day. Or one enumerator would have no cases for a day and another enumerator would have 200, but the supervisor wouldnt let them share the load. Or someone would say theyd already filled out the census, but there was no record of it in the system.

Then, after a few days, his bosses told him there was no more work. San Francisco was counted.

That was clearly not true, he said. Its mighty, mighty strange.

We really wanted this thing to be accurate. Too much depends on it in our democracy and access and fairness, and its just a shame to see what its turned into, he continued. Its just not going to be an accurate count.

San Francisco Chronicle columnist Heather Knight appears Sundays and Tuesdays. Email: hknight@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @hknightsf Instagram: @heatherknightsf
Nearly 30 Covid vaccine candidates in pre-clinical and clinical stages are under development by pharmaceutical industry and academia in India. While three of them are in advanced stage of Phase I/II/III trials and 4 are in advanced pre-clinical development stage, Union Health minister, Dr Harsh Vardhan, told the Parliament on Friday.

Vardhan informed the House that the government has extended its support for the development of vaccine associated research resources, establishment of clinical trial sites and notifying enabling regulatory guidelines.

He also informed that the distribution of Covid-19 vaccine, when available, would be done as per the protocols under Universal Immunization Program (UIP). "A high-level expert group is looking into matters related to vaccine distribution and immunisation. The distribution and immunisation of the Coronavirus vaccine are subject to availability. Once available, the Coronavirus vaccine distribution follows the same route as for the current practice of vaccines distribution under," Vardhan apprised the Lok Sabha on Friday through a written reply.

Besides, he also said that genome sequencing of 1000 SARS-CoV-2 RNA has been successfully completed. It was led by National Institute of Biomedical Genomics (NIBMG-Kalyani) , an autonomous institute under the department of biotechnology, situated in West Bengal. Five other national clusters, clinical organizations and other hospitals took part in the process as well.

Earlier, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had announced that three vaccine candidates against Covid-19 are in the clinical stage of trials in India and one of them would soon begin Phase 3 trials after getting clearances.

Covid-19 vaccine candidates being manufactured by Cadila Healthcare and Bharat Biotech have completed the first phase of the trial while the Serum Institute of India (SII) will begin with Phase 3 trial after getting the nod, Balram Bhargava, ICMR director general, had informed during the health ministry's briefing, on Tuesday.

On Monday, the minister of state for health, Ashwini Choubey, had informed the Lok Sabha that Phase II clinical trials of Bharat Biotech and Cadila Healthcare are underway.

He also informed the House that discussions on collaborations on the recombinant vaccine developed by Russia are ongoing. However, no formal studies have been initiated.

The Pune-based Serum Institute would conduct the Phase 3 trial on 1,500 volunteers across 14 locations.
Patna, Sep 18 : Firebrand BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra on Friday said that two brothers in the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) were fighting with each other, referring to Tejashwi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav. The lantern, which is the RJD's election symbol, neither had oil nor glory now, added Patra.

"The election in Bihar seems to be becoming one-sided where the NDA will win with a huge margin. We have Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar on the one hand, who believe in development and an opposition that is in jail," claimed Patra.

"The people of Bihar know that the assembly polls will be contested on the lines of Nitish Kumar versus none," said Patra.

"Lalu Prasad's elder son Tej Pratap openly insulted stalwart socialist leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh by compared him with a lota (vessel) of water. That one vessel will be used for last rites of the RJD," Patra said.

"Bihar has been running on the path of development under the leadership of Nitish Kumar. As a result, electicity has reached every home at the village level. Now, there is no requirement of a lantern," Patra said.

Patra went on to criticise Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and the Maharashtra government's stand about the probe into the mysterious death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.
The manager of the 1.4billion M&G Recovery Fund Tom Dobell is stepping down after two decades at the helm following many years of poor returns.

He will be replaced by the fund's deputy manager Michael Stiasny, who has also spent 20 years at M&G and formerly headed the company's equity research team.

The City firm said the change comes as part of a review into its mutual fund range that will 'refresh its investment approach' and put greater focus on medium-sized firms 'that have contributed most to value creation over the fund's lifetime.'

Tom Dobell will depart almost exactly a year after Hargreaves Lansdown kicked the fund off its Wealth 50 list

M&G chief investment officer Jack Daniels said: 'I'd like to thank Tom for his dedication to the M&G Recovery fund and its investors.

'While the environment for his style of investing over the past decade has been very challenging, his effort and commitment on behalf of customers have never faltered.'

Over the past ten years, the fund has returned just 14 per cent to investors compared to an 81.9 per cent average among rival funds in the Investment Association's UK All Companies sector, ranking it near the bottom for performance.

For the first half of his tenure in charge though, his value investing strategy achieved greater returns for M&G Recovery than the wider fund sector. At its height, it was managing over 8billion. But since 2012, the fund has consistently underperformed.

A value fund invests in stocks that its managers believe are undervalued in price. It is often distinguished from growth funds, which focus on businesses that are expected to expand at a faster pace than the broader stock market.

M&G noted that despite the fund's troubles, Dobell had attained a 127.7 per cent cumulative return after fees against a 118.4 per cent return among FTSE All-Share Index between becoming its manager and September 11 last week.

Dobell thanked M&G 'for the opportunities it has given me throughout my career. It's been an immense privilege to manage the M&G Recovery fund, even throughout challenging investment cycles.

'I leave the fund's investors in the capable hands of Michael Stiasny and I wish them the very best for the future.'

But since 2012, the fund has consistently under-performed, and when Hargreaves Lansdown relegated the fund from its Wealth 50 list in December 2019, it was valued at 2.1billion

Ryan Hughes, head of active portfolios at AJ Bell, commented 'News that Tom Dobell has stepped down from running the M&G Recovery fund, the UK's oldest unit trust, and hand responsibility to Michael Stiasny after 20 years will come as important news to the many investors who have stuck with the fund despite its poor performance over a number of years.'

'Tom delivered some fantastic performance for investors when his value style was in favour and the fund grew to be one of the largest UK equity funds at the time.

'However, as investors moved away from value and towards growth, performance really struggled, a fact perfectly illustrated by the performance chart which shows performance relative to the FTSE All Share during his tenure, Hughes continued.

'Dobell admitted himself that the fund became too large and had too many stocks in a rare moment of contrition from a fund manager.'
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Washington, United States  Fri, September 18, 2020 10:55 490 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c45a0dc9 2 World Islamic-State,IS,terrorist-group,terrorism Free

The Islamic State group continues to expand globally with some 20 affiliates, despite being forced out of Syria and the killing of its leaders, a top US counter-terror official said Thursday.

The extremist group "has repeatedly demonstrated the ability to rebound from severe losses over the past six years by relying on a dedicated cadre of veteran mid-level commanders, extensive clandestine networks, and downturns in CT [counter-terrorism] pressure to persevere," said Christopher Miller, director of the US National Counterterrorism Center.

Since the October 2019 killing of IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and several other prominent figures, new leader Mohammed Said Abd al-Rahman al-Mawla has been able to direct and inspire new attacks by its far-flung affiliates, Miller told a hearing of the House Homeland Security Committee.

On Thursday the group claimed responsibility for the killing of six French aid workers and their two local guides in Niger on August 9.

Inside Syria and Iraq, Miller said, IS has undertaken "a steady rate" of assassinations and mortar and IED bomb attacks.

Those included an operation in May that killed and wounded dozens of Iraqi soldiers.

Miller said the group trumpeted this success with graphic videos that served as propaganda to demonstrate the jihadists were still organized and active, since being uprooted from their self-proclaimed Syria-Iraq "caliphate" last year.

He said that the group is now focused on freeing thousands of Islamic State members and their families from detention camps in northeastern Syria, in the absence of any coordinated international process to deal with them.

Outside Syria and Iraq, the IS global web "now encompasses approximately 20 branches and networks," Miller said.

It has had mixed results, but is strongest in Africa, as the Niger attack underscored.

Islamic State also seeks to attack Western targets, Miller says, but so far effective counter-terror work has prevented this.

IS rival Al Qaeda, which carried out the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, was weakened by the loss of leaders and key figures, but remains potent, Miller said.

The group is still determined to carry out attacks on the United States and Europe, he said, and was tied to the radicalized Saudi air force trainee who killed three sailors at a US military base in Pensacola, Florida, December 2019.

Al Qaeda's affiliates in Yemen and Africa retain the ability to carry out deadly attacks, Miller said, but its sub-groups in India and Pakistan have been significantly weakened.

In Afghanistan its presence has declined to "a few dozen fighters who are primarily focused on their survival," Miller said.

Under a deal the Taliban signed with the United States in February, the insurgents agreed to stop Al Qaeda from using Afghanistan as a safe haven to plot attacks.

However, despite the agreement, the jihadist group maintains close ties with the Afghan militants, the Pentagon said Wednesday.
(Natural News) n September 11, USA Today published an article with a headline declaring, Fact check: Fauci, Gates, Epstein and Soros have no ties to drug company Moderna.

(Article republished from JeremyRHammond.com)

But that headline was false.

Both Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) and member of the White House coronavirus task force, and Bill Gates do have ties to Moderna, a pharmaceutical company developing a COVID-19 vaccine using mRNA technology.

The article does rightly identify misinformation presented in a video widely shared on social media.

With respect to Fauci, USA Today notes that the videos claim that Fauci was the first CEO of Moderna is false. Nevertheless, Fauci does have ties to Moderna.

Similarly, the article notes that the videos claim that Fauci and Gates were college roommates is false. But Gates, too, nevertheless does have direct ties to Moderna.

In fact, USA Today contradicts its own headline by acknowledging that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is listed as one of Modernas collaborators on the companys page at the investor website Flagship Pioneering.

The closest connection USA Today acknowledges with Fauci is his having been a co-reviewer of a vaccine platform Moderna is working to improve, as indicated by a 2019 Shareholder Letter. This refers to a review of vaccine technologies Fauci coauthored that was published last year in the journal Nature Reviews Immunology.

Although USA Today doesnt mention it, the same letter, under the subheading Partnerships, mentions having $187 million in funding from grants, with a footnote reference. The footnote specifies that the grants are from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

BARDA operates under the Department of Health and Human Services. DARPA is a research and development agency of the Department of Defense.

That both Fauci and Gates have close ties to Moderna is no secret. Having encountered the headline in a news feed, I knew it was false and so did a quick Google search to document its falsity. It took about ten seconds to fact check USA Todays Fact Check.

My search immediately turned up a page published in March on the website of the NIAID, which operates under the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announcing the beginning of a phase one clinical trial for Modernas COVID-19 vaccine. The webpage notes that Faucis NIAID is funding the trial.

Furthermore, Modernas candidate vaccine was developed by NIAID scientists and their collaborators at Moderna.

The page quotes Fauci saying that the trial was an important step toward developing a safe and effective vaccine to prevent infection with SARS-CoV-2.

Similarly, I was able to immediately pull up a page from Modernas website listing the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as a strategic collaborator, with the foundation having entered a global health project framework agreement in January 2016 to advance mRNA-based development projects for various infectious disases.

I emailed the author and the corrections editor on September 13 to request that they correct their false headline and acknowledge the NIAIDs partnership with Moderna, in accordance with USA Todays code of ethics.

I also pointed out that, even if they were unaware of that partnership, since the collaboration between the Gates Foundation and Moderna is acknowledged in the article, they knew that their headline was false. I also noted the hypocrisy of fact checking others while willfully misinforming the public themselves.

Two days later, I received a reply from the author, Chelsey Cox, thanking me for my comments but sticking to the headline with the reasoning that The headline reflects the analysis of the claim subject to fact-checking.

I replied, It does not follow that since the claims about Fauci and Gates subject to fact-checking are false that therefore they have no ties to Moderna. That is a non sequitur fallacy. Indeed, you point out yourself in the article that Gates does have ties to Moderna, his foundation being partnered with the company. The headline is false and should, by USA Todays own ethical guidelines, be corrected.

She responded later that day to let me know that shed gotten an editors approval to change the headline, which now reads, Fact check: Moderna post makes false claims about Fauci, Gates, Soros, Epstein. (Thats also not a great title since it makes it sounds as though Moderna itself was spreading the misinformation, but at least the false claim about Fauci and Gates having no ties to Moderna was removed.)

USA Today did not publish an acknowledgement of the error and did not update the article to acknowledge that Fauci, like Gates, is partnered with Moderna in the development of its COVID-19 vaccine.

Who Will Fact-Check the Mainstream Media?

The spread of misinformation is a serious problem in our society today. But the mainstream narrative is that its coming from individuals on social media or alternative media websites. The reality is that the greatest purveyors of misinformation are the government and mainstream media.

Notice that the mainstream medias self-proclaimed fact checkers dont fact check each other despite endless opportunities to do so. Instead, they focus on debunking information from alternative sources.

The use of the term fake news is illustrative. The corporate media accuse alternative sources of propagating fake news to maintain their own dominance as purveyors of misinformation, such as the unevidenced conspiracy theory propagated by the New York Times that the Russian government hacked the US election infrastructure in 2016.

To illustrate, a New York Times editorial published in November 2019 pointed out that oppressive regimes had been using the term to dismiss criticisms over human rights violations, then blamed this phenomenon on Donald Trump for having repeatedly referred to mainstream media sources as propagating fake news. It was Trump, they alleged, who gave rise to the epithet of fake news as a weapon.

Read more at: JeremyRHammond.com
A Waterbury man has been sentenced to more than five years behind bars after being convicted in a heroin and cocaine trafficking operation.

Pedro Santos, 47, was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to 66 months in jail, followed by four years of supervised release, for trafficking heroin and cocaine, authorities said.

According to court documents and statements made in court, the case stems from a joint investigation headed by the DEA New Haven Task Force and the Waterbury and Naugatuck police departments into a heroin and cocaine trafficking operation headed by Keith Jordan, of Waterbury.

According to a release from the office of John Durham, of U.S. Attorney for Connecticut, the investigation included the use of court-authorized wiretaps, physical surveillance and controlled purchases of narcotics.

The probe revealed that Jordan was receiving large quantities of heroin from various suppliers, including Santos, and selling the drugs to other distributors and street-level customers, Durham said.

Jordan also purchased and distributed cocaine, Durham said.

In November and December 2018, investigators intercepted hundreds of calls on Santos phone that were pertinent to drug trafficking. The intercepts revealed that Santos was receiving narcotics from co-conspirators and supplying heroin and cocaine to a network of street-level drug distributors, the release stated.

On March 13, 2019, a grand jury in Hartford returned an indictment charging Santos, Jordan and 27 others with various offenses related to the distribution of heroin, fentanyl, cocaine and crack cocaine.

Several of Santos co-defendants were arrested in March 2019.

In association with the arrests, investigators seized approximately 3,000 bags of heroin, 400 grams of cocaine, 350 grams of fentanyl/heroin mixed, 400 grams of heroin, 10 grams of crack, 20 pounds of marijuana, fentanyl patches, a one-kilogram press, four handguns, approximately $120,000 in cash and four vehicles, authorities said.

Santos evaded capture until Aug. 8, 2019, when he was apprehended in Holyoke, Mass. He has been detained since his arrest.

On Jan. 23, Santos pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, 100 grams or more of heroin.

Jordan pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing.
By Express News Service

KOCHI: The Dubai Civil Aviation Authority has banned Air India Express from operating flights to the airport for 15 days for carrying a passenger who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 for the second time.

In view of the ban, Air India Express has rescheduled all Dubai bound flights to Sharjah. As per the notice served by Dubai authorities, the airline had carried a COVID positive passenger on board the Jaipur-Dubai flight on September 4. The airport had served another notice to the national carrier on September 2 for boarding a COVID positive passenger, posing a health risk to others on board.

Boarding a passenger with Covid-19 positive test result for the second time is contrary to and is in violation of the laid down procedures and/or protocols relating to air travel to and from airports in the Emirate of Dubai, during the Coronavirus SARS Cov2 pandemic. Therefore, all operation of Air India Express to Dubai Airports is temporarily suspended, for a duration of 15 days, effective from 18th September until 2nd October," the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority said in the notice.

Confirming reciept of Notice of Suspension, Air India Express said it has been issued on account of erroneous acceptance of one COVID positive passenger each by the airlines ground handling agents at Delhi and Jaipur on August 28 and September 4 respectively. As per information gathered, passengers who were seated in close proximity to the COVID positive passenger on each flight had undergone tests and were quarantined as determined by the Dubai health authorities.

The airline has reiterated the instructions to the handling agencies in India to strictly adhere to the standard operating procedures in relation to acceptance of passengers on its flights. As an abundant precaution, the airline has advised the handling agents to implement a three-tier checking mechanism to avoid any such lapse in the future, it said in a press release.

Based on the airlines communication, the ground handling agencies concerned have taken punitive action against their employees who have been held accountable for the lapse at Delhi and Jaipur, it said.

In order to mitigate the inconvenience caused to passengers who booked seats to fly to Dubai, the airline has introduced additional flights to Sharjah. The affected passengers who have booked tickets to Dubai will also be given the option to rebook to a future date.
Sadiq Khan was today criticised for his 'devastating' decision to scrap the New Year's Eve fireworks in London - as events industry bosses urged him to consider the impact of cancellation.

The Mayor of London has confirmed the display, which typically takes place near the London Eye, will not go ahead as 'we can't afford' to have large numbers of people congregating amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Mr Khan added the New Year will instead be welcomed by 'something that people can enjoy in the comfort of their living rooms,' but he was unable to give details.

The move has since been slammed by industry insiders, with Peter Heath of the Professional Lighting and Sound Association urging Mr Khan to 'think about the impact of cancelling live events on industry, on the UK economy and the wellbeing of citizens.'

Speaking to MailOnline, he added: 'This is devastating news, not just for the event workers responsible for putting on a show-stopping spectacle, but also for the millions of spectators that look forward to ringing in the New Year.

'While we understand the need to exercise social distancing, we need to think about the impact of cancelling live events on industry, on the UK economy and the wellbeing of citizens.

Sadiq Khan has cancelled New Year's Eve celebrations in London as he confirmed there will be 'no fireworks' and 'nothing happening' on December 31

The Mayor of London explained the display, which typically takes place near the London Eye, will not go ahead as 'we can't afford' to have large numbers of people congregating amid the coronavirus pandemic. Pictured: The 2020 celebration

'We said goodbye to events over the busy summer season, now going into autumn with more cancellations.

'The UK once boasted a world-leading events industry  but we're not able to showcase this with blanket cancellations and no financial support from Government.'

Koy Neminathan, director of leading lighting and video manufacturers Avolites, was also critical of the decision.

He said: 'It goes from bad to worse for all involved in the spectacular that is supposed to be the time when the whole of the UK celebrates the arrival of the new year.

'One must understand the negative impact that it has upon manufacturers who supply many products to rental and production during this time. We recognise the danger of thousands of revellers being in close proximity to each other during the event, however, the live industry suffers yet another major blow after a disastrous with zero live shows and performances.

'As a UK manufacturer who are always involved in the lighting and video element of our NYE celebrations this news really is salt in our wounds.'

James Gordon, CEO of the UK's biggest audio console manufacturer Audiotonix added: 'The London fireworks have become an international symbol of a New Year and the hope it suggest for the future.

'Cancelling London could not send a more negative message and for those working in the events industry we have yet another iconic event being forcibly cancelled.'

Confirming the decision to scrap London's fireworks on LBC today, Mr Khan insisted there will be 'nothing happening' on December 31.

He added: 'I can tell you there will not be fireworks on New Year's Eve this year like in previous years, we simply can't afford to have the numbers of people who congregate on New Year's Eve congregating.

'What we're working on, we're not in a position to explain what it is yet, but what we're working on is something that people can enjoy from the comfort and safety of their living rooms on TV.

'As soon as we've managed to bottom that out I'll be letting Londoners know and people across the country.'

Asked how he would keep people out of London on the night, he replied: 'Well there will be nothing happening in town, we're trying to avoid a reason for people to come in.'

The Mayor added: 'We can't afford to lose that slot because New Year's Eve is a really great opportunity for the rest of the world to see how wonderful our city is.

'Particularly during a recession we need to continue investment in our city and people coming to London.'

Mr Khan added the New Year will instead be welcomed by 'something that people can enjoy in the comfort of their living rooms,' but was unable to give details

New Year's Eve typically sees around 100,000 people gather near the South Bank in London to watch a dazzling fireworks display across the River Thames.

The display, which was watched by more than 11 million people across the UK on television in 2018, had a total budget of 2.3million that year.

Following the news that the annual pyrotechnics will not go ahead this year, dozens of social media users took to Twitter with some condemning the move as the 'final straw'.

One user said: 'London's New Year's Eve fireworks cancelled is the last straw. I want to celebrate the end of this year like no other year yet.'

Another added: 'Not only is Christmas cancelled, but so is New Year's Eve as the London fireworks display for the evening is no longer happening.

Following the news that the annual pyrotechnics will not go ahead this year, dozens of social media users took to Twitter with some condemning the move as the 'final straw'

'I am going to bed at 10pm on the eve with the hope of waking up in a better year.'

A third said: 'I've been like 'fair nuff' for every cancelled event, but this is just depressing.

'So many of us pinning our hopes on 2020 being the end of Corona, which I know deep down is fantasy - just makes me realise 2021 is going to continue to be bleak let's be fair.'

Another social media user commented: 'I'm actually gutted that they've cancelled the New Year's Firework display.

'Why couldn't they just ban gatherings in central London and broadcast the fireworks on BBC1 like normal?'

But others welcomed the move, with one user writing: 'Yay. Thank the pandemic for something. The birds, dogs, casts and other creatures of London which are terrified of fireworks will be thrilled.'

Another said: 'Cancelling London's New Year fireworks is an excellent decision. It should be permanent.

'Its an egregious waste of money for the brief entertainment of morons.'

Another joked that last year's mishap - which left the display appearing as a 'blurred smoke fest' - may have been 'some sort of omen' for the year to come.

He said: 'In hindsight, maybe the wind blowing the wrong way at the #newyearreve #londonfireworks of 2019 so all the smoke went into the tv cameras was some sort of omen.'

Another social media user joked that last year's mishap - which left the display appearing as a 'blurred smoke fest' - may have been 'some sort of omen'

Hundreds last year complained of difficulties with viewing the London fireworks display, as smoke prevented viewers from watching on the television

Fireworks explode over the London Eye Ferris wheel by the River Thames in London, to mark the start of 2020. But some complained of issues with watching the display

The London Eye was almost obscured by all the smoke during the fireworks display in the capital last year

Mr Khan's office blamed the weather after Britons complained of difficulties watching the the capital's New Year's Eve fireworks display last year.

Hundreds of people took to Twitter following the fireworks, which featured more than 12,000 pyrotechnics, to raise concerns about the issue - which the Mayor's office has said was down to an unusual wind direction.

A light easterly wind is believed to have unusually blown the smoke from the fireworks on the London Eye directly towards the Victoria Embankment, rather than down the River Thames or behind the London Eye.

This meant reduced visibility for some members of the public directly opposite - although other viewing areas had a clearer view of the display as about 100,000 revellers packed into the streets around the landmark.

In July, Mr Khan said the Greater London Authority was 'working through available options' for the celebration, which last year had a budget of 3.4million.

He said: 'In line with following the Government guidelines, we are currently looking at what considerations need to be made with regards marking New Year in London and working through the available options.

'We will be looking to make a decision later in the summer.'
18.09.2020 LISTEN

WASHINGTON, September 15, 2020  The World Bank has released the Next Generation Africa Climate Business Plan (NG-ACBP), which sets out a blueprint to help Sub-Saharan African economies achieve low carbon and climate-resilient outcomes.

The Plan calls for countries to seize the opportunity to scale-up climate resilience to grow their economies and reduce poverty, redouble efforts to increase energy access across the region, and take advantage of sustainable and innovative approaches to leapfrog into greener development pathways. Without the rapid deployment of inclusive, climate-informed development, 43 million additional people could be pushed below the poverty line by 2030 in Sub-Saharan Africa.

As the largest financier of climate action in Africa, the World Bank will use this new Climate Plan to build on a strong track record under the original plan in which the Bank supported 346 projects with more than US$33 billion in World Bank financing over the past six years.

The climate challenge cuts across every priority  poverty reduction, agriculture, job creation, womens empowerment, fragility, and more, says Ousmane Diagana, World Bank Vice President for West and Central Africa. Countries, therefore, have to tackle it in multiple ways, including by helping cities develop in clean ways, making climate-smart agriculture practices the norm, improving clean, green, and affordable energy, and putting people and communities at the forefront in order to improve lives and protect the future.

Over the next six years (202126), the World Bank will focus on five key areas in Africa food security, clean energy, green and resilient cities, environmental stability, and climate shocks that emphasize the interrelatedness of climate risks and opportunities. The Plan sets ambitious goals that push the boundaries of sustainable development in Africa, including training 10 million farmers on climate-smart agricultural approaches, expanding integrated landscape management over 60 million hectares in 20 countries, increasing renewable energy generation capacity from 28GW to 38GW to increase access to clean electricity, and outfitting at least 3O cities with low carbon and compact urban planning approaches.

Africas main challenge is to adapt to climate change by investing in more resilient agriculture and food systems, building infrastructure that resists extreme weather events, protecting its coastal cities, and enhancing disaster preparedness systems, says Hafez Ghanem, World Bank Vice President for East and Southern Africa. At the same time, green technologies provide an opportunity for growth and job creation. This is especially true in the energy sector where renewables have become a source of clean and inexpensive energy, bringing the goal of universal access to electricity within reach.

The World Bank recommends that Sub-Saharan African countries enact policy reforms that recognize the realities of climate change, in order to strengthen recovery and promote long-term growth. This includes addressing the sizable infrastructure gap in a green and resilient manner, using less carbon-intensive materials and technologies while creating more competitive job opportunities.

The development of the Plan was led by Kanta Kumari Rigaud, Lead Environment Specialist Rigaud, who underscores that ramping up climate action on both the resilience and clean energy fronts is critical to address climate change and poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa, as the window of opportunity to counter the climate crisis is rapidly narrowing.

This Plan will be rolled out amid the COVID-19 pandemic, recognizing that climate action and green recovery will be key priorities as countries work to build back better from one of the biggest setbacks in the regions development in the last 25 years.
Air India has incurred a net loss of about Rs 2,570 crore in the first quarter of 2020-21 as compared to a net loss of Rs 785 crore sustained in the corresponding period a year ago, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Thursday.

An amount of Rs 1,000 crore as loan to Air India has also been provided in the current financial year, Puri stated. "Air India Limited has been suffering continuous losses. The COVID-19 pandemic along with its related impact on aviation industry has further worsened the financial position of the company," Puri said in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha.

Also read: Airlines seek $1.5 billion interest-free credit line from Centre

"The net loss in quarter 1 of FY20-21 is about Rs 2,570 crore as compared to loss of Rs 785 crore in quarter 1 of FY 19-20," he mentioned. In a written reply to another question in the Lok Sabha, Puri said the airline has discontinued the post-retirement contracts of 61 retired pilots in view of the company's financial condition.

Since July last year, a total of 50 Air India pilots submitted their resignations and started serving the notice period. However, they subsequently requested to withdraw their resignations. "In view of the financial condition of the company, a conscious decision was taken in August 2020 by Air India Limited to accept the resignation of all such pilots who had earlier resigned and subsequently requested for withdrawal of their resignations," Puri said on Thursday.

India's largest airline IndiGo had in July declared a net loss of Rs 2,884.3 crore for the first quarter of 2020-21. IndiGo currently has a share of around 60 per cent in the domestic air passenger market.

Also read: 28.32 lakh domestic air passengers travelled in August, 76% less than August 2019: DGCA

The aviation sector has been significantly impacted due to the travel restrictions imposed in India and other countries in view of the coronavirus pandemic. All airlines in India have taken cost-cutting measures such as pay cuts, leave without pay or firings of employees in order to conserve cash.

Also read: Rs 1,609 crore loss for DMRC due to closure of Delhi Metro amid COVID-19 lockdown
The green medical tents return to Madrid's military hospital , as the city is gripped by coronavirus second wave.

The Gomez Ulla hospital, is getting ready just in case emergency wards get crammed again.

COVID-19 cases are stubbornly on the rise in Madrid despite curbs on nightlife, outdoor smoking and limiting all group interaction to a maximum of 10 people.

The measures have not prevented the outbreaks from spreading widely, something that experts blame on inadequate self-protection and, especially, a failure in diligent tracing of contacts of positive cases.

Authorities in Madrid were set to announce 'drastic measures' on Friday against the outbreaks.

They hinted that those could include localized lockdowns and other 'restrictions on mobility' in Madrid's hardest-hit areas, which are also the poorest and more densely populated.

But experts are warning that they may not even be enough.

Medical tents are back at the The Gomez Ulla military hospital in Madrid

'There is so much community transmission in Madrid that is possible that very soon a full lockdown will be needed,' said Rafael Bengoa, a former WHO official.

'It seems like we are learning too slow - we haven't acted energetically enough,' he told Cadena SER radio.

The measures are 'tardy and insufficient,' said Daniel Lopez Acuna, who was director of emergencies at WHO. 'They are overthinking it. Action is needed.'

The center-right coalition government in Madrid has been in turmoil, part internal infighting and part external criticism, as it struggled this week on what to do next.

The region's top coronavirus expert announced on Wednesday that stay-at-home orders should be expected by the weekend, but his bosses took a distance from his remarks.

The regional boss, Isabel Diaz Ayuso, has also been one of the biggest critics of the national left-wing coalition's handling of the pandemic. Her government recovered control in late June, once the central government lifted a state of emergency that had reined in a devastating first wave of the virus. But since then, Ayuso had been complaining that central authorities weren't helping enough.

After weeks exchanging blame for inaction, Sanchez and Ayuso have agreed to meet Monday with the only goal of 'bending the curve,' both governments announced Friday.

On Friday 5,100 new infections were reported, 200 more than the day before

Part of the concern is Madrid's capacity to spread infections to other parts of the country. Home to 3.3 million people in its urban area and as many more in its surrounding region, the city is also Spain's economic powerhouse. It's also centrally located at the heart of the Iberian Peninsula, bringing in workers from nearby provinces and visitors from elsewhere.

On Friday, the city reported more than 5,100 new infections, 200 more than the day before. The regional hospitals were treating 2,907 people, including nearly 400 in intensive care units, one third of the country's total.

But so far it's health centers that are shouldering the worst of the crisis. Famously underfunded for years, primary care doctors and nurses are now also performing thousands of virus tests per day, and have taken the burden of tracing contacts of those who come out as positive.

That's causing increasingly longer delays in providing test results, leaving people like Raquel Lopez, a 39-year-old sociologist on her 21st week of pregnancy, waiting at home in self-imposed isolation for five days as she waited to find out whether she had the virus.

Raquel, who took the test on Monday after finding out that a family she spent time with a week earlier had contracted the virus, on Friday was told that she's negative.

'But it could had been either way,' said Lopez, who works from home. 'My husband and I have been responsible and we haven't gone out while waiting for the results, but what happens with people who can't afford to miss work? Are they going to wait at home or go out there possibly infecting others?'

Lopez lives in Vallecas, one of the working class neighborhoods that is expecting some of the restrictions. She's angry at officials who promote the idea that people in impoverished areas are to blame for not using masks, keeping social distancing or completing quarantines.

'That's not true. We are doing it the same way as the rest of Madrid,' she said. 'The truth is that citizens are behaving much better than politicians.'

Spain on Thursday added more than 11,000 new infections and registered 162 new confirmed deaths from the virus. The country has Europe's highest caseload since the beginning of the pandemic. More than 625,000 people have been infected and at least 30,400 have died, according to the Health Ministry's official data.

Doctors have warned that Madrid is walking 'in slow motion' towards a repeat of its 'nuclear bomb' Covid crisis in March.

Spain has recorded an average of more than 10,000 new cases per day over the last week, the worst figures in Europe and the fifth highest infection rate in the world.

Nearly a third of those falling sick are in Madrid which is striking fear into the capital's medics after it bore the brunt of Europe's spring outbreak - Spain has the highest per capita death rate on the continent.

On September 4, Madrid recorded 4,852 cases, its highest ever number of infections in a single day, and the city today has an R-rate of 1.08 - any number greater than one means that the contagion is multiplying.

MADRID: Madrid's R-rate stands at 1.15 - any figure over 1 is considered to be detrimental to public health because it means that the contagion is growing as it spreads

SPAIN: The national coronavirus tally has surged in recent weeks, with an average of 10,140 new cases per day over the last week

SPAIN: There were 239 deaths in Spain in the last 24 hours - the highest figure since May - and a total of 366 fatalities over the last seven days, which is double the previous week when there were 177 deaths

Although, the figures compared to the initial outbreak must be counterbalanced by Spain's increased testing capacity, the uptick is starting to be felt in hospitals.

There were 239 deaths in Spain in the last 24 hours - the highest figure since May - and a total of 366 fatalities over the last seven days, which is double the previous week when there were 177 deaths.

EUROPE'S SURGING DAILY CORONAVIRUS CASES SPAIN: 10,140 FRANCE: 8,684 RUSSIA: 5,559 UNITED KINGDOM: 3,286 UKRAINE: 2,953 *All figures based on latest seven-day average reported Source: Reuters Advertisement

'In a way, it's like the situation in March but in slow motion,' said Dr. Carlos Velayos, who works as an intensive care unit physician at the public hospital in suburban Fuenlabrada.

The hospital is expanding its ICU capacity from 12 to 24 beds by the end of September, as all of them are currently filling up with coronavirus patients.

With 1,281 patients in ICUs as of Wednesday, Spain has roughly as many beds devoted to treat grave patients of COVID-19 as France, the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy together.

And 359 of them are in the Madrid region, which for the past week has accounted for roughly one-third of a national average of 8,200 new infections per day.

Spain's virus caseload, above 600,000, is one of the world's highest and more than 30,000 have died in the country for the new virus.

Velayos said that prediction models were telling hospital administrators in Madrid that some ICU wards could reach peak capacity in the second half of September. But little or nothing has been done to avoid returning to extended shifts among many health professionals that are still recovering from the stress of the pandemic's first wave.

'In March, it was like a nuclear bomb that brought the health system as a whole to a collapse in a matter of weeks,' Velayos said. 'We might not be there yet, but thats not a reason not to be worried. We have allowed the outbreaks to reach a level of being uncontrollable.'

Medical workers are this time better prepared, with lessons learned on how to treat incoming patients more effectively and they have means to better protect themselves against contagion. But operating rooms in the Madrid region, which has a population of 6.6 million, are already being turned into ICUs and surgeries have been postponed, while hospitals compete to hire professionals for the expanded capacity.

Regional authorities say that the health system still has room to manage the incoming flow of patients, but following warnings by medical personnel like Velayos, officials are now reacting with stricter measures that could include selective lockdowns in parts of the city as early as next week.

The five countries with the highest average number of daily cases recorded in the last week in Europe

Current infection rates in Europe according to the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC), with Spain and France among the worst-affected countries in the recent rebound

The restrictions, if finally adopted, will center on urban areas where the coronavirus is spreading faster, officials announced Wednesday. That's suburban towns like Fuenlabrada, but also working-class neighborhoods in southern Madrid where contagion rates have been steadily soaring since August.

They also happen to be areas where less affluent residents and mostly migrant families cram into small apartments and commute on public transportation to manual work in other quarters of the Spanish capital.

COUNTRIES REPORTING MOST NEW CASES/DEATHS EACH DAY CASES INDIA: 93,199 US: 38,897 BRAZIL: 31,599 ARGENTINA: 10,960 SPAIN: 10,140 DEATHS INDIA: 1,162 US: 854 BRAZIL: 808 MEXICO: 456 ARGENTINA: 207 *All figures based on latest seven-day average reported Advertisement

Angela Cantos lives in the Vallecas neighborhood, one of the hot spots in the recent wave of outbreaks. She said that if her neighborhood is locked down, 'then Madrid will be paralyzed.'

'Who is going to cook and clean in other districts if they close down here?' she said.

The regional deputy health chief, Dr. Antonio Zapatero, said Wednesday that 'Madrid wants to flatten the curve before the arrival of autumn and the complications that cold weather could bring,' adding that the 'drastic measures' to be taken will be decided by the weekend.

Zapatero also said that people have relaxed protection measures by holding large gatherings, often forgetting about social distancing or masks. He also announced that police will monitor compliance of mandatory self-isolation since at least 90 people have been found to be skipping quarantines after testing positive for the new virus.

The country brought contagion under control earlier this year with a three-month lockdown, one of the strictest anywhere, but since it relaxed restrictions in mid-June, outbreaks have spread throughout the country.

The Spanish government says the country is now doing more tests and that more than half of the newly infected show no symptoms. But health centers are starting to struggle to cope with the number of virus tests required and responding to patients. In hospitals, 8.5% of the countrys beds are now treating COVID-19 patients, but in Madrid that share jumps to one in five beds.

In terms of ICUs, official data shows that 38% of the region's beds have coronavirus patients, although some hospitals are already at 90% of their capacity before rolling out emergency plans for new beds, like they did in spring.

'Madrid is maintaining a steady level of infections, but we have to take into account the impact of the pandemic in primary care, in hospitals, which is totally sustainable at the moment. But we have to make that line of infections decrease,' said Zapatero, who back in March was tasked with Madrid's makeshift hospital of 1,500 temporary beds in an exhibition center.

Europe's daily number of cases (shown on this chart) has reached record levels, according to WHO figures, although deaths have so far remained relatively stable

This time, officials are hoping they don't have to reach that point. The regional government is spending 50 million euro (45.5 million) to build by the end of October a massive permanent new 'epidemics hospital' with more than 1,000 beds.

It's also promising more resources for primary care, since health centers have now become the new bottleneck of citizens concerned that they may have contracted the virus.

EUROPE WARNED TO BRACE FOR HIGHER MORTALITY RATE The WHO warned Europe this week to brace for higher mortality rates over the autumn as cases soared on the continent. Spain, France, the Netherlands, Malta, Greece, Slovenia and Ukraine are all reporting more cases than ever. In the last seven days, Spain has reported an average of 10,140 cases each day, France 8,684, Russia 5,559, the United Kingdom 3,286, and Ukraine 2,953. The countries reporting the highest average deaths over the same period were Russia 114, Spain 59, Ukraine 54, Romania 38 and France 36. 'It's going to get tougher. In October, November, we are going to see more mortality,' WHO Europe director Hans Kluge said on Monday. 'It's a moment where countries don't want to hear this bad news, and I understand,' Kluge said, adding that he wanted to send the 'positive message' that the pandemic 'is going to finish, at one moment or another.' Advertisement

In addition to performing most of the testing, first-row doctors in Spanish health centers have now taken the burden of contact tracing.

'The problems in primary care are not from the past six months,' said Dr. Olaya Munoz, who works in a health center in the heart of Madrid. 'COVID has just been more stress for a system that was malfunctioning for at least a decade.'

Munoz finds time to talk, while catching her breath, as she walks uphill to visit two elderly patients at home. After that, more than 40 appointments await her back at her community health center. Although these days they do most of them by phone, she can't devote more than an average of six minutes per patient.

'The workload is just unbearable,' she said.

Dr. Maria Cruz Martin Delgado, spokeswoman for Spain's intensive care specialists' association known as Semicyuc, says that a collapse in primary care couldn't only lead to more asymptomatic cases to go undetected but also poorer or no treatment of other illnesses that eventually could lead to more patients downstream, in hospitals and ICUs.

What Martin wants is a clear protocol from authorities at the national and regional levels on how to proceed.

'We need to know what is the point when we need to turn down other patients, because we doctors can't take all responsibility again having to respond to an emergency when we are not given the resources to do so,' she said.

Velayos, the intensive care specialist from Fuenlabrada, said that the work overload in March and April was widely acknowledged among his colleagues 'as part of an exceptional situation that needed to be met with all the worlds generosity.'

'But right now we are talking about a situation becoming chronic, where stress is going to be the norm and routine,' he said.
By PTI

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that his government will soon introduce three-tier legislation providing for the registration of sex offenders, exemplary punishment for rape and child abuse and effective policing.

Khan made the announcement while addressing a joint sitting of parliament after passage of a number of Financial Action Task Force-related bills on Wednesday.

"Such incidents ruin the lives of victims and their families also have to suffer," he was quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper.

Khan was referring to the gang-rape of a French-Pakistani woman in front of her three children near a highway in Lahore on September 9 which sparked widespread outrage.

One of the suspects wanted in the case was arrested on Monday arrested and confessed to his crime.

Noting that the main suspect in the gang-rape case was a history-sheeter, Khan said that global data indicated that such criminals were repeat offenders and therefore maintaining their data was important.

He said the legislation being prepared would not only provide for exemplary punishment for rape and child abuse offences, but would also contain provisions for registration of sex offenders and effective policing, the report said.

He admitted that only a very small percentage of such cases were reported to police in the country.

Even after the arrest of offenders in rape and child abuse cases, their conviction is not easy in absence of proper prosecution and concrete evidence.

For this reason, the bill being prepared would also provide for witness protection, he said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 18)  The summer capital will reopen its doors to tourists from the north subject to health protocols beginning September 22.

Baguio City will receive 200 tourists daily from the Ilocos Region. Visitors need to be booked under a guided tour.

"This will be limited to guided tour, wala pa sa period na pwede ang DIY tourists [do-it-yourself tourists are not yet allowed]," Mayor Benjamin Magalong said on Friday.

Separately, Tourism Undersecretary Benito Bengzon, Jr. said the agency is looking to open the "ridge to reef" travel bubble covering Baguio City and nearby Pangasinan, La Union, Ilocos Norte, and Ilocos Sur, but only travelers from the region are welcome to limit imported COVID-19 infections.

"Hopefully, we are also looking at the possibility of combining Boracay with some neighboring destinations to form another bubble. We're also looking at other parts of the Visayas," Bengzon told CNN Philippines' The Exchange.

Visitors need to submit a number of documents online such as medical certificate, result of COVID-19 antigen or RT-PCR test, and travel pass. Before they can enter the city, they have to present their QR code to limit exposure to the virus.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said they are hoping Baguio City, led by the national government's contact tracing czar, can serve as "model" to slowly reopen tourism in other areas.

In the case of Tagaytay City  a relatively closer spot to Metro Manila residents looking for colder weather  Roque said a travel pass is still needed to enter the popular spot in Cavite, except for residents of the province.

Bengzon added that this remains to be the case for those coming from Metro Manila, as the original epicenter of coronavirus infections in the country remains under general community quarantine.

"The key there is for NCR to transition to modified GCQ because based on the current guidelines, its only the destinations that are under MGCQ that allow tourism," Bengzon said. "Its also important for the various tourism establishments to comply with the health and safety guidelines the DOT has formulated."

For struggling tourism establishments, the official said loans for working capital will be provided in the next two weeks to help these businesses get back up after being shut down for the past few months, he added.
Queenslands Chief Health Officer says the Premier did not breach any coronavirus directives after she tested negative for the virus.

It was revealed on Thursday that Annastacia Palaszczuk had tested negative for COVID-19, after her office initially denied she had been tested.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk speaks at the state funeral of former Labor deputy Tim Mulherin in Mackay on Tuesday. Credit:Tony Moore

Questions were first raised about the Premiers health after she complained of a croaky voice during an online forum on Monday night, before travelling to Mackay to attend a funeral on Tuesday and then visiting Bundaberg on Wednesday.

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said the Premier did not breach any virus movement restrictions associated with people who had been tested for the disease.
Henry Kirim had ducked out of his Southeast Portland apartment to search his car for a missing bank card when a strange man rushed into his ground-floor unit, closed the door and locked it.

Kirims 12-year-old son remained inside.
US President Donald Trump will not attend in-person the landmark 75th annual UN General Assembly session next week, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows has said.

The annual session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) commenced on September 15 amid the devastating coronavirus pandemic, with world leaders set to meet virtually for the first time as they confront some of the most serious threats facing humanity, including severe socio-economic consequences of COVID-19 and a raging climate crisis.

Also read: Barack Obama memoir 'A Promised Land' to be released after US Election

"President Trump will not be in New York City for the annual gathering of world leaders. He would not attend it in-person," Meadows said on Thursday speaking to reporters aboard the Air Force One en route to a Trump campaign rally in Wisconsin. Trump is scheduled to deliver his address on September 22, the first day of the general debate. However, according to media reports, he is yet to submit his virtual address.

In July, US envoy to the UN Kelly Craft had said that President Trump was likely to travel to New York to attend the annual UNGA session, which if happened would have made him the only world leader to address this year's virtual high-level week in-person.

Also read: US Presidential elections 2020: Indian Americans would vote for me, says Donald Trump

World leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, are expected to address the session virtually by providing videotapes of their speeches. The theme for this 75th General Debate is The future we want, the United Nations we need: reaffirming our collective commitment to multilateralism confronting COVID-19 through effective multilateral action.

Several major events, in addition to the General Debate, are expected to highlight action and solutions that will ignite the transformations needed to secure healthy, peaceful and prosperous lives for all.

Also read: Washington's tariffs on Beijing illegal: WTO
Cast: Mouni Roy, Purab Kohli, Kulraj Randhawa, Sagar Arya, Pravessh Rana, Jas Binag, Diljohn Singh

Director: Kanwal Sethi

Producer: Ajay G Rai and Mohit Chhabra

Rating: 3.5 (out of 5)

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed our world forever, almost overnight. It has altered the very way we live and interact with the world around us. With no end in sight to this chaos, and a majority of us confined to our living rooms as we embrace the new normal; the pandemic has expectedly become a premise for the latest original on ZEE5.

The latest gold-star from ZEE5s goodie bag, London Confidential, tells the story of two undercover cops Uma (Mouni Roy) and Arjun (Purab Kohli) posted at the London RAW station, who are trying to prevent another virus much deadlier than Corona Virus to spread across the border of China into India.

Watch the trailer here.

The virus is more aggressive and life-threatening than Corona and the RAW agents will go to any extent to expose the deadly conspiracy behind the origin of this virus and find incriminating evidence against major political links behind the mess

China is plotting another virus attack and the plot gets murkier when another undercover RAW agent Biren Ghosh (Diljohn Singh) is trying to reach a Chinese informer for vital information in the run-up to the coveted Conference of New Viruses. But he mysteriously goes missing. Uma and Arjun get on the trail and what follows is a series of brutal killings as they set off to expose the mole within their RAW set-up, who is feeding vital information to the political kingpins.

Mouni Roy plays the glamorous spy with a tough task at hand. But as her character Uma fights the battle to unearth the origins of the new virus, she is fighting another personal battle. (ZEE5)

The spy-thriller shows London in a completely different light as viewers get a peek into what a post-Covid world would look like and the anxieties attached with the threat of another pandemic.

Talking about the experience, director Kanwal Sethi said: This is the first OTT film to be shot in London post the lockdown phase. On one hand, it was a very challenging experience and a great learning experience to shoot in these difficult times, but at the same time, it was also a joy to work with a wonderful team. I really appreciate the team at ZEE5, Ajay Rai and Mohit Chhabra, who came together and decided to start filming. We have tried to show London under a new lens, like never before.

The story also takes us into the lives of undercover agents, who are hidden heroes putting their lives at risk to protect the nation. Roy plays the glamorous spy with a tough task at hand. But as her character Uma fights the battle to unearth the origins of the new virus, she is fighting another personal battle. Her marriage with long-time boyfriend is on the rocks as she spent many weeks undercover in her starting out years causing a complete breakdown of communication in the wedlock.

Officer Arjun is the rare RAW cop, who has managed to preserve his sense of humour despite all the bloodshed and hardship that he sees. He has the cover of working at a grocery store in London, and his own personal life is completely down in the dumps. Arjun has been on the trail of the some of the worlds deadliest criminals but his sense of humour has kept him going.

Officer Arjun is the rare RAW cop, who has managed to preserve his sense of humour despite all the bloodshed and hardship that he sees. (ZEE5)

I am excited about my role as Arjun, who is a RAW agent. Action, spy, thrill and a mole in the system  I am looking forward to see what people feel about seeing me in this new avatar. Mouni is amazing and I feel all her millions of fans are in for a treat when they see her in the new role. I am sure the film will get the reach it deserves, said Kohli.

Roy added: It is a spy-thriller franchise with a stirring plot and lovely characters passionate about what they do. Purab is a thorough gentleman and an absolute rockstar. He has been one of my favourites since we worked together in 2014 and I missed him on the set after he left for Germany. Kanwal sir is extremely perceptive, precise, patient and an amazing creator, said Mouni Roy. London Confidential marks the digital debut of the two lead actors.

Another noteworthy performance is by Kulraj Randhawa, who essays the role of a promising IFS officer posted in London, who specialises in her dealings of diplomatic conflicts and crises.

As we continue to battle the pandemic with no end in sight, the theme couldnt hit home harder. London Confidential is currently streaming on ZEE5. Dont miss it for anything!
At a time China is attempting to expand its influence in the region, India and Japan are looking at working together in third countries like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar, reflecting growing congruence of their strategic interests.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said both India and Japan have actually started to look at working practically in third countries, adding "we have done a little bit of that in Sri Lanka."

He said the signing of a military logistics pact by India and Japan recently would act as a "big plus" for the evolution of Indo-Pacific vision of both countries and add to the security and stability of Asia.

He was speaking on India-Japan ties at a conference organised by industry chamber FICCI.

The External Affairs Minister also said that large and important nations of Asia should get along together as spending their energies in countering each other would not advance the interests of the continent.

The comments, which came at a time Asian giants India and China are locked in a bitter border standoff, are seen as an indirect reference to China.

"If we are to make Asia a more prominent place in world politics, then it is important for all nations, especially the large and important ones to get along together. Because if they spend their energies not in a positive manner, but kind of countering each other, they are not going to advance the interests of Asia," he said.

Talking about evolution of India-Japan ties, Jaishankar said both countries are now looking at working together in third countries, adding it is still in the "early stages".

"The fact that we first began to have discussions about third countries. Now we have actually started to look at working practically in third countries. We have done a little bit of that in Sri Lanka," he said.

"I think today we are trying to see whether we can cooperate and coordinate more closely in Bangladesh and Myanmar that I regard as something which would take our relationship to a very different level," he added.

The external affairs minister also suggested that there was scope for India and Japan to work in Russia's Far Eastern Region as well as in Pacific Island countries.

"If I were to look a little beyond the horizon, I would flag today two issues for people to think about. We need to see those areas where we can work together. One, of course, is the possibility of economic cooperation in Russia's far east because India has shown a much greater willingness to be involved in economic projects there," he said.

The other option, he said is the Pacific island countries where India has been ramping up its development partnership and political footprint. On signing of the military logistics pact between India and Japan, he said it was a very practical manifestation of the ability and intent of the two countries to work together.

"I am very confident that it would be both a big plus for the evolution of the Indo Pacific vision of both countries as well as adding to the stability and security of Asia," he said.

The landmark pact, signed on September 9, provides for the two armies to access each other's bases for logistics support.

Jaishankar said both India and Japan have their vision for the Indo-Pacific region and the two countries have, in many ways, tried to shape the narrative over the issue.

"India has a vision for Indo-Pacific as does Japan. Both of us, in many ways, have tried to shape the Indo-Pacific narrative. Today, the seamlessness of what happens in the Pacific and Indian Ocean regions underlines the importance and relevance of Indo-Pacific," he said.

The external affairs minister said the ties between India and Japan have grown manifold in its substance and depth over the last few years as two sides have greater convergence in strategic regional and global issues.

He also mentioned the cooperation between the two countries in 'Quad', ASEAN and East Asia Summit.
Belarus's embattled president Alexander Lukashenko says he has placed the military on high alert and will close borders with Poland and Lithuania amid fears of a 'war'.

The strongman, known as Europe's last dictator, appealed to the 'crazy leaders' of both countries, plus Ukraine, not to let conflict break out, saying it 'will not resolve our issues'.

At the same time, an investigator warned the UN of a 'new Iron Curtain' descending on Europe, while describing a 'catastrophic' situation in the former Soviet republic.

Anna Marin, special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Belarus, was interrupted multiple times during her speech by representatives of Russia and Belarus, who called for the broadcast to stop.

The UN has been warned of a 'new Iron Curtain' in Europe amid protests in Belarus which has prompted President Lukashenko to threaten to close borders with Poland and Lithuania

Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus's embattled president, says he has placed the military on high alert while warning of the threat of 'war' from 'crazy' foreign leaders

Lukashenko has been clinging to power in Belarus amid mass protests since claiming victory in an August 9 election that was widely seen as rigged.

He has repeatedly blamed the protests on foreign agitators, while accusing NATO countries of stationing troops on his borders in preparation for an 'invasion'.

NATO leaders have repeatedly insisted that the troops are merely defence forces, and pose no threat to his regime.

But in a speech to a women's forum on Thursday, he said: 'We are forced to withdraw troops from the streets, put the army on high alert and close the state border on the west, primarily with Lithuania and Poland.

Lukashenko also said Belarus' border with Ukraine would be strengthened.

'I don't want to be at war. Moreover, I don't want Belarus and Poland, Lithuania to turn into a theater of military operations where our issues will not be resolved.

'Therefore, today in front of this hall of the most beautiful, advanced, patriotic people I want to appeal to the peoples of Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine - stop your crazy politicians, don't let war break out!'

He did not mention neighboring Latvia, which like Poland and Lithuania is a NATO member.

On Friday morning, guards on the Polish side of the border said they had received no orders that the crossing would be closed, and that traffic was flowing freely across it.

'The border is open, we see no disruptions, there are no waiting times and we have no signals that the border is to be closed,' a guard said.

Lukashenko has faced six weeks of mass demonstrations against his regime following what opponents say was a rigged election, which has seen police brutality against activists

Demonstrators are calling for fresh elections to be held, which Lukashenko has vowed will never happen (pictured, a demonstration in Minsk this week)

Women hold red and white umbrellas as they demonstrate against Lukashenko's rule in Minsk

Lukashenko's remarks came hours after his main opposition candidate said activists are compiling a list of law enforcement officers who were allegedly involved in violence against protesters.

Nearly 7,000 people were detained and hundreds were brutally beaten by police during the first several days of post-election protests.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, and English teacher and political novice until running in the election, said: 'We have been given the names of those who were beating and torturing people.

'We are preparing a list of officials and law enforcement officers who have taken part in lawless repressions.'

Human rights groups are working with opposition activists to identify the officers and officials, Tsikhanouskaya said, adding that the list will be shared with the United States, the European Union and Russia.

Tsikhanouskaya, who left for Lithuania in the wake of the election under pressure from Belarusian authorities, said the opposition will name the list in honor of Alexander Taraikovsky, a protester who died in Minsk the day after the election as police dispersed peaceful demonstrators.

Authorities initially said an explosive device Taraikovsky intended to throw at police blew up in his hands and killed him.

However, Associated Press video showed he was not holding any explosives when he fell to the ground, his shirt bloodied.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Lukashenko's main opponent who is currently in Lithuania, says she is preparing a list of police officers who have been involved in brutality against protesters

Belarusian authorities later acknowledged that Taraikovsky might have been killed by a rubber bullet.

The street in the capital of Minsk where Taraikovsky died turned into a pilgrimage site, with thousands of people, including European ambassadors, laying flowers.

After the initial broad crackdown on protests, Belarusian authorities changed tactics and tried to end displays of dissent with the selective detentions of demonstrators and the jailing of opposition leaders.

The U.S. and the EU have criticized the presidential election as neither free nor fair, and urged Lukashenko to start talks with the opposition - a call he has rejected.

Washington and Brussels have been pondering sanctions against Belarusian officials for alleged vote-rigging and the violent response to protests.

On Thursday, the European Parliament overwhelmingly passed a resolution rejecting the official election results and saying it would not recognize Lukashenko as the legitimate president once his current term expires Nov. 5.

Belarus' foreign ministry responded strongly, saying: 'We are disappointed that the European Parliament, positioning itself as a serious, objective and democratic structure, could not find the political will to look beyond its nose, overcome one-sidedness and not become a hostage to conventional cliches.'

Russia, Lukashenko's main ally and sponsor, has maintained staunch support for the Belarusian leader. Moscow announced this week it would offer a new $1.5 billion loan to his government.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Friday during a trip to Lithuania that the two countries - both Belarus' neighbors - will continue to offer medical and material assistance to Belarusians who were hurt during the protests.

He argued that the EU and international lenders should offer at least 1 billion euros in economic support for Belarus and its businesses.

'It is crucial for Europe to be aware of how important a free and sovereign Belarus is for the security and the welfare of our entire continent,' Morawiecki said.
TRENTON  Leverage is a powerful thing.

The same day a judge dealt the Department of Environmental Protection a loss in a high-stakes lawsuit, council played with fire, rejecting one of two funding measures.

An attorney defending the city from the DEP suit advised council it should pass the bonds.

Council president Kathy McBride, acting as the swing vote, voted yes to $50 of the $83 million for improvements to Trenton Water Works.

By a 4-3 vote, council rejected another $33.5 million in upgrades to the water filtration plant and TWW headquarters.

McBride suggested about only $7.8 million of that bond was necessary and the rest was basically cosmetic.

The $50 million, approved by a super-majority 5-2 vote, will help the city replace the Pennington Reservoir with a network of up to five storage tanks, along with thousands of antiquated meters throughout the distribution system.

The council also approved purchase of a property near the Pennington Reservoir for $675,000 to serve as site for a 16-million gallon storage tank.

The project is critical to holding the line with DEP, Mayor Reed Gusciora said.

Its like that Meatloaf song  two out of three aint bad, he said. This is very important to keeping Trenton Water Works in Trentons hands.

Legislators have now approved $75 million for enhancements to TWW, which is under two administrative consent order with the state.

Part of the funding goes toward lead service line replacement.

The state asked Superior Court Judge Robert Lougy to enforce a mandate that the city replace 7 percent of LSL each year.

The judge ruled against issuing an injunction feeling DEPs timeline was unrealistic.

Interim water director Mark Lavenberg said the capital city has replaced about 1,750 out 30,000 lead services lines to date, averaging about 10 a day.

He said the pandemic has slowed contractors progress.

Council conditioned passing the bonds on the second-go on a forensic audit.

The administration initially opposed it but agreed to a $250,000 contract with Grossi & Co. for the forensic audit to get the bonds passed.

It almost didnt happen.

Oh god, McBride said before casting the decisive vote. Im going to vote yes on this one based on the need for the centralized tanks.

She joined council members Robin Vaughn and Santiago Rodriguez in killing the $33.5 million bond, drawing condemnation from at-large councilman Jerell Blakeley.

The administration did exactly what my colleagues wanted. And that still wasnt enough, he said after the first bond failed. The city of Trenton will be made to suffer. If we ever lose control of [TWW], I want you to remember my three colleagues that said no to this and leave it at their feet.

During the public hearing, residents appeared split over the bonds.

Council members were reluctant to saddle residents with more debt without assurances of TWWs fiscal health.

The forensic audit wasnt enough to get votes from Rodriguez and Vaughn, who criticized TWWs spending as out of control.

Vaughn suggested outsider contractors brought in by the past two mayoral administrations squeezed TWW.

We are not taking into consideration that we are facing an economic crisis because of this pandemic, said Rodriguez, claiming the city appears on track to spend a billion dollars  with the way we are going now.
GENEVA, Sept. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- SOCAR Trading CFO Sanan Mammadov spoke earlier this week on a panel discussion at the GTR Commodities Virtual 2020 Conference on how the industry can build resilience at a time of disruption.

Mammadov was joined by Travis Randolph (PwC Switzerland), Christine Mcwilliams (Citi), Andrew Robison (HSBC Bank), Igor Ukrasin (Sberbank (Switzerland), and Ami Daniel (Windward). The panelists discussed challenges ranging from counterparty risk policies, access to liquidity and use of digital tools.

Mammadov stated that there were two challenges currently facing the industry: whether banks provide financing and at what price.

"It is important to have competition in the market. Avoiding risk would not be a constructive approach to the problem of banks preferring to fund large players over smaller players. However, technology is bringing assurance and trust to the banks. Different technologies in the market, such as blockchain, help provide additional trust to operations," Mammadov explained.

Over the last two years, SOCAR Trading has invested significant time and resources in risk management and compliance, spearheaded by an influx of experienced professionals and the implementation of sophisticated IT support systems.

Mammadov went on to state that SOCAR Trading is present in all regions across the globe and can therefore see the movements across the world.

When asked if he thought there would be geographical shifts in where traders are based, he stated, "The same bank has different requirements in different parts of the world, and it is easier to get financing in Asia than in Europe because the requirements are more strict. This is very good for our business. However, we don't see big changes in traders shifting their centers in the immediate future."

SOCAR Trading's global compliance team undertakes daily surveillance of the company's trading systems and communication channels. It is supported by several IT systems to enhance screening, detection and reporting capabilities and to ensure a far greater degree of transparency throughout the organization.

Media Contact:

Grace Fenstermaker

[email protected]

SOURCE SOCAR Trading SA
Ten Haryana districts accounted for 71% of the 2, 488 new Covid-19 cases reported on Friday. Three national capital region districts of Gurugram (339), Faridabad (287) and Sonepat (171) were the top contributors to the infection tally.

Besides, seven other districts which logged in more than 100 cases each were Hisar (167), Panchkula (157), Ambala (140), Rohtak (139), Kurukshetra (131), Karnal (129) and Sirsa (121).

Substantial numbers were also reported from Yamunanagar (96), Panipat (89), Mahendergarh and Jind (76 each), Palwal (74), Rewari (70), Kaithal (58); and Jhajjar and Bhiwani (54 each). The new infections pushed the cumulative infections to 1, 06, 261.

According to a medical bulletin, 23 patients succumbed to the virus on Friday, taking the toll to 1, 092. Among the dead, three persons each were from Gurugram and Panchkula, two each from Faridabad, Ambala, Hisar, Kurukshetra, Sirsa and Yamunanagar and one each from Fatehabad, Bhiwani, Jhajjar, Karnal and Rohtak

The bulletin said that 2, 188 infected persons recovered from the illness on Friday, taking the total number of recoveries to 83,878. The number of active infections was 21, 291.

The bulletin said there were 379 critically ill patients, including 68 on ventilator support, at 19 government and private medical facilities across the state.

Among the other districts, Fatehabad reported 31 fresh cases followed by Charkhi Dadri (16) and Nuh (11).
THE CITY AND URBAN COMMUNITY OF DUNKIRK ENHANCES MICROSOFT 365 EMAIL SECURITY WITH VADE SECURE FOR MICROSOFT 365

After a series of targeted email attacks, the community of Dunkirk was determined to strengthen their email security while migrating to Microsoft 365. Key criteria for their partner and subsequent offering included:

Ease of deployment & implementation

Financial & operational gains

Advanced protection against attacks  like phishing

Read the full case study to discover the outcomes of Dunkirks search for an email security partner.
(Natural News) If Americans vote him into office, Joe Biden has promised that there will be no more fires, floods, hurricanes or other major climate events.

Speaking during a livestream event on Periscope, Biden pretty much promised the world, noting that if climate arsonist Donald Trump wins reelection, then the United States can expect plenty more hellish events to occur.

If you give a climate arsonist four more years in the White House, why would anyone be surprised if we have more of America ablaze? Biden asked, as prompted by his teleprompter.

If you give a climate denier four more years in the White House, why would anyone be surprised when more of America is under water?

Biden went on to accuse Trump of ignoring the facts and denying reality when it comes to the wildfires ravaging the West Coast. Despite some evidence that arsonists may be involved in some of the fires, Biden suggested that Trumps failed climate policies could lead to more of them.

Donald Trumps climate denial may not have caused these fires and record floods and record hurricanes, but if he gets a second term, these hellish events will continue to become more common, more devastating, and more deadly, Biden contends.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump warns that integration is threatening our suburbs, he added, attacking Trump for rejecting Bidens plan to federally rezone Americas suburbs in the name of racial integration.

Biden called Trumps insistence upon allowing local governments to manage and zone themselves ridiculous, once again pointing to the wildfires that Biden says are burning the suburbs in the West.

In areas where fires are not burning, Biden says that floods are wiping out suburban neighborhoods in the Midwest, while hurricanes are imperiling suburban life along our coast.

If we have four more years of Trumps climate denial, how many suburbs will be burned from wildfires, Biden fear-mongered in a threatening tone. How many suburban neighborhoods will have been flooded out? How many suburbs will have been blown away in superstorms?

Unless Biden is planning to rake the forests, they will continue to burn even under his presidency

Bidens basic message to the American people is that it is our own collective fault that all of these disasters are occurring because we continue to burn fossil fuels rather than pay exorbitant climate taxes to global government systems.

Anyone who disagrees with this notion, by the way, is a denier of science, according to Biden, and his entire voting base for that matter.

When Trump claimed that our nations forests need to be raked, prompting ridicule from the left for this seemingly inane statement, he was actually right. Americas forests, in large part, are being improperly managed which, combined with dry weather, causes them to burn, burn and burn when the conditions are right.

We have seen this time and time again in recent years, often in areas where forests are not being thinned and, yes, raked in the sense that dry brush and other duff, as PJ Medias Tyler ONeil refers to it, is left to accumulate.

I grew up in the foothills of dry Colorado, where the grass is not green but brown, ONeil writes.

My father sent my brother and me out to rake up dry leaves, pine trees, and other materials we termed duff  matter from the forest floor that would go up in flames upon contact with the smallest spark. My father  and later my brother and I  would go out with a chainsaw to trim the lower-hanging pine branches and a weed-whacker to take care of the tall trees.

This and more is what proper forest management looks like, but rather than tell the facts, Biden resorted to attacks, conspiracy theories, and empty promises about a coming utopia if he is elected. Does anyone believe this guy?

More of the latest news about the upcoming election is available at Trump.news.

Sources for this article include:

PJMedia.com

NaturalNews.com
Evers described the delays as unacceptable last week. He said he hopes all claims are resolved before the end of the year. Claimants have been paid over $3.68 billion in unemployment benefits since March 15.

Evers has grown increasingly frustrated with the lack of progress on unemployment backlogs despite the hiring of more staff. Evers has selected Department of Corrections Deputy Secretary Amy Pechacek to lead the transition until a new secretary is appointed.

We have continued to add additional state resources to support the DWD, but it is clear that we must have change if we are going to address these problems to get folks their benefits faster, Evers said. I am confident Deputy Secretary Pechacek has the leadership and skill sets we need to begin to identify solutions to these issues and to get to work making sure folks across our state can get the resources they need. I appreciate Secretary Frostmans service to our state and wish him well in his future endeavors.
When Mila Barberis family was told Michael Cudmore  the alleged gunman wanted for first-degree murder in the 28-year-olds death  was found dead in Mexico, it brought them back to that horrible day three and a half years ago.

Mila was an innocent victim, in the wrong place, wrong time, with the wrong people, her mom, Elvira, said. Kind, loving Mila was too trusting.

The 28-year-old was killed in a Vaughan parking lot on March 14, 2017. Police believe the shooter was targeting Saverio Serrano, Barberis boyfriend, who survived the shooting.

Since that horrible day the Barberi family has been unfairly caught in the middle of a Mob world they know nothing about, attending all of the court hearings, fighting for justice and trying to keep Milas memory alive.

Mila loved her family, nature and animals  working as a veterinary technician.

Less than two months after Barberis murder, police allege the same gunman killed Hamilton mobster Angelo Musitano, in what marked the beginning of a resurgence of Mob violence in the area.

On Wednesday, Hamilton police announced Cudmore had been found dead in an abandoned car on a rural road in Mexico, where he had been since May 2017. He has been wanted on two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder since September 2018.

For Elvira, news of Cudmores deaths brought a mix of emotions.

The family would have rather seen him brought to face justice in a courtroom, but Elvira said there is also a small justice in his death.

For sister, Mara, there is no good news in his death. She wanted to see him stand trial.

Death in Mexico seems an easy way out, she said.

The family also questions why police in Mexico could not find Cudmore alive for more than three years, yet found him as soon as he died.

Our hope is that everyone involved will pay heavily; anyone that does harm to other people should pay the consequence, Elvira said, adding that the family tries to believe in karma.

Cudmore was one of three men facing charges in two gangland shootings.

Jabril Abdalla is the only man ever arrested on the murder charges. He remains out on bail amid the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the Crown recently brought forward a bail review.

Abdalla is accused of being a party to the offences, but not of being the shooter.

No decision has yet been made on the bail review. The preliminary hearing is complete, but no trial dates have been set.

Daniel Tomassetti is still wanted on the same murder charges. He is alleged to have fled separately to Mexico as the police investigation was closing in.

On Wednesday, police said Tomassetti is believed to be alive and they believe he is scared.

The Barberi family say they hope he turns himself in, adding that hes probably safer here.

If Tomassetti is found or returns in time for Abdallas trial, that could spare the family having to face two trials.

When Cudmore went to Mexico, he joined Bolton mobster Daniele Ranieri, a person of interest in the case. Ranieri was found bound and murdered in a ditch in Mexico in March 2018. It was a month later when Cudmores family reported him missing. Police say Cudmore knew he was wanted and was hiding in Mexico.

The circumstances of Cudmores death are not yet clear and his family are still working to repatriate his body.

However, Hamilton police say he is believed to have died near the end of June. Police were notified in July, but it took some time to confirm his identity through fingerprints.

The Barberi family were called Tuesday, the day before Hamilton police released the information publicly.

Our heart aches every single day, every minute of the day, Elvira said. We continue to pray for justice for Mila.
Local News, Politics

By Ls Cohen Published: September 18 2020

Tribunal is first of its kind on Long island and third in New York State.

Huntington Towns newly created Bureau of Administrative Adjudication will be the first of its kind on Long Island, seeking to resolve what town officials called disastrous changes to criminal discovery procedures in bail reform laws passed by New York State last year.

The difficulty posed for Long island townships is that the law is that concerned citizens now need to be identified when reporting a town code violation. In effect, anonymous complaints cannot be accepted under the new discovery laws . As a result, residents are not reporting violations causing the information well to dry up in town code enforcement efforts.

The law also severely affected the time it takes to resolve issues and decreased the number of town code violations and quality of life complaints that local towns are getting.

Before the NYS changed the law, an individual would be able to report a code violation to a town anonymously; if the violation was resolved through compliance, the entire process remained anonymous, according to a description of the process by Huntington Town in a statement.

Under the new law, if a summons is issued, a town must provide the person in violation of the town code identifying contact information of the person reporting the violation. Iif the case goes to trial, the town has to perform a criminal background check on witnesses and provide the defendant contents of the background check.

Earlier this year, Long Island town supervisors held a press conference to encourage the State to roll back the legislature. If that wouldnt happen, they want to be able to form their own tribunals not subject to the states discovery law.

Huntington Town Supervisor Chad Lupinacci had announced his town to be the sole local municipality with what he called an antidote to the discovery law. He said that Huntongton had gotten state approved legislation enabling the establishment of the first Bureau of Administrative Adjudication on Long Island, which will not be subject to the State's new discovery obligations.

If the Town cant protect the privacy of individuals concerned enough to report a code violation, this makes it less likely a person will report sometimes dangerous violations and it can escalate neighbor disputes, which helps no one, Lupinacci said.

Previously, paperwork was never turned over to the defendant unless the case went to trial.

Photo: Town of Huntington.

On Thursday, Huntington Town announced the formation of its Bureau of Administrative Adjudication - or what is being called a tribunal - with a ribbon-cutting and swearing-in ceremony at Town Hall.

According to a statement released by the town, the tribunal will resolve many of the issues created by the state law. The town is hoping to cut red tape and improve operational efficiency while maintaining the privacy of residents and individuals who report violations that do not go to trial.

The opening of this tribunal is a huge step for the Town of Huntington in efficiently resolving public safety and quality of life issues while protecting the privacy rights for those who report violations, as it resolves tremendous legal issues created by the disastrous changes to criminal discovery procedures in the bail reform laws passed by New York State in 2019," said Lupinacci.

He noted the timing of the celebration of the new court coincided with Constitution Day in the United States.

On this date 233 years ago  September 17th, 1787  the Constitution, the supreme law of the United States, was signed by its authors, and began its challenging journey toward ratification, he said. We are making history today as well.

The Town said that the tribunal is not subject to the new criminal procedure discovery obligations, restoring privacy rights eliminated by New York State law for residents facing public safety and quality of life issues that need to be resolved.

It will allow for the anonymous reporting of violations, maintaining the privacy of residents and individuals who report violations that are resolved through compliance. Privacy protections for residents and individuals who report violations in cases that go to trial in the Town tribunal ensure also witnesses are not subjected to criminal background checks to be shared with defendants.

The 2019 State law requires Towns to share the contents of criminal background checks on witnesses to defendants for cases heard in Suffolk County 3rd District Court, where the Town would prosecute code violations before the tribunal was created.

Chief Administrative Law Judge Joshua Price, Administrative Law Judge Mara Manin Amendola, Judge Gregory Grizopoulos, Judge James F. Leonick, and Judge Tammy E. Skinner will preside over the court.

I am proud to have presided over the opening of our court today. My mission will be to treat every citizen with dignity and to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to be heard, said Chief Administrative Law Judge Joshua C. Price, who presided over morning and afternoon sessions of the court Thursday and performed a swearing-in of the administrative law judges during the ceremony.
International passengers arriving at Abu Dhabi airport will now have to wear a tracking device while they complete a mandatory 14-day home quarantine due to Covid-19, according to state-owned Etihad Airways.

Daily infections in the United Arab Emirates rose this month to their highest since the outbreak started, which officials have largely blamed on people not practicing social distancing.

Those arriving at Abu Dhabi airport would be fitted with a medically approved wristband, which is removed after the 14-days of home quarantine, according to Etihads latest travel update.

Those arriving from countries deemed to be a high risk may have to quarantine in a government facility, it said.

A health ministry official on Sept. 10 said 12% of cases in the previous two weeks were from international arrivals while 88% were linked to people gathering in large groups. The UAE recorded 786 new novel coronavirus cases on Thursday, down from 1,007 on Saturday, it biggest daily total so far.

The UAE, which has seen 82,568 infections and 402 deaths from Covid-19 so far, does not disclose where in the country the cases occur.

Only UAE citizens and residents can currently enter the country through Abu Dhabi airport, though foreign visitors can enter through Dubai.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)

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Two people at the centre of the Casey coronavirus cluster have been admitted to hospital, as authorities set up four additional testing sites in an effort to contain the outbreak that has spread across five households and infected 34 people.

In a shift from its current model, the Department of Health and Human Services has been working with Monash Health, refugee services, local councils and community leaders to track and trace close contacts of the confirmed coronavirus cases.

Monash Healths manager of refugee services, Jacquie McBride, said her department had been working with the families at the centre of the outbreak, and tailor a response in culturally appropriate ways.

We have a lot of experience working with people who come from different environments, different countries and speak different languages, Ms McBride said.

Our role is to really connect with the families identified, make sure theyre well, have conversations with them, make sure theyve got the support at home, food supplies they need to eat, and any of their other needs that can be addressed  but also that they understand the message that is being delivered.

At four of the five households, all family members have contracted COVID-19, according to head of infection control and prevention at Monash Health, Rhonda Stuart.

Two people, both aged under 50, have been admitted to hospital, with one of them presenting to the emergency department on Friday morning after experiencing a shortness of breath. They are both in a stable condition.

Ms Stuart said all signs indicated the cluster had been contained, but urged people to continue to come forward for testing.

The Victorian government has set up an additional four testing facilities in the Casey and Dandenong local government areas, bringing the total number of sites to 11.

Monash Health chief executive Andrew Stripp said the south-east community, including business owners, ethnic community leaders, local governments, had come together in recent weeks to stem the spread of the coronavirus and encourage people to get tested.

Weve been approaching this in a number of different ways - social media, flyers in local communities, engaging community leaders  approaching various aspects of business, Mr Stripp said.

Really, its a multi-pronged approach.
This savory red seems ideal for the weeks on either side of the autumnal equinox. It greets the nose with jammy late-summer aromas of blackberry pie, as well as a sense of a cool afternoon turning to dusk in a forest where the leaves have reached peak color and are almost, but not quite, ready to fall. This wine begs to be paired with meat cooked over fire. Its young and should age well over the next five years if youre willing to stock up. ABV: 14 percent.
Home Search ICH Assassinating Irony & Truth By Finian Cunningham September 17, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - Amazing isnt it? Western states vehemently demand sanctions on Russia over unproven and, frankly, tenuous allegations of assassination. Yet the self-declared leader of the Western world, Donald Trump, openly brags about ordering assassinations. And nothing but silence follows. Irony, it can be said, is dead, or rather assassinated by countless violations of international law by American power, with the silent complicity of Western states and mainstream media. (More on that in a moment.) Russian political dissident Alexei Navalny apparently recovered this week in a German hospital after nearly three weeks of being in a coma. Germany has claimed that Navalny was poisoned with a lethal nerve poison, accusing Russia of foul play. Other Western states have likewise implicated Moscow and are demanding the imposition of sanctions. Since the Germans have not provided any evidence to back up their ostentatious claims, no-one can really know what happened Navalny except that he was flown out of Russia to Berlin on 22 August showing no signs of poisoning, according to Russian doctors who had examined him thoroughly. The Russian medics concluded Navalny may have suffered from diabetic shock. The whole case is fraught with obscurity and lack of due process, thanks to Berlins remarkable lack of information  an obduracy that breaches diplomatic and legal norms. Same can be noted for the Sergei Skripal case, the former MI6 spy whom the British government claim was poisoned by Kremlin agents back in 2018. Again, as in the Navalny case, no evidence has been presented by London, yet the British accusation have all been taken as good coin by Western states which have railed against Russia with punitive sanctions. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Newsletter Now contrast this reflexive and self-righteous Western response towards Russia based on flimsy hearsay and convoluted claims with the abject blanket silence towards US President Trump and his avowed assassination efforts. Trump claimed this week that he wanted to order the murder of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad over an alleged chemical weapons attack in 2017. Turns out that Trump was over-ruled by the Pentagon, although the US did carry out a barrage of air strikes against Syria. Turns out too that the chemical weapons attack was most likely a false flag provocation by Western-backed militants, according to whistleblowers in the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, as reported by Wikileaks and The Gray Zone, among others. So, in that case, the US air strikes were a war crime and Trumps aborted assassination plan against Assad would have been cold-blooded murder of a foreign leader. Trump bragged about his desire to commit murder this week. Just as he has done on several occasions of his actual assassination order on the Iranian General Qassem Soleimani earlier this year. The US has never presented any evidence in an attempt to justify the drone-murder of Soleimani. All we have heard are American smears against the revered Iranian commander whose region-wide fight against terrorism is a matter of record. There is, of course, nothing new about American presidents ordering assassinations against foreign citizens. Summary executions are a presumed prerogative of US leaders who see themselves above international law and due legal process because of their self-declared American exceptionalism. That goes hand-in-hand with waging foreign wars of aggression by the self-appointed global policeman. Virtually every American president going back decades has blood on his hands from the assassination of foreign nationals deemed to be enemies of US imperial interests. Trumps bragging about murder just reflects the open descent of American power into the gutter of gangsterism. There is no shame relishing in the power to murder. There is only arrogance and presumption of impunity. That impunity is afforded by the spinelessness of Western leaders and corporate news media whose function is increasingly seen to be a propaganda laundry service for American war crimes and state terrorism. They jump to sanctimonious condemnation of Russia over dubious accusations of assassination involving apparently inefficient nerve poison, and without any evidence whatsoever. But an American president wallows in murderous schemes like a Mafia boss, and Western governments and media say nothing. That silence amounts to complicity. The glaring juxtaposition of Navalny and Assad, among other cases, shows that irony, as well as truth, morality and international law have all been murdered by Washington and its Western vassals. Finian Cunningham has written extensively on international affairs, with articles published in several languages. He is a Masters graduate in Agricultural Chemistry and worked as a scientific editor for the Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, England, before pursuing a career in newspaper journalism. He is also a musician and songwriter. For nearly 20 years, he worked as an editor and writer in major news media organisations, including The Mirror, Irish Times and Independent. - - " Source " - Post your comment below See also The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Search Information Clearing House === The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Click Here To Support Information Clearing House Your support has kept ICH free on the Web since 2002. Click for Spanish , German , Dutch , Danish , French , translation- Note- Translation may take a moment to load.
Prince Joachim, the younger son of Queen Margrethe of Denmark who underwent an emergency surgery in France in July for a blood clot in his brain, said Friday he was eager to get started as he arrived for his first work day at the Danish Embassy in Paris.

I am fine, Joachim told Danish broadcaster DR outside the Danish mission in the French capital where he will be defense attache.

Joachim who was tapped in June for the job, said it had been a non-summer after he was rushed to the Toulouse University Hospital on July 24. The 51-year-old prince was to have started as defense attache on Sept. 1 but it was postponed because of his condition.

Joachim and his French-born wife, Princess Marie, were residing at his mothers private summer residence of Chateau de Cayx in southwestern France when he got the blood clot. Doctors assessed that the risk of recurrence was very small.

Joachim is sixth in line to Denmarks throne after his elder brother, Crown Prince Frederik, and his brothers four children.
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: Telangana food safety officials have raided a manufacturing unit of popular biscuits brand, Rose  a part of the Veeramani Biscuit Industries Ltd  located near Turkayamjal in Rangareddy district. This comes following the death of two children on Monday in Kurnool, AP, after they reportedly ate the companys mango-flavoured cream wafers.

On Wednesday, the officials collected samples of the wafers and around 17 ingredients, which would be sent to the Food Safety Laboratory in Nacharam for testing. We received a mail from FSSAI, New Delhi, on Wednesday morning, after which we raided the manufacturing unit. A team comprising a Food Safety Officer, Food Safety Designated Officer and Food Analyst conducted the raid. They took along a mobile food testing lab too. Once the reports are out, action will be taken as per the Food Safety and Standards Act, a senior food safety official said.

The company had shut its unit on Monday itself, a company official said on Thursday. He also said the cream wafers of the particular batch, which the children consumed, are being called back, but most of the retailers have already sold the product.
Vulnerable people living in care homes are 'dying of loneliness,' as they're deprived from seeing families due to lockdown, while delays in testing have exposed 'huge staff shortages,' in the sector, it has been claimed.

Baroness Ros Altmann, a former Minister of State for pensions, welcomed Matt Hancock's announcement yesterday that care home residents would receive free PPE during the winter to curb the spread of Covid-19.

The Health Secretary announced a 500million 'infection control fund' will help pay workers full wages when they are self-isolating and ensure carers work in only one care home, thereby reducing the risk of spreading the virus.

Mr Hancock unveiled his winter action plan, which will also include guidance on whether care homes should restrict visits from family members.

Baroness Altmann warned restrictions could put lives at risk.

Baroness Ros Altmann has warned residents in care homes are 'dying of loneliness,' as they're kept apart from loved ones

Speaking on Good Morning Britain today, she said: 'Some people in care homes are more likely to die because of loneliness from lockdown and that is a real problem.

'Many of those people were unable to see their relatives and were desperately, desperately in need of their family visits and the family themselves needed to see the older people.

'One has to wonder whether it's right for the Government to say they can't go and see their loved ones.

'Some people died on their own, other people in care homes aren't necessarily vulnerable, so I just wonder if depriving people of their "visitation rights" as it were, is the best way to go.

'I hope it won't be too draconian that therefore people in care homes aren't just left totally isolated from their families and loved ones if they desperately need to see them.'

Matt Hancock unveiled a 500million fund for care homes yesterday, but warned care homes could restrict visits from family members

Speaking about yesterday's announcement, Baroness Altman said: 'I think it's great that we are offering free PPE and that we are making extra money available to the care home sector, it has been underfunded for decades and the crisis in social care is getting worse.

'The Government is starting to wake up to that, partly because the pandemic has exposed just how neglected the sector has been and how cut off some of it has been from the health service.

'What is also important though is that not everybody in a care home is elderly and vulnerable.

If you try and lump all care homes together, you'll be potentially disadvantaging or damaging, for example, people with autistic children living in care homes, adult children in their 20s and 30s who've really needed family visits and the family needs to see them.

'So these blanket bans or blanket measures that suggest all care homes should ban visits in vulnerable areas needs to be nuanced.

'The Government must also make sure that we get the testing right, because we've got staff going in and out of care homes because there's a huge staff shortage across the sector and if they don't know whether they have the Covid or not then you will have a problem of spreading it inadvertently.

Boris Johnson said earlier this week: 'It's an incredibly difficult thing, but we are going to have to place some restrictions on people, visitors being able to go into care homes'

'Also staff within care homes, if they can't get a test or are waiting for the result of a test that are taking a long time, they won't be able to come into work and therefore there'll be staff shortages in the homes.'

On Wednesday, Boris Johnson said relatives may face restrictions, telling The Sun: 'Be in no doubt we're going to do absolutely all we can to stop the spread in care homes. And I'm afraid it's an incredibly difficult thing, but we are going to have to place some restrictions on people, visitors being able to go into care homes.'

Mr Hancock said: 'We are entering a critical phase in our fight against coronavirus with winter on the horizon.

'Our priority over the next six months is to make sure we protect those most vulnerable receiving care and our incredibly hard-working workforce by limiting the spread of the virus and preventing a second spike.

'This winter plan gives providers the certainty they need when it comes to PPE and provides additional support to help care homes to limit the movement of staff, stop the spread of coronavirus and save lives.

'We will be monitoring the implementation of this carefully and will be swift in our actions to protect residents and colleagues across the country.'

Age UK's director Caroline Abrahams said it was important the plan achieved an 'appropriate balance' between ensuring infection control and allowing residents to keep in contact with loved ones.

She said: 'It is possible to have safe visiting in care homes, but this requires a rigorous approach from providers and ready access to enough PPE and testing.

'There will always be a risk that a visitor unintentionally brings the infection into a care home but this risk can be managed and it has to be considered alongside the dire consequences for care home residents, those with dementia especially, of being cut off from loved ones for long periods of time.

'There is no doubt that some older people to whom this is happening are dying of sadness as a result.'
MANISTEE  September is Suicide Prevention Month, a campaign that strives to reduce the stigma surrounding the topic, encourage people in need to seek help and invite others to lend support and be aware of warning signs in others.

A Michigan Profile for Healthy Youth survey of Manistee County middle and high school students taken during the 2019-20 school year showed that 40% of middle school students and 42% of high school students reported feeling depressed, sad or hopeless  and 29% of middle schoolers and 24% of high school students reported having seriously considered suicide.

On a national scale, there are an average of 132 deaths by suicide every day in the United States, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

In honor of Suicide Prevention Month, the Manistee Friendship Society, in collaboration with the Manistee County Suicide Prevention Coalition, held its second annual suicide prevention awareness contest on Friday.

Participants were to make a project of any sort that promotes suicide prevention awareness.

In a video submission, one participant, Michelle Darke, implored those struggling with mental health to seek out help.

"Just don't give up. There's hope. I've done so much in recovery and my life is dedicated to recovery," Darke said. "I just want everybody to know that you have support. Don't give up."

She said help is available.

"I have gotten so much help and so much support from the community in Ludington and Manistee. It has been amazing. ... Just keep on going. Keep plugging along," Darke said.

To mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, judging was not open to the public. Judges had a wide array of projects to consider, including paints, poems, video submissions, books and other mediums.

"Some people told their story, some people did the paintings about their journey through recovery, we had some people sing a song, someone played a piano, there were poems and a blanket which was really cool," said Cassandra Kamaloski, executive director of the Friendship Society. "She did a prayer with the blanket for the suicide survivors, families or people who are just kind of at that point right now. I thought that was really special, too. It was unique. We got a lot of unique stuff."

The contest even had an out-of-state entry.

"We had someone from New Orleans, which I was super surprised about," Kamaloski said. "I'm kind of excited that it kind of reached others, too."

Sarah Garthe, facilitator of the Manistee Substance, Education, & Awareness Coalition was on hand to judge the contest, and said bringing the topic of suicide to the forefront can go a long way in putting people in a position to help others struggling with suicidal thoughts.

"I think that particularly I can speak to Manistee County: youth are really struggling. The more we can make the community aware of how many struggle, the more we can prevent youth suicide," Garthe said. "We can really increase protective factors, which means we can talk to the youth about it and talk to each other about it."

She said people should be on the lookout for some of the warning signs such as:

 Withdrawing;

 Not doing the things they usually do; and

If they have experienced a recent trauma or have had some trauma in their life.

"I think knowing about suicide and being aware of it makes everybody more able to intervene," she said.

Up for grabs in the contest were a chartered fishing trip, a scenic airplane ride, horseback riding lessons and a gift card.

"We're so appreciative of Our Reel Heroes for donating a charter boat fishing trip. There was the Fjern Fields that donated the horseback riding lessons for two and then the Blacker Airport donated the color tour for two," Kamaloski said. "Those are great ways to get people back out doing something together outside of their home in a safe environment. We're grateful they showed their support to us and the mission."

The Manistee Friendship Societys mission is to provide advocacy and assistance to those suffering from a mental illness through peer-support. Its services include support groups, peer-support given by certified peer specialists, referrals, advocacy, relationship building, life skills enhancement, a safe place to seek refuge, a listening ear and acceptance for where one is within the recovery process.
Dozens of Afghan interpreters and their families will be given a new life in Britain in a major victory for the Daily Mail.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and Home Secretary Priti Patel announced yesterday they were changing the rules to save the brave translators from the Taliban.

As many as 100 former interpreters who worked for British forces on the front line during the Afghan war  and their families  will now be eligible as long as they have not already fled the country.

Miss Patel said: Im righting the wrongs of the past.

Mr Wallace added: Its the right thing to do, as you [the Mail] have always campaigned for.

'We want to send a message to the world that if you work with the British wherever we are deployed, well look after you.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace (left) and Home Secretary Priti Patel (right) announced yesterday they were changing the rules to save the brave translators from the Taliban. Pictured together with Afghan interpreter at Stanford Training Area

In other major developments, the Cabinet ministers pledged to:

Look again at cases rejected under the controversial intimidation scheme, which has not allowed any interpreters to the UK on the basis they have been harassed by the Taliban;

Consider allowing Afghan interpreters to join the military or police when they arrive in the UK, rather than wait for five years until they have indefinite leave to remain;

Sort out the housing mess which has stopped interpreters being reunited with their families because there is no accommodation.

Under the existing ex-gratia scheme, interpreters can be given sanctuary in the UK only if they served for a year in Helmand province and were made redundant.

It meant interpreters who quit because of death threats  even if they served for years on the front line  were not allowed a UK visa.

The new policy allows interpreters to come to the UK if they served a minimum of 18 months on the front line on or after May 1, 2006  and then resigned.

Rafi Hottak, a former supervisor of interpreters, said he believed up to 100 former interpreters would qualify under the new rules.

As many as 100 former interpreters who worked for British forces on the front line during the Afghan war  and their families  will now be eligible for sanctuary

Changes to the scheme will be made through secondary legislation next month and be brought in shortly afterwards.

The policy change is a major victory for the Mails award-winning Betrayal of the Brave campaign which has fought for sanctuary for the interpreters for years.

The Home Secretary and the Defence Secretary made the announcement at Stanford Training Area in Norfolk.

A total of 160 Afghans took part in a training exercise, alongside more than 300 troops from 1 Scots preparing to head out to Kabul.

In mock scenarios, soldiers held high-level talks with Afghan elders, with the help of interpreters, and responded to a bloody road traffic incident.

Asked why Britain was letting Afghan interpreters come to the UK, Miss Patel said: It absolutely speaks for the values of who we are, our standing in the world.

These people have served alongside our Armed Forces. They have served our country effectively and its absolutely right that we do right by them.

Mr Wallace, who has been working on the new rules for over a year, said: Our efforts in Afghanistan simply could not have been possible without the help of brave interpreters who risked their lives to work alongside our personnel.

'They did not leave us behind then, and we will not leave them behind now. Thank you to the Daily Mail for a great campaign.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: 'We want to send a message to the world that if you work with the British wherever we are deployed, well look after you

Former translators last night spoke of their relief and sheer joy.

Waheed said: This is truly wonderful news and gives us hope we will be able to bring up our families in safety.

Ezatullah, 42, who worked for three years with frontline troops before resigning because of death threats, said the policy change was like getting out of jail.

The father of five said: I have felt for a long time that my family and I are living in a prison in our own home, hiding every moment from the Taliban.

'It has been like living in a jail because of the dangers caused by my working for the British.

Interpreters who have left Afghanistan to try to make their way to the UK illegally and are now stuck in other countries will not be allowed under the new scheme.

Mr Hottak said: This is a great step forward but the Government must not forget the others who will not qualify but live a life of fear only because they worked for the British.

Simon Diggins, a former Army colonel who campaigns on behalf of Afghan interpreters, said: With this policy change and the prospect of others, Britain is really starting to pay its debt of honour to our former Afghan interpreters.

Dr Nadir Biyria, who was in charge of interpreters in Kabul, said: This is absolutely one of the best announcements because they sacrificed their lives working with British forces.

The greatest news of my life  its what weve prayed for

Javeed, 32, (pictured) who has been living in hiding away from his wife and four children, said the new policy was the greatest news of his life

Javeed, who operated as an interpreter on the front line, said the new policy was the greatest news of his life and would bring joy to those who risked their lives alongside UK soldiers.

The 32-year-old, who has been living in hiding away from his wife and four children, said: This is hard to believe, it is what we have prayed for and now those prayers have been answered  it is a great day.

Thank you to the Government, thank you to the Daily Mail campaign, as without it this would not have happened. We all know that to be true.

Javeed said his father had received death threats, his uncle had been killed by insurgents and his brother was kidnapped and executed by the Taliban.

He said: The Taliban control my province and there are checkpoints around all the villages which makes it extremely dangerous and means I have been unable to visit and see my family.

My son did not recognise me because I could not be there to give him and my three daughters the love any father wants to.

'I hope that now this will finally change and we can be together in a safe environment.

Now my children can grow up safe from the Taliban

Latif, 36, pictured on frontline duties, said: This is wonderful news and hopefully means my children can grow up in safety'

A former translator for the SAS hunted by the Taliban for more than six years is among those who believe they now qualify for sanctuary.

Latif said: This is wonderful news and hopefully means my children can grow up in safety away from the constant threats of Afghanistan.

This has been a long time coming, during which we have suffered great hardship, but this is a massive relief and I would like to thank the Daily Mail for never giving up on us.

'I would like to thank the UK Government, too, for recognising our sacrifice.

Latif, 36, a father of four, added: I have been hiding from the Taliban for too long.

The sacrifices made working for the British were massive and our families have suffered for too long because of it but now there is fresh hope.

Latif said he had handed over three death-threat letters to the British authorities, together with details of menacing telephone calls, but they had merely told him to move home.

In the calls, he was told he had been convicted by a Taliban court and sentenced to death because of his work with infidel forces.
On July 24, a dozen young and armed members of the Grey Wolves group of Turkish extremists attacked peaceful Armenian demonstrators and caused great material damage in the French city of Dessin, after which the organizer Ahmet Cetin and another four members of the organization were arrested and are charged with inciting hatred against the Armenians, as reported ermenihaber.am.

This is one of the two complaints submitted by the Committee for Defense of the Armenian Cause (CDAC) regarding the July 24 incident. The other complaint is devoted to the actions carried out during the armed attack.

The first court hearing on the case was held on September 17.

The Prosecutor Generals Office of Bourg-en-Bresse demanded 6 years of conditional imprisonment, deprivation of the right to vote for 5 years and a payment of EUR 2,000 for the offense stated in the indictment regarding Cetin.

The attorney stated that Cetin has acknowledged his mistake and stopped implementing political actions.

During a live broadcast, Cetin had said the following:

Let the Turkish government give me EUR 2,000 a month and weapons, and I will do what is necessary in any part of France.

The verdict will be announced on November 5.

On July 24, nearly 500 French-Armenians held a peaceful demonstration against Azerbaijans provocations. Members of Turkeys far-right, extremist Grey Wolves organization attacked the peaceful Armenian demonstrators with Turkish national flags, metal rods and knives, but the attack was prevented after the intervention of the French police.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 00:23:22|Editor: huaxia

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Manasseh Lomole (L, Front), chairperson of South Sudan's Relief and Rehabilitation Commission, and Chinese Ambassador to South Sudan Hua Ning (R, Front) sign documents during a handover ceremony of food aid in Juba, South Sudan, on Sept. 17, 2020. The Chinese Embassy in South Sudan on Thursday handed over 3,000 tons of rice as emergency food aid to the east African country. (Photo by Gale Julius/Xinhua)

JUBA, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Embassy in South Sudan on Thursday handed over 3,000 tons of rice as emergency food aid to the east African country.

The embassy said the 1,500 tons of the donation will go for emergency relief to help people affected by recent floods.

The remaining half will be used to support the training of the unified armed forces as part of China's support to South Sudan's peace process.

"On behalf of the people of South Sudan, we say thank for the rice donation," Peter Mayen Majongdit, South Sudan's Humanitarian Affairs Minister, said.

"Our relations with China are unbreakable and we will continue to maintain this strong relationship in various areas," Majongdit added.

Manasseh Lomole, chairperson of South Sudan's Relief and Rehabilitation Commission, said the Chinese food aid came at the right time when the conflict-torn country is battling severe disasters such as floods and food insecurity.

"People have been displaced, crops submerged under water, livestock lost and property destroyed. People are heading for a serious food shortage," Lomole added.

The oil-rich South Sudan is currently facing a severe economic crisis amid a fall in global oil prices.

The crisis in the world's newest nation is further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and floods that have affected over 500,000 people nationwide.

"The Chinese government and people are very concerned about the recent floods in Unity, Jonglei and other states which affected a big population," said Hua Ning, Chinese Ambassador to South Sudan.

Hua said since 2018, the Chinese government has so far provided a total of 9,600 tons of rice to South Sudan in seven batches, adding that Beijing will continue to support South Sudan to attain peace and stability.

"Our own experience has made us fully empathic with South Sudanese people," the Chinese envoy said, adding that China will strive to help the country within its ability.

"China is also willing to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with South Sudan in disaster prevention and mitigation, so as to reduce the loss of people's lives and property caused by natural disasters," the Chinese envoy added. Enditem
BEIRUT - The way Robert Ghattas sees it, he owes his life to the humble manousheh.

Since 1982, the artisanal baker has spent his days serving up dozens of varieties of the traditional doughy flatbread - as ubiquitous on Lebanese breakfast tables as a croissant in Paris or a bagel in New York. The earnings from his tiny Beirut bakery helped carry his family through wars and economic downturns and paved the way for his two sons to study and ultimately settle abroad. The bakery, he said, was like his third child.

But in the past year, a devastating economic crisis and the coronavirus pandemic have converged in Lebanon, pushing many businesses close to ruin. When an enormous explosion struck the beleaguered capital in August, killing nearly 200 people and devastating entire neighborhoods, it unleashed a new wave of suffering for business owners.

More than half of the roughly 2,100 bars and eateries in greater Beirut, including the Ghattas Bakery, were damaged in the blast, according to a survey carried out by the Syndicate of Owners of Restaurants, Cafes, Nightclubs and Pastries in Lebanon. The damage to such establishments is estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars - an enormous sum of money in a country where the local currency has lost 80 percent of its value in the past year.

Lebanon's tourism sector, which includes restaurants, has lost about $500 million a month this year, according to the syndicate. Tens of thousands of restaurant workers have lost their jobs.

"I knew Lebanon had its ups and downs, but the explosion tore us apart," Ghattas said through tears this month on the sidewalk outside his once-bustling shop, surrounded by piles of debris. "It tossed us away."

He and other small-business owners were essentially left with two options: abandon their life's work or scramble to put together the money to rebuild - without any help from a cash-strapped government.

Ghattas surveyed what was left of his 225-square-foot shop in the Gemmayzeh neighborhood, where for decades he had proudly presided over the creation of hundreds of pastries each day.

The ceiling had crashed to the floor, burying his oven and refrigerator in rubble. His aluminum door was destroyed. The sign that hung above the shop, embellished with a picture of his late father, was torn off. In all, Ghattas estimated that the repairs would cost around $10,000 and that it could take five years to make up for his losses.

- - -

Ghattas learned at a young age that running a business in Lebanon comes with its fair share of complications.

He was born to a family of bakers. His grandfather, he said, opened the first family bakery in 1920 and mainly sold bread. Ghattas's father followed in the family business. But when he died young, Ghattas had to drop out of school to take over and provide for his younger siblings.

His landlord's plans to renovate forced Ghattas to leave the original bakery behind, but he soon opened his own shop near his grandparents' old house. And he turned his focus away from bread, mastering the art of the manousheh, a pizza-like delicacy often topped with spices, ground meat or cheese.

His first menu was slim, but Ghattas thrived behind the counter, where he charmed his customers, often serving his creations with a side of chitchat. His success allowed him to eventually expand the menu to around 35 items and feature ingredients such as imported Bulgarian cheese.

His sons grew up visiting the bakery, where they learned their father's secret recipes. The family stood by the business through the unpredictability of life in Lebanon, even after a bomb fell nearby during the Lebanese civil war and some regular customers began migrating abroad.

In the early 2000s, Ghattas briefly moved to Texas, he recounted, and tried opening a Lebanese restaurant with his brother. His wife, Theodora, stayed behind to manage the shop and continue her day job as a banker. But Lebanon called Ghattas back, and eventually his hole-in-the-wall shop emerged as a manousheh landmark in a historic district frequented by tourists and Lebanese alike.

"We are a family of fighters, and we fought hard to keep this business open," said his son Elie, interviewed in Canada, where he now lives.

- - -

Last year, as anti-government protesters took to the streets, the prime minister resigned and the currency was tanking, customers kept showing up to buy their breakfasts.

Ghattas reluctantly increased his prices, but what money he made was only enough for him to scrape by.

"I stuck to my personal principle: Sustain yourself, but don't be a thief," he said.

When the coronavirus hit and the government called for a lockdown in March, Ghattas told his workers that he would keep them as long as he could but that some should also look for work elsewhere. Still, he hoped that the economy would recover and the bakery would soon be up and running at full capacity.

Then came the Aug. 4 explosion. He rushed to his beloved shop - and, he said, had trouble finding it under the rubble.

He said he knew he couldn't abandon the bakery, but the costs seemed insurmountable.

Soon, donations started to roll in. A neighboring business gave him its oven. A GoFundMe campaign raised more than $5,000 to help with repairs.

Ghattas was able to pay to fix the ceiling and start cleaning up the mess. The floor is still damaged and he's short on cash - but suddenly it seemed like reopening might be possible after all.

Many of his customers have temporarily moved away - their apartments and offices still damaged from the blast. Others, traumatized by the experience, are unwilling to return.

But Ghattas said he hopes that if he fires up his new oven at the end of the month, his faithful clients will show up to support him or place orders by phone.

When the first one appears at his door, he will carefully sprinkle whichever ingredients they choose - za'atar or cheese, bacon or turkey - on top of his rolled-out dough, before sliding it into the oven to bake until golden brown.

He hopes that when he hands over the warm pastry, wrapped in paper and steaming with the smells of his grandfather's kitchen, his displaced customers will get a small taste of home.

There's no relationship quite like that between "a man and his manousheh guy," he said. For Ghattas, that's what gives him joy. "When you love your job this much, you can't go wrong."
While we await word of a sale or some kind of a compromise, the popular TikTok and WeChat mobile apps will be removed from Apples App Store and Googles Play Store at midnight on Monday, September 21. The announcement follows months of jockeying and negotiations after the Trump Administration put the two apps on notice for allegedly collecting personal data from U.S. citizens and funneling it to the Chinese government.

Tencent, which owns WeChat, would also be prohibited partnering with another company to offer internet hosting, content delivery networks, internet transit or peering services to WeChat, or using the apps code in other software or services in the United States, according to the New York Times. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the ban is intended to completely shut down WeChat in the U.S. beginning Monday.

TikTok will still be allowed to function until November 12 for anyone who previously downloaded the app. The stay is presumably to work out the terms of a potential sale.

Oracle is still in talks with owner ByteDance over a sale of the video-sharing app TikTok, but WeChat is far more ingrained in the Chinese landscape. Operating under the name Weixin in China, WeChat is a messaging, payment, and social media service used by millions of users in the U.S. and more than a billion worldwide.

While the ban wouldnt have a huge impact on WeChats global operations, its unclear what effect the ban would have on Tencents other holdings, including stakes in Epic Games, Ubisoft, Reddit, and Universal Music Group. Also unclear is whether Google and Apple will take action against Trump for wielding power over its app stores.

Ross said the move is designed to protect U.S. users: What they collect are data on locality, data on what you are streaming toward, what your preferences are, what you are referencing, every bit of behavior that the American side is indulging in becomes available to whoever is watching on the other side, he said. Thats what were trying to squelch.

Android users may be able to still download the TikTok and WeChat APKs after Sundays deadline, though its unclear whether the respective companies will still update them in the U.S. And with a ban on hosting as well, important pieces of WeChat, such as messaging and payments, will be all but unusable.
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The global home bedding market is growing at a rapid pace. The growth attributes to the increasing market proliferation and preference of branded bedding solutions. The demand for home bedding is increasing at a high rate across the globe, due to the rising consumer spending on convenient and comfortable furnishing and expansion of real estate sectors. Moreover, the growing demand for sustainable products and rising traction for smart mattresses escalates market growth.

According to Market Research Future (MRFR), the global Home Bedding Market Overview is projected to reach USD 63,126.0 MN by 2025, growing at 5.35% throughout the forecast period (2019-2025). Direct-to-consumer brands specializing in sustainable and organic bedding are actively participating in the market, becoming the retail industry major. Some manufacturers approach unique product design with a back-to-basics idea, while others use a contemporary design ethos to inform an environmentally friendly product.

Additionally, the COVID 19 pandemic has accounted for a sea change in the home bedding industry. On one side, where traffic was in many bricks-and-mortar retailers reportedly low, the antiviral range showed higher conversion rates. Therefore, it is estimated that mattress sales would continue to rebound, indicating double-digit growth year-over-year. Also, online sales are expected to rise exponentially due to the availability of a range of comfy designer bedding options.

Rising competition among players in terms of price, functions, quality, and design leads to high investments in R & D. Manufacturers of home bedding are launching innovative and elegant designs to attract consumers. These developments presage the heydays the home bedding market is to perceive soon. Conversely, the presence of unorganized players is expected to restrict the growth of the market during the assessment period.

Get a FREE Sample Copy of Report: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/8790

Global Home Bedding Market  Segments

The report is segmented into three dynamics.

By Type : Mattresses, Pillows, Bed Linen, Blankets, and others.

By Distribution Channel : Store-Based and Non-Store-Based

By Regions : Europe, Americas, Asia Pacific, and Rest-of-the-World.

Home Bedding Market  Regional Analysis

North America dominates the global home bedding market. The region witnesses large numbers of consumers of environmentally friendly home bedding products. The significant market share attributes to the vast preference for innovative bedding solutions and high per capita disposable income.

Also, large technological advances and the presence of several key players in the region, drive the regional market growth. The US market is estimated to retain its dominance throughout the forecast period, valuing USD 16,320.2 MN by 2025, with 4.86% CAGR during the forecast period.

Europe stands second in the global home bedding market. The market is predominantly driven by economic growth and steadily growing furnishing sectors in the region. Moreover, a large consumer base and preference comfortable bedding options boost the regional market growth. Also, technical expertise demonstrated by existing key players in the region fuel the market sales. Besides, the significant contribution from growing markets in the UK and Germany drive the regional market growth.

The home bedding market is brisk in the Asia Pacific region. The region accounted for 30.38% of the overall market share in 2018. Factors such as the increasing per capita disposable income and demand for innovative bedding options led by the improving lifestyles of demographics boost the regional market growth. Moreover, the rising adoption of technology-driven products drives the market demand considerably.

Simultaneously, rising product developments, production facilities, and growing manufacturing sectors in India and China bolster the regional market growth. In 2018, China accounted for the largest as in 48.70% share of the regional market, followed by India. The Chinese home bedding market is projected to grow at 6.03% CAGR during the forecast period.

Home Bedding Market - Competitive Analysis

Highly competitive, the home bedding market appears diversified due to the presence of many well-established brands. To gain a larger competitive share, industry players incorporate strategic initiatives such as collaboration, mergers & acquisition, expansion, and product/technology launch. Industry players make substantial investments locally and internationally to expand their production capacity and distribution network.

Major Players:

Players leading the global home bedding market include Serta Simmons Bedding, LLC (US), Kingsdown, Inc. (US), Sleep Number Corporation (US), Boll & Branch LLC (US), Crane and Canopy (US), Portico, Inc. (India), Hollander Sleep Products (US), Acton & Acton (UK), Casper Sleep (US), and WestPoint Home LLC (US), among others.

Industry/ Innovation/ Related News:

June 30, 2020 ---- D'Decor Home Fabrics Pvt. Ltd. (India), a curtain & upholstery fabrics producer, announced its partnership with a Swiss textile innovator - HeiQ Materials AG. The company launched antiviral and air purifying range of furnishing fabrics and bedding products. Bedding fabrics usually host a large surface for bacteria and viruses, allowing them to remain active for a longer time. In the current pandemic time where people look for hygienic home solutions more than ever, D'Decor wanted to expand their textiles antiviral and antibacterial line.

Access Full Report: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/home-bedding-market-8790

The company launched ViroGuard, and AeroFresh antiviral ranges of home textile products offering upholstery fabrics, curtain fabrics, and bedding products. These bedding options are powered by HeiQViroblock technology. Materials have been previously tested adequately against coronavirus, avian flu, influenza, swine flu, and respiratory syncytial virus, achieving a 99.99% reduction of the virus.

Note : Our team of researchers are studying Covid-19 and its impact on various industry verticals and wherever required will be considering covid19 footprints for a better analysis of markets and industries. Cordially get in touch for more details.

About Market Research Future:

At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.

MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.

To stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.

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The Nigerian government has launched a central asset database aimed at tracing, tracking, and recovering stolen assets.

The launch of the central database in Abuja was part of a sensitisation programme under the asset tracing, recovery and management regulations 2019 and the central criminal justice information system under the National Anti-Corruption Strategy (2017-2019).

In his remarks, the attorney-general of the federation and minister of justice, Abubakar Malami, said that the initiative was created to fight and stave off the spread of corruption in the country, one of President Muhammadu Buharis focal points.

What we are witnessing here today is a product of our commitments, as a government towards the fight against corruption, Mr Malami said.

The initiative will focus on the management of seized assets effectively and promotion of transparency in the Nigerian government.

The chairman of Independent Corrupt Practices, Bolaji Owasonoye, who lauded the new initiative said that the online medium will help relevant stakeholders have quicker access to the database.

For the acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mohammad Umar, the database is as necessary for the fight against corruption as it is for effective management of assets.

ALSO READ: AMCON seizes assets of investment firm owners over N4 billion debt

This initiative will not only ensure the tracking of assets forfeited to the federal government but would also ensure that seized assets from different locations are managed in an effective manner to realise income, Mr Umar said.

Meanwhile, the British High Commissioner Catriona Laing, represented by Andrew Clowes, assured the Nigerian government of the United Kingdoms support in the fight against corruption in Nigeria.

Mr Clowes called for transparency in the new initiative.
Special Public Prosecutor Saleem Ahmed, appearing for the state, informed the court that the victim had given his fake address and mobile number and the police tried to search him but he could not be traced

New Delhi: A Delhi court Friday granted bail to a man after the person, who was stated to be injured in the case related to the communal violence in north east Delhi in February, could not be traced.

Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat granted the relief to Imran on furnishing a bail bond of Rs 15,000 with a surety of like amount.

The case was registered based on the fact that one Rahul (28) was injured during the riots in Kabir Nagar area on 25 February.

The court said there was no statement of Rahul on record and Imran was only identified by Constable Satish in the case after a delay of one month.

"In the present case, Section 307 (attempt to murder) IPC (Indian Penal Code) has been attracted on account of injury to a person namely Rahul. However, Rahul is not traceable and no statement of Rahul is on record. There is no public witness on record who identified the accused except one Constable Satish who had also given a statement on 26 March, though the incident was of 25 February," the court said.

The court directed the accused not to get in touch with any of the witnesses or leave Delhi till the conclusion of the case.

It further said he should not tamper with evidence and indulge in any other criminal acts.

During the hearing, Special Public Prosecutor Saleem Ahmed, appearing for the state, informed the court that the victim had given his fake address and mobile number and the police tried to search him but he could not be traced.

The public prosecutor further said that Constable Satish was present in the area during the riots and had seen the rioters.

Imran was arrested after Satish had identified him to be allegedly one of the rioters, Ahmed said.

The prosecutor further claimed that the accused had disclosed that on 25 February, he had joined the riots with the people of his religion and had thrown stones on the people of the other group.

Advocate Saleem Malik, appearing for Imran, told the court that he was in judicial custody since 9 April in the case and has been falsely implicated.

The charge sheet has been filed and nothing has been recovered from his possession, Malik said.

Communal clashes had broken out in northeast Delhi on February 24 after violence between citizenship law supporters and protesters spiralled out of control leaving at least 53 people dead and around 200 injured.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 02:23:22|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on Dec. 30, 2016 shows the U.S. national flag on the U.S. Embassy building in Moscow, Russia. (Xinhua/Sputnik)

Rudenko emphasized the inadmissibility of "attempts to destabilize" the situation in Belarus and "impose unilateral mediation services from outside."



MOSCOW, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko stressed "the inadmissibility of any interference in the internal political processes" in Belarus during a phone talk Thursday with U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan.

Rudenko also emphasized the inadmissibility of "attempts to destabilize" the situation in Belarus and "impose unilateral mediation services from outside," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

He said that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's initiative to carry out a constitutional reform to liberalize the country's political system is promising.

On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Director Sergei Naryshkin accused the United States of playing a key role in preparing the protests following Belarus' presidential elections.

He alleged that the preparations began in 2019 and early 2020, when Washington channeled about 20 million U.S. dollars through various non-governmental organizations to help organize the protests. 
A Navy sailor from Mandan who died in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in World War II is finally home.

The remains of Navy Fireman 2nd Class Albert Renner, 24, weren't identified for nearly eight decades, until the military disinterred and examined the remains of unknown soldiers from Pearl Harbor who were buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.

Renner's family held a funeral for him Friday at Christ the King Catholic Church in Mandan, and his remains were then laid to rest in the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery south of the city in a military service attended by family members and dozens of others. It originally had been slated for May but was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The ceremony included members of the North Dakota Patriot Guard Riders motorcycle group. Local pilots flew two World War II-era North American AT-6 planes overhead. A bugler played taps, and a military color guard fired a gun salute.

Navy representatives presented an American flag to brother Ed Renner, 99, one of 15 Renner siblings. He traveled from Milwaukee to pay his respects, and said he found the observance "beyond words."

"It's hard to get my head around the respect they showed him," he said after the ceremony. "It was difficult to comprehend."

Albert Renner grew up and lived in Mandan in the early 1900s. During the war he was assigned to the battleship USS West Virginia, which was moored at Ford Island in Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, when it was targeted by Japanese airplanes during the infamous surprise attack.

The ship was hit by two bombs and at least seven torpedoes and sank, according to the Naval History and Heritage Command. Albert Renner was killed along with 105 other crewmen.

Siblings provided DNA to the military in the mid-1990s in the hopes of helping identify their late brother's remains, but it didn't happen until last fall. Scientists used dental records and anthropological analysis, several types of DNA analysis, and circumstantial and material evidence to identify Albert Renners remains.

There was even evidence of a shoulder injury from when young Albert Renner fell off a cart during the 1930s, according to brother Dennis Renner, 70, of Mandan. Officials believe Albert Renner was below deck when he suffered a fatal head injury during the attack.

The Navy provided the family with a packet of pictures, enlistment papers and other documents. The military also covered nearly all costs associated with the funeral.

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India will not accept any change in the traditional and well-defined patrolling routes on the Line of Actual Control  the 3,488 km long disputed boundary between

India and China  Defence Minister Rajnath Singh informed the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

No power on earth can stop the Indian Army from patrolling. The (patrolling) routes are traditional and well-defined. Any changes in the patrolling pattern are not acceptable, Singh said responding to the opposition members queries.

Blocking the Indian Army to reach its traditional patrolling points at the beginning of the summer was the starting point of the ongoing Sino-Indian confrontation in eastern Ladakh, which is showing no sign of getting abated even after six months.

Chinas Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) blocked Indian soldiers on the northern banks of the Pangong lake as well as in multiple points in the Galwan Valley and Depsang plains, near the Daulat Beg Oldie airbase.

I want to make it clear (that) skirmishes and face-offs are because of this (issue of patrolling), Singh said.

China, the minister said, made provocative military manoeuvres on August 29/30 in an attempt to change the status quo in the south bank area of Pangong Lake at a time when the two sides were engaged in military and diplomatic talks to de-escalate tensions.

The defence minister said there was a mismatch between what China says and does.

Unki kathani aur karni alag hai (their actions are at variance with their words), he said, reflecting the mistrust that the Indian armed forces have with the PLA at the moment.

Singhs assertion on patrolling came when he responded to a clarification sought by former defence minister and senior Congress leader A K Antony on the issue of Indian forces not being allowed to patrol in the Galwan Valley, which was never a disputed territory.

Antony and his party colleague Anand Sharma also raised the issue of restoration of the status quo ante on the LAC in eastern Ladakh while negotiating with China.

The ministers statement was almost identical to what he said in the Lok Sabha earlier this week.
It's said that ghosts are the souls of those who died suddenly or tragically and are tied to the location of their demise for all eternity, unable to accept their death. If that's true, the battlefield of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, should be one of the most haunted places in America.

Few things were more sudden or tragic than taking a 24-pounder howitzer to the face while slowly walking toward a line of people who were supposed to kill you with rifles or bayonets.

The fighting at Gettysburg was so intense that Americans are still finding remains of the dead: The latest was found in 1996. The Confederacy lost 39% of its manpower due to the sheer volume of soldiers wounded there and was never again able to threaten the North.

In fact, the loss at Gettysburg was so detrimental to the South that it may have cost the Confederates the entire war.

That being said, if ghosts do exist, the battlefield at Gettysburg must be crawling with them. And if the video below is to be believed, two of them like to cross the street in the dark in front of moving vehicles.

It's OK, they just don't know what a car looks like. Besides, what's it gonna do? Kill them?

Tourist Greg Yuelling and his family were visiting Gettysburg and decided they would take a drive one night. Yuelling recorded the video on his phone as he and his uncle drove through the historic site.

"We just went there as tourists, to learn more about the history of the Civil War and see the old battleground, where the Gettysburg Address was given and all that stuff," he told the Irish Sun. "We were driving along one night, and we started hearing noises. I heard things to the left, and my uncle heard things to the right. And there was a fog, but the fog was weird; it was only in one patch, not dispersed. Then, we saw these shapes moving in the darkness; they were the size of humans. One of them ran right through the cannon."

The Irish Sun notes that between 46,000 and 51,000 people died in the three-day battle. Actual historians say that an estimated 7,000 men died during the fighting.

The "ghosts" Yuelling captured on camera appear to jump out of nowhere, go right through an artillery piece and then run out into the road as the car approaches. While it may seem spooky at first glance, especially on such a foggy night, the windshield of the vehicle driven by the Yuellings doesn't provide the clearest view of the road.

One of the "ghosts" could be just a drop from precipitation outside the vehicle. But since the visibility isn't the best, it's easy to see how the 46-year-old Yuelling could think he saw a ghost.

If there's anywhere a person could get swept away by the gravity of a place, it would be the battlefield that turned the tide of the Civil War at the cost of thousands of lives -- and inspired President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.

-- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. He can also be found on Twitter @blakestilwell or on Facebook.

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A round 200 stolen books including rare works by Galileo, Sir Isaac Newton and Copernicus have been found buried under a tiled floor at a house in rural Romania.

The books, valued at more than 2.5 million and belonging to three dealers, were taken in a sophisticated heist at a warehouse near Heathrow while waiting to be shipped to an auction in the United States in January 2017.

Thieves cut holes in the roof and abseiled down to avoid motion sensors, winching the haul back up in 16 large bags.

Once feared lost to the world forever, the works were found by Romanian detectives on Wednesday during a search in Neamt in Moldavia.

The books are valued at more than 2.5 million / Met Police

They included works from 17th century Italian astronomer Galileo, mathematician and astronomer Sir Isaac Newton and the late 18th and early 19th century Spanish painter Francisco Goya which were to be sent to the US for the international antiquarian book fair.

Met detectives spent almost three years working with colleagues in Romania and Italy, alongside Europol and Eurojust, to track down the books to the rural hideaway.

They were found wrapped in plastic buried in a concrete vault.

Detective Inspector Andy Durham, from Specialist Crime South, said: This recovery is a perfect end to this operation. These books are extremely valuable, but more importantly they are irreplaceable and are of great importance to international cultural heritage.

The Met investigation identified the suspects involved as part of a Romanian organised crime group responsible for high-value warehouse burglaries across the UK.

Some 45 addresses in Britain, Romania and Italy were raided in June last year, leading to 13 suspects being charged in the UK with conspiring to commit burglaries and to acquire criminal property.

Twelve pleaded guilty and face sentencing later this month. The 13th defendant will go on trial in March.
Members of the Kuomintang (KTM), Taiwan's main opposition party, demonstrate on the sidelines of a news conference calling to oppose U.S. meat imports, in Taipei

By Ben Blanchard

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan's main opposition party the Kuomintang (KMT) began a push on Sunday for a referendum to block the easing of restrictions on U.S. pork imports, which if passed could threaten a long-mooted free trade deal with Taipei's key ally Washington.

President Tsai Ing-wen announced last month that the government would from Jan. 1 allow in U.S. pork containing ractopamine, an additive that enhances leanness, and U.S. beef more than 30 months old.

Taiwan has long sought a free trade agreement with the United States, its most important supporter on the international stage, but Washington has complained about barriers to access for U.S. pork and beef.

KMT Chairman Johnny Chiang, elected in March to help turn around party fortunes following a trouncing in January's presidential and parliament elections, said the party would begin collecting signatures for a referendum to be held next August.

"Starting next weekend on Sept. 12, we will spring up everywhere, getting signatures from counties and cities, showing the will of the people through concrete action," he told the party's annual conference in Taipei.

The KMT has pitched their opposition to the pork imports as a matter of food safety, Taiwan having been rocked by several safety scandals in recent years, pointing out that ractopamine is banned in major markets like the European Union.

Tsai's ruling Democratic Progressive Party has previously also strongly objected to ractopamine.

The government has defended the easing of pork imports, saying they are bringing Taiwan into line with international norms and that the decision will boost Taiwan-U.S. ties.

Washington welcomed the move.

Taiwan and the United States are expected this month to start high-level economic talks in what could be a precursor to a broad free trade deal.

The KMT will need to collect around 200,000 signatures to get the referendum approved and put to a vote.

Story continues

Chiang has been trying to turn around the fortunes of the party, which traditionally favours close ties with China.

Beijing claims Taiwan as sovereign Chinese territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
Panaji, Sep 18 : The Goa government is expected to offer 50 per cent relief in licence fees to beach shack operators in the state, in order to tide over the losses accrued due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Ports Minister Michael Lobo said on Friday.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant late on Friday, Lobo also said that he had requested Sawant to write to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and seek for an extension in the EMI moratorium period for tourism business in Goa, which have been setbacks on account of the pandemic.

"The government will provide 50 per cent rebate (in licence fees) to all shack owners in Goa. The Chief Minister will make the announcement soon," Lobo told reporters.

"Tourism business is just beginning in Goa and the moratorium has come to an end. The extension in moratorium would help tourism operators to earn some revenue, which can then be used to service the pending EMIs," Lobo added.

Shacks selling food and alcoholic beverages, synonymous with Goa's beaches, are set up every year after the waning of the monsoon season and have to be disbanded every year by May 31.

There are around 350 such shacks set up annually along Goa's 105-km coastline, which is dotted with popular beaches.

The All Goa Beach Shack Owners Association had also made a representation to the state government seeking SOPs for the forthcoming season, because the Covid-19 pandemic, which has affected the inflow of tourists into the state.

Last year, Goa which is regarded as a top beach tourism destination in the country attracted more than seven million tourists.
Danielle Johnson, co-chairwoman of the Buffalo Police Advisory Board, said it would problematic to have social workers working alongside police officers during mental health crises without more in-depth and robust accountability from the police department.

To propose to place social workers within a system that lacks sound, equitable accountability  especially within the Buffalo Police Department  is irresponsible, and its putting the folks who are being responded to at risk, as well as the social workers who are responding, Johnson said.

Nancy J. Smyth, dean of the School of Social Work at the University at Buffalo, acknowledged the institution of social work is not entirely pristine in its endeavors, noting that, like the police, social work has a long legacy of racism and of supporting white supremacy.

"And, by white supremacy, Im not talking about white supremacists. Im talking about a structure of society and policies that puts white people in power and keeps others out, Smyth said. This isnt about bad people. Its about bad systems that need to be restructured.
"It's not the strongest that survive, nor the most intelligent, but those who are most adaptable to change." Pramod Bhasin, Founder of Genpact and current Chairman, Clix Capital, quotes Charles Darwin to drive home the lessons learnt from wildlife. Bhasin's African safari of over 20 years is the main reason behind his interest in wildlife photography.

For him, the magnificent plains of the Serengeti and the Masai Mara and their herds of animals are unparalleled.

The animals are astonishingly beautiful in their diversity and movements, with birdlife being an entirely different world, says Bhasin. In fact, his passion for wildlife photography has landed him in dangerous situations more than once. "We have travelled across Africa - Kenya of course, which has some of the best viewing and camps, Tanzania, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Rwanda ( for the gorillas). They are all amazing in their own right. Our last trip to Mahale on Lake Tanganyika, where no vehicles are allowed, to see the chimpanzees and then swim in the mile-deep lake, was one of the best we have ever done," he adds.

It was on one of those trips that Bhasin was charged by an elephant while taking his photograph on a lake bed. He also ran into a pride of lions while walking on a safari, to the Chimps of Mahale. "Every day is a new event on the safari," he says.
The total number of confirmed cases grew to 169,472.

Ukraine said 3,228 new active COVID-19 cases had been confirmed across the country in the past 24 hours as of September 18, 2020.

The total number of confirmed cases grew to 169,472, as seen on the interactive map compiled by the National Security and Defense Council.

As many as 75,486 patients, including 1,573 in the past day, have recovered.

The death toll is 3,468 with 68 fatalities recorded in the past day.

Read alsoCorona-positive Kharkiv mayor airlifted to German hospital over flare-up of chronic condition  media (Video)There were 90,518 active cases as of September 18. In total, there have been 233,664 reports on suspected COVID-19 since the beginning of 2020.

The highest number of new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours was registered in Kharkiv region (349 cases), Odesa region (322), Ternopil region (311), and the city of Kyiv (291).

In total, 1,985,802 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests have been run since the outbreak.

The overall incidence per region is as follows:

5,114 cases in Vinnytsia region;

6,689 in Volyn region;

3,765 in Dnipropetrovsk region;

2,313 in Donetsk region (Ukrainian-controlled districts);

4,774 in Zhytomyr region;

9,031 in Zakarpattia region;

2,748 in Zaporizhia region;

12,031 in Ivano-Frankivsk region;

967 in Kirovohrad region;

18,740 in the city of Kyiv;

7,476 in Kyiv region;

17,869 in Lviv region;

706 in Luhansk region (Ukrainian-controlled districts);

2,320 in Mykolaiv region;

10,924 in Odesa region;

1,390 in Poltava region;

10,917 in Rivne region;

2,807 in Sumy region;

10,705 in Ternopil region;

14,264 in Kharkiv region;

766 in Kherson region;

4,339 in Khmelnytsky region;

12,793 in Chernivtsi region;

2,891 in Cherkasy region; and

3,133 in Chernihiv region.

Data from Russia-occupied areas  the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the city of Sevastopol, parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions  is not available.

COVID-19 tests were run by the Public Health Center's virological reference laboratory and regional laboratories. As of the morning of September 18, 2020, the Center had received 3,603 reports of suspected cases. In total, there have been 233,664 reports on suspected COVID-19 since the beginning of 2020.

Quarantine in Ukraine: background
TRENTON  Youre stuck with them, Trenton.

For another six months.

Council voted 5-2 to move the capital city municipal races for mayor and council to November from May, with legislators Jerell Blakeley and Joe Harrison voting no.

The runoff will also move from June to December.

The bill gives Mayor Reed Gusciora and the seven council members another six months in office.

Robin Vaughn, who sponsored the bill, touted increased voter turnout and an estimated $181,000 in savings by moving Trentons nonpartisan election.

The capital city was the only municipality in Mercer County that still held its election in May.

Vaughn refused a colleagues request to allow Trentonians to decide to change the election date by referendum.

Doing so violates New Jersey law, Vaughn said, contradicting city law director John Morellis position that the statute did not preclude the city from enacting the change as a ballot question in November.

If its not written in the law, you dont get to make it up, Vaughn said. And no, Marge Caldwell-Wilson, I will not consider making it a referendum.  The law doesnt say that.

Council attorney Edward Kologi said the change could be done by ordinance.

The law says, Any municipality governed by the provisions of the Uniform Nonpartisan Elections Law, may, by ordinance, choose to hold regular municipal elections on the day of the general election, the Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

Council president Kathy McBride referred to those speaking out against the ordinance as vultures.

She condemned Blakeley for claiming colleagues were motivated to change the election date to extend their terms.

A lot of us want to run away right now. We dont want five more months of abuse from people who dont know how to be grateful, McBride said.

Later in the meeting, Blakeley asked legislators to reconsider the vote after he claimed to have learned the Election Day question was already on the ballot.

Earlier this year, council approved a separate ordinance, also sponsored by Vaughn, to allow Trentonians to decide whether to change the election date.

Thats outrageous, Vaughn said.

McBride said that was Mercer County clerk Paula Sollami-Covellos problem, then moved on to the next item on the docket.

Early Friday morning, the clerk disputed the claim about the ballots.

Its not true, she wrote. The ballot question for staggered terms is on the ballot and ballots have been printed. We are beginning to mail out the first ballots this Saturday to all overseas citizens and military personnel under federal law. 
- Korina Sanchez penned an emotional social media post to thank ABS-CBN Network

- She shared that she will always be grateful for the past 30 years that she worked under the Kapamilya network

- Korina said that she learned a lot and had great experiences because of ABS-CBN

- The veteran broadcast journalist made the post amid talks of her new show in TV5 Network

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Korina Sanchez wrote an emotional post for ABS-CBN Network as the talk about her transfer to TV5 Network goes around on social media.

KAMI learned that Korina will always be grateful for ABS-CBN Network after she worked there for more than 30 years.

Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Source: UGC

In an Instagram post, Korina said that she is a product of ABS-CBN since she graduated from college when she was 23 years old.

I was one of those very first on-air when the dictatorship toppled, democracy was restored and the network reopened in 1987, she said.

And till the day it shut down in 2020 I was still frontlining, she added.

The veteran broadcast journalist also shared that she learned many things and had great experiences in ABS-CBN throughout the years and she did not expect it to be gone abruptly.

Ito na ang naging buhay ko at ni sa hinagap di ko naisip na biglang mawawala. Sa ngayon, Korina said.

Pero never mawawala sa puso at isip ko ang ABSCBN. Hindi na ako magpapasalamat kasi kulang na kulang ang salitang salamat sa pagkakataong ito. Ganito nalang: hanggang sa muling pagkikita, she continued.

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Korina Sanchez is a famous broadcast journalist and news anchor in the Philippines. She is married to former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas.

Earlier, it was reported that Korina will be having a magazine show titled Rated Korina in TV5 Network.

However, she denied that she was retrenched from ABS-CBN, contrary to the rumors that were spreading on social media.

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In an interview recently granted to the Vietnam News Agency, Brown said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo praises Vietnam for its work convening ASEAN Foreign Ministers and dialogue partners during these unprecedented times.



"Vietnams 2020 ASEAN Chairmanship is an opportunity to strengthen regional cooperation and collaboration. ASEAN demonstrates its effectiveness when the member states are unified and speak with one voice on regional security and economic challenges, she said.



Charge d'Affaires of the US Mission to ASEAN Melissa A. Brown (Photo: Internet)



She expressed her hope that under Vietnams Chairmanship, ASEAN will stand together to address pressing regional challenges, such as maritime security, trans-national crime, terrorism, humanitarian crises, and the protection of human rights of the regions most vulnerable populations.



Brown stressed that ASEAN is at the centre of the USs vision for the Indo-Pacific region. At the ASEAN-US Ministerial Meeting, Secretary Pompeo reiterated the USs support for the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific and declared yet again that the US is an enduring, strategic partner to ASEAN.



At the meeting, Secretary Pompeo, along with the ASEAN foreign ministers, highlighted the breadth and depth of the US engagement and commitment to ASEAN on regional political, security, economic, and cultural issues. He announced new initiatives to develop human capital and health through the US-ASEAN Health Futures initiative, including a new programme to support an ASEAN Public Health Emergency Coordination System and the launch of the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Academy at Fulbright University Vietnam.



At the 10th East Asia Summit Ministerial Meeting, Secretary Pompeo highlighted US support for principles of openness, inclusiveness, transparency, and respect for international law, which are shared with the ASEANs Outlook on the Indo Pacific. At the 27th ASEAN Regional Forum Ministerial Meeting, Deputy Secretary Stephen Biegun also reiterated the importance of ensuring peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and highlighted USs efforts and investments to advance the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda in the Indo-Pacific region, she said.



According to her, Biegun, on behalf of Secretary Pompeo, also co-chaired the inaugural Mekong-US Partnership Meeting and launched the Mekong-US Partnership with Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, in the presence of the ASEAN Secretary General. The Partnership will expand on cooperation begun in 2009 under the Lower Mekong Initiative by strengthening the autonomy, economic independence, and sustainable development of the Mekong partner countries.



During the above meetings, Pompeo conveyed a clear message on marine security and the need to halt aggressive and destabilising policies, including in the East Sea and the Mekong region. He said the US and the ASEAN member states share the common position that all disputes in the East Sea should be resolved peacefully and in line with international law, namely the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.



COVID-19 is an unprecedented global challenge and at the ASEAN ministerial meetings, Secretary Pompeo outlined the USs efforts to leverage all available resources to develop safe, effective, affordable, and widely available vaccines and therapeutics to fight against the virus. The US Government has allocated 20.5 billion USD for the development of vaccines and therapeutics, preparedness efforts, and other foreign assistance. The US also provided over 87 million USD in emergency health and humanitarian assistance for ASEAN countries. The Secretary praised ASEANs unity and transparency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in his discussions.



At last, Pompeo underscored the USs commitment to using all the tools at its disposal, including the support of the American private sector, to partner with the region in economic recovery efforts.



Trade in goods and services between the US and ASEAN was over 354 billion USD in 2019 and ASEAN is the USs fourth largest trading partner. Programmes like the ASEAN Single Window, the US-ASEAN Internship Programme, and the US-ASEAN Smart Cities Partnership are facilitating greater trade, creating new opportunities, and improving the lives of people across the region, Brown said./.
The majority of South Carolina's nonprofits may have only months left before they run out of funds as the economic downturn brought on by the coronavirus pandemic continues to eat away at revenue and creates an increased demand for some of their services.

Almost two-thirds of the nonprofits expect to survive for six months or fewer without additional aid, according to a survey from Together SC, a statewide organization for nonprofits, and the College of Charleston's Riley Center for Livable Communities.

About 5 percent of the respondents said they are out of cash now, and 29 percent said they have enough for another three months.

A total of 566 nonprofits responded to the survey, which was sent out on Sept. 1. The groups represented span the state and have operating budgets that range from less than $50,000 to more than $10.1 million. All nonprofit sectors participated.

Comparing two of those sectors  arts organizations and human services groups, like food banks and homeless shelters  shows major differences in how the pandemic is affecting specific types of charities.

Almost 85 percent of arts and culture organizations said they've seen funding decrease since the pandemic hit South Carolina. Of human services organizations, more than a third have seen their funding increase.

Bob Kahle, associate director at the Riley Center, described that as a "hierarchy of needs effect": Groups that meet a community's basic necessities, like food and shelter, are getting more financial support, but the need for their services has also increased.

Of the human services organizations surveyed, 66 percent said they have seen demand for their services go up during the pandemic.

The "single greatest need" among the state's nonprofits right now, per the report, is cash to meet operating needs due to lost revenue.

Of the 287 groups that said they need cash to survive through the end of the year, 209 were able to provide usable estimates of how much money they need. Combined, the total was more than $61 million, or nearly $300,000 per organization.

That's specific just to the portion of the survey sample that could provide a dollar amount, Kahle noted, meaning a far greater sum would be needed to save most of the nonprofits at risk of closing.

One respondent, which was not identified since participants were promised anonymity, wrote about concerns for the long-term effect this period will have on the organization's viability.

"We can use loans to get through this year but going into next fiscal year with significant debt and anticipating that we will continue to be restricted in our capacity to earn income is concerning," the group wrote.

Questions about sustainability "are on the minds of all of our nonprofit leaders," Kahle said.

While some human services organizations, such as food banks, are seeing higher levels of donations now than they did before the pandemic, allowing them to meet the greater demand for their services, it's not clear how long that can be sustained  or if the donations bump will fade faster than the heightened need for their services.

Philanthropy will help, but it's "not going to be enough," said Madeline McGee, president of Together SC. Nonprofits are going to need support from the state and federal government to stay afloat, she said.

McGee pointed to places like the Children's Museum of the Lowcountry  the executive director there, Nichole Myles, has said the pandemic has "broken" its funding model  as an organization that would require a lot of resources to bring back if it's lost now.

Communities need to think about the costs of keeping a nonprofit around now compared to the time and funds it would take to revive it if it has to shut down mid-pandemic, said McGee, who was raising alarm bells months ago about the financial risks for the often short-staffed and tight-on-cash sector.

Kahle added that the "depth of desperation" nonprofit leaders are experiencing came through in their survey responses, and it's clear that the pressures of the uncertain times are weighing heavily on the state's charitable groups.

"It's hard to read all at one time," he said of their answers.

Hoping to end on a positive note, the survey also asked nonprofit leaders if they could identify a silver lining they've experienced during the pandemic. About 40 percent drew a blank, saying they couldn't come up with one.

But for those that did, a common theme was the ability by their staffs to adapt and be flexible.

One said their organization realized it was well-positioned to go virtual and is preparing to move to a smaller office that will save them "tens of thousands of dollars annually."

The Riley Center's work with the data isn't finished, Kahle said. It plans to to take a closer look at nonprofits in rural versus urban areas, dig into more detail with each of the subsectors and figure out which organizations have adequate access to the internet.

There was a "sense of urgency" in getting this initial report out, Kahle said, for several reasons. Nonprofits, now six months into the pandemic, are facing "cumulative uncertainty," he said. Those that received Paycheck Protection Program funding  the federal source of COVID-19 relief most often cited by the surveyed nonprofits  have already exhausted those funds.

Based on the data, Kahle said, some of South Carolina's nonprofits will have to fold, likely "sooner than later."
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(Photo : Maja Hitij/Getty Images) GRUENHEIDE, GERMANY - SEPTEMBER 03: Tesla head Elon Musk talks to the press as he arrives to to have a look at the construction site of the new Tesla Gigafactory near Berlin on September 03, 2020 near Gruenheide, Germany. Musk is currently in Germany where he met with vaccine maker CureVac on Tuesday, with which Tesla has a cooperation to build devices for producing RNA vaccines, as well as German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier yesterday. (Photo : Bram Van Oost/Unsplash) Elon Musk seeks to learn more about the car industry

Tesla CEO's Elon Musk has built an electric vehicle company that once toppled the Japanese car manufacturing giant Toyota as the most valued automaker in July when it hit an all-time high of $1,135 stock price and market valuation of about $206.5 billion.

It was quite a surprising feat for a relatively newer company, compared to Toyota's more than 80 years of history. Unlike Toyota's Kiichiro Toyoda, Musk has little knowledge about car industry when he started Tesla 16 years ago. And over the years, the company has achieved much for a new company, thanks to the radically famous "Elon Musk Method."

According to Teslarati, the Tesla CEO is a superfast learner who has perfected a certain process in the business. He built strong partnership and alliances with companies that have provided Tesla with technologies it does not have. He then hired the brightest most talented and intelligent people before leaping through risks and boundaries which most companies did not take.

Musk built Tesla as a vertically-integrated automaker, which leans towards more independence. "Elon doesn't want any part of his business to be dependent on someone else," a former Tesla senior executive told Reuters.

Well, that explains the innovations the company is doing from developing its computers, and now its own battery cells. "[He] thinks he can do it better, faster and cheaper," the executive added.

Elon Musk's forging partnerships for future innovations

In the early days of Tesla, Musk seeks to learn more about the car industry. The company aimed to create a digital adaptation of Ford's production system, which started from mining iron ore to creating Model As in late 1920s.

Former Tesla supply chain executive Tom Wessner said that Musk believes he can make better things that the company's suppliers did. "He wanted to make everything," he said.

From learning GM's destroyed electric vehicle prototypes, Musk was fuelled to create effective electric cars that can be sold to the masses. This was a long trial and error process, but as the company pushes to develop more of its supplies, then that could happen soon.

Similarly, Daimler, which used to be a Tesla investor, when Musk became highly interested in developing sensors, which Mercedes-Benz S-Class have and Tesla Model S lacked. Musk then went to work, leading to historical result. "He learned about that and took it a step further," a senior Daimler engineer noted about Musk.

The biggest factor in Tesla EVs is the battery cells. Since 2011, Musk has already been looking at manufacturing battery cell, even before the company went into a close partnership with Panasonic in 2013.

It has been reported that Musk's assistants have argued against developing battery cells, but Musk's character is triggered when someone discourages him to do something. "Tell him 'No' and then he really wants to do it," a former Tesla veteran disclosed.

Tesla's relationship with Panasonic has been a roller coaster ride, the partners have been reported in 2019 to be strained. This follows Tesla's demands during the Model 3 ramp, which have strained Panasonic's capabilities. However, Panasonic continues to believe its strong relationship with Tesla. "Panasonic is not a supplier to Tesla; we are partners," a Panasonic spokesperson said adding that their partnership "will continue to innovate and contribute to the betterment of society."

Meanwhile, Tesla's partnership with Panasonic contributed much with its Roadrunner cells. Musk created an in-house battery cell production line based on his learning from the Japanese firm, which is similar to Tesla's past alliance with Daimler.

"We asked our engineers to shoot for the moon. He went straight for Mars," the Daimler executive added.

Well, that was how Elon Musk did it, and he did it really well. The car manufacturing rockstar who always on Twitter will not stop and continue aim for innovation. He will eventually reach Mars with SpaceX, but that would be another story though.

Read also: Tesla is Secretly Building the World's Largest Electric Car Charging Station That Can Service 56 EVs at a Time

This is owned by Tech Times

Written by CJ Robles

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
President Trump introduced a new element into his assault on voting by mail, twice promoting Twitter posts on Thursday that seemed to raise questions about whether members of the military could count on receiving their ballots.

In continuing his monthslong assault on mail-in ballots, he also pointed to mistakes affecting fewer than 1,000 ballots in Michigan and North Carolina as evidence of his baseless claims of a rigged election.

Ballot printing and mailing errors are nothing new, and have affected Republican and Democratic candidates alike. In the 2016 presidential election, for example, an Arkansas county misspelled Hillary Clintons name as Hilliary, which officials said was a typo they did not have time to correct before Election Day.

But such errors do not equate to a rigged election, as Mr. Trump put it, and there is no evidence that members of the military are being targeted to receive faulty ballots or that they will not receive them on time.
Navarre has never had such a prominent presence at the San Sebastian Festival as in this years lineup.

Five linked-to-Navarre productions  three films, a TV series and a documentary  will screen at the Festival, highlighting its status as a standout hub for the Spanish audiovisual industry.

Navarres higher-profile at San Sebastian, the biggest movie event in the Spanish-speaking world, is no coincidence.

Since 2015, the northern Spain region has attracted Spanish productions and co-production shoots thanks in part to a 35% corporate tax deduction for Navarre-based companies investing in productions that spend at least 40% of their budgets in the territory.

Productions such as HBOs Game of Thrones, Terry Gillians The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, Asian B.O. hit Line Walker 2: Invisible Spy, Netflix hit prison drama La noche de 12 anos, and local blockbuster Ocho apellidos vascos (Spanish Affair) filmed there in recent years.

The region is taking advantage of accessible, unique and diverse locations and a strongly committed professional sector, organized around regional cluster Clavna and producers org Napar. In parallel, it is benefiting from a growing influx of production companies setting up in the region. In addition, its nurturing talent.

All this is reflected in our productions at San Sebastian, says Inaki Apezteguia, Culture managing director in the Navarre government.

COVID-19 shoot restrictions has slowed a year that promised to break records for the region. Despite this, we have managed to make 2020 a fairly active year, says Sara Sevilla, at the Navarra Film Commission.

Key Spanish film productions now at San Sebastian shot in Navarre.

Competing in the festivals Official Selection, Pablo Agueros Spain-Argentina-France co-production Akelarre filmed in the Urbasa mountain-range, in a place known as Balcon de Pilatos.

The main reason to lense there was, according to Lamia Producciones Navarre-born producer Iker Ganuza, the excellent locations we found in the territory. The Urbasa locations play a very important role in the film, providing a backdrop to its final scenes.

Story continues

Akelarre also filmed some indoor sequences in an old house in Lesaka, where Orson Welles is said to have lensed a scene from Chimes at Midnight in 1965.

The projects that come to Navarre not only look for the St. James Way or Sanfermines, we can also replicate locations found throughout Spain, Sevilla says.

Navarres industry build is yielding further results, despite pandemic.

A key move for the Navarre industry is the launch of the Centro Navarro para la Produccion Cinematografica, a five-company production services and training consortium led by Tornasol Films, producer of Oscar-winner The Secret in Their Eyes.

Having shot seven movies in Navarre over the last three years, Tornasol has become a crucial driver for the sector.

Led by Gerardo Herrero and Mariela Besuievsky, Tornasol filmed multiple scenes in Navarre of its musical comedy Explota explota (My Heart Goes Boom!), a co-production with pubcaster RTVE and Italys RAI and Indigo Film which screens in San Sebastian as part of the festivals RTVE Galas before its Oct. 2 theatrical release.

Filmed in part at Pamplona airport, giving a new lease of life to a former passenger terminal, Explota sowed the seeds for CNPC Besuievsky says.

Explota tapped Navarre tax advantages via a Pamplona-based tax vehicle El Sustituto Producciones AIE, but Tornasol is going further in its commitment with the region.

Located in Berrioplano, a town near Pamplona, the CNPC aims to create a professional network empowering Navarrese technicians and human capital, she says.

At a time when it was proving increasingly hard to crew up un Spain before COVID-19 struck, This also means that highly-integrated technical teams trained at CNPC can also shoot in other Spanish regions, which will allow them to ramp up their professional expertise in the fastest way possible, she adds.

Another industry highlight has been the launch in December of facilities and training company Estudios Meliton.

Built on the business campus of Lekaroz in the stunningly beautiful Baztan Valley, Estudios Meliton has already offered services to Amazon-Ficcion-Beta mini-series 3Caminos and Netflix-Rodar y Rodars feature Dos, directed by Mar Targarona. It is now preparing sets for horror film La pasajera.

Meliton has also teamed with Canary Islands Macaronesia Films and fiscal advisor Bestax to form joint-venture Meliton Films, aimed at offering access to regional tax breaks, with plans to produce and co-produce audiovisual contents, according to CEO Joaquin Calderon.

Synergies takes in the opportunity to combine in the same project locations and tax incentives from both Navarre and Canary Islands territories and boost homegrown talent, Calderon adds.

There is also Navarre talent that has carved out a career in other regions but still maintains links with local industry. Thats the case of Felix Viscarret, a Pamplona-raised filmmaker, and now director of HBO Europes banner seriesPatria, created by Aitor Gabilondo at Alea Media, whose anticipated world premiere takes place at San Sebastian as a special screening in the Official Selection.

Patrias Navarre locations takes in the small town of Dantxarinea, on the Spanish-French border.

Viscarret, in what will be one of the earlier shoots scheduled for next year in Navarre, has joined forces with Tornasol on the film Desde la sombra, based on a Juan Jose Millas novel that has already won support from RTVE.

Imanol Rayo, another Pamplona director, and winner of San Sebastians Zinemira Award with Bi anai in 2011, returns to the festival with his second feature, New Directors player and rural tale Hil Kanpaiak (Death Knell), an Abra Prod production filmed in the San Esteban Church at Vera de Bidasoa.

As part of Basque showcase Zinemira, Navarre production house Narm Films will present Natxo Leuzas feature debut El Drogas, a bio-documentary about Spanish-language rock icon Enrique Villareal, located in places such as El Drogas hometown of Txantrea, a Pamplona neighborhood.

Both Hil Kanpaiak and El drogas have received Generazinema grants from Navarres government.

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Monsoon withdrawal likely to begin next week: IMD

India

pti-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Sep 18: The Southwest Monsoon is likely to start withdrawing from west Rajasthan by the end of next week, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Friday.

Conditions are likely to become favourable in the next two days for the withdrawal of monsoon. North Indians plains are also witnessing above normal temperatures, it said.

"These are one of the weather patterns we see when conditions are ripe for monsoon withdrawal. From September 20 onwards, we don't see the possibility of monsoon rains in west Rajasthan," IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said. The IMD has revised the withdrawal dates for monsoon from this year.

IMD issues warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall in parts of India for next four-five days

According to the new schedule, monsoon was expected to withdraw on September 17. However, due to a low pressure area in the Bay of Bengal, the retreat has been delayed. The withdrawal of the Southwest Monsoon from west Rajasthan also makes conditions conducive for onset of winter.

Several parts of central and south India are likely to receive heavy rainfall in the next two days. The IMD has also issued orange warning for Kerala, Goa and parts of Karnataka and Maharashtra on Saturday.

Orange warning has also been issued for Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra and Goa on Sunday. So far, the country has received 7 per cent more rainfall than normal. The northwest division of the IMD has an overall 15 per cent deficiency.

Indian Army indicts troops involved in J&K encounter | Oneindia News

It comprises Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana and the Union territories of Chandigarh, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. The central India division received 14 per cent more rainfall so far. The division comprises Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and the Union territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.

The south peninsula meteorological division of the IMD has received 28 per cent more rainfall than normal. The division covers Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Kerala, Karnataka and the Union territories of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep and Puducherry.

The east and northeast India division has also recorded 2 per cent more rainfall than normal. The division comprises West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and the northeastern states.
In the late morning and early afternoon Thursday, caravans of taxis blocked the Brooklyn Bridge and Queensboro Bridge in New York City, bringing traffic to a halt on two of the major entrances to Manhattan. Taxi drivers staged the protest to demand a lightening of their immense debt burdens.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has deepened the financial catastrophe facing these drivers. As of June, 75 percent of drivers were off the job due to a lack of demand for taxis. Since then, ridership has remained low, with business districts still nearly empty, many Manhattan residents departing for other locales and tourism non-existent.

NY taxi drivers protesting on the Brooklyn Bridge (Credit: Twitter/@NYTWA)

Yellow cab drivers in New York City operate under a system based on medallions, expensive vehicle permits, which had also served as a means for financial speculation. The cost of a medallion had grown to $1.3 million in 2014, before dropping precipitously with the explosion of rideshare services in the city. Medallions now go for under $100,000.

Across the industry, drivers are locked into massive loans, with no way to generate enough income to pay off their debt. Tragically, this has led to a wave of suicides. One case was that of Doug Shifter, a 61-year-old limousine driver who wrote in a Facebook post shortly before his suicide, I worked 100-120 consecutive hours almost every week for the past fourteen-plus years. When the industry started in 1981, I averaged 40-50 hours. I cannot survive any longer with working 120 hours!...This is SLAVERY NOW.  I dont know how else to try to make a difference other than a public display of a most private affair.

The pandemic has worsened an already dire situation, leaving drivers wholly reliant on government support to pay off their loans and meet living expenses. On July 25, the $600 weekly supplement to unemployment benefits from the federal government ended, putting drivers in an impossible situation.

Bill de Blasio, New Yorks Democratic mayor, had early on indicated that his administration would do nothing to help workers unable to pay their bills. Before this pandemic, we were dealing with a really profound problem for yellow-cab drivers, green cab drivers, for-hire vehicles, everyone had gone through so muchEverything got stopped because of the coronavirus and obviously we, the city of New York, do not have resources for any kind of direct bailout, he said in a morning press conference in late June.

The New York Taxi Workers Alliance (NYTWA), which covers over 21,000 taxi and rideshare drivers, including Uber and Lyft drivers in New York City, launched the protest action to continue their Medallion Debt Forgiveness Campaign that started July 5. Facing growing militancy and a determination to fight on the part of rank-and-file drivers, the union is attempting to divert this energy towards pressuring the city and Congress to restructure the drivers debts.

The parasites responsible for the unbearable debt burdens of drivers are the financial oligarchy, who have made a fortune off of restructuring the transportation industry by the super exploitation of rideshare drivers. They are also moving to extract whatever profits they can from the collapsing yellow cab sector.

Marblegate Asset Management became the largest holder of taxi loans in February of this year, purchasing 3,500 medallion loans for $350 million at an auction. Despite a raging pandemic that has killed over 200,000 US residents and crippled the world economy, the finance firm has required at least 2,000 medallions owners to pay $1,500 per month on their debt. The firm, alongside the entire capitalist class, has the full backing of local, state and federal governments, staffed by Democratic Party and Republican Party politicians that are loyal to their interests.

Deeply concerned with the rising fighting spirit of the working class, more than 150 leaders of New York Citys corporate and financial chiefs sent a letter to Mayor de Blasio last Thursday, insisting on ruthless measures to defend the interests of big business.

The protest action by yellow cab drivers is occurring in the context of growing militancy in the working class. Massive opposition has emerged among educators to the reckless reopening of schools, including in New York City, where the mayor has twice delayed the start of in-person classes. Workers at universities have gone on strike in Michigan and Illinois. Rank-and-file safety committees of autoworkers, teachers and other workers have formed over the past few months to organize a fight for safe working conditions.

Instead of pushing to broaden the struggle of yellow cab drivers, the NYTWA has isolated these workers. The union has separate campaigns for Uber, Lyft and yellow cab drivers even though these workers serve in the same industry and perform the same essential task. The sole focus of these campaigns has been to promote the illusion that Democratic Party politicians will fight for workers interests.

This ignores the fact that the Democratic Party is an arm of the corporate and financial elite that is responsible for attacking workers. As tens of millions of unemployed and underpaid workers have been starved of unemployment benefits and left unable to pay their debts and bills, the Federal Reserve has provided over $3 trillion to the financial markets to stave off a collapse. In effect, the government and its appendages have no shortage of funds when it comes to helping companies like Marblegate Asset Management, but meanwhile leave workers like yellow-cab drivers to starve.

The World Socialist Web Site and the Socialist Equality Party urge yellow cab drivers, Uber and Lyft drivers to organize themselves in rank-and-file committees independent of the unions and the two corporate-controlled political parties, following the lead of teachers and autoworkers, to wage a united struggle against their common enemy, the corporations and Wall Street banks. We encourage all workers to contact the WSWS for more information about forming rank-and-file committees.
In October last year, soon after S informed the district magistrates office in Lucknow that she wanted to get married under the Special Marriage Act (SMA), she received an unexpected invitation to visit the local police station.

The police met her, her partner and her father to conduct an inquiry. Why get married in court? Was the father fine with her decision? Fortunately for S, he was, even though the Act does not require parental permission, only consenting adults.

In Uttar Pradesh, it is routine to call couples and often their parents to the police station, particularly in cases of inter-religious marriages, said Lucknow-based lawyer Renu Mishra. Enacted in 1954, the SMA is for those who wished to marry outside their religions personal laws and customs, caste and, often, parental consent.

But the Act requires a 30-day notice period, during which time the marriage application with names, addresses and phone numbers are on public display. Its this provision that is under challenge in the Supreme Court (SC) for violating an individuals right to privacy. The personal laws and practices of Hindus and Muslims dont require a notice period, so why should it be there in a secular law, asks senior advocate Kaleeswaram Raj, lead counsel in the petition. The provision leaves couples marrying against their parents wishes vulnerable to family reprisal. Its also a red flag for vigilante groups. This procedure has unintentionally facilitated the use of violence against the couple for religious and fanatic reasons, said Kaleeswaram.

Earlier this year, Kerala decided to stop publishing marriage applications online after a few groups and individuals posted details of as many as 120 interfaith couples on Facebook claiming that they were a part of a love jihad conspiracy.

The original intent of providing 30-day notice, notes the 2018 Law Commission report, might have been to ensure transparency. But online access to such notices or over-eager registrars taking it on themselves to inform parents about the couple, have defeated the purpose of the Act, often leaving couples with having to choose between a runaway temple marriage or conversion, notes the report. Not every marriage meets with societal approval, but this does not make it wrong. Marriages within the same gotra are banned by extra-constitutional khap panchayats, leading to so-called honour killings and social boycott.

But at the heart of the issue is the autonomy of adult daughters in a patriarchal society where arranged marriages remain the desirable norm. Memories of the 26-year-old Hadiya, and the Kerala High Courts observation that as per Indian tradition the custody of an unmarried daughter is with the parents, until she is properly married, remains. Hadiyas marriage was eventually restored by the SC, but serves as a cautionary reminder that Indian society, including sections of the judiciary, is not prepared to grant daughters independence. Not when it comes to their choice of partner.

Namita Bhandare writes on gender

The views expressed are personal

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She said that the reopening on Tuesday of all Armenian schools and universities could contribute to a resurgence of coronavirus cases.

The Ministry of Health registered between 239 and 295 new daily cases for the last three days, up from an average of roughly 150 cases reported last week. A near doubling of coronavirus tests carried out across the country on a daily basis seems to be the main reason for the increase.

Nevertheless, health officials are concerned about the latest COVID-19 statistics. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian echoed their concerns during a cabinet meeting on Thursday. He said the Armenian police must not be lenient towards people refusing to wear mandatory face masks in public spaces.

Pointing to data from her ministry, Nanushian said more people contracted the disease than recovered from it in recent days. This will likely translate into a further rise in coronavirus cases in the coming weeks, she said.

True, we are now carrying out a larger number of tests, she told RFE/RLs Armenian service. But we should take into account factors affecting those indicators. Namely, the populations increased mobility and the reopening of schools and other educational establishments, which will also contribute to [COVID-19] outbreaks.

Nanushian said that compliance with the governments strict safety protocols for schools and universities will therefore be critical. She insisted that the government is right to require all school students to wear masks during classes.

All we have to do is to follow the rules and ensure mask-wearing by children, rather than look for dubious sources of information to claim that masks are harmful [for their health.] Thats not true, added the official.

The Ministry of Health has recorded a total of 46,910 coronavirus cases and 926 deaths caused by them since the start of the pandemic. According to it, the number of active cases in the country of about 3 million stood at 3,330 as of Friday morning.
Actors Tom Holland and Robert Pattinson have earned plenty of praise across the internet in September 2020 for their performances in the film The Devil All the Time. Both are known for starring in major franchises, and, with Pattisons The Batman role, play superheroes. So which has the higher net worth? Its not even close.

Tom Holland and Robert Pattinson star in The Devil All the Time

RELATED: The Devil All the Time Movie Review: Robert Pattinson and Tom Hollands Bible Study

The celebrated actors are joined by a cast of notable actors, including Jason Clarke (Zero Dark Thirty), Riley Keough (American Honey), and Hollands Marvel Cinematic Universe co-star Sebastian Stan in The Devil All the Time. The film, which premiered on Netflix on September 16, 2020, was produced by another actor Holland is close to, Jake Gyllenhaal.

In Knockemstiff, Ohio and its neighboring backwoods, sinister characters  an unholy preacher (Pattinson), twisted couple (Clarke and Keough), and crooked sheriff (Stan)  converge around young Arvin Russell (Holland) as he fights the evil forces that threaten him and his family, reads the streaming services official synopsis.

Pattinson is known for his starring role in the Twilight franchise

Pattinson made his film debut as Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. But what most know him from was his next fantasy book adaptation role in the Twilight franchise. Pattinson played vampire Edward Cullen in all four films, cementing his status as a young actor to watch.

In the years since, Pattinson has continued to act in many note-taking projects while veering in a more indie film direction following his blockbuster breakout. Among the well-known titles is the Oscar-nominated The Lighthouse. His return to big-budget features includes the spy thriller Tenet and the upcoming DC film The Batman.

Holland made his mark as Spider-Man in the MCU

Holland gained recognition for his role in the musical Billy Elliot when he was just a child. He made his way into film with dramas such as The Impossible and In the Heart of the Sea as a teenager before landing his breakout role as Peter Parker / Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The actor starred in five Marvel films in just a few years: Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Spider-Man: Far From Home. In addition to these franchise flicks, he has a number of projects yet to be released, like the crime drama Cherry.

Whose net worth is highest, Tom Holland or Robert Pattinson?

Tom Holland (L) and Robert Pattinson attend the UK premiere of The Lost City of Z on February 16, 2017 in London, England. | Dave J Hogan/Getty Images

RELATED: What Is Tom Hollands Net Worth?

The Devil All the Time isnt the first film Holland and Pattinson worked on together. Both starred in the 2017 adventure film The Lost City of Z, in which Holland played the son of Pattinsons characters fellow explorer. This highlights the fact that the two are 10 years apart in age, which plays into the discrepancy in their earnings.

Pattinson, who appeared in his first film in 2005, is worth a reported $100 million. Meanwhile, Holland, who debuted six years later and didnt earn that major franchise money until 2016, has a net worth of approximately $15 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. However, this is up from $4 million in 2019.
By Trend

About three months have passed since the Armenian armed forces violated the ceasefire and opened fire on civilians on July 12 in the direction of Tovuz on the border with Azerbaijan. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, which mediates in the negotiations on a peaceful settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, drew attention to the tension on the border and held "intensive consultations" in Paris, member of Azerbaijani Parliament Nagif Hamzayev said, Trend reports.

The MP noted that the reluctance of the OSCE Minsk Group to oppose the policy of occupation and illegal settlement of Armenians worries Azerbaijanis, who have been subjected to forced evictions, ethnic cleansing, and deportation by Armenians several times over the past two centuries.

"Intensive consultations" between the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs also called on the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia to begin "unconditional" negotiations in the coming weeks. The co-chairs said in a statement that "they discussed the situation in the region, paying particular attention to the tensions on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border in July." The co-chairs had a separate telephone conversation with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister, Jeyhun Bayramov, and Armenian Foreign Minister, Zohrab Manatsakanyan. During the telephone conversation, the ministers of the two countries were asked to clarify their positions in the coming weeks and to personally meet with the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group to resume substantive negotiations without any preconditions.

"The inability of the OSCE Minsk Group, which has undertaken the task of settling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, to take a firm position on the illegal actions of Armenia, which is internationally recognized as an aggressor, also seriously undermines the credibility of the co-chairs," Hamzayev said.

"Despite four UN Security Council resolutions calling for the immediate, complete, and unconditional withdrawal of the Armenian occupying forces from all occupied territories of Azerbaijan, the country continues to occupy 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory. UN Security Council resolutions are legally binding and implementation is the responsibility of every state. However, the occupying Armenia has not yet been held responsible for the failure to comply with the requirements of these four resolutions," Hamzayev said.

"The July events, the resettlement of Armenians living in Lebanon and Syria to Nagorno-Karabakh under various promises, and the Armenian policy of aggression must be unequivocally and resolutely condemned by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs. The situation is aggravated by the spectator approach of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs to the process," Hamzayev said.

"The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group should not discuss the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, the sovereignty and inviolability of its internationally recognized borders, but should soon resolve the conflict based on the principles and norms of international law. More than a million of our compatriots who were forced to leave their indigenous lands must return to their homes," Hamzayev said.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Chandigarh, Sep 18 : Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday slammed the Centre for what he called "forcing the farm legislations on the nation as part of a conspiracy to destroy farmers and Punjab, of which the Akalis were a part".

"I don't know what enmity the BJP and the Akalis have with Punjab and why they are out to destroy us," said the Chief Minister while virtually launching the Kisan Mela at the Punjab Agriculture University in Ludhiana.

The launch was held through virtual connectivity at 100 locations in which farmers, farmer representatives and other stakeholders, including Ministers, MLAs and state Congress chief Sunil Jakhar, participated.

Warning again that the legislations will lead to growing angst among the people in the border state, thus giving Pakistan the opportunity to stoke fire, Amarinder Singh said the anti-farmer move will spoil the 'abo hawa' (environment) of Punjab.

Delhi has to rethink on this issue, he stressed, adding that the legislations would undo the sacrifices made by Punjab and its farmers over 65 years to make India self-sufficient in food.

Accusing the Akalis of playing their own political games in this entire affair, Amarinder Singh asked the Badals why the SAD had failed to stand with the Punjab government on these Bills and even on the critical water issue.

"Did you not think even once what will happen to Punjab without agriculture and water?" he asked the Akalis, pointing out that with the Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal issue hanging over the state, the situation was perilous and the SAD had only contributed to the crisis by supporting the farm ordinances.

The Chief Minister said that notwithstanding the Centre's denials, these new laws will eventually pave the way for the elimination of the MSP regime and end of the Food Corporation of India, leaving the farmers at the mercy of big corporates, as recommended by the Shanta Kumar committee.

Strongly opposing the legislations, the Chief Minister also trashed the Centre's contention that the MSP regime will not be tampered with, saying it was a constitutional guarantee given by Parliament which, in fact, the NDA government was trying to destroy with their brute majority.

Even the Minimum Support Price (MSP) already announced on items like maize has not been given to the farmers, he noted, questioning the sincerity of the government of India.

Categorically rejecting the BJP and SAD claims that Punjab was on board with the farm ordinances, Amarinder Singh made it clear that the issue of any such ordinances or new laws on agriculture was never discussed at any of the meetings in which his government was represented at the high-powered committee set up by the Centre on agricultural reforms.

"Politicians should not lie on such grave issues that have serious implications for our future generations," said Amarinder Singh, in an obvious reference to the alleged false and misleading claims of Union Minister Raosaheb Patil Danve and SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal.

"Politics aside, this is an issue concerning the future of our children," he added.

These dangerous and vicious Bills have been passed by the Centre due to a brute majority in the Lok Sabha, he pointed out, adding that India's future generations will not forgive the damage inflicted on the nation by the NDA and its allies.

The high-powered committee was clearly an eyewash, the Chief Minister said, waving the draft report shared with Punjab which allegedly made no mention whatsoever of the ordinances.

His government's response to the draft report had, in fact, clearly listed its stand on the reforms, he added.

Taking a dig at Akali leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal's remarks of standing with her 'farmer brethren' by resigning from the Union Cabinet, Amarinder Singh asked why did she forgot about her farmer brothers when the Centre brought in the ordinances.

"Had the SAD stood with my government at the outset and put pressure on their ally, the BJP, the current situation may not have arisen," he added.

Pointing out that it was Punjab and its farmers who toiled and shed blood and sweat to make the nation food surplus, Amarinder Singh said that Punjab had saved the nation from going hungry through the years even though it was a small state.

Even during the Covid-19 pandemic, all the food grain distributed to the poor around the country came from Punjab's godowns, he noted.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
French health minister Olivier Veran says that the coronavirus pandemic remains very active in France and says the government will continue to test, trace and isolate those people infected by the virus.

Without announcing radically new strategies he maintains that the prime responsibility is with the French people themselves. If everybody reduces his social contacts, we'll find the way.

However, hotspots remain, notably in the big cities of Marseille, Nice, Bordeaux, Lyon, Toulouse and Paris, as well as on the island of Guadeloupe.

Of special concern is a potential risk of not enough intensive care units as cases rise. At the moment, 60 percent of intensive care units in the south of France, notably Provence and Alpes-Cote d'Azur, are in use. This number can go up to 100 percent by mid-October if nothing is done, he says.

One million tests

Local authorities will announce tighter restrictions for the hard-hit cities of Nice and Lyon on Saturday, while stricter measures will be taken in Marseille and Guadeloupe, including possible closure of bars or restrictions on public gatherings if the situation there does not change.

Special vigilance will be necessary in Lille, Toulouse, Rennes, Dijon and Paris, but Veron did not foresee any new restrictions there at this moment.

The French health minister said that this week alone, over one million people were tested, but admitted that the process wasn't always smooth, with queues all over France.

Other points:

Wearing masks is obligatory for people working in creches

Contact with elderly  the highest risk group  should remain restricted

Period of isolation remains at 7 days in spite of the WHO recommendation of two weeks.

Legal complaints

Meanwhile, a French association of Covid-19 victims on Thursday filed a legal complaint against Prime Minister Jean Castex for alleged mishandling of the pandemic, its lawyer said.

The coronavirus victims of France association, which has 200 members, accused the government of "playing it by ear" in its response to the crisis, lawyer Fabrice de Vizio told AFP.

Castex took over from Edouard Philippe as prime minister in July when the worst of the epidemic so far was over in France. But the past weeks have seen a worrying surge in new cases.

The complaint will be filed with the Court of the Republic (CJR), the only court in France authorised to deal with cases against government ministers over alleged offences committed in office.

The court has already received more than 90 legal complaints against ministers.
Left: Vernon Bushay has to answer for causing the death of Kaif Fraser.

Murder accused Veron Bushay will appear at the Serious Offences Court on Monday, September 21, when a date is expected to be set for his Preliminary Inquiry (P.I.).





Bushay, a 28-year-old farmer of Dickson Village, Georgetown, has been charged with the murder of 18-year-old Kaif Fraser of the same address.





Frazer, a volleyball player who is said to have played the sport at a national level, succumbed to a stab wound to his neck, following an incident at Dickson Village on September 11.





He was transported to Georgetown Modern Medical and Diagnostic Center for treatment but succumbed to his injuries at about 9:10 pm.





Bushay made a brief appearance before Senior Magistrate Rickie Burnett at the Kingstown Magistrates Court on Tuesday. He was not called upon to plead, was remanded, and the matter transferred to the Serious Offenses Court.





No lawyer showed up in court on Bushays behalf, but THE VINCENTIAN understands that he will be represented.
True to form, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has procrastinated once again.

The mayor frustrated many when he announced at the last minute that the start of in-person classes at city public schools will be delayed yet again. The city will begin bringing students back to school gradually, beginning with pre-K students and students with special needs. Elementary school students are expected to return to class on Sept. 29 and both middle and high school students are now expected to return on Oct. 1.

De Blasio has been in the midst of an ongoingback-and-forth with the citys principals and teachers unions, who have raised concerns that schools are not yet safe to return to. Many of the mayors critics have complained that he has consistently delayed dealing with the ongoing issue in a meaningful way and has instead moved the school start date back incrementally and haphazardly.

This is hardly the first time that de Blasio has been accused of taking too long when it comes to making big decisions (and were not even getting into his unfortunate habit of showing up late, whether its for press briefings or a memorial service to honor the dead). Here are just a few examples of the mayors penchant for putting off the big decisions.

Laying off workers

Since early August, de Blasio has been warning that 22,000 city workers will need to be laid off to compensate for a $9 billion budget deficit. He has stated repeatedly that federal aid, state approval to increase its borrowing abilities or getting unions to agree to reduced wages could help avoid or minimize mass layoffs. The city has been told by financial experts to look at cutting more of its budget before attempting to borrow cash.

Avoiding widespread cuts to the citys workforce is looking less likely, however, as Gov. Andrew Cuomo isnt keen on increasing the citys borrowing power and theres been no sign of incoming federal aid. Now many are wondering when these layoffs, which were initially expected in late August, are going to happen.

Shutting down the city

At the onset of the citys coronavirus crisis, de Blasio ignored calls from public health experts to shut down the citys public schools, along with restaurants, bars and gyms. He also disregarded the city health departments proposals to combat the virus in early March. It wasnt until some of the citys top health department officials threatened to resign that the mayor agreed to shut down the city.

Running for president

In May 2019, de Blasio became the 23rd Democrat to launch a campaign to become the partys presidential nominee. Some have argued that de Blasios late entry into an already packed field of candidates was indicative of his typical tardiness. His campaign even inspired the creation of a button that said Make America Late Again.

Endorsing Hillary Clinton

The mayor endorsed his former boss for president in October 2015  nearly six months after most other New York Democrats had done so. The delayed endorsement didnt help with de Blasios planned presidential forum featuring both Clinton and her rival, Bernie Sanders, which fell through. The mayor also snubbed Clinton months earlier, when he failed to show up at her campaign launch rally on Roosevelt Island.

Firing appointees

De Blasio stood by Shola Olatoye, his embattled appointee to run the New York City Housing Authority, for months despite negative headlines about mismanagement and deteriorating living conditions. In late 2017 and early 2018, the mayordefended Olatoye in the wake of revelations that she had lied to the federal government about lead in public housing apartments. Months later, in April 2018, de Blasio announced her resignation. And Olatoye wasnt the only de Blasio appointee to be in limbo for months while the mayor dithered.
So The Age tracked down the artist, Anna Minardo, in Italy. Among her portrait subjects is Pope John Paul II. She confirmed that the Chandler work had been paid for by someone named Bill McNee. It had cost tens of thousand of dollars. When this information was relayed to Cr Stefanopoulos he responded Who's Bill McNee?, a curious response given the latters strong association with Stonnington. Developer and donor Mr McNee is a South Yarra resident and one of the most prolific and cashed-up developers in inner Melbourne, Stonnington particularly. He has declined to be interviewed for this story or answer questions. He is known for his political patronage and has poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into politicians and parties over the past decade. Mr McNee has been among the Victorian Liberal Partys biggest donors and was, controversially, a major financial backer of Pauline Hansons comeback at the 2016 federal election.

In the current council term, Mr McNees Vicland Corporation has had three major developments approved by Stonnington. One of them in particular has been contentious. In August 2019, the same month Cr Stefanopoulos presented the portrait to Cr Chandler, Mr McNee lodged a planning application for a $250 million, eight-level office and retail project at 489 Toorak Road. That application came to the council in February this year and, supported by council officers, was unanimously backed by the councillors present even though it was substantially above the recommended height limit. Pauline Hanson with the plane she used on her "Fed Up" campaign, which was allegedly bought with an undisclosed donation from Bill McNee. Credit:ABC/Four Corners A notable presence in the public gallery was Mr McNee. A notable absence at the time of the vote was Cr Griffin. Earlier that day she had received a threat of defamation action from Mr McNee through his lawyers Minter Ellison (also The Age's external defamation counsel) over alleged comments she had made about him.

Cr Griffin said this week the defamation threat prevented her from speaking and voting on his application. Cr Griffin declared a conflict of interest, left the chamber, and did not vote. I felt I was between a rock and a hard place. Had I voted either way I would have felt compromised," she said. To date Mr McNee has not acted on the defamation threat. Councillor Marcia Griffin. Credit:Brook Mitchell Cr Griffin also said that in a coffee meeting with Mr McNee in October, the developer appeared to offer to help her become mayor. I think he felt he had enough sway with the councillors to persuade them or convince them.

But relations between them turned sour around the time the Chandler portrait became the subject of an investigation by council watchdog, the Local Government Inspectorate. Cr Griffin said Mr McNee had wrongly assumed she was responsible for the probe. A conflict of interest Cr Griffin was not the only councillor feeling some pressure over the Toorak Village application. The Age has discovered that ahead of the council meeting, Ursula, the daughter of Cr Chandler, the subject of the portrait, had started working for Mr McNee on the Toorak project. Cr Chandler confirmed his daughter, an architect, had been engaged by Mr McNee shortly before the application came before council. Exactly when she started and whether the arrangement continues, is unclear.

I guess he (Mr McNee) was doing it because he was hoping it would be something I would be happy to know about, said Cr Chandler. Or it would be good to get me onside". Cr Chandler said he "couldnt see any harm in Mr McNee engaging his daughter. Cr Chandler also confirmed that Mr McNee had called him directly about all three projects approved by the council in the current term. When the council voted on the project Cr Chandler declared a conflict of interest over the engagement of a close relative and left the meeting. He did not say the relative was his daughter. After earlier asking whose Bill McNee? Cr Stefanopoulos this week conceded he had in fact been in discussions with Bill about the portrait for some time before its unveiling. Both Mr McNee and the artist Ms Minardo were with Cr Stefanopoulos at the Citizen of the Year ceremony last year. In late October Cr Stefanopoulos also hosted a mayoral ball at the Malvern Town Hall. The proceeds, about $65,000, went to one of the mayor's favourite charities, the Victorian Pride Centre in St Kilda.

Among the ball's attendees was Mr McNee. Another ball-goer said that as well as paying to attend the event Mr McNee had successfully bid more than $3000 for a Melbourne Cup Birdcage Package auctioned to raise funds. The developer with a $250 million project before the council was tipping thousands of dollars into the mayors pet charity. The Age does not suggest Mr McNee was involved in any wrongdoing. Nor is there evidence his funding of portraits, employment of councillor family members, or donations to councillors favourite causes swayed council decisions. Stonnington mayor Steve Stefanopoulos. Credit:Joe Armao Under the Local Government Act Cr Stefanopoulos was probably not obliged to declare a conflict of interest over the donation to the Pride Centre. The Age does not suggest he had a conflict. But as Victorias anti-corruption commission IBAC considers reform recommendations to the Andrews government over the Casey land scandal, the Stonnington saga will likely give IBAC food for thought, especially in the area of gifts.
When you buy shares in a company, it's worth keeping in mind the possibility that it could fail, and you could lose your money. But on the bright side, if you buy shares in a high quality company at the right price, you can gain well over 100%. One great example is MaxLinear, Inc. (NYSE:MXL) which saw its share price drive 102% higher over five years. On top of that, the share price is up 22% in about a quarter. But this move may well have been assisted by the reasonably buoyant market (up 9.8% in 90 days).

View our latest analysis for MaxLinear

MaxLinear isn't currently profitable, so most analysts would look to revenue growth to get an idea of how fast the underlying business is growing. Generally speaking, companies without profits are expected to grow revenue every year, and at a good clip. As you can imagine, fast revenue growth, when maintained, often leads to fast profit growth.

In the last 5 years MaxLinear saw its revenue grow at 1.8% per year. That's not a very high growth rate considering the bottom line. In comparison, the share price rise of 15% per year over the last half a decade is pretty impressive. Shareholders should be pretty happy with that, although interested investors might want to examine the financial data more closely to see if the gains are really justified. Some might suggest that the sentiment around the stock is rather positive.

You can see how earnings and revenue have changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values).

MaxLinear is well known by investors, and plenty of clever analysts have tried to predict the future profit levels. If you are thinking of buying or selling MaxLinear stock, you should check out this free report showing analyst consensus estimates for future profits.

A Different Perspective

MaxLinear shareholders are up 7.6% for the year. But that was short of the market average. If we look back over five years, the returns are even better, coming in at 15% per year for five years. It's quite possible the business continues to execute with prowess, even as the share price gains are slowing. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. Even so, be aware that MaxLinear is showing 2 warning signs in our investment analysis , you should know about...

Story continues

If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.



Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
The students desk chairs were precisely 6 feet apart, the windows were open and the new air filtration systems hummed as San Francisco public health officials jotted down observations while inspecting every corner of a private school campus on Thursday.

If The San Francisco School, which serves 285 preschoolers through eighth-graders in the Portola district, passes the inspection, it will be one of the first schools in the city to bring children in grades K-5 back to classrooms. The process could offer some insight into what it will take to reopen sites safely and whether coronavirus outbreaks will happen despite the protocols put in place.

Six months after schools shut down, many families and students are desperate for classrooms to open, saying distance learning is a poor substitute for live learning. But as private schools gear up for in-person classes, all eyes are on San Franciscos public school district, which serves 53,000 students and is far from bringing back any children to the classroom.

This is what we live to do, said Steve Morris, head of school at The San Francisco School, which charges up to $34,250 in tuition, depending on grade level. This is what teachers are supposed to do  be in person with kids.

So far, 75 private and public charter schools have submitted letters of intent to reopen, with 33 of them submitting full applications. Each will be inspected to ensure a long list of requirements are met before the city allows in-person classes to resume.

Health officials started those site visits this week, tape measure in hand to estimate the distance between student seats, and schools could reopen as soon as they get approval in the coming days.

Paul Chinn / The Chronicle

San Francisco Unified public schools have not submitted any applications and are unlikely to do so in the near future. The district is still working out facilities and transportation issues, testing protocols, as well as adequate supplies of soap, hand sanitizer and other resources while also negotiating labor agreements with teachers and other staff. The district is also navigating a budget shortfall while paying for the health and safety upgrades.

At Morris school, the three city inspectors asked about social distancing, signage, soap, mask policies and whether students would remain in small, stable groups, with no caps on size as long as they meet all other requirements in classrooms.

All adults will be required to use a scanner whenever they enter a classroom, Morris told the health officials, so the school will be able to track exposure if someone tests positive in a student group.

Water fountains were turned off and students will be required to bring their own water bottles to refill at special water stations. Lunch would be eaten in classrooms silently and with students 6 feet apart to prevent any viral spread when masks are off.

Staff would be tested before the school reopens and every two months after, per health department requirements, Morris said.

This school has it down, said Ana Validzic, a COVID-19 command team leader at the Department of Public Health, her digital checklist in her hands. Theyre in compliance.

That wasnt an official decision, she said, but it was clear from inspecting the first few rooms that the school had put everything in place.

With the citys blessing, the private school would likely be ready to start bringing students back in early October, which would give teachers time to prepare to switch from distance learning back to classrooms, Morris said.

Kindergartners as well as first- and second-graders would likely start first, followed by fourth and fifth. City health officials said authorization for middle school and high school students would likely come later and require additional criteria to mitigate spread in the older students, who typically attend larger schools.

Morris was unable to identify the hardest requirement in terms of complying with health guidelines required to reopen. All of it was hard, he said.

It will be even harder for the citys 118 traditional public schools, district officials said. Many buildings are old, with small classrooms and outdated ventilation systems or windows that dont open. There are questions surrounding busing students as well as the need to negotiate agreements with the teachers union and other labor groups.

They are still working out how to test all staff at least every two months as required by health officials, how to ensure social distancing in small classrooms and whether students would attend their assigned school or another one closer to home with adequate supplies, staff and facilities, officials said.

Paul Chinn / The Chronicle

I would say January would probably be the earliest, said school board President Mark Sanchez on when the citys public schools might reopen. That would be my educated guess at this point.

The district and teachers union have just scheduled the first negotiations sessions  three, two-hour meetings next week.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

The teachers want to see more specific requirements beyond what the county requires  including how the individual aides to special needs students will do their jobs and more specific wording about social distancing. The county requires students to be 6 feet apart if feasible, said Susan Solomon, president of the United Educators of San Francisco.

What we want is clear language, she said.

When public schools do start to reopen, students with special needs, English learners, homeless students, foster children and those in preschool through second grade are likely to return first, district officials said.

And students would likely be on a hybrid schedule, at school part of the day or week and doing distance learning the rest of the time.

Were working on (testing) and other aspects of the infrastructure and logistics necessary to begin in-person hybrid learning, said Gentle Blythe, district spokeswoman, declining to guess when that could happen.

Superintendent Vincent Matthews is expected to give a more comprehensive update on reopening plans Tuesday, including an estimate on how long it would take to reopen after public health officials give the go-ahead and an agreement with teachers is reached.

Back at The San Francisco School, Morris said he was eager to see students in classrooms, the reward after a long and arduous process. He hoped his school could help guide others across the city, offering an example of how kids could return to where they need to be.

I want to do this in a safe, healthy way for our students, he said. Its not easy, but I feel like were doing this on behalf of the teachers and schools across the city.

What will it take to reopen S.F. schools? The Department of Public Health will require schools to adhere to health and safety protocols in order to reopen. These include: Keep students in stable groups Maintain social distancing of 6 feet when feasible, with barriers or other partitions Ensure rooms are well ventilated Make sure all desks face the same way Post signs with occupancy limits Require face coverings for adults and students in grade three and above; encourage for all others See More Collapse

Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker
For years, the gun industry has been quick to adopt new technology that makes firearms more deadly. It has, however, stubbornly refused to adopt even the simplest technology to make guns safer. We encourage Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign into law Californias new microstamping bill, which incentivizes the industry to do the right thing. Its time for gun manufacturers to show theyre serious about being part of the solution to gun violence in America. By signing the bill into law, the governor can push the industry in the right direction.

Over the last decade, more than 18,000 Californians were murdered, and more than one in three of those murders remain unsolved. Mourning families and friends of the victims of these unsolved murders must endure the added burden of knowing justice has not been served. Perpetrators remain free to murder with impunity, and cycles of retaliatory violence devastate, especially in Black and Brown communities.

The California cities with the highest homicide rates  San Bernardino, Stockton and Oakland  have extremely low clearance rates. In San Bernardino and Stockton, 6 out of every 10 homicides over the last decade remain unsolved, and in Oakland, police were unable to make arrests in 54% of all homicides. The vast majority of the victims in these cities are Black and Hispanic. Microstamping would help solve gun crimes in these communities and help end the cycle of daily violence.

Microstamping transforms used shell casings found at crime scenes into actionable evidence within hours that allows police to identify the gun used, where the gun was purchased and the identity of the purchaser.

Microstamping technology works in the same way a license plate number can identify the make, model, VIN and registered owner of a car. Microscopic identification codes are engraved into the firing pin of each gun. When fired, these codes are stamped onto each cartridge case. The codes correspond with the firearms serial number, allowing law enforcement to link cartridge cases to a specific firearm.

Microstamped shells can be examined under a simple microscope and the codes identified within minutes. Codes can be quickly linked to a specific firearm and matched to other shootings where the same firearm was used, with over 95% certainty.

In 2007, the California Legislature took steps to ensure that this crime-solving technology would be incorporated into new models of pistols sold within the state. This law could have been an opportunity for the gun industry to partner with police and demonstrate their commitment to solving gun crimes.

Instead, the industry dug in its heels. It did everything in its power to resist the new legislation, engaging in costly court battles and refusing to sell its new firearm models in the state, which would have triggered requirements to implement microstamping technology. For years the industry claimed that the technology was not feasible to implement, despite numerous peer-reviewed studies demonstrating it is both technologically feasible and effective.

During that same time period, the gun industry continued to innovate to make their products more lethal, introducing new military firearms models and accessories like bump stocks in states outside of California, allowing shooters to fire faster and further.

To address the gun industrys refusal to incorporate microstamping, California lawmakers  led by Assemblymember David Chiu, D-San Francisco  passed the recent revision to Californias microstamping law. This revision eases the technological requirement the industry claims it cannot implement, leaving only the technological requirement that the industry admitted in court documents it can implement.

If the governor signs this bill into law, the gun industry will have no excuse. The bill will create incentives for gun manufacturers, spurring competition among manufacturers and rewarding those that bring microstamped firearm models to market.

It is time for gun manufacturers to finally adopt microstamping technology. By doing so, California can begin to address the crisis of unsolved murders, the cycles of violence they fuel and the devastating consequences of gun violence in our communities.

Ari Davis is a policy analyst at the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.
The sun rises at Hanauma Bay near Honolulu. (Caleb Jones / Associated Press )

Hawaii plans to reopen the state to visitors who can prove they have had a negative COVID test within 72 hours of their arrival. Gov. David Ige recently revealed details about pandemic protocols that would allow travelers to visit without having to self-quarantine for 14 days. This easing of rules, which has been postponed three times, is to take effect Oct. 15.

"We dont expect there will be unnecessary delays anymore," said Mufi Hannemann, president and chief executive of Hawaii Lodging & Tourism Assn.

How will testing work?

Right now, you will have to have results from tests administered by CVS or Kaiser Permanente. The state will be announcing more test partners in the future, the governor said at a news conference.

Kaiser Permanente members, which numbered nearly 12.5 million in California last year according to Statista, may get tested for free. CVS will charge $139 for COVID testing at drive-thru pharmacies around the country. The drugstore chain plans to double the number of testing locations to roughly 4,000 in coming weeks.

A woman prepares to take a COVID-19 test at a drive-thru CVS Pharmacy. Tests cost $139. (CVS Health)

For the CVS test, people remain in their cars and place a swab into each nostril. It takes only a couple of minutes. "[Specially trained employees] go over the directions about how to do it. They observe them do it and make sure theyre doing it correctly, said Monica Prinzing, a CVS spokeswoman in Los Angeles.

"We expect the majority of test results to be available within two to three days, Prinzing said. A Kaiser Permanente spokeswoman in Honolulu said "testing times do vary" for results.

Hawaii provides this graphic to explain who will, and will not, be allowed to enter the state. For example, passengers awaiting test results upon arrival must quarantine until they can provide a negative test result. The same applies to anyone who arrives without a test; expect to spend 14 days away from others.

Even with the change, tourism officials aren't expecting a flood of visitors following the mid-October reopening. That could be good news for travelers looking to avoid crowds and take advantage of time on the islands' beaches.

Story continues

Hotels are expected to welcome guests for the first time in 6 months. "There are plans to open up everything in Waikiki thats been shuttered except for a couple of exceptions, Hannemann said. The Halekulani, for example, is not going to reopen this year. Theyve decided to wait until 2021 before they reopen.

Travelers who visit may find a different experience. Its not going to be the Hawaii youre used to in the past: lei-giving, hugging, kissing [and] large luaus. All of those things now cannot be done, he said. We have to be very, very creative to bring about those magical experiences that people have witnessed when theyve come to Hawaii in the past.

"Virtual luaus are under consideration, Hannemann said. Theyll serve food in the [hotel] rooms, but on your television, youll see the Polynesian dancing that will take place," he said. "That may be as close of an experience to an actual luau that we can offer.

John White of Mauis Kaanapali Beach Hotel said fewer guests will mean more open beaches and other outdoor spaces. The West Maui resorts website lists room rates for Oct. 15 starting at $231 a night. On Oahu, rooms at the three-star Shoreline Hotel Waikiki, within walking distance of the beach, are available from $139 a night. At the beachfront, four-star Moana Surfrider, Waikikis oldest hotel, expect to pay at least $312.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The DMIC (Democrat Media Industrial Complex) and the Democratic National Committee are political extortionists.

Their forewarnings? Elect Joe Biden, lest Democrat looting and rioting terrorists immolate our entire country.

Earlier this month, that DMIC colluder and conspirator The Washington Post published an op-ed from Rosa Brooks, a Georgetown University law professor. She's the co-founder of the Goebbelsian-sounding Transition Integrity Project. In the op-ed, Brooks presents a Philip Dickian dystopian "what if?" in which Trump wins re-election: near catastrophic violence in the streets; and in which Biden wins: near catastrophic violence in the streets amid a refusal from Trump to concede. Brooks's piece is breathtakingly delusional; I can only ponder what her law classes must be like.

Last week, Shadi Hamid, a Brookings Institution senior fellow, lamented in The Atlantic that the U.S. will become less lowercase-"d" democratic if Trump is re-elected (sounds good to me; we need less democracy and more lowercase-"r" republicanism). Republicans, Hamid wrote, should vote for Biden because a Trump victory will beget "more of the social unrest and street battles that cities including Portland, Oregon, and Seattle have seen in recent months." Poor baby Shadi then mewls that a Biden loss, especially if he wins the popular vote, "would provoke mass disillusion with electoral politics as a means of change  at a time when disillusion is already dangerously high."

As I write in my upcoming first book, 10 Warning Signs Your Child Is Becoming a Democrat: How to Make America Grown-up Again, the adult world isn't about what one likes; it's about learning to live with what one doesn't like.

What's the Democrat Modus Operandi?

Why the obsession with death and destruction from some within our legacy press? Neither the Post nor The Atlantic are "fringe."

As Saul Alinsky stated in Rules for Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals, the issue is never the issue.

The Democrats and DMIC do not believe that Biden will win. The Democrats are pre-empting their own loss, why they'll lose, and why they won't accept the results.

The DMIC never asks, "What if Biden doesn't concede?" because its money is on a Trump re-election.

It's the exact opposite of 2016; the Democrats and DMIC were 100 percent certain that Hillary Clinton would win, especially after the Access Hollywood tape. The voters of Biden and Harris are announcing to America that they will resort to the means by which Islamic supremacists terrorize. Impossible, they will claim, that Trump again won enough states to reach 270 electoral votes; after all, he's already a fake president who is covertly working with Vladimir Putin to resurrect the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

Vote for the man who regularly forgets his own name, and forgets where he is, or it will be impossible to avert a constitutional crisis and the arsons of 55 and over communities.

The Democrats and DMIC will never again accept the results of an election in which they lose  ever again.

There is simply too much talk of violent insurrections not to take them seriously, and the vast majority of that talk originates from Democrats.

Democrats have spent the last half-century infiltrating every public- and private-sector industry in the U.S. Nothing happening today is coincidental or accidental; I am not saying there was a date circled on some imaginary conspiracy theory calendar, but eventually, this dam was going to crack. Democrats have not spent 50 years infesting every industry for the betterment of our nation. Simultaneously, too many  and perhaps most  Republicans were enraptured in their worthless, irrelevant, useless, and romanticized opinions.

This is why chasmic America today looks the way she does.

Democrats focus only on outcomes, numbers, and results  even if it means taking the lives of their political opponents, just as Vladimir Lenin and his Bolsheviks made sure the firing squad murdered Tsar Nicholas II, and with him, the final vestiges of the Romanov dynasty. The Democrat Leninist revolution is here.

November's Great Reveal

November will be the most revelatory moment in world history, because it is going to be a moment to decide whether sensible American adults abdicate all that is good about our country to hysterical, The Viewworshipping, adult-aged Democrat children.

One of the revelatory moments will be whether enough Americans understand that when Democrats talk about "fundamental transformation," that's just code for tyranny, enacted by first-world capitalists who want all the First World spoils for themselves.

Another revelatory moment will be whether enough Americans grasp that most of our legacy press has long conspired with the Democratic Party. The DMIC exists solely to protect and elect Democrats  no exceptions.

Another revelatory moment will be whether enough Americans comprehend that anywhere the voters of Biden and Harris are the majority or super-majority, unaffordability, unnecessary loss of life, suffering, and squalor always follow  no exceptions.

None of the above is a worthless opinion; all of it is affirmed by tens of thousands of days of history  both domestic and abroad  and data.

The solution now is what it's always been  or, more specifically, who it's always been: We the People.

The U.S. sits atop all nations in world history. No civilization has been so powerful yet done so much good. America is a mostly benevolent empire. We are not, however, the Romans, the Ottomans, or the Crown we conquered to obtain our autonomy: the ruling class of the American empire is We the People. This autonomy has never been so tenuous as it is now.

The Democrat plan for November is the plan they had in 2016: to own the United States  forever. Trump  and all of us  temporarily stymied that. We won't get this opportunity again to politically pummel the Democrats. And when we win, we will then begin replacing our national Republican Party, which will be extinct come the new year. Our GOP lives in fear of the Democrats and the DMIC; freedom will never be preserved and expanded by a group who cowers in fear.

I don't know how exactly it would be done, but after we win in November, we must assess what press content from networks, billionaire blogs such as the Post and The New York Times, and others should be constitutionally protected. So much of today's press fails Madison's First Amendment standard.

This election will be a Rorschach test of the American electorate. I don't believe it's too late to save our country. The question is, do you?

Rich Logis is author of the upcoming book 10 Warning Signs Your Child Is Becoming a Democrat: How to Make America Grown-up Again. He can be reached at Rich@TheRichLogisShow.com and found on Twitter at @RichLogis, and Parler at @RichLogis.
Hundreds of farm animals evacuated to Salem (Andrew Buncombe)

As flames approached Francisco Maldonados homestead high in the hills, there was one thing of which he was certain: he could not leave behind his uncles goats.

His family had laboured long, hard years to make them a going concern, and he could not lose them. They threw them in the back of a Dodge truck with a canopy, and drove them to Salem. We didnt have a lot of time, he said. We had to get on with getting going.

This week, the 41-year-old was taking care of the 23 animals in a series of pens in Salem, having rescued the animals but lost his property to the wildfire that tore through the Santiam Valley.

As he set about his work, cutting pieces of apple with a knife and feeding them to the goats, the barn was filled with the sound of cows and sheep, of pigs and llamas. A short walk away were stables half full of horses, while in another room - in which the air particularly pungent - were hundreds of chickens, geese and ducks.

It is well known that when people are forced to evacuate from disasters they often prioritise the safety of their pets above their own. Yet when the community being evacuated is a rural, farming community, officials also have to find room for their farm animals as well.

Francisco Maldonado escaped with 23 goats from North ForkAndrew Buncombe

At the Oregon State Fair Exposition Centre in Salem officials from Marion County said they were providing shelter for more than 650 farm animals people had brought with them. That number had decreased as more people had been able to return to their homes and farms, said Emily DuPlessis-Enders, a spokesperson for Salem City Council.

She said among the most unusual pets people had brought with them was a ferret.

In the pens close to Mr Maldonados goats were inquisitive-looking llamas, heads up and alert, some milk cows, and some steers. There were also lots of pigs, most of amply built and sitting doing very little.

Gary and Dana Parks, from Coltan, near Portland, arrived at the shelter when a different fire system, the Riverside Fire, threatened their home. They made use of three vehicles - a horse trailer, a truck and an SUV - to transport 38 goats, and more than half-a-dozen dogs, one of which had given birth to puppies since they arrived.

Story continues

Mr Parks, 57 whose main job is as a commercial baker, said they left Coltan fearing the worst. As it was, they had been able to return to collect some personal items - he pulled out his cellphone show a video of red skies and falling ash around their house - but that it had survived.

He praised residents of Coltan who organised to try and contain the fires until professional firefighters arrived. Everybody just pulled together.

Sue Dickinson, 69, was in the stables, the air sweet with new grass and hay, and she was taking care of two horses, Hershey and Holly. Holly was a mustang from the Bend area, while Hershey was a Missouri Fox Trotter. Both were 15 or 16 years old.

She had evacuated with the horses and two dogs on the evening of September 7, Labour Day, from Mill City, one of the towns in the Santiam Valley where many properties were destroyed. Unlike many others, Ms Dickinsons home had survived the fire. Yet it was unclear when she could return. Its still a Level 3, so I dont know, she said of the evacuation order still in place for several towns, wreck and still threatened by the Big Beachie Fire.

The animals, and the struggle their owners to rescue them, appears to have impacted many, not least the volunteers giving up their time to care for them.

Heidi Mann, a resident of Mill City, who saved her family but who lost her home to the flames, said one of the most emotional moments of their dramatic escape, was when she pulled up at junction and heard the sound of geese.

It was hell on earth. I mean, it was just chaos and darkness and fire, and all these people, frantic, everywhere, she said by phone, her voice breaking.

We pulled into the gas station and were trying to call the Red Cross. And it was the craziest thing, because all of a sudden you hear these geese, just like a bunch of geese right next to us. And we looked around and there was a car that was full. Someone was just trying to save their animals. I realised how everyone was just trying to escape, and get what they could, and their animals and stuff.

Read more

Mother left unrecognisable by Oregon wildfire may spend months in burns unit, says family

Armed gangs protecting property in wildfire evacuation zones are confronting people at gunpoint, Oregon police say

'I looked at Facebook and my town was on fire': Oregonians tell of dramatic escape from wildfire that devastated their community
Appointment

18 September 2020

The Crowne Plaza Changi Airport, frequently voted the best airport hotel in the world, has appointed Anuradha Venkatachalam as Executive Assistant Manager - Sales and Marketing.

Anuradha has over a decade of international experience in hospitality sales and marketing. She started her career with IHG in 2010 at Crowne Plaza Bahrain before moving to Kuwait and Oman as her career progressed. In addition to hotels within IHG, Anuradha also worked at the JW Marriott Kuwait as Cluster Director of Marketing Communications and PR.

Anuradha worked most recently as Director of Sales and Marketing at the Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium.
A 14-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped by five men in Uttar Pradeshs Barabanki district. The girl and her father have accused the police of not helping them and being hand in glove with the accused. The victims father also alleged that no arrest has been made so far and threatened that if justice is not delivered, he along with his daughter, will immolate themselves in front of the state Assembly.

The incident was reported from Sheikhpur Alipur village of Fatehpur police station area. The girl had stepped out at night to relieve herself when five men caught her and gang-raped her. The accused also allegedly threatened to kill the girl and her father if she were to inform anybody. She said that due to fear of threats, she and her family left the village and went to Lucknow. The girl alleged that all five accused were harassing her with demands of money and the police were also not taking any action against them.

The girls father said that he went from pillar to post to lodge an FIR against the accused but the police did not register their complaint, after which they decided to approach the Court. The accused then started threatening the family because of which the victims family shifted to Lucknow where the father is working as a labourer.
HANOI, Vietnam: A tropical storm made landfall in central Vietnam on Friday, killing one person, while seven people died in a lightning strike in neighboring Cambodia.

The lightning struck a wooden stilt house under which people were eating in Cambodias northwestern Battambang province on Thursday evening. The dead included a family of four and three other relatives, said Keo Vy, the spokesperson for the National Committee for Disaster Management.

After hitting Vietnam, Tropical Storm Noul weakened into a depression, national television VTV reported.

The storm caused heavy rain and strong winds in several coastal provinces, uprooting trees and blowing away roofs.

In Hue province, a man was crushed to death by a falling tree. At least 23 others were reported injured, VTV said.

Vietnam had evacuated some 60,000 people in the path of the storm and canceled 40 regional flights.

The Meteorological Department in Thailand issued a warning Friday saying rains from the storm will cover every part of the country, especially northern and northeastern provinces. Local media reported heavy rain and flooding in Khon Kaen province on Friday morning.

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 most candid and easily the most unique politician in the nations November election is Aria DiMezzo. The reason is Aria swears to tell the truth  nothing but the truth, and whole truth, so help me -- about everything, believed by some as impossible in the political realm. Actually, it is even more impossible for anyone with Airis lifestyle choices to be elected in any vote of any kind in the United States but welcome to the weirdest year in Americas history, and recognize Aria DiMezzos political brilliance.

As you are getting ready to learn, Aria has some classic reasons to render no comment or hedge on her character and virtue but, nope, the truth will set you free. And thats the sole reason for her name on the ballot.

Unbelievably, she just won the Republican primary in her quest to become sheriff in New Hampshires Cheshire County, which includes about 70,000 people in the southwest corner of the state. A newcomer to politics, DiMezzo got 10 times more votes than another longtime Republican sheriff candidate a couple of weeks ago so, just who is this Aria DiMezzo?

I am a non-op transgender lesbian--you'd know it better as "shemale" lesbian--working to establish herself as an author because... (my birthplace) Mississippi doesn't make it easy, and there really aren't many (lifestyle) options out there, she wrote.

I'm also an anarcho-capitalist/Libertarian and atheist, she openly reveals What would my story be without a traumatic childhood? No worries, because that can be checked off the list, too --horrendous use of drugs by my parents, domestic violence, child abuse, poverty... It's been a rough ride, no doubt, but it's also left me with quite a lot to say.

Wait! Theres more: Aria doesnt bat an eyelash when she admits she is the High Priestess of the Reformed Satanic Church, which she founded, and, as a trans woman, is an anarchist Republican. She is definitely not a socially progressive libertarian hijacking the Republican Party.

No, its better than that.

Aria fully believes all the voters wanted as the Republican candidate." The 4,000-plus Republicans who voted for her had absolutely no idea who she is. Cmon, how many Republicans do you know who support any anarchist. Shemale. Tranny. Libertarian. F*** the police. Free Talk Live. Bitcoin. Reformed Satanic Church High Priestess. Black Lives Matter?

Shes been totally upfront, absolutely transparent since qualifying, but the Republican Party has not. It is badly and sadly broken. So are the Democrats. So is the entire political system. DiMezzo has just brilliantly illustrated what is horribly wrong with those who love America.

Last week her car was vandalized, its convertible top slashed, the image of a penis in spray paint and FAG painted on it. (A GoFundMe site has already gotten over $1,000 in pledges to help fix it) but DiMezzo could hardly call the police: her campaign slogan is F*** The Police (my asterisks, she uses the letters) and her website (www. https://aria4sheriff.com/ ) features the ANTIFA flag.

Several days ago, Aria wrote on her websites blog an entry that I believe every liberal and conservative who votes in America should read because  it is what she promised from the very start  the truth.

* * *

POCKET YOUR PREJUDICES: YOU MUST READ THIS!

(Written by Aria DiMezzo and posted on Sept. 11, 2020)

There are rumors that I do not intend to campaign against (incumbent sheriff) Eli Rivera. These rumors are not true, and I will be campaigning to win in November.

- - -

Hate mail is really coming in now, although most of it is just passive aggressive nonsense that says what it means to say without explicitly saying it. Cest la vie. Im used to receptions that arent exactly warm. In fact, Im used to quite a bit worse.

Lets face it: I do a nationally syndicated radio show that streams to the Internet, where I have my own YouTube channel, and where I do my own gaming streams. Rarely does any stream go by without someone coming along just to talk about me being a freak. Again: cest la vie. Im quite happy with things.

As of late, Ive been called a wolf in sheepskin. First of all, its worth pointing out that a libertarian anarchist who runs as a Republican isnt a wolf in sheepskin; theyre a sheep in wolfskin.

The Republicans and Democrats are the parties of hostility, aggression, taxation, military-style policing, unconstitutional mandates, states of emergencies, unending war, and murdering children around the globe. As of yet, no elected libertarian anarchist has done any of those things.

So, youre mad. I get it. I promise you: I get it. You feel betrayed. You may even be wondering how the party that you so believed in, could do something like this. But odds are, youre blaming me.

Most people are probably angry at me and blaming me for all this. Thats silly. I was always upfront about who I am. The good man in Rindge (N.H.) who looked into me found out everything he needed to know with a simple Google search. There it was, plain as day:

Anarchist. Shemale. Tranny. Libertarian. F*** the police. Free Talk Live. Bitcoin. Reformed Satanic Church. Black Lives Matter.

Its all there. None of it is a secret. I couldnt possibly have been more upfront about who I am, or my position on things. Did none of you pay attention to the election two years ago, when I criticized Eli Rivera for not going far enough with his sanctuary policy? Did none of you remember the six-foot-tall tranny who ran for sheriff and then city council?

You could have easily looked at a sample ballot prior to the election, and you could have simply looked up the candidates in a search engine. By doing so, you, like the good citizen in Rindge, would probably have been appalled, and probably wouldnt have voted for me. I wouldnt have begrudged you for that.

I was, after all, rather upfront about it. I went into it expecting that I would lose the primary to a write-in candidate, because I didnt think that so many voters were just  completely and totally oblivious about who they are voting for.

The fact is that you didnt bother. You trusted the system. You trusted the establishment. You trusted the party. You felt safe. You were sure that there must be some mechanisms in place to prevent from occurring exactly what just occurred.

Your anger is misplaced if you direct it at me. Please listen. Your anger is with the system that has lied to you. Your anger is with the system that convinced you to believe in it, trust in it, and have faith in it, when it is completely and utterly broken.

More than 4,000 people went into the voting booth on Sept. 8, and they all filled in the circle by my name despite knowing absolutely nothing about the person they were nominating to the most powerful law enforcement position in the county. Thats a level of recklessness of which any decent human being should be ashamed.

And Im not the only one.

A friend of minewho I wont name because I havent asked his permission to, even though I doubt he would carehad a similar result. He did absolutely no campaigning. I am his friend, and I was only barely aware that he was running.

Yet this person who did no campaigning, has no political connections, and, to my knowledge, has never been to a single Republican meeting, and didnt just win his racehe placed first in his race, where there were several other options.

Maybe 20 Republican voters in all of Cheshire County knew who this guy was. Yet he wonand he won by taking first place in his race.

Really, whose fault is all this? You dont know anything about the people youre voting for. Youre just blindly voting for them because you trust in the party, you trust in the system. Well, the party is broken, and the system is broken. Its all broken.

For those of you who actually did research, thank you.

Im not being snide. Im glad that someone bothered to actually look at to whom they were handing power over theirs and other peoples lives. Sadly, you number in the minority. The write-in campaign in Rindge was exceedingly well donea testament to the power of grassroots, decentralized communicationyet it saddens me that it was even necessary.

One person did their research prior to the election, and he spread what he found everywhere. Good on him. That is a person I respect. But those people who learned of me because of this person should have already known. They didnt, though. Because they trusted the party. They trusted the system. The system, they thought, surely would never let them down.

Im running for sheriff because I oppose that very system, and the sheriff has the most hands-on ability in Cheshire County to oppose that system. The system that let you down by allowing methe freaking transsexual Satanist anarchistbe your sheriff candidate is the same system Im attacking.

Im sorry, and I know it hurts to hear, but that system is a lie. The entire thing is a lie. Its broken from beginning to end, and my existence as your sheriff candidate is merely how this reality was thrown into your face.

May I suggest, however, that you place your anger where it belongs: The system failed you. The system gained your trust, leading you to believe that something like this was impossible. Well, something like this just happened.

The system didnt stop it. The system didnt even try. The system established your trust based on one lie after the other. The system lied to you. I never did. I was always upfront about who I am. You could have seen me for who I am.

But the system convinced you it was safe to close your eyes.

Its a good time to consider anarchy, I would suggest. The system you have? Its clearly broken. For Lucifers sake, Im your sheriff candidate. How much more evidence do you need that the system is utterly and hopelessly broken? Remember that Im just the most drastic example.

What of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney? Two mindless warhawks who exploded the national debt, inflated the currency, destroyed countless lives, and nuked a thriving economy?

What of Donald Trump, a Democrat who won the Republican nomination for President for exactly the same reasons I just won the Republican nomination for Cheshire County sheriff?

Its all a lie. Its all broken.

I hope that Ive convinced you that your anger is misplaced if you are angry at me. I didnt do this. I didnt ask you to trust me. I didnt ask you to vote blue no matter who or whatever equivalent slogan Republicans use. The system did. You should be angry. You should be practically foaming-at-the-mouth in rage, livid at what has happened.

The state failed you. Not me. The party, the Republicans, the State of New Hampshire, the United States. The entire apparatus that you believe in. That failed you. I was honest. They werent.

If you agree, know this: the first step to fixing this mess, where we have a system where more than 90 percent of highly-connected and politically-aware primary voters dont actually have any idea who they are voting for, is to secede from the United States.

Limit the damage that other ignorant people can do to you. Think about it. More than 4,000 people in Cheshire County alone voted completely in ignorance, with no awareness of the candidate they were voting for. Imagine that on a state-wide scale, or a nation-wide scale.

Imagine a person in California, Mississippi, Colorado, Washington, or Oregon voting for who is going to decide what you can and cant do, when they dont know the very first thing about that person.

Imagine the millions upon millions of votes being cast each year in abject, complete, and total ignorance of the people who are being voted for. I dont know how you can see me become the Republican nominee for sheriff and not become an anarchist, to be honest. Look how clueless the average voter is!

And were not even dealing with the average voter, are we? No, the people who vote in the primaries are supposed to be well-connected and politically aware. This is what the politically aware and well-connected did: they made me their sheriff candidate.

Imagine how much worse it would be when the not connected and not politically aware vote in November. Theyre voting for the people who will rule you. They have no idea who theyre voting for! Theyre completely blind to what theyre doing, and yet they trust the system so much that they will vote for Donald Grab em by the p***y Trump and Joe I like to fondle and sniff children Biden.

Sweet Satan, how can you not be an anarchist?! Between 75 and 80 percent of the primary votersthe ones alleged to be more politically aware than the average voterwere completely and totally ignorant of who they were voting for!

What is the percentage with the average voter? 90 percent? 95 percent? These people are deciding who gets to rule you.

Stand with me. Say screw that. Secede from the United States. Dont let the ignorant, uninformed voters in other states determine the people who rule over you.

I would go further and suggest that Cheshire County should secede from the United States and from New Hampshire. They failed you. Its time to take a different approach.

Dont be mad at me. Be mad at the system.

For those who agree and want to dismantle the system, you can contact me at aria@effpolice.com if you would like yard signs. I still have plenty, with more being ordered tomorrow. Rather than F the police, a new batch of 50 will say F the system. There are two other designs that will be arriving, and then there are the generic, non-controversial signs, more of which are arriving next week. I do not accept donations.

* * *

When a reporter asked Aria DiMezzo what would be her first act if elected sheriff in Cheshire County, N.H., she didnt skip a beat. Hire sheriffs deputies  if I get elected, all the ones we have now will walk out.

royexum@aol.com
she only got 2 and 1/2 years for killing someone?! wtf

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Initially it was supposed to be 3 years but now got resentenced to 8 years. State laws require 8 years before she can eligible for parole.



"The Melrose Place alum, 48, was resentenced to eight years in prison by Superior Court Judge Angela Borkowski on Thursday after a former ruling stated that her previous prison sentence was too lenient, Associated Press reported."









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yeah I saw that - I'm just shocked that she got such a light sentence to begin with!

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Caitlyn Jenner didn't even get charged for Killing someone. She just had to pay $800k settlement. https://abcnews.go.com/gma/culture/caitlyn-jenner-pay-800000-settlement-2015-fatal-car/story?id=52637141

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Just asked my mom who knew the judge who did the second resentencing. The victim's family can appeal the sentencing and decision.

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Damn I was just thinking about her a while back!



I love Cry-Baby as a kid!



My mom always criticizes celebs for drinking and driving because they have no excuse. Most of them have money to pay for a service to get them home.

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I will never understand how these celebs don't get picked up and dropped off to their destination when they have the means. If you know you want to get fucked up, then why drive your own car?

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Yeah I agree. The arrogance of it all.

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Chris Pine got a DUI at a wrap party event EVEN THOUGH THEY HAD SPECIALLY HIRED DRIVERS to take the drunk people home, but he wanted to drive his own car.

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3 years was too lenient but I've rarely seen a judges leniency ever overturned without the person reoffending. esp these judges who give affluent rapists 6 months don't ever get looked at again.

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Yeah Im actually shocked

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 I had worked so hard since 2010 on my sobriety, on adjusting to life in prison, on being released from prison, on acclimating to my childrens lives, and to parole that having to go back would seriously interrupt, if not destroy, any progress I had made in becoming human again,



Imagine killing someone and whining about how the sentencing interferes with your life. Fuck her.

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from the beginning her and her now ex-husband kept whining about how it was for them and sounded downright dismissive about the agony she inflicted on that poor family.

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Couldn't be me. She ain't shit. 

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Imagine the man, seeing his wife being brutally murdered (yes, I think drunk drivers are potential murderers selfish af.) and having to put up with this brat and her bullshit.

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Right? Sorry your jail sentence for killing someone cause you're a drunken shitbag is impeding your life, at least you still have one, the person you killed doesn't even have that anymore.

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She definitely should have been sentenced more harshly the first time... but something about a sentence being able to be changed after you've been charged makes me nervous. I don't like it. I imagine it is why double jeopardy laws exist in the first place... to stop the government/people in power from taking advantage of situations...



Like, imagine someone is charged for protesting. They are let off with a fine. But then someone else could bring them in and send them for another sentence...



Maybe I am not understanding it. I am sick today and everything feels loopy.

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I have no idea how this works either but my understanding from the People article is the judge sentenced her below the mandatory minimum for the charge. Like if there is a mandatory minimum of 25 years for first degree murder, you cant just sentence someone convicted of first degree murder to 10 years. That has to be a plea deal to get a reduced charge that has a lower mandatory minimum.



So, dont get me wrong I am similarly confused and also apprehensive about the legal system being able to do that but if my understanding is correct then its a complete fluke she was able to be sentenced under the mandatory minimum anyways and this is correcting the sentencing to coincide with an actual legal requirement for the charge.

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I agree... like I'm particularly angry about drunk driving incidents, especially fatal ones, but this feels kind of double jeopardy-esque.

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What a stupid way to ruin your life (not to mention the lives of others). It's so easy to not drink and drive.



I've been thinking about her lately since I listened to WHM's Melro210 quarantine podcast. Their Zelda Rubinstein impression of her was a highlight.

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I 100% believe that a person should have to serve more than 2.5 years for killing someone, and I'm in no way defending her, but I don't see how this could be allowed.

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I think it's because there is a state mandated minimum sentence and the first judge who sentenced her didn't follow that, he made an exception for her because she had young daughters and one had a medical condition. I think they have been questioning since then if he actually could do that. idk what happens when it is a judge that fucks up.

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oh okay. But still... it sounds like the judge should have to face the consequences, not her. Like user above, not defending what she did & she should have done the full sentence, but judges exist to make these calls. It is their fault for fucking up sentencing.

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I hope she was insured so the family could at least get medical and funeraal costs covered at the very least.



idk how ppl drink and drive tbh but drinking culture doesnt make sense to me either

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Edited at 2020-09-18 01:25 am (UTC)

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it took me a 2nd bc I was gonna be like ~the irony~





but im curious if this is well known in ireland by ppl that aren't in deep w/ pop culture



i only know bc of ontd tbh

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I don't think Matthew Broderick was drunk when he killed those women. I believe he fell asleep at the wheel and/or may have just been sleepily driving on the wrong side of the road. He has said that he doesn't remember it at all and that that haunts him, too.

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Listen. I cant feel sorry for this woman. You killed someone, and severely injured another. it never shoulda been no 3 years to begin with.



But yeah, I guess this is suspect. I guess.



Edited at 2020-09-18 01:26 am (UTC)

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I try really hard to keep it to red lights and stop signs.



That werner herzog doc made a huge impression on me. Not that I was wild abt it in the past, but one text is all it takes.



Do any of yall bluetooth tp send messages? that seems hard to me, but i've never tried so idk

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My car has it built in and its equally distracting

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i think mine does to, but it seems like more distraction for someone like me, esp since it's not like i have kids or i'm in a position where i regularly need to answer my phone.



I do like bluetooth for calls tho. so nice. I was late to getting into it tho. great for streaming, too!

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Yea I don't think it's any better honestly.

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Nothing is ever so urgent that I need to be texting and driving. There may be the odd time if I'm running late and I'm stopped, but otherwise no

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Nope. I occasionally will answer a phone but it stays in the cup holder and I'll tell the other person to hang up. I try to do that at stop but overall I really do try to avoid it.



ZERO TEXTING WHILE DRIVING!



I remember seeing cases of it being covered on Oprah and really just one bad decision is all it takes.

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you try really hard? or you succeed?

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I don't touch my phone in the car, I just leave it in my bag.

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Nah. There's nothing that important about me that can't wait.

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Nope. My phone stays in my bag. I lost a friend in a car accident due to texting and driving.

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I do the hands free, Siri dictated texts on my watch, but rarely - mostly in urgent situations. Also, just use bluetooth through the car. I dont handle the actual phone at all while driving.

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I don't text and drive, but I have memory problems, so I need gps all the time. I keep my phone in a phone holder on my dash. Even doing that makes me nervous.

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I was t-boned by a woman who was texting and driving, so no. And my accident finally convinced my husband to stop doing it, too.

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ty for posting this.

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This song did so much to high school me.

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In colorado you can be sentenced almost any amount and still only serve 6 years for dui deaths. Its crazy. Could be 1 person or a family or a crew of denver night roadworks.



That shits crazy.



Edited at 2020-09-18 01:35 am (UTC)

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As someone who lost both my father and sister to drunk drivers who got off scot free fuck her. She should get even more time.

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I'm so sorry for your loss bb. That is unimaginably horrific.



Edited at 2020-09-18 01:53 am (UTC)

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I'm sorry for your loss. And I totally agree - I never got to meet my grandmother and my dad lost his second parent when he was only 19 because of a total piece of shit who never faced any consequences for his actions.

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My cousin. Same story.



My condolences to you and your family. That's infuriating. I hope you are doing as well as anyone can with that loss. <3

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Thank you, and same to you. I lost my sister 2 years ago during a period when we were not in contact and I'm still raw. I have reestablished contact with my nieces and nephew and that's more than what a lot of people have, so I'm grateful, but she had a lot more life to live, you know? She was in her early 50s.

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i'm so sorry for your losses.

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I'm so sorry bb :( my mother was hit by a drunk driver and was permanently disabled :( Not as bad as what happened to you though and I hate to hear it. You always seem very nice on here.

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my cousin 4 days before Christmas. he turned the truck so instead of it being a head on, it would be just him, leaving him wife behind. the thing that killed him, never saw a day of time. did a plea deal, and didn't adhere to any of it and nobody did a damn thing. nothing. never paid the fines. never did the community service, i mean did nothing, and ten years later, we're told nothing can be done for some statues bullshit. like we weren't on the phone every week for years.



This is pretty fucked up for sentencing, to come back years later and go, wait, not so fast. I can understand why someone would be upset.



But since she doesn't seem to give a fuck that a family will mourn forever. /Shrug. Sorry Amy, I'm outta fucks to give.



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I'm so sorry x

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i'm so sorry for your loss. it so fucked up that they got away with it.

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L.A. County supervisors Mark Ridley-Thomas and Sheila Kuehl have added their voices to a call this week for the resignation of L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva.

On Twitter, Ridley-Thomas wrote: "I remain deeply troubled by the Sheriff's conduct and the way he has interfered with advancing reform and enhancing accountability." The tweet went on to say: "It. Is. Time."

According to the L.A. Times, "Kuehl said she strongly supported the call for Villanueva's resignation, holding that he has done nothing about deputy cliques within the department and that the county pays out millions of dollars in response to claims of excessive force by deputies."

L.A. City Councilmember David Ryu also chimed in, writing on Twitter that Villanueva "is not fairly serving the people of LA County. He must resign."

Responding on Twitter this morning, Villanueva accused officials of waging a retaliatory "proxy war" against him.

The push by local politicians for Villanueva's resignation comes on the heels of a statement by Robert Bonner, the most conservative member of the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission, on Thursday calling on Villanueva to resign. Bonner asserted that "he's demonstrated on multiple occasions that he lacks the judgement needed to be the sheriff and that he's unable to provide the leadership needed by the Sheriff's Department."

A former federal judge who ran the Drug Enforcement Administration for three years in the 1990s, Bonner said he called on Villanueva to step down "with great reluctance."

Commissioner Patricia Ocen echoed Bonner's call, and Chair Lael Rubin directed an ad hoc committee to consider whether to draft a resolution calling on the sheriff to resign, expressing a vote of no confidence, or something else.

The sheriff, who has had a contentious relationship with the commission, Inspector General Max Huntsman and the County Board of Supervisors almost from the time he took office in December 2018, dismissed the calls for his resignation.

The oversight commission is "just part of the echo chamber of the [Board of Supervisors]," he told a news conference. "There's a fine line between being a watchdog and a political attack dog, and that's pretty much the line they've crossed, along with Max Huntsman ... a long time ago. This is just the latest example of that."

In a separate statement, the Sheriff's Department said it's "morally repugnant" for the commission to discuss resignation when "two members of our department are recovering from a life-threatening ambush." It accused the panel of "acting in retaliation against the sheriff for his efforts in investigating potential criminal conduct from county officials and for challenging the legality of subpoenaing the sheriff."

In listing some of the reasons why he's calling on Villanueva to resign, Bonner said the sheriff has resisted efforts at oversight, "dragged his feet" on reforms and has "gone out of his way to alienate and even insult" supervisors rather than pursue a positive relationship with the board.

As one example of the sheriff's alleged lack of judgement and "lack of the ability to assess and reconsider his actions," Bonner referred to Villanueva's reinstatement of former deputy Carl Mandoyan, who had been fired by the previous sheriff for domestic violence and dishonesty.

"Not only has the sheriff resisted providing information needed for legitimate oversight to the inspector general," Bonner said, but "in what can only be described as a crude intimidation tactic," the department launched a criminal investigation of Huntsman.

Bonner noted that he and the oversight panel applauded Villanueva for issuing a policy last spring prohibiting deputies from joining cliques that violate the law or department policy. "But he has done little or nothing to enforce that policy," he said.

Bonner criticized Villanueva for not firing one of his spokespeople after she tweeted "racist, loaded comments." And he called out the sheriff's "unexplained and unexplainable" handling of deputies who improperly took photos of the Kobe Bryant crash scene.

In a separate development, Huntsman told the oversight panel that after gathering preliminary information on the arrest of KPCC/LAist reporter Josie Huang while she was filming an arrest last weekend, "all evidence we have currently gathered suggests that significant parts of the claims made by the [Sheriff's] Department may have been false."

Huntsman said his office has "requested the cooperation of the Sheriff's Department and not received it."

UPDATES:

Sep. 18, 9:40 a.m.: This article was updated to include calls for Villanueva's resignation by local officials, and Villanueva's response on Twitter.

This article was originally published on Sep. 17.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 18

Trend:

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev sent a congratulatory letter to Bidhya Devi Bhandari, President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal.

"Dear Madame President,

It is on the occasion of the national holiday of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal  the Constitution Day that on my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan I wish to cordially congratulate you and through you, your people.

There are ample opportunities for the development of relations between our countries, both bilaterally and within international institutions, particularly, the Non-Aligned Movement.

On this notable day, I extend my best wishes to you and wish everlasting peace and prosperity to your friendly people," the letter said.
WASHINGTON : Powerful technology companies are expected to face increased scrutiny no matter who wins the Nov. 3 election, but President Trump and challenger Joe Biden differ on some of the problems posed by Big Tech and how to solve them.

In a second term, Mr. Trump and his appointees likely would maintainand possibly acceleratethe broad-scale regulatory scrutiny of technology companies that marked his first term. That effort has included allegations of anticonservative bias online, antitrust investigations of internet giants such as Alphabet Inc.s Google and Facebook Inc., and actions against Chinese-owned apps such as TikTok and WeChat.

Mr. Biden, the Democratic nominee, has also been critical of Big Techs market power. He and running mate Sen. Kamala Harris (D., Calif.) say they would support stricter antitrust oversight and online privacy rules. But the Biden camp has emphasized forcing social-media companies to better police their sites against false information, and taking government action to help workers under threat from innovations such as self-driving cars.

With Congress also focused on Big Tech, both candidates are likely to take a hand in legislative efforts to increase competition in digital markets, expand broadband access and protect consumers privacy.

The hands-off approach is gone, regardless of who wins the election," said Gene Kimmelman, a former Obama administration antitrust official who recently co-wrote a paper calling for a new agency to regulate large digital platforms.

Antitrust

The Obama administrationin which Mr. Biden served as vice presidentdeveloped a tech-friendly reputation, hiring Silicon Valley veterans for key posts and declining to pursue antitrust complaints against Google and others. Some conservative and progressive tech critics alike worry that a Biden administration would take up that stance again, settling any antitrust cases brought by the Trump administration on lenient terms.

Biden campaign spokesman Matt Hill declined to comment on the prospect for settling antitrust cases, but suggested Mr. Biden would be tough.

Joe Biden has long said one of the greatest sins is the abuse of power," Mr. Hill said. Many technology giants and their executives have not only abused their power, but misled the American people, damaged our democracy, and evaded any form of responsibility. That ends with a President Biden."

The Trump campaign says leniency ended with the incumbents 2016 election. The Justice Department in the Trump administration has been investigating Google for potential anticompetitive conduct in its search and advertising business, and is expected to file a case before the election that likely would carry over into 2021 and beyond. The Federal Trade Commission is also investigating tech companies for potential antitrust violations, including preparing a possible lawsuit against Facebook.

During the Democratic primary, Mr. Biden didnt join progressives calling to break up Big Tech firms, saying it would be premature to do so before a formal investigation. This summer, a policy task force Mr. Biden created with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, his final Democratic primary opponent, recommended breaking up companies for anticompetitive behavior as a last resort."

Nevertheless, Mr. Biden has said that antitrust enforcement hasnt been strong enough and that tech firms deserve a hard look from the federal agencies that oversee competition.

Mr. Trump hasnt called for tech breakups either, though that is one possible outcome of the continuing antitrust investigations.

Techs liability shield

A particular focus for a second Trump term would be legislation to scale back protections social-media companies enjoy under Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, which gives them broad legal immunity for posted content and their efforts to moderate it. Mr. Trump says the law has been used to censor conservative viewpoints.

Mr. Trump called for repeal of Section 230 in a Sept. 8 tweet, echoing a position Mr. Biden took earlier this year with a very different motivation. Even so, the law is considered foundational to the internet and has bipartisan support.

Mr. Trump ordered regulatory agencies this year to consider tougher oversight of online companies under Section 230 when they dont moderate users speech fairly or fail to live up to their promises relating to free speech.

Its become evident that Big Tech believes they are the arbiters of truth onlinebut they have a clear blind spot when it comes to their bias against conservative voices," said Samantha Zager, a Trump campaign spokeswoman. President Trump will continue to advocate for an internet that embraces free speech over censorship."

As a sign of the issues importance to the White House, Mr. Trump recently withdrew the renomination of a Republican commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission after he expressed concern about the legal basis for Mr. Trumps tougher line on Section 230. The White House has also pressured the Republican chairman of the FTC, Joseph Simons, to take more action to support the effort, according to people familiar with the matter.

Mr. Biden surprised the tech world when he called for revoking Section 230. But unlike conservatives, Mr. Biden says some social-media platforms do too little policing, not too much.

His campaign website devoted an entire page to criticizing Facebook and its relatively hands-off policy when it comes to policing political speech. Some critics say that policy benefits Mr. Trump. Mr. Biden has termed the company irresponsible.

Mr. Biden hasnt outlined what new policy might replace Section 230, but he appears to want social-media companies to be more active, not less, in taking down contentespecially what the Biden campaign views as false information promoted by pro-Trump groups. Facebook says it is important to allow voters to see the statements of political candidates.

Mr. Trump and other Republicans have their own frustrations with Facebook, which has removed some Trump campaign ads and some of the presidents statements about the coronavirus.

But they have also at times praised the companys decisions, such as when it declined to join rivals such as Twitter Inc. in labeling and shielding from public view a post from Mr. Trump about violent protests.

Job protections

Mr. Biden has expressed concerns about the potential impacts of many tech innovations, such as self-driving vehicles, on people with middle-class jobs. Whether your predictions are true about automation and self-driving trucks, these folks arent stupid," he said in a speech in 2018 at the Brookings Institution in Washington. They listen, they understand and theyre scared to death." Among Mr. Bidens proposed solutions are such ideas as providing extra government aid to help workers who have been dislocated by tech.

The former vice president has also been outspoken about using government regulation to force gig economy" businesses to pay benefits to their independent contractors, by reclassifying them as employees.

California adopted such a law last year and debate continues about its efficacy. Ride-hailing companies have said their drivers arent covered, while state legislators modified the law in response to job losses in other industries.

In a New York Times interview early this year, Mr. Biden described meeting as vice president with tech leaderslittle creeps," he called themtouting their industrys economic benefit.

You have fewer people on your payroll than all the losses that General Motors just faced in the last quarter, of employees. So dont lecture me about how youve created all this employment," Mr. Biden said he responded.

The Trump campaign said policies like Californias gig-worker law take away workers opportunity to make their own schedules and participate in a free and open gig economy."

The Labor Department, which is led by a Trump appointee, last year said people offering services on online sites or apps should be considered employees of the consumer who hires them, not the virtual marketplace. That policy could make it harder for gig workers to win labor disputes.

The Trump administration has also sought to expand the availability of worker training through apprenticeships, in part by making it easier for businesses to run their own apprentice programs.

Write to John D. McKinnon at john.mckinnon@wsj.com and Ryan Tracy at ryan.tracy@wsj.com

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VIM Airlines seek to restrict ex-air carrier managers departure from Russia

 flickr.com/ Papas Dos

10:50 18/09/2020

MOSCOW, September 18 (RAPSI) - VIM Airlines filed a motion to temporarily ban departure from Russia for the former companys co-president Rashid Mursekayev and his wife Svetlana, according to the Moscow Commercial Courts press service.

The demand has been lodged as part of bankruptcy proceedings against the entrepreneurs. The motion is set for November 20.

In June, the Tatarstan Commercial Court has extended bankruptcy proceedings against VIM Airlines for six months, according to court records.

In May, the former co-president of VIM Airlines Rashid Mursekayev and his wife Svetlana filed a cassation appeal against recovery of wages totaling to 28.9 million rubles (over $450,000) which had been paid in excess to them.

In late December, the court ordered Mursekayev and his wife to return the overpaid funds. The court therefore declared salary orders as well as accounting and paying scale up wages registered in March 2017 invalid upon an application lodged by bankruptcy trustee Alexander Maksimov. In February, an appeals instance upheld the ruling.

In July 2019, the court extended bankruptcy proceedings against VIM Airlines for six months upon a motion by Maksimov.

In April 2019, he filed claims to recover over 7.5 million rubles (about $120,000) of overpaid salary and compensation for employment agreement termination from 17 ex-managers of the air carrier. He also demanded invalidation of salary orders as well as accounting and paying scale up wages from January 2018 to late March 2019 invalid and collection of compensation from the former managers.

On September 26, 2018, the court declared VIM Airlines bankrupt on the request of the company RNGO. Earlier in August, the court granted an application filed by the company, including a 3 billion-ruble ($44 million) debt into the creditors demands list.

On October 17, 2017, a criminal case was launched over premeditated bankruptcy of VIM Airlines. In September of the same year the court returned a bankruptcy claim against the airline back to the Deposit Insurance Agency (DIA). According to the court, due to the social tensions surrounding the activities of the airline, the applicant decided to recall the motion.

Investigators believe that certain top managers and owners of the air carrier intentionally made losing bargains in 2016 and 2017 including those aimed at siphoning of assets abroad. The deals led to enormous financial outlay and undoubtedly resulted in the companys failure to pay debts to creditors in full.

According to investigators, employees of VIM Airlines continued to sell tickets to clients despite being aware that the airline was not able to transfer passengers because there were not enough funds to buy fuel. Investigators believe that the employees embezzled more than one million rubles ($17,000).

VIM Airlines CEO and chief accountant Alexander Kochnev and Yekaterina Panteleyeva have been arrested as part of the case. Co-owners of VIM Airlines Rashid Mursekayev and Svetlana Mursekayeva fled Russia and are currently residing abroad, according to investigators. Allegedly Mursekayev and Kalashnikova fled Russia to hide from investigative authorities. In December, the Basmanny District Court of Moscow issued an arrest warrant for Mursekayev in absentia.




TDT | Manama

His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa was congratulated by US President Donald Trump on the signing of the Peace Declaration between Bahrain and Israel. President Trump expressed his thanks and appreciation to HM the King and hailed Bahrains efforts to reach the agreement.

In a phone call to HM the King, President Trump praised Bahrains peace path, which will encourage all to engage in the peace process, thus ensuring security, stability, and prosperity for all countries and peoples in the region.

HM the King said that peace represents a strategic option for Bahrain and stressed the Kingdoms vision, which advocates understanding, dialogue, cooperation, co-existence and rapprochement between all peoples and cultures, beyond all tensions. HM the King thanked the US President, commended his efforts to broker these agreements and push the peace momentum forward in the Middle East towards a more prosperous and stable future.
The World Health Organization warned Friday that the coronavirus is "not going away," noting that it's still killing about 50,000 people a week.

"That is not where we want to be," Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO's health emergencies program, said of Covid-19 deaths during a news conference at the agency's Geneva headquarters. "It's not where the Northern Hemisphere wants to be going into the winter season. It's not where developing countries want to be with their health services under nine months of pressure."

Ryan said the virus still has a "long way to burn." WHO officials said they are beginning to see "worrying trends" in the number of Covid-19 cases, ICU admissions and hospitalizations in the Northern Hemisphere as it enters the colder seasons.

"It has not burned out, it is not burning out, it is not going away," Ryan said, "and especially for those countries entering their winter season in terms of people coming together more indoors. There's a lot of work to do in order to avoid amplification events, drive down transmission of this epidemic, protect the opening of schools, and protect the most vulnerable in our society from severe disease and death."

European health officials have warned for weeks about a rising number of Covid-19 cases. More than half of European countries have reported a 10% or greater increase in cases in the past two weeks and, of those, seven have seen newly reported cases increase more than twofold, the WHO's regional director for Europe, Dr. Hans Kluge, said Thursday in a news briefing.

In the U.S., health officials are reporting an average of about 39,000 new Covid-19 cases per day, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University data. Covid-19 cases were growing by 5% or more, based on a weekly average to smooth out daily reporting, in at least 34 states as well as Washington, D.C., as of Friday, according to a CNBC analysis of Johns Hopkins data, an increase from eight states at the same time last week.

"The energy has not gone out of this pandemic. There's a lot of energy left in this spring and this can drive the pandemic forward," Ryan said.

U.S. health officials fear the outbreak could get worse as the nation enters the fall and winter seasons. Health officials have repeatedly warned that they are preparing to battle two bad viruses circulating later this year as the Covid-19 outbreak runs into flu season. Earlier this month, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease expert, said daily new cases were "unacceptably high" in the U.S. this close to the fall.

"Once you get the level of infection down really, really low, it almost self-propagates itself to stay low, but you've got to get it low," Fauci told The Wall Street Journal's "The Journal" podcast published on Thursday.

"Once it's way up there it's tough to get it down," he said. Fauci said that number for the U.S. would be "hundreds of cases, thousands, but not 20, 30, 40 thousand cases a day."

Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's technical lead on the Covid-19 pandemic, noted Friday that global health officials have "literally hundreds" of seroepidemiology studies ongoing that examine the extent of coronavirus infection in different populations. The studies indicate that "a majority of the world's population is susceptible to infection from this virus," she said.

"That means the virus has a long way to go," she said.

Van Kerkhove said it's "absolutely critical" for countries to have a strong plan for when outbreaks arise. She told CNN's "New Day" program earlier Friday that the rise in hospitalizations in some European countries, like the U.K. and France, are "worrying trends" because the Northern Hemisphere hasn't "even started to hit the flu season yet," which could add more strain to an already burdened health system.

"What's really important right now is for countries in their response is that they break down the problem, they break down the outbreak into the lowest administrative level as possible as the data will allow," she said. "It's not just about case numbers. These are incredibly important and we need to be able to track these trends but we also need to look at hospitalizations, we need to look at ICU occupancy and how many people are being admitted into intensive care."
By Assemblywoman Annette Chaparro

Through the ups and downs of 2020 -- and, lets be honest, it feels like there have been a lot more downs than ups this year -- Ive noticed a few things in particular: people want to help, we need to ensure we have resources in government to handle unexpected crises, and we need leaders we can trust to help us through the good times and the bad.

So in 2020, we can address all of those issues from the comfort of our own homes with some new-age online activism. Im not talking about re-tweeting a partisan message you agree with to get under the skin of a relative on the other side of the political aisle.

Im talking about filling out your Census and registering to vote!

As a long-time reader of The Jersey Journal, my guess is that most of you have already done this. And if so, thats great. But let me ask you to go a step further then: Encourage others to do the same and explain why its important. Ill provide some information and resources you can share.

Census

The Census is our once-in-a-decade chance to ensure that your municipality gets proper representation in government and appropriate federal funding. As an elected representative, trust me, Ive been told many times that no one likes to pay taxes!

But if youre going to get the most bang for your buck and receive services back in your community, then filling out the Census is the way to ensure this happens. The Census impacts the allocation of hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding for roads, schools, housing, and social programs. And its not just the government. Business owners, developers and planners rely on this data as well to inform decisions on where to open new stores or offices, and much more.

In short, theres a reason you hear politicians begging the public to please complete the Census  its such an important and quick way to ensure our municipalities are represented appropriately. And, guess what, you can do it online!

So, if youve already filled out the Census, post a reminder on social media so your friends and family know how important it is  visit 2020census.gov today for more information!

Voting in 2020

New Jersey has made voting as easy as possible as we are still in the midst of a pandemic, meaning this is another civic duty you can take part in from your own home.

New Jersey has recently launched online voter registration, which means you dont need to find a printer. Fill out a form, and mail it in to a board of elections just to register.

Just visit nj.gov/state/elections/ and register online to vote. The deadline to register to vote in the upcoming election is Oct. 13, so please hurry and spread the word to your friends and family to ensure theyre registered with the correct information!

Due to the pandemic, all active registered New Jersey voters will receive a pre-paid, return-postage vote-by-mail ballot in October. You can mail in your ballot, return the ballot through secure dropboxes, hand the ballot directly to a poll worker, or vote in-person. The state has gone above and beyond to ensure there is a safe way to help exercise your voting rights.

In order to address potential security concerns, you can also track your ballot online.

Please feel free to share this information with your friends and family, as there have been a great deal of resources committed and people working hard in the state to ensure our Census completion rate is high and voting is safe, secure and reliable in 2020.

Visit 2020census.gov and nj.gov/state/elections for all the resources youll need, and, please, spread the word!

Stay safe. Thanks for reading. And thanks for doing your part to ensure you, your friends, and your family fight for New Jersey and our democracy!

Annette Chaparro of Hoboken, a Democrat, represents the 33rd District in the New Jersey General Assembly. The district includes Hoboken, Union City, Weehawken and part of Jersey City.

Send letters to the editor and guest columns for The Jersey Journal to jjletters@jjournal.com.
Lovers Rock may be the Dazed and Confused of early-80s Afro-Caribbean British subculture, but I wouldnt really know. To an outsider, the film doesnt have much impact.

The one-hour film is part of a BBC-developed five-part series on the lives of West Indians in Britain directed by the London-born filmmaker Steve McQueen, whose parents are Caribbean immigrants to Britain. McQueen has made four previous films about extreme experience, ranging from the heist thriller Widows (2018) to his Oscar-winning historical journey 12 Years a Slave (2013), from the harrowing story of IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands Hunger (2008) to the almost equally grueling inquiry into sex addiction, Shame (2011). He has now achieved sufficient stature that he can turn away from obviously dramatic or even melodramatic story structures and instead reach back into memory and make the cinematic equivalent of an autobiographically tinged first novel.

Lovers Rock is the opening-night offering in the strangest New York Film Festival ever to be held, an affair in which critics view the films online, and audiences are invited to see the offerings at drive-ins in the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn, or to rent the films online at designated times, with prices ranging from $12 to $25.

Lovers Rock and the four subsequent entries in the series, which McQueen calls Small Axe after a Bob Marley song, will be seen in America on the Amazon Prime streaming service later this fall. Set in 1980 on a quiet street of low-rise dwellings, the first episode is the sort of subculture celebration that critics invariably dub vibrant and joyous while deciding not to notice that it isnt much of a movie. Its a plotless, fly-on-the-wall look at a neighborhood house party where two guests, Martha (Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn) and Franklyn (Micheal Ward), meet, take a shine to each other, dance, make out, and part company the next morning, with no hint given as to how far their budding relationship might go. Thats the whole movie, all 67 minutes of it. Other characters pass by, but theyre only sketches: There is a glowering but protective bouncer, a skeevy pick-up artist who turns out to be dangerous, and a range of swaggering young men and shy girls who communicate largely in how they dance, now swaying romantically to a reggae slow jam, now pumping their fists aggressively at a musical call to arms.

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McQueen is quite right to feel that the community in which he grew up has gotten short shrift at the movies, with few insiders or outsiders bothering to explore it on screen, but he doesnt do a great job of making it interesting to the vast majority of the filmgoing audience that is unfamiliar with the milieu. The combination of slang and island accents made much of the dialogue unintelligible to me, and probably to many others, but what I could catch was banal.

Mainly what McQueen wants to do is simply re-create a snapshot of an era, taking his time to notice every detail from the goat stew bubbling in a pot where harmonizing women rule the kitchen, to the plastic-covered couch that men move from a living room onto the sidewalk to create dance space in the first and a resting place on the second, to the deejays fussing over the stereo system. Entrance to the party costs a pound, but pretty ladies are free. Drinks and food are served on a pay-as-you-go basis too, but little if any profits will be made here: The point is to create a welcoming environment for a homogenous community that, like other homogenous communities, wishes merely to exult in all of the things its members have in common, with pesky would-be interlopers kept at bay.

The lovingly cluttered production design (by Helen Scott) and costumes (Lisa Duncan) are the primary attractions, along with a soundtrack of party records that plays so prominently it scarcely matters what people are saying anyway. Theres a sweet moment in which deejays cut into a slick late-70s dance song to spin Carl Douglass early-disco classic Kung Fu Fighting, and the crowd duly responds with a mixture of reverence and glee. However, watching other people dance, even to great songs, does not a movie make.

Some of the actors and characters in this film will reappear in subsequent episodes of the series, and I can only hope that this sluggish first chapter will be fleshed out as Small Axe goes on. As a standalone movie, though, it has little to offer except atmospherics.

More from National Review
Protesters demonstrate in St. Paul, Minnesota, while holding a "WE CAN'T BREATHE" sign, on May 28, 2020. John Minchillo/AP Photo

A successful basic-income trial in Stockton, California, has inspired a chain of similar pilots in other cities.

The city council of Saint Paul, Minnesota, voted to approve funding for a pilot there on Wednesday.

The program is set to begin this fall and will give up to 150 low-income families $500 per month for up to 18 months  no strings attached.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

When mayor Michael Tubbs launched one of the US's first guaranteed-income pilots in Stockton, California, last year, many saw the idea as radical. Then came the results: Recipients of the monthly stipends primarily used the money to buy groceries and pay their bills. Many said it had improved their quality of life.

Now, Tubbs is the leader of Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, a coalition of mayors interested in starting similar basic-income pilots across the country. The coalition's membership more than doubled from June to September, with 25 mayors now on board.

On Wednesday, the city council of Saint Paul, Minnesota, voted to approve funding for a guaranteed-income pilot there that's set to begin this fall. The experiment will give up to 150 low-income families with young children $500 per month for up to 18 months  no strings attached.

"I think there's a budding realization that not only is this a good thing for us to try, but that we may not have any other option," St. Paul mayor Melvin Carter said on a Wednesday press call.

Like many cities, St. Paul is currently grappling with a combination of social and economic unrest. Nearly 20% of the city's residents live in poverty. The pandemic has exacerbated unemployment in Minnesota, though jobless rates are starting to decline as businesses reopen. St. Paul has also been an epicenter of protests in response to the killing of George Floyd in nearby Minneapolis.

"We're obviously seeing an unprecedented crisis in our communities across our country," Carter said. "We're coming to a recognition that we don't have a funding problem. We have a priorities problem."

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St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter (left) and Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto (right), both members of Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, on Capitol Hill. AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

Unlike Stockton's trial, which is privately funded, Carter plans to leverage a mixture of public and private funding for his city's pilot. Funding for the first phase will come from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act money given to the state of Minnesota, he said.

Low-income families will be selected from a pool of roughly 1,000 households who belong to the CollegeBound St. Paul program. The initiative awards a college savings account with a $50 starting deposit to every child born in the city.

The monthly stipends will be loaded onto a prepaid debit card. Although critics of basic income argue that cash stipends reduce the incentive for people to find jobs and may encourage recipients to make more frivolous purchases, Carter said he expects to see results similar to Stockton's.

"Stockton has led the way and has shown that when low-income families have a little bit more money at the end of the month, they pay the rent, they buy groceries, they fix up their car to get to work," he said. "We're disproving all of the  I would say racist  tropes that say, you know, if you give low-income folks money, they'll just X, Y, and Z with it."

Overall, the Mayors for a Guaranteed Income group hopes to demonstrate that basic income can be used as a tool to lift people out of poverty.

Two more city-led basic-income trials are already underway

Two other mayors involved in the coalition are already overseeing basic-income pilots.

In Jackson, Mississippi, a trial launched in December 2018 that gave 20 Black mothers $1,000 per month. That pilot ended in November 2019, but in March, the program expanded to at least 110 participants. It's funded by the nonprofit Springboard to Opportunities.

To the north, the small city of Hudson, New York, recently launched a trial that will give 25 residents $500 per month for five years. Mayor Kamal Johnson said participants will be randomly selected from a pool of residents who are 18 or older and earn $35,000 or less (at or below the city's median income). Enrollment to be considered for the trial ends on Sunday. The selected recipients could start getting their stipends as early as October 1.

Like St. Paul, Hudson's poverty rate is higher than the national average: around 19%.

"We live in a city right now where people feel like they just work, pay bills, and die," Johnson said on the press call. "Being in one of the most powerful nations in the world, that shouldn't be the way that people are living."

Half the funding for the Hudson pilot comes from Humanity Forward, a nonprofit led by former presidential candidate Andrew Yang, who made basic income a prominent part of his platform. The remainder of the funding will come from The Spark of Hudson, a local career center.

"What we're doing here in Hudson will hopefully also happen across the country," Yang said in May.

Andrew Yang. Scott Eisen/Getty Images

Other mayors plan to follow suit

In July, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey announced he was donating $3 million to Mayors for a Guaranteed Income to help bring more basic-income pilots to fruition. Many mayors in the group have said pilots in their cities are forthcoming.

Chicago, Newark, and Atlanta have created task forces to help design their programs. And Milwaukee's city council has requested a framework for a pilot that would distribute $500 per month to 50 families living below the poverty line.

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto said he'd like a trial in his city to distribute $500 per month to two groups: the first would have 100 lower-income families, while the second would have 100 lower-income families run by Black women. The pilot would then compare how the money reduced racial, gender, and economic disparity among the two cohorts.

Peduto said the trial could launch by the end of 2020.

"America's cities are the laboratories of democracy," he said. "We're trying new ideas to solve old problems."

Read the original article on Business Insider
The results of implementation of the Programme on Border Management in Central Asia were summed up at a regional conference in Ashgabat. The European Union funded Programme aimed to enhance security, combat smuggling and facilitate trade in the Central Asian region.

The conference discussed the Programme achievements in three main areas of work, such as further strengthening of border management, migration management and trade facilitation measures in the Central Asian region. It was noted at the conference that good results were achieved in all these areas.

Speaking at the conference, the European Union Ambassador to Turkmenistan Diego Ruiz Alonso confirmed the EU willingness to continue cooperation with the Central Asian countries as part of the next phase of the Programme that will also cover the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. This phase of the Programme on Border Management in Central Asia and Afghanistan will fully take into account the principles of the new EU-Central Asian cooperation strategy, in particular by extending regional cooperation efforts to Afghanistan, not only to address security issues but also develop cross-border cooperation and trade capacity.

 TURKMENISTAN.RU, 2022
Pennsylvania was among the key states that unexpectedly went for President Donald Trump in 2016. Once again, it has emerged as a top battleground in the 2020 presidential race that could determine the outcome of the presidential election.

Top pollsters contend that the Keystone State, which most polls have former vice president Joe Biden leading at the moment, carries a potential winning margin for either candidate due to its pockets of support for both.

Former Vice President Joe Biden has increased his lead over President Donald Trump in a new poll.

Polling finds that Trump continues to draw strong support from blue collar and rural areas, while Biden's backing is growing among suburban women  many who backed Trump last time  and more urban locations. Each camp has visited the state several times in recent weeks, with plans for more to come.

Fewer sorting machines, more mail delays: How is NJ combating post office woes?

They have also spent a combined $77 million in Pennsylvania ($44 million by Biden and $33.1 million by Trump), according to CNN's review of federal election spending, the most in any battleground state.

Victory will pivot more on each side turning out their bases rather than convincing people in the middle who to vote for since the percentage of undecided voters is miniscule, according to experts.

Pennsylvania continues to be the tipping point state, said Patrick Murray, executive director of the Monmouth University Poll in West Long Branch, New Jersey. It is probably the one that could be it to determine the outcome.

Opinion: Biden's choice of a running mate key to keeping poll leads

Both campaigns know the impact Pennsylvania will have and they have put their valuable time in different sections of the state in recent weeks, with more planned visits through Election Day.

Experts said the mail-in voting will favor Biden, while Trump garners more from traditional Republicans who prefer in-person ballots. Turnout is expected to be strong and likely greater than 2016 given that many Clinton voters stayed home last time and Biden's backers are expected to turnout more.

Story continues

Are you registered to vote?: Check your status or register online now

Its one of the three states that gave Trump the presidency, along with Wisconsin and Michigan," said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist College Poll at the Marist Institute for Public Opinion in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. "The strategy for (both camps) has to center around Pennsylvania because of the (20) electoral votes and it is a certainty if the president were to hold Pennsylvania, it would be a big deal in forcing Biden to win somewhere else. If Biden were to win it, the expectation is that Michigan is easier for him. If he holds what Hillary Clinton carried, he only needs to win one other state.

The winner needs to garner 270 of the Electoral College's 538 votes to be elected.

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Nathaniel Rakich, an elections analyst at FiveThirtyEight.com  which tallies and analyzes polling based on the averages of many polls  stated on Monday that Pennsylvania appears to be the single most important state of the 2020 election.

Pennsylvania is by far the likeliest state to provide either President Trump or Joe Biden with the decisive vote in the Electoral College: It has a 31 percent chance of being the tipping-point state. (Thats what happens when you take one of the most evenly divided states in the union and give it 20 electoral votes.) he wrote on the website. In fact, Pennsylvania is so important that our model gives Trump an 84 percent chance of winning the presidency if he carries the state  and it gives Biden a 96 percent chance of winning if Pennsylvania goes blue.

NJPBA: NJ police union endorses Trump for president, all Republican candidates for Congress

Trumps Pennsylvania victory was among the closest of the 2016 election, with the president taking 48.58% of the vote to Hillary Clintons 47.85%. That was a difference of 44,000 votes out of nearly 6 million cast.

Murray said Pennsylvanias diverse electorate, with a strong rural and blue collar Republican field and Democrats in urban areas such as Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, has always made it a battleground, but this years race has highlighted the situation.

It is close and for a number of reasons that were similar in 2016, we have different types of voters there who represent different segments of the election, Murray explained. Some of the same concerns in blue-collar working-class areas. We see a number of polls that says it is close or Biden has a bigger lead. The fact that the candidates are spending so much time there was another sign.

The most recent Monmouth Poll on Sept. 4 reported Biden leading Trump 49% to 45% in Pennsylvania. The poll had a margin of error of +/- 4.9%.

Asbury Park: New Jersey Democrats gather to celebrate Biden on last night of Convention

Murray cites three things that will decide the race for Pennsylvanias 20 electoral votes: Democratic votes in Philadelphia and Allegheny County, including Pittsburgh; Trump voter turnout in central and eastern Pennsylvania; and swing votes in the Northeast area from Reading to Scranton-Wilkes Barre.

They have some concern, turning out those voters, he said of the Trump strongholds of 2016. These are the old mill towns, blue collar historically Democratic voters who went for Trump. It looks like they are up for grabs. If there is a movement for preferences, it will be in that area.

Terry Madonna, director of the Center for Politics and Public Affairs at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa., said it was no accident that Trump appeared in Pennsylvania during the Democratic Convention and recently visited Westmoreland County in the western end, which he won nearly 2-to-1 in 2016. Biden also made a stop recently in Allegheny County.

I think Pennsylvania is still competitive, it is complicated because of the nature of the contest in this state, Madonna said. Trump won in 2016 because he was able to win the rural and small towns in the central part of the state. The second one is the rust belt strategy that he developed. He went to southwest Pennsylvania and southeast Pennsylvania and said that the Democrats had walked away from the blue-collar worker.

Opinion: With the upcoming election, we will organize labor once again

But Madonna said the 2018 mid-term elections showed that those Trump voters are not a given for him in 2020.

Democrats won the suburbs in 2018 because of college-educated women and millennials, he said. The Trump campaign is employing a strategy of going after the Democrats on the violence ... in the cities and arguing that it can go into the suburbs.

The most recent Franklin and Marshall poll in mid-August had Biden leading Trump in Pennsylvania, 49% to 42%. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 5.2%.

Experts contend that the Philadelphia suburban voter may hold the biggest lift for Biden, with suburban women changing their allegiance, at least according to the 2018 results.

After the 2016 election, we saw a significant shift in the Philadelphia suburbs toward Democrats and staying there, Murray said. The blue wave of 2018 changed a lot, moderate Republicans did not like the direction their party took under Trump.

Report: NJ man ran one of the largest websites promoting QAnon conspiracy

Miringoff at the Marist Poll echoed that view.

It is the suburbs around Philadelphia that have attracted a lot of attention in recent elections because it is a moving area, if (Biden) holds on to that it makes a strong base for him, Miringoff said. The movement has been in the suburbs. If you look where the differences are it is around Philadelphia, suburban women are a group that dislikes Trump for a variety of reasons and Biden is doing better with them.

He also said Biden is hoping to get a bigger turn out of the Black vote than Clinton and is doing a little better in the rural parts than Clinton did.

The latest Marist Poll, released on September 9, had Biden at 53% to Trumps 44%.

Among the most significant factors in Pennsylvania may be the low number of undecided voters, pollsters said. Most surveys find the majority of the electorate has made up their minds, with those still deciding at less than 4% in most cases.

There are significantly less undecided voters than four years ago, Murray said. It is not about issues at this point, it is about gut issues, it is a feeling about the candidate.

We are talking tens of thousands of voters that candidates are trying to swing out of 5 or 6 million, he added. There were significantly more up for grabs four years ago, a lot of Clinton voters simply did not show up, we dont see that this time around. Many (Clinton voters) did not think their vote was necessary.

Added Miringoff: This is all about the base, turning out the base. There is very little persuasion. Turn out the supporters and that is what Trump has been doing for three years, his base is a shrinking part of the electorate.

Joe Strupp is an award-winning journalist with 30 years experience who covers education and Monmouth County for APP.com and the Asbury Park Press. He is also the author of two books, including Killing Journalism on the state of the news media, and an adjunct media professor at Rutgers University and Fairleigh Dickinson University. Reach him at jstrupp@gannettnj.com and at 732-413-3840. Follow him on Twitter at @joestrupp

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: How Pennsylvania could swing the presidential election to Trump again
PHILADELPHIA - A former Philadelphia police officer who was cleared of charges that he falsified records is suing to get his job back, saying officials were retaliating for his support of Black Lives Matter.

Bryan Turner, who is Black, sued the city and the Philadelphia Police Department this week in federal court, claiming systematic discrimination against him. The lawsuit seeks monetary damages and reinstatement with back pay.

A spokesman for the mayors office said the city does not comment on open litigation. A spokesman for the police department declined a request for comment.

Turner, 31, was fired in 2018 and arrested on charges attempted theft by deception, unsworn falsifying, obstructing justice and official oppression related to the reports department officials alleged had been falsified.

A Philadelphia judge cleared Turner of the charges after a five-day trial.

The department had alleged Turner listed a second officer in two arrests who had not been present in order to help steal potential overtime pay if that officer was called to testify. A supervisor also cited a discrepancy in his paperwork on a drug arrest related to whether Turner recovered drugs before or after a sergeant arrived at an arrest scene.

Turners attorney, Melissa Freeman, said testimony from another officer during trial supported Turners statements about the timeline for the drugs being turned over.

Freeman argued in the criminal case that the discrepancies were clerical errors caused by a misunderstanding or by an autofill system for paperwork. Other officers were given the chance to fix those kinds of errors, she said, and in some cases the errors were exactly the same.

The above-described allegations were mere pretext to conceal the discriminatory and retaliatory reasons adverse employment action was taken, Freeman wrote in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit filed this week alleges the firing, the charges and the refusal to reinstate Turner as an officer are all retaliation for his support on social media for Black Lives Matter and for his 2017 support for activists who were calling for white Philadelphia police Officer Ryan Pownall to be fired after the on-duty shooting of David Jones, who was fleeing. Pownall is facing murder charges.

Turner also cited a 2015 memo he sent to department leaders alleging racist remarks by a commander. He filed a lawsuit for a hostile work environment that the city settled for $50,000 after a judge dismissed many of the allegations.

Turner alleges in the lawsuit that after he spoke out about Pownall, other police officers sent or said hostile things to him, including asking for his badge number so that when Turner was killed in the line of duty, they didnt contribute to the officer fund for his family.

The lawsuit also notes that the department held him in unpaid suspension from the end of August 2018, when charges were filed, until December. That prevented him from being able to draw from his retirement funds to pay expenses and caused him to miss a deadline to reenlist in the National Guard, which cost Turner his educational benefit, as well.

The police department, which is in charge of granting all gun permits in the city, also denied a permit request from Turner after he was cleared of charges, citing his police employment file and saying he was likely to act in a manner dangerous to public safety.

The denial prevented Turner from employment as a law enforcement officer at other agencies in the city, despite being cleared of all charges, he said.
New Delhi: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday held a telephonic conversation to discuss joint efforts in countering the spread of novel coronavirus and other issues in strategic partnership.

President Putin conveyed his greetings on the occasion of Prime Minister Modi's 70th birthday. PM Modi expressed his warm appreciation at the gesture.

In a press statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), it said that both leaders reiterated their strong commitment to further strengthening the 'Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership' between the two nations, and expressed appreciation for the continued momentum in bilateral interactions despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this context, they referred to the recent visits to Moscow by Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar as 'productive'.

Live TV

"PM Modi thanked President Putin for the successful Russian Chairmanship of the SCO and BRICS this year. He conveyed his eagerness to participate in the forthcoming SCO and BRICS Summit later this year, as well as the Council of SCO Heads of Government to be hosted by India," the statement read.

Prime Minister Modi thanked President Putin for his personal commitment to strengthening bilateral relations with India, and said that he looked forward to welcoming President Putin in India for the next bilateral summit at a mutually convenient date.

Earlier in a letter to Modi, Putin said, Kindly accept my heartfelt congratulations on your 70th birth anniversary.

This is the second time that the two leaders had spoken since July.
(Natural News) Repeated exposure to low levels of fluoride may be toxic to the kidneys and liver of children, found a study published in the journal Environment International.

Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai examined how fluoride levels in water and blood may relate to renal and liver health. They found that small levels of fluoride ingested throughout time could cause adverse changes in the two major organs.

This finding has great implications for policy making. The majority of the United States water system has fluoride in them as the result of a shift in public policy in the 1950s.

This studys findings suggest that there may be potential kidney and liver health concerns to consider when evaluating fluoride use and appropriate levels in public health interventions, said first author Ashley Malin.

Fluoridated water bad for kidney and liver among children

Since its introduction to the public, fluoridated water accounts for more than 70 percent of the U.S. public water system. Thats more than 270 million Americans with access to fluoridated water systems.

Water fluoridation was envisioned to improve the lives of Americans by reducing dental caries. But a growing body of research is shedding light on its ugly side. Many studies suggested that fluoridated water can be damaging to the brain, kidneys and liver. Some research also cast doubt upon the efficacy of water fluoridation on oral health.

In the present study, the researchers examined the link between chronic low-level exposure to fluoride and liver and renal health among children. They relied on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, a group of studies that assessed health and nutritional well-being in the United States. They looked at the fluoride levels of almost 2,000 adolescents and the fluoride content of tap water in the homes of about 1,750 adolescents.

The team found that drinking fluoridated water is linked to adverse changes in liver and kidney function. This finding is significant as children flush out only 45 percent of fluoride in the kidneys. Adults, on the other hand, flush out 60 percent. This means that children are at greater risk of developing kidney damage and chronic kidney disease. Furthermore, children with compromised livers and kidneys are at greater risk of a renal or a liver problem compared to healthy children.

The researchers said that the potential side effects of chronic drinking of fluoridated water include renal and liver damage, thyroid dysfunction, bone and teeth diseases and impaired protein metabolism.

Low IQ caused by fluoride

In another study published in the journal Jama Pediatrics, researchers also found adverse effects of fluoridated water on childrens health. They uncovered a link between low-level exposure to fluoride and lower intelligence quotient, or IQ.

The team examined data from Canadas Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals program, a long-term study of pregnant women and their children in six Canadian cities. Canada is one of the nations worldwide that fluoridate their water; about 38 percent of the countrys tap water is fluoridated.

Women living in cities with fluoridated drinking water had an average urinary fluoride level of 0.69 milligrams per liter (mg/L). In comparison, women living in cities without fluoridated water had 0.4 mg/L. Three to four years after the women gave birth, their children were given an age-appropriate IQ test.

Results showed that when a pregnant womans urinary fluoride levels rose by one mg/L, the IQ score of a male offspring dropped by about 4.5 points. The finding is unique to sons, the researchers said. But theyre uncertain why. They suspected that it might be due to differences in how boys and girls absorb environmental toxins in the womb. (Related: The uncensored truth about fluoride.)

The researchers are optimistic that their findings will attract further research into fluoridated water. Future efforts will be important in informing policymakers, as public policy is typically informed not by one study alone. Instead, it is shaped by the best available evidence as a whole.

Learn more about the adverse effects of fluoride on health at Fluoride.news.

Sources include:

HealthImpactNews.com

MountSinai.org

ScienceMag.org
The worst college coronavirus outbreak in New York that has forced a campus to shut down has been plagued by isolation party selfies, suspensions and even a COVID-19 SWAT team.

The State University of New York at Oneonta was forced to cancel in-person classes for the fall earlier this month following the huge COVID-19 outbreak.

Since returning to campus, more than 670 students - a tenth of the student population - have tested positive for COVID-19.

SUNY Oneonta currently has the worst on-campus COVID-19 outbreak in the state and one of the largest in the United States.

Some have blamed the outbreak on the university's lack of COVID-19 screening when students returned to campus and a failure to monitor parties and gatherings that have been held.

A photo that emerged earlier this month drew backlash after it showed about a dozen infected students partying in an isolation dorm on campus.

The State University of New York at Oneonta was forced to cancel in-person classes for the fall earlier this month following the huge COVID-19 outbreak. This photo that emerged earlier this month drew backlash after it showed about a dozen infected students partying in an isolation dorm on campus

The photo, which was posted on social media just days after the campus switched to remote learning, showed the group of students drinking and smiling as they posed for the selfie.

SUNY Oneonta president Barbara Jean Morris immediately slammed the photo and vowed to discipline - and possibly suspend - the students involved.

'We have seen the photo taken in one of our residence halls of students blatantly violating our strict safety protocols and code of conduct and putting themselves and others at risk,' Morris said.

'We are working to identify the students and will quickly issue disciplinary actions and possible suspensions. We will also step up our monitoring of these residence halls to prevent this behavior from happening again and to continue to protect the safety and health of our students.

'It is deeply disappointing that following the severe action SUNY Oneonta took just days ago to shift to remote learning for all students, we are still faced with the reckless and irresponsible behavior of a few that are damaging the reputation of our campus and our dedicated students who followed the safety rules every day and were looking forward to a great semester on campus.'

The photo, which was posted on social media just days after the campus switched to remote learning, showed the group of students drinking and smiling as they posed for the selfie

Some have blamed the outbreak on the university's failure to monitor parties from taking place

SUNY Oneonta had already suspended a handful of students in late August for organizing parties.

Jim Malatras, SUNY's chancellor, blamed the partying students for the outbreak on campus after more than 100 students - about three percent of the campus population - tested positive for COVID-19.

'We have had reports of several large parties of our students at Oneonta last week, and unfortunately because of those larger gatherings, there were several students who were symptomatic of COVID,' Malatras said at the time.

'Despite the diligence of the vast majority of our SUNY Oneonta students, faculty and staff, the actions of a few individuals who didn't comply resulted in the spread of COVID-19 over the past week.'

The chancellor opted to suspend classes for two weeks on August 30 as a result of the outbreak.

It prompted New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to intervene by sending what he described as a 'SWAT team' to the campus to help control the outbreak.

Since returning to campus, more than 670 students - a tenth of the student population - have tested positive for COVID-19. SUNY Oneonta currently has the worst on-campus COVID-19 outbreak in the state

Five days after suspending classes, the number of cases jumped to more than 500.

Malatras announced on September 5 that the campus would cease all in-person classes and activities for the rest of the fall semester due to the outbreak.

As the university investigates what when wrong with their reopening plan, they are facing accusations they mishandled the COVID-19 outbreak.

Some students and parents have slammed the school's decision not to require proof of a negative test prior to returning to campus.

They also say the university didn't test students once they arrived.

Malatras, who officially became chancellor on August 31, has since said that all SUNY schools will need to develop testing plans ahead of next semester.

Surveillance testing is now also mandatory on all campuses.

Oneonta is one of 64 campuses run by the State University of New York.

There are about 3,000 students based there.

Oneonta is the first to be shut down due to COVID-19 since reopening.
The NSW government is pushing for public servants to lead a revival of Sydney's central business district, as the city attempts to ease the $10 billion blow dealt by the COVID-19 crisis.

Planning and Public Spaces Minister Rob Stokes said on Friday getting workers back to offices was crucial to revitalising economic activity in the city's CBD.

NSW Planning Minister Rob Stokes. Credit:Simon Bennett

Australia's largest commercial hub was on track to generate more than $142 billion in 2020, before workers abandoning the city during the pandemic slashed that figure to $132 billion, a forecast showed.

The loss of foot traffic has also had devastating flow-on effects for the hospitality, arts and retail industries.
You've seen one man's captivating work painted across the walls of Houston. You've stopped by another's distillery that produced hundreds of gallons of hand sanitizer during the pandemic. You might've even met the woman who exemplifies the "Si, Se Puede," movement.

EVA LONGORIA PART OF TRIBUTE TO LATINOS: Eva Longoria part of The Paley Center for Medias inaugural tribute to Latino contributions

Mario E. Figueroa, Jr. AKA  GONZO247, Carlos De Aldecoa Bueno who revamped the iconic Uncle Ben's rice factory on Clinton Drive, and Sofia Adrogue a lawyer, and founder of United Farm Workers, are just a few of the recipients being honored for the 2020 Comcast Hispanic Hero Awards.

"If you think what I'm doing is cool, keep digging because there's other people behind me, there's other people around me, and we're all doing the same thing for the greater cause," said Mario E. Figueroa, Jr. AKA  GONZO247, one of this year's honorees.

In addition to these Latino powerhouses above, this year's recipients also includes TLiza Kiel, Dr. Margo Yvette Melchor, Paula Mendoza, Marcie Mir, and Dr. Adriana Tamez.

In its fifth year, Comcast is spotlighting these eight community leaders that radiate the spirit of the Latinx community through their talents and contributions to our great city.

According to Comcast's website, each honoree will be highlighted through a series of vignettes featured on Comcast social media platforms in lieu of an in-person event due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Hispanic Hero Awards give us an opportunity to recognize those who have played a vital role in positive change in their communities while celebrating the diversity of this great city, said Ralph Martinez, senior vice president for Comcasts Houston region in a statement.

Comcast also plans to donate $1,000 to the nonprofit organization of each recipient's choice.
Anunt de selectare a participantilor si participantelor la cel de-al doilea curs de instruire din cadrul Programului educational pentru dezvoltarea competentelor lucratorilor de tineret
(Natural News) Retired U.S. Army Reserve Col. Lawrence Sellin (Ret.) has penned an article calling for a full investigation into the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), its leader Anthony Fauci, and the communist Chinese regime, as it appears the three conspired to unleash the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) into the world.

Writing for the Citizens Commission on National Security (CCNS), Sellin presents a compilation of evidence to suggest that Fauci played a key role in not only exposing the world to the plandemic, but also in getting it funded through large, taxpayer-funded grants given by his department to the controversial Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV).

Describing his findings as a preponderance of evidence, Sellin says that there is now little question that the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) came from a Chinese laboratory, likely the WIV. The only question that remains, he says, is whether the virus was leaked accidentally or intentionally by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Sellin questions why the World Health Organization (WHO), which also conspired with the CCP, poised itself to downplay the threat of the virus early on, only to heavily ramp up social distancing, lockdowns, and masks several months later. It is also strange, Sellin notes, that China early on cut off all domestic flights between Wuhan and both Beijing and Shanghai, but continued to allow travel to Europe and the United States.

There are also questions about the role of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) headed by Dr. Anthony Fauci, in directing U.S. grant funds to the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the nature of the experiments that funding supported, Sellin further notes.

I am calling for an investigation of NIAIDs controversial research collaboration with China regarding the origin of the COVID-19 virus, he continues. A Senate committee or Justice Department investigation would be a good start.

In late April, Trump suspended remaining NIAID grant payments to WIV

Even as Sellin puts forth these claims, Fauci himself is doubling down on the already debunked narrative that the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) is a product of nature, having supposedly come from bats. This in and of itself suggests that the guy is hiding something.

We also know that the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which oversees the NIAID, is suspending all remaining grant payments from the NIAID to the so-called EcoHealth Alliance, a long-time scientific collaborator with Chinese scientists, in particular, the Wuhan Institute of Virology, Sellin explains.

A whopping $369,819 in remaining grant funding was cut off on April 27, presumably under the direction of President Trump, which Sellin says culminated upon the Trump administrations uncovering of evidence to show that the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) had, in fact, come from Chinas only level-four biosafety lab in Wuhan.

The Obama administration gave them a grant of $3.7 million, Trump himself stated during a press conference exchange that took place the day the NIH cut funding to the EcoHealth Alliance.

I have been hearing about that, and weve instructed that any grants that are going to that area were looking at it literally about an hour ago, and also earlier in the morning, Trump added. We will end that grant very quickly.

Keep in mind that Fauci has headed up the NIAID for several decades, including during the Obama years when taxpayer monies were readily flowing to the communist Chinese regime for all sorts of purposes, some of which are now coming to light.

Be sure to read Sellins full letter calling for an investigation into Fauci.

You can also keep up with the latest news about Fauci and the rest of the medical deep state by checking out Corruption.news.

Sources for this article include:

CCNationalSecurity.org

NaturalNews.com
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2020 > Revisiting Foundations of Welfare State during Current Pandemic Period: A (...)

by Manish Sharma, Akhilesh Mishra

When society places hundreds of proletarians in such a position that they inevitably meet a too early and an unnatural death, one which is quite as much a death by violence as that by the sword or bullet; when it deprives thousands of the necessaries of life, places them under conditions in which they cannot live  forces them, through the strong arm of the law, to remain in such conditions until that death ensues which is the inevitable consequence  knows that these thousands of victims must perish, and yet permits these conditions to remain, its deed is murder. (FrederickEngels, 1987)

Introduction

The world has witnessed different formats of economic order in last two centuries. In initial period of nineteenth century, the world economic order, which was governed by the doctrine of mercantilism was later enmeshed with the philosophy of capitalism and unleashed by the European colonial powers. Subsequently, afflicted with the grave menace of great economic depression, the dominant powers sought an alternative model in the form of welfare state to get rid of the burgeoning economic crisis of the capitalist era. Moreover, the USA and USSR sustained their hegemony in the post-Second World War period advancing their ideological contours till the nineties of the last century.

However, in later stage, a group of newly independent nations assembled under the banner of Non Allied Movement (NAM) and tried to make an equidistance from the capitalist and socialist blocks principally but owing to; cross border and ethnic disputes, weak political structure (authoritarian ruler/ states suppressed the economic and political rights of their citizens in the name of national pride through their military powers) and economic compulsion. Ultimately they ended with siding with one or other blocks. Simulataneously world witnessed some successful economic models such as South East Asian Economies Tiger and in many parts of the world, using global finance capital. However prosperity in these countries were short lived with some exceptions like Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. Noticeably, a large section of the people were lifted from the abject poverty in many of these nations through applying the hybrid models within the authoritarian states (lifting restrictions on the inflow of global finance, capital and technology in the export orientation industries: while state invested heavily on the augmentations of the quantity and quality of the human resource pertinently needed for the MNC and Global Supply Chains). The comparative advantages started vaporizing for the MNCs on account of aging populations, rising cost of wages owing to demand for the strengthening of the democratic structure. However, China sustained with double digit growth, under the regime of Deng Xiaoping as an exception applying peculiar model socialism of Chinese character .

Subsequently , In the post-90 scenario, when the world passed through major changes in the wake of disintegration of Soviet Union and the Gulf crisis, a new world economic order emerged marked by liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation, and the lead in this direction was made by USA often challenged by China . Though China is a non-democratic, non- capitalist country, but it gained economic power using the democratic tools of the multilateral institutions and the policies of globalization. But soon after the spread of the current pandemic of COVID -19, the world economic order is shifting towards adhering the norm of welfare state, the obvious reasons being the market-economies of the west viz; Italy, France, Britain and USA failed miserably to combat the pandemic effectively. On the other hand, Russia, China, Vietnam, Newzeland and other countries are able to mitigate the cases at a certain level of satisfaction. Besides, the impact of traditional drivers of development such as labour, investment and productivity, are also being replaced by populism, protectionism and automation, giving importance to the state to play the role of disrupters.

This paper studies the concept and importance of welfare state in formulating an international economic order, i.e. an institutional arrangement of international rules which emerge from negative experiences of the current pandemic that inflict severe hardship of life and livelihood among the people of various countries.

Background of Welfare State

Normally it is contemplated that the concept of welfare state is western and modern one but its background goes back to Shantiparva episode of Mahabharata to Kautilyas Saptang theory in India to Roman emperors with different formats of social welfare. But without going into these historical myths or reality, we would like to focus on the time period of last two centuries when a number of socialist and communist philosophers emphasised the discourse on need and significance of welfare state in a very significant and logical manner.

Usually what we understand, welfare state is a form of government in which the state protects and promotes the economic and social well-being of the citizens, based upon the principles of equal opportunity, equitable distribution of wealth, and public responsibility for citizens to ensure better living standard of each and every citizen of the society. The tools to maintain equity, equality, justice may be price regulation (such price policy, PDS, concession and rebates in different products and services), labour policies, regulation of the work environment, wage policies, housing policies, fiscal policies, DBT policies and environmental policies so on and so forth

India as a Welfare State

Modern concept of welfare state started in colonial India when Indian got chance to know the contemporary political discourse and thought of west (European countries specially) while interacting with them or visiting these countries for higher studies consequently the then political leaders and thinkers of India envisaged a welfare state in colonial India to strive for the well being of the Indian masses who were struggling for a dignified life.

Subhas Chandra Bose in his famous presidential speech at the Haripura Congress in February 1938 declared that the national state on the advice of a Planning Commission would adopt a comprehensive scheme for gradually socializing our entire agricultural and industrial system in the sphere of both production and appropriation.(Chatterjee Parth ,1993). Even Gandhian philosophy of Ramrajaya revolves around the concept of social and economic equality and a refusal to accept economic privileges, as he never prefer happiness to economic prosperity and physical pleasure alone. His concept of the welfare society was totally opposed to the utilitarian concept. Though After Independence the economic beginning of India is made through Fabian Socialism that emerged from ideas and approaches of utilitarianism, empiricism and classical economy (Karthik 1995). Later on the constitution of India laid the foundation for the interventionist state in India with principle of liberty and equality were underscored. Article 39 of Indian constitution assure equal justice on the basis of equal opportunity. The preamble of the Constitution enumerates the goals of equality, justice and liberty. Initiatives such as land reforms and tenancy reforms became important rudiments in Dr. Ambedkars scheme of the welfare state and it continued in different plans and policies and in dimensions till nineties. Post ninety scenario had witnessed the change in perceptions, concepts, and role of state welfare measures in India either due to political philosophy of the government or under the pressure of international organistions and agencies.

However, again when the current pandemic hit the country in the last week of January, 2020 it has been felt all over the world that there is widespread recognition of it and that increased welfare spending is critical not just to contain the fallout from the pandemic, but also to effectively combat it.

Welfare State Revisiting Foundations

Since the 1980s, two troublesome trends have affected the world economy. The first is the widespread increase in income inequality and second one is the weakening of concept and role of welfare state in the world resulting pitiable situation for the marginalised and destitute society because voice of these groups had been lost in the argument of market incentives and work culture.

But during last economic recession 2008 in general and during this pandemic period in particular, role of state has been emerged as a prominent reason behind survival of economy and the recovery from the crisis as it is witnessed for Vietnam, China and other countries. Further, this has been enhanced during periods of crisis, when the reduction of welfare spending is part of the austerity policies put in place to manage the crises.

Relevance of Welfare State in Current Pandemic Situation

Now the question arises, whether democracy is an essential condition for welfare state or state with enough fiscal capacity can ensure more for democratic society in the long run. Certainly, empirical studies are inconclusive in this regards as relation could be unidirectional or bidirectional depending on the many factors such as structure, conduct, resilience capacity of the society and faith in the government/ leaders. This question has become vital as of now as in the post covid scenario, owing to asymmetric movement in the public policy making and instruments of execution of those policies would create an imbalance and mistrust among the institutions dealing with the smooth implementation of the neoliberal world economic order. To finance the doles and stimulus given at the time of Covid, states are left with little options but to pursue the conservative economic policies (Protectionist approach towards the movement of goods, services, finance and people ) that may increase the discretionary power of the states regarding use of scare resources . The extent and future of the welfare states may depend on the states capacity to provide public and merit goods to their citizens, the collaborative and coordinated efforts amongst the nations with respect to cross border movements of the goods, services and people, and finally credibility and capability of the institutions such as UN, IMF, World Bank, WTO and other organizations and mechanisms to deal with the conflict and cooperation amongst the nations. If war mongering and mistrust amongst the nations continues, it would be the common man and people of lower economic and social strata who will suffer the most. Identity questions become more important in the uncertain and unstable global world while, prosperity of the people and humanity requires more stable and certain world. To ensure maximum level of equity among the all the citizens ,a welfare state plays a crucial role specially during a difficult situation like pandemic as it protects people from disease, poverty ,starvation, immobilization of people and overall misery

Moreover, during currant crises , when market mechanism is failed to provide minimum health, role of corona warriors whither they are police personnel , or medical and para medical personnel all of them proved their worth by ensuring timely delivery of essentials and basic support to the common man at one hand and income support, transportation support for migrants, food and shelter support particularly to the marginalized people, the people who lost job and their livelihood, by the general administration on the other hand to minimise the shocks due to this pandemic. Hence it has become a pertinent question to answer, why welfare state continues to be in the focus of academic debate particularly when a nation faces crisis?

In lieu of Conclusion

Now it has been realized and experienced by the world economy that the role of welfare state is crucial to absorb the shocks during man made or natural calamities and a new paradigm of shift is being witnessed in favour of welfare state . Major economies are shielding there economy with protectionist measures and providing more and more control of state through there fiscal and monetary policies.

References

Engels, F. (1987), The Condition of the Working Class in England in 1844, London: Penguin.

Partha Chatteijee, (1993), The Nation and its Fragments: Colonial and Postcolonial Histories, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, p. 200. (cited in)

Karthik C. Roy (1995), Clement A. Tisdell and Raj Kumar Sen, Economic Development and

Environment: A Case study of India, Calcutta: Oxford University Press, p.11-12.

Authors are thankful to Prof Jajati K Pattanaik, Head, Department Political Science, JTGMDC, Roing, Arunachal Pradesh for his comments on earlier draft of this article.

Dr. Manish Sharma is Professor, Department of Economics, Institute for Excellence in Higher Education (IEHE), Bhopal, an autonomous institution under the aegis of the Govt. of Madhya Pradesh

Dr. Akhilesh Mishra, is Head, Department of Economics, S.D.P.G. College Ghaziabad (U.P).
A Bexar County Sheriff's deputy was fired Thursday after he was arrested for a 2018 warrant, the department said in a news release Thursday.

Officials discovered that 25-year-old Andre Phillip Winston was wanted on the charge of interference with an emergency telephone call during an audit of employees suspected of criminal misconduct.

The alleged incident is considered a misdemeanor and occurred Sept. 25, 2018, BCSO said.

FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox

Sheriff Javier Salazar took "immediate action" and presented Winston with termination papers, a spokesperson with BCSO said. The deputy, who has been with BCSO since 2017, resigned in lieu of termination and received a dishonorable discharge.

After the administrative process was completed, Winston was arrested for the warrant.

Prior to the incident, Winston was a detention deputy, but was placed on administrative leave on Sept. 25, 2018 following the incident. On Oct. 9, 2018, he was assigned to administrative duty and worked in fleet maintenance until his termination. It is unclear why he was taken off of administrative leave.

READ ALSO: 'Should lynch mob' him: Bexar County sheriffs deputy fired for Facebook comment

This former employee has to face his legal issues on his own, and wont be doing that as a member of this agency," Salazar said. "This agency will continue to take a strong stance on domestic violence issues whether in the community or within our own ranks."

Under BCSO's civil service rules, adopted in 2018, Winston is not eligible for rehire.

The arrest comes just days after another BCSO deputy was fired for posting "an offensive Facebook comment that incited violence," the department said.

Officials fired former deputy Jackie Farmer on Tuesday after he allegedly made comments on a social media post as saying people should lynch mob someone accused of stealing mail, BCSO said.

Taylor Pettaway is a breaking news and general assignment reporter for MySA.com | taylor.pettaway@express-news.net | @TaylorPettaway
A year ago today, the Washington Post reported details about a whistleblower complaint filed from someone in the US intelligence community, vague word of which had been swirling below the news cycle for days: Trump had made a troubling promise to a foreign leader. The Posts story accelerated a media-wide rush to find out more; soon, we learned that the leader in question was Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, and that Trump had asked him to investigate Hunter Biden, son of Joe. After four months, those revelations culminated in Trumps impeachment in the House of Representatives and acquittal in the Senate.

In hindsight, that was a quieter time. During the past week alone, weve learned details of three whistleblower complaints alleging misconduct across the Trump administration. First, we found out that Brian Murphy, a senior official at the Department of Homeland Security, filed a complaint claiming that he was told to suppress and/or doctor intelligence reportson Russian interference, domestic white supremacy, and other urgent mattersthat risked contradicting Trumps political priorities. (Murphy, it should be noted, was recently removed from his post atop a DHS office that compiled intelligence reports on journalists; former officials told the Post that Murphy was a poor manager, but confirmed that the substance of his complaint is valid.) Then Dawn Wooten, a nurse at a privately-run ICE detention facility in Georgia, revealed that she filed a complaint alleging that the facility recklessly mismanaged COVID-19 cases and subjected Spanish-speaking female detainees to hysterectomiesfrequently, and possibly without their informed consent. (Her account has been corroborated, including by The Intercept.)

ICYMI: Journalisms Gates keepers

Yesterday, the Post reported a claim by Adam D. DeMarco, a major in the DC National Guard, who gave whistleblower testimony about the decision to violently clear peaceful protesters outside the White House, in June, when Trump staged a photo-op with a Bible. Hours before Trump took a step toward Lafayette Square, DeMarco said, federal officials had been stockpiling ammunition and seeking weaponsincluding a heat ray designed to make targets feel as if their skin is on firethat have repeatedly been deemed inappropriate for use in war zones.

Also yesterday, we learned of two other claimsnot from whistleblowers per se, but disturbing just the same. In an interview with The Guardians Lucy Osborne, Amy Dorris, a former model, alleged that Trump sexually assaulted her in 1997 at the US Open. Several sources confirmed that Dorris told them about the alleged assault at the time or subsequently. Dorris is at least the twenty-fourth woman to have accused Trump of sexual misconduct; E. Jean Carroll, an advice columnist, has accused him of rape. Later in the day, Olivia Troyea former aide to Vice President Mike Pence, and who served on the White Houses coronavirus task forcesaid that Trumps response to the virus was guided primarily by reelection concerns; she alleged that the president said the pandemic could be a good thing if it stopped him from having to shake hands with disgusting peoplean apparent reference to his supporters.

Given their dizzying pace, its hard to keep all these revelations in mindlet alone prominently in the news cycleat once. This time, there will be no impeachment inquiry to hang the reporting around. Yesterday, when I flicked over from CNN, where Wolf Blitzer was discussing Troyes remarks, to MSNBC, it took me a while to realize that they werent discussing the same story, but rather the Posts coverage of DeMarco and heat rays. Stephen Colbert put it well: The news can be depressing these days, he tweeted, so take a mental wellness break from reading about how the president sexually assaulted someone to read about how he tried to use a heat ray against his own citizens. Not that either of those stories is conspicuous on many major news homepages this morning. We may already have moved on.

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Theres also the stuff that Trump says and does publicly, wrenching the attention of the news cycle. Yesterday, at the National Archives museum, he condemned the 1619 Projecta major New York Times Magazine initiative that aims to root the American story in the history of slavery. An important part of the 1619 Project is educational material, which Trump called ideological poison. He also referred to the teaching of critical race theory as a form of child abuse, in the truest sense of those words. The speech was surreal (I, for one, did not have Howard Zinn marked on my Trump-insult bingo card) and part of his effort to reframe the election campaign around conservative theories of the past, since things arent going so well in the present.

Amid the swirl of reports about Trumps insults and abuses, we must try and keep a sustained spotlight on testimony that credibly alleges the abuse of human rights, especially when such abuses are ongoing. The ICE story, in particular, must not fall victim to the fleetingness of our outrage. The institutional racism and violence there, worsened by Trump, will outlast him. Come election day, and the days after, we must remember what America has done.

Below, more on everything:



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.
Less than 10% of employers are offering subsidies to pay for child care. Yet money for babysitters or teachers may be more valuable for parents than flexibility or even time off. Although a parent might ordinarily need a finite period at home for something like the birth of a baby, now children need long-term care or daily in-person help with online school. And while the costs to employers of providing flexible hours are minimal, the costs to workers can be high. For many parents, its unsustainable to continue working during nighttime or predawn hours or to take pay cuts as part of a reduced schedule. Financial benefits for parents also help nonparent colleagues who have been picking up slack, employers say, by enabling parents to get back to work full time.
The Public Records and Archives Administration Department (PRAAD) of the Office of the Civil Service has completed the digitisation of over 500,000 documents.



In addition, a website has also been developed to provide access to the digital documents.



The digitisation will ensure the long-term preservation of records for posterity. This exercise will continue in 2021. The Head of the Civil Service, Nana Kwasi Agyekum-Dwamena, said this at the launch of the 2020 Civil Service Week Celebration in Accra yesterday.



The one-week event is on the theme: Civil Service and private sector synergy: A national development imperative.



Among activities lined up for the celebration are a public lecture, an open day, a clean-up exercise, a health day and an awards ceremony.



He explained that the event was to provide a platform for civil servants to engage with the public and the private sectors to identify potential areas of collaboration for job creation, prosperity and equal opportunity for all.



Technology



Nana Agyekum-Dwamena said as part of embracing technology, the Ministry of Communications had also rolled out a smart workplace platform to enable all ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to conduct government business in a more secure environment.



Also, he said, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service had an active social media account that provided information on its operations and activities and a platform for interaction with the public.



The Civil Service has embraced technology to work smarter and improve its services. We have substantially digitised work systems and processes in MMDAs. In adopting the new normal, I believe our digital space will continue to be adequately utilised as work progresses steadily, he added.



He said to ensure more competition and a credible and transparent recruitment system, his outfit last year improved on its computer-based civil service recruitment and examination system, adding that the service had also introduced an online promotion exercise to facilitate the speedy promotion of officers.



Currently, about 1,500 officers are undergoing the virtual promotion exercise. This process has helped to reduce the sheer number of staff coming into the office, allowed officers to go through the interview process in the comfort of their offices and also eliminated cost, the Head of the Civil Service said.



Reforms



Nana Agyekum-Dwamena further said a public-sector-for-results project, launched by the President in 2018, was currently being implemented as part of the national public sector reform strategy in selected civil and public service organisations.



To improve client service, he said, his outfit would also monitor service standards by deploying mystery shoppers to various MMDAs to assess quality of services provided for clients.



As we approach an election period, we have to remind ourselves of our core value of impartiality and our role as Civil Service staff, he admonished members.

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.

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The leader of drug maker Moderna says the company should know in November whether its experimental COVID-19 vaccine works.

Stephane Bancel spoke on the financial news network CNBC Thursday, the same day Moderna released a document that details its vaccine trial plans.

Bancel told Reuters that if its COVID-19 vaccine proves to be at least 70 percent effective, the company would seek Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for people in high-risk groups. The high-risk groups would include healthcare workers and older people.

U.S. government officials say a vaccine candidate must show it is at least 50 percent more effective than a placebo, before the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would consider it for approval.

Moderna, based in Massachusetts, has never brought a vaccine to market. But the U.S. governments Operation Warp Speed program has given the company almost $1 billion for its work on a vaccine. Moderna has a $1.5 billion agreement with the U.S. to supply COVID-19 vaccine.

In March of this year, Moderna gave the first injection of the experimental vaccine to a volunteer in Seattle, Washington. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the United States, said at the time that even if early tests go well, youre talking about a year to a year and a half before any vaccine could be ready for widespread use.



Vaccine candidates from AstraZeneca, Pfizer

Modernas experimental vaccine is one of three leading COVID-19 vaccine candidates under trial in the U.S. The others are from AstraZeneca with Britains University of Oxford and Pfizer in partnership with Germanys BioNTech.

Last week, AstraZeneca temporarily suspended its Phase 3 trial after a volunteer in Britain developed inflammation. The trial has since restarted in Britain and other countries but is still on hold in the U.S. The World Health Organization (WHO) has described that experimental treatment as probably the worlds leading vaccine candidate to fight COVID-19.

In a presentation to investors on Tuesday, Pfizer said it has more than 29,000 volunteers in the Phase 3 trial of its vaccine candidate. The drug maker is looking to increase that numbers to over 40,000. It aims to add older people and more people of color, two groups especially hard hit by the disease.

Albert Bourla is head of the large American drug maker. He told CBS News that the company will know if the product (vaccine) works or not by the end of October.

Unlike other drug makers, Pfizer is not receiving money from the U.S. government for its vaccine research. But Bourla said Pfizer has already started to produce hundreds of thousands of doses of its vaccine while waiting for trial results and FDA approval.



Pressure to deliver vaccine

U.S. President Donald Trump has long pushed for a COVID-19 vaccine to be ready before the countrys November 3 elections. In August, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sent a letter and documents to health officials in all 50 states asking them to be ready for a coronavirus vaccine by November 1.

The documents described two unnamed vaccine candidates that must be stored at temperatures of minus 70 and minus 20 degrees Celsius. The requirements appear to be those from drug-makers Pfizer and Moderna.

On Wednesday, Trump told reporters, "They're taking a tremendous risk and they're spending billions of dollars on actually making this vaccine. He added "They're at this stage where they're actually making it because they feel very confident as to the results."

In the end, it is up to Americans to decide if they have enough confidence in a future vaccine to seek it for themselves. A study in May from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that only half of Americans say they would get a COVID-19 vaccine.

Thirty-one percent of the people in the study said they were not sure. And another 20 percent said they would refuse the vaccine.

Im Caty Weaver.

Hai Do wrote this story for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.

_______________________________________________

Words in This Story

placebo - n. a shot, pill, or substance that is given to patient like a drug but that has no physical effect on the patient

inflammation - n. a condition in which a part of your body becomes red, swollen and painful

dose - n. the amount of medicine or drug that is taken at one time

tremendous - adj. very large or great

stage - n. a particular point or period in the development of something

confident - adj. having a feeling or belief that you can succceed
New Delhi: India's biggest lender State Bank of India (SBI) has announced extension of time for the OTP-based cash withdrawal from ATMs, thus giving the customers a wider window period from Friday (September 18).

SBI customers will now be able to make ATM withdrawal of Rs 10,000 and above after an OTP verification throughout the day.

The bank had allowed this facility to customers during 8 PM to 8 AM in January.

How does OTP-validated ATM transaction work?

The OTP-validated ATM transaction was introduced to minimise the number of unauthorised transactions, State Bank of India had said.

With the introduction of its OTP-based cash withdrawal facility, State Bank added another layer of security for cash withdrawals through its ATMs service.

OTP would be received on the customer''s mobile number registered with the bank. This additional factor of authentication protects State Bank card holders from unauthorized ATM cash withdrawals

Who can avail the services?

This facility will not be applicable for transactions, where a State Bank card holder withdraws cash from another bank's ATM. It is because this functionality has not been developed in National Financial Switch (NFS), as per SBI. NFS is the largest interoperable ATM network in the country and it manages more than 95 per cent of the domestic interbank ATM transactions.

How to withdraw cash based on SBI OTP Service?

Once the cardholder enters the amount he/she wishes to withdraw, the ATM screen displays the OTP window.

The customer has to enter the OTP received on the registered mobile number to complete the transaction.
Frozen water can take on up to three forms at the same time when it melts: liquid, ice and gas. This principle, which states that many substances can occur in up to three phases simultaneously, was explained 150 years ago by the Gibbs phase rule. Today, researchers from Eindhoven University of Technology and University Paris-Saclay are defying this classical theory, with proof of a five-phase equilibrium, something that many scholars considered impossible. This new knowledge yields useful insights for industries that work with complex mixtures, such as in the production of mayonnaise, paint or LCD's. The researchers have published their results in the journal Physical Review Letters.

The founder of contemporary thermodynamics and physical chemistry is the American physicist Josiah Willard Gibbs. In the 1870s he derived the phase rule, which describes the maximum number of different phases a substance or mixture of substances can assume simultaneously. For pure substances, the Gibbs Phase Rule predicts a maximum of 3 phases.

Professor Remco Tuinier, of the Institute for Complex Molecular Systems: "At the time, Einstein called Gibbs' thermodynamics the only theory he really trusted. If we take water as an example, there is one point, with a specific temperature and pressure, where water occurs as gas, liquid and ice at the same time. The so-called triple point." Assistant professor Mark Vis, from the same research group as Tuinier, adds: "This classic Gibbs phase rule is as solid as a rock and has never been defied."

SHAPE MATTERS According to this phase rule, the mixture studied by the researchers would also exhibit a maximum of three phases at one specific point at the same time. But Tuinier and his colleagues now show that in this mixture there is a whole series of circumstances in which four phases exist at the same time. There is even one point at which there are five coexisting phases. Two too many, according to Gibbs. At that specific one point, also called a five-phase equilibrium, a gas phase, two liquid crystal phases, and two solid phases with 'ordinary' crystals exist simultaneously. And that has never been seen before. "This is the first time that the famous Gibbs rule has been broken," Vis says enthusiastically.

The crux lies in the shape of the particles in the mixture. Gibbs did not take this into consideration, but the Eindhoven scientists now show that it is precisely the specific length and diameter of the particles that play a major role. Tuinier: "In addition to the known variables of temperature and pressure, you get two additional variables: the length of the particle in relation to its diameter, and the diameter of the particle in relation to the diameter of other particles in the solution."

RANKED RODS

In their theoretical models, the researchers worked with a mixture of two substances in a background solvent: rods and polymers. This is also called a colloidal system, in which the particles are solid and the medium is liquid. Because the particles cannot occupy exactly the same space, they interact with each other. "This is also called the excluded volume effect; it causes the rods to want to sit together. They are, as it were, pushed towards each other by the polymer chains. In this way, you get a region in the mixture that mainly contains rods, and an area that is rich in polymers," explains Tuinier.

He continues: "The rods then sink to the bottom, because they're usually heavier. That's the beginning of segregation, creating phases." The lower part, which mainly contains rods, will eventually become so crowded that the rods will interfere with each other. They then take up a preferential position, so that they are less in each other's way.

With the rods it looks like a neat arrangement next to each other. Eventually you get five different phases, a gas phase with unaligned rods at the top (an isotropic phase), a liquid phase with rods pointing in about the same direction (nematic liquid crystal), a liquid phase with rods lying in different layers (smectic liquid crystal), and two solid phases at the bottom.

MAYONNAISE AND MONITORS

Vis: "Our research contributes to the fundamental knowledge about this kind of phase transition and helps to understand and predict more precisely when these kinds of transition occur." And that is useful in many areas. Think of pumping complex mixtures around in industrial reactors, making complex products like colloidal mixtures such as mayonnaise and paint, or ice that forms on car windows and black ice on roads.

Even in liquid crystals in monitors, these processes play a role. "Most industries choose to work with a single-phase system, where there is no segregation. But if the exact transitions are clearly described, then the industry can actually use those different phases instead of avoiding them," says Vis.

CHANCE

It was more or less chance that the researchers arrived at an equilibrium of more than three phases. When simulating and programming plate-shaped particles and polymers, PhD students Alvaro Gonzalez Garcia and Vincent Peters from Tuinier's group saw a four-phase equilibrium. Tuinier: "Alvaro came to me one day and asked me what had gone wrong. Because four phases just couldn't be right."

Then the researchers tried out multiple shapes, such as cubes and also rods. Tuinier: "With the rods, most phases turned out to be possible, we even found a five-phase equilibrium. That could also mean that even more complicated equilibria are possible, as long as you search long enough for complex different particle shapes."

###

This research appeared on 18 September in the journal Physical Review Letters under the title 'Defying the Gibbs Phase Rule: Evidence for an Entropy-Driven Quintuple Point in Colloid-Polymer Mixtures'. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.127803
Of the three vaccines that have advanced to Phase 3 trials, two  one made by Moderna and the National Institutes of Health, the other by Pfizer and BioNTech  need to be kept in a near constant deep freeze. (They are made with genetic materials that fall apart when they thaw.) Pfizer expects its vaccine to be stored in temperatures as low as minus 80 Celsius, while Modernas will need to be kept at minus 20 Celsius. Another leading vaccine candidate, being developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, must be kept cool but not frozen.

McKesson, a major drug distributor, won a major federal contract last month to help distribute a coronavirus vaccine. Much of the work, however, will fall to companies outside the medical and drug industries. The major U.S. logistics companies, including UPS and FedEx, already have networks of freezers that they use to ship perishable food and medical supplies. The companies have experience shipping vaccines for other illnesses, including the seasonal flu.

But the Covid-19 vaccination effort is likely to dwarf all previous campaigns.

UPS said it was constructing a so-called freezer farm in Louisville, Ky., the companys largest hub, where it can store millions of doses at subzero temperatures.

Creating an entire warehouse that could maintain that deep freeze would have been too complex and costly. So instead, rows of upright industrial Stirling Ultracold freezers, each capable of holding 48,000 vials, are being arranged inside a warehouse. There are 70 freezers so far, but the warehouse could fit a few hundred. A similar UPS center is in the works in the Netherlands.

I havent seen anything like this before, said Wes Wheeler, UPSs head of health care. Nothing has been quite this global in scale.
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President Ram Nath Kovind on September 18 accepted Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Harsimrat Kaur Badals resignation from the Union Cabinet. She had submitted her resignation as the Union Minister of Food Processing Industries over the Centres farm ordinances, which have triggered farmers' protests across Punjab and Haryana.

Farmers in Punjab and Haryana have been protesting against three ordinances -- The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020; The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, 2020; and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020 -- promulgated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government on June 5. SAD, which is part of the ruling coalition, has however said it will continue to be a part of the alliance.

The Centre has moved three bills to replace these ordinances. On September 17, the Lok Sabha passed the first two bills by a voice vote.

Why are farmers protesting?

These bills seek to provide barrier-free trade for farmers produce outside notified farm mandis, and empower farmers to enter into farming agreements with private players prior to production for sale of agri-produce. However, protesting farmers claim that the move will 'corporatise' the agriculture sector and further cripple them financially.

The government claims that these initiatives will help farmers get better prices for their crops, by legalising contract farming, for instance.

A release issued by the Prime Minister's Office in June had claimed that these measures will give farmers "the freedom to produce, hold, move, distribute and supply and will lead to harnessing of economies of scale and attract private sector/foreign direct investment into the agriculture sector. It will help drive up investment in cold storages and modernisation of the food supply chain."

Addressing a press conference BJP National President JP Nadda said all three bills are far-sighted and will boost agriculture production. When asked about the minimum support price (MSP), the BJP leader assured that it would stay.

Why is SAD protesting?

This has led to a major political storm in the agrarian state of Punjab. The state-level unit of the Akali Dal has been supporting the farmers' protests. Earlier this week, SAD president Sukhbir Badal had said, Every Akali is a farmer, and every farmer is an Akali.

Thus, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh -- a rival of the Badals -- had dared Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Sukhbir Badal to quit the BJP-led NDA. The Congress itself has opposed the bills. Its Members of Parliament (MPs) had also burnt copies of the bills, and had staged a protest in front of Mahatma Gandhi's statue in Parliament Complex and raised slogans against the government.

With Legislative Assembly polls in Punjab just 18 months away, the development is likely to directly impact the state's politics -- forcing the Akali Dal to pick a side.

Politically, the SAD has been in a spot over the last few years. In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the BJP-SAD alliance managed to win just four of the 13 seats in Punjab. SAD won just two of those seats. The drubbing came two years after the party managed to win just 15 of Punjabs 117 Assembly seats in the state polls  leading to a loss of power after two terms.

In her resignation letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Harsimrat Kaur Badal said that farmers and her party are "synonymous" since SAD is "inspired by egalitarian vision of the founder of Sikh faith, Shri Guru Nanak Dev who spent nearly 20 years working in his fields at Kartarpur Sahib as a humble farmer".

"It's enough to show what farmers mean to SAD," she added.

Besides SAD, other opposition parties are also protesting against these bills. Terming the three bills anti-farmer, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)s National Convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has demanded that the Centre withdraw them, saying his party will vote against the bills in Parliament. AAP is the second largest party in the Punjab Legislative Assembly.

The Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP), Trinamool Congress (TMC), the Left parties, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) opposed the bill in the Lok Sabha.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati also sharpened its attack on the Centre and said that her party will not support the bills.

In a tweet in Hindi, Mayawati said, "Two bills related to farmers were passed in the Parliament yesterday without clearing doubts of farmers and BSP does not agree with this."

"It will be better if the Central government focuses on what the farmers in the country want," she said.

The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) demanded the bills be sent to select committees. The Shiv Sena, which is allied with the Congress in Maharashtra, supported the bills, but recommended changes.

Also read | 3 ordinances that will 'corporatise' agriculture: Why farmers in Punjab, Haryana and UP are protesting

Yet, there are non-NDA parties that have supported the bills. News agency ANI quoted YSR Congress Party MP Krishnadevaraya Lavu as saying that the Akali Dal has its own political compulsion in Punjab. Their opposition party has cornered them, maybe that is the reason which forced them (to oppose the bills)."

"We welcome the (passage of) the bills but their implementation has to happen in a planned way so that the farmers are not affected," the lawmaker said about the three agrarian reform bills.

Besides YSRCP, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the Janata Dal (United) also supported the bills.
By Express News Service

GUWAHATI: The Gorkhas in India fighting for a separate Gorkhaland state have got a new friend in Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma.

He has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah citing the pressing issues being faced by the community in North Bengal and seeking a permanent solution to the problem.

The Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh (BGP), which is the highest body of the Gorkhas in India, lauded Sangma.

The BGP welcomes the support extended to the Gorkhaland demand by Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma. In his letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, he has batted for a homeland of the Gorkhas and highlighted the contributions made by the Gorkhas in the nation-building process, BGP leader Nanda Kirati Dewan said.

He said the Gorkhas, whose population is estimated to be around 10.5 million in India, would now have huge expectations from Sangma and his National People Party vis-a-vis the separate homeland demand.

In his recent letter to Shah, Sangma wrote: Sir, you are aware of the long-pending constitutional demand of the Gorkhas for a separate Gorkhaland state. The Gorkhas have made India their home for a very long period. The contributions of the Gorkhas towards India, their motherland, have been immeasurable and they have made supreme sacrifices in protecting this beloved country.

The Meghalaya CM made mention of Gorkha freedom fighters Major Durga Malla and Captain Ram Singh Thakuria and Indias Constituent Assembly members Damber Singh Gurung and Ari Bahadur Gurung to underscore the contributions made by Gorkhas to Indian society.

Stating that the Gorkhas too are rightful Indian citizens, who deserve their own identity and Bas Bhoomi, and that the NDA under Prime Minister Narendra Modi passed several landmark decisions in the interests of the people, Sangma urged Shah to consider the just and legitimate demand of the Gorkhas and work out a political solution that is both honourable and lasting.
The child pornography investigation into former Harrisburg City Councilman Brad Koplinski began a few months ago when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reported 36 instances of someone uploading child porn and child erotica, according to court records.

The reports from the national center that were provided to Dauphin County detectives showed 33 of the images going to a specific Internet Protocol address in Harrisburg and three images going to another IP address. Both addresses were registered to Koplinskis wife. The images were uploaded between March 18 and July 1, according to court records.

Dauphin County detectives on Thursday filed 15 felony charges against Koplinski for allegedly possessing child pornography. Koplinski appeared in court Friday afternoon, where Magisterial District Judge Hanif Johnson released him on $5,000 unsecured bail.

County detectives served a search warrant Aug. 19 at Koplinskis home on North 2nd Street, where he lives with his wife and her son, according to court records. Koplinski married his wife in 2017, according to his marriage license.

While conducting a search of the main bedroom on the second floor, Koplinski reportedly wanted to speak with the lead detective.

The lead detective said Koplinski advised us which electronic items that we would likely find what we were looking for, according to the affidavit written by Detective Clair Martin. He directed us to a laptop computer that he stated he used to upload the images in question and several thumb drives that were in a drawer in the nightstand next to his side of the bed.

Koplinski allegedly admitted to uploading the suspected child porn and child erotica to the laptop and thumb drives during an interview with another county detective, the affidavit said.

Bryan McQuillen, Koplinskis attorney, said there wasnt much he could say at this early stage.

Mr. Koplinski is taking this allegation very seriously, McQuillen said. We are in the process of reviewing the charges.

With regard to the allegation that Koplinski admitted to uploading the images, McQuillen said We will carefully examine exactly what was said and documented by the Dauphin County CID at the time of the preliminary hearing.

The hearing is set for 10 a.m. Oct. 7 in front of Magisterial District Judge Barb Pianka.

Court records said the 15 felony charges stem from the allegation that Koplinski knowingly possessed or controlled at least 15 images of apparent child pornography and at least 32 images of child erotica.

Koplinski has been active in local Democratic politics for years, running unsuccessfully for Clerk of Courts last year and for lieutenant governor in 2014. He also has had prior brushes with the legal system.

Koplinski was charged with burglary in 2016 after police said he used a stolen press pass and illegally entered a building at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia where he tried to take some parking passes and food vouchers.

Koplinski was allowed to enroll in Philadelphia countys Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program for first-time offenders. If he completes the program successfully, the charges would be erased from his public record.

Koplinski talked to PennLive last year about that arrest:

As many people know, Koplinski said, I collect a great deal of political memorabilia. Unfortunately, I made a serious mistake at the 2016 Democratic National Convention and took parking passes and other items issued by the United States Secret Service. While I only wanted them for my collection, the authorities wanted to be sure that I was not potentially using the items to pose a threat to the convention. Although the authorities soon realized that I was simply an extreme collector, charges were still filed.

A few days prior to those charges being filed, Koplinski made news after the staunch Democrat surprisingly was spotted selling Donald Trump paraphernalia at the 2016 Republican National Convention. He was photographed wearing a red Make America Great Again hat. The attorney/political strategist said he was hawking the merchandise in exchange for a pass to get into the convention.

Koplinski served as a Harrisburg council member for 8 years but lost his bid for re-election in 2015. He also was charged with driving under a suspended license in 2016 and pleaded guilty to failing to report earned income taxes in 2009.

When asked last year about his prior legal problems as he made a run for Dauphin County Clerk of Courts, Koplinski said he had made mistakes and takes responsibility for them.

None of us is perfect and I am far from it, he said. "I continue to learn from these experiences. I believe my previous public service has been beneficial to the City of Harrisburg and to Dauphin County as a whole. I hope that the voters will give me the opportunity to serve them again.

READ: Details emerge in arrest of ex-Harrisburg councilman charged with burglary during DNC
Political expression comes in many guises. For Indigenous communities, there has always been a deep connection to the arts to give voice to our shared experience. Art can describe the trauma, humour and oppression that comes with living in modern Australia as a First Nations person.

In the not-too-distant past, music was used as a form of escapism from the toll daily oppression took on people. Those growing up on missions or one generation removed from mission life would listen to the dulcet tones of Charley Pride, Slim Dusty or Tammy Wynette. The dreamy lament of country music reflected the ache of rural life and also engendered a yearning for times past and the promise of times to come.

Musician and broadcaster Neil Morris.

Cut to 2020 and not only have Indigenous listening habits changed, but so has the culture of musical expression. Artists such as Briggs, JK-47 and Baker Boy dominate the Indigenous music scene and have themselves become crossover artists into the mainstream. The music and lyricism of Indigenous hip-hop fights oppression, celebrates identity and calls for recognition of sovereignty.

With the culture wars as a backdrop, hip-hop has given a voice to dozens of Indigenous artists, from Australia's most remote communities to its most densely populated cities. On the surface, the shared connection between the songlines of decaying American urbanity and those of the world's oldest living culture aren't necessarily obvious. So what is it about this form of music that resonates so deeply with so many in First Nations communities?
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 15:56:20|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- China's female peacekeepers play a crucial and unique role in promoting gender equality and women's rights, a Chinese military official said Friday.

They are very important in preventing and resolving conflicts as well as promoting peace and development, Luo Wei, director general of the peacekeeping affairs center under the Ministry of National Defense, told a press conference.

Over the past 30 years, the Chinese armed forces have sent more than 1,000 female officers to participate in UN peacekeeping operations, he said.

At present, China has 85 female military personnel serving in peacekeeping missions at the UN headquarters, as well as working in various other missions such as medical care, liaison and coordination, mine clearance and explosive removal, patrol, and observation, among others. They also play an active role in the promotion of gender equality and protection of women and children, according to Luo. Enditem
Toronto police have made an arrest in last weekends fatal stabbing of a caretaker outside a Rexdale mosque, a slaying investigators say was perpetrated by a stranger whose motive remains unknown.

Mohamed-Aslim Zafis, 58, was stabbed as he sat outside International Muslim Organization (IMO) mosque Saturday night, controlling the entry to ensure compliance with COVID-19 restrictions.

Zafis died on the scene, steps from the mosque where hed worshipped and volunteered.

Zafis death has prompted a flood of grief within the the Muslim community and beyond. On Friday, IMO mosque called for the killing to be investigated as a potential hate crime.

Toronto police have arrested Guilherme William Von Neutegem, 34, and charged him with one count of first-degree murder.

Police say Von Neutegem has no known motive or connection to Zafis.

At this stage in the investigation, there does not appear to be any motive, and there does not appear to be any known relationship between the accused and our victim, Toronto police homicide Insp. Hank Idsinga told reporters at a press conference Friday afternoon.

He stressed that the investigation is in the early stages and that its too early to say if the homicide may be investigated as a hate crime.

Its definitely something that we are open-minded to, exactly what the motivation was . But, right now, weve laid the charge. Were getting him before the courts to face that charge and the investigation is continuing, Idsinga said.

Earlier this week, Idsinga said police could not exclude the possibility that Zafis death could be linked to the fatal stabbing of Rampreet (Peter) Singh, who was found dead on Monday, Sept. 7  five days before Zafis death and five kilometers away from the IMO mosque.

Singh had been living under a bridge on the West Humber Trail at the time of his death. Police confirmed the two victims are of similar ethnic backgrounds.

Considering the similarities in method and the proximity of the two fatal stabbings, police could not rule out that they were connected, Idsinga said Monday.

But Idsinga told reporters Friday police cant yet provide new information about Singhs death. Investigators are continuing to probe the killing.

We will provide further information as soon as we can on that investigation. We continue to explore every possibility and will go where the evidence takes us, he said.

Responding to the arrest Friday, the National Council of Canadian Muslims thanked Toronto police, on behalf of the IMO mosque, for their investigation and urged officers to continue their probe.

The IMO will be calling on the Toronto Police Service to investigate the murder as a potentially hate-motivated homicide, the statement said.

The mosque will be holding a vigil and press conference outside the mosque Saturday night, one week after Zafis killing.

On Wednesday, hundreds of mourners gathered in IMO mosques parking lot for Zafis funerals, while thousands more watched the ceremony online.

He was remembered as a kind, gentle soul who handed out food to the hungry hours before he was killed.

He was an incredible man, said Zafiss nephew, Zahir Zafis. He never had any negative thoughts or words.

Von Neutegems arrest is the second in as many days where police allege the accused killed a complete stranger. On Thursday, investigators announced the arrest of Brampton man Christopher Mitchell, 18, in the fatal shooting of 45-year-old John Wheeler.

Wheeler had been waiting for his ride to work outside his apartment building near Danforth Rd. and Eglinton Ave. East. when he was fatally shot from behind.

Toronto police said the accused and the victim are complete strangers.

We want to reiterate that this was a senseless killing. Mr. Wheeler did not deserve this, nor does anyone, Det.-Sgt. Ted Lioumanis, the lead homicide detective on the case, told reporters Thursday.

with files from The Canadian Press

Wendy Gillis is a Toronto-based reporter covering crime and policing for the Star. Reach her by email at wgillis@thestar.ca or follow her on Twitter: @wendygillis
In 1947, Harry Lubys son, Robert, returned from military service and, together with his cousin, Charles Johnston, started a process of consolidation, modernization and expansion that built the Lubys chain into a major corporation. Its market capitalization peaked at about $400 million in 2006 but has been hammered in more recent years by the Great Recession, COVID-19 and changing consumer preferences. So it appears that weve reached the end of an era.

Oh, you may ask what happened to Richard Goode, that kid from Fort Worth who washed dishes for his meals at the New England Cafeteria. After his Baylor graduation, Richard earned a doctorate in economics at the University of Wisconsin, had a distinguished academic career at the University of Chicago and the Brookings Institution and was the founding director of the Fiscal Affairs Department of the International Monetary Fund. In 1999, soon after I interviewed him, Richard established an endowed scholarship fund at Baylor. When he died in 2010, at age 93, his estate added more than $7 million to that fund. So I am grateful that Richard is still paying it forward to a new generation of college students.
Photograph: Apu Gomes/AFP/Getty Images

The cars that typically throng the huge highways weaving through Los Angeles are such an established part of the citys fabric that when the coronavirus pandemic hit, their sudden absence felt bizarre to locals even eerie. But many Angelenos have now discovered a new sort of relationship with their streets.

People have felt they own their neighborhood again, they feel connected to it again, Eric Garcetti, Los Angeless mayor, told the Guardian in reference to streets that have reduced traffic, or even had it closed off, as offices, retailers and restaurants shut down.

Garcetti added: People started walking in their neighborhood, biking, rollerskating. I think out of this pandemic you will see dozens of streets keeping it this way.

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Los Angeles is just one of a number of US cities now plotting a comeback from the pain of the pandemic by tackling another, but longer-term, emergency  the climate crisis. By extending measures to turn streets over to pedestrians and cyclists, bolstering jobs in clean energy or building of new defenses to risks such as flooding, some US cities are attempting a green recovery to Covid-19.

The look and feel of these urban areas is set to change. Seattle has announced 20 miles of streets will be permanently closed to cars, New Orleans is planning to pedestrianize a slice of its famous French Quarter and New Yorkers are spreading out into its streets in a wave of socially distanced alfresco dining and drinking.

Garcetti conceded there had been some grumbles from Los Angeles residents over the idea of fewer car journeys but that the virus had underscored the need for pre-pandemic plans to roll out miles of new bike lanes and rail lines. You can only have a stimulus where you champion mass transit and clean energy, not just for a strong economy but a more livable city where you walk more and arent stuck in traffic, he said.

What youll see [after the pandemic] is a city that will surprise you. You will still be able to drive a convertible up the coast, still go up Mulholland Drive with the lights laid out like a bed of jewels. But youll also realize that transit can get you there too, that you can work, eat and play without getting into a car.

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The concept of a green recovery has been embraced by several European countries as they look to extricate themselves from a pandemic that has caused more than 900,000 deaths globally and paralyzed economies as governments curtailed public gatherings in order to slow the viruss spread.

In the UK, the prime minister, Boris Johnson, has vowed to build back better and bolder, promising several billion pounds for energy efficiency upgrades in homes and public buildings, as well as technology to suck planet-heating emissions from the air. France, facing its deepest recession since second world war , has pledged about 30bn for green energy initiatives while Germany is spending billions more on transitioning away from fossil fuels and subsidizing electric vehicles.

A cyclist rides along Beach Drive in Washington DC in April. The city closed portions of the road to vehicular traffic during the coronavirus outbreak. Photograph: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

There has been less enthusiasm for a green recovery within the US government, with just a small fraction of the $2tn pandemic stimulus, passed in March, aimed at addressing the climate crisis. Last week, congressional Democrats put forward proposals to use federal funds to boost renewable energy, retrofit buildings to make them more energy efficient and to safeguard communities of color from air and water pollution. Republicans, who control the Senate, are expected to block the move.

The leadership will have to come from cities because its certainly not coming from the federal level, quite the opposite, said Brent Toderian, a Vancouver-based urban planner and consultant. Some US cities are exemplars  Toderian said that Oakland in California had become an international folk hero for its move to banish cars from 74 miles, or around 10%, of its streets  but progress had been patchy.

Most of the conversations have been around temporary changes that some cities have already started to undo, Toderian said. European cities have realized that they need to address pre-existing conditions like air pollution to come out of this pandemic. American cities are barely reacting to their pre-existing conditions, such as racial inequity and unrest, public health crises, homelessness and how cities are built in a sprawling way.

Many US cities are heavily dependent upon cars, lack adequate green space for residents and are precariously vulnerable to the heatwaves and floodwaters spurred by the climate crisis.

Even New York City, considered highly progressive on climate change, is reluctant to undergo transformation. In July, Mayor Bill de Blasio demurred when asked if Americas largest urban area would become like Paris, where bicycles, rather than cars, now circle the Champs-Elysees. New York City is just a different place, de Blasio said. Were going to make the decisions based on our own reality.

That angers some.

People walk down 46th Street, temporarily converted to Restaurant Row for outdoor dining, on 6 September in New York. Photograph: Roy Rochlin/Getty Images

New York should be showing other cities what is possible, said Toderian. Its bizarre for the mayor to say that, it was shocking. Its not New York exceptionalism, its New York excuse.

Other cities see the situation as more urgent as they grapple with the need to kickstart a wave of new jobs while fending off the looming threat of the climate crisis. New Orleans is pushing ahead with hundreds of millions of dollars worth of infrastructure projects to help protect it from the rising seas and storms, as well as rolling out more electric vehicle charging stations and a plan to make solar panels more easily available for households.

We need to pivot to a green economy, said LaToya Cantrell, New Orleans mayor. Our people are vulnerable to climate change  we are sinking as a city. We dont have a choice.
When recruiters from British Columbia came to Toronto looking for teachers, Kamey Munsamy was pleased to find her skills in high demand.

It was 2018 and cuts to education by the Ford government had Munsamy thinking a change might be a good idea, even though she loved teaching in the city of Toronto, where she felt her perspective as an immigrant from South Africa was valued.

But once she decided to accept a job offer in Vancouver, Munsamy got an unpleasant surprise.

The B.C. Teacher Regulation Branch, the provincial body that certifies teachers qualifications and allows them to work in the province, said she could only continue working in the province if she took an English language proficiency test in the midst of the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic.

I am devastated and demoralized, she said. My major is English literature.

There is no question that Munsamy could pass the proficiency test the regulatory body is asking her to complete. Her first language is English. Shes fully qualified to teach in English in both Ontario and Manitoba. Her bachelor of education was completed in Manitoba.

But a B.C. regulation set up by the independent B.C. Teachers Council states that teachers who took their teacher education in another jurisdiction can be required to take a test, which costs them as much as $400, before becoming fully qualified in B.C.

Munsamy is currently working at her new job in special education with the Vancouver School Board under her Ontario teachers licence  a provision that expires after 20 days. On top of the extra planning she needs to do because of COVID-19, the test seems less like a reasonable check on her qualifications, and more like a barrier preventing her from doing her job, she said.

Im trying to get into a testing centre but I have to go and spend so much money  its really onerous, she said. I was placed in a wonderful school in Vancouver. Im working  and whether I continue to work, I dont know.

Im feeling denigrated, degraded and targeted because of my African ancestry, of which Im very proud, she said.

B.C. has faced a teacher shortage in the province on account of a Supreme Court of Canada decision that granted the union rights to negotiate class sizes in the province. The B.C. Teachers Federation maintains there are still teacher positions that need filling in the province, and that the COVID-19 pandemic should make class sizes even smaller.

The requirements for teacher licensing in B.C. require that candidates be proficient in English, and that officials can require candidates to take a proficiency test if they took their teaching certification outside of B.C. or, at their discretion, if they believe there is another reason the person may not be proficient in English.

Exceptions are made for individuals who studied in Canada, the United States, New Zealand, Australia, Ireland or the United Kingdom, or another country where English is the only language of instruction.

In an emailed statement, the B.C. Ministry of Education declined to comment, saying it does not comment on individual licensing applications.

Read more about:
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 16

By Zeyni Jafarov - Trend:

More than 2,700 applications for receiving the business loans worth 765.3 million manat ($450.2 million) have been registered through the e-credit platform (www.e-edf.gov.az) created by the Azerbaijani Ministry of Economy to issue the state-guaranteed loans to the entrepreneurs affected as a result of coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in an easy and transparent form, Trend reports citing the Ministry of Economy.

A decision has already been made to allocate the loans worth 52.6 million manat ($30.9 million) upon 253 applications. Other applications are currently being considered. The entrepreneurs will be informed about the results through an e-platform.

The new e-credit platform allows entrepreneurs to apply for business loans, simultaneously view the applications to three authorized credit organizations and the Entrepreneurship Development Fund and also track the status of their applications in real time. This expands the entrepreneurs' access to get the loans, saves time and money.

In accordance with the mechanism for providing state guarantees and subsidizing interest, the state guarantees up to 60 percent of the loan portfolio in the amount of 500 million manat ($294 million) and also finances 50 percent of the annual interest rate of these loans.

(1 USD = 1.7 AZN on Sept. 16)

----

Follow the author on Twitter: @jafarov_zeyni
(Newser)  On Thursday night, police and firefighters began searching for a missing elite "Hotshot" firefighter near Pinezanita, Calif., which has been engulfed in flames from a blaze started during a gender reveal party, reports KTLA. By Friday morning, sad news had emerged, per CNN. "USDA Forest Service officials on the San Bernardino National Forest have confirmed the death of a firefighter on the El Dorado Fire," a release reads, adding that the firefighter's identity is not being released until next of kin can be reached. The New York Times notes this is the 26th death thus far from the summer's California fire. This particular inferno was sparked by a "smoke-generating pyrotechnic device" at the Sept. 5 gender reveal gathering, and it has so far scorched more than 21,000 acres.

story continues below

"Our deepest sympathies are with the family, friends, and fellow firefighters during this time," the USDA Forest Service says in a statement, adding it's investigating the incident. Meanwhile, upward of 5 million acres in California have burnedmore than in the last two years before that combined. The family that threw the gender reveal party had tried in vain with water bottles to put out the fire they'd caused, Cal Fire's Capt. Bennet Milloy tells the Times. He adds that criminal charges may be possible after the fire is put out, and that the family may have to pay the fire agency back for the costs incurred in fighting the fire. "Personally, I can only imagine how terrible they have to feel for a lot of reasons," he says. (Read more California wildfires stories.)
She soared to fame as Eleven in the hit Netflix series Stranger Things.

And Millie Bobby Brown has revealed that the she misses a 'good cup of tea with digestives' the most when she's filming in America.

The actress, 16, appeared on Mark Wright's Heart Evening Show on Thursday night where she also discussed her friendship with the former TOWIE star, 33, and his family.

Essentials: Millie Bobby Brown has revealed that the she misses a 'good cup of tea with digestives' the most when she's filming in America (pictured in January)

Talking about what 'British classics' she misses the most while filming in America, Millie, who spends a large time in Atlanta, Georgia, for Stranger Things, admitted she has enjoyed shooting her latest film Enola Holmes in London.

The star has produced and starred as the title character in the upcoming mystery film, where she plays the sister of Sherlock Holmes (Henry Cavill), who goes off in search of her missing mother (Helena Bonham Carter).

Millie, who grew up in Dorset, England, and settled in Florida with her family to pursue acting aged eight, said: 'On set I used to have a good cup of tea with digestives, almost every morning and I had a Lucozade when I needed some energy.

Friends: The actress, 16, appeared on Mark Wright's Heart Evening Show on Thursday night where she also discussed her friendship with the former TOWIE star, 33, and his family (pictured in 2017)

'I think just for me, I loved hearing the accent all day long, the banter, don't get me wrong I love working in America, but you know obviously home is home for me and I loved working with my people.'

To which Mark added: 'And that's the best thing about you Millie, if you don't know Millie and you're listening right now and watching it, she's obviously one of the most talented actors to come out of this country for sure.

'She works so hard but on the other side she's so normal, so grounded, she's such a sweetheart and the fact that she loves a cup of tea does it all Mills.'

Talking about her new film Enola Holmes, Millie revealed that she would meet up with Mark's family for dinner while filming in London.

Back home! Talking about what 'British classics' she misses the most while filming in America, Millie, who spends a large time in Atlanta, Georgia, for Stranger Things, admitted she has enjoyed shooting her latest film Enola Holmes in London

Close: Talking about her new film Enola Holmes, Millie revealed that she would meet up with Mark's family for dinner while filming in London (pictured in 2018)

The two families got close when Mark moved out to Los Angeles to pursue his presenting career.

Millie said: 'It was amazing, it was so fun, obviously I was literally meeting up with your family whilst I was filming and they saw some nights, I was definitely more tired than I've ever worked before.

'I was definitely pushing myself through, it was challenging but I absolutely enjoyed every second of it, it was so much fun.'

With Mark adding: 'I can vouch for that because I remember being at your house in the UK and it was about 11:30 at night maybe, I'd been there a few hours, had some food with your mum and dad, and you still weren't home.

Big break: She soared to fame as Eleven in the hit Netflix series Stranger Things with filming taking place in Atlanta, Georgia

Showbiz pals: The two families got close when Mark moved out to Los Angeles to pursue his presenting career (pictured above with actor Gregg Sulkin in 2018)

'You were still working so you are such a worker. You enjoy work though Mills don't you?'

To which Millie replied: 'Yes, I push myself all the time, I'm always working, always finding something to do, I love work.

'I'm not obsessed with it, just because that would be unhealthy, but I definitely love working and keeping myself busy and learning new things.'

Millie recently produced and starred as the title character in the upcoming mystery film Enola Holmes.

Close: Millie pictured with Mark's sisters Jess and Natalya in 2019

The star admitted that she didn't even think she would be 'old enough' to serve as a producer and it was her father who suggested she be part of the production.

She revealed: 'Well, when I read the book, I knew I wanted to bring this to life.

'My dad and I, and my older sister Paige, we came together with our production company, PCMA and we found a studio to then make the film, Legendary, and then we found a writer and a director.

'My family and I really begun this journey of Enola so that's how it come along. My dad said to me, you should be part of the production.

Premise: Enola Holmes sees Millie play the youngest member of the Holmes family who goes off in search of her missing mother (Helena Bonham Carter - pictured)

'I was like, "Is that even a thing? Is that allowed, how old do you have to be to be a producer? I thought there was an age limit" and he was like, "No I bet you there isn't" so I was like, "alright!"

'So we've got a producer credit, this is the role I'm taking, and I put my head down, I went on set, and I basically was behind the production as well as being on screen.'

Sharing her accomplishment, she said: 'It was definitely a bigger role than I've ever taken before but I was very very excited and threw myself into it.'

Talented: The star admitted that she didn't even think she would be 'old enough' to serve as a producer and it was her father who suggested she be part of the production

Enola Holmes sees Millie play the youngest member of the Holmes family who goes off in search of her missing mother (Helena Bonham Carter).

The film, which is based on the book series of the same name by Nancy Springer, sees Enola tackle mansplaining and reverse ageism as she is determined to track down her mother.

Enola Holmes is set to be released on Wednesday 23 September on Netflix.

Join Mark Wright on Heart, Monday to Thursday evenings from 7pm-10pm and on Sundays from 12pm-4pm.
TikTok IPO on would be one of technology sectors biggest-ever share sales and would dilute Chinese owners stake.

Chinas ByteDance is planning an initial public offering of TikTok Global, its proposed new company for the popular short-video app, should the government in the United States give its approval to the plan, people familiar with the matter told Reuters News Agency on Thursday.

ByteDance is racing to clinch an agreement that will head off a US ban on TikTok that President Donald Trump has threatened could happen as early as next week.

Trump ordered ByteDance last month to divest TikTok amid US concerns that the personal data of as many as 100 million Americans who use the app could be passed on to Chinas Communist Party government. On Wednesday, he reiterated he was opposed to ByteDance retaining majority ownership of TikTok.

The White House and ByteDance have agreed to a term sheet on some aspects of a deal, although Trump has not yet approved it, one of the sources said.

The new company, dubbed TikTok Global, would have a majority of American directors, a US chief executive and a security expert on the board, the source added. Oracle has agreed to eventually own a 20 percent stake in the company, according to the source. If Walmart also successfully negotiates acquiring a stake, its CEO, Doug McMillon, would get a seat on TikTok Globals board, the source said.





Trump said that his administration held talks with Walmart and Oracle on Thursday but nothing much has changed regarding a deal.

He added, without giving details, I guess Microsoft is still involved. Microsoft said on Sunday its offer for TikTok had been rejected and did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.

Well make a decision soon, Trump said.

Giant IPO

An IPO of TikTok would be one of the technology sectors biggest-ever stock market debuts, given that the app was recently valued by ByteDance investors at more than $50bn. It would also further reduce ByteDances stake in the company, helping appease US officials.

The filing of the IPO would be on a US stock exchange and could come in about a year, the sources said.

There is no certainty about whether Trump will sign off on the agreement. It was also not immediately clear what assets TikTok Global would own beyond the apps assets in the US. ByteDance has offered to create 25,000 new US jobs with TikTok based in the US in its attempts to secure Trumps blessing for a deal, Reuters has reported.

It was also not clear whether ByteDance could present the deal to China as keeping majority ownership of TikTok. Chinese officials have said they do not want ByteDance to agree to a forced sale, and the companys proposal to the White House this week called for it to retain majority ownership of TikTok.

The board of TikTok Global would include a national security director, who will be approved by the US and chair a security committee overseeing the protection of user data, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The term sheet will grant Oracle the right to inspect TikToks source code and includes numerous provisions to ensure data security and a requirement that all US users data remains in the US housed by Oracle, the source said.

It is not clear what Oracle or Walmart will pay for a stake. Oracle, Walmart and Treasury did not immediately comment.

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said on Thursday that the administration is still looking at details of the deal and whether it meets national security thresholds. Meadows said if TikTok remains predominantly Chinese-run under the Oracle deal, that would not meet Trumps objectives.

Adding to the complexities for ByteDance, China said on Thursday it would need to approve any proposed deal with the White House.





As many as 40 percent of Americans back Trumps threat to ban TikTok if it is not sold to a US buyer, a Reuters/Ipsos national poll found last month. Among Republicans  Trumps party  69 percent said they supported the order, though only 32 percent expressed familiarity with the app.

The White House has stepped up efforts to purge what it deems untrusted Chinese apps from US digital networks. Beyond TikTok, Trump has also issued an order prohibiting transactions with the messenger app WeChat, which is controlled by Tencent.

Earlier this year, Chinese gaming company Beijing Kunlun Tech sold gay dating app Grindr, which it had bought in 2016, for $620m after CFIUS ordered its divestment.

TikTok is a rebrand of Musical.ly, a Shanghai-based video app whose user base was mostly young Americans, that ByteDance bought for $1bn in 2017. The app was relaunched the following year as TikTok. Reuters reported in 2019 that CFIUS was investigating TikTok.
Law Offices of Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP If you would like to know more about the Clara Medical Group, P.C. lawsuit, please contact Attorney Nicholas J. De Blouw today by calling (800) 568-8020.

The San Francisco employment law attorneys, at Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP, filed a class action complaint alleging that Clara Medical Group, P.C. failed to provide their California employees with meal and rest periods as required by California law. The Clara Medical Group, P.C., class action lawsuit, Case No. CGC-20-585918, is currently pending in the San Francisco Superior Court of the State of California. A copy of the Complaint can be read here.

According to the lawsuit filed, Clara Medical Group, P.C. allegedly (a) failed to pay minimum wages, (b) failed to pay overtime wages, (c) failed to properly record and provide legally required meal and rest periods, (d) failed to provide accurate itemized wage statements, (e) failed to reimburse employees for required expenses, and (f) failed to provide wages when due, all in violation of the applicable Labor Code sections listed in Labor Code Sections  201, 202, 203, 226, 226.7, 510, 512, 1194, 1197, 1197.1, 2802, and the applicable Wage Order(s), and thereby gives rise to civil penalties as a result of such alleged conduct.

The complaint alleges Clara Medical Group, P.C. committed acts of unfair competition in violation of the California Unfair Competition Law, Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code  17200, et seq. (the UCL), by engaging in a company-wide policy and procedure which failed to correctly classify PLAINTIFFS and other CALIFORNIA CLASS Members as employees. As a result of DEFENDANTs intentional disregard of the obligation to meet this burden, DEFENDANT allegedly failed to pay all required overtime compensation for work performed by PLAINTIFFS and other CALIFORNIA CLASS Members and violated the California Labor Code.

If you would like to know more about the Clara Medical Group, P.C. lawsuit, please contact Attorney Nicholas J. De Blouw today by calling (800) 568-8020.

Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP is an employment law firm with offices located in San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Riverside and Chicago that dedicates its practice to helping employees, investors and consumers fight back against unfair business practices, including violations of the California Labor Code and Fair Labor Standards Act. If you need help in collecting unpaid overtime wages, unpaid commissions, being wrongfully terminated from work, and other employment law claims, contact one of their attorneys today.

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Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

Sandia National Laboratories has paused all inclusion and diversity training in the wake of a memo from the Trump administration that called such sessions divisive, un-American propaganda.

The director of the labs said in an email to the workforce that the pause is temporary, and that inclusion and diversity are still critical to lab operations.

This is a pause, not an end to our I&D training, James Peery, director of Sandia National Labs, wrote in a message to lab employees, which was obtained by the Journal. We continue to believe that inclusion and diversity are critical to providing exceptional service in the national interest.

Sandia offered its employees diversity training in the wake of recent protests across the country, including those after the death of George Floyd, a Black man killed by police.

The training at the labs upset at least one electrical engineer, who sent a lab-wide email blast criticizing them. The engineer, Casey Petersen, argued, in part, that the training overexaggerated the existence of systemic racism and white privilege.

The labs declined to discuss with the Journal the training they offered.

Several conservative-leaning news sites and think tanks wrote about Petersens email, which included an hourlong video. Those reports caught the attention of the White House, which pushed back against the training sessions.

On Sept. 4, Russell Vought, director of the White House Budget Office, referenced some of those media reports in a memo directing all executive branch agencies, which include national labs, to stop such workshops.

The President has directed me to ensure that federal agencies cease and desist from using taxpayer dollars to fund these divisive, un-American propaganda training sessions, he wrote.

Peery, in a letter to the lab workforce on Sept. 14, said that the National Nuclear Security Administration Sandia Field Office has directed the National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., to immediately suspend all diversity, equity, and inclusion training until further written notice.

This communication is being sent to the workforce to enable NTESS and the labs to comply with the directive we have been given, Peery said. The Sandia workforce should immediately pause all training and organized discussion, communications and events focused on inclusion and diversity.

He said activities about anti-harassment and anti-discrimination can continue.

Peerys message said that lab leaders can answer staff members questions about his directive. But he said there shouldnt be meetings dominated with conversations about recent events regarding the labs inclusion and diversity efforts.

Luke Frank, a spokesman for Sandia Labs, declined to answer questions and referred the Journal to the Department of Energy, which also didnt answer questions.

The department did provide the Journal with a memo that showed the Secretary of Energy has created a task force that is investigating all inclusion, equity and diversity training sessions and workshops provided to personnel at DOE laboratories.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the Year of Remembrance and Glory in the country in 2020 in honor of the 75th anniversary of the victory in the Second World War.

The artists staged an impromptu performance of favorite songs of several generations of Russians. The compositions about peace, heroism and love included Belorussky Station, Three Tankers, Smuglyanka and other songs. Departing passengers, numerous guests and employees of Sheremetyevo Airport unexpectedly became the show's audience.

Immediately after the concert, the artists went on a tour of the principal cities of Europe. The Victory Songs project, featuring the Turetsky Choir and the SOPRANO art group, will be presented in Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovenia, Slovakia and Italy in September as live concerts held in central squares of the capitals.

Victory Songs is a Moscow Government project supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and the Common Business Charitable Foundation. Additional information is available at https://www.unitysongs.moscow/.

"It is very symbolic that the first concert of the Victory Songs Project, held under the slogan Music for Peace and Health, was held in the hospitable environment of Sheremetyevo Airport," said Anna Zakharenkova, Public Relations Director of SIA JSC. "Sheremetyevo is one of the most unexpected and sought-after art venues in Moscow. As you know, art helps people prevail over any difficulties. Therefore, our humanitarian mission as the largest airport in Russia is to promote and demonstrate the best examples of Russian popular and classical art to passengers from all over the world."

In 2017-2019 the "Victory Songs" (Unity Songs) project performed in 14 countries and 17 cities on two continents, attracting a live audience of more than 1,000,000 and 15,000,000 online viewers. This project is aimed at preserving the connection between times and generations. "Victory Songs" were first sung in Moscow on Poklonnaya Hill in 2015 as part of the celebration of the 70th anniversary of Victory, before an audience of 105,000. In 2017, the project went international with a performance on Berlin's Gendarmenmarkt Square, a kilometer from the Reichstag, gathering a live audience of about 20 thousand and 8 million online views.

Sheremetyevo Airport places a priority on creating a favorable and hospitable atmosphere for passengers and guests. Success in this area has been confirmed through independent surveys, allowing Sheremetyevo to maintain its status of the best airport in Europe in terms of the quality of passenger service.



Sheremetyevo International Airport is among the TOP-10 airport hubs in Europe, the largest Russian airport in terms of passenger and cargo traffic. The route network comprises more than 230 destinations. In 2019, the airport served 49 million 933 thousand passengers, which is 8.9% more than in 2018. Sheremetyevo is the best airport in terms of the quality of services in Europe, the absolute world leader in punctuality of flights, the owner of the highest 5-star Skytrax rating. You can find additional information at http://www.svo.aero.

SOURCE Sheremetyevo International Airport

Related Links

http://www.svo.aero


Kaun Banega Crorepati 12 Gets A Premiere Date, This Is When You Can Expect Amitabh Bachchan Back On The Small Screen
Bill Gates has claimed that President Donald Trump's pandemic travel bans actually worsened the coronavirus crisis in the U.S. by prompting a stampede of Americans returning from overseas.

'We created this rush, and we didn't have the ability to test or quarantine those people, and so that seeded the disease here,' Gates told Fox News anchor Chris Wallace in an interview clip released on Friday.

'The ban probably accelerated that because of the way it was executed,' Gates continued.

Sounding skeptical, Wallace pressed Gates to explain further, and the software billionaire continued: 'March saw this incredible explosion, the West Coast coming from China, and the East Coast coming out of Europe.'

Scroll down for video

In an interview with Chris Wallace (left), Bill Gates (right) claimed that President Donald Trump's pandemic travel bans actually worsened the coronavirus crisis in the U.S.

In response to the international crisis, Trump banned travel to the U.S. from China on January 31, and from continental Europe on March 11, adding the UK soon after

A woman wearing a facemask uses hand sanitizer on arrival at Los Angeles International Airport on March 12, 2020, one day before a US flight travel ban hit 26 European countries

'So even though we'd seen China, we'd seen Europe, that testing capacity and clear message of how to behave wasn't there,' Gates continued.

In response to the international crisis, Trump banned travel to the U.S. from China on January 31, and from continental Europe on March 11, adding the UK soon after.

The president has frequently pointed to the travel bans as evidence of his swift action in the face of the pandemic, saying that he imposed the China ban even as his advisors hesitated and his critics decried the move as racist and xenophobic.

Gate's full interview with Wallace is due to air on Fox News Sunday.

Gates, a longtime philanthropist on issues of global healthcare and poverty, earlier this week issued a report saying the coronavirus pandemic has wiped out progress on lofty goals such as ending world poverty and hunger in the next decade.

.@BillGates told Chris Wallace in an exclusive interview that President Trumps travel ban made the coronavirus situation worse. The full interview airs this FOX News Sunday. Check your local listings. #FoxNewsSunday pic.twitter.com/3i7xaCQzja  FoxNewsSunday (@FoxNewsSunday) September 18, 2020

People wait to check in to a flight to Chicago at the United Airlines counter in the main terminal of Brussels International Airport in Brussels, Thursday, March 12, 2020

The report outlines ways in which COVID-19 has wreaked economic damage and derailed progress on many of the global development goals adopted by the United Nations five years ago.

'The COVID-19 pandemic not only stopped progress, it kicked it backward,' said Gates, who co-founded Microsoft Corp, in a conference call with reporters. He and his wife Melinda set up the philanthropic foundation in 2000.

U.N. members unanimously passed 17 Sustainable Development Goals, known as SDGs, in 2015, that read like a blueprint of ambitious tasks from ending hunger and gender inequality to expanding access to education and health care.

The goals had a deadline of 2030.

'The SDGs represent the values that we have for humanity as a whole,' Gates said.

'The importance of the goals if anything is reinforced by the pandemic,' he said. 'After all, the pandemic has in almost every dimension made inequity worse.'
Home Search ICH Truths

"Telling the truth is a revolutionary act. So let us all tell the truth. By Mazin Qumsiyeh September 17, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - George Orwell said in a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. So let us all tell the truth: -The Western governments have never really cared about human rights or democracy. They propped dictators, toppled democratically elected governments (like in Iran in 1953 and Chile in 1970), and engagedin policies that killed many millions of innocent people. They support murdering genocidal pyromaniacs like the rulers of the UAE and Saudi Arabia and Israel. They label as terrorists any genuine resistance movements (in fact how vicious the attacks from racists are on a country or a people tells us precisely how honorable those being attacked are!).



-Palestine is just a physical base for Zionism to conquer the Arab world and much beyond. The Zionists actually speak openly of how we will be their servants and they our masters. All the data is there for people to study and investigate. And as time went by, they made it impossible to criticize Zionism or Israel and even increasingly illegal to do so. Again, it is an assault on free speech and democracy in countries such as Germany, France and the UK that claims the mantle of human rights.



-Colonial-Native struggles end in one of three scenarios: a) Algerian model (nearly 2 million killed, 1 million colonizers and their descendents left the country), b) genocide of natives (USA, Australia), c) coexistence in one country of descendents of colonizers and of native people (the rest of the world >140 countries). There is no fourth scenario. Palestine will not be an exception. It is the last struggle and prolonged only because of the resourcefulness and wealth of Zionists and the weakness of their adversaries with collusion of corrupt dictators. But Zionists and all those collusionists regimes need to decide on which of the three outcomes they want. Prolonging it is not helpful to them. The number of Palestinains today is 13 million (12 times what we were in 1917 when the Balfour and Cambon declarations were made in support of Zionism). Impoverished natives reproduce more than economically empowered minorities and the world will eventually democratize or die. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Newsletter



-Those who engaged in exploitation and destruction in the past century (Belgium in the Congo, British in Afriua and Asia, US in Cambodia and Vietnam etc.) largely got away with it because the world was fragmented. Now, the world is far too crowded and us far too connected such taht military might no longer can be used effectively to dictate things without repercussions. Hence the last attempts at this were failures (US in Iraq, Israel in Gaza and Lebanon, US client states attack on Syria and Yemen). This gives hope. -Whether the PLO leadership of Yasser Arafat and Mahmoud Abbas signed the Oslo accords out of ignorance or knowing its criminality, staying with it for three decades knowing how much of a charade it was and doing so to keep their positions is indeed criminal behavior. And for the remainder of Palestinain body politics, acquiescence is collusion. Why none of these so-called leaders is willing to admit that this horrific delusion of apartheid couched as peace process was a second catastrophe/nakba at par with 1948/1949 nakba.



-The so-called Arab league since Jamal AbdelNasser died in 1970 (perhaps assassinated) serves as a tool for US/Israeli of oppression and imperialism. The gulf monarchies in particular used to tremble at the speeches of AbdelNasser. Now they even get away with murdering and dismembering an opposition journalist in their own embassy in Turkey. They get away with committing genocide in Yemen and occupying it to give Israel bases in the Island of Socotra. They get away with funding Israeli apartheid and destruction of their own religious heritage. They impoverish their people, and are happy to give hundreds of billions of dollars to enrich coffers of imperialists and Zionists as long as those allow them to keep oppressing people.



-The fault is not merely in our leaders who put short term financial profit ahead of people and planetary survival. That would be easy to remedy if it was. The fault is in us for keeping these leaders in power. Clapping for them, facilitating their dominion over us, playing along with their games of divide and conquer (fear mongering) and overall abandoning our own dignity. We must believe in ourselves and our people (something elite politicians do not want us to do). That is how we get rid of colonialism (including Zionism), pandemics, the environmental nakba (catastrophe) and the risk of nuclear war.

-Yet, the growth of the BDS movement and of peoples support for Palestinian human rights miraculously continues to grow. If I look at the number of attendees to webinars I am invited to speak to (2-3/week) and growth of networks and actions, the conclusion is inevitable: Palestine cannot and will not be liquidated. The question is where each of us stands: the side of Biden, Trump, Netanyahu and ilk, or the side of native people. If we were to tackle climate change, threats of nuclear war, global pandemics, and much more, we should reconnect to native people and empower them. Being on the wrong side here is existential. The ultimate bit of truth is as Martin Luther King said: we either live together as fellow human beings or die together as fools. A win of business deals to control the worlds wealth will ultimately mean we either wake up and reverse this or we ALL die as a species. We are afterall 7.5 billion people and they are a tiny minority who hope to run the world to their short term advantage but will cause long-term catastrophe (extinction as a species). Their children can have billions or they can have a livable world but not both. As for us common people, it is time to "revolt against the machine" as the old song used to say OR we will all not survive (even our oppressors will die with us). -Yet, the growth of the BDS movement and of peoples support for Palestinian human rights miraculously continues to grow. If I look at the number of attendees to webinars I am invited to speak to (2-3/week) and growth of networks and actions, the conclusion is inevitable: Palestine cannot and will not be liquidated. The question is where each of us stands: the side of Biden, Trump, Netanyahu and ilk, or the side of native people. If we were to tackle climate change, threats of nuclear war, global pandemics, and much more, we should reconnect to native people and empower them. Being on the wrong side here is existential. Professor Mazin Qumsiyeh teaches and does research at Bethlehem University (BU) and directs the BU's cytogenetics laboratory and the Palestine Museum of Natural History and Institute of Biodiversity and Sustainability in occupied Palestine. He also taught at Birzeit and Al-Quds Universities. He is author of "Sharing the Land of Canaan: Human rights and the Israeli/Palestinian Struggle", Popular Resistance in Palestine: - " Source " - Post your comment below See also The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Search Information Clearing House === The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Click Here To Support Information Clearing House Your support has kept ICH free on the Web since 2002. Click for Spanish , German , Dutch , Danish , French , translation- Note- Translation may take a moment to load.
Jerry Falwell Jr and his wife Becki in 2018

The former Miami pool boy whose affair with Jerry Falwell Jr's wife led Falwell to resign as president of Liberty University has spoken out in a new interview.

Giancarlo Granda, 29, provided years of text messages and emails to back up his account in an interview with the Washington Post published on Friday.

Granda says he had a six-year affair with Falwell's wife Becki that began when they met in Miami in 2012, when he was just 20 and was working as a pool boy.

He claims that Jerry knew about it and watched them have sex the first time, then continued to give his blessing to the affair for years afterwards. Jerry acknowledges the affair, but vehemently denies that he participated in or knew about it.

'I was groomed,' Granda said in the new interview. 'And before I knew it, I was trapped.'

Giancarlo Granda, 29, provided years of text messages and emails to back up his account claiming that Falwell Jr knew of the affair and approved

The incident followed Falwell's resignation from Liberty University following a claim from a former poolboy Giancarlo Granda that he had an affair with Becki Falwell for years with the consent of her husband. Pictured, Giancarlo Granda left with the Falwell family

Granda, who now lives in the Washington area and recently earned a graduate degree from Georgetown, said his involvement with the Falwells ruined his relationships with girlfriends, and even led him to contemplate suicide.

'I've been living with this hell for so long,' he said. 'I just want to get out.'

In late 2018, after Buzzfeed published an article about his strange business deal with the Falwells, in which they co-owned a commercial property in Miami, Granda flew into a panic, fearful that the affair would be exposed.

'My life is absolutely ruined,' he texted Becki in December of 2018 along with a photo of the article, according to the Post. He threatened suicide.

'When they find my lifeless body hanging in the woods, please make sure Logan is returned to my family,' he wrote, referring to his dog. 'Goodbye.'

'Stay off social media,' Becki replied. 'It's all left wing nut jobs. That's from Jerry.'

Falwell resigned from the university on August 25 following the pool boy controversy, as well a list of other recent scandals, many of which also appeared to involve alcohol

Other evidence provided by Granda to the paper included what appeared to be a screenshot of a Facetime conversation, seemingly showing Jerry looking on as Becki conversed with Granda while topless and drinking a glass of wine.

That photo, and others described by the Post, were not published by the newspaper.

Last month, Jerry claimed someone stole the photos of Becki from his phone. In a later interview, he accused Granda of selling the photos to a family that was suing the Falwells over a dispute involving the Miami property.

The reported text message exchanges between Granda and Becki show an often affectionate relationship over the years.

Falwell, one of the most influential right-wing Christian leaders in the United States, is pictured with pool boy Granda

'I miss you so much my heart hurts,' she wrote after seeing him in May 2017. 'I couldn't take my eyes off of you.'

'Good morning beautiful,' he replied the next day.

'Good morning gorgeous,' she texted back.

Over the summer of this year, business disputes over the jointly owned property seemed to devolve, with Granda demanding a buyout, which they apparently refused.

'Since you're okay with ruining my life, I am going to take the kamikaze route,' he wrote Jerry in June. 'It really is a shame because I wanted to reach a peaceful resolution and just move on with our lives but if conflict is what you want, then so be it.'

Granda texted a photo of himself in front of a microphone, recording a podcast.

'You should by now understand that I will not be extorted,' Jerry replied. 'I have always treated you fairly and been restrained in response to your threats because I did not wish to ruin your life. Going forward stop contacting me and my family.'

Granda told the Post that he was emboldened to go public with his claims after Falwell drew backlash for posting a photo of himself at a costume party with his pants unzipped and his stomach showing, appearing to hold an alcoholic drink.

In August, Falwell was blasted as a hypocrite for posting a this pictured on Instagram with his pants unzipped and midriff exposed, while appearing to hold a glass of alcohol

The final communication between Granda and the Fallwells reported by the Post came on August 24, after Reuters published an article exposing the affair.

'I hope you're happy and that you were paid very well,' Becki wrote to Granda. 'Jerry just resigned.'

Earlier on Friday, it emerged that just days after Jerry resigned, Becki made a 911 call saying that he was losing 'a lot of blood' after falling down the stairs and hitting his head on a trash can while drunk.

In the call from Bedford County, Virginia, on August 31, Becki Falwell tells a dispatcher that her husband was bleeding heavily and would not go with her to the hospital, according to the Huffington Post.

First responders arrived to find Falwell with lacerations under his left eye, across the bridge of his nose, and above both his right and left eyes, as he slurred his speech with empty alcohol containers nearby.

The call, obtained by the Huffington Post through a Freedom of Information request, took place on August 31, a week after Falwell was forced to move aside as president of the evangelical university founded by his father Jerry Falwell Sr.

Residential students of Liberty University sign an honor code that prohibits sex outside of marriage, as well as consuming alcohol.
By Express News Service

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has decided to elevate Gilgit-Baltistans status to that of a full-fledged province, a Pakistani media report on Thursday quoted a senior minister as saying. India has clearly conveyed to Pakistan that the entire union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, including the areas of Gilgit and Baltistan, are an integral part of the country by virtue of its fully legal and irrevocable accession.

The Government of Pakistan or its judiciary has no locus standi on territories illegally and forcibly occupied by it. India completely rejects such actions and continued attempts to bring material changes in Pakistan occupied areas of the Indian territory of Jammu & Kashmir. Instead, Pakistan should immediately vacate all areas under its illegal occupation, the Ministry of External Affairs said in May while protesting Islamabads efforts to bring material change in Pakistan occupied territories.

According to a report in the Express Tribune, Minister for Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan Affairs, Ali Amin Gandapur, on Wednesday said that PM Imran Khan would soon visit the region and make the formal announcement to elevate Gilgit-Baltistan to the status of a full-fledged province with all constitutional rights. Gandapur said Gilgit-Baltistan would be given adequate representation on all constitutional bodies, including the National Assembly and the Senate.

After consultation with all stakeholders, the federal government has decided in principle to give constitutional rights to Gilgit-Baltistan, the minister told reporters. Gandapur also said that work on the Moqpondass Special Economic Zone would begin under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The CPEC, which connects Gwadar Port in Pakistans Balochistan with Chinas Xinjiang, is the flagship project of Beijings ambitious Belt and Road Initiative.

The CPEC is a collection of infrastructure and other projects under construction throughout Pakistan since 2013. Originally valued at $46 billion, the projects were worth $60 billion as of 2017.India has protested to China over the CPEC as it is being laid through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Confusion, questions and outrage erupted in Lancaster last weekend after a city police officer shot and killed a 27-year-old mentally-ill man who lunged at him with a knife.

The shooting prompted a debate among community members over use-of-force laws, whether police acted justly and whether the death could have been avoided.
While organizations adopt to new ways of reaching voters, the leaders of three Indiana voting groups have expressed their frustration with state leadership for not giving every voter the option to vote by mail in the November election. As of Thursday, the leaders pointed out, Indiana is one of four states that doesnt have procedures in place to allow all voters to cast a ballot through the mail in the general election  amid a global pandemic.
United Airlines

United Airlines introduced a new antimicrobial spray  and a new robotic cleaner  to help combat the coronavirus on airplanes.

The new cleaning product is in addition to the electrostatic spraying the airline does before each flight.

The robot is only at United's Chicago hub right now, but will be rolled out at the airline's other six hubs in the coming months.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The next time you fly the friendly skies, you may have a new high-tech pal to thank for your clean seat.

United Airlines unveiled a new tool in its fight against the novel coronavirus this week: a new antimicrobial spray applied to planes overnight by a robot.

The airline will begin using an EPA-certified antimicrobial coating to planes, called Zoono Microbe Shield, which forms "a long-lasting bond with surfaces and inhibits the growth of microbes." The new coating is in addition to electrostatic spraying and other cleaning processes United already has in place.

"As part of our layered approach to safety, antimicrobials are an effective complement to our hospital-grade HEPA air filtration system, mandatory mask policy for customers and daily electrostatic spraying," Toby Enqvist, United's chief customer officer, said in a statement.

The Zoono coating will be applied by a robot called NovaRover, the airline said.

NovaRover looks like a short box on wheels with a tall stalk on top. It's roughly the width of a drink cart, and can fit down plane aisles. The robot sprays the coating as a fine mist that covers every surface within 12 feet, the airline said.

United also released a video of the NovaRover in action:

"When you layer that in on top of our departure electrostatic spraying of the disinfectant, the masks we have customers wearing on board the airplane, the wipes that we provide to customers," said Scott Hildebrand, an operations director at United, "all of those things together make our airplanes very, very clean and safe."

Story continues

The new spray  and the NovaRover  are currently being rolled out across United's fleet. The Rover is spraying roughly 30 aircraft a week at the airline's Chicago hub, but will be introduced to United's other hubs in the coming months.

Notably, the airline said it will continue to use electrostatic disinfection on its planes before each flight, even when the Zoono Microbe Shield is introduced more broadly. The new antimicrobial will be applied every seven days during overnight deep cleanings.

United and other airlines have worked to implement new cleaning and safety procedures during the pandemic as they try to convince passengers that flying is safe. Flight crews have experienced lower rates of COVID-19 than the general population, which airline CEOs say is proof that these new procedures are working.

Read the original article on Business Insider
D.C. has made some strides toward curbing traffic violence, but there is much more to be done. On Tuesday, the D.C. Council may hold its final vote for the Vision Zero Enhancement Omnibus Amendment Act of 2019. This act, which was developed by Council member Charles Allen (D-Ward 6) after holding community meetings to solicit ideas from residents, will save lives by lowering speed limits, requiring engineering and design elements such as bike lanes and sidewalk bump-outs to protect people who walk and bike, and strengthening driver education laws, among other items. We must look beyond the needs of drivers and take tangible action toward making our streets safe, accessible and employable for all who wish to use them, even with the new and increased usages we see on our streets during the pandemic. We all deserve to feel safe on our roadways, no matter how we chose to use them or in which ward we use them.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 22:45:50|Editor: huaxia

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LONDON, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Gareth Bale has arrived in London to put the finishing touches of his loan move to Tottenham, while Thiago Alcantara is in Liverpool to complete his transfer from Bayern Munich.

The plane carrying Bale, who will play on loan at the team he left to join Real Madrid in 2013, touched down at Luton Airport (north of London) at around 1 p.m. local time. Spain international left-back Sergio Reguilon, who will also join Spurs in a move worth around 30 million euros, was also on the plane.

The pair were then taken to Spurs' training ground in Enfield, where Bale was given a rapturous welcome by fans who had waited outside of the ground to greet him.

Both Bale and Reguilon are expected to take their medicals at the training ground with their contracts expected to be made official later in the day.

At approximately the same time, Thiago arrived in Liverpool to complete his move to the club after the Premier League champions agreed a 30 million euro fee with Bayern Munich earlier in the week.

The Spain international's deal should also be confirmed on Friday, although he won't take part in Sunday's important league fixture which sees Liverpool travel to face big-spending Chelsea. Enditem
Nigerian authorities should immediately release journalist Ime Sunday Silas, drop the charges against him, and reform the countrys cybercrime act to ensure it is not used against the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

On August 17, police in Uyo city, the capital of Nigerias southern Akwa-Ibom state, arrested Silas, an editor with the privately owned Global Concord newspaper and publisher of the news website The Profile, according to Solomon Johnny, Global Concords editor-in-chief, who spoke to CPJ via messaging app.

Silas was arrested after he arrived in the Ikot Akpan Abia district of Uyo to meet a source, and officers detained him at a nearby police headquarters, Johnny told CPJ.

On August 18, a local magistrate court charged Silas under Section 24 of Nigerias 2015 cybercrime act, according to Johnny and a copy of the charge sheet reviewed by CPJ. The court denied Silas bail on August 18, but his lawyers filed a new bail application on August 24, which was granted on September 10, Emmanuel Isangidoho, one of Silas lawyers, told CPJ via phone and messaging app.

Despite being granted bail, Silas remains in the police headquarters as of today, according to Johnny.

If convicted, Silas could face up to three years in prison, a fine of up to 7 million naira ($18,153), or both, according to the cybercrime act .

The prolonged detention of journalist Ime Sunday Silas is yet another grave reminder of the lengths to which Nigerian authorities are willing to go to silence journalism they find undesirable, said Angela Quintal, CPJs Africa program coordinator, in New York. Nigerias cybercrime act remains one of the laws most frequently used to prosecute journalists in the country. Authorities should swiftly act to repeal or amend Section 24 of the law, which has been repeatedly used to criminalize news distribution.

Silas charge sheet alleges that he violated Section 24 of the act related to cyberstalking by sending a message that included the title of an August 9 report published by The Profile about Martha Udom Emmanuel, the wife of Akwa-Ibom Governor Udom Emmanuel.

That report , titled Exposed: Okobo PDP Chapter Chair links Gov Udoms Wife with plot to blackmail Deputy Speaker, alleged a blackmail scheme related to upcoming local council elections.

According to the charge sheet, Silas sent a message containing the reports title, which constituted a crime of spreading information through a computer, knowing the same to be false, for the purpose of causing annoyance, insult, hatred and ill will against Martha Udom Emmanuel.

CPJs calls and messages to Martha Udoms spokesperson, Amayo Umoh, went unanswered. Emmanuel Udoms chief press secretary, Ekerete Udoh, told CPJ in a phone interview that he was unaware of the situation and could not comment.

Since Nigerias cybercrime act was adopted in 2015, CPJ has documented its repeated use to prosecute journalists; in one case that has been ongoing since 2017, journalist Fejiro Oliver was charged with four counts of cyberstalking under Section 24 of the act for distributing reporting.

Isangidoho said that it was illegal for any magistrate court to charge Silas with a federal crime, like cybercrime, and that only a higher court had the authority to hear such cases.

Akwa Ibom police spokesperson N-Nudam K. Frederick told CPJ in a phone interview today that he was not familiar with the case and would contact CPJ again when he had more information; he had not done so at the time of publication.

In July, the Economic Community of West African States court found that Section 24 of the cybercrime act violated the right of freedom of expression and ordered the government to repeal or amend the law, according to a copy of the courts judgement , which CPJ reviewed.
New Delhi, Sep 18 : The UN Security Council (UNSC) designated international terrorist and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) founder Maulana Masood Azhars three nephews, each carrying a US-made M4 sniper, have been killed in three different encounters in Kashmir in the last three years.

A number of US-made M4 sniper rifles, used by Nato forces to fight terrorism in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region, have fallen in the hands of Azhar's guerrilla group, JEM, in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). Released by India in exchange for the IC-814 hostages at Kandahar in December 1999, Azhar has been designated as an international terrorist by the UNSC in May 2019, after years of sustained resistance by China.

The M4 carbine is extensively used by the US Armed Forces and is replacing the M16 rifle in the United States Army and the United States Marine Corps combat units as the primary infantry weapon and service rifle. The M4 is also capable of mounting the M203 and M320 grenade launchers.

The M4 has semi-automatic and three-round burst firing modes (like the M16A2 and M16A4), while the M4A1 has semi-automatic and fully automatic firing modes (like the M16A1 and M16A3). It is essentially a lighter and shorter variant of the M16A2 assault rifle with a telescopic stock.

Three of Azhar's nephews-Talha Rashid, Usman Ibrahim and Umar Farooq-have died in different encounters with security forces in Kashmir in the last three years. All the three were in possession of M4 rifles which were recovered, along with other arms and ammunition, from the sites of the gun battles. Till now different variants of the Russian-made Kalashnikov or AK-series rifles have been the principal assault weapon with the Kashmiri and the Pakistani militants in J&K since 1988.

The M4 has entered the scene amid apprehensions that sections of jihadist guerrillas could shift their base to Kashmir after a compromise between the Americans and the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Dilbag Singh, DG, J&K Police, puts the number of the militants with M4 rifles around six, claiming that ten US-made snipers had been seized. "Five to six JeM commanders are active with M4 rifles but they are well on our radar," he said. However, some senior officials of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), who have been associated with the investigation of high-profile terror attacks in the last two years, maintained that 10 to 15 JeM commanders were currently armed with M4 rifles.

"The commander of every JeM module of 3-4 militants has one M4 but they have not been able to cause much damage to the police or the security forces," said an NIA officer.

During investigations, the NIA has learned that as many as 60 JeM militants had infiltrated into Kashmir through the international border in Jammu between June 2017 to January 2020. They sneaked into the Samba and Hiranagar areas in groups of three to five. An unknown number of infiltrators is said to have entered through one underground tunnel which has surfaced early this year. According to the officials, each group carried 3-4 AK rifles and one M4 rifle.

Three of such groups were intercepted at Jhajjar Kotli, Bann Toll Plaza and Jawahar Tunnel on the 265-km long Jammu-Srinagar highway. Each time the modus operandi was to board a waiting truck in Samba or Hiranagar and reach the JeM's hideouts in Kulgam, Shopian and Pulwama districts in southern Kashmir.

On June 20, an unsuccessful attempt was made with the help of the Pakistani Rangers to deliver arms and ammunition, including one M4, two magazines and 60 rounds of ammunition, besides seven M67 grenades, by an 18-kg drone. The quadcopter was, however, spotted by the BSF observation posts in Hiranagar and shot down. The consignment was supposedly for a Pakistani terror commander Ali Bhai, based in South Kashmir. Officials believe this was the first such attempt.

A three-member group of JeM infiltrators, travelling by an arranged truck, was intercepted by security forces near Jhajjar Kotli on the Jammu-Srinagar highway, on September 12, 2018. All the three militants were killed. Their driver and another civilian facilitator were arrested.

In an identical chance encounter at Bann Toll Plaza on January 31, another group of three JeM infiltrators was killed on the Jammu-Srinagar highway. Their truck driver and one civilian facilitator were arrested.

On September 9, the J&K Police intercepted a vehicle at Jawahar Tunnel on the same highway. One M4, one AK rifle and six Chinese pistols were recovered from the truck on the way to the valley from Jammu. The driver, along with a terror facilitator, both residents of Shopian, was arrested.

Talha Rashid, son of Masood Azhar's sister, was killed in an encounter on November 7, 2017 at Aglar Kandi in Pulwama district. His Pakistani associate Mehmood Bhai and a local militant, Waseem of Drabgam Pulwama, were also killed in the same encounter. Rashid's M4 was among the other arms and ammunition recovered.

In the middle of 2018, security agencies learned that JeM had deployed four of its commanders, each armed with an M4, from its training centres in Pakistan. Sameer Tiger, one of the most wanted militant commanders with one M4, made his own photograph viral on the social media.

Later that year, Azhar's second nephew (the son of his brother), Usman Ibrahim alias Haider, was known to have attacked and killed three security personnel in separate sniper attacks in 10 days in the Tral-Awantipora belt. He was killed, along with an associate, in an encounter at Chankitar, Tral, on October 31, 2018. His M4 too was recovered.

Azhar's third nephew Umar Farooq was killed, along with his Pakistani associate Kamran, in an encounter at Suthsoo Kalan village, bordering Budgam and Pulwama districts, on March 29, 2019. The recoveries included Umar Farooq's M4 carbine. Umar and Kamran had allegedly played a key role in planning and executing the fidayeen attack in which the Kashmiri suicide bomber Adil Dar killed 40 paramilitary personnel at Lethapora, Awantipora, on the Jammu-Srinagar highway on February 14, 2019.

(This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)
Everything about this year has been impacted by COVID-19, but John Cooper School senior Ali Zidan didnt want the pandemic to stop fellow students from meeting their educational goals.

Zidan began collecting study materials for AP classes and SAT and ACT tests to give away to students in need, and has no plan on ending his efforts anytime soon.

The spring semester is often when high school students are earnestly studying for college exams and AP tests. But Zidan knows that there are students in the Houston area that may not be able to afford or access study materials for the tests they need to take.

When he started collecting books in March, as the pandemic started to affect the Houston area, he wasnt starting from scratch. He started with some of his older sisters former study materials.

The first thing I did was, I posted on my social media asking any of my friends if they had any books that they were willing to donate to others, Zidan said. I reached out to a couple test centers in Houston and asked them if any of their students needed any books or couldnt get them themselves.

Zidan found a center that assured him they could make good use of the books. At the time, SAT tests were scheduled for the end of the month, so SAT prep books were in high demand.

He expanded his search for donations beyond his social media circle and went directly to where many students find them: bookstores. He found an ally in Village Books, a new book store in The Woodlands set to open soon. Village Books helped Zidan by collecting books at the farmers market at the Grogans Mill Shopping Center.

I think this is an absolutely amazing idea, said Teresa Kenney, the founder of Village Books, in a social media post announcing the partnership earlier this month. Thanks Ali for the fabulous campaign! You are an inspiration!

Beyond Village Books, Zidan has been able to collect a lot of his donations from his fellow students at The John Cooper School and their families. Word has spread and hes now receiving emails from people he has never met who want to help.

At the moment, Zidan doesnt have a goal for how many books he wants to collect, but he does want to encourage people to make better use of their resources by making sure they arent just used once. While he is collecting new books, he wants to be sure that gently used books dont go to waste.

It doesnt just have to be books, maybe used clothing or things that you have around your house that you feel like you dont need, but other people can make good use out of is really important, he said. With books, I know education goes a long way so if these books can make a difference I hope they do.

Right now, his priority is to get his donated books to schools that could use them. He has reached out to several in downtown Houston.

Zidan, originally from Egypt, lived in Belgium, Czech Republic, Dubai, and Canada before moving to Texas. He is grateful for the educational opportunities hes been given and wants to help others gain opportunities as well, especially during this difficult time during the pandemic.

Events such as the Coronavirus pandemic and Hurricane Harvey have made the road to college very difficult for many, and I hope to do my part in shrinking this gap, Zidan said in a release from The John Cooper School.

If you are interested in donating prep books, Zidan can be reached at alizidan2003@gmail.com.

jamie.swinnerton@chron.com
Twelve representatives from social organizations in China, Cambodia, Mongolia, Ethiopia, and relevant international organizations on Thursday discussed poverty alleviation through video links.

They exchanged views on topics including China's poverty reduction achievements, the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and global poverty reduction experiences, at a seminar hosted by the China NGO Network for International Exchanges (CNIE).

Liu Lujun, deputy secretary-general of the CNIE, said that China's poverty reduction endeavor has not only satisfied the Chinese people's aspirations for a better life but also boosted the achievement of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as well as the development of global human rights governance.

China's achievements in poverty alleviation have demonstrated the remarkable strengths of the Communist Party of China leadership and socialism with Chinese characteristics, and offered Chinese wisdom and approaches to global poverty reduction, said Tan Weiping, deputy head of the International Poverty Reduction Center in China.

The sudden outbreak of COVID-19 has clearly shown the necessity and urgency of strengthening international coordination and cooperation, said Wu Yabin, an official with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization.
Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko, beleaguered by six weeks of mass protests demanding his resignation, on Thursday announced he was putting troops on high alert and closing the countrys borders with Poland and Lithuania.

President Alexander Lukashenkos decision underlines his repeated claim that the wave of protests is driven by the West.

He faces increasing criticism from the US and the EU.

Protests began after the August 9 presidential election that official results say gave the authoritarian leader a sixth term in office  opponents say the results were manipulated.

I want to appeal to the peoples of Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine  stop your crazy politicians, dont let war break out

We are forced to withdraw troops from the streets, put the army on high alert and close the state border on the west, primarily with Lithuania and Poland, Mr Lukashenko said at a womens forum.

Mr Lukashenko also said Belarus border with Ukraine would be strengthened.

I dont want my country to be at war. Moreover, I dont want Belarus and Poland, Lithuania to turn into a theatre of military operations where our issues will not be resolved, he said.

Therefore, today in front of this hall of the most beautiful, advanced, patriotic people I want to appeal to the peoples of Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine  stop your crazy politicians, dont let war break out.

He did not mention neighbouring Latvia, which like Poland and Lithuania is a NATO member.

Expand Close Riot police officers detain a protester during a Belarusian opposition supporters rally (AP Photo) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Riot police officers detain a protester during a Belarusian opposition supporters rally (AP Photo)

Earlier on Thursday, the main opposition candidate in the disputed presidential election said that activists are compiling a list of law enforcement officers who were allegedly involved in violence against protesters denouncing the results of the vote.

Nearly 7,000 people were detained and hundreds were brutally beaten by police during the first several days of post-election protests.

Mr Lukashenkos main challenger in the election, former English teacher and political novice Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, said we have been given the names of those who were beating and torturing people.

We are preparing a list of officials and law enforcement officers who have taken part in lawless repressions.

Human rights groups are working with opposition activists to identify the officers and officials, Ms Tsikhanouskaya said, adding that the list will be shared with the US, the EU and Russia.

Ms Tsikhanouskaya, who left for Lithuania in the wake of the election under pressure from Belarusian authorities, said the opposition will name the list in honour of Alexander Taraikovsky, a protester who died in Minsk the day after the election as police dispersed peaceful demonstrators.

Expand Close Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya (Czarek Sokolowski/AP) / Facebook

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Authorities initially said an explosive device Taraikovsky intended to throw at police blew up in his hands and killed him.

However, Associated Press video showed he was not holding any explosives when he fell to the ground, his shirt bloodied.

Belarusian authorities later acknowledged that Taraikovsky might have been killed by a rubber bullet.

The street in the capital of Minsk where Taraikovsky died turned into a pilgrimage site, with thousands of people, including European ambassadors, laying flowers there.

After the initial broad crackdown on protests, Belarusian authorities changed tactics and tried to end displays of dissent with the selective detentions of demonstrators and the jailing of opposition leaders.

The US and the EU have criticised the presidential election as neither free nor fair, and urged Mr Lukashenko to start talks with the opposition  a call he has rejected.

Expand Close Protesters have been demanding Mr Lukashenkos resignation (Russian Presidential Press Service via AP) / Facebook

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Washington and Brussels have been pondering sanctions against Belarusian officials for alleged vote-rigging and the violent response to protests.

On Thursday, the European Parliament overwhelmingly passed a resolution rejecting the official election results and saying it would not recognise Mr Lukashenko as the legitimate president once his current term expires on November 5.

Belaruss foreign ministry responded strongly, saying: We are disappointed that the European Parliament, positioning itself as a serious, objective and democratic structure, could not find the political will to look beyond its nose, overcome one-sidedness and not become a hostage to conventional cliches.

Russia, Mr Lukashenkos main ally and sponsor, has maintained staunch support for the Belarusian leader.

Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Friday during a trip to Lithuania that the two countries  both Belaruss neighbours  will continue to offer medical and material assistance to Belarusians who were hurt and persecuted during the protests.
Just like the Sushant Singh Rajput case, more and more mysterious details have been emerging in the death of his former manager Disha Salian. While the Mumbai Police claimed that Disha jumped to her death, numerous theories about her being pushed down or falling while escaping have been doing the rounds, along with 'proof', especially in light of BJP MLA Nitesh Rane's explosive disclosures about what allegedly happened on June 8, and then till June 13. Now, a forensic expert has claimed that there were two sets of injuries on Disha Salian's body, one before the fall and another upon her fall, something that points to her alleged homicide.

READ: In Massive Sushant Case Development, CBI Team To Meet AIIMS Body To Assess Forensic Report

Forensic expert on why Disha case could be homicide

Forensic expert Prof Dr Dinesh Rao on The Debate agreed with Republic Media Network Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) needed to hold cross-questioning with all the suspicious names like Rhea Chakraborty, Sandip Ssingh, among others in the Sushant case.

Dr Rao then added information about the Disha case, One important information I would like to add, based on the pattern of injuries on Dishas body, is that definitely there are two sets of injuries that I noticed. One set of injury is due to fall from height, and another set of injuries were before the fall, which needs to be investigated. And this definitely leads to possible homicide.

READ: Disha Death Case: Devendra Fadnavis Says 'no Professional Evidence Or Forensics Gathered'

The well-known expert continued, Either she was assaulted or tortured, or that was the reason she might have tried to escape assault, can definitely be added up. Maybe resistance injury, that cannot be ruled out.

Watch the statement above

Claims in Disha case

Previously, BJP leader Nitesh Rane had also raised several questions. He had questioned Mumbai Police changing the investigating officer in the Disha case, the fact that her CDR showed no calls for about five hours before her death and that she had called 100 before the death. He had also claimed she had called Sushant, who called Rhea, and then someone was sent to Dishas house after that, before her death.

The leader has also written to Home Minister Amit Shah on protection for Dishas fiance Rohan Rai, who is incommunicado at the moment, while questioning his role in late arrival to the spot, and funeral 'arrangements', and allegedly leaving for Mangaluru.

Disha Salian died after falling from the 14th floor building of a Malad highrise on the intervening night of June 8 and 9. Sushant was found dead at his residence on June 14. Names linked to both the cases are being probed by the CBI.

READ: Sushant Forensics To Take 2 Weeks, Say Top AIIMS Sources; Slam Fake Suicide Angle Reports

READ: In Sushant Case, Forensic Sources Rubbish Reports Claiming 'murder Angle Ruled Out'
FBI director Christopher Wray testifies during a hearing about 'worldwide threats to the homeland' in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, September 17, 2020. John McDonnell/Reuters

FBI Director Christopher Wray on Thursday told House lawmakers that the intelligence community assesses Russia is "very active" in its efforts to influence the 2020 election.

Wray said Russia is seeking to "both sow divisiveness and discord and...to denigrate Vice President Biden."

The FBI director's comments echoed a statement from William Evanina, a top counterintelligence official, issued last month.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

FBI Director Christopher Wray on Thursday told members of Congress that Russia is interfering in the 2020 election as part of an effort to "denigrate" former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential nominee.

"We certainly have seen very active, very active efforts by the Russians to influence our election in 2020...to both sow divisiveness and discord and...to denigrate Vice President Biden," Wray told lawmakers on the House Homeland Security Committee. The FBI director said the Kremlin sees Biden as part of the "anti-Russia establishment."

Wray said that the intelligence community has not yet seen Russia target election infrastructure, as they did in 2016, but is primarily attempting to meddle in the election and divide the US via "malign foreign influence," pointing the use of social media, proxies, state media, and online journals.

President Donald Trump and his allies have downplayed a US intelligence assessment that Russia is continuing to interference in the US electoral process to boost his campaign and hurt Biden. They've instead zeroed in on the intelligence community's conclusion that China would prefer Biden to win, based on the perception Trump is "unpredictable" and his criticism of Beijing's handling of COVID-19.

Story continues

"Many foreign actors have a preference for who wins the election, which they express through a range of overt and private statements; covert influence efforts are rarer," National Counterintelligence and Security Center Director William Evanina said in a statement last month.

Wray's comments on Thursday echoed Evanina's statement.

"We assess that Russia is using a range of measures to primarily denigrate former Vice President Biden and what it sees as an anti-Russia 'establishment,'" Evanina wrote. "This is consistent with Moscow's public criticism of him when he was Vice President for his role in the Obama Administration's policies on Ukraine and its support for the anti-Putin opposition inside Russia."

"Some Kremlin-linked actors are also seeking to boost President Trump's candidacy on social media and Russian television," Evanina added.

Dan Coats, who served as Trump's director of national intelligence from 2017 to 2019, in a New York Times op-ed on Thursday called for Congress to establish an election oversight commission in order to ensure public confidence in the election. Coats warned of the dangers of delegitimizing the election in the eyes of the public, contending that is precisely with America's enemies want.

The former intelligence chief's op-ed came as Trump seeks to undermine the legitimacy of the 2020 election with relentless disinformation on mail-in voting. Trump has suggested, without evidence, that if he loses it's proof that Democrats "rigged" the election. Coats resigned last year after he reportedly grew tired of the White House's efforts to suppress his warnings about Russian election interference.

The president has a long record of downplaying intelligence on Russian election interference, and in one of the most controversial moments of his presidency appeared to side with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the US intelligence community during a July 2018 summit in Helsinki, Finland.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, September 18, 2020 18:40 490 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c45c1dd5 4 National weather,bad-weather,Papua,Nabire,Paniai,helicopter-missing,helicopter,bell-212,forest,pilot Free

Bad weather and difficult terrain are still preventing a joint rescue team from rescuing the crew of a Bell 212 helicopter that made an emergency landing in Paniai regency after it was reported missing several hours after taking off from Nabire Airport in Papua on Thursday.



Papua Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. A.M. Kamal said a Search and Rescue (SAR) team had managed to locate the helicopter on Friday in a forest in Paniai.



"The SAR team has found them. Apparently they made an emergency landing in a river basin," Kamal said on Friday as reported by kompas.com.



"The pilot, copilot and crew are safe. We're trying to evacuate the victims but rescue efforts have been hampered by [bad weather]," he added.

Kamal further said the difficult terrain in the forest also hampered the process as the SAR team had not yet been able to find a safe location to land.

Read also: Bodies of 12 victims on missing Mi-17 Army helicopter found in Papua

The helicopter took off from Nabire Airport at 10:47 a.m. local time on Thursday, heading to the Baya Biru area to deliver food supplies. However, the helicopter lost contact with air traffic control at 1:30 p.m.



The helicopter, belonging to PT National Utility Helicopters (NUH), was carrying three people, Capt. Endy Nawalaga as the pilot, Capt. Erik Kurniawan as the copilot, and crew member M. Aswar Jamal.

Kamal said the rescue team was currently asking for mining giant PT Freeport's SAR team to help rescue the helicopter crew.



"We're asking for help from the Freeport SAR team as they have better equipment," he said. (nal)
Shocking footage shows the moment two-year-old triplets were pinned underneath a chest of drawers in their bedroom.

Toddlers Riley, Spencer and Haven White, from Illinois, climbed on top of the heavy wooden cabinet, which had a changing table on top, after getting out of bed during nap time last Sunday.

But the weight of their bodies pulled the drawers forward, causing the cabinet to topple and fall on two of the triplets.

Baby monitor footage shows Spencer and his sister Haven struggling under the weight of the $540 Oxford dresser before pulling themselves free.

Toddlers Riley, Spencer and Haven White, from Illinois, climbed on top of the heavy wooden cabinet after clambering out of bed during nap time last Sunday. But the weight of their bodies pulled the drawers forward, causing it to topple and pin two of the triplets underneath (pictured). The third triplet, Riley, is seen looking on at his siblings under the cabinet

Mother Roxanne, 38, a nurse practitioner, came into the room moments later to find the chaotic scene but only discovered what had happened when she and husband Hank, also 38, replayed the monitor footage. Pictured, the family together

The $540 Oxford dresser, pictured, has drawers and a changing table on top. It was not attached to the wall at the time of the accident but has since been fixed in place to prevent a repeat

Mother Roxanne, 38, a nurse practitioner, came into the room moments later to find the chaotic scene but only discovered what had happened when she and husband Hank, also 38, replayed the monitor footage.

She said: 'The triplets were supposed to be napping when I heard Spencer scream.

'I wasn't worried at first as I hadn't heard a loud bang and the scream sounded like a playful cry, almost as though one of the other triplets had taken his toy.

'I couldn't believe it when I went in and spotted the cabinet was on the floor. I was instantly relieved when I saw them all standing up as I knew they were alright even though they were upset.

Baby monitor footage shows two of the twins, Haven and Spencer, climbing on the drawers of the cabinet after getting out of bed during nap-time. Spencer is seen standing nearby

Two of the triplets made it to the top of the cabinet, pictured, before it came tumbling down

The weight caused the cabinet to topple and it fell to the floor in dramatic fashion

For e brief moment, two of the triplets were left pinned underneath the heavy furniture

'I have no idea why we didn't anchor the cabinet to the wall as we have done with the rest of our furniture but I guess as it's short and long we assumed it wouldn't fall over.

'I was in shock when I watched the baby monitor footage back, we are so lucky that none of the triplets were seriously injured.

'This type of accident in the home could have been fatal which is why I felt compelled to share it online.'

Roxanne said she felt an extreme amount of 'mum guilt' following the accident in their home last Sunday.

She said: 'The monitor normally picks up sounds so I know when the mischievous triplets are out of their beds and not napping.

Spencer (left) and Haven (under the changing table) struggled to free themselves

Haven was able to lift the changing table off her head while Spencer's leg remained stuck

Mother Roxanne came into the room moments later to find the chaotic scene, pictured

'But I think one of them must've turned it down by accident as I didn't hear the cabinet crash to the ground.

'It took less than two minutes for me to get into their bedroom after Spencer screamed, by which point he had managed to free himself.'

The video shows Riley pulling out the large drawers as Spencer climbs on top of the cabinet - which has a baby changing unit on top.

Haven then begins climbing up the open drawers as the furniture then topples over on top of her and Spencer.

Roxanne spoke out to warn parents about the dangers of unfixed furniture in bedrooms

Roxanne said her children were fortunate to escape with small bruises. Pictured, Spencer

The mother-of-three was relieved to see her children standing up when she entered the room

Roxanne said: 'Spencer is the one who has his right leg trapped underneath the cabinet. Haven is able to get herself free fairly easy by lifting the changing table off of her head.

'Riley and Haven then climb back into bed as their brother lays trapped.

'I'm surprised Haven got involved in this behaviour as she's normally the mum of the three.'

Roxanne said this type of accident hasn't happened before.

Roxanne, pictured in hospital with her triplets, said this sort of accident has never happened before

Haven (left), Spencer (center) and Riley, decided to climb out of their beds during nap-time

She said: 'They get up to all sorts but this has been their only near fatal accident. It's scary to think that they could have been so severely injured.

'We took the cabinet out of their room the second the accident happened and two days ago it was anchored to the wall to prevent this from happening again.

'The post online has been shared thousands of times which is great as it's important to raise awareness to prevent it from happening to anyone else.'
SACRAMENTO  During a visit last week to the charred remains of the Lake Oroville State Recreation Area in Butte County, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared that he was tired of the ideological BS and urged people to reject politicians in denial about the climate damn emergency facing the country.

Days later, meeting with President Trump near Sacramento, Newsom soft-pedaled an opportunity to challenge the nations highest-ranking climate change denier, humbly asking the president to please respect the difference of opinion out here as it relates to this fundamental issue ... of climate change.

That toned-down message reflects the delicate approach the governor has crafted for dealing with Trump, a political rival who also approves  or can block  spending for emergency firefighting resources and recovery aid the state needs.

Even as Newsom has amped up his rhetoric on climate change  and criticisms of the Trump administrations record  since lightning storms sparked record-breaking wildfires in California last month, he has avoided alienating the president, who has repeatedly threatened to withhold billions of dollars in fire relief until the state begins clearing more debris from its forests that are mostly controlled by the federal government.

When youre the sitting governor and your state is in crisis, and you have to have a partnership with the federal government to take care of your citizens, political rhetoric takes a back seat, said Dana Williamson, who served as Cabinet secretary for former Gov. Jerry Brown. You can choose to have a yelling and screaming match. But Im not sure that would be the best use of their time.

Newsom, who sent a fundraising email this week with the subject line, I confronted President Trump, defended his handling of the meeting as very, very directly taking the issue of climate change to Trump. The briefing included a graphics-filled packet that state officials handed to the president, showing how the average summer temperature in California has steadily increased over the past 40 years.

We have been forceful in our policy-making. Weve been forceful in our resolve. Weve been forceful and very direct in our rhetoric, Newsom said during a news conference Wednesday. Do I think we were heard? Yeah, I do think we were heard. And I think theres a way of approaching people. Good people can disagree.

Williamson applauded Newsom for taking the opportunity to say something about climate change to Trump, then moving on to the business that needed to get done.

He made his point. They put facts in front of the president. As usual, the president chose to ignore those facts, she said.

It wasnt the first time Newsom had pulled his punches with Trump, whose administration, the governor is often quick to note, has been sued by California 100 times. Although he ran in 2018 promising to make California the most anti-Trump state in America, Newsom has also praised the president for his help during the coronavirus pandemic. One of those comments  promise made, promise kept, Newsom said of Trump  made it into a re-election ad for the president.

Newsom has succeeded in staying on the good side of Trump, who is anything but shy about criticizing Democratic governors in other states. During his visit Monday, Trump said, Were obviously from different sides of the spectrum, but we have a very good relationship.

LiPo Ching / Special to The Chronicle

Newsom is not the first governor to navigate a complicated relationship with a presidential administration whose assistance he needs. At a conference in 2018, shortly before leaving office, Brown labeled Trump a liar, criminal, fool on climate change. Two months later, he hosted the president for a tour of Paradise, the Butte County city that had been largely destroyed by the Camp Fire.

After the visit, Trump was asked about climate change, which Brown had publicly blamed for worsening Californias wildfire season. The president told reporters, We didnt discuss it. Brown quietly said, Obliquely.

Evan Westrup, a spokesman for Brown, said it would be naive for a governor to think he or she could provide the breakthrough in educating Trump about climate change, which he once derided as a hoax, or set the framing for the presidents visit.

Rather than bringing up climate change while they were in Paradise, when it might be seen as overly political, Brown waited until after the trip was over and did a national TV interview that evening on the topic. Westrup said it gave Trump a chance to lay bare his own ignorance.

The best strategy is to let him do the talking, and its inevitable that hell simultaneously shoot himself in the foot and then put that foot in his mouth in the same motion, Westrup said.

In Paradise, it was Trumps comment about the need to rake leaves that had wildfire experts criticizing his oversimplification of forestry management and the nature of Californias fires, many of which explode in areas with minimal forest cover. On Monday, coverage largely focused on a moment when Trump, responding to a challenge by Californias natural resources secretary, incorrectly asserted, I dont think science knows, actually, whether human activity is driving climate change. He also offered a breezy assurance: Itll start getting cooler. Just you watch.

Environmentalists, meanwhile, say they are waiting for Newsoms actions to match his rhetoric. Their relationship has been fraught, especially after the governor proposed funding cuts this summer to electric car rebates, oil and gas regulation, habitat preservation and other environmental programs. The Sunrise Movement, an organization of young climate activists, stepped up its criticism of Newsom this week over the number of permits his administration has granted for fracking, a natural gas extraction process that unleashes large amounts of greenhouse gases.

Newsom, who called last week for speeding up Californias transition to carbon-free electricity and other climate policies, said Wednesday that he would have more specific announcements soon. Well continue to assert ourselves as a state leading the nation in low-carbon, green growth goals, he said.

Bill Magavern, policy director for the Coalition for Clean Air, said he could not fault Newsom for showing deference to the president during an official visit. The governor pressed the issue of climate change as much as he could, Magavern said.

Im not looking to Gavin Newsom to be the main debater confronting Donald Trump, he said. Im looking for Gavin Newsom to be the main champion for clean energy and transportation for California. And I would like him to make those more of a priority than he has.

Alexei Koseff is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @akoseff
Airplanes can be a COVID-19 breeding ground: youre crammed into a large aluminum tube with a few dozen strangers, hoping they all adhere to airline policies to wear a mask while in the air.

But not everyone can avoid being on a flight right now; some are forced to travel for work, others are heading home for family emergencies.

Theres no denying it. Travelers are coming back to Houstons airports. Heres how to safely take a trip on a plane during a global pandemic.

Should I fly?

Whether you buy that cheap airplane ticket depends on your comfort level. Flying is riskier than driving from an infectious disease control standpoint, said Firas Zabaneh, director of system infection prevention and control at Houston Methodist. If its possible to drive to your destination within a reasonable amount of time, Zabaneh recommends doing that.

But should people avoid airplanes altogether?

More Information What is this? I'm Gwendolyn Wu, and I'm writing "Houston How To," a series on how to navigate the city and its complexities. Humans have an innate drive to improve themselves, and we're always striving to live better, smarter and more efficiently by throwing countless dollars and hours at our problems. The Houston Chronicle wants to simplify that for you. As a reporter, I usually ask the questions, but I can't be the only one wondering how something works. What are things you need to know how to do, Houston? You can find me on Twitter at @gwendolynawu or by email at gwendolyn.wu@chron.com. See More Collapse

Its not necessarily that they have to avoid it, Zabaneh said. However, they have to know the risk not just for themselves, but when they come back from travel, to their loved ones and significant others.

The shorter the trip, the safer it is. Maybe rethink those international flights if theyre for leisure.

Also, keep in mind that any travel time might be eaten up by self-quarantine periods. Workplaces may also require employees to quarantine at home before returning to work, even if its business travel.

According to the New York Times tracker of statewide restrictions, the following states and territories are asking travelers from Texas to quarantine for 14 days: Alaska, Connecticut, Washington, D.C., Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont.

Some counties and cities may have more specific requirements, or accept negative tests to get out of self-quarantine. Others merely recommend quarantining if traveling from out-of-state. You can also find a map of restrictions at AAA Texas.

Going through security

The Transportation Security Administration is temporarily allowing travelers to bring a bottle of 12-ounce or less of hand sanitizer through the checkpoint. If you do, though, it might result in a delay, so federal officials advise budgeting extra time.

Experts advise packing light and bringing just one carry-on so that you dont have to stick around at a crowded baggage claim. Belts and personal items such as wallets and phones should be placed in the carry-on bags, according to TSA.

MORE HOW TO: Your questions answered on voting, drivers licenses, COVID life

More from Gwendolyn Wu Traveling to Californias wine country? Dont skip out on supporting wineries affected by wildfires

Also, if you were worried about having an expired driver license, theres an exemption for that. Licenses that expired on or after Mar. 1 can be used to fly. As for REAL ID, the federal law enforcing which forms of state-issued IDs can be used to fly, that has also been granted an extension from the Department of Homeland Security to October 2021. (The original expiration date to fly with a non-compliant state-issued ID was October 2020.)

Waiting in the airport

Airport officials are asking all visitors to wear a mask, practice social distancing, regularly wash their hands and use hand sanitizer while on-site. Dont travel if you think youve been in contact with someone who recently contracted COVID-19.

Houstons airports have stepped up cleaning procedures in the terminal waiting areas, bathrooms and even on the tram that runs around IAH. There are also more than 420 new hand sanitizer stations all over both airports to encourage personal hygiene, said Augusto Bernal, a spokesman for the Houston Airport System.

The airports have never been this clean, really, Bernal said.

If youve forgotten your mask, airport employees will be around to provide you one before you get far into the terminals. At Hobby, travelers wishing to get an extra mask for their travels can pick one up for $3.99 at a PPE vending machine stationed just outside the TSA entrance. Need an infrared thermometer? Thatll run you $89.99.

Just because fewer people are taking to the skies doesnt mean that security is a breeze. Bernal recommends allocating two hours of buffer time for people flying domestically, and three hours flying internationally.

On the plane

Expect a few departures from the norm once youve boarded. Many airlines are not putting passengers in middle seats to increase distance between travelers. Every airline has different cleaning policies so be cautious if youre worried about germs and call ahead to hear about their procedures.

Of course, for peace of mind, maybe bring your own antibacterial wipes.

You want to wipe down your tray table, armrests, seatbelt and screen, said Joshua Zuber, an AAA Texas spokesperson.

ON THE MOVE: How do you move in Houston during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Certain airlines have suspended snack and drink service on flights less than 350 miles, while others are offering limited prepackaged snacks and bottled/canned drinks on longer flights. Check ahead with the carrier if youre worried about your cheese sandwich crackers and coffee.

If you need to eat, you dont have to remove your mask and sit down for a meal at one of the airports restaurants. Some snacks could be carried on  think solid foods like cookies or nuts. Federal recommendations suggest putting all food items into a clear plastic bag to make it easier to screen. But thats, of course, if you want to risk taking your mask off, even for the brief moments youre sneaking Chex mix in your mouth.

Lets be honest, Zabaneh said. Everyones going to take their mask off to eat, drink or take a breather. But make it extremely brief. Look around, make sure people dont have their masks off at that time. Youll be fine. Its a short time youre going to have it off to take a sip of your drink and youll put it back on right away.

gwendolyn.wu@chron.com

twitter.com/gwendolynawu
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There was a predictable backlash this week when celebrities like Kim Kardashian West stopped social media posts for a day on Instagram, the photo-sharing site owned by Facebook, to protest the social network.

This is a stunt, some people said. If you think Facebook worsens misinformation and hate speech, just quit the social network. Dear readers, you too might have felt guilty for still being on Facebook.

A recent book by the leftist lawyer and activist Zephyr Teachout short-circuited this narrative for me. The point shouldnt be bigger or more draconian shaming and blaming of companies people think are irresponsible, she wrote. The goal should be changing laws.

In short: When you get mad at Facebook, dont ask it to change. Ask your government to change Facebook.
Beginning Monday, importers need to furnish proof of 35 per cent value addition in goods from the country of origin to claim duty concession under free trade agreements (FTAs). Without that, they will not get benefits, said a finance ministry official. While the move is aimed at plugging duty evasion through routing exports to India under FTAs, industry fears it will result in a compliance burden.

According to the official, just a certificate by the exporter would not suffice. It will be the importers responsibility to ensure value addition has been done. A provision ...
Gina Gershon brought some star-quality to the glitzy 68th San Sebastian International Film Festival in Spain on Friday evening.

The Riverdale actress, 58, put on a glamorous display in a plunging black velvet gown, which teased her cleavage as she posed up a storm on the red carpet.

Gina's form-fitting gown featured a sexy thigh slit up the leg, which showcased her toned pins while strutting into the opening gala event.

Glam! Gina Gershon brought some star-quality to the glitzy 68th San Sebastian International Film Festival in Spain on Friday evening

Gina's gown was given some added drama with statement ruffled shoulders, while she opted to forgo any accessories for the evening.

The star wore her highlighted locks in soft waves and pinned them up into a chic up do, highlighting her pretty features with soft touches of make-up.

She boosted her frame with a pair of black lace stilettos.

Wow: The Riverdale actress, 58, put on a glamorous display in a plunging black velvet gown, which teased her cleavage as she posed up a storm on the red carpet

Wow: Gina's gown was given some added drama with statement ruffled shoulders, while she opted to forgo any accessories for the evening

Gina ensured she put safety first as she covered her face with a black silk mask amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The film festival will run from 18 to 26 September 2020 under safety measures like obligatory face mask use and red carpets without public due to the pandemic.

Organizers have also reduced the number of film screenings as well as the seating capacity in cinemas.

Stunning: The star wore her highlighted locks in soft waves and pinned them up into a chic up do, highlighting her pretty features with soft touches of make-up

Elegant: She boosted her frame with a pair of black lace stilettos

Gina currently stars as lead character Jughead Jones' mother Gladys in teen Netflix hit Riverdale.

The actress joined the series during season three as outlaw Gladys, after fans heard much about her in the lead up to her arrival on the show.

During season three episode eight after going on the run to escape bad guy Hiram Lodge, Jughead and Archie made their way to Toledo, where Gladys and Jughead's sister Jellybean have been living for the past few years.

After locating the scrapyard owned by Gladys, Jug finally came face to face with his mother and sister after years apart.

Safety first: Gina ensured she put safety first as she covered her face with a black silk mask amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic
Washington: Russia is seeking to denigrate Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden's campaign, primarily by using social media and influence operations, FBI director Christopher Wray has warned.

Russia is carrying out efforts to sow discord in the US  primarily to hurt Biden  because Moscow views him as part of an anti-Russian American establishment, Wray told lawmakers during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on Thursday, US time, on threats to the nation.

FBI director Christopher Wray. Credit:Bloomberg

"Russia continues to try to influence our elections, primarily through what we call malign foreign influence," Wray said. It's an assessment sharply at odds with that of President Donald Trump, who still dismisses as a hoax the intelligence community's finding that Russia worked to help him win the White House in 2016.
Crew members on a dive boat say they were never instructed on emergency procedures before a predawn fire swept through the vessel as it was anchored off the Southern California coast, killing 34 people as they slept below deck, according to federal documents released this week.

National Transportation Safety Board investigators say the cause of the blaze aboard the Conception remains undetermined but a possible ignition point was phones and other electronics plugged into outlets. One crew member told investigators he saw sparks when he plugged in his cellphone hours before the fire.

The boat was carrying 33 passengers on a Labor Day weekend scuba diving expedition last year. The fire broke out on the final night as the Conception was anchored off Santa Cruz Island, about 25 miles south of Santa Barbara, the boats home port.

All of the passengers and one crew member sleeping below deck were killed, none apparently having a chance to escape. The other five crew members, including Capt. Jerry Boylan, survived by jumping into the water. They barely escaped after trying in vain to save the others, authorities said. Boylan made a mayday call at 3:14 a.m., saying, I cant breathe, before abandoning ship.

They got into a nearby boat, whose captain kept calling for help as Conception crew members returned to search for survivors. It took more than hour after Boylans first mayday call for the Coast Guard and other boats to arrive. The Conception sank just after daybreak.

Boylan could face federal manslaughter counts, and recent court documents say criminal charges are imminent. The NTSB has said all six crew members were asleep when the fire broke out, a violation of Coast Guard regulations requiring a roving watch.

Hundreds of pages of documents released by the safety board provide a detailed look at the boats final hours on Sept. 2, 2019. It will vote Oct. 20 on the investigations findings, as well as the blazes probable cause and any potential recommendations.

Ryan Sims, who had been working aboard the boat for just three weeks, told investigators he had asked the captain to discuss emergency plans the day before the fire. Boylan reportedly told him: When we have time.

I didnt know what the procedures were supposed to be, Sims said. Other crew members also said they werent familiar with safety procedures.

Sims told investigators he went to sleep after seeing sparks when he plugged in his cellphone, and the documents dont indicate that he reported what he saw. He told investigators that while still in a sleep-like state, he had heard a pop and then a crackle downstairs as another crew member yelled, Fire! Fire!

Sims, who broke his leg escaping the burning boat, has sued the vessels owners and the company that chartered it, alleging the Conception wasnt seaworthy and operated unsafely.

Families of 32 victims also have filed claims against the boat owners, Glen and Dana Fritzler, and the boat company, Truth Aquatics. In turn, the Fritzlers and the company have filed a legal claim to shield them from damages under a maritime law that limits liability for vessel owners. Court filings show they have offered to settle lawsuits with dozens of victims relatives.

Attorneys for the victims families, Sims, Boylan and the Fritzlers didnt immediately return requests for comment. A spokesman for the U.S. attorneys office in Los Angeles thats investigating the case declined to comment.

Boylan and the Fritzlers, who owned three dive boats, had a good reputation with customers and the Santa Barbara boating community. Coast Guard records show the Conception had passed its two most recent safety inspections.

In 2018, the Conceptions sister boat  the Vision  had a small fire involving a lithium-ion battery that was charging. A Coast Guard inspection of the Vision after the Conceptions fire found 40 violations, including 11 related to fire safety. It reduced the boats overnight capacity to 33 people after determining that its double bunks made it difficult for the second person in the bed to escape. An inspection just months before had not found any violations.

Passengers on the 75-foot, wood-hulled Conception slept in tiered bunks below the main deck. A staircase at one end of the bunk room led up to the galley, as did an escape hatch measuring 22 inches by 22 inches that was above an upper bunk and away from the staircase.

NTSB board member Jennifer Homendy noted how difficult it was to reach the hatch when she toured the Vision.

The documents say the Conceptions escape hatch was typically discussed during safety briefings but passengers were not shown where it was.

Kyle McAvoy, a marine safety specialist with Robson Forensic in Philadelphia who often is an expert witness in trials, said the hatch should have been discussed at safety briefings but that its required to be fairly clear and obvious how to open it.

While interviewing Cullen Molitor, the boats second captain, investigators asked repeatedly about items plugged into electrical outlets in the Conceptions galley.

Molitor said divers plugged in flashlights, camera equipment, strobe lights and cellphones the night of the fire. He estimated there were 10 to 20 items plugged in on one side and five to 15 on the other, with at least one power strip, although he said he didnt know for sure, according to an interview transcript.

The Coast Guard has issued additional safety recommendations following the tragedy, such as limiting charging of lithium-ion batteries and the use of power strips and extension cords.

Molitor also said there were two smoke detectors in the bunk room and two in the galley, but he didnt hear any alarms after a crew member woke him. He wasnt sure if they were wired together to sound at once but said he would expect to hear them from where he was sleeping.

One thing we never heard was any screams or banging or anything from the boat, both while we were on it or when we were close, Molitor said.

Related:

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Today we will run through one way of estimating the intrinsic value of Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:AIT) by projecting its future cash flows and then discounting them to today's value. Our analysis will employ the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. Believe it or not, it's not too difficult to follow, as you'll see from our example!

Companies can be valued in a lot of ways, so we would point out that a DCF is not perfect for every situation. Anyone interested in learning a bit more about intrinsic value should have a read of the Simply Wall St analysis model.

Check out our latest analysis for Applied Industrial Technologies

The model

We are going to use a two-stage DCF model, which, as the name states, takes into account two stages of growth. The first stage is generally a higher growth period which levels off heading towards the terminal value, captured in the second 'steady growth' period. In the first stage we need to estimate the cash flows to the business over the next ten years. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, so we discount the value of these future cash flows to their estimated value in today's dollars:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate

2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 Levered FCF ($, Millions) US$141.0m US$154.5m US$146.7m US$142.5m US$140.6m US$140.2m US$140.9m US$142.3m US$144.3m US$146.6m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x2 Analyst x1 Est @ -5.03% Est @ -2.85% Est @ -1.33% Est @ -0.27% Est @ 0.48% Est @ 1% Est @ 1.37% Est @ 1.62% Present Value ($, Millions) Discounted @ 9.5% US$129 US$129 US$112 US$99.0 US$89.2 US$81.3 US$74.5 US$68.7 US$63.6 US$59.0

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = US$904m

Story continues

The second stage is also known as Terminal Value, this is the business's cash flow after the first stage. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield (2.2%) to estimate future growth. In the same way as with the 10-year 'growth' period, we discount future cash flows to today's value, using a cost of equity of 9.5%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2030  (1 + g)  (r  g) = US$147m (1 + 2.2%)  (9.5% 2.2%) = US$2.1b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= US$2.1b ( 1 + 9.5%)10= US$826m

The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is US$1.7b. The last step is to then divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of US$57.8, the company appears slightly overvalued at the time of writing. Valuations are imprecise instruments though, rather like a telescope - move a few degrees and end up in a different galaxy. Do keep this in mind.

dcf

Important assumptions

Now the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate, and of course, the actual cash flows. If you don't agree with these result, have a go at the calculation yourself and play with the assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Applied Industrial Technologies as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 9.5%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.215. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business.

Next Steps:

Whilst important, the DCF calculation is only one of many factors that you need to assess for a company. DCF models are not the be-all and end-all of investment valuation. Instead the best use for a DCF model is to test certain assumptions and theories to see if they would lead to the company being undervalued or overvalued. For instance, if the terminal value growth rate is adjusted slightly, it can dramatically alter the overall result. What is the reason for the share price exceeding the intrinsic value? For Applied Industrial Technologies, there are three essential aspects you should further examine:

Risks: For example, we've discovered 5 warning signs for Applied Industrial Technologies that you should be aware of before investing here. Management:Have insiders been ramping up their shares to take advantage of the market's sentiment for AIT's future outlook? Check out our management and board analysis with insights on CEO compensation and governance factors. Other Solid Businesses: Low debt, high returns on equity and good past performance are fundamental to a strong business. Why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals to see if there are other companies you may not have considered!

PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every American stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.



Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com.


BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European stocks were struggling for direction on Friday, with travel-related stocks coming under selling pressure amid worries about the second wave of coronavirus infections in the region.



Spain is currently battling a resurgent second wave of Covid-19 although the mortality levels are far lower than they were in spring.



Leading scientists advising the U.K. government have proposed a two-week national lockdown in October to try to tackle the rising number of coronavirus cases.



Surging coronavirus figures across Europe should serve as 'a wake-up call', Dr. Hans Kluge, regional director of The World Health Organization in Europe, said on Thursday.



The number of new cases had doubled in more than half of European member states in the past two weeks and we have a very serious situation unfolding before us, he added.



The Stoxx Europe 600 index edged up 0.1 percent to 371.77 after ending half a percent lower the previous day.



The German DAX rose 0.3 percent while the U.K.'s FTSE 100 slid 0.1 percent and French stocks were marginally lower.



Swiss drug maker Roche Group rose over 2 percent. The company announced the launch of its Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 S antibody test for markets accepting the CE Mark.



Swedish telecom equipment maker Ericsson advanced 1.7 percent. The company announced its agreement to acquire U.S.-based Cradlepoint for an enterprise value of $1.1 billion.



Spanish bank Bankia SA fell about 3 percent on merger news.



Travel stocks were among the worst hit. International Consolidated Airlines Group plunged over 10 percent, easyJet slumped 7.2 percent and InterContinental Hotels Group lost 5 percent. France KLM lost 2.8 percent and Lufthansa gave up 4 percent.



Investec gave up 3.3 percent. The banking and wealth management group said it expects adjusted earnings per share for the first-half of 2021 to be between 10.5 pence and 8.3 pence, which will be 64 percent to 71 percent behind last year as a result of the de-merger of the asset management business in March 2020.



Man Group rallied 2.2 percent after announcing a new share buyback program.



Euronext NV shares surged 4.3 percent. The London Stock Exchange Group said it has entered talks with the exchange group for the sale of Italy's Borsa Italiana.



Shares of Covestro surged nearly 7 percent after Bloomberg reported that buyout firm Apollo Global Management Inc. is exploring a takeover of the specialty chemicals company.



In economic news, data from the Office for National Statistics showed that U.K. retail sales grew for the fourth straight month in August but the pace of expansion slowed markedly.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
Rebel fighters backed by Turkey are committing war crimes against Kurdish civilians in Syria, according to the UN.

Members of the Syrian National Army  which was supposedly formed to help create a safe zone near the northern border  are believed to have raped and sexually assaulted women and girls, tortured detainees, pillaged homes and businesses and destroyed significant religious and archaeological sites.

UN investigators also point to allegations that Turkish forces were aware of some incidents of looting and were present at prisons when interrogation under torture took place.
The latest chapter of the story of Thin Air, the Winnipeg International Writers Festival, has brought a plot twist no one could have foreseen at last years event  the move to an entirely online event.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 17/9/2020 (491 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The latest chapter of the story of Thin Air, the Winnipeg International Writers Festival, has brought a plot twist no one could have foreseen at last years event  the move to an entirely online event.

Event preview Click to Expand Thin Air Winnipeg International Writers Festival Sunday to Oct. 12 thinairfestival.ca

Back in the spring, as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold and book launches, author tours and publication dates were being cancelled or postponed, Thin Air director Charlene Diehl and her team had to take a long, hard look at how the festival could go forward.

"In April, I was pretty sure that, come hell or high water, I was going to find some way to run a festival," says Diehl. "I could feel the need for this. People who make stories never stop  in some ways, the intensity of their work increases. Suddenly they have material that is far more pressing, and a cultural moment to navigate or report on."

This years entire Thin Air festival will be presented online at thinairfestival.ca starting on Sunday and running through to Oct. 12. Rather than present dozens of day-by-day Zoom-type events, Diehl and her team approached the virtual festival more like a gallery than a series of standard readings.

SUPPLIED Thin Air director Charlene Diehl calls Thomas King, author of Indians on Vacation, one the festivals biggest catches.

"We approached writers with this idea  we want you to put together a reading from your book, or a presentation, anywhere from five to 30 minutes  your call, your comfort," Diehl explains. "I could feel across the board they were excited about doing whatever they wanted."

The resulting content submitted by authors reflects that excitement. "We started getting all this content pouring in several people have sent us walks around their neighbourhood, talking about the places that might feature in the works theyre presenting, or places where theyre charting their own development as a writer," says Diehl. "Weve had slide shows, archival photos with notations about how they fit with the writing project, weve had video art, original songs, even a cooking demo."

This years Thin Air, which received assistance from Canadian Heritage as well as a grant from the Winnipeg Foundation, delivers more talent than ever  even without the in-person panels, readings and workshops. Diehl estimates that at last count the roster includes 87 authors, well up from last years 60.

MO PHUNG PHOTO Francesca Ekwuyasis novel, Butter Honey Pig Bread, is on the Giller long list.

"I just couldnt stop," she says, laughing. "And because we werent organizing travel and working around writers schedules, there was a lot more flexibility."

One of the most exciting catches for Diehl was Thomas King, whose latest novel, Indians on Vacation, was published in late August.

"Hes a writer whos been carving a very important path for a long time  hes the writer whos had the machete. He made room for the blooming of an extraordinary Indigenous writing culture. And he hates to travel. I cant even tell you how many times in 18 years Ive tried to secure him for the festival," Diehl says.

Among the dozens of other writers featured at this years Thin Air are Emma Donoghue, Craig Davidson, Leanne Simpson, Lindsay Wong and Lorna Crozier, as well as locals such as Katherena Vermette, Anita Daher, David A. Robertson, GMB Chomichuk, Dennis Cooley and David Bergen, the latter of whom recently landed a spot on the Giller Prize long list for his collection, Here the Dark.

Bergen is one of eight of the 14 authors on the Giller long list this year being featured at this years Thin Air. "One of my younger readers on the team came to one of our outdoor backyard meetings and said, We have to get Francesca Ekwuyasi and her book Butter Honey Pig Bread. And then to find that debut on the Giller long list I was so thrilled for the writer, but also thrilled for the rest of us, who will be encountering that voice for the first time."

UNA ROULSTON / THE CANADIAN PRESS Author Emma Donoghue has been nominated for the Giller Prize for The Pull of the Stars.

In addition to hosting dozens of presentations and videos submitted by authors  in English and French, and yet again with a strong Indigenous component  the festivals website will also feature reading lounges that continue Thin Airs tradition of bringing different books and authors together under a thematic umbrella.

"The lounges offer collections of books that we think talk to one another in interesting ways. Theyre topical, quirky, a little bit open-ended," says Diehl, adding readers can create a profile, leave comments and interact with each other on the site as well.

This years festival also features an uptick in the number of writing workshops put on by authors and offered through Zoom. "This platform allows us a much broader reach  you dont have to get people to come out of their homes and go to a room," says Diehl.

And while the Thin Air crew was disappointed to have to forgo in-person events, Diehl also sees an upside to doing a festival virtually. "Ive cried my tears this summer about not having the in-person conversations, watching as people meet for the first time and finding out what they have in common," says Diehl. "But this also allows us to be a bit more environmentally responsible. Its concerning to think about bringing people from all over the country to town for one night."

This years Thin Air has faced unprecedented challenges, but the move to a virtual festival has set the festival up nicely for future years, which will include more virtual events, regardless of the state of the pandemic.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Diehl says she knew early on in the pandemic there was a need for this year's writers festival to happen  come hell or high water.

It has also given Diehl a chance to reflect on the the state of the world and the role authors, writing and art play in it. "I think in the next six months were really going to start tangling with the deepest and most profound impacts of this experience, which we cant see yet... It isnt incidental theres all this revolutionary energy at the same time; Emma Donoghue hits on that perfectly in her new book (The Pull of the Stars)," she says.

"As we really start tangling with the implications, we have to bring the dreamers to the table. We have to rebuild with people who are not just caring for their financial well-being, but rather what kind of world were living in.

"I think in a way what were doing in the arts is finally moving toward the front edge of high relevance. We have to find ways to do what we do. The writers and artists have to find a way so they can show us where we could be going  and where we could be going wrong."

ben.sigurdson@freepress.mb.ca

If you value coverage of Manitobas arts scene, help us do more.

Your contribution of $10, $25 or more will allow the Free Press to deepen our reporting on theatre, dance, music and galleries while also ensuring the broadest possible audience can access our arts journalism. BECOME AN ARTS JOURNALISM SUPPORTER Click here to learn more about the project.
The president said he "carefully read" what the Western partners had said about the parliament decision.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he fully supports the transparent process of selecting the chief of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO).

Speaking with the journalists during a working trip to Ivano-Frankivsk region, the president was asked to comment on reports claiming Ukraine may lose visa-free travel privileges in the European Union after the Verkhovna Rada made the move to appoint commission members to select the new anti-corruption prosecutor, his Office reported on Facebook

"I don't comment on the statements of Ukrainian politicians in cases where they have no powers. That is, they can neither grant us visa-free travel, nor take away visa-free travel  this concerns Ukrainian politicians. I know who spins this information, I'm aware of this political party, whose leader is someone who still believes he is 'a Ukrainian monarch', 'master of Ukraine', although this man had five years to restore Ukraine and show what he can do for his people. I don't pay attention to all this information," Zelensky said.

According to the president, Ukrainian authorities have "normal communication" with Western partners.

Read alsoG7 ambassadors: Anti-corruption agencies' integrity must be protected in UkraineZelensky says he "carefully read" what the Western partners had said about the relevant parliament decision.

"They said they want to see that the commission works very thorougly, so that the commission works transparently and chooses a professional future SAPO chief. I fully share their views, fully support them, I believe it can't be any other way," Zelensky said.

Replacing top anti-corruption prosecutor: recent developments

On August 21, Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova signed an order to dismiss Deputy Prosecutor General and SAPO chief Nazar Kholodnytsky, approving his resignation.

On September 17, the Verkhovna Rada appointed parliamentary members to the commission to select the new SAPO chief: Olena Busol, Andriy Hudzhal, Oleksiy Drozd, Kateryna Koval, Bohdan Romaniuk, Viacheslav Navrotsky, and Yevhen Sobol.

The European Parliament's Rapporteur for Ukraine, Michael Gahler, and Vice-Chair of Delegation to the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Association Committee Viola von Cramon expressed concern over the Verkhovna Rada's move.

"While international community is occupied with Belarus, Ukraine government is hastily pushing candidates lacking experience and integrity to select SAPO head. This will not fly. Ukraine's Government is jeopardizing visa-free with the EU and further trance of EUR1.5 billion assistance," Viola von Cramon-Taubadel wrote on Twitter on September 17, 2020.

The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv also commented on the developments. "The U.S. and the EU take note of the Rada decision to appoint members to the commission to choose the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor. The commission needs to embark on a transparent process with candidates' integrity and merits at its core. Our further support will depend upon it," the Embassy wrote on Facebook on September 17.
USPS wanted to send every American a set of face masks but the White House said no

According to NBC News, the White House struck down a measure to send hundreds of millions of cloth masks to American households. The face coverings would have gone out via the United States Postal Service in April.

Read More: US judge blocks Postal Service changes that slowed mail

Instead of that happening, a senior Trump administration official reportedly said selected businesses, nonprofit organizations, and state and federal agencies received 600M masks. The mask distribution program was called Project America Strong.

The Washington Post first reported that the Trump administration initially planned to send masks to the households of U.S. residents across the country.

A digital sign displays a message about wearing masks at the Tropicana Las Vegas after the Las Vegas Strip resort reopened for the first time since mid-March because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on September 17, 2020 (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

This reportedly came after an internal email from The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services was sent in response to an inquiry from a nongovernmental entity asking why the Trump administration did not move forward with the plan.

NBC reported that In the email, a senior HHS official says that the White House made the decision not to move forward because cloth face masks were widely available from a number of vendors and easily accessible to the American public.

The White House has not commented on the issue.

The Washington Post found that the masks would have been distributed to homes in areas with a high number of cases in April. At the time, cases were surging in parishes in Louisiana and areas of Washington state, Michigan, and New York state among other hot spots across the US.

In early May, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services paid a group of textile manufacturers $640M to make masks under Project America Strong. The largest contract went to Hanes who reportedly created 450M masks between the months of May and July.

Read More: Michelle Obama: We couldve never gotten away with what Trump does

HHS did set up a website where Americans could request a box of 500 masks each. But In July, an HHS spokesperson said the agency had run out of masks.

The post Trump White House blocked effort to mail every US household face masks appeared first on TheGrio.
National Democratic Congress (NDC) Flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama, has reiterated a pledge he first made in 2016 to upgrade the Amantin health centre into a polyclinic.



President Mahama who, has, promised the chiefs and people to upgrade their Health Centre into a Polyclinic.



Speaking to the Chiefs and Elders of Amantin in the Bono East Region on Thursday, the former President said:



"In 2016 I came before you the Chiefs and people and made a promise to build you a polyclinic. It is a promise I remain committed to and will honour when I become President.



The NDC Presidential Candidate also urged the people to participate fully in the planned population census in 2021, explaining that it would confirm that their population qualified them to have their own district, and he would ensure that they become a district and get all the development that comes with being a district, such as a district hospital, police station among others.



The former President also informed the gathering that he would build an agricultural mechanization centre equipped with tractors, ploughs, boom sprayer, to provide services to the farmers.



He explained that the farmers could pay for the services after harvesting their crops and expressed confidence that this intervention would encourage young people to take up farming.



He further pledged to provide a dining hall and other facilities at the Amanstin Senior High School.



The Chief of Amantin, Osabarima Nana Owusu Ababio II, speaking through his linguist asked that the 2020 elections be conducted in an atmosphere of peace.



President Mahama is on a three-day tour of the Bono East Region.

Source: GNA









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The Centre has released an amount of over Rs 3,024 crore under the out of which states have utilised around Rs 1,919 crore, the Women and Child Development Ministry said on Friday.

The was set up in 2013 by the UPA government to improve the safety and security of women in the aftermath of the brutal gang rape of a 23-year-old paramedic student, who came to be known as Nirbhaya, in December, 2012 in a moving bus in Delhi.

Responding to a question in the Lok Sabha, Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani gave out state-wise data of release and utilization of the

The data showed the Centre has released an amount of Rs 3,024.46 crore under the Nirbhaya fund out of which states have utilised Rs 1,919.11 crore.

The highest amount of funds have been released to Delhi at Rs 409.03 crore out of which Rs 352.58 crore have been utilised by it, according to the data.

Other high recipientsincluded UP which was given Rs324.98 crore out of which the state utilised Rs 216.75 crore and Tamil Nadu which was given Rs 303.06 crore and it used Rs 265.55 crore from the fund.

Irani said an Empowered Committee (EC) of Officers appraises and recommends the proposals received from various Central Ministries, Departments, States and UTs and other organizations for funding under the Nirbhaya scheme.

"After initial appraisal by the EC, the concerned Ministries/ Departments get the projects/ schemes appraised by the Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC)/ Standing Finance Committee (SFC)/ Public Investment Board (PIB)/ Delegated Investment Board(DIB) as per guidelines of Ministry of Finance," she said in a written reply.

Thereafter, they obtain approval of the Competent Financial Authority (CFA) and release the funds out of their respective budgets.

"The Ministries/ Departments implement the projects/ schemes either directly or through States/ UTs/ Implementing Agencies. A total of 35 schemes/ projects have been appraised and recommended by the EC so far. The EC reviews the status of implementation of the approved projects from time to time in conjunction with the concerned Ministries/ Departments/Implementing Agencies," she said.

The ministries, departments and implementing agencies also review and monitor the progress of their respective schemes and projects for faster implementation at their level, she added.

Responding to another question, Irani said in order to facilitate states and UTs to undertake efficient and timely investigation in cases of sexual assault, a total of 14,950 Sexual Assault Evidence Collection (SAEC) kits have been provided to them for use in such cases at a total cost Rs. 2.97 crore under the Nirbhaya Fund.

She also gave data of state-wise distribution of these kits. UP has received the highest number of kits at 3,056 followed by Rajasthan which has been given 1,452 kits and Madhya Pradesh which has got 1,187 kits.

Responding to another question, Irani said the Central government has set up 684 One Stop Centres for violence-affected women with the help of the Nirbhaya fund.

(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.)
Bend-La Pine school leaders originally planned to wait six weeks into the school year to bring students in kindergarten through grade three back into classrooms. That wouldve meant late October at the earliest.

But after local COVID-19 case rates plummeted, Superintendent Lora Nordquist announced a change of plans: All students in kindergarten through grade three  more than 4,600 children  will return to classes in a partially online partially in-person model, starting Monday, Oct. 5.

Frustrated parents were a big driver of that decision, she said.

Waiting six weeks was really hard to justify, Nordquist said at this weeks remotely-held Bend-La Pine School Board meeting.

During the meeting, multiple board members mentioned the hundreds of emails they received from parents and guardians.

One of them, Julie Craig, said she agreed with parents who want younger children to return to classrooms. I 100% agree (with the emails), she said. Its most important to get our children back in school, learning the way they were meant to be learning.

Not everyone was thrilled with a quicker reopening, however. One letter read during public comment, from an elementary teacher who wished to remain anonymous, attacked the school board and district leaders for bowing to parent pressure and suddenly flipping the reopening plan, which caught some teachers off guard.

Changing the plan on us two days into the school year is extremely manipulative and speaks volumes about the district prioritizing parent and community optics more than the needs, if not health, of K-3 staff, the letter stated.

Nordquist sympathized with some teachers' frustration at district leaderships about-face, but still said the sudden change was the right call.

I totally agree that dropping this news on people the second day of school was far from ideal, she said Tuesday night. On the other hand, what I heard from teachers last week who were working with us is to tell people sooner rather than later, to maximize time for planning.

The intense pressure from some community members on both sides of the school-reopening issue led board chair Carrie Douglass to tearfully defend school district leadership. She said administrators and board members spent hundreds of hours creating the best-possible plan.

As you can all imagine, for every email we open asking us to open school sooner, theres another one asking us to be more cautious, said Douglass. This is not a topic on which everyone agrees  We will not make everyone happy tonight.

When the Bend-La Pine School Board unanimously voted in late July to have at least six weeks of online learning to start the year, COVID-19 cases were near a post-Independence Day peak of 54.4 cases per 100,000 residents.

The state requires case counts to fall below 30 cases per 100,000 to allow students in third-grade and below back into classes. There have been fewer than 20 cases per 100,000 in Deschutes County for five straight weeks, dating back to early August, according to the Oregon Health Authority.

Nordquists plan calls for K-3 students to return to schools for just one day during the week of Oct. 5. Every schools K-3 student population would be divided into four groups, with each group of students attending in person on a different day.

The purpose of that first week is to teach students about proper social distancing and mask-wearing rules and to re-establish connections between classmates as well as between students and teachers, Nordquist told the board.

Starting the week of Oct. 12, a consistent hybrid schedule will start, she said. Half of K-3 students will be in schools Mondays and Thursdays, while the other half will attend in-person class Tuesdays and Fridays, Nordquist said.

Families who are still nervous about returning can enroll in the districts fully-online schooling option with a dedicated teaching staff, Nordquist said.

Students in grades four through 12 will have to wait few weeks longer to potentially return to classes. Nordquist said she hopes to have those students back in schools on Oct. 26  if local COVID-19 case counts are low enough. District leaders will make an announcement about that decision on or before Oct. 12, she said.

The state has set stricter standards for bringing older students back into schools. Not only must a county have 10 or fewer COVID-19 cases per 100,000 and a 5% or lower positive testing rate, but the state as a whole must also have a 5% or lower positive testing rate.

Oregons statewide positive test rate dipped below 5% for two straight weeks, but jumped to 5.6% during the week of Sept. 6, according to state data.

Bend-La Pine Schools will hold a virtual town hall Sept. 28, when more specifics about the reopening plan will be given, Nordquist said. There will also be another Bend-La Pine School Board meeting Tuesday, Sept. 22.

-- Jackson Hogan; jhogan@bendbulletin.com; @jacksonhogan
The Virginia Citizens Defense League and other gun rights groups believe the law infringes on the Second Amendment, and allows firearms to be confiscated without due process and based solely on someones word.

Authorities in Richmond, Petersburg, Hopewell and the counties of Henrico, Chesterfield, Hanover, Dinwiddie and Prince George said they have not yet sought substantial risk orders against any residents in their localities.

Richmond-area attorney David Smith is representing the Colonial Heights man who owns no firearms but is subject to an emergency substantial risk order based on threats that police said they heard him make to kill himself and family members. He also told police he suffers from depression and anxiety.

At one point during his encounter with the police, the man was asked if he had a plan to kill himself. The man replied that he was going to get his final check in the mail, then go buy a gun and blow his brains out because he was tired of the human race, the officer wrote in the petition for the substantial risk order.

The man was charged with domestic assault after a verbal and physical altercation with his brother on July 10. He was found guilty last week and sentenced to serve four months in jail.
Two St. Martin Parish, Louisiana, insurance producers have been hit with Cease and Desist Orders and fines for allegedly misappropriating premium funds, Louisiana Department of Insurance (LDI) reported.

The department said Tasey Ann Tolliver-Alexander is alleged to have misappropriated insurance premium in 2019. According to investigators, Tolliver-Alexander also was selling insurance with an expired license. Records from the insurer indicate that payment was never forwarded resulting in the policy being canceled.

Vincent Alexander, the owner of the Vincent Alexander Insurance Agency and the husband of Tasey Ann Tolliver-Alexander, was also issued a cease and desist order as well as a summary suspension and revocation of his producers license for failure to adequately supervise Tolliver-Alexanders activity.

Alexander and Tolliver-Alexander have conducted business under the name Vincent Alexander Insurance Agency. Individuals or businesses with information regarding this case or other insurance-related activities are encouraged to report these matters to the LDI Division of Fraud and Enforcement by calling (225) 342-4956 or 1-800-259-5300.

Tolliver-Alexander and Alexander have 30 days from the time of service to request an administrative appeal or the above actions will become final.

Source: Louisiana Department of Insurance

Topics Agencies Louisiana
A U.S. judge said she is willing to temporarily halt President Donald Trump's ban on Chinese-owned messaging app WeChat following requests by its users, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday.

Judge Laurel Beeler said at a hearing on Thursday she is ready to grant a preliminary injunction as the president's order is too vague, the report said.

However, a final decision was not issued by the judge on the ban, according to Bloomberg.

'I'm sympathetic to the anxiety it creates for the people affected,' Beeler said at the hearing. 'This is the only mode of communication for these people.'

President Donald Trump has sought to ban Chinese-owned messaging app WeChat, as well as TikTok, saying they are threats to national security. A judge on Thursday said she may delay Trump's order as being too vague

WeChat users had filed a motion in U.S. District Court in San Francisco seeking a preliminary injunction to bar the Trump administration from prohibiting the use of WeChat in the United States by individual users, businesses and groups.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is set to release regulations by Sunday clarifying what WeChat transactions will be prohibited.

The WeChat users who sued said the order apparently prohibits 'millions of WeChat users in the United States ... from using the most popular social media space for Chinese speakers in the world.'

Judge Laurel Beeler said Thursday that she is ready to grant an injunction on Trump's proposed ban but has not decided on a final decision

WeChat has been downloaded 19 million times in the United States, showed data from Sensor Tower, but in China, the app is ubiquitous as a medium for services, games and payments.

Trump's order said WeChat 'automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users,' which 'threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans' personal and proprietary information.'

The Justice Department said on Wednesday WeChat users would not face civil or criminal penalties even if the United States bans the app.

President Trump in August banned U.S. transactions with Tencent Holdings Ltd, owner of WeChat, and Bytedance's short-video app TikTok, calling them 'significant threats' to national security.

The president previously said that he would ban TikTok if it wasn't sold to an American company. In an Aug. 6 order, Trump said TikTok 'reportedly censors content that the Chinese Communist Party deems politically sensitive,' is potentially a source for disinformation campaigns and 'threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans personal and proprietary information.'

TikTok maintains that it has not shared U.S. user data with the Chinese government and would not do so, says it does not censor videos at the request of Chinese authorities and notes that moderators for U.S. operations are led by a U.S. team.

President Donald Trump's order said WeChat 'automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users,' which 'threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans' personal and proprietary information'

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is set to release regulations by Sunday clarifying which WeChat transactions would be prohibited

TikTok has proposed a deal where it allows Oracle to handle all of its data in a bid to assuage Trump's concerns.

The Oracle arrangement, according to a person familiar with the matter who isnt authorized to speak publicly, entrusts TikToks U.S. user data to Oracle, which would oversee technical operations for TikTok in the U.S. Oracle wont develop code for the app, but will review it and updates to it.

Not all Republicans are on board with the Oracle deal. Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, a frequent critic of both China and the tech sector, called for the government to reject the Oracle partnership and instead pursue a full sale of TikTok in the U.S. or ban the app.

'An ongoing `partnership that allows for anything other than the full emancipation of the TikTok software from potential Chinese Communist Party control is completely unacceptable, and flatly inconsistent with the Presidents Executive Order of Aug. 6,' he wrote on Tuesday.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- An expansion of New Yorks historic artificial reef program is repurposing recycled vehicles to create stronger underwater habitats off the shores of the Empire State.

On Wednesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo kicked off the third year of the largest artificial reef program in New York history, strategically deploying recycled materials into the waters off New York to create stronger, more diverse underwater ecosystems and provide shelter for fish and other marine organisms.

Old rail cars are transported to be dumped into the waters off New York as part of an artificial reef program. (Darren McGee- Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo)Darren McGee- Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

This expansion of the states artificial reef program is a testament to New Yorks unwavering commitment to environmental preservation and restoration in the absence of federal leadership that continues to jeopardize the health of vulnerable ecosystems, Cuomo said.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) manages the states 12 artificial reefs, including the Hempstead Reef, off the coast of Long Island, which was the site of Wednesdays event.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation manages the states 12 artificial reefs, including the Hempstead Reef, which was the site of these rail cars hitting the water this past week.(Darren McGee- Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo)Darren McGee- Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

So far, materials deployed at the Hempstead Reef include 16 rail cars donated by Wells Fargo Rail Corporation, a steel turbine provided by NYPA/Canal Corporation and a 70-foot steel tugboat.

With this rail car and tugboat drop at Hempstead Reef, we continue to build on our efforts to energize local economies and build a healthier marine environment for future generations," Cuomo said.

So far, materials deployed at the Hempstead Reef include 16 rail cars donated by Wells Fargo Rail Corporation, a steel turbine provided by NYPA/Canal Corporation and a 70-foot steel tugboat. (Darren McGee- Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo)Darren McGee- Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

Last year, recycled steel bridge girders, pipes and signs from the Staten Island Expressway were deployed two miles off the coast of Fire Island, helping to create a 744-acre reef, forming a new aquatic habitat and promoting biodiversity in the area.

During his 2020 State of the State address, Cuomo announced plans to double New Yorks existing artificial reef acreage by expanding seven of the 12 existing reefs and creating four new ones by the end of 2022.
US President Donald Trump's son Eric has alleged that Senator Kamala Harris, who is the Democratic Party's vice-presidential candidate, has totally run away from the Indian-American community. Harris, 55, is the first-ever black, African-American and Indian-origin person to have been nominated by a major political party as its vice-presidential candidate.

Eric Trump, the second son of the president, charged Harris of not associating herself with the community at an event in Atlanta early this week at the formal launch of Indian Voices for Trump, wherein he accused the opposition Democratic Party of coming under the influence of the radical left. You just look at Kamala Harris. Kamala Harris is of Indian descent and she's totally run away from the community, Eric said in his address to the Indian Voices for Trump.

I think the Indian community knows that. And you know, she's not going around saying that she's of Indian descent. In fact, she's going around saying the exact opposite, Eric said, urging the Indian-American community to support and re-elect his father as against the Opposition Democratic Party's presidential candidate Joe Biden and his running mate Harris. You look at what this party stands for. You look at what the radical left stands for the lack of organised religion. They want to go after businesses. They want to increase taxes in ways that have never been thought possible. And you have so many business owners in this room right now.

Look at this latest plan to increase taxes by USD 4 trillion 82 per cent of people, which is pretty much every taxpayer mean, all things that would absolutely tank the economy, he said. Indian-Americans have traditionally been supporters of the Democratic Party. However, Trump, with his intensive outreach, has made a big dent into this traditional vote bank, according to a recent survey.

According to the survey released by Indiaspora and Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders (AAPI) Data early this week, 66 per cent Indian-Americans currently favour Biden and 28 per cent favour Trump while six per cent were undecided. Notably in the 2016 presidential election, 77 per cent voted for former US secretary Hillary Clinton, and 16 per cent for Trump. In 2012, as many as 84 per cent Indian-Americans voted for Barack Obama. Al Mason, co-chair of Trump Victory Indian-American Finance Committee, who was the first to report about this trend, said that the results of his survey in battleground states show that as many as 50 per cent of potential Indian-American voters, the vast majority of whom traditionally have voted for Democrats in the past presidential elections, will defect from the Democratic Party and vote for Trump in 2020.

The nomination of Harris as the Democratic Party's vice-presidential candidate has generated enthusiasm in the Indian-American community. However, many members of the community have expressed their apprehensions over several of her policies and that of the Biden campaign. Harris in her speeches, including her historic address at the Democratic National Convention, rarely forgets to mention the deep influence that her Indian mother Shyamala Harris had on her life and how her upbringing prepared her for the role she is seeking today.

The vice presidential candidate in her social media posts has also talked about the deep influence on her of India's freedom movement led by Mahatma Gandhi that was based on the philosophy of non-violence, peace and truth.

.
Pearson signboard outside its offices in London. Photo: Neil Hall/Reuters

Pearson (PSON.L) is facing a major shareholder revolt following news of a controversial remuneration package for the CEO, which grants incoming boss Andy Bird a 7.4m ($3.75m) pay.

The stock has been trading lower this week, down 0.2% on Friday at 3pm London time.

Almost a third of investors in the FTSE 100 (^FTSE) educational publishing group voted down the plans for the former Disney director.

Bird does not have experience in the education sector. He has been a non-executive director on Pearsons board since May. He will be joining the business at a time of great reinvention. It has been struggling to transition from selling printed books to creating desirable product offerings that appeal to digital customers.

The pay plan for Bird includes a contribution towards the rent of an apartment in New York, according to the Financial Times. Three top-20 shareholders told the publication they had serious concerns.

According to Reuters, management at the British firm said the move was necessary to secure a rare talent whose experience fitted with Pearsons requirements.

Under the deal, Bird would receive a salary of at least $1.25m (0.95m) fixed until 2023. He had the opportunity to double that amount if he met specific performance targets.

The company has been struggling to lift investor sentiment for its digital offerings. Source: Yahoo Finance

Beyond the one-off purchase of $3.75m of Pearson shares, equal to 300% of his salary, he could also receive shares worth $9.3m, which will be paid out in three instalments over three years.

During this process, we have undertaken extensive engagement with our shareholders, in which Andy has been recognised as an outstanding candidate, Sidney Taurel, chair of Pearson, said in a Reuters article.

Bird received multimillion-dollar annual remuneration packages while serving as an executive at Disney. He has been credited with expanding its global business, particularly across China and India.

He replaces John Fallon, who is retiring and has run the company since 2013.
Sue and Philippes flirtation has two effects on hypochondriac Mort. First he imagines hes having heart problems, so he visits a cardiologist, Dr. Jo Rojas (Elena Anaya). I didnt know you were a woman, marvels Mort, apparently the sole person in existence who has never heard the old The doctor is a woman! riddle. Hes instantly infatuated, even more so when he discovers she too loves classic film, despises Philippes movie, is conversant with New York City and is experiencing marital woes. These are caused by her unfaithful painter husband, Paco, played by Sergi Lopez in a fantastic, bottle-smashing, self-harm-threatening parody of the passionate, artistic Spaniard archetype that Allen so embraced in Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

Second, each night Mort dreams vividly literal reinterpretations of the classic films he loves, recast with himself, Sue, Philippe and Jo playing the pivotal roles. And while its a little strange that Morts ostensibly obscure and snobby tastes should be represented basically by the top 10 tracks on Now Thats What I Call the Greats of Cinema Vol. 1, and some of these black-and-white interludes are overworked  the Citizen Kane Rosebud gag is particularly forced  a few are pretentiousness-puncturing fun. In moments like the Breathless Why are we under this sheet? sequence, or the Persona riff in which Sue and Jo lapse into Swedish to complain about Morts love of subtitles, there are glimmers of the more anarchic cinephilia of early Allen.

Sometimes he even lands an honest-to-God zinger that wouldnt feel out of place in one of his own classics. In a dream, a rabbi berates Mort for not being observant enough. What would he say to God if he met him? God? After all hes done, he should talk to my lawyer, replies Mort. Who but a Jew would think of suing God? sighs the rabbi sadly. Who but a Jew would have such a slam-dunk case? retorts Mort as he wakes up.
A man casts a vote during a special election in North Carolina's 9th Congressional District on in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Sept. 10, 2019. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

North Carolina Voters Receive Duplicate Absentee Ballots After Mix-Up

A mix-up with the first absentee ballots sent in North Carolina caused some voters to receive two identical ballots for the November general election, local election officials told the Associated Press on Wednesday.

Mecklenburg County election officials said that some ballots intended for voters in Matthews, North Carolina, were mislabeled with the wrong names and were shredded before being sent.

When officials printed new mailing labels to correct the mistake, some voters ended up getting two duplicate ballots.

Election Director Michael Dickerson said that fewer than 500 voters were impacted by the mix-up, adding that it is unlikely that voters could have cast two ballots, as each mailing label contains an individual code that cannot be recorded twice.

On Thursday, President Donald Trump reacted to the mix-up, posting: Just out: Some people in the Great State of North Carolina have been sent TWO BALLOTS. RIGGED ELECTION in waiting!

About 813,000 absentee ballots had been requested in North Carolina as of Sept. 14, as millions of Americans prepare to vote by mail to avoid polling places during the CCP virus pandemic.

Earlier this week, Trump instructed North Carolinians to cast their vote again in-person if they learned that their mail-in vote had not been counted.

People cast their ballots for the 2016 general elections at a crowded polling station as early voting begins in Carrboro, N.C., on Oct. 20, 2016. (Jonathan Drake/Reuters)

Trump has been vehemently opposed to universal mail-in voting, suggesting that the practice is unsafe and could lead to voter fraud.

To make sure your Ballot COUNTS, sign & send it in EARLY. When Polls open, go to your Polling Place to see if it was COUNTED. IF NOT, VOTE! Your signed Ballot will not count because your vote has been posted. Dont let them illegally take your vote away from you! Trump wrote on Twitter.

However, North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein advised people on Saturday to not follow the Presidents directions with regard to going to polling places on Election Day to check if their mail-in vote was counted.

Do NOT do what the President directs. To make sure your ballot COUNTS, sign and send it in EARLY. Then track it ONLINE, Stein wrote on Twitter, including a link to a website where voters can track their ballots.

Earlier this month, North Carolina State Board of Elections Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell issued a press release reminding people that it is illegal to vote twice in a federal election.

N.C.G.S.  163-275(7) makes it a Class I felony for a voter, with intent to commit a fraud to register or vote at more than one precinct or more than one timein the same primary or election. Attempting to vote twice in an election or soliciting someone to do so also is a violation of North Carolina law,' she explained.

There are numerous checks in place in North Carolina that prevent people from double voting, such as electronic poll books which contain information about who has already voted which are used at every early voting site.

On Election Day, voters who have voted absentee are removed from the poll book, which is updated before voting starts at 6:30 a.m.

Absentee ballots that are received on Election Day are not counted until after the election, and this prevents double voting, and the State Board conducts audits after each election to check voter history against ballots cast, meaning they can detect if someone tries to vote more than once in an election.

The State Board has a dedicated investigations team that investigates allegations of double voting, which are referred to prosecutors when warranted.
(Natural News) Can the FDA be trusted when it comes to the COVID-19 vaccine?

Many Americans have their doubts, and one high-profile voice expressing concern is Bill Gates. And if the Microsoft co-founder and passionate vaccine advocate is concerned, you know it must be really bad.

Of course, his concerns are probably coming from a different place than many of us. After all, he wants to see the vaccine administered to everyone on the planet, making statements about the Big Pharma companies developing the vaccine such as: These companies are very professional and the benefits of the vaccine here are very dramatic. Thank goodness that we have this private-sector expertise that we want to shape into a global public good that gets to everybody on the planet.

Theres also the fact that he has reportedly been funding the use of a special dye with nanocrystal quantum dots to be placed into the vaccines that emit near-infrared light that can be detected using smartphones to signify that a person has been vaccinated. Its pretty clear we cant trust Gates, either.

Gates said the FDA has lost credibility in his mind in recent years. In particular, he cited recent comments made by FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, who has been accused of exaggerating a Mayo Clinic studys findings on the benefits of convalescent blood plasma as a coronavirus treatment.

We saw with the completely bungled plasma statements that when you start pressuring people to say optimistic things, they go completely off the rails. The FDA lost a lot of credibility there, he said.

Of course, he failed to mention an even bigger problem with Hahn, which is his insistence that hydroxychloroquine is causing harm to patients despite scientific and anecdotal evidence to the contrary from doctors who have successfully used this treatment. Thats probably pretty convenient for his mass vaccination agenda, so we wont see him criticize anyone suppressing HCQ any time soon.

The FDA will have to approve any coronavirus vaccine before it can go to market. Gates told CNBC that of all the pharmaceutical companies working on a vaccine, only Pfizer has the potential to deliver one in a matter of weeks. Not surprisingly, the Gates Foundation owns shares of Pfizer.

Most Americans are skeptical of any coronavirus vaccine

Recent polls have shown that most Americans are concerned that the vaccine is being rushed. A CBS News poll found that two thirds of American voters said that should a vaccine be announced this year, their first thought would be that it had been rushed through with inadequate testing rather than considering it a scientific achievement that occurred quickly. Of that group, only 13 percent would be willing to get the shot as soon as possible.

People are also losing faith in the CDC. In March, 86 percent of voters said they trusted the CDC to provide accurate information about coronavirus; that figure now stands at just 54 percent. There have also been drops in those who trust their states governor, President Trump and the media for accurate information about the disease compared to this spring.

Meanwhile, when asked in a Gallup poll if they would be willing to a get a COVID-19 vaccine that had been approved by the FDA and was given to them at no cost, 35 percent of Americans said they would not.

As right as Gates is not to trust the FDA with this matter  or any matter, really  hearing this skepticism coming from him is a case of the pot calling the kettle black. The FDA might actually be slightly more trustworthy than Bill Gates on vaccines, but its a very low bar indeed.

Sources for this article include:

Bloomberg.com

NaturalNews.com

MarketWatch.com

News.Gallup.com

CBSNews.com
New Delhi, Sep 18 : Despite the Indian and Chinese foreign ministers agreeing to reduce tensions along the disputed border, both the countries troops are in rifle range at four locations at Pangong Lake in Eastern Ladakh, a senior official in the security establishment said.

Worryingly, the eyeball-to-eyeball deployment, at least in one place, is at a place where troops had disengaged previously after military-level talks. And the fresh eyeball-to-eyeball deployment comes at a time when China is yet to indicate the date for the next senior military-level talks.

"At these places, troops and materials are just a few hundred meters away," the source said, adding they are at three locations on the southern bank of the lake and one on the northern bank.

On the north bank, the troops are facing each other between Finger 3 and Finger 4 where warning shots were fired in the air by both the armies. On the south bank of the lake, the troops are only a few meters apart at Spanggur Gap, Mukhpari and Rezang La.

China made the first provocative military moves, after which India too deployed its troops at these locations. At these two places, both the countries' troops have fired warning shots to intimidate each other.

The Chinese People's Liberation Army made attempts to occupy the area between Finger 3 and 4 earlier this month which led to the firing of around 200 shots in the air. Thereafter, both the armies are now a few hundred meters apart. The mountain spurs jutting into the lake are referred to as 'Fingers' in military parlance.

The PLA troops armed with spears and guns again tried to start a medieval-style fight similar to the June 14 clash at Galwan Valley, in which 20 Indian soldiers and an unknown number of Chinese soldiers died. In the confrontation, shots were fired for the first time in 45 years along the Line of Actual Control.

It was after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi reached an agreement in Moscow that the situation has calmed down a bit at the borders.

India has asked China to completely withdraw its troops from Pangong Tso. But China has refused to budge.

Both the countries are engaged in the current four-month-long standoff at the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh. Despite several levels of dialogue, there has not been any breakthrough and the deadlock continues.

Chinese aggression started increasing along the LAC and more particularly in Galwan Valley since May 5. The Chinese side transgressed in the areas of Kugrang Nala, Gogra and the north bank of Pangong Lake on May 17 and May 18.

(Sumit Kumar Singh can be reached at sumit.k@ians.in)
The Edo North senatorial district, which spans six local government areas, will play a major role in determining who emerges the governor during Saturdays poll.

In both the federal and state legislative elections in 2019, the All Progressives Congress, (APC) swept all the positions in the region. The governorship election in 2016 too was won by the APC.

But many things have changed since then.

APCs then-candidate and eventual winner, incumbent Governor Godwin Obaseki, has crossed parties. So has his closest rival, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, whom he defeated then by over 63,000 votes.

Home to Etsako West, Etsako East, Etsako Central, Owan West, Owan East and Akoko-Edo LGAs, the region accounts for over 28 per cent of Edos voting population, a review of records from INEC shows.

Esan and Afemai are the dominant language spoken by locals in the area.

Of the local governments in the area, Etsako West has the fourth-highest number of eligible voters statewide, 128,188, but only 115,343 have voters card.

Earlier, Nigerias electoral umpire, INEC, said the number of PVCs collected statewide stands at 1,735,910 of the 2,210,534 total registered voters in Edo state.

But the northern district has 477,360 voters with PVCs. This represents about 72 per cent of the 664,105 registered voters in the district.

Permutations

The zone is believed to be an APC stronghold, largely because it is home to the partys former chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, and key politicians at federal and state legislative levels.

For one, all eight state assembly lawmakers from the region are members of the now opposition APC. There is also brewing discord between them and Governor Obaseki after they fell out with him.

This is same for all three House of Representatives members under the district.

At the House of Representatives, Johnson Ogbuma represents Etsako East/West/Central; Peter Akpatason, the Houses deputy minority leader, represents Akoko-Edo; and Julius Ihonvbere represents Owan West/East.

At Senate level, Edo North Senatorial district is manned by Francis Alimikhena of the APC, who hails from Igiode, Etsako East.

Yet, some observers would say this is not unexpected, especially because the incumbent governor, until June, was a member of the APC.

A political faceoff with his former boss, Mr Oshiomhole, made him leave for the Peoples Democratic Party.

Some of APCs party bigwigs are indigenes of the district. Mr Oshiomhole is from Iyamho, Etsako West; so is Ize-Iyamus running mate, Gani Audu, who is from Agbede, Etsako West.

Domingo Alaba Obende, a two-term senator, hails from Akoko-Edo.

Even at this, the PDP is no pushover in the region, as it has political credentials well primed in the district.

Believed to have been nurtured politically by Mr Oshiomhole, Philip Shaibu, the incumbent deputy governor and Mr Obasekis running mate, from Jattu, Etsako West  the region of his wife Maryann Shaibu as well  is in the PDP camp, and is expected to win some votes for the party.

He is believed to have built his personal political foot soldiers since his days as a member of the Edo State House of Assembly and lower chamber of the National Assembly, a position he resigned from when he was handpicked to run as Mr Obasekis mate ahead of the 2016 governorship race.

Other political stalwarts of the PDP include a former senator, Victor Oyofo and Yisa Braimoh, a two-term senator and party chieftain.

Mr Braimoh has boasted of an easy victory for his party in the forthcoming governorship election in the state, vowing not to give his support to the decampee.

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Nobody will just come to our party and pick up ticket as a contestant. No decampee (sic) will come and we make him candidate tomorrow. That era is over, he had said in January, six months before Mr Obaseki was forced out of the APC.

On the streets

PREMIUM TIMES spoke with some residents who said Mr Obaseki may have an uphill task retaining his seat as Mr Oshiomhole and the angry state lawmakers he refused to inaugurate are bent on frustrating his ambition.

But Omoh Kadir, a resident of Owan LGA, believes the incumbent should be allowed to rule for another four years, a view shared by some people the reporter also interviewed in Auchi, Etsako West LGA.

Others, however, said they are going all out for Mr Ize-Iyamu, Mr Oshiomholes anointed candidate.

When this newspaper further quizzed the residents to know if there are alternative choices for them among the 12 other candidates in the race, they dismissed such chances.

It is between Governor Obaseki and Ize-Iyamu, a pastor who asked not to be named echoed the replies of many spoken with.
REGINA - The host of a private gathering at a Saskatoon home that resulted in 21 people contracting COVID-19 has been fined $2,000.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 17/9/2020 (491 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Saqib Shahab, chief medical health officer, speaks at a COVID-19 news update at the Legislative Building in Regina on Wednesday March 18, 2020. The host of a private gathering at a Saskatoon home that resulted in 21 people contracting COVID-19 has been fined $2,000. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Michael Bell

REGINA - The host of a private gathering at a Saskatoon home that resulted in 21 people contracting COVID-19 has been fined $2,000.

Health officials say it is the first ticket they have issued for a private get-together.

The Ministry of Health wouldn't provide details of the gathering in order to protect the organizer's privacy but said about 47 people attended.

Saskatchewan's chief medical health officer, Dr. Saqib Shahab, said the gathering was a super-spreader event, as 160 people have been identified as contacts of those who attended and some cases have been connected to schools.

"This is a cautionary tale for all of us," Shahab said at a news conference Thursday.

"It's very unfortunate that this happened. I don't think anyone plans an event with the view that transmission may happen."

The current gathering limit is 30 people indoors when physical distancing can be maintained.

In May, no fines were issued against anyone involved in two large family gatherings that led to public health declaring an outbreak in Saskatoon.

Shahab wouldn't explain what was different this time around but said education remains the focus and several months have passed with rules around gathering limits.

He said the fight against the spread of COVID-19 is also at an important stage because students are back in schools and cooler temperatures mean the option of gathering outdoors is disappearing.

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Shahab said the risk of transmission increases when people are in close quarters. Several large gatherings where food was shared, including a snowmobile rally in March, led to an uptick in cases before many COVID-19 restrictions were in place, he added.

"Things like this can snowball very quickly, and that's what we need to avoid as we move forward. Because you can start multiple chains of transmission that can cause secondary infections," he said.

Premier Scott Moe said it's disappointing that people violated the gathering limit, especially as students and staff are back in schools.

Shahab said that so far, the reopening of schools has not led to a spread of COVID-19.

Health officials said 14 students have tested positive for the virus.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2020.
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden blasted President Trump's response to the coronavirus pandemic, which has left nearly 200,000 Americans dead.

Trump told author Bob Woodward in February and March that he knew the virus was deadlier than the flu but downplayed it "because I don't want to create a panic." During Thursday night's CNN Presidential Town Hall in Scranton, Biden said there is absolutely no scenario where the right choice is to mislead the American public about a deadly, highly contagious virus. "He knew it, and did nothing," Biden said. "It is close to criminal."

When asked how he would get people back to work amid the pandemic, Biden responded: "I would lay out the broad strokes of what has to be done to make people safe in the workplace and safe in school. And that requires us to have rapid testing, the protective gear available from the very beginning, like this president hasn't done. Making sure we provide for the ability for workplaces to have the wherewithal to provide for the safety. That requires some federal funding, particularly kids going back to school." He also said he would ensure that first responders have "a living wage" so they "don't have to live hand to mouth."

Biden said he doesn't trust Trump when it comes to a coronavirus vaccine, as the president has politicized the issue by claiming one will be ready in time for Election Day, but he does believe in what Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, says on the matter. "I trust Dr. Fauci," Biden said. "If Fauci says a vaccine is safe, I would take the vaccine. We should listen to the scientists, not to the president."

More stories from theweek.com

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(Newser)  Winston Groom, the writer whose novel Forrest Gump was made into a six-Oscar winning 1994 movie that became a soaring pop cultural phenomenon, has died at age 77. Fairhope Mayor Karin Wilson said in a message on social media that Groom had died in the south Alabama town, the AP reports. While he will be remembered for creating Forrest Gump, Winston Groom was a talented journalist & noted author of American history. Our hearts & prayers are extended to his family, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said in a statement. Forrest Gump was the improbable tale of a slow-witted but mathematically gifted man who was a participant or witness to key points of 20th-century history. It was the best known book by Groom, who grew up in Mobile, Alabama, and graduated from the University of Alabama in 1965.

story continues below

Groom served in the Armys Fourth Infantry Division from 1965 to 1969, the university said. His service included a tour in Vietnamone of the settings for Forrest Gump. He wrote 16 books, fiction and nonfiction. One, Conversations with the Enemy, about a American POW in Vietnam accused of collaboration, was a Pulitzer Prize finalist, according to the university. It was Forrest Gumpand the success of the 1994 movie starring Tom Hanks in the iconic role of Gumpthat earned him widespread fame and some financial success. The novel is considerably different from the film. Don Noble, University of Alabama professor emeritus of English, and a 40-year friend of Grooms tells the Tuscaloosa News that the novel was "darker" and "richer" than the movie.

(Read more Forrest Gump stories.)
JEFFERSON CITY  The states top marijuana regulator made a campaign contribution to the opponent of the man who was leading an investigation into the states embattled medical cannabis program.

Missouri Ethics Commission records show that Lyndall Fraker, director of the medical marijuana division in the Department of Health and Senior Services, made a $288 in-kind contribution on July 29 to state Rep. Karla Eslinger, R-Wasola.

Eslinger was running in a three-way primary for state Senate; one of her opponents was Rep. Robert Ross, R-Yukon, whose Special Committee on Government Oversight held a number of hearings early this year probing Frakers program.

The donation preceded the release of a report Monday by House Democrats disclosing that credible allegations emerged in May that Gov. Mike Parsons administration interfered in the committees probe.

Though Parson has criticized the report, and subsequent media coverage, House Republican leadership has stayed silent on the Democrats findings, not responding to several requests for comment.

Fraker and Ross also did not respond to requests for comment. Fraker is a former Republican state representative from Marshfield, which is located within the 33rd Senate District in southern Missouri, where Ross and Eslinger were running in the Aug. 4 primary.

Eslinger ultimately won the primary, defeating Ross and a third opponent, former state Rep. Van Kelly.

I think the optics are horrible, Rep. Peter Merideth, a St. Louis Democrat on the investigative committee, said of the contribution. Literally working against the campaign of the person thats investigating has a bad look of guilt.

Sure smells off, he added.

Lawmakers grilled Fraker and other top marijuana program regulators for hours during a series of hearings earlier this year.

In March, Rep. Jered Taylor, R-Nixa, sharply criticized Fraker, saying that whether it was his ignorance or confusion or incompetence, Director Fraker clearly didnt have the experience needed in the position.

Lawmakers blasted the Parson administrations decision to hire a third-party scorer to blindly grade applications from marijuana businesses  a process that appeared to be not so blind after companies were allowed to submit their own facility identification numbers, which often resembled the actual company name, Post-Dispatch columnist Tony Messenger reported in May.

The program has also been criticized for a lack of emphasis on minority inclusion, a cap on licenses and a scoring bonus that benefitted applicants in some ZIP code areas but not others.

Holes in the medical marijuana patient certification process, such as not verifying with physicians that they actually certified a patient, have left doctors vulnerable to identity theft and patients vulnerable to scams.

Hundreds of jilted applicants filed appeals with the Administrative Hearing Commission earlier this year. As of last week, 785 appeals were still pending.

The state has burned through $1.3 million in medical marijuana business and patient fees to cover the cost of hiring private attorneys to defend its licensing decisions.

Money generated from the medical marijuana program is supposed to go to a new Veterans Health Care Fund, after accounting for the costs of the program.

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Ukraine and Turkey have restarted the negotiation process on signing a free trade agreement.

"For more than seven years, the negotiations have been conducted as follows: we agreed on ten points, then on another 20 and another 100, and got the figure of 95-99% [finalization of the free trade agreement]. In January, we agreed to develop new proposals for each other. At the end of August, we received a new offer from Turkey. Currently, we are preparing our proposal in response. That's how we have restarted [free trade agreement talks]," Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Trade, and Agriculture  Trade Representative of Ukraine Taras Kachka said in an interview with Ukrinform.

According to him, the text of the document, in particular its provisions concerning tariff obligations, has been completely updated.

"Of course, it takes into account the results of previous agreements. So, its a new document which we start to agree upon anew," the Trade Representative of Ukraine said.

According to him, the next round of talks is scheduled for mid-October. Prior to that, consultations will be held with representatives of Ukrainian business on the agreement, its features and benefits for the development of Ukraine-Turkey trade and economic relations.

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A woman is being investigated by police in Brazil after she bit a man's testicle off.

The woman, named locally as Bruna, has admitted to the attack on September 5 - but says she only acted in self-defence when the man tried to rape her.

She claims the man, named locally as Pedro, her neighbour, came into the bedroom of her home in Miguel Alves, northern Brazil, where she was with another man and assaulted her.

A woman, named locally as Bruna (left), has admitted biting the testicle off a man, named locally as Pedro (right) but claims self-defence, saying he was trying to rape her

In a video which has since gone viral, she claims that the man - who she alleges is her pimp - pushed her on to her bed with enough force to break it, before trying to rape her.

She confesses to biting him twice in self-defence, though says she was unaware at the time that she had bitten his testicle off.

Local reports suggest that the man may also be her ex-boyfriend, and attacked her out of jealousy. She denied dating him.

Pedro was rushed to hospital in serious condition after the September 5 attack, where medics revealed he lost a testicle

'He climbed naked on the bed, he didn't even let the guy undress, saying it was him now,' she says in the video, according to a transcript from Corriero Braziliense.

'Then, he took [his penis] and started attacking me. The guy was pulling him to get him off me, while he was pulling my hair.

'As he was already naked, on the bed, I took [his penis] and went - when my hair was pulled like that - I went downstairs... and bit it.

'Because women don't have the strength of men, understand? I went to his weak point. I bit.'

After the attack, the man was rushed to hospital in a serious condition, where doctors were unable to reattach the testicle.

The man received stitches, and was discharged the same day.

He claims that the attack was unprovoked, telling the G1 news channel that he 'did not deserve what happened to him'.

The attack took place in a rural town in Piaui state, in northern Brazil. Police have opened an investigation, and are due to rule on whether charges will be brought

Bruna told another news site, Meionorte, that she was raped twice as a child, and refused to become a victim a third time.

Police opened an investigation into the case after the man's sister contacted them several days after the attack took place.

Detectives have carried out a medical examination on the man, and have since interviewed him and the woman.

A decision is still pending on whether one or both of them will be charged.
Gardai are searching through the missing persons database as part of their efforts to identify human remains uncovered in a south Dublin park.

The body was found by a member of the public at around 7am yesterday and gardai were immediately notified.

The scene at Blackrock Park, Booterstown, was sealed off and efforts were under way to determine the circumstances surrounding the discovery.

The Office of the State Pathologist was notified and gardai believe the body was in situ for several weeks before being found in undergrowth within the park.

Preliminary examinations did not yield any clear signs of injury to the body and investigators were last night awaiting the results of a post mortem examination.

Gardai believe the remains are those of a male but were awaiting the post mortem results to determine the age, sex and identity.

A source said: "This unfortunate person's remains appear to have been in this area for some time before being discovered, which has made identification more difficult. As part of their inquiries gardai will be using DNA samples to help identify this person."

This process involves the DNA database being used to compare samples of missing persons provided by relatives.

Last year alone DNA profiling was used in solving eight missing person cases in collaboration with the Garda Missing Person Unit.

The scene of yesterday's discovery runs adjacent to the DART line between the Blackrock and Booterstown stops.

Rail services in the area were suspended for 30 minutes through Booterstown, with Dublin Bus providing replacement services.

The DART continued to run between Greystones/Bray to Dun Laoghaire and Lansdowne Road to Malahide/Howth.

Shortly after 9am Irish Rail said that services through Booterstown had reopened but there would be delays as it attempted to return to its regular service.
South Africa: Minister Cele to host rural safety imbizo

Police Minister, General Bheki Cele will on Monday, host a rural safety imbizo in KwaZulu-Natal.

The imbizo will take place at the Normandien Auction Saleyard Hall in Newcastle at 10am.

The Imbizo follows the Ministers first visit to the area on 2 September 2020, after the murder of two elderly farmers who were shot dead by unknown suspects in their farmhouse.

Cele met with organised community, policing and farming structures who raised their concerns around safety in the area," said the South African Police Service (SAPS).

Minister Cele assured the community that he would return to KwaZulu-Natal to address the issues raised by the community through the use of the National Rural Safety Strategy.

The aim of the National Rural Safety Strategy includes a holistic approach to collaboration between government, the private sector and civil society to ensure the safety of communities, the SAPS said. -SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-09-18. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Charles Owusu, Head of Operations of the Forestry Commission, has taken a jab at NDC 2020 flagbearer and former President John Dramani Mahama over his promise to legalize the commercial use of motorbikes.



Mr. John Mahama has assured motorbike riders whose business is to carry passengers to their destinations that he will legitimize their business when he comes back to power.



The commercial motorbike business called okada business in local parlance has been outlawed in Ghana.



The law that forbids any person from engaging in okada business was passed by the John Mahama administration before they were ousted from power but, to the former President, his return to the Presidential seat will see a lifting of the ban.



However, Mr. Mahama has received lots of bashings for his promise.



Also speaking on the issue, Charles Owusu has questioned the logic in Mahama's quest to legalize okada business in the country.



Charles Owusu asked motorbike riders not to get deceived by the former President, emphasizing that no law in the country prohibits any person from riding motorbikes in the country.



He explained it is rather the use of unregistered motorbikes that has been banned.



He also stressed that no person is arrested for riding a motorbike or using it for delivery services, therefore Mr. Mahama's promise to legalize okada business is mere hogwash.



''Who has been arrested and prosecuted in the law court for riding okada without a licence?'' he questioned.



"I don't know of any law that says that if you have a motorbike, you can't allow someone to sit at your back seat for us to legalize it," he further stated.



To him, if there is some good thing Mr. Mahama or anybody could do for okada riders, it should be educating them on how to ride safely avoiding road accidents.



"They must rather be educated to note that if you have a motorbike and get into traffic, you don't have the licence to cross. If you have a motorbike, it doesn't mean you can use a one way and face incoming vehicles. Riding a motorbike doesn't mean you can misconduct yourself.



''Legalizing okada can't solve Ghana's problems. People already ride motorbikes in the country; this is no news'', he said on Peace FM's morning programme 'Kokrokoo'.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Anti-China protester Le Hoang (R) joins fellow protesters as they hold a banner and chant anti-China slogans during a gathering to mark the 40th anniversary of the Chinese occupation of the disputed Paracels islands in the South China Sea, in Hanoi, January 19, 2014.

Vietnam has reaffirmed its claim over the disputed Spratly and Paracel island chains in the South China Sea, after the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi edited the islands out of a map of Vietnam it had posted on its Facebook page for a recent diplomatic event.

Vietnam has consistently maintained the Paracel and Spratly Islands as inseparable parts of the Vietnamese territory, foreign affairs ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang said at a press briefing Thursday when asked about the edit.

This consistent stance has been taken multiple times in multiple forms, including at the United Nations, and is supported and respected by many countries, she said.

In a complex, overlapping territorial dispute in the South China Sea, Vietnam, China and Taiwan claim the Paracels, while the Spratlys are also claimed by three other countries.

The seemingly insignificant sandbars and sea rocks cover a territory sought for rich fishing grounds and potential petroleum deposits. Vietnam and China frequently butt heads over their competing South China Sea claims.

The U.S. Embassy in Hanoi, Vietnam on Sept. 9, 2020 posted on its Facebook page a graphic that included a map of Vietnam showing the disputed Spratly and Paracel island chains. On Sept. 14, 2020 an edited version of the graphic replaced the original. Vietnam Times/U.S. Embassy Hanoi Facebook Page

In Sept. 9 Facebook post commemorating the start of the 53rd ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting that day, the embassy included two graphics detailing the 25-year bilateral relationship between Washington and Hanoi, the second of which contained a map of Vietnam that included the two disputed island chains.

The post was initially met with cheers in its comments section.

Amazing! This is our truly whole Vietnam map, wrote Facebook user Doan Duy Thuc on Sept. 9.

Another commenter took the map to mean that Washington recognized Hanois claim.

The U.S. government recognizes: The Paracel Islands belong to Vietnam, the Spratly Islands belong to Vietnam. Thank you very much. Best partnership ever, wrote Nam Truong Sept. 10.

The edited version of the map replaced the original on Sept. 14, this time without the disputed islets. Following the switch, commenters voiced their displeasure.

Why did the U.S. embassy change the Vietnam map? Where are our Paracel Islands and Spratly Islands? The two island [chains] belong to Vietnam  That truth never changes, wrote Facebook user Trang Ha on Wednesday.

Nguyen Trong Kha commented that he wondered if the U.S. intended anything by the edit.

You guys literally posted a picture of Vietnams map with the Paracel islands and Spratly islands included. We really felt thankful and happy for such an action because Vietnam has enough historical [evidence] to prove that all those islands belong to Vietnam. Im wondering why youre doing this. Do you mean anything? he said.

Both versions of the graphics bear the logo of East-West Center, a U.S.-funded education and research organization headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii.

RFA sought comment from the embassy, but there was no immediate reply as of Friday.

Officially the U.S. does not recognize the unilateral sovereignty of any claimant country over the Spratlys and Paracels. But the Trump administration has accused China of bullying Southeast Asian neighbors with its aggressive actions in the South China Sea.

Chinas military currently controls the Paracels, with China, Vietnam, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Malaysia occupying different parts of the Spratlys and Brunei claiming part of it inside its exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

In recent years, Beijing has undertaken major reclamation of disputed land features in the Paracel and Spratly island chains, hoping to bolster its claims.

Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by Huy Le. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
The minister says it was Russia who seized Ukrainian industrial enterprises in 2017, having plundered them and withdrawing equipment from the Ukrainian territory.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has reminded the Russian government of their direct role in the war in Donbas and the regular escalation by its proxy forces.

The minister notes that the Kremlin has signed the 2014 Minsk Agreements, confirming its status as a party to the conflict.

"Russia has stuffed ORDLO [occupied areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions] with Russian weapons, in particular, the newest and experimental ones, that are being used on Ukrainian soil as at a military training ground; carried out artillery shelling of Ukrainian territory from the territory of the Russian Federation, and involved regular units of the Russian army in military operations in Ukraine," Kuleba wrote on Facebook.

He also stressed Russia had shot down the MH17 passenger plane with its Buk anti-aircraft missile, introduced the Russian ruble in the occupied areas, and imposed Russian passports and the "educational program."

The Kremlin "has created a Russian tax field and many other things that are being imposed by Moscow onto the temporarily occupied territories of Ukrainian Donbas," Kuleba added.

The minister added it was Russia who seized Ukrainian industrial enterprises in 2017, having plundered them and withdrawn equipment from the Ukrainian territory.

"(Russia) withdrew its personnel from the Joint Ceasefire Control and Coordination Center, having jeopardized practical support of the ceasefire; they are blocking the implementation of agreements already reached within the Trilateral Contact Group on new areas for mine clearance and disengagement of troops and military hardware, as well as the release of prisoners," the foreign minister said.

Russia's "achievements" also include creating systemic obstacles to the OSCE missions and volunteers (in particular the Red Cross) in the conflict zone.

Read alsoElections in Donbas amid "leaky" border unimaginable  KulebaWhat is more, Russia speaks the language of "outright blackmail" in the peace process, the minister said.

TCG talks: background

The video conference of the Trilateral Contact Group on the peace process in Donbas took place on September 16. The sides discussed the issue of preparation for the next stage of mutual release of detainees under the "all for all" principle. The Ukrainian party reiterated that Ukrainians illegally detained in the temporarily occupied territories should be released immediately and without any political conditions.

All the responsibility for the issue of holding local elections in Donbas was shifted to the Ukrainian parliament.

Kravchuk stressed that "the Ukrainian delegation respects the Normandy format and the Minsk agreements and is ready to work constructively and consistently to restore Ukraine's territorial integrity and achieve peace."

Kravchuk also thanked the OSCE and its Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine for their mediation efforts aimed at resolving the international armed conflict in Donbas.

Russia sees the Minsk agreements as tools with which to break Ukraines sovereignty. Its interpretation reverses key elements in the sequence of actions: elections in occupied Donbas would take place before Ukraine had reclaimed control of the border; this would be followed by comprehensive autonomy for Russias proxy regimes, crippling the central authorities in Kyiv. Ukraine would be unable to govern itself effectively or orient itself towards the West, according to Chatham House.
KELOWNA, BC, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - The Valens Company Inc. (TSX: VLNS) (OTCQX: VLNCF) (the "Company" or "The Valens Company"), a global leader in the end-to-end development and manufacturing of innovative, cannabinoid-based products, today announced that 56 white label and custom manufacturing product SKUs were produced in the third quarter of 2020, a 56% increase from 36 SKUs in the second quarter of 2020.

The 56 SKUs were manufactured in partnership with over ten of the Company's customers and span four of its product categories, with formats ranging from disposable vapes, vape cartridges, oils and oral sprays, to beverages and concentrates. The increase in SKUs quarter-over-quarter can be attributed to new brand partnerships and white label and custom manufacturing agreements announced in the third quarter, in addition to the expansion and fulfillment of existing contracts to serve the demand for oil-based products in the Canadian market.

Three of the product SKUs produced in the third quarter were developed as part of the Company's distribution agreement with Cannvalate Pty Ltd, Australia's largest medicinal cannabis distributor and clinical research organization. The manufactured products include a 1:20 CBD oil, 10:10 oil, and 1:10 CBD oil. The product orders were completed and shipped after successful product stability testing and receipt of shipping permits, marking The Valens Company's first shipment to the Australian market. The Company also expects to make an additional shipment of oils to Australia within the next few weeks, subject to shipping permit approvals.

"In the third quarter, Valens manufactured the widest range and highest number of oil-based products in partnership with some of the most prominent brands, companies and distributors in the cannabis space on a domestic and international scale," said Tyler Robson, Chief Executive Officer of The Valens Company. "As a result of the challenging extraction environment discussed in the second quarter, we have accelerated our custom manufacturing and white label services footprint, allowing the Company to improve efficiencies and increase its production and manufacturing resources. As Valens continues to advance its product development capabilities, producing a bespoke portfolio across all oil-based product categories will serve as a key differentiator for our business as we work to enter new strategic partnerships globally."

All financial information for the third quarter of 2020 is currently being finalized and is expected to be released in mid-October. As such, the Company is unable to provide any financial guidance for the third quarter ended August 31, 2020 at this time.

About The Valens Company

The Valens Company is a global leader in the end-to-end development and manufacturing of innovative, cannabinoid-based products. The Valens Company is focused on being the partner of choice for leading Canadian and international cannabis brands by providing best-in-class, proprietary services including CO2, ethanol, hydrocarbon, solvent-less and terpene extraction, analytical testing, formulation and product development and custom manufacturing. Valens is the largest third-party extraction company in Canada with an annual capacity of 425,000 kg of dried cannabis and hemp biomass at our purpose-built facility in Kelowna, British Columbia which is in the process of becoming European Union (EU) Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) compliant. The Valens Company currently offers a wide range of product formats, including tinctures, two-piece caps, soft gels, oral sprays and vape pens as well as beverages, concentrates, topicals, edibles, injectables, natural health products and has a strong pipeline of next-generation products in development for future release. Finally, The Valens Company's wholly-owned subsidiary Valens Labs is a Health Canada licensed ISO 17025 accredited cannabis testing lab providing sector-leading analytical services and has partnered with Thermo Fisher Scientific to develop a Centre of Excellence in Plant-Based Science. For more information, please visit http://thevalenscompany.com . The Valens Company's investor deck can be found specifically at http://thevalenscompany.com/investors/ .

Notice regarding Forward Looking Statements

All information included in this press release, including any information as to the future financial or operating performance and other statements of The Valens Company that express management's expectations or estimates of future performance, other than statements of historical fact, constitute forward-looking information or forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as of the date hereof. Forward-looking statements are included for the purpose of providing information about management's current expectations and plans relating to the future. Wherever possible, words such as "plans", "expects", "scheduled", "trends", "indications", "potential", "estimates", "predicts", "anticipate", "to establish", "believe", "intend", "ability to", or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", "will", or are "likely" to be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative of these words or other variations thereof, have been used to identify such forward-looking information. Specific forward-looking statements include, without limitation, all disclosure regarding future results of operations, economic conditions and anticipated courses of action. Investors and other parties are advised that there is not necessarily any correlation between the number of SKUs manufactured and shipped and revenue and profit, and undue reliance should not be placed on such information.

The risks and uncertainties that may affect forward-looking statements include, among others, regulatory risk, United States border crossing and travel bans, reliance on licenses, expansion of facilities, competition, dependence on supply of cannabis and reliance on other key inputs, dependence on senior management and key personnel, general business risk and liability, regulation of the cannabis industry, change in laws, regulations and guidelines, compliance with laws, reliance on a single facility, limited operating history, vulnerability to rising energy costs, unfavourable publicity or consumer perception, product liability, risks related to intellectual property, product recalls, difficulties with forecasts, management of growth and litigation, many of which are beyond the control of The Valens Company. For a more comprehensive discussion of the risks faced by The Valens Company, and which may cause the actual financial results, performance or achievements of The Valens Company to be materially different from estimated future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking information or forward-looking statements, please refer to The Valens Company's latest Annual Information Form filed with Canadian securities regulatory authorities at www.sedar.com or on The Valens Company's website at www.thevalenscompany.com. The risks described in such Annual Information Form are hereby incorporated by reference herein. Although the forward-looking statements contained herein reflect management's current beliefs and reasonable assumptions based upon information available to management as of the date hereof, The Valens Company cannot be certain that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking information. The Valens Company cautions you not to place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements. The Valens Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. Nothing herein should be construed as either an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy or sell securities of The Valens Company.

SOURCE The Valens Company
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 18)  Banks and other financial institutions cannot charge additional fees on due loans for two months with the passage of the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said Friday.

BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno signed a memorandum requiring all supervised financial firms to comply with the provisions of the economic stimulus measure meant to boost economic recovery.

A section of the new law requires a 60-day grace period for all existing loans, which will fall due between now and December 31.

"The mandatory one-time 60-day grace period shall apply to each loan of individuals and entities with multiple loans," Diokno said. Charges on overdue loans were earlier put on holdwhen the country was placed under the strictest form of lockdown due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

This means that banks cannot charge late payment penalties, other fees, or additional incurred interest on the amortizations during the two-month period, even if the loans are due.

The principal amount as well as the original accrued interest for the covered months may be settled at a later due date or loans may be restructured.

The Bayanihan 2, now known as Republic Act 11494, sets aside P165.5 billion for additional health spending as well as assistance to sectors hard hit by the global COVID-19 crisis. The law took effect September 15 and is valid until yearend.

The law also provides a loan payment moratorium for lending companies, property developers, insurance firms, and state-run corporations Government Service Insurance System, Social Security System, and Pag-IBIG Fund. Meanwhile, utility companies are required to hold off fee collections for at least a month, which may be settled in tranches later on.

READ: Meralco extends 'no disconnection' period until end-October
Tropical Storm Noul made landfall in central Vietnam on Sept. 17 and NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite captured an image of the storm over Laos. Noul was weakening as it moves toward Thailand where it is forecast to dissipate.

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) reported that the system made landfall just north of Hue, Vietnam at about 0100 UTC on Sept. 18 (9 p.m. EDT on Sept. 17) and had begun to track inland.

On Sept. 18 at 3 a.m. EDT (0700 UTC/2 p.m. Vietnam local time), the VIIRS instrument aboard the Suomi NPP satellite provided a visible image of Noul as it moved into Thailand. The storm appeared shapeless and the low-level center was difficult to find. Deep convection is obscuring the low-level circulation center which has tracked inland and is located over Laos.

By 5 a.m. EDT (0900 UTC), JTWC issued the final bulletin on the storm. At that time, Tropical storm Noul was located near latitude 16.4 degrees north and longitude 104.4 degrees east, about 174 nautical miles west of Da Nang, Vietnam and over Laos. It was moving to the west and had maximum sustained winds 40 knots (46 mph/74 kph).

Noul is now dissipating as it moves toward Thailand.

NASA Researches Tropical Cyclones

Hurricanes/tropical cyclones are the most powerful weather events on Earth. NASA's expertise in space and scientific exploration contributes to essential services provided to the American people by other federal agencies, such as hurricane weather forecasting.

For more than five decades, NASA has used the vantage point of space to understand and explore our home planet, improve lives and safeguard our future. NASA brings together technology, science, and unique global Earth observations to provide societal benefits and strengthen our nation. Advancing knowledge of our home planet contributes directly to America's leadership in space and scientific exploration.

###

By Rob Gutro

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Churches Essential to Relief Efforts in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Says NHCLC, Convoy of Hope

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Churches are an essential part of the recovery process for Puerto Rico and Mexico, say representatives from the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference and Convoy of Hope regarding reconstruction efforts in the two countries following this month's earthquakes and Hurricane Maria.

On a teleconference held Wednesday afternoon, NHCLC President, the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, spoke about the launch of a charity effort called "Puerto Rico and Mexico Rise Up," which seeks to equip churches to help communities in Mexico and Puerto Rico recover from the recent natural disasters.

"This is our campaign on behalf of our churches, on behalf of our chapters and our networks, both here in the States and outside of the States for that matter," Rodriguez said.

In an interview with The Christian Post, Rodriguez explained that the newly launched campaign was working through churches because they are an important channel for relief.

"If we can equip the churches, then these churches can restore the communities. These churches know the communities more than we know the communities," said Rodriguez.

"We believe these are the institutions ordained by God to bring Good News to the poor and to quench the thirsty and feed the hungry."

Convoy of Hope spokesperson Jeff Nene, who was also on the call to describe some of his group's experiences on the ground in Puerto Rico, agreed about the essential value of local congregations in helping relief efforts.

"We have found that the local church is the best source for volunteers. They can marshal a team together on a moment's notice," said Nene to CP.

"And what that allows us to do is come in with a very small team from Convoy of Hope, like in Puerto Rico right now we have four people, and in Mexico we have two that are arriving today, and they're there to give guidance and direction and organization. But the local church does the work."

Rodriguez's and Nene's comments came as part of a teleconference call in which they provided updates on the relief efforts in Mexico City and Puerto Rico.

On Sept. 19, Mexico City experienced a severe earthquake that has thus far resulted in hundreds of deaths and caused dozens of buildings to collapse.

"Nearly 4,000 buildings were damaged by the quake, and residents of high-rises wonder if their buildings may fall before they can make their way downstairs," The New York Times reported on Monday.

"And over the weekend, the trauma of last Tuesday was brought to the surface again as light tremors from an earthquake in southern Mexico on Saturday lightly rocked the capital, sending residents fleeing into the streets barefoot and in sleepwear."

Around the same time as the Mexico earthquake, Hurricane Maria struck the island of Puerto Rico, resulting in widespread destruction and power outages.

"About 97 percent of the island's 3.4 million residents are still in the dark Wednesday," CNN reported on Wednesday. "About half of the residents do not have running water."

Nene told those on the call about the things that Convoy of Hope was doing in Puerto Rico, having just returned from the island, where a team arrived on Monday.

"They already started on pulling together warehousing. They've already purchased 20,000 pounds of rice, have another 20,000 pounds coming. Tomorrow we have a C-130 full of supplies that's going to be landing and also another private plane with supplies and people," explained Nene.

"And then on top of that, three containers that will be leaving via ship this week to head down there will be there in just a couple of weeks. So we've got a great head start in Puerto Rico already."

In addition to Rodriguez and Nene, other participants on the call included New York City Councilman Fernando Cabrera, Latin contemporary Christian music artist and author Christine D'Clario, NHCLC Executive Vice President of Governmental Affairs the Rev. Tony Suarez, and Bishop Angel Marcial of Church of God for Southeast Region U.S.

When asked by CP about any cooperation with the Trump administration, Rodriguez responded that he had gotten "very significant reports" from the White House about the number of federal first responders and FEMA workers on the ground.

"I'm grateful for the Trump administration as it pertains to helping the island recover. They have had some logistical issues. That's how horrific this has been  that our federal government has had issues even in distribution and other areas," Rodriguez added.

"I have received very good cooperation from this administration in addressing the concerns and needs. And they likewise stand committed to working with the faith community in Puerto Rico for rebuilding Puerto Rico."
Mr. Schumer, now the Senate Democratic leader, went to the floor to denounce Mr. Trump. What kind of president looks at the number of dead citizens in the country he is supposed to lead  and in attempt to glamorize himself  dismisses every American who died in a state that didnt support him politically? Mr. Schumer said. What a disgrace. Its monstrous. Not a shred of empathy. Not an ounce of sorrow. What kind of president do we have?

In a statement on Thursday, Sarah Matthews, a White House spokeswoman, said Mr. Trumps policies uplift all Americans and that he fights for people of all backgrounds, including in fighting the coronavirus. But its no secret some Democrat-run states and cities have failed to create economic growth, secure their streets or protect the most vulnerable against this virus, she said.

Some of the presidents supporters suggested the criticism of his comments has been overwrought and perhaps hypocritical. Ari Fleischer, who was White House press secretary for Mr. Bush, said Mr. Schumer, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats blame everything they dont like on Trump, whether he deserves it or not.

I do think Trump is on high ground when he points out that cities with Democratic mayors are not doing a good job handling the riots, Mr. Fleischer said. Frankly, I view urban issues, not just the riots but quality of life issues that are important, as openings for Republicans to make their case in areas where one-party rule has been the norm for decades.

Mr. Trump came to office making the same sorts of promises of bipartisanship that other presidents have. I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be president for all Americans, he declared in his victory speech after being elected in 2016. And this is so important to me.

But once in office, he relished warring with Democratic governors and mayors. He attacked blue states for sanctuary policies resisting cooperation with federal immigration crackdowns, and he has sought to penalize states like deep-blue California for environmental policies that go beyond the standards he has set at the federal level. More recently, he threatened to take funds from four anarchist jurisdictions with Democratic mayors who in his view have not done enough to suppress protests against racial injustice that turn violent.

Mr. Trump set the tone early with the signature tax cut legislation that passed in 2017 and limited the federal deduction for state taxes, effectively raising taxes on many high-income earners in blue states and creating what Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York at the time called an economic civil war between blue states and red states. Mr. Trump subsequently changed his own residence from blue New York, where the tax change hit hard, to the redder Florida, where there is no state income tax. He has urged others to leave New York as well.
Stocks to watch today: Here is a list of top stocks that are likely to be in focus in Friday's trading session based on latest developments. Investors are also awaiting April-June quarter earnings that are scheduled to be released today.

Share Market News Live: Sensex rises 200 points, Nifty at 11,580; Grasim, Infosys, Dr Reddy top gainers

Defence stocks: The government has permitted foreign direct investment (FDI) of up to 74% under automatic route in the defence sector.

Dr Reddy's Laboratories: The company has settled patent litigation for Revlimid with Celgene, a Bristol Myers Squibb Company, which allowed the company to sell Lenalidomide in the US post March 2022.

Hindalco Industries, Hindustan Copper: The companies signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for supply of copper concentrate produced by Hindustan Copper.

EIH: The company set rights share issue price at Rs 65 per share and shareholders will get 8 rights shares for every 85 shares held.

TVS Motors: The company announced its new distribution partnership with Autotecnica Colombiana SAS (Auteco SAS), a leading assembler of motorcycles in Colombia.

Vedanta: Vedanta Resources has approached the market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) for necessary approvals to start the reverse book building process for the delisting of Vedanta Ltd.

Sterling and Wilson Solar: The company said it has won a 106.71 MW solar project in Chile, its fifth in Latin America, worth $62.6 million (about Rs 462 crore).

Hindustan Zinc: The company proposes to raise up to Rs 4,000 crore via debentures.

Happiest Minds: The stock had a stellar debut on the bourses on Thursday, as it jumped 123.49 per cent to Rs 371, from the issue price of Rs 166.
Rogers celebrates virtual opening of its new Customer Solution Centre in Kelowna

Kelowna team now serving customers as part of Rogers fully Canadian based customer service team

Kelowna team now serving customers as part of Rogers fully Canadian based customer service team

Kelowna team now serving customers as part of Rogers fully Canadian based customer service team



Indigenous art, history and culture honoured in new Downie Wenjack Legacy Space, designed by local Okanagan Indigenous artists

Work from home ensures safety and well-being of teams until new centre can be safely opened

KELOWNA, British Columbia, Sept. 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rogers Communications announced today it has virtually opened its new B.C. customer solution centre in Kelowna, celebrating with more than 100 new team members already hired and trained virtually. The centre will bring a total of 350 new jobs to the local economy by 2021, as part of the companys fully Canadian based customer service team. All positions will be work from home until the new Kelowna centre can be safely opened.

When we first announced our plan to open this new customer solution centre, none of us could have imagined we would be opening virtually, but we could not be more excited to welcome our new team from across the Okanagan region, said Rick Sellers, President of B.C. Region, Rogers Communications. Today marks an important step in our plan to deliver the best possible experience to our customers while strengthening our commitment to Kelowna with hundreds of new jobs.

At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, Rogers acted quickly to pivot its operations to keep Canadians connected, and customers and teams safe. This included shifting most of its customer solution centre teams to work from home, including the newly hired Kelowna team. When the time is right, Rogers looks forward to welcoming employees to the new centre and continuing to build on a strong employee culture and vibrant workplace.

Employees at the new Kelowna centre will handle approximately one million customer interactions each year, joining our Burnaby team in providing even more customer service in the Pacific Time Zone. The Burnaby Customer Solution Centre, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary, opened in September 1995, and has grown to a team of 600 people, handling over 30 million calls since opening.

Story continues

The opening of the virtual customer solution centre demonstrates the adaptability of businesses like Rogers, said Michelle Mungall, Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Competitiveness. The centre will bring many benefits to people in the region, including the creation of good, family supporting jobs that will provide a welcomed boost to the local economy.

Todays opening also celebrated the new Downie Wenjack Legacy Space located inside the Kelowna Customer Solution Centre. The unique meeting space is designed by local Indigenous artists from the Okanagan region and is dedicated to raising awareness and understanding of Indigenous art, history and culture with teams, customers and community members. Take a video tour and read about Indigenous artists, Sheldon Pierre Louis from the Syilx Nation, Janine Marie Lott and Coralee Miller from Westbank First Nation, who Rogers commissioned to design important pieces in the Legacy Space.

This summer, Rogers continued its support for those in need during the pandemic. Trucks filled with food for more than 63,000 British Columbians were delivered to the Greater Vancouver and Okanagan Food Banks , as part of Rogers Step Up to the Plate initiative with Food Banks Canada & Jays Care Foundation. Upon arrival in BC, Rogers employees volunteered in Burnaby and Kelowna filling food hampers to provide more than 1.3 million meals across the province for those in need.

As students return to school this fall, whether remotely or in-class learning, Rogers is empowering B.C. youth through education, offering Ted Rogers Scholarships for 2020 , including for students in Kelowna and Lake Country.

Rogers continues to invest in its network in B.C., as connectivity is now more critical than ever. Earlier this month, Rogers announced Canadas first and largest 5G network expansion to 26 communities across British Columbia including Kelowna and the Okanagan. Earlier this year, Canadas first 5G smart city pilot was launched with the City of Kelowna and the University of British Columbia, following a multi-million dollar partnership with UBC to fund academic research in 5G, including launching the countrys first 5G-powered smart campus . Rogers also launched network sites in West Kelowna and Osoyoos, a partnership with Nisgaa Nation that connects communities in Northwestern B.C., and a collaboration with the B.C. Government that brings wireless coverage to residents and businesses of Witsuwiten Village (Witset First Nation).

About Rogers

Rogers is a proud Canadian company dedicated to making more possible for Canadians each and every day. Our founder, Ted Rogers, purchased his first radio station, CHFI, in 1960. We have grown to become a leading technology and media company that strives to provide the very best in wireless, residential, sports, and media to Canadians and Canadian businesses. Our shares are publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RCI.A and RCI.B) and on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: RCI). If you want to find out more about us, visit about.rogers.com.

SOURCE Rogers Communications Canada Inc.  English

For further information: media@rci.rogers.com , 1-844-226-1338

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6f439464-bdc6-44b2-807d-aba70888e421




SAULNIERVILLE, N.S.One by one, the boats from the Sipeknekatik First Nation, laden with lobster traps and the promise of their own fishery, slipped their berth at the Saulnierville wharf Thursday and motored past the breakwater into the choppy sea.

Waiting for them was a gauntlet of more than 50 non-Indigenous fishing vessels.

One by one, the five Sipeknekatik boats carefully navigated a series of close encounters, and made their way out to the sea. The non-Indigenous fishermen followed. Near the horizon, a coast guard ship waited, watching.

Ahead of the Sipeknekatik lay the first phase of a lobster fishery that they say is their right by treaty and by Supreme Court of Canada decision.

Behind, the ire of commercial non-Indigenous fishermen who believe what the Sipeknekatik are undertaking is an illegal commercial use of the Indigenous right to food, social and ceremonial fishing, and that fishing outside the Fisheries and Oceans Canada-designated seasons will damage the stock.

In its 1999 Marshall decision  borne of a court case against Mikmaw fisherman and icon Donald Marshall  the Supreme Court affirmed the right of First Nations to hunt, fish and gather in pursuit of a moderate livelihood.

A few months later, the court clarified that ruling, giving the federal government the power to regulate any fisheries.

Since that Marshall decision, 21 years ago, the DFO has been locked in an ongoing series of negotiations with the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mikmaw chiefs, in large part attempting to pin down a definition of moderate livelihood.

Bruce Wildsmith, the lawyer who represented Marshall in 1999, said while its true Ottawa retains the right to regulate, the Marshall decision also says the fisheries minister must propose regulations and then consult with the Mikmaq about those rules.

That has never been done, he told the Star.

Weary of the drawn-out negotiations between DFO and the assembly, the Sipeknekatik band, numbering roughly 2,800 people, decided to create its own self-regulated fishery.

And so, on Thursday, 21 years to the day after the Marshall decision, Marshalls son, Raymond Sack, became the first fisherman to receive one of the initial seven licences  for a total of 350 lobster traps  of the newborn Sipeknekatik First Nation modest livelihood fishery. Five of the licences were issued by the First Nation on Thursday.

My dad would be proud of me right now, Sack said of his late father, still clutching green trap tags.

Im feeling pretty good.

Thursdays ceremony and launch represents the culmination of years of planning, and the first phase of an effort to determine and establish what will constitute a modest livelihood.

It doesnt look like the government is going to define a moderate livelihood, so were here to do so, Sipeknekatik Chief Michael Sack told a crowd of some 200 band members and fishermen.

They (DFO) need to support our rights. They need to keep all the commercial and non-native fishermen away from our people, and just give us the space and the respect that we need and deserve.

Today is all about us delivering the actual plan thats been worked on forever, and to know that were here to support you guys, and if this goes to court we will be there.  We will support our people that are fishing.

Sack said the plan his band has delivered for their lobster fishery includes conservation measures, regulations for the boats and their safety and compliance officers.

What they havent worked out yet is what they might do with the catch. Regulating whos buying their lobster and how that might work, is something that will be a band and community decision, Sack said.

Its the sale of those lobsters, especially outside of the existing regulated fishing season, thats a matter of concern to non-Indigenous fishermen.

As the launch ceremony for the Sipeknekatik fishery proceeded on shore, offshore, just past the wharf, more than 50 fishing boats sat out in St. Marys Bay, awaiting the first Indigenous fishermen. Observers said many of the boats had arrived the night before.

On Tuesday, hundreds of non-Indigenous fishermen gathered for protests at the wharfs in Saulnierville and nearby Weymouth, demanding that the federal government crack down on what they say is an illegal fishery.

People are not aware of what were fighting for, said Sack, glancing out past the breakwater to where the non-Indigenous fleet waited. They think were trying to take food off their table. But on the other hand, we only want food on our table.

As the Sipeknekatik fishing boats navigated the gauntlet to open water, many of the non-Indigenous fishing boats followed. Later, reports came that lines were being cut as soon as the Sipeknekatik dropped their traps.

A DFO official questioned before Thursday had been evasive about the federal stance on the Sipeknekatik fishery, and tight-lipped about what action officials might take. On Thursday, however, federal Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan broke that silence.

I am in communication with First Nations leadership to find a collaborative path back to the negotiation table. Implementing the Marshall decision is critical to the work of reconciliation and it is a priority of our government, she said in a statement.

Until an agreement is reached with DFO, there cannot be a commercial fishery outside the commercial season.  Fishing without a licence is a violation under the Fisheries Act and anyone fishing outside the activities authorized under a licence may be subject to enforcement action.

Later, spokesperson Jane Deeks clarified that the immediate priority for DFO was to de-escalate tensions between Indigenous and non-Indigenous fishermen and avoid violence.

But she did reiterate Jordans message.

If you are fishing outside of the commercial season  its unauthorized fishing, she said.

At the same time, she said, DFO would not tolerate the destruction of property.

If a non-Indigenous harvester is destroying an Indigenous harvesters property, thats not something that we encourage. Thats illegal.

Wildsmith, the lawyer who represented Marshall in 1999, is now an adviser to the Mikmaq in Nova Scotia. He said negotiations with Ottawa have stalled.

As a result, another Indigenous band, the Potlotek First Nation in Cape Breton, plans to roll out its self-regulated fisheries plan on Oct. 1, he said.

Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil called on the federal government to ramp up talks with the Indigenous leaders to bring a resolution to the conflict.

It is the responsibility of the federal government to work nation to nation, he said Thursday after a cabinet meeting. I expect them to resolve this in a way that respects the laws of this country.

Provincial Fisheries Minister Keith Colwell said the province will prosecute anyone who buys lobster caught out of season.

With files from The Canadian Press

SM Steve McKinley is a Halifax-based reporter for the Star. Reach him via email: stevemckinley@thestar.ca or follow him on Twitter: @smckinley1

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 12:35:34|Editor: huaxia

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BOGOTA, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Colombian President Ivan Duque on Thursday condemned the killing of two police officers in an ambush by alleged members of the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group in northern Bolivar department.

"We condemn a painful event, which occurred in the municipality of Norosi, where two policemen, two heroes of the country, were vilely murdered in the line of duty by terrorists who wanted to silence their territorial presence," Duque said in Tumaco, a town in southwest Narino department, where he convened a security council with local authorities.

The president said those responsible for the crime are suspected members of the ELN, which operates in that region of the country, where organized crime is also rampant.

In January 2019, Duque's government suspended peace talks with the ELN that were started by his predecessor Juan Manuel Santos, after the guerrilla group detonated a car bomb at a police academy in Bogota, killing 22 people.

The government has demanded that the guerrillas stop fighting and release hostages as a condition for resuming the talks, but the ELN has rejected. Enditem
The funeral of nine-time champion jockey and Offaly man Pat Smullen has taken place in St. Peter's Church in Rhode. The small funeral mass heard about Pat's glittering career in the saddle as well as his quiet family life with his wife Frances and their children Hannah, Paddy and Sarah.

Pat's coffin, draped in the silks from his 2016 Epsom Derby win and both his Irish Derby victories, was brought to the altar as a stunning rendition of Amazing Grace filled the small church.

The funeral was attended by the aide-de-camp of both President Michael D Higgins and Taoiseach Micheal Martin.

Fr Greg Corcoran said: "We gather on this sad day to bid farewell to Pat. It is a very sad occasion for his family, friends, our parish and the wider racing community in Ireland."

A racing helmet, a saddle, a model tractor and a coffee mug were presented as gifts in honour of the things Pat loved most, a representation of his life in sport and at home on his farm in Rhode.

Fr Corcoran spoke glowingly about Pat: "In the tributes I've seen in recent days, you read about his career and many achievements, but you also get a sense of him being a very nice person as well.

READ ALSO: 'I interviewed Pat Smullen once' - He was a fierce competitor right to the end

"He was always courteous and gracious; he always thanked people. I've seen words written from starting stall teams, carpark attendants and tea ladies and they all reflect just how gracious and humble he was to everyone. He always helped young jockeys as well. All of their lives were richer for having known him. He had time for everyone."

In her eulogy for her late husband, Frances Crowley said: "My heart is broken; broken for myself as I've lost my best friend, my soulmate."

"My heart is broken too for our children, Paddy, Hannah and Sarah." She said they should know just how proud their father was of the people they have become.

She said her heart was also broken for Pat's mother Mary, who is going through the "unbearable pain of losing her son 15 years after losing her husband."

"They are reunited now," she added, "they both loved the farm and I know they are both there now and will be always with us."

Speaking about the many messages of support Pat has received in the last few weeks and months, Frances said people should know "he saw them all, even if he didn't reply."

"I can tell you he saw them all. Sometimes he didn't have the energy to reply; sometimes he didn't have the words."

Frances revealed her heartbreak for the entire community of Rhode, "a village that has lost its hero."

"Strong. Brave. Tough. Fighter. Winner. These were all words used to describe Pat, and here are a few more," Frances said.

"Insecure. Scared. Vulnerable. Sad - He was only human and a human body can only take so much. But his spirit never gave up; in the end, it was his body that gave in," his wife told those gathered.

She also spoke to the many cancer sufferers around the world who had been following Pat's battle from the altar. For them, she had a message of resilience.

"Keep going, don't lose heart," she said.

Frances thanked the medical team in St. Vincent's Hospital for the great care they gave him in the final six weeks of his life. "As I left Pat in the hospital to go home every night, I knew he would be treated with dignity. I can't thank them enough for the care they gave."

She spoke too of how she saw that medical team become visibly disheartened as Pat's condition deteriorated in his final weeks. "Pat noticed too," she said.

"'I'm doing my best,' he would say to them."

"You always did your best, Pat. Always," Frances concluded to applause in the church.
3D print of a spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19--in front of a 3D print of a SARS-CoV-2 virus particle. The spike protein (foreground) enables the virus to enter and infect human cells. On the virus model, the virus surface (blue) is covered with spike proteins (red) that enable the virus to enter and infect human cells. Credit: NIH

The prestigious Lancet medical journal said it is bolstering its scientific review process after being forced to retract a study into the effects of an anti-arthritis drug on COVID-19 patients.

The research, released in May, prompted the World Health Organization to pause its trials of hydroxychloroquine after the results suggested it had no positive effects on hospitalised individuals and may in fact increase the likelihood of death.

The study also whipped up fresh controversy over hydroxychloroquine, which has been endorsed by public figuresincluding US President Donald Trumpdespite concerns over side effects and a lack of evidence that it is effective.

The paper in question was retracted after a group of experts raised "both methodological and data integrity concerns" about it.

These included a lack of information about the countries and hospitals that contributed to the data provided by Chicago-based healthcare data analytics firm Surgisphere.

In a comment piece published late Thursday, The Lancet said the retraction had pushed it "to examine... peer-review processes to identify ways of further reducing risks of research and publication misconduct".

Peer-reviewed research is checked by a collection of other experts before publication.

The Lancet said it was introducing new review measures including ensuring at least one reviewer being knowledgeable on the area of research in question and expanded data sharing.

"As trusted sources of information, the Lancet journals are committed to ensuring that our editorial processes will continue to be as robust as possible," it said.

Explore further The Lancet casts doubt over hydroxychloroquine study

 2020 AFP
Former President John Mahama has promised Okada operators that the next administration of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) will supply motorbikes to them on hire purchase terms.

Speaking at a mini-durbar of chiefs and people of Kajeji in the Sene East Constituency of the Bono East Region, the NDC flagbearer said after his next government amends the law to legalise the use of motorbikes for commercial passenger services, well bring in motorbikes and give them out to you on hire purchase terms.

Mr Mahama first made the promise to legalise Okada a few weeks ago during his tour of the Volta Region.

The promise was captured in the NDCs 2020 manifesto dubbed: The Peoples Manifesto.

Meanwhile, Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has said: You dont want to finish graduate school and then get a life in Okada riding, insisting: You can have a better option, and we will give you a better option.

Dr Bawumia said the Akufo-Addo governments proposal to introduce a flexible vehicle-leasing scheme for commercial drivers is a safer and better option than legalising the use of motorbikes for commercial passenger services (Okada) in Ghana.

The NPPs 2020 manifesto has pledged to introduce a new transport financing scheme dubbed Transport Sector Recapitalisation policy, which will assist commercial drivers to own brand new vehicles being assembled in Ghana through flexible lease terms.

Throwing more light on the scheme and the controversial decision by former President John Mahama to legalise the Okada business at a strategic partnership signing ceremony between VW and Black Ivy in Accra on Wednesday, Dr Bawumia announced that instead of the government legalising the risky operations of Okada, the government is providing a better and safer option for Okada owners to upgrade to vehicle owners through the Transport Recapitalisation Programme.

Theres been a recent discussion about Okada, this motorcycle transport.

I think that in the context of what we are doing, we will rather encourage the Okada riders to come in and try to lease these vehicles so that they can run businesses, Dr Bawumia said, referring to the new VW cars which have been assembled in Ghana.

In the Transport Sector Recapitalisation project, what we are proposing is for government to come in the middle to provide support for our drivers; the taxis, trotros and buses to be able to essentially lease these new vehicles that are being made in Ghana.

The Vice President noted that after careful considerations by the government, it has decided not to legalise the Okada business in the larger interest of Ghanaians because it poses a major risk.

He urged owners and riders of Okada to consider their safety, and rather see a bigger and safer option in the NPPs transport recapitalisation policy, through which, he said, they can lease brand new vehicles with their National ID cards and digital address system.

They need to graduate from this risky and less safe Okada riding to a safer means of transportation.

Their problem will be a lack of capital, but if you bring in new leasing policy and we have our national ID cards with our digital address system and so on, we can have a credit system working and give you an option, other than this risky business.

Lets give them opportunities to lease safer vehicles and pay over time. I think it is a better option than what the alternative thinks.

---classfmonline
President of the red states: The president calls himself a law-and-order president, but the only thing he keeps doing is stoking the fire and taking sides. He should be governing everyone, not just his base. He took an oath to treat everyone in this country the same way. Hes not doing it. If you dont like him, he doesnt like you back. Thats not the way it works, ladies and gentlemen. When you take on the responsibility of the president of the United States, youre the president of all the states, not the red states.
Gov. Phil Murphy on Friday joined Camden officials in asking for the publics help as authorities look for the people who fired 10 bullets at two county police officers' home late one nightthis week while the officers  a married couple  and their 10-day-old baby were inside.

Saying he was shocked and disgusted by the despicable and cowardly actions, Murphy urged anyone with information to call Camden County police.

Thankfully, no one in the family was hurt, Murphy said at a news conference in Trenton. But now we need to find those responsible for this heinous act and bring them to justice.

The shooting took place just before midnight Tuesday on the 2900 block of Clinton Street. Police say at least two people fired 10 shots at the house  with six bullets penetrating the structure and two going through the front door  while the officers and their newborn were on the second floor. No one was injured.

The officers were both born and raised in Camden. One has worked for the department for four years and the other for two. They were on family medical leave at the time of the shooting.

Police said detectives found that a 1998 dark purple Honda Odyssey with a temporary tag was in the area at the time of the shooting. On Thursday morning, they found the abandoned minivan a few blocks away, and towed it for further investigation.

While a motive remains unknown, Camden County Police Chief Joseph Wysocki said Thursday that the incident was a targeted attack on the house.

It hurts," he said. "I have 400 officers, and everybodys hurt at this point. Theres a lot of anxiety, Im not going to let three people or four people change whats going on here in Camden.

On Thursday evening, the FBI and investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives joined state and local authorities in the search and were canvassing the neighborhood for anyone who might have seen anything, said Mike Driscoll, special agent in charge of the FBIs Philadelphia office, which covers South Jersey.

Obviously, anyone who opens fire on a private home is a threat, he said Thursday. Add to that the possibility that someone may have targeted law enforcement, it poses a true threat to the citizens of Camden.

A reward of $20,000 for information leading to arrests has been offered by the FBI, ATF, and Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 218. Anyone with information on the shooting or vehicle can call Camden County police at 856-757-7042 or the Citizens' Crime Commission at 215-546-TIPS (-8477).

Our police are not just the women and men who protect our communities, Murphy said. In many cases, they are members of the very communities where they serve. They are our friends. They are our neighbors.

Staff writer Allison Steele contributed to this article.
THE CHIEF Executive Officer (CEO) of Marrer Ghana Limited and Sustgad Boat Building and Fishing Industry, Mr Novihoho Afaglo is calling on all media houses and journalists across the country to be circumspect in their reportage not to flame passion and cause confusion during and after the December 7 general election.



Mr Afaglo said this is the time media houses need to start preaching peace and educating the general public on issues relating to violence.



According to him, Ghana has come a long way in terms of democratic rule and therefore cannot risk the peace and security it had enjoyed during all these years to election violence and so advocates all media houses not to allow politicians and other players to use their platform to insight other through ethnic bigotry.



He said many politicians and other bootlickers would use all means including financial influence to entice media owns and journalist just to thwart facts and figure toward their benefits in the upcoming general elections.



This is because politicians in the past find ways and means to mislead their followers with false promises and hopes knowing well that the things they are promising are hard to achieve, Mr Afaglo stated.



He said politicians must give the citizenry reason why they should vote for them to gain political power and about time again we throw more light on peaceful election rather than engaging in all manner of insults and counter insults.



The CEO said African politicians will never change, after giving their followers a reason to fight for them, should anything happen to you, youre on your own and mind you the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) are the same people.



"Outside their homes, they portray pictures for the followers to think they are enemies but in close doors they are the best of friends, he stated.



Mr Afaglo said NPP and NDC help each other in case one is in opposition because we all know that the presidency is rotational based on the peoples choice.



He therefore call on all Ghanaians especially the youth not to avail themselves to be used by these politicians as instrument to perpetuate violence in the upcoming general elections.









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Reacting on the resignation of Harsimrat Kaur Badal, the (BJP) said that she resigned under the pressure of Punjab's local politics. However, the party still hopes that the matter will be resolved after discussion with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).

BJP spokesperson on economic affairs Gopal Kirshna Agarwal told IANS, "The three agricultural bills passed in the Parliament on Thursday will benefit the But the way the Congress has spread lies in Punjab, I think the SAD has also come under the pressure of local politics that's why Harsimrat Kaur resigned. The SAD is also aware about the benefits to from the bills."

Agarwal said we are continuously exposing the lies being spread about the bills. Parties like Congress are lying that the minimum support price (MSP) has been scrapped while it has nothing to with all the three bills. Not only MSP but APMC is also not been scrapped."

He said that the opposition is spreading lies about the agricultural reforms in a similar way it did at the time of Citizenship Amendment Act adding that the government is trying to meet the demands of the through these three bills.

The Modi government brought three major bills related to agricultural sector while the Opposition is opposing the bills. The first bill is related to the Essential Commodities Act while the second one is on Farm Produced and Trade (Promotion and Facilitation) which allows everyone to buy and sell agricultural products.

The third bill is on Farmer (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services which legitimates contract based farming. Opposition said that the bills will benefit the capitalists not farmers.

--IANS

hindi-rt/

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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A recent market study published by Future Market Insights (FMI) on the internet of everything (IoE) market includes a global industry analysis for 2015-2019 and opportunity assessment for 2020-2030, and delivers a comprehensive assessment of the most important market dynamics. After conducting a thorough research on the historical as well as current growth parameters, growth prospects of the market are obtained with maximum precision.

Internet of Everything (IoE) Market: Segmentation

The global internet of everything (IoE) market is segmented in detail to cover every aspect of the market and present a complete market intelligence approach to readers.

Component

Hardware Sensors RFID Tags Smart Devices Others

Software Data Management Device Management Connectivity Management Others

Services Professional Consulting Implementation Support & Maintenance Managed



Request a Sample of this Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-34

Network Technology

Wi-Fi

Bluetooth

NFC

Others

Application

Smart Homes

Mobile & Wearable Device

Connected Car

Smart Cities

Others

Vertical

BFSI

Manufacturing

Transportation & Logistics

Healthcare

IT & Telecom

Retail

Energy & Utility

Others

Region

North America

Latin America

Europe

East Asia

South Asia Pacific

Middle East & Africa

Report Chapters

Chapter 01  Executive Summary

The report begins with the executive summary of the internet of everything (IoE) market, which includes a summary of key findings and statistics of the market. It also includes the demand and supply-side trends pertaining to the market.

Chapter 02  Market Overview

Readers can find the definition and detailed taxonomy of the internet of everything (IoE) market in this chapter, which will help them understand the basic information about the market. Along with this, comprehensive information pertaining to internet of everything (IoE) and its properties are provided in this section. This section also highlights the inclusions and exclusions, which help readers understand the scope of the internet of everything (IoE) market report.

Chapter 03  Key Market Trends

The internet of everything (IoE) market report provides key market trends that are expected to significantly impact market growth during the forecast period. Detailed end user trends are also provided in this section.

Chapter 04  Global Internet of Everything (IoE) Market Pricing Analysis

The internet of everything (IoE) market report provides pricing analysis of internet of everything (IoE).

Chapter 05 Pandemic Crisis Impact Analysis

The section provides information regarding the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on internet of everything (IoE) market

Chapter 06  Market Structure Analysis

In this chapter, readers can find detailed information about the tier analysis and market concentration of key players in the internet of everything (IoE) market, along with their market presence analysis by region and product portfolio.

Chapter 07 -Global Internet of Everything (IoE) Market Demand Analysis 2015-2019 and Opportunity Assessment 2020-2030

This section explains the global market value analysis and forecast for the internet of everything (IoE) market during the forecast period of 2020-2030. It includes a detailed analysis of the historical internet of everything (IoE) market, along with an opportunity analysis of the future. Readers can also find the absolute $ opportunity for the current year (2020), and an incremental $ opportunity for the forecast period (20202030).

Chapter 08  Market Background

This chapter explains the key macroeconomic factors that are expected to influence the growth of the internet of everything (IoE) market over the forecast period. Along with macroeconomic factors, this section also highlights the supply chain, forecast factors, and value chain analysis of the internet of everything (IoE) market. Moreover, in-depth information about the market dynamics and their impact analysis on the market have been provided in the successive section.

Chapter 09  Global Internet of Everything (IoE) Market Analysis 2015-2019 and Opportunity Assessment 2020-2030, by Component

Based on solution, the internet of everything (IoE) market is segmented into hardware, software and services. In this chapter, readers can find information about key trends and developments in the internet of everything (IoE) market and market attractiveness analysis based on component.

Chapter 10  Global Internet of Everything (IoE) Market Analysis 2015-2019 and Opportunity Assessment 2020-2030, by Network Technology

Based on application, the Internet of Everything (IoE) market is segmented into Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, and Others. In this chapter, readers can find information about key trends and developments in the internet of everything (IoE) market and market attractiveness analysis based on network technology.

Chapter 11  Global Internet of Everything (IoE) Market Analysis 2015-2019 and Opportunity Assessment 2020-2030, by Application

This chapter provides various details about the internet of everything (IoE) market based on application, and has been classified into smart homes, smart cities, mobile & wearable device, connected cars, and others. In this chapter, readers can understand the market attractiveness analysis based on application.

Chapter 12  Global Internet of Everything (IoE) Market Analysis 2015-2019 and Opportunity Assessment 2020-2030, by Industry

This chapter provides various details about the internet of everything (IoE) market based on industry, and has been classified into BFSI, manufacturing, transportation & logistics, healthcare, IT & Telecom, retail, energy & utility, and others. In this chapter, readers can understand the market attractiveness analysis based on industry.

Chapter 13  Global Internet of Everything (IoE) Market Analysis 2015-2019 and Opportunity Assessment 2020-2030, by Region

This chapter explains how the Internet of Everything (IoE) market is anticipated to grow across various geographic regions such as North America, Latin America, Europe, East Asia, South Asia & Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa.

Chapter 14  North America Internet of Everything (IoE) Market Analysis 2015-2019 and Opportunity Assessment 2020-2030

This chapter includes a detailed analysis on the growth of the North America internet of everything (IoE) market, along with a country-wise assessment that includes the U.S. and Canada. Readers can also find the regional trends, and market growth based on industry, and countries in North America.

Chapter 15 Latin America Internet of Everything (IoE) Market Analysis 2015-2019 and Opportunity Assessment 2020-2030

This chapter provides the growth scenario of the internet of everything (IoE) market in Latin American countries such as Brazil, Mexico, and the rest of Latin America. Along with this, assessment of the market across target segments has also been provided.

Chapter 16  Europe Internet of Everything (IoE) Market Analysis 2015-2019 and Opportunity Assessment 2020-2030

Important growth prospects of the internet of everything (IoE) market in several countries such as Germany, the UK, France, Spain, Italy, BENELUX, Russia and the rest of Europe are included in this chapter.

Chapter 17  East Asia Internet of Everything (IoE) Market Analysis 2015-2019 and Opportunity Assessment 2020-2030

This chapter provides the growth scenario of the internet of everything (IoE) market in East Asian countries such as China, Japan, and South Korea.

Chapter 18  South Asia & Pacific Internet of Everything (IoE) Market Analysis 2015-2019 and Opportunity Assessment 2020-2030

This chapter highlights the growth of the internet of everything (IoE) market in the South Asia & Pacific region by focusing on India, ASEAN, Australia, New Zealand, and the rest of South Asia & Pacific. This section also help readers understand key factors that are responsible for the growth of the internet of everything (IoE) market in the South Asia & Pacific region.

Chapter 19  MEA Internet of Everything (IoE) Market Analysis 2015-2019 and Opportunity Assessment 2020-2030

This chapter provides information about how the internet of everything (IoE) market is anticipated to grow in major countries in the MEA region, such as GCC countries, South Africa, Turkey, and the rest of MEA, during the forecast period of 2020-2030.

Chapter 20 Key Countries Analysis

This chapter provides information about key countries analysis on internet of everything (IoE) market. The chapter provides information regarding incremental opportunity share.

Request for Reports Methodology @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/global-internet-of-everything-market#idMethodology

Chapter 21  Competition Analysis

In this chapter, readers can find a comprehensive list of all the prominent stakeholders in the internet of everything (IoE) market, along with the detailed information about each company. This includes the company overview, revenue shares, strategic overview, and recent company developments. Some of the market players featured in the report are Google LLC, Cisco Systems, IBM Corporation, Microsoft Corporation, Oracle Corporation, Schneider Electric, among others.

Chapter 22  Assumptions and Acronyms

This chapter includes a list of acronyms and assumptions that provides a base to the information and statistics included in the internet of everything (IoE) market report.

Chapter 23-Research Methodology

This chapter help readers understand the research methodology followed to obtain various conclusions as well as important qualitative and quantitative information about the internet of everything (IoE) market.
I was recently sent a Facebook post from a local councilperson discussing the racial composition of the command staff of the Trenton Police Department. The post stated:

You would certainly understand that it is not right for the officers to be all white serving in executive leadership positions like Captain. A police departments leadership should be representative of the community it serves. All white male officers policing a community that is 85% people of color like the City of Trenton is unacceptable. We all know better and should work to fix it. Many of the white officers working for TPD live in Hamilton Township. Can you imagine if Hamilton Township had all black Captains leading its police department?

While initially shocking at the blatant racism in that commentary, the owner of this post left out a number of details related to rank structure and how officers obtain rank in the Trenton Police Department and in all of the Civil Service Departments within the State of New Jersey. In addition, this post was disrespectful to all of those individuals of color that have been successful in obtaining rank in the same manner as every other individual.

For clarification, each rank in the Trenton Police Department and those that obtain those ranks are determined by taking a test administered by the State of New Jersey, Civil Service Commission. No one from the Trenton Police Department or the City of Trenton government plays any role in the administration of the test, the scoring of the test and the preparation of the list of officers that have passed and their rankings. Race, color, religion, creed, sexual orientation or any other qualifier do not play a role in determining who passes, who fails and where each individual falls in the order. The tests are based on the knowledge of the job, the laws of New Jersey, Attorney General Guidelines, and situations where supervisors must make decisions.

While there have been instances where Court Decrees force departments to promote individuals based on race, thankfully those instances are few and far between. In its effort to provide the semblance of equality, what those Decrees have done is stigmatize those supervisors as being unable to obtain rank through their own hard work, and desire. Something contrary to the idea of being judged on the content of character as opposed to the color of the skin.

I reached out to Retired Trenton Police Lieutenant Steve Wilson, who happens to be Black, and he stated When I read that post, I immediately felt that she was uninformed about the diversity and the history of the police department. I think of men like Chief and Police Director Ernie Williams, Captain David Johnson, Lieutenant Ulysses Davis, and Lieutenant Eric Fontaine, who led the way and were examples for the rest of us that came after them. There have been countless men and women of color that have made rank since them and have been leaders of this department, including myself. The department is more diverse now than it has been in the past. Secondly, I believe just as a persons race, color, creed, etc. shouldnt be used to discriminate against them, those same reasons shouldnt be used to place folks in positions of leadership. The best person for the job based on their totality of skill and experience are the folks that should lead.

There was a time period, early on in my career, where a small group of Latino officers were pushing for the police department to follow Camdens lead and have a separate promotion test for Latino officers. Upon hearing that, most of the Latino officers immediately argued against such an idea. We believed that if we could not achieve rank, the same as every officer, then we should not be given rank. We did not believe that we were inferior or substandard. We believed that we could achieve on our own merits. And we did.

Prior to the layoffs of 2011, of the 20 Lieutenants on the job, six were Latino who were all on their way to making Captain. The layoffs stunted those opportunities, but one was finally able to break the Captain ceiling and Edelmiro Gonzalez was promoted to Captain in 2015. This group of supervisors were examples to all those officers that followed. We demonstrated that achieving rank is possible if one studies, works hard and is diligent. Without race or ethnicity being used as a factor.

As this councilperson attacked the command staff, they failed to mention that of the eight full-time police directors that have overseen the Trenton Police Department, seven were either Black or Latino, including the current Police Director, Sheila Coley. The direction the Trenton Police Department has followed, has been under the leadership of people of color. Any complaints about that direction, should keep that in mind.

I agree that cities should want diversity in their police leadership. But it should not be a political process based on color, race, gender, creed, etc. It should be through a color-blind process that identifies the best officers and leaders whether that means an all-white command staff or not.

Fighting against perceived racism while using racism is never the answer.
regulator on Thursday asked mutual fund houses to put in place a policy specifying role of several teams engaged in fund management and back office with regard toexecution of order and allocation of trade among various schemes.

The policy will ensure that all the schemes and its investors are treated in a fair and equitable manner, the (Sebi) said in a circular.

The circular will be applicable with effect from January 1, 2021, it added.

In addition, the regulator has come out with framework for uniformity in applicability of net asset value (NAV) across various schemes on realisation of funds.

In respect of purchase of units of mutual fund schemes (except liquid and overnight schemes), said closing NAV of the day will be applicable on which the funds are available for utilisation irrespective of the size and time of receipt of such application.

Currently, subscription in equity and debt schemes, if aggregate value per PAN is less than Rs 2 lakh then NAV of the transaction date, was given and not based upon the actual realisation of funds for these transactions.

"With these changes, all transactions will now be treated equally under or over Rs 2 lakh as same and the NAV applicable will be based on the realisation of subscription money and not based upon the date of the transaction," saidOmkeshwar Singh, head, RankMF, Samco Group.

has asked asset management companies (AMCs) to put in place a written down policy such as specific activities, role and responsibilities of various teams engaged in fund management, compliance, risk management and back-office, among others, with regard to order placement, execution of order, trade allocation among various schemes and other related matters.

Further, the policy will be approved by the board of asset management company(AMC) and the trustees.

Also, they need to ensure compliance with the requirement fororders pertaining to equity and equity-related instruments andrequirements with respect to investments in all instruments.

With regards to orders pertaining to equity and equity-related instruments, Sebi said AMCs will use an automated order management system (OMS), wherein the orders for equity and equity-related instruments of each scheme will be placed by the fund managers of the respective schemes.

In case a fund manager is managing multiple schemes, the fund manager willnecessarily place scheme-wise order.

According to Sebi, regulatory limits and allocation limits as specified in scheme information document (SID) will be in-built in the OMS to ensure that orders in breach of such limits are not accepted by the OMS.

AMCs may further place soft limits for internal control and risk management based on its internal policy.

Further, any change in limits specified in OMS will be subject to the approval of Compliance and risk officer.

All orders of fund managers will be received by dedicated dealers responsible for order placement and execution.

Further, the internal policy of AMC may also provide certain scenarios within the regulatory limits, wherein prior approval of compliance or risk officer would be required through OMS before the order is received by the dealer.

Spelling out requirements with respect to investments in all instruments, Sebi said AMC will ensure that the dealing desk is suitably staffed and comply with certain conditions.

Among the conditions are all conversations of the dealer will be only through the dedicated recorded telephone lines, and no mobile phones or any other communication devices other than the recorded telephone lines will be allowed inside the dealing room.

Also, AMCs need to ensure restricted access to internet facilities on computers and other devices inside the dealing room.

The trade allocation policy of the AMCs will detail specific situations (not generic), wherein the orders by dealers will be placed for each scheme individually or pooled from multiple schemes and the timeline to be considered for pooling of orders in case of multiple schemes.

"In case of pooled orders, post allocation of trades shall be on pro-rata basis as per the size of the order placed. The said allocation shall be based on weighted average price," Sebi said.

The policy will clearly include situations in which deviation from the allotment of units on pro-rata basis would be permissible, if at all.

It, further, said the deviations will be on account of exigency only and require prior written approval of chief investment officer, risk officer and the compliance officer with detailed rationale for such deviation.

In case of scenarios, wherein the are required to place certain margins or collaterals in order to execute certain transactions, Sebi said the policy will include details on how such margins or collaterals will be segregated from various schemes, without affecting the interest of investors of any scheme.

With regard to monitoring of compliance, Sebi asked AMCs to have a system-based monitoring mechanism. Besides, audit trail of activities related to order placement, trade execution and allocation will be available in the system.

Further, there should be time stamping with respect to order placed by fund manager, order placed by dealer, order execution and trade allocation.

Any non-compliance and all material information in this regard will be reported to trustees on quarterly basis and trustees will inform the same to Sebi in their half yearly trustee report.

(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.)
Dangelo Dorsey (AP)

A Tennessee man was murdered on Sunday by a gunman who had taken him and his pregnant wife hostage after a series of shootings and carjackings near by.

The couple, Aileen and Jordan Stevens, had been on their way to church in Rutherford County when a car rammed into them on Interstate 24, according to the womans family.

Unbeknown to the couple, the driver  later identified as 29-year-old Dangelo Dorsey of St Louis, Missouri had just opened fire inside a moving vehicle, killing one person and wounding another, said David Rausch, director for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, in a news release.

Dorsey had got out of the vehicle as traffic came to a halt, shooting a driver in the hand as he attempted to carjack her vehicle, and shooting a truck driver in the face, Mr Rausch said.

After Dorsey crashed into the Stevens, the couple pulled over, believing it to be an accident. Dorsey then forced the couple at gunpoint to drive him back to their home in Morrison  about 80 miles southeast of Nashville.

There Dorsey allegedly stole two of their guns, switched vehicles and forced the couple to go with him. Authorities said Dorsey took the couple to a nearby location, separated them, and shot Jordan in front of his wife. He then forced Aileen back inside the car and continued driving, authorities said.

Police located the vehicle and a chase ensued, reaching speeds over 100mph. The vehicle eventually crashed and flipped.

"At that point, Dorsey took his own life, Mr Rausch stated. "The female hostage was safely recovered.

Authorities have identified the man killed earlier as Darcey Johnson, 28. The others who were injured are expected to recover.

A TBI spokesperson said Dorsey appeared to know the first two victims but his targeting of the Stevens appeared to be random. He reportedly had an extensive criminal record in his home state of Missouri but had no arrest record in Tennessee. An investigation into his motives is ongoing.

Story continues

Aileens brother told CNN that she spent a few days in the hospital and his now at home recuperating. A GoFundMe account has been set up to provide financial support to Aileen and her family. Jordan Stevens was laid to rest at the First Baptist Chuch of McMinnville Friday afternoon.

Read more

Kidnapping of 9-month-old baby sparks Amber Alert in Tennessee
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 18:35:21|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The white paper on the participation of China's armed forces in United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations released Friday is a clear and strong response to the so-called "Chinese military threat" hyped up by certain Western politicians and media outlets.

China's socialist system, its commitment to the path of peaceful development and the cultural traditions highlighting peace and harmony determine that China pursues a national defense policy that is defensive in nature and that China's armed forces will always be a force of justice for world peace and development.

China is the second largest contributor to both peacekeeping assessment and UN membership fees, and the largest troop-contributing country among the permanent members of the UN Security Council. Over the past 30 years, China's armed forces have delivered on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and sent over 40,000 peacekeepers to 25 UN peacekeeping missions, according to the white paper titled "China's Armed Forces: 30 Years of UN Peacekeeping Operations."

Chinese military peacekeepers have left their footprints in over 20 countries and regions including Cambodia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Sudan, Lebanon, Cyprus, South Sudan, Mali and the Central African Republic. They have made a tremendous contribution to facilitating the peaceful settlement of disputes, safeguarding regional security and stability, and promoting economic and social development in host nations.

The mission of the Chinese military is not only winning wars, but also containing and preventing wars. Over the past 30 years, China's peacekeeping troops have worked extensively and effectively with international humanitarian agencies and participated in post-conflict reconstruction, helping restore local livelihoods and social order to prevent the recurrence of conflict and achieve lasting peace and stability.

The Chinese people love peace. Having suffered from aggressions and wars since the beginning of modern times, the Chinese people have learned the value of peace and the pressing need for development. China will never inflict such sufferings on any other country.

Since its founding 71 years ago, the People's Republic of China has never started any war or conflict. China has grown from a poor and weak country to the world's second largest economy neither by receiving handouts nor by engaging in military expansion or colonial plunder. Instead, China has made every effort to create favorable conditions for its development through maintaining world peace, and has tried to promote world peace through its own growth.

Pursuing peace, however, does not mean tolerating external threats to sovereignty, security and development interests. The Chinese military keeps to the stance that "we will not attack unless we are attacked, but we will surely counterattack if attacked."

The eastern theater command of the People's Liberation Army is conducting combat exercises near the Taiwan Strait. This is a reasonable and necessary move to safeguard China's sovereignty and territorial integrity in response to the current situation in the Taiwan Strait which has resulted from the the United States and Democratic Progressive Party authority in Taiwan colluding more strongly, frequently creating disturbances.

The Chinese military has the ability to counter any external threat or challenge from "Taiwan independence" forces. Trying to use Taiwan to contain China or relying on foreign strength to build oneself up is wishful thinking and doomed to fail.

China's efforts to safeguard its rights also provide encouragement to the world as international uncertainty and instability are on the rise and pose diverse threats to world peace.

Peace has not come easily and to safeguard it requires great effort or even sacrifice. China will always stand together with the international community to defend peace against war, cooperation against confrontation, and progress against regress.

The Chinese military will continue to provide support for UN peacekeeping operations, fulfill commitments to safeguarding peace, and instil greater confidence and hope in conflict-hit areas.

China will always resolutely safeguard the UN-centered international system and the basic norms governing international relations underpinned by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and work with countries around the world to uphold multilateralism, equity and justice. Enditem
New Delhi, Sep 18 : In view of the rising number of coronavirus cases, the Delhi government announced on Friday that all schools in the city will continue to remain fully closed till October 5.

"All government and private schools will remain closed for all students till October 5. However, online teaching and learning activities will continue as usual," an order issued by the Directorate of Education (DoE) said.

School principals are authorised to call "staff as per requirement for smooth conduct of online classes or any other work", it said.

Earlier, the government had said it would allow senior students to come to schools if they need any guidance from their teachers. But now, it has made clear that there will be no partial reopening of the schools, irrespective of the class.

Universities and schools across the country have been closed since March 16 when the Centre announced a countrywide classroom shutdown as part of measures to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

From September 21, schools in a few states are resuming as Centre has given a go-ahead in its 'Unlock 4' guidelines.

With a massive single day spike of 96,424 new cases and 1,172 deaths in the last 24 hours, India's Covid-19 tally on Friday crossed the 5.2 million mark with total number of cases reaching to 51,18,253.
Some Australians could be forced to wait longer than others when a COVID-19 vaccine does become available, experts have warned.

The Federal Government has locked in a deal to get access to the University of Oxford COVID-19 vaccine as early as January.

Australians would receive 3.8million doses of the drug being developed by UK firm AstraZeneca in the first two months of next year.

National Centre of Immunisation Research and Surveillance director Kristine Macartney told ABC the first batch would not be distributed on a first come, first serve basis.

'It's highly likely there will be a limited supply of the vaccine,' she said.

'That reinforces the need to decide on prioritisation.'

Some Australians could be forced to wait longer than others when a COVID-19 vaccine becomes available, experts have warned (pictured, a nurse injects a volunteer during a COVID-19 vaccine trial)

National Centre of Immunisation Research and Surveillance director Kristine Macartney told ABC the first batch would not be distributed on a first come, first serve basis (pictured, a commuter waits at a Melbourne train station)

The Federal Government has locked in a deal to get access to the University of Oxford COVID-19 vaccine as early as January (pictured, prime minister Scott Morrison tours AstraZeneca laboratories at Macquarie Park in August)

The Federal Government has yet to release specific details on how it intends to distribute a COVID-19 vaccine.

Draft advice for the United Kingdom and United States provides a footprint for a possible 'tier' system.

Healthcare workers and vulnerable people are considered to be the top two priority groups.

The US has added a third priority group that includes essential services such as public transport, education and food supply workers.

The country has also suggested it could use a lottery system to decide who receives the vaccine first.

Oxford University's Health Economics Research Centre director Philip Clarke said the US was already using this system in hospitals during the pandemic.

'In the case of COVID-19, this is actually happening in the US where you haven't got enough drugs for the treatment of COVID-19, they are actually randomly allocating them, so it's fair rather than potentially people making arbitrary choices,' he said.

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation has been advising the government on future rollout plans.

The group has been regularly meeting to discuss key strategies that include distribution, manufacturing capacity and safety evaluations of the vaccine.

Plunkett Centre of Ethics' postdoctoral research fellow Xavier Symons admitted it was a difficult road ahead.

Oxford University's Health Economics Research Centre director Philip Clarke said the US was already using this system in hospitals during the pandemic (pictured, a volunteer receives a jab during a COVID-19 vaccine trial)

'In other countries the issue may be, 'How do we convince people to be vaccinated?' but in Australia it's more like, 'How can we ensure that everyone who wants to receive the vaccine and needs to receive the vaccine, can receive it?''

The Federal Government has released a COVID-19 vaccine and treatment strategy document that presents a broad framework of distribution.

'Australian Government agencies are working with states and territories on transportation, storage and distribution plans,' it reads.

The Australian Medical Association has called for more transparency on distribution plans.

President Omar Khorshid argued it was crucial the final details were shared with the public to prevent any confusion.

Daily Mail Australia contacted the Department of Health for comment.
Los Angeles:

Scientists have been making efforts to find out if life thrives in any planet other than our Earth. While making these efforts, astronomers have managed to find that an exoplanet, named Wolf 1061, which is located around 14 light years away from Earth. The Wolf 1061 is present within the habitable zone, the area where liquid water could exist on the surface of the celestial body.

Biologists, physicists, filmmakers and philosophers have been puzzled by the question whether Earthlings are alone in the universe.

While carrying out the research an astronomer at San Francisco State University in the US named Stephen Kane laid his focus of searching "habitable zones," regions where water could exist in a liquid state on the surface of the planet in the presence of sufficient atmospheric pressure.

"The Wolf 1061 system is important because it is so close and that gives other opportunities to do follow-up studies to see if it does indeed have life," Kane said.

A habitable zone on a planetary system was examined by Kane and his team. However, the proximity of Wolf 1061 to Earth was not only an attractive subject for Kane and his team.

Researchers said a rocky planet called Wolf 1061c is one of the three known planets in the system and it is entirely within the habitable zone.

Researchers managed to measure the star around which the planet orbits in order to gain a clearer picture of the existence of life there.

Kane said when scientists look out for planets that could sustain life, they basically look for a planet having nearly identical properties to Earth.

Simply put, the planet cant be too close or too far from its parent star. A planet thats too close would be too hot like Earths twin Venus. If its too far, it may be too cold and any water would freeze, which is what happens on Mars, Kane noted.

In order to sustain life, the planet, just like Earth, would have to exist in a sweet pot which is often referred to as the "Goldilocks zone" where conditions are just perfect for life.

Kane said the planet cannot be too far or too close to its parent star. If it is too close, it would be too hot. Similarly, if it is too far, it will be too cold and would freeze water, what exactly happens on Mars.

Conversely, a "runaway greenhouse effect" can take place when planets warm and the heat gets trapped in the atmosphere, what exactly happens on Venus.

According to NASA, scientists believe that Venus was once home to oceans, but because of its proximity the Sun, it became too warm that all the water evaporated.

Since water vapour is extremely effective in trapping in heat, it made the surface of the planet even hotter. The surface temperature on Venus now reaches around 471 degrees Celsius.

"It is close enough to the star where it is looking suspiciously like a runaway greenhouse," said Kane.

As Wolf 1061c is closer to the inner edge of the habitable zone, possibility is that the planet has an atmosphere more similar to Venus.

Kane and his team also found that unlike Earth, which witnesses climate changes due to the slow variations on its orbit around the Sun, Wolf 1061cs orbit changes at a much faster rate. It may mean that the climate there could be quite chaotic.

Kane said life is possible on Wolf 1061c under one possibility - the short time scales over which Wolf 1061cs orbit changes could be enough that it could actually cool the planet off.

But fully understanding whats happening on the planets surface will take more research, he added.The findings are forthcoming in the Astrophysical Journal in a paper titled Characterization of the Wolf 1061 Planetary System.

For all the Latest Science News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
We are currently at 27.7 percent positive with daily community positive rate in Dodge County, Foster said. In addition hospital rates have been going up and Dodge County had three additional deaths in a short time.

It is important to take this seriously and be safe in order to reduce the spread, Foster said.

The services are not reduced in the hospital. Foster said they are currently operating 95 percent of the services that they had pre COVID.

Foster said the helpful steps everyone can take to keep us safe is to wear masks, use proper hand hygiene and remember to social distance and keep gatherings small.

We have to focus on getting the numbers down and moving back in a positive direction, Foster said.

Flu shots will also be very important this year. Foster said it is a benefit of being part of Marshfield Medical that the hospital will be having a mobile unit at the facility in the near future where people can get flu shots without entering the hospital.

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Linkedin Kazutoshi Chatani and Fasrul (The Jakarta Post) -  Fri, September 18, 2020 08:40 491 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c459195e 3 Opinion COVID-19,pandemic,unemployment,work-from-home,ILO,ALMP,active-labor-market-policy,International-Labor-Organization,LMI,Labor-Market-Intelligence,PES,Public-Employment-Services Free

Being able to work from home and receiving a full salary is a privilege for some groups of people during the COVID-19 pandemic. Millions of people in the world have lost their jobs. Others are obliged to take the risk of virus infection by working outside the home for the sake of their familys survival.

In Indonesia alone, the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) has just announced an increase of the unemployed by 3.72 million. This figure, of course, excludes the workers whose wages are cut due to reduced working hours.

Meanwhile, the government has just announced economic growth of minus 5.3 percent in the second quarter of 2020 and is predicted to remain negative in the third quarter. The World Bank in last July predicted that the recovery would take quite a long time. In fact, many studies show that long-term unemployment can affect individuals, society and the national economy. Those who have been unemployed for a long period of time tend to find it more difficult to find new jobs, earn lower wages, and are late in moving up their career ladder.

The government has provided emergency protection through various stimulus packages, one of which is the Pre-employment Card. Through this program, workers affected by termination of employment can receive cash benefits and online training. However, is that sufficient? What will be their future after their training?

When people are unemployed, there are at least two items they need. The first is a substitute for their lost income because they and their families have to continue their life. The second need is to find a new job which matches with their skills and qualifications. Comprehensive and integrated support systems for the unemployed, combining unemployment insurance, public employment services and training, help meet these needs.

In fact, the International Labor Organization through Convention No. 168 on Employment Promotion and Protection against Unemployment recommends partial and temporary income replacement through unemployment insurance schemes and promotion of productive employment through vocational training and job placement. A set of policies towards labor market reintegration of the unemployed is called active labor market policy (ALMP).

This system has been widely adopted by most of advanced economies and has proven to be effective in supporting workers affected by termination of employment due to COVID-19. Having joined the rank of upper-middle income countries, it is time for Indonesia to consider ALMP.

The current cash benefit scheme under the Pre-Employment Card, though the government intends well, may fall short of providing sufficient support for the unemployed if the pandemic prolongs.

First, it is publicly funded, thereby the scheme cannot be expanded without straining the state budget.

Ideally, cash benefits for unemployment are funded by an insurance system with contributions from employers, workers and government subsidies. We must collectively save for a rainy day. With unemployment insurance, income support kicks in immediately and the burden on the stage budget is much less than the case otherwise.

Second, job-relevance of training programs is crucial. It is good to check whether the training program is based on the up-to-date competency standards required by the industry. Business associations may wish to update competency standards of key jobs in their business domains and guide training and education providers.

Third, it would be better if the choice of training program is guided, ideally by career counselling professionals. Understanding skills requirements of available jobs in the labor market is important in selecting training programs. Labor Market Intelligence (LMI), an artificial intelligent (AI)-based labor data analytic, is necessary in this. And Public Employment Services (PES), if they capacity were built, could provide jobseekers with this service free of charge.

Instituting functioning unemployment protection system, or ALMP, calls for a seamless integration of social protection, skills development and employment policies. Several government institutions are involved in this system and their coordination is indispensable. Ideally, jobseekers can visit one-stop service office to register their unemployment status, claim unemployment benefits, receive guidance for training, and obtain support for job-search.

The economy will eventually bounce back once the pandemic abates. This brings optimism to many people. Nevertheless, we shall not forget the lessons learnt through the pandemic-imposed jobs crisis and prepare ourselves for future crises.

This kind of pandemic might happen again. Global economy repeats economic shocks, shaking the world of work each time. Let alone economic crises, there are always downturns of business cycle which affects the labor sector. In addition, Indonesia is prone to natural disasters which all of sudden damage infrastructure and productive assets, resulting in massive job destruction and loss of income for many families.

It is time for Indonesia to build a robust and reliable systems that protect workers against risks of unemployment. We collectively save during good days through a social insurance scheme because we know a rainy day will come again. We improve our training systems and public employment services so that we can count on them when we lose jobs.

Indonesia has elements of ALMP. We need to strengthen them and build-in effective linkages among them. This COVID-19 crisis should be a turning point to build better protection system for the unemployed.

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Kazutoshi Chatani is employment specialist and Fasrul is program officer for public employment service at International Labor Organization. These views are personal.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
India had recorded 51,22,846 Covid-19 cases by the afternoon of September 17, of which nearly 79% had recovered. A total of 6.1 crore had been tested and 83,257 deaths were reported. The Mortality Rate stood at 1.6% while the Test Positivity Rate at 8.5%. A zone-wise analysis of the countrys Covid-19 data throws up some interesting numbers.

We divide the country into five zones:

1. North  Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and Ladakh

2. South  Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Kerala, Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands

3. West  Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Goa, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu

4. East  West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, Sikkim, Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Odisha

5. Central  Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh

SOUTH ZONE HAS MAXIMUM CASLOAD

The South Zone of the country accounts for 37.19% of Indias total caseload. Andhra Pradesh leads the pack with 5,92,760 cases and is followed by Tamil Nadu (5,19,860). Even in terms of cases per 1 million population, the South with 7,056 cases is at the top.

The North and East Zones have done comparatively well even with a massive population of 33.67 crore and 34.78 crore respectively. With a fourth of the population each, they have barely contributed to 17% and 16% of the total number of Covid-19 cases in the country. Meanwhile, the Central Zone comprising of the two states of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh has the lowest Incidence per million. Maharashtra accounts for more than four-fifth (82%) of the cases in the West Zone.

In terms of Recovery Rate, it is the Central Zone which has the lowest percentage of 63%. A little more than half of Chhattisgarhs cases are still active. South and East Zones have the best Recovery Rate of 83%. Bihar (East Zone), at 91.2%, has the highest recovery percentage amongst all major states and is followed by Tamil Nadu (89.4%; South Zone) and West Bengal (86.7%; East).

WEST ZONE HAS HIGHEST POSITIVITY RATE

The southern Indian states have collectively carried out the maximum testing in proportion to their population. Overall, South Zone has tested 72,692 samples per 1 million population and is followed by North (45,619), East (45,090) and West (44,665) all stacked together. Madhya Pradesh (21,100) and Chhattisgarh (29,500) have amongst the lowest tests/million population ratio in the country. Thus, the Central Zone fares the worst on this count.

Maharashtra has the highest Positivity Rate in the country at 20.4%. This basically means that overall, one in every five persons tested in the state is Covid-19 positive. This is a highly alarming number and more than double the National Positivity Rate.

Thus, it is not surprising that the state pulls the entire West Zones Positivity Rate up to 11.41% - the maximum amongst all the five zones even though Rajasthan (3.9%) and Gujarat (3.3%) have amongst the lowest Positivity Rates in the country. Goa also has a high Positivity Rate of 11.4% which is approximately equal to the average of the zone.

South Zone also has a high Positivity Rate of 9.71% with Andhra Pradesh (12.3%) and Karnataka (12.2%) being the worst-affected on this parameter. The spread of the virus has been less prevalent in the North and East Zones. Mizoram (2.8%), Bihar and Arunachal Pradesh (3.1%) and Meghalaya (3.5%) are the least affected states in the East Zone while Uttar Pradesh (4.2%) keeps the overall Positivity Rate for North Zone low.

WEST ZONE HAS HIGHEST MORTALITY RATE, EAST LEAST

West Zone has recorded the highest number of Covid-19 deaths in the country and accounts for almost 43% of the total mortality percentage. Maharashtra has the highest toll (30,883) in India with 37% of the total deceased.

Next on the list are Tamil Nadu (8,559), Karnataka (7,536) and Andhra Pradesh (5,105)  the major contributors to South Zones mortality numbers. Overall, the South accounts for approximately 28% of the total Covid-19 deaths in the country.

East Zone has done a tremendous job in saving lives during the pandemic reporting just about 20 deaths per million population. Amongst major states, Bihar deserves a special mention with just seven fatalities per one million people.

Central Zone has recorded 22 deaths per million and is followed by North (44) and South (86). West Zone has fared the worst again with 132 deaths per million population. Maharashtra is the most severely affected major state with 256 deaths per 1 million population. In terms of Mortality Rate, East Zone is the only zone which has a Mortality Rate of less than 1%. Mizoram, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Odisha, Bihar, Manipur, Meghalaya, Sikkim and Jharkhand all have a Mortality Rate of less than 1. West Zone has the highest Mortality Rate of 2.6% with Maharashtra and Gujarat (2.7% each) the worst on this count.
Nearly 1,000 people baptized in Californias latest spiritual revival

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A record number of baptisms took place at a beach in Orange County over the weekend, as believers professed their faith in Jesus Christ at Southern Californias latest spiritual revival.

Nearly 1,000 people turned out at the Chino Hills-based Calvary Chapel's outdoor baptism, which was held at Newport Beachs Corona Del Mar State Beach on Saturday. While Calvary Chapel hosts a baptism at Corona Del Mar Beach every year, Pastor Jack Hibbs described the baptism as our biggest to date.

California may be experiencing a spiritual revival, Calvary Chapel Church Director Gina Gleason told CBN News in an interview. She said that the turnout at this years outdoor baptism was remarkable and a significant number, far exceeding the typical turnout of around 300 attendees.

Spiritual revivals at the beach have become a common sight in southern California as believers grapple with restrictions imposed on religious services amid the coronavirus pandemic. In July, the group Saturate OC held powerful worship sessions on the beach every Friday night, where attendees had the opportunity to hear the gospel, be baptized in the ocean, and be filled with the Holy Spirit and be set free.

In a previous interview with The Christian Post, worship artist Sean Feucht described the worship sessions as a return back to a gritty, raw Gospel, Jesus people movement foundation. According to Feucht, A lot of that is in part because we cant be in our churches. We are kind of forced to be outside of our buildings and forced to be innovative and creative and come up with alternate solutions.

Even before the coronavirus pandemic, Corona del Mar was a popular destination for mass baptisms. In 2018, evangelist Greg Laurie held a Jesus revolution style baptism at the beach, where over 550 people were baptized. These events have become even more popular now that coronavirus restrictions have prevented worshipers from gathering indoors at their churches for much of the year.

Pastor Hibbs is one of many California religious leaders who have strongly criticized those restrictions. On Facebook, Hibbs asked, If pastors are still debating among themselves whether or not to open up their churches, to get back to ministering to the emotional, physical, and spiritual needs of their flock and to the preaching of the gospelthen I ask you when?

Calvary Chapel is still offering worshipers the opportunity to gather in person and online as part of the Come Back California campaign. Following a week of fasting and prayer, which will include special evening services at Calvary Chapel, Hibbs will partake in an all-day social media event called Come Back California on Saturday.

Throughout the event, Hibbs will be joined by some of the biggest influences in our culture to inform viewers how they can promote their biblical values ahead of the 2020 election. Other speakers include radio personalities Larry Elder and Dennis Prager as well as One America News Network host Liz Wheeler.

Hibbs has urged people across California to turn their homes and churches into sanctuaries of prayer and worship as part of an effort to seek a radical move of God in the state. In a Facebook post Monday, the first day of fasting and prayer, the pastor proclaimed that we will be crying out to God for the healing of California.

Each special evening service held at Calvary Chapel and streamed online this week will have a different focus. On Monday, worshipers prayed for purity and holiness within the church as well as spiritual revival and salvation to spread throughout California. On Tuesday, attendees were asked to pray for our governor, state, and local leaders.

On Wednesday, Hibbs will examine Gods prophetic Word in light of current world events. On Thursday, viewers will gather in prayer for the military, law enforcement, and first responders. The week will conclude Friday with a prayer service against the sins and injustices of our nation and for our president, national leaders, and the upcoming election.




LG Uplus Corp., a major South Korean mobile carrier, said Friday it plans to roll out its 5G-powered autonomous robot next year.







The robot  which is being developed in partnership with autonomous mobility firm Unmanned Solution  has recently demonstrated its abilities at local refiner Hyundai Oilbank Co.'s facility in Seosan, 150 kilometers south of Seoul, LG Uplus said.







The robot was able to roam around the compound on its own with a margin of error of 10 centimeters and carry out safety procedures, such as monitoring temperatures of the facility equipment, according to the telecom operator.







LG Uplus said the robot, manufactured by Unmanned Solution, is able to accurately position itself for autonomous driving by using the mobile carrier's real-time kinematic technology that sends positioning data to the robot seamlessly through the low latency 5G network.







"The autonomous robot will be core equipment for the refinery industry, which prioritizes safety," Seo Jae-yong, head of LG Uplus' convergence business, said in a statement. "We plan to wrap up further testing by the end of this year and commercialize the product next year." (Yonhap)


Senator Bob Menendez described the Democrats' legislation as a plan to "invest" in American competitiveness, alliances and values. REUTERS-Yonhap



By Jacob Fromer





US Senate Democrats announced a US$350 billion plan on Thursday to confront China, a glaring signal from Washington that no matter who wins the upcoming presidential election in November, there likely will be immense bipartisan pressure from Congress to maintain a tough stance against Beijing.



The bill, called the America LEADS Act, comes as US-China relations spiral to their lowest point in years, with both parties in rare agreement that China under leader Xi Jinping has become a threat to global stability and US interests around the world.



Senate Republicans released their own sprawling legislation to confront China in July.



In a summary released on Thursday, the Democrats said their bill intends to strengthen the US medical supply chain, support new technologies like 5G and artificial intelligence, and counter China's "predatory economic behaviour" including intellectual property theft, dumping, and currency manipulation.



The bill also includes transparency requirements to target China's "education and influence campaigns" in the US, the Democrats said.



They said it would also direct the president to fully enforce sanctions laws targeting "malign behaviour" by the Chinese government, also allow certain residents of Hong Kong and Xinjiang to apply for admission to the US, and reaffirm the US commitment to its allies in the Pacific.





"This is an American issue. It is not a partisan issue," said James Risch, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. REUTERS-Yonhap



At a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing Thursday morning focused on "countering China", chairman James Risch, a Republican from Idaho, said he hoped the Democrats' new bill could be combined with his party's legislation introduced in July.



"I'm hoping we can bring them all together into one bill that we can all get behind," he said.



New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the committee, made a similar comment in his own remarks.



"I'm glad to hear there has been this bill introduced by the minority," said Risch. "This is an American issue. It is not a partisan issue."



The bill, first reported by The New York Times, was sponsored by New York Senator Charles Schumer, the top Democrat in the Senate.



Menendez described the Democrats' legislation as a plan to "invest" in American competitiveness, alliances and values. "This moment demands a strong, strategic response", he said, "to out-compete China in the generation ahead".



The two parties do not agree on everything, however.



Even as they seem broadly aligned on their assessment of China in the Xi era  that it is not to be trusted  Democrats say President Donald Trump has undermined the US position against China by attacking American allies, walking away from international organisations like the World Health Organisation, and praising Xi Jinping in the early days of the coronavirus outbreak.





China's "foreign and security policy seeks to reshape the international environment around the narrow interests and authoritarian values" of Beijing, said David Stilwell, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs. AP-Yonhap
Representative image

The coronavirus pandemic may have created stress in the overall real estate market but investors continue to scout for Grade A commercial real estate properties at higher yields and distressed prices.

To cash on the opportunity, PropShare Capital, a tech-enabled commercial real estate investment platform, has raised Rs 100 crore in its second COVID-19 Distressed Opportunities Portfolio Management Scheme offering.

The company plans to raise Rs 150 to Rs 200 crore by March 2021 though PDOF and around Rs 700 crore to Rs 750 crore through sale of new properties by March 31, 2021.

The total amount we plan to raise PDOF is Rs 330 crore to Rs 380 crore by March 31, 2021 and the total value of the properties this year is expected to be around Rs 700 crore to Rs 750 crore, Kunal Moktan, co-founder and CEO, PropShare Capital, told Moneycontrol.

In June, the firm had closed a Grade A distressed listing offering for Rs 80 crore with participation from more than 150 investors across HNIs, family offices, retail and institutional investors including a Japanese family office, within a span of two weeks through its platform.

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

A part of this offering has already been allocated to a Grade A property in Hyderabad with an estimated IRR of 19 percent. The company deployed more than half of the amount raised in June into its first distress listing on the platform which was a 100,000 sq ft property in Hyderabad leased out to a blue chip tenant.

It had looked at the asset that was owned by a manufacturing company based out of Mumbai almost three years ago.

The first close of PDOF II is expected on September 18 at Rs. 50 crore with a total estimated capital raise of Rs 100 crore. PDOF II has already seen demand for close to Rs. 600 crores on the platform, he said.

During the pandemic they wanted to liquidate this property and came back to the table. We stuck the deal at 20 percent lesser amount than what we would have paid three years ago. We utilized half the proceeds of PDOF 1 for two properties  Rs 50 crore went into the Hyderabad property and the remaining is likely to go into the Bengaluru property, he told Moneycontrol.

The companys next listing comprising Rs 30 crore from PDOF 1 and half from the amount raised on September 18 (around Rs 25 crore) will go to the next distress listing on the platform which is likely to be in Bengaluru, he said.

The company currently has a pipeline of Rs 300 crore with two properties in Delhi and Gurgaon, two are in Hyderabad, four in Bengaluru and one in Mumbai, he said.

Although the pandemic has led to stress in the larger real estate market, it has created a unique window of opportunity for investors to access Grade A commercial real estate properties at higher yields and lower prices.

Through PDOF, deploying investor capital quickly and efficiently in high yielding Grade A assets has become easier. When compared to a direct investment, PDOF investors get a 25 percent lower management and performance fees, the yield is almost 1.5 percent higher, access is guaranteed to distressed opportunities and there is diversification of investments exceeding Rs 50 lakh.

Established in 2015, PropShare Capital is India's first and largest tech enabled commercial real estate investment platform that gives ordinary investors access to rent-yielding commercial real estate at much lower investment thresholds of Rs. 50 lakh.

PropShare Capital's proprietary secondary sale engine provides investors liquidity and a separate asset management team actively manages the properties in order to optimise investor returns.
Visitors dropping litter in a Thai national park could receive an unwelcome souvenir, as they're warned any trash will be posted back to their homes.

Khao Yai National Park is a popular tourist destination but administrators and officials in Thailand have grown tired of litter ruining the site's natural beauty and endangering the animals that live there.

Luckily, Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa seems to have come up with a nifty solution.

He shared a photo on social media showing plastic bottles, cans and crisp packets that had been collected and packaged up, ready to be returned to the litterbug who dropped it with a note saying: 'You forgot these things'.

'Your trash - we will return it to you': Thailand's Environmental Minister Varawut Silpa-archa warned visitors to the popular Khao Yai National Park that if they drop litter, it will be packaged up and posted back to their homes.

Litter collected from Khao Yai National Park is shown packaged up and to be returned to the selfish litterbug who dropped it. The park is reported to have seen a rise in litter despite having on-site facilities available for waste disposal

The minister also reminded people that anyone caught littering could face up to five years in jail and a hefty fine.

Visitors will now be required to register their home address before entering the park.

Anyone found to have littered can expect to have the trash returned to them and will be reported to local police.

'Your trash - we will return it to you,' Varawut warned, singling-out tourists who visited the park's campsites last weekend for not using the bins provided to dispose of their litter, The Independent reported.

He added that the government was taking action in response to an increase in littering in the park, which is home to elephants, monkeys and deer, among other wildlife.

Elephants are just one of the animals that can be seen in the beautiful national park - Thailand's oldest. One of the dangers of dropping litter in a wildlife park is that it may be eaten by an animal that is searching for food. Ingesting harmful substances like plastic, which makes up a lot of food packaging, could cause an animal to fall ill or even die

Anyone found to have dropped litter in Khao Yai National Park could face up to five years in prison and a hefty fine. They will also be reported to local police, Environment Minister Varawut said, citing legislation explaining the seriousness of dropping litter and damaging the natural environment

Visitors come to Khao Yai National Park to enjoy its natural beauty and to see the wildlife, which includes bears, snakes and deer. The 800-square-mile site is also famous for its waterfalls.

Speaking to reporter's following Tuesday's social media post, Varamut said the park had provided visitors with enough facilities to dispose of rubbish responsibly.

'The authorities had facilitated visitors with everything we could have thought of. They only had to come here and enjoy beautiful nature but we never thought that they would leave us with such waste,' he is quoted as saying by Pattaya News.

'We kindly ask every tourist to put garbage in the provided areas because the garbage that you left may kill wild animals that come down around the area looking for food.

'In this case, we purposefully collected all your rubbish in a box and sent them to your home as a souvenir and a lesson to not litter anywhere ever again.
Tesuque-based cookbook author Cheryl Alters Jamison remembers the first Santa Fe Wine and Chile Fiesta, in 1991. It was in the parking lot behind what was then Sanbusco Center. I loved it from the beginning. I remember they rented stoves to have in the parking lot, she reminisced.

Like many of 2020s festivals and markets, this years SFWC Fiesta ran the risk of being canceled, another casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic. How could the bustling restaurant dinners, wine seminars, food demonstrations and foodie schmoozing possibly comply with social distancing and health mandates?

Enter the era of the Zoom wine tasting. After attending an online tasting organized by Spottswoode Winery in Napa Valley, Wine and Chile Fiesta Executive Director Greg OByrne saw that, with a few creative tweaks, he could shift the festival to a largely virtual format. With a combination of Zoom events, and outdoor patio wine luncheons and dinners, the Santa Fe Wine and Chile Fiesta will celebrate its 30th year Sept. 23-27.

Participants can register for events featuring more than two dozen winemakers, from a virtual live auction to virtual cooking demonstrations and wine tastings. For the tastings, attendees will pick up a three-bottle kit in advance from the Inn at Loretto starting Friday, Sept. 18 (or arrange with organizers for shipping). Because that amount of wine exceeds the smaller pours of an in-person tasting, festival organizers are encouraging participants to make an evening of it, inviting a few friends over for a socially distant dinner to go along with their wine tasting and Q&A.

OByrne says this years virtual format for tastings has some unexpected upsides.

The lineup of wineries and wines we have participating in the virtual wine tastings is better than any live set of seminars weve had in the past, he said.

Many esteemed panelists who would otherwise not have been able to attend a weeklong festival were able to commit to online presentations. Hes particularly excited about The Wines of Friuli with Bobby Stuckey, a Colorado-based sommelier and restaurant owner. After 20 years of asking, this is the first time he can come, OByrne said.

Attendees of Stuckeys seminar can do their homework by ordering a newly published book on wines and food from the Friuli region of Italy, co-written with Lachlan Patterson, chef and co-owner of the Boulder restaurant Frasca, and pick up some prosciutto and Italian cheeses to taste alongside the wines.

Other notable participants include Heitz Cellar CEO and wine expert Carlton McCoy, one of a very few Black Master Sommeliers, who will present an hourlong tasting of a suite of Heitzs celebrated Napa Valley wines.

Its a real score for us to have an hour of his time, OByrne said.

The number of chef demonstrations has been scaled down, but they, too, will go live on Zoom from the Santa Fe School of Cooking. Chefs Sllin Cruz of Geronimo and Martin Rios of Restaurant Martin will prepare several of their favorite dishes, and Jamison will be demonstrating a technique for smoking bragging rights brisket, a recipe from her latest cookbook, Texas Q.

Jamison says there are some silver linings to viewing a cooking demonstration from your home.

Doing this with the cooking school has been a real pleasure. Theyre really set up with a professional operation and setting in terms of having the proper lighting and multiple cameras. It allows the viewers to be really immersed in it. Youre getting to see probably more than you would if you were sitting there, she said.

The festival also offers several opportunities to support the struggling restaurant industry, with winery-partnered luncheons and dinners offered every day of the festival at such venues as Izanami, La Fonda, Inn of the Anasazi, and 315 Restaurant and Wine Bar.

Its been such a difficult year for restaurants, OByrne said. If you live in Albuquerque, you can come up for a couple of nights, get a hotel room, go to some lunches and dinners, and do tastings in your room.

Jamison says that even though this years Wine and Chile Fiesta is worlds removed from its humble beginnings in that Sanbusco parking lot  or the elegance of its usual Grand Tasting at the Santa Fe Opera  the homegrown event still retains its signature Santa Fe flair.

It has a character to it, she said. To me, it showcases the true spirit of Santa Fe, whereas a lot of food events today can be interchangeable.

For information on this years Santa Fe Wine and Chile Fiesta, go to santafewineandchile.org.
AUBURN  Members of the Auburn City Council are vowing to work toward making the city more inclusive and welcoming to all people.

A resolution condemning racism passed by the council Thursday night cites the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis and other events across America that "have magnified the fact that in the 21st century racism continues to thrive in our country. Despite many efforts and pleas for change, black people in America continue to be plagued by systemic institutional bias, bigotry, and hate."

The resolution said that while the city and the Auburn Police Department have been committed to addressing racism through implicit bias training, recruitment practices, policy transparency, community forums and active involvement in recent demonstrations, "there is still a need to listen and meaningfully respond to the people who are aggrieved by a culture where racism is endemic."

"The Auburn City Council aims to make the City of Auburn an even more welcoming, inclusive, and safe community to all, regardless of race or ethnicity, and in order to do so we must listen to, recognize and honor marginalized communities," the resolution states.

Councilor Debby McCormick said the council might have publicly addressed the issue sooner but that because of the coronavirus pandemic "we haven't been able to have the open dialogue with the community that normally we would probably have because of the restrictions for attendance and Zoom meetings and things like that."

McCormick said she has come to acknowledge her own unintentional biases The recent online forums on the Auburn Public Theater's Facebook page forums on racism where young people, including young people of color, opened her eyes to the racism they have experienced in the community, she said.

McCormick, a former city clerk, said the council has asked the APD before to "step up" and she feels that the department has, adding that she feels all city departments must similarly step up.

"If we want to be a welcoming community I think we have to actively, proactively, intentionally step up our awareness, our training and anything that we can do it to guarantee this as a welcoming community to all races, to all cultures, to anyone and everyone," she said. "I don't think we have a right to celebrate Harriet Tubman unless we can do that."

Councilor Terry Cuddy said that a meeting at Auburn Public Theater shortly after the death of Ahmaud Arbery  a Black man shot by two white men in Georgia earlier this year  was "a transformative" experience for him.

"A lot of what my counterparts were saying, where they're talking about their experiences growing up, and I'm ashamed to say I didn't know a lot about those kinds of experiences happening to those individuals and to their community, so it was a learning process," Cuddy said.

"I agree with Councilor McCormick that we have a community that I believe needs to be listened to and I believe that this city has a history of being progressive, and I think that all our departments are doing a very good in rising to the occasion," Cuddy said.

Staff writer Kelly Rocheleau can be reached at (315) 282-2243 or kelly.rocheleau@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @KellyRocheleau.

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Australia is well known for having many of the world's most venomous flora and fauna, and one of most notorious plants known for its sting is the Gympie-Gympie tree.

According to reports, researchers are now attempting to create painkillers from a pain-causing plant.

These plants are known for being highly toxic and causing excruciating, long-lasting pain in humans. But a group of researchers believe these plants hold key to unlocking novel painkillers.

Also Read: Karnataka: Drunk Man Bites Off Chunks Of Venomous Viper, Shouts 'How Dare You Block My Path'

Gympie Gympie Tree/Wikimedia

According to a report in the New Medical, a team of researchers at the University of Queensland in Brisbane examined the toxins produced by two species of Australian stinging trees - the shrub-sized Gympie-Gympie (Dendrocnide moroides) and the giant Australian stinging tree (Dendrocnide excelsa).

They discovered a new toxin in these plants which has been named gympietides after the tree in which they originate. The common habitat of these plants is along the Northern River region in New South Wales. They are also found in the tip region of Cape York Peninsula.

Also Read: Scientists Have Used Gene Editing To Create An Antidote For The Most Deadly Venomous Creature

New Scientist

These plants have a needle-like extensions called trichomes, all over their surface. The pain caused by these trichomes can last for hours on human skin, with repeated flares for days or even weeks.

"The Australian stinging tree species are particularly notorious for producing an excruciatingly painful sting, which unlike those of their European and North American relatives can cause symptoms that last for days or weeks," Irina Vetter, associate professor at the UQ's Institute for Molecular Bioscience, said.





"Like other stinging plants such as nettles, the giant stinging tree is covered in needle-like appendages called trichomes that are around five millimeters in lengththe trichomes look like fine hairs, but act like hypodermic needles that inject toxins when they make contact with skin," she added.

In the study, published in the journal Science Advances, the team demonstrated that the venoms of the stinging trees contain unknown pain-inducing peptides.

The Australian stinging trees make a neurotoxin that resembles a venom in both its molecular structure and how it is deployed by injection. The researchers are focusing this study on understanding how this peptide causes pain. The aim is to extract information on the function of pain-sensing nerves, and therefore, develop novel painkillers with this knowledge.
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The Japan Big Data Market report is to depict the trends and upcoming for the Japan Big Data Market industry over the forecast years. Japan Big Data Market report data has been gathered from industry specialists/experts. Although the market size of the market is studied and predicted from 2020 to 2027 mulling over 2019 as the base year of the market study. Attentiveness for the market has increased in recent decades due to development and improvement in the innovation.

The big data market in Japan today is influenced by several drivers, restraints and opportunities. Key factors including a sudden rise in the application of social media to weigh up on the customer behavior pattern by the company to design effective strategies has boosted the market in the region. Besides this growth in the amount of transitional information too are seen driving the big data market in Japan. However, issues associated privacy concerns as well as organizational resistance has hindered market growth to a greater extent.

The cloud market is segmented in terms of software, hardware, industry vertical and service. In terms of software the market is segmented into systems software, NoSQL and SQL (databases), Hadoop distribution tools & solutions, big data analytics and others. The industries relying more and more on big data consists of government, banking finance and insurance, healthcare, oil and energy, education, manufacturing etc. The hardware segment covered in the market research report consists of servers, network equipment, storage tools and more. The services evaluated in the study include consulting services, support, deployment and integration, outsourcing and training.

Today, to stay competitive key market players are seen investing in research and development. Brands are also adopting effective marketing and branding strategies to maintain a competitive edge in the market. Many big data enterprises are busy strengthening their presence in the country. Prominent market players such as NTT data, Oracle, Microsoft, Teradata and others

Key Benefits of the market:

 The study has been prepared considering the recent technology advancements, policy amendments and market news, to disclose their impacts on the market.

 The research applies both primary and secondary research techniques to bring out the business performance of the key market players.

 Key market drivers, restraints as well as opportunities shaping the future of the smart highway market are also highlighted in the report.

Source: Allied Market Research
(Photo : Unsplash) (Photo : (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)) WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 10: Facebook co-founder, Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies before a combined Senate Judiciary and Commerce committee hearing in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill April 10, 2018 in Washington, DC. Zuckerberg, 33, was called to testify after it was reported that 87 million Facebook users had their personal information harvested by Cambridge Analytica, a British political consulting firm linked to the Trump campaign. (Photo : Facebook Blog)

The most popular and widely used social media in the world, Facebook, is now on the hunt to remove several groups on its website that asks for health advice and promotes violence to fight the spread of misinformation and fake news, especially during the reign of the notorious COVID-19. Facebook's bold move follows its back-to-back issues and controversies thrown by the public.

The multinational technology conglomerate, Facebook, is now on the move to remove several groups that center on health advice forums and promotes violence on its effort to stop fake news. The social media says that its groups are crucial sources of information and interaction, sometimes becoming a breeding grounds for misinformation.

Facebook's Tom Allison, Vice President of Engineering, recently posted a blog post that discusses the company's efforts in making the social media safer with efforts against misinformation. Facebook's actions against misinformation primarily focus on the health and violence sector, which has become the most significant cause of concern that haunts the public.

During the emergence of the pandemic, the Novel Coronavirus, certain groups have been used to spread misinformation about protocols, guidelines, news, conspiracies, and even vaccines about COVID-19. Facebook now urges the public to stay away from health groups and forums on social media and turn to "authoritative sources" for news and information.

The announcement also includes stricter enforcement against groups that promotes hate speech and violence. This comes after Facebook's failure to stop the Kenosha Militia event that ultimately led to the death of teenage African-Americans and armed protests in Wisconsin.

ALSO READ: LOOK: Top 10 Most Dramatic Anti-Facebook Messages From Celebs Joining Instagram 24-Hour Boycott

Facebook Blog: Making the Community Safe

Allison explains that the social media's Artificial Intelligence (AI) moderator is primarily its safeguard against groups that go private and potentially hides harmful content. The cutting edge AI of the company detects potentially dangerous posts and content that may harm and malign the public.

Facebook's primary concern is the groups and content that promote violence, learning from the recent issues that led to the public outcry and protest against social media and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg. Social media is a broad spectrum that enables people to connect freely, making content centered on the user's interests, now being overrun by harm and violence, which Facebook aims to stop.

Facebook now removes the groups and limits its search recommendations, making people have a difficult time accessing groups with content that focuses on anti-government, violence, and misinformation. Health groups are also considered, including those that provide conspiracies and harm to the Facebook user.

Facebook: Did they make a move because of the controversies?

The social media company has been making all the wrong and undesirable noise on the online world recently, receiving massive backlash and threatening comments that talks about the low actions of Facebook.

Recently, Stop the Hate for Profit launched a massive 24-hour Instagram Boycott against Facebook, which grew because of the involvement of celebrities and known personalities like Kim Kardashian-West, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Mark Ruffalo.

Another issue comes from its Data Scientist who recently leaked against the social media's actions that centers it on political disputes among foreign nations. Misinformation is a huge factor in that case, and Facebook allegedly allowed it.

With all that Facebook is facing, the social media is still making a bold move against violence, hate, and misinformation to rid its name of the bad news and air that circulate them.

ALSO READ: Facebook's Ex Data Scientist Leaks Memo About Massive Scandal that Allowed Government Manipulation on Content









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Written by Isaiah Alonzo

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
This is the story of two worlds in the U.S.  where the power to decide what happens to your body, your life, and your future depends on the state you live in, who you are, and how much money you earn. We are cisgender heterosexual women of color, representing two of the fastest-growing groups in the American electorate. As a Latina and an Asian American woman, we know the right to live free from discrimination goes beyond who we elect to the White House. We are freedom-fighting activistas who carry light-skinned privilege, and know our votes are bigger than our individual stories.

As a New Yorker, one of us benefits from state leaders who protect the right to an abortion, no matter who sits in the White House or on the Supreme Court. Yet not everyone in New York has equal access to that right. Even if you can find money for the abortion  a big if  you may not be able to take time off from work or afford childcare or transportation.

By contrast, one of us lives in Missouri, where there is only one abortion provider in the entire state because politicians have eroded abortion access. Senior Missouri health officials even admit to tracking our menstrual cycles on a spreadsheet to control our access to health care  the latest in a long history of surveillance of our reproductive health choices. If you have the means, sure, you can hop over to Illinois or another neighboring state for an abortion. But the gap between rights and access  rooted in systemic racism and misogyny, and fueled by white supremacy  respects no borders.

The right to access abortion  particularly for many of our friends and family who are black, Indigenous, people of color, transgender, or gender non-conforming  is a right in name only, no matter which state they live in.

This tale of two worlds is created by who we elect to state houses and who holds the governors veto power. Its the state politicians behind voter suppression, racial gerrymandering, so-called sanctuary cities and bathroom bills that target black and brown voters of all gender identities. Those same politicians are also responsible for passing laws meant to take control of our reproductive health care decisions.

Story continues

This is not a coincidence. Abortion restrictions are also inherently racist and designed to work in tandem with other oppressive policies to disenfranchise people of color  people like us.

A staggering 480 state abortion restrictions enacted since 2011 effectively amount to abortion bans for people with low incomes, people of color, and young people who cannot afford to travel long distances or pay out-of-pocket for care. The very politicians who built our countrys racist and oppressive systems, and then dismantled inner-city and rural infrastructure, targeted these communities in a game of power and control.

This November, our lives are on the ballot. For people in black and brown communities, this election is critical. And its time to send a message to the white-supremacist patriarchy, hellbent on taking away our rights and freedoms: Your time is up. Our collective ability to be equal, live freely, and achieve our dreams starts with our ability to secure reproductive freedom. Yes, that means voting Trump out of office. It also means changing the face of power in our state legislatures and governors offices.

Thats why Planned Parenthood advocacy and political organizations and Planned Parenthood supporters are organizing this year at the local level to flip our state legislative and governor seats in favor of reproductive health champions who will actually fight for, and expand, our rights. State leadership is vital to our future. In Illinois, pro-reproductive health majorities enacted laws to protect abortion rights for generations, regardless of who sits in the White House. In Virginia, decades of harmful abortion restrictions are now wiped from the books. This is the world were fighting for.

Forget the stereotypes youve heard. Latino and Asian Americans, the rapidly growing 43 million eligible voters, recognize that we are stronger when we stand in solidarity with Black and Indigenous people  some of whom face struggles for reproductive freedom that we dont.

Our ballots will look different in every state, but one thing will be the same: our responsibility. We must be armed with the knowledge of who will fight to protect and expand access to reproductive health care in our state houses, and who wont. We cannot accept a political system divided into two worlds, in which zip codes, state borders, or skin color determines rights and freedoms. This November, we decide.

Amanda Matos is the director of Constituency Campaigns at Planned Parenthood Votes, and Bonyen Lee-Gilmore is the director of State Media Campaigns at Planned Parenthood Votes.

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ETS, a Princeton, N.J.-based nonprofit educational assessment and measurement organization, created ETS Strategic Capital, a new unit that will focus on growing the business and advancing its mission through strategic equity investments, growth partnerships, and mergers and acquisitions.

Led by Ralph Taylor-Smith, Managing Director, ETS Strategic Capital will broaden, expand and diversify ETSs offering in assessment, learning and development for K12, higher education, and corporations.

With this mandate, the arm is actively seeking transactions to establish a global portfolio of innovative education companies that will have both a positive financial and strategic impact.

ETS Strategic Capital will serve as the private equity investment and M&A execution arm for ETS, its subsidiaries and its partners. It will source transactions both within the domestic United States and internationally. It will partner with the broader EdTech ecosystem, to identify and execute deals, coordinate with other ETS business units to identify opportunities and needs, network with professional services firms with education expertise, and build direct relationships with businesses internationally  especially within Asia Pacific, Southeast Asia, Latin America and the Middle East & Africa (MENA) regions. It will target private equity investments that are typically in Series B, C or later, where companies already have a proven product and/or market fit, initial customers, and developed business-model, and are seeking further new growth capital to scale the business; in select situations, earlier-stage investment may be possible. Acquisitions will primarily focus on middle-market scale deals, though smaller or larger acquisitions may also be possible in certain situations. ETS Strategic Capital defines growth partnerships broadly and they might involve joint ventures (JVs), channel-partner or distribution agreements, Intellectual Property (IP) licensing and technology-transfer relationships, along with similar strategic value-add business partnerships.

The arm currently has a portfolio of five companies including:

ApplyBoard , a Canadian platform for international student recruitment

, a Canadian platform for international student recruitment Pipplet , a Paris-based startup specializing in language assessment for businesses

, a Paris-based startup specializing in language assessment for businesses Capti (by Charmtech Labs LLC) , a Buffalo, N.Y.-company which leverages machine learning, artificial intelligence and natural language processing to provide personalized literacy and learning support to K12 students

, a Buffalo, N.Y.-company which leverages machine learning, artificial intelligence and natural language processing to provide personalized literacy and learning support to K12 students EdAgree , a newly formed spin-out company from ETS that will match international students with universities and support those students throughout their education journey

, a newly formed spin-out company from ETS that will match international students with universities and support those students throughout their education journey Gradschoolmatch, an interactive internet-driven software platform that helps prospective graduate students match with potential graduate academic programs

FinSMEs

18/09/2020
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has said that Donald Trumps ban of TikTok and WeChat violates the First Amendment.

In a series of tweets, the organisation said that the ban would not protect Americans personal data, the ostensible reason for the presidents actions against the Chinese viral video app and the messaging and payment platform.

Selectively banning entire platforms like TikTok and WeChat violates the First Amendment and does little to protect our personal data from abuse, the union tweeted.

If protecting our data were a true motivating factor, the Trump administration could support comprehensive surveillance reform and consumer privacy legislation.

In implementing President Trumps abuse of emergency powers, Secretary Ross is undermining our rights and our security.

This order issued today violates the First Amendment rights of people in the United States by restricting their ability to communicate and conduct important transactions on TikTok and WeChat.

The order also harms the privacy and security of millions of existing TikTok and WeChat users in the United States by blocking software updates, which can fix vulnerabilities and make the apps more secure, the thread concludes.

The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States reads: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances".

Law professor Kyle Langvardt of the University of Nebraska has also said that First Amendment problems would hinder the legislation.

The reason is that they discriminate based on the identity of the speaker (Bytedance, Tencent), and also, arguably, based on the 'content' of their speech, he added.

TikTok had argued previously that the executive order signed by Donald Trump is illegal, as it showed no due process or adherence to the law.

It also said it would sue the Trump administration over the ban.

In a statement, a Tencent spokesperson told The Independent it was reviewing the executive order to get a full understanding.

The Independent has contacted the White House for comment.

TikTok is predicted to come to an agreement with Oracle so that it can continue to operate in the United States.

The software company was chosen as a technology partner, with the negotiations likely to result in a restructuring rather than sale, and it has been claimed that such a deal would not address the administrations concerns.

Whether TikTok is, in fact, a national security concern remains unclear.

While analysis of TikToks privacy policy could mean user data is shared with members of its corporate group, it is uncertain whether that is the main motivator at a time at a time when the Trump administration, and other governments, are in geopolitical clashes with China with regards to the coronavirus, border controls, the economy, and technological development.
The effort to strike a balance between a particularistic loyalty to Jewish religion and nationhood and a more universalistic commitment to the human community played itself out in the struggle to set a date for the beginning of the Jewish calendar year. The two possibilities were Nisan, the month of Passover, and Tishrei, the month of what is now known as the festival of Rosh Hashanah .

In the Torah, the beginning of the year was clearly set at the first of Nisan, in the context of a description of the first Passover. The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: This mont...
Contributed Photo / Connecticut State Police

DANIELSON  State police are asking the public to report any sightings of a man wanted on warrants in Connecticut and Massachusetts.

The Troop D barracks in Danielson is searching for 28-year-old Dennis Cruz, who troopers hold an active arrest warrant on a violation of protective order charge. He was last seen in the area of Walmart in Putnam on Thursday morning.
Polytechnic joins FAA's collegiate unmanned aircraft systems training initiative

Friday, Sept. 18, 2020

Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus' unmanned aircraft systems' flight and operations program has been selected for the Federal Aviation Administration's Unmanned Aircraft Systems-Collegiate Training Initiative. | Download this photo.

SALINA  The unmanned aircraft systems flight and operations program at Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus has been selected for the Federal Aviation Administration's Unmanned Aircraft Systems-Collegiate Training Initiative, also known as UAS-CTI.



"We value our FAA relationships," said Kurt Carraway, UAS department head at Kansas State Polytechnic Campus. "As soon as we became aware of the FAA's initiative to establish a UAS-CTI, we knew we wanted to be a part of the program."



The FAA's Unmanned Aircraft Systems-Collegiate Training Initiative recognizes institutions that prepare students for careers in unmanned aircraft systems, commonly referred to as drones. To qualify for the initiative, schools must offer a bachelor's or associate degree in UAS or a degree with a minor concentration or a certificate in UAS. Schools must provide curriculum covering various aspects of UAS training, including hands-on flight practice, maintenance, uses, applications, privacy concerns, safety and federal policies concerning UAS.



"The UAS-CTI is a win-win for leaders in UAS education, the FAA and ultimately the industry we serve," Carraway said. "We look forward to this collaboration to help advance UAS training and education across the nation."



K-State Polytechnic has a reputation as a leader and innovator in the UAS industry, evidenced by a series of firsts with the FAA: the first university to offer beyond visual line of sight training to students; the first entity in the nation to receive statewide flying access; a member of the first FAA Center of Excellence for Unmanned Aircraft Systems; and the first entity in the country approved for commercial flight training.



To learn more about the UAS flight and operations program at K-State Polytechnic Campus, contact the admissions office at 785-826-2640 or polytechnic@k-state.edu.






Lucknow: The dates for by-elections on eight assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh will be announced soon and nearly all the political parties have geared up to contest these crucial polls that are being seen as a litmus test ahead of the 2022 state assembly polls. Six out of these eight assembly seats are in possession of the states ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) while two are with the Samajwadi Party (SP). The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) too is girding itself for the bypolls, making them all the more important. The BSP has been known for not contesting by-elections, but this time the party is expected to go into the battle all guns blazing.

Though BSP supremo and former chief minister of the state Mayawati has not yet made any formal announcement to contest these elections, the party, according to sources, has started looking for strong candidates. Since the political equations in UP have changed to a great extent, the BSP is trying to save its base.

If the BSP fields its candidates on these eight assembly seats, it will turn this into an interesting multi-cornered contest with the BJP, SP and Congress also raring to go. The main concern of the opposition parties will be the splitting of votes as they will be fighting the ruling BJP that seems to be on a strong footing.

The Tundla seat of Firozabad got vacant after the resignation of the Bharatiya Janata Partys SP Baghel following his election as a Member of Parliament. Abdullah Azam, son of Samajwadi Party MP Azam Khan, won from the Swar seat of Rampur, but his membership was cancelled by the high court after a dispute over his date of birth.

The BJPs Kuldeep Singh Sengars seat Bangarmau in Unnao has been vacant since his membership was cancelled after he was sentenced to life imprisonment in a rape case. Following the death of Parasnath Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, the Malhani assembly seat in Jaunpur fell vacant.

The seats of the BJPs Janmejay Singh from Deoria Sadar and Virender Sirohi from Bulandshahr are also vacant due to their deaths, while the Ghatampur seat of Kanpur has been vacant since the death of BJPs Kamal Rani Varun who had tested positive for Covid-19. The Naugawan seat in Amroha fell vacant after the BJPs Chetan Chauhan died following a coronavirus infection.
Sisters in Film (SIF), known in Arabic as rawiyat (the feminine term for storytellers), is a collective of nine emerging filmmakers from across the Arab world. Having struggled to make their debuts, these artists all found it even harder to make a second film, and decided to join forces to pool knowhow, facilitate their own artistic journeys and extend solidarity to other woman filmmakers. The Paris-based initiative will be launched during the upcoming, fourth round of El Gouna Film Festival (GFF, 23-31 October).



Naziha Arebi (Libya/UK), Yasmina Chouikh (Algeria), Danielle Davie (Lebanon), Myriam El Hage (Lebanon), Dorothee Myriam Kellou (Algeria/France), Dina Naser (Jordan), Erige Sehiri (Tunisia), Lina Soualem (Palestine/Algeria/France) and Kawthar Younis (Egypt) are proposing a kind of syndicate or union in which all Arab countries and diaspora Arabs can be represented. Enabling women to function in a safe environment that shields them from the fiercely competitive environment of the film industry, SIF is the first of its kind.

The story began in 2019 when the nine women met in Tunis and again in Rabat-Sale, Morocco for a workshop designed by the artistic director of Sale Film Festival Hicham Falah, part of the Med Films regional programme. As the SIF concept presentation puts it, this was when they realised how many struggles we had in common: isolation, legal and financial challenges, social safety net, moral and sexual harassment, lack of psychological support, difficulty to access information. All of us felt a lack of a network and solidarity not only in the region but globally.

Dina Naser is the Palestinian-Jordanian director of the award-winning Tiny Souls (2019), which follows the daily life of a little girl named Marwa at the refugee camp to which she flees Syria with her family, screened at the IDFA and GFF as well as many other prestigious festivals. For Naser the collective is a response to the first-film trauma suffered by Arab woman filmmakers, which resulted in many giving up their careers altogether.

We work in a cruel, aggressive environment controlled by men and closed circles, she says. At least the nine of us can make nine films happen, and we can support others who are making their first or second film. But she does not feel that the way to do this is to keep men out. There will be collaboration with male filmmakers too. We want to break out of the stereotype imposed on us and the assumption that a female initiative is exclusive to women. Our aim is to create an alternative but inclusive atmosphere where there is room for everyone.



SIFs working plan is still being drafted but Naser stresses the censorial challenges specific to woman directors. For example, as a Jordanian woman filmmaker I have to make all kinds of calculations before I can approach certain subjects. There are many taboo subjects in the Arab world and they are perceived differently when tackled by a woman. In the end we have to have what it takes not to lose our passion and this is just not easy. That is not to mention the lack of specialist skills and financial support since art is seldom prioritised. All of which impacts the industry. Filmmaking is a lifetimes journey and we want to make it more pleasant by building an alternative space governed by solidarity and creativity, and making it available not only directors, producers, writers, but also to technicians in every field of filmmaking.



The Egyptian Kawthar Younis made her debut, the feature-length documentary A Present from the Past (2016), during her third year at Cairos Higher Cinema Institute. But when it came to her second film it turned out the lack of a creative producer was her greatest challenge. A filmmaker cannot make a film based solely on the way she conceives it. There has to be a producer to take ideas further through discussion. One reason our films are not appealing worldwide is that their creative potential isnt explored. The collective could play this role, however: as woman filmmakers they could bounce ideas off each other, aware of the challenges they face in terms of opportunities, space and the ability not just to reach a point but to maintain and build on achievements.



The Lebanese Myriam El Hages A time to Rest (2015) is a personal journey into the horrors of the civil war through the minds of her uncle Riad and his friends. I personally joined SIF because it was so difficult to make my second film, she says, that I felt needed help. I needed people. I needed solidarity. When a female filmmaker makes her second film in her thirties, she faces all the social pressures of starting a family, having kids, and embracing her passion at the same time. It is very important to push women to continue, to make a second film. Because this is where we lose women in the film industry. We should stand by each other and not be part of the industrys competitive game. If we lose our selfish spirit and start taking a helpful and supportive attitude instead, that is what its all about.



In our region, says Danielle Davie, another Lebanese filmmaker, co-directed Embodied Chorus, which won GFFs best project in development two years ago, a female filmmakers biggest challenge is to be taken seriously. The film industry is dominated by men. Here in Lebanon, because we dont have an industry, lots of women work in the media production field but not in filmmaking. There is a different attitude to women even in film schools, and it is not obvious but you can feel it. My challenge is to achieve equality and equity, and help make society ready to listen to womens stories. Our stories dont look at the world in the same way as mens, and this is another challenge. Joining SIF will help to overcome this through solidarity, networking and sharing experience. Maybe one consequence will be changing the way films are funded and produced. For me it is a kind of movement.



For her part Lina Soualem does not believe the initiative is there to change the industry but to empower female filmmakers within it. She is currently developing her second feature documentary after her debut, Their Algeria (2019), which won best doc-in-progress at Canness Doc Corner and was selected to premiere at the Visions du Reel International Film Festival 2020.



I dont think were going to change the industry which is full of difficulties and competition, Soualem says, but we want to bring more solidarity and less competition to relations between filmmakers. Filmmaking is lonely business and if youre a woman you face the obstacle of having to justify yourself, to prove yourself, because people will not trust you as easily with grants or backing. It is important to build a network where the more privileged female filmmakers whose films have already been made and screened at international film festivals can connect with more isolated filmmakers who dont have the same opportunities in terms of travelling and connections.



In the Arab world filmmaking presents psychological challenges, she says: The topics tend to be heavy: political unrest, the trauma of war and colonisation. It is psychologically difficult to make a piece of art tackling social-political issues and to defend your vision and to find money in the West and in the Arab world and to present your project to people all at the same time, and the kind of solidarity SIF provides allows those who have more power and knowhow to share it with the others, she explains.



The Algerian Dorothee Myriam Kellou, SIF president, made In Mansourah, you separated us (2019), which follows her journey with her father Malek back to Mansourah, the village where he was born, for the first time since the Algerian War of Independence (1954-1962). Experiencing both worlds she understands Arab woman filmmakers difficulties. We tackle issues that are not very well received in society. In my film I work on colonialism in France and it is still very much a silent topic for which it is hard to find funding and emotional support. When I started my project I was very lonely and felt extremely emotionally isolated. There is also a double pressure on female filmmakers as they should not be free to do what they want, where the balance between your family life, your personal life, and your work life becomes a major concern.



As a woman travelling and working alone you may face sexual harassment too. You may be punished for not allowing yourself to be manipulated as a professional, or you may not be taken seriously. When I was shooting in Algeria, they used to call me by the word tofla, which means young woman. I was also separated from my male crew during mealtimes. That had its positive side, allowing me to connect with the women who let me show their poetry and songs in the film, but it was still segregation that, having no power as a woman director, I had to give in to. That is the importance of SIF: empowering women. We have so much energy to put into the collective. It will grow through the initiatives of its members. Once it is open to other female filmmakers it will also be the initiative of new sisters in film. That is how it will grow.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 17 September, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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PONTIAC, Mich., Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- United Shore, home to the No. 1 wholesale lender in the nation, United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM), was recently named on a 2020 Michigan's Best and Brightest in Wellness as well as a 2020 Best and Brightest Place to Work in Metro Detroit. Both of the awards highlight Michigan businesses for being innovative leaders in each category.

"Our culture is one of the most important parts of our business. Because of this, we want our workplace to be a fun and engaging place so people are happy and want to come to work each day," said Mat Ishbia, president and CEO of United Shore. "I am proud that our company is being recognized for our efforts in wellness and that our team members continue to see United Shore as a great place to work."

This is the ninth consecutive year that United Shore has been named a Best and Brightest Place to Work in Metro Detroit, an award that aims to identify, recognize and honor companies that distinguish themselves as having the most innovative and thoughtful human resources approach. United Shore has always taken pride in its company culture and team member perks. Recently, United Shore unveiled its new amenities including shipping containers for collaboration areas, cargo nets for floating huddle areas and a 2,000-person auditorium, among others.

"Throughout 2020, we have placed our team member health and safety as a top priority," said Ishbia. "Being recognized as a Best and Brightest in Wellness confirms our commitment to our people and their wellbeing."

United Shore has been a Best and Brightest in Wellness award recipient for four consecutive years. The award highlights companies that distinguish themselves as having the most innovative wellness practices. With an on-site doctor's office, massage therapists and meditation rooms the company is always thinking of new and innovative ways to serve its team members.

United Shore has continued to hire throughout 2020, hiring over 3,000 people thus far. For more information on a career with United Shore, visit www.unitedshore.com.

About United Shore

Founded in 1986, United Shore is home to United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM), the #1 wholesale mortgage lender in America. Headquartered in Pontiac, Michigan, United Shore employs more than 6,800 team members. Known for its state-of-the-art technology and unrivaled client service, United Shore underwrites and provides closing documentation for residential mortgage loans originated by independent mortgage brokers, correspondents, small banks and local credit unions. In addition to United Shore being a top national workplace, its UWM brand is the country's foremost advocate for the growth and support of independent mortgage brokers. For more information, visit unitedshore.com. NMLS #3038.

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NICOLE YELLAND, PR Strategist

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China Focus: China to introduce measures to improve elderly care services - Xinhua | English.news.cn

China is to introduce new measures to improve the management of nursing homes and standardize the services on offer, with the aim of promoting the sound growth of the elderly care service industry, an official said Thursday.

The new measures, contained in a revised regulation on nursing homes that will take effect on Nov. 1, include provisions on the registration, supervision, operation and legal liabilities of nursing homes, Xiao Dengfeng, an official with the Ministry of Civil Affairs, told a press conference.

The existing regulation was introduced in 2013. The new regulation has seven chapters and 49 articles.

According to the new regulation, nursing homes will be categorized into for-profit and non-profit institutions, he said.

The document highlights the role of the government in running elderly care institutions to ensure that the basic needs of the poor population are met.

Nursing homes established by the government can be run by private organizations through entrusted management, leasing or other means.

The document also encourages extended facilities for the elderly, such as community elderly care and home-based services, Xiao said.

The document contains stipulations concerning enhanced supervision of elderly care facilities, including strengthening and innovating oversight, said Yu Jianliang, director of the ministry's elderly service bureau.

The document states that civil affairs departments should perform their supervision and inspection duties in accordance with the law. They can take measures against elderly care institutions suspected of violations of laws and regulations, such as conducting on-site inspections, requiring rectification of misconducts, or ordering the suspension of operations.

Civil affairs departments should strengthen coordinated supervision and establish a credit system for nursing homes, said Yu.

Yu also underscored the importance of interconnection of information systems and data sharing of elderly care services by making good use of information technology.

The role of social supervision should be promoted by listening to the opinions of the elderly and setting up unimpeded channels for complaints, Yu said.

Drawing on the experience of fighting against COVID-19, the document brings in provisions that require nursing homes to lay down emergency response plans against natural disasters, public health emergencies and public security incidents, among others, said Li Banghua, deputy director of the ministry's elderly service bureau.

It also includes infectious disease prevention and control measures at nursing homes, said Li.
An electronic component factory in the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park No. 2 in Binh Duong province (Photo: VNA)

Singapore  An online Vietnam-Singapore investment promotion conference was held on September 17 with the participation of 500 enterprises from over 80 Singaporean business associations and chambers of commerce around the world.

The event, held by the Vietnamese Ministry of Planning and Investment in coordination with the Vietnamese Embassy in Singapore, the Singapore Manufacturing Federation (SMF) and the Singapore Business Federation (SBF), took place amid global enterprises restructuring of production and supply chains so as to avoid overdependence on a single country or partner and seek safer and more effective investment destinations.

Participants in the meeting were updated on Vietnams investment climate and readiness to welcome a new wave of foreign investment; the countrys policies for developing ecosystems for industries, especially electronics, textile-garment, automobile and food processing; along with digital transformation and smart city development.

Some orientations for more sustainable cooperation between the two countries amid the complex global economic situation were also shared.

Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Quoc Phuong said facing the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam still persists in proactive and effective solutions to concurrently contain the outbreak and develop the economy.

He affirmed that foreign investors, including Singaporean ones, will have more opportunities to invest and do business more successfully in Vietnam as the countrys legal framework is constantly improved, channels connecting the domestic and foreign markets are being expanded, and the Vietnamese Government, ministries, sectors and localities are determined to improve the business environment.

The Vietnamese Government encourages Singaporean firms to invest in the hi-tech industry, set up innovation and R&D centres, develop industrial park infrastructure, and take part in the equitisation of State-owned enterprises, among others, Phuong added.

At the conference, participants shared the view on Vietnams growing role in the international community and that the country is a safe and attractive investment destination for Singaporean businesses in the post-pandemic period.

SMF President and SBF Vice Chairman Douglas Foo said as both countries are ASEAN members joining in certain free trade agreements, including the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), their companies will secure more chances to capitalise on advantages and bolster investment and business activities.
Earlier called just Phone, the new name for the app now stands as - Phone by Google  Caller ID & Spam Protection.

We had reported earlier that Googles Phone app was rolling out to non-Pixel devices. Google had also added a Verified Calls feature to the app. And to add to this wider rollout, Google has also renamed its Phone app to Phone by Google on the Play Store.

Earlier called just Phone, the new name for the app now stands as - Phone by Google  Caller ID & Spam Protection.

The whole caller ID & Spam Protection is to attract people on the Play Store by immediately highlighting the apps main capabilities and how it stands different from other calling apps. Its likely that users on the Play Store will see the name and want to learn more about the app, writes 9to6Google.

Also Read: Google Phone apps call recording feature is now available on some Xiaomi phones

Of course, added to this is the by Google part thats a standard move by the company but it also lends a feel of confidence and verifiability. The Phone by Google was also a tagline the company had used to advertise the original Pixel and Pixel XL when they launched to familiarise people with the new smartphone brand.

Google has added a similar naming scheme on other apps like - Wear OS, Files, Gallery Go. PhotoScan, Lookout, Read Along and Socratic.

However, reports say that there is not going to be any change to the actual app once it appears on your homescreen or app launcher.

Google also has Messages, but it remains to be seen if that gets a naming rehaul too. Previously known as Android Messages, Google made the app drop the OS name to become Google Messages.

Like is the case with the Phone app right now, the Messages app also is rather widely available as a default RCS client for many smartphones.
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Ryanair has been forced to cut its capacity in October by a further 20% and may have to do the same for the rest of the winter unless European Union governments ease their COVID-19 travel restrictions, it said on Friday.

Michael O'Leary last week described the winter as a "write-off," and said it would fly about 40% of the capacity it flew last October, down from a previous target of 50%.

"If current trends and EU governments mismanagement of the return of air travel and normal economic activity continue, then similar capacity cuts may be required across the winter period," a Ryanair spokeswoman said in a statement.

Ryanair's share price fell 4.5% by 0940 GMT.

The capacity reductions, it said, were required because of "damage caused to forward bookings by continuous changes in EU government travel restrictions and policies, many of which are introduced at short notice."

It called for a proposed coordinated EU system of restrictions to be implemented immediately.

Airlines across Europe have blamed an uneven patchwork of travel restrictions and quarantine rules for a stop-go recovery that has proven tougher than many expected.

Ahead of the latest cuts, O'Leary last week said that he expected to fly about 50 million passengers in the financial year to March, one third of the previous year's volume. It did not provide an updated forecast.

The airline operated capacity of about 67 million seats last winter and a 60% cut would leave its capacity around 27 million in the final six months of the current financial year, which ends on March 31.

Ryanair flew about 12 million passengers in the first five months of the current financial year and has yet to release data for September.

The Ryanair statement said it expects fewer than 30% empty seats on its October flights after the capacity cut, against an average of 6% empty seats on flights last winter. (Reuters)

Source: www.businessworld.ie
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 23:01:15|Editor: huaxia

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PHNOM PENH, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Friday lashed out at two U.S. politicians for interfering in the country's domestic affairs after they called for the release of jailed activists.

Foreign Ministry's spokesperson said in a statement that the kingdom is disappointed by the politically-motivated allegations made on Sept. 15 by two U.S. political figures, namely Congressman Alan Lowenthal and Assistant Secretary of State Robert A. Destro.

The statement said Cambodian authority's measures on those law-breakers were to ensure peace, social order and public health in the country.

"The Spokesperson notes with deep regrets that their assessments are inaccurate and did not take into account the factual and legal aspects of the issue at hand," the statement said.

It added that Cambodia cherishes the freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly as guaranteed under the Constitution. However, the exercise of such rights and freedom shall be in accordance with the law.

"Freedom of expression does not equate to freedom to spread indiscriminate hatred, racism and violence," the statement said.

"The Spokesperson notes a certain degree of double standard displayed by the two personalities when on the one hand they call for an extrajudicial release of certain particular groups, in contrary to the exercise of due process by the judiciary, and on the other hand they call for the respect of the rule of law," it added.

The statement came after the two U.S. politicians urged Cambodia to release activists who have been detained for allegedly causing social chaos. Enditem
Rain in the Cascades in northern Oregon brought some relief Friday to crews trying to corral the large wildfires burning there. But the National Weather Service warned that the rain was bringing a new threat: landslides in the steep, burned-out terrain.

The danger was imminent, the Weather Service said, because the heavy rains could create torrents of mud and dead tree limbs that could thunder down the slopes and sweep into communities, with devastating effects.

Josh Roering, a geologist at the University of Oregon, said the region also faced a significant longer-term landslide hazard, beginning three or four years from now, when the roots of burned trees lose their strength to hold the soil in place. Then a heavy rain could saturate and destabilize an entire slope, causing it to slide.

With climate change leading to more extreme rainfall, the risk of this kind of landslide increases.

Dr. Roering said towns along the McKenzie River faced an immediate hazard. The river, which flows into the Willamette Valley, is the site of the Holiday Farm Fire that has burned more than 170,000 acres.
Search and rescue personnel from the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, in Ashland, Ore., Sept. 11, 2020. (David Ryder/Getty Images)

Three Men Cited for Manning Illegal Roadblock Amid Wildfires

Three men were cited on Thursday for manning an illegal roadblock in Oregon.

Multnomah County sheriffs deputies responded after a report of a roadblock and civilian traffic stop on Tuesday around 8:30 p.m., the county sheriffs office said.

Deputies interviewed a driver who reported being followed and blocked by three vehicles.

Following an investigation, officials cited three men. Theyll be required to appear in court on a later date for the disorderly conduct charges.

The Multnomah County Sheriffs Office will not tolerate this type of illegal activity, Sheriff Mike Reese said in a statement.

If you see this activity or are stopped by a civilian, call 911, and a deputy will respond and investigate. We encourage people to call the Sheriffs Office to report suspicious activity, and to not take action on their own.

James Smith hugs his dog Rose after returning to his evacuated home to find looters had stolen his motorcycles, in Estacada, Ore., Sept. 12, 2020. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images)

Armed persons patrolling areas amid wildfires in the state have sparked controversy. In some areas, signs saying looters will be shot have been seen.

Craig Roberts, the sheriff in nearby Clackamas County, told reporters on Monday that there are some citizens with good intentions of trying to protect property while armed. Deputies were making sure they knew the law, he said.

Im reaching out right now in this public forum to say, listen, stop for those that we havent talked to. Im warning you that if that behavior continues, we will have to hold those individuals accountable. So right now, please call 911 well handle it, he said.

And the last thing any of us want is somebody, you know, accidentally taking the life of somebody who is just trying to help out.

Calls for service skyrocketed in the county 400 percent from the previous week, officials said. Most calls are unfounded, according to Roberts.

In one case, he said, a truck with gasoline containers drew suspicion and a call to 911. Deputies found the driver was delivering gas to people with generators in the area.

Hansel Valentine, 24, inspects the remains of the burnt down property of her relatives, as the wildfire continues in Estacada, Ore., Sept. 13, 2020. (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)

A burnt street sign dangles on a pole in a neighborhood destroyed by wildfire in Talent, Ore., Sept. 13, 2020. (David Ryder/Getty Images)

There have been people arrested for arson amid the wildfires on the West Coast, including a man in Washington state and a man in Portland, both on Monday.

Others have been taken into custody for allegedly looting in areas that were evacuated because of the flames.

Several people were arrested in Jackson County, in the southwest portion of the state, this week on looting charges.

In Marion County, south of Portland, two men were arrested last week for looting, the county sheriffs office said.

I am disappointed that while in a state of emergency these people would victimize members of our community, Sheriff Joe Kast said in a statement. The women and men of the Marion County Sheriffs Office are committed to holding people accountable if they chose to victimize residents from our evacuated areas. We will continue to patrol evacuated areas and do our best to protect these areas from criminal behavior.
By PTI

NEW DELHI/LUCKNOW: AAP leader Sanjay Singh on Friday said a case of sedition has been filed against him in Uttar Pradesh after he exposed the corruption and scams taking place under the Yogi Adityanath government in Parliament.

Singh, who is in-charge of state unit of the Aam Aadmi Party, said he will visit UP on Sunday and get himself arrested.

The Uttar Pradesh police had lodged an FIR against the AAP leader under various sections of the IPC, including 501A (printing or engraving matter knowing it to be defamatory), 120 (a) (conspiracy) and IT Act, on September 2 at the Hazratganj police station, for undertaking a survey, a senior state government official said.

However, besides these sections, a sedition charge under 124 (A) has also been included in the notice sent to Singh by the Lucknow police on Thursday, sources said.

ALSO READ | Sanjay Singh alleges corruption in medical equipment purchase in UP

The notice, sent to Singh on his New Delhi address, besides other charges mentions charges under IPC 124 A, 153 A (promoting enmity between classes), and 153 B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration).

"The charges against you are serious and non-bailable. You are requested to reach on September 20 at 11 am for presenting facts and evidences. If you fail to remain present, action will be taken against you," the notice, sent by Investigation Officer (IO) at Hazratganj police station, AK Singh said.

Singh on Friday said, "I know I will be sent to jail soon because I exposed the Yogi government. Why, just because I raised the issue of killings and scams in UP," he said.

Addressing a press conference, Singh said he has been slapped with charges of being "anti-national" after he exposed the ongoing corruption and killing in the state.

ALSO READ | BJP, AAP clash over issue of COVID-19 management during Rajya Sabha debate

"In Uttar Pradesh, I raised my voice against injustice and crime. I raised my voice against the Corona scandal. Hence, a case of sedition has been filed against me," he said.

He said he raised the issue in Rajya Sabha and got support from various parties on this issue.

"In Rajya Sabha, 37 MPs from 12 parties, including the Congress and the NCP, supported me and I was also assured by the Rajya Sabha Chairman that the matter will be looked into," Singh said.

A UP police spokesperson said besides Singh, three directors of a private company, which conducted the survey, have also been slapped with the charges of sedition and fraud.

In the survey, whose finding was released by Singh himself, it was said that the Yogi Adityanath government was working for a particular caste.

After the survey, at least 13 FIRs were lodged against Singh in various districts of the state.
OTTAWACanadas environment minister says the COVID-19 pandemic has delayed the next phase of the countrys climate plan, but that the crisis has not affected how the Liberal government intends to fight global warming over the coming years.

In an interview with the Star on Friday, Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said he does not fully accept the argument that the global coronavirus crisis should spur Canada to increase climate action, even as a range of advocates from outside government urges Ottawa to spend heavily on a green recovery from the pandemic. Rather, Wilkinson said Canada needs to ramp up its efforts because time is running short to meet its promises to slash greenhouse gas emissions.

With that in mind, the government is proceeding with its intention to lay out an enhanced climate plan in the coming months  well before the next global summit on the climate crisis next fall, he said.

That vision would have been ready before this years summit, he said, but it was cancelled and pushed to next year because of the pandemic.

The work that we are doing internally, while a little bit delayed, is fundamentally the same, Wilkinson said by phone on Friday.

We intend to bring forward a plan that is credible, that is transparent, that Canadians will see how we will actually achieve the greenhouse gas emissions that we need to, he said.

For months, environmental advocates have argued the pandemic crisis presents a window of opportunity to supercharge climate action by spending large amounts of money to shift to a cleaner economy that relies less on fossil fuels.

Catherine Abreu, executive director of Climate Action Network Canada, said she believes there is a need for the government to act in the coming weeks and months to ensure the country gets on the path to achieving its climate goals. Last year, the Liberals pledged to surpass Canadas current target under the international Paris Agreement to slash emissions by 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030 and hit net-zero by 2050.

It is reassuring to hear that their climate policy commitments are still on track, and while theres perhaps been a delay, they have not been derailed by the pandemic, Abreu said. But the moment that we have right now, given this dramatic pause in the economy, it just offers so much greater potential.

On Wednesday, the Task Force for a Resilient Recovery  a panel of academics, finance experts and clean energy advocates that includes Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus former adviser Gerald Butts  published a report that called for the government to act now to spend $55.4 billion over five years to boost Canadas transition to a cleaner economy. The task force called for spending to retrofit buildings, encourage the adoption of zero-emission vehicles, boost clean energy and clean tech jobs and increase nature conservation.

Another initiative promoted an interactive $307.85 bill to argue  based on calculations from economists with Corporate Knights  that every $20 spent now on a green recovery effort would add more than $300 in economic activity over the next decade.

Last month, when Trudeau prorogued parliament, he said the government needed to reset its agenda with a speech from the throne on Sept. 23. The need to rebuild after the pandemic, he said, presents an unprecedented opportunity to transform the economy to make it fairer, greener and more prosperous.

But the tone shifted in recent days as COVID infections spiked across the country. Trudeau told Canadians this week the country needs to stay focused on fighting the pandemic and making sure businesses and individuals have the supports needed to get through the downturn.

In his interview with the Star, Wilkinson disagreed the governments message on a green recovery has shifted. While the throne speech will signal that a more ambitious plan is coming, spending measures on new programs wont come until the next fiscal update and budget, he said.

This will include initiatives the Liberals promised in the 2019 election, including legislation to create five-year targets for emissions reductions to chart a path to net-zero by 2050, he said. The government will also continue to implement elements of the 2016 climate change framework, including the Clean Fuel Standard set to come into force in 2022.

But the government admits those measures arent enough. According to the countrys latest report to the United Nations on its emissions, Canada is only projected to achieve about two thirds of its goal of slashing emissions to 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030. Moreover, annual emissions increased in 2018, the most recent year for which data is available, when they clocked in at roughly the same overall level as in 2005.

We will need to put in place new initiatives, Wilkinson said, adding that the recommendations of the recovery task force and actions being taken in Europe  where a continental recovery plan includes more than $860 billion for green projects over the next seven years  are helping Canada decide what to do next.

Possibilities include upgrading infrastructure to carry clean energy to provides that still use coal-fired electricity (Canada has already pledged to phase that energy source out by 2030), spurring the shift to zero-emission vehicles, and lowering emissions from buildings, he said.

So while the pandemic has occupied the government for months, Wilkinson said Ottawa is still mindful that climate change could be even more devastating in the world fails to adequately address it.

Climate remains a huge priority, and we do intend to move forward and to move forward in a very thoughtful but aggressive way, he said.

Read more about:
This is the first time that Viu Pitching Forum is held in Malaysia.

18 Sep  Calling all writers who are interested in seeing their stories brought to life as a Viu Original production, your chance is here!

Viu has recently launched the inaugural edition of Viu Pitching Forum in Malaysia, which currently welcomes writers aged 18 and above to submit their ideas to vpf.malaysia@vuclip.com. Submission is open now until 30 October 2020, 5pm.

The submitted stories must be tailormade to appeal to Gen Z and Millennial audiences in Malaysia, featuring concepts that are distinctively bold, unique and differentiated.

Other things to take note of:

 Industry first-timers and up-and-coming TV writers are all welcome to apply.

 Participants must enrol in the competition as individuals; writing teams are not permitted.

 Materials must be submitted in either English or Bahasa Malaysia.

 Participants must include a brief bio in their application and may submit up to 5 concepts each.

 Pitched concepts must be submitted in the form of a one-pager that includes a logline, a one-paragraph series overview and character descriptions.

 All submissions must be original works of the participant and all rights must be wholly owned by the participant.

 Adaptations are ineligible unless the associated rights are owned by the participant or the underlying material is in the public domain.

 Applications will be accepted via electronic submission only.

One winning writer will get his or her story adapted into a 10-episode series, with each episode having a runtime of 30 minutes of 45 minutes. It will be aired in 2021 across Viu's 16 markets globally.

Apart from that, three finalists will receive mentorship to develop their concept further and refine their pilot scripts. They will get the chance to interact with and learn from the mentors for the programme, which include showrunners Kye Sayed Fariz, Razaisyam Rashid and TJ Lee, head writers Alfie Palermo, Bernice Low and Chi-Ren Choong, actor/directors Douglas Lim and Nam Ron, and many more.

Viu Pitching Forum was first launched in Indonesia in 2016. Meanwhile, since Viu Originals debuted in Malaysia in 2018, nine Viu Original productions have been released, which garnered six regional awards at the 2019 Asian Academy Creative Awards. Viu also picked up an award for "Pretty Little Liars" in the recent ContentAsia Awards.

(Photo source: Matamata.com)
Newcastle as almost two million people in north-east England have been banned from mixing with other households and pubs will close early as coronavirus cases rise. Photo: Ian Forsyth/Getty Images

Fears of strict new lockdown rules hammered vulnerable UK stocks on Friday, fuelling a sharp sell-off in travel, leisure, and banking stocks.

Reports in the Financial Times that the UK government may impose a two-week nationwide lockdown in October rattled investors in listed firms most reliant on domestic income.

Health secretary Matt Hancock said a nationwide lockdown would be the last line of defence, but the BBC reported a shutdown of hospitality firms could instead be announced next week.

Britains FTSE 100 (^FTSE) shed 0.5%, with the Bank of Englands decision on Thursday to hold fire on fresh stimulus also weighing on markets.

But concerns over rising infection rates, testing shortages and speculation over stricter restrictions on the UK economy hit travel firms hardest.

British Airways owner IAG (IAG.L) took a hammering as its stocks nosedived 12%. Other airlines plummeted, with EasyJet (EZJ.L) down 8%, WizzAir (WIZZ.L) down 4.8% and Ryanair (RYA.L) shedding 4%.

READ MORE: European stocks dip on rising infections and central banks holding fire

Cruise giant Carnival (CCL.L) was down 6.9%, plane engine maker Rolls-Royce (RR.L) lost 4%, Carnival (CCL.L) dropped 4%. In the hotel sector, Premier Inn owner Whitbread (WTB.L) lost 1.9%, and Intercontinental Hotels (IHG.L) shed 4.1% by mid-afternoon in the UK.

Amid growing chatter about a potential two-week nationwide lockdown in October in the UK, it was perhaps no surprise to see investors lose interest in stocks that could be negatively affected by such activity, said Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell.

It would dash any hopes of a half-term getaway, he added.

Leisure stocks also took a hit on fears of a hospitality shutdown, with pub group Wetherspoon (JDW.L) down 4.8% at one point but paring back losses to 1.2% close to the end of the day. Catering giant Compass Group (CPG.L) lost 2.4%.

READ MORE: BA no longer plans to fire and re-hire staff

Other coronavirus-sensitive sectors reliant on the UK economy also took a hit, including banking and housebuilding. Lloyds (LLOY.L) shed 3.2%. NatWest (NWG.L) shares dropped 2.9%, AND Barclays (BARC.L) shed 2.5%.

Story continues

The government wants to avoid economic disruption, but clearly a return to tighter lockdown measures next month would disrupt businesses and put further pressure on jobs, added Mould.

Banks already face the prospect of rising bad debts, so a derailment to the countrys fight for economic recovery would be negative for the banking sector.

Leading housebuilders Persimmon and Taylor Wimpey also took a hit, with confidence, sales, construction and supply chains all potentially under threat from tighter restrictions.

3,395 new cases were reported in the UK on Thursday, and Wednesday saw the highest number of new cases reported in a day since May.

New restrictions affecting two million people came into force in the north-east of England on Friday, and ministers are reported to be considering fresh restrictions for Leeds and most of Lancashire.

But gains for mining stocks and retailers offset losses to limit declines on the FTSE, with demand in Asia and UK online retail sales boosting confidence.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept.18

By Jeila Aliyeva - Trend:

Cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan continues despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Head of EU Delegation to Azerbaijan, Kestutis Jankauskas said.

Jankauskas made the statement at the opening of the EU-Azerbaijan business forum 2020-2022 held online, Trend reports.

According to him, the Azerbaijani government continues high-level supplies of oil and gas resources, despite the problems caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

"The EU is the second most important investor in Azerbaijan, and relations between the parties will continue to develop," he said.

Jankauskas noted that the EU seeks to develop cooperation with the country in the areas of the "green" economy, as well as information technology.

"Those companies from the member states to EU which already cooperate with Azerbaijan open up prospects for all others who want to implement projects in the country," he stated.

The purpose of the video conference is to highlight the importance of EU-Azerbaijan economic cooperation, investment opportunities for EU companies.

The forum is attended by officials, representatives of the Azerbaijani government, as well as companies from Azerbaijan and the European Union.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @JeilaAliyeva
Kozhikode:

Today, more than ever, the media must stand up to fear, seek information and speak out, Vice President Hamid Ansari said on Friday stressing that press has an important responsibility, particularly in a democratic polity, to hold power to account.

The media should tell the truth to the powers that be, even if the powers that be have a habit of not liking this, he said while invoking Mahatama Gandhi.

Today, more than ever, the media must stand up to fear, seek information and speak out. It must not hesitate to tell the powers their errors in commission and omission, Ansari said at a function after giving away the C H Mohammed Koya National Journalism Awards 2017, instituted in the memory of former chief minister of Kerala.

It is a fundamental function of the media and a basic requirement for the functioning of a healthy democracy, he said A healthy, vibrant democracy not only creates the space for a free media, but rather it needs an impartial and independent media for its survival. Journalism as a professional calling is more than a mere job, it is a public good, he said.

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru said on the eve of our independence, Freedom and power bring responsibility. The media has an important responsibility, particularly in a democratic polity, to tell the truth to the powers that be, even if the powers that be have a habit of not liking this, he said.

Ansari said Koya believed in using the media to bring about social awareness and change and his role in advancing the educational infrastructure in Kerala as education Minister is well-known.

In this era of post-truths, where advertorials and response features edge-out editorials, we would do well to recall one of the greatest journalists that India has ever produced, and look at the ethos and principles that powered his journalism, Ansari said, referring to Mahatma Gandhi.

Gandhiji was associated with six journals, and for two very influential weeklies, he was the editor. He published no advertisement, at the same time he did not want his newspapers to run at a loss.

He had gained considerable experience in South Africa, where he had taken over the editorial role of the Indian Opinion in 1904 and published it in English, Tamil and Gujarati, sometimes running the press himself.

For Gandhiji, the three objectives of the press were

One, to understand the popular feeling and give expression to it; to arouse among the people certain desirable sentiments, and to fearlessly expose popular defects, he said.

We need a responsible press to hold power to account.

That is why our founding fathers enshrined the freedom of press in the Constitution under the rubric of Article 19 (1)(A), subject only to reasonable restrictions in the interest of the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the state, public order, decency, contempt of court, defamation and incitement to an offence, Ansari said.

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The Rotary Club of Bristol honored two of Bristols most outstanding teachers Tuesday during a virtual and drive-thru celebration at the Bristol Train Station that was broadcast on BTES Cable and Facebook Live.

Teachers were nominated for the 33rd annual Frank W. DeFriece Jr. Teacher Awards from the school systems in Bristol, Tennessee and Bristol, Virginia, with one final teacher chosen from each system to be the 2020 Rotary Outstanding Teacher, according to a news release. Each school submitted a nomination packet that was then scored by an anonymous panel of nine judges composed of public educators and business representatives, the release states.

April Stipes, a teacher at Fairmount Elementary School in Tennessee, and Karen Branson, a teacher at Stonewall Jackson Elementary School in Virginia, were honored Tuesday. The teachers each received a $3,000 cash award, a $1,000 donation for needed equipment to each teachers respective school and a circulating plaque that will be displayed at each school.

Stipes teaches fourth grade math at Fairmount and was nominated by Anita Fink, a former mentor.

[My daughter] often says Mrs. Stipes is her favorite teacher and the transformation that took place during the time she had Mrs. Stipes as her teacher was astounding, parent Kyle Evans wrote in a supporting letter. Her attitude towards school not only improved drastically but her overall attitude and well-being was remarkable as well.

A colleague said Stipes has high expectations for her students and is proud of their successes.

Branson teaches fourth grade math and social studies at Stonewall Jackson. She was nominated by third grade teacher Hannah Cooper, the release states.

Mrs. Karen Branson is one of the kindest people you will ever meet, Cooper wrote. She is always thinking of others above herself. Her students are always writing thank you notes and participating in community outreach. She strives to teach her students the importance of kindness and respect.

Stonewall Jackson Principal Linda Brittle said Branson role-models behaviors befitting a master teacher.

In Tennessee, other nominations included Avoca Elementary teacher Shannon Morey, Anderson Elementary teacher Christine Booher, Haynesfield Elementary teacher Jennifer Hawthorne, Holston View Elementary teacher Tammy Chandler, Tennessee High School teacher Andrea Michelle Phillips and Vance Middle School teacher Whitney Maddox.

In Virginia, those nominated were Washington-Lee Elementary teacher Brandon Sturgill, Virginia Middle School teacher Katherine Wallace, Virginia High School teacher Raejean Rayjie Harman, Van Pelt Elementary teacher Tonya Neirmans and Highland View Elementary teacher Randall Hodge.

The Rotary Club said each nominee received a $500 cash award.

This article has been corrected.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Commuters fed up with the mask requirements in place in New York amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic appear to be taking their frustrations out on bus drivers.

Since Gov. Andrew Cuomo began requiring face coverings at all times while traveling on public transit in mid-April, there have been at least 177 incidents of transit workers being harassed and/or assaulted by passengers who refused to wear a mask or appropriately social distance, according to The New York Times.

The vast majority of those incidents, 95%, involved bus drivers, according to the report.

So far, at least two of these incidents have resulted in someone being charged with assaulting a transit worker.

Anthony Reid, a 62-year-old bus driver operating in Brooklyn, told The New York Times that he was attacked from behind by a passenger he had reminded of the mask requirement.

It was a calm exchange with him, but then he just knocked me out cold, Reid told the Times.

"Its very dangerous, very dangerous,'' the bus driver added. I was just trying to protect myself and protect the passengers. I paid a price for that.

Alexander Kemp, another Brooklyn bus driver, told the Times about the tough decision drivers must make as to whether or not to confront such passengers.

When you confront someone, it can escalate quickly. He could spit on you, he could throw something at you, he could hurt another passenger, Kemp said. But what if that person is sick and contaminates everyone on this bus? And you could have prevented that?

MTAS EFFORTS TO BOOST COMPLIANCE

Earlier this week, in an effort to boost mask compliance, the MTA began issuing $50 fines to any passenger who refuses to wear a face mask while traveling on an MTA bus, train or subway.

The vast and overwhelming majority of New Yorkers are doing a fantastic job when it comes to maintaining safe distances and wearing masks in the system, said Sarah Feinberg, interim New York City Transit president. This new policy is intended to give us an additional tool to keep our customers safe.

While MTA CEO and Chairman Pat Foye said that mask compliance on the MTAs system remains high -- 96% on buses, 90% on subways, and well over 90% on the Long Island Railroad and Metro North -- the agencys goal is to reach 100% compliance.

Joint enforcement efforts are being conducted by MTA Police and the NYPD, who have been instructed to initially give warnings and encourage riders to put on a mask before issuing a fine.

This is about saving lives -- not generating revenue, and well work with a range of law enforcement personnel to make sure riders are given every possible opportunity to wear a mask. This is about encouraging safety, not punishment, Foye said.

And the $50 fine is far from the only thing the MTA has done to encourage mask usage.

The MTA has made more than 4 million free masks available to the riding public since the start of the pandemic, installed personal protective equipment (PPE) vending machines in various train stations and equipped a number of bus lines across the city with free mask dispensers.

The agency has also unveiled a new digital art campaign titled State of Respect that features colorful pictures of riders wearing New York State-shaped face masks.

The artwork, meant to encourage riders to wear a mask as a sign of respect for their fellow New Yorkers, will appear on over 8,000 digital screens throughout the system and on a billboard in Ridgewood, Queens.
With classrooms closed to curb coronavirus, girls are more at risk of FGM, teenage pregnancy and child marriage.

Maikona, Marsabit County, Kenya  Thirteen-year-old Gumato* can finally walk again without feeling pain.

The hot desert wind blows through her curly hair as she strolls between the portable, dome-shaped huts, made of acacia roots and covered with grass mats, colourful textiles and camel hides. In the near distance, a caravan of more than 50 camels passes by.

Gumato is from the Gabra, a nomadic camel-herding tribe that lives in a semi-arid region in northeast Kenya. Until mid-March, she had put on her pink blouse and dark blue skirt every day to go to school. Nowadays, she only wears her long traditional dress.

I loved school and dreamed of becoming a science teacher, says Gumato.

Her dream seems to be further away than ever.

Three days after Kenya recorded its first COVID-19 infection in mid-March, the government decided to close all schools. A few weeks later, Gumatos parents decided to have their daughter undergo female genital mutilation (FGM), which is prohibited in Kenya but still practised by some tribes.

Gumato underwent FGM after her school was closed due to the coronavirus pandemic [Jeroen Van Loon/Al Jazeera]

Since the enactment of laws against FGM in 2011, its prevalence in Kenya has dropped from 28 percent of women aged between 15 and 49 in 2008 to 21 percent in 2014.

But due to its great ethnic and cultural diversity, there are significant regional variations, with prevalence ranging from 0.8 percent in the west to more than 97 percent in the northeast (where the Gabra and Borana  which are Somali-Oromo ethnic groups  live) and 78 percent in the south, which is home to the Maasai people.

We were happy that schools closed, because this gave us a better opportunity to circumcise our girls, Gumatos mother explains as she sits on the earth floor beside a small fire inside one of the huts. School holidays normally are a bit short for the girls to fully recover.

She wanted her daughter to undergo FGM, she says, because Gabra men only marry circumcised girls.

In early April, Gumato and two other girls were taken to a house in a village behind the hills without any roads or official administration. They were told to wash themselves with cold water  believed to be an anaesthetic within their community. Then, one by one, they were cut.

Two women held them from behind, two women held their legs, one woman covered their eyes and another did the cutting.

It was extremely painful but I kept quiet, as the women assured me that if I would scream or cry, I would be seen as a coward and nobody would be willing to marry [me], Gumato recalls.

Gumato and her mother in front of their hut [Jeroen Van Loon/Al Jazeera]

After the procedure, the wound was not treated or cleaned. We stayed with all the blood while our thighs were tied together for four days, says Gumato. We had to pee in a bucket and were forbidden to drink any water.

After seven days, the girls were returned to their homes.

But Gumatos wound became infected. She was scared it would never heal, she says. For two months, I felt so much pain while I could hardly walk. It still hurts to urinate, she explains.

Gumato worries about her future now.

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The predominant belief in my community is that as soon as a girl is cut, shes ready for marriage, she explains. My family is poor, we have only five sheep and seven goats and not a single camel.

Her father did construction work in their village before the coronavirus crisis, but now construction has come to a standstill and the family struggles to find enough food.

Im afraid that Im soon married off because there is no school so we just sit idle at home while when Im married off, my father will receive three camels as dowry, she says.

Schools were a safety net

Before this corona crisis, schools were functioning as a strong safety net, explains Talaso Gababa, a facilitator with the medical organisation, Amref Health Africa.

Teachers educated children about the risks of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). When a girl would be cut while school was open, schoolmates would communicate this to the teacher who would report the parents to the police. This prevented many parents from having their daughters circumcised.

Gababa is 26 years old and, like Gumato, is from the Gabra tribe. She has advocated shortening school holidays, as those are the riskiest times for girls.

Imagine if we would have known what kind of catastrophe we were heading [towards] with this on-going school closure, she reflects.

Talaso, left, often runs mother/daughter forums where she educates them about the risks of FGM and early marriage [Jeroen Van Loon/Al Jazeera]

FGM is not the only danger facing girls. With schools closed, they are also more susceptible to forced early marriage and sexual assault.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) recently forecast that an additional 13 million girls globally could be forced into child marriage, and two million more than would otherwise have been expected could undergo FGM between now and 2030 as COVID-19 disrupts global efforts to end both practices.

Even before the pandemic hit, 33,000 girls around the world were being forced into early marriage every day, frequently to much older men, according to the UNFPA report, and an estimated 4.1 million were already at risk of FGM this year.

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Public awareness programmes against FGM have been disrupted in many countries, while rescue centres which help girls fleeing forced marriages and FGM have been closed partially or even totally due to the pandemic.

I had to send home 24 out of our 52 girls, says Priscilla Nangurai, the founder and director of the Grace Nanana Rescue Center in Kajiado.

As the centre also functions as a school, it had to comply with the nationwide school closure due to the coronavirus pandemic. After negotiating with the government, I was allowed to let 28 girls stay as they are on very high risk to be forced into child marriage after undergoing FGM, Nangurai explains.

With the parents of the 24 other girls, we had already started a reconciliation programme, where the parents signed a contract promising not to have their girls circumcised or married off. Unfortunately, after sending them home, two girls have been threatened with circumcision already, she says.

She calls this a very scary situation and is currently in contact with the local chiefs who promised to stop the parents having their daughters undergo FGM.

Nangurai says her centre is able to track the girls who have returned home via local community leaders and because they know their addresses. But as this isnt the reality at most Kenyan schools, I wonder how many girls nationwide will ever return to school when they reopen, she says.

Mulki Mohamud Abdikadir is a teacher at Al-Gani Girls Secondary School in Kinna in Isiolo County in the northeast of Kenya. She says: This school closure due to corona is affecting girls so much. So many girls in this region get pregnant through rape or temptation. Im afraid that only half of the girls will return in my class [Jeroen Van Loon/Al Jazeera]

September is the wedding season

Parents and elders [in the Gabra region] nowadays are feeling the freedom to do whatever they want with young girls, as teachers have left because of school closures. The staff of many international organisations have been pulled out because of the risk of infection from COVID-19, Gababa explains.

Parents tell their children that corona is here to stay and that schools will never open again. Some girls have already been promised to a certain boy before they were even born and many parents see it as a waste of time to let these girls sit idle at home.

On top of that, families are facing huge economic hardship as transport of animals towards the capital is forbidden as part of the measures to fight the pandemic while the communitys main source of income is the sale of livestock. So parents start to marry off their daughters, as they will receive a dowry.

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In several regions, including Samburu, Marsabit, Migori and Kajiado County, campaigners have already rescued dozens of girls from forced marriage since the school closure, according to local media.

But Gababa predicts the number of child marriages will rise in the coming month as September is the wedding season.

As in Kenya  where all primary and secondary schools are closed until further notice  schools are still closed across most of the African continent. The World Health Organization (WHO) says of 39 countries surveyed in sub-Saharan Africa, only six have fully reopened schools.

According to the UNESCO Global Monitoring of School Closure, schools in 11 countries in Africa have been closed since March and remain fully closed with more than 121 million pupils out of school. A lack of access to radio, television, computers and the internet have left many students unable to engage in remote learning.

A recent report by Plan International and the African Child Policy Forum concludes: The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated and added yet another layer of vulnerability to an already dire web of vulnerabilities of girls in the African continent.

Seventeen-year-old Anna had just started her final year of boarding school when coronavirus came to Kenya. In school we got sanitary towels and plenty of food. But since I got home, we struggled. My mother lost her job, there was no money, no food, no sanitary towels so I started looking for money, she says. I met a 24-year-old boy in the streets who offered me some money for food and sanitary towels. Because he was so nice to me, we started to have sex and after one month I found out I was pregnant. The boy doesnt want to support me and wanted me to do an (illegal) abortion. I feel terrible about my life and Im afraid that I wont be able to finish my school because my mother is a single mum so she needs to work and cannot support me with the baby [Jeroen Van Loon/Al Jazeera]

While there is no accurate data on the growing number of girls facing FGM, sexual assault or forced marriage, calls to helplines have surged in many countries. A national helpline supported by the department of gender affairs in Kenya reported a more than 10-fold increase in calls  with 1,108 calls in the month of June compared with just 86 in February. Many were reports of child rape.

Raped and pregnant at 15

This pandemic has ruined my life, says 15-year-old Sarah*. The teenager, who lives with her parents and two younger sisters in Nairobis Kibera slum, was in her first year of high school when schools closed.

Life became tough, she says.

Both of her parents are casual workers; her mum washed clothes for other families and her father was a mason, building houses. Due to the pandemic, there is no work and food has become scarce. While before the pandemic I had lunch at school and another meal at home, I now often dont eat for the whole day, Sarah explains.

She started to spend time with girls who claimed to know how to get money for food, clothes and sanitary pads, which she used to receive for free at school. When I told them that I was hungry, they left me with a boy who said he would help me. The boy offered to buy me chips but wanted sex in return.

When she tried to escape, Sarah says the 16-year-old pushed her inside a room and raped her. I tried to get the boy off me and shouted for help but nobody heard me.

She later realised she was pregnant. I felt so ashamed and hoped that God would just take me, she says.

Sarah says the pandemic and resulting school closures have ruined her life [Jeroen Van Loon/Al Jazeera]

As soon as her mother found out about the pregnancy, she tracked down the boy. She says he confessed to the rape but, when she tried to report him to the police, he fled Nairobi with his family.

Sarahs father was furious about the pregnancy. He came home with a machete several times and threatened to slaughter me and my mum, Sarah explains.

For several weeks, she slept in a nearby market stall with her mum and two sisters. My dad blames me for wasting all his hard-earned cash that he spent on my school fees while my mum, according to him, has failed as a wife and mother.

Sarah is convinced none of this would have happened if schools were not closed. I still would have been in school, I wouldnt have been strolling around in the streets and I would not even have been thinking about asking a boy for food as I would have got lunch in school and I wouldnt have been hungry.

A school in Isiolo. The Kenyan government faces a difficult dilemma in reopening schools as most public schools do not have running water [Jeroen Van Loon/Al Jazeera]

Reopening Schools

Recently, a group of more than 275 former world leaders, economists and educationalists expressed their concerns about the risk of creating a COVID generation  children who have lost out on schooling and whose opportunities are permanently damaged as a result of the pandemic. They are especially concerned about the fate of an estimated 30 million children globally who, according to UNESCO, may never return to school.

For these, the worlds least advantaged children, education is often the only escape from poverty  a route that is in danger of closing. Many of these children are adolescent girls for whom being in school is the best defence against forced marriage and the best hope for a life of expanded opportunity, they wrote.

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The WHO and UNICEF recently urged African governments to promote the safe reopening of schools. Schools have paved the way to success for many Africans. They also provide a safe haven for many children in challenging circumstances to develop and thrive, said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the WHOs Regional Director for Africa. We must not be blind-sided by our efforts to contain COVID-19 and end up with a lost generation.

The Kenyan government faces a difficult dilemma, however. While handwashing is necessary to curb the spread of the virus, most public schools in the country either lack running water or have no water at all. Maintaining a 1.5-metre (five-foot) physical distance is also challenging, as many schools are overcrowded, often with more than 60 students in one classroom and pupils sharing books and desks. According to a WHO and UNICEF report, a quarter of schools in sub-Saharan Africa have basic hygiene services, while 44 percent have basic drinking water and 47 percent have basic sanitation services.

Halima Alinoor says school closures are discouraging [Jeroen Van Loon/Al Jazeera]

Reopening boarding schools will be even more problematic, as students often sleep with eight or more in a cramped dorm.

Nobody knows when we will be able to go back to school, says 17-year-old Halima Alinoor, who slept alongside 20 other pupils in a dorm at the Said Fatimah girls boarding school in Garba Tulla, Isiolo County, which closed on March 16.

The teenager is from the Borana tribe where FGM and child marriage are still common.

Halima says she wants to become a journalist to become the voice of people who cannot speak up.

This school closure is very discouraging, she says while looking at some of the school books she brought home. Recently I was studying under a tree when a man walked along and told me that I should stop wasting my time. Just burn those books. There is no returning to school, he told me.

According to Halima, the school closure could take many communities, including hers, decades back in time. Most people in my community still believe that girls are not supposed to go to school but are destined to stay at home to take care of the children. With this school closure, this idea is again getting stronger.



* Some names have been changed to protect identities.
Pintas & Mullins Law Firm, a nationwide personal injury firm, has awarded its $2,500 Future Nurses Scholarship to Winnie Wu, 27, a nursing student at Samuel Merritt University in Northern California.

Miss Wu, a San Mateo, CA resident, is in a one-year LPN nursing program, after graduating from the University of California San Diego with a B.A. in Literatures in English. She discovered her calling for nursing at a very young age when she translated for her family, all immigrants from China, during hospital visits.

The Oakland, CA native rode in ambulances with her grandparents, translating instructions from EMTs and other medical professionals. That loneliness and isolation at a persons most vulnerable moment stuck with her. She carefully made medical dosage plans for her grandmother, explaining each side effect in detail.

Seeing what my grandparents went through inspires me to treat each patient as if they were my own relative, she wrote in her essay.

She described the loneliness of her grandfathers hospital stays, when he had to wait for his familys visits to be able to talk to anyone.

As I started nursing school this month, I have noticed the importance of effective interpersonal communication and cultural sensitivity, she wrote.

The personal injury attorneys at Pintas & Mullins have a front-row seat to the quality of medical care in the United States. Since 1985, the firm has represented patients who have suffered from nursing home abuse and neglect. An adult is never more vulnerable than when in the care of a nursing home or hospital facility.

So much of a patients well-being is dependent upon the quality of care given by the nursing staff. A good nurse can make all the difference by tending to a patient, but also by explaining what is happening to them in real-time.

Miss Wu, with her language skills and experience helping elderly relatives, will be the kind of compassionate nurse the firm hopes to encourage with this scholarship.

To read Miss Wus essay and see her interview, visit the firms website.

For more information on the 2021 Pintas & Mullins Future Nurses Scholarship, visit the website or call (800) 706-9393.
By Trend

COVID-19 pandemic has affected trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Italy, the countrys Ambassador to Azerbaijan Augusto Massari said.

Massari made the statement at the EU-Azerbaijan business forum 2020-2022 held online, Trend reports.

According to him, in 2019, trade between Azerbaijan and Italy amounted to $5.5 billion, but in the first quarter of this year, it decreased by 30 percent, to $2 billion.

"However, despite this, all the scheduled projects between the countries continue to develop and will be timely completed. Italian companies are more and more interested in the implementation of projects in Azerbaijan," the diplomat stated.

As Massari noted, Italy and Azerbaijan mainly cooperate in the energy sector, but a program has been kicked off between the countries to attract Italian companies operating in the non-energy sector.

"Many different opportunities exist for cooperation between the two countries," he said.

The ambassador added that measures for the business development are underway in Azerbaijan, despite the pandemic.

The purpose of the video conference is to highlight the importance of EU-Azerbaijan economic cooperation and investment opportunities for EU companies.

The forum is attended by officials, representatives of the Azerbaijani government, as well as companies from Azerbaijan and the European Union.
The on Friday said it has registered a case on the complaint of the Informatics Centre (NIC) about a suspected after one of its staffers faced difficulty in accessing his official email account on a computer.

An email was sent to the official ID of an staffer and when the receiver clicked on the link, it appeared that malware had set in on that particular computer, a senior police officer said, adding the claimed there is no loss of data.

The FIR was registered in the first week of September on the complaint of the NIC, following which the investigated the matter and has identified the source, he said.

However, police said they cannot disclose the source yet as they are proceeding further in their investigation.

The reports being carried in certain sections of the media about widespread cyber intrusion involving high offices are unsubstantiated and do not reflect the current stage of investigation, police said in a statement.

The Informatics Centre (NIC) of the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology is providing network backbone and e-governance support to central and state governments, UT administrations, districts and other government bodies.

In a statement, Additional PRO of Anil Mittal said, "A government employee had recently reported that he was having difficulty inaccessing his official email account by the which was lying unused for some weeks.

It was found by the NIC that there was an attempted breach by unidentified cyber actors -- a kind of regular activity over cyberspace which was, however, detected by its robust cybersecurity systems," he added.

Mittal said as an abundant precaution, a formal investigation into the matter has been launched and a case registered at the Delhi Police's Special Cell.

(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.)
Niagara Falls is going to apply for $1.5 million in federal and provincial funding to help the city construct another section of the Millennium Trail.

The municipality is also submitting a $1-million application through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program for an HVAC replacement at its service centre.

In a report before council Tuesday, staff said in light of the many challenges communities have encountered due to COVID-19, the federal government has announced an adaptation of the current ICIP to add some flexibilities, expand project eligibility, and accelerate approvals.

The city opened another section of the trail last week  1.2 kilometres of space between Dorchester and Drummond roads, connecting to other sections.

Niagara Falls is now hoping ICIP funding will come through to construct a section between McLeod Road and Chippawa Parkway.

For applications to be considered for funding, they must start no later than Sept. 30, 2021 and be completed by the end of 2021.

Staff said the provincial government has yet to publish updated program or application details, however city officials have reviewed the available guidance and have spoken to the provincial program co-ordinator to gain knowledge of the program and eligibility restrictions.

Keeping in mind the very tight starting and completion timeframes, staff identified the trail section and HVAC initiatives as the best shovel-ready projects to fit the program eligibility criteria.

The details of the eligible grant breakdowns are presently unknown but expected to be similar to previous ICIP arrangements requiring between 20 and 33 per cent municipal contributions, said staff.

If the citys application is successful, council will need to allocate an additional $500,000 to $825,000 from its budget.

If successful, decisions regarding these potential future budgetary allocations will be brought back to council at a later date, said the report.

The Millennium Trail was established in 2001 with a vision to run along the Ontario Power Generation hydro canal corridor connecting the south and north ends of the city.

In addition to the Rotary Storywalk Pathway section that opened last week, other completed portions of the Millennium Trail include John McCall MacBain Pathway between Oakwood Drive and McLeod Road, Paisley Janvary-Pool section between Morrison Street/Portage Road and Thorold Stone Road, Niagara Falls Lions Legacy Trail from Thorold Stone Road at Stanley Avenue north to Whirlpool Road, and Canada 150 Pathway from Lundys Lane to Royal Manor Drive.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 13:23:28|Editor: huaxia

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ISLAMABAD, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan will set up three markets along the borders with Afghanistan and Iran by February next year to promote business activities and help the people in the border areas, the Prime Minister Office of Pakistan said on Thursday.

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, who presided over a high-level meeting in Islamabad on Thursday, approved the establishment of the markets as a pilot project, a statement from the office said.

Under the pilot project, the three markets, two in southwestern Balochistan province and one in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, will be completed and activated by February in 2021.

A total of 12 markets are expected to be established along the border with Afghanistan while six markets along the border with Iran, according to the statement.

Speaking on the occasion, the prime minister was quoted as saying that these markets will provide better business and trade opportunities to the people living along the border areas.

Khan said fencing of the borders will help in organizing the cross-border movement and curbing smuggling. He directed the concerned departments to complete training of the staff to be deployed at the border markets and official border crossings, according to the statement.

The meeting also decided to take effective steps to stop cross-border smuggling, which according to officials, badly affect local people. Enditem
HARWELL, England, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson today visited the construction site of the rapidly developing UK's Vaccines Manufacturing and Innovation Centre (VMIC) at Harwell Science and Innovation Campus. VMIC, a not-for-profit organisation will provide the UK's first strategic vaccine development and advanced manufacturing capability that will accelerate vaccines development in the UK and also provide national emergency response for future pandemics.

The Prime Minister met with teams working at the forefront of the national response to COVID-19 - ranging from scientists and engineers advising on scaling up manufacturing of viable COVID-19 vaccines and establishing a rapid deployment centre, known as 'Virtual VMIC' to increase supply of the Oxford/AZ vaccine, which is currently in clinical trials to ensure its safety and effectiveness. He also met with design and construction teams fast tracking the development of the 7,400 sq m facility and who are working in an unprecedented effort to bring the high-tech centre online a year ahead of schedule.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, said: "Brilliant scientists in Oxfordshire and around the UK are driving global efforts to develop a safe vaccine that works to defeat coronavirus. If one proves successful, we need to be ready to distribute it to the British people as soon as possible.

"That is why construction of the Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Centre at Harwell, backed by 158 million from the Government, is fully underway in Oxfordshire. When open, VMIC will be able to manufacture enough vaccine doses for the whole UK population in as little as six months, which would transform how we beat this virus and prepare for future pandemics."

Dr Matthew Duchars, CEO of The Vaccines Manufacturing and Innovation Centre said: "Today's visit from the Prime Minister is testament to the incredible work being carried out by an exceptional team at VMIC and amongst our partners. Their work forms a vitally important part of the national response to COVID-19 as well as fast tracking the facility to bring it online in 2021. Once complete, the centre will be equipped to provide future pandemic response for the whole of the UK.

"The Government has demonstrated it is wholeheartedly committed to increasing the country's vaccines infrastructure in order to strengthen the UK's ability to not only provide a pandemic response capability, but also to discover and manufacture vaccines for a whole range of conditions. We look forward to being able to deliver on this as part of our day to day work, for the benefit of the UK and overseas."

VMIC was established by the University of Oxford, Imperial College and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine with support from industrial partners, MSD, Johnson and Johnson and Cytiva, formerly known as GE Healthcare. The Centre's initial funding came from a 65 million grant from UK Research and Innovation, as part of the UK Government's Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, with a further 93 million in 2020 to expand the facility's capabilities and fast track the build.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1277240/VMIC_Boris_Johnson.jpg
Salvation Army pushes to Rescue Christmas early as millions reel in pandemic

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Facing a possible drop of up to 50% in fundraising from its iconic Red Kettle Campaign and a 155% increase in demand for its social services, The Salvation Army is launching its annual holiday fundraising campaign early for the first time in 130 years as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pandemic has brought about just incredible crises for families all across America. Many of the families we serve, some of them have lost their jobs, some of them have been impacted and have had COVID in their own families. And when you lose income and youre sick and you cant afford basic necessities for your family like food, rent, utilities, it puts you at a crisis that youve never experienced before, Dale Bannon, The Salvation Armys national community relations and development secretary, told The Christian Post Tuesday.

We have had waitresses, I think of one in Indiana  She said ,Im a single mom. I have two kids and Ive been doing very well until I was laid off from my job. She said, This is the first time Ive had to ask for help and I just need food for my family. That story is amplified by the thousands,  millions that weve seen all across our country.

Since March, Americas largest social services organization has provided more than 100 million meals, 1.5 million nights of safe shelter, and emotional and spiritual support to over 800,000 people through 7,600 centers of operation across the country.

As they look forward to Christmas, The Salvation Army is now being forced to get creative in its fundraising work as the pandemic threatens giving through the Red Kettle Campaign, which raised $126 million through about 30,000 red kettles last year alone.

With many retailers shuttering and studies showing more consumers moving away from cash and coins toward e-commerce, The Salvation Army is hoping consumers will help them recoup the anticipated shortfall through a variety of electronic means so they can help an estimated 7 million at-risk people this Christmas.

On Sunday, the Christian organization, whose founders sought to bring salvation to the poor, destitute and hungry, released its Help Rescue Christmas campaign video to the soundtrack of two-time Grammy Award-winning and multi-platinum selling artist Lauren Daigles hit Rescue, which was described as the anthem for the campaign.

Were anticipating just with the shortage of cash, theres also less retail stores than there were last year, weve got to do something and do it early to communicate to the American public. Help us meet the needs of people this Christmas. Our Christmas assistance program provides food, we also provide toys for parents who are struggling between maybe paying the rent or keeping their lights on, Bannon said.

It used to be you could come into our pantry and select items to help sustain your family for food. We immediately knew we couldnt do that due to social distancing and we started doing drive-thru pantries where you just come with your car, put the food right in the trunk of your car. Then we started getting unique calls where people say, I dont have transportation but I still need food, he explained.

We had a donor of ours, many of our donors give us $25 a month.  We had a donor in New York, she was elderly. We just asked how she was doing and she said, 'You know, I dont have any family near me. The governor tells me I really shouldnt go outdoors and I dont know how to order groceries online. Can The Salvation Army just bring me some food?

And then we move from drive-thru pantries to delivering boxes of food on peoples doorstep. Weve had to be agile and adapt because the need has been so great. And thats one thing that were concerned about as we move into Christmas, is that the pandemic is still impacting millions of families.

One of the biggest concerns the organization has is ensuring that families remain in their homes over the holidays.

While President Donald Trumps executive order provides an eviction moratorium for renters, which started on Sept. 4 and runs until the end of 2020, evictions have continued for some, according to Forbes.

Citing a recent report by Popular Information, a news and politics newsletter, it was found that proving the executive orders requirements may be too onerous for people who are disproportionately affected by the pandemic and who may lack access to legal help. It was also found that even some landlords have been filing eviction proceedings against tenants, challenging whether or not they meet the criteria to benefit from the moratorium.

In order to be protected from eviction under the executive order, in the absence of other state protections, individuals must earn $99,000 or less, $198,000 for a couple filing a joint tax return or must have received a stimulus check.

They must also prove that: they have made best efforts to get all available government assistance for rent or housing; they are unable to pay full rent or make a full housing payment because of lost income, being laid off, or had out-of-pocket medical expenses; made partial payments wherever possible; and that if they were to be evicted, they would likely be homeless, need to move into a homeless shelter, or share a new residence in close quarters with multiple people.

Moratoriums are starting to expire on rent for evictions. And so if youve been unemployed for six months but your landlord hasnt been able to evict you, as the states release those moratoriums, we have families who are going to be in major jeopardy in staying in their homes and so The Salvation Army has been a leading provider of cash assistance for rent and utilities support, Bannon said.

We really believe that we prevent homelessness when we can keep a family intact in their homes so all across the country we already provide rent and utility assistance.  We know that families are going to be struggling with those basic necessities. If youre trying to stay in your home by paying the rent and utilities and keeping your family warm in cold states, you might not be able to think about what your kids need for Christmas or what youre going to have on the Thanksgiving table in terms of a meal. Youre just going to need that extra support and so thats why were asking the public to join us early in this Rescue Christmas effort.

The Salvation Army is urging donors who want to help to enlist in its Loves Army with a sustaining monthly gift of $25 per month or donate through the red kettles. Digital donations are also being accepted through Apple Pay or Google Pay at any red kettle across the country. Donors can also give any amount by texting KETTLES to 91999 or through Amazon's Alexa by saying, Alexa, donate to The Salvation Army, then specifying the amount. Other ways to donate can be found at The Salvation Army's website.

When asked if he thinks the Red Kettle Campaign might someday become obsolete as consumer behavior shifts toward more digital platforms, he said he doesnt believe it will.

I think weve had to be agile and flexible with the Red Kettle campaign. The Red Kettle campaign this year celebrates 130 years. Its remarkable. Its iconic. When you think of Christmas, you see the red kettle and the bell ringer, you know that its really time to think about others and to support your neighbors in need. We hope and pray that the red kettle never leaves because I think it brings out the spirit of generosity in communities, he said.

Weve had parents say to us and grandparents, generations, say, I first learned how to give to others through putting money in the red kettle. But at the same time we know that when people carry less cash we have to be more agile and flexible and provide more options to give so online options are critical.

I think its more, not that the red kettle will go away, but expanding the red kettle so that we think not just in front of the store with a bell ringer, but that we can encourage giving in all platforms at all levels.
US personality Jerry Harris has been arrested on a charge that he enticed a 13-year-old boy to send him explicit photos and videos.

Harris, 21, is a breakout star from the Netflix documentary Cheer, which profiles a Texas cheer squad.

According to US prosecutors, the two exchanged explicit photos on Snapchat from December 2018  March 2020.

Variety reports Harris admitted that he had exchanged the photos with the boy and faces one count of producing child pornography.

He made an initial court appearance in Chicago on Thursday afternoon and will be held in custody at least until a detention hearing on Monday. But prosecutors are arguing that he should be denied bond, as he poses a danger to the community.

According to reports Harris allegedly solicited oral sex from the boy in a bathroom during a cheerleading event in February 2019, but the boy refused.

This was made possible because our clients mother had the courage to report Harris to the FBI as well as the Fort Worth Police Department and provided evidentiary proof of the manipulation, sexual harassment, abuse, and exploitation that her sons had suffered, attorneys Morgan Stewart and Sarah Klein said.

A spokesperson for Harris told CNN in response to the lawsuit, We categorically dispute the claims made against Jerry Harris, which are alleged to have occurred when he was a teenager. We are confident that when the investigation is completed the true facts will be revealed.

The charge follows an unrelated social media protest over Netflix documentary Cuties, a French coming-of-age film which many claim sexualizes young girls.

There are reports of subscription cancellations, with U.S. congressmen calling for Netflix to remove the film and asking authorities to investigate whether the streaming service or filmmakers violated federal laws against the production and distribution of child pornography.
A fourth grade teacher has built an outdoor classroom as her students return to in-person learning during the pandemic.

With help from her family, Lindsey Earle, of Prairie Hill Waldorf School in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, built a structure for the 13 students in her class.

"As we were discussing plans for returning and things looked a little doomsday-ish, I proposed an idea that we build our own classroom," Earle told "Good Morning America." "Because what we know about coronavirus, is it spreads less effectively outdoors."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says outdoor spaces are less risky when it comes to the spread of COVID-19. It may be more difficult to keep people apart indoors, and there's less ventilation. The CDC recommends keeping six feet of space between you and others.

PHOTO: With help from her family, Lindsey Earle, of Prairie Hill Waldorf School in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, built an outdoor structure for the 13 students in her class amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. (Lindsey Earle)

Earle's classroom sits on school property. It's a 12-sided figure with a tented roof, a chalkboard and canvas chairs with desktops made from outdoor sign boards. Desks are socially distanced based on CDC guidelines, and children must wear their masks when engaging in one-on-one instruction, or leaving their seats.

PHOTO: With help from her family, Lindsey Earle, of Prairie Hill Waldorf School in Wisconsin, built an outdoor structure for the 13 students in her class amid the pandemic. Earle's classroom sits on school property. (Lindsey Earle)

MORE: These school bus drivers paid a touching tribute to their graduating seniors

The dome-shaped room is 9 feet in length. Earle said she cut wood herself, but her husband, Brian Earle and their two sons, ages 9 and 5, had a hand in the building process.

Now, every class is currently building an outdoor learning space at the school. Volunteers with basic construction skills are assisting. Even some students helped, giving them a "sense of pride," Earle said.

PHOTO: With help from her family, Lindsey Earle, of Prairie Hill Waldorf School in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, built an outdoor structure for the 13 students in her class amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. (Lindsey Earle)

"We were hopeful that putting this in place would allow us to come back and stay safe and healthy," Earle said, adding that she and her school administration met with health and safety experts while executing. "With their help and advice I think we had a real robust, return-to-school plan."

Prairie Hill Waldorf's administrator Jeanne Ring said the school made the decision to hold on-campus classes for the 2020-21 school year because it believes that being on campus is the best place for the students to learn.

Story continues

MORE: Teachers are reinventing how Black history, anti-racism are taught in schools as system falls short

"In order to meet this goal, our community came together this past summer to create these spaces, build desks and make the environment learning friendly," Ring told "GMA." "The faculty is committed to spending as much time as possible outside and the children are excited and eager to do this. It's a beautiful thing to see our 14 acres being utilized all day by faculty and students. We have a saying in Waldorf education, 'there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing choices.'"

PHOTO: With help from her family, Lindsey Earle, of Prairie Hill Waldorf School in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, built an outdoor structure for the 13 students in her class amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. (Lindsey Earle)

In a statement posted to its website, the American Academy of Pediatrics wrote that it "strongly advocates that all policy considerations for the coming school year should start with a goal of having students physically present in school."

PHOTO: Lindsey Earle, a fourth grade teacher at Prairie Hill Waldorf School in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, built an outdoor structure for her 13 students amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. Here, one of Earle's students learns in her class. (Lindsey Earle)

The AAP stressed the importance of school in children's lives.

"Schools and school-supported programs are fundamental to child and adolescent development and well-being and provide our children and adolescents with academic instruction, either in person or virtually; social and emotional skills; safety; reliable nutrition; physical/speech therapy and mental health services; and opportunities for physical activity, among other benefits," the AAP said. "Beyond supporting the educational development of children and adolescents, schools play a critical role in addressing racial and social inequity."

Dr. David Anderson, a clinical psychologist with The Child Mind Institute, said teachers have been given the autonomy to create safer learning spaces amid COVID-19.

"No situation without fully online learning is without risk," Anderson noted. "It's a trade-off for mental health ... the fact that this is an outdoor classroom, it's still really wonderful for social development."

PHOTO: With help from her family, Lindsey Earle, of Prairie Hill Waldorf School in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, built an outdoor structure for the 13 students in her class amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. (Lindsey Earle)

"What we know is online education is a poor substitution for socialization, and a poor substitute for in-person learning," he added.

PHOTO: Lindsey Earle, a fourth grade teacher at Prairie Hill Waldorf School in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, built an outdoor structure for the 13 students in her class amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. (Lindsey Earle)

Earle said she's received positive feedback from parents regarding her return-to-learn alternative, and the kids are thrilled to reconnect with teachers and friends.

A 4th grade teacher has built her own, outdoor classroom amid COVID-19 originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com
RAMALLAH, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- A senior Palestinian official announced on Thursday that Palestine does not intend to withdraw from the Arab League following the normalization agreements of Israel with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

Ahmed Majdalani, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization's Executive Committee, told the official Palestinian radio Voice of Palestine that the Palestinian leadership decides to keep a Palestinian representation in the Arab League.

On Wednesday night, the Palestinian leadership held a meeting in Ramallah to decide on a Palestinian decision against the Arab League, after the latter had failed to condemn the Arab normalization agreements with Israel.

"The leadership decided to stay in the Arab League depending on the importance of influencing it, so that if we cannot take what we want, at least we can block the issuance of what we do not want ... it is important for the Palestinians to remain in the Arab League to be influential, mainly affecting the positions of the Arab states whose options towards normalization have not been decided yet," Majdalani said.

Palestine "is currently counting more on the positions of parties as well as civil and popular institutions in the Arab countries than the official regimes," he added.
Jessica Arb Danial is president of the Everson Museum of Art Board of Trustees.

Since its founding in 1897 as the Syracuse Museum of Fine Arts, the Everson Museum has striven to be a cultural touchstone and civic exemplar for the community it serves. The everyday, working person is central to our history, and the reason why the museum had weekend and evening hours back when it began. It is also why the museum welcomed children when others did not, provided free classes to the unemployed during the Great Depression, served as a forum for civic debate during the Vietnam War era, and exhibited the work of women, Blacks, and other marginalized groups of artists before many others did.

The Everson proudly continues this legacy today. We actively exhibit the work of diverse artists, host naturalization ceremonies, engage thousands of students, visit community centers and libraries, and even register people to vote. We are much more than just a repository for art. We are a living and breathing institution that believes art has the potential to spark meaningful dialogue, inspire curiosity and lifelong learning, and contribute to a more vital and inclusive society.

Leading into summer 2020, the Everson had been overhauling its exhibitions and collecting practices in order to better reflect our community. But in May, as our nation  and our community  spoke loudly in response to the killing of George Floyd, our priorities changed. Immediately, museum staff and board members recognized the obligation we had to respond, to be a part of the solution for addressing racism and social injustice. The museum formed an Equity Taskforce to examine our internal policies and attitudes and made a bold commitment to fast-track our newest collecting priorities by exploring non-traditional ways to acquire diverse works reflecting our community.

This included the difficult  and highly principled  decision of the museums board and staff to deaccession a Jackson Pollock painting, a rarely exhibited work that has not been viewed as a signature component of the museums vast collections. Within the context of the Eversons institutional narrative, there are many other works in the collection that are more important and valuable than the Pollock painting, despite its notable creator. The paintings true worth to the Everson is in its capacity to create a legacy for future generations. On Oct. 6, the painting will be sold at auction through Christies, and the museums decision will have resulted in the establishment of long-term funding to serve two critical purposes: to provide for the care of our collection, and to provide for the acquisition of works by artists who reflect our community, including artists of color, indigenous artists, women artists, and other under-represented or marginalized groups.

None of the proceeds of the sale will be used to fund the museums general operations which include building maintenance and updates, education programs, outreach programs, exhibitions, and events, and in no way does it relieve the board of trustees from our fiduciary responsibility to the organization.

The Eversons decision is most certainly risky, in that it has opened the door for criticism of the museum, of our intentions, and of our bold stance to alter the course of art museum standards. But being bold is in the Eversons DNA. It was a bold move in 1897 to charter a museum with no collections. It is a bold move today to relinquish a work by a famous artist to start new collections. The Everson is a museum that is known for its commitment to those it serves. We are proud to carry on that history and make the Everson stronger, more vital, and more culturally representative of the community we call home.

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Jackson Pollock original, worth millions, to be auctioned off to support minority artists at Syracuse museum

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WhatsApp is reportedly working on an easier and more secure way of logging into the WhatsApp web. If the under development feature rolls out, users will be able to open their WhatsApp accounts on a PC with just a fingerprint.

Spotted by frequent WhatsApp leaker WAbetaInfo, beta version of the Android 2.20.200.10 update submitted through the Google Play Beta Program shows that the tech giant is working on the fingerprint feature.

A fingerprint login system has been seen in the apps latest beta build that will most likely supersede the current scan the QR code method. Now when anyone wishes to open the web version of the app, they need to open WhatsApp on their phones and scan a code shown on the desktop or laptop. However, this can be used by anyone with access to your phone. So the new feature will add security to the usage of WhatsApp.

If the development rolls through, you would have to take out your smartphone and give your fingerprint to ensure that it is indeed you who wishes to open the WhatsApp web. As the portal mentions, the feature is in the development stage and may or may not make the cut to the next software update.

This feature will work similarly to the QA code interface that the messaging app currently uses to authenticate new desktop sessions. Along with this, the latest beta brought forth a few much-needed bug fixes as well.

Earlier, whenever a user updated their app, all the recently used emoji would get reset from the designated section. But with the 2.20.200.10 update, this issue has been fixed.

Apart from the fingerprint scanning feature, WhatsApp is also working on multi-device support for a long time. First spotted in November last year, the feature can let users log into their WhatsApp accounts from four different devices at the same time. However, the beta version does not reveal if the update is going to be cross-platform.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A Black Lives Matter protest flyer advertised a Friday march implying the involvement of Assemblyman Charles Fall and Councilwoman Debi Rose.

However, neither politician, who are the Islands only black elected officials, gave their consent to be named on the flyer, and both their offices along with the Advance/SILive.com are unaware of any protest that actually occurred.

We have no knowledge of this event, and it is neither organized nor sponsored by either of our offices, Fall (D-North Shore) and Rose (D-North Shore) said in a joint statement. Furthermore, after checking with local community-based organizations, this march, claiming to be affiliated with the Black Lives Matter movement, does not appear to be organized with any Staten Island groups.

A flyer that advertised a "Black Lives Matter" march on Friday, Sept. 18, 2020 implied the involvement of Assemblyman Charles Fall and Councilwoman Debi Rose without their consent. (Courtesy: Rose's office)

The flyer indicated the march would be meeting at Roses office on Stuyvesant Place and marching to Falls office on Forest Avenue -- a march of more than 3 miles.

In their joint statement, Fall and Rose said they contacted multiple community organizations on Staten Island, and all said they were not sponsoring the march.

A member of the Young Leaders of Staten Island, which organized multiple Black Lives Matter marches on the Island, said they were uninvolved with the flyer.

Fall and Rose have been proponents of the protests against police brutality and in support of Black lives, which have remained peaceful on Staten Island, but were concerned about improperly organized events.

While we support peaceful protests, we are wary of Staten Island events organized by groups from outside Staten Island, and no organization should imply our participation without our consent," they said. "Neither we nor our staffs will be participating in this event.
Sisi stressed the importance of the continuation of European support for African countries facing the coronavirus

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi discussed a number of issues with European Council President Charles Michel in a phone call on Thursday, including relations between Egypt and the European Union.

Among the issues that were tackled were ways to strengthen mutual relations between the two sides at all levels, El-Sisis spokesman Bassam Rady said in the statement.

El-Sisi and Michel, a Belgian politician who has been the president of the European Council since 2019, also touched on the coordination efforts on the most important regional issues, especially in light of the EU summit that is due to be held later this month, Rady said.

According to the statement, the two parties reviewed the various aspects of the institutional relationship between Egypt and the EU in its political, economic and developmental dimensions.

Emphasis was placed during the call on the importance of continuing to strengthen cooperation and mutual dialogue in order to consolidate the friendly relations in light of common interests and challenges, the statement said.

They also tackled the coordination between Egypt and the EU on various important international and regional issues, especially the developments in the situation in the eastern Mediterranean and in Libya.

In this regard, the statement said, an agreement was reached on the importance of maximising channels of consultation between the two sides.

Rady said that both sides visions converged on the need to continue working to reach a comprehensive political settlement to the Libyan crisis in accordance with international references, so that stability can be restored in the region and a better future for its peoples can be provided.

El-Sisi also stressed the importance of ensuring the continuation of the European support for African countries to face the repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic, especially on the health and food sectors, in addition to encouraging major European companies to establish more investment projects on the continent.

In addition, he also highlighted the importance of continuing joint cooperation to confront the phenomena of illegal immigration and terrorism in Africa, as they pose a threat to regional and international peace and security, the statement said.

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 18)  The Philippine government is unfazed by the European Union's push for trade sanctions over what the foreign lawmakers described as a "rapidly deteriorating human rights" situation and extrajudicial killings under President Rodrigo Duterte's administration, local officials indicated Friday.

The EU Parliament on Thursday adopted a resolution pushing for immediate trade sanctions against the Philippines. The resolution called on the European Commission to initiate the procedure for the temporary withdrawal of the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) program granted by the 27-nation bloc to the Philippines "in the absence of any substantial improvement and willingness to cooperate on the part of the Philippine authorities."

RELATED: EU Parliament denounces deterioration of human rights, press freedom in PH

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said the Philippine government is cooperating with the EU Commission, the main institution implementing the GSP+ scheme that grants zero tarfifs for the country's exports to Europe.

He is confident Philippine representatives are effectively debunking the allegations.

"So far, we are able to explain objectively the Philippines side on issues that are raised and we don't see any reason why our GSP+ privilege will be withdrawn," he said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque lost his cool following the threat from EU lawmakers. He said Filipinos have nothing more to lose since the country's economy has hit "rock bottom" due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Kung gusto nilang dagdagan ang pahirap ng samabayang Pilipino sa panahon ng pandemya, so be it! Gawin na nila ang gusto nilang gawin! Sa mga panahon na ito, if they want to implement it, go ahead!" he said on Friday during his media briefing.

[Translation: If they want to add to the burden of Filipinos in this time of pandemic, so be it! They can do whatever they want! If they want to implement it at this time, go ahead!]

He added that if the tariff perks are revoked, the EU lawmakers will be the "biggest contributor to the violation" of human rights.

He also said the decision of the European lawmakers was based on the "misinformation" perpetrated by the Communist Party of the Philippines and its founder Joma Sison, who is in the Netherlands as a political refugee.

European Parliament member Hannah Neumann said the Duterte administration continues to enjoy the benefits of the tariff deal despite his administration's dismal human rights record. She called for the "immediate" cancellation of this privilege by starting the revocation procedure on September 21.

"Duterte, the President of the Philippines, who is encouraging his own services to kill tens of thousands of people, still enjoys trade privileges of the EU under the GSP+ scheme, that are supposedly linked to improvements in human rights, but the situation is just getting worse," she said. "And that's why I'm so happy that across all political parties, in this resolution, we call on the Commission to start the procedure to revoke these privileges immediately, and to be frank, by immediately, we mean by Monday."

Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr., president of the Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc., emphasized it will take around two years for EU to remove the country's GSP privilege if it will push through.

He added the country only exports about 1.5 billion euros using the GSP, which only accounts to 25 percent of the total 8.5 billion euros exported to EU nations. A big factor here is the country's difficulty to follow protocols in the GSP privilege such as maintaining a steady agriculture sector, balanced ecology, and respecting human rights.

"We are one of the countries with the lowest usage of GSP," Ortiz-Luis told CNN Philippines' Rico Hizon.

If the sanctions will be implemented, Ortiz-Luis said its impact will be felt in the industries of garments, semi-conductors, marine products, tuna, and coconut products.

The GSP+ program grants the Philippines the benefit of exporting more than 6,000 products to any of the 28 member countries of EU at zero tariff. Products that may avail of the duty-free access include coconut and marine products, processed fruit, prepared food, animal and vegetable fats and oils, textiles, garments, headwear, footwear, furniture, umbrellas, and chemicals. The Philippines has been enjoying this perk since 2014.

To be accepted in the special incentive trade arrangement, countries must implement international conventions on human rights, among others.

The zero tarriff is important because it allows Philippines exports -like fruits, vegetables and garments -- to better compete in the European market, benefitting small and medium enterprises in the country. Suspension of the GSP plus status would mean higher prices of Philippine exports to the European market.

The EU resolution  where 626 voted in favor, 7 against, and 52 abstained  reminded Philippine authorities of their obligations under the GSP+ scheme, particularly "with regard to human rights and of the consequences of failure to comply with those obligations."

The EU lawmakers asked for the help of the Commission and the European External Action Service to persuade the Philippine officials to put an end to alleged extrajudicial killings in connection with the Duterte administration's anti-drug campaign.

Government data shows over 6,000 people  including suspected drug users and dealers  have been killed in anti-illegal drug operations since Duterte took office in July 2016. Local and international rights groups, however, say tens of thousands more have died in extrajudicial killings, a claim the government has repeatedly denied. International rights group Human Rights Watch also said atrocities in the drug war worsened during the lockdown brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, citing a 50-percent spike in cases compared to the previous four-month period.

The Philippines, in several instances since Duterte's term started in 2016, rejected aid from the European Union. Duterte challenged the EU to pull out their aid to the Philippines after they expressed concerns over alleged extrajudicial killings in his bloody drug war.
Kolkata :

Three Lashkar-e-Taiba militants, including two Pakistani nationals arrested by BSF in 2007 from the Indo-Bangladesh border at Petrapole, have been sentenced to death by a court in Bongaon in West Bengals North 24-Parganas district in a case of waging war against the government.

Pakistani militants Mohammed Younus and Abdullah and an Indian, Muzaffar Ahmed Rathod, were sentenced to death by judge Binay Kumar Pathak of Bongaon fast track court-1.

The three have been booked under IPC Sections 120B (punishment of criminal conspiracy), 121 (waging, or attempting to wage war) and 122 (collecting arms with intention of waging war against the Government of India), CID DIG (Operations) Nishad Pervej told.

Abdullah and Younus are residents of Pakistans Karachi and Haripur respectively, while Rathod hailed from Jammu and Kashmirs Anantnag.

They were arrested by BSF while trying to enter India through its international border with Bangladesh at Petrapole on April 4, 2007.

They had a plan to attack army camps in Jammu and Kashmir, but before they could proceed with their plan they were caught by BSF and handed over to Bangaon police station, he said.

The probe found that all the four were well-trained in using AK-47 rifle, hand grenades and manufacturing bombs.

Sheikh Abdullah Nayeem alias Sameer from Maharashtra, another LeT militant who was also arrested along with them, had managed to flee in 2013 when he was being taken to Mumbai.

During investigation, it was found that Abdullah was a teacher while Sheikh Abdullah Nayeem was an engineer by profession. They were involved in an incident of bomb blast in Mumbai.

The three underwent polygraph tests, narco tests and brain mapping during the probe conducted by the state CID, he said.

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There were fresh signs of revival in the economy today with figures showing Britons going out spending.

Retail sales were up 0.8 per cent last month from July, fueled by home improvements and continuing high levels of online shopping.

The figures are now 4 per cent above February before the coronavirus lockdown hit - suggesting that confidence is returning. However, clothing stores are still suffering.

Jonathan Athow of the Office for National Statistics said: 'Retail sales continued to grow, further surpassing their pre-pandemic level.

'Sales of household goods thrived as the demand for home improvement continued and, despite a dip this month, online sales remained high.

Retail sales were up 0.8 per cent last month from July, fueled by home improvements and continuing high levels of online shopping

'However, clothing stores continued to struggle with sales still well below their February level.

'Overall, the switch to greater online sales means the high street remains under pressure.'

The 0.8 per cent increase in August was a slowing from 3.6 per cent monthly growth in July.

But it exceeded the expectations from analysts, who had forecast a 0.6 per cent improvement.

Online sales continued to be strong as shoppers chose to stay at home but dipped slightly against the previous month.

Sales from online channels moved 2.5 per cent lower against July's data but were still 46.8 per cent higher than pre-pandemic levels.

Spending on household goods was particularly strong in August, with retailers reporting a 9.9 per cent jump in sales of homeware products compared to February.

Clothing sales have struggled to recover at the same pace and remained 15.9 per cent below pre-Covid levels.

The ONS also reported that 51.5 per cent of food retailers said they saw a decrease in footfall from August 10 to August 23, which it said could be linked to the reopening of other areas of the economy, such as restaurants and bars.

Sales data from large retailers also showed a slight dip in sales in July and August compared to the previous months, as more people ate out again.

Jonathan Athow, deputy national statistician for economic statistics, said: 'Retail sales continued to grow, further surpassing their pre-pandemic level.

'Sales of household goods thrived as the demand for home improvement continued and, despite a dip this month, online sales remained high.

'However, clothing stores continued to struggle with sales still well below their February level.

Rishi Sunak (pictured on a visit to a pottery in Stoke-on-Trent this week) has said confidence will be critical for the recovery

'Overall, the switch to greater online sales means the high street remains under pressure.'

Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, said: 'It is clear that the retail industry is entering a period of fragile recovery, with August showing the third consecutive month of growth.

'However, the recovery remains a mixed bag, with high growth in online sales while city centre shops suffered as a result of low footfall.'

Lisa Hooker, consumer markets leader at PwC, said: 'After the stellar recovery in retail sales we saw in the past three months, it's no surprise that the monthly rate of growth slowed in August.

'Being the second month of the high street reopening in full, much of the focus last month was on the hospitality and leisure sectors.

'The popularity of initiatives such as Eat Out To Help Out even led to a rare slowdown in grocery sales growth.'
 Flash

China, Russia, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia have agreed to jointly build an anti-pandemic fortress, a Health Silk Road and a community of health for all, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Wednesday.

The decision was made after he exchanged views with foreign ministers of Russia, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia on deepening anti-pandemic cooperation to defeat the COVID-19, Wang, who attended the meeting of foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member countries in Moscow and visited the four countries on Sept. 10-16, said in an interview.

China and the four countries have supported each other through thick and thin and conducted effective anti-pandemic cooperation since the epidemic broke out, Wang said.

Recalling Mongolian President Khaltmaa Battulga's China visit in February, the telephone talks held between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his counterparts in Russia, Kazakstan and Kyrgyzstan, namely Vladimir Putin, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Sooronbai Jeenbekov, Wang said China and the four countries have offered support and aid to each other to fight against the pandemic.

In a bid to deepen the anti-pandemic cooperation, the ministers have agreed to take measures in four areas, Wang said.

First, China and the four countries will strengthen anti-pandemic cooperation, firmly support the World Health Organization in playing a coordinative role and oppose any attempt to politicize the pandemic and attach a geographical label to the virus.

Second, they will consolidate and expand anti-pandemic achievements.

Third, they will actively promote the cooperation in the development, production and purchase of vaccine.

Fourth, they will make a concerted effort on Chinese traditional medicine cooperation, Wang said.

In the interview, Wang also said the SCO foreign ministers' meeting has pushed forward international cooperation against the COVID-19 pandemic and pledged support for multilateralism.

The key mission of this foreign ministers' meeting was to make political preparations for the SCO virtual summit scheduled in November, he said.

The ministers look forward to taking the summit as a chance to more effectively deal with global challenges, defuse security risks, share development opportunities, while setting the SCO as a model for multilateralism and new-type international relations as it approaches the third decade of establishment, Wang added.

The foreign ministers have reached important consensus and agreements in this respect, according to Wang.

On China-Russia relations, Wang said the two countries will strengthen cooperation in supporting international anti-pandemic cooperation, setting an exemplar of major-country peaceful coexistence, enhancing cutting-edge technological innovations and safeguarding international justice and equity.

He and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, following face-to-face talks, have reached a series of important consensus on strengthening bilateral ties and dealing with international and regional challenges, Wang told Xinhua.

As the world is entering a period of turbulence and change, strong China-Russia relations are of more prominent significance in sustaining regional and world peace and security, according to Wang.

China and Russia will unwaveringly develop future-oriented relations, and work with the international community to construct a new type of international relations featuring mutual respect, equity, justice and win-win cooperation and build a community with a shared future for mankind, so as to make greater contributions to the cause of human peace and development, Wang said.

In the post-pandemic era, Wang said China will continue to promote foreign exchanges and cooperation and better synergize the Belt and Road Initiative and other countries' development strategies.

Wang said that during his trip, China and relevant countries summarized the new features and good experiences of cooperation in various fields amid the pandemic and agreed to continue to synergize the the Belt and Road Initiative and each other's development strategies, so as to speed up the resumption of work and production and bring more benefits to countries and peoples in the region.

China and relevant countries have also agreed to make joint efforts to accelerate the development of bilateral relations and further deepen bilateral cooperation.

On regional security, Wang said China and its regional counterparts will continue to strengthen cooperation to maintain regional security and fight against renewed threats and challenges facing the region.

During his trip, countries in the region agreed that strategic cooperation on security shows a high level of mutual trust and is a crucial part of their all-round cooperation, Wang said, proposing China and other Asian nations enhance security cooperation in the face of the new threats and challenges.

On Afghan peace process, Wang said China sincerely hopes that all parties to Afghanistan's peace talks will prioritize the interests of its people as well as the nation.

He stressed that the fundamental direction of political settlement, the basic principle of the Afghan-led approach, and the framework goal of broad inclusiveness should be adhered to.

At the same time, it is hoped that the new Afghan government will unswervingly combat terrorism, pursue a peaceful and friendly foreign policy, and earnestly push Afghanistan onto a path of peace, stability and development, he added.
A tarpaulin covers the body of Michael Forest Reinoehl, in Lacey, Wash., on Sept. 4, 2020. (Caitlin Ochs/Reuters)

Accused Portland Murderer Pointed Gun at Officers Before He Was Killed: Detectives

The man who authorities said killed another man in downtown Portland last month pointed a gun at officers trying to take him into custody before he was shot dead, detectives said late Thursday.

Michael Reinoehl, 48, was killed by law enforcement officers near Lacey, Washington, about 120 miles north of Portland.

In an update, the Thurston County Sheriffs Office said investigators found Reinoehl pointed the handgun that he had in his possession at the officers at the time of the shooting.

Detectives found a fired shell casing in the vehicle that Reinoehl was driving. Despite it being the same caliber as the firearm he possessed, theyre not yet sure that the casing is an exact match to the .380 caliber handgun.

None of the officers pursuing Reinoehl carried or fired a weapon of that caliber.

The gun is also the same caliber as the weapon used in the homicide in Portland on Aug. 30.

Investigators examine the scene at Tanglewilde Terrace, where law enforcement officers shot and killed a man reported to be Michael Forest Reinoehl, in Lacey, Wash., on Sept. 4, 2020. (Caitlin Ochs./Reuters)

Officers previously said Reinoehl had a semi-automatic handgun in his possession at the time of the incident but were working to confirm whether or not he had fired and whether hed pointed it at law enforcement.

Detectives found a second gun, an AR15-style .22 caliber rifle, in the front seat. The guns serial number had been removed.

The investigation continues, the sheriffs office said. Ballistics testing is planned for the firearms.

Detectives do not have any video evidence from when officers shot Reinoehl. Theyre asking anyone with video or who might have witnessed the shooting to contact detectives.

Reinoehl was a self-identified member of the far-left, anarcho-communist network Antifa, and has said he worked security for Black Lives Matter events. He had been arrested twice over the summer, according to information obtained by The Epoch Times.

Reinoehl was taken into custody in Portland on July 5 for three misdemeanors, including possessing a loaded gun in a public place. Prosecutors had not moved forward with the charges before Reinoehl was killed.

An Oregon state trooper arrested Reinoehl on June 8 in Baker County in eastern Oregon after witnessing him and his 17-year-old son driving separate vehicles at 111 mph in an apparent race.

In this still image from video, Michael Forest Reinoehl speaks to a reporter about the shooting in Portland, Ore., in an undated interview. (Vice News)

The man, whose 11-year-old daughter was in the vehicle, was arrested on charges including unlawful possession of a firearm because he had a loaded, concealed Glock pistol but didnt have a concealed handgun license. Reinoehl was later seen with the girl at a demonstration outside Portland Mayor Ted Wheelers apartment.

A witness to the downtown Portland shooting of Aaron Danielson said Danielson had been executed. A Portland police detective suggested Reinoehl targeted Danielson and the witness, Chandler Pappas.

Reinoehl appeared to admit to the shooting during an interview released by Vice News just hours before he was found in Washington state. He claimed he acted to prevent his friend from being killed.

Several people witnessed law enforcement officers shooting Reinoehl.

Chad Smith and Chase Cutler were working on vehicles when they saw two SUVs converge on a man in a vehicle outside an apartment complex. The man exited the vehicle and fired what they described as an assault rifle before officers returned fire, hitting the man, they told The Olympian.

Smith told the Seattle Times that he saw the suspect get out of his car, pull out a gun, and shoot at officers as he walked backward.

Smith later told Vice that he did not actually see Reinoehl brandish a weapon.

Investigators with the Washington State Crime Lab collect evidence at Tanglewilde Terrace, where law enforcement officers shot a man reported to be Michael Forest Reinoehl, in Lacey, Wash., Sept. 3, 2020. (Caitlin Ochs/Reuters)

Another man, Nate Dinguss, claimed to have witnessed Reinoehl walking toward his car when two unmarked law enforcement vehicles converged and officers began firing on the suspect.

Dinguss said that he never observed a firearm on Reinoehl nor did Reinoehl reach for anything, a statement released by his lawyers stated.

Multiple queries sent to the lawyers went unanswered.

The officers on the scene were part of a U.S. Marshals Service violent offender task force.

In a statement following the shooting, the service said the task force acted on a request by the Portland Police Bureau to arrest Reinoehl.

The fugitive task force located Reinoehl in Olympia and attempted to peacefully arrest him. Initial reports indicate the suspect produced a firearm, threatening the lives of law enforcement officers. Task force members responded to the threat and struck the suspect who was pronounced dead at the scene, the service stated.

Reinoehl exited an apartment and got into a vehicle to leave, the Thurston County Sheriffs Office said in its initial statement on what transpired.

During the attempt to apprehend him, shots were fired at the suspect in the vehicle and he fled from the vehicle on foot. Additional shots were fired at the suspect and he was later pronounced deceased at the location, it stated.

In this still image from video, the words Michael was murdered are scrawled on pavement during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Portland, Ore., on Sept. 3, 2020. (Roman Balmakov/The Epoch Times)

Attorney General William Barr said shortly after that Reinoehl attempted to escape arrest and produced a firearm, prompting law enforcement officers to shoot him.

Tracking down the suspect, Barr said, was a significant accomplishment in the ongoing effort to restore law and order to Portland and other cities.

Thurston County Coroner Gary Warnock ruled last week that the death was a homicide.

His office said Reinoehl died from gunshot wounds to the head and upper torso. The autopsy didnt say how many shots struck Reinoehl.

Reinoehls sister told the Daily Mail earlier this month that her brothers death wasnt necessarily bad news.

Honestly I didnt expect it to be the police, I expected it to be the people who had a contract out for him. I was expecting the angry population of people who were out for blood, April Reinoehl, the sister, said.

Now weve got two martyrs. Thats how the two opposing sides are going to want to spin it, she added, referring to Danielson and Reinoehl.

April Reinoehl said she wouldnt be surprised if her estranged brother did something that prompted federal officers to open fire.

He always acted impulsively letting the worst emotions guide his actions, and then hed try to rationalize afterwards. So Im not surprised he got himself killed. Im surprised a police officer did it, she said.

Im relieved and also disappointed by that. At least it wasnt vigilante justice that got him, because I think that would actually be worse. It would feed the violence a lot more.
Im not running in a personality contest here, so I really dont care if she likes me or not. Im here to represent the members of this Police Department and thats what Im going to continue to do, Catanzara said. She has an obligation to work with me just like I have an obligation to work with her, personality interests aside. And she doesnt want to negotiate in the press but yet she certainly takes every opportunity she could over this summer to throw jabs at the Police Department, trying to talk about everything from discipline to obviously funding, now the possibility of not replacing officers as they retire, which is absolutely ridiculous.
Ralph Kohler and Dorothy Redding met as teenagers in Nebraska and fell in love. They were married on September 17, 1935 at a courthouse in Tekamah after one judge the day before refused to do so. Pictured: The Kohlers in 2018

A couple are reaching a milestone not many do: celebrating their 85th wedding anniversary.

Ralph and Dorothy Kohler, ages 102 and 100, respectively, were just teenagers when they married on September 17, 1935, at the Burt County Courthouse in Tekamah, Nebraska

WOWT-TV reports that he was just 17 and she was 16 and, because of their ages, the first judge they found wouldn't marry them. The second judge did.

'Everybody said it would never last,' Ralph told the station. 'You don't ever think you'd make it. We did. That's the main thing,'

According to the Omaha World-Herald, Ralph and Dorothy (nee Redding) met as teenagers in Nebraska and quickly fell in love.

When Ralph learned Dorothy's family had plants to move to Colorado, he asked her to marry him.

They appeared before a judge at a courthouse in Tekamah, on September 16, 1935, but he refused to marry them, even though Dorothy's mother was with the pair, according to The View.

'You are just too young,' he told them.

Ralph credits longevity in life and marriage to healthy habits. Neither of them has ever drunk alcohol or smoked. Pictured: Ralph and Dorothy cut a cake for their 85th anniversary

One of the keys to their marriage, they say, is taking up each other's hobbies: Ralph took up ballroom dancing and Dorothy took up shooting clay targets (pictured)

The couple celebrated their 60th anniversary (above) by renewing their vows. They have three children, seven grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren

However, the next day, they found another judge who married them with both of their mothers present.

US Census Bureau data states that only six percent of Americans couples reach their 50th, or golden, anniversary - putting the Kohlers in a rare category.

Ralph credits longevity in life and marriage to healthy habits. Neither of them has ever drunk alcohol or smoked.

'I cooked, and he liked to eat,' Dorothy told WOWT-TV.

'Love for one thing, and we enjoy the same thing. And if we didn't, we accepted it,' Ralph added.

Dorothy became a trap shooting national champion in 1952 and the couple has won more than 300 awards as ballroom dancers (above)

They also grew to enjoy their spouse's passions. Ralph took up ballroom dancing and Dorothy took up shooting clay targets.

To say she took it up sells her short. Dorothy became a trap shooting national champion in 1952.

As for ballroom dancing, the couple has won more than 300 awards, even being crowned champions of the Las Vegas Gold Bar Competition, The View states.

For their sixtieth anniversary, they renewed their vows in front of family and friends,

In 2014, when the couple was in their 90s, they moved to California to be close to their youngest daughter, Kay Burden, one of their three children.

According to The View, their second oldest, daughter Jeannie, also lives in California while their eldest, son Max, lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The couple also have seven grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren, the World-Herald reports.

Ralph says one of the keys to the long-lasting marriage is to resolve conflict quickly.

'If we ever had a problem, I agreed to it. That's the best way to get out of them,' he told WOWT-TV.
An asylum seeker who received top grades in his A-levels has said he cannot take up his place at Queen's University because he is not eligible for a student loan or grant.

Arezki Yachir has been living in and attending school in north Belfast since his family moved from Algeria in 2014.

He received two A* grades and an A grade in his A-levels, according to BBC News NI.

He was refused leave to remain in the UK when he turned 18 and has appealed to the Immigration Tribunal against that decision. The appeal is still ongoing.

Following his A-level results, Mr Yachir was accepted by Queen's University to study criminology and was due to begin his course on Monday, 21 September.

But the Education Authority (EA) has told him as the Home Office has said that he is "liable to be detained" as "a person without leave", he is not eligible for a tuition fee loan or maintenance loan.

"I've lived here for quite a while now and not being able to go to university, not being able to do anything until I get residency or something like that, it's very sad and mentally it's tough as well," Mr Yachir told BBC News NI.

Mr Yachir was accepted to Queen's but he told BBC News NI that he cannot take it up without a tuition fee loan and living costs loan.

"The Education Authority, they can't really help me financially to go to university because as an asylum seeker, as a person with no status in the UK they can't really help me - but I'm not blaming them because they're just doing their job.

"I just think it's a bit sad that I can't go to university and keep on going with my education.

"I need either a student visa or residency and my court was still pending because of Covid for residency so right now I'm left in no situation," Mr Yachir said.

"I was supposed to start university next week and now, you know, I can't go anymore so it's a waste of a year - I'm pretty sad about it.

"I was young when I moved here so I feel at home."

Mr Yachir's solicitor, Brian Moss of Worthington's Law in Belfast, is challenging the decision not to award him student funding, according to BBC News NI.

The EA told BBC News NI it could not discuss individual cases but if circumstances changed then applications for funding could be assessed for eligibility again.

The EA also said that Student Finance NI worked with students and the Home Office to obtain all the relevant documentation to help assess applications for eligibility for funding.

If you would like to donate to Mr Yachir's tuition fees, you can do so here
critic's rating: 3.5/5

Trailer : Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare

Dolly (Konkona Sen Sharma) is seemingly happily married to Amit (Aamir Bashir). They live in Noida and plan to move to a swankier home soon. Her cousin Kitty (Bhumi Pednekar) comes to live with them from Bihar but thanks to Amits lecherous ways, moves out soon in a shady PG and starts working in a company which specialises in friendship chats. She finds a bohemian spirit (Kubra Sait) as her flatmate and opens up somewhat about life. Shes disgusted by the work she has to do but soon finds solace in one customer Pradeep (Vikrant Massey) whom she meets up for a liaison. Dolly, who considers herself frigid and whose marriage is on the rocks because of that, hooks up with a delivery boy (Amol Parashar) and discovers her sexuality. She tries to patch up with her mother (Neelima Azim) who had run off with a lover, leaving her kid behind but the rapprochement doesnt go as planned. Meanwhile, her younger son is going through an identity crisis of sortsIts a layered satire on the hypocrisy surrounding female sexuality. Theres a scene near the end of the screen where right-wing goons tear apart a sculpture representing the female genitalia. That, in sum, explains how even today the patriarchy is scared to bring about female sexuality out in the open. In another scene, when Amit accuses Dolly of infidelity, she retorts that hes someone who has been using an app to indulge in sex chats with strangers on a daily basis. And ironically, Amits ire is aroused when he learns that Kitty is working for the same chat service. The film is a journey of self-discovery for both the leads. Dolly finds out that she isnt frigid. Shes just been carrying the enormous guilt of not being a virgin before marriage. Her affair makes her free of it. And heartbreak teaches Kitty that love and sex are two different things. She too awakes from the nightmare of self-pity and denial and becomes a more confident self who now sees no shame in her profession and even proposes that a similar service should be started for women as well.The film also bats for the safety of women. In a fleeting scene, we see a bus-conductor cajoling Kitty to come on board, and in another scene, uncouth passengers in an SUV harass her. Dolly, who works in a small office, makes tea for her domineering boss every day. And one day, she makes it just for herself and sips it contentedly, putting him in place with the gesture. Dolly recognises her younger son is different. She initially reacts by beating him but later understands that like her, hes also been discovering himself and vows to support him in his journey. Apart from these obvious concerns, the film also takes potshots at the middle-class obsession of buying a bigger flat, of having air-conditioned homes or working in a respectable job.The climax is somewhat rushed. And some scenes do have excess melodrama. But overall the screenplay brings to you a big bite of reality. Director Alankrita Shrivastava has been wise in her choice of actors. Both Bhumi and Konkona make you feel youre watching Kitty and Dolly and not two actors essaying their roles. They share an easy camaraderie and give off the feel of cousins who have been close since childhood. Though they bicker and fight, theyre there for each other when the time comes. Kudos to both on a job well done. It was nice to see Neelima Azim on screen after so much time. She sparkles in her two-minute scene. The rest of the supporting cast have done their bits nicely as well.Alankrita, who was made famous by the dark comedy Lipstick Under My Burkha, adds another feather in her cap with the present film. Watch it for the issues it raises, as also for some refined acting displayed by the entire cast.
Advertisement

When it is dark for more than 100 days in the depths of the bone-chilling Arctic winter, even the polar bears want to get into the Svalbar  one of the most northerly pubs in the world.

Located in a former mining town on Svalbard, just 650 miles from the North Pole, this unique bar and restaurant has been feeding and watering Arctic and wilderness explorers for over a decade.

With winter temperatures locked at minus 18 degrees Celsius for weeks on end, the pub has a captive audience among the 3,000 permanent residents and 70,000 tourists who visit Svalbard, the Arctic island archipelago set among the roaring seas between Norway and the top of the world. And now the bar is up for sale - and it's expected to sell for a cool one million euros (900,000).

The Svalbar, pictured, is one of the most northerly pubs in the world - and now it's up for sale

You must like excitement and have a good portion of adventurous spirit to run a bar on Svalbard, owner John-Einar Lockert said

The new owner will need to keep customers spirits up - human and bear  while the Northern Lights swirl through the long winter nights, and refresh them after snowmobile safaris during the 24-hour summer days.

You must like excitement and have a good portion of adventurous spirit to run a bar on Svalbard, owner John-Einar Lockert explained.

It is an exciting place to run a bar and we have a flourishing night-life and culture scene.

Despite being located in the centre of the archipelagos main town of Longyearbyen, the bar is on a route regularly patrolled by some of the 3,000 polar bears who call the Arctic islands home.

Other less dangerous wildlife within a short snowmobile ride away include reindeer herds, arctic foxes, sea birds, arctic geese and walruses. And the islands fjords are packed with whales.

Despite being located in the centre of the archipelagos main town of Longyearbyen, Svalbar is on a route regularly patrolled by some of the 3,000 polar bears who call the Arctic islands home

Longyearbyen is one of the most northern settlements on the planet and temperatures here sit at -18C for weeks on end

Husky dog-sleigh safaris are also popular.

The Northern Lights  an atmospheric phenomenon of swirling colours  grace the clear Arctic skies from October to February.

The polar bear came to the bar last year, during the night, John-Einar explained. He walked past the bar and looked in the window.

It was a cold night and he was probably looking for a warm place to have something to eat. He could smell the food.

It was lucky that we were closed.

He joked: Everyone is welcome in the bar, but the polar bears must stay outside.

John-Einar said that a polar bear looked in through the window of the pub last year

'Everyone is welcome in the bar, but the polar bears must stay outside,' quipped John-Einar

Comfort food: A Svalbar burger and chips dish

While part of the Kingdom of Norway, Svalbard has its own government and has tax-free status.

John-Einar added: The Svalbar is the local watering hole for many of the permanent residents and its also quite popular amongst the tourists.

I am guessing it is because we have both the pub and an eatery.

And because there are no taxes on Svalbard a glass of beer costs 50 Norwegian Kroner [4.25] about a third of the price of a bar in Oslo [Norways capital].'

Longyearbyen enjoys all the modern conveniences of any Norwegian city, but residents need special skills to live at the latitude of 73 degrees north.

John-Einar explained: There are some skills you must learn if you live on Svalbard.

You must know how to shoot a gun to protect yourself from polar bears.

It is winter from November to May or June and you need to know how to ride a snowmobile. It is the only way to get around in the snow.

It is an exciting place to live and work in, with a unique community and wonderful nature.

Europes most northerly landmass, the Svalbard archipelago, was probably first discovered by Viking explorers but was not settled until the 17th century when it was used as a staging post by whalers who plundered the rich oceans for the valuable sea mammals.

Huge coal deposits were discovered at the end of the 19th century and in the 20th century British, American, Norwegian and Russian mining operations excavated the precious mineral for decades.

Now the islands main revenue is Arctic adventure tourism, with more than 70,000 visitors last year [2019].

John-Einar explained: Svalbard is a wonderful place.

John-Einar is pictured here with his son in front of a herd of walruses. John-Einar describes Svalbard as a 'wonderful place'

Longyearbyen is 650 miles from the North Pole. Its residents endure over 100 days of darkness a year

I moved there as a kid because my parents got work there and I went with them.

I went back to the mainland [of Norway] to study but returned and started up the Svalbar in 2007.

Longyearbyen is a lovely place to live. The people are very open-minded, out-going and friendly. Its really easy to meet people.

It is dark for three months of the year - December, January and February - but there are lots of cultural events to keep peoples spirits up.

I am leaving the bar, it is time for me to do something else, but I could never leave Svalbard, it is my home.
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Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Medan  Fri, September 18, 2020 16:00 490 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c45b64d2 1 National Medan,regional-elections,simultaneous-elections,coronavirus,COVID-19,pandemic Free

The North Sumatra National Movement to Safeguard the Ulema Fatwa (GNPF) has filed a lawsuit against the General Elections Commission (KPU) and the Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) demanding the two state bodies postpone the upcoming regional elections in Medan.

The class action lawsuit was filed by 10 members of the GNPF at the Medan District Court on Wednesday.

The head of the GNPF's regional elections working group in North Sumatra, Tumpal Panggabean, said Medan had seen a rising trend in new COVID-19 cases in the last three months, which made regional elections unfeasible.

"The number of new COVID-19 cases in Medan is increasing every day, the city had been declared as a level 3 red zone," Tumpal told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

"If [the government] insists on carrying out the regional elections on Dec. 9 as planned, it's almost certain the elections will become a horror scene," he added.

Tumpal explained that, based on World Health Organization guidelines, the government needed to meet six criteria before conducting elections amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"[According to the WHO,] the government needs to prove that the outbreak is already under control and that the transmission risks have been lowered. The Medan administration has not met these criteria," he said.

Tumpal argued that conducting elections amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases was an act against the law.

"What's the use of regional elections if it inflicts casualties? Don't make the elections a killing machine for Medan residents," he said.

According to Tumpal, Medan mayoral candidates took a large entourage with them upon registering for the elections at the Medan KPU office.

"Who can guarantee that there is no COVID-19 transmission [at the event]. That is our main concern at the moment," he said.

The head of the Medan General Elections Commission (KPUD), Agussyah Damanik, said he would soon coordinate with the North Sumatra KPUD and the National Elections Commission regarding the lawsuit.

"We don't have the authority to postpone the elections, we're only carrying out the law and KPU regulations on simultaneous regional elections. Only the National Elections Commission has the authority to put off the elections, he said. (nal)
(Natural News) NEW YORK CITY, September 17, 2020 (Thomas More Society)  Undercover journalist David Daleiden is turning the tables on abortion giant Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) with a defamation lawsuit filed in New York federal district court on September 17, 2020.

Represented by the Thomas More Society, Daleiden is taking the abortion giant to task for telling the media that he and The Center for Medical Progress manufacture[d] and created a false smear campaign by releasing videos showing clear evidence of high-level Planned Parenthood officials candidly discussing the PPFA networks participation in illegal harvesting and selling of aborted fetal body parts. PPFAs statements are provably false and betray their own admissions about the veracity of the videos.

Daleiden has been a target of Planned Parenthood since the 2015 release of his investigative videos exposed the abortion companys apparent involvement in illegal aborted baby body parts trafficking. Daleidens undercover research into abortion industry fetal tissue sales spurred Congressional investigations into Planned Parenthood and its business partners and instigated a national public outcry to Defund Planned Parenthood. Congressional probes and multi-pronged legal action resulted in the severing of services to Planned Parenthood by their one-time biowaste disposal company, Stericycle. Court testimony in lawsuits and hearings related to Daleidens investigation revealed shocking details about the lengths to which abortion providers are willing to go to make a profit off of the babies they abort.

In the wake of the negative publicity, Planned Parenthood has filed lawsuits and levied public accusations at Daleiden, including a steady stream of misleading claims and disingenuous narrative. Yet Planned Parenthood has scrupulously avoided putting the veracity of Daleidens videos on trial in a court of law, where it has even stipulated that the words used by Planned Parenthood officials in the videos indeed were spoken by those persons. But in the court of public opinion, Planned Parenthood has taken a different approach, calling the videos manufactured and false. These statements are clearly false and actionable in court.

According to Tom Brejcha, president and chief counsel of the Thomas More Society, Planned Parenthood is not content to make obscene financial profit by killing off Americas next generation and endangering pregnant women. Additionally, they feel that they must obliterate the reputation of anyone who dares to challenge them and suggest that what they are doing is not the great philanthropic work that they pretend it is. Planned Parenthoods very existence is an anathema to Americas pursuit of the most basic of human rights and they know it. We have not been surprised over their campaign to smear the reputation of Mr. Daleiden, but they are not allowed to falsely besmirch his reputation for exposing the truth.

Instead of coming clean about its ruthless pursuit of profit from selling the remains of aborted children, Planned Parenthood tried to smear David Daleiden, the man who blew the whistle on its dirty secret, said Peter Breen, Vice President and Senior Counsel for the Thomas More Society. In its earlier lawsuit against David and the Center for Medical Progress, Planned Parenthood fought to avoid scrutiny of its illegal fetal tissue trafficking. This new lawsuit puts Planned Parenthoods grisly business practices front and center, to prove the truth of the conclusions of Davids investigation, which were also confirmed and echoed by the United States Congress and other government officials.

Daleidens lawsuit zeroes in on a false statement issued by Planned Parenthood Federation of America Senior Vice President of Communication and Culture Melanie Newman on September 18, 2019, in which she told Rewire News that Daleiden and The Center for Medical Progress manufacture[d] a fake smear campaign against Planned Parenthood.

The filing also names a November 15, 2019, tweet posted by Planned Parenthood Federation of America on their official Twitter feed that said Daleiden and others associated with The Center for Medical Progress created a false smear campaign against Planned Parenthood.

The lawsuit assures that the Daleiden undercover videos, as shown in court and admitted by Planned Parenthood itself, have truly and accurately recorded Planned Parenthood officials own shocking words spoken in real life.

Read the Verified Complaint and Jury Demand filed by the Thomas More Society on behalf of David Daleiden and The Center for Medical Progress in the lawsuit, The Center for Medical Progress and David Daleiden v. Planned Parenthood Federation of America at The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on September 17, 2020, here .

Background on the Thomas More Societys defense of David Daleiden for his expose of Planned Parenthoods alleged participation in trafficking baby body parts can be found here.

Read more at: LifeSiteNews.com
MEXICO CITY - President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador denied Friday that his administration has hurt freedom of expression in Mexico, as claimed this week in an open letter signed by hundreds of people, including dozens of well-known intellectuals.

The group objected to Lopez Obradors frequent accusations that those who disagree with him are frivolous or have financial or ideological ties to private interests or conservative groups.

The president has publicized some media outlets lucrative deals with past administrations, calling them wasteful. But the intellectuals say the tone of the attacks has damaged press freedom.

Lopez Obrador said Friday he has not censored anyone and does not intend to do so.

We are not going to censor anybody, we are not going to persecute anybody. They are always going to have all their freedoms guaranteed, Lopez Obrador said of the signers of the letter.

But at the same time, he added, this group always supported neoliberal policies and now they feel offended, when what they should be doing is apologizing for having stood by and done nothing while the country was looted.

The letter claims that freedom of expression is under siege in Mexico, and with that, democracy is threatened.

President Lopez Obrador uses the rhetoric of stigmatizing and defaming those who he calls his adversaries, the letter continues. This offends the public, degrades public discourse and debases the office of the presidency, which should use the language of tolerance.

The group also cited government legal threats against media outlets, though there has been only one big case. In August the government announced a fine of $45,000 against a magazine that has long been critical of Lopez Obrador, and it banned federal agencies from advertising in the magazine for two years.

The federal comptrollers office argued the magazine presented false documentation while trying to get paid for a public health promotional ad that a previous administration ran in the magazine in 2018. Press groups called the fine excessive, noting the magazine billed less than $3,000 for the ad.

Jan-Albert Hootsen, the Mexico representative of the Committee to Protect Journalists, said the presidents verbal volleys are concerning.

Expressions that stigmatize are very damaging for freedom of expression and the incentive to commit violence against journalists and intellectuals is large, Hootsen said.

Hootsen noted that 15 journalists have been killed in Mexico since Lopez Obrador took office on Dec. 1, 2018. In the six years of the previous administration, 39 were killed.

This administration is not carrying out the kind of direct censorship that was done under previous administrations, and that is good, Hootsen said. But violence against the press is at the same level, or higher.

Read more about:
ANSAmed - Weekly diary from September 21 to September 27

(ANSAmed) - ROME, SEPTEMBER 18 - The following are the main events scheduled in the Euro-Mediterranean area between September 21 to September 27: MONDAY SEPTEMBER 21 BRUSSELS - EU Foreign Affairs ministers meeting, TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 22 BRUSSELS - EU General Affairs ministers meeting, RIYADH - Videoconference of G20 trade ministers.



RABAT - Trial against journalist Omar Radi, charged with rape and foreign funding, begins.



WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 23 BRUSSELS - European Commission to present its new pact on migration and asylum.



PODGORICA (MONTENEGRO) - First parliament session after election.



ALGIERS - Verdict on trial of the three Kouninef brothers, believed to be close to Said Bouteflika, who are on trial for corruption.



THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 24 BRUSSELS - European Council meeting (also 25/9).



SALINA (AEOLIAN ISLANDS) - SalinaDocFest for narrative documentaries to begin (until 26/9) .



PARIS - Global launch of the World Nuclear Report 2020 on progress in the global nuclear industry.



FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 25 No major events scheduled SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 26 NO major events scheduled SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 27 NO major events scheduled (ANSAmed).




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The residents of a famous century-old alley in Ho Chi Minh City have begun turning away visitors to the neighborhood who merely seek to snap photos.

Hao Si Phuong Alley in District 5, one of the citys oldest alleyways, is home to a thriving community of Chinese-Vietnamese residents who have lived in its two-story residential blocks for more than a century.

In recent years, however, the neighborhoods peaceful vibe has fallen by the wayside as local and foreign tourists have begun snapping selfies afront the alleys unique Chinese architecture.

The alley has even become popular amongst couples looking for a quirky backdrop to shoot their pre-wedding photos.

Unfortunately, the alleys residents are not too thrilled by its popularity.

Lately, visitors have been met with disapproving looks by locals and signs banning photography.

One staircase leading to the residential blocks second story even hosts a sign that reads, "Please dont record videos or take photos here. Thank you!

According to residents, the problems arose when visitors began taking photos in risque outfits while making inappropriate poses in front of local households.

Things only spiraled out of control when film production crews from around the country started choosing it as a spot to film various scenes.

These visitors, residents say, often make noise, litter, and argue with locals.

A view from a balcony at a residential block at Hao Si Phuong Alley on Tran Hung Dao Street in District 5, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Quang Dinh / Tuoi Tre

Unfortunately, stories like this are not uncommon in Vietnam.

In Da Lat  the capital city of Lam Dong Province and one of the Central Highlands major tourist hubs  the Da Lat Childrens House has closed its doors to visitors since 2018 to avoid the unwanted consequences of their photography, such as littering and damage to the facility.

The owners of a flower field spanning more than four hectares in Xuan Hai Commune, located in Ninh Hai District of the south-central province of Ninh Thuan, also turned their backs on visitors only four days after opening. Many flower beds had been trampled by the visitors.

Likewise, authorities in Da Lat had to put up a warning sign banning photography at the Nha Bo slope on Dao Duy Tu Street after visitors began causing traffic congestion while taking photos at the site.

Many other hot spots across Vietnam have also suffered from similar unchecked tourism trends.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
- Passaris took to Twitter to show support for Anita Nderu hours after she came out of the closet saying she is a member of the LGBTQ community

- The lawmaker urged netizens to fight homophobia against people who are members of the community

- Netizens took to her comment section to share their views and they were clearly divided on the matter

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Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris has taken to social media to show support for media personality Anita Nderu.

Passaris took to Twitter to defend Nderu after she came out as a member of the LGBTQ community.

READ ALSO: Mpango wa kando pushes man's wife into pool after they were caught chilling at a hotel

READ ALSO: Muigai wa Njoroge, his 2 wives share cake with needy kids on daughter's birthday

In her post, Passaris urged people to fight against the negative attitude and comments thrown towards people who are of different sexuality.

"We must all commit unreservedly to the fight against homophobia and prejudice," she said.

READ ALSO: Premier League enters second week with 3 candidates up for title, it's early for Chelsea

Esther Passaris backs under fire Anita Nderu over LGBTQ comments. Photo: Esther Passaris.

Source: Facebook

After the media personality came out as gay, netizens took to the comment section with divided opinions.

Some supported her while others criticised her for opening up, something that triggered the Nairobi lawmaker to comment on the matter.

READ ALSO: Basi la serikali lashika moto likisafirisha wagonjwa wa Covid-19

Netizens took to Passaris's comment section to give their views on the matter.

While some supported her, a section of tweeps opposed the idea.

A tweep identified as Mulidenno hailed Nderu and Passaris for boldly standing for same sex saying the Kenyan society is way backward.

"Future generations will be better. Right now the wider Kenyan society is way too myopic and backward. Especially the one's steeped in religious bigotry. They persecute while opposing persecution. You are on the right side of history," wrote Mulidenno.

READ ALSO: Radio presenter Muthee Kiengei says men cheat in lodgings and clean up before going home

READ ALSO: Couple builds own house after bank rejects home loan

Nderu on Thursday, September 17, shocked Kenyans online after disclosing she belongs to the LGBTQ community.

In a short tweet, she alleged LGBTQ members have been suffering a lot.

She claimed she had gone through a lot for just being different and prayed that her children do not go through the same because of their choices.

''I hope my kids never have to go through what I have gone through for being LGBTQ+,'' she wrote.

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Apartments with over 3 Covid cases to be containment zones for 7 days: Check BBMP's full guidelines

Mid-Air collision of two IndiGo flights averted at Bengaluru airport; DGCA to probe, take strict action

2 cops deputed for CM Bommai's security held for trying to 'extort' money from drug peddlers

Malware targets 100 govt computers in major breach, email from Bengaluru firm is suspect

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Sep 18: In a major security breach, more than 100 computers of the National Informatics Centre (NIC), were compromised in early September after a major security breach.

According to the reports, an employee at MeitY said he was unable to access his email and that there was something amiss.

US looks out for 5 super hackers from China who attacked Indian govt websites

The Delhi Police have registered a case on the complaint of the National Informatics Centre (NIC) about a suspected malware attack after one of its staffers faced difficulty in accessing his official email account on a computer.

An email was sent to the official ID of an NIC staffer and when the receiver clicked on the link, it appeared that malware had set in on that particular computer, a senior police officer said, adding the NIC claimed there is no loss of data.

The FIR was registered in the first week of September on the complaint of the NIC, following which the Delhi Police investigated the matter and has identified the source, he said.

However, police said they cannot disclose the source yet as they are proceeding further in their investigation.

The reports being carried in certain sections of the media about widespread cyber intrusion involving high offices are unsubstantiated and do not reflect the current stage of investigation, police said in a statement.

The National Informatics Centre (NIC) of the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology is providing network backbone and e-governance support to central and state governments, UT administrations, districts and other government bodies.

In a statement, Additional PRO of Delhi Police Anil Mittal said, "A government employee had recently reported that he was having difficulty in accessing his official email account by the NIC which was lying unused for some weeks."

After Akali Dal now JJP's Dushyant Chautala under pressure over farm bills row | Oneindia News

"It was found by the NIC that there was an attempted breach by unidentified cyber actors -- a kind of regular activity over cyberspace which was, however, detected by its robust cybersecurity systems," he added.

Mittal said as an abundant precaution, a formal investigation into the matter has been launched and a case registered at the Delhi Police's Special Cell.

According to news agency PTI, in June, days after the Galwan incident, the Telecom Department told state-run firms MSNL and BSNL to avoid using Chinese equipment in upgrading their 4G facilities.

Allegations that Chinese firms operating in foreign countries are secretly spying on citizens of those nations have also been made by the US, which put Huawei on a blacklist in May citing national security concerns.
The two flights were received with water salutes

Sharm El-Sheikh International Airport received on Thursday an Air Cairo flight from Armenia carrying 52 passengers, the first flight from Armenia since Egypt reopened its airspace to regular flights in July.

The passengers included a media delegation and several Armenian tour operators.

Air Cairo, which is run by the civil aviation ministry, will operate three flights weekly on the same route.

Also on Thursday, Borg Al-Arab Airport in Alexandria received a flight from Milan operated by low-cost airline Wizz Air, the first such flight between the Italian city and the Egyptian coastal town.

A total of 180 passengers were on board.

The European airline will operate three weekly flights between the cities.

Both flights were received with water salutes at the airport, with officials providing all necessary facilitation to finalize passengers' arrival procedures, amid strict adherence to preventive measures against the coronavirus.

Since the resumption of flights in July, foreign tourists in tour groups have been allowed entry into three coastal Egyptian governorates: Red Sea, Marsa Matrouh and South Sinai.

Egypt requires travellers arriving in the country to present a negative PCR lab test result certificate for the coronavirus.

However, travellers entering Egypt at any of four airports in the Red Sea governorate and South Sinai can take a coronavirus test upon arrival.

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The nerve agent used to poison Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was detected on an empty water bottle from his hotel room in the city of Tomsk - suggesting he was poisoned there and not at the airport as originally thought, his team has said.

Mr Navalny fell violently ill on a flight in Russia last month and was airlifted to Berlin for treatment.

Laboratories in Germany, France and Sweden have established he was poisoned by a Novichok nerve agent, a poison developed by the Soviet military.

Russia denies this and says it has seen no evidence.

A video posted on Mr Navalny's Instagram account showed members of his team searching the room he had left in the Xander Hotel in Tomsk on August 20, an hour after they learned he had fallen sick in suspicious circumstances.

"It was decided to gather up everything that could even hypothetically be useful and hand it to the doctors in Germany. The fact the case would not be investigated in Russia was quite obvious," the post said.

The video of the abandoned hotel room shows two water bottles on a desk, and another on a bedside table. Navalny's team, wearing protective gloves, are seen placing items into blue plastic bags.

"Two weeks later, a German laboratory found traces of Novichok precisely on the bottle of water from the Tomsk hotel room," the post said.

"And then more laboratories that took analyses from Alexei confirmed that that was what poisoned Navalny. Now we understand: it was done before he left his hotel room to go to the airport."

Previously, Mr Navalny's aides said they suspected he had been poisoned with a cup of tea he drank at the airport.

Vladimir Milov, a former deputy energy minister and an ally of Mr Navalny, said his team had outmanoeuvred the FSB security police with their quick thinking: "They took the evidence from under their noses and shipped it out of the country," Mr Milov said.

Mr Navalny's ally Georgy Alburov told Reuters "the bottles flew with Alexei" when he was airlifted to Germany on August 22.

Germany has asked for help in investigating the alleged poisoning.

Mr Navalny is the most prominent political opponent of President Vladimir Putin, even though he has not been allowed to form his own party.

His investigations of official corruption, on YouTube and Instagram, have reached many millions across Russia.
As evidence mounts that the gold standard test for detecting COVID-19 is unreliable, why are health officials around the world calling for more tests?

In the months since the COVID-19 panic began health authorities around the world have told the public to get tested to help track the spread of SARS-CoV-2. However, as fear and hysteria subside, the scientific community and public at large are calling into question the efficacy of the test used to determine a patients status. This article is a brief examination of the evidence that the PCR test is unreliable and should not be used as a determinant for the number of COVID-19 cases or as a factor in political decisions.

Houston Health Authority Has Concerns About PCR Test

On August 31, I attended a press conference in Houston to ask the Mayor and Houston Health Authority about reports regarding problems with the Texas Department of State Health Services numbers on COVID-19 cases. TLAV has previously reported on these concerns with the COVID-19 case numbers in Texas. I also had a chance to ask Houston Health Authority Dr. David Persse about concerns around the test used to detect COVID-19.

The most common test is a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) lab test. This incredibly sensitive technique was developed by Berkeley scientist Kary Mullis, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1993. The test is designed to detect the presence of a virus by amplifying the virus genetic material so it can be detected by scientists. The test is viewed as the gold standard, however, it is not without problems.

The PCR test uses chemicals to amplify the viruss genetic material and then each sample goes through a number of cycles until a virus is recovered. This cycle threshold has become a key component in the debate around the efficacy of the PCR test.

Dr. Persse says that when the labs report numbers of COVID-19 cases to the City of Houston they only offer a binary option of yes for positive or no for negative. But, in reality, it comes in what is called cycle-thresholds. Its an inverse relationship, so the higher the number the less virus there was in the initial sample, Persse explained. Some labs will report out to 40 cycle-thresholds, and if they get a positive at 40  which means there is a tiny, tiny, tiny amount of virus there  that gets reported to us as positive and we dont know any different.

Persse noted that the key question is, at what value is someone considered still infectious?

Because if you test me and I have a tiny amount of virus, does that mean I am contagious? that I am still infectious to someone else? If you are shedding a little bit of virus are you just starting? or are you on the downside?, Dr. Persse asked in the lobby of Houston City Hall. He believes the answer is for the scientific community to set a national standard for cycle-threshold.

Unfortunately, a national standard would not solve the problems expressed by Dr. Persse and others.

UK Parliament and Scientists Have Concerns About PCR Test

In the first weeks of September a number of important revelations regarding the PCR test have come to light. First, new research from the University of Oxfords Center for Evidence-Based Medicine and the University of the West of England found that the PCR test poses the potential for false positives when testing for COVID-19. Professor Carl Heneghan, one of the authors of the study, Viral cultures for COVID-19 infectivity assessment  a systematic review, said there was a risk that an increase in testing in the UK will lead to an increase in the risk of sample contamination and thus an increase in COVID-19 cases.

The team reviewed evidence from 25 studies where virus specimens had positive PCR tests. The researchers state that the genetic photocopying technique scientists use to magnify the sample of genetic material collected is so sensitive it could be picking up fragments of dead virus from previous infections. The researchers reach a similar conclusion as Dr. David Persse, namely that, A binary Yes/No approach to the interpretation RT-PCR unvalidated against viral culture will result in false positives with segregation of large numbers of people who are no longer infectious and hence not a threat to public health.

Heneghan, who is also the the editor of BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine, told the BBC that the binary approach is a problem and tests should have a cut-off point so small amounts of virus do not lead to a positive result. This is because of the cycle threshold mentioned by Dr. Persse. A person who is shedding an active virus and someone who has leftover infection could both receive the same positive test result. He also stated that the test could be detecting old virus which would explain the rise in cases in the UK. Heneghan also stated that setting a standard for the cycle threshold would eliminate the quarantining and contact tracing of people who are healthy and help the public better understand the true nature of COVID-19.

The UKs leading health agency, Public Health England, released an update on the testing methods used to detect COVID-19 and appeared to agree with Professor Heneghan regarding the concerns on the cycle threshold. On September 9, PHE released an update which concluded, all laboratories should determine the threshold for a positive result at the limit of detection.

This is not the first time Heneghans work has directly impacted the UKs COVID-19 policies. In July, UK health secretary Matt Hancock called for an urgent review of the daily COVID-19 death numbers produced by Public Health England after it was revealed the stats included people who died from other causes. The Guardian reported:

The oddity was revealed in a paper by Yoon K Loke and Carl Heneghan of the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine at Oxford University, called Why no one can ever recover from Covid-19 in England  a statistical anomaly. Their analysis suggests PHE cross-checks the latest notifications of deaths against a database of positive test results  so that anyone who has ever tested positive is recorded in the COVID-19 death statistics. A Department of Health and Social Care source said: You could have been tested positive in February, have no symptoms, then hit by a bus in July and youd be recorded as a COVID death.

Only days after Hancock called for the review of PHE data, the UK government put an immediate halt to its daily update of death numbers from COVID-19.

On September 8, Heneghan tweeted out another study on the limitations of the PCR test. The study, SARS-CoV-2 Testing: The Limit of Detection Matters, examines the limit of detection (LoD) for RNA. The researchers note similar problems with the PCR test and the cycle threshold, concluding, the ultimate lesson from these studies bears repetition: LoD matters and directly impacts efforts to identify, control, and contain outbreaks during this pandemic.

Heneghan also recently told the BMJ , one issue in trying to interpret numbers of detected cases is that there is no set definition of a case. At the moment it seems that a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) positive result is the only criterion required for a case to be recognised.

In any other disease we would have a clearly defined specification that would usually involve signs, symptoms, and a test result, Heneghan explained. We are moving into a biotech world where the norms of clinical reasoning are going out of the window. A PCR test does not equal covid-19; it should not, but in some definitions it does.

Heneghan says he is concerned that as soon as there is the appearance of an outbreak there is panic and over-reacting. This is a huge problem because politicians are operating in a non-evidence-based way when it comes to non-drug interventions, he stated.

The Evidence For False Positives Is Overwhelming

A recent report from NPR outlines the dangers of false positives with the PCR tests. Andrew Cohen, director of the Center for Research on Aquatic Bioinvasions, was hired by the state of California to study an invasion of non-native mussels. The researchers took water samples and used a PCR test to search for genetic material from the mussels. After the tests came back overwhelmingly positive, Cohen grew suspicious.



I began to realize that many of these  if not all of these  were false positives, especially when they started being reported in waters that had chemistry that would not allow the mussels to reproduce and establish themselves, he told NPR. NPR notes that, depending on the lab, there was a 2 to 8 percent false positive rate.

Once COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, Cohen said he began asking if the reports of people with absolutely no symptoms and positive PCR test results could be false positives. I began wondering whether these asymptomatic carriers werent in large part or in whole part the human counterparts of those false-positive results of quagga and zebra mussels in all those water bodies across the West, he said.

Cohen emphasized the importance of researchers taking potential false positive PCR results seriously. As near as we can tell, the medical establishment and public health authorities and researchers  appear to be assuming that the false-positive rate in in the PCR based test is zero, or at least so low that we can ignore it.

Cohen is correct that the scientific authorities need to take false positives seriously, especially when a person can be sent to isolate or quarantine for weeks due to a positive test result. Even the U.S. FDAs own fact sheet on testing acknowledges the dangers posed by false positives:

The CDC 2019-nCoV Real-Time RT-PCR Diagnostic Panel has been designed to minimize the likelihood of false positive test results. However, in the event of a false positive result, risks to patients could include the following: a recommendation for isolation of the patient, monitoring of household or other close contacts for symptoms, patient isolation that might limit contact with family or friends and may increase contact with other potentially COVID-19 patients, limits in the ability to work, the delayed diagnosis and treatment for the true infection causing the symptoms, unnecessary prescription of a treatment or therapy, or other unintended adverse effects.

A CDC fact sheet also acknowledges the possibility of false positives with the PCR test.

Professor Heneghan believes the confusion around COVID-19 has come as a result of a shift away from evidence-based medicine. In a recent opinion piece published at The Spectator, Heneghan and Tom Jefferson, a senior associate tutor and honorary research fellow at the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, University of Oxford, wrote that patients have become a prisoner of a system labelling him or her as positive when we are not sure what that label means. The two scientists offer this conclusion and warning:

Governments are producing a series of contradictory and confusing policies which have a brief shelf life as the next crisis emerges. It is increasingly clear the evidence is often ignored. Keeping up to date is a full time occupation, and the advances of the last 30 years have at best been put on hold. The duties of a good doctor include working in partnership with patients to inform them about what they want or need in a way they can understand, and respecting their rights to reach decisions with you about their treatment and care. Questions need to be asked as to how this will occur if you dont see your doctor, particularly if all you have to do is queue in at a drive in to get your answer. And ultimately what is a good test? We think its the test which helps your doctor narrow the uncertainty around the origins and management of your problem.

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In the past, our reports raising questions about the accuracy of COVID-19 tests have been met with accusations of 'fearmongering' and spreading 'misinformation'.

Over 95% of COVID Deaths recorded in England and Wales had potentially serious comorbidities, according to statistics released by NHS England.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday requested all non-BJP parties to oppose the three Bills related to the agriculture sector introduced by the Centre in the Rajya Sabha.

New Delhi [India], September 18 (ANI): Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday requested all non-BJP parties to oppose the three Bills related to the agriculture sector introduced by the Centre in the Rajya Sabha.



The three Bills of the Centre will leave the farmers for exploitation in the hands of big companies. I request all non-BJP parties to oppose the Bill unanimously in the Rajya Sabha. It must be ensured that all MPs are present and there should be no drama of walkout. The farmers of the country are watching you, he said in a tweet (Roughly translated from Hindi). Kejriwal on Thursday said that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will vote against the three bills on agriculture in the Parliament.



In a tweet in Hindi, Kejriwal had said, Three laws which have been brought into Parliament related to agriculture and farmers are against the farmers. The farmers are opposing it throughout the country. The Central government should take back these three laws. The Aam Aadmi Party will vote against them in Parliament.



Also read: Amid opposition, PM backs Farmers bill says bill will rid farmers from all obstacles

Also read: As Prez accepts Harsimrat Badals resignation, SAD set to review ties with BJP

Farmers in Punjab, Haryana have been protesting against the agriculture ordinances passed by the Union Cabinet. The three Bills to replace the ordinances were introduced in the Lok Sabha in the monsoon session and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020 was passed on Tuesday. (ANI)

Read Also: PM Modi urges people to maintain Do Gaj Ki Doori as his birthday gift
The Houston Chronicles Live Updates blog documents the latest events in the coronavirus outbreak in the Houston area, the state of Texas and across the U.S. with a focus on health and economic impacts.

The Houston Chronicles ongoing coverage is available to subscribers. Subscribe now for full access and to support our work.

Total coronavirus cases:

 702,235 cases in Texas, including 14,815 deaths.

 174,353 in the Houston region, including 3,278 deaths.

 More than 6.6 million in the U.S., including 197,615 deaths. Click here to see a U.S. map with state-by-state death tolls and the latest coronavirus case counts.

 More than 30 million in the world, with over 944,358 deaths. More than 20.4 million people have recovered. You can view the worldwide totals here.

Resources on COVID-19 and Texas' reopening: Use our interactive page to track the spread of cases through Harris County and the rest of Texas. For a detailed look at our state, check out the Chronicle's Texas Coronavirus Map. To get regular updates on our coverage, sign up for our coronavirus newsletter.

Latest updates from today:

7:30 p.m. The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Texas is now 705,998, an increase of 3,763 cases on Friday, according to a Chronicle analysis. Another 124 newly deaths were confirmed, bringing the total in the state to 14,939 statewide.

Friday's new cases were higher than 57 percent of the 191 days the Chronicle has tracked COVID. The number of new deaths on Friday was higher than 76 percent of all other days in the pandemic. The state's rolling average for new cases is now at 4,301.1.

In the Houston region, the number of cases increased by 1,020, bringing the total to 175,373. There have been 3,296 deaths in the Houston region, up 18 from Thursday.

-Reporter Matt Dempsey

4:25 p.m. After more than 45 days without a real update, Gov. Greg Abbott this week announced a new round of lifting restrictions related to the coronavirus, and he continues to endure criticism from both sides of the political aisle for his decision. Meanwhile, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick pivoted to the economy and doubled down on defending police.

In Friday's Texas Take, Scott Braddock, editor of the Quorum Report, and Houston Chronicle political writer Jeremy Wallace discuss the latest in state politics.



3:35 p.m. A Texas appeals court on Friday upheld a district court ruling that denied Attorney General Ken Paxtons request to block Harris County officials from sending mail ballot applications to the countys 2.4 million registered voters, reports Jasper Scherer.

Despite the decision, Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins remains barred from sending out the applications under a Texas Supreme Court ruling earlier this week. Paxton has sought writs of mandamus and an injunction from the high court to permanently block the mailout, both of which remained pending Friday.

The fight over mail ballots in Texas has grown increasingly partisan throughout the 2020 election cycle, as Republicans have fought Democrats efforts to expand eligibility requirements and voters weigh how to vote safely with the threat of COVID-19.

3 p.m. No more dance parties? Oh, well. For Chuck E. Cheese restaurants, there hasnt been much to celebrate in 2020 anyway until recently.

After shutting down in March, Chuck E. Cheese is open for business  at 50 percent capacity  with new procedures, products and technology in place to allow customers to enjoy the brand theyve come to know over the past four decades in other ways.

Read here to find what changes the restaurants have made to keep customers safe during the pandemic.

- Katherine Feser

2:05 p.m. The University of Houstons season opener against Baylor has been canceled because of too many positive tests for COVID-19 on the Baylor team, reports sports writer Joseph Duarte.

The Saturday game would have been a rare meeting: UH and Baylor football were scheduled to play for the first time in 25 years.

During testing, a Baylor position group unexpectedly fell below the minimum threshold to safely play the game. The Big 12 requires teams to have 53 active players for a game.

1:15 p.m. For the first Houston-area school districts to resume in-person classes, the early results for COVID-19 on campus are in: so far, mostly so good.

Eight districts that brought children back to schools in August are reporting sporadic known cases of students and staff testing positive for COVID-19, but they are avoiding the kind of outbreaks that stoked the most fear headed into the new school year.

With three to four weeks in the books, those districts are reporting about 70 active COVID-19 cases among the roughly 112,000 students and 27,000 staff members regularly traveling to campuses. While the source of those infections is not known, none of the eight districts are reporting multiple active cases at a single campus.

Those eight local districts are Alvin, Brazosport, Clear Creek, Dickinson, Friendswood, Humble and Pearland ISDs, as well as Lamar CISD. Together, the districts enrolled about 200,000 students, roughly 40 percent of whom chose to remain in online-only classes.

- Jacob Carpenter

12:15 p.m. Up to 20 percent of the Houston population may have already been infected with the novel coronavirus, according to the University of Texas COVID-19 modeling consortium. Many of those cases would have been unseen, affecting people who were asymptomatic or only mildly symptomatic.

Twenty percent isn't quite at herd immunity, the researchers told reporter Lisa Gray. Herd immunity is when a high enough proportion of the population has been infected that it really slows the spread of virus  it gets the pandemic to a point where it starts fading out on its own.

10:55 a.m. Some good news: The unemployment rate in Texas fell to 6.8 percent in August from 8 percent the previous month, reports Rebecca Carballo. This is the fourth consecutive monthly decrease and the lowest rate since March.

The Greater Houston area sits at a higher unemployment rate, however, at 8.1 percent. That's about double last year's 4.1 percent level.

10:30 a.m. Should I fly at all? What's airport security like nowadays? What can I expect, being on a plane? How sanitary are Houston's airports? (One answer: They've "never been this clean," according to the Houston Airport System spokesman.)

With travelers coming back through Houston airports, reporter Gwendolyn Wu unpacks how to fly safely during the pandemic.

10 a.m. Harris County remains at its highest threat level for COVID-19, even as the state and schools reopen, Jacob Carpenter and Mike Morris report.

While confusing to some, County Judge Lina Hidalgo says the answer is simple: The metrics her office compiled in forming the threat level system in June have not all been met.

Hospitalization trends met the countys goals weeks ago. New cases cleared that hurdle on Monday, as did the last hospital target  COVID-19 patients making up less than 15 percent of intensive care beds. The lone barrier to downgrading from red (stay home) to orange (minimize ALL contacts) is now the countys test positivity rate, which, at 7.7 percent, exceeds the 5 percent target.

9:50 a.m. Lone Star Legal Aid, a nonprofit which provides legal services to underserved people in need across Texas, on Thursday launched a new outreach program aimed at putting sexual assault survivors in touch with resources and educating the public about the nuances of sexual violence.

The effort comes as Texas continues to seeing rising numbers of domestic violence and sexual assault during the pandemic.

The Safe Space is a series of presentations on various topics related to sexual assault that will be broadcast live on Lone Star Legal Aids Facebook page the first Thursday of every month, Hannah Dellinger reports.

Topics that will be discussed in upcoming presentations include the relationship between strangulation and sexual violence, issues for male survivors, human trafficking, challenges for LGBTQ+ survivors, sexual harassment at work and teen dating violence, among others.

For more information, visit lonestarlegal.org.

9 a.m. A new Texas Supreme Court order will allow protected tenants easier access to a form that could prevent them from being evicted, according to Houston Chronicle housing reporter Sarah Smith.

All eviction citations in the state will now include a form from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, where applicable tenants swear that they make under $99,000 a year (for individuals), would be homeless or have to double up if evicted and that they have tried their best to pay rent. Covered tenants, however, still owe rent and all associated late fees.

The CDC issued an eviction halt that took effect Sept. 4, and tenants who sign the CDC form cannot be evicted through the end of 2020.

Even if a tenant signs the CDC form after an eviction has been filed, the judge must halt the eviction, according to the Texas Supreme Court order.

8:45 a.m. Texas saw another 4,421 new cases Thursday for a total of 702,235 statewide, according to a Houston Chronicle analysis of state data.

Another 92 deaths brings the fatality count to 14,815 statewide.

For the 190 days the Houston Chronicle has been releasing this data, today is roughly in the 62th percentile for cases and in the 71th percentile for deaths. This means todays new cases were higher than 62 percent of all other days in the pandemic. New deaths were higher than 71 percent of all other days in the pandemic.

The state's seven-day rolling average for new cases is now at 4381.6.

The Houston region's case count is 174,353, up 1250 from yesterday. Harris County added 911 new cases today, and is at 121,682 cases total. There have been 3,278 deaths in the Houston region, up 2 from yesterday.

The positive test rate is now at 7.02 percent, and the rolling average of viral tests is now at 50,003.

Statewide, there were 3,246 patients hospitalized for lab-confirmed COVID-19. There are 56,794 total staffed hospital beds, 11,452 beds available and 1,228 ICU beds available. There are 7,451 ventilators available.

- Stephanie Lamm
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Linkedin Alvaro Villalobos and Thomas Perroteau (Agence France-Presse) Madrid, Spain  Fri, September 18, 2020 10:45 491 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c459fa3a 2 World Spain,Madrid,coronavirus,coronavirus-restrictions,COVID-19,COVID-19-infection,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus Free

Once again at the center of a major coronavirus outbreak, the Madrid region admitted Thursday it was overwhelmed, calling for "decisive" central government action on the eve of unveiling fresh restrictions.

In a country where public health services are left in the hands of Spain's 17 autonomous regions, senior official Ignacio Aguado said it was "necessary and urgent that the Spanish government get involved, and that means decisively, in controlling the pandemic".

"The reality of the epidemic in the community of Madrid is getting worse and we need to make greater efforts," said Ignacio Aguado, vice president of the region of some 6.6 million people.

Spain is currently battling a resurgent second wave of COVID-19 although the mortality levels are far lower than they were in spring.

And once again, Madrid is the region with the worst outbreak, accounting for a third of the national figure for both infections and deaths with a level of transmission which the World Health Organization's European director has described as "alarming".

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he had summoned Isabel Diaz Ayuso, the head of the Madrid region, for an emergency meeting "to define a common strategy".

Madrid officials have warned that the region's healthcare system was coming under increasing pressure with one in five hospital beds occupied by COVID patients. So far, there are 2,850 people in hospital of whom 392 are in intensive care, regional figures show.

The latest figures show 20,987 people have been diagnosed with COVID in the past seven days and 138 people have died.

In several districts of southern Madrid and a handful of areas just outside the capital, cases have shot up with more than 1,000 cases per 100,000 inhabitants -- far above the national average of 285, which in itself is one of the highest rates in Europe.

The numbers have spiraled despite the fact that mask-wearing has long been compulsory in all public places across all of the country, with the region's admission coming just days after the start of a new school year that has been overshadowed by the fears and worries of parents and teachers.

On Friday, Madrid is to unveil a raft of restrictions on movement to slow the spread of the virus, which regional sources say will take effect either on Saturday or Monday.

Regional health chief Antonio Ruiz Escudero said the Madrid government was working on a series of measures "to restrict mobility and reduce activity in certain areas.. where the virus is most-widely transmitted".

"We are in a situation of sustained growth [in cases]," he warned.

"We have to do whatever is necessary to control the situation in Madrid" where we have "what is likely the biggest problem", Health Minister Salvador Illa said.

A new lockdown?

Thursday's admission came a day after a top regional health official raised the possibility of a fresh lockdown in the worst-hit areas.

His remarks triggered anxiety and a flurry of questions about how it could work, given that most hotspots are poor areas where most people travel to work in the city center or in other areas of the region.

"It would be bad for shops, for small businesses and little bars that survive on people coming in, for schools," said Maribel Quesada, a 55-year-old resident of Puente de Vallecas, one of the worst-hit areas.

"People are really sick of being at home, the (spring) lockdown was very difficult," she said of the three-month confinement under some of the strictest conditions in the world, with people only allowed out to buy food or medicine or for a medical emergency.

The regional authorities quickly called for calm but the measure they take will not be clear until Friday.

Spain has so far suffered more than 30,000 deaths and 600,000 cases of COVID-19, government figures show, with the numbers rising so rapidly that in one week alone, the country added around 100,000 new infections.
A Passaic County physical therapist who was being investigated by federal agents Thursday morning allegedly ran a healthcare scam that filed fraudulent Medicare and Medicaid claims, according to a federal indictment.

Since January 2019, Dr. Mahmoud Elsanaa, who lives in Wayne but practices in Brooklyn, allegedly ran a scheme where he and his associates would file Medicaid and Medicare claims for physical therapy sessions that werent necessary or never provided, according to a federal indictment filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

By filing fraudulent claims, Elsanaa and his alleged associated would be reimbursed through the state and federal healthcare programs, according to the indictment. Elsanaa is listed as a defendant, along with his office manager Olga Popovych, and two other unnamed associates, listed as individual 1 and co-conspirator 1.

The indictment charges Elsanaa, Popovych and their co-defendants with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and conspiracy to make false statements.

To cover their tracks, Elsanaa and his associates allegedly falsified patients medical records to show that they provided physical therapy when in reality they had only taken them through stretching exercises or given massages, both of which are not eligible for reimbursement, the indictment said.

The crew also falsified patients medical records to show that licensed professionals had conducted physical therapy when some of those listed were overseas or not at the medical clinic that Elsanaa and Popovych managed, the indictment said.

It was unclear if Elsanaa or his associates had hired attorneys. Calls to a number listed for Elsanaa were not immediately returned.

Hours before the indictment was unsealed, federal agents swarmed Elsanaas Lake Drive West home that sits along Packanack Lake. Along with FBI agents, agents from the Office of Inspector General, which investigates fraud and abuse in Medicare, Medicaid and other Health and Human Services programs, were on scene.

A next-door neighbor says that federal agents breached Elsanaas home around 6 a.m. Thursday morning, startling her. The neighbor said she could hear a woman and children screaming.

Selaedin Maksut, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in New Jersey, said that Elsanaa, his wife and their children were all safe. At around 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Maksut visited the home to determine what happened and spoke to a federal agent who told Maksut it was not related to anti-terrorism or immigration, he said.

Last year, Elsanaa was in the news after hanging up a sign with Arabic letters above the front entrance to his house that translated to God Bless. A letter was distributed to Packanack Lake residents calling for a meeting about the sign and deeming the house un-American.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.

Rodrigo Torrejon may be reached at rtorrejon@njadvancemedia.com.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba had a phone conversation with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates of the Kingdom of Morocco, Mr. Nasser Bourita.

According to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry's press service, Dmytro Kuleba and Nasser Burita noted the high potential for reviving a political dialogue between Ukraine and Morocco after a long break and agreed to hold political consultations between the two countries as soon as possible. The ministers also exchanged invitations to pay reciprocal visits.

The parties agreed to make efforts to hold a meeting of the Intergovernmental Joint Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation by the end of the year. Kuleba highlighted the importance of increasing trade in agricultural products, attracting investment in the modernization of port infrastructure and shipbuilding.

The ministers also noted the need for comprehensive assistance and encouragement of Moroccan students to study in Ukraine.

As a reminder, the last meeting between the foreign ministers of Ukraine and the Kingdom of Morocco took place in 2014 during the 15th Summit of the International Organization of la Francophonie in Dakar, Senegal.

The first and only meeting of the Intergovernmental Joint Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation was held in 2009, more than 10 years ago.

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FRIDAY, Sept. 18, 2020 (Healthday News) -- New details surfaced on Thursday on an unexplained neurological condition that struck a volunteer who was participating in AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine trial.

In an internal safety report obtained by CNN, company officials describe how a healthy 37-year-old woman "experienced confirmed transverse myelitis" after receiving her second dose of the vaccine. She was hospitalized on Sept. 5.

The report describes how the patient had the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine in early June and was fine. She received her second dose in late August. While out running on Sept. 2, she "had a trip [not fall] with a jolt." The report noted that she did not have any obvious injury to her spine when examined, according to CNN.

The next day, the report said, she had difficulty walking, pain and weakness in her arms, pain and reduced sensation in her torso, a headache and reduced ability to use her hands.

The report mentions twice that the woman was diagnosed with "confirmed" transverse myelitis, CNN reported. The condition, which can be triggered by viruses, causes inflammation in the spine.

No other similar cases have been diagnosed among other study volunteers, according to the report. The woman's neurologist also noted that the woman has started to feel better.

The report, dated Sept. 10, was sent out to doctors who are running the study's clinical trial sites on Sept. 11, CNN reported.

Last week, AstraZeneca announced the volunteer's "unexplained illness," and said it was pausing the trial worldwide. The British and Brazilian arms of the trial have since resumed; the U.S. arm has not.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN this week that it is "just a matter of time" before the trial resumes in the United States."

He added that he considered the participant's illness a "one-off" at this point, and that "it would be unusual to completely stop a trial on the basis of one single adverse event."

He said doctors leading the trial's U.S. sites will be told to look out for similar symptoms. "You have to be extra special careful and watch out to see if it happens again, and then if it does, it becomes an entirely different situation," he told CNN.

Coronavirus distribution plan unveiled

Meanwhile, the details of a plan to rapidly deliver a future coronavirus vaccine to Americans were unveiled by federal officials on Wednesday.

Two of the key parts of the plan are to begin distributing a vaccine with 24 hours of any approval or emergency authorization and offering the vaccine for free, The New York Times reported.

Officials from Operation Warp Speed -- the multiagency effort to quickly vaccinate Americans against coronavirus -- also said the timing of a vaccine was still unclear, the Times reported. That despite repeated statements from President Donald Trump that a shot could be ready before the election on Nov. 3.

"We're dealing in a world of great uncertainty. We don't know the timing of when we'll have a vaccine, we don't know the quantities, we don't know the efficacy of those vaccines," Paul Mango, the deputy chief of staff for policy at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, told the Times. "This is a really quite extraordinary, logistically complex undertaking, and a lot of uncertainties right now. I think the message we want you to leave with is, we are prepared for all of those uncertainties."

Who will get the vaccine first? Initial distribution of a vaccine, possibly on an emergency basis, would to a limited group of high-priority people, such as health care workers, in the final three months of this year and into next year, the Times reported. The Department of Defense is providing logistical support for shipping and storing the vaccine, and for keeping track of who has gotten a vaccine and whether they got the full two doses, the newspaper said.

To achieve this, existing databases would be linked up so that, for example, a patient who received a vaccine at a public health center in January could go to a CVS pharmacy 28 days later in another state and be assured of getting the second dose of the right vaccine, the Times reported.

Right now, three drug makers are testing vaccine candidates in late-stage trials in the United States. One of those companies, Pfizer, has said that it could apply for emergency authorization as early as October, while the other two, Moderna and AstraZeneca, have said they hope to have something before the end of the year.

In a sign that the Pfizer vaccine trials are moving along smoothly, German pharmaceutical company BioNTech, which is developing a coronavirus vaccine with Pfizer, announced Thursday it was buying a new production plant so it can ramp up production of a COVID-19 vaccine when needed, CNN reported.

The vaccine plant in Marburg, Germany, would produce tens of millions more vaccine doses a month -- pending regulatory approval, CNN reported. The plant should be up and running by the first half of 2021, BioNTech said in a statement, and the company will retain a highly skilled workforce of 300 employees following the transfer of the plant from Novartis later this year.

New Drug May Help Prevent Severe COVID

A single infusion of an experimental drug dramatically lowers levels of coronavirus in the bodies of newly infected patients and cuts their chances of hospitalization, the drug's maker reported Wednesday.

Eli Lilly's announcement did not include detailed data and hasn't been peer-reviewed or published yet, the Times reported.

The news comes from interim results of a trial sponsored by Eli Lilly and the U.S. National Institutes of Health. NIH officials would not comment on the announcement until they have seen more detailed data from the trial, the Times reported.

How does the drug work its magic? It is a monoclonal antibody, a manmade copy of an antibody produced by a patient who recovered from COVID-19, the Times reported. Scientists around the world have high hopes that that monoclonal antibodies will prove to be powerful coronavirus treatments, but they come with a caveat: They are difficult to manufacture, and would take time to produce, the Times reported.

In the trial, 452 newly diagnosed COVID patients received the monoclonal antibody or a placebo infusion. Some 1.7 percent of those who got the drug were hospitalized, compared with 6 percent of those who received a placebo -- a 72 percent reduction in risk, Eli Lilly said.

At the same time, blood levels of the coronavirus plummeted among those who received the drug, and their symptoms were fewer and milder, the Times reported.

This is the first treatment aimed at patients who are not already seriously ill and hospitalized, the newspaper added.

Dr. Myron Cohen, director of the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, told the Times he was impressed by the findings.

"It's exciting," said Cohen, who was not involved in the study. The trial appears to be rigorous, and the results are "really compelling," he added. Other monoclonal antibody drugs to combat the coronavirus are in development, he noted.

"This is the opening of a door," Cohen said.

Cases keep mounting

By Friday, the U.S. coronavirus case count passed 6.6 million as the death toll passed 197,500, according to a Times tally.

According to the same tally, the top five states in coronavirus cases as of Friday were: California with nearly 777,000; Texas with more than 710,000; Florida with over 674,000; New York with nearly 452,000; and Georgia with over 284,000.

Curbing the spread of the coronavirus in the rest of the world remains challenging.

By Friday, India's coronavirus case count had passed 5.2 million, just one month after hitting the 3 million mark, the Times reported.

More than 84,000 coronavirus patients have died in India, but when measured as a proportion of the population, the country has had far fewer deaths than many others. Doctors say this reflects India's younger and leaner population.

Still, the country's public health system is severely strained, and some sick patients cannot find hospital beds, the newspaper said. Only the United States has more coronavirus cases.

Meanwhile, Brazil posted over 4.4 million cases and nearly 135,000 deaths as of Friday, the Times tally showed.

Cases are also spiking in Russia: The country's coronavirus case count has passed 1 million, the Times reported. As of Friday, the death toll in Russia was over 19,000.

Worldwide, the number of reported infections passed 30 million on Friday, with over 946,600 deaths, according to the Hopkins tally.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on the new coronavirus.
Hasidic pilgrims stranded at a neutral section of the Ukrainian-Belarusian border near the Novi Yarylovychi checkpoint started returning en masse to Belarus, acting spokesperson for the Chernihiv border detachment of the Ukrainian State Border Guard Service Halyna Shekhovtsova has told Ukrinform.

"Yes, they are gathering and returning to Belarus. About 700 more of them are still there," she said.

Over 1,000 Hasidic Jewish pilgrims arrived at the Belarusian-Ukrainian border on September 14 and were stranded in the neutral zone between the Belarusian and Ukrainian checkpoints. They were not allowed to enter Ukraine due to the ban on the entry of foreigners until September 28 related to the prevention of the spread of COVID-19. The Novi Yarylovychi checkpoint was closed from September 16.

The pilgrims explained their arrival from Belarus to the line of the Ukrainian border by their desire to come to Uman, Cherkasy region, for the traditional celebration of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah.

The city of Uman, where the founder of the Breslov Hasidic movement, Rebbe Nachman, was buried, is a site of mass pilgrimage for followers of his teachings. In 2020, Rosh Hashanah falls on September 18-20.

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U.S. President Donald Trump and the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday disagreed about when a COVID-19 vaccine would become widely available. Trump has said one could initially be available by the Nov. 3 election, while the CDC director said vaccines were likely to reach the general public around mid-2021, an assessment more in line with most experts.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR A VACCINE TO GENERALLY AVAILABLE?

General availability is when every American who wants the vaccine can get it. There are currently no COVID-19 vaccines approved by U.S. regulators, although a handful are in late-stage trials to prove they are safe and effective.

Experts estimate that at least 70% of roughly 330 million Americans would need to be immune through a vaccine or prior infection to achieve what is known as herd immunity, which occurs when enough people are immune to prevent the spread of the virus to those unable to get a vaccine.

HOW LONG BEFORE VACCINE PRODUCTION IS FULLY RAMPED UP?

Most vaccines in development will require two doses per person.

The CDC anticipates that 35 million to 45 million doses of vaccines from the first two companies to receive authorization will be available in the United States by the end of this year. The current front runners are Pfizer Inc and Moderna Inc .

Drugmakers have been more ambitious with their calculations. AstraZeneca Plc has said it could deliver as many as 300 million doses of its experimental vaccine in the United States by as early as October. Pfizer and German partner BioNTech SE have said they expect to have 100 million doses available worldwide by the end of 2020, but did not specify how much of that was earmarked for the United States. Moderna has said it is on track to make between 500 million and 1 billion doses a year beginning in 2021.

Obtaining enough doses to inoculate everyone in the United States will likely take until later in 2021. CDC Director Robert Redfield told a congressional hearing on Wednesday that vaccines may not be widely available to everyone in the United States until the second or third quarter of next year.

WHO WOULD GET AN APPROVED VACCINE FIRST?

The CDC decision will likely broadly follow recommendations from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. The CDC has said the earliest inoculations may go to healthcare workers, people at increased risk for severe COVID-19, and essential workers.

It is unclear when a vaccine will be available for children as major drugmakers have yet to include them in late-stage trials. Pfizer and BioNTech have filed with regulators seeking to start recruiting volunteers as young as 16 for vaccine studies.

WHICH COMPANIES WILL LIKELY ROLL OUT A VACCINE QUICKLY?

Pfizer has said it could have compelling evidence that its vaccine works by the end of October. Moderna says it could have similar evidence in November. The vaccines would first need to be approved or authorized for emergency use by U.S. regulators.

Drugmakers have already started manufacturing supplies of their vaccine candidates to be ready as soon as they get the go ahead. The U.S. Department of Defense and the CDC plan to start distribution of vaccines within 24 hours of regulatory authorization.

Several drugmakers including Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Novavax Inc have all said they expect to produce at least 1 billion doses of their vaccines next year if they get regulatory authorization.

Sanofi SA and GlaxoSmithKline Plc are also working on developing a vaccine they say could be authorized next year.

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Lake Geneva poll workers will be earning a little extra money if they work during the Nov. 3 presidential election or other upcoming elections.

City officials have agreed to boost the pay for polling place workers by about $1 an hour.

Under the pay raise approved by the Lake Geneva City Council personnel committee, the salary for poll workers will increase from $8.28 an hour to $9.53 an hour. For chief election inspectors, the pay will increase from $9.31 an hour to $10.71 an hour.

The pay increases do not need approval from the full city council.

The personnel committee approved the increases Sept. 9, with support from Aldermen John Halverson and Ken Howell, while Alderman Richard Hedlund abstained because he himself has worked as a poll worker.

Aldermen Cindy Flower and Shari Straube both were absent from the meeting.

Hedlund said although he abstained from voting, he is in favor of the pay increases.

I personally consider it a public service thing more than a getting-compensated thing, Hedlund said. But if theyre going to spend the day here and theyre going to give up time from their personal relaxation, I think they should be compensated.

Halverson said he, too, believes poll workers should receive better pay, especially if they are working during the heightened public health risks of the coronavirus pandemic.

I think thats a good idea, Halverson said of the pay raises. Especially this year with COVID, its more of a challenge.

The pay increases will make Lake Geneva more comparable with what other surrounding communities pay their poll workers.

The villages of Fontana and Walworth and the town of Delavan all pay poll workers $9 an hour and chief election inspectors $10 an hour. The town of Darien pays poll workers $12 an hour and chief election inspectors $15 an hour.

Lake Geneva City Clerk Lana Kropf said the citys poll workers deserve a pay raise because they work hard during election day.

The city poll workers are amazing people, Kropf said. Theyre always willing to run to help. They are more than willing to work extra hours.

Kropf said poll workers also have to be familiar with election laws.

The level of knowledge those folks have to have is insane, she said.

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London: Julian Assange was "insistent" on redacting the names of Iraqi informants and even deployed software to remove Iraqi words from WikiLeaks cables which he later published in full, a prominent NGO told the Australian's extradition hearing.

John Sloboda who founded Iraq Body Count, a London-based non-government organisation that tallies civilian casualties gave evidence at London's Old Bailey, on behalf of the defence.

Julian Assange is driven from the Ecuadorian embassy in London after his arrest in April 2019. Credit:PA

The US Department of Justice wants Assange extradited to the United States so he can face 18 charges of computer hacking and for publishing the names of informants.

Sloboda, who worked with Assange and the WikiLeaks team on the Iraq war logs in 2010, said the Australian was determined to scrub sources' names from the documents before publishing.
Terry Hartle, a senior vice president at the American Council on Education, a higher education trade group, called the investigation a taxpayer-funded, politically motivated fishing expedition, and said it was an unwarranted attack on genuine efforts to recognize and to right the wrongs of history.

Its to their great credit that leading universities are asking themselves what they should have done differently in the past, and what they will do differently in the future to be more welcoming and inclusive, Mr. Hartle said.

The Trump administration declined to comment beyond acknowledging the authenticity of its letter to Princeton, which demanded a response within 21 days. It asked in its letter whether Mr. Eisgruber, when he said that racist assumptions remain embedded in structures of the university itself, was acknowledging that Princetons assurances to the government and the public that it does not discriminate have been false and misleading.

Mr. Eisgrubers letter cited as an example of systemic racism the fact that Princeton inherits from earlier generations at least nine departments and programs organized around European languages and culture, but only a single, relatively small program in African studies.

The investigation follows a series of moves by the Trump administration challenging Ivy League universities. In August, after a two-year investigation of a complaint by a coalition of Asian-American organizations, the Justice Department accused Yale of violating federal civil rights law by illegally discriminating against white and Asian-American applicants.

The department demanded that the university stop considering race or national origin in its next admissions cycle or face a federal lawsuit, and set a deadline of earlier this week for it to comply. Yale declined, but the department had not yet filed suit by Thursday.

Two years ago, the Justice Department publicly backed Asian-American students in a lawsuit accusing Harvard of systematic discrimination. A federal judge ruled in Harvards favor last year, but the government has continued to support the plaintiffs, including at a federal appeals hearing on Wednesday.
Rogue One Saturday 19/9 RTE2 @ 9.20pm

The Empire is building a secret weapon and a rag tag gang of rebels are tasked with finding it's weak spot so it can be obliterated. This prequel to the original Star Wars is a very enjoyable addition to the Star Wars saga. It's a bit darker and a little bit more violent than the series tends to be but it slots into the existing universe perfectly. Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Riz Ahmed and Donnie Yen all do well. And the ending.....oh that ending.

Game Night Saturday 19/9 RTE1 @ 9.30pm

Every week a group of friends meet up for a night of chat, wine and boardgames. One night real life adds a shocking twist and the friends find themselves up to their necks in all manner of trouble. This is an entertaining Saturday night watch, a nice blend of screwball madness, weird neighbours, sibling rivalry and competitive friendship. Rachel McAdams, our own Sharon Horgan and a delightfully odd Jesse Plemons all do well.

Ingrid Goes West Saturday 19/9 5*Star @ 11.15pm

Ingrid's a troubled woman who bases her existence around Instagram. In her head the people she follows are her friends and a random like from a famous influencer sends her life in a strange direction. This 2017 drama is an brilliantly acted look at the insidious way social media has taken hold of all of our lives and made us even lonelier than before. Aubrey Plaza, Elizabeth Olsen and O'Shea Jackson jr work well together,

Oblivion Saturday 19/9 ITV4 @ midnight

In a post apocalyptic Earth a lone worker makes a discovery that puts into question everything he thought he knew about what happened to the planet. Ok the plot of this one is a bit wispy but it does things you don't usually see in big movies. Tom Cruise carries the film in style as always and it just looks astounding. The kind of film HD TV's were made for. Olga Kurylenko & Morgan Freeman are good as always in support.

Jimi : All Is By My Side Sunday 20/9 BBC2 @ 00.25am

A stylish and interesting biography of Jimi Hendrix set during his time in London in the mid 60's as his career was just starting to take off and a film that isn't afraid to show the darker side of it's subject. Andre Benjamin ( of Outkast fame ) plays Hendrix with aplomb and nails his look and voice perfectly. Parts of this were filmed in Dublin with Ruth Negga and Lawrence Kinlan showing up in supporting roles.

Kubo And The Two Strings Sunday 20/9 Film4 @ 4.25pm

Kubo is living a happy life in his village when a horror from the past sends him off on a mission to follow in his father's footsteps. This 2016 animation is a little stunner that was sadly overlooked on it's initial release but if you give it a chance you'll love it. It's full to the brim with imagination, action and flat out beauty. First rate voice acting from Charlize Theron & Ireland's own Art Parkinson adds to the joy.

The Gambler Sunday 20/9 CH4 @ 10.55pm

His job as an English professor just isn't doing it for Jim. Nope, Jim has other things on his mind, namely gambling away everything he's ever owned. And now things are getting deadly serious. Mark Wahlberg shines in a rare non action role playing a character you'll want to shake sense into and the usually lovely John Goodman does strong work as a very unsettling loanshark. A well done if frustrating cautionary tale.

Sweet Sixteen Monday 21/9 Film4 @ 01.30am

Life is tough for Liam. He's a 15 year old in a dead end Scottish town, his mam is in jail, he's growing up in poverty and about to fall into a life of violent crime. Martin Compston is astounding in his film debut. A fiery ball of rage but inside a boy just wanting to be loved. His turn carries this 2002 Ken Loach film into the sky. It's as grim and bleak as you'd expect but you just won't be able to stop watching it. Film of the week.

Edge of Tomorrow Monday 21/9 Sony Movies @ 9pm

Aliens have invaded earth and it's up to Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt to fight them off. Again and again and again. And again. Easily one of the most gratifying science fiction movies of the last decade, if you haven't seen it you're in for a treat. It's a watch that on paper should be boring and repetitive but inventive action and a streak of dark humour keep it powering along. Brendan Gleeson and the late great Bill Paxton add to the fun too.

Wild Honey Pie! Monday 21/9 Film4 @ 11.15pm

Married life has become stale for Gillian and Oliver and living at home with his mother isn't helping matters. Money is sparse and jobs are unsatisfying and well, something needs to be done fast. Unlike the Beatles song it's named after, this is a likeable, substantial watch powered by a central pairing that feels real. A funny, affecting watch with Jemima Kirke, Richard Elis and Joanna Scanlan playing decent parts.

Maniac Tuesday 22/9 The Horror Channel @ 00.50am

Frank owns a mannequin shop. He's a strange guy and that's putting things mildly. He gets even stranger when a young artist asks for his help and dark desires come bubbling to the surface. Elijah Wood stars in a remake of the infamous and long banned 1980 original turning in a genuinely creepy performance in this frightening, surreal and at times nauseating look at the madness bubbling around inside the minds of men.

The Most Dangerous Game Tuesday 22/9 Talking Pictures TV @ 01.30am

Time for one of the most influential films ever made. Evil Count Zaroff lives on an island and spends his time first greeting and then hunting down the unfortunate people who's ships come a cropper on the rocky shores. This film is 88 years old, still being remade to this day and still effective as hell. It's scary, exciting and at the end satisfying. Joel McCrea, Leslie Banks and King Kong's Fay Wray make for a fine bunch of leads.

Performance Wednesday 23/9 TCM @ 01.20am

Chas is on the run. There's been a murder. The old bill want to have a chat. He takes on the persona of a musician to hide out in his flat. But the flat ain't empty. Shocking and controversial on it's release 50 years ago, this one still has the power to startle. A surreal, erotic, deeply weird watch that you'll take a multiple of meanings from. James Fox, Anita Pallenberg and Mick Jagger make a memorable menage a trois.

Funny Cow Thursday 24/9 Film4 @ 11.15pm

Funny Cow had a tough life growing up in the coalpit towns of the English North and now she's using that life experience as material for her comedy sets in the working men's clubs of the 1970's. Maxine Peake is sensational in this tough but darkly humorous look at the hardships of breaking into a traditionally male arena, especially in an era where sexism was rampant. The always reliable Paddy Considine and Alun Armstrong back her up generously.

The Krays Thursday 24/9 ITV4 @ 11.40pm

In London's west end there once lived a pair of twin brothers who did everything together. From troubled teens to kings of crime they were inseparable. Forget that gimmicky Tom Hardy flick from a few years back, this is the go to Kray Brothers movie. A starkly violent look at what happens when you never say no to your children. Martin and Gary Kemp do well as the titular pair but it's Billie Whitelaw as Mrs Kray who owns this film.

Once Upon A Time In The West Friday 25/9 TG4 @ 9.05pm

A widowed woman, an almost hung bandit and a man with a harmonica team up for revenge against a backdrop of the railroad construction era of America's wild west. If you haven't seen this Sergio Leone masterpiece I'm green with envy. If you have, here's an excuse to luxuriate in it again. It's excellent, the action, the music, the sweltering atmosphere, everything. Charles Bronson, Claudia Cardinale, Jason Robards and especially Henry Fonda all amaze.

The Butcher Boy Friday 25/9 RTE2 @ 10pm

Francie Brady is a strange sort of boy. And strange boys aren't tolerated in 1960's Monaghan. Eamonn Owens is unreal in the lead role. It's a tour de force performance and amazingly it was his first film. A film that's by turns hilarious, grim as hell, black as night and just utterly compelling. Plus there's a mighty cast full of well known faces. It's a film not everyone will like but it's really worth sticking with.








My ex-partner is threatening to take me to court for half of my flat.

I own the flat, the mortgage is in my name, he never paid any rent and lived with me for four years.

He is not allowed to contact me due to domestic abuse but is instead contacting my parents in an attempt to intimidate me. What should I do?

Threat: My abusive ex-partner says he is taking me to court for half my flat, though it's mine and he never paid rent (Stock image)

Tanya Jefferies, of This is Money, replies: I am really sorry to hear about your situation, which must be very worrying and stressful.

To assist, we asked a lawyer to explain what you can do to protect yourself and your parents from intimidation, and the legal issues regarding ownership of your flat.

Hopefully, this will be of help and some comfort to you and your parents.

Please note, we have assumed you are not married to your ex-partner since you do not mention this. If you are married to him, the business of splitting assets in a divorce is different and you should consult a lawyer who can help you personally.

Philip Cooper, partner at JMW Solicitors, replies: I am sorry to hear that you have been a victim of abuse.

I assume the police have imposed restrictions on your ex-partner preventing him from contacting you.

It may be that those restrictions also include contacting members of your family.

Either way, the first thing you should do is report his behaviour to the police or indeed encourage your parents to do so.

What else can you do to protect yourself and your family?

Philip Cooper: Cohabitants or former cohabitants do not have the same rights to make property claims as married couples

I would also advise that a letter is sent to your ex-partner warning him that if he does not stop contacting your parents, you will make an application to the court for an injunction against him.

You can seek legal advice and get a lawyer to do this on your behalf if you wish, and think it is more likely to be effective.

If this does not succeed in getting him to modify his behaviour, you should consider making an application to the court for a Non Molestation Order, and if you do move on to this step it would be best to get legal advice.

The court has a wide discretion on whether to grant such an order and must be satisfied that:

1. There is evidence of molestation going on;

2. You need protection;

3. Judicial intervention is required to control your ex-partner's behaviour.

'Molestation' implies some quite deliberate conduct which is aimed at a high degree of harassment of the other party, so as to justify the intervention of the court.

Violence is not a prerequisite and there does not need to be some direct interaction between your ex-partner and you.

It is sufficient if the conduct is deliberate and that it has the consequence of causing or being likely to cause distress or harassment to you.

It appears therefore that you may well be successful in obtaining a Non Molestation Order against your ex-partner.

Does your ex-partner have a claim on your flat?

As you refer to your ex-partner, I am assuming that you were not married. However, if you were then there are other matters we would need to consider to establish if your ex-partner could be successful in pursing financial claims against you.

Cohabitants or former cohabitants do not have the same rights to make property claims as married couples.

Instead, disputes between cohabitants regarding their interests in a property are determined in accordance with the law of trusts.

Despite what many people believe, the 'common law' husband or wife does not exist in law and claims by cohabitants are limited in comparison with spouses.

You have not mentioned having entered into an express written declaration of trust declaring in what shares you hold the property.

If there is no express trust and your ex-partner wishes to claim a beneficial interest in your flat, then he must establish one of the following:

1. He contributed in money or money's worth to the purchase of the flat, and that there was a common intention to hold the beneficial interest in the flat in proportion to your contributions;

2. He can show that there was a common intention that he should have a beneficial interest in the flat and that he has acted to his detriment on this basis;

3. You have led him, either by your words or your conduct, to believe that he has a beneficial interest in the flat and as a consequence he has acted to his detriment, making it unreasonable for you to insist that you have total beneficial ownership of the flat.

Given what you say about him having paid no rent and given it appears he has made no other major financial contributions into the flat, it appears he has no realistic prospect of bringing a successful claim.

If despite the weakness in his case he brought proceedings against you, he may ultimately find himself not only paying his own legal costs, but also being ordered to pay your legal costs too.
Sadiya Umar Farouq, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, is in the news again for inspecting floods from an aircraft.

On Friday, the ministry, on Twitter, posted photos of her looking out the window during the assessment.

It tweeted that Farouq embarked on an official visit to Kebbi State on a Nigeria Air Force surveillance aircraft.

The aircraft made a detour and flew low over the banks of river Niger from Kainji in Niger State up to Yauri in Kebbi State for the HM to assess the impact of the flood on the river banks.

The update was provided 24 hours after a similar one that triggered derision on social media.

In flood situations globally, government officials and experts use choppers and drones for a close-up view.

The latest tweet has generated reactions.

Trying to reposition your previous post, still irrelevant anyways. Just one drone would have saved us the resources wasted on the Nigeria Airforce aircraft, Adewale Majofodun tweeted.

This is so embarrassing with the level of cheaper technology, why fly a private jet to get an aerial view. Please take it down, AM Audu wrote.

Follow Us on Facebook  @LadunLiadi; Instagram  @LadunLiadi; Twitter  @LadunLiadi; Youtube  @LadunLiadiTV for updates
Jack Ohman, who has lived much of his life in the American West, long listened to words of warning about catastrophic wildfires. The caution struck particularly close to home because his late father, John H. Ohman, was a deputy chief of the U.S. Forest Service.

"He warned me for years that Oregon was really vulnerable from a forest management standpoint," the Sacramento Bee cartoonist says of his dad, who retired to the Pacific Northwest after many decades as a forest pathologist and agricultural official. "Unfortunately, he was correct."

Now Ohman -- the cartoonist at the Oregonian in Portland before moving to Sacramento in 2013 -- uses his editorial perch to call out climate-change deniers and anti-science politicians as unprecedented fires ravage the terrain he knows so well. "I feel an obligation," he says, "to cover this."

In one recent cartoon, he depicts President Donald Trump benefiting from technology throughout his career, yet only supporting science when the motives are self-serving. In another Ohman illustration, timed to Trump's brief stop earlier this week in California, the president calls climate change a hoax yet can't see the governor for the burning trees.

"It's emotionally devastating on every level," the Pulitzer-winning artist says. "I have many friends and family members affected by all of it, particularly in Oregon -- entire towns wiped out, and the death toll is vastly understated." Wildfires in the West have burned more than 5 million acres this season, killing at least 35 people, according to reports, as millions continue to face serious air-quality health risks.

Throughout the region, some prominent political cartoonists are also drawing commentary on the fires through a personal lens.

"Friends and family up and down the coast who have been sequestered because of covid-19 are now locked indoors because hazardous smoke fills the air," says David Horsey, the Seattle Times cartoonist who previously worked at the Los Angeles Times. "The usual September of blue skies and sunshine has been obscured by ashy air and the smell of burned forests."

Horsey said he views the region's future through how it will affect his adult children -- a son in the Bay Area, and a daughter in Seattle who has a 2-year-old child. In one recent cartoon by Horsey, global warming teams up with human carelessness for "bigger, hotter fire seasons."

"The fires will come back, year after year," the Pulitzer-winner said. "I can only hope that enlightened leadership will find ways to mitigate the even worse tragedies to come by taking bold action to put the brakes on the burning of fossil fuels."

Several California-born cartoonists have been reflecting on their ties to the state, which inform their art.

"It's hard to describe how much I love the physical beauty of my home state," said Steve Breen, the Pulitzer-winning cartoonist for the San Diego Union-Tribune. "I've backpacked in the Sierras. I've taken my kids on camping trips in the state and national forests and [taken] long walks through the redwoods. It's incredibly sad to see so much destruction.

"I know that part of it is natural, but it's all being driven by man-made climate change," added Breen, who has satirized climate-change deniers and depicted the heroism of firefighters.

"People should help the most vulnerable and essential workers, like farmworkers and firefighters and first-responders," said Lalo Alcaraz, the San Diego-born syndicated cartoonist whose art has highlighted the plight of farm laborers working in the dangerously smoky conditions.

"This current situation is like the covid-19 pandemic," said Alcaraz, a Pulitzer finalist this year. "It has exposed big faults in our society."

Mark Fiore, who draws for the Bay Area station KQED, said political leaders such as Trump and Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., "bear a huge responsibility to keep our nation and the world from turning into an awful hellscape."

"A couple of weeks ago, I would have thought that sentence silly hyperbole, but after waking up to a Martian sky and ash raining down, it is unfortunately all too real," said Fiore, the Pulitzer-winning political animator who this week published a one-minute cartoon skewering politicians who deny science, evidence and empirical truth.

"While I do cartoons that have a definite public-service angle, I am also now even more motivated to call out the scoundrels who have led us down this road. Yes, I'm looking at you, fossil-fuel industry and your political puppets," Fiore said. "We are living on the leading edge of the repercussions of climate change, and I'm not very optimistic."
P olice forces across the country have urged people to comply with the new coronavirus rules ahead of a weekend of warm weather.

The Government has made social meet-ups of more than six people illegal. The rules apply across England to all ages and to indoor and outdoor gatherings.

Failure to stick to the new rules could mean a 100 fine, which will double with every subsequent offence up to 3,200.

Assistant Chief Constable Claire Nix of Kent Police said there would be an increased presence in "key areas" around the county and that enforcement would be used if necessary.

It comes as the Met Office forecasts a weekend of "largely dry, bright and fine" weather, which could see temperatures rise as high as 24C.

More sunny weather is on the way for large parts of England / PA

"Kent has had a very good compliance rate when it comes to adhering to the national health advice around the coronavirus, Ms Nix said.

"However, the Government has made it clear that the risk of increasing infections is too great to ignore and stricter social gathering rules have now come into effect to help keep everyone safe.

"Kent Police officers continue to engage, explain and encourage people to follow the latest advice and enforcement will be used as a last resort."

She added: "There will be an increased presence in key locations around the county to ensure the current national advice is adhered to, such as preventing unlicensed music events and illegal gatherings.

"Officers will also continue to work with partner agencies such as local councils to make sure safety advice is respected in public spaces such as parks and beaches.

"Covid-19 remains a real and deadly threat and we all need to take responsibility for our actions in helping reduce the spread of the virus and ultimately save lives."

Police have urged Brits to comply with the new coronavirus rules / REUTERS

The Metropolitan Police said officers will patrol public spaces across London over the weekend and enforce the new "rule of six".

"It is important to remember that we are still in the middle of a global pandemic, and the changes have been introduced to help control the spread of the virus, keep everybody safe and save lives," a statement on Friday night said.

"Officers will patrol public spaces and will also respond to incidents where groups gather in numbers larger than six.

"We will continue to adopt the four Es approach  we will engage with our communities, explain the regulations and what they mean, and encourage people to adhere to them.

"Officers do have the power to report people for fixed penalty notices of 100, which doubles for further offences, up to a maximum of 3,200."

Covid-19: UK sees widespread growth in cases

It comes as further lockdown measures have been introduced in northern parts of England.

Liverpool is forecast to see highs of 19C on both Saturday and Sunday and stay bright and dry, as are parts of the North East, such as Newcastle, although the temperature will be cooler, sitting at around 15C.

Ollie Claydon, a spokesperson for the Met Office, said that the warm weekend temperatures would come ahead of a more "unsettled" week of weather.

"Were in for a dry and fine evening on Saturday, with clear conditions for central parts of the UK and northern Ireland," he said.

"Theres a risk of showers but temperatures will stay high.

"But then a cold front from the north west around lunchtime on Monday will herald the arrival of cooler, more unsettled weather next week."

Forces in Dorset, where large crowds have previously flocked to the beaches to enjoy the heat, also warned that anyone flouting the new "rule of six" over the weekend may be subject to fines.

Dorset Police has also urged students returning to university to "play their part and act responsibly".

Chief Inspector Heather Dixey said: "We understand that starting university is an exciting and special time for students, but Covid-19 means that this experience has to be different to protect yourself, your fellow students and the local community.

We have been made aware of some recent instances whereby guidelines have been ignored, sparking concern and frustration in the community, and we are working with the universities to address this."
TRENTON  Youre not the law!

But you need to follow it, Kathy McBride.

The council president cannot meet with redevelopers or indefinitely remove docket items from meeting agendas, Superior Court Judge Mary Jacobson ruled Thursday.

Those actions violated the provisions of the Faulkner Act, the judge said at a Zoom hearing.

The claims grew out an abuse-of-power lawsuit that Mayor Reed Gusciora filed last year against McBride and West Ward councilwoman Robin Vaughn.

He won a previous ruling that Vaughn did not follow the Faulkner Act by refusing to funnel communications with city employees through the mayor or his designee.

Courting potential redevelopers is the duty of the executive branch of Trentons municipal government, specifically Ben Delisle, the director of housing and economic development, Jacobson ruled.

Her decision could have stark implications for an ongoing battle between legislators and the administration over councils illegal secret meeting in which it met with redeveloper John Liu, who wanted to buy the historic Roebling Wire Works building.

When the council takes upon itself to go around the mayor, and to go against its own code, that is something I think is significant concern, Jacobson said.

Ordinance 19-82, giving the council president unfettered veto power over what legislation appears on the agenda, was also inconsistent with the Faulkner Act, Jacobson said.

The city law effectively prevented council from considering the administrations proposals.

The law was amended in December, after the judge initially ruled against the councilwomen, extending veto powers to the council vice president or a designee.

The amended rules of procedure nixed a favorable caveat for the administration that required McBride to place removed docket items onto the next meetings agenda.

Aide Chenise Gomez explained in a sworn certification that the ordinance never made it to Guscioras desk for him to sign or veto.

McBrides attorney countered the mayor knew council had the super-majority to override any veto.

It tortures logic that the mayor would allow [an ordinance] that eviscerates the authority of the mayor, Edward Florio, the mayors attorney, said at the hearing.

Councils role is to approve or reject the mayors initiatives, Jacobson said.

The ordinance provided McBride with super authority to decide what bills made the docket, the judge said, calling it a form of irreparable harm.

Gusciora said the judges ruling provides council with clear guidance on redevelopment.

If you have a gatekeeper who decides to keep the door closed permanently, it creates a super council person who can block ideas from six other council people, he said.

In light of Jacobsons ruling, Gusciora said it was too early to say whether the administration will challenge councils decision to hold a closed-door session Sept. 3 with Liu, the Elite Spiders LLC president, to discuss his vision for the Wire Works building.

The Trentonian and Gusciora called on AG Gurbir Grewal to investigate legislators for violating the Open Public Meetings Act.

Government bodies can meet among themselves to discuss contract negotiations but cannot meet privately with the interested party.

The Mercer County Prosecutors is examining possible violations of the OPMA, also known as the Sunshine Law.

While that plays out, Thursdays hearing centered on McBrides decision to meet with four redevelopers Jan. 21 while excluding Delisle from the discussion.

McBride believed the council served as the citys redevelopment agency, according to court papers.

Florio said it was a conflict of interest for council members to meet and negotiate redevelopment deals then vote whether to approve them.

He accused McBride of creating government gridlock.

They dont follow the law, Florio said.
Global products make debut before import fair

By:Wu Qiong | From:english.eastday.com | 2020-09-18 09:02

Many countries have been eager to exhibit their new products in Shanghai as the annual CIIE (China International Import Expo) approaches.

On September 15 (the 50-day countdown to the import expos opening) a total of 15 national pavilions showcased more than 1200 new products at the Global Commodity Trading Hub, which is situated opposite the National Exhibition and Convention Center.









The new-coming exhibits feature distinctive exotic characteristics, such as the white wine glasses from Slovakia, the manuka honey from New Zealand which has been customized for Chinese consumers, and a blended dry red wine from South Africa made from six grapes.

This year, Poland will have over 20 brands and companies taking part in the CIIE. Among them, Edelmeister beer will make its debut, said Dr. Andrzej Juchniewicz, chief of the Polish Investment and Trade Agency China Office. By setting up an import pavilion in the trading hub, he wants to get closer to Chinese consumers and find more agents and importers for Polish products.

Due to the epidemic, some Polish business leaders will not be able to attend the CIIE in person. The Polish Investment and Trade Agency China Office have therefore decided to do live-streaming at the fair. As Dr. Andrzej Juchniewicz said, Before the event, we have already tried live-streaming to introduce the characteristics of the Chinese market and methods of market access to our Polish companies. We plan to continue this way during the CIIE to allow buyers to interact with our brands back in Poland.

At the Syria Import Pavilion, olive oil and natural essence oil shampoo are also being displayed for the first time. At the first CIIE, we only brought soap and essence oil into the pavilion. Now, there are about 200 products, covering Syrias four pillar industries. And the annual sales increased from zero to tens of millions of RMB, said Dong Jingyan, who is responsible for the pavilion. It is through CIIE that Syria began to understand the Chinese market and opened a new export path. By word-of-mouth, more Syrian industries and products are coming to China.

So far, the trading hub has attracted 64 countries and regions across the world.
Shape matters for light-activated nanocatalysts

HOUSTON - (Sept. 18, 2020) - Points matter when designing nanoparticles that drive important chemical reactions using the power of light.

Researchers at Rice University's Laboratory for Nanophotonics (LANP) have long known that a nanoparticle's shape affects how it interacts with light, and their latest study shows how shape affects a particle's ability to use light to catalyze important chemical reactions.

In a comparative study, LANP graduate students Lin Yuan and Minhan Lou and their colleagues studied aluminum nanoparticles with identical optical properties but different shapes. The most rounded had 14 sides and 24 blunt points. Another was cube-shaped, with six sides and eight 90-degree corners. The third, which the team dubbed "octopod," also had six sides, but each of its eight corners ended in a pointed tip.

All three varieties have the ability to capture energy from light and release it periodically in the form of super-energetic hot electrons that can speed up catalytic reactions. Yuan, a chemist in the research group of LANP director Naomi Halas, conducted experiments to see how well each of the particles performed as photocatalysts for hydrogen dissociation reaction. The tests showed octopods had a 10 times higher reaction rate than the 14-sided nanocrystals and five times higher than the nanocubes. Octopods also had a lower apparent activation energy, about 45% lower than nanocubes and 49% lower than nanocrystals.

"The experiments demonstrated that sharper corners increased efficiencies," said Yuan, co-lead author of the study, which is published in the American Chemical Society journal ACS Nano. "For the octopods, the angle of the corners is about 60 degrees, compared to 90 degrees for the cubes and more rounded points on the nanocrystals. So the smaller the angle, the greater the increase in reaction efficiencies. But how small the angle can be is limited by chemical synthesis. These are single crystals that prefer certain structures. You cannot make infinitely more sharpness."

Lou, a physicist and study co-lead author in the research group of LANP's Peter Nordlander, verified the results of the catalytic experiments by developing a theoretical model of the hot electron energy transfer process between the light-activated aluminum nanoparticles and hydrogen molecules.

"We input the wavelength of light and particle shape," Lou said. "Using these two aspects, we can accurately predict which shape will produce the best catalyst."

The work is part of an ongoing green chemistry effort by LANP to develop commercially viable light-activated nanocatalysts that can insert energy into chemical reactions with surgical precision. LANP has previously demonstrated catalysts for ethylene and syngas production, the splitting of ammonia to produce hydrogen fuel and for breaking apart "forever chemicals."

"This study shows that photocatalyst shape is another design element engineers can use to create photocatalysts with the higher reaction rates and lower activation barriers," said Halas, Rice's Stanley C. Moore Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, director of Rice's Smalley-Curl Institute and a professor of chemistry, bioengineering, physics and astronomy, and materials science and nanoengineering.

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Nordlander is the Wiess Chair and Professor of Physics and Astronomy, and professor of electrical and computer engineering, and materials science and nanoengineering.

Additional study co-authors include Benjamin Clark, Minghe Lou, Linan Zhou, Shu Tian and Christian Jacobson, all of Rice. The research was supported by the Welch Foundation (C-1220, C-1222), the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (FA9550-15-1-0022), the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (HDTRA 1-16-1-0042) and the Department of Defense National Defense Science & Engineering Graduate Fellowship Program.

Links and resources:

The DOI of the ACS Nano paper is: 10.1021/acsnano.0c05383

A copy of the paper is available at: https:/ / doi. org/ 10. 1021/ acsnano. 0c05383

High-resolution IMAGES are available for download at:

https:/ / news-network. rice. edu/ news/ files/ 2020/ 09/ 0914_OCTOPOD-main-lg. jpg

CAPTION: A study of aluminum nanocatalysts by Rice University's Laboratory for Nanophotonics found that octopods (left), six-sided particles with sharply pointed corners, had a reaction rate five times higher than nanocubes (center) and 10 times higher than 14-sided nanocrystals. (Image courtesy of Lin Yuan/Rice University)

https:/ / news-network. rice. edu/ news/ files/ 2020/ 09/ 0914_OCTOPOD-lyml71-lg. jpg

CAPTION: Research by graduate students Minhan Lou (left) and Lin Yuan of Rice University's Laboratory for Nanophotonics found that a nanocatalyst's shape affects its ability to photocatalyze important chemical reactions. (Photo by Jeff Fitlow/Rice University)

https:/ / news-network. rice. edu/ news/ files/ 2020/ 01/ 0108_SYNGAS-nh30-lg. jpg

CAPTION: Rice University's Naomi Halas is an engineer, chemist and pioneer in the field of light-activated nanomaterials. (Photo by Jeff Fitlow/Rice University)

This release can be found online at news.rice.edu.

Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter @RiceUNews.

Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,978 undergraduates and 3,192 graduate students, Rice's undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for lots of race/class interaction and No. 1 for quality of life by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplinger's Personal Finance.

This story has been published on: 2020-09-18. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
SPOKANE, Wash., Sept. 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In response to inquiries about the wildfires in its region, Avista (NYSE: AVA) today announced the initial findings from its investigations.

Avistas investigation has determined that the primary cause of the fires in its region was extreme high winds, a weather event that triggered wildfires and affected electric utilities throughout the Pacific Northwest. To date, the Company has not found any evidence that the fires were caused by any deficiencies in its equipment, maintenance activities or vegetation management practices, although it has become aware of instances where, during the course of the storm, otherwise healthy trees and limbs, located in areas outside its maintenance right-of-way, broke under the extraordinary wind conditions and caused damage to its energy delivery system. Parallel investigations by the Department of Natural Resources are ongoing, and Avista is fully cooperating with their efforts.

Dennis Vermillion, Avista president and CEO, said, We are deeply saddened by the devastation in numerous communities throughout our region in the wake of the unprecedented windstorm. From the outset of this storm, our focus has been, and will continue to be, to look for ways to help support affected communities as they begin to assess and repair the damage. We have been in communication with the Department of Natural Resources to support one another in fire suppression and other response efforts, and we have likewise been in contact with local fire departments, community leaders and other important stakeholders as we collectively work through the damage caused by the storm. In addition, although we do not have electric facilities in our Oregon service territory, we are working closely to support leaders and impacted communities there as well.

As we move forward, our primary focus will continue to be on supporting our impacted communities, on ensuring that we are able to provide electric and natural gas service where it is needed, and on doing our part to help in the rebuilding process, added Mr. Vermillion. Our hearts go out to everyone who has been affected by these unprecedented fires in our region.

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About Avista Corp.

Avista Corp. is an energy company involved in the production, transmission and distribution of energy as well as other energy-related businesses. Avista Utilities is our operating division that provides electric service to 395,000 customers and natural gas to 364,000 customers. Its service territory covers 30,000 square miles in eastern Washington, northern Idaho and parts of southern and eastern Oregon, with a population of 1.6 million. Alaska Energy and Resources Company is an Avista subsidiary that provides retail electric service in the city and borough of Juneau, Alaska, through its subsidiary Alaska Electric Light and Power Company. Avista stock is traded under the ticker symbol "AVA." For more information about Avista, please visit www.avistacorp.com.

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Firms should offer additional workers to sort parcels



Some 4,000 parcel delivery workers announced Thursday they would boycott the sorting of parcels starting Sept. 21. They account for 10 percent of the employees of major delivery companies. Should they embark on collective action, the delivery market will suffer chaos ahead of the busy Chuseok holiday period. The workers have been calling for additional workers to lessen workload in sorting parcels.



The delivery workers have been struggling, working 12.7 hours on average per day, 25.6 days a month. Their workload has continued to increase amid growing demand, prompted by burgeoning online shopping. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown no signs of slowing down, leading to a 30 percent growth in delivery volume year-on-year. But the workers have failed to get due payment despite the steady rise in their workload mainly in sorting parcels.



According to a civic organization advocating for the rights of the delivery workers, they spend half of their working hours sorting parcels. It says they need at least one more employee to be hired per five delivery workers. In previous years, orders for the parcel delivery increased about 20 percent ahead of the Chuseok holidays and the volume is expected to further increase this year as more people prefer online shopping than ever.



The government has been calling on the people to refrain from visiting relatives during Chusek, which will likely accelerate the demand for delivery services more than ever. The workers have been desperate in coping with such demand, while the soaring of working hours threatens their health and even life. As a matter of fact, 12 delivery workers lost their lives during the first half of this year. And five of them have not be able to receive cover from the industrial disaster insurance.



Albeit belatedly, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Ministry of Employment and Labor came with measures to tackle the possible shortage of manpower in the parcel delivery sector. The steps feature, among others, employing of 10,000 more workers a day for sorting on average until Oct. 16. The government needs to provide detailed measures to protect the delivery workers from long work hours.



Boosted by the ever increasing orders, delivery companies are enjoying a huge amount of revenue while their workers are suffering from a worsening work environment. The firms have come under growing criticism for failing to submit a solution to the manpower shortage, despite the government's repeated calls to that end. The companies as well as the government should pay more heed to the human rights of the delivery workers.






EU leaders are set to hold a summit in a few days to discuss how to respond to Turkey prospecting in areas of the sea that Greece and Cyprus insist are only theirs to explore. Turkey triggered a naval standoff with NATO ally Greece after dispatching a warship-escorted research vessel in a part of the eastern Mediterranean that Greece says is over its continental shelf. Greece deployed its own warship and naval patrols in response.
Les membres du gouvernement ont pris connaissance des actions faites par le ministere de lEnvironnement afin de reviser lEnvironment Protection Act apres les Assises de lEnvironnement.

Cabinet has taken note of actions being undertaken by the Ministry of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change for the review of the Environment Protection Act. The consolidation of the existing legal framework to provide for better environmental management is among one of the key recommendations following the Assises de lEnvironnement organised by the Ministry in December 2019 and from national consultations made thereafter. It is proposed that amendments be made to the current Environment Protection Act to, inter alia, include the following:

(a) introducing provisions relating to sustainable development in various sectors to promote circular economy, nature-based solutions, sustainable production and consumption and resource efficiency, amongst others;

(b) strengthening enforcement and compliance mechanisms as well as empowering enforcing agencies to prosecute environmental offences under the Environment Protection Act;

(c) strengthening existing development control mechanisms through improved and more stringent provisions within Environmental Impact Assessments and consideration for development of a Strategic Environmental Assessment framework;

(d) improving transparency amongst stakeholders through the setting up of an Observatoire de lEnvironnement; and

(e) the setting up of a Youth Environment Council which would act as a platform for the youth to engage with policy makers on environment-related policies, strategies and action plans.

The UNDP Country Office would assist in the review of the environmental legal framework by enlisting the services of experts.
Irvine, Calif. - Experiencing multiple stressors triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic - such as unemployment - and COVID-19-related media consumption are directly linked to rising acute stress and depressive symptoms across the U.S., according to a groundbreaking University of California, Irvine study.

The report appears in Science Advances, published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

"The pandemic is not hitting all communities equally," said lead author E. Alison Holman, UCI professor of nursing. "People have lost wages, jobs and loved ones with record speed. Individuals living with chronic mental and physical illness are struggling; young people are struggling; poor communities are struggling. Mental health services need to be tailored to those most in need right now."

In addition, the research highlights the connection between mental health and exposure to media coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting the need to step away from the television, computer or smartphone to protect psychological well-being.

"The media is a critical source of information for people when they're faced with ambiguous, ongoing disasters," said Roxane Cohen Silver, professor of psychological science and one of the study's principal investigators. "But too much exposure can be overwhelming and lead to more stress, worry and perceived risks."

With funding from a National Science Foundation RAPID grant, Holman, Silver, and co-investigators Dana Rose Garfin and Rebecca R. Thompson conducted a national survey of more than 6,500 U.S. residents in March and April 2020, as illness and deaths were rising around the country. Using the NORC AmeriSpeak panel, the study was the first of its kind to examine early predictors of rising mental health problems across the nation. The design let researchers evaluate the effects of the pandemic as it was unfolding in real time.

"Over the course of the study, the size of the pandemic shifted dramatically," Holman said. Accordingly, people surveyed later in the study period reported the highest rate of acute stress and depressive symptoms.

The UCI team's findings offer insights into priorities for building community resilience in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic:

Those with pre-existing mental and physical conditions are more likely to show both acute stress and depressive symptoms.

Secondary stressors - job and wage loss, a shortage of necessities - are also strong predictors in the development of these symptoms.

Extensive exposure to pandemic-related news and conflicting information in the news are among the strongest predictors of pandemic-specific acute stress.

"It's critical that we prioritize providing resources to communities most in need of support right now - the unemployed, poor or chronically ill people, and young people," Holman said. "We also encourage the public to limit exposure to media as an important public health intervention. It can prevent mental and physical health symptoms and promote resilience."

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About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is the youngest member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 36,000 students and offers 222 degree programs. It's located in one of the world's safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County's second-largest employer, contributing $5 billion annually to the local economy. For more on UCI, visit http://www.uci.edu.

Media access: Radio programs/stations may, for a fee, use an on-campus ISDN line to interview UCI faculty and experts, subject to availability and university approval. For more UCI news, visit news.uci.edu. Additional resources for journalists may be found at communications.uci.edu/for-journalists.
(Newser)  In what's being called a "historic win for the middle-class," a proposal has been OKed by top New Jersey state Democrats to hike taxes on the rich. The plan, announced Thursday by Democrats Gov. Phil Murphy, Senate President Steve Sweeney, and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, would raise the tax rate on income over $1 million from 8.97% to 10.75%, the rate now seen on income of more than $5 million. By doing so, the state hopes to raise $390 million. "We do not hold any grudge at all at those who have been successful in life," Murphy said at a presser, per Politico. "But in this unprecedented time when so many middle-class families and others have sacrificed so much, now is the time to ensure that the wealthiest among us are also called to sacrifice." The Wall Street Journal notes the tax would apply to the 2020 tax year. Much of the money raised will go toward a rebate, issued next summer, of up to $500 for hundreds of thousands of families who make less than $150,000.

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Sweeney had long been a vocal opponent of Murphy's tax idea. Thanks to the coronavirus, however, he's done a 180. "The pandemic hit and things have changed," he says. "We have to face the reality that a lot of families are hurting here." State GOPers aren't loving the plan, though, with some arguing that affluent residents will simply head to other states with lower taxes, like Florida. Others are suspicious of the timing. "Gov. Murphy is looking to play Santa Claus with taxpayer money as he heads into his reelection next year," state Sen. Mike Testa tweeted. Both the tax and rebate plans need to get the green light from the state Legislature, but as the Dems control both chambers, that's expected. The New York Times notes that at least eight other statesincluding New York and Californiaare considering similar tax hikes on the rich. (Read more New Jersey stories.)
High and higher secondary schools in Assam are set to reopen from Monday after a gap of six months, despite a surge in the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases across the state.

A standard operating procedure (SOP) was issued by the secondary education department on Wednesday to maintain social distancing norms and other precautionary measures against the viral outbreak.

Schools in Assam have remained closed since March 15 because of the Covid-19 pandemic and students have been attending online classes.

Also read: No quarantine for those who leave state and return within 96 hours, says Assam govt

From Monday, classes will resume for students between Grade IX and XII for the next 15 days following which the situation will be reviewed.

While all government schools will start functioning, private school authorities have been asked to take a call on their own.

Our SOP is meant for all categories of schools. It is for the private school authorities to decide when they want to resume their classes, said Phanindra Jidung, director, secondary education department, Assam.

Students attendance in schools is not mandatory. Parents and guardians need to give their consent in writing following which students will be allowed to attend classes. The situation will be reviewed after 15 days taking into account all issues, he added.

The SOP stated that while students from Grade IX to XII would attend schools, all other classes would remain suspended. Classes for Grade IX and XII students would be held on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, while Grade X and XI students would attend on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, it added.

Students strength in each classroom should not be more than 20 at any time. If any class has more than 20 students, they should be divided into two batches. The first batch of students will attend school from 9 am to 12 noon, while students from the second batch will have their classes between 1 pm and 4 pm.

The SOP stated that the total number of teaching and non-teaching staff should not exceed 50% and students with co-morbid conditions have been exempted from attending their classes. Schools will be in constant touch with district authorities for regular monitoring, random testing of teachers and students on a weekly basis.

The government has assured that all necessary precautions, including Covid-19 tests of teachers, have been taken. Our teachers will be resuming classes from Monday, said Syed Anisur Rahman, general secretary, Assam higher secondary teachers and employees association.

Prior to reopening of schools, government teachers underwent Covid-19 tests across the state and only those found negative and not having any other health complications will be allowed to take classes. Classrooms are also being sanitised.

We have planned online tests between September 25 and October 19. There wont be any classes in our school until the Durga Puja, which starts on October 22. Any decision on resumption of classes will be taken after that, said Geeta Dutta Barua, the principal of Guwahati-based Srimanta Sankar Academy, a private school.

Jonali Das, the principal of Modern English School, another Guwahati-based private school, said they would start holding regular classes for Grade IX to XII students from September 25. But online classes would simultaneously be held.

I am not comfortable with the idea of sending students to school at this time. We will wait for a few more weeks before taking a decision on whether to send my son for his regular classes, said the father of a Grade X student of a private school in Guwahati.

Assam has recorded 1,50,349 Covid-19 positive cases to date, including 1,21,610 recoveries and 528 deaths.

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If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it's that a devastating economic recession can happen at any time. Does your business have what it takes to weather the storm? Are you recession-proof?

This is the question I had to ask myself throughout recent months. I'm the Managing Director of Bubblegum Casting, the longest-running talent agency in Australia specializing in babies, children and teen talent in Australia. My business works with some of Australia's biggest brands, media properties and agencies.

Despite our reputation, I found that I needed to take many steps to adjust to the pandemic's recession. Not only has Bubblegum Casting continued to press on, but we're stronger today than we were before COVID-19. Here's how you can follow in our footsteps.

How to Recession-Proof Your Business Now

Recession proofing your business isn't just a matter of stockpiling cash for a rainy day. There are many steps you can take to keep your business strong no matter what the future holds.

1. Rethink Your Team

Sometimes as your business grows, you add team members as needed but you don't think about the big picture. Is your staff running in an efficient way?

Related: Recession-Proof Your Career With These 3 Skills

Take a look at how you structure your team's responsibilities and reporting structure. You might even notice that you can cut back on the hours you need.

2. Invest in Adaptable Technology

One of the most critical steps my team took is to prepare for video auditions instead of in-person auditions. This let us continue on with our business efficiently, despite the unexpected circumstances of the pandemic.

Before an actual need arises, think about ways you can use technology to streamline your business. Maybe there's a tool you could use to complete your projects for a lower cost or with less labor.

It depends on your business and your service or product. Regardless, though, now is the time to invest in technology that makes your work easier.

3. Make Development a Priority

When business is strong, too many companies ease off their business development plans. If you do this, you're setting yourself up for a fall.

Related: This $35 Bundle Can Help You Recession-Proof Your Personal Finances

Business development lays the groundwork for future sales. Set appointments in your schedule for time to network, brainstorm new strategies, and so on.

4. Create an Action Plan

What do you do when business is slow? Do you twiddle your thumbs and wait for it to pick back up because you aren't sure what else to do? If so, you're not alone.

The problem is that most companies wait until their business is suffering before they try to find ideas to help the business. Instead, you need to create a plan in advance.

Make a list of concrete tasks you should do any time your business slows down. This could include investigating new product ideas, getting in touch with your contacts, marketing to your most loyal customers, and so on.

This way, if the need arises, you'll have a clear to-do list so you can get moving right away.

5. Stay in Continuous Contact

Your marketing and advertising shouldn't focus on reaching out to new customers alone. Did you know on average, 80% of your profits will come from 20% of your customer base?

You need marketing strategies that continuously nurture your relationship with your customers. Keep your business on their minds so they'll keep coming back.

Email marketing is a common option, sending newsletters and e-blasts to your subscriber list on a regular basis. In some cases, direct mail is a successful choice too.

6. Track Your Marketing

Speaking of marketing, let's talk about your marketing budget. One of the most common mistakes is to cut your marketing budget when you're in a recession. A downturn is a time when your marketing is most important because you need to bring in new business.

While you should never cut out marketing entirely, there may be times when you need to reduce the budget. To do this correctly, you need a long history of data.

Track the data for all your campaigns to see which strategies and messages are most successful. If you need to make cuts during a recession, you'll already know which campaigns to cut because you know which ones are least successful.

7. Invest in a Financial Planner

A financial planner specializing in business finances could be your new best friend. This type of professional will help you manage your cash flow, your savings, your expenses, and more.

Related: 5 Recession-Resistant Franchise Sectors You Should Consider Buying

Don't wait until a recession, though. Hire a planner when your revenue is strong. This way, the planner can help you plan for a rainy day and find financial ways to recession-proof the business.

8. Keep a Running List of Expansion Ideas

it's been fascinating throughout COVID-19 to watch how so many businesses have pivoted their services and products to fit the needs of our current crisis. For example, with customers spending less money on clothes, countless fashion companies have pivoted to focus on making face masks instead.

You can't predict the future, but the more ideas you have ready, the better. Start keeping an ongoing list of ways your business could adjust to the needs your customers have during a recession. If and when another economic crisis happens, you already have a starting point.

9. Build Up Your Credit

No business wants to borrow money, but we need to be honest that it's never out of the question. The last thing you want is to reach the point of needing a loan, only to find that your credit is too low to get one.

Safeguard your future by building your business's credit. There are plenty of steps you can take now to make it easier for you to get an affordable loan in the future.

Making Your Business More Secure

When you dream about your business's future, you probably think about the bright possibilities. The fact is that rainy days are likely to come your way too, but preparation can make all the difference.

I've used the strategies above to recession-proof my business, and you can do the same. It's never too early to build your business a safety net.

Related:

9 Smart Ways to Recession-Proof Your Business (Fast)

The Digital Dollar's Global Potential For Entrepreneurship

A Five-Step Approach To Financial Planning During the Coronavirus Crisis



Copyright 2020 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
She rose to notoriety following her stint in ITV's The Only Way Is Essex.

And Chloe Ross looked typically stylish as she stepped out for dinner at Lucky Cat in Mayfair, London, on Friday evening with a group of her friends.

The former TOWIE star, 27, cut a fashionable figure in a black babydoll mini dress, which boasted a plunging neckline and puff sleeves.

Glam: Chloe Ross looked typically stylish as she stepped out for dinner at Lucky Cat in Mayfair, London, on Friday evening with a group of her friends

Chloe put her toned and tanned pins on full display in the thigh-grazing number, while styling her dress with a pair of black loafers.

The reality personality wore her brunette locks in a loose blown out style, while enhancing her pretty features with a soft pallet of make-up.

Chloe opted for forgot any accessories as she kept her look simple yet chic.

Looking good: The former TOWIE star, 27, cut a fashionable figure in a black babydoll mini dress, which boasted a plunging neckline and puff sleeves

Chloe's former castmates have been filming the new series of ITVBe's The Only Way Is Essex, which celebrates the show's 10-year anniversary in recent weeks.

The 10th anniversary series was due to start filming in March 2020, but ITV bosses made the tough decision to put the production on pause due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Fans were left without their Essex fix until the show came back with a vengeance on Sunday night, with former cast member Amy Childs returning.

Wow! Chloe put her toned and tanned pins on full display in the thigh-grazing number, while styling her dress with a pair of black loafers

There will also be surprise appearances from some of the show's other big stars from the past decade.

Paul Mortimer, Head of Digital Channels and Acquisitions for ITV, added: 'After 10 years, TOWIE is still going strong and remains the number one show on ITVBe.

'We're thrilled to be welcoming back new and old faces for the upcoming mega-series as the show celebrates this special anniversary.'
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 18) - Fans of the EnRich loveteam have something to look forward to despite the pandemic as the two stars reunited for a 10-part online series.

Actor Enchong Dee shared to CNN Philippines he will star in the online series 'EnRich Originals,' also his reunion project with former on-screen partner Erich Gonzales.

Dee said the online series challenged him as an artist.

"I feel like you have so much responsibility all of a sudden. You're not only the person in front of the camera, you're also the one doing the works behind it," Dee told CNN Philippines' Rico Hizon on Friday.

The 31-year old actor bared he and Gonzales crafted the creative aspects of the episodes, where he shared his own ideas and she inserted his fanaticism on South Korean drama series.

"We did everything on our own houses, our own rooms, and on our personal offices," said Dee.

Dee also thanked their fans, who are the inspiration in the EnRich Originals series because of their clamor for the loveteam to reunite in a project.

"If we get enough funds and we get our investment back, we can start the second season. We may hire other actors in the future to be the lead of their own episode under EnRich Originals," he revealed.

The first episode entitled "You. Me. Maybe." will air on Saturday at 8 p.m. at the EnRich Originals YouTube channel.
The Green Pastures Church building - where controversial ex-Wrightbus owner Jeff Wright is pastor - is up for sale, along with premises of the bus builder, the Belfast Telegraph can reveal.

The evangelical church, described as a marriage of "God and glamour," is included in the sale of Galgorm Industrial Estate, on the market for 6m.

Wrightbus went into administration last year. Mr Wright drew criticism for up to 15m donations made over six years by its parent company Cornerstone to Green Pastures.

The estate is on sale through commercial property agency CBRE. It is understood it is instructed to sell the estate by Deloitte, the administrators of Wrightbus.

A revamped church website makes no mention of the plan to move from the estate, where it paid 100,000 in rent per year. The church did not respond to a request for comment.

It became a focal point for aggrieved Wrightbus staff last year as they gathered at the church to protest over the donations. But 93-year-old Sir William Wright - the company co-founder and the father of Jeff - was applauded by demonstrators as he arrived at the building.

According to a brochure seen by the Belfast Telegraph, the church building is to be vacated from the end of next month. The congregation is then expected to shift to a new 'super church' building at Ballee.

The old home of Wrightbus, now owned by Bamford Bus Company, which bought the business out of administration, is also included in the sale. However, the business mainly operates from other premises.

No-one from Bamford Bus Company was available for comment on whether it will potentially buy its premises or even the whole estate. It has been paying rent of 15,000 a month.

The church building includes a gym and auditorium, kids' play area, offices and kitchen - which selling agents said could "easily be converted to offices".

One Ballymena man said Green Pastures Church had grown a huge following in town, drawing worshippers from the Catholic and Protestant communities. "It's almost more glam than God," he said.

And referring to the luxury Galgorm Resort and Spa nearby, he said: "Green Pastures draws people in the same way as Galgorm Resort - people just want to be seen there."

Lisa McAteer, a director at selling agents CBRE, said she expected the estate would attract strong interest. "There is really strong demand for industrial land across Northern Ireland, and any new industrial property that's coming on for sale is moving quickly and selling well."

"We expect interest from investors or owner occupiers."
FBI director Christopher Wray says Moscow is interfering in US elections with a steady drumbeat of misinformation.

FBI Director Christopher Wray has warned that Russia is interfering in the 2020 US presidential elections with a steady stream of misinformation aimed at denigrating Democratic candidate Joe Biden as well as sapping Americans confidence in the election process.

Moscow is also attempting to undercut what it sees as an anti-Russian US establishment, the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation told the Democratic-led House of Representatives Homeland Security committee on Thursday.

He said his biggest concern is a steady drumbeat of misinformation that he said he feared could undermine confidence in the result of the 2020 election.

Wrays testimony follows an August 7 warning by the director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center that Russia, China and Iran were all trying to interfere in the November 3 election.





Multiple reviews by US intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia acted to boost now-President Donald Trumps 2016 campaign and undermine his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton.

The Republican president has long bristled at that finding, which Russia has denied.

Trump himself has cast doubts on the integrity of the election, repeatedly and without evidence questioning and criticising the increased use of mail-in ballots as vulnerable to fraud. Mail-in ballots are a long-established method of voting in the United States, and are expected to see a surge in use due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Regarding China, Wray said that the FBI is so active in monitoring Chinese efforts to acquire US technology and other sensitive information that it is opening a new counterintelligence investigation related to China every 10 hours.

Antifa not an organisation

Wray also told legislators that Antifa is an ideology, not an organisation, testimony that puts him at odds with Trump and many of his supporters.

Wray said that Antifa, short for Anti-fascist which serves as an umbrella term for far-left-leaning activists, was a real thing and that the FBI had undertaken any number of properly predicated investigations into what we would describe as violent extremism, including into individuals who identify with Antifa.

But, he said, Its not a group or an organisation. Its a movement or an ideology.

Trump in June singled out Antifa as responsible for the violence that followed amid widespread protests against the death of George Floyd in police custody. In a tweet, he said that the US would be designating Antifa as a terror organisation, even though such designations are reserved for foreign groups and Antifa lacks the hierarchical structure of formal organisations.

Wray said the FBI is conducting multiple investigations into violent domestic extremists following months of street protests against racial injustice and police brutality.

Wray sought to make clear the scope of the threats the country faces while resisting legislators attempts to steer him into politically charged statements.

When asked whether extremists on the left or the right posed the bigger threat, he pivoted instead to an answer about how solo actors, or so-called lone wolves, with easy access to weapons were a primary concern.

We dont really think of threats in terms of left, right, at the FBI. Were focused on the violence, not the ideology, he said later.

The FBI director said racially motivated violent extremists, such as white supremacists, have been responsible for the most lethal attacks in the US in recent years. But this year, the most lethal violence has come from anti-government activists, such as anarchists and militia-types, Wray said.
Margaret Stewart, center, and Ben Arnold, both with the Los Angeles Fire Department along with working dog Veya, search for victims of the North Complex fire. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)

As a rapidly growing wildfire barreled toward Lake Oroville, residents of the small mountain communities lying in its path had to decide what to do.

Two told their families they planned to seek shelter at a nearby pond. Another said he would leave only when he could see the fire from his home.

Three others were ready to evacuate, only to hold off based on incorrect information about how much the blaze was contained.

All of those people, along with nine others, ultimately fell victim to the North Complex fire, a massive blaze that exploded last week into one of the deadliest and most expansive conflagrations California has seen.

While crews continue working furiously to contain the blaze  now the fifth-largest and among the deadliest in recorded state history at more than 284,000 acres  and assess the extent of the devastation left in its wake, information has begun to trickle in about those who paid the ultimate price.

Much is unclear, and two of the victims have not been officially identified. But the initial details of those who perished illustrate the speed and ferocity with which the fire moved, differences in residents' response to evacuation orders and how, for some, inaccurate or incomplete information may have been the difference between life and death.

Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said Thursday evening that only one person reported missing is still unaccounted for  a promising sign the death toll might not climb higher.

"Our efforts to really get out and start searching areas has increased dramatically," he said during a briefing, adding: "Because were covering a lot more ground, and that number [of fatalities] is staying steady, that gives me some hope."

Even so, only four California fires have killed more people than the North Complex.

The victims who have been identified range widely in age: from 16 to 79. Most lived in Berry Creek, a mountain hamlet northeast of Oroville, while two hailed from nearby Feather Falls.

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Both towns found themselves in the crosshairs of the blaze's astonishing and horrifying advance. The fire's growth, at times estimated at about 2,000 acres an hour, sent crews scrambling to implement a plan of attack and forced some 20,000 residents in Butte, Plumas and Yuba counties to flee.

Amid the chaos, evacuation orders came by surprise, went unheeded in some corners and were impaired by a power outage, previous Times' reporting showed.

Philip Rubel, 68, and Millicent Catarancuic, 77, were among those who prepared to flee Berry Creek as the fire approached.

"They had packed their belongings in preparation to evacuate but later decided not to evacuate based on erroneous information the fire was 51% contained," Honea said previously.

In fact, the fire was 51% contained as of the morning of Sept. 8, according to the U.S. Forest Service, but as it raced toward Berry Creek, it grew larger and faster, swallowing additional acres of wildland. As of Thursday evening, the fire's containment was 40%.

Rubel and Catarancuic's bodies were found Sept. 9 in the area of Graystone Lane and Coyote Road, according to the Butte County Sheriff's Office.

Rubel's body was inside a charred Toyota pickup and Catarancuic's remains were found down an embankment. A second vehicle was found nearby, resting against a large rock.

They clearly tried to make some escape, and it was an escape that was too late, said their nephew Zygy Roe-Zurz. They almost made it to the main road.

Roe-Zurz learned Thursday that his mother  Suzan Violet Zurz, 76  had also perished. She had been missing for more than a week.

Suzan Violet Zurz, Rubel and Catarancuic lived together about a half-mile up Graystone Lane, a rugged dirt road that exited near the towns Village Market.

On Sunday, a detective had told Roe-Zurz that a third set of remains had been found near the doorway of the family's burned-out house, but DNA identification was delayed. The unwelcome news came just before her death was released publicly.

Roe-Zurz said the three had packed two cars and were searching for a missing cat, but then saw information online that led them to believe the fire was not an immediate threat. He is uncertain whether they received evacuation orders on their cellphones, but knows that they began to unpack, thinking they would be safe staying.

He lost communication with them after that, about 7 p.m., and doesnt know what eventually sent them fleeing.

He is also upset with Honea's statements that his family relied on erroneous information. He thinks the situation is not that simple and that it's important to learn when evacuation orders were sent and who received them.

I am a scientist, and I was online and I couldnt tell a tsunami of fire was coming toward my family, he said. I am not trying to blame anyone, but I am resisting people blaming my family, that they are to blame fully for what happened. I have a huge problem with that.

Honea said Thursday that "we do not know how they came to believe that, we dont know what source of information they accessed to formulate that opinion" that the fire was better contained than it actually was, but said his "condolences go out to Ms. Zurzs family."

Other Berry Creek residents were more reluctant to evacuate, officials said.

The body of Mark Delagardie, 61, was found Monday at his home on Bean Creek Road. A friend had asked authorities to check up on him, according to Honea, because Delagardie had "ignored evacuation orders and chose to stay at his residence."

When he spoke with his family by phone on the night of Sept. 8, Kin Lee told them "he was aware of the fire and that he would evacuate if flames became visible," Honea said.

The 64-year-old's body was found two days later in the area of Starcrest Lane.

John Butler, 79, and Sandra Butler, 75, had told their family "they were going to seek refuge from the fire at a pond near their residence," the sheriff said. Their bodies were later found near their home.

Khawar Bhatti, 58, was also found dead at a Berry Creek home on Sept. 10, sheriff's officials said, while the body of Jorge Hernandez-Juarez, 26, was located Sunday at a property on Milsap Bar Road.

Others were found in or near vehicles, overcome as they tried to flee the flames.

Those include Paul Winer, a 68-year-old Berry Creek resident, and Randy Harrell, 67, of Feather Falls.

Josiah Williams, 16, is by far the youngest confirmed fatality in the North Complex fire. His father, Justin Williams, previously told The Times that JoJo, as he was affectionately known, and his older brother were supposed to leave the family home in Berry Creek in their respective cars on Sept. 9, but that the younger boy wasn't able to escape.

Officials have said the fire's "historic run" started Sept. 8, when it jumped the middle fork of the Feather River and quickly morphed into a rampaging beast.

"The fire ran from Cleghorn Bar to Lake Oroville as winds, terrain and dry fuels came into perfect alignment," Jay Kurth, incident commander for California Interagency Incident Management Team 4, wrote in a public letter Wednesday. "The spot fire traveled more than 30 miles in 16 hours and spotted across Lake Oroville."

It ended up moving "20 miles beyond all fire prediction models identified," he wrote.

"Large clusters of spot fires were joining so rapidly that huge areas were igniting at once, creating a very dangerous fire environment."

Given the swiftly evolving situation, officials have said they did everything possible to get people out of harm's way.

We did the best job that we could, given the resources and time that we have, Honea said previously.

That said, as I have said many, many times before, there is no way to guarantee 100% saturation of your message, he added. Theres no way to guarantee perfection. Its particularly difficult when were dealing with communities in remote and rural areas that are hard to get to and sometimes have spotty coverage.

While the fire hasn't seen anywhere near the explosive growth that last week wrought, the danger is far from over.

A new mandatory evacuation order was issued Thursday for Meadow Valley, a community of several hundred in Plumas County.

Jake Cagle, an operations section chief on the fire, urged residents to heed the latest call to evacuate.

"If we have people trying to evacuate late, or waiting for the fire front, until they see fire ... that impedes our progress to save your structure or to save anything around your area," he said in a video briefing Thursday.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 18

By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend:

Kazakhstan has exported 3.6 million tons of crude oil worth $1.5 billion to India in 1Q2020, a source at Kazakhstans oil and gas market told Trend.

The exported volume was 3.2 times more than during 1Q2019 (1.1 million tons), whereas the value was 2.8 times more than in 1Q2019 ($547.9 million).

During the reporting period, Kazakhstan has also exported 1.3 million tons of crude oil to South Korea, for a total of $607.5 million, which also is 52.6 percent less in volume (2.7 million tons in 1Q2019), and 54.1 percent less in value ($1.3 billion in 1Q2019).

Kazakhstan crude oil export to Brunei amounted to 502,193 tons worth $231.8 million, whereas export to UAE stood at 66,618 tons worth $25.8 million in 1Q2020.

Kazakhstan was not exporting crude oil to Brunei and UAE in 1Q2019.

Kazakhstans overall export of crude oil stood at 33.3 million tons worth $15.08 billion in 1H2020 which is compared to 34.6 million tons worth $16.4 billion in 1H2019.

Kazakhstans overall export of petroleum products stood at 364,459 tons of products worth $1.04 million in 1H2020 which is compared to 574,297 tons worth $1.6 million in 1H2019.

---

Follow the author on twitter: @nargiz_sadikh
Syracuse, N.Y. -- So it begins: Over this weekend, Onondaga Countys Board of Elections will mail out the first 34,000 requested absentee ballots, six weeks before the Nov. 3 general election.

About 10,000 will go to the North Syracuse U.S. Post Office this evening, said Elections Commissioners Michele Sardo and Dustin Czarny. Of those, about 1,000 are for U.S. military members, they said.

By Monday, the Board of Elections plans to stuff, label and mail all 34,000 absentees that have been requested as of late this week. In coming days, the elections workers plan to process absentee requests as they come in.

Before its over, Onondaga County expects to respond to as many as 125,000 requests for absentee ballots. Thats about half of the number of people expected to vote here in the November election.

That already breaks the record for the most absentee votes requested in an election. This June, primary voters requested 26,000 absentee votes  the current record.

That means by the time polls open Election Day, close to half of the countys votes may have been already cast.

Experts and officials are urging voters to act early. Here in New York, absentee ballots must be requested, either by mail or by using this website, by Oct. 27.

Once you get your absentee ballot, you can fill it out and mail it right away.

You can also bring it, in person, to your countys Board of Elections office during working hours. Onondaga County has ordered 165 special ballot receptacles. One will be in the lobby of the countys Board of Elections starting Monday morning, Sardo and Czarny said.

These ballot receptacles will be at the Onondaga County Board of Elections starting Monday, Sept. 21 to collect absentee ballots. Voters can drop off their ballots during office hours.Teri Weaver | tweaver@syracuse.com

Its not too late to request your absentee ballot. You can also look up your polling place and see a sample ballot.

Early voting runs from Oct. 24 to Nov. 1. Absentee ballots also can be dropped off during those early voting hours.

And you can bring your absentee ballot to the polls on Nov. 3.

MORE ON VOTING IN 2020

Central New Yorkers see more ads than anyone else in the nation

How to get your absentee ballot in New York

You can vote twice in NY, but only one vote will count

New Yorks voter registration deadlines are coming up

How to early vote in Onondaga County

Got a story idea or news tip youd like to share? Please contact me through email, Twitter, Facebook or at 315-470-2274.
(Newser)  Some visitors to Thailand's beautiful Khao Yai National Park will be receiving a memento of their tripall the trash they left behind. In a series of Facebook posts, Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa slammed campers who left garbage strewn around a campsite over the weekend and said officials should take it to the post office and send it back to them, the Bangkok Post reports. He added a photo of a package of trash that was being returned to the tourists. "You forgot these things at Khao Yai National Park," says a note with the package.

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Authorities say the trash is a hazard for the park's wildlife, which includes numerous endangered species and some of the country's only remaining herds of wild elephants. Visitors to the 770-square-mile park near Bangkok are required to register with their names and addresses, which has made it easy for authorities to track litterbugs down, the BBC reports. Park officials have also lodged a complaint with police, meaning the offenders could face a fine of up to $16,000 and a possible prison sentence for littering in a national park. (Read more Thailand stories.)
A lawyer who was fined Rs 500 by the Delhi Police for not wearing a face mask while he was driving his car has filed a case in the Delhi High court against it.

In his petition, Advocate Saurabh Sharma has sought the refund of the Rs 500 paid as fine and compensation of Rs 10 lakh for mental harassment suffered by him.

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Sharma, who has been a lawyer for more than two decades hat on September 9 while driving to work he was stopped by Delhi Police officials and was fined for not wearing a mask.

He claimed that he was fined by the cops despite the fact that he was alone in the car.

Not compulsory to wear mask if alone

Earlier this month, the health ministry had said that it was not compulsory for a person to wear a mask if they are not accompanied by any other person.

Sharma, in his plea, has said that the officials fining him failed to provide any executive order which makes it mandatory to wear masks while travelling alone in a private vehicle.

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They also did not heed his request to write on the ticket that he was driving alone and he paid the "illegal" fine under protest, the petition has said.

Arguing that the unjust and illegal stopping and "extortion" of fine caused huge mental turmoil and harassment, the Petitioner has not only sought the refund of the Rs 500 paid by him as fine but has also prayed for grant of compensation of Rs 10,00,000 from the Delhi Government.

During the hearing, Sharma's lawyer argued that the guidelines issued by DDMA only state that the mask has to be worn in a public place or place of work, and a private vehicle is neither.

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The DDMA contended that its guidelines issued in April and June this year make it mandatory to wear a mask in a public place and added that the Supreme Court has held that a private vehicle is a public place.

It also said that under the guidelines issued by it, there is a penalty of Rs 500 for first time breach of quarantine norms as well as for not wearing masks and for every subsequent violation there is a fine of Rs 1,000.

Out of the total, the maximum 2,33,545 challans were issued for not wearing masks.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Guyana on Friday, saying the government in neighboring Venezuela is illegitimate and must leave power.

Pompeo made the remarks at a news conference with Guyanese President Irfaan Ali. Pompeo is on a four-nation swing through South America. He has visited Suriname and, following the Guyana visit, was headed to northern Brazil before a stopover in Colombia on the way back to the United States.

The U.S. has set aside $5 million to help Guyanese authorities deal with more than 30,000 refugees who have fled from Venezuela to Guyana in recent years. Washington blames the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro for the deterioration of the countrys economy, basic services and democratic institutions, though U.S.-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido has been unable to win over the military and has lost the support of some opposition figures.

We know two things. The Maduro regime has decimated the people of Venezuela and that Maduro himself is an indicted narcotics trafficker. This means he has to leave, Pompeo said.

Maduro says the U.S. seeks to stage a coup in Venezuela and that U.S. sanctions have hobbled the economy.
Shenandoah, IA (51601)

Today

Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 19F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 19F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph.
New York Attorney General Letitia James announced reforms for releasing police-worn body camera footage in response to the handling of the death of Daniel Prude, a Black man who died in March after he was seen being pinned to the ground by Rochester Police officers.

Prude's death and the delay in the release of the video has resulted in the attorney general's office implementing a new policy in which body camera footage will now be released earlier in the investigation process, as soon as jurisdiction has been established and the family has had a chance to see the video, James said.

Previously, releasing any body camera footage was up to the discretion of the law enforcement agency, James said, describing speculation as to whether the video connected to Prude's death was suppressed due to the old policy as unfortunate.

Sunday would have been Prude's 42nd birthday, James said, adding that his death and the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor "rekindled the flame of righteous indignation that has been smoldering for far too long."

James said she was "outraged" after viewing the video of the moments before Prude's death and that she stood in solidarity with the entire Rochester community in their calls for change.

PHOTO: Daniel Prude is shown in an undated photo released by his family on Sept. 2, 2020. (Prude Family)

On Friday, an independent investigation into the government handling of the death of Daniel Prude moved forward when the Rochester City Council authorized the power to subpoena several city departments, including Mayor Lovely Warren's office and the Rochester Police Department.

The City Council voted 8-0 during a special virtual meeting Friday morning to authorize the subpoenas, which support an "independent investigation into the internal communications, processes and procedures that took place related to the death of Daniel Prude" and grants authority to "investigate all city departments including the right to review records and papers" and issue subpoenas.

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City Council President Loretta Scott said the investigation would start with the first 911 phone call placed on March 23 regarding Prude, 41, a Black man who died a week after being restrained by Rochester police during a mental health emergency.

Andrew G. Celli Jr., an attorney with the New York law firm Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP, will lead the independent investigation, which the City Council approved on Tuesday.

"[Rochester] is a community that's asking hard questions and it's a community that deserves clear answers," Celli said during a media briefing Friday after the City Council's vote. "And that's what I'm committed to do."

MORE: New York forms grand jury to investigate Daniel Prude's death at hands of Rochester police

The investigation will look to determine "who knew what when" in the death of Prude, Celli said. "There's really one question here, and that is: Was there a cover-up? That's a blunt way to put it, but that's the question we are seeking to answer."

The team plans to gather sworn testimony from witnesses, emails, text messages, memos and other documents as it seeks to determine a timeline of events, examine how city departments communicated with each other behind closed doors, and what city officials said publicly, versus what they knew at the time, Celli said.

Celli acknowledged that some of these documents have already been released in a 300-plus-page report commissioned by Rochester Deputy Mayor James Smith, which includes police reports and emails.

"We're going to go much deeper than the deputy mayor did, and we're going to get to the bottom of this," Celli said.

PHOTO: Rochester Police Chief, La'Ron Singletary speaks during a news conference with Mayor Lovely Warren regarding the protests over the death of a Black man, Daniel Prude in Rochester, N.Y., Sept. 6, 2020. (Brendan Mcdermid/Reuters, FILE)

His team plans to issue subpoenas to four Rochester agencies -- the mayor's office, the police department, the law department and the City Council -- by Monday, Celli said. They haven't decided whose testimony they will take, though Celli said that the mayor is under consideration.

The investigation should take about three months, at which point they will release their report to the public, including transcriptions of collected testimonies, Celli said.

The intragovernmental study is one of several investigations stemming from Prude's death, including one from his family, who has alleged an internal cover-up in a federal lawsuit against the city. The state attorney general's office also has moved to empanel a grand jury, which would determine whether criminal charges should be brought in the case, as part of its investigation.

PHOTO: Notices reading 'Justice for Daniel Prude' are pasted on the exterior walls of City Hall in protest of the police killing of Daniel Prude in Rochester, N.Y., Sept. 8, 2020. (Joshua Rashaad Mcfadden/Getty Images, FILE)

On Monday, Warren announced she would enact several reviews from the deputy mayor's report. She has called for the City Office of Public Integrity to initiate a thorough investigation to determine if any employees, including herself, violated city policies or ethical standards, and she called on the U.S. attorney general to investigate whether Prude's civil rights were violated.

MORE: Rochester mayor fires police chief amid leadership shake-up over Daniel Prude's death

Earlier this month, police body camera footage was released showing the incident between the officers and Prude. In the video, officers are seen pinning Prude to the ground while a spit bag is on his head, and he eventually appears to go unconscious. Prude died a week later. The Monroe County medical examiner listed his death as a homicide caused by "complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint."

Seven officers involved in the incident have been suspended as the state attorney general conducts her investigation. On Monday, Warren also fired Rochester Police Chief La'Ron Singletary, two weeks before he was set to retire, amid shakeups in the department.

New York Attorney General Letitia James announces body camera reforms in response to Daniel Prude's death originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Jon Boutcher will lead an independent police probe into the Glenanne Gang (PA)

A documentary film about the loyalist Glenanne Gang attracted more than 200,000 viewers when it was broadcast on Irish television.

The terror group was linked to more than 100 murders in the 1970s and '80s and with allegations of state collusion.

Several of the members of the gang were serving members of the RUC and security services at the time.

Unquiet Graves, directed by Belfast filmmaker Sean Murray, was broadcast by RTE 1 on Wednesday night.

It included shocking claims by one former RUC officer who said the British military initiated plans for a massacre at a Catholic Primary School in Co Armagh in the 1970s.

John Weir was a self-confessed member of the terror group, and said the attack was intended as a retaliation for the Kingsmill massacre of 1976 in which 10 Protestant workmen were shot dead by the IRA.

Mr Weir claimed the plot came from military intelligence to make the Troubles "spiral out of control" but that it was ultimately a step too far for the UVF's Belfast leadership.

After the film premiered in cinemas last year, it was broadcast on RTE this week. An RTE spokesperson said it attracted an average of 213,000 viewers for this week's television broadcast.

In February this year, a lead investigator into the killings of the Glenanne Gang spoke out to say victims' families had a "legal and moral right" to the truth.

Jon Boutcher, a former Bedfordshire Police chief, made the comments as terms of references for several Troubles probes were agreed.

A Court of Appeal ruling in July 2019 had said that relatives were being denied their legitimate expectation of an independent police team overseeing a probe into the killings.

Mr Boutcher was tasked with identifying the membership of the gang and establishing if a review of the cases as a whole suggests a wider practice of state collusion.
President Thaci awards Trump one of countrys highest honours for efforts on peace and reconciliation.

Kosovo has awarded US President Donald Trump one of the countrys highest honours for his governments efforts on peace and reconciliation in the formerly war-torn region.

President Hashim Thaci awarded Trump Kosovos Order of Freedom on Friday for his exceptional contribution for the freedom of Kosovo and the strengthening of peace and reconciliation in the region.

The Trump administration has been working to normalise relations between Serbia and Kosovo, two former Balkan war foes.

Two weeks ago, Serbian President Aleksander Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti signed an economic normalisation deal at the White House.

Kosovo, a former Serbian province, and Serbia have been negotiating under the European Union mediation since 2011 on normalising their ties.

Serbia fought a 1998-99 war with separatist fighters in Kosovo. The war ended after NATO conducted a 78-day air attack campaign against Serbia.

Kosovo was run by the United Nations for nine years before it declared independence in 2008. Most western nations recognise Kosovos statehood, but not Serbia.

Thaci also invited Trump for a visit to Kosovo.
Udit Singhal, an 18-year-old boy from Delhi, has been named by the United Nations to the 2020 cohort of young leaders for the Sustainable Development Goals, the highest profile recognition opportunity at the world body for youngsters who are leading efforts to combat the world's most pressing issues.

Mr Singhal has been named to the 2020 class of 17 Young Leaders for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He is the founder of Glass2Sand, a zero-waste ecosystem that addresses the growing menace of glass waste in Delhi.

Through the initiative, empty glass bottles are prevented from being dumped into landfills, where they won't decompose for a million years, and are crushed into commercially valuable sand, the Office of the Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth said in a statement.

"As a Young Leader for the SDGs, I will be an active agent of change. I hope to be able to encourage communities to embrace a better civic sense to create sustainable living spaces - like when mountain-high landfills are detonated," Singhal said.

According to the Delhi teen's profile on his website, The British School student conceived the Glass2Sand project in late 2018 while he was collecting bottles that had become unviable for waste collectors due to dropping demand, because large storage spaces were needed and the transport costs were high.

Empty glass bottles were not segregated anymore and started to go for dumping in the landfills, the Glass2Sand website said, adding that Mr Singhal's initiative has stopped over 8,000 bottles from being dumped in landfills and produced 4,815 kilograms of high-grade silica sand so far.

The Young Leaders for the SDGs initiative is organised on a biennial basis by the Office of the UN Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth. "As the UN marks its 75th anniversary during unprecedented times, the 2020 Young Leaders for the SDGs are a clear example of how young people are leading the way in shaping a more sustainable and inclusive future for all," the UN Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth Jayathma Wickramanayake said.

"Despite being disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, young people around the world continue to demonstrate immense resilience, resourcefulness and leadership in finding innovative solutions to recover better and achieve the SDGs," she said.

The young leaders -- between the ages of 18 and 29 years old -- represent the diverse voices of young people from every region of the world, and are collectively responsible for activating millions of young people in support of the SDGs.

This group will come together as a community to support efforts to engage young people in the realisation of the SDGs both through strategic opportunities with the UN and through their existing initiatives, platforms and networks.

The 2020 Class of 17 Young Leaders includes representatives from Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Colombia, Egypt, India, Ireland, Liberia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Senegal, Turkey, Uganda and the United States.

It also includes 21-year-old environmental engineer from Egypt Loay Radwan, 22-year-old deep-tech architect from Bangladesh Zahin Razeen and 28-year-old Ralf Toenjes from Brazil, who is the founder and CEO of two national organisations Renovatio, a non-profit, and VerBem, a social business with the mission to democratise the access of eye care in Brazil and internationally. Renovatio/VerBem has been able to supply more than 1,50,000 people with correct eye care and donate more than 60,000 eyeglasses to people in Brazil, Mozambique, Haiti, and India.

This year's Young Leaders for the SDGs include 22-year-old Mariama Djambony Badji of Senegal who is a young entrepreneur of green and smart architecture, 18-year-old Siena Castellon from Ireland who is an autism and neurodiversity advocate, 26-year-old Ilayda Eskitascioglu of Turkey who founded an initiative that aims to provide sanitary materials to rural women in the country, 23-year-old climate activist from Uganda Vanessa Nakate.

In 2017, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed Wickramanayake of Sri Lanka as his Special Envoy on Youth and as the youngest senior official in the history of the organisation.
Collectively we need to bring to the fore new ways of doing business that not only empowers people most affected by climate change, but equalizes the status quo." Sarah Collins

On Thursday 10 September 2020, Sarah Collins, Founder & CEO of the Wonderbag, in partnership with US based company Verra and W+ Standard, launched the first-ever joint VCS/W+ Standard certification process to measure emission reductions and womens empowerment results in the carbon credit space. Announced during a virtual launch event that connected leaders in the carbon, environmental and women empowerment space from all over the world  the conversation focused on how this project is set to change the carbon credits landscape and make a real and significant impact on the environment while empowering women and rural communities across Africa.

Verra is a global leader helping to tackle the worlds most intractable environmental and social challenges by developing and managing standards that help the private sector, countries, and civil society achieve ambitious sustainable development and climate action goals. Based in Washington, DC this global leader is a non-profit organization that manages standards for reducing GHG emissions, improving livelihoods and protecting natural resources. Its primary portfolio of standards includes the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), the preeminent standard used by the voluntary carbon market with 1,400 registered projects in 80 countries, and the Climate, Community & Biodiversity (CCB) Standards with more than a hundred registered projects worldwide.

The W+ Standard, created by WOCAN, is the first women-specific standard that measures womens empowerment in a transparent and quantifiable manner, that gives a monetary value to results and creates a new channel to direct financial resources to women. The W+ Standard measures six domains that are critical for womens empowerment: Time savings, Income & Assets, Health, Leadership, Education & Knowledge and Food Security. These were determined together with rural women from Nepal and Kenya. Methods were developed to measure and quantify progress for each of these domains.

Wonderbag has its roots in South Africa and was developed and launched by KwaZulu-Natal local, Sarah Collins, in 2008. According to Sarah, the inspiration behind this award-winning and revolutionary heat retention cooking bag was not just about changing the way people cook, but the very foundation of the business model is anchored in how it can create life changing, economically viable solutions to people who need them the most, at a price they can afford. Through the Wonderbag Sarah has always challenged the current 'give away aid-model (except in cases of emergency situations) where people are given tools or services, and in this case cooking solutions from Governments, academia etc, for free. She explains that not only is this model totally disempowering and patronizing to the beneficiaries, but it also ignores the dignity and freedom of their choice. "Africa is literally littered with failed cook stove initiatives so a solution that was simple, instinctive and culturally acceptable needed to be found. And that is the Wonderbag, says Sarah.

About the recent partnerships and launch of this exciting project, Sarah enthused that this collaboration is not only a match made in heaven, but its also been a long time coming. Women play an essential role in addressing climate change and ensuring common resiliency - hence the collaboration between the W+ Standard and the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program that addresses the gap. I believe, as do many others, that empowering women is a critical strategy for improving outcomes of climate projects. Despite much skepticism at the time, I believed as far back as 2008 that the obvious mechanism of reducing carbon emissions was carbon financing. The people most affected by climate change are those living in the majority world (typically referred to as the third world), hence the subsidization of the Wonderbag via Carbon Impact Funding was obvious. However, we needed a financial mechanism that would respect culturally relevant innovation. Our partnership with Verra and W+ Standard through this latest initiative has helped achieve just that and positioned us at the forefront globally in the carbon credits space, explains Sarah.

Wonderbag sold its first VERs to Microsoft in 2012 and continued to sell carbon across the world, even when carbon markets collapsed. The innovative company that considers itself very data driven has enjoyed its new wave of interest in recent months with the introduction of South Africas Carbon Tax, and global companies realizing that global warming is a reality, and carbon neutrality has to be the future. Sarah feels strongly that the impact for buyers locally and abroad is a game changer as this new certification not only supports efforts towards carbon neutrality, but it certifies what measurable impact the Wonderbag has on women and the significant role it plays in diminishing smoke inhalation in the fight against lung disease.

With over 3 million Wonderbags already distributed across Africa, plus a deep partnership with Red Cross Societies, constant data collecting, including other partnerships across the world, we have more than enough evidence to illustrate that the Wonderbag drastically changes the economic status of women, helps drive down domestic violence, reduces rape, improves access to education and healthcare while also reducing carbon emissions. I believe that is why Time Magazine named Wonderbag one of the Top 50 Genius Companies in the world and also why as we move into the future, Wonderbag's time to help heal the world and its people has arrived. Collectively we need to bring to the fore new ways of doing business that not only empowers people most affected by climate change, but equalizes the status quo, concludes Sarah.

Notes to Editor:

The Wonderbag is a revolutionary, non-electric, heat retention cooker that allows food that has been brought to the boil by conventional methods, to continue to cook for up to 12 hours, without using any additional energy source. Not only is the Wonderbag a revolution in the kitchen, but it is also a recipe for social change. The world has embraced the Wonderbag because of its environmental attributes and particularly its social contributions. Wonderbag was founded in South Africa in 2008 by local entrepreneur and social activist, Sarah Collins, and the product was born out of a practical desire to continue cooking during a bout of Eskom load shedding. Since opening its doors the company has grown exponentially and this local product has crossed over borders into various overseas markets and now is a hot commodity for corporates across the world looking to offset their carbon footprint. Wonderbags have grown from their SA home base and are now available in countries across the globe, including America and the United Kingdom.
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has arrested a 29-year-old woman, Jamila Abubakar, for allegedly beating her seven-year-old stepson, Muhammad Bashir to death at Tarauni Kasuwa area of Kano State.

NAPTIP Kano Zonal Commander, Shehu Umar who disclosed this to newsmen in Kano, said the suspect was arrested, following tip-off information at about 1:00 p.m on Thursday.

Umar recalled that the suspect was once invited to NAPTIP some two months ago for incarcerating same victim (deceased) and at that was made to sign an undertaking not to repeat same.

NAPTIP received information that the same victim that was rescued about two months ago at Tarauni Kasuwa Kano, was allegedly beating to death by his stepmother.

Upon receiving information, operatives of NAPTIP swung into action and arrested the suspect.

Previously, we received information that the suspect locked up her 7-year-old stepson in a room without food anytime the suspect as well as the husband sets for the day business. The suspect was invited and the victim was rescued by our team as a result. The victim was accommodated in NAPTIP shelter for one week for medication and was later reunited with his father.

The parent wrote an undertaking that the victim would not be locked up again and promised to go along with him when set for business to avoid any eventuality. The case has been transferred to Kano Police Command for discrete investigation and prosecution, Umar however stated.

KanyiDaily had also shared a photo of a very young boy who was brutalized and inflicted with horrific injuries by his heartless stepmother in Edo State.
An extract from the video that was filmed at the Kingstown Cemetery allegedly for use by the ULP as an election advertisement.

The opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) has wasted little time in registering its disgust, through a release made available on Monday, with what it said was a disgraceful act by the Unity Labour Party (ULP), to film an election advertisement in the Kingstown Cemetery.





The short video, which was released on Facebook, featured Cultural Ambassador and expressed supporter of the ULP Rondy Luta McIntosh, along with young volunteers of the ULP, going through the motions of filming a burial at a prepared gravesite.





The NDP in its release said that the volunteers - donning ULP red berets  "are then seen stepping over recent graves for the filming.





The casket supposedly being readied for lowering into the grave was noticeable yellow.





Given what they deem to be a despicable act, the NDP has demanded an apology from the ULP.





The NDP, looking to wrest the seat of government from the ULP in what is highly anticipated to be a December 2020 general election, said in its release, ".filming of the ULP election video delayed a funeral which was taking place at the time  with the family of the deceased having to wait to use the hole that was dug to accommodate the coffin of their loved one, which was instead used by the ULP for filming purposes.





Chairman of the New Democratic Party (NDP) Daniel Cummings tuned in on the issue declaring that the act as referenced was another example of how low the ULP has fallen after 19 long years. "They must apologize immediately to the loved ones buried in the cemetery, Cummings asserted.





He added, "Cemeteries are sacred places where families and friends mourn together. They are not spaces for desperate political games We cannot afford another five years of this disrespectful, shameful and sacrilegious behaviour. No nations government should take part in such a vile stunt.





Meanwhile, in the aftermath of mixed feeling to the video, and in a clear effort to separate the video from the ULP, Rondy Luta McIntosh told local media that he was not hired by the party to do the video.





Up to press time, there was neither an apology nor a formal response by the ULP to the NDPs demand.




LANSING -- Bills to expand clean energy loans in Michigan could see changes to beef up consumer protections. Bipartisan legislation recently before a state House committee would extend Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) loans to residential property owners.

Theres such savings to be had out there, said bill sponsor, Rep. Rebekah Warren, D-Ann Arbor. And this tool, its just a great one for communities to have in their toolbox.

But some groups are divided on whether the bills go far enough to protect the people they are aimed at helping. Mainly, low income residents.

Local governments would be able to provide financing to residents to adopt property assessment programs and create districts to promote the use of renewable energy systems and other energy efficient improvements and environmental projects. The loans would then be repaid, and include a lien on the owners property. Communities would have to opt in to the PACE program for their residents.

Its the lien on a residents property that has the opposition concerned.

The Michigan League for Conservation Voters supports the bills in concept, but has concerns, said government affairs director, Nicholas Occhipinti.

Occhipinti said PACE for commercial enterprises works well, and they support a bill in the package that would expand commercial PACE. But PACE loans might not be the way to go for the lowest income residents because of that encumbrance on the lien, he said.

So we do want to be a little bit careful to make sure that homeowners dont get into troublesome financial situation when theres not money or savings going back to them through the tool, Occhipinti said.

The lien on the property is similar to a tax lien, and must be paid before any mortgage on the property. Ward said this can cause resale issues if the sale price isnt enough for both the mortgage and the lien.

I think the primary reason why were being so cautious when it comes to residential PACE is that people could lose their homes, said Johnson.

The is a financing mechanism that puts a lien on a home and the lien is in a priority position. And so if you dont pay that special assessment thats part of your tax bill, your property tax bill, you could go into foreclosure and potentially lose your home.

But others argue that without PACE loans, some energy efficient projects arent possible because of the amount of money required upfront for things like solar panels.

Unfortunately, for lower income people, trying to get access to funds can be challenging, said John Freeman with Great Lakes Renewable Energy. Thats an association of businesses and individuals that have installed renewable energy systems.

Freeman said the lien on the property isnt a problem, because people will be able to afford the difference.

The savings on energy that you no longer have to pay, can be used to pay off the loan, he said. So its kind of save as you go. But the key thing is to get the improvements in via the PACE loan, then you pay off the PACE loan through savings on energy and other expenditures.

For other supporters, the key is access to loans that would help them make clean energy improvements on their own.

Residential property owners should have the same access to the same type of funding that commercial property owners do, said Zach Waas Smith, a community engagement specialist with the city of Ann Arbor.

During a recent committee hearing, Smith said the bills are critical in bridging the gap between the needs and desires of homeowners and the necessary resources to implement equitable solutions.

Warren said she is taking all these points into consideration and open to making changes to the bills to increase consumer protections that are already in the bill - like requiring residents use grants and pure rebates before the loans.

We want them to use those those programs first, and PACE as another tool in the toolbox," she said. And without PACE in some communities, these kind of upgrade wouldnt even be possible.

Warren said ultimately, she wants to put together a policy that can work for the largest number of Michiganders.

The bills are waiting for a vote from the House Energy committee before they can go to the full House for a vote.

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Michigan pandemic death toll is thousands higher than official counts

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First-of-kind marijuana microbusiness approved to open in northern Michigan
We've lost count of how many times insiders have accumulated shares in a company that goes on to improve markedly. On the other hand, we'd be remiss not to mention that insider sales have been known to precede tough periods for a business. So before you buy or sell New Relic, Inc. (NYSE:NEWR), you may well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling.

What Is Insider Selling?

It is perfectly legal for company insiders, including board members, to buy and sell stock in a company. However, rules govern insider transactions, and certain disclosures are required.

We don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions. But logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares. For example, a Harvard University study found that 'insider purchases earn abnormal returns of more than 6% per year'.

View our latest analysis for New Relic

New Relic Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

The President Michael Christenson made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$510k worth of shares at a price of US$56.72 each. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, at around the current price, which is US$56.83. Of course they may have changed their mind. But this suggests they are optimistic. While we always like to see insider buying, it's less meaningful if the purchases were made at much lower prices, as the opportunity they saw may have passed. In this case we're pleased to report that the insider bought shares at close to current prices. The only individual insider to buy over the last year was Michael Christenson.

You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably do not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

Story continues

Does New Relic Boast High Insider Ownership?

I like to look at how many shares insiders own in a company, to help inform my view of how aligned they are with insiders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. New Relic insiders own about US$390m worth of shares (which is 11% of the company). I like to see this level of insider ownership, because it increases the chances that management are thinking about the best interests of shareholders.

So What Do The New Relic Insider Transactions Indicate?

It is good to see the recent insider purchase. We also take confidence from the longer term picture of insider transactions. But we don't feel the same about the fact the company is making losses. Once you factor in the high insider ownership, it certainly seems like insiders are positive about New Relic. Nice! While we like knowing what's going on with the insider's ownership and transactions, we make sure to also consider what risks are facing a stock before making any investment decision. To assist with this, we've discovered 3 warning signs that you should run your eye over to get a better picture of New Relic.

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.



Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Ohio released its first round of coronavirus data for schools on Thursday, covering cases in students and staff in public and private schools.

The data is from Sept. 7 to Sept. 13, though some districts may have chosen to include cases from before that date, according to the states website. The data might be confusing for those who have seen cases announced in their district, but then do not see the numbers on the state website.

Cleveland schools reported a case in a staff member. Cleveland students are learning remotely for the first nine weeks of the school year.

Holy Name High School, a private school in Parma Heights, reported a student case, as did St. Leo the Great, a private school in Cleveland.

The database is searchable by district and school name, but does not aggregate information, like how many cases are in districts statewide.

Based on cleveland.com analysis, statewide there have been 157 new cases in students between Sept. 7 and Sept. 13, and 91 new staff cases.

The reports come from local health departments, after a state order mandated that schools report cases to the departments, which then are required to report to the state weekly. The goal is to improve transparency and provide parents and students with information to make decisions about the return to school.

Many schools have launched comprehensive dashboards on individual websites, which give more information about cases. For example, the state dashboard does not list cases in Chagrin Falls Exempted Village School District. Though the district has had 0 cases in the past for students or staff that are active, there has been 1 staff and 1 student case since the beginning of August, according to the schools dashboard.

The Cuyahoga County Board of Health reported 51 infections in Cuyahoga County students and staff on Friday, up from 23 cases. That number includes colleges and universities.

Board spokesman Kevin Brennan, in an email Thursday, clarified the data sent to the state only reports cases since the beginning of the order. Confirmed cases in K-12 schools prior to Sept. 7 total 34, including students and staff.

The board will only report to the state K-12 cases. Brennan wrote in the email that for information about colleges and universities, those interested should visit institution websites.

Case numbers reported before Sept. 7 in Cuyahoga County to the Board of Health include:

Mayfield City Schools: nine students, one staff member

Brecksville-Broadview Heights City School District: two staff members

East Cleveland schools: five staff members

Gilmour Academy: one student

Holy Name: two students

North Olmsted City Schools: one staff

Padua Franciscan: one student

Solon City Schools: four staff members

Strongsville City Schools: four students, one staff

Trinity: one student

The University School: one student

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, when asked about discrepancies, said if theres incorrect information on the dashboard, the state will run it down, but to keep in mind the time frame of the reporting.

In a response to a question about whether the data should be broken down past districts to individual school buildings, DeWine cited concerns for student privacy.

We cant micromanage this, we cant micromanage this to the point where a small school system is giving out information that might identify someone with COVID.

DeWine said the state will let the current reporting process run for a few weeks, and then officials will reassess.

The state also launched a dashboard for cases in children on Thursday. Cuyahoga County has the third highest amount of cases in children, behind Hamilton and Franklin counties. Children make up about 7% of total cases, and child cases amount to 9,040.

Below are the cases reported in schools to the state from September 7 to the 13. This table only includes districts and schools who reported cases in students or staff, pulled from state data. Cleveland.coms Rich Exner contributed to this report.

County School or district Type Student

cases

new Student

cases

total Staff

cases

new Staff

cases

total Statewide 157 197 91 122 Allen Allen County ESC ESC 1 1 Allen Bluffton Exempted Village Public 1 1 Allen Elida Local Public 1 1 Allen Lima Central Catholic Private 1 1 Ashtabula Ashtabula County ESC ESC 1 1 Ashtabula Geneva Area City Public 1 1 Ashtabula Pymatuning Valley Local Public 1 1 Auglaize New Bremen Local Public 1 1 Auglaize Wapakoneta City Public 1 1 Brown Eastern Local School District Public 1 1 Butler Hamilton City Public 4 4 3 3 Butler St Ann Private 1 1 Butler St Joseph Private 2 2 Butler Stephen T Badin Private 3 3 Carroll Carrollton Exempted Village Public 1 5 3 4 Champaign Graham Local Public 1 1 Clark Northeastern Local Public 1 1 Clermont Children's Meeting House Private 1 1 Clermont Milford Exempted Village Public 6 6 Clermont West Clermont Local Public 1 1 Clermont Williamsburg Local Public 1 1 Columbiana Columbiana Exempted Village Public 2 Cuyahoga Cleveland Municipal Public 1 1 Cuyahoga Holy Name High School Private 1 1 Cuyahoga St Leo The Great Private 1 1 Darke Ansonia Local Public 1 1 Darke Greenville City Public 3 3 1 1 Darke Versailles Exempted Village Public 1 1 Delaware Big Walnut Local Public 2 2 Delaware Delaware Area Career Center JVS 2 2 Delaware Delaware Christian Private 5 5 Delaware Delaware City Public 1 1 Delaware Olentangy Local Public 5 5 4 4 Erie Edison Local (formerly Berlin-Milan) Public 2 2 Fairfield Lancaster City Public 2 2 1 1 Fayette Miami Trace Local Public 1 Franklin Columbus Academy Private 1 1 Franklin Dublin City Public 5 5 2 2 Franklin Groveport Madison Local Public 1 1 Franklin Hilliard City Public 4 4 1 1 Franklin Westerville City Public 1 1 Franklin Worthington Christian School Private 1 1 Franklin Worthington City Public 1 1 Gallia Gallia County Local Public 2 2 Geauga Kenston Local Public 1 Greene Beavercreek City Public 5 5 Greene Bellbrook-Sugarcreek Local Public 1 1 1 1 Greene St Brigid Private 1 1 Hamilton Cardinal Pacelli Private 1 1 Hamilton Cincinnati Country Day Private 1 1 Hamilton Cincinnati Public Schools Public 3 3 Hamilton Elder Private 2 2 Hamilton Indian Hill Exempted Village Public 2 3 1 Hamilton John Paul II Catholic School Private 1 1 Hamilton Mercy Montessori Center Private 2 2 Hamilton Mount Notre Dame Private 1 1 Hamilton Northwest Local Public 1 1 Hamilton Norwood City Public 1 Hamilton Oak Hills Local Public 3 3 Hamilton Reading Community City Public 1 1 Hamilton Seven Hills School Private 1 1 Hamilton St Aloysius Educational Center Private 1 1 3 3 Hamilton St Gertrude Private 1 1 Hamilton Summit Country Day Private 1 1 Hamilton Three Rivers Local Public 1 1 Hamilton Wyoming City Public 1 Hancock Findlay City Public 1 1 Hancock Hancock County ESC ESC 1 1 Hardin Hardin Northern Local Public 1 1 Henry Four County Career Center JVS 1 1 Henry Holgate Local Public 1 1 Hocking Logan-Hocking Local Public 3 Holmes West Holmes Local Public 1 1 Jefferson Indian Creek Local Public 1 Knox Mount Vernon City Public 1 1 Licking Southwest Licking Local Public 1 1 Logan Bellefontaine City Public 1 Lucas ESC of Lake Erie West ESC 1 1 Lucas Maumee City Public 2 2 Lucas St Francis De Sales School Private 1 1 1 1 Lucas St Ursula Academy Private 1 1 Lucas Trinity Lutheran Private 1 1 Lucas Washington Local Public 1 1 Marion Tri-Rivers JVS 1 1 Medina Brunswick City Public 1 1 1 1 Medina Cloverleaf Local Public 1 1 Medina Wadsworth City Public 1 1 Mercer Celina City Public 1 1 Mercer Fort Recovery Local Public 1 1 Mercer Marion Local Public 1 1 Mercer St Henry Consolidated Local Public 1 1 Miami Piqua Catholic Elementary Private 1 1 Miami Piqua City Public 2 2 1 1 Miami Tipp City Exempted Village Public 3 3 Montgomery Brookville Local Public 1 1 Morgan Morgan Local Public 1 Muskingum Maysville Local Public 1 1 Pickaway Circleville City Public 1 1 Pickaway Logan Elm Local Public 2 2 Pickaway Teays Valley Local Public 1 4 Pickaway Westfall Local Public 1 1 Pike Eastern Local School District Public 1 Pike Pike County Area JVS 1 Pike Scioto Valley Local Public 1 1 Pike Waverly City Public 1 2 Preble Eaton Community City Public 1 1 Putnam Kalida Local Public 1 1 Putnam Leipsic Local Public 1 1 Putnam Ottawa-Glandorf Local Public 4 4 Putnam Pandora-Gilboa Local Public 1 1 Richland Clear Fork Valley Local Public 1 Richland Lexington Local Public 1 Richland Mansfield City Public 1 Richland Ontario Local Public 2 Ross Chillicothe City Public 1 1 Ross Union-Scioto Local Public 1 1 3 3 Scioto Northwest Local Public 1 1 Scioto Washington-Nile Local Public 1 1 Seneca Fostoria City Public 1 1 Stark Canton Local Public 1 1 1 1 Stark Jackson Local Public 1 1 Stark Lake Center Christian School Private 1 1 Stark Lake Local Public 1 1 1 1 Stark Marlington Local Public 1 1 Stark Massillon City Public 1 1 Stark North Canton City Public 1 3 Stark Northwest Local Public 1 2 Stark Perry Local Public 2 Stark Regina Coeli Private 1 1 Stark St Thomas Aquinas Private 1 Summit Akron City Public 1 1 Summit Barberton City Public 1 Summit Chapel Hill Christian North Private 1 1 Summit Copley-Fairlawn City Public 2 1 2 Summit Coventry Local Public 2 2 Summit Cuyahoga Falls City Public 1 Summit Cuyahoga Valley Christian Acad Private 3 1 Summit Green Local Public 1 2 Summit Hudson City Public 2 5 1 Summit Kids Country School Private 2 2 Summit Manchester Local Public 1 1 Summit Nordonia Hills City Public 2 1 3 Summit S.U.P.E.R. Learning Center's Faith Christian Academy Private 1 Summit St Hilary Private 1 2 Summit St Vincent St Mary Private 1 Summit Stow-Munroe Falls City School District Public 2 4 Summit Tallmadge City Public 2 Summit TES School Private 1 Summit TES School Preschool 1 Summit Twinsburg City Public 2 1 Summit Walsh Jesuit Private 3 Summit Woodridge Local Public 1 Tuscarawas Dover City Public 1 1 Union Marysville Exempted Village Public 4 11 2 4 Warren Bishop Fenwick Private 2 2 1 1 Warren CHESS Christian School Private 1 1 Warren Franklin City Public 1 1 Warren Mason City Public 11 11 Warren Middletown City Public 2 2 Warren Springboro Community City Public 2 2 2 2 Warren St Margaret Of York Private 1 1 Williams Edgerton Local Public 1 1 Williams Millcreek-West Unity Local Public 1 1 Wood Bowling Green City School District Public 1 1 Wood Eastwood Local Public 1 1 Wood Otsego Local Public 1 1 Wood Perrysburg Exempted Village Public 1 1 1 1

Some mobile users may need to use this link instead to see the school-by-school chart above.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 17:39:31|Editor: huaxia

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JAKARTA, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Rescuers on Friday found the helicopter, which lost contact on Thursday, in a deep forest in Indonesia's eastern province of Papua with all on board being survived, spokesman of National Search and Rescue Office Yusuf Latief said.

The chopper was found in a deep forest near a river, the spokesman told Xinhua via phone.

Latief ensured that the pilot, an engineer and two personnel of the air force, survived the incident.

"It was found that the crew were waving a piece of red cloth, asking for help," he said.

The propeller of the chopper was damaged, the spokesman said.

The aircraft carrying the rescuers failed to land on the scene as there is no favorable spot, he said.

Evacuation efforts, however, are going on, said the spokesman.

The Bell helicopter lost contact Thursday after departing from Nabire district heading to Baya Biru of Paniai district, he said.

The helicopter was operated by a utility helicopter company operating in Indonesia, according to him.

The search operation involves rescuers from local search and rescue offices, soldiers, police, personnel of the air navigation office, among others, he said. Enditem
Jerusalem:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday he wants relations with the United States to be stronger than ever after Donald Trump becomes president.

Netanyahu congratulated his friend Trump in a tweet before his inauguration, saying he was looking forward to working closely with you to make the alliance between Israel&USA stronger than ever.

Meanwhile, Israels leftwing newspaper Haaretz reported on Friday that security services have presented Netanyahu with a series of scenarios about potential Palestinian violence if Trump follows through on his promise to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Such a transfer would break with the consensus of the vast majority of the international community, which does not recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital.

Israel captured east Jerusalem during the 1967 war and later annexed it, declaring all of the city its unified capital.

Also Israeli forces arrested five Palestinians who were taking protesting in the occupied West Bank against Israeli plans to annex Maale Adumim, a settlement east of Jerusalem, activists said.

Rightwing Israeli politicians have said Trumps election is an opportunity to increase settlement building and push forward plans to annex Maale Adumim.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
[September 18, 2020] Sigfox and Cube Infrastructure Managers Announce Major Partnership in IoT Infrastructure Sigfox, the global 0G network1 and cloud provider for industrial data, is proud to announce a new strategic alliance with Cube Infrastructure Managers (Cube), through the sale of its German 0G network to Cube. Sigfox has grown its 0G IoT services by rolling out 0G networks across 72 countries and regions, which was largely achieved with partners called Sigfox Operators. These operators are the owners of the 0G networks, which they operate as exclusive connectivity providers of Sigfox IoT services, offering worldwide connectivity to customers. The sale of the German network to Cube will allow Sigfox to finance its continued innovation efforts in data value extraction and improvements in cloud algorithms to reduce energy consumption and allow the implementation of even more cost-effective devices and sensors. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200918005116/en/ Cube Infrastructure Managers, the European infrastructure fund manager, is proud to announce its strategic alliance with Sigfox with the acquisition of a majority stake in Heliot Europe, the owner and operator of the Sigfox 0G networks in Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein and the acquisition of Sigfox's 0G network in Germany, which it is acquiring through Heliot Europe. Cube is therefore bringing together the 0G networks of all these four countries, which will together form the largest 0G network in Europe. Cube's objective is to accelerate the growth of this essential and exclusive IoT infrastructure in the region in joint venture with the operating management of the networks, which retains a minority stake in Heliot Europe. What started out as Sigfox's early disruptive 0G network, has built trust with numerous industries, which have been able to significantly improve the management of their supply inventories and product distribution, realizing significant efficiency gains by capturing small messages using affordable, autonomous and long-lasting sensors. Rather than competing with cellular technology, Sigfox 0G has proved to complement this technology where it is not suitable thanks to devices which use far less energy and radio spectrum and cost far less. Cube's acquisitions of Sigfox Germany and Heliot Europe mark a milestone in the IoT's market maturity as it recognizes the long-term growth potential of IoT 0G infrastructure networks. The inclusion of Cube in the Sigfox ecosystem thus confirms Sigfox' long-thought growth strategy. It is also a milestone for the entire Sigfox ecosystem : the other Sigfox network operators, suppliers, partners and customers. "We challenge and invite industries to evaluate the data they want to collect, to improve their business. Our goal at Sigfox, with our operators and or ecosystem partners, is to minimize data extraction costs. Sharing infrastructure is a first step toward lower TCO, and higher reliability and interoperability" says Ludovic Le Moan, CEO and cofounder of Sigfox. "We are known as pioneers among infrastructure funds for investing early in optic fiber infrastructure companies in Europe, long before fiber became the "fourth utility" and have over the last decade accompanied the growth of several European infrastructure operators. Today, we see the development of massive IoT as a critical enabler and driver of economic, social and environmental progress in the context of the digital transformation of our economies. With this investment in the Heliot platform and strategic alliance with Sigfox, we are now aiming at consolidating a new communication infrastructure, harnessing its potential to enhance the competitiveness of our industries and territories, and contributing to the efficient use of public services and scarce resources consistent with our ESG objectives" explains Henri Piganeau, Managing Partner at Cube Infrastructure Managers. "We are pleased to welcome Cube as our main shareholders to drive our vision started 2 years ago with our agreements signed with Sigfox for Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. The acquisition of Sigfox Germany is a key milestone in our development and we will pursue commercial development initiated by Sigfox Germany with tier one customers in the country and beyond, in retail, automotive and logistics. This new combined 0G network from the Adriatic to the North Sea reflects our clients expectations and plays well to our operational strengths. We are looking to further accelerate and foster the adoption of IoT at the heart of European industry. This is made possible with the successful and entrepreneurial team already fully integrated into the Sigfox ecosystem as well as the powerful financial backing and experience of Cube Infrastructure Managers. This is also an unprecedented opportunity to reinforce our strategic and long-term alliance with Sigfox" explains Thomas Scheibel, CEO at Heliot. "From the very beginning, Sigfox has been aiming to offer customers an ever-better service, through innovation, densification, a mature ecosystem, and a high return on investment. Selling Sigfox Germany to dedicated and long-term partners such as Heliot and Cube will allow us to keep this promise" adds Ludovic Le Moan. "We have built and created value to the world's first low power network. A network built to last. This is reflected in the ever-increasing number of customers who join us every day." ****** About Sigfox Sigfox is the initiator of the 0G network and the world's leading IoT (Internet of Things) service provider. Its global network allows billions of devices to connect to the Internet, in a straightforward way, while consuming as little energy as possible. Sigfox's unique approach to device-to-cloud communications addresses the three greatest barriers to global IoT adoption: cost, energy consumption and global scalability. Today, the network is available in 72 countries, with 1.3 billion people covered. ISO 9001 certified and surrounded by a large ecosystem of partners and IoT key players, Sigfox empowers companies to move their business model towards more digital services, in key areas such as Asset Tracking and Supply Chain. Founded in 2010 by Ludovic Le Moan and Christophe Fourtet, the company is headquartered in France and has offices in Madrid, Munich, Boston, Dallas, Dubai, Singapore, Sao Paulo and Tokyo. About Heliot HELIOT Group is today the exclusive owner and operator of the global Sigfox 0G IoT dedicated network for Switzerland, Austria and Liechtenstein. With the Sigfox 0G IoT enabling technology, HELIOT provides a seamless, easy-to-use, low-cost and energy efficient LPWA nationwide networks without barrier or border for sensors and devices used for the Internet of Things and Mass IoT as well as providing innovative IoT business solutions. About Cube Infrastructure Managers Founded in 2007, Cube Infrastructure Managers is an independent management company, focusing on equity investments in the European infrastructure space addressing the essential infrastructure needs of local public authorities and populations, with strong ESG commitments. Cube Infrastructure Managers has raised an aggregate 2.6 billion and manages three funds. Cube Infrastructure Fund and Cube Infrastructure Fund II are focusing on investments in regulated, brownfield infrastructure and target mainly three strategic markets, Public Transport, Energy Transition and Communication Infrastructure, with a "Buy & Grow" strategy. The Connecting Europe Broadband Fund is a fund dedicated to investment in broadband infrastructure projects. https://www.cubeinfrastructure.com/ 1 Also known as Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWA) View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200918005116/en/

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Even if omicron peak nears, Long Beach cases and hospitalizations will still be up for weeks, official says
LINCOLN, Neb., Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Certified Piedmontesea Lincoln, Nebraska-based beef companyhas opened a reservation only Italian Steakhouse called Casa Bovina serving a premium selection of its specialty beef.

"Casa Bovina raises the bar for any eating experience. From the knowledge of the Chefs to the high-quality items served; we want to give an atmosphere and dining opportunity that is unmatched," says Jordan Reed, Front of House Manager.

Casa Bovina is described as a premium Italian steakhouse with a rustic and refined environment, that has a focus on every aspect of the dining experience.

Serving up premium Certified Piedmontese beef and other quality ingredients is Chef Benjamin Maides. Nationally recognized, with an extensive culinary resume, he is skilled in handmade pastas, searching for the finest foods, and creating an unparalleled eating event.

Certified Piedmontese has worked to create a quality experience in every part of the process of our meat. The same is true in their restaurant, Casa Bovina, they work to source only the best products and ingredients to serve. All meals use premium produce, meats, cheeses; and can be paired with an exceptional variety of imported and American wines. This importance on using local and other prime items; comes through in the superiority of the dishes on the menu. This continues to have Certified Piedmontese stand out from the rest, striving for excellence in every part of our business.

Certified Piedmontese also opened The Mercato, a retail location selling their beef among other local products, including Casa Bovina pastas and sauces.

Casa Bovina is currently open Friday and Saturday evenings by reservation only. Bookings can be made on the Casa Bovina website or by phone.

About Certified Piedmontese

Certified Piedmontese is a healthier beef option that doesn't sacrifice for flavor or tenderness. With fewer calories, less fat, and higher protein per ounce than beef from other breeds, it's an ideal source of lean protein for a healthy diet. Our Piedmontese cattle are raised responsibly on family ranches across the Midwest through a ranch-to-fork process that ensures traceability, environmental sustainability, humane animal handling. All Certified Piedmontese beef is verified all-natural and raised without hormones, antibiotics, or steroids. This ensures healthier cattle and higher-quality beef for consumers. Learn more at Piedmontese.com.

Contact Certified Piedmontese

http://www.Piedmontese.com

[email protected]

(800) 414-3487

SOURCE Certified Piedmontese Beef

Related Links

https://www.piedmontese.com/


U.S. government debt prices fell on Friday morning as investors monitored rising cases of coronavirus and polls ahead of the U.S. election.

At around 2:20 a.m. ET, the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note rose above 1% to trade at 0.6904%. The yield on the 30-year Treasury bond increased by about 78 basis points to trade at 1.4375%. Yields move inversely to prices.

The latest opinion polls suggest that Joe Biden is still the most likely winner in the upcoming presidential vote, but his lead is tightening.

Traders are likely to follow speeches by the St. Louis Fed President James Bullard at 10 a.m. ET, Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic at 12 p.m. ET, and Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari at 2 p.m. ET.
A woman who survived a wildfire that killed her son and mother remains hospitalized in Portland.

Angela Mosso is in serious condition at Legacy Oregon Burn Center, a spokesman for the hospital system confirmed. She was initially in critical condition.

Her 13-year-old son, Wyatt Tofte, and her 71-year-old mother, Peggy Mosso, died in the wildfire that burned the familys home near Lyons Sept. 7.

Two other people, Cathy Cook, 71, and her son Travis Cook, 41, were also killed by the Beachie Creek fire.

Relatives of both families said the victims had little warning to escape the flames.

-- The Oregonian/OregonLive

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
Wildfires have wreaked havoc on the West Coast in recent weeks, burning millions of acres as plumes of smoke travel as far as Britain.

In California alone, at least 25 people have died and nearly 5,400 structures have been destroyed.

Although San Antonio has yet to experience destruction from wildfires on anything approaching that scale, Fire Chief Charles Hood said the area shares several contributing elements with California.

READ ALSO: Texas Gov.: Restaurants, retailers can expand capacity but bars must stay closed

North of the city  particularly in Stone Oak and The Dominion  communities have been built in areas that are heavily vegetated, with houses dotting rocky hills. A Texas A&M Forest Service risk assessment map reveals a red band of high wildfire risk from Helotes to the Interstate 35 corridor.

"We are not at the scale of what's going on in California, but we do have some of the same dynamics here that could set us up for a fire that could devastate a neighborhood or a portion of this region," Hood said.

In 2017, a brush fire at Camp Bullis  and the knowledge the flames could burn out of control in the hills with windy conditions  prompted the fire department to put together a plan for evacuating residents from The Dominion.

A fire line, or gap in the brush intended to slow or stop the fire's spread, was created to protect the gated community. Firefighters stamped the blaze out on-base.

"We did have evacuation plans in place," Hood recalled. "Thank God we never had to use those."

The following year, San Antonio firefighters participated in a wildfire simulation at the Roseheart retirement community on the North Side. The exercise was conducted in December. Hood noted that brush fires often spring up in the winter when vegetation dries out.

The department's wildland program now counts 60 members, each with 100 hours of initial training, along with 11 brush trucks and a helicopter. Seven SAFD firefighters are picking up some additional hard-earned experience battling the California blazes this month.

Fighting wildfires requires specialized training because they are more challenging than a standard structure fire, where hydrants are ever-present and a cul-de-sac could present the toughest obstacle.

A wildland fire might demand driving miles on an unpaved road, burning vegetation before the fire arrives to cut off its fuel, and bringing in water with helicopter buckets.

Chief Hood said his department uses prescribed burns to clear some of the vegetation that fuels such fires. He's also pushing to educate the public, so high grass or items stacked next to a wood fence do not prove to be an accelerant for a blaze.

Nine Bexar County communities, including several in Converse, have participated in the Firewise preparation program.

Two of the main causes of fires are lightning strikes and downed power lines. But there are other sources, like fireworks, and Hood said one in particular drives him crazy: cigarettes.

That patch of burned grass you've noticed on the side of Loop 1604 or U.S. 281?

It probably started because someone flicked a lit cigarette out their car window, according to the chief. Such fires are especially dangerous because firefighters have to pull hoses on the side of the road while drivers speeding by peer through smoke.

So keep the cigarettes off the roads, or risk becoming the next person to accidently spark a wildfire.
A man was shot in the leg in the 300 block of Washington Street late Thursday, Reading police said Friday.

The man, who is in his 20s, told police that he was walking in the area of Rose and Washington streets about 10:30 p.m. when the shot rang out.

Police recovered a single spent bullet casing.

The victim was taken by ambulance to Reading Hospital for what was police described as a non-life-threatening injury.

Investigators are reviewing security camera footage as part of the investigation.
NASA's aqua satellite helps confirm subtropical storm alpha

Subtropical Storm Alpha has formed near the coast of Portugal, becoming the first named storm using the Greek Alphabet list, now that the annual list of names is exhausted. NASA's Aqua satellite obtained visible imagery of the new storm.

NASA Satellite View

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer or MODIS instrument that flies aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured a visible image of Subtropical Storm Alpha on Sept. 18 at 8:30 a.m. EDT (1:30 p.m. local time) near Portugal. The image showed a better-organized small low-pressure area that has been rotating around a larger extratropical low pressure area. Satellite imagery shows that moderate-to-deep convection has persisted near the center creating thunderstorms since last night. Meanwhile scatterometer data shows a closed 40-knot low-pressure area, and the National Hurricane Center noted that radar images from Portugal show a definite organized convective pattern.

Although Alpha is "likely neutral- or cold-core, it has developed enough tropical characteristics to be considered a subtropical storm," said Eric Blake, senior hurricane specialist at NOAA's National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami, Fla.

Satellite imagery was created using NASA's Worldview product at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

Alpha's Status

At 12:30 p.m. EDT (1630 UTC), NOAA's National Hurricane Center (NHC) noted the center of Subtropical Storm Alpha was located near latitude 39.9 degrees north and longitude 9.3 degrees west. That is just 75 miles (125 km) north of Lisbon, Portugal. The storm is moving toward the northeast near 17 mph (28 kph), and this general motion is expected during the next day or so before dissipation. Maximum sustained winds are near 50 mph (85 kph) with higher gusts. The estimated minimum central pressure is 999 millibars.

Alpha's Impacts

Alpha should move across the coast of west-central Portugal during the next couple of days. Little change in strength is expected before landfall, with rapid weakening over land through the weekend.

NHC said Alpha is expected to produce 1 to 2 inches (25 to 50 mm) of rainfall, with isolated amounts of 3 inches (75 mm) over the northern portion of Portugal and into west-central Spain through Saturday morning.

Information on wind hazards from Alpha can be found in products from the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere at http://www. ipma. pt .

Global models show the small low pressure area moving northeastward for the next 24 hours before dissipating over northern Spain or the Bay of Biscay.

###

About NASA's Worldview and Aqua Satellite

NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) Worldview application provides the capability to interactively browse over 700 global, full-resolution satellite imagery layers and then download the underlying data. Many of the available imagery layers are updated within three hours of observation, essentially showing the entire Earth as it looks "right now."

NASA's Aqua satellite is one in a fleet of NASA satellites that provide data for hurricane research.

Tropical cyclones/hurricanes are the most powerful weather events on Earth. NASA's expertise in space and scientific exploration contributes to essential services provided to the American people by other federal agencies, such as hurricane weather forecasting.

For updated forecasts, visit: http://www. nhc. noaa. gov

By Rob Gutro

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

This story has been published on: 2020-09-18. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
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The safety measures and long lines come as the country embarks on a presidential election like no other. Even as election officials have sought to make voting safer by offering more mail-in options amid the pandemic, President Trump and many of his Republican allies have falsely cast doubt on the security of mail-in voting. The fears have been exacerbated by mail delays caused by changes enacted by a new postmaster general who is a major donor to the president.
Michael Jr. reimagines comedy with virtual comedy tour Laugh Your Mask Off

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Comedian Michael Jr. announced that he'll be hosting an interactive virtual comedy tour called Laugh Your Mask Off featuring families from across the United States that he'll be talking to live on Zoom.

"I am Michael Jr. and I get to bring laughter to people. But I don't just bring laughter for the sake of comedy, I actually use laughter to inspire people, the comic said in an Instagram video shared with The Christian Post.

The Selfie Dad actor said the world has extremely uninspiring things going on and he wants to counter all of it in a positive way.

We need to take a break from just focusing on all the pain and give ourselves permission to laugh, he said.

As a result, Laugh Your Mask Off was created to be an interactive comedy tour that travels right into audiences' homes. A video promotion shows Michael Jr.'s live interactions with viewers.

We took my new comedy special, chopped it up into bite-sized pieces so now I can interact with you right from your living room in between the jokes, the Texas resident explained.

Michael Jr. added: This is stand-up comedy reimagined. Now that we know that this works, we're taking it on tour from city to city so you can laugh with the people in your community. We're not just gonna laugh.

The comedian mixes ministry in with his clean jokes and for years now his approach to comedy has inspired audiences across the country to enjoy life and live out their God-given purpose.

I got some inspiring stories and some insight I plan to share as well because when a person laughs their heart is open. If I can make a deposit that can cause a positive change, that's exactly what I want to do, Michael Jr. concludes in the video. Go ahead and get your family, your friends, and your Zoom connection ready, because we 'bout to laugh our mask off and be inspired while doing so.



Tickets for Laugh Your Mask Off are now on sale. Tickets include household viewing and live interaction with Michael Jr.

Were using laughter to be inspired; because the truth is, people were wearing masks long before this pandemic began, Michael Jr. said in the statement.

He is hoping that during a time of social distancing and unrest that laughter will bring people together.
Over the recent decades two persistent electoral campaigns against any government in Uttar Pradesh had been built around issues of corruption and law-and-order challenges. Political power had either been lost or gained on discourse around these subjects. Now in the run-up to the 2022 assembly polls, as opposition parties try to build momentum against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, chief minister Yogi Adityanath so far seems to stand out in comparison to his predecessors in office.

Though rival parties have often levelled charges of corruption under Yogi rule, allegations against the man himself have not found many takers. The most recent case of an alleged large-scale scam that has now hit the state is that of pulse oximeters and infrared thermometers being purchased at inflated prices during the Covid-19 crisis.

While the reality of the scam is still to be established, CM Adityanath has moved ahead ordering a probe by a special investigation team (SIT) in the case, thus, reflecting the intent that the government has nothing to hide and no one to shield.

Clearly, so far, the sanyasi-turned-chief minister seems to have been largely successful in not just preserving his image as an honest politician, but has also tried to cement his reputation as an anti-corruption crusader. His recent stern approach in cases of corruption against some top officers is a further indicator that the government wants to be seen as pursuing a zero-tolerance policy against corruption.

But even before these latest developments, where even a serving IPS officer was booked on murder charges in the very same district where he was till recently serving as the superintendent of police, the effort to carve out an honest CM image began quite early, at the outset of the BJP governments tenure in 2017.

BEGINNING OF YOGI RAJ AND MR. CLEAN PERCEPTION

In March 2017, as political power changed hands in Uttar Pradesh, it was not just the BJP coming back to rule after almost 15 years, it was also about a different kind of politician occupying the chief ministers office. Yogi Adityanath was so different from people who had occupied the chair in the past, or those within the BJP, who had ambitions for the top job.

As the saffron-clad mahant became the chief minister, the first message that went across was of the mythologically established notion about a Hindu saint being distant from wealth and worldly accumulations. In the days to come, Yogi Adityananth as CM carefully went ahead, further building on this image, as a man just dedicated to governance.

His round-the-clock work schedule, meetings extending till late in night and immediate intervention in the dirtiest of all departments, the mining department, set the pace for him. In the very first Vidhan Sabha session as chief minister in April 2017, Yogi Adityananth had said, UPs mining ministers earnings appear to have gone up more than the state governments revenue during the previous regime."

He was referring to the soft underbelly of corruption during the Akhilesh Yadav government where Gayatri Prajapati, as minister of mining department, had come to symbolise corruption at the highest level of governance.

The BJP government went ahead amending the Mining Act, bringing greater transparency in allocation of mining contracts and government tenders across departments. Three years down the line, the mining sector no longer has the same perception in the state.

OFFICERS UNDER SCANNER, SYSTEM PRUNED

As days went by and Yogi Adityanath firmed his grip on governance, it was time to set the house in order. A senior bureaucrat working closely with him since 2017, tells how strict the CM is in his meetings with officers, especially the ones on field duty in various districts. The message to them is clear: Corruption and impropriety in office will not be tolerated."

Mrityunjay Kumar, the principal media adviser to the chief minister, says, The Yogi Adityanath governments track record so far is a testimony to the policy of zero tolerance to corruption. More than 600 officers and government employees have faced punitive action over the past two years for corruption charges. More than 250 officers and employees of various departments have also been given compulsory retirement following complaints of corruption and laxity in duty."

Another big step taken towards checking corruption in government offices was brought by emphasising on ease of doing business. The Nivesh Mitra portal was launched and promoted to bring around 123 such services online, from where no-objection certificates (NoCs) were required before starting an industry or business. So, as the process went online, the government claims, the scope of corruption was drastically reduced.

With UP jumping to second position from the previous 12th in the ease of doing business rankings recently released by the central government, it might be the proof needed to gauge the success of the Yogi governments efforts.

THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE

At the moment the Uttar Pradesh CM and his government are again in the news for a series of actions announced against top serving bureaucrats. Serving IPS and IAS officers have been slapped with FIRs. The most glaring example is of IPS Mani Lal Patidar, who till recently was serving as SP of Mahoba district, but now has been suspended and booked for murder for allegedly threatening and getting a businessman killed when he refused to bribe the officer.

The bureaucracy in the state has been left rattled as orders for FIRs and departmental action have been announced against other top police and administrative officers as well in relation to corruption charges. The decision to announce an SIT probe in the alleged scam in the purchase of pulse oximeters and thermometers is also likely to see the axe falling on several officers and employees across the districts.

The question is has the UP CM suddenly upped the ante on corruption with eyes on the future and upcoming polls? The BJPs top brass does not agree. Vijay Bahadur Pathak, MLC and BJP state vice-president, says The question is not of electoral calculations. It is all about our partys established commitment to policy of zero tolerance towards corruption. Yogi ji as chief minister has championed the cause and the people of Uttar Pradesh will naturally recognise this commitment to weed out corruption."
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 10:57:15|Editor: huaxia

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SHANGHAI, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Shanghai reported 12 imported COVID-19 cases and no domestically transmitted cases on Thursday, the municipal health commission said Friday.

Among them, nine were on the same flight from the Philippines, two from Jamaica, and one from India. All of them are Chinese nationals. They have been sent to designated medical institutions for treatment.

A total of 251 people in close contact with the confirmed patients on the flights have been put under quarantine.

The municipal health commission said a total of 624 imported cases had been reported in Shanghai by Thursday. Among them, 574 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovery, and 50 others have remained in hospital for treatment with one of them in critical condition.

By Thursday, the municipality had reported 342 locally transmitted confirmed cases, including seven deaths. Enditem
Houston Methodist West Hospital has achieved a new milestone in aortic valve replacement. On Sept. 14, cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Javier Lafuente and interventional cardiologist Dr. Tariq Dayah successfully performed two transcatheter aortic valve replacements- the first surgeries of their kind in Katy.

The first patient was a 78-year-old, and the second patient was 71. Both patients suffered from aortic valve stenosis.

Also by Claire Goodman:Former Fulshear mayor Viola Randle dies at age 96

The TAVR is a minimally invasive procedure to correct aortic valve stenosis, a narrowing of the valve that obstructs blood flow and can lead to heart failure and death, according to Sarah Lam, senior marketing and communications specialist for Houston Methodist West Hospital.

TAVR offers patients numerous benefits over traditional valve replacement surgery, Lafuente said. With TAVR, we can eliminate the need for open heart surgery. Instead, we access the aortic valve through the femoral artery, or sometimes an incision in the arm, and replace it with a specially designed artificial valve.

Due to the minimally invasive nature of the surgery, the procedure is less dangerous and the recovery is easier. Quality of care is always at the forefront when considering a treatment plan, said Dayah. Patients undergoing TAVR have less pain and discomfort, faster recovery times and shorter stays at the hospital.

Prior to offering the procedure at Houston Methodist West Hospital, patients would have to travel to the main hospital campus in the Texas Medical Center. Now patients can receive both their pre-operative care at the Katy campus and have their surgery there as well.

Previously, we would perform all the pre-TAVR appointments at Houston Methodist West Hospital, and then we would travel with the patient to Houston Methodist Hospital in the Medical Center for the procedure, said Lafuente. Now, a patient can receive all their care here. We have highly specialized imaging capabilities and operating rooms with the necessary equipment this procedure requires.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Missing cold front among Houstonians' biggest pet peeves

Allowing patients to have surgery in their hometown has its benefits as well, the doctors noted.

Not only is it a beneficial procedure, but it can give a patient peace of mind to stay close to home, Dayah said. When youre sick, you dont want to travel far for your treatment. Having all your appointments, surgery and recovery in one location gives patients continuity of care.
A former White House aide who helped coordinate the Trump administrations response to the coronavirus pandemic sharply criticized President Donald Trump in a video released on Thursday and said she planned to vote for Democrat Joe Biden.

Olivia Troye, who was an aide to Vice President Mike Pence, served as a top organizer for the White House Coronavirus Task Force that Pence leads.

Also read: Most Indian Americans back Biden but Trump gains ground, says poll

A lifelong Republican, Troye, who left the White House in July, said in a video released by the group Republican Voters Against Trump that the administration knew around mid-February that Covid-19 would become a big pandemic in the United States.

But the president didnt want to hear that because his biggest concern was that we were in an election year and how was this going to affect what he considered to be his record of success, she said.

Troye said it was shocking to see Trump, who downplayed the virus in its early stages, referring to it as a hoax and saying everything would be OK.

The truth is he doesnt actually care about anyone else but himself, she said in the video. If the president had taken this virus seriously .... he would have slowed the virus spread, he would have saved lives.

Trump told reporters he never met Troye. He said she was let go but wrote a beautiful letter praising the administration on her way out.

In that letter, released by the White House, Troye said it has been an absolute honor to work on the coronavirus task force but did not offer praise for Trump or Pence.

Also read: Fired up Joe Biden discusses strategy with Senate Democrats

Pence, in comments to reporters, described Troyes words as sounding like those of a disgruntled employee who was playing politics during an election year.

White House spokesman Judd Deere said Troye was not directly involved in the coronavirus task force and did not meet with Trump privately. He called her statements flat out inaccurate.

Biden, a former vice president, has sharply criticized Trumps handling of the pandemic, which has caused more than 195,000 U.S. deaths, and promised to institute a national plan to fight it if elected on Nov. 3.

Troye said it was an honor to serve in the White House but she wrestled during her time there with whether she made a difference because the presidents actions were detrimental to the administrations efforts on the virus.

It was awful, she said. It was terrifying.
In his decade in the Texas Legislature, State. Rep. Dan Huberty has emerged as a powerful voice on issues facing Texas schools and schoolchildren.

The Republican lawmaker served as chair of the House Committee on Public Education and was the prime driver of House Bill 3, the landmark 2019 school finance reform package that increased per-student funding, gave teachers raises, and helped fund full-day pre-K for eligible 4-year-olds.

If we dont do this, were failing our kids, Huberty said when the education overhaul was unveiled.

That commitment to education has made Huberty an effective lawmaker who has served his district, which includes Kingwood, Humble and Atascocita, well. Hubertys expertise and influence on education issues will be all the more important in the upcoming session as Texas school districts grapple with pandemic-related costs and the challenges of virtual schooling.

Huberty also helped secure a $30 million grant for a dredging program in the San Jacinto River and Lake Houston through the Texas Water Development Board, an effort to alleviate the flooding that has hit the district in recent years.

That is why we are recommending voters send Huberty back for another term representing House District 127.

Huberty, 52, also served on the Humble ISD School Board for five years and has served effectively on a variety of committees in previous sessions of the Legislature.

That experience has taught him the necessity of working across the aisle to get legislation passed.

I passed the most reformative education bill that the state of Texas has seen in the last 30 years with unanimous support from the House and from the Senate, Huberty told the editorial board during the primary race. You gotta work with everybody.

Hubertys record shows that he not only works with everybody, but he also works for the people of his district.

His opponent in the race is Libertarian Neko Antoniou.
Man Arrested After Allegedly Attacking Three Female Trump Supporters

A 33-year-old Postal Service worker was arrested after allegedly striking three women during a pro-President Donald Trump rally in California this week.

According to jail records, Alvin Gary Shaw, a black male, was booked on Wednesday before being released Thursday after posting bond.

Witnesses told law enforcement that Shaw approached their group in Aliso Viejo and began shouting at them before punching three women, aged 55, 74, and 84, respectively, the Orange County Sheriffs Office confirmed to The Epoch Times.

Witnesses said that hed blown smoke in their face, was yelling profanities at them, and then punched several of the females, Sgt. Dennis Breckner with the office told KTLA.

Shaw also brandished a knife, witnesses said.

Thats when a retired police officer pulled out a gun and pointed it at the suspect to hold him until law enforcement arrived.

Donna Snow, 84, told KTLA that Shaw hit her in the face after he tried putting a cigar out on her Trump sign and she asked that he not.

He broke my earring off and just took up my whole face with his hand, Snow said.

He took his hand way back like he was going to punch me, and [he] hit me right across the face, she added to CBS Los Angeles.

Video footage released publicly didnt show the alleged assaults, but did show Shaw saying: [Expletive] goodbye, Im not going to be respectful when you out here disrespecting my people.

Cynthia Cantrelle, one of the witnesses, wrote on Facebook that she was interviewed by investigators at the police station on Thursday. She said she captured pictures and video footage at the event.

I was able to speak openly about the mayhem that took place last night with them. Fear and faith cannot live in the same house. We will go on with God at the helm in the face of adversity. Thank you Law Enforcement for keeping us safe. We know what you face each day and will pray for our enemies, she wrote.

It wasnt clear whether Shaw had a lawyer. He faces charges of elder abuse, assault with a deadly weapon, and assault and battery after allegedly attacking three people in attendance. A mugshot wasnt available.

Law enforcement officials said things could have gotten a lot worse.

This could have been a very serious incident, Breckner told CBS. In this case, this was just two groups that disagree, and while we support people and their using their First Amendment rights to put out their message, we prefer that that remain peaceful.
The (BSP) has decided to put up candidates in all eight Assembly seats where bypolls are to be held.

The BSP, earlier, had never contested by-elections, leaving the field clear for other remaining parties.

"The decision was taken in view of the 2022 Assembly elections. The party wants to mobilise its cadres through the by-elections and also reach out to its voters. Party leaders are shortlisting candidates for each of the eight Assembly segments and will announce them after getting approval of the party president," said a party functionary.

The BSP, two days ago, had announced the name of Kuldeep Sankhwar as the party candidate for the Ghatampur (Kanpur) Assembly seat.

"Behenji (Mayawati) is continuously monitoring the situation in each constituency and is taking feedback from party workers. She may be in Delhi but she is clued in to what is happening at the ground level," the functionary said.

Of the eight Assembly seats going to bypoll, six seats -- Naugawan, Deoria, Ghatampur, Bulandshahar, Tundla and Bangaramu -- were won by the BJP in the 2017 Assembly polls while two constituencies -- Malahani and Suar (Rampur) -- were won by the Samajwadi Party.

--IANS

amita/dpb

(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.)
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ATLANTA (Sept. 18, 2020)  Following accreditation by the Union Election Commission, The Carter Center is launching an international election observation mission to Myanmars Nov. 8 general elections.

The observation mission, led by Sean Dunne, is composed of a core team of six experts and 24 long-term observers. Because of the exceptional circumstances created by COVID-19 travel restrictions, several core team experts are currently working remotely, and Myanmar nationals will serve as long-term observers. The monitoring and reporting activities of the long-term observers will be overseen and managed by the international core team experts.

Subject to COVID-19 restrictions, the long-term observers will deploy in teams of two to Myanmars states and regions to gather data for further analysis. Adhering to national COVID-19 regulations and guidelines, team members will engage with key election stakeholders, including the election commission and its subcommissions, political parties and candidates, civil society organizations, domestic observer groups, the international community, and media representatives.

The mission will assess electoral preparations and the electoral environment, including election administration, campaigning, the openness of political space, participation of women and ethnic minorities, social media, the impact of COVID-19 on the electoral process, and other issues. If travel and security conditions permit, the mission will be joined by a delegation of short-term observers who will help assess the voting, counting, and tabulation processes.

The Carter Center will assess the electoral process based on Myanmars national legal framework and principles for democratic elections set out in regional and international agreements. The Center previously observed general elections in Myanmar in 2015. It has observed 111 elections in 39 countries and conducts its observation missions in accordance with the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation and Code of Conduct for International Election Observers.

Translations

  

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Contact: In Atlanta, Soyia Ellison, soyia.ellison@cartercenter.org

In Myanmar, Sean Dunne, sean.dunne@cartercenter.org

Waging Peace. Fighting Disease. Building Hope.

A not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization, The Carter Center has helped to improve life for people in over 80 countries by resolving conflicts; advancing democracy, human rights, and economic opportunity; preventing diseases; and improving mental health care. The Carter Center was founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, in partnership with Emory University, to advance peace and health worldwide.
SPRINGFIELD  The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation announced Tuesday that it continues to review questions and has still not set a date for a lottery to distribute 75 marijuana dispensary licenses.

After IDFPR announced earlier this month that just 21 applicants qualified for the first 75 social equity licenses, lawmakers and stakeholders immediately raised concerns with Gov. JB Pritzker, asking his administration to temporarily stop the process.

The licenses were originally scheduled to be distributed in May, but the process was delayed amid the COVID-19 pandemic. On Sept. 3, an IDFPR spokesperson said the lottery would be scheduled in late September. But IDFPR said Tuesday there is still no scheduled lottery date.

The final date for the lottery for adult-use cannabis licenses had not been set as of today, an IDFPR spokesperson wrote in an email. As we continue to review questions that have been raised, our goal is to provide time to ensure that the process is fair and equitable. A date for the lottery will be announced by IDFPR.

In a letter sent to Pritzker on Sept. 4, the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus listed five requests they wanted resolved before the licenses are awarded. The members of that caucus want to see a detailed rubric of how applicants were graded, the publication of some application information on the IDFPR website, and information on how KPMG  a firm that provides professional services such as auditing  received a $4.2 million no-bid contract from the state to score dispensary applicants. The ILBC also asked for the ethnic and racial makeup of KPMGs board and the team behind scoring applicants.

Two rejected applicants are also suing the state to stop the licenses from being awarded, alleging the 21 winners received perfect scores due to political connections, and that at least one had hired a manager tied to KPMG.

KPMG stands by our work to objectively score applications based on criteria set by the state. We brought a diverse and experienced team together to do this work quickly and accurately, and are proud of our teams performance, A KPMG spokesperson said in an email.

The firm said it built a diverse, national team, comprised of employees from many offices.

The team scoring the applications would have no knowledge of the names or affiliations of applicants. A separate team scored certain aspects of the application, such as social equity, the spokesperson added.
The California wildfires have wreaked havoc on the students in Jesusita Rivera's fifth grade class in East Palo Alto, Calif., a lower income neighborhood surrounded by Silicon Valley's wealthiest Zip codes.

One student was up all night with an asthma attack, Rivera said. Others can be seen coughing during Zoom sessions with their windows and doors open to the hazardous air. In small apartments packed with relatives who can't afford their own homes in a city with a severe housing crunch, the choice is unbearable heat or deadly smoke.

"Of the 26, maybe two are OK," Rivera says of her students. "It makes me sad, makes me upset, and you kind of have to compartmentalize and set it aside."

But Rivera has also seen how the smoke is affecting the students on the other, much wealthier side of town. One of her own children attends a school in a more prosperous neighborhood nearby. Those Zoom sessions are different, Rivera says. Some of the students are taking their classes from homes in Montana or tropical islands. Fancy pools can be seen the background.

"The divide is crazy," she says.

California's worst-ever wildfires, which began a month ago and have blanketed the state with a nearly unrelenting layer of dense smoke, have affected neighborhoods rich and poor. Oregon and Washington are also overcome by fires and smoke. Half a million people were forced to evacuate their homes in Oregon, and thousands ended up in temporary shelters. As of Monday, 35 people had been killed in the West Coast fires and more were missing.

But wealth plays a big part in who is hurt most by the fires and smoke. Wealthier families have fled smoky areas, staying in second homes or renting expensive vacation residences. Not all families can afford air purifiers, which start at about $200 and clean only one room. During frequent power outages that now happen during fire season, only wealthier families who can afford expensive backup generators will still be able to run their purifiers.

It all adds up to one increasingly dire rule of thumb: As the impacts of climate change become a reality, it's healthier to be wealthy.

Fire season has become an annual health and environmental disaster in California. During the Camp Fire in 2018 and the Kincade Fire in 2019, many Bay Area families drove to places the smoke couldn't reach, such as Lake Tahoe and San Diego, staying in their second homes or renting. But this year, the fires have lasted longer and are more widespread. The pandemic adds an extra complication. People who would normally be in air-conditioned and air-purified offices or classrooms are stuck in hot and smoky homes.

Wildfires create tiny particles of ash that get past the body's defenses, latching onto the lungs. Studies have found they may cause long-term damage, contributing to heart attacks, strokes and even depression.

This year's unprecedented fires began Aug. 16, when freak lightning storms ignited forests around California. There weren't enough firefighters to respond to the blazes that dotted the length of the state. Soon smoke was barreling down on California earlier than anyone had expected.

That's when Jennifer Hegemier's phone started ringing off the hook. The former appellate lawyer and founder of Monarch Luxury Villas in San Diego was fielding calls from Bay Area residents clamoring to get into one of Monarch's 25 properties, which range from $1,500 to $4,000 per night. "Right now, everybody's from Northern California trying to get somewhere where they can breathe," she said.

Hegemier said wildfire smoke sends renters her way every year. But this year has been crazier than ever. Monarch, which offers concierge services like private chefs and grocery shopping for guests, has been trying to increase its inventory to handle the demand. Hegemier said some of her clients went back to the Bay Area earlier this week when the air improved but have continued to rent in San Diego so they can zip back if the air deteriorates.

A few weeks after California's fires started raging, new blazes in Oregon and Washington ripped up and down the Pacific Northwest, choking cities like Portland and Seattle and leveling entire towns. The expansive nature of the smoke means Californians must travel farther to find clean air. Even Lake Tahoe, a refuge in the previous two years, has seen heavy smoke at times. And earlier in the week, San Diego started to get hazy, even if it was not as bad as Northern California. Some Californians who had traveled to Seattle or Oregon to escape the smoke had to move on to farther flung locations - or return home.

Joy Bender, a real estate agent in San Diego who sometimes helps people find rentals, said that there has been interest from people in Northern California looking to escape the wildfires, and that anything in the lower price ranges, or less than $5,000 a month, goes extremely quickly. "You have to be wealthy," she said.

For vacation rental companies and real estate agents, it has already been a roller coaster year. After March saw travel grind to a halt, wealthy families who could work remotely began renting and buying properties to shelter in place.

Bender said she had one client from Seattle buy a $5 million home in San Diego just to ride out the pandemic.

Joel Mier, head of marketing for Natural Retreats, a national vacation rental company, said the market has been particularly fierce this year. He said it has been exacerbated by some rental properties being taken off the market by homeowners who would rather use them for longer periods of time. "They're wanting to get away, which means they're taking it off the market," he said.

Most East Palo Alto residents are staying put, but some residents found it disturbing that there were no air quality sensors there, compared to dozens in the surrounding neighborhoods dominated by employees of Facebook and Google.

A few weeks ago, Mark Dinan, an East Palo Alto resident who works as a recruiter for technology companies, spent $2,200 to buy 11 internet-connected sensors made by Utah-based Purple Air, which operates a web site that broadcasts the readings so the public can get a sense of air quality in their immediate area. Purple Air sold the devices to Dinan at a 10-percent discount and threw in one for free, he said. "People are so concerned about air quality right now," Dinan said. "Purple Air was everywhere but East Palo Alto."

One went to Christopher Chavez, a product manager at a technology company who recently moved to East Palo Alto from Mountain View. About two weeks ago, Chavez ran an extension cord from his garage to the recommended spot on the outside of the house. Then he watched on his phone as the air quality numbers shot up to around 300 on the air quality index, a level at which breathing is unhealthy for everyone.

For the price of one night in a luxury villa in San Diego, East Palo Alto was finally able to see its air quality.

"We talk about the digital divide. Now we're having an air purifier and an AC divide," says Antonio Lopez, a 26-year-old writer who's running for city council. "What gets me is that we're having this conversation in American cities. And not just in American cities but American cities that are in proximity to the most affluent places in the world. It's bizarre, and it's jarring."
By Trend

Everybody knows that Armenia is pursuing a policy of terrorism at the state level, Azerbaijani MP Tural Ganjaliyev said during the meeting of the Human Rights Committee of the Azerbaijani parliament, Trend reports on Sept. 17.

The resettlement of the Armenians from Lebanon to the occupied Azerbaijani territories not only is the violation of international law, but also a crime, the MP said. "I think that we must raise this issue before the international organizations."

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
TikTok and WeChat will be banned from US app stores starting on Sunday, September 20th, the US Department of Commerce (DoC) has announced. The Chinese-owned apps from Tencent and ByteDance will not only be banned from the iOS App Store and Googles Play Store on Sunday, but companies will be barred from hosting them in the US starting on November 12th.

The move was taken at the Presidents direction, according to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. Todays actions prove once again that President Trump will do everything in his power to guarantee our national security and protect Americans from the threats of the Chinese Communist Party, he said in a statement. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has demonstrated the means and motives to use these apps to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and the economy of the US.

The app ban has come despite a possible partnership between Oracle and ByteDance. Yesterday, Trump said that he didnt like that deal, according to Bloomberg, while adding that he was not prepared to sign off on anything.

The DoCs wording makes clear that it wants the apps to disappear in the US. It has not only banned the apps, code and updates, but any payments associated with WeChat. By November 12th, it will also prohibit:

Any provision of internet hosting services enabling the functioning or optimization of the mobile application in the U.S.; Any provision of content delivery network services enabling the functioning or optimization of the mobile application in the U.S.; Any provision directly contracted or arranged internet transit or peering services enabling the function or optimization of the mobile application within the U.S.; Any utilization of the mobile applications constituent code, functions, or services in the functioning of software or services developed and/or accessible within the U.S.

All of that means that the White House is trying to leave no loopholes that would allow access to the app. And since it dropped the news on Friday, with the ban going effect Sunday, ByteDance and its partners will have little to no time to attempt to delay or reverse the decision. It will also force hosting services to react quickly to remove the app, given the November 12th deadline.

TikTok has 100 million users in the US, while WeChat has 19 million daily active users, according to Reuters. The order doesnt prevent companies from hosting WeChat and TikTok outside the US, not does it affect other Tencent games and apps.

We disagree with the decision from the Commerce Department, and are disappointed that it stands to block new app downloads from Sunday and ban use of the TikTok app in the US from November 12, a TikTok spokesperson explained to Engadget. Our community of 100 million US users love TikTok because it's a home for entertainment, self-expression, and connection, and were committed to protecting their privacy and safety as we continue working to bring joy to families and meaningful careers to those who create on our platform.

The spokesperson also detailed what the company has done in an effort to appease the White House.

In our proposal to the US Administration, we've already committed to unprecedented levels of additional transparency and accountability well beyond what other apps are willing to do, including third-party audits, verification of code security, and US government oversight of US data security, the spokesperson said. Further, an American technology provider would be responsible for maintaining and operating the TikTok network in the US, which would include all services and data serving US consumers. We will continue to challenge the unjust executive order, which was enacted without due process and threatens to deprive the American people and small businesses across the US of a significant platform for both a voice and livelihoods."

Update 10:48AM ET: This post has been updated with a statement from TikTok. It has also been updated to make clear that US companies will be barred from hosting TikTok and WeChat starting on November 12th.
Just because a business does not make any money, does not mean that the stock will go down. For example, although Amazon.com made losses for many years after listing, if you had bought and held the shares since 1999, you would have made a fortune. But while history lauds those rare successes, those that fail are often forgotten; who remembers Pets.com?

So, the natural question for Cora Gold (LON:CORA) shareholders is whether they should be concerned by its rate of cash burn. For the purpose of this article, we'll define cash burn as the amount of cash the company is spending each year to fund its growth (also called its negative free cash flow). First, we'll determine its cash runway by comparing its cash burn with its cash reserves.

See our latest analysis for Cora Gold

Does Cora Gold Have A Long Cash Runway?

A cash runway is defined as the length of time it would take a company to run out of money if it kept spending at its current rate of cash burn. As at June 2020, Cora Gold had cash of US$3.6m and no debt. In the last year, its cash burn was US$3.4m. So it had a cash runway of approximately 13 months from June 2020. That's not too bad, but it's fair to say the end of the cash runway is in sight, unless cash burn reduces drastically. You can see how its cash balance has changed over time in the image below.

How Is Cora Gold's Cash Burn Changing Over Time?

Because Cora Gold isn't currently generating revenue, we consider it an early-stage business. Nonetheless, we can still examine its cash burn trajectory as part of our assessment of its cash burn situation. With the cash burn rate up 29% in the last year, it seems that the company is ratcheting up investment in the business over time. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but investors should be mindful of the fact that will shorten the cash runway. Admittedly, we're a bit cautious of Cora Gold due to its lack of significant operating revenues. So we'd generally prefer stocks from this list of stocks that have analysts forecasting growth.

Story continues

Can Cora Gold Raise More Cash Easily?

Given its cash burn trajectory, Cora Gold shareholders may wish to consider how easily it could raise more cash, despite its solid cash runway. Issuing new shares, or taking on debt, are the most common ways for a listed company to raise more money for its business. Many companies end up issuing new shares to fund future growth. We can compare a company's cash burn to its market capitalisation to get a sense for how many new shares a company would have to issue to fund one year's operations.

Since it has a market capitalisation of US$22m, Cora Gold's US$3.4m in cash burn equates to about 15% of its market value. As a result, we'd venture that the company could raise more cash for growth without much trouble, albeit at the cost of some dilution.

Is Cora Gold's Cash Burn A Worry?

Even though its increasing cash burn makes us a little nervous, we are compelled to mention that we thought Cora Gold's cash burn relative to its market cap was relatively promising. Even though we don't think it has a problem with its cash burn, the analysis we've done in this article does suggest that shareholders should give some careful thought to the potential cost of raising more money in the future. On another note, we conducted an in-depth investigation of the company, and identified 4 warning signs for Cora Gold (1 can't be ignored!) that you should be aware of before investing here.

If you would prefer to check out another company with better fundamentals, then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt or this list of stocks which are all forecast to grow.

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.
Julie Sedgwick (pictured) was forced to give up her beloved birds

A pet owner has been left devastated after the council forced her to get rid of her ducks and chickens because of a little known rule she had no idea she was breaking.

Julie Sedgwick, from Perth, was asked to make amendments to her chicken coop after a neighbour complained about her birds.

Ms Sedgwick has kept fowl for 15 years and has five chickens - Fleur, Nilla, Sunday, Cherry and Butters - and four ducks - The Duckchess, Ying, Yang and Nathan Drake.

Dutifully, Ms Sedgwick made amendments to the birds' enclosure at great personal expense and sent images to council upon completion.

'Then a worker turned up two months later and told my son that he'd made a mistake and that due to the local laws I can no longer have them in my yard because it is too small,' she said.

'I understand he is just doing his job but why wasn't I made aware of the rules the first time?'

A council worker from the City of Belmont attended the home and told Ms Sedgwick she needed to make improvements to her enclosure (pictured in 2015)

Ms Sedgwick was devastated to learn that the City of Belmont states that chickens must be 15m from the home.

The animals must also be housed in a vermin-proof structure that has been properly constructed.

'I only have my sons and my pets left, and to me they're family and I'm not happy about giving them up,' she said.

Ms Sedgwick said no one would want to rehome her birds because they are old and can no longer lay eggs and has pleaded with the council to let her keep them until they pass away.

Ms Sedgwick was then informed that she would have to give up the birds because their enclosure was too close to her home

John Christie, the chief executive at the City of Belmont, said the rules are part of the 2002 local health laws and must be adhered to.

He told Daily Mail Australia a complaint had been made in June 2020 due to the smell from Ms Segwick's yard.

'Ms Sedgwicks partner agreed to clean and deodorise the area and informed the officer that they intended to rehome the ducks,' Mr Christie said.

'No structural changes were required to be made to the chicken and duck enclosures  the duck cage was simply lifted 5 metres from one location to another on the property.'

He said when the plans to rehome the pets had fallen through the council officer - who had been employed for two weeks - considered the matter closed.

A review into the officer's work found the error, Mr Christie said., and that the suggestion that hte requirement to remove the poultry has occurred as a result of housing infill was not relevant.

'There are no circumstances where exemptions are granted. The City is happy to work with the owner to allow more time to rehome the poultry,' Mr Christie said.
(Newser)  Police in Canada say a man has been charged over a July incident in which he was allegedly snoozing away as his apparently self-driving car traveled more than 93mph. Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers were alerted around 4pm on July 9 to a Tesla Model S speeding down the highway with no apparent driver, the Edmonton Journal reports. The first officer to spot the car as it sped by, similarly, could not see the driver. Ultimately, he caught up to the car to see "both front seats completely reclined and both occupants appearing to be asleep," per an RCMP statement cited by the Guardian.

story continues below

When he turned on his siren, a driver popped up and pulled over. The 20-year-old man has since been charged with speeding and dangerous driving. As Electrek reports, Tesla's Autopilot mode is not technically self-driving, but rather "a suite of driver-assist features." It can, however, technically drive autonomously on highways, though Tesla says a driver must always be paying attention. Some drivers have found ways around Tesla's requirement that their hands remain on the steering wheel, and the Vancouver Sun says drivers can "tweak" the car with aftermarket changes to the driver-assist system. (Read more Tesla stories.)
TikTok will be banned in the US from Sunday.

Users in the country will be stopped from downloading the video app as well as WeChat.

If a deal is not struck by 12 November, the app will be fully banned, and using as well as downloading the app will be illegal, according to the order from the US Department of Commerce.

Donald Trump and the US government have threatened to ban the app amid accusations that their Chinese owners mean that American data could be put at risk.

People who already have the app installed will still be able to use it as normal after 20 September. But they will not be able to download new updates, which could quickly mean the apps functionality will break, since developers will not be able to fix bugs or make changes.

Officials will also not look to ban Google and Apple from offering the app through their stores in other countries.

After 12 November, it will be illegal in the US not only to distribute TikTok through app stores but also to provide the underlying internet infrastructure that powers it, or to allow its code to be accessible. That would effectively amount to a complete ban, with users unable to access the app at all.

WeChat will be entirely banned from 20 September, the order said.

The decision comes after threats from the US government that the app would be banned if it could not be sold to a US company.

Silicon Valley tech firm Oracle has been reported to have won that battle, but the deal is yet to go through. The ban could be scrapped if that deal is successfully completed, Reuters reported, citing US commerce officials.

Donald Trump said yesterday that his administration had spoken to Walmart and Oracle about a possible deal, but that there had been no substantial change in the situation.

"We're making a decision. We spoke today to Walmart, Oracle. I guess Microsoft is still involved," Trump told reporters at the White House before leaving for a visit to Wisconsin.

"We'll make a decision, but nothing much has changed. We'll make a decision soon."

In early August, Mr Trump signed an executive order that set a deadline of 20 September for the sale of TikTok. In recent remarks, the president had said there would be no extension of that order  though he also falsely suggested that the deadline would come on 15 September.

The executive order said that if the deadline was reached and the app was still under Chinese ownership, the US would ban any transaction by any person with Bytedance, TikToks owners. Legal experts have speculated on whether the ruling would legitimately allow a ban, but the Trump administration has been clear that was the intention of the document.

The executive order alleged that apps developed and owned by companies in the Peoples Republic of China (China) continues to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States" before going on say specifically that "at this time, action must be taken to address the threat posed by one mobile application in particular, TikTok".

It accused the app capturing vast swaths of information from its users, including Internet and other network activity information such as location data and browsing and search histories as well as censoring content on behalf of the Chinese government and helping with the countrys disinformation campaigns.

TikTok and its parent company Bytedance  which offers a separate version of the app in China  have repeatedly denied those accusations.
The chief minister of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo, has warned people against taking any notice of speculation about the future of the Rock in the media, saying they should "absolutely ignore" such reports and trust the government to deliver on its promises, even in the midst of a pandemic.

The press and social media often feature claims that Gibraltar will be "handed back" to Spain as part of the Brexit negotiations, or that the Gibraltar government will want to do a deal with Spain because Gibraltarians voted 96 per cent Remain in the EU, something the authorities on the Rock have always denied.

In a statement issued on Monday, Picardo said with regard to any change in sovereignty that "we're also in the thick of the negotiations before the end of the year on Brexit, and as I said on National Day, this is an area where the Government of Gibraltar, led by me, will give not an inch....We will never agree to anything that dilutes British sovereignty, jurisdiction or control over Gibraltar in the negotiations. We are tough, we are the hawks. We will not allow them to get anything past us".

Some people in Gibraltar have expressed concern that the government is getting too close to its Spanish counterpart in the discussions over the post-Brexit future both sides of the border, and that this could lead to concessions over sovereignty. The government refutes this, and insists that it is working to achieve "shared prosperity" which will benefit both Gibraltar and the nearest area of Spain.
Benchmark indices pared gains in morning trade. Pharma stocks were in demand while FMCG shares declined. At 10:28 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was up 47.73 points or 0.12% at 39,027.58. The Nifty 50 index rose 37.15 points or 0.32% at 11,553.35.

The broader market was trading firm. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index was up 0.73%. The S&P BSE Small-Cap index was up 0.47%.

The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 1281 shares rose and 846 shares fell. A total of 157 shares were unchanged.

Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth Rs 249.82 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs), were net sellers to the tune of Rs 1,067.83 crore in the Indian equity market on 17 September, provisional data showed.

COVID-19 Update:

Total COVID-19 confirmed cases worldwide stood at 30,071,314 with 9,44,887 deaths. India reported 10,17,754 active cases of COVID-19 infection and 84,372 deaths while 41,12,551 patients have been discharged, according to the data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.

Economy:

The Reserve Bank has decided to conduct purchase of Government securities under Open Market Operations (OMOs) for an aggregate amount of Rs 10,000 crore on 24 September 2020. Accordingly, RBI will purchase Government securities through a multi-security auction using the multiple price method. These include 6.97% GS 2026, 6.45% GS 2029 and 6.68% GS 2031 for Rs 10000 crores. The Reserve Bank reserves the right to decide on the quantum of purchase of individual securities.

Buzzing Index:

The Nifty Pharma index soared 3.82% to 12,184.05. The index has surged 8.46% in four sessions.

Cipla (up 5.89%), Lupin (up 5.29%), Divi's Laboratories (up 3.7%), Sun Pharmaceutical (up 3.03%), Cadila Healthcare (up 2.87%), Aurobindo Pharma (up 2.58%), Alkem Laboratories (up 2.27%), Torrent Pharmaceutical (up 1.66%) and Biocon (up 1.04%) were top gainers in pharmaceutical space.

Dr. Reddy's Laboratories surged 5%. The pharma major announced settlement of U.

S. Revlimid (lenalidomide) Capsules patent litigation with Celgene. In settlement of all outstanding claims in the litigation, Celgene has agreed to provide Dr. Reddy's with a license to sell volume-limited amounts of generic lenalidomide capsules in the U. S. beginning on a confidential date after March 2022 subject to regulatory approval. The agreed-upon percentages are confidential. Dr. Reddy's is also licensed to sell generic lenalidomide capsules in the U. S. without volume limitation beginning on January 31, 2026. Revlimid is a trademark of Celgene, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bristol Myers Squibb.

Stocks in Spotlight:

Hindustan Zinc rose 1.46% to Rs 219.20 after the company proposed to raise Rs 4000 crore by offering debentures in one or more tranches. The company proposes to offer Rated, Unsecured, Redeemable, Non-Cumulative, Non-Convertible Debentures aggregating upto Rs 4,000 crore in one or more tranches, and in this regard is holding a meeting of its duly constituted Committee of the Directors on 22 September 2020.

Sterling and Wilson Solar (SWSL) spurted 5.03% to Rs 235 after the company announced that it has signed an order of 106.71 MW worth about Rs 462 crore in Chile. The order has been received from a global independent power producer (IPP), work for which is expected to begin in Q4 FY 2021. SWSL has a strong presence in the region with one project of 93.3 MW in Argentina and three projects of 588 MW under construction in Chile.

TVS Motor Company rose 1.27% after the two wheeler maker on Thursday announced its new distribution partnership with Autotecnica Colombiana SAS (Auteco SAS), a leading motorcycle assembler in Colombia. Auteco SAS will operate 50 dealerships exclusive to TVS Motor Company and create dedicated space for the brand in over 600 retail outlets. Auteco SAS will support TVS Motor with dedicated sales, service, spares and customer relationship management (CRM). It will also provide the brand with an assembly set-up in Cartagena along with a dedicated training centre.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
(Natural News) Facebook and other tech giants have engaged in a troubling pattern of censoring speech surrounding major issues in the coronavirus debate, Fox News host Tucker Carlson argued during his Wednesday night monologue.

(Article by Dam Dorman republished from FoxNews.com)

Carlsons comments came after Facebook slapped a warning label on video of his Tuesday interview with Chinese virologist Dr. Li-Meng Yan, who claimed to have evidence showing China intentionally released COVID-19 onto the general population.

Within a few hours of her interview last night, Carlson said, a video of the segment reached 1.3 million people on Facebook.

And why wouldnt it? The coronavirus pandemic has touched the life of every American. And justifiably, people want to know where it came from. But Facebook still doesnt want you to know that. So Facebook suppressed the video, presumably on behalf of the Chinese government. Facebook executives made it harder for users to watch our segment. Those who found the video had to navigate a warning that the interview repeats information about COVID-19 that independent fact-checkers say is false, he added.

Instagram, which Facebook also owns did the same thing. Twitter suspended Dr. Yans account entirely. It did not explain why. Nor did the tech companies explain how they would know more about disease transmission than an MD, PhD virologist like Dr. Li-Meng Yan. Instead, Facebook and Instagram linked to three so-called fact checks which supposedly proved Yan was lying.

But if you clicked on the provided links, youd noticed something odd. The fact checks were all published months ago, many months  in January, February, and March, and they had nothing whatsoever to do with what Dr. Li-Meng Yan said on our show One of the fact checks attacks a completely unrelated claim, the virus was patented and that a vaccine was prepared and ready to go.

What does that have to do with the interview we did last night? No one will tell us that. The truth is, and you know it if youve watched carefully, experts have been wrong frequently throughout this pandemic  They have changed their prescriptions many times.

Carlson argued that the solution to experts being fallible was more speech. The solution to this age-old problem, and we used to understand this intuitively is more informed voices in the conversation. Thats how you make wise decisions, thats how you get to the truth. Diversity of view. Facebook doesnt believe this, he said.

They believe in censorship. Censorship does not make us wiser. It does not make us better informed. If it did, wed be speaking Russian right now, the Soviet Union would run the world. It would have worked. But instead the Soviet Union is extinct. It collapsed under the weight of its own absurdities  absurdities abetted by censorship. And thats the most basic lesson of dictatorships, all of them. Anything built on lies falls apart over time.

Carlson also defended Yan and her research. COVID-19 is not from nature, she said. It was created in a lab in Wuhan, China. The Chinese government intentionally unleashed it on the world. Those are her claims. Are they true? We have no way of verifying them. We do know that Dr. Li-Meng Yan is not a quack, Carlson said.

Shes authored peer-reviewed papers on coronavirus transmission in both Nature Magazine and The Lancet. Those are two of the most respected publications in all of science. Her paper on the origin of COVID-19, which she has published online, is not frivolous. In it, she points to specific evidence for the claims that she makes. She identifies so-called cut sites which are frequently used in genomic engineering that would allow scientists to swap in sequences from other viruses to create what she described last night as a Frankenstein bioweapon.

Read more at: FoxNews.com
Phillip Schofield is reportedly planning an 'amicable' divorce from his wife Stephanie Lowe where he will share his 9million fortune.

The TV star, 58, - who came out as gay in February - apparently wants to avoid a bitter showdown like his friend Ant McPartlin, who divorced his wife of 12-years Lisa Armstrong earlier this year.

Unlike Ant and Lisa, Phil is believed to be against signing non-disclosure agreements and only expects his wife's 'ongoing loyalty' during the process.

Fair and square: Phillip Schofield is reportedly planning an 'amicable' divorce from his wife Stephanie Lowe where he will share his 9million fortune

A source told the Sun: 'Phillip and Steph have had a lot of hard, painful conversations over the past ten months but remain as tight and devoted to one another as ever.

Phil reportedly has no plans to move on with anyone else and is against a costly divorce battle - especially with his earnings at an 'all time high'.

The source added: 'Steph is entitled to half. He is not disputing this  all he wants in return is her ongoing loyalty . . . and discretion, his family is his No1 priority and that will never change.'

Last week it was reported that Phil's wealth has increased by 800,000 and as director of his company Fistral Productions, Steph will be entitled to some of it.

Together: Unlike Ant and Lisa, Phil - who came out as gay in February - is believed to be against signing non-disclosure agreements and only expects his wife's 'ongoing loyalty' during the process (pictured in 2020)

Plans: Phil reportedly has no plans to move on with anyone else and is against a costly divorce battle - especially with his earnings at an 'all time high' (pictured with their daughters Ruby and Molly)

He recently inked a 60,000 deal to become the face of a gin advent calendar and has long-running deals with Waitrose, We Buy Any Car and Princess Cruises.

Although they have reportedly discussed divorce, it doesn't seem like Phil is going far judging by apparent plans to convert a garage at his 2.6m family home into a two-bedroom bachelor pad.

He was thought to have moved out of his Oxfordshire mansion earlier this year, however he later suggested he'd spent lockdown at the spacious abode.

And now Phillip is said to be planning to make some changes to the house he shares with his wife Stephanie.

No thanks: The TV star, 58, apparently wants to avoid a bitter showdown like his friend Ant McPartlin (pictured), who divorced his wife of 12-years Lisa Armstrong earlier this year

Making changes? Phillip is reportedly set to convert a garage at the Oxfordshire house he shares with his wife Stephanie into a bachelor pad (pictured at their home in 2018)

Plans for the renovations seen by The Sun suggest that Phillip will knock down one of the house's garages to make space for his pad.

It is thought that there will be two-bedrooms in the new space as well as a large kitchen which will replace the former garage area.

As for the more decorative details, there will reportedly be floor to ceiling windows to create a bright space and a large living room area to complete the home.

A source told the publication: 'Phillip and Steph are getting on really well and are in no rush to make any big decisions.

Revelations: It was thought that the This Morning host (pictured with co-star Holly Willoughby) had moved out of the 2.6m mansion after revealing he was gay in February

'This annex can be used by any member of the family at any time  and is a great investment long-term, adding value to the property.'

MailOnline contacted representatives for Phillip to ask for a comment at the time.

It had previously been thought that Phillip had moved out of the mansion he shared with his wife and two daughters and moved into a flat in London after coming out as gay earlier this year.

However he appeared to refute this in May, saying he had spent lockdown at the home after a fan questioned how he was able to visit his family during lockdown.

Reports: It was believed that the TV presenter had moved out of the Oxfordshire house and into a flat in London after revealing that he is gay (pictured with his family during lockdown)

Questioning: After seeing the photograph on his Instagram page, one confused follower commented: 'So you moved out but you're allowed to visit your family?'

The confusion arose after Phillip posted some pictures of his family - wife Stephanie and daughters Ruby, 24, and Molly, 27 - enjoying a murder mystery evening together.

After seeing the photograph on his Instagram page, one follower commented: 'So you moved out but you're allowed to visit your family?

'But I can't go and visit my children and grandchildren. Just the rich or famous that are allowed, good to know. [angry face emoji].'

In response, Phillip quizzed his critic on where they had heard that he had moved out of his family home, suggesting that he was still living there.

Phillip was pictured arriving at a flat in central London following his week-daily appearance on This Morning in April.

Ten weeks after coming out on national television, the presenter was pictured stepping out of a black car and into the pad, which is miles from the sprawling Oxfordshire property.

Phillip was reported to have amicably moved out of the 2m family home in Oxford after publicly coming out earlier this year.

While in May it was reported that staff at the ITV studios were made aware of the star's change of address, including the drivers who ferry him to and from the studio.

Glimpses: Phillip has previously shared snaps from inside the spacious home, revealing its cosy living area and decorative mirror

Comfy: Other pictures show a selection of cushions over a sofa and other stylish touches such as a floor lamp and plant

A source said: 'There has been talk for weeks that Phillip isn't living with Steph any more, that he had moved out for good and had a new home. He has a place in central London.

'It's not as big but it's the beginning of a new life for him. It very much also seems as though their marriage could well be over.'

However in February, when Phillip discussed his decision to come out on TV and Instagram, he insisted: 'We'll always be a family' and it's clear they remain close.

Announcement: Phillip surprised fans on February 7 by taking his place on the This Morning sofa besides co-host Holly Willoughby to reveal he is gay

He also insisted he still loves Steph as much as he did when they met 'if not more'.

During an emotional interview on This Morning with his co-host Holly, Phillip revealed that he has suffered 'inner conflict' and was ready to 'celebrate and be proud' of his sexuality, yet insisted he is not thinking about a new relationship.

Phillip said: 'Every person I tell it gets a little lighter and a little lighter, at the same time I have made this decision which is essential for me and essential for my head and that is principally the reason I have done this. They have been supporting while we get to this moment because we all know it was coming...

'Feeling lighter and lighter': Phillip announced he is gay in an impassioned post shared to Instagram before appearing on This Morning to discuss the news with his co-star Holly

'We've never had any secrets. It is tough but it's not something that has happened quickly, I have had to deal with this in my head for quite some time, we've gone through this together, we have been honest and have been open and Stephanie as I said, you know'.

Quick to lavish praise on his wife, he said: 'She's amazing, she's incredible, there's no one in my life who would have supported me.

A friend in need... Holly proved the depth of their friendship as she supported him during the announcement

Candid: Kicking off the subject on This Morning, Holly said: 'I think we all just take a breathe at that point, reading that I can hear your voice the pain how difficult it is for you, this is a big day, I know this is something you've been living with for a really long time'

'As a wife the way she's supported me, she's astonishing, literally astonishing, it's a good questions, you know this has been bothered me for a very long time...

He added: 'Steph has been incredible - I love her so very much. She is the kindest soul I have ever met.

'My girls have been astonishing in their love, hugs and encouraging words of comfort. Both mine and Steph's entire families have stunned me with their love, instant acceptance and support.'
Good morning to everyone still trying to find a PS5 or NVIDIA RTX 3080. Im not sure how this is still an issue in 2020, but both devices have had a launch period that boggles the mind and has frustrated many people who are just trying to hand over hundreds of dollars so they can do some ray-traced 4K gaming.

Sony told gamers pre-orders would start on Thursday, and then retailers opened their doors on Wednesday. When NVIDIAs powerful new graphics card went on sale, it just as quickly went out of stock, and here we are  its like were all missing out on a SNKRS drop together. Anyway, stay tuned, well keep you updated on PlayStation 5 offers as they arrive and any sightings of Ampere-powered graphics hardware that come in.

 Richard

If you're looking for a new Xbox, this is the easiest way to get one.

Microsoft already announced that pre-orders for the next generation of its Xbox consoles will start next week, and now we have more details on exactly when thats going to happen.

But what about Xbox? Well, pre-orders for the $499 Xbox Series X and the $299 Xbox Series S start on September 22nd at 11AM ET / 8AM PT for the US and Canada. US retailers taking orders online will include at least the Microsoft Store, Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, Walmart, Target, Sams Club and Newegg. The big question now is Series S or Series X?

Continue reading.

Apple Watch Series 6 hands-on: A few new tricks in a very familiar package

There are only a couple hardware updates, but that's not a bad thing.

Weve taken a look at Apples new hardware in person, so lets start things off with the Apple Watch Series 6. (More interested in the Apple Watch SE? Read about that right here.)

We knew there were no major changes, but we homed in on that new sensor. The blood oxygen sensor and the accompanying app in watchOS 7 are the big new fitness features on the Series 6. Like measuring ECG, measuring blood oxygen requires only a few taps on the Watchs screen, but you need to wear the Watch in a certain way to get a successful reading.

It took seven attempts of fiddling with the placement before Valentina Palladino, who tried out the new wearable, got it to work. The Series 6 does feel faster than its predecessor, but is that enough to be worth upgrading from the Series 5?

Continue reading.

'The manufacturing of the Nintendo 3DS family of systems has ended.

Three years after launching the Switch, Nintendo is putting the 3DS out to pasture. Back in July, the gaming giant shut down the Wii U and 3DS eshops in dozens of regions. Now, it has officially discontinued the family of handheld devices, in its myriad iterations. Yep, the 3DS, 3DS XL, 2DS and 2DS XL have all come to the end of the line. Itll be interesting to see if Nintendo figures out a way to translate dual-screen games to the Switch  or its next-gen iteration.

Continue reading.

The Xperia 5 Mk II focuses on cameras again.

Surprise phone! The Xperia 5 Mk II is a smaller, cheaper version of the Xperia 1 II from earlier this year. Notably, it has a 120Hz, 21:9, 6.1-inch, FHD+ HDR OLED display, which should make everything smoother  including any video you capture.

The Mk II is able to shoot 120 fps slow-motion in HDR, as well as grabbing real-time eye-autofocus  and the cameras were one of the standout features on Sonys last flagship phone. Its priced at $950, with pre-orders opening on September 29th and shipping expected by December 4th.

Continue reading.

What version should you get? And are the accessories worth buying?

Pre-orders have been selling out almost instantly, but weve laid out everywhere you might be able to order Sonys next-gen console  and the accessories youll need to go with it. Time to get ready for November 12th.

Continue reading.

512GB SSD wont cut it for most.

The Xbox Series S is the cheapest point of entry into next-gen gaming, and costs just $299. It will come with a drive faster than those in the Xbox One X and PS4 Pro. That means shorter load times and, eventually, new gameplay experiences that werent possible on older hardware. SSDs are expensive, though, so neither Microsoft nor Sony have pushed the envelope on capacity. The Xbox Series S has 512GB of onboard storage, while both PS5 models offer 825GB and the Xbox Series X boasts 1TB. Its not enough storage for next-gen gaming.

Continue reading.

But wait, theres more...

Apple iPad (2020) hands-on: A better kind of basic

Google Drive will start automatically deleting Trash files after 30 days

Fords electric F-150 can be a mobile power source for jobsites and more

Apple's latest iOS 14.2 beta adds a built-in control for Shazam

Confused about which console to buy? Just wait.

DTS:X for home theater comes to Xbox One

Google really wants you to game on a Chromebook for some reason

Mophie's latest portable battery pack has a flip-out Apple Watch charger

'Hades' suddenly lands on Nintendo Switch

Someone turned Lego Mario into a controller for 'Super Mario Bros.'

Pixel Buds firmware update fixes annoying audio cutout issue
The multi-billion dollar Pascua Lama project, which straddles Chile's border with Argentina at an altitude of 4,000 meters (13,100 feet), has been the subject of protests

Chile's environmental court confirmed Thursday a final order to close Canadian company Barrick Gold's huge Pascua Lama mining project, on hold since 2013 over environmental concerns.

The court dismissed a legal challenge from the company and confirmed a 2018 environmental authority ruling, ordering the "total and definitive closure" of the mine project.

It also imposed a $9 million fine on the Canadian miner.

"The magnitude of the danger to people's health makes it necessary to close the Pascua Lama mining project, as other alternatives for safe operation for the environment and population health do not appear to be viable," the court said.

The multi-billion dollar Pascua Lama project, which straddles Chile's border with Argentina at an altitude of 4,000 meters (13,100 feet), was launched in 2009.

But local groups began a legal battle to halt its construction, citing concerns over the threat of damage to waterways from the massive open pit mining project, one of the largest in the world.

Barrick Gold, the world's second-largest gold producer, planned to spend up to $8.5 billion on the mine, and initially planned to start production there in 2014.

However, construction was suspended in April 2013 when a Chilean court accepted a complaint filed by indigenous groups.

Greenpeace said the ruling was "a very important victory for the local communities that for years have denounced and taken legal action against the serious effects that mining has had on their lands."

The environmental group added that the project was an example of mining's impact on Chile's glaciers, and said it was important the government move forward with legislation that protects glaciers from similar projects.

Chilean authorities said Pascau Lama had violated 33 environmental regulations and damaged native flora and fauna. Of particular concern was the discharge of acidic water into the Estrecho river that supplied the local indigenous Diaguita community.

msa/db/jm
TUCSON, Ariz., Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Mister Car Wash, the nation's largest car wash company, has doubled its footprint in the state of Washington with the acquisition of seven locations of Bush Car Wash in Kennewick, Walla Walla, Pasco, Richland, and West Richland. The acquisition brings Mister Car Wash's statewide presence from six to 13 locations.

"Bush Car Wash is a family-run business with deep roots in the community and years of experience providing excellent service," stated Casey Lindsay, vice president of corporate development for Mister Car Wash. "Our motto of "Inspiring People to Shine" aligns nicely with the Bush's family-oriented approach which will prepare our new team for continued success and give our new Unlimited Wash Club members and customers great service in the Evergreen State," Lindsay concluded.

Owner Tim Bush agreed adding, "When my late brother Ned Gosnell came up with the idea to start Bush Car Wash in 2007, his vision was to provide a premium service for folks across the Tri-Cities and surrounding areas. Working together with my sons, co-owners in the business, TJ and Blake, we have worked diligently to honor Ned's family and legacy, and we know that entrusting Bush Car Wash to Mister Car Wash will continue his vision."

The Bush Car Wash family also brings with it a rich tradition of giving back to the community, a backbone of the Mister Car Wash brand.

The seven newly acquired locations include:

1131 Aaron Dr., Richland, WA

3220 Kennedy Dr., West Richland, WA

7200 Burden Blvd. (Road 68), Pasco, WA

3810 W. Court St., Pasco, WA

520 W. Columbia Dr., Kennewick, WA

5231 W. Okanogan Pl. (Edison St), Kennewick, WA

1110 Dalles Military Rd., Walla Walla, WA

While the acquisition is effective as of September 17, 2020, customers can expect the same level of service and no disruption to membership as Mister begins the transition.

About Mister Car Wash

Headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, Mister Car Wash (www.mistercarwash.com) is an equal opportunity employer operating 336 car washes and 31 express lubes in 21 states. The Mister Car Wash brand is anchored in quality, friendliness and our commitment to creating memorable customer experiences. Our people are what make us successful and allow us to achieve these high standards. We continue to focus on recruiting and retaining top talent, developing best-in-class training programs and investing in employee benefits to cultivate a positive company culture.

Contact: Matt Russell

Russell Public Communications

[email protected]

520.232.9840

SOURCE Mister Car Wash

Related Links

http://www.mistercarwash.com


Minister of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine Oleh Nemchinov and China's Ambassador to Ukraine Fan Xianrong discussed the development of tourism cooperation between the two countries.

Having introduced a visa-free travel regime, Ukraine is ready to become a transit country for people traveling between Europe and China. We will also be glad to see tourists in Ukraine. Our aviation market is open to the establishment of direct flights by Chinese airlines. We can start with the most-visited cities of Ukraine - Kyiv, Lviv and Odesa," Nemchinov wrote on Telegram.

The minister noted that despite the COVID-2019 pandemic, passenger traffic flow from China has increased.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky introduced a temporary visa-free regime for Chinese citizens entering Ukraine for tourism purposes for the period from August 1, 2020 to January 31, 2021.

Despite the one-sidedness of such a decision, Ukraine demonstrates its readiness for important joint steps and cooperation in the tourism sector, Nemchinov added.

ish
Former Formula One world champion Nico Rosberg told CNBC that global governments need to "up their game" to tackle the "shocking" impact of climate change.

Rosberg was speaking from Berlin at the second annual Greentech Festival, which he co-founded to showcase the "most innovative green technologies and ideas that facilitate a sustainable lifestyle."

He described as "shocking" the wildfires raging on the U.S. West Coast.

"We're experiencing more and more of these devastating fires around the world, and it's most likely of course as a result of the climate change, so that's terrible and yes, it does require governments to really up their game," he said.

Rosberg, who shook the Formula One world by retiring days after becoming world champion in 2016, said he was "not worried" about sustainability and green issues becoming less of a priority in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis.

"I have evidence here in my event  we're actually not only surviving, but we're thriving . we're growing in the midst of corona," he said, adding that he would not have expected this.

"It's a real testament to how corona  it's going to raise more awareness I think for the environmental issues as well."

Last year's inaugural Greentech Festival, which includes speakers, awards, exhibitions and concerts, attracted over 40,000 guests.

This year, the event is a combination of virtual and in-person sessions taking place at the historic Kraftwerk Berlin building. It has to meet the social distancing requirements of the German government and has a "hygiene concept," including extra air circulation, distribution of masks and "a lot of hand sanitizers."

"Corona was very well managed in Germany, so for now we are not in the second wave yet, and therefore at the moment, it is all more or less manageable for us here," Rosberg told CNBC. Germany has reported close to 270,000 cases of the coronavirus to date, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University, but has only had 9,384 deaths  a relatively low number as a percentage of total cases.
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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi had an in-depth exchange of views on the situation in Yemen with his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud on Thursday.

China pays close attention to the situation in Yemen, firmly supports a political solution and an early ceasefire, Wang said in phone talks with Faisal, adding that Beijing supports the United Nations (UN) in playing its role as a main channel of mediation and the three-point proposal by the UN secretary-general's special envoy.

Maintaining communications with all parties involved in the issue of Yemen, China has been incessantly advocating peace and negotiations, and providing humanitarian aid to Yemen through bilateral and multilateral channels, Wang added.

China understands and attaches great importance to Saudi Arabia's security concerns, appreciates the country's efforts to solve the Yemeni issue and is ready to help restore stability and order in Yemen with joint efforts of the international community, he said.

Faisal said that Saudi Arabia appreciates China's efforts to promote peace and facilitate talks, and attaches importance to China's significant influence.

Saudi Arabia hopes that China will continue to play a role in promoting the political settlement of the Yemeni issue, and is willing to maintain close communication and coordination with China in this regard, he said.

Wang said that China and Saudi Arabia are good brothers who trust each other and good partners for sincere cooperation.

The two heads of state have spoken over phone three times this year, which fully reflects the high level of strategic mutual trust between the two countries, he said.

China is willing to take the 30th anniversary of the establishment of China-Saudi diplomatic ties as an opportunity to implement a series of important consensus reached by the two heads of state, promote a deep alignment of the Belt and Road Initiative and Saudi Vision 2030, and jointly create a better future for China-Saudi ties, Wang said.

Faisal said that Saudi Arabia and China have a profound comprehensive strategic partnership, and the 30th anniversary is a new beginning for bilateral ties.

Saudi Arabia is willing to deepen pragmatic cooperation with China, strengthen the alignment of their development strategies, and achieve greater advance of Saudi-China ties, he said.

In addition, the two sides exchanged views on the G20 Riyadh Summit, the Palestinian issue and the security in the Middle East.
State election officials condemned the Postal Service this week for distributing an informational mailer about absentee voting that they said would confuse voters, urging them to check state guidelines instead, and prompting embattled Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to vow Thursday that he "will do better next time" -- without explaining when next time would be.

A 6-by-9-inch postcard is threatening to broaden the growing rift between state election officials and the U.S. Postal Service, with each side accusing the other of further muddying the already complex state-by-state rules for absentee voting.

The informational mailer, distributed by the Postal Service to every residential address across the country in recent days, was supposed to encourage those interested in voting by mail to "plan ahead" by requesting a ballot more than two weeks before the election, then returning the ballot at least one week before the election.

MORE: Here's what to know about mail-in voting for November

But that message almost immediately attracted the ire of state leaders, whose public reactions ranged from "missed the mark" to "disinformation." Those officials accused the Postal Service of confusing voters, as the mailers' advice ran counter to some states' voting rules and conflicted with others that automatically send ballots to registered voters.

Their frustration was compounded by the Postal Service's unwillingness to coordinate their outreach with the states, even after state leaders explicitly asked DeJoy to do so.

During a conference call with state leaders on Thursday, DeJoy said it was his "intent" to coordinate with election leaders, but conceded he failed to do so and promised to "do better next time." The Postal Service has defended their mailer as "general all-purpose guidance" for voters and maintained it was not intended to replace state-specific absentee voting rules.

Story continues

PHOTO: This informational mailer, distributed by the Postal Service to every residential address across the country, was meant to encourage those interested in voting by mail to plan ahead. (USPS)

Election experts said the fallout could serve to further undermine the already fragile relationship between Postal Service executives and election chiefs and, by extension, threaten to sow confusion ahead of what is expected to be a record-breaking year of mail-in voting.

Regardless of who is at fault, election experts said the fallout could serve to further undermine the already fragile relationship and, by extension, threaten to sow confusion ahead of what is expected to be a record-breaking year of mail-in voting.

Tammy Patrick, a former state election liaison to the Postal Service, warned that "any time there is wrong information in the public square it is problematic."

"Voters are going to be inundated with information in the coming weeks," said Patrick, who is currently a senior adviser at the nonprofit Democracy Fund. "We want to be sure that we're calling out any sort of activity or action -- on behalf of anyone in the elections environment or ecosphere -- that could impact negatively the voter or the voting process."

MORE: Millions of Americans are receiving absentee ballot applications from outside groups. Heres what you need to know.

In Colorado, where Secretary of State Jena Griswold has already filed a lawsuit against DeJoy and the Postal Service over the postcards, a federal judge has temporarily halted further mailers from being distributed in the state.

Griswold's complaint claims the mailer threatens to "disenfranchise Colorado voters" and is "incorrect in several material ways," specifically noting that registered voters in the state automatically receive a ballot in the mail, rendering moot the Postal Service's guidance that prospective voters should request their ballot 15 days before the election.

The state acknowledged in court documents Wednesday that it was not the Postal Service's intention to sow confusion, but added that, "by providing disinformation to Colorado households, the Postal Service hurt, rather than helped, Colorado voters."

PHOTO: Postmaster General Louis DeJoy arrives to testify during a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing in Washington, Aug. 24, 2020. (Tom Williams/Reuters, FILE)

That sentiment was shared by election leaders in other states. Wayne Thorley, Nevada's deputy secretary of state for elections, told a local news station, "I don't think USPS had any sort of malice or were trying to confuse voters intentionally, I just think they missed the mark a little bit in not realizing how different each states election laws are."

"Unfortunately," Thorley continued, "the postcard has caused some confusion in Nevada."

Others reacted in harsher terms, slamming the Postal Service for promulgating information that could confuse voters.

MORE: Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold sues USPS

California Secretary of State Alex Padilla said the "inconsistencies between the guidance offered on the USPS postcard and California Elections law" left him "deeply concerned about the potential for voter confusion." In Utah, Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox sought to correct "misinformation" in the postcard in a press release. New Jersey Secretary of State Tahesha Way warned on Twitter that information on the Postal Service's mailer "conveys certain information that does not apply to NJ voters."

The dismay expressed by election leaders across the country could have been avoided, according to Maria Benson, a spokesperson for the National Association of Secretaries of State. Benson said this specific issue was raised during a meeting with DeJoy last month -- before the mailers were distributed.

"During the Aug. 27 meeting with the Postmaster and USPS staff, we urged staff to share any mailer with NASS first, so that we could help with any edits that may be necessary because of the differing election laws around the U.S.," Benson said. "No draft, however, was shared with us before it began to be sent in the mail."

PHOTO: Mailman James Daniels sorts mail at San Clemente Post Office in San Clemente, Calif., May 15, 2020. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images, FILE)

Patrick echoed that sentiment, calling it "unfortunate" that the Postal Service neglected to confer with state leaders.

"The postal service has never done anything like this before," Patrick said. "When you look at the mailer, if they have added a half a dozen words it would have been a lot better."

On Thursday, during his conference call with the state election leaders, DeJoy said he "previewed the fact that the mailer was coming in our last call," and it was the Postal Service's "intent to give you a heads-up to see the mailer in advance."

MORE: Record number of absentee ballots requested in key swing states

"But it started hitting households ... the same day we sent it to NASS, which we understand was not enough of a heads-up for you," DeJoy continued. "We will do better next time."

DeJoy added that the mailer was distributed as a way "to craft one common message to encourage voters to inform themselves on how to vote by mail effectively."

"The concern that some of you have voiced about the mailer underscores why we set out to create one message and not state-specific guidance," he said.

PHOTO:Absentee ballot election workers stuff ballot applications at the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections office in Charlotte, N.C., Sept. 4, 2020. (Logan Cyrus/AFP via Getty Images)

The mailer dispute marks the latest chapter in a the increasingly fraught relationship between election leaders and the mail agency. In July, a letter from the Postal Service warning election officials in 46 states and the District of Columbia that their absentee voting rules were "incongruous" with the agency's mail delivery service standards irked many state leaders.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump continues to cast doubt on the viability of absentee voting in states that plan to send ballots to all registered voters in the coming weeks. In a pair of tweets Thursday morning, Trump claimed without evidence that "the new and unprecedented massive amount of unsolicited ballots" will lead to "MAYHEM" and mean the "Election result may NEVER BE ACCURATELY DETERMINED."

Despite the unrelenting controversy, the Postal Service maintains it will have sufficient resources to execute absentee mail ahead of the November election.

Election officials encourage voters to use state guidelines, ignore 'misinformation' on Postal Service mailers originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
AKRON, Ohio  A a 15-year-old male who told police he had been wounded in a shooting Tuesday near the University of Akron is among three suspects accused of burglarizing a home.

The wounded teen, along with two males ages 15 and 16, were arrested Wednesday and charged with two counts of burglary, according to police. Detectives are still looking for a fourth suspect.

The teen told police he was shot around 10 p.m. Tuesday while standing in a parking lot on the 400 block of Sumner Street. He told officers he did not know who shot him. He was taken to Akron Childrens Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Investigators learned a nearby home on Sumner Avenue was broken into. A gun and other items were taken from the home, which had no occupants at the time, according to police. Police later found out a home on the 200 block of Wheeler Avenue also was broken into.

The investigation is still ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call Akron police detectives at 330-375-2490, Summit County Crimestoppers at 330-434-2677 or text tips to TIPSCO at 274637. Tipsters can remain anonymous.

More crime-related content on cleveland.com:

Brothers charged after 10-year-old boy struck by stray bullet from shootout during music video recording

Shooting at high school football game in Akron wounds 2

Cleveland man who fired first shots of gunfight that killed 9-year-old girl in crossfire gets 22 years in prison

Former Berea-Midpark High School football player gets probation in hazing case

Nine dogs seized from Cleveland home in suspected dogfighting investigation, police say

Ex-Cuyahoga County Jail officer charged in attack on mentally ill inmate, including unauthorized chokehold
A nationally consistent approach to contact tracing based on the success of NSW will be rolled out across Australia and airlines will have to collect more passenger data to prevent future COVID-19 outbreaks from spiralling out of control.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced after Friday's national cabinet meeting the lessons learned during Victorian health authorities' meeting with their NSW counterparts last week would be "spread across all the other states and territories".

National coordination of contact tracing will aim to prevent future COVID-19 outbreaks from spreading. Credit:Getty

"It was also agreed today that the Commonwealth would lead an initiative to connect all the digital systems that the states and territories are using, so they can interact with each other," Mr Morrison told reporters in Sydney.

Airlines will also be subject to a new mandatory data collection regime to plug holes in contact tracing by ensuring health authorities can quickly track down passengers on domestic flights between states and territories.
It is not uncommon to see companies perform well in the years after insiders buy shares. The flip side of that is that there are more than a few examples of insiders dumping stock prior to a period of weak performance. So before you buy or sell The Toronto-Dominion Bank (TSE:TD), you may well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling.

What Is Insider Buying?

It's quite normal to see company insiders, such as board members, trading in company stock, from time to time. However, most countries require that the company discloses such transactions to the market.

Insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing. But equally, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether. As Peter Lynch said, 'insiders might sell their shares for any number of reasons, but they buy them for only one: they think the price will rise'.

Check out our latest analysis for Toronto-Dominion Bank

Toronto-Dominion Bank Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when Independent Director Nadir Mohamed bought CA$252k worth of shares at a price of CA$61.45 per share. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at around the current price of CA$62.53. That means they have been optimistic about the company in the past, though they may have changed their mind. We do always like to see insider buying, but it is worth noting if those purchases were made at well below today's share price, as the discount to value may have narrowed with the rising price. Happily, the Toronto-Dominion Bank insiders decided to buy shares at close to current prices.

In the last twelve months Toronto-Dominion Bank insiders were buying shares, but not selling. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

Story continues

Toronto-Dominion Bank is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Does Toronto-Dominion Bank Boast High Insider Ownership?

Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Toronto-Dominion Bank insiders own 0.1% of the company, currently worth about CA$133m based on the recent share price. This kind of significant ownership by insiders does generally increase the chance that the company is run in the interest of all shareholders.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Toronto-Dominion Bank Insiders?

It doesn't really mean much that no insider has traded Toronto-Dominion Bank shares in the last quarter. However, our analysis of transactions over the last year is heartening. Judging from their transactions, and high insider ownership, Toronto-Dominion Bank insiders feel good about the company's future. If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check this free report showing analyst forecasts for its future.

But note: Toronto-Dominion Bank may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with high ROE and low debt.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.



Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com.


South Sudanese peace activist Rita Martin Lopidia Abraham received the 2020 Women Building Peace Award this week. The award comes from the United States Institute of Peace, a group set up by Congress. The Institute works in support of conflict resolution and prevention worldwide.

Abraham heads a not-for-profit group called EVE. The organization was formed in 1996. It works to empower women in South Sudan.

Abraham says her struggle for peace in her country has been difficult. She told VOA she has faced countless threats, even some from men taking part in negotiations.

"Sometimes when you talk to the parties and you speak truth to power, people seem to misunderstand you," she said. This is very sad, because at the end of the day, the purpose is for peace. But with the warring parties (in South Sudan), its not always the case.

The activist will receive $10,000 and be recognized by the Institute during a celebration next year.

Abraham said she will use part of the money to educate more women in South Sudan about their rights.

I am so passionate about young women, she said. She hopes to invest some of the prize money in a young womens leadership project that EVE operates.

Abraham noted that she has always had a desire to support orphans. Part of the award will go towards helping orphans and street children in the South Sudan capital, Juba, she said.

Abraham has served as a delegate at the South Sudan peace talks in Addis Ababa and Khartoum. In 2018, she signed a peace agreement in the Ethiopian capital on behalf of the South Sudan Women Coalition for Peace. The coalition includes 50 women's organizations in South Sudan and other countries.

Abraham said the leaders of South Sudan have been slow to enact important parts of the peace agreement.

"I am as disappointed as other Sudanese, she said, adding that the agreement has been reduced to power-sharing. People are only paying attention to what positions they can get.

Abraham said the opposing sides are not talking about the second part of the agreement. It requires standards for security enforcement in Juba and other areas.

She noted that issues in the first part of the agreement have yet to be resolved.

"We still have challenges in the formations of the legislature, state governments, she said. And there are still people who have not been replaced in the states. This is a big challenge, Abraham said.

Im Alice Bryant.



John Tanza wrote this story for VOA News. Alice Bryant adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

passionate  adj. having, showing, or expressing strong emotions or beliefs

orphan  n. a child whose parents are dead

behalf  n. as a representative of someone

disappointed  adj. feeling unhappy or displeased because something you hoped for or expected did not happen

standard  n. a level of quality that is considered acceptable or desirable

challenge  n. a difficult task or problem
We've lost count of how many times insiders have accumulated shares in a company that goes on to improve markedly. On the other hand, we'd be remiss not to mention that insider sales have been known to precede tough periods for a business. So shareholders might well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in North American Construction Group Ltd. (TSE:NOA).

Do Insider Transactions Matter?

It's quite normal to see company insiders, such as board members, trading in company stock, from time to time. However, rules govern insider transactions, and certain disclosures are required.

We don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions. But logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares. For example, a Columbia University study found that 'insiders are more likely to engage in open market purchases of their own companys stock when the firm is about to reveal new agreements with customers and suppliers'.

See our latest analysis for North American Construction Group

North American Construction Group Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

The Chairman & CEO Martin Ferron made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for CA$315k worth of shares at a price of CA$13.34 each. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at above the current price of CA$9.40. While their view may have changed since the purchase was made, this does at least suggest they have had confidence in the company's future. In our view, the price an insider pays for shares is very important. Generally speaking, it catches our eye when insiders have purchased shares at above current prices, as it suggests they believed the shares were worth buying, even at a higher price.

While North American Construction Group insiders bought shares during the last year, they didn't sell. Their average price was about CA$10.92. These transactions suggest that insiders have considered the current price attractive. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below!

Story continues

North American Construction Group is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying.

Does North American Construction Group Boast High Insider Ownership?

Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. It appears that North American Construction Group insiders own 9.9% of the company, worth about CA$27m. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.

What Might The Insider Transactions At North American Construction Group Tell Us?

The fact that there have been no North American Construction Group insider transactions recently certainly doesn't bother us. However, our analysis of transactions over the last year is heartening. Overall we don't see anything to make us think North American Construction Group insiders are doubting the company, and they do own shares. So while it's helpful to know what insiders are doing in terms of buying or selling, it's also helpful to know the risks that a particular company is facing. For example, North American Construction Group has 3 warning signs (and 1 which is potentially serious) we think you should know about.

Of course North American Construction Group may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of high quality companies.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.



Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
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Linkedin Dyaning Pangestika (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, September 18, 2020 09:41 491 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c4597436 1 World COVID-19,COVID-19-in-Indonesia,Bio-Farma,COVID-19-vaccine,Foreign-Minister-Retno-Marsudi,CEPI,pabrik-vaksin,vaksin-covid-19,coronavirus,virus-korona-indonesia,virus-corona,Foreign-Ministry,international-cooperation,pharmaceutical-industry Free

State pharmaceutical holding company PT Bio Farma will have a chance to become an international vaccine producer as it has partnered with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) in vaccine procurement, says Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.

CEPI is an innovative global partnership between public, private, philanthropic and civil society organizations launched in Davos in 2017 to develop vaccines to stop future epidemics.

Bio Farma Indonesia has become one out of seven potential drug manufacturers for a COVID-19 vaccine from CEPI, Retno said in a statement on Thursday.

Retno also feels hopeful that the collaboration between Bio Farma and CEPI will open other good opportunities for the pharmaceutical company to bolster their multilateral networking.

According to Retno, CEPI is currently evaluating Bio Farmas capabilities and capacities in producing a COVID-19 vaccine, including its quality and production system, laboratory analysis and technology information system in vaccine production.

Read also: Jokowi forms national team to accelerate vaccine development

Hopefully we can receive a due diligence result in late September or early October, Retno said.

The government is set to increase Bio Farmas production capacity as soon as a third clinical trial of China-based biopharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotechs COVID-19 vaccine is finished and successful.

The government will invite an expert from Europe to increase the production capacity of the future COVID-19 vaccine.

The Foreign Ministry is also involved in upgrading the vaccine production equipment to achieve a 250 million dosage per year target by inviting an expert from Europe, Retno said. (dis)
Australia is well known for having many of the world's most venomous creatures, ranging from snakes, spiders, jellyfish, centipedes, fish, ticks, bees, and ants. 21 of the 25 most venomous snakes in the world are all from Australia. The country is also home to dangerous plants, like the Australian stinging tree.

Close up of the heart-shaped leaf of the most toxic of the Australian species of stinging trees Dendrocnide moroides, also known as the stinging brush, gympie stinger, moonlight plant among others. Image Credit: Victoria Tucholka / Shutterstock

Now, a team of researchers at the University of Queensland in Brisbane examined the toxins produced by two species of Australian stinging trees- the shrub-sized Gympie-Gympie (Dendrocnide moroides) and the giant Australian stinging tree (Dendrocnide excelsa).

Leaves of the fearsome giant stinging tree, Dendrocnide excelsa. Image Credit: Lakeview Images

The Gympie-Gympie stinging tree is one of the world's most toxic plants and may cause excruciating long-lasting pain. From these plants, the researchers found a new family of toxins, which they called "gympietides" after the name of the tree. Usually, these trees are found in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales and at the tip of the Cape York Peninsula.

"Our research on the venom of Australian stinging trees, found in the country's northeast, shows these dangerous plants can inject unwary wanderers with chemicals much like those found in the stings of scorpions, spiders and cone snails," the researchers said.

Long-lasting pain

The Australian stinging tree is covered with hollow needle-like hairs called trichomes, which are bolstered with silica. Like common nettles, the hairs contain toxins and substances, which can induce extreme pain.

The scientists reported that stinging trees produce extremely persistent and painful stings upon contact of their trichomes with mammalian skin. The pain typically lasts for several hours, and intermittent painful flares may occur for days and weeks.

"The Australian stinging tree species are particularly notorious for producing an excruciatingly painful sting, which unlike those of their European and North American relatives can cause symptoms that last for days or weeks," Irina Vetter, associate professor at the UQ's Institute for Molecular Bioscience, said. "Like other stinging plants such as nettles, the giant stinging tree is covered in needle-like appendages called trichomes that are around five millimeters in lengththe trichomes look like fine hairs, but act like hypodermic needles that inject toxins when they make contact with skin," she added.

The team reported that the pain and stinging sensation might be tied to small-molecule neurotransmitters and inflammatory mediators. However, these compounds cannot explain the observed sensory effects.

In the study, published in the journal Science Advances, the team demonstrated that the venoms of the stinging trees contain unknown pain-inducing peptides.

Discovering gympietides

To arrive at the study findings, the team studied the stinging hairs from the giant Australian stinging tree, obtaining an extract from them. They separate them into their singular molecular contents. The substances produced extreme pain responses when they were tested in the laboratory.

The team discovered that the extract contains a small family of mini-proteins. Further, the team examined the genes that are found in the leaves of the Gympie-Gympie to find out which one could produce the toxin. From there, the team revealed molecules that can reproduce the pain response even when developed synthetically in the laboratory.

Gympietides contain an intricate three-dimensional structure maintained by links within the molecule that forms a knotted shape. Hence, the toxin is kept stable, which stays intact for a long time once it gets injected into the victim. The structure of the gympietides is similar to the toxins from the cone snail, scorpion, and spider venom, which affect ion channels in nerve cells that are known as mediators of pain.

Native stinging tree toxins match the pain of spiders and scorpions Play

"The 3D structure of these gympietides is reminiscent of animal venom toxins targeting the same receptors, thus representing a remarkable case of inter-kingdom convergent evolution of animal and plant venoms," the researchers wrote in the paper. "Our work clarifies the molecular basis for the pain caused by these plants while enabling structure-activity and convergent evolution studies to define how ancestrally distinct peptides in venoms may elicit the same response at pain receptors," they added.

The researchers hope that the toxins will provide new information on how pain-sensing nerves function, paving the way for the development of novel painkillers.
Ron Johnson; Mitt Romney; Donald Trump; Joe Biden

Ron Johnson, Mitt Romney, Donald Trump and Joe Biden Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images

Democrats accused Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., of abusing his position after he publicly admitted that his investigation into the party's presidential nominee Joe Biden would "certainly" help President Donald Trump's re-election chances.

Johnson, the chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, has led a probe into Obama-era intelligence activities and Biden's alleged ties to Ukraine for months after a similar effort by Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani led to the president's impeachment last year. Johnson acknowledged during an interview first flagged by Politico that his probe would "certainly" damage Biden's electoral hopes.

"The more that we expose of the corruption of the transition process between Obama and Trump, the more we expose of the corruption within those agencies, I would think it would certainly help Donald Trump win re-election and certainly be pretty good, I would say, evidence about not voting for Vice President Biden," Johnson said in a radio interview on Tuesday.

Johnson claimed during another radio interview this week that the evidence his committee had found was so "outrageous" that "it should completely disqualify Biden from president."

RELATED: Invisible company owned by Rudy Giuliani got taxpayer-backed PPP money  but where did it go?

Democrats compared Johnson's admission to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy's, R-Calif., 2015 boast that the Republican-led Benghazi investigation was aimed at hurting former presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's poll numbers.

"This damning acknowledgment totally exposes that Ron Johnson's disgraceful conduct is the definition of malfeasance," Biden spokesman Andrew Bates told Politico. "It is beyond time for him to end this embarrassing and deeply unethical charade once and for all  as a number of his Senate Republican colleagues have long wanted."

Story continues

The criticism was not limited to Democrats, however. Johnson on Wednesday pulled a planned vote on a subpoena related to Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company which once employed Biden's son Hunter, after criticism from Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah.

Romney said during a committee meeting that the investigation into Burisma was a "political exercise."

"Obviously, it's the province of campaigns and political parties, opposition research, the media to carry out political endeavors, to learn about or dust up one's opponent. But it's not the legitimate role of government for Congress or for taxpayer expense to be used in an effort to damage political opponents," Romney said. "Therefore, I am pleased that our votes today do not include additional authorizations relating to the Biden-Burisma investigation."

The committee did, however, authorize 40 subpoenas related to the FBI's investigation into Russian election interference.

"I will continue that support as long as it does not fall in the realm of rank political undertaking," Romney said. "I do believe it's very important that that the committees of Congress  and ours in particular  not fall into an increasing pattern that we're seeing, which is using taxpayer dollars and the power of Congress to do political work."

The investigations have been repeatedly pushed by Trump, who has made numerous baseless allegations about Hunter Biden's work in Ukraine and the Obama administration's efforts to "spy" on his campaign. Many of the Biden claims were debunked by career officials during the impeachment hearings. The FBI probe has also been investigated by Congress and the Justice Department, which found no evidence of Trump's claim that the Obama administration had "spied" on him and concluded that there was ample reason for the probe.

Johnson rejected the bipartisan criticism of his investigation during the Tuesday interview.

"There's a coordinated effort now," he claimed, "to destroy me."

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The ruling alliance of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) is strong and steady in Haryana, JJP leader Digvijay Chautala said on Friday, while also accusing the Congress party of misleading farmers on three farm bills that have triggered protests.

His comments came a day after Harsimrat Kaur Badal, the minister of food processing industries, resigned from the Union Cabinet with her party, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), opposing the three pieces of legislation seeking to liberalise agricultural markets.

Farmers in Haryana and neighbouring Punjab have taken to the streets against the farm bills, which they have described as anti-farmer.

Our responsibility is to ensure that farmers crops are procured as per the MSP (minimum support price) and we will ensure this in the upcoming procurement season. The biggest issue is the MSP. It is our commitment to farmers that we will not allow their crops to be procured below the minimum support price, Digvijay said.

He said a conspiracy was hatched by the Congress on the issue. They are trying to circumvent the real issue and put pressure on (Haryana deputy chief minister) Dushyant. We will expose their evil designs, he said.

Dushyant met chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday and discussed the incident of police lathi-charging farmers during a protest in Kurukshetra last week, according to Digvijay. The JJP has tendered an apology to the farming community over the incident

Digvijay, the younger brother of Dushyant, said the two leaders held discussions on a range of issues, including the steps to be taken to ensure smooth crop procurement in the upcoming season and the lathi-charge. We want an inquiry into the lathi-charge. We want action to be taken against those who lathi-charged the farmers, he said.

On ties with the BJP, he said: I would not like to comment about Punjab. All I can say is that the BJP-JJP alliance is strong and steady in Haryana.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala launched an attack on Dushyant, saying the JJP leader has betrayed farmers of Haryana and failed to raise his voice against the anti-farmer laws.

Why is he hiding behind JJPs second rung leadership? The fact is that Dushyant and his JJP have become addicted to the crumbs of power thrown at them by the BJP, Surjewala said.

Congresss Bhupinder Singh Hooda, leader of opposition in the assembly, said the situation demanded a political consensus and it was important that political parties raised their voice in the interest of farmers.

A special session of the assembly should be called. These laws should be discussed in the assembly so that people know who all stood with farmers and who all stood against them, Hooda said.
Miriam Schreiber, 88, after she was presented with an honorary high school diploma from New England Jewish Academy in Hartford, Conn. (Steve Kapiloff) Read more

In September 1939, Miriam Schreiber should have been starting first grade. But she spent that year  and the five years that followed  trying to survive.

My entire life was disrupted within minutes, recalled Schreiber, who was living in Poland when World War II broke out. I was eagerly looking forward to starting school.

She never made it.

It has been a profound regret of mine, all my life, said Schreiber.

Decades later, though, the 88-year-old Holocaust survivor finally got something she had always longed for: a high school diploma.

From the first time I met Miriam, she told me how disappointed she was to have never had a formal education, said Erica Kapiloff, a social worker at Jewish Family Services in Hartford, Conn., where Schreiber now lives.

Not having a degree has always been a thorn in her side, Kapiloff continued.

She and Miriam Brander, director of operations and community programs at Jewish Family Services, reached out to the New England Jewish Academy, a Jewish high school in Hartford, asking if they would consider presenting Schreiber with an honorary diploma.

Richard Nabel, the principal of the school, left the decision up to the students.

It was for the graduating class to decide, as they would be sharing their graduation with her, he said.

So, he brought a few seniors to Schreibers home in October to hear her story. She told them everything  starting at the very beginning.

Schreiber was born in a small village just outside Warsaw in 1932. Life was good.

I had parents and a home, and I was comfortable, Schreiber said in a recent interview with The Washington Post. But then the war started and our lives were turned upside down.

They were transported to a slave labor camp in Siberia, where they spent nearly six years living in squalor  and barely living at all.

Its hard to describe the suffering, said Schreiber, who watched as family members froze and starved to death. My grandfather was lying next to me dead for three days. We eventually buried him under the snow.

Schreiber was not liberated until March 1946  half a year after the war ended, when she was 14 years old. She and her remaining family members went to a displaced persons camp in Germany, where they faced continued discrimination and anti-Semitism.

There was one bright spot, though. Schreiber met her husband, Saul Schreiber, who was also a displaced survivor. The couple married in Germany when Schreiber was 15, and had their first child a year later.

We needed to rebuild our lives in whatever way we could, said Schreiber, adding that having a child gave them hope for a brighter future.

The couple left Germany in 1948, lived in Israel for three years, then in Sweden and Germany before immigrating to America in 1960, eventually settling in West Hartford, Conn.

Saul worked in a chicken market and I went to work in a bakery, making 99 cents an hour, said Schreiber.

She and her husband focused on making enough money to send their two sons to school  to give them the opportunities they never had. Both their children went on to have fulfilling careers.

We became successful because of my parents, said Bernie Schreiber, 72, a teacher who who retired in 2010. My brother Bob was able to buy and build his own business successfully. I credit my parents, especially my mother, for her dogged determination.

The family grew, and Schreiber became the matriarch of four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Although she never went to school, I educated myself, said Schreiber, now widowed, who also learned six languages. I read books day and night. I still do.

Im truly in awe of her, said her son.

So were the senior students who heard Schreibers story and agreed she deserved a diploma.

On Aug. 16, during a socially distanced ceremony in the school gym, Miriam Schreiber was presented with a high school diploma from the New England Jewish Academy.

Garbed in a cap and gown, Schreiber walked to the podium with Pomp and Circumstance playing in the background as her family and members of the Jewish community watched with pride.

Somehow the right people came together at the right time, said Schreiber, according to a recording of the ceremony. As a result, now I am offered an honorary degree to recognize that my life, learning, and experiences are worthy of that honor.

Schreibers family was especially moved.

Im not sure she even realizes the importance of that moment to me, said Bernie Schreiber. I am so proud of her.

Its something she has always wanted, echoed Brander of Jewish Family Services. Theres no greater sign of how she won after a lifetime of struggle.

That was certainly true for Schreiber.

When I finally got the diploma, I kissed it, she said. I just couldnt believe it was mine.
Actor Sunny Leone has shared a cryptic post on social media, after her name was dragged into Kangana Ranauts ongoing public spat with Urmila Matondkar. Kangana had called Urmila a soft porn star in a television interview, and had later justified her comment by suggesting that she hadnt meant it in a derogatory manner, and pointing out that the film industry had welcomed former adult star Sunny Leone.

Sunny on Friday took to Instagram to share a picture of herself, with the caption, Lunch date! Catching up on world drama! The second photo in her post was more telling, however. It read, Its funny how the people that know the least about you have the most to say. Sunnys post has been liked over 400000 times. Accurate! one person wrote in the comments.

Defending her comments against Urmila, Kangana had written in a tweet, Liberal brigade once virtually lynched a renowned writer in to silence for saying people like Sunny Leone should not be our role models, Sunny is accepted by the industry and entire India as an artist, suddenly fake feminists equating being a porn star to something derogatory.

Also Watch l Urmila called me a prostitute: Kangana Ranaut defends soft porn star remark

Kanganas war of words with Urmila began when she appeared on television, and called Urmila a soft porn star who, she said, is not known for her acting. Kangana was under the impression that Urmila had questioned her motives in her fight against the Shiv Sena. Urmila, speaking to journalist Barkha Dutt, said she had never brought up the BJP, or Kanganas political motivations, in any interview.

Also read: Urmila Matondkar on calling Kangana Ranaut rudali: If it was offensive, have no qualms in saying I am sorry

Sunny, who after a successful career as an adult performer in the US transitioned into a Bollywood actor, said that the journey to be accepted was filled with struggle. My journey is so different from everybody out there, and I was fortunate that people accepted me. It took a while for people to do that, but even when I first got here, there was a vast majority of people who accepted me, and that is why I survived. Its the fans who kept me alive, and kept everything going. If it was not for them, I dont think I would be here, she told Hindustan Times.

Sunny is currently in the US with her husband and their three children, but said that she cant wait to return to India, where her heart is.

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J erry Harris, the star of the Netflix cheerleading documentary series Cheer has been charged with producing child pornography.

The arrest comes three days after twin boys filed a lawsuit alleging he sent them sexually explicit photos of himself and cornered one of them in a bathroom and begged for oral sex.

According to the complaint, Harris admitted during an interview after FBI agents raided his home in the Chicago suburb of Naperville on Monday that he had asked one of the teens to send him photographs and videos of his penis and buttocks on Snapchat.

He also admitted that he repeatedly asked the teen, identified only as Minor 1, between December 2018 and March of this year for such photographs and videos.

Further, Harris admitted to requesting and receiving on Snapchat child pornography from "at least between 10 to 15 other individuals he knew were minors," according to the complaint.

Greta Gerwig, right, talks to Jerry Harris on the red carpet at the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles / AP

Harris, who was taken into custody on Thursday, will remain in jail until at least Monday after a judge ordered him to return for a detention hearing on Monday morning.

The boy's mother told the newspaper that both of her sons had spoken to the FBI, and the lawsuit alleges that she also reported the allegations to Fort Worth police, the FBI and others.

The complaint contends that the mother contacted authorities after she saw messages from Harris on one of her son's cellphones. Prosecutors said they recovered several text messages between Harris and the boys, as well as Harris' admission that he had solicited pornographic images and videos from the boys and had sent explicit images of himself.

Harris, 21, was the breakout star of the show that followed the cheerleading team from Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas, as it sought a national title.

Harris did not respond for comment from USA Today, and attempts by The Associated Press to find a phone number for Harris have not been successful.

The cast of Cheer, from left, Andy Cosferent, Morgan Simianer, Gabi Butler, Lexi Brumback, Jerry Harris, Ben Platt, Monica Aldama, and TT Barker (Getty Images for Spotify) / Getty Images for Spotify

In interviews with USA Today at their Texas home, the boys  who are now 14 years old  described a pattern of harassment both online and at cheer competitions, which began when they were 13 and Harris was 19. They said it continued for over a year.

Besides accusing Harris of sexual misconduct, the lawsuit alleges that cheer organisations failed to protect the boys. The organisations named in the lawsuit are U.S. All Star Federation, which governs competitive cheerleading; Varsity Spirit, which puts on competitions; and the Cheer Athletics, a chain of gyms.

A Varsity official in Aug. 1 letters to police in Florida and Texas said the organisation had learned of "inappropriate sexual conduct" allegations against Harris, USA TODAY reported.

Oprah Winfrey speaks with the cast of Cheer / Getty Images

Cheer Athletics owner Angela Rogers told the newspaper that Harris hasn't been affiliated with the gym since March 1. Rogers told the newspaper that she learned of the allegations against him in mid-May and reported them to police.

"Cheer" was an instant success when it was released in January, and Harris drew fans for his upbeat attitude and his encouraging "mat talk." Earlier this year, he interviewed celebrities on the red carpet at the Academy Awards for "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."

With additional reporting by The Associated Press.
The quintessential 'Dub' of the 1950s and 1960s, Brendan Behan, liked to say: "A 'culchie' is a Dubliner's father."

It was a gentle way of reminding Irish people we are a small country and life is too short to bother with exaggerated distinctions about place of origin.

But another sad part about the imminent Covid-19 lockdown on the capital is that it plays to that time-wasting, corrosive 'Dublin v the rest of Ireland' cleavage.

The Government's unsure handling of things has played to this lamentable situation.

Let's acknowledge the Government and its expert advisers have an unenviable job where it's hard on a good day to get things right. It is widely accepted that moves to reopen the country - and then take some swift steps in reverse - are far more complex than in the original March-May lockdown.

Doubtless, Leo Varadkar and his interim government colleagues got the easier job last March to evoke this unseen amoral enemy and urge all of us to band together. We must recognise that sheer bad luck has struck the launch of a 'living with Covid-19 plan' flagged several weeks ago.

A sheer blast of misfortune brought a recrudescence of the virus - right at the point when it was hoped the authorities would be able to further ease things on a plague-weary population.

This was compounded by Health Minister Stephen Donnelly himself having to be checked for the virus on Tuesday and an unfortunate miscommunication between the Dail and Government leading to ill-timed confusion.

But it is a simple fact that the Government - and its expert advisers - should have decided before Tuesday's launch to put Dublin on Level 3 of its five-step alert.

It is now inevitable the capital will be at least on that more serious level very soon. There was no such comparable delay last month when three midland counties were peremptorily locked-up with little effective notice.

There are many good reasons to treat Dublin differently: it's vastly bigger and more populous and plays a central economic, social, cultural and political role in the nation's life.

But on this occasion it was a wrong call and showed poor judgment.

That wrong call undermined clarity of communications and allowed conspiracy theorists and the prejudiced to play to a section who are by now sceptical about the authorities' handling of things.

It remains the responsibility of every citizen, no matter where they live, to act responsibly.

But citizens also need clear, accurate communications if they are to continue to give their fullest co-operation in the interest of the greater common good.

This is our only hope of also avoiding needless divisions when solidarity is needed.
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If one San Antonio restaurant cannot fix its pest problem, it will have to close down in the future.

That was the message city health inspectors had for the far West Side eatery, where they noticed live and dead roaches. There were also dented cans on a shelf and flour caked-on a dispenser.

Those violations earned the establishment the lowest score on this week's roundup.

READ ALSO: Could California-esque wildfires happen in San Antonio? Here's what the Fire Chief said.

Elsewhere, inspectors spotted sewage backup in a sink at a Northeast Side restaurant and an employee handling hamburger buns with bare hands at a Stone Oak bar.

A total of eight eateries failed to score an "A" during inspections by the city's Metropolitan Health District.

Continue scrolling for a look at the violations spotted by inspectors this week.

Restaurants are graded on a 100-point system where "100" is a perfect score, and demerits are based upon the number of violations found during a regular food establishment inspection. There are three categories of demerits and each is assigned a demerit score between 1 and 3 points, according to the health division.

If you have questions about inspections or complaints about a food establishment, contact the Metropolitan Health District office by calling 3-1-1 or 210-207-6000. Be prepared to provide the name, location, date of incident and details of the incident.
Agency leaders and experts say the months of demonstrations have left officers strained and departments struggling to both recruit officers and keep the ones they have. The Portland Police Bureau in Oregon lost 49 officers to retirement in August, more than during all of 2019. The Atlanta Police Department, which became the focus of protests after a police shooting this summer, said about 140 officers have resigned so far this year, up from 80 during the same period last year.
C Shivakumar By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: The hustle and bustle is back at Koyambedu foodgrains market as traders are gearing up to resume business after a gap of four months from Friday. Shops were allowed to open on Thursday to carry out cleaning work and clear the old stock. Some traders were also seen carrying out last-minute minor renovation works in anticipation of business once the market reopens.

We have been struggling during the lockdown. Initially, there was no business as officials refused us to even transfer the wares. Later, they allowed us to take out some of the commodities after getting permission from the officials concerned, a foodgrain trader said. The loss is enormous, he said, while refusing to give a proper figure. It could run into several lakhs or even crores, he added.

Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangangalin Peramaippu State president AM Vikramaraja, who was instrumental in holding talks to reopen the market, said the traders are happy over the reopening of the market, but the timing is a hitch.

The market has been allowed to stay open from 9 am to 6 pm. According to Vikaramaraja, traders want the market to remain open from 3 am so that once the vegetable market opens on September 28, it will be easy for the vendors to buy both vegetables and foodgrains at a stretch, thus boosting the trade. Similarly, traders are also opposing a clamp on two-wheelers which are now banned once the market starts operating. The officials have allowed only four-wheelers.

We will be taking up the issue with the officials, said Vikaramaraja. It is learnt that Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority officials, along with the member secretary, will be visiting the market on Friday where traders will raise these issues. Meanwhile, traders are also pitching in for the opening of the wholesale fruit market on September 28. Vikaramaraja said traders are urging the government to reopen the wholesale fruit market from the said date. This also comes as the Madras High Court has directed the CMDA to consider reopening the wholesale fruit vending portion of the Koyambedu market.

Huge loss incurred

A foodgrain trader says that initially during the lockdown, there was no business as officials did not allow them to even transfer the wares. Later, the traders were allowed to take out some goods after getting permission. The loss incurred could run into lakhs or even crores of rupees, he rues
Twenty years ago, a novelist went to see his publisher to discuss his proposal to write a dystopian novel set in Britain in 2020 when newspaper columnists have taken power and are running the country.

These opinion-makers, sometimes called the Commentariat, had for years been expressing outrage at the failings of the government and everyone else. Now they had a chance to show what they could do to put things right.

The novelist would probably not have mentioned the name of Boris Johnson, with his florid denunciations of EU tyranny or Michael Gove, with his historic hostility to the Good Friday Agreement as a surrender to the IRA, but these were the kind of people he was talking about.

The book will be darkly comic as we see these self-confident pundits crash into reality, explained the novelist. Of course, to make the narrative more exciting I will have to dream up some sort of existential crisis menacing Britain to which they will respond with serial incompetence. It will be as if Peter Sellers Inspector Clouseau had blundered into the dystopian world of Orwells 1984.

The publisher cautiously replied that there was always a market for books predicting future calamities, but to be convincing it would have to reflect or satirise some feasible version of the future. As for those irritating columnists, arent you taking them a bit too seriously? he asked. After all, fogies, young and old, have always been with us, claiming that the country is going to the dogs and pointing the finger of blame at Brussels, immigrants or the Labour Party. Remember Enoch Powell and his rivers of blood.

It was at present, he added, a moment when most readers might feel that the nastier type of change seen in the 20th century had come to an end. Look at how well a mildly reformist Tony Blair and his New Labour were doing, he concluded.

The novelist sensed that his big idea was not going down as well as he had hoped. He suggested broadening the theme of the book by imagining a government run by former journalists and PR specialists, all experts in dominating the news headlines. But they would suffer from the chronic weakness of their trades which is to confuse words with deeds, think in terms of short-term headlines and not long-term policies, and blame others when anything went wrong.

But isnt that a warmed-up version of the old jibe against politicians that they have never actually run anything before taking office? objected the publisher. Yes, youre right, replied the novelist, but politicians with a background in newspaper punditry are the worst of all because they have become too used to expressing simple-minded views on complex problems about which they know too little. They confidently say what should be done one week and say the exact opposite the next, in the correct belief that few of their readers will notice the U-turns. He went on to say that the commentariat tends to be ignorant of the mechanisms of government and, were they ever to gain power, would be baffled when they pulled a lever or pressed a button and nothing much happens.

The novelist could have gone on about the weaknesses of journalists in power but he saw that it was a lost cause and his book synopsis was heading for the wastepaper basket. He thought briefly, before dismissing the idea, of making a last-minute offer to shift the novels action from Britain to America and talk about the growing and malign influence of the commentators on Fox News and elsewhere.

In later years, the publisher did not regret turning down the book, but he did feel after 9/11, the Afghan, Iraq and Libyan wars, and the financial crash of 2008, that a disastrous future was becoming more imaginable. Liberal democracies espousing free market capitalism that had once seemed to be the wave of the future were withering as old autocracies became stronger and more brutal, and right-wing populist nationalist regimes popped up everywhere.

Brexit in 2016 was Britains contribution to this new trend, which would certainly not have happened without the right-wing press dripping poison into its readers minds about immigration and the EU as the source of their troubles. Yet demagogic influence by the media in Britain is not exactly a new phenomenon. It was, after all, almost a century ago that the Conservative party leader Stanley Baldwin made his devastating attack on newspaper proprietors for wanting power and power without responsibility, the prerogative of the harlot throughout the age.

It was obvious from the beginning that Boris Johnsons government ticked all the boxes that the imaginary novelist and publisher in my fable had discussed 20 years earlier. Led by prominent members of the commentariat, they shared all its weaknesses, brusque and dismissive of the views of others and on constant patriotic overdrive with Britain always world-beating or potentially so. Such boosterism is harmless enough until it leads to serious miscalculation about the balance of power between Britain and other nations  in which case disaster swiftly follows.

None of this might have mattered much if Britain had not been on the verge of the worst crisis in its history since 1940-1941. This was not leaving the EU. Remainers said that Brexit would mean the ruin of the country, but then, as someone remarked, a country has a great deal of ruin in it. Brexit might not be quite the catastrophe that its opponents predicted, but the real mortal danger turned out to be the Brexiteers themselves, with their chronically poor judgement, dismal organising skills, vainly trying to stem an unprecedented health, social and economic calamity.

Johnson turns out to be the epitome of the commentariat who, by training and experience, are peculiarly ill-equipped to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. He overpromises and underdelivers on everything from the world-beating test and trace system, that has just seized up, to the proposed moonshot to test everybody in the country by Christmas.

There is a terrifying sense of inexperienced amateurs at work so the government is repeatedly caught by surprise by predictable  and widely predicted  events. The sight of Baroness Harding of Winscombe, in charge of the testing and tracing on which the fate of the nation supposedly depends, claiming that nobody she knew had foreseen a sudden surge in coronavirus sends a chilling message about the common sense and competence of the Johnson government.

As for Johnson himself, he would have been in his element writing columns about the current crisis: one week he could be demanding a total lockdown to suppress the virus and the next he could be saying that it was time to open up the economy and establish herd immunity. On this and every other issue, he would be having his cake and eating it. Meanwhile, we are getting an all too real idea of what dystopian Britain would look like.
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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Washington  Fri, September 18, 2020 11:28 490 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c45a2d0f 2 Books Barack-Obama,Book,memoir,A-Promised-Land Free

Former US president Barack Obama on Thursday announced the publication in November of the first half of his memoirs, "A Promised Land" -- two weeks after the election pitting Donald Trump against Joe Biden.

Publisher Penguin Random House said the book will be released in 25 languages simultaneously on Nov. 17.

"There's no feeling like finishing a book, and I'm proud of this one," Obama tweeted.

"In A Promised Land, I try to provide an honest accounting of my presidency, the forces we grapple with as a nation, and how we can heal our divisions and make democracy work for everybody."

Theres no feeling like finishing a book, and Im proud of this one. In A Promised Land, I try to provide an honest accounting of my presidency, the forces we grapple with as a nation, and how we can heal our divisions and make democracy work for everybody. pic.twitter.com/T1QSZVDvOm  Barack Obama (@BarackObama) September 17, 2020

Obama, America's first black president, served two terms in the White House from January 2009 through January 2017, when he was succeeded by Trump.

The book will reveal Obama's thoughts during the global financial crisis and his take on Russian President Vladimir Putin, the statement from Penguin Random House says.

It will also revisit the 59-year-old Democratic leader's approval of a May 2011 raid in which Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed in Pakistan.

A release date for the second volume has not yet been set, Penguin Random House said.

"I've also tried to give readers a sense of the personal journey that Michelle and I went through during those years, with all the incredible highs and lows," Obama said in a statement.

"I hope more than anything that the book inspires young people across the country -- and around the globe -- to take up the baton, lift up their voices, and play their part in remaking the world for the better."

Michelle Obama's book "Becoming" -- released in November 2018 -- was a resounding success, with more than 11.5 million copies sold around the world.
Chennai, Sep 18 : The Indian insurance regulator's working group to look at insurance solutions for drones is not agreeable to the provision of unlimited third party liability as per the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 for victims in accidents involving drones.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has notified the draft Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Rules, 2020 wherein it has said no Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) shall be operated without a third party insurance policy to cover the liability that may arise on account of an accident and causing death or bodily injury to any person or damage to property.

The compensation payable in case of any accident shall be assessed as specified in the Motor Vehicles Act.

"Though the regulator (aviation regulator) has made mandatory the third party insurance, the compensation to be on the lines of the Motor Vehicles Act is somewhat not in line with international practices," the working group set up by Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) said.

While the working group is agreeable with fixed compensation arising out of 'No Fault Liability' basis of Rs 50,000/Rs 25,000 in developing insurance product for drones, however, aspects like creating a Solatium Fund similar to motor vehicles for hit and fly/hit and crash drones is unthinkable, as there is little opportunity for the drone insurance segment to generate such funds.

According to the working group, the structured basis formula payment on 'No Fault Liability' can be considered while designing the insurance product.

However, the unlimited legal recourse brings in an element of uncertainty in determining the exposures which is a key concern to insurers and re-insurers in supporting this promising technology and developing the drone insurance ecosystem within the country.

The group has recommended that the third party liability insurance be in line with aircraft/aviation liability as is the practice in the developed nations.

"Based on the discussions with few insurers and re-insurers, we understand that they (insurers & re-insurers) are interested in providing a Comprehensive Insurance Cover i.e. both Hull (drone body) and third party liability rather than stand-alone liability cover or Hull (drone body)." While the group wants the global practice to be followed in the case of third party liability, it wants to deviate from the global norms on arriving at the third party liability limit arising out of drone operations.

It referred to the European Union Guideline No 285/2010 that provides that an aircraft operator (including UAS) flying over the territory of executive committee member state should have an insurance cover which is dependent on Maximum Take Off Mass (MTOM) of the aircraft concerned.

For MTOM of upto 500 kg, minimum insurance requirement in Special Drawing Rights (SDR) terms is 0.75 million (i.e. equivalent to Rs 7.5 crore).

"In India, as the drone usage being in the nascent stages, we expect the weight of the drones in the market to be much lesser than 500 kg (may be less than 25 kg) and hence we may look at liability limits lower than the European guidelines," the group said.

The working group also said some insurers in India offer third party liability insurance limits of Rs 20 lakh for drone operators.

As to the risk coverage the group said drone insurance coverage can be broken into following three sets i.e., physical damage/loss to drone due to various contingencies; third party liability arising due to usage of drone and additional covers (invasion of privacy, cyber loss of digital assets and noise liability).

As regards the nature of claims the group said, the use of drones or UAVs raises two safety concerns: mid-air collisions with low flying aircraft/helicopters and the loss of control.

Drone crashes are the most frequent type of insurance claims. These crashes can be of different types, including bird hit, lightning strike, any mid-flight physical damage (e.g. overhead wire hit).
When we joined the Greensprings Rural Fire Districts all-volunteer force, I thought it would be something fun we did every Monday night  a good way to get to know our new community. But being a volunteer firefighter is one of the hardest things Ive ever done. The first year I felt like an incompetent fool most of the time. Theres so much to know: How to deploy a fire shelter, which could save your life if youre ever caught in a wildfire. The correct way to roll up hoses. How to put a cervical collar on a patient with a possible neck injury. Radio protocol. Over time, my confidence grew  but no amount of training could mentally prepare us for an incident on the scale of the Almeda Fire.
A delay to the rise is not without precedent. The Howard government delayed a planned rise to 15 per cent in the 1990s and a plan to get the rate to 12 per cent by 2019 was delayed by the Abbott government. The guarantee has been 9.5 per cent since 2014. Regular changes to superannuation policy were criticised in the Financial System Inquiry's interim report in 2014 as adding to costs and undermining confidence in the system. The fight has now become so intense, Keating - who introduced compulsory super in 1992 - has publicly savaged critics of the guarantee rise. This includes saying RBA governor Philip Lowe has "no regard for the key income facts of the last eight years" and describing government MPs opposing it as "little bitchy Liberals". Keating, who was treasurer during the 1990s "recession we had to have", likened abandoning the increase while allowing people to pull up to $20,000 out of their superannuation accounts through the emergency early access scheme to taking the plug out of a bath and turning off the tap. He said when he was treasurer, he had to open up all Australia's financial markets, undertake privatisations, remove tariffs and centralised wage fixing, and fight off "everyone known to man". "What are we asking Treasurer [Josh Frydenberg] to do? To knock over half a dozen Liberals ... not massive structural changes, knock over a few Liberals who want them to break an election promise," he said. Keating declined to be interviewed for this article.

But there were signs a new battle was brewing between the federal government and the superannuation sector even before the coronavirus outbreak was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation. Loading Signs of trouble A spate of advertisements from Industry Super Australia on prime-time television earlier this year told viewers the already-legislated rise in the guarantee would provide tens of thousands of dollars more for workers in retirement. On the surface, the multi-million dollar campaign appeared innocuous enough but it sent a ripple through Canberra.

At that point the federal government had repeatedly said there were "no plans" to change the legislated rise but Liberals were furious. They described the marketing as a "threat" and a reminder of the amount of money the lobby group can afford to drop into major advertising campaigns should the government do something the sector doesn't like. The advertising activity of super funds has been criticised by Liberal backbenchers who do not think they should be allowed to use members' money on campaigns and sponsorships. Regulators have typically not been concerned by these activities. For its part, Industry Super said it was simply informing the public and its members about upcoming changes in super rules that affect them. But three days before the campaign hit national TV screens a joint media statement from Labor's treasury spokesman Jim Chalmers and financial services spokesman Stephen Jones laid bare bubbling suspicions about a wide-ranging Treasury review into the retirement system underway at the time. The battle now is more significant and what's in play is the future existence of super Industry Super chief executive Bernie Dean "[The government's] Retirement Income Review should not be a stalking horse for more cuts to the pension and further delays to the legislated increase," the release said. The review was handed to the federal government in July but has not yet been made public. A freedom of information request for the report was denied this month on the grounds its disclosure would reveal a cabinet decision or deliberation.

Loading By mid-August Senator Hume said the legislation was controversial and she made her "ambivalent" comment about the rise. Days later, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he would "carefully consider" the rise in light of the economic situation at the time. The first rise is due in July 2021. The Mediscare approach Concerns now exist about how the Treasury report could be used by policymakers to justify changes to the super system. This has opened the door to the possibility of a campaign from Labor, backed by the industry super funds, ahead of the next federal election in 2022. "The battle now is more significant and what's in play is the future existence of super," says Industry Super chief executive Bernie Dean. "This is a war largely conducted in Canberra."

He is suspicious members of the Coalition want to get rid of superannuation altogether but says any moves to hurt the fundamentals of the system would be opposed by voters. In fact, he thinks the ramifications would be as significant as Labor's 2016 campaign against the Liberal government over Medicare. The "Mediscare" campaign tapped into pre-existing public fears about health care cuts by warning the Turnbull government might privatise the taxpayer-funded health scheme, despite there being no plans to do so. Dean claims any attempts to tinker with the super system, such as delaying rises to the super guarantee or expanding emergency measures allowing people to access their super funds early, could be seen as the start of plans to chip away at super altogether. Keating also warned in late-August the government was looking to use the coronavirus pandemic to "destroy the superannuation system". Industry Super Australia chief executive Bernie Dean. Credit:Peter Braig "We've seen in a political context when there is a scare around the fundamentals of Medicare what happens," Dean says. "People see it as exactly the same for super. I don't think that's lost on many people in Canberra." While he acknowledges the recession is a tricky landscape for policymakers, he thinks super should be at the "bottom of the list" for changes and there's little merit in the argument delaying the super guarantee will affect wage growth.

"The public knows they won't get a pay rise [if the rise is delayed]. They're being asked to make yet another sacrifice in return for a suggestion they "might" get a few extra dollars a week post-tax. Working Australians can see a con coming a mile away," he says. "We are 30 years in to superannuation and [the merits of the scheme] may be contested in Parliament in Canberra but not in living rooms across the country." Labor spokesman for financial services Stephen Jones agrees with the Medicare analogy, saying the opposition is prepared to have the debate out in public to "remind politicians what people really value". "It will be a central campaign and a central point of difference between Labor and the Coalition if they seek to pull super apart, it will undermine their economic credibility," he says.

In particular he is concerned about moves to affect the "preservation" aspect of superannuation, which means it is maintained for retirement. Any extension to the early access scheme introduced by the government at the height of the pandemic to allow workers to access up to $20,000 from their retirement savings would be particularly concerning, he says, along with any use of the funds to help first-home buyers, as proposed by MP John Alexander and Senator Andrew Bragg. Loading "If super is seen to be the magic pudding you use to fix everything, it will fix nothing ... It's an existential challenge to superannuation," he says. One of the ways this concern could be abated is by enshrining the objective of super in legislation, as the government committed to doing in 2015. This would mean policy changes affecting super would need to be looked at in this framework. This has so far not happened.
It is crunch time for Godwin Obaseki, the 63-year-old governor of Edo State.

His fate hangs in the hands of voters who will decide in the next few hours if he deserves to win a second term in an election that promises to be tough and intriguing

There is apprehension in Mr Obasekis camp. Same with that of his main rival, Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

If he wins this election, Mr Obaseki, who is running on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), would have succeeded in taming his predecessor, a former national chairman of APC, Adams Oshiomhole, the man who brought him into government and also helped him to win the governorship in 2016.

Mr Ize-Iyamu, 58, is Mr Obasekis main challenger, no doubt.

But the man that stands strongly on the governors political path is Mr Oshiomhole whose removal from office in June as the APC national chairman was largely caused by his prolonged political fight with the governor.

Mr Oshiomhole, obviously, is hoping to use the election to get his pound of flesh and reclaim his glory in politics.

Odds against Obaseki

On Thursday, two days to Election Day, we asked our Benin correspondent, Mudiaga Affe, what the opinion in the street was like, regarding the Edo governorship election.

The ordinary people are rooting for Obaseki, Mr Affe said. But the elite, those who have money in the state, are rooting for Ize-Iyamu.

Mr Obasekis administration is said to have done well in building roads and other infrastructure in Edo and thereby endearing himself to the ordinary people in the state, but on the other hand he is said to have alienated the elite and the politicians by shutting his door against them.

At some point in his administration, when his relationship with Mr Oshiomhole was still intact, Mr Obaseki reportedly said that politicians in Lagos dont go to Alausa (the seat of Lagos government), they go to Bourdillon (where Bola Tinubu, the APC national leader, lives).

He (Obaseki) said politicians should go to Iyamho (where Oshiomhole lives in Edo), and not come to him, and that he wanted to work, PREMIUM TIMES correspondent, Mr Affe, quoted one politician to have said in Benin.

Aside from his parting ways with Mr Oshiomhole, Governor Obaseki appears to have had a challenge in managing his relationship with the people around him. And that, definitely, is going to count against him in the election.

Take, for instance, the yet-to-be sworn in members of the Edo State House of Assembly.

The fact that only about seven state lawmakers, out of the 24, are reportedly on Mr Obasekis side speaks volumes about the governors inability to manage the Edo assembly crisis.

Have you ever seen a place where a governor would support the declaration of the seats of his party members vacant, with just a few months to the primary and (general) election? Do you think these are right signals for a man who wants to contest election, not to talk of winning? Washington Osifo, one of the yet-to-be sworn-in lawmakers, told PREMIUM TIMES, January.

Assuming it is only the 14 of us (lawmakers-elect) that he is having problem with, but at least I have my family, I have my friends, I have my well-wishers, I have my immediate community where I come from. If you put all these things together in 14 of us, there is no way we will not affect at least 10,000 votes. These are multiplier effects.

Mr Osifo said the governor was fighting too many battles.

Do you fight when you are going into election or do you make peace when you are going into elections? When you are going into election, even your enemies, you will go and beg and make peace because even from a madman one vote count.

Politics is a game of number, Mr Osifo said.

The administration was said to have issued a circular, allegedly advising some traditional leaders to refrain from visiting the Government House so as to allow government officials to do their job.

The resignation of Mr Obasekis chief of staff, Taiwo Akerele, commissioners and several political appointees in the administration would likely result in a gang up, together with their supporters, against the governors reelection.

Mr Obasekis spokesperson, Crusoe Osagie, said the number of aides who have resigned is so insignificant and would not have any negative impact on the governors reelection.

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But in Nigerian politics, where vote-buying remains a big issue, powerful politicians and the elite have a way of getting the ordinary people to abandon their convictions. So, Governor Obaseki must devise a means to deal with this if he hopes to win.

Mr Obaseki was a technocrat before he was brought into the Edo government for the first time by his predecessor, Mr Oshiomhole, to head the Edo State Economic and Strategy Team in 2009.

Because of the distraction caused by his fight with Mr Oshiomhole, it is believed that he did not have the time to build for himself a political network.

He is therefore going into a crucial election without a strong political base  save for his running mate, Philip Shaibu, who is believed to have enormous political clout.

In terms of reaching out to voters, Mr Obaseki may find it difficult to outpace the APC candidate, Mr Ize-Iyamu, who is an experienced politician with a great network and skill in mobilising people.

Power of incumbency

Being the incumbent governor is an advantage for Mr Obaseki. In Nigeria, it takes a lot of political maneuvering to defeat an incumbent in an election he is taking part in. But the snag here is that APC, the party which wants to unseat Mr Obaseki, is in control of the government at the centre, the federal.

The PDP already had a firm political structure in Edo State even before Mr Obaseki picked the partys governorship ticket after defecting from APC. That is another advantage for the governor.

In the 2016 governorship election, PDP scored 253,173 votes, out of the 613,244 votes cast in the election, while APC won with 66,310 votes.

Interestingly, the current APC candidate, Mr Ize-Iyamu, was the PDP candidate in the 2016 election, while Mr Obaseki was the APC candidate.

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Although the PDP won in only five local government areas (Esan North-East, Esan South-East, Orhionmwon, Esan West, and Esan Central), Mr Obaseki and the APC pulled in a good number of votes from other areas, enough to secure the party a victory.

Power shift

The politics of power shift in Edo could play out in favour of Mr Obaseki in the election.

The immediate past governor of Edo, Mr Oshiomhole is from Edo North Senatorial District, while Governor Obaseki is from Edo South  the same with Mr Ize-Iyamu.

Edo Central is expected to produce the next governor by 2024.

If Mr Ize-Iyamu beats Mr Obaseki in this election, such expectation could be disrupted because he (Ize-Iyamu) would naturally want to do two terms as governor.

For this reason, Edo Central is likely going to throw their weight behind Governor Obaseki  the district is already a PDP stronghold, even though it has the least number of votes, compared with Edo South and Edo North.

Mr Obaseki will, however, have to contend with Mr Ize-Iyamu for the votes in the Edo South, since both of them are from the district.

From a previous report by PREMIUM TIMES, Mr Obasekis running mate, Mr Shaibu, who is from Edo North, will seek to overcome Mr Oshiomhole and Mr Ize-Iyamus running mate, Gani Audu, in the district in order to secure winning votes for PDP.

Although there are several other political parties in it, the Edo governorship election is obviously a two-horse race between PDP and APC.

Why Edo people should reelect me  Obaseki

Meamwhile, at a debate organised by Channels TV recently, Mr Obaseki said he has done well for the people in his first term and, therefore, deserves a second term.

The last four years of my stewardship has witness remarkable changes and improvement in infrastructure, we have revamped and reformed our educational system.

We have introduced a new mantra of governance, a new way of doing things, of spending Edo funds on development and not on a clique, the governor said.

I will be a square peg in a square hole  Ize-Iyamu

But the APC candidate, Mr Ize-Iyamu, who is pastor, at the debate, said he has occupied key public office in the past in Edo and, therefore, he has deep insight into the workings of government.

I have articulated an agenda which I believe is a doable roadmap to bring Edo state on the path of prosperity. I will be a square peg in a square hole, he said.
The West Australian government has agreed to take an extra 500 Australians returning from overseas, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced.

Speaking after Friday's national cabinet meeting, Mr Morrison said the increase to WA's cap would see the state incrementally move from taking 525 people a week to 1025 by October 11.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

The number would increase by 200 from September 27. On October 11, WA's cap on returning Australians would increase by the full 500 required by the Commonwealth.

"We have to remember these are Australians coming home to Australia. They are West Australians coming home to Western Australia," he said.
September or October is a good time to get a flu vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC is really, really recommending flu shots this year, Annette Greer, director of nursing at Jackson County Health Department, said. I think they are afraid of what a dual infection with COVID-19 and the flu would do to a patient.

Dr. Benjamin Collie, an internal medicine specialist with Southern Illinois Healthcare Center for the Medical Arts, said a preliminary look at the upcoming flu season shows low flu activity, but that does not mean anyone should skip the flu vaccine.

This year it is most important to get the vaccine because of the pandemic. You wouldnt want to deal with both of these at once, he said.

He added that the CDC is basically recommending that everyone 6 months and older get the vaccine. It is particularly important for anyone 65 or older, those with immune disorders or anyone with a chronic illness that lowers their immunity.

All these patients are at risk for both COVID-19 and influenza. The precautions we are taking for COVID-19 seem to work for both, Collie said.

Those precautions include maintaining a distance 6 feet from others, wearing a mask or face covering, washing hands and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces, as well as staying home if you are experiencing any symptom of respiratory illness.

No one knows how long COVID-19 is going to last, Collie said. Everyone should get a flu shot. It is extremely important this year with COVID-19.

A flu vaccine can lessen the chance and severity of the flu, Greer said.

Officials look at flu activity in the southern hemisphere as a guide to the amount of flu activity likely to occur in the northern hemisphere. So far, flu activity is low. Collie said the precautions everyone is taking for COVID-19 might be working to slow influenza, too, but it is too early to be sure.

A large outbreak of both could be extremely taxing to local health care systems. Each year, people in the region are hospitalized and die from influenza. Collie said a lot times those deaths go unnoticed.

Greer said testing will be very important this year because its hard to distinguish between the flu and COVID-19. The symptoms are similar.

Its so important to remind everyone it does affect people around you, she said.

Flu vaccines are available now at local health departments, clinics and pharmacies. Many health departments are limiting or have discontinued walk-in vaccinations and are requiring appointments. Call ahead to check.

Greer said Jackson County is requiring an appointment for vaccinations. They are planning a drive-through flu shot clinic for Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. Appointments will be required for the drive-through clinic, too. Registration will be online through jchdonline.org.

For more information about influenza, visit cdc.gov.

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The historic normalization agreements that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed in Washington Sept. 15 bring up again a question that has been asked by many throughout his entire era in power. Is the real Netanyahu a peacemaker or troublemaker? Is Netanyahu a pragmatic, visionary leader striving for peace or the exact opposite  a nationalist, right-wing ideologue determined to block what he views as a dangerous peace process with the Palestinians, constantly circumventing the issue and perpetuating the status quo under which Israel continues to control the territories and sweeps the Palestinian problem under the carpet?

The answer is complex. Since Netanyahu is one of the most perplexing figures in Israeli history, the answer would probably be both. If you ask Bill and Hillary Clinton, for example, they would choose the latter option. Netanyahu frustrated President Clintons efforts to advance Israeli-Palestinian peace in the 1990s, and did the same to the secretary of state (Hillary Clinton) over a decade later. He holds a world record for going around in circles, covering the same ground, with the clear goal of wasting time, exhausting opponents and getting nowhere.

Put the same question to Netanyahus supporters in the political center-right or his opponents on the radical right, and you will hear a completely different answer. Netanyahu is not a true ideologue, he is not bound heart and soul to the land of his biblical forefather, he has never built a settlement and he has no qualms about making concessions and signing agreements if he is convinced they are politically advantageous. In fact, they would tell you that Netanyahu talks out of the right side of his mouth and acts to the left, adopts nationalist rhetoric but implements pragmatic policy, and that Netanyahus sole ideology is Netanyahu himself.

The facts in themselves support the contention that Netanyahu is a man of peace. During his first term (1996-99), he recognized the Oslo Accord his predecessor Yitzhak Rabin made with the Palestinians, restored the West Bank city of Hebron to Palestinian control, signed the Wye River Memorandum with PLO leader Yasser Arafat and conducted serious negotiations with Syrian President Hafez al-Assad on peace with Syria and withdrawal from the Golan Heights.

When he returned to power in 2009, Netanyahu picked up where he left off. He delivered a landmark speech at Bar-Ilan University, recognizing the two-state vision, suspended construction in West Bank settlements and conducted renewed negotiations with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad about withdrawal from the Golan Heights. He twice conducted complex, advanced talks with the Palestinians  the first known as the London channel, conducted secretly by envoys from both sides, and the second by Secretary of State John Kerry and US envoy Martin Indyk in 2013 and 2014.

Also, Netanyahu did not go to war. He did not make good on his promise to invade the Gaza Strip and bring down Hamas, he did not engage with Hezbollah in Lebanon  unlike his predecessor Ehud Olmert  and practiced military restraint. Netanyahu is not adventurous and he fears military entanglements, which makes him one of the most defense-oriented prime ministers in Israeli history. He approves far fewer operations across enemy lines than did Olmert and avoids unnecessary risks, especially after the fiasco of the attempted assassination in Jordan of Hamas leader Khaled Mashal 13 years ago. Mossad chiefs and special ops commanders know how hard they have to work to convince Netanyahu to sign off on a complex or risky operation. It is not a matter of his being less courageous than Olmert and his predecessor, the late Ariel Sharon; he is simply less willing to gamble on his future. In Israel, military entanglement is a sure-fire way to political exile or a commission of inquiry. Netanyahu has reduced the chances of such outcomes to a minimum.

On his worldview, Netanyahus is a complex personality. As the son of a staunch Zionist revisionist  historian Benzion Netanyahu  he was weaned on right-wing ideology. Over time, his thinking became more nuanced. His current ideology is personal: He truly believes that he must continue to serve as Israels prime minister in order to ensure the survival of the Jewish state. Netanyahu is convinced that only he can lead Israel to a safe harbor. His wife Sara Netanyahu said as much, quite clearly and often, including in taped remarks she made 20 years ago. His belief and that of his associates and voters that he is a version of a modern-day Messiah allows him to mold his ideology according to his political needs. When he needs support from the political right, he breaks to the right. When he finds himself corralled by circumstances that require concessions and agreements, he veers to the left, and so on.

A 2001 event provides a glimpse of his true beliefs. At the time, Netanyahu was between jobs, after being defeated in the 1999 elections and bowing out of politics. He went to the West Bank settlement of Ofra to visit Geula Hershkovitz, who had lost her husband and son in a terror attack during the second intifada. He arrived with a single aide and asked that the cameras be turned off. His fascinating conversation with the widow and her family, which was taped unbeknownst to him (available on YouTube), was enlightening.

Netanyahu started out talking about international support for Israel, including American support. I know what America is. America is something that can easily be moved. Moved to the right direction. They say they are for us, but, its like  They wont get into our way. On the other hand, if we do something, they say something. Eighty percent of the Americans support us, its absurd.  That administration [Clintons] was extremely pro-Palestinian, I was not afraid to maneuver there, I was not afraid to clash with Clinton, I was not afraid to clash with the UN. I was paying the price anyway, I preferred to receive the value. Value for the price.

Netanyahu was then asked why he had not abrogated the Oslo Accord when he took office in 1996. His explanation was illuminating. He could not have abrogated the agreement, he explained, but he interpreted it in a way that allowed him to stop the withdrawals from West Bank territory and the gallop toward the 1967 borderlines. He interpreted the military sites from which Israel would not withdraw as security zones," thereby greatly expanding the areas over which Israel could maintain control under terms of the agreement. The Jordan Valley in its entirety, for example, was declared a security zone. In other words, Netanyahu did not rescind the Oslo Accord, he simply left it up in the air, waiting for it to dry up and collapse. And that was what happened, indeed. He managed to hold onto the stick at both ends  to avoid risking his political and international standing by abrogating an agreement Israel had signed, but to block its progress and starve it of oxygen until it expired.

Netanyahu once explained that Israel could be generous in making longitudinal concessions, but it must not withdraw sideways. In other words, giving up the Sinai Peninsula was possible; conceding the Golan Heights could be possible, too; but any concession of lands in the West Bank (sideways) given Israels geographic narrowness is a distinct threat to national security. He will therefore conduct eternal negotiations, exhaust his rivals, maneuver endlessly and eventually ink only what he absolutely must, or whatever he gets free, without giving much in return.

That is what occurred in Washington this week. Netanyahu signed an agreement that does not end war, but also does not entail territorial concessions, maintaining his peacemaker image without undermining the right-wing rhetoric that keeps his electoral base loyal. Netanyahu, unlike most people, manages to have a cake and eat it, too.
The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has never met during the past five years with all its 47 members in attendance. Only the standing committee of the NBWL, which the board constitutes and is authorised to exercise its powers, met 23 times between 2015-16 and 2019-20, a period during which 680 projects were granted wildlife clearance, the environment ministry informed the Rajya Sabha on September 14.

These projects are located in protected areas or wildlife-rich areas, and the fact that such a large number of projects were cleared without the full board meeting even once raised questions whether the NBWL was carrying out its mandate of promoting conservation of wildlife and development of forests,

As per law it is the NBWL that constitutes the standing committee. If NBWL hasnt even met in the past five years when and how did they constitute the standing committee? The standing committee is supposed to work under the direction and supervision of NBWL, if they never meet there is no way of exercising supervision,said environmental lawyer Ritwick Dutta.

There is no power vested in the standing committee or even NBWL to approve projects inside protected areas unless it is for the benefit of wildlife. The law is very clear on that. The standing committee and its approval of various projects which can cause immense damage to wildlife are illegal, Dutta said.

The Prime Minister is the chairman of the 47-member NBWL, whose members include three MPs; five representatives of non-government organisations; 10 eminent conservationists or experts; and heads of the Central Zoo Authority; National Institute of Oceanography; Zoological Survey of India; secretary of the ministry of tribal affairs; and one representative each from 10 states and UTs on a rotational basis.

The board is mandated to promote conservation of wildlife and development of forests, according to the Wildlife Protection Act.

We need to analyse data to see if there is an increase in wildlife clearances compared to previous years, said a senior environment ministry (forest division) official on condition of anonymity.

An analysis of total wildlife clearances recommended or granted between 2010 and 2015 was not available, but according to a paper published on June 26, 2010, in the Economic and Political Weekly titled Diversion of Protected Areas: Role of the Wildlife Board, the standing committee of NBWL considered 244 projects for diversion of forests in wildlife areas between 1998 and 2008.

Out of the 244 cases considered between 1998 and 2008, 25 cases were approved, 17 rejected and 202 cases were kept pending. These proposals were for the non-forest use of 2,75,875 hectares within protected areas.

The NBWL was constituted in 2003 after the amendment of Section 5A of the Wildlife (Protection) Act. Its predecessor was he Indian Board for Wildlife, which was also headed by the PM. In addition to areas within protected areas, any project requiring environmental clearance (under the Environment Impact Assessment Notification, 2006) or any activity within 10 kilometers of a national park or sanctuary needs the permission of the NBWL.

According to NBWLs meeting minutes uploaded on the Parivesh website, 24 members met on July 3; but on June 11, only five members met and on April 7, 26 members participated in a meeting through video conferencing.

According to an analysis by the Legal Initiative for Forest and Environment, a legal and environmental organization, the standing committee of the NBWL considered 59 proposals between January and July this year out of which 28 proposals were for diversion of land within wildlife sanctuaries and national parks.

A total of 212.23 hectares was diverted in wildlife sanctuaries and national parks and conservation reserves; no proposal was rejected. Around 74% of diversion was due to linear projects (transmission lines, roads and bridges) and 222.67 hectares was approved for diversion within tiger habitat for linear projects, defence projects and infrastructure development.

The NBWL has the mandate to inform and push the government to prioritise conservation of wildlife and forests; take measures to contain illegal poaching and wildlife trade and even publish a status report on wildlife in India every two years. This mandate has gone missing in the recent years. Instead the NBWL and its standing committee have unfortunately been in the news for letting go of areas important for wildlife for linear and area based infrastructure projects like roads or hydro power, said Kanchi Kohli, legal researcher at the Centre for Policy Research.

Some contentious approvals granted recently include allowing coal mining in the Dehing Patkai Elephant Reserve; expansion of the National Highway 4-A, double-tracking an existing railway line and laying a 400 KV transmission line in Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary and Mollem National Park, Goa; the nod given to the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project for which forest land will be utilised from the eco-sensitive zone of Sanjay Gandhi National Par, Tungareshwar wildlife sanctuary and Thane creek flamingo sanctuary .

In reply to another query, the environment ministry said it had received 31 coal mining projects for environmental clearance this year. Out of these, 14 projects have been granted environment clearances while seven project developers have either withdrawn their applications or not participated in the appraisal process. The rest are pending because of additional queries raised by the appraisal committees.
A sophisticated and shady website has been exposing personal details of pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong, saying that they have broken a sweeping new national security law imposed by Beijing.

The anonymous site called HK Leaks has ramped up its 'doxxing' - where people's personal details are published online - of the city's political activists who speak out against the Chinese government.

Promoted by groups linked to the Chinese Communist Party and hosted on Russia-based servers, HK Leaks has become the most prominent doxxing site targeting democracy activists since it first emerged in 2019.

A sophisticated website called HK Leaks has ramped up its 'doxxing' - where people's personal details are published online - of Hong Kong pro-democracy figures. Hundreds of protesters with banners march along a downtown street during a pro-democracy protest on May 24

Hong Kong activist Carol Ng received menacing calls from strangers and was bombarded with messages after her personal phone number was posted on a website called HK Leaks

Carol Ng, a pro-democracy activist based in Hong Kong, has received menacing calls from strangers and been bombarded with messages calling her a 'cockroach' since her personal phone number was posted online.

She is not alone.

The website continues to operate despite requests last year from Hong Kong's Privacy Commissioner to remove all personal profiles, and it has been referred to the Hong Kong Police for investigation.

Home addresses, social media profiles and telephone numbers feature alongside descriptions of individuals' alleged 'crimes'.

The website published information on at least 14 people it claims broke the security law - a charge which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison - within weeks of the legislation being imposed by Beijing on the city, an AFP investigation found.

'When it first happened I was very stressed,' Ng, chairwoman of the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions, told AFP.

Prominent pro-democracy activists Joshua Wong and Agnes Chow are on a website called HK Leaks under a section named 'Hong Kong independence rioter'

Anti-government protests have flared up on the streets of Hong Kong again after weeks of relative calm since the implementation of a sweeping security law. Police detain people as they patrol the area after protesters called for a rally in Hong Kong on September 6

'I received some phone calls and messages from 'blue ribbon' people on Facebook,' she said, referring to government supporters who adopted the colour because it is associated with the police.

'Every now and then, I receive a mass of WhatsApp messages, thousands of stickers. They call us cockroaches.'

'They know they will make people very scared. But I'm not afraid, because this is my freedom and I will defend my freedom,' Ng added.

HK Leaks has so far posted the personal details of more than 2,000 people it deems guilty of various 'misdeeds' - a tenfold increase in a year.

Registered on a Russian server, it is specifically designed to evade prosecution, experts say. It uses so-called bulletproof anonymous hosting - also favoured by controversial white supremacist-linked sites such as 8kun - and regularly shifts domains.

Online traffic has increased to about 230,000 annual unique page views, according to SiteWorthTraffic.

Riot police put up an warning flag during an anti-government protest on September 6, 2020 in Hong Kong. Nearly 300 people were arrested during the protest against the government's decision to postpone the legislative council election and the new national security law

Riot police arrest a man during an anti-government protest on September 6 in Hong Kong

In an update since last year, the site now features a pop-up window saying 'rioters have ruined the rule of law and order of society in Hong Kong', and claims more than 2,000 police and pro-China individuals have themselves been doxxed by activists.

Prominent pro-democracy leaders Joshua Wong and Agnes Chow, co-founders of the disbanded Demosisto party, are on the site under a subsection named 'Hong Kong independence rioter', while media mogul Jimmy Lai is also listed.

Also among the 14 alleged national security law offenders to have been doxxed are well-known activists Tony Chung, Nathan Law and Ray Wong.

Chung in July became the first political figure to be arrested under the law over allegations he had promoted Hong Kong independence through Studentlocalism, a group he co-founded in 2016.

Law, former chairman of Demosisto, fled to Britain after the national security law was passed.

HK Leaks published information on at least 14 people it claims broke the national security law

Later that month, Chinese state media reported Law and Wong were among six people wanted by the Hong Kong Police on charges of 'inciting session and colluding with foreign and external forces'.

Ray Wong, who was granted political refugee status in Germany in May 2018, told AFP he suspects he has been targeted as part of a harassment campaign by Hong Kong and mainland Chinese authorities.

'I am not surprised at all,' he said. 'The Hong Kong government said they would try to arrest me by any means.'

Online archives suggest HK Leaks migrated to its latest Pakistani domain address in November 2019.

The site moved its domain multiple times last year, apparently in an attempt to avoid detection, analysis by AFP has found.

To date, however, no one has been charged over the doxxing campaign.
Mr. Trump sought on Friday to recalibrate his assurances on vaccine availability, acknowledging that authorized doses might not be widely available in the United States until next spring even if distribution starts earlier.

Speaking at the White House, Mr. Trump said that once a vaccine is authorized, distribution will begin within 24 hours after notice. He added: We will have manufactured at least 100 million vaccine doses before the end of the year. And likely much more than that. Hundreds of millions of doses will be available every month, and we expect to have enough vaccines for every American by April.

The president had said earlier that a vaccine would be available to the general public immediately once it is authorized, and although he held firm on that pledge, he acknowledged that it would take perhaps months from that point to distribute vaccines to hundreds of millions of Americans.

Because of fears that Mr. Trump would interfere in the process to improve his election chances and pressure the Food and Drug Administration to approve a vaccine before it was proved safe, the chief executives of all the leading pharmaceutical companies signed a pledge two weeks ago saying they would not release any vaccines until they were sure they were safe.

Opinion polls have shown that many Americans are already hesitant about taking a vaccine that is seen to have been rushed to market by the federal government for political reasons.

Mr. Trumps estimates of how many vaccine doses would be available this year conflicted with projections by the chief science adviser for his administrations Operation Warp Speed effort, Moncef M. Slaoui, a former chairman of global vaccines for GlaxoSmithKline and a widely respected figure in the vaccine field. He and other leaders of Warp Speed were present at Fridays news conference but not asked to comment.

In interviews with CNN and National Public Radio, Dr. Slaoui has said he expected only enough vaccine to immunize 20 million to 25 million people by years end. Enough to vaccinate all Americans would be ready by about the middle of next year, he said.
The Asian seaborne lithium market ended its two-plus-month streak of gains on Thursday September 17 with lower spot prices, while Chinas domestic spot battery-grade lithium markets remained firm with producers insisting on higher prices.

The Asian seaborne lithium carbonate and hydroxide prices both fell, ending more than two months of stable pricing.

Chinas battery-grade lithium carbonate market remained firm and some participants are optimistic deals could conclude higher.

Chinas lithium hydroxide market remained quiet week on week.

US and European battery-grade prices held firm this week despite weakness in the technical and industrial grades.

The cif China, Japan and Korea battery-grade lithium compound spot market fell this week after over two months of steady prices, reflecting more data points at lower levels.Fastmarkets assessed the lithium carbonate, 99.5% Li2CO3 min, battery grade, spot price cif China, Japan and Korea at $6-7.50 per kg on Thursday, falling by 6.9% from $6.50-8 per kg last week.The seaborne lithium hydroxide monohydrate, 56.5% LiOH.H2O min, battery grade, spot price, cif China, Japan and Korea also ended over two months of stability on Thursday, falling by 4.3% to $8.50-9.50 per kg from $8.80-10 per kg previously.Contract prices for lithium products are still at a high level, but the spot market is much lower for the moment, a buyer said.Said a second buyer: Lower battery-grade lithium carbonate prices are mainly cif China; we even heard about $5 per kg cif China. Meanwhile, cif Japan and South Korea are still higher."And a producer told Fastmarkets: Our offering prices are not going down, but we feel the sentiment on prices is under downward pressure."The Chinese spot battery-grade lithium carbonate market continued to hold firm this week. Most major producers still insisted on their higher offer prices and received more deals at these levels, according to sources, although cheap material was not totally gone on the spot market.Fastmarkets weekly price assessment for lithium carbonate, 99.5% Li2CO3 min, battery grade, spot price range exw domestic China was 37,000-41,000 yuan ($5,466-6,057) per tonne on Thursday, unchanged from the previous week and at a level it has held since July 16.Offering prices rising, and we heard more at 41,000 yuan per tonne and some even at 42,000 yuan per tonne. But actual deals could be at 39,500-40,000 yuan per tonne if you purchased from a key producer. Prices above 40,000 yuan per tonne I think it will be hard to conclude, a third buyer told Fastmarkets.We have already purchased sufficient stocks to support production in the rest of this year, so there is currently no need for more spot buying. I think the market will stay at a relative stable trend in the rest of this year, a fourth buyer said.Cheap materials are not totally disappearing on the spot market, and some buyers could still get it at 37,000-38,000 yuan per tonne as some buyers are still unwilling to pay much higher prices, a fifth buyer told Fastmarkets.We are selling at 41,000 yuan per tonne for battery-grade lithium carbonate, and we also received more orders. I think prices can go up further as most producers are still suffering losses, a second producer said.The battery-grade lithium hydroxide market stood unchanged this week, without significant improved in demand from the high-nickel ternary sector.Fastmarkets lithium hydroxide monohydrate, 56.5% LiOH.H2O min, battery grade, spot price range exw domestic China was at 45,000-51,000 yuan per tonne on Thursday. The price has also not changed since July 16.Europe and US lithium compounds for technical and industrial applications drifted lower over the past weak due to fundamentals that remain weak despite the end of the summer season.Fastmarkets assessed the price of lithium carbonate 99% Li2CO3 min, technical and industrial grades, spot price ddp Europe and US at $5.80-7 per kg on Thursday, down from $6-7.20 per kg over the past fortnight.There is no sign of demand picking up, a producer active in Europe said. After the [health] crisis, we are hoping for a V-shaped recovery.A second distributor active in Europe said that demand recovery will be slow.Fastmarkets assessed the price of lithium hydroxide monohydrate 56.5% LiOH.H2O min, technical and industrial grades, spot price ddp Europe and US at $7.50-8.20 per kg on Thursday, down from $7.50-8.50 over the past six weeks.On the other hand, the battery-grade lithium complex held steady in Europe and the US over the past seven days, resisting bearishness from the technical grade compounds.Fastmarkets' lithium carbonate 99.5% Li2CO3 min, battery grade, spot price ddp Europe and US stood at $7.50-9 per kg on Thursday.The lithium hydroxide monohydrate 56.5% LiOH.H2O min, battery grade, spot price ddp Europe and US stood at $9.75-10.50 per kg on the same day.
The money is meant to help farmers deal with the difficulties they have experienced selling their crops, milk and meat.

The federal government said Friday that it will give farmers an additional $14bn to compensate them for the difficulties they have experienced selling their crops, milk and meat because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The United States Department of Agriculture released details of its plan that it said will provide financial assistance that gives producers the ability to absorb increased marketing costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

President Donald Trump first mentioned the aid in a speech Thursday night in Wisconsin, a presidential battleground state that is considered vital for his chances to win a second term.

The additional payments illustrate the importance of farmers as a voting block to Trumps re-election. He addressed them in Wisconsin directly, saying, You gotta love Trump, and promising favourable trade and regulatory changes, as well as tax cuts.

Now, we have to get four more years to cement it, and to do additional things, he said.

The coronavirus pandemic has created several problems for farmers. Lowered availability of labour has reduced crop and livestock production, as well as processing capacity in meatpacking plants and other facilities. These problems have pushed prices that farmers receive for commodities lower. They have also seen a drop in demand for some products as fewer people have been eating out. Farm households also have suffered from loss of income from off-farm jobs that they use to fund farm production needs, household living expenses and payments on farm business debt.

The federal government said on Friday that it would give farmers an additional $14bn to compensate them for the difficulties they have experienced selling their crops, milk and meat because of the coronavirus pandemic [File: Nati Harnik/AP Photo]

Agriculture groups applauded the additional money, much of which will come in direct payments for crops that meet a specified threshold of price decline. They include corn, soybeans, wheat and some cotton.

Chicken, eggs, milk, beef cattle, pigs and lambs also will be covered, as will tobacco, wool, alfalfa, oats, peanuts, rice and hemp.

Farmers can begin signing up for the money on Monday.

We listened to feedback received from farmers, ranchers and agricultural organizations about the impact of the pandemic on our nations farms and ranches, and we developed a program to better meet the needs of those impacted, Secretary of Agriculture Perdue said in a statement.

The program places a payment cap of $250,000 a person or farm entity for all commodities combined. Gross income cannot be more than $900,000, unless at least 75 percent or more of their income is derived from farming, ranching or forestry-related activities.

In April, the administration rolled out a $19bn programme, most of which was in the form of direct farm payments. That followed $28bn the federal government gave farmers to compensate for two years of disruptions caused by Trumps tariff battles with trading partners.

Some crop and livestock groups have criticised the way previous aid was divided, and National Farmers Union President Rob Larew made it clear in a statement that farmers want the money distributed fairly.

The first round of funding, though greatly appreciated, was not without its flaws, Larew said. Not only did it favour large farms over smaller ones, it also sent millions of dollars to foreign-owned operations and excluded some farmers entirely.

A man unloads corn from a truck at the Heartland Co-op, in Redfield, Iowa [File: Charlie Neibergall/AP Photo]

He asked for congressional oversight and for the USDA to ensure that payments are commensurate with demonstrated need.

Scott Irwin, a University of Illinois professor who focuses on agricultural markets, said the federal payments have offset a triple whammy of low commodity prices, a trade war with China and a drop in demand due to the coronavirus. It is hard to overstate how much the payments have helped some Midwest corn and soybean farmers, Irwin said, noting that a University of Illinois analysis found that in 2019, various federal support programmes were responsible for 90 percent of a median grain operations net farm income in Illinois.

It has basically stopped the agricultural boat from leaking, Irwin said. Its been so big under President Trump that, at least for the time being, the financial picture in agriculture is not going backward.

Even as federal support has been responsible for more than one-third of US net farm income in 2020, Irwin said many farmers still are struggling because of poor prices.

No one is getting rich from of all this aid because the market prices have been so low, but it has stopped the bleeding financially, Irwin said.

The money for the farm programmes comes from the Commodity Credit Corporation, which was created in 1933. It has authority from Congress to borrow up to $30bn from the US Treasury and private lending agencies.

With the latest round of aid, the CCC may deplete its current limits, requiring a continuing resolution by Congress to replenish its funding, said John Newton, chief economist for the American Farm Bureau Federation.
EDITORS NOTE: NJ Cannabis Insider produces exclusive weekly content and monthly events geared toward those interested in the marijuana and hemp industries. To subscribe, visit njcannabisinsider.biz.

A planned House vote this month on legislation to eliminate the federal ban on cannabis and tax legal weed to help communities hardest hit by the war on drugs has been put off until later this year.

Rep. Donald Payne Jr., a bill co-sponsor, said the top priority needed to be new coronavirus stimulus legislation.

Its a bill that we need to consider at some point, but I understand why we arent voting on it right now," said Payne, D-10th Dist. "Our top priority has to be legislation to help Americans survive this coronavirus global pandemic.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act, or MORE Act, would come up for a vote by the end of the year.

The MORE Act remains a critical component of House Democrats' plan for addressing systemic racism and advancing criminal justice reform," Hoyer said. Right now, the House is focused relentlessly on securing agreement to stave off a damaging government shutdown and continuing to do its job addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.

House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., announced in August that the chamber would vote on the MORE Act when lawmakers returned to Washington after Labor Day.

But the House and Senate have been unable to come together on a new bill to fight the coronavirus and help Americans in the midst of an economic recession.

The House in May voted to spend $3.4 trillion, which President Donald Trump threatened to veto. Senate Republicans waited more than two months before coming up with their own proposal to spend $1 trillion but didnt have enough support to pass that bill nor one for $500 billion.

Hope for a deal improved this week following a bipartisan proposal offered by the Problem Solvers Caucus, a group of 50 more moderate House Democrats and Republicans co-chaired by Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-5th Dist.

Theyre well on their way to suggesting some pretty good things, Trump said at a White House press conference Wednesday. I think the things I dont agree we can probably negotiate. But I think weve made some progress over the last week, and I think it was positive that they came out with that report.

Justin Strekal, political director of NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, said the postponement was not due to a lack of support for the legislation.

This delay does not change the fact that voters in several states, including key electoral battleground states for both control of the presidency and the Senate, will be passing similar state-level marijuana measures on Election Day, he said.

The MORE Act would remove the federal ban on marijuana, currently scheduled as a Class 1 controlled substance. That would allow states to legalize it, give banks the ability to offer credit cards and checking accounts to legal cannabis businesses, and make it easier to study any medicinal benefits of pot.

The bill also would require federal courts to expunge prior marijuana convictions, tax weed to help communities hardest hit by the war on drugs, fund job training, and provide loans to minority-owned small businesses wanting to enter the cannabis industry.

As Americans confront hundreds of years of systemic racial injustice, ending the failed war on drugs that has disproportionately hurt Black and Brown Americans must be front and center," said the Democratic co-chairs of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, Reps. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon and Barbara Lee of California.

"The public deserves this vote and we will continue to build support to meet our objective of passing the MORE Act in the House and sending it to the Senate, which is one step closer to enacting it into law.

An opponent of legalization, Dr. Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, welcomed the delay. calling it a massive victory for public health, safety, and quite frankly commonsense.

While almost 200,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 and millions more are desperate for aid due to the resulting economic fallout, the fact that marijuana legalization was even on anyones mind is inconceivable, he said.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com.
Bee Burlingame poses outside her workspace with the materials she will use to create L.A.'s first solar community fridge. (Mariah Tauger/Los Angeles Times)

In early June, my colleague Sam Dean sent me an enthusiastic yet slightly cryptic Slack message: The fridges are spreading!

He attached a link to an Instagram post of a refrigerator in front of what looked like a machine repair shop, the words Comida Gratis flowing across the front in dreamily airbrushed cursive letters.

Indeed, if you spent any time driving or walking around Los Angeles this summer you probably noticed the surge of gently used refrigerators popping up on city sidewalks, sometimes decorated with the words Free Food in colorful lettering, nearly always stocked with fresh produce, pantry staples  milk, bread, apples  and, sometimes, sanitary items such as soap and tampons.

Free-food fridge programs have mushroomed in cities across the U.S., part of a growing movement of COVID-era mutual aid, mostly volunteer-driven efforts that target people's basic survival needs not through charitable donations but direct community action.

In Southern California, the most active program is Los Angeles Community Fridges, a decentralized network of volunteers who donate, install, clean, maintain, stock and use community refrigerators. Currently there are 16 active fridges listed in an online directory, hosted by a variety of businesses, community organizations and individuals, some of which regularly broadcast updates on social media about what's in stock and what needs replenishment.

Paloma Vergara loads up a community refrigerator with donated items on July 12, 2020. Community fridges are popping up all over Los Angeles as part of a mutual aid project to feed people in need during the pandemic. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Reports that city officials recently shut down three community fridges in L.A. highlight some of the challenges these programs face: vandalism; tensions with city officials over alleged safety code violations; and charity-minded upstarts who install fridges in neighborhoods without consulting the people who live and work there.

Brenna Bee Burlingame, a recent graduate of USCs chemical engineering program, has been privately wrestling with these questions since she committed earlier this summer to building what may be L.A.'s first community solar fridge.

Story continues

A student of nanotechnology who once helped build an autonomous electric vehicle at USCs Hyperloop lab, she reached out to Los Angeles Community Fridges organizers earlier this summer with the idea to build a simple solar-powered structure that can function in almost any well-monitored outdoor space.

Im not inventing anything. Were essentially building an off-grid house that just happens to be very small and has a fridge inside of it, Burlingame said.

Using solar energy to power refrigerators is not new; the United Nations began to develop a line of solar-powered coolers and other refrigerator units in the 1980s.

For now, community refrigerators require hosts with access to the power grid; a solar-powered structure could stretch the possibility of where the units are placed and who is empowered to become a host.

Burlingame has been documenting her work in hopes of producing open-source plans for other engineers interested in building solar-powered community fridge structures.

Sourcing is a challenge; Burlingame is building the fridge structure entirely from used, recycled or donated lumber, batteries and solar panels (most mutual aid projects avoid cash donations). A bigger concern, she said, is making sure the solar fridge is placed in a community that needs and wants it. It will require building relationships in the community that ultimately adopts it, she said.

The solar fridge is just another tool that the L.A. Community Fridges network can use to serve any community who expresses that they want a fridge, Burlingame said.

Because they will be equipped with several highly visible components  including solar panels and a battery tank  solar fridges will probably be more vulnerable to vandalism and other forms of interference, Burlingame said.

Emilia Shaffer-Del Valle writes a personal message on the Reach for the Top Mid-City community refrigerator after she donated food July 12, 2020. The refrigerator is available 24 hours a day at the location. Community fridges are popping up all over Los Angeles as part of a mutual aid project to feed people in need during the pandemic. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

The highest priority as far as placement criteria is making sure theres a couple of dedicated hosts that either want to have the fridge on their property or at least walk by it on a daily basis."

If theres ever an issue with the solar fridge, there should be information posted on it so you can call someone. And you already know the person whos going to show up to help because youve already had rapport with that person, she added.

Working on L.A.s first solar community fridge project has allowed Burlingame a sort of creative freedom she said many of her USC cohorts arent getting.

Most of my classmates are either going into graduate school or they started to work for pharmaceutical companies, oil companies and military contractors, she said, adding, I knew I wasnt going to be successful in those environments. I decided I have to pave my own way.

Burlingames way involves drafting plans in her Los Angeles workshop, where she designs, catalogs parts, tests batteries and communicates with volunteers on the highly active L.A. Community Fridges Slack page. (Prospective community fridge volunteers can also sign up through the groups Instagram, @lacommunityfridges).

She envisions founding an ethical engineering collaborative to help tackle seemingly intractable problems such as food insecurity in meaningful ways.

California is the fifth-largest economy in the world, she said. We have more than enough resources, money and agricultural productivity to feed everyone in California three organic meals a day."

And she imagines a future in which solar could play a big role, wondering: Has anyone ever deployed a network of solar fridges for the purpose of dissolving the food distribution barrier completely?

In this moment, when people across the country are building informal networks to feed one another, is the idea so crazy?

The revolutionary thing is how all these things have come together for the goal of actually, legitimately, feeding Los Angeles, she said.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The Parades Commission is seeking a new chairperson and six new commissioners to adjudicate on contentious marches in Northern Ireland.

The new chairperson will receive a fixed annual salary of 50,000, while members of the commission will each receive 22,000 per year.

The commission regulates public parades and processions, not just those by Orange lodges, but most others, including St Patrick's Day parades and the Gay Pride festival.

The current chair of the body, established in 1998 after the Drumcree stand-off, is accountant Anne Henderson.

The Northern Ireland Office called for applications in an advertisement published in today's Belfast Telegraph.

The official guidance says successful candidates will be "people who can command the confidence of all sides of the community in Northern Ireland, act in controversial situations, determine courses of action, assess the probability of future events and make clear and well-informed judgements".

Among the essential skills listed by the advert are:

An ability to take difficult but fair decisions in high-profile and controversial circumstances;

An ability to build relationships and broker consensus between senior stakeholders and opposing views;

An ability to demonstrate personal integrity, professional conduct and credibility, with an exceptional sense of propriety.

In the application documents, Secretary of State Brandon Lewis said: "We are seeking outstanding individuals who can make a real contribution to the commission's ongoing work and bring expertise and fresh thinking in the coming months and years.

"I will be looking to appoint individuals who can bring vision, influence and innovation to the roles"

The chairperson's expected time commitment is up to two days per week, and for members the commitment is one day per week, although that may increase during the marching season. The closing date for applications is October 2.
Australians are paying millions of dollars to support 'political' artists including a climate activist who wraps wool around trees.

The 2020 Resilience Fund has handed out $7.6million of taxpayer cash to help artists struggling to pay their bills during the Covid-19 pandemic.

But critics say a large chunk of the cash has been handed to artists 'obsessed with identity politics' and the grants are not in the national interest.

Casey Jenkins (pictured) is being supported with taxpayer cash. Her previous work (pictured) includes knitting from a yarn placed in her vagina for 28 days

Casey Jenkins, from Melbourne, is being supported for a project that involves her performing monthly live self-inseminations.

She claims the project, titled Immaculate, 'elevates the experience of queer reproduction and disrupt heteronormative parenting narratives'.

It is backed by art group Vitalstatistix Incorporated which was given a $20,000 grant, reported the Daily Telegraph.

Ms Jenkins' previous work includes knitting from a yarn placed in her vagina for 28 days.

Other artists who have been supported include climate activist Kelly Leonard who 'weaves props for the environment' and places them near coal mines.

On her website she says: 'A deep empathy for landscapes at risk from the impact of coal-mining and global warming informs my work.'

Leonard was given a $10,000 grant along with artist Sarah Norman, who identifies as a 'non-binary transmasculine person and a diasporic Koori of Wiradjuri descent'.

Norman's previous work includes being cut on the back 147 times in front of an audience.

Julie Vulcan, whose works include an installation featuring her own blood on pieces of cotton, was also handed $10,000.

The Australia Council for the Arts, a government body, decides who gets funding.

Dr Bella d'Abrera of free-market think tank the Institute of Public Affairs said the money was being 'dished out to fund an identity politics obsession.'

Other artists who have been supported include climate activist Kelly Leonard who 'weaves props for the environment' (pictured) and places them near coal mines

She told Daily Mail Australia: 'Thousands of Australians are losing their entire livelihoods, yet we are paying for artists to literally send things into outer space. This has to cease immediately.

'It's astounding that the Australia Council for the Arts is spending taxpayers' money an array of potential artistic projects which will be of absolutely no benefit to mainstream Australians.

'Artists should be able to make all the political statements they wish, in whatever mediums they choose. But Australian taxpayers should not be picking up the tab.'

A spokesman for the Australia Council said artists who are get the grants are required to 'fulfill obligations of accountability to the Australian Government'.

'We cannot share individual acquittals for privacy and commercial in confidence reasons,' the spokesman said.
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, and the State University of New York have conducted a study providing further structural and functional insights into the role of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in viral infection.

ACE2 is the human host receptor that enables cellular entry of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Computational chemist and biophysicist, Rommie Amaro (University of California), and colleagues say the insights the findings provide regarding the mechanisms of viral binding and cellular entry could aid the rational design of effective therapies for SARS-CoV-2.

A pre-print version of the paper is available on the server bioRxiv*, while the article undergoes peer review.

SARS-CoV-2 binding to ACE2 is the initial step for viral entry

Since the first cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection were first identified in Wuhan, China, last year, the virus has swept the globe, infecting tens of millions of people and posing a significant threat to human health.

Although various efforts are underway to develop antiviral therapies and vaccines, much remains unknown about the mechanisms underlying the binding of SARS-CoV-2 to ACE2, the main interaction that enables viral entry into the host cell.

ACE2 is a homodimer protein comprising a large extracellular head domain, a small transmembrane domain, and a small intracellular tail.

The large head is further divided into a peptidase domain and a neck domain, where most of the homodimer interactions appear to occur. The neck domain is also connected to the transmembrane domain via a linker.

SARS-CoV-2 binds ACE2 using the spike glycoprotein

Both SARS-CoV-1, which caused the 2002 to 2003 SARS outbreak, and SARS-CoV-2 bind to ACE2 using a large surface viral structure called the spike glycoprotein.

When the spike proteins receptor-binding domain (RBD) is in the up confirmation, it binds the peptidase domain of ACE2 with high affinity. The resulting ACE2-RBD complex consists of two heterodimers, with each polypeptide chain of the ACE2 homodimer bound to one spike RBD.

The binding of the RBD to the peptidase domain on ACE2 triggers a series of conformational changes in the spike protein that enable it to fuse to the host cell membrane and gain viral entry.

The spike glycoprotein and the complex it forms with ACE2 are, therefore, key targets in efforts to develop drugs that might curtail the unprecedented transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2.

Structural and biophysical studies of the spike RBD-ACE2 complex have pointed to structural features that likely account for the more potent affinity and infectivity of SARS-CoV-2, compared with SARS-CoV-1, and have revealed important dynamics at the RBD-PD interface.

Furthermore, some recent cryogenic electron microscopy and computational studies have indicated a significant degree of flexibility at the stalk of the spike protein and at the ACE2-RBD interface, suggesting a need to examine these complexes in the context of the cell surface, rather than under static, cryogenic experimental conditions.

Model structure. (a) Full-length ACE2 homodimer protein structure in complex with spike protein RBDs. ACE2 peptidase, neck and transmembrane domains are shown with cartoons highlighted in blue, navy and magenta, respectively. Spike RBDs are depicted with pink cartoons. (b) Fully glycosylated and membrane-embedded model. ACE2 and RBDs are represented with gray and pink cartoons, respectively. Atoms of N-/O-glycans are shown with per-monosaccharide colored spheres, where GlcNAc is highlighted in blue, mannose in green, fucose in red, galactose in yellow, and sialic acid in purple. Lipid heads (P atoms) are represented with grey spheres, whereas lipid tails are depicted with a licorice representation using the following color scheme: POPC (navy), POPI (violet), POPE (silver), CHL (blue), PSM (magenta).

What did the current study involve?

Now, Amaro and team have performed all-atom molecular dynamics simulations of the full-length, membrane-embedded ACE2 receptor, both while unbound by spike RBD and while in complex with RBD, to probe the molecular dynamics of ACE-2 flexibility on the host receptor side.

The simulations demonstrated exceptional plasticity in the full-length ACE2 homodimer due to highly flexible hinge motions in the head-transmembrane domain linker region and profuse helix mobility in the membrane.

Remarkably, this flexibility did not disrupt the ACE2 homodimer or the ACE2-RBD interfaces. The homodimer interface remained stable at the neck domains and at the ACE2-RBD contacts, despite the dramatic motions, thereby emphasizing the high affinity of the interaction, says the team.

What are the implications of the study?

The researchers say this flexibility gave rise to a varied range of ACE2 conformations that are distinct from those seen in experimental structures and that these conformations could sterically accommodate binding of the spike protein to more than one ACE2 homodimer.

This ACE2 flexibility indicates a mechanical contribution to the spike conformational changes that are required for cellular fusion and infection, they say, and suggests the structural basis for the possibility of finding two or more ACE2 complexes bound to the same S [spike] glycoprotein with two or more RBD-up conformations.

Taken together, our findings shed further light onto the mechanisms of viral binding and cell entry required for rational design of effective SARS-CoV-2 therapeutics, concludes the team.
Business as usual!

There was a theory the pandemic would eventually make the world a kinder place, turning us all into more tolerant, patient and  dare we say it?  sweeter individuals.

Lord Sugar hasn't had the memo, or if he has he's scrunched it up and fired it.

He's first in the boardroom (sorry, virtual meeting room) today for our Zoom chat, ahead of schedule, and impatience is writ large on his face.

His first target? 'Bl**din' photographers!' He's just completed a quick (but not quick enough) photo session with our photographer Neale, who is there in person at his offices.

Despite the coronavirus lockdown, Sir Alan Sugar, 73, never actually stopped working

Poor Neale. Lord Sugar is a challenging subject.

'I'm a photographer's worst nightmare,' he says.

'I go in and ten minutes later I'm out. If they're still clicking after ten minutes they'll be clicking at a blank wall. Drives me bl**din' nuts.'

Good job we didn't send a hairdresser and make-up artist then. 'I was going to dye my hair mauve for you,' he says, deadpan. 'But I decided not to.'

Thank goodness, we've had enough trauma this year. Lord Sugar spent the first part of lockdown at his Florida mansion, despairing at how President Trump  his former US Apprentice equivalent  was handling the crisis: 'He is a moron.'

He then decamped to the Med on his yacht (which is called Lady A, after his wife Ann) for a while.

He never actually stopped working, even though he's 73. Now he's back at his desk, suited up.

'My wife said this morning it's the first time she's seen me in a suit for six months,' he says.

Contrary to popular belief he doesn't always wear a suit in the office ('when I'm with my people we're in jeans and comfortable shoes'), but he suits up for The Apprentice, business meetings and encounters with irritating media folk.

He's a stickler for 'appropriate dress'.

Lord Sugar spent the first part of lockdown at his Florida mansion, despairing at how President Trump  his former US Apprentice equivalent  was handling the crisis: 'He is a moron,' he said. Pictured: Lord Sugar with a dummy of Donald Trump in his office

He worried when he heard that, in lockdown, his seven grandchildren were getting their education via Zoom, but he was cheered when one granddaughter was ordered by a teacher to get out of her pyjamas and put her uniform on.

'She said, "Are you kidding?", but they were serious. Good. My children were proud of how diligently the grandchildren did their lessons. They didn't skive.'

Skiving is a bit of a theme today. He might be at his desk but he's cross that so many people aren't.

'I'M NEVER NOT ABOUT THE MONEY' The cancellation of this years Apprentice means no investment from Lord Sugars pocket, which sounds like a 250,000 saving, but its a missed opportunity to make serious money. A business survey estimated that the nine companies hes invested in to date (with a 50 per cent stake) are worth a combined 8.3 million. Small change for a man who owns a yacht (the Sunday Times Rich List puts his wealth at 1.2 billion), but still a considerable profit. So how have they been faring in the crisis? Obviously Dr Leah Totton [who set up a string of cosmetic clinics after winning in 2013] had to shut down, but shes up and running again, he says. A lot of the companies that do food and cosmetics have been doing very well because people have been shopping online. Mark Wright [2014s winner, who runs a digital marketing business] is doing well  people want to put ads online  as is Tom Pellereau [the 2011 winner, famous for his nail files]. He chats, almost gently, about which of his proteges have had children, but lets be honest, his biggest concern is the profits. The Apprentice companies, as I call them, employ about 300 people now, he says. So lives have been changed. But Im never not about the money. Its like the sun coming up, or it getting dark at night. Advertisement

'A lot of people have got quite used to working from home. There are two types of people.

'There are the ones who want to get back to work, who can't stand sitting at home. And the others who think, "Well, any excuse..."

'If the news says the infection rate is still going up, they say, "I'll stay at home." They're really enjoying it.'

As for the civil servants, don't get him started.

'It's like High Noon in Whitehall. It's like a bomb has hit it. They don't want to come back, and they don't have to  me and you are paying them, and they're sitting on their a***s at home.

'The PM is telling people to get back to work, but he needs to up his game. He can't threaten to fire them, but there are ways of suggesting they get back to work.'

So what would he do? 'The Government could say,"Well, we've done a review of how the Ministry of Defence, or the Treasury, is operating and instead of having 20,000 people there, weirdly it's working with 15,000."

'You're not saying you're going to chuck 5,000 people out, but you're sending a message that says, "Better get back quick."

Of course, Lord Sugar wouldn't be Lord Sugar if he wasn't making us all feel faint with his forthright views, but has he failed to read the room?

When he went on Jeremy Vine's radio show recently he seemed to put both feet in his mouth by railing about how the Government was being too cautious in its attempts to bring Britain out of lockdown.

'Who's dead?' he said. 'I'm not. I'm still alive. My wife, thank God, is still alive.

'So's everybody else I know. No one else has caught anything.'

When I point out he was criticised for this, he bristles. 'I didn't notice. I got nothing but compliments on Twitter, people saying it makes a lot of sense.'

To be fair I think he does appreciate the human cost.

But his experience tells him the financial cost could ruin more lives in the long run.

'We had to go into lockdown,' he argues. 'Thousands were dying. But we've had enough education now. We know to wash our hands, don't join in any whacking great meetings, wear a mask.

The businessman then decamped to the Med on his yacht (which is called Lady A, after his wife Ann) for a while. Pictured: Sir Alan on his yacht in 2016

'Be sensible. I've got a cosmetics factory in Croydon and 300 people are back there.

'We're taking all the precautions. People are having their temperatures checked daily. It's all doable. It's not rocket science.'

He says 99 per cent of his staff wanted to return ('It's not as if I was saying, "Oi, get back") and insists you can't run a business with half the staff at home.

'Every day here, 50, 60 times, someone asks a question.

'The young people are being trained up by watching what's going on, asking questions.

'They have no chance of learning from home. All these big banks that are saying, "Don't come in for the rest of this year", what about next year?

'Unless this thing goes away or we have a vaccine, we're in trouble.'

But he doesn't criticise the BBC for pulling the plug on this year's The Apprentice  instead he's been filming segments for a six-part highlights series.

He accepts there was no way it could happen.

'We put them on planes to exotic places, have them cook in kitchens, go up to people in the street, give presentations to big audiences. It wasn't possible.'

But watching the best bits from the past 15 series has made him chuckle, and you will too if you've forgotten how clueless-yet-captivating some of the contestants were.

'Remember Alex Epstein (series 6), who told us I think outside the box. If I was an apple pie, the apples inside me would be oranges'?

Sir Alan has been married to his wife Ann since 1968. Pictured: The couple in 2008

Stuart Baggs (series 6) valiantly assured Lord Sugar he wasn't a one-trick, or even ten-trick, pony: 'I've got a whole field of ponies waiting to literally run towards this job.'

Then there was Pantsman  Philip Taylor (series 5) tried to unleash a superhero who sold cereal by dancing in his pants (Lord Sugar was not amused).

When I ask if there's ever been a year when he didn't want to invest in the contestants, he almost smiles and points out that he doesn't choose them.

'There have been times where the group is not as good as a previous group. But I have to take the best, I've stuck to my promise.'

I wonder if he has worried about contestants seeing the show as a springboard to celebrity rather than business success.

He says many have tried. 'They see themselves on TV and get the attention, then get withdrawal symptoms.

'Second-rate game shows come along and make idiots of them and they go to the opening of an envelope.

'But apart from Saira Khan [runner-up in Series 1, now a TV presenter], no one's succeeded in the media.'

Two words: Katie Hopkins. Would he like to apologise for unleashing the outspoken columnist on us? 'As I said, I don't pick the contestants,' he says.

He's hugely entertaining company, but combative. He has to win, even when there's no competition.

He mentions the knee replacement surgery he had last year, but says it hasn't stopped him charging through life.

'I've cycled 2,500 miles since then. I can still take you on in a bike ride.'

He's challenging the wrong person. I don't even have a bike.

His is a pedal bike, not a fancy electric bike like the one Simon Cowell fell off.

'Poor old Simon. I heard he was doing wheelies. Well, I don't do anything like that.

'When I'm flying my plane (to go with the yacht) people ask if I do aerobatics. No, I don't mess about with things like that.'

He'd like to lead The Apprentice for another four series, marking 20 years at the helm. And the day job?

'My wife says I'll never stop, but there might be physical constraints or I might go a bit loopy.'

Not to be rude, but does Lady Sugar want him to retire?

After six months of having him around 24/7, she may need some respite.

Is she glad he's back at work?

'She is,' he says, with as much cheer as Lord Sugar can manage.

'She only has to put up with me in the mornings and evenings. Me being back gives her a break.'

The Apprentice Best Bits, Thursday 1 October, BBC1 and BBC iPlayer.
Sharon Stone says she and her family almost had to evacuate their house due to the wildfires currently burning on the West Coast.

The actor discussed the topic during a remote appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Wednesday.

Our state is burning down," she said. Two states over is burning down. We have no assistance. I just dont even know.

Stone then explained that on the day before her appearance, a house burnt down on a nearby street, meaning she and her sons had to start planning for a potential evacuation.

We didnt have to leave, but I walked through the house and did that after I got the kids in bed  look at saying goodbye to everything weve put our lives into making for our family and just said goodbye to everything in a calm way, by myself, she said.

Like  were just going to get in the car with clothes on our back. Everybody knew they could take one bag and thats it, because we live in this cul-de-sac and if we have to go, we just have to go.

Stone said she told her sons to pack their computers and one pair of shoes each as well as some clothes in order to be prepared.

Its raining ash, even in the house, she added. This is what were breathing.

Fires have burned some 3.2m acres in California since mid-August and another 1.6m acres in Oregon and Washington State since Labor Day on 7 September. Thousands of homes have been destroyed as a result.

Efforts were continuing on Thursday to stop the blazes.

Additional reporting by agencies
They have not come to bargain with us. They are talking to us and telling us about all the problems that are on campus, but they are not coming to any agreement with us, said Stuart Katzenberg, a local AFSCME union leader. Their know-it-all attitude is what got our members and students and the community sick.
By PTI

WASHINGTON: An Indian-American federal judge has turned down an appeal by 169 Indian citizens who had challenged the proclamation of President Donald Trump that barred foreign nationals on H-1B specialty occupation visa from entering the US till the end of the year.

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.

The technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.

US District Judge Amit P Mehta of US District Court for the District of Columbia in its order on Wednesday said that Indian citizens, who are now trapped abroad during trips to India when borders closed, are unlikely to win their case contesting the travel ban proclamation of Trump.

The 169 Indian nationals in their lawsuit had sought an order directing the Secretary of State and the United States consulates "to process, adjudicate, and render final decisions on Plaintiffs' DS-160 visa applications.

But requiring such swift processing would be an exercise in futility when the complainant would remain ineligible to enter the country until January 1, 2021, at the earliest," Mehta said.

Such an order would risk diverting limited resources away from visa applicants who are eligible under an exception to the proclamation, and could create substantial confusion for visa recipients attempting to enter the country only to be denied at ports of entry, he said.

Mehta said that on the merits, the court has already determined that the Indian nationals who have filed the lawsuit and are stuck in India are unlikely to succeed on their ultra vires challenge to the proclamation, and are likely to succeed on their Administrative Procedure Act challenge that their suspension of processing their visas pursuant to the Proclamation is arbitrary and capricious.

The lawsuit was filed by Indian nationals who were recently residing in the United States in lawful nonimmigrant status under temporary labour petitions approved by the Department of Homeland Security.

For various reasons, they travelled to India and now must receive visas to return to the US.

Indian nationals on H-1B visas alleged that the United States consular offices, acting under the direction of the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of State, has withheld the adjudication of their visa applications pursuant to the president's recently issued Presidential Proclamation 10052 (dated June 22, 2020).

The proclamation suspends the entry of foreign nationals within certain categories of nonimmigrant visas.

In his 11-page order, Judge Mehta at the same time noted that the visa hopefuls are likely to convince the court that the Trump administration must continue processing their visas despite the entry restrictions.

But since they are unlikely to secure an end to those entry bars, requiring the US Department of State to nonetheless process their visa requests "would be an exercise in futility," he said.

"Such an order would risk diverting limited resources away from visa applicants who are eligible under an exception to the proclamation, and could create substantial confusion for visa recipients attempting to enter the country only to be denied at ports of entry," Mehta wrote.

Attorneys for Indian nationals have filed a notice indicating their plans to appeal the ruling to the DC Circuit.
09/18/2020

Photo (c) CatLane - Getty Images The state of New York has filed a civil fraud complaint against Johnson & Johnson, charging the pharmaceutical company and its subsidiaries of marketing opioid drug products while downplaying their risks.

The complaint, filed by the New York Department of Financial Services (DFS), contends that the company specifically targeted elderly patients for opioid treatment despite known risks and used its marketing materials to brand opioid addiction as a myth.

"The opioid crisis has taken too many lives and New York state will continue to take action against those who helped fuel this public health catastrophe and bring a measure of justice to families who have lost loved ones," said New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. "Misrepresentation of opioids to consumers for profit is inexcusable and we will use every tool necessary to help ensure those responsible are held fully accountable."

Johnson & Johnson did not immediately provide a comment or response to media outlets that requested one.

Specific allegations

Regulators say Johnson & Johnson manufactured a number of opioid products in New York, including the Schedule II drugs Duragesic, a fentanyl patch, and Nucynta, a tapentadol drug. The states complaint also alleges that the drug company controlled a large portion of the raw opioid supply chain through its patented "Norman Poppy," which at one point was responsible for up to 80 percent of the global supply for oxycodone raw materials.

The crux of the DFS complaint claims that Johnson & Johnson has had a long-standing and multi-faceted leading role in originating, supplying, facilitating, and actively creating a dangerous market for opioids for chronic pain treatment.

The complaint alleges that Johnson & Johnson not only tried to sell more of its own opioid drug products but sought to create an environment in which the medical community was comfortable prescribing these powerful painkillers for patients, increasing the demand for Johnson & Johnsons opioid-related raw materials.

Charged with violating insurance laws

The state is hanging its case on insurance laws, which may explain why the complaint originated at DFS and not the attorney generals office. DFS charges Johnson & Johnson of violating two state statutes.

Section 403 of the New York Insurance Law prohibits fraudulent insurance acts, and Section 408 of the Financial Services Law prohibits intentional fraud or intentional misrepresentation of a material fact with respect to a financial product or service, which includes health insurance.

Those laws carry a penalty of up to $5,000 per violation, with the state alleging that each prescription found to be fraudulent constitutes a separate violation.

Johnson & Johnson has recently faced other opioid-related charges in other states, including Ohio and Oklahoma.
Queen Elizabeth, here at the 2013 the State Opening of Parliament, could be worth 400m. (Reuters)

The Queen is wealthier than the palace would like us to believe, the author of a book has claimed.

While the Queens day-to-day expenses are funded by the taxpayer, she and the Royal Family have some level of inherited and established wealth, built up through hundreds of years of tradition and precedent.

Now David McClure, a broadcaster and author who has spent three years investigating how much the Queen could truly be worth, has claimed it is up to 400m - about 50m more than previously believed.

The amount the Queen receives each year from the taxpayer, called the Sovereign Grant, is determined by the value of the Crown Estate, land in England, Wales and Northern Ireland which is owned by the monarch, while they are the monarch.

Separately she has the Duchy of Lancaster, a private estate made up of 45,550 acres of land.

The net income of the duchy is paid to the sovereign. At the end of March 2019, the Duchy of Lancaster had 549m of net assets under its control, delivering net surplus of 21.7m.

McClure says: The Duchy of Lancaster is much more public property than private. For much of its long history it has not been a purely private estate.

What we have witnessed in the last two decades is an inexorable increase in its profits, with a jump in cash terms of more than 15m between 2000-2020.

His book also lays bare how monarchs have successfully handed down their wealth through generations, and discusses the potential future for the monarchy under Charles or William.

Here is what we learned in The Queens True Worth.

The true owner Queen Mothers art is a mystery

The Royal Family has not had to pay taxes on the estates of Princess Margaret and the Queen Mother, McClure states.

The Queen Mother divided much of her wealth in the years before her death, with the book citing trusts which benefitted royals like William and Harry.

But it recalls the controversial decision for her huge art collection to go straight to her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II, with no tax paid.

Story continues

The Queen Mother, here in 2002, had amassed a huge art collection by the time of her death. (WireImage)

The collection was estimated to be worth 50m, and the inheritance tax rate at that time of 40% above 242,000 would have brought about 20m into the Treasury.

One of the most impressive pieces in the collection was Claude Monets Study of Rocks, Creuse: Le Bloc (1889), a painting the Queen Mother had bought for 2,000 and was deemed to be worth 7m by the time of her death.

In an attempt to dampen criticism, the Queen offered to transfer some of the collection to the Royal Collection Trust, which looks after royal art for the nation.

A statement issued in 2002 said: The Queen has decided that the most important of Queen Elizabeth's pictures and works of art should be transferred to the Royal Collection.

Some of these items, including works by Monet, Nash and Carl Faberge, from Queen Elizabeth's collection will be on display in the 'Royal Treasures' exhibition, which is due to open at the new Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace, on 22 May.

However McClure was unable to find reference to the prized Monet in his own investigation of the painting, and was told it is the private property of Her Majesty; Royal Collection Trust cares for the Collection on behalf of The Queen.

He was also told: As the late Queen Elizabeths collection does not form part of the Royal Collection it is not included in The Royal Collection Online on the Royal Collection Trust website.

McClure told Yahoo UK: They confirmed it was in Clarence House, and it is then loaned out but technically it ended up in Charless house even though the Queen inherited it.

Its indicative of the fact that the public can be misled over aspects of the royal finances.

To what extent that was done wittingly, I dont know.

He also said the palace ought to withdraw statements if they mislead the public.

Read more: Who was Prince Philip's other royal family?

Salmon fishing in Balmoral adds value

The book has crunched the figures on fishing in Balmoral, the Scottish estate the Queen owns in Aberdeenshire.

Under Scottish law, land rights and fishing rights can be held separately, and the right to fish for salmon can be passed on without the land the water is adjacent to. McClure noted that an assessment by Fortune magazine including the fishing rights at Balmoral could make it worth up to 107m.

McClure says the decision to place the castle in a limited company trust, controlling the salmon fishing, means it can maximise its commercial potential.

However, the author claims the detailed assessment of the propertys worth done by the Mail On Sunday in 2001 is more accurate, and so adding the property and land price rises in since then, Balmoral is worth between 40m and 50m.

Adding on the value of Sandringham, her Norfolk property, the author estimates her two homes are worth 100m.

The Queen's Scottish home, Balmoral, here in 2002, could be worth 40-50m today. (Corbis)

Read more: Things you never knew were on the Queen's land - from fast food chains and shopping centres

Horse-riding has a heavy price tag

The Queen is well known for her love of horses and horse racing, a passion which began when she was given her first pony at the age of four.

But despite decades of dedication to her sport of choice, McClure estimates that the Queen could have lost millions of pounds, not made it.

Based on an average cost of 18,000 per horse to run a racehorse, and the Queen having about 20 per year, its thought her hobby has cost her 10.8m in 30 years.

In the same period, she has made about 6.8m in prize money, giving her a 4m loss.

While horse breeders usually rely on stud income to help with the race losses, McClure estimates that she at most breaks even, thanks to very hi-tech additions to the paddocks including cameras which allow the Queen to keep an eye on her horses at any moment.

The Queen still rides horses regularly, as here in May 2020, in lockdown in Windsor. (WPA Pool)

Read more: Will Barbados removing the Queen as head of state trigger other countries to do the same?

A private stamp collection that could fetch millions

McClure writes: Her collection of British and Commonwealth stamps  the best of its kind in the world  would boost the inventory by another 100m and using the same ballpark figure the combined value of her jewellery and art collections could well be pushing 100m.

The precise value of her private investments remains a mystery (and may have been hit by the post-COVID-19 market crash in 2020) but they are still likely to be worth tens of millions of pounds. The same could be said of all the private gifts she has received over the last 70 years and there is also her collection of antique cars thought to worth 10m or more.

However the author notes the stamp collection would have to be sold in stages, as flooding the market with all of it could decrease the value.

Sandringham gets EU farming subsidies

Sandringham, the royals Norfolk estate and where the family spends Christmas, is also one the countys largest farms, and as such, has been entitled to claim subsidies from the EU for several years.

Citing a Freedom of Information request, the book claims: Sandringham received 553,051 in 2015, 524,466 in 2016, 695,001 in 2017, 604,844 in 2018 and a massive 935,908 (boosted by 313,510 in rural development aid) in 2019.

With the UK set to leave the European Union, the farm will face a test of its viability, and it will soon be clear whether the estate was over-reliant on the subsidies.

However, the current Queen and her husband Prince Philip, who lives in a cottage on the estate more or less full time since his 2017 retirement, run the estate more frugally than their predecessors.

Most notably is the Queens decision to travel there by train, at 58 per ticket.

Neither Buckingham Palace or the Royal Collection Trust have commented on the books contents.

The Queens True Worth is out now.
Rachel Keenan, 9, takes a live class online at her home in San Francisco in March. (Associated Press)

We knew in March that students wouldnt learn much during lockdown, and they seem to be in for more of the same this fall. The problem isnt just that teachers lack experience with remote instruction. For reasons scientists only partially understand, its demonstrably harder to learn via video than in person. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and the rest of the Trump administration maintain that because online learning is hard, healthy kids should be in school. But research points to another solution to the video learning problem.

The problem is dramatic in children younger than 4. In a typical experiment, a researcher is filmed using a new word or describing the location of a hidden object. A child who sees the experimenter live is more likely to learn than one who watches the video. One explanation for this phenomenon is that videos lack the social cues face-to-face interactions provide.

Older children dont show a learning deficit, implying that theyre somehow compensating for what the video lacks. But they cant maintain the necessary attentional focus for an entire Zoom class, so learning suffers. That interpretation sits well with adults experience of Zoom fatigue: We get through our meetings, but making up for the absent social cues drains us. How might teachers help?

Different learning tasks capitalize on different social cues. We can make some reasonable guesses about when video makes learning difficult.

A class discussion requires conversational turn-taking, and eye movements play a central role. For example, if you are speaking and I break eye contact, that indicates I want a conversational turn. If Im speaking, a prolonged gaze signals an intention to yield the floor.

These signals are lost in videoconferencing, both because internet lag disrupts their timing and because computer equipment makes eye contact difficult. I see your eyes when I look at my screen, but you see my eyes when I look at my camera. The disconnect is part of why Zoom meetings brim with interruptions and awkward pauses.

Story continues

During lectures, eye contact matters less than gesture. Instructors support explanations with their hands, as when a math teacher unconsciously mimes a pan balance scale to explain equivalence. Gestures aid student comprehension, but theyre usually absent from videoconferencing. Teachers sit near the computer to control their keyboard and mouse, which means students see only their faces.

Many lectures require demonstrations, with the instructor and student directing attention to a graph or an online laboratory simulation. During these tasks a teacher tends to use another type of gesture: Shell point, or as she gives the instruction turn it, shell gesture to show which way. Unlike the balance example, these gestures require having the other persons perspective on the object. Researchers have found it challenging to give users this sense of shared space during videoconferencing.

Overcoming these obstacles is usually possible. If I cant point with my finger, Ill point verbally: If I want students to look at a large, blue section of a graph, I can say, Look at the big blue section. Devising such workarounds is trivial in a two-minute Zoom call. But the costs accumulate over hours of video expounding difficult academic content.

Thats one reason 80% of adults who start non-credit online courses fail to complete them. And its a reason a lot of students simply didnt show up for remote lessons last spring.

So now what?

We can guess at some fixes. For example, instead of sitting at a desktop while lecturing, a teacher might stand and step back from the camera so that gestures are viewable. But researchers dont know enough to guarantee solid learning improvements. The summer, which the federal government might have used to organize a "Warp Speed" effort to find solutions, has instead passed in a narcotic dream that fall would bring students back to school  the vision Secretary DeVos still hopes will triumph.

But theres another way. Research shows remote learning is more successful if a facilitator (usually a parent) is present. Companies that provide online education to home schoolers routinely stipulate that an adult supervise an elementary or middle school student.

Thats not a luxury. With our current technology and understanding, its a prerequisite to a successful remote learning program. And it shouldnt be available only to the learning-pod wealthy. The federal government could, through grants to states, provide funds to hire parents to serve as learning facilitators for small groups of children in grades K through 8. A similar emergency pandemic measure through Medicaid has allowed parents to be paid as caregivers for their disabled children.

The hallmark of an educated mind is learning from experience. Shame on us if we condemn our children to repeat last spring.

Daniel T. Willingham is a professor in the department of psychology at the University of Virginia.
This April 14, 2020, file photo shows the sign on a Rite Aid Pharmacy in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File) Read more

Wall Street regulators have filed a civil lawsuit against former Rite Aid employee Steven Sheinfeld, alleging he sold $1 million worth of stock options before a merger with Walgreen Co. was delayed and ultimately called off.

In the suit, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission alleges that Sheinfeld, who worked in internal compliance, was privy to communications about a potential merger with Walgreens, a deal then facing tough antitrust scrutiny. By selling, he avoided about $155,000 in losses, the agency said.

Mr. Sheinfeld vigorously denies the allegations, said Amy Carver of the Center City law firm Welsh & Recker. He is looking forward to the opportunity to defend himself in court and present his side of the story. We expect that he will be fully vindicated.

Through his lawyer, Sheinfeld declined to comment.

Rite Aid Corp., based in Camp Hill, Pa., is one of the nations leading drugstore chains, with fiscal year 2018 revenues from continuing operations of $21.5 billion.

Rite Aid was scheduled to merge with Walgreens, another national drugstore chain, on Jan. 27, 2017.

In mid-January 2017, through his position at Rite Aid, relationships with senior Rite Aid executives, and work helping to prepare for the merger, Sheinfeld learned the deal was unlikely to win Federal Trade Commission approval in time, according to the SEC lawsuit, filed Thursday in federal court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

On Jan. 18, 2017, between 9:46 and 11:45 a.m., Sheinfeld sold all his 123,150 Rite Aid shares at prices ranging from $8.62 to $8.65 and netted $872,275 after paying $185,062 to cover the grant prices of his stock options, which ranged from $1.07 to $7.08 per share.

He also logged into brokerage accounts for two family members and sold their shares as well, the SEC alleges.

On Jan. 20, 2017, Bloomberg News published an article reporting FTC officials concerns that Walgreens and Rite Aid likely would not be approved for a merger by the Jan. 27, 2017, end date.

Rite Aids stock price fell, closing on Jan. 20, 2017, at $7.46 per share  about 13% lower than the prior days closing price.

On Jan. 30, 2017, Rite Aid and Walgreens amended the merger agreement, extending the end date to July 31, 2017, and lowering the price that Walgreens would pay to $6.50 to $7, down from $9 a share. Ultimately, the merger fell through.

Sheinfeld was privy to merger preparations, the SEC said.

In late 2015, Rite Aid and Walgreens had formed an Integration Management Office, staffed by teams of employees at each company who worked to join the companies.

Sheinfeld was not a member of the office, but starting in early 2016, he was asked to assist with matters relating to compliance or employee policies.

Rite Aid treated information about the merger as highly confidential, and all members were told at the outset that everything they would be working on was confidential, according to the suit. Sheinfeld was warned about the confidentiality of the offices work in or about March 2016, when he began providing assistance.

As the merger date approached, Sheinfeld was tasked with figuring out how Walgreens Day One corporate policies would affect all Rite Aid employees. On Jan. 13, 2017, Sheinfeld complained to a colleague about his role on the Day One Policy Project: I now have over 150 pages of policies (each policy is incredibly long) that have to be read and analyzed and it has to be done pronto. These policies all get sent to the many members of the Policy Oversight Committee for their immediate review as if they have nothing else to do.

At one time a Pennsylvania resident in Mechanicsburg, Sheinfeld is now 67, according to the complaint, and living in Florida after working for the company since 1994. He retired roughly six months after the alleged trading took place.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 09:54:21|Editor: huaxia

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CHANGSHA, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, stressed that innovation is the most vital quality of business operations during an inspection tour in central China's Hunan Province on Thursday afternoon.

Xi made the remarks while visiting Sunward, an advanced machinery manufacturer, in the capital city of Changsha. Enditem
Motorists traveling through Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, were entertained by a pair of grizzly bear cubs wrestling on a road as two other cubs played nearby.

The videos recorder said he believed the cubs were the offspring of Grizzly 399, probably the most famous wild living bear in the world, and, at 24, one of the oldest known grizzlies living outside a zoo.

Footage of the four cubs was captured by travel blogger Christopher Pipes on August 31 as he traveled through the area. He subsequently posted the footage on YouTube.

According to The Guardian, Grizzly 399 emerged from her den with her four cubs for the first time in May. Credit: Christopher Pipes via Storyful
Washington :

More than 100 militants were killed in airstrikes by the US warplanes at an al-Qaida training camp in Syria, the Pentagon has said.

A Pentagon spokesperson, Navy Capt Jeff Davis, said the camp in Idlib province had been active since at least 2013.

"The removal of this training camp disrupts training operations and discourages hard-line Islamist and Syrian opposition groups from joining or cooperating with al Qaeda on the battlefield," Davis said.

The Syria strike was carried out by one B-52 bomber and an undisclosed number of US aerial drones.

It happened at about noon Washington time on Thursday, less than 24 hours after a combination of B-2 stealth bombers and drones struck two military camps in a remote part of Libya, killing 80 to 90 Islamic State militants.

Obama specifically authorised the Libya strike. It was not immediately clear whether the Syria strike required his direct approval.

The militants killed in the Syria attack were described by one defense official as "core" al Qaeda members, among a number who had moved to Syria early last year to establish a foothold.

The official distinguished these militants from members of the group formerly known as the Nusra Front, which is an al Qaeda affiliate in Syria.

Davis said Thursday's attack capped a string of successful strikes against al Qaeda this month. He said the strikes have killed more than 150 members of the group since January 1.

They include Mohammad Habib Boussadoun al-Tunisi, an external operations leader, killed last Tuesday, he said.

"These strikes, conducted in quick succession, degrade al-Qaida's capabilities, weaken their resolve, and cause confusion in their ranks," Davis said.

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The Trump administration's push to kill off what's left of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran comes to a head this weekend at the United Nations, where allies and adversaries argue the U.S. effort to restore sanctions is groundless and a diplomatic crisis is set to explode.

The U.S. bid to restore all UN sanctions on Iran -- which Secretary of State Michael Pompeo contends will go into effect on Sunday in the middle of the UN General Assembly -- deepens a chasm between the U.S. and most other nations. Even European allies say the U.S. has no right to invoke the accord's "snapback" provision because President Donald Trump quit the multinational deal to restrain Iran's nuclear program two years ago.

The issue is already sowing anger and division. The U.S. and a handful of Mideast allies are declaring the end of the nuclear deal while most other Security Council members -- from Russia and China to Germany, the U.K. and France -- disagree with the latest example of Trump's "America First" foreign policy.

"The U.S. will obviously put pressure on others to implement sanctions," said Ashish Pradhan, a senior UN analyst at the International Crisis Group, which argued in a report that the coming U.S. election will decide the outcome of the dispute. "I'm sure some of the Gulf states, Israel and others will issue some statements saying they recognize the re-imposition of sanctions. But on the UN Security Council it seems like they'll hold the fort."

The U.S. asserts that all of the UN resolutions on Iran that were in place before the 2015 deal -- from a ban on arm deals to restrictions on the Islamic Republic's ballistic missile activity and its nuclear enrichment -- will go back into effect. To enforce those measures if countries like Russia and China disregard them, the U.S. could use tools such as secondary sanctions on shippers, insurers and banks and may even threaten interdictions of ships at sea.

"We expect every nation to comply with UN Security Council resolutions. Period. Full stop," Pompeo told reporters Thursday during a visit to Suriname. "And the United States is intent on enforcing all the UN Security Council resolutions."

The U.S. deadline comes two days before Trump is expected to deliver a speech remotely Tuesday to the UN General Assembly, which is being held virtually this year due to the pandemic. Trump is likely to renew his past denunciations of Iran and vow to enforce the renewed sanctions, which Russia and China have already said they will flout by selling advanced weapons to Tehran when a UN arms embargo expires in October.

The president is also expected to boast of his role in what he's called "the dawn of a new Middle East" -- the U.S.-brokered accords signed last week at the White House between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. The UN forum is a chance for Trump to promote his foreign policy as a success less than 50 days before a presidential election in which he lags Democrat Joe Biden in national polls.

The other key participants in the nuclear accord all reject the U.S. move, seeking to keep the agreement on life support in case Biden wins in November. Biden has pledged to rejoin and then improve the deal, arguing that Trump's go-it-alone strategy to pressure Iran has left the U.S. without allies.

"I will offer Tehran a credible path back to diplomacy," Biden wrote in a op-ed for CNN. "If Iran returns to strict compliance with the nuclear deal, the United States would rejoin the agreement as a starting point for follow-on negotiations. With our allies, we will work to strengthen and extend the nuclear deal's provisions, while also addressing other issues of concern."

Despite the disapproval of most UN members, the Trump administration's decision could put significant new pressure on Iran, especially if Trump wins re-election.

"Iran invites the international community to be vigilant about the U.S. bullying against other countries in violation of international law," Alireza Miryousefi, an official at Iran's UN mission, said in a statement.

If the Chinese and Russians move ahead with "big press announcements about future arms sales," the U.S. could apply crippling secondary sanctions, which would punish not only defense companies but also those they deal with, according to Richard Goldberg, a former National Security Council official under Trump.

"It will be up to the U.S. and coalition partners that have economic influence on customers of Russia and China to use our combined economic weight in the same way we have conducted the 'maximum pressure' campaign, only this time to put pressure on them not to move forward with sales of conventional arms," said Goldberg, who's now a senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington-based supporter of tough sanctions against Iran.

Another concern is that the United Nations system could become collateral damage in the fight over the Iran snapback. The U.S. will put pressure on the UN to give the decision its seal of approval by appointing experts to oversee the restored sanctions and set up a website to track them.

But the UN will try to stay out of the fray, the world organization's customary survival mechanism. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is trying his best to punt the issue back to the Security Council.

"It is the Security Council that is the body able to do the interpretations of Security Council resolutions, and we will align with what the Security Council does," Guterres said on Wednesday.

Diplomats said the U.S. could move to pressure the UN by withholding funds or delaying certain payments.

"Any conflict between big powers of the world has repercussions for the UN," Tijjani Muhammad-Bande of Nigeria, the outgoing UN General Assembly president, said in an interview. "We must continue to urge caution and to de-escalate tensions."
New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the Combined Commanders Conference (CCC) on Saturday in Dehradun amid objections by the Congress that BJP may use the event to influence former and serving defence personnel to gain an upper hand in the five poll-bound states.

However, the defence ministry received a go-ahead by the Election Commission to organise the event with 'certain conditions'.

The day-long conference at the Indian Military Academy (IMA) will be attended by all army commanders and their equivalents from the Air Force and the Navy.

This will be the first CCC for the three military chiefs since taking over as head of their services last year.

In a letter to the defence secretary, the commission said it has "no objection" to holding the conference at IMA. It said the dignitaries attending the conference should "observe certain conditions".

"The official visit shall not be combined with any public meeting...no media briefing, media interaction, press release, announcement in connection with serving soldiers or ex -servicemen, which may affect the voters in five poll going states, including Uttarakhand, should be made," it said asking the defence secretary to ensure compliance.

Top commanders of the three forces and senior officers of the government will attend the conference to discuss the security scenario of the country and decide upon future course of action. It is usually held every year and inaugurated by the PM.

(With inputs from PTI)

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Theres been a breakthrough in the weeks-long standoff over the availability of voter registration materials in Houston post offices with just weeks to go before the election.

Word came in a letter Friday to two Houston Democrats from the U.S. Postal Service government relations official in Washington, clarifying that postmasters are now explicitly authorized to allow voter registration and vote-by-mail applications to be on hand in post office lobbies as long as there is room to stash them.

The letter to Representatives Al Green and Sylvia Garcia came in response to an inquiry last week highlighting reports by the League of Women Voters that volunteers had been told to come collect multilingual voter registration materials they dropped off at more than a dozen post offices.

Volunteers from the League, a century-old nonpartisan group dedicated to voter enfranchisement, later documented 51 post offices in the Houston region that rejected voter registration materials, although some employees said they would keep the cards behind the counter in case anyone asked for them.

Amid a congressional inquiry into an alleged slowdown of mail by Trumps handpicked postmaster general, Green and Garcia were especially concerned the chilling effect of the cards being rejected before the Oct. 5 deadline in primarily Democratic districts.

The letter from Cory D. Brown, of the USPS government relations division in Washington, D.C., acknowledged the provision many post office officials have pointed to since the controversy arose prohibiting the placement of "pamphlets or other literature" inside post offices. However, Brown shared new guidance to offices noting that, "postmasters or installation heads are authorized to allow the placement of voter registration forms and absentee ballot request forms in the Post Office Box lobbies of retail facilities, provided there is adequate space available for such materials.

Garcia expressed gratitude to the League of Women Voters "for bringing this situation to our attention and their commitment to protecting everyones right to vote." She said she was happy that the tradition of Texas registering to vote at the post office can continue.

This story is developing. Check back for updates.

gabrielle.banks@chron.com
This June protesters on both sides of an argument - "take it down" and "leave it up" - gathered around the statue of Christopher Columbus in Wooster Square.

Ultimately the statue was removed, and just the base remains. The question now is: What or who should take the place of Columbus?

We asked New Haven Register readers to vote on a solution to this dilemma, and the verdict is in:
By Associated Press

NEW YORK: The Trump administration has opened an investigation into racial bias at Princeton University, saying that the school's recent acknowledgment of racism on campus amounts to a "shocking" and "serious" admission of discrimination.

In a letter to the university on Wednesday, the US Education Department said the school's acknowledgment of racism conflicts with previous assurances that Princeton complies with federal anti-discrimination laws.

It said that, in an open letter issued Sept.2, the university's president "admitted Princeton's educational program is and for decades has been racist." Princeton said it's cooperating with the investigation and looks forward to showing that its actions have been consistent with federal law and "also with the highest ideals and aspirations of this country."

"It is unfortunate that the Department appears to believe that grappling honestly with the nation's history and the current effects of systemic racism runs afoul of existing law," the university said in a statement.

The department cited the letter detailing efforts to combat systemic racism from university President Christopher Eisgruber, in which he acknowledged that racism persists at Princeton "as in our society."

He added that racist assumptions from the past "remain embedded in structures" of the university.

Eisgruber's message was issued in response to the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other Black Americans whose killings by police sparked nationwide protests this summer.

The letter announced new efforts to expand the diversity of Princeton's faculty and to explore an educational program for students who come from communities that are disproportionately affected by racism.

The Trump administration has increasingly sought to intervene with elite universities and their policies around race.

The Justice Department announced in August that a two-year investigation at Yale University revealed illegal discrimination against Asian American and white applicants.

The department is supporting a lawsuit making similar claims of bias at Harvard University.

President Donald Trump on Thursday decried efforts to teach about systemic racism at schools and universities.

Trump dismissed such efforts as "anti-American propaganda" and "left-wing indoctrination," and he announced plans to establish a commission to promote "patriotic education" in schools.

Trump has separately ordered an end to anti-racism training sessions in federal agencies, prompting some federally funded university research labs to suspend diversity programs.

The American Council on Education, an association of university presidents, said the Princeton investigation is a politically motivated effort to rally Trump's base during election season.

But it also appears to be intended to discourage other universities from confronting racism, said Terry Hartle, the group's senior vice president.

"We should applaud and welcome those efforts, not attempt to strangle them," he said.

"Princeton has adequate resources to fight the federal government. Most universities do not." As protests spread across the U.S. this summer, dozens of universities sought to address legacies of racism from the past, along with persistent racial inequality on campus.

Many schools removed Confederate symbols on campus and statues of figures tied to slavery and discrimination.

Some colleges are offering new classes on racism or hosting campus discussions.

Even before this summer's protests, many universities had been publicly confronting their ties to slavery.

A website at Princeton explores the school's involvement in slavery, noting, as an example, that five of the university's presidents owned enslaved people.

Harvard and the University of Virginia have undertaken similar projects.

Princeton, which was founded in 1746, is now one of the wealthiest universities in the U.S., with an endowment valued at more than $26 billion.

In its letter to Princeton, the Education Department suggested that the school may not have been eligible for more than $75 million in federal funding that it received since 2013, when Eisgruber became president.

That funding was dependent on Princeton's compliance with nondiscrimination laws, the letter said, and the agency will now consider measures to "recover funds" or impose fines.

The letter demands a wide range of records related Princeton's policies around race, saying they must be provided within 21 days: "The serious, even shocking nature of Princeton's admissions compel the Department to move with all appropriate speed."
No casualties as a result of the shelling were reported in the past day.

Ukraine has reported a violation of the latest ceasefire agreements by Russia-controlled armed groups in the Donbas warzone on Thursday, September 17.

"In the past day, September 17, Russian Federation's armed formations again violated the ceasefire agreements," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation (JFO) Command wrote on Facebook in an update as of 07:00 Kyiv time on September 18, 2020.

In particular, the enemy opened fire using rifles near the village of Novohryhorivka.

The Joint Forces did not return fire not to succumb to provocation.

Read alsoA step short of betrayal: Enemy never made it to inspect Ukraine's positions in DonbasSince Friday midnight, one ceasefire violation by the enemy with the use of an under-barrel grenade launcher has been recorded near the village of Vodiane.

No casualties as a result of the shelling were reported in the past day.

Donbas ceasefire: background
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 22:27:14|Editor: huaxia

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KAMPALA, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Ugandan military has deployed additional troops to beef up the manhunt of 210 inmates who escaped from a prison in the northeastern district of Moroto, an army spokesperson said on Friday.

Brig. Flavia Byekwaso told reporters that the troops have been deployed at the border with neighboring Kenya and the Napak district to corner the inmates who escaped from Singila prison Wednesday afternoon.

"Their original plan of action was to move toward Kenya, but that route was blocked," she said.

"They changed direction and started moving eastwards towards Napak," Byekwaso said. "The Napak forces were also deployed. They are caught up in between those hills."

She said many of the escapees are traditional Karimojong warriors and cattle rustlers who are well versed with the terrain, making it difficult for the troops to re-arrest them.

"These are hardcore criminals and cattle rustlers," Byekwaso said. "They are very well versed with the terrain. That has made it a bit hard for our forces to get them."

"The pursuit is still on until we rearrest these people," she said.

Out of the 219 escapees, three have been killed and seven detained, according to security forces.

A senior military officer was also killed in an exchange of fire at the prison on the foothills of Mount Moroto.

The prisoners, a majority of them sentenced over illegal possession of firearms, broke into a prison armory, picking 15 guns and several rounds of ammunition before overpowering a prison warden.

In March, at least three prisoners were killed and six others injured after riots occurred when inmates attempted to escape in the northwestern district of Arua. Enditem
Photo shows a law enforcement officer from the U.S. Marshals in August 2020 in Georgia, who is involved in a missing child mission called "Operation Not Forgotten." (Shane T. McCoy/US Marshals/CC by 2.0)

262 Arrested, 5 Missing Children Found in Gang Sweep in Oklahoma City

The U.S. Marshals Service said Thursday that 262 suspects were arrested and five missing children were recovered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, after a two-month-long anti-gang operation.

Operation Triple Beam OKC was a targeted enforcement initiative by the Marshals and their partners to address violent crime in and around Oklahoma City, said U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Oklahoma Johnny Kuhlman to news outlets. Our primary goal with operations like OTB is to make communities safer. When we arrest these violent fugitives, we are also removing guns and narcotics from our streets. We believe these efforts have an immediate, positive impact on the communities we serve.

Officials said that of those who were arrested, 141 were confirmed gang members, reported KFOR.

Meanwhile, five children were located and recovered as part of the operation, the U.S. Marshals said.

Also, 72 firearms, 9 kilograms of narcotics, and about $17,000 in cash was recovered, officials said.

The U.S. Marshals also listed several prominent individuals who were arrested.

Pablo Robledo was arrested on July 31 after he escaped from the Oklahoma County Detention Center, officials said, adding that he is a known Surenos gang member awaiting murder charges. They added that Dkwon Littlejohn, a known Rollin 60s Crip gang member, was arrested in Spence on July 27.

The agency also said Chasady and Charles Hall, both Dungee Crip gang members, were arrested Aug. 12 in Midwest City, saying they are accused of kidnapping their children from a daycare in Oklahoma City.

Several weeks ago, the agency announced the recovery of 39 endangered children in Georgia.

When we track down fugitives, its a good feeling to know that were putting the bad guy behind bars. But that sense of accomplishment is nothing compared to finding a missing child, the U.S. Marshals Service said of the operation last month. Its hard to put into words what we feel when we rescue a missing child, but I can tell you that this operation has impacted every single one of us out here. We are working to protect them and get them the help they need.

Another mission led to the discovery of about 25 children ages 13 through 18 in Ohio, officials said.

These are kids that have been abused, neglected. Some involved in human trafficking. Sometimes the situations theythey go to, believe it or not, may be better than the situations they left from, U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott said of the mission, known as Operation Safety Net.

Weve had some cases where the mother and or father, or both, may have been prostituting their own child, he added.
A couple forced into hotel quarantine says they were forced to sleep on a blood-stained mattress surrounded by mouldy walls and torn curtains and often went hungry as staff forgot to deliver meals.

Mark, who wished not to use his last name, and his partner had been staying at the Sudima Hotels at Rotorua, on New Zealand's north island.

The pair had returned from visiting Mark's sick father in the United Kingdom and were placed into mandatory two-week quarantine.

Mark said the living conditions at the hotel were 'depressing' and compared it to prison, New Zealand Herald reported.

Photographs from his room show ripped curtains hanging over the windows and an off-colour stained mattress.

Mark, who wished not to use his last name, and his partner had been staying at the Sudima Hotels at Rotorua, on New Zealand's north island

Photographs from his room show ripped curtains hanging over the windows and an off-colour stained mattress

Mould was also pictured growing in the corners of the walls as well as on the bathroom taps.

'It really was the most disgusting experience,' Mark said.

'We were horrified to have been treated like this in our own country and feel New Zealanders should be made aware of just how low the standard is for the unlucky ones that get the short straw isolation accommodation.'

Mark claims the food was inedible and staff often forgot to deliver the meals to the room.

He also had to pay $42 for a bottle of wine and a 'ridiculous' $10 for a microwave pie and chips.

The complaint comes after a guest staying at Sudima Hotels escaped the premises for half-an-hour on Wednesday.

The man has tested negative to COVID-19 and no charges have been laid.

Mark said he was 'not surprised the man wanted to escape'.

A Managed Isolation and Quarantine spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia it had received a complaint from the couple.

'Managed Isolation and Quarantine can confirm that it received complaints from the couple and that an MIQ complaints staff member had apologised to the couple for their experience,' the spokesperson said.

Mould was also pictured growing in the corners of the walls as well as on the bathroom taps

Sudima Hotels said in a statement it sincerely apologised to the couple.

'We can confirm that this guest was moved to another room during their stay. We apologise strongly for any issues our guests experienced,' the statement said.

'Constraints placed on our operational teams while operating as a Managed Isolation Facility have interrupted some maintenance schedules, however Sudima Hotels has now actioned the guests concerns and audited all rooms across the property.'
Diesel engines are the workhorses of freight transportation and agriculture  and by extension keep the economy fed and well supplied. They also have a dirty side.

The founders of ClearFlame Engine Technologies, a four-year-old startup based in Geneva, Illinois, say they have found a way to clean them up.

The company, which participated in TechCrunch Disrupt's 2020 Startup Battlefield competition, has developed a novel way to get diesel style engines to operate on renewable fuels like ethanol. The technology essentially combines the performance benefits of the diesel engine design with the low costs and the low emissions associated with these alternative fuels, co-founder and CEO BJ Johnson said in a recent interview with TechCrunch.

By replacing 100% of the petroleum fuel with a decarbonized fuel like ethanol, ClearFlame says its technology reduces net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40%, and reduces particulate matter and smog (NOx) to near zero levels.

ClearFlame isn't redesigning the diesel engine. Instead, Johnson and co-founder and CTO Julie Blumreiter have developed a way to modify the internal components of the engine to alter its thermodynamics to be able to quickly ignite and combust decarbonized fuels. The company's technology means 80% to 90% of the diesel engine parts remain unchanged, according to Johnson.

The upshot is a technology that provides a fast and low cost way to reduce emissions, Johnson told TechCrunch. It's the kind of solution that companies might need as local, state and national governments tighten emissions regulations.

The technology can be retrofitted into existing older diesel engines or applied to new engines that have yet to be installed in trucks or used in other industrial applications. ClearFlame is aiming to work directly with the engine manufacturer, which will still give the company access to the secondary market because every OEM has its own aftermarket parts group, Johnson said.

Story continues

"We want to leverage their supply chain, their ability to scale and reach these markets, and the trusted name that comes with them," Johnson said, explaining the company's reasoning for targeting OEMs.

The technology was first developed in a Stanford University lab, where Blumreiter and Johnson earned their Ph.D. degrees. At Stanford, they were focused mostly on ethanol and methanol, which are simple liquid alcohols. However, Johnson noted that further research has shown that the same concept works equally well on natural gas and ammonia.

"The big difference here is that you have to tweak the injection system if you want to move away from a regular ambient liquid fuel," Johnson said. "There's just a ton of business value in being able to run an engine efficiently and cleanly on a fuel that just sits in a glass at ambient conditions, which is what those alcohols do."

ClearFlame has already made headway with its technology, including landing partnerships and raising capital. The company completed a proof-of-concept demonstration of their technology on a Caterpillar engine at Argonne National Laboratory. ClearFlame is also conducting a demonstration on a Cummins engine platform supported by funding from the Department of Energy.

In April, ClearFlame announced it raised $3 million in a round led by CleanEnergy Ventures. The company has also landed several million dollars in grant money, including Small Business Innovation Research awards from the National Science Foundation, DOE and U.S. Department of Agriculture.

https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/themes/techcrunch-2017/features/shortcodes/vidible-callback-js.php?id=2
The first is whether gas is good or bad. Does Australia need more of it, or should the country stop new gas fields even if this restricts supply and drives up prices? Butler is cautious about whether new gas fields make sense. Fitzgibbon calls loudly for more of them. The gulf between the two men is real, but so is their distance from the Greens. Neither is calling for a total halt to new gas. Illustration: Andrew Dyson Credit: Some caucus members fear a disaster if Labor turns into an anti-gas party. They name industries like steel, aluminium, cement, plastics, chemicals, fertiliser and glass as examples of manufacturing that must have gas. "If we don't give them cheap energy, they're all gone," says one. "They can all be replaced by imports."

Only 37 per cent of Australian gas is used to generate electricity. Another 26 per cent is used in manufacturing, 22 per cent in mining and 12 per cent in households. The Australian Energy Market Operator says 120 to 285 petajoules of additional gas will be needed every year from 2024 to 2037. The gas that matters most to this question is near Narrabri in northern NSW, where Santos estimates it can produce gas at $6.40 a gigajoule  a price Butler believes is too high to solve Australias energy challenges. Butler criticises the project on economics more than emissions. Loading Should Narrabri go ahead or not? Albanese is hedging. He is hoping the big decisions on the project will be settled well before the next election. The NSW regulator is due to rule on the project later this month, followed by a federal decision under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

But a decision on Narrabri will not spare Albanese from having to take a position. That is one lesson from Adani: candidates do not look like leaders if they cannot say what they stand for. Loading The second question is whether to burn more gas for electricity. Butler believes domestic gas will be too expensive to justify more power stations at a time when solar, wind and battery storage are getting cheaper. Fitzgibbon thinks batteries cannot store enough at low cost to be viable. He wants two gas-fired power stations in the Hunter. While AGL and Snowy Hydro both plan to build new gas power plants, the government suspects AGL is dragging its feet to keep supply low and prices high. Scott Morrison is ready for Snowy to go it alone. Would Labor go to the next election with a plan to stop that project? It seems unlikely. Although environmental groups hate the idea of a new gas-fired power station, there is no majority in the caucus to agree with them. Fitzgibbon is not alone.

The third test is on carbon targets. Butler intends to prepare an interim target to replace the Labor plan at the last election, which was to cut emissions by 45 per cent cut by 2030. The updated goal, most likely for 2035, would be the stepping stone to net-zero emissions in 2050. Loading Yet the very concept of an interim target is questioned. Fitzgibbon thinks a recession is the wrong time to think about targets so far ahead. One caucus member says an "almighty barney" is not far off on what the target should be and whether to have one at all. The Prime Minister, meanwhile, knows exactly what he wants: more gas fields, more gas pipelines and more gas-fired generators producing electricity. Morrison provoked the environmental movement with his plan this week, but he also used the outrage to execute a quiet and clever shift. He no longer wants a new coal-fired power station in NSW.

The man who walked into the House of Representatives with a lump of black coal has hidden the rock like it was a smoking gun in a murder mystery  he has dropped it to the floor and kicked it under the seats, hoping it will never be seen again. Loading Liberals are breathing a sigh of relief at this change. The only dissent came from former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce and his ally Matt Canavan, both calling for coal power rather than gas. The problem is they are fighting the last war. They lost. Morrison won. The Coalitions long internal struggle has come at a cost to the country: no clean energy target, no national energy guarantee and no settled rules for companies to invest. Instead, the future will be about government grants, loans and interventions. This is very different to just a few years ago when Labor was united and the Coalition was fighting itself over coal, emission targets and Malcolm Turnbulls leadership.
You are here: China

Full Text: China's Armed Forces: 30 Years of UN Peacekeeping Operations - Xinhua | English.news.cn

Full Text: China's Armed Forces: 30 Years of UN Peacekeeping Operations - Xinhua | English.news.cn

China's State Council Information Office on Friday released a white paper titled "China's Armed Forces: 30 Years of UN Peacekeeping Operations."

Please see the attachment for the document.

Download the Full Text
BRUSSELS - The European Commission presented a series of measures Friday aimed at tackling structural racism and discrimination, acknowledging a blatant lack of diversity among the European Unions institutions.

The blocs executive arm set out its action plan for the next five years, which includes strengthening the current legal framework, recruiting an anti-racism co-ordinator and increasing the diversity of EU staff.

The European Commissions vice-president for values and transparency, Vera Jourova, said that recent anti-racism protests in the U.S. and Europe highlighted the need for action.

We have reached a moment of reckoning. The protests sent a clear message, change must happen now, Jourova said. It wont be easy, but it must be done.

We wont shy away from strengthening the legislation, if needed, she said. The commission itself will adapt its recruiting policy to better reflect European society.

The current College of Commissioners, which oversees EU policies, is made up of 27 members, one from each EU country. All the members of the team set up last year by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are white.

Under the plan, data on the diversity of commission staff will for the first time be collected on the basis of a voluntary survey that will help define new recruitment policies.

Meanwhile, the new co-ordinator for anti-racism will be in charge of collecting the grievances and feelings of minorities to make sure they are reflected in EU policies.

The EU said that more than half of Europeans believe that discrimination is widespread in their country. According to surveys carried out by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, or FRA, 45% of people of North African descent, 41% of Roma and 39% of people of sub-Saharan African descent have faced such discrimination.

The EUs racial equality directive will also be assessed, with possible new legislation introduced in 2022. In the wake of the Black Live Matters protests triggered by George Floyds death in the U.S., the European Commission said it would look carefully into discrimination by law enforcement authorities such as unlawful racial profiling. Meanwhile, the EU agency for fundamental rights will continue to collect data on police attitudes towards minorities.

The European Commission also wants to combat stereotypes and disinformation by setting up a series of seminars and promoting commemorative days linked to the issue of racism. It also encouraged member states to address stereotypes via cultural and education programs, or the media. A summit against racism is planned next year.

Nobody is born racist. It is not a characteristic which we are born with, said Helena Dalli, the EU commissioner for equality. Its a question of nurture, and not nature. We have to unlearn what we have learned.

Earlier this year, the European Parliament approved a resolution condemning the Floyds death and asking the EU to take a strong stance against racism.
BEIJING, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As the world enters a new era of international travel, Beijing Tourism is leading the way with a two-part online forum series, "Beijing Culture and Tourism Global Online Strategic Forum - Restart Travel, Together with Beijing." Held on 22-23 September 2020, the forum is aimed at tour operators and travel agencies who manage and sell travel to Beijing, destinations and tourism businesses around the world who can learn from Beijing's examples, and others working in the tourism industry and travel media. Attendees will come away with a practical understanding of how Beijing is tackling many of the most challenging issues facing international tourism, and looking ahead to the future, by embracing new technology, creative solutions, and learning from past experience.

The forum brings together an expert lineup of more than 30 speakers from throughout the tourism industry, including leaders such as Airbnb, TripAdvisor, Lufthansa Group, TUI, PATA, WYSE Travel Confederation, Marriott, and many others.

Each session features six panel discussions and keynote presentations. These address questions of how tourism can bounce back from COVID-19, the future of business travel and the MICE sector, and the role of youth travel in global tourism recovery.

Keynote speeches include a presentation from the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games, and a Q&A session addressing Beijing's challenges as a tourism destination. Each forum session finishes with a research report presentation from McKinsey on global prospects for tourism recovery.

"Beijing Tourism's goal in building this platform is to welcome friends around the world to discuss how to restart travel - not only travel to Beijing, but on an international level. As we move forward to embrace the new normal together, our Forum will develop confidence within the global travel industry by showing how Beijing and China are successfully leading the recovery of tourism," said Wei Pang, Deputy Director General, Beijing Municipal Culture and Tourism Bureau, Department of Foreign Exchanges and Cooperation.

The event will be held from 4pm China Standard Time (CST) on Tuesday, 22 September, for attendees in Africa, Asia, and Europe. A second session from 8am CST on Wednesday, 23 September, is aimed at attendees in the Americas and Oceania. Both forum sessions will be recorded and available for playback.

Please visit http://traveltrade.visitbeijing.com.cn/forum to register and view the full program.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1276524/Beijing_Tourism_Forum.jpg
There are all sorts of ways to eat your ice cream. You can slap it in a bowl, or scoop it into a plain jane cake cone or a slightly sweet sugar cone. You could upgrade to a crisp waffle cone if you like, but if you want to really go big, may we introduce you to the fabulous bubble waffle cone? You can give one of these beauties a try at Cream & Sugar Ice Cream Company in Bay City.

Its kind of like a Belgian waffle, said Krista Scott, operations manager for Cream & Sugar Ice Cream Company. They come out crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside, and theyre absolutely delicious.

Cream & Sugar Ice Creams bubble waffle cone is our pick for Sweet Treat of the Week, a series highlighting people and products from around Michigan who are using Pioneer Sugar in their creations.

Cream & Sugar just celebrated their one year anniversary. The company partnered with Michigan Sugar Company and the Michigan Milk Producers Association to create the new spot for locally sourced ice cream in Bay City.

Check out our interview below with Scott, where we discuss using locally sourced products, and how to make a bubble cone.

All of the ice cream is made in house at Cream & Sugar Ice Cream Company in Bay City.Courtesy Photo, used with permission.

Cream & Sugars bubble waffle cone forms a unique base with which to enjoy their house made ice cream, which they offer in sixteen different flavors. Each and every cone is made to order in a specially designed waffle iron. A sweetened batter gets squirted in, and then cooked for about two minutes. It then gets removed, and cools in a form to shape into a cone shape. While its a lot of work to make these cones to order, Its so worth it, Scott said.

The company can make upwards of a hundred bubble waffle cones a day. They keep us very busy, Scott said. The cones have gained a loyal following on social media, with many people visiting because they saw them there first, according to Scott. Its been really awesome, people will come in and say I want that cone that I saw my friend post the other day. Its a lot of fun."

All the ice cream is made in house, using locally sourced sugar and milk, and natural flavors. Scott picked one of their most popular flavors to fill that bubble cone with, Michigan Sugar Cookie. Sweet vanilla custard gets mixed with house made brown sugar cookie crumbles for this one. Its absolutely amazing, and its been one of my favorite flavors since the beginning," Scott said.

Scott also recommended the Dairy Farmers Delight, which is a vanilla custard with chocolate covered caramel chunks and a ribbon of caramel running through it. Scott also is a fan of adding a drizzle of caramel and fudge to the top of the cone, and we really cant argue with that idea.

Located in the Uptown development along the river in Bay City, Cream & Sugar Ice Cream Company is not only a local favorite, they are proud to be using so many locally sourced ingredient in their ice cream and cones. Its so fun to be involved with the community, and be local, and have everyone really be excited about it, Scott said.

The interior of Cream & Sugar Ice Cream Company.Courtesy Photo, used with permission.

Cream & Sugar Ice Cream Company

160 Uptown Dr.

Bay City, MI 48708

(989) 322-1000

creamsugarbaycity.com

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The Long Johns at Cops and Doughnuts are their most popular variety. They come filled and frosted in multiple ways.Courtesy Photo, used with permission.

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Hezbollah has stores of weapons across Europe including the explosive chemical that blew up Beirut, the US government claimed last night.

Hezbollah operatives have moved ammonium nitrate through Belgium, France, Greece, Italy, Spain and Switzerland since 2012, the State Department said as it ramped up the pressure on Europe to ban the Iran-backed group.

Counter-terrorism official Nathan Sales said Hezbollah had been smuggling the substance in first-aid kits, with ammonium nitrate hidden in cold packs.

The fertiliser can be used to make explosives and can be highly dangerous in storage - as demonstrated by the Beirut blast which killed nearly 200 people and devastated huge swathes of the city last month.

The disaster in Beirut on August 4, when a stash of ammonium nitrate exploded and devastated huge swathes of the Lebanese capital

The US government issued the warning on Thursday night as it appealed to Europe to ban the organisation, which has long been under US sanctions.

Washington differs with the EU by regarding all of Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation, while Brussels distinguishes between its political and military wings.

'Why would Hezbollah stockpile ammonium nitrate on European soil?' Sales said. 'The answer is clear: Hezbollah put these weapons in place so it could conduct major terrorist attacks whenever it or its masters in Tehran deemed necessary.'

Hezbollah's stores of ammonium nitrate are believed to be still in place around Europe, possibly in Greece, Italy and Spain, the US government says.

The elected arm of Hezbollah has been part of Lebanese governments in recent years which were widely blamed for the August 4 disaster.

Some individual countries including Britain and Germany have outlawed the group in its entirety.

But France, the former colonial power in Lebanon which is leading reconstruction efforts in Beirut, says Hezbollah's political arm has a legitimate role.

That has led to pressure from the US, which warns that Hezbollah's weapons stores could undermine Emmanuel Macron's efforts at reform.

Hezbollah is a 'unitary organization that cannot be subdivided into a military and so-called political wing,' Sales said.

'The European approach to Hezbollah since 2013 has not worked,' he said.

'It is fiction that terrorist activities can be cordoned off from the other activities of Hezbollah.'

The aftermath of the port blast in Beirut which prompted an outpouring of anger at corruption and incompetence among the country's elite

Without a full ban, the group can still raise money and recruit operatives, he added. 'Hezbollah is one organization,' he said. 'It is a terrorist organization.'

Sales made the remarks in an online forum hosted by the American Jewish Committee, which has called upon more countries to ban Hezbollah.

The Shi'ite militant group is backed by Iran, which is being targeted by US sanctions after Donald Trump pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal two years ago.

Lebanon's political leaders yesterday missed a French deadline to form an emergency government after the blast which disfigured Beirut.

Macron had imposed a two-week deadline to agree on a line-up of experts to tackle the country's crises, but it expired on Wednesday with no result.

The explosion led to an outpouring of anger at a ruling elite widely seen as corrupt and incompetent, prompting the government to resign.

France and other international powers have refused to provide desperately-needed aid until serious reforms are made.

The two main Shi'ite groups in Lebanon's usual power-sharing arrangement have insisted on retaining the finance ministry, frustrating efforts at an agreement.

'I am fully aware that we do not have the luxury of time,' prime minister-designate Mustapha Abib said in a brief statement after meeting President Michel Aoun.

The French president's office said it regretted the failure to form a government, but said it was not too late to do so.
In May 2019, all 194 countries that set the agenda of the World Health Organization met at the 72nd World Health Assembly and endorsed the establishment of World Patient Safety Day to be marked annually on 17 September. But this year's COVID-19 pandemic has unveiled the huge challenges and risks healthcare workers are facing globally including hospital-borne infections, violence, stigma, psychological and emotional disturbances, illness and even death.

Furthermore, working in unjust, abusive and stressful environments makes healthcare workers more prone to errors which can lead to patient harm. That is why the theme of 2020 World Patient Safety Day is "Health Worker Safety: A Priority for Patient Safety."

Safe Healthcare Workers, Safe Patients

"Even though there is a laudable move from the Indian government to safeguard healthcare workers from physical attack by patients, relatives or other people, but healthcare workers should also be protected from frequent burnout, psychological distress, exposure to pathogens, long working hours, fatigue, and many such issues that also affects safety of both: workers and the patients said Jibin TC, National Working Secretary of United Nurses Association (UNA), India. He was speaking on a panel co-organized by Public Services International (PSI).

The ongoing pandemic has placed healthcare workers at an unprecedented occupational risk of morbidity and mortality: lack of or inadequate personal protective equipment (PPE), exposure to infected patients, work overload, and/or poor infection control, makes them extremely vulnerable to occupational coronavirus infection. While some of the problems and challenges that healthcare workers face today are specific to the pandemic, many are pre-existing issues that have been exacerbated by it.

"There are many hospitals where nurses are suffering from paucity of basic amenities like masks, isolation gowns, face shield, testing kits, etc. Also, there is a huge shortage of nurses in both government and private hospitals. Ideally speaking every ventilated patient needs to have one nurse in the intensive care unit (ICU) but many private hospitals are not maintaining the nurse to patient ratio which is also a big threat to patient safety" added Jibin.

Earlier in the pandemic, shortage of PPE was a major issue for safety of healthcare workers. But now the concern has shifted to quality of PPE which is being handed out to the healthcare workers. "Many hospitals are giving extremely poor quality of PPE to nurses and other healthcare professionals. There is no proper standardization of PPE kits. Also, many hospitals are having 12 hours-shifts with PPE kits for nurses even when the government insists on a 6-hours shift. Nurses are often not given adequate support for isolation and quarantine. There are cases when nurses got infected with coronavirus (or their family members tested positive) but the bills were not covered by the hospital management. Only few hospitals are offering free treatment and management for nurses in case they contract an infection said Jibin.

For example, when a nurse lost her eyesight (in one of the eyes) due to a blast in the humidifier of an oxygen cylinder, not only she had to leave work, but also the organization did not compensate her by any means. "She will not get a job because she lost her eyesight in one eye" shared Jibin.

He demanded that samples must be collected early enough to identify diseases among nurses, as well as immediate isolation, periodic investigation, and free vaccination of nurses for range of vaccine preventable illnesses must be done.

safety of workers and patients also need strong unions

"A unionised workforce does lead to higher patient safety, as well as better public health and of course better conditions for workers. There is ample evidence internationally that the higher levels of union-density lead to better outcomes for both workers and patients. For example, a recent study in the USA found that COVID-19 related mortality was 30% lower in unionised age-care hospice than non-unionised age-care hospice" said Kate Lappin, Regional Secretary for the Asia Pacific region, Public Services International (PSI).

Concerns of healthcare workers like nurses, can only be addressed effectively (for the safety of workers as well as patients) if they have a strong voice. "and that can only happen through a collective process of having a union that not only has enough power to be able to raise specific issues but also to bargain for long term changes both at the workplace level as well as in public policy" added Kate.

When healthcare workers are unionised, they have a clear method to raise concerns about either patient or worker safety that would otherwise be ignored. Other methods like helplines are an eyewash and not effective in addressing these concerns of patients and healthcare workers because there is no guaranteed follow-up. Moreover, healthcare workers like nurses need to be involved in the responses to each situation.

In a non-unionised space, if nurses bring concerns to the attention of the management, they risk losing their jobs. "But in a unionised space, these can be addressed. For example, when there are inadequate PPE or noncompliance to the policies set by the government, these issues can be raised and addressed effectively only through a unionised workforce. In a number of countries around the world we can see that the more unionised nurses have been, higher level of respect they receive, better conditions they have (also in terms of pay and working conditions), as well as a higher nurse to patient ratio.

This has been a challenge for nurses unions and some of them have not only been able to influence the policies but also helped mandated a law. After many years of campaigning nurses in Melbourne gained a law for 3 to 1 patient to nurse ratio in general wards and one to one nurse to patient ratio in ICU. That of course would not have happened without a clear and powerful union - nurses union in Melbourne is the largest nurses union in Australia and power they have to protect public health more broadly as well as workers health has been very clear" shared Kate Lappin.

Bobby Ramakant - CNS (Citizen News Service)

(Bobby Ramakant is part of CNS and Asha Parivar, and a WHO Director Generals WNTD Awardee 2008. Follow him on Twitter @bobbyramakant or read www.bit.ly/BobbyRamakant)
The leader of ISIS ratted out 88 fellow jihadists when he was arrested by US forces 12 years ago, it has emerged.

Amir Muhammad Sa'id Abdal-Rahman al-Mawla provided the names of dozens of terrorist figures involved in kidnappings and assassinations, according to interrogation reports released by the US-based Combating Terrorism Centre.

Some of the figures he named after his capture in 2008 were later killed or captured by US-led forces in the region.

The mysterious jihadist was identified in March as the new leader of the terrorist group after the death of previous 'caliph' Abu-Bakr al Baghdadi last October.

ISIS leader Amir Muhammad Sa'id Abdal-Rahman al-Mawla, pictured in a US reward poster, ratted out dozens of fellow jihadists after being captured in 2008

Al-Mawla, also known as Hajj Abdullah, was captured in a night-time operation in Mosul in January 2008.

The US military said he was wanted for being the deputy al-Qaeda leader in the city and 'ordering and approving abductions and executions'.

The prisoner told interrogators that he was aware of terrorist activities including executions and kidnappings, while downplaying his own involvement.

Some of the 88 people he named in three interrogation sessions were fully identified with descriptions of their role in ISI, the Iraq-based forerunner of ISIS, while others were given pseudonyms such as 'Doctor'.

In 64 of the 88 cases, al-Mawla gave 'at least a basic description' of how they were involved in terrorism, according to the Combating Terrorism Center's report.

Some of the jihadists were described with details of their involvement in kidnappings or attacks on coalition forces since the US-led invasion in 2003.

Four of the people he named may even have remained in prison as late as 2016 on the basis of al-Mawla's testimony, the report speculates.

'The fact that he detailed activities and gave testimony against them suggests a willingness to offer up fellow members of the group to suit his own ends,' the authors write.

'The amount of detail and seeming willingness to share information about fellow organization members suggests either a degree of nonchalance, strategic calculation, or resignation on the part of al-Mawla regarding operational security.

'He appears to have named individuals in some capacity across all levels of the organization, while describing some individuals in some detail.'

The Combating Terrorism Center, a research body founded in the wake of 9/11, is based at West Point, the US military academy in New York state.

Al-Mawla could also have been detained on an earlier occasion and crossed paths at Camp Bucca with his ISIS predecessor Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, it is believed.

Baghdadi, who declared himself the group's 'caliph' in 2014, died in a US raid in Syria in October 2019.

Former ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi during his only public appearance in 2014, when he spoke at a mosque in Iraq

Donald Trump said Baghdadi had killed himself by detonating a suicide vest after fleeing into a dead-end tunnel in Syria.

He was positively identified by DNA tests 15 minutes later, the president said when he announced Baghdadi's death.

The highly elusive leader had not been seen for years until he resurfaced in a 2019 video where he talked about the Easter Sunday terror attack in Sri Lanka.

Before his death he had called for his followers to break ISIS prisoners out of the camps where they are being held in Syria.

ISIS acknowledged Baghdadi's death and announced his successor as Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, an unknown name.

The group identified its new leader merely as a scholar, a well-known warrior and 'emir of war' who has battled American forces and knows 'its wars.'

However, US officials later announced that the new man was really al-Mawla, a former al-Qaeda militant also known as Hajj Abdullah.

The Combating Terrorism Center researchers say are 'highly confident' that al-Mawla is the new leader.

A drone view shows the remains of Baghdadi's compound after it was destroyed by American troops who had arrived by helicopter in Syria last year

Little is known about him, although the interrogation reports say he was born in a predominantly Turkmen area of Iraq.

The Center report says this could pose difficulties for al-Mawla in running the organisation, since most senior ISIS leaders are Arabs.

The U.S. Department of State's Rewards for Justice program is offering a $10million reward for information that could lead to al-Mawla's identification or location.

ISIS lost its last patch of territory in Syria last year under siege from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

But analysts warn that it remains a threat, with the US government saying that it had evolved into a global network that inspires attacks elsewhere.

The UN said last month that more than 10,000 ISIS fighters are thought to remain active in Iraq and Syria and their attacks have increased significantly this year.

UN counter-terrorism chief Vladimir Voronkov said the militants move freely 'in small cells between the two countries'.

However, restrictions on movement caused by the coronavirus pandemic appeared to have reduced the risk of terrorist attacks in many countries, he said.
Police officers prevented a wedding party going ahead on Friday as forces urged people to comply with coronavirus restrictions during the warm and sunny weather this weekend.

Officers in Manchester said they stopped restrictions being breached after they were called to reports of a wedding party at a home, amid increased police patrols prompted by stricter rules on social gatherings.

It comes as the Met Office forecasts a weekend of largely dry, bright and fine weather, which could see temperatures rise as high as 24C (75F).

Earlier, GMP's Covid-19 compliance operation received intelligence regarding a wedding party in Wythenshawe. Police attended and found that a gazebo had been erected in the garden of a property. Officers prevented the illegal gathering before restrictions were breached. pic.twitter.com/XVKgUAQxCB  Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) September 18, 2020

Greater Manchester Police said officers attended a property in Wythenshawe on Friday evening, having received intelligence that a wedding party was being held.

Police attended and found that a gazebo had been erected in the garden of a property, the force tweeted.

Officers prevented the illegal gathering before restrictions were breached.

Meanwhile, Assistant Chief Constable Claire Nix, of Kent Police, said there would be an increased presence in key areas around the county, as Covid-19 remains a real and deadly threat.

After a fine and sunny end to the week for most of us, will the sunshine last into the weekend?  Find out here  pic.twitter.com/DqlUKmJ6Ce  Met Office (@metoffice) September 18, 2020

Kent has had a very good compliance rate when it comes to adhering to the national health advice around the coronavirus, Assistant Chief Constable Claire Nix said.

Story continues

However, the Government has made it clear that the risk of increasing infections is too great to ignore and stricter social gathering rules have now come into effect to help keep everyone safe.

Kent Police officers continue to engage, explain and encourage people to follow the latest advice and enforcement will be used as a last resort.

There will be an increased presence in key locations around the county to ensure the current national advice is adhered to, such as preventing unlicensed music events and illegal gatherings.

Covid-19 remains a real and deadly threat and we all need to take responsibility for our actions in helping reduce the spread of the virus and ultimately save lives.

(PA Graphics)

The Metropolitan Police urged Londoners to continue to act responsibly amid forecasts of warm weather for the capital over the weekend.

The force said it will continue to patrol public spaces and respond to incidents where groups of more than six are gathering, reminding the public of fines for breaching coronavirus guidelines.

Any social gathering of more than six people in England is against the law, with people facing fines of up to 3,200 if they do not abide by the new measure, which applies to both indoor and outdoor settings.

It comes as further lockdown measures have been introduced in northern parts of England.

Liverpool is forecast to see highs of 19C (66F) on both Saturday and Sunday and stay bright and dry, as are parts of the North East, such as Newcastle, although the temperature will be cooler, sitting at around 15C (59F).

(PA Graphics)

Ollie Claydon, a spokesperson for the Met Office, said that the warm weekend temperatures would come ahead of a more unsettled week of weather.

Were in for a dry and fine evening on Saturday, with clear conditions for central parts of the UK and northern Ireland, he said.

Theres a risk of showers but temperatures will stay high.

But then a cold front from the north west around lunchtime on Monday will herald the arrival of cooler, more unsettled weather next week.

Forces in Dorset, where large crowds have previously flocked to the beaches to enjoy the heat, also warned that anyone flouting the new rule of six over the weekend may be subject to fines.
Audience members listen as Democratic presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden participates in a CNN town hall in Moosic, Penn., on Sept. 17, 2020. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Biden: Ive Benefitted From Being White

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said that he has benefited because hes white.

Biden was asked during a town hall on Thursday whether he feels hes benefited from so-called white privilege, or the notion of having an easier time in life because of the color of ones skin.

Sure, Ive benefited just because I dont have to go through what my black brothers and sisters have had to go through, he said.

The response was a contrast with President Donald Trump, who dismissed the notion during an interview earlier this year.

Journalist Bob Woodward asked Trump whether he has any sense that that privilege has isolated and put you in a cave to a certain extent, as it put me, and I think lots of White, privileged people in a cave. And that we have to work our way out of it to understand the anger and the pain, particularly black people feel in this country.

No. You really drank the Kool-Aid, didnt you? Just listen to you. Wow. No, I dont feel that at all, Trump responded.

President Donald Trump speaks to supporters during a rally at Central Wisconsin Airport in Mosinee, Wis., Sept. 17, 2020. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Biden during the town hall also said that he and others who grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania were used to guys that look down their nose at us for either not attending college or not doing to an Ivy League school.

Biden falsely stated that he was the first in his family to go to college. He has said in the past that several people within three generations of him went to college on his mothers side.

The Biden campaign didnt respond to a request for comment.

Matt Wolking, a spokesman for the Trump campaign, targeted a Politico reporter who claimed Bidens line was the most effective one deployed against Trump since 2015.

Reporter cant get enough of Bidens lie that he was first in his family to go to college, which Biden himself admitted was a lie 33 years ago today, Wolking wrote on Twitter.
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.


CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The Japanese yen firmed against its key counterparts in the European session on Friday, as worries about the second wave of coronavirus infections in the Europe lifted demand for safe-haven assets.



Spain is currently battling a resurgent second wave of Covid-19 although the mortality levels are far lower than they were in spring.



Leading scientists advising the U.K. government have proposed a two-week national lockdown in October to try to tackle the rising number of coronavirus cases.



Surging coronavirus figures across Europe should serve as 'a wake-up call', Dr. Hans Kluge, regional director of The World Health Organization in Europe, said on Thursday.



The number of new cases had doubled in more than half of European member states in the past two weeks and we have a very serious situation unfolding before us, he added.



Data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications showed that Japan consumer prices rose 0.2 percent on year in August - in line with expectations and slowing from 0.3 percent in July.



Core CPI, which excludes volatile food costs, sank an annual 0.4 percent - again matching forecasts following the flat reading in the previous month.



The yen appreciated to a 1-1/2-month high of 104.27 against the greenback from yesterday's closing value of 104.74. On the upside, 100 is likely seen as the next resistance level for the yen.



The yen climbed to 114.67 against the Swiss franc for the first time since July 29. The yen is poised to find resistance around the 112.5 region.



Reversing from its early low of 136.16 against the pound and a 2-day low of 124.31 against the euro, the yen edged up to 135.32 and 123.48, respectively. The yen is seen locating resistance around 129.00 against the pound and 119.5 against the euro.



The yen bounced off to 70.73 against the kiwi, 79.20 against the loonie and 76.18 against the aussie, from its prior 3-day low of 71.20, 2-day lows of 79.77 and 76.85, respectively. The next possible resistance for the yen lies around 67.00 against the kiwi, 76.5 against the loonie and 74.00 against the aussie.



Looking ahead, Canada retail sales for July and University of Michigan's preliminary consumer sentiment index for September will be featured in the New York session.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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President Donald Trump announced during his Wisconsin rally on Thursday that he will release a relief aid or financial assistance worth $13 billion.

Trump announced another relief aid while waiting for the stimulus bill to arrive on his table. He said during his Wisconsin rally on Thursday that an amount of $13 billion will be given to farmers who are heavily impacted by the global pandemic.

Farmers in the country are mainly composed of immigrants or particularly Latinos and Hispanics. They played a very important role during the wake of the pandemic and when the federal government ordered a stay-at-home policy to avoid virus contagion.

While most of the Americans are in their homes during the stay-at-home order of the government, Latino and Hispanic farmers are on the field and making sure that the food chain is enough. This is despite the health threat of the infectious and deadly COVID-19.

This is now the time to honor and support the farmers across the country. The federal government has been giving financial aid to farmers through the help of the Agriculture Department and Trump promised to give more as they continue to serve the country.

"Starting next week my administration is committing an additional - you've been asking for this for a long time - $13 billion in relief to help farmers recover from the China virus, including Wisconsin's incredible dairy, cranberry and ginseng farmers, who got hurt badly," Trump said.

According to a published article in The New York Times, the details of the $13 billion aid for the farmers will be released on Friday. A person who has the knowledge of the relief aid said the details will include how the money will be distributed.

This is not the first time that the federal government and the Agriculture Department will release a financial aid to the farmers. It can be remembered that the agency released an amount of $19 billion aid in April to the farmers and ranch owners.

The previous aid was intended for farmers who are heavily impacted by the global pandemic and those who experienced interruptions in the supply chain and decreased income because of the stay-at-home order and closures of businesses like restaurants and hotels which are their primary customers.

Trump's campaign in Wisconsin has focused on aid for farmers ahead of the November election as rural areas hold most of his supporters.

The President knew that several farmers experienced hardships during the pandemic and that is why he is making sure that they will have the support and financial aid they need.

Trump has again proved that despite the rejection of the Democrats-dominated Congress for a new stimulus bill, he will make ways to provide financial support to millions of Americans.

Trump has always been asking Congress to act on the next stimulus package, but the House failed due to some disagreements.

Meanwhile, the President noted that despite the failed negotiations and rejections of his administration's proposed stimulus bill, he will release executive actions for relief aid.

Check these out!
She recently returned to New York City to resume filming her upcoming show, Flight Attendant, after the COVID-19 pandemic halted filming.

And Kaley Cuoco was spotted on set for an intense scene, on Thursday, in which she was held at gunpoint.

The dramatic moments came a day after she was reunited with her husband Karl Cook, following two weeks of quarantine before filming.

Intense: Kaley Cuoco was spotted on set for an intense scene of her upcoming HBO Max show Flight Attendant, on Thursday, in which she was held at gunpoint on the streets of NYC

The 34-year-old actress was seen in the same outfit she was spotted filming in earlier in the week.

She was wrapped up in a mid-calf length grey coat, and faded cropped jeans.

Adding height to her style, she wore lugged bottom platform boots and carried a dark maroon leather handbag.

A female assailant, played by Michelle Gomez, wore all black in tall boots, long pants and a long coat and handbag as she pointed the gun to Kaley's back.

Character look: The 34-year-old actress was seen in the same outfit she was spotted filming in earlier in the week

Wrapped: She was wrapped up in a mid-calf length grey coat, and faded cropped jeans. The Big Bang Theory star was then snapped leaving a building marked 'Police Department City of New York' looking a bit run-down

The Big Bang Theory star was then snapped leaving a building marked 'Police Department City of New York.'

She was later spotted in between takes, without her coat revealing the high neck black tank underneath, and attempting to cover her face in a black reusable face mask that fell beneath her nose.

On Wednesday, she shared a photo kissing her husband of two years, Karl captioned 'finally!'

She only recently recently returned to work on her HBO Max series, sharing some behind-the-scenes masked selfies earlier this month with co-star Michiel Huisman.

Drama: A female assailant, played by Michelle Gomez, wore all black in tall boots, long pants and a long coat and handbag as she pointed the gun to Kaley's back

Break: She was later spotted in between takes, without her coat revealing the high neck black tank underneath, and attempting to cover her face in a black reusable face mask that fell beneath her nose

Captioning the photos, she wrote: 'Were back!! Keeping our distance of course! ...Time to land this [airplane emoji]!'

The suspenseful drama series went on hiatus back in March, as the COVID-19 lockdown forced Hollywood to temporarily shut down.

The cast quarantined for two weeks upon arrival to New York, at the end of August, before getting back to filming.

Production previously wrapped on all international locations, with about three episodes left to shoot.

Reunited: On Wednesday, she shared a photo kissing her husband of two years, Karl captioned 'finally'

Land that plane: She returned to NYC for filming in August and shared some behind-the-scenes masked selfies last week with co-star Michiel Huisman, writing, 'Were back!! Keeping our distance of course!'

Kaley executive produces and stars as Cassie, a flight attendant who wakes up in a strange place with a dead man in her bed and no recollection of what happened.

'We'll be quarantined for two weeks and you'll get a look at our shenanigans, I'm sure. And then back to work. We only have like two and a half episodes left, so I'm going to wrap up by the beginning of October.'

The show, which is expected to premiere in November, is based on the 2018 novel of the same name by Chris Bohjalian.

Kaley continued: 'I don't have an exact date but that is exciting at all in itself. I don't know if you guys know this but I have been working on this project for three years.

'It goes back to three years from when I actually found the original book, so it's very exciting for me, and then obviously developing it for over two years.'
With intense agitation by farmers over the past fortnight in Punjab and Haryana, two regional allies of the BJP in the states  Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP)  are sensing the ground slip from under their feet. As a result, they have moved quickly to appear to be on the side of the farmers.

On Thursday evening, Akali Dals lone Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigned from the cabinet citing her disagreement with the three farm bills proposed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Parliament, which have been the primary cause of anger among the farmers. In a tweet, following her resignation, Harsimrat Badal said that she was Proud to stand with farmers as their daughter & sister".

In Haryana, BJPs ally JJP, headed by deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Singh Chautala, is also feeling the heat of the agitation. On Friday morning, Chautala held a meeting with Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on the issue of protests over the three bills promulgated by the NDA government  The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020; The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement; and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020  and held another round of meeting with his partys top leaders. The JJP has 10 MLAs in the 90-seat Haryana assembly.

None other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself has tried to pacify the anger of the farmers. In his e-rally with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday, Modi said that misinformation" was being spread about farmers not getting the right prices because of the three farm bills. People opposing the bills, he said, are forgetting how aware the countrys farmers areFake news is being spread that wheat and rice etc will not be procured by government agencies from farmers. This is an absolute lie, completely wrong and an attempt to deceive farmers," he said.

JJP shares many similarities with the Akali Dal in that their primary support base is the states farmers. Both parties have also emerged stronger after pitching themselves as strong anti-Centre regional forces. While the Akali Dal has a history of rising on the shoulders of farmer agitations on issues of water and fertiliser supply, the JJP has pitched itself as a pro-farmer party with Dushyant Chautala campaigning atop tractors in recent assembly elections and repeatedly questioning the Centres promise of doubling farmer income.

The fervour with which the protests are taking place seems only to suggest that the agitation will intensify in the coming days. Therefore, both these parties risk losing the support of the very people who voted them to power. Both the BJP allies have been feeling the brunt of farmer agitation, with farmer bodies having called for rail roko andolan and shutdown in rural India over the next week.

On Friday, a 55-year-old farmer tried to kill himself in Badals home village in Punjab by consuming poison. His condition is said to be critical. A Congress MLA in Punjab has reportedly resigned over the issue and former state cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu has also made his pro-farmer stance clear through a series of tweets.

With anger among farmers of these two states rising clearly, the question before the parties, say political analysts, was who will blink first.

It is clearly advantage-Akali Dal. They made the move first realising that their primary vote base - the farmer - was angry. So they decided to reassert their regional party position and say that they wont play second fiddle to BJP anymore. In fact the signal that the Akalis have now given is that if their alliance has to stay then BJP has to follow the Akalis and not the other way round," said Pramod Kumar, director of the think tank Institute for Development and Communication (IDC).

Kumar goes a step further and says that for Akalis the rising farmer anger against BJP-promulgated bills came as a huge opportunity. Since the early 60s, when Master Tara Singh was replaced with Fateh Singh, Akali Dals main supporter has been the farmer and their main thrust has been on federalism. If they hadnt taken this step they would have been politically extinguished. They had no choice to take this decision. Akali Dal rose to power on the sentiment that the Centre should not dictate terms to the state. Now they cannot be seen to be shying away from that principle," said Kumar.

He added that Akalis are only following the principle that every successful regional party has followed - that you fight for local issues and keep the Centres influence in check. The question now was whether the JJP will also follow Akalis suit.

Farmer leaders in Haryana feel that the JJP-BJP combine has no option but to come around on the issue of the farm bills. The agitation has intensified greatly here since the September 10, when farmers protesting in Kurukshetra were lathicharged by the police. On Friday, Deputy CM Dushyant Chautalas brother Digvijay Chautala, a senior JJP leader and leader of the partys youth wing, in a press conference came out strongly against the lathicharge on the farmers. Claiming to understand farmers issues since he came from a farmers family, Dushyant said that those responsible for ordering the lathicharge on the farmers will be punished and that the Deputy CM had no role to play in the incident.

Satyawan, the president of the Haryana-based farmers body All India Kisan Khet Mazduur Sangathan, said that farmers were trying really hard over the past few weeks to get in touch with senior political leaders in the BJP to convince them that the bills were against their interests, but no one has paid attention.

The people in power are now realising that the ground is slipping from beneath their feet. BJP thinks that since it has a brute majority in Parliament, it can do however it pleases. In the coming days, their government will see the power of our resistance. On September 20, farmers of the two states will commemorate Pratirodh Diwas and on September 25, a pan-India rural shutdown has been called for," he said.

While protests are going on over several other farmers issues in many other states, such as in UP and Rajasthan over non-payment of sugarcane dues, in Punjab and Haryana they have intensified because most of the farmers who are beneficiaries of the Minimum Support Price (MSP) come from these two states. There is a sentiment among farmers here that the three farm bills will corporatise the farm sector, reduce the procurement by states and not give them even the MSP for their produce.
COLUMBUS, OhioPlans to build the nations first freshwater wind farm in Lake Erie northeast of Cleveland took a major  and unexpected  step forward Thursday, as state regulators reversed their previous decision to limit the nighttime operation of the proposed wind turbines.

But despite the Ohio Power Siting Boards decision, there are still details that need to be worked out regarding how to mitigate the harm to animals from Icebreaker Wind, a $126 million, 20.7-megawatt pilot project that has been in the works for more than a decade.

During a virtual meeting that involved a level of discussion and debate unusual for the Power Siting Board, board members unanimously voted to rescind part of an order they issued last May that approved construction of the wind turbines only if the turbine blades didnt move at night between March 1 and Nov. 1, on the grounds that they would harm bats and birds.

Such a limit would be a poison pill that would make the project financially infeasible, according to Dave Karpinski, president of Lake Erie Energy Development Corp., the non-profit developer of the wind farm.

However, the board now still needs to approve LEEDCos plans to address a variety of topics, from mitigating harm to birds, bats, and fish to how to eventually decommission the wind farm. We just have to do what we can to try to see if theres a way that theyll be addressed in a timely fashion, Karpinski said, adding its unusual for the Power Siting Board to vote on such plans instead of handing the matter over to staff to work out.

Board members have also been under pressure from state lawmakers to remove the nighttime limits. Thirty-two Northeast Ohio lawmakers from both parties signed a letter urging the board to reconsider their earlier decision, including that the board offered no compelling evidence to override a recommendation by Power Siting Board staff and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to approve the project without the limit.

ODNR Director Mary Mertz, a member of the Power Siting Board, said during Thursdays meeting that project supporters presented some valid objections" to the night limit.

Im sure we will tighten restrictions if the data shows we need to do that, Mertz said.

Earlier this week, cleveland.com reported that board members received a draft order that rejected both sides' arguments and preserved the May order as is  including the limits on nighttime use. State Rep. Jeff Crossman, a Parma Democrat and a non-voting board member, said it appeared to him that voting board members were caught off-guard by the story and became concerned that their decision would look pre-decided.

Karpinski said the boards decision Thursday was very surprising to him, though he was really happy with the end result.

The board rejected other objections made by supporters of Icebreaker Wind about additional conditions the board had placed on approving the project.

Board members also denied a motion to rehear the case made by opponents of the wind farm, who are unhappy the board approved the project at all. Those opponents, which include the Lake Erie Marine Trades Association, the nonprofit Lake Erie Foundation and the Black Swamp Bird Observatory, argue that a deeper environmental analysis is needed.

Michelle Burke, president of the Lake Erie Marine Trades Association, voiced disappointment in a statement that the Power Siting Board changed its mind about the nighttime rule, which was made to avoid the wholesale slaughter of thousands of birds and bats migrating in the Lake Erie flyway.

However, Burke said she believed the board will have sufficient grounds to reinstate such a policy at its next meeting, as "Icebreaker has never had a scientifically sound mitigation plan, we believe the Board will have sufficient grounds to reinstate such a condition at the next OPSB meeting.

Supporters argue the project will generate $250 million for the local economy and create more than 500 jobs. Burke disputed those claims and said the goal of the pilot project is to build up to 1,600 wind turbines in Lake Erie.

We are talking about a generational change to Ohios greatest natural resource, she said.

Heres video of the full Power Siting Board meeting on Thursday:

Read more Ohio politics and government stories:

Just 5 Ohio counties now on red alert for cornavirus; Summit County drops to yellow

Cleveland schools set to receive $13.7 million in school funding dispute

Ohios initial, continued unemployment claims each fell more than 9% last week

Ohio begins issuing $300 supplemental unemployment benefits

Mike Pence says in Zanesville that Donald Trump fought for the country and Ohio State football
Ms. Marvel, the upcoming Disney+ show centered around the first Muslim hero to headline a Marvel comic series, has tapped Bad Boys For Life filmmakers Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, to direct episodes of the series, according to an individual with knowledge of the project. Additionally, two time Oscar winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Meera Menon also joined the directing roster for the series.

Ms. Marvel was created by writer G. Willow Wilson, artist Adrian Alphona and editors Sana Amanat and Stephen Wacker and made her comic book series debut in February 2014. Kamala Khan is a 16-year-old Pakistani-American from New Jersey, and she became Marvel Comics first Muslim character to headline her own comic book. Wilson was the sole writer on the Kamala Khan run of Ms. Marvel for five years and 60 issues. The Ms. Marvel series was announced last year during the D23 Expo, along with Moon Knight and She-Hulk. Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige said Khan would also appear in future films.

Also Read: 'Ms Marvel' Co-Creator Fears Kamala Khan's Powers Will Look 'Really Creepy' in Disney+ Series

El Arbi and Fallahs Bad Boys for Life came out in January of this year and is still the highest grossing film of 2020. The Moroccan-born, Belgian filmmaking duo first directed Black, a Romeo & Juliet style drama set in the world of organized crime in Belgium, which won the Discovery section of the 2015 Toronto Film Festival. They also did establishing episodes of the FX series Snowfall. Next up, the directing duo have have set their next film Rebel, a coming-of-age story of a teenage Muslim boy that they describe as a true passion project. The Direct first reported the news of Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallahs involvement with Ms. Marvel.

Documentarian Obaid-Chinoy took home Oscar gold for 2015s A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness, which explores the aftermath of an attempted honor killing in Pakistan, and 2012s Saving Face, which centered on acid attacks on women in Pakistan. Obaid-Chinoy is the first Pakistan-born filmmaker to win an Academy Award.

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Menon first broke out with 2013 indie road trip comedy Farah Goes Bang, about a young Muslim woman seeking to lose her virginity while campaigning for John Kerrys 2004 presidential bid. Menon followed that up with directing 2016 Sundance film Equity. On the television side, Menon also directed episodes of Apple TV+ show You and For All Mankind.

El Arbi, Fallah and Obaid-Chinoy are repped by CAA. Menon is repped by WME.

The Hollywood Reporter first reported the news.

Read original story Ms Marvel': Bad Boys for Life Duo, Oscar Winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy Among Directors At TheWrap
A village head (pradhan) was shot dead, allegedly by two bike-borne miscreants, in Amari village under Sarpataha police area of Jaunpur district of Uttar Pradesh on Thursday night, police said.

Four persons were taken into custody for interrogation in connection with the incident, a police officer said. Jaunpur superintendent of police Raj Karan Nayyar suspended station officer, Sarpataha police station, Pankaj Pandey and three constables posted at the station for laxity, said circle officer Jeetendra Dubey.

As per the police, Basant Lal Bind, 48, was sitting in front of his house when two bike-borne assailants appeared at around 9pm and opened fire, killing him on the spot. The men fled the scene.

Circle officer Jeetendra Dubey and station officer Pandey reached the spot. Later, SP Nayyar also inspected the site. Dubey said some old enmity appeared to be the reason for the incident.

The SP had constituted a team led by Dubey to look for the assailants.
Dr Gideon Boako, Economic Policy Advisor and Spokesperson to the Vice President Dr Bawumia has cautioned electorates in the Tano North constituency against skirt and blouse voting in the 2020 general elections.



He said skirt and blouse voting would not help the party to achieve the total victory it wants in the elections and would also hinder President Akufo-Addos vision for the country.



Dr Gideon Boako disclosed this at separate meetings with some aggrieved supporters at Yamfo, Tanoso, Bomaa and Duayaw-Nkwanta in the Tano North constituency as part of measures to strengthen the party in the constituency ahead of the impending general elections.



The meetings came after he had received information indicating that some supporters of the party were unhappy with the selection of the candidate for the area and were bent on punishing the candidate who doubles as the incumbent Member of Parliament come December by voting skirt and blouse.



Present at the meetings to smoke peace pipe were the Paliamentary aspirants, constituency executives, electoral area coordinators and polling stations executives.



Dr Boako who is on five days visit to the constituency to settle scores among supporters noted at a meeting that the party needs to find its strengths and weaknesses, and that adopting the skirt and blouse attitude would not help them achieve their objective of maintaining power and winning the seat.



He said forgiveness after primaries has been the bane of the party in the constituency and urged the various parties to unite and campaign together as one unit to maintain the seat and give true meaning to the numerous development projects being implemented by the government to improve livelihoods.



He further challenged the campaign teams to work tirelessly and coordinate effectively with electoral areas and polling station campaign teams to ensure the message of the NPP sunk well with the electorates.



Mrs Emelia Konadu, an attempted aspirant, who spoke on behalf of the various aspirants, pledged their unflinching support for the party and the Parliamentary candidate ahead of the elections saying every supporter of all aspirants should burry their differences and merge in unity for the progress of the party.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Nigeria @ 60 logo unveiled earlier this week by President Muhammad Buhari was copied from a Russian diamond mining company.

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday 16th of September 2020, unveiled the Nigeria@60 logo and theme for the countrys Diamond Jubilee celebration on October 1st.

It was later discovered that the logo was first used by a Russian diamond mining company, Alrosa, in 2017.

The logo was published on Forbes edition of August 3, 2017 with the headline: Russian Mining Giant Unveils 51-Carat Dynasty Diamond.

It is not clear if the Nigerian government got permission from Alrosa to us this picture. This is not the first time the Nigerian government under President Buhari will be accused of unwholesome copying.

In September 2016, a part of President Muhammadu Buharis Change Begins With Me speech, delivered at the launching of a social initiative against corruption and other vices, was copied from former American president Barack Obamas 2008 victory speech.

It was observed that the similarities between a paragraph in President Obamas 2008 victory speechare too close to be passed as coincidence, presidential spokesman Garba Shehu said in a statement, adding that an unnamed overzealous speechwriter responsible for the plagiarism will face appropriate sanction.

In January 2019, a website belonging to Nigerias ruling All Progressives Congress published a plagiarised manifesto on its website.

But the partys spokesman Lanre Issa-Onilu said the website was hacked by people who have evil plots.

The first paragraph of the power supply section of the partys Next Level agenda published on apc.com.ng showed remarkable similarities to the content published on several other websites.

Follow Us on Facebook  @LadunLiadi; Instagram  @LadunLiadi; Twitter  @LadunLiadi; Youtube  @LadunLiadiTV for updates
A lawyer for founder has told a London court that her client was indirectly offered a win-win deal by President that would see him avoid extradition to the US if he revealed the source of a leak of documents from the Democratic Party before the 2016 election.

Assange, who didn't reveal the source of the leak of the Democratic National Committee emails, is fighting efforts by the US to extradite him to face an array of charges related to his work at

Jennifer Robinson, who has represented for a decade, relayed to the court Friday via a written statement that her client had been made an offer at a meeting on August 15, 2017, with former Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher and Trump associate Charles Johnson.

In her statement that was read out at London's Criminal Court, Robinson said the pair wanted us to believe they were acting on behalf of the president and that they had stated that Trump was aware of and had approved of them coming to meet with Assange to discuss the proposal.

She also said the pair said they would have an audience with the president to discuss the matter on their return to Washington.

Robinson said that Rohrabacher had said he had come to London to talk to Assange at his then-refuge at the Ecuadorian Embassy about what might be necessary to get him out, presenting him with a win-win situation that would allow him to leave the embassy and get on with his life" without fear of being extradited to the US.

The proposal put forward by Congressman Rohrabacher was that Assange identify the source for the 2016 election publications in return for some kind of pardon, assurance or agreement which would both benefit President Trump politically and prevent US indictment and extradition," Robinson said. Any information on the source of the link would be of interest, value and assistance to Trump, the pair said, according to Robinson.

Robinson said that Rohrabacher explained at the meeting that he wanted to resolve the ongoing speculation about Russian involvement in the leaks. Russia has been widely blamed to have been behind the email theft. At the time of the meeting, special counsel Robert Mueller was investigating alleged ties between Russia and Trump's 2016 election campaign.

Assange didn't reveal the source of the leak of the Democratic National Committee emails, which were published by WikiLeaks, among others, in 2016 in the run-up to the election. They are considered to have damaged Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign against Trump.

Rohrabacher, who lost his seat in the 2018 midterm elections, has previously said he never spoke with Trump about Assange and wasn't directed by the president or anyone else connected with him to meet with Assange. James Lewis, a lawyer acting on behalf of the U.S. government, said it wasn't contesting that these things were said.

We obviously do not accept the truth of what was said by others, he said.

US prosecutors have indicted the 49-year-old Assange on 17 espionage charges, and one of computer misuse, over WikiLeaks' publication of secret U.S. military documents a decade ago, largely around the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq a decade ago. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison.

Assange's lawyers say the prosecution is politically motivated and that he won't receive a fair trial in the United States. They also argue that Assange was acting as a journalist entitled to First Amendment protection.

Assange has been in a British prison since his ejection from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London in April 2019. He had been granted asylum by Ecuador in 2012 over fears he would face possible extradition to the US related to his work with WikiLeaks.

The extradition hearing is due to last until early October.
EXILED members of the Zanu PFs G40 faction have said they are still Zanu PF members and are fighting tirelessly to force the ruling Zanu PF party to return to constitutionalism, accusing President Emmerson Mnangagwa of fraudulently shooting his way to power in 2017.

This came after Zanu PF on Wednesday claimed that former party national commissar Saviour Kasukuwere, his brothers and some G40 elements, who fled a pursuing military during the November 2017 coup, had reapplied to rejoin the party, but the door remained shut for them.

Kasukuwere, former ministers Patrick Zhuwao, Ignatius Chombo, Walter Mzembi and Jonathan Moyo, among others, were key members of the G40 faction that coalesced around the late former President Robert Mugabe and wife Grace, before they were pushed out by the army in the November 2017 coup.

I will not go to court with politics. I will fight politically. Our removal from the party was unconstitutional. We were chased away with guns over our heads and that was unconstitutional, a defiant Kasukuwere said.

They tried creating charges against some of us and they were dropped. The people must be free to speak and not be threatened with guns. You cannot start shooting people and threatening them with guns, then the next morning you wake up to say you are a leader, no. That will be challenged.

Kasukuweres house was shelled with bullets together with that of Moyo during the coup, forcing them to flee the country.While Kasukuwere is pushing to reform Zanu PF, Moyo said he was now done with the ruling party.

Kasukuweres fury came after Zanu PF acting spokesperson Patrick Chinamasa claimed the G40 cabal would not be allowed back into Zanu PF.

We must also say we have received applications for readmission from people who are still unrepentant. There are some G40 elements who come and say they want to be readmitted, but after they tell us that story, they go and work against the party and one such comrade is Kasukuwere and his brothers, who in the dead of the night are undermining Zanu PF and want to come and be readmitted into the party. We will not allow such, Chinamasa said after the Wednesday politburo meeting.

The former Local Government minister hit back, saying: Chinamasa is being dishonest and unfortunate. Three comrades, myself, Mzembi and Zhuwao met the ANC [African National Congress] whose deliberations and discussions remain privileged until the process is over.

Kasukuwere said he was clear on how to return Zanu PF to constitutionalism and he would not be distracted.

Attempts to personalise and malign will be ignored. The crisis is national in nature and cannot be reduced to individuals or factions. I am clear about how we should fix the legitimacy issues all round and will keep my eye on the ball. This is the main cause of our crisis, he said.

The cause of our national crisis is to deal with lack of constitutionalism at a party level which has manifested itself at a national level. Once constitutionality within the party is fixed, it will cascade to the national level.

In apparent reference to Mnangagwas rage on the G40 cabal and threats to have them extradited to face trial in Zimbabwe, Kasukuwere said this was a continuation of an assault on young people which he said must stop.

The assault on the young generation must come to an end, where political contestation is free, fair and credible. We must remove fear, hate, favour and patronage. Politics must always lead the gun. Vision, ideology and direction must be central to our total emancipation, he said.

I remain a card-carrying member of the party until due process is carried in line with the partys constitution. I remain committed to the unity of the party which is key to sustainable national development.

Presidential spokesperson George Charamba, however, claimed that the G40 cabal was behind an anti-Zimbabwe campaign.

When you go through Kasukuweres self-tripping thread, you realise there was nothing classified or privileged about his groups equally telling interaction with the ANC ahead of the empty noise on the so-called Zimbabwe crisis, Charamba said in response to Kasukuwere.

It confirms who was behind, loading and stoking this false campaign, bank-rolled by hostile Western embassies. In sum, it makes the nexus between G40 and many forces in and beyond our region, good stuff for serious investigation.

Zanu PF has implicated United Ststes ambassador to Zimbabwe, Brian Nichols in a regime change agenda, claims rubbished by the envoy who said Washingtons interest in Harare was to push for a return to democracy and an end to human rights abuses. Newsday
By Ayya Lmahamad

Azerbaijan has produced over 129 billion cubic meters of natural gas and more than 29 million tons of condensate from its largest gas field Shah Deniz since its commissioning in 2006, Azertag reported with reference to SOCARs First Vice President Khoshbakht Yusifzade.

Yusifzade said that the discovery of the giant Shah Deniz field in June 1999, with reserves of 1.2 trillion cubic meters of gas and 240 million tons of condensate, and the successful implementation of the Shah Deniz gas project introduced Azerbaijan to the world as a major gas exporter.

Furthermore, he said that 516 million tons of oil and 172 billion cubic meters of natural gas have been produced from Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli block of fields.

Out of this volume, 305 million tons of profitable oil was sold in the world markets, which is 59 percent of all produced from ACG block so far.

It should be noted that 15.9 million tons of oil and 7.8 billion cubic meters of natural gas were produced from Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli block of fields during the period of January- August 2020.

First Vice President also noted that so far, Azerbaijan has exported 579 million tons of oil to the world markets, including 417 million tons via Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, and 162 million tons via Baku-Supsa, Baku-Novorossiysk oil pipelines and railway.

Additionally, he emphasized that 9.8 billion cubic meters of natural gas have been transported to Georgia and 73.7 billion cubic meters to Turkey via the South Caucasus gas pipeline under the Shah Deniz-1 project.

The contract for the development of Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli (ACG) oil fields was signed on September 20, 1994 and entered into force in December. The contract for the development of ACG block was extended to 2050 in September 2017.

The shareholders in the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli project are BP (operator, 30.37 percent), SOCAR (25 percent), American Chevron (9.57 percent), ExxonMobil (6.79 percent), Indian ONGC (2.31 percent), Japanese Inpex Corp. (9.31 percent), ITOCHU Oil (3.65 percent), Norwegian Statoil (7.27 percent) and Turkish TPAO (5.73 percent).

The contract on development of Shah Deniz gas field was signed in 1996. Shareholders of Shah Deniz project are: BP (operator, 28.8 percent), TPAO (19 percent), SOCAR (16.7 percent), Petronas (15.5 percent), LUKOIL (10 percent) and NICO (10 percent).

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
New Delhi, Sep 18 : The Lok Sabha witnessed three adjournments on Friday after its proceedings were disrupted due to a ruckus over Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs Anurag Thakur's remark about first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's National Relief Fund.

Speaking on the Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation and Amendment of Certain Provisions) Bill, 2020 Thakur raised questions on Nehru's trust which he claimed is not yet registered even though it was set up in 1948 on Nehru's orders.

"In 1948, then Prime Minister Nehru ordered the PM National Relief Fund. Since then, there has been no registration of that fund. How that fund got Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act nod is not known? The trust is not registered. How did you (Congress) give that trust FCRA clearance?" the Minister said.

His remarks came as the Bill, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, has provisions about Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM-CARES)' fund on which the opposition has raised question on several occasions after it was set up to undertake and support relief or assistance of any kind relating to a public health emergency during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Thakur said that the PM-CARES fund is a constitutionally authorised trust and was set up for the welfare of 130 crore people of the county. The Prime Minister is the ex-officio Chairman of PM-CARES while the Ministers of Defence, Home Affairs, and Finance are ex-officio Trustees.

"You (Congress) made PM National Relief Fund Trust only for (welfare) of one Gandhi family," Thakur alleged.

Interim Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Nehru have been members of the Prime Minister National Relief Fund, continued the Minister, an MP from Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh.

He sought a detailed discussion to clear things about that fund.

It led to chaos in the House as Congress and Trinamool Congress members objected to his speech.

Congress leader of the House, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, said his party did not raise objections to the PM-CARES Fund by blaming Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and asked why had Thakur made personal remarks against his party chief and Nehru.

"These people are trying to take down the dignity of the Chair and make the House environment worse. Why did you abuse Pandit Nehru and Sonia Gandhi? If you don't want to run the House, you should stop functioning," Chowdhury said.

Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi sought an apology from Thakur. The TMC's Kalyan Banerjee also objected, saying a Minister should not speak like this.

As many MPs raised their voices and stood up, which is prohibited in this session, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla tried to cool the frayed tempers and directed to take the names of the parliamentarians if anyone from either the treasury or the opposition benches violated the rules. Birla later adjourned the House for half an hour.

The House was adjourned the second time within minutes after it reassembled as the opposition continued sloganeering against the government and sought an apology from Thakur.

It was adjourned again till 5.30 p.m. as the Congress and other opposition members continued to protest and raise slogans.
(Newser)  It looks like it's going to be harder to download TikTok and WeChat starting Sunday. The Commerce Department said Friday it will ban the Chinese-owned apps from mobile app stores because of national security concerns, reports the Washington Post. The US plans to take additional measures to restrict the use of messaging app WeChat, but the video-sharing app TikTok will get a reprieve from further restrictions until Nov. 12. That could provide time for a possible deal giving Silicon Valley firm Oracle a stake in the company to go through. President Trump has said he wants a US company to own the app.

story continues below

"The basic TikTok will stay intact until Nov. 12, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told Fox Business Network on Friday, per Reuters. TikTok owner ByteDance, a Chinese company, has been in talks with Oracle and other companies in recent weeks to create a new ownership structure under the name TikTok Global. Ross put out an official statement as well: Todays actions prove once again that President Trump will do everything in his power to guarantee our national security and protect Americans from the threats of the Chinese Communist Party. At the Presidents direction, we have taken significant action to combat Chinas malicious collection of American citizens personal data."

(Read more TikTok stories.)
File Photo: Physical examination is performed for service members stationed on the Tibetan Plateau.

By Wang Yang and Sun Xingwei

BEIJING, Sept. 18 -- Recently, according to the Logistic Support Department under Chinas Central Military Commission (CMC), the annual physical examination items for troops stationed over the elevation of 3,000 meters will be expanded. The newly added 39 items cover some specific examinations and early-warning monitoring examinations, which are focused on the diseases of the cardiovascular, respiratory, and blood systems.

In order to achieve early prevention, early detection and early treatment, the physical examination items added this time mainly include two clinical examinations, 33 laboratory tests, and four auxiliary examinations. Among them, 22 items were newly offered.

Military medical care institutions make tailored physical checkup plans to meet individual needs of soldiers. Meanwhile, they also conduct timely analysis of the results and formulate targeted measures to carry out prevention instruction and treatment of plateau chronic diseases based on the changes in disease spectrum reflected in the health examination results of troops.
If only Dan Goerke could hold his wife's hand.

Maybe she would talk again. Maybe she would look at him and smile like she used to. Maybe she would eat and stop wasting away.

Since the pandemic began, Goerke's wife, Denise - 63 years old and diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease - had declined dramatically. Left alone in her nursing home, she had lost 16 pounds, could not form the simplest words, no longer responded to the voices of her children.

In recent weeks, she had stopped recognizing even the man she loved.

Goerke, 61, could tell the isolation was killing his wife, and there was nothing he could do but watch. "Every day it gets a little worse," he said. "We've lost months, maybe years, of her already."

Beyond the U.S. deaths caused directly by the novel coronavirus, more than 134,200 people have died of Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia since March. That is 13,200 more U.S. deaths caused by dementia than expected compared with previous years, according to an analysis of federal data by The Washington Post.

Overlooked amid America's war against the coronavirus is this reality: People with dementia are dying not just of the virus but of the very strategy of isolation that's supposed to protect them. In recent months, doctors have reported increased falls, pulmonary infections, depression and sudden frailty in patients who had been stable for years.

Social and mental stimulation are among the few tools that can slow the march of dementia. Yet even as U.S. leaders have rushed to reopen universities, bowling alleys and malls, nursing homes say they continue begging in vain for sufficient testing, protective equipment and help.

"It's like we as a country just don't care anymore about older people," Goerke said as he drove to his wife's nursing home in Atlanta's northern suburbs. "We've written them off."

In recent weeks, Goerke has struggled with anger - at U.S. leaders and at people who continue to reject simple measures such as wearing masks. As long as the virus keeps spreading, Goerke knows there's no way to safely visit his wife.

His worst fear is that by the time he can hold her hand, it will be to say goodbye.

With cases in Georgia still high, the closest thing Denise's nursing home has allowed is for Goerke to stand for a few minutes by the front door while attendants wheel his wife to the lobby.

So for months he has been traveling to that doorway and calling out - trying to get a reaction, to cut through the thickening fog of his wife's dementia.

"I still believe a spark of her is in there," he said as he arrived once more at her door on a recent Saturday.

He phoned the nursing aides inside. A few minutes later, they pushed Denise into the lobby, her body so frail it was disappearing into the wheelchair.

Goerke took off his mask in case it would help her recognize him. And he called out.

"Hi, Denise!"

Inside the darkened lobby, he thought he saw his wife's lips move.

- - -

The United States has counted tens of thousands of excess deaths since the pandemic began. These are deaths that are not directly attributed to the coronavirus and that occur because of problems such as hypertension or sepsis. But they are occurring at much higher levels than in the past, experts say, in part because of the pandemic's indirect effects including hospitals being overrun or care being delayed.

Among the sources of excess deaths, dementia has produced by far the most, more than the next two categories, diabetes and heart disease combined.

For one man in Indianapolis, the rapid deterioration of his dementia made it harder to swallow. Food that went down the wrong way led to a lung infection and eventually death, his daughter said. For a woman in Boston, her body - no longer able to move - became so atrophied and frail that a slight fall sent her into a death spiral of hospitalizations, her doctor said.

Other cases have been more subtle. In isolation, many are struggling with severe depression. "We have clients who have lost almost 30 pounds," said Sharon O'Connor, who runs a program for dementia patients at Iona Senior Services, a District of Columbia nonprofit. "Some just don't have reason to get up anymore, so they stay in bed all day. Others sit by themselves in a dark room."

In interviews with The Post, people with dementia who are still able to communicate said they felt trapped and doomed. Activities that used to stimulate their minds - music therapy, game nights, Jazzercise - have ground to a halt. At most facilities, residents are not even able to eat lunch together anymore.

One woman in D.C. - who has not seen her children, grandchildren or siblings since March - described the horror of witnessing her mind deteriorate in isolation. "I not talking with the whole sentence anymore," She wrote in a series of text messages about her decline. "Not got balance. Painful cramping."

It's not just the loss of interaction, said Jason Karlawish, an Alzheimer's expert at the University of Pennsylvania. "Families fill in a lot of gaps at nursing homes. They do much of the feeding and bathing. They advocate and communicate," he said. "If you think of Alzheimer's as a disability, family members are almost like a cognitive wheelchair for patients who have lost part of their mind. They're essential."

- - -

In 2012, when Goerke and his wife got word of her diagnosis, Denise made him promise to never put her in a nursing home.

But after four years of juggling his work as a commercial real estate broker with the full-time care Denise needed, Goerke worried constantly that his wife would accidentally hurt herself when he was not looking.

The day he moved her to a long-term care facility, he felt relief, shame, guilt. The one consolation: He could visit anytime.

Seven days a week, he fed her lunch, combed her hair, showed her pictures of their kids.

They had been together for 23 years. Both had been divorced, and they spent their first five years taking turns getting cold feet before realizing their love was stronger than any fears about the future.

Denise had worked as a saleswoman for Xerox, but she was an artist at heart. Her children recalled growing up in a house filled with projects in progress, walls constantly being painted or being evaluated for a repaint. And she was a social creature. Even later at the nursing home, with seven siblings, three children and three grandkids, there were days when they had to coordinate all their visits.

More often than not, they would be greeted by the Denise they knew: eager to laugh at their jokes, interjecting with a word or nod, always reaching out for their hands.

Then came the pandemic.

Denise's nursing home had long struggled financially, even before the virus. At the outset of the pandemic it was suddenly fighting to buy protective equipment and retain staffers afraid of falling ill.

A tiny portion of the U.S. population lives in nursing homes, yet the facilities have accounted for about 40% of U.S. deaths of covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Overwhelmed, Denise's facility announced in late April that it was closing.

Goerke immediately started dialing other residences. Many, desperate to keep the virus out, refused to take anyone new.

It took two weeks and rejections from 15 nursing homes before he found one willing to take Denise. By then, his wife was the only resident left at her old facility.

Her last four days before the move were spent alone, except for a few employees preparing to shutter the building. She stopped eating and simply lay in her room at the end of a long, empty hallway.

"I wasn't sure she would live long enough for us to get her to the new place," said Goerke, who checked in daily by phone and FaceTime. "She looked ashen. Her skin became paper-thin."

At the new nursing home, staff members scheduled window visits for families. That's when Goerke saw the pandemic's toll on his wife.

The bright blond hair he used to comb was dull and sparse. Her face was pale and gaunt.

Goerke had to yell through the thick window to be heard. The first few weeks, Denise reached out her hand. He could see through the glass that she was confused about why he would not come in, and the look on her face felt like an accusation.

Worse yet was when Denise stopped reaching out a few weeks later and just sat in her wheelchair with a vacant stare.

- - -

"It's me," Goerke shouted from the doorway, during his recent Saturday visit.

The only reply from the nursing home lobby: silence.

Undeterred, Goerke kept the conversation upbeat, pausing every few words to give Denise a chance to respond: "It's a hot one out here. . . . Almost 90 degrees. . . . You're lucky to be inside."

On this particular Saturday, Goerke had invited others in hopes they might jog his wife's memory.

Denise's son Steve Ayotte soon arrived, along with his wife and their 2-year-old daughter.

"Hi, Mom," Steve said. He turned to his daughter, "Can you say hi to Nana?"

"Hi, Nis-ey," the girl said shyly.

Finally, it was one of Goerke's more energetic "hellos" that seemed to hit home.

The sudden response emerged from his wife's lips with a startled tone, as if Denise was surprised to find them all suddenly before her: "Hi."

To Goerke, that small word was everything.

It was proof his wife had not yet reached the final stages of her disease. More than that, it was a bulwark against that encroaching future.

All these days he has spent talking to himself at her doorway, he said, were worth it if it helped engage her mind even a little. They were worth it if it meant some part of her heard him and felt a little less alone.

- - -

Goerke, who used to feed Denise daily, recently asked her caregivers about her meals. He was alarmed when they said they now have to persuade her to open her mouth. He worries that Denise, no longer able to speak, may be expressing distress the only way she still can.

Most people are suffering in some way during the pandemic. But it feels at times, Goerke said, like the suffering of people in nursing homes has been shoved into a corner to make room for everyone else's. Even now, as the country debates endlessly about reopening schools and protecting the economy, there's little urgency about the plight of people such as his wife.

Countries such as the Netherlands have safely reopened their nursing homes without any increase in coronavirus cases by providing protective equipment, testing and rigorous protocols.

But in the United States, little of the trillions of dollars in emergency funding has gone to nursing homes. For months, the Trump administration has talked of getting more testing into nursing homes, but the effort continues to be plagued with problems.

This month, Florida and Arizona said they want to reopen nursing homes, but they have yet to explain how they will do so safely given shortages in equipment, staffing and testing.

The situation is especially difficult in Goerke's state, Georgia, which rushed this spring to reopen tattoo parlors, hair salons, movie theaters and restaurants. Even as the state had the country's highest rate of new cases, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, pursued a weeks-long lawsuit to stop Atlanta from requiring masks and only dropped the case last month.

Desperate for help, Goerke sent a letter to the governor two weeks ago. "I am Denise's spouse, caregiver, and advocate," he wrote. "I believe the state of Georgia can help my family, and others like mine." He pleaded for rapid testing in nursing homes. He proposed convening a task force and offered suggestions. He begged the governor to rescind his emergency rules putting facilities on lockdown.

As long as they remain in place, there is only one way Goerke will be able to hold his wife. The rules include one exception for families to enter nursing homes: for deathbed visits.

- - -

As Goerke and the rest of Denise's family wrapped up their visit at her door, they talked about what they've already lost.

Goerke recalled the last time he had heard Denise laugh. It was four months ago during a video call just after the nursing home had given Denise a haircut.

"I told her how good she looked, and she smiled and gave me a little laugh," he said, grinning at the memory.

Later, in private, he would explain just how much that laugh had meant to him.

"It's like you're a ship stuck in the fog and suddenly you see the lighthouse. It's golden. It's the world. It's the only thing I hope for when I visit," he said. "It's like there's my Denise, and for a moment, we're back home together."

There would be no laugh that Saturday at the doorway. The startled "hi" murmured by Denise early on would be the only response she would give.

When it came time to leave, Goerke chose his words carefully. Goodbyes were the one occasion, since the pandemic began, when Denise's dementia now worked in their favor.

Instead of goodbye, he gently told her, "I gotta go run some errands. I'll be back."

For better or worse, Goerke said, his wife no longer remembered him well enough to miss him.

- - -

METHODOLOGY

The Washington Post gathered data on select causes of death by state between 2014 and early 2020, published by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), and used a model previously developed by a research team led by the Yale University school of public health to estimate the number of deaths that would normally be expected each week from March 1 to Aug. 16 The estimate takes into account seasonal variations as well as year-to-year variations in mortality levels but did not adjust for the flu. The mortality data is collected from state health departments, which report deaths at different rates. It usually takes about three weeks for death data to stabilize, but even then, it is not complete. As a result, it is expected that the numbers of deaths in the period The Post analyzed will increase as states continue reporting additional data to the NCHS. Details on the team's statistical approach can be found on GitHub at https://github.com/weinbergerlab/excess_pi_covid/blob/master/post%20methods.pdf. The Post has published the data and methodology on GitHub at https://github.com/wpinvestigative/excess_deaths_covid19/tree/master/specific_causes.
Disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein has been stripped of his CBE after he was convicted of rape in New York.

Weinstein, 68, who was sentenced to 23 years in prison by a US court in February, was granted an honorary CBE for his contribution to the British film industry in 2004.

A notice in The Gazette, the UK's official public record, today announced the Queen had directed the honour to be 'cancelled and annulled and that his name shall be erased from the Register of the said Order.'

It read: 'The Queen has directed that the appointment of Harvey Weinstein to be an Honorary Commander of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, dated January 19 2004, shall be cancelled and annulled and that his name shall be erased from the Register of the said Order.'

Harvey Weinstein has been stripped of his CBE for contribution to the British film industry after he was convicted of rape earlier this year

A string of actresses made harassment claims against Weinstein ahead of his conviction earlier this year, including Ashley Judd, Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Lea Seydoux.

More than 80 women came forward  with many saying they were blacklisted from lucrative projects if they rejected his advances.

Weinstein was awarded the honorary CBE in 2004 for services to the British film industry.

His credits include classic films Pulp Fiction, The English Patient, Good Will Hunting, Gangs Of New York and Shakespeare In Love.

He received more than 300 Oscar nominations throughout his career, with Meryl Streep jokingly referring to him as 'God' at the 2012 Golden Globes.

Honours can been removed on the advice of the forfeiture committee and with the approval of the Queen. The committee considers whether the holder of an honour has brought the system into disrepute.

Weinstein (pictured with the Queen), 68, who was sentenced to 23 years in prison by a US court in February, was granted an honorary CBE for his contribution to the British film industry in 2004

A string of actresses made harassment claims against Weinstein (left with his CBE and right in February) ahead of his conviction in February, including Ashley Judd, Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Lea Seydoux

Others who have had honours stripped include Russian spy Anthony Blunt and Fred Goodwin, who steered the Royal Bank of Scotland to an annual loss of 24.1billion.

Australian entertainer Rolf Harris also had his CBE revoked in 2015 after he was jailed for indecent assaults on young girls.

Senior Labour MP Chi Onwurah has been calling for the CBE to be removed from Weinstein since 2017, when several women came forward to allege serious sexual misconduct.

Announcing the honour in 2004, Weinstein said: 'My life and my career have been greatly influenced and enriched by great British film-makers and authors and so I am especially honoured and humbled to be receiving the CBE.'

It comes as prosecutors in Los Angeles filed a request to extradite Weinstein from New York, in a bid to try the disgraced Hollywood producer on five counts of sexual assault.

If successful, it would pave the way for Weinstein, the money and the power behind some of the biggest Hollywood films of the past 25 years, to be put on trial again.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - A psychiatrist retained by prosecutors in the sanity phase of a trial for a man who killed five people at a Maryland newspaper isnt barred by law from testifying about whether he believes the gunman was criminally responsible, but he cant directly compare him to other mass shooters in an FBI report, a judge ruled Friday.

Judge Laura Ripken ruled at a pretrial hearing that Dr. Gregory Saathoff can testify before a jury about his findings relating to the criminal responsibility of Jarrod Ramos, even though Saathoff has not examined him in person.

The judge ruled last month that Saathoff could testify, but defence attorneys have been trying to limit the scope of what he can say on the stand. They contended the lack of an interview with Ramos should preclude the psychiatrists testimony on criminal responsibility.

I find that based on the law, Dr. Saatoff, in the state of Maryland, is not barred by law from offering testimony on the ultimate issue of criminal responsibility due to the lack of the interview of the defendant, which is the bulk of the defence argument, Ripken said.

The judge noted she would still need to make a determination during the trial that Saatoff is qualified and that he relied on information used by experts in the field to make his findings.

The judge also ruled Saatoff can testify about an FBI report designed to provide federal, state and local law enforcement with data on mass shootings in the country, but he cant compare Ramos to other mass shooters in the report. Prosecutors say the report provides a foundation for the states theory that Ramos was not mentally ill and acted in conformity with other mass shooters behaviours.

It may be used as a basis, and the theories may be presented, but at this point in time without ... another sufficient legal basis, they would have to be presented without comparison or statistics related to other mass shooters, Ripken said.

The judge said it was too soon for her to rule on other efforts by Ramos lawyers to restrict Saathoffs testimony, because she has not seen all of the evidence.

The trials second phase is scheduled for December before a jury to determine criminal responsibility. If Ramos were found not criminally responsible for the shooting at the Capital Gazette newspaper, he would be committed to a maximum-security psychiatric hospital instead of prison.

There are three different mental health experts in the case.

Dr. Sameer Patel, a psychiatrist with the state Health Department, has conducted a mental health evaluation of Ramos. The evaluation has not been made public, but Ripken said in court in October that Patel found Ramos to be legally sane.

Defence attorneys have retained their own mental health expert and they are arguing Ramos should not be held criminally responsible because of mental illness.

Last year, Ripken denied a request by prosecutors to conduct a separate evaluation of Ramos, because the state already had conducted one. However, the judge ruled prosecutors could prepare their own case in various ways, including challenging the defence experts findings and reports.

Ramos pleaded guilty in October to all 23 counts against him for killing John McNamara, Gerald Fischman, Wendi Winters, Rob Hiaasen and Rebecca Smith at the Capital Gazette. The attack was captured on surveillance video and Ramos was arrested hiding under a desk in the newsroom.

The 40-year-old had a well-documented history of harassing the newspapers journalists.
HOUSTON, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Houston-based Paranjpe Mahadass Ruemke Law (PMR Law) has been honored as Litigation Department of the Year by the publishers of Texas Lawyer magazine based on the firm's work in products liability and mass torts litigation.

The Texas Legal Awards are based on submissions that highlight the firm's cases, followed by a vetting process from the Texas Lawyer editorial team.

"Compassion is what drives the work of our firm," said PMR Law co-founder Tej Paranjpe. "We are grateful that our many hours dedicated to fighting for justice have been recognized."

In the past year, PMR Law has represented plaintiffs in personal injury and mass tort matters, and has secured significant settlements for the families of individuals injured or killed in accidents.

Most recently, the firm's grassroots efforts have focused on pipeline construction crossing the Houston-area communities of Channelview and Jacinto City. The work of PMR Law could have a significant impact on how companies design and build pipelines through residential areas.

In the Channelview case, PMR Law claims more than $250 million in damages against six defendants, including CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric, LLC and Enterprise Products Holdings, LLC, for failing to properly construct a pipeline behind residents' homes, resulting in flooding, structural damage and a decrease in home values. The firm's case has grown from fewer than 100 homeowners to nearly 1,000 plaintiffs today.

In addition to the Litigation Department of the Year honor, Tej Paranjpe was also among the recipients of the On the Rise award, which recognizes the state's leading attorneys under the age of 40. In a 10-year career, Mr. Paranjpe has tried more than 107 jury trials to verdict, and has built a team that is representing 400 current and active cases.

PMR Law attorneys have earned numerous individual legal honors, including Best Lawyers in America "Ones to Watch," Texas Super Lawyers Rising Stars and Texas Super Lawyers, for their personal injury work.

PMR Law is driven by compassion and focused on results. The firm has helped hundreds of clients receive the compensation they deserve after they were the victims of accidents or financial disputes. PMR Law's priority is to provide personalized attention, professionalism, and tireless representation. Visit our website to learn more: https://pandmllp.com/.

Media Contact:

Sophia Reza

800-559-4534

[email protected]

SOURCE Paranjpe Mahadass Ruemke LLP

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The revelation that Donald Trump disparaged the 1,811 U.S. Marines who died in the fierce fighting at Belleau Wood in WW1 as suckers and losers brought out additional accounts of his unfortunate attitude toward those who serve in the U.S. military.

Fox News national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin reported that Trump has questioned why people join the military  Whats in it for them? They dont make any money. Griffin also reported Trump saying that anyone who served in the Vietnam War was a sucker. According to another report, he believed those who served in Vietnam must be losers because they had not gotten out of it. Trump has suggested that Vietnam veterans didnt know how to exploit the system to get out of serving.

Trumps father was able to get a podiatrist, who was a tenant in one of his buildings, to say that Donald had bone spurs in one or both of his heels to help him escape the draft. Ironically, the theme music at a September 10 Trump rally in Michigan was about rich kids dodging the Vietnam draft.

Some of those subject to the draft tried to take advantage of any available deferment to avoid being drafted, but I doubt there were many who used false medical excuses to get out of doing their part. It was not a matter of being too stupid to get out of service, but of being too honorable to cheat their way out.

As a Vietnam combat veteran, I want to respond to Trumps misconceptions. The people with whom I served in Vietnam were patriots who loved their country. Many disagreed with the wisdom of the war, but nevertheless they gave their utmost effort to the fight. They did not need a monetary incentive to serve their country. Likewise, the young people who streamed to join the all-volunteer service after 9-11 were motivated by love of country, not love of money.

Many volunteered for Vietnam service, even if they had a valid excuse to get out of it. For instance, I was physically disqualified as a result of an auto accident that mangled my legs, requiring a 14-week hospital stay. Yet, I voluntarily joined the Army and insisted on going to Vietnam. Many others who fought in that war, and the ones since, have similar stories. It is a sense of duty to this great country.

In the 1980s, I collected biographical information for a book, Reasons to Remember, honoring Idahos 251 Vietnam War dead and missing. Not one of them was a cheater or loser.

Vietnam vets lived through years of bad publicity. It took years for the American public to recognize that they had stood up for their country and served honorably. They were not losers, suckers or too dumb to cheat their way out of serving. They served because they loved and honored their country, as do the young people who volunteer today. It would be appreciated if the commander in chief could understand that simple fact.

Jim Jones served as an artillery officer in Vietnam (July 68-August 69). He has written about that experience and its effect on his life in VietnamCant get you out of my mind. The book relies heavily upon news clippings from Stars and Stripes. Jones is an Eden native and former Idaho Attorney General and former Idaho Supreme Court Chief Justice. His previous opinion work can be found at JJCommontater.com.

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<p>The Gold Coast man, 43, was arrested after police searched a property in Nerang on Wednesday night.</p><p>He has been charged with one count of using a carriage service to make a threat to kill and is due to appear in court next month.</p><p>Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has been criticised by some for her strict <strong><a href="https://news.sky.com/topic/covid-19-8518" target="_blank">COVID</a></strong>-related state border closure, which requires people to spend two weeks in hotel quarantine when crossing the border from other parts of Australia.</p><p>Last month she described some of that criticism as "relentless" and "intimidating" but added: "I will not be intimidated".</p><p>Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young was recently given police protection following online trolling and death threats.</p><p>She told reporters earlier this week that the trolling had been difficult to deal with, but added: "This [pandemic] has taken a enormous toll on nearly every single person in our community".</p><p>She told News.com.au: "It helps me to know that our government here in Queensland is willing to support me to that extent... the support they've shown me has made me feel much safer to do what I need to do."</p><p>Australia has reported more than 26,700 <strong><a href="https://news.sky.com/topic/coronavirus-8483" target="_blank">coronavirus</a></strong> cases and 824 deaths, although most of these are in the neighbouring state of Victoria.</p><p>On Wednesday, Queensland reported no new cases. It has a total of just over 1,100 cases and six deaths.</p>
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The global fire truck industry is predicted to grow at a 4.5% CAGR between 2018- 2023 states the recent Market Research Future (MRFR) analysis. Fire trucks or fire engines or fire apparatus are vehicles that have been specially designed for use in fire fighting operations across the world. These are also used by fire departments in various rescue operations & medical emergency services. There are various tools that fire trucks carry resting on the purpose, size of the authorities supervising fire fighting, nature of the operating terrain, and rescue operations. Multi-tasking truck, pumper, tanker, and rescue truck are the different types of fire trucks that have wide applications in non-residential and residential sectors.

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Various factors are propelling the global fire truck market share. As per the current MRFR report, such factors include growing industrialization, increase in commercial spaces in Japan, the US, Germany, and China, rising congestion & overcrowding, increasing awareness about fire safety, and the growing government norms for fire safety compliances. Additional factors boosting market growth comprise increasing demand for safety, infrastructural advancements, stringent regulations, increasing budgets to develop fire and safety departments, growing product innovations, technological advances, improving economy, and growing demand for electric fire fighting truck.

On the contrary, lack of standard protocols to develop fire trucks, high initial cost, low replacement rate, and the ongoing COVID-19 impact are factors that may limit the global fire truck market growth over the forecast period.

Market Segmentation

The MRFR report provides an inclusive segmental analysis of the global fire truck market based on application and type.

By type, the global fire truck market is segmented into multi-tasking truck, pumper, tanker, and rescue truck.

By application, the global fire truck market is segmented into non-residential and residential.

Regional Analysis

Based on the region, the global fire truck market report covers the growth opportunities and recent trends across the Asia Pacific (APAC), North America, Europe, & the Rest of the World (RoW). Of these, the APAC region will lead the market over the forecast period. Burgeoning demand from China & India, infrastructure development, growing industrialization, and increasing adoption in the commercial sector is adding to the global fire truck market growth in the region.

The global fire truck market in North America is predicted to have healthy growth over the forecast period. The presence of stable economies such as Canada and the US, the use of advanced technologies, and the presence of key industry players are adding to the global fire truck market growth in the region.

The global fire truck market in Europe is predicted to have sound growth over the forecast period. Increasing consumption in the military, airports, industries, and enterprises is adding to the global fire truck market growth in the region. The fire trucks in Europe have a tight and narrow design as that of in the US for the presence of narrow lanes in the region.

The global fire truck market in the RoW is predicted to have steady growth over the forecast period.

Key Players

Leading contenders profiled in the global fire truck market report include Magirus GmbH (Germany), Spartan Motors (USA), KME Corp. (USA), ALBERT ZIEGLER GmbH (Germany), Alexis Fire Equipment Company (USA), W. S. Darley & Co. (USA), MORITA Holdings Corporation (Japan), Oshkosh Corporation (Japan), Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science & Technology Co., Ltd., (China), and Rosenbauer International AG (Austria). Industry players have encompassed several strategies to stay ahead in the competition and also cater to customers growing needs such as acquisitions and mergers, collaborations and joint ventures, partnerships, new product launches, and new product developments, geographic expansions, contracts, extensive research and development activities, to name a few.

FOR MORE DETAILS 

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/fire-truck-market-7393
On a pastoral visit to one of the rural communities, Bishop Jesus Tirso Blanco of the Diocese of Lwena, Angola.

The Diocese of Lwena reckons that it needs at least 200 priests to attend to the current pastoral demands, said the Bishop of the Diocese, Jesus Tirso Blanco, S.D.B.

English Africa Service  Vatican City & Anastacio Sasembele - Luanda

The extensive Diocese of Lwena needs at least 200 priests to meet the current demand for pastoral life in this ecclesiastical circumscription, belonging to the Ecclesiastical Province of Saurimo.

Let us make vocation promotion a priority

With a surface area of 223,000 km, the Diocese of Lwena is located in Eastern Angola. It covers the entire Province of Moxico. The population of the diocesan territory is composed of numerous ethnic groups though the majority are the Tchokwe speaking people.

To mitigate the shortage of priests, Bishop Blanco is urging parish communities to seriously make the promotion of vocations to the priesthood a priority.

Our Diocese of Lwena, due to the number of inhabitants, and considering the difficulties of a large territory, would need at least 200 priests for her to be able to evangelize effectively, explained the prelate.

Training the laity

Considering the size of one of Southern Africas biggest dioceses, Lwena has been training the laity for pastoral responsibilities which can be performed by them.

We need a sufficiently trained laity, committed to their faith and each according to the gift he or she received from the Holy Spirit at Baptism, added Bishop Blanco.

Very habitable territory but with poor road network

Bishop Blanco has always explained that the Diocese of Lwena which is in the Province of Moxico is very fertile territory and therefore attractive for habitation.

The province is endowed with many rivers and forests, and therefore it is very habitable -practically the entire territory. Unfortunately, the region is serviced by a very poor road network, making it difficult to reach far flung communities for pastoral work and evangelization, said the Bishop.

Realistic expectations

First established as a Diocese in 1963, the Diocese of Lwena has a total Catholic population of 118,600. The entire Diocese is served by less than 40 diocesan and religious clergy. The Bishop has since called for realistic expectations of what the Church can and should do given the challenges.
Federal authorities seized more than 20,000 counterfeit N95 face masks that arrived in Boston from Hong Kong this month.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the International Cargo Port in Boston confiscated a shipment of 43 boxes arriving from the Chinese region on Sept. 2 that appeared to hold counterfeit N95 respirator masks, according to a statement from the federal agency.

Specialists in apparel, footwear and textiles determined the items were in fact counterfeit and valued the 20,400 masks at $163,200, CBPs statement said.

Counterfeit personal protective equipment puts frontline workers and the general publics health at risk, said Michael Denning, director of field operations for the CBPs Boston field office. CBP Officers and our trade teams are trained to identify and intercept these dangerous goods before they can do harm to our communities and the American consumer.

CBP claimed that certain organizations are attempting to exploit the limited supply of and increased demand for personal protective equipment as well as pharmaceuticals and other medical goods required to respond to the coronavirus pandemic.

Criminals are also apparently smuggling and selling counterfeit safety equipment, unapproved COVID-19 test kits, unproven medicines and substandard hygiene products through the online marketplace, according to the federal agency.

To combat these criminal activities, CBP is targeting imports and exports that may contain counterfeit or illicit goods, CBP said. The products in targeted shipments often include false or misleading claims, lack required warnings or lack proper approvals.

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Three years after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, the White House on Friday authorized $11.6 billion in federal aid and FEMA grants to rebuild infrastructure on the island.

Why it matters: Throughout his presidency, Trump has resisted giving Puerto Rico any more federal money for its recovery from Hurricane Maria. The White House touted the grants announced Friday as some of the largest in FEMA's history.

Catch up quick: Most of the funding will go towards the the state-owned Puerto Rico Electrical Power Authority (PREPA), which filed for bankruptcy in 2017 and left thousands of customers without power last month in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Isaias, per AP.

FEMA is allocating $9.6 billion to help PREPA repair and replace its electric grid and $2 billion to the Puerto Rico Department of Education restore schools, the White House said.

Congress approved $50 billion to help the island in the aftermath of Maria, and that federal funding has been extremely slow to reach the island. Around $16 billion has already been dispersed.

The big picture: Hurricane Maria, a Category 5 hurricane, was the worst natural disaster to hit the island, and resulted in over 3,000 deaths. Puerto Rico saw a series of earthquakes early this year that displaced thousands of people, and has weathered several tropical storms this summer that caused more flooding and damage.

What they're saying: Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-N.Y.) said in a statement the Trump administration had "delayed, dragged its feet and resisted allocating these badly needed funds."

Puerto Rico has been desperate for federal assistance to modernize and upgrade its electrical grid for years, especially since Hurricane Maria inflicted on the Island the longest blackout in modern history," she said.

"While I certainly hope to see this money put to good use making Puerto Ricos electrical system more resilient, these delays are unacceptable, and it is insulting to Puerto Ricans everywhere that the Administration is so blatantly playing politics with this aid.

Between the lines: At a White House press conference, Trump used the FEMA grant announcement to bash Joe Biden and the Obama administration's aid to the island, offering little evidence for his accusation.

Trump claimed that as a senator, Biden "devastated" the island by voting in 1996 to eliminate a tax provision that put an unfair burden on Puerto Rican companies, and that the island's situation "got worse" during the Obama administration, without offering further evidence.

Biden's campaign is turning its focus to Puerto Rican constituents this week, Axios' Alexi McCammond reports.

This story has been updated with Trump's remarks from a press conference.
The health ministry informed the Lok Sabha on Friday that the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization has not received any report regarding any deviation from the standard procedures in research and development of Covid-19 vaccine. Health minister of state Ashwini Kumar Choubey informed the Lower House that the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation has granted test license permission for manufacture of Covid-19 vaccine for pre-clinical test, examination and analysis to seven firms.

List of firms

1. Serum Institute of India, Pune

2. Cadila Healthcare Ltd, Ahmedabad

3. Bharat Biotech International Ltd, Hyderabad

4. Biological E Ltd, Hyderabad

5. Reliance Life Sciences, Mumbai

6. Aurobindo Pharma Limited, Hyderabad

7. Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Limited, Pune

On Thursday, Union health minister Harsh Vardhan in the Rajya Sabha said while a vaccine could become available by the beginning of next year, it would still take time to reach everyone.

We hope that by the beginning of the next year we will get a vaccine. We are also coordinating with World Health Organization (WHO) and other bodies. We are among the few countries that have managed to isolate the virus. There are around 40,000 samples that are being studied, the minister had said.
The monsoon appears to have missed north and north-west India as hot and humid conditions are expected to continue for the rest of September that is expected to be dry, weather experts said. They blamed the monsoon trough travelling from the Bay of Bengal towards the westerly direction instead of the usual north-westerly for this. The sultry conditions are likely to continue for another 10 to 13 days till the monsoon fully withdraws from the region without any rainfall, ushering pleasant autumn.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the rainfall deficit in northern India in September was up to 99%, highest for any region in the country. Southern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana received up to 50% excess rain during the same period. Chitradurga district in Karnataka got 245% excess rainfall.

Kinnaur in Himachal, known for its apples, received 88% less rainfall. Uttar Pradeshs western parts were almost dry with districts like Bulandshahr and Mathura recording 100% rain deficiency. New Delhi recorded 76% less rainfall and was the driest district in the national capital. Southern Haryana districts such as Gurugram and Faridabad recorded close to 90% less rainfall.

Also Read: Monsoon withdrawal delayed by one week according to IMD

Only one trough was formed in the Bay of Bengal during this period and that also travelled towards the westerly direction bringing in some rain in West Bengal, Odisha and north-east India. ...north and north-west Delhi remained dry, said Mahesh Palawat, vice president, climate and meteorology, Skymet Weather, a private forecaster.

North and north-west India normally receives good monsoon rainfall due to oscillation of troughs getting their moisture feed from the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. With very less formation of troughs, the region witnessed westerly dry winds. This added to the humid conditions in the region, said an IMD scientist, who did not want to be named as he is not authorised to speak to media.

The usually warmer weather with temperatures ranging from 32 degree Celsius in hills of Himachal and Uttarakhand to 39 degrees in Delhi, five to eight degrees above normal, has impacted horticulture.

Also Read: Spike in severe cyclones, extremely heavy rain over India: Earth sciences ministry to RS

Because of the excessive heat, the colour of apple in my orchards turned almost yellow from red. No rain has resulted in leaf fall, turning the fruit, which looked good a month ago, into bad quality fruit. Nobody buys a small and pale red apple, said Chander Mohan Justa, an orchardist in Shimla.

Devendra Sharma, an agriculture expert, said the poor rainfall in the food bowl states of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh could have some impact on the summer-sown kharif crop output. Though the sowing was good because of good early monsoon rains, the dry patch in August and September has dampened the farmers mood, he said.

The areas along the western coast from Maharashtra to Kerala received 90 to 100% excess rain whereas most of the north-eastern states received up to 50% of rain than normal, the IMD data showed. Sindudurg in Maharashtra and Chitradurg (Karnataka) received up to 300% of the normal rainfall between September 1 and 17, according to IMD.

A recent Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur study found that by end of this century, southern India is likely to register the maximum increase in rainfall compared to the states in central and north India. In the worst-case scenario, rainfall could increase by 2.7 mm per day in north India and by 18.5 mm per day in the Western Ghats in southern India, said Rajib Maity, a professor at IIT Kharagpur, who led the study.

In its weekly forecast, IMD has not projected any major rainfall activity in the remaining monsoon season. The monsoon is expected to fully withdraw from western India in the third week of September and from the rest of the country by mid-October. The temperatures are expected to be higher than normal for northern and central Indian plains.

The anti-cyclone activity, a sign of monsoon withdrawal from western India, is now visible in central Pakistan. This means monsoon withdrawal from Rajasthan would start in a week.

Despite less rainfall in September, Mritunjay Mohapatra, director-general of IMD on September 8 said the overall monsoon in India is expected to be 102% of the normal.

We are not expecting any improvement in rain deficiency over northwest India now because we are heading towards monsoon withdrawal, said DS Pai, senior scientist, IMD Pune, agreeing that monsoon was literally over in northern India.

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Philippines-based telecoms group PLDT hailed its preparation in future-proofing its network which proved vital during the Covid-19 pandemic, and urged other operators to diligently bolster their networks, in order to prepare for a new normal of operating.

Speaking at the Huawei Better World Summit NetX 2025 & X-Tech, Joachim Horn, Chief Technology and Information Advisor of Smart and PLDT, said: The pandemic introduced a new challenge and environment. The requirements of our customers changed and so in turn our business, the need of being connected has never been higher than now, these requirements are no longer focused on area where business was being conducted, it moved to homes. The improvement of home connectivity will become a major priority going forward.

Aside from a global health crisis, being an operator of a huge archipelago such as the Philippines brings challenges not commonly faced by most operators.

Philippines is an archipelago that with 7,641 islands, which means it is already challenging when it comes to connecting all the islands and customers. On top of that, Philippines is sitting on the so-called ring of fire, experiencing 20 typhoons and 2,000 earthquakes per year and has 22 active volcanoes. These natural calamities set high requirements on building a network with high resilience and availability.

PLDT claims to be the countrys only integrated telco in the Philippines serving enterprises and consumers with fixed and mobile services such as: mobile data, mobile broadband, fixed wireless, fixed wired internet access and IPTV service.

Horn detailed how the operator laid out plans in 2015: to provide the best customer experience, regain technology leadership, and have its network ready for 5G by 2020.

PLDTs multi-year digital transformation journey covers all areas including end-to-end service orchestration, core network virtualization, transport network modernisation, OSS/BSS transformation and enterprise systems transformation. Among all areas, the biggest constraint PLDT had was actually the transport network as it was full of legacy equipment and architecture is not optimized. PLDT then decided to focus on transport, to bring it to a level where it becomes an enabler rather than a problem.

The key design criteria were that the transformation should lead to a converged network designed for peak throughput, highly scalable, intelligent (SDN), offering any service anywhere with high resilience and low latency.

Besides choosing the right technologies, it is also important to put the right priorities in defining the target transport network. After extensive discussions with Huawei and other major vendors, PLDT defines that a congestion-free transport network should be designed for peak throughput, highly scalable, intelligent (SDN), any service anywhere, highly resilient, low latency, converged network and legacy-free.

By working towards these targets, PLDT began planning and deploying a whole new transport network in 2017 with Huawei as the major vendor who played a critical role as mentioned by Horn.

Completed in this February, the new transport network is ready for service in February this year, we were able to inaugurate nationwide a completely SDN-based optical and IP network which fulfilled all the requirements shown earlier, said Horn. This is believed to be one of the most advanced network in the region.

The new network is completed right on time as PLDT was able to cope with increased traffic when the Philippines entered one of the strictest lockdowns globally, as countries began shuttering in March.

The pandemic forced Filipinos to adapt. Traditionally cash-based small businesses had to move sales and payments online, office workers operated remotely, and children had to be home schooled. Everyone needed an internet connection.

It was a challenging situation for the country but luckily, because of the changes we made and the architecture we have chosen, we were able to cope with the requirements. We saw a 25 per cent increase in traffic in the first week alone, said Horn.

We had to upgrade our transport network internationally, we had to double our capacity, add 3/4 terabits per second into our IP backbone in the Philippines and many locations, and most nodes had to be upgraded. We did this 95 to 98 per cent by working from home.

Because of the new technology and the ability to remotely control, add capacity and activate services, optimize and manage user experiences. We were able to cope with the massive increase in traffic.

Lessons learnt

Looking back on PLDTs multi-year digital transformation, Horn pointed to certain lessons gained from it. The number one priority must always be the customer and any upgrades enacted must benefit the customer, as a transport network transformation takes time and money.

On technological achievements, Horn proudly stated PLDTs network is congestion-free, designed for peak throughput, and was well-prepared when launching 5G in July.

Last but not least was the ability to react in this period when customers needed service the most, that was the most satisfying moment in this project during these unprecedented times. It showed the value of such a transformation if you do it in time, concluded Horn.
Li-Meng Yan has been making headlines as the Chinese virologist who recently claimed that the SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19 was actually made within a lab in Wuhan and that the Chinese government themselves along with certain high-profile individuals like Dr. Faun were fully aware of this happening.

Yan's own hometown, which she cannot go back to, is in Qingdao. She received her MD degree from the esteemed Xiangya Medical College of the Central South University. She then earned her own PhD from the Southern Medical University.

Her own personal research includes the certain study of The inhibition effect of propranolol on the corneal neovascularization in an alkali-induced injury mouse model and also the challenges in actually developing a particular universal influenza vaccine.

Li-Meng Yan's working background

At the time of the whole COVID-19 pandemic, she was actually employed at the known Hong Kong School of Public Health or the University of Hong Kong where she was conducting her research that was specialized in both virology and immunology.

Dr. Li-Meng Yan also claims that she was indeed amongst the first scientists of the entire world to actually study the whole coronavirus outbreak that happened in Wuhan, after Leo Poon, her own supervisor at the University of Hong Kong, requested her to take a look into a whole cluster of certain SARS-like cases sometime in December 2019 in Wuhan itself.

As reported by Fox News, Li-Meng Yan still maintained a rather extensive network with other medical professionals coming from mainland China, one of them actually told Yan about the whole human-to-human transmission of the COVID-19 disease back in December 31, 2019. She then reported her findings to her superiors several times but was told to be "silent and careful" about those findings.

Read Also: Chinese Whistleblower Li-Meng Yan Interview Alleges COVID-19 was 'Released Intentionally' After 'Modifications' Made it More 'Harmful'

Publications about the coronavirus

Li-Meng also co-authored a paper known as the Pathogenesis and transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in golden hamsters in Nature in May 2020. This paper focused on the transmission of the known virus in actual hamsters. The paper was also co-authored by her former colleagues coming from the HKU.

She also co-authored another paper titled the Viral dynamics in mild and severe cases of COVID-19 in the known The Lancet back in March of 2020. This publication talked about the viral shedding patterns that they were able to observe in certain patients with severe all the way to mild COVID-19.

Li-Meng Yan is famous for stating that the Chinese government actually knew about the coronavirus before it was publicly spread. She also accused her own supervisors that included Malik Peiris and Leo Poon of ignoring her own research when it could have helped them get ahead.

Yan is now in the United States where she arrived on April 28 with the strong intention of delivering "the truth of COVID-19" saying that she was unable to tell her story in China due to it being unsafe and that she could be "disappeared and killed".

Read Also: China Bans Seafood from Indonesia After Product Packaging Testing COVID-19 Positive

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Urian Buenconsejo

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Frozen knives made out of faeces, vibrating worms and narcissistic eyebrows were among the bizarre scientific studies featured in this year's Ig Nobel awards.

Harvard University's annual spoof on the Nobel Prize awards rewards weird, amusing and often gruesome scientific discoveries.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, Thursday's 30th annual Ig Nobel ceremony was a 75-minute pre-recorded virtual event instead of the usual live event at Harvard's Sanders Theatre.

Despite this, the show managed to maintain some of the event's traditions, including flying paper aeroplanes and real Nobel Prize laureates handing out the awards.

The night's most memorable award was given to a US-based researcher for concluding that 'knives manufactured from frozen human faeces do not work'.

This year's winners also included a team of Dutch and Belgian researchers who looked at why the sound of chewing drives people mad.

Another international team were rewarded for documenting how a Chinese alligator's vocalisations change in a chamber filled with helium-enriched air.

The Ig Nobel award winning researcher concluded last year that 'knives manufactured from frozen human feces do not work'

Just like previous Ig Nobel awards, the winners are given a budget trophy and a defunct $10 trillion Zimbabwean note.

Ig Nobel organisers mailed each winner a document that they could print out and assemble into this year's cube-shaped trophy.

Much like the Nobel Awards, the Ig Nobels winners are awarded under several categories.

Under the Materials Science category this year, Metin Eren, an assistant professor of anthropology at Kent State University in Ohio, was awarded for fashioning a knife out of frozen human faeces.

Eren and his team aimed to recreate the story of an Inuit man in Canada who fashioned a knife out of his own excrement to butcher a dog.

They used real human faeces, frozen to -50C, and filed it to a sharp edge before trying to cut meat with it  without much success.

Marc Abrahams (top left), the master of ceremonies, presenting the awards to Richard S. Vetter (bottom right), a former research associate in the Department of Entomology at the University of California

When they tried to slice meat, the knife-edge 'simply melted upon contact, leaving streaks of faecal matter'.

'The poop knives failed miserably,' Eren said. 'There's not a lot of basis empirically for this fantastic story.

'The point of this was to show that evidence and fact checking are vital,' he said of his research, which was published in Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports last year.

Eren attended the Ig Nobel ceremony in 2003 when he was an undergraduate student at Harvard, so he was thrilled to finally win an award of his own.

'To be honest, it was a dream come true,' he said.

In the Entomology category, Rchard Vetter won an Ig Nobel for his paper looking at why people who spend their lives studying insects are creeped out by spiders.

His paper, 'Arachnophobic Entomologists: When Two More Legs Makes a Big Difference,' appeared in the the journal American Entomologist in 2013.

Vetter, a retired research associate and spider specialist who worked in the entomology department at the University of California Riverside for 32 years, found during the course of his work that many insect lovers hate spiders.

'It always struck me as funny that when I talked to entomologists about spiders, they would say something along the lines of "oh, I hate spiders!"' he said.

Many bug lovers have had a negative experience with a spider, including bites and nightmares, he claimed.

In Physics, two Russian researchers were awarded for determining what happens to the shape of a living earthworm when it is subjected to high-frequency vibrations.

Researchers replicated their experiments for the show using worm chew sweets

Their study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, tested four common species of earthworm 'to demonstrate that vertical vibration of living worms lying horizontally on a flat solid surface'.

'The body starts to wobble and we used light and a photodetector to measure the vibration,' said Ivan Maksymov at the University of Swinburne, Australia.

'We had a difficult time trying to understand what these results might be good for,' added co-author Andriy Pototsky, also at Swinburne.

This year's Ig Nobel prize for Medical Education was shared by a group of world leaders including Prime Minister Boris Johnson, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin for their attitudes to the current pandemic.

'These are all individuals who realised that their judgement is better than the judgement of people who have been studying this their entire lives, and were more insistent about it,' said Marc Abrahams, Ig Nobel creator, organiser and master of ceremonies.

Abrahams made efforts to reach out to the world leaders to accept their awards, with no luck.

'It would have been fun for them to take part,' he said.

Meanwhile, Stephan Reber from the University of Vienna and colleagues scooped up the Acoustics prize for research on whether reptiles could reveal clues about their body size through their vocalisations.

The two winners in the Physics category (right) with their mailed paper cube-shaped trophy and defunct $10 trillion Zimbabwean note

Mark Robertson, from St Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park in Florida, who was also involved in the research, said: 'The question was whether alligators have vocal tract resonances like human speech.

'The key is that sound travels faster in helium this makes the air passages seem shorter making the resonances higher.

'So if you breathe helium and the frequency shifts upward, that shows that there are resonances.'

The team found that much like humans, alligators sound different when inhaling helium.

'To the best of our knowledge, our study is the first to show that all alligators sound strange when inhaling a party balloon,' said Reber.

From the UK, Chris Watkins, a psychologist at the University of Abertay in Dundee, shared the Economics prize with eight other authors involved in a study on French kissing.

Their research, published in Scientific Reports last year, found French kissing was more common between partners in places that had high income equality.

'The hard part is getting alligators to breathe helium', said the researchers who won the 'Acoustics' prize

And Damiaan Denys and his colleagues earned the Ig Nobel in Medicine for pioneering a new psychiatric diagnosis called 'misophonia', which refers to getting annoyed by noises other people make.

Denys, a psychiatrist at the University of Amsterdam who specialises in patients with anxiety, compulsive and impulsive disorders, was inspired by a former patient who became so enraged by people who sneezed that she felt like killing them.

'I had a lot of knowledge about compulsive disorder but these complaints did not meet any existing clinical picture,' he said.

In Psychology, a North American team were awarded devising a method to identify narcissists by examining their eyebrows, documented in Journal of Personality.

They found perceptions of narcissism changed when swapping narcissists' and nonnarcissists' eyebrows between faces.

Of all the Ig Nobel winners since the inaugural ceremony in 1991, one of Abrahams' favourites is the winner of the Biology prize in 2003.

Kees Moeliker, a Dutch biologist and director of the Natural History Museum in Rotterdam, was awarded for what was the first scientifically reported case of homosexual necrophilia in the Mallard duck.

'Everything about it is wonderful,' Abrahams told Laboratory News in an interview last year.

'Reading his paper its clear there are only two possibilities  one is whoever wrote this is truly insane or this person is one of the subtlest and most deadpan writers who has ever lived.'
The Department of Education has revealed that almost one in 10 pupils did not attend school during the first full week of term earlier this month.

The figures came to light after SDLP MLA Pat Catney and Sinn Fein MLA Karen Mullan asked Education Minister Peter Weir to detail attendance rates.

As of September 7, 91.3% of pupils were in attendance at primary schools, while 8% of students in a post-primary setting were absent.

The overall attendance rate was 91.6% across all schools.

Read More

That figure was down 0.7% compared to the 2019/20 academic year.

The Department of Education could not confirm if the attendance figures had dropped because of the coronavirus pandemic as it does not hold information about why pupils are absent from class.

Mr Weir said earlier this week his department would not take a punitive approach to parents who did not send children to school because of Covid-19 fears.

Read More

Attendance rates in Northern Ireland at the start of term were higher than in England.

The overall attendance rate on September 1 was 94.6%, but it fell by the three percentage points the following Monday.

The attendance rate during the week of September 7 was highest in grammar schools, with 94.2% of pupils attending. It was lowest in special schools, at 85.2%.

Separate figures released by the department on September 9 revealed that there had been 88 positive Covid-19 cases in 64 schools and that almost 95% of teachers were working in classrooms.

Commenting on the data, Lagan Valley MLA Mr Catney said he thought the figures would have been much worse but admitted they were still "not good".

"The virus could be part of the reason. I have been around a few schools this week just to see how they're doing," he added.

"They're staggering the pupils coming and going out and they're changing times for different classes and different year groups to go out of class.

"They're trying to keep them wrapped up in their bubbles.

"There's a lot of parents definitely holding children back, but we want to try and keep our schools going.

"We have the guidelines. Yes, they may well have been slow, but teachers are doing their best and doing a mighty job.

"The onus is on all of us to protect our children, to protect our teachers and to protect the whole society. There is a wee bit of faith that has to be built into the system here to try and get back to normal as soon as possible."
The General Secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena, pioneering Buddhist organization in the country, Galagodaatte Gnanasara Thera says that the Chinese will soon obtain dual citizenship and represent Sri Lanka in the Parliament of Sri Lanka as per the permission given by the new constitution for dual citizens to be elected as Members of Parliament.





"The problem we have is that those who raised their hand to 17th raised their hand to 18th; those who raised their hand to 18 raised their hand to 19th. Now they are all getting ready to raise their hand to 20th. It would be a historic mistake for anyone to go ahead with this mandate, local media has reported.

Especially with regard to dual citizenship, the Chinese can also show Rs. 25 lakhs and come to Parliament saying that I am also a citizen of Sri Lanka. I think it will happen anyway because this is becoming a Chinese colony.

And this could happen to an Afghan. And this could happen to an Indian. If there is so much love for this country, why can't someone do politics in this country by revoking their citizenship?

A Tamil LTTE Diaspora is being formed. They have also made large requests for dual citizenship. So they too can build their strength in the legislature what Prabhakaran could not do.

This is a very serious situation, especially if we take into account the procurement process and auditing. Therefore, we do not think - just as this family wants, we have come to terms with that situation - that is why he should draft a new constitution through a broader discussion,  the Thera said.

Gnanasara Thera was speaking to the media when he appeared before the Fort Magistrate's Court yesterday (17).
Team Trump is going after Vice President Joe Biden for claiming in a town hall Thursday that all people 'would still be alive' rather than succumbing to the coronavirus had the president done his job.

Biden tore into the president during a CNN town hall outside his hometown of Scranton, PA  then stretched credulity by blaming the president for every single death.

He was responding to a question from a woman who lost her mother to the coronavirus.

'If the president had done his job, had done his job from the beginning, all the people would still be alive. All the people  Im not making this up. Just look at the data. Look at the data,' Biden told her.

The claim was quickly highlighted in the Washington Post as 'made up' by factchecker Glen Kessler, who has spent much of the last three years correcting claims by President Donald Trump.

Former Arkansas Republican Gov. Mike Huckabee - a Trump surrogate - blasted the remark in an appearance on Fox News Thursday night.

'Joe Biden went hyperbolic at a super-sonic level,' Huckabee quipped.

'Joe Biden has had more flip-flops than Miami Beach on the Fourth of July,' he quipped. 'For him to say that every death was the personal fault of the president, that's pretty outrageous.'

Democratic nominee Joe Biden was under fire Friday for claiming at a CNN town hall: 'If the president had done his job, had done his job from the beginning, all the people would still be alive. All the people'

President Donald Trump's allies bashed Joe Biden for claiming if Trump had done his job 'all the people would still be alive'

'He didn't say a word when the president took the really unpopular step of saying we were going to ban travel from Europe. 'This was early on in this,' Huckabee said.

He claimed the president was following the advice of government scientist, although he brought up Dr. Anthony Fauci, who Trump has publicly clashed with.

'The president has followed the advice of Dr. Fauci and the counsel that he has surrounded himself with,' said Huckabee.

Matt Whitlock, an advisor to the National Republican Senate Campaign, tweeted: '"I'm not making this up" he said as he was making things up. Biden's eagerness to let China off the hook here is outrageous and disqualifying.'

As the Post's fact-checker noted, even countries that have been lauded for their response, like South Korea and New Zealand, have experienced deaths: 377 in the case of South Korea, which implemented rapid testing, and 25 in New Zealand.

Biden's remarks came at an event where he ripped the president for his coronavirus response, as the nation approaches 200,000 deaths. He brought up modeling that could show another 200,000 deaths

And he seized on the Bob Woodward tapes revealing Trump calling the virus 'deadly stuff' and admitting he liked 'playing it down' and said: 'He knew it and he did nothing. It's close to criminal.'

Trump has repeatedly claimed he has done a 'great job' on the virus and also told Woodward in July that 'nothing more could have been done.'

Republican attack: Matt Whitlock is part of the party's Senate campaign apparatus

Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi (Democrat of California) made comments at odds with Biden when she said: 'Would they have all been saved? No. But many would have'

'The idea that you're going to not tell people what you've been told that this virus is incredibly contagious, seven times more contagious than the flu. You breathe the air, you get it sucked into your lungs. What has he done?' Biden said. Trump has responded to the taped comments, saying he didn't want to put the country in a 'panic.'

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, during an extended press statement Friday, made comments implying that Biden's remarks were a stretch  while also faulting Trump for actions that led the U.S. to lead the nation in coronavirus deaths.

'We are 200,000 people dead and that didn't have to happen,' Pelosi said.

'Would they have all been saved? No. But many would have. And there are metrics on this, don't take it from me,' she said. 'There are scientific metrics of how many people could have been saved.'

Joe Biden slams Donald Trump as 'close to criminal' and AG Bill Barr as 'sick' for comparing lockdowns to slavery as he says he would mandate masks on federal land and levy FINES to set example for nation

Democratic nominee Joe Biden went after Attorney General Bill Barr for saying that coronavirus lockdown orders were the 'greatest intrusion on civil liberties in American history' since slavery - and called Donald Trump's handling of Covid 'close to criminal.'

'Quite frankly they're sick,' Biden remarked of Barr's comments at a Thursday night CNN town hall with Anderson Cooper, held just outside his hometown of Scranton, PA.

'I never, ever thought I would see such a thoroughly, totally irresponsible administration.'

Biden said he was in disbelief that Barr would almost equate 'following the recommendations of the scientific community' to save lives during the coronavirus crisis to 'people being put in chains.'

'You lost your freedom because he didn't act,' Biden said - that comment likely intended for his political rival, President Donald Trump.

'You've got to level with the American people, shoot from the shoulder. There's never been a time when they've have not been able to step up,' Biden said. 'This president should step down,' the Democratic nominee added.

And he seized on the Bob Woodward tapes revealing Trump calling the virus 'deadly stuff' and admitting he liked 'playing it down' and said: 'He knew it and he did nothing. It's close to criminal.'

The former vice president said, in contrast, that he'd consider fining people on federal property - which is in the president's jurisdiction - for not wearing masks, after having already called for a nationwide mask mandate, which he'd have to implement by putting pressure on governors.

'If you're on federal property you must wear a mask,' he said. 'And we could have a fine for them not doing it.'

The town hall featured a number of people who experienced loss - a Republican nurse whose police officer husband died from cancer contracted after cleaning up Ground Zero post-9/11, an immunocompromised teacher whose wive lost her mother to COVID-19. Unlike the ABC News town hall earlier in the week with Trump, it did not feature solely undecided voters, and included questions from explicit Biden and Trump supporters.

The event opened with a woman who lost her mother to the coronavirus.

'You've lost your freedom because he didn't act,' Joe Biden said blasting President Donald Trump's inaction on the coronavirus during Thursday night's CNN town hall outside of his hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania

Joe Biden (left) told Anderson Cooper (right) he'd consider fining people for not wearing masks on federal property if elected president

Audience members are photographed watching Joe Biden from outside their cars, as CNN set the town hall up to be like a drive-in movie theater

Joe Biden (left) talked to a number of people who experienced loss, including Joe Vadala (right) an immunocompromised teacher whose wife lost her mother to COVID-19

A look at the drive-in movie theater set-up CNN constructed for Joe Biden's Scranton-area town hall event

'First of all, I feel so badly for you,' he told the woman. 'You know, we talk about ... almost 200,000 deaths and it's almost like background noise,'

'But it means a lot of empty chairs. It means a lot of children without their mothers or fathers. It means a lot of people not able to see their parents, so much, so my heart goes out to you,' Biden said.

Biden however made a questionable claim dispute by scientists that Trump was responsible for all U.S. deaths.

'If the president had done his job, had done his job from the beginning, all the people would still be alive,' he said.

'All the people. Im not making this up. Just look at the data. Look at the data.'

The claim was highlighted in the Washington Post as 'made up' by factchecker Glen Kessler.

And while the virus was top of mind, Biden was asked about the summer of racial unrest as well.

Biden explained why he stuck up for peaceful protesters but criticized Trump for restarting his rallies.

The ex-veep said COVID-19 safety was important on both scenarios.

'There is a big difference between people walking, moving along, and people sitting down, cheek to jaw, shoulder to shoulder, a thousand of them, breathing on one another, indoors and out, that causes real serious problems,' he said.

At one point, Cooper asked Biden if he believed he benefited from white privilege.

In one of the taperecorded interviews between Trump and journalist Bob Woodward, Trump scoffed at the idea.

'Sure, I've benefited just because I don't have to go through what my Black brothers and sisters have had to go through,' Biden answered.

Biden then made the point that growing up in Scranton, 'we're used to guys who look down their nose at us.'

'Well I'll tell you what bothered me, to tell you the truth, maybe it's my Scranton roots, I don't know,' he told Cooper. 'But when you guys started talking on television about Biden if he wins will be the first person without an Ivy League degree to be elected president.'

'Who the hell makes you think I have to have an Ivy League degree to be president?' Biden said, garnering applause from the audience.

Biden would be the first president since President Ronald Reagan to not hold an Ivy League degree.

'We are as good as anybody else,' Biden said. 'And guys like Trump who inherited everything and squandered what they inherited are the people I've always had a problem with. Not the people busting their neck.'

Throughout the town hall, Biden continued to talk about the election was between Scranton and Park Avenue.

'All that Trump can see from Park Avenue is Wall Street. All he thinks about is the stock market,' Biden said at one point.

He also said that Trump downplayed the coronavirus crisis because his eyes were on Wall Street then as well.

Biden repeatedly spoke of his background in Scranton, his connections to the wider area - including telling a questioner from Philadelphia 'I married a Philly girl' - and referred to his personal experience of grief and loss, with a series of questions at the start coming from people who had suffered bereavement, including a police officer's widow as well as those whose families were hit by coronavirus.

The display of empathy played to Biden's strengths as a campaigner, something which he has been unable to do for the past six months, and also presented a contrast to Trump's town hall earlier in the week.

Hillary Clinton lost Scranton in the course of her defeat in Pennsylvania, one of the three 'blue wall' states which were won by Trump.

But after the event Biden said he would win Scranton. He had won applause from the audience for praising it and has returned repeatedly to it over the years.

Biden, 77, also stood throughout the town hall, despite chairs being on stage for him and Cooper, a contrast to Trump, 73, sitting throughout his ABC News town hall in Philadelphia on Tuesday.

Trump had assailed Biden as 'shot' and physically and mentally incapable of becoming president, which Biden's supporters say has simply lowered the bar on how he has to perform at the debates.

His performance will be studied closely by Trump's aides - and by Trump - ahead of the first presidential debate on September 29, a week on Tuesday.

Cooper asked Biden if he was practicing and if someone was playing Trump and Biden said 'not so far,' saying he was practicing being 'concise.' Unlike the town hall, the debate comes with time limits and moderator Chris Wallace proved a fierce enforcer of them in 2016. Two people are asking him questions, he said.

On Air Force One as the town hall began, Trump's chief of staff Mark Meadows warned that Biden should not be underestimated as an opponent - even though Trump has been reported to have privately scorned practicing and said he would force Biden to stutter or make a gaffe.

'To suggest that you shouldn't take him seriously would be misguided,' Meadows said, noting Biden's almost five decades in electoral politics.

Trump has also suggested that Biden was 'on drugs or something' when he performed well in the later Democratic primary debates, and suggested taking a drug test.

In Wisconsin Thursday he addressed a rally as Biden's town hall concluded, and railed at Biden, claiming the Democrat used a teleprompter, while reading from two teleprompters himself.

His campaign accused Cooper of 'giving Biden a total pass on his lies and misrepresentations' and the questions being 'an invitation for him to attack President Trump.'

Trump campaign adviser Jason Miller tweeted: 'This town hall is an in-kind contribution to the Biden campaign.'

President Trump knew how deadly COVID-19 was and did nothing. Its close to criminal. #BidenTownHall pic.twitter.com/OL3uIA1QSZ  Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) September 18, 2020

Drive-in with Biden: Obama's vice-president's town hall was in the format of a drive-in theater

Joe Biden's town hall comes two days after President Donald Trump participated in a Philadelphia town hall, filmed indoors at the National Constitution Center, with only people posing questions as audience members. They wore masks and sat six feet apart

CNN created a drive-in movie theater set-up inside a ball park for the event.

'Who knew drive-ins were coming back?' Cooper remarked as the event opened.

Biden's audience consisted 250 people gathered, the campaign confirmed, keeping in line with Pennsylvania's coronavirus regulations.

The ball park is where the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders play.

The old school drive-in has become a stand-in on the Democratic side for campaign rallies, as Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris have preached caution about supporters attending gatherings due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Democratic Party set up a drive-in in a parking lot outside the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware on the final night of the Democratic National Convention so there would be an audience to cheer Biden and Harris as they emerged together as the official presidential ticket to watch fireworks.

Supporters watched the virtual convention on large screens and then cheered and honked their horns when Biden and Harris briefly appeared.

Additionally, in cities around the country, watch parties were set up drive-in style so Democratic supporters could watch Biden's nominating speech together.

The town hall brings Biden - who was born in Scranton before moving to Wilmington - to the key swing state two days after President Donald Trump made the trek to Philadelphia for his own town hall with Pennsylvania voters.

Trump's town hall was produced by ABC News and was filmed indoors at the National Constitution Center, where the only audience was the likely voters questioning the president.

They all sat six feet apart and wore masks, until they posed their questions to Trump.

The president has been more cavalier about his campaigning amid a continued spread of the coronavirus.

Last weekend he held his first indoor rally since June in the state of Nevada.

He's packed thousands into airport hangars as well.

The campaign has encouraged mask-wearing of attendees, but droves have rebelled.

At a recent rally in New Hampshire, Trump supporters booed when a voice over the loudspeaker encouraged them to wear masks.

The president told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he wasn't personally worried about contracting the coronavirus at these events.

'I'm on a stage and it's very far away,' he told the paper. 'And so I'm not at all concerned.'

Joe Biden says he will accept the 'full election results and count every vote' as he slams Donald Trump for refusing to agree to accept them in advance

Former Vice President Joe Biden skewered President Donald Trump for refusing to say outright he would accept the results of the election, then provided his own answer to the question.

'Sure, the full results. Count every vote,' Biden responded, asked by CNN host Anderson Cooper about the freighted topic during a live, outdoor town hall-style meeting.

'Look, i mean, can anybody  any of you are history majors out there think of any president early on who said I'm not sure I'm going to accept the results of the election? It depends?' Biden said, raising his voice for emphasis. 'What's happened to us? This is not who we are. This is not what America is. No president's ever said anything like that.'

Former Vice President Joe Biden blasted President Donald Trump for refusing to say he will accept the election results. 'Sure, the full results. Count every vote,' Biden responded when asked if he would do so

Responding to a question about mail-in voting  the subject of repeated escalating attacks by President Trump  Biden responded: 'Look, if the president had even remote confidence that he was likely to win the election, he wouldn't be doing this.'

He told Cooper: 'Remember, I wasn't on your show, but I said some months ago, I predict the president is going to try to move the Election Day. Everybody said oh he'd never do that. Guess what? He suggested maybe we should move the election date, postpone the election,' Biden said.

Powerful Senate Republicans immediately shot down the idea after Trump floated it.

President Donald Trump has refused to say he will accept the election results. He said in July: 'Trump said in July: 'I have to see. No, I'm not going to just say yes. I'm not going to say no, and I didn't last time either'

In this file photo, absentee voting manager Matt Kelly holds the ballot envelopes that will be used to mail ballots at the Franklin County Board of Elections office in Columbus on Wednesday, July 29

Trump loyalist Attorney General Bill Barr has also blasted mail-in voting

'He's done every single thing, including having a postmaster general who still doesn't know who dismantled those machines  who ordered picking up those places to mail your ballots,' Biden said. 'I mean, it just is all about trying to delegitimize the effort.'

Trump told Fox News Sunday's Chris Wallace in July when pressed on whether he would accept the results: 'I have to see. No, I'm not going to just say yes. I'm not going to say no, and I didn't last time either.'

Trump took a similar posture in 2016, when he said: 'I will tell you at the time. I will keep you in suspense.'

Cooper asked him point blank: 'Would you commit tonight to accepting the results of the election?'

Biden's call to 'count every vote' only hints at the political and legal battle that lies ahead. He is assembling a team of top litigators, including former solicitors general, to fight to allow ballots and anticipating challenges.

Trump continues to rail against mail-in voting, as he did at the White House yesterday.

Trump tweeted Thursday morning: 'Because of the new and unprecedented massive amount of unsolicited ballots which will be sent to 'voters', or wherever, this year, the Nov 3rd Election result may NEVER BE ACCURATELY DETERMINED, which is what some want. Another election disaster yesterday. Stop Ballot Madness!,'

Asked by a Philadelphia voter what he would do to secure mail-in voting if elected, Biden said: 'I would not try to throw into question the legitimacy of the election like this president and the people around him have done.'

He spoke about an election two years ahead, when COVID-19 will hopefully be on the wane. 'Look it's all about people showing up and voting. And i'm confident notwithstanding all the efforts the president's made, I think you're going to see a massive turnout,' he said.
Yesterday, Victoria recorded just 28 new coronavirus cases. This is the lowest daily total in three months.

To ensure the numbers continue to decline, experts have warned suburban contact tracing hubs need to be established in Melbourne as soon as possible.

National cabinet will meet today to discuss hotel quarantine and to agree on a definition of hotspot after a tense fortnight between some states, fuelled by border issues.

In this episode, national editor Tory Maguire is joined by acting editor of The Age Michelle Griffin to talk through the Premier's next steps to keep the cases in Victoria declining.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 19:17:45|Editor: huaxia

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DAMASCUS, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- An explosive device went off overnight while a convoy of the U.S.-led coalition was passing by in a village in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour, a war monitor reported Friday.

The explosive device exploded while the convoy was passing by in the village of Abriha in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zour, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The explosion left damage with no report on casualties, the UK-based watchdog group added.

Also on Thursday evening, three explosive devices exploded near the al-Omar oil field while a vehicle of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) was passing by, said the observatory, noting that the explosion left no losses.

At early time on Thursday, a group of unknown armed men opened fire on a patrol of the SDF in the Basira area in Deir al-Zour with no report on casualties.

The opposition activists have repeatedly reported a state of lawlessness in areas controlled by the SDF in the eastern and northeastern Syria. Enditem
Saleh has been a thorn in Haftars side since he began jockeying for power by trying to push for a peace deal with the GNA that would sideline Haftar. Saleh mistakenly thought that because growing ranks of Western officialdom were calling for a ceasefire and peace agreement that he would be able to win this game. He will not win, and this is now clear.

Also take note that the protests--particularly intense in the eastern city of Benghazi--have a very specific emphasis: Corruption. And protesters are conveniently calling on the military (read: Haftar) to sort out that corruptionhence al-Thanis resignation. In other words, al-Thani is linked to Saleh, and Haftar wants them out of the way, which opens the door for the military to assume full control in Benghazi.

Protests that are engulfing Tobruk in eastern LibyaHaftars strongholdmay not be what they seem. This week has seen the resignation of the eastern interim government of Abdullah al-Thani. That resignation will make it impossible for Speaker of Parliament Aguila Saleh to agree to any sort of a peace deal with the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli.

Turkey would like the world to think that the resignation of the eastern government this week signifies the weakening of General Haftar. The opposite is true. This clears the way for Haftar and weakens Turkeys power in the country.

Libya: A New Twist to Haftars Power Play

Turkey would like the world to think that the resignation of the eastern government this week signifies the weakening of General Haftar. The opposite is true. This clears the way for Haftar and weakens Turkeys power in the country.

Protests that are engulfing Tobruk in eastern LibyaHaftars strongholdmay not be what they seem. This week has seen the resignation of the eastern interim government of Abdullah al-Thani. That resignation will make it impossible for Speaker of Parliament Aguila Saleh to agree to any sort of a peace deal with the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli.

Also take note that the protests--particularly intense in the eastern city of Benghazi--have a very specific emphasis: Corruption. And protesters are conveniently calling on the military (read: Haftar) to sort out that corruptionhence al-Thanis resignation. In other words, al-Thani is linked to Saleh, and Haftar wants them out of the way, which opens the door for the military to assume full control in Benghazi.

Saleh has been a thorn in Haftars side since he began jockeying for power by trying to push for a peace deal with the GNA that would sideline Haftar. Saleh mistakenly thought that because growing ranks of Western officialdom were calling for a ceasefire and peace agreement that he would be able to win this game. He will not win, and this is now clear.

Throughout the protests, Haftar gets to be the hero who supports them, so this is a major PR coup.

But al-Thani isnt the only major resignation this week: Back in the west of Libya, in the capital Tripoli, Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj is also expected to resign, with his most recent target date being the end of October.

As Turkeys best friend in Libya, this will make Ankara incredibly nervous after all the deals the two have cut recentlydeals in which Turkey is hoping to get a cut of Libyas oil and gas riches. Sarraj is also the one who brokered the brazen deal with Ankara to demarcate the maritime border to ensure that Turkey doesnt get cut out of future Mediterranean oil and gas exploration and infrastructure. If Sarraj resigns, that deal is largely null and void, which would be a major win for Haftar in Libya.

Another indication that this is all Haftars move is this: At the same time, the general has promised to lift the oil blockade, reopen the ports and let the oil flow again--this weekend. He would only do that if he had the upper hand, so something big is going down in Tripoli. Keep an eye on Sarrajs planned resignation.
Fire & Smoke

When I first met my husband in 2000, he was studying at Oregon State University, and I was just about to start law school at the University of Georgia. When we decided to get married, one of us had to move, and I ended up studying as a visiting student at the University of Oregon my last year (though my degree was ultimately from UGA).



That move started a three year adventure of life on the west coast, where we travelled extensively in the Pacific Northwest and also became very close to Marty and Barbara McKeown. Marty hired me as a clerk when I was in law school, and I helped write briefs and arguments for his many workers compensation and social security clients.



After I graduated, Marty hired me as an associate, and I started my career helping people hurt on the job mostly folks who worked in lumber mills and hospitals. My work with him involved arguing cases before administrative law judges and the Oregon Court of Appeals and getting to know my fellow attorneys.



The job also involved travel to meet with clients or attend hearings in Portland, Klamath Falls, Coos Bay, Grants Pass and Medford, Oregon.

When we first started hearing about fires out west, we werent surprised. Fires are a regular part of life there, and when we take road trips, we adjust when fires cause hazardous or smoky conditions.



For instance, we were going to visit friends in Salt Lake City several years ago, but due to fires, we diverted south. Just this summer, we intended to visit the North Rim of the Grand Canyon but were thwarted by fires.

But these fires are different. They are bigger. They are fiercer.



We now see places that feel like a second home to us blanketed by smoke. Our friends, Marty and Barbara McKeown, when we called them this weekend, had escaped to the coast, where air quality was better (though it was still foggy).



My sister, who lives just east of Portland, traveled with her family to the Oregon state border with Idaho on Sunday in an effort to glimpse blue sky. The air quality, due to fires, in Gresham and the Portland area was in excess of an index of 500 last weekend.



To give you some perspective, an air quality index above 301 is considered hazardous.



To give you yet more perspective, the air quality index in Atlanta today (I wrote this on Tuesday) is 30.



My sister and her children wore masks not just because of COVID-19 but because breathing the very air was dangerous.



We as a people believe in life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and clean air is both life-sustaining and a source of happiness. Having lived in a place where it rained for almost six months straight, I can attest to the fact that grey skies can get you down, even if you have the sunniest of dispositions and a positive outlook on life.



With the passage of the Clean Air Act in 1963, the United States made a commitment to control air pollution. Several amendments were added to address air quality standards.



Prior to that, especially in the 1940s and 1950s, America experienced terrible air pollution events, including a lethal smog that blanketed Donora, Pennsylvania, in 1948.



Since then, strides have been made in terms of reducing criteria air pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides and lead.

People transitioned from wood-burning stoves to coal to industrial power plants with pollution prevention equipment, including scrubbers, precipitators and other best available control technologies.



Now, several power providers are shifting to renewable sources of energy such as solar, wind, hydro and even geothermal and tidal. All of these options do not involve combustion, the source of particulate matter in our air.



As to those western fires, thankfully rain looks like it is moving in and will help the firefighters battle the blazes and will help to improve the quality of the air, hopefully providing glimpses of blue sky to my sister, our friends and all the good people out west.


A double shooting Thursday evening in the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston left one man dead and another with life-threatening injuries, police said.

Officers responded shortly before 7:30 p.m. to a radio call about a car crash as well as shots fired near 74 Decatur St., the Boston Police Department said in a statement.

Police found two men in a car with gunshot wounds, according to the statement.

One of the victims died at the scene, and the other man was taken to a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries, police said.

The Boston Police Department has asked anyone with information related to the shooting to call homicide detectives at (617) 343-4470.

Community members who wish to help the investigation anonymously can do so by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1 (800) 494-TIPS or by texting the word TIP to CRIME (27463).

The Boston Police Department will stringently guard and protect the identities of all those who wish to assist this investigation in an anonymous manner, the department said.
The largest opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has said that the Akufo-Addo-led NPP government is planning to legalize the operations of 'Okada', their campaign promise, but the Deputy Information Minister has debunked that assertion.



He explained that the consultative meeting of the Transport Minister with the stakeholders, industry players, and interest groups was meant to ascertain the risk factor in the operations of the Okada business and come up with the best way to address the issue.



Speaking on Okay FMs 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show, Pius Enam Hadzide outlined that the consultation with the stakeholders helped the Transport Ministry to know that accidents involving Okada is three times higher and death is 16 times higher, making the business riskier than any other means of transportation.



He pointed out that the consultation with stakeholders in Okada business did not mean that the Akufo-Addo government has thought of legalising the business; acknowledging that some of the people even in government thought it was prudent to legalize the Okada business.



The fact that we had a consultation with stakeholders in Okada business did not mean that we are bringing Okada business. I am sure that the NDC did not understand our stakeholder consultation. We only sought to establish that we dont do things on impulse without thinking hard and deep about it and realizing the true implications and ramifications of that policy move . . .  he explained.



He hinted that looking at the risk associated with the Okada business, the Akufo-Addo government is finding a way to get jobs for them as many of the people working with Okada wish for another business.



Many of the Okada riders are doing the Okada business due to lack of jobs .. . they are saying that it is not their wish to use Okada for business, he indicated.

Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected]









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Ammo Grrrll invents a new hashtag and commences a new campaign: #YEAH, ME NEITHER. She writes:

We already have the hashtag campaign #MeToo that encourages women everywhere to remember that time when, God forbid, a man told them they looked nice, or a co-worker put a hand on their shoulder without a notarized permission slip, or when a classmate had consensual sex with them but then failed to return their 2,093 texts. Im guessing, just from women I have either known or observed, that legitimate #MeToo complaints run at about 5 percent. Maybe. Sure, men can be jerks, sometimes. I am, of course, not talking about actual criminal complaints, filed with the police. And neither are they.

Anyhoo, I am starting my own hashtag campaign #Yeah, Me Neither as a way to express my daily shock at the state of the world. We will begin with a few unrelated items today:

 Back when we were kids, the two somber male national newscasters in my world were Chet Huntley and David Brinkley. (We only got one channel.) Years later, I read that one of them had been a Republican and one had been a Democrat, but danged if anyone could tell which was which. Besides, back in those quaint times, both parties loved America and Western Civilization. Good times, good times.

Huntley and Brinkley were men of honor and integrity who believed that the news should be impartial, unbiased and deliver the 5 ws  who, what, when, where and why. Did you EVER, in a thousand years, think that journalism would come to 24/7 one-sided, relentless bigoted bashing of the President, his 63 million supporters, his extended family, and his entire race plus any black or Hispanic people who support him? #Yeah, Me Neither.

 I have heard tell from several friends and acquaintances, that as small children they had had occasion to take some trifling item from a grocery, candy, or toy store without paying for it. Now this never happened to me  not because I was some paragon of child virtue  but because our family had a retail establishment, so shoplifting was considered a capital crime.

But the story never ended well for the people who told it to me. It seems that the pint-sized pilferers were not very professional, and their parents always found out. And, shockingly, their families also took a dim view of stealing. Often their parents were some kind of crazy Christians who took the Commandment Thou shalt not steal to be, well, a Commandment! The shoplifters would be forced to return to the store, confess their crime, and either pay for or work off what they took. Most midget miscreants only did it the once.

Did you EVER, in a thousand years, imagine a scene, broadcast day after day on television, of adult looters not looking even a little bit ashamed, dragging their little apprentice criminals WITH THEM through a Target to smash, grab, vandalize, and steal? #Yeah, Me Neither.

 As human beings, surely our most important single task is to protect children. And I dont mean making them wear a helmet on a pogo stick. It is a known fact that pedophiles are considered the lowest of the low even in prisons. Everywhere but California.

Would you have believed that on their most lost and obscene day, the California legislature could pass a law specifically to make it A-OK for a NAMBLA (North American Man Boy Love Association) predator to have consensual sex with a 14 year old? #Yeah, Me Neither. It seems that a 10-year age gap is the largest allowed. For now. But these kinds of things are always only the opening bid. It will get much worse and inevitably lead to the following sentence being said, But, your Honor, the little skank may only be 6, but he LOOKS 8, and he SAID he was 8 when I said that he HAD to be 8 to get the candy. Mark. My. Words.

The very notion of a child ever being CAPABLE of giving consent is repulsive in the extreme. Especially when an adult woman, drunk, stoned and in bed nekkid with an age-appropriate inebriated male on campus is NOT considered capable of giving consent.

 Some people, used to Logical Thinking, might believe that television political pundits billed as Republican and paid as such would actually BE rooting for the Republicans. Haha. Its Scorched Earth Time. No scrap of successful Trumpist Fighting Spirit must remain in The Party of Your Running-to-Lose Betters lest the middle class get uppity ever again and think that OUR inalienable rights are more important than illegal aliens rights.

Virtually NO media stars billed as Republican are planning to vote for the standard-bearer of the Republican Party, or even down ballot. Theres Anna Navarro, Max Boot, Jennifer Rube-Hater, Jonah Goldberg, Bill Kristol, and on and on. Mr. Kristol is actually playing DJT in the pretend debate practice for Biden while the Democrats continue to pretend there will BE a debate. (Imagine Cossells voice: Its The In-Trum-bent vs. Joey Sundown in the existential match called: The Fella Leaves the Cellah. My goodness, fans, stop the fight! Stop the fight! Sundown cant find the ring even holding his wifes hand!)

This depressing cabal of wealthy pundits and mean girls is all-hands-on-deck in putting us smelly, uneducated, dentally-challenged religious nuts in our place forever. You say you are none of those things, except religious? #Yeah, Me Neither. College grad. Bathes daily. Uses deodorant. Regular Oral Hygiene. Admits would rather kill terrorist masterminds than unborn babies, so, clearly, a religious nut.

 Finally, let us look at just a few of the planks in the radical intelligentsias program for American Life going forward: Skin color is paramount. Everything from dorms to Proms to Clubs and Safe Spaces must be segregated: segregation today, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever. Black people cannot possibly be expected to meet any standards because ALL standards are racist. Tests are racist. The nuclear family is racist. Middle class values such as punctuality and hard work are racist. Likewise for linear thinking, grammar, structure, mathematics. All racist. White people (all hopelessly racist) should never even be allowed to EAT the foods that non-white people eat, or even sport hoop earrings. Coming soon: back to black and white drinking fountains! Because white people are just icky.

Did you ever think in your wildest dreams that these radical black and white deep thinkers and revolutionaries would crib their talking points from David Duke? #Yeah, Me Neither.
Posted on Sept. 17, 2020



We are collaborating with FactCheck.org, a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, in an effort to identify misinformation and to ensure news consumers get the facts. This story first appeared on FactCheck.org.

A long-circulating, unsubstantiated claim about the origins of the novel coronavirus resurfaced in recent days after a paper published online purported that SARS-CoV-2 was created in a lab.

The baseless claim  which we first addressed in the early days of the pandemic  was further amplified when Fox News host Tucker Carlson featured an interview with one of the authors of the paper on his show on Sept. 15.

That segment was viewed on YouTube nearly 2 million times and that link alone was shared by more nearly 50,000 users on Facebook, according to CrowdTangle analytics data, where other popular posts also repeated the allegations.

But experts say the new paper, which has not been peer-reviewed, does not prove that the virus was created in a lab.

The paper was uploaded to an open-access website Sept. 14 and was published by the Rule of Law Society & Rule of Law Foundation  two related entities in New York tied to Steve Bannon, a former adviser to President Donald Trump. Bannon is listed as the chair of the Rule of Law Society in a registration document filed last year with the state.

The organizations are connected to a partnership forged by Bannon and Guo Wengui, an exiled Chinese businessman, that has been described as being based on their shared disdain for the Chinese government. Guo is wanted in China on charges of bribery and fraud  allegations he has denied  according to The New York Times. Bannon announced in November 2018 that Guo would be setting up a $100 million Rule of Law fund in part to aid Chinese dissidents and their families.

Guos work in the U.S., including consulting services from Bannon, has drawn the interest of federal investigators, The Wall Street Journal has reported.

Rossen Reports: Busting COVID-19 myths with experiments you can try at home

The new paper attempts to make the case that the novel coronavirus couldnt have come from nature and instead may have been created by altering a previously discovered bat coronavirus. But several of its main points rest on faulty conclusions.

One of the studys main claims is that the genomic sequence of SARS-CoV-2 is suspiciously similar to that of a bat coronavirus discovered by military laboratories in China and therefore indicates that another coronavirus was used to create the novel coronavirus.



Kristian G. Andersen, a professor of immunology and microbiology at Scripps Research who has studied the origins of the virus, said of the claim on Twitter: This simply cant be true  there are more than 3,500 nucleotide differences between SARS-CoV-2 and these viruses.

And Dr. Stanley Perlman, a professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Iowa who studies coronaviruses, told us in an email that the coronavirus referenced  ZC45  is only 89% related to SARS-CoV-2. In virology terms, that is very distant.

Perlman said it would be nearly impossible to make the reverse genetics system needed to manipulate the virus and changing its sequence to arrive at SARS-CoV-2 would be virtually impossible since it would not be known how to manipulate the virus.

Nevertheless, Dr. Li-Meng Yan  one of the authors of the new paper and a virologist who has claimed she fled China to reveal the truth about COVID-19  doubled down on Carlsons show. She alleged a cover-up by the Chinese government and the scientific community.

The paper goes on to suggest that SARS-CoV-2 contains a unique furin-cleavage site in its Spike protein  which is completely absent in this particular class of coronaviruses found in nature  and that, therefore, the virus was engineered.

Susan R. Weiss, a University of Pennsylvania professor of microbiology who researches coronaviruses, told us in an email that that makes no sense in terms of what we know about coronaviruses.

Among murine coronavirus strains there are viruses with the furin site and strains without  closely related strains closer than SARS-1 and SARS-2 yet they are all virulent, Weiss said. So this observation says nothing to me about the virus being engineered.

A furin site is a short protein sequence that can be recognized and cut by other proteins.

Perlman also said furin sites are found in many coronaviruses and finding it does not surprise us in the field.

The paper also argues a conspiracy is afoot by claiming that scientific journals wont publish the alternative theory that the virus may have come from a research laboratory.

I dont believe that, Weiss said. It is just that the data is not compelling. I dont know any CoV researchers that believe this at all. There is no way anyone could figure out how to make a virus behave like SARS-2  asymptomatic spread for thing.

In March, Andersen and other scientists concluded in an article in Nature Medicine that the novel coronavirus is not a laboratory construct or a purposefully manipulated virus. The authors said that the virus likely originated in one of two ways: natural selection in an animal host before zoonotic transfer, meaning before the spread of disease from animals to humans, or natural selection in humans following zoonotic transfer.

The Nature Medicine article did say it couldnt rule out an accidental laboratory release of the naturally occurring virus, but its authors said they do not believe that any type of laboratory-based scenario is plausible.

The new, dubious paper attempts to discredit those findings by saying the Nature Medicine studys authors show signs of conflict of interests, raising further concerns on the credibility of this publication.

The supposed support for that allegation: that one of the authors, Columbia Universitys Dr. W. Ian Lipkin, received an award from China for his work on public health there following the 2003 outbreak of the coronavirus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS.

The new paper also references the curriculum vitae of another author  Edward C. Holmes, a researcher at the University of Sydney in Australia  which shows that he has collaborated with scientists and organizations in China.

espite the online lies and malicious editing of my Wikipedia page, I have never received any funds from China, personal or research, and have no grants with Chinese scientists. I do have some honorary appointments there and a nice certificate though, Holmes wrote on Twitter. I do work closely with some Chinese scientists and as that directly led to the first release of the genome sequence that might just perhaps possibly be argued to be a good thing.

Andersen also said that the allegation about the authors being conflicted was wrong. y lab has never received funding from China and we have no collaborations with Chinese investigators. I have no financial interests in China, he said in a tweet. All our analyses are scientific and unbiased.

Its worth noting that collaborations between researchers in the U.S. and China arent uncommon. A recent study published in Higher Education found that U.S. research output between 2014 and 2018 would have dropped without Chinese partnerships  while Chinas output would have grown regardless of work with the U.S. he findings demonstrate that the USA has more to lose than gain in cutting ties with China, its authors wrote.

Public health officials have also suggested the virus originated in bats.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said: The SARS-CoV-2 virus is a betacoronavirus, like MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV. All three of these viruses have their origins in bats. The sequences from U.S. patients are similar to the one that China initially posted, suggesting a likely single, recent emergence of this virus from an animal reservoir. However, the exact source of this virus is unknown.

And in April, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said in a statement that the Intelligence Community also concurs with the wide scientific consensus that the COVID-19 virus was not manmade or genetically modified. The intelligence community, it said, will continue to rigorously examine emerging information and intelligence to determine whether the outbreak began through contact with infected animals or if it was the result of an accident at a laboratory in Wuhan.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told National Geographic in a May interview, If you look at the evolution of the virus in bats and whats out there now, is very, very strongly leaning toward this could not have been artificially or deliberately manipulated.

Everything about the stepwise evolution over time strongly indicates that evolved in nature and then jumped species, Fauci said.

Jessica McDonald contributed to this article.

Editors note: FactCheck.org is one of several organizations working with Facebook to debunk misinformation shared on social media. Our previous stories can be found here.
A three-year court case against a former baccarat dealer and an alleged accomplice charged with stealing more than $400,000 from Crown Resorts has spectacularly collapsed due to security staff making threats and conducting hours of interrogations that forced admissions from the pair.

Former Crown Casino croupier, Michael Hou, 37, and co-accused Yixuan Cui, 24, both made confessions in May 2017, and police raids of a Southbank apartment uncovered more than $200,000 in cash and casino chips worth about $50,000.

Crown staff didn't play their cards right. Credit:Marco Del Grande

However, the Office of Public Prosecutions was forced to seek a discontinuance of the trial on Friday, after the County Court and the Supreme Court of Appeals found that heavy-handed conduct by Crown's security and surveillance unit had tainted the admissions.

The abandoned case has wasted hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars and raises serious probity concerns about Crown's investigators, who interrogated Mr Hou for more than three hours, while Ms Cui was detained for more than two hours, before they were handed over to police.
(TNS)  President Trumps suggestion not withstanding, Kansas and Missouri election officials say adequate safeguards are in place to stop anyone who might want to vote twice on November 3.Election administrators will rely on statewide electronic voter databases to alert poll workers when a registered absentee or mail-in voter tries to vote in-person.If a voter who had a mail ballot in the system shows up on Election Day to vote, on the poll book, it will say Advance Ballot, said Clay Barker, deputy general counsel for the Kansas Secretary of State office. They wont be allowed to vote  to just cast a ballot and leave.Voters can still fill out a provisional ballot, but it will be marked by an election worker to indicate that they have already filed to vote by mail.The county, after the election, will check to see if a mail ballot actually came in for that person, Barker said. If not, then that provisional ballot is their vote. If the mail ballot actually showed up, they dont get two votes. The provisional will be thrown away.Voting more than once in an election is illegal in all 50 states, not to mention a federal offense. But earlier this month, in the battleground state of North Carolina, Trump suggested that voters both mail their ballots and show up at the polls on Election Day.Trump has been an outspoken opponent of mail balloting and has asserted, without evidence, that it leads to fraud. He proposed that North Carolinians demonstrate the weakness of the nations election system by attempting to vote twice.Let them send it in and let them 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, Trump said earlier this month.Maura Browning, a spokesperson for the Missouri Secretary of States office, said local election offices can be accommodating to voters who have made a mistake.Lets say I request an absentee ballot and it comes to me in the mail and then I forget to send it in, Browning said. I can take that to the polling place on Election Day and ask them to spoil (destroy) that ballot and then theyll provide me another ballot that I can complete.The Kansas VoterView webpage, run by the secretary of states office, helps voters track the status of their ballot. Voters can see if theyve submitted a vote-by-mail request, if the ballot has been sent to them, and if it has been received by their county election office.Missouri has no comparable mechanism for tracking ballot status, but Browning said voters who return their ballots promptly shouldnt worry about their vote not counting.For mail-in and absentee ballots to count in Missouri, they must be in the hands of election authorities by the time polls close at 7 p.m. on Nov. 3. Kansas mail-in ballots received up to three days after Election Day will be counted, as long as they are postmarked by Nov. 3.The state is taking other steps to ease the burden of advance voting on an already strained U.S. Postal Service.Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly announced last month that Secretary of State Scott Schwab would authorize counties to use two additional ballot drop boxes for mail-in votes. Drop boxes have one-way openings, tamper-proof locks and video monitoring.If you have a concern, its better to physically drop [your ballot] off at a polling place on Election Day, or an early voting location, Barker said.Some Missouri counties have ballot drop boxes, Browning said, but only absentee voters can use them. Mail-in voters must return their ballot through the postal service for it to count.Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft has not embraced expanded mail-in voting, maintaining that the best way for Missourians to cast a ballot is still in-person.For his part, Trump has decried ballot drop boxes as a voter security disaster.Among other things, they make it possible for a person to vote multiple times, Trump said in an Aug. 23 tweet. There is no evidence that this claim is true.
Crowds in Madrid, which accounts for more than one third of all new coronavirus cases.

The Spanish Health Ministry recorded 11,291 new coronavirus cases and an additional 162 deaths in its official report on Thursday. This brings the total death toll  which only includes those who died after a positive PCR test  to 30,405. Madrid accounted for more than a third (34%) of new Covid-19 cases recorded by Spains regions. The daily report did not include figures from the Murcia region, which for the second day in a row experienced technical difficulties when reporting its latest coronavirus statistics to the ministry. Catalonia reported the same problems on Tuesday.

The number of hospitalizations continues to rise, with coronavirus patients occupying 8.6% of total hospital beds across Spain. Hospitals in Madrid continue to face the greatest pressure, with 21% of beds occupied by Covid-19 patients, followed by Castilla-La Mancha, with 13%. Asturias (2%), Galicia (3%) and Extremadura (4%) are the Spanish regions with the lowest hospital occupancy rate. According to Thursdays report, the number of people admitted to hospital with the disease exceeded 10,000. Of that figure, 1,331 of coronavirus patients are in intensive care units (ICUs), 409 of whom are in Madrid.

The 14-day cumulative incidence of the virus in Spain has risen to 260 cases per 100,000 inhabitant, far above the rate in the UK which is at 59 cases

In response to the rising figures, the Madrid regional government is set to announce new restrictions aimed at curbing contagion Friday afternoon. The deputy premier of Madrid, Ignacio Aguado, also called on the central government on Thursday to get actively involved in efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus in the region.

The 14-day cumulative incidence of the virus in Spain has risen to 260 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, which is much higher than the figure in other European countries such as France (167), the United Kingdom (59), Italy (33) and Germany (23), according to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Madrid continues to have the highest incidence rate of Spains 17 regions, with 659 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by Navarre (543) and La Rioja (410).

In the education community, the advance of the coronavirus had caused 120 school closures by Friday, while students from a further 565 classrooms across the country had been quarantined.

Speaking at a government press conference on Thursday, Spains state secretary for health, Silvia Calzon, said that the public health commission was considering reducing the Covid-19 quarantine period to 10 or seven days. Under the current protocol, it must last for 14 days. Calzon explained that reducing the self-isolation period could help with compliance by encouraging people not to break quarantine before it comes to an end  a problem Spains regions have been facing in recent weeks.

English version by Melissa Kitson.
JK Rowling has said that the controversial character Dennis Creed, a serial killer in her new Strike novel, was based on two real-life murderers.

Creed provoked controversy due to his habit of dressing in womens clothing and a wig in order to trick his female victims before abducting them.

He appears in Troubled Blood  released earlier this week  in which private detectives Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott investigate the case of a female GP who disappeared decades earlier.

After a review in The Telegraph made a number of observations and criticisms of the character, a number of trans rights supporters condemned Rowling, who publishes the series under her pen name, Robert Galbraith.

Rowling has courted controversy on several occasions due to her comments on transgender rights. She has denied allegations of transphobia made against her.

In a post on Galbraiths website, Rowling reveals that Creed was loosely based on real-life killers Jerry Brudos and Russell Williams  both master manipulators who took trophies from their victims.

Brudos, known as The Lust Killer in the media, murdered four women in Orgeon during the Sixties. As a young man, Brudos would steal womens underwear from his neighbours, and was reported to have a fetish for womens shoes.

Reports were also made of a large man, dressed in womens clothing in the garage where he abducted one of his victims, Karen Sprinker.

Brudos is portrayed by actor Happy Anderson in Netflixs original series Mindhunter in season one, episodes 7 and 8.

Actor Ted Levine also based part of his performance in The Silence of the Lambs on Brudos.

Williams was sentenced to life in prison in 2010 for murdering two women. He pleaded guilty to a number of charges, including 82 counts of breaking and entering, during which he stole hundreds of items of underwear from women and girls.

In the same post, Rowling said that change, loss and absence are probably the biggest themes in the novel.

Holliday Grainger and Tom Burke in the BBC adaptation of Strike (BBC)

The detective agency is investigating a cold case: the mysterious disappearance of a female doctor in 1974, which happens to be the year of Strikes birth, she writes.

The changing face of feminism and ideals and stereotypes of femininity are also examined through the cast of characters.

In response to the latest controversy surrounding Rowling, an independent Australian bookshop said it would no longer stock her work.
Evangelicals praise White House signing of 'Abraham Accords' between Israel, UAE and Bahrain

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Many evangelical leaders have praised the signing of the historic Abraham Accords between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain at the White House on Tuesday, marking the third and fourth Arab nations stating intentions to establish full diplomatic relations with Israel.

The signing ceremony on the South Lawn formalized announcements made previously indicating intent by the two countrys to normalize relations with Israel.

The agreement signed between Israel and UAE, first announced last month, is described by the White House as "a treaty of peace, diplomatic relations, and full normalization.

Meanwhile, the agreement between Israel and Bahrain to establish full diplomatic relations is only described as a declaration of intent to make peace since the agreement between the countries was announced last week and not enough time has elapsed to create a formal agreement.

A third document signed by leaders of the U.S., Israel, Bahrain and UAE is titled the Abraham Accords, a reference to Abraham, the patriarch of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

The agreements mark the first time in two decades that Israel has entered into a peace agreement with another Middle Eastern country, with the last being Jordan in 1994.

President Donald Trump said following the signing that the agreements mark the dawn of a new Middle East amid decades of division and conflict. He said the signing sets history on a new course and vowed there will be other countries very, very soon that will follow these great leaders."

"Together these agreements will serve as the foundation for a comprehensive peace across the entire region, something which nobody thought was possible, certainly not in this day and age," Trump said.

In a Facebook post, Franklin Graham, the head of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and son of the late evangelist Billy Graham, called the signing historic.

Peace in the Middle East impacts the entire world, and I commend President Trump, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, and others who have worked so hard toward this resolution, Graham wrote. Even though much remains to be done, this is a start.

Among those who attended the signing ceremony at the White House was Johnnie Moore, an evangelical communications executive and commissioner on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.

An era of peace & prosperity where hope & opportunity are in full bloom, Moore, who has supported the Trump presidency and acted as an informal spokesperson for the evangelical pastors who have engaged with the administration, wrote in a tweet.

California evangelist and megachurch Pastor Greg Laurie voiced his support for the historic moment in world history. In a tweet, he congratulated Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for brokering the deal.

Another attendee of the White House ceremony was Mat Staver, chairman of the conservative Christian legal nonprofit Liberty Counsel.

We are grateful for President Trumps wise foreign policy strategy that makes today a historic breakthrough for peace between Israel and its neighbors, Staver stressed in a statement. When he took office, the Middle East had been in a state of extreme turmoil for years. Now more Arab and Muslim countries will likely seek to normalize relations with Israel which will bring peace and prosperity to the region and the people who live there.

On the White House lawn, Trump told reporters that as many as nine more countries could be joining in normalizing relations with Israel.

Well have, I think, I mean I think seven, or eight, or nine, Trump said. Were going to have a lot of other countries joining us, including the big ones.

Kushner, the presidents son-in-law and senior adviser, said last month that there is an inevitability that Saudi Arabia and Israel will eventually fully normalized relations.

Yael Eckstein, president of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, referred to the agreements as a miracle.

Sometimes in history, God blesses his people with miracles, from the parting of the Red Sea to the reestablishment of the modern state of Israel. Today is also a miracle  a miracle of peace, she said in a statement. Its been over two decades since the nation of Israel last entered into a peace agreement with another Middle Eastern country. Israel has often extended its hand for peace. Now that hand has been grasped twice in 29 days thanks to courageous leaders willing to take risks in order to realize a lasting peace.

After the deal between the UAE and Israel that would see the suspension of Israels plans to annex parts of the West Bank was initially announced last month, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, the former vice president under Barack Obama, praised the agreement but insisted it was a result of efforts of multiple administrations, including the Obama-Biden administration.

Joel Rosenburg, an evangelical author and dual Israel-U.S. citizen who has been involved in meetings with Arab leaders in recent years, said in a recent interview that the UAE felt betrayed by the Obama administrations decision to negotiate an agreement with Iran secretly.

Trumps willingness to tear up that Iran agreement and ... put intense new economic sanctions on Iran  that showed all the Arab world that this president is different and that he is a deal maker, Rosenberg said. That sort of began a process of thinking maybe this is the moment.

I think the final pivot point was, honestly, Prime Minister Netanyahus push toward annexation over the summer, Rosenberg added. That rattled the United Arab Emirates because behind the scenes they were ready to make peace with Israel. To their credit, they intensified the clarity of their offer using the president of the United States and Secretary Pompeo, Jared Kushner to make it clear to Netanyahu that this isnt just talking, this is a real option: peace or annexation.
HARRISBURG  Chester Water Authority Board Chair Cynthia Leitzell gave testimony before the Pennsylvania House Consumer Affairs Committee Tuesday in support of a legislative proposal that would give ratepayers a say before their municipal water systems are sold to private interests.

I thought it went quite well, actually, said Leitzell following her remarks Tuesday morning. I made my spiel and told them what our concerns are and how we think the bill would be beneficial to everyone, every citizen. They seemed engaged  you cant tell from an eight or nine minute spiel and very few questions  but I thought it went well.

House Bill 2597, sponsored by state Rep. John Lawrence, R-13 of Chester County, would require a ballot to be mailed to all ratepayers of a publicly managed utility contemplating a sale. The utility would also have to publish notification of the referendum in a major newspaper serving the affected municipality.

Ratepayers would have at least 30 days to return the ballot or vote online. If a majority of the ratepayers reject the sale, the Public Utility Commission would be required to disapprove it under Lawrences proposal, which is co-sponsored by state Rep. Leanne Krueger, D-161 of Swarthmore, retiring state Rep. Steve Barrar, R-160 of Concord, and state Rep. Chris Quinn, R-168 of Middletown, who also serves as Secretary of Consumer Affairs.

The bill is of particular interest to the CWA, which Leitzell told the committee is embroiled in 16 separate but related court actions involving a proposed sale to Bryn Mawr-based Aqua America Inc. and its subsidiary, Aqua Pennsylvania. Representatives for Aqua did not respond to requests for comment on this story.

Aqua offered to buy CWA in May 2017 for $320 million, which the CWA board unanimously rejected, finding it would ultimately increase rates for its approximately 42,000 customers. Leitzell said Tuesday that CWA customers had saved more than $137 million since that time by paying the authoritys rates rather than Aquas.

Chester City officials have asserted the city has the right to reclaim and transfer the authoritys assets or dissolve the authority altogether. Selling the CWA is viewed as one avenue for the financially distressed city to put some much needed cash into its coffers and a recently appointed state receiver has encouraged Chester to pursue litigation to that end.

But as Leitzell noted Tuesday, the CWA contends that it exists separate and apart from the city, and that it is funded entirely by ratepayers, not city finances. She argued that Chesters financial issues are real, but it should not be the responsibility of the nearly 80 percent of CWA customers who live outside its borders to shore up those problems in exchange for inflated prices in the future through a sale to a private entity.

Shouldnt the decision about the future of the authority be made by the people who paid to build the authority  the authority ratepayers? she asked. And shouldnt the authority continue to be responsible to and answer to the ratepayers rather than shareholders who have as their primary goal the maximization of their shareholder income?

Lawrences bill has also garnered support from a diverse group of 30 organizations statewide, which sent a letter to the Consumer Affairs Committee ahead of Tuesdays hearing, according to a release from at government accountability group Food & Water Action.

Water privatization is a bad deal for the public, said Food & Water Action Pennsylvania Organizing Manager Megan McDonough in a release. Sales of water and sewers systems lead to skyrocketing rates and loss of local control over essential services. Ratepayers deserve a say on the future of their water  its their water, their voice.

Aqua asserted in a response Monday that elected officials, not rate payers, should be the ones to put in the work of properly evaluating any potential sale and all that entails, such as asset valuations, system operations, future regulations and impact to future rates and taxes.

The company noted this bill would only apply to sales involving investor-owned buyers, which Aqua said are, ironically, usually the best suited to address the issues that drive municipalities to consider selling such assets in the first place.

It is often failing infrastructure and the potential for environmental violations or the threat of consent orders that force municipalities to consider selling, Aqua said in a statement. Investor-owned systems like Aqua are well-positioned to make the investments that many challenged municipal water and wastewater systems require to assure quality water and sustained reliable service and environmental compliance into the future.

The statement added that a Fair Market Value process is in place to ensure engineering and legal due diligence takes place before a vote and that the seller receives the best value for water systems.

To have all of the work that takes place before the vote  work that in many cases takes a year or more  be invalidated by an uninformed public via referendum would result in a substantial financial loss to the municipality, the company said.

Quinn said that the sale of municipal water systems can be a good thing where the system is in complete disrepair and is being mismanaged, but that does not seem to be the case with CWA.

It seems to be very well run, it seems to have upgraded the systems and the processes over the years, so it doesnt seem to have the same problems that some municipal water systems do, he said.

Quinn said he is waiting along with everyone else to see how the various court battles play out, but in the meantime he does support Lawrences bill and the idea of putting proposed sales up to a vote of the ratepayers.

I will definitely push leadership to consider this legislation, he said. Im all in favor of what John Lawrence is trying to accomplish and I think its a great idea.
Union Power Minister RK Singh said the (RJD) did not treat its senior leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh in his last days and asserted that the party should be "ashamed".

Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, the 74-year-old RJD leader and former Union Minister, passed away on September 13, while undergoing treatment at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in the national capital.

"He was loyal to the RJD, but the party did not treat him well during his last days. Because of this, RJD should be ashamed," RK Singh told ANI on Thursday.

He said that the late RJD leader will always be remembered for his work as Union Minister for Rural Development "He was the man behind Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA)," the Union Minister 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.)
MADISON, Wis. - The state Department of Workforce Developments top leader resigned Friday after failing to find a way to address a massive backlog of unprocessed unemployment benefit claims sparked by the coronavirus pandemic.

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers office said Caleb Frostman stepped down after the governor called for his resignation. Republicans have peppered Evers with criticism for months over the departments inability to process tens of thousands of benefit claims that have been flowing in since the coronavirus took hold in the U.S. in March.

The states unemployment rate in August stood at 6.2%, compared with 8.4% nationally. According to the department, 713,508 weekly claims from nearly 1000,000 Wisconsin residents were in process as of Saturday.

States across the country have been facing similar claim backlogs as the pandemic left millions unemployed amid shutdowns aimed at slowing the virus spread. Washington state went so far as to call in the National Guard to help process applications.

Evers noted that more than 130 Department of Workforce Development employees have been reassigned to handle claims, bringing the total number of employees working on them to 1,500, up from 600. He said the agencys technology is antiquated and claims have been slowed by Republican-created eligibility restrictions. But he said he has to make a change at the top of the department.

People across our state are struggling to make ends meet, the governor said. We have continued to add additional resources to support the DWD, but it is clear we must have change if we are going to address these problems to get folks their benefits faster.

Department of Corrections Deputy Secretary Amy Pechacek will lead the department until Evers appoints a new secretary, the governor said.

Messages left at the DWD seeking comment from Frostman or other officials werent immediately returned.

Aides for the Legislatures GOP leaders, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, didnt immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

Republican state Sen. Chris Kapenga issued a news release in which he called Frostman another stain on Evers ability to choose effective leaders.

I hope for the sake of the nearly 100,000 people who havent received their unemployment checks that the new Secretary-designee fixes this disaster quickly, Kapenga said.

The Senate refused to confirm Evers agriculture secretary, Brad Pfaff, last year, effectively firing him. Republicans were outraged after Pfaff criticized them for not releasing more money to fund mental health and suicide prevention services for farmers. It was the first time the Senate had ousted a Cabinet appointee since at least 1987.

Frostman led the Door County Economic Development Corporation before winning an open seat in the state Senate in a special election in June 2018. He lost the seat in the November 2018 general election. Evers appointed him DWD secretary in January 2019.

___

Follow Todd Richmond on Twitter at https://twitter.com/trichmond1
The videos of reporter Josie Huang being thrown to the ground and arrested last weekend by L.A. County sheriffs deputies are disturbing.

Im a reporter!

Im with KPCC!

KPCC!

KPCC !

Watched in the context of the police departments official statements, and they become downright chilling.

Huang had been documenting an arrest of a man who had reportedly been taunting police after the ambush of two officers earlier that night. Shortly after she was arrested, and while she was still in custody, police posted this statement to Twitter:

"(1/3) #LASD Century Sheriffs Station Watch Commander reports the following: After deputies issued a dispersal order for the unlawful assembly of a group of protesters blocking the hospital emergency entrance & exits, a male adult protester refused to comply and cooperate

(2/3) During his arrest, a struggle ensued at which time a female adult ran towards the deputies, ignored repeated commands to stay back as they struggled with the male and interfered with the arrest"

(3/3) The female adult, who was later identified as a member of the press, did not identify herself as press and later admitted she did not have proper press credentials on her person. Both individuals have been arrested for 148 P.C."

That tidy description hits all the right notes for justifying the arrest of a journalist. And it might have held up were it not for those pesky cellphone cameras that the entire nation now walks around with.

So, now that videos of the aggressive arrest have gone viral, let us count the lies:

ran toward the deputies

ignored repeated commands

interfered with the arrest

did not identify herself as press

did not have proper press credentials

Lets start with the obvious: What are the odds that a working member of the press, being tossed around like a rag doll by police, would keep quiet about her profession and what she was doing there? (Just ask my colleague Samantha Melamed.)

What do the videos show?

Im a reporter!

Im with KPCC!

KPCC!

KPCC ...!

And if theres any doubt the officers heard her:

Do what youre told if youre a reporter, says a deputy sheriff, as you hear what sounds like handcuffs being fastened and then Huang shouting out in pain.

There have been plenty of stories that break down how the departments statements dont add up with video and eyewitness accounts. Sound familiar, Philly? Remember when we were told in June that teargassing civilians who marched onto I-676 was a last resort after they flooded an open highway, surrounded a state troopers car, and threw rocks at officers.

Yeah, that was a lie. Admitted only after a damning New York Times compilation video of facts that The Inquirer had previously reported.

 READ MORE: The curious case of Philly leaderships delayed response to teargassing civilians, solved | Helen Ubinas

Same, as far as I can tell, with the lies L.A. police are peddling.

Nothing I saw in multiple accounts and videos shows Huang ignoring police commands, as they reported. In fact, in a video where you hear a cop screaming Back up! you can see Huang doing exactly as shes told moments before shes thrown on the ground. Her ID hangs around her neck as she repeatedly identifies herself.

Later, L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, in responding to questions about the inconsistencies between video and police accounts, claimed KPCC is not a household name, despite it being one of the most-listened-to public radio stations in the United States. Villanueva has appeared on the station several times. He also took a question from Huang at the news conference hours before her arrest. The incident is still under investigation, but the inspector general recently said that preliminary evidence suggests parts of the claims made by police may be false.

But then, it shouldnt surprise anyone whos been paying attention to the police mistreatment and murder of Black men that police narratives should not be taken as gospel; I only wish more journalists who think their jobs depend on a cozy relationship with cops understood that.

Police lie. Not all, but enough for this long-overdue reckoning.

Bad news for all the folks always screaming about English being the official language of the United States:

Its not.

Lying is.

Yes, we all know that the current president lies incessantly to the American people. But hes not the only one. The truth is, the American people have been lying to themselves since long before the nations founding.

We lie to each other and ourselves all the time  no matter what side were on.

I thought of that recently while reading my colleague Julia Terrusos story about a white Pennsylvania town established with taxpayer dollars by New Deal Democrats to help out-of-work coal miners and other struggling families, who are now all about Trump because theyre worried  without a hint of irony  about those other poor people (read: Black and brown people) looking for a handout.

 READ MORE: A Pennsylvania town once known as communism on the prairie is all about Trump now

But Ive also been struck by people who consistently respond to the near-daily atrocities under the Trump administration by declaring that they dont recognize their country, that America is better than this, while Black and brown people have been living with injustice and inequity for as long as they can remember.

America is better than this?

Says who? To whom?

Even the latest outrage (however righteous) over the forced hysterectomies at a Georgia Immigrant and Customs Enforcement Detention Center fails to contend with the history of the reproductive-health crimes against Black, brown, poor, Indigenous, and incarcerated people long before Trump became president.

Make America Great Again isnt just a lie because its a campaign slogan weaponized by a racist president pandering to his fanatical supporters.

Its a lie because for many, this country has never been great, or good, or even fair, to them.

And only when we face these lies  the ones we tell one another and ourselves  will anything ever change.
The farming community had been up in arms ever since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) governments issuance of three ordinances pertaining to the agriculture sector. On September 14, three Bills  The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill  were tabled in Parliament to replace these ordinances.

While the protests were sporadic till last month, they have intensified in Haryana and Punjab after September 14. Agitators in Haryana, under the aegis of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), blocked the Delhi-Chandigarh National Highway. On September 17 the Bills were passed, following which Shiromani Akali Dals Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who held the Food Processing portfolio in the Narendra Modi Cabinet, chose to tender her resignation in solidarity with the protesting farmers.

The misgivings of the farmers seem to be on account of the impression that has gained ground that these reforms are a precursor to the Modi governments move to do away with the Minimum Support Price (MSP) regime, thus making farmers vulnerable to the vagaries of the fluctuating market. The farmers have largely been protesting The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, which is, in fact, a much-anticipated reform that is set to transform the marketing of agricultural produce.

The monopolistic Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMCs), which have been setting and controlling the prices of farmers produce through cartelisation, will cease to exert control over farmers with this far-reaching reform. The farmers will henceforth be free to sell their produce at farm gates to any trader willing to buy it at a mutually agreed price, bypassing the mandis.

The protests being witnessed in Punjab and Haryana seem to be engineered by commission agents and middle-men, feeding on the insecurities of gullible farmers. That the Left parties would oppose these reforms was a foregone conclusion owing to their trade-unionist approach to issues, but the fact that the Congress too would raise objections is rank opportunism, as the APMC reforms have had bipartisan support for nearly two decades.

The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill is an equally important reform which would make it possible for farmers to get into formal contracts with traders/businessmen before sowing and, which would assure them a guaranteed price for their produce.

The formalisation of such contracts would give a sense of security to farmers, unlike the present situation, which render them vulnerable to trading cartels and price fluctuations. For a country that is often witness to farmers hitting the streets for government hand-outs, these Bills would truly empower them to take informed decisions and be masters of their own destiny.

In fact, the long-term exploitation of farmers by various stakeholders, including state governments through the arbitrary demarcation of APMCs (often extending to an entire taluk or even a district) and taxing farmers (as high as 8 percent in Punjab) on the selling of their own produce was rank exploitative. It is actually the small and marginal farmers who are going to benefit the most out of these two reforms as farmers with large landholdings already have some form of protection by way of MSPs.

The possibility of forward contracts will also empower smaller farmers to seek more profitable crops than go for the safest choices. This will increase productivity, crop diversity and lead to better demand-supply outcomes.

The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill warrants a closer inspection. Although it is an extension of the other two Bills, as the amendment would result in the development of cold chains and storage facilities, the possibility of hoarding and price manipulations need to be factored into. The Bill does give the government powers to impose restrictions in case of a 100 percent increase in the prices of non-perishables and 50 percent in perishables.

By and large, the only logical argument put forth by the Opposition against these reforms pertain to the powers of the Centre to enact such laws as agriculture and markets are State subjects  entry 14 and 28 respectively in List II. The Centres contention that trade and commerce are part of the concurrent list would probably hold them in good stead if these were to be judicially challenged.

The government will also have to explain the under-allocation of funds to the Food Corporation of India (FCI), which is being extrapolated as a sign of the governments lack of commitment to procure grains at MSP.

Conspiracy theorists suggest that the timing of the introduction of the ordinances, followed by the Bills, is suspect, but then there is never a wrong time to do the right thing. It was high time that the government concentrated on agricultural reforms in any case.
Almost apocalyptic: Convoy of Hope, churches helping those affected by West Coast fires

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Convoy of Hope, a faith-based disaster relief charity, has been working with churches on the West Coast where it has sent over a dozen loads of supplies to aid families affected by the fires that have burned millions of acres of land in California, Oregon and Washington state and taken more than 30 lives.

Weve got at least a dozen loads of resources either already on the ground or en route to some of our partners both in California and Oregon, Stacy Lamb, senior director of disaster relief for the nonprofit, said in an interview with The Christian Post on Wednesday.

In California and Oregon at the moment, were working with multiple churches out there to provide them the resources so that they can do distribution even through to local evacuation centers or whatever the case may be.

Lamb noted that it's more useful to work with local partners rather than set up a specific site since the fires are extremely widespread.

He contrasted the fires with the work that Convoy of Hope is doing in Lake Charles, Louisiana, where it's responding to the devastation caused by Hurricane Laura.

When you take something like fires in California, Oregon, and Washington, where theyre literally stretched over thousands of miles, setting up a single site out there doesnt really make a lot of sense, Lamb said.

So its easier to find those partner churches or those hub churches and provide them with the resources and let them distribute locally.

Lamb told CP about the need for people living elsewhere in the country to pray for those folks out there as they deal with a situation that is almost apocalyptic and to understand the scope of the situation.

Even the folks that arent necessarily in harms way from the fire, the smoke and all the ash and all those things out there are just impacting so many more people, he continued.

From the standpoint of fresh air and people that have any type of breathing ailments or anything like that, [they] are greatly impacted by these fires as well.

Recently, several fires have started on the West Coast, burning millions of acres. They have come from a mixture of causes, including lightning strikes and the downing of powerlines, and arson attacks.

Northeast Assembly of God, a Fresno, California-based congregation that has a campus near the wildfires, is one of the church partners working with Convoy of Hope.

Pastor Jim Mattix told CP in an interview on Thursday that supplies from Convoy of Hope arrived Wednesday and around 47 families were assisted by volunteers tied to his church.

There's been a lot of properties destroyed; there's been a lot of families displaced. They are basically scattered all across the Fresno area after coming down out of the mountains where the creek fires are burning, Mattix said.

"There's families out here that lost everything. Whenever you're in a fire, there's nothing to get back from that fire. You've lost everything."

Mattix said the church campus is being treated like a mini-warehouse, and he's grateful for the help Convoy of Hope gave them to assist people.

By his count, around eight of the families that came to his church for supplies had lost nearly everything they owned when one of the fires went through the nearby mountain communities.

Many in the path of the fires quickly filled up their campers and drove away and their campers have become their new home.

I look at people's faces when they come in and I listen to their stories, said Mattix, who noted that those whose homes survived still have yet to get electricity back.

One of them said, 'I hadn't been in my camper in two-and-a-half years. I moved to the mountain so I didn't have to camp anymore.' He said, 'I threw everything in the camper and took off.'"

That person, Mattix recalled, end up losing his house. According to the pastor, the man later explained that it looks like I'll be living out in my camper until I can rebuild."

Another family that came to the church had lost all of their family photos, with one family member who talked to the pastor crying and stating, I can't believe I lost all our memories.

"We just gave them whatever we had. We have clothes, blankets, food, all the necessities that they would need to restart. So its been a blessing to them, its been a blessing to us to be a part of that, Mattix added.

Its hard to grasp a hold of it and say, 'How can we help?' I feel like any help we do is minimal and doesn't really make an impact, whereas, to the people, it's huge. But to us, like, man I wish I could build you a house, I wish I could buy you a car to replace the one that burned down."

"But we can't. We can only do what we can."
James Middleton shared a photo of his stunning French fiancee Alizee Thevenet walking the dogs in nothing more than a pair of boots and a bikini.

Taken from behind, the snap shows Alizee striding through a field somewhere in England in her string-tied swimwear and 115 black Hunter boots, with three of the couple's dogs running ahead.

James, 33, posted the picture on Instagram this afternoon with the caption: 'When you think its nearly autumn but September throws you a heatwave.'

He later shared another snap of the stunning financier through his business account Ella Co, showing Alize on the beach playing fetch with his adorable pooch.

James Middleton shared a photo of his stunning French fiancee Alizee Thevenet walking the dogs in nothing more than a pair of boots and a bikini, pictured

He later shared another snap of the stunning financier through his business account Ella Co, showing Alize on the beach playing fetch with his adorable pooch

In the series of snaps, James also appeared on a boat with his four of his beloved dogs including golden retriever Mabel and three black spaniels and a black Labrador.

The picture shows a beaming James shirtless behind his animals on the small red boat named 'Percy' as he rests on idyllic waters.

Followers were quick to comment on Alizee's 'amazing' outfit, with one saying: 'Love the beach look with the Hunter wellies. She is so cool.'

Another posted: 'I love this so much! Even here in Scotland its the same.'

In the series of snaps, James also appeared on a boat with his four of his beloved dogs including golden retriever Mabel and three black spaniels and a black Labrador. The picture shows a beaming James shirtless behind his animals on the small red boat named 'Percy' as he rests on idyllic waters.

The entrepreneur has nine dogs - Golden Retriever Mabel, a black Labrador, two Cocker Spaniels, and five black Spaniels called Rafa, Ella, Zulu, Inka and Luna -who he has credited with helping him through tough times. At least six on them were with the couple today

It is not known where the photo was taken but the couple were recently seen house-hunting in Chelsea after spending lockdown at the Middletons' family home in Berkshire.

James recently revealed they have been forced to postpone their wedding twice this year due to Covid-19.

The original date was set for May before being pushed back to later in the summer. It is thought the nuptials are now planned for next year.

James' sisters Pippa Middleton, her husband James Matthews, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will all attend.

Despite the disappointing turn of events, it is clear James and Alizee are feeling loved-up as they look ahead to exchanging vows.

James recently revealed they have been forced to postpone their wedding twice this year due to Covid-19. Pictured, the Instagram post announcing their engagement

Earlier this month James gushed over his wife in a touching Instagram post.

Posting a series of holiday pictures from a couple's getaway in Sicily, he wrote: 'Its a year since I asked Alizee to marry me what a year its been! Two homes, lockdown, two attempts at a wedding, a litter of puppies, launching of new company @ella.co, a beard shave, and much more.'

He continued: 'The best part is that I get to share it with you Alizee and I cant wait to take on whatever the future holds for us.'

The entrepreneur added: 'We managed to escape to Italy for a quick dip in the the sea, lots of wine and pasta and now ready to face the world again.'

It is clear they are more loved up than ever as they look ahead to their wedding, with James gushing over his wife in a touching Instagram post shared this month. He posted a series of holiday pictures from a couple's getaway in Sicily, including the one above

Calling the yacht holiday an 'unforgettable experience', James also shared a number of snaps from the luxurious trip.

In the photographs, the couple could be seen relaxing on the deck of a lavish yacht, while James and Alizee also got behind the wheel of the boat.

The Duchess of Cambridge's brother announced his engagement to his French partner last October after he is believed to have proposed while in the Lake District.

The couple spent lockdown at the Middletons' family home in Berkshire.
BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - French stocks were moving lower on Friday as investors fretted over a worsening second wave of coronavirus cases in the region. Spain is currently battling a resurgent second wave of Covid-19 although the mortality levels are far lower than they were in spring. Madrid is the region with the worst outbreak, accounting for a third of the national figure for both infections and deaths. 'The reality of the epidemic in the community of Madrid is getting worse and we need to make greater efforts,' senior official Ignacio Aguado said. The benchmark CAC 40 index dropped half a percent to 5,014 after declining 0.7 percent on Thursday. France KLM fell over 2 percent after the World Health Organization warned that weekly coronavirus case numbers are rising in Europe at a higher rate than during the pandemic's peak in March. Euronext NV shares surged 4.7 percent. The London Stock Exchange Group said it has entered talks with the exchange group for the sale of Italy's Borsa Italiana. 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.
Receiving the 510(k) gives us the ability to directly market and sell these products for use in neurosurgery and the spine, representing the largest market share of users for these devices. Our FDA clearance will open up significant domestic and global sales opportunities.

ACE Medical Co. has been granted 510(k) clearance from the FDA in order to sell and market their surgical equipment for the use in the spine.

According to the FDA, a 510(k) is a premarket submission made to FDA to demonstrate that the device to be marketed is as safe and effective, that is, substantially equivalent, to a legally marketed device.

This clearance comes as encouraging news to ACE Medical as this means their tried-and-true medical equipment brands has been deemed safe and effective. As a supplier of Kerrisons tools for removing bone anatomy, ACE Medical can continue to help doctors relieve their patients pain and numbness of discogenic origin.

Alex Ebner, President and Founder at ACE Medical Co. has an extensive background and demonstrated history of working in the medical device industry. Ebner is a strong business development professional skilled in the spine and disposables.

Receiving the 510(k) gives us the ability to directly market and sell these products for use in neurosurgery and the spine, representing the largest market share of users for these devices, said Ebner. Our FDA clearance will open up significant domestic and global sales opportunities.

ACE Medical Cos dedicated sales and support teams are trained in the most advanced techniques and latest generations of equipment. Known for their trusted expertise, leadership and dedication to bringing the highest quality service and supplies to our surgeons. ACE Medical supplies to physicians that are leaders in their areas of medicine and work collaboratively with them to provide extraordinary care and improved outcomes for patients.

About ACE Medical Co.

ACE Medical Co. is a medical equipment supplier in Cincinnati, Ohio. Their solution-based systems are designed to improve surgical outcomes for both patients and providers. Known for their trusted expertise, leadership and dedication to bringing the highest quality service and supplies to surgeons; they represent premier manufacturers of surgical instrumentation and equipment, for use by Cardiac, ENT, Facial/Plastic, Neuro, Spine and Thoracic specialists. Find more information at: http://www.acemedicalco.com.
Across Toronto offices, restaurant kitchens, factories and more, some people are chatting and eating and even sneezing into communal air.

No provincial or city pandemic rule compels those who work together in private spaces, away from the public, to wear a mask. Those who work in open spaces such as shops, but behind a physical barrier, can also toil barefaced.

But with Torontos COVID-19 infection rate jumping, a great facial coverup looms.

Toronto Public Health will soon announce an expansion of its mandatory-mask rule issued in June that required covered faces in indoor public settings and public areas of apartments and condominiums, with exceptions for eating and drinking.

Masks, once questioned as a COVID-19 inhibitor, are now hailed as an easy and effective anti-pandemic weapon. They are becoming an especially valued tool for the city in its efforts to slow the resurgent virus without plunging Toronto into a second lockdown.

Weve left it up to people who oversee those (non-public) workplaces to manage the policies and rules around masking, Mayor John Tory said Thursday.

But, he added, when youve seen the kind of (virus) spread thats gone on in a number of different workplaces, it is a pretty good bet that some of the extended coverage of those mask rules will deal with those areas.

Tory said the city is reviewing legal and jurisdictional limits on how it can expand the order, but is aiming to encourage people to cover their faces as often as possible, in as many places as possible, as long as possible.

Some of Canadas biggest outbreaks have been in private workplaces. They include an Alberta meat plant linked to hundreds of infections and, closer to home, a Brampton poultry processing plant and a Toronto industrial bakery.

TPH has released fewer details on how outbreaks started and spread than some other health units. Toronto health chief Dr. Eileen de Villa has said people are letting their guard down while socializing, but the virus is also increasingly being shared at work, including bar and restaurant staff infecting each other.

Behaviours that facilitate virus spread, such as sustained indoor contact without masks, handwashing or physical distancing, are the problem, not the physical settings where the behaviour occurs, de Villa said.

However, Dr. Kashif Pirzada, a Toronto emergency room physician and co-chair of advocacy group Masks4canada, sees a major and dangerous gap in the rules.

One weakness in all of the mask bylaws in Ontario and across Canada is they exempted workplaces, Pirzada said in an interview. Were seeing any indoor space as a danger to the workers and the customers.

COVID-19 is most commonly spread via droplets expelled from peoples mouths when they cough, sneeze, talk or sing. The droplets usually travel less than two metres before hitting the ground.

But experts have learned people can also emit a mist of aerosols  much smaller droplets that can hang in the air. That hazard makes mask-wearing even more imperative, Pirzada says, especially for poorly ventilated workplaces.

Crowded indoor spaces with poor ventilation are the worst, like meat plants with people working shoulder to shoulder, but you could be at risk in a crowded restaurant kitchen, too, Pirzada said.

But, in virtually all these circumstances, masks are the best protection for workers, he said. They may not prevent transmission 100 per cent but they will bring down that percentage considerably, and are a damper on spread even if people arent washing hands and distancing like they should.

Mask orders have become politically polarizing in the U.S. and, to a lesser extent, Canada. Anti-mask raves have been held at Cherry Beach. The verbal tirade of a woman asked to mask in a Calgary store went viral.

But experts are increasingly pointing to non-medical masks as a lifesaver. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control, told a U.S. Senate committee: 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.

Indonesia takes masks so seriously that some people who refused to wear them were forced by authorities to dig graves for people killed by the virus, CNN reported. But no matter how Torontos masking bylaw is expanding, a thorny problem remains  how to ensure it is actually enforced.

Tory has said the time is over for warnings and second chances for those who repeatedly break anti-virus rules. He hopes Toronto police and city enforcement officers start handing out the fines recently increased by the Ontario government.

How the city will police workplaces behind closed doors, though, remains to be seen. The current order that applies to indoor public spaces is supposed to be enforced by store operators, but often is not.

Our colleagues are busy working hard to keep Canadians safe, happy and fed, said a spokesperson for Loblaw and No Frills stores, asked about a report that store managers have been advised not to order customers to cover their faces.

While they respectfully remind customers of these (anti-virus) policies, for their own safety, we do not require them to enforce them.

David Rider is the Star's City Hall bureau chief and a reporter covering city hall and municipal politics. Follow him on Twitter: @dmrider

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Darren DeSumma always said he was in it for the long run. Thats what he said last year when he thought he was weeks away from opening his throw-back, drive-in burger joint on the White Horse Pike near White Horse Road in Stratford, Camden County.

Id rather put the extra time in now to make sure its great, he said 15 months ago.

It was a lot longer than anticipated, but now, from all accounts, the extra time was worth the wait.

DeSumma finally opened his Webers Drive-in in Stratford earlier this month. The plan is to operate Thursday through Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to about 8 p.m.

Business has been very good, beyond good, DeSumma said Thursday. The response has been overwhelming.

DeSumma resurrected the car-hop restaurant that originally opened in 1959. It had been closed for the past five years after the original owner shut down and moved to Florida.

Now all the old favorites are back, including root beer, burgers, fries and onion rings. The recipe for the root beer was included in the sale, DeSumma said.

Webers locations resemble Stewarts All-American Grills. There are 19 Stewarts locations in New Jersey and a total of 29 from as far west as Ohio. They also feature their own root beer blend.

There is only one other Webers grill operating in New Jersey and one in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The other Webers in Pennsauken  about 10 miles up the road from Stratford  is also a retro throwback with a swooping Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired, space-age roof carport. It is reminiscent of the age of waitresses on roller skates delivering food to your car after flicking on your headlights.

DeSumma has overhauled all of the interior of the grill but restored the exterior with 1950s kitschy decor. And with the COVID-19 pandemics preference of outdoor dining, the restaurants offer to eat without even leaving your car is already a hit.

We got slammed right out of the gate, DeSumma said. There were a lot of the old customers waiting for it to come back. Were positioned perfectly for COVID.

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Bill Duhart may be reached at bduhart@njadvancemedia.com.
Midweek restaurant sales increased by 400% in Northern Ireland following lockdown, a hotelier has said.

More eating out during non-peak times could be a positive legacy for the hospitality industry following the public health emergency, Conall Wolsey said.

Mr Wolsey is director of the Beannchor Group, with an extensive portfolio of restaurants, bars and hotels, which opened the 4 million Haslem Hotel in Lisburn on Friday in a vote of confidence in the future of the market.

@HaslemHotel is a great addition to Lisburn Square. Thank you to the Beannchor Group for this very welcome investment and the jobs it creates. #lisburn https://t.co/lqJ4C5nLFc  Jeffrey Donaldson MP (@J_Donaldson_MP) September 17, 2020

He said: It would be a fantastic thing if as a culture in Belfast people got used to going out midweek as well as at the weekend.

We have been seeing 4-5-600% up.

If that culture could exist once this ends that will be a real positive for the industry.

The Governments Eat Out to Help Out scheme offering 50% off food up to the value of 10 from Monday to Wednesday helped boost numbers dining during August.

Mr Wolsey said people were attempting to find tables in restaurants with less capacity due to social distancing but just as much demand.

The desire for people to travel will always be there Conall Wolsey

Opening of the 45-bedroom Haslem Hotel at Lisburn Square was delayed by several months due to disruption caused by the pandemic.

Mr Wolsey acknowledged it would only be once a vaccine is found for coronavirus that trade would fully return to normal.

He said: The desire for people to travel will always be there.

It is being curtailed by this pandemic but domestically and internationally travel has never been so free and accessible.

That is only going to get more so once this pandemic is over.

The hotel industry will get better and there have been a few chinks of light for the future.

The Haslem Hotel will create 50 new jobs and target business travellers from the Republic of Ireland and UK, as well as Lisburn locals.

It features an 80-seater open plan lobby and bar area, a 68-seater restaurant, residents gym and conference room.

Expand Close Beannchor Group director Conall Wolsey (Brian Lawless/PA) PA / Facebook

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Mr Wolsey said the property had been finished for two months and was originally scheduled to open in the first week of July but the stumbling block was the timing of recruitment.

We did not want to recruit and there be a lockdown and then make those people redundant, he said.

He said room occupancy had been cut significantly due to the pandemic and lack of international tourism.

It is going to be a challenge, he added.

We have had these sort of challenges before the recession but it was nowhere near as drastic a fall and as dramatic a barrier or hurdle but we reverted back to our basics of good service and providing a welcoming environment.

Those are the things that people appreciate.
By Azernews





By Ayya Lmahamad

Small enterprises have been set up in Azerbaijan's Shirvan region as part of the self-employment program under the Labor and Social Protection Ministry.

Minister of Labor and Social Protection Sahil Babayev and Head of the Executive Power of the city Shirvan Ilgar Abbasov inspected the enterprises in the city.

The minister and the head of executive power got acquainted with small enterprises, such as women's beauty salon, tailoring shop, car greasing company, baking shop, owned by Samira Abbasova, Gulnara Khalilova, Avaz Agaev and Shalala Rzaeva.

It should be noted that these small enterprises were created at the expense of materials and assets issued to citizens of the Ministry of Labor under the self-employment program.

During the inspection, Babayev emphasized that the purpose of the self-employment program is to help low-income families get access to small businesses. This should enable them to start a family business and thus improve their welfare.

Moreover, the work is underway to involve 12,000 families in the self-employment program and provide assets to those whose business plans have received positive evaluation.

The minister noted that 182 people from vulnerable groups were involved in the self-employment program in Shirvan in 2019. This year it is planned to involve more people in the program. Thus, already in the past eight months, 152 people have been involved in the program of self-employment.

Some 5,100 unemployed people in Azerbaijan are involved in the self-employment program launched by the State Employment Agency under the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population. Of them 970 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. Citizens who have successfully completed the training are issued certificates and then provided with employment in accordance with their acquired professional qualifications.








Martin noted that on Thursday there were media reports in Germany of a woman with underlying health conditions dying in an ambulance because a ransomware attack on a hospital resulted in her being sent to a more distant hospital. If confirmed, the tragedy would be the first death resulting from cyberattack, he said. He noted, however, it would have been caused inadvertently by criminals seeking money, not an act of state aggression.
Northern Irish farmers have welcomed news that two of the region's processors are among four UK agri-food firms to export beef to the US.

The two processors, WD Meats and Foyle Food Group (Foyle Campsie), have been approved by the US Department of Agricultures Food Safety Inspection Service.

It comes as shipments of UK beef will head to the US for the first time in two decades after processing sites were this week given the go-ahead to export.

The first containers are due to arrive within the coming weeks, in a deal estimated to be worth 66 million over the next five years.

The Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU) welcomed the significant step following access being granted in March of this year.

UFU beef and lamb chairman Sam Chesney said: This is great news for the beef sector in NI and it has been long awaited by our beef producers.

"It has been almost twenty years since UK beef was eligible for sale in the American market after BSE stagnated our industry and all UK beef imports into the States were ban in the mid 1990s.

"We are very glad that UK beef has been given the green light again and that two local red meat plants, Foyle Campsie and WD Meats, have gained access."

Mr Chesney said more markets would create better returns for farmers who have been under financial pressure the past few years, particularly the offal market, which has been volatile due to the pandemic.

"We hope this access to the US market will create higher demand for products that have taken a serious hit in sales," he added.

NI beef producers produce trustworthy, traceable beef, farmed to some of the highest animal welfare, environmental and food production standards in the world which we are hugely proud of.

"This break though with America highlights that their officials have recognised the high-quality products that we have to offer and we are confident that they will be well received by American consumers."
The opening of the Armenian Embassy in Tel Aviv, initially slated for the beginning of this year, was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic.

A Russian-language news website, Vesti Izrail, reported that a senior Israeli Foreign Ministry official attended the opening ceremony held on Thursday. It quoted the official, Itzhak Carmel-Kagan, as saying that the embassy will facilitate a constructive dialogue between the two countries.

The Armenian mission located inside a Tel Aviv office building began providing consular services last month. Also, Ambassador Armen Smbat met with leaders of the Armenian community in the Holy Land, including Jerusalem-based Patriarch Nourhan Manougian.

The Armenian government decided to open the embassy in September 2019, saying that it will not only give new impetus to its relations with Israel but also help to secure the Armenian Apostolic Churchs continued presence in the Holy Land.

The decision was hailed by Israeli leaders but criticized by some officials in Iran, a key foreign partner of Armenia. The Armenian ambassador to Iran, Artashes Tumanian, assured a senior Iranian Foreign Ministry official in June that Yerevan remains committed to its friendly relationship with the Islamic Republic despite its desire to improve Armenian-Israeli ties.

Armenia and Israel established diplomatic relations in 1992 but have had no embassies in each others capitals until now. The former Armenian ambassadors to the Jewish state were based in Paris, Cairo and Yerevan.

Armenian-Israeli relations have long been frosty, reflecting differing geopolitical priorities of the two states. Yerevan has repeatedly expressed concern over billions of dollars worth of advanced weapons which Israeli defense companies have sold, with the Israeli governments blessing, to Azerbaijan over the past decade.

Israel should stop this deadly business with Azerbaijan, Armenian Foreign Zohrab Mnatsakanian said following deadly fighting that broke out on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border in July.

The Azerbaijani army attacked Armenian military and civilian targets with Israeli-manufactured drones during the weeklong hostilities. The Armenian military claimed to have shot down or intercepted 13 of them.
Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) stock is about to trade ex-dividend in 4 days. Investors can purchase shares before the 23rd of September in order to be eligible for this dividend, which will be paid on the 13th of October.

Philip Morris International's next dividend payment will be US$1.20 per share, on the back of last year when the company paid a total of US$4.68 to shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, Philip Morris International stock has a trailing yield of around 6.0% on the current share price of $79.47. Dividends are a major contributor to investment returns for long term holders, but only if the dividend continues to be paid. We need to see whether the dividend is covered by earnings and if it's growing.

View our latest analysis for Philip Morris International

Dividends are typically paid from company earnings. If a company pays more in dividends than it earned in profit, then the dividend could be unsustainable. Last year Philip Morris International paid out 100% of its profits as dividends to shareholders, suggesting the dividend is not well covered by earnings. A useful secondary check can be to evaluate whether Philip Morris International generated enough free cash flow to afford its dividend. The company paid out 93% of its free cash flow over the last year, which we think is outside the ideal range for most businesses. Cash flows are usually much more volatile than earnings, so this could be a temporary effect - but we'd generally want look more closely here.

Cash is slightly more important than profit from a dividend perspective, but given Philip Morris International's payments were not well covered by either earnings or cash flow, we are concerned about the sustainability of this dividend.

Click here to see the company's payout ratio, plus analyst estimates of its future dividends.

Have Earnings And Dividends Been Growing?

Stocks with flat earnings can still be attractive dividend payers, but it is important to be more conservative with your approach and demand a greater margin for safety when it comes to dividend sustainability. If business enters a downturn and the dividend is cut, the company could see its value fall precipitously. It's not encouraging to see that Philip Morris International's earnings are effectively flat over the past five years. It's better than seeing them drop, certainly, but over the long term, all of the best dividend stocks are able to meaningfully grow their earnings per share.

Story continues

Another key way to measure a company's dividend prospects is by measuring its historical rate of dividend growth. Since the start of our data, 10 years ago, Philip Morris International has lifted its dividend by approximately 7.5% a year on average.

Final Takeaway

Is Philip Morris International worth buying for its dividend? It's been unable to generate earnings growth, yet is paying out an uncomfortably high percentage of both its profits (100%) and cash flow (93%) as dividends. Bottom line: Philip Morris International has some unfortunate characteristics that we think could lead to sub-optimal outcomes for dividend investors.

Although, if you're still interested in Philip Morris International and want to know more, you'll find it very useful to know what risks this stock faces. Our analysis shows 3 warning signs for Philip Morris International and you should be aware of them before buying any shares.

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.
Political heat may be rising over three farm sector bills amid strident protests by the Opposition and revolt by the BJPs oldest ally Shiromani Akali Dal, but the ruling party is confident that numbers are stacked in its favour in Rajya Sabha where these draft laws are expected to be tabled on Sunday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modis forceful defence of the three bills and blistering criticism of the Opposition for protesting against them on Thursday made it clear that he remains unfazed and that his government will press on to get Parliaments nod for these measures aimed at opening private avenues for farmers to sell their produce. His assertion came amid Congress and several other parties besides the SAD coming out strongly against these bills, calling them anti-farmers".

Farmers in states like Punjab and Haryana have been protesting against these proposed laws which, their leaders allege, will end up dismantling the existing government-backed support system they have. While the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance is yet to have a clear majority of its own in the 245-member Rajya Sabha, many regional parties have backed it for the last several sessions to ensure passage of various legislations proposed by the government.

BJP leaders expressed confidence that they will get the support of over 130 members, including nine of the AIADMK, and seven of the TRS and six of the YSR Congress  all three of whom are not part of the ruling alliance, if a division of votes is sought on these bills. The BJP has the highest tally with 86 seats, followed by 40 of the Congress.

The three members of the SAD are sure to vote against the bills, but Shiv Sena, a former BJP ally and now in opposition, has expressed it support for these bills. The Maharashtra party has three members in Rajya Sabha. Several other regional parties, including three-member Aam Aadmi Party, Samajwadi Party with eight seats, and BSP with four, have joined the oppositions ranks in protest against these bills but it may not prove enough to hinder their passage.

A number count of parties that have come out against these draft legislations suggests that there are as of now nearly 100 MPs opposing them. There is no clarity about the stand of some small parties which have around a dozen members put together. Since the Modi government assumed office for its second time in 2019, its rivals have not been able to scuttle any of its major bills due to a rise in the ranks of treasury benches and a corresponding fall in the opposition ranks.

The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill were passed by Lok Sabha on Thursday, while the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill was passed on Tuesday. These bills seek to replace ordinances already promulgated by the government.

Speaking at a virtual launch of several rail projects in Bihar, Modi chose to speak at length on these bills, which have sparked protests by farmers in states like Punjab and Haryana, and sought to assuage concerns of the farming community by assuring them the government procurement of their produce will continue and so will the minimum support price (MSP). He asserted that these reforms have brought freedom" to farmers and given them a protection shield", as he accused the opposition of standing with middlemen and misleading" peasants by lying" to them.

With opposition parties dubbing the three bills as anti-farmers" and the SAD quitting his government to protest them, Modi refuted their criticism, describing these proposed laws as historic" and stating that they will unshackle farmers by allowing them to sell their produce anywhere at a better price.

A day after resigning from Union Cabinet, senior SAD leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal said she feels saddened" that her voice in support of farmers was not heard and demanded that the government should pause on these legislations by referring them to a parliamentary panel for wider consultations.

The government has presented these bills as pro-farmers, saying these will ensure that farmers get better prices for their produce and do not get subjected to regulations of mandis. Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar had said on Thursday in Lok Sabha that farmers will be free to sell their produce to anyone and these bills will increase competition and promote private investment, which will help in the development of farm infrastructure and generate employment.

However, opposition parties have slammed the bills as anti-farmers", claiming that the agriculture sector will be left to the fate of corporate interests. Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal also appealed to all non-BJP parties to unite in Rajya Sabha and oppose the three bills that he claimed would leave farmers in the hands of big companies for exploitation.
Piers Morgan defended JK Rowling after she was bashed for her new crime novel "Troubled Blood." The host claimed that while he does not like her, he could see that she is the victim.

The author's new crime novel, written under her known pen name Robert Galbraith, is about a cross-dressing killer. Given that she has made her views about the transgender community clear in the past, the community and its allies felt that she wrote the book to put them in a bad light directly.

The #RIPJKRowling hashtag trended, which shocked some fans who thought she died. Those who supported the trend had to clarify that she's alive but her career might as well be over. Twitter even had to clarify the trending hashtag.

In a heated debate on Wednesday's "Good Morning Britain," Piers brought up the controversy. The conversation revolved around the question of whether anyone can write a book featuring a trans killer without getting bashed. Piers concluded that based on people's actions, he probably could not.

Howeverm, he did not stop there and asked why is it normal for a killer to resemble some ordinary guy like himself and not a trans?

The journalist that he was throwing that hypothetical question around then said his profile is considered the "norm" among criminals. "You are not as unfamiliar to people. There are lots of cis, rich, white men...'

Morgan took offense that he would be called a cis and was quick to defend himself. "I'm not cis. Don't call me cis. I'm a white guy. Just call me a white guy," Morgan said.

Morgan then criticized those who are acting "woke" to justify hurting Rowling. Morgan said that he does not even remotely like the author, but he can still see the truth of what is happening.

Piers and JK both got into a heated row because of President Donald Trump, so they are not the best of friends. Nonetheless, the British presenter knows that her right to free speech is being violated in the present scandal.

The host cannot reconcile the fact that people are rallying against Rowling for her intolerance of the trans community, yet wishing her or her career dead. Who is the more intolerant one?

"The best way to preach about tolerance is to show a vague sense of tolerance," Piers said. "The woke brigade aren't tolerant, you want to have 'RIP JK Rowling' trending. It's preposterous."

Other hosts of the show claimed that it's ironic people are already wishing the author dead when they have not read the book yet. They think the cancel culture is horrible -- a book is already canceled without it being read yet!

For her part, while JK Rowling is yet to address the controversy caused by her book, she already wrote on her website that her latest work is loosely based on what is truly happening in society. This means there are truly men donning women clothes to get away with their crimes.

Nevertheless, her past Twitter rants about transgender cannot remove the assumption that she wrote it out of some personal agenda or vendetta.

READ MORE: Kanye West Literally Pees on Grammy Trophy After Epic Twitter Rant [VIDEO]
China sent 18 fighter jets and bombers into the Taiwan Strait on Friday in a robust show of force that a military official in Beijing said was a warning to Taiwan and the United States about their increasing political and military cooperation.

Those who play with fire are bound to get burned, Senior Col. Ren Guoqiang, a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense, said at a briefing in Beijing, warning the United States and Taiwan against what he called collusion.

The aerial drill came as a senior American diplomat held a series of meetings in Taiwan ahead of a formal memorial service on Saturday for former President Lee Teng-hui, who led the islands transition from military rule to democracy.

Taiwan, the self-governing democracy that Beijing claims as part of a unified China, has become an increasingly tense issue in the deteriorating relations between China and the United States. Both sides have stepped up military operations around Taiwan, while accusing the other of risking a potentially dangerous clash.
Shift in West African wildmeat trade suggests erosion of cultural taboos

New research by the University of Kent's Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE) has demonstrated a clear fluctuation in the trade of wildmeat in and around the High Niger National Park in Guinea, West Africa.

Conservationists found a significant increase in the trading of species that forage on crops including the green monkey (Chlorocebus sabaeus) and warthog (Phacochoerus africanus), in comparison with earlier data, in spite of religious taboos against the killing and consumption of monkeys and wild pigs by Muslims in the region. These species are increasingly being killed to protect crops and farmers can gain economically from their sale, providing an additional incentive for killing. The consumption of wild pigs is prohibited by Islam, yet a marked increase in the number of carcasses recorded in rural areas from 2011 to 2017 has suggested an erosion in the religious taboo.

The research team led by Dr Tatyana Humle (DICE) alongside colleagues from Beijing Forestry University, China, and the Higher Institute of Agronomy and Veterinary of Faranah, Guinea, drew conclusions after examining the wildmeat trade in three rural markets in the Park and in the nearest urban centre, Faranah, by collecting market survey data during August-November 2017, and comparing it with data from the same period in the 1990's, 2001 and 2011.

Mammals, most notably small sized species, now dominate the wildmeat trade around High Niger National Park. Further findings indicate a marked increase in the number of carcasses and biomass offered for sale from 2001 onwards in rural areas, whereas in Faranah there were no notable differences with data gathered in 1994. Therefore, urban demand does not appear to be driving the wildmeat trade in this region. Instead, the wildmeat trade in rural areas could perhaps be linked to an increase in human population and limited access to alternative sources of animal protein.

Dr Humle said: 'This study highlights that despite the local reduction in urban demand for wildmeat, pressures on wildlife in the Park remain. The prominence of crop-protection is increasingly being recognised for driving the wildmeat trade across rural West Africa, yet there is a need to better understand the motivations behind hunting and supply and demand dynamics. There is wider scope to investigate and improve the balance between local farmers' livelihoods and biodiversity conservation.'

###

Their research paper titled 'Temporal evolution of bushmeat traded in High Niger National Park, Guinea, West Africa' is published in Oryx. DOI: 10.1017/S0030605319001443

This story has been published on: 2020-09-18. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 19:36:05|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- "The Blue Defensive Line," the first documentary about Chinese armed forces on a peacekeeping mission in an overseas war zone, hit the big screen across China Friday.

The documentary features a Chinese peacekeeping infantry battalion protecting local refugee camps in the war-torn South Sudan.

The film, shot over five years from China to Africa, is a true and vivid account of efforts made by Chinese "blue helmets" to safeguard world peace and development.

2020 marks 30 years since China's armed forces first participated in UN peacekeeping operations. Over the three decades, the country's armed forces have sent over 40,000 peacekeepers to 25 UN peacekeeping missions. Enditem
We feel now is a pretty good time to analyse Bristow Group Inc.'s (NYSE:VTOL) business as it appears the company may be on the cusp of a considerable accomplishment. Bristow Group Inc. provides industrial aviation services to the offshore energy industry worldwide. With the latest financial year loss of US$723m and a trailing-twelve-month loss of US$349m, the US$726m market-cap company alleviated its loss by moving closer towards its target of breakeven. As path to profitability is the topic on Bristow Group's investors mind, we've decided to gauge market sentiment. Below we will provide a high-level summary of the industry analysts expectations for the company.

See our latest analysis for Bristow Group

Expectations from some of the American Energy Services analysts is that Bristow Group is on the verge of breakeven. They anticipate the company to incur a final loss in 2020, before generating positive profits of US$132m in 2021. The company is therefore projected to breakeven around a year from now or less! How fast will the company have to grow to reach the consensus forecasts that anticipate breakeven by 2021? Working backwards from analyst estimates, it turns out that they expect the company to grow 44% year-on-year, on average, which is extremely buoyant. Should the business grow at a slower rate, it will become profitable at a later date than expected.

We're not going to go through company-specific developments for Bristow Group given that this is a high-level summary, though, take into account that typically an energy business has lumpy cash flows which are contingent on the natural resource and stage at which the company is operating. This means, large upcoming growth rates are not abnormal as the company is beginning to reap the benefits of earlier investments.

Before we wrap up, theres one issue worth mentioning. Bristow Group currently has a relatively high level of debt. Generally, the rule of thumb is debt shouldnt exceed 40% of your equity, which in Bristow Group's case is 63%. A higher level of debt requires more stringent capital management which increases the risk around investing in the loss-making company.

Story continues

Next Steps:

This article is not intended to be a comprehensive analysis on Bristow Group, so if you are interested in understanding the company at a deeper level, take a look at Bristow Group's company page on Simply Wall St. We've also compiled a list of key factors you should further research:

Valuation: What is Bristow Group worth today? Has the future growth potential already been factored into the price? The intrinsic value infographic in our free research report helps visualize whether Bristow Group is currently mispriced by the market. Management Team: An experienced management team on the helm increases our confidence in the business  take a look at who sits on Bristow Groups board and the CEOs background. Other High-Performing Stocks: Are there other stocks that provide better prospects with proven track records? Explore our free list of these great stocks here.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.



Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
Today

Cosmopolitan 100 Service Club, 7 a.m., Midland University Cafeteria, Ninth and Pebble streets, Fremont.

HomeStore, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., 701 E. Dodge St., Fremont. The HomeStore sells donated items at discounted prices. Proceeds support the mission of Fremont Area Habitat for Humanity.

Airport Advisory Board meeting, 8:15 a.m., Fremont Municipal Airport, 1203 W. 23rd St., Fremont. The meeting is open to the public.

Chamber Coffee, 9-10 a.m., Max D Designs, Printing & More, 1720 N. Bell St., Fremont.

Al-Anon meeting, 9:30 a.m., Chapter 5 Club front room, 136 N. Main St., Fremont.

Community Closet, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Uniquely Yours Stability Support, 240 N. Main St., Fremont. The cost is $5 to fill a bag. There is no limit of how many bags you can buy. For more information, call 402-727-8977.

Fremont Community Breastfeeding Support Group, 10-11 a.m., Three Rivers Health Department conference room, 2400 N. Lincoln Ave., Fremont. This support group is for mothers and their babies. Siblings are welcome.

Alcoholics Anonymous 12x12 study, noon, Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Fremont Rotary Club, noon, Fremont Golf Club, North Somers Avenue.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 5:15 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Kitchen open, 5:30-7 p.m., Fremont Eagles Club. The menu includes 10-ounce catfish, shrimp, wings, chicken tenders, baked potato, fries, onion rings, vegetable and salad. The special will be hot turkey sandwich for $7.99 plus tax.

Live music by Down Memory Lane, 7-11 p.m., Fremont Eagles Club. There is no cover charge. There will be bar specials during the band.

Al-Anon meeting, 8-9 p.m., Chapter 5 Club back room, Fremont. This support group is for families and friends of alcoholics.

Narcotics Anonymous Freedom Works Group, 8 p.m., Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Education Building, west of the church, 1440 E. Military Ave., Fremont. Enter through the rear door.

Alcoholics Anonymous candlelight meeting, 10 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Saturday

Fall at the Farm, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Dale and Nancy Hilgenkamp farm, 7538 County Road 15, Arlington. Admission is free. Food, pumpkins and vendor items will be available for purchase. Everyone is invited to come to an Aronia berry farm to learn about and eat the berries and take part in a variety of fall festivities.

HomeStore, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., 701 E. Dodge St., Fremont. The HomeStore sells donated items at discounted prices. Proceeds support the mission of Fremont Area Habitat for Humanity.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 10 a.m., Chapter 5 Club, 136 N. Main St., Fremont.

Alcoholics Anonymous womens heart-to-heart group, noon, Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

50s and 60s DJ dance sponsored by Supportive Singles, 7:30 p.m., Fremont Eagles Club, 649 N. Main St. Everyone is welcome. Free line dance lessons will be offered at 6 p.m. For more information, call 402-660-8474.

Narcotics Anonymous Lie Is Dead Group, 8 p.m., LifeHouse, 723 N. Broad St., Fremont.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 10:30 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Sunday

Alcoholics Anonymous Happy Sober Sunday Group, 9 a.m., Chapter 5 Club, 136 N. Main St., Fremont.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 10 a.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Narcotics Anonymous Seekers of Serenity Group, 10:30 a.m., LifeHouse, 723 N. Broad St., Fremont.

Camp Fontanelle Barbecue Re-Imagined, noon, Camp Fontanelle, 9677 County Road 3, Fontanelle. The grill will be near the camping caves. The menu will include hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, carrots, drink and dessert. There will be worship under the tent at 11 a.m.

Opening day for the pumpkin patch and corn maze, 1-6 p.m., Camp Fontanelle. Activities include a 9-acre corn maze, laser tag, pedal karts, two jumping pillows, roller racers, 700-foot zipline, petting barn, hayrack rides and more.

Quilt auction, 2 p.m., Camp Fontanelle. Handmade quilts in a variety of sizes and styles will be sold at the auction.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 5:15 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Narcotics Anonymous Freedom Works Group, 7 p.m., Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Education Building, west of the church, 1440 E. Military Ave., Fremont. Enter through the rear door.

Alcoholics Anonymous Sunday speaker, 7:30 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

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WAPELLO  The date for Wapellos Trick or Treat Night will be the traditional Oct. 31, but the city council agreed Thursday to alter the hours for the event, which will now be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

In most previous years the event has been held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. but council member Brett Shafer suggested the earlier window, explaining he had been approached about it by local residents.

Shafer indicated the residents concerns were tied to the amount of darkness during the later window, although council member Charles Wagg reminded the council that daylight saving time would not end until the following Sunday morning.

Wagg also said he felt the earlier window was favored by workers who get off at 5 p.m. because it would give them more time to get home.

Wapello Police Chief Brandon Marquardt indicated the earlier window could help families who wished to go trick or treating to city residences and also attend the Halloween night that has normally been held at the Solid Rock Church in Wapello.

He said setting a different time window would allow kids to attend both events.
Donald Trump complained about the damage to his social life since becoming president.

I lost all my friends because of this position, he told a rally in Wisconsin on Thursday, in one of several diversions from the teleprompter.

They used to be loose. They used to be great. I'm not a drinker but you can sit back and have a drink, whatever you're drinking. Now you cant do that anymore.

The president suggested that it was respect for the office that made it difficult to maintain friendships, and said he has to rely on people in congress to be my friends.

Mr Trump visited Wisconsin following a string of polls that show him trailing his Democratic opponent Joe Biden.

In a rambling speech, the president attacked Mr Biden, house speaker Nancy Pelosi, and other top Democrats, while touting government relief for Wisconsin farmers.

Mr Trump won Wisconsin by less than 1 percent of the vote in 2016. Current polls show trailing Mr Biden by under 7 points on average, according to the FiveThirtyEight poll tracker.
TORONTO, Sept. 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Plateau Energy Metals Inc. (Plateau or the Company) (TSX-V: PLU | OTCQB: PLUUF) is pleased to provide an update on recent initiatives and activities.



Highlights:

Falchani Lithium Chemical Project desktop work for project optimization programs in progress: Lithium chemical product flexibility to evaluate lithium hydroxide and lithium sulphate from lithium sulphate solution Lithium process flowsheet optimization program design By-product phase 2 program design

Macusani Uranium Project desktop work for project optimization programs in progress: Pre-concentration work program design as follow on to favourable Cameco results 2 tonne uranium sampling program from 5 different deposit areas for future test work completed

Community support initiatives in Peru ongoing to help ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of our host communities

"Our team has been making concerted efforts to support our host communities in these challenging times" stated Alex Holmes, CEO. "Peru has been hit extremely hard by the global pandemic caused by Covid-19 and a focus of ours is in helping ensure our host communities can be safe and responsible in handling the pandemic."

"To our shareholders, as we navigate these times, we want to remind you of the tremendous value opportunity we have with two strategically important critical minerals projects in the green energy/technology industry. We continue to see investment downstream of raw materials in lithium-ion batteries and electric vehicles, and in nuclear energy as a stable clean energy source. At the same time, we are also seeing future supply constraints surfacing in both battery quality lithium chemicals in a fast-growing demand market and in uranium for fuel for nuclear energy plants. The market dynamics, medium and long-term, are unfolding in our favour and we remain focused on de-risking both projects as they are needed in a green recovery world."

Falchani Lithium Project

The Company is currently concentrating on taking strategic steps and engaging in discussions with various parties to advance the technical strengths and identify areas to increase the underlying asset value of the Falchani Lithium Project (Falchani). These steps are in preparation for future work programs while balancing capital constraints and the current Peru environment. Some of the work being considered:

Phase II work program in planning, following on from the results of preliminary metallurgical work in April 2020 on potential by-products from caesium, rubidium and potassium for sulphate of potash (SOP).





Complete SOP (fertilizer) market study for South America, and specifically Peru, as previous metallurgical test work results demonstrated SOP (K 2 SO 4 ) is a potential by-product of Falchani (see Flow Sheet 1 link).

SO ) is a potential by-product of Falchani (see Flow Sheet link). Lithium flowsheet optimization focused on areas where it may be possible to reduce reagent consumables and capital costs.

Lithium chemical product flexibility to evaluate lithium hydroxide and lithium sulphate from lithium sulphate solution (Falchani leach solution). Evolving battery technology dictates the need for projects to evaluate flexibility in battery quality lithium chemicals to be a strategic player in the battery supply chain.

Falchani is a scalable, long mine life battery quality lithium chemical project with an after-tax NPV (8%) $1.55 billion at $12,000/t Li 2 CO 3 ; after-tax IRR of 19.7%1. The development plan at Falchani incorporates multiple responsible and green mining initiatives with further opportunities for revenue optimization and technological advancements. We believe this will position Plateau to capitalize on a return to improved lithium market sentiment and pricing, without impacting the development path significantly.

Macusani Uranium Project

The Macusani Uranium Project (Macusani) is a low-capex, large-scale development stage uranium project containing significant measured, indicated and inferred uranium resources. Located approximately 25 kilometres away from Falchani with an NPV (8%) of $603.1 million, IRR of 40.6% and a 1.8-year payback (all after-tax @ $50/lb U 3 O 8 selling price)2.

An optimization work program evaluating pre-concentration amenability has been prepared and various options are being considered. This work program would be a follow up to favourable historical results yielded by Cameco Corporation in 2013 which demonstrated that approximately 85% of the uranium is concentrated in fine fractions representing only 50% of the mass of the uranium mineralized rhyolitic material. Pre-concentration potential using conventional scrubbing technology could impact the volume and head grade of mineralized material in the PEA mine plan, positively impacting operating and capital cost estimates, and result in a re-evaluation of resources outside the PEA mine plan. Samples were collected at site in July for this future work program. The timing of initiating the work program and results of the work program will be dependent on capital allocation later in 2020. The work programs may lead to an optimized development plan, execution of which will be dependent on the Peru government implementing the New Uranium Regulations (defined below) and market conditions for uranium improving.





Ongoing work with the government of Peru for uranium transport and export regulations in coordination with the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Peruvian Institute of Nuclear Energy (the New Uranium Regulations). In early 2020 the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MINEM) announced that they were targeting H2 2020 to have this new framework submitted for approval, the Company expects that in the context of work restrictions due to COVID-19, along with personnel changes at MINEM, this could be delayed to H1 2021. However, a recent public announcement by the Minister of Energy and Mines continues to guide to the end of 2020.

A targeted exploration drill program is being planned to test high priority areas between existing deposits, something not previously possible due to the fractured historical ownership. Previous EIA work continues albeit at a slower pace. The exploration program is contingent on securing uranium exploration capital and the New Uranium Regulations being implemented.

An updated PEA is under consideration, pending outcome of optimization work programs and New Uranium Regulations. Positive optimization work programs may result in a modified mining and processing plan.

Health and Safety

The Ministries of Health and Energy and Mines (the Ministries) in cooperation with regional governmental authorities permitted the restart of larger scale mining activities mid-May. All mining companies are required to submit restart safety protocols for approval before being given the go ahead to resume operations. Plateau received approval from the Ministries to restart activities on July 1, 2020. The Companys decision to resume full scale work at site will be conditional on the ability to ensure the ongoing safety of our employees and the local communities and to access to supplies and equipment to maintain health and safety at site.

Local Communities

Plateau has been working to support our communities through the donations of hygiene and medical supplies such as sanitizer, digital thermometers and rapid response testing kits along with the delivery of parcels of essential food.

At the end of May, the Company facilitated the delivery of supplies and equipment to partner with the Women Association of Isivilla to commence the production of reusable non-medical masks for distribution to the surrounding communities. The mask initiative is ongoing, and to-date over 5,000 reusable face masks have been assembled and distributed freely throughout the communities.

In mid-June, the Company was able to arrange for the delivery of essential food parcels or canastas to the local communities. Over three days the team in Peru distributed canastas to the inhabitants in five villages. The Company continues to engage and work with our host communities to develop ways to support and assist them where possible during this global pandemic.

Peru Government and Regulatory

On September 11th, the Peruvian Congress approved a motion to commence impeachment proceedings against President Vizcarra following allegations which have yet to be substantiated. The date for the vote is expected to be held September 18th.

Recently, three projects of proposed legislation with special emphasis on lithium were introduced in the Peruvian Congress for debate and approval. The projects vary considerably in their approach, ranging from tremendous support from the State and its institutions and assistance for the private sector to develop the lithium market in Peru, to strict controls imposed by the State at all levels. As far as can be ascertained, all the proposed legislation highlights the strategic importance of lithium to the country, prioritizing the development of the sector and does not seem to preclude private ownership or development.

The submission of three different lithium legislation proposals to Congress within a week demonstrates the interest that our Falchani discovery has generated in Peru, Alex Holmes, CEO of the Company stated. Lithium chemical processing and production requires certain technologies and a very specialized skill set not currently available in-country. As we advance Falchani, we are seeking to support the development of the prerequisite skillsets in-country, through education, training, and partnerships, to make lithium chemical development a successful industry for the country.

Peru has a long history of encouraging and supporting foreign private investment in general and in the mining sector in particular, which is and has always been paramount to the economic stability and ongoing development of the country. Considering the very tumultuous political period that Peru as a country passes through at present, the Company believes that it is possible more projects may be submitted to Congress. As a result, it will take a while before any decision may be adopted with respect to the lithium industry. The Company expects that any such decision will be one that continues to encourage investment and ensure sustainable and responsible development in the country. In Peru lithium is considered a non-metal and does not currently require any specific regulatory/permitting framework for exploration, exploitation and processing.

On August 4th Peruvian Congress rejected a vote of confidence for President Vizcarras cabinet chief, forcing the resignation of 19 cabinet ministers, including Rafael Belaunde, the Minister of Energy and Mines who was appointed on July 15th. On August 11th Luis Miguel Inchaustegui, previously Vice Minister of the same Ministry, was appointed as the new Minister of Energy and Mines. On August 13th Vice Minister Augusto Cauti tendered his resignation and was replaced by economist Jaime Galvez Delgado, who until last year served as general director of Mining Promotion and Sustainability of MINEM. The Company has worked with both parties in their prior roles at the Ministry and looks forward to working with them as the projects continue to advance.

In July, MINEM adopted new exploration regulations which will in effect streamline early exploration (pre-drilling) timelines in advancing a project to drill ready status.

On July 24th Susana Vilca, previously the Minister of Energy and Mines, was appointed as the new Institute of Geology Mining and Metallurgy (INGEMMET) President.

Concessions: Judicial and Administrative Processes

In August 2020, the judicial process for the concessions officially resumed, however COVID-19 work stoppages and restrictions in Peru have added significant delays to court procedures and the Company has not been provided with a timeline for an expected decision for the Precautionary Measure on the remaining 15 concessions. Meetings with MINEM and INGEMMET have continued to advance the administrative process, but recent personnel changes within these institutions will likely lead to some delays with talks restarting with new Ministers within MINEM. Updates will be provided as and when they become available.

Qualified Persons

Mr. Ted OConnor, P.Geo., a Director and Technical Advisor to Plateau, is the Companys designated Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained in this news release.

About Plateau Energy Metals

Plateau Energy Metals Inc ., a Canadian exploration and development company, is enabling the new energy paradigm through exploring and developing its Falchani lithium project and Macusani uranium project in southeastern Peru, both of which are situated near significant infrastructure.

For further information, please contact: Plateau Energy Metals Inc. Alex Holmes, CEO & Director Facebook: www.facebook.com/pluenergy/ +1-416-628-9600 Twitter: www.twitter.com/pluenergy/ IR@PlateauEnergyMetals.com Website: www.PlateauEnergyMetals.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.



Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking information and forward-looking statements (collectively forward-looking statements) within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding project desktop work and optimization programs under consideration, a potential exploration drill program at Macusani, the anticipated New Uranium Regulations discussed herein, proposed lithium legislation and the potential adoption thereof, the judicial process resuming in Peru, the status of the Precautionary Measures filed by the Companys subsidiary Macusani, the outcome of the administrative process, the judicial process, and any and all future remedies pursued by Plateau and its subsidiary Macusani to resolve the title for 32 of its concessions, and any statements regarding the Companys business plans, expectations and objectives.

Forward-looking statements are frequently identified by such words as "may", "will", "plan", "expect", "anticipate", "estimate", "intend", indicate, scheduled, target, goal, potential, subject, efforts, option and similar words, or the negative connotations thereof, referring to future events and results. Forward-looking statements are based on the current opinions and expectations of management are not, and cannot be, a guarantee of future results or events. Although the Company believes that the current opinions and expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable based on information available at the time, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements since the Company can provide no assurance that such opinions and expectations will prove to be correct. All forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain and subject to a variety of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, including risks and uncertainties relating to the COVID-19 pandemic and the extent and manner to which measures taken by governments and their agencies, the Company or others to attempt to reduce the spread of COVID-19 could affect the Company, which could have a material adverse impact on many aspects of the Company's business including but not limited to: the Companys ability to access its properties for indeterminate amounts of time, the health of its employees or consultants resulting in delays or diminished capacity, social or political instability in Peru which in turn could impact the Companys ability to maintain the continuity of its business operating requirements, may result in the reduced availability or failures of various local administration and critical infrastructure, reduced demand for the Companys potential products, availability of materials, global travel restrictions, and the availability of insurance and the associated costs; risks related to the certainty of title to our properties, including the status of the Precautionary Measures filed by the Companys subsidiary Macusani, the outcome of the administrative process, the judicial process, and any and all future remedies pursued by Plateau and its subsidiary Macusani to resolve the title for 32 of its concessions; the anticipated New Uranium Regulations discussed herein; the proposed lithium legislation in Congress and the potential adoption thereof, the ongoing ability to work cooperatively with stakeholders, including but not limited to local communities and all levels of government; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic; the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; the possibility that any future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with our expectations; mining and development risks, including risks related to accidents, equipment breakdowns, labour disputes (including work stoppages, strikes and loss of personnel) or other unanticipated difficulties with or interruptions in exploration and development; risks related to commodity price and foreign exchange rate fluctuations; risks related to foreign operations; the cyclical nature of the industry in which we operate; risks related to failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis and on acceptable terms or delays in obtaining governmental approvals; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the uncertain global economic environment and the effects upon the global market generally, and due to the COVID-19 pandemic measures taken to reduce the spread of COVID-19, any of which could continue to negatively affect global financial markets, including the trading price of the Company's shares and could negatively affect the Company's ability to raise capital and may also result in additional and unknown risks or liabilities to the Company. Other risks and uncertainties related to our prospects, properties and business strategy are identified in the Risks and Uncertainties section of Plateaus Managements Discussion and Analysis filed on January 20, 2020 and in recent securities filings available at www.sedar.com . Actual events or results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements and Plateau cautions against placing undue reliance thereon. Except as required by applicable securities legislation, neither Plateau nor its management assume any obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements.

1 Preliminary economic assessment effective Feb. 04, 2020 prepared in accordance with NI 43-101, filed on SEDAR titled the Falchani Lithium Project NI 43-101 Technical Report  Preliminary Economic Assessment prepared by John Joseph Riordan, David Thompson, Valentine Cotzee of DRA Pacific and Mr. Stewart Nupen of The Mineral Corporation.

2 "Macusani Project, Macusani, Peru, NI 43-101 Report  Preliminary Economic Assessment prepared by Mr. Michael Short and Mr. Thomas Apelt, of GBM Minerals Engineering Consultants Limited; Mr. David Young, of The Mineral Corporation; and Mr. Mark Mounde, of Wardell Armstrong International Limited dated January 12, 2016.




With autumn weather upon us early this year, the natural world is responding in kind. Leaves are rapidly changing colour and bird migration is well underway. A host of species we havent seen since the spring are now passing through the Kawarthas.

Im keeping a particularly close eye on migration this year. I decided in April to embark on a quest to see 200 species in Peterborough County before years end. As of this week, Im at 176. The eBird checklist app has helped immensely since it alerts you as to what birds other people are seeing and where. On an average day, 30 or more checklists  many with photos  are posted locally.

Two of my latest species are both Arctic-breeding shorebirds  the red-necked phalarope and the black-bellied plover. A flock of six phalaropes touched down at the Lakefield Sewage Lagoons last Thursday, while the plover made a landing at the airport. On Monday, I was zeroing in on another new species  what I thought might be a Lincolns sparrow  when I inadvertently stepped on a yellowjacket wasp nest. I dont know what was worse  getting stung 10 times or missing a new bird. (P.S. I did get the sparrow the next day  the wasps be damned!)

Yellowjackets have been abundant this year, thanks to a record 35 days over 30 C that created perfect conditions for reproduction. Hot weather assures high survival rates for the insects on which these wasps feed. In late summer, there is a frantic search for food to feed the thousands of larvae still in the nests. Caterpillars are the larval food of preference, but yellowjackets also turn to human foods to feed the colony. Adult wasps are also attracted to sweet drinks for the sugar they need to fuel their own bodies.

Looking ahead to the coming weeks, here is a list of events in nature that are typical of fall in the Kawarthas  a fall that once again is projected to be warmer than usual despite the cool start.

September

Songbird migration is in full swing this month. Migrants such as warblers and vireos are often in mixed flocks with chickadees and can be coaxed in for close-up views by using "pishing." Simply take a deep breath and softly but quickly repeat the word pish in one, drawn-out exhale. Keep it up for at least a minute or two. The free Merlin bird app is a superb identification tool.

If you havent done so, now is the time to set up your bird feeders. I recommend putting out black oil sunflower and nyger seeds, along with peanut bits.

The Peterborough Field Naturalists are holding virtual meetings on Zoom this fall. The number of participants on outings will be restricted, however. Go to https://peterboroughnature.org/ for more information.

The webs of the fall webworm are very noticeable this year. These large, loose structures encase the ends of branches of broad-leaved trees and shrubs and house colonies of small, beige caterpillars.

Thanks to the recent rains, mushrooms are plentiful and diverse along woodland trails this fall. The iNaturalist app will help you identify them.

Listen for the calls of blue jays  the signature sound of September.

The first act of the fall colours has arrived, courtesy of Virginia creeper, staghorn sumac, chokecherry, dogwoods, white ash, and poison ivy.

The fall equinox occurs on Sept. 22, marking the beginning of autumn. At the equinox, day and night are almost equal in length, and the moon and sun rise due east and set due west.

As the goldenrods begin to fade, asters take centre stage. The white flowers of heath, panicled, and calico asters, along with the purple and mauve blossoms of New England, purple-stemmed, and heart-leaved asters provide much of the show. Ontariowildflowers.com and iNaturalist are excellent identification resources.

October

Don't miss the spectacular harvest moon, which occurs on Oct. 1. It rises at 7:15 p.m. For several nights before and after this date, the moon comes up at almost the same time.

Red and sugar maples usually reach peak colour early in the month and often on Thanksgiving Weekend.

Sparrow migration takes centre stage this month, making October one of the busiest times of the year for backyard feeders. Scatter millet or finch mix on the ground to attract dark-eyed juncos and both white-throated and white-crowned sparrows.

Watch and listen for mixed flocks of golden-crowned and ruby-crowned kinglets, brown creepers, dark-eyed juncos, white-throated sparrows, and yellow-rumped warblers.

On balmy October days, ruffed grouse can sometimes be heard drumming. Early fall is also the grouses crazy season. Young birds disperse from their parents territory and often end up colliding with all manner of objects.

A tide of yellow spreads across the landscape in mid- through late October. The colour is supplied courtesy of trembling and bigtooth aspens, balsam poplar, silver maple, white birch and, at months end, tamarack.

Migrating diving ducks such as goldeneyes, buffleheads, scaups, and mergansers stop over on our larger lakes such as Pigeon and Rice. Often the best viewing, however, is at the Lakefield Sewage Lagoons. They are located about a half-kilometre east of the intersection of County Roads 32 and 33.

The first northern finches often turn up in late October. To learn which species to expect this fall and winter, Google "winter finch forecast 2020-2021." The forecast should be online soon.

November

Oaks, tamaracks, and silver maples are about the only native deciduous trees that still retain foliage in early November. The brownish-orange leaves of red oaks stand out with particular prominence.

Standard Time returns on Nov. 1, at 2 a.m. We turn our clocks back one hour.

If you go for a woodland hike, watch for clusters of small, fan-shaped turkey tail fungi growing on logs or dead trees. These are one of our most attractive species.

The antlers of buck white-tailed deer have now matured and hardened, and they are in rut  at the peak of their sexual readiness. Drive carefully. Accidents involving deer are common this month.

Coyotes are often heard in late fall. The coyotes of central Ontario are closely related to the eastern wolf (Canis lycaon) and the two species sometimes hybridize. All wolflike animals of Peterborough County contain, to varying degrees, both coyote and eastern wolf genes.

This is a great time of year to focus on several groups of plants of the forest floor that usually escape our attention. Evergreen ferns, clubmosses, and mosses stand out prominently against the brown leaf litter. Watch for wood fern, rock polypody fern, ground pine and ground cedar clubmosses, juniper moss, and fire moss.

Male great horned owls stake out breeding territories and become quite vocal.

Ball-like swellings known as galls are easy to see on the stems of goldenrods. If you open the gall with a knife, you will find the small, white larva of the goldenrod gall fly inside. The larva spends the winter in this cosy enclosure. In the spring it will emerge as an adult fly.

December

The Pleiades (Seven Sisters) star cluster adorns the eastern sky, while Orion looms over the southeast.

Eastern grey squirrels are often seen high up in maple trees where they feed on the keys. Although we do have some grey individuals in Peterborough, nearly all grey squirrels in southern and central Ontario are the melanistic (black) form.

Pregnant adult queen wasps overwinter in crevices in rocks and wood. You may inadvertently bring one into the house, tucked away in a piece of firewood.

Bird arrivals in late fall include northern shrikes, snow buntings, and American tree sparrows. All of these species breed in the Arctic.

Between mid-December and early January, Christmas Bird Counts take place across North and Central America. Anyone with an interest in birds is welcome to participate in our two local counts. Contact Martin Parker at 705-745-4750.

Dec. 21 marks the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. The sun rises and sets at its southernmost points on the horizon. Sunrise is not until 7:46 a.m., while sunset is upon us by 4:37 p.m. This translates into only eight hours and 51 minutes of daylight.

Climate crisis news

Only a tiny fraction of the public feels a true sense of alarm for whats in store for us if we continue on the present climate trajectory. But even alarming people wont necessarily inspire action. Most people need to be equally aware of reasons for hope and encouragement, hence this weekly update from both perspectives.

ALARM: According to a new United Nations report, the world is closing in on the temperature limit set by global leaders five years ago, namely 1.5 C degrees of warming above pre-industrial times. In fact, we may exceed this limit in the next decade. July 2020 was the hottest July ever in the Northern Hemisphere and the second hottest for the planet as a whole. Arctic sea ice shrank to a record low.

ENCOURAGEMENT: The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has ruled against the Ford governments anti-carbon tax stickers. The Court found that the stickers were a form of compelled political expression that violated the constitutional protection of free expression. It also found that a government cannot legislate a requirement that private retailers post a sticker designed to stick it to another tier of government. A carbon tax is considered the most cost-efficient and least bureaucratic way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, Canadas tax on carbon is still far too low to change peoples behaviour.

LOCAL: For local climate news and ways to take action, go to https://forourgrandchildren.ca/ and subscribe to the newsletter. For Our Grandchildren is also on Facebook.
The woman was standing outside of her silver Chevy Impala gathering items when a male in a group of three people came up to her and pointed a gun at her, causing the woman to drop her keys, according to a Chicago police media notification. The three then took the keys and got into the car and drove off.
Seventy-three prisoners and a staff member of Central jail Sitarganj in US Nagar district of Uttarakhand tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday, said officials.

Following the development, jail administration went into a tizzy with these fresh cases as they had restricted the entry and exit in jail premises. Jail administration is now searching for a safe place for isolating these infected jail inmates, officials said.

Earlier on September 9, 51 jail inmates and one jail staffer of Nainital district jail had tested positive in the RT-PCR test for the Covid-19 virus.

73 inmates and a jail guard have tested Covid-19 positive on Thursday. Infected inmates have been isolated in jail premises till they are shifted to isolation centres, said Dadhi Ram Maurya, superintendent, Central Jail Sitarganj.

He said samples of 112 inmates were collected on Sunday from the jail. The inmates were suffering from viral fever and cold. Around 700 inmates are housed here, he said.

He said when they observed some inmates were suffering from viral fever, cold and cough. , they were isolated from the rest of the inmates and health officials were called for collecting samples as a precautionary measure.

Maurya said, It is a matter of probe that when the entry and exit from jail premises is absolutely banned how the infection spread in the inmates. The health department must look into the matter.

He informed that despite the inspector general (IG) jails instructions that those inmates who are Covid-19 negative, should be permitted two meetings in a month with their relatives, jail administration is not permitting inmates due to fear of the Covid-19 outbreak.

DS Panchpal, chief `medical officer, US Nagar said, Since these are jail inmates they will be isolated in a secure place. We have informed the administration about it and wherever administration suggests we will shift them,

Notably, 5 inmates in Sitarganj jail had tested positive in May and June. Later six more inmates and four staff members tested positive in temporary jail in Sitarganj on August 19.
A family-of-six have been forced to live in caravans in their backyard for nearly three weeks after a Foxtel installer accidentally drilled a hole into their ceiling, exposing them to deadly asbestos.

Army veterans Damien and Leonie Morse and their four children, had only been in their new home in Toowoomba west of Brisbane for five weeks before they had decided to install Foxtel.

But a 2.5cm wide hole ended up being drilled into the roof and asbestos fell onto the floor, infecting the whole house.

To make matters worse the family were unaware that the white powder that fell from the ceiling was actually toxic and they remained in the house for a week.

Mr Morse said he and his family are now praying they will be compensated after losing an estimated $80,000 in contaminated furniture.

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Army veterans Damien and Leonie Morse are now asking for Foxtel to compensate their losses

The family-of-six were told they'd only be out of their house for three days but are now nearly up to three weeks

'We were told we couldn't go back to the house so we literally only had the clothes on our back,' Mr Morse told A Current Affair.

'We were essentially homeless veterans, we had nowhere to go.'

The couple said they had no idea they had any asbestos in their ceiling because a building report did not suggest to carry out an inspection.

Luckily for the Morse family, relatives, neighbours and an army charity chipped in to set the family up in caravans but it wasn't easy going.

'Everyone's just tired and stressed,' Mrs Morse said.

'I vacuumed the house and also our car and in essence I've spread asbestos throughout the whole house.'

The Morse family have been living in caravans on their property for nearly three weeks after asbestos entered their home

'The fact that the kids are thinking are they going to die of asbestos poisoning now, like how do you deal with that?' Mr Morse said.

The family have now been warned the majority of their furniture has been infected including beds, clothes and a beloved rug that had been in the family for 60 years.

'You can't put a price on that,' Mr Morse said.

'We don't want millions of dollars we just want to be fairly compensated for our losses.'

The family say their biggest issue is sitting in limbo wondering when they will be able to go back inside their house.

'We email them, we ring them, and nothing gets done, nothing,' Mrs Morse said.

The Foxtel contractor had accidentally drilled a hole into the ceiling resulting in asbestos falling down into the living room

'If you're going to throw out all our stuff, replace it.'

Foxtel had contracted BSA Limited who then subcontracted a worker from Pixie Machinery to carry out the installation.

Pixie Machinery initially offered to fix the hole and cover the cost before discovering the asbestos and bringing in a licensed company to remove it.

Foxtel said $5,000 had since been paid to the Morse family and further testing had been undertaken on Thursday.

The results are expected to be given on Monday and will determine whether the family can move back in to their home.

Foxtel said in a statement it apologises for the 'major inconveniences' caused to the Morse family and their contractors had carried out an $18,000 clean of the home.

'Two independent assessments have been made of the residual hazard. The first was made by the asbestos removalist and the second by a specialist air-quality and safety company,' the company said.

'These assessments have provided conflicting advice about the remaining risk at Mr Morse's home. The most recent tests by the specialist air-quality company indicate his home is safe, and Mr Morse and his family can return.

'Foxtel's priority is to get Mr Morse back into his home as soon as possible. Given the conflicting safety advice, we share Mr Morse's uncertainty about returning.'

The family's Foxtel charges have also been put on hold.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted BSA Limited for comment.
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Linkedin Will Dunham (Reuters) Washington  Fri, September 18, 2020 09:03 491 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c459461e 2 Environment whale-shark Free

Male and female whale sharks - filter-feeding marine behemoths - grow at different rates, with females doing so more slowly but getting much larger than the guys, according to research that offers deeper insight into the biology of Earth's largest fish.

Researchers said on Wednesday they had tracked the growth of 54 whale sharks over a 10-year period in the vast Ningaloo Reef off Australia's west coast, where hundreds of these slow-swimming endangered fish migrate annually.

Whale sharks of both sexes were found to have their fastest growth as juveniles, about 20-30 cm annually.

Overall, males were found to grow slightly more quickly than females, plateauing at around 8 meters long after reaching sexual maturity at about 30 years old. Females plateaued at around 14 meters when they reached sexual maturity at about age 50.

It is believed whale sharks may live 100-150 years. The longest-known whale shark reached about 18 meters.

"Whale sharks are remarkable in that females have massive litters of pups, up to 300 at one time. Being very large is almost certainly a prerequisite for carrying this many young inside a female's body," said Australian Institute of Marine Science marine biologist Mark Meekan, who led the research published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science.

Read also: Video of unknown divers riding whale shark goes viral

These sharks have a brownish-grayish color on the back and sides with white spots, with a white underside.

"Our study provides the first evidence that male and female whale sharks grow at different rates," Meekan said. "Previously, researchers had to rely on estimates of growth and age extracted from the vertebrae of dead sharks that had either stranded on shore or been killed by a fishery. Samples were very limited and didn't cover a very wide size range of animals, confounding attempts to produce reliable estimates of growth patterns."

They are filter feeders, swimming great distances through the world's tropical oceans to find enough plankton to sustain themselves.

"Our study has important implications for conservation," Meekan said. "If it takes many years, 30 or more, for these animals to become mature, there are lots of threats such as hunting and ship-strike that they may succumb to before they get a chance to breed, making conservation strategies for these animals an urgent task."
The National Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Freddie Blay, has urged Ghanaian electorates to vote President Akufo-Addo once again on December 7 to take the country to a 'paradise.'

As we head into another election in December this year, Ghana needs a stable, firm, and competent leaders hands over the next few years to ensure we protect the progress we have made together, and to transform Ghana for all Ghanaians, he said in a statement.

The statement read: I present to you Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, as the proven leader, a stable, firm, and competent captain of the ship of state we need over the challenging years ahead, and I humbly call on all Ghanaians of every stripe to, once again, overwhelmingly vote for, and renew his mandate and that of our Parliamentary candidates in December 2020.

According to the statement, the NPP Government has delivered on a majority of its 2016 manifesto promises to the people of Ghana.

We have delivered on at least 80% of our promises, including Free SHS and TVET, One District, One Factory, on infrastructure development through Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme (IPEP), and on Planting for Food and Jobs among many others.

When, unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic struck, we steered the ship of state under the competent leadership of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and secured largely the health and safety of Ghanaians, it read.

Below is Mr Blays statement:

---citinewsroom
Lead Crown attorney Andrew Sabbadini wasted no time trying to shake Michael Durants claims of innocence in his first-degree murder trial.

Sabbadini used police wiretaps of conversations between Durant and his ex-wife, Dana Arnold, while Durant was in jail at Niagara Detention Centre on another charge.

Sabbadini played short segments of the wiretaps and then followed up with rapid-fire questions. Durant, for his part, repeatedly challenged Sabbadini.

Dont stand up here and try to twist what I said, and what I meant, Durant said, his voice rising. You have been doing that for 17 years.

Durants lawyer, Joe Wilkinson, is defending his client by trying to show the victims ex-boyfriend, John McNeil, is the killer. McNeil died in 2005.

A publication ban protects the 32-year-old victims name. She is being referred to as DD during the trial. Her body was found in a rural area between Niagara Falls and Welland in the summer of 2003.

Sabbadini asserted the conversations suggest Durant and his wife were panicking under the pressure of police investigation.

Im going to suggest you are wrong, Durant said. The police were putting pressure on Dana  and I wanted her to be safe, and our daughter to be safe.

You were concerned because you and Dana killed (DD), Sabbadini said.

No, Durant said. Johnny killed (DD) in my garage. We werent talking about (DD). They were looking at me for five murders at the time. Not one. Not two. Five.

We are talking about Ms. Arnold being arrested, Sabbadini said. We dont need to talk about the other murders.

Last year, the Court of Appeal overturned Durants conviction from his 2012 trial.

The trial was moved to Kitchener because of pretrial publicity.

Superior Court Justice Gerald Taylor delayed the start of Durants testimony so police and court staff could figure out how best to have Durant testify.

Sgt. Jodie Chessell of Waterloo Regional Police told Taylor there were issues with Mr. Durant in custody that could result in charges.

Police wanted Durant in leg shackles because of the risk to court personnel.

Some of these events go back a few days, Wilkinson said, but I cant recall anything that Mr. Durant has done in the courtroom that hasnt been fairly exemplary.

Its probably not a shock someone incarcerated for years, subject to transport and locked down during COVID-19 might have some occasion to run into conflict.

I would like him to be able to testify as unencumbered as possible.

Sabbadini told Taylor he would be more comfortable if he were in leg shackles given his feelings toward the officer and me.

Im not saying I think anything will happen, but I would be more comfortable if he were shackled.

Taylor made an order that Durant testify in leg shackles, but without handcuffs.

Two special constables now accompany Durant during proceedings. A police constable sits in the gallery.

Durant is always neatly dressed in a suit jacket with his long hair pulled back tightly.

He watches the proceedings intently and confers quietly with his attorney when necessary.

Flight doesnt appear to be a concern, but he is charged with first-degree murder, Taylor said for the record.

I cant bury my head in the sand not to be aware of certain out-of-court incidents that have resulted in delays in these trial proceedings.

It appears to me there have been times when Mr. Durants conduct has been less than exemplary.
Channel Ten have denied claims The Bachelor's Locky Gilbert dumped his rumoured 'winner' Irena Srbinovska after filming ended.

Earlier this month, Irena, 31, hinted that she is no longer dating Locky when she liked a comment from a fan who said she was 'too good' for the former Australian Survivor star.

But on Friday, Ten told Daily Mail Australia Locky and the show's winner are 'still in a relationship and very happy'.

Response: Channel Ten have denied claims The Bachelor's Locky Gilbert (pictured) dumped rumoured 'winner' Irena Srbinovska after filming ended

'Locky and his chosen lady are still together and very happy,' a Ten spokesperson said.

Earlier this month, the nurse hinted she's no longer dating Locky when she liked the fan comment on Instagram.

'You're too good for him tho!!!' the fan wrote alongside two rose emojis. As reported by The Wash, Irena was among the seven users who liked the comment.

Going strong: Ten told Daily Mail Australia Locky and the winner are 'still in a relationship and very happy'. Pictured Irena Srbinovska

While it's not conclusive evidence, the social media activity suggests that Irena and Locky quietly split after filming the finale in July.

Meanwhile, Irena has been the bookies' favourite since the first episode, but rumours are swirling that she isn't the clear-cut winner like in previous seasons.

Daily Mail Australia has heard whispers that Locky actually rejects Irena and chooses Bella Varelis in the finale, but Bella turns him down because she can't handle the fact he is also in love with Irena.

What does it mean? Last month, Irena hinted she's no longer dating Locky when she liked an Instagram comment from a fan who said she was 'too good' for the former Australian Survivor star

He then makes a sudden turn and begs Irena to take him back, and she tentatively agrees to begin a relationship with him.

These rumours are unconfirmed, however, and the outcome of The Bachelor remains a closely guarded industry secret.

Irena received one of Locky's final four roses on Thursday night alongside, Bella, Bec Cvilikas and Izzy Sharman-Firth.

The Bachelor continues Wednesday at 7.30pm on Channel 10.
SANTA FE  Forget about election night. Voters might want to prepare for election week.

Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver and Trevor Potter, former chairman of the Federal Election Commission, said Thursday that the expected influx of absentee ballots in the Nov. 3 general election could mean voters go to bed that night without knowing who won close races.

They spoke in an online event sponsored by New Mexico Ethics Watch, a nonpartisan watchdog group.

Toulouse Oliver said its routine for vote counting to continue well past Election Day. But usually there are so few outstanding ballots that the public doesnt notice  because they wont affect the outcome of races.

But the potential for a record-breaking number of absentee ballots could change that.

Absentee ballots turned in on Election Day  or that arrive with a 7 p.m. mail drop from the Postal Service  will be difficult to tabulate immediately on election night, she said.

There will be outstanding ballots, Toulouse Oliver said. Thats a given.

Potter, general counsel to John McCains 2000 and 2008 presidential campaigns, said voters should prepare for similar delays in states throughout the country. The verification of absentee ballots is a normal part of the process and witnessed by outside observers, he said.

Theyre all the same ballots legally, Potter said. All have to be counted, and that will take some time.
Jacquelyn Martin

As a boy, I learned that Nero fiddled (some say played the flute) while Rome burned. Today, we have a rampant pandemic that, when coupled with the flu, threatens to overwhelm our healthcare system. We also face the threat of Russia and other countries corrupting our national elections. Further, primarily peaceful protesters are marching for civic reforms that will protect their civil rights.

Yes, Nero showed staggering indifference to his city in flames. He did not, however, call the fire a hoax. He did not welcome the Barbarians to infiltrate Rome when it was vulnerable. Further, he did not send out the Roman army to intimidate the citizens who were trying to put out the flames.
Ever since she got married to Vivek Dahiya in 2016, Divyanka Tripathi has been battling pregnancy rumours.Sometimes, even her fans do not know where to draw the line with personal questions.

One well-wisher of the actor made a weird request recently. On a picture of Divyanka on Instagram, the fan dropped a request for the actor, Mam we all want you to become a mother. Divyanka, however, came up with a perfectly reasonable reply. Then you all volunteer to babysit my baby while I work.

Earlier, in 2018, Divyanka had addressed pregnancy rumours in an interview to Hindustan Times. Ive been an open book. I make a point to interact with my fans every few days. I have good relations with the media and theyve been kind to me. My wedding wasnt a private affair. I understand that our lives are open to public scrutiny and Ive accepted that. I share my lifes happy moments with my fans and will continue to do so, she had said.

The most disturbing thing is that these rumours, as much as you want to ignore them, become an integral part of your work life. Im expected to clarify and my silence has been mistaken for an agreement to the said rumour. But as you grow, you also grow over these rumours,she had said. adding, Its a chain where one doesnt know how it started or who started it. So, its difficult to spot the miscreants. I hope people show some responsibility. But, it doesnt bother me anymore.

Divyanka and Vivek met on the sets of Yeh Hain Mohabbatein. Recently, she shared a string of tweets about Vivek being described in headlines as Divyankas husband. She called for a stop to such descriptions.

Also read | Rupal Patel defends Saath Nibhaana Saathiya: It is wrong to say that it is completely backward

Retweeting a news article,, Divyanka wrote, Why dont they refer to it as @VivekDahiya08 and wifey?It wasnt even my post! Im here since eons but does the industry give new talent much deserved respect? Lets not cry fowl on name of nepotism. Vicious circle starts here! Not targeting one. Pointing at a common practice, she wrote.

Why are the attachments needed to address people-someones daughter, son, spouse? Unless news and all in general start respecting sole identities, nepotism wont stop. Everyone wants to be known by their own work, she wrote.

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Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is presenting a distorted account of President Donald Trumps words on the coronavirus, wrongly suggesting Trump branded the virus a hoax.

In fact, Trump pronounced Democratic criticism of his pandemic response a hoax.

Biden tweeted a video mashup of Trumps rhetoric on the crisis, sampling the many times the president has underplayed the severity of the pandemic.

A look:

BIDEN VIDEO: Trump in public: Hoax. Trump in private: Killer.'

BIDEN VIDEO, showing Trump saying at a Feb. 28 campaign rally in South Carolina: The coronavirus  and this is their new hoax.

THE FACTS: The accusation and the selective video editing are misleading. At the rally featured in the video, Trump actually said the phrases the coronavirus and this is their new hoax at separate points. Although his meaning is difficult to discern, the broader context of his words shows he was railing against Democrats for their denunciations of his administrations coronavirus response.

Now the Democrats are politicizing the coronavirus, he said. You know that, right? Coronavirus. Theyre politicizing it. He meandered briefly to the subject of the messy Democratic primary in Iowa, then the Russia investigation before returning to the pandemic. They tried the impeachment hoax.  And this is their new hoax.

Asked at a news conference the next day to clarify his remarks, Trump made clear he was not referring to the coronavirus itself as a hoax.

No, no, no. he said. Hoax referring to the action that they take to try and pin this on somebody, because weve done such a good job. The hoax is on them, not  Im not talking about whats happening here. Im talking what theyre doing. Thats the hoax.

He continued: Certainly not referring to this. How could anybody refer to this? This is very serious stuff.

The videos reference to Trump in private calling the virus a killer comes from the presidents interview in April with author and journalist Bob Woodward, whose new book Rage contains Trumps acknowledgment that he was playing down the virus threat in public, so as to avoid panic.

But it is incorrect for Biden to suggest, as the video does, that Trump insisted the virus was a hoax before ultimately acknowledging to the author in April that it was deadly and serious.

Trump on several occasions before that did refer publicly to the virus as a plague and a killer, while also falsely dismissing it as something that would go away on its own, in hot weather or otherwise.

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Patrick Pruniaux has a healthy disdain for business jargon.

I learned not to use buzzwords or business slang because its meaningless, the Ulysse Nardin CEO once said.

This approach means that the tall, military-trained Frenchman often has an original take on things. During a Zoom conference on September 16 from Geneva to promote the brands Blast range of watches, Pruniaux said it was meaningless to worry about the age of the target audience.

I sometimes get questions about do you target younger audiences, or whatever. I think, honestly, it is meaningless. What matters is to manufacture amazing product, Pruniaux said.

Does Porsche design a car for a man or a woman? They just manufacture a 911. And the 911 is just brilliant. We are not Porsche. But in philosphopy, iconic products are probably universal in taste and desirable across the board.

Also Read: Breitling CEO: There will always be clients for watches

Pruniauxs statements were triggered by a question from a journalist as to whether the brand would have unisex models in their collection. The query was first answered by Jean Christophe Sabatier, the brands chief product officer.

When we develop something we relate it to a sex (gender). It could be ideal for men or women, but we never try to develop something that is unisex, Sabatier said.

Of course, after that, many women like to wear mens pieces and many men are going for diamond-studded proposals which traditionally are feminine.

Pruniaux said that the levers of agility in the company helped him stay positive through the pandemic.

To my knowledge, we were the first in the Swiss watch industry to ask all our employees to go back home to protect them. And then we were proactive coming together extremely rapidly after the lockdown, Pruniaux said.

The lever of agility has been second to none. Im extremely proud to lead this team and that keeps me positive.

COVID-19 should not be seen as a commercial opportunity, said Pruniaux.

No one should decently talk about opportunity during the pandemic. That would be inappropriate, he said. I think it is a time for reflection, adaptability and embrace the change that will come. And I think the team is doing it very well.
There are few Americans, let alone American presidents, who read more vigorously than Theodore Roosevelt did. Which is why its long overdue that our 26th president finally has a presidential library. It was just announced that the international firm Snhetta won the bid to design the space, which will be located in North Dakotas Badlands. The international competition, which included such lauded architecture firms as Studio Gang and Henning Larsen, spanned five months.

It may surprise some to learn that its taken over a century since Teddy Roosevelts death in 1919 to design his presidential library. But, in fact, it was his nephew and future U.S. president, Franklin Roosevelt, who began the presidential library tradition in 1939. Nevertheless, the weight and complexity that comes with creating a presidential library for such a revered and larger than life figure as Teddy Roosevelt was not an easy task. Yet, Snhetta was not just up for the challengethe firm leaned into it. Its not the first time weve addressed such challenges of historical weight, says Craig Dykers, a founding partner at Snhetta. The Bibliotheca Alexandrina [in Egypt], though not dedicated to a single person, was the first time we had to discuss the myth of a space versus present context. Likewise the World Trade Center museum in New York was not dissimilar. What we tried to do in those projects, as with this one, was find a universal language that doesnt specifically represent a person, or place, or historical context. We felt that the scene of an ascension is one of those things thats universal. As we see things rise in front of us, we are optimistic and inspired. That, for us, is where everything began with this library.

While Teddy Roosevelt was born and raised as a well-to-do East Coaster, his character was perhaps more in line with the rugged American West. Indeed, after sweeping tours throughout Europe, the 26th president felt that the United States forests were what cathedrals were in Europe. American mountains were like monuments to the Old World. Which is one of the many reasons Medora, North Dakotaa town on the Little Missouri River that sits just south of the Theodore Roosevelt National Parkwas selected as the site for the presidential library. After visiting Medora, Dykers and his team were completely awestruck by the natural beauty and vibrancy of the location. Its always best to start with your second thought, Dykers explains. Our minds were radically changed with the project when we first visited the site, and Medora. It was a completely different thought we had than what we had envisioned before.

Story continues

The building itself will house artifacts that defined the 26th president. But by no means will this be a static environment for learning. The space, which will likely be completed by 2025, will feature immersive galleries, theaters, and experiences that encompass key themes and moments from Roosevelts life. Snhettas design looks as if it belongs in the Badlands, a feat that wasnt easy to accomplish. While you wont find a single shape like that in the region, it certainly feels as though it belongs there, Dykers says. The project isnt just about a building, its also about the landscape. Our design freed the entire space for an experience that comes in direct contact with the landscape. In fact, our landscape architects at Snhetta have been leading the process, and its something that I am very proud of.

Of course, there are real challenges that come with designing a space in such sacred land. And theres immense pressure in creating a presidential library in a small town with the anticipation that people from around the world will come visit. Yet Snhetta was inspired by this challenge, and the results speak for themselves. We started with an idea that if you have a building that has to be used and visited by a lot of people, then the design has to first be for everyone within a 15-minute radius of site. Dont think about Japan or Germany or someone from Los Angeles. Just think about those people who live right there. If those around the world who are interested in this project know that those in the community love and respect it, they will come and have a greater appreciation for its authenticity and meaning.

While vice president, Theodore Roosevelt became president of the United States without knowing that his predecessor, who had been shot eight days prior, had died. As such, it seems fitting that his presidential library is being built without his knowing. Its perhaps the best time for Teddy Roosevelts presidential library to be erected. At this moment of stark national divide, it would behoove us all to remember those qualities that our best leaders possessed. As a journalist remarked at the inauguration of Theodore Roosevelt after the death of President McKinley, he symbolizes the magnificent moral and mental balance of the nation.

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
In this Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020 file photo, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield pauses while speaking at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing on a "Review of Coronavirus Response Efforts" on Capitol Hill in Washington. On Friday, Sept. 18, 2020, the CDC dropped a controversial piece of coronavirus guidance and said anyone who has been in close contact with an infected person should get tested. The CDC essentially returned to its previous testing guidance, getting rid of language posted last month that said people who didn't feel sick didn't need to get tested. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, Pool)

U.S. health officials on Friday dropped a controversial piece of coronavirus guidance and said anyone who has been in close contact with an infected person should get tested.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention essentially returned to its previous testing guidance, getting rid of language posted last month that said people didn't need to get tested if they didn't feel sick. That change had set off a rash of criticism from health experts who couldn't fathom why the nation's top public health agency would say such a thing amid the pandemic.

It was "not consistent with the basic principles of controlling an epidemic,"said Dr. Silvia Chiang, a pediatric infectious diseases expert at Brown University who applauded the change announced Friday.

The CDC now says anyone who has been within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes should get a test. In a statement, the agency called the changes a "clarification" that was needed "due to the significance of asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic transmission."

Agency officials declined additional comment.

Health officials were evasive about why they had made the change in August, and some outside observers speculated it was forced on the CDC by political appointees within the Trump administration.

At the time, administration officials said the language originated at the CDC but the decision came out of meetings of the White House coronavirus task force. Dr. Brett Giroir, an assistant secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services, said many federal leaders outside the agency were involved in "lots of editing, lots of input." He said it was difficult to attribute the final language to any one source.

The New York Times, citing internal federal documents and unnamed sources, on Thursday reported that the guidance was placed on the CDC's website over the objections of agency scientists.

Public health experts have noted that testing the contacts of infected people is a core element of efforts to keep outbreaks in check, and that a large percentage of those infected with the coronavirus exhibit no COVID-19 symptoms.

The CDC's chief, Dr. Robert Redfield, issued a statement shortly after the controversy erupted that did little to clarify why the change was deemed necessary. The main intent seemed to be to assure state health officials that they could continue to recommend that all close contacts be tested if they felt that was wisest, despite the website language that said it was not necessary.

During a U.S. Senate hearing on Wednesday, Redfield continued to defend the language that was dropped Friday. He said the August changes had been "misinterpreted" and were part of an effort to increase engagement by doctors and local health officials in the handling of potential illness clusters.

Adriane Casalotti, of the National Association of County and City Health Officials, said the now-deleted guidance caused confusion among the public. She said local health officials spent a lot time answering questions about whether people should get testing, "as opposed to actually doing the testing."

Dr. Richard Besser, chief executive of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, said he believes the August change was made to give "wiggle room" to governors who did not want to increase testing.

The whole episode is disturbing, because it makes it harder for the public to understand why the CDC is making recommendations and whether that advice can be trusted, added Besser, who previously spent 13 years at CDC and was acting director at the beginning of a 2009 flu pandemic.

The CDC and Food and Drug Administration have to be seen as reliable sources of science information as the administration gears up for a national coronavirus vaccination campaign, Besser said.

"If we can't believe that, then even if there is a safe and effective vaccine, a significant portion of the population will not want to get it," he said.

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.
Eric Nelson, of Upper Gwynedd, Pa., stands outside to help voters to their correct polling stations at Pennbrook Middle School on Tuesday, June 2, 2020. Pennbrook Middle School has Upper Gwynedd districts one, three, and seven for people to come and vote. Read more

Since March, Michael Kauffman, 28, has been erring on the side of caution. Other than visiting his parents and brothers, he seldom leaves his South Philly apartment. He sees friends maybe once a month, always outdoors, with everyone wearing masks and sitting six feet apart.

But last week, Kauffman made plans to break his pandemic safeguards.

With less than 50 days until Election Day, Kauffman applied to become a poll worker. If accepted, hell help play a role in moving crowds of people through the voting process. Its worth it, he says, including the sacrifice he plans to make afterward  a voluntary two-week self-quarantine.

This is one of those times where stepping up might outweigh the risks, says Kauffman. Its an extremely important election, and I just dont want people to be disenfranchised.

 READ MORE: Everything you need to know about voting in Pennsylvania in November

Poll worker shortages were a problem well before the pandemic. And now, the challenge is even greater. Without enough poll workers, lines get longer, polling places are forced to close, and this makes it harder, more frustrating, and, for some, impossible to vote.

Want to help (and get paid for it, too)? Heres what you need to know.

Why become a poll worker?

Philadelphia alone needs about 8,500 poll workers to staff its 800 polling centers, and while millions of Pennsylvanians have applied to vote-by-mail, a high turnout at the polls is still expected on Nov. 3.

But, theres a problem. Traditionally, poll workers are largely older. In the 2018 general election, almost 60% of U.S. poll workers were 61 or older, and roughly a quarter (27%) of those were over 70, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of government data.

That doesnt play well with the coronavirus. Seniors are considered to be at higher risk for severe illness, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that eight out of 10 COVID-19 deaths reported in the U.S. have been adults 65 years and older. Many former poll workers are expected to sit this year out. Finding others to fill those poll worker spots is critical.

Election officials are working to make polling places as safe as possible. And theres a large push this year to recruit new, and younger, poll workers.

 READ MORE: You  yes, you!  should sign up to be a poll worker right now | Opinion

Do I get paid?

Choose to volunteer, and theres an added bonus: money. Many jurisdictions pay poll workers for Election Day hours and also training. Pay rates vary.

In Philadelphia, for example, youre paid $200 for working a full Election Day, and $50 for training. In Montgomery County, youre paid $110 for a full day and $55 for a half day. In Burlington County, youre paid $200 for a full day.

Who can sign up?

Most states require you to be a registered voter and citizen to volunteer. In Pennsylvania, you must be registered to vote in the county where you wish to sign up. (There are exceptions for 17-year-old high school students. Interested high school students should contact their county election office for more information.)

Government officials and employees are not allowed to serve as poll workers, with a few exceptions (district judges, notaries public, and members of the Pennsylvania National Guard). If your name appears on the ballot, youre generally not allowed to serve as a poll worker.

In New Jersey, you must be a registered voter or high school student at least 16 years of age, and a resident of the county where you wish to sign up.

In both states, training is provided and often required. You should be available to work the entire Election Day, often from the hour before polls open until after they close. (Poll hours in Pennsylvania are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and in New Jersey, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.). Some jurisdictions offer half-day shifts. English language skills are required, and bilingual proficiency is a plus.

What will my job be?

Your role may include helping voters check in, managing lines and social distancing, and making sure voters understand their ballots and how to use the voting machines. Some poll workers will help set up machines and close the polls at the end of the day.

 READ MORE: Its satisfying every time. Meet 5 Philly-area poll workers who live and breathe Election Day democracy | Opinion

How do I sign up?

In Pennsylvania, you can fill out an application through the Pennsylvania Department of State at expressforms.pa.gov/apps/pa/DOS-VotesPA/County/. Once you enter your address, they send your information to the county election office where you live. You can also call 1-877-VOTESPA (1-877-868-3772). If you live in Philadelphia, you can apply directly through the Office of the City Commissioners at philadelphiavotes.com/en/election-board-officials/pollworker.

In New Jersey, a statewide application is available through the Department of States Division of Elections at nj.gov/state/elections/pollworker.shtml.

And no matter where you live, you can apply through Power the Polls, a nonpartisan effort to recruit poll workers in 2020. Type in your contact information and zip code, and youll be connected to your local jurisdictions application form.

 READ MORE: FAQ: Want to be a poll worker for the 2020 election? Heres what you need to know.
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A huge mansion boasting six bedrooms, a private maid's quarter and its own Turkish bathhouse has hit the market for $45million.

The sprawling waterfront mansion, on Knightsbridge Parade East, in the Gold Coast, was designed by the Brunei Royal Family architect Bayden Goddard and offers stunning views of Coomera Broadwater and South Stradbroke Island.

The home, featuring a wellness suite, massage room and a huge lap pool will go to auction on October 17.

Real Estate agent Amir Mian said there had been strong interest in the property with more than 50 potential buyers viewing the estate on Thursday.

The waterfront home on Knightsbridge Parade East takes up five of the most sought-after north facing blocks on Sovereign Islands. It features a wellness suite, massage room, private maid's quarters and formal Turkish bathhouse

Designed by the Brunei royal family architect, Bayden Goddard, the original owners bought four blocks of land in 2005, for $9.44million, but were evicted halfway through construction

The original owners bought four blocks of land in 2005, for $9.44million, but were evicted halfway through construction, according to Domain.

The final build was finished on August 13, with the current owners transforming the forgotten property into the palace Mr Goddard intended it to be.

Mr Mian said the property had an initial asking price of $45million before it was complete - but now it is finished it will be listed for auction in October.

'With the recent high end trophy home sales on the Gold Coast, with one sale of just under $23million and another for $25million, we have seen there is a high appetite for these types of homes,' he explained.

The home features a grand entrance hall, an east and west wing and classic archways.

The east wing houses the master suite which boasts a formal his and hers bathhouse, walk-in robe and large French doors which open out to the waterfront view.

Connected by an opulent 'grand hall' it features an east and west wing with crown moulding, magnificent pillars and classic archways at every entry

There is also a fully self-contained ground level maid's quarter on the other side of the property.

A dedicated wellness suite features natural mother of pearl mosaic tiles, a massage room, gymnasium and change room with the potential for buyers to add an interior spa, steam room and sauna.

There is also a fully self-contained maid's quarters on the other side of the property.

All five of the additional bedrooms are over-sized and feature walk-in robes, en suites and a view of the water or the park.

There are multiple lounge and dining rooms with separate living facilities designed to give guests their own privacy within the estate.

Marble floors complement the Hamptons style kitchen and there is butler's pantry along with a wine cellar for entertaining.

There is a master office suite, personal library and commercial-grade lift that services all three levels of the home.

Outside the property has a 25metre pool with its own private courtyard and multiple outdoor living areas - there is also space for a personal jetty to be added to the property.
Liverpool have made an emphatic statement of their intent to retain the Premier League title by spending 65million to land Thiago Alcantara and Diogo Jota.

Thiago was unveiled on Friday as he completed his 25m switch from Bayern Munich, passing a medical after arriving on an early private flight into Manchester.

Jurgen Klopp is thrilled to have signed one of the worlds best midfielders and could hand him a debut at Chelsea on Sunday.

Liverpool have made an emphatic statement of intent in their signing of 'exceptional' Thiago

The Reds' succesful day in the tranfer market was added to with news of Diogo Jota

There was an unexpected twist, however, as Liverpool also concluded a 41m deal for Jota, the Portugal forward, who had grown frustrated at Wolves.

The 23-year-old has been recruited to provide back-up for Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane.

Jota has signed a five-year contract after Liverpool switched their attentions to him, having initially spoken to Watford about signing Ismaila Sarr. Relegated Watford, however, were looking for a fee in excess of 50m for the Senegal forward.

Liverpool will potentially recoup 13m after agreeing to sell Ki-Jana Hoever to Wolves, who beat off interest from Juventus and Atletico Madrid for the 18-year-old Dutch defender. Liverpool have also negotiated a 15 per cent future sell-on clause.

But it is the double signings that show Liverpool mean business and Klopp is in no doubt that Thiago, in particular, will make a significant difference.

Officials at Bayern are distraught to have lost the 29-year-old Spain midfielder and the Liverpool manager could understand why.

Thiago is  and nobody would see it in a different way  an absolutely exceptional player, said Klopp.

Jurgen Klopp has been chasing the Champions League winner and hailed him as 'exceptional'

It is difficult, and we said it last year and this year again, to improve a team like ours at the moment in a normal way.

That is (no criticism) about other teams but if we could spend 300-400m then maybe we could find some players but even then it is not easy to bring them in.

But in this case he is a player who brings a different dimension to our game.

He has some skills which in general are pretty rare but they suit us. That doesnt mean anything about the other players  it is only different. And that is what I was interested in.

He was excited about the opportunity. So there was not a lot of convincing needed and that helps. All the things came together  a win-win.

There will be departures before the window closes, with Liverpool open to offers for Xherdan Shaqiri, Marko Grujic, Harry Wilson and Rhian Brewster, but Klopp was eager to stress that he will not be looking to offload first-choice names, such as Barcelona target Gini Wijnaldum.

The Liverpool manager also confirmed they would not be looking to sell Georginio Wijnaldum

There was, though, a warning from Klopp to his squad. He will have eight players for three midfield places, while Jota and Takumi Minamino will be waiting for chances up front.

It means some players may be restless but Klopp has made it clear that he will not be obsessing about keeping individuals happy.

I cannot keep a player happy, said Klopp. Im not worried about that. If we have more than three midfield players for example and we play 4-3-3 then a couple of players will not start. That is how it is.

But we have too many games. We have to find ways to make sure the players are fresh. It needs that rotation. We didnt plan it, now I dont say we play on Sunday like this, on Thursday like this, Monday after like this. We have to react. If everyone is fit then rotation is absolutely necessary otherwise it doesnt work.
Schoolguide.net scored 40 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

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The Chinese ambassador to the United States said there will always be differences between the two countries and urged both sides to deal with their issues in a constructive way.

In an interview aired Monday with former U.S. Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, Cui Tiankai said some disagreements between the worlds two largest economies would remain for many years to come and called for greater understanding and cooperation.

But he also warned the U.S. against involving itself in hot-button issues like Hong Kong and Xinjiang, saying there were clear attempts  to cross what people call the red line with very serious consequences.

Beijing and Washington have clashed this year over trade, a controversial national security law in Hong Kong, Beijings longstanding claims to Taiwan and parts of the South China Sea, and alleged rights abuses in Northwest Chinas Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. Cui said those matters were internal issues for China that touched on its sovereignty.

In a wide-ranging half-hour interview, Cui, who has served as ambassador to Washington since 2013, discussed trade, technology and global governance.

He said China was continuing efforts to lower barriers to foreign trade that would give better access, better opportunities and certainly greater predictability for American companies operating in China.

But he chastised some people in other parts of the world for imposing barriers on major Chinese-linked companies like short-video app TikTok, telecoms giant Huawei Communications Co. Ltd. and social messaging service WeChat, all of which have been targeted by U.S. sanctions.

This is a real challenge for us, he said. We are trying to open our door wider, but they are building walls.

Cui also called for Beijing and Washington to strengthen cooperation on issues like climate change and nuclear proliferation. He pointed to collaboration between Chinese and American cities, companies and institutions during the coronavirus pandemic as examples of the two countries uniting in the face of a shared challenge.

We want to have a constructive and cooperative, rather than confrontational, relationship with the United States, he said. We want to base ourselves on mutual respect, mutual understanding, and hopefully mutual accommodation with the aim of mutual benefit.

In a year when both sides have shuttered consulates and expelled journalists on national security grounds, Cui cautioned against the further deterioration of China-U.S. ties.

If you have more interaction with each other, you know better the other side, Cui said. This is the experience we have learned over the last 40 or 50 years. Why should we change it?

Contact reporter Matthew Walsh (matthewwalsh@caixin.com) and editor Michael Bellart (michaelbellart@caixin.com)

Download our app to receive breaking news alerts and read the news on the go.
The High Court has confirmed the appointment of an examiner to the Cara group of pharmacies, which employs over 150 people.

The group's directors are former RTE's Dragon Den presenter Ramona Nicholas and her husband Canice Nicholas, who did not oppose the application to put the group they founded into examinership.

Last month, following an application by the group's lender and is its largest creditor, Elm Corporate Credit DAC, the High Court appointed insolvency practitioner Mr Ken Tyrell of PwC as interim examiner to Cara Pharmacy Unlimited Company, and a dozen related companies.

At the High Court yesterday, Mr Justice Denis McDonald was told by Rossa Fanning SC for Elm that there was no opposition to its application to confirm Mr Tyrell as examiner to the group.

Cara had expressed previously expressed concerns over the application to the court, and sought to have the application to appoint Mr Tyrell adjourned.

Yesterday, Aillil O'Reilly BL for Cara said that while differences remain between his clients and Elm, Cara and its directors were not opposing the examiner's appointment.

The shareholders and directors were concerned about their equity in the company, and the jobs of those who work for Cara, counsel said.

Counsel said his clients are anxious that they be allowed to fully participate in the examinership process in relation to a business they had spent many years building up.

Neil Steen SC for the examiner said Mr Tyrell had made good progress since his appointment, and there have been 17 expressions of interest in the group from potential investors.

Management had fully co-operated with Mr Tyrell, counsel added.

The court also heard that the HSE, United Drug - which is Cara's main supplier - and Revenue were not opposing the application for examinership.

Mr Justice McDonald, noting the contents of reports from the independent expert and Mr Tyrell, said he was satisfied to put the group into examinership.

Mr Tyrell now has up to 100 days to put together a scheme of arrangement with the creditors.

Elm sought to have the group put into examinership on the grounds that an independent expert's report stated the company could be saved if certain steps are taken, despite its financial situation.

Elm claims the group has been loss-making every year since 2016 and had pre-tax losses of 4.6m between 2016 and 2019.

Its losses were partly due to the challenging retail trading environment, deficiencies in stock control, and an unsustainable cost base.

The Covid-19 pandemic had added to Cara's difficulties.

Elm claims it was owed 14m by the group which is due by the end of the year, and that the group had missed scheduled repayments, totalling 360,000.

Elm said it is prepared to provide sufficient funds during the examinership period on terms including that any such monies be certified by the examiner.
NORRISTOWN  A residential development project in downtown Lansdale cleared a final hurdle Thursday in a quest for Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance.

The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the tax abatement request for the Luxor at Lansdale apartments during a meeting on Thursday morning.

The 205-unit complex, located at 117 S. Broad St. in Lansdale, has studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments. However, 88 percent of the units are studios and one bedrooms.

David Zellers, director of the Montgomery County Department of Commerce, said it would cost more than $1.2 million for environmental engineering remediation and other regulatory demands in order to make the previously vacant warehouse building ready for residential use.

The site has existing drainage, [which] requires extensive permitting, [as well as a] relocation with enhanced restoration, Zellers said in his presentation.

The Lansdale Parking Authority also owns the adjacent parcel, which is expected to be developed in conjunction with Luxor Lansdale, according to the presentation. Developers are expected to offer parking for residents, as well as some general infrastructure and beautification improvements along the outer edges of the property, Zellers said.

Construction is slated to begin in October, with a projected finishing date of April 2022.

Zellers said the borough has seen several residential development projects in recent years as revitalization efforts continue. He praised the areas overall accessibility for transportation and retail and dining services.

Lansdale is really one of our most vibrant boroughs right now, really a tremendous growth in its downtown, Zellers said. The transit connections are probably second to none, certainly in that part of our county and in our region, and its extremely walkable and desirable.

The Westrum Development Company brought the LERTA application before the Lansdale Borough Council on Aug. 19, as well as North Penn School Districts finance committee on Aug. 13, and the school board on Aug. 20. Both agencies endorsed the matter respectively.

Zellers said that developers requested a five-year tax abatement, which would allow for the recapture of 20 percent of the increased taxes per year over the five-year period.

The project would provide a significant tax benefit to the county, borough and local school district, while the propertys smaller units prevent any potential strain to North Penn School Districts resources, according to the presentation.

This is really  a significant redevelopment of a site thats underutilized and therefore will increase the tax levels for all three taxing bodies, Zellers said.
Situated between Africa and Eurasia, the Arabian Peninsula is an important yet understudied region for understanding human evolution across the continents. Recent research highlighting the role of the Arabian Peninsula in human prehistory shows that humans repeatedly dispersed into the peninsula's interior at times when its harsh deserts were transformed into lush grasslands. However, the nature and timing of these dispersals have remained elusive, due to a scarcity of datable material and poor-resolution paleoecological data associated with evidence for humans.

In a new study published in Science Advances, researchers from the Max Planck Institutes for Chemical Ecology (MPI-CE) and the Science of Human History (MPI-SHH) in Jena, Germany and Royal Holloway University of London, UK, together with a team of international partners, describe a large assemblage of fossilized footprints discovered in an ancient lake deposit in Saudi Arabia's Nefud Desert. The footprints, dated to roughly 120 thousand-years-ago, include those of humans, elephants and horses, among other animals. These findings represent the earliest dated evidence for human movements into this part of the world, contemporary with well-known human dispersals from Africa to the Levant. In addition, it appears that the movements and landscape use patterns of humans and large mammals were tightly linked, perhaps in response to dry conditions and diminishing water supplies.

A Green Arabia in Human Prehistory

Because the Arabian Peninsula is characterized by large, hyper-arid deserts inhospitable to early humans and the animals they relied on, Arabia has received considerably less attention than Africa or Eurasia, neighboring regions that are vital to understanding human prehistory. However, research over the last decade has shown that this was not always the case, and it is now well-understood that conditions in Arabia have fluctuated significantly over the past million years.

"At certain times in the past, the deserts that dominate the interior of the peninsula transformed into expansive grasslands with permanent freshwater lakes and rivers," explains Richard Clark-Wilson of Royal Holloway, one of the lead authors of the study. "It was during these periods of climatic upturn that human and animal populations dispersed into the interior, as shown by the archaeological and fossil record."

Footprints as a High-Resolution Proxy

The footprints described in the new study were discovered during a recent survey of the Nefud Desert in Saudi Arabia. At an ancient lake deposit dubbed 'Alathar' (meaning "the trace" in Arabic) by the team, hundreds of human and animal footprints were discovered embedded in the surface, having been exposed following the erosion of overlying sediments.

"We immediately realized the potential of these findings," says Mathew Stewart of MPI-CE, one of the study's lead authors. "Footprints are a unique form of fossil evidence in that they provide snapshots in time, typically representing a few hours or days, a resolution we tend not get from other records."

Researchers were able to identify a number of animals from the footprints, including elephants, horses, and camels. The presence of elephants was particularly notable, as these large animals appear to have gone locally extinct in the Levant by around 400 thousand-years-ago.

"The presence of large animals such as elephants and hippos, together with open grasslands and large water resources, may have made northern Arabia a particularly attractive place to humans moving between Africa and Eurasia," says Michael Petraglia of MPI-SHH, who has been conducting research in the region for over a decade.

The dense concentration of footprints and evidence from the lake sediments suggests that animals may have been congregating around the lake in response to dry conditions and diminishing water supplies. Humans, too, may have been utilizing the lake for water and the surrounding area for foraging.

"We know people visited the lake, but the lack of stone tools or evidence of the use of animal carcasses suggests that their visit to the lake was only brief," says Stewart. Human movements and landscape use patterns, therefore, may have been closely linked to the large animals they shared the area with.

Early Human Dispersals into Arabia

The age of the footprints is of particular interest. They date to a period known as the last interglacial, a time of relatively humid conditions across the region and an important moment in human prehistory. Environmental changes during the last interglacial would have allowed humans and animals to disperse across otherwise desert regions, which normally acted as major barriers to dispersal during the less humid periods. Fossil and archaeological records indicate that these conditions also facilitated human dispersal from Africa into the Levant.

"It is only after the last interglacial with the return of cooler conditions that we have definitive evidence for Neanderthals moving into the region," says Stewart. "The footprints, therefore, most likely represent humans, or Homo sapiens."

These findings suggest that human movements beyond Africa during the last interglacial extended into northern Arabia, highlighting the importance of Arabia for the study of human prehistory.

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Researchers involved in this study work in close partnership with the Saudi Ministry of Culture. Additional partners include the Saudi Geological Survey, King Saud University, and other key institutions in the United Kingdom and Australia.
Press Release

September 18, 2020 HONTIVEROS URGES DFA: PRESS JAPAN GOV'T ON RESCUE OF PINOY SEAFARERS IN GULF LIVESTOCK 1 MISHAP "Kaisa ng pamilya ng mga kababayan nating marino na hindi pa matagpuan matapos lumubog ang Gulf Livestock 1, nananawagan ako sa Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to call upon the Japanese government to expand its search and rescue (SAR) efforts." This was the statement of Senator Risa Hontiveros as she urged the DFA to convince the Japanese government to continue and intensify its search and rescue operations to locate the 36 still missing Filipino seafarers who were aboard the cargo vessel which sank off the coast of southwest Japan. "It has been two weeks. Wala pa ring balita kung nasaan na ang mga kapamilya nila. Balisa na sila, isip nang isip, kumusta na kaya ang asawa, o tatay o anak nila?," she said. "I recognize the valuable work DFA has done in keeping the families abreast of developments vis--vis SAR operations, but I also understand the desperation, frustration, and helplessness the families must be feeling during this difficult period." On a letter sent by Hontiveros addressed to DFA Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr., she stated that the officials should continue the fight in persuading the Japanese government to not only continue and expand SAR operations but also, if possible, to allow other countries to join in the search as well. "Bukod sa Pinoy, may Australian and Kiwi pa silang kasamahan sa barko. I hope DFA will plead to let our coast guard, as well as the Coast Guards of Australia and New Zealand, assist in locating the lost mariners," she added. According to the Senator, what happened to Gulf Livestock 1 activates the 'Good Samaritan Vessel' doctrine which encourages seafarers to save lives and property in case of danger. She also noted that there is a legal obligation to provide assistance to those who are in distress on the high seas pursuant to the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Safety of Life at Sea Convention (SOLAS), and International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue 1979 (SAR). Hontiveros said that the DFA should exhaust all efforts to locate the missing Filipino seafarers and bring them home safely. "As long as the families have not given up on their loved ones, hindi rin dapat tayo sumuko sa laban," she said. "One of the survivors said that the crew was able to wear their life jackets before jumping into the water. This gives families hope that they might still be alive at sea or on an island. Gawin natin lahat ng makakaya para mahanap ang nawawala nilang mahal sa buhay at maiuwi sila sa kani-kanilang mga pamilya," she concluded. Please see attached letter of Senator Risa Hontiveros sent to DFA Sec. Teodoro Locsin Jr.
Researchers from Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) in collaboration with Takeda-CiRA program and other international institutions have developed a Polygenic Risk Score to help predict drug-induced liver injury, validated by patients' genomic data, cell cultures and organoids

Tokyo, Japan - The ancient Romans studied the livers of sacrificial animals to read omens and make prophesies. Now researchers at Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) and Takeda-CiRA program along with a world-wide team of collaborators, have devised a polygenic risk score (PRS) based on liver genomics that can predict the likelihood of medications causing liver damage.

Introducing new drugs is a demanding process. Pharmaceutical research continually proffers potential drugs that need to be clinically trialed. These candidates are often more efficacious, but may have unacceptable or unsuspected side-effects. Unfortunately, adverse outcomes often require termination of new drug trials, and even drugs in common use may show a cumulated trend of undesired effects hitherto unpredicted; identifying patients at risk can greatly reduce this.

The liver is the primary site where most drugs, indeed any foreign potentially toxic chemical, is metabolized into an inactive form for excretion by the body. As a "frontliner", it bears the brunt of most adverse effects that manifest as hepatocyte injury. Indeed, drug-induced-liver-injury (DILI) is the main reason why drugs are withdrawn at different stages of development, trial and usage, often after significant, and avoidable, morbidity and expense.

"We formulated our risk score by mathematically analyzing previous genome-wide association studies that had flagged variants likely to predict susceptibility to DILI," explains Masaru Koido, lead author. "We validated it across a spectrum of potentially hepatotoxic drugs, on genomic data, primary hepatocyte cultures and organoids from multiple donors. Noteworthy was our use of organoids--mini-organs bioengineered from three-dimensional tissue cultures derived from stem cells that replicate their microanatomy and functional complexity."

The researchers also analyzed the derived scores to delineate pathways underlying susceptibility to DILI. From the data they inferred that genetic variation at the hepatocyte level contributed to DILI susceptibility; moreover, DILI predictivity was shared across a variety of discrete drugs suggesting that the PRS related to intracellular mechanisms of hepatotoxicity.

"Our "polygenicity-in-a-dish" strategy allows safe, specific and multidimensional investigation into the pathogenesis of DILI," explains senior author Takanori Takebe. "A genetic test score will enable clinicians to tailor medication choice, dosage, and monitoring based on the patient's estimated risk. Furthermore, drug trials could be made safer and better focused by excluding vulnerable subjects. However, further research is needed to upscale our PRS into a valid and reliable instrument for widespread screening of novel pharmaceuticals in clinical practice."

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The article, "Polygenic architecture informs potential vulnerability to drug-induced liver injury" was published in Nature Medicine at DOI: 10.1038/s41591-020-1023-0
New restrictions in North West England prompts call from First Minister for regular reliable rhythm of engagement with Boris Johnson

This article is old - Published: Friday, Sep 18th, 2020

First minister Mark Drakeford has called for on UK government for regular reliable rhythm of engagement as tougher coronavirus restrictions are set to come into force in North West England close to the border with Wales.

The UK government has announced that local lockdown measures will come into force in all of Merseyside, Halton and Warrington from Tuesday 22 September.

During todays Welsh Government daily briefing Mark Drakeford called for regular reliable rhythm of engagement and a joined up approach between the four nations as we move into the next stage of the pandemic.

It comes after what the first minister says has been a lack of meetings and correspondence with the Prime Minister  with the last phone call taking place between the pair back in May.

Mr Drakeford raised concerns about the impact the measures being imposed in places such as the north west could have on north Wales and other areas bordering England.

He said: Many people will have turned on their radios this morning to have heard the news that there are new restrictions being imposed in the northwest of England right along our border in North Wales.

Ive heard speculation that the Prime Minister is considering a national two week lockdown in England.

As many people will have known there have been numerous examples of problems over this week with a UK wide lighthouse lab testing system, people experiencing problems booking tests sent many hundreds of miles for a test and delays in getting the results.

All of these issues need to be discussed at a UK level by the four governments, working together, but as far too often in this crisis that opportunity has not been there.

Today once again I repeat my calls to the Prime Minister for proper engagement with the devolved governments of the United Kingdom.

In this most difficult week, there has been no meeting offered to first ministers of any sort.

Since 28 May, months ago now, there has been just one brief telephone call from the Prime Minister.

Now I think that that is simply unacceptable to anyone who believes that we should be facing the coronavirus crisis together.

I say again as I said many months ago, we need a regular reliable rhythm of engagement, even a single meeting once a week would be a start.

And I make this argument, not because I think we should all do the same things, but because by being around the same table together each one of us is able to make the best decision.

He added: I think it is so important for us to have a meeting with ministers and the Prime Minister together.

If England were unilaterally to go into some form of national lockdown hundreds of people who live in Wales work in England.

They will be directly affected, it would be wrong for that decision to be made without an opportunity for the Welsh First Minister to have explored those implications with the Prime Minister and for them to be taken into account.

Other people live in England and work in Wales, hundreds of people live in Wales and have relatives, living in England.

Its not possible to make unilateral decisions without be properly informed about the way in which they would have an implication for others.

Thats why Im repeating my call this morning, for a regular series of those meetings.
Goldman sent some traders home from its NYC HQ after at least one employee tested positive for COVID-19, say sources.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. sent some traders home from its Manhattan headquarters after at least one employee tested positive for Covid-19, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

The quarantine was imposed on a select group directly exposed to the infected worker at the firms downtown office, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information isnt public. The bank is moving forward with plans to start bringing back staffers across most divisions, telling some to prepare for week-in, week-out rotational shifts starting in October, the people said.

Our peoples safety is our first priority, and we are taking appropriate precautions to make sure our workplaces remain safe for those who choose to return, Leslie Shribman, a spokeswoman for Goldman Sachs, said in a statement Thursday.

Banks including JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Barclays Plc have faced similar setbacks, highlighting the challenges they will face in refilling offices. Even as Wall Street firms have seen revenue rise with most staff working from home, executives have expressed concerns about productivity and the erosion of company culture six months after their main towers emptied out.

Goldman hasnt seen any transmission of cases within its offices, according to a person monitoring the situation.

Earlier this week, Goldman Sachs Chief Executive Officer David Solomon reinforced to the banks traders the importance of bringing people back to work, citing the damage to culture if things didnt return to normal soon, the people said. The bank has taken a more relaxed approach with those facing child-care issues or pre-existing medical conditions.

Other banks have taken a different approach. Deutsche Bank AG has told its New York City employees they can continue working from home until the middle of next year. And Bank of New York Mellon Corp. has told most of its employees to continue working remotely for the rest of the year.

Adding to the dilemma facing company decision makers, JPMorgans move last week to mandate that its senior traders return by Sept. 21 became politicized after drawing the attention of Donald Trump. The president inaccurately congratulated the bank for ordering everyone back.

Goldman has also revised its method of sharing information about new infections, choosing a different approach this time around compared to the initial outbreak earlier in the year. Broadly shared messages have been ditched for a more selective follow-up from the human resources department, communicated only to those who have been in close proximity to anyone who tested positive, the people said.

(Updates with Deutsche Bank, BNY Mellon in seventh paragraph.)
World Food Programme (WFP) chief David Beasley called on the richest people on earth to step up and help those who have the least. Beasley said that over 30 million people are at risk of dying from starvation adding that WFP is in need of US$4.9 billion to prevent the catastrophe. He said that these 30 million people are those who solely rely on help from WFP and without its assistance, they will die of hunger.

UN asks rich people to step up

Humanity is facing the greatest crisis any of us have ever seen. Its time for those who have the most to step up, to help those who have the least. WFP needs US$4.9B to prevent 30 million people from dying of starvation.



The world needs you now. Its time to do the right thing.  David Beasley (@WFPChief) September 17, 2020

Read: Trump To Address UNGA From White House On Sept 22 As 75th Session Kicks Off Virtually

"We need $4.9 billion to feed, for one year, all 30 million people who will die without WFPs assistance. Worldwide, there are over 2,000 billionaires with a net worth of $8 trillion. In my home country, the USA, there are 12 individuals alone worth $1 trillion. In fact, reports state that three of them made billions upon billions during COVID! Its time for those who have the most to step up, to help those who have the least in this extraordinary time in world history," Beasley said in a statement on Sep 17.

Read: 'Environment Degradation Can Be Caused Due To Poverty, Not Necessarily Greed': India At UN

The three individuals that Beasley referred to in his statement are Amazon Inc owner Jeff Bezos, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk. These three alone saw their wealth soar by $80 billion combined in the past couple of months, with Jeff Bezos becoming the world's first man to cross the $200 billion threshold and Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk becoming centibillionaires.

Read: Where Was 'Cuties' Filmed? See The Stunning Filming Locations Of The Film

"Because of lack of funding, 8.5 million of our beneficiaries in Yemen only receive assistance now every other month. We will be forced to cut rations for the remaining 4.5 million by December if funds do not increase. You can only imagine the impact that will have on the Yemeni people," Beasley told the UN Security Council. Other countries that are most severely affected are Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Sudan.

Read: Mexico Targets Junk Food As Obesity Takes Toll Amid Pandemic

(Image Credit: AP)
(Natural News) Secretary of Defense Mark Esper accused China and Russia of weaponizing space, claiming that both countries are now operating killer satellites.

In his warning, issued at the Air Force Associations Virtual Air, Space & Cyber Conference on Wednesday, Sept. 16, Esper claimed that Americas long-standing adversaries have turned a once peaceful arena into a war-fighting domain all in an effort to erode our long-standing dominance in air-power.

They have weaponized space through killer satellites, directed energy weapons, and more in an effort to exploit our systems and chip away at our military advantage, he said.

Killer satellites being tested

Directed energy weapons are those that use converted chemical or electrical energy and focus it on a target, resulting in physical damage. Already, the U.S. military is using a number of these, such as high energy lasers for anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense.

These weapons, according to Dr. Michael D. Griffin, undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, can be highly effective against swarm attacks.

We often think about directed energy as large lasers, and Ive certainly been involved with some of that for decades, but we also have high power microwaves which can be very effective as what we call an electronics kill, Griffin said in 2018.

That sort of thing  its really hard to envision handling swarming attacks by purely kinetic means  so thats one of the future threats that I think we face.

Swarm attacks and missiles, however, dont seem to be what the directed energy weapons that Russia and China are putting into space are for. Rather, theyre thought to be designed to take out other satellites.

On July 23, the U.S. Space Command (SPACECOM) issued a statement saying that Russia had tested an anti-satellite weapon in orbit. According to the statement from SPACECOM, the Russian inspector satellite Cosmos 2543 was testing what was thought to be a high-speed projectile weapon to attack other satellites.

The Russian satellite system used to conduct this on-orbit weapons test is the same satellite system that we raised concerns about earlier this year, when Russia maneuvered near a U.S. government satellite, said Gen. John Jay Raymond, SPACECOM Commander and U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations.

This is further evidence of Russias continuing efforts to develop and test space-based systems, and consistent with the Kremlins published military doctrine to employ weapons that hold U.S. and allied space assets at risk.

Russia has deployed weapons in space before

Russias efforts to deploy space-based weaponry dates back to the 1970s. On June 25, 1974, the then Soviet Union launched the Salyut 3 space mission. While a civilian mission on the surface, in reality, the mission, also known as Almaz 2, was a military one. The space station was equipped with a self-defense gun  an aircraft cannon from a bomber adapted for use in space.

The gun, however, was never tested with any cosmonauts on board due to the vibrations it caused. It was, however, fired by remote from the ground once the last manned mission to the station had departed, before the station was finally deorbited in 1975.

Following the end of the Salyut 3 mission, plans were made to equip later Almaz stations with a pair of missiles instead of the cannon, but these plans never came to fruition as the Almaz program was permanently grounded before the upgraded station could be launched in 1978.

While Salyut 3 was the last confirmed instance of a weapon in space, its not hard to imagine the Russians making further developments in this field.

Role of fledgling Space Force in maintaining space superiority emphasized

During the virtual conference, Esper emphasized the role of the U.S.s fledgling Space Force, officially launched late last year, in maintaining American space superiority.

Amid grave threats to our national security, American superiority in space is absolutely vital, said President Donald Trump when he signed the legislation creating the new branch.

Meanwhile, the Defense Space Strategy, released earlier this year, outlines what the U.S. needs to do to achieve a comprehensive military advantage in space within 10 years.

For the Space Force, three key objectives have been identified: to maintain the U.S.s space superiority; to provide space support to all joint military operations; and to ensure space stability  deterring aggression and upholding international agreements in space with its presence in a manner similar to how the U.S. Navy polices international waters.

According to Esper, he was proud of the progress that had been made in implementing the strategy. He said that this would ensure our dominance across all domains.

The day before Esper made his statement, Space Force head Gen. John Raymond also talked about the progress made by his branch.

Here, Raymond revealed that the Space Forces Space Based Infrared System satellites were used to detect Iranian missiles aimed at American war plans in January. In particular, he praised the 2nd Space Warning Squadron at Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado.

They operated the worlds best missile warning capabilities and they did outstanding work, and Im very very proud of them, he said at the conference.

Moving forward, however, units like the 2nd are going to have to work even harder, especially once they need to start defending space from killer satellites from Russia and China.

Follow Space.news to learn more about the militarization of space.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

DailyStar.co.uk

CSIS.org

AsiaTimes.com

PopularMechanics.com

Space.Au.AF.mil[PDF]
Wicks called to intervene in bridge dispute

A new community action group on St Huberts Island, the Bridge Warriors, is calling on Member for Robertson Ms Lucy Wicks to intervene in a dispute over an upgrade to the St Huberts Island bridge.

The group is asking Ms Wicks to intervene before a Federal grant is signed off to enable Central Coast Council to proceed with an upgrade it has planned for the bridge.

Bridge Warriors organiser Ms Lindy Wilson said the group did not want a $900,000 grant spent to install public nuisance barriers designed to prevent people jumping off the bridge into the water.

She said the project would be "a misuse of precious public money".

"The use of monitored CCTV, with clearer signage, fines for those who do the wrong thing and regular patrolling during summer months would be significantly cheaper, more effective and would not devastate the beautiful aesthetics of the bridge," she said.

Group member Mr Mike Wade said that the core safety issue with the bridge had been completely ignored.

"The bridge is very old and has a very narrow footpath and no separation or protection from the passing traffic.

"The lack of this protection coupled with the many trip hazards is just an accident waiting to happen."

Another group member Ms Carol Khouri said the proposed fence design "is incredibly ugly and not in any way in keeping with our beautiful suburbs of St Huberts Island and Daleys Point".

She said the council had only paid lip-service to community consultation, and had not responded to the community's wishes.

The St Huberts Island Residents Association has also opposed the project and has continued to press for residents' views to be respected.

Association president Mr Ken Stewart said: "On April 17, when the association was advised by Council of its proposed galvanised weld-mesh safety barrier, we immediately realised what an over-powering addition this would be to our bridge.

"We advised all the Island residents by letterbox drop showing the proposed barriers.

"There was an overwhelming resident reaction with 223 responses, 160 seen by the association, sent to Council.

"The vast majority of replies from the respondents request the repainting and restoration of the existing bridge balustrade, and were appalled at the proposed weld-mesh barriers."
Irish Water said it is progressing with a project to safeguard the drinking water supply for homes and businesses in Kildare and the wider Greater Dublin Area (GDA).

The state utility group said the delivery of the Barrow Extension project will help build resilience in the water distribution network by providing a strategic link between Srowland and Ballymore Eustace water treatment plants. Building resilience in the network is essential to ensure enough water is available to meet daily demand as well as to maintain supply during emergency situations such as drought conditions. Demand for water in the GDA is increasing steadily and the recent water conservation order (hosepipe ban) illustrates the current pressures on our water resources.

The Barrow Extension project will provide an additional 18 million litres of drinking water per day from Srowland water treatment plant for communities in Kildare and the wider GDA. This is the equivalent of the average daily water consumption of 140,000 people. This project will support future growth and ensure a sustainable, secure and reliable water supply for customers now and into the future.

To further support the water supply in the GDA, Irish Water has replaced almost 100km of water mains in the GDA since 2018 as part of its national Leakage Reduction Programme, the equivalent of two M50s. Irish Water is upgrading the Vartry Water Supply Scheme with the construction of a new treatment plant in Vartry and an upgrade of Stillorgan reservoir. Works are also progressing to upgrade the Leixlip Water Treatment Plant, which supplies over 600,000 customers in Kildare, Dublin and Meath.

Speaking about the Barrow Extension project, John ODonoghue, Regional Operations Manager for Irish Water, said "Irish Water and our Local Authority partners are working together to safeguard the water supply for homes and businesses in Kildare and the wider Greater Dublin Area. The Barrow Extension Project will facilitate an increase of 18 million litres of drinking water per day in Kildare and the GDA which is critical for the provision of a secure, reliable and sustainable long-term water supply for the region for future decades and generations."

Working in partnership with David Walsh Civil Engineering Ltd, construction works are due to start in mid-September in Brannockstown. The project will involve the construction of 3km of new water mains between Killashee and Naas, via the Rathasker Road; two new pumping stations at Brannockstown and Carnalway; and upgrades to the pipework at Ballymore Eustace Water Treatment Plant and Old Kilcullen Reservoir. The project is scheduled for completion in 2021.

Irish Water continues to work at this time with our Local Authority partners, contractors and others to safeguard the health and well-being of both staff and the public and to ensure the continuity of critical drinking water and wastewater services. Irish Water would like to remind people to follow the HSE COVID-19 advice and ensure frequent handwashing.

For more information on this project, view the Projects and Plans section of www.water.ie.
MILAN  For the first time since COVID-19 broke out globally, Italian beauty executives gathered for a physical summit on Thursday to assess the impact of the pandemic on consumer shopping behavior and company performance, as well as to outline trends.

According to Cosmetica Italias president Renato Ancorotti, Italian beauty sales are expected to decrease 11.6 percent in 2020, compared to the previous year when they stood at almost 12 billion euros. In particular, total sales generated in Italy will be down 9.3 percent, while exports will decrease 15 percent.

Its been a difficult year and just the fact to see you in person today makes me happy. But we have to be honest, this year will leave us with consequences and it will take longer than we think for us to return to the same performances we registered in 2019, said Ancorotti, who opened the fourth edition of the Pambianco Beauty Summit, hosted by the Italian fashion and beauty consulting company in partnership with PwC at the citys Fondazione Giangiacomo Feltrinelli location.

We should consider 2021 as a year of transition, echoed Gianluca Toniolo, LVMH P&C Italias chief executive officer and global travel retail managing director.

The executive admitted that at the beginning of the pandemic he was pessimistic about the performance of the French groups beauty labels in the Italian market, projecting a loss of 30 percent to 40 percent for the year. But now we forecast sales will be down 10 to 15 percent, he said.

The travel retail channel represents a bigger issue. When we look at the numbers in Italy we should consider ourselves lucky, compared to what is happening in travel retail, Toniolo said. By the end of 2020, the estimated traffic in airports will be down 65 percent, so its absolutely dramatic.

In particular, according to a study presented by Pambianco consulting and M&A director Alessio Candi, global beauty sales generated by travel retail will drop 75 percent to 38 billion euros this year. Projections show that we wont return to sales registered in 2019 before 2024. Maybe it will be sooner in Asia, but in Europe its a catastrophe, said Toniolo, also mentioning the U.K. Treasurys decision to wipe out the longstanding, tax-free shopping scheme for foreign tourists.

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Asia accounts for about 60 to 70 percent of the beauty market in travel retail and it has started to deal with the virus since last year. Now the market there is gaining traction again but not as we expected, there are different dynamics, said Toniolo, referring to an increasing number of services offered by retailers, such as home delivery, and legislation favoring tax-free sales in China. In some parts of China considered tax-free, the government increased the budget for local consumers to buy tax-free by seven to eight times with the goal to keep those sales in the country and has extended the possibility these consumers have to buy tax-free up to 180 days after their travels via online purchases. This is creating an overlap between the domestic market and travel retail, he added.

Among the incentives the Chinese government is implementing to keep sales inside national borders, the executive also mentioned the strong will to create a tax-free pole in Hainan, an island in South China, where theres a 360-degree project of bringing talents in, lowering taxes and creating new sales points to encourage sales.

LVMHs reaction is to evaluate these kinds of projects in terms of distribution opportunities as well as to reconsider marketing strategies toward a more digital approach, especially given concerns regarding interactions between consumers and sales assistants.

Toniolo additionally noted that China will replace South Korea as the first travel retail market, as next year the former will account for 38 percent of total sales while the latter for 28 percent. Currently China accounts for 33 percent of global travel retail sales, with only 9 percent of these transactions made in China.

In addition to the travel retail channel, the Pambianco study gave a general overview on how the global cosmetics industry will be affected by the pandemic.

After underscoring the resilience of the beauty sector, which has been growing for the last 20 years at a compound annual growth rate of 4 percent, Candi underscored that this crisis is unprecedented and global beauty turnover is expected to drop 25 percent to 30 percent to between 150 billion and 160 billion euros this year. In particular, beauty sales in Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific will be down 32 percent, 35 percent and 25 percent, respectively.

Product-wise, this year global sales of makeup and fragrances will drop 45 percent and 40 percent to 40 billion euros and 24 billion euros, respectively. Skin care and hair care will be the best-performing product categories despite sales decreasing 25 percent for both, but they are expected to total 88 billion euros and 46 billion euros, respectively.

This will take global sales back to the levels reached in 2009, so we will go back a decade in one year, Candi said.

We have heard about the resilience of this industry and the famous Lipstick effect before but this is a different kind of crisis, echoed Nicola Giorgi, senior adviser of PwC.

He presented research combining international and Italian studies, offering the results of PwCs 11th Global Consumer Insight Survey that interviewed more than 23,000 consumers in 27 countries with data collected by the firms 5th Observatory on Millennials and Gen Z report.

According to this study, overall 40 percent of global consumers  and specifically 57 percent of Italian ones  saw a reduction in their incomes because of the pandemic. Therefore, interviewees stated that they will spend less doubled after the COVID-19 outbreak. In particular, 35 percent of consumers said they will reduce purchases of health and beauty products.

Yet online sales of beauty goods increased this year, especially transactions finalized through smartphones, with 93 percent of interviewees stating they will continue to use these tools in the future. While 88 percent of Millennials and Gen Z said they are inclined and favorable to buying beauty goods online, brick-and-mortar stores still account for 65 percent of the total sales generated in Italy.

This might sound like a contradiction but it perfectly mirrors the volatile behavior of consumers, said Giorgi, stressing the importance of revisiting the physical retail format to meet customers new demands. If in the past the goal was to keep consumers in a store as long as possible, now the mission is to make their shopping experience the quickest and simplest as it can be, noted Giorgi, mentioning self check-out systems, the cross-pollination with digital tools and VR and employee-free retail spaces.

In addition, in choosing the physical shopping destination, Millennials and Gen Z are increasingly valuing trusted brands and proximity  a trend Toniolo confirmed, also looking at Sephora.

According to the LVMH executive, as the biggest Italian cities lose tourist traffic, beauty chains and retailers located in the main towns are suffering more, while smaller stores in neighborhoods are seen as more trustworthy by consumers for their familiarity and less crowded environment.

As per Cosmetica Italias data, in the first half of the year, beauty sales in Italy dropped 15 percent to 4.5 billion euros compared to the same period last year, with all sales channels suffering and reporting losses, except for online. Sales there grew 40 percent compared to the first half of 2019 but accounted just for 343 million euros so they dont make up for the losses of the brick-and-mortar stores, Ancorotti said.

While all speakers forecasts for the year in terms of revenues mirror Toniolos, Davines president Davide Bollati closed the summit with the most positive projection as his firm is expected to report just a 1 percent loss. Last year, the group  which owns the Davines professional hair-care line as well as the Comfort Zone and Skin Regimen skin-care brands  totaled 163 million euros in sales, with exports accounting for 79 percent of sales.

Since 2008, the B Corp company has been organically growing by double-digits each year. Bollati revealed that the business plan for the next 10 years will focus on expanding into emerging markets, opening new branches as well as further investing in skin care with the goal of making this category account for as much as the core, hair care counterpart.

Asked about possible acquisitions, Bollati said its difficult to find brands that could be aligned with our philosophy of not being only profit-driven, before admitting a penchant for 400-year-old pharmaceutical laboratory Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella. But Pesenti came first, he joked, referencing the deal that saw Italian investment company Italmobiliare  owned by the Pesenti family  taking a majority stake in the company earlier this year.

During the summit, M&A activities were identified as one of the biggest trends in upcoming months. Last year, 119 beauty deals were made, while in the first half of 2020 alone there already were 46, including Euroitalias acquisition of the Atkinsons 1799 and I Coloniali labels and Intercos Groups take over of its joint venture in South Korea.

Sustainability is also here to stay, since consumers increasingly pivot toward eco-friendly products and companies boast sustainable practices.

In this context, labels outdo social media as the most efficient tools to communicate information about sustainability by cosmetics companies, said Giorgi. According to the PwC study, Millennials and Gen Z consumers expect to find the list of ingredients and their origins and manufacturing process on labels, as well as indications about how to recycle each product and its packaging and certifications to support each sustainable claim.

The research also shows that 78 percent of Millennials and Gen Z customers acknowledge Made in Italy as an added value when purchasing beauty goods. In particular, the number of Gen Z shoppers paying attention to the products origin grew 39 percent compared to last year, signaling a heightened interest for quality and safety.

To be successful, a company has to communicate and consider its customers as partners and not as mere clients they have to sell stuff to.Only a trusted and long-term relationship with consumers can break the trap of generating sales through discounts, Giorgi said.

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MIDDLETOWN  A stretch of Route 17 was temporarily closed because of a crash Friday afternoon.

A driver crashed into a pole on Route 17 around 12:30 p.m., according to the state Department of Transportation.

The collision left Route 17 closed between Randolph Road and Brown Street as crews worked to make repairs and clear the site of the crash.

There was no immediate word on possible injuries.

By 2:30 p.m., the crash site had been cleared and road reopened to traffic.

This story will be updated.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-17 23:51:03|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese State Councilor and Minister of Public Security Zhao Kezhi meets with a high-level delegation of the Macao Special Administrative Region disciplined forces led by Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 17, 2020. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)

BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- State Councilor and Minister of Public Security Zhao Kezhi met with a high-level delegation of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) disciplined forces led by Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak in Beijing Thursday.

Zhao urged the disciplined forces to faithfully fulfill their duties and missions, safeguard national security to ensure social security and stability, and provide full support to the Chief Executive and the SAR government to govern in accordance with the law.

He also called on the forces to strive to be a strong pillar for safeguarding stability and upholding the rule of law in the SAR to ensure the steady development of "one country, two systems" in the Macao SAR.

Wong pledged to safeguard "one country, two systems" and the security and stability of the Macao SAR with full strength. Enditem
From the Archive The Strange Birds Behind the '88 Coup

Snr-Gen. Saw Maung (left), military intelligence chief Gen. Khin Nyunt (center) and Snr-Gen. Than Shwe.

Thirty-two years ago today, a coup detat saw the government of General Ne Win toppled and replaced by General Saw Maung and his deputy General Than Shwethe man who would go on to orchestrate Myanmars transition to quasi-civilian rule. In this story, first published in the September 2013 edition of The Irrawaddy magazine, founding editor Aung Zaw looks at some of the colorful characters in the halls of power at the time.

Retired Gen. Kyaw Win is a keen observer. These days, he devotes whats left of his failing eyesight to his two passions: photography and bird-watching. But in the past, when he served as number two in Myanmars once dreaded spy agency, he was regularly witness to far more intriguing things.

In April 1992, when Gen. Saw Maung, the leader of the military regime formed in 1988 to restore order after crushing pro-democracy protests in a bloody coup, was informed by then military intelligence chief and junta Secretary One Gen. Khin Nyunt that he had been permitted to retire due to health reasons, Kyaw Win was there.

Dont abandon us, the visibly shaken Saw Maung said to Khin Nyunt, fearing that he and his family were about to be placed under house arrest.

Long before Saw Maung lost his hold on power, he seemed to be losing his grip on reality. Kyaw Win recalled how Myanmars top general once started engaging in a conversation with a Buddha image at a famous shrine in Upper Myanmar. After that, he began declaring himself the reincarnation of the 11th century warrior-king Kyansittha and claimed he could see into the future.

He didnt sleep at all, Kyaw Win said of his former boss, who was clearly suffering from a nervous breakdown and had become dangerously paranoid (on one occasion, Kyaw Win said, the senior general brandished his revolver at some soldiers who had come to welcome him and his wife to a reception).

At one point, then Col. Kyaw Win saw Saw Maung summon regional commanders based in northern Myanmar to Mandalay to demand to know if they still supported him.

In fact, Saw Maung owed his powerful position to Gen. Ne Win, the dictator who had been forced to step down after massive protests calling for his ouster took place around the country. Saw Maung, who was then serving as commander in chief of the armed forces, was called to the former dictators residence along with his deputy Gen. Than Shwe and Ne Wins trusted spy chief Khin Nyunt. Their orders were to stage a coup.

After the military seized power on Sept. 18, 1988, Saw Maung triumphantly declared that he had saved the nation, but the sullen Than Shwe didnt utter a word.

From the beginning, Than Shwe was aloof from the other members of the junta, preferring the company of loyal subordinates. Among them was Kyaw Win, who had served under the taciturn general in Shan State in the early 1980s, and stayed close to him throughout the remainder of his military career.

During all their years together, however, Than Shwe never discussed politics with Kyaw Win. But in a sign that even early on he did not trust Khin Nyunt, he assigned Kyaw Win to act as the spy chiefs deputy.

Reporting back on Khin Nyunts words and actions was not difficult: All of the top leaders slept at the War Office from 1988 until the capital was moved to Naypyitaw in 2005. Kyaw Win and other trusted aides would often massage Than Shwe in his bed until he fell asleep. The powerful general also liked listening to their gossip and jokes, and sometimes, even after it seemed that he had already drifted off to sleep, he would laugh out loud at some amusing anecdote the officers were sharing among themselves.

Kyaw Win also knew that his boss had a deep-seated distrust of intellectuals and didnt like having educated people around him. Despite being a graduate of Yangon University, however, Kyaw Win seemed to have won his trust.

Another thing he knew about Than Shwe was that he regarded Myanmar, a nation wedged between the worlds two most populous countries, India and China, as uniquely vulnerable. For this reason, he believed that it needed a special military budget to build a strong army and acquire nuclear weapons. With money from state-owned enterprises and the sale of natural gas, he moved the capital to central Myanmar and built tunnels and launched a nascent nuclear weapons program.

Meanwhile, Khin Nyunt and his feared Military Intelligence were busy running torture chambers and chasing after dissidents. This part of their operation was sanctioned by Than Shwe; but the dossiers they were collecting on corruption within the regime apparently wasnt.

In the early days, Than Shwe was regarded as quite clean. But from around the early 2000s, several ministers and powerful generals had begun seeking favors. Usually, they just paid visits to his home, where they could count on a friendly welcome if they came bearing gifts for his family. This has been called kitchen politicscurrying favor with Myanmars top family through the back door.

Kyaw Wins disapproval of this development made him and other aides who believed it was part of their job to keep the businessmen at bay less than popular with Than Shwes wife Daw Kyaing Kyaing and other close relatives. But the senior leader continued to entrust him with important missions, such as maintaining contacts with intelligence agencies in neighboring countries and acting as a messenger between himself and opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who was then under house arrest. His most important duty, however, was to continue monitoring Khin Nyunt.

Once regarded as a natural successor to Than Shwe, the spy chief never imagined that he would one day be removed from power, despite warnings from his subordinates that he was vulnerable to just such a fate.

The trouble came as powerful generals and commanders in the armys infantry units learned that they were secretly being investigated. Infantry and intelligence units were always at loggerheads, and it became clear that Khin Nyunts intelligence unit was building a state within a state. For years, Than Shwe was urged to put the spy chief in his placesomething he had probably wanted to do all along.

Of course, Kyaw Win played a role in Khin Nyunts downfall, making sure that all of his reports on his immediate superior reached his real boss via Gen. Shwe Mann, the current speaker of Myanmars Lower House of Parliament, who was then the joint chief of staff of army, navy and air force and the third most powerful member of the junta.

To neutralize Khin Nyunt, Than Shwe appointed him prime minister and asked him to hand his duties as spy chief over to Myint Swe, one of Than Shwes loyal subordinates and now chief minister of Yangon Region.

But Khin Nyunt refused to play along, and later, Than Shwe learned that he had threatened at a cabinet meeting to expose corruption among military commanders and ministers.

In the end, Than Shwe didnt have to do a thing. Do what you have to do, he said, and soon the problem was taken care of. The infantry commanders, who had a plan in place and had long waited to hear these words, moved swiftly. They arrested Khin Nyunt and threw everyone close to him into prison. Within hours, Khin Nyunts spy network was dismantled.

That was in October 2004. When Khin Nyunt, who had been summoned to the office of the juntas number two Gen. Maung Aye shortly after getting off a plane in Yangon, was told to go home, he replied sarcastically that he was delighted to do so. He knew he had no choice: All of the other senior junta membersexcept Than Shwewere there. He was escorted back to his home, and after years as one of Myanmars most feared men, he became just another prisoner of one of the worlds most repressive regimes.

Although Than Shwe left the dirty business of dealing with Khin Nyunt to his subordinates, he was in full control of what came after. He reinforced his own power base, locked up more dissidents, and pushed ahead with drafting a constitution that would cement the militarys role in Myanmar politics. Finally, after holding a rigged election in 2010 that delivered a landslide victory to the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), he stepped out of the limelight and remains comfortably retired in his fortress-like mansion in Naypyitaw.

During his tenure as Myanmars supreme leader, Than Shwe also placed Ne Win under house arrest. Unlike Khin Nyunt, Than Shwe was not close to the former dictator. After Saw Maung, who died of heart failure in 1997, was forced to step down, Than Shwe never bothered to visit the mastermind behind the 1988 coup. Perhaps he had hated him all along.

Khin Nyunt, once dubbed Myanmars prince of evil by the foreign media, was released from house arrest in early 2012, and now lives as a private citizen. When asked to account for some of the things he did when he was still in power, he insists he was just following orders. Those orders came, of course, from Than Shwe.

Kyaw Win witnessed all of this and more. Now more interested in his avian friends, however, he says he has nothing to say about the current role, if any, of his former boss in Myanmars political affairs. But for those of us who have watched Than Shwe eliminate his rivals one by one over the past two decades, its difficult to imagine that he isnt still keeping an eagle eye on everything from his safe, secluded perch, ready to swoop down on anyone who threatens his talon-like hold on power.

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Analysis: Myanmar Still Living with Legacy of 1988 Military Coup
Ambassadors' Portrait Gallery opened in Indian Embassy in Madagascar

Patna, Sep 18 (UNI) Ambassadors' Portrait Gallery has been opened in Indian Embassy in Madagascar.

Indian Ambassador in Madagascar Abhay Kumar and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Madagascar Tehindarazanarivelo D Jacoba A S Olivia jointly inaugurated the Ambassadors' Portrait Gallery at the Embassy of India premises.

After the inauguration, Mr Kumar mentioned that the Government of India opened the Consulate General of India in Antananarivo in 1954 which was upgraded into an Embassy in 1960. He said We are among the first Embassies to open in Madagascar. It has been six decades since 1960 and during this time 21 Indian Ambassadors have worked towards strengthening this important partnership.This Portrait Gallery is an initiative to remember them. He stressed that inauguration of the portrait gallery by the Foreign Minister has made the occasion very special.
By John G. Russell

"The President has never lied to the American public on COVID." White House spokesperson Kayleigh McEnany "It doesnt bother me. I dont feel like he was ever lying to anybody."  North Dakota Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer

September 17, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - Id be careful about using the word lie. Lie implies much more than just saying something thats false. It implies a deliberate intent to mislead. [W]hen Donald Trump says thousands of people were on the rooftops of New Jersey on 9/11 celebrating, thousands of Muslims were there celebrating, I think its right to investigate that claim, to report what we found, which is that nobody found any evidence of that whatsoever, and to say that. I think its then up to the reader to make up their own mind to say, This is what Donald Trump says. This is what a reliable, trustworthy news organization reports. And you know what? I dont think thats true.

Wall Street Journal editor-in-chief Gerald Baker on how the media should present Trumps falsehoods, January 3, 2017

Donald John Trump is a murderous liar whose atrocities the American people continue to abide. Finally, after months of silence, mainstream media pundits and editorials are beginning sense the danger he poses to the republic, as they question whether Trump will voluntarily leave the White House if he is voted out of office, a necessary outcome if America is to maintain the illusion that it is still a democracy. In order to set itself on a trajectory toward social justice, the purge  and it must be a purge  cannot stop with his ouster. We need to ask ourselves how our leaders  political, religious, and journalistic  could continue to countenance Trump, how white evangelicals could support a man whose moral compass consistently points south to Hades, and how conservative pundits and putative journalists could have repeated his lies and maintained their silence about them while being fully aware that they were not only untrue but obviously intended to deceive, even as hundreds of thousands of Americans died. They must all be held accountable.

One might speculate as to why they tolerate Trump. Aside from their moral bankruptcy, my first guess would be that Trump has something on them. Recall that Trumps late mentor and fixer was Roy Cohn, a mouthpiece for FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, a man who knew a thing or two about leveraging dirt gathered on ones political enemies. In his book Disloyal, another Trump fixer, Michael Cohen, has written that in 2016 Trump had him suppress racy photos of Jerry Falwell Jr to secure the support of the now disgraced evangelical leader. No doubt, Trump has dirt on others that he has mined to extort support for himself and protection against his enemies and a potential post-election prison term. Trumps personal familiarity with the art of the smear may also explain why our Golden (Shower) Boy kowtows to Putin. It may be less out of a fondness for autocrats than hands on experience of the efficacy of extortion and the human weaknesses that make it a tenable strategy for securing and maintaining power.

Then again, the answer may be less complex. Trumps enablers may simply be unapologetic miscreants whose idolatry is not motivated by the threat of exposure. Sometimes a scumbag is just a scumbag.

Regardless of what motivates these scoundrels, their lies take a toll, which leads to another, far more disturbing question: Does it really matter? Do we, to borrow Melania Trumps inquiry, really care? Did we ever? After all, while Trumps college records, I.Q., and tax returns are a well-kept secret, his mendacity is not. Our current awareness of his proclivity for naked nihilism doesnt arise from some epiphanous revelation that the emperor has no clothes. When it comes to corruption and maleficence, Trump has always been as transparent as those old anatomical Visible Man model kits, though that which is exposed is not a network of internal organs but a web of calculated deceits and feints. The tawdry spectacle of his indiscretions was out there for all to see well before he became president, and much more has come to light since. Indeed, judging by the current spate in tell-all books about him, with more on the way, Trump could probably use them to build his wall, should he be granted another term.

An agitated Trump insists to a black female journalist that she is misquoting him when she says that he promised a vaccine in by the end of the year, only to add that it may come before November, hinting that it might be ready even before a very special date. Video of Trumps initial statement reveals that the journalist did, in fact, accurately quote him.

He recommends ingesting bleach as a cure for COVID-19, only to deny it later, claiming the remark was sarcasm.

He denies that he ever called John McCain a loser and boasts about how much he loves his soldiers, or at least those who have not been captured, maimed, missing in action or killed.

The fact that videos of Trump uttering these words exist and will now be endlessly re-aired to highlight his mendacity does not faze him. We already know Trump lies; we know he lies both badly and bigly, but never with any consequences.

In short, Trump is a liar  and a bad one at that. But it doesnt seem to matter. Indeed, does the concept of a bad liar  both in its technical and moral senses  mean anything anymore? A lie told often enough, the propagandists insist, becomes the truth, but it does something far more insidious: it inures us to dishonesty and undermines the very notion that facts and reality matter.

This is not gaslighting; it is pure, poker-faced A-Guide-to-the-Married-Man stonewalling. For at days end, like the flummoxed wife of that films philandering husband, in the face of a cascade of interrogatory evasions designed to obfuscate the reality of what we have seen and heard, we simply give up and, discombobulated, meekly ask Trump what he wants for dinner, or in the case at hand, if he wants another term.

How ironic it is, then, that even during the early days of the Trump administration, the media debated whether it was journalistically responsible to label Trumps falsehoods lies, although eventually, overwhelmed by their frequency, some outlets such as The Washington Post began to count them (as of July 9, 20,055 and rising) and their columnists and fact-checkers finally label them as such. Their initial dictum was just to report what he said without speculating as to his intent and present the reader/viewer with the facts. That in the eyes of Trump and his supporters, the media was the enemy of the people and facts in the age of information overload reduced to items on an a la carte menu from which to be chosen depending on convenience and gut feelings had not yet sunk in. Perhaps, like Trump himself, the media felt that calling out his lies would cause the American people to panic, to lose faith in our system of governance. One might have hoped they had learned from their mistakes: After all, when Trump came into office, we were still reeling from the after effects of seven years of war in Iraq started on the basis of another series of lies largely unchallenged by the mainstream media. (Tellingly, those who told the truth  Edwin Snowden, Chelsea Manning, and Julian Assange  have become enemies of the state. More recent whistleblowers, like Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, have been vilified by the usual suspects.)

Or perhaps, like Bob Woodward, they decided to hold out until they saw the bottom line and the prospect of higher circulation, steeper paywalls, and larger ratings, which itself should be a source of rage.

Technology has not been of much help here. The panopticonic state with its cellphones, television cameras, security cameras, and body cams and other forms of mass surveillance has not provided, as Jeremy Bentham once envisioned, a voyeuristic mill for grinding rogues honest. Instead, it has produced new, more elaborate ways to evade, delay and potentially conceal the truth.

Nor it is the problem merely that Trumps lies; he also has others lie for him. As The New Yorkers Masha Geesen observed in 2018, Lying for Trump has become  a familiar practice in American politics. The endless parade of Trumpist prevaricators includes not only those who worked in his administration  Ronny Jackson, Sean Spicer, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, H.R. McMaster, and John Kelly  and his stalwart Republican defenders  Mitch McConnell, Mark Meadows, Matt Gaetz, and Jim Jordan  but also some members of the Fourth Estate  Lou Dobbs, Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, or at least those hanging out in its infotainment gazebo. Politico reports that Health and Human Services chairman Michael Caputo, and other top officials, altered CDC reports on COVID-19 so that their findings better squared with Trumps lies, even going so far as to suggest victims of the disease were to blame for contracting it, a telling emendation given that the disease disproportionately afflicts people of color. Like a syphilitic Midas, Typhoid Trump corrupts everything he touches, or, less generously, freely indulges those actively seeking to wallow in their baser own instincts. Nothing, including DHS, ICE, the CDC, the FDA and HHS, escapes his poisonous embrace. To paraphrase Trump, When youre president they let you do it. You can do anything.

Eager to vilify BLM and Antifa, Trumps enablers hold their tongues when it comes to militia and vigilantes. To say that they maintain their silence, however, is to mischaracterize the depths of their immoral stealth. Asked repeatedly by CNNs Dana Bash if he condemned the murderous actions of Trump-supporter Kyle Rittenhouse, Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson, Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, evaded the question, repeatedly mouthing the words, Its a tragedy. (The tragedy is that he did not have the cojones to answer Bashs question.) This is the same Johnson who a year earlier in an interview with Bash refused to condemn Trumps statement demanding four progressive Democratic congresswomen of color to go back to their country and accusing them of being incapable of loving our America. Instead, he quoted Martin Luther King on judging people by the content of their character not the color of their skin. How, one wonders, does Johnson judge Trumps? Given the evidence of Johnsons own palpable lack of character and judgement, it is best he steer clear of ever quoting King again.

Meanwhile, Deputy Director of DHS Ken Cuccinelli and Acting Secretary Chad Wolf (once again American democracy is threatened by a misplaced chad; hopefully the results will not be as disastrous the time around) downplay the threat of white supremacy to national security while overstating the menace of Antifa, socialists, anarchists, radicals, transgender black Marxists, and other boogeymen without apparently being too worked up about panicking the public. Others manufacture conspiracies, including one that painted 75-year old white peace activist Martin Guigino as an Antifa provocateur armed with Mission Impossible-grade hi-tech doohickeys and Tom Savini-level makeup effect skills.

Trump screams about anonymous sources, yet hes not too great about naming his own. As The Washington Post noted in 2016, Trump attributes much of what spews from his mouth to anonymous people (lots of them, in fact) who have, allegedly, informed him that, among other things, Obama didnt want to know about Muslim terrorism, [the Iran deal] is worse than stupid, Ted Cruz was born in Canada, Vince Foster was absolutely murdered, they had spies in [his] campaign, and the 2020 election will be rigged. These sources remain unnamed.

We have seen the clashes of armed, self-styled militias with BLM protesters. And yet there are those who stubbornly insist that fascism cannot happen here and who ignore the vicious irony that these armed militiamen are allowed to roam the streets while unarmed blacks are suffocated and shot dead. In Wisconsin, Rittenhouse walks free after killing two protesters and maiming a third. Meanwhile, in Colorado, a black child is suspended from school and has the police sent to his home for playing with a toy during an online class, though I suppose we should be relieved they did not shoot and kill him seconds after their arrival.

The mendacity of those in power should not surprise us. Those who have pledged to protect and serve, whether politicians or police, continue to betray the public trust. For to the champions of law and order, the proud boys (and girls) who worship Trump as their ochre Ubermensch, their own paunchy Aryan Homelander blessed with, according to Trumps former physician Ronny Jackson, the good genes that prove his triumph of will uber alles, lies dont matter. And so long as they can lie and be lied to with impunity and without complaint, why should they? For in their eyes, Trumps lies are not lies at all, but the benevolent paternalistic largesse of an infallible patriarch protective of his faithful brood.
After years of waiting, fans of the Marvel Universe are finally getting to put a face on the much awaited She-Hulk. Tatiana Maslany, the Canadian actor who recurringly appeared in the sci-fi thriller Orphan Black, has bagged the titular role of She-Hulk, the eponymous cousin of The Hulk, in an upcoming series to be released on Disney+.

Who is Tatiana Maslany?

Tatiana Maslany, 35, who received several awards for her role in Orphan Black, has been acting since in theatre since the age of nine. She has won a Primetime Emmy Award in 2016, TCA Award in 2013, two Critics Choice Awards, and five Canadian Screen Awards. She has also acted in series like Heartland, Being Erica, the Nativity and others hit series. In 2013, Maslany won an ACTRA award for her role in the film Picture Day.

Is She-Hulk an all-woman project?

While Maslany has landed the coveted role, she is not the first actress to be considered first the role. Actresses like Gabrielle Reece, Brigitte Nielsen and Eva Mendes have over the years been considered for various She-hulk film and television projects but none of them have come to fruition so far before this. Tatiana is not the only popular face to feature in the show. The show has roped in Rick and Morty writer Jessica Gao at the head of the writing-table and Kat Coiro as the director.

Who is She-Hulk?

She-Hulk or Jennifer Walters is one of the last characters co-created by Stan Lee. A cousin of Bruce Banner (The Hulk), Walters got his powers after a freak blood transfusion which transferred his superpowers to her. A lawyer by profession, She-Hulk first appeared in the Marvel comics universe (MCU) in 1980. Apart from being a superhero, being a lawyer also helped her provide leagal aid to other superheroes.

Is She-Hulk a feminist icon?

According to fans, She-Hulk is Marvels most feminist character as her purpose is not to satisfy male fantasies in tight bodycon suits but an actual, honest-to-comic superhero. As opposed to The Hulk/Banner, She-Hulk/Walters is not as aggressive when she turns into the mean, green superhero. Unlike The Hulk, Walters does not lose her calm upon turning green. In fact, she gains a natural charm and confidence. To many, the superhero represents a feminist icon of the years who does not fear for her physical self or does not cater to the male gaze.
New Delhi:

Samajwadi Partys announcement of candidates for nine seats currently held by it came as a bolt from the blue for the Congress on Friday night which failed to specify whether the grand secular alliance in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh was on or off.

Senior party spokesperson Ajay Maken merely described as unfortunate the action by the SP and steered clear of questions from reporters whether the tie-up with the party led by Akhilesh Yadav was continuing.

Insisting that alliance with SP was concluded in talks with Akhilesh, Maken said the Congress would wait for further talks on the issue between AICC General Secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad and the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister.

This alliance was concluded earlier with none other than SP National President Akhilesh Yadav and leaders of the Congress and now again we are getting in touch with Akhilesh Yadav because it was with him that the alliance earlier was concluded.

It is unfortunate... We were expecting that the seats and other... technical details which were agreed upon and concluded upon between Akhilesh Yadav and Congress leaders should be honoured, Maken said.

He spoke in similar vein to a volley of questions at the AICC briefing indicating that the party was shell shocked by the sudden action from the Samajwadi Party. He did not answer a query whether Akhilesh has crossed all limits by the action, which has come as a googly for the Congress.

Talk in AICC circles was that Akhilesh had agreed to give as many as 121 seats to the Congress and that he appears to have come under BJP pressure.

In Lucknow, SP National Vice President Kiranmoy Nanda accused Congress of not giving any positive response to the party on alliance issue and said it could give the party only 85 of 403 Assembly seats.

The SP leader also said if the Congress wanted to defeat BJP, it should accept SPs formula of seat-sharing.

When asked whether it has become difficult to forge alliance with Congress now, he said, It will be too early to say so. We still want an alliance with Congress but on our own conditions. Poll process has already started and SP cannot wait for a long time.

Prospects of a grand alliance in Uttar Pradesh appeared uncertain earlier as SP and Congress had aired divergent views on inclusion of RLD headed by Ajit Singh.

SP has been ruling out inclusion of Ajit Singhs RLD in the alliance despite his party having some influence in Western Uttar Pradesh. Congress had been pitching for its inclusion and was planning to give some of its seats to RLD.

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The chilling reality of life for Afghan interpreters who helped British troops was laid bare to me when one translators seven-year-old daughter was handed a letter outside the family home on the edge of Kabul.

She was told to give it to her father Waheed, who had worked with frontline British troops in Helmand province. The contents shocked Waheed, as they would any father.

Signed by the Taliban, it told Waheed and his family  his wife, two daughters and a son  they would be killed.

Dont think we will ever forgive you, the handwritten letter said. You have helped the infidels and as a result we have lost mujahideen fighters.

'We swear we will hunt you down and kill all the interpreters and their families and feed their bodies to the dogs.

Yesterday came the welcome, long-overdue news that the Home and Defence Secretaries had recognised that the fears of ex-translators are real and the UK has a duty to repay their sacrifices by providing sanctuary

Waheed, a dark-haired, squat man of 33, hugged his wife as he described how he believed he had been betrayed by the British, who he asked for help but was merely told to change telephone number and move home.

We are being left by a country we believed was our friend to find our fate at the hands of an enemy they could not defeat, he said.

We were told the British would look after us but they were hollow words. I asked for help and there was none. We will be hunted and killed for our service to the British. Why will they not help us?

Seven days later, I learnt of the murder of former translator Parwiz Khan, 22, who had left the front line to return to the family farm after death threats.

His brother Sam, 28, who had also been a translator for UK forces, told me: I escaped because I was not at home but my small brother went to the door.

'They shot him twice in the right hand and then fired four to six bullets into his chest from very close.

'They killed him in front of the family in revenge because he had worked for the British.

That was in August 2015, days after the Daily Mail had launched the Betrayal of the Brave campaign to highlight the plight of men who had risked their lives beside British troops to rid their homeland of the Taliban.

Waheed and Parwiz came to mind yesterday with the welcome, long-overdue news that the Home and Defence Secretaries had recognised that the fears of ex-translators are real and the UK has a duty to repay their sacrifices by providing sanctuary.

For many of those who speak of living in the shadows and whose harrowing stories the Mail has told, it is wonderful news.

Telling the translators of the change brought an outpouring of emotions. Bitter men who have spoken of anger and despair now shed tears of joy.

There was also praise for the Government with the thought that as many as 100 would be safe, as well as their loved ones.

Several spoke of how their daughters would go to school regularly for the first time.

One wife told her husband: Now I will not worry each time you go out that you will not come home.

It is a good start but some of those who believe they are most at risk are devastated and angry they are unlikely to qualify this time.

For many of those who speak of 'living in the shadows' and whose harrowing stories the Mail has told, it is wonderful news. Telling the translators of the change brought an outpouring of emotions. Pictured: A British platoon meet local people in Helmand Province, Southern Afghanistan, June 2007

One who escaped an ambush two years ago is still working with UK forces after 17 years.

The new criteria of having worked on the front lines for 18 months and resigned for any reason  most were because of death threats, family pressure or injury  is not open to many who believe their lives are at risk but did not serve on the front lines.

They have a genuine grievance.

Why do those based in Kabul who have worked more than a decade, received death threats and been attacked not qualify when, they argue, Britain has provided sanctuary to camp guards and mechanics who rarely ventured out of bases?

To a confident, resurgent Taliban, emboldened by peace talks and the release of thousands of prisoners jailed with the pivotal help of translators, it doesnt matter where they were based, if they served six months or six years, resigned or were terminated  they are legitimate targets and traitors of Islam.

Last night, Waheed told me: This change is the first good news but I hope all those who risked everything so the British mission could work are not forgotten.

I echo those sentiments and hope that thanks to Priti Patel and Ben Wallace  and the dedication of many behind the scenes  it is a new beginning to see justice done for all those to whom we owe a huge debt.
It has been the story of Donald Trumps brief political career: even when he is able to tout a significant accomplishment, a negative development, either circumstantial or self-inflicted, almost immediately overshadows it, dampening its positive effects.

Take Tuesdays UAE-Bahrain-Israel normalisation deals brokered by Trump. In any other year, under any other president, that event would have dominated multiple news cycles and could very well have been considered one of the most memorable events of a presidency.

This was one of the few true political successes of Trumps presidency, at least by the metric that even his political foes gave Trump credit, something that is remarkable in this environment of extreme political polarisation. Among the pats on the back were from his Democratic rival Joe Biden, who in August called the UAE-Israel announcement historic, and Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, who has hammered Trump for years but declared the deals a huge achievement.

The leaders show off the signed normalisation deals [SAUL LOEB / AFP]

In typical fashion during the Trump presidency, the positive vibes were short-lived. But atypically, they were brief because of a combination of the current political climate and Trumps penchant for changing the subject to something controversial and unpopular. Usually, it is either just the climate or Trumps whims that derail good news; this week, both contributed to the change of subject.





The first strike against the normalisation deals boosting Trumps image: the benefits of a foreign policy achievement in todays political environment are slim to nil, as polling shows American voters are more attuned to and concerned about COVID-19, the economic fallout from the pandemic, healthcare, racial justice, and a litany of other issues.

Last month, Gallup polled Americans on the most important problem facing the country. International issues, problems was chosen by so few people (less than 0.5 percent), it was represented by an asterisk on their chart.

And an Economist/YouGov poll released this week asked likely voters which issue is most important to them. Only 5 percent said foreign policy, far behind health care, jobs and the economy and climate change and the environment.

Strike two for Trump: he and his campaign advisers stepped on his message by scheduling the White House event on the same day the president was set to appear on national TV to take questions from voters.

Within hours of Tuesdays signing ceremony, Trump was at a town hall meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania being grilled by average Americans about his handling of the pandemic, race issues, healthcare and immigration.





Despite the fact these were uncommitted voters questioning him, Trump did not tweak his defiant style, responding assertively that he has done a very, very good job dealing with coronavirus and downplaying the suggestion that there is a race problem in the US. And at this point, that defiant style is part of his DNA, whether voters like it or not.

[I]f you are a little different, or a little outrageous, or if you do things that are bold or controversial, the press is going to write about you. Ive always done things a little differently, I dont mind controversy, Trump wrote in, The Art of the Deal, in 1987, and it is a mindset he has carried into his political career. The funny thing is that even a critical story, which may be hurtful personally, can be very valuable to your business.

Whether this belief will translate to victory on election day is still a wide-open question. That strategy may have served Trump well as a New York real estate baron and it may have worked for the 2016 election, however, it has undoubtedly left him in a precarious position in his re-election effort.

Embattled presidents, especially those who are behind in the polls less than 50 days from the election, tend to tweak their messages to capitalise on their successes and to appeal to the largest number of voters as they can. And this president, who continues to suffer lagging approval ratings, could use a string of good news in the final weeks of the election.

For Trump this week, Americans current disinterest in foreign policy would likely have made it difficult for the Middle East deals to deeply resonate with voters. But his own practice of deliberately creating controversy and sidelining one of his biggest accomplishments in months virtually eliminated any chance of that political victory taking hold with voters.
Former national security adviser H.R. McMaster is criticizing President Donald Trump for his administrations negotiations with the Taliban.

In an interview segment with CBS' 60 Minutes published on Thursday, McMaster said that moving to withdraw American forces from Afghanistan was an "unwise" policy. The retired Army lieutenant general was discussing his new book, Battlegrounds, in which he says Trump cheapened the lives of the Americans who died in Afghanistan by making too many concessions to the Taliban, "60 Minutes" reported.

McMaster said during his interview that Trump was partnering with the Taliban ahead of peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban in Doha, Qatar. The Trump administrations negotiations with the Taliban go against, in many ways, the Afghan government, McMaster said.

What we require in Afghanistan is a sustained commitment to help the Afghan government, he said on 60 Minutes.

A spokesperson for the National Security Council did not immediately offer comment on Thursday evening.

The U.S. signed a peace agreement with the Taliban in February, hoping for the Afghan government to soon follow suit. Under the agreement, the U.S. would withdraw all its troops within 14 months of the signing if the Taliban honored its commitments.

Representatives of the Afghan government and the Taliban started meeting this month in Doha to discuss their own peace agreement. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo traveled to Doha this month for the opening of the talks.

McMaster served as Trumps second national security adviser, from February 2017 to April 2018. Since then, he has voiced criticism of some of his former peers. He criticized the Trump administration in November for moving to withdraw U.S. troops from northern Syria, saying the move would destabilize the region and offer opportunities for Russia to gain greater control in the area.

In May 2019, McMaster said some of his former White House colleagues were a danger to the Constitution and were there to try to manipulate the situation based on their own agenda, not the presidents agenda.


A UNICEF Regional director addresses the UN Human Rights Councils urgent debate on Belarus, saying excessive use of force has also been used against children.

By Sr Bernadette Mary Reis, fsp

"UNICEF is concerned with the numerous reports of excessive use of force by law enforcement officials during protests and in places of detention, including against children.



Afshan Khan, UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, and the Special Coordinator for the Refuge and Migrant Response in Europe spoke these words on Friday during the UN Human Rights Councils urgent debate on Belarus.

She went on to cite reports estimating that 240 minors are facing administrative charges for engaging in largely peaceful demonstrations.

Articles 13 and 15 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child extends the right to freedom of expression and freedom of association and to freedom of peaceful assembly to children, she reminded the Human Rights Council.

Ms Khan also stated that arrest, detention or imprisonment of any child is always a last resort measure, that parents or guardians must be informed and present during any subsequent procedures.

She ending, urging that childrens rights be fully respected and protected in Belarus in accordance with international human rights law. UNICEF, she said is continuing to monitor the situation.

Pope Francis on protests

Just this past Sunday, speaking after delivering his Angelus message, Pope Francis spoke out regarding the many demonstrations and protests taking place throughout the world. He said these protests express the growing disappointment people have regarding certain critical political and social situations. Addressing leaders, he urged them to listen to the voice of their citizens and welcome their just aspirations assuring complete respect for human rights and civil liberties.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 10:53:47|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director David Beasley on Thursday urged the rich to help the hungry.

"We cannot and we must not surrender, or tell ourselves there is nothing we can do, because millions of people around the world desperately need our help," Beasley said at the Security Council's virtual session on protecting civilians in armed conflicts.

The WFP chief noted that there are now 17.1 million people suffering severe food insecurity amid armed conflicts and COVID-19, compared with 4.5 million six or seven months ago, while there are over 2,000 billionaires worldwide with a net worth of 8 trillion U.S. dollars.

"We need 4.9 billion U.S. dollars to feed, for one year, all 30 million people who will die without WFP's assistance," Beasley said.

"It's time for those who have the most to step up, to help those who have the least in this extraordinary time in world history," he said.

"Famine was real. It's a terrifying possibility in up to three dozen countries if we don't continue to act like we've been acting," he added. Enditem
Not enough so far. Human activities are estimated to have already caused about 1 degree Celsius of warming and are increasing at a rate of about 0.2 degrees Celsius per decade. The UN World Meteorological Organization has said that global temperatures are on track to rise 3 to 5 degrees by the end of this century, well beyond the targeted cap of 2 degrees. The years 2015 to 2019 were the warmest five years on record, and 2010 to 2019 was the warmest decade on record, according to the UN agency. Climate Action Tracker, a research project, agrees that current policies and pledges will leave the planet well above the Paris accords long-term temperature goal. Even with the U.S. involved, academics were concerned that the world was headed for extensive species extinctions, serious crop damage and irreversible increases in sea levels.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 18:15:25|Editor: huaxia

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Online retailer Ashraf Jameel (R) shows bicycles to a customer in Baghdad, Iraq, on Sept. 17, 2020. (Xinhua)

BAGHDAD, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The nationwide lockdown in Iraq and the fear of being infected with coronavirus have kept consumers from going shopping in stores. Iraqi retailers quickly shift to alternatives, such as online trading.

Mohammed Hamed, 30, used to have a furniture store in central Baghdad, but he had to close it due to the spread of the pandemic.

"The deadly and highly contagious coronavirus as well as the restriction measures taken by the government have greatly reduced the commercial movement in the markets. I have to close my store because I was not able to afford the rent," Hamed said.

After weeks of having no job, Hamed turned to sell goods on social media by creating and managing a Facebook page.

However, many online retailers faced huge obstacles when the Iraqi government imposed the nationwide curfew as part of restriction measures to curb the spread of the virus.

After closing his women's shoes and handbags store and shifted to online retail, the 32-year-old Mustafa Basim still faced many problems. For instance, the goods filled the children's play area in the hall and narrowed the spaces for his wife in the kitchen.

"Despite the accumulation of goods in my small apartment and its negative impact on the daily life of my family, we are obliged to support each other until we get over this difficult time," Basim told Xinhua.

Consumers, on the other hand, believe that online shopping nowadays is safer to avoid being infected with the coronavirus.

"As a father of two children, shopping online has helped reduce my fears of transmitting the infection to my children. Before COVID-19, I used to go to markets and malls to buy my house's needs with my family, but the pandemic forced me to turn to online shopping," said Omar Dhia, 39, an online consumer.

Many believe that online commercial activity has positive sides, including saving time and effort and offering more choices with different prices.

"Before the booming of online retail in Iraq, I used to spend hours in traffic jams to buy whatever I need. And now all I need to do is searching for any product on the internet which will be delivered to me with a reasonable time and a suitable price," Dhia said.

Due to the high rate of unemployment among people, especially college graduates, many young men have started online trade with well-known shopping websites like Amazon and Alibaba.

After his graduation from university in 2016, Ashraf Jameel couldn't find a job.

"I decided to buy a small number of bicycles from the Alibaba website to sell them on Facebook because many Iraqis started to use bicycles to go out to avoid using public transportation due to the fear of the spread of virus," Jameel said. Enditem
Contributed Photo / Bjoern Wylezich - TNS

HARTFORD  A city man will serve more than eight years in federal prison on fentanyl distribution and gun possession charges, according to authorities.

Arcadio Grodo Dones, 45, was sentenced Thursday to serve 100 months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release, a news release from the office of U.S. Attorney for Connecticut John Durham said.
A federal grant will make free school lunches available to area children through December.

The Easton Area School District, Bethlehem Area School District, Nazareth Area School District, Allentown School District and Wilson Area School District are among the districts to indicate theyll take advantage of the offer from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Meals are available to all Easton community members, including any individual under the age of 18, regardless of the school enrolled, says a news release issued this week from Easton Area School District Superintendent David Piperato.

The lunches are available for pick up by cyber-students on days when theyre not in school, according to Nazareth Area School District Superintendent Dennis Riker. Other school districts have similar arrangements.

The program is an expansion of a program offering free lunches to disadvantaged children. That program started in March after the pandemic arrived and continued through the summer.

Details for obtaining lunches are as follows:

ALLENTOWN

You can pick up breakfast or lunch for any student from 7:30 to 9 a.m., from 10:30 to 1:30 p.m. and from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. at Central, Dodd, Hays, Jefferson, Lehigh Parkway, Muhlenberg, Ramos, Ritter, Roosevelt, Sheridan, Union Terrace and Washington elementary schools; at Harrison Morton, Raub, South Mountain and Trexler middle schools; and at Allen, Building 21 and Dieruff high schools.

BETHLEHEM AREA

Online students need to order online in advance to obtain meals for the week; hybrid students dont need to order in advance.. Students in school two days a week can get three days worth of take-home breakfast and lunches for their online learning days. Meals will be distributed between 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. on Mondays at Broughal and Northeast middle schools; and Donegan, Fountain Hill and Marvine elementary schools. You can pick up meals at any school regardless of whether your child attends that school.

EASTON AREA

Breakfast and lunch is available between 9 and 11 a.m. at Cheston Elementary School, Paxinosa Elementary School, Easton Area Middle School and Easton Area High School.

NAZARETH AREA

Send an email to your school the morning of the date you want to pick up lunch. Pick up times for all schools will be 12:45-1:30. See the school district website for more details.

WILSON AREA

The designated days for meal pickup are Monday and Wednesday between 10 and 10:30 a.m. at Avona, Williams Township and Wilson Borough elementary schools.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to Lehighvalleylive.com.

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. If theres anything about this story that needs attention, please email him. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.
The motion was backed by 252 lawmakers on September 17.

The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, has adopted a bill banning members of parliament and local councils, as well as mayors and village heads from working with family members.

Such rules are stipulated by draft law No. 2203 on amendments to certain legislative acts of Ukraine concerning limiting joint work of family members, according to an UNIAN correspondent.

Read alsoParliament adopts bill on Ukrainian intelligence services

The motion was backed by 252 lawmakers on September 17.

The draft law establishes that Members of Parliament, members of the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, members of local councils, town and village heads, mayors cannot exercise powers while having or being in direct subordination with persons close to them.

One of the sponsors of the bill, MP from the European Solidarity Party Viktoria Siumar said on Facebook: "Now parliamentarians, like all other civil servants, will not be able to hire wives/husbands, brothers, sisters and other relatives. And this is fair."

More news reports on parliament-related activities:
About 46,000 people living with HIV have refused treatment, the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) has revealed.



According to the Director-General of the commission, Mr Kyeremeh Atuahene, that development had presented a challenge to the national HIV epidemic control and viral suppression programme.



Speaking during a courtesy call on the Managing Director (MD) of the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL), Mr Ato Afful, in Accra last Wednesday, Mr Atuahene said the situation was one of the major difficulties the commission was facing in its bid to prevent the national prevalence of 342,307 from going up.



He said what was equally disturbing was that the situation had rather resulted in new infections.



The courtesy call on the GCGL MD was to enable the commission to solicit the support of the countrys biggest media organisation to boost the delivery of the advocacy for behavioural change and also strengthen existing relations between the two institutions.



In attendance were management members of the GCGL and officials of the GAC.



Reasons



Giving reasons for the refusal of the patients to undergo treatment, Mr Atuahene said some of them were living in denial of their status, others feared stigmatisation, while some had fallen prey to false claims of cure by traditional healers and spiritualists.



He said those who had fallen prey to the false healing claims of herbalists and spiritualists often returned to hospital in very deplorable conditions, which led to many of them dying.



Some say that they have done nothing to contract the virus, while others also refuse treatment for fear of being stigmatised in health facilities, which I agree is very high and we are working around the clock to address.



Some feel that once they visit a health facility for the anti-retroviral, they will be identified by other people who will subject them to stigmatisation, he said.



More highlight



Highlighting the national burden, Mr Atuahene said the prevalence rate of HIV in Ghana was 2.0 per cent, while that among people aged 15 to 49 was 1.70 per cent.



Based on the 2019 fact sheet, the country recorded 20,068 new HIV infections and 13,616 deaths that year.



He said out of the number of new infections, 17,096, representing 85 per cent, were from 15 years and above, while 2,972, representing 15 per cent, were children of 14 years and below.



He indicated that while some stakeholders were asking about how to reduce prevalence (the number of people living with the condition), it was clear that that was impossible.



HIV prevalence cannot be brought down because there is currently no cure for the condition. The only intervention is that anti-retroviral medications, when taken consistently on a daily basis, as scheduled by medical officers, are very effective in suppressing the viral load to a negligible stage.



At that stage, it becomes virtually impossible for a carrier to infect others with the virus. Consistency with medications will also enable people living with the condition live healthy normal lives, just like any other people, he said.



The GAC boss warned that once people stopped taking their medication, there could be a retrogression in their well-being, which could lead to death.



Prevention interventions



Mr Atuahene said the challenges affecting viral suppression and epidemic control had brought to the fore the need to heighten public sensitisation and education.



This is why we have come to you, the GCGL, to solicit your support in the form of the platform to churn out the requisite public education and sensitisation materials.



Anytime we put out information, the Daily Graphics reports are the best in the media space, considering accuracy and presentation, and so we see you as a valued partner, he said.



Dwindling funds



Mr Atuahene said the support of the media, particularly the Daily Graphic, had become more critical in recent times because donor funding, which in the past represented 90 per cent of the commissions funding meant to deliver on its mandate, was now 40 per cent.



Therefore, he said, it had become necessary to find innovative ways to deliver on our mandate, and this is why we are here to solicit your support.



Graphic commits



Responding, Mr Afful commended the commission for its work at managing HIV in the country. Describing the mandate of the commission as a worthy cause, he gave an assurance that the GCGL was committed to supporting its efforts with insightful publications in all its brands.



He asked the commission to take advantage of the GCGLs digital platforms, as well as the Graphic News Plus, the digital version of the newspaper, to advance the delivery of its mandate.



Our doors are always open to you any time, any day for discussions, and be assured of our support always, he said.



The Director in charge of Marketing of the GCGL, Mr Franklin Sowa, informed the commission that there were some low-cost platforms of the company that it could leverage to advance its mandate, in the face of limited funds, as well as platforms that required no monetary commitments, such as placing news articles in the newspaper.



The Editor of the Daily Graphic, Mr Kobby Asmah, reiterated the commitment of the Daily Graphic and the other GCGL brands to support advocacy on HIV, describing such support as the companys call to national duty.



He said, however, that the challenge had always been with timely access to information, adding: You dont have to bother so much about money when it has to do with news articles for advocacy and information sharing.

Source: Daily Graphic









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Opposition supporters take part in a rally against police brutality following protests to reject the presidential election results in Minsk, on Sept. 13, 2020. (Tut.By/Reuters)

UN agrees to step up monitoring of human rights abuses in Belarus

GENEVAThe United Nations agreed on Friday to step up monitoring of reported rights abuses during Belaruss crackdown on protests, angering Minsk and its ally Moscow and raising the diplomatic stakes in the crisis.

During a highly charged debate at the U.N. Human Rights Council, European ministers denounced the repression of demonstrations since Belaruss Aug 9. elections, and Britains envoy said it would support sanctions. Belarus said the Councils decision on monitoring set a dangerous precedent.

Yury Ambrazevich, head of Belarus delegation and Permanent Representative to the UN Office, listen to the speeches, during the opening of 45th session of the Human Rights Council, at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, on Sept. 14, 2020. (Martial Trezzini/Keystone via AP Photo)

U.N. rights investigator Anais Marin earlier told a meeting of the Council that states needed to act to prevent a major geopolitical rift. Lets not allow another Iron Curtain to descend on the European continent, she said.

Marin said more than 10,000 people have been abusively arrested, with more than 500 reports of torture and thousands savagely beaten, since President Alexander Lukashenko claimed victory in the vote.

Protesters say the election was fraudulent. Lukashenko says he won the vote fairly by a landslide and dismisses accusations of abuses as part of a Western smear campaign.

A protester with a historical white-red-white flag of Belarus kneels in front of law enforcement officers during a rally against police brutality following protests to reject the presidential election results in Minsk, on Sept. 13, 2020. (Tut.By/Reuters)

In Belarus, detained opposition politician and prominent protest leader Maxim Znak started a hunger strike in jail on Friday, the opposition Coordination Council said.

There were no reports of big demonstrations in Minsk, though the opposition has announced marches for Saturday and Sunday.

A man set himself on fire outside a police station in the town of Smolevichi on Friday, the interior ministry said, though it was not immediately clear if that was linked to the unrest. The ministry said the man had a history of mental illness.

A girl covers with an old Belarusian National flag as people stand near the place where Alexander Taraikovsky died amid the clashes protesting the election results, in Minsk, on Aug. 24, 2020. (Dmitri Lovetsky/AP Photo)

It Is Heartbreaking

The U.N. debate in Geneva, called to vote on an EU proposal for increased monitoring, was interrupted repeatedly by the delegations of Belarus, Russia, China, and Venezuela raising procedural objections.

Russiathere as an observer without voting rightsproposed 17 amendments to the motion, but they were all rejected.

The council agreedwith 23 votes in favor, two against (Venezuela, Eritrea) and 22 abstentionsto give the office of U.N. rights boss Michelle Bachelet a mandate to monitor the situation in Belarus and submit an oral report with recommendations by the end of the year.

This image made from video shows Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko armed with a Kalashnikov-type rifle near the Palace of Independence in Minsk on Aug. 23, 2020. (State TV and Radio Company of Belarus via AP Photo)

The Belarus Foreign Ministry described the vote as a dangerous precedent and accused the Council of meddling in its internal affairs.

Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya had earlier called in a video message for the monitoring mission, but said she was still open to talks with the government to try and resolve the crisis.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Lukashenkos main ally, agreed to loan Belarus $1.5 billion at a summit on Monday, and the two countries are conducting joint military training exercises in Belarus.

Russias President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko during a meeting in Sochi, Russia, on Sept. 14, 2020, (Russian Presidential Executive Office/Handout via Reuters)

Russias defense ministry said on Friday that special forces from Russia and Belarus had rehearsed a counter-terrorism scenario involving freeing hostages from a building in their Slavic Brotherhood 2020 drills.

It said more than 800 military personnel from the two countries were taking part in the training near the Belarusian city of Brest.

During the U.N. debate, Ukraines foreign minister warned Russia against taking steps that may undermine the sovereignty of Belarus and destabilize the region.

It is heartbreaking to watch the footage of our close neighbors viciously beaten down and arbitrarily detained on the streets of their native cities, Dmytro Kuleba told the debate.

Denmarks foreign minister, Jeppe Kofod, said the situation in Belarus had deteriorated alarmingly in recent months.

Wendy Morton, Britains junior foreign minister, told the talks: The UK also supports sanctions against those responsible. We are working with our international partners to hold the Belarusian authorities to account.

Internal divisions have up to now hampered an EU push to impose sanctions on Belarus.

By Stephanie Nebehay and Emma Farge
Coco Rocha always knows how to steal the show.

All eyes were on the pregnant model when she closed out Christian Siriano's spring-summer 2021 runway show at his home in Westport, Conn.

Dressed in a red, over-the-top gown that flowed behind her, the 32-year-old expertly walked across Christian's grassy backyard, before coming to a stop on a tiny bridge built across a pool. Like the models before her, Coco struck a pose at that point, but rather than strut away, the mommy to be decided to walk into the water wearing the dress, mask and hat that Siriano designedSarah Jessica Parker supplied the shoes.

In other words, the model made sure there was a grand finale the guests would never forget.

She eventually had to be assisted with getting out of the pool by someone else as she was weighed down by the soaked dress.

All in all, Christian's New York Fashion Week presentation was a success, even if one model fell while walking on the grass.

Influencers at NYFW Fall 2020

Those in attendance, including Pose star Billy Porter, watched the spectacle from their socially distant chairs, which were perched atop a picnic blanket where there were other items designed by Christian in collaboration with Lowes.

Coco Rocha, Christian Siriano, New York Fashion Week Spring 2021, NYFW

The home improvement store also aired a livestream on their social media platforms so that those who were unable to nab a VIP spot on the picnic blanket could watch from home.

Christian is one of the few designers to physically present their fashions for NYFW, albeit the show didn't actually happen in New York City or even the state of New York.

Nonetheless, Christian said it was important for people to see his designs in person. "I just felt like my clothes, they need to be seen, and I've been sitting at home depressed. Really, I just wanted to have some fun," he explained.

And while Coco is about eight months pregnant, she was more than willing to join Christian in his mission. She wrote on Twitter, "I've worked as a model through 35 seasons of #NYFW, but this is my first during a global pandemic. Backstage at @CSiriano- today was a moment!"

Story continues

Coco Rocha, Christian Siriano, New York Fashion Week Spring 2021, NYFW

Other designers who physically held shows included Jason Wu, who told E! News all about the inspiration behind his rooftop show: His 2016 destination wedding.

"We're escaping to Tulum because that's where I got married and I wanted it in the city," he explained. "If I can't go, it's coming to me."

Additionally, Wu wanted attendees to feel like they were escaping their everyday lives. "I'm really thrilled because for just seven and a half, eight minutes we forget about all the troubles we have to face and continue to face," he shared. "And that's what fashion is about."
Once again at the centre of a major coronavirus outbreak, the Madrid region admitted Thursday it was overwhelmed, calling for decisive central government action on the eve of unveiling fresh restrictions.

In a country where public health services are left in the hands of Spains 17 autonomous regions, senior official Ignacio Aguado said it was necessary and urgent that the Spanish government get involved, and that means decisively, in controlling the pandemic.

The reality of the epidemic in the community of Madrid is getting worse and we need to make greater efforts, said Ignacio Aguado, vice president of the region of some 6.6 million people.

Spain is currently battling a resurgent second wave of Covid-19 although the mortality levels are far lower than they were in spring.

And once again, Madrid is the region with the worst outbreak, accounting for a third of the national figure for both infections and deaths with a level of transmission which the World Health Organizations European director has described as alarming.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he had summoned Isabel Diaz Ayuso, the head of the Madrid region, for an emergency meeting to define a common strategy.

Madrid officials have warned that the regions healthcare system was coming under increasing pressure with one in five hospital beds occupied by Covid patients. So far, there are 2,850 people in hospital of whom 392 are in intensive care, regional figures show.

The latest figures show 20,987 people have been diagnosed with Covid in the past seven days and 138 people have died.

In several districts of southern Madrid and a handful of areas just outside the capital, cases have shot up with more than 1,000 cases per 100,000 inhabitants - far above the national average of 285, which in itself is one of the highest rates in Europe.

The numbers have spiralled despite the fact that mask-wearing has long been compulsory in all public places across all of the country, with the regions admission coming just days after the start of a new school year that has been overshadowed by the fears and worries of parents and teachers.

On Friday, Madrid is to unveil a raft of restrictions on movement to slow the spread of the virus, which regional sources say will take effect either on Saturday or Monday.

Regional health chief Antonio Ruiz Escudero said the Madrid government was working on a series of measures to restrict mobility and reduce activity in certain areas.. where the virus is most-widely transmitted.

We are in a situation of sustained growth (in cases), he warned.

We have to do whatever is necessary to control the situation in Madrid where we have what is likely the biggest problem, Health Minister Salvador Illa said.

- A new lockdown? -

Thursdays admission came a day after a top regional health official raised the possibility of a fresh lockdown in the worst-hit areas.

His remarks triggered anxiety and a flurry of questions about how it could work, given that most hotspots are poor areas where most people travel to work in the city centre or in other areas of the region.

It would be bad for shops, for small businesses and little bars that survive on people coming in, for schools, said Maribel Quesada, a 55-year-old resident of Puente de Vallecas, one of the worst-hit areas.

People are really sick of being at home, the (spring) lockdown was very difficult, she said of the three-month confinement under some of the strictest conditions in the world, with people only allowed out to buy food or medicine or for a medical emergency.

The regional authorities quickly called for calm but the measure they take will not be clear until Friday.

Spain has so far suffered more than 30,000 deaths and 600,000 cases of Covid-19, government figures show, with the numbers rising so rapidly that in one week alone, the country added around 100,000 new infections.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)

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US agricultural products highlighted at Hanoi food fair

A wide range of US products are being introduced at a food fair which was launched on Friday in Hanoi.

US Ambassador Kritenbrink and representatives from Lotte Mart and Food Export Association of the Midwest USA cut the ribbon to launch the fair on September 18.

The fair also includes cooking demonstrations, food sampling, and interactive displays, so that Vietnamese consumers can learn more about US foods and beverages.

The US Food Fair is a collaboration between the US Embassy, the US Department of Agriculture, Food Export Midwest, and Lotte Mart. This year the United States and Vietnam celebrate 25 years of diplomatic relations. Food and agricultural trade is an important part of our relations, with bilateral agricultural trade at nearly USD8 billion in 2019. 25 years after the establishment of diplomatic relations, consumers in both the United States and in Vietnam have reliable access to a diverse selection of food products from the other country.



Vietnams modern retail foods sector continues to develop and show excellent growth potential. According to the General Statistics Organization, total 2019 food and beverage retail sales were estimated at USD51 billion, a 13 percent increase over the previous year, with modern retail food channels accounting for approximately 14 percent of the total. Strong economic growth, increasing foreign investment, a growing middle class with higher disposable income, rapid urbanization, and heightened concerns about hygiene and food safety continue to fuel the sustainable growth in this sector. The United States values food safety and is proud to provide safe, high-quality products to Vietnamese customers at supermarkets across Vietnam.



US exports of consumer-oriented products reached USD975 million in 2019. This includes products like beef, pork, and poultry; dairy products; fresh fruit; and snack foods. Additionally, distilled spirits and seafood exports accounted for another USD140 million in US exports. Top selling US products preferred by Vietnamese consumers include beef, pork, poultry, dairy products, and fresh fruits including, apples, cherries, blueberries, oranges, pears, and grapes.



The US Food Fair will run until September 23 at four Lotte Marts in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
Jo Malone has criticised her former companys decision to cut John Boyega from an advert he directed and starred in, saying she feels humiliated to have her name associated with the controversy.

Last year, it was announced that Boyega had been chosen as the first male ambassador for Jo Malone London - which is now owned by Estee Lauder. The actor starred in an advert, called A London Gent, and is shown hanging out with friends and family in Peckham, where he grew up.

When the advert was launched in China, it was reshot with actor Liu Haoran, a decision that Boyega only learnt about later on social media.

Jo Malone London issued an apology to Boyega for what the company described as a misstep. Shortly afterwards, the Star Wars star revealed that he had decided to step down from his role as a global ambassador for the firm.

On Friday 18 September, perfumer Jo Malone appeared on ITVs Lorraine where she spoke about the treatment of Boyega by Jo Malone London, which she sold in 1999 and departed from in 2006.

Recommended Jo Malone apologises for cutting John Boyega from advert

Firstly, I am so horrified and disgusted at what has been done to John, Malone said.

Thats why Im sitting here. If people like me never speak out, things will never change, things will never be different and people will continue to go through these things.

Malone added that on a personal level, she feels heartbroken by the situation, as people assume she was involved in the decision to remove Boyega from the advert he conceptualised.

This has gone global. My name has been associated and its been done in my name, but also people think its me, she stated.

There is nothing in this, nothing that resembles me. Nothing of my spirit, if Id been standing there in those shoes, I promise you John this would never have happened.

Malone said that these circumstances have shown there is a big lesson to everybody when a business attached to a persons name is sold, saying that both the person and the company have a responsibility.

The perfumer said she feels humiliated by the incident, describing Jo Malone Londons failure to contact Boyega prior to the launch of the reshot advert as despicable and disgusting.

Jo Malone on ITV's Lorraine (Friday 18 September) (Photo by ITV/REX)

When you look at that video and you look through his eye being a child, that man brought his life story to people and to that brand and how dare somebody treat him  and he finds out hes been replaced on social media. Thats the bit that really gets to me, she said.

Its the fact they never spoke to him, they never considered for one minute what he would feel like. That for me is utterly despicable and its disgusting.

Recommended John Boyega quits Jo Malone role after being cut from advert

On Thursday 17 September, Jo Malone London released a statement on Instagram stating: To clarify Jo Malone CBE left the company in 2006 and has had no involvement in these events, five days after the firm released its initial statement regarding the advert.

Speaking on Lorraine, Malone said: This has gone global around the world  what am I supposed to do? We clarify? Im sorry. I find that insulting.

No apology, no recognition that this was their mess and they need to clear up. On a human level, people make mistakes. Ive made mistakes, I get that. But when you make mistakes as a human being you clear up your own mess.

If we are ever to see change in this country and this world people need to start taking responsibility, she added.

The Independent has contacted Jo Malone London for comment.
President Donald Trump signs the first coronavirus relief package March 27, but Congress in thrall of election politics can't compromise on a new round while low- and middle-class Americans suffer the most. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
My mother was born in a small village in Mexico and became a citizen of the United States only after toiling for many years in a byzantine U.S. immigration system. My father, a third-generation Texan, hailed from deep West Texas, where his ancestors were persecuted merely for the fact they were successful ranchers and mercantile families who also happened to be Hispanic.

But make no mistake: My parents love America because it offers what no other country in the world can provide: opportunity based solely on hard work, sacrifice and dedication. It doesnt matter where we were born or who our parents were. What matters in America is our ability to make this a better country for our fellow citizens.

My parents and grandparents are not only role players in the ageless story of Texas; their histories and voices are interwoven into the very tapestry of what this great state represents. They embody what it means to be a Texan.

And yet we do not fit the stereotype of what most people think of when they think of Texas Latinos. I, just one generation removed, do not speak Spanish. I am not a Catholic. I was elected to the Texas Legislature as a card-carrying member of the Republican Party. Texas Hispanics are not as we are characterized on television or in the newspapers. We are a diverse, unique, disparate group of America-loving people who come from many different backgrounds.

2020 Voter Guide: A roadmap of the races, candidates and issues on the ballot

Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation Find more information at www.txhpf.org. See More Collapse

This is why some of the states most well-respected Hispanic leaders from both parties have launched the Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation  to provide polling and other research to explore the beliefs and behaviors of Hispanic Texans. We believe the publics understanding of Texas Hispanics should be based on data rather than outdated, presumptuous punditry.

After all, the Hispanic community is vastly diverse. Some of us are from Mexico. Some of us are from South America or Europe. We are wealthy, poor, educated and illiterate. We fight for our country in the armed forces, but we are also day laborers on Americas farms and factories. We help raise the children of the United States, while simultaneously cleaning and cooking to keep your homes tidy. With or without documents, we are Americans.

Now, as our numbers grow in states such as Texas, Florida, California, Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico, our political voice is being heard. For many years, we have been the deciding votes in elections for city council, county judge and state representative. But as our numbers increase, our vote becomes vital to anyone seeking statewide or national office.

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Neither President Donald Trump nor former Vice President Joe Biden can win the presidency without receiving a material proportion of the Hispanic vote in several critically important states. In states like Texas and Florida, if Joe Biden can obtain the level of support from Hispanic voters that Hillary Clinton was able to garner, he would likely win those states, and thus the presidency.

This is not conjecture. Our foundation released polling last month showing Trump with a seven-point lead in Texas and Biden with a lead of 9.5 percentage points among Texas Hispanic voters. But according to exit polls, Clinton won Hispanic Texans by 27 points four years ago.

If Trump can cut into Hispanic support, as polls in both Texas and Florida currently show, he would win both states. But if Biden can engage and win the mindshare of Hispanics in a meaningful way in Texas, Florida and Arizona, he has several wide-open paths to the Oval Office.

What is clear is that the Hispanic vote is the key. He who can win the hearts and minds of hardworking and America-loving people like my mother and father will be the next president of the United States.

Former state Rep. Jason Villalba of Dallas is president of the Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation. More information at www.txhpf.org.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 14:17:48|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. government has failed to shift blame away from itself for its failure in handling the COVID-19 pandemic by frequently using the phrase "Chinese virus," The Washington Post reported Wednesday, citing a recent survey.

The survey, covering a sample of 1,500 U.S. residents, was conducted in late June, shortly after the United States reported 2.5 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and 120,000 deaths, according to the report.

The respondents were asked to read a brief description of the pandemic. Some read a version in which the coronavirus was called "COVID-19," while for others, it was called the "Chinese virus."

"Surprisingly, the use of the term 'Chinese virus' prompted more respondents to blame Trump for the pandemic," said the report.

Those exposed to the phrase "Chinese virus" were more likely to echo the blame that the current U.S. administration failed to take the pandemic seriously enough, according to the survey.

The survey also showed that even conservatives responded to the phrase "Chinese virus" by blaming the U.S. administration more often.

By using "Chinese virus," the U.S. government tries to avoid blame for the pandemic by redirecting anger toward China.

However, it failed to shift blame away from itself, according to the survey. Enditem
South Africa: Government reprioritises funding to restructure SAA

The Department of Public Enterprise (DPE) on Friday confirmed that government will reprioritise funds to finalise the restructuring of South African Airways (SAA) and the implementation of the airlines business rescue plan.

The DPE said an announcement to this effect will be made in the Adjustments Appropriation Bill, which will soon be introduced in Parliament.

The national carrier will not be liquidated. Because the restructuring process should be brought closer to finalisation in the next few weeks, lending institutions will be requested to finance the restructuring process and honour commitments for voluntary severance packages and retrenchments.

At the same time, the DPE will continue to assess the 20 unsolicited expressions of interest from private sector funders, private equity investors and partners for a future restructured SAA.

The DPE is sympathetic to the plight of SAA employees, while continuing to work with other government departments, including National Treasury, to make sure that the airlines restructuring plan will be successfully implemented, the department said.

In charting the way forward, the DPE believes the key to solving the difficulties at SAA is the finalisation and implementation of the business rescue process, followed by the start of a restructured airline and appointment of new non-executive directors and leadership team, including securing a credible strategic equity partner that can introduce the required technical, financial, and operational expertise into the business.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-09-18. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 17/9/2020 (491 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

Economic realities in the world today are stark.

Not only has the COVID-19 pandemic incited the most severe global recession since the Great Recession, it is also happening at a time when the realities of global warming have become manifest.

There are many very sad stories of people losing their livelihoods from business failures caused by the pandemic.

In that context it becomes so much harder to imagine why Manitoba Hydro is on the verge of winding down its Manitoba Hydro International (MHI) division, which has not only remained profitable and employs about 125 people in well-paying positions, but is engaged in hydroelectric consulting projects in many places around the world in need of the kind of green energy expertise housed at MHI.

Although staff at MHI are waiting for some kind of Manitoba Hydro board decision to decide their fate on Oct. 8 there now seems to be little doubt of Hydros intention to wind down the enterprise.

Internal documents show that business development efforts have been ordered to be drastically curtailed. Any new business contract has to include a provision allowing it to be cancelled with 90 days notice.

As one staffer said, that eliminates about 99 per cent of MHIs work, much of which includes engagements that last for years.

Most believe Hydro is not interested in selling any component of MHI because that would be viewed as a move to privatization, something that would be political dynamite in Manitoba. (There is currently a request for proposal outstanding for a third-party operator of Manitoba Hydro Telecom, a division of MHI. While there is outrage from provincial internet service providers who rely on that broadband network to get at seriously underserviced clients in the North, at least in that case the Crown would retain ownership of the asset.)

So while government and Hydro officials refuse to say what is happening publicly or to its own staff, MHI employees are quietly being advised by friendly supervisors to look for other work.

Families are in the process of making the hard decision about whether or not they need to leave the province because many believe they wont find other jobs in Manitoba doing the kind of work they do at MHI.

Some believe the decision to wind down this profitable and prestigious enterprise  MHIs work provided a rare opportunity to burnish Manitobas reputation on the world stage  is being done for ideological reasons, including the conservative inclination towards smaller government. Also they might say a provincial Crown corporation shouldnt be involved in international work or work that is ostensibly in competition with the private sector.

Nigel Wills, a former managing director of MHI and currently the head of a private sector group of energy industry consultants called the Energy Sector Alliance of Manitoba, believes that sort of analysis is largely misguided.

While he said he might agree with it regarding competition at home  and even there MHI has also been a significant economic contributor over the years to the power sector engineering and consulting community  MHIs presence in the international markets is another matter.

"In the case of MHI, it is utility versus utility," Wills said. "The major competition to MHI is from electrical utilities in Ireland, France, Australia and South Africa. If you do away with MHI all you do is export those jobs to those countries out of Manitoba."

MHI has been Manitoba Hydros international consulting arm for more than 30 years. Recently it has run large projects in countries including Kenya, Benin and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

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Two separate consultants reports have been undertaken, one an overview of the entirety of Manitoba Hydro and another specifically about (and commissioned by) MHI itself, according to sources.

The contents of the reports have remained locked down but many believe the economic case for MHI is fairly solid.

But while Manitoba Hydro is under pressure to manage its multi-billion debt load, some believe the board and senior management at Hydro no longer include the skill sets or perhaps the world view that would embrace an international division that bids on World Bank, USAID and CIDA contracts overseas partly because of liability concerns about involvement with regimes around the world where the rule of law is not always a priority.

Notwithstanding all that, if an enterprise in Manitoba were to create 125 good-paying green energy jobs it would be front-page news.

But the same kind of public interest would suggest there is a right to know why a Crown corporation seems to be on the verge of getting rid of 125 high-paying jobs in the green economy, from an enterprise that is making money where nothing apparently is going wrong.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca
ABURI, Ghana - West African leaders have emphasized that Malis junta should nominate civilian transitional leaders within days to lead the nation toward elections, Ghanas president said following a regional summit.

Six leaders from the West African regional economic bloc, ECOWAS, met with Malis junta Tuesday in Ghana, whose president now serves as the blocs new chairman. They agreed the junta must install a civilian president and vice-president.

ECOWAS insisted that the transitional leaders must be civilians, rejecting the juntas suggestion that the leaders could come from the military.

We need a civilian leadership of the transition, Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo said after the summit. From the minute that leadership is put in place, the regional sanctions on Mali will be lifted, he said. This should be accomplished within days, not weeks, he said.

The military junta staged a coup on Aug. 18, deposing Malis President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita who still had three years remaining in his second term in office. The military leaders held talks with various political and civil society groups to come up with an outline for a transition to civilian rule last week.

The regional leaders appear to have accepted the juntas call for an 18-month transitional period to new elections, instead of the one-year timeline that the regional bloc originally proposed.

Malis junta had earlier floated the idea of waiting three years before holding a new election, a proposal quickly rejected by both ECOWAS and former colonizer France, which maintains a large military presence in Mali where it has been fighting Islamic extremists.

ECOWAS also called for the dissolution of the National Committee for the Salvation of the People as soon as the transitional government is in place.

The regional bloc has already closed Malis borders with neighbouring countries and halted financial links in order to put pressure on the junta. Those sanctions could be lifted once a transitional civilian government is in place, ECOWAS said Tuesday.

Col. Assimi Goita, who leads the National Committee for the Salvation of the People, asked ECOWAS to allow him to consult his military comrades before giving a response to the recommendations.

Other leaders were pleased with the meetings outcome.

I totally agree with the ECOWAS proposals, which in reality coincide with the proposals that we made during the days of consultation on the transition last week, said Moussa Mara, former prime minister of Mali. Now the CNSP must move quickly.

Choguel Maiga, a member of the M5-RFP opposition coalition that staged anti-government demonstrations in the weeks leading up to the coup, said the pressure by ECOWAS to have civilians in charge is a good thing.

However, he said, there is a mediation commission that will be set up by ECOWAS which will monitor the situation in Mali, and it looks a bit like putting Mali under supervision. This, he said, was not acceptable and would need to be revisited once the transition begins.

There has been widespread concern that the ongoing political upheaval in Mali will set back efforts to contain the countrys growing Islamic extremist insurgency. After a similar coup in 2012, Islamic extremists grabbed control of major towns in northern Mali. Only a 2013 military intervention led by France pushed extremists out of those towns and the international community has spent seven years battling the militants.

The terrorists are taking advantage of the situation in Mali to flex their muscles even more, Ghanas president warned Tuesday.

___

Ahmed reported from Bamako, Mali. Carley Petesch in Dakar, Senegal contributed.
" " The UFO at Lake Elmo was just one of many "airships" seen between November 1896 and May 1897. Intercontinental U.F.O. Galactic Spacecraft Research and Analytic Network Archives

Late on the evening of April 13, 1897, as they were passing through Lake Elmo, Minnesota, on their way to Hudson, Wisconsin, Frederick Chamberlain and O. L. Jones spotted a shadowy figure in a clearing two blocks away. The figure carried a lantern and seemed to be looking for something. Thinking there might be some emergency, Chamberlain and Jones turned toward the clearing, but the figure and lantern disappeared into the trees. Moments later they heard the crackling of twigs and branches, followed by a "rushing noise . . . like the wind blowing around the eaves of a house," Chamberlain told the St. Paul Pioneer Press (April 15). "A second later and we distinguished a long, high object of a gray white color."

Although the two men could not get a clear view of it in the darkness, the object, which had two rows of red, green, and white lights on each side, looked like "most of the top of a 'prairie schooner,'" Chamberlain said. It rose at a sharp angle, then headed south just above the treetops.

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At the clearing, the two witnesses found, impressed in the wet ground, 14 two-foot-long prints, six inches wide, and arranged in an oblong pattern seven on a side. Apparently, these were traces left by the craft.

Around that same time Adam Thielen, a farmer in the Lake Elmo area, heard a buzzing sound above him. When he looked up, he saw a dark object with red and green lights sailing overhead.
China must be a country that dares to fight. And this should be based on both strength and morality, he wrote. We have the power in our hands, we are reasonable, and we stand up to guard our bottom line without fear. In this way, whether China is engaged in a war or not, it will accumulate the respect of the world.
(Newser)  An Ohio teenager admitted Wednesday to his role in killing a photographer by mistake, People reports. Jaden Churchheus, 17, said in court that he and another teen pushed a log off a cliff that killed Victoria Schafer as she snapped photos in Hocking Hills State Park. "That day at Old Man's Cave, I never would have imagined that my actions would result in this," Churchheus said, per WBNS-10TV. "I have thought about the fact that I caused someone's death every day since it happened, and I will carry that with me for the rest of my life. I appreciate the kindness of Ms. Schafer's family, the attorney general's office and the prosecutor's office in giving me a second chance. I realize that nothing I say can bring Ms. Schafer back, but I am truly sorry."

story continues below

Churchheus pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, part of a deal that saw charges of murder and reckless homicide dismissed. He also admitted to being one of two people who pushed the 6-foot-long log. Another boy charged in Schafer's death17-year-old Jordan Buckleymight accept a similar plea deal when he appears in court next week, per the Cincinnati Enquirer. The teens are facing justice in Hocking County Common Pleas Court, where they can be tried as adults, but the plea deal allows for sentencing in juvenile court. Looks like Churchheus faces between 3 and 4.5 years in an Ohio juvenile detention facility. (At first, the accused seemed to show a "lack of remorse.")
Brazils iron ore miner, Vale, has not complied with commitments to prevent another disaster, prosecutor told Reuters.

Despite two major deadly mining disasters since 2015, Brazilian iron ore miner Vale SA has not complied with a number of commitments signed with authorities to prevent a third disaster, federal prosecutor Edison Vitorelli told Reuters News Agency.

Twenty-nine dams that Vale uses to store mining waste still present elevated safety risks, according to Vitorelli, who forms part of a task force of about two dozen federal and state prosecutors who pressed charges against the company after the most recent disaster which killed 270 people in January 2019.

Some of the mines linked to the dams that Vitorellis team regard as unsafe are vital to Vales plans to recover lost iron ore production and grow capacity to 450 million tonnes a year, a level that would make it once again the worlds largest producer of the steel-making raw material.

In two interviews with Reuters during the past week, Vitorelli said Vale, one of the worlds largest mining companies, has repeatedly failed to deliver on commitments to improve on safety made following last years collapse of a dam near the town of Brumadinho in the state of Minas Gerais.

Vale denied the allegations in a response to Reuters. The company said it has regular meetings with the prosecutors and auditors, it promptly addresses possible risks and is on schedule to fulfil all its commitments.

The task force requested earlier this month that Vales top executives in charge of safety operations be removed and for an external expert to be brought in to revamp the companys strategy and culture around safety. A judge is expected to rule on the request in early October.

Relatives of a victim react during a ceremony last January to mark one year of the disaster of the tailings dam owned by Brazilian mining company Vale SA in Brumadinho, Minas Gerais state, Brazil [File: Cristiane Mattos/Reuters]

The prosecutor task force, Vitorelli said, still regards Vales safety approach as flawed. Both state and federal prosecutors told Reuters that in their view the company fails to take preventive measures, does not proactively disclose safety issues, waiting instead to be pressed by external auditors and authorities before taking action.

They listed, in their request to the judge, what they regarded as repeated failures on the part of Vale to improve safety at its tailings dams.

Their concerns come on top of a separate report by a United Nations expert on Wednesday who said Vales restoration projects following the dam disaster in 2015 are behind scheduled.

Vale said it has extensive documentation to prove its compliance with commitments made to prosecutors which it will present to the court.

Its not lack time or money to meet the requirements. Its five years since the first disaster. The problem is the companys culture, Vitorelli said.

If only these events were isolated, but they are not. All the 29 dams are problematic and Vale has been disobeying the agreements to this date, he added.

A man takes a picture as Brazilian artist Mundano works on a mural honour victims of the mining disaster, in Sao Paulo, Brazil [File: Amanda Perobelli/Reuters]

On Tuesday, the Brazilian miner said it plans to grow production capacity to 400 million tonnes of iron ore a year by 2022, up from 318 million today.

Of that, Vale said it expects 54 million tonnes of annual capacity to come from the state of Minas Gerais where the two mining disasters happened. Future actions from prosecutors potentially put some of that output increase at risk.

The task force says Vales response to six dams around its mines at Fabrica, Vargem Grande and Itabira are high risk and that the companys response to improve safety has been inadequate.

For example, during a routine inspection by prosecutors in July 2019 at Itabira, auditors noticed cracks at the Itabirucu dam. One of the cracks, they said in a written report, was 1.87 meters (6.1 feet) deep. The dams stability, moreover, was being monitored with equipment that produced inaccurate data or had a delay.

The miner in response to this allegation, invested 34 million reais ($6.33m) in new inspection equipment, according to prosecutors. Three months after the visit, it increased the security level of the dam and reduced production levels, according to a previous company statement.

More recently, the external auditors reprimanded the company for dams that store mining waste from the Fabrica complex.

The task force said the company failed to replace a video camera that monitors safety, which had been allegedly stolen from Forquilha III, leaving the dam without proper monitoring since July 27.

Vale has disputed the allegation and said the dam was never left without monitoring.

The company awaits external complaints before reacting, and this is systemic, the prosecutor said.
EUREKA, NV / ACCESSWIRE / September 18, 2020 / Nevada Vanadium LLC. ("Nevada Vanadium" or "the Company") announces it has completed the acquisition of the Bisoni vanadium project ("Bisoni Project") from CellCube Energy Storage Systems Inc. ("Cellcube") pursuant to the Asset Purchase Agreement ("APA") announced on August 24, 2020. The Bisoni Project is situated immediately southwest to Nevada Vanadium's Gibellini Project.

Under the terms of the APA, the Company's parent Silver Elephant has issued 4 million Silver Elephant common shares ("Compensation Shares") and paid $200,000 cash to Cellcube. The Compensation Shares are subject to a statutory four month and one day hold period expiring on January 19, 2021.

Additionally, subject to TSX approval, if, on or before December 31, 2023, the price of European vanadium pentoxide on the Metal Bulletin (or an equivalent publication) exceeds US$12 a pound for 30 consecutive days, Silver Elephant will issue to CellCube, an additional $500,000 worth of Silver Elephant's common shares (the "Bonus Shares"), calculated based upon the 5 day volume weighted average price of the Silver Elephant common shares immediately following the satisfaction of the vanadium pentoxide pricing condition.

About Nevada Vanadium

Nevada Vanadium, as a wholly owned subsidiary of Silver Elephant Mining Corp (OTCQX: SILEF, TSX: ELEF), is developing the Gibellini project - the only large-scale, open-pit, heap-leach vanadium project of its kind in North America. Located in Nevada, Gibellini is currently undergoing project engineering and permit development. Further information on Nevada Vanadium can be found at www.nevadavanadium.com

NEVADA VANADIUM, LLC.

Ron Espell

For more information about Nevada Vanadium, please contact Investor Relations:

+1.604.569.3661 ext. 101

ir@nevadavanadium.com

www.nevadavanadium.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Some statements in this news release are about future events and performance. Such statements are based on current estimates, predictions, expectations, or beliefs. The subjects of the statements include, but are not limited to (i) construction of a mine at the project and related actions; (ii) estimates of the capital costs of constructing mine facilities, bringing the mine into production, and sustaining the mine, together with estimates of the length of financing payback periods; (iii) the estimated amount of future production, of both ore mined and metal recovered; and (iv) estimates of the life of the mine and of the operating and total costs, cash flow, net present value, and economic returns, including internal rate of return from an operating mine constructed at the project. All forward-looking statements are based on Nevada vanadium's or its consultants' current beliefs and assumptions, which are in turn based on the information currently available to them. The most significant assumptions are set forth above, but generally these assumptions include: (i) the presence and continuity of vanadium mineralization at the project at the estimated grades; (ii) the geotechnical and metallurgical characteristics of the rock conforming to the sampled results; (iii) infrastructure construction costs and schedule; (iv) the availability of personnel, machinery, and equipment at the estimated prices and within the estimated delivery times; (v) currency exchange rates; (vi) vanadium sale prices; (vii) appropriate discount rates applied to the cash flows in the economic analysis; (viii) tax rates applicable to the proposed mining operation; (ix) the availability of acceptable financing on reasonable terms; (x) projected recovery rates and use of a process method, which although well-known and proven with other commodity types, such as copper, has not been previously brought into production for a vanadium project; (xi) reasonable contingency requirements; (xii) success in realizing proposed operations; and (xiii) assumptions that the project's environmental approval and permitting is forthcoming from county, state, and federal authorities. The economic analysis is partly based on Inferred Mineral Resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as Mineral Reserves, and there is no certainty that any economic assessment based on these Mineral Resources will be realized. Currently there are no Mineral Reserves on the Gibellini property. Although the Company's management and its consultants consider these assumptions to be reasonable, given the information currently available to them, they could prove to be incorrect. Many forward-looking statements are made assuming the correctness of other forward-looking statements, such as statements of net present value and internal rates of return. Those statements are based in turn on most of the other forward-looking statements and assumptions made herein. The cost information is also prepared using current values, but the time for incurring the costs is in the future and it is assumed costs will remain stable over the relevant period.

These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements by Nevada vanadium or its consultants. Nevada vanadium and its consultants believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements contained in this news release and the documents incorporated by reference herein are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove correct. In addition, although Nevada vanadium and its consultants have attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events, or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events, or results not to be as anticipated, estimated, or intended. Nevada vanadium and its consultants undertake no obligation to publicly release any future revisions of the forward-looking statements that reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date of this news release or reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as expressly required by law.

SOURCE: Nevada Vanadium LLC.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/606573/Nevada-Vanadium-Completes-Acquisition-of-Bisoni-Vanadium-Project
Ride-hailing firm Uber Technologies Inc said it received over 3,000 reports of sexual assault related to its 1.3 billion rides in the United States last year, in a report aimed at ensuring drivers and the public it was serious about safety.

The figure - which averages eight a day - represents a 16 per cent fall in the rate of incidents from the previous year in the five most serious categories of sexual assault reported, Uber said on Thursday in its first biennial U.S. Safety Report.

The firm also said reports of assaults on passengers overlooked risks for drivers as riders accounted for roughly half of the accused.

The 84-page report comes almost two weeks after Uber said it would appeal the loss of its license to carry passengers in London over a 'pattern of failures' on safety and security.

Uber, which in the past has faced criticism over safety on its platform and has been repeatedly hit with lawsuits over driver misconduct, last year committed to releasing a safety report in a sign of a cultural turnaround under its new CEO.

A number of tables (above) were included in the report which detailed the number of assaults during its 1.3 billion rides in the United States last year

The firm, which operates in 70 countries, said the report showed its commitment to transparency to improve accountability and safety industry-wide. It said it would use what it learned producing the report for its 'next steps' in other places.

'I suspect many people will be surprised at how rare these incidents are; others will understandably think they're still too common. Some people will appreciate how much we've done on safety; others will say we have more work to do. They will all be right,' tweeted Chief Executive Officer Dara Khosrowshahi.

In the report, Uber said 99.9 per cent of its 2.3 billion U.S. trips in 2017 and 2018 ended without safety incidents.

It said it received 235 reports of 'non-consensual sexual penetration' last year and 280 of 'attempted non-consensual sexual penetration' - nearly all filed by women. The remaining assault reports included incidents of unwanted kissing or touching of body parts.

It also detailed 10 fatal physical assaults in 2017 and nine in 2018 - eight victims were riders, seven were drivers using Uber's app, and four were third parties such as bystanders.

At an event on Wednesday, Khosrowshahi said he prioritized improving Uber's culture and safety when assuming his role in 2017.

At the time, Uber was dealing with regulatory fallout and public backlash over its business practices, forcing former CEO and founder Travis Kalanick to step down.

'We had to change the culture internally and we simply got to do the right thing,' Khosrowshahi said, adding that Uber was not hiding anything by publishing internal information.

The report was released after Transport for London (TfL) revoked the cab-hailing app's right to work in London after finding that at least 14,000 trips were made with drivers who were different to the ones shown on the app.

A change in the company's systems allowed unauthorized drivers to upload their photographs to legitimate Uber driver accounts, the transport body said. At least one driver picking up fares had previously had their licence revoked.

The company has 21 days to mount an appeal and can continue to operate during that time. It will have to convince a court it is 'fit and proper' by the time of the appeal.

It was reported in June 2018 that more than 2,500 Uber drivers in London had been investigated for sexual assault, stalking and dangerous driving - however it was not clear which time frame this related to.

Rival Lyft Inc in a statement said it was committed to releasing its own safety report and sharing information on unsafe drivers. It did not state a release date for its report.

The report also detailed 10 fatal physical assaults in 2017 and nine in 2018 - eight victims were riders, seven were drivers using Uber's app, and four were third parties such as bystanders

Uber said it puts drivers through a vigorous background check before accepting them onto its platform. In its report, it said one million drivers failed to pass the screening test in 2017 and 2018 and more than 40,000 were removed from the app after extra screening layers.

Regulators have long said Uber's screening process was insufficient and inferior to those in place for taxi drivers, with several U.S. cities attempting to compel Uber to mandate fingerprinting of its drivers.

New York City is currently the only U.S. city where drivers have to provide fingerprints and undergo the same licensing requirements as regular taxi drivers.

The New York City Transport and Limousine Commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Uber's safety report. In the past, it said fingerprinting was the only way to ensure proper safety.

An Uber spokeswoman on Thursday said the firm's screening process was robust and rigorous, and was more reliable than the sometimes incomplete database for fingerprints.

Source: Reuters
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Linkedin Patrick Galey (Agence France-Presse) Paris, France  Fri, September 18, 2020 07:56 491 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c458fac1 2 Environment greenhouse-gas,emission,sea-level,environment,environmental-issues Free

Sustained greenhouse gas emissions could see global sea levels rise nearly 40 centimeters this century as ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland continue to melt, a major international study concluded Thursday.

The gigantic ice caps contain enough frozen water to lift oceans 65 meters, and researchers are increasingly concerned that their melt rates are tracking the UN's worst case scenarios for sea level rise.

Experts from more than three dozen research institutions used temperature and ocean salinity data to conduct multiple computer models simulating the potential ice loss in Greenland and Antarctic glaciers.

They tracked two climate scenarios -- one where mankind continues to pollute at current levels and another where carbon emissions are drastically reduced by 2100.

They found that under the high emissions scenario ice loss in Antarctica would see sea levels rise 30 cm by century's end, with Greenland contributing an additional 9 cm.

Such an increase would have a devastating impact worldwide, increasing the destructive power of storm surges and exposing coastal regions home to hundreds of millions of people to repeated and severe flooding.

Even in the lower emissions scenario, the Greenland sheet would raise oceans by around 3 cm by 2100 -- beyond what is already destined to melt due to the additional 1C of warming humans have caused in the industrial age.

"It's not so surprising that if we warm the planet more, more ice will be lost," said Anders Levermann, an expert on climate and ice sheets at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.

"If we emit more carbon into the atmosphere we will have more ice loss in Greenland and Antarctic," he told AFP.

"We have in our hands how fast we let sea levels rise and how much we let sea levels rise eventually."

Outpacing predictions

Until the turn of the 21st century, the West Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets generally accumulated as much mass as they shed. Runoff, in other words, was compensated by fresh snowfall.

But over the last two decades, the gathering pace of global warming has upended this balance.

Last year, Greenland lost a record 532 billion tons of ice -- the equivalent of six Olympic pools of cold, fresh water flowing into the Atlantic every second. This run-off accounted for 40 percent of sea level rise in 2019.

The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in a special report on Earth's frozen spaces predicted last year that Greenland ice melt could contribute 8-27 cm to ocean levels by 2100.

It estimated Antarctica could add 3-28 cm on top of that.

A study published earlier this month in Nature Climate Change said the mass already lost by melt-water and crumbling ice between 2007-2017 aligned with the most extreme IPCC forecasts for the two sheets.

They also predicted a maximum of 40 cm sea level rise by 2100.

Authors of Thursday's research, published in a special edition of The Cryosphere Journal, said it highlighted the role emissions will play this century on the world's seas.

"One of the biggest uncertainties when it comes to how much sea level will rise is how much ice sheets will contribute," said project leader Sophie Nowicki from the University of Buffalo.

"And how much the ice sheets contribute is really dependent on what the climate will do."

Levermann said uncertainty in the projections "cannot be a reason to wait-and-see" in terms of emissions cuts.

"We already know that something will happen. We just don't know how bad it is going to get."
WASHINGTON  Christopher A. Wray, the director of the F.B.I., warned a House committee on Thursday that Russia was actively pursuing a disinformation campaign against former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and expressed alarm about violent extremist groups.

Racially motivated violent extremism, mostly from white supremacists, has made up a majority of domestic terrorism threats, Mr. Wray told the House Homeland Security Committee. He also echoed an intelligence community assessment last month that Russia was conducting a very active campaign to spread disinformation and interfere in the presidential election, with Mr. Biden as the primary target.

We certainly have seen very active  very active  efforts by the Russians to influence our election in 2020, Mr. Wray said, specifically to both sow divisiveness and discord, and I think the intelligence community has assessed this publicly, to primarily to denigrate Vice President Biden in what the Russians see as a kind of an anti-Russian establishment.

Mr. Wrays blunt comments were the latest example of a top national security official contradicting President Trumps downplaying of Russian election interference. A homeland security official has accused the Trump administration of soft-pedaling both the Russian and white supremacist threats because they would make the president look bad.
The death of Tibetan soldier Nyima Tenzin, who was killed on the night of August 29-30 in the Pangong Tso area when he stepped on a landmine during the ongoing India-China standoff, has drawn attention to a band of Tibetan soldiers who fight shoulder-to-shoulder with the Indian Army.

Perhaps Tenzins was the first ever public funeral of a Tibetan soldier or a Son of snow who are part of the once hush-hush Special Frontier Force (SFF) units that are now operationally deployed in Eastern Ladakh against the Chinese PLA troops on the snowy Himalayan heights.

Tibetan SFF veterans Lobsang Lungtok, Tamding Tamding and Dawa Tsering, who now lead the lives of civilians at the oldest Tibetan Settlement at Bylakuppe in Periyapatna taluk, Karnataka, all cherish their youthful years in army uniform. Even today, they yearn to fight the Chinese PLA soldiers and defend Indian territory.

The SFF was established with American military assistance during the last days of the India-China war in October-November 1962, from among the 80,000 Tibetan refugees who had fled to India in 1959 along with their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, to escape Chinese oppression in Tibet. The legendary Khampa guerrillas based in Nepal, who initially fought an irregular war against the Chinese soldiers in the late 1950s, formed the nucleus of the SFF. The Khampas are a Tibetan martial race and taller than the average Tibetan. After China lobbied with Nepal, the Khampas had to exit Nepal, but they began to launch covert commando raids on Chinese positions from Indian territory.

In the 1960s, the SFF headquarters, known as Establishment 22, had the famed US Green Beret (commando) instructors. The US Central Intelligence Agency and Indias Intelligence Bureau together created the SFF. It was a case of Tibetan bravery and American weaponry till the 1970s.

However, Tsering Lakyap, a Tibetan Youth Congress leader, laments that after the US-China rapprochement in early 1972, Washingtons interest and funding towards the Tibetan Army and the liberation of Tibet declined. The Green Berets returned to the US to fight their own battles in other operational theatres elsewhere around the globe.

The SFF comprises Tibetan soldiers and Indian Army officers who are trained in skydiving, high altitude or mountain warfare, snow craft, and martial arts, besides the standard military skills like weapons training, field engineering and demolition, and wireless communications.

Given an opportunity today, we are prepared to fight the Chinese on the Himalayan heights and serve India, which is our second home, SFF veteran Tamding Tamding says. They are physically far tougher than the Chinese troops, he adds.

Today, the SFF, which is organised into several Vikas battalions, serve a six-month tenure on the Siachen Glacier. Indian Army infantry or foot soldiers spend three months at these high altitudes. SFF veteran Lobsang Lungdok, who served 36 years in uniform, says We are Sons of Snow, which enables us to do a longer tenure at high altitudes.

During the training at Establishment 22, whenever we were at the small arms range to practice firing with our assault rifles and submachine guns, the image of the Chinese soldier always came to mind as the target, says SFF veteran Dawa Tsering, who was a Vikas soldier for 22 years.

A Vikas battalion with 670 personnel is similar to the 550-strong Indian Army para commando battalions, and both are smaller than the 900-strong infantry battalions.

The SFF, which participated in the Kargil conflict against Pakistan, suffered eight casualties in mid-1999. Similarly, after the Indian Army was deployed on the Saltoro Ridge/Siachen Glacier since 1984, the SFF has had several deaths due to enemy action and hostile climatic conditions. In 1971, when the SFF fought alongside the Indian Army against Pakistan in what was to soon become Bangladesh, it suffered 46 fatal casualties.

In 2009, while speaking to Indian Army officers in Leh, the Dalai Lama had clearly stated that India cannot afford to trust China, says Lobsang Lungdok. It appears that New Delhi has forgotten this sage advice.

Tsering Lhakyap, the Tibetan Youth Congress leader, says that only when Tibet is free of the Chinese and peaceful that India can become secure from the Chinese threat. After the Chinese annexation of Tibet, the buffer between India and China ceased to exist and the two Asian powers became neighbours and Chinese expansionist policies have led to military clashes time and again.

India is our second homeland after Tibet and therefore India, as our adopted country, has a role to play in the liberation of Tibet. Late Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had said Tibet is not a part of China considering that historically Tibet was independent for the last 3,000 years, with its own national flag and currency, Lhakyap says. History cannot be altered. Besides, the Tibetan people are ethnically and culturally different from the Chinese.

Lhakyap says that the Tibetan community in exile is not keen on Indian citizenship in exchange for their Registration Certificates issued by the Government of India. Rather, he says, the aim of their exile in India is for them to be able to someday return to their homeland in Tibet, with assistance from the Indian State. Whenever they present a memorandum to the Government of India, the refrain is to have a trilateral meeting between Beijing, New Delhi and the Dalai Lama, he says.

Asked about the successor to the Dalai Lama, Lhakyap says no Tibetan anywhere in the world will accept a China-designated leader. We will accept only a person whom the Dalai Lama appoints as successor. He adds that the Dalai Lama belongs to India and we appeal to the Government of India to consider His Holiness for the award of a Bharat Ratna.

(The writer is a former Professor of International Relations and Strategic Studies, Christ Deemed to be University, Bengaluru)
Opposition Congress led UDF and BJP workers were engaged in pitched battles with the police in Capital city and many parts of the state on Monday, demanding resignation of higher education minister K T Jaleel.

The epicenter of the opposition agitation was the state secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram where the agitators had gathered since morning holding demonstrations, protests and marches. A march led by youth congress workers to the secretariat turned violent when agitators tried to remove the barricades put in front of secretariat main gate.

The police used water cannons to disperse the protestors and resorted to mild lathicharge in which many Congress workers including K S Sabarinathan MLA were injured. The police also used stun grenades to disperse the agitators.

The agitation led by Youth Congress state president Shafi Parambil MLA continued for a couple of hours turning the city centre into a battle zone. The YC march protest was followed by a march of BJP and Yuva Morcha . The police used force to force against the agitators.

Similar agitations took place in Kozhikode, Kannur, Kasargod, Pathanamthitta, Ernakulam, Thrissur and Wayanad.

The opposition parties have been up in arms against Jaleel after the minister was questioned by ED in connection with the allegations regarding aid sought from the UAE consulate during Ramzan in violation of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act , 2010 (accepting foreign aid without Centre's permission), diplomatic baggage used to bring copies of Quran and gold smuggling accused Swapna Sureshs role in arranging the flood relief kits.

Meanwhile, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has defended Jaleel saying he has committed no wrong. He said the opposition was resorting to violent agitation on a baseless issue, to create law and order problems in the state.

The chief minister said on Monday that there was no precedent of a person resigning on the basis of questioning by an agency. In this case the agency has received some complaints and they wanted certain clarifications from the minister.

There is no allegation against Jaleel. The opposition is trying to cook up a story. As far as the gold smuggling case is concerned, some of the accused have been caught and the investigations are on to get others who are involved .

Vijayan said the opposition was trying to link the Quran issue with the gold smuggling case. On what basis are they raising such allegations and demanding the minister's resignation? he asked. There is no need for him to resign on such baseless allegations.

The chief minister said there should not have been a controversy over getting copies of Quran from the UAE consulate. Jaleel is minister of Wakf and distribution of quran is normal during Ramadan period when zakat is given.

The chief minister said people of the state will reject the opposition stand on the issue.
Shiromani Akali Dals (SAD) leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who resigned from the Narendra Modi Cabinet on Thursday in protest against three farm bills, spoke to

Hindustan Times

about why she quit, how she was unable to convince her Cabinet colleagues about the partys reservations against the bills, the Congress position on the issue, and her next course of action.

What does your resignation from the Union Cabinet really mean for the alliance between the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Bharatiya Janata Party?

These are matters concerning the party high-ups and the core committee. I can only say that alliance is intact and I have moved out the government because I failed to convince my Cabinet colleagues over a very sensitive issue concerning my state.

Did you ever expect that the matter will reach a flashpoint and you will quit?

Ive been very fortunate that I was a part of the Modi Cabinet for six years. We took several historic decisions in favour of Punjab and its people, such as the opening of the Kartarpur Sahib corridor, the elimination of the black list, waiver of GST on langar, allowing foreign donations for Darbar Sahib, road infrastructure, IIM, and much more. I can name a multitude of things, and for that, I am really grateful to the Prime Minister. But I think I failed to convince the government about the farmers grouse on the farm ordinances. When I realised that because of sheer numbers, these ordinances will be passed. I decided to stand with the farmers of my state, as they were petrified because their future is at stake due these ordinances.

Why did you fail to convince the government of which you were a part?

I could not make my Cabinet colleagues understand that my apprehensions related to the farm bills were different from those in other parts of the country. In Punjab, middlemen, or arhtiyas, play a key role in the procurement which may not be a case in other states. I took up their issue at every level and at every forum I could, but I couldnt convince them, so, I took onus on myself. Also, I think I was probably the lone voice who came from a 100% agrarian state. The officers who made the ordinances were unable to see Punjab differently from rest of the country.

What is next course of action for you?

My party will decide that. I will stand with the farmers shoulder to shoulder and do whatever needs to be done to get them justice.

Do you plan to join them in protests?

If required, Yes.

Your opponents say that the SAD has changed its position after it had fallen into a trap by supporting the ordinances.

It doesnt matter what my opponents say. They need to first answer why they got the APMC Act amended in Punjab. Why, in 2017 and 2019, the Congress manifesto promised laws similar to the ordinances? Why the doublespeak? They opposed in Parliament and implemented in Punjab... the corrupt Congress government cant raise aspersions on us.

What role do you see for yourself in Punjab when the state is 18 months away from the state polls in 2022?

I will play an active role that my party gives me.

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Several multinational firms in sectors such as electronics, retail, e-commerce, and automotive, among others, have shown interest in shifting their base to India, the Parliament was informed on Friday.

In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Commerce and Industry Minister said that due to sensitivity of information maintained by the companies, the reasons for relocation of operations are not explicitly spelt out.

"Several multinational companies have evinced their interest to shift their base into India across different states in sectors such as electronics, retail, e-commerce, automotive, food processing, textiles etc," he said.

He added that the government is working hard to institutionalize more investor friendly reforms to support and facilitate investments into India.

The FDI inflow from the US and other countries in the year 2019-20 stood at USD 74.39 billion, while it was at USD 16.26 billion for AprilJuly 2020-21, Goyal said.

Replying to a separate question, the minister said that as per the available data on Government e-Marketplace (GeM), 50,346 contracts were awarded between June 4 and September 15 to various sellers for products conforming to the new guidelines, under which GeM has made it mandatory for sellers to declare 'Country of Origin' for every product offered by them on the portal.

GeM, an online platform for public procurement, was launched in August 2016 with the objective of creating an open and transparent procurement platform for the government.

Replying to another question, Goyal said the government is undertaking steps for creating/enhancement of domestic capacity and incentivising domestic manufacturing through Production Linked Incentive Schemes and Phased Manufacturing Plans.

"The import of products under the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) have to meet the Rules of Origin," he added.
A Manchester authority has reportedly told care homes to accept Covid-19 patients being discharged from hospitals to free up beds when a second wave hits.

Trafford council in Greater Manchester, a coronavirus hotspot in England, says care homes will need to be prepared to take elderly people, regardless of if they are infected, because 'hospitals need to have enough beds'.

In some cases, care homes may be expected to take patients just two hours after they are deemed ready for discharge by a hospital, even if they have tested positive for Covid-19.

In that time care home bosses will need to rapidly ensure the home has infection control in place to protect dozens of other vulnerable residents. Over-80s are most at risk of dying from the coronavirus.

The guidance is in line with that from the Government, which says 'the care sector also plays a vital role in accepting patients as they're discharged from hospital some of these patients may have Covid-19'.

Experts slammed the move and said the Government had 'not learnt its lessons' from the peak of the pandemic, when some 15,000 care home residents died of the coronavirus.

This has partially been blamed on official guidance which said a negative Covid-19 test was not needed on discharge, effectively seeding the infection into the most vulnerable parts of society.

The Relatives & Residents association said it was 'perverse' allowing Covid-19 positive people to live in a care home while also banning relatives from visiting their loved ones.

The council of Trafford in Greater Manchester, a coronavirus hotspot in England, says care homes will need to be prepared to take elderly people regardless of if they are carrying the coronavirus. Picture from Channel 4 News, which saw the report

The contract from Trafford Council was seen by Channel 4, which said the council 'outlines how eligible care homes will receive COVID-positive patients within just two hours of the patient being identified by the hospital as ready for discharge'.

It sets out terms for the 'Rapid Discharge' of patients from hospital, and states that 'some of these patients may have COVID-19, whether symptomatic or asymptomatic'.

The paper says 'all of these patients can be cared for safely in the care home' if it follows stringent measures.

VULNERABLE PEOPLE 'DYING OF LONELINESS' Vulnerable people living in care homes are 'dying of loneliness,' as they're deprived from seeing families due to lockdown, while delays in testing have exposed 'huge staff shortages,' in the sector, it has been claimed. Baroness Ros Altmann, a former Minister of State for pensions, welcomed Matt Hancock's announcement yesterday that care home residents would receive free PPE during the winter to curb the spread of Covid-19. The Health Secretary announced a 500million 'infection control fund' will help pay workers full wages when they are self-isolating and ensure carers work in only one care home, thereby reducing the risk of spreading the virus. Mr Hancock unveiled his winter action plan, which will also include guidance on whether care homes should restrict visits from family members. Baroness Altmann warned restrictions could put lives at risk. Speaking on Good Morning Britain today, she said: 'Some people in care homes are more likely to die because of loneliness from lockdown and that is a real problem. 'Many of those people were unable to see their relatives and were desperately, desperately in need of their family visits and the family themselves needed to see the older people. 'One has to wonder whether it's right for the Government to say they can't go and see their loved ones. 'Some people died on their own, other people in care homes aren't necessarily vulnerable, so I just wonder if depriving people of their "visitation rights" as it were, is the best way to go. 'I hope it won't be too draconian that therefore people in care homes aren't just left totally isolated from their families and loved ones if they desperately need to see them.' Advertisement

It is not clear who the contract was sent to, exactly, or when.

The guidance is in line with official UK Government guidance, updated on September 16.

It says care homes in England should be prepared to accept Covid-19 positive patients from hospitals as 'part of the national effort'.

Covid-19 hospital admissions have begun creeping up again. And if they reach levels seen during the peak of the pandemic, there will be an urgency to free beds once again.

Health bosses today revealed the temporary NHS Nightingale hospital in Birmingham's NEC arena - officially opened by Prince William via videolink during the darkest days of the outbreak in April - has been placed on standby so it can start treating patients within two to three days.

Professor Adam Gordon, of the British Geriatrics Society, said: 'If we see similar pressures on the hospital sector this time around then it will be commonplace under the current guidance that people who are COVID positive will be discharged back into care homes.'

The Government guidance says: 'As part of the national effort, the care sector also plays a vital role in accepting patients as they're discharged from hospital, because recuperation is better in non-acute settings.

'Some of these patients may have Covid-19.'

Martin Vernon, who was the NHS England National Clinical Director for Older People from 2016 until 2019, said it was clear the Government had not learnt its lessons from the first wave of the pandemic in March and April.

In March and April at least 25,000 people were discharged from NHS hospitals into care homes without getting tested for coronavirus, a report by the National Audit Office found.

This move came at the peak of the outbreak and has been blamed for 'seeding' Covid-19 outbreaks in the homes which later became impossible to control.

Mr Vernon said it's not necessarily a bad thing that the elderly are discharged to a care home, rather than being kept in a hospital for a long period of time.

'But it has to be done in a way that is safe and appropriate for all people,' he told Channel 4.

'Particularly I think the rapid discharge into care homes suggests that the earlier lessons about managed and safe discharge have not been learned at all.

'I think the new criteria put forward by government are really not particularly well thought through.'

Helen Wildbore, who is head of the Relatives and Residents association, said the news will be 'very concerning for people living in care and their families in what has already been a very challenging period'.

She said: 'It raises questions not least what kind of safeguards and protections will be in place to support the person being discharged and the home to ensure that the person with Covid gets access to the right treatment and support in the home, to protect the staff at risk of catching the virus, and presumably these are homes with other residents in them.

'So how will these homes protect other people and avoid spreading the infection around the home?'

Helen Wildbore, who is head of the Relatives and Residents association, said the news will be 'very concerning for people living in care and their families in what has already been a very challenging period' (stock photo)

HOSPITALS BEING WARNED TO FREE UP BEDS Hospitals have been warned they must clear beds and brace themselves for a rise in coronavirus patients in the next few weeks. Covid-19 cases, hospital admissions and deaths are all on the rise, government figures revealed yesterday as more than 10 million people will soon be living under local lockdowns as the North East became the latest to impose restrictions. Yesterday another 3,395 Covid-19 infections were recorded, meaning the rolling seven-day average number of cases has risen 2 per cent in a day and 33 per cent in a week to 3,354. The uptick is prompting concerns the country is moving towards a second peak of the virus. MPs in London have been informed of plans to increase 'step down' beds in the capital, as reported by The Telegraph. The beds will be made available to coronavirus patients who no longer need any hospital treatment, but can recover from the disease while isolating. One MP who has seen the plans told the newspaper: 'I was told hospitals have reserved beds for people coming out of hospital who need somewhere to re-cover. 'At the start of lockdown they were having to send people back to care homes or back to other facilities, with dire consequences, so they've booked places in respite care or empty care homes, so people will go out of hospital, but won't return to their normal place of living.' Another source said that councils have also been asked to find extra beds. Advertisement

Care homes across England have been tightening rules on visitors since they re-opened temporarily in the summer because of the recent uptick in coronavirus infections.

A worker at a national care home provider, who asked to remain anonymous, said there was 'pressure' from local authorities to take patients, including those carrying the virus, despite guidance suggesting no care home will be forced to do so.

'They are aiming now for patients to be out of hospital into a care home within a few hours from the decision to discharge them. That process used to take about a week.

'We have contracts with local authorities for block beds and you have to have a very good reason to reject a referral.'

The source said the care home sector was 'relying on the testing system to help keep our residents and staff safe'.

However, testing in the UK has spiralled into chaos this past week, with shortages blocking thousands from getting a test.

Yesterday testing tsar Baroness Dido Harding said the number of people calling 119 or visiting the website to try to book tests was 'three to four times the number of tests that we currently have available'  although that would involve some double counting.

Baroness Harding  head of NHS Test and Trace  acknowledged that demand was significantly outstripping capacity as pressure continued to mount on the Government over the chaos in the testing system.

Care home and the NHS will be the top of the priority list for testing, drawn up by the Government and expected to be unveiled imminently.

But the insider said current problems with testing in the UK meant care homes could not know whether the virus was circulating in the home after accepting Covid-19 positive patients.

'When you're bringing Covid positive patients into a care home many will die. We have strong procedures to prevent the spread, but this virus is extremely contagious,' they said.

It comes after the Health Secretary yesterday unveiled his winter action plan, including a 500million 'infection control fund'.

It will help pay workers full wages when they are self-isolating and ensure carers work in only one care home, thus preventing spread of the coronavirus.

A spokesperson for Trafford Council said: 'The discharge of patients from hospital is a carefully co-ordinated process in line with national government guidance.

'At all times, the health and wellbeing of the person being discharged is our primary concern and, if they are discharged to a care home, we make sure it is one that meets their health and social care needs.

'We appreciate that there is a quick turnaround but our contracts reflect the national requirements to ensure people are discharged safely and quickly. The alternative to doing this would be to leave the person in hospital. This would mean that the person's recovery may take longer in an inappropriate setting, leaving them at higher risk of infection while also preventing seriously ill people being admitted to hospital to receive critical care when they need it.

'It is also in the contract that care homes have the right to refuse to accept a patient  and no patient is transferred to a care home without discussion and agreement of the care home. It would be totally against our values simply to turn up at a care home without the care home's prior agreement. It would also be against the interests of both the care home and the person.

'It is also important to note that we insisted from the start of the pandemic that any patients ready for discharge were tested for coronavirus beforehand to reduce the risk of infection within the community.

'The care homes in Trafford who provide the Rapid Discharge to Assess service have been extremely supportive throughout this pandemic and we are very proud to be working alongside them to ensure our residents are well looked after at all times.'

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'Our priority is to ensure that people are discharged safely from hospital to the most appropriate place, and that they continue to receive the care and support they need.

'No care home will be forced to admit an existing or new resident to the care home if they do not feel they can provide the appropriate care.'

'Today we announced over half a billion pounds extra funding for care providers to reduce Covid-19 transmission and help protect residents and staff throughout winter.'
By Trend





Italy will assist in attracting the EU companies for cooperation with Azerbaijan, Italy-Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce (ITAZERCOM) President Manuela Traldi said.

Traldi made the statement at the EU-Azerbaijan business forum 2020-2022 held online, Trend reports on Sept.18.

"This unique opportunity will be presented to everyone who is interested in implementing projects and cooperating with Azerbaijan," the president said. "The most important in the development of cooperation is the business-to-business format, which is becoming more wildly used and improved in the country".

Traldi also stressed that Azerbaijani companies are rapidly developing.

The purpose of the video conference is to highlight the importance of EU-Azerbaijan economic cooperation, investment opportunities for EU companies.

The forum is attended by officials, representatives of the Azerbaijani government, as well as companies from Azerbaijan and the European Union.
If you are looking for the best ideas for your portfolio you may want to consider some of Artko Capital's top stock picks. Artko Capital, an investment management firm, is bullish on USA Technologies Inc (NYSE:USAT) stock. In its Q2 2019 investor letter  you can download a copy here  the firm discussed its investment thesis on USA Technologies Inc (NYSE:USAT) stock. USA Technologies Inc (NYSE:USAT) is a payment technology provider of cashless and mobile transactions in the unattended and self-serve retail markets.

On July 22, 2019, Artko Capital had released its Q2 2019 investor letter. USA Technologies Inc (NYSE:USAT) stock has posted a return of 70.0% in the trailing one year period, outperforming the S&P 500 Index which returned 11.4% in the same period. This suggests that the investment firm was right in its decision. On a year-to-date basis, USA Technologies Inc (NYSE:USAT) stock has risen by 14.9%.

In Q2 2019 investor letter, Artko Capital said the fund posted a return of 15.1% in the second quarter of 2019, outperforming fund's benchmark the S&P 500 Index which returned 4.3% in the same period. Lets take a look at comments made by Artko Capital about USA Technologies Inc (NYSE:USAT) stock in the Q2 2019 investor letter.

"our sale of the USA Technologies (USAT) position from the Core Portfolio, in September 2017 was based on an assessment that despite the obvious fact that the company would be much more valuable in the hands of a larger, more experienced strategic acquirer within the payments space, the CEOs $1mm+ annual salary, miniscule ownership of shares, and obtuse attitude toward shareholders would preclude any such transactions. Our re-investment late last year at sub $4.00 prices back in USAT via a smaller Enhanced Portfolio position was based on the assessment that while the company retained its strategic value, better board oversight, a severely weakened CEO and over $13mm in public company costs in the last nine months, significantly increased the probability of an eventual sale of the company relative to the time of our first exit. This past quarter a reputable activist investor, Hudson Executive Capital, with a history of forcing company sales reported a 12% stake in USAT which contributed to the doubling of our 4.0% position from late last year. We have taken some gains off the table as a result above $7.50 and are comfortable with the current 4.0% weighting as we expect the companys filing of its financials by September 2019 will result in more calls for outright sale or firing of the mediocre and entrenched CEO, Stephen Herbert, an event which would lead us to consider making USAT a higher weighting in the overall portfolio. While we certainly do not expect every transaction that we consider as part of our thesis to happen, we believe assessing the likelihood of them happening as a core part of our research process has served our partnership well and we are excited to report that a significant part of this past quarters outperformance was as a result of these assessments."

Story continues

stock, stocks, market, marketing, shares, share, global, chart, bonds, tax, capital, concept, graph, growth, background, rise, statistics, economy, bar, future, loss, business,

solarseven/Shutterstock.com

Our calculations showed that USA Technologies Inc (NYSE:USAT) isn't ranked among the 30 most popular stocks among hedge funds.

The top 10 stocks among hedge funds returned 185% since the end of 2014 and outperformed the S&P 500 Index ETFs by more than 109 percentage points. We know it sounds unbelievable. You have been dismissing our articles about top hedge fund stocks mostly because you were fed biased information by other media outlets about hedge funds' poor performance. You could have doubled the size of your nest egg by investing in the top hedge fund stocks instead of dumb S&P 500 ETFs. Below you can watch our video about the top 5 hedge fund stocks right now. All of these stocks had positive returns in 2020.

Video: Top 5 Stocks Among Hedge Funds

At Insider Monkey we leave no stone unturned when looking for the next great investment idea. We read hedge fund investor letters and listen to stock pitches at hedge fund conferences. We go through lists like the 10 most profitable companies in the world to pick the best large-cap stocks to buy. Even though we recommend positions in only a tiny fraction of the companies we analyze, we check out as many stocks as we can. You can subscribe to our free enewsletter below to receive our stories in your inbox:

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
On the one hand I do. I have an advanced open-water scuba certification from the Professional Association of Diving Instructors and dozens of dives to my credit, including six in the past year. On the other hand, all of those were near shore, mostly on coral reefs and guided by dive masters  people whose job it was to look out for their clients safety. Still, Im a strong swimmer, comfortable in the ocean and old enough not to ignore a seasoned expert like Sommers. After I share all of this with him, he agrees to take me on.
Sam Burnstein/@samburnstein/TikTok

Several University of Michigan students have taken to TikTok to voice their dissatisfaction with the school's COVID-19 safety measures.

Junior Sam Burnstein went viral after posting a video criticizing the university's quarantine housing for students who have tested positive for COVID-19, claiming that he was provided with "no supplies."

Other students have criticized the university's testing protocols, and the schools' Graduate Employees Organization has been on strike for the past week due to "inadequate reopening plans."

The university responded to several claims in the videos, stating that students were provided with furnished apartments and that the school would be improving its meal delivery options.

A university spokesperson also said that safety kits, including face coverings, had been provided.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

When Michigan junior Sam Burnstein, 20, tested positive for COVID-19 on September 8, he began quarantining in university-provided housing, but he was disappointed by the living conditions at the school's Northwood Apartments.

"We were given a matter of hours to pack up our belongings. We weren't properly told what we should bring and shouldn't bring," he told Insider.

Burnstein arrived with only the essentials. Over the phone, he said he was told to bring a blanket and pillow, but when he arrived, there weren't sheets on the bed, he said. He brought toiletries and clothing for just a few days because he assumed he'd have access to a washing machine.

Instead, he says he found practically nothing.

"There is truly very little support here from the university, that's what made me realize, like, OK, I gotta speak out, gotta do something," he said.

Burnstein took to TikTok to share his frustrations with the accommodations, and his video quickly went viral, racking up 500,000 views in just three days.

Story continues

"We were given almost no supplies. We were given no food, no masks, no gloves, no microwave, no bedsheets, no soap, no cleaning supplies, nothing," he said in the clip. "Except we were given one roll of toilet paper  single ply. Oh, and did I mention there's a roach infestation as well?"

Burnstein added that students of the Graduate Employees Organization (GEO) had been quarantined undergraduates' "saviors," donating leftover food and supplies.

Graduate students at the university have been on strike since September 8, according to The Michigan Daily. The students are protesting the administration's decision to reopen campus without a robust testing and tracing plan in place.

"We're striking over the university's totally inadequate reopening plans and just the series of policies they put in place over the summer that's making students and workers on campus unsafe," Amir Fleischmann, the secretary of the GEO, told The Michigan Daily.

On Monday, the university's President Mark Schlissel sought a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against the union strike, according to The Detroit News.

In his TikTok video, Burnstein went on to challenge university President Mark Schlissel to spend one night in the quarantine apartments.

"Let us all know what you think," he said.

According to Burnstein, the university has not directly reached out to him to address the video.

Commenters also expressed their displeasure with the university and what some believed to be a misuse of extensive funds.

"Universities have shown their true colors during the pandemic," one viewer commented. "It's all about the $$$."

"They have a $12.4 BILLION endowment," another noted.

Burnstein said he now has a microwave to cook with and purchased things like paper plats, sheets, and cookware during his stay. Sam Burnstein

The university junior is not the only one documenting Michigan students' struggles on social media

Another student, who goes by Ruby on TikTok, said she was "terrified" and dissatisfied with the university's COVID-19 measures.

In a now-viral video, she reported seeing no evidence of mandatory COVID-19 testing and said the university had "done nothing" to address the GEO strikes.

The university has opted for a voluntary COVID-19 testing plan. Students can choose to participate in the sampling and tracking program. For students with coronavirus symptoms, there are free testing centers on campus. According to the university's COVID-19 dashboard, 57 students have tested positive in the last two weeks.

Burnstein said that testing was one of his biggest hurdles.

"My roommate and I, we drove around for two days to seven, eight different testing places," he said. Burnstein said his priority was finding a testing center that provided rapid results. He went to off-campus facilities, but they required testers to show symptoms, had slow test result turnarounds, or weren't covered by his insurance, he recalled. Burnstein added that he did fill out the on-campus in-take form, which decides if a student is qualified to take a test, but he said he never heard back.

Ruby also addressed the quarantine housing conditions in her TikTok videos.

"There's no microwaves or anything," they said. "They give people cold snack foods. There's no washing machines. People are having to order food so they can eat."

The university is pushing back against several claims in the videos, but Burnstein stands by his account

A spokesperson for the University of Michigan told Insider that students are not required to use the school's housing and are free to return to their permanent residences to quarantine.

Burnstein said when he was contacted by the university after testing positive, the isolation apartment wasn't phrased as an option.

"I thought students at the University of Michigan were required to come. And that's because when we were contacted by representatives from the university, it was not presented to us like it was a choice," Burnstein said.

Even if he had been given the choice, going home wasn't a realistic option. Although his family lives nearby, his parents and grandparents live under the same roof, and he didn't want to risk potentially infecting his family members.

While the apartment was fine, Burnstein said the biggest issue was a lack of communication with what to expect in the apartment upon arrival. Sam Burnstein

For those who choose to isolate on campus, the university said that it is providing students with a furnished apartment.

"Each single-occupancy apartment includes a furnished bedroom, including sheets, blankets, and pillowcases. Each kitchen has a refrigerator and oven. Microwaves are being procured for each apartment," the University of Michigan spokesperson said in a statement to Insider. In the comments section of his video, Burnstein updated viewers that he had been given a microwave.

The university spokesperson also told Insider that the school has not received any complaints about pests in the isolation apartments.

Michigan Dining, which delivers meals by request for those with a meal plan, will soon be delivering all meals in microwavable packaging, according to the University.

Since Burnstein is not on a university meal plan, in order to receive food, he'd have to pay $20 a day, he said. The meal request form doesn't specify what meals are being served, and according to Burnstein, they don't have a structure in place to accommodate those with dietary restrictions. The university did not respond to Insider's request about the cost and dietary restrictions of the current meal delivery program.

Instead, Burnstein purchased pots and pans, ordered groceries, and has relied on delivery services throughout his 10 days in the isolation apartment.

He estimates that he's spent anywhere between $150 and $250 for the past 10 days.

When Burnstein leaves the isolation apartment on Wednesday, he's looking forward to human interaction and putting on some clean clothes.

"I think this has been a big eye-opening experience for how we can do better," he said.

Read more:

What it's like to be a student at Notre Dame right now, where coronavirus cases spiked one week into the fall semester and lectures are being held in stadiums

Inside teachers' first week back in US classrooms: Nerves, disorganization, and exhaustion

'TOTALLY UNDER CONTROL'  a comic book about how Trump ignored science, planning, and his own team when the virus struck. And how 194,000 Americans paid the ultimate price.

Read the original article on Insider
WASHINGTON, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to the Justice Department's Monday order for a U.S.-based affiliate of Al Jazeera to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), National Press Club President Michael Freedman and National Press Club Journalism Institute President Angela Greiling Keane released the following joint statement.

"We disagree with the U.S, Department of Justice (DOJ) decision to require AJ+ to file under FARA. This order effectively says the U.S. government views Al Jazeera to be a propaganda arm of the Qatari government rather than the independent news organizations that journalists all over the world know it to be, particularly though its coverage of the pro-Democracy Arab Spring movement of the past decade.

"Further, the timing of this FARA announcement the day before the UAE formally signed an agreement normalizing relations with Israel is of note. The UAE has made undercutting Al Jazeera's journalism one of its priorities since it worked with Saudi Arabia in 2017 to impose a blockade on Qatar, which provides state funding to the news organization.

"We object to this mischaracterization of AJ+ which produces news videos and other content in multiple languages for digital distribution, as a foreign agent. We can only conclude that the Trump Administration is buckling to the demands of the UAE, which wants to suppress independent news gathering in the region  reporting that can expose the systemic inequality, corruption and incompetence of many of the region's rulers.

"While the Qatari government funds Al Jazeera, it does not control the network's editorial decisions. Other prominent examples exist of international news outlets receiving foreign government funding, yet still being viewed as credible journalism organizations that do not have to file under FARA, These include: the BBC, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and AFP.

"FARA was developed during World War II to block Nazi propaganda from influencing Americans. It requires designated foreign entitites to reveal their sources of funding and to file regular public disclosures about their activity. The classification of Al Jazeera under FARA seems wholly political. The Trump Administration has close ties to UAE and Saudi Arabia even as the United States shares long-term strategic interests with Qatar exemplified by the Air Force's reliance on the large air base at Al Udeid.

"Americans interest is in the growth and proliferation of independent media throughout the Middle East that can serve as a check on corrupt and unresponsive governments. Calling Al Jazeera a propaganda outlet instead of the independent news organization it is sends exactly the wrong message."

Contact: John Donnelly [email protected] for the National Press Club

SOURCE National Press Club

Related Links

http://press.org


New Mexico Mad Man Adam Greenhood is now paying thousands of consumers in all 50 states to watch ads.

AdWallet LLC, which Greenhood launched in Albuquerque in 2017, has signed up 135,000 people across the country to earn money by watching short digital ads, something the veteran advertising executive calls paid attention. About 50,000 consumers are now enrolled in New Mexico, with the rest scattered around the country, Greenhood told Albuquerque Economic Developments online quarterly investors meeting Thursday.

AED invited Greenhood as a keynote speaker for the event.

AdWallet had only 36,000 participants last year, all of them in New Mexico. But the company launched an aggressive campaign this year to expand nationwide.

Weve had a four-fold growth rate during the pandemic, Greenhood told AED. Its really starting to catch on. We doubled our membership just in the last two months.

To participate, people download a user app. After answering a few questions to match users with commercials most likely to appeal to them, ads start flowing via text messages.

If users watch a commercial, accurately answer a question to make sure they paid attention and rate the commercial, 50 cents is automatically credited to their account. They can earn a couple dollars more by completing a survey after the commercial, sharing the ad on social media, downloading exclusive offers, or providing a personal email address to advertisers.

To date, AdWallet has paid out about $1 million to New Mexico users, Greenhood said.

Some 500 advertisers have used the service, about half of them New Mexico-based. The rest are national brands, such as Choice Hotels, Airbnb, Duracell, Southwest Airlines, Corona and Supercuts.

Advertisers like it because AdWallet guarantees them a captive, targeted audience for their ads, rather than traditional advertising where third-party publishers blindly blanket consumers with ads that people often ignore as an unwanted interruption.

Instead of paying a publisher to interrupt consumers, AdWallet allows advertisers to award end consumers for their full attention, Greenhood said.

Marketers pay $1.00 each time a user watches a commercial, but nothing if they dont, with 50 cents going to the consumer and 50 cents to AdWallet. AdWallet also tracks all user activity, so marketers get instant, detailed feedback on their promotional campaigns.

The company plans more aggressive expansion over the next 18 months, starting with concerted campaigns in Texas and Colorado. Its goal is 500,000 consumers by year-end 2021, Greenhood told the Journal.

AdWallet has upgraded its technology platform to add up to two million more app users.

Its raised about $5 million in private equity to date from individual and institutional investors, including Utah-based Kickstart Seed Fund.

Many companies have cut their marketing budgets during the pandemic, but AdWallet is growing despite the challenges, said Kickstart Managing Partner Gavin Christensen. That sets them up well for when advertising budgets start to recover from COVID-19.
Russian bombshell Irina Shayk showcased her incredibly taut midriff in a white crop top as she enjoyed some quality time with her three-year-old daughter Lea.

As she strutted down the sidewalk in New York City on Friday, the 34-year-old supermodel sported a pair of baggy pants, which were embroidered with crucifixes.

While keeping her gym-honed abs on full display, she layered her stylish ensemble with a black jean jacket and her signature Doc Marten combat boots.

Mom duty: Russian bombshell Irina Shayk showcased her incredibly taut midriff in a white crop top, as she enjoyed some quality time with her three-year-old daughter Lea on Friday

The beauty, who shares her little girl with ex Bradley Cooper, followed her state's strict requirement to wear a mask or face covering, as of April 15.

Shayk pushed her mini-me, who wore a black Versace sweatshirt and pink shoes, in a black and navy stroller.

Like Lea, the Vogue cover girl styled her hair in two braids and appeared to be enjoying the fresh air.

Effortlessly chic: While keeping her gym-honed abs on full display, she layered her stylish ensemble with a black jean jacket and her signature Doc Marten combat boots

The doting mom was later seen, walking around solo, after presumably dropping off her tot off with Cooper or a caretaker.

While on her own, she hid her expression under a pair of razor thin sunglasses and removed her black face mask.

Irina shares 50/50 joint legal and physical custody of her daughter with her ex-partner, according to TMZ.

Stylish: As she strutted down the sidewalk in New York City, the 34-year-old supermodel sported a pair of baggy pants, which were embroidered with crucifixes

And while Shayk and Cooper officially ended their four-year romance in June 2019, the amicable exes were spotted embracing each other on September 8.

Cooper is on break from filming his role as Barbra Streisand's hairdresser-turned-movie producer Jon Peters in Paul Thomas Anderson's untitled seventies San Fernando Valley-set flick.

The couple haven't let the end of their romance or their busy schedules interfere with their co-parenting.

Twinning: Like her little girl, the Vogue cover girl styled her hair in two braids and appeared to be enjoying the fresh air

'There are still challenges because he does have a very busy schedule and she's back at work now so there are times they have to compromise, and they do,' a source told HollywoodLife in March.

'He's been making an effort to take projects that aren't too far from New York so he can be there to share custody, he's very committed. And so protective, if it were up to him he'd carry her everywhere.'

'He's totally devoted to Lea, it's really sweet to see how much he loves being a dad,' the insider went on.

Risky behavior: The mother-of-one went on a mask-free stroll, despite the state's strict requirement to wear a mask or face covering, as of April 15

He's been back in NYC after spending time in Southern California shooting a yet-to-be-titled Paul Thomas Anderson film.

She has been spotted several times with her potential new boyfriend Vito Schnabel, who is a longtime pal and previously dated Heidi Klum.

Earlier this week, Shayk revealed her ice cube skincare secret in a Vogue 'day-to-night makeup' vlog.

Exes: Bradley and Irina split in June 2019 after four years together. They're seen at the 2018 Met Gala above

'I grew up in very cold weather,' the By.Alexander brand ambassador explained in the 10-minute tutorial.

'When I wake up or travel, and feel a little swollen [with] bags under my eyes, I run to the fridge and I get an ice cube, and [glide it] all around my eye area, my chin, [and] all around my face.'

Shayk wrapped up in a gold Versace robe as she recommended using 12 different products ranging in price from $30 Pat McGrath Labs Dark Star Volumizing Mascara to $394 Mimi Luzon 24K Pure Gold One Treatment.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 10:04:43|Editor: huaxia

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ABUJA, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Nigerian military on Thursday vowed to continue fighting bandits who have wreaked havoc in the country's northwest region until the criminals are routed from their hideouts.

On the recently launched "Operation Wutan Daji Two" in the northwest region, Sadique Abubakar, Nigerian air force chief, said that the military is aiming to identify the locations of the bandits in the forests with a view to flushing them out.

The operation is one of the multiple military operations in that region which has been wracked by years of violence.

"The fighting is not going to end until we make sure that no civilian is killed and we clear the bandits in the forests," Abubakar said during the on-the-spot assessment of the ongoing operation.

"We don't know when the operation will come to an end. We will make sure until we catch the bandits in their nests," the security chief said, adding the military is working with other security agencies against banditry, kidnapping, cattle rustling, and criminal acts in the region.

Banditry, kidnapping and other criminal activities have recently become rampant in the northwest region. Enditem
By Sean Collins Walsh, The Philadelphia Inquirer

Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris came to Philadelphia on Thursday with an itinerary and a message aimed at reaching the citys Black and Latino voters, saying the coronavirus pandemic has been an accelerator of inequities minority communities have long faced  and that President Donald Trump has worsened their plight.

It has accelerated the disparities. It has highlighted the injustices, Harris, a Senator from California, said outside City Councilmember Cherelle Parkers East Mount Airy home. And in one way perhaps there is then an opportunity for more people to see what some of us have been knowing for generations around issues like systemic racism.

Harris' whirlwind blitz through Philadelphia was her first 2020 campaign trip to what may be the most pivotal battleground state in the election.

The first Black woman, the first woman of Indian descent, and the fourth woman to ever be nominated for national office by a major party, Harris made the trip as her campaign with Joe Biden embarks on a push to appeal to Black voters in key states like Pennsylvania. Democrats will likely need improved turnout in minority communities to overcome Trumps resilient popularity with white working class voters in rural areas and small Rust Belt towns.

Biden was also in the state Thursday, appearing outside Scranton for a CNN town hall, two days after Trumps ABC town hall in Philadelphia.

Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., participates in the Sister to Sister Mobilization in Action event during a campaign stop, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Michael Perez)AP

Harris' first stop was in West Oak Lane, where U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans (D., Phila.) introduced her to Black business owners on Ogontz Avenue. Harris spoke with the family that owns Paul Beales Florist, which has been in business for 49 years, as well as Relish, the Southern-style restaurant known for being the preferred Election Day eatery for many of the citys Black politicians. Harris said she ate there in 2012.

Passersby lined up to greet Harris, who took selfies and elbow-bumped fans. Leela Gupta, the daughter of Evans' chief of staff, Anuj Gupta, brought a copy of Harris' memoir, The Truths We Hold, which the senator signed for her.

In her afternoon stop in Parkers yard, Harris laid out her and Bidens agenda for Black communities, including a $100-billion loan program aimed at Black- and brown-owned small businesses, a $70-billion plan to increase funding for historically Black colleges and universities, and protecting the Affordable Care Act from Republican-led court challenges.

The dismantling of Obamacare, she said, would worsen the racial disparities in diseases including the coronavirus.

Black folks are three times as likely to contract it, twice as likely to die from it, Harris said.

Montgomery County pediatric surgeon Ala Stanford, who founded the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium to make testing more accessible to Black Philadelphians, thanked Harris for acknowledging those disparities.

My heart is beating out of my chest to hear what you said, she said.

Parker pressed Harris on what a Biden administration would do for city governments, noting that Philadelphia had limited options this spring in addressing a $750 million budget gap caused by the pandemic-induced recession. Mayor Jim Kenney has repeatedly pressed the federal government for increased direct funding to cities.

Mayors cant be successful, Senator, without help from Washington, Parker said. We have limited revenue-regenerating capacity. We cant close the gap between the haves and the have-nots without you.

Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., speaks as she arrives for a community conversation with Latino leaders and elected officials during a campaign stop at Taller Puertorriqueno, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Michael Perez)AP

Harris said she and Biden had discussed creating a council of advisers of mayors and governors who would inform the policy on the front end, because what those leaders dont want or need is for us to tell you later what weve done to you.

Parker is Councils majority leader and a potential 2023 mayoral candidate. She and Evans both hail from the storied Northwest Coalition political machine, which controls largely African American wards in Northwest Philadelphia that often post the highest Democratic turnout rates in the city.

Later, Harris participated in a closed-door roundtable discussion with Latino elected officials and community leaders at Taller Puertorriqueno in Kensington.

In remarks after the discussion, Harris said a Biden administration would not ignore Puerto Rico and accused Trump of doing just that in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Most Latinos in Philadelphia are of Puerto Rican descent.

It has been an administration that has denied the people of Puerto Rico the dignity that they deserve, Harris said.

Harris' motorcade also made a surprise stop at the Democratic City Committee headquarters, where she met privately with party chairman Bob Brady, City Council President Darrell L. Clarke and State Sen. Sharif Street (D, Phila.).

In the evening, she attended a virtual fundraiser from the campaigns headquarters in Center City.
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / September 18, 2020 / Silver Elephant Mining Corp. ("Silver Elephant" or the "Company") (TSX:ELEF)(OTCQX:SILEF)(Frankfurt:1P2N) announces that its wholly owned subsidiary Nevada Vanadium LLC ("Nevada Vanadium") has completed the acquisition of the Bisoni vanadium project ("Bisoni Project") from CellCube Energy Storage Systems Inc. ("Cellcube") pursuant to the Asset Purchase Agreement ("APA") announced on August 24, 2020. The Bisoni Project is situated immediately southwest to Nevada Vanadium's Gibellini Project.

Under the terms of the APA, the Company has issued 4 million Silver Elephant common shares ("Compensation Shares") and paid $200,000 cash to Cellcube. The Compensation Shares are subject to a statutory four month and one day hold period expiring on January 19, 2021.

Additionally, subject to TSX approval, if, on or before December 31, 2023, the price of European vanadium pentoxide on the Metal Bulletin (or an equivalent publication) exceeds US$12 a pound for 30 consecutive days, Silver Elephant will issue to CellCube, an additional $500,000 worth of Silver Elephant's common shares (the "Bonus Shares"), calculated based upon the 5 day volume weighted average price of the Silver Elephant common shares immediately following the satisfaction of the vanadium pentoxide pricing condition.

About Nevada Vanadium

Nevada Vanadium, a wholly owned subsidiary of Silver Elephant Mining Corp., is developing the Gibellini Project, the only large-scale, open-pit, heap-leach vanadium project of its kind in North America. Located in Nevada, Gibellini is currently undergoing project engineering and permit development. Nevada Vanadium additionally develops and adds the Bisoni Vanadium Project to its portfolio. Further information on Nevada Vanadium can be found at www.nevadavanadium.com.

About Silver Elephant

Silver Elephant is a premier silver mining company. The Company's goal is to enable shareholders to own as much silver in the ground as possible. Further information on Silver Elephant can be found at www.silverelef.com.

SILVER ELEPHANT MINING CORP.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"John Lee"

Executive Chairman

For more information about Silver Elephant, please contact Investor Relations:

+1.604.569.3661 ext. 101

ir@silverelef.com www.silverelef.com

Not for dissemination in the United States or for distribution to U.S. newswire services. The securities offered have not been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any applicable state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, a person in the United States or a U.S. person (as defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) absent registration under the U.S. Securities Act and any applicable state securities laws, or compliance with an exemption therefrom. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any state in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Toronto Stock Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Some statements in this news release are about future events and performance. Such statements are based on current estimates, predictions, expectations, or beliefs. The subjects of the statements include, but are not limited to (i) construction of a mine at the project and related actions; (ii) estimates of the capital costs of constructing mine facilities, bringing the mine into production, and sustaining the mine, together with estimates of the length of financing payback periods; (iii) the estimated amount of future production, of both ore mined and metal recovered; and (iv) estimates of the life of the mine and of the operating and total costs, cash flow, net present value, and economic returns, including internal rate of return from an operating mine constructed at the project. All forward-looking statements are based on Company's or its consultants' current beliefs and assumptions, which are in turn based on the information currently available to them. The most significant assumptions are set forth above, but generally these assumptions include: (i) the presence and continuity of vanadium mineralization at the project at the estimated grades; (ii) the geotechnical and metallurgical characteristics of the rock conforming to the sampled results; (iii) infrastructure construction costs and schedule; (iv) the availability of personnel, machinery, and equipment at the estimated prices and within the estimated delivery times; (v) currency exchange rates; (vi) vanadium sale prices; (vii) appropriate discount rates applied to the cash flows in the economic analysis; (viii) tax rates applicable to the proposed mining operation; (ix) the availability of acceptable financing on reasonable terms; (x) projected recovery rates and use of a process method, which although well-known and proven with other commodity types, such as copper, has not been previously brought into production for a vanadium project; (xi) reasonable contingency requirements; (xii) success in realizing proposed operations; and (xiii) assumptions that the project's environmental approval and permitting is forthcoming from county, state, and federal authorities. The economic analysis is partly based on Inferred Mineral Resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as Mineral Reserves, and there is no certainty that any economic assessment based on these Mineral Resources will be realized. Currently there are no Mineral Reserves on the Gibellini property. Although the Company's management and its consultants consider these assumptions to be reasonable, given the information currently available to them, they could prove to be incorrect. Many forward-looking statements are made assuming the correctness of other forward-looking statements, such as statements of net present value and internal rates of return. Those statements are based in turn on most of the other forward-looking statements and assumptions made herein. The cost information is also prepared using current values, but the time for incurring the costs is in the future and it is assumed costs will remain stable over the relevant period.

These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements by the Company or its consultants. The Company and its consultants believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements contained in this news release and the documents incorporated by reference herein are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove correct. In addition, although the Company and its consultants have attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events, or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events, or results not to be as anticipated, estimated, or intended. The Company and its consultants undertake no obligation to publicly release any future revisions of the forward-looking statements that reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date of this news release or reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as expressly required by law.

SOURCE: Silver Elephant Mining Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/606568/Silver-Elephant-Subsidiary-Completes-Acquisition-of-Bisoni-Vanadium-Project
A 30-year-old man was arrested by Tilak Nagar police in Chembur on Thursday for allegedly abetting his 29-year-old wifes suicide. The accused had allegedly been harassing his wife from the past four to five months for money to buy liquor and would also assault her, said the police.

The woman took the extreme step on the night of September 13, after which her father registered a complaint with the police. In his statement, the womans father said that his daughter and the accused studied in the same college and fell in love with each other and got married two years ago.

My daughter used to work for a financial firm and my son-in-law is unemployed. He used to consume liquor regularly owing to which they both used to have frequent quarrels. My house is in the same area and I used to go to their home and mediate between them, the father said to the police.

My daughter used to tell me that her husband had started beating her to get money to buy liquor. We tried to explain things to him about the ill-effects of consuming liquor and also said that it would affect their family life. My daughter went into depression because of his drinking habit and on September 13 we learnt that she ended her life, said the father in his statement.

We arrested the accused after the father registered a complaint with us, said an officer from Tilak Nagar police station.

The accused has been booked under sections 306 (abetment of suicide) and 498A (husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
U.S. political and economic interests in Southeast Asia will not change regardless of who wins the presidential election in November, Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing said on Thursday evening.

Speaking during a panel discussion at the Singapore Summit virtual conference, the minister said that the U.S. is invested in the peace, security and economic prosperity across Asia and will need to continue to work with partners to secure its own interests.

What I think people are concerned with is the posture towards China, and what we are concerned with are not issues that have to do with personalities, its whether there will be a fundamental misunderstanding between the establishment of both the Chinese and the American side," he said.

Responding to a question on the impact of the U.S. election on regional trade, Chan said that regardless of the winner, the next U.S. president will have to work with China to uphold a global trading system and security architecture.

What worries us is that with reduced interaction between the leadership and the younger generation on both sides, then we might inadvertently have planted the seeds of a future misunderstanding," said Chan. He called for greater interaction between the two superpowers to understand where they need to work together and where they will compete with one another."

The Singapore Summit is supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board, sovereign wealth fund GIC Pte., the Monetary Authority of Singapore and state investment firm Temasek Holdings Pte.

Here are some other remarks from Chan:

On global trade in the Covid-19 era: The health crisis will always be a here-and-now challenge, but I think we have to look beyond that," he said, later adding that many issues" need to be resolved regarding the World Trade Organization

We must not neglect the need for us to set in place architecture for the next generation of growth, and that depends very much on how we architect the new rules to provide mutual assurance, security, and the free flow of data in the digital realm"

On global digitization: People think that the blue-collar workers are the ones at risk and thats because their jobs can be replaced by robots and automation," he said. Now, to some extent, that is true, but increasingly, I think the world is realizing that the competition is even tougher for the white-collar jobs that can be done over the Internet"

On which industries Singapore will focus on helping pivot to new markets, he said that ICT, financial, medical and precision engineering services are among those performing well. In fact, we are going to step up our efforts for them to grow and to penetrate the global markets," he said. Today in a Covid world, we will have a combination of both virtual and live experience, and in Singapore we are pioneering a lot of this, what we call hybrid activities that combine the physical and the virtual"

Chans comments come as Singapore continues reopening its economy following a two-month-long partial lockdown that began in April due to a surge of Covid-19 infections. Those measures have helped contain Covid-19 in the island nation with the number of new daily infections decreasing.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.

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She recently broke up with her beau Cody Simpson.

And Miley Cyrus stripped topless on Instagram this Thursday while enjoying the single life at home on lockdown.

The 27-year-old showed off her sprawl of tattoos as she folded her arms over her front to avoid violating Instagram's Community Guidelines.

Sizzling sensation: Miley Cyrus stripped topless on Instagram this Thursday while enjoying the single life at home on lockdown

She started off by posing up a storm in a dark tank top and a pair of matching leather trousers, which she sultrily unbuttoned.

Miley then pulled her best smoldering supermodel stare while pulling her top off over her head in a bit of a striptease.

Wrapping her arms around herself she bit her lip beguilingly for the camera and leaned her head back slightly.

Her cropped hairdo was reminiscent of 61-year-old rock diva Joan Jett whose music Miley was listening to in the Insta Stories footage.

Fab: The 27-year-old showed off her sprawl of tattoos as she folded her arms over her front to avoid violating Instagram's Community Guidelines

Looking fab: She started off by posing up a storm in a dark tank top and a pair of matching leather trousers, which she sultrily unbuttoned

'Being single means having more alone time to video myself stripping naked to Joan Jett,' the blonde bombshell captained one of her clips.

She also uploaded a masked bathroom mirror selfie captioned: 'Mask 4 Mask,' in a play on the popular gay dating app phrase 'masc for masc.'

Miley has been a longtime devoted fan of Joan and even gave the icon's induction speech into the Rock 'N' Roll Hall Of Fame in 2015.

During the speech she dished that she 'wanted to have sex with Joan Jett' when the dynamic duo performed together on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2011.

Making it happen: Miley then pulled her best smoldering supermodel stare while pulling her top off over her head in a bit of a striptease

She's a fan: 'Being single means having more alone time to video myself stripping naked to Joan Jett,' the blonde bombshell captained one of her clips

The pair have hit the stage together more than once and Miley also sang a medley of Joan's hits during her Gypsy Heart Tour in 2011.

Miley and her 23-year-old Australian boyfriend went into self-isolation together amid the coronavirus pandemic but last month it emerged they have split.

The duo were longtime pals and Miley was even pictured attending Cody's star-studded 18th birthday bash.

'Miley is one of my best friends and she helps with some of that transitional stuff - trying to escape your childhood,' Cody told GQ Australia that year.

Admiration: Miley has been a longtime devoted fan of Joan and even gave the icon's induction speech into the Rock 'N' Roll Hall Of Fame in 2015

Her split from Cody came a year after her split from her husband Liam Hemsworth, whom she was married to for about nine months.

After she separated from Liam she had a whirlwind summer romance from Kaitlynn Carter who had herself recently split from reality TV dreamboat Brody Jenner.

During a recent interview on The Joe Rogan Experience she shared that she was undergoing a 'pivotal moment' by being single again.

'I haven't been single in like, I guess really from 2015 - I mean, there's been little months, so maybe about five years. Like I've had, you know, a few months here and there where I've been single but not for a long period of time,' she said.
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Concentrix, an award-winning Customer Experience (CX) solutions company offering better business results for the world's best-known brands, was recently recognized by the 2020 Comparably Best Company awards, in the categories of Diversity, Professional Development, Women, and CEO and Leadership. Currently, the company is working to increase its presence in Costa Rica with over 1,300 new jobs at various locations.

With these new positions, which will be offered to since this month, Concentrix hopes to strengthen local communities through a variety of new job opportunities for skilled workers throughout the region.

"Concentrix Costa Rica gives you more than a job! Come and be part of a team that continues to grow with you and shares the 'Pura Vida' with the hearts of our clients and staff members!" encouraged Juan Pablo Guzman, country leader of Concentrix.

With more than 24 Fortune 500 clients in Costa Rica, Concentrix's service offerings are provided in 5 different languages, via email, chat, voice, and back-office services.

The company is looking at applicants who are talented and bold, with great social skills and who like to interact with customers. Previous experience in the field is not required but is an advantage. If you are interested in applying with Concentrix, please visit https://careers.concentrix.com/ and apply to the job that best matches your professional profile. And don't forget to keep an eye on their Facebook and Instagram profiles, where the company will share new available positions.

About Concentrix

Concentrix, a wholly owned subsidiary of SYNNEX Corporation, is a technology-enabled CX solutions company specializing in customer engagement and business performance enhancements for some of the world's top brands.

Every day, in more than 40 countries and over 6 continents, our team offers a next-generation experience to its clients and helps businesses better connect with their customers. We are dedicated to creating better business results and making a difference for our clients, through technology, design, data, processes, and people. Visit www.concentrix.com for more information. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tybBZdBmag

SOURCE CINDE

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Town of Ithaca, New York

The aerial view of town of Ithaca in New York State Credit - Getty Images Bruce Yuanyue Bi

Svante Myrick, the mayor of Ithaca, N.Y., understands the emotional turmoil that comes with housing insecurity. When his mom brought him home from the hospital in the late 1980s, a red eviction notice was pinned to her door and her belongings were strewn on the sidewalks. He proceeded to spend his first few months of life in a homeless shelterand returned to them, intermittently, over the next eight years.

Ive seen firsthand how eviction is more than just a setback, Myrick, now 33, tells TIME in a recent phone interview. Losing your home is something of a fiscal cliff thats impossible to climb back up. Because in order to get rehoused, you need the first month and last [months rent] and security deposit, and increasingly credit checks. And how can you get all those without good jobs, and how can you get a good job unless you have a place to stay?

So its perhaps no surprise that the young mayor was among the first in the country to embrace a what was seen as a relatively radical policyrent cancellationway back in June, after the fall-out from spiking COVID-19 infections had flattened the local economy and threatened thousands with homelessness. Ithacas rent cancellation measure would have given the mayor power to forgive rent payments that tenants owed their landlords but couldnt pay. Only it never went into effect.

Three and a half months after the measure passed Ithacas city council, the standstill epitomizes precisely why such policies are nearly impossible to implement. Though throngs of renters from Philadelphia to the Bay Area have abstained from paying rent on an individual basis, culminating in what is probably the largest rent strike in U.S. history, cities and states have so far refused to make the practice legal. Ithacas attempt to do soand its failure to actually implement it so farillustrates the limited capability municipalities have in responding to economic crises: While the federal government can take on substantial debts to facilitate significant emergency relief efforts, cities and most states are required to maintain balanced budgets.

Story continues

If Congress failed to act, which they have, and the state government failed to act, which they have, we would find ourselves in a position where we would have to act, says Stephen Smith, an Ithaca city council member that helped draft the bill. We were asking for the power to do something extraordinary in that circumstance.

Ithaca, New York Mayor Svante Myrick on stage during the Beyond Sport United 2016 at Barclays Center on August 9, 2016 in Brooklyn, New York. Getty ImagesRoy Rochlin

Reasons for the standstill

Why, exactly, Ithacas extraordinary rent cancellation measure hasnt materialized into a real policy is complicated.

First, the city doesnt have the power to cancel rent unilaterally. Back in March, as the pandemic began to infiltrate the state of New York, infecting thousands, and leading to a burgeoning hot spot in New York City, Governor Andrew Cuomo issued an executive order prohibiting cities and towns in the state from issuing pandemic relief efforts without approval from the New York Department of Health. The idea was to streamline policies and prevent municipalities from taking actions that could hurt the states public health writ large. One side effect has been major delays in policy implementation.

Pressed for comment, the Department of Health told TIME it is still reviewing the citys drafted executive order. It has been doing so since July 7.

Second, even if the Health Department had expediently granted Ithaca the power to cancel rent, it wouldnt have resulted in an immediate, citywide rent abolition. Before the measure passed, Mayor Myrick promised the city council that he wouldnt invoke his newfound authority without first putting together a working group to discuss all the options, including options that included relief for small landlords.

Myricks idea all along, he says, was to rely on the new authority as a last resortto invoke only in case of emergency. At the time, New York states eviction moratorium was set to expire, and Myrick worried that if that was allowed to happen, it would trigger mass homelessness in Ithaca. Myrick compares the situation to preventing a devastating fire. Any sensible human would object to a stranger pumping thousands of gallons of water into their home, damaging their belongings in the process. But if that home was engulfed in flames, residents would welcome the action. We felt the house was on fire this spring, he says of Ithaca. And Im worried that if Congress doesnt act, the house might catch fire again.

So far, the federal government has not done much to keep the flames at bay. The CARES Act, which passed in March, established an eviction moratorium for federally financed rental properties. But that provision only applied to approximately 12.3 million unitsleaving the occupants of nearly three out of four rental units nationwide without protections. The CARES Act also disbursed one-time stimulus checks and authorized a short-term expansion of unemployment insurance. But both are long-gone now, whereas the pandemics effects on the economy arent: 11.5 million more Americans are still unemployed at the present versus pre-pandemic levels.

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump signed an executive order giving the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the power to pause evictions for millions more Americans: anybody who earns $99,000 or less in income, has tried to obtain government benefits to afford their rent, has experienced a loss of income or an increase in medical costs, is using best efforts to make partial rent payments, and would be at risk of homelessness or having to move into a shared living space if evicted. But that fix is still only a partial one: it doesnt eliminate the rent tenants owe; it merely saddles landlords with these debts until the protection ends in January, at which point renters will owe back-rent, plus late fees. (If a renter is struggling to keep up with monthly rent payments now, its implausible they will have lump sums of cash to catch up with their debts at the start of the New Year.)

The truth is, it is a bad policy

Though Myrick isnt fond of eviction moratoriums, which, he says, tend to punt rent burdens down the road, he acknowledges Ithacas proposal was hardly an ideal solution. In fact, it wasnt his city councils first choice either. During a virtual, June 3 city council meeting when the citys rent cancellation measure was discussed and voted on, some council members objected to the solution entirely.

While largely sympathetic to renters, who make up 73% of Ithacas residents, several members of the council worried about the well-being of small landlords as well. What happens to the landlords who still have mortgages to pay? What happens to contractors who are employed by those landlords? What happens to the citys budget, which relies on those landlords paying their property taxes? I dont understand why we would want to take the pain and economic hardship of one group of our citizens and put it on another group of our citizens, Ithaca Alderman George McGonigal said at the meeting. We may create a bunch of problems for everybody in the community, including ourselves.

Myrick saw the flaws, too. He too worried about Ithacas smaller landlords, in addition to the citys already meager budget. If you just cancel rent, there will be some landlords that lose money, therell be some landlords that lose so much money they cant make their mortgage or tax payments, which could lead to defaults, and tax foreclosures would lead to less revenue for the city, which would mean we could support fewer social services, he says. This kind of thing can trigger [an economic] depression.

Myrick says his preferred policy would have been a robust universal basic income of $2,000 a month to every American. Under such a plan, people have all their basic needs, not just rent, and it would make it easier for people to make choices in the interest of public health, staying home if they can, et cetera. (Though the idea would provide greater flexibility to cash-strapped Americans, it too would come with major challenges: It would cost trillions of dollars if provided nationwide, and the chances of such a proposal getting past a GOP-led Senate are nonexistent.)

Ultimately, after 30-plus minutes of contentious debate on June 3, the rent cancellation measure passed, on a 6 to 4 vote. The Ithaca Tenants Union, which coordinated with a couple city council members and Myrick to conceptualize the order, celebrated. When your business is in providing people housing, thats a certain responsibility you take on if it goes under to not put people on the street, says Ary Stewart, a 24-year-old member of the renters coalition. If this results in landlords falling behind on their own debts, Stewart says they should take it up with the bank.

Myrick, despite his misgivings, helped lead the charge. And in the months since the measures passage, the mayor says his office has been calling New Yorks Department of Health approximately once a week for an update on the proposal. As the federal relief benefits have dried up, the Ithaca Tenants Union has also taken action into its own hands, orchestrating phone zaps where members clog up the New York Department of Healths phone lines for days on end.

These days, members of the Tenants Union are waiting with bated breath to see if their long-shot proposal becomes a reality. They shouldnt get their hopes up. Even if the New York Health Department grants the unconventional rent-cancellation plan a green light, city council member Smith says it is much more likely the bill is used as leverage than implemented as written. Would the mayor have by fiat just canceled rent? The likelihood is extremely low, he says, answering his own question. The more likely scenario is that we would have used this as leverage with landlords and let them know that we can cancel rent, or you can come to the table and talk about how we as a community are gonna make sure that we dont have a massive spike in homelessness.

Whether, or how, such an untested measure might have worked remains to be seen. In the meantime, Myrick insists the unprecedented plan was worth a shoteven if it wasnt perfect. The truth is, it is a bad policy, he says. But its better than doing nothing.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 19:20:31|Editor: huaxia

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Aerial photo taken on Sept. 17, 2020 shows a view of Shazhou Village of Rucheng County, central China's Hunan Province. (Xinhua/Chen Sihan)

CHANGSHA, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Excitement was well visible as Zhu Xiaohong, a rural resident in central China's Hunan Province, recalled seeing Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, on Wednesday.

"He visited my home and asked about my income and life. Thanks to the policy of targeted poverty alleviation, we live a good life now," Zhu said.

Xi visited a revolution-themed exhibition hall in Shazhou Village, Rucheng County, during his inspection tour in Hunan.

The exhibition chronicles the story of an impoverished villager named Xu Jiexiu, who offered shelter to three female Red Army soldiers during the Long March in the 1930s. Upon the soldiers' departure, they cut their only quilt into two pieces, leaving one part with Xu as a gesture of compassion.

Zhu is Xu's grandson.

Like many residents in the remote village located amidst deep mountains, Zhu once endured a hard life due to lack of skills and a heavy family burden from his elderly and sick parents and two children.

Since the country waged a war against poverty nationwide, Zhu has been receiving assistance from village officials, who helped him join a technical training course and supported his children's education.

In 2017, Zhu completed vocational training and became a chef. With the support of the local government, he opened a restaurant, the first of its kind in the village.

As the county has developed a key tourist area featuring revolutionary history, Zhu's business has been booming.

To date, Shazhou has welcomed more than 2 million visitors, said Huang Fei, a local official, adding that revolution-themed tourism has created many opportunities for the village.

Huang said more and more enterprises settled down in the once impoverished village to participate in the development of local agriculture and tourism, while hundreds of villagers found jobs consequently.

"I can earn nearly 10,000 yuan (about 1,480 U.S. dollars) every month in the peak tourist season through my restaurant, and during the offseason, I work as a security guard at the tourist attraction for a monthly payment of 2,000 yuan," said 52-year-old Zhu.

In 2018, Shazhou Village with 529 residents was completely lifted out of poverty. Meanwhile, in 2019 the per-capital disposable income of the villagers reached 13,840 yuan, up 164 percent from 2014.

Zhu Lizhi is another villager who found his way out of poverty with hard work and government aid.

Zhu Lizhi's life was marred by hardships as his mother and wife suffered from serious illnesses. Then he was registered as a poor household in 2015, which meant over 90 percent of the medical expenses of his family could be reimbursed, and the tuition fee for his daughter was waived.

Moreover, the local poverty-alleviation working team offered him a job as a forest ranger in the village, with an annual income of 10,000 yuan.

By the end of 2016, Zhu Lizhi had shaken off poverty according to the official standards. He set up a stall, selling fruits, snacks, and drinks to tourists.

"There are many tourists, and I can earn around 20,000 yuan every year from the business," the 38-year-old villager said.

The local poverty-alleviation working team encouraged him to plant loquat and join a training program so he could learn online marketing and start his own business.

With these new skills, Zhu Lizhi started selling the fruit online and helped local villagers promote their agricultural products. Last year, he earned more than 90,000 yuan.

"My life has changed significantly," said Zhu Lizhi.

The village also offers dividends from the income of collective businesses, such as the photovoltaic electricity and agritourism projects, to poverty-stricken households with no income, Huang said.

China is in the homestretch to eradicate absolute poverty by the end of 2020, after slashing its rural poor population from 98.99 million at the end of 2012 to 5.51 million at the end of 2019.

China first promoted "targeted poverty alleviation," in the once-impoverished Shibadong Village in Hunan Province in 2013. This concept of designing relief policies to suit different local situations later became a guiding principle in China's fight against poverty.

At the beginning of this year, the 51 registered poverty-stricken villages in the province all shook off the label, with the poverty headcount ratio slashed to 0.36 percent from as high as 13.43 percent.

Winning the battle against poverty highlights the advantages of the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China as well as the country's socialist system, said Tang Jianjun, vice president of the Hunan Academy of Social Sciences.

Zhu Xiaohong is more confident about his future. "I will continue to run the restaurant well and strive for an even better life." Enditem
OLMSTED FALLS, Ohio

Traffic complaint: Lindbergh Boulevard

Police received a call at 8:17 a.m. Sept. 11 that a car passed a stopped school bus while kids were getting onto it. The caller said it was a fancy and expensive looking car that had a gold emblem on the front and possibly Florida plates. The car traveled north into Berea. Police then got a second call from another witness in that incident. He said it was a white Bentley with Florida plates and large multi-colored rims. It was last seen in Berea heading toward the Cleveland Browns facility. He said the car is frequently seen on Lindbergh Boulevard and in the surrounding areas.

Speed: Columbia Road

An officer stopped a car for speeding at 12:30 p.m. Sept. 10 but discovered there was a reason for the speed. A woman was driving her daughter to the hospital. The family pet bit the daughter several times on the legs and hands after its tail was caught in a door by accident. A squad arrived and took her to the hospital as the mother was told to follow it.

Preserve Way: Disturbance Noise

An anonymous caller contacted police at 9:43 p.m. Sept. 10 about an ongoing issue involving noise and lights at a construction site. Police spoke with a landscaper and then left a voicemail with the workers boss about noise restrictions.

Car crash: Lewis Road

Police and fire responded to a one-car accident at 3:40 a.m. Sept. 12. The caller said the car was on its side and the motor was still running. There was no one in the car. The caller said he was trying to check the surrounding area. The car seemed to drive off of the road and hit a manhole on Lewis Road just north of Bagley. The crash was actually in Berea. The hospital was advised to contact police if someone arrived there with injuries. Olmsted Falls fire department turned the vehicle off.

Theft: Cook Road

Someone stole a box trailer that was parked in the driveway Sept. 12. Police spoke with neighbors. They said they saw someone in the drive at 3 a.m.

Traffic altercation: Sprague Road

A motorist called police at 7:25 p.m. Sept. 12 about a silver pickup truck that almost ran the caller off the road. The truck then turned onto Plum Creek and then Sprague Road. Police were unable to find the truck.

Juveniles: Falls Point Drive

A motorist called police at 11:17 p.m. Sept. 12 that kids were flashing a bright green light at cars as they drove by. Their actions made it difficult for drivers to see. The kids ran toward the developments clubhouse on Lakeview Drive. Police were unable to find the kids.

Parking: Redwood Drive

Police cited a car at 2:57 a.m. Sept. 15 for violating the citys overnight parking law.

Gun shots: Lewis Road

Police received a call at 4:20 a.m. Sept. 15 that a driver shot at another motorist. The caller heard about five or six shots. The incident involved two cars, one red and the other white. The caller left the area but said the other two were still there. North Olmsted police also were advised, but the call was disconnected. The hospital was advised about the incident in case someone arrived in emergency with a gunshot wound.

Speeding: Brentwood Drive

An officer cited a motorist at 7:57 a.m. Sept. 15 for speeding in a school zone on Bagley Road.

Speeding: Lindbergh Boulevard

An officer stopped a car at 11 a.m. Sept. 15 for speeding. During the stop the officer saw drug paraphernalia inside the car in plain sight. He confiscated the marijuana grinder and bowl.

Found property: Columbia Road

Police received a call at 5:58 p.m. Sept. 15 that someone in a white van with no plates dumped an air conditioning unit and crib on Speedways property. At first it was believed the items may have fallen off the back, but it was decided later the items were purposely left there. A license plate also was left at the scene. Police were unsuccessful in finding the culprit in the area.

Drug paraphernalia: Redwood Drive

Police searched a car at 12:29 a.m. Sept. 16 after the officer smelled marijuana and the driver admitted to having drugs in it. Relatives picked up the juveniles who were in the car. The detective bureau has possession of the confiscated items.
On Tuesday, during an online summit at this year's Smart China Expo Online, China's digital heavyweights shed light on the huge potential for the sector to shape the future.





"Amongst all the uncertainties facing us, digitalization is a huge opportunity and is by far the most concrete," said Jack Ma in a video screened during the event.





Ma, who now serves as the co-chair on the UN High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation since retiring as Alibaba's chairman, urged industries to enhance their digital technology research capacities to further reduce costs in publicity, labor, and management. The biggest beneficiary, as Ma puts, in the process of digitalization, is not internet companies but rather companies that use the internet as a tool to improve themselves. "Every traditional industry has a chance to become a modern one driven by technologies," Ma said.





Over the years, China has worked to develop its digital economy, which not only refers to the industrialized digital sector but also the digitalized transformation of many traditional industries. A white paper released in July of this year showed that the country's digital economy in 2019 was worth 35.8 trillion yuan (about US$5.07 trillion), up by 15.6% last year.





The 2020 Smart China Expo thus provides a platform to showcase the latest technologies both at home and abroad and helps to narrow the global digital divide, empower economy, and enrich day-to-day life.





Regarding employment in the context of the digital economy, Ma believes that future jobs will mainly be created in the service sector instead of in manufacturing industries. Ma thus calls for reforms in education that will allow talent to be more adaptable to emerging technologies and the changes that they will bring.





"Digital technologies will change the very nature of all sectors that we currently know," says Robin Li, chairman and CEO of Baidu. Li hopes that in ten years, traffic congestion can be basically eliminated and traffic accidents will be greatly reduced via digital means.





Li elaborated on Baidu's role in the sector, saying that the internet giant aims to make AI platforms available to all in order to build connectivity and help improve AI infrastructure for China's digital agenda.





Similar to Baidu, China's another tech giant Tencent has emphasized development in the industrial internet field. Chairman and CEO Pony Ma Huateng noted during the summit that the integration between the real and digital economy will take place at each step in the process. "People's producing and living activities will be reshaped by digitalization," Ma said, addressing the summit remotely.





Co-hosted by southwest China's Chongqing and Singapore Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTII), the 2020 Smart China Expo Online commenced on Sept. 15.
Some political parties, candidates and concerned stakeholders have been taken aback by the amount of money quoted by the Electoral Commission as the filing fee for the upcoming polls.



To many, the hundred percent increment in the fee from the previous election (2016) is but a systemic approach to sell leadership to the highest bidder. Others also believe this is a way to inculcate and justify corruption in government.



However, over the past two decades, there has been a consistent increment in the filing fee for both presidential and parliamentary aspirants under the various administrations.



From GH500 for presidential aspirants in the 90s to GH100,000 in 2020; GhanaWeb in this article brings its readers how the filing fee has evolved since 1992.



1992 general elections



The Electoral Commission headed by Justice Josiah Ofori Boateng in 1992 pegged the filing fee for both presidential and parliamentary candidates at GH500 and GH200 respectively.



During this period, the parties which were interested in fielding candidates included; NDC, NPP, PNC, NIP and PHP. The presidential aspirants for the parties were; Jerry John Rawlings, Albert Adu Boahen, Hilla Limann, Kwabena Darko and Emmanuel Erskine, respectively.



The Electoral Commission within this period was headed by Justice Josiah Ofori Boateng.



1996 general elections



During the 1996 general elections, the amount for the filing fees remained largely unchanged. Filing fees for presidential aspirants was still pegged at GH500 while parliamentary aspirants paid GH200.



The Electoral Commission, in this period, had come under the supervision of the Kwadwo Afari-Gyan.



Some of the contesting parties in this period included; NDC/Progressive Alliance led by Jerry John Rawlings, NPP/the Great Alliance also led by John Agyekum Kufuor and the PNC, led by Edward Mahama.



2000  2004 general elections



For a long time running, the filing fees remained unchanged and this period did not see its increment as well.



As a matter of fact, the Kwadwo Afari-Gyan-led Electoral Commission decided to forgo any possible increment, maintaining the prices at GH500 for presidential and GH200 for parliamentary aspirants.



Some of the contesting parties in the 2000 and 2004 elections included; NPP, NDC, PNC, CPP, PCP and NRP. And some of the presidential aspirants were; John Evans Atta Mills, John Agyekum Kufuor, George Hagan, Goosie Tanoh, Charles Wireko-Brobbey, Edward Mahama and George Aggudey.



2008 general elections



However, the long run of unchanged filing fee was brought to an end in the period leading to the 2008 general elections.



At this point, the Electoral Commission still headed by Kwadwo Afari-Gyan announced a rather sharp and unexpected increment in the amount to be paid by presidential aspirants.



The presidential filing fee was pegged at GH5,000 and parliamentary at GH500. This was during the period the Ghana cedi had been redenominated.



In this election, however, seven parties managed to field aspirants. They included the NDC led by John Atta Mills, NPP led by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, PNC led by Edward Mahama, CPP, led by Papa Kwesi Nduom, DPP, DFP and RDP.



2012 general elections



In the 2012 general elections, the cost of filing fee was slightly increased and the commission still remained under the leadership of Kwadwo Afari-Gyan.



The presidential filing fee was now GH10,000 and parliamentary at GH1,000.



Eight political parties managed to sail through to contest the presidency and some parliamentary seats.



These parties were, NDC, NPP, GCPP, PPP, UFP, PNC, CPP and an Independent candidate.



2016 general election



In this period, the leadership of the Electoral Commission changed and for the first time in the countrys history, a woman was appointed as the Chairperson of the Commission.



Charlotte Osei, shortly after her appointment announced a sharp increment to the filing fees for political parties and their aspirants.



Political parties and aspirants were expected to cough up GH50,000 and GH10,000 for presidential and parliamentary aspirants, respectively. This became a major bone of contention for many stakeholders as the PPP which was then led by Papa Kwesi Nduom sued the Electoral Commission for the unjustifiable hike in the fee.



However, that did not stop seven parties from contesting. These parties were once again, the NPP and NDC, CPP, NDP, PPP, PNC and an Independent candidate.



2020 general elections



Though this election is yet to be conducted, the Electoral Commission as part of its ritual has announced fees for aspirants and parties to pay in order to seal their participation.



But the 100 percent increment has been described as a sale of leadership to the highest bidder.



Under the authority of the Jean Mensa, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, parties interested in the race are to make a bank draft deposit of GH100,000 for presidential aspirants and GH10,000 for parliamentary candidates.



Of course, this has received major backlash from several stakeholders but the EC insists that filing will commence from October 5 to October 9, 2020. As justification, the EC has said the depreciation of the countrys currency over the years is to blame for the sharp increment.





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.

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NEWTOWN TOWNSHIP >> Newtown Township will be applying for federal funding to bolster its career firefighting force. And its crossing its fingers and hoping the third times a charm. At its Jan. 12 meeting, the board of supervisors voted unanimously to resubmit its SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) grant application to the Federal Emergency Management Agency to...
The commander of Mexicos National Guard said Friday the death of a woman shot by guard members at a water protest in northern Mexico earlier this month was a regrettable accident.

Protesters had fought guardsmen and taken over a dam that is releasing water to pay a debt to the United States under a 1944 treaty. Farmers in northern Chihuahua state say they need the water for their own crops.

National Guard Commander Luis Rodriguez Bucio said that after guard members retreated from the dam, protesters had taken military-grade materials left behind, including grenades, possibly a reference to tear-gas or smoke grenades that guard members had been using to quell the confrontation.

He said that after the retreat, three suspects approached a guard detail and threatened to throw the grenades at them. They detained the suspects, put them aboard guard vehicles and were taking them to a nearby city to hand them over to civilian prosecutors.

At that point, Rodriguez Bucio said, trucks driven by protesters overtook the national guard convoy taking the three suspects for booking.

Guardsmen heard shots  it was unclear from where  and one officer opened fire, hitting a truck carrying the woman and her companion, who was badly wounded.

Rodriguez Bucio said the guardsmen thought the protesters were interfering with their convoy and trying to free the suspects. The incident was being investigated by prosecutors and military investigators.

Time is running out for Mexico to pay the water debt by an Oct. 24 deadline; protesters continued to hold the Chihuahua dam to prevent water transfers to farmers and towns along the Rio Grande.

The United States gives Mexico four times more water from the Colorado River farther west under the treaty, and Mexico is worried about the possibility of losing that.

In early September

But a short time later Wednesday, the National Guard said in a series of Twitter messages that it had arrested three people with tear gas projectiles and a gun magazine Tuesday night. When guardsmen tried to transport the three to the town of Delicias they were intercepted and fired upon from several vehicles. The troops returned fire and later found one person dead and one wounded in a vehicle. The second person died later at a hospital.

The National Guard said shots were fired from the vehicles and troops returned fire. A woman was killed and a man seriously wounded. The woman was buried Friday.
With resources stretched to the limit, weary crews on Thursday fought from the air and on the ground against deadly wildfires sweeping the western United States, with a US senator saying parts of Oregon now resemble the aftermath of World War Two firebombings.

Scores of fires have burned some 3.2 million acres (1.3 million hectares) in California since mid-August and another 1.6 million acres (647,500 hectares) in Oregon and Washington state since Labor Day on Sept. 7, laying waste to several small towns, destroying thousands of homes and claiming at least 34 lives.

The Oregon Department of Forestry said 6,500 firefighters from the state and elsewhere in the United States and Canada were working to stop the blazes, along with other government agency emergency responders and community members. Twenty-six fires were still active in Oregon on Thursday, according to the states Office of Emergency Management.

Californias Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said more than 17,400 firefighters were deployed against 26 fires in the most populous US state.

US Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon described driving 600 miles (965 km) in his state to get a firsthand look at the devastation, visiting refugee centers, fire control centers and towns burned by the blazes.

That 600 miles, I never got out of the smoke. I remember fires in the past where I was driving and I would be in the smoke for 20 or 30 minutes - thats a big fire. This is apocalyptic, Merkley told CNN. To see ... these towns burnt to the ground, it looks like a World War Two town hit by firebombing - thousands of homes destroyed, residences destroyed.

Merkley said a lot of affordable housing was lost, including apartment buildings and mobile home parks, while some commercial districts were burned to the ground.

Its overwhelming, the Democratic senator added.

The West Coast wildfires have filled the regions skies with smoke and soot, but some areas on Thursday were the clearest they have been in days.

Kyle Sullivan, a spokesman for the US Bureau of Land Management in Medford, Oregon, said a clearing of the smoke has allowed more firefighting to take place in the air with helicopters and planes dropping retardant.

We havent seen a lot of significant fire growth (this week). It hasnt been super windy or super hot, Sullivan said.

Eight deaths have been confirmed in Oregon. One fire-related fatality has been confirmed in Washington state. Californias death toll stood at 25.

Dreaming of fire

Drew Hansen, a 31-year-old logger raised on a tree farm near Molalla, Oregon, about an hour south of Portland, was part of a volunteer firefighting force battling the Riverside and Beachie Creek fires since Sept. 8.

This is my backyard, were fighting for our homes and families up here, Hansen said as he and a crew rested outside his parents farmhouse, about five miles (8 km) southeast of Molalla. It feels like weve not slept in a week. Even when I have slept, Im dreaming of fire.

Just down the mountain road from Hansen, the fires toll was clear. One side of the road was lush and green. The other side looked like a moonscape of white and black ash, with giant tree stumps still smoldering.

All along the mountain roads in and around Molalla, farm families put out handmade signs, thanking those who risked their lives to battle the flames.

This little town was surrounded by fire not long ago, and it was the civilians who stepped in when we needed help the most, said Ashley Bentley, owner of a local feed store whose husband was among those in the woods fighting fires. We had to act or the fire was going to take our town.

With the potential for some rain beginning on Friday in affected areas of Oregon, weather conditions may help the fight.

We are anticipating a small amount of moisture coming in this weekend, but its not going to be enough to end the fire season. Itll help with firefighting efforts, but were still anxious about the potential for new starts, the Bureau of Land Managements Sullivan said.

With improved weather finally enabling fire crews to take the offensive, crews have worked to beat back Oregons largest blaze this season: the 190,000-acre (76,900-hectare) Beachie Creek fire. It was 20% contained as of Thursday afternoon.

Cooler weather and increasing humidity on Thursday was expected to help firefighting efforts in California, but authorities said warmer and drier weather over the weekend would bring more fire danger. Some 5,400 structures have been destroyed since mid-August in California.

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The tide of census data that rolled in last week brought some good news: The San Antonio metro area wasnt as poor in 2019 as it was the year before.

But if youre thinking that maybe San Antonio has lost that most depressing of designations  poorest big city in the country  let me stop you there. It didnt. Among the countrys largest 25 metro areas, it shares that title with Miami.

Nevertheless, the San Antonio areas poverty rate dropped to 13.5 percent from 15.4 percent in 2018. So at least it shared to some extent in the prosperity that lifted many other cities last year. Progress is progress.

On ExpressNews.com: Poverty rates for San Antonio and Texas dropped sharply in 2019  before the pandemic

But 2020 will end that progress, just as it has many other good things. And we thought 2016, the year both David Bowie and Prince died, was terrible.

This year makes everything that previously drove us to distraction seem small and nonthreatening, like the sniffles. Remember how City Council panicked last year about a projected $20 million budget shortfall and shook down the San Antonio Water System to help close it?

We have a new standard now for what constitutes an economic crisis.

As weve seen, San Antonio was especially vulnerable to the COVID-19 recession. The spring shutdown wiped out hotels, restaurants, bars and other businesses tied to the leisure and hospitality industry, which accounted for 13 percent of the areas overall nonfarm workforce, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The partial reopening of the economy has undone some of the damage, but a lot remains.

In February, 142,300 people worked in leisure and hospitality. That number plunged to 82,000 in April (down 41 percent from the year before) before crawling back to 128,800 by July.

Employment in other industries that make up the regional economy  manufacturing, health care, financial services, construction, tech  also declined. But their pain doesnt compare.

Before the pandemic, leisure and hospitality was the fastest growing of the areas major industries. It also demanded the fewest skills and paid some of the lowest wages. Not a good recipe for building an economy that maximizes prosperity and puts more money in the pockets of more workers.

Even with the blows its taken, the industry still represented 12 percent of the regions workforce in July.

The low-wage rut is the bigger problem Mayor Ron Nirenberg is trying to solve with the job retraining program thats getting underway with $75 million in CARES Act funding. The aim is to teach higher skills to workers who lost their jobs in recent months so they can land better-paid work in health care, cybersecurity, construction, financial services and other sectors.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio launches program to help those who lost jobs because of coronavirus pandemiclink

The program aims to retrain about 10,000 workers and then keep it going with sales tax revenue for a few years more. That is, if voters agree on Nov. 3 that skills training  in addition to channeling more money to VIA Metropolitan Transit  is a worthwhile use of their tax dollars. Were talking about an estimated $154 million over a four-year period.

In addition to training, the program offers participants a $450 per week stipend, child care assistance and other services.

I hear that Build SA, the campaign to persuade San Antonians to vote yes on the sales-tax initiative, has poll results showing solid support for the measure. Take that for whats it worth.

However, the fumbling rollout of the program hasnt done its proponents any favors. As Express-News staff writer Brandon Lingle reported last week, Workforce Solutions Alamo began accepting applications on Aug. 31, and the agencys phone system promptly buckled. Its website wasnt much help, either; at the time, people couldnt fill out interest forms online.

On ExpressNews.com: Rocky start for citys job retraining program; unemployed face phone tie-ups, website confusion

The result: An untold number of jobless applicants, looking to climb out of the financial hole theyre in, spent a lot of time waiting on the phone and still couldnt get a foot in the door.

Workforce Solutions spent $90,000 to fix the problem last week and kept the phone system offline Monday and part of Tuesday so technicians could do their thing. Officials also have opened other avenues for people to apply for the program, which is funded by the city and Bexar County.

This whole effort is a test. Its an experiment, Workforce Solutions chief executive Adrian Lopez told Lingle. Its a test of whether we can all align together and meet these goals that are set out by both the county and the city.

In an email responding to Lingles story, a reader put into words what others are probably thinking: That is not very reassuring to a taxpayer.

Brief as it was, the episode smacked of improvisation and bureaucratic ineptitude  exactly what nobody wants to see in multimillion-dollar government program.

Hope has rarely shown up for work this year. Nevertheless, hopefully this was a blip and not a sign of more foul-ups to come. If so, Ill vote in favor of the sales-tax initiative.

More from Jefferson: Weaning S.A. off the low-wage economy  if the pandemic doesnt kick-start change, nothing will

That wouldnt be because the retraining program will fix San Antonios endemic poverty. It wont. There are simply too many families who are barely scraping by to think that a government initiative can pull off a feat like that.

Another set of data released last week  by the Urban Institute in Washington, D.C.  gets at the scope of the challenge and its deep roots.

In an analysis based on 2016 data, San Antonio ranked 211 among 274 American cities on economic inclusion. Thats measured by income segregation, the number of residents spending an overly large chunk of their income on rent, the citys share of working-poor families and the high school dropout rate.

The last metric, however, was encouraging  really encouraging, in fact. The percentage of San Antonio teenagers who drop out of school has plummeted over the last several decades. In 1980, 19 percent of students checked out before graduating from high school; by 2016, it was down to 5 percent, according to the Urban Institute.

The average dropout rate among the 274 cities surveyed was 4 percent in 2016.

Educational progress like that is San Antonios path out of poverty.

But as the data show, such improvements are decades in the making.

I think of the retraining program on the November ballot as a stopgap. Its a way to train low-wage workers for better-paying jobs now, and thats money well spent.

Unless the bureaucracy mucks it up.

greg.jefferson@express-news.net
One of the ahas for us was to realize, and to say, that we were complicit in all this. We want to repent, and repentance means making a different choice, turning around. Instead of fostering systemic racism, we want to undo it as best we can together.
Dr Anthony Fauci is warning that bars and restaurants should not reopen after Centers for Disease Control and Prevention research showed that people who recently dined out or went to bars are two-times more likely to test positive for coronavirus.

'When you have restaurants, indoors, in a situation where you have a high degree of infection in the community, you're not wearing masks, that's a problem,' Dr Fauci said in an MSNBC interview.

'Bars are a really important place of spreading infection, there's not doubt about that.'

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) research published last week showed that people who had recently dined out were nearly twice as likely to test positive for coronavirus compared to those who had not been to restaurants.

Despite the CDC report, New York City restaurants will be allowed to open indoor dining at 25 percent their capacity on September 30, and bars in Florida opened at 50 percent capacity on Monday.

Top US infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci said that restaurants and bars clearly present high-risk environments for coronavirus infection in a Thursday night interviiew

People who tested positive for coronavirus were about twice as likely to have recently visited restaurants, compared to people who tested negative (third from left), CDC data reveals

Struggling food and beverage businesses in the hard-hit areas are thrilled, but the CDC's data suggests that going to restaurants is linked to higher odds of catching coronavirus than riding the bus, going to offices or to the gym.

Dr Fauci said he 'totally agreed' with White House coronavirus task force coordinator Dr Deborah Birx's July recommendation that bars and restaurants stay closed in states like Kentucky that were struggling to get their outbreaks under control.

Barring indoor dining and drinking 'becomes particularly important if you happen to be in an area where there's a high degree of community spread, so those are things that are crystal clear,' Dr Fauci said.

Restaurants and bars are now at least partially open in every state, even as states in the South and Midwest report alarming increases in coronavirus cases.

Bars in particular emerged as hotspots for infection in states like Arizona and Florida over the summer, and recent federal data drew a clear link between food and beverage establishments and COVID-19 cases.

The CDC collected data on 314 Americans who got tested for coronavirus.

Participants were asked about where they had spent their time in the past two weeks and with whom they had been in contact.

Of the entire group 154 people had tested positive and 160 people tested negative.

There was little difference in the percentage of people who tested positive or negative and had recently been to salons, offices, gyms or to stores to shop.

A new CDC report found that people are nearly twice as likely to test positive for coronavirus if they have eaten at a restaurant in the past two weeks. It comes as New York City allows dining in at 25% capacity starting September 30 and Florida reopens bars at 50% capacity Monday (file)

Positive and negative test results were also about equally common among people who lived with a few people, compared to those who shared their homes with 10 or more others.

Unsurprisingly, those who had had close contact with someone they knew had COVID-19 were about three times as likely to test positive as negative.

And the vast majority of those close contacts were family members, who were more likely than friends or colleagues to share a home with the covid-positive study participant.

Aside from close contacts, going to eating or drinking establishments was the strongest predictor of catching coronavirus.

Positive tests were 'approximately twice as likely to have reported dining at a restaurant than were those with negative SARS-CoV-2 test results,' the CDC said.

Dining in was banned in 42 states, and Nebraska and Virginia put caps on the number of people restaurants could seat in March.

Only a handful of states - including Oklahoma and South Dakota, which have become hotspots in recent weeks - allowed dining in to continue at the height of the pandemic.

Now, most states have lifted their bans, partially or entirely, in fits and starts.

After months of pick-up and outdoor dining only in New York City, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced this week that restaurants could have diners in 25 percent of their seats starting September 30.

Although office workers are also seated in a closed space, higher rates of infection in restaurants may be related to the obvious obvious impossibility of wearing masks while eating or drinking, as well as poor ventilation.

'Reports of exposures in restaurants have been linked to air circulation. Direction, ventilation, and intensity of airflow might affect virus transmission, even if social distancing measures and mask use are implemented according to current guidance.'

Those guidelines have varied considerably across country, including in the home states of the participants, which included California, Colorado, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Utah and Washington.
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- GAC NIO, a joint venture between GAC Group and NIO, announced on Sept. 16 its partnership formed with several Chinese self-driving startups, mobility service providers and equity investment firms, signaling a substantial headway it aims to make in building a closed-loop intelligent mobility ecosystem that integrates both software and hardware.



(GAC NIO's first mass-produced model "Hycan 007; photo source: Hycan)



The partners include PKU Jinqiu New Technologies Limited. (PKU Jinqiu), Horizon Robotics, WeRide, eHi Car Services and Xinding Capital.

The cooperation was unveiled at a summit themed intelligent mobility ecosystem held by GAC NIO in Beijing. Meanwhile, the automaker announced a fund it jointly initiated with Xinding Capital. Involving an initial size of $1 billion, the fund is set up to provide continuous capital support and cooperation resources to intelligent mobility ecosystem.

In addition, GAC NIO said it plan to team up with PKU Jinqiu, a technology company backed by Peking University, on founding an intelligent automobile institute, which will be dedicated to researching forward-looking trends for intelligent mobility ecosystem.

The automaker said its intelligent mobility ecosystem takes the high-quality hardware as the carrier, the AI-enabled operating system as the soul and the abundancy in ecosystem service as the core value.

Under the partnership agreement, PKU Jinqiu will do the forward-looking research on industrial trends for the intelligent mobility ecosystem, Horizon Robotics will offer support in computing capability using on-board chips, WeRide's autonomous driving technology will endow users with innovative travelling experience, and eHi Car Services will afford scenarios for the popularization of GAC NIO's vehicles, and collect and integrate driving data.
On September 7, for the first time in Australias history, renewable energy was generating more power than coal. For solar, wind and other renewables to reach more than 50 per cent of supply is pretty astounding given the calamitous rhetoric around Australias supposed failures in renewable energy.

The solar installation at Sydneys International Convention Centre. Australia has become a world leader in renewable energy.

Conservative governments in Australia have a problem claiming credit for achievements in clean energy and emissions reductions. This is understandable given the issue has been a graveyard for both parties in this country for more than a decade.

Climate change politics has also been dominated by the Left, and conservatives are inherently suspicious of the lofty targets and large government agencies supposedly required to save the planet.

This week weve seen two big announcements in energy and emissions reductions: one on gas and the other in renewables.
Photograph showing the terahertz detector chip based on a resonant tunneling diode oscillator (inset) being used to detect terahertz radiation. Credit: RIKEN Center for Advanced Photonics

A semiconductor device that is promising for both generating and detecting terahertz radiation has been demonstrated by physicists at RIKEN. This may aid the development of high-performance integrated solutions for terahertz imaging and sensing applications as well as for high-speed, next-generation wireless communications systems.

Terahertz radiation is electromagnetic waves with frequencies ranging between 0.1 and 10 terahertz. It falls between microwaves and infrared radiation on the electromagnetic spectrum. This range has been dubbed the terahertz gap because it has been underutilized in applications compared to other regions of the spectrum, which have been extensively used in many applications.

One reason why terahertz radiation has not been used much is that it has been traditionally difficult to generate and detect terahertz radiation. But recent years have seen many advances in this area, and terahertz radiation is gathering interest for imaging for airport security and medical purposes as well as for wireless communications systems that use terahertz waves instead of microwaves as the information carrier.

While semiconductor devices known as resonant tunneling diode (RTD) oscillators have been used as terahertz emitters for many years, Yuma Takida and Hiroaki Minamide from the RIKEN Center for Advanced Photonics have now shown that they can also detect terahertz radiation at room temperature.

"Our result demonstrates that terahertz RTD oscillators can be used as sensitive detectors of terahertz waves," says Takida. "This promises to accelerate the development of integrated oscillator and detector single chips, which will pave the way toward real-world terahertz applications."

The RIKEN pair, who collaborated with Safumi Suzuki and Masahiro Asada from Tokyo Institute of Technology, fabricated an RTD that can operate in two detection modes. One of these modes was especially sensitive at detecting terahertz waves, with a performance rivaling that of diode-based detectors.

"RTDs have several key advantages over other detectors," notes Takida. "These advantages include a wider dynamic range owing to resistance to high input power and a higher sensitivity at room temperature. Furthermore, we have shown that a single RTD device can be used as both an oscillator and a detector at terahertz frequencies."

Takida says that the growing demand for terahertz technology and progress in semiconductor technology made the work possible.

The team anticipates that optimizing the design will allow devices to be fabricated that operate anywhere in the 0.12 terahertz region. Future work will focus on improving the sensitivity of their RTD detector and demonstrating integrated solutions for broadband heterodyne mixing at terahertz frequencies.

Explore further Underused part of the electromagnetic spectrum gets optics boost from metamaterial

More information: Yuma Takida et al. Sensitive terahertz-wave detector responses originated by negative differential conductance of resonant-tunneling-diode oscillator, Applied Physics Letters (2020). Journal information: Applied Physics Letters Yuma Takida et al. Sensitive terahertz-wave detector responses originated by negative differential conductance of resonant-tunneling-diode oscillator,(2020). DOI: 10.1063/5.0012318
Keith Krach (right), US Undersecretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment, talked with Taiwan officials after landing at the Sungshan airport in Taipei on September 17, 2020. A top US diplomat landed in Taiwan on September 17, the highest-ranking State Department official to visit in 40 years, in a further sign of Washington's willingness to defy China and its campaign to isolate the self-ruled island. (Image: Twitter/@iingwen)

Beijing: China began combat drills near the Taiwan Strait on Friday, the same day a senior U.S. official began high-level meetings in Taipei, as Beijing denounced tightening ties between Chinese-claimed Taiwan and the United States.

Beijing has watched with growing alarm the ever-closer relationship between Taipei and Washington, and has stepped up military exercises near the island, including two days of mass air and sea drills last week.

Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Ren Guoqiang said Fridays drills, about which he gave no details, were taking place near the Taiwan Strait and involved the Peoples Liberation Armys eastern theatre command.

They are a reasonable, necessary action aimed at the current situation in the Taiwan Strait and protecting national sovereignty and territorial integrity, Ren said.

Taiwan is a purely internal Chinese affair that brooks no foreign interference, he added.

Recently the United States and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities have stepped up their collusion, frequently creating disturbances, Ren said, referring to Taiwans ruling party.

Trying to use Taiwan to control China or rely on foreigners to build oneself up is wishful thinking and doomed to be a dead end, he added.

Those who play with fire will get burnt, he said.

Taiwans government did not immediately respond.

Chinas announcement came as U.S. Undersecretary for Economic Affairs Keith Krach began the first full day of his visit to Taiwan in a low-key way, with no open media events on his agenda.

He is due to meet President Tsai Ing-wen later in the day, and on Saturday will attend a memorial service for late President Lee Teng-hui.

China had threatened to make a necessary response to the trip, straining already poor ties between Beijing and both Taipei and Washington. Sino-U.S. relations have plummeted ahead of Novembers U.S. presidential election.

Chinese fighter jets briefly crossed the mid-line of the Taiwan Strait last month as the U.S. Health Secretary Alex Azar was in Taipei, and last week China carried out two days of large-scale drills off Taiwans southwestern coast.

The United States, like most countries, only has official ties with China, not Taiwan, though is the islands main arms supplier and most important international backer.
Hurricane Sally left Mobile and Baldwin county utility companies scrambling to restore power following a massive darkening of the coastal region that could last for weeks in certain areas.

As of Friday, more than 163,000 utility customers remained without power.

And while officials will say that recovery is going quicker than during past storms, people are flocking to social media and are peppering utility companies with questions and complaints over when their power will be restored.

Fueling frustrations are reports from residents  some living within the same neighborhood  about having to sit in the dark while others have had their power restored. Proclamations of power restorations are filling up Facebook, only to be followed by comments from others angered over their power outage that persists through the high heat and humidity of a coastal Alabama September.

We need patience, state U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne, R-Fairhope, pleaded on Friday. There will be power. There will be air conditioning. It will take a while.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, visiting coastal Alabama for the first time since Sally made landfall Wednesday morning in Gulf Shores, said that Alabama Power and Power South Energy Cooperative are both working diligently in getting power restored for the region. Power South is the energy provider for a variety of utility companies throughout Baldwin County, which are scrambling to repair downed power lines and remove debris in order to get power restored.

Ivey, during a news conference at the Gulf State Park Lodge in Gulf Shores, said that 103,000 customers remain without power in Baldwin County, while 60,000 remain in the dark in Mobile County.

We understand their frustration, said Rebecca Shobe, spokeswoman with Baldwin EMC Coop  the largest provider of electricity in Baldwin County. The company provides electricity to parts of Spanish Fort, south and southwest of Fairhope into the Fish River area, portions of Foley and the coastal communities of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach.

Our crews are doing everything they can to restore power as safely and as quickly as possible and as we are able to give estimated times, we will, she added. But its a huge undertaking. The damage was catastrophic. Right now, its really hard for us to say where we are going to get power in a (particular) place within two days or two weeks.

As of Friday morning, there were over 77,000 Baldwin EMC customers without power, with 52,427 members without power south of U.S. 98 toward the Alabama coast.

Shobe said that the hope is for the utility to get up to 25,000 customers restored with power before the end of the day on Saturday. She said that restoration to flooded substations remained an undertaking for the utility company, but that progress was being made. When Sally hit, the company lost power to 17 of its 22 substations. By Friday morning, 14 had been energized.

Our crews are making real progress. When Sally hit, we lost power to 17 of our 22 substations. As of Friday morning, we have 14 substations energized. Thats the first HUGE step in the process, and with that, thousands of members could see their power restored today or tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/VpyoOlSBHJ  BaldwinEMC (@BaldwinEMC) September 18, 2020

In Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, we had substations that were flooded, she said. They are getting them back up little by little. They have to start at the substations and work their way out. Of course, those areas have a lot of tree damage that came on top of power poles.

Indeed, the damage to the power poles remains a challenge for power crews as they arrive to coastal Alabama in the thousands. Crews from Tallahassee, Florida, were seen zipping along the roads in Daphne. In Robertsdale, crews from Opelika and Tuskegee were arriving to offer assistance. Fairhope Utilities was being assisted by a crew from Orlando.

Shobe said there were 750 crews from outside the region assisting Baldwin EMC on Friday. She anticipated 1,100 and possibly as many as 1,500 to 1,600 arriving on Saturday.

Were seeing significant improvements and progress and the ore crews we get in, the more progress well be seeing, she said. Were hopeful and optimistic.

Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon said he was hopeful to get the citys beachfront and commercial areas lighted up as fast as they can.

Mobile County is expected to be nearly 100% restored by Sunday, according to Beth Thomas with Alabama Power. As of Friday morning, the Alabama Power service area without power includes over 67,000 customers in Mobile County, Bay Minette, Atmore, Monroeville, Brewton and portions of Jackson.

In Mobile County, there were approximately 59,000 customers without power on Friday.

Yesterday was our first full day of restoration and crews restored service to more than 85,000 customers, said Thomas. She said approximately 75% of Alabama Powers Mobile division was without power after Sallys arrival Wednesday. That number was down to 30% as of Friday.

Thomas, herself, is still without power in Spanish Fort. She said that on Wednesday, her husband was excited to see some of her neighbors with their power restored quickly. Alas, the couple remained in the dark on Friday.

Its obvious this is a major undertaking, said Thomas. There is a lot of people dedicated to it.

In Baldwin County, where there are more utility companies handling overseeing different portions of the county than in Mobile.

Reports are unclear regarding a restoration timetable in cities like Fairhope (which is operated by Fairhope Utilities) and Daphne (which is managed by Riviera Utilities).

The Riviera Utilities Facebook page was filled with mixed messages of praise, and criticism for providing generic social media posts about the companys progress. Riviera Utilities also provides electricity for portions of Foley, Magnolia Springs, Elberta and Lillian. The historic Malbis area, which is also overseen by Riviera Utilities, has since been restored.

The lack of specifics included one post from an irate customer who wanted to know about the status of those living in the heavily populated Lake Forest neighborhood where downed trees were causing restoration problems.

I know that ETAs are difficult but it would be nice to know if we are being left for last, so that we can make arrangements rather than living on a hope and a prayer each day & night, the commenter said. Please tell us something.

There was no response from the company, though another resident said they had yet to see a truck within their area.

We have a long way to go, but our crews and visiting crews have restored power to roughly 12,000 customers. They began... Posted by Riviera Utilities on Friday, September 18, 2020

Miles McDaniel, a spokesman with Riviera Utilities, said there are have been 15,000 restorations in the past two days, though roughly 33,000 customers remain without power. He said that the uprooted trees damaged transmission lines and transformers and that it took a while to assess the damage.

He added, There was so much on the system. We came back with a game plan and started to send out crews to work on the transmission lines.

McDaniel said that additional crews are assisting Riviera Utilities, and that more are expected to arrive this weekend.

He said he doesnt foresee the restoration process lasting for two weeks, adding that it will be sooner than that. But the company, like others, isnt offering specifics as to which neighborhoods could be waiting longer than others.

We understand that whenever they are without electricity, it creates a hardship, said McDaniel. We are asking them to be patient with us and with our crews. They are working around the clock in response to this storm. Our employees, they were affected by the storm too. They are working nonstop around the clock to help all of our communities even though they also have house damage and power outages as well.

Daphne Mayor Dane Haygood said it could take some time to get the power restore to portions of Lake Forest, where downed trees still cover roadways. He said that parts of the subdivision could be restored within a few days, but others could take longer.

Were cutting our way through the inaccessible pats of that  trying to marry Riviera with Daphne public works folks, said Haygood. Its a big area. Tree lines are down everywhere. Its going to take time.

Fairhope Utilities is battling downed trees and power lines in the populated Fruit and Nut district, but there is little clarity on when certain areas of the city will have power restored. Thomas Hospital was re-energized on Friday morning, as was the citys police and fire stations. In that city, 2,300 of the citys 6,700 customers had been reenergized as of late Friday afternoon.

In Robertsdale, approximately 1,000 of the citys 3,000 electric customers had their power restored as of Friday morning.

Mayor Charles Murphy said he anticipated restoration services being finished by the end of next week.

Our first priority locations are up  grocery stores, nursing homes and a convenience store, said Murphy. By the end of next week, well have everyone back up with power.

The scariest adventure: Riding out Hurricane Sally

Long lines for fuel, boats damaged: Coastal Alabama cleans up from Sally

Its mighty bad, Ivey says after coastal flyover

Hurricane Sally: Two dead in Baldwin County
Seasoned journalist, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako has taken notice of a rejoinder by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) regarding some comments he made on Peace FMs morning show.



Kweku Baako, speaking on the morning show Kokrokoo on Wednesday, September 17, 2020 criticized the NDC flagbearer, John Mahamas sakawa sod-cutting claims about the Akufo-Addo administration.



Mr. John Mahama, delivering a speech at the NDC Town Hall Meeting in Kumasi, described the sod-cuttings for the commencement of some infrastructure projects under President Nana Akufo-Addos government as sakawa, to wit scam.



In a response to Mr. Mahamas claims, Kweku Baako sought to expose the hypocrisy of the former President saying he cut sods for the Kumasi International Airport and Tema motorway during his reign for "electoral purposes" because no proper documentations and preparations were done by him while cutting sods for the projects.



My checks indicate that that particular sod cutting was needless. It had no real foundation because it's true Parliamentary approval for that particular loan facility had been effected but there were conditions precedent which were laid out that without that the agreements will not come into force. Some were value for money audit and others were that he should sign the loan agreement before they can proceed with the construction. At the time he cut the sod, the financing agreements had not been signed. Indeed, these things were done in 2018.



My own checks and documentations I have accessed, point to the fact that the first sod cutting was for purely electoral purposes. Oh yes! It was completely baseless. There was no basis for it; no foundation for it but they did cut the sod on 5th December 2016...It was totally unnecessary but it was done for as I said electoral purposes'', he told host Kwami Sefa Kayi.



His remarks appear not to have gone down well with the NDC.



In a statement signed by its National Communications Officer Sammy Gyamfi, the opposition party refuted Kweku Baakos assertions and called him a liar.



Mr. Baakos claim that President Mahama cut the sod for the Tema Motorway Interchange project when no budgetary allocation or funding was available for same is a palpable falsehood.



The facts show, that even though the preparatory works and funding for the said project (a US$55 million grant from the Japanese government through JICA) was secured by the erstwhile NDC/Mahama government, H.E John Dramani Mahama never cut the sod for the commencement of the project when he was President of the Republic of Ghana between the period of 2013 to January 7, 2017, the party said.



But Mr. Baako has released a statement copied to Peacefmonline saying he will appropriately and accordingly reply the NDC on their rejoinder, next week Wednesday, September 23.



All ears are to eagerly turn to Kokrokoo on the said date as the man of records goes into his documents to address the NDC.



Read his full statement below:



My attention has been called to a "rejoinder" from/by the NDC signed by its National Communication Officer, Mr. Sammy Gyamfi, to my submissions on statements made by former President John Mahama relative to "Sakawa Sod Cuttings".



The submissions under reference were made on the September 17th, 2020 edition of Peace Fm's flagship programme, Kokrokoo.



The NDC rejoinder demands an unqualified public retraction and apology from me relative to my submissions.



That demand is duly noted.



My response to the said demand will be delivered on Wednesday, September 23, 2020 on the originating platform, Kokrokoo, Peace Fm, 104.3. Stay tuned!





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
What you need to know today in Vietnam:

Politics

-- Vietnam's Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong is set to deliver his message to the high-level general debate of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly on September 24, the Vietnam News Agency reported.

-- Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc received South Korea's Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha in Hanoi on Thursday, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

Society

-- Vietnam reported no community transmission of COVID-19 on Friday morning, the 15th day in a row, according to the Ministry of Health. The national tally has hit 1,066, with 940 recoveries and 35 deaths.

-- Vietnamese police said on Friday that they had arrested a suspect wanted by Chinese police for child rape.

-- A court in Vietnam on Thursday sentenced a 31-year-old man to death for robbing a pagoda and killing a monk in March this year.

-- Vietnam's aviation watchdog on Thursday asked that Chu Lai airport in Quang Nam Province, Da Nang airport in the namesake city, and Phu Bai airport in Thua Thien-Hue Province to cease operations from Friday to duck Storm Noul.

Business

-- Vietjet is ready to operate flights to Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan from September, as per a proposal by aviation authorities.

-- Vingroup's smartphone arm VinSmart debuted a model with the phone camera hidden under the screen on Thursday, making it one of the first companies in the world to manage to apply the technology.

Education

-- Da Nang authorities on Thurday ordered schools to close to avoid the impacts of Storm Noul, the fifth to strike Vietnam this year.

World News

-- Over 30 million people around the world have caught the novel coronavirus while more than 20 million patients have beaten it, according to the health ministry's statistics. Above 950,000 have died.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
US President Donald Trump on Thursday extended his greetings to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his 70th birthday.

He also shared a photo with the Prime Minister from the Namaste Trump event held in Gujarats Ahmedabad earlier this year. Many happy returns to a GREAT LEADER and loyal friend! he said in a tweet.

I would like to extend best wishes and a very happy 70th birthday to the Prime Minister of India, @narendramodi. Many happy returns to a GREAT LEADER and loyal friend! pic.twitter.com/CWlVkHk16X  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 17, 2020

Wishes poured in from across the country and the world as PM Modi celebrated his 70th birthday on Thursday. People from all over India, from all over the world have shared their kind wishes. I am grateful to each and every person who has greeted me. These greetings give me strength to serve and work towards improving the lives of my fellow citizens, he wrote Twitter.

In September last year, the PM Modi had visited the US, where he addressed the Howdy Modi event in Texas along with Trump. In February this year, Trump came to India for Namaste Trump event and addressed thousands of Indians. It was the American leaders first visit to the country.

Both Modi and Trump share good chemistry and the two leaders never are often seen interacting with each other over phone and social media on various occasions. During the Covid-19 pandemic, both leaders have interacted multiple times to discuss a joint strategy to fight the outbreak.
FILE PHOTO: Logo is seen at new factory of Novartis in Stein

MILAN (Reuters) - A Milan judge has seized 2.3 million euros ($2.7 million) from pharmaceutical multinational Novartis <NOVS.S> as part of a fraud investigation, a document seen by Reuters shows.

The money has been sequestered from the company's Italian unit Novartis Farma SpA, suspected of selling medicines to hospitals at inflated prices as part of a scheme to fraudulently obtain reimbursement funds from the regional government.

Novartis said in a statement it rejected the "groundless" accusations of the Milan prosecutors and had behaved with full transparency.

Finance police conducting the investigation say that nine private hospitals in Milan took part in the scheme between 2013 and 2018, hurting the finances of the Lombardy region around Italy's financial capital.

According to the seizure decree, seen by Reuters, the hospitals were reimbursed in full by the region, omitting to declare that the real price they paid was lower thanks to credit notes issued to them by the pharmaceutical companies.

The San Donato group, the company that runs the hospitals, already paid 10.2 million euros in damages to the Lombardy authorities in December last year.

The group, contacted by Reuters, did not comment.

Novartis said it was not aware of the economic or accounting arrangements in place between the hospitals it sells pharmaceuticals to and the regional governments they deal with.

Mylan Italia, the Italian unit of multinational pharmaceutical group Mylan <MYL.O>, is also among the companies involved in the investigation, the document shows.

The company has filed a plea bargain proposal for a fine of 200,000 euros and a confiscation of 1.2 million euros, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter.

The request has received a green light from the public prosecutor's office and it will now be up to a judge to decide whether to accept it, the source added.

Mylan Italia declined immediate comment.

(Reporting by Emilio Parodi, editing by Gavin Jones and Mark Potter)
Rodents, dead cockroaches and live weevils were the horrifying finds made by council officers in the kitchen and storage room of a beloved bakery.

The Baked to Perfection bakery at Clayfield in Brisbane's inner-north was fined $16,000 on Thursday after a council officer spotted a live mouse running through the kitchen in January last year.

Two more dead rodents were found on a food shelf, live weevils were found in flour no longer being used and dead cockroaches were also spotted.

Kevin Kielly, the director who has run the well loved bakery for more than 50 years, was also fined $2,000.

The Baked to Perfection bakery at Clayfield in Brisbane was fined $16,000 on Thursday after a council officer spotted a live mouse running through the kitchen in January last year

Both the bakery and Mr Kielly pleaded guilty to nine charges each including offences relating to cleanliness and the presence of pests, the Courier Mail reported.

Rodent faeces were also spotted across the floor of the bakery that often catered to school and community events.

The Brisbane Magistrates Court heard on Friday that Mr Kielly had worked to fix the cleanliness issues within 24 hours and introduced better pest control management.

Liza Marshall, who represented Mr Kielly, said he had been struggling since the death of his wife in March and his son who died in 2017 due to a brain tumour.

Mr Kielly had relied on his wife's nursing job financially and the bakery only made $11,686 in profit last financial year, Ms Marshall said.

The bakery forked out around $250,000 in staff and other expenses and Mr Kielly did not make a wage.

'It's a little local business that engages with and supports the community, including the local schools and the swimming club,' Ms Marshall said.

Mr Kielly acknowledged that there were also holes in the bakery's ceiling which could have allowed for rodents to crawl inside.

The bakery which had never received a food complaint also provided discounted cakes to the local schools.

Magistrate Tina Previtera ordered Mr Kielly to pay $713 to the council but no convictions were recorded.
NEW YORK, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Thanks to the generous support of donors, Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) has announced the funding of nine grants for projects related to the study of COVID-19. These projects reflect the institution's expertise in basic, translational and clinical research, and clinical care. Over $500,000 has been awarded so far.

HSS is the world's largest academic medical center specialized in musculoskeletal health, spanning orthopedics, rheumatology and related disciplines. The HSS Research Institute maintains 20 laboratories dedicated to solving debilitating orthopedic and rheumatic conditions such as arthritis, bone and soft tissue injuries, autoimmune diseases, and musculoskeletal pain and deformities. There, more than 300 dedicated personnel focus on tissue repair, improving surgical outcomes, autoimmunity and inflammation, genomics, new treatments, and precision medicine.

"HSS has a long history of contributing to the collective base of clinical and basic science knowledge and finding healthcare solutions for complex conditions," said Louis A. Shapiro, President and CEO, HSS. "We're proud that through the joint efforts of our institution and philanthropic support, we will have the ability to make a strong impact on this growing and vital area of research."

"As experts in inflammatory disorders and in the development of interventions for overactive immune responses, the clinicians and researchers at HSS are well-positioned to investigate many of the adverse effects of COVID-19," says Lionel B. Ivashkiv, MD, Chief Scientific Officer at the HSS Research Institute. "This includes studying the causes of these adverse effects as well as how to prevent and treat them."

What follows are descriptions of the first group of funded projects in basic/translational research:

Activation of pDCs by SARS-CoV-2 and Its Impact on Macrophage Response

Principal Investigator: Franck Barrat, PhD

Co-Investigator: Marie-Dominique Ah Kioon, PhD

This project will study cell types that are responsible for cytokine storm syndrome  the hyperactive immune response seen in people with COVID-19  by looking at how certain immune cells are activated by SARS-CoV-2. Research in mice infected with SARS-CoV, a coronavirus similar to the one that causes COVID-19, has suggested that plasmacytoid dendritic cell precursors (pDCs) are key to the immune response to infection. These pDCs activate macrophages, which in turn secrete cytokines. In the SARS-CoV research, depletion of pDCs appeared to protect the mice from lethal lung injury. Using blood samples from donors, the investigators will study the pathway by which pDCs activate macrophages and look at ways to therapeutically block that process.

The Use of CDK7 Inhibitors to Target COVID-19Associated Cytokine Storm

Principal Investigator: Inez Rogatsky, PhD

Co-Investigators: Steven Josefowicz, PhD, and Robert P. Fisher, MD, PhD

This pilot project will assess the ability of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 7 inhibitors to stop the progression of the cytokine storm in people with COVID-19. This research will focus particularly on a step in RNA Polymerase II (Pol II) dynamics that is responsible for activating more than 75% of inflammation-relevant genes. CDK7 is known to play an important role in Pol II. Targeting this kinase may ultimately show promise in developing potential drugs. This research will be done using donor blood as well as blood from COVID-19 patients.

Mechanisms of Cytokine Storm in Patients with COVID-19

Principal Investigator: Mary K. Crow, MD

Co-Investigators: Mikhail Olferiev, MD, and Lionel B. Ivashkiv, MD

The objectives of this study are to describe the process of the cytokine storm in people with COVID-19 and to identify biologic predictors of a favorable outcome in patients with severe cases of the disease. The project aims to characterize immune cell populations seen in COVID-19 patients who experience cytokine storm and compare them to those patients who do not, to compare the immune response before and after patients are given the anti-inflammatory drug anakinra, and to identify measures that suggest patients are more likely to decline and eventually require mechanical ventilation. The research will employ blood samples from HSS patients who are being treated for COVID-19 at New YorkPresbyterian Hospital and who meet certain other qualifications.

What follows are descriptions of the first group of funded projects in the areas of clinical and health outcomes research:

Response to and Recovery from TKA in Patients with Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2

Principal Investigator: Miguel Otero, PhD

Co-Investigators: Meghan Kirksey, MD, PhD, and Peter K. Sculco, MD

It is unknown if people who have been exposed to COVID-19 may be at higher risk of experiencing an abnormal immune response following surgery, resulting in poor outcomes. This study will evaluate the response to and recovery from total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in people who have antibodies to COVID-19  a marker of exposure. This study will include both patients who have COVID-19 antibodies and those who don't, to act as controls. Patients will be followed for six weeks after surgery and evaluated for the presence of certain immune markers in the blood, as well as symptoms of inflammation including pain and stiffness in the joint.

SARS-CoV-2 Exposure and the Role of Vitamin D Among Hospital Employees

Principal Investigator: Emily M. Stein, MD, MS

Co-Investigators: Theresa T. Lu, MD, PhD; Andy O. Miller, MD; Jeri Nieves, PhD; and Alana Serota, MD

It is unknown if people with vitamin D deficiency may be more likely to become infected with COVID-19. This study will investigate vitamin D status and associated immune markers as risk factors for COVID-19 infection in a cohort of healthcare workers. Healthcare workers are at higher risk of contracting COVID-19 than the general population, making them a good group to study. Vitamin D is critical for immune function and is known to be protective against respiratory-tract infection and tuberculosis. This prospective, observational study will follow healthcare workers at HSS and at other healthcare facilities for one year, to determine whether levels of vitamin D and certain immune cells in the blood make someone more susceptible to COVID-19 infection.

Association of Immunomodulatory Medication Use and Social Determinants of Health with COVID-19 Infection in Systemic Rheumatic Disease Patients in New York City

Principal Investigator: Medha Barbhaiya, MD, MPH

Co-Investigators from HSS: Lisa Mandl, MD, MPH; Catherine MacLean, MD, PhD; Vinicius Antao, MD, PhD; Jane Salmon, MD; and Mayu Sasaki, MPH

Other Co-Investigators: Candace Feldman, MD, MPH (of Brigham and Women's Hospital); Debra D'Angelo, MS (of Weill Cornell Medicine)

Using data from the INSIGHT Clinical Research Network, a central repository containing longitudinal electronic health data for residents of New York City, investigators will assemble a cohort of patients being treated with immunomodulatory medications for rheumatic disease. This patient population will then be used to study the effect of these medications on COVID-19 incidence and outcomes. Retrospective data will be used to evaluate the incidence and severity of COVID-19 in these patients. Patients will also be studied prospectively to determine whether there's a relationship between COVID-19 infection and future rheumatic disease as well as to study connections between infection and future psycho-social issues.

Assessment of Surgical Outcomes in the COVID-19 Pandemic Era

Principal Investigator: Andy O. Miller, MD

Co-Investigators: Scott A. Rodeo, MD, and Mark Fontana, PhD

Investigators will implement a patient registry to evaluate how COVID-19 affects outcomes and complication rates after orthopedic surgery. This registry, along with COVID-19 screening procedures, will provide the tools to address specific research questions. Among these questions are determining the incidence of current and prior infection among the HSS surgical population, the clinical features associated with current and prior infections in this patient population, and whether COVID-19 status affects short-term complication rates.

What follows is a description of an integrated multidisciplinary study being undertaken jointly by the Adult Reconstruction and Joint Replacement (ARJR) Perioperative Research Group, Anesthesiology and Rheumatology:

Prediction and Prevention of Postoperative Blood Clots in COVID-19 Patients

Principal Investigators: Friedrich Boettner, MD; Kethy M. Jules-Elysee, MD; Lisa A. Mandl, MD, MPH

Co-Investigators: ARJR surgeons: Alejandro Gonzalez Della Valle, MD; Jason Blevins, MD; David J. Mayman, MD; Peter K. Sculco, MD; Geoffrey H. Westrich, MD and Thomas P. Sculco, MD

Medicine/Rheumatology : Medha Barbhaiya, MD, MPH; Doruk Erkan, MD, MPH; Deanna Jannat-Khah, DrPH

P athology : Thomas W. Bauer, MD, PhD

Anesthesiology : Stavros G. Memtsoudis, MD, PhD, MBA; Alexandra Sideris, PhD

ARJR: Amethia Joseph, MHA; Ethan Krell, MS

Weill Cornell Medicine : Raymond David Pastore, MD

Recent literature suggests that one of the major complications seen in people with COVID-19 is thrombosis (the formation of blood clots) due to endothelial dysfunction, persistent inflammation and potentially antiphospholipid antibodies. As elective surgeries resume, those with prior exposure to SARS-CoV-2 will inevitably present for treatment, and some may have perioperative management considerations related to their risk of deep-vein thrombosis. This project will use, a noninvasive device that can determine clotting risks, to investigate whether people who have had COVID-19 have a more dysfunctional endothelium preoperatively and at 24 hours after surgery. The investigators will measure antiphospholipid antibodies and inflammatory markers, and evaluate the prevalence of asymptomatic post-operative deep-vein thrombosis in people who undergo TKR and have SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.

COVID-19 Translational Research Core at HSS

Principal Investigator: Theresa Lu, MD, PhD

Co-Investigators: Jessica Andres-Bergos, PhD; Miguel Otero, PhD and Emily M. Stein, MD, MS

The COVID-19 Translational Research Core (TRC) was designed to fill critical gaps in the resources needed to promote the broad range of COVID-19related clinical and translational research at HSS. The TRC will provide consultation on the design and implementation of COVID-19 research in the areas of orthopedics, rheumatology and metabolic bone disease; support for a COVID-19 biobank; and technical expertise and facilities required for clinical and translational researchers working on COVID-19related projects. The TRC staff will help to acquire, house, and track biospecimens from investigator-initiated COVID-19related research studies.



About HSS

HSS is the world's leading academic medical center focused on musculoskeletal health. At its core is Hospital for Special Surgery, nationally ranked No. 1 in orthopedics (for the 11th consecutive year), No. 4 in rheumatology by U.S. News & World Report (2020-2021), and named a leader in pediatric orthopedics by U.S. News & World Report "Best Children's Hospitals" list (2020-2021). Founded in 1863, the Hospital has the lowest complication and readmission rates in the nation for orthopedics, and among the lowest infection rates. HSS was the first in New York State to receive Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Service from the American Nurses Credentialing Center four consecutive times. The global standard total knee replacement was developed at HSS in 1969. An affiliate of Weill Cornell Medical College, HSS has a main campus in New York City and facilities in New Jersey, Connecticut and in the Long Island and Westchester County regions of New York State, as well as in Florida. In addition to patient care, HSS leads the field in research, innovation and education. The HSS Research Institute comprises 20 laboratories and 300 staff members focused on leading the advancement of musculoskeletal health through prevention of degeneration, tissue repair and tissue regeneration. The HSS Global Innovation Institute was formed in 2016 to realize the potential of new drugs, therapeutics and devices. The HSS Education Institute is a trusted leader in advancing musculoskeletal knowledge and research for physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, academic trainees, and consumers in more than 130 countries. Through HSS Global Ventures, the institution is collaborating with medical centers and other organizations to advance the quality and value of musculoskeletal care and to make world-class HSS care more widely accessible nationally and internationally. www.hss.edu.

SOURCE Hospital for Special Surgery

Related Links

www.hss.edu


(@ChaudhryMAli88)

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th September, 2020) Russia will resume flights with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Belarus from September 21, the country's coronavirus response center said on Friday.

"Following the meeting, a decision was made to resume international flights from September 21 with Kazakhstan (Nur-Sultan), Kyrgyzstan (Bishkek) and Belarus (Minsk) on a reciprocal basis," the statement says.

Flights to these states will be carried out on a reciprocal basis once a week, the center said.

Russia will also resume flights with South Korea since September 27, it said.

Russia will also stop all evacuation flights on September 21, it said.

"As an alternative to eevacuation flights, planes returning to Russia after carrying out cargo, cargo-passenger and transit flights will be used on a commercial basis," it added.
18.09.2020 LISTEN

A known critic of the Akufo-Addo-led government and an activist of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Asawase Constituency, Murtala Mohammed, has defected to the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP).

He pledged to help the party unseat the current NDC Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Alhaji Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka after the NPP declared its readiness to capture the Asawase seat in the December polls.

Popularly called Prince Akuta, his vibrancy on social media enables him to mobilize the youth to fight for development in the area.

His decision to join the NPP, a party he has always criticized came as a surprise to many including NPP members in the constituency.

He played a pivotal role in securing victory for Mubarak Muntaka in the 2016 general elections.

Prince Akuta explained that his reasons for leaving the NDC to join the NPP are motivated by the massive development Zongo communities have witnessed under the leadership of the President Akufo-Addo and Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.

He also cited the payment of Arabic tutors and the smooth arrangement of Hajj pilgrimage under the NPP government as other reasons for joining the ruling party.

He pledged to use his influence to help the NPP secure the Asawase parliamentary seat in the December polls.

Parliamentary candidate for the NPP in the Asawase constituency, Alhaji Alidu Seidu said the party has welcomed Prince Akuta wholeheartedly into its fold.

Alhaji Seidu called on party members to embrace the new entrant since the NPP is a party that does not discriminate and a party for everyone.

Prior to the 2016 elections, a deputy communications officer for the NDC Zongo Caucus, Awal Mohammed also joined the NPP.

Awal is the current Public Relations Officer for the Youth Employment Authority (YEA).

---kasapafmonline
A man allegedly killed her girlfriend before dismembering her, dumping her torso in a park, and keeping her head and organs inside a suitcase as he traveled to Illinois.

The Jefferson County Coroner's Office confirmed that the victim of the horrific murder was Ladawndra Ellington, a 31-year-old black woman from Louisville, Kentucky.

'A part of her with me'

According to The Sun, police officers said that the suspect, 30-year-old Melvin Martin Jr., murdered and dismembered Ellington and placed her head, lower torso, and organs inside duffel bags. Authorities said he then took a five-hour interstate trip from Louisville to Markham.

Later, officials discovered the victim's torso in a park in the couple's residential area. The suspect's mother made the horrific discovery after she and several other family members noticed a foul stench coming from the bags.

On Tuesday, the suspect's mother opened one of the heavy bags and saw the gruesome scene. She immediately called the police and reported the incident.

A recording of the 911 call had the suspect's mother saying she picked up her son's bags when he came home because he was having a difficult time. However, the suspect refused the assistance and quickly brought the bags into the garage.

Martin's mother revealed that she had asked her son to show her the contents of the suitcases after she took him to the library. She added that it looked like the bags contained a body.

Police officers arrested Martin at the Markham library and charged him as a fugitive attempting to flee prosecution. Authorities stated he was not cooperative at the beginning but later gave a full statement, as reported by Daily Mail.

Also Read: Four-Month-Old Baby Dies Afte Drug Intoxicated Father Rolls Over Him While Asleep

Born out of a dispute

During a news conference, Terry White, the Markham police chief, revealed that Martin said that despite the horrific murder, he still wanted to be with his girlfriend, Ellington, even if it was just a part of her.

Martin's family first became suspicious of his actions when he kept close guard of the bags for several days without opening them up. Despite bringing multiple luggage, he also asked his family to purchase clothes for him.

Authorities believe the murder resulted from a domestic dispute between the two around a month ago when they were at their residence in Louisville. Ellington was a former team member and worked as a cashier at the Louisville Airport until 2018.

Vice President George Tinsley II of the Tinsley Family Concessions was the victim's employer and said that Ellington was a sweetheart to everyone she met and spoke with as an employee. He added the victim was considered an exceptional team member amongst them.

Tinsley II said that if there was one thing the world should know about Ellington, it was that she was an inspiration to them. He added that the victim stood out during her time at the airport and became one of the best team members they could have hoped for.

After the incident which Tinsley considered tragic, he revealed that he was so devastated he could not speak for several hours.

As of now, Martin is kept in official custody but has not yet been charged. However, during a court hearing in Chicago on Thursday, he waived his extradition.

Related Article: Russian Ballerina Dismembered, Dissolved in Sulfuric Acid Amid Fears of Lewd Picture Leak

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The Southwest is likely to start withdrawing by the end of next week, the IMD said on Friday, while is bracing for heavy rainfall due to a fresh low pressure area which is likely to form over the Bay of Bengal around September 20.

Rains eluded for the eleventh consecutive day on Friday, despite a Met department forecast of light showers.

Though is not over yet, the last time the Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative data for the city, recorded any rainfall (1.3 mm) was on September 8.

Lack of rains has pushed the mercury up in over the last few days. On Friday, the maximum temperature ranged between 37 degrees Celsius and 40 degrees Celsius in most parts of the city.

The capital has recorded 78 per cent less rainfall in September so far, according to India Meteorological Department data. Overall, the city has recorded 576.5 mm rainfall against the usual of 617.8 mm since June 1, when the season starts.

The IMD has also said that monsoon is likely to stay longer in and start withdrawing only in the "initial days of October".

However, the Southwest Monsoon is likely to start withdrawing from west Rajasthan by the end of next week, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

Conditions are likely to become favourable in the next two days for the withdrawal of monsoon. North Indians plains are also witnessing above normal temperatures, it said.

"These are one of the weather patterns we see when conditions are ripe for monsoon withdrawal. From September 20 onwards, we don't see the possibility of monsoon rains in west Rajasthan," IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said.

The IMD has revised the withdrawal dates for monsoon from this year.

According to the new schedule, monsoon was expected to withdraw on September 17.

However, due to a low pressure area in the Bay of Bengal, the retreat has been delayed.

The withdrawal of the Southwest Monsoon from west Rajasthan also makes conditions conducive for onset of winter.

Several parts of central and south India are likely to receive heavy rainfall in the next two days.

The IMD has also issued orange warning for Kerala, Goa and parts of Karnataka and Maharashtra on Saturday.

Orange warning has also been issued for Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra and Goa on Sunday. So far, the country has received 7 per cent more rainfall than normal.

In Odisha, the state government has asked district administrations to remain prepared to deal with any flood like situation and landslide as a low pressure area is likely to develop over northeast Bay of Bengal and its neighbourhood around September 20.

Under its influence, several parts of are likely to experience enhanced rainfall till September 23, it said, adding that heavy to very heavy downpour may lash some areas during the period.

Squally weather coupled with surface wind with speed reaching 45-55 kmph is likely to prevail over north-east Bay of Bengal and adjoining east-central Bay of Bengal.

The Met centre advised fishermen not to venture into deep sea areas along and off coast from September 20 and said those in deep sea are advised to return to the coast by Sunday.

In view of the weather forecast, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC), P K Jena issued an advisory to the district collectors asking them to remain prepared to deal with any flood like situation and landslide in hilly areas.

Asking the district collectors to closely monitor the situation, the SRC said continuous vigil must be maintained on low-lying areas and steps for dewatering should be taken wherever required. Advice for fishermen should be strictly implemented.

This will be the seventh low pressure area over the Bay of Bengal since the beginning of August. Five back-to-back low pressure systems developed on August 4, 9, 13, 19 and 24 had triggered heavy to very heavy rainfall in many parts of the state and created flood situations in several areas last month.

Meanwhile, all 27 gates of Jayakwadi dam have been opened, following heavy rainfall in catchment areas in Maharashtra's Aurangabad district.

Water discharge from Jayakwadi dam has reached 94,320 cusecs (cubic foot per second) and the revenue department has been put on alert.

Heavy rains lashed the catchment of the dam located on Godavari River here on Thursday, causing the water levels to rise, the official said.

However, the weather continued to remain dry and humid in most parts of north India and there was no relief from the sultry weather for Punjab and Haryana as the mercury settled at above normal levels.

Hisar was the hottest place in Haryana recording a maximum of 39.7 degrees Celsius, three notches above normal limits.

Sultry weather also prevailed in Chandigarh, the common capital of the two states, which recorded a high of 36 degrees Celsius.

In Punjab, Patiala recorded a high of 37.4 degrees Celsius, four notches above normal limits.

According to the Met department forecast, monsoon activity is likely to remain "subdued" over Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh during the next five to seven days.
A Texas cardiologist went viral on his since-deleted Twitter account last weekend when he posted that his daughter had been attacked and her boyfriend beaten by Black Lives Matter activists in Baltimore, claiming the police refused to do anything because the alleged assailants were African American.

Is this the America we want? Andrea Natale, executive medical director at the Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute at St. Davids Medical Center, tweeted, garnering almost 50,000 retweets and likes.

Real-time scanner radio information released by Scan the Police stated a woman called authorities to report that teenage windshield washers were throwing rocks at her car, according to the Baltimore Sun's Justin Fenton, and based on this information, another Twitter user who archives scanner traffic was able to link the incident to Natales tweet.

While Natale's daughter was harassed, the incident didn't at all happen the way he described it. In fact, it didn't involve Black Lives Matters activists at all.

BLM CONTROVERSY: Houston business owner faces death threats after buying Black Lives Matter billboard

Police body camera footage shows a couple telling the officer they declined to have their windshield washed, Fenton reported. The male passenger said he then got out of the vehicle, and was surrounded by the three teens.

I said, I will defend myself, I do have a knife on me.' [One of the squeegee washers] said, I have a knife too, he recalled, as reported by Fenton. The couple said the washers immediately started throwing rocks at them.

The officer's decision to not take action had nothing to do with the fact that the teens were Black, however, and instead was because "the city doesn't want us to engage with squeegee boys." He also didn't witness the incident, which he called a misdemeanor, and didn't know the teens, he said.

Fenton reported that Natale apologized for his tweets via a statement from St. Davids Medical Center, saying his words were "misinterpreted."

I was worried about my daughter, and I jumped to conclusion based on the information I had at the time, he said. Ive dedicated my entire professional career to healing people from all backgrounds, and I regret that my words were misinterpreted and created hurt and pain. It was not my intention.
Years after the Syrian refugee crisis subsided, asylum seekers from other nations face even higher obstacles to enter Europe, which is more ambivalent about accepting them than ever.

LESBOS, Greece  A 31-year-old law school graduate, Masomeh Etemadi says she left Iran with her husband and two children to escape persecution as a Hazara minority. Now, she says, she doesnt care where in Europe her family ends up. As long as it isnt here.

Here is between two olive trees on a hillside near what, until last week, was Europes largest refugee camp, Moria, on the Greek island of Lesbos. The camp, whose cramped and squalid conditions had made it a byword for the desperation of migrants trying to reach Europe, was set alight by an angry group of its inhabitants protesting coronavirus restrictions. Some 12,600 people were left homeless.

Europe says, We want to help refugees. Greece says, We dont want you here, and I understand that  there arent even enough jobs for the locals, Ms. Etemadi said as she changed a diaper in the shade of a tree. But if Europe really wants to help us, why dont they come here and help us?

The answer to her question  one that continues to haunt Europe  amounts to a kind of migrant fatigue that has yet to subside even years after the continents migration crisis has.
Deadly violence in Missouri Continues to escalate at the rougher side of the Show-Me State quickens the pace of their murder count . . . Checkit:

195 homicides reported in St. Louis, surpassing all of 2019 ST. LOUIS (AP) - The shooting death of a woman in St. Louis marks the city's 195th homicide this year, topping the 194 killings in all of 2019. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the 24-year-old woman was killed Thursday night in the city's Benton Park West neighborhood.
Kanye West continued his attack on the music industry on Friday, this time vowing to help fellow artist Taylor Swift get ownership of her masters, amid his own ongoing legal battle to obtain rights to his music.

The 43-year-old rapper shared a series of tweets on Friday afternoon, promising to bring change to the structure of the music industry and record labels, which he has criticized for taking ownership of artists' work, including his own.

Kanye told followers he would 'personally' ensure former nemesis and now friend Taylor Swift 'gets her masters back' from record label executive Scooter Braun, suggesting he would take the issue up with Braun himself.

'I'M GOING TO PERSONALLY SEE TO IT THAT TAYLOR SWIFT GETS HER MASTERS BACK. SCOOTER IS A CLOSE FAMILY FRIEND,' he tweeted.

Kanye West said he would 'personally' ensure former nemesis and now friend Taylor Swift 'gets masters back' after record label exec Scooter Braun (right) gained ownership to all her music last year

The rapper suggested he would take the issue up with Braun, who he said was a 'close family friend'

'WE'RE GOING TO MOVE THE ENTIRE MUSIC INDUSTRY INTO THE 21ST CENTURY.'

Swift, 30, became embroiled in a feud with former record label boss Scott Borchetta last year after he sold Big Machine records to Braun, giving him ownership of all music recorded under the label.

Neither Swift nor Braun have commented publicly on Kanye's offer.

The rapper also went on to take a jab at Drake, saying he will help bring change to every album, publishing, merchandise, and touring deal for all artists but him.

'JUST KIDDING ... I LOVE DRAKE TOO ... ALL ARTIST MUST BE FREE,' West tweeted.

Kanye first launched his attack on the music industry and his fight for his masters earlier this week.

That Twitter storm on Wednesday, during which shared a video of himself urinating on one of his Grammy Awards, resulted in his account being suspended for 24 hours.

Disturbing: Kanye West posted and deleted this message on Twitter early on Friday morning

He had also posted a string of messages with record labels Universal and Sony - including screenshots of his contracts with the former.

On Wednesday, Twitter removed one post featuring the phone number of Forbes' Chief Content Officer, Randall Lane.

Once the suspension was lifted, the rapper was tweeting again on Thursday, taking aim at the music industry and calling on artists to unite to change the system.

Friday's tweet was the latest in a string of bizarre messages the rapper has shared on Twitter over the past week.

Earlier on Friday, Kanye sparked concern for his health and safety after he shared a disturbing tweet about being murdered and having his eldest daughter taken away from him.

He posted and then deleted the worrying message which was addressed to seven-year-old daughter North.

'NORTHY I AM GOING TO WAR AND PUTTING MY LIFE ON THE LINE AND IF I AM MURDERED DON'T EVER LET WHITE MEDIA TELL YOU I WASNT A GOOD MAN... WHEN PEOPLE THREATEN TO TAKE YOU OUT OF MY LIFE JUST KNOW I LOVE YOU.' Kanye wrote.

Kanye West has shared shocking footage of himself urinating on a Grammy Award as he 'goes into battle' against labels Universal and Sony to retrieve the rights to his own music

West's wife, Kim Kardashian, has not commented publicly about his bid to free himself of his music contracts. They are pictured together last November

Along with the message Kanye shared a photo of North looking playful and throwing up two peace signs.

Although the Faded hitmaker quickly deleted the post, concerned fans rallied round to express their fears for the star.

'We saw your deleted tweet. You need help from doctors, family and friends. this is not going to end well without that. first doctors,' One user wrote.

'He needs help ya'll. Real Help. Stop feeding into this.:(' came another concerned message.

Another fan re-posted Kanye's tweet and wrote: '@kanywest just posted & deleted this, I'm worrrieddd'.

Kanye's tweet was one of many on Friday morning, when he took to Twitter to talk about God, Adidas and music industry.

In one tweet he wrote: 'A CREED FOR ALL WARRIORS WHO FIGHT IN THE NAME OF JESUS TO PROTECT OUR CHILDREN AT ALL COST WE ARE NOT AFRAID OF DEATH WE ARE NOT AFRAID OF HUMILIATION WE ARE NOT AFRAID BANKRUPTCIES WE ONLY FEAR GOD.'

He also declared: 'I am the head of adidas... I will bring adidas and puma back together and bring me and jay back together... all pumas designs are embarrassingly trash but I will personally design puma and adidas and make everything ok.'

A source told PEOPLE that Kanye is 'off his meds' and wife Kim is 'at the end of her rope - again'.

'The last time, part of his negotiation with Kim was that he'd get back on his medication and he would work very hard to control his impulses,' the source told the outlet. 'He made a lot of promises. And now those promises are broken, less than a month later.

'It's the same thing over and over and over again. He's on very thin ice with her right now, and she's truly trying to decide what to do to protect the kids, but also her own sanity.'

The source added that Kim 'wants to be a supportive partner, she's doing everything she can do to support him'. However, they add that Kanye has to support himself and take care of his own health.

'For such a powerful woman, she feels very powerless, and she hates it,' the source said. 'She loves Kanye very much, and he just doesn't realize how much pain he's causing her.'

Kanye first acknowledged his bipolar disorder in 2018, a condition that is associated with episodes of mood swings ranging from depressive lows to manic highs and can be controlled with medication.

Kim hinted last month that his struggle with bipolar was to blame for his recent erratic behavior, that has seen him embark on the unlikely bid for presidency and get emotional at his first campaign rally in South Carolina while discussing abortion.

Two months ago, the Runaway hitmaker ruthlessly lambasted Kim and her famous family on Twitter.
Though famously skeptical of the United Nations, US President Donald Trump harnessed its collective power to impose crushing sanctions on North Korea in a bid to start talks with Pyongyang, but faces frustration over a similar push on Iran.

While the UN Security Council was unified on North Korea, there is almost total opposition to the Trump administration's assertion that it has triggered a return of all UN sanctions on Iran, using a process agreed under a 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran that Washington quit two years ago.

Mike Pompeo insists US to enforce 'UN' sanctions on Iran

Diplomats expect Iran to be a focus when Trump addresses the annual UN meeting of world leaders on Tuesday from the White House just days after a deadline passes that Washington says requires all countries to extend sanctions on Tehran.

It will be the fourth UN speech by Trump, who is seeking re-election on November 3 and espouses an "America first" approach often at odds with the multilateralism that governs the world body. Diplomats gasped during his debut when he threatened "fire and fury" on North Korea and laughed the second year when he boasted about his accomplishments. Last year he denounced Iran's "bloodlust," but said there was a path to peace.

Iran warns United States against 'strategic mistake' after Donald Trump threat

After years of US rhetoric on Iran at the United Nations, Washington said it took action at the 15-member Security Council last month that it said would lead to a return of all UN sanctions on Iran this weekend.

But 13 members, including America's long-time allies, said the US move has no legal effect and diplomats say few countries are likely to implement the measures, which were lifted under the deal between world powers and Iran that aimed to stop Tehran developing nuclear weapons.

"There should be joint leverage against Iran on the nuclear and other files," said a senior European diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Damage is done when that unity cracks and one country goes it alone and the leverage is reduced."

Iran nuclear deal parties meet amid US pressure

Pompeo said on Wednesday that the United States would do "all the things we need to do" to enforce the UN sanctions.

Trump called the Iran nuclear agreement the "worst deal ever." Since withdrawing, the Trump administration has imposed unilateral sanctions under what it says is a "maximum pressure" campaign to force Iran to negotiate a new deal.

A senior Security Council diplomat, also speaking on condition of anonymity, argues the Iran nuclear deal had been working until Washington quit and "Iran is closer to the bomb right now than it was two years ago," adding that the threat posed by North Korea "now is bigger than three years ago."

Pressue to talk

Despite his disregard for the UN, Trump got off to a good start in his first year in office: the Security Council unanimously agreed to a US-led push bolster sanctions on North Korea three times after Pyongyang tested long range ballistic missiles and carried out a nuclear test.

In 2018, then US envoy to the UN Nikki Haley recalled that she told Trump: "We would not be in the situation we are with North Korea without the UN because that was the only way to get the international community on the same page."

The pressure allowed Trump to open a diplomatic door to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un aimed at Pyongyang's denuclearization. But despite three meetings, no progress has been made and Security Council unity appears shaky as China and Russia are suggesting it consider lifting some sanctions on Pyongyang to encourage further talks.

Trump, however, says his diplomacy is working as Kim has not carried out any nuclear or long-range missile tests since 2017.

Trump has turned his back on decades of US leadership at the UN, by pulling out of the UN Human Rights Council, the World Health Organization, the UN cultural agency UNESCO, a global accord to tackle climate change and opposed a UN migration pact. Washington has cut funding for the UN Population Fund and the UN agency that helps Palestinian refugees.

Nevertheless, Trump has admitted that he sees potential in the UN and has used the US position at the organization's biggest funder to push Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to carry out reforms.

Trump, it turns out, also pushed for UN involvement when his diplomats would not.

When North Korea invited then UN political affairs chief Jeffrey Feltman to visit Pyongyang in 2017 amid Trump's blunt rhetoric and sanctions campaign, Trump overruled opposition from his own officials to say Feltman should go, Feltman told Reuters last week.

Six months later, Trump had his first meeting with Kim in Singapore.

"I wouldn't say it paved the way (for the Singapore summit), I think everything contributes," Guterres told Reuters on Monday of the visit by Feltman in 2017.
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has sent a congratulatory message to President Miguel Juan Sebastian Pinera Echenique of the Republic of Chile on the occasion of Independence Day.

On behalf of the people of Armenia, I hereby extend my heartfelt congratulations to you and to the friendly people of Chile on your countrys Independence Day, the Armenian PM said in a telegram.

I wish you every success and new achievements, as well as peace, prosperity and development - to the people of Chile.

I am confident that through joint efforts we will be able to upgrade and reinvigorate our bilateral relations in the near future to the benefit of our countries and peoples.
Some nonprofit organizations in Greenville County are asking for a larger share of the $91 million the county received from the federal CARES Act coronavirus relief program.

The county has already begun to shift money from the $75 million it initially set aside for small businesses, minority-owned small businesses and nonprofits. Response to that program, which provided up to $10,000 in reimbursement for coronavirus-related expenses, was much lower than anticipated.

At the end of August, Greenville County moved $7.5 million to a fund designated for county expenses. It was set aside for public safety but has not been distributed, said Bob Mihalic, Greenville County spokesman. He did not provide details of how the money would be used.

A spokesman with the Greenville County Sheriffs Office said the department was not aware of the money. Councilwoman Liz Seman said she understood it would be used for expenses incurred by county emergency services and the emergency operations center.

The county has distributed $16 million in CARES funding so far, not including the money allocated to public safety. That leaves nearly $75 million for the county to use by years end. After that, it reverts to the national treasury.

The small business program in place comes with restrictions. For instance, businesses can seek reimbursement for money spent on personal protective equipment, changes made to the business due to the pandemic or on a lease if the business was forced to shut down due to government orders. But they cant seek money for lost revenue or to pay wages.

Added challenges include a cumbersome application process, the need to show receipts for expenses, and limits of $5,000 for businesses with fewer than five employees and $10,000 for businesses with five to 50 employees.

It just wasnt worth the trouble for many businesses, County Administrator Joe Kernell told County Council at a meeting last week. Since the program launched in early July, businesses and nonprofits have claimed just over $4 million.

In the past few weeks, council members have asked staff to consider other ways to distribute the money to assist county residents who are in need due to the economic fallout of the pandemic.

The county has already exceeded the $4 million it had allocated for community health projects and the $2 million for county-related agencies.

Nonprofit leaders have begun to draft proposals and reach out to county officials to seek a greater share of the money for food, mental health, and rent and utility assistance, which are straining nonprofit resources.

We know that this is not the beginning of the end for our community. We believe that this is the end of the beginning and we will see the economic impacts for a long time to come, said Meghan Barp, President and CEO of United Way of Greenville County.

United Ways 211 crisis call line, which connects those in need with nonprofit partners in the community, has received 8,000 calls in the past three months, Barp said. That's more than it typically receives in a full year.

Many of these callers are first-time callers in our community, having never needed to receive assistance from United Way from one of our many partners, and theyre unfamiliar with how to navigate the system, she said.

More than 1,300 requests have poured in for rental assistance alone, she said.

United Way partnered with Greenville County Redevelopment Authority, Greenville County Human Relations, SHARE, CommunityWorks and others to raise more than $1.3 million to help with rental assistance and other needs, she said.

But more will be needed as the pandemic continues, emergency relief funding for businesses runs out and eviction moratoriums are lifted, she said.

In May, United Way, Nonprofit Alliance and Greenville Partnership for Philanthropy drafted a proposal, which it sent to county staff and council members. The plan would have split the countys CARES funding to accommodate business, governmental and nonprofit needs.

That proposal was never publicly considered.

Instead, after a series of secret meetings among some county council members and staff, the county put forward the plan that was adopted.

Seman said she wasnt pleased with the original process and has since pushed for more transparency. However, she said the county was trying to be conservative in its approach and has been open to making adjustments after gaining a better understanding of the communitys needs.

Councilman Lynn Ballard said he has been encouraging the nonprofits to apply for more money "because it needs to be helping people who are hurting right now."

Katy Smith, facilitator with Greenville Partnership for Philanthropy, said the county has been open to conversations about how best to spend the remaining money.

County staff have been really open to adapting the approach now that theyve seen where the demand is, Smith said.

Barp commended the county for how it met childcare needs by allocating $2 million in CARES funds for a program for school-age children.

She said the United Way and its partners would like to see the county allocate the rest of the money soon and smartly because a lot of people in the community are hurting.

We have this real opportunity right now to say, OK, what are those other needs in the community that need attention?' Barp said.

Kernell said the county is working on how to redistribute the money. He said it hadnt yet received a new proposal from the United Way.
DUBLIN, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Vape Market - Global Outlook and Forecast 2020-2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global vape market is growing at a tremendous rate. The US vapor market is consistently increasing after the authorization of the sale of HnB products by the FDA in the country. This is expected to help North America to increase its share as smokers in the US are becoming health conscious. One of the major influencing factors propelling growth is the increasing availability of vapor products in vape shops and over the internet.



Europe captures more than a 33% share of the revenues. Poland, Germany, Italy, Russia, and the Czech Republic are the major contributors to the European market. Poland has been witnessing tremendous growth, with the revenue increasing from $130 million in 2014 to $542.6 million in 2016. The growth can be attributed to heavy taxation on traditional tobacco cigarettes and the presence of low-cost vapor products in the country.



The popularity of vapor products in the Middle East and Africa is low. However, large tobacco companies are using their worldwide retail outlets to enter the markets to exploit the untapped potential. Latin America has a low penetration of HnB and vaping products due to rigid government regulations. In countries such as Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela, and Panama have put a complete ban on the sale of e-cigarettes.



However, large tobacco companies are investing in several regions, such as Paraguay, Chile, and Brazil, to expand their presence. Thus, the increased awareness of vapor products in the market and the expansion of large tobacco companies are expected to drive revenues in the region.



The vape market is witnessing a shift from smoking to vaping. Veteran vapors and heavy smokers have started to switch to bulky vapor mods. It is expected that the vapor products market would be driven further by VTMs and personal vaporizers during the forecast period. Disposables and rechargeable e-cigarettes are witnessing a decline in their revenue as well as popularity worldwide as VTMs offer flexibility in terms of filling e-juices and are proving cost-effective in the long run.



Unlike disposables and rechargeable e-cigarettes that can be refilled only with the company's own brand of cartridges, VTMs, and personal vaporizers can be refilled with e-juices produced by any company. Hence, vaping is substantially cost-effective in the long run than traditional tobacco cigarettes and disposables/rechargeable e-cigarettes, which is expected to affect the market during the forecast period.



Another important reason for the popularity of vapor products is the availability of different flavors in the market. The market has been witnessing the introduction of new flavors and their blends regularly, which, in turn, has been driving the growth. However, e-liquids with flavors of fruits, beverages, and sweets have been gaining share over traditional tobacco flavor. Further, many countries, such as Australia and Canada have banned nicotine-loaded vapor products. Thus, e-liquids with a variety of flavors containing zero nicotine have become popular among vapers.





Key Market Insights

The analysis of the vape market provides sizing and growth opportunities for the forecast period 2020-2025.

Offers sizing and growth prospects of the market during the forecast period

Provides comprehensive insights on the latest industry trends, forecast, and growth drivers in the market

Includes a detailed analysis of growth drivers, challenges, and investment opportunities

Delivers a complete overview of segments and the regional outlook of the market

Offers an exhaustive summary of the vendor landscape, competitive analysis, and key strategies to gain competitive advantage

Insights by Vendors

The competitive scenario in the global vape market is currently intensifying. The rapidly changing technological environment could adversely affect vendors as continual innovations and upgrades are the characteristics of this market. The present scenario is driving vendors to change and refine their unique value proposition to achieve a strong presence.



The market is highly fragmented, with over 300 vendors that operate and sell e-cigarettes under different brand names across the world. Before the entry of major tobacco players in the vaping domain, small companies are engaged in the supplying e-cigarettes. The entry of large tobacco companies poses a significant threat to small vapor products' vendors.



Large companies such as Philip Morris International, Altria Group, British American Tobacco, Imperial Tobacco, and Japan Tobacco International are all set to explore the market worldwide.



Key Vendors

Altria Group

British American Tobacco (BAT)

Imperial Brands

Japan Tobacco International (JTI)

Philip Morris International (PMI)

Other Vendors

RJ Reynolds Vapor Company (RJRVC)

Ballantyne Brands

CB Distributors

ECIG (Formerly known as Victory Electronic Cigarettes)

Gamucci

Gilla

International Vapor Group

Joyetech Co.

KangerTech Technology

Mainstream Cannabis Innovations Group (mCig Group)

Nicotek

NJOY

PAX Labs

RR Chemicals

Totally Wicked E-liquid

Vape Holdings

Vapor Hub International

VPR Brands

White Cloud (Leads by Sales)

XEO International

KT&G (Korea Tomorrow& Global Corporation)

Shenzhen AVBAD Technology Company Ltd.

Vapor Tobacco Manufacturing

Shenzhen Royal Tobacco Industrial Limited ( Royal Tobacco )

) Jouz

Shenzhen Yukan Intelligent Technology Co. Ltd.

Sichuan China Tobacco Industry Co. Ltd.

Marvel International Tobacco Group

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/dzwdox

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]



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Deshawn Rankin, a Jacksonville, Florida native and devoted father to two daughters, has published his new book Dirty Hearts: a gripping and potent literary debut.

During his incarceration, Lamar Knight explains to his mental-health doctor about the roles that led him to his current situation.

Published by Page Publishing, Deshawn Rankins engrossing book is a compelling choice for avid urban fiction readers.

Readers who wish to experience this engaging work can purchase Dirty Hearts at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708.

About Page Publishing:

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MBABANE  Minister of Tourism and Environmental Authority says the COVID-19 pandemic has given an opportunity for emaSwati to generate ideas for tourism destinations in the country.

He declared this during a media briefing to officially close the edition of the Swazi Rally 2020 Vakasha Ekhaya initiative.

It follows the launch of an edition where Riders Ranch encouraged bikers and friends to explore the Kingdom of Eswatini by riding and driving to different local tourism attractions across the country in the last weekend of August 2020.

COVID-19 has proven to us that we can live and enjoy our own- let us therefore take this period to reflect and come up with innovative ideas so that we can all enjoy the benefits of supporting local efforts, the minister said.

opportunities

He went on to say the size of the kingdom provided good opportunities to experience different tourism products.

Therefore, during this Tourism Month we encourage all emaSwati to travel and explore the wonders of Eswatini responsibly, under the guidance of health and safety protocols, Vilakati said.

Minister Vilakati applauded the innovative efforts made by the Riders Ranch team, and challenged all emaSwati to continue to engage and travel within the kingdom.

Vilakati said the purpose of the event was to stimulate local tourism to boost the strained economy caused by the coronavirus pandemic. He said it was reported that the Bikers Rally was very successful with positive feedback from local attractions (hotels, lodges, B&Bs and restaurants). Vilakati added that the event was accident-free with no fatalities reported.

As a ministry, we applaud any innovative initiatives that support tourism and we are ready to give support in any way that we can. We plead with all tourism stakeholders that such efforts and ideas should not end here but should continue by being promoted and experienced by emaSwati, Vilakati said.

On behalf of the Riders Ranch, the minister appreciated all sponsors and support agencies that backed the Bikers Rally. He said the ministry was grateful for the active public participation that was observed from emaSwati from various regions of the country.

Meanwhile, Director of Swazi Rally Carlos Paiva made a presentation of E10 000 contributions towards the host of this years Woman Farmer Competition, which was gathered from the event.

mentioned

It was received by Woman Farmer Foundation (WFF) Programme Manager Silindelo Nkosi.

Paiva mentioned that due to the rallys beneficiaries who did great work in ensuring food security within the country through sustainable agriculture, the rallys committee had to come up with an idea of hosting the event so that the foundation could continue with its great work.

Although we would have loved to contribute more towards your course, we were unfortunately met with unforeseen circumstances that have affected the entire globe, Paiva said.






Press Release

18 September 2020

Despite the ongoing health crisis, our growth and development activity continue. Over the last several months, we've welcomed new hotels and 12,000 new rooms to our portfolio, which has now grown to more than 5,000 hotels worldwide.

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Throughout many markets - France, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Puerto Rico, United States, Indonesia, South Korea and Vietnam - our brands have opened new flagships  and we look forward to building on this momentum in the months to come.

Raffles Bali (Indonesia)

Raffles Bali  Photo: Accor

Raffles Bali officially opened in July, offering unparalleled views over the Indian Ocean and the famous Jimbaran Bay sunsets. With just 32 private pool villas, Raffles Bali epitomises distinguished charm for well-travelled connoisseurs seeking elegant spaces, privacy and cultural discovery. The property offers an array of exquisite dining experiences, including Rumari restaurant, located at the resort's highest point, unveiling a culinary journey on a sunset terrace overlooking the ocean and Loloan Beach Bar and Grill set on the resort's secluded beach overlooking a 25-metre infinity pool.

Fairmont El San Juan (Puerto Rico)

Fairmont El San Juan  Photo: Accor

Opened in 1958 under the name El San Juan, this iconic location officially became part of the Group's portfolio in January 2020. Situated between San Juan city centre and the famous Isla Verde Beach, the hotel boasts 388 rooms, numerous suites, beachfront villas with a pool, four pools with a bar and luxury cabanas, along with a Well & Being spa and fitness centre. Foodies will be hard pressed when choosing between the 11 bars and restaurants.

Hotel Perle d'Orient Cat Ba - MGallery (Vietnam)

Hotel Perle d'Orient Cat Ba  MGallery  Photo: Accor

Set against a backdrop of picture-postcard ocean and mountains viewswith Lan Ha Bay on one side and Cat Bat National Park on the otherthe Hotel Perle d'Orient Cat Ba - MGallery boasts a classic Indo-Chinese style with a cosmopolitan touch throughout its 121 rooms and suites, restaurant and bars, function rooms and wellness centre. Its promise? A timeless getaway and Memorable Moments that will never be forgotten.

21c Museum Hotel Chicago - MGallery Hotel Collection (United States)

21c Museum Hotel Chicago  MGallery Hotel Collection  Photo: Accor

This boutique hotel and museum venue opened its doors in the very heart of the River North district in Chicago. Since its opening in February, you can check out exhibitions by emerging artists and spaces dedicated to 21st century artall day, every day. In addition to strolling around and admiring the work on display, you can also stay in one of the 297 rooms decorated in a pallet of soft tones conceived by famous architect, Deborah Berke Partners, who took her inspiration from the sky and Lake Michigan.

Pullman Sharjah (United Arab Emirates)

Pullman Sharjah  Photo: Accor

Dreaming of sipping a cocktail from a pool overlooking Sharjah centre and the Arabian Sea? Well now you can. Since January, the Pullman Sharjah has invited guests for stays that go hand in hand with well-being, with rooms facing Al Khan Bay and Sharjah city, three swimming pools and a spa and wellness centre. The Al Khan Restaurant complements the experience with an interactive buffet with cooking stations serving local and international cuisine.

Movenpick Resort Waverly Phu Quoc (Vietnam)

Movenpick Resort Waverly Phu Quoc  Photo: Accor

Whether you choose one of its top-floor rooms with an unrivalled sea view or ground-floor accommodation with a terrace and private pool access, your stay at Movenpick Resort Waverly Phu Quoc will be a sure-fire success. Since its opening in March, the 5-star family-friendly resort has gone all out to welcome its guests with a contemporary style that blends soft tones and natural materials.

Novotel Paris Porte De Versailles (France)

Novotel Paris Porte De Versailles  Photo: Accor

Enhanced by contemporary architecture that boasts 245 elegant and modular rooms, quirky living spaces and state-of-the-art meeting areas. Novotel Paris Porte de Versailles is the district's key meeting place for future stays, conferences and trade shows, as well as a chance to indulge in its restaurant's light and creative cuisine or discover an original cocktail at the bar. And the best is yet to come! The hotel's rooftop restaurant, with its breath-taking view of Paris and the Eiffel Tower, will open in November 2020.

Mercure Ambassador Seoul Hongdae (South Korea)

Mercure Ambassador Seoul Hongdae  Photo: Accor

Located in a district renowned for its vibrant spirit, Mercure Ambassador Seoul Hongdae showcases its design through a series of trendy art pieces and murals. Guests staying the hotel can look forward to an array of immersive experiences from discovering street art and fashion to the very best local attractions in the precinct. The hotel also features 270 guestrooms, a lobby bar, an all-day dining restaurant, fitness centre and laundromat.

Adagio Jeddah City Center (Saudi Arabia)

Adagio Jeddah City Center  Photo: Accor

Located in the heart of Jeddah, the Adagio Jeddah City Center Aparthotel provides 4-star accommodation solutions that are ideal for holidays or weekend getaways by the shores of the Red Sea. The hotel has a total of 188 apartments, ranging from one- to two-bedroom apartments and studioseach with a fitted and equipped kitchen in a modern design for your convenience. And the best part? A spectacular view of the city.

greet Hotel Marseille Provence Airport (France)

greet Hotel Marseille Provence Airport  Photo: Accor

greet, a community-minded and environmentally conscious brand, set up shop last April in Vitrolles, a short distance from Marseille Provence Airport. Completely renovated, the greet Hotel Marseille Provence Airport is giving objects new purpose with furniture and decorative items straight from car boot sales, local creators and sustainable partners. Its 47 air-conditioned rooms welcome you with an atmosphere that's synonymous with sharing and togetherness.

Stay tuned! Our development continues to grow with many other openings in the pipeline, including the Tribe Paris Batignolles on October 1st.
Keir Starmer and other senior political leaders from across the UK tonight demanded Boris Johnson join them for an emergency Cobra meeting amid fears that the coronavirus pandemic is spiralling out of control.

The Labour leader joined Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and her Welsh counterpart Mark Drakeford to call for a cross-party conference amid fears of a second peak of cases.

The country is back on Covid red alert today with Nightingale hospitals ordered to be ready to open again within 48 hours - and another swathe of England plunged into lockdown.

Health bosses have revealed the temporary hospital in Birmingham's NEC arena - officially opened by Prince William via videolink during the darkest days of the outbreak in April - has been placed on standby so it can start treating patients within two to three days.

The dramatic move came as the UK's daily infections hit a four-month high of 4,322, with figures showing the outbreak has nearly doubled in size in a week and the R number is potentially as high as 1.4.

There are also fears that the UK's testing system has buckled under pressure caused by the return of pupils to schools and workers to offices.

While Mr Johnson holds daily coronavirus meetings with ministers, experts and senior advisers, a Cobra meeting - to which leaders of devolved administrations and opposition leaders are sometimes invited - has not been held for months.

Sir Keir this afternoon said: 'There is mounting concern about whether we have got the virus sufficiently under control. This is the time for swift, decisive national action. We cannot afford to be too slow.

'That's why I'm asking the Prime Minister to convene a Cobra meeting and to update the country on the measures the Government is taking to keep the virus under control, including to fix testing.

Sir Keir this afternoon said: 'There is mounting concern about whether we have got the virus sufficiently under control. This is the time for swift, decisive national action'

Mr Johnson visted an Oxford lab today as the country went back on Covid red alert with Nightingale hospitals ordered to be ready to open again within 48 hours and another swathe of England plunged into lockdown

'The British public want to know what the situation is and what the Government is going to do about it.

'I want to make clear too that Labour will continue to act in the national interest. We will support whatever measures the Government take to protect the NHS and save lives.'

Amid growing alarm that the situation is sliding out of control, curbs including a 10pm curfew on pubs and restaurants and a ban on socialising outside of households have been announced across parts of the North West, Midlands and West Yorkshire from Tuesday.

A total of around 13million people are now under under local restrictions. And Health Secretary Matt Hancock has raised the prospect of even more draconian steps, begging the public to 'come together to tackle this virus'.

Ministers are mulling a two-week nationwide halt that could see much of the hospitality industry shut - although no final decisions have been made as ministers wrangle over the effect on the economy.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak is believed to have raised concerns about the consequences of a full lockdown at a meeting yesterday.

One option under consideration is believed to be timing the curbs for the half-term holidays in October, and extending the break to a fortnight. That would minimise the harm to children, many of whom have already seen their education seriously disrupted.

However, it is not clear whether the government can wait that long as cases surge, with new figures confirming they are doubling every eight days. Schools and workplaces could instead stay open instead while the rest of society is subject to restrictions.

The chilling developments came as concerns grow about the shambolic testing system, with demand four times capacity and claims the Government's seven 'lighthouse labs' are in chaos due to shortages of staff and equipment.

A leading scientist warned that 'testing is dying on its a**e', adding he was 'appalled by what I saw' at the labs.

Nicola Sturgeon has called on the Prime Minister to convene an emergency meeting this weekend

Wales' First Minister Mark Drakeford called for a 'regular, reliable rhythm' of engagement between Boris Johnson and the devolved governments, adding that one meeting per week 'would be a start'

Ms Sturgeon has called on the Prime Minister to convene an emergency meeting this weekend to discuss what further steps are needed to combat the rising number of coronavirus cases.

The First Minister said she has been in touch with Boris Johnson to see if a Cobra meeting involving the devolved administrations could take place.

It comes as she warned further national restrictions could be needed - telling Scots 'hard but necessary' decisions may have to be taken in the next few days.

She said this way she hopes to avoid a second national lockdown.

'Ideally we we will be able to have a joined-up approach across the UK,' she said, but added she could not remember the last time she had spoken to Mr Johnson.

Ms Sturgeon said at the Scottish Government's coronavirus briefing on Friday: 'Discussions across the four nations of the UK will, I hope, take place in the coming days.

'I have this morning asked the Prime Minister to convene a Cobra meeting over this weekend.'

She said most of the discussions between the four governments in the UK recently have involved Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove rather than the Prime Minister.

Ms Sturgeon said these talks could also do with 'sometimes being bit more meaningful, in terms of us actually discussing what we are going to do as opposed to hearing what the UK Government is going to do'.

Wales' First Minister Mark Drakeford called for a 'regular, reliable rhythm' of engagement between Boris Johnson and the devolved governments, adding that one meeting per week 'would be a start'.

'There is a vacancy at the heart of the United Kingdom and it needs urgently to be filled,' Mr Drakeford said.
CV Vitolo-Haddad apologised in a Medium blog (CV Vitolo-Haddad / Medium)

A Wisconsin university teaching assistant resigned from their job after admitting lying for years about being black.

CV Vitolo-Haddad confessed that she was actually of southern Italian and Sicilian origin not black or Latino as colleagues at the University of Wisconsin-Madison had assumed.

Vitolo-Haddad, who uses the non-binary pronouns they and their, confessed the deception in a series of Medium posts.

When asked if I identify as black, my answer should always have been No, the teaching assistant admitted in a September 8 post.

There were three separate instances I said otherwise.

I have let guesses about my ancestry become answers I wanted but couldnt prove, Vitolo-Haddad wrote earlier in a 6 September post.

I have let people make assumptions when I should have corrected them.

I take full responsibility for spreading these lies and am deeply sorry.

The post added: I want to apologise for ever taking lies about Cuban roots at face value, and for subsequently attaching myself to peoples perceptions of me as though it would provide answers where there are none.

Vitolo-Haddad is a PHD candidate at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and had a teaching assistant position, from which she has now stepped down, also resigning as co-president of the universitys chapter of the Teaching Assistants Association, which is a graduate student union.

Vitolo-Haddad later admitted to insidehighered.com' having benefited socially from the situation, but had never applied for scholarships, fellowships or awards for people of colour or identified as Black on any paperwork.

The confirmation comes just weeks after George Washington University professor Jessica Krug, an African historian who is white, was revealed to be a black imposter.

Krug later blamed her actions on past trauma and mental health issues.

In 2015 Rachel Dolezal, a former NAACP chairperson in Spokane, Washington, was outed as being white despite claiming she self-identified as black.

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UW-Madison spokeswoman Meredith McGlone that Vitolo-Haddad was no longer a teaching assistant at the university.

UW-Madison expects that people represent themselves authentically and accurately in all aspects of their academic work, McGlone told the universitys Daily Cardinal.

Read more

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A man holds a Black Lives Matter sign as a police car burns in front of him during a protest outside CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia on May 29, 2020. (Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images)

College Staffer Placed on Leave Over Criticism of BLM Organization, Systemic Racism

A staff member of a Christian liberal arts college in Georgia has been placed on leave, shortly after sharing his critical views of the Black Live Matter organization and systemic racism on social media.

Matt Mixer, an area coordinator for residence life at Berry College, uploaded last Sunday a series of Ask Me Anything posts to his Instagram page, in which he argued that the Black Lives Matter organization contradicts the founding values of the United States, and that systematic racism doesnt exist.

In one of the Q&A-style posts, Mixer encourages the reader to go through BLMs website and speeches, pointing to the fact that the organization has made it clear that its Marxist agenda is far more radical and destructive than what most people think.

I would encourage you to read their about section and look at the details that show[s] their Marxism and belief that western philosophy is evil and should be overthrown, Mixer wrote. These are incompatible with anyone who values freedom and our representative republic.

When responding to the question of why he thought it was okay to criticize the BLM organization as a whole but not law enforcement, Mixer said such comparison is flawed. If this is trying to imply that since a few are violent rioters, then BLM shouldnt be looped into this, then I say you dont understand me, he wrote. The entire core of the organizations belief is evil and should not be supported.

Mixer was then asked whether he believes systematic racism is alive and well in this country today, and he said he doesnt believe so.

Please show me a system that is currently on the books and we can fight it together, he wrote, adding that such a system of racial oppression did exist in the past. However, just saying the system is racist and holding people back is not only incorrect but is an untenable position when trying to address actual individual acts of racism.

The following day, Berrys President Steve Briggs said in a campus-wide email that Mixer has been placed on administrative leave while undergoing an investigation by the colleges human resources department, reported student newspaper Viking Fusion.

Berry is committed to being a welcoming and diverse campus that encourages positive discussions, fosters generous actions and forms intentional friendships in a caring environment, the email read. We must continue to build bridges, through our words and actions, that allow people of different backgrounds, interests and experiences to flourish side by side.

Mixer also briefly became the target of an online petition, which was reportedly started by a Berry student. The petition called for Mixers dismissal and had accumulated over 600 supporting signatures before it was deleted.
Ursula von der Leyen, in comments made to reporters on Thursday, said Downing Streets controversial UK Internal Market Bill had distracted very strongly from the two sides being able to secure fresh trade terms before the looming deadline.

The post-Brexit transition period, during which relations between the European Union and the UK have remained static, is due to end after December 31 and leaders on both sides of the Channel have warned that an agreement is needed by October if a deal is to be ratified in time for the start of 2021.



Where the UK is concerned, we want an agreement, and I think the attempt to violate the Withdrawal Agreement distracted very strongly from the ongoing negotiations

With the cliff edge only a month away, the Prime Minister has faced criticism domestically and on the world stage for pursuing legislation that would defy the Withdrawal Agreement brokered with the EU last year, breaking international law in the process.

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Mr Johnson was forced on Wednesday to agree to table an amendment to the Internal Market Bill, giving MPs a vote before the Government can use the powers related to Northern Ireland which would breach the treaty.

But the compromise has not seen Brussels back down, with Eric Mamer, chief spokesman for the European Commission, telling a press briefing that its position had not changed and it still wanted the offending clauses to be withdrawn from the legislation.

Despite the wrangle over the Bill  which has been derided by every living former prime minister, scores of senior Tory backbenchers, US Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and Brussels  commission president Ms von der Leyen said she remained sure that consensus on a future partnership with the UK could be reached.

It comes after the former London School of Economics student used her annual State of the Union address to the European Parliament on Wednesday to warn Mr Johnson the UK could not unilaterally set aside the Withdrawal Agreement.

Ms von der Leyen, in comments reported by Politico, told reporters on Thursday: Where the UK is concerned, we want an agreement, and I think the attempt to violate the Withdrawal Agreement distracted very strongly from the ongoing negotiations.

This was an unpleasant surprise.

And therefore it is time now that our British friends restore the trust in the validity of a signature under treaty, and that we keep on going, focused to negotiate because time is running out.





In reply to another question, the German politician said she was still convinced a deal with London can be done.

The commission presidents comments come as the UK confirmed some limited progress had been made between the negotiation teams during informal talks in Brussels this week.

The UKs negotiating team had useful informal discussions with the EU this week as we seek to reach an agreement by mid-October on our future relationship, said a UK Government spokesman.

These covered a broad range of issues and some limited progress was made, but significant gaps remain in key areas, including fisheries and subsidies.

We will continue to work hard to bridge those gaps in talks next week, without compromising our fundamental position of being an independent country.
Mumbai, Sep 18 : Continuing its operation against the drugs trade in Mumbai, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has detained four drug peddlers as part of its investigations into the drugs angle in the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, an official said here on Friday.

Carrying out raids in Mumbai's Powai and Andheri suburbs, besides Thane, the NCB has recovered a total quantity of 1.418 kg of contrabands like Charas and Ganja.

Following a statement by one drug supplier, Ankush Arneja, who was arrested on September 13, the NCB raided the home of one Rahil Rafat Vishra alias Sam, who supplied Charas to him (Arneja).

"We have recovered 928 gm Charas and Rs 4,36,000 cash from Vishra's home late on Thursday," said a NCB official.

Again based on Arneja's statement of another drug peddler Rohan Talwar, the NCB raised the latter's home to recover 10 gm Ganja.

Talwar's interrogation led the NCB to another person named Nogthoung from whom 370 gm Ganja was found, said the NCB.

Nogthoung revealed the name of his associate Vishal Salve who was also caught and the NCB recovered 110 gm Ganja from him.

All have been detained and further investigations are in progress as the NCB attempts to unravel the alleged nexus of Bollywood with the drugs mafia and its possible links with Sushant's death.

In its actions last weekend, the NCB had arrested six drug peddlers or suppliers, plus one from Goa as more raids are likely over the next few days.

Latest updates on Sushant Singh Rajput Death Mystery

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
An Aedes aegypti mosquito is seen through a microscope at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation laboratory in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 14 August 2019 ((Getty images))

Authorities are urging Michigan residents to stay indoors after dark to stay protected from mosquito bites, after a resident is suspected to have been infected with a rare deadly virus.

On Tuesday, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) announced that a resident of Barry County, Michigan, was suspected of having Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), which is a potentially deadly mosquito-borne illness.

In addition to the suspected case, 22 horses across 10 counties in the state have been confirmed to have EEE, which has put residents of those areas at risk of being infected.

Confirmed cases of EEE in animals is not unusual, but the number recorded so far this year is double the amount at the same time in 2019, according to CNN.

In reaction to the suspected human case, the MDHHS confirmed that the department is conducting aerial treatment in high-risk areas in the state.

The department will spray pesticide over the 10 counties that have reported cases in horses to control the mosquito population and reduce the risk of infection, according to USA Today.

In a statement on Thursday, Dr Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive and chief deputy for health at MDHHS, urged residents in the 10 affected counties to stay indoors after dark to protect themselves.

Dr Khaldun said: This suspected EEE case in a Michigan resident shows this is an ongoing threat to the health and safety of Michiganders and calls for continued actions to prevent exposure, including aerial treatment.

She added: MDHHS continues to encourage local officials in the affected counties to consider postponing, rescheduling or cancelling outdoor activities occurring at or after dusk, particularly those involving children to reduce the potential for people to be bitten by mosquitoes.

On average, there are only seven cases of EEE in the US every year, but in 2019 six people died from the mosquito-borne virus in Michigan, as there were 38 confirmed infections across the country.

Story continues

Mild symptoms of EEE include a fever, chills and general discomfort, while severe cases can involve meningitis and brain swelling.

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A woman who drunkenly smeared 'all lives matter' in paint across London's Bomber Command Memorial has been spared jail but handed a 630 court bill.

Charlie Barnes, 31, wandered over to The Royal Air Force Bomber Command Memorial in Green Park with a tin of blue paint in hand on 10 June this year.

A court heard she claimed to have no awareness of her actions due to her drink being spiked.

The Bomber Command Memorial features seven statues of a Bomber Command aircrew - a tribute to the 55,573 Bomber Command crew who lost their lives fighting the Germans in the Second World War.

Veterans and families of the deceased regularly visit the memorial to pay tributes to their loved ones, the court heard.

Charlie Barnes, 31, daubed 'all lives matter' in blue paint on The Royal Air Force Bomber Command Memorial in Green Park, London, in June, after claiming her drink was spiked

Appearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Friday wearing a black and white chequered, she dress admitted to criminal damage of the historic memorial.

The 31-year-old claims she did not remember defacing the memorial and was a champion of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Prosecutor Arfan Ahmed said: 'This matter took place on 10 June and it relates to criminal damage of the walls inside the Bomber Command Memorial.

'The defendant took in a tin of paint and placed it on the floor.

'She then picked up a paintbrush and painted the words in blue paint 'all lives matter.'

'This is all captured on CCTV, she is also seen in possession of and swinging a bottle of what appears to be brandy.

'If any family members of The Royal Air Force were to see that, they would have been caused serious alarm or distress, seeing those words painted, and the memorial defaced in that manner.'

The Bomber Command Memorial in Green Park, London which was unveiled by Queen Elizabeth II in 2012 has been defaced a number of times, most recently in June this year

Mr Ahmed said the memorial stone walls were scrubbed clean after the incident and cost a total of 500 to fix.

He continued: 'It's premeditated, it's a planned attack - you don't walk down to the Bomber Command Memorial with a tin of paint.

'It's aggravated because it's a public memorial and the content of the writing.'

Mr Ahmed told the court Barnes' actions were not only premeditated, but political.

He said: 'The nature of the event seems to be stemming from a political event.

'The nature of these offences seem to be politically motivated.'

But defence solicitor Laura Bayles told bench chair Lucinda Lubbock: 'There was nothing said about political motivations.

'There is no evidence of that'

'She is very clear that she supports the Black Lives Matter movement.'

Ms Bayles argued Barnes had no awareness of what she had done because she believed she had been spiked.

Barnes' solicitor said: 'She believes her drink may have been spiked, she said that she had no awareness of this until she was shown the CCTV by police at interview.

'But it is a serious offence given the fact that the memorial that was defaced.

'On the first blush it seems to be incredibly distasteful - whilst I don't seek to say that it wasn't distasteful and reckless, there were some underlying features that Ms Barnes was experiencing at the time.'

Ms Bayles advised the magistrates to bear in mind Barnes' personal difficulties and 'limited means' when passing the sentence, but noted that she was 'doing everything right.'

Ms Bayles said:'Ms Barnes is doing everything right at the moment and is at a turning point.

'She has stable housing, she has held an address for five years, that is somewhat unusual in London for someone that has dealt with issues like her.

The court heard Barnes wanted to pay back the damage she had caused and was extremely remorseful for what she had done.

'I would be minded that no additional costs are put on top,' Ms Bayles added.

Barnes, of Shepherd's Bush Road, west London, admitted criminal damage to property.

She was ordered to pay 500 in compensation and 130 in costs.
Emergency dispatchers in Maryland sent firefighters to the Potomac River after a teen called to say her friend had slipped underwater while the group was swimming in a river. The caller went on to say her group had been in an inlet off the river and that they were in Virginia.
A student enrolled in a Hamilton private school has tested positive for COVID-19.

In a letter to families on Friday, staff at Hillfield Strathallan College said that the student enrolled in the private day school tested positive on Sept. 10.

The student has not been on campus and will be quarantined at home for the next 14 days, the school said.

In accordance with the government of Ontario and HSCs COVID-19 protocols, we have notified Hamilton Public Health, and they are working to determine all close contacts of the positive case, head of college Marc Ayotte wrote to families.

Hamilton Public Health will determine who the close contacts are and will contact them directly to inform them.

The school says students are still able to attend classes unless told otherwise by Hamilton Public Health.

The school has not indicated the age or grade of the student.

The schools, private or public, are supposed to report confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 to Ontarios Ministry of Education. The ministry discloses cases on its website if the student attended school before or after they test positive.
(CNN)  A high-profile United States official is visiting Taiwan for the second time in two months, the latest sign of warming ties between Washington and Taipei, as Beijing escalates pressure on the self-governed island through a series of military drills and aircraft incursions.

Keith Krach, the Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment, arrived in Taiwan late Thursday local time, and will represent the US at the memorial service for former Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui on Saturday.

Krach's visit comes just over a month after US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar visited Taiwan in mid-August, ostensibly to discuss coronavirus prevention measures but also in a highly symbolic show of support by the Trump administration for Taipei. Azar was the highest-level US official to visit the island in decades.

The US has maintained close ties with Taiwan since the island split from mainland China in 1949 after the end of a bloody civil war. But since Washington and Beijing established formal diplomatic ties in 1979, the US had largely refrained from sending high-level officials to Taipei so as to not antagonize the Chinese government, which continues to view the self-governing democracy of around 24 million people as an inseparable part of its territory.

China's leader, President Xi Jinping, has been clear in his ambitions to "reunify" the island with the mainland, and has refused to rule out the use of force, even though the ruling Chinese Communist Party has never exerted direct control over Taiwan.

Krach's intention to pay tribute to former Taiwan President Lee, who died on July 30 at age of 97, is highly likely to anger Beijing, experts said.

Yinan He, an associate professor at the Department of International Relations at Lehigh University, said that Lee had been the first Taiwan leader to float the idea of the island being a separate distinct entity from mainland China.

"That makes him No. 1 or No. 2 most-hated person on Beijing's list for Taiwan. So by paying tribute to this person the Trump administration is really poking Beijing in the eye," she said.

The US State Department announced Thursday that Krach was on his way to Taiwan for the memorial service, but didn't give any further information on his schedule or his plans while in Taipei. "As Taiwan's first democratically elected president, Lee ushered in a new era of democracy, economic prosperity, openness, and rule of law," State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said on her official Twitter account.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Wang Wenbin said Thursday that the US and Taiwan must "immediately stop" official exchanges. "China firmly opposes any form of official exchanges between the United States and Taiwan. This position is consistent and clear," added Wang.

An editorial in China's state-run tabloid Global Times, titled "Krach's visit to bring misfortune to Taiwan," showed a cartoon of Uncle Sam, wearing a blindfold, leading Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen into a hole. "An increasing number of people are worried that the Taiwan Straits will be the most likely powder keg in the China-US competition," the editorial said.

Military tensions rise

Krach's visit comes as Beijing has been ramping up military pressure on Taiwan, holding drills in waters close to the island and flying fighter jets into airspace claimed by Taipei.

On Friday, China's Ministry of Defense announced new military exercises in the Taiwan Strait, which spokesman Ren Guoqiang called "a legitimate and necessary action" in response to warming US-Taiwan relations.

"Whether [the purpose of the liaison] is to use Taiwan to control China, or for Taiwan to rise based on foreign power, it is doomed to be a dead end. Those who play with fire will burn themselves," Ren said at a press conference.

It is just the latest in a series of Chinese military exercises which have been held around Taiwan in the past few weeks. On Wednesday, less than 24 hours before Krach left for Taiwan, two Y-8 Anti-Submarine Aircraft flew two sorties into Taiwan's Southwest Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), according to the island's Defense Ministry.

Taiwan's military ordered the two planes to leave the island's airspace before dispatching aircraft to monitor them.

One week earlier, on September 10, Taiwan's Defense Ministry publicly admonished Beijing for entering its ADIZ multiple times during drills by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) within 90 nautical miles (166 kilometers) of Taiwan.

"These military actions have seriously roiled Taiwan and threaten peace and stability in the region," Vice Defense Minister Chang Che-ping said at a news conference. Taiwan's news agency CNA said that about 30 planes had taken part in the drills, crossing into Taiwan's ADIZ at least 21 times.

Taiwan began the second part of its own annual Han Kuang military drills on Monday, after they were delayed for five months due to the coronavirus pandemic. CNA said that the computer-aided military drills will simulate a "similar" situation to the recent Chinese military aircraft incursions into the island's ADIZ.

When asked about the PLA's extensive drills on Wednesday, China's Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Ma Xiaoguang said that the drills were aimed at deterring interference by "external forces" and Taiwan separatists.

Ma said that China was prepared to meet any interference in Taiwan's affairs or attempts at independence with "firm will, full confidence and sufficient capabilities."

This story was first published on CNN.com "US holds its second high-profile visit to Taiwan in two months as Beijing escalates military pressure"
Dylan Monks has been jailed for one year and seven months for a string of burglaries. He was caught after posting video footage of his crimes on scial media (Kent Police)

A teenager who posted videos and photos on social media of after breaking into homes has been jailed.

Dylan Monks, 19, of Rochester, Kent, posted a film of himself breaking into a car and was arrested soon after.

Investigating officer PC Tom Slocombe said: Monks brazenly posted videos and photos of himself committing these crimes, without any care of being caught by Kent Police.

He targeted several addresses where residents were at home sleeping and caused them considerable stress and upset. He is a prolific burglar and I hope that the victims of his crimes can rest a little easier knowing he has been jailed.

Monks was jailed for one year and seven months at Maidstone Crown Court after admitting six counts of burglary, aggravated vehicle taking, and handling stolen goods.

Monks was arrested and charged with six counts of burglary, aggravated vehicle taking and handling stolen goods (Getty stock picture)

The teen, who was 17 at the time of the offences, admitted burgling the properties in the early hours across Medway in Kent last year.

Between 5 and 6 February 2019 an Audi was stolen from a driveway after the car keys were stolen from inside the house. A second home was burgled in the same road on the same night where a laptop was stolen.

Following this burglary, a third break-in was reported where keys, phones and cash were stolen, then another shortly after where car keys to two vehicles were also stolen.

Jewellery was also stolen from a house in Gillingham, Kent, between 7 and 8 February before Monks was finally arrested on 8 February.

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While making enquiries officers found that he had posted videos and photos on social media of himself and another person stealing an Audi. The stolen laptop and other items were also found in a premises used by Monks, along with red gloves which were visibly seen in the social media videos.

Story continues

During the investigation a 16-year-old boy from London was also arrested.

Officers found the teenager in possession of the jewellery stolen from one of the homes. The teenager was subsequently charged with three counts of burglary, aggravated vehicle taking and theft. He is due to be sentenced in March 2021.

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MANISTEE, MI  A man has been arrested for arson in relation to a suspicious fire at a Northern Michigan bar last month.

Josh Fortier, 45, of Manistee, was arrested on Wednesday, Sept. 16, by the Manistee City Police Department for suspected arson in the Aug. 11 structure fire at the Hi Way Bar, 715 Kosciusko St. in Manistee, according to information released by the department via Facebook.

Manistee police and fire crews responded to the fire around 5:39 a.m. on Aug. 11. The arrived to find flames visible from the rear of the two-story building. A person living in an upstairs apartment was rescued from the fire by police.

Within days, the fire was determined to be an arson. Manistee police were assisted in the investigation by the Michigan State Police Fire Marshal Division and the Manistee County Sheriffs Office.

Fortier was arraigned on Thursday, Sept. 17, on one count of first-degree arson, a felony punishable by up to life in prison and/or a fine of $20,000 or up to three times of the value of the property damaged or destroyed. Fortier was granted a $200,000 cash/surety bond. He remains lodged at the Manistee County Jail.

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19 businesses penalized over $50K for serious COVID-19 safety violations

Scam tax collection letters threaten to seize property, Social Security benefits

Guardianship company to dissolve after self-dealing $400K in contracts from elderly couple

Mystery celebrity awarded $500K by Michigan judge in revenge porn extortion case
CHANGSHA, Sept. 17 (Xinhua)  Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, has encouraged rural primary school students to strive to grow from "saplings" into "towering trees" of the Chinese nation.

Making the remarks on Wednesday at a primary school in the county of Rucheng during his inspection tour in central China's Hunan Province, Xi expected the students to study hard, make progress every day, and be well-prepared to join the socialist cause.

(Source: Xinhua)
Dhaka/Delhi: India has allowed the export of around 25,000 tonnes of onions to Bangladesh on an emergency basis even as its ban on export of onion comes into effect. A source in the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi and Indian High Commission in Dhaka has confirmed the development.

A government source said, "India has allowed export of around 25000 MT of onions to Bangladesh which is already under transit/ processed for exports." The source added that it is a "special gesture to our close friend".

India had announced onion export earlier in September which majorly impacts neighbourhood and particularly Bangladesh. Around, 250 trucks of onions have been stuck on various roads in India waiting to enter Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, a source in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh (MOFA) said that Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Muhammad Imran on Friday informed Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen about India's permission to export onions to Bangladesh.

Kolkata has 20089.31MT of onions already approved for exports before the ban was announced. This is the largest in any port/area of the country and is followed by Mumbai, Trichy, Nagpur. Bangladesh had raised the matter of Indian government banning export since it impacts them.
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Ashok Soota-owned IT services company Happiest Minds Technologies has registered the biggest listing premium in a decade and third biggest in the last two decades.

The stock opened at Rs 351 on the BSE, reporting a 111 percent premium over its issue price of Rs 166, which clearly made investors wealthier with more than doubling gains in a single day. In fact, the combined trading volumes (BSE and NSE) surpassed even the total issue size of 4.22 crore equity shares.

All thanks go to its strong fundamentals and the expected growth in the digital segment, strong management led by founder Ashok Soota, who also co-founded Mindtree, and stellar IPO subscription figure of 151 times, the eighth highest in a decade.

Also Read: Happiest Minds IPO 8th most subscribed public issue of the last decade

"At current levels, the stock is trading at 54x FY2020 EPS, which is significantly higher than industry peers. From a long-term perspective digital business will be the key growth driver for the IT sector and Happiest Minds is positioned to take full benefit of the same as the company derives 97 percent of its revenues from digital services. While we expect Happiest Minds to grow ahead of the Industry, current valuations are demanding," Yash Gupta- Equity Research Associate at Angel Broking told Moneycontrol.

Note: We have considered companies that had a minimum IPO size of Rs 100 crore.

Hypermarket retail chain D-Mart operator Avenue Supermarts was in the second position, reporting a 102.14 percent premium over its issue price of Rs 299 in March 2017.

Also read: Happiest Minds shares surge 138% on debut to hit a high of Rs 395; what should investors do?

State-owned Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), the catering, internet ticketing and tourism services provider, had a strong debut in October 2019. The stock opened with a 101.25 percent premium over the IPO price of Rs 320 per share.

If we consider data for two decades, then Happiest Minds was at the third position in terms of listing premium after Indraprastha Gas and TV Today Network.

Natural gas distribution company Indraprastha Gas reported the highest listing premium of 150 percent in December 2003 and media company TV Today Network had a opening premium of 121.05 percent in January 2004.

Only these four companies with IPO size of more than Rs 100 crore doubled investors' investment in a single day.

Others included Parsvnath Developers, Adani Ports, Edelweiss Financial Services, Meghmani Organics, Religare Enterprises, V2 Retail, Apollo Micro Systems and Sobha that witnessed a listing premium of 74-80 percent over the issue price.

A large number of investors are attracted to an IPO only if the company is strong in terms of fundamentals, quality of products/services, niche business areas, management, etc. Quality IPOs made investors wealthy.

Also read: Happiest Minds listing | Company should be able to sustain its strong growth in years to come, says Ashok Soota

Experts expect more such companies to launch their maiden public issues in the coming months as the sentiment improves and the economy is expected to revive after several government measures.

"A slew of more IPOs like CAMS, UTI AMC, Angel Broking, Chemcon Speciality Chemicals, etc. are likely to open in September. Besides them, Kalyan Jewellers, NCDEX, Barbeque Nation, Burger King, Bajaj Energy, Lodha Developers are some of the names likely to hit the market in CY20. Of this, CAMS and UTI AMC will be big-ticket IPOs," Hemang Jani, Head  Equity Strategy - Broking & Distribution at Motilal Oswal Financial Services told Moneycontrol.

He feels LIC could also join the bandwagon later this year and could be one of the largest IPO in the country, going by the company's size.

"The government is looking at offloading 25 percent stake in LIC in tranches, as it is falling short of its divestment target of Rs 2.1 lakh crore this fiscal. For this, it is likely to incentivise the participation of retail investors/employees/policy holders by providing some discount. LIC IPO could broaden the retail equity shareholders participation in the country," he detailed.

: The views and investment tips expressed by experts on Moneycontrol.com are his own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.
Nearly 200 irreplaceable books stolen in a sophisticated burglary by a Romanian gang in west London in January 2017 have been recovered from a village in Romania, Scotland Yard said on Friday.

The books from the 16th, 17th and later centuries  including those of Isaac Newton, Galileo Galilei and Spanish painter Francisco Goya  have been described as culturally significant and of international importance, worth more than 2.5 million.

The books were stolen by members of a Romanian gang when they were stored in a transit warehouse in Feltham before being sent to Las Vegas for a specialist book auction.

The suspects broke in by cutting holes in the roof and then abseiling down, avoiding many sensors. The books were stolen in 16 large bags, with the suspects leaving the same way they entered.

Detective inspector Andy Durham said: These books are extremely valuable, but more importantly they are irreplaceable and are of great importance to international cultural heritage.

If it wasnt for the hard work of Detective Constable David Ward and others in this Joint Investigation Team, these books would have been sadly lost to the world forever.

Scotland Yards investigation identified that the suspects involved were part of the Romanian gang that was responsible for high-value warehouse burglaries across the UK.

The police said the gang flies members into the UK to commit specific offences and then fly them out of the country shortly afterwards, with the stolen property taken out of the country by other gang members using different transport methods.

The gang, the police added, is linked to a number of prominent Romanian crime families who form part of the Clamparu crime group, based in the Iasi region in Eastern Romania and has a history of complex and large-scale high value thefts, yet avoided prosecution by offending outside Romania.

A joint operation with the Romanian National Police and Italian Carabinieri, supported by Europol and Eurojust culminated in coordinated arrests and searches of 45 addresses across the UK, Romania and Italy in June 2019.

Thirteen individuals were charged in the UK with conspiring to commit burglaries between December 2016 and April 2019, and to acquire criminal property. Court proceedings continue, with 12 individuals already pleading guilty.

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Ben Lambert / Hearst Connecticut Media

HAMDEN  Two New York residents recently were arrested after they allegedly were caught siphoning cooking oil from a site on Whitney Avenue, according to police.

Officers responded to the shopping complex at 3000 Whitney Ave. at approximately 4:15 a.m. Thursday for a report of a larceny, Capt. Ronald Smith said in a release.
WATERLOO  City council has been asked to help solve a vagrancy problem ahead of an eight-storey redevelopment proposed in downtown Waterloo.

Homeless people are breaking into a vacant house at 8 George St. that must eventually be torn down to make way for parking for the proposed building on King Street South.

The developer owns the house and has left it vacant for two years. Trespassers have been squatting in it illegally. Windows and doors have been damaged. Measures to bar entry have been removed.

Waterloo Regional Police have advised the developer to demolish the house before winter arrives. However, city rules bar demolition until final redevelopment details are in place.

Those details are still being negotiated after council approved redevelopment in March. Council will be asked Monday to OK early demolition of the house, a step supported by city planners.

Redevelopment is proposed by Your Neighbourhood Credit Union. It operates in an adjacent building at 168 King St. S. thats to be replaced by a mixed-use building with commercial space on floors below and 34 dwelling units above.

Ward Coun. Tenille Bonoguore supports redevelopment as an example of the missing middle that planners want: mid-rise buildings that hold more people without towering over neighbourhoods.

It will bring additional housing to the core in a location that sits on both public transit and active transit routes, she said. She feels the proposal respects city plans and is a good transition between low-rise homes and highrises.

Bonoguore would not say if she supports fast-tracking the demolition of the vacant house.

Citing similar concerns, council endorsed early demolition last year of nine boarded-up homes along Erb St. W. The homes, deemed attractive to vandals, were in the way of proposed apartment towers not yet built.

The eight-storey redevelopment has been slowed by negotiations over a planned public walkway leading from Kuntz Lane to the nearby lands on William Street that are occupied by the historic water pumping station.
EDMONTON, Alberta, Sept. 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Radient Technologies Inc. ("Radient" or the "Company") (TSX-V:RTI; OTCQX:RDDTF), a manufacturer of high quality cannabinoid-based formulations and products, announces its Board of Directors (the "Board") is conducting a strategic review of the Company's operations targeting a path to positive cash flow by evaluating costs and under utilized assets. Radient will build on its recent successes in launching white label products and increasing its distribution to additional provinces. The review will address items that are strategic to the Company's operations and includes management changes being announced today.



Today, the Board named Jan Petzel as Interim President and Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Mr Petzel has been a Director of the Radient since 2016 and has a comprehensive understanding of the Company, and a pragmatic view of the priorities that need to be addressed. Jan was a Managing Director in the Merchant Banking Division of Goldman Sachs, ultimately responsible for private credit in Germany and Scandinavia. While at Goldman Sachs, Mr. Petzel served on the board of several successful companies including Cognis GmbH, a worldwide supplier of specialty chemicals and nutritional ingredients, up to its sale to BASF for 3.1bn in 2010. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, a Master of Engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and was a Visiting Scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Denis Taschuk will step down as President & Chief Executive Officer and Director of the Company, effectively immediately, for family reasons. He will continue as advisor to the Board to facilitate the transition to a new Chief Executive Officer. Denis has been instrumental in leading Radient to become a significant company in the cannabis industry, and the Board wishes to thank Denis for his contribution and tireless efforts over the last 10 years.

Mike Cabigon will step down as Chief Operating Officer and Director of the Company, effective immediately, to pursue other interests. Mike was instrumental in the Company's pivot into the cannabis industry in 2016, and the Board thanks him for all his contribution over the years and wishes him well in his future endeavors.

About Radient

Radient Technologies is a commercial manufacturer of high-quality cannabinoid-based formulations, ingredients, and products. Utilizing a proprietary extraction and downstream processing platform that recovers up to 99% of cannabinoids from the cannabis plant, Radient develops specialty products and ingredients that contain a broad range of cannabinoid and terpene profiles while meeting the highest standards of quality and safety. Please visit www.radientinc.com for more information.

SOURCE: Radient Technologies Inc.

For further information please contact:

Radient - Investor Relations, ir@radientinc.com

Forward Looking Information:

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, without limitation, statements regarding the growth of the Company's business operations; the impact to the Company resulting from the review of operations and management changes,the Company's ability to grow its business in the cannabis sector and the Company's future plans. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Radient, as the case may be, to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Although Radient has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in 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 information 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 information. Radient does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with 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.
American arrested when caught attempting to smuggle cases of ammunition into Mexico

Nogales, Sonora  The Government of Mexico reports the arrest of an American who attempted to smuggle cases of ammunition into the country. The announcement of the arrest came Thursday after elements of the National Guard inspected a car that was involved in an accident. In the trunk of the car, officials discovered cases of heavy-caliber bullets.

The arrest was made at in the border area at Garita I Puerta Mexico in Nogales, Sonora after authorities intercepted a car that entered Mexican territory, but tried to evade the inspection point. During his evasion attempt, his unfortunate driving skills saw him smash into the side of another car.

The driver of the Arizona-plated car crashed into another vehicle while trying to evade customs officers

The Arizona-plated vehicle was then stopped and inspected, which is when federal troops discovered 13 cases of high-caliber bullets in the trunk. The American driver was taken into custody. His vehicle and bullets were seized.
Family have paid tribute to 'the most extraordinary mum' Tessa Jowell as they laid her ashes to rest (Carl Court/Getty Images)

The family of former MP Tessa Jowell have launched a foundation in her name as they laid her ashes to rest.

In a moving Instagram post, Jowells daughter-in-law Eleanor Mills wrote: As some of you may know, we lost Matts Mum to brain cancer two and a half years ago.

Yesterday we laid her ashes, and today our family is so thrilled to announce the launch of the @tessajowellfoundation.

Aside from being the most extraordinary Mum and Mother In Law we could ask for, Tessa was a public servant to her absolute core who spent 23 years as a member of parliament. Were determined to carry on the transformational work she led in public health.

She dedicated her final year to kickstarting the process of delivering world class treatment and care for brain cancer patients throughout the NHS.

The UK has one of the worst cancer survival rates in Europe and brain cancer kills more people under 40 than any other cancer type.

Treatment for brain cancer has barely progressed in 40 years, and our family foundation exists to change that. We hope youll follow and support this amazing cause, led by our inspirational sister, Jess.

Jowell, a former MP who was instrumental in bringing the Olympic Games to London in 2012, died in May 2018 after a brain haemorrhage.

She had been diagnosed with brain cancer the previous May.

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair led the tributes to Jowell after her death, saying she had "passion, determination and simple human decency in greater measure than any person I have ever known".

Jowell joined the government as a minister in the Department for Health after Blair's Labour Party won the 1997 election by a landslide.

Former Prime Ministers Tony Blair and David Cameron attended a memorial service for Tessa Jowell in 2018 (Stefan Rousseau/PA Images via Getty Images)

Blair appointed her to the cabinet in 2001 as Minister for Culture, Media and Sport, where she headed London's successful Olympic Games bid.

Following her cancer diagnosis, Jowell campaigned for better treatment for cancer patients from Britain's state-funded health service.

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She received a minute-long standing ovation in the House of Lords in January 2018 after speaking about her condition.

Theresa May, who was PM when Jowell died, said: "The dignity and courage with which Dame Tessa Jowell confronted her illness was humbling and inspirational."

Former prime minister Gordon Brown said Jowell would be remembered for her "courage, strength and compassion for others", and his successor David Cameron said he was "devastated" to hear of the death of the "dedicated and passionate campaigner" and "wonderful human being".

Sebastian Coe, president of the IAAF and former chairman of the London organising committee of the Olympic Games, said London 2012 would not have happened without Jowell.

He said: "She showed unflinching tenacity in persuading the prime minister and the cabinet that the government should throw its full weight behind the bid.

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One of the seven people who, according to the indictment, invested in Fraud Guarantee after receiving false information gave a total of $500,000 in September and October 2018, money prosecutors said was sent to the account of a consulting firm that Parnas and Correia had retained on behalf of the company. The dollar figure and dates match money that, as The Washington Post has previously reported, was invested in the company by a New York lawyer and used to pay Giuliani for consulting services.
Hundreds of harness horse owners and trainers descended upon the Pickaway Agriculture and Event Center in Circleville, Ohio on Thursday to inspect over 270 yearlings being offered in tomorrows (Sept. 18) Ohio Selected Jug Sale.

Highlighted by five popular first crop sires, several with 'big-league credentials, inspections were heavy throughout the day and all with social distancing and protocols being followed.

Making up nearly half the sale, first crop sires Downbytheseaside, Fear The Dragon, Long Tom, Lost For Words and What The Hill were clearly high on everybodys inspection list.

The connections of 2017 Dan Patch three-year-old pacing colt champion Downbytheseaside, Diamond Creek Farms Adam Bowden and Sugar Valley Farmss Joe McLead, were quick to praise their stallions progeny.

One thing that people liked about Somebeachsomewhere, other than his racetrack prowess, is that all his foals look the same. You knew exactly what you were getting. Now you are seeing that with Downbytheseaside every horse that comes out, they are built in the same mold!

It would be shocking to me if they are not extremely successful hereinside and outside of the state of Ohio.

Brian Brown, trainer of both Fear The Dragon and Downbytheseaside had a very busy day, as the Delaware, Ohio-based conditioner looked at all 60 of the yearlings by his two star pupils.

Like any other sires, there are some individuals that I like better than others, but as a group they are some very nice yearlings.

Jake Mossbarger of Midland Acres agreed. We have had great traffic throughout the day and are very happy with the compliments we have received on the Fear The Dragon yearlings. They have great conformation and we are excited to sell them, along with our well-received group of Long Tom foals.

In addition, we are thrilled to have been asked to represent Hanover Shoe Farms at this sale. We are extremely pleased that we are entrusted with their yearlings, which are also an outstanding group.

On the trotting side, 2017 Dan Patch three-year-old trotting colt champion What The Hills 47 yearlings got the early attention of top trainers Ron Burke and Chris Beaver, who were looking at the son of Muscle Hills colts and fillies first thing this morning.

Everybody that races regularly in Ohio have been here to look at the What The Hills, noted Hickory Lane Horse Farm owner Kevin Greenfield.

There has been a lot of interest in him. I see no issues from an economic standpoint as everyone in the Buckeye State has been racing for all the money they are supposed to. The money is all there, people can bid with confidence.

Ohio Harness Horse Breeders president and Cool Winds Farm owner Randy Haines was also optimistic. Everybody is racing for a lot of money. As I have said before, I believe the Ohio program is the best in the country. The other yearling sales have been strong, so I am confident we will have a good sale as well.

Tomorrows auction begins at 10 a.m. with 278 catalogued, and all social distancing and COVID courtesies, including mask-wearing being practiced inside the barns and sale area.

(Ohio Harness Horse Breeders)
(Newser)  After health officials objected to changes in government guidance about whether people without coronavirus symptoms should be tested, the advice has been changed again. As of Friday, Politico reports, the CDC straightforwardly states that if you've spent at least 15 minutes within six feet of a person who has contracted the coronavirus, "you need a test." And that's regardless of whether you're showing symptoms. The reason is because of "the significance of asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic transmission," the agency said. The CDC website was revised Friday, per CNN. Previously, the site said that if you have no symptoms but have been around someone with the virus, "you do not necessarily need a test unless you are a vulnerable individual or your health care provider or State or local public health officials recommend you take one."

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Many scientists and doctors voiced objections with that earlier advice. On Thursday, CDC Director Robert Redfield defended the process for the advice that has now been taken down. "The guidelines, coordinated in conjunction with the White House Coronavirus Task Force, received appropriate attention, consultation and input from task force experts," he said. Still, the switch was endorsed Friday by other scientists. The president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America welcomed "the return to a science-based approach to testing guidance." (Read more CDC stories.)
The Michigan State Police Caro Post covers the three county area of the Upper Thumb comprised of Huron, Tuscola and Sanilac counties.

Sept. 11

Troopers were dispatched to Bay Park Rd. Akron Twp., Tuscola County for an unknown crash. Troopers arrived, and driver could not be located. Vehicle was towed. Driver was eventually located and cited for leaving scene of an accident.

Trooper was dispatched to Weale Rd. Winsor Twp., Tuscola County for a one car crash. Driver was eastbound on Weale Rd. when her brakes malfunctioned losing control of vehicle, crossing the centerline in opposite traffic exited roadway and rolling her vehicle. Cited for violation basic speed law-too fast

Troopers dispatched to a two-car accident on State St. City of Caro, Tuscola County. Both vehicles were eastbound on State St. when vehicle #1 failed to stop striking driver #2 in the rear. Vehicle #1 cited failure to stop at assured clear distance.

Troopers dispatched to a car/deer on Saginaw Rd. Fremont Twp., Tuscola County.

Trooper was dispatched to Sanilac Rd. Caro, Tuscola county for a MALICIOUS DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY to vehicle complaint. Complainant stated he believed his brother broke out the window to his vehicle. Both brothers are disputing for months over property issues. Pends further inv.

Trooper was dispatched to assist MMR with a medical assist. The victim was having problems breathing after taking her meds. MMR arrived and transported to Cass City Hospital.

Trooper was dispatched to Chambers Rd. Fremont Twp., Tuscola County for a welfare check. Trooper located the male subject who stated he was sleeping and does not get phone service out at his camper. He would contact his wife.

Trooper assisted Brown City Police Department with a traffic stop on James St. Brown City, Sanilac County involving narcotics being transported via an auto. Driver ingested a large quantity of meth. Ambulance transported to Lapeer McLaren. Search of vehicle located was a handgun, ammo, additional narcotics.

Sept. 12

Trooper was working patrol on Galbraith Rd. Worth Twp., Sanilac County. Vehicle was stopped for equipment violation (cracked windshield) Driver was arrested for driving while license suspect subsequent offense

Trooper was dispatched to a car/deer on Caseville Rd. Caseville, Huron County.

Trooper was working patrol on Mertz Rd. Fremont Twp., Tuscola County. A vehicle was stopped for speed. Driver had a warrant out of Lapeer County Sheriffs Department for Felony Aggravated Assault. A meet was done at the county line and subject was tot Lapeer County.

Troopers were dispatched to a large gathering on Leix Rd. Fremont Twp., Tuscola County. Troopers arrived, and subjects were told to pick up trash and troopers escorted subject off the property.

Sept. 13

Troopers were dispatched to a residential alarm on Curry Rd. Wells Twp., Tuscola County. Residence was checked by the neighbor who checked the garage area where the alarm company advised the alarm was coming from. Troopers contacted the neighbor and the owners daughter. Garaged Check and cleared.

Trooper stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation on Fostoria Rd. Watertown Twp., Tuscola County. Driver was cited for No insurance.

Trooper was dispatched to a larceny of flooring complaint On Cedar Run Rd. Elmwood Twp., Tuscola County. Complainants stated that her boyfriends nephew took the flooring and refused to bring it back. Contact was made with the suspect and he advised he would reimburse the complainant in the amount of the flooring.

Trooper stopped a vehicle for speed on Mertz Rd. Fremont Twp., Tuscola County. Driver cited for No Insurance.

Sept. 14

Trooper was dispatched to Arbella Rd. Arbella Twp., Tuscola County for an alarm. Accidental

Trooper dispatched to a car/deer on Black River Rd. Lexington Twp., Sanilac County.

Trooper was dispatched to Lee Hill Rd. Dayton Twp., Tuscola County for a civil matter. Complainant stated that someone had driven through his hay field causing damage. Investigation found the tire tracks lead back to the complainants rental home.

Trooper was dispatched to Saginaw Rd. Vassar Twp., Tuscola County for a suspicious vehicle. Suspicious vehicle was found to be broken down from the owner.

Trooper was dispatched to Saginaw Rd. Vassar Twp., Tuscola County for a possible suicidal subject. Troopers contacted the female subject who called her pastor about leaving her boyfriend. The pastor was concerned about her well-being. The female stated that was not going to harm herself. She was going to stay with her mother.

Sept. 15

Trooper was dispatched to Wellman Line Rd. Maple Valley Twp., Sanilac County for family trouble. Trooper contacted the complainant who stated that she was arguing with her ex-husband. No assaults occurred, and the complainant left the residence.

Trooper dispatched to check the well-being on Koepfgen Rd. Elkland Twp., Tuscola County. School stated that a male subject has not logged onto his online classes for school in four weeks. Troopers made contact with the male subject and he did not have the correct log-in information. He was advised to contact the school.

Trooper was dispatched to a two car accident on Sanilac Rd. Moore Twp., Sanilac County. Driver #1 and #2 were traveling westbound on M-46. Driver #1 did not notice that Vehicle #2 was stopping to turn right. Driver #1 swerved in the opposite lane and over compensated, swerved back rolling vehicle over. Cited too fast for conditions.

Sept. 16

Trooper was dispatched to assist MMR and Caro PD on Arlington Dr. Caro, Tuscola County with a medical call. Troopers assisted with CPR for approximately one hour, but the female was pronounced dead at the scene.

Trooper stopped a driver on Howard Ave. Croswell, Sanilac County for a traffic violation. Subject found to have a suspended drivers license. Vehicle towed.

Troopers assisted the Food Bank in Sandusky, Sanilac County distributing food to area residence.

Trooper was dispatched to Kinde Rd. Chandler Twp., Huron County for a one-car property damage accident. Driver was eastbound on Kinde Rd. when she swerved to miss a deer, crossing the centerline crashing into ditch. Cited for driving left of center.

Trooper was dispatched to Caro Rd. Juniata Twp, Tuscola County for a family dispute. Trooper arrived and found that the unwanted female had left the residence. Both subjects stated they would call if she returned to their residence.

Trooper was dispatched to USA schools where a bus driver was exposed to an unknown white substance. Driver was transported to Scheuer Hospital in Pigeon. Trooper was shown the vehicle which had a pink package and a pill bottle inside. The bottle had Chinese writing on it with no identifiers. Further investigation the pills were later identified as disinfecting tablets which are bleach tablets.

Sept. 17

Trooper dispatched to a car/deer accident on Vassar Rd. Tuscola Twp., Tuscola County.

Troopers was dispatched to a car/deer on Brown Rd. Fremont Twp., Tuscola County.

Trooper was dispatched to Howard St. Kingston, Tuscola County for a civil dispute. Contact was made, and no assault had occurred and both parties advised there would not be any further issues with both.

Trooper stopped a vehicle on W Caro Rd. Indianfields Twp., Tuscola County for speed. Driver had no vehicle insurance and refused to step from vehicle after several requests. The trooper requested assistance, and once they arrived he put his hand into the vehicle and unlocked the door. The driver was placed in handcuffs. Lodged Tuscola County Jail for No insurance, Resist and obstruct.

Troopers were dispatched to Natures Nest Vassar Twp., Tuscola County for a mental complaint. No info
Urmila Matondkar, whose journey in films began as a child artiste, said that she has never denied the existence of nepotism. She said that she was a victim of it in the beginning of her career as a lead star and was written off like no other actor in the history of cinema.

In 1991, when Urmila made her debut in a leading role with Narasimha, many other new female faces were launched. According to her, an overwhelming majority of these were star kids. She said that despite making a decent name for herself with her first film, she struggled a lot.

Talking to journalist Barkha Dutt, Urmila said, This word called nepotism, if I start talking about it, I will have to talk for quite a few hours. The amount of it that I have faced, in spite of being from Mumbai, was quite alarming, to say the least. There was some 16-17 new girls who were introduced that year and out of them, some eight or nine of them were somebody or the others daughters. I will tell you a few of them - Raveena Tandon, Karisma Kapoor, Pooja Bhatt, Kajol, lots of them.

After my first film, I made a decent name for myself as a good dancer and a decent actor, and yet, I struggled tremendously. By the time I was doing Rangeela, I was written off like no other actor in the history of cinema. She makes faces, her language...everything, she added.

Urmila said that even when Rangeela became a success in 1995, she was never given any credit for it. She said that everything else about the film was discussed, but not her. However, she chose to take it in her stride and focus on the positives of the film industry.

Also read | Rupal Patel defends Saath Nibhaana Saathiya: It is wrong to say that it is completely backward

According to Urmila, she was discriminated against more by the media of the time, than people in the film fraternity. She said that the film magazines back then had immense power, as there was no social media. She added that she was judged by a different yardstick than star kids. She also talked about not even getting nominated for her performances at awards shows.

Urmila has been making headlines after Kangana Ranaut described her as a soft porn star who is not known for her acting, for sure. The comments were met with much criticism online, from Bollywood celebrities as well as fans.

However, Kangana stood by her comments and questioned why porn star is considered a disparaging term if Bollywood welcomed former adult star Sunny Leone. Liberal brigade once virtually lynched a renowned writer in to silence for saying people like Sunny Leone should not be our role models, Sunny is accepted by the industry and entire India as an artist, suddenly fake feminists equating being a porn star to something derogatory, she tweeted.

Several members of the film fraternity, including Ram Gopal Varma, Swara Bhasker, Pooja Bhatt and Anubhav Sinha stood up for Urmila and praised her talent.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
Netflix has been criticized for saying abuse of minors is a 'terrible crime' in the wake of Jerry Harris' arrest on child porn charges after earlier defending the controversial film Cuties as 'social commentary'.

Harris, the star of Netflix's Cheer docuseries, was arrested and charged in Chicago on Thursday for child pornography following allegations of inappropriate conduct with a 13-year-old boy when he was 19.

Following his arrest, a Netflix spokesperson said in a statement that the streaming service was 'shocked by this news'.

'Any abuse of minors is a terrible crime and we respect the legal process,' the spokesperson said.

The statement prompted criticism from some on social media who compared Harris' case to the controversy surrounding Cuties - a French film currently streaming on Netflix that has been accused of sexualizing little girls.

DailyMail.com has contacted Netflix for comment.

Jerry Harris, the star of Netflix's Cheer docuseries, was arrested and charged in Chicago on Thursday for child pornography following allegations of inappropriate conduct with a 13-year-old boy when he was 19

'So Netflix condemns Jerry Harris (star of the Netflix documentary Cheer) for his alleged abuse of minors but they're still defending f***ing Cuties?' one critic tweeted.

Another said: 'I find this comment from Netflix talking about the Jerry Harris case funny seeing as Netflix found it ok to release Cuties on their platform.'

'So this Jerry Harris of Netflix's Cheer got arrested for child pornography, but they didn't arrest whoever made the film Cuties or arrest whomever runs Netflix that promotes this?' another tweet read.

Republican lawmakers last week called for a federal investigation into the production and distribution of Cuties after alleging it promotes pedophilia.

Netflix has defended the film, saying it is a 'social commentary against the sexualization of young children'.

Senator Ted Cruz told Attorney General Bill Barr in a letter last week that the film is 'likely' to encourage pedophiles.

'The film routinely fetishizes and sexualizes these pre-adolescent girls as they perform dances simulating sexual conduct in revealing clothing,' Cruz said.

He said that the Justice Department should determine if the French filmmakers or Netflix 'violated any federal laws against the production and distribution of child pornography'.

The statement prompted criticism from some on social media who compared Harris' case to the controversy surrounding Cuties - a French film currently streaming on Netflix that has been accused of sexualizing little girls

The film, called 'Mignonnes' in French, portrays a young, rebellious French Senegalese girl who joins a pre-teen hip-hop dance group that is pushed into performing suggestive dances.

It shows the young girls dressing in risque outfits while twerking.

The film earned director Maimouna Doucoure an award at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival.

In an op-ed in the Washington Post on Wednesday, Doucoure rejected the charges of abusing girls, and said her film was about the objectification of women and children, and the pressure pre-teen girls feel to be pretty and sexy.

'This film is my own story,' the Senagalese-French filmmaker wrote, which she said she made 'to start a debate about the sexualization of children in society today'.

The initial campaign against Cuties called for conservatives to close their Netflix accounts and used the hashtag #CancelNetflix on Twitter.

Some used that same hashtag when tweeting about the arrest of the 21-year-old celebrity cheerleader on Thursday.

Harris' arrest came just days after 14-year-old cheerleading twin brothers in Texas filed a lawsuit alleging he solicited sexually explicit photos from them for a year and asked one of them for oral sex.

The production of child pornography charge is related to allegations of inappropriate conduct with the twin he tried to solicit oral sex from.

Prosecutors say Harris admitted in an interview with FBI agents this week that he had asked the boy, who was then 13, to send him photographs and videos of his penis and buttocks on Snapchat.

The criminal complaint related to his arrest includes several photos and message exchanges allegedly between Harris and the boy. In one Snapchat exchange included in the complaint, the boy sent a photo of himself and Harris allegedly responded: 'Do it naked and take a video'

The complaint says that Harris sent this photo to one of the boys on Snapchat asking: 'Would you ever want to ***'. The boy told authorities he interpreted this as Harris asking him to engage in sex acts

Harris also allegedly admitted to soliciting explicit photos from dozens of other underage boys and engaging in a sex act with a 15-year-old at a cheer comp.

The 28-page criminal complaint related to his arrest, which came just days after the FBI raided his home in Naperville, Illinois, contains a number of screenshots of Harris' exchanges with both twins.

The boys, Charlie and Sam, are not identified in the criminal complaint but they gave an interview to USA Today this week speaking about the allegations after filing the lawsuit.

The FBI started investigating after the allegations were reported to authorities by Varsity, which is the global authority of competitive cheerleading.

In the criminal complaint, Harris is accused of contacting both boys on social media as early as 2018 and soliciting explicit images from both of them.

One of the boys, identified as Minor 2, told authorities that he always refused to send Harris any explicit images.

The other boy, identified as Minor 1, said he sent more than a dozen sexually explicit photos and videos to Harris, at his request, on Snapchat between December 2018 and March 2020.

The allegations stem from complaints made by 14-year-old twin boys in Texas who are also competitive cheerleaders. The boys, Charlie and Sam, are not identified in the criminal complaint but they gave an interview to USA Today this week speaking about the allegations

The complaint says Harris first contacted the boy on Instagram in 2018 who told him he was only 13. Harris allegedly responded: 'Oh ok have any pics?', before adding the photos should be of his face and 'booty'

Pictured above on the left is a screenshot included in the complaint of several nude photos that he allegedly sent to Harris. Harris' face can be seen in one of the images. Pictured right is a text Harris allegedly sent the boy saying he had 'found a place for us to do stuff' at a cheer competition

Harris, who was 19 at the time, is also accused of sending the boy explicit images of himself and footage of him masturbating.

The boy claims Harris also once asked him for oral sex in bathroom when they both attended a cheer competition in February 2019.

Three months later, Harris allegedly sent the boy a text message saying he had 'found a place for us to do stuff' at another cheer competition. The boy told authorities that he understood that to mean Harris wanted to engage in sex acts with him.

The boy denied Harris' requests for sex acts on both occasions, according to the complaint.

Harris was the breakout star of the show that followed the cheerleading team from Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas, as it sought a national title.

Cheer was an instant success when it was released in January and Harris drew fans for his upbeat attitude and his encouraging 'mat talk'.

Earlier this year, he interviewed celebrities on the red carpet at the Academy Awards for The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

A wedding in rural Maine became a coronavirus "superspreader" event that left seven people dead and 177 infected, renewing fear of the disease in the northeastern US state that had hoped the worst of the pandemic was behind it.

The nuptials in early August were attended by 65 people, breaking the official limit of 50 allowed at a gathering.

A ceremony at a church was followed by a reception at the Big Moose Innboth venues near the picturesque town of Millinocket, whose population numbers just 4,000.

Ten days later, two dozen people associated with the wedding had tested positive for COVID-19 and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Maine opened an investigation.

The center's local director Nirav Shah on Thursday gave the latest toll for the event, adding that none of the seven people who died had actually attended the wedding.

Contact-tracers linked the wedding to several virus hotspots across the stateincluding more than 80 cases in a prison 230 miles (370 kilometers) away, where one of the guards had attended the ceremony.

Another 10 probable cases were found in a Baptist church in the same area, while 39 infectionsand six of the deathswere at a nursing home 100 miles from Millinocket.

For the community and wider region, which had relaxed social-distancing rules introduced earlier in the crisis, the news was a brutal wake-up call.

"When we heard of the outbreak... everyone really hunkered down," said Cody McEwen, head of the town council.

"As soon as the outbreak happened, we completely closed the town again."

Recriminations

Some of the residents were clearly angry at the event's organizersstarting with the tavern, whose license was temporarily suspended.

"I don't think they should have had the wedding. I think it should have been limited like they were supposed to," said Nina Obrikis, a member of the Baptist church where the ceremony was held.

"We can't go nowhere or do nothing," she said.

Maine Governor Janet Mills on Thursday issued a warning to the 1.3 million residents of the state.

Such flare-ups "threaten to undo the gains we have made at the drop of a hat," she said.

"COVID-19 is not on the other side of the fence, it is in our yards."

Since the start of the pandemic earlier this year, similar superspreader events have been reported around the world.

The first in the United States were a biotech conference in Boston in February attended by around 175 people, and a funeral in Georgia where more than 100 people caught the virus.

In recent weeks, such clusters of infections have been seen on university campuses, forcing students to be sent home.

The university of Oneonta, in northern New York state, had more than 670 COVID cases confirmed in one month.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2020 AFP
Humanizing

To the Editor:

Thanks for the insightful set of reviews on white supremacy in America in your Sept. 6 issue: Jon Meachams historical essay on Southern white intellectuals such as Edward Alfred Pollard and David W. Blight, Walter Isaacsons review of Edward Balls Life of a Klansman and Susan Neimans review of Seyward Darbys Sisters in Hate. These reviews clearly and convincingly demonstrate that white supremacy is far from being monolithic. Whiteness is experienced differently across time and space in the United States. Each in their own way, the three reviews eloquently describe problematic realities of white supremacy in America but simultaneously humanize both the authors and their subjects.

I strongly believe that this kind of interpretive engagement and human understanding must also be consistently applied to the struggles of people of color, past and present. In the context of our current need for racial healing, humanizing ourselves and others, no matter what the particular racial or ethnic identity, will go a long way.

Alejandro Lugo

Las Cruces, N.M.

Contemplating the End

To the Editor:

Anthony Doerr, in his Sept. 6 review of two books by scientists, quotes Sara Seager replying to a question from the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology in 2013 on whether there is life elsewhere in the universe: Do the math.

Doerr, and implicitly Seager, say it isnt all that complicated. But it is. Until we have a clear understanding of exactly how life arose on Earth, or alternatively observe it elsewhere in space, we just dont know how probable life arising is. There might be a quintillion planets theoretically hospitable to life, but if the odds of any planet having life are 10-quintillion-to-1 against, there would be only a 10 percent chance of our not being alone. We can guess, but as of now we cannot do the math. More reason to be kind to life here.
A deluge of complaints has overwhelmed a new red-tape hotline system in Japan, hours after it launched

Just nine hours after Japan's new minister for administrative reform launched an online system for reporting excessive bureaucracy and red tape, it hit a snag: too many complaints.

Former defence minister Taro Kono, now charged with the reform portfolio, said it had been effectively overwhelmed and would be closed temporarily.

Kono, an enthusiastic Twitter user who regularly interacts with people on the platform, announced the complaints system shortly after he was appointed by newly elected Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Wednesday.

"Please send information, such as unnecessary regulations, rules that are making your job difficult and bureaucratic silos that are problematic," he wrote on his Japanese Twitter account.

Not long after, he proclaimed excitedly on his English-language account that the digital complaints box had "received more than 3,000 emails in just hours!"

But the deluge apparently proved too much.

"I received far more emails than I'd expected," he conceded.

"I'm suspending reception of new emails to go through what I've received so far."

Japan's new leader Suga has said dealing with red tape and excessive bureaucracy will be a top priority for him.

Cutting through red tape was also a key plank of the "Abenomics" economic policy of his predecessor Shinzo Abe.

kh-sah/qan
According to his birth certificate, Denis Vashurin was born in 1987, but looking at him you would swear he was still in his early teenage years.

Denis became one of the hottest topics on Russian social media after doing an interview with popular YouTube personality Vasya na sene. People cant seem to get over how incredibly young he looks for a 32-year-old man, and Denis himself admits that whenever he reveals his age to people he doesnt know he almost always gets reactions of disbelief. Thats why he prefers living in a small village in Russias Krasnoyarsk region, instead of moving to the city. Everybody knows him there, and he gets to spend time alone doing what he likes  hunting, fishing and spending time with his girlfriend.

Photo: Denis Vashurin/Instagram

In his interview with Vasya, Denis Vashurin revealed that his parents noticed he was not like other children at a very young age. He was always the smallest one in his age group, but that really didnt bother him in the beginning. He was a very active child  some would even say hyperactive  he could do all the things the other kids could, and he never had to face any bullying.

As he aged, the difference between him and other kids his age became more obvious, and by his teenage years, it appeared as though he had stopped aging. His high-school graduation photo, for example, shows him looking like a child among fully-grown young adults.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by   (@denvashurin125) on Aug 14, 2016 at 5:19am PDT

When I realized that I would no longer change physically, at first I felt somewhat uneasy, Denis said. I thought about how everything would be, how my life would go on, whether it would be hard for me.

Although he has managed to lead a generally normal life, despite his unusual appearance, Vashurin admits that he sometimes has to explain and prove his real age. He remembers getting pulled over by traffic police once and being suspected of forging his drivers licence. After confirming his age, the traffic policeman started making jokes about how young he looked, which he found inappropriate.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by   (@denvashurin125) on Jul 26, 2020 at 9:35pm PDT

Why do I have to explain something to someone every time? the indignant 32-year-old asked rhetorically.

Denis says that even those who known him sometimes ask if he feels as young as he looks, but he says that despite his youthful appearance, his body ages at the same rate as other people his age. As for his personality, his friends and his girlfriend actually call him grandpa.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by   (@denvashurin125) on Dec 21, 2018 at 6:51pm PST

Im a bore, Im stubborn, Im lethargic, like a bear during hibernation, Denis explained with a laugh.

The 32-year-old has been dating his girlfriend for four years now. Luckily, theyve known each other for a long time, so he didnt have to prove his real age to her.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by   (@denvashurin125) on May 30, 2019 at 4:23am PDT

While he is aware that his youthful looks may seem shocking to a lot of people, he only asks that he not be judged by his appearance alone.

You cannot live my life, he said. You do not know how you would live in my body, in my situation, what kind of person you would become. Therefore, do not judge.

Denis Vashurin didnt say whether he ever went to see a doctor about his condition, but his case is somewhat reminiscent of that Tomasz Nadolski, a 27-year-old man stuck in the body of a child. There was also the case of the 34-year-old man who stopped aging after a head injury.
Photos of the rubbish parcels were posted on the environment minister's Facebook page - Varawut Silpa-Archa/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Thailands national park authorities have lost patience with litter louts trashing natural beauty spots and begun mailing their discarded rubbish back to their homes.

The novel approach to garbage disposal was reportedly launched after multiple visitors to the Khao Yai National Park near the capital, Bangkok, left behind heaps of unsightly packaging and bottles.

Varawut Silpa-archa, the environment minister, gave frustrated park officials the green light to parcel and post the trash to litterbugs, along with a curt message to improve their behaviour or face stiffer penalties in future.

The minister posted pictures of the garbage packed into boxes ready to be shipped out to home addresses, along with a reminder that littering can be punishable by up to five years in prison or a maximum fine of 500,000-baht [12,400]

The parcels were accompanied by a message reading: We collected your garbage in a cardboard box and sent it to your home. This should be a lesson to you, to never again throw away waste anywhere.

Khao Yai National Park is the Southeast Asian nations oldest and third largest, covering more than 770 square miles of forest and grasslands that are home to diverse wildlife including bears, gibbons and elephants.

Especially popular with hikers, two of the parks beautiful waterfalls were made famous in the movie The Beach, starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

The offending campers were tracked down because they had registered their addresses with the park authorities who then found the refuse near the site of their tents.

As well as receiving a smelly surprise in the post, they will now also be registered with the local police.

It can be dangerous for animals like deer if they eat the rubbish, trying to digest plastic waste that people leave behind, Narin Pinsakul, chief of the park, said, according to the DPA.
LOGAN, Ohio  A 17-year-old male has admitted to pushing a log off a cliff that struck and killed a woman as she took photos at Hocking Hills State Park in September 2019.

Jaden W. Churchheus pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter as part of a plea agreement, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. Charges of murder and reckless homicide were dropped.

Churchheus is one of two teens who was accused of pushing a 74-pound log off of a cliff that struck and killed Victoria Schafer, 44, as she took photos near Old Mans Cave in Hocking Hills State Park on Sept. 2, 2019. Initial reports indicated Schafer had been killed by a falling branch. But officials with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources say they began investigating the two teens after receiving information that they might be involved in Schafers death.

Schafer reportedly was taking senior photos of six high school seniors when the incident occurred.

That day at Old Mans Cave, I never would have imagined that my actions would result in this," Churchheus said Wednesday in court, according to WBNS Channel 10. "I have thought about the fact that I caused someones death every day since it happened, and I will carry that with me for the rest of my life.

"I appreciate the kindness of Ms. Schafers family, the attorney generals office and the prosecutors office in giving me a second chance. I realize that nothing I say can bring Ms. Schafer back, but I am truly sorry.

Judge John Wallace accepted a recommended sentence of three to 4.5 years, with time served, WBNS reports. Wallace put a stay on that sentencing so the case can be moved back to juvenile court. Churchheus was being prosecuted as an adult.

The other teen, Jordan Buckley, 17, is expected to enter a guilty plea next week in a similar agreement, the Enquirer reports.

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Former Berea-Midpark High School football player gets probation in hazing case
This handout picture by the Comunidad de Madrid (Madrid regional government) shows Madrid's regional president Isabel Diaz Ayuso giving a press conference to announce partial lockdown measures on nearly one million people to try to slow the spread of the virus

At the epicentre of an explosion of new infections in Spain, the Madrid region on Friday imposed partial lockdown measures on nearly one million people to try to slow the spread of the virus.

Residents of the areas, mainly in densely populated, low-income neighbourhoods in the south of Madrid, will as of Monday only be allowed to leave their zone to go to work, seek medical care or take their children to school.

All bars and restaurants will have to reduce their capacity by 50 percent, the regional government of Madrid said in the statement.

Residents of the areas affected will be allowed to move around freely inside their zone but no one from outside will be allowed in.

The affected areas are home to 858,000 people or 13 percent of the region's population of 6.6 million. The measures will be in force for two weeks.

"We are obliged to take these measures in these specific areas...if we did not do so, we run the risk of it being spread to the whole of Madrid. We have time to avoid it," Madrid regional government chief Isabel Diaz Ayuso, told a news conference.

Gatherings of more than six people will be banned in the entire region, down from ten currently, as part of the news measures, she added.

"Reports indicate that most contagions are occurring in private settings, in personal relationships between families and friends," said Diaz Ayuso, who was infected at the start of the pandemic.

- Emergency talks -

Spain is currently battling a second wave of Covid-19 and once again, Madrid is the worst-hit region, with a third of all national cases and deaths.

Several low-income districts of southern Madrid have counted more than 1,000 cases per 100,000 inhabitants -- around five times the national average, which in itself is the highest in the European Union

Since the central government ended its state of emergency on June 21, lifting all lockdown restrictions, responsibility for public healthcare and managing the pandemic has been left in the hands of Spain's 17 autonomous regions.

Story continues

Late on Thursday, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez agreed to meet Diaz Ayuso for emergency talks "to define a common strategy" although the meeting is not due to take place until Monday.

But experts said Madrid's regional government should have learned from the experiences of other regions which reacted quickly following a surge in cases in July.

"Instead of preparing and learning from what happened in places like Aragon and Catalonia, which have coped better with the epidemic, Madrid and other regions didn't put the necessary measures in place," said Salvador Macip, a health sciences expert at Catalonia's Open University.

"We have found ourselves in a situation which is out of control and did not need to be."

- 'Overwhelmed' -

Regional health officials say Madrid's healthcare system is under growing pressure, with one in five hospital beds occupied by Covid patients.

Santiago Usoz, a medic working at the accident and emergency unit in Madrid's October 12 hospital, said there was a lack of both beds and staff.

"Intensive care units are overwhelmed with Covid patients," he told AFP, adding that his hospital had 35 patients needing intensive care but only 32 beds in the ICU.

"Since the start of September, the admissions curve has been steadily rising... In spring the biggest problem was the lack of material, now it's the lack of human resources."

Regional figures show there are 2,850 people with Covid in hospital of whom 392 are in intensive care.

Figures from the Spanish health ministry indicate that over the past week, 20,987 people have tested positive for the virus in the region and 138 people have died.

Spain has so far suffered more than 30,000 deaths and 625,000 cases of Covid-19, government figures show.

bur-hmw-mg/ds/pvh
Yury Ambrazevich, head of Belarus' delegation and Permanent Representative to the UN Office, listen to the speeches, during the opening of 45th session of the Human Rights Council, at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, on Sept. 14, 2020. (Martial Trezzini/Keystone via AP Photo)

Belarus, Backers Seek to Block Speeches at UN Rights Body

GENEVAA representative of Belarus, backed by Russia, China, and Venezuela, tried and failed to limit speeches as the U.N.s top human rights body held an urgent debate Friday on alleged rights violations by Belarusian authorities under President Alexander Lukashenko.

The president of the Human Rights Council put an end to the repeated interruptions of speakers by the four countrieswhich in essence argued a breach of procedural rules. Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger, the Austrian ambassador in Geneva, allowed speakers who included Lukashenkos main election challenger to continue decrying a string of alleged rights violations in Belarus.

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko armed with a Kalashnikov-type rifle as he greets riot police officers near the Palace of Independence in Minsk on Aug. 23, 2020. (State TV and Radio Company of Belarus via AP Photo)

The councils consideration of the recent events in Belarus is timely, U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said in remarks delivered by her deputy. Peaceful mass demonstrations have continued to contest the declared result of last months presidential elections.

We are witnessing thousands of arrests. Hundreds of reports of torture and other ill-treatment, including sexual violence and the reported torture of children, Bachlets statement said, referring to a police crackdown on post-election protests as well as alleged actions from a decade ago. Excellencies, it is vital for the future of Belarus to break these cycles of increasing repression and violence.

In a dramatic conflict at the normally staid Human Rights Council, Belarus ambassador, Yury Ambrazevich, took the floor to insist that allowing U.N. human rights advocates and other speakers to address the council violated the rules, arguing that only national envoys should be allowed to speak. The council president overrode the objections.

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet attends a session of the Human Rights Council at the United Nations in Geneva, on March 6, 2019. (Denis Balibouse/Reuters)

Seconds after the former English teacher who placed second to Lukashenko in the disputed presidential election said in a video message that peaceful protesters were being deliberately beaten and raped in Belarus and some have been found dead, Ambrazevich broke in briefly.

We request that the intervention by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya be stopped, the Belarusian ambassador said, referring to the opposition leader and her remarks.

Council president Tichy-Fisslberger brushed off the appeal, and the former presidential candidate finished her statement.

Ambrazevich, in his more elaborate response, shot back, faulting the mass media and social networks for showing a lopsided picture of reality presented by the losers in the elections.

A girl covers with an old Belarusian National flag as people stand near the place where Alexander Taraikovsky died amid the clashes protesting the election results, in Minsk, on Aug. 24, 2020. (Dmitri Lovetsky/AP Photo)

We deny the unfounded accusations of sexual violence against protesters. There is no official record of this. There is no confirmation also of claims that people disappeared in association with the protests, he said. As with regards to political detentions, this has not taken place. Some people have been taken into custody in compliance with the legal procedural code.

The debate, during which several European Union countries spoke out in favor of the speakers and decried rights violations in Belarus, came as the 47-member-nation council prepared to vote on a resolution presented by Germany that raises concerns about torture, arbitrary deprivations of life, and sexual violence linked to the Aug. 9 presidential election.

Riot police officers detain a protester during a Belarusian opposition supporters rally protesting the official presidential election results in Minsk, on Sept. 13, 2020. (AP Photo)

The resolution also cited alleged intimidation, harassment, and detention of opponents of Lukashenkos government before and after the election. The autocratic Lukashenko, who has ruled the ex-Soviet republic for 26 years, was declared the winner, but opposition activists have challenged the election as rigged.

The European Union and the U.S. government have called the vote neither free nor fair and urged the government to enter a dialogue with the opposition as post-election protests continue.

The German resolution wants Bachelet to look into recent violations and report back to the council by year-end. That would entail a relatively fast-track response for the often deliberate and slow-moving council.

Opposition supporters take part in a rally against police brutality following protests to reject the presidential election results in Minsk, on Sept. 13, 2020. (Tut.By/Reuters)

Germanys move suggested speed was among its priorities. The resolution stops short of seeking more onerous, in-depth measures in the councils arsenal, such as deploying a fact-finding mission or assembling a panel of experts to examine the situation.

The text cites allegations of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment by law enforcement and prison officials. It calls on Belarus authorities to cease the use of excessive force against peaceful demonstrators and stop arbitrary arrests on political grounds and release all political prisoners, journalists, and others detained around the election cycle.

A resolution setting up the urgent debate was adopted Monday on a 25-2 vote with 20 abstentions. Many European nations voted in favor and many African nations abstained.

By Jamey Keaten
Only Russias involvement can neutralize the Turkish factor in the region. Russia is the only country that can do this in an effective manner. This is what second President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan told analysts during a meeting devoted to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and posted on Kocharyans official YouTube channel.

The objective situation is such that Russia is the only country that can effectively neutralize Turkeys influence on the region. I dont believe that the sanctions against Russia will essentially weaken Russia. I believe Russia has shown that it doesnt change its policy under the influence of sanctions. Nobody can influence countries with tremendous potential and countries that have been imperial in the past. It is necessary to negotiate, find common ground, persuade and respect their interests, as well as avoid touching upon topics that are sensitive to the people of the country. There are simply peoples and countries with which speaking in the language of ultimatums is nonsensical. Russia is one of those countries, and Armenia needs to negotiate and cooperate with Russia and find common ground, not speak with ultimatums, he said.
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The UP prisons administration and reform services department is preparing a proposal for a security audit of each jail in the state after every two years. This, they hope, will plug security lapses that creep in with time, said senior prison officials.

The proposal follows the daring escape of two under-trials from the Rae Bareli district jail. Prison officials said that the security audit proposal will soon be sent to the state government for clearance.

Director general (prisons) Anand Kumar said that prison officials are carrying out a survey across 72 jails in the state before finalising the security audit proposal.

Although no changes could be done in the design and layout of old jails, some constraints, which develop with time, can be removed by making small changes, he said.

Kumar added that most jails in the state are housed in old buildings, making it likely for any weakness to appear. He said a regular biennial audit may help strengthen security in jails.

Another prison official privy to the development said the security audit mainly comprises checking the drain passages to see if it can be used to escape, checking the strength and height of boundary walls and availability of any instrument that could be used to dig a tunnel.

Also Read: Hindu Yuva Vahini leader found stabbed to death in UPs Bareilly

He explained that the drain passage often widens due to the flow of water or plaster and bricks of drain walls get removed, making it susceptible to further weakening to plan an escape.

18 to 22 feet high boundary walls are a routine feature in jails but the height decreases with the rising ground level inside and outside the premises. We have to measure the ground level after a certain time period to ensure the height remains the same, the official emphasised.

He added that the security audit also inspects if dust or mud is collecting alongside the boundary walls or if there is any possibility of collecting bricks inside the premises. Other mandatory features like the security drill, deployment of jail guards, video surveillance and erecting of watch towers and no-mans zone alongside the jail walls will also be checked during the audit, the official said.

Also Read: Acquit all in Babri case for unity: Muslim litigant Iqbal Ansari

There have been three daring escapes from jails in UP in the past 5 years. The most recent one was carried out on September 15 this year when two under trials escaped from the district jail of Rae Bareli after crawling out of a barrack through a toilet and then scaling two walls that were 18 and 20 feet in height.

Last year on July 7, two convicts escaped from Etawah district jail by cutting the iron rods of their cell and scaling the boundary wall with the help of bed sheets.

On December 1, 2015, an under-trial escaped from Lucknow district jail after scaling two boundary walls measuring 18 and 22 feet in height.

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COVID-19 has interrupted the countrys journey to become a high-performing economy, but the right structural adjustments could help get it back on track, according to McKinsey & Company, a leading US consultant firm.

Vietnam has the elements in place to continue as an outperformer.

With relatively few recorded COVID-19 cases and fatalities to date, Vietnam now has an opportunity  and an imperative  to consider its longer-term economic aspirations, even as the country responds to a resurgence of the virus, the company says in a recent article looking at the pandemics impact on Vietnams economy.

In 2018, McKinsey research identified Vietnam as one of 11 recent global outperformers, thanks to its GDP-per-capita growth of more than 5 percent annually for 20 years, in addition to its successful effort to lift a significant percentage of its people out of poverty.

Vietnam has the elements in place to continue as an outperformer  for instance, growing disposable income, continued investment in infrastructure programmes, and an attractive business environment. Adjustments in four broad areas could help the country get onto the required growth trajectory.

Firstly, Vietnam was already attractive as a destination for offshore manufacturing and for tourism before COVID-19. Even as the country addresses the new virus strain, its low level of recorded cases and fatalities has shown that its systems can identify and manage the outbreak.

This may position Vietnam well as international tourism resumes. The country could then turn its attention to marketing itself as a destination in Asia, where the earliest arrivals may come from when countries open their borders.

In the meantime, tourism and hospitality operators will need to use the opportunity to diversify both tourism products and market segments. Domestic tourism could be promoted to test the new offerings, but discounts may be needed because of the relatively lower local spending power.

Reattracting and accelerating FDI in the manufacturing sector will also be vital to accelerate Vietnams path to higher growth. Vietnam is well-positioned to go on attracting FDI, especially as manufacturers seek to strengthen and diversify their supply chains in response to the frailties the pandemic exposed.

Secondly, the firm advises Vietnam to expand investments in education and infrastructure to boost productivity and sustain longer-term growth. In education, Vietnam can leverage its clear strengths: a 2017 McKinsey study of the drivers of student performance identified it as one of Asias high-performing countries. Vietnam, for example, has significantly increased school enrollment at all levels over the past 20 years. Primary-school enrollment is virtually universal, ranking only behind Japans and higher than the Republic of Koreas and Hong Kongs, among other Asian high performers. Education initiatives could focus on developing cognitive, behavioral, and practical skills and on boosting vocational schools.

Investment in education could raise skill levels in the workforce as part of initiatives to increase productivity, which lags behind that of Vietnams regional peers and has plateaued, despite positive economic growth and ongoing competitiveness in labor costs. A higher-skilled workforce could attract manufacturers exploring Industry 4.0 technologies and help to move the country up the value chain into more productive and higher-earning areas.

As for infrastructure, investments to redevelop it could be scaled up. Ports are running at overcapacity. Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi need significant investments in roads and airports.

Thirdly, McKinsey suggests the country continue focusing on boosting the competitiveness of other strategic areas at home  including state-owned enterprises (SOEs), small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and start-ups  to increase national resilience. SMEs and the informal sector collectively form a crucial domestic demand engine and will continue to need support, especially in the short term while growth and incomes remain depressed.

SOEs account for one-third of GDP yet grow much more slowly than other companies do, it says. Targeted equitisations, sustainable divestments, and transformation programmes could be considered to make SOEs competitive at home and even more competitive on the global stage.

In addition, the country could tap the significant unrealised potential of its start-up ecosystem. In 2019, 741 million USD was invested in Vietnams start-ups, compared with 2.38 billion USD in Indonesias. Its little surprise that Vietnam has created only one unicorn, compared with six in Indonesia. A more holistic ecosystem effort could remove structural limits on private entrepreneurship, make financing available for high-potential projects, and provide fertile incubation structures for high-growth businesses.

Finally, as a major driver of new energy demand and a country likely to be heavily affected by climate change, Vietnam could accelerate its journey toward a less carbon-intensive future. A new national plan signals a significant effort to energise this transition. Under the latest proposal, coal is expected to represent about 37 percent of energy generation by 2025, instead of half as previously planned. Renewables would grow to about 25 percent of the mix, from 13 percent in the previous version.

This proposal embodies a significant scaling back of plans to develop coal plants, which have come under pressure and faced challenges in financing over recent years. Vietnam could look at opportunities to encourage significant new capital investment in them through strong incentives and conduct a detailed grid-capability assessment for a new generation of assets.

With appropriate post-pandemic responses paving the way for economic recovery, such adjustments to Vietnams economy could go a long way toward realising a future as a high-performing nation./.VNA

Hanoi considers allowing overnight services to boost night-time economy Authorities in Hanoi are seeking feedback for a pilot scheme to allow recreational establishments in Hoan Kiem area to stay open past midnight.
In a dramatic turn of events, Union minister Harsimrat Badal of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has resigned from her post, amid growing protests by farmers across the country.

Badal, who was the lone representative of the SAD in the Modi cabinet resigned on Thursday to protest the Lok Sabha passing two contentious bills, which farmers say will have an adverse impact on their livelihood.

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The Lok Sabha had on Thursday passed the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 as well as the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020.

Contentious bills

Both the bills were introduced in the Lok Sabha on day one of the Monsoon session. The bill will replace the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020 promulgated by the President on June 5 this year.

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Farmers fear they will no longer get paid at MSP, while commission agents fear they will lose their commission.

Farmers unhappy

Farmers protesting against the newly-passed Bills have also noted that they are only likely to enhance the corporatisation of the agriculture sector, leading to reduction of farmers' bargaining power and crippling them financially.

AFP

Amid the fears of the farmers, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar had clarified that these Bills will bring revolutionary changes in the lives of farmers. He asserted "MSP was, MSP is, and MSP will continue in the future".

Explaining about the benefits of the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 as well as the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, Tomar said both the legislations will fulfil the expectations and the need of the country from agriculture. Besides, the minister said, the farmer will get attracted towards comparatively good crops, and if the farmer produces costly crops his income will automatically increase and he will also support agriculture growth.

"These Bills will also help in agriculture export." Tomar said around 86 per cent are small farmers. "If these farmers manage to know the fixed price of their produce in advance through any law they will be able to do profit farming."

AFP

The minister asserted that "these bills will not affect the Minimum Support Price (MSP)" and that these will help in making the farmers more advanced. "MSP was, MSP is, and MSP will continue in the future."

Minister assures farmers it won't harm their well-being

Tomar said through both these reforms, the farmer will connect directly with the big traders and exporters, bringing profit to agriculture. "These bills will bring revolutionary changes in the lives of farmers."

But the farmers are not convinced and they have vowed to step up the protests across the country, which is the most intense in Punjab and Haryana now.

AFP

Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee has announced to hold "rail roko" agitation from September 24 to September 26 to lodge their protest against the three agriculture ordinances passed by the Union Cabinet.

"We have decided to hold a rail roko agitation from September 24 to 26 against the three agriculture ordinances," Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee General Secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher told ANI.

"Those who are saying the ordinances will help the farmers are lying. On the contrary, we will become the pawns of corporates. We appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to listen to us. And request all farmers throughout the country to come out and stand against these ordinances," Pandher had said.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is continuing with its efforts to improve the commissions deployment of technologies in conducting elections in the country.

The commission on August 6 introduced a dedicated online portal, INEC Result Viewing (IRV), that will enable Nigerians view results from polling units in real-time on election days.

The electoral umpire had last week in Benin, the Edo State capital, said it would deploy a new technology called Z-pad, which will only serve as biometric accreditation using the photographs of voters fingerprints.

The Z-pad was deployed at the August 8 Nasarawa central constituency bye-election as a test-run but faced challenges. INEC has, however, explained that tablet cameras would only be used to take photos of the polling unit EC8A result sheets for the Saturday elections.

The INEC national commissioner for voter education, Festus Okoye, had said the commission is determined to address all concerns by voters through enhancing the level of transparency in the conduct of elections, especially in the process of releasing results of elections.

So whats new?

The real-time posting of the election results, as stated by INEC, simply entails posting and uploading photographs of the EC8A/EC8A(VP), EC60, 40H forms results in PDF versions from polling units of a particular election held in a given state.

For instance, if it were the general elections, the IVR would contain the results coming from all the 119,973 polling units and 57,000 voting points across the country. The same would happen for other off-circle elections and subsequent bye-elections that would be conducted by INEC.

At the close of voting at a particular polling unit, the presiding officer sorts and counts the ballots and records the votes of candidates in both figures and words in the appropriate forms EC60E, EC8A, EC 40H(I).

The EC60E, which is a poster version of the primary result sheet, and is posted at polling units for the general public to view is mandatory and failure to do so may amount to dereliction of duty.

The forms EC8A, are handed over to party agents and security personnel, and other election monitors at a polling unit. And the EC 40H(I) are for information and statistics for persons with disabilities.

Experts views

Despite this commendable innovation established by INEC in introducing the IVR, the scheme, however, lacks an in-depth live score platform that could be easily assessed by the average Nigerian at the tip of their fingers.

This is perhaps because the commission wants to distance itself from the perception of conducting electronic collation of results.

INEC had also emphasised that the collation process of results shall remain a manual process as provided by law.

The innovation was piloted during the Nasarawa central state constituency bye-election held in Nasarawa State last month. And it is expected to be used during the Saturdays Edo governorship elections as well as subsequent elections such as the October 10 Ondo governorship elections.

However, an electoral expert and director of YIAGA Africa, Samson Itodo, speaking with PREMIUM TIMES, in a phone interview, urged INEC to improve in terms of speed of uploading the results in real-time.

I would have to commend INEC for the fantastic innovation; it would deepen the integrity of the election collation process because it grants public access to results.

Because results management has always been shrouded in secrecy, so any attempts by the electoral commission to introduce the IRV, its a welcome development. It shows that the commission is responsive

It would be important to underscore YAIGA Africa findings from the Nasarawa bye-elections because we observed that election part of what we found out in respect to the timing for the results, the first results were uploaded at about 4:25 p.m. while the last result came in at about 10:30 p.m.

What that tells us is that the election was held in just 44 polling units. And in Edo State elections would be conducted in over 2,000 polling units, so that portal has the capacity to carry out all photo forms of EC8A from the field.

Mr Itodo also said some of the results uploaded on the portal were not signed by the presiding officer. He said such could mar the integrity that INEC intends to promote.

It is important that INEC calls upon all the presiding officers to sign the results and only the final result after they have appended their signatures as presiding officers are the images that should be taken and not results that are not signed. It also raises the integrity of the result itself, he added.

The Z-Pad platform

Since the electoral commission has admitted the challenges it encountered in administering the Z-pad platform in the Nasarawa bye-election, an electoral expert, Idayat Hassan, director of the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), in a phone interview with PREMIUM TIMES, said, While technology is very good, what we have also learnt from another part of the world is that technology is another vulnerable element in elections, so it is not like the solution.

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Ms Idayat further said, Securing our elections, of course, technology is good to add to the authenticity but we must also change the nature of politics itself.

When PREMIUM TIMES contacted the INEC national commissioner for voter education, Festus Okoye, he assured that the commission would continue to work on the robustness of the Z-pad platform for a future election.

We are going to use the Z-pad in Edo State for the purposes of uploading a polling unit results, thats the EC8A, into a central portal for public viewing.

We will not deploy that for any other purposes other than that, Mr Okoye said.

For Nasarawa central state constituency election, we deployed it as a secondary authentication submission to the smart card reader but we had a few challenges with it and we feel that we need to do additional work on it in terms of capturing the facials of voters and also aligning it to function together with the smart card readers.

So we said it was not robust enough for a contentious election like the Edo State governorship election.

So we are still working on it and when we are sure of its robustness, we will now deploy it. But for the purposes of the Edo election, the Z-pad would only be deployed for the purposes of snapping form EC8A and uploading that particular form into the INEC viewing portal, he concluded.
Road hauliers are preparing for large-scale protests, generated by the taxation of the daily allowance as salary income, according to a press release sent on Friday by the Federation of Romanian Transport Operators (FORT).

The Federation of Romanian Transport Operators deplores the controls carried out by the National Agency for Fiscal Administration (ANAF) on this subject, claiming that the number of abuses is increasing daily.

"Contrary to what was discussed with the Government representatives at the meeting organized with the transport employer associations, two weeks ago, the clarification of the aspects related to the misinterpretation of some definitions in the relevant legislation, was suddenly forgotten by the Minister of Finance. The controls conducted by ANAF are underway, and the abuses related to interpretations are amplifying from one day to the next," mentions the FORT release.

On the other hand, the Federation of Romanian Transport Operators notes that "the free transport of students is blocked by bureaucracy and chaotic legislation. The same eternal question remains: Who pays?"

Other problems highlighted by the organization of road hauliers are the illegal transport of people, the inability of some hauliers to access the government support program that covers 41.5% of employees' salaries, but also the situation of the renewals of professional certificates in transport.

"The illicit transport of people continues to run free across borders without those paid with public money in order to apply the law to do their duty. The assurances from Minister Vela [ed.n. - Interior Minister] was left 'up in the air'. Furthermore, companies with delays in paying their debts to the state do not benefit from the support of 41.5% for the employees they re-employed, contrary to the discussions between the government and the representatives of the transport employer associations. Due to the report of the control corps of the Minister of Transport on the subject of the examination of transport personnel competing in road safety, obtaining and renewing professional certificates can no longer be carried out, due to the refusal of the Ministry of Transport employees to participate in examinations," concludes the FORT release.
The Delta State Government says tertiary institutions in the state are free to reopen between now and October 2, depending on the schools arrangements to ensure safety of their students.

The Commissioner for Higher Education, Patrick Muoboghare, made the clarification on Thursday in Asaba while briefing journalists on the governments preparedness for tertiary institutions in the state to reopen for academic activities.

According to him, the directive is that tertiary institutions should reopen between now and October 2, meaning that by October 2, all the tertiary institutions should have resumed fully.

We decided that they can resume in phases, depending on the schools arrangements; we gave them between now and October 2.

They are not going to resume all programmes and levels at the same time, except those that have the facilities that can accommodate social distancing, Muoboghare said.

The commissioner explained that the students resumption would be in phases and by Oct. 2, resumption would have been completed in conformity with the COVID-19 safety protocols.

Mr Muoboghare also explained that the media had earlier reported that the institutions would reopen on October 2, whereas what the government was saying was that they could resume in phases before October 2.

According to him, the ministry is making plans to ensure that the education sector in the state does not suffer more than it had, as there are losses already.

Secondary schools started with the external examination, and so when WAEC decided to fix a date for the final year students to write their examinations, Delta has to key into it.

If the principals can manage those younger ones, because of what the government has put in place, we hope that we can manage the older ones.

From June/July, we have been having interactions with the heads of higher institutions on preparation for resumption and meeting the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) guidelines so that if there is any suspected case, the school can isolate and immediately contact NCDC.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the institutions in the state were shut down in the wake of the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic in the country to contain its spread. (NAN)
A Ghanaian man has allegedly killed his fellow Ghanaian in Ohio, Columbus, US.

The deceased, according to reports, is one Prince Asare aged 31.

Police in the US are reported to have launched an investigation into the alleged killing.

The deceased is reported to have suffered gunshot wounds.

Reports say he was shot Thursday night, September 17, 2020 at the parking lot of an apartment complex on the Northeast Side.

Prince Asare

The police say they were called to the 1600 block of Harvester Lane around 7:30 p.m. where they found Ghanaian man Prince Asare, 31, suffering from a gunshot wound, reports say.

According to reports, Asare was taken in critical condition to Ohio Health Riverside Methodist Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 8:09 p.m.

Asare, on the night he was killed, got into a vehicle crash with 29-year-old Dennis Mensah, and in the midst of the argument, he was allegedly shot by Mensah, according to the police.

Mensah, who lives in an apartment on Hillsdowne Road, remained at the scene and surrendered to the police, reports say.

He was arrested and has since been charged with murder.

Records show that he has been scheduled for arraignment Saturday morning.

According to reports, Asare's death is the 107th homicide in Columbus this year.

Daily Guide
The Oregon Health Authority on Friday reported 295 new coronavirus cases and no additional deaths as fresh, highly caveated modeling suggests the possibility that fewer Oregonians may become infected in coming weeks.

The modeling suggests that if transmission rates remain constant, the number of Oregonians infected could drop from about 360 to 190 a day by Oct. 8. Of those, an estimated 80 would be identified through testing.

But state officials acknowledged that the modeling released Friday came with more caveats than usual, not to mention that daily case tallies and the percentage of positive tests have been increasing in the past week.

Among the caveats: the latest software appears to be slightly underestimating cumulative cases for the past week and underestimating deaths since July.

The state-run modeling also painted a rosier picture for transmission rates, hospitalizations and case counts than other national modeling, specific for Oregon, referenced in the report. And the modeling assumed upwards of 38% of new infections would be diagnosed  a far higher clip than estimated for cases throughout the pandemic.

Complicating matters further: historic wildfires that hit the state last week, leading to fewer tests among Oregonians and added uncertainty about COVID-19 cases as an estimated 40,000 people were told to evacuate from homes.

It is important to note that results should be interpreted with caution, given recent reductions in COVID-19 testing due to the wildfires, considerable uncertainty behind various COVID-19 model assumptions, and limitations to the methods, the state wrote in its report, adding that officials nonetheless expected a continued steady decrease in new infections if current transmission rates hold.

The modeling suggests cases would decline under an as-is scenario. Every current infection could lead to .87 more infections, a low enough reproduction number to reduce cases to 190 a day by Oct. 8.

If the reproduction rate dropped to .74, new cases could drop to just 130 a day by Oct. 8. The model assumed 50 of those would be identified through testing.

And if the reproduction rate increased to 1, new cases would increase to 400 a day by Oct. 8. Diagnosed cases would be 160 a day.

But the modeling used data only through Sept. 10, and it doesnt seem to neatly align with identified cases as of late.

Oregon had seen a steady decrease in new or presumed infections since July. But identified cases had averaged between 181 and 201 for the past week  suggesting multipliers more of actual infections.

And that was before Fridays numbers, when the state reported the most new cases since Aug. 28. The average number of new cases, and the percentage of tests that are positive, have both been on the rise in the past week, according to a database by The Oregonian/OregonLive.

State officials acknowledged the modeling appeared to be slightly underestimating cumulative cases from the past week compared to reality, officials wrote. That could be the result of test results being reported more quickly, officials noted, or it could be an early indicator of a slight increase in transmission; more data are needed to assess this.

Where the new cases are by county: Baker (1), Benton (4), Clackamas (28), Clatsop (3), Coos (2), Deschutes (7), Douglas (5), Hood River (1), Jackson (14), Jefferson (2), Klamath (2), Lake (1), Lane (20), Linn (5), Malheur (20), Marion (51), Morrow (7), Multnomah (56), Polk (4), Tillamook (2), Umatilla (16), Wasco (3), Washington (36) and Yamhill (5).

New fatalities: State officials did not report any fatalities Friday, marking the second day in a row with no newly disclosed deaths.

The prevalence of infections: State officials reported 281 new confirmed infections out of 3,787 people tested, equaling a 7.4% positivity rate.

Who got infected: New confirmed or presumed infections grew among the following age groups: 0-9 (10); 10-19 (25); 20-29 (53); 30-39 (64); 40-49 (51); 50-59 (37); 60-69 (19); 70-79 (11); 80 and older (12).

Whos in the hospital: The state Friday reported 106 Oregonians with confirmed coronavirus infections are currently in the hospital, down three from Thursday. Oregon remains well below its capacity, with hundreds of hospital beds and ventilators available.

Since it began: Oregon has reported 30,342 confirmed or presumed infections and 521 deaths, among the lowest totals in the nation. To date, 627,951 Oregonians have been tested.

-- Brad Schmidt; bschmidt@oregonian.com; 503-294-7628; @_brad_schmidt
Memphis, TN -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/18/2020 -- Watson Burns, PLLC, offers legal services that focus on protecting the rights of individuals, consumers, or companies harmed by the action of others. They have deep experience and expertise in complex litigation. The firm believes that sharing part of a client's litigation risk should be an inherent part of a trial lawyer's representation. That's why they handle most of their cases on a contingency basis.



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(Newser)  A wealthy retired businessman in Birmingham, Ala., was kidnapped before he was forced to wire $250,000 to his captors in a "horrid life experience," according to the man's attorney. Around 1am on Sept. 11, intruders entered the rented home of Elton B. Stephens Jr., whose family Forbes ranked as the 66th richest in America in 2014, per AL.com. The 75-year-old Stephens, who was asleep, woke up around 7am to find one of the captors standing over his bed, according to court documents. The pair allegedly took three of Stephens' gunsalong with a truck, credit and debit cards, jewelry, a camera, and other items, per WBMAsaying they'd kill him if he called anyone. They then took Stephens to a trailer in St. Clair County, where he wired the money, documents state.

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He was returned home around 4:30pm. The next day, police arrested Matthew Amos Burke, 34, and Tabatha Nicole Hodges, 33, of Remlap. They're being held without bond in Jefferson County Jail on charges of burglary, kidnapping an adult for ransom, extortion, and theft of property. WMBA reports the home invasion was captured by a security camera. Stephens' attorney, Tommy Spina, said the victimwho is retired from EBSCO Industries, a company his father founded in 1944did not know his captors. He was "physically unharmed" but "is obviously emotionally traumatized," Spina said, adding the $250,000 and stolen property were recovered. Birmingham Police have said they will not provide details beyond what is included in court documents. (Read more kidnapping stories.)
Over one in 10 parents say their children sometimes, or often, didn't get enough to eat in August. And those levels could continue  or even get worse  with a nationwide federal meal program set to expire at the end of the month. About 14% of adults living with children reported that the kids in their household sometimes, or often, didn't have enough to eat because the family couldn't afford it, according to the latest Household Pulse Survey fielded between August 19 and 31, 2020 by the U.S. Census Bureau. To help families struggling amid school closures brought about by the coronavirus pandemic in spring, Congress authorized a new program called the Pandemic EBT (P-EBT), which provides families with a voucher to purchase groceries to replace the breakfasts and lunches their children were missing with schools closed. Every state and two territories adopted the new program in the spring, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. While the programs varied by state, P-EBT provided families with school-aged children between $250 and $450 per child during the spring to replace missed school meals. Most states had an application process families were required to complete, but some automatically enrolled children based on statewide lists of children already receiving free lunches. Households that qualified for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, better known as SNAP, typically qualify for free school lunches. But that the program will no longer be authorized to operate as of September 30 unless Congress votes to pass legislation extending it. "Millions of children are simply not getting enough to eat and urgently need Congress to provide relief," says Stacy Dean, CBPP's vice president for food assistance policy. We have an obligation to our nation's children. We have the resources, and we know how to solve this problem. There is no excuse for inaction."

Widespread food insecurity may have long-term consequences

"What I see every single day from the pandemic is really just amazingly increased numbers of severely underweight children coming to our clinic, and parents really panicked about how they're going to find enough food," says Dr. Megan Sandel, co-director of the Grow Clinic for Children at Boston Medical Center. Sandel says the clinic, which provides services to children that meet malnutrition guidelines set out by the World Health Organization, is seeing a 40% increase in its caseload. Currently, over two-thirds of the families the clinic sees are reporting food insecurity. "It's not unusual for families to report to me that sometimes at the end of the month they may have to stretch a dollar or try to figure out new ways to feed their kids," Sandel says. "But what families are now reporting to me is that...sometimes [by the] the second or even third week of the month, they've run out of their food budget. They don't have enough food." In fact, Sandel says parents are telling her that they are sometimes going back into the kitchen during meal times so their children don't notice they aren't eating themselves. "Parents will actually not eat as a way to free up enough food to feed their children," Sandel says. "I see the fear in the parents' eyes, and I see how kids are really struggling not to have access to that proper nutrition." Children's struggle with hunger may have long-term consequences, Sandel says. If children are food insecure at age 1, 2 or 3, Sandel says research is showing that those same kids are having a more difficult time showing up to learn in kindergarten. "This pandemic is really going to affect a generation of kids over the next two years in terms of whether or not they're going to be able to stay on track and learn to read, to learn all the things that are really critical to our future workforce," Sandel says.

'A real success story'
Chandigarh, Sep 18 : A day after the Lok Sabha passed two contentious agriculture Bills, despite the opposition by BJP's oldest ally Shiromani Akali Dal terming it as an "anti-farmer" move, a protesting farmer in Punjab on Friday tried to commit suicide by consuming poisonous substance.

The farmer tried to commit suicide at a protest site in Badal village, the hometown of the Badals, in Muktsar district.

Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) state secretary Shingara Singh Mann said farmer Pritam Singh, 60, was disturbed over the passing of the agriculture Bills in the Lok Sabha.

The farmer feared that the Bills would be against the farmers.

The condition of the farmer is stated to be serious.

The farmers have been staging a protest at the Badal village just outside the residence of former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal against the Bills brought by the Central government.

Akali Dal's lone minister in the Narendra Modi government, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, resigned from the Union Cabinet on Thursday to protest the Farm bills.

While announcing the decision to withdraw the minister from the Union Cabinet, SAD President Sukhbir Badal said the party would continue to support the government and the BJP, but will oppose the anti-farmer policies.

He said the three agriculture related Bills in the Lok Sabha would sound the death knell for 20 lakh farmers, three lakh 'mandi' labourers, 30 lakh farm labourers and 30,000 'arhatiyas', besides destroying the food grain procurement system established over a period of 50 years.

Earlier, warning that enacting laws on the ordinances issued by the Centre vis-a-vis farmers would lead to unrest in Punjab, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had led a Congress delegation to Governor V.P. Singh Badnore, seeking his intervention for non-pursuance of the three agriculture-related Bills in Parliament.

The Chief Minister submitted a memorandum to the Governor and told him that the Congress felt that any move to "tinker with the present procurement system, and that too in the times of a nationwide crisis, may deepen social unrest among Punjab farmers".

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Working-class roots, empathy on display as Biden commands town hall White House candidate Joe Biden spoke face to face with a crowd of voters on September 17, 2020 for one of the first times since he clinched the Democratic presidential nomination in June

Joe Biden on Thursday lashed President Donald Trump over his "close to criminal" handling of the coronavirus as the Democrat fielded questions from voters impacted by the pandemic in a state that is key to his election hopes.

Returning to the gritty city of his birth, the former vice president engaged in an outdoor town hall in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he painted himself as the champion of hardworking Americans who he said have been ignored by a president more concerned about boosting Wall Street than helping working families.

Biden, appearing energized as he handled participants' questions, also accused Trump of knowing the seriousness of the coronavirus threat early this year and hiding it from the nation.

"He knew it and did nothing. It's close to criminal," Biden said in one of several fiery criticisms of Trump.

"This president should step down," he added.

The 77-year-old candidate also used a populist inflection, framing the 2020 election between him and billionaire real estate mogul Trump as "a campaign between Scranton and Park Avenue."

Blue-collar Americans -- like the family Biden grew up in -- "are as good as anybody else," he said.

"And guys like Trump, who inherited everything and squandered what they inherited, are the people that I've always found a problem with -- not the people who are busting their neck."

The tough remarks appeared aimed at working-class white voters with whom he must do better if he is to win back swing states that went to Trump in 2016.

Biden also showed his famously empathetic side when speaking to questioners who had medical ailments, whose relatives died from Covid-19 or who were suffering financially.

"Thank you for what you do," he told a nurse who voted for Trump in 2016.

- Contrasting styles -

With less than seven weeks before the November 3 election, Biden has ramped up his public appearances after spending large chunks of time at his Delaware home, even as Trump repeatedly barnstorms swing states.

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Now both candidates are hitting the physical campaign trail in earnest, although still in different ways.

Trump returned to Wisconsin Thursday for a public rally fueled by his signature bravado -- a contrast to Biden's quieter style.

Ahead of his departure, Trump railed on Twitter against the move by many states to encourage voters to mail in their ballots, thereby avoiding possible coronavirus risks in polling stations.

The shift, which is popular with Democrats, will promote "ELECTION MAYHEM," he tweeted, claiming that the results of the November 3 vote "may NEVER BE ACCURATELY DETERMINED."

He offered no evidence for his claims, and US mail-in voting has never been tied to any wide-scale fraud.

Biden is attempting to project a calming alternative to Trump's fury.

At the CNN town hall Biden took questions from a live, socially distanced audience of 100 people, who parked in front of the stage to watch the event.

Trump, talking to supporters in Wisconsin, branded Biden's drive-in town hall "the weirdest thing I've ever seen."

Trump focused on promises of economic growth -- one area where polls consistently show him ahead of Biden -- and claimed that under the Democrat pension funds would "go down like to depression levels."

Biden has largely kept close to his home in Delaware during the pandemic which has so far killed nearly 200,000 Americans.

He has traveled to swing states like Wisconsin, Florida and Pennsylvania, but has dodged crowds and engages with voters in small, controlled settings.

The dueling events come amid rising tensions over the handling of the pandemic, and Trump's insistence that a safe and effective vaccine was just weeks away.

Biden rejected the timeline.

"I don't trust the president on vaccines," Biden said, explaining that he trusts the government's top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci instead.

"If Fauci says the vaccine is safe, I take the vaccine."

The animosity has ramped up between Trump and Biden ahead of their first debate, scheduled for September 29 in Ohio.

Biden has consistently led Trump in national polls.

He is also ahead in several key battleground states like Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin -- all won by Trump in his shock 2016 election victory -- although by dwindling margins.

mlm/bfm
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A cross-country traveling Christian musician gathered more than 500 people for a concert Thursday at Edgewater Park, where he was cited by Cleveland Metroparks police for not having a permit.

On his Facebook page, Sean Feucht said close to 3,000 determined Ohioans ... trekked 1-2 miles up a hill to worship on the edge of the city! So so so many gave their lives to Jesus and were baptized in the frigid waters of Lake Erie!!

Photos show a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd, as well as many participants not wearing masks.

Religious services, protests and political events are exempt from Ohios social gathering limits and mask mandate.

Organizers, who said they were with the Unity Revival Movement, claimed they spoke with someone from the city about the permit for the concert, but the city does not govern the Cleveland Metroparks, according to a police report. The organizers also felt they didnt need a permit because it was a prayer protest. An officer said that they could put away their instruments and not receive a citation. But they decided to have the concert anyway.

See the report in the document viewer below or click here.

A man named Kurt Klingelhofer took responsibility as one of the organizers and received the citation, said the Cleveland Metroparks.

About 3:30 p.m. Thursday, the police blocked car access to Edgewater, since they were concerned about how the concert would affect other visitors.

Feucht, who ran as a Republican for U.S. Congress in Californias primary election this year, has had concerts in cities such as Milwaukee, Chicago and Kenosha, Wisconsin, as he and mostly unmasked concertgoers go against social distancing regulations.

The theme is #LetUsWorship, and the concerts have targeted cities where Black Lives Matter protests have been held. Feucht claimed in a Washington Post article that the goal of the concert in Kenosha, where Jacob Blake, a Black man, was shot seven times in the back by police during August, was to bring unity and healing.

Feucht told Fox & Friends that he was calling on Christians to rise up in defiance against double standard of coronavirus restrictions.

I would say at best its hypocrisy and at worst, its bigotry," he said. We are seeing across America thousands of people gather and protest in the streets and our cities are burning, and yet were not allowed to gather and worship and sing. Its pretty outrageous.

Ohio has never banned or limited religious services.

Feuchts next round of concerts are scheduled for Florida, as he will be in Tampa on Friday. Concerts in Orlando, West Palm Beach and Fort Worth, Texas, will follow the Tampa event.
SACRAMENTO, Calif., Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Associated General Contractors of California (AGC) and the AGC Construction Education Foundation are proud to announce the one-year anniversary of the Build California Initiative.

Build California was launched in response to industry concerns around a sustained pipeline of qualified craft workers in future generations. It is a comprehensive workforce development initiative created to inspire, engage, and activate the next generation of California's construction workforce. Since its launch, Build California has been successful in informing and inspiring a new generation of construction professionals using a robust mix of outreach and programmatic efforts to engage and activate California's 12 to 24-year old's in ways the industry has never seen. To date, Build California has reached more than 4.4 million people with the rallying call  you, too, can Build A Legacy in today's construction industry.

During the last 12 months, these efforts have made strides in preparing future construction professionals for their careers and, ultimately, transforming perceptions about the industry as a whole. Here are a few of the biggest wins in the past year:

Coalition Building: With a diverse network of organizations  from AGC members, public agencies, private owners, associations, unions, apprenticeship programs, non-profits, and more  the coalition provides the voice to support our industry. All of the organizations in the coalition are united by the need for this initiative and are working together to get it done. With a vast network of more than 30 organizations, Build California is able to amplify and build influence within all corners of the industry. The initiative has introduced coalition members to eager, young audiences with more than 50 social media features, garnering thousands of impressions through livestream social media events.

With a diverse network of organizations  from AGC members, public agencies, private owners, associations, unions, apprenticeship programs, non-profits, and more  the coalition provides the voice to support our industry. All of the organizations in the coalition are united by the need for this initiative and are working together to get it done. With a vast network of more than 30 organizations, Build California is able to amplify and build influence within all corners of the industry. The initiative has introduced coalition members to eager, young audiences with more than 50 social media features, garnering thousands of impressions through livestream social media events. School Partnerships: Through this partnership with school districts across the state, Build California is connecting directly with eager students that can be apprenticeship ready as soon as they are able to enter the workforce. This brings awareness to action by providing resources at school activation events that include live demos, virtual competitions, and more, and 24 events have been hosted so far. The initiative is a resource for educators and parents alike as they navigate distanced learning. Build California will continue to build relationships with schools across California and has already reached more than 3,700 students to date.

Through this partnership with school districts across the state, Build California is connecting directly with eager students that can be apprenticeship ready as soon as they are able to enter the workforce. This brings awareness to action by providing resources at school activation events that include live demos, virtual competitions, and more, and 24 events have been hosted so far. The initiative is a resource for educators and parents alike as they navigate distanced learning. Build will continue to build relationships with schools across and has already reached more than 3,700 students to date. Ambassador Program: Build California recently launched its ambassador program. To date, the initiative has trained more than 45 construction professionals in virtual presentation techniques and the Build California brand. This diverse volunteer team of ambassadors will work in tandem with the AGC outreach staff to spread the word about the benefits and opportunities available in the industry. They will serve as the face of the industry by providing mentorship and lived experience to tell the story of construction. This type of endeavor is only as powerful as the industry partners that participate, and Build California is empowering industry professionals to share their passion with new audiences for years to come.

Build recently launched its ambassador program. To date, the initiative has trained more than 45 construction professionals in virtual presentation techniques and the Build California brand. This diverse volunteer team of ambassadors will work in tandem with the AGC outreach staff to spread the word about the benefits and opportunities available in the industry. They will serve as the face of the industry by providing mentorship and lived experience to tell the story of construction. This type of endeavor is only as powerful as the industry partners that participate, and Build California is empowering industry professionals to share their passion with new audiences for years to come. #IYouWe Series: The #IYouWe Instagram Live series is revolutionizing the industry to champion diversity, inclusion, and equity like never before. It's reaching people where they are, using digital platforms to meaningfully engage them about topics that have been pushed aside for too long. Using the momentum of online conversations surrounding topics like "Allyship in Construction" and providing a platform for Black leaders in the industry to speak, #IYouWe opens the dialogue on issues that will shape the industry for California's next generation. To date, the #IYouWe series has garnered more than 14.5 thousand impressions and continues to be a major driver of engagement among Build California audiences.

"The only missing piece to a successful career in the trades was exposure, but the construction industry has found a champion in Build California," said Josh Raper, Regional Manager, Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters. "Their team has created an information pipeline to a much-needed future workforce through tech and outreach. This group has improved the industry and changed people's lives through good paying jobs and for that we thank you."

About Build California

Build California is a comprehensive workforce development initiative created to inspire, engage, and activate the next generation of California's construction workforce. By shaping positive perceptions of the construction industry, informing young people and their influencers about the real career opportunities in construction, and connecting them to local training programs, Build California is helping create a steady and skilled workforce pipeline. Visit www.buildcalifornia.com for more information

About the Associated General Contractors of California Construction Education Foundation

The Associated General Contractors of California (AGC) Construction Education foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit benefit corporation dedicated to inspiring, developing, and equipping California's current and future construction workforce. Through innovative workforce development programs funded by donations, the foundation provides AGC members access to resources, support and training needed to attract, develop and retain California's construction workforce.

About Associated General Contractors of California

Founded in 1920, the Associated General Contractors of California has been the premier organization of choice by experienced and next generation construction and contracting professionals. Through dedicated advocacy, education, career development and networking opportunities, AGC members receive top-tier access with state and local governments, while connecting with industry leaders through innovative programs and events. Visit www.agc-ca.org for more information.

Visit buildcalifornia.com to join the movement.

SOURCE AGC of California

Related Links

http://www.agc-ca.org


More than 50 New Jerseyans marched in front of the Motor Vehicle Commissions administrative offices in Trenton Thursday to protest the agencys proposed regulations for undocumented immigrants to obtain drivers licenses.

The march followed nearly 48 hours of encampment in front of the offices on State Street just blocks away from the Statehouse, said Brenda Valladares, organizer with Movimiento Cosecha. Immigrant groups across the state came together to call attention to what they call dangerous and unfair regulations.

The news rules, which were proposed in July, would require applicants for drivers licenses to provide their Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, which is a tax processing numbers issued by the IRS, or a letter from the Social Security Administration stating ineligibility.

Roughly 140,000 households in New Jersey file taxes using the individual taxpayer ID numbers, leaving another 300,000 undocumented immigrants who would be eligible for the license to contact a federal agency.

That could exclude nearly two-thirds of a community that was meant to benefit from the landmark law, said Valladares, which was the catalyst for this rally between several of New Jerseys immigrant advocacy groups, including Wind of the Spirit and New Labor.

Theres so much outcry from the community. If its done this way, its not going to work to give everyone drivers licenses the way it was intended to, she said.

Over the course of the three days, community members signed a note for MVC Commissioner Sue Fulton, sharing messages of why they need accessible licenses.

After two days of encampment, immigrants and their advocates left a "note" from the community at the steps of the Motor Vehicle Commission's administrative offices in Trenton.

People need to get their kids to school, one message reads. Written in Spanish, another says, We are essential. We want to drive without fear."

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage

After Gov. Phil Murphy signed the legislation in December 2019, New Jersey became the 14th state to begin providing drivers licenses to residents without legal status or proper documentation. The law stated that the process should begin in January 2021.

Advocates fear the time-consuming requirements currently proposed will create significant barriers for thousands of the 440,000 residents eligible, Valladares said.

This is a problem, she said. The reasons for these rules are unnecessary. This is disconnected and counterintuitive to the immigrant community, and its on the MVC to see that.

The new law doesnt only benefit undocumented immigrants  it would make obtaining licenses easier for senior citizens, formerly incarcerated residents, transgender people whose documents may not match their given gender identity, domestic violence survivors, homeless people, veterans and low-income residents who cannot afford to recover documents.

And the MVC widened its documentation for the six-point requirement to include drivers licenses from other countries, a college ID card with transcript, or health insurance card, though advocates want more identity documents to be accepted.

Rather than requiring undocumented residents to out themselves to the federal government, supporters suggest those ineligible for Social Security sign a certified affidavit, as well as training MVC staff to read documents from other countries.

While supporters say the law will benefit all residents by creating safer roads, reducing auto insurance rates and creating more tax revenues, critics maintain it poses a security risk and contradicts federal law.

This is the second time this week undocumented immigrants and their advocates marched in Trenton. On Monday, rallies took place from Newark to Bridgeton as residents demanded relief after being excluded from coronavirus aid packages since the beginning of the pandemic.

Undocumented immigrants cannot claim unemployment benefits, despite accounting for $1.2 billion in the states Unemployment Trust Fund over the past decade, according to studies conducted by Make the Road NJ, an organization that works closely with Latinos and other immigrants.

An estimated 500,000 undocumented residents and their 222,000 family members were left out of pandemic relief due to citizenship status, according to a new study the group released Monday.

According to the study, undocumented immigrants in New Jersey pay $600 million in state and local taxes each year, and $1 billion in federal taxes.

Murphy, a self-proclaimed progressive Democrat, has said the state doesnt have money for the fund.

Weve kept a lot in place for our immigrant brothers and sisters. This is a tough budget. I dont know how else to say it, Murphy said at his Aug. 31 press briefing.

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.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 18:06:13|Editor: huaxia

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KUALA LUMPUR, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia reported 95 new COVID-19 cases, the health ministry said on Friday, bringing the national total to 10,147.

Health Ministry Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah said in a press statement that four of the new cases are imported and 91 are local transmissions, most from the cluster involving police detention centers and jails in the eastern state of Sabah.

Another 14 patients have been released after recovery, bringing the total cured and discharged to 9,264, or 91.3 percent of all cases.

Of the remaining 754 active cases, 11 are being held in intensive care units and two of those are in need of assisted breathing.

One new death was reported, bringing the total tally to 129. Enditem
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China's permanent representative to the United Nations (UN) Zhang Jun on Wednesday called for efforts to improve the humanitarian situation in Syria.

Zhang stressed the need to take a holistic approach to revitalize the Syrian economy.

Noting the Syrian government has launched many initiatives to ease the country's economic woes, which warrant positive recognition, Zhang told the Security Council that the international community should increase assistance to Syria, and support its endeavors to develop the economy, improve livelihood, and reconstruct infrastructure, and should fulfill its humanitarian commitments to Syria without delay, with no strings attached.

What needs to be done immediately is the lifting of unilateral sanctions, which are seriously undermining the ability of countries like Syria to mobilize resources, revive their economies, and respond to COVID-19, Zhang said.

The UN secretary-general and his special envoy have repeatedly appealed for a waiver of unilateral sanctions. China strongly urges the relevant countries to respond positively to those appeals by lifting unilateral sanctions against Syria and other countries without delay, he said.

China welcomes the recent progress in cross-line humanitarian operations, and hopes that the parties concerned will keep improving the efficiency of cross-line humanitarian operations and simplify the procedures for cross-border delivery to meet the humanitarian needs of the Syrian people, he said.

Zhang asked for efforts to combat COVID-19 and support the pandemic response and life-saving efforts of Syria, adding China encourages the Syrian government to continue its proactive approach to addressing the situation, commends and supports the work of the World Health Organization in leading and coordinating countrywide COVID-19 response efforts.

China calls on the international community to increase multilateral and bilateral support for the Syrian government and people's fight against COVID-19, he said, adding that China will continue to provide assistance to Syria through the bilateral channel to help its people prevail over the scourge as soon as possible.

Zhang asked parties in Syria to respond positively to the UN secretary-general's global ceasefire appeal and intensify political dialogue, saying the political and security situation has a direct impact on the humanitarian situation.

Since March, the overall situation on the ground in Syria has been relatively calm, creating better conditions for the protection of civilians. China commends the efforts made by all parties toward maintaining the ceasefire arrangement, and encourages the Astana process to continue playing its constructive role, he said.

Syrian parties should seize this opportunity to strengthen political dialogue and advance a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process, he added.

Many countries, including China, are deeply concerned about terrorist activities on Syrian soil. The ceasefire arrangement does not and must not mean giving free rein to terrorists, he noted.

The international community should apply uniform standards and strengthen counterterrorism cooperation in accordance with international law and Security Council resolutions, to eradicate the terrorist forces once and for all with firm measures, he said.
Martin Scorsese had a lump in his throat and a cold ache in his belly as he arrived at the Venice Film Festival. It was 1988, two years before his gangster opus Goodfellas. But as his private jet touched down at Marco Polo airport, motormouthed mobsters from Brooklyn were the last thing on his mind.

He was in Venice to unveil his transgressive retelling of the New Testament, The Last Temptation of Christ. Amid fears of an ugly stand-off with hardline Christians, there were plans for 100 mounted police to create a cordon around the Palazzo del Cinema di Venezia on the evening of the screening.

This seemed entirely prudent. Several hours ahead of the premiere, an excommunicated archbishop had staged a protest march through St Marks Square. He was followed by a wooden cross emblazoned with the words Scorseses film is blasphemous.

The directors nerves were on edge, then, as he strode through the lobby of his hotel, across from the Palazzo. Those jitters grew even sharper when a young man sprang from the shadows and proffered a hand. A scrum of security guards descended on the guy, whom Scorsese recognised as an up-and-coming actor in consideration for his next picture.

Id seen Ray Liotta in Something Wild, Jonathan Demmes film; I really liked him, Scorsese would tell GQ magazine in 2010. I had a lot of bodyguards around me. Ray approached me in the lobby and the bodyguards moved toward him, and he had an interesting way of reacting, which was he held his ground, but made them understand he was no threat. I liked his behaviour at that moment.

Scorseses next picture was, of course, Goodfellas. And Liottas chutzpah paid off, with the director overruling his reluctant producers and casting the unheard-of 34-year-old in the lead. As Goodfellas marks its 30th anniversary on 19 September, the actor  who had been in Venice with his indie movie Dominick and Eugene  will surely look back on that encounter with Scorsese and thank his stars he had been so forward.

Goodfellas, it hardly needs pointing out, is a masterpiece. Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci are never better as the grizzled mob mentors to Liottas gangster newcomer, Henry Hill (De Niro had fretted he was too old for his part, which was offered originally to John Malkovich). The violence is shocking, the expletives never-ending. Goodfellas would set a new record with its 300 f-bombs  a total Scorsese himself would surpass with 1995s spiritual sequel Casino. But it is also uproarious to watch and often hilarious.

That is arguably why it eclipses The Godfather Parts One and Two and Sergio Leones Once Upon a Time in America. These are important, austere gangster epics, caught up in their own tragic grandeur. Goodfellas is, by contrast, a hoot, a caper, a romp. Many of its best scenes are essentially comic. Morris Morrie Kesslers gonzo wig commercials. The exasperation of Henrys mob pals as he separates from his wife. Hills cocaine-fuelled paranoia in the movies closing third. Scorsese understood the best way to reel in an audience into this dark and unpleasant world was with jokes and absurdist riffs.

The gags also underscored Scorseses determination not to make just another mobster flick. The genre had held little interest for the director through his career. True, hed drawn on his hard-knock upbringing in New Yorks Little Italy in 1973s Mean Streets. And hed touched on the dark side of New York with Taxi Driver three years later. But having spent time around wise guys as a kid, the adult Scorsese had wanted to get as far from that world as possible.

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 Top 12 Goodfellas quotes

One reason was that he was haunted by the possibility that, had things turned out a little differently, he might have himself ended up in the shiny shoes of Henry Hill. Twinkle-eyed Henry was based on a real-life Brooklyn mobster of the same name, affiliated to the Lucchese crime family (one of the New York underworlds Five Families). Hill had entered the witness protection programme in 1980, having become an FBI informant. However, he was expelled seven years later after being found guilty of cocaine trafficking.

Thats how it went with wise guys, goodfellas whatever you wanted to call them. Gangsters had ruled Little Italy when Scorsese was growing up. One of his closest friends was the son of a local boss. Scorsese suffered asthma and so spent most of his time indoors watching TV. Had he been out on the streets, as young Henry is at the start of the film, who knows where he might have wound up?

Comedy aside, Goodfellas took all sorts of risks. Consider its use of Henrys voiceover, generally regarded in Hollywood as a cheesy contrivance. Not five minutes in, we see Tommy (Pesci) and Jimmy (De Niro) stabbing and shooting a bloodied man in a car boot. Scorsese next zooms in on Henrys face, which in the half-light, has a devilish red glare. And then comes one of the most famous monologuing lines in cinema. As far back as I can remember, says Liotta, I always wanted to be a gangster.

Ray Liotta in the opening scene of Goodfellas (Warner Bros)

Scorsese wrote the script with Nicholas Pileggi, whod chronicled Henry Hills rise and fall in his 1985 bestseller Wiseguy (which was to have been the title of the film until it was pointed that the name clashed with that of an 1980s TV series). The experience was a baptism for Pileggi. He was astonished by the intensity with which Scorsese could write a scene and by the directors obsession with momentum.

Above all, Scorsese believed, a film needed to crack along. The opening set-piece, for instance, was originally intended to appear halfway through. It followed the barroom attack on Frank Vincents Billy Batts, who brings down a world of trouble when reminding Tommy of his days as a shoe-shine boy. Now go home and get your f***in shinebox, says Billy. Tommy, Henry and Jimmy beat him unconscious and bung the body in the boot  only to be surprised to later discover that Batts is still alive, wheezing through his blood.

Something about the setup-and-delivery nagged at Scorsese. It was, he eventually realised, overly linear. Everything happened just as you would expect. So he put Battss death up top and paired it with the I always wanted to be a gangster line. It made for an explosive opening. It also let you know what you were in for.

So many times voiceover is used to patch a crack in the script and it doesnt work, Pileggi said in the 2004 documentary, Goodfellas: The Making of a Classic. Scorsese loved the idea of these guys driving around with a body in the boot [as a way to begin the story].

Lorraine Bracco and Ray Liotta in Goodfellas (Warner Bros/Kobal/Rex)

Pileggi was struck, too, by Scorseses use of improvisation. One of the conditions under which Joe Pesci had agreed to do Goodfellas was that he could share some of the anecdotes hed picked up around mobbed-up guys in New Jersey as a teenager. The most famous example is the How am I funny? scene, in which Tommy turns on Henry after the younger gangster playfully commends his colleagues ability to tell a joke. Joe was working at some restaurant in the Bronx or Brooklyn, Liotta said at a public screening of Goodfellas years later. He said to some wiseguy, Youre funny, and the guy kind of turned it on him.

This exchange was sketched out in secrecy by Scorsese, Pesci and Liotta. The director made sure none of the supporting cast were in on it. When the cameras were rolling, he used medium takes without close-ups, so as to capture their astonishment in real time.

The approach stunned Pileggi  who was even more shocked to subsequently win acclaim for writing an exchange in which he had absolutely no involvement. He received another lesson in Scorseses remarkable ability to get the most from his cast when he witnessed the director tapping into the anger Liotta was feeling over the ill-health of his mother. She would die from cancer during the filming at age 63 and Liotta carried the emotion around with him every day.

Those feelings boiled over in the sequence in which Henry pistol-whips a neighbour of his girlfriend, Karen (Lorraine Bracco), after he disrespects her. Ray was boiling with rage. He stayed away from me, across the street, and he kept that going for take after take, Mark Evans Jacob, who played the quivering boy next door, recalled to GQ. We tried to keep the anger controlled, but one take got a little too close and I got hit.

Scorsese wasnt always the most approachable on set. Eyewitnesses say he and De Niro had a conspiratorial working relationship, spending much of the time in whispered conversation. Even Liotta, nominally one of the stars, felt excluded. That isnt to say the director wasnt enjoying himself. The celebrated six-minute tracking shot that follows Henry and Karens entry to the Copacabana nightclub, for instance, was essentially a mischievous attempt to one-up Brian De Palma.

Martin Scorsese directs Robert De Niro on the Goodfellas set (Warner Bros/Kobal/Rex)

De Palma had won praise for a bravura Steadicam sequence in The Untouchables (1987). As a quiet wink at his friend and rival, Scorsese used an even longer one for the Copacabana. Brian De Palma had just done this incredibly long Steadicam shot in The Untouchables, and Marty said it would be funny to try to do it one minute longer than De Palmas, actress Illeana Douglas (mob wife Rosie) said to GQ. The world perceives this as Oh, the Copacabana scene! But what it really is, is directors behind the scenes having fun f***ing with each other.

The Copacabana also serves a more serious purpose, however. The sequence communicates the degree to which Karen is seduced by Henrys lifestyle. Scorseses genius was to put us in Karens shoes and to essentially force us to share her awe. Marty found a way to have Henry Hill not only impress his date, Karen, but to show the audience why the world of Goodfellas was so attractive and glamorous, wrote producer Irwin Winkler in his 2019 memoir, A Life in Movies.

The movies authenticity, meanwhile, was heightened through the use of real-life mobsters as extras. One of the actors started passing counterfeit dollars around set. Another, NYPD detective Louis Eppolito, was later convicted of carrying out eight mob hits.

Everyone involved knew they were making something special. The exception was the studio, which feared it had a bomb on its hands. Test audiences didnt really get Goodfellas. The biggest issue appeared to be the violence. In previews, audience members had walked out during the scene in which Tommy stabs Billy Batts seven times as he bleeds in the boot. Scorsese agreed to reduce it to four stabs, with the final three knife-plunges heard but not depicted.

Lorraine Bracco, Robert De Niro and Paul Sorvino attend a 25th anniversary screening of 'Goodfellas' in 2015 (Mike Coppola/Getty)

Its hard to really blame them for their nervousness, given the audience reaction, Winkler would write. Some films just need the media, critics and word of mouth to let the audience know a film is special. That was the case with Goodfellas and ultimately we barely changed much from the terrible preview screenings.

As Winkler expected, the critical response was ecstatic. Goodfellas looks and sounds as if it must be absolutely authentic, raved The New York Times. No finer film has ever been made about organised crime  not even The Godfather, wrote Roger Ebert in the Chicago Tribune. The fastest, sharpest two-and-a-half-hour ride in recent film history, agreed Time, picking up on Scorseses obsession with cracking the whip.

Goodfellas was nominated for six Oscars but would triumph in just one category. Joe Pesci, receiving the award for Best Supporting Actor, gave the shortest acceptance speech in Academy Awards history. It's my privilege. Thank you, he said and was gone. The truth is that the privilege was all ours. Scorsese had not only reinvented the gangster flick with a film both funny and unflinching (to say nothing of paving the way for The Sopranos). He also gave us perhaps the best movie of his career and a true modern classic.
Workers in Ogun State on Friday called off the warning strike they recently embarked upon.

The warning strike followed the failure of the state government to implement the new minimum wage and other entitlements due for the workers after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with them

The chairperson of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Ogun State, Emmanuel Bankole, announced the end of the strike at a press conference he held alongside top government functionaries led by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Tokunbo Talabi.

Mr Bankole directed all workers in the state to resume work from Monday.

On behalf of organized labour in the state, I want to inform you that, arising from MOU signed today (Friday), the organised labour has called off the strike. We have been able to get the commitment of government and I want to call and implore our colleagues to resume work.

Labour and Government reached an agreement. Minimum wage to commence in October 2020. Promotion exercise from 2018 to commence immediately. Gratuities and BRT to be paid quarterly to commence in January 2021 with the release of N500 million, he said.

Mr Bankole explained that organised labour in the state has been able to get the commitment of the state government on its demands, stressing that the government also agreed to commence payment of the N30,000 minimum wage from October 2020

He added that the government has released N500 million for the quarterly payment of gratuities, starting from January 2021.

He said the government also pledged to commence promotion exercise from 2018 till date.

Mr Bankole said that the governor has refused to assent to the Pension Amendment Bill recently passed by the State House of Assembly, saying the government will set up a review committee on the bill.

Meanwhile, the SSG, Mr Talabi, in his speech, said that the engagement with the labour leaders is a continuous process, adding that the state government will continue to engage them on the welfare of its workforce.

Kudos to all labour leaders and appreciation to all workers in Ogun State for your perseverance, endurance and support during this struggle. As we know, government and labour are partners in progress, its a matter of employer and employee. We shall continue to take the welfare of workers as priority and we promise to keep you abreast as event unfolds, he said.
A member of the Communication team of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Alhaji Halidu Haruna has described as degrading President Akufo-Addo's act of carrying his chair around.



Nana Addo started trending with his chair when he had a one-on-one interview on Wontumi TV in Kumasi.



He recently used this chair which some have described as 'special' when he visited the family of the late Former Presiding Bishop of Methodist Church of Ghana, Most Rev. Dr Samuel Asante Antwi.



The former NDC Presidential candidate for the Ablekuma Central Constituency speaking in a discussion on Neat FM's 'Me Man Nti' programme recalled when the President was campaigning for votes in 2016 'walking around Kwame Nkrumah Circle and pretending to relate to the ordinary person'.



"I have noticed that even if he is going to someone's house he carries his own chair; why? Even when he was going to visit the family of Rev Asante Antwi, I realised he went with his own chair. why couldn't he use the chairs in the house?



"In 2016 was he not the same person walking through Circle portraying to be an ordinary person; now he is the President so he carries his own chair. It's kind of degrading . . . if I were him to show to the ordinary person that I have not changed, I will use the chairs everybody is using," he indicated adding; "you can't pretend for long; your real character will be known once you get power . . . "



Listen to him in the video below





However, Executive Director for Danquah Institute (DI), a public policy analysis and research centre, Mr Richard Ahiagbah has a different opinion.Speaking on the same platform, he said there are more important issues to dwell on than the President's chair."What's wrong with that; moreover this is not important because it's not a bread and butter issue; there are better things to talk about," he replied.

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
Geologists Commence Structural Mapping and Inaugural Prospecting

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / September 18, 2020 / Dixie Gold Inc. (TSXV:DG)(FRA:2YCA) ("Dixie Gold" or the "Corporation) is pleased to announce that it has commenced a phase one structural mapping and inaugural prospecting program at its Red Lake Gold Project in Ontario.

The phase one geology program is standalone from other exploration simultaneously underway at the project relating to a large-scale SGH soil sampling program (see news release, Dixie Gold Inc. Commences District-Scale SGH Soil Sampling Program at Red Lake Gold Project, dated September 17, 2020)

"We believe our Red Lake Gold Project holds tremendous potential and the project is an exciting and unique opportunity for our shareholders. Dixie Gold is highly cognizant that an early understanding of structural geology materially benefited neighbouring gold projects, including the contiguous Dixie project belonging to Great Bear Resources. While our assessment of structural geology will continue well beyond this inaugural program, the start-up of our field geology program is important as it both conveys our plans to prioritize our Red Lake exploration and the program should also provide us with our first proprietary insights into our project's geology," noted Ryan Kalt, Chief Executive Officer of Dixie Gold.

Dixie Gold offers a compelling capital structure in which to explore a high-impact gold project with 25,737,188 common shares issued and no warrants outstanding. Insider ownership exceeds five million common shares.

As relates to the phase one structural mapping and inaugural prospecting program, geologists retained by Dixie Gold will be field sampling preliminary areas of interest, mapping geological lithologies and recording structural orientation. The exploration underway will contribute to facilitating further field-exploration and - given the vast scale of Dixie Gold's Red Lake Gold Project - prospectively assist to vector-in on priority structural corridors for near-term exploration follow-up and focus.

Dixie Gold has an integrated team deployed to complete the SGH sampling program and the geological program.

The phase one mapping and prospecting program was designed and is being managed by Clark Exploration Consulting Inc. of Thunder Bay, Ontario.

About the Red Lake Gold Project

Dixie Gold's highway-accessible Red Lake Gold Project is located in close proximity to the town of Red Lake in northwestern Ontario. The district-scale gold exploration project is comprised of 1,241 mining claims totaling approx. 25,269 ha in size (approx. 62,441 acres). Dixie Gold's Red Lake Gold Project is situated adjacent to the Dixie Gold Project being advanced by neighbouring exploration company Great Bear Resources Ltd.

Figure 1: Dixie Gold Inc. - Red Lake Gold Project Map

Exploration efforts by Dixie Gold at the Red Lake Gold Project are designed to target potential gold mineralization analogous to gold being discovered elsewhere in the immediate region (e.g. the adjacent Dixie Gold Project held by Great Bear Resources Ltd.), including sulphide replacement, quartz veining in mafic volcanics and disseminated gold within high-strain zones.

The Corporation cautions that past results or discoveries on the adjacent project (e.g. Great Bear Resources' Dixie Gold Project) may not necessarily be indicative as to the presence of mineralization on the Corporation's project (e.g. Dixie Gold's Red Lake Gold Project).

Qualified Person:

Mr. Garry Clark, P. Geo., of Clark Exploration Consulting, is the "Qualified Person" as defined in NI 43-101, who has reviewed and approved the technical content in this press release.

About Dixie Gold Inc.

Dixie Gold Inc. (TSXV:DG) is a publicly-traded exploration company involved in a diverse portfolio of exploration projects in Canada. For more information, please visit www.dixiegold.ca.

Signed,

Ryan Kalt

Chief Executive Officer

Dixie Gold Inc.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains 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 expected or forecast in such statements.

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.

Contact Info:

Ryan Kalt

Chief Executive Officer

Dixie Gold Inc.

E. info@dixiegold.ca

W. www.dixiegold.ca

SOURCE: Dixie Gold Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/606677/Dixie-Gold-Inc-Starts-Phase-One-Mapping-and-Prospecting-Program-at-Red-Lake-Gold-Project
Continuing its operation against the drugs trade in Mumbai, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has detained four drug peddlers as part of its investigations into the drugs angle in the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, an official said here on Friday.

Carrying out raids in Mumbais Powai and Andheri suburbs, besides Thane, the NCB has recovered a total quantity of 1.418 kg of contrabands like Charas and Ganja.

Following a statement by one drug supplier, Ankush Arneja, who was arrested on September 13, the NCB raided the home of one Rahil Rafat Vishra alias Sam, who supplied Charas to him (Arneja).

We have recovered 928 gm Charas and Rs 4,36,000 cash from Vishras home late on Thursday," said a NCB official.

Again based on Arnejas statement of another drug peddler Rohan Talwar, the NCB raised the latters home to recover 10 gm Ganja.

Talwars interrogation led the NCB to another person named Nogthoung from whom 370 gm Ganja was found, said the NCB.

Nogthoung revealed the name of his associate Vishal Salve who was also caught and the NCB recovered 110 gm Ganja from him.

All have been detained and further investigations are in progress as the NCB attempts to unravel the alleged nexus of Bollywood with the drugs mafia and its possible links with Sushants death.

In its actions last weekend, the NCB had arrested six drug peddlers or suppliers, plus one from Goa as more raids are likely over the next few days.
Left: Apollo Knights, NTRC Director, is particularly pleased with the increasing number of entrants every year. Right: Rhea Lewis, NTRC Consumer and Public Relations Manager, gave an overview of the mechanics of the Competition.

Vincentian students, and persons under 35 years can come up with an idea or create a mobile app which can improve livelihood here, and in so doing, win money.





There is also a chance for an outstanding start-up to take part in an event called 4YFN (4 Years From Now), hosted by GSMA in Barcelona, Spain, in March 2021.





The opportunities, as per the above, are afforded by this years National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (NTRC) eighth Annual ICODE 784 Competition, which was launched on Tuesday at the NTRC Headquarters, Kingstown.





Students/persons have until September 25 to register for the Competition.





As has been the case in the past, the competition will unfold in various categories: an Open category, a Secondary Schools Mobile App Category and a Secondary Schools Ideas Category.





Preliminary judging begins on October 13, and the final in each category is scheduled for November 10.





Speaking at last Tuesdays launch, NTRCs Consumer and Public Relations Manager Rhea Lewis gave some details about what the Competition entails.





"Participants are expected to conduct research at private or public sector agencies in which they are proposing the changes to be made, and explain what makes their project innovative, she explained.





Students are encouraged to work in teams of two to four persons. Those selected to the finals will show a working prototype or model of their mobile application.





Presenters will have seven minutes to deliver and face five minutes questioning from the panel.





The winning team in the Open category takes home $5,000, with $2,500, and $1,500 for second and third places respectively.





For the Secondary Mobile App category, the top prize is $4,000, with $2,000 and $1,500 for second and third.

In the Secondary Ideas category, $2,000 is on offer for the winner. The second place gets $1,000, with $800 allotted for the third place.





This the eighth year that such a competition is being held, and NTRC Director Apollo Knights expressed satisfaction with the increasing number of registrants annually.





He cited the event as helping with improving some operations and, according to the NTRC, the "aim is to improve the efficiency of their services and to increase their profits which will lead to national development.





Tuesdays exercise was streamed live, and saw Perricia Andrews winning a Samsung Galaxy A30s smartphone. Rayanna Patrick secured a similar device, having received the most likes on an Instagram promotion of the programme.




President Xi Jinping has called for efforts to blaze a new path of high-quality development.



Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during an inspection tour in central China's Hunan Province from Wednesday to Friday.

Xi called on Hunan to develop itself into a hub of advanced manufacturing industry of national importance, a hub of technological innovation with core competitiveness, and a hub of reform and opening up in inland regions.

He also asked the province to demonstrate a renewed sense of responsibility in promoting the rise of the country's central region and the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

During the inspection tour, Xi researched coordinating COVID-19 control and economic and social development, and making plans for the economic and social development in the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025).

On Wednesday afternoon, Xi visited a revolution-themed exhibition hall at the village of Shazhou to learn about Party building at the primary level, local tourism, and education programs promoting revolutionary traditions.

The exhibition chronicles the story of an impoverished villager named Xu Jiexiu, who offered shelter to three female Red Army soldiers during the Long March in the 1930s. Before their departure, the soliders cut their only quilt into two pieces, leaving one part with Xu to show their care.

Xi required strengthened confidence in the socialist path, urging CPC members to deliver on the Party's commitments and promises and stand together with the people on the Long March of the new era.

Visiting the village's service center and infirmary, he stressed providing better services to the people.

Xi also learned about the progress on poverty alleviation while visiting a modern farming and tourism demonstration base, and checked the collocations of food in student meals and food safety when he toured a township primary school.

In the home of Zhu Xiaohong, grandson of Xu Jiexiu, Xi said the CPC's goal is to lead the Chinese people to liberation and a better life, and the Party must stick to its fundamental purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly.

Leaving Zhu's home, Xi told villagers and tourists who came to greet him that it is because of the support of the people that the CPC has gone through a glorious course and created great achievements.

He said the Party remains committed to serving the people, which is not only a slogan, but also an action of persistence.

The Party is striving to make people live a richer and happier life, Xi said.

While visiting Sunward, an advanced machinery manufacturer in the provincial capital city of Changsha on Thursday afternoon, Xi inspected the workshop and spoke highly of the innovation spirit of the employees.

Independent innovation is the life of an enterprise, Xi stressed. "Key and core technologies must be firmly held in our hands," he added.

Xi required resolute efforts to support manufacturing and the real economy to become bigger and stronger, and pledged to continue opening up in the new phase of development.

Xi underscored the healthy and continuous development of the cultural industry while visiting a cultural industry park in the city.

He also inspected the thousand-year-old Yuelu Academy in Hunan University. Xi stressed combining teaching and practices, making full use of rich historical and cultural resources to promote the understanding of why history and the people have chosen the CPC and socialism.

He encouraged young people to live up to the expectations of times.

On Friday morning, after hearing the Party's Hunan provincial committee and the provincial government report their work, Xi noted the emergence of new opportunities and challenges while the country remains in an important period of strategic opportunity for development.

Xi stressed the need to nurture new drivers and advantages for high-quality development, advance the modernization of industrial chains, increase effective investment, and expand consumer spending.

He also called for strengthening enterprises' abilities to innovate, breaking deep-rooted institutional barriers, and pushing for the innovative development of foreign trade.

When addressing the prioritization of the development of agriculture and rural areas, Xi stressed the need to steadily raise grain production capability, deepen agricultural supply-side structural reform, activate the internal forces driving rural vitalization, and synchronize poverty eradication with rural vitalization.

Xi called for progress in ecological civilization, and continuous improvement in the environment and rural living conditions.

Emphasizing the people-centered philosophy of development, Xi demanded solid efforts to solve problems of pressing public concern.

He said work should be done to facilitate employment among key groups, including college graduates, demobilized military personnel, rural migrant workers, and urban residents who have had difficulty finding jobs.

Problems concerning inaccessible and expensive medical resources should be addressed, and ethnic solidarity should be strengthened, Xi added.

More efforts should be made to encourage and guide Party members and officials in carrying forward the revolutionary traditions, Xi said, adding that a system under which officials "don't dare to, are unable to and have no desire to commit acts of corruption" must be advanced as a whole.
MBABANE- Bemdzabu Bamunye Eswatini Witchdoctors Association says what Reverend Johannes Mazibuko did was a true demonstration of the Christian faith.

Mazibuko is the long-serving Mbabane Alliance Reverend, popularly known for his radio programme Imphilo yelikhaya nekwakhiwa kwalo.

The man of God made headlines when he revealed his new companion, Thulile Dlamini to the church, a few months after the death of his wife Pastor Rose Mazibuko.

Mazibukos move has been supported by the church, family and children. He was also supported by some pastors from different churches. However, traditionalists and some members of the public felt it was too soon for the man of God to get a companion.

Concerned

Makhanya Makhanya, Chairman of the association, stated that as far as they were concerned, Mazibuko did the right thing to move on with his life.

He said what the man of God did showed that he led a Christian life.

Mazibuko chose a western marriage, which provides that married couples would be together until they are separated by death. He was faithful to his wife until they were separated by death.

The Bible states that once one party dies, the marriage is over and the living spouse is at liberty to remarry, he said.

Makhanya supported his claim with 1st Corinthians 7: 39, where he said Apostle Paul spoke about the fact that once a person was married, they were tied together until death, and once one died the one left behind became a free person.

He further stated that there was no mention of a mourning period in the Bible used by Christians.

Mazibuko did not mix culture with religion, but did what is contained in the Bible, Makhanya said.

God

He said in the Book of Genesis 2:18, God clearly stated that it was not good for a man to be alone hence He created a woman. Genesis 2:18 reeds, The Lord God said, It is not good for a man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.

Makhanya stated that it would have not been good for Mazibuko to live without a wife while leading married couples in the church.

Mourning is not encouraged in the Bible because a dead person is believed to have responded to the call of God. It is believed that a dead person shall rise again. Christians, especially men of God, are not expected to grieve, but to concentrate on their mission, which is preaching the Word of God, Makhaya said.

He pleaded with the nation to support Mazibuko and give him peace of mind as he prepares for his marriage.

He said the criticism against the man of God was too much and pleaded with the nation to read the Bible so that they could understand how Mazibukos decision came about.

Despite being the chairman of witch doctors, Makhanya also preaches the Word of God. He preaches in a programme known as Livangeli labokhokho on Channel YemaSwati on Sundays. However, his preaching style has been challenged by many pastors who subscribe to the Christian faith in the country.

In one of the recent interviews with Mazibuko, he had tried to state his side of the story after announcing his new companion to the church.

According to Mazibuko, although it was a fact that he had recently lost his wife, the question of finding a companion being too soon was based on who or what?

He said biblical teachings informed him that when a person died, he or she could not be remembered which was stated in the book of Ecclesiastes 9:3-5.

Passed

Mazibuko said this did not mean that one did not care, but the truth was that when the person had passed away, they would not wake up even when you mourn for 12 years. He stated that what was important was to respect, love and take good care of the person during their lifetime but when they die, it is finished.

Mazibuko said what people needed to understand was that the Bible taught about that married people were separated in death and his spouse had also passed on.

Meanwhile, he noted that as a pastor, he worked with a lot of personalities and knew that in a persons mind, once you marry for the second time they think about sex.

To remarry is not about sex, but companionship as it is clearly stated in the Bible. he said.

He said he was old and needed a companion as he was alive and had to move on with life.

Mazibuko said as a pastor, he travelle a lot and when he came back home, he needed a companion who would keep him company and talk about certain things and someone who would comfort him.






Chicago, Illinois, Sept. 17, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- UIC Law in Chicago has appointed Teri McMurtry-Chubb as a tenured full professor. Before joining UIC Law, she was a tenured full professor at Mercer University School of Law.

McMurtry-Chubb researches, teaches and writes in the areas of legal history and discourse, critical rhetoric and genre analysis. She has lectured nationally on structural discrimination in educational institutions and the workplace and is a leader in designing curricula to facilitate diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. McMurtry-Chubb previously taught at Loyola Law School  Los Angeles, California State Polytechnic University at Pomona, The University of Iowa, Des Moines Area Community College, Drake University School of Law and Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies at Western Washington University. While at Fairhaven College, she was a co-founder and first director of Fairhavens Center for Law, Diversity and Justice.

McMurtry-Chubb served as a Visiting Distinguished Professor of Law at UIC Law for the 2019-2020 academic year and delivered the keynote lecture during the Law Schools 2020 Diversity Week. During Summer 2020, McMurtry-Chubb moderated a discussion for UIC Law with CNN commentator Bakari Sellers about race and injustice in America and joined other faculty for a virtual conversation about violence by police.

At UIC Law, McMurtry-Chubb teaches legal writing, and courses in Critical Race Feminism and Social Justice Lawyering. She is also developing modules that address structural racism to be used in core law school classes.

A national leader in legal writing, McMurtry-Chubb previously served as President of the Association of Legal Writing Directors, becoming the first person of color to ever head a national legal writing organization. She is a board member and officer-designate for ScribesThe American Society of Legal Writers. She also chaired the Legal Writing Institute Diversity Initiatives Committee, served as the Chair of the Iowa National Bar Association, the founding chapter of the National Bar Association, and as a gubernatorial appointee to the Iowa State Historical Society Board of Trustees.

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McMurtry-Chubb is the author of the book Legal Writing in the Disciplines: A Guide to Legal Writing Mastery (Carolina Academic Press) and a contributor to Feminist Judgments: Rewritten Opinions of the United States Supreme Court (Cambridge University Press). Additional publications include The Rhetoric of Race, Redemption and Will Contests: Inheritance as Reparations in John Grishams Sycamore Row, 48 Univ. Memphis L. Rev. 889 (2018), for which McMurtry-Chubb received the Teresa Godwin Phelps Award for Scholarship in Legal Communication by the Legal Writing Institute.

UIC Laws Lawyering Skills Program is ranked among the nations best by U.S. News & World Report. The Program, currently ranked at #7 in the nation, has continuously been in the top ten since the rankings began. It is known for its rigorous research and writing requirements and its robust faculty leadership. All students are required to take four semesters of lawyering skills courses, with options for specialization in the fourth semester.

About UIC John Marshall Law School

UIC Law is the 16th college at the University of Illinois at ChicagoChicagos largest university and its only public Carnegie Research 1 institution. Located in the heart of the Citys legal, financial and commercial districts, UIC Law is recognized as one of the most diverse law schools in the nation and is a leader in providing access to underrepresented students.

CONTACT: Miller McDonald UIC John Marshall Law School mmcdona@uic.edu






Figure 1: Attempt to spoof ID card authentication with a photo to impersonate another



Figure 2: Forgery Feature Extraction Technology



Figure 3: Forgery Detection Technology

KAWASAKI, Japan, Sept 18, 2020 - (JCN Newswire) - Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. today announced the development of a facial recognition technology that uses conventional cameras to successfully identify efforts to spoof authentication systems. This includes impersonation attempts in which a person presents a printed photograph or an image from the internet to a camera.Conventional technologies rely on expensive, dedicated devices like near-infrared cameras to identify telltale signs of forgery, or the user is required to move their face from side to side, which remains difficult to duplicate with a forgery. This leads to increased costs, however, and the need for additional user interaction slows the authentication process. To tackle these challenges, Fujitsu has developed a forgery feature extraction technology that detects the subtle differences between an authentic image and a forgery, as well as a forgery judgment technology that accounts for variations in appearance due to the capture environment.Fujitsu's new technology ultimately makes it possible to prevent impersonation with forgeries using only face images taken at the time of authentication, enhancing security without sacrificing the convenience of face authentication and contributing to the DX (digital transformation) of operations with improved personal authentication technologies.Growing Risk of Fraud Using Facial Images with Popularity of Biometric AuthenticationWhile biometric authentication continues to grow in popularity, many risks remain. In some cases, when facial images are disclosed on the Internet via SNS, etc., the possibility emerges that the image may become the target of malicious users if stolen due to the loss of an ID card with a facial photograph, etc.--because of the prevalence of such images, this makes facial authentication more vulnerable than other authentication methods, such as fingerprints or palm veins.ChallengesSmartphone screens, ID cards, and face images printed on paper vary in their appearance due to factors like reflections or blurring on a smartphone screen. It has proven difficult to determine the authenticity of a face by relying on a facial image alone because of the effects of similar fluctuations, such as reflections caused by fluorescent lights or sunlight, or blurring caused by facial movement. For this reason, special cameras like near-infrared cameras or depth cameras that measure the distance between the subject and the camera are used to catch typical signs of forgery. These methods remain imperfect, however, and lead to issues including increased costs for dedicated cameras and reduced convenience due to the addition of motion information required when using general-purpose cameras. The development of technologies that can conveniently and inexpensively detect spoofing with general-purpose cameras has become a topic of consideration.About the Newly Developed TechnologyFujitsu has developed a technology that can detect the impersonation of others through photographs, etc. from face images taken with a general-purpose camera. The features of the developed technology are as follows.Forgery Feature Extraction Technology Based on Characteristics in Photographic Appearance Unique to CounterfeitVarious features characteristic of a forgery remains in images obtained by presenting the forgery to the camera, such as reflections on the terminal screen of a smartphone, and distortion of the shape of the face caused by taking a planar forgery. Fujitsu has developed a forgery feature extraction technique to express the difference between the forgery's characteristic features and the real face as determinable values (Figure 2).First, the face image captured by the camera is separated into various elements that exhibit the characteristic features of forgery, such as reflection elements and shape elements. Next, image processing technology is used to digitize the characteristic features of forgery for each of the separated elements, and the characteristics of each element are combined to generate a characteristic for judgment. This makes it possible to identify counterfeits without information based on user operations.Technology for Judging Forgery in Response to Variation in Image Quality due to Capture EnvironmentIn the past, in order to respond to variations in image appearance caused by the capture environment, a single determination model was generated by training a system with face images containing various variations using machine learning. However, the wide range of variations in the way images are taken, depending on the type of forgery, such as a smartphone screen or ID card, complicates the boundary between the real face and the forgery, making it difficult to identify the forgery even with the latest Deep Learning techniques. Therefore, Fujitsu has developed a technology that can correctly identify counterfeits by generating determination models that reduce the influence of variations by learning the categories of face images that have similar variations, such as face images taken at the office or face images taken by a window.The development technology steps are divided into a training phase and a judgment phase. In the training phase, face images acquired in various environments are classified into categories such as window, backlight, and normally based on the capture environment, such as the intensity of light and the direction of light. Next, a judgment model is made for determining whether the target is a real face or a counterfeit with machine learning, using the decision features generated by the forgery feature extraction technology for each category (Figure 3 (a)).In the judgment phase, in order to estimate which of the categories defined in the training phase the input image capture environment is close to, the similarity between the input image and each category is calculated dynamically. Next, in order to emphasize the result of the determination model of the category in which the input image and the environment are close to each other, a value obtained by multiplying the score indicating the authenticity output from each determination model by the weight based on the similarity with each category is used to determine whether or not the object is a fake (Figure 3 (b)).By using these technologies, it becomes possible to identify counterfeits using only the information of face images taken by a general-purpose camera and to realize relatively convenient and inexpensive spoofing detection.OutcomesFujitsu reviewed its own evaluation data set collected in a general office environment or an environment where telework outside the office is assumed and confirmed that spoofing attempts can be detected with the same level of accuracy as before, even when there is no specified movement by a dedicated camera or a user. This makes it possible to prevent unauthorized access at a low cost without sacrificing convenience. The technology offers the potential to improve security for workers remotely accessing company systems from offsite and to contribute to the digital transformation of operations through the advancement of enhanced personal authentication technology.Future PlansFujitsu aims to further improve the accuracy of its forgery detection technology with the aim of putting it into practical use by the end of the fiscal 2020 in March 2021.About FujitsuFujitsu is the leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company offering a full range of technology products, solutions, and services. Approximately 130,000 Fujitsu people support customers in more than 100 countries. We use our experience and the power of ICT to shape the future of society with our customers. Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702) reported consolidated revenues of 3.9 trillion yen (USD35 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020. For more information, please see www.fujitsu.com.About Fujitsu LaboratoriesFounded in 1968 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fujitsu Limited, Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. is one of the premier research centers in the world. With a global network of laboratories in Japan, China, the United States and Europe, the organization conducts a wide range of basic and applied research in the areas of Next-generation Services, Computer Servers, Networks, Electronic Devices and Advanced Materials. For more information, please see: http://www.fujitsu.com/jp/group/labs/en/.Source: Fujitsu LtdCopyright 2020 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
(TNS)  The Oregon Health Authority is embracing contact tracing technology from Apple and Google that will allow Oregonians to use their cell phones to find out if theyve been exposed to coronavirus.Oregon will launch a pilot project this fall with a goal of about 30,000 participants, likely involving college students who are tech savvy and in close contact with others.If state officials determine the technology is effective, they could make it widely available for Oregonians as soon as December or early 2021. Officials are cautiously optimistic about the project and say if several hundred thousand Oregonians use it, the technology could help slow spread of the virus in a meaningful way.But state leaders remain guarded in their enthusiasm, recognizing some Oregonians may be unlikely to participate over privacy concerns and acknowledging equity challenges over who may access the technology. An unrelated symptom-monitoring project touted as a game changer by Gov. Kate Brown got shelved last month for failing to ensure enough participation among people of color.Knowledge is power when it comes to stopping the spread of COVID-19, and this pilot project will help people make informed decisions to keep themselves healthy, while still protecting individual privacy, Brown said in a statement this week announcing the new technology effort.COVID-19 knows no state borders, and my goal is to make sure, if more widely implemented, this exposure notification technology is made available to those communities that have been disproportionately impacted by this disease  Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Pacific Islander and Tribal communities, as well as those living in the rural parts of our states.Late on Wednesday, health officials announced Oregon would join California, Washington, Colorado and Nevada in embracing the technology as part of a months-long pact between western states. California is rolling out the system, called Exposure Notification Express, at the University of California San Francisco and the University of California San Diego.Oregon officials would not say where the technology will be available under the pilot, noting details are still being finalized. But the Oregon Health Authority is in talks with a university or universities about promoting the system for students, suggesting it could be available in Eugene at the University of Oregon, Corvallis for Oregon State University or in Portland at Portland State University.The digital contact tracing system will be voluntary and completely anonymous, said Dr. Timothy Menza, a senior health adviser for the Oregon Health Authority.It works by using Bluetooth signals from cell phones to record anonymized identifiers for cell phones that are in close proximity. The technology is able to determine roughly how close and how long the phones are near one another, with the federal government considering close contact as within six feet for at least 15 minutes.That anonymized data would stay on an individuals phone unless the person later tests positive for COVID-19, Menza said. At that point, the infected person would receive a personal identification number from the state or county health department after the COVID-19 diagnosis had been confirmed.The person could then voluntarily enter the PIN into their cell phone, which would begin the process of uploading the anonymized Bluetooth data to a national server, Menza said. Other participants' phones would regularly scan the national database to see if theyve been in close contact with a confirmed coronavirus case  and if theres a match the person would receive a notice on the phone about exposure and suggesting testing.State and local health departments would not receive notice about exposures, Menza said. But people who are infected, or people who seek testing after receiving a notice, could voluntarily disclose that they are using the technology.So-called proximity tracing applications do not take the place of traditional contact tracing by public health officials that involves detailed case investigations to determine the names of people who might have been exposed to a person with a confirmed infection.But the technology does allow for more thorough tracing efforts, allowing notification among people whose identities might not be known to an infected person  such as someone who rode the same bus, ate at the same restaurant or attended the same party.Proximity technology is controversial, particularly among some Americans who are unwilling to share personal data for privacy reasons and skeptical of the big tech companies offering the service. But its been embraced in some places, including Scotland, where a new app was reportedly downloaded 600,000 times.Menza said proximity tracing apps have the potential to make a big difference if widely adopted. He pointed to research by the University of Oxford, which estimates that cases and hospitalizations could decline if just 15 percent of the population uses the technology.Modeled for the state of Washington, that adoption level suggested a 15 percent decline in infections and 11 percent reduction in deaths.In that sense, Menza said, it seems pretty powerful.But that would require participation of more than 600,000 Oregonians, essentially the entire population of Portland.Well have to put in the work to make that happen, Menza said.Menza acknowledged potential challenges, not the least of which will be participation. Officials plan to roll out the technology slowly to ensure it works well and to determine if there are any glitches. They also plan to learn from pilot efforts in other participating states.What we need to do, and do well, is communicate clearly about what this app can and cannot do, and all the privacy protections that are part of it, and make the technology accessible to everyone, he said.State leaders had been internally discussing the potential to use exposure notification technology for several months but decided to work with Apple and Google this month, said Charles Boyle, a spokesman for Oregons governor. States must opt into the program for the technology to be available to residents.The tracing software is not yet accessible to Oregonians. It will be available for Apple users in iPhone settings while others will need to download the technology through Google Play, Menza said.Oregon officials plan to do the soft launch and limit participation until making a decision to move forward more broadly.Menza said officials expect to receive aggregate data from tech companies about how many people use the technology, which theyll compare to how many people voluntarily disclose participation during coronavirus testing.Im optimistic, he said, that this might do us some good here.
MONTREAL - Rachel Farrell can now claim the unfortunate distinction of having two destination weddings called off in one year.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/9/2020 (490 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MONTREAL - Rachel Farrell can now claim the unfortunate distinction of having two destination weddings called off in one year.

The 26-year-old event co-ordinator had booked a Transat flight out of Halifax for Feb. 15, 2021, as part of her planned nuptials in the Dominican Republic, but was told this week the airline had cancelled the trip and would not make the journey until six days later.

Rachel Farrell and her fiance Josh Dunn pose in this undated handout photo. Canadian airlines are cancelling hundreds of flights as hopes for a spike in demand fall flat, snarling plans for the few passengers who remain. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, Rachel Farrell *MANDATORY CREDIT*

She and her fiancee had first booked their trip package for last April, which Transat nixed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I was upset but understood that it wasnt Air Transat's fault, so we would wait until air travel resumed and rebook as soon as we could since refunds werent an option," Farrell said.

She did that in July, rebooking the flight for next February using travel credit based on the $37,000 she and nearly two dozen guests had paid for the package.

"Even though they knowingly chose to cancel my rebooked wedding group, they still wont give us a refund," Farrell said, noting Transat is again offering credit.

"My travel agent has told me that even if I rebook next week, they might still push the dates further... I dont know what to do now and all I really want is to get married."

Transat says it typically offers an "alternative option" after a flight is cancelled.

.

Farrell's predicament is increasingly common, with Canadian airlines cancelling hundreds of flights as hopes for a spike in demand fall flat, snarling plans for the few passengers who remain.

Air Canada and WestJet have cancelled at least 439 flights so far this month, according to figures from flight data firm Cirium.

The schedule scale-downs come after airlines banked on a return of business travel and a continued uptick in leisure trips in the fall, says John Gradek, who heads McGill Universitys Global Aviation Leadership program.

Theyve decided since about the end of July to let loose on scheduled services and increasing the number of routes, at the same time hoping that the government will loosen up some of its restrictions. And thats not been the case," he said.

Now, airlines are cancelling the half-booked flights and consolidating passengers on remaining ones to cut costs  "and its being done piecemeal rather than being done wholesale," Gradek said.

The letdown builds on an already devastating year.

Transat revenues fell by 99 per cent year over year last quarter, when the tour operator ran flights for just one week.

Air Canada saw passenger revenues drop 95 per cent, prompting 20,000 layoffs as the airline burned through $19 million per day. WestJet has laid off about 4,000 employees since March.

Flight consolidation does not always result in upended plans or wedding dilemmas. An itinerary change often means a departure delay of an hour rather than a week.

"Sometimes airline schedules require minor surgery and sometimes major surgery," said Mike Malik, head of marketing at Cirium.

We know that most travellers right now are not business travellers. These are VFR travellers  visiting friends and relatives. So if youre visiting friends and relatives, you probably dont need a 7 a.m. flight for a 9 a.m. meeting in Toronto."

The reassurance comes as cold comfort for Darlene Hatter, who was twice slated to attend her son's destination wedding in Costa Rica. Both Sunwing Airlines Inc. flights from Toronto have now been now cancelled.

Her son Robert Przybylski, 35, is now out $15,000, as well as the $2,800 each of his 85 guests have spent, she said.

"It's very frustrating," Hatter said.

"The airlines in my opinion are taking advantage big-time of this and stomping on the little people just because they can. The government needs to step up and tell these airlines to give people their refunds."

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Canadian airlines have largely sought to avoid refunds, though WestJet and Transat now say they will reimburse customers for European and U.S. flights cancelled by the carriers.

Air Canada has taken a more resistant approach, racking up the second-highest number of complaints about refunds to the U.S. Department of Transportation  which has directed companies to offer reimbursement in the event of flight cancellation  of any airline in May and June (the latest month for which figures are available).

Consumer advocates argue passengers have a right to be reimbursed for a service that was paid for but never rendered.

The Canadian Transportation Agency said in March that airlines can issue travel credit instead of refunds for cancelled trips in the "current context," though the agency later clarified that the online statement was "not a binding decision" and that reimbursements depend in part on the contract between airline and passenger.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2020

Companies in this story: (TSX:AC, TSX:TRZ)
Minister of Trade and Industry, Alan Kojo Kyerematen has said the introduction of the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS) was of strategic importance to the country's trade facilitation agenda.

He said the country needed a trade facilitation system that was attractive and supportive of businesses in its quest to become the investment destination of choice not only in West Africa but on the African continent.

Mr Kyerematen said this at a stakeholder engagement organised by the Accra Airport sector of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority at Terminal Three in collaboration with the management of ICUMS.

The Forum convened at the instance of the Sector Commander, Thomas Daniel Williams, was attended by the Accra Commander and the Head of the ICUMS Implementation Taskforce Emmanuel Ohene.

It deliberated on ways to help curb the current delays in the processing of documents.

Revenue Gains

Mr Kyerematen said with the introduction of the ICUM system, the KIA has achieved significant revenue gains and exceeded its target.

He commended the leadership of the KIA Accra Sector Command and stakeholders for the efforts in improving revenue mobilization.

He said the gains were made, particularly within the context of COVID-19 which was a major hindrance for trade facilitation and revenue mobilisation.

The Minister said despite the challenges, the team at KIA was able to meet its target.

He said KIA was one of the few entry points that were able to implement the new system smoothly despite the initial challenges.

He said when the system was introduced; there were stakeholders, who did not appreciate the change, because of the lack of understanding of the technology.

The system is bearing its testimonies, he added.

He said the country's trade facilitation and customs management landscape was characterised over the decade by a multiplicity of service providers.

Mr Kyerematen said the actual reason the change was not just critical but appropriate was we ought not as a country not to be having challenges with revenue mobilization at this stage of our development.

He said the introduction of ICUMS was to address the challenges of the multiplicity of service providers working within the same environment in an uncoordinated manner.

So, this suggested the need for a comprehensive integrated end to end system built on one platform that will have an internal mechanism to provide effective risk management that allows for revenue collection, he said.

The Minister said that once there were a multiplicity of service providers on an electronic platform, it became very difficult to manage the interface between the various users.

He said Ghana could not become a destination of choice when it could not manage its trade facilitation agenda.

He said with the introduction of the Continental Free Trade Area the need had become more imperative because the country could legally be considered as the commercial capital of Africa.

He said an effective trade facilitation system promoted the ease of doing business and ensure companies competitive.

Superior System

KIA Sector Commander, Thomas D. Williams, told the GNA that the new system was superior to the previous ones.

He said with its introduction, the KIA Command had exceeded its June 2020 target by 15.2 per cent compared to last year and 22. 6 per cent in July 2020.

He encouraged stakeholders to embrace the new system and work with Officials to get the full benefits of the system.

He expressed the hope that the few issues and challenges raised by stakeholders would be addressed for them to actualize the full benefits of the ICUMS technology.

Chairman of Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders, Airport Richard Ackah, said the fora should be held to validate the system and address some of the challenges raised by stakeholders.

He commended the leadership of the Sector Command for their continuous efforts to create awareness on the system and to address challenges that come with it.

ICUMS is a system built by Universal Pass (UNI-PASS), specially tailored to Ghana's situation and provides an end-to-end supply chain solution that incorporates and consolidates existing systems currently in operation.

---GNA
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 11:45:32|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits a company producing intelligent equipment to learn about the development of advanced manufacturing industry, in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, Sept. 17, 2020. Xi on Thursday inspected Changsha. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

CHANGSHA, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, has stressed that innovation is the most vital quality of business operations during an inspection tour in central China's Hunan Province.

Xi made the remarks while visiting Sunward, an advanced machinery manufacturer, in the capital city of Changsha, on Thursday afternoon.

Xi inspected the production line and was shown a display of the company's products.

After learning that the company had independently developed more than 200 kinds of products with core competitiveness, and owns their intellectual property rights, Xi said he was deeply impressed by the innovation spirit of the employees.

He stressed the importance of innovation as the country has entered a crucial and challenging stage of development.

"Key and core technologies must be firmly held in our hands," Xi said, adding that it applies to the manufacturing sector as well.

He expressed the hope that Hunan's manufacturing sector will seize the opportunities to realize better development and make greater contributions to the country. Enditem
Authorities gathered security camera footage that put Farella in the area around the estimated time of the shooting. A former girlfriend testified that several days after the shooting, Farella gave her a shotgun with orders that she hide it. The woman said she wrapped the weapon in a coat and left it in a wooded area near Gurnee. She later led police to the gun.
CHICOPEE  Business owners struggling with a downturn in the economy and a myriad of restrictions because of the coronavirus pandemic will have another chance to get some help.

The Community Development Department has received an additional $526,000 in federal assistance from the federal CARES Act. The money will be used to provide grants to small businesses to help them weather the economic crisis caused by the pandemic, Mayor John L. Vieau announced on Thursday.

This is the third round of federal grant money the city has received to help local business owners and landlords stay operational as the city enters the sixth month of shutdowns and restrictions, he said.

We are trying to help any way we can, he said. This restocks the program.

The first round of funds, which totaled $706,000, were used to provide grants of between $5,000 and $20,000 for businesses. The available grants will be similar this time, Vieau said.

The second round of about $250,000 is being used for rental assistance and pays up to two months of rent directly to landlords whose tenants who have lost their jobs or are on furlough because of the pandemic. So far, the city has received 14 applications and has awarded four grants, said Michael Pise, chief of staff for Vieau.

Because the grants are being awarded through the Community Development Department, which is designed to fight poverty, they are earmarked to help people who are low or moderate income. For example, either the owner of a business or a minimum of two full-time employees must live in a low or moderate-income household. They are also concentrated in neighborhoods where the median income is low.

The first business grants were awarded to employers who were still able to operate during the pandemic and were designed to help them continue keeping people working by providing money for masks and other protective equipment, to redesign workspace and for other needs.

As businesses were allowed to slowly reopen starting in April, the city awarded other grants to help owners return to work. The grants were given to a wide variety of businesses across the city including hair salons, restaurants, small retail stores and manufacturers, Pise said.

Munich Haus, for example, had to completely restock their inventory, Pise said. A lot of restaurants were closed for weeks and they had to get rid of everything.

Vieau said he knows of the owner of a hair salon in a nearby city who was so desperate she started a GoFundMe account to raise money to pay expenses while she was closed. These grants save city businesses from having to do things like that.

The latest grants are expected to be awarded under similar parameters. Applications and a full list of eligibility requirements are on the Community Development Departments page of the citys website at www.chicopee.ma.gov/187/community-development. People can also call the Community Development Department or the Mayors office for more information.

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Popular US radio host John Batchelor and grandson of US President Richard Nixon, political analyst Christopher Nixon Cox, had an interview with Azerbaijani ambassador to the US, Elin Suleymanov on September 16, which was broadcast from New York in the "The John Batchelor Show" radio program, Trend reports referring to the Azerbaijani embassy in the US.

During the interview, Suleymanov stressed that he took part in the signing ceremony of the Abraham Accords Peace Agreement on September 15, 2020, organized at the White House.

The ambassador said that Azerbaijan has always been a supporter of promoting intercultural and interreligious harmony and dialogue in the world.

Stressing that on September 16, 2020, President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, congratulated the Jewish community of Azerbaijan on the Jewish New Year - Rosh Hashanah, Suleymanov reminded that the Azerbaijani Jewish community has been living in Azerbaijan for centuries in peace and prosperity.

The ambassador said that Azerbaijan, as a country in which the overwhelming majority of the population professes Islam, was able not only to participate in the discussion and solution of important issues for the Islamic world but also to establish normal diplomatic relations with Israel.

Suleymanov stressed that in this sense Azerbaijan can serve an example for many countries.

The ambassador stressed that Azerbaijan is a supporter of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Focusing on the military clashes on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, Suleymanov stressed that as a result of Armenias recent military provocation during July events, 11 Azerbaijani servicemen and one civilian were killed.

The ambassador added that Armenia continues being the threat to peace and security in the region.

Stressing that the supply of arms to Armenia by Russia causes great concern in Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijani ambassador to the US added that currently, Azerbaijan and Russia are holding discussions to clarify this issue.

The ambassador stated that the activity of the OSCE Minsk Group, which is co-chaired by the US, France, and Russia, is passive, the co-chairing countries did not show sufficient activity to achieve peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Suleymanov stressed that Armenia is resettling the Armenians from Syria and Lebanon to the occupied Azerbaijani territories, thereby trying to change the demographic situation in these territories.

Stressing that US President Donald Trump has recently achieved several peace agreements, Christopher Nixon Cox wondered what kind of contribution the US side can make for the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

In response, Suleymanov replied that the US leadership, together with the counterparts from France and Russia, can achieve the peaceful settlement of the conflict based on international law and the principle of justice for the sake of the future of the Azerbaijani and Armenian people, thereby ensuring the interests of the US itself.

The interview is available here.

--

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Syracuse, N.Y.  During the height of the coronavirus pandemic, the Syracuse Police Department regularly paid police officers to go home and not work.

The police department practice, which lasted nearly two months, cost the city as much as $226,750, according to estimates by Syracuse.com based on the number of officers and the average pay. City officials declined to estimate the cost.
A famous and beloved Laois Christmas tree may not return, after a sad announcement made by its organisers.

Mountmellick Christmas Tree Committee has released a statement to say it has disbanded, after a record 63 years of erecting the town's 60ft tree, reknowned across Ireland and beloved by locals.

"Even if this decision was not taken it would have been impossible to carry out the Christmas tree activities this year. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic our fundraising activities ... could not be carried out. We could not undertake our other activities such as Santa Claus Sunday, fuel distribution to the old age pensioners and the erection and illumination of our Christmas Tree and Crib," Chairman Brian Lynch has stated.

Mr Lynch who has been a part of the committee for the past 63 years and is now into his 80's, thanked the people of Mountmellick for supporting them, and the Community Employment Scheme workers for their help over the past 20 years. He thanks all businesses and organisations who played their part, and finally thanks Santa Claus himself.

He hopes that a younger committee can be formed.

"If such a group were formed and they had the willingness and the expertise to take on such a task we would be willing to hand over the equipment and material associated with this project," he said.

Mr Lynch said the age profile of remaining committee members was such that the responsibility of the project was becoming too much.

"It is with regret that we had to take this decision, it may not be the end but perhaps a new beginning. It has been a pleasure for the committee to bring Christmas joy to the community over the many years. We would like to wish everyone good health particularly during the present pandemic. And we would like to express the hope that everyone will enjoy the coming Christmas," he said.

UPDATE: Big news on the future of Mountmellick Christmas Tree

Below: Brian Lynch at the 2018 switch on of Mountmellick Christmas Tree with Cllr Paddy Bracken, Fr Noel Dunphy, Ger Lynch and Rosemary Whelan. Photo Denis Byrne
The Accra High Court has given the NPP Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, another grace period over his alleged contemptuous comments in which he described the judge as stupid.



At todays hearing, Justice Amos Wuntah Wuni adjourned the case to Friday, September 25, 2020, to allow lawyers for the MP to present legal arguments on why the court should stay proceedings until the Supreme Court rules on a judicial review application in relation to the case.



Lead Counsel for the MP, Mr Kwame Gyan, argued that the court must halt the case until the Supreme Court determines whether or not the High Court, presided over by Justice Wuni had jurisdiction over the matter.



Justice Wuni had earlier ruled that he was minded to continue with the case but gave the lawyers the opportunity to present legal arguments on Friday.



Background



Mr Agyapongs alleged comments were made in connection with a land matter in which Susan Bandoh and Christopher Akuetteh Kotei had sued him (Kennedy Agyapong), Ibrahim Jaja, Nana Yaw Duodu aka Sledge and the Inspector General of Police.



While the case was still at the Land Division of the High Court (Land Court 12), the MP allegedly scandalised the court on a programme aired on NET2 TV and Oman FM on September 2, this year.



A court order signed on September 9, by Justice Wuni said, "I hereby summon the said Kennedy Ohene Agyapong per a warrant issued under my hand and seal to appear before the High Court (Land Court 12) on Monday, September 14, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. to show cause why he should not be severely punished for contempt if the matters are proven against him to the satisfaction of the court."



Substituted service



The MP was expected to appear in court on Monday, September 14 to show why he should not be punished for contempt, but he failed to do so.



It came up in court that the courts bailiff could not serve the MP with the summons order as all efforts by the court including channelling the summons through Parliament to be served on the MP proved futile.



In view of the difficulties mentioned above, Justice Wuni ordered that the summons be served on the MP through substituted service, a method of service allowed by law if personal service was proving problematic.



Yammin sues Kennedy Agyapong, wants GH95m damages

Per the orders of the court, the summons should be posted on the courts notice board, as well as a conspicuous place at Net 2 Television and Oman FM, the MPs media organisations and where he allegedly made the contemptuous statement.



Justice Wuni ordered that the summons should be at the designated places for three days, together with a hearing notice, while the MP must appear before the court on Friday, September 18.



Supreme Court



The MP yesterday (Thursday, September 17) asked the Supreme Court to stop contempt proceedings against him by an Accra High Court.



Lawyers for the MP filed a judicial review application at the apex court today, barely 24 hours after he was supposed to appear before the High Court and explain why he should not be punished for allegedly describing the judge as stupid



The MP wants the Supreme Court to prohibit the High Court from hearing the contempt case and also quash the order of summons for him to appear before the court on the basis that the particular court (Land Court 12)that summoned him had no jurisdiction to do so.



Different court



In his affidavit in support, the MP avers that his comments were not against Justice Amos Wuntah Wuni of Land Court 12 but was rather against a different judge in another matter at Labour Court 2, for which he said had duly apologized.



The words uttered which I deem uncomplimentary and I have since apologized were not directed at the Court, presided over by His Lordship Amos Wuntah Wuni, the Court is not seized with jurisdiction to order the applicant to appear and to answer why he should not be severely punished for contempt of court, the MP said in his affidavit in support.



It was based on the case at the Supreme Court that the MPs lawyers want the High Court to stay proceedings until the final determination of the case at the apex court

Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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US President Donald Trump. Getty

The wildly popular smartphone apps TikTok and WeChat will be banned in the US starting on September 20, the US government announced on Friday morning.

CFIUS, the same Treasury group that initated those investigations, is now looking into "Fortnite" maker Epic Games and "League of Legends" maker Riot Games due to their associations with the Chinese conglomerate Tencent, Bloomberg reported .

Tencent, which owns WeChat, wholly owns Riot Games and owns a 40% stake in Epic Games.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

After taking action against the wildly popular smartphone apps TikTok and WeChat, President Trump's administration appears to be setting its sights on the gaming studios behind two of the biggest games in the world: "Fortnite" and "League of Legends."

The same government body that investigated TikTok and WeChat is now looking into Epic Games and Riot Games, according to a new Bloomberg report. Both companies received letters from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS), the report states, regarding how they handle security for American user data, the report says.

The issue appears to be the two companies' relationship with Chinese conglomerate Tencent.

Related: Microsoft insulted TikToks CEO, security risk implied

Tencent owns a 40% stake in Epic Games, based in Cary, North Carolina, and wholly owns Riot Games, based in Los Angeles, California. Epic is most well-known for "Fortnite," but also operates other popular games, including "Rocket League." Riot is most well-known for "League of Legends" and, more recently, "Valorant." Both companies operate games with hundreds of millions of players.

Tencent itself is far from a bit player in the world of gaming -- it's quietly the biggest game company in the world. Aside from its significant stake in Epic and outright ownership of Riot Games, Tencent has investments in Supercell, Ubisoft, Activision, and other notable game publishers.

The company is already facing scrutiny from the US government for its ownership of WeChat, one of two major apps run by Chinese companies that were banned in a federal order on Friday morning.

Story continues

Starting this Sunday, September 20, the wildly popular video app TikTok and the messaging and commerce app WeChat will no longer be available through Apple and Google's digital storefronts.

Moreover, if you've already got the apps on your phones, future updates won't be allowed, under the text of that order.

That's according to an order published by the US Department of Commerce on Friday morning which says that starting on September 20, 2020, TikTok will be barred from software updates and distribution in the US. WeChat is also being pulled and having its updates stopped, but the order goes a step further: It outright bars internet service providers from working with WeChat, thus nullifying critical components of how the app operates.

Whether the order goes into effect on Sunday as planned still remains to be seen.

China-based TikTok owner ByteDance has reportedly negotiated some kind of deal over its US operations with Silicon Valley tech giant Oracle, which is awaiting the green light from the White House. If this deal is approved and confirmed by Sunday, it could obviate the order entirely, Reuters reported. However, that would still seemingly leave WeChat subject to the terms of the order, making the app's future in the US uncertain.

The order follows the Trump adminstration's wider efforts to force a sale of TikTok's US business to a US firm in the name of national security. President Trump has repeatedly insisted that TikTok, because it is owned and operated by a Chinese company, is collecting information from users in the US and feeding that information to the Chinese government.

Representatives for Epic Games and Riot Games declined to comment. The US Department of the Treasury did not respond to a request for comment.

Got a tip? Contact Business Insider senior correspondent Ben Gilbert via email (bgilbert@businessinsider.com), or Twitter DM (@realbengilbert). We can keep sources anonymous. Use a non-work device to reach out. PR pitches by email only, please.

Read the original article on Business Insider
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has become an unprecedented challenge to global health. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the virus causing this disease. It is a single-stranded RNA virus that binds to host cells with its trimeric spike glycoprotein S, which has two subunits. The S1 subunit facilitates receptor binding, and S2 is responsible for membrane fusion.

During infection, the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the S1 subunit directly binds with the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor. RBD is shown to be the common binding site of neutralizing antibodies from convalescent patients. Thus, the RBD can serve as a key target for drugs that inhibit viral infection.

Engineering ACE2 to enhance its affinity to RBD

RNA viruses have high mutation rates and evolvability that help them acquire anti-viral drug resistance. More and more evidence shows that neutralizing antibodies are effective in fighting COVID-19. Monoclonal antibodies taken from convalescent COVID-19 patients have been shown to have high potency in neutralizing viruses. However, spike gene mutation can cause SARS-CoV-2 adaptation to such antibodies.

Similar to the anti-RBD antibodies, the extracellular domain of ACE2 can also serve as a decoy receptor to neutralize SARS-CoV-2. The therapeutic potency of ACE2 against COVID-19 has been confirmed by a few studies. Also, fusing sACE2 to the human IgG1 Fc region has been shown to increase neutralization capacity and boost pharmacokinetics to human IgG levels in mice. Increasing the affinity of ACE2 to RBD is crucial for adequate protection against viral mutation.

In a study published in the preprint server bioRxiv*, researchers from the Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine and Osaka University Japan, discuss how they engineered ACE2 to enhance its affinity to RBD in human cells. The team of researchers introduced random mutations in the protease domain, having the interface to the RBD. Full length ACE2 mutant library expressed in 293T cells was incubated with fluorescence-labeled RBD.

Directed evolution of ACE2. (a) Full length ACE2 was optimized to fit screening. Synthetic signal sequence and HA tag were fused to mature ACE2 and restriction sites were introduced by optimizing codon optimization for the mutated fragment replacement. (b) ACE2 mutant library was expressed in 293T cell and incubated with the RBD of SARS-CoV-2 fused to superfolder GFP (sfGFP). (c) Error-prone PCR amplification of ACE2 protease domain induced random mutations in the rate of one mutation per 100bp and generated a library of ~105 mutants. Mutant library-transduced cells were incubated with the RBD-sfGFP. Top 0.05 % population with high level of bound RBD-sfGFP relative to ACE2 expression was sorted and underwent DNA extraction, followed by next cycle mutagenesis.

Cells that showed high binding activity were sorted, and DNA extracted from these cells were further induced with random mutations for the next selection cycle. Three such cycles of random mutation and cell sorting produced ACE2 that had over 100-fold higher affinity to RBD compared to wild-type ACE2. This protein engineering system generated a virus-neutralizing drug with high affinity comparable with that of antibodies and can provide a solution to drug resistance due to escape mutation.

Most importantly, when the neutralization potential against the authentic SARS-CoV-2 in TMPRSS2- expressing VeroE6 cells was evaluated, wild-type sACE2-Fc showed no efficiency even at 100g/ml, whereas 3N39 sACE2-Fc demonstrated significant neutralizing effect in 6.3g/ml., says the team.

The extracellular domain of the engineered ACE2 when fused to the human immunoglobulin IgG1 Fc region had a stable structure and was able to neutralize SARS-CoV-2 pseudotyped lentivirus and authentic virus at over 100-fold lower concentration than wild-type ACE2.

High affinity ACE2 decoy receptors can neutralize SARS-CoV-2

Engineering decoy receptors with improved affinity has been previously reported in cancer-related molecules. These decoy receptor drugs are used to neutralize various cytokines such as vascular tumor necrosis factor-alpha, endothelial growth factor, and CTLA-4 and are approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and orbital vascular diseases.

Though recombinant sACE2 or sACE2-Fc fusion protein has the ability to neutralize the SARS-CoV-2 virus, due to its modest binding affinity, a higher dose is required than a monoclonal antibody. The mutant ACE2s developed by the team not only had affinity comparable to anti-spike antibodies, but they also had a more extensive Interface to the RBD compared to that of antibodies, which increases their efficacy.

We developed the screening system based on the cycle of random mutation and sorting of high-affinity population in 293T cells followed by validation of neutralizing activity in a soluble form.

Based on the findings of their study, the team concluded that engineering decoy ACE2 receptors with directed evolution could be an effective approach in the development of a SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing drug that has an RBD affinity comparable to monoclonal antibodies, yet resist escape mutation of the virus.

According to the team, high-affinity, engineered ACE2 fused with Fc protein is a promising approach to neutralizing the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Also, the system they have developed can rapidly generate therapeutic candidates effective against many different viral diseases and may help fight future pandemics caused by viruses.

The time frame for running one cycle of mutagenesis and sorting was just one week in our system, and we succeeded in developing optimized mutants in a couple of months without depending on patients derived cells or tissues.

*Important Notice

bioRxiv 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.
Many organizations choose Linux for strategically important servers and systems, not least because this operating system is thought to be safer and less prone to cyberthreats than the far more popular Windows operating system. While this is the case for mass malware attacks, it is not so clear cut when it comes to advanced persistent threats (APTs). Furthermore, Kaspersky researchers have identified a trend where more and more threat actors are executing targeted attacks against Linux-based devices while developing more Linux-focused tools.

Penguin caught in the crosshairs

Over the past eight years, over a dozen APT actors have been observed to use Linux malware or some Linux-based modules. These include such infamous threat groups as Barium, Sofacy, the Lamberts, and Equation, as well as more recent campaigns such as, LightSpy by TwoSail Junk and WellMess. Diversification of their arsenal with Linux tools enables threat actors to conduct operations more effectively and with wider reach.

There is a significant trend in many countries towards using Linux as a desktop environment by big enterprise companies, as well as in governmental entities, that pushes threat actors to develop malware for this platform. The myth that Linux, being a less popular operating system, is unlikely to be targeted by malware, invites additional cybersecurity risks.

While targeted attacks on Linux-based systems are still uncommon, there is certainly malware designed for them  including webshells, backdoors, rootkits and even custom-made exploits. Moreover, the small number of attacks is misleading as the successful compromise of a server running Linux often leads to significant consequences. These include attackers not only being able to access the infected device, but also endpoints running Windows or macOS, thus providing wider access for attackers which might go unnoticed.

For instance, Turla  a prolific Russian-speaking group known for its covert exfiltration tactics - has significantly changed its toolset over the years, including the use of Linux backdoors. A new modification of the Penguin_x64 Linux backdoor, reported earlier in 2020, has according to our telemetry, infected dozens of servers in Europe and the US, as recently as July 2020.

Another example is Lazarus, a Korean-speaking APT group, which continues to diversify its toolset and develop non-Windows malware. Kaspersky recently reported on the multi-platform framework called MATA and in June 2020, researchers analyzed new samples linked to the Lazarus Operation AppleJeus and TangoDaiwbo campaigns, used in financial and espionage attacks. The samples studied included Linux malware.

The trend of enhancing APT toolsets was identified by our experts many times in the past, and Linux-focused tools are no exception. Aiming to secure their systems, IT and security departments are using Linux more often than before. Threat actors are responding to this with the creation of sophisticated tools that are able to penetrate such systems. We advise cybersecurity experts to take this trend into account and implement additional measures to protect their servers and workstations, comments Yury Namestnikov, head of Kasperskys Global Research and Analysis Team (GReAT) in Russia.

In order to avoid falling victim to a targeted attack on Linux by a known or unknown threat actor, Kaspersky researchers recommend implementing the following measures:


One of San Antonio's freshest restaurateurs is bringing seaside to Southtown when she opens a new oyster bar this fall.

Little Em's Oyster Bar, at 1001 S. Alamo St., is preparing for a fall opening date, co-owner Emily Carpenter says.
SAN FRANCISCO  The United States election seasons climate detour hit the West Coast this week, with surreal terms like climate arsonist and more explosive" trees competing for headlines as the smoke stank and the candidates bickered.

Climate change is a convenient club for former Vice President Joe Biden to pound President Donald Trump with. And for Trump in turn to beat California Democrats with. But its not an election issue priority for either.

Thats because most Americans can now witness the effects of climate change with their own eyes, either through West Coast fires, East Coast hurricanes or Midwest flooding. There is still disagreement on cause, but little on the fact that it is here. Three dozen Republicans running for U.S. House and Senate offices this election season have climate strategies or prioritize the environment, according to endorsements from the American Conservation Coalition, a conservative climate group.

The apocalyptic orange skies that encased San Franciscos Bay Area last week are gone, giving way to a blanket of thick smoke for the millions of residents, which unlike COVID-19, presents a visible threat outside our home windows. Even as the state  and Oregon and Washington north of it  begins a slow recovery from a summer of COVID spikes, the prospect of two more months of fire season has caused a general depression that psychologists call climate change grief.

Flying near wildfires like the ones in Oregon and California does not tax aircraft engines.

You will hear more about this in coming months. Because contrary to President Trumps assertion that Californias problems are a "forest management" issue, and that other countries dont have these problems, even though they have more explosive" trees, Californias problem is the worlds problem.

Wildfire season on the move

Wildfire season will soon begin in Australia and New Zealand. China and India have wildfires. Israel has had wildfires. South America has them, and this summer the Arctic has burned like never before. The world is not on fire, as some headlines suggest. But it is burning more, a result of higher temperatures caused by greenhouse gas emissions.

Story continues

Wildfires, blackouts, anger: California shows us the future of climate change

The goal of the Paris Agreement, endorsed by 197 countries in 2015 to set a limit on further global average temperature increases from greenhouse gas emissions to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, has not been breached yet. Some scientists believe it will be in the next four years.

If what we are experiencing now is a result of temperatures that are only about 1 degrees Celsius higher or a little more, what can we expect at 1.5 degrees Celsius? Or even 2 degrees Celsius?

An air tanker drops retardant as the LNU Lightning Complex fires tear through the Spanish Flat community in unincorporated Napa County, Calif., Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020. Fire crews across the region scrambled to contain dozens of wildfires sparked by lightning strikes as a statewide heat wave continues.

Next week is climate week in New York City, hosted by Climate Week NYC, in association with the United Nations and the City of New York. In past years, world leaders have flocked to the UN for their annual gathering, and climate has become more and more of an important topic. This year, while most events will be virtual because of COVID, we should still expect to hear pledges of new commitments and new money directed toward climate solutions.

Not acting fast enough

While welcome, the biggest disconnect between the climate disasters now and the corporate and political pledges of support, is that the pledges all target a year in the distant future, such as 2030 or 2050. Large institutions on Wall Street and in Europe are increasingly directing money now into investments in solutions, but even those come with a promised outcome still years away.

Toxic outside, contagious inside: Fire and COVID rage all around me. Can't we do better?

The COVID-inspired decline in greenhouse gas emissions earlier this year has now largely been squandered, as China and India regear their factories, and as the fires wipe out any gains we might have made against pollution. Biden may be reaching to call Trump a climate arsonist, as are debunked social media rumors that antifa arsonists are setting the fires out West. But the idea that we are increasingly burning our environment is no stretch. Here in California, we can taste it.

In the end, Trump is not completely off base. Climate change is a management issue. The presidents management issue. The worlds management issue. This week California. Next week the Gulf Coast. Next month Australia.

The settings change, but the results will not. Despite the smoke, we can see where this is going.

David Callaway is a former editor-in-chief of USA TODAY and the founder of Callaway Climate Insights.

You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. To respond to a column, submit a comment to letters@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Wildfires: Californias climate crisis is the whole world's problem
The Acreage Sits Outside the Agricultural Land Reserve with No Zoning Restrictions

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / September 18, 2020 / Pac Roots Cannabis Corp. ("PacRoots" or the "Company") (CSE:PACR), is pleased to announce the closing of a share purchase agreement with 1088070 BC. LTD., a company existing under the laws of Canada ("1088") and Dave Jonkman and Norm Tapp (together, the "1088 Shareholders" and each, a "1088 Shareholder") pursuant to which the Company has acquired all of the issued and outstanding shares of 1088. 1088 owns and controls nine parcels of land comprised of 250 acres of prestigious land in the Fraser Valley Region of British Columbia.

"The addition of such a substantial package of land to our portfolio is a major step for PacRoots. We are pleased to have the opportunity to add significant acreage with an acquisitional cost base of $9,600 per acre. This land has no zoning restrictions and is not situated within the Agricultural land reserve, which provides for infinite development possibilities." - President and CEO, Patrick Elliott

Following a 51-day due diligence period, the Company is satisfied with its investigations and the closing documents associated with the transaction have been exchanged. As consideration for the 1088 shares, the Company will pay an aggregate of $1.5 million in cash and issue an aggregate of 3 million common shares to the 1088 Shareholders, pro rata in accordance with their holdings as follows (the "Consideration"):

(a) 375,000 shares to be issued on or before the date which is 30 days from the date of Closing (the "Closing Date");

(b) $200,000 within three months of the Closing Date;

(c) $300,000 in cash and 562,500 common shares within 12 months of the Closing Date;

(d) $400,000 in cash and 937,500 common shares within 18 months of the Closing Date; and

(e) $600,000 and 1,125,000 common shares within 24 months after the Closing Date.

Pending the payment of the Consideration in full, 1088 will grant a mortgage over its land package in favor of the 1088 Shareholders.

The acquisition of 250 acres of pristine land in the Fraser Valley Region of British Columbia, coupled with an indoor facility in the late stages of permitting in Lake Country, B.C., and a 60% interest in a 100 acre Hemp JV project in Rock Creek, B.C., are complementary for a portfolio of production and development assets. A land package of this magnitude demonstrates a long pipeline of development projects for the Company. The Fraser Valley region of British Columbia is notoriously known as an agricultural and industrial hub for the province.

The Fraser Valley Regional District (FVRD) is one of the most intensively farmed areas in Canada, generating the most significant annual farm income of any regional district in British Columbia. Despite the rapid population growth of the region, agriculture has flourished and remains an essential component of the region's economy.

Access to a local market of over 2.5 million people, high-quality soils, favorable climate, accessible water, and proximity to educational and research institutions makes the Fraser Valley Regional District a center for agricultural production and innovation.

"Between the Fraser Valley and Rock Creek, B.C., which both rank at the top of the charts for outdoor agricultural producing regions in the Country, PacRoots is extremely well positioned for production and future development of Hemp and Cannabis infrastructure. We are both privileged and proud to be involved in these exciting programs, which will undoubtedly add accretive value to our Company and to our shareholders." Board of Director - Chad Clelland

PacRoots, through its strategic genetic licensing partner, Phenome One, has access to a large genetic library of suitable cultivars for the west coast outdoor climate which have been field tested over the past 3 years. This program has showcased some of the elite CBD and THC strains that thrive in the wetter, milder outdoor conditions that generated unexpectedly high yields while demonstrating environmental resiliency.

"The lack of superior cannabis genetics, expertise and growing conditions have been a common headline that has plagued the industry in producing a premium product for the market. With the partnership with Phenome One and the access to their extensive genetic library, PacRoots is extremely well positioned to deliver the best in industry quality and throughput to the consumers with a pipeline of scalable development properties in the portfolio." - President and CEO, Patrick Elliott

ON BEHALF OF PAC ROOTS CANNABIS CORP.

(signed) "Patrick Elliott"

Chief Executive Officer

For further information, please contact:

Pac Roots Cannabis Corp.

www.pacroots.ca

Telephone: 604-609-6171

Certain statements included in this press release constitute forward-looking information or statements (collectively, "forward-looking statements"), including those identified by the expressions "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "may", "should" and similar expressions to the extent they relate to the Company or its management. The forward-looking statements are not historical facts but reflect current expectations regarding future results or events. This press release contains forward looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and various estimates, factors and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors.

Statements about the Company's proposed acquisition of 1088 and the proposed use of the land held by 1088 as well as the Company's joint venture operations are all forward-looking information.

Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions which are difficult to predict. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include failure to obtain an industrial hemp in a timely manner or at all, the continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions, including the effects of COVID-19. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements. Although such statements are based on management's reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that the statements will prove to be accurate or that management's expectations or estimates of future developments, circumstances or results will materialize. The Company assumes no responsibility to update or revise forward-looking information to reflect new events or circumstances unless required by law. Readers should not place undue reliance on the Company's forward-looking statements.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE") nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: Pac Roots Cannabis Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/606638/PacRoots-Announces-Closing-of-Share-Purchase-Agreement-for-250-Acres-in-the-Fraser-Valley-British-Columbia
A British government minister admitted Tuesday that plans not to apply parts of the European Union divorce deal relating to Northern Ireland break international law, but only in "tightly defined circumstances".

Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis was speaking in parliament about legislation due to be published on Wednesday that will include attempts to "clarify" how last year's Withdrawal Agreement with Brussels is implemented.

Details of the proposals have caused concern among EU leaders, just as Brexit trade talks resumed, and calls for London to honour its international treaty commitments.

Lewis insisted Britain was "fully committed" to implementing the protocol on Northern Ireland, which would see the province continue to follow certain EU rules in order to keep its land border open with the Republic of Ireland.

But he said the new bill would create a "safety net" to ensure goods could move tariff-free within the United Kingdom -- including Northern Ireland -- and ensure that while EU state aid rules will apply in the province, they will not apply on the mainland -- England, Scotland and Wales.

A fellow Conservative MP, Bob Neill, questioned whether anything in the proposed UK Internal Market Bill might breach Britain's international legal obligations.

"I would say to my honourable friend that yes, this does break international law in a very specific and limited way," Lewis replied.

"We are taking the power to disapply the EU law concept of direct effect required by Article 4 in a certain, very tightly defined circumstances."

Article 4 of the Northern Ireland Protocol states how it will remain part of the UK's customs territory after Brexit.

Lewis said: "There are clear precedents for the UK and indeed other countries needing to consider their international obligations as circumstances change."

He cited a finance act in 2013 that contained provisions that "expressly disapply international tax treaties" where they allow abusive arrangements.

Lewis said Britain would seek to resolve any issues with the EU agreement through mutually agreed mechanisms.

"The clauses that will be in the bill tomorrow are specifically there so should that fail, to ensure we are able to deliver on our commitments to the people of Northern Ireland," he said.
BY ADDISON WIGGIN

Demography is destiny, they say.

The early classical economists  Smith, Ricardo, Malthus, Mill, Marshall, and others  were keenly interested in the role that the young and the aged played in building wealth.

Living at a time when birth rates were high and populations were expanding, they wanted to determine how demographic growth changed wages, savings, and output; which classes benefited; and whether a larger population was a long-term blessing.

Two centuries on, Peter Peterson, in his book Gray Dawn, warns that we might pose a different question: What happens to the wealth of nations when the populations get old and begin to shrink?

In this chapter, we look at the effects of demographic shift not because it is the only trend in place, but because it is one easily missed.

The Twin Pressures of Population Growth and Diminishing Available Resources

In his book Revolution and Rebellion in the Early Modern World, the historian Jack Andrew Goldstone argues that the great revolutions of Europe  the English and French revolutions  had one thing in common with the great rebellions of Asia that destroyed the Ottoman Empire and dynasties in Japan and China.

All these crises occurred when inflexible political, economic, and social institutions were faced with the twin pressures of population growth and diminishing available resources.

Across Europe in the early 1700s, populations began to increase as mortality rates from disease (such as plague) and famine declined, and birth rates remained high. A large excess of births over deaths during much of the early modern period produced a baby boom.

According to demographer Michael Anderson, the population in Europe doubled in the 100 years between 1750 and 1850. The age of democratic revolution in the late 1700s, including the French Revolution, coincided with an expansion in the proportion of young people.

Demographics and the French Revolution

A large, unruly, and youthful rural population was a leading cause of social stress in France prior to and during the Revolution. The population of France grew by 8 to 10 million people in the eighteenth century.

By contrast, in the previous century, the population had only increased by a million. Around 1772, Abbe Terray began the first serious survey of demographics in France. Terray pegged the population at 26 million.

By 1789, the eve of the French Revolution, Louis XVI is thought to have had nearly 30 million subjects in his realm  more than 20% of the entire population of non-Russian Europe.

These numbers, suggests a study published by George Mason University, had to have some effect. Arguably, they changed France both politically and economically. And, we might add, cost Louis his kingdom and his neck.

Russia

Likewise, the Russian population doubled between the 1850s and the beginning of World War I. From 1855 until 1913, the population of the Russian Empire increased from about 73 million to about 168 million.

The stress of feeding and providing shelter for that many people was too great for the existing order. The principal problem in the countryside was shortage of land. Rapid population growth meant that the size of allotments decreased from an average size of just over five hectares in 1861 to less than three in 1900.

In the West, industry absorbed the swelling population, but Russia could only put about one third of its new population on the assembly line. There was a growing feeling that, unless something was done, the countryside would soon explode. The peasants had a simple solution to their problems  confiscate all private lands owned by the landlords.

In a paper presented at the European Population Conference 2001, the Russian historian Lev Protasov suggested that prior to the Russian Revolution, demographic factors played an important role in stirring up the masses.

Curiously, a striking number of the radicals who helped foment the revolution were born in 1880. The 1880s generation, says Protasov, made up almost 60% radicals and dominated the left factions: 62% of socialist revolutionaries, 58% of the Bolsheviks, 63% of the national socialists and 47% of the Mensheviks. To be sure the powerful showing of young radicals in the early 20th century has been noted by historians.

In rural areas, peasants spit out children like watermelon seeds, leaving villages overwhelmed and overheated. Infant and child mortality rates fell thanks to better health care, nutrition, and sanitation.

The Russian political cataclysms of 1905 and 1917 were prepared not only by economic or political causes, concludes Protasov, but by nature acting out its own laws. The demographic bursts in the last decades of the 19th century, not only sharpened modernization problems, but speeded up the marginalization of society and gave abundant human material to the first lines of the future revolution makers.

Youth and Revolution

In his Clash of Civilizations, Samuel Huntington considers demographics to have been a major factor in political revolutions going back to the Protestant Reformation.

The Protestant Reformation, writes Huntington, is an example of one of the outstanding youth movements in history.

Citing Jack Goldstone, Huntington continues, a notable expansion of the proportion of youth in Western countries coincides with the Age of Democratic Revolution in the last decades of the 18th century. In the 19th century successful industrialization and emigration reduced the political impact of young populations in European societies. The proportion of youth rose again in the 1920s, however, providing recruits to fascist and other extreme movements. Four decades later the post-World War II baby boom generation made its mark in the demonstrations of the 1960s.

Population explosions have caused trouble. But now populations are falling. The effect could be equally devastating:

As all developed nations rely on taxes paid by young workers to support aging retirees, a declining and aging population will arrive just when the Western societies need more young people most.

Whereas young people generally exhibit a rebellious and revolutionary influence on society, what happens when people grow old? The exact opposite.

Turning Japanese

Fearfulness and loss of desire commonly accompany aging. Older people tend not to want as many things in life as young people. They lose their desire to impress friends, relatives, and partners.

Instead of buying items they dont need, they tend to become fearful that they will not be able to obtain what they do need. There is nothing peculiar about this; it is just natures way of recognizing diminishing opportunities.

A man in his forties can start over. But in his late sixties, he no longer has the energy or the desire to do so. He therefore starts saving everything  tinfoil, money, rags  for fear he will not be able to get them when he needs them.

This is how an elderly individual tends to behave. But what does an aging society look like? We need only look across the ocean  to Japan.

They have been fighting a deflationary environment since the early 1990s, with no end in sight.

The rest of the developed world could also be turning Japanese  fighting a deflationary environment with no end in sight.

: The Daily Reckoning
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 09:48:27|Editor: huaxia

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ABUJA, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Nigerian government said on Thursday that following the national response to COVID-19, the curve of the pandemic is beginning to flatten in the country.

"We cannot but say that tremendous progress has been made and that we are beginning to notice that the curve is flattening," Secretary to the Government of the Federation Boss Mustapha said at a daily press briefing of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 in Abuja.

"However, as we have always stated, this positive development shall be taken with vigilance and cautious optimism," Mustapha said.

The PTF, he said, is closely watching the situations at airports, as the most populous African nation has recently reopened its airspace for international flights. Enditem
Leibniz University Hannover and Rostock University Medical Center receive funding for the development of non-invasive optical melanoma diagnostics.



Incidence rates for black skin cancer, also known as cutaneous melanoma, continue to increase on global scale. In Germany alone, around 25,000 men and women are currently diagnosed with this most dangerous type of skin cancer, also with rising trend. Melanoma are hard to treat when diagnosed at a late stage. Therefore, early diagnosis and complete surgical excision are essential for improving of the prognosis of patients in general.

Furthermore, with progression of the disease, the average treatment costs per patient increase significantly from a few thousand Euros (stage I) to several hundred thousand Euros (stage III/IV). To date, a precise diagnosis is only possible after surgical removal of the suspicious lesion and subsequent histopathology. In case the lesion is malignant, any remaining tumour tissue needs to be removed in a second excision with a safety margin, and also adjacent lymph nodes.



To enable non-invasive, fast and ultimately also cheaper diagnosis, a team of physicists from the Leibniz University Hanover is working together with physicians from the University Dermatology Clinic Rostock. The team at the Hanover Centre for Optical Technologies (HOT) lead by Prof. Dr. Bernhard Roth is developing the optical system for the non-invasive measurement, the so-called optical biopsy.

The collaborating team of Prof. Dr. Steffen Emmert, Director of the Clinic and Polyclinic for Dermatology and Venereology at the University Medical Center Rostock carries out the diagnostic validation and testing in the clinical practice. During the past years, the two scientists have already worked together on this topic and demonstrated the feasibility of their approach.



The proposed "skin scanner" is intended to reliably detect both the benign or malignant nature of a lesion and the penetration depth. For this purpose, the physicists combine three optical technologies: Optical Coherence Tomography is used to provide information about thinner skin lesions. It is comparable to ultrasound, except that light waves are employed instead of sound. The optoacoustic modality relies on laser pulses to generate sound waves in the tissue which analyze the thicker lesions.

Finally, Raman spectroscopy which exploits the scattering of light in the tissue is used to obtain a "fingerprint" of each lesion revealing whether it is malignant or benign.

"At present, no other technology can provide non-invasive diagnostics. Our approach would, therefore, represent a real innovation in the field," says Roth, who is also developing new optical measurement techniques for broad applications, e.g. in medicine or environmental analysis, within the Cluster of Excellence PhoenixD of Leibniz University Hannover.



The method offers several advantages: In future, the "optical biopsy" could replace the scalpel in skin cancer diagnostics. Suspicious lesions will be scanned non-invasively potentially replacing surgical excision and histopathology. Furthermore, waiting times for doctors and patients will be reduced, as they will know immediately after the scan whether the lesion is malignant or not. The new procedure could also save costs for unnecessary interventions, as currently 86 to 95 per cent of the lesions turn out to be benign.



The non-invasive system will also incorporate concepts from artificial intelligence so that the diagnostic accuracy can be improved continuously.

It is our goal that future examinations will no longer have to be performed exclusively by a physician, but also by non-medical personnel." Anatoly Fedorov Kukk, research associate in the project

"If doctors could detect only ten per cent of melanoma at an earlier stage, health systems could save costs of up to several million euros per year," says Emmert. "The new device could also be used for other skin diseases and lead to completely new approaches in therapy monitoring", he adds.

The German Research Foundation (DFG) is funding the research with around 1.1 million euros and in total three staff positions in Hannover and Rostock for the duration of three years.

The PhoenixD Cluster of Excellence

Between 2019 and 2025, the Cluster of Excellence PhoenixD led by Leibniz University Hannover will receive approximately 52 million euros of funding from the federal government and the State of Lower Saxony via the German Research Foundation (DFG). The cluster is a collaboration of TU Braunschweig, Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute), Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt and Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V. Within the scope of the cluster, more than 100 scientists from the fields of physics, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, chemistry, computer science and mathematics conduct interdisciplinary research. The Cluster explores the possibilities offered by digitalisation for novel optical systems as well as their production and application.
London, Sep 18 : A senior high court judge has halted a UK Home Office charter flight meant to deport 20 asylum seekers to Spain, a country they had previously passed through before crossing the English Channel to Britain.

The order to ground the flight came from Judge Duncan Ouseley because of concerns that the asylum seekers might be left stranded in the streets of Madrid, as it happened to another group earlier this month.

The legal challenge was launched last week on behalf of five asylum seekers - four from Yemen and one from Syria, after The Guardian revealed that 11 Syrian asylum seekers who arrived in the UK on small boats and were deported to Spain because they had been finger-printed in that country, were told to leave the airport in Madrid.

Chris Buttler, counsel for the five asylum seekers, who brought the legal challenge, told the court that the asylum seekers the Home Office wanted to deport to Spain on Thursday were at risk of "indefinite street homelessness".

However, Russell Fortt, counsel for the home secretary, told the court that the Home Office had made inquiries about reception arrangements for the asylum seekers with the Spanish authorities.

"Assurances have now been requested and have been given," he said.

"It is sufficient to ensure that on this occasion they (the Spanish authorities) have given the undertaking." Fortt added that the psychiatric needs of the three asylum seekers who faced removal could also be adequately addressed in Spain.

Judge Ouseley said he was halting the charter flight so that a hearing could be arranged as soon as possible to investigate reception arrangements for asylum seekers sent to Spain from the UK in more detail.

This is the second time a Home Office charter flight has been grounded by a high court action.

As per the Dublin III Regulations, a European country can return asylum seekers to another they have previously passed through if there is evidence of this in the form of fingerprints or any other proof.

Home Secretary Priti Patel has pledged to remove 1,000 small boat arrivals before the end of the year when Britain completes its exit from the European Union.

In response to the judgement, Patel said: "We are bitterly disappointed with the court's ruling, which has prevented us from returning people who have no right to be here.

"This case has not abated our determination, and we have more flights planned in the coming weeks and months."
Geneva, Sept, 17 2020 (SPS) -The participants in a videoconference, held Tuesday in Geneva by the Support Group to Western Sahara, urged the United Nations (UN) to accelerate the holding of a self-determination referendum on occupied Western Sahara.

On the sidelines of the Geneva Conference themed 60th anniversary of UN Resolution 1514: Its implementation in Western Sahara, a high-level panel brought together the President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) Brahim Gali, Namibias Deputy Minister Nandi-Ndaitwah, the Foreign Minister of Timor-Leste Xavier Reis Magno and the Representative of South Africa to Geneva Mxakato-Diseko.

The former UN SG special Representative and former head of MINURSO, MEP Barrena Arza and the chairman of the Sahrawi human rights committee also attended the panel.

The conference was an opportunity for the participants to reaffirm their full and inalienable support to the Sahrawi people for the enjoyment of their right to self-determination, said the Support Group in a communique.

They also denounced "the multiple and recurrent maneuvers to postpone indefinitely the referendum on self-determination," noting that the UN General Assembly had asked Spain to hold this popular consultation in 1966.

Speaking at the meeting, Namibia's Deputy Prime Minister Nandi-Ndaitwah said the UN could hold the referendum.

The General Assembly could not "maintain its expectant attitude, since inaction or indecisiveness perpetuates the illegal status quo and encourages the occupying forces to continue its human rights violations in the territory.

The FM of Timor-Leste Xavier Reis Magno reaffirmed the constant support of his country to the Saharawi people in their struggle for freedom, recalling that his country led a struggle similar to that of the Sahrawis to achieve independence.

While expressing regret at the failure of the UN to organize this referendum, the minister encouraged the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to "give due attention to the territory of Western Sahara.SPS

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NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Sept. 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PIMCO, one of the worlds premier fixed income investment managers, announces it has hired Mathieu Clavel as Managing Director and Portfolio Manager  Head of Private Credit Europe. Mr. Clavel will be based in London when he joins in 2021.



In his role, Mr. Clavel will build upon and manage PIMCOs European special situations business, working closely with the firms portfolio management team in its traditional, hedge fund, and private strategy groups to identify and capitalize on potential opportunities in private capital solutions, stressed and distressed corporate credit. He will also be responsible for continuing to develop PIMCOs deep bench of portfolio management expertise in this area and continuing the firms strategic goal of hiring additional top industry talent into its private strategies business.

Mathieu brings to PIMCO deep experience in identifying, analyzing and executing investment opportunities in stressed and distressed credit in Europe, the Middle East and Asia across a wide range of sectors, said Emmanuel Roman, PIMCOs Chief Executive Officer. We are excited to have Mathieu join our talented portfolio management team in identifying the excellent opportunities we see in stressed and distressed corporate credit.

Mathieus hiring is a critical part of our focus on further developing our special situations platform in Europe as part of our broader focus on opportunistic and alternative strategies for clients, said Dan Ivascyn, PIMCOs Group Chief Investment Officer.

The dislocation in global markets has created excellent investment opportunities in stressed and distressed corporate credit and Mathieus deep expertise in this space will provide our clients with tremendous value, said Jamie Weinstein, Managing Director and Head of Corporate Special Situations.

Mr. Clavel will join PIMCO from Sculptor Capital, the multi-strategy hedge fund formerly known as Och-Ziff Capital Management, where he was Head of European and Asian Corporate Credit and Co-Head of Europe.

Biography

Mathieu Clavel will be a Managing Director, Head of Private Credit Europe. He will manage European corporate activities across PIMCOs private strategies. Prior to joining PIMCO, Mr. Clavel was Head of European and Asian Corporate Credit and Co-Head of Europe for Sculptor Capital, the multi-strategy hedge fund formerly known as Och-Ziff Capital Management, where he worked for 11 years. In this role, he focused on identifying and executing investment opportunities in European, Middle Eastern and Asian credit, particularly stressed and distressed credit across a broad range of sectors. Prior to this, he served in a similar role originating investment opportunities in distressed credit for Silver Point Capital. Mr. Clavel has also held roles in credit analysis for GSC Group and Schroder Salomon Smith Barney, both in London. He holds a Masters in Accounting and Finance from the London School of Economics and a Masters in Political Sciences from the Institut dEtudes Politiques, in Aix en Provence, France.

About PIMCO

PIMCO is one of the worlds premier fixed income investment managers. With its launch in 1971 in Newport Beach, California, PIMCO introduced investors to a total return approach to fixed income investing. In the 45+ years since, the firm continued to bring innovation and expertise to our partnership with clients seeking the best investment solutions. Today PIMCO has offices across the globe and 2,800+ professionals united by a single purpose: creating opportunities for investors in every environment. PIMCO is owned by Allianz SE, a leading global diversified financial services provider.

Except for the historical information and discussions contained herein, statements contained in this news release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, including the performance of financial markets, the investment performance of PIMCO's sponsored investment products and separately managed accounts, general economic conditions, future acquisitions, competitive conditions and government regulations, including changes in tax laws. Readers should carefully consider such factors. Further, such forward-looking statements speak only on the date at which such statements are made. PIMCO undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements.

Contact:

Michael Reid

PIMCO  Media Relations

Ph. 212-597-1301

Email: Michael.Reid@pimco.com
During the Fox interview, he also threw shade at President Obama, Kim Davis, the Black Lives Matter movement and Planned Parenthood

Donald Trump has often espoused misinformation on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, and the president's YouTube channel is no different  with a new report detailing a bevy of inaccuracies featured in his most popular video.

The video, titled With Joe Biden, China Is In Charge has received over 21 million views by the time of publication on Thursday. It was released in mid-August, and attacks the former vice president for his apparent record surrounding Beijing and Chinas economic rise on the global stage.

But its loaded with the same misinformation Mr Trump has used against his 2020 opponent across other platforms, as the Washington Post reported.

Like many other videos shared on the presidents YouTube channel, his most-popular content on the site includes selectively-edited clips to make Mr Biden appear soft and weak when it comes to trade and security negotiations with China.

For example, the video Mr Trump shared shows Mr Biden saying We want to see China rise before the following statement is displayed: While China was crippling America  Joe Biden was standing up for China.

In reality, Mr Biden was speaking at a 2015 State Department luncheon about the strategic relationship between Washington and China  a US policy that existed before the former vice president served in the White House and which transcended multiple administrations, as Washington Post noted in its report.

Yes, Mr Biden did in fact express support for Chinas rise at that luncheon. But the full quote provides significant context left absent in the Trump campaign advertisement.

Let me be clear: We do not fear Chinas rise. We want to see China rise, to continue to rise in a responsible way that will benefit you most, China, because you have an important role to play, Mr Biden said in the full quote that was not included in Mr Trumps video.

He added: A rising China can be a significant asset for the region and the world, and selfishly, for the United States.

Story continues

Perhaps ironically, many of the quotes the Trump campaign used against Mr Biden in its advertisement were actually part of speeches in which the former vice president was hitting Beijing or otherwise expressing US strength over international economic policies.

At one point the Trump campaign ad quotes Mr Biden saying: China is going to eat our lunch? Come on, man.

Again, the full quote paints a clearer picture of Mr Bidens actual sentiments: China is going to eat our lunch? Come on, man. They cant even figure out how to deal with the fact that they have this great division between the China Sea and the mountains in the east, I mean in the west. They cant figure out how they are going to deal with the corruption that exists within the system. I mean, you know, theyre not bad folks, folks. But guess what, theyre not competition for us.

On the other hand, Mr Bidens YouTube page  which has far less views and is much less popular on the video-sharing platform  does not contain misinformation and instead offers a positive view in much of its content, the Post reported.

Read more

The most expensive election in history? How 2020 became the year of 'fundraising on steroids'
(Newser)  A London court has been told in detail that President Trump offered Julian Assange a deal for a pardon through a Republican congressman. Jennifer Robinson, Assange's lawyer, provided a witness statement in which she said she was there when Dana Rohrabacher, a Republican House member at the time, presented the offer to Assange, Reuters reports. In exchange, Robinson said, Trump wanted to know who leaked Democratic Party emails to WikiLeaks, which Assange founded. Robinson's statement said the terms required "that Mr. Assange identify the source for the 2016 election publications in return for some form of pardon, assurance or agreement, which would both benefit President Trump politically and prevent US indictment and extradition." Robinson said the meeting took place at Ecuador's embassy in London in 2017. Assange is in court to fight extradition to the US.

story continues below

Assange did not name the emails' source, Robinson said, spurning the offer that Rohrabacher called a "win-win situation," per the Guardian. Assange's legal team made the claim in February, which was denied at the time by White House aides. A spokesman said Trump barely knows Rohrabacher and had not talked to him about "this subject or almost any subject. It is a complete fabrication and a total lie." WikiLeaks published the emails, which appeared to be damaging to Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign against Trump. US intelligence agencies have said Russia did the hacking. The embassy meeting ended, Robinson's statement said, with Rohrabacher promising to talk to Trump "about exactly what would be done to prevent Mr. Assange's indictment and extradition." (Read more Julian Assange extradition stories.)
(Ross May / Los Angeles Times; Getty Images)

Finally, some good news for leisure travelers: Youre the ones the industry wants.

Yes, you. The ones who thrill to see the world, love hopping on a plane to visit the kids or grandkids, find a great airfare and follow that bliss wherever it leads you.

After years of being treated like the little-noticed second cousin from Poughkeepsie, you're having your moment in the spotlight. If the travel industry is going to recover, youre the ones who will lead the way.

Thats not just wishful thinking on my part nor is it my admitted bias for leisure travel, which I have written about for two decades. Its other people and entities, including travel associations and airlines, that are making  dare I use the word unprecedented  overtures toward us acknowledging that we, not business travelers, are the engine that will drive this recovery.

In other words, they like us! They really like us! Here are the indicators and the good news they portend for leisure travelers.

Why the spotlight?

The U.S. Travel Assn., which advocates for the travel industry, has launched an initiative designed to coax leisure travelers to start thinking about traveling again.

We know all the reasons we like to travel, despite the annoyances, but heres a reason our country likes us to travel: Since March, when the coronavirus was declared a national emergency, the U.S. travel economy has been hit with $367 billion in losses, the association said.

Much of that reflects the collapse of business travel, a spending loss the Wall Street Journal reported would top $2 trillion worldwide in 2020. Although the number of business travelers by percentage lags leisure travelers, those business folks generally spend significantly more on their travel because, unlike us, they are not as price sensitive.

They are the golden children. At least, they used to be. But business travel isnt likely to come back full throttle any time soon, Zoom and other tools being what they are.

Story continues

Now were getting the baton and the industry is cheering us on.

Whats in it for us?

The day after Labor Day  the unofficial end of the summer travel season  the U.S. Travel Assn. launched a campaign called Lets Go There, aimed at the domestic leisure traveler.

But its message is more demure than Get on an airplane! Jump in the car! Take a train! Whatever you do, just get out there. Instead, said Greg Staley, a spokesman for the travel association, The campaign is not saying Go now. What the campaign is saying is just begin thinking about where your next travels may take you.

The far-reaching effort, which includes Disney, American and Delta airlines, and Marriott hotels among the 75 or so organizations behind it, recognizes that the time now isnt right for everyone, Staley said. But he emphasized the mental health benefits of planning and dreaming, which dont cost a dime.

And who couldnt stand to be a little mentally healthier after this kick in the athleisure pants weve all taken to wearing at home?

Beyond that, however, the leisure traveler will benefit from airlines new relaxed attitudes toward change fees on domestic flights. Those hit business travelers too, of course, but they dont feel the pain in the pocket the way the self-funded leisure traveler does.

That loosening of penalties on United, American, Delta and Alaska, among others (Southwest has never charged a change fee), makes booking a bit less worrisome, especially in times of re-inflating curves that had flattened.

United and American also are offering day-of standby flights, although youll incur a $75 fee if you lack elite airline status. (Read the rules carefully.) And if youre a super-low-fare customer, a.k.a. basic economy, you may be able to get a break on change fees but, again, determine the details when you book.

We all love a cheap airfare, and if thats the case, you may drool at some that have landed in my inbox. I subscribe to the free service at Scotts Cheap Flights and the new Moonfish; others I found by using an airfare search engine as I dreamed of being  not here, including a $170 round-trip fare to Washington, D.C.

Another benefit for the leisure traveler , said Henry Harteveldt of Atmosphere Research, which focuses on the travel industry, is the number of routes being introduced that arent necessarily business destinations. That makes sense, he said, because leisure travel accounts for 90% of the people flying right now. Normally they would account for 55% or so.

Some fares I just spotted (but that might no longer be available) for Oct. 21-28 from LAX: $143 nonstop to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on JetBlue; $232 to Grand Junction Colo., on United and American; $258 to Kalamazoo, Mich., on United and Delta; and this eye-popper on Alaska: $137 round trip to Spokane, Wash.

As for hotels, stay five nights or more at the Marriott Fishermans Wharf in San Francisco and get a king room that averages $147 a night; or take advantage of rates of $127 a night at the Hotel Indigo in Del Mar or $251 a night at La Quinta Resort & Club for a midweek October stay. None of these rates includes taxes or fees and might no longer be available.

And then theres group travel

As you look ahead but find travel restrictions too complex and details too overwhelming, the group trip may be for you.

Unlike business travel, you cant replace leisure travel with Zoom, said Terry Dale, president and chief executive of U.S. Tour Operators Assn., a consortium of 140 companies. You at some point have to touch it, feel it, breathe it, he said of any leisure destination.

Group travel may conjure images of giant buses disgorging fanny-packed, Bermuda-shorts-clad travelers, but the move toward smaller groups was a trend even before COVID-19 made it a safer way to go, given social distancing.

Every year we do a trend survey, Dale said. For the last two years, the smaller group movement has been in the top three trends from our members, so that was [a trend] even pre-pandemic.

But wont smaller groups make trips more expensive? We dont necessarily assume because [the group] is smaller youre going to see a higher price point, Dale said. The desire to get back to work may mean your tour company is holding down costs to help restart the industry.

Group travel also addresses what has become a critical issue for some: loneliness. Its a chance to meet people, said Phyllis Stoller, who owns and operates the small-group Womens Travel Group. Its demographic, she said, is usually women from 40 to anything, married and single traveling solo.

Once youve traveled in a group of 10 or 12, you dont want to go back to 40, she said.

Further, the leisure traveler is a value proposition for airlines and hotels: Were the ones who are going to check a bag, she said, because were going to stay a week. And, she said, women are more apt to order room service and rent a movie at night.

Whats not to love? One thing, perhaps, and something leisure travelers can learn from their business traveler counterparts, said Stoller, who spent part of her career in banking. If you have a problem with the hotel or the travel provider, approach it as a business traveler would. Ask to speak with the person in charge, dont lose your cool and ask for the persons card. Explain the situation and try to work out a solution. Things do go wrong, but usually they are not the end of the world, especially these days.

The pandemics one gift may be perspective. If we do get to travel, perhaps starting by putting our toe in, we once again will remember that feeling of seeing the world anew with the knowledge that we, as leisure travelers, are a big part of the return to normal.

For now, lets enjoy our moment  however long it lasts.

Have a travel question, problem or dilemma? Write to catharine@catharinehamm.com. We regret we cannot answer every inquiry.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Dr. Wayne Murray, who was detained by police for the better part of the working day on Tuesday, was released on the same day without charge.





According to Dr. Murray in a Facebook post on Wednesday: "Yesterday, I was arrested and detained for a day by the police and released without charge. I was visited by four CID officers who arrested me at my clinic whilst attending to patients and took me to the central station.





He said the police officers, on executing their instructions, informed him that the Commissioner of Police wanted to speak with him at Police Headquarters, Kingstown.





Murray, who is what some describe as an unapologetic critic of the current administration (government), took the origin of Tuesdays action by the police back to governments recent move to acquire lands owned by his wifes family. This after tenants (on the land) had been given notice to vacate the lands they occupied.





It was Murrays contention that the government had had no discussion with his family before pursuing the acquisition, and that the intent to acquire, since there have not been any accompanying survey or value, has created a permanent settlement on the land.





"The boundaries are not finalized thus the people assume or take liberty to enter the entire property and steal even in our very personal space of our home. This is done even in the day when witnessed, said Murray of the ongoing plight of he and his family, including his wife who is a cancer survivor.





"I spoke to the Prime Minister and told him to clean his mess, as the security of my family is in question. He sent officials from the police and Surveys Department to speak to the tenants, but seemingly they have a higher authority so the actions continue, Dr. Murray explained in his post.





He said that it was on such basis that he made the statement which prompted the police visit.





"I am of the belief that our issue here is well within the public and nations overview - that it is not a private event. The police are aware of the problems created and existing, said the doctor, adding, "I will continue to defend my family.





Here is an excerpt from a post that appeared on Dr. Murrays Facebook feed on Tuesday: "Notice to the Commissioner of Police and Prime Minister. When I kill one of these people on this property, it would be in your watch. I am telling you now that I will be putting persons down from today!!!





Attempt to get a comment from the police proved futile.
The administration of Donald Trump considered - and then scrapped - a plan to distribute as many as 650m face marks across the nation as far back as April, new documents reveal

As the president continues to raise questions about the wisdom of wearing masks, in contrast to the overwhelming bulk of scientists, documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) show the government was to deliver a five-pack of masks to every US household in April.

The documents, obtained by the Washington Post from American Oversight, a watchdog group, reveal the US Postal Service (USPS) had even prepared a draft press release to accompany the packages.

The US Postal Service today announced it will distribute 650 million reusable cotton face coverings on behalf of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to every residential delivery point in America, beginning in areas which HHS has identified as experiencing high transmission rates of Covid-19 and to workers providing essential services throughout the nation during this pandemic, the proposed release read.

This unprecedented undertaking is being done in partnership with the White House Coronavirus Task Force, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and a consortium of textile manufacturers. Project: America Strong sub-task force within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Unified Command Structure, is complementing the Administrations whole-of-nation response to Covid-19.

 Donald Trump mocks Joe Biden for not wearing a mask

It added: The first shipments are expected to reach US households as early as April.

The Post said the plan to distribute the masks was scrapped by the administration because it did not want to cause panic. Rather, the health department created Project America Strong, a $675m effort to distribute reusable cotton face masks to critical infrastructure sectors, companies, healthcare facilities, and faith-based and community organisations across the country. About 600m of the 650m masks ordered have been distributed, it said.

There was concern from some in the White House domestic policy council and the office of the vice president that households receiving masks might create concern or panic, one official told the newspaper.

Mr Trump has defended his governments actions amid controversy sparked by a new book by Bob Woodward, that the president was aware of the seriousness posed by the virus as early as February. He said he did not want to create panic by being more upfront with the public.

The revelations come as the number of infections from coronavirus in the United States hit 6.7m and the number of deaths stands at least as many as 197,000, with new outbreaks appearing all the time, most recently in New Jersey.

Meanwhile, the president has continued to raise questions about the effectiveness of wearing masks, holding large campaign rallies with little social distancing, and rarely wearing a mask himself.

This week, the Centres for Disease Control director, Robert Redfield, told Congress wearing a mask may be even more effective than a vaccine.

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 per cent. And if I don't get an immune response, the vaccine is not going to protect me. This face mask will, he said.

Asked about Mr Redfield comments later, Mr Trump said his health chief was mistaken and may have misunderstood the question, adding: Masks have problems too  A lot of people did not like the concept of mask initially, Dr [Anthony] Fauci didnt like it initially.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The government on Friday carried out a comprehensive review of the overall situation in eastern Ladakh including India's operational preparedness in view of the continued belligerence by the Chinese army and its fresh attempts to "intimidate" Indian troops in the region, government sources said.

At a nearly 90-minute meeting of the high-power China Study Group, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Bipin Rawat and the three service chiefs also looked at further enhancing the vigil along the nearly 3,500-km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC), including in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim sectors, they said.

Army Chief Gen. M M Naravane briefed the meeting about the fresh face-offs between Indian and Chinese troops at both the north and south bank of the Pangong lake and elaborated on steps taken to effectively deal with such attempts, the sources said.

"The meeting of the China Study Group reviewed all aspects of the situation," said a source.

The meeting also deliberated on arrangements being made to maintain the current level of troops and weapons in all forward areas in eastern Ladakh and other sensitive high-altitude sectors in the harsh winter months when the temperature drops up to minus 25 degree Celsius.

ALSO READ | China should work with India for complete disengagement: MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava

The sources said the meeting also briefly touched upon the main talking points to be raised by the Indian side at the next Corps commander-level talks which is expected to focus on the implementation of an agreement reached between foreign ministers of India and China at a meeting in Moscow on September 10.

"We will insist on early and complete disengagement of Chinese troops from all friction points. That is the first step for restoration of peace and tranquillity along the border," said a source.

The sources said the Chinese People's Liberation Army(PLA) is yet to respond to the Indian Army's communication to it on holding the next round of the Corps commander-level talks.

"There is no date as of now as the Chinese military is yet to respond to it. The talks could take place sometime next week," a source said.

The two sides have so far held five rounds of talks at the level of Corps commanders.

The sources said the situation remained tense at both the north and south bank of the Pangong lake area as well as at other friction points in eastern Ladakh.

There have been at least three attempts by the PLA to "intimidate" Indian troops along the north and south bank of Pangong lake area in the last three weeks where even shots were fired in the air for the first time at the LAC in 45 years.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava on Thursday said China should take forward the process for complete disengagement of troops from all friction points including at the Pangong lake area, and asked it not to make unilateral attempts to change the status quo.

He said both sides should focus on easing tensions in the friction areas by refraining from any actions that may lead to an escalation in the situation.

The assertion by Srivastava came in the backdrop of remarks by Chinese foreign ministry on Wednesday that it was for India to initiate the process to disengage and restore peace along the LAC.

Both sides reached a five-point agreement to resolve the border standoff at a meeting between External Affairs minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on September 10 on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation(SCO) meet in Moscow.

ALSO READ | US provided 'strong, unambiguous support' to India during border crisis with China: WH official

The agreement included measures like quick disengagement of troops, avoiding action that could escalate tensions, adherence to all agreements and protocols on border management and steps to restore peace along the LAC.

The situation in eastern Ladakh deteriorated 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 been occupying the areas between Finger 4 and Finger 8.

The mountain spurs in the area is called Fingers.

China has strongly objected to India's move.

However, India has maintained that the heights are on its side of the LAC.

India has also rushed in additional troops and weapons to the sensitive region following China's transgression attempts.

Following China's fresh attempts to change the status quo in the southern bank of Pangong lake, India has further bolstered its military presence in the region.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 23:54:03|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The UN peacekeeping chief on Thursday said it is critical for member states to pay their assessed contributions in full and in due time.

"We are going through pressures on the peacekeeping budget," Jean-Pierre Lacroix, UN undersecretary-general for peace operations, said during a virtual news briefing in response to Xinhua's questions.

"A certain degree of pressure is a healthy thing for peacekeeping, because that, of course, incentivizes us to spend cautiously and prudently," he said.

However, Lacroix said, it is "critical" for UN peacekeeping that member states pay in full and in due time their contributions to both UN peacekeeping budget and regular budget. Otherwise, it will hurt the interests of troop and police of contributing countries.

"When peacekeeping incurs delays in the payment of contribution, those who are affected primarily are troop and police contributing countries because the UN has to delay reimbursement and we think it's unfair," he said.

"They should be reimbursed in due time and that requires a full payment of assessed contributions and payment in due time," said the UN peacekeeping chief.

Speaking about major challenges facing UN peacekeeping, Lacroix said that the biggest challenge is division in the international community.

Noting that the ultimate objective of peacekeeping is to support political efforts, he said "we cannot be alone in doing this."

"We need more unity of purpose, and we need a stronger political support from stakeholders," he said.

The second biggest challenge, according to Lacroix, is the increasingly dangerous and challenging environment in which peacekeeping is deployed and active.

The COVID-19 pandemic has become "an additional challenge," Lacroix said, stressing that the missions have been able to continue and must continue.

"We're making a lot of efforts both to protect our people and the level of contamination within our missions remains relatively low," Lacroix said.

"We're continuing our efforts to support national and local efforts to help communities contain the spread of the virus," he added.

"Peacekeeping is a collective endeavor and partnership that helps countries torn by conflict create conditions for lasting peace. We are grateful to China for its continued contribution to UN peacekeeping over the years, both as a contributor of police and military uniformed personnel and as a major financial contributor," the UN peacekeeping chief said in a separate interview with Xinhua.

"China currently deploys more than 2,500 uniformed peacekeepers to nine of our peacekeeping operations, where, alongside nearly 120 contributing countries, they are protecting civilians, helping to build rule of law and security institutions, clearing explosive remnants of war, assisting in repairing critical infrastructure, and, most recently, helping to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. We are deeply grateful for China's continued and wide-ranging commitment to United Nations peacekeeping," said Lacroix. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 09:47:24|Editor: huaxia

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CHANGSHA, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, on Thursday urged the country's cultural industry to keep to the right path and make innovations to ensure the sector's sustainable and healthy development.

Xi made the remarks when he visited a cultural industry park in Changsha, the capital city of central China's Hunan Province. Enditem
Malaysias aim to attract medical tourists by focusing on curbing the coronavirus outbreak hit a roadblock as resurgences around the world limited its ability to reopen borders.

Hospitals in the country can expect to earn 800 million ringgit ($194 million) of revenue from medical tourists next year, compared with 500 million ringgit this year, according to the Malaysia Healthcare Tourism Council. Thats far short of the 1.7 billion ringgit the industry earned in 2019 and its earlier 2020 target for 2 billion ringgit.

We may not have a normal travel behavior pattern returning soon, the councils Chief Executive Officer Sherene Azli said in an interview. Before this we thought that the borders, the pandemic will go earlier than expected, now we are thinking borders will not be relaxed even in mid-2021 or even at the end of 2021.

Malaysia started allowing medical tourists from six countries including Singapore, Japan and Australia to enter from July. Since then the country has banned citizens of dozens of countries with more than 150,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, amid concern over local outbreaks that could be traced back to visitors from overseas.

The country expects to welcome fewer than 300,000 medical tourists in 2020, compared with 1.2 million last year, Sherene said.

Malaysias hospitals have resorted to offering online consultations to adapt, with plans to focus on improving services for cancer, heart diseases and fertility treatment during this slow period, she added.

We feel that is a strong trust that we can build for Malaysia in terms of delivering world-class quality healthcare, Sherene said.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)

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Network Ten is at the centre of a Federal Court fight after it allegedly "buried" a defamation clarification online.

American Dylan Hafertepen launched defamation proceedings last year against Ten over a November 2018 segment on The Project about the death of his Australian partner Tank Hafertepen, formerly known as Jack Chapman, who died after injecting silicone into his genitals.

American man Dylan Hafertepen, left, and his late partner Tank Hafertepen, formerly known as Jack Chapman. Credit:Facebook

The men had been in a consensual dominant-submissive relationship in which Dylan was regarded as the "master" of submissive "pup" Tank.

The parties reached a settlement on April 24 this year. Ten agreed to publish a clarification on the 10play website for at least 14 days, stating Ten "did not intend to suggest and does not suggest that Mr [Dylan] Hafertepen had anything to do with that death" and if "anyone took it to mean that" the suggestion was unreservedly retracted.
(Natural News) For those who have been hearing mysterious bangs and booms, no worries, that is just the sounds of tens of thousands liberal heads exploding, as Attorney General William Barr drops truth bomb after truth bomb and Democrats, liberals, and the media ( all the same at this point), just cant deal.

(Article by Susan Duclos republished from AllNewsPipeline.com)

From telling prosecutors that violent rioters can be charged with sedition, to taking aim at some in the DOJ, to calling the lockdowns by governors across the nation, The greatest intrusion of civil liberties in history aside from slavery, while taking on the Black Lives Matter movement, stating Theyre not interested in black lives, Barr has been on a truth bombing run.

BARR: MEDIA A COLLECTION OF LIARS

On September 11, 2020, Townhall was able to get an exclusive interview with AG Barr, where he let loose some hard truths about the MSM, using the example of their coverage of the violent riots that have been seen over the last few months, in liberal cities like NYC, Portland, Minneapolis and Lancaster.

Via Townhall:

Theyre basically a collection of liars. Most of the mainstream media. Theyre a collection of liars and they know exactly what theyre doing. A perfect example of that were the riots. Right on the street it was clear as day what was going on, anyone observing it, reporters observing it, it could not have escaped their attention that this was orchestrated violence by a hardened group of street fighting radicals and they kept on excluding from their coverage all the video of this and reporting otherwise and they were doing that for partisan reasons, and they were lying to the American people. It wasnt until they were caught red-handed after essentially weeks of this lie that they even started feeling less timid, Barr said on the flight back to Washington Friday afternoon. The press has dropped, in my view  and Im talking about the national mainstream media  has dropped any pretense of professional objectivity and are political actors, highly partisan who try to shape what theyre reporting to achieve a political purpose and support a political narrative that has nothing to do with the truth. Theyre very mendacious about it, he continued. Its very destructive to our Republic; its very destructive to the Democratic system to have that, especially being so monolithic. Its contributing to a lot of the intensity and partisanship.

Barr then continued to give specific examples, such as CNNs Fiery but peaceful protest chyron along with all the media insisting the protests were peaceful until they couldnt get away with it anymore.

It is also being reported that Barr believes the violence may get much worse leading up the November election.

BARR: VIOLENT  PROTESTERS CAN BE CHARGED WITH SEDITION

It is being reported by multiple sources, including Wall Street Journal that AG Barr has informed prosecutors that they could charge violent rioters (not peaceful protesters) with sedition and other federal crimes, as federal authorities attempt to quell the violence by Antifa and BLM groups.

Attorney General William Barr told the nations federal prosecutors to be aggressive when charging violent demonstrators with crimes, including potentially prosecuting them for plotting to overthrow the U.S. government, people familiar with the conversation said. In a conference call with U.S. attorneys across the country last week, Mr. Barr warned that sometimes violent demonstrations across the U.S. could worsen as the November presidential election approaches. He encouraged the prosecutors to seek a number federal charges, including under a rarely used sedition law, even when state charges could apply, the people said.

Of course the spin being pushed by media and others supportive of the violent protests is that the Trump administration is planning to crackdown on protests, when peaceable gatherings are protected under the constitution, when the topic is not peaceful protesters but arsonists and violent thugs, among others.

Read more at: AllNewsPipeline.com
I think Bill was talking both to the left and to the right, Cullen said, adding: This is mainstream thought. This isnt just Bill being on a one-man crusade. There are a lot of people who feel that way in the type of work that I do and others do, that theres been somewhere between a subtle and a dramatic shift toward hunting people, not hunting crimes, and thats scary, because of the incredible power that a U.S. attorney and an assistant U.S. attorney have.
DEAR ABBY: A friend's wife died six months ago after a 10-year battle with cancer. He was her faithful caretaker, as she was mostly homebound and bedridden. He told me previously that he has had a female friend for the last four years. He didn't say, but I think she comes "with benefits" (i.e., they have been intimate). Her office and his workplace regularly interact, and he knows her family and her kids.

He likes me, and I like him. During this initial grief period  perhaps even for a year  I wish to only be friends, and I have told him we are not going to be intimate anytime soon. As his grief lessens, it is possible that he and I may eventually date. But I don't feel good about his female friend, and I wouldn't want her in our space at all, not even as a casual friend. If they have been lovers, I would want him to cut all ties with her.

Abby, how likely is a widower to carry forward the (likely) mistress he had during the wife's protracted illness?

 Waiting in the wings

DEAR WAITING: Very likely! Although I wish you good hunting, you may be four years too late to bag this buck.

DEAR ABBY: My 28-year-old daughter is having our first grandchild. My daughter and I have a good relationship, but she doesn't want me to be around when she goes into labor. All her life I have been the most loving and caring mother I could be to her. She has a great husband. Should I take it personally that she doesn't want me there when she goes into labor?

I have waited a long time to be a grandmother. I feel she should be happy to have me around. I'm deeply hurt that she won't let me be with her during this beautiful moment in her life. What do you think?

 Saddened in Oregon

DEAR SADDENED: This isn't about you, and I urge you not to personalize this as you are doing. Childbirth may, indeed, be a "beautiful moment," but it is also a challenge. This challenge is one your daughter may prefer to face with her husband at her side  if even he is allowed to be there because of the pandemic. There will be plenty of beautiful moments you can share with your grandchild in the future, so concentrate on those.

DEAR ABBY: I have stayed in contact with my college friends, but sad to say, many of my fellow students are now gone for good. I went to a reunion and met classmates I was close to back in the 1960s. How circumstances and personalities have changed.

Sign up for The Knick  Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter.

Do you believe that once a person makes a move, either out of school or a job, that it's all over? You can't go back and relive old times, and if you return to the community, it isn't the same as if you never left?

 Sentimental in San Francisco

DEAR SENTIMENTAL: Time marches on, and people often grow and change as they mature. Some  not all  people maintain childhood and college friendships into their senior years. But geographical distance can cause those ties to loosen. Although we can't relive the old times, we can reminisce. But as the old saying goes, we can't go home again.

Write Dear Abby at http://www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
Bail fund promoted by Kamala Harris led to release of alleged child rapist, violent offenders

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An organization promoted by Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris has come under fire for helping post bail for an alleged child rapist and other violent offenders.

The Minnesota Freedom Fund was founded in 2016 to pay criminal bail and immigration bonds for those who cannot afford to as part of an effort to end discriminatory, intimidating, and oppressive money bail. In the four days following the death of George Floyd, when riots and protests began to engulf the city of Minneapolis, the Minnesota Freedom Fund raised $20 million to bail out jailed protesters.

On June 1, one week after Floyds death, Harris, who had yet to be selected as the Democrats 2020 vice presidential nominee, took to Twitter to urge followers to chip in now to the @MNFreedomFund to help post bail for those protesting on the ground in Minnesota. However, as the Minnesota Freedom Fund admitted two weeks ago, only $210,000 of the $3,475,000 in bail money it has paid since the uprising has gone to protest-related bails.

If youre able to, chip in now to the @MNFreedomFund to help post bail for those protesting on the ground in Minnesota. https://t.co/t8LXowKIbw  Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) June 1, 2020

A Daily Caller News Foundation report, published Wednesday, shed some light on where some of the rest of the money has gone. Based on a court document obtained by the DCNF, the Minnesota Freedom Fund played a role in securing Timothy Wayne Columbus release from jail. Columbus faces up to 30 years behind bars for criminal sexual conduct by engaging in sexual penetration with victim, a person under the age of thirteen years.

According to the document, Columbus victim, who was 8 years old at the time of the incident, said that he laid her on her couch and held her down as he unbuckled his pants and then pulled down her pants. The girl claimed that he put his thing inside me.

Columbus is not the only person charged with a serious criminal offense who successfully secured bail from the Minnesota Freedom Fund. A court document shows that Richard Raynell Kelley, charged with first degree assault and violating an order for protection, requested that any refunded bail money be returned to the MFF.

Kelley allegedly hit, beat, punched, and tied up his elderly mother after entering her home in violation of the order for protection she had against him. A week after his release, which was secured in part by the MFF, Kelley was found to have violated his bail terms by disobeying electronic court monitoring rules.

Another violent offender that the MRFF provided bail for, Lionel Timms, assaulted a man less than two weeks after his release, according to Alpha News. The attack left Timms victim with a traumatic brain injury. Timms had previously been in jail after assaulting a man on public transit, leaving him with a fractured nose.

Greg Lerwin, the interim director of the Minnesota Freedom Fund, did not deny that he was bailing violent offenders out of jail. I often dont even look at a charge when I bail someone out, he told Fox 9, Minneapolis Fox affiliate.

A Fox 9 report, published in August, revealed that MFF paid $100,000 bail for Darnika Floyd, who was charged with second degree murder after stabbing her friend to death. MFF also posted bail on behalf of Jaleel Stallings, who shot at members of a SWAT team during the riots that broke out following George Floyds death, and Christopher Boswell, a twice convicted rapist who faces kidnapping, assault, and sexual assault charges.

As of Friday, the fundraising page Harris linked to in her tweet promoting MFF was still accepting donations.
The Supreme Court on Friday described as a nuclear missile" its order to stop Sudarshan TV from airing its show on the entry of Muslims in civil services. A bench headed by Justice DY Chandrachud said the court was mindful of the dangers such an order could pose, given the fact that there are 700 courts across the country which may then do this routinely.

It is like a nuclear missile, the Supreme Court of India staying the telecast. But we had to step in because nobody else did anything," said the bench, which included Justices Indu Malhotra and KM Joseph.

The court told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting allowed Sudarshan TV to telecast the show on the basis of an undertaking that they will not violate any code.

Bur that was all your Under Secretary did. He didnt do anything after the telecast. The officer never pursued this to examine if there was any breach," the court told Mehta.

The bench said it espoused free speech in no uncertain terms.

We are conscious of the grave dangers that injunction at a pre-broadcast stage has. Tomorrow there will be some civil court issuing an injunction against some broadcast relating to panchayat polls and all that. We dont want this to become the law of the land," added Justice Chandrachud.

The bench observed that the injunction against Sudarshan TV could be one of the easier cases where many will say it was right thing to do.

Does the Supreme Court do it every time there is a complaint? It might have been easy to do it in this case and one may say we did the right thing. But the danger is what if courts across the country start doing it in hundreds of cases. We are aware that what we can do here, other courts can also do it within their jurisdiction," said the bench.

But at the same time, the judges emphasised that prima facie, the content of the show was bad in taste and sought to target one particular community.

Favouring a systemic change in this regard so that courts could refrain from entering this thicket in future, the bench said media must also get a message that targeting one particular community is wrong.

While we respect freedom of media, let this message to go to media as well that any particular community shouldnt become a target. Ultimately we all exist as a nation, which has to be cohesive and not against any community," said the court.

Let the market place of ideas furnish in this country. Especially as the Supreme Court, we have seen emergency and we know how important it is. But we are deeply concerned about the divisive commentaries," it added.

The court then gave Sudarshan TV an opportunity to respond with an affidavit on changes that the channel proposes to do in the show to persuade the bench to lift the restraint. The channel will file its affidavit by Sunday with its ideas of course correction to be able to telecast the remaining six episodes.

It also told Mehta that the government should also suggest how self-regulatory bodies such as News Broadcasters Association and Press Council of India can be strengthened to ensure media organisations adhere to regulations. The News Broadcasters Association has been asked to suggest measures so that it gets greater authority in regulating TV channels.

The matter will come up next on Monday.
In response to Gov. Greg Abbotts latest executive order that allowed restaurants and stores to open at 75 percent capacity, but mandated that bars in Texas remain closed, Mayor Patrick Payton said he wanted the community to know Midland is open for business.

During a press conference Thursday afternoon at Tall City Brewing Co., Payton stopped short of encouraging businesses to open beyond 75 percent capacity or against the governors mandate but said he would support businesses that did so.

If businesses choose to go beyond what is being mandated by Austin, theyre going to have to take those risks, he said. Theyre going to have to deal with the state but Im going to have their backs. If somebody calls me and says, Theyre open at 80 percent, Im not going to send the police out to be chasing them down.

RELATED: Texas Gov.: Restaurants, retailers can expand capacity but bars must stay closed

When asked if he would support bars that opened against Abbotts orders, Payton said he would defend a bar owners right to do what they think they need to do. He said he could not, however, protect a bar from having its license revoked by the state.

Many bars have reclassified their business licenses as restaurants to reopen, including Tall City Brewing Co. Owner Jeff Thomas said they worked with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission to receive a food and beverage permit that allowed them to open recently.

For the past six months, [the pandemic] has absolutely affected us. Its affected our bottom lines, its affected the livelihoods of the people who work here, he said. Were happy TBC is working with us. We wish the governor would allow bars to open to some extent.

For bar owners who have not yet found a way to reopen their businesses, Thomas advised them to be creative as well as persistent in contacting the TBC.

Payton began the press conference by quoting an article from the Wall Street Journals editorial board, which discussed European leaders decisions to keep their countries open even as coronavirus cases begin to rise again. He said Europes use of localized measures to combat the virus and an emphasis on personal responsibility is something that should be replicated in Texas.

Payton also said the decision by businesses in Midland to reopen beyond Abbotts orders should not be viewed as a political statement against the governor.

I think its important to remember none of us in the business world or in the leadership world are trying to pick fights with agencies, he said. What were trying to adhere to is the principles that made this country and this state what it is, which are free enterprise and people taking care of themselves.
Conakry, Guinea (PANA) - Election campaign for Guinea's October 18 presidential poll started on Friday and will close on October 17, according to a decree read on Radio-Television de Guinee (RTG) Thursday night
The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has named the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, also known as Chairman Wontumi, as the most abusive individual on radio.



In its August report on language monitoring on radio, the Regional Chairman was closely followed by the Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, and host of Power FMs Inside Politics, Mugabe Maase.



Over the monitoring period (August 1-31), a total of 1,019 radio programmes were monitored on 15 selected radio stations across the country, it said.



Giving further details, the institution said 12 out of the 15 radio stations monitored recorded indecent expressions.



Also, Kumasi-based Wontumi Radio recorded 34 indecent expressions on its morning show while Accra-based Oman FM recorded 28 indecent expressions on two of its major programmes  Boiling Point (24) and National Agenda (4).



Again, Kumasi-based Ashh FM recorded 28 indecent expressions across three programmes  Boiling Point, 24, Keynote 3 and National Agenda, 1.



Finally, Power FM also based in Accra, recorded 14 indecent expressions  all on its afternoon political show titled, Inside Politics.







Source: adomonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE has just surfaced in real-life images, for the first time. The phone has been leaking for a while now, but weve only seen renders thus far.

These real-life images come from Jimmy Is Promo, a well-known tipster. That being said, he shared three images of the device, along with some specs that we can expect.

The phones specifications info is not exactly new, as weve seen it leak a number of times thus far. Yesterdays infographic leak was actually quite detailed in that regard.

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The Galaxy S20 FE real-life images provide us with the best look at the device yet

In any case, if you take a look at the images provided below the article, youll get to see the device itself. The Galaxy S20 FE will resemble its Galaxy S20 siblings, but it will include a flat display, and slightly different shape.

The phone will be made out of metal and glass, just like its siblings. As you can see, the display camera hole is included, and it is centered. The bezels are extremely minimal, while the back side is curved towards the edges.

Three cameras are placed on the back of this phone, and are all located inside the same module. That module is placed in the top-left corner, along with an LED flash. The camera module does protrude a bit, by the way.

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Samsungs branding is visible on the back side of the device. This seems to be the blue variant of the device, though Samsung will probably use a fancy name for it.

The tipster notes that the phone will feature a 6.5-inch fullHD+ display with a 120Hz refresh rate. He also noted that the device will be IP68 certified for water and dust resistance.

3x optical zoom will be available thanks to its telephoto camera, while a 10x digital zoom will also be an option. A 32-megapixel selfie camera was mentioned by the tipster, and the same goes for One UI 2.5 skin on top of Android 10.

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This smartphone will be offered for a nice price

The last piece of information Jimmy Is Promo released has to do with its price. He did not mention the exact price of the device, all he said is nice price.

Thats not exactly a lot to based our assumptions on, but it seems like it will be somewhat affordable. Do note that this phone will still include the Snapdragon 865, and powerful internals overall.

So, dont expect it to be extremely affordable. Still, considering how expensive Samsung flagships are these days, this phones price tag will probably be refreshing.

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The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE will become official on September 23. So, were less than a week away from its launch. The device will arrive in a number of color variants, by the way.
The coronavirus had already challenged wildfire teams, with the economic downturn leading to limitations on firefighting budgets, less access to prison inmates normally used for firefighting and quarantines interfering with the deployment of some firefighters.

In the hope of preventing outbreaks, firefighting camps have increased sanitation, limited interactions among firefighters and conducted regular temperature tests, said Tim Edwards, the president of the union that represents Cal Fire employees in California. Crews this year have often been spread out over broader areas, have been brought back to camp in shifts and have eaten boxed meals instead of from a food line.

Before, it used to be kind of a free-for-all, Mr. Edwards said.

Mr. Edwards worried that firefighters, many of whom consider wearing N-95 masks too restrictive when huffing up hillsides with heavy packs, might suffer damage to their respiratory systems that could make them more susceptible to the virus.

On Friday, at a camp in Amboy, Wash., where firefighters are based to fight the Big Hollow Fire, workers monitored entering vehicles, allowing only those visitors who had a need to be there. Those approved to enter advanced down a gravel road for a temperature check. Firefighters tents were clustered in groups around a sprawling community park.

Many of the firefighters and command crews have had a grueling summer schedule. The incident command team affected by the coronavirus scare began working in mid-August at the Crane Fire in Oregon; after a brief break they went straight to the Evans Canyon Fire in Washington, and then to the Big Hollow Fire. Crews are supposed to work only 14 consecutive days, but that has been extended to 21 days. Many work 16-hour days or more.
An FBI photo of a woman who has held up at least three banks on Chicago's Southwest Side and one in Summit, according to the FBI. (Chicago FBI)
But at this stage in the pandemic, not enough is known about the public health forecast to be sure bell ringers will be allowed to solicit.

Because of that uncertainty, Salvation Army leaders are looking to offset any downturn in donations through a new initiative called the Red Kettle Challenge. Its something like traditional kettle giving, but with a twist.

Instead of manning a kettle, volunteers will ask friends and family to chip in, then set about collecting donations from their pledges.

Other plans are in the works, as well, and will be announced in detail when the Rockingham County Corps kicks off its annual fund drive around the first of November.

Its all going to be an adjustment and a challenge, said Eugene Russell, a semi-retired Madison attorney who is co-chair of the Rockingham County Corps advisory board.

Im prayerful and hopeful were going to have a plan that works.

Since becoming involved with the Salvation Army, Russell has grown more and more convinced of the good the organization does for the community, he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 04:46:08|Editor: huaxia

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ROME, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Clinical trials on drugs for COVID-19 patients underway in Italy grew to 63, the country's National Health Institute (ISS) said on Thursday, as fresh data showed a stable pandemic trend at the domestic level.

Overall, 92 percent of the 63 studies have a therapeutic purpose, and 8 percent a preventive purpose. Altogether, they involve 17,565 participants.

Some 45 of these clinical studies have been authorized by the Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA), and the last four have received the permission on Sept. 2, the ISS explained in its update report.

In its paper, the ISS also recalled the human clinical trials of a possible national vaccine against the coronavirus were underway to test the safety and immunogenicity of the drug on people.

Coordinated by Italy's National Institute for Infectious Disease Lazzaro Spallanzani in Rome, the vaccine human trials started in August.

The results of the current phase of the research were expected by July 2021, the ISS said.

Meanwhile, some 1,585 new coronavirus cases were registered on Thursday against the previous day, pushing the country's total number of assessed cases to 293,025, according to the latest statistics released by the Health Ministry.

In the first half of September, the daily increase has ranged between 1,300 and 1,700 cases.

Active infections grew by 881 cases daily -- a limited growth considering the domestic trend in the past weeks -- to total 41,413.

A positive signal also came from the number of people who have recovered from the infection, which grew daily by 689 cases to a total of 215,954.

Some 13 new fatalities were recorded against Wednesday, bringing Italy's death toll to 35,658, data also showed. The country's daily fatality figure has remained below 20 since after July 7, when 30 deaths were registered.

"The positive results we are seeing prove our ability to respond to this pandemic," ISS president Silvio Brusaferro told a virtual conference held by the Health Ministry on Thursday.

"The current numbers show a certain growth, yet a limited one compared to other countries... and this is due to the competence of our health professionals and the overall awareness of the citizens." Enditem
A British tourist was rushed to hospital in Portugal after being stabbed during a bungled street robbery while on a pilgrimage.

The 27-year-old woman was knifed in the arm by a masked mugger in Vialonga, north of Lisbon, on Wednesday evening.

Local reports said the criminal fled empty-handed after seeing the amount of blood she was losing.

Emergency workers said the woman was walking the popular Portuguese Way of St James, which passes through Lisbon, Coimbra and Porto on its way to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in north-west Spain.

A British tourist was rushed to hospital in Portugal after being stabbed during a bungled street robbery in Vialonga (file photo)

The victim was assisted at the scene before being taken to Vila Franca de Xira Hospital.

Mario Cardoso, one of the fire chiefs based at Vialonga Fire Station, said: 'The mugger actually helped his victim when he saw he had cut her and she was bleeding and then fled while she went to seek assistance in a local office.

'It appears his intention was not to actually hurt his victim but that is what ended up happening.

'She was not badly injured but she was taken to hospital so she could receive medical attention.

'I am not aware of any arrests but that is a matter for the police.'

The unnamed Brit, who was with a female friend at the time, is said to have been stabbed in the arm.

Although the pilgrim routes to Santiago de Compostela are generally regarded as safe, there have been some incidents of female walkers being targeted.

Two men were jailed in July last year in Portugal following a string of attacks on women including the attempted rape of a 71-year-old British pilgrim.

The Briton, who was walking the same route as the woman hurt on Wednesday, was targeted as she walked alone near a train station in Santarem around 35 miles north of Vialonga.

She was forced to perform a sex act on one of her two attackers after being sexually abused.

Another two women were targeted in the same week in attacks blamed on the pair, who had travelled from Entrocamento to carry out 'premeditated' attacks, a court found.

In April 2017, Miguel Angel Munoz was convicted of the murder of American pilgrim Denise Pikka Thiem by a court in the Spanish city of Leon.

She disappeared two years earlier as she walked alone to Santiago de Compostela after watching a Martin Sheen film about the pilgrimage.
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Linkedin Pei Li (Reuters) Hong Kong  Fri, September 18, 2020 16:46 490 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c45bc1b6 2 Science & Tech WeChat,tencent,WeCom Free

Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings has changed the name of its WeChat Work office collaboration app to WeCom, setting it up as a potential alternative to its messaging app WeChat ahead of a US ban.

Tencent, registered the WeCom trademark on Aug. 19, according to the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Two Tencent sources said WeCom does not fall under the scope of a ban on WeChat-related transactions in the United States from Sept. 20, one of a series of US measures cracking down on Chinese tech firms and apps that Washington says are threats to national security.

Tencent declined to comment.

WeChat is an all-in-one mobile app that combines messaging, social media, payment functions and other services. Its so-called super app is all but essential for daily life in China and boasts more than a billion users.

In the United States, WeChat is widely used by Chinese expats and others to communicate with friends and associates in China. It has an average of 19 million daily active users in the United States, according to analytics firm Apptopia.

After downloading WeCom, users can now link their WeChat account to it and add their WeChat contacts, a Reuters test showed. WeCom users can then message, create chat groups, and even receive virtual money from WeChat friends without their WeChat contacts having to download WeCom.

There was no indication that Tencent has actively promoted WeCom in the United States. There has also been no surge in downloads of WeCom in recent weeks, according to Sensor Tower.

Read also: Chinese consumers could boycott Apple if US bans WeChat: Ministry warns

WeCom workaround

US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is set to release regulations by Sunday clarifying which WeChat transactions will be prohibited under President Donald Trump's executive order.

On Thursday, the US Justice Department said Ross did not plan to target persons or groups who only download or use WeChat to convey personal or business information.

Tencent staff in the United States have historically used WeChat Work to communicate with the company's headquarters in Shenzhen. Tencent has at least 250 US-based employees.

Trump's Aug. 6 announcement of the ban on transactions related to WeChat caused a spike in downloads of WeChat and alternative apps by US residents. A group of WeChat users has also sued to block the ban.

The WeCom mobile app has been gaining popularity in China, where downloads in the first part of September rose 74 percent from about 690,000 during the first 16 days of August. Downloads were 158 percent higher than the same period a year ago.

But the app has gained little traction in the United States. New US installs so far in September stand at about 3,000, unchanged from the same period in August and up from 1,000 during the first part of September last year.

Nina Wei, a Chinese entrepreneur in Seattle, said she used WeCom mostly to connect with business contacts in China but hadn't used it much recently as a number of projects had fallen apart amid deteriorating Sino-US relations.

She was unaware that WeCom was a potential workaround.

"I haven't connected my WeCom to my WeChat yet as I was hoping to keep my work life and private life separate."

Topics : WeChat tencent WeCom
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga hit the ground running on day one, meeting with ministers in charge of top policy goals from cutting red tape and digitizing the government to combating the new coronavirus.

Suga met with Taro Kono, who is in charge of regulatory reform, and Digital Transformation Minister Takuya Hirai on Thursday afternoon. The prime minister has called these two areas "two central themes" of his government.

Suga and Hirai discussed setting up a digital agency to take administrative paperwork online. In a news conference Wednesday, Suga promised to address delays in government digitization, which hampered the distribution of pandemic-linked payments.

"I was told to pick up the pace even more," Hirai told reporters after their meeting.

"We are being asked to move at a speed never before seen in Kasumigaseki," he said, referring to the nerve center of the Japanese government bureaucracy.

Taro Kono is charge of regulatory reform.

After the two meetings, Suga met with Health Minister Norihisa Tamura to discuss measures to contain COVID-19 and reverse the declining birthrate.

In the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's presidential race, Suga called for covering fertility treatment with the national insurance program. At the meeting, he asked Tamura to "promptly look into it."

The prime minister has also pledged to "put an end" to Japan's shortage of day care services, which has resulted in long waitlists for available spots.

On Japan's coronavirus response, Suga urged Tamura to expand capacity for PCR testing and consider cutting fees for private testing not covered by national insurance.

Suga has also been pushing for lower mobile rates since his days as chief cabinet secretary. "The top three mobile carriers have controlled 90% of the market for years, using airwaves that ultimately belong to the people," he said Wednesday.
President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden are heading to Minnesota on Friday, as the Midwestern state becomes among the first to begin early in-person voting in the 2020 general election.

It has been nearly half a century since Minnesota voted for a Republican presidential candidate, but it is seen as a potential swing state following Trump's narrow loss in 2016 to Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the North Star State has also been at the forefront of the national debate on race and racism in America following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May, which sparked a massive civil rights movement in the U.S.

Trump is set to hold an event in Bemidji in Beltrami County, which is split between the 7th and 8th congressional districts. Trump won the county in 2016, with 50.6% of the vote. The 7th Congressional District had historically voted Democrat in the past, but in 2016 Trump carried the district by a 15-point margin.

PHOTO: President Donald Trump greets supporters during a campaign event at North Star Aviation on Aug. 17, 2020 in Mankato, Minnesota. (Joshua Lott/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Biden will host an event in Duluth in the 8th Congressional District at a union training center. Duluth, which casts almost a quarter of the rural north's total vote, swung for the Democratic ticket by 37 points in 2012 and by 29 points in 2016.

Ahead of Biden and Trump's visits, Gov. Tim Walz urged both campaigns to comply with Minnesota's COVID-19 safety guidelines.

Trump heads into flu season amid pandemic mocking masks, holding packed campaign rallies

Trump has consistently cast himself as the "law and order" president; however, his campaign has consistently flouted health guidelines amid the pandemic, holding large rallies across the country where thousands gathered in close quarters, often without masks.

Why Trump is in a 'jam' in Minnesota

Minnesota is increasingly seen as a potential swing state in the presidential election, given Trump's near victory against Clinton in 2016. Trump lost the Midwestern state's 10 electoral votes by a slim margin to the former secretary of state, who won by about 44,500 votes or 1.5%.

Story continues

PHOTO: Map of Minnesota county boundaries and county seats. (Maps of US)

The president has repeatedly voiced his conviction that he would have flipped the state in 2016 if he had made one more appearance prior to the election.

"One more speech, I would have won," Trump told his supporters during a campaign event on Aug. 17, at the Mankato Regional Airport. Since the last presidential election, there has been an uptick in Republican support. Two House seats, in the 1st and 8th congressional districts, previously held by Democrats, flipped in 2018.

But according to a new ABC News/Washington Post poll released Wednesday, women, suburban residents and independents are among the groups lifting Biden to a substantial lead in Minnesota, where he holds a clear advantage, 57% to 41%.

Political scientist Larry Jacobs, the founder of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the University of Minnesota, told ABC News that "deep disapproval" in the president's handling of the pandemic is central to why he is in a "jam" in Minnesota.

MORE: Close contest in Wisconsin; in Minnesota, not so much: Poll

"I think it's a sense that the country is in the wrong direction. I think he's continued to deeply offend women and so there's a tremendous gender gap," he said, adding that "the problems you've seen in other states, they exist in Minnesota. The president is losing among women and the coronavirus is hurting him."

The new ABC News poll results show that views on the economy and the coronavirus pandemic are defining the 2020 race.

Biden leads Trump by 22 points in trust to handle the coronavirus, as well as 24 points on equal treatment of racial groups, 17 points on handling health care, 14 points on discouraging violence at political protests and 11 points on crime and safety. But when it comes to who can best handle the economy, it is a dead heat.

Why 'turnout' is key for Biden

For decades, Minnesota has had an unbroken Democratic streak, voting for Democratic presidential candidates as far back as Jimmy Carter in 1976. Since 1932, it has voted Republican only once -- for Richard Nixon in 1972. But according to Jacobs, dynamics in the state have shifted in recent decades and this is reflected in the 2020 landscape.

Describing the state as "polka-dotted," Jacobs said that rural areas are red, urban areas are blue and the suburbs are purple.

PHOTO: Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden speaks via video link as family and guests attend the funeral service for George Floyd at The Fountain of Praise church in Houston, June 9, 2020. (David J. Phillip/USA Today Network)

Democratic support grows the closer you get to the more highly populated "urban core" -- the Twin Cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, where Trump "has large deficits," Jacobs explained. Meanwhile, Trump's support is "coming from mostly rural areas," he added, "particularly the northern part of the state, which was once a Democratic stronghold," as well as southern Minnesota.

MORE: Biden campaign continues TV blitz with 2 new ads, including testimonial from former Trump voter

The rural north, known as the Iron Range, was an industrial base known for mining and the production of iron ore and there, Democrats like Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale were victorious, but that has since "collapsed" and become a Republican stronghold, Jacobs said.

In a campaign press release on Wednesday, Biden staked claim to the Iron Range, saying he was proud to be endorsed by labor, including the United Steelworkers, who backed him after six Iron Range mayors pledged their support for Trump in August.

PHOTO: Jill Biden, wife of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, listens to educators during a forum at Jeffers Pond Elementary School in Prior Lake, Minn., Sept. 9, 2020. (Jim Mone/AP)

"I think one of the big issues is going to be turnout in Minneapolis and St. Paul. It there's a large turnout, that's going to be good news for Democrats," Jacobs said. "If there's a huge turnout in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Trump's gonna have a very difficult time, and I think the suburbs will probably signal where the state's gonna go If it's closer," he added.

According to the new ABC News poll, Biden has a 16-point lead in the Minnesota suburbs, a 21-point lead with independents and a vast lead with women, leading Trump 67% to 31% in the state and with a 40-point lead among suburban women.

Trump pitches 'law and order' as Biden leads in trust

Streets throughout the U.S. have been rocked by protests in response to the police killings of unarmed Black men and women across the country -- an issue that has become central to both the Trump and Biden campaigns.

And in Minnesota, where Floyd was killed, the energy is high and tensions are palpable.

MORE: Timeline: The impact of George Floyd's death in Minneapolis and beyond

Leslie Redmond, president of the NAACP's Minneapolis chapter, told ABC News that even before the coronavirus plagued the nation, Black people in Minnesota "were already in a state of emergency," facing "some of the worst racial disparities" economically and socially.

"COVID-19 really shut the world down and George Floyd and his murder really kind of opened the world back up," Redmond said. "Before George Floyd was murdered, people weren't even really coming outside like that, and then you have people willing to risk their own health to protest in the state. The thing that's really killing us is white supremacy. And I think that that's really powerful. And I think that that has ignited a number of people, and I'm hoping that the protests can lead over to the voting as well."

PHOTO: George Floyd's family raise their hands during a press conference after a court hearing on the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Sept. 11, 2020. (Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images)

According to the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, views on the protests and the president's response are also impacting the choices of voters.

Non-whites make up small shares of likely voters in Minnesota, at 13%, and about two-thirds support Biden.

The president, who is casting himself as a "law and order" candidate, has blasted the protests and repeatedly criticized the leadership of Democratic officials, including Walz, blaming them for the ongoing violence, looting and riots that have erupted amid the unrest.

Last month, Trump held an event in Manakota, where he spoke to a crowd of supporters, and voiced his support for the local police department and those impacted by some of the destruction of local businesses that ensued following the protests.

Biden has criticized the violence but has been steadfast in his support for protesters. He also met with Floyd's family in June ahead of the funeral in Minneapolis and vowed to focus on police reform and battling systemic racism if elected.

People who back recent protests over police treatment of Black people back Biden by 86% to 12% in Minnesota, while about three-quarters of those who opposed them support Trump. Meanwhile, registered voters support such protests by 55% to 40% in Minnesota and trust Biden over Trump to handle equal treatment of racial groups by 24 points and Biden in handling crime and safety by 11 points over Trump.

Absentee ballot requests rise as early voting begins

Minnesotans will be among the first Americans to cast their ballots at a voting booth this fall, when they head to the polls on Friday for the state's first day of in-person voting.

Meanwhile, mail-in voting is becoming an increasingly popular option for those hoping to avoid gatherings amid the pandemic. As of Sept. 11, 863,052 absentee ballots for the November general election had already been requested.

In last month's primary, six in 10 voters in the state voted by absentee ballot. In past elections, the number of absentee voters has hovered around 24%.

PHOTO: Voters wait in line at a polling station located at Lyndale School on Aug. 11, 2020 in Minneapolis. (Joshua Lott/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Voters in Minnesota have until Oct. 13 to request a mail-in or absentee ballot. In addition, the state extended the deadline for absentee ballots to be received -- by 8 p.m., within one week of Election Day. The previous rule was that ballots had to be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day.

In order to make it easier for voters to cast their ballots by mail, Minnesota agreed to drop the witness requirement from its mail-in voting process for both the 2020 primary and the general elections.

Minnesota often leads the nation in voter turnout, and by beginning the early voting process on Sept.18, the state law is giving Minnesotans 46 days to cast their votes.

MORE: Voting 'super centers' promise social distancing and efficiency amid pandemic

Grace Wachlarowicz, assistant city clerk and director of Elections & Voter Services in Minneapolis, told ABC News that 114,891 mail ballots will be sent out to voters on Friday.

The state has also implemented a number of safety measures, which Wachlarowicz says will be followed "stringently," including sanitization, appropriate spaces, and curbside voters for voters who choose to cast their ballots in-person. Additionally, the governor's July 25 executive order requires that masks be worn in public places, including polling places, though no voter will be denied the right to vote if he or she refuses to wear a mask.

ABC News' Gary Langer contributed to this report.

Donald Trump in 'jam' in Minnesota as early in-person voting begins, but 'turnout' key for Joe Biden originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Drew Angerer/Getty ImagesBy JOHN VERHOVEK and MOLLY NAGLE, ABC News



(DULUTH, Minn.) -- Former Vice President Joe Biden will make a campaign swing through Minnesota on Friday, a state Democrats have not lost in a presidential election since 1972 but saw an unexpectedly tight race in 2016 between President Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.



The trip to Minnesota, which includes a tour of a union facility and remarks in the city of Duluth, coincides with the first day of in-person early voting in the state, marking a new and more urgent phase of the 2020 race for both candidates.



Recent polling in the state shows Biden with a firm edge over Trump. A poll conducted this week by ABC News and the Washington Post shows the former vice president with a healthy 16-point lead over the Republican incumbent.



The visit caps off a week of travel for Biden, with the former vice president making trips to critical battleground states including Florida and Pennsylvania, along with giving remarks in his home state of Delaware and at a nationally-televised town hall Thursday night near his hometown of Scranton.



Trump is also set to visit northern Minnesota on Friday, holding an event at an airplane hanger in Bemidji, continuing a string of aggressive campaign events that largely flout local restrictions to help slow the spread of COVID-19.



Despite Minnesotas typically Democratic-leaning electorate, Trumps reelection campaign has expressed optimism that the president will be able to compete there after Clintons narrow win in 2016, and both campaigns are currently running television advertisements to try to sway voters.



"Were going all-in on Minnesota," Jason Miller, a senior advisor to the Trump campaign, said on a call with reporters earlier this month. "We think its a state we can win."



Democrats have expressed similar feelings about their chances.



"I feel quite good about Minnesota. We've invested for some time in Minnesota because we also looked at the data. Hillary Clinton won Minnesota by a point and a half in 2016. Third party candidates Gary Johnson and Jill Stein got about 5.2% of the vote. The majority of that came from Secretary Clinton. And so we've been investing early and everywhere in Minnesota," Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez told reporters this month.



Trump and Bidens dueling visits to Minnesota comes less than two weeks before the two will face off during the first presidential debate Sept. 29 -- a critical test as the 2020 election enters into the final weeks.



"I have gone back and talked about and looked at not only the things he said, but making sure I can concisely say what I'm for and what I'm going to do," Biden said of his debate preparation during a CNN town hall Thursday night.



"There are a couple of people, they asked me questions if they were like as if they were President Trump, but I'm looking forward to it," he continued, when asked if anyone was set to spar with him as Trump in mock debates.



Meanwhile, Trump is expected to forgo traditional debate prep with no plans to hold private mock debates, multiple sources tell ABC News.



Instead, the president has started preparing with top aides, getting briefings on likely topics.



"I've said before that the best debate prep that exists is to be president every day. Part of debate prep is going back and watching Joe Biden's old debates which I and some of us here have done," Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien said on a call with reporters earlier this month.



Copyright  2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
New evidence has surfaced in the case against Hushpuppi, an embattled Instagram celebrity, who was arrested in UAE over money laundering a...

New evidence has surfaced in the case against Hushpuppi, an embattled Instagram celebrity, who was arrested in UAE over money laundering and cyberfraud allegations.

The evidence was submitted in an affidavit filed on September 14 with the United States District Court, Central District of California, by Andrew John Innocenti of the Federal Burea of Investigations (FBI), who specialises in cyber-enabled fraud and Business Email Compromise (BEC) schemes.

The documents supported a previous affidavit 1 of Case No 2:20-mj02992 and an arrest warrant for Hushpuppi for violation of 18 U.S.C.  l956(h) (conspiracy to Engage in Money Laundering).

In the documents, Huspuppi was accused of using a personal email to register on Whizzlog, a web marketplace for buying US bank logs and money laundering.

It was alleged that his email address contained registration confirmation from Whizzlog as well as numerous confirmation and receipts of bank logs he was said to have purchased for the purpose.

In reviewing data from ABASS email address (rayhuspuppi@gmail.com), I found ABBAS registered on a website whizzlog.com(whizzlog) which is a market place for buying US Banklogs and money laundering, the officer in charge of the investigations wrote in the document.

Based on my training and experiences, Cyber criminals refer to bank account login details as bank logs or logs. These details can be purchase on the darkweb or some secret websites only known in cyber criminal circles. The website ABBAS registered with and used is called Whizzlog.com.

Sophisticated cyber criminal do not use their personal email address in registering on such websites. ABBAS used his personal email to register on the site just like he used his personal email address for other criminal activities and schemes.

ABBAS email address contained registration confirmation from Whizzlog. It also contained numerous confirmation and receipts of bank logs he purchased.

One of such messages read, Your order was successful. You have purchased (the Financial institution) banklog with a balance of $9,839,44. Purchase Price: $955. The banklog details login to your whizzlog account to view.

From the example above, I observed ABBAS buys a log with balance of over $9,000 for as low as $900.

In June, the Instagram influencer was arrested with 11 others over allegations of committing crimes including hacking, impersonation, scamming, banking fraud, and identity theft.

Following his first arraignment and detention at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in Chicago, Hushpuppi had faced a court in California, after which a trial was fixed for October 13.

This had come after the UAE police had detailed Hushpuppis arrest in a special operation dubbed Fox Hunt 2 over cyber-fraud involving 1.9 million victims to the tune of N168 billion.

Gal Pissetzky, Hushpuppi lawyer, had while defending his client, claimed that the FBI acted as though they had kidnapped the celebrity, citing a lack of legal framework evidencing his extradition from Dubai.

Hes a social media influencer with millions of followers, with millions of people that respect him, and he loved them, and thats what he did. In todays society, thats a business, the lawyer said.

In my opinion, the FBI and the government here acted illegally when they kidnapped him from Dubai without any legal process to do so. There was no extradition. No legal steps were taken.

See documents below:




The Federal Court has dismissed an order that froze more than $103 million in assets, including a luxury Brighton home, Rolls Royce and Aston Martin, belonging to Chinese businesswoman and property developer Min Wang.

The Australian Taxation Office was granted the freezing order by Justice Jennifer Davies in October last year after it issued Ms Wang and her companies with a tax assessment totalling $103,135,655.93 for 2015 and 2016.

Min Wang started developing property in Australia in 2010. Credit:Jesse Marlow

The frozen assets also included a $106 million loan from a family trust.

Ms Wang leads Hengyi, the Melbourne arm of Chinese developer Shandong Hengyi Group, which is developing 1039 apartments in the 72-storey Swanston Central tower and another residential block in Coventry Street, Southbank.
Emerging evidence suggests the 49 per cent of Australians with O-type blood may be slightly less at risk of COVID-19 infection than the rest of the population.

Multiple studies, including a huge new 1.05 million-person paper from gene screening company 23andMe, and research published in the New England Journal of Medicine, have reached the same conclusion.

The studies use genome-wide-association-surveys to match COVID-19 infections to patterns in DNA. Credit:Red Cross Lifeblood / Supplied

The studies show having blood group O is associated with a lower risk of being infected. The Journal study also shows people with O group blood are less likely to have a severe form of the disease.

The evidence to date is still preliminary. Its interesting, and its re-energised the debate about what the role of the blood group system is. But none of these studies is definitive by any stretch, said Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute senior research fellow Dr James McFadyen.
DENVER, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Caribe Juice, a minority-owned business, has acquired WTRMLN WTR, a female-founded company with a mission-forward brand and product portfolio. Caribe Juice is committed to continuing to advance the Drink Clean mission of WTRMLN WTR.

WTRMLN WTR and Caribe Juice have been running parallel paths in the cold-pressed juice world since 2013 and are aligned in the drive to provide clean healthy beverages to people who would not otherwise have access. Like WTRMLN WTR, The Story of Caribe Juice began when founder Luis Solis noticed juice offerings in the United States did not match the quality he was accustomed to drinking while growing up in the Dominican Republic, where natural, fresh tasting, nutrient packed juices are a cultural staple. Solis created the Caribe Juice portfolio made from fruits and vegetables sourced from the Caribbean. Shortly after creating the brand, Solis expanded his company offerings by building a vertically integrated farming and manufacturing supply chain in his home of the Dominican Republic and a company committed to helping small local farmers. Like WTRMLN WTR, whose commitment is about "creating better, more sustainable methods of food production, less waste, a smarter planet, healthier humans, a healthier world, more love, equality, decency and kindness." The acquisition by Caribe Juice is doubling down on this commitment, getting closer to the source and connecting to the company's core values.

Both WTRMLN WTR and Caribe Juice abide by a credo where social responsibility leads and they both have a mission to give back. WTRMLN WTR was founded in 2013 on a mission to do good, upcycle wasted watermelons, and educate about the importance of clean food. This mission is the heart of what recruited superstars like Beyonce Knowles Carter, Chris Paul, Kevin Durant, Michael Strahan, Tony Robbins and more to the company investor roster. WTRMLN WTR has done giveback programs with Product(RED), The Whole Planet Foundation, FoodCorps USA and many more. A sentence from the Caribe company website reads, "WE ARE ABOUT PEOPLE; WE ARE ABOUT MAKING A DIFFERENCE AND GIVING BACK IN EVERY WAY WE CAN." Solis and the Caribe Juice team are committed to maintaining this meaningful commitment.

Both founders, Solis and Levy, have a passion for doing good and believe that business can make a difference in the world. "One of the best aspects of Caribe Juice is that with each purchase, you can be a part of supporting small local farmers in developing communities while making healthy and budget-conscious choices for you and your family," said Luis Solis. "We are very excited for Caribe to be the steward of the WTRMLN WTR brand. This means taking our farm-to-bottle supply chain closer to the source, keeping our quality super high, and therefore further delivering on our promise to provide clean healthy beverages to people of all walks of life," said founder Jody Levy of the Caribe Juice acquisition.

SOURCE WTRMLN WTR

Related Links

http://wtrmlnwtr.com


In contrast to the orderly monotony of public housing worldwide, the Aranya development was based on the idea of informal, resident-driven growth. The project provided essentials, like a concrete plinth and an electrical connection, to residents who built their houses atop the bare-boned base. Residents followed the template of sample homes that Doshi designed with painstaking attention to human activity, calculating how much room would be needed for such everyday activities as sewing, washing clothes, meditating and meeting the milkman.
In a joint statement, the Council of Global Unions (CGU) welcomed the adoption by the European Parliament (EP) of the resolution on the situation in the Philippines, including the case of Maria Ressa. The resolution provides examples of the degeneration of democracy, gross violations of human rights, and rampant violence and intimidation during the rule of President Duterte.

Read here the full statement:

The CGU  representing more than 200 million workers from across the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and Global Union Federations including the Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD join Philippine trade unions in condemning the Philippine governments continued attacks on democratic institutions and its relentless suppression of the democratic rights of Filipino workers.

The resolution speaks of extra-judicial killings, the repression of independent forces in the media, including Maria Ressa of Rappler and the largest media group, ABS-CBN, and persecution of opposition leaders, including elected parliamentarians. It shines a light on trade unionists, saying that the Philippine trade union movement has complained about the repression of workers rights, including through red-tagging, disappearances and killings of labour leaders and trade unionists. Independent civil society organisations and indigenous people are also cited as being under attack.

The EP resolution refers to efforts by the UN Council on Human Rights and others, but also calls for action by the European Union. Since 25 December 2014, the Philippines has had enhanced trade preferences under the EUs Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP+). President Duterte took office in June of 2016. The resolution states that despite major backsliding in the countrys human rights record, the EU has so far not triggered the mechanism that could lead to the suspension of these trade benefits.

The carnage that is still taking place in the Philippines, the gross violation of international human rights and labour standards, and the orchestrated creation of a climate of fear to crush independent forces and silence dissenting voices requires an international response. The Philippines under President Duterte has ushered in the most brutal and repressive period in that countrys history since the end the dictatorship of President Marcos in 1986.

The CGU is encouraged by the action of the European Parliament and supports moves to invoke the mechanism of the European Commission to examine the suspension of GSP+ benefits. This action is good news for the people of the Philippines and for all who fight for human rights and democracy. We hope that this resolution will accelerate a better, more decent future when the Philippines can be welcomed back to the ranks of democratic nations.
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy conceded during a video conference with election officials on Thursday afternoon that he had failed to adequately consult with state election officials on a postcard that was sent to addresses nationwide to educate voters about mail-in ballots.

The apology came as some state election officials had publicly clashed with the Postal Service over mail voting, including accusing Mr. DeJoy and his team of deliberately providing misinformation about how to vote by mail.

Taken with several court rulings that could expand mail-in voting, the developments were a victory for Democrats and others pushing to expand mail voting before an election in which record use of the practice is expected because of the coronavirus pandemic. They also came on a day that began with President Trump repeating his frequent attacks on voting by mail, which he and his allies have been falsely claiming is ripe for fraud.

Mr. DeJoy defended the postcard as a good-faith effort to encourage voters to inform themselves on how to vote by mail effectively, even as he conceded that he had failed to give you a heads-up to see the mailer in advance.
WASHINGTON  Fewer and fewer states are standing with Texas as it continues to resist calls to expand mail-in voting amid the coronavirus outbreak, with South Carolina on Wednesday becoming the latest to allow anyone to cast a ballot by mail this fall.

Texas is now one of just five states that wont accept concerns about the coronavirus as an excuse to vote by mail and state leaders have blocked attempts by local officials in Harris County to make voting by mail more accessible.

That Texas is out on the edge on an issue of voting access should come as no surprise, experts in voting laws say.

RECENT RULING: Texas Supreme Court halts Harris county ballot application mailout

The Republicans who run state government have made Texas a national leader in voting restrictions, ground zero in a series of long-running fights over voting rights, and hotly debated allegations of potential voter fraud. Its a battle President Donald Trump has escalated in the past week, tweeting repeatedly about mail-in voting, which he alleges will lead to MAYHEM!!! despite no evidence of such in the states that already have widespread voting by mail.

Democrats have poured millions into at least 18 different legal battles against Texas over mail-in voting and a host of other election issues  more than anywhere in the nation  as the states elections have grown more competitive. They charge that the Republicans who run state government have placed hurdles at every step of the electoral process to keep their power despite demographic changes that have diminished their public support.

Texas sluggish voter turnout rates are frequently cited as evidence that GOP suppression efforts are working. The states decision not to make it easier to vote by mail, critics say, is just the latest example.

H-E-B OWNER WEIGHS IN: Charles Butt says mail-in ballots make for a stronger democracy

Republicans have erected barrier after barrier to delay what is inevitable, which is Texas turning from a ruby red state to a purple state before our very eyes, said U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, who chairs House Democrats campaign arm, which is involved in five lawsuits over Texas election laws. Texas Republicans are some of the best in the country at voter suppression. They are leading the way on voter suppression.

Though there has been little study of the cumulative impact of the voting restrictions, there is some evidence that one of the states most contested laws  requiring voters to show photo identification to vote  has discouraged participation at the polls. A University of Houston study found that more than 16 percent of non-voters in Harris County and nearly 15 percent of non-voters in a massive West Texas swing district didnt participate in the 2016 election at least in part because they lacked an approved ID.

The hunt for fraud

Republicans in the state say theyre fighting to maintain confidence in the electoral system during one of the most chaotic elections in memory. They insist that theyre defending against rampant voter fraud, pointing to high profile instances and anecdotes, but offering no hard evidence of widespread problems.

In 2019, the state arrested a South Texas mayor and his wife, accusing them of asking voters to change their addresses to places they didnt live, including an apartment complex the mayor owned. Eighteen other people were also charged in that case.

The state prosecuted just three other individuals for voter fraud in 2019, according to records provided by the Attorney Generals office. The state prosecuted about 130 people from 2005 through 2018, most of them minor cases that ended with the defendants sent to diversion programs.

Republicans say fraud is much more prevalent than those prosecutions suggest.

RELATED: Houston Democrats to USPS leaders: Why are dozens of post offices rejecting voter materials?

Voter suppression is when you get out there in front of the polls with guns and sticks and tell people, If you dont vote for X candidate or Y candidate, you better not come here, said Quico Canseco, a former Republican congressman who now leads the Elections Integrity Project at the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation. When youre creating laws that make sure theres security in the ballot, thats not voter suppression. Thats voice protection.

When voters have run afoul of the states complicated election code  even unknowingly  Texas officials have come down hard.

In one of the most high-profile cases, Crystal Mason was arrested after casting a provisional ballot in the 2016 election. Mason was on supervised federal release after serving a five-year jail sentence, but Texas officials said she violated a state law that prohibits felons from voting before completing their sentences.

VOTER RESOURCES: Everything you need to know about voting by mail in Texas

Mason says she didnt know she was doing anything wrong because she had completed her jail sentence. She was given a voter registration card after and was never told that she couldnt vote because she was still under federal supervision.

Where are we supposed to get it from? Mason said. Im supposed to pick up the law book and read every law?

Though her ballot was never counted, she faces another five-year prison sentence for voter fraud.

Mason says she believes shes being made an example of to discourage others from voting. She hopes her case does the opposite.

I would hope that people look at the outcome of everything and see that it is very important to vote, she said. All of these are elected officials  and thats from the DA, the judges, the constables  everybody, theyre elected.

Every stage of the pipeline

Would-be voters in Texas quickly learn that the anti-fraud measures  or barriers, depending on how you look at them  start with getting on the voter rolls.

Texas imposes barriers to registration and voting in ways that numerous states do not do, said Myrna Perez, director of the Voting Rights and Elections Program at New York Universitys Brennan Center for Justice. The group is one of many across the nation suing over Texas voting laws.

Those barriers exist at basically every stage of the voting pipeline and they compound  the result is that it is unnecessarily hard for too many eligible Texans to participate and vote, Perez said.

Texas is one of just nine states that refuse to offer online voter registration. As of August, voters in 40 states could register online. Another state, Oklahoma, is phasing it in, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

On top of that, Texas is one of only 10 states that require voters to register 30 days in advance.

And while at least 20 states have started automatically registering voters as they apply for, renew or update drivers licenses, Texas Department of Public Safety still requires Texans going through that process to print and mail a voter registration form to their county registrar  rules a San Antonio district judge last month decided are a violation of the National Voter Registration Act, ordering the state to change them, a victory for Democrats.

The Texas Civil Rights Project reported hearing from 106 voters in Harris County who had their provisional ballots rejected in 2018 because they mistakenly thought they had registered with DPS online.

The state, meanwhile, also has requirements in place for third-party groups such as the League of Women Voters that are trying to help people register that other states do not. That includes mandating that volunteers get approval from each of the states 254 counties where they intend to register voters.

Leader in closed polling places

Texas has led the nation in shuttering polling places, closing 750 since 2012, according to a report published last year. Many of those were closed as part of a statewide effort to shift to centralized voting centers, a move supported by Democrats who say they intended to make voting easier and more convenient.

Then last year the state legislature passed a new law prohibiting temporary polling locations, often used by Texas counties during early voting, especially on or near college campuses.

Democrats have sued to stop that law, saying its an attempt to steal an election from the rising Texas electorate.

State Rep. Greg Bonnen, R-Friendswood, who pushed the legislation said at the time that it was necessary to prevent selective vote harvesting and accused some subdivisions of the state of targeting desirable voting populations at the exclusion of others.

But perhaps the most contentious law in place is the states voter ID law, which voting rights advocates have fought for nearly a decade. The current law has been watered down some as courts have said past iterations were discriminatory.

Voters are now required to show one of seven acceptable forms of photo ID to cast a ballot. If they dont have one of them, they can still vote, but have to sign an affidavit and show a utility bill or paycheck with their name and address.

The UH study found that Latino non-voters specifically were significantly less likely than Anglo non-voters to understand the ID rule, and significantly more likely to believe it was more restrictive than it actually is.

How much fraud? Nobody truly knows

Its unclear how much fraud that law has stopped, meanwhile, as studies have shown voter impersonation is exceedingly rare. In the decade before the state first passed its voter ID law in 2011, there were only two cases of in-person voter impersonation prosecuted to a conviction  a period of time in which 20 million votes were cast, a district judge noted in a 2014 opinion overturning the law.

Republicans insist fraud is happening. Canseco at the TPPF said hes heard anecdotes about non-citizens being approached by volunteers trying to register them to vote.

In 2017, Rosa Ortega, a green card holder who had lived in the Dallas area since she was a teenager, was sentenced to 8 years in prison for voting illegally. Ortega, who is on parole after serving nine months and now faces deportation, has said she didnt know she wasnt allowed to vote, but Republicans have pointed to her case as an example of what theyre trying to stop.

Canseco said he knows dead people are still on the rolls, as well.

Pressed for hard evidence of rampant fraud, he said its hard to come by because nobody has really gone out and documented this stuff and because prosecutions are difficult.

Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, whose office is responsible for investigating and prosecuting voter fraud cases, said the same earlier this month.

Its limited to what we can do, Paxton said during a Zoom interview with the Texas Public Policy Foundation last week. But we try to send the message with what we do  and the fact that were investigating well over 100 cases right now  that we take this seriously, and were going to do our best.

You may be the unfortunate one we catch.

Taylor Goldenstein contributed reporting from Austin.

ben.wermund@chron.com
DALLAS - A lawyer for the family of a woman who was shot dead by a suburban Houston police officer last year during a struggle over a stun gun said Thursday that the police departments leadership must enact specific reforms or step down.

The call came three days after Baytown Officer Juan Delacruz was charged with aggravated assault by a public servant for shooting Pamela Turner in the parking lot of an apartment complex where they lived in May 2019.

Turners family has said the 44-year-old Black woman was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and that Delacruz knew of his neighbours illness. The Hispanic officers lawyer dismissed the charges against him as baseless.

Turners family has expressed frustration that Delacruz has remained an officer and that it took more than a year to bring charges in the case. Attorney Devon Jacob said during a video news conference Thursday that public trust in the Baytown Police Department hangs on whether it makes changes. He said the city is at a crossroads.

They need to go, Jacob said of Baytowns top police commanders. They need to go unless they step up and say our department did wrong and our department will do right going forward and commit to change.

Jacob did not specify what changes Turners family is seeking. Her daughter, Chelsie Rubin, said she wants to see some good come out of her mothers death.

I prayed that my mothers death would not be in vain and she gets the justice that she deserves, Rubin said.

The results of an internal affairs investigation into the shooting will be turned over to Chief Keith Dougherty in the very near future, said Lt. Steve Dorris, police spokesman. A Mayors Council on Community Engagement is examining department policies, especially regarding mental health response and the use of deadly force, Dorris said.

We care greatly about our community and all of our citizens and Chief Dougherty remains committed to finding the best ways to train and equip our officers to ensure we are able to provide our community with the absolute best service we can with the highest degrees of professionalism, integrity and compassion, Dorris said in a statement.

Delacruz shot Turner after a struggle that a bystander captured on video. The footage shows Delacruz standing over Turner and reaching down to try to grab her arms. Turner then yells, Im pregnant. Moments later, something flashes as she reaches her arm out toward the officer. Suddenly, Delacruz pulls away and fires five gunshots.

Autopsies showed Turned was not pregnant, according to police and lawyers for her family. A Baytown police spokesman has said Delacruz shot her during an attempted arrest after she shocked him with his Taser.

Court records showed three outstanding misdemeanour warrants against Turner at the time, but Jacob said Monday that Delacruz was not responding to a call for the police. The lawyer said Delacruz also worked as security for the apartment complex and suggested he confronted his neighbour because Turner was begin evicted.

Jacob said the officers use of force was unreasonable and a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Turners family plans to sue now that a criminal case has been bough, he said.

Greg Cagle, Delacruzs lawyer, on Monday said that the officer was defending himself and acted within his training and the law.

When someone takes a police officers taser and then uses it against them, the officer is left with no options other than deadly force, he said.

Delacruz remains an employee of the Baytown Police Department, but Dorris said hes not working the streets and his police powers have been suspended. ___

Follow Jake Bleiberg on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jzbleiberg
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 20:14:47|Editor: huaxia

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by Nick Kolyohin

JERUSALEM, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Israel endeavors to supply food to over 20 percent of its population suffering from exacerbating food insecurity during the COVID-19 crisis.

Leket Israel is the largest food rescue organization in the country with almost 200 food aid organizations under it. Serving as the national food bank, Leket provides food assistance to over 200,000 Israelis.

According to the BDO consultant company and Leket Israel organization report, roughly 145,000 additional people are predicted to enter into the cycle of food insecurity by the end of 2020, making the total number in need of food security in Israel to two million people. It would cost about 957 million U.S. dollars every year to solve the growing problem of nutrition insecurity.

Latet, Israel's largest humanitarian aid organization that combating poverty and acting as an umbrella to about 180 local organizations, said as well that the COVID-19 crisis increased the demand for food aid in Israel.

The calls for help to Latet organization almost doubled during the outbreak of COVID-19 since March. However, Joseph Gitler, founder and chairman of Leket Israel, said that "Israelis are wasting food, and now the situation even worse with more poverty and demand due to the pandemic."

During the pandemic, Latet has delivered food to the doorsteps of around 15,000 quarantined elderly people. Approximately a third of people that use Latet's help said that their children have smaller size of meals or skip meals because of economic hardship in light of the COVID-19 crisis.

Moreover, about a quarter of aid recipients' children go to school on a regular basis without food. It is estimated that one in every three children in Israel lives in poverty.

Gilles Darmon, president and founder of Latet, said that around 250,000 families suffer from severe food insecurity, meaning food insecurity is one of the worst and primary social issues that Israel has to deal with.

Organizations, such as Latet and Leket Israel, strive to solve the situation that producing more food than its population's needs and yet having so many people living with food insecurity.

Meanwhile, food waste is happening everywhere. Hotels, corporate cafeterias, army bases, and more places with buffet in Israel leave much food at the end of the meals which Leket strives to collect and distribute to those in need, said Gitler.

Sometimes farmers in purpose destroy their crops to keep prices up by decreasing excesses of harvest, Gitler told Xinhua, adding that "we do our best to try to stop it."

Yossi Ohayon, Leket Israel truck driver, said that "every day I distribute a full cargo of vegetables and fruits that farmers donate."

Much more could be done to save food, said Darmon.

Many places with food waste want to donate it, but unwillingness to invest in the logistics of the donating process leads to the easy solution of throwing away.

Technological solutions such as applications could help with easier connection on time between organizations with extra food and people or organizations that look for free meals and products.

Gitler emphasized that their purpose is not just to rescue and provide food to people, but rather to distribute healthy, high-quality food that is usually out of reach to the poor.

Leket succeeds to rescue 20 percent more food in August and the first half of September, it even increased the amounts by 50 percent compared to the same periods in 2019.

Gideon Ben-Ami, co-founder and general manager of Pesia's Kitchen, a rescue food organization that receives food from Leket Israel, said that it is easy and inexpensive to run a rescue food program.

Establishing rescue food organizations in every community that has needy, more governmental funds, and higher public awareness, could help the endeavor of saving wasted food in Israel, added Ben-Ami. Enditem
Credit: Wallenius Marine

The latest trend in cargo shipping has roots in a concept that's been around a while. Say, 7,000 years or so.

The technology is the wind, and the tool is the sailboat. First depicted on an unearthed painted disc in Kuwait believed to have been created around 5,000 BC, sailboats have played a key role in discovery, adventure, conflict and commerce. Would "Pirates of the Caribbean" with Johnny Depp have been as engaging if it took place on a motor boat?

Today, sailboats are used mainly for recreation. Supertankers and huge cargo carriers using cheap, dirty fuel have replaced environmentally friendly wind-powered transport as the main mode of world commerce.

But that transition came with a price. Shipping fuel emissions contribute up to 30 percent of nitrous oxides released into the atmosphere, 9 percent of sulphur oxides and 3 percent of carbon dioxide.

In response to growing concerns about global warming, the United Nations' International Maritime Organization has established a goal of slashing emissions by 40 percent by the end of this decade.

Responding to a new environmental consciousness, companies are studying greener means of transportation. Incorporating newly designed materials and computerized operations, these companies are on the cutting edge of a new age in shipping.

A Swedish company, Wallenius Marine, joined the revolution as it announced last week plans to build a sleek-looking wind-powered car and truck carrier ship that can haul 7,000 vehicles at a time. The ship, named Oceanbird, will sport five 260-foot retractable sails composed of metal and composite materials. The sails can be lowered to 66 feet to pass under bridges or accommodate changing wind conditions. Upon completion, the 650-foot-long, 130-foot-wide ship will hold the distinction of being the world's largest sailing vessel.

The Oceanbird can travel at an average speed of 10 knots. That is a bit slower than conventional vessels, but cruising with the wind means it can eliminate emissions by 90 percent.

"Our vision is to lead the way towards truly sustainable shipping," said Per Tunell, Wallenius Marine's chief operating officer, during a digital press conference last week. "Of course we want others to join us."

Credit: Wallenius Marine

Credit: Wallenius Marine

When asked why the company was willing to share so many details about construction of the ship, Tunell replied, "It is not a competition, but rather a direction we all need to take. By being transparent in the process, we want to inspire others to test the limit to what is possible We need to make a change and it just can't wait anymore."

Tunell also noted that he has been asked about what some see as a contradiction: an environmentally ambitious effort at transportation that ironically will transport polluting automobiles. Tunell said, "The car industry is going through a major transition as well, and it is moving fast. I would say they are way ahead of the general shipping industry and I am convinced that cars of the future will have significantly less, or even zero emissions from their operation. Oceanbird is matching what many car manufacturers are doing perfectly."

Wallenius, working with the Swedish research institute SSPA and the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm on the Oceanbird project, built a small-scale model of the ship and will be testing it in sea waters over the next few months. A completed design should be ready by the end of next year and the first ship should be ready to sail before 2025.

Explore further Shipping firms look to sail into the future

 2020 Science X Network
The Rivers Edge Hotel near Portlands South Waterfront is usually bustling during the summer, but was averaging just 50% capacity earlier this month as the coronavirus pandemic kept many vacationers at home.

That was before wildfires throughout Oregon displaced tens of thousands across the state. Entire families poured into the hotel, bringing cats, dogs and other pets. Staff members helped evacuees unpack cars stuffed with family treasures.

The Rivers Edge, like other hotels in the area, started offering a discounted rate to evacuees, charging $79 per room. When the 100-room hotel reached 90% capacity, management rushed to remove listings from third-party websites like Expedia so evacuees could extend their stays, if needed.

You really empathize with the situation going on, said Craig Forbus, the hotels general manager. This is our community, too. This could be happening to any of us. You want to do something, especially as a hotel.

The hospitality industry was one of the hardest hit by the pandemic, with occupancy rates throughout much of Oregon dropping into the teens early on. Hotels in tourism hubs in Central Oregon and on the coast saw occupancy rates rebound this summer as travelers looked for safe ways to get away, but occupancy rates remained down 36% in Portland during the first week of September.

There turned out to be one silver lining to that decrease in occupancy: As wildfire ravaged the state last week, hotels that would usually be close to full at this time of year had plenty of open rooms to take in evacuees.

As of Wednesday night, 2,195 evacuees were staying in 1,243 hotel rooms across 68 different hotels within Oregon, according to numbers provided to the state by the American Red Cross. Those numbers were likely higher last week when a greater portion of the state was under evacuation notice.

The state has a wildfire page online with information about available hotels and shelters, along with other resources for evacuees.

Hotel Lucia in downtown Portland, which is offering a discounted rate of $79 to evacuees through Sunday, saw occupancy rates jump by roughly 20 percentage points over the weekend as evacuees poured out of neighboring Clackamas County and other parts of the state. Staff worked to coordinate stays and help guests settle in, even as some of their own neighborhoods faced Level 1 and 2 evacuation warnings.

Were happy that we could be in a position where we could act quickly and the guests didnt have to worry about rooms being sold out as quickly as they maybe would have been in a normal year, said Shannon Overholser, a spokesman for Provenance Hotels, which owns Hotel Lucia.

Not every evacuee had an easy time securing lodging last week. Karol Parham, 57, said the hotels she went to were either full or, seemingly, inflating prices. Parham, who had to evacuate her home in Molalla, ended up sleeping in her car at the Clackamas Town Center with her parrot, cat and a neighbor.

Gov. Kate Brown issued an order last week cracking down on price gouging in response to reports of lodging establishments inflating prices.

I am hoping that action, along with other actions from the Department of Justice will prevent scams, Brown said. But we know theyre going to happen, so its going to require both education, information to consumers and, of course, enforcement.

Greg Astley is director of government affairs for the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association, which lobbies for the industry. He said the organization hadnt heard about any widespread price gouging but has continued to remind members not to raise rates in response to the wildfire emergency.

The association has been working closely with the state, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Red Cross to provide up-to-date information about properties that are available to take in evacuees. Many are offering heavily discounted rates or even free rooms, Astley said.

The Graduate Hotel in Eugene, which had been closed due to the pandemic, reopened to help house evacuees, Astley said. Lane County was also offering in-person crisis support at the hotel.

The University Place Hotel, which is owned by Portland State University, is offering free rooms for up to two weeks to any Portland State students, staff and faculty impacted by the fires and $84 rooms to other evacuees. The hotel was housing 180 guests over the weekend. There are now 46 families sheltering at the hotel, 31 of whom are from the Portland State community.

The Hoxton in Old Town, which has faced its own financial struggles this year and been operating with a smaller staff due to the pandemic, is offering two free nights to residents fleeing from Level 3  go now  evacuation zones and $75 rooms for those from areas with Level 1 or 2 evacuation warnings. As of Thursday, they had booked 104 free room nights through the program.

For us, its not a revenue decision, but a people decision, said Tessa Peterson, the hotels general manager. As members of the community, seeing families lose homes, its just the right thing to do.

-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com | @jamiebgoldberg
The historic West Side of San Antonio is composed of many working-class barrios with a variety of vernacular architectural styles, including shotgun houses, bungalows, vecindades and housing projects.

Whether domiciles or businesses such as tienditas, panaderias or restaurants, the buildings are mostly one or two stories. The built landscape and residential density are primarily horizontal. Most houses in the West Side are idiosyncratic because they have been built in stages, board by board, over time as families can afford to buy lumber, windows and other materials. Paint and decorative elements give each casita a personal and highly individual look. With elements, materials and designs from different eras, the buildings of the West Side collectively comprise a distinctive vernacular landscape. They are vibrant forms of cultural expression.

Like cities throughout the U.S., San Antonio desperately needs more affordable housing. But the price of affordability cannot be the loss of historical and cultural landscapes. In 2018, the Mayors Housing Policy Task Force identified a goal  protect and promote neighborhoods  as one of its five pivotal recommendations, an aim we support wholeheartedly. Regrettably, the San Antonio Housing Authoritys plan for Alazan Lofts, developed by the NRP Group, neither protects nor promotes the neighborhood, nor does it contribute meaningfully to the architecture of our city.

CONTINUING COVERAGE: SAHA to build $19 million apartments next to Alazan-Apache Courts

Alazan Lofts would stand at the intersection of El Paso and South Colorado streets, near the Esperanza Peace and Justice Centers Rinconcito de Esperanza, with the Casa de Cuentos and MujerArtes collective. The project would consist of multiple, three- and four-story buildings with large windows.

In their scale, form and materials, the buildings would have almost no relation to the character and architecture of the West Side, and they would dwarf neighboring structures. For these reasons, the project should be revised. We have seen the consequences of projects like Alazan Lofts on streetscapes already  for example, on West Mitchell Street on the South Side, where Rio Lofts pointedly disrupts the rhythm and character of the block.

San Antonio Housing Authority and NRP defend the design and massing of Alazan Lofts by saying neighborhood residents have endorsed the project. The Esperanza, the Westside Preservation Alliance, the Historic Westside Residents Association, Mi Barrio No Se Vende and Los Corazones del Westside are among organizations that have opposed the design in meetings and have proposed options that would minimize its negative effects. These groups and other individuals have devoted countless hours advocating for a more respectful, compatible design.

OTHER VIEWS: Alazan Lofts will boost West Side.

Quality, affordable housing can be built without radically altering the character of historic neighborhoods. Design|Forum advocates for plans that acknowledge context, are built to human scale, and nurture distinctive historical neighborhoods and cultural landscapes, like that of the West Side. We urge SAHA to demand a more culturally, historically and spatially contextual project from its developers and architects. A design scaled to the existing streetscape, with smaller massing and greater formal and material variety, would improve the project.

Design|Forum also believes in inclusive decision-making processes. In this instance, it is troubling that residents voices appear to count for so little, particularly when those voices belong primarily to working-class Mexican Americans, who collectively constitute a great many San Antonians and who have been historically marginalized.

We urge the San Antonio Housing Authority, a public entity entrusted with taxpayer money intended to benefit poor and working-class residents, to be more responsive to the voices and perspectives of the most vulnerable among us, those who must live each day with the consequences of the authoritys decisions.

Tomas Ybarra-Frausto is a member of the Westside Preservation Alliance and a Design|Forum board member. Kathryn E. ORourke serves on the Design|Forum board and is an associate professor of art history at Trinity University.
(Natural News) Celebrity cheerleader Jerry Harris, a performer from the Netflix reality series Cheer who rose to stardom this year and even interviewed Joe Biden, has been charged with producing child pornography.

(Article republished from RT.com)

Harris, 21, was arrested and charged by the FBI on Thursday following an investigation into allegations he solicited photos and sex from minors.

Federal court records show Harris admitted to agents that he solicited and received explicit messages through Snapchat from 10 to 15 individuals, all of whom he knew were minors. He also admitted to paying a 17-year-old for nude photos, and allegedly had sex with a 15-year-old at a cheering competition last year.

A criminal investigation into Harris was launched after 14-year-old twin brothers Charlie and Sean, whose last names are being kept private because they are minors, came forward with allegations Harris had sexually harassed both online and at cheer competitions for more than a year, starting when they were 13 and he was 19.

Messages reportedly include Harris requesting nude photos and sex from the two boys.

Their mother filed reports with the Forth Worth, Texas, police in July and then with the FBI in August. The FBI initiated a search warrant on Harris home in Naperville, Illinois, on Monday.

A spokesperson for Harris previously denied allegations against him in a statement to TMZ, saying we are confident that when the investigation is complete the true facts will be revealed.

Harris gained international attention and acclaim on social media when Cheer premiered on Netflix in January. He was praised as one of the more outgoing and positive personalities on the cheerleading competition series.

The cheerleader saw such a rise in stardom, that he hosted an Instagram conversation with presidential hopeful Joe Biden in June, a post that has now been deleted. The exchange was part of Bidens voter outreach campaign in getting young people to register to vote.

I had the opportunity to speak with Vice President @JoeBiden a few days ago about some really important issues facing our country right now, in particular young adults and the Black community, Harris wrote at the time.

This video is weirdly difficult to find on the internet now. pic.twitter.com/EQbFMadOXw  L  (@SomeBitchIKnow) September 17, 2020

Wow, Joe Biden's Instagram influencer has been arrested!! Jerry Harris From Netflix's "Cheer" Has Been Arrested On Child Pornography Charges https://t.co/eofTpEKDVJ via @salhernandez  Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) September 17, 2020

Harris arrest has not helped Netflixs public image problem at the moment, mainly stemming from the release of the highly-controversial Cuties, a film some have described as child pornography for its depiction of minors twerking and dancing in suggestive outfits for adults. The streaming services marketing of the series, which put the children and the outfits front and center, has also been criticized.

Netflix has a pedophile problem. First Cuties now this. Time for a federal investigation into every executive.https://t.co/FT96PmvCbR  Cernovich (@Cernovich) September 17, 2020

What on earth is going on over at Netflix?https://t.co/hws36HCD2V  Rob Smith  (@robsmithonline) September 17, 2020

The Cuties controversy escalated on the same day as Harris arrest with over 30 Republican congressmen signing a letter, obtained by The Daily Caller, demanding the Department of Justice prosecute the streaming giant for the distribution of child pornography and visual fodder for pedophiles.

Cuties clearly meets the United States legal definition of child pornography, the letter reads. Cuties contains, a scene where an 11-year-old girl dressed in a tank and panties is splashed with water and begins twerking in a frenzied kind of way, and numerous other, equally distressing depictions of minors including the display of an 11-year-old childs bare breast.

To us, and to the vast majority of Americans, its deeply upsetting to see a mainstream media company promote the sexualization of children, they add.

Read more at: RT.com
Sarah Collins Rudolph, who survived a racist church bombing that killed sister Addie Mae Collins and three other girls in 1963, stands with husband George Rudolph at the remains of a Confederate memorial that was removed in Birmingham on June 2.

MONTGOMERY, Ala.  Sarah Collins Rudolph still carries glass from the bombing that killed her sister and three other little girls on Sept. 15, 1963.

The terrorist attack on the 16th Street Baptist Church  when Rudolph was 12 years old  left her blind in her right eye. It ended her dream of becoming a nurse and forced her to cope for decades with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Now Rudolph is seeking an apology from the state and compensation. Both Rudolph and her attorneys say then-Gov. George Wallaces violent rhetoric created conditions that led to the bombing.

When all that was going on in the '60s, the state of Alabama was involved, Rudolph said in a phone interview with her husband George on Wednesday. They were promoting the hatred and the racist stuff that was going on.

Attorneys Ishan Bhabha, Caroline Cease and Alison Stein wrote in a Sept. 14 letter to Gov. Kay Ivey that Rudolphs injuries were caused by criminals directly incited by state leaders to take the offensive on white supremacy and pay the hard price to retain freedom of race. 

The actions of the bombers, affiliated with the Ku Klux Klan and inspired and motivated by then-Governor Wallaces racist rhetoric, left Ms. Collins hospitalized for months and scarred, both physically and mentally, to this day, the letter says.

Gina Maiola, a spokeswoman for the governor, wrote in an email Wednesday that the office received the letter and was reviewing it. The Washington Post first reported the story.

The move by Rudolph could bring Alabama's official actions during the civil rights movement under closer scrutiny. The Legislature funded two groups to spy on civil rights activists and gather embarrassing information on the movement. Wallace and other white leaders of the day falsely accused civil rights activists of being stooges for communists, and sometimes went further.

Wallace, engaged in a bitter fight to protect segregation in Birmingham schools, told The New York Times 10 days before the bombing that the society is coming apart at the seams.

Story continues

What good is it doing to force these situations when white people nowhere in the South want integration? he said. What this country needs is a few first-class funerals, and some political funerals, too.

Bhabha said in a phone interview Wednesday that the compensation Rudolph sought would be a matter of discussion with the state.

Nothing is really going to give Sarah closure, but it could be beneficial to her and to all of those who suffered as a result of that, he said.

Sarah Collins was 12 on the morning of Sept. 15, 1963 when she went to 16th Street Baptist Churchs annual Youth Day event. Collins; her sister Addie Mae, 14; Carol McNair, 11; Carole Robertson, 14, and Cynthia Wesley, 14, were changing into their choir robes in in the churchs basement when at least 15 sticks of dynamite planted by four Klansmen exploded under the steps of the church, near the basement. McNair; Robertson; Wesley and Collins sister Addie Mae were killed. A church deacon pulled Sarah Collins out of the wreckage.

Denise McNair, 11; Carole Robertson, 14; Addie Mae Collins, 14; and Cynthia Wesley, 14; from left, are shown in these 1963 photos. (

Rudolphs husband, George, was in church on Birminghams South Side, about 10 miles away, and could hear the bomb when it went off.

That was a loud explosion, said George, a Vietnam veteran. For her to live through that and see that, that really did something to her. When she talks, I let people know Sarah went through Vietnam at 12 years old. No child should have to go through that.

Rudolph was in the hospital for weeks and did not return to the 16th Street Baptist Church after it reopened eight months following the attack. With her right eye blind, she worked what she calls odd jobs, including foundry work and housekeeping.

She often says that this completely changed the trajectory of her life, Stein said. She was a little girl who had dreams of becoming a nurse. When this happened, her life took an immediate turn. Not only was she blind, but she became more introverted.

The bombers escaped immediate prosecution, but Alabama Attorney General Bill Baxley reopened the investigation in 1970. In 1977, a jury convicted Robert Chambliss, a member of the Ku Klux Klan, to life in prison for McNairs murder. The FBI reopened the investigation in 1995, and a grand jury indicted Thomas Blanton and Frank Bobby Cherry for their roles in the bombing. Juries convicted Blanton and Cherry in 2001 and 2002, after prosecutions led by then-U.S. Attorney Doug Jones, now the junior U.S. senator from the state.

All three men died in prison. A fourth suspect, Herman Cash, died of cancer in 1994 without ever being charged. Rudolph said Wednesday the prosecutions did not provide her any peace.

When they came to trial, then went to jail, they didnt do nothing but die, she said. They were old people.

Attorneys for Rudolph met with Jones in December to discuss a path forward. Jones said in a statement on Wednesday that he did not feel it was my place to offer legal advice.

I did, however, confirm my belief based on my own research for the trials of two of the four Klansmen responsible for the bombing, that the State of Alabama, through George Wallace and others, and the city of Birmingham through Bull Connor and others, engaged in the kind of dog-whistle political rhetoric that promoted violence and led to the bombing," the statement said.

The state government has expressed some regret for Alabamas sins. In 2007, Gov. Bob Riley signed a resolution apologizing for the states role in slavery. The Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles in 2013 issued posthumous pardons to three of the Scottsboro Nine, falsely accused of rape in 1931. In 2018, the Alabama State Board of Education expunged the records of nine Alabama State University students expelled in 1960 for participating in a sit-in.

Rudolph is working on a book about her life. said an apology and compensation would mean a lot to me.

Im still paying bills from that day, she said. I still have to go to the doctor for my eye.

Follow Brian Lyman on Twitter: @lyman_brian

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: 16th Street Baptist Church bombing victim seeks apology, compensation
Growing numbers of older people who are more vulnerable to Covid-19 are being inflected as the potentially deadly disease spreads further.

Acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn warned yesterday: "We are now seeing a higher proportion of cases in older age groups."

He was speaking as figures show 265 people over the age of 65 caught the virus in the first two weeks of this month.

The figures highlight how the virus is infecting people who have lower defences in fighting its effects, increasing the risks of death from it.

Impossible

Dr Colm Henry, the HSE's head of clinical care, said: "We are now seeing an increase in (cases in) the over-75 age group."

It is impossible to contain the virus among younger age groups, he warned.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said: "The increased spread of the virus to older people is a concern. International evidence shows that more recently cases of Covid-19 have been increasing in younger age groups before then spreading to older people.

"We know that older people are more susceptible to the virus and this is one of the many reasons why it is so important that the overall rate of cases is brought down.

"While there is a lot of focus on the number of cases in Dublin currently, we have to keep the rate of Covid-19 low all across Ireland.

"We are seeing increases in cases in many counties, not just in Dublin.

"We need to slow the spread of the virus to ensure lives are saved, our health service is protected, schools and colleges can remain open, jobs are safeguarded and overall so we can live our lives to the greatest extent possible during this pandemic."

The number of people hospitalised with the virus, including those in the Mater and Beaumont, continues to climb, reaching 73 yesterday, up from 23 in August.

The numbers in intensive care have also risen from six in recent weeks to 14.

The Cabinet meets today to decide on a range of restrictions to be imposed on the capital, the latest hotspot of the virus, for the coming weeks.

There were 240 newly diagnosed cases of the virus yesterday and one more death showing no indication the problem is easing.

There were four deaths from the virus in August but 15 deaths so far in September.

Yesterday's cases showed 119 were in Dublin, 19 in Wicklow, 17 in Kildare, 16 in Donegal, 15 in Waterford, 10 in Limerick, eight in Cork, six in Louth and five in Wexford.

The remaining 24 cases are shared among Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Galway, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Tipperary, Westmeath.

Dr Glynn said half of cases were in Dublin. "We are now seeing a higher proportion of cases in older age groups.

"Act now to save lives. Limit your contacts as much as possible. Assume you and those you meet are infectious, keep your distance and do your part to keep others safe."

Some 61pc of cases were in younger age groups under 65.


CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The U.S. dollar strengthened against its most major opponents in the New York session on Friday amid safe haven appeal, as a second wave of the coronavirus infections raised fears about the pace of economic recovery.



Risk sentiment deteriorated after France registered 10,593 fresh cases on Thursday, and Britain had a spike in infections.



Spain is currently battling a resurgent second wave of Covid-19 but the mortality levels are far lower than they were in spring.



Surging coronavirus figures across Europe should serve as 'a wake-up call', Dr. Hans Kluge, regional director of The World Health Organization in Europe, said on Thursday.



The number of new cases had doubled in more than half of European member states in the past two weeks and we have a very serious situation unfolding before us, he added.



The greenback climbed to 1.1826 against the euro and 0.9113 against the franc, off its previous 2-day lows of 1.1869 and 0.9073, respectively. The greenback is poised to find resistance around 1.16 against the euro and 0.94 against the franc.



The greenback edged up to 1.2933 against the pound, reversing from its early low of 1.3000. On the upside, 1.23 is likely seen as the next resistance level for the greenback.



Data from the Office for National Statistics showed that UK retail sales continued to grow in August but the pace of expansion slowed markedly.



Retail sales volume increased 0.8 percent month-on-month in August, but slower than July's 3.7 percent increase. Sales were forecast to climb 0.7 percent. This was the fourth consecutive rise in volume.



After falling to 2-day lows of 1.3137 against the loonie, 0.7334 against the aussie and 0.6798 against the kiwi in early deals, the greenback rebounded to 1.3201, 0.7283 and 0.6758, respectively. The greenback is seen locating resistance around 1.34 against the loonie, 0.70 against the aussie and 0.66 against the kiwi.



In contrast, the greenback held steady against the yen, after hitting a 1-1/2-month low of 104.27 in the European session. The pair was worth 104.74 at Thursday's close.



Data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications showed that Japan consumer prices rose 0.2 percent on year in August - in line with expectations and slowing from 0.3 percent in July.



Core CPI, which excludes volatile food costs, sank an annual 0.4 percent - again matching forecasts following the flat reading in the previous month.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
LONDON: Turkish designer Bora Aksu said the coronavirus pandemic inspired his latest collection, which looks back over one hundred years to the Spanish flu pandemic and the end of World War One.

COVID-19 meant that Aksus fashion show on Friday was one of only four taking place at London Fashion Week, according to the British Fashion Council, compared with the 46 shows that took place at the event last September.

The designer said that after such an isolating period earlier in the year due to the pandemic, he felt that not having a traditional show would have been cutting off that human touch, I really couldnt do it."

He said of the pandemic: It has so kind of affected all our lives and the way we operate and work that I could not take myself out of it."

It made him think of the 1918 flu pandemic and the accompanying time of mourning at the end of the war, and the much more optimistic period that followed.

The floaty white dresses with long socks and white boots reflected the minimal dressing of the nurses who treated the war wounded and those suffering from flu, he said.

Parading in Londons autumn sunshine, models, wearing sheer face veils, also showed off tiered dresses in pastel shades of pink and blue, and dark purples, with prints and lace.

The collections and the fashion actually should reflect the times that we be going through," Aksu told Reuters.

He said he wanted to send a message of hope by reminding people that after World War One and the Spanish flu pandemic, good times followed for many in the early 1920s.
General MM Naravane, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) on a two-day visit to Kashmir, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020. COAS arrived in Srinagar today and proceeded to undertake a firsthand assessment of the situation along the Line of Control (LC) in North Kashmir. (PTI Photo)

SRINAGAR: Indian Army chief, General Manoj Mukund Naravane, on Thursday held a series of meetings with local Army officers to review the security situation in the Valley. He also flew to a couple of locations along the Line of Control (LoC) for a firsthand assessment of the security prevailing in the frontier region.

In the evening, Gen. Naravane who is on a two-day visit of the Valley met J-K Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, at the Raj Bhavan to discuss several important issues related to effective management of internal and external security, particularly in the context of attempts at infiltration and the steps required to be taken for more effectively dealing with terrorist activities.

He was accompanied by Lt. Gen. YK Joshi, Army Commander, Northern Command and Lt. Gen. BS Raju, GOC of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps which is also known as Chinar Corps, a Raj Bhavan spokesman said.

According to defence spokesman, Colonel Rajesh Kalia, Gen. Naravane, during his interaction with the soldiers deployed in high altitude areas of the Valley, appreciated their high morale and complimented them on their response to Pakistan ceasefire violations.

He also commended use of technology to ensure effective day and night surveillance across the LoC which has resulted in many successful operations to foil infiltration bids from POJK in the recent past. The Army chief reinforced the need to extend all possible support to civilians residing in the border areas who are victims of targeted ceasefire violations by Pakistan Army and are facing hardships due to the pandemic, the spokesman said.

He said at his meetings with the Army commanders and jawans deployed in the hinterland, Gen. Naravane reiterated that it was the dawn of a new era of development, peace and prosperity in Kashmir and applauded them for their high level of morale and contribution to peace building in J-K.
Mumbai: An explosion rocked Worli area of Maharashtra's Mumbai on Friday morning.

As per reports, the explosion took place at a chemical lab on the third floor of the passport building in Worli.

"A blast was reported at Manish Commercial Centre at Annie Besant Road in Worli, Mumbai at around 9:00 am on Friday", said Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) was quoted as saying by ANI.

There are no reports of any injury to any one in the blast. Though, panic has spread in the area due to the explaosion.

A probe has been intitiated into the matter.

Earlier, on August 26, a level 2 fire was reported at a Worli high-rise at Dr Annie Besant Road.

There have been over five incidents of fire reported in August from various parts of the city and suburbs.

(This is a developing story, more details awaited)
The worst floods in Sudan in a century continue to displace thousands.

Heavy rain and further flooding are forecast in parts of Sudan in the coming week.

Since July, floods have ravaged nearly every single state, killing at least 115 people.

The United Nations is scaling up emergency food assistance, and hundreds of thousands are living in desperate conditions in makeshift camps.

Al Jazeeras Mohammed Adow reports from Sinjah, Sudan.
Hillary Clinton is angry. We can have democracyor we can have social networks that allow the spread of weaponized disinformation about our elections, she tweeted this week, while linking to a pressure campaign meant to demand social media platforms protect democracy. Bloomberg Businessweek, in a long and largely misleading piece on Facebook published yesterday, attempted to bully CEO Mark Zuckerberg into more aggressively disadvantaging Donald Trump and his supporters. Zuckerberg got an outsized portion of the blame for Hillary Clintons loss in 2016, and hes being warned that hes in the firing line again.

Its not really Facebooks algorithms that the forces behind such efforts detest, nor is it misinformation, nor the manipulation undertaken by shadowy groups such as the now-infamous Cambridge Analytica. Remember, it was just a decade ago that liberals believed social networks would, almost by themselves, create progressive revolutions across the globe. It was just eight years ago that the Obama campaigns social-media operation  far larger than anything Cambridge Analytica ever managed  was hailed as the work of digital masterminds who boldly blew through an alarm that [Facebook] engineers hadnt planned for or knew about.

No, what bothers the Left about Facebook is that it is the most powerful media company in the world and it is a place conservative people can talk, and share ideas, with relatively less manipulation and guidance from progressive editors and censors.

In Bloombergs report, were told about liberal and progressive Facebook employees crying. And it is implied that since 2016, Facebook has openly and brazenly supported the Right:

Facebooks internal data showed that conservative voices are consistently the most popular on the site. (On a recent Monday morning, the top 10 Facebook posts, by interactionssuch as likes, shares, and commentsincluded eight from conservative pundits and news outlets, one from Ivanka Trump, and one from NPR.)

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This should actually be expected. The country is more or less evenly divided between the two parties. The vast majority of media outlets tilt toward the center-left or left, meaning that any story that excited left-leaning Facebook users will be told by many different outlets. Relatively fewer outlets serve conservatives news, and few of those have a ton of social-media reach. Facebooks current user demographics skew older than almost all social networks. With a large demand meeting a small supply, outlets such as Fox News and The Daily Wire are naturally going to dominate Facebook in shares and interactions.

Whats more, Facebook is correct to be cautious about demands from political parties for more direct intervention in its business. If the editing got too heavy-handed, Republican Senators such as Josh Hawley would have their case for repealing the Section 230 protections, ones premised on the idea that Facebook is a platform and not a publisher. The urge to censor is at the heart of Clintons demands. It was she who threatened to pass a constitutional amendment to overturn the Citizens United decision, which held that under the First Amendment, a film criticizing Hillary Clinton could be aired before an election.

But for now, Facebook remains in an unwinnable position. Cultural progressives control the universities, have captured most corporate boards, and run a kind of ongoing informal ideological union in the media. Facebooks unprecedented success has put many of the traditional businesses that employ that unions members into a precarious position, fueling their dependence on and resentment of Zuckerbergs platform. So now they are doing everything they can to put pressure on Facebook itself. They arent interested in what conservatives are saying to each other; they just think its disgusting to profit from such an enterprise, and probably dangerous.

Social media provides a somewhat exaggerated reflection of whats happening in the real world. When progressives are winning victories, theyll hold Facebook, Twitter, and the like in high esteem. When they are in a dour mood, theyll do the opposite. In either case, protecting democracy will have nothing to do with it.

More from National Review
Trouble seems to be brewing for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on its alliance front after the resignation of Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who belongs to the saffron party's traditional ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), over three contentious farmers' bills.

While the SAD has said that a decision regarding its alliance with the BJP would be taken during a meeting later, farmers' protests in neighbouring Haryana, where the BJP government is being supported by Dushyant Chautala-led Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), has also spelt trouble for the party.

The rumble within the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) couldn't have come at a worse time. The party is preparing for Bihar Assembly polls, the dates for which are yet to be declared by the Election Commission, and has been in talks with its allies in Bihar -- the Janata Dal (United) and the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) -- over seat-sharing arrangements.

While the alliance trouble in Punjab and Haryana might end up hurting the BJP in terms of the seat-sharing prospects, what makes matters worse, say analysts, is the existing trouble between Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) and LJP. Locked in a bitter battle for the past few months, the two allies might increase their aggressive posturing with one eye on the polls and the other on developments in Punjab and Haryana.

ALSO READ: How Harsimrat Kaur Badals resignation changes political dynamics of Punjab

Alliance trouble has followed the BJP over the past one year at least. Last year's Maharashtra polls in October saw the BJP and the Shiv Sena join hands in an uneasy alliance that, post the election results, fell apart, resulting in the former losing out on an important state.

Something similar happened in Jharkhand a couple of months later, with the BJP's prospects getting hurt on some seats in the state because its ties with its ally, the All Jharkhand Students' Union (AJSU) had been severed.

Now, as preparations for the all-important Bihar elections begin, things seem to be looking gloomy in that state as well. JD(U) has been pressing for 115 seats while urging the BJP to accommodate the LJP from its quota, according to an Indian Express report. On its part, the BJP expects to contest the polls along with the JD(U) as equal partners.

"... By conventional logic, we should contest as equal partners as we did in the last Lok Sabha polls. Our party had shown a large heart during the Lok Sabha polls by denying tickets to five sitting MPs and giving the JD(U) equal seats (17 each) to contest. It is now the JD(U)s turn to return the favour," a BJP leader told the newspaper. The leader added that the BJP is also in touch with the LJP to resolve outstanding issues.

ALSO READ: How a weak JDU and RJD could change the Bihars electoral landscape

Interestingly, according to an India Today report , Maharashtra, Punjab, Bihar and Haryana are some of the states the BJP has held up as examples of its commitment to its partners in the NDA. Now that these alliances in these states seem to be on the edge one way or the other, the BJP, analysts say, would need to tread cautiously in Bihar.
How this ISIS operative from Mangaluru lured her victims and converted them to Islam

Alarming rise of ISIS in South linked to seeds of radicalisation sown in Kerala 30 years ago

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Sep 18: The Parliament was earlier this week informed that the National Investigation Agency has registered 17 cases relating to the presence of the Islamic State in southern India.

The states in which cases have been registered are Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. Further, the agency has also arrested 122 operatives, the Ministry of Home Affairs said.

The MHA also said that there have been instances of individuals from different states, including the ones in South India having joined ISIS. This has come to the notice of the Centre and the State Security Agencies as well.

9 ISIS operatives held guilty in what NIA terms as one of its kind case

The probe by the NIA has revealed that the ISIS is most active in Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, Minister of State for Home Affairs, Kishan Reddy said in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.

Officials that OneIndia spoke with point out that the problem is particularly highest in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The radical ideology has been lurking for long, but has been ignored for several years, owing to a variety of factors, the top one being appeasement.

One of the first known cases was reported in Tamil Nadu. This was the case of Haja Fakkruddin, a resident of Cuddalore who left for Syria in early 2014 through Singapore to be part of the ISIS. This was followed by a series of events related to the group and there was an image on the social media that went viral, in which several youth were seen posing with ISIS merchandise. The image was shot in front of a Mosque in Thondi. A closer look at the Haja case would reveal that he was radicalised by a group based in Cuddalore.

The NIA has been probing these case in-depth and during the raids and searches have recovered incriminating material. The recoveries also point towards the depth of the radicalisation. For instance during the various searches, literature relating to ISIS had been found. Speeches of the 20th century Islamist thinker Abul Ala Maududi have been found in the possession of several youth. Further the police have also seized compact discs which had the speeches of radical elements such as Anwar Al Awlaki and Abdul Raheem Green.

In a chargesheet that was filed in 2016, the NIA speaks about the role of Mohammad Naseer, a computer engineer in his mid-20s. Naseer was heading to Libya from Sudan, but was apprehended and later deported to India.

He did his computer engineering from the MNM college in Chennai. It was at this time that he would visit a mosque at Chennai which was run by the Tamil Nadu Thowheed Jamath, non-political Islamic Organisation that preaches a puritanical version of Islam.

This group was founded by P Jainul Abdeen in 2004 when he broke away from the Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam.

17 cases, 122 arrests by NIA pertaining to Islamic State cases in South India

In 2014, two persons Abdul Rehman and Mohammad Rizwan were arrested in Ramnathpuram after they were found distributing t-shirts of the ISIS.

In Kerala, the issue is a ticking time bomb. It did not begin with the ISIS, but with the Wahhabi culture that spread like wild fire over the years. Officials cited above say that the key concern in Kerala remains radicalisation and Wahhabism. Allowing Wahhabism is a danger to the integrity as they tend to dominate pockets through radical thoughts and this in the long has contributed to the main problem in Kerala.

Further in Kerala, it is not a mindset that changed overnight. The radical mindset found among the extremist members dates back nearly 30 years back.

The Jerusalem Post had an interesting article titled, " The Wahhabi threat that India is ignoring." The article points out that India is facing a grave threat of Wahhabi Islam and its spread. Several madrasas in Kerala are reported to be preaching Wahhabi Islam to kids. It was in the year 2014 that the Indian Intelligence had sounded a high alert regarding the Wahhabis, who were trying to impose their rigid ideology. It was also said that they had begun funding the Mosques in Kerala and over Rs 1,000 crore had been spent for the same.

The quick spread of the ideology and the high number of recruits from Kerala into the ISIS and groups such as the Base Movement are a big concern for the security agencies.

Data available until June 15, 2019, suggests that there were 98 Indians with the Khorasan in Afghanistan of which 58 were from Kerala. Of the total number of Muslim recruits who joined ISIS, 39, are from Kannur.

Other problem areas in Kerala are Kasargod, Kozhikode, Palakkad, Ernakulam, Palakkad and Thrissur. These are effects of the seeds of radicalisation being sown in Kerala for a long time, the effects of which are being witnessed in the rest of South India as well.

Two more convicted by NIA Special Court in Burdwan blast case

A case of 1991 popularly known as the Lal Singh vs State of Gujarat will help understand when the seeds of radicalisation were being sown in Kerala. Basheer, a resident of Kerala, who was studying aeronautical engineering and was part of the extremist faction of the Students Islamic Movement of India had organised a convention in Bombay.

After Akali Dal now JJP's Dushyant Chautala under pressure over farm bills row | Oneindia News

Later it was found that this was a convention sponsored by Pakistan to create a liaison between the Khalistan terrorists and the SIMI. Pakistan had brought in Lal Singh, who was part of the Khalistan movement. Pakistan wanted the SIMI to grow and the target was South India.

Basheer had even surveyed the Madras Stock Exchange that year with an intention of bombing it. The plan did not work out and two years later Dawood Ibrahim helped bomb the Bombay Stock Exchange. The point here is that the radical mindset found among the extremist members of south is not a new phenomenon and dates back nearly 30 years back.
Revenue reached almost $300,000 last year. Shell be surprised if it reaches $100,000 this year. The business is her sole source of income. Im 47 and in a wheelchair, she says. Im never going to get hired anywhere.Clines Advice:Dont give up. Try to do your best and keep going because our communities need us, Cline says. Keep your expenses low. Make your customers aware of whats happening. Do whatever it takes to keep them coming in.Temper expectations. Its really hard to get out of your responsibilities on a commercial lease, but its worth trying, says Sylvia Novinsky, director of North Carolina Pro Bono Resource Center, which is coordinating free consultations for small businesses and nonprofits. Over 160 have made use of the services. Can the landlord really get another tenant in these times? she says.Expect contradictions. Businesses are finding landlords act differently month to month, tenant by tenant, says Alice Scott. Many who were willing to cut a break during the first few months of the pandemic no longer are. They vary in how they treat different businesses, negotiating with one and refusing to with another even though theyre in the same building. Talk to an attorney. For a pro bono consultation, search this Legal Services Corporation map and this Lawyers for Good Government page, and look for commercial lease assistance programs like this one in New York. Very often people just dont have the money to spend on a lawyer to get a question answered, says Novinsky. An attorney can help orient you to what to focus onwhat you should or should not do next. She says that guidance can be invaluable.Understand your lease. Your attorney can tell you what your responsibilities are, what happens if you default, and what your rights are--it varies by state. Theyll likely also look for force majeure clauses, which can excuse nonperformance related to extraordinary unforeseen events. Also bear in mind: Just because its not in the lease doesnt mean you cant negotiate it, says Gonzalez.Prepare to get emotional. Experiencing a commercial lease issue is anxiety-provoking, particularly if you depend exclusively on the business for your familys livelihood. The ability to talk to an attorney who is not going to be emotional, who will hopefully will provide a calming influence, is really helpful, says Novinsky. More reading: Eviction Filings by Big Landlords Surged After Trump Issued Ban; a primer on commercial leases and Covid-19; an explainer on rent negotiation; and an interview with an experienced mediator. For more stories, strategies, and advice for Main Street business owners, check out the Bloomberg Businessweek Small Business Survival Guide.
Siobhan Sherbovich's son Brayden

A Massachusetts mother rescued her 8-year-old son from suffocating on Sunday.

Siobhan Sherbovich was driving with her children in Bedford, Massachusetts, on Sunday afternoon when her son Brayden became tangled in his seatbelt in the backseat.

Sherbovich stopped the car in an attempt to untangle Brayden, but he was already choking as the belt had wrapped around his neck, she told news station WHSV 3.

"Before I could even process anything, he was basically hanging from the ceiling," she said, adding to NBC 10 Boston that "there was blood coming out from the pressure."

The seatbelt would not unbuckle, so Sherbovich rushed into a nearby hair salon in search of help and scissors to cut her son free.

"I was ready to break down windows," she said.

Siobhan Sherbovich

RELATED: 22-Year-Old Woman Survives 'Freak Accident' After Seat Belt Slices Her Stomach in Half

Daisey LaCourse, a hairstylist at the salon, gave Sherbovich some scissors and called 911, WHSV reported.

By the time Sherbovich was able to cut Brayden loose, he was unconscious.

"I cut him loose from the top of the ceiling, and he falls out of the car, just completely unconscious, onto the ground," she told WHSV.

Sherbovich was able to revive the young boy with CPR  and the heroic mother said that he was confused upon regaining consciousness.

"He just went, What happened? Im OK and just stared at me, looking like he was from another planet," she told WHSV.

Police Chief Bob Bongiorno credited Sherbovich's quick thinking and calm under pressure with saving her son's life.

RELATED: Mom Shares Photo of Injured Son After Car Accident to Raise Awareness About Booster Seat Safety

"Lets face it. Police and fire are trained on how to handle this type of situation. Theres no playbook on a parent how to do it," Bongiorno told WHSV. "For her to keep cool, to go into a facility, a salon, get a pair of scissors, come out, cut the seat belt off her son, begin CPR and essentially save his life is just absolutely amazing."

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A photo of Brayden in the hospital after the incident showed the boy in a neck brace with his face bruised.

Sherbovich told NBC 10 Boston that she's sharing her story in an effort to help other parents.

"This could happen to anyone, and the main point is for people to be prepared," she told the outlet. "I don't want another mom, I don't want another parent, to ever see their kid go through that. I don't want anyone to experience that."
Missile launch or storm repairs? Flurry of activity fuels speculation of North Korea test A satellite image shows an overview of people assembled in formation near Kim Il Sung Square and rehearsing for the upcoming military parade of the 75th Anniversary of the Workers' Party of North Korea in Pyongyang, North Korea

By Josh Smith

SEOUL (Reuters) - Analysts and security officials say they are watching for signs that North Korea may use an upcoming holiday to unveil new weapons or test fire a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), after a flurry of activity was detected at a key base.

Formations of troops have been seen practicing for what is expected to be a major military parade on Oct. 10, the 75th anniversary of the ruling Workers Party of Korea. Some observers say North Korea may showcase its largest missiles for the first time since 2018.

Imagery analysts and security officials caution that so far there is no conclusive evidence of an impending launch. But after several typhoons lashed North Korea in early September, satellite photos have shown a flurry of activity at the Sinpo South Shipyard, including in a secure basin where a barge used in previous underwater missile launches is docked.

"We're monitoring developments, as there is a possibility that a submarine-launched ballistic missile test will be conducted there using ejection equipment shortly after the repair is done," Won In-choul, the nominee for chairman of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, told lawmakers this week.

Other South Korean officials have sounded more cautious notes, including incoming South Korean defence minister General Suh Wook, who said on Monday that he considered an SLBM test unlikely because there is too little time to prepare ahead of the anniversary.

On Thursday, Daily NK, a Seoul-based website that reports on North Korea, cited a single unnamed source near the shipyard as saying the site "is bustling with activity to prepare for the ballistic missile launch," with officials and researchers arriving since late August.

38 North, a U.S.-based think tank, said in a report on Wednesday that imagery showed "heavy activity" at the shipyard, but that "no other indicators of launch preparations were observed."

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On Thursday the group reported that the missile barge, which had disappeared from view after the storms, likely after being repositioned under a protective awning, had reappeared.

Although the activity does suggest some kind of work is being done on the missile barge, it would also be consistent with basic repair work after the storm, said Dave Schmerler, a senior researcher at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies.

On Sept. 4, the U.S.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies said satellite imagery showed activity at Sinpo that was "suggestive, but not conclusive, of preparations for an upcoming test of a Pukguksong-3 submarine launched ballistic missile from the submersible test stand barge."

Last October, North Korea said it had successfully test-fired a Pukguksong-3, which elicited no major reaction from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has held up the absence of intercontinental ballistic missile and nuclear tests by that country since 2017 as a diplomatic success and played down shorter-range launches.

Although North Korea could roll out a new weapons system, there are no indications that the country is looking at "lashing out" ahead of the expected military parade, the commander of U.S. military forces in South Korea said last week.

(Reporting by Josh Smith; Additional reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Editing by Gerry Doyle and Daniel Wallis)
A tweet from Donald Trump disputing the scale of Russias threat to the November election while also saying both Russia and China will exploit the USs mail-in ballot scam has been tagged with an anti-misinformation message by Twitter.

Mr Trumps message was addressed to the director of the FBI, Christopher Wray, who testified to the House Committee on Homeland Security yesterday that Russia is clearly interfering in the presidential election, in particular targeting Joe Biden.

I think the intelligence committee's consensus is Russia continues to try to influence our elections, Mr Wray told the committee, primarily through what we would call malign foreign influence, as opposed to what we saw in 2016 where there was also an effort to target election infrastructure  We've not seen that second part yet this year or this cycle.

But we certainly have seen very active, very active efforts by the Russians to influence our election in 2020 through what I would call more the malign foreign influence side of things: social media use of proxies, state media, online journals, et cetera in an effort to both sow divisiveness and disorder, and  and I think the intelligence community has assessed this publicly  to primarily denigrate vice president Biden and what the Russians see as kind of an anti-Russian establishment. That's essentially what were seeing in 2020.

Mr Trump responded on Twitter, sharing a C-Span clip from Mr Wrays testimony and ranting that talk of the Russian threat is overplayed.

But Chris, you dont see any activity from China, even though it is a FAR greater threat than Russia, Russia, Russia. They will both, plus others, be able to interfere in our 2020 Election with our totally vulnerable Unsolicited (Counterfeit?) Ballot Scam. Check it out!

At the bottom of Mr Trumps tweet there now appears a notice from Twitter: Learn how voting by mail is safe and secure.

The notice links to a page featuring curated media stories explaining that mail-in voting is legal and safe, as well as a list of key points putting the reader at ease that claims of widespread mail vote fraud are baseless and the postal service is equipped to handle the expected influx of ballots.

Twitter put the same corrective link on another of Mr Trumps tweets yesterday, this one a more straightforward false claim: Unsolicited Ballots are uncontrollable, totally open to ELECTION INTERFERENCE by foreign countries, and will lead to massive chaos and confusion!

However, the note has not yet been added to another tweet the president sent just six minutes later in which he falsely claimed the election was being rigged because some voters in North Carolina have received two postal ballots.

While the duplicate ballots have inadvertently been sent out to a small number of votes, the mailing labels used by the state carry individual voter codes that are used to verify a ballot when it is returned, making it impossible for someone to vote twice.

Asked for comment, a Twitter spokesperson said the tweet directed at Mr Wray was labelled "for making a potentially misleading statement regarding election ballots, and to offer more context for anyone who may see the Tweet.

This action is in line with our recently-updated Civic Integrity Policy.

The policy, which Twitter says is intended to combat any effort to undermine public confidence in elections, is designed to apply to various types of problematic tweet, including those that spread confusion about electoral processes or spread unverified or false information about an election and its aftermath.

According to a 2019 blog post from the platform, the notice applied to some of Mr Trumps tweets is only used for verified accounts belonging to public officials and political figures with more than 100,000 followers.

Asked at the hearing what he considered the biggest threat to the integrity of the election, Mr Wray did not in fact single out Russia, but instead focused on the problem of an increasingly hostile and cynical political climate. And while he did not mention the president, his diagnosis of the problem included by implication the assault on the elections legitimacy that Mr Trump and his allies have launched.

In many ways what concerns me the most is the steady drumbeat of misinformation and sort of amplification of smaller cyber intrusions that contribute over time  I worry that they will contribute over time to a lack of confidence of American voters and citizens in the validity of their vote.

I think that would be a perception, not a reality. I think Americans can and should have confidence in our election system, and certainly in our democracy. But I worry that people will take on a feeling of futility because of all of the noise and confusion that's generated. And that's a very hard problem to combat.

This article has been updated to include a comment from Twitter.
India and Japan are looking at the possibility of cooperating on projects in Bangladesh and Myanmar as part of their efforts to work together in third countries, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said on Friday.

The India-Japan Act East Forum, which focuses on specific projects to modernise Indias northeastern region, also has a larger significance for connectivity with Bangladesh and Myanmar, Jaishankar said during a virtual event to mark the release of a report on the theme India-Japan: Time to seize the opportunities.

The recent signing of the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA), which covers the reciprocal provision of supplies and services by the defence forces of India and Japan, will enhance stability and security across Asia, he said.

The ministers remarks assume significance against the backdrop of efforts by several countries, including India, Australia and Japan, to forge new partnerships with countries across the Indo-Pacific in the face of Chinas growing aggressive and assertive activities.

India and Japan, Jaishankar noted, had moved from discussions to practically working together in third countries. Weve done a little bit of that in Sri Lanka and I think were today trying to see whether we can cooperate and coordinate more closely in Bangladesh and Myanmar, he said.

While noting that India and Japan were already working closely within the framework of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), East Asia Summit and the Quadrilateral dialogue, he suggested that they could also cooperate in Russias Far East and the Pacific Island countries.

Jaishankar described ACSA, which was signed last week, as a very practical manifestation of our ability and intent of working together. He added, Im very confident that it would both be a big plus for the evolution of the Indo-Pacific vision of both countries [and add] to the stability and security of Asia.

Both countries are trying to shape the Indo-Pacific narrative to reflect the rebalancing of the world and Asia and bilateral defence and security cooperation has progressed remarkably fast, he remarked, adding that Japan is the only country with which India has both an annual summit and a 2+2 dialogue between the defence and foreign ministers.

The Covid-19 pandemic has expanded national security to include health security along with economic and supply chain security, as well as the concept of strategic autonomy in terms of supply chains, and this could be a new area of cooperation with Japan, he suggested.

While replying to a question at the event organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Jaishankar said, without naming China, that it is important for all players to work together to ensure Asias rise.

If we are to give to Asia a more prominent place in world politics, then its important for all the nations of Asia, especially the large and important nations,...to get along together because if they spend their energies not in a positive manner but kind of contesting each other, theyre not going to advance the interests of Asia, he said.

Toshihide Ando, the deputy chief of the Japanese mission, told the event that Japan is a steadfast partner for both the Make in India and Make for the world initiatives. He added, India will become stronger by playing a pivotal role in global supply chains through enhanced trade and investment.

Japanese businesses are keen to play a bigger role in Indias new quest to be the hub of global supply chains, and the number of Japanese firms operating in India increased to 1,454 last year, he noted.

However, Ando also listed challenges faced by Japanese businesses in India, including complicated legal and tax systems, late payments, difficult labour issues, inadequate infrastructure, and problems linked to enforcement of contracts.

In an increasingly uncertain world, Japan and India can bring about an assurance of peace, stability and prosperity by working with other like-minded countries, Ando said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 15:32:22|Editor: huaxia

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HANOI, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Many localities across Vietnam have recently reported the recurrence of the African swine fever (ASF), raising concerns about the widespread of the disease this year.

In the past 10 days, farmers in Que Phong district, Vietnam's central Nghe An province, have culled 118 pigs, equivalent to nearly five tons, due to the ASF, local authorities said Friday.

Starting with an outbreak on Sept. 7, the disease has now been confirmed in three communes of Que Phong district, according to the provincial government's newspaper Nghe An.

Since late August, Nghe An province has recorded ASF outbreaks in five other districts, including Hung Nguyen, Yen Thanh, Nam Dan, Ky Son and Nghi Loc, said the authorities.

The recurrence of ASF was also seen in the southern Mekong Delta after nearly six months free of new outbreaks, local online newspaper Sai Gon Liberty reported Friday.

Specimens from pigs raised by some households in southern Ca Mau and Soc Trang province tested positive to the ASF virus few days ago, according to the report.

Local authorities are currently taking measures to encircle, control and extinguish the outbreaks, not to let them spread to large areas.

The recurrence is attributable to the changing weather, which reduces the resistance of livestock and creates favorable conditions for pathogens to survive and spread, said Ngo Duc Quynh, deputy head of the Department of Livestock and Animal Health of Nghe An province.

Other reasons include irregular disinfection and detoxification work, low vaccination rate among pigs which fails to ensure resistance and immunity, Quynh said, adding that the transportation, slaughtering and trading of pigs and pork products have not been strictly controlled, while people are in a hurry to re-develop the flock without ensuring biosafety conditions.

Vietnam had culled a total of 43,150 pigs, equivalent to about 2,157 tons, since earlier this year to early September in order to curb the spread of African swine fever, Vietnam News Agency cited the Department of Animal Health under Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development as reporting.

In 2019, African swine fever spread to all provinces and cities in Vietnam, leading to the death and culling of about 5.9 million pigs, according to the news agency. Enditem
Thursday's announcement from Gov. Greg Abbott about Texas bars remaining closed wasn't unexpected for Houston bartender Stacy Gouty.

But the decision is still tough to swallow for bartenders such as Gouty. Bartenders typically work several gigs at once to stay afloat.

"Restaurants, nail salons can reopen, but bars  no, nothing. We're just hanging in there," Gouty said. "I have optimism, but that only gets you so far."

NEW REOPENING RULES: Abbott allows restaurants to expand capacity, bars must remain closed

At a press conference on Thursday afternoon, the governor announced plans to allow restaurants to expand their indoor dining capacity, while still requiring that Texas bars remain closed. Abbott's executive order states that restaurants will be allowed to seat diners up to 75 percent of their normal capacity staring on Monday, increasing from the 50 percent capacity limit implemented in July.

Gouty wasn't surprised at all by Abbott's announcement.

"Whenever they said that bars were shown to cause virus spread, it does feel like they are picking and choosing," Gouty said. "At the same time, I do agree with them. I saw it firsthand. It is hard to contain what people do. Bars are social places."

He added that some Houston bars have reopened by offering a single food item or even converting the parking lot to offer space for customers.

"There are a lot of restaurants that are opening with one food item," Gouty said. "I do think it is possible for bars to reopen. It just depends upon the circumstances. The other bar I work at, Barbarella, we're talking about opening the parking lot up, to be able to do it. We talked about that at Cottonmouth Club, but I don't think they will lean towards opening like that."

What Gouty's witnessed a few times is that some bars will open up no matter what, without careful guidelines for social distancing and masks.

"Everyone wants to reopen, but some people will just reopen and not put any precautions in," Gouty said. "There's no social distancing, no masks in some places. Just a lot of places that just do whatever they want and open up. A lot of DJ friends don't get a lot of help from the government and they're taking gigs wherever they can--and the videos they post are packed bars. Bars do nothing but spread COVID-19."

Gouty mentioned a Houston club just down the street from him that could technically reopen because they offered food, but it's been dangerously crowded on the weekend.

"On Sunday, they had 60 people on the patio, dancing like a dance floor," Gouty said. "They technically have food, but they're not seating people and requiring that they have masks. It doesn't seem like the city or the state is policing them. Once they get in the door, they don't leave their masks on. They're drinking to have fun. They're under the impression that they're safe or they don't care."

Gouty said that although he's taken a step back from working at The Cottonmouth Club, he plans to be selective about his next gig in the hospitality industry. He wants to make sure it's a safe working environment.

"I want it to be at a place that takes [safety] seriously and values lives over money," Gouty said. "It's up to us to do the right thing."
LIMERICK health campaigner Vicky Phelan has become one of the leading names lobbying for assisted dying to be legalised in Ireland, as a bill to enshrine it in law has been brought back to Dail Eireann this week.

The Dying With Dignity Bill, which is being spearheaded by People Before Profit TD, Gino Kelly, was first introduced to Dail Eireann by former TD and minister, John Halligan, in 2015.

The proposed bill, if enacted and implemented by TDs, would give someone with a terminal illness the right to voluntary, assisted dying.

At present, this is not possible in Ireland, with a number of people having to travel abroad to access assisted dying.

Ms Phelan, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer in January 2018, has been advocating for this to be made legal in Ireland.

Speaking at a press conference outside Leinster House this Monday, Ms Phelan said: No matter how good palliative care is, there is still a certain amount of suffering that palliative care often cannot get on top of.

I have two young children and I'm going to die within the next few years and I don't want my children's last memories to be of me dying in pain. I want to make that choice.

The late university lecturer Marie Fleming challenged Irelands ban on assisted suicide in the Supreme Court, while she was in the late stages of multiple sclerosis. She lost her legal challenge and passed away that year in 2013, aged 59.

In April 2018, Ms Phelan received a 2.5m High Court settlement after taking a case against the HSE and a US lab over incorrect smear tests. In January 2018, she was told she had just 12 months to live. Her action in the High Court proved to be a watershed moment in Irish healthcare history, prompting a review of CervicalCheck.

She recently spoke about assisted dying in an emotional interview with Virgin Media.
The future looked bleak for Texas last remaining county education department in early 2019.

After years of state-level efforts to abolish the Harris County Department of Education, a new majority of trustees signaled they would take a more critical look at the agencys inner workings and whether it still served the core function of supporting local school districts.

Less than a year later, the entire makeup of the board has changed. Now a 5-2 majority of HCDE supporters oversee the department and its $128 million annual budget, a majority that could grow after the November election.

The two board seats on this years ballot  two of the three at-large positions  are held by Republicans Don Sumners and Michael Wolfe, the remaining trustees who have been critical of the department in the past. Sumners is seeking re-election, and although Wolfe is not running for his old seat, his father, Bob Wolfe, is.

Sumners Democratic opponent is David Brown, an educator who works for Change Happens, a Third Ward-based nonprofit that provides mentoring, drug prevention and other services to low-income youth. Democrat Erica Davis, chief of staff for Precinct 1 Constable Alan Rosen, is running against Wolfe. If Brown and Davis capture the two at-large positions, board president Eric Dick  who has opposed efforts to shut down the department  would be the lone remaining Republican trustee.

Still, state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a northwest Harris County Republican who has spearheaded efforts to shut down HCDE in recent legislative sessions, said the outcome of the election will not have much effect on the tenor of the board.

There wont be any way for Republicans to recover the majority because of the mistakes of the former (board) president, Bettencourt said. All they can do is hold the seats they already have.

The department has operated differently than any traditional school district since it was founded in 1889. The departments function has been to provide support and resources to the 25 school districts that lie within Harris Countys borders, a large part of which comes from a purchasing co-op that helps districts buy supplies at lower prices.

It also offers educational programs, operating 15 federally funded Head Start early childhood programs, runs four specialty schools and provides adult education courses at 65 locations. Additionally, it employs special education therapists who travel around the county to help schools provide services to students with disabilities.

Its tax rate is minuscule, and the bulk of its budget is comprised of state and federal grants, as well as fees districts pay for specialized services.

In recent decades, the department has been the subject of frequent criticism of some state and local conservatives who call it an unnecessary bureaucracy that would better serve districts if it were dissolved and its assets were given to local schools.

Republicans who shared that belief gained control of the board after the 2018 midterm elections and were quick to exercise their new role. Former trustee Josh Flynn was named board president during his first meeting in January 2019. Minutes later, the board voted to scrap a contract with a lobbying firm that represented HCDE interests in Austin.

Melissa Phillip, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

They voted the following month to change the composition of an ancillary board that issues bonds and oversees construction contracts. They asked the board attorney to investigate the departments Education Foundation, then put an item on two meeting agendas to replace the same attorney with a representative from Republican state Rep. Briscoe Cains law firm, an ally of the Republican trustees. The board ultimately kept its original lawyer after the item to remove her was tabled.

2020 Candidates for the Harris County Department of Education Board of Trustees Position 7 at-large Republican Don Sumners, incumbent and former county tax assessor v Democrat David Brown, educator at nonprofit Change Happens Position 5 at-large Republican Bob Wolfe, lawyer v Democrat Erica Davis, chief of staff for Precinct 1 Constable Alan Rosen See More Collapse

Tempers flared between the new majority and those who supported the agency. Trustee Eric Dick, the sole Republican on the board who supported HCDE, frequently exchanged terse words with the new majority, especially former President Flynn and Trustee Michael Wolfe. The tension came to a head after Dick reported that Wolfe had made sexual advances on a woman who had applied to become the boards secretary, and allegedly attempted to blacklist her among Houston Republican groups after she turned down his advances.

After reviewing a third-party report on the allegations commissioned by the board, trustees voted to censure Wolfe in April 2019, and Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan launched an investigation into the allegations. Wolfe has denied the allegations, and the county attorney has yet to release any findings.

Ultimately, the boards Republican majority was short-lived. Former Trustee George Moore resigned after moving out of Harris County in May 2019, and the board later appointed Democrat Amy Hinojosa to replace him. Flynn resigned in December that same year after his eligibility to run for the Texas House was questioned due to his position on the board. The board appointed Democrat Andrea Duhon to take Flynns place, firmly shifting the board majority.

I have to tell you, it seems like its working like a well-oiled machine, Duhon said. Its been fabulous not having to worry about someone coming in and trying to tear it all apart.

Sumners, Bettencourt and other Republicans have blamed Flynn for the shift in power. Though Republicans outnumbered Democrats for most of 2019, Dick sided with the Democrats amid an ongoing feud with the Republican trustees, resulting in a 3-3 deadlock that left the board unable to appoint Moores replacement. Moore was barred from voting.

In December, however, Flynn skipped a meeting where trustees were set to appoint his and Moores replacements. That allowed Dick and the two Democrats to appoint Hinojosa and Duhon.

Thus, the coup was complete, Sumners wrote in a blog post on the conservative site Big Jolly Times. The Democrats were in complete control and the two Republicans  are left totally ineffective. And, the Republican defeat was totally self inflicted by the irresponsible self indulgent actions of its own board members.

Democrats believe Harris Countys shift to the left in recent elections leaves them poised to capture the remaining at-large seats. Trustee Richard Cantu, a Democrat, was elected to the other at-large position with about 57 percent of the vote in 2018.

Republicans, however, are hoping the lack of straight-ticket voting will help them retain the at-large seats even if Democrats win races at the top of the ballot. Bob Wolfe, a former member of the Lone Star College System Board of Trustees, said he is not concerned about serving in the minority.

Wolfe also said he has yet to decide whether he agrees with his son that the board should be abolished.

We're so far down the ballot, I'm not really actively campaigning, Bob Wolfe said. But if I get the job, I'd do the best job possible.

shelby.webb@chron.com

jasper.scherer@chron.com
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun speaks during Friday's central disaster safety countermeasures meeting at Government Complex Seoul in Jongno-gu District. Yonhap



Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Friday there is no truth to allegations that the government is manipulating coronavirus test results to create a false sense of fear.



Conservative activists critical of the Moon Jae-in administration have questioned the reliability of the official coronavirus tallies, alleging the numbers are being exaggerated to discourage people from participating in anti-government rallies during the upcoming October holidays.



On Monday, Rep. Yun Hee-suk of the main opposition People Power Party falsely accused the government of disclosing only the number of confirmed infections, not the number of people tested, when more testing naturally leads to more positives.






The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) last week issued its first two COVID-19-related citations against the meatpacking industry, after more than six months of inaction, during which time 18,000 workers were infected and at least 203 died. In a measure of how much the political establishment values workers lives, the fines against JBS and Smithfield Foods totaled less than $30,000, or less than $2,500 per worker who died at the two plants that received citations.

OSHA fined JBS, the worlds largest beef and pork producer, $15,615 for failing to protect workers at its Greeley, Colorado, plant where six plant floor workers and one office employee died and another 290 were infected. The company was cited for violating the general duty clause requiring it to provide a safe workplace. The agency also charged JBS with failing to provide a log of injuries and illnesses in a timely manner, after an OSHA inspection in May.

Tyson Foods processing plant. (Image Credit: Tyson Foods Inc)

Fifteen thousand dollars doesnt even cover one funeral, said Rosario Hernandez, the wife of Alfredo Hernandez, a janitor at the plant who was sickened by the virus and still uses a breathing machine.

The Brazilian-based multinational, which had a revenue of $52 billion last year and made $629 million in the second quarter alone, denounced the OSHA fine as immoral and unethical. In a statement, JBS claimed the Greeley plant has only recorded 14 new cases in the past three-and-a-half months, with no positive cases in nearly seven weeks, although the states health department has recorded a far higher number of cases.

OSHA also fined Smithfield Foods $13,494 for violations at its Sioux Falls, South Dakota, plant, where at least 1,294 workers were infected and four died. The company, which had $14 billion in revenue last year, issued a statement saying, This OSHA citation is wholly without merit and we plan to contest it.

In April, Smithfield workers at the Sioux Falls plant organized a series of protests against unsafe conditions, forcing its temporary closure. JBS workers in Greeley organized protests in April and in July. This was part of a wave of job actions and protests by meatpacking workers that were largely organized in defiance of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), which was keeping workers in the infected slaughterhouses and processing plants.

On April 28, President Trump used the Korean War-era Defense Production Act to order the reopening of the meatpacking plants and characterize the workforce as essential workers. According to emails obtained by ProPublica, just a week before the order was issued, the meat industrys trade group essentially drafted the wording for Trump.

The draft that Julie Anna Potts, the president of the North American Meat Institute, sent to top officials at the U.S. Department of Agriculture was written using the framework of an official executive order and stressed the importance of the food supply chain and how outbreaks had reduced productionthemes later addressed in the presidents order, ProPublica reported earlier this week.

By keeping meat and poultry producers operating, the Presidents executive order will help avert hardship for agricultural producers and keep safe, affordable food on the tables of American families, Potts said the day after the order was issued. The safety of the heroic men and women working in the meat and poultry industry is the first priority. And as it is assured, facilities should be allowed to re-open. We are grateful to the President for acting to protect our nations food supply chain.

The only thing being protected, however, were the profits of the giant meatpacking companies.

In July 29, OSHA forged an alliance with the North American Meat Institute (NAMI) under the pretense of guaranteeing that there was enough Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and safety protocols in place to maintain production in the plants. The federal agency, OSHA said, recognizes the value of establishing a collaborative relationship to foster safety and health practices and programs to improve American workplaces.

OSHA has repeatedly revised guidelines on behalf of the meatpacking and other industries. Although the federal agency has received more than 8,000 COVID-related complaints from workersranging from the deliberate concealing of outbreaks, the lack of PPE and social distancing and retaliation against whistleblowersOSHA has issued in the area of 10 citations, including the two against JBS and Smithfield.

This underscores the need for meatpacking workers to form rank-and-file safety committees to undertake the functions long ago abandoned by the corporatist unions like the UFCW. This includes monitoring and enforcing safe working conditions, opposing efforts by the companies, state agencies and the unions to conceal outbreaks, and upholding the right of workers to collectively refuse to work under unsafe conditions. These committees should strive to unite meatpacking workers with teachers, autoworkers, college students and all those opposing the sacrifice of human lives for corporate profit.
After Rosen and Schall, a third US-based law firm, Pomerantz LLP, has announced a class action lawsuit against HDFC Bank against alleged materially false and misleading statements regarding the Bank's business, operational and compliance policies.

The class action, filed in United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons other than Defendants who purchased or otherwise, acquired HDFC Bank securities between July 31, 2019, and July 10, 2020, the website of the firm says .

The complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Bank's business, operational and compliance policies. HDFC Bank had inadequate disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting, it said.

As a result, the Bank maintained improper lending practices in its vehicle-financing operations and accordingly, earnings generated from the Bank's vehicle-financing operations were unsustainable, the complaint says.

All the foregoing, once revealed, was foreseeably likely to have a material negative impact on the Bank's financial condition and reputation; and (v) as a result, the Bank's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times, the complaint said, adding, revenues generated from HDFC Bank's auto and commercial vehicle loans are reported as part of the Bank's Retail Banking segment.

This is the third US law firm filing class action suit against HDFC bank.

The other two- Rosen Law Firm and Schall Law--too have alleged that the bank engaged in misleading statements and failed to inform investors about the bank's improper internal controls on vehicle loans.

The lawsuits are filed in the US District Court Eastern District of New York and names HDFC Banks outgoing managing director Aditya Puri, and CEO-designate Sashidhar Jagdishan along with other officials.

While Rosen Law filed the suit on September 14, Schall Law announced the filing on September 8.

"We were unaware of any such development (class-action lawsuit) till we heard about it from the media a little earlier today. We are getting details of it. Well examine it and respond to it as appropriate. Prima facie it does look frivolous as we believe we have been transparent in our disclosures," an HDFC Bank's communication executive said in August.

On 17 August, Moneycontrol had reported that Rosen Law had announced an investigation of potential securities claims on behalf of shareholders of HDFC Bank. The firm was also preparing for a class-action suit on behalf of banks shareholders, the report had said, adding the investigation was the outcome of accusations that HDFC Bank may have issued materially misleading business information to the investing public.

Rosen Law, on its website, asked investors to provide their details if they had purchased HDFC Bank Limited securities and wanted information about the investigation.

A representative of The Rosen Law Firm will contact you at no cost to you and provide you detailed information concerning the proposed class-action to recover your losses in HDFC Bank Limited securities, the firm said on its website.

What is the controversy?

In July, HDFC Bank had sacked at least six employees after an internal investigation found that these employees violated the code of conduct and were found involved in violation of corporate governance practices.

Banks internal investigations discovered certain irregularities in the vehicle finance division. Allegedly, some employees of the bank engaged in forced selling of GPS devices to customers bundling these with auto loans.

Employees reportedly insisted the customers to buy the product as a precondition to clear the loan. According to reports, each devices cost Rs 18,000-Rs 19,500 per piece. According to reports, a company called Trackpoint GPS, a Mumbai-based firm, sold these devices to HDFC Bank customers. The company had an alliance with the bank.

Under RBI norms, banks cannot force any customer buy any product. Banks can have tie-ups with suppliers but the sale of products should be optional. Here, the bank allegedly forced the customer to buy the product bundling it with the loan, which is an irregularity. Hence the controversy.

There were allegations that banks former auto loan head Ashok Khanna was involved in the GPS issue and subsequently was asked to go. However, the bank clarified that Khanna retired after getting a one-year extension.

In the banks AGM, HDFC Banks outgoing managing director and CEO, Aditya Puri said bank conducted an internal probe and found personal misconduct issues for which appropriate action has been taken against the concerned employees. Puri said Khanna participated in the enquiry.

Aditya Puri is set to retire on October 26 after spending 26 years in the bank . Sashidhar Jagdishan will succeed him in the bank as the new chief.
By Justin Maki, KYODO NEWS - Sep 18, 2020 - 12:32 | All, World

An English translation of Kim Soom's 2016 novel "Han myong" (one person), the first South Korean novel centered on so-called comfort women forced to work in Japanese wartime brothels, has been released this month as the issue continues to cast a shadow on bilateral relations.

Kim's novel, translated under the English title "One Left" by veteran husband-and-wife translators Bruce and Ju-Chan Fulton, draws on testimony from numerous former "comfort women" to depict the trauma of abduction and seven years of captivity in a Japanese military brothel as recalled by the protagonist, a Korean survivor in her 90s.

"Bruce and I decided (Kim) is the bravest author so far for this issue and we must translate it," Ju-Chan said, noting that the novel's frame narrative in contemporary South Korea makes it an "approachable" work "for the present and the future" rather than one focused solely on the past.

Kim also sidesteps the politicized or nationalistic discourses sometimes associated with the issue, said Bruce, who occupies a chair in Korean literature and literary translation at the University of British Columbia.

"She respects the wishes of the comfort women she interviewed and worked with: they seek a 'sincere apology' (from the Japanese government) and wish to 'regain human dignity'" while also relating to and supporting other victims of sexual violence," he said. "The surviving comfort women don't live in the past."

Throughout the novel, the aging protagonist -- who has never spoken of her wartime experiences -- debates coming forward as the number of still-living former comfort women on a public registry dwindles down to the last one.

As the narrative unfolds in present-day South Korea, within the mostly abandoned neighborhood where the character lives, extended scenes return to the dehumanization she experienced and witnessed in wartime Manchuria, with over 300 endnotes connecting details and quotes to their sources in survivor testimony.

Decades later, as a movement to redress the historical injustice gained momentum, some 240 former comfort women came forward to register their status with the South Korean government. Fewer than 20 are still living, according to reporting this year, while Japan and South Korea remain locked in a protracted row over the issue.

The two countries reached an agreement in 2015 to "finally and irreversibly" resolve the comfort women dispute, but the South Korean government later concluded that the negotiation process was flawed amid domestic criticism that the victims' demands were not reflected in the deal.

While contentions have also surfaced in the West over comfort women monuments, including one in San Francisco that led to the dissolution of its 60-year sister-city relationship with Osaka in 2018, the body of English-language works on the historical issue has continued to grow.

Following earlier U.S. novels such as Nora Okja Keller's acclaimed "Comfort Woman" (1998), the topic has been addressed in an increasing variety of genres such as Dimo Kim's "Comfort Women: A New Musical" (2015), Emily Jungmin Yoon's poetry collection "A Cruelty Special to Our Species" (2018) and the interactive web documentary "The Space We Hold" (2017), produced by Canada's national film board.

The recent proliferation of English works on the subject may have blunted the interest of Western publishers, complicating efforts to bring out the groundbreaking South Korean novel in translation. Despite winning a prestigious PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grant for their manuscript in 2018, the Fultons faced over 30 rejections before finally cementing a contract for the translation this year.

Although some shorter South Korean works including a novella had previously touched on the history of comfort women, Kim became the country's first writer to center the issue in a full-length novel with "One Left," published over 70 years after World War II's end and some 25 years after the first public testimony from a survivor.

Kim, a prolific and celebrated author with a background in social work, went on to publish three additional novels based on her comfort women research, opening the country's literature to a historical episode long shrouded in silence.

Burying the issue may have shielded Korean complicity in organizing and managing Japan's wartime comfort stations, the translators said, but indicated that such a long delay is also a natural part of dealing with trauma that remained so raw for survivors.

"Trauma by its very nature is intrusive, it's hard to deal with, and until recently it hasn't been made public as trauma," Bruce said.

In view of the atrocities that took place around the 1950-53 Korean War and under ensuing military dictatorships, he explained that many of the country's most compelling recent works "either explicitly or implicitly bear evidence of trauma," and that "we can proactively encounter Korean literature" by facing such material.

Although "One Left" is unsparing in its depiction of wartime abuses, using what the translators call a "concatenation of horrific detail" to reconstruct captivity in a military brothel, Ju-Chan noted that the work as a whole is "a positive book about (the protagonist) finding her identity at that age."

The main character's long anonymity is contrasted with her vivid memory of over 20 girls, many lost in the war, whose names she keeps alive decades after they suffered together.

Meanwhile, her presence in contemporary South Korea, while a testament to memory and endurance in its own right, also allows a wider lens on the comfort women issue, including through mention of undocumented Chinese women held in the present-day South Korean neighborhood and implied to be trafficking victims.

The book's publication in English on Tuesday is likely to resonate with recent U.S. calls for social justice and bring further attention to the problem of human trafficking worldwide, the translators said in an email.

"We expect that the novel will transcend the Korea-Japan polarity that has existed for the past century and serve as a literary model for giving voice to the testimony of historically marginalized individuals and groups," they added.

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MP Rajeev Satav urged the government on Friday to withdraw its decision to ban the export of onions, saying it is an anti-farmer move and would affect them adversely, especially in Maharashtra.

"The government decision to ban the export of onions would affect adversely. The poor are already distressed due to the bad condition of the economy and the COVID-19 situation. The onion export ban would further aggravate that suffering. I urge the government to review its decision and withdraw this notification," Satav said in a special mention in the Upper House of Parliament.

"Maharashtra is one of the big onion-exporting states. In 2019-20, Maharashtra had exported 18.5 lakh metric tonnes of onions. Thus, it is a prime source of farmers' income in the state," he pointed out.

The Centre banned the export of all varieties of onions with an immediate effect on Monday to keep a tab on the prices of the commodity in the domestic market.

Earlier, during the Zero Hour, Arpita Ghosh of the Trinamool (TMC) suggested that the government should not withdraw its control over the prices of vegetables like potatoes and onions.

She said the Centre is trying to de-control the prices of essential commodities, including vegetables like potatoes and onions.

It has been observed that the prices of essential commodities like potatoes and onions have shot up by 50 to 80 per cent, Ghosh said.

"Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been trying immensely to keep the upward prices in control in West Bengal. Potato is being made available at Rs 25 per kg to people through 'Sufal Bangla'. Regular campaigns are being organised to curb black marketing.

"She has made arrangements to provide ration to people for free till June 2021 in view of the coronavirus situation. Arrangements have also been made to preserve 70 lakh tonnes of potatoes in 400 cold storages," the TMC leader 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.)
Ottawas freeze on federal student loan payments and interest is weeks away from its end date, but students and graduates say extending the measure would offer relief from the lasting financial pressures of the pandemic.

Gloria Mellesmoen, who is working towards a PhD in linguistics at the University of British Columbia, said she used the interest-free period to make payments on her principal loan amount.

It was nice to be able to get that number to start going down and not feel like it was as big of a thing over my head, Mellesmoen said in a telephone interview.

Having such a big number, it was nice to be able to decrease the amount of interest I will have to pay and also to feel personally like Im paying off my education.

Ottawa suspended repayments for approximately one million federal student loan recipients from March 30 to Sept. 30. No interest was to accrue on those loans during the same period.

But students and organizations say its too soon to end the grace period.

Bryn de Chastelain, chair of the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations, said his group wants Ottawa to extend the moratorium.

I think (it) would go a long way to ensure that students have some time to get on their feet, de Chastelain said from Halifax.

He noted the job market is still reeling from COVID-19, creating stress among students and recent grads juggling loans, high tuition costs and other bills.

The alliance commissioned an online Abacus Data survey of 1,000 students and released findings in June. Seventy-five per cent of respondents said they expected the pandemic to affect their financial situation and employment prospects beyond this year.

Emily Grant, a recent masters graduate in political management living in Ottawa, said the pandemic has had a noticeable impact on her job search.

Her field is competitive at the best of times, Grant said, but shes found employers that have moved operations online are scaling back hiring at the same time.

In-person networking opportunities have also disappeared due to the public health rules during COVID-19.

That adds a whole other layer of not being able to go out and attend events where you can meet and interact with the people who could potentially be hiring you, she said by phone.

Grant said shes hopeful the loan freeze will be extended or the job market will expand, but the uncertainty adds stress and anxiety to financial and career planning.

Its a whole mess of a situation, honestly, that wasnt expected, she said.

A Friday statement from a spokesperson for the office of federal Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough did not indicate plans to extend the loan moratorium.

The statement pointed to the Repayment Assistance Plan for those resuming repayment after the moratorium.

It also noted $1.9 billion in recently announced measures to support students this fall, though higher student grants and raising the weekly cap on low-interest student loans.

Meanwhile, the Undergraduates of Canadian Research Intensive Universities, a student union alliance, has proposed a two-year grace period for new graduates loans as they ease into a disrupted workforce.

In their submission for this years pre-budget consultations, the group argued extending the current six-month grace period would pay off while also assisting students in taking on less debt.

The government will assist students searching for good jobs while taking on less debt, supporting Canadians and stimulating the Canadian economy in response to COVID-19, the submission document reads.

With less pressure on repaying their student loans, students will be able to reconceptualize their life plans, moving towards home ownership and entering the middle class sooner than was possible before.

Statistics Canadas 2018 survey of graduates, published last fall, reported 54 per cent of university bachelors degree grads had student debt at graduation, owing an average amount of $28,000.

Certified financial planner Jackie Porter said those preparing for loan repayments should be ready to pivot with the changing job market, as people in all stages of their careers have been forced to do this year.

Business owners who are much, much closer to retirement are having the same conversation, so students actually have the benefit of time to make this all work out, Porter said by phone.

The key thing for them ... is to not let their what now scenario, from a mental standpoint, be their long-term scenario.

She suggested moving back home if possible to reduce costs, applying for a wider variety of jobs and taking additional courses to stand out in the applicant pool, while planning for the next few years.

Toronto personal finance expert Lesley-Anne Scorgie noted that while student debt is stressful and its important to plan for repaying loans, its a form of debt that is known to produce income growth down the line.

Its a burden and its a heavy one, but its one of the better debts that you can actually take on, she said.
China suffered far fewer casualties than Indian troops, said Chinese media quoting a report on Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's statement at the Parliament. Editor of Chinese government mouthpiece Global Times said that no Chinese troops were captured by Indian soldiers but PLA captured Indian jawans.

Global Times editor-in-chief Hu Xijin said in a tweet, "As far as I know, the death toll of Chinese troops in Galwan Valley clash on June 15 is far fewer than 20 deaths of Indian troops. No Chinese soldiers was captured by Indian troops, but PLA captured many Indian soldiers that day." Along with the tweet, he put up a picture of a report with the headline 'India inflicted heavy casualties on Chinese forces at Galwan: Rajnath Singh'. The image of the report had 'fake news' stamped on it.

As far as I know, the death toll of Chinese troops in Galwan Valley clash on June 15 is far fewer than 20 deaths of Indian troops. No Chinese soldiers was captured by Indian troops, but PLA captured many Indian soldiers that day. pic.twitter.com/68ORN3k4Hk  Hu Xijin  (@HuXijin_GT) September 17, 2020

Rajnath Singh, on June 15, had said that Indian soldiers laid down their lives to ensure the Chinese ploy was foiled. "They also sent a very strong message by imposing heavy casualties on the Chinese PLA," Singh had said. He added that the country should have 'full confidence' in the armed forces to rise up to any challenge and make the country proud.

The June clash that led to the loss of 20 Indian soldiers was the worst violence between India and China in over 40 years. China has so far not released its casualty figures but Xijin's statement indicates that there were casualties on their side too.

Tensions have only escalated between both the countries since then. The Chinese also unsuccessfully tried to occupy Indian territory in the southern bank of Pangong lake on August 29-30. Several rounds of diplomatic and military talks have ensued following the clash. Recently Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi also engaged in talks and agreed on a 5-point plan for disengagement.

Also read: Parliament Monsoon Session: Rajnath Singh says India-China border tension remains unsolved

Also read: China tech company monitors over 10,000 Indians -- PM Modi, Sonia Gandhi, CDS, CMs
To ensure that no children are left behind in education in the COVID pandemic situation, governments should distribute textbooks, free smartphones or tablets to all school children, an NGO has said. Also, states should provide free data package or reimburse the cost of data, which would also require substantial investment to strengthen digital infrastructure including the regular supply of electricity to all households, child right NGO CRY said in a report.

Read More| Provide gadgets, internet pack to poor students for online classes: Delhi HC to schools

A clear roadmap with timelines needs to be developed to ensure inclusive digital infrastructure are some of the key measures required for delivering online classes to the last mile child, the report released on Tuesday said.

The report expressed concern for many of the children who have been excluded from school education during the COVID pandemic and voiced fear that they may not be able to return to schools again.

Even if they do, a large number of children would not find a level playing field anymore, it said.

The CRY report also dwelt on the pandemic-triggered disruption in school meal services affecting the nutrition of 6-17 years children.

As schools are closed across the country, the school feeding programme could no longer provide the much-needed free lunch to 115.9 million children who are enrolled under the Mid-Day Meal (MDM) scheme.

To cater to the hunger of millions of children who depend on MDM as their source of only nutrition, government needs to devise newer ways of delivering meals till schools are closed, it said.

Also, MDM coverage including the breakfast scheme need to be extended till secondary level, which clearly highlights the need for a significant increase in the MDM budget in the current and forthcoming financial years by the government, it said.

The report calls for developing systems for doorstep delivery of supplementary nutrition in the form of cooked food or take home ration for young children.

To discuss some of the critical policy issues and practical challenges relating to public provisioning of education for the children within 3 to 17 years during and beyond the pandemic, CRY and Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability (CBGA) recently organised a Webinar that brought together academicians, policy experts, civil society leaders and child rights defenders.

Underscoring the need to look into the public provisioning framework for childrens education, Priti Mahara, Director, Policy, Research and Advocacy at CRY said at the webinar, humanitarian crises tend to hit the most vulnerable children the hardest, and COVID-19 is no exception.

It is evident how it has impacted school education, created a digital divide, limited access to social welfare, and compromised health and nutrition schemes provided through schools. To address the new normal in education sector and to universalise education, adequate public provisioning will play a very crucial role. It should be taken into account that childrens education, especially secondary education, had been traditionally under-prioritised and suffered further set back during the pandemic, Mahara said.

The suggestions emerging from the discussion will be collated and shared with the union and state governments with reference to the processes of revision of budget allocations for the current fiscal year (2020-21) and preparation of fresh budget estimates for the fiscal year 2021-22, which will be underway very soon, Mahara of CRY said.

The suggestions included measures like making upward revision of scholarship amounts for marginalised children, developing inclusive learning solutions especially for the most vulnerable and marginalised sections of the society.

The other suggestions are substantial resource allocation from both Union and state governments, recruiting special educators, adhering to the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 to meet the needs of different types of students with disabilities and an overall focus on equity and inclusion in policy making and investment among others.

Amid the range of recommendations, it is absolutely crucial for the union and state governments to provide enough fiscal support for ensuring equitable and effective access to education for children, it said.

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Montanas Republican lawmakers made an unusual move Thursday to change state legislative rules, sparking concerns by Democrats of a GOP attempt to challenge the fall mail election.

The GOP members of the Joint House and Senate Rules Committee met Thursday to among other things propose new rules allowing lawmakers to vote remotely, a step they said would allow the Legislature to convene during the 2021 legislative session. The lawmakers also discussed empowering House and Senate majority leaders to break tie votes in off-session interim committees, a change one key Republican said was a root cause of the Thursday meeting.

Democrats said the rules changes also greased the rails for a late Republican challenge to Gov. Steve Bullock giving counties the option of holding all-mail fall elections. Already, President Donald Trump and the Montana Republican Party are suing Bullock for giving counties a mail ballot option, calling the governors action an overreach.

Senate Majority Leader Fred Thomas, R-Stevensville, said a challenge to mail ballots wasnt in play.

Theres nothing to that. Theyve lost their minds, Thomas said after the Rules Committee met.

Were going to consider language over the next week. Were going to meet next week and propose that out. People will have ballots by then.

The rules on Thursdays agenda would allow lawmakers to attend meetings by Zoom and vote remotely in a way that would assure the votes werent being cast by someone else, lawmakers said. The other big change would empower majority leaders of the House and Senate to break tie votes by interim committees. Those committees, which meet in non-session years, have membership thats evenly split Republican and Democrat, even though Republicans hold majorities in both legislative chambers. The rule change would give the majority the win in cases that now end in stalemate.

Most recently, the legislators setting the contract terms for the Montana Legislative Auditor split on whether department heads of agencies audited should be given input on the auditors performance. Thomas said the tie breaker language would have ended the dispute in favor of Republicans who didnt want the state agencies evaluating the Legislatures government watchdog.

Much of what Republicans worked on Thursday can be used to challenge Bullocks actions on mail-ballot elections, said Great Falls Democrat Casey Schreiner, House minority leader and candidate for lieutenant governor.

The reason this is happening now is Republicans are looking to sew confusion and undermine both the states response to this unprecedented public health crisis, and frankly the November election, Schreiner said in a press conference before the Rules Committee began.

Democrats on the Joint Rules Committee refused to attend, calling the meeting illegitimate and something they didnt want to lend credibility to through their participation. They threatened to sue over any rules the committee created. The Joint House Rules Committee doesnt normally meet outside of legislative sessions, which in Montana take place in odd-numbered years. The one exception is when lawmakers meet for the first time after the November election to make first preparations for the session to start the following January.

Under these circumstances, it is illegitimate and without precedent, said Rep. Kimberly Dudik, a Rules Committee member and Missoula Democrat. We want to make clear that any actions made by this group will have no effect and they will be challenged in court as the illegitimate actions that they are.

There was an awkward moment at the start of the meeting, in which Thomas stuttered finding the right description for what session of the Legislature the committee represented. In November, the Joint Rules Committee will be populated by lawmakers fresh off elections and less than two months away from the coming session, which they will refer to by number as their assembly. Thursdays committee was comprised of the 2019 session lawmakers, some of whom term out in three months, after which they wont be participating under the rules theyre proposing.

Republicans in leadership chastised Democrats for not attending the meeting. There was an attendance problem for GOP committee members as well. For the committee to function, there needs to be a quorum of lawmakers from both branches of the Legislature. There werent enough Senate lawmakers attending to make voting on the proposed resolutions possible.

The committee is scheduled to meet again Thursday.

We need to modify our legislative rules to allow the legislature to continue to operate during the COVID crisis and end abuses in interim committees, said House Speaker Greg Hertz in a press release. Hertz is a Republican from Polson. Your legislature has not been very effective during the COVID crisis and we need to make changes to our rules. The Democrats in the legislature seem to want to allow only one person, Gov. Bullock, to have full authority during a state of emergency. Your legislature should be a check on the Governor's authority to make sure all voices are heard.

The speakers remarks landed squarely on Bullocks handling of the pandemic. Hertz had earlier said Bullock empowering counties to hold all-mail elections was a conflict of interest because Bullock is a U.S. Senate candidate and mail voting drives up turnout. Earlier, Republicans floated the idea of government spending cuts to offset poor tax collections stemming from the COVID-19 recession. They also encouraged Bullock to somehow grant civil liability immunity to businesses operating during the pandemic.

Bullocks staff told Lee Montana Newspapers in June that the governor didnt have the power to grant that immunity and that the Legislature would have to come into session to do so. There was no political will to do so.

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HAVERFORD -After a year-long flirtation with the idea of building a new library at the old Brookline School, township commissioners voted Monday to keep the township-supported facility at its present location on Darby Road and move forward with a $12 million dollar renovation to the existing building.

The commissioners voted six years ago this month, September 8, 2014, to provide funding for the renovation of the existing library. Obviously during that time, much has transpired, said Phil Goldsmith, president of the Board of Trustees for the Haverford Township Free Library, as he spoke to at the commissioners meeting over the video program Zoom. Work on planning the renovations has been on and off several times.

While many township residents like the librarys location, in the academic corridor just blocks from the middle and high school, residents in the further reaches of town dislike it for one reason  the lack of parking. Located in a historic bank built in 1926, it is crowded in a developed section of town with only 17 parking spots. The last major improvement was an addition in the 1970s; second-floor improvements were done in the 90s. During tropical storm Isaias this summer, the basement flooded, adding to the buildings 2020 woes.

Township officials had pledged to spend over $6 million on the renovation of the existing building in recent years.

In late 2017, with architectural plans in place and work set to begin in the summer of 2018, what one commissioner called a godsend appeared -the Haverford School District agreed to give the township the old Brookline School for $1, a potential site for a new library building and one which included plenty of parking on site.

The communities around the school, located on Earlington Road, were not excited at the prospect of losing open space fields and the increase in traffic a library could bring.

Commissioners had township Engineer Dave Pennoni prepare a cost comparison of two options, building a new 36,000 square-foot library at Brookline while retaining the field or renovating the existing 31,000 square-foot library building. In February, he came back with an estimated cost of $29 million for the first option and $12 million for the renovation.

Then the pandemic stuck, which delayed the decision for six months.

Goldsmith said the library board was unanimous in support of the plan to move and build a state-of-the-art facility, mostly because it provided adequate parking, but said they understood cost could be an issue.

Commissioner Larry Holmes said he was troubled by the fact the decision was based on one conceptual design. He felt they should gather more data on other options at the Brookline School site.

Commissioner Kevin McCloskey pointed out that among those members of the board who had publicly promised that the field would not be touched and those who felt that $29 million was too high a cost, the votes for a new library in Brookline could not be attained.

We need to make a decision, he said.

That field is green space and if it was up to me, I want it to remain exactly as it is, said Commissioner Mario Oliva. We asked Pennoni to give us two plans  weve been doing this for six years. We need to make a decision and you have it all right in front of you.

Its time. Weve delayed too long, said board President Bill Wechsler, who compared it to a homeowners decision  are you going to tear down your house or build a new kitchen?

Were going to spend money to renovate a library. Were not going to make it new and ultra-modern  when its done, there will still be 17 parking spots and one handicapped spot, said Commissioner Dan Segal. Thats a message to the residents that this township values the opinions of a few vocal residents over what is known as the common good. We have not addressed the issue of parking.

One parking plan that has been discussed by officials is the possibility of purchasing a private home next to the library to tear down and use for parking, which Segal presented to his fellow commissioners with a caution.

We are committing to spending a half million dollars on residential property and turning them into parking lots, said Segal. People here who want to save the field, you are committing to knocking down homes and replacing them with asphalt.

The vote was 6-3 in favor of staying at the present location. A second vote, which passed unanimously, gave the township manager approval to begin implementation and bid specifications on the project with an amendment added to address and resolve the parking issue.

This will be both an exciting and challenging time for the Library and its patrons as this major renovation project unfolds. But the end result will be a more patron friendly, accessible and technologically up to date Library, which is already the most widely used in Delaware County, Goldsmith said on the library website. We will be communicating frequently with patrons and residents as this exciting project unfolds.

During the renovation, the library plans to move operations temporarily into the old municipal building in Oakmont.

Township plans for the old Brookline School remain unresolved. The historic school building dates to 1913 and was designed by David Knickerbacker Boyd, a prominent architect in the area at the time. Developers in early 1900s used plans for the school, along with its proximity to the P&W, in newspaper advertisements to entice Philadelphia workers to the new suburb of Brookline. It has served as a school, day care center, kindergarten enrichment program, senior center, and polling place for the community over the years.
ANDERSON, Ind. - A man serving two life sentences at an Indiana prison asked for the death penalty for a slaying of a fellow inmate, but a prosecutor said he is reluctant to pursue it.

Tommy P. Holland, 45, of Indianapolis is charged with murder in the stabbing of Clifford Baggett at the Pendleton Correctional Facility on Aug. 9, 2019. Holland appeared in Madison Circuit Court this week and rejected a deal in which he would have pleaded guilty and received a third sentence of life without the possibility of parole.

Both the prosecutor and Hollands defence attorney said that Holland told Judge Andrew Hopper he wanted to be executed, The Herald Bulletin reported.

Madison County prosecutor Rodney Cummings said Holland told the court that he will continue to drop bodies until you give me the death penalty. Hollands attorney, Bryan Williams, confirmed that account.

Cummings said he would think about filing a death penalty case against Holland but that he was leaning against it.

I dont want to spend the countys money, he said. If there is no trial it would cost about $50,000. A trial and the appeals could cost $750,000. Its not an appropriate way to spend taxpayer dollars.

Williams said his client made the statement to the court against his advice.

In 27 years as a defence attorney Ive never had that happen before, he said. Without question, he was serious about the request.

Holland is currently at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City.

Cummings said Holland will be segregated from other inmates for another year before being returned to the general population.

I have contacted the prosecutor in LaPorte County of a potential problem and am writing to the Department of Correction for them to exercise reasonable caution to prevent his (Holland) access to other inmates, nurses and correctional officers, Cummings said.

Williams said he was requesting a competency evaluation for Holland, who was convicted in Marion County in 2015 for the slayings of employees at a supermarket and at a gas station.
By Trend





The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that now new technologies, innovation, and digitalization are an important component of economic development, Deputy Minister of Economy of Azerbaijan Rovshan Najaf said Trend reports.

Najaf made the remark at a webinar organized by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) within the 53rd Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors on the Results and development ways topic.

The deputy minister said that the countries of Central Asia should expand economic ties.

During the meeting, the important role of digitalization during the pandemic was discussed.

Digitalization can actually create conditions for the expansion of various industries, such as electricity, transport, food transportation, economics, trade, and, finally, attracting investment.

The deputy minister believes that attracting investments is also extremely important for the region and this can be realized through partnerships between the public and private sectors.

ADB and Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) program are following these initiatives and countries should prioritize foreign investment in attractive infrastructure projects. Since there was a budget cut in the pandemic period, the use of private investment in this area will be quite effective, noted Najaf.

In addition, simplification of procedures in transport, transit and logistics transportation using digital platforms will surely accelerate the transportation of goods between countries, Najaf added.

During the webinar, the parties exchanged their views on the promotion of regional cooperation during the COVID-19 pandemic, which had a negative impact on global and regional trade.
A student journalist has been removed from her role at a college radio station after tweeting a link detailing the sexual assault allegations against Jacob Blake, the black man who was shot and paralyzed by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Rae'Lee Klein, 21, had been the student station manager at Arizona State University's Blaze Radio broadcast station before her August 29 tweet provoked campus outrage.

In a statement to DailyMail.com, Kristin Gilger, interim dean of ASU's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, denied that Klein had been 'fired' as station manager, adding that it was 'an ongoing situation' and that she remains a 'student employee.'

Nonetheless, leaked emails from Gilger to Klein from earlier this week purport to show the dean telling Klein that 'staying on as station manager is not an option.'

Rae'Lee Klein, 21, was removed from her role as station manager this week following uproar over a tweet. In a carefully worded statement, Kristin Gilger (right), interim dean of ASU's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, denied that Klein had been 'fired' as station manager

Klein's August 29 tweet linking to a report about sexual assault allegations against Jacob Blake provoked fury. Blake, a black man, had been shot and paralyzed by cops in Wisconsin

In Klein's controversial tweet, she included a link to a New York Post report describing the reason for the 911 call that led Kenosha cops to the encounter with Blake.

Blake had an open warrant for felony sexual assault, and the alleged victim in the case had called 911 saying that he was violating a restraining order and had stolen her car keys.

Klein commented in the tweet, which she has since deleted: 'Always more to the story, folks. Please read this article to get the background of Jacob Blake's warrant. You'll be quite disgusted.'

In the midst of protests over Blake's shooting, the tweet provoked fury. A student petition calling for her removal as station manager read in part: 'After recent tweets regarding Jacob Blake, Rae Lee Klein has proven that her facts are biased and not welcomed by all.'

The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, in Phoenix is seen above in a file photo

The Blaze Radio's six-member board voted to remove her as station manager, but because the board did not have the power to appoint or remove her, Klein refused to step down, insisting that she had done nothing wrong.

On Tuesday, Klein received an email from Kristin Gilger, interim dean of ASU's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism. The email was published by Campus Reform.

'Staying on as station manager is not an option,' Gilger wrote, adding that Klein could be reassigned to another student worker position, take a board position in which she'd be required to work on diversity issues, or start her own station.

Gilger told DailyMail.com: 'Contrary to what she has said or has been reported, student Rae'Lee Klein has not been fired or dismissed from the position of station manager.'

'She remains a student employee of Arizona State University and from our perspective, this is an ongoing situation,' Gilger added. 'Any actions that are unfolding are not punishment for a tweet.'

Pressed on whether Klein remains in the role of station manager, Gilger said: 'Students involved in the club have made their own decisions about whether to recognize her as their leader.'

Klein denied that she did anything wrong, and said that professors had advised her to tweet links to news articles with new or surprising information

In an interview with the New York Post, Klein maintained that she had done nothing wrong, and expressed her shock at the allegations against Blake, which included a sexual assault in front of a child.

'I was reading through it and I just thought it was super interesting and enlightening and a part of the story we haven't been told yet,' Klein, a Cheyenne, Wyoming native.

She explained that professors at the Cronkite School had advised her to tweet two to three times a day, and to send links to stories she found interesting.

'I was just trying to do A, what I was assigned to do and B, what I thought was my job as a journalist, which is to share an important part of the story,' said Klein.

She explained that she aspired to a career in journalist because she believed the job was to 'deliver the full truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.'

'And whether people agree or like the truth is irrelevant because it doesn't make it any less truthful and any less necessary to tell,' she added.
FAIRFIELD  More than 70 people tuned in to a Plan and Zoning Commission meeting where many spoke in opposition to a proposed affordable housing apartment complex near the Old Town Hall.

Im just concerned with the size of the proposed building, said Alden Stevens, whose home neighbors the property. I recognize that Fairfield needs affordable housing, and I think that that could be accomplished with a building that has fewer than 40 units and still adheres to the 30 percent rule for affordable housing.

The Tuesday night meeting, held through Webex, saw residents speak out against the complex  which would stand next to a historic district.

The proposal would see a 40-unit development on 131 Beach Road  a .65 acre lot that currently hosts a Masonic temple. Christopher Smith, the attorney for the developer, said 12 units would be affordable housing.

Smith said the development was filed under the states affordable housing statute. A state regulation, 8-30g allows developers of affordable housing to bypass municipal laws and regulations in order to get such housing into communities with fewer affordable units than the state recommends  about 10 percent in Fairfield. Smith said 2.43 percent of the towns housing was considered affordable in 2019.

But there is broad opposition to the proposal, and a petition created by the Old Post Road Area Association requesting the developer scale down the project had more than 1,400 signatures as of Friday morning. There have also been letters of opposition submitted to Hearst Connecticut Media publications.

The neighborhood association and a private home owner from the Old Post Road have each hired a lawyer to represent them in their opposition to the development.

In addition to the scale of the project, residents have said they are concerned about the impact the development would have on traffic, if approved. Michael Galante, who conducted the traffic study for the developer, said the complex would generate an estimated 218 car trips in or out of the property on an average weekday.

The study, conducted in January, showed Beach Road east of the Post Road to have a combined total of 1,466 vehicles traveling on it during peak morning and afternoon hours. It also showed the road has had a total of five accidents in the past three years.

This traffic added to the roadway system really has an ... insignificant impact on roads and operational characteristics of intersections, Galante said.

During the public hearing, OPRAA President Henry Backe read a letter to the commission in which he voiced the organizations concerns with the proposed development.

The impact of 100-plus additional people living on this half acre lot would have significant negative impact on the traffic and safety in what is already a very busy neighborhood, Backe said, adding the development as proposed may be the most densely populated dwelling per acre in the town.

Backe also noted that the development would require six parking spaces currently on the street be removed to provide adequate sight lines for the exit of the complex. He said the parking spots are frequently used by people going to church, classes and events on the town green. Backe also took issue with how the development would contrast the surrounding homes.

The homes in this neighborhood are single-family structures on the average lot size of .75 acres (with) three to six occupants, he said. The building as proposed would tower over and encroach on the property lines of abutting historic and non-historic homes, and adversely affect their open space, wind flow and sun exposure.

Backe said OPRAA understands the need for affordable housing in Fairfield, and supports the intent of 8-30g. But, he alleged, the statute has been used by predatory developers who include the minimum affordable housing requirement, while reaping the benefits of 8-30g to bypass local zoning regulation, building height limits, distance from other properties and roads, and density regulations  to the detriment of neighborhood property values.

To bypass and ignore such safe regulations would detrimental to the safety and well-being of this residential neighborhood, Backe said.
Saqib Saleem is the latest among actors from the Hindi film industry to come out and slam the media trial and witch hunt of Rhea Chakraborty, taking place after Sushant Singh Rajput's death.

Rhea, who was Sushant's girlfriend, has undergone vilification and media trial even as investigations of the actor's death are still underway.

"I don't enjoy the society we have become. The vilification and the way a person is portrayed in the media is sad," said Saqib in an interview with Hindustan Times.

He continued, "I have lost faith in news channels as everyone has their own version about the case. They show point of view. The job of news channels is to report facts not to give a narrative to the audiences. I am upset. It is unfortunate that a young promising actor like Sushant is no more. No one knows what happened and the CBI, NCB, ED are investigating his death. We all want justice for Sushant and Rhea."

Disappointed with what is happening, Saqib said, "It is heart-breaking as Rhea is a friend of mine and as a friend, it is my responsibility to stand by her and her family at this time. Having said that, the case is in court and I hope and pray that the Indian judiciary gives a fair result of what happened. We all want to know what has happened."

He further talked about how actors are soft targets and the film industry's image is being tarnished. Saqib reminded that the industry is made up of not just actors, but also technicians, directors, creative talent and other professions, generating a lot of revenue through films.

He feels that instead of targeting and labelling the entire industry, particular individuals who have done some wrong must be pointed out. However, he asserts that most of what is being talked about is propaganda and is hopeful that the truth will come out soon.

ALSO READ: Twinkle Khanna Slams Rhea Chakraborty's Media Trial: They Took A Young Woman & Cut Her In Half
Amid a flurry of complaints that the marijuana licensing process is flawed, Gov. J.B. Pritzkers office announced Wednesday that his team will meet with those affected to address the issue.

The Governors office is currently working to schedule meetings with interested stakeholders, however, meeting dates and times have not been finalized, Pritzkers press office wrote in response to a Tribune inquiry. The goal of the Governor and the administration is to take time to ensure that the process is fair and equitable."

Just 21 of some 700 applicants qualified for a lottery to determine who will get 75 new recreational marijuana retail licenses. Since the finalists were revealed early this month, state regulators said they have indefinitely delayed the lottery to review objections.

State Rep. La Shawn Ford said the governors office will meet with lawmakers whove objected to the process, including members of the Black and Latino caucuses. Many of the finalist companies involve politically connected or big-money businessmen, including former Chicago police Superintendent Terrence Hillard, and restaurant owner Phil Stefani, which critics say flies in the face of the programs goal of adding marginalized newcomers to the largely white-owned industry.

Critics have proposed that regulators send out notices alerting them to deficiencies in their applications, as was supposed to have happened previously. Applicants would then have 10 days to provide the required information and would be rescored before the lottery is held.

In a federal lawsuit and in interviews and a livestreamed Facebook forum Wednesday, many applicants have given examples of what they say were glaring inconsistencies in the scoring process.

Some applicants said the same exhibits provided by consultants were scored differently for different applicants, or that the same applicant got different scores for identical applications in different regions. Many have said they never got a deficiency notice, or they corrected a deficiency but werent given credit for it.

The state hired consulting firm KPMG for $4 million to score the applications. Applicants were required to identify owners, revealing any inside connections, and said KPMG sent notices to their personal emails.

One of the successful applicants was also a KPMG employee, though a spokesman for the firm said that worker was not involved in the scoring. While one team knew applicants' names to verify social equity and veteran status, KPMG said the rest of the scoring team had no knowledge of the applicants' names or affiliations.

KPMG stands by our work to objectively score applications based on criteria set by the state," spokesman Russ Grote said. "We brought a diverse and experienced team together to do this work quickly and accurately, and are proud of our teams performance.

Like many of the losing applicants, Robin Boyd said she was exactly the kind of social equity applicant to whom the legalization law was supposed to grant bonus points. Such applicants were those said to be affected by the war on drugs, including those who lived in a poor area or area with high marijuana arrest rates.

Boyd said her team of Black investors, Southshore Restore, qualified under social equity as residents of Chicagos South Shore neighborhood and was majority owned by a veteran -- which was another qualifier -- yet they got no credit for either.

All I know is, she said, if our application had been scored fairly, we would have received a perfect score and wouldve been in the lottery for a license.

Nonna Knapp and her husband ran a medical cannabis dispensary for three years, New Age Care in Mount Prospect, before selling it last year to Revolution Ventures Illinois. As mom-and-pop owners, Knapp said they needed to raise money to compete with large multistate operators.

Knapp said she and her husband wrote the application to win their initial license and never failed to pass frequent inspections and annual license renewals. Despite detailed documentation that met scorers' requirements, she said, they were rejected for a new recreational spot.

The scorers have kept secret how specific applicants were scored. Knapp and others want answers.

The whole thing seems unfair to me, she said. If someone with experience cant get this license, who can?

While attention is focused on those who didnt make the cut for the lottery, some of the finalists who did qualify are worried they will get lost in the shuffle.

Diane Howard, a real estate broker and co-founder of Suite Greens, was proud that her team earned a perfect score. She said they are a real social equity team, mostly made up of Black business owners from the South Side of Chicago, including a veteran and a friend who owns a dispensary in California, who applied for 11 dispensary licenses.

We were ecstatic about the lottery initially, but now it seems in jeopardy, she said.

She was open to letting applicants fix their deficiencies, and said anyone posing improperly as social equity applicants should lose their lottery spot. But a long delay, she said, will only prevent deserving businesses from opening.

We have to find a way to make this fair, she said, and keep it moving.

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The Land Court division of the High Court today, Friday, September 18, adjourned contempt proceedings against Assin Central Member of Parliament, Kennedy Agyapong.

The case was adjourned to allow the court and lawyers for the legislator to further deliberate on questions of jurisdiction and procedure for the case.

This comes on the back of objections Mr Agyapongs lawyers raised against the court hearing today based on an invocation at the Supreme Court yesterday. Thursday.

The lawyers are seeking the Supreme Court to exercise its Supervisory Jurisdiction over the High Court and quash the High Courts attempt to try and punish Kennedy Agyapong.

The High Court Judge, Justice Amos Wuntah Wuni, is seeking to punish the Assin Central MP for his alleged unsavoury comments and threats against the High Court.

In the High Court today, lawyers for Kennedy Agyapong, Kwame Gyan and Alexander Afenyo-Markin asked that the High Courts contempt proceedings be put on hold pending the determination of the Supreme Court.

In the circumstance, we are praying for an adjournment so we could pursue the matter, which is now pending before the highest appellate court of the land. We believe that by the time the Supreme Court delivers its ruling, we may not even have to return to this Court.

Justice Wuni conceded knowledge of the process filed against his court on the matter.

I have sighted the application filed in the Supreme Court by the respondent in this contempt case.

He, however, maintained that he could go ahead and hear the case until the Supreme Court directed otherwise.

This court is however fortified in continuing proceedings by the decision of the Supreme Court in Rep. v. Fast Track High Court Accra ex parte Daniel (2003/2004) SCGR. That being the case, this court will continue until ordered by a higher court to suspend proceedings.

The insistence of Mr. Agyapongs lawyers, however, swayed the Judge into adjourning the matter.

This is a case that can be put on hold until the decision of the Supreme Court. It is not a commercial case where someone could lose a certain amount of money if [the case] is not continued.

For Justice Amos Wuntah Wuni, the contempt case is about protecting fundamentals of the countrys democracy.

The respondent is not here to be punished. He is here to answer questions that scandalised the Court and if he is found to have scandalised the Court then this Court has the courage to punish him. We are protecting our Democracy. If the law is not protected it will not be good for all of us. Let us protect this country particularly around this time.

The High Court will thus sit again next Friday, September 25, 2020 to hear legal arguments on why the court should not proceed with the contempt case against Mr. Agyapong while awaiting the Supreme Courts pronouncement.

---citinewsroom
Embroidery skills have changed the life of impoverished women of Yi ethnic group in Yi autonomous county of Mabian, Southwest Chinas Sichuan Province.

Qiaojin Shuangmei, a Yi embroiderer of a professional embroidery cooperative in Yi autonomous county of Mabian and a deputy to the 13th National Peoples Congress (NPC), Chinas top legislature, is always dressed in handmade costumes of Yi ethnic group made by her and other embroiderers of her cooperative on important occasions like the annual meetings of Chinas top legislature and its top political advisory body.

Because of the influence of her mother, Qiaojin Shuangmei has been fond of embroidering since she was a child.

In 2015, she and four other embroiderers raised more than 20,000 yuan (about $2,956) and established a professional embroidery cooperative in Yi autonomous county of Mabian. Qiaojin Shuangmei then extended invitations to residents of poverty-stricken households in the county, hoping more poor people could learn embroidery skills at the cooperative.

In an effort to make embroidery play a bigger role in poverty alleviation, Qiaojin Shuangmei purchased a number of embroidery works of embroiderers from impoverished households.

She then told a white lie when she said to the embroiderers that she sold one of the scarves at a really good price of 1,000 yuan, while the truth was she didnt sell the product for 1,000 yuan, not even 10 yuan.

I wanted them to have confidence in the business. I wanted to help them change their life, she explained.

A scarf sold for 1,000 yuan has now become a reality in Yi autonomous county of Mabian.

The local womens federation has provided free training courses for embroiderers in Qiaojin Shuangmeis embroidery cooperative, and financial institutions have rolled out loans with interest subsidies for the cooperative.

With the help of the local government, the cooperative has signed agreements with companies in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, so that they can help sell the embroideries.

Today, the embroidered high-quality scarves made by embroiderers in the cooperative are sold for as much as over 1,000 yuan in Chengdu.

Meanwhile, the number of embroiderers in the cooperative has increased to nearly 300 from five, and some of them could even earn more than 10,000 yuan per month.

In November 2018, Leshan Electric Power Co., Ltd. under the State Grid, which provides partner assistance for Yi autonomous county of Mabian, held an embroidery contest in the locality.

During the final of the contest, more than 30 female embroiderers walked the runway in characteristic clothing of Yi ethnic group they made themselves, which made them more enthusiastic about making embroideries.

The company has also helped contact livestreaming platforms for the cooperative and provided the embroiderers with training in online marketing skills in a bid to promote embroideries through e-commerce platforms.

Industrial development, skill training and market-oriented assistance have inspired Qiaojin Shuangmei to better perform her duties as a deputy to the NPC.

She has constantly submitted proposals to the NPC and advocated introducing leading enterprises and cultivating foregoers in achieving prosperity for poverty alleviation relocation projects, so as to ensure the relocated residents live and work in peace and contentment.

The State Grid, as a partner assistance provider for the cooperative, has not only helped the latter with processing of embroideries, exhibition and the sale of products, as well as promoting business in brick-and-mortar stores, but helped sell embroidery products to faraway cities like Beijing, Hong Kong and Shenzhen via e-commerce platforms, according to Qiaojin Shuangmei.

As a female deputy to the NPC, Qiaojin Shuangmei has a profound understanding of the status and role of women in poverty alleviation.

Women hold up half the sky. Women of ethnic minorities have shown great potential in the cause of poverty eradication, she said.

During the prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic, Qiaojin Shuangmei initiated an activity with the help of local media outlets to provide online embroidery courses and encourage local embroiderers to make embroideries at home. She also promised to purchase their works.

So far, more than 1,000 local embroiderers in the county have been able to take care of their children while supporting their family by making embroideries.

More policies should be rolled out to support women of ethnic minorities in starting their own businesses and securing jobs, Qiaojin Shuangmei suggested in her proposals to the NPC.
Pfizer Inc is betting that its coronavirus vaccine candidate will show clear evidence of effectiveness early in its clinical trial, according to the company and internal documents reviewed by Reuters that describe how the trial is being run.

In recent weeks, Pfizer has said it should know by the end of October whether the vaccine, developed together with Germany's BioNTech SE, is safe and effective. If the vaccine is shown to work by then, Pfizer has said it would quickly seek regulatory approval. It has not said what data it would use.

President Donald Trump, who is seeking re-election, has said a vaccine to fight the coronavirus pandemic is possible before the Nov. 3 US vote, raising concerns over political interference. Scientists have questioned whether drugmakers will have enough evidence to achieve success by that time.

Also read: Will take 4-5 years till everyone on planet gets coronavirus vaccine: Adar Poonawalla

Pfizer's clinical trial protocol outlines for the company, scientists and regulators how the drugmaker could show that its vaccine meets efficacy and safety standards set by the US Food and Drug Administration.

A company's protocol is submitted to the FDA for review and is overseen by an independent panel of experts known as a Data and Safety Monitoring Board. The protocol calls for a first assessment of the vaccine's performance by the monitoring board after 32 participants in the trial become infected with the novel coronavirus. So far, more than 29,000 people have enrolled in the trial that started in July, some receiving the vaccine and the others receiving a placebo.

The FDA has said that a coronavirus vaccine must prove to be at least 50 percent more effective than a placebo in a large-scale trial to be considered for approval. However, a smaller sample of infections in a clinical trial changes the calculation of how that standard is met, according to researchers.

Pfizer's vaccine would need to be at least 76.9 percent effective to show it works based on 32 infections, according to its protocol. That would mean that no more than six of those coronavirus cases would have occurred among people who received the vaccine, the documents showed.

Also read: France won't buy COVID-19 vaccines through WHO's COVAX initiative

If the drugmaker's vaccine does not meet the 76.9 percent efficacy target at this first interim analysis, it would face tougher statistical significance thresholds during subsequent interim assessments, biostatisticians who reviewed the protocol said.

Pfizer said its interim analyses were designed to show conclusive evidence "as quickly as possible amid the devastating pandemic if our vaccine meets the stringent standards set by FDA." Pfizer would not say whether it would use an interim analysis as the basis for seeking approval.

The FDA declined to comment on whether it would consider such data sufficient for approval.

Also read: India's role in coronavirus vaccine production critical in combating pandemic: Bill Gates

SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE?

Interim analyses typically are used by data and safety monitoring boards to determine whether an experimental drug appears safe and effective enough to continue a trial, or whether it should be stopped if a safety problem arises.

But if a vaccine meets FDA benchmarks at an interim analysis without any serious safety problems, it could make sense to use it as a basis for authorization to help curb a pandemic that has killed about 940,000 people globally, said Thomas Lumley, chair of biostatistics at the University of Auckland in New Zealand.

Moderna Inc, another front-runner in the vaccine race, told Reuters it would seek emergency FDA authorization to use its vaccine in high-risk groups if an interim assessment of its trial showed its vaccine was at least 70 percent effective. Moderna, which made its protocols public on Thursday, said its first interim analysis of 53 infections is likely to come in November.

Also read: COVID-19 pandemic has taken global health progress back by 25 years: Gates Foundation

Some vaccine experts have said drugmakers should wait to reach their final analyses of more than 150 cases before seeking FDA approval. They note the speed at which vaccines are being developed for COVID-19, compressing what can be a decade-long process into months.

Relying on the more limited interim analyses could overstate a vaccine's effectiveness simply because not enough trial participants fell ill, they have said. Moving more quickly through the trial process also means a drugmaker could miss potential side effects that could materialize if trials were given more time.

"These interim analyses have a flashing sign of short cuts," said Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in La Jolla, California. "You miss safety issues and you may very well exaggerate the benefits."

Also read: AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine trial in US on hold until at least midweek: sources

In addition to Pfizer and Moderna, Reuters reviewed the clinical trial protocols for vaccine candidates developed by AstraZeneca Plc and Johnson & Johnson. AstraZeneca set its first interim analysis when about 40 coronavirus infections are reported among participants. Its US trial is currently on hold after a patient fell ill.

J&J's first analysis would begin at 20 infections, according to the protocol of their large-scale trial due to begin on Sept. 21. AstraZeneca and J&J declined to comment.
Will Waldron

RAVENA  A Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk student has been charged with a felony after police say he threatened to shoot up two local schools.

The student, described only as a 17-year-old male, was charged with making a terroristic threat, which is a felony, according to the Albany County Sheriffs Office.
 Close Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Supreme Court judge dies aged 87

Barack Obama has warned US democracy is at risk if Republicans press ahead with plans to fill the Supreme Court seat left vacant by the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Her death just over six weeks before US election day is likely to trigger a fierce battle over whether President Donald Trump should nominate her replacement at the highest court in America, or if the seat should remain vacant until the result of the race in November against Democratic challenger Joe Biden is known.

In a statement, Mr Obama said: A basic principle of the law  and of everyday fairness  is that we apply rules with consistency, and not based on whats convenient or advantageous in the moment. The rule of law, the legitimacy of our courts, the fundamental workings of our democracy all depend on that basic principle.

Democrats are still seething over the Republican Senate's refusal to act on Mr Obama's Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland, in 2016 after conservative Justice Antonin Scalia died 10 months before that election.

Mr McConnell in 2016 said the Senate should not act on a court nominee during an election year, a stance he has since reversed.

Despite that anger, Democrats have little chance of blocking Mr Trump's pick. His fellow Republicans control 53 of the Senate's 100 seats and Mr McConnell, who has made confirmation of Mr Trump's federal judicial nominees a top priority, said the chamber would vote on any Trump nominee.

Even before justice Ginsburg's death, Mr Trump had made public a list of potential nominees.

Conservative activists for years have sought to get enough votes on the Supreme Court to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide. During the 2016 campaign, Mr Trump promised to appoint justices who would overturn that decision. But the court in July, even with its conservative majority, struck down a restrictive Louisiana abortion law on a 5-4 vote.

The two justices already appointed by Mr Trump were Neil Gorsuch in 2017 and Brett Kavanaugh in 2018. Kavanaugh's confirmation process was particularly heated, as he faced accusations by a California university professor, Christine Blasey Ford, that he had sexually assaulted her in 1982 when the two were high school students in Maryland. Justice Kavanaugh angrily denied those accusations and was narrowly confirmed.

Republicans risk the possibility of liberals embracing more radical proposals should Mr Trump replace justice Ginsburg but Democrats win November's election, with some activists on the left suggesting even before her death that the number of justices on the court should be expanded to counter Trump's appointees.

Confirmation votes could also put more pressure on incumbent Republican senators in highly competitive election races, including Maine's Susan Collins and Arizona's Martha McSally, at a time when Democrats are eying a chance to win control of that chamber. Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska also could play a pivotal role.

Many court-watchers expect Mr Trump to attempt to replace Ms Ginsburg with a woman. One possible contender on Trump's list is Amy Coney Barrett, a conservative judge on the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals who was under consideration in 2018 before Mr Trump picked justice Kavanaugh.

Additional reporting by Reuters. Check out The Independents live updates and coverage below:
With two new Humble ISD elementary schools on the way, families near Fall Creek and Humble may soon send their children to a different place.

The official attendance zones for Elementary School No. 30 and Lakeland Elementary were approved at the Humble ISD school board meeting on Sept. 8. Trustees voted for the B zoning selection for Elementary 30 and option C for Lakeland Elementary.

HIGHER EDUCATION: Meet Mario Castillo, the Lone Star College - Kingwood interim president

Located in the Fall Creek neighborhood, the attendance zone at Elementary 30 is not rigid and will offer the option of a flex zone, covering planning units 3F and 3G, just to the west of the new campus. Neighborhoods in this zone include Stonegrove Fall Creek, Woods Edge, Forest Glade, Water Crest, Deer Creek and Hunters Crossing.

In this case, if a parent or guardian in the flex zone area chooses for their child to attend Fall Creek Elementary School, the transfer is automatically accepted but they are responsible for transportation, according to Deputy Superintendent Roger Brown.

The number of students residing in the flex zone is stable and is not expected to grow or decline over the next few years, Brown said in an email statement. Therefore, the building capacity at Fall Creek Elementary and Elementary 30 should accommodate choices that parents in the flex zone make for their children regarding which school to attend.

Students can choose to remain at their current school through fifth grade, and while they attend, their siblings will be automatically granted into the same school so families can stay together.

For Lakeland Elementary, which will relocate from Montgomery Lane to Rustic Timbers Drive in Humble, there will not be a flex zone. With the decision for attendance zone option C, some neighborhoods will be zoned to River Pines and Jack Fields elementary schools.

The options provided to trustees were provided by the School Attendance Area Committee, Brown. Both campuses were funded by the 2018 voter-approved bond.

More Information Elementary 30 attendance zone neighborhoods Falls at Eagle Creek Standard on the Creek Lake Point Autumn Falls Water Oak Magnolia Falls Heather Glen Stonegrove Fall Creek (flex zone) Woods Edge (flex zone) Forest Gladen(flex zone) Water Crest (flex zone) Deer Creek (flex zone) Hunters Crossing (flex zone) Sunset Ridge West (excluding section 5 and 7 which are part of 12F, see map) Advenir at Eagle Creek Arla at Ralston Reserve at Parks Lake Park Lakes East Lakeland Elementary School attendance zone neighborhoods Laurel Place Harmony Cove Meadow Brook Carriage Trailer Park Ferguson Place River Apartments Carolyn Court Colony of Humble Countryside Villages Intercontinental Villages Houston Ave Duplexes Barrington Court Condos Memorial Glen Parkside Esperanza at Wilson Rd Wilson Apts Wilson Rd Duplexes Tour 18 Estates Rustic Pines River Pines Elementary attendance zone neighborhoods Woodland Pines I Woodland Pines II Cypress Creek Atascocita Atascocita Heights Blackstone Creek Atascocita Acres Atascocita Trace Jack Fields Elementary attendance zone neighborhoods North Lake Manor Benders Creek Timberwood J.L. Ranchland Cedar Pond Rankin Rd Quads Rankin Country North Hollow Estates Audubon Park I Atascocita Village Atascocita Pines Audubon Park II Classic Pines Estates Atascocita Springs See More Collapse

EDUCATION: HISD started desegregating 60 years ago. The legacy lives on through one Houston family

Paul Edwards will serve as the principal at Elementary School No. 30 following his previous job as principal at Emerson Elementary School in Everett, Washington. He served as an associate principal at Summer Creek High School from 2011 to 2013.

I will be focused on doing whatever it takes to create a school environment that is supportive of all and guides students to achieve at a high level, Edwards said in a press release.

savannah.mehrtens@chron.com
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The L.A. County Sheriff's Department needs to do more to control the spread of coronavirus in the jail population, according to a new report from the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission.

The report highlights:

insufficient testing protocols

inconsistent use of masks

lack of cleaning supplies

insufficient physical distancing

The report also raises concerns about how testing is conducted. Public defenders said that once an inmate turns down a COVID-19 test during the intake process, they have difficulty getting tested at a later date. In addition, while Correctional Health Services tested more than 10,000 people in custody, it does not test inmates who are about to be released. That "endangers public health," the report argued.

They also made recommendations, saying video arraignments should be used more often to cut back on the amount of times inmates have to appear physically in court. Commissioners also want to make sure that inmates are able to keep in contact with their lawyers.

During today's commission meeting, Commissioner James Harris said

"We really need to continue to emphasize the importance of having a virtual platform by which those who are in custody can in fact have confidential contact with their counsel."





He noted that phone conversations don't afford enough privacy.

The Youth Justice Coalition, which is mentioned in the report, said it has over 200 recorded interviews with inmates and family members who have expressed concerns about conditions within the jails. "We really need like a full hotline for the amount of concerns people are raising," the Coalition's Kim McGill said.

Maria Casillas has a cousin in the L.A. County jail system. She said he has asthma and diabetes. "He created a curtain out of his blanket to make sure that the guys next door to him that were positive did not infect him, because he was negative," Casillas said.

As of Sept. 8, nearly 3,000 inmates had tested positive for COVID-19, according to the report. Six inmates who tested positive for COVID-19 have died in custody, although the report notes that it has not been determined whether the virus caused their deaths.

SOME BRIGHT SPOTS

The report also found that the Sheriff's Department is doing some things well as it tries to mitigate the spread of the virus.

It points out that the jail population is down 32% from before the pandemic, a reduction of about 6,000 people. That's thanks in part to a zero bail program and early release for individuals deemed to be medically "high risk."

While the steps to keep the number of inmates down are "laudable," the report expressed concern that the efforts have "stagnated."

Commission Chair Lael Rubin said the panel recently learned that the population in the jail is on the upswing after having dropped to about 12,000. "Many folks believe that even if [the jail population] were to remain at [12,000], considering the physical layout in the jail, that there really is no way of safely protecting so many inmates," Rubin said.

"There was universal agreement that the population is too large to be safely housed," said Commissioner Priscilla Ocen. "Not only does it endanger the people who are being held in L.A. County facilities, it endangers the staff ... and it endangers the community."

The Sybil Brand Commission, which inspects the jails and provided input for the report, "recorded a number of complaints about the medical response to non-COVID related care." In some cases, inmates at Twin Towers Correctional Facility and the Century Regional Detention Facility said requests for medical care for serious conditions were delayed or ignored altogether, the report said.

LOOKING AHEAD

Moving forward, the Commission is urging:

A continuing and aggressive reduction of the jail population

The provision of adequate supplies for cleaning and personal hygiene

Testing for any inmate or staff member who has COVID-19 symptoms or has concerns about exposure

Testing of inmates before they're released into the community

More video arraignments to reduce movement to and from court

The L.A. County Sheriff's Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.


The University of Cincinnati is investigating after a student reported an adjunct professor referred to the coronavirus as "the chinese virus" in an email denying the student a grade on a lab he missed while quarantining.

Student Evan Sotzing wrote in a tweet that after his girlfriend tested positive for Covid-19, he followed school policy to quarantine and did not attend an in-person lab. He said his professor, John Ucker, gave him a zero for missing the lab, and used a derogatory term for the coronavirus in his email informing him of the grade.

Related: A group of high school students interviewed nearly 1,000 young Asian Americans to explore how youths are dealing with the pandemic-fueled rise in racism.

"For students testing positive for the chinese virus, I will give no grade," the email from Ucker, a mechanical engineering adjunct, said, according to Sotzing.

John Weidner, the dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Science, said the university's Office of Equal Opportunity and Access was reviewing Ucker's email.

"These types of xenophobic comments and stigmatizations around location or ethnicity are more than troubling. We can better protect and care for all when we speak about COVID-19 with both accuracy and empathy  something we should all strive for," Weidner said in a statement.

Weidner also said Ucker has a policy of dropping one lab grade, so Sotzing's missed grade would not be recorded.

"Academic accommodations are necessary to safeguard the health and safety of our students, and faculty are encouraged to be flexible with attendance policies and other aspects supporting academic progress  particularly for students in isolation and quarantine," Weidner added.

Ucker did not respond to multiple email requests for comment.

Sotzing could not immediately be reached for comment.
Prof. Justin Robinson, CEO (Ag.) of the SCHSBM  UWI welcomed the opportunity to better serve Vincentians desirous of pursuing tertiary level studies.

Even as the St. Vincent & the Grenadines Community College (SVGCC) looks forward to welcoming new students later in September after the release of CXC/CDEC, it is moving ahead to expand its portfolio.





Earlier this month, September 08, the SVGCC inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Sagicor Cave Hill School of Business Management (SCHSBM)  UWI.





This step in seen as further fulfillment of the Colleges mission to advance the human capital of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and, by extension, that of the Caribbean region, a release from the College said.





The new partnership will allow Vincentians increased access to online programmes, including Executive Diplomas, Executive Masters, Masters, Doctorates and short courses.





Vincentians will also be able to access via the SVGCC privileged pricing for selected SCHSBM programmes.

Director of the SVGCC, Nigel Scott, on affixing his signature to the MOU, remarked that it was a pleasure "to partner with the Sagicor Cave Hill School of Business and Management to provide additional opportunities for Vincentians. As we continue the task of providing training for all nationals, we look forward to a long and productive partnership with The UWI in general, and The Sagicor Cave Hill School of Business and Management in particular.





Vincentian Prof. C. Justin Robinson, (CEO) (Ag.) of the SCHSBM, considered the partnership to be a bold move in greater serving the region, and reminded that, "Fine universities dont exist to serve themselves but to serve their communities.





In Prof. Robinsons assessment, the initiative will provide "easier access to a wide range of academic programmes at the tertiary level.





SCHSBM, he said, was "proud to be able to better serve the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and we look forward to a long and fruitful partnership.





Vincentians are encouraged to take immediate advantage of the partnership by applying by Friday 13th November 2020 for courses starting January 2021.
A court has closed an inquest into the death of former Makueni Senator Mutula Kilonzo seven years after the lawyer died of massive bleeding caused by high blood pressure.

Mutulas family, led by his son and current Makueni Senator Kilonzo Junior, had contested the government report on the cause of death claiming it was a well-organised elimination that was followed up by a massive cover-up. Kilonzo Jnr claimed that there was interference with the samples taken for toxicology analysis.

However, Machakos Senior resident Magistrate Brenda Bartoo on Tuesday, September 15, ruled there was no evidence of foul play or a cover-up, more so because an independent pathologist, Dr Ian Galder from UK did not testify or send a report alluding to the alleged interference with the samples.

I hereby order that this inquest in line with section 386 of the criminal procedure code be closed with no further police action unless any new evidence is unearthed, said the magistrate.

The family of the deceased and indeed many Kenyans treated this death with a lot of suspicions, it is important to note that there was no evidence presented pointing a finger to any individual.

It is indeed sad that we lost a dedicated servant to the republic in the manner it may. I have evaluated all the evidence presented to the court through this inquest and I am in agreement with the state that there is no evidence pointing to any person(s) having a hand in the cause of death of the late Hon Mtula Kilonzo, magistrate Bartoo added.
SAN FRANCISCONakedSword has been in the business of supplying gay adult content for just over 20 years now, and the company is continuing its 20th anniversary celebration with the release of a collection of its award-winning scenes from NakedSword Originals. Released as a four-Disc DVD set, the 20th anniversary collection includes a complimentary NakedSword drawstring gym bag and is now on sale at store.falconstudios.com.

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Professor John Sloboda, co-founder of Iraq Body Count and Every Casualty Worldwide, testified at Julian Assanges extradition hearing yesterday morning. He described the worldwide impact of WikiLeaks journalism in exposing civilian casualties in Iraq and flatly contradicted the prosecutions claims that Assange had a cavalier attitude to the redaction of sensitive documents.

Sloboda worked with WikiLeaks and a consortium of news organisations to publish the Iraq War Logs in October 2010, which he described in court as the largest single contribution to knowledge of civilian casualties in the Iraq War, revealing about 15,000 hitherto unknown deaths even when the reports were not new, very often important additional detail was added.

US troops attacking an Iraqi man (Credit: AP photo)

WikiLeaks brought this information to the largest global audience of any single release. There have been no comparable revelations in the last decade. All of [the recorded civilian deaths] which were unique to the Logs in 2010 are still unique the Iraq War Logs remain the only source of those incidents.

In addition to unreported civilian casualties, the Iraq War Logs revealed multiple specific instances of war crimes, including the killing of Iraqis attempting to surrender, and human rights abuses including torture and summary execution.

Sloboda told the court that he and his colleagues approached WikiLeaks with an offer to help cross-reference the leaked documents with the details of deaths already compiled by Iraq Body Count. Describing Assanges response to this offer, he said, He was absolutely welcoming of it after our first serious encounter with him he immediately suggested we join a consortium of other media organisations including the Guardian, the New York Times and others, which had pre-publication access to the logs, so that we could do some preliminary analyses and have something serious and rigorous to say about [the documents] before they were released in their highly redacted form.

Asked about the redaction process, Sloboda said it was impressed upon us from very early on in our encounters with Mr Assange and the rest of his team that the aim was a very, very stringent redaction of the Logs before publication... That was the aim of Mr Assange and WikiLeaks. This was done to ensure that no information which could be damaging to living individuals, including informants or others, would be present in the version of the Logs which was made public.

Sloboda explained, There were considerable pressures on Mr Assange and WikiLeaks to hurry up because [media] partners wanted to publish. Those pressures were consistently and clearly rejected. They could not be published before a redaction had been achieved with which everyone was satisfied. That was stuck to completely, consistently, with no equivocation throughout the time we were with Mr Assange and his organisation.

Defence lawyer Florence Iveson summarised the eventual solution to redacting the documents as a painstaking process which took weeks. Sloboda agreed and explained that the Iraq War Logs released in 2010 were over-redacted for caution the approach taken was to be overcautious and in certain circumstances, possibly, on further investigation, un-redact.

During the afternoon session, expert witness testimony was heard from Carey Shenkman on the history of the US Espionage Act, which forms the basis for 17 of the 18 indictments against Assange.

A New York-based constitutional and civil rights attorney, Shenkman is co-author of A Century of Suppression: The Espionage Act from WWI to the War on Terror (2016). He testified on the application of the Espionage Act throughout the twentieth century and its far-reaching extension against Assanges activities as a journalist and publisher.

Asked by Mark Summers QC for the defence to explain how broad the Act was, Shenkman replied, The Espionage Act was born out of what is considered by any serious First Amendment scholar to be one of the most repressive periods in the history of the United States. During World War I, there was initially fierce opposition to US entry into the war, but that changed.

Shenkman elaborated, Essentially the Espionage Act was part of a suite of legislation that also included the Sedition Act a year later, that became the principal tool of Woodrow Wilson in what [he] called, in his own words, the firm hand of stern repression against US opposition to participation in the war.

The Democratic Party president regarded the Espionage Act as the principal tool against those who sought to inject the poison of disloyalty into our most critical affairs. Wilsons administration, Shenkman explained, sought censorship powers against the press that were fiercely rejected by Congress. So, what the Espionage Act did was impose penalties for criticism of the war, it imposed penalties for communication of information around the war.

The first 2,000 prosecutions of nearly 2,500 hundred individuals were political prosecutions under the Espionage Act. They included prosecutions of labour leader Big Bill Haywood, who was the leader of the International Workers of the World, or the IWW. He was tried in an en masse Espionage Act trial. Also, Eugene Debs, who was at the time the leader of the Socialist Party in the United States. He was its presidential candidateit was the third largest political party in the United States. Debs was sentenced to ten years under the Espionage Act over a speech in Canton, Ohio, which was called the most famous protest speech of its time.

Shenkman said the Act was extraordinarily broad in scope. Its historical origins showed why this was the case.

Replying to a question from Summers about the attitude of legal experts and scholars toward the Act, Shenkman said, I would safely say that the Espionage Act is one of the most contentious laws in the United States, for any serious scholar of constitutional law, the First Amendment or national security law.

In the wake of the Espionage Acts use in the Pentagon Papers case, these concerns were magnified. Shenkman cited Harold Edgar and Benno C. Schmidt Jrs authoritative 1973 article for the Columbia Law Review. Their conclusion was that there was incredible confusion surrounding the scope of the law and they believed that it was truly at prosecutorial discretion to ensure that its provisions would not be invoked against innocent citizens.

Summers asked whether such prosecutorial discretion had provided a robust safeguard against such targeting of innocents. Shenkman replied it had not, because there was no legal limitation in the text of the Espionage Act against its potential use against any individual disseminating national defence information to anyone unauthorised to receive it.

This was a prohibition which could potentially apply to anyone, whether it be a member of the media, [or] whether it be an ordinary citizen in the United Kingdom, retweeting on social media, or media, whether its the third person or the fifth person.

Shenkman said there was no public interest defence for whistleblowers under the Espionage Act. The Act also did not limit prosecution to distribution of classified information, but to national defence informationa far broader category.

He confirmed there was no precedent in US history for the indictment of a publisher under the Espionage Act. While successive administrations had considered such prosecutionsgoing back to Roosevelts 1942 grand jury against The Chicago Tribune and including subsequent grand juries under Truman (Amerasia), and Nixon (Pentagon Papers and Boston Grand Jury)these were subsequently abandoned.

A lengthy cross-examination of Shenkman by barrister Clair Dobbin for the US government followed. It continues today.
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill filed charges of second-degree felony aggravated assault after a Salt Lake City police officer used unlawful force on a Black man via his police dog.

Jeffery Ryans, 36, was already compliant, on his knees with his hands in the air, when Officer Nickolas Pearce ordered his police K-9 to bite the man. The incident occurred on April 24 at Ryans home after his daughter called police during an argument with her mother.

Bodycam footage showed the officer saying good boy to the police K-9 as an already-complying Jeffrey Ryans screamed in pain. (Salt Lake City Police Department)

I wasnt running, he recalled to the Salt Lake Tribune. I wasnt fighting. I was just cooperating. Weve been through this. Weve seen this. Always cooperate with the police, no matter what.

Bodycam footage showed the Pearce saying Good boy to the dog as it latches onto Ryans leg, and the man screams in pain.

Read More: Michelle Obamas brother speaks on terrifying experience being stopped by police

The injury caused Ryans to have multiple surgeries, lose his job, and, in a lawsuit against the Salt Lake City Police Department, he alleged that he now has difficulty walking. Doctors have not ruled out the possibility that he may one day need to have his leg amputated.

Ryans wife had filed an order of protection against her husband in December of last year. However, he said that his wife told him that the order was lifted. He told police that he had been back in their home for weeks. He is currently facing a charge for violating the order, but no court date is pending.

Read More: Texas deputies rewarded with steakhouse gift cards for using force

Pearce was suspended from his job but has not been terminated. The president of the Salt Lake City Police Association alleges that the decision to charge the officer was politically motivated.

However, the civilian review board disagreed and said that Ryans was showing no discernible attempt to stand up, deciding the officer had less violent options to address the situation.

Salt Lake Citys mayor, Erin Mendenhall, has suspended the use of the departments K-9 bite program pending a review.

Have you subscribed to theGrios Dear Culture podcast? Download our newest episodes now!

The post Utah officer charged for allegedly ordering dog to attack Black man appeared first on TheGrio.
An alleged fraud office involving 38,000 was mentioned at a Naas District Court sitting on September 10.

Craig ORourke Feane, whose address was given as 64 Coill Dubh, Naas, was prosecuted for an alleged breach of the Criminal Justice Act on November 13, 2018, at the AIB branch at Edward Street, Newbridge.

Sgt Brian Jacob described the issue as an alleged credit redirection fraud.

He said it would be alleged that the money was withdrawn from an account and the defendant played an active role in this  and made no attempt to compensate the owner.

A book of evidence was served on the defendant.

Judge Desmond Zaidan commented that these type of allegations are becoming quite common across Ireland, though other allegations have nothing to do with this case.

Sgt Jacob said that in similar type cases money goes in where it shouldnt and is then withdrawn.

The defendant was remanded on continuing bail until October 6, when the case will be referred to Naas Circuit Court. Free legal aid was granted.
WATERLOO REGION  Domestic violence has flourished in the shadows, and a new podcast aims to shine a light on the common problem in hopes of ending the abuse.

For too long, theres been so much secrecy and shame about domestic violence, yet its happened to so many people, said Jennifer Hutton, chief executive officer of Womens Crisis Services of Waterloo Region.

The agency launched a podcast series called She Is Your Neighbour to explore the realities and complexities of domestic violence  an issue not often talked about although its rising by about 30 per cent in Canada during the pandemic.

Its there. Its not going away and I think its worse than ever, Hutton said. We all have a role to play in ending domestic violence. We cant do this alone.

Personal experiences are shared on the podcast, which will be nine episodes, each about 40 minutes long, released on Wednesday mornings.

Guests include: Chris Linklater, a Kitchener firefighter, who grew up in a home with domestic violence; Lori Campbell, University of Waterloo director of Indigenous services, who talks about being a Sixties Scoop survivor and the violence against Indigenous women and girls; Emily OBrien, former convict and founder of Comeback Snacks, who talks about domestic violence and the drug trade; and former Waterloo mayor Brenda Halloran.

Hutton said many women arent safe to share their stories of domestic violence, and some dont even realize what theyre experiencing is wrong or that its likely to escalate.

She hopes the podcast will empower people who are currently living through domestic violence by letting them know theyre not alone, and the future can be better.

Too many women are suffering, Hutton said. When theres increased awareness, that can act as prevention.

The podcast follows last years She Is Your Neighbour blog series and social media campaign, which wanted to raise awareness about the prevalence of domestic violence and how it can happen to anyone.

Hutton stressed that domestic violence is a not a personal, private issue, but a societal problem that everyone needs to take part in ending.

Find the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and more. Its also available at wcswr.org/she-is-your-neighbour/podcast.
New Delhi, Sep 19 : The Central government has appointed former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) chief Anil Dhasmana as the head of the country's technical intelligence agency head on Friday.

Dhasmana, a 1981 batch IPS officer, has been appointed as National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) for two years.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has cleared the appointment and the decision was formally conveyed to the retired IPS officer.

Dhasmana succeeds former Intelligence Bureau officer Satish Jha who demitted office on Thursday.

NTRO is the country's technical body that looks after geospatial intelligence and satellite imagery.

Dhasmana, a Madhya Pradesh cadre officer, was with RAW for the last 23 years. He retired in 2019. He was targeted along with serving RAW chief Samant Goel during the CBI controversy.

Dhasmana was amazed at how his best men were drawn to the controversy and his assets in Dubai were unnecessarily targeted.

He had clarified to that the government that he can't work in a condition where his men are not at ease to work. RAW was unnecessarily dragged into CBI controversy and many operations in neighbouring countries were hampered due to it.

He and Goel successfully launched operations like Balakot attack in Pakistan. They have been the backbone of the country's external intelligence agency.
With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 7.7x Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX:FMG) may be sending very bullish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in Australia have P/E ratios greater than 20x and even P/E's higher than 40x are not unusual. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/E at face value as there may be an explanation why it's so limited.

Recent times have been pleasing for Fortescue Metals Group as its earnings have risen in spite of the market's earnings going into reverse. It might be that many expect the strong earnings performance to degrade substantially, possibly more than the market, which has repressed the P/E. If not, then existing shareholders have reason to be quite optimistic about the future direction of the share price.

Check out our latest analysis for Fortescue Metals Group

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Want the full picture on analyst estimates for the company? Then our free report on Fortescue Metals Group will help you uncover what's on the horizon.

How Is Fortescue Metals Group's Growth Trending?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should far underperform the market for P/E ratios like Fortescue Metals Group's to be considered reasonable.

Taking a look back first, we see that the company grew earnings per share by an impressive 49% last year. The strong recent performance means it was also able to grow EPS by 129% in total over the last three years. So we can start by confirming that the company has done a great job of growing earnings over that time.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the analysts covering the company suggest earnings growth is heading into negative territory, declining 22% per annum over the next three years. With the market predicted to deliver 19% growth per annum, that's a disappointing outcome.

With this information, we are not surprised that Fortescue Metals Group is trading at a P/E lower than the market. However, shrinking earnings are unlikely to lead to a stable P/E over the longer term. There's potential for the P/E to fall to even lower levels if the company doesn't improve its profitability.

Story continues

The Final Word

Using the price-to-earnings ratio alone to determine if you should sell your stock isn't sensible, however it can be a practical guide to the company's future prospects.

As we suspected, our examination of Fortescue Metals Group's analyst forecasts revealed that its outlook for shrinking earnings is contributing to its low P/E. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement in earnings isn't great enough to justify a higher P/E ratio. It's hard to see the share price rising strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

You need to take note of risks, for example - Fortescue Metals Group has 2 warning signs (and 1 which is potentially serious) we think you should know about.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking at a few good candidates. So take a peek at this free list of companies with a strong growth track record, trading on a P/E below 20x.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.



Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
Australian judge James Spigelman has resigned from Hong Kong's top court months after Beijing tightened restrictions on the legal system and imposed new national security laws on the former British colony.

Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam said in a government gazette published on Friday that she had "revoked the appointment" of Spigelman.

A Hong Kong government spokeswoman confirmed Spigelman had tendered his resignation on September 2, but no further reasons for the termination were given.

Australian judge James Spigelman is also a former chairman of the ABC. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

The former ABC chairman has been contacted for comment through the Lowy Institute where he is a board member.
European Union leaders including Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron will discuss Brexit after the issue forced its way onto their agenda early. - Shutterstock

European Union leaders will discuss Brexit at their European Council September summit , a month earlier than planned, in a boost to British hopes of hitting Boris Johnson's October deadline for a trade deal.

Charles Michel, the European Council president, and Michel Barnier met in Brussels on Friday, the day after the EU's chief negotiator met with David Frost.

As recently as Thursday, senior EU diplomats were insisting there was no way Brexit would force itself onto the agenda of the summit. EU officials inisted the discussion would be a brief analysis of the state of play.

UK sources told the Telegraph that the decision to put the trade negotiations before the heads of state and government of the EU-27 was hopefully a sign the EU had begun to take the Prime Minister's October 15 deadline seriously.

Mr Johnson has said that if the trade deal is not finalised by October 15, shortly before another EU summit the same month, both sides should prepare for a no deal Brexit, which will mean trading on WTO terms and with tariffs.

In London, George Eustice, the Brexiteer Environment Secretary predicted that even if there was a no deal exit, common sense would break out in the new year and an agreement would be signed.

I just think it is implausible that it would be a long term scenario where we will have no free trade agreement or partnership at all with our nearest neighbour, he told BBC radio,

If there is to be no deal as you put it, it is more likely to be no deal yet.

Sources in Brussels have made it clear that if Britain was forced back to the negotiating table after an economically damaging no deal, it would be faced with the same demands over issues such as the level playing field guarantees but enjoy far less goodwill from the EU.

The last round of trade negotiations in London were overshadowed by the row over Mr Johnson's Internal Market Bill, which Brussels says breaks the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement and international law.

Story continues

On Friday Amal Clooney, the famous human rights lawyer quit as the UKs special envoy on media freedom in protest at the lamentable bill, which will face stiff opposition in the House of Lords despite a compromise being brokered with Tory rebel MPs.

The EU has threatened to walk away from negotiations and to take legal action against Britain unless the offending clauses are excised before the end of the month.

"Brexit will be discussed at the European Council next week in an information point. It will be an occasion to briefly analyse the situation." an EU official said.

The official said there was a need to fully implement the Withdrawal Agreement. "The EU is neither intimidated or impressed but breaking an international agreement is extremely worrying," the official said.

The source said the EU leaders remained "firm and steady" and was still looking to agree a trade deal with the UK "but that requires substantial progress on key issues such as the level playing field and fisheries."

The official said time was short to agree the deal by the October deadline and prevent a no deal exit at the end of the year, when the UK leaves the transition period and the Single Market and Customs Union.

On Thursday, a senior EU diplomat briefed reporters in Brussels that "It is very clear that there is going to be no Brexit on the end of the agenda."

He said that the time for any concrete decisions on Brexit by the EU's leaders would be the October summit. That is when they will be expected to either back the draft trade deal, if the agreement is ready in time.

The next round of trade negotiations is in Brussels at the end of the month.
DENVER  A union representing workers at a Colorado meatpacking plant where six workers died of COVID-19 and hundreds more were infected will stage a protest Wednesday, claiming that federal officials should have fined the company more for its alleged failure to provide safe working conditions.

The JBS USA-owned plant in Greeley was issued a $15,615 fine on Sept. 11 by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA.

The United Food and Commercial Workers Union has called the fine for the multi-billion dollar company insulting and ineffectual but JBS has labeled the fine as excessive.

OSHA said JBS Foods Inc. in Greeley  operating as Swift Beef Co.  failed to protect workers from exposure to the coronavirus. The fine followed a plant inspection in May and is the maximum allowed by law, OSHA has said.

JBS failed to protect workers from getting sick and didnt adequately compensate them for working under the risk of contracting the virus, the union said in a statement. At least 290 workers at the plant, including some supervisors, tested positive for COVID-19, the Colorado health department has said.

JBS did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment on the union statement.

The unions Local 7, which represents about 3,000 workers at the plant, asked co-workers and relatives of those who died and were infected to protest Wednesday afternoon outside OSHAs Denver offices.

In a similar case, OSHA fined Smithfield Packaged Meats Corp. in Sioux Falls, South Dakota $13,494. At least 1,294 workers at that plant contracted the virus, and four employees died in the spring, officials had said.

In a statement, JBS USA said the fine is entirely without merit and attempts to impose a standard that did not exist in March as we fought the pandemic with no guidance, The Denver Post reported. The company in August said it was investing $5 million to help Greeley combat the pandemic.

The union represents more than 1.3 million workers in retail food, food processing, retail sales, and health care.

The Greeley facilitys first known COVID-19 death on April 7 was that of a 78-year-old plant employee. The company said the employee was not at work while he was sick and did not contract the virus while working.

JBS temporarily shuttered its Greeley operations on April 13 to deep-clean the plant, install a new ventilation system and physical barriers on production lines and enhance existing social distancing protocols, according to a company statement. The location reopened on April 24.

JBS USA is a subsidiary of Brazil-based JBS S.A., one of the worlds largest meat processors. It also holds a majority interest in Pilgrims Pride, the United States second largest poultry company.

For most people, the 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.

About the photo: Saul Sanchezs family helps carry his casket to the burial plot during his burial ceremony at Sunset Memorial Gardens in Greeley, Colo., Wednesday, April 15, 2020. Sanchez, a longtime JBS employee, was the first to die of COVID-19 connected to the outbreak at the meat processing plant. JBS, ordered to close the plant through Wednesday, April 15 by the county and state health departments, decided to close the facility until April 27 after canceling plans to test its entire workforce for the virus. (Alex McIntyre/The Greeley Tribune via AP)

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
A coalition of global unions, representing nearly 21 million workers worldwide, is launching a campaign today to save print journalism. UNI Global Union and the International Federation of Journalists are calling on national governments to tax major internet companies and support print media.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and UNI Global Union announced an effort today to push governments to adopt emergency rescue packages for the print media industry as a whole (journalism, publishing, printing and distribution) as well as introduce a digital services tax on tech giants such as Amazon, Google, and Facebook who have diverted advertising revenue from media outlets.

The Covid-19 crisis has accelerated a long-standing decline of media ad income. This year alone, revenue is down 20 per cent. Much of this money has been siphoned by tech companies. For example, in 2018, Google earned $4.7 billion from newsmoney not shared with the journalists who produced it.

The current global health crisis is significantly increasing the great difficulties facing the print media sector, Anthony Bellanger, IFJ General Secretarywarns. "Governments need to react urgently. The sector is a public good and a crucial pillar of our democracies. Governments are well aware of this. Indeed, with the COVID crisis they have identified the sector as essential. Today, they cannot just watch the ship sink from their balconies.

In light of the severe economic crisis that lies ahead, the unions want national governments to step in to protect media jobs safeguard a print media industry that stands for quality, ethics, solidarity, labour rights and fundamental freedoms.

"The health of our democracies rests on holding people in power accountable, and journalists are the ones who, more often than not, shine a spotlight on political and corporate power abuses of the public trust," says Christy Hoffman, General Secretary of UNI Global Union. Print media plays a huge part in disseminating this information and supporting the online components of journalism.

Unless action is taken, thousands of media outlets risk being shuttered and hundreds-of-thousands jobs risk being lost due to the consolidation in the media sector and loss of advertising income.

The IFJ and UNI have adopted a joint appeal addressed to National Governments titled Rescue and future survival package for the print media industry. Unions who are members of these federations will use these points lobbying for support for the news media.

Nicola Konstantinou, Head of department of the UNIs Graphical & Packaging sector, says, "Print media is a social good, and its media supply chain is long and includes millions of peoplejournalists, editors, proof-readers, printers, designers, photographers, but also delivery people, postal workers, and booksellers".

These businessesand the people who work for themare put at a disadvantage by the unfair tax avoidance stealing of ad income by major tech companies. We are asking governments to intervene to make sure that the people who produce and distribute the news we depend on get a fair share.
New York City's murder rate has soared by 27 percent and gang violence has risen by more than 50 percent in 2020 as the Big Apple continues to be rocked by a growing crime wave.

Harrowing new NYPD data published in the 2020 Mayors Management Report Thursday night revealed a staggering 352 New Yorkers were murdered in the 2020 fiscal year - an extra 74 deaths compared to 2019.

The biggest crime spike was for gang-motivated incidents which skyrocketed 52 percent compared to the previous year.

While the report from City Hall attributes this particular surge to the NYPD 'improving its capacity to more accurately identify incidents as gang related', the findings come at a time when drive-by shootings and gun crime are becoming increasingly commonplace across the city.

Overall, the rate of major felony crimes ticked up slightly by 1 percent compared to the previous year.

New York City's murder rate has soared by 27 percent and gang violence rocketed by more than 50 percent in 2020. Pictured NYPD cops at a crime scene on September 5 where people were killed in a shooting during J'ouvert festivities in Brooklyn

The rate of burglaries in the Big Apple also increased by 20 percent and grand larceny of autos by 30 percent.

There was some good news, with other major felonies declining between the two years.

Forcible rape decreased by 17 percent, grand larceny fell by 8 percent and DWI arrests were down by 33 percent.

Meanwhile, narcotics arrests declined by 36.7 percent due to a clampdown on 'higher level organized distributors' in the city, according to the report.

Crime also fell in the city's schools, with major felonies down by 35 percent and other criminal categories down by 36 percent compared to 2019.

However this is likely to be linked to schools shuttering back in mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Juvenile arrests for major felonies also increased by 54 percent - something the mayor's report put down to the phasing in of the Raise the Age law.

Harrowing new NYPD data published in the 2020 Mayors Management Report Thursday night reveals a staggering 352 New Yorkers were murdered in the 2020 fiscal year. Pictured Mayor Bill de Blasio whose office released the report

NYC CRIME IN FISCAL YEAR 2020 COMPARED TO FISCAL YEAR 2019 Murder +27%

Gang-motivated incidents +52%

Major felony crimes +1%

Burglaries +20%

Grand larceny of autos + 30%

Forcible rape -17%

Grand larceny -8%

DWI arrests -33%

Narcotics arrests -36.7%

Major felonies in schools -35% Advertisement

The law ruled that 16-year-olds were classed as juveniles in the criminal justice system from October 1 2018 and 17-year-olds from October 1 2019.

The 2019 report only covered nine months where 16-year-olds were included whereas the 2020 data covered a full year of both 16- and 17-year-olds in the figures.

The report praised the NYPD for remaining 'operational at all levels' during the pandemic, despite what it described as 'significant hardships'.

'The Department continued to address criminal activity, threats of terrorism in New York City, manage traffic control, and ensure the safety of motorists, pedestrians and cyclists, as well as provide a safe environment for New Yorkers utilizing medical facilities and patronizing essential service establishments,' the report stated.

The report doesn't provide specific data on shootings.

NYC has been rocked by a surge in gun violence in recent months, with a staggering 1,095 shootings in the Big Apple since the start of 2020, according to separate NYPD data.

This marks an uptick of 93.1 percent compared to the 567 shootings that took place by the same time last year.

Last Thursday, 17-year-old Kether Werts was shot dead in the Crotona neighborhood of the Bronx.

Meanwhile, on September 8, a gunman opened fire inside a Bronx Deli, shooting multiple times through the front window at a group of people outside who returned fire.

The biggest crime spike was for gang-motivated incidents which skyrocketed 52 percent compared to the previous year. NYPD officers respond to a crime in the city

Last Thursday, 17-year-old Kether Werts was shot dead in the Crotona neighborhood of the Bronx (pictured)

One of the youngest victims of the wave of shootings was 1-year-old baby Davell Gardner who was killed when gunfire rung out at a family gathering in Brooklyn on July 14.

The spate of violence has sparked fears the Big Apple is headed back to the dark days of the 70s and 80s when crime and poverty was rife.

Tensions have been building between Bill de Blasio and the NYPD after the mayor cut $1 billion from the NYPD's $6 billion budget in June.

The cuts came as calls to defund the police grew from Black Lives Matter protests in the wake of the Memorial Day 'murder' of black man George Floyd in Minneapolis, when shocking footage then circulated on social media of NYPD cops violently attacking protesters gathered to demand an end to police brutality and racism.

In one video in early June a police cruiser was seen deliberately ramming into a group of protesters in Brooklyn.

Another showed a cop pulling his handgun and pointing it at peaceful protesters in Manhattan.
A potential second set of direct payments could still be distributed before the November election with discussions about the next stimulus relief package stalled and pressure piling up within Washington.

Second stimulus check distribution

CNET reports that the possible second stimulus checks could base their distribution date on the previous first direct payments. It could also include similar qualifications for the first batch of stimulus checks.

If lawmakers do agree on the proposal of a second stimulus check, the schedule for its distribution, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said it would most likely take about one week to prepare. He added about 50 million direct payments could be distributed relatively quickly.

Analysts referred to calendars of the House of Representatives and the Senate and one of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's statements in estimated a potential timeline for the second set of direct payments.

The Senate could pass a bill for the stimulus checks around September 30 and subsequently passed by the White House and the United States president the days after. The schedule would place the distribution of the first batches of payments at around the second week of October.

Also Read: Donald Trump Touts Coronavirus Vaccine Coming As Soon As October

The analysis gives about two weeks since the Senate's initial passing before the stimulus checks are distributed to the American people. By then, it all depends on how quickly lawmakers can agree on a proposal that would determine when the actual date of distribution would be for the direct payments.

Experts also looked into Donald Trump's presidential orders as a potential source of financial support for Americans. If the Republican leader signs his action by September 13, the direct deposits of the funds will start around the third week of September. The order would also see the distribution of paper checks on October 26.

Estimated coronavirus relief bill

In late July, the Senate proposed the HEALS Act as the country's financial support suffering through the coronavirus pandemic. The bill would include the second set of direct payments, but its finalization is still far from known, as reported by Tom's Guide.

The HEALS Act would provide more than just $1,200 stimulus checks to citizens; it would also extend the federal unemployment benefits, although less than the previous $600 per week that was given, and includes a new Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) that would support businesses and provide more funding to schools and COVID-19 testing and research.

According to New on News, lawmakers from the House of Representatives, Senate, and the White House agree that they should distribute a second set of $1,200 stimulus payments. However, the problem lies in how much either side wants to give, as Democrats proposed a $2 trillion package while Republicans want no more than $1 trillion.

Senator Bernie Sander previously said that the country was in a state of crisis of democracy. He urged Congress to move forward with a relife bill because Americans are suffering, and families struggle to get by.

Mnuchin said a new stimulus check could be distributed as early as a week after lawmakers agree on a deal. The accelerated timeline is much faster than the previous CARES Act, which took 19 days to be given out in March.

Related Article: CDC Director Takes Back Statement Saying Masks are Better than Vaccine After Trump Calls Him Out

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DUBLIN, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Green Technology and Sustainability Market Research Report: By Technology, Application - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Growth Analysis and Forecast Report to 2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Compared to $8.3 billion in 2019, the industry is predicted to generate revenue of $57.8 billion in 2030. Additionally, between 2020 and 2030 (forecast period), the market would advance at a CAGR of 20.0%.

Due to the rising awareness about the harmful effects of greenhouse gas emission on the environment, the need for low-carbon electricity is increasing, which is driving the global green technology and sustainability market. Governments and utility firms around the world are focusing on generate power from renewable sources like the sun, wind, and water, to reduce the carbon footprint. By employing artificial intelligence (AI), the created energy can be stored for cloudy days, when the photovoltaic (PV) panels cannot function.

Thus, with an increase in the renewable power capacity and integration of advanced systems to store the energy, the green technology and sustainability market is growing.

Green Buildings to be Largest Application Area till 2030

Green buildings are expected to continue dominating the green technology and sustainability market till 2030. This is attributed to the fact that since buildings consume a lot of power, thus resulting in air pollution, the focus on making them energy-efficient is dire. By using green technologies during the construction and operation of buildings, the energy usage and wastage can be significantly reduced, therefore despite their high capital requirement, they are finding widespread adoption, thus driving the market.

During the forecast period, the AI and analytics category would witness the fastest growth in the green technology and sustainability market, at a CAGR of 21.5%. It would be because of rapid adoption of these technologies in urban planning advancement, ecological outline creation for building structures, and spatial evaluation. In addition, to transition to smart manufacturing processes, the adoption of AI and analytics is necessary.

In 2019, North America was the largest green technology and sustainability market, due to the heavy investments granted to the residential, industrial, and commercial sectors for the deployment of emerging technologies, by private and public companies. In the coming years, Asia-Pacific (APAC) is projected to grow the fastest in the industry, on account of the increasing awareness about environmental damage. Further, with the booming population, the demand for electricity is rising, which contributed to global warming, ultimately.

Compared to $8.3 billion in 2019, the industry is predicted to generate revenue of $57.8 billion in 2030. Additionally, between 2020 and 2030 (forecast period), the market would advance at a CAGR of 20.0%.

Due to the rising awareness about the harmful effects of greenhouse gas emission on the environment, the need for low-carbon electricity is increasing, which is driving the global green technology and sustainability market. Governments and utility firms around the world are focusing on generate power from renewable sources like the sun, wind, and water, to reduce the carbon footprint. By employing artificial intelligence (AI), the created energy can be stored for cloudy days, when the photovoltaic (PV) panels cannot function.

Thus, with an increase in the renewable power capacity and integration of advanced systems to store the energy, the green technology and sustainability market is growing.

Key Topics Covered:

Chapter 1. Research Background

Chapter 2. Research Methodology

Chapter 3. Executive Summary

Chapter 4. Introduction

4.1 Definition of Market Segments

4.1.1 By Technology

4.1.1.1 IoT

4.1.1.2 AI and analytics

4.1.1.3 Cloud computing

4.1.1.4 Blockchain

4.1.1.5 Digital twin

4.1.1.6 Others

4.1.2 By Application

4.1.2.1 Green buildings

4.1.2.2 Environment management

4.1.2.3 Air quality management

4.1.2.4 Water and wastewater management

4.1.2.5 Solid waste management

4.1.2.6 Climate change management

4.1.2.7 Others

4.2 Value Chain Analysis

4.3 Market Dynamics

4.3.1 Trends

4.3.1.1 Integration of IoT in EMSs

4.3.1.2 Increasing usage of smart grids

4.3.2 Drivers

4.3.2.1 Shifting focus on renewable energy sources

4.3.2.2 Rising demand for low-carbon electricity generation

4.3.2.3 Electrical energy price volatility

4.3.2.4 Favorable government initiatives

4.3.2.5 Rising adoption of building automation

4.3.2.6 Rising need to reduce operating costs

4.3.2.7 Impact analysis of drivers on market forecast

4.3.3 Restraints

4.3.3.1 Energy networks vulnerable to cyberattacks

4.3.3.2 Huge costs of deployment

4.3.3.3 Long payback period for energy-intensive industries

4.3.3.4 Impact analysis of restraints on market forecast

4.3.4 Opportunities

4.3.4.1 Use of AI-enabled robots for improved sustainability management

4.3.4.2 Technological developments at workplace and asset management

4.4 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

Chapter 5. Global Market Size and Forecast

5.1 By Technology

5.2 By Application

5.3 By Region

Chapter 6. North America Market Size and Forecast

Chapter 7. Europe Market Size and Forecast

Chapter 8. APAC Market Size and Forecast

Chapter 9. LATAM Market Size and Forecast

Chapter 10. MEA Market Size and Forecast

Chapter 11. Competitive Landscape

11.1 Competitive Analysis

11.2 List of Players and Their Offerings

11.3 Strategic Developments of Players

11.3.1 Mergers and Acquisitions

11.3.2 Partnerships

11.3.3 Product Launches

11.3.4 Client Wins

Chapter 12. Company Profiles

CropX Inc.

Minesense Technologies Ltd.

ConSensys Inc.

Pycno Industries Inc.

Semtech Corporation

Enviance Inc.

General Electric Company

Verdigris Technologies Inc.

IBM Corporation

WINT

Hortau Inc.

SMAP Energy Limited

Treevia Forest Technologies

Taranis Visual Ltd.

Trace Genomics Inc.

Xylum Inc.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/92ijh1

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]



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Montanas Republican lawmakers made an unusual move Thursday to change state legislative rules, sparking concerns by Democrats of a GOP attempt to challenge the fall mail election.

The GOP members of the Joint House and Senate Rules Committee met Thursday to among other things propose new rules allowing lawmakers to vote remotely, a step they said would allow the Legislature to convene during the 2021 legislative session. The lawmakers also discussed empowering House and Senate majority leaders to break tie votes in off-session interim committees, a change one key Republican said was a root cause of the Thursday meeting.

Democrats said the rules changes also greased the rails for a late Republican challenge to Gov. Steve Bullock giving counties the option of holding all-mail fall elections. Already, President Donald Trump and the Montana Republican Party are suing Bullock for giving counties a mail ballot option, calling the governors action an overreach.

Senate Majority Leader Fred Thomas, R-Stevensville, said a challenge to mail ballots wasnt in play.

Theres nothing to that. Theyve lost their minds, Thomas said after the Rules Committee met.

Were going to consider language over the next week. Were going to meet next week and propose that out. People will have ballots by then.

The rules on Thursdays agenda would allow lawmakers to attend meetings by Zoom and vote remotely in a way that would assure the votes werent being cast by someone else, lawmakers said. The other big change would empower majority leaders of the House and Senate to break tie votes by interim committees. Those committees, which meet in non-session years, have membership thats evenly split Republican and Democrat, even though Republicans hold majorities in both legislative chambers. The rule change would give the majority the win in cases that now end in stalemate.

Most recently, the legislators setting the contract terms for the Montana Legislative Auditor split on whether department heads of agencies audited should be given input on the auditors performance. Thomas said the tie breaker language would have ended the dispute in favor of Republicans who didnt want the state agencies evaluating the Legislatures government watchdog.

Much of what Republicans worked on Thursday can be used to challenge Bullocks actions on mail-ballot elections, said Great Falls Democrat Casey Schreiner, House minority leader and candidate for lieutenant governor.

The reason this is happening now is Republicans are looking to sew confusion and undermine both the states response to this unprecedented public health crisis, and frankly the November election, Schreiner said in a press conference before the Rules Committee began.

Democrats on the Joint Rules Committee refused to attend, calling the meeting illegitimate and something they didnt want to lend credibility to through their participation. They threatened to sue over any rules the committee created. The Joint House Rules Committee doesnt normally meet outside of legislative sessions, which in Montana take place in odd-numbered years. The one exception is when lawmakers meet for the first time after the November election to make first preparations for the session to start the following January.

Under these circumstances, it is illegitimate and without precedent, said Rep. Kimberly Dudik, a Rules Committee member and Missoula Democrat. We want to make clear that any actions made by this group will have no effect and they will be challenged in court as the illegitimate actions that they are.

There was an awkward moment at the start of the meeting, in which Thomas stuttered finding the right description for what session of the Legislature the committee represented. In November, the Joint Rules Committee will be populated by lawmakers fresh off elections and less than two months away from the coming session, which they will refer to by number as their assembly. Thursdays committee was comprised of the 2019 session lawmakers, some of whom term out in three months, after which they wont be participating under the rules theyre proposing.

Republicans in leadership chastised Democrats for not attending the meeting. There was an attendance problem for GOP committee members as well. For the committee to function, there needs to be a quorum of lawmakers from both branches of the Legislature. There werent enough Senate lawmakers attending to make voting on the proposed resolutions possible.

The committee is scheduled to meet again Thursday.

We need to modify our legislative rules to allow the legislature to continue to operate during the COVID crisis and end abuses in interim committees, said House Speaker Greg Hertz in a press release. Hertz is a Republican from Polson. Your legislature has not been very effective during the COVID crisis and we need to make changes to our rules. The Democrats in the legislature seem to want to allow only one person, Gov. Bullock, to have full authority during a state of emergency. Your legislature should be a check on the Governor's authority to make sure all voices are heard.

The speakers remarks landed squarely on Bullocks handling of the pandemic. Hertz had earlier said Bullock empowering counties to hold all-mail elections was a conflict of interest because Bullock is a U.S. Senate candidate and mail voting drives up turnout. Earlier, Republicans floated the idea of government spending cuts to offset poor tax collections stemming from the COVID-19 recession. They also encouraged Bullock to somehow grant civil liability immunity to businesses operating during the pandemic.

Bullocks staff told Lee Montana Newspapers in June that the governor didnt have the power to grant that immunity and that the Legislature would have to come into session to do so. There was no political will to do so.

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Kolkata, Sep 18 : The Calcutta High Court on Friday took suo motu cognizance of a recent incident at the Visva Bharati and constituted a four-member committee to find a solution to the ongoing dispute over the central university's campus.

The panel to be spearheaded by Justice Sanjib Bandopadhyay, will have three other members -- Justice Arijit Bandopadhyay, Advocate General Kishor Dutta and Additional Solicitor General Y.J. Dastur.

Sources said the committee will look into the issue to arrive at an amicable solution between both the parties.

The incident took place last month when a large number of local people, backed by the state's ruling Trinamool Congress leaders, went on the rampage protesting against the construction of a boundary wall at the Pous Mela ground that belongs to Visva Bharati in West Bengal's Birbhum district.

Tensions had heightened as the authorities decided to fence off the Mela ground by erecting a boundary wall and started the construction work. Hundreds of irate locals, under the banner of Save Pous Mela Committee, had barged into the fair ground, damaged university property and vandalised temporary shelters.

Enraged people were seen breaking plastic chairs and other temporary structures. They had also dismantled one of the varsity gates using a JCB pay-loader machine.

According to varsity sources, the Visva Bharati authorities decided to scrap the Pous Mela for its 'bitter experience' with the local traders in the last two years while organising the fair. There were tussles between the authorities and local traders and artisans in the past for making the latter comply with the National Green Tribunal (NGT) guidelines.
Customers are asked to keep conversation to a minimum upon entering Leiya Aratas home studio in Osaka. By the time make-up and costumes are done, they are expected not to utter a single word, their transformation into a doll now complete.

I wanted to be beautiful and be possessed by someone. Not to be dominated, but to be loved and cherished, like sex dolls are, Ai Kaneko, a 39-year-old single nurse who travelled down from Tokyo, tells EPA.

Ai Kaneko looks on as Uroko Kaito, left, and Leiya Arata apply makeup on her at the Human-Love Doll Factory in Osaka (EPA)

Kaneko says the factory saved her life from suicidal thoughts she began to have 15 years ago after finding the body of her boyfriend, who had hanged himself. For many years after my boyfriends death, I was very unwell. I tried to kill myself many times, she says.

Aratas unique services have provided her with more stability. It has become a place to cling to, Kaneko says. When I feel like I can no longer go on, knowing that I have this place makes me strong, very strong.

Ai Kaneko poses after she was transformed into a sex doll (EPA)

The strain Kaneko feels is, sadly, quite common in Japans highly regimented society. As the Japanese proverb 'The nail that sticks out will be hammered down' implies, people in Japan are under enormous pressure to conform and avoid becoming that nail  an outlier from the rest of society. Many feel suffocated having to live within the confines of such strict social norms.

That is where Arata and her factory of fantasies come in, catering to those with desires and dreams that might not be welcome in mainstream society.

Ai Kaneko is 'packaged' into a product box for a shipment, after being transformed into a sex doll (EPA)

Leiya Arata takes Ai Kaneko out of a product box (EPA)

As well as providing the chance at regenerative transformation with the human love doll package, Arata offers another peculiar ceremony in which people can say their final farewells to love dolls or sex dolls, which have become dear companions to many people in Japan, a country known for its high rates of social alienation and isolation.

The issue has even led to a phenomenon known as hikikomori (Japanese for pulling inward)  reclusive adolescents and adults who have completely withdrawn from the rest of society. Starved of human companionship, many in Japan grow emotionally attached to love dolls, going so far as holding funerals for these life-sized plastic partners.

Sat in front of a coffin containing the body of a sex doll named Ran, Lay Kato, a transgender Buddhist monk-turned porn actor, carefully handles a 3-foot-long Japanese samurai sword that is ceremonially given to the dead to fight the evil spirits on their way to the afterlife. In the corner of the room, two of Aratas own sex dolls appear to mourn the 'passing' of Ran.

Leiya Arata lifts the body of a sex doll, named Ran, as she prepares for the funeral service (EPA)

A central aspect of Japans Shinto religion is animism, the belief that spirits inhabit all things, big and small, natural and manmade. Holding funeral rites for sex dolls rather than merely disposing them as garbage is an extension of ningyo kuyo, a common Japanese practice of holding farewell ceremonies for dolls, says Kato, who plays the role of undertaker.

A Buddha statue is a 'thing' but we worship it because we believe Buddha lives inside of it. The same goes for everything that we love and cherish, including sex dolls, she says. Using the samurai sword, Kato points out that Buddha is neither male nor female. Buddha teaches us to accept and love who we are. We have to learn to love ourselves.

A Japanese samurai sword is placed on a coffin while Buddhist monk Lay Kato undertakes a 'funeral service' (EPA)

Arata agrees that her services conform to Buddhist beliefs, and says she wants to help sex doll owners have best possible way to send off their loved ones. These dolls are much more than sex partners for them. They are their family and we want to treat them as such.

But Aratas services also offer clients the opportunity to explore their own mortality, with the Shitai-labo, or Corpse Lab, which allows people to experience a sort of pseudo-death. Customers must request in advance how they wish to die or be killed in minute detail so that Arata can properly act out their fantasy and enhance the sense of reality as much as possible.

Megumi Kazuki, a 38-year-old sex counsellor from Osaka, wanted to be murdered by her former partner whom she broke up with a few months ago but still has feelings for. I wanted to be murdered by him so that I can forget about him once and for all and move on with my life, Kazuki tells EPA.

Megumi Kazuki smiles as she brings herself up from the floor where she was 'murdered' (EPA)

Once the murder is complete, Kazuki lifts herself up off the studio floor, smiles and breathes a deep sigh of relief. I have been released. I feel great! I felt happiness with every part of my body, she says.

Another customer who came to experience the fake death is dressed in a woman's clothes and calls himself by a woman's name, Mako. The 43-year-old artist from Tokyo, who has been cross-dressing for about four years, likens himself to figures from Greek mythology, Pygmalion, who falls in love with a statue of a woman he carved himself, or Narcissus who falls in love with his own reflection in the water.

Maybe I'm a bit like them, Mako says. I don't want to be a woman. I'm just attracted to the female version of myself.

Makeup artist Hiiro, Leiya Arata and Lay Kato place flowers next to the body of a Japanese man Mako playing dead (EPA)

Flowers are placed next to Mako (EPA)

It's a strange feeling of my body being taken over by a female version of me, he adds. It's like molting. Becoming something that isn't really me but is still me.

Lying inside a coffin and listening to a chant by the blonde-haired monk Kato, Mako, who recently lost his grandmother and sister, says he felt the finite nature of flesh and blood. It made me realize that we are all walking toward death everyday, step by step. I will (die) one day, as everyone will. Feeling death as something real made me better prepared for that day.

Standing next to makeup artist Hiiro, Mako looks on after the funeral service (EPA)

Contemplating your own death can lead you to think about your life more seriously, Arata says, running her finger over criss-crossing scars etched into her arm.

She has tried to kill herself many times ever since she was a young girl, when she suffered from intense bullying, she says. I have these scars all over my body.

Japan has the seventh-highest suicide rate in the world, and the highest out of the G7 nations, according to the latest available OECD data.

In the wake of the financial crises in 1997 and 2008, Japan saw an uptick in suicides that coincided with job losses and widespread financial uncertainty, and there are fears that the current economic gloom brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic might lead to another spike, particularly among the countrys young adults and those under 40, the most susceptible age group to suicide.

Leiya Arata looks on as she chats with her colleague at her house she uses as studios (EPA)

I hope the Corpse Lab can offer them an opportunity to question their view on life and death, from inside a coffin, Arata says.

She receives overwhelming numbers of messages and letters thanking her for relieving their pain and for saving them. It is a tiny fraction in a country where some 20,000 people kill themselves annually, but Arata hopes to give people a safe space to think about their own life and death without social prejudice.

Sex dolls named Sayaka ,left, and Rinne sit and welcome visitors at the entrance of the Human-Love Doll Factory (EPA)

In addition to providing the unique, interactive services, which can cost several hundred US dollars, Arata takes photographs so her clients can have a record of the experiences.

She says her customers are all looking for a place where they can be loved, accepted and approved. 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.

Leiya Arata takes photos of Ai Kaneko posing as a bondage woman after she was transformed into a sex doll (EPA)

How does she feel when she receives messages from her customers thanking her for saving them?

It's the other way around, Arata insists. My customers are the ones who give me strength to live my life. I'm saved by them.

Photos by Dai Kurokawa, EPA
Families demand justice after Indian army admits it killed three unidentified fighters in Amshipora village.

Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir  The Indian army says its soldiers exceeded powers under the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in the killing of three local civilians in southern Indian-administered Kashmir earlier this year.

On July 18, Indian armed forces said they killed three unidentified rebels in Amshipora village in Shopian.

An Indian army spokesperson on Friday said the victims were now identified as residents of Rajouri district whose families had filed a complaint accusing soldiers of killing them in a staged gun battle.

The inquiry ordered by the Army authorities into op Amshipora has been concluded. The inquiry has brought out certain prima facie evidence indicating that during the operation, powers vested under the AFSPA 1990 were exceeded, Colonel Rajesh Kalia, the army spokesperson, said in a statement.

The evidence collected by the inquiry has prima-facie indicated that the three unidentified terrorists killed in Op Amshipora were Imtiyaz Ahmed, Abrar Ahmed and Mohd Ibrar, who hailed from Rajouri. Their DNA report is awaited. Their involvement with terrorism or related activities is under investigation by the police, the statement said.





The statement by police claimed army personnel were shot at during a search operation.

Days after the incident, a photograph of the three people killed went viral on social media following which the three families identified them and filed the complaint.

After the armys rare admission of guilt on Friday, Muhammad Naseeb Khatana, cousin of Muhammad Ibrar told Al Jazeera the three men, all of them cousins, left Rajouri for Shopian to work as labourers.

They reached Shopian on July 17 and that evening was the last time we talked to them. It was during the coronavirus lockdown and we thought they might have been quarantined. We kept waiting but there was no news, said Khatana.

When we saw the photograph, we filed a report in which we identified our relatives who were dubbed militants by the army. What more injustice could they do to the innocent people.

Another family member said they have been deliberately denied DNA reports for too long.

On August 3, our samples were taken and there is no report until now, the relative said.

Today, they called one member of each family and admitted that the three were killed in a fake encounter. We want them to bring those people who killed them in front of us and punish them. We want the bodies of our family members.

Ibrar, the youngest of the trio, worked as a labourer to save money for his education, his family told Al Jazeera.

Human rights activists in Kashmir see the encounter as a gun battle in which civilians were dubbed rebels and killed by the army to claim monetary benefits and medals.

In May 2010, large scale protests erupted in Kashmir after a police investigation revealed the army killed three civilians in a staged gun battle at Machil area near the Line of Control in the frontier Kupwara district.

The three labourers were lured to Machil and killed there before being labelled militants by the army to claim a reward.





Widespread impunity

Under AFSPA, a counterterrorism law with sweeping provisions, security forces enjoy widespread impunity.

It grants powers to members of the armed forces in disturbed areas like Kashmir to shoot-to-kill or arrest suspected people.

Section 7 of the AFSPA provides virtual impunity for human rights violations by security forces personnel, as any civilian prosecution can only proceed after obtaining prior sanction from the central government.

In the 30 years this law has been in force in Jammu and Kashmir, that authorisation has never been granted.

Parvez Imroz, a noted human rights lawyer in the region, told Al Jazeera: This incident cannot be taken in isolation.

They were civilians, the statement doesnt mention it. It mentions them as terrorists.

This incident cannot be taken in isolation, the culture of the army in 30 years needs to be looked at. The history is that the army has complete impunity, they cannot be prosecuted and punished.

They might try to silence families unofficially which they have done in many cases in Kashmir.
Production on Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale was halted in mid-March due to the coronvirus.

And while fans of the Elisabeth Moss-led series will have to wait until sometime next year for new episodes, Deadline.com reported Thursday that filming on the show has finally resumed.

The outlet also revealed that 14-year-old actress Mckenna Grace is joining the cast as the teenage wife of a much older Commander in the dystopian drama.

Back in action: The Handmaid's Tale starring Elisabeth Moss resumed filming for its fourth season two weeks ago in Toronto, Canada, Deadline.com reported on Thursday

Mckenna, whose credits include The Haunting of Hill House, Troop Zero and the upcoming Ghostbusters: Afterlife, will play a character called Mrs. Keyes.

She is described as 'a sharply intelligent, teenage wife of a much older Commander who rules her farm and household with confidence.

'She has a rebellious, subversive streak, and is calm and pious on the outside with turmoil, even insanity, on the inside.'

Work on season four started back up two weeks ago in Toronto, Canada, according to Deadline.

Delayed: Production on the Hulu hit series had been halted in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic and fans will now have to wait until sometime next year for new episodes

New role: Child star Mckenna grace, 14, is joining the cast as the teenage wife of a much older Commander. Her character is described as having a 'rebellious, subversive streak'

The drama based on Margaret Atwood's 1985 novel premiered on Hulu in 2017 and quickly garnered a huge following.

Former Mad Men star Moss is the protagonist June, who is captured while trying to flee the fictional Gilead with her husband and daughter and ends up, renamed Offred, as a Handmaid whose role is to bear children for infertile ruling elite couples.

By the end of the third season, Moss' character has navigated life in the religiously oppressive Gilead to the point where she has succeeded in rescuing dozens of girls and helping them escape to neighboring Canada.

She, though, has returned to Gilead where her own daughter Hannah remains and at the end of the last episode, she was seen being shot by guards.

It sets the scene for season four to follow June and other Handmaids, along with help from the Marthas, or house servants, as they seek to destroy their oppressors or be destroyed by them.

Hulu has not yet announced precisely when The Handmaid's Tale will return to its streaming service.

The Handmaid's Tale is available to stream on Stan in Australia
UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab flew to the United States for talks with leading US politicians after a week of bellicose threats from leading Democrats, including presidential election candidate Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

They responded with unconcealed hostility to Prime Minister Boris Johnsons threat to substantially alter, effectively tear up, the Withdrawal Agreement his government agreed with the European Union (EU) less than a year ago. Johnson is seeking to pass legislation, the Internal Market Bill negating clauses in the Northern Ireland protocol enshrined in the Withdrawal Agreement Parliament passed last December following the Conservative victory in the General Election.

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street to attend his weekly Prime Minister Questions at the House of Commons, in London, Wednesday, June 24, 2020. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

The Tory government claims the Bill is required to protect jobs and trade in Britain at the conclusion of this years transition towards leaving the EU. But it explicitly nullifies what is known as the Northern Ireland Protocol, breaking international law in the process. It grants government ministers powers to intervene on matters relating to export declarations on goods shipped from Northern Ireland to Great Britain and to negate the application of EU state-aid rules in Northern Ireland.

Biden warned that Johnsons proposals imperilled the 1998 Good Friday Agreement that ended three decades of civil conflict in Northern Ireland and military occupation by the British Army.

In Washington on Wednesday, Raab was subjected to a humiliating dressing down by top Democrats, who warned that the UK calling into question its EU deal threatens any prospect of a free trade agreement with the US if Biden comes to office.

On Wednesday evening Biden tweeted, We cant allow the Good Friday Agreement that brought peace to Northern Ireland to become a casualty of Brexit. Any trade deal between the US and UK must be contingent upon respect for the Agreement and preventing the return of a hard border. Period.

Following her meeting with Raab, Pelosi declared, If the UK violates its international agreements and Brexit undermines the Good Friday accord, there will be absolutely no chance of UK-US free trade agreement passing the Congress.

Amid a threatened rebellion within the Tory Party over the scuppering of a post-Brexit trade deal with the EU and the implications of the UK breaking international law, Johnson sought to reassure dissidents that his was a necessary negotiating strategya counterweight to Brussels threatening the operation of the free market between the UK and Ireland post-Brexit.

A large-scale rebellion by Tory MPs failed to materialise in a vote held Monday evening on the second reading of the Internal Market Bill. With a massive government majority of 80 and a wildly pro-Brexit parliamentary party and base, Johnson easily won the votewith only around 20 Tory MPs abstaining in the main and a few voting against.

On Wednesday it was announced that after discussions with Tory rebels, Johnson will accept an amendment from Bob Neil MP. In exchange for their support to pass the entire Bill, MPs will be allowed to have a vote in Parliament before such laws, breaking the treaty, are used.

While making such token concessions and reassuring noises, it is not possible for Johnson to simply fall into line with the agenda of Biden and Pelosi given the right-wing, xenophobic party he leads. Former Tory leader and cabinet minister Iain Duncan Smith declared, We dont need lectures on the Northern Ireland peace deal from Mr. Biden. If I were him I would worry more about the need for a peace deal in the US to stop the killing and rioting before lecturing other sovereign nations.

Whatever the parliamentary arithmetic, Johnson is carrying out measures that can only deepen geopolitical fault lines. A hard-Brexit without a trade deal is opposed by his pro-EU opponents on the opposition benches and by the City of London. But potentially the most incendiary element comes from the escalating political and social crisis across the Atlantic.

The centrepiece of Johnsons Brexit agenda has always been developing even closer relations with the US, with the aim of securing a free trade deal with Washington crowning a strategy of negotiating similar agreements across the world. His every move has been dependent on the backing of Donald Trump, who was the most enthusiastic backer of Brexit based on his America First agenda of securing the interests of US corporations globally amid escalating trade war. Trumps support for Brexit was aimed at delivering a major blow economically against the EU, which he described as a cartel dominated by Berlin

Johnsons rise to the leadership of the Tory Party and his entering Downing Street was precipitated by Trumps denunciations of former prime minister, Theresa May. In 2018, Trump took to the pages of Rupert Murdochs the Sun--as he prepared for a visit to the UKto attack Mays proposal for a soft Brexit as a betrayal of the 2017 referendum Leave vote. He said of Johnson, who had just stepped down as foreign secretary, that he would make a great prime minister.

Trump reiterated his attack on May the following year amid intensified divisions between the pro- and anti-EU factions of the Tory party that ended in Mays downfall and replacement by Johnson.

With the US presidential elections due in November and polls suggesting a Democratic victory, albeit in a tightening race, Johnson and the Tories face pressure from Biden et al to shift back to the long-term position of US imperialismof supporting Britains EU membership as a firm political, economic and military ally and a counterweight to Germany and France.

This threat is amplified by the substantial influence in the Democratic Party of its Irish lobby, reflecting the 33 million strong Irish-American population. Moreover, the US has developed long established relations with the Republic of Ireland as a significant base for US corporations accessing EU markets, including tech giants Google and Apple.

Raab relied on Trump to register US support for Johnsons strategy. After discussions, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Raab held a press conference. Without mentioning the EU, Pompeo declared, We trust the United Kingdom  I am confident theyll get it right.

Raab was careful to continue blaming the EU for the impasse, declaring, I think its a great opportunity for me to be clear that the threat to the Good Friday Agreement  as its reflected in the Northern Ireland Protocol has come from the EUs politicization of the issue and to be clear on how thats happened and why thats happened.

Our commitment to the Good Friday Agreement and to avoid any extra infrastructure at the border between the north and the south is absolute, he added, but what we cannot have is the EU seeking to erect a regulatory border down the Irish Sea between Northern Ireland and Britain.

Even Pompeos lukewarm backing came with a price-tag attached, with Pompeo demanding that Britain break with the EUs existing policy of opposing additional US sanctions on Iranwhich Pompeo declared would go ahead next week.

Raabs trip was a telling expression of the dangerously fraught relations between the major imperialist powers. No matter how these conflicts play out, what faces the working class is an even greater onslaught on its living standards as British imperialism seeks competitive advantage to secure market share and access to resources amid mounting trade and military hostilities.

The escalation of the Brexit crisis confirms the correctness of the Socialist Equality Partys insistence that the working class must oppose both competing factions of the ruling elite and intervene independently seeking to unify its struggles with workers through the continent in the fight for the United Socialist States of Europe.
The publishing industry is still absorbing the news that John Sargent, CEO of Macmillan Publishers and executive v-p of the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group, is leaving the company at the end of the year. Adding even more mystery to Sargents surprise departure, the Holtzbrinck announcement said the popular CEO was departing due to disagreements regarding the direction of Macmillan. Sources within Macmillan said the news, announced last Thursday, came as a complete shock to employees. Beginning January 1, Don Weisberg, president of Macmillan US Trade, will succeed Sargent as CEO of Macmillan Publishers, while Susan Winslow, general manager of Macmillan Learning, will head that division as president.

Sargent hired Weisberg, an industry veteran, in January 2016 to oversee Macmillans U.S. trade operations after Sargent was named executive v-p of Holtzbrinck, where he oversees the companys higher education business while also running global trade. When Weisberg assumes his new duties, he will take over responsibility for Macmillans global trade operations, with the exception of those in Germany.

Sargent is the most colorful leader among those at the Big Five trade publishers and has been active in industry matters for years. He is currently president of the Association of American Publishers after serving as treasurer. Along with Richard Sarnoff, then of Random House, he was the point person for publishers when they negotiated a settlement with Google in the Google Books lawsuit, though the agreement was later blocked by the courts. He has been a staunch advocate for free speech, and that was put on full display when the Trump administration attempted to block Macmillans publication of Fire and Fury in January 2018. Responding to a cease and desist order from the White House, Sargent called the administrations moves flagrantly unconstitutional; Fire and Fury went on to become a huge bestseller.

Always a bit of a maverick, Sargent, who first joined Macmillans St. Martins Press in 1996, took the unusual step in June of appointing a 13-member trade management committee to set objectives for all publishers and divisions at Macmillan. In a letter announcing the committee, he wrote that he will step back from day-to-day management to make room for new voices. The creation of the committee came two weeks after an industry-wide action protesting systematic racism, organized by five Macmillan employees. At the beginning of 2020, Macmillan became embroiled in controversy over the publication of American Dirt, with critics charging that the novel presented an inaccurate and stereotypical depiction of Mexico and Mexicans and of the immigrant experience. The publisher has taken a number of steps recently to improve the diversity of its workforce and list, including hiring LaToya Rose to fill the newly created role of v-p of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

In an interview with PW, Weisberg said Thursday was definitely a difficult day at Macmillan. Discussions with employees that day centered around the message that it is okay to acknowledge that Macmillan is losing someone who has meant a lot to the company and meant a lot to many individuals, myself included, he added. Weisberg gave no indication of what Sargents disagreement with Macmillan parent company Holtzbrinck was about.

Whats most important to John is the success Macmillan has had, Weisberg said. He is very proud of the people here and all they have achieved.

Weisberg noted that, contrary to expectations in the wake of the pandemic, Macmillan is having a good year. Its sales have grown steadily over the past four years, grabbing market share through organic growth rather than through acquisitions, and he doesnt think that formula will change. Macmillan is a steady company, he added.

Weisberg said Macmillan is in a good position for the fall and the holiday shopping season. He pointed to the success of Louise Pennys recent bestseller, All the Devils Are Here, and the companys solid upcoming list. And he remains confident about next year. I am excited about our prospects for 2021, he noted. I think we will do better than 2020, and 2020 has been a good year.

With Weisberg poised to expand his responsibilities beyond the U.S., he said at some point he will likely look for someone to take over some of his current duties. But for now, hes taking things one day at a time.

John and I did talk about our future together at Macmillan, Weisberg said. While talk of succession came up, he added, he was surprised by Thursdays announcement.

Winslow said she too was surprised by the news of Sargents departure. Its a big change, she conceded, calling Sargent a mentor. John is just such an amazing person, and thats what is so great about working with himhis character, how committed he is to the world, and to people. John and I have spoken, and we hope to take those values forward with us.

With more than 30 years of experience in educational publishing, Winslow has served as general manager for the past three years at Macmillan Learning and has effectively been running the business while reporting to Sargent since Ken Michaels resigned as Macmillan Learning CEO in December 2019. And her ascension coincides with an intense period of change at the company, which began rolling out its new digital learning platform, Achieve, to strong reviews just as the Covid-19 crisis was forcing students across the country into remote learning.

The rush of new digital learners has since pushed Macmillan Learning into overdrive, Winslow said, with personnel conducting about 10 times more training sessions than expected in a normal start to a school year, on everything from how to open an e-book in the platform to more complex instructional design questions. It turns out that Achieve came at exactly the right time in the sense that its a much more powerful digital tool, and easier to use than other tools, she added.

Though accelerated by the pandemic, the shift to digital resources has been underway at Macmillan Learning (and in the educational sector at large) for some time. In an interview with PW earlier this spring, Winslow acknowledged that the sudden transition to a virtual environment necessitated by Covid-19 has resulted in an unusual digital learning experience. Typically instructors who teach virtually have time to plan out the alignment of their learning pathways ahead of time, and doing that makes an incredible difference. So while there are definitely more instructors now using digital, out of necessity, I think the full potential of digital learning hasnt yet been fully explored.
MAMARONECK, N.Y.  The casualties were many, and gruesome.

Sung Kang and J.T. Poston, PGA TOUR winners both, shot 86 and 82, respectively. Jordan Spieth came in with an 81 to get the weekend off. Tiger Woods didnt do much better than he did at the last U.S. Open at Winged Foot, carding a second-round 77 to miss the cut at 10 over.

The first round of the 120th U.S. Open was notable for its red numbers, with more scores of 66 or better (four) than Winged Foot had given up in five previous U.S. Opens combined. But after 21 players broke par in the opening round, only three did in round two. Patrick Reed sat atop the leaderboard at 4 under par after a hard-fought 70.

Bryson DeChambeau, who shot the best score with a 2-under 68, was just one back. Rafa Cabrera Bello (70), Harris English (70) and Justin Thomas (73) were 2 under, two behind.

Clearly, said Cabrera Bello, the wind has picked up significantly.

RELATED: Full leaderboard | DeChambeau's confidence at 'all-time high'

Not only that, but it also changed direction. The first three holes, which were downwind Thursday, played straight into the wind Friday. Fairway woods were a common choice of even the longest hitters at the par-3 third, even with the USGA having moved the tees up.

The earliest starters got relative calm conditions, but they didnt last.

Yeah, this morning was actually okay, said Belgiums Thomas Pieters, who shot 2 under on the front nine to reach 6 under for the solo lead. It wasn't that windy.

Alas, the wind picked up for his back nine, when he made six bogeys for a 74 (even).

My scorecard says it all, Pieters said.

Matthew Wolff was holding steady at 3 under par and two off the lead when he made the turn, but bogeyed four of the first five holes on the front. The most egregious indignity was probably at the par-3 third, when he hit his long birdie too soft and watched it climb a hill only to trundle backward, stopping only marginally closer to the hole. He made bogey.

Course set-up had something to do with it, too. Although the USGA was said to be making things slightly easier in an effort to get all 144 players around in roughly two hours less daylight in September, there were signs early that there would be no such generosity in round two.

The hole location at the first was three paces from the left, at the second it was just four paces from the right, and so on, encouraging short-side misses, of which there were many.

I also felt the greens have got maybe a smidge quicker and a bit firmer, said Cabrera Bello, who made five birdies and five bogeys. But I also felt like some of the pins were a little bit tougher, harder to access today. Obviously more of a U.S. Open setup you would expect.

Shane Lowry, who rebounded from an opening 76 to shoot even-par 70, was hoping to make the cut (he did) after fighting the course to a draw. I played lovely today, he said.

Lee Westwood, who had opened with a 67, faded with a 76 to go into the weekend at 3 over.

So a bit disappointed to finish like that, he said, but 3 over par here for the week, and you never know what's going to happen in U.S. Opens, do you?

With Winged Foot getting tougher by the minute, you definitely dont.
U.S. President Donald Trump entered alarming new rhetorical territory on September 15, 2020, in fighting for the White House, advocating a tweet that tagged his opponent for the November 2020 presidential election, Joe Biden, a pedophile.

The notable attack occurred when Trump retweeted a post on Twitter that was originally posted by @ConservUSA38, containing the hashtag #PedoBiden, together with a video clip of Biden standing next to a woman, resting his hand to her shoulders while tilting his face into the back of the woman's head.

In recent years, critics of Biden have used those photos, and Trump supporters, as claimed proof that Biden has a history of unprofessionally touching strangers especially women.

The circulating video of the Democrat presidential candidate was taken during the swearing-in ceremony of Ash Carter as U.S. Secretary of Defense in February 2015.

Stephanie Carter, the wife of the defense secretary-to-be, was the woman in the video with Biden. In 2019, Carter strongly rejected efforts to hand over that as evidence of misconduct on the part of the former vice president, snopes.com cited.

She also stated that Biden was only acting as a close friend trying to help someone get through a big day, adding that she was thankful to that act of Biden.

Read also: Donald Trump Touts Coronavirus Vaccine Coming As Soon As October

According to Stephanie Carter, by the moment Biden arrived at the ceremony, the former vice president was aware of how nervous Carter was and quickly offered a hug.

After the swearing-in when Ash Carter was giving hi remarks, Biden leaned in to thank her for letting him do the act kept his hand on Carter's shoulder as a sign of offering his support.

No well-founded evidence exists proving Biden has been formally charged with any sexual misconduct with a child. As well as embodying an unproven smear, the tweet made little sense since the woman in the video was an adult and has publicly claimed thanked Biden for showing a friendly gesture as a sign of support.

Several hours after Trump retweeted the post, the tweet reached thousands of additional retweets and likes, The LA Times reported.

The person responsible for the post was using a Twitter name @ConservUSA38, an account that presently carries the name Conservative Girl has not publicized his/her name, and it was not instantly possible to determine the owner of the account.

The poster claims to be a former teacher at a preschool and is now working as a caregiver for their elderlies and living in New Hampshire, and has stayed in Florida and Salem, Massachusetts. The authenticity of the biological details of the account owner was not verified.

In the past, the account @ConservUSA28 has been using two different profile images, which are both different from what is currently being used by the account. This kind of activity could be evidence that a Twitter account is a dummy version, but definitive proof of this instance has not yet been proven.

A review of the Twitter account showed that the person owning it mostly posts about current happenings and trending content, from a conservative point of view, persistently supporting Trump Trump and criticizing Biden.



Related article: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Could Be Ousted If Donald Trump Wins Re-Election

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New Delhi: Markets ended in the red zone on Thursday led by losses in index heavyweights amid negative cues from global markets.

The 30-share BSE index ended 323 points or 0.82 per cent lower at 38,979.85. The NSE Nifty fell 88.45 points or 0.76 per cent to 11,516.10.

Here are Stocks in focus on September 18, 2020

EIH

Hospitality major EIH Ltd, which runs hotels and resorts under the Oberoi brand, on Thursday said its rights issue committee has approved raising of up to Rs 350 crore. The committee in its meeting held on Thursday approved the issue of 5,37,94,768 equity shares of face value Rs 2 each aggregating nearly Rs 350 crore on full subscription, EIH Ltd said in a regulatory filing. The rights issue price has been fixed at Rs 65 per equity share, including a premium of Rs 63 per equity share over face value of Rs 2 per share, it added.

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TCS

IT services major Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) on Thursday said it has partnered with Phoenix Group, the UK's largest long-term savings and retirement business, to launch an enhanced client analytics tool for workplace pension clients of its Standard Life Assurance Limited business. The new service has been launched following detailed consultation with clients and their advisers on their requirements, a statement said.

TVS Motor

TVS Motor Company on Thursday said it has entered into a new distribution partnership in Colombia.

The company has tied up with Autotecnica Colombiana SAS (Auteco SAS), a leading motorcycle assembler in Colombia, TVS Motor Company said in a statement. Autotecnica Colombiana SAS will operate 50 dealerships exclusive for the company and create dedicated space for the brand in over 600 retail outlets, it added.

Sterling and Wilson Solar

Sterling and Wilson Solar on Thursday said it has won a 106.71 MW solar project in Chile, its fifth in Latin America, worth USD 62.6 million (about Rs 462 crore). "Sterling and Wilson Solar has signed an order of 106.71 MW worth USD 62.6 million in Chile. The order has been received from a global independent power producer (IPP), work for which is expected to begin in Q4 FY 2021," the company said in a statement.

Punjab Alkalies & Chemicals Limited

The Punjab Cabinet on Thursday approved the constitution of an empowered cabinet sub-committee on disinvestment to finalise the modalities for strategic divestment of state-owned PSIDC's stake in Punjab Alkalies & Chemicals Limited (PACL). The Punjab State Industrial Development Corporation (PSIDC) holds 33.49 per cent stake in the PACL.
The TikTok ban is finally happeningeven though, just this week, it looked like the Chinese-owned app may have found a way to get around demands from President Donald Trump.

On Friday, the U.S. Commerce Department announced that American users will no longer be able to download TikTokas well as WeChat, another China-based social media appstarting on the night of Sept. 20 because of national security concerns. Mobile app stores in the U.S. wont be allowed to distribute the two apps, which also means that users who currently have the apps wont be able to update them. Each [app] collects vast swaths of data from users, including network activity, location data, and browsing and search histories. Each is an active participant in Chinas civil-military fusion and is subject to mandatory cooperation with the intelligence services of the CCP, reads a statement from the department. This combination results in the use of WeChat and TikTok creating unacceptable risks to our national security.

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There has never been any evidence of TikTok transferring user data to the Chinese government, although officials in China theoretically could obtain access to it. WeChat, meanwhile, has a history of enabling Chinese state surveillance and propaganda within the country, although the version of the app available in the United States is more limited than the one users in China have.

In addition to the ban on downloading, the Commerce Department will also prohibit WeChat from processing U.S. payments and transferring funds. Providers of internet hosting, internet transit, content delivery networks, or peering services will not be able to do business with WeChat either, though U.S. companies (like Walmart and Starbucks) can still harness the app for operations outside of the country. The same will happen to TikTok on Nov. 12 unless Trump rescinds the ban or the administration approves a deal for a U.S.-based company to take over the app from its Chinese owner ByteDance. In effect, WeChat users will experience outages and degradation in services, while people who already have TikTok downloaded will be able to use the app for roughly the next month and a half. However, U.S. users wont have access to TikTok updates and maintenance. The Commerce Department has declined to specify how it will enforce these bans, though it did clarify that users will not be penalized.

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TikTok said in a statement that it disagrees with the Commerce Departments decision: In our proposal to the U.S. Administration, weve already committed to unprecedented levels of additional transparency and accountability well beyond what other apps are willing to do, including third-party audits, verification of code security, and U.S. government oversight of U.S. data security. Apple and Google, which distribute WeChat and TikTok through their mobile app stores, have yet to comment.

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Last weekend, Oracle emerged as the winner in a bidding war to take stewardship over TikTok, beating out Microsoft. Under the terms of the proposed deal, Oracle reportedly wont likely be purchasing TikToks U.S. operations or source code, but will rather be the apps trusted tech partner, owning some percentage of a newly created TikTok entity and serving as its host. The Treasurys Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. and the White House are currently reviewing the deal to determine whether it addresses the data-security concerns associated with the app. Chinese authorities also need to sign off. If they all do so by Nov. 12, TikTok will be able to avoid WeChats fate.

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The Commerce Departments move on Friday to ban downloads may be a way for the administration to pressure ByteDance into making a deal. There has been some speculation that the deadline was intentionally pushed until after the upcoming election so that Trump wont face backlash at the polls from TikTok usersknown to be a politically feisty bunchthough senior Commerce Department officials denied that was the case during a press call on Friday. Instead, they claimed that Nov. 12 was simply the end of the 90-day window that Trump gave to the Treasury Department in an August executive order to figure out a deal that would allow TikTok to continue operations in the U.S.

Anyway, if you were planning on finally downloading TikTok, arent sold on the cybersecurity concern, and still think Trump will kill any deal, you should probably download it now. If you were curious about WeChatwell, sorry.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
The UN Security Council on Friday welcomed the start of the Peace Negotiations in and strongly encouraged the parties to continue pursuing confidence-building measures, including reduction in violence and to continue to engage in good faith.

In a statement, the 15-member powerful organ of the world body reaffirmed its strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and national unity of war-torn

"The members of the Security Council recognised that a sustainable peace can be achieved only through a comprehensive and inclusive Afghan-led, Afghan-owned peace process that aims at a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire as well as an inclusive political settlement to end the conflict in Afghanistan, it said.

They strongly encouraged parties to the negotiations to continue pursuing confidence-building measures including reductions in violence and to continue to engage in good faith.

The Council reaffirmed the importance of the UN's role in promoting peace and stability in and welcomed the efforts of all regional and partners of Afghanistan in facilitating intra-Afghan negotiations and in helping the parties reach peace.

The Security Council members also thanked the government of Qatar for facilitating the first round of negotiations.

The first-ever direct talks between the Afghan government representatives and the began on September 12.

Negotiators from the Afghan government and the will hold talks as part of intra-Afghan negotiations in to bring a lasting peace to Afghanistan.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had said the negotiations present a major opportunity to finally realise the long-held aspirations of the Afghan people for a peaceful future.

In a special video message as the historic negotiations got underway in Doha, Guterres had thanked the Qatari hosts for facilitating, and said the consistent calls for an end to violence by Afghans themselves, and the chance to develop the country after silencing the guns, underpin today's inaugural meeting.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said that the peace process in Afghanistan must respect sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country as he joined the inaugural session of the intra-Afghan negotiations in through video conferencing.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had said that Jaishankar's participation was in response to an invitation extended to him by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar Mohammad bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.

In his address, Jaishankar reaffirmed India's long-held position that any peace process in the country must be Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled.

Jaishankar said the interests of minorities, women and vulnerable sections of society must be preserved and the issue of violence across the country and its neighbourhood has to be effectively addressed, according to the MEA.

The September 12 meeting comes in the wake of a security agreement inked between the United States and the representatives in February, which paved the way.

Continued near-record violence and satisfying the complex preconditions, including prisoner exchanges, had jeopardised the talks throughout recent weeks.

Stressing the importance of women's involvement, Guterres had said that all parties must do their part to ensure that women participate in a variety of roles, and that the peace process reflects the experiences and expertise of Afghan women in all their diversity.

(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.)
As the citys public high schools reopened Thursday, Westview Centennial students had plenty of reasons to return in person, even amid a COVID-19 pandemic that has hit northwest Toronto with particular ferocity.

Among predictable drivers like seeing friends and playing sports, students see online schooling as a less effective way to learn. It also fails the ultimate teen litmus test: its boring.

Even though we had Google Meets with teachers, it wasnt the same as being in person and listening to them and knowing what to do, said Grade 12 Westview student Sarah Kawall, recalling the months spent earlier this year studying in front of a computer screen.

But for parents, the risks and rewards of sending their kids to school versus keeping them at home is a harder calculation  one that is impossible to separate from the citys broader inequities.

More than a quarter of Torontos coronavirus deaths, excluding institutional settings, occurred in the citys northwest corner. A Star analysis in June showed how unequal access to health care, higher rates of precarious work, and cramped housing combined to put those neighbourhoods at far greater risk of infection.

Kemisha Thomas, a parent and member of the Jane-Finch Education Action Group, has decided against in-person registration for her daughter, who is in Grade 11 and would normally travel to Finch and Bathurst to attend Northview Heights Secondary School. Without caps on class sizes, and with resources already unequally distributed across the city, Thomas said sending her kids to school didnt make sense.

COVID just literally showed in black and white the disparities.

Recent analysis of Toronto District School Board data by OISE associate professor Anna Katyn Chmielewski and computer scientist Omar Khan shows that families in middle- and low-income neighbourhoods were less likely to register their kids in in-person elementary school education this fall. That pattern holds true in secondary school enrolment, although the trend is less pronounced.

Chmielewski said the factors driving these choices include the elevated risk of falling sick at schools in COVID hot spots, and the fact that some students may be living in multi-generational homes.

Research shows that young children seem less likely to exhibit severe symptoms of COVID-19 and may also be less likely to spread the disease. But parents and medical experts fear that children may contract the virus and spread it to their families and teachers, resulting in further community transmission. For older adults, the risk for developing severe illness increases.

Khan, who also works as a refugee advocate, notes that students in lower-income neighbourhoods may also have parents in precarious jobs.

They will lose their jobs if they get sick and stay home, he said.

By the start of September, around 68 per cent of Toronto secondary students had registered for in-person learning. But at Westview, that figure was 47 per cent of its 886 students. York Humber High School at Jane and Weston saw a similar percentage register for in-class; at Downsview Secondary School 57 per cent of students have chosen to do so.

Schools like these also score high on the boards measure of external challenges faced by students, such as family income and education levels.

(More recent TDSB data shows that overall, more than three-quarters of high school students in the city ended up choosing in-person learning, but an updated breakdown of registration numbers by school is not yet available.).

Traditionally, high school students year would be broken up into two semesters. Now, the year will be broken up into four quadmesters of around 44 days each. Students will focus on two subjects in each quad. The TDSB has said it has done everything we can to plan effectively for a safe return to school and that it is committed to ensuring equitable access to education.

Westview has fought to provide students with opportunity through specialized programs like the Law in Action Within Schools initiative, which provides teens with mentorship and training to pursue careers in the justice sector; it will return this fall. But despite efforts like this, Thomas said it often feels like the system as a whole is failing her community.

If you dont allocate the funds properly to the neighbourhoods that need it, things dont get better, she said.

They give children in neighbourhoods like mine the bottom of the barrel.

Policy decisions outside the educational sphere have implications, too: a recent report by the Decent Work and Health Network noted that the lack of universal paid sick days in Ontario could hamper infectious disease control efforts, including in schools. Just 20 per cent of low-wage earners in Toronto have access to paid work leave, according to data from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

As of Thursday, there are 31 active COVID-19 cases in GTA public schools. Virtual classes begin Sept. 22.

Chmielewski says the income divide on virtual learning may be less notable among secondary students because they have more autonomy in decision making. But with gaps still evident, the long-term fallout could be significant.

Theres a huge evidence base in our field showing that inequality in student learning and other educational outcomes just get exacerbated when students are outside school, she said.

But Westview students say their school has done its best to prepare and reassure them. An online assembly spelled out what their first day back would look like; on Thursday, neat pylons channelled teens into three lines to pick up schedules in an orderly and socially distanced fashion.

Most importantly for 15-year-old Marcus Lawes-Weddburn, there is no easy access to PlayStation 4.

When I come here, Im disciplined, he said.

For Kawall and her sister Alison, who is starting Grade 10, safety precautions help  but there is still cause for jitters.

My dad, he doesnt really quite feel comfortable with us coming back to school also due to the fact that my mom was also pregnant, said Sarah Kawall, who is also juggling a part-time job.

But we wanted to come for the first week to see how it is and give it a try.
18 Sep  Anne Curtis recently admitted that it was never her intention to give birth to daughter Dahlia Amelie in Australia, adding that the decision came at the last minute.

As reported on Push, the actress who spoke to G3 San Diego's #LiveWithG3 show, shared that she had actually chosen a doctor and a hospital in the Philippines prior to her birth, but realised that being in the country just made her want to continue working instead preparing for childbirth.

"I felt that in a way that would really get me to stop working, to just kind of be here," she said, adding that being away in Australia would help her focus on her baby.

Aside from that, Curtis said that her mother Carmen also played a huge part as she wanted to be with her mother throughout the process, and have Carmen help her through it.

She also admitted that she had wanted to return to Manila a few months after giving birth, but decided to stay due to the pandemic.

"If it was just me, no problem. But now I have a little life to think of and she is top priority. Her health and safety is top priority," she said.

(Photo Source: Anne Curtis Instagram)
Access to cancer medicines is highly unequal across Europe both for new drugs in development because of uneven access to clinical trials and for currently approved drugs due to huge disparities in healthcare spending by different countries, according to results from studies presented at ESMO 2020.

Countries in Western Europe run a higher number of clinical trials for novel cancer treatments than countries in Eastern and Central Europe, showed an analysis of clinical trials active in different countries that indicated large differences in access to new treatments in development for cancer patients depending on where they live.

"Our study gives us proof of what we previously suspected, that there is a huge asymmetry in the number of clinical trials for cancer treatments in different countries," said study co-author Dr Teresa Amaral, from University Hospital Tubingen, Germany.

"Having access to clinical trials confers several benefits to cancer patients. It means they can potentially access novel therapies earlier during the trial phase rather than having to wait for licensing and reimbursement," she explained. "Also, all trial participants benefit from the regular follow-up and monitoring involved in taking part in a clinical study."

The researchers searched the Clinicaltrials.gov database for interventional clinical trials in adults with tumours between 2009 and 2019. Analysing the number of trials in 34 European countries revealed huge differences. Albania had the lowest number of active clinical trials for cancer (0.14 clinical trials per 100 000 population) while Belgium had the highest number (11.06 per 100 000).

Further results showed that the total number of oncology clinical trials performed in European countries increased by 33% between 2010 and 2018, with a much greater increase in early phase trials (61% increase in phase I-II trials) than late-phase trials (7% increase in phase 2-3 trials).

Amaral suggested that this might be due to a shift in clinical trial design: "There is no longer a clear progression from first-in-human studies to phase1, phase 2 and then much larger phase 3 trials. Instead we tend to have more trials in earlier phases, namely phase II, which might expand to later phases."

The increase in early phase trials was again a symmetrical and the growth rate depended on the baseline number of trials. "Countries need to have the necessary infrastructure and expertise to conduct trials of any type, including early phase trials."

A higher number of phase I trials is a sign of more active research going on in a particular country, with the appropriate infrastructure and necessary incentives to conduct clinical trials. And the only way to develop new cancer drugs is to be able to put patients into clinical trials." Thomas Cerny, Professor of Medical Oncology, University of Berne, Switzerland and Member of the ESMO Principles of Clinical Trials and Systemic Therapy Faculty

"The difference in the number of clinical trials per head of population, with more trials in wealthier countries, means access to clinical trials and innovative drugs is just not possible for cancer patients living in many less wealthy countries." Although the study is descriptive, he considered it made best use of the available data to evaluate differences in clinical trial availability in different countries.

He added: "Clinical studies require a solid infrastructure in terms of personnel and equipment, and this depends on a country's overall financial situation. These requirements are increasing so the gap in clinical trial capacity is not likely to reduce soon."

"There is still a lot to do to increase access to clinical trials for cancer patients in different countries," agreed Amaral.

"The voluntary harmonisation procedure, in which trial sponsors can submit trial documentation to several countries at the same time, has streamlined the process and reduced the approval time for trials. But more is needed to increase access to clinical trials in countries where the number of trials is currently low." The research group is currently exploring the reasons for the asymmetry to inform potential solutions.

A health economics analysis also reported at ESMO 2020 showed that wealthier European countries spent ten times as much as poorer countries per inhabitant on cancer medicines in 2018, following a similar pattern to that seen for clinical trials. (2)

"There was a huge difference in spending on cancer medicines," said lead author Dr Nils Wilking, from the Karolinska Instituet, Stockholm, Sweden. "We found that inequalities are mainly related to countries' economic strength and not to the disease burden of cancer."

The researchers estimated cancer-specific health expenditure for 31 countries (EU-27 plus Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and the UK) using national figures for 2018. Results showed the top spenders on cancer medicines were Austria, Germany and Switzerland (Euros 90 to 108 per capita) while the lowest spenders were the Czech Republic, Latvia and Poland (Euros 13 to 16). The largest differences in spending between countries were seen for immuno-oncology drugs.

"There are two main factors accounting for the differences in spending on cancer medicines: one is shortage of money and the other is drugs not being approved for use by some healthcare systems," suggested Wilking. He noted that, although the study did not consider data at the individual patient level, the difference observed in access to cancer medicines would affect patient outcomes.

Cerny commented: "It is difficult to assess the real costs in any country because systems vary in different countries and there are many hidden costs not reflected in the databases used. But the study essentially shows the more a country has to spend, the more its inhabitants have access to cancer medicines."

Considering how to widen access to cancer medicines, Wilking suggested: "We need a model in which we incentivise innovation of valuable medicines through outcome-based payment models and consider a disease area and what a society is able to pay for treatment."

He added: "The work of health technology assessment organisations has been important and a critical scrutiny and evaluation of new drugs should always be applied."
China has established a modernized grain storage system based on information technologies to ensure food security across the country.

Last year, China Grain Reserves Group Ltd. Company (Sinograin) upgraded its grain procurement model by using internet technologies, developing an app through which farmers can make appointments to sell their grains, improving efficiency in grain procurement and helping farmers increase income.

An intelligent camera in a grain storehouse of Sinograin. (Photo/Xinhua)

Farmers can choose grain storehouses nearby and make appointments to sell their grains through the app, said Li Haijie, deputy head of the storage department of the Central Grain Reserves Shunyi Directly Managed Storehouse (Shunyi Storehouse), the storehouse unit of Sinograin in Beijing.

Thanks to the application of information technologies through the whole process, it takes about 40 minutes to store grains, including sampling, weight measurement and unloading, Li noted.

In the inspection process, quality indicators such as moisture and impurities, as well as food safety indicators including heavy metals and mycotoxins, will be measured. Only quality grains can be stored, Li added.

As of Aug. 14, the app has 650,000 registered users, who have sold 19 million tons of grains upon appointment, including 6.1 million tons during this years procurement period of summer grains, according to data from Sinograin.

Sinograin has also upgraded the science and technology of grain storage. We now mainly adopt scientific grain storage technologies such as electronic temperature measurement, mechanical ventilation and internal temperature control, as well as daily inspection of grain conditions to ensure the safety of grain storage, said Li Changliang, a storekeeper of a warehouse of wheat in the Shunyi Storehouse.

He can assess the situation of the grains through changes in grain temperature, thanks to more than 300 temperature measurement points in the warehouse storing over 6,000 tons of wheat.

In general, the average grain temperature of the whole warehouse is below 20 degrees Celsius throughout the year.

A smart integrated control platform can ensure real-time monitoring of grains, as each warehouse is equipped with a comprehensive monitoring system with high-definition monitors.

We can check real-time situations inside and outside the warehouse through all-weather remote monitoring, ensuring intelligent prediction and early warning of changes in grain conditions through big data analysis and comparison, realizing scientific and green grain storage, said an employee of the Shunyi Storehouse.

So far, over 98 percent of Sinograins more than 980 granaries have realized scientific grain storage, with the percentage of grains that met the required standards remaining above 95 percent.

Sinograin has also established a relatively stable rotation mechanism. It sells out the grains that are close to or just past the storage life, and purchases grains that meet the quality and food safety standards each year to ensure regular storage of fresh grains.

The company is investing more in scientific and technological research, deploying Internet of Things, big data and other technologies to ensure sound management and high quality of Chinas grain reserves.
Research being presented at the ESCMID Conference on Coronavirus Disease (ECCVID, held online from 23-25 September) shows that persistent fatigue occurs in more than half of patients recovered from COVID-19, regardless of the seriousness of their infection. The study is by Dr Liam Townsend, St James's Hospital and Trinity Translational Medicine Institute, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland, and colleagues.

As the global COVID-19 pandemic continues to grow worldwide, the number of patients recovering, and also experiencing post-infection problems, is also growing. "Fatigue is a common symptom in those presenting with symptomatic COVID-19 infection. Whilst the presenting features of SARS-CoV-2 infection have been well-characterised, the medium and long-term consequences of infection remain unexplored," explains Dr Townsend.

"In particular, concern has been raised that SARS-CoV-2 has the potential to cause persistent fatigue, even after those infected have recovered from COVID-19. In our study, we investigated whether patients recovering from SARS-CoV-2 infection remained fatigued after their physical recovery, and to see whether there was a relationship between severe fatigue and a variety of clinical parameters. We also examined persistence of markers of disease beyond clinical resolution of infection."

The authors used a commonly-used scale to determine fatigue in recovered patients, called the Chalder Fatigue Score (CFQ-11). They also looked at the severity of the patient's initial infection (need for admission, and critical/intensive care), and also their pre-existing conditions including depression. They also looked at various markers of immune activation (white cell counts, C-reactive protein, Interluekin-6, and sCD25).

The study included 128 participants (mean age 50 years; 54% female) who were recruited consecutively at a median of 10 weeks following clinical recovery from SARS-CoV-2 infection. More than half reported persistent fatigue (52.3%; 67/128) at this point.

The researchers offered an outpatient appointment to anyone who had a COVID-19 positive swab test in their laboratory at St James Hospital. This included all admitted patients as well as any hospital staff (including cleaning staff, caterers, etc) since the service was also offered to staff that thought they had COVID-19 symptoms. The majority of those in the non-admitted group had a mild illness but had a swab test performed at St James's Hospital rather than at a community testing facility, as they were employed by St James's Hospital.

Of the patients assessed in this study,71/128 (55.5%) were admitted to hospital and 57/128 (44.5%) were not admitted. "Fatigue was found to occur independent of admission to hospital, affecting both groups equally," explains Dr Townsend.

There was no association between COVID-19 severity (need for inpatient admission, supplemental oxygen or critical care) and fatigue following COVID-19. Additionally, there was no association between routine laboratory markers of inflammation and cell turnover (white blood cell counts or ratios, lactate dehydrogenase, C-reactive protein) or pro-inflammatory molecules (IL-6 or sCD25) and fatigue post COVID-19. Female gender and those with a pre-existing diagnosis of depression/anxiety were over-represented in those with fatigue. Although women represented just over half of the patients in the study (54%), two-thirds of those with persistent fatigue (67%) were women. And while only 1 person of the 61 (1.6%) without fatigue had a history of anxiety or depression, this proportion was 13.4% (9/67) in those with persistent fatigue.

The authors conclude: "Our findings demonstrate a significant burden of post-viral fatigue in individuals with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection after the acute phase of COVID-19 illness. This study highlights the importance of assessing those recovering from COVID-19 for symptoms of severe fatigue, irrespective of severity of initial illness, and may identify a group worthy of further study and early intervention. It also supports the use of non-pharmacological interventions for fatigue management. These interventions will need to be tailored to the individual needs of the patients, and may include lifestyle modification, cognitive behavioural therapy and self-pacing exercise, where tolerated."

###
New Delhi, Sep 18 : Seemingly irked over his son B.Y. Vijayendra being often branded as 'Super CM' by the Opposition and from within his own party, Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on Friday sought to clarify that he sees a "systematic conspiracy" behind levelling such allegations against his son.

Speaking to reporters after laying the foundation for the reconstruction of Karnataka Bhavan-1 Cauvery at an estimated cost of Rs 120 crore in New Delhi, he said that his son's name was being unnecessarily dragged to malign him and create confusion.

"It is natural that people will have disliking for someone who is growing as a leader. I can vouch for the fact that he (Vijayendra) has not interfered in my administration at any given point of time," the Chief Minister said.

Yediyurappa claimed that as the state (BJP) unit Vice President, Vijayendra was doing his duty by travelling across the state to strengthen the party. "Meeting people cannot be construed as interfering in the administration," he shot back.

The Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Siddaramaiah, has been consistently saying that Vijayendra is the de facto Chief Minister who is interfering with the administration. "Vijayendra is the de facto CM, whereas Yediyurappa is the de jure CM," he said.

Following Siddaramaiah's charges, the Karnataka Congress has taken to Twitter to take potshots at Vijayendra for allegedly holding a meeting with medical officials and sought to know who gave him the power for such an interaction when he did not hold any constitutional position.

Murmurs are also growing within the ruling BJP over alleged administrative interference of Vijayendra ever since the BJP came to power last year, a charge often rejected by Yediyurappa.
Letter on the celebration of the liturgy during and after the Covid-19 pandemic to the Presidents of the Episcopal Conferences of the Catholic Church



The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments has sent a letter to the presidents of Episcopal Conferences on celebrating the liturgy during and after the pandemic. The following is the English text of the letter which was made public on Saturday, 12 September.

The pandemic caused by the Covid 19 virus has produced upheavals not only in social, family, economic, educational and work dynamics, but also in the life of the Christian community, including the liturgical dimension. To prevent the spread of the virus, rigid social distancing was necessary, which had repercussions on a fundamental trait of Christian life: "Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them" (Mt 18:20); "They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And all who believed were together and had all things in common" (Acts 2:42.44).

This community dimension has a theological meaning: God is a relationship of Persons in the Most Holy Trinity. He creates humanity in the relational complementarity between male and female because "it is not good that man should be alone" (Gen 2:18). He puts himself in relationship with man and woman and calls them in turn to relationship with him. As Saint Augustine intuited, our heart is restless until it finds God and rests in him (cf. Confessions, I, 1). The Lord Jesus began his public ministry by calling to himself a group of disciples to share with him the life and proclamation of the Kingdom; from this small flock the Church is born. Scripture uses the image of a city to describe eternal life: the heavenly Jerusalem (cf. Rev 21). A city is a community of people who share values, fundamental human and spiritual realities, places, times and organized activities and who contribute to building the common good. While the pagans built temples dedicated only to the divinity, to which people had no access, Christians, as soon as they enjoyed freedom of worship, immediately built places that were the domus Dei et domus ecclesiae, where the faithful could recognize themselves as the community of God, a people summoned for worship and constituted as a holy assembly. God can therefore proclaim: "I am your God, you will be my people" (cf. Ex 6:7; Dt 14:2). The Lord remains faithful to his Covenant (cf. Dt 7:9) and Israel becomes for this very reason the Abode of God, the holy place of his presence in the world (cf. Ex 29:45; Lv 26:11-12). For this reason, the house of the Lord presupposes the presence of the family of the children of God. Today too, in the prayer of the dedication of a new church, the Bishop asks that it be what it should be by its very nature:

[] make this for ever a holy place []

Here may the flood of divine grace

overwhelm human offenses,

so that your children, Father,

being dead to sin,

may be reborn to heavenly life.

Here may your faithful,

gathered around the table of the altar,

celebrate the memorial of the Paschal Mystery

and be refreshed by the banquet

of Christ's Word and his Body.

Here may the joyful offering of praise resound,

with human voices joined to the song of Angels,

and unceasing prayer rise up to you

for the salvation of the world.

Here may the poor find mercy,

the oppressed attain true freedom,

and all people be clothed with the dignity of your children,

until they come exultant

to the Jerusalem which is above.

The Christian community has never sought isolation and has never made the Church a city with closed doors. Formed in the value of community life and in the search of the common good, Christians have always sought insertion into society, while being aware of an otherness  to be in the world without belonging to it and without being reduced to it (cf. Letter to Diognetus, 5-6). And even in the pandemic emergency, a great sense of responsibility has emerged. In listening to and collaborating with civil authorities and experts, the Bishops and their territorial conferences were prompt to make difficult and painful decisions, even to the point of suspending the participation of the faithful in the celebration of the Eucharist for a long period. This Congregation is deeply grateful to the Bishops for their commitment and effort in trying to respond in the best possible way to an unforeseen and complex situation.

As soon as circumstances permit, however, it is necessary and urgent to return to the normality of Christian life, which has the church building as its home and the celebration of the liturgy, especially the Eucharist, as "the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; at the same time it is the font from which all her power flows" (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 10).

Aware that God never abandons the humanity He has created, and that even the hardest trials can bear fruits of grace, we have accepted our distance from the Lord's altar as a time of Eucharistic fasting, useful for us to rediscover its vital importance, beauty and immeasurable preciousness. As soon as is possible, however, we must return to the Eucharist with a purified heart, with a renewed amazement, with an increased desire to meet the Lord, to be with him, to receive him and to bring him to our brothers and sisters with the witness of a life full of faith, love and hope.

This time of deprivation gives us the grace to understand the heart of our brothers and sisters, the martyrs of Abitinae (beginning of the 4th century), who answered their judges with serene determination, despite a sure death sentence: "Sine Dominico non possumus". The absolute verb non possumus (we cannot) and the significance of the neuter noun Dominicum (that which is the Lord's) cannot be translated with a single word. A very brief expression sums up a great wealth of nuances and meanings that are offered to our meditation today:

- We cannot live, be Christians, fully realizing our humanity and the desires for good and happiness that dwell in our hearts without the Word of the Lord, which in the celebration of the liturgy takes shape and becomes a living word, spoken by God for those who today open their hearts to listen;

- We cannot live as Christians without participating in the Sacrifice of the Cross in which the Lord Jesus gives himself unreservedly to save, by his death, humanity which had died because of sin; the Redeemer associates humanity with himself and leads it back to the Father; in the embrace of the Crucified One all human suffering finds light and comfort;

- We cannot be without the banquet of the Eucharist, the table of the Lord to which we are invited as sons and daughters, brothers and sisters to receive the Risen Christ himself, present in body, blood, soul and divinity in that Bread of heaven which sustains us in the joys and labours of this earthly pilgrimage;

- We cannot be without the Christian community, the family of the Lord: we need to meet our brothers and sisters who share the sonship of God, the fraternity of Christ, the vocation and the search for holiness and the salvation of their souls in the rich diversity of ages, personal histories, charisms and vocations;

- We cannot be without the house of the Lord, which is our home, without the holy places where we were born to faith, where we discovered the provident presence of the Lord and discovered the merciful embrace that lifts up those who have fallen, where we consecrated our vocation to marriage or religious life, where we prayed and gave thanks, rejoiced and wept, where we entrusted to the Father our loved ones who had completed their earthly pilgrimage;

- We cannot be without the Lord's Day, without Sunday which gives light and meaning to the succession of days of work and to family and social responsibilities.

As much as the means of communication perform a valued service to the sick and those who are unable to go to church, and have performed a great service in the broadcast of Holy Mass at a time when there was no possibility of community celebrations, no broadcast is comparable to personal participation or can replace it. On the contrary, these broadcasts alone risk distancing us from a personal and intimate encounter with the incarnate God who gave himself to us not in a virtual way, but really, saying: "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him". (Jn 6.56). This physical contact with the Lord is vital, indispensable, irreplaceable. Once the concrete measures that can be taken to reduce the spread of the virus to a minimum have been identified and adopted, it is necessary that all resume their place in the assembly of brothers and sisters, rediscover the irreplaceable preciousness and beauty of the celebration of the liturgy, and invite and encourage again those brothers and sisters who have been discouraged, frightened, absent or uninvolved for too long.

This Dicastery intends to reaffirm some principles and suggest some courses of action to promote a rapid and safe return to the celebration of the Eucharist.

Due attention to hygiene and safety regulations cannot lead to the sterilisation of gestures and rites, to the instilling, even unconsciously, of fear and insecurity in the faithful.

It is up to the prudent but firm action of the Bishops to ensure that the participation of the faithful in the celebration of the Eucharist is not reduced by public authorities to a "gathering", and is not considered comparable or even subordinate to forms of recreational activities.

Liturgical norms are not matters on which civil authorities can legislate, but only the competent ecclesiastical authorities (cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium, 22).

The participation of the faithful in liturgical celebrations should be facilitated, but without improvised ritual experiments and in full respect of the norms contained in the liturgical books which govern their conduct. In the liturgy, an experience of sacredness, holiness and beauty that transfigures gives a foretaste of the harmony of eternal blessedness. Care should therefore be taken to ensure the dignity of the places, the sacred furnishings, the manner of celebration, according to the authoritative instruction of the Second Vatican Council: "The rites should be distinguished by a noble simplicity" (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 34).

The faithful should be recognised as having the right to receive the Body of Christ and to worship the Lord present in the Eucharist in the manner provided for, without limitations that go even beyond what is provided for by the norms of hygiene issued by public authorities or Bishops.

In the Eucharistic celebration the faithful adore the Risen Jesus present; and we see with what ease the sense of adoration, the prayer of adoration, is lost. In their catechesis we ask Pastors to insist on the necessity of adoration.

A sure principle in order not to err is obedience. Obedience to the norms of the Church, obedience to the Bishops. In times of difficulty (e.g., wars, pandemics), Bishops and Episcopal Conferences can give provisional norms which must be obeyed. Obedience safeguards the treasure entrusted to the Church. These measures given by the Bishops and Episcopal Conferences expire when the situation returns to normal.

The Church will continue to cherish the human person as a whole. She bears witness to hope, invites us to trust in God, recalls that earthly existence is important, but much more important is eternal life: sharing the same life with God for eternity is our goal, our vocation. This is the faith of the Church, witnessed over the centuries by hosts of martyrs and saints, a positive proclamation that frees us from one-dimensional reductionisms and from ideologies. The Church unites proclamation and accompaniment towards the eternal salvation of souls with the necessary concern for public health. Let us therefore continue to entrust ourselves confidently to God's mercy, to invoke the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, salus infirmorum et auxilium christianorum, for all those who are sorely tried by the pandemic and every other affliction, let us persevere in prayer for those who have left this life, and at the same time let us renew our intention to be witnesses of the Risen One and heralds of a sure hope, which transcends the limits of this world.

From the Vatican, 15 August 2020

Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Supreme Pontiff Francis, in the Audience granted on 3 September 2020 to the undersigned Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, approved this Letter and ordered its publication.

Cardinal Robert Sarah

Prefect

Prot. n. 432/20
Alphabet executive chairman John Hennessy and Google exec Vinton Cerf are part of two dozen Turing Award winners  known as the Nobel Prize of computing  to sign a letter in support of Democratic nominee Joe Biden and running mate Kamala Harris, citing immigration concerns.

The group also includes distinguished Google engineer David Patterson, Pixar co-founder Ed Catmull, Facebook's chief AI Scientist Yann LeCun and Microsoft research scientists Leslie Lamport and Butler Lampson. The endorsements reflect the opinions of the people who signed the letter, not the companies they work for.

The support comes as technology leaders fear U.S. tech talent will be significantly impacted if further restrictions are placed on work visas under President Donald Trump.

"The most brilliant people in the world want to come here and be grad students, but now they are being discouraged from coming here, and many are going elsewhere," Patterson told The New York Times. "We have to step out of our comfort zone and make a statement," he added.

"Information technology is thoroughly globalized," the endorsement letter says. "Academic computer science departments attract talented students, many of whom immigrate and become American inventors and captains of industry."

"Joe Biden and Kamala Harris listen to experts before setting public policy, essential when science and technology may help with many problems facing our nation today," the letter continued.

An Alphabet spokesperson was not immediately available to comment.

Google leaders were once some of the most vocal execs on immigration policies, even hosting protests. But they've tempered their opinions on public policies and have tried to increase partnerships with the U.S. government through lucrative contracts. Google is under increased regulatory and political scrutiny and is expected to face an antitrust lawsuit from the U.S. Department of Justice in the coming weeks.

Prior to becoming Alphabet's board chair in 2018, Hennessy served as president of Stanford University and board member of Cisco, among other executive roles in the technology industry. Vince Cerf, Google's "Chief Internet Evangelist" and vice president, co-designed architecture of the Internet and is often referred to as "Father of the Internet." John

Watch: How banning work visas impacts the U.S. economy.
Bolivias conservative interim president, Jeanine Anez, pulled out of next months general election on Thursday, a move that should strengthen other candidates running against the front-running socialist party of ex-leader Evo Morales.

Anez said in a video message she sought to unify those opposing the candidate for the party of Morales, who resigned last year after an election sparked widespread protests. Anez, a former senator, took office in the power vacuum that followed Morales departure.

The Oct. 18 vote is the delayed rerun of the 2019 ballot. Anezs candidacy had sparked controversy after she initially ruled herself out and pledged to guide the country to transparent new elections. Socialist candidate Luis Arce of the MAS party leads in opinion polls, followed by centrist former President Carlos Mesa. Anez had been in fourth place.

Today I put aside my candidacy for the presidency of Bolivia, for the sake of democracy, Anez said, citing the risk that the vote is divided among several candidates and that as a result of that division, the MAS would end up winning.

If we dont unite, Morales will return. If we dont unite, democracy loses, she said, calling for unity among voters opposed to MAS. She declined to say which candidate she planned to vote for.

By pulling out of the race, Anez could increase chances that the election will be pushed to a second round by consolidating the anti-Arce vote.

To avoid a second round, the election winner requires at least 40% of valid votes in the first round and a 10-point advantage over the closest competitor.

Arce has more than 40.3% support from likely voters, according to a recent poll, while Mesa was at 26.2%, conservative anti-Morales activist Luis Fernando Camacho at 14.4% and Anez at 10.6%.

(REUTERS)




By Kim Bo-eun







The National Pension Service (NPS) with over 700 trillion won in assets under management, is in the hot seat after it was revealed that four of its investment managers were being investigated by police for allegedly smoking cannabis.







The Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency stated Friday it had booked the four managers to question them over the allegations.







It added that it has requested the National Forensic Service to conduct tests on hair samples after a urine analysis came back negative.







The managers acknowledged the allegations during questioning.







The investigation comes as a shock as the NPS is in charge of managing 752.2 trillion won.







It dismissed the managers Sept. 9, after convening a disciplinary committee meeting.







This is not the first time NPS employees have engaged in misconduct.







NPS employees are banned from receiving money and goods from work-related people, but in October 2018, 114 were found to have been treated to overseas trips by foreign firms investing NPS funds.







In February 2017, three employees were found to have copied confidential information on fund management to their personal computers and external hard drives, ahead of their retirement.







The latest case poses further problems for the NPS, given it has suffered from a shortage of investment experts following its relocation to Jeonju in North Jeolla Province in 2017.







The agency has struggled to retain investment managers, and continues to experience difficulty in hiring new experts.







The NPS was unavailable for comment on the latest issue.


Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 10:15:37|Editor: huaxia

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Journalists visit Van Gogh Alive art exhibition in Sydney, Australia, on Sept. 17, 2020. The interactive exhibition will open to the public on Sept. 18. (Xinhua/Bai Xuefei)

It is the first large-scale exhibition to be held since COVID-19 reached Australia's shores earlier in the year, and offers the culture-loving city a glimpse of life prior to the pandemic.

SYDNEY, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Australians in Sydney have been offered a colorful break from life under COVID-19, in the form of Van Gogh Alive, a state-of-the-art exhibition celebrating the artists' life and works, which opened Friday.

It is the first large-scale exhibition to be held since COVID-19 reached Australia's shores earlier in the year, and offers the culture-loving city a glimpse of life prior to the pandemic.

Emma Triggs, promoter of the exhibition, told Xinhua she was thrilled to see audiences able to take part despite the uncertain times.

Journalists visit Van Gogh Alive art exhibition in Sydney, Australia, on Sept. 17, 2020. (Xinhua/Bai Xuefei)

"At this time people really need to have an opportunity to reconnect with art, and sort of reimagine the joy that you experience when you come to an event like this," Triggs said.

"So for Sydney, I just hope that people can come and feel happiness and joy because the past year has been so traumatic."

Van Gogh Alive arrived in Sydney having already visited major cities around the globe, including China's Shanghai and Hong Kong, however its appearance in the middle of a pandemic made for a particularly warm-welcome by the Aussies.

Journalists visit Van Gogh Alive art exhibition in Sydney, Australia, on Sept. 17, 2020. (Xinhua/Bai Xuefei)

As the event came together and COVID-19 case numbers fluctuated within Australia however, Triggs was never quite sure that anybody would actually be able to see it.

"We were very lucky with the number of cases declining at the point in time that I did announce it. So that could have gone anyway," she said.

To help mitigate the risk of COVID-19, each session's numbers are limited and visitors are required to socially distance and wear a mask, as well as undergo temperature checks on arrival.

Journalists visit Van Gogh Alive art exhibition in Sydney, Australia, on Sept. 17, 2020. (Xinhua/Bai Xuefei)

Triggs said Van Gogh's visionary nature made the exhibition a great escape from the troubled world outside, describing it as inspiring to see the long-suffering artist continue to shoulder humanity's burdens more than a century after his death.

"The tragedy of his life and the difficult time that he lived in, everyone can relate to right now," Triggs said.

"So the beautiful artworks that he's created that have given so much joy to so many generations, since the hundred plus years that he has died, it's really inspiring to see that that's lifting people's spirits even to this day." 
Arctic Energy Office Reestablished

This article was first published on Rigzone here

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced the reestablishment of its Arctic Energy Office (AEO), which will be located on the campus of the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.

According to its new website, the AEO will lead cross-cutting operations in the Arctic with a mission to tackle the energy, science and national security challenges of the 21st Century. The DOE noted that the AEO will drive coordination and collaboration on the DOEs many activities in the Arctic region, including international cooperation on Arctic issues, research on methane hydrates and the development of advanced micro grids and nuclear power systems.

The AEO will contain three interim staff and will report to the under secretary of energy, Mark W. Menezes. The reestablishment of the office fulfills U.S. secretary of energy Dan Brouillettes commitment to do so by the close of this fiscal year.

The United States is an Arctic nation and the region continues to play an essential role in meeting our nations energy needs, as well as those of our friends and allies, Brouillette said in a government statement.

DOEs Arctic Energy Office will grow to strengthen and coordinate our work in energy, science, and national security and help build an Arctic future of prosperity and increased opportunity, he added.

Commenting on the launch of the new office, Menezes said, the reestablishment of the Arctic Energy Office will bring the power of DOE innovation and expertise to the region, ensuring we play an important role in its energy future.

As the regions geopolitical importance increases, the office will also better facilitate strategic coordination with our fellow Arctic nations, he added.

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Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski said the reestablishment of the AEO in Fairbanks will ensure greater collaboration between the states innovators and the DOEs cutting-edge researchers.

I prioritized this office in the appropriations process because I know it will help facilitate the development of new energy technologies that benefit resource-rich Alaska and the country, the senator stated.

I thank secretary Brouillette, deputy secretary Menezes and their teams for working with us to reestablish this important office, Murkowski added.

The DOE outlines that, in much of the Arctic, there is a strong reliance on fossil fuels. The organization notes, however, that in a region where export of its oil, natural gas and coal resources contribute significantly to the regional economy, fossil fuel used locally must be imported. The DOE says energy prices range drastically, depending on the options available for acquiring the fuel.

According to the DOE, the Arctic is geographically enormous and contains 20 percent of the earths land mass, but very small from the perspective of its overall population of approximately four million people.

The DOEs mission is to ensure Americas security and prosperity by addressing its energy, environmental and nuclear challenges through transformative science and technology solutions. The organization was officially established in 1977 but traces its roots back to the Manhattan Project effort to develop the atomic bomb during World War II.

To contact the author, email andreas.exarheas@rigzone.com

More From Rigzone.com, The Leading Energy Platform:

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BANGALORE, India, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the Latest Market Research Report " Track & Trace Solutions Market by Technology (Barcode, RFID, and D Code), by Product (Hardware, Services, and Software), by Application (Aggregation Solution and Serialization Solution) by End User (Cosmetic Industry, Medical Device Companies, and Pharmaceutical & Biopharmaceutical Companies) and Region  Global Forecast to 2025", published on Valuates Reports .

The Global Track & Trace Solutions Market size is expected to grow from USD 2,169.02 Million in 2019 to USD 4,600.36 Million by the end of 2025 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 13.34% during the forecast period.

Major factors driving the growth of Global Track & Trace Solutions Market size are stringent regulations & requirements for the implementation of serialization, growing manufacturers' emphasis on brand safety, growth in the number of product recalls related to packaging, and growth in the medical device industry.

Get Detailed Analysis of COVID-19 Impact on Track & Trace Solutions Market :

https://reports.valuates.com/request/sample/360I-Auto-3K369/The_Global_Track_Trace_Solutions_Market

TRENDS INFLUENCING THE TRACK & TRACE SOLUTIONS MARKET SIZE

The Track & Trace Solutions Market size is expected to be fuelled by pharmaceutical and medical device companies' growing deployment. Falsification of drugs is a significant problem faced by the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industries. Companies are, therefore, introducing track and trace solutions for tracking the supply chain.

Also, strict regulations and requirements pertinent to the introduction and aggregation of serialization are expected to drive the track and trace systems market size.

The rising focus of manufacturers on Brand Protection is expected to drive Track & Trace Solutions Market size growth. Brand security solutions are seen as the cost of goods sold (COGS) rather than a benefit by offering a major image advantage to both the brand and the brand owner. This thinking mechanism of COGS forces anti-counterfeiting steps.

View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/360I-Auto-3K369/the-global-track-trace-solutions

TRACK & TRACE SOLUTIONS MARKET SHARE ANALYSIS

North America is expected to hold the largest Track & Trace Solutions Market share during the forecast period. The North American market is largely influenced by the existence of highly controlled requirements for serialization and aggregation, as well as advanced infrastructure for healthcare.

Due to rising pressure to curb counterfeit drugs in developing Asian nations such as China and India, Asia Pacific is expected to show the fastest growth.

Over the forecast period, hardware solutions are expected to show profitable growth. Among the track and trace hardware systems, the printing and labeling solutions segment held the largest revenue share. This method plays an important part in maintaining product consistency and authenticity in the manufacturing and supply chain. The segment's growth is driven by increased demand for serialization and the need to achieve regulatory compliance.

Inquire for Regional Report: https://reports.valuates.com/request/regional/360I-Auto-3K369/The_Global_Track_Trace_Solutions_Market

TRACE & TRACE SOLUTIONS MARKET SEGMENTATION & COVERAGE:

This research report categorizes the Track & Trace Solutions to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets:

Based on Technology, the Track & Trace Solutions Market studied across

Barcode,

RFID

D Code.

Based on Product, the Track & Trace Solutions Market studied across

Hardware,

Services,

Software.

Based on Application, the Track & Trace Solutions Market studied across

Aggregation Solution

Serialization Solution.

Based on End User, the Track & Trace Solutions Market studied across

Cosmetic Industry,

Medical Device Companies,

Pharmaceutical & Biopharmaceutical Companies.

KEY PLAYERS

The report deeply explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Track & Trace Solutions Market including

ACG Group,

Adents International,

Antares Vision srl,

Axway,

Mettler-Toledo International, Inc.,

Optel Vision,

Seidenader Maschinenbau GmbH,

Siemens AG,

Systech International,

TraceLink, Inc..

Others

THE REPORT PROVIDES INSIGHTS ON THE FOLLOWING POINTERS:

1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on the market offered by the key players

2. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyzes the markets

3. Market Diversification: Provides detailed information about new product launches, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments

4. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: Provides an exhaustive assessment of market shares, strategies, products, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players

5. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and new product developments

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SIMILAR REPORTS :

Pharma Track and Trace Solutions Market

In 2019, the global Pharma Track and Trace Solutions market size was USD 843 Million

In the last several years, the global market of Pharma Track and Trace Solutions developed rapidly, with an average growth rate of 17%.

View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-33Y552/global-pharma-track-and-trace-solutions

Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Market

The global Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) market size is projected to reach USD 31925.6 Million by 2026, from USD 992 Million in 2019, at a 64.2% CAGR 2020-2026.

View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-24S2153/global-narrowband-iot-nb-iot

Anatomic Pathology Track and Trace Solutions Market

View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Othe-447/global-anatomic-pathology-track-and-trace-solutions

ABOUT US:

Valuates offers in-depth market insights into various industries. Our extensive report repository is constantly updated to meet your changing industry analysis needs.

Our team of market analysts can help you select the best report covering your industry. We understand your niche region-specific requirements and that's why we offer customization of reports. With our customization in place, you can request for any particular information from a report that meets your market analysis needs.

To achieve a consistent view of the market, data is gathered from various primary and secondary sources, at each step, data triangulation methodologies are applied to reduce deviance and find a consistent view of the market. Each sample we share contains detail research methodology employed to generate the report, Please also reach to our sales team to get the complete list of our data sources

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SOURCE Valuates Reports
18 Sep 2020, 10:22 AM

Coronavirus vaccine in India likely by January, 2021, says Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan

Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan said on Thursday that the COVID-19 vaccine will be made available in India by the beginning of 2021.

His remarks come at a time when India is reporting over 50 lakh cases and people are expecting a viable vaccine with bated breath. He stated that PM Modi, the ministers, and state health ministers have been addressing the situation since January 8 fighting "this battle" together.

Insurance regulator IRDAI plans new solvency norms to deal with COVID-19 crisis

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) is planning to roll out some key reforms, such as risk-based solvency system and strengthened risk-management rules, to ensure than insurers are better equipped with capital adequacy to deal with socio-economic crisis like coronavirus pandemic.

China will have to approve TikTok-Oracle deal: ByteDance

China will need to approve ByteDance's proposed deal with Oracle Corp for its TikTok app, the Chinese company said on Thursday, indicating how its bid to stave off a ban in the United States could be further complicated. Oracle has submitted a proposal to the Trump administration that will allow it to become a technology partner in the TikTok app, as ByteDance hopes to head off a Trump order that it divest TikTok's U.S. operations.

COVID-19 crisis: Global economic recovery likely to take 5 years, says World Bank chief economist

The global economic recovery from the crisis originated by the coronavirus pandemic may take as much as five years, the World Bank's chief economist Carmen Reinhart said on Thursday. Reinhart said the pandemic-caused recession will last longer in some countries than in others and will exacerbate inequalities as the poorest will be harder hit by the crisis in rich countries and the poorest countries will be harder hit than richer countries.

WHO alerts of COVID-19 impetus as winter season looms in northern hemisphere

The World Health Organization warned on Wednesday that COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus, is spreading at a worrying pace in some parts of the northern hemisphere, a few months away from the winter influenza season. "We are seeing increases in hospitalisations, in intensive care units, particularly in Spain, France, Montenegro, Ukraine and some states of the United States. That is worrying because we have not seen the flu season yet."

Reliance Retail to offload up to 15-20% stake, raise Rs 80,000 crore

Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd (RRVL), the holding company of offline and online retail business of Reliance Industries (RIL), targets to offload 15-20 per cent stake to private equity players and strategic investors to raise up to Rs 80,000 crore, said two sources close to the development. They are in advanced stage of negotiations with at least ten foreign funds looking to complete the deal at Rs 4.2 lakh crore valuation appraised in the Silver Lake deal, they added.
This week the Pennsylvania Department of Aging released a study of financial exploitation of older adults.

Secretary of Aging Robert Torres described the findings as eye-opening and alarming and called on the state legislature to enact measures to protect older adults. While the legislative efforts underway are to be applauded, the study reveals how important it is for older adults to take steps to protect themselves.

Financial exploitation is underreported. Exploiters prey on older adults who are dependent on them for food, shelter or basic assistance with everyday activities. An older person may reasonably fear that reporting financial exploitation could lead to abandonment, poverty or placement in a facility. Sometimes the older person has lost the capacity to monitor bank accounts.

Where financial exploitation has been reported or detected, the numbers are staggering. The Department of Aging study audited county aging offices in 14 counties during the 2017-2018 fiscal year and found the following:

61% of victims were women and 43% lived alone.

45% of victims were widowed, 19% were single and 13% were married.

The average age of victims was 79.

65% of the perpetrators were family members, most often an adult child or grandchild.

The average loss to the victim was just under $40,000.

The estimated loss to older Pennsylvanians from exploitation in 2017-2018 was $58 million.

The largest percentage of exploitation involved unauthorized bank withdrawals, with scams making up about 28% of the losses.

Regardless of age or gender, older adults become targets for exploitation because they have accumulated savings over their lifespan and are more prone to changing health conditions that make them vulnerable. Research from the University of California concluded that older adults experience changes in the part of the brain responsible for detecting risk and recognizing violations of trust. As a result of these physical changes, older adults become more trusting.

There are resources in place and possibly more on the way to prevent and address the financial exploitation of older adults. The Older Adults Protective Services Act requires an investigation of abuse allegations within a certain number of hours, and protective services staff throughout the Commonwealth have a collaborative relationship with district attorneys and law enforcement agencies.

Any person who suspects that an older adult is being manipulated or exploited may report that suspicion to the local Area Agency on Aging. The report will be kept confidential and will be investigated.

Bank employees are on the front lines of this issue. They receive extensive training to spot when someone may be trying to exploit an older person. The Senior Safe Act, a federal law enacted in 2018, makes it easier for banks to report financial exploitation without violating privacy rules.

AARP developed a program called BankSafe to train bank and credit union employees on how to detect and resolve instances of exploitation. The organization reports that the program has stopped over $1 million in fraudulent transfers.

In the Pennsylvania legislature, a package of bills was introduced to address elder abuse. The sponsors, which include Rep. Kate Klunk of York County, aim to give the attorney general additional authority to investigate and prosecute elder financial abuse and to make it easier for older adults to file a civil lawsuit when they have been exploited.

If the United States finds itself in an extended recession as a result of the pandemic, the circumstances are ripe for desperate people to exploit older family members. The tools provided by this pending state legislation will become increasingly important to the financial well-being of older Pennsylvanians.

While the government examines the staggering scope of this problem and devises solutions, there are steps that older adults can take to protect themselves:

Have in place a durable financial power of attorney. The power of attorney is an essential component of any estate plan. An older adult can plan for incapacity by authorizing a trustworthy person to deal on the older persons behalf with banks, insurance companies, investment companies and other entities involved with financial or real estate matters. Although elder financial abuse happens when a power of attorney is in place, there are clear requirements in Pennsylvania law that allow courts to crack down on persons acting improperly under a power of attorney.

Having a power of attorney is far better than making another person a joint owner on a bank account for many reasons. Not only does having a joint owner on an older persons account subject the older persons money to the joint owners creditors, but also the joint owner has no fiduciary duty under the law to manage the money in the best interest of the older person. If the motivation to make someone a joint owner on a bank account is for convenience in bill paying, the same convenience can be achieved with a power of attorney.

Ask for regular bank statements. Any person who trusts someone else to manage money or pay bills should request regular proof of the status of the money. Exploitation thrives in darkness. By shining a light regularly on the status of an older persons money, any exploitation can be detected and nipped in the bud.

Get regular cognitive checkups. According to the Alzheimers Associations 2019 Facts and Figures, 82% of older adults believe it is important to have their cognitive abilities regularly checked for signs of decline, but only 16% actually receive regular cognitive assessments. The Alzheimers Association anticipates the number of older adults living with the disease will increase by 14% over the next six years, and more than 320,000 older Pennsylvanians will be living with the disease.

Alzheimers disease is just one of many forms of dementia that afflict older people, and normal aging processes diminish the ability of any person to be wary of exploitation. Older persons should not assume that they will intuitively know when someone is trying to take advantage of them.

Consider technology solutions. There are technology solutions emerging all the time to help older adults to monitor their finances and detect potentially harmful transactions. EverSafe.com is just one solution that is designed specifically for older adults. The program analyzes your historical financial behavior to develop a profile and then watches for transactions that deviate from that profile. It looks for unusual withdrawals, changes in spending patterns, late bill payments and irregular investment activity. Suspicious activity alerts are sent by phone, text or email.

Consult an elder law attorney. Elder law attorneys draft estate planning documents to improve the security of an older person and to mitigate the high cost of long-term care. They are equipped to respond to exploitation by cutting off the ability of an exploiter to access bank accounts and, if necessary, to pursue the exploiter for the return of stolen money. Most important, elder law attorneys are attuned to family dynamics and can offer counsel to older adults about how best to protect themselves and their hard-earned savings.

Learn more about the articles author, and other community education opportunities, at www.keystoneelderlaw.com. Check out the book, Long Term Care Guide: Essential Tools for Solving the Elder Care Puzzle, at the Whistlestop Bookshop or Amazon, and see Keystones free directory of services for older adults at www.mypeaceguide.com. Keystone Elder Law has offices in Mechanicsburg and Carlisle. Call 717-697-3223 for a free telephone consultation.

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On Sept. 18, 2020, NASA's Aqua satellite provided a visible image of Subtropical Storm Alpha in the eastern North Atlantic Ocean near Portugal's coast. Credit: NASA Worldview, Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS).

Subtropical Storm Alpha has formed near the coast of Portugal, becoming the first named storm using the Greek Alphabet list, now that the annual list of names is exhausted. NASA's Aqua satellite obtained visible imagery of the new storm.

NASA Satellite View

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer or MODIS instrument that flies aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured a visible image of Subtropical Storm Alpha on Sept. 18 at 8:30 a.m. EDT (1:30 p.m. local time) near Portugal. The image showed a better-organized small low-pressure area that has been rotating around a larger extratropical low pressure area. Satellite imagery shows that moderate-to-deep convection has persisted near the center creating thunderstorms since last night. Meanwhile scatterometer data shows a closed 40-knot low-pressure area, and the National Hurricane Center noted that radar images from Portugal show a definite organized convective pattern.

Although Alpha is "likely neutral- or cold-core, it has developed enough tropical characteristics to be considered a subtropical storm," said Eric Blake, senior hurricane specialist at NOAA's National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami, Fla.

Satellite imagery was created using NASA's Worldview product at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

Alpha's Status

At 12:30 p.m. EDT (1630 UTC), NOAA's National Hurricane Center (NHC) noted the center of Subtropical Storm Alpha was located near latitude 39.9 degrees north and longitude 9.3 degrees west. That is just 75 miles (125 km) north of Lisbon, Portugal. The storm is moving toward the northeast near 17 mph (28 kph), and this general motion is expected during the next day or so before dissipation. Maximum sustained winds are near 50 mph (85 kph) with higher gusts. The estimated minimum central pressure is 999 millibars.

Alpha's Impacts

Alpha should move across the coast of west-central Portugal during the next couple of days. Little change in strength is expected before landfall, with rapid weakening over land through the weekend.

NHC said Alpha is expected to produce 1 to 2 inches (25 to 50 mm) of rainfall, with isolated amounts of 3 inches (75 mm) over the northern portion of Portugal and into west-central Spain through Saturday morning.

Information on wind hazards from Alpha can be found in products from the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere at http://www.ipma.pt.

Global models show the small low pressure area moving northeastward for the next 24 hours before dissipating over northern Spain or the Bay of Biscay.

Explore further NASA finds Tropical Storm Rene less affected by wind shear
Abigail Spencer looked effortlessly chic, as she ran errands in a breezy Meghan Markle-inspired olive green dress on Wednesday.

Bearing a striking resemble to her longtime pal, the 39-year-old actress was seen chatting away on her phone in a belted frock, which emphasized her trim waist.

While strutting around Brentwood in a pair of chic black sandals, the raven-haired beauty kept a fringed suede purse on her shoulder.

Effortlessly chic: Abigail Spencer appeared to be channeling her former Suits co-star Meghan Markle's signature style, as she ran errands in a breezy olive green dress on Wednesday

The Timeless star accessorized her classic ensemble with tortoiseshell sunglasses and her lengthy dark brown hair styled in bouncy waves.

Despite covering the majority of her face under a face mask, Spencer appeared in high sprits and completely recovered from her broken wrist.

She underwent surgery in May, after her attempt at performing a back handspring for a coronavirus relief video led to a painful injury.

Channeling Meghan: Bearing a striking resemble to her longtime pal, the 39-year-old actress was seen chatting away on her phone in her belted frock, which emphasized her trim waist

At the time, Spencer documented her pre-surgery antics on her Instagram Story as she was en route to the hospital with a female pal behind the wheel.

'My arm is my new favorite prop,' captioned the actress as she attempted to keep her spirits high.

She shared a string of clips to her Story that showed her playfully moving her pre-surgery cast around to various songs.

Pandemic life: When Abigail and her female friend arrived to the hospital, she returned to Instagram to show what it was like being in a hospital waiting room amid COVID-19

Riding solo: She admitted that 'that hardest part of the whole ordeal was having to go it alone'

Along with her light hearted videos, Spencer also shared a variety of support messages sent to her by close friends and family members.

When Abigail and her female friend arrived to the hospital, she returned to Instagram to show what it was like being in a hospital waiting room amid COVID-19.

'That pandemic pre-surgery waiting room life,' she wrote as she sported a face mask over her mouth and nose.

'It was just me [in the waiting room],' she wrote. 'We all wore masks. Everyone was so careful and mindful. The staff was incredible.'

Positive vibes: Abigail shared a string of clips to her Story that showed her playfully moving her pre-surgery cast around to various songs in the car

Support: Along with her light hearted videos, Spencer also shared a variety of support messages sent to her by close friends and family members

She admitted that 'that hardest part of the whole ordeal was having to go it alone.'

'But I had so many of you with me in spirit. I did not feel alone. Thank you!'

Abigail initially broke the news of her broken wrist on Thursday via an Instagram post shared with her over 560,000 followers.

The picture featured Spencer lying in her bed with a tray of food by her side and a cast that stretched from the crook of her arm to her knuckles.

Tight-knit bond: Earlier this month, Spencer visited the Duke and Duchess's Montecito neighborhood on Friday, when she set up a flower shop pop-up for her new business, County Line Florals (seen in 2019)

Earlier this month, Spencer visited the Duke and Duchess's Montecito neighborhood, when she set up a flower shop pop-up for her new business, County Line Florals.

The All My Children alum attended Meghan and Harry's wedding in the UK back in 2018, and she was also one of a very select group of guests invited to the Duchess of Sussex's star-studded baby shower in New York in February last year.

The pair became pals after meeting at an audition and further bonded on the set of Suits.

Longtime pals: The pair starred on their American legal drama television series, which ran from 2011-2019

The pair starred on their American legal drama television series from 2011-2019.

Spencer previously gushed about how Markle 'has incredible taste' and 'really influenced' her 'fashion and taste' over the years.

'We have a lot of similarities in what we like,' she told People.
Between August 1 and 25, the neighborhood of Son Gotleu, in the city of Palma in the Spanish island of Mallorca, had a coronavirus incidence rate of 7.28 cases per 1,000 inhabitants. It was by far the highest rate in the entire Balearic Islands, which also include the popular Ibiza. The epidemiological reports released during this period by the Balearic health department showed that the virus was spreading rapidly in the poorest areas of Palma, which at the time had an average incidence rate of 5.64 cases per 1,000 inhabitants.

The impact of the second Covid-19 wave on Son Gotleu ruined hopes that the pandemic could be contained in the middle of summer, and it led the Balearic regional government to adopt tighter restrictions. Last week, regional authorities ordered the selective lockdown of four neighborhoods in Palma, as well as different areas of Sant Antonio de Portmany and Ibiza city on Ibiza island.

What happened?

The 23,000 residents of Son Gotleu, Can Capes, La Soledat Nord and Son Canals, situated in the east of Palma, have been confined to a defined area  which is not physically marked in any way  since last Friday night. They are only allowed to leave the perimeter for essential business such as work, school and visits to the doctor. Capacity at shops and restaurants has been reduced by half, and social gatherings restricted to five people. Religious ceremonies and sporting activities have been suspended, and all stores have to close at 10pm.

It was not an easy decision to make, but it was necessary given the rising number of coronavirus cases in one of the most densely populated areas of the archipelago.

Studying the data, we are able to locate contagions, even on a street-by-street level, and this allowed us to have a much more detailed evaluation of transmission in different areas, explains Marga Frontera, who directs and coordinates the expert committee that has been advising the Balearic government during the deescalation process. This information helped us adjust our response so that, as a first step, we could narrow down the perimeter as much as possible and allow the affected municipality to maintain activity as normally as possible.

A cleaner disinfects a street in the Son Gotleu neighbourhood in September. JAIME REINA (AFP)

According to Frontera, the decision to partially confine four neighborhoods was based on the evolution of the disease in the area and specific worrying indicators, like the number of cases in the same building or home, which were seen in multiple instances and indicated possible community transmission of the virus. The measures limiting social gatherings and capacity at shops were introduced in a bid to reduce the number of contacts of each resident, and by doing so lower the risk of transmission. The restrictions will come to an end on Sunday, September 27, but may be extended if the situation has not improved.

The measures are also aimed at reducing mobility, which we know helps the virus spread to other areas. Thats why we need people to limit their movements, says Frontera.

The Balearic government is also considering measures for poorly-ventilated closed spaces, like gyms and religious sites, where many people gather without always wearing a face mask. They are especially risky circumstances for contagion, especially for mass contagions, and thats where we need to make more of an effort to restrict activity, says Frontera.

How is it being enforced?

But who is making sure that no one is leaving the confinement area? The local council has tasked 20 local police officers with supervising these neighborhoods and issuing sanctions if violations are detected. In the first few days of the lockdown, this translated into fines for not wearing a face mask or for smoking in public spaces without respecting social distancing. The National Police department explains that they are available to enforce the rules of the Balearic health department, but do not currently have any fixed checkpoint and are conducting patrols as per usual.

This means that it is down to the individual to follow the measures and reduce transmission in Palma. Vicenc Alemany, the owner of Alemany pharmacy in Son Gotleu, thinks that this will be difficult in his neighborhood. There are people who are very aware and worried about the issue, but I think it will be more difficult with youngsters, says Alemany. This is a complicated neighborhood because of social issues, and you have to explain the measures well to the people, because many of them dont even know that things have changed.

The lack of controls is also considered a problem by Jesus Heredia, a local from Son Gotleu, who says he has not seen more police officers in the neighborhood since it was confined. Some [officers] drive by here in a patrol car but they dont stop or do anything. I havent noticed any difference. There are people who follow [the measures], and others who go on the same as always. I know people who leave the neighborhood and nothing happens.

The mayor of Palma, Jose Hila, says its up to individual residents to comply with the rules. If we dont want more areas confined, I am calling on the people, even if it is just those in these neighborhoods, to strictly follow the heath rules, which are more than clear. Only through individual responsibility will we defeat Covid-19. What the administration does is not enough, he says, explaining that the measures were necessary.

I know people who leave the neighborhood and nothing happens Jesus Heredia, local from Son Gotleu

Citizens have to understand that these are the best measures that could be taken, and if they are not followed there will be consequences, he warned, adding that 42 fines were issued on Tuesday for leaving the lockdown area.

The restrictions in Palma come as part of a bigger regional plan in which local government inspectors are tasked with informing businesses of the health rules and making sure they are met with the help of the police. Door-to-door visits to homes in the areas are also being done to make sure people are observing the confinement orders, and to find out what locals need in order to do so. From Friday, the same restrictions will be applied to the neighborhoods of Son Forteza Sur, Plaza de Toros, Archiduque and some streets in Son Olivia, restricting the mobility of 20,000 residents.

If there is no sense of joint responsibility from the affected people, it will be difficult for it [the selective lockdown] to work, because obviously we cannot put up a physical perimeter in each area or a police officer behind each person, says Frontera.

English version by Melissa Kitson.
London: The COVID-19 pandemic could cause a short-term decline in life expectancy in the severely affected areas of the world, unless the spread of the disease is contained, according to a study. The research, published in the journal PLOS ONE, examined the impact of COVID-19-related deaths on life expectancy for four broad world regions across multiple rates of infection and age groups.

Guillaume Marois Associate professor, Asian Demographic Research Institute, Shanghai University, China told .

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
AKRON, Ohio -- Amazon announced Friday it is hiring for more than 1,500 full-time jobs ahead of the opening of its new distribution center at the former Rolling Acres Mall in Akron.

Applicants can review job postings at amazon.com/clevelandjobs, which is expected to include Akron positions starting at 1 p.m. Friday, the Seattle-based company said in a news release.

At the more than 640,000-square-foot distribution center, employees will work alongside robotic technology to fulfill customers' orders by receiving inventory, picking and shipping items and coordinating delivery logistics, according to Amazon.

Employees will be paid a $15 minimum wage, plus health, vision and dental insurance, 401(k) with 50% company match and up to 20 weeks paid paternity leave. Workers are also able to join Amazons Career Choice program, which pre-pays 95% of tuition for courses in high-demand" fields, including game design and visual communications, nursing, IT programming and radiology.

Construction of the Rolling Acres facility on Romig Road on Akrons southwest side began in July 2019, after Amazon announced its plans to build the facility, in coordination with the City of Akron, Summit County Executive Ilene Shapiros Office, the Summit County Land Bank and JobsOhio.

Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan has repeatedly called the facility the single largest job-creating project we have undertaken in a generation."

Gov. Mike DeWine said in 2019 when the company announced plans to construct the Akron facility, along with a distribution center in Rossford, near Toledo, that "Amazon continues to demonstrate confidence in the great workforce and e-commerce business climate we have in Ohio.

More than 23,500 Ohioans work for Amazon or Amazon-owned businesses, including at eight distribution centers, six delivery stations, 12 Whole Foods Markets, four Amazon Hub Locker locations and a wind farm in northwest Ohio.

The company reported spending more than $4 billion on coronavirus-related safety measures this year, including about $800 million for employee temperature checks, masks, enhanced cleaning, gloves and sanitation stations.
Tamil Nadu: Villagers demand better basic amenities

September 17,2020 | Source: The Hindu

Demanding better basic amenities in their village, residents of Keezh Seithalai under Chandragiri panchayat in Ottapidaaram taluk submitted a petition to Collector Sandeep Nanduri on Monday. They staged a demonstration in front of the Collectorate to highlight their demand.



They said the main road was in the worst shape for the past six years and most of the street lights were not glowing. Though the villagers had submitted petition to the Block Development Officer on three occasions, no step was taken.



Plaint against plant



Residents of Thennampatti under Ottapidaaram taluk submitted a petition accusing a solar power plant of encroaching upon the waterways taking water to the village tank. They said administration of the solar power plant, which had been set-up on over 400 acres of land, had illegally occupied the waterways. Since the obstructions made across these waterways would effectively stop the flow of water into the village tank, Thennampatti would be denied of water and become desert.



Fishermens plea



A group of fishermen, led by one Annadurai, submitted a petition urging the Collector to negotiate with the Thoothukudi Port Trust, which was planning to close the entrance near the Port Guest House leading to the New Harbour Beach. Since good number of fishermen, all using shore nets to harvest fishes for the past several years, were using New Harbour Beach for their fishing operations and using this entrance to take the harvested fishes to the market, the decision to close this entrance would seriously affect them.



Petition submitted



A group of women from Srini Nagar near Korampallam submitted a petition against a fish processing unit in their area. They said the fish processing unit, situated on the southern end of Srini Nagar, was posing serious health hazards to the residents as it was uncontrollably discharging the water used for washing and processing the fish, crab and the prawn. As the water discharged from the fish processing unit was emanating unbearable odour, the Collector should order the company to take immediate measures to address the problems causing health issues, they said.



Toll collection flayed



Office-bearers of Siva Bharatha Makkal Iyakkam submitted a petition against the collection of toll in the toll plazas at Vaagaikulam and Pudur Pandiapuram even as roads were not being maintained properly. Moreover, no mandatory medical facilities had been created in these toll plazas. Hence, the Collector should take steps to cancel collection of toll in these points, the petitioners said.



Action sought



Hindu Makkal Katchi cadre submitted a petition accusing the Thoothukudi Roman Catholic Diocese of instigating the students to agitate against New Education Policy.
Faceoff over Covid: Bhabhi ji ke Papad jibe; war over clanging utensils

A massive faceoff was witnessed between MPs of the opposition and the government over the handling of the Covid pandemic. Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut slammed BJP MPs who had questioned Maharashtra government over the Covid crisis. Raut said that this is not an issue that should be politicized and added took a jibe at the BJP saying that 30,000 people had not recovered by 'eating Bhabhi ji ka papad.' Meanwhile, AAP MP Sanjay Singh lashed out at the BJP governments in Uttar Pradesh and Himachal and said that there was large scale corruption the states with regard to purchase of crucial equipments. He also mocked PM Modi's appeal to the country to light diyas and clang utensils. BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi then hit back and drew an analogy with Gandhi spinning the charka to justify the call to clang utensils as a symbolic gesture. He also said that the government took pro-active steps to ensure that Covid spread could be minimized. Watch the full video to know more. ...read more


Annual Report 2020

Sydney, Sep 18, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - MNF Group Ltd ( ASX:MNF ) ( FRA:M2S ) has delivered another record result at the top end of the guidance range EBITDA rose to $38.2 million, up 26% on prior year, and NPAT rose to $11.95 million.This year saw several large one-off expenses relating to restructuring and integrating the Telcoinabox business, however underlying NPAT-A grew to $16.6 million.This led to an underlying EPS-A rise to 20.7 cents per share. The Company finished the year in a strong cash position with $46.1 million in cash, and retains a finance facility for $60 million of which $30 million is undrawn.To view the Annual Report, please visit:About Symbio Holdings Limited

Symbio Holdings Limited (ASX:SYM) is one of Asia-Pacific's fastest growing technology companies. Listed on the ASX since 2006 and twice winner of the Forbes Asia-Pacific "Best under a Billion" award. Headquartered in Sydney, Australia, the company has over 500 people located across Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America. Symbio develops and operates a global communications network and software suite enabling some of the world's leading innovators to deliver new-generation communications solutions.

As the world moves to IP, Symbio is building the brands, services, network and technology to lead the way.
When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle decided to step down as senior members of the Royal Family earlier this year, Queen Elizabeth II supported them wholeheartedly.

Instead of insisting on the royal protocols, the 94-year-old monarch gave the Duke and Duchess of Sussex the freedom they requested. The couple freely moved from the United Kingdom to Canada before taking a giant leap to Los Angeles.

While the British monarchy is no longer funding Prince Harry and Meghan's residence, security, and leisure and has stripped them of the "His/Her Royal Highness" title, the couple still enjoys their freedom while being recognized as royals.

Aside from buying a million-dollar Montecito mansion from their own pockets, the Sussexes also started anew when they recently signed a megadeal with the streaming giant, Netflix.

It only proves that they are genuinely living the independent life that they have always dreamed of.

However, a royal expert just warned that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle could spoil their freedom anytime, as the Queen could take it away from them soon.

Speaking to Express, Richard Fitzwilliam said that Queen Elizabeth II could take back Prince Harry and Meghan's freedom in just six months.

"It is important to bear in mind that Harry and Meghan are a unique case," Fitzwilliam said.

The royal expert reminded that the Sussexes are still under a 12-month transition period designed to ensure all arrangements will be beneficial to all parties involved.

"They are non-working royals, provided the arrangement which the Queen brokered at Sandringham is renewed before the end of next March," Fitzwilliam added.

While the terms Queen Elizabeth and the Sussexes agreed do not prevent the couple from pursuing financial ventures and commercial deals to fund their independent lives, Fitzwilliam stressed that the freedom they enjoy right now is still subjected to a 12-month review.

Before officially stepping down as senior royals, the Sussexes confirmed that they agreed to a 12-month transition period, which inclusions were posted on their official website.

"While there is precedent for other titled members of the Royal Family to seek employment outside of the institution, for The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, a 12-month review period has been put in place," the Sussexes statement reads.

Usually, a 12-month transition period is given to departing royals. It is Queen Elizabeth II's way of giving them the freedom to come running back home in case they regret their decision to turn their back from the Royal Family.

The review period also allows both parties to weigh in "what's working and what is not working."

"The point of the 12-month review is that the family wants the best for them, and everyone recognizes this is uncharted territory," a palace source said back in February.

"Rather than do something finite, this is a pragmatic family conversation about what's working and what's perhaps not working," the source added.

READ MORE: Katy Perry Heartbreak: Orlando Bloom Wedding Plans Canceled?
Rush Limbaugh is tired of a term he used for several years: the Drive-By Media. He wonders what our feckless, reckless media should be called now.

The question is not easy. The media have become bizarrely the opposite of what they were. What label would capture the curious absence of truth, vitality, and intellectual excitement? The goal now is to control news, not to find news. Today's journalists have much in common with meter maids and elderly bureaucrats. Fatigue and desuetude hang in the air.

The Moribund Media  that's perfectly accurate but perhaps not enough.

Where can we look for inspiration? How about an immense cemetery with tombstones row on row as at Flanders Fields?

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Or perhaps we should contemplate a deserted city, with nothing left but buildings constructed long ago, now empty and collapsing.

Years ago, the American West was dotted with abandoned towns. Everything had been left to rot and steadily fall to dust. Snakes slithered through once boisterous saloons.

These places were called ghost towns. On the one hand, they were ghosts of their former selves. Equally, the name announces that nobody lives there now but the unhappy dead. Once hell-bent gunfighters or unhappy prostitutes, now they puzzle over where they went wrong. Ghosts are commonly said to be stubborn and immature. If they want to hang around placing invisible bets in invisible games of poker, they will do it. If they want to report what isn't there, they will do it.

Ghosts make us think of people creepy and spooky. There are few things more spooky than the modern journalists who live inside the abandoned structures and pretensions of a once respectable profession. They can embrace a position for or against any set of circumstances.

The New York Times made this the establishment view 40 years ago. The people running that paper announced that there is no objective reality, only a reporter's feelings and prejudices. Nothing is real but the reporter's unreality. In the past few years, the Times announced that defeating Trump is all that matters. Journalists should lie 24/7. Obsessions so grandiose are spooky.

So what is the official name for this weird state? Solipsism is one name. (Nothing exists but you.) Insanity is another name. (You're nuts.) Gross immaturity is still another. (You're 40, acting 15.) Or maybe the whole thing is just more dishonest agitprop from people who claim the ends justify the means. (You are a communist.)

Education has declined like journalism, apparently mismanaged by the same sort of pretenders. So now we have ghost education, curiously dysfunctional like our ghost media. Venerable methods have been hollowed out and no longer work, but they're kept standing by new marketing slogans, new so-called research.

The forms, the structures, the nomenclature, the purposes, all built in the past; but now they're empty husks, slowly disintegrating in desert winds.

Ghost Media makes us think of empty people, like the big media bosses whom T.S. Eliot describes so well:

We are the hollow men

We are the stuffed men

Leaning together

Headpiece filled with straw. Alas!

Our dried voices, when

We whisper together

Are quiet and meaningless

As wind in dry grass

This is the dead land...

Ghost Media are like the Ghost University, that stopped emphasizing discernment or wisdom or knowledge. Now many brains remain lopsided, headpieces filled with straw.

It's poignant and funny to think of today's Harvard adopting the motto Veritas. Couldn't happen. That was the Truth that higher education and most journalists claimed to pursue  the truth and only the higher truth. That's a long-ago structure from the past, now inhabited by spooky little dust devils such as Rachel Maddow and Don Lemon.

Journalism's formula used to be factual: who, what, when, where, and why. Now reporting is different. You fabricate. You tell what George Soros wants you to tell. You create alternative realities, not even knowing that this is what you do.

Once upon a time, a reporter needed to know history, geography, and science. Now those things only get in the way. They too are becoming ghosts.

Ghost Media  it's a convenient term for talking about something that was once honorable and lively but is now a dead zone.

Bruce Deitrick Price is the author of Saving K12: What happened to our public schools? How do we fix them?, a lively short explanation of problems in K12.
An apartment complex in Gyeonggi Province/gettyimagebank



By Kim Se-jeong



The Gyeonggi Province government's plan to impose regulations on foreign real estate investors is drawing a backlash from many who view it as discrimination.



According to a local government official, the regulations which may go into effect as early as mid-October will require foreign residential home buyers to receive a permit from a local district office before signing a contract for a property. In the permit, the buyer has to prove that the property would be for their own use, not for renting out purposes.



"It sounds like another case of scapegoating foreigners. While I'm sure the number of foreign transactions is up, I imagine it's insignificant compared to the number of transactions made by Koreans," a person from the U.S. who's currently looking to purchase a home in Seoul told The Korea Times.



"If they were to restrict us this way, I'm doubtful it would have any impact on real estate prices. To me, this is politically motivated and at the expense of foreign residents, many of whom call Korea their home".



Another person from New Zealand echoed that opinion, saying "Foreign residents are hurt by big increases in house prices just as much as Korean residents. If this is a smart policy, then why not make it universal instead of targeted against foreigners."



Not all areas in the province will be affected by the new regulations, and the provincial government will soon announce the areas to be affected by the new regulations.



The official defended the measure saying the intention was to stop real estate speculation and to make the housing market more affordable for Gyeonggi Province residents.



"We have many signs of real estate speculation in Gyeonggi which can affect people who need a home for themselves," the official said, adding that a permit would be easy to get if the property is for the buyer's use."



The entire country, including Gyeonggi Province, has seen the number of foreign real estate "investments" increasing.



Between May 2017 and May this year, 23,219 foreigners obtained 23,167 apartments across the country. This year alone from January and May, foreigners bought 3,514 apartments nationwide. There was no data specific to Gyeonggi Province available.



More than half of the foreigners are Chinese, followed by Americans and those of other nationalities.



The local and central governments recently tightened regulations to curb real estate speculation in Korea, but Gyeonggi Province was the first to target foreign investors alone.


Around 12 percent of school pupils, over one million children, have not returned since the full reopening of schools imposed by the government from the beginning of this month. The majority of these are families who have no confidence in the governments claim that schools are the safest place that children can be.

Parents concerns for the welfare and safety of their children have been confirmed in the exponential growth in the rise of infections in the past two weeks across the UK and especially in England being fuelled by the reopening of schools

By Thursday evening, 1,118 schools had been hit by coronavirus infections, forcing many to close partially or fully. This number is rising rapidly. Up to 25,000 teachers in England have also been forced out of the classroom and into self-isolation amid a national shortage of COVID-19 tests due to the inability to process them.

Headteachers representing more than 16,000 pupils in Gateshead in north-east England, which has now imposed a local lockdown due to its high infection rate, said the lack of COVID-19 testing would break some schools and that their plan for returning children to classrooms had collapsed due to the crisis.

The governments test and trace system is in utter shambles. Thousands of anxious applicants to the official website were repeatedly greeted this week with a page informing them, This service is currently very busy. More tests should be available later. Others fortunate enough to be granted a test appointment are being forced to travel hundreds of miles to a test centre.

In the absence of any coordinated opposition by the Labour Party and the trade unions, who fully endorse the governments back to work agenda, resistance is taking a more independent form, such as the development of online parent forums. Boycott Return To Unsafe Schools (BRTUS) was formed in May, while schools were still in lockdown. It has sought to draw together and inform all those concerned about the governments unsafe re-opening of the schools. The group reported outbreaks at schools across the UK during the period August 12 to September 7, when the government propaganda media machine was in overdrive to convince parents that schools were COVID secure.

Many thousands of experiences and concerns relating to school/home life under the shadow of COVID-19generally purged from the mediahave been shared on the BRTUS site. It has also acted as a support network, with some teachers offering help and advice to parents struggling to provide their children with an education during school closures.

The BRTUS group also produced the first map of the UK detailing school closures due to outbreaks of COVID-19. In the absence of any official correlation of cases, this was a vital source of information for parents.

In July, following one month of the partial reopening of schools, the World Socialist Web Site spoke to Jennifer Jones, the administrator of the Facebook BRTUS group. Jones had become involved through a friend on Facebook the previous month, due to her sons situation at a special school. The BRTUS Facebook page then stood at around 4,000 members. As schools reopened from September, membership has risen to over 11,600 and continues to grow daily.

Many parents have voiced their anxiety about the safety of their children and political opposition to the governments herd immunity programme and lack of even minimal protection for children and staff.

Heather comments: The media slandering people and defending the Governmentno matter how the Gov lies and misleads and misinformsthe media attacks people who are misled not the one dishing out the lies and confusion.

Terrie writes: Just been thinking if people cant get tests for their children, or school staff then surely theres going to be many more cases. Children in affected bubble arent going to be sent home because theres not gonna be any test results to say that a bubble needs to isolate. Thats a scary thought and seems that the government want it this way thinking were daft enough to believe schools are safe as none will be sending kids home. Im genuinely worried for school kids and school staff.

Ann exposed the class basis of the governments agenda: The schools have re-opened so parents can get back to offices, so the property portfolio of rich office block owners can keep rental income. This is nothing to do about public health, about which politicians do not care less. However, politicians are so out of touch, they have not realised that firms big and small have seen that technology has advanced so much that it has made home working efficient, so they are giving up rental altogether. They will not return.

Fatima revealed the tremendous strain and stress on families whose children are being sent home with symptoms: Feeling v down my 11-year-old daughter been to school just 2 days and then was poorly for the rest of the week, got covid positive test result today. Please pray she gets well soon Im vv worried.

Katy wrote: How many of you have kept your children off school? I have as I really dont believe it is safe, our children are being used as guinea pigs! How many fines do you receive before having to go to court? My anxiety is through the roof. My children are currently being homeschooled by myself. I feel pushed to potentially put my childrens lives and my family at risk or be forced to be punished by keeping them off. I feel sick with it all. My husband is at high risk, Im at high risk due to health issues and my one son has extreme asthma. Ive already lost my Nan.

The re-opening of schools, early years settings, colleges, and, from next week, universities, which has been described the UKs largest annual migration, will have devastating consequences.

Under the US Trump administration, data released this week by the American Academy of Pediatrics revealed that 500,000 children have now tested positive for COVID-19.

The Socialist Equality Party has consistently warned of the inevitable resurgence in COVID-19 cases and deaths if the ruling class reopens society amid the ongoing pandemic. In opposition to this homicidal policy, we advance the measures necessary to protect lives and keep society safe: the initiation of independent education rank and file committees.

These committees will unite all parents, teachers and school staff, to demand the closures of unsafe schools and adopt safety measures for those forced to continue to work. These committees will unleash the tremendous power that exists in the working class, behind the call for a general strike against school re-openings.

All those concerned with the deadly consequences of the reopening of schools should attend the next online meeting of the Educators Rank-and-File Committee on Saturday, September 19, 2-4 p.m.

To participate please register here.
Britain's biggest store chains are pinning their hopes on a bumper Christmas despite fears that strict measures to stop a second wave of coronavirus could devastate business.

After lurching to a 635million half-year loss  and revealing there would be no staff bonus for the first time since 1953  John Lewis Partnership chairman Dame Sharon White said the festive season would be 'particularly important' for its department stores and Waitrose supermarkets this year.

And Next chief executive Lord Wolfson warned the recently enforced 'rule of six' is 'likely to depress demand for gifts and clothing associated with traditional family get-togethers' if it remains in place in December.

John Lewis Partnership boss Dame Sharon White, right, said Christmas would be 'particularly important' while Next chief exec Lord Wolfson, left, fears 'rule of six' may depress demand

Retailers, including Marks & Spencer, are understood to have become increasingly nervous that the restrictions on social gatherings will curb festive celebration, denting sales of food, drink and party dresses.

In a letter to staff confirming they would not receive a bonus, White acknowledged the outlook is 'uncertain' but said households are particularly 'excited' about Christmas this year.

John Lewis opened its Christmas shop section on its website on August 24  ten days earlier than it did last year  following a surge in online enquiries about festive products including Christmas trees, baubles, and mince pies.

White insisted she is not being 'naive' about the risk posed by further lockdowns, curfews and the Government's new 'rule of six' limit on social gatherings.

But she said: 'We can see in the trading right now how excited people are. Most families are going to want a bit of a lift this Christmas however we're going to celebrate it.

'We've got some fantastic plans in both brands really to deliver the best Christmas for families after what I think for everybody has been a pretty torrid, pretty difficult year.'

Pippa Wicks, John Lewis executive director, said: 'We are expecting the same demand as last year, if not better than last year.'

Waitrose thrives post-Ocado Waitrose has reported a surge in online orders since it severed ties with Ocado at the start of the month. The upmarket grocer is battling to boost its online business, after Ocado joined forces with Marks & Spencer to deliver shopping to Middle England households. Yesterday it claimed Waitrose.com is doing a roaring trade  delivering around 170,000 orders a week, up from around 60,000 before the pandemic. The supermarket also said it had seen a strong pick-up in demand since the end of its relationship with Ocado on September 1 , with Waitrose.com orders up 9 per cent in the first week.

Local shopping lift for Co-op The Co-op has seized its biggest share of the grocery market for almost two decades as the pandemic drives exceptional demand. The business said families were eating out less frequently and shopping closer to home, delivering a boost to its food sales. It helped the grocer grow its market share to a peak of 7.4 per cent in July, according to research by Kantar, up from 6 per cent before the Covid-19 lockdown. The boom in demand also lifted Co-ops revenues by 7.6 per cent to 5.8billion in the 26 weeks to July 4, with profits surging 35 per cent to 27million. On the back of the success, the group is handing staff a pay rise.

Boris Johnson has revealed plans to loosen the rule of six so that extended families can spend Christmas together.

But the Prime Minister has insisted this will only be possible if people abide by the social distancing rules now, to help stop the rise in infections.

In an interview with The Sun he said this may involve imposing a curfew on business such as pubs to flatten the curve.

A dent in Christmas sales is the last thing that struggling retailers  including John Lewis  need. John Lewis, famous for its Christmas adverts each year, revealed the devastating impact of the coronavirus crisis on the group, which includes Waitrose.

It was forced to write down the value of John Lewis stores by 470million after their closure during the lockdown accelerated the switch to online shopping.

This, allied with 200million in lost sales from the lockdown and a 50million Covid bill, including for PPE equipment for staff, dragged the John Lewis Partnership to a 635million loss in the six months to the end of July.

Even without these exceptional items, it fell to a pre-tax loss of 55million. Meanwhile, Next increased its full-year earnings outlook for the second time in as many months after a surge in summer sales.

Sales were boosted by fewer people taking holidays abroad in August and cool weather at the end of the month  compared to a heatwave last year  which buoyed demand for its warmer autumn ranges.

While full-price sales plunged by a third in its first half, Next also said trading since the lockdown had been 'resilient' due to strong online sales.

The fashion chain expects to turn a full year profit of 300million  down heavily on the 729million the previous year but up sharply from the 195million it had been predicting in July.

But it said it fell to a loss of 16.5million in the six months to the end of July  down from a profit of 327.4million last year. And it warned the end of the furlough scheme, a rise in the infection rate over the winter and tighter social distancing rules could hit sales.

The retailer also revealed it expects to renew leases on 60 stores. Based on negotiations with landlords so far it expects it to slash rents by half on average  saving it just under 10million a year.
Amid a global assault on human rights stretching from Belarus to Hong Kong to Yemen, the European Union signaled yesterday that it may act to deter corrupt kleptocrats and state abusers by hitting them where it hurts: their assets.

Driving the news: Europe's chief executive Ursula von der Leyen revealed in her first-ever State of the Union speech that she will bring forth a European Magnitsky Act, a sanctions framework modeled after a U.S. law that restricts malign actors' access to travel and the global financial system.

Why it matters: For all the ridicule its earned as a bureaucracy-addled bloc with a penchant for "strongly worded" statements, the EU is still the worlds largest single market area and a leading promoter of democratic values.

The big picture: Getting the EU on board would be a major victory for Bill Browder, an investor and activist who has spent the past 10 years lobbying world governments to pass sanctions legislation in the name of his late tax adviser, Sergei Magnitsky.

Browder's Hermitage Capital was once the largest foreign investor in Russia, where his broadsides against corporate corruption made him a thorn in the side of the oligarchs.

was once the largest foreign investor in Russia, where his broadsides against corporate corruption made him a thorn in the side of the oligarchs. His visa was revoked in 2005 and his offices were later raided by Russian authorities as part of an apparent tax fraud investigation. Browder commissioned Magnitsky, then a 35-year-old lawyer, to figure out what happened.

in 2005 and his offices were later raided by Russian authorities as part of an apparent tax fraud investigation. Browder commissioned Magnitsky, then a 35-year-old lawyer, to figure out what happened. Magnitsky went on to uncover a massive fraud scheme allegedly involving Russian officials. His testimony against the Russian state resulted in his 11-month detention, torture and eventual death in prison in 2009.

Browder's decade-long anti-corruption campaign in the wake of Magnitsky's death yielded new sanctions frameworks in the U.S. (2012 and expanded in 2016), Canada (2015), the Baltic states (20162018), the U.K. (2018) and Kosovo (2020). He is likely the most wanted man in Russia.

What they're saying: Browder has called a European Magnitsky Act "probably the most devastating thing that could happen to the Putin regime" given the property and assets that key players own in Europe.

He told me the legislation "has been held up for almost a decade by various member states and politicians who wanted to either please or appease Putin."

the legislation "has been held up for almost a decade by various member states and politicians who wanted to either please or appease Putin." But after the poisoning last month of fellow Putin critic Alexei Navalny with a nerve agent known to be a calling card of the Russian security services, Browder says those people have "disappeared into the woodwork."

last month of fellow Putin critic Alexei Navalny with a nerve agent known to be a calling card of the Russian security services, Browder says those people have "disappeared into the woodwork." Note: Navalny is awake in a German hospital and posting on Instagram after two weeks in a medically induced coma. He plans to return to Russia.

Yes, but: Some experts warn that money laundering loopholes in the international financial system render Magnitsky laws ineffective, especially in the U.K. And questions still remain about the EU's willingness to stand up to China, the world's second-largest economy and one of its worst human rights abusers.

Between the lines: If the EU does move forward with an assets-focused sanctions law, Browder tells me the first targets should be the people who killed Magnitsky  followed swiftly by the perpetrators of the Rohingya genocide in Myanmar, the operators of mass detention camps in Xinjiang, and the authorities cracking down on protests in Hong Kong and Belarus.

What to watch: The EU's chief diplomat has called for the sanctions law to be named the "Navalny Act."
The press service of the encyclopedia's Ukrainian version suggested that the move is due to the growing global use of "Kyiv" in English-language sources.

A multilingual online encyclopedia Wikipedia corrected the spelling of the Ukrainian capital from "Kiev" to "Kyiv" in its English version.

That's according to the press service of Wikipedia's Ukrainian version.

"We have not yet fully believed in it, waiting if they suddenly say this is a prank but... the nineteenth year into the article's existence, lots of blocked users and fifteen archived title discussion pages later, the thirteenth attempt saw the Kiev article in the English-language Wikipedia being renamed to Kyiv," the comment says.

Read alsoThe New York Times starts spelling "Kyiv"The press service suggested that the moderators decided to "rename" the article because of the growing use of "Kyiv" in English-language sources.

Also, on September 15, the Ukrainian Wikipedia went up to 17th spot among 303 language sections in terms of the number of articles submitted.

As of 10:00 on Tuesday, September 15, a total of 1,043,469 articles had already been published in Ukrainian.

Background
The number of virus cases has increased by more than 10 percent in the past two weeks in over half the countries of Europe. In seven of those countries, the number of cases has doubled. The region has recorded at least 220,000 deaths from the virus.

In France, cities including Lyon and Nice have experienced a worrying rise in cases and will have to enact new restrictions on public gatherings. The country's rate per capita of new cases over the last seven days is currently one of the highest in Europe, with 91 cases per 100,000 residents, up from 10 at the end of July.

Here are the latest updates and maps of the pandemic.

In other developments:
New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday accepted the resignation of Food Processing Industries Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who had resigned the previous night in protest against three farm sector bills.

The President of India, as advised by the prime minister, has accepted the resignation of Harsimrat Kaur Badal from the Union Council of Ministers, with immediate effect," the Rashtrapati Bhavan said in a statement.

Further, as advised by the prime minister, the president has directed that Cabinet Minister Narendra Singh Tomar be assigned the charge of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, in addition to his existing portfolios, it said.

Tomar holds multiple portfolios including the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Rural Development Ministry and the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.

The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill. It has already passed Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill.

I have resigned from the Union Cabinet in protest against anti-farmer ordinances and legislation. Proud to stand with farmers as their daughter and sister," Badal tweeted, hours before the bills were passed by Lok Sabha.

I have resigned from Union Cabinet in protest against anti-farmer ordinances and legislation. Proud to stand with farmers as their daughter & sister. Harsimrat Kaur Badal (@HarsimratBadal_) September 17, 2020

As the issue drove a wedge between the Shiromani Akali Dal and the BJP, with ruling Congress trying to capitalize on the issue in Punjab, the former said it will decide on whether to remain in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at a later date.

SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal told reporters outside Parliament that his party is ready to make any sacrifice for farmers and their welfare. The partys future course of action and whether to stay in the NDA or not will be decided in a party meeting later," he said.

Reacting to Harsimrat Kaurs resignation, the BJP said she walked out under the pressure of Punjabs local politics. However, the party still hopes that the matter will be resolved after discussion with the SAD.

The three agricultural bills passed in the Parliament on Thursday will benefit the farmers. But the way the Congress has spread lies in Punjab, I think the SAD has also come under the pressure of local politics thats why Harsimrat Kaur resigned. The SAD is also aware about the benefits to farmers from the bills, news agency IANS quoted BJP spokesperson on economic affairs Gopal Kirshna Agarwal as saying.

Agarwal said, We are continuously exposing the lies being spread about the bills. Parties like Congress are lying that the minimum support price (MSP) has been scrapped while it has nothing to with all the three bills. Not only MSP but APMC is also not been scrapped."

He said that the opposition is spreading lies about the agricultural reforms in a similar way it did at the time of Citizenship Amendment Act, adding that the government is trying to meet the demands of the farmers through these three bills.

.
FAIRFIELD, N.J., Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Medimetriks Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the Company received a Type C Meeting Written Response from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding MM36 (difamilast) for the topical treatment of mild to moderate atopic dermatitis (AD). Based upon the FDA response, Medimetriks is preparing to conduct a single pivotal trial in the U.S. for MM36's New Drug Application (NDA), which will be supported by data from already-completed Phase 3 trials conducted in Japan.

Earlier this year Medimetriks announced that Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. achieved positive results in two Phase 3 clinical trials of MM36 (difamilast) conducted in Japan in adult and pediatric patients with AD.

Based upon FDA's recent guidance and the Company's successful End of Phase 2 Meeting, Medimetriks will also reduce the size of its MM36 (difamilast) Phase 3 pivotal trial program by approximately 80%, from the prior total of 1,578 patients across two pivotal trials to a projected total of 336 patients in a single pivotal U.S. trial.

"We are very pleased with the FDA meeting outcome, which paves the way to accelerate and complete the final steps of the MM36 development program," said Brad Glassman, Chairman and CEO of Medimetriks. "Given MM36's potential class-leading efficacy, tolerability and itch relief demonstrated in Phase 2 and Phase 3 studies, we expect MM36 to be a formidable competitor to Pfizer's Eucrisa and AD development candidates from Arcutis and Incyte. Our goal remains steadfast and clear: to significantly enhance patient care and help children and adults suffering from AD achieve better outcomes. We plan to move forward aggressively and begin the final pivotal trial."

About MM36 (difamilast)

Medimetriks has sole, exclusive US rights to develop and commercialize MM36 (difamilast). Discovered by Otsuka, MM36 (difamilast) is an investigational non-steroidal topical anti-inflammatory PDE4 inhibitor in development for the treatment of mild to moderate atopic dermatitis. MM36 (difamilast) is believed to exert anti-inflammatory action by inhibiting the production of cytokines and chemical mediators thought to cause the signs and symptoms of atopic dermatitis. In particular, MM36 (difamilast) exhibits highly selective inhibitory activity against PDE4 subtype B, which is an enzyme that may play a significant role in inflammation.

About Atopic Dermatitis

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin condition characterized by red, swollen and cracked skin with intense itching. The onset of AD occurs most commonly between 3 and 6 months of age, with approximately 60% of patients developing the condition in the first year of life and 90% by 5 years of age. The majority of affected individuals have resolution of disease during childhood, although 10% to 30% of patients maintain the condition throughout their lives. A small percentage of the population develops first symptoms as adults. It has been estimated that approximately 18 million people are living with AD in the U.S. and this disease accounts for up to 20% of patient visits to dermatology offices.

About Otsuka

Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. is a global healthcare company with the corporate philosophy: "Otsuka  people creating new products for better health worldwide." Otsuka researches, develops, manufactures and markets innovative and original products, with a focus on pharmaceutical products for the treatment of diseases and nutraceutical products for the maintenance of everyday health.

Otsuka welcomes you to visit its global website at https://www.otsuka.co.jp/en.



About Medimetriks

Medimetriks Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a leading independent branded Dermatology company focused on the development, licensing and commercialization of innovative prescription skincare brands. The Company is dedicated to addressing unmet physician and patient needs with unique therapies that advance patient care.

For more information, please visit: www.medimetriks.com

Medimetriks Media Contact:

David Addis

Chief Operating Officer

Medimetriks Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

[email protected]

+1 973 882 7512, extension 569

SOURCE Medimetriks Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.medimetriks.com


(TDP) leader and former MLA Tangirala Saumya has demanded for

She visited Krishna District Central Cooperative Bank Peddapuram branch in Veerulapadu Mandal of Krishna district and submitted a memorandum to the branch manager of the bank.

Speaking on the occasion she said in the state are facing a severe crisis. She also sought a zero-interest loan scheme for

"Heavy rains have damaged standing crops now. Prior to that, some farmers could not get crops as they had no money for investment. Farmers are not in a position to pay either interest or debts taken."

"Cotton farmers are facing problems as their last year's produce is not yet sold out. Subabul farmers are waiting for MSP as promised by the local MLA and that has not materialised yet," Saumya added.

The former MLA demanded that the YSRCP government should immediately implement the scheme for farmers, procure yield from farmers and pay MSP to them.

"Then only, justice will be done to the farmers," she 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.)
Kara Pellowe, formerly based at the Darling Marine Center in Walpole, conducting fisheries research in Mexico alongside clam harvesters. Credit: Santiago Dominguez Sanchez

Integrating local norms and fishermen's knowledge into fisheries regulations helps increase trust in fisheries management institutions and can make it easier for co-management to work.

That was a discovery of University of Maine researchers Kara Pellowe and Heather Leslie, who looked at the interplay between formal and informal institutions and the implications for the co-management potential of a Mexican small-scale fishery.

The peer-reviewed scientific journal Marine Policy recently published that and other findings of the UMaine conservation scientists.

Pellowe, a former UMaine postdoctoral student now based at the Stockholm Resilience Center in Stockholm, Sweden, and Leslie, director of the Darling Marine Center in Walpole, Maine, contend that conflicts between formal institutions, like government agencies, and informal institutions, like unwritten agreements among families and friends, can represent a significant barrier to effective fisheries management.

They examined the potential for co-management, where power and decision-making are shared by fisheries managers and fishermen, in a Mexican fishery that is currently managed via top-down control. They concluded that integrating local norms and knowledge into formal regulations, together with broadened community participation, are necessary precursors to co-management. Doing so would also result in more successful fisheries management.

Their study is based on research that Pellowe conducted as part of her doctoral dissertation in ecology and environmental sciences at UMaine. She completed her dissertation in August 2019.

From 201420, Pellowe regularly traveled to Baja California Sur, Mexico, to work closely with fishermen, managers and stakeholders in the fishery of the Mexican chocolate clam (Megapitaria squalida) in Loreto Bay National Park, on the Baja peninsula.

For the study, Pellowe and Leslie define institutions as the rules, norms, and practices governing interactions between people and the marine environment, including the fish that people target for harvest.

Formal institutions are written rules and regulations, while informal institutions are the unwritten rules and social norms that originate from ecological knowledge and traditional practices.

Both types of institutions contribute to resource sustainability. Understanding how they intersect, overlap and conflict is essential for assessing the potential for successful co-management.

Like the Maine lobster, the Mexican chocolate clam is a culturally and economically important species, providing food, income and cultural value to many communities in Baja.

Ensuring the sustainable management of the species requires the trust and cooperation of fishermen. Integrating the rich, local ecological knowledge of fishers into formal regulations can increase fishery sustainability and lead to management that is better able to adapt to future change.

Pellowe and Leslie conducted five years of sociological field work to identify institutions, and document their effects on fishing practices. They documented that a complex web of formal and informal rules governs fishing practices for this one species, the Mexican chocolate clam.

In some cases, formal and informal institutions reinforce one another, presenting potential leverage points for co-management. However, in other cases, formal and informal institutions are in conflict.

Understanding the role and interplay of diverse institutions is essential for identifying pathways and barriers to inclusive and sustainable fisheries management, whether in Mexico, Maine, or elsewhere. "This is a wonderful example of unveiling social factors which contribute to complex ecological systems and their feedbacks, which may influence fisheries production," said Betsy Von Holle, program director at the National Science Foundation.

More information: Kara E. Pellowe et al. The interplay between formal and informal institutions and the potential for co-management in a Mexican small-scale fishery, Marine Policy (2020). Journal information: Marine Policy Kara E. Pellowe et al. The interplay between formal and informal institutions and the potential for co-management in a Mexican small-scale fishery,(2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.marpol.2020.104179
China flew 18 warplanes over the Taiwan Strait in an unusually large show of force today during a US envoy's visit to the island.

The Chinese People's Liberation Army staged combat exercises over the strait in the second round of war games this month as the Trump administration increases its support for Taiwan.

The island's defence ministry said two bombers and 16 fighter jets from China's Eastern Theatre Command had crossed into Taiwan's air defence zone on Friday.

'Those who play with fire are bound to get burned,' Chinese defence ministry spokesman Ren Guoqiang told reporters in Beijing.

The warning came as US official Keith Krach held talks with Taiwanese ministers on Friday, becoming the highest-ranking State Department official in 40 years to visit the island which China regards as its own renegade territory.

An image released by Taiwan's defence ministry shows a Chinese H-6 bomber flying near the Taiwanese 'air defence identification zone' today in a show of force by Beijing

A map released by Taiwanese officials showing the routes of Chinese PLA (People's Liberation Army) aircraft which crossed into the air defence zone that surrounds the island

Krach also met with business leaders over lunch and was due to dine with President Tsai Ing-wen later on Friday.

China cut contacts with Taiwan's government following Ms Tsai's 2016 election, but she was re-elected by a wide margin earlier this year.

Ren called the drills a 'legitimate and necessary action taken in response to the current situation across the Taiwan Straits to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity'.

'Recently, the US and [Taiwan's ruling] Democratic Progressive Party authorities have stepped up their collusion and frequently stir up troubles,' Ren told reporters.

'Whether it is using Taiwan to contain China or relying on foreign powers to threaten others, it is wishful thinking and is destined to be a dead end.'

In a brief message, the Eastern Theatre Command said the exercises involved naval and air force units in the Taiwan Strait aimed at testing their joint operations capacity.

China's foreign ministry also defended the move, with spokesman Wang Wenbin saying it has the 'firm will, full confidence and sufficient ability to thwart all external interference and separatist actions by Taiwan independence forces'.

Beijing views Taiwan as part of its own territory and strongly opposes any type of formal interaction between other countries and the self-ruled island democracy.

Mr Krach's trip follows an August visit by US health secretary Alex Azar, the highest-level Cabinet official to visit since America switched its formal relations from Taiwan to Beijing in 1979.

It is one of a series of moves by the Trump administration to strengthen relations with Taiwan, including stepped-up arms sales and support for the island's participation in international forums.

US envoy Keith Krach (at the front of the line, wearing a mask) arrives at the Sungshan airport in Taipei on Thursday

Before Mr Krach's arrival, the US ambassador to the United Nations, Kelly Craft, had lunch with Taiwan's top official in New York.

On Saturday, the last day of his visit, Mr Krach will also attend a memorial service for former President Lee Teng-hui, who led the island's transition to democracy and died at age 97 in July.

Analysts say the Chinese military response is a clear message to the US to stop what it is doing, after taking similar actions when the health secretary visited in August.

'I think the Chinese are using this tool to try and stop the kind-of diplomatic relationship between the US and Taiwan. It's very clear from them,' said Alfred Wu, associate professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore.

Tensions between Washington and Beijing have already reached high levels as the governments spar over the coronavirus pandemic, trade, technology, Hong Kong and the South China Sea.

Last week, Taiwan said Chinese warplanes entered its airspace over two daysduring large-scale war games that it called a 'serious provocation'.

Such actions by the Chinese military threaten the entire region, it said, calling on the international community to respond.

Despite the frequency of the exercises, analysts said it does not mean imminent war.

'The signal from Beijing is very, very clear, but does that mean a prelude to war? No, far from it,' said Chong-Pin Lin, a former deputy defence minister in Taiwan.
A recent Indonesian seafood exporter has just been added to the list of companies that China has recently slapped with an import ban after discovering that their product packaging actually tested positive for the known coronavirus.

The country has then resulted into halting the imports of these known aquatic products from the PT Putri Indah for about a week after they have recently found certain coronavirus particles latched on the packaging of a particular frozen hairtail.

Coronavirus particles were found by customs

The report regarding the coronavirus particles was given by the customs office in a recent statement. The company is said to be based somewhere in North Sumatra and failed to give immediate response to certain requests for comment by either text or by phone.

The Chinese authorities have been directing their investigation towards imported seafood, meat, packaging, and even containers as they might be a potential source of COVID-19 ever since June after they were repeatedly able to find certain traces of the known pathogen.

The underlying risk

Still, there are only about six of the total 500,000 samples that came back with a positive result for the coronavirus according to customs some time earlier this month. The country has already previously banned certain imports of different products that include frozen meat, Brazilian chicken wing, and even Ecuadorian shrimps after they had following positive tests.

Although the US FDA or Food and Drug Administration has already claimed that there are actually no existing evidence that the COVID-19 can be transmitted through either food or on certain food packaging, the different Chinese researchers have still found the coronavirus on certain chilled salmon that might actually be infectious for over a week.

Previously guarded viruses

Caution has gone up all around the world and although it previously used to be ASF or African Swine Flu which is although not deadly to humans but could be deadly to other pigs, the tides have turned and everyone is on the lookout for signs of the coronavirus.

Aside from just ASF, customs also had to deal with Bird Flu which is transmitted through birds oftentimes chicken which could potentially be harmful but not necessarily fatal. Since it is the coronavirus that is being talked about, customs have increased their vigilance in trying to bar any possible health risk inside their country.

Read Also: Chinese Whistleblower Li-Meng Yan Interview Alleges COVID-19 was 'Released Intentionally' After 'Modifications' Made it More 'Harmful'

Indonesia's involvement in seafood

Indonesia is also very popular for their seafood and have been shipping worldwide long before the pandemic came around. The ties between the Chinese and Inonesian exports have not yet been defined but with the recent ban on seafoods from Indonesia, a huge chunk of their customers have been cut and they would have to find another place to supply to.

Although it was stated that it might be infectious for over a week, there are still no updates as to the definitive plans of the Chinese ban towards Indonesian seafood.

Read Also: Chinese Whistleblower Dr. Li-Meng Yan Blames Dr. Fauci for COVID-19 Outbreak Coverup

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Urian Buenconsejo

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
In Sonoma Valley, home to 60,000 acres of grapes and 400 wineries, the pandemic has disrupted an 150-year-old supply chain.

Grape growers that once focused on selling to high-end wineries are lowering their prices and supplying cheaper brands. Wineries that can no longer count on tourist visits are replacing in-person events with online campaigns. Restaurants that boasted expansive wine lists now tout their to-go cups.

The industry is "doing whatever [it] can over the last five months to really look at and examine their business model to figure out how they can sustain themselves," said Maureen Cottingham, executive director of the Sonoma Valley Vintners and Growers Alliance. "Of course, there are some businesses that will not be able to sustain themselves, and unfortunately that will close."

It's the biggest challenge to Sonoma Valley since three wildfires in 2017 destroyed thousands of acres in the region, and comes as devastating fires are once again raging across California. To recover this time, the industry says it must adopt the types of changes it has long resisted. Here are the stories of four companies along a single supply chain in Sonoma Valley.

- Vineyard

Even before the pandemic started, Ned Hill, the owner of La Prenda Vineyards Management, was worried. The demand for the grapes he grows on more than 1,000 acres in Northern California terrain has been sluggish for years. He was tightening the company's financial belt when the pandemic hit and upended his plans.

"We knew immediately that the supply chain was broken," Hill said.

Hill decided it was time to change his business model. For years, he had sold largely to established high-end wineries even as the industry moved increasingly toward offering cheaper wine options. But now Hill sees no choice. It's not feasible, he says, to sell only to high-end brands.

La Prenda Vineyards also jumped into a new business: Instead of just providing grapes in bulk, Hill also offered them crushed, making it easier for wineries to process them. That addition could be his "saving grace," Hill says.

- Winemaker

Before the pandemic, Ron Goss was planning a major expansion for his winemaking business, Sonoma Valley Custom Wine. He had just purchased new equipment and a new warehouse, doubling the footprint . The company already made wine for 30 to 35 wineries but hoped to reach a bigger audience, he said.

"Expanding during a pandemic isn't always probably the smartest thing to do," Goss said.

Like many in the industry, Goss panicked as the coronavirus spread and the economy began to shut down. But customers didn't dry up as expected. Instead, cheaper wine brands were growing, he said. Online wine sales are up 4.7 percent so far this year, according to research firm Nielsen, with "value brands," priced between $11 to $24.99 a bottle, seeing the biggest increase.

The pandemic is forcing industry changes that were resisted after other disasters, including when wildfires caused billions in damage in recent years, he says.

- Tasting room

For years, Lloyd Davis, owner of Corner 103, has relied on Sonoma Valley tourist foot traffic to support his wine tasting room. The pandemic, he says, forced him online.

He launched a new website and began selling directly to members of his wine club. He has held dozens of virtual wine tastings.

That campaign "saved" him, Davis said. Revenue in his tasting room has fallen 49% compared with last year, but his online revenue has grown 200%.

Many in the local wine industry are rushing to bolster their digital presence, said Cottingham of the Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers Alliance. "The things that our wineries have had to do [will] set them up for great success post pandemic," she said.

Davis, a former banker, was introduced to Sonoma Valley through a bad investment. He had tried to turn around a struggling winery but failed. But during repeated trips to the region, Davis says he fell in love with the region and opened Corner 103, one of the few Black-owned wineries in the region, in 2015.

"My goal in opening up Corner was to help my guests understand that they are a wine expert," he says.

The company received a boost as social unrest spread throughout the country in late May, sparking campaigns encouraging people to buy from Black-owned companies. Customers posted "virtual hugs" on his new website and a few said they specifically came to the tasting room in a show of support, he said.

Less than 1% of U.S. wineries are Black-owned or have Black winemakers, according to the Association of African American Vintners.

Starting even a small winery from scratch can cost $5 million to $12 million, Davis says, and is nearly impossible, particularly for minorities.

- Restaurant

Sondra Bernstein, owner of the girl & the fig, has seen her businesses collapse before. There was the bed-and-breakfast that didn't go as planned. The deli that was destroyed by a drunk driver. An Italian restaurant closed after the property owner sold the land. But keeping her restaurant, the girl & the fig, open during a pandemic may be her biggest business challenge.

The restaurant's extensive wine list, including a $455 2016 Sine Qua Non Ratsel, has long been a central part of its attraction. Customers spent $30,000 on wine in the week before the girl & the fig was initially forced to close in March, and Bernstein says she had purchased more than $100,000 in wine a few weeks before then to bolster her inventory.

The restaurant reopened in April, but only for online orders. In May, Bernstein briefly operated a food truck but says she has since sold it. The restaurant began offering outdoor service in June and is now selling some of its house wine online for the first time - at a 20 percent discount.That has helped keep the restaurant afloat, but, Bernstein says, a harsh reality is coming. The tourist season typically ends next month and she has nearly exhausted a $1 million Paycheck Protection Program loan that she used to rehire most of her 100 full-time employees. Soon, the girl & the fig could be forced to lay off employees again, she said.

Sonoma Valley's wine community says it is hopeful that tourists will return next year and revive demand for the high-end brands it is best known for. But, in the meantime, the industry is scrambling to survive with the help of lower-cost wine and online sales.
So much classic black and white footage has been digitally colorized recently, its hard to remember that the Eastman Kodak Companys Kodachrome film debuted way back in 1935.

The above footage of New York City was shot by an unknown enthusiast in and around 1937.

Dick Hoefsloot, the Netherlands-based videographer who posted it to YouTube after tweaking it a bit for motion stabilization and speed-correction, is not averse to artificially coloring historic footage using modern software, but in this case, there was no need.

It was shot in color.





If things have a greenish cast, thats owing to the film on which it was shot. Three-color film, which added blue to the red-green mix, was more expensive and more commonly used later on.

Hoefsloots best guess is that this film was shot by a member of a wealthy family. Its confidently made, but also seems to be a home movie of sorts, given the presence of an older woman who appears a half dozen times on this self-guided tour of New York sites.

Theres plenty here that remains familiar: the Woolworth Building and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, trussed up Christmas trees propped against makeshift sidewalk stands, the New York Public Librarys lions, Patience and Fortitude.

Other aspects are more a matter of nostalgia.

Over in Times Square, Bulldog Drummond Comes Back starring John Barrymore was playing at the Criterion (now the site of a Gap store), while the Paramount Theater, now a Hard Rock Cafe, played host to True Confession with Barrymore and Carol Lombard.

Oysters were still food for the masses, though records show that locally harvested ones had been deemed too polluted for human consumption for at least a decade.

A bag of peanuts cost 15. A new Oldsmobile went for about $914 plus city tax.

Laundry could be seen strung between buildings (still can be on occasion), but people dressed up carefully for shopping trips and other excursions around town. Heaven forbid they step outside without a hat.

Though the Statue of Liberty makes an appearance, the film doesnt depict the neighborhoods where new and established immigrants were known to congregate. Had the camera traveled uptown to the Apolloby 1937, the largest employer of black theatrical workers in the country and the sole venue in the city in which they were hired for backstage positionsthe overall composition would have proved less white.

The film, which was uploaded a little over a year ago, has recently attracted a fresh volley of attention, leading Hoefsloot to reissue his request for viewers to refrain from (posting) political, religious or racist-related comments.

In this fraught election year, we hope you will pardon a New Yorker for pointing out the legion of commenters flouting this polite request, so eager are they to fan the fires of intolerance by expressing a preference for the way things used to be.

With all due respect, there arent many people left who were present at the time, who can accurately recall and describe New York City in 1937. Our hunch is that those who can are not spending such time as remains rabble-rousing on YouTube.

So enjoy this historic window on the past, then take a deep breath and confront the present thats revealing itself in the YouTube comments.

A chronological list of New York City sites and citizens appearing in this film circa 1937:

00:00 Lower Manhattan skyline seen from Brooklyn Heights Promenade

00:45 Staten Island steam ferry

01:05 RMS Carinthia

01:10 Old three-stack pass.ship, maybe USS Leviathan

01:28 One-stack pass.ship, name?

01:50 HAL SS Volendam or SS Veendam II

02:18 Westfield II steam ferry to Staten Island, built 1862?

02:30 Floyd Bennett Airfield, North Beach Air Service inc. hangar

02:43 Hoey Air Services hangar at F.B. Airfield

02:55 Ladies board monoplane, Stinson S Junior, NC10883, built 1931

03:15 Flying over New York: Central Park & Rockefeller Center

03:19 Empire State Building (ESB)

03:22 Chrysler building in the distance

03:26 Statue of Liberty island

03:30 Aircraft, Waco ZQC-6, built 1936

03:47 Reg.no. NC16234 becomes readable

04:00 Arrival of the Fly Eddie Lyons aircraft

04:18 Dutch made Fokker 1, packed

04:23 Douglas DC3 Dakota, also packed, new

04:28 Green mono- or tri-engine aircraft, type?

04:40 DC3 again. DC3s flew first on 17 Dec.1935

04:44 Back side of Woolworth Building

05:42 Broadway at Bowling Green

05:12 Brooklyn across East River, view from Pier 11

05:13 Water plane, Grumman G-21A Goose

05:38 Street with bus, Standard Oil Building (R)

05:40 Truck, model?

05:42 Broadway at Bowling Green

05:46 Old truck, Engels, model?

05:48 Flag USA with 48 stars!

05:50 Broadway at Bowling Green, DeStoto Sunshine cab 1936

05:52 Truck, Bier Mard Bros, model?

05:56 Ford Model AA truck 1930

05:58 Open truck, model?

06:05 Standard Oil Building

06:25 Bus 366 & Ford Model A 1930

06:33 South Street & Coenties Slip

06:35 See 07:19, Black car?

06:45 Cities Service Building at 70 Pine St. right. Left: see 07:12

06:48 Small vessels in the East River

06:50 Owned by Harry F. Reardon

07:05 Shack on Coenties Slip, Pier 5

07:12 City Bank-Farmers Trust Building, 20 Exchange Place

07:15 Oyster bar, near Coenties Slip

07:19 South Street, looking North towards the old Seamans Church Institute

07:31 Holland America Line, Volendam-I, built 1922

07:32 Chrysler Plymouth P2 De Luxe

07:34 Oyster vendor

08:05 Vendor shows oyster in pot

08:16 Wall st.; Many cars, models?

08:30 Looking down Wall st.

08:52 More cars, models?

09:00 Near the Erie Ferry, 1934/35 Ford s.48 De Luxe

09:02 Rows of Christmas tree sales, location?

09:15 Erie Railroad building, location? Quay 21? Taxi, model?

09:23 1934 Dodge DS

09:25 See 09:48

09:27 Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad

09:29 Clyde Mallory Lines

09:48 South end of West Side Highway

09:49, 10:08, 10:11, 10:45 Location?

10:25 Henry Hudson Parkway

11:30 George Washington Bridge without the Lower Level

12:07 Presbyterian Hospital, Washington Heights

12:15 Rockefeller Institute of Medical Research

12:49 New York Hospital at 68th St. & East River

13:14 ditto

13:35 ditto

13:42 Metropolitan Museum of Art

14:51 Rockefella Plaza & RCA building

16:33 Saint Patricks Cathedral

16:50 Public Library

17:24 Panoramic view, from ESB

17:45 RCA Building, 30 Rockefeller Plaza

18:16 Original Penn Station

19:27 Movie True Confession, rel. 24 Dec.1937

19:30 Sloppy Joes

20:12 Neon lights & Xmas

26:34 Herald Square

29:48 Police Emergency Service (B&W)

31:00 SS Normandie, French Line, Pier 88

32:06 RMS Queen Mary, White Star Line, Pier 92

32:43 Departure Queen Mary

33:45 Italian Line, Pier 84, Terminal, dd.1935

34:00 SS Conte Di Savoia, Italian Line, Pier 84

34:25 Peanut seller, near the piers

34:35 Feeding the pidgeons

34:52 SS Normandie, exterior & on deck

35:30 View from Pier 88

35:59 Interior

37:06 From Pier 88

37:23 Northern, Eastern, Southern or Western Prince, built 1929

37:32 Tug, William C. Gaynor

38:20 Departure

38:38 Blue Riband!

39:15 Tugs push Normandie into fairway

39:50 Under own steam.

40:00 Statue of Liberty

40:15 SS Normandie leaves NYC

View more of Dick Hoefsloots historic uploads on his YouTube channel.

Related Content:

A Trip Through New York City in 1911: Vintage Video of NYC Gets Colorized & Revived with Artificial Intelligence

A New Interactive Map Shows All Four Million Buildings That Existed in New York City from 1939 to 1941

The Lost Neighborhood Buried Under New York Citys Central Park

Ayun Halliday is an author, illustrator, theater maker and Chief Primatologist of the East Village Inky zine. Follow her @AyunHalliday.
Polish-American voters were key to helping President Trump win the White House in 2016.

Polish-Americans make up approximately 10% of the populations of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania and vote larger than their numbers, accounting for almost 15% of the total vote in those states.

President Trump flipped those three normally Democrat states in 2016, winning all of them by less than 1% of the vote. He won an estimated 70 to 75% of the Polish-American vote in 2016. Without those votes, he would not have won those three states critical to his election.

A massive Polish-American vote in 2020 with more than 70% voting for President Trump will enable him to win these three essential states again and return to the White House for a second term.

Polish-American voters will also be essential for any chance Trump has to win the states of Florida, New Jersey, Connecticut, and possibly even Illinois. Polish-American voters make up more than 7% of the population of New Jersey, Connecticut, and Illinois and 4% of Florida.

Polish-American voters, in addition, make up more than 7% of the population of New York State. President Trump has an outside chance of winning the State of New York because of the outrage many New Yorkers feel about the incompetence, left-wing extremism, and oppressive lockdown restrictions of New York's governor and New York City's mayor. Polish-American voters are key to any possible Trump upset in New York.

Further, Polish-American voters constitute approximately 4% of the swing-state populations of Minnesota, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Nevada. They can make the difference for Trump-Pence in 2020.

Polish-American voters have every reason to vote in even greater numbers and percentages for President Trump in 2020 than they did in 2016.

Donald Trump has proven himself to be a historic president as regards Poland's relationship with America and the interests of Polish-Americans.

President Trump's rousing speech in Warsaw in July 2017 was the greatest defense of Western civilization and the most resounding statement of Poland's historic role in the defense of freedom ever made by a world leader.

In the 1980s, President Ronald Reagan in alliance with Pope John Paul II and Margaret Thatcher helped inspire the Polish people to bring down the Iron Curtain and free Poland and all of Eastern Europe from the oppression and destitution of communism. President Trump has augmented Reagan's actions by making America Poland's foremost ally and joining with Warsaw in an alliance against globalism and the consequent loss of national sovereignty.

In the 2016 campaign, President Trump won the attention and respect of more than 10 million Polish-American voters by personally meeting with more than 100 Polish-American civic leaders at the Polish National Alliance headquarters in Chicago on September 25, 2016.

That three-hour give-and-take captured the attention of Polish-Americans and won their respect. It received massive media attention in Polish-American media and in Poland itself. It triggered an enormous turnout of Polish-Americans, and as much as 75% of their votes went to Donald Trump.

Our organization, Polish Americans for Trump, is now actively organizing a new major give-and-take meeting between President Trump and leaders of the Polish-American community. One of the three battleground states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan will likely be the venue for the upcoming event.

Polish-Americans are predominantly Catholic and one of the strongest pro-life ethnic coalitions in the U.S. President Trump has become the greatest pro-life president in recent American history and is fighting relentlessly to defend the rights of the unborn.

Polish Americans for Trump proudly honors the gallantry of Count Casimir Pulaski, "Father of the American Cavalry," and Tadeusz Kosciuszko, architect of the American defenses at West Point and Saratoga, both of whom contributed mightily to our victory in the Revolutionary War. Pulaski was mortally wounded leading a cavalry charge during the Battle of Savannah.

On August 15 of this year, Poland and America commemorated the 100th Anniversary of the historic 1920 Battle of Warsaw, Poland's decisive victory in its war with Bolshevik Russia. With the help of the Kosciuszko Squadron, volunteer American fighter pilots repaying our Revolutionary War debt to Kosciuszko and Pulaski, the depleted Polish army smashed the Bolsheviks at the gates of Warsaw and saved Europe from a Marxist onslaught.

Polish-Americans well know the deprivation, oppression, and thuggery of Marxism, either having experienced it firsthand or through the experiences of family members. We know that Polish-Americans can help defeat the current domestic surge of Marxist revolutionaries by turning out in record numbers again and voting for freedom, liberty, Western civilization, the American Constitution and way of life, and President Trump.

William Ciosek is co-chair of Polish Americans for Trump, a founding member of the Foundation to Illuminate America's Heroes, co-founder of Genesis Productions, and co-producer of a major motion picture being developed about the Kosciuszko Squadron. To learn more, please visit www.illuminateamericasheroes.com.
Delhis lieutenant governor (L-G) Anil Baijal on Friday issued directions to the government for drafting a fresh policy for containment zones, increased surveillance of Covid-19 cases  with special focus on those in home isolation  and stricter enforcement of Covid guidelines.

Baijal is the chairperson of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority , and chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is its vice-chairperson.

The directions from the L-G came during a meeting of DDMA on Friday evening, which was attended by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, revenue minister Kailash Gehlot, chief secretary Vijay Dev, and other top government officials and experts including Dr VK Paul of Niti Aayog, Dr Randeep Guleria, director of AIIMS and Dr Balram Bhargava, DG of ICMR. Most of the officials participated through video conferencing , government officials said.

The L-G chaired the DDMA meeting to review the Covid-19 situation He advised officials and experts to jointly prepare blueprint for re-strategising containment zone policy to reduce positivity rate and mortality rate. He emphasised on aggressive campaigns particularly in vernacular language to engage stakeholders for ensuring Covid-19 appropriate behaviour, said the office of the L-G, in a series of tweets.

The chief ministers office did not issue a separate statement about the meeting, with Delhi government spokespersons refusing to comment on it.

On Friday, in a separate meeting with district magistrates, the deputy commissioners of police and municipal commissioners, the L-G issued directions to intensify surveillance to ensure better implementation of protocols of home isolation patients, ways to enhance early detection of cases, and enforcement of protective and preventive Covid-19 measures, said another senior official in the L-G office.

As on Friday, Delhi had 1,751 containment zones  which are defined as sealed areas where free movement of individuals and traffic is prohibited, as is economic activities. All residents in containment zones are put under intensive surveillance and are periodically screened for the virus and the area sanitised. Essential goods are delivered at doorstep by government officials for a period of at least 14 days.

Also read| Delhi: 4,217 new Covid-19 cases logged, positivity rate down to 6.8%

This is the second time that Delhis containment zone strategy will be re-drafted. Earlier, the containment zone policy was redrafted on June 26, in adherence to recommendations of Union home minister Amit Shah.

While the L-G has given no clear deadline in Fridays meeting, the health department is likely to submit the new containment zones strategy in a week, an official privy to the developments said.

While discussing ways to enhance early detection of cases, the L-G made a reference to rapid antigen and RT-PCR tests but did not delve further into the modalities, said two district officials who spoke with HT on the condition of anonymity.

In a separate meeting on Friday, health minister Satyendar Jain discussed ways to ramp up RT-PCR tests with top health department officials and medical officers, in adherence to directions of the Delhi High Court earlier this week.

On Friday, Delhi recorded 4,127 new covid-19 cases  taking the total number of people infected to 238,828 -- against 61,037 tests.
Brandon McGlone, 46, of Berkeley, allegedly tried to set several people on fire

A California man armed with an ax and 'rambling about his daughter' sprayed WD-40 on tea shop customers and set them alight with a blowtorch before vigilantes wrestled him to the ground.

Brandon McGlone, 46, of Berkeley, walked into the Feng Cha Teahouse Monday night and tried to set several people on fire, police said.

This came moments after he allegedly attacked diners outside a nearby pizzeria, knocking their food off the table, spraying them with WD-40 and telling them he was going to light them on fire.

Shocking footage captured the surprise attack at the tea shop as well as the ensuing struggle outside as customers tried to detain the suspect until cops arrived, before backing off when he pulled out an ax.

McGlone was arrested outside the tea shop and is now facing felony charges over the attacks.

Berkeley police officers responded to reports at around 9:35 p.m. Monday that a man, later identified as McGlone, had tried to set a number of people on fire across two eateries in the area.

Berkeley Police Spokesman Byron White said McGlone first approached two men dining outside Artichoke Basilles Pizza at 2590 Durant Avenue.

McGlone allegedly knocked their food off the table, announced he was going to light them on fire and sprayed them with the highly flammable substance.

The two men ran away from the suspect before he could set them alight.

A California man armed with an ax and 'rambling about his daughter' sprayed WD-40 on tea shop customers and set them alight with a blowtorch

Shocking footage captured the surprise attack where McGlone allegedly walked into the Feng Cha Teahouse Monday night and tried to set several people on fire

The footage shows the suspect stepping through the doors to the tea shop and setting the men's hair alight before exiting again

McGlone then allegedly turned his attentions to Feng Cha Teahouse at 2528 Durant Avenue where he sprayed two other men with the liquid and lit them on fire using a blowtorch.

Shocking surveillance footage shows the suspect stepping through the doors to the tea shop and setting the men's hair alight.

One witness told CBS Local McGlone gave an 'evil chuckle' right before the 'sneak attack'.

The incident was over in seconds and the suspect exited the establishment.

The shocked customers extinguished the flames quickly and several people ran out the tea shop after the assailant.

Footage from outside the eatery shows several people trying to subdue the assailant before police arrived

Video footage taken outside shows a number of brave customers struggling to detain McGlone before he pulls out an ax, causing them to back away

The incident at Feng Cha (above) came moments after the suspect allegedly attacked diners outside a nearby pizzeria, knocking their food off the table, spraying them with WD-40 and telling them he was going to light them on fire

Video footage taken outside shows a number of brave customers struggling to detain McGlone before he pulls out an ax, causing them to back away.

Noel Nubla, who witnessed the attacks and tried to subdue the assailant, told CBS Local McGlone also pulled out a knife.

'Once we got outside we were kind of just bumping fists. He got me in the face a couple of times, I got him back and he started bleeding,' he said.

'And then I took him down to the ground. I saw him pull out a knife - I pulled him down.

'He got to the floor, his hand was there. I stepped on it, stepped on his wrist pulled him up disarmed him from the knife.'

Witnesses also said McGlone was yelling something about his daughter during the attack.

Police said officers then arrived on the scene and talked McGlone into dropping the weapon.

He was arrested and taken into custody.

The victims had singed hair (pictured) but were otherwise unharmed in the attacks. McGlone was arrested and is now facing felony charges over the attacks

White said a search of McGlone uncovered knives including a machete, matches, lighters and several Molotov cocktails'.

Police later learned McGlone had allegedly set a trashcan on fire outside Kathmandu Market & Deli around 20 minutes before his first attack on the diners.

McGlone was charged Wednesday with 10 felonies including four counts of assault with caustic chemicals, two counts of criminal threats, assault with a deadly weapon, arson, possession of a destructive device and other allegations.

He was denied bail and is being held in Santa Rita Jail.

The victims had singed hair but were otherwise unharmed in the attacks.

Court records reveal McGlone was already wanted in connection with a domestic violence investigation from September 1, reported Berkeleyside.com.


The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Akompreko Agyapong, has asked the Supreme Court to stop contempt proceedings against him by an Accra High Court.



Lawyers for the MP filed a judicial review application at the apex court Thursday, barely 24 hours after he was supposed to appear before the High Court and explain why he should not be punished for allegedly describing the judge as stupid.



The MP wants the Supreme Court to prohibit the High Court from hearing the contempt case and also quash the order of summons for him to appear before the court on the basis that the particular court (Land Court 12) that summoned him had no jurisdiction to do so.



Different court



In his affidavit in support, the MP avers that his comments was not against Justice Amos Wuntah Wuni of Land Court 12 but was rather against a different judge in another matter at Labour Court 2, for which he said he had duly apologized.



The words uttered which I deem uncomplimentary and I have since apologized were not directed at the Court, presided over by his Lordship Amos Wuntah Wuni, the Court is not seized with jurisdiction to order the applicant to appear and to answer why he should not be severely punished for contempt of court, the MP said in his affidavit in support.

Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Taylor Garrett has gone bolder with its new addition to its core spirits line.

Its Taylor Garrett Rye takes things to the next level for whiskey drinkers. The mash bill on the rye is 65% rye, 25% corn, and 10% malted barley.

Rye is a much earthier, spicier grain, distiller Scott Feuille said. It gives you a little more spice on the palate. Its really bolder. Its a little bit more rugged, and theres a big resurgence of rye. A lot of people are rediscovering rye. After they rediscovered rye, theyre moving over to rye, which is a natural progression of the palate.

The same innovative process used to make Taylor Garrett Whiskey was also used to make its rye. Feuille found a way to accelerate the process to produce Taylor Garrett Whiskey and Rye in six to seven days that is comparable to whiskeys aged for a decade.

Thats what I really think is cool about our aging process is I can get results really quickly and we can decide where we want to go with what were developing and what were putting out there, Feuille said.

Since releasing Taylor Garrett Whiskeyin February, Feuille has made some tweaks. New Mexico roasted corn is no longer part of the recipe and has been replaced with corn from Monte Vista, Colorado. There were some caramelized sugars in the roasted corn that were not fermentable and kind of drug across the palate. The old mash bill also caused the whiskey to appear slightly cloudy, which was another issue Feuille wanted to fix.

I couldnt bring myself to put a product out there that wasnt exactly what I wanted it to be, Feuille said. So we did change it up a little bit. Everybody here and everybody so far has liked it.  Its phenomenal now.

It is Feuilles plan to have three core Taylor Garrett products: the whiskey, the rye, and rum rye. He is looking to release the rum rye in November.

This is the one that I really think about thats a sit by the fire, just a sipper, he said. Its different and unusual. It has that little sweet rum kick to it. So its got strong maple, a little molasses in it. I get sandalwood on the nose and spice, and then you get that dry finish. Its two things that you think wouldnt do well together, but they really complement each other and just create a whole new spirit. We took a while playing with the ratios, and its mostly rye, with 35% rum, but I love the way it came out.

Taylor Garrett products are available at VARA Winery & Distillery, Jubilation Wine & Spirits, Kelly Liquors, Quarters Discount Liquors, Total Wine as well as Whole Foods in Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Whole Foods also is carrying Taylor Garrett Whiskey bratwurst as well as Taylor Garrett apple whiskey bacon.

Feuille has also taken on distilling duties at VARA Winery & Distillery. He is aiming to release a gin, a light rum, and an aged rum in mid-October under the VARA brand. A dry vermouth and a sweet vermouth with a Spanish profile are in the works, tentatively planned for release in November.

Theres 13 botanicals in (the gin), Feuille said.  I wanted something that wasnt so medicinal and dry. I wanted something that was pleasant that had balance. Theres 13 botanicals, and theres a lot of citrus profile. Of course, juniper is the primary, but then its a citrus profile. So Ive got citrus blossom, orange, tangerine, lemon, lime and grapefruit. And then on the other botanicals, Ive got juniper, sage, for a New Mexico feel to it, star anise, cardamom, coriander and angelica root.

With COVID, its like all right we have a lot of stuff, Feuille said. We really wanted to space these releases out, but at the same time we want people to start enjoying them.  Ive always been very cautious against introducing too many spirits. You have so many products that you couldnt possibly do all these products well. But here we are releasing different spirits, but I think all of them are on point, and so as long as we can maintain that level of quality and deliver what we say were going to deliver to our customers, then OK.
VICTORIA FALLS, Zimbabwe, Sept. 17, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Data Bridge Market Research published a new report, titled,  Global Indoor Farming Technology Market Opportunities Analysis and Industry Forecast.



This Indoor Farming Technology report gives details about historic data, present market trends, future product environment, marketing strategies, technological innovation, upcoming technologies, emerging trends or opportunities, and the technical progress in the related industry. The report endows with market potential for each geographical region based on the growth rate, macroeconomic parameters, consumer buying patterns, their preferences for particular product and market demand and supply scenarios. This Indoor Farming Technology report studies rising opportunities in the market and related influencing factors which are valuable for the businesses. It is an essential document for every market enthusiast, policymaker, investor, and market player.

Indoor farming technology market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.1% in the forecast period of 2020 to 2027. Data Bridge Market Research report on indoor farming technology market provides analysis and insights regarding the various factors expected to be prevalent throughout the forecasted period while providing their impacts on the markets growth.

Get Sample Copy of the Report to understand the structure of the complete report (Including Full TOC, Table & Figures) @ https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/request-a-sample/?dbmr=global-indoor-farming-technology-market

What's keeping Logiqs, Illumitex, Vertical Farm Systems, Hydrodynamics International, General Hydroponics, Certhon, Dalsem, Richel Group, Philips Lighting, American Hydroponics, Harnois Greenhouses, ahead in the Market? Benchmark yourself with the strategic moves and findings recently released by DBMR.

Key Issues Addressed by Indoor Farming Technology Market: It is very significant to have segmentation analysis to figure out the essential factors of growth and development of the market in a particular sector. The report offers well summarized and reliable information about every segment of growth, development, production, demand, types, application of the specific product which will be useful for the player to focus and highlight.

The Asia-Pacific region is projected to grow significantly for indoor farming technology over the next five years. This can be resulted into the increase in the number of indoor farms in countries such as China and Japan, and the climate variations in this region.

Note  The Covid-19 (coronavirus) pandemic is impacting society and the overall economy across the world. The impact of this pandemic is growing day by day as well as affecting the supply chain. The COVID-19 crisis is creating uncertainty in the stock market, massive slowing of supply chain, falling business confidence, and increasing panic among the customer segments. The overall effect of the pandemic is impacting the production process of several industries. This report on Indoor Farming Technology Market provides the analysis on impact of Covid-19 on various business segments and country markets. The reports also showcase market trends and forecast, factoring the impact of COVID -19 Situation.

See the COVID-19 Significant Impact and Post Opportunities Download Sample Report @ https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/request-a-sample/?dbmr=global-indoor-farming-technology-market

**Moreover, it will also include the opportunities available in micro markets for stakeholders to invest, detailed analysis of competitive landscape and product services of key players.

Rise in demand for fresh foods including higher nutritive value, need for higher yields with the help of limited space and water and less Impact of weather conditions externally are the factors driving the growth of the indoor farming technology market. High initial investments and limitations on the types of crops which can be grown are the factors restraining the indoor farming technology market. Development of cost-effective and innovative technologies acts as an opportunity. Lack of Skilled Workforce is one of the challenges faced by the indoor farming technology market.

Businesses Segmentation of Indoor Farming Technology Market:

On the basis of growing system ,

 indoor farming technology market is segmented into aeroponics, hydroponics, aquaponics, soil-based and hybrid.

,  indoor farming technology market is segmented into aeroponics, hydroponics, aquaponics, soil-based and hybrid. Based on facility type ,

 indoor farming technology market is segmented into glass or poly greenhouses, indoor vertical farms, container farms and indoor deep water culture (DWC) systems.

,  is segmented into glass or poly greenhouses, indoor vertical farms, container farms and indoor deep water culture (DWC) systems. Based on component , indoor farming technology market is segmented into hardware, and software and services. Hardware is sub-segmented into climate control systems, lighting systems, communication systems, sensors, system controls, irrigation systems and others.

,

Indoor Farming Technology Regional Analysis Includes:

Asia-Pacific (Vietnam, China, Malaysia, Japan, Philippines, Korea, Thailand, India, Indonesia, and Australia)



Europe (Turkey, Germany, Russia UK, Italy, France, etc.)



North America (the United States, Mexico, and Canada.)



South America (Brazil etc.)



The Middle East and Africa (GCC Countries and Egypt.)

Get More Information on Indoor Farming Technology Research Report @ https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-indoor-farming-technology-market

The Indoor Farming Technology market report provides the following information:

Region-wise, how will different segments behave in terms of opportunities, threats, and growth potential?

Segments which will contribute notably to growth in Indoor Farming Technology market, information on emerging opportunities

Prominent trends and drivers and how will they contribute to market growth over the forecast period

Players and products who would command a sizeable share of the market

Following Top Key Players are profiled with global positioning:

Logiqs, Illumitex, Vertical Farm Systems, Hydrodynamics International, General Hydroponics, Certhon, Dalsem, American Hydroponics, Harnois Greenhouses, Richel Group, Urban Crop Solutions, Agrilution GmbH, Green Sense Farms, Philips Lighting, Everlight Electronics, Argus Controls Systems, Netafim, Lumigrow among other domestic and global players.

Access Full Report @ https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/checkout/buy/singleuser/global-indoor-farming-technology-market

How Research Study of DBMR helps clients in their decision making:

**Creating strategies for new product development

**Supporting & Adjust Investment/business decisions

**Benchmark and judge own competitiveness

**Aiding in the business planning process

**Serving as a credible, independent check on company internal forecasts

**Supporting acquisition strategies

Some of the Major Highlights of TOC covers:

Development Trend of Analysis of Indoor Farming Technology Market Global Indoor Farming Technology Market Trend Analysis Global Indoor Farming Technology Market Size (Volume and Value) Forecast Marketing Channel Direct Marketing Indirect Marketing Indoor Farming Technology Customers Market Dynamics Market Trends Opportunities Market Drivers Challenges Influence Factors Methodology/Research Approach Research Programs/Design Market Size Estimation Market Breakdown and Data Triangulation Data Source

Get In-depth TOC including list of table and Figures along with Graphs and Figures Of This Report @ https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/toc/?dbmr=global-indoor-farming-technology-market

Data Bridge Market Research employs comprehensive and iterative research methodology focused on minimizing deviance in order to provide the most accurate estimates and forecast possible. The company utilizes a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches for segmenting and estimating quantitative aspects of the market. In Addition, a recurring theme prevalent across all our research reports is data triangulation that looks market from three different perspectives. Critical elements of methodology employed for all our studies include:

Our market estimates and forecasts are derived through simulation models. A unique model is created customized for each study. Gathered information for market dynamics, technology landscape, application development and pricing trends is fed into the model and analyzed simultaneously. These factors are studied on a comparative basis, and their impact over the forecast period is quantified with the help of correlation, regression and time series analysis. Market forecasting is performed via a combination of economic tools, technological analysis, and industry experience and domain expertise.

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.

Note  In order to provide more accurate market, forecast, all our reports will be updated before delivery by considering the impact of COVID-19.

Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report versions like North America, Europe, or Asia Etc.

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BUFFALO GROVE, IL  Like every other municipality in Illinois, the Village of Buffalo Grove has been dealing with its own unique data points regarding the coronavirus. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, 656 people have contracted COVID-19 in Buffalo Grove since the outbreak began. That is an increase of nine cases since Sept. 11. For further comparison, there was also an increase of 30 cases between Sept. 4-11.

The Lake County Health Department reports there have been 16,051 confirmed cases in Lake County. That's an increase of 459 cases since Sept. 11. For further comparison, there was an increase of 820 cases between Sept. 4-11. In addition, there have been 460 deaths, marking an increase of five since Sept. 11. For further comparison, there was also an increase of five deaths between Sept. 4-11.

Here is a breakdown of Lake County cases by age:

Less than 20 (2,550 cases for an increase of 143 since Sept. 11, compared to 229 between Sept. 4-11)

20-29 (3,224 cases for an increase of 112, compared to 200)

30-39 (2,252 cases for an increase of 52, compared to 94)

40-49 (2,448 for an increase of 51, compared to 117)

50-59 (2,266 for an increase of 60, compared to 95)

60-69 (1,390 for an increase of 17, compared to 59)

70-79 (723 for an increase of seven, compared to 19)

80-89 (515 for an increase of six, compared to nine)

90 and older (305 for an increase of two, compared to five)

The Lake County recovery rate from the coronavirus is currently 96.1 percent. Recovered cases are defined as persons with initial positive specimen collection date greater than 42 days who have not expired. The Recovery rate is calculated as the recovered cases divided by the sum of recovered cases and total deceased cases.

The Illinois Department of Public Health reports 16,432 people have been tested across Buffalo Grove (zip codes 60069, 60089) as of Friday. That's an increase of 897 people tested since Sept. 11. For further comparison, there was an increase of 1,189 tests between Sept. 4-11.

Story continues

According to the Cook County Medical Examiner, 20 people have died due to COVID-19 in the Cook County portion of Buffalo Grove since April 6. A death on Aug. 23 marked the first since July 1.

Here is a breakdown of COVID-19 related deaths by date in Buffalo Grove:

April 6  1

April 10  1

April 14  1

April 16  1

April 19  2

May 4  1

May 5  1

May 10  1

May 17  1

May 23  2

June 5  1

June 6 1

June 11  1

June 12  1

June 13  1

June 28  1

July 1  1

Aug. 23  1

According to the medical examiner, the age breakdown for the 20 deaths are: 80+ (11), 70-79 (7) and 60-69 (2). In addition, 14 of the deceased were females and six were male.

As of Friday, there have been 202 coronavirus-related cases in the Cook County portion of Buffalo Grove, according to the Cook County Department of Public Health. That marks an increase of three 11 cases since Sept. 11. For further comparison, there was an increase of 11 cases between Sept. 4-11.

The Illinois Department of Public Health reports there have been 2,083 confirmed coronavirus cases in long-term care facilities in Lake County. There have been 328 deaths in these facilities.

Here is a breakdown of cases and deaths at some of these facilities in Buffalo Grove:

Belmont Village of Buffalo Grove  66 cases, 19 deaths

Symphony Buffalo Grove  99 cases, 10 deaths

These numbers include both residents and employees of the long-term care facilities.

State health officials on Thursday announced 2,056 new cases of the coronavirus and 25 additional deaths from COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the virus. The statewide totals now stand at 268,207 confirmed infections and 8,392 known deaths. Another 2,095 probable cases and 232 probable deaths are not included in the official totals.



The latest deaths include:

Cook County: 1male 70s

DeKalb County: 1 male 30s

DuPage County: 1 male 30s

Green County: 1 male 90s

Kane County: 1 female 90s

Kankakee County: 2 males 80s, 1 female 90s

Lawrence County: 1 female 90s

Madison County: 1 male 50s, 2 males 80s, 1 female 90s

McLean County: 1 female 80s

Randolph County: 1 male 70s

Sangamon County: 1 male 50s, 1 female 60s

Shelby County: 1 male 70s

Tazewell County: 1 male 60s

Will County: 1 female 80s

Williamson County: 1 female 60s, 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s

Winnebago County: 1 male 90s

Woodford County: 1 male 90s

As of Wednesday night, 1,588 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 across the state, including 359 in intensive care and 144 on ventilators, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. All three of those numbers have been on the rise in recent days.

Thirty counties remain at a "warning level" for a surge in cases, health officials said Friday. They include: Bond, Bureau, Cass, Clinton, Coles, Crawford, DeKalb, DuPage, Effingham, Greene, Grundy, Hancock, Henderson, Jackson, Jasper, Jersey, Lawrence, Madison, McLean, Monroe, Morgan, Pulaski, Schuyler, Shelby, Stark, St. Clair, Tazewell, Vermilion, Washington and Williamson counties.

See how your region is doing here.

The statewide positive-test rate is currently 3.6 percent. The number is a rolling, seven-day average and represents a decrease of one tenth of a percentage point from Wednesday. In the past 24 hours, labs in Illinois have processed 57,800 coronavirus tests, for a total of more than 4.9 million since the pandemic began.

According to Johns Hopkins University, a positivity rate of less than 5 percent is a good measure of whether enough tests are being conducted, and state officials have said a rate higher than 8 percent will trigger new restrictions in a given region.

The United States now has more than 6.6 million confirmed coronavirus infections, and at least 197,223 Americans have died from COVID-19, according to Johns Hopkins University. Based on the latest predictions by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 205,000 to 217,000 Americans could be dead from the disease by Oct. 3.

Globally, more than 29.9 million people have been infected and 942,631 are known to have died.

As local and state economies slowly emerge from pandemic lockdowns, it's often hard for customers to know the conditions under which local businesses are open. The business center contains easily accessible and up-to-date information about scores of local businesses, including everything from operating hours to the availability of by-appointment services, quick website links and other contact information. It's free to use and free for businesses to join.

Here's what's happening with the coronavirus in Illinois:

Players will be tested daily, and data from cardiac testing used to aid coronavirus research, Big Ten Conference officials announced.

A Plainfield Community School District employee spent last week in the Will County Jail in connection with her Mariano's arrest.

Two rallies are planned Saturday in protest of the governor's stance in Chicago and Springfield.

Over 100,000 tenants and homeowners applied for rent and mortgage grants, but the state can only help about 40,000, Gov. Pritzker said.

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity is set to begin accepting applications Thursday afternoon.

The group gathered along Lincoln Highway, outside the Plainfield School District 202 headquarters on Monday.

Chicago public health officials recommend avoiding travel to Wisconsin, but don't add state to quarantine list, yet.

The owners of Hometown Coffee & Juice  set to reopen Thursday  arranged for tests for all their workers in response to a positive result.

Metra is launching a $1 million ad campaign in an effort to convince commuters to start riding trains again.

The masks were being shipped from China to a company in Manalapan, New Jersey.

A restaurant collapse is on the horizon in Chicago, according to owners who just cant scrape by any longer.

The Salvation Army announces first-ever change to the annual Red Kettle fundraising with 'Rescue Christmas.'

Illinois Coronavirus Helpline:

Illinois officials say a state helpline has been set up to provide emotional support and quick answers to questions about the coronavirus pandemic. Illinoisans can test "TALK" to 55-2020 (or "HABLAR" for Spanish), and within 24 hours they will receive a call from a counselor. Residents can also text keywords such as "UNEMPLOYMENT," "FOOD" or "SHELTER," to the same number to receive additional information about those topics.



Coronavirus by the numbers:

Illinois:

Total number of coronavirus cases: 268,207

Deaths: 8,392

People tested: 4,920,938

Recovered: Illinois does not provide exact numbers of recovered cases, but says the recovery rate is 96 percent.

Nationwide:

Total number of coronavirus cases: 6,649,458

Deaths: 197,223

People tested: 90,710,730

Recovered: 2,525,573

Global:

Total number of coronavirus cases: 29,960,718

Deaths: 942,631

People tested: No data available

Recovered: 20,362,794

Sources: Johns Hopkins University and IDPH

While the best way to prevent illness is to avoid virus exposure, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention generally recommends taking these actions to prevent the spread of viruses:

Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

Stay home when you are sick.

Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.

Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipes.

Wash your 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.

What to do if you're sick:

Call head if you're planning to visit your doctor:

If you have a medical appointment, call the health care provider and tell them that you have or may have COVID-19. This will help the health care provider's office take steps to keep other people from getting infected or exposed.

Stay home unless you must see a doctor:

Stay home: People who are mildly ill with COVID-19 are able to isolate at home during their illness. You should restrict activities outside your home, except for getting medical care.

Avoid public areas: Do not go to work, school, or public areas.

Avoid public transportation: Avoid using public transportation, ride-sharing or taxis.

Separate yourself from other people and animals in your home:

Stay away from others: As much as possible, you should stay in a specific room and away from other people in your home. Also, you should use a separate bathroom, if available.

Limit contact with pets and animals: You should restrict contact with pets and other animals while you are sick with COVID-19, just as you would around other people. Although there have not been reports of pets or other animals becoming sick with COVID-19, it is still recommended that people sick with COVID-19 limit contact with animals until more information is known about the virus.

When possible, have another member of your household care for your animals while you are sick. If you are sick with COVID-19, avoid contact with your pet, including petting, snuggling, being kissed or licked and sharing food. If you must care for your pet or be around animals while you are sick, wash your hands before and after you interact with pets and wear a face mask. See COVID-19 and Animals for more information.

Avoid sharing personal household items:

Do not share: You should not share dishes, drinking glasses, cups, eating utensils, towels, or bedding with other people or pets in your home.

Wash thoroughly after use: After using these items, they should be washed thoroughly with soap and water.

Masks:

CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies), especially in areas of significant community-based transmission. CDC also advises the use of simple cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others. Cloth face coverings fashioned from household items or made at home from common materials at low cost can be used as an additional, voluntary public health measure.

Cloth face coverings should not be placed on young children under age 2, anyone who has trouble breathing, or is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance.

The cloth face coverings recommended are not surgical masks or N-95 respirators. Those are critical supplies that must continue to be reserved for healthcare workers and other medical first responders, as recommended by current CDC guidance.

Face mask instructions  sew- and no-sew masks

To donate personal protective equipment (PPE), email PPE.donations@illinois.gov. For health questions about COVID-19, call the state coronavirus hotline at 800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.



This article originally appeared on the Buffalo Grove Patch
On Thursday, the World Health Organization (WHO) regional director for Europe, Dr. Hans Kluge, warned that Europe faces a catastrophic resurgence of COVID-19.

Europe has seen over 228,000 COVID-19 deaths and five million cases, according to the WHO, mostly in a wave that peaked in March. However, as scientists had warned, the premature ending of lockdowns is producing an explosive resurgence of the virus. Even as hospital wards in Madrid and across southern France begin to fill and death rates mount, European governments continue to loosen social distancing and impose back-to-school and back-to-work policies that spread the virus.

A patient carried on a stretcher in Rome, Italy (Photo: Alessandra Tarantino / AP)

Speaking at a WHO press conference in Copenhagen, Kluge said: Weekly cases have now exceeded those reported when the pandemic first peaked in Europe in March. Last week, the regions weekly tally exceeded 300,000 patients. More than half of European countries have reported a greater than 10 per cent increase in cases in the past two weeks. Of those, seven countries have seen newly reported cases increase more than twofold in the same period.

Kluge called these alarming rates of transmission across the region. Yesterdays figures provided a stark picture: Spain saw 11,291 confirmed new cases and 162 deaths; France, 10,593 cases and 50 deathsboth surpassing the largest daily infection totals this springand Britain, 3,395 cases and 21 deaths. The Czech Republic saw 2,136 new cases Wednesday, the first time this figure exceeded 2,000. Daily cases are rising in Germany (2,021), Italy (1,585), the Netherlands (1,753), Romania (1,679), and Belgium (1,153).

The reckless elimination of social distancing in schools and workplaces is having a devastating impact. In the spring and early summer, we were able to see the impact of strict lockdown measures. Our efforts, our sacrifices, paid off. In June cases hit an all-time low. The September case numbers, however, should serve as a wake-up call for all of us, Kluge said, adding, If you lift the pressure from the virus, naturally you're going to see this increase.

COVID-19 deaths follow the increase in cases with several weeks delay, and with deaths already increasing in Spain, it is only a matter of time before death totals explode across Europe.

WHO officials also warned against calls to slash the amount of time workers are legally allowed to self-isolate after being exposed to the virus. While it takes up to 14 days for an infected person to show symptoms, French officials are cutting quarantines to only seven days and British officials to only 10. Spain may cut the quarantine to seven or 10 days. This would ensure that infectious patients resume normal activities and spread the virus before finally falling ill.

Knowing the immense individual and societal impact even a slight reduction in the length of quarantine can have... I encourage countries of the region to make scientific due process with their experts, Kluge said.

WHO official Catherine Smallwood said the WHO is not changing the recommended quarantine length, indicating that the French and British proposals have no scientific basis: Our quarantine recommendation of 14 days has been based on our understanding of the incubation period and transmission of the disease. We would only revise that on the basis of a change of our understanding of the science.

Kluge said prompt and resolute action is required to prevent an overwhelming resurgence of COVID-19. Warning that the virus has been merciless whenever partisanship and disinformation prevailed, he said, Where the pandemic goes from here is in our hands. We have fought it back before, and we can fight it back again.

The main obstacle to adopting a rational, scientifically based policy to fight the pandemic is the conscious hostility of Europes governments and financial aristocracy. All echo the positions of French President and investment banker Emmanuel Macron, who ruled out further lockdowns last month, telling Paris Match, We cannot stop the entire country.

Lockdowns were adopted this spring only after the collapse of Italys medical system under the weight of the COVID-19 pandemic in February and early March triggered a wave of wildcat strikes in Italian auto, steel and machine tool firms that spread across Europe.

The focus of European banks and officials this spring, however, was organizing a massive transfer of wealth to the super-rich. While the euro zone adopted 1.25 trillion in quantitative easing (QE) handouts to the banks and a 500 billion European Union (EU) corporate bailout, London adopted 635 billion in QE handouts and at least 110 billion in corporate bailouts. Afterwards, they focused on forcing children back to school so their parents could return to work to produce profits to back up the massive amounts of capital handed to the banks.

These bailouts have the unions enthusiastic support. The German Union Confederation (DGB) and Frances General Confederation of Labor (CGT) signed a joint statement explicitly endorsing the EU bailout negotiated primarily between Berlin and Paris. The union bureaucracies are complicit in the EUs politically criminal pandemic response, which they play a leading role in organizing.

Only the independent intervention of the working class can impose necessary lockdown policies to halt the pandemic surge and avert a renewed, catastrophic loss of life. For this, however, workers need to organize independently of the union bureaucracies and their political allies, who are complicit in the murderous policies of the capitalist class.

In Spain, currently the pandemics European epicenter, health officials are urgently demanding lockdowns. In Madrid, the worst-hit region, Dr. Miguel Sanchez told ABC that emergency rooms are once again on the verge of collapse. With 24.4 percent of COVID-19 tests coming back positive, Dr. Cesar Carballo told Telemadrid: It is already too late... It is no longer sufficient to lock down neighborhoods, we will have to put all of Madrid on lockdown.

State-organized polls found that 56.8 percent of Spaniards do not trust the states response, while 58.3 percent want more demanding isolation measures.

The Spanish Health Ministry said, however, that regional authorities alone now set policy. Madrids right-wing regional premier Isabel Ayuso has refused even selective lockdowns in the worst-hit neighborhoods. Ayuso, who has said she believes practically all children, one way or another, will be infected with COVID-19, appealed instead to fascistic sentiment, blaming the spread of the virus on the lifestyles of our immigrants.

In France, where hospitals in the Marseille and Bordeaux regions are beginning to overflow with severe COVID-19 patients, Health Minister Olivier Veran announced yesterday that France would maintain its unscientific seven-day quarantine policy despite WHO warnings. This came after Prime Minister Jean Castex again insisted that there will be no all-out lockdown policy, and that his government wants France to live with the virus.

The French government, which stepped up army deployments to major cities as the lockdown began this spring, is terrified of working class anger and is doubtless preparing repression of mass protests. Dr. Mathias Wargon, head of emergency care at Delafontaine hospital in Saint Denis, near Paris, said, I have noticed that the Interior Ministry is taking back control from the Health Ministry. The Health Ministry no longer controls what happens, but the police prefects and state officials.

IFOP pollster Frederic Dabi told Le Monde that public opinion is tired and worried... In this explosive and unpredictable context, the government is trying to ensure that the pressure cooker does not explode.

The way forward for workers and students to protect themselves against the pandemic is to form independent safety committees in workplaces and schools across Europe and beyond. These committees can prepare a general strike against back-to-school policies and continued nonessential economic activity, and for the right to shelter at home under decent conditions. This requires above all a political struggle for the socialist reorganization of society and the abolition of the capitalist social order that is the root cause of the disastrous response to the pandemic.
The National Water Resources Bill, 2020, will be thoroughly reviewed by the Attorney-General and Executive Council of each state before a unanimous decision is made on the bill, the Nigeria Governors Forum has said.

Other relevant laws including the River Basins Development Authorities Act 2004; the Natural Water Resources Act 2004; and the Nigeria Hydrological Resources Act 2004 will be subjected to the same scrutiny.

It is after this review that a common position will be presented to the Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, the Nation Newspaper reports.

This resolution was reached at the NGFs 17th teleconference meeting after a presentation by the minister on the bill and related issues.

The minister, according to a communique issued at the end of the meeting, emphasised that the basic philosophy behind the bill is to integrate water resources management in the country by bringing all laws related to water resources management into one consolidated code.

He noted that the new bill is consistent with the Land Use Act, and will promote equitable development, management, use and conservation of Nigerias surface and groundwater resources.

They resolved that the proposed Bill and other relevant laws including the River Basins Development Authorities Act 2004; the Natural Water Resources Act 2004; and the Nigeria Hydrological Resources Act 2004 will be reviewed by their Attorneys General and Executive Councils of States after which a common position of States will be presented to Water Resources Minister, it read.

The NGF also hailed Mr Adamu for taking an integrated approach on water resource management as a national good.

The bill has generated controversy since its reintroduction at the House of Representatives and many Nigerians, including the Nigeria Labour Congress, have frowned at some sections of the bill which, they said, will breach Nigerians right to water.

Some of these Sections include 98 which states that the use of water shall be subject to licencing provisions and Section 107 which states that a licence may be cancelled if the licensee fails to make beneficial use of the water.

Also, Section 120 of the legislation makes it compulsory for Nigerians to obtain a drillers permit before sinking a borehole in their homes.

Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka has warned President Muhammadu Buhari against signing the bill.

The basic facilitator of human existence, water  forget for now all about streams of righteousness  is to become exclusive to one centralized authority.

What next for the exclusive list? The rains? I declare myself in full agreement with virtually every pronouncement of alarm, outrage, opprobrium and repudiation that has been heaped upon this bill and its parentage, both at its first outing, and since this recent re-emergence, he said.
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Linkedin Adrian Wail Akhlas (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, September 19 2020

Indonesia will seek private investment, both from foreign and domestic investors, to develop the countrys digital infrastructure, as the COVID-19 outbreak has accelerated the digital transformation, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said on Tuesday.

The government will seek more public-private partnership (PPP) schemes through the Communications and Information Ministry in a bid to speed up development, she said.

The investment will complement the governments budget allocation of Rp 30.5 trillion (US$2.05 billion) in the 2021 state budget to develop the information and communications technology (ICT) sector.

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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Berlin, Germany  Fri, September 18, 2020 09:49 491 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c4597c21 2 World Germany,plastic-straw,plastic-products Free

German lawmakers approved legislation Thursday banning disposable plastic products such as straws, cutlery and cotton buds that are polluting the world's oceans.

The new law passed by Germany's lower house of parliament will halt the sale of certain single-use plastics by July 2021.

The move brings Germany in line with its European commitments after the EU last year agreed to place tough new restrictions on certain plastic items.

The EU legislation bans around a dozen disposable plastic products for which environmentally friendly alternatives exist, including drink stirrers, chopsticks and plates.

According to the EU Commission, the products prohibited under the law represent 70 percent of the waste that pours into oceans, posing a threat to wildlife and fisheries.

The EU-wide legislation has already prompted fast food giant McDonald's to speed up its move to limit the use of plastics in its European restaurants, including by ditching the plastic lids on McFlurry ice creams.

McDonald's estimates that the change will save more than 1,200 tons of plastic a year on the continent.

Environmental group Greenpeace on Thursday criticized the new legislation however for only covering a specific list of single-use plastics instead of a wholesale ban on all such products.

"The way out the plastics crisis can only happen through a real change in packaging away from the disposable to the reusable," said Viola Wohlgemuth of Greenpeace Germany.
New Delhi:

The Election Commission (EC) on Saturday censured Aam Aadmi Chief (AAP) and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for his bribe remarks at a rally in Goa ahead of assembly elections in the state.

The EC had earlier issued a notice to Kejriwal for purportedly promoting bribery at a rally earlier this month by saying that voters in Goa should accept money from the BJP and Congress but cast their vote to AAP.

Addressing the people of Benaulim, Kejriwal said, "If Congress or BJP candidates offer money, do not refuse it. Accept it as your own money. But when it comes to voting, press the button against the name of the AAP candidate."

While issuing the notice, the EC said that prima facie, Mr Kejriwals statements violated the model code which came into effect in Goa on January 6. It also said that Kejriwals remarks amount to "abetting and promoting electoral offence of bribery".

AAP has fielded former Inspector General of Prisons Elvis Gomes as their Chief Ministerial face in Goa, which goes to polls on February 4.

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The level of dissatisfaction surrounding the Leaving Cert is demonstrated by the fact one in five students is seeking rechecks of results.

It will be shown again when many students exercise their right to sit the Leaving Cert, scheduled to start on November 16.

Calculated grades certainly benefited a very significant number of students who ended up with better results than they would normally have achieved. However, the rising tide of grades did not lift all boats equally and some above-average students feel aggrieved over being downgraded in their strong subjects.

So do their parents, especially those who made sacrifices to pay for their children's education. Some had foregone holidays and new cars so their children could go to those fee-paying schools which traditionally delivered above-average results. Those that didn't deliver this year blame the algorithm used in calculating grades.

Even in normal times, the country's 50 fee-paying schools evoke a mixture of reactions ranging from admiration and envy to begrudgery and downright hostility. This year was different, with some gleeful keyboard warriors suggesting downgrading was 'good enough' for them, while other kindlier voices were sympathetic to individual cases of disappointing results.

The unusual grade pattern follows the political decision to disregard the historic pattern of results. The Government wanted to avoid a UK-style mess where many estimated grades submitted by disadvantaged schools were drastically downgraded.

Much of the running on this issue here was made by Labour's Aodhan O Riordain, who claimed school profiling would doubly disadvantage already disadvantaged schools. After the UK experience, Education Minister Norma Foley asked her officials to discount the historic data.

As one insider noted, however, "the politicians may have taken the exam history of disadvantaged schools out of the equation but they did the same for advantaged schools who seem to have been badly affected".

Many, but not all, fee-paying schools have seen their predicted marks for students downgraded in subjects where they have traditionally done well. Most have remained silent, but not so St Kilian's German School in Dublin, where even mother tongue students of German were downgraded from a H1 to H2 - or in some cases to a H3.

The school had predicted 19 H1s in German but was awarded only six. Principal Alice Lynch claimed her students had been seriously disadvantaged "because of a warped bias based on the outcry in the UK".

She reminded the Department of Education that its teacher guidelines stated the school's past performance would be considered as part of the national standardisation, saying: "I challenge you to go back and use the past performance for students from this school in German to come up with a fair and equitable assessment of their grades in this subject." The challenge remains.

Several students from the country's best known 'grind school', the Institute of Education on Dublin's Leeson Street, rang the national barometer of public opinion - Joe Duffy's Liveline - to tell of their disappointment at having been knocked back on what was expected for them.

It's not just fee-paying and grind schools that feel they were treated unfairly. So too do some high-achieving schools in the free education scheme.

Eric Gaughran, principal of Colaiste Lorcain in Castledermot, told the Kildare Nationalist that a number of the calculated marks for his school were pulled down for inexplicable reasons. This affected some students "who are in the 450-600 range in terms of points", he said.

The department insists the computer model used was blind to the type of school or education centre involved. Overall, the grades achieved in this year's results were stronger by about 4.4 percentage points.

"This improvement in performance is present across all types of schools," it said. Whatever about the upgrades, a major concern is that the 17pc of downgrades of teacher predictions seem to have hit some schools more than others.

That explains why appeals have been lodged by 12,292 students in respect of 33,677 calculated grades. This involves rechecking the process of inputting the schools' predicted marks to make sure the data was handled properly. The schools' marks or final calculated grades cannot be challenged.

We don't know yet how many students will sit the Leaving Cert in subjects where they feel hard done by.

If they get a better result than their calculated grade for any subject they can use the higher grade. It will come too late for this year's college entry, but can be used next year.

The November exams will involve written papers only and are due to run over a two-and-a-half week period in the evenings and on weekends.

However, one school head complained: "We have no space for those who want to sit the exam as all our rooms are used for classes.

"What do we do? We don't know where we are supposed to get exam superintendents from, nor who will mark the papers - we are in the dark at this stage."

Some politicians may think the saga of the 2020 Leaving Cert class is all over, but it's not over yet.
OAKLAND, Calif.  Last month, Facebook said it was cracking down on activity tied to QAnon, a vast conspiracy theory that falsely claims that a satanic cabal runs the world, as well as other potentially violent extremist movements.

Since then, a militia movement on Facebook that called for armed conflict on the streets of U.S. cities has gained thousands of new followers. A QAnon Facebook group has also added hundreds of new followers while questioning common-sense pandemic medical practices, like wearing a mask in public and staying at home while sick. And a campaign that claimed to raise awareness of human trafficking has steered hundreds of thousands of people to conspiracy theory groups and pages on the social network.

Perhaps the most jarring part? At times, Facebooks own recommendation engine  the algorithm that surfaces content for people on the site  has pushed users toward the very groups that were discussing QAnon conspiracies, according to research conducted by The New York Times, despite assurances from the company that that would not happen.

None of this was supposed to take place under new Facebook rules targeting QAnon and other extremist movements. The Silicon Valley companys inability to quash extremist content, despite frequent flags from concerned users, is now renewing questions about the limits of its policing and whether it will be locked in an endless fight with QAnon and other groups that see it as a key battleground in their online war.
Chairman of the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF), Hon. George Mireku Duker has congratulated President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on his appointment as Chairman of 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.



Hon. Mireku Duker believes the good and exemplary leadership of President Akufo-Addo is what earned him the Chairman position at ECOWAS.



To him, the President's new position goes to tell volumes about his performance and so urged Ghanaians to also give him a second term just as the Heads of African States have reposed confidence in Nana Addo.



Hon. Mireku Duker took the opportunity to extend Ghana's gratitude to ECOWAS.



"We thank all the fifteen countries for the honour done to President Nana Akufo-Addo and Ghana," he said on 'Kokrokoo' on Peace FM.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Belfast-born MP Conor Burns has been slammed by his cousin on Twitter who claimed the Brexiteer was no better than Farage.

The Conservative MP, who was forced to resign as trade minister in May this year after being found guilty of breaching parliamentary privilege, attempted to downplay the Twitter spat.

It came after he responded to a tweet by US Presidential candidate Joe Biden in which the Democrat said the Good Friday Agreement must not become a casualty of Brexit.

Responding to former Vice-President Biden, Mr Burns wrote: Would you like to discuss the Good Friday agreement? It is also called the Belfast Agreement so it doesnt offend both traditions.

Did you actually know that? I was born in NI and Im a Catholic and a Unionist. Here if you need help.

Mr Burnss cousin Stevie responded saying the MP for Bournemouth West "no better than Farage".

The MP responded saying: 2020 clearly is not the year of cousin love before later tweeting: Being attacked by a cousin may be upsetting for some. When he is one of roughly 30 and not seen him for 30 years its cool.

Mr Burns, who was born in Belfast before his family moved to Hertfordshire, resigned as trade minister and was suspended from parliament earlier this year after he tried to intimidate a member of the public over a financial dispute with his father, a Commons investigation found.

He was found to have breached the code of conduct for MPs after the publication of a report that said he had used his position as an MP to attempt to intimidate a member of the public into doing as he wished over a financial dispute involving his father.

The dispute related to private family interests and he persisted in making veiled threats to use parliamentary privilege to further his familys interests during the course of the investigation, the Commons standard committee said.

Downing Street announced he had stood down from the Department of International Trade after the committee recommended he should be suspended from Parliament for seven days.

Speaking at the time, a Downing Street spokesman said: Conor Burns has resigned as minister of state for international trade following a report from the Parliamentary commissioner for standards. A replacement will be announced in due course.

Mr Burns was a campaigner for Brexit during the EU referendum in 2016 and was a close friend of former Conservative Prime Minister Lady Thatcher towards the end of her life.

Writing to Mr Burns after his resignation, Prime Minister Boris Johnson thanked him for his unstinting loyalty over recent years and said he would continue to add much from the backbenches.
After touching a life-time high in the previous week, the country's foreign exchange reserves declined by $353 million to $541.660 billion in the week ended September 11, according to the Reserve Bank data.

In the previous week ended September 4, the reserves had increased by $582 million to a record high of $542.013 billion.

During the reporting week, the fall in reserves was due to a decline in foreign currency assets (FCAs), a major component of the overall reserves. FCAs decreased by $841 million to $497.521 billion in the reporting week, the data showed. Expressed in dollar terms, the foreign currency assets include the effect of appreciation or depreciation of non-US units like the euro, pound and yen held in the foreign exchange reserves.

The gold reserves rose by $499 million in the reporting week to $38.02 billion. The special drawing rights with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) marginally declined by $1 million to $1.482 billion during the week.

The country's reserve position with the IMF declined by $11 million to $4.637 billion during the reporting week, the data showed.
Homegrown FMCG firm is confident of delivering a "stronger performance" in FY21, despite a 26 per cent degrowth in sales in the COVID-19 impacted April-June quarter, company founder and wholetime director R S Goenka said on Friday.

Addressing shareholders at the annual general meeting of the Kolkata-headquartered company, he said is ramping up its innovation pipeline and investing in the new-age trade channels to be future-ready.

It has continued to strengthen its sectorial position through strategic brand investments, timely innovation, targeted distribution and technology enhancement in response to all macroeconomic challenges after COVID-19, he said.

"Through the adoption of advanced technology and digital transformation across verticals, your company is becoming more future-ready," Goenka said to shareholders.

has introduced brand extensions during the year, strengthening its presence after the outbreak of COVID-19, when there was a profound shift in consumer behaviour.

"We are ramping up our innovation pipeline, deepening our distribution across both traditional and new-age trade channels and finding new and exciting ways to delight our consumers with differentiated quality and affordable products," Goenka added.

Through the adoption of advanced technology and digital transformation across verticals, the company is becoming more future-ready.

"We are confident that with this approach towards prevailing challenges, we will deliver a stronger performance in 2020-21," he said.

In FY20, Emami's revenue had marginally declined by 1 per cent to Rs 2,655 crore. This was mainly due to a 17 per cent decline in Q4 FY20. However, "tight cost control measures" helped Emami to improve its gross margins and deliver 2 per cent growth in cash profits.

In the first quarter of FY21, Emami reported consolidated revenues of Rs 481 crore, registering a sales degrowth of 26 per cent.

The company is investing in the new-age channel after a shift in the consumer buying pattern and is focusing on digital initiates.

"Our revenues in these new-age channels grew by 16 per cent in FY20 and increased their contribution to the domestic business from 7.5 per cent to 9 per cent," Goenka said.

It is scaling up modern trade and e-commerce presence with initiatives like making channel-specific SKUs.

"Your company took every right step in the post-COVID world, to ensure brand Emami stayed relevant for consumers who would want to feel good about themselves and stay healthy, naturally," he said.

Besides, Emami has also "overhauled its international business" in key geographies generating 16 per cent Y-o-Y global revenue growth.

Emami extended its presence in more than 60 countries, through proprietary manufacturing units in India and Bangladesh and a contract manufacturing unit in Sri Lanka.

(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.)
Would the real Drew Pavlou please stand up?

A University of Queensland student has legally changed his name to Drew Pavlou to run in the student union elections in October, pledging to stand aside for the real Drew Pavlou - suspended by the university - in January if elected.

Drew Pavlou (left) and his friend Taylor Wass, now also Drew Pavlou.

The real Drew Pavlou is taking UQ to court over its decision to suspend him for serious misconduct, the university says.

The university suspended Mr Pavlou in July for the second semester of 2020, and in August confirmed he had lost his UQ Senate seat as undergraduate student representative because of that suspension.
China urges U.S. to immediately stop official exchanges with Taiwan

BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- China on Thursday urged the United States to abide by the one-China principle and immediately stop carrying out official exchanges and promoting a substantive relationship with Taiwan.

"China will make necessary response in light of the developing situation," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a daily press briefing.

Wang's remarks came after the U.S. side announced that U.S. Under Secretary of State Keith Krach will visit Taiwan to attend an upcoming memorial service for former Taiwan leader Lee Teng-hui.

"China firmly opposes any form of official exchanges between the United States and Taiwan. This position is clear and consistent," he said.

Krach's visit to Taiwan severely violates the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiques, encourages the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces, and undermines China-U.S. ties as well as cross-Strait peace and stability, Wang said, adding that China has expressed firm opposition and lodged solemn representations with the U.S. side.
Representative image

A terror attack similar to the one witnessed in Pulwama in 2019, was averted by the Indian Army on September 17 with the recovery of 52 kilograms of explosives in Jammu and Kashmir's Karewa area.

Officials said that explosives were recovered near the J&K highway and the locations is around 9 kilometres from the site of the 2019 Pulwama terror attack which had led to the death of 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel. "We have averted another Pulwama-type attack," news agency PTI quoted an Army official as saying.

The explosives were found in a water tank at Karewa area of Gadikal during a search operation around 8.00 am. "There were 416 packets of explosives with each one of them weighing 125 gm," an official said, adding that another 50 detonators were recovered in another tank in the area in subsequent searches.

According to the defence forces, the explosives are called "Super-90" or S-90.

On February 14, 2019, a suicide bomber had rammed an explosive-laden car into a CRPF convoy in Kashmirs Pulwama. This had killed 40 soldiers. This was one of the deadliest attacks in Kashmir in recent years. Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) had claimed responsibility for the attack.

Less than two weeks after the attack, the Indian Air Force (IAF) had conducted an airstrike on a JeM terrorist training camp in Pakistans Balakot, triggering escalation in tension between the two nuclear weapons-armed countries.

In August, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had filed a chargesheet in the case, detailing how JeM had planned and executed the Pulwama attack. The agency named Masood Azhar, his brother Abdul Rauf Asghar, among others in the chargesheet.

(With inputs from PTI)
JACKSON, Miss. - Mississippi law does not allow absentee voting by all people who have health conditions that might make them vulnerable to COVID-19, the state Supreme Court ruled Friday.

A majority of justices reversed a Sept. 2 decision by Hinds County Chancery Judge Denise Owens, saying she too broadly interpreted some changes that legislators made to state law this year.

Having a preexisting condition that puts a voter at a higher risk does not automatically create a temporary disability for absentee-voting purposes, justices wrote.

Rob McDuff is a Mississippi Center for Justice attorney who sued the state on behalf of people with conditions including kidney disease and diabetes. He said Friday that the Supreme Court ruling does allow absentee voting by people with conditions that are serious enough to be considered a physical disability.

The Mississippi decision contrasts with one handed down Wednesday in a neighbouring state, where a federal judge ruled that Louisiana must allow mail-in voting for people with conditions that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has listed as making people more vulnerable to COVID-19, their caretakers and three other groups.

Mississippi does not allow widespread early voting. Instead, state law says absentee voting is available to anyone 65 or older, or for voters of any age who are permanently disabled or will be out of their home county on Election Day. People who have to work on Election Day when polls are open also are allowed to vote absentee.

Legislators tweaked the law this year with provisions that expire at the end of 2020. Those allow absentee voting by someone with a temporary or permanent disability that may include a physician-imposed quarantine due to COVID-19 or by a person who is caring for a dependent that is under a physician-imposed quarantine due to COVID-19.

People with health conditions that could make them vulnerable to the virus filed a lawsuit Aug. 11 in Hinds County Chancery Court. Their attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi and the Mississippi Center for Justice argued any voter with a preexisting condition should be able to vote absentee because the state health officer, who is a physician, has advised that people with such conditions should avoid large public gatherings. The attorneys said such voters should not need individual quarantine orders from another physician, and Owens agreed.

Secretary of State Michael Watson, a Republican, appealed Owens order to the state Supreme Court.

Attorneys for Watson wrote in the appeal that the state laws narrow absentee excuse does not stretch to voters without an underlying physical disability just because they have a fear of contracting COVID-19 at the polls, or the voters are voluntarily following public health guidance.

McDuff said Friday that in filings before the Supreme Court, Watson acknowledged that people with conditions that meet the definition of physical disability and that increase the risk of severe consequences from COVID-19 can vote absentee. McDuff said that includes four plaintiffs whose conditions include kidney disease, lupus, diabetes and severe asthma.

The Mississippi Supreme Court never repudiated that statement by the secretary, McDuff said.

Other voting rights groups filed a similar lawsuit Aug. 27 in federal court, arguing Mississippis absentee voting restrictions put people at risk amid the pandemic. They filed additional papers Thursday asking a judge to block two requirements  that a voter have absentee ballot forms notarized and that people have an excuse to vote absentee, such as being out of town on Election Day. Waiving the excuse would open absentee voting to many more people.

Most states allow early voting. Those that require an excuse for absentee voting are mostly in the South.

In Tennessee, a state court judge in June ordered that all eligible voters should have an absentee voting option during the health crisis, and that ruling was carried out during the Aug. 6 primary. The Tennessee Supreme Court overturned the absentee expansion last month, restoring the excuse-based absentee voting system and citing the states promise  made for the first time in front of the high court  that people can vote by mail if they believe they or someone in their care face a higher risk of contracting COVID-19 due to underlying health conditions.

___

Associated Press writer Jonathan Mattise contributed to this report from Nashville, Tennessee. Follow Emily Wagster Pettus on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EWagsterPettus.

___

Follow AP coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak.


NEW BRUNSWICK (dpa-AFX) - The European Commission said Friday that it has signed a deal with Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline to secure up to 300 million doses of their potential COVID-19 vaccine.



The commission said the agreement marks the second deal to secure the vaccine, following a deal it already signed with AstraZeneca. Last month, the European Commission struck a deal with AstraZeneca to supply up to 400 million doses of its AZD1222 COVID-19 vaccine.



The commission also said it continues discussing similar agreements with other vaccine manufacturers--Johnson & Johnson, CureVac, Moderna and BioNTech-- with which it has concluded exploratory talks.



Sanofi stated the deal will allow the purchase of a vaccine against COVID-19 for all Member States of the European Union, which may donate reserved doses to lower- and middle-income countries.



Sanofi also said the European Union will provide upfront funding to support the scale-up of Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline manufacturing capabilities on European soil. The antigen and final vaccine doses will be manufactured in European countries, leveraging Sanofi and GSK's industrial sites in Belgium, Italy, Germany and France.



The vaccine candidate is based on the recombinant protein-based technology used by Sanofi to produce an influenza vaccine, and GSK's established adjuvant technology.



Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline started a phase 1/ 2 study in support of the vaccine's development in September, followed by a phase 3 study by the end of 2020. If approved, the companies aim to have the vaccine available by the second half of 2021.



Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline, which have also signed supply deals in the U.S. and UK, said that they are scaling up manufacturing of the antigen and adjuvant with the intent to produce up to one billion doses per year overall to help meet high and urgent demand for vaccines worldwide.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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President Uhuru Kenyatta Thursday launched the Shs 1.9 billion school furniture project that will see jua kali artisans supply 650,000 locally assembled desks.

Besides equipping secondary and primary schools, the project which is part of the Governments post-Covid-19 economic stimulus program, is aimed at boosting the jua kali sector.

Speaking during the launch at a furniture workshop in Umoja estate, Nairobi County, the President said the project is modeled on the ongoing Kazi Mtaani youth employment initiative.

After Kazi Mtaani program, we have said instead of school desks being made by big companies, we give our youth the opportunity to exercise their skills.

We believe in individuals earning from their sweat and hence we decided to give our skilled youth the opportunity to earn decent livelihoods, the President said.

The Head of State reiterated his commitment to continue improving the lives of all Kenyans by creating an enabling environment for hard working citizens to thrive.

I dont want to engage in empty politics of name-calling. Rather, I am working hard to ensure all Kenyans work and enjoy the fruits of their labour, he said.

The President directed the ministries of education and interior to ensure that the project benefits artisans across the country.

We want to ensure all our youth with skills are engaged so as to benefit from their sweat. This program is not for Nairobi alone but for all Kenyans who are skilled and are working in the jua kali sector, he said.

He challenged local artisans to ensure they assemble and supply desks that meet the highest quality standards and advised project beneficiaries to form saving societies to grow their earnings from the project.

Once you start this work encourage all young people to form SACCOs where they can be putting their savings. You should not utilise every coin, it is wise for you to save for the future, the President said.

On his way from the launch, the President, who was accompanied by Cabinet Secretaries Fred Matiangi (Interior) and Prof George Magoha (Education), made a brief stop over at the Nairobi Railway Station where he inspected ongoing modernisation works.

Photos;
The images were stark.

In one part of town, marching in columns through the leafy streets, some 250 African-American men and women  dressed head-to-toe in black combat clothes and clutching assault rifles and pump-action shotguns  were making their presence felt.

A couple of miles away, so too was a white militia of Trump-supporting 'patriots' wearing khaki camouflage gear and equally armed to the teeth.

That week, the genteel southern city of Louisville, Kentucky, was supposed to be celebrating the successful delivery of its famous horse race, the Kentucky Derby  America's answer to Ascot, once heralded as 'the greatest two minutes in sport'.

Some 250 African-American men and women  dressed head-to-toe in black combat clothes and clutching assault rifles and pump-action shotguns  have taken to the streets

Instead, body armour and skull-shaped masks replaced the traditional colourful hats and natty suits as the event became the latest battleground in America's combustible election year.

The nation has never seemed so divided. 'No justice! No Derby!' chanted the black-clad protesters, members of a group calling itself 'Not F****** Around Coalition' (NFAC).

The justice they are demanding is for Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old local black paramedic who was fatally shot during a police raid on her home in the middle of the night six months ago. No officer has yet been charged.

Countering with pro-police shouts of 'Back The Blue', the opposing militia  also estimated to be about 250-strong  mercifully never encountered the folk of NFAC.

A white militia of Trump-supporting 'patriots' wearing khaki camouflage gear and equally armed to the teeth also made their presence felt

Instead they clashed with another group, Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters, some of whom were also armed with rifles and handguns.

With the police barely in evidence (most were protecting the racecourse), the two sides spent 45 minutes jostling and scuffling as they screamed into each other's faces through loudhailers.

No scene has so forcefully summed up the terrifying ugliness of the 2020 White House race  and what many fear is the potential for it to explode into full-blown civil war if either side doesn't get the result it wants.

U.S. politics has been getting more polarised for years. But the regular collision of armed protesters and counter-protesters  one side violently for President Trump, the other violently against him  is a recent development that is naturally causing much alarm.

The risk of carnage is always just a squeezed trigger away. Back in July, when these two armed groups confronted each other in Louisville, a black militia member accidentally fired a few rounds, injuring three comrades.

Armed left-wing individuals counter protest whilst armed pro-trump militia members demonstrate in Louisville Kentucky on the day of the famous Kentucky Derby

Both sides insist they are turning out only because the other is there  and both say they are upholding the U.S. Constitution in what they see as their fundamental right under the Second Amendment to bear arms.

Sadly, their respect for the law only goes so far. The leaders of each group are hardly models of restraint.

The NFAC's leader, ex-army veteran John 'Grandmaster Jay' Fitzgerald Johnson, had previously warned they would 'burn this s*** down'  meaning Louisville  if police officers were not charged in Ms Taylor's case.

Mr Johnson has since said his threat was 'figurative', although he was back to the incendiary talk on his latest visit when he told his citizen army that if anyone pointed a gun at them, 'don't shoot them  kill them'.

The pro-Trump militia is led by Dylan Stevens, a blond-bearded giant who calls himself 'Angry Viking' and says it's time to take a stand against the racial justice protests that have rocked the U.S. for months. Stevens describes himself as 'a staunch supporter of Trump, police, our troops, Second Amendment, America and the flag'.

While President Trump accuses Democrats of underplaying the violence spawned by Black Lives Matter, and Democrats counter that he exaggerates it to make political capital, no one can deny that the U.S. is plagued by protracted urban violence

He and his comrades loudly insist they are not racist but do believe they need to arm themselves against an oppressive government that may soon try to enforce socialism on them. They are, of course, talking about a Democrat government headed by Trump's opponent, Joe Biden.

And there are plenty more Angry Vikings out there. Armed Right-wing groups are increasingly pitching up at Left-wing protests and Black Lives Matter rallies, saying they are protecting citizens and property.

Many are members of so-called 'constitutional militias', a loose network of heavily armed, mainly white paramilitary groups that started in the mid-1990s.

Some are 'preppers'  continually readying themselves for a catastrophic societal breakdown  while others are 'Three Percenters' (after the supposed 3 per cent of colonists who took up arms against Britain in the War of Independence and won).

The justice protesters are demanding is for Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old local black paramedic who was fatally shot during a police raid on her home in the middle of the night six months ago

Estimates of total militia numbers range from 40,000 to 100,000 and membership requires little or no weapons training. They have stayed largely out of sight for years but now clearly sense their moment has come. It is not hard to see why they might think so.

While President Trump accuses Democrats of underplaying the violence spawned by Black Lives Matter, and Democrats counter that he exaggerates it to make political capital, no one can deny that the U.S. is plagued by protracted urban violence, arson and looting linked to racial justice protests that keep being reignited by cases of unarmed African-Americans dying at police hands.

Most recently, there have been violent clashes between BLM protesters and police in Portland, Oregon, and Rochester, New York State.

Protesters in Rochester are demonstrating about the death of Daniel Prude, a black man who died in hospital a week after police restrained him and placed a mesh hood over his head.

A few days after a 1,500- strong crowd threw rocks and fired fireworks at his officers, the city's black police chief last week became the latest in a stream of senior officers in the U.S. to tire of the criticism  often from their Left-wing mayors  and resign.

A Metro Police Department officer helps form a perimeter on a downtown Louisville street as members of patriot militias march in Louisville

Like Louisville, Portland has now passed the milestone of 100 days of violent unrest since the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota in May.

When the grim anniversary came, about 500 protesters ignored a police declaration of a riot to launch their 100th night of anarchy. Police fired rubber bullets  and Molotov cocktails were hurled back.

As in other cities, some of the most violent activists in Portland are black-clad members of Antifa, a loose alliance of Left-wingers who insist violence is justified against the Far Right.

Their involvement has been catnip to Trump as he runs as the law-and-order candidate. Although Joe Biden has condemned the trouble on the streets, others on the Democrat Left have been reluctant to antagonise their progressive supporters and BLM.

Depending on how febrile the situation becomes between now and election day on November 3, this could be a fatal mistake.

'No justice! No Derby!' chanted the black-clad protesters, members of a group calling itself 'Not F****** Around Coalition' (NFAC)

For while polls suggest voters are most upset by Mr Trump's abysmal handling of coronavirus, some pundits suspect many are concealing secret support for the Republicans as they look in horror at the failure of Democrat state and city leaders to quell the violence.

It is into this festering swamp that the boys from the militias and their gun-toting Left-wing opponents are joyfully marching. Given that there are 45 'open carry' states in the U.S., militia members will often be staying within the law until the moment they actually pull the trigger.

With Trump having everything to gain by not quelling the violence, his supporters are coming out on the streets to deal with it themselves. And while confrontations between protesters and police have been fairly contained so far, with angry armed citizens on both sides squaring up to each other, the potential for incidents to spiral out of control is terrifying.

The first lethal shots have already been fired by Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, an ardent Trump and police supporter. He has been charged following the fatal shooting of two BLM protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on one of many nights of mayhem there since the killing of a local black man by police.

Rittenhouse, whose lawyer insists he was acting in self-defence, had joined a self-styled militia protecting businesses after the town was devastated by looting and arson.

Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg promised last week that it would try to stamp out any organising of election-related violence on its platform

Even before new evidence suggested he was in fear for his life that night, Rittenhouse was inundated with support and hundreds of thousands of dollars have been raised for his legal defence.

Political exchanges all over America are being filmed descending into violence, with police frequently standing by as people exchange punches or hit each other with sticks and flagpoles.

The problem is being exacerbated by social media, exploited to summon large crowds on to the streets, sometimes galvanised by bogus video footage and police appeals for help.

Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg promised last week that it would try to stamp out any organising of election-related violence on its platform. Democrats say that polls show voters blame Trump for encouraging the violence.

But patience with BLM protesters is wearing thin  Trump last week made much of video footage of demonstrators in Pittsburgh descending on an elderly white couple dining outside to shouts of 'f*** the white people'.

And there is another reason why some experts fear Americans may end up sorting out their political differences down the barrel of a gun. Pundits predict that far more Democrats than Republicans will vote by post, giving Trump victory on the day  but not when all the votes are totted up.

That could take weeks, and Trump has repeatedly warned his supporters that any attempt to change the election-night vote tally will be fraudulent.

Given that sort of chilling rhetoric, militia members may not be the only Trump supporters to conclude that any subsequent Democrat government is an illegal one. Armed resistance is hardly out of the question.

Meanwhile, Jacob Blake, the black man shot in the back by police in Kenosha, has appealed from his hospital bed for calm.

'Please, change y'all lives out there,' he said to those protesting at his fate. 'There is a lot more life to live out here, man.'

Sadly, his message of conciliation is falling on deaf ears.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 05:20:58|Editor: huaxia

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SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Microsoft Vice President for United Nations Affairs John Frank said Thursday that an interconnected world requires collective action.

Frank said in a statement that many of the big challenges facing society can only be addressed effectively through multi-stakeholder action, "whether it's public health, environmental sustainability, cybersecurity, terrorist content online or the UN's Sustainable Development Goals."

He noted that one of the most significant transformations since the UN was established 75 years ago has been the advent of the internet.

"In this interconnected world, the internet can both hasten progress and exploit vulnerabilities. We are committed to continuing to support Secretary-General Guterres' call to harness technology to respond to and recover from the devastating health, economic and social consequences of COVID-19," Frank said.

He also announced a series of events during the high-level week of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly, saying that "several of us at Microsoft will be participating in UN-sponsored events as well as joining others' virtual programming."

Microsoft has launched a new United Nations representation office this year to deepen its support for the UN's mission and work. Frank said that he is thrilled to be leading the initiative. Enditem
"However, when speaking with Julian Assange, I told him that if he could provide me information and evidence about who actually gave him the DNC emails, I would then call on President Trump to pardon him." But Robinson, who attended the meeting, said a direct offer was made and the pair explicitly stated that they were acting on behalf of the President. "They said that President Trump was aware of and had approved of them coming to meet Mr Assange to discuss a proposal," she said. She said Rohrabacher described the offer as a "win-win solution" in which Assange would be given a "pardon, assurance or a commitment" preventing an indictment in return for giving up the source, allowing the 49-year-old to "get on with his life". "He said the ongoing speculation was damaging to US-Russia relations, that it was reviving old Cold War politics and that it would be in the best interests of the US if the matter could be resolved."

She said they were told that the source of DNC emails "would be of interest, value and assistance to President Trump". At the time, Robert Mueller was investigating Russian interference in the US election and any connections between Trump associates and Russian officials. Significantly, James Lewis, the QC representing the US government, did not cross-examine Robinson who read from a pre-prepared statement. "The position of the government is that we don't contest, challenge those things were said, we obviously don't accept the truth of the contents of what was said by others," Lewis said. Assange's legal team claims his prosecution is political and that his human rights would be violated if he was extradited.

Earlier, the court was told that Assange was "just an Aussie guy" who had devoted himself to making the world a better place by providing classified information in the public interest. The United States Department of Justice wants Britain to extradite Assange so he can face 18 charges, mostly relating to computer hacking and conspiring with former army analyst Chelsea Manning to hack Pentagon systems. The DoJ is also prosecuting Assange over the publication of informants, including in Afghanistan and Iraq whose names were published on WikiLeaks, potentially putting them in great harm. A supporter of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange takes part in a protest outside the Central Criminal Court, the Old Bailey, in London. Credit:AP Nicky Hager, an investigative journalist from New Zealand, said that when he travelled to the United Kingdom to work with Assange on the cables in 2010, Assange had wanted to redact the names of informants from documents before they were published on the WikiLeaks website.

Loading The court has previously heard that Assange insisted on stringent redactions and that software was created to scrub all non-English words from the files in the hope that all foreign names would be removed. The investigative journalist, who relied heavily on the WikiLeaks cables and worked with Assange and WikiLeaks in 2010, blamed "very bad fortune" and "bad luck" for the documents eventually being published online in full. "I think it was subsequently through very bad fortune and perhaps partly the fact that these kinds of leaks and people of all sorts aren't used to being engaged in them, that the information got out and it shouldn't have," he said.
Adaptive Cruise Control

More specifically, Android Automotive, which is currently available on the Polestar 2 but would soon make its way to more models, would allow Google Maps to access safety-related driver assistance features for better integration.For example, Google says that Google Maps would connect to thesystem to help it do its magic.Your car may have the ability to automatically accelerate and brake to keep a safe distance from a vehicle ahead. When there are no cars ahead, the vehicle speed can be adjusted by the driver or influenced by expected car speeds and legal speed limits. Google Maps can provide information to the Adaptive Cruise Control system to improve the overall quality of the feature, it says At the same time, Google Maps will provide speed limit information, both for the current road youre driving on but also in advance for a different sector where the restriction could be different.Google Maps would thus be able to help cars predict the speed limit in an upcoming area, but also provide the installed systems with such information based on a series of factors, including weather, time, or other conditions.Googles navigation app will also provide data to Vehicle Map Service, or VMS, including offline maps.The data is used to support the safety-related driver assistance features in your car, like speed limit information or adaptive cruise control. These features rely on offline map data, especially in areas without an internet connection or with poor connectivity, Google says.As noted, all these features would only be available when Google Maps is built into the car, which means that your model must come with Android Automotive pre-loaded.Polestar 2 is the first vehicle to use Android Automotive, with Chevrolet, Cadillac, and a few others to install it beginning with 2021.
In a further legal bullet directed against Fiat Chrysler, General Motors filed a lawsuit this week against former United Auto Workers Vice President Joe Ashton for his alleged role in a scheme bankrolled by Fiat Chrysler to force a merger between the two auto companies.

The latest move represents a deepening of the legal feud between GM and FCA in the context of a deepening economic crisis and heightened financial pressures from Wall Street.

The lawsuit, which contains further details of UAW corruption, is a continuation of efforts by GM to collect damages from FCA over the massive bribery of UAW officials by its rival. The payouts were made to obtain concessions contracts robbing autoworkers of billions of dollars in wages and benefits. GM claims it was harmed by the bribery scheme because it did not receive the same cost savings courtesy of the UAW as did FCA.

Former UAW VP Joe Ashton

The latest legal move by GM follows the courts dismissal of an earlier racketeering lawsuit GM had filed against FCA. The lawsuit against Ashton further elaborates GMs claim that FCA conducted a massive bribery operation aimed at co-opting UAW officials that included payouts totaling millions of dollars funneled through secret offshore bank accounts. According to GM the payouts were in addition to the bribes, kickbacks and embezzlement documented by federal prosecutors that have led to the indictment of 11 UAW officials, including former UAW presidents Gary Jones and Dennis Williams.

In response to the lawsuit, FCA called the latest GM claims a rehash of the preposterous conspiracy theories in its previous legal action and called for the courts to throw out the complaint.

On Tuesday, GM also sued Alphons Iacobelli and Fiat Chrysler in relation to the UAW bribery scheme. Iacobelli, the head negotiator for FCA in the 2015 contract talks, is serving a 5 year prison sentence for his role in funneling bribes to the UAW via the joint UAW-FCA training center.

In the latest court filing, GM says its investigators uncovered financial accounts in the Cayman Islands (Cayman National Bank) and Japan (Shinsei Bank) held in the name of Ashton and/or Ashtons charity. The lawsuit alleges these accounts contain money secretly paid to Ashton by FCA for its help in a plot to force GM to accede to a merger. The document also claims that in relation to Williams, accounts exist in Switzerland (LGT Bank) and Liechtenstein (Mason Private Bank) in his name and in the name of a business entity he controls.

Ashton served on the GM board of directors between 2014 and 2017 as the UAW appointee. During this time GM says Ashton acted as a mole for FCA in violation of his duty to GM shareholders. The GM lawsuit alleges Williams served as a key player in the conspiracy.

In citing the explicit legal obligation of Ashton as a GM board member to serve the best interests of GM management, the lawsuit underscores once again the role of the UAW as an agent of the auto companies. By claiming a seat on the GM board, the UAW explicitly agreed to renounce any claim to represent the independent interests of workers. This, in fact, has been a reality for over four decades.

In its court filing, GM cites Ashtons guilty plea last year for his role in a multi-million-dollar kickback scheme involving vendors of UAW branded merchandise that netted the UAW official some $500,000. The payouts were funneled through the Joint UAW-GM Center for Human Resources (CHR), now closed under terms of the 2019 agreement. In late August, Williams was indicted on federal charges for the embezzlement of UAW funds to pay for extended vacations in Palm Springs and other expensive perks.

GM says it was unaware of the kickback scheme engineered by Ashton, which it said represented a clear conflict of interest with Ashtons duties as a board member.

GM defies credibility in striking a pose of injured innocence in relation to Ashtons siphoning of funds through the CHR operation. The funds passing through the CHR are monitored closely by GM and the inflated contracts agreed to by Ashton would have had to be authorized by GM management. The apparent ease with which Ashton evaded scrutiny points to endemic corruption in the whole operation of the CHR.

The new GM lawsuit against Ashton revives claims by GM that FCA conspired with the UAW in so-called Operation Cylinder aimed at forcing a merger between the two companies, a goal sought by the late FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne. The scheme relied on support from Ashton and Williams, GM alleges.

"These UAW leaders support was essential to the success of Operation Cylinder because, among other reasons, the UAW could effectively block a merger under certain terms in the (collective bargaining agreement)," GM charged. "That the UAW wielded this veto potential over any merger was well known to Marchionne, Iacobelli, and Williams," it continues.

The new allegations by GM are a further demonstration of the role of the UAW as a bought-and-paid-for subsidiary of the auto companies. This scale of corruption is not simply the result of various criminal individuals in the leadership. Criminality is the very essence of the UAW. It is not a workers organization, but a tool of corporate management.

Whatever the truth of GMs claims that it was harmed by FCA, the real victims in this conspiracy are the workers, who have lost tens of thousands of jobs, wages, pensions and health care benefits. Due to a series of sellout contracts imposed by the UAW, large numbers of autoworkers are temporary, part-time or contract workers earning dismal wages, few benefits and serving at the whim of the auto companies. These workers have virtually no contract rights and can be fired or laid off at any time to suit the needs of management.

The role of the UAW in suppressing opposition to the resumption of full production by the auto companies in the midst of the ongoing and deadly pandemic is a continuation of the ongoing criminal conspiracy involving the union, management and government officials against workers. Now workers very lives are being sacrificed for the sake of profit.

The ever-widening UAW corruption scandal underscores the necessity for the expansion of the network of rank-and-file safety committees already established by autoworkers at auto and auto parts factories in Michigan, Indiana and Illinois as the genuine voice of autoworkers. These committees are fighting to prepare unified industrial and political action to defend the health and safety of all workers and their communities. It is now more urgent than ever that workers take their fate into their own hands.

To join the rank-and-file safety committee at your plant, or for assistance in establishing a committee, contact the World Socialist Web Site Autoworker Newsletter at autoworkers@wsws.org.
Ratched presents a hardened vision of people powered solely by their traumas, its title character chief among them. Photo: Courtesy of Netflix

Nothing in Ratched works. Not the overbearing score desperately trying to replicate the splendor of Bernard Herrmanns work with Alfred Hitchcock. Not the consistent insistence on shoving various shades of green into every frame. Not the acting, even when executed by performers who have been dynamic elsewhere. Not the rudderless scripts. Not the approach to postWorld War II American life. Before even finishing its fledgling pilot episode, the new Netflix series  conceived by Evan Romansky and shepherded into existence by Ryan Murphy  loudly and brashly proclaims itself a mess of the highest order. Yet the most instructive scene in terms of the tangle of issues plaguing this misguided series comes later.

Partway through episode six, Sarah Paulsons Nurse Mildred Ratched shares her harrowing backstory with the woman she is seemingly falling in love with and can lie to no longer. A tour through sexual violence, abuse, and the horrors that can occur in the foster-care system, delivered by Paulson direct to camera, this ploy for audience sympathy via Mildreds trauma-laden backstory may have met its aims if it didnt follow on the heels of a marionette show that has already told the exact same story in the exact same rhythm to the exact same effect. But this scenes problem is larger than mere repetition. It underscores the central issue poisoning the entire series: an adherence to creating a gritty, traumatic backstory that flattens a character who didnt need one.

Ratched is bursting at the seams with baffling decisions that reflect not only a blatant misunderstanding of the character and the world she inhabits but a profound mistrust in the audience. It draws a harsh line between trauma endured in childhood and trauma inflicted as an adult, an insulting premise that deadens the experience of trauma rather than giving audiences a view into how the pains of our past shape our present. But that isnt all that surprising since Ratched has nothing novel to say about any of the ideas it picks up and marvels at before throwing them out the window and turning its attention back to more visually rote, narratively hollow sex and violence. There is nothing redeemable to be found within the folds of these eight hours of television. Nothing! Please, do not let idle curiosity trick you into delving into this wretched enterprise. Havent we learned over the last six months how precious life is? Why waste it on a show that demonstrates such little interest in the interiority of its characters that you feel insulted on the actors behalf?

The most glaring issue is the most essential: Nurse Ratched herself, an exceedingly confused character who becomes whatever a scene needs her to be with little internal logic to be found. Inspired, supposedly, by the character of the same name in Ken Keseys 1962 novel and Milos Formans 1975 film  which earned Louise Fletcher an Academy Award for the role  the Mildred depicted in Ratched is recognizable in name alone, a World War II nurse who forces her way into working at the salubrious-looking Lucia State Mental Hospital, run by Dr. Hanover (Jon Jon Briones) and housing Edmund Tolleson (Finn Wittrock), a famed serial killer with a deep connection to Mildred. Its this connection that powers her wildly inconsistent decisions, sending us on a journey that balloons from a simple origin story to a wan, useless game between increasingly grotesque players.

In the hands of Forman and Fletcher, Nurse Ratched was a forceful emblem of the intertwined systems of mental hospitals and nursing. Shes a cog that keeps the machine working, exacting and by the book. Fletcher gives a tremendous performance thats placid, even icy, on the surface and barbed underneath. Her character isnt a simple villain but a rich, dynamic figure that calls into question the ways a person can become part of obliterating systems that forcefully shape and even end the lives of others. In Ratched, her character is a rogue force who doesnt just ignore going by the book  she sets the book on fire for her own ends. Whom Ratched helps and whom she hurts dont always track. In the first episode, she leads one patient to suicide and gives another the wrong medication in order to swoop in with a heroic act to make herself look good. A few episodes later, when she helps two lesbians escape the clutches of the hospitals hydrotherapy treatment, I was left confused  if she finds such therapy barbaric and has genuine goodwill toward patients, why would she be comfortable leading a man to suicide? Paulson is ultimately unable to create an emotional through line for the character.

Ratched presents 1947 America as a hardened vision of people powered only by their traumas. Visually, the series, whose first episode is directed by Murphy, is obsessed with lacquered, even calcified imagery that never communicates information effectively  the show is particularly fond of inconsequential split screens  and whose only interest is in calling attention to its own hardened, impenetrable looks. On a deeper story level, the show reveals itself to be keenly aware of the horrifying history of how queer men and women were treated in hospitals and psychiatry, a field which pathologized our desires, and yet incapable of creating a coherent thought about that history. (Race is more confusingly drawn, with scant, unsatisfactory mentions or examples of racism in its race-blind world-building, as if the characters are largely unencumbered by its dynamics.) The history of lesbians moving through the mental-health field during a time when theyd suffer profoundly for seeking help for something natural and unfortunately heavily pathologized could have been an intriguing study. Its a rich history worthy of study and empathy. But this history is treated as a disjointed backdrop for Ratcheds machinations and her own struggle with her sexual identity. Theres something galling about taking the very real and very harrowing history of mental hospitals in America and whittling it down to a story about the one-dimensional trauma of serial killers and confidence artists.

Ratched loves to layer on thick a tragic backstory, in the process obscuring who these characters really are, either because they are wholly one-dimensional or so archly constructed they are rendered inhuman. What should engender sympathy is stripped of meaning by the writing, which makes a joke out of melodrama. Not one actor is doing memorable or engaging work. Finn Wittrock as Edmund Tolleson aims for menacing and conflicted but comes off as an empty-headed brute. Judy Davis as Ratcheds rival, Nurse Betsy Bucket, confuses flailing her arms and exasperated sighs with meaningful acting. Amanda Plummer as Louise, the owner of the motel Ratched is occupying, feels like a disparate bag of ideas rather than a whole character. Sophie Okonedo as Charlotte Wells, a woman beset by the most insulting rendition of multiple personality disorder (now referred to as dissociative identity disorder) I have seen in a very long time, gives a sloppy, loud performance that harshly underlines the failures of the writing: the insistence on shifting characters dramatically to fit the plot comes to a head with her character. Its deeply uncomfortable to watch such a caricature of a mentally ill woman, especially one who becomes violent in ways that mischaracterizes these very real experiences.

The nature of origin stories is to argue that there is something meaningful about its central character. That their life reveals something worthy of study. That they are unique. But Nurse Mildred Ratched was an intriguing force in the 1975 film for the exact opposite reason: She illuminated the might of systemic forces. In the hands of Murphy and his collaborators, though, she becomes a banal villain whose traumatic backstory is a cravenly wielded tool rather than a venue for genuine exploration of the horrors she endured. There are no moments of honesty in Ratched. There is no cunning or intelligent design. There is no guiding theme rendering anything with import. There is neither tension nor suspense. The longer you make the slog through its endless-feeling eight episodes the more it becomes apparent what a profound waste of time this exercise is.
Harish Murali By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Putting an end to the criminal contempt of court proceedings against actor Suriya for his comment on the Supreme Court decision to permit NEET exams during the COVID-19 pandemic, the first bench led by Chief Justice AP Sahi and Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy of the Madras High Court in an order on Friday declined to pursue the matter.

In the 29-page order, the bench agreed with the opinions of advocate general Vijay Narayan who also declined to provide consent in initiating criminal contempt proceedings against the actor. As per the constitutional rules, for initiating contempt proceedings, the state advocate general must consent.

The court had perused the contents of the statement of the actor disclosed in the letter of Justice S M Subramaniam on September 14 and his opinion, as also the other letters, the judges said a language, which might be perfectly proper if uttered in a temperate manner, may be grossly improper if uttered in a different manner.

ALSO READ: Six former Madras HC judges defend actor Suriya, urge Chief Justice to drop contempt proceedings

"The background in which the statement of the cine actor has been taken to be a subject matter of undermining the authority of the court and judges and devotion of the judges towards their duty is their mode of functioning through virtual hearing during the pandemic. But before a mocking comment is made, it should also be weighed as to whether it is fair criticism or not. This too at the instance of one who is stated to be a philanthropist and a self-righteous person dedicated to the cause of the public at large," observed the court.

Actor Suriya's response

Actor Suriya took to Twitter, to share that he is content with the fairness upheld by by the judiciary in the matter.

He said, "I'm deeply moved by the institutional magnanimity of the Indian judiciary. I have always held out judiciary in the highest esteem, which is the only hope for upholding the constitutional rights of our people. I'm humbled and inspired by the fairness and justice demonstrated by the Hon'ble High Court of Madras."

The Madras High Court in its order also emphasized that virtual courts being held are a success with a total of 42233 cases disposed of by both Principal Seat and Madurai Bench of Madras High Court since March till September 15.

What may appear to be disrespectful may also be short of insult and may be touching the borders of criticism. A reasonable precaution has to be taken in matters of public affairs, particularly courts, judges and their functioning, where fair and temperate criticism should not be contemptuous, they said.

"A person in public life enjoys a position because of the responsibility with which he conducts himself and not by making other human activities look small for perceptibly no valid reason, but we would not say anything further, as we find that the NEET examinations and the dispute around it was not even a subject matter of the courts in the state of Tamil Nadu," they added.

We would like to draw the curtain on these proceedings with a fond hope that the entire judicial system that fosters on the faith of the public at large should be the concern of everyone to preserve it in our endeavour to deliver justice. Here again, we would like to remind ourself of the onerous duties depicted in how to dispense what is known as justice, the court said in its order.
Now that the political left has decided to strain our few remaining bonds of national unity by encouraging disrespect for the American flag and the National Anthem, will there ever be a day in the future when Americans can pause from political division and join together as one nation to remember all we've accomplished? Can the athletes who have decided to kneel in protest of America imagine that future? Won't there always be some injustice, somewhere, that forces athletes to their knees? Won't there always be some kneeler who feels compelled to judge the actions of another American, even if those actions occurred decades or centuries ago? Do athletes who take a knee plan to stay on the ground for decades to come? Will they teach the lesson to their children and their children's children that disrespecting the flag is the noble thing to do? Just how many generations of kneeling will it take before America is properly punished?

If Joe Biden is elected president, will athletes learn to love the flag? If he loses, will athletes hate the flag forever? If the American flag and National Anthem are seen merely as the symbols of one political party, rather than the symbols of the entire American nation, then aren't we just a collection of people gathered in the middle of North America without any country at all? Isn't that what the political left has had in mind all along, the end of America and all she represents? Then isn't disrespecting the American flag and the National Anthem just another way of declaring yourself an enemy of America? Isn't kneeling just an expression of the desire to break the nation in two?

If that's not what kneelers have in mind, then they should pause to think about what their actions represent to Americans who see the flag and the Anthem as testaments to our common national purpose. When we see athletes choosing to protest for causes by destroying our national symbols, we don't see people advancing ideas and civil argument. We see people who have chosen to blaspheme those few things in civil society long held sacred by most Americans. Dishonoring the flag over political disagreement is like burning the Bible out of theological disagreement. When kneelers choose to attack the most basic sacraments of our secular republic, they aren't asking for change. They are asking for an end to the republic.

Too many Americans have died for our flag for it to be treated with such casual disdain. Too many Americans have cried before the coffins of loved ones while holding that flag in their arms. Too many Americans have escaped harm in faraway lands only to breathe sighs of relief once within sight of that flag blowing in the wind. Too many Americans have given their lives while running headlong into danger so that the American flag can still fly today. The political left can pretend that kneeling before the flag and disrespecting the National Anthem are innocent forms of protest, but they drive a knife into the hearts of Americans who see both as the very things their loved ones died to preserve. By their actions, kneelers tell those who sacrificed themselves for our freedom that their sacrifice was in vain. They tell those who gave their lives that they are no longer worthy of the effort to rise from our knees to our feet. They tell the survivors that their pain is for naught.

Trying to fight perceived injustice in society by mocking the handful of traditions that define us as members of this society destroys our society for good. A country that divides itself into tribes becomes a land of many countries. Disrespect for our common history and hatred for our common flag will one day make it impossible for common neighbors to feel anything but hatred, too. This is how great nations fall. A seed is planted in the minds of men that everything we've built together is worthless, that everything we've accomplished is evil, and that everything binding us as one is a lie. That seed grows until the very ideas of freedom and liberty that we've celebrated together since childhood become twisted into weapons of hatred and fear that tear us apart. There must be some traditions that we are willing to respect together. There must be moments when we put politics aside to enjoy each other's company and to marvel at each other's talents. We must be wise enough to understand that if nothing holds us together, then no protest can ever mean anything at all. Protest succeeds only when it persuades a common people to change together, not when it forces a common people to splinter into many.

No American athlete would travel to a foreign country and dishonor that country's flag and anthem by showing outward disrespect. The flags that fly in other lands are not our own, yet we all understand instinctively that to show contempt for another nation's emblems is equivalent to declaring war on that nation, too. When we seek to demonstrate to other countries our peaceful intent, we don't turn their symbols of national pride into cheap props to be desecrated and scorned. All we ask is that American athletes treat our flag and our Anthem with the equal respect that they would accord to any other nation abroad. Because should they ever find themselves in unexpected peril in distant lands, it is the American flag that they'll pray to see. The one flag that flies for all of us is the one flag that sets us free.

This is why we stand.

Image: Jeff Turner via Flickr, CC BY 2.0.
Our legal system is based on the principle that an independent, fair and competent judiciary will interpret and apply the laws that govern us. That is the framework by which we conduct ourselves everyday," the group said in a statement. "Participating and supporting a plan that includes opposing one of our colleagues, Judge Michael Toomin, who embodies those principles, is a concern and something we as the 2020 retention class cannot support.
There's an auto-enthusiast angle to a recent deadly spate of "sideshow" gunfire that most of the local media are missing.

To wit . . .

MOTORHEADS CLAIM KANSAS CITY NEEDS AN ORGANIZED AND SAFE STREET RACING AND 'DRIFTING' VENUE TO CURB RECENT VIOLENCE AT SIDESHOW EVENTS!!!



To be fair, after the mass shooting at Swope Park, East side leaders made the same argument. This time around we're hearing local auto club denizens lament the bygone days of Kansas City International Raceway (KCIR) as they claim a local racetrack could help alleviate more dangerous events.

Check the mayor's social media comments and a bevy of online response for confirmation of this trending criticism and proposal for a solution. There's a growing and grassroots movement not to crackdown on these events but to ORGANIZE urban auto enthusiasts into some place safer for their pastime.



Check the links related the tragedy . . .



KSHB: Mexico Independence Day truck cruising event ends with deadly shooting

Fox4: She was innocent: KC event to celebrate Mexican Independence Day ends with 19-year-old killed

Developing . . .
As she continues facing heat from Bollywood celebrities after calling Urmila Matondkar a soft porn star, Kangana Ranaut launched a fresh attack saying fake feminists are equating being a porn star to something derogatory.



"Liberal brigade once virtually lynched a renowned writer in to silence for saying people like Sunny Leone should not be our role models, Sunny is accepted by the industry and entire India as an artist, suddenly fake feminists equating being a porn star to something derogatory," Kangana tweeted on Thursday.





During an interview with a news channel, Kangana reacted to an interview given by Urmila, where the latter questioned her motives while accusing Bollywood's alleged drug-mafia'. Reacting to it, Kangana said that Urmila is "making a mockery" about her struggles, and called her a soft porn star.



Kangana's tirade against the film industry has continued over the past weeks. On Wednesday, she claimed all that Bollywood ever offered her were two-minute roles, item numbers and a romantic scene -- that too in return of sleeping with the hero.



Her comments came after veteran actress and Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan, in a recent Parliament speech, criticised people who were tarnishing the film industry by badmouthing it without naming Kangana.


Staff have missed the everyday spontaneous conversation of the office and the chance to learn from each other while working at home during lockdown, a chief executive has warned.

Lord Wolfson, the boss of high street retailer Next, warned about the damaging and 'joyless' effects of the new work environment on businesses.

The Conservative life peer also criticised video conference calls such as Zoom which have become vital for many companies as employees work from home.

He told The Telegraph that online meetings transformed 'meetings from productive exchanges of ideas into boring, one-way lectures'.

Lord Wolfson, chief executive of Next, has warned working from home means employees cannot learn from each other or enjoy spontaneous everyday conversations

It comes as many bosses fear that office staff will soon be back working from home within weeks due to the current testing fiasco - as supermarkets make contingency plans if workers can't get swabbed.

The Government has come under fire after widespread reports of people having to travel hundreds of miles to get checked and being unable to book a test at all.

This is despite Ministers pledging that testing capacity will hit 500,000 a day by the end of October.

The test and trace system has buckled under the pressure since children returned to school and the Government made a concerted effort to encourage people back into the office in order to try and kickstart the flagging UK economy.

Visitors show a member of staff a mobile phone screen at a drive through test centre in south London today

Business leaders have displayed concerns about the current testing system and emphasised that it working effectively will be vital for getting employees back to work and boosting the UK economy.

Matt Fell CBI, UK Chief Policy Director, said if the Government wants to encourage people into their workplace safely then the test and trace system will be a 'key component.'

'Reports of people being unable to access tests in their area or waiting too long to get the results will be deeply frustrating for individual and businesses alike,' he added.

'No one doubts how much effort is going in to get it right. The prize is having a faster turnaround in getting results which will let people know where they stand and whether they need to self-isolate or can return to work quickly.'

Adam Marshall, director-general of the British Chambers of Commerce, told the Financial Times, the Government needed to improve the testing facility 'immediately'.

'A truly comprehensive test and trace programme is essential if the UK is to manage the virus without further lockdowns which will cripple businesses.'

'Continuing delays and a shortage of tests saps business, staff and consumer confidence at a fragile moment for the economy.'

Business leaders are becoming increasingly anxious that members of staff will be left self-isolating at home with family members waiting for test results to come back, rather than being back in the office during a pivotal moment for the UK economy.

Some supermarkets and food retailers have already put contingency plans in place if the testing system buckles.

There have been long queues at some Covid testing sites, such as this one in Southend-on-Sea, but others have been deserted despite people struggling to get screened

Brakes, a food wholesaler, who have been operating throughout the pandemic, said: 'We've got very strong contingency plans in place which include temperature checks before being allowed on site.

'Only essential people on site and stringent policies once people are there, which has meant that so far we have had very few people showing COVID-like symptoms.'

The Co-op group said that funeral care staff are on the key worker list so can get priority testing, but their food workers are not.

A spokesman said: 'We've built a model where we know that we have access to variable colleague resources at fairly short notice, so we have some resilience on that.

'Clearly we all hope that the testing capability will continue to strengthen and improve but we've got some protection in place, because the Co-op has had to deal with this throughout.

'It's clearly a real challenge and anything that can be done to help the [testing] situation [is welcome].'
This countrys Medical Cannabis Industry is expected to get a boost with the commissioning of a state-of-the-art laboratory soon.





"It is an analytical provider and is going to provide the testing for all aspects of the industry from pesticides, to heavy metals, to potency, Dr Jerrol Thompson, Chief Executive Officer of the Medicinal Cannabis Authority (MCA) said at a media event on September 14.





Presently, the facility is not 100 percent complete, however, Thompson noted that the setting up and validation of the equipment and training of staff should mean that the testing facility will be open and ready within a two-month period.





Lab to meet international standards





Biotechnologist Jean Cummings, during a brief tour of the facility, explained that the facility has been constructed and designed with accreditation in mind.





The equipment that has been sourced is expected to be precise and tested with adherence to international standards.





This was crucial, Cummings explained, so as to avoid other countries second guessing the testing of cannabis here.





Accreditation also adds more value to the product, Cummings said, adding, "Nothing like this has ever existed in St Vincent and the Grenadines before.





"The laboratory took a lot of engineering and preparation to ensure it met the required standards, Cummings assured.





Testing for what?





Among the tests to be conducted are those for cannabinoids and terpenoids.





And while testing will be done to determine the potency of the cannabis, Cummings explained that testing will also be conducted to determine the safety profile.





This includes testing for moisture content, heavy metals, pesticides, micro toxins and other micro-biological organism.





Testing for heavy metals in the soil was extremely important, he explained, especially as it is anticipated that the cannabis will be used in medicine.





"Obvious, medicine is something that goes into the blood stream, so the smallest amount (of contaminants) can be fatal to a patient, Cummings said.





There were four types of heavy metals for which tests will be conducted: cadmium, lead, arsenic and , the four contaminants which are typically checked for in the medicinal cannabis industry, since they are known to be absorbed by the cannabis plant.





The soil has never been tested with this type of detail, the biotechnologist said.
Three Reasons Believers Should Attend This Annual Apologetics Event

I am sorry I missed the first one. For 27 years, Southern Evangelical Seminary has held an annual National Conference on Christian Apologetics (NCCA). I have attended all of them since 1994. Admittedly, for about half of them, my attendance was related to work. Nevertheless, even before that, I can remember eagerly awaiting the conference, encouraging my friends and family to attend, and buying my ticket. For an experienced or novice Christian apologist, there is nothing else like it. Nowhere else can you go listen to, and speak with, seasoned Christian apologists who work on the front lines of diverse apologetic ministries. Where else at one event can you listen and speak with men and women who specialize in a defense of the Christian faith related to the Bible, theology, cults, morality, philosophy, religions, science, archeology, and history? Indeed, such conferences are rare, sorely needed today, and nothing else compares to it. In my experience, I would often need months to digest and take in all that I learned and gleaned from some of the best apologists in the nation, if not the world.

Given the unknowns related to COVID-19 restrictions for gatherings and travel, for the first time ever this years NCCA will be completely virtual. For a very modest admission fee, you will have access to over 100 hours of live-stream content (with on-demand recordings posted back to the event) from Frank Turek, Richard Land, Richard Howe, Abdu Murray, Hugh Ross, Gary Habermas, John Stonestreet, Daniel Wallace and nearly 70 other apologists. There is literally no excuse to miss this invaluable training. But just in case you need convincing, here are my top three reasons every Christian should attend (virtually in this case) an apologetics conference at least once a year.

1. You Will Learn Something New or See Something Important that You Likely Cannot Get Elsewhere.

I have been around apologetics for a long time. I have listened to many talks. I have heard the best and on rare occasions the not-so-best  the ones that went over my head and the ones I had to pick up my feet to get over. Many of them spiritually convicted me. In almost every talk, however, I always take away or identify something new or important. It could be something as obvious as a question, objection, answer, argument, new evidence, a clear concise definition, illustration, or story. It could be as subtle as something humorous or a book or article mentioned. Even in the not-so-best talks, I can always identify something, even if it was something never said or done that I know should have been. My growth over the years in the subject of apologetics ministry personally and professionally is a testimony to everyone under whose tutelage I have had the opportunity to sit and learn even if it was just once a year. It was a time to concentrate on one thing rather than be concerned about other things.

2. You Will Be Highly Motivated to Defend the Faith.

The Bible says all believers, to the best of their ability, should prepare to give an answer for their faith, yet with humility (Romans 12:3; 1 Peter 3:15). Often in our preparation, we lack the central ingredient of motivation. Attendees I have spoken to over the years comment how they wish they could get their whole family, school, or church to come. They often say, There is no other place we can go and be motivated to learn and do apologetics. Indeed, no man is an island. Iron sharpens iron. Such motivation can only come from surrounding yourself on a regular basis (even just once a year) with like-minded believers, inspiring talks, and important resources. If you go, you will be blessed, equipped, and motivated to share Christ after seeing the defense of the Gospel.

3. The Church is Failing to Equip Believers in Christian Apologetics.

This one hurts, and I share in the blame. In the 20 plus years I have been attending the NCCA I have seen it grow from hundreds of attendees to thousands. Over the years, I have seen the proliferation of apologetic programs of study, ministries, books, and resources especially via the internet, as I never imagined. The number of well known apologists is increasing (some of them I went to seminary with, and others are my former students). Yet, given the total number of Christians in churches today, to our shame we are still a comparatively small movement whose impact within the church can merely be described as marginal. The bottom line is that most churches today, for whatever reasons, continue to ignore the biblically mandated ministry and role of equipping every believer in apologetics. Given our cultures hostility towards truth and goodness in general, and Christianity in particular, the defense of the Gospel cannot be neglected. Therefore, we have an annual apologetics conference you should attend.

Answer this one question. Does a qualified person in your church regularly teach a class that centers on the sequential steps that demonstrate the truthfulness of Christianity and equips you with the ability to engage our post-Christian culture? If you answered Yes, thats wonderful, and you are encouraged to attend the NCCA for the first two reasons. However, if you answered No, will you attend to help change reason three? Like it or not, we are in the midst of an ever-growing spiritual warfare, and we dare not fight this war of ideas ill equipped and unprepared.

The 2020 SES National Conference on Christian Apologetics will be a six-day virtual apologetics event Oct. 12-17 (Monday-Friday evenings; Saturday afternoon). To get tickets and learn more, click here.
NFU Scotland has launched new resources to help farmers prepare their businesses for the end of the Brexit transition period.

While the UK left the EU on 31 January 2020, it will leave the bloc's rules and regulations after the transition period, on 31 December 2020.

During this time, the UK has been negotiating the terms of the future trading arrangement with the EU and begun trade talks with third country partners.

Although the terms of the new future trading arrangement are unknown, NFU Scotland is encouraging farmers to begin planning now for any eventuality.

Members of the farming union looking to prepare their businesses post-Brexit are encouraged to visit new advice that is available online.

The pages provide steps for farmers to consider, starting with key questions; links to specialist UK government guidance; who to speak to, such as suppliers, staff, agencies; and where to find further tailored guidance.

NFU Scotland President Andrew McCornick said: With the negotiations on the future relationship between the UK and the EU still underway and at a critical stage, it is important that we are prepared for any possible outcome.

Despite the uncertainty of what 1 January 2021 will look like for UK businesses, the team at NFUS have produced a comprehensive guide for our members to help them to prepare their businesses properly in the meantime.

Dont forget that NFU Scotland is here for you  if you have a question about a specific aspect of how to prepare your business that has not been addressed in our advice pages, then our dedicated team can signpost you to the answer.

"Change is coming  please keep us informed of your views, and the tools you need to prepare for change.
New Zealand's economy shrank by a record 12.2 per cent in the second quarter due to a strict coronavirus lockdown, but forecasts indicate activity is bouncing back.

Statistics New Zealand released figures Thursday showing GDP had fallen far more than ever previously recorded and signaling the nation of 5 million people is officially in recession for the first time in 11 years. On an annual basis, GDP fell by 2 per cent.

Economists said the decline will likely be followed by a record increase in economic activity during the third quarter as many businesses get back to work.

And forecasts released by the Treasury this week predict unemployment will peak at 7.8 per cent, lower than earlier predictions of nearly 10 per cent.

Many countries have seen large drops in economic activity due to the virus.

When the second quarter began in April, New Zealand was in a full lockdown, which was gradually eased until all restrictions were lifted in June. The largest city Auckland temporarily re-entered a lockdown last month due to a new outbreak of the virus, with the impact of that to be reflected in the third-quarter numbers.

The second-quarter figures showed construction activity declined by 26 per cent, manufacturing fell by 13 per cent, and household spending was down by 12 per cent when compared with the previous quarter.

Kiwibank Chief Economist Jarrod Kerr said there were few surprises in the numbers.

"You lock up the economy, activity falls," he said in a statement. "The focus must now turn to the recovery. And the current quarter looks pretty good. It's the path we take over the next three years that needs attention."

Kerr predicted GDP would jump by 10 per cent in the third quarter, but said more needs to be done over the medium term to return the nation to full employment.

Finance Minister Grant Robertson said the lockdown was necessary to save thousands of lives and get on top of the virus so the economy could bounce back faster. He said the fall in GDP was better than initial Treasury forecasts of a 16 per cent contraction.

New Zealand's government has pumped billions of dollars into the economy to sustain activity and minimize unemployment. As a result, net government debt is expected to shoot up from just over 20 per cent of GDP before the pandemic to 54 per cent of GDP by 2023.

New Zealand continues to pursue a bold strategy of trying to eliminate the virus altogether rather than just contain its spread. It has reported just over 1,800 cases and 25 deaths.
SOLON, Ohio  Students in kindergarten through grade six in Solon City Schools will return to in-person learning starting Oct. 5, the district announced Friday (Sept. 18).

Students in grades 7-12 will return on Oct. 19 -- the start of the second quarter -- in a hybrid model with a schedule of alternating days.

The staggered return was explained in an email to families in the district and a message posted on its website.

The plan for students in K-6 is all-in, five days a week, for those from families who selected the all-in option in July, before the district shifted to a fully remote model due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The preschool schedule remains four days a week in school, for children whose families chose the all-in option.

Students in grades 7-12 will have an alternating schedule of two days in school and three days of remote learning for families who have selected the all-in option.

Students in those grades whose last names start with the letters A-K will attend school in person Monday and Tuesday. Those whose last names begin with the letters L-Z will attend school in person Wednesday and Thursday.

Friday will be an all-virtual day for students in grades 7-12.

Students in all grades who opted for fully remote learning in July will remain in that model for the entire first semester, which ends Dec. 18.

Our priority remains balancing the safety, educational and social-emotional needs of our students, Superintendent Fred Bolden said in the message. To accomplish this, we are transitioning to provide in-person and virtual learning for students whose families still request that option.

In July, the Solon Schools had intended to open the academic year by giving families a choice for students between an every-day, in-person model and a second fully remote model.

But after the Cuyahoga County Board of Health recommended July 30 that all school districts in the county begin the school year operating remotely, due to the countys Level 3 (red) status on the Ohio Public Health Advisory Alert System, Solon Schools shifted to a fully remote model for the first quarter. Classes began Aug. 26.

On Sept. 14, Bolden told the Solon Board of Education that the districts goal was to have students return to in-person learning before the first quarter ends Oct. 16.

Bolden referred to a document released that day by the Cuyahoga County Board of Health in which it issued updated recommendations for school districts to use in making decisions to return to in-person learning.

The board of healths plan indicated that schools should start considering a return to hybrid learning when the county remains at Level 2 (orange) on the alert system for four weeks and test positivity is less than 5%. Cuyahoga County has been at Level 2 since Aug. 21.

We have compared our existing plans to the updated guidance from the Cuyahoga County Board of Health we received on Sept. 14, Bolden said. The new CCBH recommendation provides clear information for a pathway to return to school, referencing sustained trends linked to Ohios Public Health Advisory (Alert) System and health research regarding a return to school.

Student age matters

In explaining why the district has shifted to a hybrid model for students in grades 7-12, Bolden said in the message that data and trends show that student age matters.

Students who are older and more social and mobile are at higher risk for contracting and transmitting COVID-19, and younger students appear less likely to transmit COVID-19 to each other or to adults, he said.

Additionally, the most recent (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and (Cuyahoga County Board of Health) guidelines underscore the need to create discrete cohorts (groups) of students as much as possible to further mitigate the risk of transmission of COVID-19 in school communities.

The alternating schedule for students in grades 7-12 is an additional phase of the return plan that allows the district to create smaller groups of students to reduce risks and possible exposures, Bolden said.

Due to the complexity of middle and high school schedules, we are not able to group students by classrooms, he said. Virtual learning for the majority of our older students continues to be successful except for the lack of in-person connections that the students need.

The Oct. 5 and Oct. 19 dates for students' return were selected for several reasons, the message stated:

Those return dates give the district the time it needs to make the multitude of operational and educational adjustments necessary to shift to in-person learning.

It is prudent to observe the case data to make sure that the return is as safe as possible, while at the same time giving parents the time they need to make any necessary arrangements.

The end of the quarter is a critical time for older students, and the quarter is a logical breakpoint to make this transition.

The additional two weeks for grades 7-12 are needed to hone transportation and food service routes with the alternating schedule for grades 7-12 and to incorporate any changes for all grades based on changes in family decisions about whether their children will return in person.

Even when some of our students return in October, we know that more than 30 percent of our students will continue to learn remotely, Bolden said. Our technology continues to improve, and we are committed to ensuring a more seamless educational experience for all of our students regardless of whether they are learning from home or in the classroom.

Daily protocols aligned with medical guidance from Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals and state and local public health orders and recommendations will mitigate the risk of returning to in-person learning as much as possible, Bolden said.

The multiple layers of protection in classrooms, common areas and buses outlined in our original back-to-school plans  including desk shields, distancing, sanitization, and strict adherence to face mask and handwashing protocols  are in place for our students' return, he said.

Families may still choose to opt out and have their children remain in fully remote learning for the semester.

The return plans are contingent on the continued decline of COVID-19 cases and low positivity rates with testing, Bolden said.

If cases climb and positivity rates increase, we will need to return to fully remote learning, he said. Additionally, positive case reports in our schools will result in students and staff members quarantining for up to 14 days in accordance with public health orders, which would necessitate remote learning for some of our students.

Parents who opted for their child to return to school in person will receive a return to school confirmation survey to confirm that is still their choice, based on current conditions.
In this still image from video, a man walks up to sheriff's deputies and opens fire without warning or provocation in Compton, Calif., on Sept. 12, 2020. (Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department via AP)

Republican Senators Introduce Bill to Make Attacking Law Enforcement a Federal Crime

Over a dozen Republican senators this week introduced a bill that would make attacking law enforcement officers a federal crime, citing the rising number of officers killed in the line of duty this year.

The Protect and Serve Act would make it a federal crime to knowingly cause, or attempt to cause, serious bodily injury to a law enforcement officer.

If the bill passes, offenders would face jail terms of up to 10 years.

That penalty could escalate to life in jail if a death results from the crime, or if the offense includes kidnapping or attempted murder.

When someone attacks a law enforcement officer, that person is also threatening all the people that officer serves and protects, Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said in a statement. The rash of violent assaults against law enforcement is monstrous. Supporting officers in the face of unwarranted violence is key to making communities safe and prosperous.

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) speaks to members of the media at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Feb. 3, 2020. (Alex Edelman/Getty Images)

Particularly after the recent attacks on North Carolina Sheriff Deputy Ryan Hendrix and officers in Los Angeles, it is time to pass this legislation and send a clear message that acts of violence like this are unacceptable and that there will be no escape from justice for these criminals, added Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.).

Hendrix was shot dead on Sept. 10 by a man who refused to be arrested. The shooter was killed by other officers.

Two Los Angeles County sheriffs deputies in Compton, California, were ambushed on Sept. 12 while sitting in a patrol vehicle. The suspect has not been identified or caught.

The radical Lefts crusade against law and order has only encouraged violence against our brothers and sisters in blue, Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) said in a statement, adding later: We cannot allow these atrocities to become the status quo. Im proud to stand with my colleagues in defense of law enforcement and in ensuring those who attempt to perpetrate these appalling crimes are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.

The other senators joining the introduction of the bill are Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), David Perdue (R-Ga.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), James Inhofe (R-Okla.), and John Boozman (R-Ark.).

Earlier this week, an attempt to unanimously pass a bill that would have elevated penalties for people who kill police officers was blocked.
Entire classes of children being sent home is going to be a normal part of public education until the COVID-19 pandemic comes to an end, says Niagaras top public health official.

Dr. Mustafa Hirji, Niagaras acting medical officer of health, said aggressively dealing with cases as they emerge in schools is necessary to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus from getting out of hand and ultimately keep children in class.

It is absolutely going to be a common part of this interim normal, said Hirji, the day after a COVID-19 case was reported in Mary Ward Catholic School in Niagara Falls.

Neither the Niagara Catholic District School Board, nor Hirji, will say if the infected person is a student or school staff member. However, all the students in an exposed class and any staff who were in contact with that person have been sent home and will remain in isolation for 14 days.

Hirji said he is not recommending anyone get tested for COVID-19 unless they begin to show symptoms.

Hirji said transmission of the virus from children to other people is less common than transmission from one adult to another.

Late Friday, the District School Board of Niagara reported its first school-based COVID-19. A single person at Eastdale Secondary School in Welland has tested positive for the virus. According to the limited information on the boards website, no classes have been closed and no further information was released.

The Ontario government posts a daily list of COVID-19 cases in Ontario schools, although the Niagara case was not on that list as of Friday. The database shows there are 72 cases in Ontario schools 25 of them students, 22 staff and 25 people who have not been identified.

The Catholic boards director of education, Camillo Cipriano said the board was informed by the infected person of their status, and that the school and the board are working with the public health department to identify anyone who might have been exposed to the virus.

There is a confidence in the policies and procedures that are in place as well as our school administration, and our communication process, said Cipriano. Our schools are safe.

Mary Ward and Eastdale are the second and third educational facilities to report a positive COVID-19 cases this week.

On Wednesday, Brock University reported an off-campus student has tested positive for the virus. The university said this student had not yet been on campus. Since testing positive, the student is in isolation.

-With files from Sean Vanderklis
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 00:20:19|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- China is to introduce new measures to improve the management of nursing homes and standardize the services on offer, with the aim of promoting the sound growth of the elderly care service industry, an official said Thursday.

The new measures, contained in a revised regulation on nursing homes that will take effect on Nov. 1, include provisions on the registration, supervision, operation and legal liabilities of nursing homes, Xiao Dengfeng, an official with the Ministry of Civil Affairs, told a press conference.

The existing regulation was introduced in 2013. The new regulation has seven chapters and 49 articles.

According to the new regulation, nursing homes will be categorized into for-profit and non-profit institutions, he said.

The document highlights the role of the government in running elderly care institutions to ensure that the basic needs of the poor population are met.

Nursing homes established by the government can be run by private organizations through entrusted management, leasing or other means.

The document also encourages extended facilities for the elderly, such as community elderly care and home-based services, Xiao said.

The document contains stipulations concerning enhanced supervision of elderly care facilities, including strengthening and innovating oversight, said Yu Jianliang, director of the ministry's elderly service bureau.

The document states that civil affairs departments should perform their supervision and inspection duties in accordance with the law. They can take measures against elderly care institutions suspected of violations of laws and regulations, such as conducting on-site inspections, requiring rectification of misconducts, or ordering the suspension of operations.

Civil affairs departments should strengthen coordinated supervision and establish a credit system for nursing homes, said Yu.

Yu also underscored the importance of interconnection of information systems and data sharing of elderly care services by making good use of information technology.

The role of social supervision should be promoted by listening to the opinions of the elderly and setting up unimpeded channels for complaints, Yu said.

Drawing on the experience of fighting against COVID-19, the document brings in provisions that require nursing homes to lay down emergency response plans against natural disasters, public health emergencies and public security incidents, among others, said Li Banghua, deputy director of the ministry's elderly service bureau.

It also includes infectious disease prevention and control measures at nursing homes, said Li. Enditem
The Lok Sabha on Friday witnessed uproar as Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur hit out at the Nehru-Gandhi family while responding to criticism by the Opposition parties of the PM CARES Fund.

The House was adjourned four times due to ruckus over the comments made by Thakur. The Opposition MPs strongly protested against the remarks made by him on the countrys first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru as well as Congress President Sonia Gandhi and her family.

The MPs of the ruling BJP on the other hand protested against a comment by leader of the Congress in the House, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, referring to the young Minister of State for Finance as a chhokra (boy).

The normalcy was restored in the Lok Sabha only after Thakur, who was elected from Himachal Pradesh, said in the House that he was pained if his statement had hurt anybody's sentiment.

The Trinamool Congress alleged during the ruckus that the Opposition MPs were not being given adequate time and opportunity to express their views in the House.

Chowdhury and other Congress MPs like Shashi Tharoor and Manish Tewari earlier criticized the Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund), which the government had set up on March 28 this year in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. While speaking on the Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation and Amendment of Certain Provisions) Bill, they alleged that the PM CARES Fund set up by the Prime Minister Narendra Modis government lacked transparency.

"From the High Court to the Supreme Court, every court has validated the PM CARES fund. Little children have contributed to it from their piggy banks, Thakur responded to the criticism by Congress MPs.

When it comes to talking about PM CARES, you please do look at the PM National Relief Fund. In 1948, then Prime Minister Nehru Ji (Jawaharlal Nehru) ordered the creation of a Prime Minister's National Relief Fund like a royal order, he said.

"From 1948 till today, it has not been registered. How did it get (foreign contribution) FCRA (Foreign Currency Regulation Act) clearance? The trust is not registered. (The) PM CARES is a registered public charitable trust. This is for 130 crore people, he added.

You created a trust for the Gandhi family. Nehru, Sonia Gandhi were members of the PM National Relief Fund. This should be investigated, said Thakur, triggering protests by Congress MPs who demanded an apology from him.

"Who is this boy from Himachal (Pradesh)? asked Chowdhury, protesting against the remark by Thakur. How did Nehru come into this debate?

The Lok Sabha had to be adjourned repeatedly due to the ruckus. Speaker Om Birla later had a meeting with the leaders of all the parties at his office.
Delhis north-west and south-west districts together accounted for almost one in three active cases of Covid-19 in the Capital, which is seeing a surge in cases, albeit on the back of higher testing.

And Delhis most densely populated north-east district, which has around 40,000 people per sq km, has only 894 active cases, 2.87% of the total  the lowest among the citys 11 districts.

Interestingly, according to district-wise data from Delhis second (August) sero-survey (antibody tests)  the break-up of the third survey is not available in the public domain  29.6% of the population in the north-east district has been exposed to the virus, the same proportion as in the north-west.

That may likely mean that not enough testing is happening in north-east Delhi. District-wise testing numbers are not available.

The north-west district, which accounts for 16.3% (5,086) of the Capitals active cases, and the south-west, which accounts for 13.3% (4,151)  all numbers are as of Wednesday when Delhi had 31,201 active cases  have a mix of planned residential areas and densely populated unplanned areas including unauthorised colonies, villages and slum clusters.

Prominent localities in these districts where a large number of Covid-19 cases have been identified  both clusters and isolated ones  include Pitampura, Ashok Vihar, sectors 14 to 18 of Rohini, Najafgarh and several sectors of the Dwarka sub-city, said officials in the revenue department citing details from geo-spatial to which only they have access. The two districts have 465 of Delhis 1751 containment zones as of Friday.

Also read| Delhi: 4,217 new Covid-19 cases logged, positivity rate down to 6.8%

On Thursday, the data was discussed in a meeting of officials of the revenue and health departments, chaired by chief secretary Vijay Dev, said a senior government official who did not wish to be identified, adding that the agenda of the meeting was to find ways to understand patterns in the distribution of active Covid-19 cases across the city.

While district magistrate (north-west) Sandeep Mishra did not respond to calls and messages, district magistrate (south-west) Rahul Singh said: We have aggressively scaled up testing, that is why the numbers are high, and we have also increased surveillance across the district. We are aggressively following the containment strategy under guidelines issued by the union government. The idea is to break the chain of transmission.

West Delhi with 3,502 cases (11.22%) has the third highest load of active Covid-19 cases. It is followed by south Delhis 3,296 (10.56%) and south-east Delhis 2,935 (9.41%).

Dr Jugal Kishore, head of community medicines at Safdarjung Hospital and vice-president of the Indian Association of Epidemiologists, said: In Delhis case, the transmission of the virus started from upscale colonies, with Covid-19 positive people returning from abroad and infecting others before they were detected. With time, the virus spread further and got into densely populated colonies. When cases peaked in June, densely populated low-income group localities and slums had emerged as threat points.

Delhi overcame that first peak with aggressive testing and containment. But after falling for much of July and August, the number of new cases started climbing again.

Also read| Covid-19: What you need to know today

With tests being scaled up and more people from across different social classes coming out for getting themselves tested, cases once again have started to emerge in upper income group colonies too. Locality-based analysis of data would definitely help the government enhance their policies in terms of testing, surveillance, isolation and patient care, added Kishore.

District officials in north-east Delhi claimed the spread of the virus took pace much later in the district  which is almost an entire lower-income group region  and by then there was already an uptick in cases in the south-east and south districts. So, northeast Delhi learnt its lessons early, before things could go worse, and they scaled up surveillance before things went out of hand, said a senior district official who did not wish to be identified. The district currently has only 57 containment zones.

Dr Lalit Kant, former head of the Division of Epidemiology & Communicable Diseases, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), said: The numbers here (north-east Delhi) suggest that a large population in the densely populated north-east district were Covid-19 patients with no symptoms or mild symptoms. Fewer people got tested, so the figure of infections and active cases remains low. But the sero-survey findings later reveal that a large number of them had already been exposed to the virus by the time testing was scaled up.

It may not be as straightforward as that, another expert suggested.

Dr T Jacob John, former head of the virology department in Christian Medical College in Tamil Nadus Vellore, said, Most interpretation of data at this juncture would be valid only for the time-being because things around the subject  and our knowledge of it  are still evolving. For instance, poorer and densely-populated neighbouring countries such as Pakistan and Bangladesh have had better numbers and ratios compared to India on several aspects. Similarly, Dharavi in Mumbai, which had once emerged as a hotspot, currently has lower number of active cases than many upscale neighbourhoods in Mumbai. North-east Delhi could be a similar case. We need more time and studies in this to ascertain cause and effect relationships and to validate such trends scientifically.

Delhi government spokespersons did not comment on the matter.
Washington [US], September 16 (ANI): An international collaboration involving Monash University and Duke-NUS researchers have made an unexpected world-first stem cell discovery that may lead to new treatments for placenta complications during pregnancy.



While it is widely known that adult skin cells can be reprogrammed into cells similar to human embryonic stem cells that can then be used to develop tissue from human organs -- known as induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) -- the same process could not create placenta tissue.

iPSCs opened up the potential for personalised cell therapies and new opportunities for regenerative medicine, safe drug testing, and toxicity assessments, however little was known about exactly how they were made.

An international team led by ARC Future Fellow Professor Jose Polo from Monash University's Biomedicine Discovery Institute and the Australian Research Medicine Institute, together with Assistant Professor Owen Rackham from Duke-NUS in Singapore, examined the molecular changes the adult skin cells went through to become iPSCs. It was during the study of this process that they discovered a new way to create induced trophoblast stem cells (iTSCs) that can be used to make placenta cells.

This exciting discovery, also involving the expertise of three first authors, Dr Xiaodong Liu, Dr John Ouyang and Dr Fernando Rossello, will enable further research into new treatments for placenta complications and the measurement of drug toxicity to placenta cells, which has implications during pregnancy.

"This is really important because iPSCs cannot give rise to placenta, thus all the advances in disease modelling and cell therapy that iPSCs have brought about did not translate to the placenta," Professor Polo said.

"When I started my PhD five years ago our goal was to understand the nuts and bolts of how iPSCs are made, however along the way we also discovered how to make iTSCs," said Dr Liu.

"This discovery will provide the capacity to model human placenta in vitro and enable a pathway to future cell therapies," commented Dr Ouyang.

"This study demonstrates how by successfully combining both cutting edge experimental and computational tools, basic science leads to unexpected discoveries that can be transformative," Professor Rackham said.

Professors Polo and Rackham said many other groups from Australian and international universities contributed to the study over the years, making it a truly international endeavour. (ANI)


Without having a massive lineup, Mazda still manages to spice things up  for example, the fourth generation Mazda3 has both hatchback and sedan derivatives, along with a mechanically related subcompact crossover in the form of the CX-30 model.Neatly tucked in between the CX-3 and CX-5 , the 2021 model year for the U.S. market is slowly unraveling all its secrets. Right now, the company has decided to highlight the flagship version of the range, the 2021 Mazda CX-30 equipped with the Skyactiv-G 2.5 Turbo engine.It can churn out 250 horsepower and 320 lb. ft. (434 Nm) of torque when the owner feeds it premium 93 octane fuel, or 227 horsepower and 310 lb. ft. (420 Nm) of torque with regular gas. The company has announced the new addition but decided to postpone revealing all the juicy details  such as performance credentials and pricing.Instead, the company only said the latest version would go on sale before the end of the year, so we can at least rest assured that everything will be revealed in the coming weeks. It also specifically said the CX-30 Turbo would have the i-Activ all-wheel drive system as standard equipment, so the coming winter should not pose a problem either.As far as we can tell, the engine is directly lifted from the Mazda3 Turbo, so an educated guess (supported by the previous discovery of an order guide) for the pricing details will put the little Japanese crossover just above the pricing credentials of the former, at around $31k for the base configuration.Other 2021 model year changes for the CX-30 prepared by Mazda on the 2.5 Turbo include more i-Activsense safety features (Smart City Brake Support Reverse with Rear Cross-Traffic Braking, Traffic Jam Assist, 360 View Monitor, etc.), as well as a few custom details. Among them, the blacked-out mirrors and 18-inch aluminum wheels, as well as bigger tailpipes or specific Turbo badging.
Jaipur, Sep 18 : It has been only a few weeks that the Congress has come out of the political crisis in Rajasthan over the leadership issue, but the chinks in the party again came to the fore after a senior party leader raised the issue of corruption.

Congress MLA Bharat Singh from Sangod in Kota district recently wrote to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot to demand the removal of what he claimed a "corrupt Minister" from his Cabinet.

Sources confirmed that Bharat Singh was gunning for Pramod Bhaya, who is the Cabinet Minister for Mining and Gau Palan.

The MLA said in his letter: "Have come to know from newspapers that you have changed the Ministers in-charge of different districts. It will take time to evaluate the results of this initiative; however, the need of the hour is to remove the most corrupt Minister to send out a loud and clear message to the public. As the CM, you had removed this Minister earlier also." Bhaya was from the Sachin Pilot camp before the Assembly elections but switched to the Gehlot camp after the electoral battle. However, eyebrows were raised in the Gehlot camp over his reported meeting with Pilot recently.

However, one of Pilot's loyalists maintained that it was a casual meeting of Bhaya with Pilot. Bhaya also met Gehlot later, he added.

It seems that the Pilot camp is gaining in strength as many Congress leaders, after waiting in vain for plum posts, are reaching out to Pilot, said a Congress worker.

Meanwhile, a Congress source told IANS that around 101 MLAs, including 6 BSP MLAs, are waiting for political rewards from the CM for camping in hotels during the political crisis for a month or so. However, Gehlot is not in a position to please everyone due to the lack of a sufficient number of available positions.

With the Chief Minister cancelling his meetings for a month after around 40 personnel deployed at his office and residence tested coronavirus positive, the situation is adding to the concerns of these MLAs who are unable to reach out to Gehlot, he added.

That all is still not well within the state Congress was evident when Rajasthan Congress in-charge Ajay Maken went to Ajmer and Jaipur and met Congress workers to take their feedback.

Many party workers refused to meet Maken in the presence of new PCC chief Govind Singh Dotasara. Similarly, many of them preferred to give him their complaints in sealed envelopes to ensure their concerns reached Delhi directly.

The Congress leaders and workers are also eagerly awaiting the state Cabinet expansion and political appointments, with most trying to figure out which camp gets more portfolios. Meanwhile, Congress workers have started speaking out against their own party's "corrupt " Ministers, which seems to further dent the Congress prospects.

A senior Congress leader told IANS that Health Minister Raghu Sharma has not made a single round of any hospital during the COVID pandemic, unlike Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan. He claimed that state doctors too are following his example and allegedly staying away from doing the rounds, sending only junior doctors for the task.

Transport Minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas has already been probed by Anti-Corruption Bureau officials on corruption charges, he said.

Maken has, meanwhile, collected feedback from the Jaipur and Ajmer divisions, while he is yet to tour five other divisions.

Now, all eyes are set on what feedback he gets from the remaining areas, including Jodhpur that is Gehlot's seat, a Congress leader said.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Oil and gas exploration in the eastern Mediterranean has sparked a dispute between NATO neighbours Turkey and Greece.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey is ready to meet with Greeces leader to resolve the standoff over energy exploration in contested waters in the eastern Mediterranean.

The search for gas and oil in the region has sparked a dispute that has seen the two NATO neighbours stage rival air and navy drills in strategic waters between Cyprus and the Greek island of Crete.

Could there be a meeting with Greek Prime Minister (Kyriakos) Mitsotakis? Whats essential is what we discuss and in what framework, Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul after Friday prayers.

We can meet if there is goodwill. We can talk via videoconference or meet in a third country, Erdogan said.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu later on Friday said Greek Ambassador Michael-Christos Diamessi had been summoned to the foreign ministry in Ankara over an item in the Dimokratia newspaper.

The words F*** off Mr. Erdogan appeared in Turkish and English next to a photo of the president in the Greek newspaper.

A Greek newspaper had a vile front page, Cavusoglu said in Ankara. We summoned the Greek ambassador to the ministry, he added, quoted by state news agency Anadolu.

At the centre of the Greece-Turkey dispute was Ankaras deployment last month of a seismic research vessel, the Oruc Reis, and an accompanying fleet of warships in disputed waters near the Greek island of Kastellorizo.





Turkish officials ended the month-long mission and ordered the vessel back to shore last weekend for maintenance and replenishment.

Erdogan also signalled Oruc Reis would return to its work, while also saying its withdrawal was deliberate.

If we pulled Oruc Reis back to the port for maintenance, it has a meaning, he said.

It means: Lets give a chance to diplomacy, lets show a positive approach.'

Open to dialogue

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias in Prague on Friday said Greece believed a dialogue should start and that international law should not be violated. Of course in this area nobody should try to prevail by force.

He added Greece was always open to a dialogue with Turkey as regards coastal waters in the exclusive economic zone, provided that Turkey stops its provocative acts in the area.

Turkeys Yavuz drillship, meanwhile, will continue its search for oil and gas off Cyprus until October 12 despite international calls to withdraw.

Ankaras dispute with Athens has sparked a crisis that has drawn in some European Union member states, particularly France which sent navy vessels and fighter jets to the region in support of Greece.

EU leaders are due to discuss possible sanctions against Ankara at their meeting on September 24-25.

We would like our partners and friends in the EU to draft a list of sanctions which should not be imposed on Turkey immediately but rather serve as an example of sanctions that could be imposed on Turkey if it doesnt stop its unlawful acts, Dendias said.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy today issued an emergency order to Boyce Hydro Power LLC to perform critical repairs at the Edenville Dam.

The dams remaining earthen embankment sustained significant damage during Mays flooding at both the Tobacco and Tittabawassee Rivers, requiring urgent action to increase public safety.

Since the dam failed, the Tobacco River has not followed its natural path and instead has been flowing along the dam, through the breach and down the Tittabawassee River channel. This makes it difficult to temporarily repair the destroyed M-30 causeway bridge due to continuously changing river dynamics and also has had a negative impact on natural resources in now dry riverbeds. Without work on the spillway and river channels, residents downstream face a threat of another flood if the remaining portion of the weakened dam is unable to impound water from a combination of spring rains and snow melt.

The continued rerouting of the Tobacco River is delaying necessary safety measures and fixes that are important to stabilize the area affected by the Edenville Dams failure, said Liesl Clark, director of EGLE. We dont want residents who live downstream to face another devastating flood. Boyce needs to step up and do whats right for the community and property owners, make sure that no further damage is done to natural resources and allow for critical infrastructure work.

The Edenville Dam is still classified as a High Hazard Dam, which means that should there be another collapse it could result in severe impacts and even a loss of life downstream from the dam. Without a way to relieve pressure from water held back by the Tobacco side of the dam  which could be exacerbated by just a one- to two-year flood event, which is highly likely over the next year  a collapse could unleash a 10- to 15-foot wave of water that would severely affect properties and infrastructure downstream.

The emergency order instructs Boyce, which owns the Edenville Dam in Gladwin County, to expedite modifications to the Tobacco spillway, which will lower the water level in the impoundment area to a safe height and restore downstream flow. Boyce must also restore the Tittabawassee River to its former channel below the spillway and divert the river away from the breach through the dam. Finally, sediment and debris in the river from the spillway to approximately 3,000 feet downstream must be removed.

The time-sensitive work plan was developed by engineering firm AECOM, hired by EGLE and the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) to assess the dams condition. The plan will alleviate strain on the collapsed M-30 bridges, minimize upstream impacts, address dam safety concerns and relieve ecological impacts, from stagnation and potential dewatering of a part of the Tobacco River to continuous elevated levels of sediment in the diverted water.

EGLE has instructed Boyce numerous times since May 22 to undertake sufficient engineering analyses and perform necessary short-term repairs and cleanups. Boyce has not adequately addressed the ongoing hazards to the public, transportation infrastructure and natural resources.

The chosen work plan is the highest rated of four alternatives provided by AECOM engineers, who conducted a site inspection after Boyce submitted a report from an engineering firm hired by the company and which acknowledged it did not fulfill the requirements of a June 15 Temporary Restraining Order.

The emergency order instructs Boyce to immediately hire a contractor to do the work and submit to EGLE proof of a contract by Sept. 21, complete by Sept. 25 applications for any necessary EGLE permits and start construction by Oct. 19. If Boyce fails to meet its deadlines, EGLE will have the work done and seek to recoup the costs from Boyce.

The temporary safety and protective measures will be in place until a more permanent solution is decided upon for the future of the dam by its owners.

The emergency work plan is separate from an ongoing independent forensic investigation of the causes behind the collapse of the Edenville and Sanford Dams and recommendations for future action. That in-depth investigation by five subject matter experts is expected to be completed next year.

-- Processed by Mitchell Kukulka, Mitchell.Kukulka@mdn.net




Haiti - News : Zapping...





Miragoane : 9 individuals arrested

On Thursday, the Miragoane police presented to the media 9 individuals arrested in particular for their alleged involvement in the disappearance of photojournalist Vladjimir Legagneur in 2017, the murder of Francis Cetoute and the rape of a 17-year-old girl on September 7.



Moise reiterates his commitment to hold elections

Jovenel Moise reiterated his commitment to hold fair, free and democratic elections. However the parties like "Pitit Dessalin", Fusion or Fanmi Lavalas, demand the resignation of Moise and the installation of a transitional government.



DR : Resumption of Haitian deportations

Thursday, Enrique Garcia, the Director General of Migration (DGM), announced the resumption of deportations of foreigners in an irregular migratory situation, especially Haitians who represent the vast majority of illegals. Deportations that had been significantly reduced over the past 6 months due to the epidemic. On the other hand, surveillance at the land border to prevent the illegal entry of Haitians into Dominican territory will be strengthened.



PNH : New Departmental Directorate in Artibonite

Thursday, the Divisional Commissioner Louis Edner Hyacinthe was installed at the head of the Departmental Directorate of Artibonite of the National Police of Haiti (DDA/PNH). He replaces in this position the Divisional Commissioner Jean Castro Previl.



10th anniversary of Feed the Future

This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Feed the Future initiative launched to help partner countries like Haiti create long-term sustainable change to end the vicious cycle of chronic hunger and poverty.



The Japanese Ambassador on site visit

On Wednesday Japanese Ambassador to Haiti, Mizumo Mitsuaki paid a site visit for two projects "Reconstruction of Marie Jeanne High School in Port-au-Prince" and "Construction of the Cent Cinquantenaire High School", financed by the KR counterpart fund. For this visit he was accompanied by Prime Minister Joseph Jouthe, Pierre Josue Agenor Cadet, the Minister of National Education and Ms. Nicole Yolette Altidor, the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 22:14:26|Editor: huaxia

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Bar and nightclub owners make a pledge to adhere to COVID-19 guidelines during the health kit donation ceremony in Lusaka, capital of Zambia, Sept. 18, 2020. On the decision by the country's main brewer to launch a "Responsible Together Campaign" aimed at sensitizing bar and nightclubs to observe health guidelines following the removal of the restrictions, Amideus Ng'andwe Muswala, a bar and nightclub owner in Lusaka, said the decision was welcome as it is a relief aimed at allowing them to pick up in their businesses. (Photo by Martin Mbangweta/Xinhua)

LUSAKA, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- "The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic indeed affected our operations as bars and night club owners. I had six workers who depended on me for their survival and when we closed our operations due to the pandemic there was no other source of income."

These are the words of Amideus Ng'andwe Muswala, a bar and nightclub owner in Lusaka, the Zambian capital.

The government closed bars and nightclubs in March following the outbreak of the pandemic as part of the measures to stop further spread of the pandemic.

Commenting on the partial reopening of bars and nightclubs announced by President Edgar Lungu last week, Muswala while welcoming the decision pointed out the negative effects left by the closure.

"When the bars closed, I had to get money from own savings in order to keep my six workers but I could not go on and so far I have lost two workers," he said in an interview.

He said the partial reopening of bars and nightclubs has provided a sigh of relief although they will not be able to make money the way they used before the closure as they will only be operating from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m from Friday to Sunday.

On the decision by the country's main brewer to launch a "Responsible Together Campaign" aimed at sensitizing bar and nightclubs to observe health guidelines following the removal of the restrictions, he said the decision was welcome as it is a relief aimed at allowing them to pick up in their businesses.

The brewer, Zambia Breweries Plc, is donating health preventive guidelines such as sanitizers, facemasks and handwashing buckets.

He noted that the bar and nightclub operators were ready to cooperate and observe the guidelines in order to contain the pandemic.

"Like in my bar, I have removed some chairs and tables to ensure social distancing," he added.

Alvin Chipanda, another bar owner said the pandemic affected their businesses when they were told to close operations, sending workers into destitute.

He thanked the government for the partial lifting of the restriction, adding that this will provide some relief.

"It will help us take care of not only our families but other people who depend on us," he said.

He welcomed the decision by the brewer to donate COVID-19 health kits, adding that it will go a long way in helping the operators.

Edmond Lifwekelo, secretary-general of the Bars and Nightclub Association of Zambia said the partial lifting of restrictions on bars and nightclubs is a step in the right direction following a slump in their businesses following the closure.

He said the industry was a huge provider of jobs for thousands of people in the country and about 47,000 of the association's members were affected by the closure.

"At least it is a step in the right direction. We would have loved for a full closure, but this is good for us. The president has given a test which we must pass before allowing us to start full operations," he said.

According to him, the collaboration with the brewer will provide a relief to the operators in the interim, adding that the onus is now on the operators to ensure responsibility in their operations.

Jose Daniel Moran, country director of Zambia Breweries said the brewer is happy to collaborate with bar and nightclub owners to ensure irresponsible use of alcohol during the COVID-19 period.

He said the company donated the COVID-19 preventive health kits to help the operators who are still struggling from the impact of the pandemic.
Angel Broking, one of the largest retail broking houses in India, is set to launch its initial public offer on September 22, 2020.

The company, in consultation with merchant bankers, has fixed IPO price band at Rs 305-306 per share.

Angel Broking plans to raise Rs 600 crore via IPO which consists of a fresh issue of Rs 300 crore and offer for sale of Rs 300 crore by promoters and investors.

The offer for sale comprises a Rs 18.33 crore and Rs 4.5 crore worth of equity shares by promoters Ashok D Thakkar and Sunita A Magnani respectively, and Rs 120 crore and Rs 157.16 crore by investors IFC and individual selling shareholders respectively.

The public issue will close on September 24, while anchor investors' bidding date will be September 21, i.e. one working day prior to the offer opening date.

Bids can be made for a minimum of 49 equity shares and in multiples of 49 shares thereafter.

Angel Broking is a technology-led financial services company that provides broking and advisory services, margin funding, loans against shares (through one of the subsidiaries- AFPL) and financial products distribution to clients.

The company has witnessed consistent growth in customerbase with gross client addition of 2.2 lakh, 2.6 lakh, 5.6 lakh and 3.5 lakh in FY18, FY19, FY20 and Q1 FY21, respectively. In the quarter that ended in June 2020,Angel Broking witnessed an average monthly client addition of approximately 1,15,565, over a monthly average of 46,676 clients in FY20 representing a growth of 147.59 percent.

In Q1 FY21, 85.21 percent of clients have been acquired digitally and remaining 14.79 percent through a network of over 11,000 authorised persons.

Angel Broking is the fourth largest broker in terms of active clients on NSE with a market share of 6.3 percent as of June 2020. Zerodha Broking has the largest share of around 16 percent followed by ICICI Securities (around 9.2 percent) and RKSV Securities (around 6.4 percent).

The company manages Rs 13,254 crore in client assets and over 2.15 million operational broking accounts as of June 2020.

Angel Broking would be the eighth public issue in 2020 after SBI Card, Rossari Biotech, Mindspace Business Parks REIT, Happiest Minds, Route Mobile, CAMS and Chemcon Speciality Chemicals.

Equity shares are proposed to be listed on both National Stock Exchange and BSE Limited.

ICICI Securities, Edelweiss Financial Services and SBI Capital Markets are appointed as book-running lead managers to the issue. Link Intime India is the registrar to the issue.
Everton vs West Bromwich Albion

Friday, 18 September, 2020



Match Preview



Dominic Calvert-Lewin will be on the hunt for more goals after ending the barren run with which he ended last season Dominic Calvert-Lewin will be on the hunt for more goals after ending the barren run with which he ended last season

Everton hope to build on their impressive start to the new season when newly-promoted West Bromwich Albion visit Goodison Park for the Saturday lunchtime kick-off in the Premier League.

The Toffees followed up their stirring 1-0 win at Tottenham with a comfortable victory in the second round of the Carabao Cup, although the triumph over Salford City was achieved with just two the starters from the weekend.

Michael Keane marshalled the defence with authority and grabbed the opening goal while Lucas Digne was required to step off the bench to replace Jarrad Branthwaite when the young centre-half was forced off with an injury after just 24 minutes.

Both players will be back in the side for the visit of the Baggies, with Carlo Ancelotti expected to restore the entire XI that started against Spurs. That would mean home debuts for Allan, Abdoulaye Doucoure and James Rodriguez, all three of whom will have had the benefit of an extra week training with their new team-mates.

Not that there was any hint of unfamiliarity about Everton in North London on Sunday. Ancelotti's men put on a performance of pleasing cohesion and effectiveness and the Italian will be looking for more of the same this weekend.

In terms of formation, it will surely be a case of same again, with James playing down the right, Allan sitting in front of the back four and Doucoure supporting Andre Gomes in a more dynamic, box-to-box role.

It is unclear whether Fabian Delph or Alex Iwobi, both of whom have been missing since pre-season with suspected soft-tissue injuries, will be passed fit to take spots on the bench but Branthwaite's injury means that Lewis Gibson will likely be called into the squad as defensive cover.

West Brom had a chastening re-introduction to the top flight after a two-year absence when they met Leicester for a Midlands derby at the Hawthorns on Sunday. A 3-0 defeat, by way of a debut goal for Timothy Castagne and a brace of penalties by Jamie Vardy underlined, perhaps, the struggle that the Baggies will have to stay up this season.

A general lack of cutting edge up front is something Slaven Bilic is hoping to rectify before the transfer window closes next month and although he has just added Conor Gallagher on loan from Chelsea (it's not clear whether he will be eligible for this weekend) and veteran Branislav Ivanovic, who won't be ready to play just yet.

Nevertheless, Bilic does have players capable of producing in attack. All three of his new permanent acquisitions, Matheus Pereira, Callum Robinson and Grady Diangana, caused Leicester some problems before the Foxes eventually ran away with it but the Croatian will no doubt return to Goodison charging his players with generally being disciplined and hard to break down.

Those are the kinds of teams that Everton have had problems breaking down in the past but the hope and expectation is that this new-look Toffees side will have the guile and creativity to prise open even the most stubborn of defences. In that regard, it will certainly be an early test of the Blues' new line-up but one which Ancelotti will be confident the players can pass if they perform the same way they did at Spurs.

Kick-off: 12:30pm, Saturday 19 September 2020

Referee: Mike Dean

VAR: Simon Hooper

Last Time: Everton 1 - 1 West Bromwich Albion

Predicted Line-up: Pickford, Coleman, Keane, Mina, Digne, Allan, Doucoure, Gomes, Rodriguez, Richarlison, Calvert-Lewin

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The eldest daughter of jockey Pat Smullen has paid a powerful tribute to her late dad who passed away on Tuesday evening.

Aged just 43, dad of three Pat had fought a brave battle with pancreatic cancer.

His devastated daughter Hannah posted three family photos on Twitter, including one with just herself and her dad from a few years ago.

And she added the simple words: "My Hero."

Pat passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family at St Vincents Private Hospital.

He is being laid to rest today in his native Rhode in Co Offaly and his funeral can be viewed online.

Son of the late Paddy Smullen, Pat is deeply regretted by his adoring wife Frances and sadly missed by his loving children Hannah, Paddy and Sarah.

He also leaves behind mother Mary, brothers Sean, Ger and Brian, cousins especially Alan and Ken, mother-in-law, sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.

Due to Covid-19 restrictions there will be a Family Funeral on Friday at 2pm in St. Peters Church, Rhode, Co. Offaly, followed by burial in the adjoining cemetery.

(You can take part in Pat's Funeral Mass via Zoom, the Meeting ID is 6949803979 and the Passcode is 12345.)

A socially distanced crowd of racing fans gathered at the Curragh Racecourse on Wednesday afternoon as a hearse carrying the remains of the jockey made a brief stop on its way from St Vincent's Hospital.

Dozens of people walked behind the hearse in silence as it paused for several moments outside the entrance to the Curragh where Pat had many of his famous wins.

The Curragh Racecourse posted the photos on Twitter and added: "Sincere condolences to Frances, Hannah, Paddy and Sarah and all his family and friends. Sleep well Pat. We will miss you terribly."

Pat's wife Frances accompanied by her children was presented with a floral wreath by Horse Racing Ireland boss Brian Kavanagh and Curragh Racecourse chairman Padraig McManus.

The former stable jockey of Dermot Weld near the Curragh was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2018 and underwent a number of surgeries and treatments.

Pat was a nine-time champion Irish flat jockey and won 12 European classics, including the Epsom Derby.

He claimed the 2016 Epsom and Irish Derbies aboard Harzand for friend and former boss Dermot Weld.

Pat was the top flat jockey in Ireland until his untimely retirement in 2018.

In 2019, he spearheaded a fundraising campaign for pancreatic cancer research to help others in his position.

The campaign raised almost 3 million and included a champions race at the Curragh featuring the likes of Ruby Walsh and AP McCoy.
They used an under-barrel grenade launcher and a large-caliber machine-gun.

Russia-led forces on Friday, September 18, violated the ceasefire, having attacked Ukrainian positions near the villages of Vodiane and Novotoshkivske in Donbas, eastern Ukraine.

This was reported by the press center of the Joint Forces Operation Headquarters on Facebook in an evening update as of 18:00 Kyiv time on September 18.

Read alsoDonbas war update: Ukraine reports one ceasefire violation Sept 17

"Since the beginning of the current day, armed formations of the Russian Federation have once again violated the agreements reached on July 22, having opened fire on Ukrainian positions," it said. "The enemy used an under-barrel grenade launcher near Vodiane, attempting to challenge our military. Meanwhile, a large-caliber machine gun was used near Novotoshkivske."

Ukrainian troops did not fire back, it added.

No Ukrainian army casualties have been reported.

The full ceasefire was observed along other sections of the contact line in Donbas on Friday.
Even before the onset of the pandemic, which has increased the demand for all manner of so-called organic immunity elixirs, wellness-minded Americans were warming to mushrooms. To be clear, mushrooms dont cure Covid-19, but they are thought to provide a host of other benefits, from serving as an aphrodisiac to bolstering ones defenses to toxins. As Ligaya Mishan explains in her essay for Ts Fall Mens issue, Eastern cultures have long been enthusiastic about edible fungi, both in culinary and health contexts  mushrooms are rich in umami, the Japanese fifth taste that denotes savoriness, and woody species such as reishi are often prescribed in traditional Chinese medicine  while the West has been more ambivalent. Today, though, American cooks and diners delight in foraged morels and matsutakes, while others mix mushroom-based powders into shakes and teas. In an article published in 2014  over 80 years after the British scientist Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, the powerful group of antibiotics derived from the fungus Penicillium  the mycologist Paul Stamets, best known for the TED Talk 6 Ways Mushrooms Can Save the World, described mushrooms as natures miniature pharmaceutical factories.

Fungi have the ability to soak up and escort waste from our cells, and have a digestive system almost identical to that of humans, says Liz Smithers, who studied Ayurvedic medicine and herbal sciences before launching the sustainable Kauai-based nutrition brand Laka Living with her sister, Kate, in 2015. The line includes a chocolate-flavored hemp protein ($34) containing mushrooms such as lions mane (shown in studies to reduce anxiety and prevent cognitive decline), and Super Shroom Dip ($30), a macadamia nut butter laced with a five-mushroom blend. At this point, only 7 percent of the worlds fungi have been discovered, and Hawaii, the most isolated archipelago in the world, has some of the most understudied species, says Benjamin Lillibridge, the Kailua-Kona-based founder of the wellness company Malama Mushrooms, and of the Hawaii Fungi Project, a nonprofit dedicated to the discovery and responsible use of the islands native species. Of course, there are also plenty of noteworthy mushroom nutraceutical ventures Stateside  see Shizu Okusas brand Apothekary, which has teams in San Francisco and Washington, D.C.  but Lillibridges wider point, perhaps, is that with so much still to discover about fungi, who knows what heretofore unknown powers they may possess? Here, a list of just some of the beneficial properties mushrooms are thought to have, and where to find the best blends.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 16)  President Rodrigo Duterte favored a proposal to replace the health secretary with a different Cabinet member as chairman of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), Senate President Tito Sotto said on Wednesday.

Sotto filed Senate Bill 1829 on Monday which seeks to transfer the chairmanship of PhilHealth to the finance secretary, amending a provision in the Universal Healthcare Law which designated the health secretary for the post. Sotto reasoned that incumbent Health Secretary Francisco Duque failed to fulfill his mandate as board chairman.

"I just talked to PRRD, he agrees!" said Sotto in a tweet, referring to the President.

Senator Bong Go,a former close aide of the Duterte, confirmed that the President was "okay" with the idea.

PhilHealth was recently subjected to a rigorous investigation for corruption, prompting lawmakers to recommend the filing of graft charges against its top officials including Duque and ex-president Ricardo Morales.

However, the Justice Department-led task force PhilHealth did not include Duque in its list of officials recommended to face charges. Duterte on Tuesday approved the recommendation of the multi-agency task.

Duterte has repeatedly insisted that Duque should neither be fired nor resign despite wide criticisms against his leadership in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among the issues raised on the PhilHealth probe include the alleged illegal release of funds to hospitals prior to its effectivity date, and the proposed purchase of overpriced IT equipment.

Sotto had previously maintained that Duque should be held accountable for the irregularities at PhilHealth given his position in the board.

Duque vehemently denied all allegations against him saying he was a non-voting chairman, meaning he did not sign any of the questionable decisions of the corporation.

Sotto, nevertheless, said this does not mean that Duque should have been completely hands off or oblivious to PhilHealth's affairs.

Meanwhile, Go bared that during a meeting on Wednesday evening, the President expressed inclination to give the newly appointed PhilHealth chief Dante Gierran until the end of the year to reform the agency.

Should Gierran fail to do so, the senator said Duterte will study the possibility of disbanding or amending the state-run health insurer.

The President called the meeting to discuss measures that would eliminate red tape and corruption in the government. Also present at the meeting were Sotto, House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, and House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez.
Cushing, who also is co-owner of the nonmedical home care agency Touching Hearts at Home in Elmhurst, said to look for cognitive decline in loved ones, as well as a loss of interest in things they would normally do. Changes in behavior and routine are often a signal that they need to be assessed for how theyre performing their activities of daily life, he said.
BERLIN - Amid surges in novel coronavirus case numbers across Europe, some governments have imposed new measures meant to slow the spread of the virus - opting mostly for localized measures over the widespread shutdowns instituted earlier this year.

Officials announced targeted measures in England, France, Spain and elsewhere, and other countries appeared to be on the brink of doing the same.

On Thursday, a top World Health Organization official warned of a "very serious situation" stemming from a resurgence of the coronavirus in Europe, with case counts swinging upward after having been under control for much of the summer.

"More than half of European countries have reported a greater than 10% increase in the past two weeks," Hans Kluge, the WHO's regional director for Europe, told reporters at a briefing. The caseload in seven countries has doubled in the past two weeks, he said.

"Although these numbers reflect more comprehensive testing, it also shows alarming rates of transmission across the region," Kluge said. The rising numbers, he said, should serve as a "wake-up call for all of us." For now, he said, the bulk of the increase has been among younger, generally more resilient portions of Europe's population, but he said numbers for older and more vulnerable people are also increasing.

But even in countries where hospitalization rates are rising rapidly, measures imposed this week have largely been smaller in scale and more targeted than those implemented in the spring, when stringent responses resulted in low case numbers in Central and Eastern European countries that have begun to do poorly. Spain and France now have infection rates beyond that of the United States, which leads the world in total number of infections.

England imposed contact restrictions Monday, limiting group gatherings to six people. Nearly 2 million people in England's northeast are once again restricted from socializing with people outside their households or "support bubble," after new rules took effect Friday.

Similar restrictions are set to take effect next Tuesday in parts of England's North West, Midlands and West Yorkshire regions. Pubs, restaurants and other venues in the affected regions will be required to shut at 10 p.m. each night until the measures are revoked.

Meanwhile, in Spain, Health Minister Salvador Illa urged authorities in Madrid on Thursday "to do whatever needs to be done to control the situation," as hospitals there were reaching capacity.

Madrid's regional government said this week that it may reimpose "lockdowns" in certain parts of the capital this weekend, but later appeared to downplay the extent of the plans, saying officials were seeking to "reduce mobility and contacts," according to the Guardian.

Spain's El Pais newspaper reported that the possibility of a local state of emergency - similar to the measures imposed nationwide in spring - remained on the table.

In France, which this month recorded its highest daily count of confirmed cases, officials worried about expanding outbreaks in Lyon and Nice. Health Minister Olivier Veran has called on local officials in both cities to submit plans by this weekend on how they will address the outbreaks.

In three other places - Marseille, Bordeaux and the French overseas region of Guadeloupe - new restrictive measures have already taken effect.

Other countries, including two that were considered success stories in the early stage of the pandemic, were still pondering their next moves Friday.

In Greece, which saw only few infections in spring, epidemiologists warned this week that if cases continue to spiral upward in the coming days, a restriction of movement in and out of the greater Athens area would be inevitable. More than a third of the country's population lives in that area.

Earlier this week, Athens had already mandated face masks in work spaces and temporarily banned live music, Reuters reported.

Coronavirus cases also continued to surge in the Czech Republic, with a record 3,130 new infections confirmed Thursday - a total higher than the number of new daily confirmed cases in neighboring Germany, a country that has eight times the Czech Republic's population.

In response to the recent surge, the Czech government has imposed some restrictions, including the closure of restaurants and bars at midnight, effective this weekend, and is reintroducing distance learning for universities in Prague.

But the measures - which still allow for indoor events with up to 500 participants - are still far more relaxed than those implemented at the peak of the crisis in spring, as officials are seeking to keep the economy open.

- - -

The Washington Post's Michael Birnbaum in Riga, Latvia; Jennifer Hassan in London, and Ruby Mellen in Washington contributed to this report.
The distraught parents of a young Chinese woman who was murdered by her roommate screamed in court upon hearing her killer could be free after spending 13 years behind bars.

Shuo Dong was just 19-years-old when he murdered Qi Yu, 28, on June 8 in 2018 at their apartment in Campsie in Sydney's inner south-west.

Six weeks later Ms Yu's half naked body was found in bushland near the M1 Motorway in Mount Kuring-gai with a business shirt tied around her neck.

Dong, who had only lived with Ms Yu for three weeks, was sentenced to 18 years in jail with a non-parole period of 13 years and six months on Friday after pleading guilty to murder.

Qi Yu, 28, (pictured) was murdered on June 8 in 2018 and her body was found six weeks later in bushland in Mount Ku-ring-gai

Upon hearing Dong's sentencing, Ms Yu's mother Qin He and father Zhihe Yu, who had travelled to Australia from China for the sentencing, cried out in pain, The Daily Telegraph reported.

'Qi Yu Was found without pants on her body, why? What terrible thing has the offender done to our innocent daughter?' Ms Yu's parents said.

Mr Yu said their daughter's brutal murder had left his wife wanting to end her own life to 'follow our daughter'

'She washes her face with tears every day, and wakes up in nightmares almost every day,' he shouted in the courtroom.

Outside the court, Ms Yu's parents said it was 'unfair' Dong had pleaded guilty because he was automatically given a 25 per cent discount on his sentence, the ABC reported.

'It doesn't make any sense at all,' Mr Yu said.

'He pleaded guilty to reduce the sentence. He used the law to escape from prison, he doesn't regret what he's done.'

Dong had Googled the punishment for murder in Australia just two days before Ms Yu died.

Acting Justice Peter Hidden said he believed the murder was 'premeditated'.

'I am not persuaded that he is remorseful,' he said.

Ms Yu had lived in Sydney since 2009 and had studied electrical engineering.

Shuo Dong will spend at least 13 years behind bars after pleading guilty to Ms Yu's murder and dumping her half naked body in bushland in Sydney's north

She told her mother the lights in her house had mysteriously gone out in the last message sent to her on Chinese social media app WeChat on the night she disappeared.

'OMG. We're having a power outage ... something is not right, only our household is having a power outage,' Ms Yu wrote, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Blood-stained underwear was allegedly found in Ms Yu's bedroom as police allege Dong tried to bite off his own fingernails to destroy any DNA.

Large amounts of blood were also found in Ms Yu's car which Dong had driven before searching on Google Maps for a way home to Campsie.

Forensic pathologists were unable to determine the cause of her death due to her body's decomposition but found Dong's DNA on the shirt around her neck.

Dong had been sacked from his job at a construction site and is taking antipsychotic medication while in jail.

He told a psychiatrist he felt 'very guilty and ashamed'.

Justice Hidden said he accepted the now 21-year-old had likely suffered schizophrenia but the murder was not the product of a 'psychotic episode'.

Dong said in November he had had a sexual relationship with Ms Yu but investigators dismissed this idea.

Before pleading guilty, Dong told detectives he had been with his girlfriend on the night of the murder.

While in custody, Dong used a shiv to stab another inmate in January and said he was hearing voices while behind bars.

He refused to explain the reasons behind killing Ms Yu or how the murder was carried out, angering her traumatised parents.

His prospect of rehabilitation was deemed 'uncertain' by Justice Hidden and Dong will be eligible for parole in December 2031 having already served time in jail.
New Delhi, Sep 18 : A day after the Lok Sabha passed two contentious agriculture-related Bills, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday called the proposed legislations a path-breaking move of the Modi government, saying these will free the farmers from the clutches of middlemen.

Expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the passage of the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 as well as the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, the Minister said the passage of the landmark agricultural reform Bills in the Lok Sabha on Thursday is an "unprecedented" step in this direction.

In a series of tweets, Shah said these Bills will help farmers overcome obstacles as well as provide them with new avenues to sell their produce, which will increase their incomes.

"These historic and important agricultural reforms of the Modi government will bring a positive transformation in the lives of farmers and make them self-reliant. I convey my heartfelt gratitude to the Prime Minister and Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on the passage of these Bills." The Lok Sabha passed these Bills even though the opposition members as well as BJP ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) termed them "anti-farmer" and some even staged a walkout.

The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 seeks to provide for the creation of an ecosystem wherein the farmers and traders enjoy the freedom of choice relating to the sale and purchase of farm produce which facilitates remunerative prices through competitive alternative trading channels to promote efficient, transparent and barrier-free inter and intra-state trade.

The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 seeks to provide for a national framework on farming agreements that protects and empowers farmers to engage with agri-business firms, processors, wholesalers, exporters or large retailers for farm services and sale of future farming produce at a mutually agreed remunerative price system in a fair and transparent manner and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

Thousands of farmers in Punjab, Haryana and several other states have been staging protests even since the government on Monday introduced these Bills in the Lok Sabha on the opening day of the Monsoon Session.

These Bills seek to replace the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, 2020 promulgated on June 5.

Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal of the SAD resigned from the Modi government, hours ahead of the voting in the Lower House on the two Bills on Thursday.
Qantas chairman Richard Goyder has warned businesses with interstate or international operations "can't operate sensibly" in Perth until Western Australia's hard border comes down.

Speaking at a business function in Perth on Thursday evening, which was also attended by WA Premier Mark McGowan and Treasurer Ben Wyatt, Mr Goyder said he would tell global businesses not to move their head offices to Perth until border restrictions are lifted.

Qantas chairman Richard Goyder says he would recommend against big companies moving their operations to Perth while WA's hard border was in place. Credit:Getty Images

Earlier this week, Mr McGowan urged Rio Tinto to shift its headquarters from London to Perth.

"I actually agree that they should and, as the Treasurer knows, they take something like 90 per cent of their earnings from Western Australia," Mr Goyder said.
How Xinjiang is holding back an EU-China deal

By Pepe Escobar

September 17, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - A Beijing-Brussels-Berlin special: that was quite the video-summit.

From Beijing, we had President Xi Jinping. From Berlin, Chancellor Angela Merkel. And from Brussels, President of the European Council Charles Michel and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. The Chinese billed it as the first summit of its kind in history.

It was actually the second high-level meeting of the Chinese and European leadership in two months. And it took place only a few days after a high-level tour by Foreign Minister Wang Yi encompassing France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Norway, and the visit by the powerful Yoda of the State Council, Yang Jiechi, to Spain and Greece.

The Holy Grail at the end of all these meetings  face-to-face and virtual  is the China-EU investment treaty. Germany currently heads the EU presidency for six months. Berlin wanted the treaty to be signed at a summit in Leipzig this month uniting the EU-27 and Beijing. But Covid-19 had other plans.

So the summit was metastasized into this mini videoconference. The treaty is still supposed to be signed before the end of 2020.

Adding an intriguing note, the mini-summit also happened one day before Premier Li Keqiang attended a Special Virtual Dialogue with Business Leaders, promoted by the World Economic Forum (WEF). Its unclear whether Li will discuss the intricacies of the Great Reset with Klaus Schwab  not to mention whether China subscribes to it.

We are still committed

The mini EU-China video summit was quite remarkable for its very discreet spin. The UE, officially, now considers China as both an essential partner and a strategic rival. Brussels is adamant on its will to cooperate while defending is notorious human rights values.

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As for the investment treaty, the business Holy Grail which has been under negotiation for seven years now, Ursula von der Leyen said theres still much to be done.

What the EU essentially wants is equal treatment for their companies in China, similar to how Chinese companies are treated inside the EU. Diplomats confirmed the key areas are telecoms, the automobile market  which should be totally open  and the end of unfair competition by Chinese steel.

Last week, the head of Siemens, Joe Kaeser, threw an extra spanner in the works, telling Die Zeit that we categorically condemn every form of oppression, forced labor and threat to human rights, referring to Hong Kong and Xinjiang.

That caused quite a stir. At least 10% of Siemens business is generated in China, where the company is present since 1872 and employs over 35,000 people. Siemens was forced to publicly state that it is still committed to China.

China has been Germanys top trade partner since 2017  ahead of France and the US. So its no wonder alarm bells started to ring, on and off. It was in January last year that the BDI  the Federation of German Industries  first defined China as a systemic competitor, and not only as a partner. The concern was centered on market distortions and the barriers against German competition inside China.

The mini video-summit took place as the trade war unleashed by Washington against Beijing has reached Cold War 2.0 proportions. EU diplomats, uncomfortably, and off the record, admit that the Europeans are caught in the middle and the only possible strategy is to try to advance their economic interests while insisting on the same panacea of human rights.

Thus the official EU demand this Monday  unreported in Chinese media: allow us to send independent observers to Xinjiang.

Those Uighur jihadis

So were back, inevitably, to the hyper-incandescent issue of Xinjiang concentration camps.

The Atlanticist establishment has unleashed a ferocious, no holds barred campaign to shape the narrative that Beijing is conducting no less than cultural genocide in Xinjiang.

Apart from United States government rhetoric, the campaign is mostly conducted by influencer US thinks tanks such as this one, which issue reports that turn viral on Western corporate media.

One of these reports quotes numerous firsthand accounts from Uighurs who are defined as employed to perform forced labor. As a result, the global supply chain, according to the report, is likely tainted with forced labor.

The operative word is likely. As in Russia is likely interfering in US elections and likely poisoning opponents of the Kremlin. Theres no way to verify the accuracy of the sources quoted in these reports  which happen to be conveniently financed by multiple donors interested in commerce in Asia. Who are these donors? What is their agenda? Who will profit from the kind of commerce in Asia they are pushing?

On a personal level, Xinjiang was at the top of my travel priorities this year  then laid to rest by Covid-19  because I want to check by myself all aspects of whats really goin on in Chinas Far West.

As it stands, US copycat influencers in the EU are having free reign to impose the narrative about Uighur forced labor, stressing that the clothes Europeans are wearing could  and the operative word is could  be made by forced laborers.

Dont expect the Atlanticist network to even bother to offer context in terms of China fighting terrorism in Xinjiang.

In the old al-Qaeda days, I visited and interviewed Uighur jihadis locked up in a sprawling prison set up by the mujahideen under commander Masoud in the Panjshir valley. They had all been indoctrinated by imams preaching in Saudi-financed madrassas across Xinjiang.

More recently, Uighur Salafi-jihadis have been very active in Syria: at least 5,000, according to the Syrian embassy in Beijing.

Beijing knows exactly what would happen if they return to Xinjiang, as much as Moscow knows what would happen if Chechen jihadis return to the Caucasus.

So its no wonder that China has to act. That includes closing madrassas, detaining imams and arresting  and re-educating  possible jihadis and their families.

Forget about the West offering context about the Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP), which declared an Islamic Emirate, ISIS/Daesh-style, in November 2019 in Idlib, northwest Syria. TIP was founded in Xinjiang 12 years ago and has been very active in Syria since 2011  exactly the same year when they claimed to be responsible for a terror operation in Kashgar which killed 23 people.

Its beyond pathetic that the West killed and displaced Muslim multitudes  directly and indirectly  with the war on terror just to become oh so worried with the plight of the Uighurs.

Its more enlightening to remember history. As in the autumn of 821, when princess Taihe, sister of a Tang dynasty emperor, rode in a Bactrian camel, her female attendants following her in treasured Ferghana horses, all the way from the imperial palace in Changan to the land of the Uighurs.

Princess Taihe had been chosen as a living tribute  and was on her way to wed the Uighur kaghan to cement their peoples friendship. She came from the east, but her dress and ornaments were from the west, from the Central Asian steppes and deserts where she would live her new life.

And by the way, the Uighurs and the Tang dynasty were allies.
A surge of Covid-19 in London has been confirmed  putting the capital city on track for curbs on socialising and nights out in around a fortnight.

The number of cases per 100,000 over seven days has shot up from 18.8 to around 25, the Evening Standard can reveal.

The Standard has also seen the official plan drawn up to co-ordinate Londons response to the increase in cases that health chiefs are now braced for. Called London Epidemic Response Escalation Framework, it sets out a programme of intensified measures each time a trigger point is crossed.

The first trigger points will be officially crossed when todays data is published, and if the plan is followed exactly, health chiefs would be expected to hold a city-wide reassessment of how the disease is spreading and make preparation for extra testing and measures to slow transmission in the community.

In at least a dozen boroughs, the figure is around 30 or higher, according to analysis by the Standard.

East London is seeing the worst spike, with figures of between 35 and 40 in Redbridge and Newham, and around 30 in Barking, Havering, Hackney and Tower Hamlets. In West London, Hounslow has the highest figure, at around 35.

If the London rate keeps rising, the plan outlines more severe restrictions on the public, including reintroduce epidemic controls, mandatory masks, restrict religious gatherings and restrict social contacts.

London during Coronavirus lockdown - In pictures 1 /66 London during Coronavirus lockdown - In pictures A woman jogging near City Hall, London, the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown PA An image of Queen Elizabeth II and quotes from her broadcast on Sunday to the UK and the Commonwealth in relation to the coronavirus epidemic are displayed on lights in London's Piccadilly Circus PA A pedestrian walks past a billboard reading "Please believe these days will pass" on Broadway Market in east London AFP via Getty Images Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge Getty Images Boris Johnson Jeremy Selwyn Sun-seekers cool off in the water and sunbathe on the riverbank at Hackney Marshes in east London AFP via Getty Images Ed Davey is shown on screens as he speaks via videolink during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons, London PA A herd of fallow deer graze on the lawns in front of a housing estate in Harold Hill in east London AFP via Getty Images A woman wearing a mask crosses a bridge over Camden Lock, London PA An empty Millenium Bridge PA A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" is seen on an underground station platform Getty Images People push to enter the Niketown shop in Londo AP Jo Proudlove and daughter Eve, 9, follow the daily online "PE with Joe" Joe Wickes' exercise class on "Fancy dress Friday Reuters Waterloo station looking empty PA Police in Westminster Jeremy Selwyn Getty Images A quiet Parliament Square Getty Images PABest A man walks along a passageway at London's Oxford Street Underground station the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown to help curb the spread of the Coronavirus PA Social distancing markers around the camel enclosure at ZSL London Zoo PA A police car patrols Greenwich Park in London PA The Premier League in action in front of empty stands AP Novikov restaurant in London with its shutters pulled down while the restaurant is closed. A deserted Piccadilly Circus PA A general view is seen of a deserted Trafalgar Square AFP via Getty Images Getty Images The iconic Abbey Road crossing is seen after a re-paint by a Highways Maintenance team as they take advantage of the COVID-19 coronavirus lockdown and quiet streets to refresh the markings Getty Images A view of 20 Fenchurch Street (the 'Walkie Talkie' building) in the City of London, the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus PA A deserted Chinatown PA A person looks at graffiti on a JD Wetherspoon pub in Crystal Palace, south London. Wetherspoons workers have described founder Tim Martin's lack of support for his chain's 40,000 employees as "absolutely outrageous" PA The London ExCel centre that has been turned into a makeshift NHS Hospital and critical care unit to cope with the Coronavirus pandemic PA The Palace Theatre, which usually shows the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child play, sits in a deserted Shaftesbury Avenue PA The Sondheim Theatre, which usually shows the Les Miserables musical, sits in a deserted Shaftesbury Avenue PA Two members of a British Army mounted regiment exercise their horses in Parliament Square AP Westminster Bridge is deserted PA A quiet Canary Wharf Underground Station PA An empty street and bus stop at St James's Park AFP via Getty Images Whitehall Jeremy Selwyn A quiet Canary Wharf Underground Station PA A single pedestrian walks past The national Gallery AFP via Getty Images London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn Kings Cross and St Pancras Jeremy Selwyn Buckingham Palace looking empty in London, PA London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn Kings Cross and St Pancras Jeremy Selwyn London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn London's Carnaby Street empty as shops closed after a lockdown was announced in the latest bid to stop the spread of coronavirus through the UK AP A single pedestrian walks past The national Gallery AFP via Getty Images A quiet Jubilee line westbound train carriage PA A quiet Canary Wharf Underground Station PA Empty Embankment Jeremy Selwyn

If it goes over 50 cases per 100,000, the plan says a local lockdown should be considered.

Official sources stressed that the framework was not an exact blueprint but a tool to ensure co-ordination between the Department for Health and Social Care, Public Health England, NHS Test & Trace, the Mayor of London and leaders of the 32 boroughs and the City of London.

It was signed off at a summit held in London last Friday attended by Health Secretary Matt Hancock, Baroness Dido Harding, Mayor Sadiq Khan plus health service and local authority leaders.

However a row has broken out over a decision to remove around a fifth of the laboratory capacity previously allocated to London and give to hotspots in other regions, including the north west and the north east which introduced local curfews following spikes.

One testing centre that previously completed 250 tests a day is now down to just 50 because there is nowhere to process swabs despite a big rise in public demand for tests. Yesterday the Standard revealed the scale of the shortage when reporters attempted to obtain test appointments using residential postcodes in every borough  and were told each time that no slots were available.

Peter John, the chair of London Councils and leader of Southwark, said the lost capacity should be returned to London while there was still time to slow the surge.

If we are going to keep people safe and get our economy going again, testing and tracing needs to be working, he said. We need that capacity back in London.

Baroness Harding defended the decision to reallocate lab capacity when questioned by MPs at the Science select committee.

She said: Yesterday, we tested just under 10,000 people in London, we're averaging circa 10,000 a day, and London's testing [is] slightly above the national average.

As a result, over the last few weeks London has seen the absolute number of tests allocated come down, precisely because London has a lower prevalence than Bolton and other areas in the NW and NE.

The trigger points in the framework are as follows:

Over 20 cases per 100,000 over seven days triggers a new regional assessment of the epidemic evolution and agreement of extra measures to slow down the spread.

Between 20 and 25 changes the epidemic phase from watching brief to national concern, with increased access to mobile testing units, targeted campaigns and outreach to the community.

Between 25 and 50, London goes into enhanced support in which health chiefs may reintroduce epidemic controls including mandatory use of masks in more places, restrict social contacts and restrict religious gatherings. In addition, there would be information campaigns and support for vulnerable communities as part of a more intensive drive to slow down infections. Borough leaders would at this point consider use of local authority powers which include being able to shut down particular pubs and venues linked with outbreaks, or they could ask for a curfew to close the night economy at 10pm

Above 50 the document states: Consider local lockdown.

Loading....

It comes as Mr Hancock refused on Friday morning to rule out a second national lockdown. He said it would be the last line of defence but that the Government would do what was necessary to keep people safe.
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Attorney General William Barr cant seem to get out of the headlines. Maybe he doesnt want to.

Just this week, the Wall Street Journal reported that Barr suggested to federal prosecutors that they consider charging protesters with sedition  an archaic criminal charge that hasnt been regularly used by federal authorities since the McCarthy era. Barr also reportedly mused about finding a way to prosecute Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan for establishing a police-free protest zone in her city. Then, in a speech at Hillsdale College, Barr defended his penchant for overruling prosecutors, comparing them to children in a Montessori school.

For any normal attorney general, this weeks controversies would have marked a crisis accompanied by demands that he resign and serious speculation that he would be forced to do so. Not so for Barr, who clearly enjoys President Donald Trumps support. Barr, more than any attorney general in memory, is inserting himself into the business of criminal prosecution by proposing unorthodox strategies that serve the presidents political ends.

Start with the sedition prosecution proposal. To my mind, its the most shocking of Barrs statements. Sedition is, roughly speaking, the crime of either rebelling against the government or inciting other people to do so. Its the sort of crime that weak governments enforce against their citizens when the government is facing an existential threat  or thinks it is.

Sedition prosecutions in the U.S. have a particularly shameful history. The 1798 Sedition Act was used in a nakedly partisan manner by John Adamss Federalist administration to prosecute Republican newspaper editors. Dozens were jailed and fined. Although the law was never formally struck down by the courts, it has come to be a model of the kind of law that violates free speech.

The Sedition Act of 1918 was not much better. Passed under conditions of wartime hysteria, it was used to prosecute more than 2,000 people, most of whom spoke against World War I. As a result, we got some of the earliest modern free speech opinions issued by the U.S. Supreme Court, most notably from the pen of Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes.

Story continues

The current version of sedition law is the Smith Act, which became law in 1940 and was used well into the 1950s. It prohibits advocating for the violent overthrow of the federal government. Its targets were mostly communists, with the occasional anarchist or fascist prosecuted, too. The law generated a highly problematic Supreme Court precedent, Dennis v. U.S., in which the justices upheld the law as applied to the senior leadership of the Communist Party USA. The really important lasting opinion from that case is a dissent by Justice William O. Douglas pointing out that the Communists were being punished for espousing ideas.

To prosecute protesters for sedition today would require showing that they engaged in conduct aimed at the overthrow of the government and was likely to cause imminent harm. Even if that could somehow be proven in court  highly doubtful  the implicit message would be that people protesting racial injustice are trying to overthrow the U.S. government. It would be hard to imagine a more outrageous attempt to politicize the criminal justice system.

As for the Seattle mayor, it is clearly within the discretion of local authorities to create free-speech zones in which the dangers of confrontation between police and protesters are reduced. To be sure, if a government official knew that private citizens were doing violence to other private citizens and told the police to stand down, that would be highly problematic. It might even possibly violate civil rights, to the extent that the government might be implicated as a cooperative actor in the suppression of speech. But there is no reason to believe that anyones civil rights were being violated by virtue of the Seattle zone. Barrs comments look like an attempt to get the Department of Justice to engage in naked, partisan political intimidation.

As for his remarks on overruling prosecutors, Barr is certainly correct that, as a matter of formal law, he has the authority to intervene in any prosecution brought under the auspices of the Department of Justice. Yet the tradition of the department, hard won in the years since Watergate, has been to respect the independent judgment of U.S. attorneys and career prosecutors. The reason for this is precisely to avoid the appearance or reality of partisan political interference in criminal justice investigation and prosecution. Barrs comments fly in the face of this Department of Justice tradition.

It seems highly unlikely that anyone will actually be prosecuted for sedition by this Department of Justice, and Durkan can rest assured she wont be, either. But the harm to the independence of the criminal justice system has already been done.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Noah Feldman is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist and host of the podcast Deep Background. He is a professor of law at Harvard University and was a clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter. His books include The Three Lives of James Madison: Genius, Partisan, President.

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Rome's Keats-Shelley House commemorates the 200th anniversary of Keats' journey to Italy.

The Keats-Shelley House in Rome is marking the bicentenary of the 1820 voyage to Italy of Romantic poet John Keats and painter Joseph Severn, with special virtual events and a timeline of key dates on social media.

The house museum, located at the foot of the Spanish Steps, highlights the difficult journey which began on 17 September 1820 when Keats and Severn set sail from London, bound for Naples, aboard the Maria Crowther sailing brig.

The hazardous voyage is described by Andrew Motion in his biography of Keats: "Their journey along the south coast of England was disrupted by a series of terrible storms and exasperating calms. Often their boat was driven backwards the way it had come. Occasionally the captain allowed his passengers ashore while he waited for a favourable wind."

Keats, who travelled to Italy with Severn to recover his health, disembarked in Naples on 31 October 1820, after 10 days of quarantine on board the ship due to an outbreak of typhus in London.

It was Keats' 25th birthday and he only had another four months to live. The onward journey to Rome took weeks, with the pair finally arriving in the Eternal City on 15 November 1820.

Ahead of the bicentenaries of the deaths of Keats and Shelley, who died in 1821 and 1822 respectively, the Keats-Shelley House is also raising awareness of its Keats-Shelley200 campaign.

For full details and updates see the Keats-Shelley House website or its Facebook page.


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The U.S. Department of Education has announced an investigation into the prevalence of systemic racism in Princeton University.



In an open letter published earlier this month, University President Christopher Eisgruber had admitted that 'Racism and the damage it does to people of color nevertheless persist at Princeton.'



He also admitted that Racist assumptions from the past also remain embedded in structures of the University. As an example, he cited that while at least nine departments and programs are organized around European languages and culture in Princeton, it runs only a single, relatively small program in African studies.



He also outlined the effort taken to address systemic racism in the University, that began with changes and initiatives that were announced in June.



In response, the Department of Education sent a letter earlier this week, requesting information about the University's nondiscrimination practices.



In the letter, it raised concerns that Princeton continues to get millions of dollars in federal funding even as it violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which forbids discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin.



DOE is probing whether the University has discriminated on the basis of race since Eisgruber took office as the top official of the university in 2013.



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Prime Minister Scott Morrison is offering hope to tens of thousands of Australians stuck overseas they will be home by Christmas after premiers agreed to increase their hotel quarantine capacity.

The international arrival caps will be lifted in stages over the next three weeks, instead of adding 2000 extra places in one hit as Mr Morrison had wanted.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison's ultimate aim is for the cap on international arrivals to be lifted entirely. Credit:Edwina Pickles

NSW and South Australia will increase their capacity in one go while Queensland and Western Australia will do it in two stages. Victoria remains closed to international arrivals as it battles a second wave of coronavirus infections.

Some 24,000 Australians have registered their intention with embassies to return home, although it is believed many more are seeking to do so. About 4000 of those stranded are classed as vulnerable.
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Supporters hold up signs during a campaign event for U.S. President Donald Trump at Xtreme Manufacturing in Henderson, Nev., on Sept. 13, 2020. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Professor Suspended After Saying She Hopes Trump Supporters Die Before Election

A professor at Marshall University, West Virginia, has been placed on leave pending an investigation after saying in class that she hopes Trump supporters die before the election.

In a short video clip reportedly recorded during an online lecture, Marshalls biology professor Jennifer Mosher can be heard saying she hopes those who dont wear masks die before the election. While she didnt specifically reference supporters of President Donald Trump, she did talk about an indoor event where attendees did not wear masks.

Yesterday he held one inside. Nobody wore a mask, she said, seemingly to be referring to Trumps indoor campaign rally in Nevada earlier this week. And Ive become the type of person where I hope they all get it and die.

I am so frustrated  I dont know what else to do. You cant argue with them, you cant talk sense into them, she continued. I said to somebody yesterday I hope they all die before the election. Thats the only saving hope I have right now.

Mosher then said she would stop talking about politics, adding, I really should not be talking politics.

The video was widely circulated on social media, attracting critical comments that said it is inappropriate for a professor to make such remarks in class. Everyone is entitled to opinions, but wishing death on people who disagree with your opinion is evil and we expect better, one comment on Twitter reads.

Under no circumstances should EITHER side share views like this in her position at a public institution, commented another Twitter user who identified as a former Marshall student.

In response, Marshall University administrators said in a statement that they are aware of the video in which a faculty member made an overtly political statement, and that they dont encourage such behavior.

The University does not support or condone the use of any of its educational platforms to belittle people or wish harm on those who hold differing political views, the statement reads. The professor was removed from the classroom yesterday and is on administrative leave, pending an investigation. there will be no further comment on this personnel matter at this time.

Recently, a professor at Suffolk County Community College, New York, was reassigned pending an investigation after a video of her urging students not to vote for Trump during an online class was posted on social media.
A meeting to commend role models in Chinas fight against COVID-19 was recently held in Beijing. At the meeting, Chinese President Xi Jinping summed up the great spirit of combating the COVID-19 epidemic, profoundly explained the life-first principle, and once again declared to the world the traditional benevolence of the Chinese people and the people-centered philosophy of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

From the onset of the epidemic, Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, has stressed to always place peoples life, security and health above anything else. So far, China has reported a total of over 85,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. More than 80,000 have recovered.

From newborn babies to pregnant women, from centenarians to critical patients with underlying diseases, and from overseas students to foreigners, these cured cases and miracles well explain the CPCs philosophy of exercising governance for the people, serve as the best examples of the traditional Chinese moral principle that lives matter the most, and indicate the humanistic spirit of the Chinese people to respect lives.

Abandoning no patient and clinging to every glimmer of hope, China has well protected peoples lives, respected their value and safeguarded their dignity.

Xi said the country shall bear whatever it takes and whatever consequences to be responsible for peoples lives. During the Spring Festival, the most important festival of the country in a year, to cut the spread of the virus as soon as possible and ensure the safety and health of the people, the CPC Central Committee resolutely decided to take a series of important measures.

It was not easy to control the population flow in a city with over 10 million people; hitting the pause button of the flow might be followed by a series of practical problems; every single day of production suspension after the Spring Festival would lead to a loss of 150 billion yuan ($22.17 billion). The country must balance between lives and economy, and both sides were placing huge pressure on it.

However, peoples lives come before everything. From locking down Wuhan to postpone school and work, and to resuming production and ensuring strict regular epidemic control, every decision of the country demonstrated enormous courage and remarkable political wisdom.

The CPCs fundamental purpose is to wholeheartedly serve the people, and China is a socialist country run by the people. Thats why China is saving lives at all cost.

For example, a 70-year-old patient was saved thanks to intensive treatment and care by more than 10 medical workers over a period of several weeks. The cost of his treatment, nearly 1.5 million yuan, was fully covered by the government.

As long as there was the slightest hope, doctors would never give up, and the need for personnel, medicines, equipment, or funds would be met. The country covered the treatment cost of confirmed and suspected COVID-19 patients, coordinated national medical materials, and gathered living necessities for places in need.

Putting lives first is not only a value, but also a national practice. It comes from the countrys composite national strength built up over the past decades since the Peoples Republic of China was founded, especially in the years of reform and opening-up, and from the countrys capability to maximumly exploit its national strength at critical moments.

Suffered huge physical and mental pressure, medical workers built an iron Great Wall with their bodies; sci-tech personnel worked around the clock for achieving breakthroughs; all walks of life shouldered their responsibility; and nearly 30 million Party members rushed to the frontline to battle the epidemic, including the 396 who sacrificed their lives.

In the face of the rampant virus, there was no backdown or compromise, but only dashing and fighting. The finger prints left on the paper for request of permission to join the fight, the bloodstains left on the faces by masks, and the posthumous papers being hidden, have all left deep marks in peoples memory. The respect for lives has long been part of the DNA of the Chinese nation.
Budget airline EasyJet has announced that Tui executive Kenton Jarvis will become the company's chief financial officer.

He will succeed Andrew Findlay, who declared his intention to leave after surviving an attempted boardroom coup earlier in the year by the Luton-based airline's founder, Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou.

No start date has been given for Jarvis' tenure, though Findlay has said he will leave the company once his contract expires in May 2021.

Jarvis will succeed Andrew Findlay as chief financial officer. Findlay survived an attempted boardroom coup earlier in the year by the airline's founder, Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou

Jarvis is currently the chief executive of Aviation at Tui Group, having formerly been the finance director of the now-defunct travel operator, Airtours Holidays. He has also worked for Adidas and as a chartered accountant at PwC.

Easyjet said Jarvis had 'proven his ability to drive savings and successful turnaround programmes' while working at Tui and that this experience was 'critical' as the airline recovers from the harm caused by recent travel restrictions.

The airline's chairman John Barton described him as a man of 'high calibre' who brings 'vast industry experience' and 'highly relevant skills to the role, which will prove crucial in the coming months and beyond.'

The announcement comes ten days after the airline said it expected to be flying at 40 per cent of its planned capacity between July and September, and cancelled flights to seven Greek islands due to the imposition of quarantine rules.

Lundgren called for a winter furlough scheme for airline workers, the abolition of air passenger duty tax for the coming year, and a more intelligent testing regime

Easyjet's passenger numbers have already fallen off a cliff this year due to the temporary grounding of all its flights from March 30 to mid-June. They then restarted at a much-reduced capacity.

In its most recent quarterly update, it revealed that only 709 flights took off in the three months to the end of June, compared to over 165,000 in the same period in 2019. Group turnover also plummeted from 1.76billion to 7million.

Chief executive Johan Lundgren has called on the government to give targeted support to the airline sector, which has been devastated this year by travel restrictions designed to contain the coronavirus.

Jarvis is currently the chief executive of Aviation at Tui Group, having previously been the finance director of the now-defunct travel operator, Airtours Holidays

The Swedish businessman wrote an article for the Daily Mail last week urging the government to implement numerous measures to try and revive the ailing British airline sector.

He called for a winter furlough scheme for airline workers, the abolition of air passenger duty tax for the coming year, and a more intelligent testing regime that ensures travellers coming from coronavirus 'red zones' are checked.

'Airlines have had to raise funding, much of it debt of some form, which means they are mortgaging their futures to survive today.

'This is going to hold back the UK's economic recovery and make it increasingly reliant on foreign airlines. I can't see why the government wants this.'

In its most recent quarterly update, Easyjet revealed that only 709 flights took off in the three months to the end of June, compared to over 165,000 in the same period in 2019

The financial impact of the pandemic has forced the firm to announce that up to 4,500 jobs - around 30 per cent of its total workforce - would be slashed to save money.

Pilots' union Balpa called the company's move an 'ill-considered knee-jerk reaction.' The organisation later accused EasyJet of trying to use pilots' sickness records as an excuse to make them redundant.

It stated the move was 'completely unacceptable in a safety-critical industry where pilots are legally required not to go to work if they are unfit to do so.

'Retrospectively punishing these pilots for being sick or unfit to fly is outrageous and could significantly harm easyJet's previously successful and well-regarded flight safety culture.'

Shares in EasyJet were down 7.9 per cent to 5.47 during the late morning.
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Vienna, Austria  Fri, September 18, 2020 08:15 491 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c4590649 2 World Austria,coronavirus,coronavirus-restrictions,COVID-19,COVID-19-infection,social-distancing,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus Free

Austria announced Thursday that private indoor gatherings would be limited to 10 people in the battle to contain a second wave of coronavirus infections.

"From midnight on Monday... all parties, private events and meetings indoors are limited to ten people," Chancellor Sebastian Kurz told a press conference.

"We have an exponential rise in new infections in Austria," he said, adding the country was going through a second wave of the pandemic.

Funerals will be exempt from the new rules and the limit for outdoors will remain at 100, Kurz said, with further exemptions for some cultural events.

He admitted it would not be legally possible to enforce the new limit in people's homes but added that he hoped Austrians would follow the rule.

Also from Monday, cafe and restaurant customers will have to wear a mask whenever they're not at their tables.

Previously only waiters and other staff had to wear a face covering.

Austria is recording several hundred new daily infections, with the one-day total reaching 882 on September 11, the second-highest of the whole crisis.

Kurz said he was aware the measures "will once again mean sacrifices" from the population but they were necessary "to hopefully prevent a second lockdown" and the "catastrophic consequences" that would entail.

Asked whether Vienna's famous winter ball season could go ahead, Kurz said it was too early to say but admitted "autumn and winter will be very hard".

"We expect a clear improvement next year in terms of progress with vaccines and treatments," he said.

Neighboring Slovenia has also seen a recent rise in infections and on Thursday announced that from Saturday masks would be mandatory in outdoor public spaces such as markets.

Masks will also be compulsory for pupils and teachers in secondary schools, and from Monday restaurants and cafes will have to close at 10 pm.

Hungary has also been experiencing a virus surge and on Wednesday Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced the country's border closure would remain in place beyond October 1.

He added that the second wave of Hungary's outbreak could be expected to peak around the end of the year.

Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia will remain exempted from Hungary's border closures -- exceptions which have raised criticism from top EU officials, who have warned of discrimination between member states.
We are very fortunate to have opened our schools with 87% of our students participating in-person on a daily basis, and the other 13% engaging remotely, Stange stated. The unforgiving charge of the Task Force is to make recommendations that protect that gift for all of us, even when they are not preferential to some.
Vijay Deverakonda's upcoming film tentatively titled as Fighter is reportedly getting affected by the ongoing nepotism row in the Indian film industry. For the unversed, Karan Johar is jointly producing the film with Charmme Kaur and Puri Jagannadh. Amidst all, a report published in a leading portal suggests that Fighter's shooting schedule is getting delayed due to Karan Johar.

Well, after Sushant Singh Rajput's tragic death, fans started criticising Karan Johar for favouring star kids in the industry. In this case, Fighter stars Ananya Panday as the female lead, who is notably the daughter of actor Chunky Pandey. On the other hand, Vijay Deverakonda's team has maintained silence about resuming shooting of Fighter as KJo is reportedly yet to decide about the same.

If he decides to start the next schedule, the producer might choose Hyderabad over Mumbai due to the ongoing ruckus happening in the city of dreams. However, there is no official confirmation about the same.

Also Read : Ramya Krishnan Feels Vijay Deverakonda & Ananya Panday's Next Is Going To Be 'Almost A Baahubali'

Talking about Fighter, the makers have already shot 40 per cent film in Mumbai which includes some high octane action sequences. The film also stars Ramya Krishnan and Ronit Roy in pivotal roles. The pan-India project will be shot in Telugu and Hindi. It will reportedly be dubbed and released in Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada as well.

Also Read : Vijay Deverakonda Slips While Walking Towards Versova Jetty; Video Goes Viral
Today a group of citizens of Armenia held a rally-march demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Yerevan.

The authorities are putting on shows to try to distract citizens from major issues. For instance, they are trying to distract us from the solution to the Artsakh issue which has failed, the negotiations have entered into a deadlock, and nobody knows how the issue will be solved. We see another series of shows. Were going to keep holding these rallies until the authorities realize that they cant be the authorities of our country anymore. We are the ones who must determine our future, not them, one of the participants of the rally said.

One of the participants stated that the struggle is just beginning. We have started this battle and must continue until the end. We wont let Armenia remain kidnapped. The people are in a terrible situation. There are no jobs and no money. People have a problem with earning a living, the participant said.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday targeted the government over the lack of central data on Covid-19 infection among healthcare workers, including doctors, nurses, and support staff, who are at the frontline of the battle against the pandemic.

The beating of thali and the lighting of a lamp is more important than security and respect for the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government, the former Congress president wrote on Twitter while sharing a media report.

Adverse data-free Modi government! The beating of thali and the lighting of a lamp is more important than security and respect. Modi Government, why are corona warriors being insulted? Gandhi asked in a tweet in Hindi.

Click here for full Covid-19 coverage

His comments came after Union minister of state for health Ashwini Choubey on Tuesday informed the Rajya Sabha that there is no central data available with the health ministry on Covid-19 infection among the healthcare staff, including doctors, nurses, and support staff.

As health is a state subject, no such data is maintained at central level by the ministry of health, he told the upper house of Parliament. However, a database regarding the health workers seeking relief under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Insurance Package is being maintained at the national level, he added.

After the United States, India is the second country to have the highest number of cases of the coronavirus disease. On Friday, the country reported 96,424 new cases of Covid-19, pushing the tally to over 5.21 million mark.
Pandemic or not, food customs know no full-stops The famous Bandra fair could not be held this year, only the second time in 350 years, but Mumbais Catholic communities continue the feasting tradition culminating on a Sunday with hearty meaty dishes

In September, when Mumbais monsoon begins to slow down, hundreds of thousands of people from the city make the annual pilgrimage to Mount Mary Basilica, a church in suburban Bandra. They come to pray and celebrate Mother Marys birthday on 8 September. The Sunday that follows marks the beginning of a week-long fair. The area within a 2km radius of the church is packed with people, the air thick with the smell of Goan sausages and roasted peanuts, and ringing with the squeals of children on giant wheels. In the 350-year history of the Bandra fair, this year is only the second time it has had to be cancelled; the first was during the bubonic plague in the late 19th century.

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This year, the fair was scheduled from 13-20 September. The streets that would have been bustling with stalls selling pav stuffed with chorizo, Calicut halwa and the unique crispy Goan sweet kadio bodio, are empty. Mass was held online and the traffic police has put up signs saying residents only to deter people from visiting the Basilica. I miss the halwa and the fresh grilled kebabs that are sold at the fair. This year, we had a quiet celebration at home, says Faye Barreto, who lives in the neighbourhood.

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Chicken vindaloo.

In September, when Mumbais monsoon begins to slow down, hundreds of thousands of people from the city make the annual pilgrimage to Mount Mary Basilica, a church in suburban Bandra. They come to pray and celebrate Mother Marys birthday on 8 September. The Sunday that follows marks the beginning of a week-long fair. The area within a 2km radius of the church is packed with people, the air thick with the smell of Goan sausages and roasted peanuts, and ringing with the squeals of children on giant wheels. In the 350-year history of the Bandra fair, this year is only the second time it has had to be cancelled; the first was during the bubonic plague in the late 19th century.

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This year, the fair was scheduled from 13-20 September. The streets that would have been bustling with stalls selling pav stuffed with chorizo, Calicut halwa and the unique crispy Goan sweet kadio bodio, are empty. Mass was held online and the traffic police has put up signs saying residents only to deter people from visiting the Basilica. I miss the halwa and the fresh grilled kebabs that are sold at the fair. This year, we had a quiet celebration at home, says Faye Barreto, who lives in the neighbourhood.





Although celebrations were confined to homes this year, staying indoors didnt subdue the spirit of the festival. The kitchen was busy as ever, for the citys Catholic community prepares lavish family feasts on Mother Marys birthday, just as it does for Easter and Christmas.

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Usually, preparations for the feast begin a week prior, says Patricia Nath, an Anglo- Indian Bandra resident. The recipes have roots in Indian cooking traditions but are heavily influenced by British kitchens too, she says. As a Mumbaikar, Naths festive platter also has a sorpotel and vindaloo cooked Goan style. We serve them with Anglo-Indian specialities such as pulao, rice cooked in coconut milk and bad word curry (mutton mince ball curry), she says. Its not all non-vegetarian food. Last Sunday, her menu had green salad and baked veg pasta too. For dessert, there was tiramisu and caramel custard. She shared these details in a WhatsApp message that ended with one wordburp.

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In Mumbai, the Roman Catholic population is broadly divided into three groupsAnglo Indians, Goans, and East Indians, who are considered original inhabitants of the city. Over the years, their food practices have overlapped, with many commonalities emerging. For instance, they all have meat dishes like potato chops with mince meat, vinegar-spiked pork sorpotel or vindaloo, but each has a distinct take. East Indians add their signature spice blend, the bottle masala, while Goans use toddy vinegar. In Anglo-Indian homes, vindaloo and sorpotel share space on the dining table with mutton ball curry.

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Heavy meat dishes are best paired with wine, whisky, even gin. In fact, drinking precedes mealtimes and a toast is raised once mass has ended. On Sunday, everyone attended the mass online, then we had cake and copp (Konkani for peg), says Maya Reggo, a Bandra-based tourist guide who runs Mayas Mumbai Tours. She takes travellers for heritage walks in south Mumbai, shopping in Dadars old markets, with pit stops at iconic Irani cafes. Reggo is Goan and chicken roast is a speciality in her home. It is stuffed with bread croutons, innards like the liver, vegetables, drizzled with a brown sauce and paired with mashed potatoes. A vegetable is served too. These are accompanied by a rich pulao made with cashews and almonds, commonly known as the wedding pulao. Usually, Reggo would get kadio bodio, a traditional Goan crispy sweet snack made of flour coated with jaggery and spiked with ginger, from the Bandra fair, where it is sold by the kilograms. Making it at home is laborious. Its too good to be true, she says.

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In Jeanne DSilvas East Indian kitchen, fugiyas are a must. These fried breads made with fermented dough are unique to the community. DSilva, 79, has fond memories of her mothers kitchenIn the good old days, about 25 people would gather in our home for this feast and there was stuffed pigling roast and the rustic East Indian duck moilee. This year, her brothers family visited her and spent several hours over a meal of mutton paya curry, stuffed chicken roast filled with cold cuts, vegetables and innards, sorpotel seasoned with bottle masala, a vegetable dish, and blancmange for dessert. Unlike Reggo, DSilva isnt missing the crowds and cacophony of the Bandra fair.

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Food for family feasts is made in large quantities. The one guiding principle is that it should not spoil quickly. Pre-prep is everything; breads, rolls or pav are ordered from local bakeries. Most families adhere to nifty cooking techniques that predate the refrigerator. Meat dishes, for instance, are prepared a day earlier. Ingredients, like the vinegar for pork sorpotel, act as a preservative and flavour enhancer. Even the dough for fugiyas can be left to ferment overnight. Braised roast meats acquire a deeper flavour with time. By the time lunch is served after morning mass on Sunday, the flavour of each dish has matured fully.

A celebration for Mother Mary would be incomplete without cake. For Our Lady, Goan homes prepare or order in ribbon cakes topped with marzipan or chocolate cake with icing. There are no rum-soaked versions like Christmas and dinner tables do not heave with sweets. But there is cake for all and food is served through the day.








New Delhi: Markets ended in red for the second consecutive session on Friday led by losses in banking, financials amid mixed global cues.

The BSE Sensex closed at 38,845.82, down 134.03 points or 0.34 per cent. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty slipped 11.15 points or 0.10 per cent to finish at 11,504.95.

Major losers in the Sensex pack were HDFC Bank, Kotak Bank, Bajaj Finserv, Maruti, Maruti, Titan, SBI, HUL, HDFC, Tata Steel, Infosys, LT and IndusInd Bank, falling upto 2.39 percent.

On the other hand, major gainers were Bharti Airtel, M&M, NTPC, Tech Mahindra, Sun Pharma, PowerGrid, ONGC, Asian paints, Ultrachem, Bajaj Auto, HCL Tech, and ITC, climbing as much as 3.73 percent.

During the week, the Sensex dropped 8.73 points or 0.02 per cent, while the Nifty advanced 40.50 points or 0.35 per cent.

BSE finance, bankex, consumer durables, FMCG, capital goods and metal indices lost up to 1.16 per cent. On the other hand, healthcare, telecom, realty, utilities, power and auto indices surged as much as 3.50 per cent.

In the broader markets, the BSE mid-cap index rose 0.26 per cent, while the small-cap gauge skidded 0.32 per cent.

On the global front, bourses in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Seoul and Tokyo ended with gains, while most stock exchanges in Europe were trading with a negative bias. Oil benchmark Brent crude was trading 0.39 per cent higher at USD 43.47 per barrel.

Rupee meanwhile strengthened by 21 paise to close at 73.45 against the US dollar.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo carried out a promotional campaign for U.S. private companies in Suriname and Guyana, two small but newly famous for their oil wealth South American countries, warning their leaders to beware of doing business with Chinese state companies.

"No state-owned operation can beat the quality of the products and services of American private companies," Pompeo said during a joint news conference with newly elected Suriname president Chan Santokhi, as quoted by AFP.

"We've watched the Chinese Communist Party invest in countries, and it all seems great at the front end and then it all comes falling down when the political costs connected to that becomes clear. And we do our level best wherever I travel to make the case for just making sure everybody understands what they're getting into."

Suriname made headlines early this year after Apache and Total struck oil for the first time off its coast. The Maka discovery was made in close proximity to the Stabroek block in the waters of neighbour Guyana, which has so far yielded more than a dozen discoveries, bringing the blocks estimated reserves at more than 5 billion barrels.

Guyana was also on Pompeos visit agenda. There, he has a similar message for the new leadership of the country, whose newly discovered oil wealth has made it the brightest new star on the oil industry map. This year, despite the pandemic, Guyanas economy is expected to grow by 85 percent, making it the best performer globally.

Guyana and Suriname share the same-name basin, which the U.S. Geological Survey estimates could hold up to 14 billion barrels of oil and 32 trillion cu ft of natural gas. Yet these are estimates from 2012 and since then, the recoverable portion of this has certainly increased given the advancements in extraction technology. The two could becomeor rather could have become, before the pandemichot spots in oil and gas. But more than that, they may join the Chinese Belt and Road infrastructure investment initiative, which would not sit well with Washington.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
A day after resigning from Union Cabinet in protest against farm bills, senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Friday said she feels "saddened" that her voice in support of farmers was not heard and demanded that the government should pause on these legislations by referring them to a parliamentary panel for wider consultations.





"I left my mother in ICU in the hospital to fulfill my duty to attend Parliament debate on these three legislations and register my protest. Thereafter I resigned in protest against these proposed legislations," Badal said.

She resigned soon after her husband and SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal strongly opposed the bills in Lok Sabha on Thursday night, claiming these proposed legislations will "destroy" the agriculture sector in Punjab, and announced that Harsimrat Kaur Badal will quit the government in protest against these three bills.



Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who first became Union Minister for Food Processing in 2014 and retained the portfolio in the second term of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government starting 2019, said she kept on pleading with the government not to move ahead with these bills without taking farmers on board.



SAD voted against the three bills -- Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, which were passed by voice vote in Lok Sabha.

Congress and several other opposition parties are also opposing these bills, while SAD is the only NDA member to come out against these proposed legislations that seek to replace the ordinances already promulgated by the government.



"I kept on protesting ever since these ordinances were circulated for comments in the Cabinet. I was acting like a bridge between farmers and the government to clear all doubts and fears of farmers. I kept on pleading that the government should not bring these bills until all apprehensions and fears of farmers are cleared," she said.



She said there is no point in bringing these bills while presenting them as being in the interest of farmers when the farmers themselves have apprehensions about these measures.



"I feel very saddened about the fact that my voice was not heard in the Cabinet and the government did not send it to a parliamentary select committee for consultations with all stakeholders including farmers. If my voice had been heard, farmers would not have come out on roads to protest," she said.



Emphasising that the government should not rush with these bills, Badal said it should be referred to a select committee of Parliament and all stakeholders should be consulted on these proposed legislations.



On her resignation, Harsimrat said, "Please don't see this as a resignation, as this was my duty as a representative of Punjab and of farmers."



On Punjab Chief Minister and Congress leader Amarinder Singh calling her resignation a "drama", hitting back at him she said, "He himself is the biggest drama and the biggest liar."



"Amarinder Singh and Congress are doing double-speak. When these ordinances were planned, all chief ministers were consulted and he had concurred. Also, these three bills were part of the Congress party's manifesto for the 2017 assembly elections manifesto and the 2019 Lok Sabha elections," she said.

Badal said Singh failed to fulfill all other promises made in the Congress party's manifesto, barring this one and farmers in Punjab are now on roads and are paying the price for his misdeeds.



Large-scale protests by farmers in Punjab against these measures have put the regional party, which draws its support mainly from peasants, under pressure, culminating in the resignation of its only representative in the government.



BJP and SAD have been seen as natural allies which date back to the days of Jan Sangh, the precursor of the saffron party. Both parties have been contesting elections in alliance since 1997.



Asked whether SAD would pull out of the NDA also, Badal said it was for the party to decide and a collective decision would be taken on that issue by all senior leaders together. Assembly elections are due in Punjab in 2022.



Badal had also recalled this decades-old association between the two parties in her resignation letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.



The alliance formed by two legendary icons, Sardar Parkash Singh Badal and Atal Behari Vajpayee not only revived the faith of the Sikh masses in justice and fair play but also served as the most enduring guarantee of peace and communal harmony in Punjab, she said in the letter adding that she is confident that both parties would continue to work together to maintain peace and communal harmony in Punjab.



Describing her tenure as minister as "a remarkable and most memorable period of my life", she said she was satisfied that the NDA-led government delivered on many critical and long-standing issues of the Sikh community, including justice for 1984 riots victims.



She also recounted the historic opening of the Kartarpur Sahib corridor and GST waiver on 'langar', permission granted to foreign donations to the Darbar Sahib as major achievements.



The government has presented these bills as pro-farmers, saying these will ensure that farmers get better prices for their produce and do not get subjected to regulations of 'mandis'.



Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar had said on Thursday in Lok Sabha that farmers will be free to sell their produce to anyone and these bills will increase competition and promote private investment, which will help in the development of farm infrastructure and generate employment.



However, opposition parties have slammed the bills as "anti-farmers", claiming that the agriculture sector will be left to the fate of corporate interests.
Murder detectives have named a man who was deliberately mown down in a car park.

John Avers, 47, was hit by a car which fled the scene in Dagenham, east London.

Paramedics attended but he died at the scene a short while later after suffering multiple injuries, a post-mortem found.

Police believe he was 'deliberately harmed' shortly before midnight on Sunday.

Extensive enquiries are ongoing but no arrests have been made.

A man who was killed after he was run over repeatedly in a supermarket car park has been named as John Avers as police continue the murder investigation and appeal for witnesses

The Met Police's Specialist Crime Command are appealing for any witnesses to come forward.

Detective Chief Inspector Mark Wrigley, from the Met's Specialist Crime North team, leads the investigation. He said: 'My thoughts are with John's family at this very sad time.

'I and my officers believe John was deliberately harmed and we are treating this incident as a murder inquiry.

'We are using every available tactic to trace who was responsible for John's death.

'I know that there were people in the area and I am asking them to tell us what they saw or heard.

'If you know anything at all about this horrible crime, please don't keep it to yourself.

'If you don't want to talk to us, you can speak to Crimestoppers anonymously. The most important thing you can do is share what you know.'

His next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specially-trained officers.

Enquiries to establish the circumstances surrounding Mr Avers' death are still ongoing, Scotland Yard said, and a post-mortem exam found he suffered multiple serious injuries

Medics worked on Mr Avers in the car park where he was found but he was sadly pronounced dead at the scene and police closed the car park for several hours to examine it for evidence

Witnesses at the time said they believed Mr Avers had been run over four or five times in the car park.

A shop worker who was about to leave after a night shift said at the time, he saw paramedics working on Mr Avers after he had been struck.

Shahid Khattack, store manager at the nearby Iceland that backs on to the scene, saw him lying in the car park after the attack.

The 32-year-old said: 'I was about to come out of the shop out the back when I saw the paramedics and emergency services.

'They were still working on him, pumping his chest, doing CPR, trying to save him. It was a shocking thing to see.

'We have a lot of trouble and threats from shoplifters, but you don't expect to see that.'

The 47-year-old victim was pronounced dead at the scene in Dagenham, east London

Mr Khattack added: 'People I've spoken to who saw it said he was run over about four or five times.'

Other witnesses also claimed to have seen a car repeatedly run over the victim as he was lying on the ground.

A man in his 20s said: 'I heard something that sounded like someone groaning. I kept hearing it so went to the window and saw him lying, groaning on the ground.

'Then I saw a car come in and run over him. At first I was so shocked I couldn't tell what really happened, then it reversed and went 'bang' straight over him again.

'I was so shocked I couldn't believe it. I was like 'did I actually just see that?' I told my mum and she called the police. It was so crazy.'

Anyone with information should call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis likewise urged Panhandle residents not to let their guard down even though the hurricane had passed, saying: "You're going to see the rivers continue to rise."

Crews carried out at least 400 rescues in the Escambia County by such means as high-water vehicles, boats and water scooters, authorities said.

Rescuers focused their efforts Thursday on Innerarity Point, a narrow strip of land close to Pensacola that is home to waterfront homes and businesses. Floodwaters covered the only road out, though authorities said no one was in immediate danger.

Richard Wittig and his family were among scores of people hemmed in by floodwaters on the island. Two generators were powering his house, fueled by 30 gallons of gasoline Wittig bought ahead of the storm.

"If I didn't have a working generator, we'd be dead. Nobody can get to us," said the 77-year-old Wittig, who said he and his son rely on oxygen machines to keep them alive.

The Florida National Guard said it had deployed about 500 soldiers and airmen to help local authorities evacuate 113 people, though it did not say when and where the rescues took place.
MBABANE  South Africas decision to open borders is set to boost the ravaged Eswatini tourism sector.

The neighbouring countrys president, Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday night announced that South Africa is opening its borders to the world from the beginning of next month as the country moved to level one of the lockdown.

This would come as a major boost for Eswatini, as most tourists come through to the country using South Africas borders.

In 2018, contribution of travel and tourism to the countrys gross domestic product (GDP) was recorded to be at 5.7 per cent.

Visitor exports are compared with exports of all goods and services.

Tourism and aviation were some of the biggest casualties of the lockdown, threatening the future of businesses throughout the value chain.

In South Africa, tourism contributes an estimated 8.6 per cent to the GDP and supports about 1.5 million people.

opened

Ramaphosa said that the countrys borders would be opened from October 1. However, travel may be restricted to and from certain countries that are deemed to be high risk.

A list of the countries will be published and based on the latest scientific data, he said.

Travellers will only be able to use one of the land border posts which remained open during the lockdown or one of the three main airports: King Shaka International Airport in Durban, OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg and Cape Town International Airport.

Ramaphosa said those entering South Africa would need to provide a negative Covid-19 test result not older than 72 hours. Those who do not will have to remain in mandatory quarantine at their own cost. All travellers will also be screened on arrival and those who display symptoms will be required to go into quarantine.

He said that in preparation for the re-opening of borders, South Africa missions abroad will open for visa applications and all long-term visas will be reinstated.

The tourism sector is one of our greatest economic drivers. We are ready to open our doors again to the world and invite travellers to enjoy our mountains, our beaches, our vibrant cities and our wildlife game parks in safety and confidence, Ramaphosa said.






EAST LANSING, MI  Eleven additional houses are now required to quarantine for the next two weeks for known coronavirus exposure, the Ingham County Health Department announced Thursday.

This comes as the city, home to Michigan State University, has seen a 315% increase in total case count since Sept. 1, health officials said. A significant majority of Ingham Countys new positive cases of COVID-19 were related to the MSU community, officials said.

As of Thursday, 25 Greek life houses and 14 large rental houses are under the mandatory quarantine. Four Greek houses had their quarantines extended by three days because of new cases or exposures, according to a news release on Sept. 17.

Wednesday, Sept. 16, coronavirus data by Michigan county: Ingham in crisis, health director says

The current situation deeply concerns me for the MSU and East Lansing communities, Ingham County Health Officer Linda Vail said in a statement. Beyond that, our inability to contain this extremely high level of transmission will adversely impact other communities, services and businesses in the county. Ingham County has the highest COVID-19 risk in the entire state of Michigan. We are truly in a crisis situation, especially in East Lansing. We must do all we can to contain the outbreak.

Coronavirus cases more than tripled among Michigan residents under age 25 since July 5

Residents of the houses must be in their homes at all times unless they need medical care or other essential items that cannot be delivered. Non-residents cant enter the house unless providing an essential service. Residents should wear face masks in the common areas and check their temperatures twice daily, among other requirements, according to the order.

Willful violation of the quarantine order could be punished by a misdemeanor of six months in jail, a $200 fine or both.

Cases began increasing when students returned for the fall semester. While MSU moved classes online before the beginning of the semester, many students already had off-campus leases or simply wanted to be on campus. MSU students living locally but not in the mandatory quarantine houses have still been asked to self-quarantine in the next several weeks to prevent further spread.

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Researcher who first warned of Flint water crisis now says lead exposure not as bad as first feared

19 businesses penalized over $50K for serious COVID-19 safety violations

University of Michigan confirms cluster of 19 coronavirus cases in South Quad residence hall
On 16 September, following the execution of a European investigation order, a house search led by the Romanian authorities in the county of Neamt uncovered the rare books buried underground. Reported stolen from a warehouse in Feltham (UK) in 2017, the priceless historical antiques included first editions of Galileo Galilei and Isaac Newton from the sixteenth and seventeenth century. The books will now be sent to Italy for examination in order to confirm their authenticity.

This discovery is the result of an international cooperation between judicial and law enforcement authorities in the United Kingdom (Metropolitan Police Service), Italy (Italian Carabinieri - Arma dei Carabinieri) and Romania (Directorate for Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism Central Office and Romanian National Police - Politia Romana ) with the support of Eurojust and Europol. The individuals suspected with the theft are currently in pre-trial detention in the United Kingdom. 13 suspects have been charged with conspiring to commit burglaries between December 2016 and April 2019 and to acquire criminal property. Twelve have already pleaded guilty and the sentencing is due to take place end of September 2020.



A three year-long international cooperation

In 2017, following the 2 million heist in the UK executed by an organised crime group composed of Romanian nationals, a Joint Investigation Team was set up between the cooperating countries with the support of Eurojust and Europol. This joint investigation framework provided the involved judicial and law enforcement authorities with the analytical tools, the coordination of information exchange and the judicial expertise to carry out several criminal investigation activities. As a result, 15 suspects linked to the criminal organisation were arrested in the UK and Romania in June 2019.

In January 2020, further outcomes emerged from this coordinated investigation with the arrest of the kingpin behind the cultural loot. The suspect, a Romanian national wanted by the British authorities, was arrested in Italy (Turin) and his arrest and collaboration were decisive for the success of this important joint operation. The respective National Desks at Eurojust have continued to support the judicial follow up, including facilitating the transfer of judicial proceedings from Romania to the UK.



Safeguarding cultural heritage from organised crime

This operation is a double success for law enforcement who tracked the suspects down and recovered the stolen treasures before they went for sale. Europols Analysis Project (AP) FURTUM dedicated to tackling all areas of property crime was involved and assisted with operational coordination, analytical support and the exchange and sharing of vital information and intelligence to support undercover agents.
This years Annual Historic Flag Replacement Ceremony at the The Lone Star Monument and Historical Flag Park will pay tribute to one of the Flag Parks original board members who had a passion for history as big as Texas.

Conroe businessman Cameron Bammel passed away in October 2019 of cancer. On Oct. 3, organizers of the Flag Park will celebrate his legacy as his family raises a flag in his honor. His life will also be memorialized with a monument at the base of the Sarah Dodson Tri-Color Flag.

Cameron had a servants heart and was an unsung hero of our community, said Larry Foerster, fellow Flag Park board member and Montgomery County Historical Commission Chairman.

The Lone Star Monument and Historical Flag Park  located adjacent to the Conroe Central Library  showcases Montgomery County as the birthplace of the Lone Star Flag with towering historical battle and rally flags that depict those that flew during Texass fight for independence. The Flag Park is the vision of local artist Craig Campobella. It opened in 2011.

A 14-foot-bronze known as The Texian, conceived and sculpted by Campobella, serves as the centerpiece. A bronze bust dedicated to Dr. Charles B. Stewart, the Montgomery County native credited with the design of the Lone Star Flag, greets visitors at the Park entrance.

Also memorialized at the Flag Park is The Texian, a poem by Dave Parsons, the 2011 Texas State Poet Laureate. The Flag Park also houses a buried time capsule containing 16 soil samples taken from historic Texas Independence battle sites. Aptly named Sacred Soils of The Texas Revolution, the samples are one of many features that provide avenues for learning at the Citys outdoor museum.

This years activities, named the Texas Flags Festival, commemorates the Battle of Gonzales, the first battle of the Texas Revolution.

The City of Conroes Flag Park will host several historical organizations, including the Heritage Museum of Montgomery County, the Montgomery County Historical Commission, Lone Star Volunteers, Sons of the Republic of Texas-Lone Star Chapter and their Rolling Thunder canon and Daughters of the Republic of Texas-Judge Nathaniel Hart Davis Chapter.

This years program will include the dedication of a memorial to Cameron Bammel, a beloved founding Board Member of Friends of the Flag Foundation and an inspiring Conroe businessman, owner and operator of Impact Printing.

My ex-partner and I hired a 19-year-old Cameron as a printing press operator when he was only a year out having graduated from Klein High School, said Charlie Hilsher, owner of Colortech Direct in Conroe. It was evident from the start that he was friendly, conscientious, self-confident, self-motivated and a real go-getter.

He was promoted to press shop manager and eventually struck out on his own to open Impact Printing in Conroe.

Hilsher eventually bought Impact Printing and merged it into Colortech Direct.

One of the first things Cameron showed me when we began talks was the Lone Star Flag Park, Hilsher said. He was very proud to be associated with it.

His involvement with the Lone Star Monument and Historical Flag Park began at the outset in 2006 when Craig Campobella shared his vision for a Historical Flag Park to honor the Texian and Tejano volunteers who fought in the Texas Revolution.

Bammel produced all of the presentation materials for the Flag Park from concept to realization. He was a devoted founding member of the nonprofit Friends of the Flag Foundation, Inc., from October 2010.

Bammel died at age 57 on Oct. 26, 2019 after a long illness.

To the very end of his life, Cameron was a proud Texan and an American patriot, said his fellow board members.

Those raising flags this year include David and Cathi Clements, Dave Parsons and family, Representing the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas - Chief Herbert Johnson Sr. and Donnis Battise, Marieda and Lee Kilgore, Annette Spikes and sons Barkley and Trey Spikes, the family of Cameron W. Bammel, Jim Walker and Jaden Roles, DPS trooper Erik Burse will be representing Spirit of Texas Bank, Charlie and Senie Fogarty, Craig, Cristy and Bristol Campobella and the family of Bruce Henry.

Unique to this year, members of the public will be able to submit their names for an opportunity to be chosen to raise one of the historic battle or rally flags during the Oct. 3 ceremony. Anyone may apply be emailing name, phone number, email address, and one reason why he or she is proud to be a Texan to foerster@dfcllp.com by Sept. 30.

The Citys Flag Park grounds will open at 4 p.m., giving visitors time to enjoy the Park prior to the annual flag replacement ceremony which will begin at 5 p.m.

For more information, visit https://texasflagpark.com/.

shernandez@hcnonline.com
First responders are required to step into the line of fire and help other people despite the risks to their life  even amid a pandemic.

One of those first responders, Kingwoods Jerry Pacheco, is being honored in Humble after he lost his life to the coronavirus after serving 17 years with the Houston Fire Department.

MORE FROM SAVANNAH MEHRTENS: 100,000 square foot medical facility planned near Summerwood at Generation Park

On Sept. 11 during a 9/11 first responders ceremony outside of Memorial Hermann Northeast, a ceiling tile was officially unveiled in honor of Pacheco and was later placed in the hospital. The ceiling tile project is not new to the hospital, it is something they have done to honor first responders for a while now, according to Jennifer Cole, the EMS liaison at Memorial Hermann Northeast Hospital.

Tiles are also in the works to honor Houston firefighters Leroy Lucio and Tommy Searcy. Both died due to complications with COVID-19.

Pachecos tile painting features the Houston Fire Department logo with a black stripe across it, symbolizing a line of duty death, and now is placed in the ER.

Everyone loves it, Cole said. Its just our way of remembering him Jerry always came in with a smile.

This was not the first loss for emergency room workers in Humble due the coronavirus pandemic, which has already taken 3,276 lives in the Houston region. The virus has been especially hard on first responders nationwide  line of duty deaths are expected to double with COVID-19 being the leading cause of death, according to FEMA.

On HoustonChronicle.com: First responders cant social distance. Some are getting sick. And departments say it could strain responses

Agencies that received plaques at the 9/11 ceremony: Harris County Emergency Corps Humble Fire Department Atascocita Fire Department Cypress Creek EMS Huffman EMS Montgomery County Hospital District Memorial Hermann Life Flight Harris County ESD #5 Houston Fire Department South Lake Houston EMS Liberty County EMS American Medical Response See More Collapse

Pacheco is one of three Houston firefighters who have died due to the coronavirus, including 29-year veteran Lucio, who was assigned to Station 103 in Kingwood and 18-year fighterfighter Capt. Searcy. One of the nurses at Memorial Hermann Northeast also lost a mother and father to COVID-19.

Pacheco was well respected at the Humble hospital because he wanted to know everyone he worked with on a personal level, not just as individuals he saw in passing, Cole said.

When their team found out that Pacheco had been hospitalized, staff members held a group prayer and an emergency room technician gave the clinical coordinator a prayer box where staff left notes. They got excited when they found out that Pacheco had been taken off a breathing tube Saturday morning, a day after they found out he had been hospitalized.

They thought that he was going to recover. Pacheco was the first person Cole knew of personally to come off a ventilator besides what she had seen in news stories.

In our world, nobody ever comes off the ventilator for COVID, Cole said. When youre intubated for COVID, it means you die  and thats what we know, thats what weve seen, thats what weve been living. So to hear the fact that he actually got off the ventilator so soon, were ecstatic. We were real excited.

Coronavirus live updates: Houston tops 174,000 COVID cases

On Monday morning, Aug. 3, Cole received a text message at 6 a.m. of his death. When she received the text it was on her day off, and she rolled over to her husband, who is a firefighter, to wake him up and tell him what had happened.

And I just cried. I didnt know what to do. I was numb, Cole said. I knew I had to tell everybody else because this was a text message that was from somebody, an inside source. So I knew the news wasnt out yet. So then I had to figure out how to tell everybody because they needed to know. Our excitement is gone, hes gone.

Room three is where Cole turned for a moment of silence because it was the last place she saw him.

RENEW HOUSTON: Get the latest wellness news delivered to your inbox

When she returned to work, the ER clerk thought to put black electrical tape over their badges to commemorate their line of duty death, Cole said. They kept their identification badges legal with names and essential information showing, but it was something to show they were heartbroken too, Cole said.

Because to us, Jerry was not just a fireman, he was not just somebody who transported to us, he was part of our family so he was our duty death too, Cole said.

savannah.mehrtens@chron.com
Watch: Queen Elizabeth II Strips Harvey Weinstein of Royal Honor Amid Scandal

The Queen has stripped Harvey Weinstein of his honourary CBE in wake of his convictions for sex offences.

A notice published in The Gazette, the official record of the UK, indicated Weinstein would lose the title.

The notice said: The Queen has directed that the appointment of Harvey Weinstein to be an Honorary Commander of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, dated 29 January 2004, shall be cancelled and annulled and that his name shall be erased from the Register of the said Order.

Weinstein was accused of sexual harassment, assault and rape by several women, with the first reports emerging in October 2017.

Harvey Weinstein at Manhattan Criminal Court with his attorneys in February 2020. (Getty Images)

He was arrested the following year but the matter did not come to trial until January 2020.

Weinstein was found guilty by a jury on two offences, one of criminal sexual assault and another of rape. However he was found not guilty of predatory sexual assault, which would have carried a life sentence.

He was sentenced to 23 years in prison.

Weinstein was awarded the honourary CBE in 2004, for his outstanding contribution to the British film industry.

When he was convicted by jury in New York earlier this year, there were calls by several senior UK figures to strip him of the honour.

Harvey Weinstein received a CBE, Commander of the British Empire, at an investiture ceremony at the Residence of the British Consul General on Monday, November 22, 2004 in New York City. (PA images)

Read more: Will Barbados removing the Queen as head of state trigger other countries to do the same?

In February Labour MP Dawn Butler said: The Government needs to act, fast.

Weinstein should have been stripped of his honours a long time ago, but now hes been found guilty by the courts, theres no excuse. Its shameful  and more importantly, its insulting to his victims.

Layla Moran, former Lib Dem leadership candidate, said: Weinstein should be immediately stripped of his CBE: Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.

We should not honour him.

Announcing his CBE in 2004, Weinstein said at the time: My life and my career have been greatly influenced and enriched by great British film-makers and authors and so I am especially honoured and humbled to be receiving the CBE.

Story continues

While he was jailed in New York, prosecutors in Los Angeles have filed a request to extradite Weinstein, in a bid to try him on five counts of sexual assault in California.

The Queen conducted a special investiture in July 2020, pictured here, but otherwise they have been postponed because of COVID-19. (AFP)

The Honours Forfeiture Committee debates whether an award should be removed, but the Queen has final say.

Honours are considered to last the lifetime of the recipient, so they cannot be stripped posthumously.

Several other people are named in Fridays Gazette as having their honours removed.

According to the committee those who forfeit their honours will be asked to return their insignia to Buckingham Palace and can no longer make any reference to their having an honour in the future. This would include use of the honour post-nominals on websites, publications or business cards.
Thirteen schools and child care facilities in Sonoma County reported coronavirus outbreaks that infected 62 people, including 25 children, health officials said this week.

Most of the children who were infected were 6 years old and younger. Ten members of school staff and 27 family members were also infected, according to Sonoma County Public Health Officer Dr. Sundari Mase. Exposure to the virus occurred at the child care centers.

Officials did not name the schools and child care facilities that suffered the outbreaks.

Despite the outbreaks, Mase stressed the importance of day care and child care facilities at a news conference this week.

Day care and child care facilities are very small cohorts, Mase said. As we reopen, and as people go back to work, its very important that we provide child care.

Five early care and learning centers, five child care centers and three elementary schools that provide day care services were linked to the outbreaks. The early care and learning centers reported the majority of infections, with 19 of the 62 cases.

One outbreak, identified at an early care and learning center in north Sonoma County, had 30 positive cases as of Tuesday. Officials believe the outbreak there began with a student.

Sixteen students, three staffers and 11 family members were infected there. The outbreak is considered ongoing, Mase said, as contact tracing investigations continue. The facility closed for two weeks beginning Sept. 3, based on state recommendations.

Steven Herrington, the Sonoma County superintendent of schools, said the information released by the health department was sobering and a reminder that schools should proceed with caution when reopening.

The data show that just one sick child or staff member can have a ripple effect through a school system, leading to infections of many other students, staff, and family members, Herrington said in an email statement. With nearly 70,000 students in Sonoma County, outbreaks in our schools could have a significant impact on the fight against coronavirus in our community, particularly as flu season ramps up.

Since Wednesday, Mase received 12 waiver requests to reopen schools. Health officials will determine whether these schools have a sound plan to reopen, but Mase advises schools to continue with distance education for the time being.

We have COVID-19 cases in every sector, so its not at all surprising that we have these cases in day care and early learning centers, Mase said.

COVID is not selective that way. I dont think its surprising, but I do think its something that gives us a little pause when we think about reopening schools.

Sonoma County public health officials are investigating a total of 381 cases of the coronavirus in children, Mase said. Coronavirus cases in children ages 0 - 17 have increased during the last couple of months in the county despite distance learning measures, Mase said Friday. Although the recent outbreaks are from childcare centers, most cases are through contact with someone in the childs household, she said.

As of Tuesday, there were a total of 1,786 active cases in Sonoma County. The county is under the states purple reopening tier, the most restrictive level, and does not meet requirements to enter the next tier with 10.3 cases a day per 100,000 people.

Schools could reopen ... for in-person instruction when Sonoma County is in the red tier. That doesnt look likely probably until the end of October, Herrington said on Wednesday.

Vanessa Arredondo is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: vanessa.arredondo@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @v_anana
Pune district guardian minister Ajit Pawar on Friday morning spent two hours visiting the sites of metro project in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad and assured enough funds from the state government for the project.

To avoid traffic Pawar visited the sites from 6 am to 10 am along with other metro officials. Brijesh Dixit, managing director, Maharashtra Metro Rail Metro Corporation Ltd (Maha-Metro) was present along with Pawar to brief the progress of the project.

Pawar said, I will ensure that the Pune metro will get smooth funding of the states share and work will not be halted due to money shortage.

He first visited the Pimpri-Chinchwad line and even took a trial run of the metro. He went into the drivers cabin and was given a detailed information on the metro line.

Later, Pawar visited the underground metro work at College of Agriculture, Pune and took an update about the tunnelling work.

Dixit said, The elevated works are 80 per cent completed. Even after lockdown, metro work is coming back on track.

Pawar travelled by metro from Sant Tukaramnagar station to Pimpri. While travelling he also enquired about the ticket system. Later, he visited the Civil Court, Nal Stop, Garware College and Swargate areas and inspected the work. Metro officials who were present with him briefed him at every junction.
Justin Trudeau made a promise that Canada would plant two billion trees to fight climate change following a meeting with activist Greta Thunberg last year.

None so far have been planted, according to Montreal newspaper La Presse.

The Canadian prime minister met with the teenage environmentalist on 27 September, 2019, in the midst of his re-election campaign, and as thousands gathered for climate strikes in the country, and around the world.

On the same day, he tweeted: Well plant 2 billion trees over the next ten years. Thats it. Thats the tweet.

However, according to La Presse, Mr Trudeaus Liberal government has not planted a single one for the initiative.

To have 2 billion trees in the ground by 2030, would mean planting 547,945 trees each day or 200 million a year.

The Independent sought comment from Natural Resources Minister Seamus ORegans office.

In a statement, press secretary Ian B. Cameron said that during the pandemic the Canadian government provided $30 million to the forest sector to safely continue operations.

He added: This funding helped ensure this year's season  with its scheduled planting of 600 million trees  could move forward. Additionally, we continue to support the Highway of Heroes tree campaign, which has planted more than 750,000 of a planned 2 million trees between Trenton and Toronto. We are also planting hundreds of thousands of trees through the Disaster Mitigation Adaptation Fund.

"Supporting these existing tree planting activities during COVID-19 has been our priority over the last several months, and we have been successful in those efforts. We continue to support tree planting efforts, we remain fully committed to planting two billion additional trees, and we look forward to sharing more details on that soon.

Mr Trudeau met with the Ms Thunberg on the sidelines of the climate strike demonstration in Montreal last year which was attended by an estimated half a million people.

Following their meeting, she said: He is of course obviously not doing enough but... this is such a huge problem.

My message to all the politicians is the same, to just listen to the science, act on the science.

Mr Trudeau took office in 2015 and was re-elected in 2019, with a minority government.

The son of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, Trudeau has focused on boosting social programs, raising taxes on the highest earners and stressing the need to fight climate change.

A recent surge in Covid-19 cases has forced the leader to scale back his plan to outline an ambitious green economic recovery package next week, Reuters reported on Friday.

This story has been updated to reflect the government response
Religious rivalries spilling over into political debate in Lebanon, as Christian factions clashed this week on the streets of Beirut.

There were differing accounts about who was responsible for firing gunshots into the air, but those on both sides said Monday's (September 14) events were a reminder of long-running hostilities.

Memories of fighting during the countrys civil war have renewed fears of fresh unrest, as the nation grapples with its worst crisis since the fifteen year conflict, which ended in 1990.

The rivalry today is about more than Christian politics.

Lebanon's president Michel Aoun is allied with Hezbollah, the heavily armed, Iran-backed Shi'ite party.

While Samir Geagea leads opposition to Hezbollah, saying it should surrender its weapons.

Elias al-Zoghby, is a member of Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement (FPM). He said they were provoked by supporters of the opposition Lebanese Forces (LF) who drove towards his party's headquarters.

"There's freedom of speech and expression, they can go in convoys night and day, but they cannot approach our headquarters like this, to assault our men is forbidden. There are limits they can not cross. This is a red line."

The army said shots were fired without saying by whom. It said LF supporters had thrown stones at the FPM offices.

One video showed men firing machine guns into the air. In another, men in masks burned an LF flag.

Both sides have called for restraint, while accusing each other of acting like a militia.

The stand-off was the latest in a country that has seen sporadic violence intensify as an economic crisis that erupted last year has deepened.

It was compounded by the huge blast that destroyed Beiruits port area and ripped through large parts of the city last month.
US President will not attend in-person the landmark 75th annual UN General Assembly session next week, chief of staff Mark Meadows has said.

The annual session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) commenced on September 15 amid the devastating coronavirus pandemic, with world leaders set to meet virtually for the first time as they confront some of the most serious threats facing humanity, including severe socio-economic consequences of COVID-19 and a raging climate crisis.

"President Trump will not be in New York City for the annual gathering of world leaders. He would not attend it in-person," Meadows said on Thursday speaking to reporters aboard the Air Force One en route to a Trump campaign rally in Wisconsin.

Trump is scheduled to deliver his address on September 22, the first day of the general debate.

However, according to media reports, he is yet to submit his virtual address.

In July, US envoy to the UN Kelly Craft had said that President Trump was likely to travel to New York to attend the annual UNGA session, which if happened would have made him the only world leader to address this year's virtual high-level week in-person.

World leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, are expected to address the session virtually by providing videotapes of their speeches.

The theme for this 75th General Debate is The future we want, the United Nations we need: reaffirming our collective commitment to multilateralism confronting COVID-19 through effective multilateral action.

Several major events, in addition to the General Debate, are expected to highlight action and solutions that will ignite the transformations needed to secure healthy, peaceful and prosperous lives for all.

(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.)
Its easy to assume international co-operation has ground to a halt because of COVID-19 travel restrictions and closed borders.

In a year mostly written off, Western Australia has carried on with its engagement with close neighbours like Vietnam, signing a Memorandum of Understanding with Ba Ria-Vung Tau province this week.

Vietnam is well-placed to be a major component of WAs diversification portfolio and a framework exists to help this process. Credit:Getty Images

Such a gesture might be easy to dismiss until you examine the characteristics of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province and the economic opportunities it could open up for WA.

Ba Ria-Vung Tau is part of the greater Ho Chi Minh City metropolitan area, a region populated by 22 million.
President Donald Trump finally released his promised executive order aimed at bringing down drug costs. It factors in international prices to determine what Medicare pays for prescriptions. But the order has no force of law unless the Department of Health and Human Services issues regulations, which could take months or even years if drug companies challenge the effort in court, as they have promised.

Meanwhile, several agencies within HHS are engulfed in scandal. The White House-installed HHS spokesperson took medical leave after a spate of stories about how he tried to interfere with the work of career scientists regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. The head of the Medicare and Medicaid programs spent millions of taxpayer dollars to burnish her personal image, according to Democratic congressional investigators. And HHS Secretary Alex Azar apparently overruled the Food and Drug Administration over efforts to regulate a class of COVID diagnostic tests.

This weeks panelists are Julie Rovner of KHN, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Tami Luhby of CNN and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet.

Among the other takeaways from this weeks podcast:

Trumps comments Wednesday contradicting testimony by Dr. Robert Redfield, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about the importance of masks and the timing of a coronavirus vaccine are not the first time he has disputed statements by his scientific and medical advisers. But confusion created by the differing statements could erode trust in a vaccine development process that has already been highly politicized.

Drugmakers oppose any efforts to limit the prices of Medicare drugs and vow to fight the effort in court and politically. They may have some allies in the Senate, where Republicans are not keen on the idea of endorsing price controls.

Although the president frequently speaks about his efforts to curb high prescription drug costs, he has not made much headway in helping consumers. Still, the issue has great political appeal, and he has been able to keep the heat on the pharmaceutical industry.

Its been a traumatic week at the Department of Health and Human Services. The head of the communications team, Michael Caputo, has taken medical leave after acknowledging that he and his aides tried to influence studies published in the CDCs journal and then hosting an online event in which he alleged without any proof that government scientists were working to undermine the administration. Also, the head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Seema Verma, was criticized in a congressional report for spending millions to hire consultants to help raise her public profile.

Data reported by the Census Bureau this week shows that the number of uninsured in the U.S. grew by nearly a million people in 2019. That came even as the number of workers rose by more than 2 million and median household income increased. The numbers are based on 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic.

Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read too:

Alice Miranda Ollstein: Politico's "Harvest of Shame: Farmworkers Face Coronavirus Disaster," by Helena Bottemiller Evich, Ximena Bustillo and Liz Crampton

Tami Luhby: The Washington Post's "Medicaid Rolls Swell Amid the Pandemic's Historic Job Losses, Straining State Budgets," by Amy Goldstein

Sarah Karlin-Smith: KHN's "Hospitals, Nursing Homes Fail to Separate COVID Patients, Putting Others at Risk," by Christina Jewett

To hear all our podcasts, click here.

And subscribe to What the Health? on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Spotify, or Pocket Casts.
Rapid increases in new COVID-19 cases could quickly spiral out of control, public health officials said Friday as some provinces continued to impose new and tougher measures to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/9/2020 (490 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Quebec Deputy Premier and Public Security Minister Genevieve Guilbault during a news conference on the COVID-19 pandemic, Friday, September 18, 2020 in Quebec City. Guilbault announced interventions by police forces across the province. Quebec City police director Robert Pigeon, left, looks on. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

Rapid increases in new COVID-19 cases could quickly spiral out of control, public health officials said Friday as some provinces continued to impose new and tougher measures to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Canada's top public health official, Dr. Theresa Tam, said it's too soon to declare a second wave of the pandemic in the country, but daily case counts are increasing at an alarming rate.

"This situation increases the likelihood that we could lose the ability to keep COVID-19 cases at manageable levels," she said. "Now is the time for Canadians to redouble their efforts with personal precautions that will slow the spread of the virus."

The provinces also have a role to play, Tam noted, ideally by taking a targeted approach to curb outbreaks on a regional basis.

To that end, Quebec announced Friday it would send police officers to 1,000 bars across the province over the weekend, with particular focus on eight regions that have seen a marked rise in cases and could face further restrictions if the trend isn't reversed.

"The goal behind this operation is to help our regions to go back to green and remain green for those that are already green," Public Security Minister Genevieve Guilbault said in Quebec City, referring to the province's colour-coded reopening framework.

The province, which has been the hardest hit by the coronavirus, announced 297 new cases on Friday.

Ontario, meanwhile, reported 401 new cases  a daily increase not seen since June  a day after it hiked fines for those organizing large social gatherings to $10,000 and cut down the maximum size of gatherings in three hot spot regions.

In Toronto, Ottawa and Peel region, only 10 people will be allowed to gather indoors  down from the current limit of 25  while the number for outdoor gatherings will drop to 25 from 100.

On Friday, Ford told reporters in Ottawa that the measure would soon be expanded to more regions, because some mayors have requested it.

Both Ontario and Quebec have repeatedly pointed to private gatherings and house parties as the source of the spike in cases, and public health officials urged people to be mindful of their decisions.

"Every Canadian knows what to do, I would hope now, in terms of the measures they can undertake themselves," said Dr. Howard Njoo, the country's deputy chief public health officer.

"And so it's just a matter of us maybe looking in the mirror and seeing what it is that we could or should be doing in our daily lives, who we interact with, how we conduct our day-to-day activities, and I think that's how we're going to beat this virus."

Soaring case numbers are not limited to the two provinces that have been hardest hit by the virus.

British Columbia, for instance, reported 165 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday  an all-time daily high for the province where case counts started cresting in August in spite of a previously flattened curve.

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By Friday afternoon, Canada was reporting 141,625 confirmed cases.

Among them is Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet, who announced that he is self-isolating after testing positive for COVID-19.

Meanwhile, the president of the Public Health Agency of Canada stepped down on Friday, saying that working through the first part of the pandemic had drained her.

Tina Namiesniowski, who has been in the job since May 2019, said it was time for someone else to lead the country through the virus's second wave.

"You really need someone who will have the energy and the stamina to take the agency and our response to the next level," Namiesniowski wrote in a letter to staff. "And, even though I might not have accomplished everything I would have liked to have done, I truly hope the foundation for change I've championed through our work ... will help serve as a road map moving forward."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2020.
Boris Johnson has been praised for standing up to 'Brussels bully boys' over a post-Brexit trade deal by a billionaire Tory donor who accused them of beating up Britain to avoid the collapse of the EU.

Phones4U entrepreneur John Caudwell accused the block of engaging in 'absolutely abhorrent' to make an example of Britain that would stop other nations following them out of the bloc.

He used an appearance on the BBC's Question Time to accuse European leaders of metaphorically beating Theresa May, Mr Johnson's predecessor, 'black and blue' as she sought a withdrawal agreement.

It came as Mr Johnson faces a battle to pass legislation that would allow ministers to break international law to override part of the deal he signed last year to avoid customs checks between Northern Ireland and Britain.

The Internal Market Bill legislation has been criticised by Tory grandees and the EU had threatened legal action if it is implemented.

Mr Caudfield, 67, He accused European nations of 'plundering our fishing waters' and taking billions in UK cash, telling Question Time: 'They are bullying us and beating us up. They beat Theresa May black and blue, and they have continued to try and do it all the way through.

'Fortunately Boris rose to the challenge and fought back. This behaviour by Brussels I find absolutely abhorrent, but of course the reason they are doing it is because they have got no option.

'Because if they gave Britain an easy ride the other European countries would see that and potentially there would be an exodus, possibly a mass exodus, possibly a complete collapse of the Union.

Of course that is not what Brussels wants so they will use any means, fair or foul, to protect their situation.

Mr Johnson faces a battle to pass legislation that would allow ministers to break international law to override part of the deal he signed last year to avoid customs checks between Northern Ireland and Britain

Phones4U entrepreneur John Caudwell accused the block of engaging in 'absolutely abhorrent' to make an example of Britain that would stop other nations following them out of the bloc.

Mr Johnson yesterday risked worsening the row as he said his proposals to override the Withdrawal Agreement were necessary in order to prevent the EU from pushing an 'abusive or extreme' interpretation of what was agreed in the accord struck last year.

The Government sparked a furious row with the EU after it published its UK Internal Market Bill last week.

The legislation will enable the UK to unilaterally make decisions on key issues, like customs arrangements between mainland Britain and Northern Ireland, contained within the Withdrawal Agreement.

Brussels is adamant that the decisions must be made by a joint committee made up of people from both sides - as set out in the treaty.

But the Government argues its proposals are necessary in order to protect the integrity of the UK should the two sides be unable to agree terms.

Michel Barnier has told EU ambassadors he believes a trade deal with the UK can still be agreed despite mounting tensions between the two sides after Boris Johnson accused the bloc of being 'abusive' during talks.

The EU's top negotiator is said to have informed diplomats from the bloc's 27 member states at a meeting yesterday that he still remained hopeful of a deal being done but that the coming days will be decisive.

One source with knowledge of the meeting told the Reuters news agency that 'Barnier still believes a deal is possible though the next days are key'.

A second diplomatic source said 'the hope is still there' while a third insisted Mr Barnier had 'stressed he will keep negotiating until his last breath'.

Relations between the two sides have become increasingly strained in recent days after Mr Johnson announced his intention to tear up parts of the Brexit divorce deal, a move which ministers have admitted will break international law.
The Morrison government has thrown Australian Associated Press a $5million lifeline from a public interest news gathering fund.

Communications Minister Paul Fletcher announced the grant on Friday, lauding the independent news wire's commitment to accurate, fact-based journalism.

'The AAP Newswire provides services to more than 250 regional news mastheads across Australia, covering public interest content on national, state and regional news,' he said.

'This allows regional mastheads to concentrate on local news stories important for their communities.

'Importantly, AAP also provides regional stories for national distribution so that regional issues and voices are heard across the country.'

Communications Minister Paul Fletcher (pictured) announced the grant on Friday, lauding the independent news wire's commitment to accurate, fact-based journalism

The additional $5million for AAP increases the government's investment in the fund to $55million.

It has so far provided 93 grants under the fund, which is ultimately expected to distribute funding to 107 regional broadcasters and publishers.

AAP chair Jonty Low and chief executive Emma Cowdroy welcomed the funding announcement.

'Today's announcement by the prime minister is a welcome endorsement of the role that AAP plays in providing a key piece of Australia's democratic infrastructure,' they said in a joint statement.

'AAP provides content to hundreds of newspapers and radio stations, most of which are in regional areas, who couldn't possibly each send journalists to cover what happens in our nation's capital cities, our courts or our sporting fields.

'In supporting AAP, the prime minister is supporting a key plank that supports Australia's media diversity.'

Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie has been publicly and privately urging the Morrison government to support AAP.

She congratulated the minister, described the treasurer as a champ, and thanked Nationals frontbencher Darren Chester for his work behind the scenes.

'Hundreds of people at AAP have jobs because of this. That's huge! Hundreds of regional papers who rely on AAP content to keep their audiences informed - they're staying alive too,' she said.

AAP chair Jonty Low and chief executive Emma Cowdroy welcomed the funding announcement. Pictured: AAP newsroom in Sydney in March, 2020

'Full credit and sincere gratitude has to go to the Morrison government for seeing what the right thing to do is for regional news and regional audiences, getting their skates on, and just going and getting it done.'

Earlier this week, Senator Lambie and South Australians Rex Patrick and Stirling Griff wrote to the prime minister seeking his support.

The trio said an urgent intervention was needed to save AAP and the hundreds of regional publishers who relied on its content.

They believe the funding should be provided annually for three years to ensure AAP stays afloat beyond the coronavirus economic crisis.

Labor communications spokeswoman Michelle Rowland said federal funding for AAP was a no-brainer and should have been done months ago.

'Why has it taken over five months for this government to respond when things are down to the wire?' she said.

AAP was taken over by a group of philanthropists and impact investors in June after News Corp and Nine announced plans to shut it down.

The downsized not-for-profit news wire is also running a crowdfunding campaign to drum up support, raising almost $120,000 of its $500,000 goal so far.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- The United States on Thursday announced sanctions against 45 Iranian nationals and two entities, accusing them of conducting malign cyber activities.

The Treasury Department said in a statement that it had designated Iranian cyber threat group Advanced Persistent Threat 39 (APT39), 45 associated individuals, and Rana Intelligence Computing Company (Rana).

According to the statement, APT39 and Rana were blacklisted due to "being owned or controlled" by Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security.

"The Iranian regime uses its Intelligence Ministry as a tool to target innocent civilians and companies, and advance its destabilizing agenda around the world," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in the statement.

All property and interests of the property of the designated individuals in the United States have been blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging any transactions with them, said the statement.
A 60-day law enforcement operation in Oklahoma City has ended with the recovery of five missing children and the arrest of six murder suspects.

Operation Triple Beam - a collaboration between the U.S. Marshals and more than a dozen other agencies including the Oklahoma City Police Department - commenced July 6, with the aim of reducing violent crime in and around the city.

Across the next two months, 262 people were arrested, including 141 confirmed gang members.

Two gang members were taken into custody as part of the operation, accused of kidnapping their own children from a day care center.

Operation Triple Beam - a collaboration between the U.S. Marshals and more than a dozen other agencies including the Oklahoma City Police Department -as ended with the discovery of five missing children and the arrest of six murder suspects

Chasady and Charles Hall - who are both reported to be in the Dungee Crip gang - were arrested on August 12 after the alleged abductions.

At the time, their children were in the custody of the Department of Human Services. The kids are now back in foster care.

Elsewhere, murder suspect and Surenos gang member Pablo Robledo was also arrested as part of Operation Triple Beam.

Robledo has been in prison awaiting trial for first- degree murder after a shooting in March 2019.

However, in July, he escaped from Oklahoma County Jail alongside his cellmate and suspected rapist, Jose Hernandez.

The pair created a rope made of bedsheets and paper and scaled down 12 floors of the jailhouse to escape.

Murder suspect and Surenos gang member Pablo Robledo was also arrested as part of Operation Triple Beam

The U.S. Marshals captured him several days later as part of their operation.

'We used all kinds of techniques and investigative techniques to try and locate him, and once again we were successful in getting him back into custody,' Johnny Kuhlman, a U.S. Marshals employee, told KFOR.

Elsewhere, Dkwon Littlejohn, who is reported to be a member of the Rollin 60's Crip gang, was also busted during Operation Triple Beam.

He is suspected of breaking into an Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation vehicle and stealing a rifle.

During the 60-day operation, investigators also seized 72 firearms, 9 kilograms of drugs and nearly $17,000 in cash.

kwon Littlejohn, who is reported to be a member of the Rollin 60's Crip gang, was also busted during Operation Triple Beam

'Our primary goal with operations like OTB is to make communities safer,' a statement from the U.S. Marshals read.

'When we arrest these violent fugitives, we are also removing guns and narcotics from our streets. We believe these efforts have an immediate, positive impact on the communities we serve.'

It comes less than a month after U.S. Marshals completed a 14-day operation in Georgia that led to the recovery of 39 missing children.

That investigation - known as 'Operation Not Forgotten' - also resulted in the arrest of nine people on sex trafficking charges.
T HE City watchdog rebuffed foreign cannabis firms again today amid rising interest in the plant as a business opportunity.

Some entrepreneurs think there are billions to be made in the production of medicinal cannabis and are seeking to raise funds.

The Financial Conduct Authority said today that in response to queries from cannabis-related companies interested in listing in the UK it still thinks it cannot approve such floats.

Typically, these will be firms in Canada where the market is well developed seeking a London listing.

The FCA said: We consider that there remains a risk that the proceeds from overseas medicinal cannabis business may constitute criminal property for the purpose of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (PoCA). This includes where the company possesses a licence issued by an overseas medicines or pharmaceuticals licensing authority.

UK medicinal cannabis companies with correct licences can get a listing.

Proceeds from recreational cannabis even when they are located in those jurisdictions that have legalised it, are proceeds of crime, the watchdog noted.

Such firms have struggled to grow their business, since banks have been reluctant to grant them accounts for fear of falling foul of the law.
Hyundai Motor Company has just released the first images of its facelifted i30 N hatchback, revealing a sharper exterior and new sportier wheels.

The new 2021 Hyundai i30 N will also have a performance-focused 8-speed dual clutch transmission (N DCT), but only for the European market. A 6-speed manual will be the sole gearbox option in most areas, according to the South Korean carmaker.

The teased images show a redesigned front facade characterized by the enlargement of key features such as the grille, air intakes and headlights. V-shaped daytime running lights lend some slickness to the cars overall sporty feel. At the rear, a restyled rear bumper and wider diffuser give the signature round exhausts a refreshed flair.

https://www.hyundai.news/

The new 19-inch rims, which Hyundai states are made of forged alloy, are lighter than those found in the outgoing model, and are expected to contribute to the cars weight reduction while aiding in performance and handling.

https://www.hyundai.news/

Although the released photos didnt come with shots of the interior, pundits are expecting that the i30 cabin will be pretty much the same as the one in its predecessor, with the exception of a larger infotainment screen similar to the one found in the latest Elantra N Line.

https://www.hyundai.news/

As this is merely a facelift, powertrain options are expected to remain the same, with the current 2.0-liter 4-cylinder gasoline engine carrying over, albeit with a mild improvement to power and torque.

More details about the new i30 will be provided by Hyundai as the 2021 i30 Ns release date nears, which is yet to be announced. The car is expected to launch in Europe and Australia before the year ends.

Unfortunately, Hyundai Philippines dropped the i30 from its lineup some two years ago. The good news is that the locally discontinued model has a very able replacement in the guise of the Veloster Turbo.

Photo/s from Hyundai

Also read:

Hyundai PH wants you to score a HOMERUN with latest promo

Hyundai teases rendering of new Elantra N Line
(HealthDay)The COVID-19 pandemic has shown a spotlight on disparities in the U.S. health care system. But the issues are longstanding, andas one large study illustratesextend into a common elective surgery.

Researchers found that when hip replacement surgery is done at a "safety net" hospital designed to serve the poor and uninsured, patients' risks are higher. Of more than 500,000 Americans who had the surgery, those at safety net hospitals were 11% more likely to have postoperative complications, like infections or heart problems.

And while few patients died, patients at safety net hospitals had more than a third greater risk.

In the United States, safety net hospitals are obligatedby mandate or missionto treat people regardless of their ability to pay. So, they typically have a large share of patients who are low-income, minority and either uninsured or on Medicaid.

A number of studies have found that Black, Latino and Medicaid patients have more complications after joint replacement surgery, versus white and privately insured patients.

But do hospitals, themselves, play a role in those disparities? The answer is "a definite yes," said Dr. Kevin Bozic, chair of surgery and perioperative care at the University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School.

Bozic, who was not involved in the research, said it adds to evidence that differences in hospital care are part of the problem.

"Safety net hospitals do the best they can with the resources they have," he said.

But because they are operating on slim margins, Bozic said, they cannot make investments that more profitable hospitals can. That includes the extra help more vulnerable patients often needincluding social workers, transportation and nutritional support.

The irony is that hospitals with the most patients in need are the least likely to have social support resources, according to Bozic.

The findings, published in the journal Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine, are based on discharge records from hospitals in five U.S. states. The patients underwent hip replacement between 2007 and 2014.

It's a period well before the COVID-19 pandemic, which has laid bare the disparities in U.S. health care.

Now, with increased attention on those longstanding issues, the momentum may be in place to address them, said Dr. Robert White.

White, who led the study, is an anesthesiologist at New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City.

He said his research cannot pinpoint the reasons safety net hospitals might fall short. But like Bozic, he pointed to lack of resources as a likely factor.

Overall, White's team found, patients at safety net hospitals had an in-hospital death rate of 0.2%, versus 0.1% at hospitals with relatively few Medicaid and uninsured patients.

The researchers weighed other factors that could explain the differenceincluding patients' medical conditionsand found that safety net hospitals were still an independent factor: Patients there were 30% to 38% more likely to die, relative to those at other hospitals.

In addition, their rate of infection was higher (1.6% versus 1.4%), as was their rate of heart-related complications (1.5%, versus 1.4%).

Dr. Charles Nelson is chief of the joint replacement service at Penn Medicine in Philadelphia. Reviewing the study, he said that safety net hospitals face a big challenge: They generally have "more complex" patients who may be in poorer health, have less social support and may more often need hip replacement due to a fracture, rather than to treat painful arthritis.

Adding to the financial strain, Nelson pointed out, safety net hospitals are more affected by Medicare rules that penalize hospitals for having high readmission rates.

Racial disparities in joint replacement outcomes are "multi-factorial," Nelson said, and it's difficult to separate the reasons from each other.

Patients on Medicaid may be limited in how much hospital-shopping they can do before elective hip surgery. But Nelson recommended asking some basic questions before deciding on a hospital: How many procedures does the hospital and surgeon do each year? And what is the postoperative complication rate?

Explore further Study finds cancer mortality rate disparity based on hospital ratings

More information: For more on your local hospitals' surgery outcomes, visit Medicare's For more on your local hospitals' surgery outcomes, visit Medicare's Hospital Compare website

Copyright  2020 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
That is according to new figures provided by the Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee.

The figures show that to the end of August 26th there were 172 dog thefts and at that rate the total for the year would be around 258.

This compares to 205 domestic dog thefts for last year.

Minister McEntee stated that Gardai have recently completed several successful seizures of dogs where the dogs were suspected to have been stolen.

She stated that Gardai seized 32 dogs near Swords in August that are believed to be stolen with an estimated value in excess of 120,000 and there was an arrest connected with the seizure of ten suspected stolen dogs in Co. Limerick on August 1st last.

The 32 dogs seized near Swords included chihuahuas, pugs, a Jack Russell and dachshunds.

Huge distress

In a written Dail PQ response on the issue, Minister McEntee stated that she "is very conscious of the huge distress that can be caused by the crime of dog theft and the strong emotional bonds that owners have with their pets".

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In his Dail PQ, Deputy Christopher OSullivan (FF) asked Minister McEntee if she was considering amending legislation to toughen penalties for dog theft.

In her response, Minister McEntee stated that there is already comprehensive legislation in place to address such crimes of theft and fraud as well as related animal welfare offences.

Minister McEntee state that these include the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013; the Protection of Animals (Amendment) Act 1965 and the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001.

In terms of preventing further dog thefts, Minister McEntee stated that information has recently been disseminated to the Crime Prevention Officers Network countrywide specifically dealing with the topic of dog thefts.
Author Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) smiling in acknowledgment of his appointment as Rector of St Andrew's University in October 1923. British Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin (1867-1947) can be seen over his shoulder. (Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)

UK Independant School Renames Boys Boarding House Over Perceived Racist Connotations

Gunga Din House, a senior boys boarding house at an independent school in Oxford, England, has been renamed over perceived racist connotations.

The fee-paying school, in a letter to alumni, described how the high ideals of equality, fairness, and human dignity had prompted the original naming of the senior boys quarters by a past headmaster 80 years ago, who took inspiration from the heroic Indian water-carrier named Gunga Din of Rudyard Kiplings 1890 poem.

Though those ideals aligned with todays core Dragon values of kindness, courage, and respect, the name Gunga Din had to be changed because it had become derogatory, and even used as a racial slur, the letter provided to The Epoch Times stated.

It was, therefore, now against the schools ethos of inclusivity and diversity, and no longer appropriate to use. The boarding house will now be known as Dragon House.

The school did not provide further comment on the name change.

The renaming follows The University of Edinburghs recent renaming of one of its central campus buildings, the David Hume Tower, over alleged racist comments in a footnote to one of Humes works, which the 18th century philosopher wrote some 260 years ago.

Pure Madness

Dragon School alumnus Alexander Pelling-Bruce, writing in the Spectator on Sept. 10, condemned the name change decision, calling it pure madness, and one of the weirdest attempts to sanitise the present by obliterating the past.

When performing an internet search, Pelling-Bruce said he could only find two instances of less than polite usage of Gunga or Gunga Din: one in 1997 and the other in 2009.

Pelling-Bruce advised that any alumni dismayed by the Gunga Din nonsense ought to pledge to withhold any future donations (and withdraw any outstanding), and not attend any alumni events.

He also suggested that current parents, who apparently were not consulted over the name change, could collectively withhold school fees.

Historian Niall Ferguson, author of Empire: How Britain Made the Modern World and a former Dragon School parent, wrote on Twitter that he found the renaming deeply disappointing.

First Hume at @EdinburghUni and now Kipling at @thedragonschool. As a former Dragon parent, I find this deeply disappointing: https://t.co/iBOGVAm6PZ  Niall Ferguson (@nfergus) September 13, 2020

Affectionate Memoir

Rudyard Kiplings poem Gunga Din was published 130 years ago in 1890.

It takes the form of the memoir of a British soldier serving in India in admiration of a regimental Indian water-carrier, or bhisti, named Gunga Din.

In the poem, Gunga Din heroically saves the narrators life but is shot in the process and loses his own life.

The narrator pays tribute to Gunga Din calling him, The finest man I knew.

He praises Gunga Din for his fearlessness and, despite the imminent danger, and notwithstanding often being treated badly by the soldiers he served, for compassionately going to tend the wounded on the battlefield.

By the end of the poem, the narrator concedes that Gunga Din is the superior man and better than himself and the other soldiers, who are portrayed in earlier lines as abrupt and shallow.

The concluding line of the poem is, Youre a better man than I am, Gunga Din!, which entered common English parlance and has passed down the generations until today as a genuine compliment and expression of high admiration.

Water carriers appeared frequently in traditional English literature, often lauded for their loyalty to the British crown, gallantry in battle, conspicuous bravery under fire, and the esteem in which British soldiers held them.
Police unions told a New Jersey court a plan to name cops who were disciplined for serious violations would arbitrarily hurt officers' privacy while doing little to educate the public, in a case that could have far-reaching effects on law enforcement statewide.

Just because an officer was punished does not necessarily mean they used excessive force or racially profiled someone, unions told three appellate division judges during a four-hour hearing Wednesday.

What this directive will essentially do is place a scarlet letter on the backs of many retired state troopers who served honorably, said Carl Soranno on behalf of the Association of Former New Jersey State Troopers, one of ten lawyers representing a coalition of unions and law enforcement groups.

The month after George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis police custody, state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal announced a plan to name officers who received major discipline, including some cases going back decades. New Jersey has historically hidden that information, and past State Police reports dont identify officers who drank on the job, gave false testimony or abused family members.

Releasing the names would build trust in law enforcement in the middle of a once-in-a-generation reckoning over transparency and accountability, State Solicitor Jeremy Feigenbaum said Wednesday, according to an audio recording provided by the court system. Pandemic rules prevent the public from listening to oral arguments live.

Police unions sued to block the plan, and a state appeals court halted the release until the two sides could meet in court.

Much of the court arguments, conducted over the phone, centered on how much power a New Jersey attorney general has. Grewals office does have more authority than attorneys general in many states, and his directives have the force of law.

But in this case he went too far, unions said.

Many troopers accused of misconduct pleaded guilty and waived their right to a public hearing in exchange for confidentiality, lawyers argued. A cop in an offensive T-shirt could technically trigger a major discipline suspension, which was hardly worthy of exposure, said Kevin Jarvis, with the New Jersey Superior Officers Association.

In one case, a female State Trooper signed a document to hide her husbands discipline for domestic violence, said John McAusland, on behalf of the State Troopers Non-Commissioned Officers Association. Releasing his name would improperly reveal the incident to the couples children, he said.

Ultimately a plan like this should be weighed by lawmakers, not one unelected public official, union lawyers said.

Yet other states already offer this information and more, and releasing names would give the public more power to act as a watchdog, said Feigenbaum and lawyers representing the public defenders office and civil rights groups, as well as two other law enforcement organizations.

Were not trying to just embarrass officers, Feigenbaum said. We are trying to really open up the books and let people see how the IA process works  and how the IA process doesnt work. IA refers to internal affairs, the office in a police department that investigates complaints.

Officers will be able to challenge the release of their name on an individual basis, Feigenbaum said, and officials would be careful not to identify victims.

But even if an old case was marked confidential, Feigenbaum said, the attorney general has always had the authority to release details about it.

The public should also be trusted to distinguish between, say, uniform violations and serious abuses of power, said Alexander Shalom, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey. Residents could already find out if lawyers and judges made big mistakes, he said, so why not cops? Especially since some companies hire former officers on the assumption that the officer is credible, Shalom said.

Credibility problems were also relevant in court, said Joseph Krakora, the states top public defender. Right now it was hard to know if an officer had a history of lying, he said, which made it difficult to defend people accused of crimes.

Transparency helps cops too, said CJ Griffin, on behalf of the National Coalition of Latino Officers and the Law Enforcement Action Partnership. Knowing who received major discipline would help flag if minorities or women were more likely to be punished, she said.

The judges  Mitchel Ostrer, Allison Accurso and Francis Vernoia  frequently challenged lawyers on both sides. They questioned if the attorney general could override past promises of confidentiality, while appearing open to the argument that officials do have considerable authority to release records.

In response to a union lawyer saying the plan was too broad, Accurso brought up a recent and far more sweeping plan in New York.

The AG is releasing very little information here, she said.

The judges gave no timeline for when they might issue a decision.

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Blake Nelson can be reached at bnelson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BCunninghamN.

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Womans Remains Found in Luggage of Man Visiting Relatives: Police

Illinois police made a gruesome discovery in a suitcase belonging to a man who traveled from Kentucky to the state while on a Greyhound bus.

Police told The Associated Press that Melvin Martin Jr., 30, was being charged as a fugitive fleeing prosecution and faces an extradition hearing back to Kentucky. He is being held in police custody and is facing extradition back to Kentucky.

Markham Police Chief Terry White told WBBM that family members of Martin allegedly alerted the authorities after he never unpacked the case and kept guarding them.

There were some early reports of a foul odor coming from the bags, White said.

When Martin went to the library on Tuesday, he left the suitcases behind, police said.

A human body part was discovered. They immediately backed away and called police, White said.

You see stuff like this on TV. You dont see stuff like this from your across-street neighbor, neighbor David Scott said.

Officials said that Martin traveled with the suitcase from Kentucky.

He brought with him luggage  two, three bags, White told CBS Chicago.

Louisville police officials told WLKY that the finding in Illinois led them to a home in the 600 block of N. Hite Street in the city, according to WKLY. They found evidence of a homicide at the home.

Police told AP that the victims death resulted from a domestic assault.

The suspected victims name is being withheld pending positive identification, authorities said.

Markham is about 23 miles south of Chicago.

Other details about the case were not provided by police.
Assanges lawyer says deal offered in exchange for source for the hacking of Democratic emails before 2016 election.

US President Donald Trump offered to pardon Julian Assange if the WikiLeaks founder provided the source for the hacking of Democratic National Committee emails before the 2016 US presidential elections, a London court has been told.

On Friday, Assanges lawyer said she observed a meeting where former Republican US Representative Dana Rohrabacher and Charles Johnson, an associate known to have close ties to the Trump campaign, made the offer in 2017.

Lawyer Jennifer Robinson said Assange was told Trump approved of the meeting and Rohrabacher would later meet the president to discuss the reaction to the proposed deal.

She said the deal was presented to Assange as a win-win solution that would allow him to get on with his life and in return would also politically benefit Trump.

The proposal put forward by Congressman Rohrabacher was that Assange identify the source for the 2016 election publications in return for some form of pardon, Robinson said in a witness statement given to the court.

During the 2016 US presidential campaign, WikiLeaks published a series of Democratic National Committee emails damaging to Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton that US intelligence believes were hacked by Russia as part of its effort to influence the election.

Russia denied meddling and Trump has denied any campaign collusion with Moscow. A probe by former US Special Counsel Robert Mueller did not establish that members of Trumps campaign conspired with Russia during the election.

Australian-born Assange, 49, is fighting extradition from the United Kingdom 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. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison.

Contentious law

A US constitutional law expert said the US had indicted WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange under an extraordinarily broad spying law that has been used in the past for politically motivated prosecutions.

Speaking during Assanges extradition hearing in London on Thursday, human rights lawyer Carey Shenkman called the century-old Espionage Act one of the most contentious laws in the United States.

Assanges defence team argues he is a journalist and entitled to First Amendment protections for publishing leaked documents that exposed US military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan. His lawyers say he is facing a politically motivated prosecution that will stifle press freedom and put journalists around the world at risk.

Shenkman also said in a written witness statement the Trump administration has prosecuted disclosures of national security information more aggressively than any presidency in US history.

He said there were eight Espionage Act prosecutions of media sources during former President Barack Obamas two terms  more than any previous administration  and eight in less than four years under Trump.

Assange, who has been embroiled in legal battles for 10 years, has been in a British prison since he was ejected from his refuge at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London in April 2019.
Coronavirus infections topped 30 million around the globe on Thursday as the World Health Organization warned of "alarming rates of transmission" across Europe and cautioned against shortening quarantine periods.

The WHO's regional director for Europe Hans Kluge said a September surge "should serve as a wake-up call for all of us" after Europe set a new record last week, with some 54,000 cases recorded in 24 hours.

"Although these numbers reflect more comprehensive testing, it also shows alarming rates of transmission across the region," he told an online news conference from Copenhagen.

More than 30 million infections have been recorded and more than 943,000 people have died since the novel coronavirus emerged in China late last year, according to the latest AFP tally based on official sources. Europe accounts for 4.7 million of the total.

Across Europe, governments are battling to contain the fresh spike in cases, while wanting to avoiding inflicting fresh damage on their economies and imposing broad new restrictions on their virus-weary populations.

French authorities are preparing tighter restrictions in several cities to curtail a surge in Covid-19 cases that has seen nearly 10,000 new cases per day reported over the past week.

Health Minister Olivier Veran said new measures would be announced for Lyon and Nice by Saturday, after curbs on public gatherings were imposed this week in Bordeaux and Marseille.

- 'Second hump' -

In Britain, new measures will take effect Friday, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson warning that pubs may have to close earlier to help avoid a "second hump" of coronavirus cases.

Residents of northeast England, including the cities of Newcastle and Sunderland, will no longer be allowed to meet people outside their own homes.

The government, which is facing criticism over a lack of testing capacity, imposed rules across England on Monday limiting socialising to groups of six or fewer, as daily cases reached levels not seen since early May.

Britain has been Europe's worst-hit country with nearly 42,000 deaths.

The city of Madrid meanwhile backtracked on a plan for targeted lockdowns and said it would instead move to "reduce mobility and contacts" in areas with high infection rates.

Austria announced that private indoor gatherings would be limited to 10 people, including all parties, private events and meetings indoors.

Chancellor Sebastian Kurz had warned earlier this week that the Alpine nation was entering a second wave of infections.

- Israel shutdown -

Outside Europe, Israel is set to be the first developed country to enforce a second nationwide shutdown, to begin on Friday afternoon.

Its government called for hundreds of its citizens who are blocked on the Ukraine-Belarus border to return home.

Around 2,000 Hasidic Jew pilgrims, mainly from the US, Israel and France, are massed at the border which has been closed by Ukraine for most of this month to prevent the spread of the virus.

The pilgrims were hoping to reach the city of Uman for the Jewish New Year this weekend.

Israel has the world's second-highest virus infection rate after Bahrain, according to an AFP tally.

In further comments on Thursday, the WHO Europe said it would not change its guidance for a 14-day quarantine period for those exposed to the virus.

The recommendation is "based on our understanding of the incubation period and transmission of the disease. We would only revise that on the basis of a change of our understanding of the science," WHO Europe's senior emergency officer Catherine Smallwood said.

France has reduced the recommended time period for self-isolation to seven days, while it is 10 days in the UK and Ireland. Several more European countries, such as Portugal and Croatia, are also considering shorter quarantines.

- Vaccine race -

Elsewhere, a study released by Oxfam found that rich nations have already bought up over half the promised Covid-19 vaccine stocks.

"Access to a life-saving vaccine shouldn't depend on where you live or how much money you have," said Robert Silverman of Oxfam America.

Drugs companies are racing to produce an effective jab to counter a virus that has now killed more than 940,000 people around the world and infected almost 30 million.

The five leading vaccine candidates currently in late-stage trials will be able to supply 5.9 billion doses, enough to inoculate about three billion people, Oxfam said.

Some 51 percent of those jabs have been snapped up by wealthy nations and blocs including the United States, Britain, the European Union, Australia, Hong Kong and Macau, Japan, Switzerland and Israel.

The remaining 2.6 billion have been bought by or promised to developing countries including India, Bangladesh, China, Brazil, Indonesia and Mexico.

As tragedies multiply, governments face legal action from citizens for alleged response failures.

A French association of Covid-19 victims plans to file a legal complaint against Prime Minister Jean Castex over France's handling of the pandemic, its lawyer said.

In China, however, bereaved relatives have had their lawsuits abruptly rejected while dozens of others face pressure from authorities not to file, according to people involved in the effort.

The economic effects of the pandemic continue to grow.

On Thursday New Zealand plunged into recession for the first time in a decade, the 12.2 percent contraction in April-June "by far the largest" since records began, national data agency Stats NZ said.

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Two-thirds of Western Europeans would consider augmenting their bodies with technology if it improved their lives  and especially their health  a study found.

Commissioned by Moscow-based cybersecurity firm Kaspersky, a survey found that 63 per cent of people on average would be interested in getting an 'upgrade' or two.

However, results varied from country-to-country, with only 25 percent of Britons interested in augmentation compared to 60 per cent in Portugal and Spain.

Two-thirds of Western Europeans would consider augmenting their bodies with technology if it improved their lives  and especially their health  a study found. Pictured, Star Trek's Captain Jean-Luc Picard after joining the Borg, a race of cybernetically enhanced beings

'Human augmentation is one of the most significant technology trends today,' said Kaspersky's European director of global research and analysis, Marco Preuss.

'Augmentation enthusiasts are already testing the limits of what's possible.

'We need commonly agreed standards to ensure augmentation reaches its full potential while minimising the risks,' he added.

The study, conducted by Opinium Research, polled 14,500 people across 16 European countries  including Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Spain.

The researchers found that the French as Swiss were almost as apprehensive about augmentation as the British  with only 32 and 36 per cent of citizens, respectively, saying that they would consider it.

Potential augmentations might include significant modifications to turbo-charge the brain or help guard against cancer  to more low-key upgrades like embedding chips into one's arms to unlock cars or electronic doors.

The survey also revealed that most people want human augmentation to work for the betterment of humanity, though there were concerns that it would be dangerous for society and open to exploitation by hackers.

The majority of respondents also said that they felt that only the rich would be able to afford access to human augmentation technology

Last month, Elon Musk's neuroscience start-up  Neuralink  unveiled a pig named Gertrude that has had a coin-sized computer chip in its brain for two months that can track her brain activity, much like a 'FitBit for the mind'.

The implant is intended as a demonstration of an an early step towards similar devices that could help cure human conditions like dementia or Parkinson's disease  or even to control electronic devices mentally.
JACKSON, MI  A man who was shot multiple times in June has since died.

Blake Curran, 28, is accused of shooting a man multiple times in 300 block of E. Euclid Avenue south of downtown Jackson on June 28. The man, in his mid-20s, was taken to Henry Ford Allegiance Health and died weeks later, according to court proceedings Friday.

Police have not released the victims name or when he died.

$1 million bond set for Jackson man accused of attempted murder

Curran was arrested July 10 at Jacksons Westwood Mall, 1850 W. Michigan Ave., after trying to escape officers by running through the mall and into a wooded area, police said previously.

He was charged with one felony count of assault with intent to commit murder on July 13, before the victim died.

That charge doesnt really make sense anymore, Defense Attorney Suzanna Kostovski said during a hearing Friday, Sept. 18.

The Jackson County Prosecutors Office asked for four more weeks to get the autopsy report, which they need before making any further charging decisions, Assistant Prosecutor Nathan Hull said.

At some point judge, they arent ready, Kostovski said. They arent even valid charges any longer. Theres no reason to hold Mr. Curran. They havent amended. They havent filed new charges.

Theres still reason to hold Curran because someone died, Jackson County District Judge R. Darryl Mazur said.

Hes been convicted of manslaughter, so we have two people dead, Hull said.

A new hearing date on Oct. 16 was set, and its the last chance for the prosecutors office to decide on charges, Mazur said. Mazur reduced Currans bond to $500,000 at the hearing.

Curran had escaped from parole at the time of the shooting, per the Michigan Department of Corrections.

Curran pleaded guilty to manslaughter and using a firearm to commit a felony in May 2010. Then 17, Curran told Jackson Circuit Judge Thomas Wilson he knew a revolver was loaded with a single bullet when he played with the gun on Dec. 17, 2009, but did not know the round would fire when he pointed it at his friend Michael Devon Adams Jr. and pulled the trigger, fatally shooting the 19-year-old Adams.

Jackson teen is given seven years in prison for killing his friend in Russian roulette style shooting

Curran was sentenced in June 2010 to two years for using a gun in a felony, followed by 57 months to 15 years for manslaughter. The Michigan Department of Corrections does not list when Curran was paroled because he is listed as in custody.

Read more from the Jackson Citizen Patriot:

Police still trying to identity person whose severed foot was found in Grand River

Aerial spraying for EEE delayed as 2nd Jackson County horse tests positive

Employees go on strike at Jackson factory: We want our pension

Blackman-Leoni Public Safety officer accused of lying under oath, misconduct in office

Klavons temporarily closed after employee tests positive for coronavirus
The Beryl Institute announces the publication of Volume 7, Issue 2 of Patient Experience Journal (PXJ), an international, open access, peer-reviewed journal focused on research and proven practices around understanding and improving patient experience. Read in over 200 countries and territories, PXJ has over 640,000 article downloads and is committed to disseminating rigorous research and expanding the global conversation on evidence and innovation on patient experience.

Published in association with The Beryl Institute, Volume 7, Issue 2 includes 32 articles representing commentaries, personal narratives, research studies and case studies including topics such as:

Commentaries



A commitment to hope

Leadership matters: A conversation with Dr. James Hildreth

Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable: A conversation with Marsha Sinanan-Vasishta

Personal Narratives



Is this really happening? Family-centered care during COVID-19: People before policy

Treading water: Coping with uncertainty during a novel pandemic

Caring for kids in the time of COVID-19

Focusing on positivity during the COVID-19 crisis: A New York health system strategy

Research Studies



A COVID-19 patients experience: Engagement in disease management, interactions with care teams and implications on health policies and managerial practices

Insights from individuals with chronic conditions in the context of COVID-19

An extensive review of patient satisfaction with healthcare services in Bangladesh

The rapid increase in telemedicine visits during COVID-19

Case Studies



Out of sight, but not out of mind: Keeping connections alive during COVID-19

Patients and families strengthen COVID-19 communication across Los Angeles County

Maintaining a positive patient experience during COVID-19 in a rehabilitation and complex care setting

Family Connect: Keeping families informed during the COVID-19 pandemic

Nursing leadership during COVID-19: Enhancing patient, family and workforce experience

Flattening the curve of distress: A public-facing webinar for psychoeducation during COVID-19

Cards from the community: Engagement of the local community to enhance patient and staff experience during the COVID-19 pandemic

Micro-volunteering at scale can help health systems respond to emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic

Submissions represent a broad range of global organizations and institutions including NewYork-Presbyterian, NHS England, Henry Ford Health System, Johns Hopkins Health System, Stanford School of Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, UCLA Health, Yale School of Medicine, Yale New Haven Health System, Meharry Medical College, ULS Castelo Branco, Portugal and Superior School of Health, Northwell Health, McGill University, University of Chicago Medicine, NYC Health + Hospitals/ Harlem, Halton Healthcare, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Eye Hospital Sistina Oftalmologija/International University of Monaco, Boston Childrens Hospital, Children's Mercy Kansas City, PFCCpartners, Hope for Henry Foundation and more.

This crisis has created a moment of pause for many. We can even say it has created strain, fear and distress. But I would assert that it has not stopped us nor squelched what we remain to believe is possible. As you review the contributions in this special issue of Patient Experience Journal, I believe you will uncover a new idea or practice, discover an inspiration or an opportunity to reflect, release or breathe. said Jason Wolf, Founding Editor of PXJ and President & CEO of The Beryl Institute. The thoughtful contributions of our authors paint a picture of the moment in which we find ourselves and will capture the history of all we have done to address it, with the power and grace of humanity found at the heart of healthcare.

To access Volume 7, Issue 2 of PXJ, visit: http://pxjournal.org/journal/

PXJ publishes twice annually in April and November. Submissions are accepted on an ongoing basis and should follow the requested submission types and adhere to author guidelines. Papers should address the full range of topics critical to the evaluation and impact of patient experience practices, efforts and influences.

PXJ also announces it is accepting submissions for the 2021 Special Issue: The Impact of Inequity & Health Disparities on the Human Experience. The deadline for submissions for that issue is April 1, 2021. Learn more: https://pxjournal.org/journal/vol7/iss2/32

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About Patient Experience Journal:

Patient Experience Journal (PXJ) is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal published in association with The Beryl Institute. Read in over 200 countries and territories, PXJ is committed to disseminating rigorous knowledge and expanding the global conversation on evidence and innovation on patient experience.

About The Beryl Institute:

The Beryl Institute is the global community of practice committed to elevating the human experience in healthcare. We believe human experience is grounded in experiences of patients & families, those who work in healthcare and the communities they serve.
Landlords have warned that a second lockdown could see pubs close for good unless the Government provides a support package, as fears of a second coronavirus wave increase.

Campaign for Real Ale, a voluntary organisation which promotes British pubs, has warned that a second national coronavirus lockdown could have a 'terrifying impact' on pubs across the UK.

It said that many pubs are making their venues Covid-secure and are still struggling 'to return to growth' two months after reopening following the first lockdown.

The national chairman Nik Antona has urged the Government to introduce a support package for pubs to reintroduce the full furlough scheme amid fears of a second coronavirus wave.

Campaign for Real Ale, which promotes pubs across Britain, has warned that a second national coronavirus lockdown could see pubs closing for good across the UK. Pictured, The Montagu Pyke in London on July 4

Nik Antona added: 'The prospect of a second lockdown will be a terrifying impact on publicans who have invested money and time making their premises COVID secure and who are still struggling to return to growth two months after reopening.

'If another lockdown is announced, the Government must immediately introduce a new, comprehensive support package for pubs that includes extending the business rates holiday for another year, reintroducing the full furlough scheme, and announcing new hospitality support grants.

'This will be the only way to avoid mass pub closures and job losses.

'The vast majority of publicans and pub-goers across the country are doing the right thing.

'They are acting responsibly and willing to do whatever is necessary to provide a safe, Covid-secure place for people to enjoy the wellbeing benefits of having a pint with friends and family.'

In other coronavirus news:

Another 4,322 people have been diagnosed with Covid-19, the Government announced today in the highest one-day rise since May 8;

Nationwide testing fiasco continues as ministers have defended the testing system decide people waiting for hours at Covid facilities for swabs;

The Health Secretary has warned another blanket national lockdown was the 'last line of defence' but said now is a 'big moment for the country';

A leading scientist also warned that Covid testing 'is dying on its a**e', as he said he was 'appalled by what I saw' at Government testing labs;

London mayor Sadiq Khan has cancelled the capital's New Year celebrations and warned that the city is only two weeks behind areas of the country plunged into local lockdowns;

Health bosses revealed Birmingham's NHS Nightingale hospitals has been told to be ready to be reopened within just 48 hours

A 10pm curfew has already been imposed on pubs and restaurants across the northeast of England, as further lockdown measures are imposed.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock confirmed the measures, which also ban people from mixing with other households, in a statement to the House of Commons on Thursday.

And today, Mr Hancock has further warned that another blanket national lockdown was the 'last line of defence' but said now is a 'big moment for the country'.

Another swathe of England is being ordered into coronavirus lockdown as Mr Hancock today admitted that a new national Covid squeeze is on the cards.

Curfews on pubs is also being introduced from Tuesday across parts of the North West, Midlands and West Yorkshire as the Government tightens restrictions in high-risk areas.

Some supermarkets and food retailers have already put contingency plans in place if the testing system buckles. Above, people enjoy a drink in Liverpool on September 18

Some supermarkets and food retailers have already put contingency plans in place if the testing system buckles.

Brakes, a food wholesaler, who have been operating throughout the pandemic, said: 'We've got very strong contingency plans in place which include temperature checks before being allowed on site.

'Only essential people on site and stringent policies once people are there, which has meant that so far we have had very few people showing COVID-like symptoms.'

The Co-op group said that funeral care staff are on the key worker list so can get priority testing, but their food workers are not.

A spokesman said: 'We've built a model where we know that we have access to variable colleague resources at fairly short notice, so we have some resilience on that.

'Clearly we all hope that the testing capability will continue to strengthen and improve but we've got some protection in place, because the Co-op has had to deal with this throughout.

'It's clearly a real challenge and anything that can be done to help the [testing] situation [is welcome].'

Visitors show a member of staff a mobile phone screen at a drive through test centre in south London today

The Health Secretary has announced that Covid tests could be rationed with a 'priority list' to make sure that environments such as care homes and hospitals would have enough tests.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has also admitted that there is not enough capacity in the testing system after demand 'massively accelerated' in recent weeks.

Bosses also fear that office staff will soon be back working from home within weeks due to the current testing fiasco - as supermarkets make contingency plans if workers can't get swabbed.

The Government has come under fire after widespread reports of people having to travel hundreds of miles to get checked and being unable to book a test at all.

This is despite Ministers pledging that testing capacity will hit 500,000 a day by the end of October.

The test and trace system has buckled under the pressure since children returned to school and the Government made a concerted effort to encourage people back into the office in order to try and kickstart the flagging UK economy.

Business leaders have displayed concerns about the current testing system and emphasised that it working effectively will be vital for getting employees back to work and boosting the UK economy.

Matt Fell CBI, UK Chief Policy Director, said if the Government wants to encourage people into their workplace safely then the test and trace system will be a 'key component.'

There have been long queues at some Covid testing sites, such as this one in Southend-on-Sea, but others have been deserted despite people struggling to get screened

'Reports of people being unable to access tests in their area or waiting too long to get the results will be deeply frustrating for individual and businesses alike,' he added.

'No one doubts how much effort is going in to get it right. The prize is having a faster turnaround in getting results which will let people know where they stand and whether they need to self-isolate or can return to work quickly.'

Adam Marshall, director-general of the British Chambers of Commerce, told the Financial Times, the Government needed to improve the testing facility 'immediately'.

'A truly comprehensive test and trace programme is essential if the UK is to manage the virus without further lockdowns which will cripple businesses.'

'Continuing delays and a shortage of tests saps business, staff and consumer confidence at a fragile moment for the economy.'

Business leaders are becoming increasingly anxious that members of staff will be left self-isolating at home with family members waiting for test results to come back, rather than being back in the office during a pivotal moment for the UK economy.
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Paris, France  Fri, September 18, 2020 08:45 491 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c459200d 2 News Europe,Airbnb,home-sharing,home-sharing-platform,rentals Free

An alliance of 22 European cities urged the EU on Thursday to enact tougher rules on Airbnb and other short-term holiday rental platforms, accusing them of driving up property prices and squeezing out locals.

Representatives from Amsterdam, Barcelona, Florence and other tourist hotspots met with EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager in Paris to denounce an "outdated" legal framework that prevents officials from cracking down on the web platforms.

Airbnb, which dominates the home-sharing market, has increasingly clashed with municipalities trying to balance much-wanted tourism revenue against growing resentment from residents.

Several cities have imposed restrictions, in particular to combat illicit rentals that they say are siphoning off homes from the affordable housing market.

But officials say that without an EU framework, Airbnb can effectively operate with only minimal oversight, by claiming it is simply a platform to put people in touch with renters.

That stance was bolstered by a European Court of Justice ruling last December, which rejected a bid by Paris to force Airbnb to register as a traditional property rental firm.

"It is time for a new European regulatory approach that serves first and foremost the general interest, which is for us accessibility of housing and the liveability in our cities," Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said in a statement.

Foundation of trust?

The Eurocities alliance wants the EU to force platforms to share their rental data with local authorities as part of the Digital Services Act being prepared by Vestager's office.

They also want Airbnb and other platforms to be held liable when renters fail to abide by local rules, such as caps on the number of overnight stays per year or the required registration of rentals with local authorities.

"Better cooperation between platforms and public authorities will be a prerequisite for a proper enforcement of the Digital Services Act," Vestager said in a statement after the meeting.

The pressure on Airbnb comes as it grapples with a dramatic plunge in bookings due to the coronavirus travel restrictions, which prompted it to cut one-fourth of the workforce -- 1,900 jobs -- last May.

Chief executive Brian Chesky, who is hoping to pursue a long-expected initial public offering for the home-sharing giant, has said his company is built on "a foundation of trust."

But authorities worldwide have been pressing the company to take more responsibility and Airbnb has vowed to verify the accuracy of listings and set tougher rules to prevent abuses -- such as racial discrimination or rowdy parties by young renters -- and ensure safety.

On Thursday, the company voiced supported for the creation of "a more coherent and efficient framework for digital service providers."

"We are already working with several government and public authorities in Europe to share data that demonstrate the positive impacts of short-term vacation rentals," it added.
WASHINGTON  The military said on Friday that it was sending Bradley fighting vehicles, advanced radar and more fighter jet patrols to northeast Syria, three weeks after a Russian armored vehicle rammed an American ground patrol and injured seven American soldiers.

The reinforcements, which add about 100 troops to the more than 500 U.S. forces already there, represent a show of force in response to the clash last month that caught American commanders off guard. They are also likely to escalate tensions between the two rival powers in the countrys hotly contested northeast.

These actions are a clear demonstration of U.S. resolve to defend coalition forces, Capt. Bill Urban, a spokesman for the militarys Central Command, said in an email, and to ensure that they are able to continue their defeat-ISIS mission without interference.

The new deployment came on the same day that President Trump declared that American troops are out of Syria, except to guard the regions oil fields. Other than that, we are out of Syria, Mr. Trump said at White House news conference, making no mention of what the Pentagon says is the main mission there: to help its Syrian Kurdish allies fight remnants of the Islamic State.
The Jewish New Year kicks off on Rosh Hashanah when people wish each other shana tova  a happy new year.

Together, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur make up the Jewish High Holidays with the ten days in between known as the days of awe. Rosh Hashanah is a festive occasion celebrated by members of Jewish faith as well as many others all over the world.

During Rosh Hashanah, prayers are made for the year ahead of peace, prosperity, and blessing, and good intentions are set for the mitzvahs (good deeds) that will be done. Rosh Hashanah falls on the first two days of the Jewish month of Tishrei, usually in September  this year, Sept. 18-20.

Rosh Hashanah features many different foods, each with its own symbolic meaning. Apples dipped in honey are a typical combination since sweet foods symbolize the hope for a sweet and happy year ahead.

The pomegranate fruit holds symbolism as well. Replete with hundreds of seeds (arils), pomegranates are symbolic of good deeds and the hope that the coming year is filled with as many good deeds as the number of seeds. Supposedly, pomegranates have 613 seeds, which is how many mitzvot (good deeds) there are.

Chef Miranda Kaiser talked with me about Rosh Hashanah traditions and said that during Rosh Hashanah she would give her kids each a pomegranate to pick out and count the seeds.

It was really just to keep them busy, Kaiser joked.

Whether you are planning a traditional holiday meal or looking for a dish or two to add to the family menu, these recipes are sure to make a great holiday feast.

Honey and Apples

During Rosh Hashanah, a blessing is said in Hebrew over the apples and honey, to ask for a Sweet New Year, and the apple is then dipped into the honey and eaten, ensuring a sweet and happy year to come.

Core and slice apples into wedges, then serve with a bowl of honey or a plate of honeycomb and a knife for smearing.

Red Wine and Honey-Braised Brisket with Apples and Onions

Serves 8 to 10

The rich, savory scent of caramelizing meat that perfumes the house as it cooks seems to stir people into a nostalgia-fueled fervor. In this version, the beef is slow-cooked in a sweet and tangy mixture of honey and red wine until it sighs and falls apart at the touch of a fork

4 to 5 pounds brisket, preferably second-cut

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon mild olive or vegetable oil

3 large yellow onions (about 1 pounds), halved through the roots and thinly sliced

8 sprigs fresh thyme

8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 bay leaves

1 cups dry red wine

 cup balsamic vinegar

 cup honey

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 cup homemade chicken stock or canned chicken broth

2-3 tart apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

1. Preheat the oven to 325. Generously season both sides of the brisket with salt and pepper.

2. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large pot set over medium-high heat. Add the brisket and cook, turning once, until browned on both sides, 8 to 10 minutes total. (If the brisket does not fit all at once, cut it in half and sear it in batches.)

3. Remove the brisket from the pot and set aside on a cutting board. Add the onions, thyme, garlic, and bay leaves to the pot, then pour in  cup of the wine and the vinegar. Cook, stirring often until the onions soften slightly, and the mixture is fragrant, about 5 minutes.

4. Whisk together the remaining 1 cup wine, honey, onion powder, garlic powder, stock, and 1 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined. If you used a Dutch oven, scatter the apples over the onions and lay the brisket on top. Pour the wine mixture over the top. Cover and transfer to the oven. If you used a pot, transfer the onion mixture to a roasting pan and top with the apples and then the brisket. Pour the wine mixture over the top. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and transfer to the oven.

5. Cook the brisket for 2 hours. Remove from the oven, uncover, and carefully flip the meat. Cover and continue to roast until the meat is fork-tender, 1 to 2 hours more, depending on the size of your brisket.

6. Remove from the oven and transfer the brisket to a cutting board. Cover loosely with foil and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing. Locate the thin lines running in one direction along the brisket, and use a sharp knife to cut thin slices perpendicular to those lines.

7. Meanwhile, remove and discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaves from the cooking liquid. Use a slotted spoon to remove the onions and apples and arrange them around the sliced brisket. Spoon the desired amount of pan juices over the brisket. Serve hot.

 Adapted from Modern Jewish Cooking by Leah Koenig







Whole-Roasted Cauliflower

Eyal Shani is one of Israels most famous chefs, helping to catapult Israeli cuisine from small street food stands in Tel Aviv to international heights. Shani is renowned for celebrating vegetables he hand-picks from local markets, bringing them to the forefront of diners attention, and presenting them simplywhich can mean anything from green beans in a paper bag to his now world-famous whole roasted cauliflower. This dish is good enough to pick apart and eat with your handsno utensils required.

1 1-2-pound head cauliflower with leaves

2 gallons water

7 tablespoons sel gris (Or other coarse sea salt), divided

3 tablespoons best-quality extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1. Preheat oven to 550 with oven rack in the center of the oven. Trim stem of cauliflower, keeping leaves intact so that it will sit level on a rimmed baking sheet. Bring 2 gallons water to a boil in a large stockpot over high heat. Stir in 6 tablespoons sel gris until dissolved.

2. Add cauliflower to water; place a heatproof ceramic plate on top of cauliflower to keep it submerged. Boil until tender and a fork inserted in cauliflower meets no resistance, 12 to 13 minutes. Gently lift cauliflower from the water with a large strainer and let drain in the strainer, allowing water to drip back into the pot. Place cauliflower, stem side down, on a rimmed baking sheet. Let stand until the cauliflower has cooled slightly and is dry to the touch, about 15 minutes.

3. Rub 1 tablespoon olive oil between hands, then rub over cauliflower to apply a thin, even layer. (Alternatively, use a brush to spread the oil evenly over cauliflower.) Sprinkle remaining 1 teaspoons sel gris over cauliflower (salt might clump in some places). Bake in the preheated oven until dark brown, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully rub with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Serve hot.

* Adapted from Eyal Shani

Cabbage Slaw with Farro, Pecorino and Dates

Serves 8 to 10

Sweet dates are loved on the Rosh Hashanah table. This crunchy salad combines the sweet, sour, and salty for a refreshing yet hearty slaw.

1 cup farro

Kosher salt

Grated zest and juice (about  cup) of 4 medium lemons

6 ounces Pecorino cheese, finely grated (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 cloves garlic, minced

Freshly ground black pepper

 cup plus 3 tablespoons olive oil

1 cups whole almonds (not roasted or salted)

1 8-ounce package pitted dates, cut into bite-size pieces

1 bunch flat-leaf kale, stemmed and sliced into thin ribbons

 medium head red cabbage, cored and sliced into thin ribbons

1. Place farro in a mesh strainer, rinse under cold water, and set aside to drain. Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Stir in the farro and 2 teaspoons kosher salt. Boil until the farro is tender but still slightly chewy, 10 to 15 minutes for pearled, and 25 to 30 minutes for semi-pearled. Meanwhile, make the dressing and prepare the almonds and slaw.

2. For the dressing, add lemon zest and juice, 1 cup Pecorino cheese, mustard, garlic, and  teaspoon black pepper to the blender. Blend until the cheese is broken down and the mixture is smooth, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons of warm water to the blender if needed to keep it moving, about 20 seconds. With the motor running, remove the inner cap on the lid and slowly pour in  cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil. Continue to blend until creamy and emulsified, about 30 seconds more.

3. Place almonds, remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil,  teaspoon kosher salt, and  teaspoon black pepper in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the almonds darken in color slightly and are very fragrant, 6 to 8 minutes. Immediately transfer onto a paper towel-lined plate. Let cool for 10 minutes, then coarsely chop.

4. Combine dates, kale, cabbage, and almonds in a large bowl.

5. When the farro is ready, drain thoroughly and rinse under cold water to quickly cool it off, drain well and transfer to the bowl of vegetables. Pour in some of the dressing, using your hands to toss everything together, making sure everything is well-coated. Add more dressing as needed. Serve, sprinkled with remaining  cup Pecorino cheese.

 Adapted from TheKitchn.com







Carrot Tzimmes

Serves 6

The carrots in this dish make it triply symbolic for the New Yearround, brightly colored, and sweet. In Yiddish lore, sliced carrots are associated with gold coins, and carrot tzimmes are eaten at Rosh Hashana as a symbol of prosperity and good fortune. The honey symbolizes the hope that the year should be sweet.

3 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil

1 pounds carrots, sliced into -inch thick coins

Juice of 1 orange

 teaspoon ground ginger

2 tablespoons honey

Salt, optional

1. Heat butter or oil in a large, wide pan over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, stirring and turning them over until they are all coated with the fat. Add orange juice, ginger, honey, and enough water to cover the carrots.

2. Simmer gently, covered, until the carrots are tender, about 30 minutes. Remove the lid toward the end of cooking and reduce the liquid to a shiny glaze. Season with salt if desired.

 Adapted from The Book of Jewish Food by Claudia Roden

Honey Cake with Pomegranate Glaze

Butter, oil, or cooking spray for greasing pan

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for flouring the pan

 cup granulated sugar

 cup packed light or dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

 teaspoon ground nutmeg

 teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup canola or vegetable oil

1 cup honey

3 eggs

1 teaspoons vanilla extract

 cup strong brewed coffee, at room temperature

 cup pomegranate juice

 cup whiskey (or more pomegranate juice)

Grated zest from 1 orange

FOR GLAZE

2 cups powdered sugar

2-3 tablespoons pomegranate juice

Pomegranate arils (seeds) for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease 8-12-cup Bundt pan and flour lightly. (NOTE: If using an 8-cup pan you will have extra batter  pour it into a greased loaf pan or small cake pan and bake alongside the Bundt for an extra sweet treat.)

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg until combined; set aside.

3. In a separate large mixing bowl, add oil, honey, eggs, vanilla, coffee, pomegranate juice, whiskey, and lemon zest and beat with a hand mixer or stand mixer with a whisk attachment until incorporated. Add dry mixture to wet mixture and beat just until combined.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan until it is two-thirds full. Bake until cake is golden brown, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean, 5060 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes in the pan and then turn the cake out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.

5. To make the glaze, whisk together powdered sugar and enough pomegranate juice to make icing thick enough to drizzle over the cake, but not too thin that it runs off. Sprinkle the top with pomegranate arils if desired.

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Nicole Marshall Middleton 918-581-8459 nicole.marshall@tulsaworld.com Twitter:nicmarshmid
Riot police detain a demonstrator during a protest after polls closed in Belarus' presidential election, in Minsk on Aug. 9, 2020. (Sergei Gapon/AFP via Getty Images)

Belarus Activists Make List of Police From Protest Crackdown

KYIV, UkraineThe main opposition candidate in Belarus disputed presidential election said on Sept. 17 that activists are compiling a list of law enforcement officers who were allegedly involved in violence against protesters denouncing the results of the vote.

Nearly 7,000 people were detained and hundreds were brutally beaten by police during the first several days of post-election protests in Belarus that are now in their sixth week. Opposition supporters claim the Aug. 9 vote was rigged for President Alexander Lukashenko to get reelected to a sixth term by a landslide and are demanding his resignation.

Lukashenkos main challenger in the election, former English teacher and political novice Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said on Sept. 17 that the opposition was drawing up a list of individual officers involved in the police crackdown.

We have been given the names of those who were beating and torturing people, she said in a statement. We are preparing a list of officials and law enforcement officers who have taken part in lawless repressions.

Human rights groups are working with opposition activists to identify the officers and officials, Tsikhanouskaya said, adding that the list will be shared with the United States, the European Union, and Russia.

Tsikhanouskaya, who left for Lithuania in the wake of the election under pressure from Belarusian authorities, said the opposition will name the list in honor of Alexander Taraikovsky, a protester who died in Minsk the day after the election as police dispersed peaceful demonstrators.

Authorities initially said an explosive device Taraikovsky intended to throw at police blew up in his hands and killed him. However, Associated Press video showed he was not holding any explosives when he fell to the ground, his shirt bloodied.

Belarusian authorities later acknowledged that Taraikovsky might have been killed by a rubber bullet. The street in the capital of Minsk where Taraikovsky died turned into a pilgrimage site, with thousands of people, including European ambassadors, laying flowers there.

After the initial broad crackdown on protests, Belarusian authorities changed tactics and tried to end displays of dissent with the selective detentions of demonstrators and the jailing of opposition leaders.

The U.S. and the EU have criticized the presidential election as neither free nor fair and urged Lukashenko to start talks with the oppositiona call he has rejected. Washington and Brussels have been pondering sanctions against Belarusian officials for alleged vote-rigging and the violent response to protests.

On Sept. 17, the European Parliament overwhelmingly passed a resolution rejecting the official election results and saying it wouldnt recognize Lukashenko as the legitimate president once his current term expires Nov. 5.

Belarus foreign ministry responded strongly, saying: We are disappointed that the European Parliament, positioning itself as a serious, objective, and democratic structure, could not find the political will to look beyond its nose, overcome one-sidedness, and not become a hostage to conventional cliches.

Russia, Lukashenkos main ally and sponsor, has maintained staunch support for the Belarusian leader. Moscow announced this week that it would offer a new $1.5 billion loan to his government.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Sept. 18 during a trip to Lithuania that the two countriesboth Belarus neighborswill continue to offer medical and material assistance to Belarusians who were hurt and persecuted during the protests. He argued that the EU and international lenders should offer at least 1 billion euros in economic support for Belarus and its businesses.

It is crucial for Europe to be aware of how important a free and sovereign Belarus is for the security and the welfare of our entire continent, Morawiecki said.

By Yuras Karmanau
As wildfires raged through Oregon, staff at fish hatcheries around the state raced to try to save  or prematurely release  millions of chinook salmon, steelhead and trout being raised in captivity to preserve fragile fish species, state officials said Thursday.

About 450,000 fish perished at two hatcheries combined and nearly 1.2 million chinook, steelhead and trout were released into the McKenzie River east of Eugene all at once in desperation as the fire approached and fresh water to the facility was cut off. Other hatcheries lost critical infrastructure, including a hatchery building near the Oregon-California border, and one facility went ahead with a critical breeding period while running on limited power from a back-up generator.

State wildlife officials are still assessing the extent of the damage and the impact of the mass deaths and mass releases on the hatchery program and the full situation might not be clear for weeks, said ODFWs Deputy Director Shannon Hurn. The agency is also bracing for mudslides that occur when winter rains hit the burned areas and push debris into rivers and streams.

We are still very much in the emergency response phase, Hurn said.

About 400,000 juvenile coho, spring Chinook, winter steelhead and rainbow trout native to the Umpqua Basin died at a hatchery in Idleyld Park on the Umpqua River. Another 50,000 brown trout perished at the Klamath Hatchery in Chiloquin.

Staff at the Leaburg Hatchery east of Eugene, where fires raged, worked in smoke-choked air to empty fish pens of more than 1.1 million fish and clear adult spring chinook from fish ladders before fleeing themselves as flames crested the hill and ash rained down, said Erik Withalm, the hatcherys manager for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife facility.

At one point, when we were working in the very last pond, it was so bright (from the fire) it was almost daylight, he said in a phone interview. I looked over my shoulder and there were flames coming up over the hill toward the houses, so we know that we finished the task we went in to do right when the fire started coming over.

This Sept. 10, 2020, photo provided by Erik Withalm shows the roll gates on the Leaburg Dam opened to release water and drain the lake behind the dam during the Holiday Farm Fire east of Eugene, Oregon. The local utility opened the dams to prevent wildfire debris and downed trees from snagging on the gates, but the move deprived the nearby Leaburg Fish Hatchery of fresh water. The hatchery was forced to release more than 1 million steelhead, chinook salmon and trout into the McKenzie River to save them. (Erik Withalm/Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife via AP)AP

The hatchery was forced to release so many fish because the local utility opened the gates of Leaburg Dam to prevent it from clogging up with debris during the fire. That drained the lake so low that the hatchery no longer had fresh water for the fish.

Really this is so unprecedented that we dont know what the impacts will be, but we do know the fish arent dead in the ponds, Withalm said of the released fish.

Those fish will be completing their migratory life cycle to the Pacific Ocean and back in anywhere between two and five years. Fish biologists should be able to study their survivability and how the fires impacted them by identifying them through tiny tracking tags implanted in the fish, he said.

At the Minto Hatchery near Gates, an area almost completely wiped out by the fire, hatchery staff have been able to spawn 840,000 eggs from spring chinook stock this week despite mandatory evacuations and limited power. Another 900,000 eggs are expected from the adults in the next few days, said ODFW hatchery manager Greg Grenbemer.

We got hit pretty hard, he said in a phone interview Thursday. I talk about miracles and the hand of God  and I think both of them played a part in this.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife operates 33 fish hatcheries around the state where several species of salmon, steelhead and trout are raised to help sustain fish populations that are in decline and to stock waterbodies to provide fishing opportunities. Hatchery managers and some other staff live onsite providing daily care to these fish until they are released.

-- Associated Press
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 00:38:39|Editor: huaxia

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CHICAGO, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- A latest survey of more than 21,000 individuals between Aug. 7 to 26 shows that Americans' public trust for 15 government institutions and leaders' ability to manage the COVID-19 pandemic gradually eroded between late April and August, according to a news release posted on the website of Northwestern University (NU) on Wednesday.

Trust in President Donald Trump's management of the COVID-19 crisis declined from 50 percent in late April to 43 percent in August, though it has slightly increased by two points since July.

The erosion of trust has implications for whether Americans intend to take a COVID-19 vaccine when it's available. Just under 6 in 10 people or 59 percent surveyed said they would get a COVID-19 vaccination, a seven-point decline from 66 percent in late July.

The differences in who intends to vaccinate are closely related to trust in institutions and leaders. People who said they trusted President Trump had the lowest intention of seeking a COVID-19 vaccination. On the other side, 70 percent of those who trusted the media, 68 percent of those who trusted in social media platforms, and 68 percent of those who expressed trust in Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said they would vaccinate.

Public trust in institutions also varies by political party and race. While there was a downward trend in trust from April to July among Democrats, Republicans and Independents for the White House and President Trump, Republicans and Independent's trust of both institutions remained fairly stable from July to August. Democrats had a 10-point higher level of trust in the White House, which is 24 percent, than in the president, 14 percent.

Across racial groups, levels of trust in institutions remained stable. Black respondents had the lowest levels of trust in the president, 17 percent, the White House, 27 percent and police, 42 percent compared to White respondents who had the highest levels of trust of 51 percent, 52 percent and 72 percent, respectively, for these institutions. When it comes to the Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, it is reversed. Biden had the highest level of trust among Black respondents, 71 percent, and the lowest among White respondents, 44 percent.

Earlier survey results released in August suggested racial differences in Americans' willingness to vaccinate. While 67 percent of White, 71 percent of Hispanic and 77 percent of Asian American respondents said they were likely to vaccinate, just 52 percent of African American respondents said the same.

Other findings of the survey are: scientists and medical experts have the highest levels of public trust of any institution, which have remained high over 85 percent from April through August; trust in state and city governments' handling of the pandemic has steadily declined across all three political groups since April; and in states, the willingness to get a COVID-19 vaccination ranges from a low of 43 percent in Mississippi to a high of 71 percent in Washington. Enditem
Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Friday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi and discussed various developmental issues pertaining to the state.

He also invited Modi to inaugurate the Bengaluru Tech Summit virtually. The meeting at the Parliament House lasted for 15 minutes, an official release from the state information department said. During the meeting, Yediyurappa extended an invitation to Modi to inaugurate Bengaluru Tech Summit on November 19 on a virtual mode, it said.

The state government's flagship 'Bengaluru Tech Summit', actually scheduled in September this year, was postponed to November in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year's BTS is expected to focus on leveraging technology to tackle challenges brought to the fore by the pandemic and there will be symposiums and tech-related talks by experts and technologists. Ahead of his meeting with Modi, the Chief Minister said, he will discuss all the issues concerning the development of the state, also regarding the state cabinet expansion.

"... discussion also has to happen regarding the cabinet expansion, I will bring it to his notice and take clearance and leave for Bengaluru tomorrow," he said, adding that he will meet BJP national President J P Nadda in the evening.

According to release, the CM during today's meeting appealed to the Prime Minister to expedite the release of funds from the National Disaster Response Fund.

He also made a plea to revise the items and norms of assistance from the State Disaster Response Fund or National Disaster Response Fund for the current year itself to ensure timely and adequate financial assistance to the distressed people.

Yediyurappa further urged Modi to declare irrigation projects like Upper Krishna Project Stage-III and Upper Bhadra Project as "National Projects". He also made a request for necessary action for early approvals and clearances for irrigation and drinking water projects including Mekedatu and Kalasa Banduri Nala to utilise the precious water resources allocated to the State, the release added.
The deputy premier of Madrid, Ignacio Aguado, on Thursday called on the central government to actively get involved in efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus in the region. The politician from center-right party Ciudadanos (Citizens) held a news conference during which he recognized that the situation of the epidemic in Madrid is not going well. It is getting worse. We are going to have to make greater efforts.

But Aguado did not clarify whether the regional government in Madrid  which is run by a center-right coalition of the Popular Party (PP) and Ciudadanos, with the support of far-right Vox  would be asking Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of the Socialist Party (PSOE) for help declaring of a state of alarm in the region, thus paving the way for lockdowns or confinements.

Shortly after Aguados public statements, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez sent a letter to Madrid regional premier Isabel Diaz Ayuso, of the PP, to suggest a face-to-face meeting at her office. On Friday afternoon, authorities announced that the Sanchez-Ayuso meeting will take place at noon on Monday at the headquarters of the Madrid regional government.

Madrid premier Diaz Ayuso welcomed the offer to meet with PM Pedro Sanchez, saying the region has been all alone for far too long

The letter expressed the central governments willingness to help Madrid regional authorities while respecting the latters powers over healthcare policy. This includes the possibility of Madrid requesting the declaration of a state of alarm for its own territory, in what would be a small-scale version of the national emergency state that Spain experienced from March to June. But so far, Madrid authorities have not shown a willingness to take that step, instead leaning towards the possibility of selective confinements in the hardest-hit parts of the capital and region. An announcement on new measures to curb transmission in Madrid is expected later on Friday.

Diaz Ayuso responded positively to the offer to meet and said her team was already working on a date. On Twitter, she later lamented that the Madrid region has been all alone for far too long and celebrated the fact that Sanchez has finally agreed to meet with me.

But Thursdays appeal for help represents a significant change in the Madrid governments rhetoric of the past few months. Until now, regional officials had complained that the centrally declared state of alarm, which saw devolved powers temporarily centralized, had prevented them from handling the crisis in an effective way.

We are in time to control the situation, to control the curve, if only we are able to give ourselves some political respite. We need to stop assigning blame Ignacio Aguado, deputy premier of the Madrid region

The public call for help came a day after a serious communications blunder by the regional government. On Wednesday, Madrid deputy health chief Antonio Zapatero suggested that there would soon be selective confinements in parts of the capital and the region that have high rates of coronavirus infections. But sources close to regional premier soon backtracked on that claim, stating that no decisions have yet been made and that there are other options on the table.

On Thursday, Aguado insisted that we are in time to control the situation, to control the curve, if only we are able to give ourselves some political respite. We need to stop assigning blame. It is necessary and urgent for the government of Spain to actively get involved in controlling the epidemic in Madrid, and I have said as much to premier Isabel Diaz Ayuso, whom I fully support," he continued. It is absolutely impossible for the regional government to eliminate an epidemic of this nature all by itself.

Ignacio Aguado on Thursday.

Covid-19 containment measures were reverted fully to regional governments by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez when Spains 99-day state of alarm was lifted in June and the country gradually adopted a new normality that no longer involved restrictions on mobility.

The far-right Vox, which made the PP-Ciudadanos coalition government possible with its votes last year, did not seem convinced by the deputy premiers change of tack. What Im seeing here is indecision, said the partys regional leader, Rocio Monasterio. Your job is to govern, not to pass on responsibility to third parties.

Members of Diaz Ayusos team said that the regional premier has spent months asking central authorities for a national strategy against the coronavirus, as well as the legal tools that would allow a regional government to confine municipalities, and more controls at Adolfo Suarez-Madrid Barajas airport.

But these same sources would not reveal whether the latest conversation between Diaz Ayuso and her deputy Aguado included the possibility of asking Prime Minister Sanchez for a declaration of a state of alarm. Sanchez recently guaranteed regions that the lower house of parliament, the Congress of Deputies, could approve a localized state of alarm that would permit them to confine or lock down their residents.

Epicenter of the crisis

After it was badly hit during the first wave, Madrid has once again become the epicenter of the coronavirus crisis in Spain. According to the latest epidemiological monitoring report published on Wednesday by the Spanish Health Ministry, the average incidence of the coronavirus in the last 14 days in the Madrid region came in at 642.98 cases per 100,000 people. The city district with the highest infection rate is Vallecas, with 1,240.76 per 100,000 inhabitants, while Humanes is the municipality with the highest rate, which is at 1,058.60 cases.

The Spanish capital is at the heart of the countrys railway and road networks, besides being home to its biggest international airport. Hundreds of thousands of trips are made each day by residents of nearby regions (Castilla-La Mancha and Castilla y Leon) who commute to Madrid for work. As a result, the evolution of the disease in Madrid is a national issue. A rise in cases in the region has a ripple effect on the rest of the country.

Whatever it takes to control the situation in Madrid, it needs to be done. I want to be very clear about this, said Spains Health Minister Salvador Illa on Thursday morning. This is a key issue.

Aguado on Thursday suggested the need for new restrictions on mobility and social gatherings, without getting into specifics. We are going to need greater efforts, he said.

More than 2,700 Covid-19 patients are currently being treated in Madrid hospitals, 371 of whom are in intensive care. The regions official death toll is just under 9,000, while nearly 180,000 infections have been recorded in Madrid since March.

English version by Susana Urra.
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President Alexander Lukashenkos decision underlines his repeated claim that the wave of protests is driven by the West.

He faces increasing criticism from the US and the EU.

Protests began after the August 9 presidential election that official results say gave the authoritarian leader a sixth term in office  opponents say the results were manipulated.



I want to appeal to the peoples of Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine  stop your crazy politicians, dont let war break out

We are forced to withdraw troops from the streets, put the army on high alert and close the state border on the west, primarily with Lithuania and Poland, Mr Lukashenko said at a womens forum.

Mr Lukashenko also said Belarus border with Ukraine would be strengthened.

I dont want my country to be at war. Moreover, I dont want Belarus and Poland, Lithuania to turn into a theatre of military operations where our issues will not be resolved, he said.

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Therefore, today in front of this hall of the most beautiful, advanced, patriotic people I want to appeal to the peoples of Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine  stop your crazy politicians, dont let war break out.

He did not mention neighbouring Latvia, which like Poland and Lithuania is a NATO member.

Earlier on Thursday, the main opposition candidate in the disputed presidential election said that activists are compiling a list of law enforcement officers who were allegedly involved in violence against protesters denouncing the results of the vote.

Nearly 7,000 people were detained and hundreds were brutally beaten by police during the first several days of post-election protests.

Mr Lukashenkos main challenger in the election, former English teacher and political novice Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, said we have been given the names of those who were beating and torturing people.

We are preparing a list of officials and law enforcement officers who have taken part in lawless repressions.

Human rights groups are working with opposition activists to identify the officers and officials, Ms Tsikhanouskaya said, adding that the list will be shared with the US, the EU and Russia.

Ms Tsikhanouskaya, who left for Lithuania in the wake of the election under pressure from Belarusian authorities, said the opposition will name the list in honour of Alexander Taraikovsky, a protester who died in Minsk the day after the election as police dispersed peaceful demonstrators.

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Authorities initially said an explosive device Taraikovsky intended to throw at police blew up in his hands and killed him.

However, Associated Press video showed he was not holding any explosives when he fell to the ground, his shirt bloodied.

Belarusian authorities later acknowledged that Taraikovsky might have been killed by a rubber bullet.

The street in the capital of Minsk where Taraikovsky died turned into a pilgrimage site, with thousands of people, including European ambassadors, laying flowers there.

After the initial broad crackdown on protests, Belarusian authorities changed tactics and tried to end displays of dissent with the selective detentions of demonstrators and the jailing of opposition leaders.

The US and the EU have criticised the presidential election as neither free nor fair, and urged Mr Lukashenko to start talks with the opposition  a call he has rejected.

Washington and Brussels have been pondering sanctions against Belarusian officials for alleged vote-rigging and the violent response to protests.

On Thursday, the European Parliament overwhelmingly passed a resolution rejecting the official election results and saying it would not recognise Mr Lukashenko as the legitimate president once his current term expires on November 5.

Belaruss foreign ministry responded strongly, saying: We are disappointed that the European Parliament, positioning itself as a serious, objective and democratic structure, could not find the political will to look beyond its nose, overcome one-sidedness and not become a hostage to conventional cliches.

Russia, Mr Lukashenkos main ally and sponsor, has maintained staunch support for the Belarusian leader.

Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Friday during a trip to Lithuania that the two countries  both Belaruss neighbours  will continue to offer medical and material assistance to Belarusians who were hurt and persecuted during the protests.
Kalaburagi: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Thursday said the much awaited expansion of his cabinet will be discussed during his visit to New Delhi, where he will also be meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and central Ministers regarding the development of the state.

The Chief Minister, who was in the city to take part in Kalyana Karnataka Utsav programme, left for Delhi. "I'm directly going to Delhi from here, I will be there tomorrow and the day after. Prime Minister has given time, seven to eight Ministers (Union Ministers) have also given time (for meeting)," Yediyurappa said.

Speaking to reporters here, he said during the visit he will hold discussions regarding cabinet expansion and the development of the state. "I will meet concerned Ministers and the Prime minister... I will return to Bengaluru on September 19," he added.

During the visit Yediyurappa is expected to meet top BJP leaders including party national President J P Nadda, during which the discussion on cabinet expansion is likely to come up, party sources said.

Cabinet expansion or reshuffle is expected to be a tightrope walk for the 77-year-old leader, considering too many aspirants.

While several of the old guard are waiting for a chance to be inducted into the Ministry, those who defected from the Congress and JD(S) like A H Vishwanath, R Shankar and MTB Nagaraj, who are now BJP MLCs, are also aspiring for slots.

The cabinet currently has 28 members and six berths are still vacant. There are also strong speculations about the possible change in leadership in the future, considering Yediyurappa's age.

However it has been rejected by senior party leaders like its state President Nalin Kumar Kateel, Minister R Ashoka among others.

Flood relief, development projects related to states and GST compensation are the key issues that are likely to figure during the Chief Minister's meeting with the Prime Minister and central Ministers.

Karnataka has estimated the loss due to the recent floods to be around Rs 8,071 crore, and is seeking for enhanced relief from the Centre. The BJP ruled Karnataka has opted for the first among the two options provided by the central government for borrowing, to meet the shortfall in GST revenues, under which the state will be eligible for total compensation of Rs 18,289 crore.

Yediyurappa's travel to Delhi, comes ahead of the monsoon session of the state legislature from September 21 to 30, during which the opposition has decided to corner the government on flood and COVID management, financial condition of the state, among other things.

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BEIJING, Sept. 18 -- The China-Thailand Military-to-Military Video Conference on Poverty Alleviation was held on September 17. Admiral Miao Hua, member of Chinas Central Military Commission (CMC) and director of the CMC Political Work Department, and General Chalermpol Srisuwat, chief of Joint Staffs of the Royal Thai Armed Forces, attended the opening ceremony.

Adm. Miao said in his speech that China and Thailand share a deep and broad traditional friendship. The pragmatic exchanges between the two militaries in the field of poverty alleviation have demonstrated the determination and confidence of the two sides to jointly eradicate poverty, and manifested that the two sides would work together in building a community with a shared future for mankind in the new era. This conference is bound to enhance friendship and mutual trust, expand new areas of exchanges, and promote shared prosperity and stability, Adm. Miao stated.

Gen. Chalermpol spoke highly of the pragmatic cooperation between the two militaries. He said that the conference aims to exchange experience and practices in solving problems related to poverty eradication. He hoped the conference would help deepen the cooperation between the two countries and their militaries.

Under the theme of Cooperation, Friendship, and Development---The Role of the Armed Forces in Supporting Poverty Alleviation, the two sides introduced the strategies and policies in poverty reduction in their respective countries, and had exchange of experience and measures of the two militaries in participating in poverty alleviation efforts.
Dracut police are investigating a mix of racist and anti-police graffiti found at an elementary school Thursday, according to authorities.

This hate speech does not reflect the values of Dracut Public Schools, Superintendent Steven Stone said. Dracut Public Schools celebrates its focus on being a community of caring, and we wish to reaffirm to students, families, staff and the greater Dracut community that respect, trust, inclusion and kindness are values which we will continue to promote and foster in our schools.

Racist and anti-police statements were discovered written in chalk on the side of a brick wall at the Brookside Elementary School at around 4 p.m., the Dracut Police Department said in a statement.

Authorities did not disclose what the graffiti said.

We are in the very early stages of this investigation but want to reassure the community we are taking this incident very seriously and there is no room in Dracut for hate and racism, Dracut Police Chief Stephen Chaput said.

Middlesex County, where Dracut is located, has been the subject of a wave of hateful and racist incidents in the past few months.

A mural dedicated to George Floyd, an unarmed Black man killed at the hands of Minneapolis police in May, was vandalized in Stoneham. Widespread white supremacist vandalism was reported in Arlington as well. Anti-Semitic graffiti was also found in Bedford, and a man drove his truck through a crowd of Black Lives Matter protesters in Newton.

Following the increase in bigoted acts in the county, the largest one in Massachusetts, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan launched a task force in August aimed identifying, addressing and preventing hateful, biased and racist incidents in the country.

The task force will take a multi-pronged approach to addressing hateful acts, looking at education, prevention, intervention, reparation, enforcement and legislation," the prosecutor said.

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Alibaba Cloud, the digital technologies and intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group, has unveiled a series of innovative products at its 12th annual Apsara Conference.

The products highlight the technology pioneers commitment in helping people adapt to the more digitised world and accelerate customers digital transformation during and after the pandemic.

A highlight is Alibaba Clouds first cloud computer, a palm-sized personal computer which, despite being just about 60 grams and as light as an egg, offers high-performance computing, thanks to robust back-end cloud resources.

By simply connecting the cloud computer with a normal computer screen , a user can access almost unlimited computing resources anytime, anywhere, while paying on a subscription model or for the actual cloud consumption.

We hope our cloud computer can help people access resilient computing power whenever they need to, so they can conduct complex tasks which usually require sophisticated and powerful PCs, such as video editing, animation rendering, software development, and online customer services, with a tiny personal computer at hand now, said Jeff Zhang, President of Alibaba Cloud Intelligence.

As working from home becomes the new normal during and after the pandemic, we believe our innovation can also help users more easily enjoy the benefits of cloud computing anytime, anywhere, in a cost-effective yet secure way.

With robust computing power, the cloud computer can reduce the rendering time of one frame high-resolution animation from 90 minutes using a traditional PC, down to only 10 minutes. In addition, the cloud computers system upgrades are conducted online, saving a big chunk of the normally heavy cost of PC machine upgrades and maintenance in traditional office settings.

Through Alibaba Cloud's self-developed app-streaming protocol, which is designed for synergy between the cloud and the device, users can also purchase and access licensed apps and programmes such Linux and Windows as well as various office applications.

All user data will be stored on cloud for datacenter-grade security and protection measures. Available initially for enterprise customers, the cloud computers will be also available for purchase by individual consumers in the near future.

Alibaba Cloud also unveiled its autonomous logistics robot for last-mile deliveries. Developed by the Alibaba DAMO Academy, the global research initiative by Alibaba Group, the delivery robot can carry 50 packages at one time and cover 62 miles (or 100 kilometres) on a single charge. It is estimated the mobile robot should be able to deliver as many as 500 packages a day to one designated community or campus, meeting the rising demand for speedy last-mile delivery in China. Online shopping is booming there, with 200 million packages delivered daily and expectations that will rise to 1 billion packages per day in the coming years.

We are expecting a rapid spike of delivery demands brought by the thriving New Retail and local services businesses in the increasingly digitalised world, added Zhang.

To meet the strong delivery demand for our internal business growth and for the larger society, we have been investing in smart logistics, including logistics robots, for years. We are glad to launch our latest mobile delivery robot, which we will support Cainiao, Alibabas logistics platform, to serve communities, campuses and business parks in China.

Moving ahead, we aim to support the delivery needs of our local services businesses and leverage our technologies for other types of service robots, such as service robots in the airport and tourism guide robots in scenic spots.

Supported with reinforced learning technologies, the intelligent robot can schedule its route even in a crowded environment. With proprietary, high-definition positioning technology, the robot can operate even where theres weak or no GPS signal. Leveraging a self-developed heterogeneous computing platform, 3D Point Cloud Semantic Segmentation (PCSS) technology and deep learning, the robot can also identify obstacles and predict the intended movement of passengers and vehicles a few seconds ahead of time to enhance safety.

Consumers can use either the Cainiao or Taobao mobile apps to select a preferred timeslot during the day for delivery. The robot then arrives at the designated destination, where users retrieve their packages simply by entering a passcode they receive in the app, once the robot arrives.

A slew of cloud-native products were unveiled during the Conference:

Cloud Lakehouse: This is the next-generation big data architecture which can deliver significant data-based values and intelligence through cross-platform computing, intelligent cache, hot/cold data separation, storage improvement and performance acceleration.

Sandboxed-Container 2.0: Alibabas cloud-native container service for Kubernetes supports clusters that provide sandboxed container runtimes. The new Sandboxed-Container 2.0 enables customers to run applications in lightweight sandboxed environments with faster speeds and reduced cost of runtime resources.

PAI-DSW 2.0: The latest Cloud-native Machine-learning Interactive Development Platform by Alibaba. It aims to provide an optimal environment for developers that is easy to use, compatible with community plug-ins and supports multi-development environments like JupyterLabWebIDE and Terminal.

Lindorm: The cloud-native multi-model database that is used to support the Alibaba Group ecosystem, is introduced to benefit the wider Alibaba Cloud ecosystem. Lindorm is a cloud-native database, with affordable storage and flexible processing characteristics. It is designed for applications with massive processing requirement for a mixture of unstructured, semi-structured, and structured data.

The conference, named Leap Into the Future of Digital Intelligence, was entirely hosted online for the first time, with over 100 virtual forums on topics ranging from cloud computing, IoT to machine learning and industrial AI solutions. -- Tradeaaraia News Service
The U.S. government has invested billions of dollars to manufacture vaccines before they are proved safe and effective, pre-purchasing hundreds of millions of doses. Pfizer, for example, whose executives project that they may have data showing whether their vaccine works by the end of October, has said that 100 million doses will be ready by the end of the year. But whether those can be given to people will depend on data that convinces regulators that the vaccine is effective and safe.
But along with promising hope for some renters, the CDCs order spurred confusion among eviction court judges, housing advocates and landlords who have spent the last two weeks trying to understand how it will work. Since the federal government published the new rule on Sept. 4, it still hasnt explained exactly how it should be enforced in eviction courts.

On Thursday, the Texas Supreme Court offered some guidance: Texas courts must now include a copy of the form that tenants must give their landlords along with any eviction court summons. But there are still many unanswered questions about how the CDCs order will work. Heres what we know so far, and how you can protect yourself from eviction:

Are you facing an eviction or need help paying rent? For legal advice, call 210-570-6135 to reach St. Mary's University's legal hotline. For help paying rent or other bills, visit: www.sanantonio.gov/nhsd/programs/fairhousing .

Even with the CDCs order, you still owe rent. The order doesnt forgive rent, and your landlord can still charge penalties and late fees. After the order expires at the end of the year, your landlord can move to evict you and collect everything you owe.

The CDCs eviction moratorium didnt include any financial assistance for renters or landlords. Many landlords fear that months of missed rent payments could lead to mass foreclosures. In San Antonio, the city has allocated millions of dollars to help tenants pay rent in hopes of avoiding an eviction and foreclosure crisis. Apply for help by clicking here.

You can still be evicted for reasons other than nonpayment of rent, such as damaging property, criminal behavior and other lease violations.

The CDC moratorium applies to individual renters who expect to earn $99,000 or less this year, or no more than $198,000 for couples filing a joint tax return. It also applies if you received a stimulus check during the pandemic or werent required to report income to the Internal Revenue Service last year.

To be protected from eviction, you must give a declaration form to your landlord. It must include specific statements, such as that you exhausted all options for government rental assistance and that youre unable to pay because of a major loss of income, job loss or extraordinary out-of-pocket medical expenses. You also must swear that if evicted, youd likely experience homelessness or have to double up in cramped living situations. Click here for a copy of the declaration.

People who make a false statement on the declaration can risk being prosecuted for perjury, which can carry serious criminal penalties or jail time. Be sure to read the document carefully, and if you have questions about what youre signing, reach out to an attorney. Texas RioGrande Legal Aid and St. Marys University are among organizations offering legal help to tenants.

If your landlord has already filed an eviction lawsuit in a court, file a copy of the declaration form with the court, along with some sort of proof that you gave it to your landlord. Landlords who move to evict without the right to do so can face serious federal penalties and up to a $1,000 fine in Bexar County.
Bishop Richard Moth reacts to proposed sentencing reforms in England and Wales released on Wednesday, saying a criminal justice system should be rooted in hope, forgiveness, and reconciliation.

By Sr Bernadette Mary Reis, fsp

On Thursday, Bishop Richard Moth, the lead Catholic Bishop for prisons of the Bishops Conference of England and Wales reacted to the sentencing reforms made public on Wednesday.

Catholic vision rooted in hope and reconciliation

Bishop Moth welcomed the governments planned reforms as steps toward piloting problem-solving courts, and improving pre-sentence reports and reforming criminal records.

He reiterated that the Catholic Church has a history of supporting these types of measures as part of our vision for a criminal justice system rooted in hope, forgiveness, and reconciliation.

In addition to ensuring public safety, he added that the government must not neglect other areas such as restorative justice and alternatives, where appropriate, to prison sentences.

Smarter approach to sentencing

Bishop Moth's remarks came a day after the Ministry of Justice for the UK a paper containing proposals for sentencing reform. Entitled A Smarter Approach to Sentencing, the document explores the role of sentencing and identifies problems in the current system in order to provide a vision for reform. It then applies this approach to serious offenders and their supervision in the community, probation, reducing reoffending and sentences for minors.

In his foreword to the document, the Rt Hon Robert Buckland, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, acknowledges a reform of the sentencing system is needed. He called the present system complex andtoo often ineffectual. Buckland says that not only does the general public find the system hard to understand, but that even courts can find it cumbersome and difficult to navigate. The proposed changes are meant to respond to the true nature of the crime while at the same being flexible enough to give offenders a fair start on their road to rehabilitation.

Catholic vision proposed

This is not the first time Bishop Richard Moth has addressed this issue. In 2018 he commissioned a document entitled A Journey of Hope which proposes a Catholic vision of sentencing reform and includes the input of a wide range of experts. In the foreword to that document, Bishop Moth said prisons in England and Wales are struggling to cope. They are characterised by poor living conditions, high levels of violence and self-harm, widespread use of psychoactive drugs, and prisoners being left in their cells for up to 22 hours a day, he said.

Such conditions are not only undignified but hardly provide an atmosphere in which offenders would want to turn their lives around, he noted. One reason Moth proposed sentencing reform was necessary is because the one in force has created an unsustainable prison population in structures that cannot provide a safe, decent or rehabilitative environment.

Putting the victim first

A Catholic vision puts the victim first A Journey of Hope states. Thus, the criminal justice system needs to meet victims' needs as well as deter offenders, thus reducing the number of victims. The document also points out that England and Wales has the highest imprisonment rate in western Europe, while crime has been declining. This is the effect of a sentencing system that tends to hand down prison sentences creating an unsustainable scenario in the prison system itself. Reducing short-term sentencing in favour of alternatives, such as successfully proven community sentences, was proposed. A Journey of Hope also recommended that the complex needs of offenders be recognized so as to determine the right sentence for each person.

In conclusion A Journey of Hope summarizes the Catholic vision for sentencing reform thus:

We must help offenders to return to the right road by building a system which enables them to do so. We have a duty to support both victims of crime and those who have offended by helping them to undertake a journey of hope, mercy, forgiveness, and redemption.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 13:59:38|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese military spokesperson on Friday announced a real-combat military exercise of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) near the Taiwan Strait.

Ren Guoqiang, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, said it is a necessary move aimed at the current situation in the Taiwan Strait to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Reiterating that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, Ren said the Taiwan question is purely China's internal affairs and allows no outside interference.

The United States and the Democratic Progressive Party authority in Taiwan have recently intensified their collusion, often creating troubles, Ren said.

"Those who play with fire will get burnt," Ren said.

The PLA has the firm will, abundant confidence, and enough capabilities to thwart any interference by foreign forces or "Taiwan independence" activities, Ren added. Enditem
This article is in response to Donald Trump: Social Justice President (Rabbi Sanford Olshansky, Heritage, Aug. 28, 2020).

The High Holy Days will be very different this year for all of us.

Rather than meeting fellow congregants in our synagogues, we will be Zooming. As the first day falls on Shabbos, Reform Jews will have to wait until the closing moments of Yom Kippur to hear the sound of the shofar over the Internet. Holiday meals will be lonely affairs as most families are practicing social distancing. Fasting on the holiest day of the year will be made even more difficult whe...
Former President John Dramani Mahama, has assured the chiefs and people of Yeji that he will treat as a priority and complete an abandoned landing beach project he started , if he wins the 2020 elections.

That, he said would facilitate the movement of goods and services.

The former President is also promising to restructure the premix fuel committees for the various landing beaches across the country to give control to the fishermen and block diversions.

Addressing a mini durbar at Yeji in the Pru East Constituency, on the second day of his tour of the Bono East region, the NDC leader expressed concerns about the current premix distribution system that denied direct beneficiaries' access to the subsided product.

The former President said the NDC 2020 Manifesto, which had direct input from ordinary Ghanaians, representd a blue print that would directly address their priority needs.

He made reference to the skills training programmes, free TVET, the pledge to withdraw the law banning the importation of accident vehicles, scrap import duties on commercial vehicles and agricultural equipment, the One million jobs plan, a $10bn Big Push investment, and establishment of Agriculture Mechanisation Centres to boost production, food processing, marketing, among others, as big initiatives intended to improve the lives of all.

Responding to other needs of the people, Mr. Mahama promised them a new market at Yeji, and the completion of a hospital project started by the NDC administration.

GNA
KYIV, Ukraine - Thousands of Hasidic Jews, stuck at the Ukrainian border for days due to coronavirus restrictions, have turned back without reaching their destination, the grave of a revered rabbi, officials said Friday.

About 2,000 ultra-Orthodox Jewish pilgrims had travelled through Belarus in hope of reaching the Ukrainian city of Uman to visit the grave of Nachman of Breslov, an important Hasidic rabbi who died in 1810.

Thousands of the Hasidic pilgrims visit the city each September for Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year. Its celebrated Sept. 18-20 this year, and some pilgrims had managed to get to Uman before Ukraine closed its borders in late August amid a surge in COVID-19 infections. Thousands of others travelled via Belarus, which hasnt barred foreign visitors from entering.

Authorities in Ukraine and Belarus said Friday that Hasidic pilgrims cleared the no-mans land between the two countries where they camped for several days, some sleeping in makeshift tents and others on the ground. Belarusian border guards said that less then a dozen of them remained in the area.

At the same time, Ukraines border guards agency said Friday that it turned back several Hasidic pilgrims who tried to enter the country from Poland, Hungary and Romania.

As the pilgrims spent days stuck on the Ukrainian border, Ukraine and Belarus engaged in angry bickering over the standoff.

On Wednesday, Ukraines presidential office accused Belarusian authorities of issuing misleading signals to the pilgrims that they would eventually be allowed to cross the border. Belarusian officials shot back accusing Ukraine of inhumane treatment of the pilgrims, and offered to provide buses to drive the pilgrims to Uman and back to Belarus.

Read more about:
Hey, Black Lives Matter rioters: In rioting to emphasize that black lives really, really matter, consider this headline from the Chicago Tribune's online edition, about some stark realities regarding the matters of black lives in Cook County:

Just weeks into September, homicides in Cook C ounty have already passed the total for all of last year, with nearly all the victims people of color, according to the medical examiner's office.

According to the report from the Cook County Medical Examiner, 95% of the 677 homicide victims this year were people of color, and the vast majority of the homicides, 565, occurred in Chicago. Breaking down these numbers down further, the report bluntly noted that 79% of the victims were black, 16% Hispanic (mainly Mexican or Puerto Rican), and 5% white (mainly people of European descent). No Asians have been murdered so far this year in Cook County. These numbers do not match th e racial/ethnic/demographic composition of Cook County, which is

White (Non-Hispanic) (41.9%), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (22.8%), White (Hispanic) (15.3%), Some Other Race (Hispanic) (8.76%), and Asian (Non-Hispanic) (7.47%).

Approximately, 53% of Cook County's residents live in Chicago.

Although many of the murders have not been solved, police believe that the black victims were murdered by other black individuals, the Hispanic victims by other Hispanics, and the white victims by other whites. However, in a notorious recent murder last week, a black male adolescent stabbed a female Hispanic as she was stocking shelves in a neighborhood Walgreens.

In other words, tragically, although the report didn't explicitly state this, many black people do not believe that black lives matter.

Shortly after this headline was prominently displayed in the online edition highlighting the important news of the day and accessible to all, it was removed; the headline and the complete article were buried, available only to those who had a paid subscription. Busy as the Black Lives Matter rioters were, insisting that black lives matter and undoubtedly not willing to pay for a subscription to a white-owned news site, they did not learn that for many black people, black lives definitely do not matter.

Should someone tell them? The mayor of Chicago, Lori Lightfoot, is a black lesbian; the president of the Cook County Board is a black female; the head of the so far non-defunded Chicago Police Department is a black male. Hmmm, maybe these influential government officials should inform the Black Lives Matter mostly peaceful rioters and looters to take their message to the neighborhoods where there are so many black lives struggling to live safely amidst constant danger by other...no, not white police, but by other blacks.

But would the selfish, destructive Black Lives Matter rioters listen to the words off black government officials? Up to now they haven't.

Because matters regarding black lives don't matter to them; selfish acting out is the only thing that matters to them. And innocent black lives are suffering.

Image credit: Pixabay public domain.
is extending the agreement to keep the US border closed to non-essential to October 21 during the pandemic.

Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said Friday they will continue to base the decision on the best public health advice available to keep Canadians safe.

The restrictions were announced on March 18 and have been extended each month since.

Many Canadians fear a reopening. The US has more confirmed cases and deaths from COVID-19 than any country in the world.

is seeing an uptick in cases in recent weeks. largest province, Ontario, reported 401 new cases on Friday.

Essential cross-border workers like healthcare professionals, airline crews and truck drivers are still permitted to cross. Truck drivers are critical as they move food and medical goods in both directions. Much of Canada's food supply comes from or via the US.

Americans who are returning to the US and Canadians who are returning to Canada are also exempted from the border closure.

(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.)
Ancient human footprints in Saudi Arabia give glimpse of Arabian ecology 120000 years ago

Situated between Africa and Eurasia, the Arabian Peninsula is an important yet understudied region for understanding human evolution across the continents. Recent research highlighting the role of the Arabian Peninsula in human prehistory shows that humans repeatedly dispersed into the peninsula's interior at times when its harsh deserts were transformed into lush grasslands. However, the nature and timing of these dispersals have remained elusive, due to a scarcity of datable material and poor-resolution paleoecological data associated with evidence for humans.

In a new study published in Science Advances, researchers from the Max Planck Institutes for Chemical Ecology (MPI-CE) and the Science of Human History (MPI-SHH) in Jena, Germany and Royal Holloway University of London, UK, together with a team of international partners, describe a large assemblage of fossilized footprints discovered in an ancient lake deposit in Saudi Arabia's Nefud Desert. The footprints, dated to roughly 120 thousand-years-ago, include those of humans, elephants and horses, among other animals. These findings represent the earliest dated evidence for human movements into this part of the world, contemporary with well-known human dispersals from Africa to the Levant. In addition, it appears that the movements and landscape use patterns of humans and large mammals were tightly linked, perhaps in response to dry conditions and diminishing water supplies.

A Green Arabia in Human Prehistory

Because the Arabian Peninsula is characterized by large, hyper-arid deserts inhospitable to early humans and the animals they relied on, Arabia has received considerably less attention than Africa or Eurasia, neighboring regions that are vital to understanding human prehistory. However, research over the last decade has shown that this was not always the case, and it is now well-understood that conditions in Arabia have fluctuated significantly over the past million years.

"At certain times in the past, the deserts that dominate the interior of the peninsula transformed into expansive grasslands with permanent freshwater lakes and rivers," explains Richard Clark-Wilson of Royal Holloway, one of the lead authors of the study. "It was during these periods of climatic upturn that human and animal populations dispersed into the interior, as shown by the archaeological and fossil record."

Footprints as a High-Resolution Proxy

The footprints described in the new study were discovered during a recent survey of the Nefud Desert in Saudi Arabia. At an ancient lake deposit dubbed 'Alathar' (meaning "the trace" in Arabic) by the team, hundreds of human and animal footprints were discovered embedded in the surface, having been exposed following the erosion of overlying sediments.

"We immediately realized the potential of these findings," says Mathew Stewart of MPI-CE, one of the study's lead authors. "Footprints are a unique form of fossil evidence in that they provide snapshots in time, typically representing a few hours or days, a resolution we tend not get from other records."

Researchers were able to identify a number of animals from the footprints, including elephants, horses, and camels. The presence of elephants was particularly notable, as these large animals appear to have gone locally extinct in the Levant by around 400 thousand-years-ago.

"The presence of large animals such as elephants and hippos, together with open grasslands and large water resources, may have made northern Arabia a particularly attractive place to humans moving between Africa and Eurasia," says Michael Petraglia of MPI-SHH, who has been conducting research in the region for over a decade.

The dense concentration of footprints and evidence from the lake sediments suggests that animals may have been congregating around the lake in response to dry conditions and diminishing water supplies. Humans, too, may have been utilizing the lake for water and the surrounding area for foraging.

"We know people visited the lake, but the lack of stone tools or evidence of the use of animal carcasses suggests that their visit to the lake was only brief," says Stewart. Human movements and landscape use patterns, therefore, may have been closely linked to the large animals they shared the area with.

Early Human Dispersals into Arabia

The age of the footprints is of particular interest. They date to a period known as the last interglacial, a time of relatively humid conditions across the region and an important moment in human prehistory. Environmental changes during the last interglacial would have allowed humans and animals to disperse across otherwise desert regions, which normally acted as major barriers to dispersal during the less humid periods. Fossil and archaeological records indicate that these conditions also facilitated human dispersal from Africa into the Levant.

"It is only after the last interglacial with the return of cooler conditions that we have definitive evidence for Neanderthals moving into the region," says Stewart. "The footprints, therefore, most likely represent humans, or Homo sapiens."

These findings suggest that human movements beyond Africa during the last interglacial extended into northern Arabia, highlighting the importance of Arabia for the study of human prehistory.

###

Researchers involved in this study work in close partnership with the Saudi Ministry of Culture. Additional partners include the Saudi Geological Survey, King Saud University, and other key institutions in the United Kingdom and Australia.

This story has been published on: 2020-09-18. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
MARSASKALA, MALTA / ACCESSWIRE / September 18, 2020 / The results of an open audit of ElectroGas Malta Limited were summed up on September 11, 2020. The results are published on the company's website in the format of a public statement. As part of the open audit, the mechanisms for concluding contracts related to the Delimara LNG to Power project were also disclosed.

This review was launched in 2019 immediately after the appointment of three new Directors of the company. During the year, a detailed monitoring of the internal legal, economic and technical systems was carried out. The results of the audit showed that there were no signs of receiving shady income as part of the construction of a gas power plant in Delimar with the participation of Siemens Projects Ventures and SOCAR Tracing.

It is known that the management of Electrogas changed after the resignation of shareholder Jorgen Fenech. Fenech was part of the joint venture "jam holdings", which owns 33.34% of the power plant. SOCAR Trading and Siemens Projects Ventures hold 33.34 percent each.

Also, according to Energogas, the audit revealed no signs of any violations at the stage of bidding, construction of the power plant and operating activities of Electrogas. This is a project worth more than 500 million euros for the construction of a new power plant with a capacity of 210 MW and an LNG regasification terminal, which was implemented by ElectroGas Malta with the participation of SOCAR Trading. The tender for this construction was won in partnership with Siemens and the investment company GEM in Malta in 2013.

In 2015, ElectroGas Malta signed a contract with SOCAR giving exclusive long-term rights to supply LNG to Malta for the power plant. The first batch of LNG was delivered to the island in January 2017, thus creating the conditions for Malta to completely abandon fuel oil as a source of electricity generation. As noted earlier by the Prime Minister of Malta, Joseph Muscat, this helped reduce electricity prices for the Maltese population by 25% and contributed to a 90% reduction in toxic emissions into the atmosphere.

In addition, ElectroGas Malta will supply electricity and natural gas to the state-owned energy company Enemalta for 18 years. A project worth more than 500 million euros to build a new 210 MW power plant and an LNG regasification terminal in Malta with the participation of SOCAR Trading was launched in December 2014 and completed in January 2017.

Media contact

Company: ElectroGas Malta Limited

Contact: Olivia Stone

E-mail: info@electrogas.com.mt

Address: Block D, Ta' Monita, Piazza off St Joseph Street, Marsaskala, MSK 1050, Malta

Telephone: +356 2540 1200

Website: https://www.electrogas.com.mt/

SOURCE: ElectroGas Malta Limited

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/606692/ElectroGas-Malta-Limited-Has-Published-a-Report-on-the-Open-Audit-of-its-Companies
Primoz Roglic kept his lead in the Tour de France on Friday with just two stages remaining as Denmark's Soren Kragh Andersen burst clear to victory on stage 19.

Sam Bennett inched further ahead in the struggle for the green jersey by beating rival Peter Sagan, who failed in two bids to shake off the Irishman.

Sunweb rider Andersen also won the stage at Lyon last week in similar style, striking from 3km out, this time he attacked with 16km to go.

"I have proved myself in the greatest race in the world," said Andersen. "I just thought 'holy shit' I've won two stages in the same Tour."

"This is a result of all the work we have done at Sunweb over the past two or three years," he said.

In the race for overall Tour de France victory Jumbo's dominant leader Roglic retained a 57 second advantage over his Slovenian compatriot Tadej Pogacar.

That duo face a much-awaited individual time trial on Saturday, which features a Category 1 mountain where the 21-year-old Pogacar has vowed to topple Roglic.

The younger man did just that recently in the Slovenian national time-trials.

"So far so good. Better even because I kept my energy for the big day," Roglic said.

"I know how I'll handle tomorrow. I'm feeling okay health-wise and I'm quite excited about it."

- Bad news -

Jumbo's assistant manager Merijn Zeeman will not be there for Roglic. Zeeman was thrown off the Tour on Thursday for threats and insults to the control team checking Roglic's bike.

"We are not happy with that, It's not good for us. "I wasn't there when all this happened, but it's not nice as he cannot be here anymore," Roglic said.

After three days going up and down Alpine mountains, stage 19 had been described as an easy day for the overall contenders, and so it proved.

This was not the case for Deceuninck-Quick Step sprinter Bennett however, who fended off the seven-time green jersey Sagan in their close-run contest for the remaining sprint points.

Story continues

- Bennett v Sagan -

By the time the peloton reached the Jura vineyards of Chateau-Chalon for climb at halfway, Remi Cavagna was a minute ahead on a solo break rolling through what guides describe as one of France's prettiest villages.

At the head of the main pack, Bennett won the dash for the intermediary sprint points taking 11, to Sagan's seven.

Sagan made a bid for glory from 20km out, but Bennett was able to keep up.

As an escape group formed, the peloton slowed to a snail's pace as many of the lesser riders realised their contribution to this Tour was essentially over due to the nature of the final two stages.

At the front, Andersen kept working and finished 53 seconds clear. Bennett again outsprinted Sagan, finishing eighth, one place ahead of the Slovak.

Saturday's 36km time-trial gives Roglic's rivals a last chance to grab the yellow jersey.

The Tour de France then culminates with the traditional parade ride into Paris which looks like being a triumphal progress for Roglic. But, with two sprints on the stage, Sagan could still snatch the points jersey from Bennett in the furious final charge around the Champs Elysees.

dmc/gj/pb
The suspension on Air India Express flights to Dubai was on Friday withdrawn hours after it was suspended till October 2 for flying infected passengers.

Attention Passengers from/to Dubai!



All Air India Express flights from/to Dubai will operate as per original schedule w.e.f tomorrow, September 19,2020.@HardeepSPuri @MoCA_GoI @cgidubai  Air India Express (@FlyWithIX) September 18, 2020

Earlier, the flights were temporarily barred because a passenger on a recent Jaipur-Dubai flight operated by Air India Express, the low-cost airline of the national carrier Air India, was found to be Covid-19 positive by the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) authorities. This was the second time the airline flew an infected passenger.

The DCAA had sent a notice to Air India Express. The notice stated that the flight IX1135 operated by the airline from Jaipur to Dubai International Airport (DIA), had a passenger on board, who had contracted SARS-CoV-2 that causes Covid-19.

You are aware of our previous intimation made to you by our letter dated September 2 for boarding a passenger with a Covid-19 positive test result, who endangered the other passengers on board and also caused a serious health risk.

Boarding a passenger with Covid-19 positive test result for the second time is contrary to and is in violation of the laid-down procedures and protocols relating to air travel to and from airports in the Emirate of Dubai during the pandemic, stated the notice.

The notice had led to the temporary suspension of all Air India Express flights to Dubai for the next 15 days.

Airline officials said that the ground handling agencies concerned have taken appropriate punitive action against their employees who have been held accountable for the lapse at Delhi and Jaipur.

An airline official said, Prior to the receipt of the notice, the airline submitted a letter to the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority expressing our apologies and detailing the various actions taken by us in association with the ground handling agents concerned to guard against such a lapse in the future. In order to decrease the inconvenience that may be caused to passengers booked to fly to Dubai, the airline has introduced additional flights to Sharjah to accommodate the affected passengers. The affected passengers who have booked to fly to Dubai are also being given the option to re-book to a future date.
The Department of Homeland Security whistleblower who claimed senior Trump administration officials -- including the acting secretary of Homeland Security -- sought to "censor" or "manipulate" intelligence for political purposes is unlikely to appear before the House Intelligence Committee for a closed-door hearing next week as planned, his lawyer told ABC News on Friday.

Mark Zaid, an attorney for Brian Murphy, the former chief of the DHS intelligence office, told ABC News that his client will not testify before the House panel until he has access to classified information relevant to his complaint, which accused senior agency and White House officials of working to align intelligence on election interference, domestic terror threats and immigration and border security with President Donald Trump's political agenda and public statements.

MORE: Whistleblower details alleged politicization of intelligence at DHS

"Mr. Murphy wishes to provide protected, classified whistleblower disclosures to the relevant oversight authorities in the executive and legislative branches. That requires his access, as well as his legal counsel, to all relevant information," Zaid said in a statement. "We continue to cooperate with DHS to ensure this lawful process occurs expeditiously given the time sensitivities and importance. Until the clearance issues have been resolved favorably in order to properly protect Mr. Murphy's legal rights, we will not be participating in any proceedings but look forward to and desire the opportunity."

PHOTO: The US Department of Homeland Security building is seen in Washington, July 22, 2019. (Alastair Pike/AFP via Getty Images, FILE)

The agency is unlikely to approve Murphy's requests for access to relevant classified information needed to prepare for his appearance or his lawyers' request for security clearance to review the materials with their client prior to Monday's planned hearing, according to an administration source familiar with the internal deliberations.

Asked about Monday's testimony, a committee official accused the Department of Homeland Security of working to obstruct House Democrats' investigation into the allegations of the politicization of intelligence at the department by delaying the processing of Murphy's lawyers' security clearances, which they need to represent their client in classified portions of the deposition.

Story continues

"The Committee has not rescheduled the deposition at this time, but DHS continues to impose needless requirements on Mr. Murphy for the purpose of delaying the processing of his lawyers clearances, which they need so Murphy can be properly represented during any classified portions of the deposition including discussion of all of the allegations at issue," the official said. "DHS needs to stop putting up artificial roadblocks that are designed to delay and obstruct the Committees investigation."

MORE: Russia working to boost Trump's reelection and 'denigrate' Biden, as China undermines Trump: US intelligence

In a letter to Joseph Maher, the principal deputy general counsel currently leading the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff warned that the committee would consider any refusal to facilitate Murphy's testimony before the lawmakers as "obstruction of this investigation."

"DHS should reverse its position immediately and grant Mr. Murphy access to these classified records prior to his deposition," Schiff wrote on Friday.

Homeland Security said in a statement, "DHS is unaware of what 'needless obstruction' the committee majority is referring to. DHS has agreed to process Mr. Murphys attorneys for access to classified information, but is still waiting for them to provide the necessary background information to complete that process."

PHOTO: President Donald Trump listens as acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf speaks during a briefing on the 2020 hurricane season in the Oval Office of the White House, May 28, 2020. (Evan Vucci/AP)

The House Intelligence Committee is investigating allegations of the politicization of intelligence at DHS, an expansion of an inquiry that began with concerns about intelligence activities around protests in Portland, Oregon. The department has rebuffed the panel's efforts to interview a larger group of agency officials as part of the broader probe.

Schiff, in his letter to DHS on Friday, suggested the panel could subpoena the office for any outstanding records, information and witnesses not made available to the committee after repeated requests.

DHS whistleblower may not appear before Congress next week, lawyer says originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Mr. Trump, at a news conference Friday, said he thought a deal to keep TikTok operating in the U.S. could move very, very fast.

Maybe we can keep a lot of people happy but we have to have the total security from China, he said, adding that the administration was talking to Oracle, Walmart and Microsoft.

The Nov. 12 deadline for TikTok will allow users of the app  who are primarily young  to continue using the service ahead of the election. TikTok has increasingly become a political force, with users posting in support of their favored candidates and offering commentary on current events. It has also been utilized as a political tool  hundreds of teenage TikTok users claimed credit for low turnout at a rally for Mr. Trump in Tulsa, Okla., this year.

The order is not as draconian as some companies had feared. It wont affect the ability of multinational companies like Starbucks or Walmart to work with WeChat in China, where they commonly use the app as a payment platform. Major U.S. companies had pushed back against such a restriction with the Trump administration, saying it would put them at a disadvantage against Chinese competitors.

Still, the actions take aim at two of Chinas most popular and successful tech exports, which knit together nearly two billion people worldwide.

Many companies that will soon be barred from working with WeChat are like the FedEx for the data business, said Charlie Chai, an analyst for 86Research, a research firm focused on Chinese companies. If no FedEx is willing to carry the data package for WeChat, then WeChat is dead in the United States.

The Chinese government had not issued any statements, and it was not immediately clear if China would retaliate. China has long blocked access to such American social media as Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp that it cannot readily monitor or censor.
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Roche's Actermra/Roactemra drugs reduces the likelihood patients with COVID-19 related pneumonia need mechanical ventilation, the company said on Friday.

Hospital patients taking the drug were 44% less likely to need ventilators or die, the company said, citing the results of its Empacta phase III study conducted in several countries including the United States.

Roche said it would share the results of its trial with health authorities, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The news is a boost for Roche after an attempt to retool the rheumatoid arthritis drug Actemra/RoActemra to treat patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19 related pneumonia failed in a late-stage trial.

Its Covacta trial did not meet its primary end-point of improved clinical status in patients with COVID-19 associated pneumonia, or the key secondary end-point of reduced patient mortality, the company said in July.

"The EMPACTA trial demonstrated that Actemra/RoActemra can reduce the need for mechanical ventilation in patients with COVID-19 associated pneumonia, an important outcome in this serious disease," said Levi Garraway, Roche's chief medical officer and head of global product development.

The study is the first global phase III COVID-19 clinical trial using patients from minority racial and ethnic groups, Roche said, adding this group are often underrepresented in clinical studies and have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The majority were Hispanic, along with significant representation from black and native American populations, the company said. (Reuters)

Source: www.businessworld.ie
The CAA has applied to the courts for an enforcement order against Ryanair for refusing to pay compensation to delayed passengers. Credit: Getty.

Which? is calling for the aviation regulator to urgently be given powers to fine airlines, after nearly six months of blatant disregard for the law on refunds for cancelled flights during the pandemic.

The consumer group says airlines operating in the UK have not faced a single fine for breaking consumer law on refunds, delays or cancellations since 2003.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) was granted powers to enforce consumer rights laws on airlines in 2003, but cannot directly fine airlines.

And the regulator has only used its powers once to apply to the courts for an enforcement order which forces an airline to comply with the law. This was against Ryanair (RYA.L) in 2018, for refusing to compensate passengers for delays caused by planned industrial action by its staff during the peak of the summer holidays. The case is yet to be heard and the airline continues to refuse to compensate consumers.

READ MORE: Thomas Cook relaunches as online travel company

The findings come after Which? exposed the UKs 10 biggest airlines for repeatedly breaking the law on refunds for coronavirus cancellations earlier this year.

At the beginning of the pandemic, the consumer champion reported airlines to the regulator for refusing to reroute passengers when flights were cancelled, leaving passengers stranded abroad and having to pay extortionate fees to get home.

Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said: Without the ability to issue fines or take swift action against airlines, the Civil Aviation Authority has struggled to effectively stand up for the passengers it is there to protect. Several airlines already know this, and theres a real risk some have felt empowered to break the law as a result  and without the threat of penalties, they may continue to do so.

Trust in the travel industry has been battered in recent months, so passengers need a strong regulator they can count on. Its clear serious reforms need to be made to the sector  as a first step, the government must take urgent steps to ensure the CAA has the tools it needs to effectively hold airlines to account.
Nicola Sturgeon has asked Boris Johnson to convene a Cobra this weekend, for the first time after several months, as she warned of "hard but necessary decisions" to be made in the coming days.

Downing Street has admitted a short-term "circuit break" lockdown, thought to be earmarked for October half term, is under consideration, in a bid to get cases back under control.

"This weekend will be critical in the assessment" of what to do next, Ms Sturgeon said during her regular press conference. "Sage met yesterday, I have chaired meeting of senior officials and advisers and discussions across the four nations will, I hope, take place in the coming days.

"Today I want to give the nation advance notice that the coming days are likely to see some hard but necessary decisions. If we want to avoid another full scale lockdown, doing nothing almost certainly isn't an option," Ms Sturgeon said.

This morning Matt Hancock conceded the Government was considering new restrictions for hospitality, while protecting schools and workplaces, telling the BBC the "vast majority"of transmission takes place in "social settings".

"We really do need to come together to tackle this virus once again," Mr Hancock also told Sky News. "The virus is clearly accelerating across the country, we have got to take the necessary action to keep people safe."

Follow the latest updates below.

02:51 PM

Amal Clooney quits as special envoy over Brexit law-breaking plan

Story continues

Amal Clooney is resigning as the UK's special envoy on media freedom over the Government's "lamentable" plan to push through powers enabling it to break the Withdrawal Agreement.

In a letter to the Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, Ms Clooney said she had originally accepted the role "because I believe in the importance of the cause, and appreciate the significant role that the UK has played and can continue to play in promoting the international legal order".

But the lawyer said she was "dismayed" by the Government's plans to push forward the Internal Market Bill .

"Although the government has suggested that the violation of international law would be 'specific and limited', it is lamentable for the UK to be speaking of its intention to violate an international treaty signed by the Prime Minister less than a year ago," she added.

"Out of respect for the professional working relationship I have developed with you and your senior colleagues working on human rights, I deferred writing this letter until I had had a chance to discuss this matter with you directly. But having now done so and received no assurance that any change of position is imminent, I have no alternative but to resign from my position."

Amal and George Clooney - WPA Pool

02:47 PM

Chopper's Politics: Geoffrey Cox on why he can't back the Internal Market Bill

Westminster is often referred to as "the corridors of power", and three inhabitants of those hallowed halls join Christopher Hope to discuss the politics of holding power on this weeks show.

First, former attorney general, Geoffrey Cox QC, tells Christopher Hope why he cant support the governments move to break the law in a "limited and specific way" over Brexit, and what he makes of Presidential candidate Biden weighing in on the subject.

Plus Culture Committee member Philip Davies MP covers the power wielded by (deep breath everyone) "metropolitan, left-leaning, lentil-eating, sandal wearing, beard-growing" employees at the BBC, and former International Development Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan tells us who really holds more power: ministers or civil servants.

02:45 PM

Have your say on: The chances of a October half-term lockdown

Matt Hancock had a sobering warning for the country this morning, telling the public the increase in coronavirus transmission is " deadly serious".

The Health Secretary said it was "a big moment", adding: "These are very serious times... people need to follow the rule of six, full stop."

Downing Street has confirmed that new restrictions are under discussion if cases continue to rise. But do you think following the rules - social distancing, rule of six and local lockdowns where they are in place - will be enough to prevent a lockdown during October half term? Could it be the short-term "circuit break"? Or is it the start of an inevitable longer-term tightening of restrictions?

Have your say in the poll below.

02:37 PM

Brexit on the agenda for European Council summit next week

European Union leaders will discuss Brexit at their European Council summit on September 24, it was decided after a meeting between Charles Michel, the European Council president, and Michel Barnier in Brussels yesterday (FRI), James Crisp writes.

The decision was made the day after the EU's chief negotiator met with David Frost. As recently as Thursday, senior EU diplomats were insisting there was no way Brexit would force itself onto the agenda of the summit.

UK sources told the Telegraph that the decision to put the trade negotiations before the heads of state and government of the EU-27 was hopefully a sign the EU had begun to take the Prime Minister's October 15 deadline seriously.

In London, George Eustice, the Brexiteer Environment Secretary predicted that even if there was a no deal exit, common sense would break out in the new year and an agreement would be signed.

I just think it is implausible that it would be a long term scenario where we will have no free trade agreement or partnership at all with our nearest neighbour, he told BBC radio.

02:20 PM

Labour MP tells Government to give up moonshot and 'focus on planet earth'

A Labour MP whose constituency comes under new restrictions has said the Government should give up the moonshot and start focusing "on planet earth".

Tracy Brabin, Labour MP for Batley and Spen, said the Government had "failed" to deliver on test and trace and therefore "failed" people who will have to live by the tougher measures.

But a Tory MP has said the newly imposed restrictions for West Yorkshire, which affect his constituency, are "regrettable... but necessary".

Calder Valley Tory MP Craig Whittaker tweeted: "Due to a large rise in cases across our Valley, Local Restrictions are back in force from Tuesday 22nd September. This is regrettable after such great progress but necessary to protect us all."

Govt have failed to deliver world beating test and trace system and have failed everyone who is under restrictions in doing so. Need to focus on whats happening here on planet earth before looking to moonshot solutions @KirkleesCouncil @cllrSPandor https://t.co/TvR3yWBECn  Tracy Brabin MP  (@TracyBrabin) September 18, 2020

02:15 PM

Labour leader urges Boris Johnson to convene Cobra

Sir Keir Starmer has echoed calls for Boris Johnson to convene a Cobra meeting following a sharp rise in coronavirus cases.

Earlier today Nicola Sturgeon said she had personally asked the Prime Minister to convene the committee, which has not met for many months.

Following this the Labour leader said: "There is mounting concern about whether we have got the virus sufficiently under control. This is the time for swift, decisive national action. We cannot afford to be too slow.

"That's why I'm asking the Prime Minister to convene a Cobra meeting and to update the country on the measures the Government is taking to keep the virus under control, including to fix testing.

"The British public want to know what the situation is and what the Government is going to do about it.

"I want to make clear too that Labour will continue to act in the national interest. We will support whatever measures the Government take to protect the NHS and save lives."

Sir Keir Starmer - PA

02:11 PM

Friday book club: Left Outside, by Gabriel Pogrund and Patrick Maguire

Jeremy Corbyn might now be yesterday's man, but there was a time when Conservative MPs feared the threat he and grassroots group Momentum posed.

At the peak of his popularity, in 2017, Tory backbenchers would compare his supporters to white walkers, murderous zombie-esque creatures from Game of Thrones. And yet, by last December's election, winter had come not for the Government but for Labour.

Left Outside charts the party's decline through public scandals like the appalling failure to grasp anti-Semitism and the jaw-dropping reaction to the Salisbury poisonings. It paints a picture of a man who had little interest in the biggest issues of the time, beyond his long-held passion for international affairs.

Very few people come out of this book well, with the party imploding under factional warfare while Mr Corbyn stood by.

It's available on the Telegraph Bookshop here.

01:56 PM

Peers demand urgent clarity on law-breaking powers of Internal Market Bill

Peers have demanded the Government provide urgent clarity on why it is prepared to override key elements of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement.

Boris Johnson agreed that MPs would be able to vote before the Government can use powers contained in the Internal Market Bill, enabling minister to breach the Withdrawal Agreement.

The Lords EU Committee has written to Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove, asking whether the bill still "does break international law in a very specific and limited way".

Lord Kinnoull, chairman of the committee, said: "The Government's paramount goal must be to protect peace and stability in Northern Ireland.

"The protocol's stated aim is to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland and to protect the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, while respecting the territorial integrity of the UK. Given that the Government has now said that it is prepared to break the agreement on the protocol, we need to be absolutely clear about why it is doing this.

"This is an urgent matter as time is short."

The committee has requested a response by September 25, as it intends to publish a report ahead of the Bill's second reading in the House of Lords.

01:42 PM

Britain's high Covid death rate because 'majority of people are obese', claims peer

Britain's high Covid-19 death rate is not the Government's fault but partly because the "majority of people are obese", according to a Conservative peer.

Lord McColl of Dulwich, who is a surgeon, told peers it was "despicable" to blame those in power in Westminster.

"What was clear about the pandemic early on was that the majority of those afflicted had many medical conditions that made them much more vulnerable to Covid," he said. "Obesity and Covid is a very dangerous combination and the reason for this is obesity impairs the immune system.

"The reason the high mortality in the UK is because the majority of people are obese, and the population is the densest in Europe and moreover is the travel hub of Europe.

"Blaming the Government for the high mortality is therefore one of the most despicable allegations I've heard in this pandemic."

Lord McColl added: "If he really wants to help the British people, Keir Starmer should join the Prime Minister's campaign to reduce obesity now in order to reduce the mortality in future pandemics."

01:34 PM

One further person dies with coronavirus in Wales

Public Health Wales said one further person has died after testing positive for coronavirus, bringing its total number since the beginning of the pandemic to 1,601.

The number of cases of Covid-19 in Wales increased by 185 on Friday, bringing the revised confirmed total to 20,233.

01:21 PM

Circuit break lockdown shows 'complete failure to learn', says senior Tory

While some Conservative MPs are going on the record in support of the circuit break (see 2:07pm), in private others are concerned.

One high ranking Tory tells me he is concerned it will have serious economic consequences, adding: "It would show a complete failure to learn.

"The cause fatality rate is like a bad 'flu year (which is quite bad) and the increased deaths through cancer, heart disease and stroke might well prove worse than Covid-19.

"Another lockdown would be a health disaster as well as an economic one."

01:10 PM

Further 14 people die with coronavirus in England

A further 14 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 29,719.

Patients were aged between 41 and 93 years old. All had known underlying health conditions.

Date of death ranges from 9 September to 17 September 2020, with the majority on or after 15 September.

Their families have been informed.

The North West was the worst-affected region, with eight deaths recorded, while there were three deaths in the South East, two in the North East and Yorkshire and one in London.

No deaths were recorded in the East of England, Midlands and South West.

01:07 PM

Tory backbencher signals support for 'circuit breaker' plan

A prominent Conservative backbencher has signalled his support for "circuit breaker" type lockdowns in a bid to "prioritise schools" and workplaces.

Matt Hancock and Downing Street have admitted hospitality and some other social sectors could come under nationwide restrictions in a bid to reduce coronavirus cases, while keeping schools open.

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown told the BBC: "I think if we can nip it in the bud, that, unfortunately, is what we need to do.

"And some of these circuit breakers - short, sharp, shock cessation of some of our activities so that we can prioritise schools and people going back to work without having a huge spike in cases - must be the right thing to do."

He added: "I think a national lockdown, to my view, would be an absolute last resort."

12:52 PM

UK's R-rate confirms coronavirus transmission rate is rising

The reproduction number, or R value, of coronavirus transmission across the UK suggests the rate of coronavirus transmission is rising further still.

Data released on Friday by the Government Office for Science and the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) shows the estimate for R across the UK is between 1.1 and 1.4.

The higher R is above 1, the faster the epidemic is growing, it said.

12:43 PM

London 'two weeks behind' rest of country, says Sadiq Khan

London is two weeks behind some regions of the UK where tighter lockdown restrictions have been imposed, Sadiq Khan has said.

The mayor told the PA news agency he is "really worried" about the rising number of Covid-19 cases in the capital, and is looking at "all possibilities" to stop the spread of the virus.

The number of cases per 100,000 people over seven days is reported to have increased in London from 18.8 to around 25.

Mr Khan also said lockdown measures could be imposed based on the success of other regions.

"What we've seen in other parts of the country and in the North East in particular is an instruction for bars and restaurants to close at 10pm," he said. "The reason for that is to minimise the amount of hours people spend socialising, which can increase the risk of the virus spreading."

12:40 PM

Coronavirus spreading 'widely across all age groups', PHE director says

The UK is seeing "clear signs" that coronavirus is spreading "widely across all age groups", a Public Health England director has warned

Yvonne Doyle, medical director at Public Health England (PHE), said she was "particularly worried by the increase in rates of admission to hospital and intensive care among older people.

"This could be a warning of far worse things to come. We must all play our part in controlling the virus by continuing to wash our hands, wear face coverings and follow social distancing rules.

"Our monitoring also suggests we're seeing a spike in other viruses that cause the common cold.

"These can cause a runny nose, sneezing and a sore throat. You should only request a Covid test if you have a continuous cough, fever, or loss of or change in sense of taste or smell."

12:24 PM

Matt Hancock warns about 'very serious' coronavirus data from ONS

Matt Hancock has been unequivocal in his tone today, warning that the UK is facing a "big moment", telling people in no uncertain terms to follow the relevant rules because it is "deadly serious".

For those who haven't heard him on the airwaves, he has reiterated that on Twitter, highlighting the "very serious news from the ONS" and telling his followers: "We must all play our part to help keep coronavirus under control."

Todays very serious news from @ONS shows the spread of the virus is accelerating.



We must all play our part to help keep #Coronavirus under control. Remember #HandsFaceSpace & only get a test if you are eligible. https://t.co/yWddJMztYQ  Matt Hancock (@MattHancock) September 18, 2020

12:13 PM

Welsh First Minister attacks 'simply unacceptable' engagement from Boris Johnson

The First Minister of Wales has called on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to offer "proper engagement with the devolved governments of the United Kingdom".

Mark Drakeford told a press conference in Cardiff there had only been "one brief phone call" with Mr Johnson since May 28, which he described as "simply unacceptable".

Mr Drakeford highlighted tighter restrictions in the North West of England, as well as speculation that Mr Johnson is considering a national two-week lockdown, and issues with the Lighthouse Lab testing system.

"All of these issues need to be discussed at a UK level by the four governments, working together, but as far too often in this crisis that opportunity has not been there," Mr Drakeford said.

11:51 AM

Lobby latest: Downing Street insists tests are available

Downing Street has doubled down on its position that tests are available across the country, despite images of queues and chaos suggesting otherwise.

This morning Matt Hancock pushed back against claims that people were unable to access tests, insisting there was availability in all parts of the country.

Asked about testing levels, a Number 10 spokesman said: "We are ramping up capacity, or working to ramp up capacity in terms of tests.

"I am not aware of anything to suggest that tests are not available in some parts of the country."

11:45 AM

Lobby latest: Government prepared to impose 'circuit break', Downing Street says

The Government is prepared to impose a two-week "circuit break" to prevent the spread of coronavirus, Downing Street has said.

Asked if the Prime Minister was considering a imposing short and sharp new national Covid-19 restrictions, a Downing Street spokesperson told journalists: "We have always been clear that our strategy is to keep the virus down as much as possible while protecting education and the economy.

"I would point to the words of the Health Secretary this morning where he said that we are prepared to take action if necessary. But we, obviously, want to avoid any extended lockdown."

He added: "Our focus is to reduce transmission rates."

The Number 10 spokesman said: "No restrictions are currently planned in London."

11:36 AM

Nicola Sturgeon calls for Cobra and she warns of 'hard but necessary decisions'

Nicola Sturgeon has asked Boris Johnson to convene a Cobra this weekend, she said, as she warned of "hard but necessary decisions" to be made in the coming days

The Prime Minister has not held one for several months, although ministers are holding "daily meetings" on the pandemic, his spokesman said earlier today.

"This weekend will be critical in the assessment" of what to do next, the First Minister said. "Sage met yesterday, I have chaired meeting of senior officials and advisers and discussions across the four nations will, I hope, take place in the coming days."

"Today I want to give the nation advance notice that the coming days are likely to see some hard but necessary decisions. If we want to avoid another full scale lockdown, doing nothing almost certainly isn't an option," Ms Sturgeon said.

"Over this weekend please rigorously follow all of the current rules and advice," she added.

11:33 AM

UK facing risk of coronavirus 'getting out of our grip again', Nicola Sturgeon warns

The coronavirus "could get out of our grip again" Nicola Sturgeon has warned.

She pointed to rising rates and fatalities in Europe, saying the Government's task was "to interrupt that and we don't end up where they are now". So far it hasn't happened, but it "ultimately comes down to all of us", the First Minister said.

"In broad terms we might be at an earlier stage on a similar path to that taken by France," she said, noting the country was roughly where we are four weeks ago.

"We are facing the risk again of exponential growth in Covid."

Keeping schools open was a priority, she added, as she urged people to follow the advice, work from home, avoid non-essential travel and stick to the rule of six.

11:26 AM

Coronavirus cases rising 'fast' in the North of England, warns Matt Hancock

The Health Secretary has urged people living in Lancashire, Merseyside, West Yorkshire, Warrington, Halton and Wolverhampton to abide by the new restrictions, announced just moments ago.

Matt Hancock said: "We are seeing cases of coronavirus rise fast... Local leaders in these areas have asked for stronger restrictions to be put in place to protect local people, and we are acting decisively to support them.

"I know these restrictions will make every-day life harder for many, but I know that residents will work together and respect the rules so we can reduce rates of transmission.

"I urge local people to isolate and get a test if you have symptoms, follow the advice of NHS Test and Trace, and always remember 'hands, face, space'. By sticking to these steps, we will get through this together."

11:17 AM

Government confirms new lockdowns for North West, Midlands and West Yorkshire

The Government has confirmed local lockdown restrictions will be enforced across parts of the North West, Midlands and West Yorkshire to "curb rising infection rates".

It comes as official data "shows the number of infections has increased in recent weeks", the Office for National Statistics said.

An estimated 59,800 people in private households in England had Covid-19 between September 4 and 10, equivalent to around 0.11 per cent of the population, or one in 900 individuals. It represents an increase on the previous estimate of 0.07 per cent for August 30 to September 5.

There has been "clear evidence of an increase in the number of people testing positive for Covid-19 aged two to 11 years, 17 to 24 years and 25 to 34 years".

There is also evidence of higher infection rates in north-west England and in London.

It is likely that infection rates in all other regions have also increased, except in south-west England and the West Midlands, the ONS added.

11:07 AM

Health minister heard swearing on Lords debate

A health minister could be heard swearing in the House of Lords after suffering technology problems during a Covid-19 debate.

Lord Bethell mumbled "oh for f***'s sake" when his second attempt to deliver a speech on coronavirus regulations was disrupted.He was speaking from home but his initial attempt was disrupted after a few minutes.

The House adjourned for five minutes to see if the technological problems could be resolved but the minister did not fare better on his second attempt.

His final words to the chamber were: "May I say something about local restrictions.

"Over the summer recess we have combined tightening restrictions in areas with outbreaks with the easing of business restrictions, oh for f***'s sake."

At this point, Lord Bethell cut out and Tory whip Baroness Penn completed his speech.

Not sure how Hansard is going to deal with this one  pic.twitter.com/alzPS1IKRG  Esther Webber (@estwebber) September 18, 2020

11:00 AM

Watch again: Matt Hancock says national coronavirus measures are a 'last resort'

This morning Matt Hancock conceded that a short-term "circuit break" set of national restrictions could be imposed in October, if people do not start following the rules with greater adherence.

The Health Secretary however stressed that a full-blown lockdown was the "last resort".

10:50 AM

Liam Fox through to next round in race to become WTO boss

Former trade secretary Liam Fox has made it through to the second round of the race to become the next director general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Liz Truss, his successor at the Department for International Trade, on Friday announced that Dr Fox, the UK's nominee for the top job, has successfully navigated the first round of voting among the 164 WTO members.

The trade body is currently in the process of electing a replacement for outgoing boss Roberto Azevedo.

Trade Secretary Ms Truss said: "I'm delighted to see Dr Fox through to the second round. The world needs a WTO director general that will stand up for free trade and fight protectionism.

"Business as usual will not work. We need someone with political skill who can build consensus, get things done, and drive forward the urgent reform that is needed."

Liam Fox is seeking to become the next director general of the WHO - AFP

10:41 AM

London's NYE fireworks cancelled over coronavirus, says Sadiq Khan

London's annual New Year's Eve fireworks display will not take place this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, Sadiq Khan has confirmed.

The mayor said instead that he was working on doing something that "people can enjoy in the comfort and safety of their living rooms on TV".

Mr Khan told LBC radio: "We simply can't afford to have the numbers of people who congregate on New Year's Eve, congregating."

The alternative arrangements had not been finalised, but "as soon as we've managed to bottom that out, I'll be letting Londoners know", he added.

"But we can't afford to lose that slot ... because New Year's Eve is a really great opportunity for the rest of the world to see how wonderful our city is," said Mr Khan. "Particularly during a recession, we need to continue investment in our city and people coming to London."

No fireworks display for this year's NYE - Reuters

10:35 AM

Have your say on: The chances of a October half-term lockdown

Matt Hancock had a sobering warning for the country this morning, telling the public the increase in coronavirus transmission is " deadly serious".

The Health Secretary said it was "a big moment", adding: "These are very serious times... people need to follow the rule of six, full stop."

But do you think following the rules - social distancing, rule of six and local lockdowns where they are in place - will be enough to prevent a lockdown during October half term? Could it be the short-term "circuit break"? Or is it the start of an inevitable longer-term tightening of restrictions?

Have your say in the poll below.

10:30 AM

Just a third of adults are routinely asked to give details at indoor establishments, says ONS

Only a third of UK adults visiting indoor places such as restaurants or hairdressers are being routinely asked to provide personal details for Test and Trace purposes, new data has shown.

A report from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that 31 per cent of adults in England said that they were always asked for their information, but over a quarter (27 per cent) were never asked.

The survey of 1,130 adults across the UK, conducted between September 9-13, asked people how often they had been asked for their details when visiting places outside their homes in the past seven days.

Figures varied across different countries in the UK, with 45 per cent of adults in Wales reporting being always asked for details and 66 per cent in Scotland.

In Wales, 23 per cent of those surveyed said they had never been asked and in Scotland the figure was 12 per cent.

10:18 AM

Labour would support second lockdown for October half-term, says shadow health secretary

Labour would "understand" the need for further restrictions being imposed on the country, but the party wants an overhaul of the Test and Trace system.

Jon Ashworth, shadow health secretary, told Sky News that outsourcing the system to Serco and G4S was not working.

Instead more should be made of local groups, he added.

And if people are asked to self-isolate "we need a system that properly supports people as well", he added.

There were "fundamental" points that Labour disagreed with the Government on, but if it comes to reimposing national restrictions, "we do support them in that," Mr Ashworth said.

"With a heavy heart," he added, noting the reasons restrictions were being imposed was because of Test and Trace failings.

10:16 AM

Government is 'losing control of the virus', Labour claims

The UK's testing system is "broken" and the Government is "losing control of the virus", Labour has said.

Jon Ashworth, shadow health secretary, told Sky News he was deeply concerned about the implications of being "on the cusp of a deadly second spike".

Labour had told the Government "months ago" to fix the testing regime and develop better advice, he noted, but sufficient work had not been carried out.

"We all tear our hair out... us MPs have all got constituents who have tried to book tests and been told to travel for miles.... and when the Government say people only have to travel six or seven miles, that is because they only count people who actually take the journeys," he added.

"It is clearly a mess.. the Government should have expected these increased demands."

10:12 AM

Home Office has 'frighteningly little grasp' of immigration policies, MPs claim

The Home Office has "frighteningly little grasp" of its immigration policies, a group of cross-party MPs has said.

The Public Accounts Committee, chaired by Labour MP Meg Hillier, has published a damning report today claiming the department was not making policy decisions based on evidence, but rather "anecdote, assumption and prejudice".

The Home Office still does not know the size of the illegal population in the UK or "what harm" that causes the country. It had "no answer" to questions that official estimates had been exaggerated by unofficial sources, despite fears this could inflame hostility towards immigrants.

Ms Hillier said: "The Home Office has frighteningly little grasp of the impact of its activities in managing immigration. It shows no inclination to learn from its numerous mistakes across a swathe of immigration activities  even when it fully accepts that it has made serious errors."

The committee has ordered " a detailed plan, with set priorities and deadlines" to overhaul the department in six months.

Meg Hillier - PA

09:57 AM

Which areas of the UK are seeing the highest rate of infections?

Matt Hancock this morning confirmed that coronavirus cases were doubling every eight days - some way off where we were during the peak this spring, but enough to raise serious concerns about the second wave.

Find out which areas are seeing the highest rates in the interactive graphic below.

09:53 AM

Government has 'failed children' as 94pc of schools confirm pupil absences already this term

Children at 94 per cent of schools have already had to stay at home due to suspected or confirmed cases of Covid-19 so far this term, while 78 per cent have staff who have had to self-isolate, school leaders union NAHT has claimed.

Of those schools who have had to send pupils home, 70 per cent have sent home individual pupils only, while seven per cent have had to send home whole classes and five per cent an entire year group.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of NAHT, last week wrote to the Prime Minister over the lack of tests.

Today he said: "We are hearing the same thing repeatedly from our members across the country  chaos is being caused by the inability of staff and families to successfully get tested when they display symptoms. This means schools are struggling with staffing, have children missing school, and ultimately that childrens education is being needlessly disrupted."

He added: The Government has failed schools and children. It is unacceptable for this to happen when schools have put so much effort into getting their part of the plan right, and when pupils have had to endure so much uncertainty and disruption already.

09:46 AM

Government's social care plan 'does not give confidence', National Care Forum warns

The Government's winter social care plan "does not give confidence" that the sector will be able to ride out the coming second wave, the National Care Forum (NCF) has warned.

Matt Hancock unveiled the details of the plan, which includes free PPE in care homes and a new data dashboard to monitor infections, this morning. Care home staff will be prevented from working in multiple premises, with a 546 million fund to provide full wages.

Executive director Vic Rayner said it was positive that the Government had listened to some concerns, other "essential issues" such as worker pay had gone unaddressed.

"While we support effective oversight and regulation, the headlines suggest yet more strong action and enforcement in an already tightly regulated and monitored sector. This does not give confidence at a time when we can only deliver on our ultimate shared objective around the provision of quality care in the midst of a pandemic in winter by working together in partnership."

09:37 AM

Two week 'circuit break' unlikely to bring down rates if schools and universities stay open, expert claims

A two-week "circuit break" is unlikely to be sufficiently long to bring coronavirus rates down and resolve the chaos of NHS Test and Trace, the Government has been warned.

Ministers are considering a short-term nationwide lockdown of parts of the economy, while protecting schools, in a bid to dampen the second wave.

But Prof Rowland Kao, Professor of Veterinary Epidemiology and Data Science, University of Edinburgh, said:While a two week lockdown will undoubtedly reduce the infection rate, the danger is that it is uncertain whether something less than the total lockdown of March will have enough of an impact to actually reduce R below one under the current circumstances  e.g. if schools and universities are allowed to continue to operate with in-person contact.

If it does not, the pressures on Test and Trace and the risks to the vulnerable including those in hospitals, will only continue to increase. Crucially, two weeks will be insufficient time to fully assess the impact of those restrictions. Even if R drops below one, cases will continue at similar levels for some time.

"Thus, for the slowing down effect of the circuit break to be helpful, this would require that there be enough time for the current Test and Trace difficulties to be resolved. Two weeks is unlikely to be enough for this.

09:33 AM

Journalists claim they were 'misled' over lockdown proposals

Today's lobby briefing with Number 10 is shaping up to be a fairly bruising among, amid accusations that journalists were misled yesterday.

Yesterday the spokesman was asked it Chris Whitty had at any point recommended a two-week national lockdown, to which he responded "specifically on that point... we don't recognise that at all".

He was then asked if he could rule out whether it had been said, to which the spokesman said "yes".

However today's reports, and Matt Hancock's responses, make it clear that the circuit breaker had been discussed by the time he was asked, albeit with restrictions not going as far as the full lockdown that was imposed in March.

Either way, journalists are asking privately and publicly if they haven't been misled.

I'll fill you in on what happens after the midday briefing today.

No 10 said this morning when asked if scientists were advising PM to have a two week national lockdown: We dont recognise that at all.



When asked if he could rule it out, spox said: Yes.



Surely we werent misled? https://t.co/ISNihHVSRG  Pippa Crerar (@PippaCrerar) September 17, 2020

09:15 AM

Internal Market Bill rebel Geoffrey Cox posts pointed clip about the importance of law

Former attorney general Geoffrey Cox has just posted a pointed clip of the 1966 classic film A Man for All Seasons, about Sir Thomas More fighting Henry VIII's efforts to get an annulment for his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, from the Pope.

The clip includes the line: Id give the devil the benefit of law for my own safetys sake."

Although the MP for Torridge and West Devon has gone quiet since the compromise struck between Boris Johnson and the rebels on the Internal Market Bill earlier this week, it seems he might still have serious misgivings.

08:57 AM

When is a national lockdown not a national lockdown?

There is plenty of concern about the chances of a October half-term lockdown - but for many in the country, those restrictions are already here.

Millions of people in the North East have this morning woken up to tighter restrictions, putting the total number of people in some form of lockdown in Britain above 10 million.

But as Bob points out in today's cartoon, the lines are blurring between local restrictions and Boris Johnson's feared "disastrous" national lockdown.

Today's Bob cartoon

08:47 AM

Boris Johnson 'enormously vigorous', says Matt Hancock

Matt Hancock said that Boris Johnson remained "enormously vigorous" despite his brush with coronavirus, and that the seriousness of the decisions taken by the Government should not be overestimated.

Responding to questions on Times Radio about Boris Johnson's fitness to run the country, having recently appeared to be "exhausted and defeated", the Health Secretary said: "Yes of course absolutely, (he's) enormously vigorous and I think it's important to recognise that this is a really big moment.

"The seriousness of the decisions we take can't be overestimated and we're making judgments about how to protect the health of the nation and how to save tens of thousands of lives whilst balancing that with the enormous social and economic and health impacts of the measures that we have to take.

"These are huge decisions and very weighty ones and so it's hugely understandable that the people making them should be taking them extremely seriously."

Boris Johnson 'enormously vigorous', says Matt Hancock - Reuters

08:44 AM

Evidence stacks up of testing chaos as Matt Hancock tries to insist tests are available everywhere

Matt Hancock this morning insisted tests are available in every part of the country and that people should not believe whats in the newspapers.

However there is plenty of evidence available to prove the system is chaotic.

As well as the video taken outside a London testing centre (see 8:11am), one journalist yesterday posted a picture of what she said was a two-mile queue outside the Sunderland site.

The picture below, in Watford, Hertfordshire, shows the problems are indeed all around the country.

n NHS worker gestures at the Covid-19 testing centre outside Watford General Hospital in Hertfordshire

08:29 AM

Have your say on: The chances of a October half-term lockdown

Matt Hancock had a sobering warning for the country this morning, telling the public the increase in coronavirus transmission is " deadly serious".

The Health Secretary said it was "a big moment", adding: "These are very serious times... people need to follow the rule of six, full stop."

But do you think following the rules - social distancing, rule of six and local lockdowns where they are in place - will be enough to prevent a lockdown during October half term? Could it be the short-term "circuit break"? Or is it the start of an inevitable longer-term tightening of restrictions?

Have your say in the poll below.

08:12 AM

Matt Hancock insists the Government has a strategy for dealing with second wave

Matt Hancock has insisted the Government has a strategy for dealing with the second wave of coronavirus, despite criticism that the response has been chaotic.

Yesterday Dido Harding told MPs that the modelling on which test capacity was based had not foreseen the spike in demand for tests that coincided with children going back to schools.

Labour has accused the Government of "incompetence".

But asked if the Government was following a strategy, this morning the Health Secretary said: "The strategy is to keep the virus down as much as is possible whilst protecting education and the economy."

He told Radio 4's Today programme: "And doing everything we possibly can for the cavalry that's on the horizon of the vaccine and mass testing, and the treatments that, frankly, this country has done more than any other around the world to develop."

08:03 AM

People must not follow 'natural' feelings on coronavirus, Matt Hancock says

The Health Secretary has warned people not to trust "natural" feelings about how they might catch coronavirus, warning they "aren't helpful".

Matt Hancock told the Today programme there were two misconceptions that meant the virus was spreading again, despite Government warnings.

"One is that people feel really naturally that they are more likely to catch this from a stranger, from somebody they don't know, but, actually, most people catch it from somebody they know, and know well," he said.

"And, the second thing is that if you have been in close contact with somebody who has tested positive you need to self-isolate for two weeks.

"And, it doesn't matter whether you get a test result in that time because the virus incubates, you can't then be released from that self-isolation.

"So, the self-isolation rules are so important as part of this and it is vital that people follow them."

07:47 AM

Maternity ward mistakes costing NHS 1bn a year, Jeremy Hunt claims

Mistakes made on maternity wards are setting the NHS back almost 1bn each year in lawsuits, Jeremy Hunt has said.

The former health secretary claims nearly twice as much is being spent on lawsuits after poor care for mothers and babies as the total pay of labour doctors in hospitals in England.

Using a freedom of information request, Mr Hunt obtained figures that show 952m was paid in compensation and litigation related to maternity services in 2018/19.

Mr Hunt wrote in the Daily Mail that "something has gone badly wrong" when, by comparison, obstetricians and gynaecologists working in the NHS in England earned a total of 586m during the same period.

Jeremy Hunt - PA

07:32 AM

Matt Hancock defends team behind modelling that led to shortfall in test capacity

Matt Hancock has defended the modelling that test capacity has been based on, saying it was "very, very hard to predict a behavioural demand" from people seeking tests without symptoms.

Yesterday Dido Harding told MPs that no one had foreseen the extent to which demand would go up this month.

The Health Secretary said capacity had been built faster than almost any other country, but people should only come forward when they have symptoms.

"There are tests in every part of the country, and if you have symptoms come forward - if you don't, don't. "

But he accepted that people weren't "carping", as suggested by Jacob Rees-Mogg yesterday.

If you missed it, here is what the Leader of the Commons said.

07:28 AM

Health Secretary: I refused to pull tests from care homes to plug gap in demand

Asked about Jacob Rees-Mogg's description of people "carping", Matt Hancock said "I totally understand people's frustration" about not being able to get a test.

But he stressed it was important that tests are used for those who need them, rather than people using them to "free" themselves from self-isolation.

The Health Secretary added: "Prioritisation is so important... we saw that demand was shooting up, we could have reduced the 100,000 test a day sent to social care that would have taken a load of noise out the system. But I refused to do that and the Prime Minister actively backed this decision, because that is where tests are needed more than anywhere."

Asked about Dido Harding's comments last week, suggesting that no one had anticipated the spike prompted by schools reopening, Mr Hancock told Radio 4's Today programme: "Of course we knew demand was going to go up, the challenge has been it has gone up incredibly high including among people who do not have symptoms, who are not eligible for a test... it has gone through the roof."

The people who are building test capacity are "on track", he added.

07:22 AM

'This is deadly serious', says Matt Hancock

Future circuit breaking rules will follow "the shape of interventions we have put in place" in local lockdowns, Matt Hancock has said.

This will focus on socialising "because that is primarily where this virus spreads," he says. People will be told they "should not socialise with people outside the household, ie people you don't live with", the Health Secretary told the Today programme.

Workplaces and schools have Covid-secure rules, making them safer, he added. There are also "very very stringent Covid-secure rules for universities, but the challenge with universities going back is ensuring students also follow social distancing rules when they are off campus."

Asked if people should report rule-breaking to the police, Mr Hancock said: "We have all got to follow the rules - it is deadly serious.

"The results of not doing will be this goes more out of control and we have to take more stringent rules, which have a bigger economic impact and also that we have more people catching the virus, more people going in hospital and I fear more people will die."

"These are very serious times... people need to follow the rule of six full stop."

07:17 AM

Hospitality will be closed before schools and workplaces, says Matt Hancock

Hospitality will be closed before schools and workplaces, the Health Secretary has said, noting that the "vast majority"of transmission takes place in "social settings".

"This is a big moment for the country," Matt Hancock said. "The number of cases are doubling every eight days... we are now starting to see the effect in the hospitals," he told Today programme.

But he stressed "we know far, far more about this virus now than we did six months ago", including how it is transmitted, and that the "vast majority" of transmission happens in social settings, both hospitality and in people's homes.

Protecting work and schools "can be done alongside restrictions of our social lives," he added. Asked if those woule be closed, he said the Government wanted to avoid it, but "I have learned over the last nine months not to rule anything out, however it is not the proposal on the table".

07:11 AM

Watch: London test centre in 'absolute pandemonium'

Chaos at testing centres continued on Thursday as Baroness Harding, the head of NHS Test and Trace, admitted that up to one million people a day are applying for 230,000 available tests.

The former Talk Talk boss admitted that tests had been diverted from London to areas where there was greater need, however that has caused "absolute pandemonium" in at least one test site in the capital, according to a patient who said he was turned away.

See the video below

07:06 AM

Labour blames Government 'incompetence' for rising fears of second lockdown

Government "incompetence" is to blame for the threat of a second national lockdown, Labour has said.

Jonathan Ashworth shadow health secretary, said: Labour warned months ago that unless the Government spent the summer fixing the testing regime then we would face a bleak winter.

The Government ignored that advice, the testing regime is collapsing and so it is not surprising national restrictions are back on the table.

The Conservatives incompetence is holding Britain back and damaging the national effort to stop the spread of this virus.

Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth - PA

07:02 AM

Follow the rules or risk another national lockdown, says Matt Hancock

It is "absolutely critical" that people follow the basic rules if the UK is to avoid another nationwide lockdown, Matt Hancock has said.

Some 10m people in the North of the country are coming under new restrictions just short of a full lockdown today, in the hope of bringing cases down.

"We have seen an acceleration in the number of cases over the last couple of weeks and we've also sadly seen that the number of people hospitalised with coronavirus is doubling about every eight days, so we do need to take action," the Health Secretary told BBC Breakfast.

"It is absolutely critical that people follow these rules, follow the rule of six, follow local restrictions if you have them in your area.

"If we do all these things then we can avoid having to take serious further measures.

"A further national lockdown is the last line of defence and the first line of defence is all of us doing 'hands face and space' and the basics.

"We all know the rules now and we know the basics, the rule of six is super simple to make it as easy as possible to follow and that's what we've all got to do to try to get through this and get this back under control."

06:59 AM

Matt Hancock defends Test and Trace programme

Matt Hancock has insisted the NHS Test and Trace system is "working very well", despite boss Dido Harding admitting several failings with the programme yesterday.

Baroness Harding told MPs there were "big gaps" in contact tracing because it was impossible to trace all the unknown contacts without an app, saying demand for tests was three-to-four times capacity because of a spike in demand that no one had foreseen, despite it coinciding with children returning to schools and their parents going back to work.

This morning, the Health Secretary said: "The contact tracing system, which is working very well, that is the second line of defence.

"After that, these local lockdowns.

"And the last line of defence is for national action.

"And, I don't want to see that. But we will do whatever is necessary to keep people safe in a very difficult pandemic."

06:49 AM

Matt Hancock: I want to avoid a national lockdown

Matt Hancock has stressed he hopes the rule of six and local lockdowns will be sufficient to avoid a national lockdown.

Bringing in another national lockdown would be "the last line of defence", the Heath Secretary has said.

Asked about the possibility of a two-week imposition of national restrictions to deal with the coronavirus outbreak, Mr Hancock told Sky News: "A national lockdown is the last line of defence and we want to use local action."

He added: "I want to avoid a national lockdown."

06:45 AM

Raab urges US politicians to turn fire on Brussels over Brexit talks

Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary, has urged US politicians to pressure Brussels into publicly ruling out a hard border on the island of Ireland, after the UK's own position was criticised by Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.

On the third day of a visit to Washington DC that risked being overshadowed by the very public warnings from Democrats over Brexit talks, Mr Raab used a CNN interview to try to turn the spotlight onto the European Union.

I think it would be helpful for all those concerned about this to elicit the same unilateral, absolute commitment not to require any infrastructure at the border between the North and the South. So far its actually only the UK that has said that, Mr Raab said.

He added: I think actually if the EU did come out and make the same commitment it would also help the negotiations. So I hope our American colleagues will reinforce that point on both sides.
Five African-Americans in Hamilton County were hung and/or shot during the lynch law era in the South during the post-Civil War days. One exception to this deplorable situation was during the administration of Hamilton County Sheriff John Skillern in 1892.

In May 1892, Frank Weims, a black, attempted to sexually assault a white woman in a wooded area in Hill City (North Chattanooga). Weims was caught immediately and brought to the Hamilton County Jail. Indignation was high, reflecting the bitter social feelings through the South during this time. Sheriff Skillern, recognizing the potential danger of a mob to attempt to kill the prisoner, immediately sent the prisoner out of town. As anticipated that night, a riotous crowd stormed the jail only to learn that the prisoner was not there. Two deputies, jailer Holt and deputy Frank Selcer, acting pursuant to Sheriff Skillerns orders, began a memorable journey transporting Weims from one jail to another through the state.

Their job was made difficult by the practice of telegraph operators, contrary to company rules, wiring ahead to Chattanooga rioters and those along the route being informed as to their movements. At many train stations troublemakers demanded that the officers turn the prisoner over to them for lynching accompanied by threats against the law officers. Since the officers could not take the prisoner out of Tennessee they found many jails in the state closed to them.

A local newspaper in Middle Tennessee reported that the jails had standing room only cards on the front of the jail and that the City of Memphis shook at even at the suggestion that Weims be brought to the Bluff City. The prisoner was incarcerated in Nashville for a while and several officers were wounded in a confrontation with a mob. It took a subterfuge of giving Weims a market basket with instructions to walk up the street smoking a cigarette in a casual manner surrounded by three officers guarding him to escape the crowd.

Getting back to Chattanooga the two lawmen left for East Tennessee but were met by a howling and well organized mob at every turn. Being forewarned that an angry crowd awaited them at the Wauhatchie station, they threw Weims off the train and then jumped after him. After reaching Chattanooga they hurriedly left on a train bound for Knoxville but, after finding no room in the jail there, they went on to Morristown.

In the meantime the conditions had gotten worse in Chattanooga. An armed mob had demanded that they be allowed to check the jail to see if the prisoner was there. Sheriff Skillern requested that a committee of citizens perform such task and then persuaded the crowd to disperse. This, however, did not totally appease the angry group. A public meeting was called for at the courthouse on May 26 to reverse the apparent order of the day by putting the law above the wild and wooly mob.

The meeting was presided over by the Reverend T.H. McCallie who addressed those assembled on the harm that lawlessness could bring the community. After much debate a list of resolutions endorsing law and order were approved and adopted by those assembled. The citizens also applauded Sheriff Skillern and his staff for the way they had handled the case so far.

The most explosive potential still remained. Weims had to be brought for trial. Sheriff Skillern met the train in broad daylight at the depot with 75 trusted, determined, well-armed citizens. They marched up the middle of the street with the prisoner who would later enter a plea to a charge of assault with intent to commit rape and received a sentence of 25 years.

They once again called on the community for help and they responded in assisting the Sheriff to get Weims to the state penitentiary as armed guards to prevent any violence or unlawful demonstration. Skillern and his deputies as well as Judge John A. Moon, who presided over Weims trial, were congratulated for the manner in which the unsavory incident was handled. Hamilton County received accolades all across Tennessee for its fervent desire and strenuous effort to follow the law.

Unfortunately, within a year (1893) the community failed to maintain this standard of conduct and returned to the use of the lynch law and the first hanging of a young black (Alfred Blount) was held on the Walnut Street Bridge for the assault of an elderly woman in her home in downtown Chattanooga.

After his second term of office expired in 1894, Sheriff Skillern moved to Idaho where he raised sheep and became the biggest wool producer in the state.

* * *

Jerry Summers



(If you have additional information about one of Mr. Summers' articles or have suggestions or ideas about a future Chattanooga area historical piece, please contact Mr. Summers at jsummers@summersfirm.com
A former tradie who would get drunk on his lunch breaks before going and robbing banks in disguises such as fake mustaches and sunglasses has been sentenced.

Ross Oliver McCarty, 71, got away with his crimes for nearly 40 years before the law caught up with him courtesy of fingerprints which linked him to the crime scenes.

After pleading guilty to four bank robberies across Sydney in 1977 and 1978 McCarty was this week sentenced to at least one year and nine months behind bars.

Ross Oliver McCarty leaves the Downing Centre District Court in Sydney on Thursday, October 17, 2019 after a previous court appearance

Ross McCarty's wife declined to speak to reporters when she left court in October 2019

The court heard he would write notes on withdrawal slips claiming to have a gun in a bag, which was actually a water pistol, and demanding cash of up to $5,000.

McCarty, who used the money to fund a gambling problem, had a number of disguises up his sleeve including a terry-towelling hat and a French beret that allowed him to fool witnesses and rudimentary CCTV.

'This is a hold up, gun in bag. $2000 in 50s please, no tricks,' one of the notes read, according to Newscorp.

McCarty robbed branches of the Commercial Banking Company, Commercial Bank of Australia, National Bank of Australasia, Rural Bank, Bank of New South Wales and ANZ.

The court had heard he made off with a total of more than $11,000 in his heists.

In 2018 police reopened their case on a string of seven robberies in 2018 and with fingerprints left on the withdrawal slips and better forensic technology leading them to McCarty.

'I think just about all of them were after boozy lunches. So I'd get boozed at lunch time and go and do it. Those days were boozy days,' the former flooring tradesman told police.

McCarty, who used the money to fund a gambling problem, had a number of disguises up his sleeve including a terry-towelling hat and a French beret that allowed him to fool witnesses and rudimentary CCTV

Police allege McCarty, who was in his late 20s at the time of the robberies, handed tellers notes that warned he had a gun and demanded they hand over money in small denominations

THE BANK ROBBERIES June 3, 1977: $1,300 from the Commercial Banking Company at Ultimo June 14, 1977: $850 from the Rural Bank in Sydney July 13, 1977: $1,943 from the Commercial Banking Company at Haymarket July 25, 1977: $2,000 from the ANZ in Sydney October 11, 1977: $1,400 from the Commercial Bank of Australia at Chatswood February 20, 1978: $1,400 from the Bank of NSW in Sydney March 7, 1978: $450 from the Bank of NSW in Sydney March 9, 1978: $2,000 from the National Bank of Australasia in Sydney Advertisement

He admitted to the seven robberies plus another that detectives had not linked to him, explaining he had gotten into debt at a number of seedy gambling joints in Sydney.

'I was visiting gambling joints, so I owed money. The reason [for the robberies] was  to cover that. I was blowing everything.'

McCarty was only caught after his fingerprints were taken when he was charged with an unrelated offence in 2010 and later matched to the archived notes found at the crime scenes.

The agreed statement of facts said McCarty was robbing banks because he lost money while gambling.

'I used to lap it up and it kind of snowballed  the more I did the worse I felt about the whole thing and [it] was leading a double life,' he told police, according to agreed facts.

McCarty got a 'really good job' in 1979 and stopped robbing once he gave up gambling.

In December 2019, McCarty plead guilty to four of the crimes with the other four accounted for in his sentencing.

Judge Huggett said although the offences were 'significantly stale' he was intelligent, knew what he was doing and would still need to pay for his crimes, sentencing him to three years and six months.

His wife of 50 years leaned over and hugged him in the dock before he was led away from Downing Centre District Court to begin his sentence.

He will be eligible for parole in 2022.
Why this Seven Springs clip grabbed the attention of 1 million people

The tweet has been seen by more than 1 million people so far. Many commenters asked if the clip was planned or fake.
What was intended to be a debate among friends got ugly the other day; swear words were hurled and voices raised until finally a truce was enforced when our respective spouses intervened. What got this going was a policy announcement by the government. There were those for it, and others against it. For the record, I was against.

With the benefit of hindsight, I can see that the raised voices and name-calling were uncalled-for. I ought to have walked out of the conversation. Instead, I chose to remain engaged in what I thought would be healthy debate.

Why did I make that choice? I think it had something to do with my oft-stated stance in favour of freedom of speech. By staying engaged in a conversation that had spiralled out of control, though, I now feel like I was failing myself and those ideals.

Its true that I consider myself a liberal. Im always light-heartedly quoting Voltaires: I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. Given how often Ive said those words, if I walked out, the opposition argued, I would lose the right to call myself a liberal.

Its the same kind of bait certain news anchors use on television, to great dramatic effect.

How could I do better to avoid the ugliness the next time around? In order to answer that question, I decided to dig a little deeper into the origins of some of our contemporary notions of free speech. Most of them can be traced back to the 19th-century English philosopher John Stuart Mill. He didnt concern himself with what governments did or thought. Instead, he was concerned with how we behave as individuals, in our daily lives. And some of the questions he raised in his book On Liberty, published in 1859, feel more relevant than ever, in our age of fake news, WhatsApp, Facebook and social media.

These can be brutish places where the crassest voices prevail. Here then are some notes from Mill, paraphrased, that I found to be fairly sound for our age.

1. Someones idea may seem controversial today. It may currently be a minority opinion. That doesnt make it any less worthy as an opinion. Leonardo da Vinci and Isaac Newton were both once thought of as insane.

2. It is impossible for any one individual to know the full truth. By listening to everyone, it is possible to capture portions of a truth that may otherwise elude you.

3. Never attack a person  only an idea.

Now that I look back on the ugly argument, I realise that all of Mills prescriptions were violated. Why did this happen? For answers, I turned to Jason Stanley, philosopher and professor at Yale University. Hes pointed out that Mills rules work in an ideal world where you agree to disagree upon a shared set of presuppositions about the world. Even duelling requires agreement about the rules.

In this case, the debate I got drawn into devolved into personal attacks. The werent attacks being mounted against my arguments; rather, they were intended to either deflect (rather than respond) or attack (rather than respond). And so it was noise more than words. I now know what it must be like to be on certain prime-time TV news shows, heckled and trolled rather than talked to. Textbook obfuscation, mangling of the truth, endless whataboutery.

What Id like to know is, how does the other side feel it went, once all the rage has simmered down? There must be some recognition that no argument was made, perhaps even some recognition that no argument could be made for some of the hateful opinions being voiced.

Is that considered a win? Or is the noise such a constant that there isnt really space for free thought?

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BASKERVILLE, Va., Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In a highly offensive move, John Deere has set up its own coalition to represent black farmers, in an apparent effort to sidestep the boycott the National Black Farmers Association (NBFA) launched this week, association president John Boyd declared, in announcing that the 116,000-member group's boycott of Deere will continue.

John Boyd National Black Farmers Association President Calls For Boycott Against John Deere 29th Annual National Black Farmers Association Conference - FREE to ATTEND

After years of discrimination and inequitable treatment by the iconic company, Boyd said the boycott was intended to draw attention to John Deere's unfairness and gain respect and better responsiveness for black farmers. He charged that the company declines to participate in the NBFA's annual conference or display new equipment and parts as it does at other agricultural industry events. After black farmers purchase from Deere, the company responds slowly if at all to calls for service on its equipment and shuts down its tractors by computer connections if owners try to make repairs themselves.

"Announcement in response to the National Black Farmers Association's Call for a a Boycott Against John Deere, a multi-billion dollar global behemoth, that it will create a Black Farm Group to 'preserve heirs' rights in rural communities, while also expanding additional work needed to improve the livelihoods of Black Farmers' is one of the most offensive and egregious corporate missteps I have ever witnessed," Boyd said. "This is the equivalent of being rightly criticized on the facts by groups like the ADL and UnidosUS then creating groups to replace them."

Boyd said the company that rakes in "billions of dollars a year is paying more money to consultants to blow up my phone line than it would cost them to provide inclusion and equality to their agriculture equipment customers who are black. Our boycott will continue and grow stronger."

According to Boyd, Deere has demonstrated its apparent ill will against NBFA leadership by maneuvering around the association to form a group called LEAP, an acronym for "Leadership, Education, Advocacy and Production Systems." It includes such disparate and non-farming member groups as the NAACP, to which Deere has donated in the past, and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, whose only connection to the NBFA complaint is that Marc Howze, an administrative officer of Deere is a board member of the Marshall Fund.

Boyd said the Deere company's claim that it has "supported the National Black Farmers Association through participation in the 2019 annual conference," is false. NBFA members and conference attendees saw no such support, he said. Boyd's statement included an e-mail message from Deere representative Andrez Carberry, the company's Head of Global Talent Supply and Diversity and Inclusion, declining to participate or display any equipment at the 2019 - 29th Annual NBFA Conference held November 1-2, 2019 in Prattville, Alabama, dated October 15, 2019. Andrez wrote: "We could not make it happen for display or personnel."

Update: John Deere reached out to us with the following statement about the National Black Farmers Association and to share this press release announcing a coalition with the National Black Growers Council and the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund to "preserve heirs' rights in rural communities, while also expanding additional work needed to improve the livelihoods of Black farmers": https://www.blackenterprise.com/national-black-farmers-association-calls-for-boycott-of-john-deere/

"The Boycott against John Deere will continue as we ask our NBFA members, African partners and allies to stop buying John Deere tractors, implements, mowers and parts," Boyd said. "We remain 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

https://www.nationalblackfarmersassociation.org/donate

https://www.blackenterprise.com/national-black-farmers-association-calls-for-boycott-of-john-deere/

SOURCE National Black Farmers Association

Related Links

www.blackfarmers.org


An inauguration ceremony is held for No.4 Bridge, newly built on the No.6 Highway in Cambodia, October 20, 1992 (Credit to the author)

By Li Jinyong, commander of Chinas first peacekeeping contingent overseas

From April 1992 to February 1993, I had been the commander of the first Chinese peacekeeping engineering battalion to Cambodia as part of the UN peacekeeping operations. Our mission in Cambodia was the first time for PLA to send completely formed units to participate in UN peacekeeping missions.

After we arrived in Cambodia, we were too swamped by work to be homesick. I remembered that one time, a driver and I drove to Skuon, a town about 100km north of Phnom Penh, to choose a site to build barracks. Days of travel and work exhausted us so badly that we both fell asleep and the car dashed into farmland by the road. Luckily, we didnt get hurt.

As for what we had done during the mission period, recovering the bridge on No.4 Highway was undoubtedly an impressing one. The 220km No.4 Highway was an important passage connecting Sihanoukville Port and Phnom Penh. Due to wars and long years lack of maintenance, the six steel bridges on the broad were almost completely damaged.

We dispatched a 50-member detachment to the construction site in late June 1992 and completed all construction work just within six days. Our high efficiency shocked all the parties, and the miracle that Chinese peacekeeping engineers were able to build a bridge in one day had also been widely spread since then.

However, what I remember most was recovering the No.4 bridge on the No.6 Highway. The road was also an important passage connecting Phnom Penh and Kampong Thom Province in central Cambodia, and the No.4 bridge was located about 20km north of Skuon.

On October 14, 1992, I was informed by our forward command in Skuon that an intense battle happened near the bridge early that morning, and the militants bombed the bridge. I immediately ordered all troops in Skuon to retreat into the barracks until further noticed. On the afternoon that day, I received order from the Transitional Authoritys commander to recover the bridge as soon as possible.

On the morning of October 17, something dangerous happened. Our soldiers found a lot of explosives in the abutment while clearing the construction site. Deputy combat chief Huang Jingzhong and commander of the second squadron Wang Ruijun volunteered to clear the explosives. They removed 250kg TNT, 26 primers, and 8m detonating fuse after working for over an hour. The construction site was safe again.

When equipment and supplies were shipped to the site at noon on October 19, we began assembling the bridge immediately and got the job done the next morning. Seeing the new steel-framed bridge, the engineering director of the UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia kept exclaiming miracle and called Chinese peacekeeping engineers bravo.

For more than 300 days, our battalion carried out peacekeeping missions in Cambodia during which we overcame all kinds of difficulties and completed all tasks with flying colors. We recovered over 320km road and built 23 bridges, ensuring smooth transportation in the Sihanoukville Port-Phnom Penh-Kampong Thom Province section, which was extensively applauded by the Cambodian people, UN Transitional Authority, and the international community. As Yasushi Akashi, former Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, has said, the UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia wouldnt have completed its mission without Chinese peacekeeping engineers.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 18)  Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Teddy Boy Locsin, Jr. on Friday rejected calls for the Philippine government to seek expanded search and rescue operations for the 36 Filipino seafarers who went missing off the coast of Japan early this month.

The Japanese government and ambassador and I are on this and Japan did not cease its search that Saturday but had in fact continued it against protocol, Locsin said on Twitter.

He was responding to Senator Risa Hontiveros letter urging the Department of Foreign Affairs to ask Japan to continue and bolster the search.

[A]lso, if possible, to allow other countries such as the Philippines, Australia, and New Zealand to join in the search as well, Hontiveros said in her Sept. 16 letter received by the department on Thursday.

Locsin said he cannot interfere with the affairs of the Japanese government.

I refuse to ask other Asian powers to join in the search because that is an attack on the sovereignty of Japan, he said.

Forty-three crew members were onboard the Panamanian-flagged cargo vessel Gulf Livestock 1 when it capsized off Japan on Sept. 2, launching rescue operations. They are composed of 39 Filipinos, two New Zealanders and two Australians.

Only three Filipinos have been found to date. One of them died with his remains flown home on Thursday.

The Philippines DFA announced on Sept. 10 that the Japanese Coast Guard has decided to transition from full-time search operations to its usual patrol arrangements after days of no progress. Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Koji Haneda clarified that authorities would continue their search in hopes of locating the other seafarers.

Their families of the missing have appealed to the Philippine government as well as the owning company and manning agency of Gulf Livestock 1 to coordinate with other countries to intensify the search.

Gulf Navigation Holdings and LMA Korpil later released a joint statement saying they have urged the Japanese Coast Guard as well as states bordering the South China Sea to widen the search.

The Philippine Coast Guard on Thursday said there were initial discussions to send BRP Gabriela Silang to help in the search. But the Coast Guard has reservations, its spokesperson Commodore Armand Balilo told reporters, noting that their Japanese counterparts are already "very capable."
A more recent publication of this set of statistics is available. Latest publication: International trade in goods and services 2021, 3rd quarter

Published: 18 September 2020

International trade contracted clearly in the second quarter of 2020

In the second quarter of 2020, the combined exports of goods and services decreased by 18 per cent relative to the corresponding quarter of the previous year. International trade, or exports and imports, fell in both goods and services. Twenty-eight per cent less services were exported and 22 per cent less services were imported than in the previous year. The relative decrease in international trade was smallest in goods exports, which went down by 12 per cent. Imports of goods, in turn, fell by 20 per cent. These data derive from Statistics Finland's statistics on international trade in goods and services, which are part of balance of payments .

Figure 1. Imports and exports of services quarterly (Corrected on 10 March 2021)

Exports of services and goods decreased in total by slightly over EUR four billion compared with the second quarter of the previous year. In the second quarter of 2019, goods amounting to EUR 15.8 billion and services amounting to EUR 7.9 billion were exported from Finland, but in the corresponding quarter of 2020, the value of goods exports was EUR 13.8 billion and that of service exports EUR 5.7 billion. Thus, exports of goods diminished by 12 per cent and exports of services by 28 per cent. In terms of service exports, especially exports of travel and transport services developed weakly and the value of these two items fell by a total of EUR 1.3 billion. The ratio of the contraction of exports of travel and transport to the fall in total service exports was thus as much as 59 per cent.

Exports of travel and transport services fell further

Travel to Finland and from Finland abroad has decreased clearly. Travel to Finland, which is recorded as travel exports, was 87 per cent lower in the second quarter of 2020 than one year earlier. Travel from Finland abroad, or imports of travel, fell by 93 per cent, in turn. In the second quarter of 2019, income from exports of travel amounted to EUR 0.7 billion, while the value of imports of travel was EUR 1.3 billion. In the second quarter of 2020, the value of both exports and imports of travel was slightly under EUR 0.1 billion. The fall in service exports during the first quarter of 2020 was also due to the weak development in travel and transport services, and the same trend continued even stronger in the past quarter.

International trade in transport services depends on the state of international trade in both travel and goods, which was not favourable. The value of exports of transport services was EUR 1.1 billion in the second quarter of 2019, but in the past quarter it had fallen to EUR 0.5 billion. Transport exports thus declined by 59 per cent. Imports of transport services also decreased clearly from the previous year.

Figure 2. Exports of services by service item

Service exports did not grow significantly in any item

In other service items, exports contracted most in charges for the use of intellectual property. Their total value in the second quarter of 2019 was EUR 1.1 billion and the fall from this level was around EUR 0.5 billion. Although the value of the item decreased by as much as 43 per cent, its level has not changed as much compared to the other quarters of 2019. A significant decrease was also recorded in the exports of telecommunications, computer and information services (ICT), which decreased by EUR 0.2 billion. However, exports of ICT continued to be the largest item in service exports valued at EUR 2.5 billion. In addition, the value of exports of manufacturing services decreased by EUR 0.2 billion from its level of EUR 0.5 billion one year ago, which corresponds to a contraction of around one third.

The year 2019 was a period of growth especially for exports of ICT services, but in the past quarter the exports of that and other service items did not grow relative to the year before, apart from exports of technical, trade-related and other business services. However, even in this service item the growth amounted to only EUR 45 million.

Imports of services also fell in the second quarter of 2020 and it is explained, as in exports, by the steep decline in travel and transport. However, imports of certain service items increased compared to the second quarter of 2019. Especially imports of ICT services grew by EUR 101 million or 10 per cent. In addition, charges for the use of intellectual property and imports of construction and manufacturing services increased slightly. By contrast, imports of other business services decreased by EUR 175 million, i.e. by more than the increase in other service items taken together. In particular, imports of research and development services belonging to this item decreased by EUR 133 million.

Exports to Europe decreased but the continent was still the biggest market area

The value of exports to Europe contracted by EUR 3.3 billion from the respective quarter of the year before. Because the value of total exports decreased by EUR 4.2 billion, the ratio of the drop in European exports to the drop in all exports was as high as 79 per cent. In the past quarter, goods and services for a total of EUR 12.9 billion were exported to Europe, while the corresponding figure last year was EUR 16.2 billion.

The fall in exports was great especially concerning Sweden and Germany. Exports to Sweden fell by EUR 0.4 billion from the level of EUR 3.0 billion one year ago and exports to Germany by EUR 0.5 billion from the level of EUR 2.1 billion. Exports to other European countries also decreased. The values of exports to both the United Kingdom and Russia were EUR 1.1 billion in the second quarter of 2019 and for both countries the drop in exports was of the same size, that is, EUR 0.3 billion.

Exports of services to Germany decreased by 41 per cent, or relatively more than exports of goods, which went down by 16 per cent. Measured in relative terms, service exports to Europe in general went down by 32 per cent from the quarter one year ago, or more than goods exports, where the corresponding contraction was 15 per cent. Here, too, there were country-specific differences, because concerning Sweden and the United Kingdom, for example, the relative decrease in exports of services and goods was similar.

Europe's share of Finland's exports was 66 per cent and it did not significantly decrease from the year before. Exports to America went down by EUR 0.7 billion, which is due to the contraction of exports to the United States by one third from one year ago. Most of this is caused by a drop in goods exports. Goods were exported to the United States to the tune of EUR 1.7 billion in the second quarter of 2019, while in the past quarter the level had fallen to EUR one billion. In turn, exports to Africa decreased less and exports to Asia did not change much from their EUR 3.3 billion level.

Among Asian countries, exports to China, however, grew by as much as 69 per cent from one year ago. On the other hand, the level of exports in the second quarter of 2020, that is, EUR 1.1 billion, was not higher than towards the end of 2019. Imports from China also grew by 12 per cent and were valued at EUR 1.6 billion in the past quarter. The growth in international trade with China was expressly caused by goods trade, because exports and imports of services decreased slightly. In general terms, service exports decreased clearly in Asia, for example, in Japan and South Korea.

As with exports, imports also decreased in Europe. The value of imports was EUR 19.0 billion one year ago, which fell to EUR 14.6 billion. Unlike the changes in exports, Russia had a bigger weight in the decrease in imports. Imports from Russia went down by as much as 52 per cent from the EUR 2.3 billion level in the previous year's quarter. In the past quarter, goods amounting to EUR 1.0 billion and services amounting to EUR 0.1 billion were imported from Russia, while one year ago the respective figures were EUR 2.0 billion and EUR 0.2 billion.

Figure 3. Exports of goods and services in balance of payments terms by area

Statistics on international trade

The statistics on international trade in goods and services are part of balance of payments . The statistics comprise breakdowns of goods and services on a more detailed level. The guidelines and recommendations of the Balance of Payments Manual (BPM6) applied to balance of payments are consistent with the European System of Accounts (ESA 2010). National Accounts are published on quarterly and annual levels . Finnish Customs publishes data on goods trade across borders. Goods trade published by Finnish Customs is used as source data for the statistics on international trade in goods and services. Removals and additions caused by definitions are made to them to achieve goods trade in balance of payments terms.

Finnish Customs statistical service, tilastot@tulli.fi, +358 29 552 335.

Source: International trade in goods and services 2018, Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Kasperi Lavikainen 029 551 3674, Risto Sippola 029 551 3383, globalisaatio.tilastot@stat.fi

Head of Department in charge: Mari Yla-Jarkko

Publication in pdf-format (278.7 kB)

Updated 18.9.2020

Referencing instructions: Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): International trade in goods and services [e-publication].

ISSN=2343-4244. 2nd quarter 2020. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 22.1.2022].

Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/tpulk/2020/02/tpulk_2020_02_2020-09-18_tie_001_en.html
A top government lockdown adviser has said more people are being infected because of Downing Street's 'bad policy'. (Kirsty O'Connor/PA Images via Getty Images)

Top government lockdown adviser blames Downing Street policy for spike in coronavirus infections

Prof Stephen Reicher says most people are following rules

Criticism of government follows suggestions ministers are blaming public

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One of the governments top lockdown scientists has said the recent spike in coronavirus infections has been caused by Downing Streets bad policy as opposed to people breaking the rules.

Prof Stephen Reicher, a psychologist who is a member of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Behaviours  which advises the government how the public might respond to specific coronavirus measures  called for Number 10 to reset its rules and stop exposing us to risk of infection.

Last week, when imposing new restrictions on Bolton, health secretary Matt Hancock blamed the infection spike on socialising by people in their 20s and 30s.

On the other hand, Prof Reicher  who is also a member of Independent SAGE group which scrutinises the governments decision making  has blamed Downing Streets bad policy.

Watch: Can the coronavirus affect the brain?

He was responding to new Office for National Statistics figures, released on Friday, which analysed the social impacts of COVID-19 on peoples behaviour last week.

Prof Reicher said most people are following the rules, with the figures showing 95% are wearing face masks while 69% are providing their contact details to the Test and Trace system when asked to do so.

He argued policies such as encouraging people to return to their workplaces (62% of people are now travelling to work) and visiting restaurants and pubs (30% compared to 9% at the start of July) is driving infections.

Prof Reicher wrote on Twitter: The numbers getting exposed to infection because they are doing what the government is telling them to do vastly outweighs the number being exposed by breaking COVID restrictions.

Story continues

And yet the government blames the public for the situation we are now in.

Yes, we must all act responsibly. Yes, we must stick to the rules.

But above all, [the] government [must] reset its rules and stop exposing us to risk of infection.

Boris Johnsons nationwide lockdown, imposed on 23 March, ultimately led to a dramatic reduction in the number of coronavirus cases and deaths. He began lifting the lockdown in May, with sections of the economy allowed to reopen from mid-June.

However, the infection rate has increased in September. As of Thursday (17 September), the seven-day average of new infections was 3,354, compared to 1,080 on 17 August and 610 on 17 July.

Coronavirus: what happened today

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Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff confirmed today in a tweet that the company will be giving all employees across the globe the day off to vote on Election Day, November 3, and encouraged other companies to make a commitment to do the same.

The tweet linked to ElectionDay.org, a campaign launched by nonprofit organization Vote.org in 2018 to encourage the initiative.
New Delhi, Sep 18 : : Nearly 30 Covid vaccine candidates in pre-clinical and clinical stages are under development by pharmaceutical industry and academia in India. While three of them are in advanced stage of Phase I/II/III trials and 4 are in advanced pre-clinical development stage, union health minister, Dr Harsh Vardhan, told the Parliament on Friday.

Vardhan informed the House that the government has extended its support for the development of vaccine associated research resources, establishment of clinical trial sites and notifying enabling regulatory guidelines.

He also informed that the distribution of Covid-19 vaccine, when available, would be done as per the protocols under Universal Immunization Program (UIP). "A high-level expert group is looking into matters related to vaccine distribution and immunisation. The distribution and immunisation of the Coronavirus vaccine are subject to availability. Once available, the Coronavirus vaccine distribution follows the same route as for the current practice of vaccines distribution under," Vardhan apprised the Lok Sabha on Friday through a written reply.

Besides, he also said that genome sequencing of 1000 SARS-CoV-2 RNA has been successfully completed. It was led by National Institute of Biomedical Genomics (NIBMG-Kalyani) , an autonomous institute under the department of biotechnology, situated in West Bengal. Five other national clusters, clinical organizations and other hospitals took part in the process as well.

Earlier, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had announced that three vaccine candidates against Covid-19 are in the clinical stage of trials in India and one of them would soon begin Phase 3 trials after getting clearances.

Covid-19 vaccine candidates being manufactured by Cadila Healthcare and Bharat Biotech have completed the first phase of the trial while the Serum Institute of India (SII) will begin with Phase 3 trial after getting the nod, Balram Bhargava, ICMR director general, had informed during the health ministry's briefing, on Tuesday.

On Monday, the minister of state for health, Ashwini Choubey, had informed the Lok Sabha that Phase II clinical trials of Bharat Biotech and Cadila Healthcare are underway.

He also informed the House that discussions on collaborations on the recombinant vaccine developed by Russia are ongoing. However, no formal studies have been initiated.

The Pune-based Serum Institute would conduct the Phase 3 trial on 1,500 volunteers across 14 locations.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Turkish and Russian officials have met to discuss the Turkish presence in the province of Idleb and options to scale back their observation posts writes Al-Masdar.

Russias RIA Novosti agency reported that the ongoing consultations between Moscow and Ankara, regarding the situation in the de-escalation zone in Idleb, are discussing the level of the Turkish military presence there.

The agency quoted a Turkish source as saying that during a meeting held at the Turkish Foreign Ministry, a Russian technical delegation presented proposals on reducing the number of observation points for the Turkish army in Idleb, but the two sides were unable to reach an agreement in this regard.

The source added, After the Turkish side refused to withdraw its observation posts and insisted on maintaining them, it was decided to reduce the number of Turkish forces present in Idleb and to withdraw heavy weapons from the area.

The Turkish Ministry of Defense had announced that a meeting would be held on Wednesday, at its headquarters in Ankara, between Turkish and Russian military delegations, to discuss the latest developments in Idleb.

During the meeting on Wednesday, several protesters gathered outside the Turkish observation posts to protest Ankaras presence inside the areas of the Syrian Arab Republic.

Turkey later accused the Syrian government of organizing these protests and said their troops were attacked by the demonstrators at Observation Post 7.

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.
Milford chief executive Mark Ryland told Financial Standard: We have a really exciting opportunity to significantly grow the business in Australia. She will build on the strong foundations in place where the Australian investment team manage over $2 billion in Australian equities.

Brooks joined Zurich in 2005 and held numerous roles over the years, including regional manager for NSW/QLD and head of sales for life and investments. She took up the chief distribution officer role in June 2017 and retained it when the OnePath Life team transitioned to Zurich last year. She will remain in the role until November 27.

A spokesperson for Zurich told Financial Standard that internal and external recruitment is underway to replace Brooks. The company has also created two new roles as it restructures its insurance business.

OnePath head of propositions and group life Gerard Kerr will take on the head of group life role on an interim basis. Meanwhile, Zurichs head of bancassurance and direct Kieran Forde has been appointed as the new head of customer and digital on an interim basis to oversee the groups retail offerings.
Hundreds of workers at COVID-19 laboratories in France went on strike on Thursday, angry over poor working conditions as the coronavirus testing system buckles under huge demand.

The hard-left CGT union said the strike was disrupting testing in some towns and could drag on if laboratory owners failed to deal with staff shortages and increase pay.

The walkout comes as the government demands more and faster testing to fight a surge in new coronavirus cases.

We're overwhelmed, laboratory nurse Aminata Diene, one of about 50 lab workers protesting outside a diagnostics centre on the edge of Paris said.

The 31-year-old said her Bioclinic laboratory in Bezons, which is staffed by four nurses and would normally handle 40 COVID-19 tests a day, was closed as a result of the strike.

Exhausted

We can't be on the phone, physically greeting patients and carrying out tests all at once. We're exhausted, physically and mentally.

France has ramped up testing six-fold since the peak of the first wave and carried out 1.2 million tests last week, Health Minister Olivier Veran told a news conference. But at some testing centres, people queue around the block and results can take days because of the bottleneck in laboratories.

Le Figaro reported that in a meeting with senior ministers last week, President Emmanuel Macron said: One million tests is all well and good, but it's pointless if the results arrive too late.

On Wednesday, France authorised the use of antigen tests, which deliver results faster than RT-PCR testing, to help ease pressure on the testing system. Veran said 5 million antigen test kits were on order and would arrive by October.

Ignoring calls

The antigen tests are expected to initially be used for hospital workers, care home staff and travellers at airports, a spokeswoman for the Paris regional health authority said.

Pascal Boudeau, a technician for 35 years at a medical laboratory outside Paris, said management needed to start listening after ignoring the calls for help for weeks.

We're at our wits' end. We get verbally abused, sometimes physically. The pace is relentless, the CGT member said. We've given up counting the overtime we do for free.

The lab workers strike coincided with street protests organised by the CGT and several smaller unions in numerous cities across France.

The CGT accuses Macron of destroying France's social security system, ruining public services and placing the interests of big business over those of workers even as the coronavirus wrecks the economy and forces job cuts.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 18:07:16|Editor: huaxia

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HAIKOU, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- China's Hainan Airlines will operate direct charter flights from Chongqing to Manchester starting Sept. 21 to assist Chinese students resume their education in Britain, according to the carrier.

The passengers will be Chinese students studying in 23 British universities, including the University of Manchester and University of Plymouth, which have confirmed through emails the names of the students who will fly.

Tickets for the flights will not be sold through external channels, but will be issued according to the list offered by the universities.

Hainan Airlines will provide transfer service to Chongqing for passengers from 27 domestic cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen. It will also provide free accommodation if the transfer is over six hours. Enditem
A new California law signed by Governor Gavin Newsom will now expand family leave protections of small business workers.

With this law, a California small business worker can have up to three months off work to care for a family member or bond with a new child, the Associated Press said in a report.

Newsom signed CA SB 1383 by Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson to expand the California Family Rights Act. It extends unpaid protections to workers who take family leave.

Newsom, a father of four, also championed the expansion of family leave as a priority for his administration, the Politico noted.

"Californians deserve to be able to take time off to care for themselves or a sick family member without fearing they'll lose their job," Newsom said in a statement.

The protection came as the pandemic raised the need for workers to have time off, whether taking time for their safety or caring for family members who suffered from the coronavirus.

Who will be covered?

The new law will extend job-protected leave to a large portion of the California workforce. Those who come from businesses with five or more employees will be allowed to take their time off to care for a broader set of relatives.

Siblings, grandparents, and grandchildren who are sick can be cared for under the new family leave protections.

The bill also extends protections to workers who want to take time off for relatives who are called to active military duty.

"This is critical for us," said Kevin Zapata, who works for a small e-commerce company.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Zapata can still have the same 12 weeks of job protection as his wife, who works for a large nonprofit.

Currently, companies with 50 or more workers are required to give 12 weeks of leave to its workers who need to care for a new child or a family member.

The threshold for parental leave is lower, letting 12 weeks of job-protected time off for workers in companies with 20 or more employees.

Many Workers Fear Getting Laid Off

California workers automatically pay into the family leave program. It provides them with eight weeks of 60 to 70 percent of the weekly salary. But many employees are not aware of this benefit.

Some are worried they wouldn't have a job to go back to if they took leave. New parents also cite a lack of job protection as the main reason they refuse to take paid family leave when they need, according to a 2018 survey by the California Employment Development Department.

Low wage workers, who likely work for smaller businesses, also show they are less likely to apply for paid family leave.

"Equitable family leave is critical to ensuring equality for women in the workplace," Jackson said in a statement. The senator added that fathers' involvement in their child's lives is also a strong start for children.

California became the first state in the country in 2004 to create a paid family leave program. But Jackson stressed that California has since fallen behind other states in expanding the benefits of the family leave.

In July, the state extended the maximum duration of paid family leave from six weeks to eight weeks. The wage replacement rate was upped from 50 percent to 60-70 percent in 2016.

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Australian researchers and their colleagues from Russia and China have shown that it is possible to study the magnetic properties of ultrathin materials directly, via a new microscopy technique that opens the door to the discovery of more two-dimensional (2D) magnetic materials, with all sorts of potential applications.

Published in the journal Advanced Materials, the findings are significant because current techniques used to characterise normal (three-dimensional) magnets don't work on 2D materials such as graphene due to their extremely small size - a few atom thick.

"So far there has been no way to tell exactly how strongly magnetic a 2D material was," said Dr Jean-Philippe Tetienne from the University of Melbourne School of Physics and Centre for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology.

"That is, if you were to place the 2D material on your fridge's door like a regular fridge magnet, how strongly it gets stuck onto it. This is the most important property of a magnet."

To address the problem, the team, led by Professor Lloyd Hollenberg, employed a widefield nitrogen-vacancy microscope, a tool they recently developed that has the necessary sensitivity and spatial resolution to measure the strength of 2D material.

"In essence, the technique works by bringing tiny magnetic sensors (so-called nitrogen-vacancy centres, which are atomic defects in a piece of diamond) extremely close to the 2D material in order to sense its magnetic field," Professor Hollenberg explained.

To test the technique, the scientists chose to study vanadium triiodide (VI3) as large 3D chunks of VI3 were already known to be strongly magnetic.

Using their special microscope, they have now shown that 2D sheets of VI3 are also magnetic but about twice as weak as in the 3D form. In other words, it would be twice as easy to get them off the fridge's door.

"This was a bit of a surprise, and we are currently trying to understand why the magnetisation is weaker in 2D, which will be important for applications," Dr Tetienne said.

Professor Artem Oganov of Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech) in Moscow said the findings have the potential to trigger new technology.

"Just a few years ago, scientists doubted that two-dimensional-magnets are possible at all. With the discovery of two-dimensional ferromagnetic VI3, a new exciting class of materials emerged. New classes of material always mean that new technologies will appear, both for studying such materials and harnessing their properties."

The international team now plan to use their microscope to study other 2D magnetic materials as well as more complex structures, including those that are expected to play a key role in future energy-efficient electronics.

###

Other organizations involved in the research include University of Basel, RMIT University, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Northwestern Polytechnical University, and Renmin University of China.
A court on Thursday granted bail to Pinjra Tod member Natasha Narwal in a case related to the February 24 northeast riots.

She, however, will not be released as she has also been booked under the stringent UAPA in another case related to the riots.

The Police has accused Narwalof instigating the riots.

Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat, while granting the bail, noted that the video shown by the prosecution showed Narwal participating in the "unlawful assembly", but it did not show anything to suggest that she indulged in or incited violence.

Prosecution cannot say that till witnesses are examined, accused cannot be released on bail. There is no specific allegation of threat to witnesses, who are, in any case, protected and their identity concealed, the court said.

The court further observed that Narwal did not pose any flight risk and all the witnesses in the case were either police officers or protected witnesses.

The bail was granted on a personal bond of Rs 30,000 with one surety to the like amount.

The Pinjra Tod member, however, would not be released from prison as there is another FIR registered against her under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in which the court took cognisance of the charge sheet on Thursday.

Narwal is currently lodged in Tihar central jail.

Narwal and another member of the group Devangana Kalita were arrested in the case in May this year by the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police, and booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including rioting, unlawful assembly and attempt to murder.

They were also booked under the stringent anti-terror law - Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act - in a separate case related to the communal violence, for allegedly being part of the riots.

Communal clashes had broken out in northeast Delhion February 24after violence between citizenship law supporters and protesters spiralled out of control, leaving at least 53 people dead and around 200 injured.

Pinjra Tod (Break the Cage) was founded in 2015 with an aim to make hostels and paying guest accommodations less restrictive for women students.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
NEW YORK/WINNIPEG, Manitoba, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Lower flows of crude from Canada to Cushing, Oklahoma have helped ease a glut of oil at the delivery point for U.S. crude futures over the past two weeks, traders said, but the storage hub remained near a multi-month high.

Crude inventories at Cushing fell 646,578 barrels the week ending on Tuesday, according to traders, citing the latest data from market intelligence firm Genscape.

Cushing has eased as U.S. imports of Canadian crude fell to 3,057,000 barrels a day the week ending Sept. 11 from 3,226,000 bpd the previous week, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said in its weekly report.

Canadian oil producers have been steadily restarting much of the 1 million barrels per day in crude production that was shut in during spring, but output has been interrupted in the past few weeks.

Exxon Mobil-owned Imperial Oil was forced to shut production temporarily at its Kearl oil sands site this month due to a pipeline outage. It was corrected this week and Imperial restarted Kearl production.

Suncor Energy this month cut its 2020 oil production outlook after a fire in August at its Base Mine.

The reduced supplies have supported Canadian prices, with the discount on Canadian heavy oil to WTI last week falling to its lowest level in nearly two months, according to NE2 Canada Inc.

The decline has helped chip away at a surplus of Cushing stocks, which have surged from falling global fuel demand tied to efforts to combat the novel coronavirus and led to negative prices for the U.S. crude oil futures benchmark in April.

Still, inventories at the hub held near the highest since May as fuel demand continues to be hampered by the pandemic. (Reporting by Laila Kearney and Rod Nickel; additional reporting by Arathy S Nair; editing by Diane Craft)
Hindustan Zinc rose 1.46% to Rs 219.20 after the company proposed to raise Rs 4000 crore by offering debentures in one or more tranches.

The company proposes to offer Rated, Unsecured, Redeemable, Non-Cumulative, Non-Convertible Debentures aggregating upto Rs 4,000 crore in one or more tranches, and in this regard is holding a meeting of its duly constituted Committee of the Directors on 22 September 2020. The issuance is pursuant to the approval of the board of directors in its meeting held on July 21, 2020.

Hindustan Zinc is engaged in the mining and smelting of zinc, lead and silver metal in India. The firm's segments include mining and smelting of zinc, lead and silver, and wind energy.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hunt Communities President Justin Chapman highlighted the features for park visitors during a socially-distanced and intimate ceremony. There are shaded areas for play and lounging, picnic tables, native landscaping, and broad sidewalks. Cimarron Canyon Park is also home to El Paso's first bike "pump track" designed for young bikers to improve their cycling skills while having fun.

"We really have something for everyone here. If you're an active hiker or you just need to get outside for fresh air, this park has it all. And we are especially proud of the bike pump track which is geared for kids," said Chapman.

Cimarron, when fully built, will consist of more than 2,000 homes nestled among residential areas with direct access to preserved open space, regional trail systems, and the Franklin Mountain State Park.

The amenities at Cimarron Canyon Park complement five existing playgrounds, parks, miles of walking trails and beautiful homes in Cimarron. Hunt continues constructing new trailheads that will connect this community to the numerous established trails in the area.

Hunt is proud to recognize the following who helped make the park possible. They are:

The Honorable Dee Margo, Mayor of City of El Paso

City of El Paso Parks & Recreation Department

City of El Paso Planning Department

Peter Svarzbein, City of El Paso District 1 Representative

District 1 Representative Martin Morgades , Parks & Recreation Board Member, District 1

, Parks & Recreation Board Member, District 1 Ben Fyffe , Director of Cultural Affairs & Recreation for the City of El Paso

, Director of Cultural Affairs & Recreation for the Guillermo Hernandez Jr. , Park Project Review Coordinator

, Park Project Review Coordinator Kenneth Francis , Principal, Surroundings Studio

, Principal, Surroundings Studio Joe Aguilar , Accent Landscape Contractors, Inc.

"The completion of Cimarron Canyon Park comes at a critical time in our community as we continue to combat the COVID-19 virus," said Mayor Dee Margo, "I commend all involved for creating an outdoor space citizens can enjoy while being active and taking care of themselves."

"I am beyond excited to see the development of Cimmaron Canyon Park. This is the result of a community partnership that serves the residents' desire for trailheads and trails, and enhances the neighborhood for all to enjoy. A huge congratulations to all involved," said City of El Paso District 1 Representative, Peter Svarzbein.

"Our ongoing commitment is to develop neighborhoods that embrace the natural surroundings of our community. Cimarron Canyon Park is a demonstration of Hunt's forward-thinking," added Chapman.

Learn more on Facebook: Hunt EP Living; Instagram: @huntepliving; and at www.liveatcimarron.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 more than 3,000 people across the United States and Europe. Learn more at www.huntcompanies.com.

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Its election season in the year of COVID-19 and the candidates running to represent Ridgefielders in the state legislature will discuss their candidacies and positions  and take questions from the public  in a virtual forum.

The Ridgefield League of Women Voters and the Ridgefield Library are co-sponsoring a virtual candidates forum via Zoom on Sunday, Oct. 4, at 2 p.m. The forum is expected to include the candidates for the Connecticut Legislatures 111th House District, Republican Robert Hebert and Democrat Aimee Berger-Girvalo, as well as 138th Districts Kenneth Gucker, a Democrat seeking re-election. (The Republican candidate in the 138th District, Emile Buzaid, declined to participate due to a prior commitment.) Also participating will be the two candidates for the State Senates 26th District, which includes Ridgefield, Democrat Will Haskell and Republican Kim Healy.

Members of the public who register in advance for the forum on the librarys website may submit questions for the candidates by emailing the League at inforlwv@gmail.com from Sept. 26 to Sept. 30. Questions submitted must be brief, of general interest to the audience, directed to all candidates and cannot be about personal matters.

To watch the Candidates Forum online on Oct. 4, go to the the librarys website to register at www.ridgefieldlibrary.org or call 203-438-2282 to receive the Zoom webinar link. You must register on the library website to receive the link to watch the forum; https://ridgefieldlibrary.librarymarket.com/events/online-candidates-forum-ct-state-legislature.

This is an opportunity for constituents to determine whose views they agree with; who is the most knowledgeable on the issues; and who has the leadership qualities they are looking for, said League of Women Voters President Marilyn Carroll.

Its a chance to judge the candidates characters, communication skills, and ability to think on their feet, she said.

As a nonpartisan organization the League doesnt support or oppose political candidates or parties, Carroll said. During these challenging times, it is especially important that we provide voters with opportunities to become well informed, educated electors ready to cast their ballots with confidence, and we and the library hope this virtual format will help them do that.

Polls, absentees

Carroll also wanted to remind voters that all four polling districts in town will be open on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, from 6 a.m.-8 p.m, and the town has a Safe Polls Plan with safety, sanitizing, and social distancing rules to protect voters and poll workers to follow.

She said voters also have the option to vote by absentee ballot if they prefer by filling out the absentee ballot application which is being mailed to all registered voters. Applications can be returned by dropping the envelope in the State Ballot Drop Box at the Bailey Avenue entrance of Town Hall or mailing it back in the prepaid envelope via the USPS to the town clerk at 400 Main Street.

Absentee ballots will be sent to those who sent in an application and will be mailed out beginning Oct. 2. She encouraged everyone to follow the directions carefully when filling out the ballot and return it by using the Ballot Drop Box or USPS mail. Voters can check online to see if their absentee ballot has been received by the town clerk by going to the CT secretary of the states website at myvote.ct.gov/lookup.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 09:53:39|Editor: huaxia

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MEXICO CITY, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Mexico's export and tourism sectors are likely to suffer from "stress" beyond 2021 due to slow economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, credit rating agency Moody's said Thursday.

In a report titled "Full recovery for Mexico's corporate sector still two years away," the agency said "stress in Mexico's export- and tourism-dependent economy is likely to persist beyond 2021, even as economic growth recovers from a severe downturn in 2020, and a full recovery is at least two years away."

The agency said it expects Mexico's economy to rebound 3.7 percent in 2021, after contracting 10 percent in 2020 due to the pandemic.

The tourism sector will not return to pre-pandemic activity until 2023, as its full recovery will depend on consumers feeling comfortable traveling, which surely will not occur until effective vaccines and treatments are widely available, the agency said.

Moody's sees little improvement in 2021 for the airline, airport and hotel sectors, which have been severely affected.

However, sectors focused on consumption, including packaged foods and telecommunications, will see a gradual recovery, it said.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador estimated the country will lose 1 million jobs in 2020 due to COVID-19, and said his administration is looking for ways to generate up to 2 million new jobs. Enditem
More?

 See all graphs in this series or a slide show of 60 of our favorite graphs.

 View our archives that link to all past releases, organized by topic, graph type and Stat Nugget.

 Learn more about the Notice and Wonder teaching strategy and how and why other teachers are using this feature from our on-demand webinar.

 Sign up for our free weekly Learning Network newsletter so you never miss a graph. Graphs are always released by the Friday before the Wednesday live-moderation to give teachers time to plan ahead.

 Go to the American Statistical Association K-12 website, which includes teacher statistics resources, professional development opportunities, and more.

Students 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.

Updated: Sept. 17, 2020

The Reveal

As of September 16, 2020, The New York Times reports that in the United States there have been more than 6.6 million Covid-19 cases and 196,058 deaths.

On March 28, 2020, The New York Times announced in the article Were Sharing Coronavirus Case Data for Every U.S. County that they would be collaborating with states, counties, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Johns Hopkins University and other parties to assemble Covid-19 data. They have been tracking Covid-19 confirmed and probable cases by county, as well as other data both from the U.S. and from countries worldwide. The resulting U.S. statistics are published in the Coronavirus in the U.S.: Latest Map and Case Count which is updated several times during the day. The maps released here are from September 9, 2020. Expect them to have changed when you link with the article.

These are just two maps showing just two different statistics  total cases and total per capita cases. There are more maps, graphs and charts that show other statistics including number of tests, cases over the past seven days and deaths. But, we thought we would start here with statistics to compare U.S. counties Covid-19 impact, one statistic (total number of cases) that does not take county population size into account and another statistic (per capita) that does take county population size into account. With the total cases map, we can compare, for example, Chicago, Illinois (in Cook County) with 135,690 cases to Brownsville, Texas (in Cameron County) with 21,222 cases. It seems like Chicago has been affected more than Brownsville. But, with the per capita map, we see Chicago has 1 case in 38 residents and Brownsville has 1 case in 19 residents. Here, the effect seems larger in Brownsville. Why do you think there is this difference?

From our live moderation, students submitted some terrific headlines that capture the maps stories including In the Red: A Look at How Covid-19 is Affecting Different US States by Montessori Middle School in Shreveport, Louisiana, Whats the State of Coronavirus? by Natalie of San Francisco, Keep your mask on Its not over yet. by Jenna of Florida, and The Coasts Are Crawling with Covid-19 Cases by Zuhayr of Eden Prairie, Minnesota.

You may want to think critically about these questions.

Both maps use the same Covid-19 case data by county, but the maps show different statistics. The top bubble map shows the total number of cases since March. The bottom choropleth map shows the per capita number of cases since March expressed as 1 case per number of people in the county. (See the Stat Nugget below for an explanation of bubble map, choropleth map and per capita.)

Why do you think a bubble map was used for the total cases but a choropleth map for the per capita cases?
Seth Lookhart, a dentist in Alaska, pulled a tooth out of a sedated womans mouth while balancing on a hoverboard, one video showed. He rolled down the hallway, pulled his gloves off and threw his hands in the air, another showed.

Mr. Lookhart then sent the videos to people outside the practice, prosecutors said, and the footage became part of a wide-ranging case against the dentist on charges of fraud, embezzlement and unlawful dental acts.

On Monday, Judge Michael Wolverton of Anchorage Superior Court sentenced Mr. Lookhart to 20 years in prison, with eight years suspended, and to 10 years of probation, a statement from Alaskas Department of Law said this week. Mr. Lookhart had been charged in 2017 with felony offenses of medical assistance fraud, theft in the second degree and a scheme to defraud.

Other charges included misdemeanor offenses for medical assistance fraud and unlawful dental acts, the state prosecutors office said. The prosecutors said that Mr. Lookhart, 35, almost killed many patients by performing anesthesia thousands of times without training or consent, on patients outside his scope of training and expertise, while stealing money from Medicaid and embezzling from his bosses.
September 18 : Ranveer Singh has finally resumed work after six months post coronavirus pandemic. The Gully Boy actor was spotted at Yash Raj Films studio on Thursday evening. He was reportedly at the studio to dub for the comedy drama Jayeshbhai Jordaar.

While the actor had wrapped up shooting of Jayeshbhai Jordaar earlier this year, he has now started dubbing for the film, produced by Yash Raj Films and directed by newcomer Divyang Thakkar, reports Mid-Day.

Ranveer is back to his normal work schedule despite knowing the risk of the pandemic as it is the new normal now. The actor realises that as a star of the film industry he has to restart work to help start business of the industry, the report suggests. The Bajirao Mastani actor will be proactive to contribute towards normalising business in the industry. Bollywood has incurred heavy losses due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Ranveer plays a Gujarati man in Jayeshbhai Jordaar, who believes in equality for both men and women. The film also features Boman Irani, Ratna Pathak, and newcomers Shalini Pandey and Deeksha Joshi. While the film went on the floors in December 2019, shooting was wrapped up in February this year.

Jayeshbhai Jordaar is aiming for a theatrical release. Earlier, it was slated to release on Gandhi Jayanti, but now a new date has to be set after the makers assess the best time to release the film.

Producer Maneesh Sharma is confident that the audiences will like the social message conveyed by the film. Ranveer has given his best performance for the film and has delivered his careers best performance, Maneesh reportedly believes. Ranveer had debuted in Maneesh Sharmas film Band Baaja Baarat.
Delhi police have stated a major security breach of the National Informatics Centre (NIC). According to the sources, more than 100 computers of the NIC, which is responsible for securing critical cyber infrastructure in the country and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), were found to be compromised. The computers broken into also stored data relating to National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Indian citizens and senior government functionaries.

The breach comes on the back of reports about alleged snooping by a Chinese firm on Indian politicians, military leaders, entrepreneurs and journalists, among others. Soon after the bug was identified, Delhi Polices special cell registered a case under the Information Technology (IT) Act early September and began investigation, which led them to a US company based in Bengaluru (according to the e-mails IP address), from where the bug was generated. According to sources the attack began with the receipt of an e-mail to NIC employees. When a link provided in that e-mail was clicked, data stored on that machine became compromised and computer systems were affected. The Delhi police also informed that these computers contain crucial information and data on Indias security, citizens and important government functionaries, including the prime minister, national security advisor, the home minister, among others.

Its being assumed that the breach comes amid allegations a Chinese firm - Zhenhua Data Information, which is conducting covert surveillance on thousands of Indians, including the PM and others. When asked if the police suspect it to be an attempt by China to hack into these systems, the source said it was too early to comment, although it could be a possibility. In the current scenario, it is a possibility which we will be looking into. We have a registered a case and are investigating the same, the source said. It definitely is a security breach and we are looking at all angles, the source added.

Sources also stated that the government has constituted an expert committee (under the National Cyber Security Coordinator) to study these allegations. The committee is to submit a report inside 30 days. In a letter to Congress leader KC Venugopal, who had raised this issue, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said the claims referred to the Overseas Key Information Database (OKID), which covers around 2.4 million individuals worldwide. The issue has also been raised by the Foreign Ministry with Sun Weidong, the Chinese Ambassador to India. The Chinese government has said Zhenhua is a privately-owned company with no links to Beijing. Zhenhua itself has said OKID data was collected from open sources and is no different from similar databases maintained by Western companies. They have denied accessing private information from confidential sources, Mr Jaishankar said in his letter.

A similar security breach of the NIC was witnessed in August 2014, which raised global concerns about Indias net security practices. That time, as a curious attempt, the government reinstated NICs authority to issue certificates but also barred it from doing so for at least six months. Also, companies like Google and Microsoft refused to accept NICs certificates and declared many government websites certified by them as unsafe. Many key Indian websites like the income tax authoritys website that allow transfer of sensitive data were dependent on foreign firms to certify their safety.

NIC is responsible for setting up information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure for the government. It helps in implementation of national and state level e-governance projects, provides consultancy to government departments and is also responsible for research and development, and capacity building. NIC is a repository of information and data and plays a significant role in delivering citizen-centric e-services. The other services it offers include multi gigabit nationwide networks NICNET, NKN, National Data Centres, National Cloud, pan India VC infrastructure, Command and Control Centre, multi-layered GIS based platform, Domain Registration and Webcast.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) receives Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea Kang Kyung-wha in Hanoi on September 17 (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi  Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc received visiting Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Kang Kyung-wha in Hanoi on September 17.

The Korean minister, who is on an official visit to Vietnam on September 17-18, highly valued the Vietnamese Governments efforts to promote bilateral relations despite COVID-19 impacts, voicing her hope that the two sides will resume high-level mutual visits at an early date.

She also expressed her impression of Vietnams containment of COVID-19 and efforts to carry out bilateral exchanges amid the pandemic, noting that a large number of Koreans are wishing to enter Vietnam for investment and business purposes and so are many Vietnamese.

The RoK is ready to facilitate entry for Vietnamese people in the current context, Kang said, adding that she hopes the two countries will soon reach consensus on special entry procedures so as to further facilitate Korean experts and entrepreneurs entry into Vietnam.

The official suggested both countries soon sign an agreement on social insurance to better ensure employees interests. She also proposed Vietnam include the RoK in the reference country list in bidding for medical equipment procurement as her country has strength in producing international-standard medical equipment.

Appreciating the ministers opinions, PM Phuc affirmed that the best possible conditions will be provided for Korean experts and entrepreneurs to enter Vietnam.

Vietnam supports the RoKs New Southern Policy and hopes that the two sides will maintain high-level exchanges on the basis of ensured pandemic prevention and control, thereby bolstering bilateral cooperation, he said.

The Government leader asked the RoK to coordinate to carry out effective measures and create favourable procedures so that the countries can reach the trade target of 100 billion USD in the near future and balance bilateral trade.

Many major Korean businesses have been operating successfully in Vietnam, thus contributing to bilateral ties, he noted, affirming the Vietnamese Governments attention to all opinions from Korean firms.

At the meeting, the PM also voiced his hope that the RoK will reduce and then eliminate binding conditions for its ODA and concessional loans while expanding non-refundable aid for Vietnam, receive more Vietnamese guest workers, and provide more support for the Vietnamese community in the RoK, especially amid the current COVID-19 pandemic.

In terms of the East Sea issue, he hoped the RoK will keep supporting Vietnam and ASEANs stance in this regard, including maintaining peace and stability, ensuring safety and security of navigation and overflight in the waters, and respecting international law, particularly the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
The Zongo Caucus Coordinator of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the New Juabeng South constituency of the Eastern Region, Mr Tijani Ahmed Maikano, has cautioned the Zongo youth against taking down NDC campaign posters in the area.

He said the youth are usually hired to perpetrate such acts.

According to him, to foster peace in the Zongo communities, the inhabitants must be careful with their involvement in politics.

In an interview with CTV's Kamal Ahmed, Mr Maikano accused members of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the area of tearing down NDC posters.

He, therefore, called on opinion leaders in the Zongo community to call on the NPP in the area to desist from that act or face punishment.

We will deal with such people mercilessly if they are caught, he noted.

---classfmonline
Since the start of the pandemic, investors have been scouring the market for the best deals. Initially, it was all the top TSX stocks and defensive investments being bid up.

Soon after, however, almost every stock recovered in some form or another, as long as they werent too badly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

One of the worst-hit industries was airlines. With travel restrictions worldwide and planes seen as potential super spreaders, not only do consumers not want to travel, but many cant.

Thats one of the main reasons these stocks have sold off so badly and have hardly seen a recovery.

TSX airline stock

Despite a relatively flat last couple of months, one of the top stocks on investors radars since the market crash has been Air Canada (TSX:AC). As of Thursdays close, Air Canada traded for just $19.05, thats more than 60% below where it started the year.

Its natural to be interested in buying Air Canada while its in distress. After all, the whole point of investing is to buy low. However, Air Canada faces several issues that will only be solved with time.

You dont want to make the mistake of tying capital up in Air Canada now when there are so many other high-potential TSX stocks.

Id warned investors to avoid an investment back in April when the stock rallied past $20 a share. And although it reached a high of $23, its mostly been flat and is now down 15% from that peak.

One of the stocks Id recommended instead of Air Canada at that time was Canadian Tire; since then, the stock is up 48%. At the time, Canadian Tire was cheap, but nowhere near as cheap as Air Canada.

TSX stock performances

The problem is, Air Canada has too many headwinds at the moment. These will need to be sorted out and overcome before sentiment returns to the stock.

This is an important lesson to learn in investing. Sometimes a stock is cheap for a reason. So, if it seems too good to be true, it very likely could be.

A TSX stock to buy today

Rather than Air Canada, if you have cash to invest today, I would consider a stock like Algonquin Power and Utilities (TSX:AQN)(NYSE:AQN).

Story continues

This TSX stock is also nowhere near as undervalued as Air Canada. However, its got a tonne of momentum, has seen only minimum impacts from the pandemic, and is currently in the middle of a massive long-term capital growth plan.

The companys makeup is roughly two-thirds utilities and one-third renewable energy generation. However, with managements aggressive growth plan and numerous countries and jurisdictions looking to increase their green energy exposure, you can expect Algonquins share of renewable energy to increase swiftly over the next few years.

And while past performance never can fully predict future returns, looking at Algonquins last few years, its clear what a high-quality company it is.

Plus, in addition to the impressive capital gains growth investors have seen, the TSX stock also consistently increases its dividend, earning itself a spot on the Canadian Dividend Aristocrats list.

Bottom line

In times of uncertainty, investors should focus on proven, high-quality TSX stocks. These companies will almost always perform better than distressed businesses facing significant headwinds, no matter how cheap they are.

The post Forget Air Canada and Buy This Top TSX Stock appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada.

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Fool contributor Daniel Da Costa owns shares of ALGONQUIN POWER AND UTILITIES CORP.

The Motley Fools purpose is to help the world invest, better. Click here now for your free subscription to Take Stock, The Motley Fool Canadas free investing newsletter. Packed with stock ideas and investing advice, it is essential reading for anyone looking to build and grow their wealth in the years ahead. Motley Fool Canada 2020




TOKYO, Sept 18, 2020 - (JCN Newswire) - MITSUBISHI MOTORS CORPORATION (MMC) has released a first look at the redesigned Mitsubishi ECLIPSE CROSS. For the first time, the company will expand its portfolio of the industry-leading plug-in hybrid (PHEV) drivetrain in select global markets. The new ECLIPSE CROSS is scheduled to release in fiscal year 20201.Launched globally in 2017, the ECLIPSE CROSS is the company's crossover SUV, which fuses a coupe-like style with SUV capabilities. The refreshed model has radically changed front and rear design, bringing forward a more upscale and energetic design to complement the sleek SUV styling."The new design draws inspiration from the MITSUBISHI e-EVOLUTION CONCEPT2 emphasizing the strength and dynamics from our SUV heritage, while enhancing the cleanliness and elegance of a coupe-like SUV," said Seiji Watanabe, division general manager of Design, MMC. "The ECLIPSE CROSS is the first step toward the next generation of Mitsubishi Design, and there is so much more to come."In addition to engine model, MMC will expand PHEV lineup with the new ECLIPSE CROSS in select markets. Drawing from the success of the Mitsubishi OUTLANDER PHEV, which is the world's best-selling PHEV(3) with more than 260,000 units sold worldwide(4), the ECLIPSE CROSS will be the second Mitsubishi PHEV on the market, enabling customers to expand their activity range through an electrified SUV.(1) MMC's fiscal year 2020 is from April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021.(2) MITSUBISHI e-EVOLUTION CONCEPT is an all-electric high-performance SUV prototype that conceptualizes what MMC will bring to its customers in the very near future.(3) Source: MITSUBISHI MOTORS' internal sales data from January 2013 to March 2020(4) As of August 2020About Mitsubishi MotorsMITSUBISHI MOTORS CORPORATION is a global automobile company based in Tokyo, Japan, which has a competitive edge in SUVs and pickup trucks, electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Since the Mitsubishi group produced its first car more than a century ago, we have demonstrated an ambitious and often disruptive approach, developing new vehicle genres and pioneering cutting-edge technologies. Deeply rooted in MITSUBISHI MOTORS' DNA, our brand strategy will appeal to ambitious drivers, willing to challenge conventional wisdom and ready to embrace change. Consistent with this mindset, MITSUBISHI MOTORS introduced its new brand strategy in 2017, expressed in its "Drive your Ambition" tagline - a combination of personal drive and forward attitude, and a reflection of the constant dialogue between the brand and its customers. Today MITSUBISHI MOTORS is committed to continuous investment in innovative new technologies, attractive design and product development, bringing exciting and authentic new vehicles to customers around the world.Source: Mitsubishi MotorsCopyright 2020 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
Apartments with over 3 Covid cases to be containment zones for 7 days: Check BBMP's full guidelines

Mid-Air collision of two IndiGo flights averted at Bengaluru airport; DGCA to probe, take strict action

2 cops deputed for CM Bommai's security held for trying to 'extort' money from drug peddlers

Karnataka CM discusses state's development with PM Modi, invites to inaugurate Bengaluru Tech Summit

India

oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P

Bengaluru, Sep 18: Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Friday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi and discussed various developmental issues pertaining to the state. He also invited Modi to inaugurate the Bengaluru Tech Summit virtually.

The meeting at the Parliament House lasted for 15 minutes, an official release from the state information department said. During the meeting, Yediyurappa extended an invitation to PM Modi to inaugurate Bengaluru Tech Summit on November 19 on a virtual mode, it said.

PM Modi dedicates Kosi Rail Mega bridge to nation, inaugurates several rail projects in Bihar

The state government's flagship "Bengaluru Tech Summit", actually scheduled in September this year, was postponed to November in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year's BTS is expected to focus on leveraging technology to tackle challenges brought to the fore by the pandemic and there will be symposiums and tech-related talks by experts and technologists.

Dubai suspends Air India Express flights for 15 days ferrying COVID patients twice

Ahead of his meeting with PM Modi, the Chief Minister said, he will discuss all the issues concerning the development of the state, also regarding the state cabinet expansion.

"Discussion also has to happen regarding the cabinet expansion, I will bring it to his notice and take clearance and leave for Bengaluru tomorrow," he said, adding that he will meet BJP national President JP Nadda in the evening.

MP salary in India: Here is what they will earn after the amendment

According to release, the CM during today's meeting appealed to the Prime Minister to expedite the release of funds from the National Disaster Response Fund. He also made a plea to revise the items and norms of assistance from the State Disaster Response Fund or National Disaster Response Fund for the current year itself to ensure timely and adequate financial assistance to the distressed people.

After Akali Dal now JJP's Dushyant Chautala under pressure over farm bills row | Oneindia News

Yediyurappa further urged PM Modi to declare irrigation projects like Upper Krishna Project Stage-III and Upper Bhadra Project as "National Projects". He also made a request for necessary action for early approvals and clearances for irrigation and drinking water projects including Mekedatu and Kalasa Banduri Nala to utilise the precious water resources allocated to the State, the release added.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Friday, September 18, 2020, 13:58 [IST]
There are less than two months before the United States presidential election. Still, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director, Chris Wray, told officials on Thursday that Russia has been very active in its efforts to interfere with the November elections.

Foreign interference

Wray said that Russia is attempting to manipulate the presidential race by focusing on former Vice President Joe Biden and his campaign. He told the Homeland Security Committee that the intelligence community's consensus is that Russia is still attempting to invade the elections.

According to USA Today, Wray said that the Kremlin is placing all its focus on sparking turmoil within the American nation and denigrating Biden's presidential campaign.

The FBI director's assessment monitored an analysis that the National Counter-Intelligence and Security Center published in August. The study called out Andriy Derkach, a pro-Russian Ukrainian parliamentarian, for allegedly spreading disinformation that attempted to undermine Biden's campaign.

The analysis concluded that some Kremlin-linked entities are attempting to boost United States President Donald Trump's campaign on social media platforms and Russian television.

The previous report also noted that China saw Trump as an unpredictable leader and prefers that someone else take the seat of the presidency of the U.S. The document said that Iran has been moving to instigate and spread division within Trump's administration ahead of the November election.

Also Read: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Could Be Ousted If Donald Trump Wins Re-Election

On Thursday, the FBI director said that the agency would not tolerate any foreign threat that would attempt to undermine the legitimacy of the presidential election. Wray also cited recent violence across the nation that has undermined social justice demonstrations.

Wray's comments also come after President Trump's administration continuously suggests that China is supporting Biden to win the elections while denying that Russia is helping him win re-election.

Targeting American election infrastructures

Foreign efforts to interfere with U.S. elections do not differ from what officials observed in 2016, where similar actions against election infrastructure were seen. Wray said that despite not seeing the second part of the attempts this year, Russia's activity has been increasing, as reported by CNN.

The FBI director stated that Russia has been using social media platforms, proxies, state media, and several online journals to spread disinformation and cause discord among the American people. He noted that efforts aimed to discredit Biden, which Russia believes poses as an anti-Russia administration.

Several intelligence officials stated that they had discovered evidence that proves Russia has been very active in interfering with the November election and is working to undermine Biden's campaign.

Additionally, evidence of Moscow's efforts has emerged that show Russia using a troll Facebook group that was involved in interference attempts in 2016 is now trying to target the American election.

According to The New York Times, several officials criticized the Homeland Security Department after it was revealed that the agency refused to publish an intelligence document from July 9 that warned of Russian attempts to undermine Biden's mental health and efforts by China and Iran that targeted Trump.

Related Article: Intelligence Officials Claim Iras is Plotting to Assassinate US Ambassador to South Africa as Revenge

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
DENVER, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Earlier this week, Motto Franchising, LLC virtually hosted the 2nd annual Motto EDGE (Entrepreneurs Driving Growth and Excellence) Forum for Motto Mortgage broker owners. The one-day "Connected EDGE" event on September 15 showcased the strength of the nationwide Motto Mortgage network and their ability to be remote, but still connected. Despite being completely virtual, the Motto EDGE 2020 Forum saw a 100% growth in attendance.

The forum included engaging sessions with Mat Ishbia, president and CEO of United Wholesale Mortgage, Casey Cunningham, CEO and founder of Xinnix, as well as updates from the Motto Franchising leadership team, including more information about the recent acquisition announcement of wemloSM.

Blink Swag sponsored the Motto Mortgage Mission Against Hunger panel, featuring Motto Mortgage broker owners and loan originators from across the country who shared actionable ways for other Motto Mortgage offices to connect with their community and to give back in meaningful ways. Blink Swag made a $1,250 donation to Feeding America in honor of the Motto Mortgage Mission Against Hunger program.

The Motto Mortgage network has shown not only resilience through the ongoing pandemic, but overall growth so far in 2020. "We were excited to provide Motto franchisees a socially distanced opportunity to network and learn new strategies to expand their mortgage brokerage franchise business," said Terri Larson, vice president of operations, Motto Franchising.

The Connected EDGE event concluded with a virtual wine tasting hosted by winemaker Kevin Luther, owner of Sacramento-based Lucid Wine and Voluptuary Wine. The 5-part virtual tasting was sponsored by Finance of America.

Motto EDGE 2020 Forum was also sponsored by Plaza Home Mortgage, United Wholesale Mortgage and Caliber Home Loans.

Motto Mortgage, a "mortgage brokerage in a box," continues to disrupt the mortgage industry by providing exceptional service, more options, transparency and convenience for consumers. This model not only offers an ancillary business for current real estate brokerage firms, but also opportunities for mortgage professionals seeking to open their own businesses and independent investors interested in financial services. The brand currently has more than 125 offices open in over 30 states.

About Motto Mortgage

The Motto Mortgage network is breaking the mold by giving the power of choice back to consumers with less jargon, more transparency, and even more options to choose from as they shop for the right home loan. With over 125 offices open in more than 30 states, Motto Franchising, LLC's unique national franchise mortgage brokerage model is the first of its kind in the United States. Created to disrupt the mortgage industry, the Motto Mortgage network connects loan originators and real estate agents to provide a seamless, personalized experience and one-stop shop for consumers. Motto Mortgage is the second member of the RE/MAX Holdings, Inc. family of brands. Each Motto Mortgage office is independently owned, operated and licensed. To learn more about Motto Mortgage, or for license information for a Motto Mortgage office, email [email protected], or visit www.mottomortgage.com/offices.

SOURCE Motto Mortgage

Related Links

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BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- China on Thursday released a white paper on employment and labor rights in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, rejecting and debunking the "forced labor" allegation of the United States and Western pseudo-scholars.

Employment is vital to people's wellbeing. A decent job is the aspiration of all. To protect the right to work is to safeguard human rights.

This is especially true of Xinjiang, a vast, underdeveloped border region with a population of 25 million of different ethnic groups and plagued by the "three evil forces" of terrorism, extremism, and separatism over a long period.

A common and notable increase of residents' sense of gains, happiness, and security in Xinjiang is one of the manifestations of its achievements, thanks to its employment policy and measures in line with international standards. Meanwhile, its deradicalization efforts have sharply enhanced security, with no terrorist cases reported for more than three years.

With its comprehensive and effective protection of labor rights, Xinjiang has done a good job in guaranteeing and developing local people's rights to employment, equality, security, health, and culture, among others.

However, some U.S. politicians including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and forces with an anti-China sentiment have deliberately hyped up non-existent "forced labor" in Xinjiang. Absurdly, the U.S. has recently taken restrictive measures against relevant Chinese companies under the pretext of so-called "forced labor." It is a blatant act of bullying.

It is evident that such an allegation is nothing but another fabricated issue of some biased institutions and individuals to serve their political interests through malicious, orchestrated, systematic smearing, and distorting of Xinjiang.

With deep bias and typical double standards, they judge Xinjiang only in their ill-willed imagination, caring nothing about the wellbeing of people and real human rights progress in Xinjiang. Rather, the accusations show they attempt to deny the people's right to work and a better life.

The latest white paper offers an opportunity for the international community to have an objective understanding of what really happens in the region.

Xinjiang has worked out a new approach to addressing some of the global challenges: protecting human rights while combating terrorism and extremism, and pursuing sustainable development while eliminating poverty.

It is no exaggeration to say that Xinjiang has set an example of practicing international labor and human rights standards in underdeveloped areas with large populations of ethnic minorities.

Falsehoods, like the "forced labor" claim, will never alter the course of development in Xinjiang. Nor will they, by any means, contain China's development course toward great rejuvenation.
That magic asphalt carpet ride for transit commuters traveling to the Lincoln Tunnel called the Xclusive Bus Lane is reopening Monday morning after being closed for months due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey officials said the Route 495 bus lane will open at 6:30 a.m. Monday, Sept. 21 because traffic volume is nearing pre-pandemic levels on Port Authority crossings. The XBL is created by using a westbound lane of the highway for eastbound buses to the tunnel traveling from the New Jersey Turnpike.

Lincoln Tunnel traffic rebounded to 1.1 million vehicles in July, close to the 1.43 million reported in January, according to authority statistics. In 2019, traffic at Port Authority crossings set records.

Nationally and in the state, highway traffic is returning to close to pre-pandemic levels according to the Federal Highway Administration, state toll road authorities and traffic research companies.

The 2.5 mile-long XBL was closed in late March after New York and New Jersey officials issued state orders restricting travel to essential workers, resulting in a sharp drop in automobile traffic by as much as 64 percent and a reduction in transit ridership as employees worked from home.

As those orders started being lifted and the region started reopening this summer, traffic at all Port Authority crossings has steadily increased, with July levels down just 15 percent from the same month last year, officials said.

NJ Transit bus service resumed operating on regular schedules in June but ridership to New York is around 35% of pre-pandemic levels, NJ Transit officials said.

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Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com.


Ranveer Singh has two films in the pipeline waiting to release. While Kabir Khans 83 was all set for a release before the pandemic hit the country, his other project Jayeshbhai Jordaar too has been wrapped up. But the post production on the film is not done yet. The actor has to still complete the dubbing. Now that the film industry is gradually getting back to work, the actor has resumed dubbing for the film.





A source reveals, Ranveer is starting to dub for the film and thats why he was at YRF. His work schedule is back to normal and he is absolutely fine to shoot and work in the pandemic because it is the new normal now. He realises that the industry has to restart for business to be back as usual and as a superstar he will be extremely proactive to contribute towards normalising the industry that has been hit hard by the pandemic.The source refutes rumours that. Says the source, Jayeshbhai Jordaar is going to release in theatres, no doubt about that. So, the makers are keeping the film ready to release. They will assess the best time to release the film, given the pandemic and make further plans to market and release this really special film. Ranveer will wrap his entire dubbing work on Jayeshbhai now.

Director Maneesh Sharma, who introduced Ranveer in Band Baaja Baarat and who's also producing this film alongwith Yash Raj Films, talks about the actors performance in the film. He says, Ranveer has given his two hundred percent to the film and it will show when people see the movie. I will stick my neck out to say that Ranveer has delivered his career best performance with Jayeshbhai Jordaar. The film is directed by debutant writer-director Divyang. The makers are waiting for things to return to normal to release the film.
A s the London Design Festival returns this week, we are reminded that our city has the worlds largest design community that is ready to step in and reinvent the capital.

The pandemic has not just part-closed the city, it has significantly changed attitudes too. This is such a concern for city administrators that scenario-planning includes a return to offices of only 25 per cent. This means an immediate re-think of how we live and use London. We should see it not as a problem, but as an opportunity that must be grasped.

Retail has been in decline for 20 years and while consumer behaviour has changed, planning has not. Local authorities still require ground-floor retail in development schemes destined to remain empty  one reason why government has proposed a radical deregulation of planning. Concerns have been rightly raised about developers creating slum-like micro and windowless units. But adaptive re-use of spaces is the revolution we have been waiting for. Innovative design solutions can bring vitality to neighbourhoods with a variety of uses that serve the community first.

What will be new is an abundance of empty offices. Every major employer is rethinking their space needs and we risk a ghost town in Zone 1. Offices can be made into anything given the opportunity and property companies will soon be seeking new solutions as the market enters its biggest adjustment in a lifetime.

What will be new is an abundance of empty offices. This is an opportunity  they can be made into anything

A benefit of home-working has been a local revival. Designers can help improve the distinctiveness of neighbourhoods through a variety of interventions. In 1992 for the Barcelona Olympics, the mayor of the city created a network of micro public squares. Beautifully designed and heavily used, they gave identity to neighbourhoods. London needs such an initiative today.

Rush hour has become an old and tired concept too. Flexible working should eradicate that alongside a move towards greater diversity of transport. We are past peak car ownership with a generation not even bothering to learn to drive. Redesigning our mobility needs and reinventing our streets is a necessity.

Designers have the imagination to make London the best place in the world to live and a blueprint for other cities. But the Government must act first. I call on them to create an ambitious innovation fund that asks the big questions. Designers are ready to respond. Hand over the city to us and we will help fix it.

Ben Evans is director and co-founder of the London Design Festival
The president is pressuring the Food and Drug Administration to move quickly  asserting that a vaccine will be ready before the election, even though the governments own scientists insist that thats not feasible. The struggle has stirred fears that health officials will circumvent the normally robust vaccine approval process to bolster the presidents re-election bid, and those fears are already undermining the vaccines chances of success. At this point, people are going to be suspicious even if the data is great, the University of Washington epidemiologist Dr. Carl T. Bergstrom says. And its going to take a lot of work to overcome that.

When we do have a vaccine, the first batches will likely (and rightly) go to front-line workers, then to the elderly, especially in nursing homes. It could take a year or more before the average person is able to get a shot. (The early vaccines will probably require boosters, which also lengthens the timeline because it means twice as many have to be produced for the same number of people.) And because children havent been included in any clinical trials, its unclear when or how they might be deemed eligible for vaccination.

That means that mask-wearing and social distancing will remain essential, and well need to keep using the same tools scientists have been clamoring for all along: surveillance testing, contact tracing and quarantine.

Testing remains a mixed bag. On one hand, our woeful shortages could soon be resolved. I really think testing is going to be a lot better by late fall, Dr. Jha tells me. Im nervous to say that, because Ive thought it before and been wrong. But this time around Im actually optimistic. More rapid antigen tests and new genome sequencing tests should start to clear the regulatory process in the next month or so, he says. By January there should be enough capacity to regularly screen students, teachers and essential workers.

On the other hand, were failing to make almost any use of the testing data we already have. As The Atlantic recently reported, thousands if not tens of thousands of rapid antigen tests are almost certainly being administered every single day, but almost none of them are being logged in any public health database, which means they are not being used to track potential outbreaks or to inform state or local policies. Meanwhile, only a few states, like New York and Massachusetts, are even trying to pair robust testing with robust contact tracing. And there is still no federal funding to help people who test positive or have been exposed and need to isolate.

For proof that rigorous testing and tracing can make a difference, compare New York City with Madrid. Both are international hubs with expansive public transit that suffered large outbreaks in March, were forced to shut down by April, and had their case counts under control by June. But New York has kept its case counts exceedingly low since then, while Madrid now has one of the highest counts in Europe. The difference? New York City tested many more people and hired many more contact tracers. (It was also much slower to reopen: Madrids restaurants were at 60 percent capacity in June; New Yorks are just opening now for indoor service, at 25 percent.)

The Coming Election

Some members of the Trump administration are already discussing the pandemic in the past tense. So if the president wins re-election, the federal response is unlikely to change. Well continue relying on individual states, cities, schools and businesses to manage the crisis on their own until a vaccine curbs the virus.
Over 30 persons are feared dead in a road accident along Akaeze-Ishiagu highway in Akaeze Development Centre, Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

The incident occurred on Friday at about 5:45pm.

The bus conveying the passengers reportedly plunged into a river near a bridge along the road.

A source from the area said that the accident occurred when an Enugu-bound bus conveying people returning from a burial ceremony in Ebonyi State attempted to overtake a trailer just before a bridge in the area.

The driver of the bus was said to have lost control of the vehicle and veered off into the river and got submerged immediately.

As at the time of filing this report, five persons in critical conditions had been reportedly rescued and rushed to the hospital for treatment.

An accident just occurred at Akaeze Development Centre. A 608 bus carrying 36 persons returning from a burial in Ebonyi heading to Enugu while trying to overtake a trailer, the driver lost control and the bus jumped into the river. Up till now, more than 20 minutes after the incident none of them has been found, the source said.

The police spokesman in the state, Loveth Odah, confirmed the incident describing it as a very unfortunate incident.

She, however, disclosed that about five persons had so far been rescued from the river, adding that efforts were on to rescue others.

It is a very unfortunate incident. The DPO of the area just told me that about five persons have been rescued and rushed to the hospital while efforts were on to see if some other persons can be rescued too. Our men are already on ground to see what can be done to help the situation, Ms Odah said.
Gardai at the scene of the discovery of a body in Booterstown in south Dublin yesterday

Gardai were yesterday searching through the missing persons database to try to identify a body that was found in south Dublin.

The remains were found by a member of the public at around 7am yesterday and gardai were immediately notified.

It meant disruption for commuters as some early-morning Dart services were temporarily suspended.

The scene at Blackrock Park in Booterstown was sealed-off as a probe was launched to find out what had happened.

The State Pathologist was notified and gardai believe the body was there for several weeks before being found in undergrowth.

Difficult

Preliminary examinations at the scene did not find any clear signs of injury to the body.

Investigators were last night awaiting the results of a post-mortem examination to determine how they would handle the case.

Gardai believe the remains are those of a male but were awaiting the post-mortem results to learn of the age, sex and identity of the body.

"This unfortunate person's remains appear to have been in this area for some time before being discovered, which has made identification more difficult," a source said.

"As part of their inquiries gardai will also be using DNA samples to help identify this person."

This involves the DNA database being used to compare samples from missing persons.

Last year alone DNA profiling was used in solving eight missing-person cases in collaboration with the Garda Missing Person Unit.

The scene of yesterday's find at Blackrock Park runs adjacent to the Dart line between the Seapoint and Booterstown stops.

After gardai arrived on the scene, early-morning rail services in the area were temporarily suspended but these were back running after 9am, although with delays.

A Garda spokesman said officers are "investigating the discovery of a body on land in Blackrock Park, Blackrock, Co Dublin, on the morning of Thursday, September 17.

"The body appears to have been in situ for a period of time before being discovered.

Post-mortem

"The scene is currently preserved for technical examination.

"The body has been removed for post-mortem, the results of which will determine the course of this investigation."
By Andrea Shalal and David Lawder

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden's recent warning that Britain must honor Northern Ireland's 1998 peace agreement to secure a U.S. trade deal adds new complexity to already tough trade talks between the United States and the U.K.

"We can't allow the Good Friday Agreement that brought peace to Northern Ireland to become a casualty of Brexit," Biden wrote on Twitter on Wednesday, referring to the deal that ended three decades of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland and created a shared regional government.

Biden was echoing Democratic House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's warning last week that any move by Britain to erect physical customs borders between British-ruled Northern Ireland and European Union member Ireland meant "no chance" for a U.S.-U.K. trade deal.

U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy to Northern Ireland, Mick Mulvaney, also warned against "creating a hard border by accident," telling https://www.ft.com/content/e71b7301-4b35-4a13-bee2-f9446b438e05 the Financial Times that the Trump administration and Congress were aligned in their desire to preserve the 1998 Good Friday Agreement's border prohibitions.

The warnings come as U.S. negotiators in the Trump administration wrap up a fourth round of trade talks with their British counterparts in Washington this week. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday the talks could "reach a successful conclusion before too long."

No matter how they end, U.S. law gives Congress authority over trade policy. Trump has sometimes sidestepped that authority on trade issues, but U.S. and British officials have said they are aiming for a comprehensive agreement that would need Congress's approval.

The U.S. election on Nov. 3 is expected to leave the House in Democratic hands, giving extra weight to Pelosi's words.

Both the U.S. and Britain have other hurdles to clear as well, trade experts say.

Story continues

"Removing the Good Friday Agreement is a nonstarter, but there are five or six other potentially really difficult issues that the two countries are still far apart on," said Harry Broadman, managing director at the Berkeley Research Group and a former senior U.S. trade official, including agriculture, the British healthcare system and Britain's proposed digital services tax.

NON-NEGOTIABLE

Asked about the Trump administration's view Thursday, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer's office pointed to his June testimony to Congress, where he said there is no chance Congress would pass a trade deal if Britain put up borders in Ireland, violating the Good Friday Agreement.

"I've made that quite clear. The chairman (of the committee) has made it quite clear to me. The president agrees this is not something on which we're going to have a negotiation," he said.

The Good Friday Agreement is in jeopardy, some diplomats say, because of new legislation proposed by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

British trade officials have repeatedly said they are seeking a comprehensive trade deal and are not seeking to rush into an agreement before the U.S. election, nor waiting to see who wins at the polls in November.

U.S. and British trade negotiators were expected to discuss one of the thorniest issues between the two countries in the current round of trade talks: increased access for agricultural products.

British trade minister Liz Truss has pledged to drive a "hard bargain" with the United States, vowing that Britain would not diminish its food safety standards to import American products such as chlorine-treated poultry and genetically modified crops.

Britain wants access for lamb and beef exports to the United States.

Autos are the largest source of trade between the two economies, and another point of friction. Britain maintains a 10% tariff on any U.S. imports, four times the U.S. tariff on British cars. An outstanding threat by Trump to impose 25% tariffs on imported vehicles makes negotiating down the British rate unlikely, trade experts say.

Pompeo, speaking Wednesday at a news conference with British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, said he trusted Britain to find a solution.

"We know the complexity of the situation," Pompeo said. "In the end, this will be a set of decisions with respect to this that the United Kingdom makes and (I) have great confidence that they will get this right in a way that treats everyone fairly and gets a good outcome."

Raab told CNN on Thursday that the 1998 agreement is "not in jeopardy."

"There is not going to be any hard border, certainly not applied by the UK," Raab said, adding that if the EU made a similar commitment, "it would also help the negotiations."

Jacob Funk Kirkegaard, a nonresident senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said Biden's warning suggests that perhaps he is just not that interested in a deal.

"The phrasing of not wanting Northern Irish peace to be a victim of Brexit, that's a really forceful intervention by a potential future American president - basically disavowing the signature project that defines the current British government. It's difficult to imagine that wording is not reflective of Biden's overall interest in pursuing this deal."

Trump has developed close ties to Johnson, but Biden's warning suggests he may not do the same, he said.

"This signals to me that the 'special relationship' between a Biden administration and Boris Johnson's government, especially in a no-deal Brexit, is not going to be very special."

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal And David Lawder; Editing by Heather Timmons, Daniel Wallis and Jonathan Oatis)
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The Global Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete (GFRC) report published by Market Research Future (MRFR), reasons out the impact of certain forces on the market. As studied by MRFR proficient analysts, the glass fiber reinforced concrete global market is likely to thrive at about 10% CAGR by 2023. The glass fiber concrete reinforced market 2020 to experience a sharp rise due to rapid tangibility of mega infrastructural and smart city projects across the globe. The ease of procurement of materials used for the fabrication of fiber reinforced concrete, such as sand, cement, alkali-resistant glass fiber, water, and concrete can support the expansion of the market.

ALSO READ:

The application of glass fiber reinforced concrete in construction for exterior facade panels, decorative non-recoverable formwork, piping, and as architectural precast concrete can entail the rise of its market. The high utility of glass fiber reinforced concrete external infrastructure due to benefits, such as lightweight, fire resistance, aesthetic properties, high mechanical strength, and superior crack resistance can improve the momentum of its global market. MRFR recorded the market to value at USD 1.83 Bn in 2017. By 2023, the glass fiber reinforced concrete estimate is at about USD 3.35 Bn. The growing awareness about environment compatible building and construction materials and rise in favor of green buildings can give glass fiber reinforced concrete a competitive edge, thus prompt its market expansion.

Segmental Study

The glass fiber reinforced concrete market study is based on application and process.

The process-based segments of the GFRC market are hybrid, spray, and premix. The spray process segment can register the highest growth rate across the review period. The segment surge can be attributed to ultimate performance and flexibility offered by GFRC. A high count of end users prefer spray process owing to its better performance and utility different construction applications. The rapid replacement of traditional hand sprayed production methods with GFRC can improve the rise of the glass fiber reinforced concrete market. Sprayed GFRC has offers superior ductility and finds place in numerous building activities.

The application-based segments of the GFRC market are residential construction, commercial construction, and civil and other infrastructure construction. The rise in glass fiber reinforced concrete utility for commercial construction applications can prompt the growth of its market. GFRC provides many benefits like fire resistance, durability, weather resistance, moisture absorption, and crack resistant advantages of GFRC can benefit its market.

Regional Analysis

North America glass fiber reinforced concrete market to head the global market growth curve. The rise in the regional market is predicted due to the increase in glass fiber reinforced concrete for residential and commercial construction applications. Another factor that can prompt the market in North America is rise in environmental concerns. Canada is likely to contribute to the sharp rise in growth of the North American GFRC market. The growing demand for houses remodelling can spur the market growth in Mexico. In Asia Pacific, the growth of the glass fiber reinforced concrete market in future can be due to rise in disposable income and expansion of the construction sector. The GFRC market in India is observed to witness remarkable growth.

Key Players

MRFR listed some notable players of the glass fiber reinforced concrete market. They are; Fibrex Construction Group (UAE), Willis Construction Co., Inc. (U.S.), Formglas Products Ltd. (Canada), Clark Pacific (U.S.), Ultratech Cement Ltd. (India), Betofiber A.S. (Turkey), BB Fiberbeton (Denmark), Nanjing Beilida New Material System Engineering Co., Ltd. (China), Stromberg Architectural (U.S.), Low & Bonar (U.K.) and Loveld (Belgium).

FOR MORE DETAILS 

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/fiberglass-flooring-market-2936
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Dhiman Basu, MD, is being recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Top Rheumatology Specialist for his exceptional contributions in acknowledgment for his unwavering devotion as the Owner of Heritage Rheumatology and Arthritis Care.

Dhiman Basu, MD

Situated at 5009 Heritage Ave, Heritage Rheumatology and Arthritis Care proudly serve Colleyville, TX, and the surrounding areas. As the owner of the practice, Dr. Dhiman Basu is devoted to providing the highest standard of patient-centered care. His practice focuses on all aspects of Rheumatology, managing patients diagnosed with various Rheumatological conditions including arthritis, autoimmune diseases, pain disorders affecting joints, and osteoporosis, ultrasound-guided procedures, taking care of inpatient consultations, running an IV infusion suite and acting as principal investigator in numerous Rheumatology Clinical Trials.

Board-Certified rheumatologist Dr. Basu has garnered valuable professional experience in practice since 2007. In addition to his appointment as Owner, he is also the principal investigator in multiple clinical trials in the field of Rheumatology. Often he presents clinical data to numerous Rheumatologists nationally as sponsored by different pharmaceutical companies and participates in Advisory Board regarding new or upcoming drugs in Rheumatology. He has studied and treated a wide array of conditions including osteoarthritis, gout, rheumatoid arthritis, Ankylosing Spondylitis, Psoriatic arthritis, Vasculitides, Sarcoidosis, Uveitis, Behcet's syndrome, and lupus. He is affiliated with Texas Health Fort Worth and Texas Health HEB. In looking forward, Dr. Basu has a passion to expand his practice and research, along with educating the younger generation. He wants to leave a legacy for his students, that he has something good for humanity by being a Physician. He strongly believes that to be successful, you must be diligent, honest, trustworthy, compassionate, and hardworking.

An academic scholar, Dr. Basu earned his Bachelor of Sciences in pre-med at Calcutta University and his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from Calcutta National Medical College in India. Soon thereafter, he attended NRS Medical College also in Calcutta, India earning his Medical degree in Internal Medicine. Then he moved on to complete an Internal Medicine Residency with the University of Texas at Houston. After his residency, Dr. Basu was invited for a Rheumatology fellowship with the University of Michigan of Ann Arbor. He is board-certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine.

Remaining abreast of the latest developments in Rheumatology, Dr. Basu is a Fellow of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). He also remains an active member of the State of Texas Association of Rheumatology(STAR) and the Association of Women in Rheumatology(AWIR).

As a highly sought out speaker, Dr. Basu is a National Key Opinion Leader. He is well-known to share his breadth of expertise at public and conference speaking engagements. Dr. Basu has been voted Top Doctor in Fort Worth, TX in 2015 and 2017, and nominated as one of the Top Rheumatologists in the State of Texas 2019-2020. He believes medical science is vast, and one has to choose the one that they think they can pursue without feeling bored or burnt out after some years of practice. He attributes his success to accomplishing beyond the challenges that he endured during fellowship training, conducting research, and publishing. He is proud of his perseverance.

In his free time, Dr. Basu enjoys learning about the history of the world and religion, collecting stamps and cans, and traveling with family and spending time with his wife Isitri Modak, MD of 20 years, and their two daughters.

Dr. Dhiman Basu dedicates his success to John Reveille, MD, his mentor, and professor at the University of Texas at Houston, TX.

For further information, please visit https://www.texashealth.org/.

Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634, [email protected]

SOURCE Continental Who's Who

Related Links

http://www.continentalwhoswho.com


Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 17:42:28|Editor: huaxia

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MOGADISHU, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Somali President Mohamed Farmajo has appointed Mohamed Hussein Roble as the country's new prime minister to replace Ali Hassan Khaire, who was impeached by parliament in July.

Farmajo, who made the announcement on Thursday night, directed Roble to form a new government to lead the country through the transition period as Somalia prepares for the 2020/2021 general elections.

The president said he made the appointment of Roble on the basis of his knowledge, experience and ability to take the government initiative, building efforts and the development of national plans.

He directed Roble to make significant efforts to consolidate security gains, rebuild the armed forces and develop infrastructure.

Roble, a graduate of Somali National University in civil engineering, is an international civil servant who worked at the International Labor Organisation (ILO).

In a statement after his appointment, Roble, who once worked at the University of London and lived in New York, said he will cooperate with all Somalis as he leads the delicate transition period.

"It is clear that the country is in a state of transition which requires real compromise and cooperation," he said in his social media posts.

He expressed the hope that Somalis would support him and become part of the new political arrangement.

The appointment of Roble, a humanitarian, came shortly after a major breakthrough in the talks between Farmajo and five regional state leaders to reach a new agreement on the conduct of the 2020/21 parliamentary and presidential elections.

Analysts describe the appointment of Roble, who appears non-aligned in the Somalia political landscape, as a sign of hope and a major compromise on the process to be followed in electing the incoming federal government of Somalia.

The tenure of the current parliament ends on Dec. 27; the tenure of office of president Farmajo ends on Feb. 7, 2021.

Analysts say holding the 2020 universal vote is critical to entrenching the federal system of governance, which is required to appease communities and regions complaining systematic exclusion and marginalization for decades. Enditem
Roderick Walker, a Black man whose alleged assault and subsequent arrest by a Georgia deputy was captured on video, has been released from jail and is seeking medical treatment for his injuries, his attorneys said.

Walker, 26, suffered a mild traumatic brain injury from being beaten, his attorneys said.

PHOTO: Roderick Walker at the Clayton County Jail in Jonesboro, Ga. Sept. 12, 2020. (The Cochran Firm via AP)

"I lost consciousness. I couldn't breathe," Walker said at a Friday news conference.

MORE: Days after he was beaten by Georgia sheriff's deputy, Roderick Walker remains in jail

"I was scared and I feared for my life," Walker said. "I just pray and just hope that it don't happen to nobody else."

Walker's left eye was filled with blood as he spoke Friday, one week after the incident.

PHOTO: Roderick Walker speaks at a press conference following his assault and arrest (WSB)

Walker's arrest was on Sept. 11 when he was a passenger in a car that was pulled over for allegedly having a broken tail light, his lawyers said. Walker was ordered out of the car, and when he questioned why the two white Clayton County Sheriff's deputies asked for his ID, he was arrested, Walker's lawyers said.

Witness video captured one of the deputies beating Walker in the face and body. Walker told the deputy, "I can't breathe," and Walker's 5-year-old son, who was in the car, was heard yelling, "Daddy!"

That deputy was fired for excessive use of force. A criminal investigation of the incident was turned over to the Clayton County District Attorneys Office.

PHOTO: A Clayton County, Ga., sheriff's deputy holds down Roderick Walker on the ground, Sept. 11, 2020, following a traffic stop. (Juanita Davis/Courtesy of The Cochran Firm via AP)

Walker's attorney, Shean Williams, said Friday, "They used an illegal, in my view, chokehold on him that almost killed him -- similar to what we saw in the George Floyd situation."

"He was literally fighting for his life," Williams said.

The Clayton County Sheriff said on Sunday that Walker received medical treatment, including X-rays that detected no fractures to his head, before he was transferred to the Fulton County Jail, where he was being held on outstanding warrants.

MORE: White Georgia sheriff's deputy seen beating Black man in viral video fired

Story continues

On Thursday afternoon, Walker was released on bond.

Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill said Sunday that he got a $25,000 signature bond expedited for Walker, but said that Walker remained in jail because he had a felony probation warrant for him out of Fulton County.

Williams alleged Friday that the Clayton County Sheriff's Department has a "systemic pattern" of violating people's civil rights.

Williams said, in Walker's case, he believes the sheriff's department tried to use the incident report to "deflect and cover up what we saw on that video." Williams said the incident report was dated Sept. 11, but Williams claimed that for days after Walker's arrest, he had asked for the report but the sheriff's department said it wasn't ready.

Walker's criminal defense attorney, Torris Butterfield, said he expects that once the Clayton County district attorney conducts an investigation, she will dismiss the charges. Walker has not yet entered a plea.

Butterfield on Friday called for transparency and said the Clayton County Sheriff's Department should release body and dash cam footage if it exists.

A sheriff's office spokesperson did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment on Friday.

Black man beaten by Georgia deputy speaks out after release from jail: 'I feared for my life' originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
By PTI

KOLKATA: Onion-filled trucks and containers stranded at different ports of the country, in the wake of the Centre's export ban of the vegetable, might be given clearance as part of partial relaxation, Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) sources said on Friday.

DGFT is understood to have communicated to the Customs Department to give the go-ahead to cargo that have arrived at the port, but not to ones which are in transit, they said.

However, there is some confusion among the exporters on the relaxation and its grounds.

"We are unsure whether all the cargo that have reached the ports would be allowed for export or only those which had received Let Export Order (LEO)," a trader said.

LEO is the last step in the list of compliance requirements required to export goods out of India.

"There are 500-600 trucks stuck at the land borders," a Malhadipur Exporters' Association official had told PTI on Thursday.

A Mumbai-based exporter said some 400-odd containers loaded with nearly 11,500 tonnes of onion are stuck at Nava Shiva Port.

This cargo, meant for overseas markets like the Middle East, Singapore, Colombo and Malaysia, had received LEO.

The partial relaxation might help in the export of around 3,000-4,000 tonnes of onions to Bangladesh, another trader said.

In some land ports of West Bengal like Gojadanga, Petrapole and Mahadipur, exporters are beginning to divert their stock to local wholesale markets to tide over losses, as the onions begin to rot, traders said.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) speaks at a press conference before the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump resumes at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 23, 2020. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Senate Democrats Unveil Plan to Counter Chinas Influence

WASHINGTONU.S. Senate Democrats have released their plan for countering communist Chinas influence on Thursday, unveiling a $350 million package of legislation seeking to boost U.S. competitiveness and reestablish diplomatic efforts through international organizations like the World Health Organization.

The plan (pdf) was backed by 11 Democrats, including Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer. It was announced just before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on countering China.

Senator Jim Risch (R), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he hoped for cooperation in drafting a proposal that included ideas for a bipartisan plan.

This is an American issue. This is not a partisan issue, Risch told a committee hearing at which State Department officials testified about Chinas global influence, with one calling Beijing a lawless bully.

Senator Bob Menendez, the committees ranking Democrat and a leader of the Democratic effort, said he looked forward to working with Republicans to forge a strong, unified and bipartisan approach on the matter.

The Democrats America LEADS Act of 2020 looks to provide new resources to the U.S. education system, and affirm Americas commitment to its allies around the world and in the Indo-Pacific region, specifically Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Australia, Thailand, as well as key partners like Taiwan and ASEAN.

It also proposes strengthening trade enforcement measures and emphasising human rights issues with China such as protests in Hong Kong and the treatment of Uyghurs in Xinjiang.

Tensions between China and the United States have escalated during the Trump administration, due to President Donald Trumps America First policies demanding reciprocal trade. However, tensions continued to heighten following the coronavirus pandemic and Beijings introduction of its National Security Law in Hong Kong, which has acted to undermine the rule of law in the former British colony.

The Trump campaign also released on Aug. 23 a list of core priorities for the presidents second term. One of the key foreign policy topics is to end our reliance on China, which includes the goal of bringing back 1 million manufacturing jobs.

The policies also propose providing tax credits and allowing 100 percent expensing deductions for essential industries like pharmaceuticals and robotics to incentivize companies to produce in the United States.

By Patricia Zengerle. Epoch Times reporter Emel Akan contributed to this report.
A Georgia man accused in a deadly crime spree across Alabama broke into a Birmingham home looking for a ride back to Atlanta but instead ended up shooting a man seven times because he said he thought the resident was going to kill him, a detective testified Thursday.

Derrick Lee Hightower, 33, is charged with capital murder in the April 18 shooting death of 36-year-old Antione Harris inside an east Birmingham home. He and 21-year-old Kentrice Symonee Hill, of Birmingham, are also charged with capital murder of a woman in Auburn and are suspected in the slayings of a Dadeville couple. Hill is not charged in the Birmingham killing.

Derrick Lee Hightower (Jefferson County Jail)

The alleged crime spree began April 17 and ended with Hightowers capture the following day after he had been shot by Birmingham police and then evaded arrest for hours.

Hightower went before Jefferson County Circuit Judge Stephen Wallace Thursday to hear the evidence against him. Deputy District Attorney Misty Reynolds is prosecuting the case. Hightower is represented in the Birmingham killing by public defender Sammie Shaw.

At the end of the hearing, Wallace ruled there was enough evidence against the Columbus man to send the case to a grand jury for indictment consideration.

The first known death in the spate of crimes was 54-year-old Nancy Nash. Auburn police responded to the Farmville Volunteer Fire Departments call for assistance on a vehicle fire in the 9500 block of U.S. Highway 280 West around 6 a.m. that Friday. When officers arrived, they found a white 2005 Chevrolet Silverado truck on fire and Nash dead nearby at Creative Habitats Landscaping.

Nash worked at the landscaping business and is believed to have been killed while possibly interrupting a burglary. Her vehicle, a black 2019 Nissan Frontier, was discovered missing and later located in Irondale.

Next, Hightower is believed to have been involved in the double murder of a couple in Dadeville that Friday evening. It wasnt immediately clear when the couple was killed, but they were found Friday night by a concerned family member, said Dadeville Police Chief Johnathan Floyd. Floyd identified the victims the next day as Willie Tidwell, 61, and his wife Barbara, 65. Floyd said they were communicating with Birmingham investigators and Hightower is the suspect, but no charges have yet been filed.

Veteran homicide detective Phillip Harris, the lead investigator on the Birmingham case, testified at Thursdays hearing, chronicling the events that led to Antione Harriss death in Birmingham and details of his subsequent interview with the suspect.

The ordeal in Birmingham began about 11 p.m. that Friday when Birmingham detectives were notified that a vehicle being sought out of Auburn was spotted at the USA Economy Lodge on Crestwood Boulevard. That vehicle, authorities said, was taken in Auburn and involved in the homicide there. License plate readers indicated it was in the area of the motel.

Police had also received reports that the suspect was seen in the area of the motel. Early Saturday, a vehicle was seen leaving the area and Birmingham police tried to stop the vehicle which was a Dodge Journey. At that point, a man later identified as Hightower got out of the still-moving SUV and exchanged gunfire with Birmingham police. Hightower, Harris said, fled on foot and the SUV rolled into a ravine.

Officers secured the vehicle and found a .380 handgun and multiple shell casings near the SUV. At this point, police still did not know Antione Harris had been killed nearby but they would soon find.

They ran the registration on the Dodge Journey, which listed the owners address on nearby Briar Grove Drive. Police went to the house where they found the door to the carport unlocked. They entered and discovered Antione Harris dead on the floor. He had five gunshot wounds to the torso and one to each arm.

The victim lived at the home with his fiance, and she was the listed owner of the Dodge Journey. The fiancee was out of town at the time of the killing, working as a nurse with COVID-19 patients in New York City.

Police launched a manhunt for Hightower, who was taken into custody about 4 p.m. that Saturday after he walked up to police near the Jacks in Irondale and surrendered. Det. Harris testified that Hightower had been shot two or three time by police during the earlier exchange of gunfire.

Hightower was taken to the hospital and treated for his gunshot wounds. He was released about five hours later and then was interviewed by Det. Harris.

The detective said Hightower waived his Miranda Rights and spoke with him voluntarily. The suspect told Det. Harris that things had been brewing for a while. "He felt like everybody was against him and had turned against him,'' Det. Harris testified.

Hightower told the detective that he had been smoking weed and crystal meth for about a week. He said he went into the Briar Grove Road home because his phone was dead, and he needed a ride back to Georgia.

Det. Harris testified that Hightower said he knew someone was inside the Briar Grove Drive house because he could see a man through the window. Once inside the home, he encountered Antione Harris, who was standing there wearing only a towel. Hightower said he thought the resident was about to kill him.

"He said he heard a gun cock, so he pulled out two guns and started firing,'' Det. Harris testified.

After the shooting, he said he took the Dodge Journey but then encountered Birmingham police and his getaway was thwarted. Det. Harris testified that one of the victims debit cards was found in the stolen Journey.

Det. Harris testified that Hightower told him the recovered .380 was one of the guns he used to shoot Antione Harris. The second he said he disposed of while he was on the run from police. It has never been found.

In his interview with the detective, Hightower also spoke of the shootout with police. "He actually said the officers were bad shots,'' Det. Harris testified.

Hightowers attorney asked Det. Harris if he thought his client was coherent during the interview with homicide detectives. The detective described Hightower as very coherent and said he even gave him a paragraph to read to verify his lucidity. "He read it perfectly,'' Det. Harris said.

Det. Harris said, however, Hightower had some strange beliefs. "He believes in black magic and talked a lot about reincarnation,'' the detective said.

At the end of the testimony, Shaw said he didnt think there was enough probably cause to move the case on into the next phase of the process. He said the capital murder charge was based on Hightower committing a burglary and asserted that, "Theres no evidence that he intended to commit a crime,'' when entering the home.

Wallace disagreed and bound the case over. Hightowers bond remains set at no bond.
House parties are the "perfect place" to spread Covid-19 among the younger generation, a virologist has warned.

Dr Connor Bamford voiced concerns over young people socialising without adhering to the guidelines, such as wearing face masks and keeping socially distant.

It comes after students and young people in the Holyland area of south Belfast were criticised for flouting the regulations as they begin to move to the city ahead of the new university term.

The PSNI has issued a series of Covid and prohibition notices this week in response to the street and house parties that continued throughout the week.

Dr Bamford, from Queen's University, told the Belfast Telegraph that young people need to be very careful as that generation can spread the virus at an incredibly fast rate.

"We know that young people at university age are susceptible to the virus," he said.

"They can get infected, they can spread it very well and they can actually get sick so we do have to look out for them.

"We know that we have to be really careful at the minute in that the virus can spread particularly well in crowded settings inside where people aren't socially distancing or taking precautions such as masks.

"We do have to be really careful.

"In house parties where a lot of younger individuals who aren't socially distancing, this is the perfect place for the virus to spread and especially so because we know you can spread the virus when you aren't actually sick.

"You won't be able to tell that you're infected until unfortunately it's too late."

Meanwhile, Emma Hodcroft, a molecular epidemiologist from the University of Basel, said that when cases rise in young people "you are playing roulette" as the older generation could get the virus through transmission.

"When you're shouting things and talking loudly, these are all things that increase the number of small particles that leave your mouth," she told BBC Radio Ulster's Nolan Show yesterday.

"Those can then float around the air, particularly if you're inside a room.

"They can float around and go even further than the two-metre distance that you might be keeping from someone else.

"Then of course, the closer that you are with people in general, the more chance that you will be inhaling any droplets that come from their mouth."
Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned four times on Friday following Opposition protests over certain remarks by BJP members, including against the Gandhi family. The ruckus began during the procedure for the introduction of the Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation and Amendment of Certain Provisions) Bill, 2020.

The Congress and the Trinamool Congress strongly protested certain remarks by BJP members, including by Union minister Anurag Singh Thakur and BJP's Locket Chatterjee. After speaking for sometime during the procedure for introduction of the bill, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that her deputy Thakur will talk about PM-CARES Fund.

Opposition members raised concerns about the fund and while speaking, Thakur attacked the Congress and the Gandhis. He also alleged that the Congress had misused the PM Relief Fund. Thakur said the Opposition sees everything, even good things, in a bad light. "Your intention and thought are not good," he said.

Attacking the Congress, Thakur said the PM national relief fund has not been registered till now and also stressed that alleged misuse of funds needs to be looked into. When Congress members protested, Thakur said that names of Nehru and Gandhi family should be taken and alleged that the Gandhi family ruined the country.

About Opposition's concerns, he mentioned that during elections, it was said the EVMs are not working properly, and then it was about demonetisation, triple talaq and GST. Regarding PM-CARES Fund, the minister said that people went to courts against the fund and courts have given rulings in favour of the fund.

The fund was set up in March and it was opposed in April itself. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi was preparing to fight the coronavirus pandemic, at that time also, the Opposition was doing politics, Thakur charged. He also said that poor and aged people as well as children have contributed to the fund.

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that Chinese companies have donated to PM-CARES Fund and that should also be looked into. In protest against the minister's remarks about the Gandhis, Congress members walked out of the House.

When Speaker Om Birla asked the minister to stop, Thakur said that he needs more time to bring out the real face of the Opposition. "The PM Cares Fund is a constitutionally set up public charitable trust. PM National Relief Fund was set up only for the benefits of one family  Nehru-Gandhi family," he said.

Amid the din, BJP member from West Bengal Chatterjee made some remarks that were opposed by Trinamool Congress members. As the ruckus continued, Birla warned members that they should not stand up to speak and that protection of members is important.

"If anyone gets up to talk I will take action I will name them and remove them from the House," Birla said, adding that it would be applicable for all members and ministers. Keeping in mind social distancing norms in place due to the coronavirus pandemic, members have been asked not to stand while speaking.

Apparently referring to certain remarks by ruling party members, Trinamool Congress member Kalyan Banerjee said such things cannot continue and alleged that the Speaker was trying to protect BJP members. Banerjee even said that he is also ready to face suspension. Amid the din, the Speaker first adjourned the proceedings for 30 minutes till 4.20 pm.

After the House reconvened, Sitharaman introduced the bill and then the House took up discussion on supplementary demands. Congress members led by Gaurav Gogoi demanded an apology from Thakur for his remarks against the Gandhis.

When Rama Devi, who was presiding the proceedings, asked Chowdhury speak on supplementary demands for excess grants, he said first the House has to be brought in order and then he attacked Thakur for his remarks. Then, Rama Devi asked BJP member Jayant Sinha to speak on supplementary demands.

As he was speaking, Congress members raised slogans such as 'Anurag Thakur maafi maango' and 'Speaker saheb sadan main aaiye'. They were raising slogans while standing. Some Congress members entered the Well of the House raising slogans and the Treasury benches did not react to the sloganeering.

Amid din, Rama Devi adjourned the House for 30 minutes till 5 pm. Later, the proceedings were adjourned twice for 30 minutes each till 6 pm.

As soon as the House assembled at 5.30 pm, Rajendra Agrawal, who was in the chair, requested the protesting members to sit in their places for their own safety as well as for the safety of others in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. Agrawal also sought cooperation from them and made a plea to them to allow the House to function.

When the session commenced at 6pm, Thakur said it was not his intention to hurt anyone. I apologise if I have hurt anyone unintentionally," he said. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh praised Speaker Om Birla, whom he said helped overcome such blocks during sessions. He said Anurag Thakur was a young and smart leader, and had accepted it if his words hurt anyone.

Praising members for their extraordinary efforts during this difficult time, the Speaker said the whole world will hail India, which is the largest democracy, for running Parliament in the interest of people in such a situation.

If anyone thinks that the Chair has hurt someone, I would like to say that it may be unintentional. For me every member is equal and protecting every member is my duty," Birla said.

If I say anything to anyone, the intention is not to hurt anyone but to run this House smoothly. If someone has been hurt in that process, I personally seek apology from him or her," he added.

Defence Minister and Deputy Leader of the House Rajnath Singh praised the Speaker for running the House smoothly. The way you handled todays stalemate is praiseworthy," Singh said.
IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Last night, National Geographic and Mazda closed the first-of-its-kind photography-based competition, Assignment: Inspiration. Sam Tippetts was announced the winner and next great National Geographic storyteller on a special that aired on National Geographic.

The Assignment: Inspiration program began with a contest shared through the National Geographic Your Shot Instagram account, inviting emerging photographers to tell a visual story about where they find inspiration. Mazda launched this competition as part of its Power of Potential platform, which honors individuals making a difference, realizing their potential and ultimately inspiring others.

From those submissions, National Geographic and Mazda selected three storytellers to compete in a series of photography quests. These challenges were inspired by an exploration of Hiroshima, Japan that National Geographic photographer and Assignment: Inspiration mentor David Guttenfelder experienced with Mazda. On the journey, Guttenfelder took in the city's heritage to gain a deeper understanding of Mazda's design values: Takumi craftsmanship, ingenuity and passion for uplifting others.

The three Assignment: Inspiration finalists Nina Mayer Ritchie, Beth Mancuso and Sam Tippetts created amazing, uplifting photographs. In the end Tippetts, a young, intrepid photographer from Boerne, TX was declared the winner.

"Throughout the quests, Sam's devotion to visual storytelling resonated with us," Mazda North American Operations CMO Brad Audet said. "Mazda's designers and engineers have a similar approach to their work as artisans who seek mastery of their skills. They diligently transfer their passion, into each project to create a vehicle that evokes a feeling."

Tippetts officially becomes the next Mazda Content Partner and National Geographic storyteller with an official assignment for National Geographic Travel where his original work will be published on National Geographic Travel's digital platforms.

"Photography is the heart of National Geographic, and an essential part of our 132-year legacy of telling stories that matter," said George Stone, Executive Editor of National Geographic Travel. "Seeing the next generation of visual storytellers use their talents to inspire people to care more about the planet inspires us. We are excited to see where Sam takes his assignment, and we look forward to sharing the results on our National Geographic Travel platforms."

Produced through National Geographic CreativeWorks, the branded content studio for National Geographic and part of Disney CreativeWorks, with Radley Studios, the competition had cross-platform promotion with unrivaled reach across National Geographic's social and digital properties, including digital video and social components, spotlighting the photographers competing in the contest. The partnership reached more than 225 million U.S. fans and followers of National Geographic's social and digital social properties.

For more information visit NationalGeographic.com/Mazda.

ABOUT MAZDA NORTH AMERICAN OPERATIONS

Mazda North American Operations is headquartered in Irvine, California, and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States and Mexico through approximately 620 dealers. Operations in Mexico are managed by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City. For more information on Mazda vehicles, including photography and B-roll, please visit the online Mazda media center at InsideMazda.MazdaUSA.com/Newsroom.

Follow MNAO's social media channels through Twitter and Instagram at @MazdaUSA and Facebook at Facebook.com/MazdaUSA.

SOURCE Mazda North American Operations
JoshuaTree Internet Marketing, a Top-Producing Lead Generation Agency Dedicated to Providing Uniquely Personalized Approach Focusing on Quality Over Quantity

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / September 17, 2020 / Josh DeMeester, CEO of JoshuaTree Internet Marketing, is pleased to announce the launch of his new "30 Qualified Leads Guaranteed" Program.

To learn more about the "30 Qualified Leads Guaranteed Program," schedule a call here today.

Every career change Josh has ever had has been driven by a desire to help more people. In fact, that was exactly why he developed his new "30 Qualified Leads Guaranteed" Program. While the outcome of the program is high-quality leads, the partnership with Josh is what clients will really be paying for.

JoshuaTree Internet Marketing is a cutting edge full-service lead generation agency that is dedicated to providing a uniquely personalized approach focusing on quality over quantity. The team's main aim is to create real and true partnerships with clients, by developing detailed and customized plans and executing them.

"Perhaps most importantly, Josh answers his phone and returns email in less than a day. He is always accessible for his clients and cares about the value of the service he provides at every level. Josh provides a level of service that is above and beyond anything I have been able to find for my IT needs. He is simply the best" - Diana Kish

What Josh is offering is truly unique. Not only because it's a partnership but also because of Josh's own experience in both digital marketing and real estate. Josh started his career in real estate marketing in Florida and progressed to become the IT and Marketing Director at Berkshire Hathaway. He eventually joined the Emerald Coats Board of Realtors where he became a Power Member and taught other real estate professionals how to generate leads at a fraction of the cost of Zillow, Trulia, and Realtor.com.

For years, he has worked directly with realtors every day. Not only does he understand the business of real estate, but he understands the frustration, issues, and psychology of the realtors as well as their clients intimately. Notably, he also knows how to teach and communicate specifically to agents.

His strong mastery of digital mastering, his experience in real estate, and his strong communication skills were clearly a winning combination.

One of his clients got 3 pre-approvals two days after he started running ads for her. Work came to him organically and soon he was getting results such as this:

"My business is blowing up thanks to your help! I am over the moon!" - Jamie R.

"I am so ecstatic right now, you have no idea how your service was the answer to my prayers! I really appreciate your work! I was drowning before this and needed direction, you definitely got my vote!" - Jamie M.

"Sold a house for $335K, that will be a $9,500K commission! We are waiting for the seller counter-offer, and my buyer is going to accept it! We will be under contract today!" - Sandy B.

Josh believes that the real key to his success is his simple mantra of "quality over quantity." A concept that is often missed in real estate. He uses this mantra to guide his decisions in his desire to build a truly trusted brand.

Josh achieves quality not only by working and partnering with the real estate to generate leads but by focusing on education as well. He applies what he calls a "holistic approach to real estate" which has a strong focus on teaching real estate agents to use the many digital tools available to them.

Josh's goal for his program is not only to help agents grow their real estate business but to grow their awareness of the digital world, as well.

About Josh DeMeester:

Josh DeMeester, CEO of JoshuaTree Internet Marketing, has helped Realtors exponentially increase closings thanks to his digital skills and experience. Josh was previously a Marketing Director with Berkshire Hathaway and is currently a Power Member with the Emerald Coats Board of Realtors. To learn more about the "30 Qualified Leads Guaranteed Program," schedule a call here today: https://www.joshuatreemarketing.com/pages/about-us

CONTACT:

Victoria Kennedy

Victorious PR

+1 702-935-8906

press@victoriakennedyofficial.com

702-297-6105

SOURCE: Josh DeMeester

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/606679/Josh-DeMeester-CEO-of-JoshuaTree-Internet-Marketing-Announces-His-30-Qualified-Leads-Guaranteed-Program
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 23:47:59|Editor: huaxia

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HELSINKI, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Finland's trade with China grew remarkably in the second quarter (Q2) of 2020, while the general trend in the country's foreign trade statistics showed a major year-on-year decline, Statistics Finland said in a press release on Friday.

Finland's exports to China soared by as much as 69 percent to 1.1 billion euros (1.3 billion U.S. dollars) in Q2, 2020. Imports from China also rose by 12 percent to 1.6 billion euros.

The main driver was trade in goods as services exports and imports have both decreased slightly, Statistics Finland explained.

Between April and June 2020, Finland's foreign trade dropped in both goods and services. Service exports decreased by 28 percent and service imports fell 22 percent from one year earlier. The decline was the smallest in goods exports, down 12 percent. Goods imports were 20 percent below the corresponding period of 2019.

Compared with the same period last year, the value of Finland's services and goods exports decreased by over 4 billion euros. In the second quarter of 2019, goods worth 15.8 billion euros and services worth 7.9 billion euros were exported by Finland. However, in the second quarter of 2020, the respective figures were 13.8 billion euros and 5.7 billion euros.

According to the statistics agency, Finland's service exports did not grow significantly in any category.

Of the main industries, trade in travel and transport services declined the most in Q2. Travel to Finland, which is recorded as travel exports, plunged by 87 percent, and travel from abroad, or imports of travel, dropped by 93 percent year-on-year.

Under the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, Finland's international trade with most of its partners remained sluggish in Q2, 2020, the agency said.

The value of Finland's exports to Europe contracted by 3.3 billion euros from the respective quarter of the previous year, accounting for 79 percent of the total decrease in exports. Exports to the United States declined by 0.7 billion euros. (1 euro = 1.19 U.S. dollar) Enditem
In the past seven days, 452 people tested positive for coronavirus in Luxembourg.

According to the latest Statec figures, the Grand Duchy has a population of about 620,000. Last week, the number of new infections was 72 per 100,000 inhabitants.

Germany considers a region a risk area when it registers more than 50 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants in one week.

On 14 July, the German authorities classified Luxembourg as a risk zone.

Luxembourg residents could no longer travel to Germany unless they had a negative screening test that was no older than 48 hours. At the time, 391 new coronavirus infections had been recorded in Luxembourg during the previous seven days, i.e. approximately 62 per 100,000 inhabitants.

At that time, the results of the tests of the cross-border commuters were still being published. But at the end of August, the Ministry of Health decided not to publish these figures anymore on the grounds that other countries did not know the difference.

When the number of new infections dropped in Luxembourg in August, Germany removed the country from its list of risk areas. With the developments of the last seven days, however, it is feared that the Robert Koch Institute, the German federal agency responsible for disease control and prevention, may once again classify the Grand Duchy as a risk area.
A body was found many feet north of this location in a waterway about a mile northeast of Rantoul Wednesday evening. The remains were not visible from the road.
Netflix recently released the first trailer of Nawazuddin Siddiqui's upcoming film called Serious Men. The film based on Manu Joseph's book by the same name, stars Nawazuddin as a lower-middle-class man in Mumbai, struggling to give his kid a better future. Directed by Sudhir Mishra, the film Serious Men talks about society's aspiration for upward mobility in class through children.

While talking about the film, Nawazuddin said in a statement, "I am very excited to be a part of Netflix's Serious Men and work with a creative mind like Sudhir Mishra. This is my second stint with Netflix after Sacred Games, and I hope that people give Ayyan Mani from Serious Men the same love that they extended to Ganesh Gaitonde from Sacred Games."

Nawazuddin will be seen playing a lower-middle-class man with a happy marriage, an unremarkable passion for life and a dead-end job as a personal assistant to an insufferable astronomer.

The trailer starts with Nawaz explaining how it would take four generations to improve their family's status and class. He then goes on to share his story and claims he will make sure his grandchildren have a luxurious life and for that, he comes up with an elaborate plan and cons the world into thinking his child is a genius. The trailer calls him a mix between Ambedkar and APJ Abdul Kalam.

The official synopsis for the film reads, "When a slum dweller spins a web of lies in pursuit of the upward mobility he has long craved, his ruse could be especially dangerous for his young son."

The Netflix original set to release on October 2, also stars Indira Tiwari, M Nasser and Shweta Basu Prasad.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui: Bollywood Formula Films Don't Need Talent, Many Filmmakers Work Outside Formula

Netflix In September 2020: Enola Holmes, Ratched, Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare And More
You Are Not Forgotten  that's the central phrase behind the POW/MIA remembrance movement which honors America's prisoners of war, those who are still missing in action and their families.

Many of our service members suffered as prisoners of war during several decades of varying conflicts. While some of them made it home, tens of thousands more never did.

Here are four things to know about how this important movement got started, what it means and how you can help recognize it.

POW/MIA Recognition Day

POW/MIA Recognition Day is commemorated on the third Friday of every September, a date that's not associated with any particular war. In 1979, Congress and the president passed resolutions making it official after the families of the more than 2,500 Vietnam War POW/MIAs pushed for full accountability.

During the first POW/MIA Recognition Day commemoration, a ceremony was held at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., while the 1st Tactical Squadron from Langley Air Force Base in Virginia flew the missing man formation. Most ceremonies since then have been held at the Pentagon, and many smaller observances have cropped up across the nation and around the world on military installations.

Related: A Missing ID Card Spent 50 Years in Vietnam. Now It's Coming Home

The point of POW/MIA Recognition Day is to ensure that American remembers to stand behind those who serve and to make sure we do everything we can to account for those who have never returned.

POW/MIA Numbers

In order to comprehend the importance of this movement, all you need to do is look at the sheer number of Americans who have been listed as POW/MIAs.

According to a Congressional Research Service report on POWs:

130,201 World War II service members were imprisoned; 14,072 them died

7,140 Korean War service members were imprisoned; 2,701 of them died

725 Vietnam War service members were imprisoned; 64 of them died

37 service members were imprisoned during conflicts since 1991, including both Gulf wars; none are still in captivity

According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, 83,114 Americans who fought in those wars are still missing, including:

73,515 from World War II (an approximate number due to limited or conflicting data)

7,841 from the Korean War

1,626 from Vietnam

126 from the Cold War

6 from conflicts since 1991

The DPAA said about 75 percent of those missing Americans are somewhere in the Asia-Pacific. More than 41,000 have been presumed lost at sea.

Efforts to find those men, identify them and bring them home are constant. For example, the DPAA said that in the past year it has accounted for 41 men missing during the Korean War: 10 had been previously buried as unknowns, 26 were from remains turned over by North Korea in the 1990s, one was from a recovery operation, and four were combinations of remains and recovery operations.

The POW/MIA Flag

The traditional POW/MIA flag that's well-known across America was actually created many years before the remembrance day became official.

In 1971, a woman named Mary Hoff contacted a flag company near her home to see if a flag reminding people of POWs and the missing could be made. She was one of the many waiting to see if her husband, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Michael Hoff, would ever return home after his plane had been shot down over Laos.

World War II pilot Newt Heisley designed the now-famous flag, which was made in black and white to represent the sorrow, anxiety and hope symbolized by the image of the gaunt man featured on it.

For every POW/MIA Recognition Day since 1982, the flag has flown just below the stars and stripes at the White House  the only other flag to ever do so. In 1998, Congress ordered it to also be displayed on Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day and Veterans Day.

Bracelets Help Continue the Support

While the POW/MIA flag reminds us to never forget our prisoners of war and missing in action, bracelets also became a popular personal form of remembrance in the 1970s. They're still worn and purchased by families and veterans, who are also wearing bracelets for those who were killed in action in more recent wars.

If you don't feel the need to buy a flag or bracelet, it's still important to remember the extreme sacrifices of our POW/MIAs and America's pact to them: That we will take care of them and, no matter how much time has passed, they will make it back home.

Stay on Top of Your Veteran Benefits

Military benefits are always changing. Keep up with everything from pay to health care by signing up for a free Military.com membership, which will send all the latest benefits straight to your inbox while giving you access to up-to-date pay charts and more.
Counties are anxiously waiting to see if lawmakers and Gov. Tom Wolf will extend the amount of time elections boards have to begin pre-canvassing mailed ballots. Read more

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HARRISBURG  With less than seven weeks to go, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has significantly altered how the states election will run on Nov. 3, allowing ballots that arrive after Election Day to be counted and giving voters the option to use satellite drop boxes.

But a change counties say is critical to a smooth election  allowing them to begin processing ballots earlier  remains unresolved in the legislature. And with Republicans condemning the courts rulings as partisan and dangerous, the chances of Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and GOP leadership reaching an agreement seem less likely than ever.

The states high court ruled Thursday on three election-related cases, including one that challenged the Green Partys inclusion on the November ballot and another brought by the state Democratic Party that sought in part to extend the deadline to accept ballots.

Under state law, absentee and mail-in ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day to be counted. The Supreme Court ruled that election officials should count ballots that are received as late as Nov. 6, as long as they are postmarked by Nov. 3. Ballots that arrive by the new deadline with missing or illegible postmarks will be counted.

One of the rulings also allows counties to employ drop boxes where voters can deposit their ballots. The boxes have become a target of President Donald Trump, who has falsely claimed they are not secure.

Todays ruling confirms that counties will be able to provide convenient secure options such as additional county election offices and drop boxes to increase accessibility for those who are voting by mail, Wolf said in a statement. Today is an important day for voters' rights in Pennsylvania. Now, we and every county election worker will continue our efforts to administer an election that is secure, fair and accessible in every way.

But there are still logistical issues that could wreak havoc on Nov. 3 and the days that follow. Counties are anxiously waiting to see if lawmakers and Wolf will extend the amount of time elections boards have to begin pre-canvassing mailed ballots  that is, removing ballots from their envelopes, flattening them, and preparing them to be scanned.

Current law only allows that process to begin at 7 a.m. on Election Day. And with the Department of State expecting as many as three million Pennsylvanians to apply to vote by mail, results could be delayed for days. That wait could have far-reaching effects across the nation, as the state will be central to deciding who wins the presidency.

The state House recently passed a bill that would allow counties to begin the process three days before the election. But the legislation  which the Senate had indicated it would consider next week  would also ban satellite drop boxes and grant partisan poll watchers the flexibility to volunteer anywhere in the state.

Both of those provisions are poison pills for Wolf, who has vowed to veto the legislation as written.

Before the state Supreme Court rulings, there was agreement among Democrats and Republicans that the time frame to count ballots needed to change  although by how much was up for debate.

The GOP-sponsored legislation at first allowed counties to begin the process three weeks before Election Day, the amount of time the Department of State recommended after reviewing issues that arose during the June primary.

But that provision was changed during the amendment process. Rep. Garth Everett (R., Lycoming), chair of the House State Government Committee, said there were concerns among some election officials and Republican lawmakers about issues including fraud.

There were members who were leery of pre-canvassing in the first place and thought that 21 days allowed too much time for some sort of nefarious activity to take place, Everett said.

But both the state and a nonpartisan good-government group said fraud is extremely unlikely.

Wanda Murren, a spokesperson for the Department of State, said the agency has full confidence that county election directors understand fully and take very seriously their responsibility to maintain the security of ballots, and that state law requires ballots be stored in a secure container. And as an additional layer of protection, the department has requested lawmakers ensure authorized representatives witness the pre-canvass process.

Suzanne Almeida, interim director of Common Cause Pennsylvania, said every election office in the state has an established chain of custody to keep track of ballots  whether the envelopes have been opened or not.

Those are still ballots that are going to exist in the world and are going to be sitting somewhere, she said.

Whether any change will be made now is unclear.

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, Wolf and the GOP have been at odds over the administrations attempts to slow the virus' spread, including an order that temporarily closed some businesses. Republicans have attempted to undo Wolfs orders and curtail his executive power, only to be met by the governors veto pen.

Even before Thursdays rulings, talks between Republicans and the governor on election reform appeared to have largely stalled. The GOP may try to use the legislative process to explicitly ban drop boxes and roll back other changes allowed by the state Supreme Court, but Wolf has the power to reject any bill, and its unlikely that Republicans could garner enough Democratic support to overturn a veto.

To make matters even more complicated, this may not be the end of the legal drama. Theres a separate federal court case brought by Trumps campaign that can now resume.

And Bruce Ledewitz, a law professor at Duquesne University, said Republicans in the General Assembly could go to the U.S. Supreme Court to challenge Thursdays decisions. Statements from Republicans in both chambers hinted that an appeal may be forthcoming.

Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R., Jefferson) and Majority Leader Jake Corman (R., Centre) said in a joint statement that the court has overtaken the job constitutionally provided to the legislature and made partisan decisions.

We believe the court has erred in its ruling and is jeopardizing the accountability and security of our election process in Pennsylvania, the Republican leaders said in a statement. We will continue to review the decision, exploring our options to ensure trust in the election process and defend the Constitution against this activist court.

House Speaker Bryan Cutler (R., Lancaster) and House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff (R., Centre) similarly said they are currently examining our legal and legislative options and remain committed to ensuring our elections are conducted in a safe and secure manner with results beyond reproach.

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.
Home Search ICH Treason By Mike Whitney A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. Marcus Tullius Cicero September 17, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - The Transition Integrity Project (TIP) is a shadowy group of government, military and media elites who have concocted a plan to spread mayhem and disinformation following the November 3 presidential elections. The strategy takes advantage of the presumed delay in determining the winner of the upcoming election. (due to the deluge of mail-in votes.) The interim period is expected to intensify partisan warfare creating the perfect environment for disseminating propaganda and inciting street violence. The leaders of TIP believe that a mass mobilization will help them to achieve what Russiagate could not, that is, the removal Donald Trump via an illicit coup conjured up by behind-the-scenes powerbrokers and their Democrat allies. Heres a little more background from an article by Chris Farrell at the Gatestone Institute: In one of the greatest public disinformation campaigns in American history  the Left and their NeverTrumper allies (under the nom de guerre: Transition Integrity Project) released a 22-page report in August 2020 war gaming four election crisis scenarios:.The outcome of each TIP scenario results in street violence and political impasse. Is it possible that the leadership of the American Left, along with their NeverTrumper allies, are busy talking themselves into advocating and promoting street violence as a response to a presidential election? The answer is: Yes. expect violence in the aftermath of the election, because now that is the new normal. (How to Steal an Election, Gatestone Institute) Farrell is right. As we can see from the many articles that have recently popped up in the media, the American people are being prepared for a contested election that will fuel public anxiety and revolt. This all fits with the overall strategy of the TIP. Selected journalists will be used to provide bits of information that serve the interests of the group while the people will be told to expect a long and drawn-out constitutional crisis. Meanwhile, the media, the Democrat leadership, trusted elites and elements in the Intelligence Community will put pressure on Trump to step down while firing up their political base to take to the streets. TIPs 22-page manifesto makes it clear that mass mobilization will be key to any electoral victory. Heres an excerpt from the text: A show of numbers in the streets-and actions in the streets-may be decisive factors in determining what the public perceives as a just and legitimate outcome. (Preventing a Disrupted Presidential Election and Transition The Transition Integrity Project) In other words, the authors fully support demonstrations and political upheaval to achieve their goal of removing Trump. Clearly, this scorched earth approach did not originate with Joe Biden, but with the cynical and bloodthirsty puppetmasters who operate behind the curtain and who will do anything to advance their agenda. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Newsletter This is a full-blown color revolution authored and supported by the same oligarchs and deep-state honchoes that have opposed Trump from the very beginning. Theyre not going to back down or call off the dogs until the job is done and Trump is gone. And when the dust settles, Trump will likely be charged, tried, sentenced and imprisoned. His fortune will be seized, his family will be financially ruined, and his closest advisors and allies will be prosecuted on fabricated charges. Theres not going to be a graceful transition of power if Trump loses. He will face the full wrath of the scheming mandarins he has frustrated for the last 4 years. These are the men who applauded when Saddam and Ghaddafi were savagely butchered. Will Trump face the same fate as them? Trump has less than two months to rally his supporters, draw attention to the conspiracy that has is presently underway, and figure out a way to defend himself against the coup plotters. If he is unable to derail the impending junta, his goose is cooked. Its worth noting, that the Transition Integrity Project (TIP) has no legal authority to meddle in the upcoming election. They were not appointed by any congressional committee nor did any government entity approve their intrusive activities. This is entirely a lone wolf operation designed to exploit loopholes in campaign laws in order to undermine public confidence in our elections and to express their unbridled hostility towards Donald Trump. That said, there analysis will probably influence those who share their views. In the first page of their Executive Summary they say: We assess with a high degree of likelihood that Novembers elections will be marked by a chaotic legal and political landscape. We also assess that the President Trump is likely to contest the result by both legal and extra-legal means, in an attempt to hold onto power. (Ibid) This short statement provides the basic justification for the groups existence. It presents the participants as impartial observers performing their civic duty by objectively analyzing exercises (war games?) that indicate that Trump will challenge the election results in a desperate attempt to hold on to power. Not surprisingly, the group provides no evidence that the president would react the way they think he would. In fact, their hypothesis seems extremely far-fetched given the fact that Trump has no militia, no private army, and very few allies among the political class, the Intelligence Community, the FBI, the military or the deep state. Who exactly does the group think would help Trump hold on to power: Bill Barr, Larry Kudlow, Melania?? There is nothing impartial about this analysis. It is partisan gibberish aimed at discrediting Trump while creating a pretext for launching a coup against him. Here is another sample of TIPs objective analysis from page 1 of the manuscript: The Transition Integrity Project (TIP) was launched in late 2019 out of concern that the Trump Administration may seek to manipulate, ignore, undermine or disrupt the 2020 presidential election and transition process. TIP takes no position on how Americans should cast their votes, or on the likely winner of the upcoming election; either major party candidate could prevail at the polls in November without resorting to dirty tricks. However, the administration of President Donald Trump has steadily undermined core norms of democracy and the rule of law and embraced numerous corrupt and authoritarian practices. This presents a profound challenge for those from either party who are committed to ensuring free and fair elections, peaceful transitions of power, and stable administrative continuity in the United States. (Ibid) Got that? In other words (to paraphrase) Trump is a corrupt dictator who hates democracy and the rule of law, but that is just our unbiased opinion. Please, dont let that influence your vote. We just want to make sure the election goes smoothly. As we noted, the hatred for Trump permeates the entire 22-page document and that, in turn, undermines the credibility of the author to portray his project as an impartial examination of potential problems in the upcoming election. There is nothing evenhanded in the approach to these issues or in the remedies that are recommended. This is a partisan project concocted by malicious elites who despise Trump and who plan to remove him from office by hook or crook. So, do we know who the leaders of this (TIP) group are? Well, we know who their two main spokesmen are: Rosa Brooks Georgetown law professor and co-founder of the Transition Integrity Project, and Ret. Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Government and Public Policy at the College of William & Mary, and chief of staff to former Secretary of State Colin Powell. According to an article by Whitney Webb: (Rosa) Brooks was an advisor to the Pentagon and the Hillary Clinton-led State Department during the Obama administration. She was also previously the general counsel to the President of the Open Society Institute, part of the Open Society Foundations (OSF), a controversial organization funded by billionaire George Soros. Zoe Hudson, who is TIPs director, is also a former top figure at OSF, serving as senior policy analyst and liaison between the foundations and the U.S. government for 11 years. OSF ties to the TIP are a red flag for a number of reasons, namely due to the fact that OSF and other Soros-funded organizations played a critical role in fomenting so-called color revolutions to overthrow non-aligned governments, particularly during the Obama administration. Examples of OSFs ties to these manufactured revolutions include Ukraine in 2014 and the Arab Spring.. In addition to her ties to the Obama administration and OSF, Brooks is currently a scholar at West Points Modern War Institute, where she focuses on the relationship between the military and domestic policing and also Georgetowns Innovative Policing Program. She is a currently a key player in the documented OSF-led push to capitalize off of legitimate calls for police reform to justify the creation of a federalized police force under the guise of defunding and/or eliminating local police departments. Brooks interest in the blurring line between military and police is notable given her past advocacy of a military coup to remove Trump from office and the TIPs subsequent conclusion that the military may have to step in if Trump manages to win the 2020 election, per the groups war games described above. Brooks is also a senior fellow at the think tank New America. New Americas mission statement notes that the organization is focused on honestly confronting the challenges caused by rapid technological and social change, and seizing the opportunities those changes create. It is largely funded by Silicon Valley billionaires, including Bill Gates (Microsoft), Eric Schmidt (Google), Reid Hoffman (LinkedIn), Jeffrey Skoll and Pierre Omidyar (eBay). In addition, it has received millions directly from the U.S. State Department to research ranking digital rights. Notably, of these funders, Reid Hoffman was caught meddling in the most recent Democratic primary to undercut Bernie Sanders candidacy during the Iowa caucus and while others, such as Eric Schmidt and Pierre Omidyar, are known for their cozy ties to the Clinton family and even ties to Hillary Clintons 2016 campaign. (Bipartisan Washington Insiders Reveal Their Plan for Chaos if Trump Wins the Election, Unlimited Hangout) Is it safe to say that Rosa Brooks is a Soros stooge overseeing a color revolution in the United States aimed at toppling Trump and replacing him with a dementia-addled, meat-puppet named Joe Biden? Political analyst Paul Craig Roberts seems to think so. Heres what he said in a recent post at his website: I have provided evidence that the military/security complex, using the media and the Democrats, intends to turn the November election into a color revolution The evidence of a color revolution in the works is abundantly supplied by CNN, MSNBC, New York Times, NPR, Washington Post and numerous Internet sites funded by the CIA and the foundations and corporations through which it operates..  All of these media organizations are establishing the story in the mind of Americans that Trump will not leave office when he loses or steals the election and must be driven out. With Antifa and Black Lives Matter now experienced in violent protests, they will be unleashed anew on American cities when there is news of a Trump election victory. The media will explain the violence as necessary to free us from a tyrant and egg on the violence, as will the Democrat Party. The CIA will be certain that the violence is well funded.  What is a reelected President Trump going to do when the Secret Service refuses to repel Antifa and Black Lives Matter when they breach White House Security?  American Democracy is on the verge of being ended for all times, and the world media will herald the event as the successful overthrowing of a tyrant. (Americas Color Revolution, Paul Craig Roberts) Another of the leading spokesmen for TIP is Retired Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson who made this revealing statement in a recent interview: Let me just say some of the things that were putting out there. Among those things, one that is very important is the media, particularly the mainstream media. They cannot act as they usually act with regard to elections. They have to play a coup on election night. They cant be declaring some state like Pennsylvania for one candidate or the other. When Pennsylvania probably has thousands upon thousands of votes yet to come in and count. So, the media has to get its act in order and it has to act very differently than it normally does. (NOTE: In other words, Wilkerson does not want the media to follow the normal protocols for covering an election, but to adjust their reporting to accommodate the aims of the coup-plotters. Does that sound like someone who is committed to evenhanded coverage of events, or someone who wants reporters to shape the news to meet the specifications of his own particular agenda? Heres more from Wilkerson:) Second, .we also have learned that poll workers have to be younger. And weve started a movement all across the country to train young people. And weve had really good luck with the volunteers to do so, to be poll workers. Because we found out in Wisconsin, for example, poll workers are mostly over 60. And many of them didnt show up because they were afraid of COVID-19. And so Wisconsin went from about one 188 polling places, to about 15. Thats disastrous. (This War Game Maps out what happens if the President contests the Election, WBUR) Why is Wilkerson so encouraged by the young people hes trained to act as poll workers? Doesnt that sound a bit fishy, especially from a dyed-in-the-wool partisan whos mixed up with a group whose sole aim is to beat Trump? And why are the authors of the TIP manifesto so eager to reveal their true intentions. Take a look: There will likely not be an election night this year; unprecedented numbers of voters are expected to use mail-in ballots, which will almost certainly delay the certified result for days or weeks. A delay provides a window for campaigns, the media, and others to cast doubt on the integrity of the process and for escalating tensions between competing camps. As a legal matter, a candidate unwilling to concede can contest the election into January...(Ibid) So, thats the GamePlan, eh? The coup plotters want a contested election that drags on for weeks, deepens divisions among the population, undermines confidence in the electoral system, instigates ferocious street fighting in cities across the country, and gives the Biden camp time to mobilize its political resources in Congress to mount a Constitutional attack on Trump. Can we at least call this treachery by its proper name: Treason the crime of betraying ones country by trying to overthrow the government? If the shoe fits.. Mike lives in Washington state. He can be reached at fergiewhitney@msn.com - " Source " - Post your comment below See also The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Search Information Clearing House === The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Click Here To Support Information Clearing House Your support has kept ICH free on the Web since 2002. Click for Spanish , German , Dutch , Danish , French , translation- Note- Translation may take a moment to load.
New Delhi: Passing slips in examination halls is not allowed but is permitted in Rajya Sabha to communicate with other members in view of COVID-19 safety measures, Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said on Friday. Before the proceedings started for Zero Hour, Naidu advised members not to go to each other's seats or come to the Table House when the House is in session for any clarification and send slips, if the issue was urgent.

"No member is expected to come to Table office when House is in sessionMembers are requested not to go to other member's seat and bend and whisper in their ears.Please avoid. If you have something to communicate send slips. It is not allowed in examination halls but is allowed here," Naidu said, prompting laughter in the House. When a member in lighter vein asked whether they could come over for a cup of tea, Naidu said they can send slips informally and he will try to address the issue to the extent possible.

He also advised all parliamentarians not to come to the Chairman's office and added that while he enjoyed meeting people, under the present circumstances safety norms should be followed. Air circulation is restricted in closed rooms, he noted.

During the current 18-day Monsoon Session which started from Monday under the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic, many firsts have been witnessed including sitting of the two Houses in shifts without any off day and entry only to those having a negative COVID-19 report and compulsory wearing of masks. The first-of-its-kind Monsoon Session is conducted with Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha sitting in two different shifts with special seating arrangements for MPs in adherence to social distancing guidelines. For making the entire Parliament complex a safe zone in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha Chairman Naidu had earlier held a series of extensive discussions with officials of the Home Ministry, Health Ministry, ICMR and the DRDO..

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Fosun to show quality life products in CIIE for first time

By:Zheng Qian | From:english.eastday.com | 2020-09-17 17:36

As a regular of the China International Import Expo (CIIE) with its health businesses, Fosun Group, a Chinese conglomerate, is to participate in this years event with its subsidiary overseas consumer brands exposed in the quality life section for the first time.

The brands, covering jewelry, cosmetics and travel, will take part in CIIE in the Fosun Happiness booth.

For example, Israeli treasured skin care brand AHAVA will display its Dead Sea series products and interact with visitors to experience the skin care effects of Dead Sea minerals. A new product will also premiere on-site. Wei beauty, an American herbal skincare brand combining Traditional Chinese Medicine with western technology will display its wares at this grand event for the first time.

Clothing brands like French high-end fashion brand LANVIN, Austrian high-end brand Wolford and American haute couture brand St. John will also make their debuts at the CIIE in the Fosun Happiness section.




TAKOMA PARK, Md.: In front of baskets of tomatoes and peppers, near a sizzling burrito grill, the promotoras stop masked shoppers at a busy Latino farmers market: Want to test a COVID-19 vaccine?

Aided by Spanish-speaking health promoters and Black pastors, a stepped-up effort is underway around the U.S. to recruit minorities to ensure potential vaccines against the scourge are tested in the populations most ravaged by the virus.

Many thousands of volunteers from minority groups are needed for huge clinical trials underway or about to begin. Scientists say a diverse group of test subjects is vital to determining whether a vaccine is safe and effective for everyone and instilling broad public confidence in the shots once they become available.

The expanded outreach by vaccine researchers and health officials is getting a late start in communities that, because of a history of scientific exploitation and racism, may be the most reluctant to roll up their sleeves.

Just getting the word out takes time.

I didnt know anything about the vaccine until now, said Ingrid Guerra, who signed up last week at the farmers market in Takoma Park, Maryland, outside the nations capital.

The health promoters from CASA, a Hispanic advocacy group, explained how the research process works and how a vaccine could help end the coronavirus pandemic.

Im not afraid, Guerra decided. I want to participate for me, my family, my people.

University of Maryland researchers agreed to set up a temporary lab at CASAs local community center so that people struggling financially wouldnt have to travel to participate.

The hardest part, many experts say, is gaining trust.

A white guy from NIH is probably not going to be as effective by far in convincing somebody from a minority community that this is the kind of science they might want to trust, as would a doctor from their own community, said Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health.

Recruiting African Americans in particular will be a heavy, heavy lift, Collins said, because of the legacy of mistrust after the infamous Tuskegee experiment, when Black men in Alabama were left untreated for syphilis as part of a study that ran from the 1930s into the 70s.

Some Black doctors, too, are wrestling with doubts. Dr. Tina Carroll-Scott, medical director of the South Miami Childrens Clinic, described a really, really tough time, considering the political influence that the Trump administration has exerted on long-trusted health agencies like the Food and Drug Administration.

Wondering whether thats going to affect the trials and even the vaccine that comes out I think are all valid concerns, said Carroll-Scott, who ultimately decided to recommend the studies. We know that Blacks and Latinos are bearing the brunt of this virus and, yeah, we definitely need to make sure that this vaccine works for them.

In the U.S., Black, Latino, Native Americans and Asians are more at risk of hospitalization and death from the coronavirus. Together they make up nearly 40% of the U.S. population, and an equitable vaccine study would match those demographics, though health officials would like to see even greater numbers.

As Moderna Inc. neared its goal of 30,000 study participants, some sites slowed recruitment in recent weeks to increase minority enrollment, now at about 28%.

Pfizer Inc., which recently asked the FDA for permission to expand to 44,000 volunteers, says about a quarter of its U.S. participants are from communities of color, more when counting trial sites in Brazil and Argentina. Both companies are having the most success in recruiting Hispanics.

Its really important that this vaccine work for everyone, or if it doesnt, that we understand why, said Dr. Susanne Doblecki-Lewis of the University of Miami, who is helping to test the Moderna vaccine. Researchers might need to compare the different vaccines and see how one might better fit a population than another.

A lack of diversity in the research would have ripple effects once any vaccine is approved for widespread use. Even before final testing began, a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found just 25% of African Americans and 37% of Hispanics would get a vaccine once its available, compared with 56% of whites.

If and when we have a vaccine ready, if you didnt have enrollment of minorities, then people are going to say, Why should I put the vaccine in myself? said Dr. Carlos del Rio of Emory University, another study site.

Yet too often, when Dr. Christian Ramers of Family Health Centers of San Diego tries to recruit, he is told: How can you possibly expect me to be a guinea pig when time and again weve volunteered our community members and not seen the benefits of the research?

Theresa Hagen of Miami Beach, Florida, hopes she is a role model for other African Americans considering volunteering.

I may be part of history right here, she said after enrolling in the University of Miamis study. The research benefits not only African Americans but everyone in general.

Researchers are gearing up to recruit thousands more volunteers over the next two months, as shots made by Johnson & Johnson and Novavax enter final testing and a paused study from AstraZeneca is expected to resume in the U.S.

NIH this week began a program to better inform minority populations about the vaccine studies and other COVID-19 information and awarded $12 million to help form community engagement teams in 11 especially hard-hit states.

And as part of the NIHs COVID-19 Prevention Network, the Rev. Edwin Sanders II of the Metropolitan Interdenominational Church in Nashville is heading a separate national project for faith ambassadors and clergy to dispel misinformation about vaccines and research.

Were not trying to twist anybodys arm, said Sanders, who has spent decades working with AIDS researchers to increase Black participation in studies of HIV vaccines and treatments.

People will have reasonable questions and fears, he said. The key is bringing them together with scientists and trusted community leaders for respectful, open conversations.

Were trying to change consciousness and change mindset, Sanders said. Its not a quick fix.

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Neergaard reported from Alexandria, Virginia. Associated Press video journalist Cody Jackson in Miami contributed to this report.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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Former Bank of England Governor Mark Carney will join the advisory board of PIMCO, one of the worlds biggest bond investment companies, adding to his existing roles with the United Nations and a Canadian asset manager.

Carney will work alongside former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, ex-Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke and a previous President of the European Central Bank, Jean-Claude Trichet, the California-based company said on Wednesday.

PIMCO manages $1.92 trillion of assets and is owned by German insurer Allianz.

Marks extensive experience as an economist and central banker, combined with his focus on transforming climate finance, makes him an invaluable addition to this renowned group of thinkers, PIMCOs chief executive, Emmanuel Roman, said.

PIMCO says it uses its global advisory board to improve fund managers understanding of how institutions such as central banks influence financial markets.

Last month Carney joined Canadian asset management company Brookfield as a vice chair to head its green investment program, in his first major business role since leaving Britains central bank in March.

Before leaving the BoE, he also accepted a role as a United Nations Special Envoy on Climate Action and Finance.

Carney, who spoke regularly on the need for banks and insurers to heed the risks from global warming, was one of the worlds best-paid central bankers, earning 882,885 pounds ($1.15 million) including pension and housing benefits in his last year at the BoE.

($1 = 0.7701 pounds) (Reporting by David Milliken; editing by Angus MacSwan)

Topics Allianz
A medical staff collects samples for Covid-19 testing in Quang Nam Province, central Vietnam. Photo by VnExpress/Dac Thanh.

Two returnees from Pakistan are Vietnams latest Covid-19 patients, taking the number of active cases to 90 Friday evening.

Both men are 36 years old and residents of the countrys southernmost province of Ca Mau.

On September 11, they had made contact with Covid-19 patients in Pakistan. From September 13-15, they flew from Pakistan and transited in Qatar and South Korea before arriving at the Cam Ranh Airport in central Khanh Hoa Province. They were quarantined upon arrival.

Their samples were taken for testing on Wednesday, and the results came back positive on Thursday.

A Covid-19 patient was announced recovered Friday, bringing the tally of recoveries to 941. The nations Covid-19 tally stands at 1,068 with 35 deaths.

Vietnam has not recorded any community transmission of the novel coronavirus in 15 days.
Van Morrison To Release No More Lockdown #SaveLiveMusic Protest Songs

Most musicians are proudly sharing COVID mask photos on Instagram and promoting social distancing to their fans. Not Van Morrison.

Instead, Van Morrisson is releasing three new tracks in response to government lockdown restrictions in the UK and globally.

Born To Be Free, As I Walked Out, and No More Lockdown are songs of protest: in which Morrison makes it clear how unhappy he is with the way the government has taken away personal freedoms.

He is also campaigning for venues to open at full capacity.

Morrison feels strongly that lockdown is in danger of killing live music and that without a date for reopening fully in 2020, many venues will shut down forever.

Im not telling people what to do or think, the government is doing a great job of that already. Its about freedom of choice, I believe people should have the right to think for themselves.  says Morrison.

The three tracks will be available for download and streaming only from selected outlets.

Born To Be Free is released on Friday September 25

As I Walked Out is released on Friday October 9

No More Lockdown is released on Friday October 23

He will debut the new tracks later this month at his upcoming shows in the London Palladium and preview the tracks on the #SaveLiveMusic social media platforms.

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A Houston plaintiffs attorney defeated State Farm Lloyds for the fourth time on the same issue, this time coming away with a federal appellate court ruling that policyholders dont have to prove that their insurer acted in bad faith in order to collect 18% interest on late claim payments.

The Texas Supreme Court ruled essentially the same way last year in another lawsuit, but Wednesdays decision by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals puts a fine point on the precedent, clarifying that interest is owed starting from the date a final ruling is issued, said attorney Joshua P. Davis.

Davis said the lawsuit he filed on behalf of San Antonio homeowners Jesus and Margaret Agredano marked the fourth time he has taken State Farm to court seeking penalties under the Texas Prompt Payment of Claims Act, or TPPCA.

We did fairly well for ourselves and hopefully they will finally get the picture, Davis said Thursday.

We did fairly well for ourselves and hopefully they will finally get the picture. -- Joshua Davis

The Agredanos filed a claim with State Farm seeking repairs to the roof of their ranch-style home in northeast San Antonio, which had been damaged by hail on Aug. 11, 2014. State Farm gauged the damage at $615.17, well below the amount of the deductible on the policy.

The Agredanos hired a public adjuster who estimated the damage would cost $45,270.33 to repair. The also hired Davis, who wrote a demand letter seeking $83,084.51. In addition to the cost of the repairs, Davis threw in $5,000 for mental anguish, court costs, attorney fees and 18% interest for State Farms alleged late payment of a valid claim. When State Farm refused to pay, the Agredanos filed a lawsuit, which was removed to the U.S. District Court for Western Texas in San Antonio.

At trial, Davis said he submitted a more reasonable damage estimate of $13,661. He acknowledged that public adjuster estimates can be expansive. The jury awarded Agredanos that amount after a trial.

The Agredanos asked the district court to add attorney fees and an interest payment to the judgment because of State Farms alleged violation of Texas prompt payment law. Judge Royce C. Lamberth refused, citing an unpublished decision by the 5th Circuit in 2018, titled Chavez v. State Farm Lloyds, that held the 18% interest penalty called for under Texas statute 542.060 is owed only when the plaintiff shows that their insurer acted in bad faith when denying a claim.

Since the district court had previously dismissed the Agredanos bad faith claim, the penalty statute did not apply, Lamberth decided. Davis filed an appeal.

After Lamberth issued his ruling in March, the Texas Supreme Court ruled in Barbara Technologies Corp. v. State Farm Lloyds that plaintiffs dont have to prove bad faith in order to collect an interest penalty under the prompt payment law. A dissenting justice said that the 6-3 decision was contrary to two dozen decisions of a dozen courts.

Nonetheless, the Texas Supreme Court is the final arbiter of the meaning of Texas state law. When Davis appeal of the Agredano decision came before the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, the panel ruled that the Chavez decision, which Judge Lamberth relied on to bar an interest penalty, no longer applies.

The statute requires only liability under the policy and a failure to comply with the timing requirements of the TPPCA, the 5th Circuit ruled.

Davis said the $13,661 awarded by the jury will now amount to about $140,000 after he tallies interest and attorney fees. He said he won similar judgments in three other cases against State Farm Lloyds. Each time the courts have ultimately ruled that State Farm had to pay 18 percent interest on valid claims that it refused to pay.

The Texas legislature designed it that way because insurance companies have so much power over their policyholders, Davis said. They want it to hurt. They want the insurance companies to hurt when they dont pay claims.

Davis said he took on the Agredanos claim because he didnt like the way they were being treated by State Farm.

To me, the Agredanos are a very nice couple, he said. They were taking care of their mom in their home. There was no reason for State Farm to that them the way that they did.

The attorney who represented State Farm, Katherine M. Willis, could not be reached for comment on Thursday.
New Delhi, Sep 18 : Even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in his Independence Day speech that every village in the country will be connected by optical fibre cable (OFC) in the next 1,000 days, things on the ground seem to be moving way behind schedule.

The progress of the BharatNet project to provide broadband has been slow -- out of the targeted 2.5 lakh gram panchayats planned to be connected, only 1.43 lakh have been made service-ready so far.

The timeline for the ongoing Phase-II of the project, earlier scheduled to be achieved by August 2021, will now be extended.

Minister of State for Communications, Sanjay Dhotre, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha attributed the delay to the lockdown and restrictions on movement imposed by the various state governments due to COVID-19 and other reasons.

"As of September 1, a total of 1,43,885 panchayats have been made service-ready. Further, Wi-Fi hotspots have been installed in 69,615 panchayats and 2,43,545 FTTH (fibre-to-the-home) connections provided," the Minister said in his reply on Thursday.

He said that work on the project began in the second half of 2014 after a field survey of the panchayats concerned and pilot testing of the technology model.

"In Phase-I, only one media (underground OFC) has been used to cover the panchayats, and Right of Way (RoW) issues have delayed the implementation," he said.

Under Phase-II, about 65,000 gram panchayats in eight states are under implementation mode under state-led model, and delay in their implementation is also adversely affecting the completion of the project, the Minister added.

He said that the project progress was affected pursuant to the nationwide lockdown in March 2020 and restrictions imposed thereof. With the beginning of the unlock phase, "all efforts are being made to expedite the project implementation".

However, with the evident delay in the project's progress, it seems that achieving the Prime Minister's target of connecting over six lakh villages with optical fibre cable in 1,000 days, or three years, and providing Internet connectivity may be a tough target to meet.
A man in Webuye, Kenya has been stoned to death and his body burnt after a mob cornered him as he slaughtered a stolen pig in a sugarcane plantation.

According to an eyewitness Paul Simiyu, the farms owner heard some unusual movements in his sugarcane plantation and raised the alarm.

The neighbors responded quickly, captured the suspect and stoned him to death before burning the body, said Simiyu, adding that residents suspect the man was part of a gang that has been terrorizing them.

Confirming the incident, Bungoma East Sub County Police Commander Valarie Obari warned thieves of dire consequences if they do not reform and similarly cautioned residents against taking the law into their hands.

Officers from Webuye Police Station collected the charred remains of the deceaseds body and took it to Webuye Sub County Referral Hospital mortuary.

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A lawyer for Julian Assange reiterated claims that the WikiLeaks founder was offered a presidential pardon if he revealed the source behind the leaked Democratic National Committee emails.

Jen Robinson, who has represented Assange for years, said that then U.S. Congressman Dana Rohrabacher and a Donald Trump associate met with Assange in the Ecuadorian embassy on Aug. 15, 2017 to discuss the win-win" idea.

The proposal was that Mr. Assange identify the source for the 2016 election publications in return for some kind of pardon, assurance or agreement which would both benefit President Trump politically and prevent U.S. indictment and extradition," Robinson said in a witness statement Friday.

The alleged offer of a pardon is one the key arguments Assange is using in a London courtroom to fight extradition to the US to face criminal charges. His lawyers argue that the US case is politically motivated. The claims were first made earlier this year, as part of a pre-trial hearing, when lawyers for Assange told the judge they would be submitting Robinsons witness statement as evidence. Her testimony offered more details about the 2017 meeting.

In February, the White House denied a pardon had ever been offered to Assange and called the claims a complete fabrication and a total lie."

Rohrabacher offered a more nuanced account of the meeting in a blog post earlier this year. I told him that if he could provide me information and evidence about who actually gave him the DNC emails, I would then call on President Trump to pardon him," Rohrabacher said. At no time did I offer a deal made by the President, nor did I say I was representing the President."

Rohrabacher said he later told then-White House Chief of Staff John Kelly that Assange was willing to provide information about the hacked DNC emails in exchange for a pardon. No one followed up with him, Rohrabacher said.

During the 2016 campaign, Wikileaks published a series of DNC emails damaging to Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton that U.S. intelligence believes were hacked by Russia as part of its effort to influence the election.

Robinson said Rohrabacher told Assange that Trump was aware of, and approved, the meeting taking place. Rohrabacher also told Assange he would meet with Trump on his return to the U.S. to discuss Assanges reaction to the deal, she said.

James Lewis, a lawyer for the US, told the court that the position of the government is we dont contest these things were said."

Assange is fighting extradition to the US to face charges about leaks that predate the DNC documents.

He is accused of conspiring to obtain and disclose classified documents passed to him by former U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning. Those documents, including State Department cables and reports on the military action in Iraq and Afghanistan were published by WikiLeaks in 2010 and 2011.





This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.

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Maharashtra Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray asked Mumbai residents not to panic over issuance of prohibitory orders in the city.

No new restrictions have been imposed, he assured.

Thackeray tweeted this after the Mumbai police extended theirorders issued under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure till September end.

Thackeray said it was mere continuation of the previous order of August 31.

"No new restrictions have been imposed by Mumbai police," he said.
A queue for coronavirus tests in Bolton, as new data showed the 49 areas in England with the highest infection rates are all in the north. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

New data shows massive imbalance between COVID-19 prevalence in north of England compared to south

Top 49 areas with highest infection rates are all in north

Expert says one reason may be prioritisation of testing in north... leading to risk of infections not being picked up in south

Visit the Yahoo homepage for more stories

New data has shown the 49 places where the coronavirus is spreading fastest are all in the north of England.

A list showing the latest infection rates by council area (see the top 50 at the bottom of this page) demonstrates a clear north/south divide.

The first time a southern area appears on the list is Redbridge at number 50, which had 41.0 new cases per 100,000 people in the seven days up to Tuesday (15 September).

All the 49 areas above Redbridge are in the north. The list is topped by Bolton, which had an infection rate of 189.9 per 100,000.

Watch: Can the coronavirus affect the brain?

It follows on from the governments policy of imposing local lockdowns and restrictions on specific areas  with the south of England so far unaffected.

Parts of the north-west, west Yorkshire and the Midlands were the latest to be given tough measures on Friday, with restrictions announced for the north-east on Thursday.

The stark contrast is further demonstrated by a map, below, produced by Imperial College London.

Researchers have modelled where in the country the virus is likely to be increasing, with the darker shades showing a greater probability, and the lighter shades showing a lower probability.

(Imperial College London)

As the map shows, there are no red areas  those with a 75% to 100% chance of infections increasing  in the entire south of England for Friday.

All red areas are in the north, while the south is mainly made of light green areas, where the probability of infections increasing is just 0% to 5%.

So, why is the coronavirus hitting the north so badly while the south remains largely unaffected?

Dr Duncan Robertson, a lecturer in management sciences at Loughborough University who has been analysing the coronavirus testing regime through the pandemic, thinks the reason is possibly nuanced.

Story continues

Speaking to Yahoo News UK, he suggested it could be that the governments limited testing capacity is being focused on northern areas which have suffered higher infection rates since the summer  meaning infections in the south may not be picked up.

Test and Trace chief Dido Harding admitted on Thursday that up to 75% of people who want a test are unable to get one, with the government currently struggling with high demand.

What could be happening is prioritisation of testing in the areas where they know is the highest incidence, Dr Robertson said.

The problem with that is if youre taking testing capacity away from areas where you think there isnt high incidence, there is a risk youre not picking up new infections.

The prime minister described this as a whack-a-mole strategy, but if you dont know where the moles are, you cant whack them.

Baroness Harding told MPs the governments latest testing capacity is 242,817 a day. Boris Johnson has promised this will more than double to 500,000 by the end of October.

Dr Robertson added: Its essential we have a fully functioning testing system. At the moment there is obviously capacity restrictions with NHS Test and Trace. Its essential that is resolved so we get an accurate picture of incidence across the country.

Here are the 50 areas with the highest coronavirus infection rates in England in the seven days up to 15 September

Bolton 189.9 cases per 100,000 people

Hyndburn 144.4

Preston 139.0

Rossendale 131.5

South Tyneside 121.9

Liverpool 119.3

Knowsley 117.3

Oldham 113.4

Burnley 109.1

Bury 105.2

Oadby and Wigston

Blackburn with Darwen 102.9

Salford 100.5

St. Helens 99.7

Halton 98.9

Wirral 97.8

Bradford 96.7

Warrington 94.8

Tameside 90.5

Rochdale 89.9

Manchester 89.5

Pendle 89.0

Leicester 85.8

Gateshead 83.6

Birmingham 77.3

Leeds 76.9

Sunderland 70.9

Newcastle upon Tyne 70.7

Blaby 69.9

Kirklees 69.4

Solihull 69.3

Sefton 61.5

Wigan 59.6

Rugby 56.9

Sandwell 55.4

Wyre 54.4

Selby 53.0

Barrow-in-Furness 49.2

Stockport 48.4

Blackpool 48.0

Wolverhampton 47.8

North Tyneside 47.6

South Ribble 46.0

Trafford 45.9

Calderdale 45.4

Chorley 44.0

Hartlepool 42.7

West Lancashire 42.0

Charnwood 41.4

Redbridge 41.0

Coronavirus: what happened today

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Post Sushant Singh Rajput's untimely demise, Kangana Ranaut has been making a lot of controversial statements and hitting the headlines. Right from talking openly about drug abuse in the film industry to engaging in war of words with political leaders in Maharashtra when she compared Mumbai to PoK in a tweet, the actress has been trending on social media for multiple reasons.

Further, the actress has also been targeting celebrities through her social media handle and calling them names.

Kangana's Twitter handle was earlier handled by her digital agency. However, recently, the Manikarnika actress took over the account saying that Sushant Singh Rajput's death case changed her perspective towards social media. The actress said that she noticed the power of social media this year, when the entire world came together to fight for Sushant Singh Rajput and achieved success. Kangana said that it made her feel positive about things and that's why she decided to join Twitter.

While social media trends hint that many people are have had enough of her opinion on matters, Kangana says she is not the person who starts a fight. She further claimed that she will quit Twitter if anyone can prove otherwise.

Recently, the Queen star put out a tweet that read, "I may come across as a very ladaku person but it's not true, I have a record of never starting a fight, I will quit twitter if anyone can prove otherwise, I never start a fight but I finish every fight. Lord Krishna said when someone ask you to fight you mustn't deny them."

Lately. Kangana Ranaut is in the news for her verbal duel with actress Urmila Matondkar. After Urmila told Kangana to keep check on the drug problem in her hometown, Himachal Pradesh, Kangana retaliated by calling her a 'soft p*rn star' who wasn't known for her acting skills, in one of her interviews. Kangana's comments received a lot of backlash from netizens and Bollywood celebrities.

ALSO READ: Kangana Ranaut And Anurag Kashyap Take Jibes At Each Other On Twitter!

ALSO READ: Kangana Ranaut: There Are Expectations From Heroines To Behave Like Wives On The Set
Climate campaigners have criticized airlines for launching sightseeing "flights to nowhere"  that take off and land at the same airport  in response to travel restrictions imposed during the coronavirus pandemic.

Australian flag-carrier Qantas was the latest to announce such a flight.

Using a Boeing 787 jet  primarily used for long-haul flights  passengers will board in Sydney before they are flown at low altitude over Uluru, the Great Barrier Reef and Sydney Harbor. The flight will then return to the same airport. Tickets were advertised between A$787 and A$3,787 ($575 and $2,765).

"Its probably the fastest selling flight in Qantas history, a Qantas spokesperson told Reuters. People clearly miss travel and the experience of flying. If the demand is there, well definitely look at doing more of these scenic flights while we all wait for borders to open.

Taiwan's EVA also used one of its iconic Hello Kitty livery planes for a special father's day flight last month, while ANA used an Airbus A380 that usually flies to Honolulu for a 90-minute flight with a Hawaiian experience on board.

Image: An aerial view of Ayers Rock, or Uluru, Australia. (Newspix / Getty Images file)

The flights were criticized by Mark Carter, a campaigner from Flight Free Australia, a group that asks people to commit to not flying for a whole year.

"Our home is on fire," he said, adding that passengers would be "helping to destroy the Great Barrier Reef they view from their windows."

The fragile reef suffered major bleaching earlier this year  the third such event in five years  due to heat stress from warmer oceans. Australia also recently suffered a devastating wildfire season.

Although aviation accounts for about 2 percent of global emissions, it's a rapidly growing share and one that is spread unevenly among a small number of wealthier frequent fliers.

Just one round trip long haul flight between New York and Paris emits roughly the same carbon per person as the average European uses to heat their home for a whole year, according to the European Commission.

Story continues

Qantas, for its part, said it plans to offset the emissions from the sightseeing flight but environmentalists say this does nothing to prevent the actual carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere.

But Anna Hughes, Director of Flight Free's U.K. campaign, said there was "no substitute for leaving fossil fuels in the ground."

"The dangerous thing about offsetting is it leads us to believe we can fly carbon-neutral," she said.

"The best way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions remains the simplest one: not emit them in the first place," she added.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 10:04:12|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- China on Friday released a white paper on the participation of the country's armed forces in the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations.

The white paper, titled "China's Armed Forces: 30 Years of UN Peacekeeping Operations," was released by the State Council Information Office.

Serving on the UN missions for world peace, China's armed forces have become a key force in UN peacekeeping operations over the past three decades, says the document.

Chinese peacekeepers have left their footprints in over 20 countries and regions including Cambodia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Sudan, Lebanon, Cyprus, South Sudan, Mali and the Central African Republic.

They have made a tremendous contribution to facilitating the peaceful settlement of disputes, safeguarding regional security and stability, and promoting economic and social development in host nations, the document says. Enditem
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Linkedin Josep Borrell (The Jakarta Post) Brussels  Fri, September 18, 2020 13:35 490 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c45ac705 3 Opinion ASEAN,European-Union,EU,multilateral-relations,regional-grouping,COVID-19,pandemic Free

On Sep. 12 I had the pleasure to discuss with my ASEAN counterparts how we can strengthen cooperation between the EU and ASEAN. In a world hit by the pandemic and characterized by power politics, we have a lot in common. Our joint work should ensure that we defend the rules-based international system and ensure every human being can enjoy the security and rights we sometimes take for granted.

If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it is that the EU and ASEAN must come together as like-minded partners in integration, even if they are geographically distant.

While others choose to undercut multilateralism, our organizations should ensure that our trading systems, prosperity and security are governed by rules and based on international agreements, not on the idea that might makes right. Neither ASEAN nor the EU is ready to become part of any sphere of influence. It is not the law of the strong that must prevail, but the strength of the law.

We know that only together we can overcome this terrible pandemic. Last May we successfully pushed for the adoption of a resolution on the coronavirus by the WHO Assembly, which foresees an impartial, independent and comprehensive review of lessons learned from the international health response.

Acting together as the EU we are assisting partners around the world in tackling the virus and its socio-economic impact. In ASEAN alone, we mobilized over 800 million euros (US$944.62 million) in this Team Europe effort, more than any other partner of ASEAN.

The only viable exit strategy is a safe and reliable vaccine. Also here, we choose a multilateral response: the EU is mobilizing 400 million euros in guarantees to support the COVAX initiative for a global supply of vaccines for citizens across the world, in poor and rich countries. We have proposed that experts from the EU and ASEAN get together to see how best we can cooperate on vaccine security.

The second priority for both sides will be to reboot our economies. As the first investor in ASEAN, the EU is committed to stepping up our economic partnership. The challenge is to promote deeper ASEAN economic integration as well as closer ties between us.

That means first to pursue our trade agenda: the trade agreements between Singapore and Vietnam have entered into force and the EU is negotiating other agreements with several of you. We should pursue these with renewed urgency.

In parallel, we have to work even more together to enhance connectivity. We will build on our numerous EU-ASEAN programs to facilitate trade and integration and build infrastructure to speed up economic recovery. The launching of the EU-supported ASEAN Customs Transit System later this year is just one other example.

The EU and its member states contribute 50 percent of the 1.2 billion euros ASEAN Green Finance Catalytic Facility. An immediate common objective should be to establish an EU-ASEAN energy dialogue to tap into the potential of sustainable connectivity and the green recovery.

We look also forward to finalize our Air Transport Agreement as soon as possible. The agreement would be the first of its kind, creating the world's biggest aviation market for over one billion people.

While we focus on COVID-19 and plan the recovery, we should be vigilant about the undercutting of the international rules-based order in other domains.

We cannot allow countries to unilaterally undermine international law and maritime security in the South China Sea, thereby representing a serious threat to the peaceful development of the region. Any disruption or instability affects trade flows for everyone, at a time when the pandemic has already struck all our economic systems. Around 40 percent of the EUs foreign trade goes through the South China Sea.

All parties should refrain from the threat or use of force, the militarization of maritime features, and from any provocative actions. Instead, they should exercise self-restraint and resolve disputes through peaceful means, such as the dispute settlement mechanisms under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

We look forward to the conclusion of the talks on an effective, substantive and legally binding Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, which should not prejudice the interests of third parties.

Asian security is closely linked to European security. Also here, we need to intensify our cooperation. Last year, the EU signed an agreement on Vietnams participation in our European military and civilian missions, which are deployed from the Indian Ocean to Africa. I hope it will be the first of many with our friends in ASEAN, because our missions do not only serve European interests. They serve the interest of peace and security in some of the most troubled parts of the world.

In the European Union you will always find a trustworthy, reliable and predictable partner. We have no hidden agenda. Only a clear and public agenda: to defend the rules-based international system, and ensure all can enjoy the security and rights we sometimes take for granted.

We share a special responsibility: to uphold the global, multilateral order. At times of protectionism, US-China rivalry and global uncertainty, it is more relevant than ever.

Our partnership is no longer a luxury but a necessity.

***

The writer is European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has forced a surprising re-arrangement in the pecking order of India's largest air cargo carriers.

While SpiceJet did well to continue generating cash through its cargo arm SpiceXpress since late March, even as rest of the industry including IndiGo grounded its fleet after the nationwide lockdown, it is BlueDart Express that has come on top.

Data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) show that the logistics major has clocked the highest volumes from April to June, latest for which the numbers are available.

Interestingly, SpiceJet has been aggressively promoting itself as India's number one cargo company since April. But the numbers say otherwise.

BlueDart had carried a total volume of 12,473 tons in June. SpiceJet, on the other hand, flew 9,816 tons and IndiGo did 7,875 tons. The numbers include schedule and non-scheduled operations, both in the domestic and international markets.

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 logistics major, which has a fleet of six Boeing 757 freighters, claims to be among the leading courier and integrated express package distribution companies in South Asia.

Till March, IndiGo had continued to dominate the cargo segment, just like it does in the passenger business. It had ended 2019 with nearly 32 percent of the domestic cargo business. BlueDart finished just marginally ahead of SpiceJet. In fact, the Ajay Singh-lead airline had overtaken BlueDart in August 2019, but the logistics major managed to regain the lost ground and ended the year in the second position.

While BlueDart carried 1.22 lakh tons of cargo in 2019, SpiceJet flew 1.19 lakh tons. IndiGo, aided by a fleet that is the largest in the country, was much ahead with 2.28 lakh tons of cargo.

SpiceJet declined to comment. IndiGo didn't respond to queries.

What numbers tell

BlueDart though has disturbed the apple cart, unknowingly helped by the pandemic disruption.

Even as the rest of the airlines were forced to ground their fleet from late March onwards, when the government suspended domestic and international flights, BlueDart and SpiceJet got the permission to continue their cargo operations.

SpiceJet made the most of its unit SpiceXpress, which started operations in 2018. No other airline in the country has a separate cargo arm. All its peers, including IndiGo, carry cargo in the belly of their commercial aircraft.

As of August, SpiceJet's cargo division had a fleet of nine freighter aircraft consisting of five Boeing 737s, three Bombardier Q-400s and one Airbus A340. It had inducted the wide-body Airbus A340 cargo aircraft in August.

Even as the passenger business collapsed because of the lockdown, the cargo vertical came to SpiceJet's rescue, with telling impact. While IndiGo carried only 379 tons of cargo in April, SpiceXpress clocked a volume of 3,284 tons. It was the largest Indian cargo carrier in the international markets.

BlueDart got the highest volumes in April, with 3,842 tons.

SpiceJet's first quarter results reflect the impact of the cargo business. The cargo vertical reported a profit of Rs 482 crore, even as the mainstay passenger business incurred a loss of Rs 6,416 crore.

In the overall cargo industry though, its thunder was stolen by BlueDart. Aided by highest volumes for any player in the domestic market, the company recorded a total volume of 3,842 tons in April. SpiceJet carried 3,284 tons of cargo and IndiGo did just 379 tons.

The pecking order continued in May too. BlueDart led the industry with SpiceJet following on second and IndiGo in third. The country's largest airline had by then started carrying cargo in its passenger aircraft. IndiGo got on to the act as soon as domestic flights resumed, albeit with a cap in capacity utilisation, from May 25.

In June, the carrier clocked the second highest volumes when it comes to scheduled, domestic operations. SpiceJet was pushed to the third rank, even as BlueDart retained the top slot.

However, when one takes into account all the operations, including international and unscheduled ones, SpiceJet gets back to the second position, in place of IndiGo. That's thanks to SpiceJet's international cargo operations.

What did BlueDart do?

The logistics major operated close to 1,600 flight sector from April to mid-July, carrying over 21,000 tons of emergency supplies. These were part of the Ministry of Civil Aviation's Lifeline Udaan scheme.

"All through the pandemic and lockdown period, BlueDart has been flying its six Boeing 757- 200 freighters across major metropolitan cities in India to ensure uninterrupted supply chain," a representative from the company told Moneycontrol.

The executive added that the company also flew to international destinations, including Shanghai, Hong Kong and Yangone, carrying medical and pharmaceutical supplies.

"We have also been working closely with various state governments, local authorities and other institutions since the lockdown," the executive added.

While the efforts seem to have paid off for BlueDart, this pecking order may yet change in the ensuing months. While DGCA numbers are available only till June, SpiceJet and IndiGo have expanded their capacity in the passenger segment in the ensuing months. This means the two airlines will carry more cargo in the belly of their aircraft. In September, the government increased the cap and allowed airlines to operate 60 percent of their capacity.

Will BlueDart manage to hold on to its position as the country's largest cargo carrier?
The last person from the group of seven Indians, who were kidnapped in Afghanistan in May 2018, was released from captivity and returned to India on September 12, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday.

Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said all seven Indian nationals have now been brought back home safely.

The seven Indians were kidnapped by Taliban militants in the restive northern Baghlan province.

Two of those Indians had returned to India last month.

The last remaining Indian national (out of the seven) was released from captivity in Afghanistan and returned to India on September 12, Srivastava said at an online briefing.

"We convey our grateful thanks to the Government of Afghanistan for the assistance extended over the past two years in securing the release of all seven Indian nationals," he said.

To a separate question on the Kerala gold smuggling case as to whether the UAE government has requested permission from the Indian government for its probe team to visit India to carry forward its investigation, Srivastava said no such request had been made.

"We have been briefing on the case and NIA investigations are presently underway," he said.

On the MoU between the Kerala government and the UAE Red Crescent Authority - an NGO, Srivastava said the MEA is looking at "legal issues" which are involved.

On whether India will hold a meeting of the Quad grouping (India, Australia, US and Japan), he said, "I have confirmed earlier that we look forward to holding the Quad meeting later this year and as of now details are being worked out."
It was clear to many regional councillors that the law enforcement approach to Niagaras drug problem is not working, but they voted to put off deciding on a motion urging the federal government to decriminalize possession of all drugs.

St. Catharines Regional Coun. Laura Ip, who introduced the motion at Thursdays meeting, said addiction is very often a response or coping mechanism to trauma, mental health diagnosis or physical health issue.

By responding with law enforcement, she said society is very often ultimately criminalizing trauma, mental health or the impact of physical injury.

We are in fact creating more trauma.

Instead addressing addiction as a public health issue would be a more productive use of our system and their funding and certainly are more productive for the individual living with addiction, she added.

Although issues such as drug decriminalization are federal jurisdiction, Ip said local municipal governments are much closer to their communities. Meanwhile, policing and public health also fall under the regions jurisdiction, making it important for the local level of government to indicate its support for the initiative.

The initiative, she added, would help ensure that policing and public health resources are being used effectively, ultimately saving money in another of other areas.

Her motion also calls for scaling up prevention, harm reduction, and treatment services, as well as the formation of a task force to explore options for the legal regulation of all drugs in Canada, based on a public health approach.

St. Catharines Coun. George Darte said good people often become addicted to opioids, after using medical prescriptions following surgeries or injuries.

While he said police absolutely need to continue to go after the drug dealers, he said the initiative might also help reduce the prevalence of dangerous drugs on the streets that are sickening and killing users, while also impacting health care facilities.

Continuing to rely on a system that isnt working, he added, is the definition of insanity.

West Lincoln Mayor Dave Bylsma said hed like to see more research into the issue before making any decisions.

It would be very appropriate for the community to weigh in or perhaps an expert who may have a contrary opinion to come forward, he said. While theres merit in the motion  I think a little bit more fulsome discussion could happen.

Niagara Falls Coun. Peter Nicholson was concerned the motion could send the wrong message to kids, to people in our community.

One of the unintended consequences would normalize the possession and use of drugs  increase drug use and addictions, he said. I think need more input, more research.

He too described the motion as a good first start, but we need to have a more fulsome discussion on this matter.

Describing the motion as a fairly significant issue and a strong statement from the Region, Lincoln Coun. Rob Foster successfully referred the decision to the next public health committee meeting scheduled for Oct. 13.

Councillors did hear from several experts prior to debating the motion, including associate medical officer of health Dr. Andrea Feller, Overdose Prevention Network of Niagara co-chair Glen Walker, and Sandi Tantardini, who lost her son Scott to an overdose four years ago.

Theres really no other option. Whats happening right now is not effective and in fact its harmful, Feller said. There is just bountiful evidence worldwide that that approach  causes harm. Not only does it not work, it also leads to more of what were concerned about.

Citing the successes in Portugal after that country went decriminalized drug possession nearly 20 years ago, Walker urged councillors to support Ips motion.

RELATED STORIES Niagara Region Decriminalization of drug possession motion coming before regional council

Walker said people are dying from overdoses every week in the region, and we have to do something about that.

The challenge that were facing is enormous.

Tantardini said drug addiction is a social justice issue, not a criminal justice issue.

I think we need to examine our own personal prejudices about addiction and what we think, she said. Decriminalization is huge to me. If we throw them in jail, were not helping them get better.

Ip asked Tantardini if she believed the outcome would have been different for her son if drug possession had been decriminalized at the time.

I absolutely do, Tantardini replied.
CIBT Education Group Inc. (TSE:MBA) shareholders have had their patience rewarded with a 49% share price jump in the last month. Notwithstanding the latest gain, the annual share price return of 7.7% isn't as impressive.

Even after such a large jump in price, CIBT Education Group may still be sending bullish signals at the moment with its price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 8.5x, since almost half of all companies in Canada have P/E ratios greater than 17x and even P/E's higher than 40x are not unusual. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/E at face value as there may be an explanation why it's limited.

CIBT Education Group hasn't been tracking well recently as its declining earnings compare poorly to other companies, which have seen some growth on average. It seems that many are expecting the dour earnings performance to persist, which has repressed the P/E. If you still like the company, you'd be hoping this isn't the case so that you could potentially pick up some stock while it's out of favour.

See our latest analysis for CIBT Education Group

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If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report on CIBT Education Group.

Is There Any Growth For CIBT Education Group?

The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/E as low as CIBT Education Group's is when the company's growth is on track to lag the market.

If we review the last year of earnings, dishearteningly the company's profits fell to the tune of 38%. Even so, admirably EPS has lifted 189% in aggregate from three years ago, notwithstanding the last 12 months. Accordingly, while they would have preferred to keep the run going, shareholders would probably welcome the medium-term rates of earnings growth.

Shifting to the future, estimates from the one analyst covering the company suggest earnings growth is heading into negative territory, declining 24% over the next year. Meanwhile, the broader market is forecast to expand by 9.3%, which paints a poor picture.

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With this information, we are not surprised that CIBT Education Group is trading at a P/E lower than the market. Nonetheless, there's no guarantee the P/E has reached a floor yet with earnings going in reverse. There's potential for the P/E to fall to even lower levels if the company doesn't improve its profitability.

The Key Takeaway

The latest share price surge wasn't enough to lift CIBT Education Group's P/E close to the market median. 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.

As we suspected, our examination of CIBT Education Group's analyst forecasts revealed that its outlook for shrinking earnings is contributing to its low P/E. At this stage investors feel the potential for an improvement in earnings isn't great enough to justify a higher P/E ratio. It's hard to see the share price rising strongly in the near future under these circumstances.

Plus, you should also learn about these 5 warning signs we've spotted with CIBT Education Group (including 1 which is significant).

If you're unsure about the strength of CIBT Education Group's business, why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals for some other companies you may have missed.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.



Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
Virus Outbreak India A health worker uses a rapid kit to test for COVID-19 in Hyderabad, India, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020. India's total of coronavirus infections passed 5 million Wednesday, still soaring and testing the feeble health care system in tens of thousands of impoverished towns and villages. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)

NEW DELHI (AP)  Indias coronavirus cases jumped by another 96,424 in the past 24 hours, showing little sign of leveling.

The Health Ministry on Friday raised the nations total cases to 5.21 million, or 0.37% of its nearly 1.4 billion people. It said 1,174 more people died in the past 24 hours, for a total of 84,372 fatalities. Experts say India's death toll may be a significant undercount.

India is expected to have the highest number of confirmed cases within weeks, surpassing the United States, where more than 6.67 million people have been infected.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his birthday Thursday made a fresh appeal to people to wear masks and maintain social distancing as his government prepared plans for handling big congregations expected during a major Hindu festival season beginning next month.

Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said with a recovery rate of more than 78%, India has only 1 million active coronavirus cases.

Nearly 60% of the active cases are concentrated in five of India's 28 states  Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.

Worst-hit western Maharashtra state accounted for 474 of the 1,174 fatalities reported in the country in the past 24 hours.

Authorities extended until the end of September a ban on assemblies of four or more people in Mumbai, Indias financial and entertainment capital. More than 178,000 people have been infected by the coronavirus in Mumbai, including 8,320 who died.

In other developments in the Asia-Pacific region:

 New Zealand reported no new cases of the coronavirus on Friday for the first time in more than five weeks as hopes rise that an outbreak discovered in Auckland last month has been stamped out. Friday also marked the fourth consecutive day without any cases of community transmission, with all recent cases being found among quarantined passengers returning from abroad. Health authorities expect to continue finding such cases at the border. Authorities have still not pinpointed the origin of the August outbreak, which they believe was imported. New Zealand has reported a total of just over 1,800 cases and 25 deaths.

 An Australian state government will open the state border to the national capital after being criticized for refusing to allow a Canberra resident to attend her fathers funeral because of pandemic restrictions. Health Minister Steven Miles said Canberra travelers would no longer have to spend time in Queensland hotel quarantine from Sept. 25. Theyll have to fly rather than drive to Queensland, however, because Canberra is surrounded by New South Wales state, which remains subject to border restrictions.

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 A senior governing party lawmaker who helped with new Prime Minister Yoshihide Sugas election campaign has been hospitalized with COVID-19, becoming the first confirmed case in Japans parliament. Shuichi Takatori, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party, developed a fever and tested positive for the coronavirus, according to parliament's lower house. Takatori attended a plenary session on Wednesday at which Suga was formally elected prime minister. He accompanied 81-year-old party Secretary General Toshihiro Nikai when they greeted former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe after the vote, Kyodo News agency reported. Health officials are investigating his close contacts for possible infection. Japan has 77,494 confirmed coronavirus cases including 1,482 deaths as of Friday, according to the health ministry.

 South Koreas daily coronavirus tally has stayed in the 100s for a 16th consecutive day as authorities struggle to contain small-scale local infections. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said Friday that the 126 new cases in the past 24 hours took the countrys total to 22,783 with 377 deaths. South Koreas caseload has been slowing recently, prompting authorities to relax elevated social distancing rules in the Seoul area. But the countrys daily jump remains in triple digits as cluster transmissions linked to churches, schools and elsewhere and some untraceable cases continue to be detected.

 China on Friday reported that imported coronavirus cases surged to 32 over the previous 24 hours. Thirteen of those cases were reported in the northern province of Shaanxi, whose capital Xian is a major industrial center, while the eastern financial and business hub of Shanghai reported 12. China, where the virus was first reported late last year, has gone more than a month without reporting any cases of local transmission but remains highly vigilant to cases brought from outside. It has suspended issuing new visas and anyone arriving from abroad is required to undergo two weeks of quarantine. Schools, businesses, transport and public services have largely resumed normal operations under social distancing, mask wearing and location tracking requirements.
House Democrats Call for an Emergency Watchdog Review of Durham Investigation

Four top House Democrats on Friday urged the Department of Justices (DOJ) inspector general to immediately launch a review of U.S. Attorney John Durhams criminal investigation.

Durham was tasked by Attorney General William Barr to look into the origins of the FBIs counter-intelligence probe, dubbed Crossfire Hurricane, that explored possible contacts between President Donald Trumps campaign and Russia.

House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) and the other Democrats said DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz should open an emergency investigation to see whether Barr, Durham, and other political appointees are following policy to avoid taking actions that could influence the upcoming presidential election.

We also request that you evaluate the authority and scope under which U.S. Attorney Durham is operating, as Attorney General Barr has only provided vague and shifting statements about the purpose and scope of the investigation, Nadler, House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), House Oversight and Reform Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and House Administration Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) wrote in the letter.

Barrs actions appear to conflict with both internal DOJ rules and the Hatch Act, the Democrats assert.

The DOJ didnt respond to an inquiry. A spokeswoman for Horowitzs office declined to comment.

Because Crossfire Hurricane was rife with the appearance of political bias and investigators botched a number of issues, whether inadvertently or maliciously, Durham was told to review how the probe started and whether appropriate steps were taken.

Former FBI attorney Kevin Clinesmith pleaded guilty this month to altering an email to state that former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page was not a CIA asset when the original message stated that Page was.

(L-R) House impeachment managers Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Val Demmings (D-Fla.) look on as Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) speaks during a press conference in Washington on Jan. 28, 2020. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

The email was one of a number of details that was used to obtain warrants from the secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to spy on Page.

A review of those warrants by Horowitzs team found them riddled with errors.

Barr has commented regularly on the Durham investigation, usually in reply to questions from reporters.

During a press conference in May, Barr said he didnt expect either former President Barack Obama or former Vice President Joe Biden to be criminally investigated as part of the probe.

Earlier this month, the attorney general said the probe wont affect the upcoming election.

He also shot down speculation that theres a rule that no action can be taken in the 60 days leading up to an election.

The 60 days is not part of the rule, he said. But I said that I dont think anything were going to do would violate our policy.

Barr last week responded to a reporter who asked whether its unlikely there would be further criminal charges stemming from the probe.

No, I wouldnt say that at all, no, Barr said, adding, There could be.
Continuing the crackdown on the drug trade, North division police arrested 38 people, including five drug peddlers and 33 consumers in separate cases. They seized 17.8 kg ganja and 600 grams of hashish oil.

Soladevanahalli police arrested Vinay Kumar Desiyaki (22), a Vijayawada native, from Achyuth Nagar and recovered 4.09 kg ganja. Desiyaki sourced the drug from Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. Desiyaki is a BTech final-year student. He came to the city by bus with ganja and sold the consignment to college students.

RMC Yard police arrested Arun (29) and Vijayan (27), both from Tamil Nadu, based on information provided by drug consumer Mahadev, who was also arrested. They seized 10.4 kg ganja.

In another case, they arrested 24-year-old Deepan B from Magadi Road and recovered 3.4 kg. Police arrested Tavanish alias Eesha (35) from Jalahalli and seized 600 ml of hashish oil.

In a special drive, the North division police swooped down on drug takers in many places, including Malleswaram, Srirampura, Subramanyanagar, Rajagopalnagar, Yeshwantpur, Peenya, RT Nagar, and JC Nagar. They booked 30 cases against drug consumers. Both drug takers and peddlers have been booked under the NDPS Act.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 18)  Millions of Filipinos who benefit from the national health insurance program will stand to suffer should the President decide to abolish the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), its spokesperson Rey Balena said on Friday.

Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III earlier bared that President Rodrigo Duterte is looking at the possibility of abolishing the agency, if the newly appointed chief Dante Gierran is unable to rid it of widespread corruption and irregularities.

Nirerespeto natin ang pananaw ng ating Pangulo patungkol sa bagay na 'yan. Pero syempre po, kung mawawala ang PhilHealth, napakalaki ang magiging epekto nito sa ating bayan, Balena said in a Laging Handa virtual media briefing.

[Translation: We respect the Presidents view on that matter. However, of course, the absence of Philhealth will have a huge impact on the nation.]

He stressed that the insurance coverage and other health care services provided by the state-run insurer are even more crucial at this time of pandemic.

Napakalaking kawalan po kung mawawala ang PhilHealth (The abolition of PhilHealth will be a huge loss), he said.

Meanwhile, Balena added that if corruption is indeed present within the agency, it must be because some systems remain not fully automated, giving way to human intervention.

Ito po ang dahilan kung bakit sinusulong nga po natin na magkaroon po tayo ng mas maayos na IT (information technology) system, dahil ito yung isang nakikitang suliranin  yung nagkakaroon pa ng pagkakataon yung iba for human intervention, he pointed out.

[Translation: This is the reason why we're lobbying for a better IT system, this is one of the problems we see  that the opportunity for human intervention is still present.]

Duterte met with leaders of Congress on Wednesday night to discuss measures to eliminate red tape and corruption in government agencies during the remainder of his term.

In the meeting, Senator Christopher Bong Go said the President has agreed to give Gierran a "chance" until yearend to reform the embattled agency.

Besides abolition, Duterte is considering the privatization of the agency if no improvement is seen by next year, according to Sotto.

The President earlier approved the recommendation of the Justice Department-led task force probing PhilHealth to file complaints against its top officials over alleged anomalies, including former chief Ricardo Morales. The initial list of officials, however, did not include Health secretary and the agency's ex-officio chairman Francisco Duque III, which drew criticism from several lawmakers.

Among those who expressed disappontment was Sotto, who filed a resolution seeking to transfer the ex-officio chairmanship of PhilHealth from the health secretary to the finance chief.

READ: Sotto: Duterte OK with proposal to replace health chief as PhilHealth chair
File image: AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

US Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden bluntly contradicted President Donald Trump's suggestion that a coronavirus vaccine may be only weeks away, warning Americans they cannot trust the president's word.

"The idea that there's going to be a vaccine and everything's gonna be fine tomorrow - it's just not rational," Biden said during a CNN town hall in Moosic, Pennsylvania.

Trump again said on Wednesday that a vaccine for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, could be ready for distribution ahead of the Nov. 3 election.

Most health experts, including Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have said a vaccine will likely not be widely available until mid-2021.

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

Trump has accused Biden of spreading "anti-vaccine rhetoric," while Biden has emphasized that he will listen to scientists, not the president, regarding a vaccine's safety.

The broadcast was the first town hall-style event for Biden since he accepted the Democratic nomination last month, giving viewers a rare chance to see him answer live questions from people whose votes he hopes to win in November.

The cable network described the event as a "drive-in town hall": participants remained at their parked cars outdoors to ensure they stayed safely distanced from one another.

Biden spent much of the evening attacking Trump for his handling of the pandemic, including the president's own admission to the journalist Bob Woodward that he deliberately downplayed the disease's deadliness.

"He knew it and did nothing," Biden said. "It's close to criminal."

Trump has subsequently said he was trying to avoid panic.

Biden said he did not have the power to enforce a national mask mandate, walking back remarks he made on Wednesday in which he suggested the president could legally require masks amid a national emergency. But he vowed to encourage every governor to do so while criticizing Trump for questioning the efficacy of masks.

Biden also took advantage of the event's setting near his birthplace of Scranton, comparing his working-class upbringing with what he derided as Trump's "Park Avenue" background.

"Guys like me who were the first of my family to go to college... We are as good as anybody," he said. "And guys like Trump, who inherited everything and squandered what they inherited, are the people that I've always had a problem with - not the people who are busting their neck."

He said he would accept the results of the election, a stance that Trump has declined to adopt amid his unfounded claims that the widespread use of mail-in ballots due to the pandemic will cause massive fraud.

Electoral experts have said voter fraud is exceedingly rare in the United States, where voting by mail is a longstanding practice in many states.

For much of the summer, Biden held mostly virtual events from his home in Delaware, drawing criticism from Trump that he was "hiding." But Biden maintained an advantage in national opinion polls throughout, as the pandemic battered Trump's standing among voters.

In recent weeks, Biden has begun to hold campaign events again in other states, but they have been largely devoid of attendees aside from reporters and invited guests in a nod to the coronavirus.

Trump, who has returned to holding large-scale rallies, participated in an ABC town hall with undecided voters earlier this week, where he defended his administration's response to the outbreak.

At an outdoor rally in Mosinee, Wisconsin, on Thursday night, Trump told supporters that Biden "would absolutely eradicate your state's economy" and mocked the CNN event for keeping attendees apart in cars.

COVID-19 has killed more than 195,000 people in the United States, the most of any country.

Biden and Trump will both travel to Minnesota on Friday, the first day of early voting there.
Justin Gavin, 18, is a life saver. Literally.

On September 9th, Gavin was heading to Walgreens in Waterbury, Connecticut to pick up some items for his sister, when he, and numerous others, noticed a car was engulfed in flames and driving down the street erratically.

The car drove past me, on fire, recalls Gavin, a student at Boys and Girls High School in Brooklyn, New York who is temporarily living in Connecticut.

The car came to a stop and Gavin raced to help the driver and passengers  a mother at the wheel with three young children in the back.

The car drove past me, on fire, recalls 18-year-old Justin Gavin. (Waterbury Police Department)

Gavin was scared the car might explode, but raced to help anyway. The door handle in the back was hot to the touch, he recalls, and he quickly asked the 9-year-old child to please unbuckle her younger siblings, ages 4 and 1, from their seatbelt and car seat so he could carry them to safety. Then he helped the mom out of the driver's seat. Its believed the fire was started by some type of electrical failure, according to Gavin.

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Waterbury Chief of Police Fernando Spagnolo rewarded Gavin for his heroic act by giving him a "Challenge Coin," an award generally given to a stand-out police officer.

Justin showed the country we need each other and need to engage in selfless acts, Spagnolo told TODAY Parents. Actions like his show how we, as a society, get through social unrest with an open heart and an open mind. Justins getting the attention he deserves, and we want more of this; what he did was so awesome.

Justin Gavin rescued the four passengers in the vehicle, including and mom and her three children. (Waterbury Police Department)

The community has really rallied for him and hes garnered lots of support nationwide and hes handling it so well," Spagnolo said. "I think hes going to do great things in the future.

Gavin says he did what he thinks "a lot of teenagers would do."

Some people think teens are just lazy, but thats not true," he said. I wouldnt consider myself a hero; Id just want someone to help me if I was in that situation and thats why I ran to the car...This was really about someone elses well-being, not mine.

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Gavin says the attention hes received has been pretty flattering.

Waterbury Chief of Police Fernando Spagnolo rewarded Gavin for his heroic act by giving him a

Oh, everyone, everyone has been calling me, even strangers," he said. "Everyone knows what happened and is talking about it.

Gavin hopes to meet the family he saved, and Spagnolo is in the process of arranging it. The rescued mother and her children are recovering, and thankful, Spagnolo said.

I feel good about it, says Gavin of saving the family. Situations can be scary, especially if your life is in danger, but if you jump into action and help someone you feel good about it.
September 17, 2020

 An Apollo astronaut who set a record for social distancing is being remembered for the close relationships he made in life.



Alfred "Al" Worden, who died in March at the age of 88, is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the "most isolated that any human has been from another person," a feat he achieved while orbiting high above the moon as part of NASA's Apollo 15 mission in 1971. Now his fans, friends and family are gathering virtually to celebrate his legacy.



"Colonel Al Worden departed this world for the second time on March 18, 2020. He left the first time on July 26, 1971, when he blasted off from Earth perched atop the giant Saturn V rocket that lifted him and his two crewmates on their epic journey to the moon and back," Worden's family posted online. "Throughout the five decades in-between  indeed throughout his entire active 88 years of life  Al Worden had a profound positive impact on thousands of people all over the world as he fulfilled his varied roles of explorer, engineer, educator, poet, friend, partner, father and benefactor."



"With COVID [the coronavirus pandemic] continuing to keep us physically distant, more than ever we need opportunities to come together for one worthy purpose. We'd love for you to join us in a celebration of the life of astronaut Al Worden."



The public is invited to watch the broadcast, which will begin at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT) on Saturday (Sept. 19), either below or on the celebration's website.







Celebration of the life and legacy of Al Worden. Click to enlarge video. (Kallman Worldwide)

Tributes will be delivered by those who knew Worden the best: his family, fellow astronauts and an array of people from around the world who worked with him to inspire the next generation of explorers.



"We have members of Al's family who will have a chance to tell some stories about Al  or 'Sonny' as they called him back on the farm in Michigan  and then members of Al's 1966 astronaut class, including Charlie Duke, Jack Lousma and Fred Haise," said Tom Kallman, president and CEO of Kallman Worldwide, who is organizing and hosting Saturday's celebration.



Other astronauts taking part include active NASA astronaut Drew Morgan, who like Worden graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and British astronaut Tim Peake of the European Space Agency (ESA), who met Worden at the Paris Air Show during an appearance organized by Kallman Worldwide.



"We also have videos from the Middle East, Latin America and Asia, from people who will share how Al's life influenced them," said Kallman.



The program will briefly recount Worden's history as an Apollo 15 astronaut and his record-setting trip to the moon, as described by Francis French, the co-author of Worden's autobiography. In addition to being the most distant person in history, Worden was also the first astronaut to perform a spacewalk beyond Earth orbit.



Speakers will also highlight the aspects of Worden's personality that made him so memorable. Worden stood out due to his energy, optimism and humanity.



"If we can all remember to use Al as an example and live by that kind of example, the world could be a better place," Kallman said.



"We are also trying to make this celebration be a feel good event. We will have some fun with our Hawaiian shirts," he said, referring to Worden's trademark look. "I think the average person tuning in who only knows that Worden was an Apollo astronaut will get a sense for the impact that he had."



The celebration had originally been planned as a hybrid in-person and online event to coincide with the anniversary of Worden's moon mission in July. The continuing impact of the pandemic necessitated that the tribute be virtual. Once the program streams on Saturday, the video will be available on demand.



In addition to the celebration, Kallman Worldwide is also accepting donations for the Astronaut Al Worden Endeavour Scholarship Foundation, which underwrites sending students and educators from around the world to attend Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama.
Donald Trump declared himself the best thing to ever happen to Puerto Rico after sending a $13m aid package as he blasted the Obama administration for destroying it while vowing to turn the island territory into a pharmaceutical powerhouse.

His approval of the aid monies and predictions Puerto Rico can become a success is another stunning reversal for a president who spent much of his term calling it one of the most corrupt places in the world. It also comes at a time he is trying to court Latino voters in a dozen swing states in a close re-election race.

What were doing is something that will be fantastic for many years, he claimed.

Asked about his past slamming of Puerto Ricos government, he said all will be well because we're building that up as a great medical, pharmaceutical area. They were very good at it. But they destroyed it with their tax policy, driving companies to China.

The president spent months last year slamming the Puerto Rican government, tweeting in April 2019 that all their local politicians do is complain & ask for more money, described those officials as grossly incompetent and spending US funds foolishly or corruptly as they only take from USA.
U.S. President Donald Trump has abandoned his plans to deliver a speech at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in person, the White House Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows, said.

Mr Meadows added that Trump will address participants of the 75th Session of the UNGA in a televised format.

The current session of the UNGA started on Tuesday and will last until September 30.

The week of the high-level General Debate will be held from September 22 to September 29.

As many as 119 heads of state and 54 heads of government will address the session.

In mid-August, Mr Trump told reporters that he was thinking about going directly to the UN to do the speech.

The UNGA is one of the six principal organs of the UN, serving as the main deliberative, policy-making, and representative organ of the UN.
Hospitals have been warned they must clear beds and brace themselves for a rise in coronavirus patients in the next few weeks.

Covid-19 cases, hospital admissions and deaths are all on the rise, government figures revealed yesterday as more than 10 million people will soon be living under local lockdowns as the North East became the latest to impose restrictions.

Yesterday another 3,395 Covid-19 infections were recorded, meaning the rolling seven-day average number of cases has risen 2 per cent in a day and 33 per cent in a week to 3,354.

The uptick is prompting concerns the country is moving towards a second peak of the virus. MPs in London have been informed of plans to increase 'step down' beds in the capital, as reported by The Telegraph.

The beds will be made available to coronavirus patients who no longer need any hospital treatment, but can recover from the disease while isolating.

The data comes as Health Secretary Matt Hancock has warned hospitalisations are doubling every eight days and that the outbreak is accelerating, meaning it is 'critical' that people follow social distancing and lockdown rules.

Covid-19 cases, hospital admissions and deaths are all on the rise, government figures revealed yesterday. Pictured: A volunteer patient demonstrating a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) breathing aid that can help keep Covid-19 patients out of intensive care

One MP who has seen the plans told the newspaper: 'I was told hospitals have reserved beds for people coming out of hospital who need somewhere to re-cover.

'At the start of lockdown they were having to send people back to care homes or back to other facilities, with dire consequences, so they've booked places in respite care or empty care homes, so people will go out of hospital, but won't return to their normal place of living.'

Another source said that councils have also been asked to find extra beds.

In an interview with BBC Breakfast this morning, Mr Hancock warned that it was 'absolutely critical' that people continued to follow the basic rules with regard to coronavirus.

He said: 'We have seen an acceleration in the number of cases over the last couple of weeks and weve also sadly seen that the number of people hospitalised with coronavirus is doubling about every eight days, so we do need to take action.'

Government statistics show 194 newly-infected Covid-19 patients were admitted to hospitals in England on Tuesday, compared to just 84 eight days ago and just 38 on August 30. It means 154 patients are needing NHS care each day, on average  triple the figure of 52 on September 1.

More than 3,000 people each day were being admitted to NHS hospitals during the peak of the first wave in April. Analysis suggests, at the current trend, it would take little more than three weeks for daily admissions to top 2,000.

And a top infectious disease expert today warned that it is 'plausible' the doubling rate of every eight days could continue. Professor Paul Hunter, of University of East Anglia, told MailOnline the number of admissions could surpass the daily rate seen in March and April in just a month's time.

It comes amid more testing chaos yesterday as Baroness Dido Harding, head of NHS Test and Trace, revealed that demand for coronavirus tests is currently up to four times greater than the system's capacity.

The government's testing tzar also blamed the Government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) for seemingly getting its predictions wrong as she said testing capacity had been built based on the panel's recommendations.

TEST & TRACE 'COULD BE OUTSOURCED TO AMAZON' By Lizzie Deane for the Daily Mail THE UK'S test and trace system could be outsourced to a delivery giant such as Amazon, it was reported last night. Ministers are said to be planning to hand over the running of the testing service to a logistics firm as the system struggles to cope with increased demand for tests. A invitation to bid for a contract covering the management of the entire 'end-to-end' supply chain will be issued next month, The Daily Telegraph reported. A Government source said 'experts in delivery services' were needed. 'At the moment, the management of NHS Test and Trace has been in-house but, as we go into winter, we need experts in this area to take it forward,' they said. Amazon, DHL and other major logistics firms are all reportedly likely to be competing for the huge contract which will be the linchpin of the Health Secretary's promise to deliver 500,000 tests a day by the end of next month. An information notice issued by the Department of Health calls for potential bidders to register their interest in the contract to co-ordinate the testing service's supply change. It says: 'In order to significantly scale up the number of daily tests as well as making the operations more efficient, we are looking for an end-to-end management of all associated supply chain and logistics processes along the chain.' Advertisement

Last night it emerged the country's faltering testing system could be outsourced to Amazon, as reported by The Telegraph.

A source said: 'At the moment the man- agement of NHS Test and Trace has been in-house but as we go into winter we need experts in this area to take it forward.'

The government is also expected to announce tighter restrictions on care home visits in areas with high numbers of coronavirus cases are expected to be announced by the Government in its winter action plan.

Care homes in areas subject to local lockdowns may be advised to temporarily restrict visits in all but end-of-life situations, it is understood.

For parts of the country where there is no local lockdown, but where community transmission is a cause for concern, an option officials are considering is advising that visits are restricted to one designated visitor per resident.

The Government will set out further details on Friday in its social care action plan to help fight the spread of coronavirus over winter.

As part of the plan, care homes will receive free protective equipment and providers must stop 'all but essential' movement of staff between homes, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said.

This will be supported by an additional 546 million announced on Thursday as part of the extended infection control fund.

A new dashboard will monitor care home infections and help local government and providers respond quickly.

And a chief nurse for adult social care will be appointed to represent social care nurses and provide 'clinical leadership'.

Local authorities and the Care Quality Commission will be asked to take 'strong action' in instances where providers are not restricting staff movement adequately.

The DHSC said this could include restricting a service's operation and issuing warning notices.

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said: 'We are entering a critical phase in our fight against coronavirus with winter on the horizon.

'Our priority over the next six months is to make sure we protect those most vulnerable receiving care and our incredibly hard-working workforce by limiting the spread of the virus and preventing a second spike.

It comes amid more testing chaos yesterday as Baroness Dido Harding, head of NHS Test and Trace, revealed that demand for coronavirus tests is currently up to four times greater than the system's capacity

'This winter plan gives providers the certainty they need when it comes to PPE and provides additional support to help care homes to limit the movement of staff, stop the spread of coronavirus and save lives.

'We will be monitoring the implementation of this carefully and will be swift in our actions to protect residents and colleagues across the country.'

It comes as Age UK said some older people are 'dying of sadness' because they have been cut off from loved ones over a long period of time.

Charity director Caroline Abrahams said it is important the plan achieves an 'appropriate balance' between ensuring infection control and allowing residents to keep in contact with loved ones.

She said: 'All in all what we have seen so far is promising, but we will await with interest to read what the plan says about visiting in care homes.

'With Covid-19 cases on the rise and winter on the way it's right that every activity that could potentially place residents at risk is considered very carefully, including visiting, but any sense of a 'blanket ban' would be highly inappropriate, however anxious we may all feel.

'Risks, capabilities and opportunities of all kinds differ hugely across care homes and for the sake of older people this enormous variation must be taken fully into account.'

Liz Kendall, Labour's shadow social care minister, welcomed the appointment of a chief nurse and increased funding.

She continued: 'But the real test of this plan is whether the Government delivers on weekly testing of all care staff - first promised in July but still not delivered, with serious concerns about delays in getting results back.

'Ensuring families can visit their loved ones is also critical, as without this care home residents can end up fading fast.'
Nagpur:

Former RSS ideologue KN Govindacharya on Friday said no mechanism was put in place to assess the impact of demonetisation and maintained note ban has led to migration of people from cities to villages due to lack of work.



Demonetisation impact assessment mechanism was not put in place by the government. People from villages working in cities are returning home due to lack of work, he said.



Talking about economy, the former BJP General Secretary said the model of GDP-based growth will increase unemployment in the country.



Govindacharya was speaking to the media on the sidelines of inauguration of 4th National Students Parliament at the GH Raisoni College of Engineering in Nagpur.



Taking potshots at the BJPs 2014 election slogan of ushering in good days, he said ache din have come for Income Tax Department and Enforcement Directorate.They have got an opportunity to show their afsarshahi (babudom). The Government should keep a tab and ensure bureaucracy does not act in an irresponsible manner.



Govindacharya said most of the people in the country support Prime Minister Narendra Modi.



Asked about the difference between the Vajpayee and Modi Governments, Govindacharya said the current BJP-led ruling coalition should communicate more with the Opposition.



There is a lack of communication between the ruling party and the Opposition and this should change so as to build trust between them, he said.

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The United Nations General Assembly opens its 75th session on Tuesday. It is a routine annual activity, where all UN member countries speak, discuss, and debate arious issues. Different nations bring issues and concerns into the knowledge of other nations and express their point of view. It is an excellent platform to highlight some of the problems ignored, and the consensus is built to resolve some of them.

However, this year, the session comes at a crucial time, with the worldwide disruption, compounded by an unprecedented global health crisis with severe economic and social implications, means this session will be like none before, and a unique in its nature.

The transformation of the unipolar world into multi-polar and geopolitics is somewhat more complicated and radical. Natural disasters are even worse. Earthquakes, fires, gloods, pandemic, all have challenged the humankind.

It is a fact that no single country can face these severe challenges alone. Even the US is struggling to defeat COVID-19 and has become the worst-hit country in the whole world in terms of of COVID-19 deaths and infections.

Europe, an advanced and developed continent, is also battling against the pandemic. Now, some developing countries or underdeveloped countries have comparatively suffered less damages.

Conflicts and wars around the world, such as in Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Afghanistan, Kashmir, Palestine, Ukraine are making innocent people suffer.

China has been a founding member of the UN since October 24, 1945, and it is among one of the victorious allies of the World War II, and among the five permanent members of United Nations Security Council. Albania initiated motion to recognize the People's Republic of China, which was passed on October 25, 1971, as General Assembly Resolution 2758.

China became very active in the United Nations by the end of the Cold War and increased its involvement in, and support for, UN initiatives and peacekeeping efforts. China is a mature and sensible nation and understands its international obligations.

As the rapid development of the Chinese economy during the last four decades enabled China to become the second-largest contributor to the United Nations budget and currently heads up four of the 15 UN specialized agencies. It also provides more personnel to peacekeeping operations than any other permanent member of the Security Council. These contributions enabled China with opportunities to reassure the international community of China's commitment to global peace and stability. China has already risen as a geopolitical power and has a say in world affairs.

China is involved in all significant issues and expresses its own point of view based on justice and in the best possible protection of humankind. China always advocates for globalization and the welfare of humanity. China opposes colonialism, protectionism, and oppression of weaker nations. China is taking a stand for developing and underdeveloped world. China is struggling to settle all disputes among nations through diplomatic and political channels peacefully and trying best to avert armed conflicts and bloodshed.

China has achieved most of Millennium Development Goals and is helping other nations to achieve MDGs. China proactively participates in UN programs and supports the UN charter. It is desired that all countries, either big or small, should respect the UN charter and no country how strong it becomes should not undermine the UN. The UN should be strengthened, and reforms may be introduced to meet the challenges of the modern day world. When the UN was established in 1945 after the World War II, the situation of geopolitics was much different than today's complex geopolitics; it is time to introduce consensus built reforms to implement its charter more effectively.

The author is Prof. Engr. Zamir Ahmed Awan, Sinologist (ex-Diplomat), Editor, Analyst, Non-Resident Fellow of CCG (Center for China and Globalization), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan.
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Ayad Akhtars new novel, Homeland Elegies, invites immediate questions about that word, novel. The book draws on deeply autobiographical details, including Akhtars relationship with his father, to address issues about what it means these days to be an American, and in particular what it means to be Muslim-American.

[The editors of The Times Book Review chose the 10 best books of 2020.]

On this weeks podcast, Akhtar talks about why he decided to write the book as a novel, and whether making it fiction will mean he gets less criticism for some of the complex things he writes about Islam.

I dont think so, he says. I feel that what Im saying in the book, while complicated for some to hear  and I had been advised by those close to me in some cases to take out some of those sections, and of course, I cant, I wont  I would like to think that I have some idea of what the line is, and that Im not stepping on that line, yet, Akhtar says. I think one of the jobs of an artist is to question the sort of prevailing agreements that the societies that they live in come to, and Id like to think that the book is at least participating in that process, in some way.

Image Credit... .

Marc Lacey, the National editor of The New York Times, visits the podcast to discuss two books by politicians that he recently reviewed: Cry Havoc: Charlottesville and Democracy Under Siege, by Michael Signer, and The Violence Inside Us: A Brief History of an Ongoing American Tragedy, by Chris Murphy. Signer was the mayor of Charlottesville at the time of the deadly white nationalist rally there in 2018, and Murphy, the junior United States senator for Connecticut, became an outspoken advocate for gun laws after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012.
A Royal Mail delivery driver has been sacked for drink driving after he was called in to work on his week off because the office was 'really busy'.

Daniel Austin had already drunk a large amount of strong cider when he received the call from bosses asking him to work at short notice during the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

Mr Austin walked to the delivery office and when he got there colleagues raised concerns about his condition with two managers.

Daniel Austin, from Staffordshire, has lost his job and been convicted of drink driving after he was found to be drunk while behind the wheel of his Royal Mail delivery van. Austin says he was called into work at short notice on his week off during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic

But the 40-year-old was instructed to drive one of the delivery vans - and was caught drink-driving soon after.

North Staffordshire Justice Centre has heard how Mr Austin believes a manager reported him to police.

The court heard Mr Austin had left it a couple of hours before going to work. Police discovered him on Saturn Road, Smallthorne, on April 9.

Prosecutor Jacqueline Coley-Fisher said: 'At the time of the incident Austin was working for Royal Mail and was driving a Peugeot Partner delivery van.

'He was seen to be unsteady on his feet and the police were contacted. Police officers arrived and spoke to Austin.

'A roadside breath test was carried out. He was arrested and conveyed to the police station.'

Mr Austin, of Tunstall, gave an alcohol reading of 108 micrograms in 100 millilitres of breath.

The legal limit is 35. He pleaded guilty to drink-driving. He has no previous convictions or cautions and had a clean driving record.

James Hulse, mitigating, said the defendant had found out his father had been diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour and had gone to drink himself 'to oblivion' when he received the call from his employer.

He said: 'He was off work the week the offence was committed. He finds out his father has a terminal brain tumour.

'He's off work so he thinks I'm going to drink myself to oblivion as I don't want to think about this. He consumed a large amount of strong cider.

'Then work ring and say they are really busy, in the middle of the pandemic, and ask 'can you come in?'. He thinks he'll leave it a couple of hours and it should be alright.

'He walks to work, sees two colleagues, and they say to him that they don't think he's in a fit state to be in work. They can see he is under the influence of alcohol.

'They go to speak to two managers who make the decision not to do anything and tell him to go out in the delivery van and do what he is accustomed to.

'Mr Austin believes it is one of those managers who, after he left, rang the police. The police were located at his first drop-off and he had delivered one parcel.

The court heart Austin was 'drinking himself into oblivion' after discovering his father had been diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour and waited two hours before going into work

'He's then arrested, he was fully compliant with the police. There have been disciplinary proceedings with Royal Mail.

'Instead of saying he could be signposted to mental health or social services they dismiss him after 22 years despite his alcohol use being a result of the devastating news about his father's brain tumour.

'It is frustrating that a large organisation just turned a blind eye to that. He attended unfit for work on a day he was not supposed to be in work.

'He holds a real grudge against Royal Mail for how he feels he was treated by them.

'He is someone of good character and the driving disqualification will impact him in the short term and long term even when the disqualification has expired.'

Royal Mail has come under fire from Mr Austin's family who has accused the company of being 'negligent' and called for the introduction of random drug and alcohol tests.

Following the drink-drive case, mum Angela Marsden said: 'I am disappointed, and extremely concerned, that Royal Mail allowed my son to drive a vehicle.

'Managers had been made aware by work colleagues that Daniel appeared to be under the influence of drink and had been drinking the night before.

'Daniel was not on duty that day and was called in as they were short-staffed.

'In my opinion, Royal Mail should have had a duty of care to my son and sent him home.

'I feel that Royal Mail is in some way negligent and should be held to account for this

'Royal Mail never does random drug or alcohol tests and I feel this would be a way forward to prevent the same happening again.

Austin was handed 12-month community order, told to complete 80 hours unpaid work

'Daniel worked for Royal Mail for 22-years and had an unblemished record. He now has no job or driving licence and a criminal record.

'I am no way trying to absolve my son of his responsibility. But Daniel was under the influence of drink and was still given the keys to a Royal Mail vehicle.'

Magistrates handed Mr Austin a 12-month community order. He must also complete 80 hours unpaid work and was banned from driving for 26 months. He must pay 400 costs and a 90 victim surcharge.

Royal Mail is standing by its decision to sack Mr Austin.

Following the case, a Royal Mail spokesman said: 'Although we cannot comment on the details of individual cases, we can confirm that the correct procedures were followed in this matter.'
NAIFA's 130th Membership Celebration to be held on November 17, 2020

The National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA) will hold a new hybrid event called the Belong Event on November 17, 2020. The new event has a three-pronged purpose:



To serve as the associations annual business meeting, during which the new Board of Trustees will be sworn into office

To serve as the platform to celebrate the more than 1,700 volunteer leaders and staff that power NAIFAs 50 state and 35 local chapters

To conclude the year-long celebration of NAIFAs 130th anniversary.

Cammie Scott, NAIFA National President, will oversee the business meeting as she formally calls the associations annual meeting to order. The meeting will include the election of five National Trustees, election of the national secretary and re-election of NAIFAs national officers as follows.

National Trustees to elect:



Wes Booker, LUTCF, Owner of the Wes Booker Agency in Maumelle, AR, (NAIFA member since 2004)

Aprilyn Chavez Geissler, LACP, First Executive Vice President with Gateway Financial Advisors in Albuquerque, NM, (NAIFA member since 2005)

Dennis Cuccinelli, LACP, Financial Representative, Certified Financial Services in Paramus, NJ, (NAIFA member since 1986)

Doug Massey, CLU, ChFC, FSS, Owner of Doug Massey Financial Services in San Angelo, TX, (NAIFA member since 1987)

Brian Wilson, Sales Director with Mutual of Omaha Advisors in Lexington, KY, (NAIFA member since 2000)

National Officers to elect:



Larry Holzberg, Director of Insurance and Advance Sales at Fortis Lux Financial in New York, (NAIFA member since 1990), will stand for election as President-Elect

Brock Jolly, CFP, CLU, ChFC, CLTC, CASL, CFBS, Founding Partner of Veritas Financial LLC/MassMutual Financial Group in McLean, VA, (NAIFA member since 2001), will stand for re-election as Treasurer

Bryon Holz, CLU, ChFC, LUTCF, CASL, LACP, Founder of Bryon Holz & Associates in Brandon, FL, (NAIFA member since 1987), will stand for election as Secretary

Tom Michel, LACP, Managing Director of Michel Financial Group in Los Angeles (NAIFA member since 1986), will serve as the 2021 NAIFA President. Cammie Scott, MSIE, ChHC, CLTC, LUCF, REBC, RHU, SHRM-SCP, President of CK Harp & Associates in Springdale, AR, (NAIFA member since 1998), will serve as Immediate Past President.

The elections will be followed by a recommitment of Trustees who have served one year of their two-year terms. They are:



Mark Acre, LUTCF, President of OneSource Insurance Group in Nixa, MO, (NAIFA member since 2009)

Connie Golleher, CLTC, LACP, CEO of The Golleher Group in McLean, VA, (NAIFA member since 2000)

Win Havir, CPCU, CLF, LUTCF, FSS, AIC, LACP, Executive Vice President  Business Development with Educators Insurance Resources Services, Inc. and The Horace Mann Companies in St. Paul, MN (NAIFA member since 1997)

Steve Saladino, LACP, LUTCF, Managing Director with Principal Financial Group in Tampa, FL, (NAIFA member since 1991)

John Wheeler, CFP, CLU, ChFC, CRPC, LACP, CLTC, Executive Senior Partner with MassMutual Texas Gulf Coast in Houston, TX, (NAIFA member since 1973)

The annual meeting component of Belong will include Cammie Scotts farewell address as she moves to the role of Past President and a welcome address by incoming National President Tom Michel. All volunteer leaders will also participate in a recommitment ceremony to honor belonging to the premier association for American advisors.

The annual meeting will be followed by a celebratory virtual black-tie gala. The celebration will be open to all NAIFA members via Zoom, and chapters located in states that allow for in-person gatherings may gather together to hold in-person watch parties to celebrate.

During the celebratory component, Belong will feature the unveiling of three national achievement awards: The John Newton Russell Memorial Award, the NAIFA Young Advisor Team (YAT) Leader of the Year Award and the NAIFA Diversity Champion Award.

The YAT and Diversity awards are peer-reviewed honors given to NAIFA members who have demonstrated outstanding service to the association. The John Newton Russell Memorial Award is the highest honor that can be bestowed upon an individual in the life insurance industry. The award recognizes a lifetime of professional excellence, service to the industry and a commitment to ethical conduct.

To learn more, visit the event site.

ABOUT NAIFA: Founded in 1890, NAIFA is the oldest, largest and most prestigious association representing the interests of financial services professionals from every Congressional district in the United States. Our mission  to advocate for a positive legislative and regulatory environment, enhance business and professional skills, and promote the ethical conduct of its members  is the reason NAIFA has consistently and resoundingly stood up for financial services professionals and called upon members to grow their knowledge while following the highest ethical standards in the industry.
An Indian-American federal judge has turned down an appeal by 169 Indian citizens who had challenged President Donald Trump's order that barred foreign nationals on H-1B specialty occupation visas from entering the US till the end of the year.

The is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. The technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.

US District Judge Amit P Mehta of US District Court for the District of Columbia in his 11-page order on Wednesday said that Indian citizens, who are now trapped abroad during trips to India when borders closed, are unlikely to win their case contesting the travel ban proclamation of Trump.

The 169 Indian nationals in their lawsuit had sought an order directing the Secretary of State and the United States consulates "to process, adjudicate, and render final decisions on Plaintiffs' DS-160 visa applications. But requiring such swift processing would be an exercise in futility when the complainant would remain ineligible to enter the country until January 1, 2021, at the earliest," Mehta said.

Such an order would risk diverting limited resources away from visa applicants who are eligible under an exception to the proclamation, and could create substantial confusion for visa recipients attempting to enter the country only to be denied at ports of entry, he said.

Mehta said that on the merits, the court has already determined that the Indian nationals who have filed the lawsuit and are stuck in India are unlikely to succeed on their ultra vires challenge to the presidential proclamation, and are likely to succeed on their Administrative Procedure Act challenge that their suspension of processing their visas pursuant to the proclamation is arbitrary and capricious.

Attorneys for the Indian nationals have filed a notice indicating their plans to appeal the ruling to the DC Circuit.

The lawsuit was filed by Indian nationals who were recently residing in the United States in lawful nonimmigrant status under temporary labour petitions approved by the Department of Homeland Security. For various reasons, they travelled to India and now must receive visas to return to the US.

Indian nationals on H-1B visas alleged that the United States consular offices, acting under the direction of the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of State, has withheld the adjudication of their visa applications pursuant to the president's recently issued Presidential Proclamation 10052 (dated June 22, 2020).

The proclamation suspends the entry of foreign nationals within certain categories of nonimmigrant visas.

In his order, Judge Mehta at the same time noted that the visa hopefuls are likely to convince the court that the Trump administration must continue processing their visas despite the entry restrictions.

But since they are unlikely to secure an end to those entry bars, requiring the U.S. Department of State to nonetheless process their visa requests "would be an exercise in futility," he said.

"Such an order would risk diverting limited resources away from visa applicants who are eligible under an exception to the proclamation, and could create substantial confusion for visa recipients attempting to enter the country only to be denied at ports of entry," Mehta wrote.

(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.)
Haldiram's, a major Indian sweets and snacks manufacturer, has recently released a campaign conceived by Lowe Lintas Bangalore to revive the tradition of celebrating with sweets.

Since time immemorial, sweets have been the hallmark of celebration. Be it a royal alliance, a victory, a spiritual offering, or a simple moment of happiness, sweets have always been a partner to these moments of joy and festivity. But today, the position that traditional Indian sweets once held has been occupied by the likes of chocolates, cakes, cookies and other such confectionaries. With this campaign, Haldirams intends to remind Indians how celebrations are incomplete in the absence of mithai.

Neeraj Agrawal, Director, Haldiram Foods International Pvt. Ltd. said: Through the decades, we have always been known for our quality and consistency in our products and same applies to our sweets portfolio. In India, sweets are consumed and gifted on a regular basis. They also hold immense importance during festivities. This campaign has been designed to make the brand extremely relatable to our audiences, by showcasing Haldirams as a part of their daily lives. Hence Desh ki Mithaas.

The campaign by Lowe Lintas is an attempt at turning the spotlight back on traditional Indian sweets or mithai by using the device of nostalgia. The campaign film is a montage that captures seven different everyday situations and has undertones that make it as authentic and Indian as the brand itself.

Talking about the campaign, Sagar Kapoor, Chief Creative Officer, Lowe Lintas said: Haldirams is as Indian as any brand can get. With this campaign, we are bringing alive Indias love for meetha, the fact that we Indians dont need occasions to enjoy our sweets. Also, the fact that we love serving and sharing sweets a bit more than eating them.

The integrated campaign will be showcased primarily across television, online, print and outdoor mediums.
Cho Hee-yeon, right, the superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, checks a student's temperature at Seryun Elementary School in Seoul in this Feb. 3 file photo. Korea Times photo by Hong In-ki



By Bahk Eun-ji



Controversy is heating up over a suggestion made by Seoul's education chief, that first graders in elementary and middle schools resume daily school attendance from Oct. 12.



Some parents and educators said in-person classes cannot be delayed any longer as the number of low performing students has increased since schools started to provide online lessons, while others are concerned of the high possibility of classrooms becoming virus hotbeds if too many students gather in one place.



The controversy has come as the prolonged period of remote teaching has not solved the problems of poor basic education, educational gaps, and childcare, while there is a tight confrontation between those who are worried about the possibility of COVID-19 infections and those who cannot afford to postpone the start of in-person classes until the end of the pandemic.



According to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE), Superintendent Cho Hee-yeon said in a press conference Wednesday, "From Oct. 12, first graders at elementary and middle schools should attend school every day even if the country is operating Level 1 or 2 social distancing measures," adding, "The SMOE will propose the idea to the Ministry of Education."



Cho explained that first graders of elementary and middle schools who began new classes have a more urgent need to take in-person classes than those in other grades who have had more time to get used to new schools.



As the became public, controversy over the pros and cons of attending schools physically for first graders of elementary and middle schools has been heating up.



Those who oppose going to school every day argued that improving the quality of remote classes should come first rather than resuming onsite classes as the number of infected students is expected to increase this fall and winter.



Lee Hae-yun, a 40-year-old mother of an elementary school student in Seoul, said "I think the number of confirmed cases will increase after the Chuseok holiday. Isn't it ridiculous to push students to go to school every day in such a situation?" She continued, "There are 30 students in my son's class, so will it be possible to maintain social distancing between them every day?"



However, those who are in favor of their children attending school, argued that there is no reason to keep them at home as many people are already maintaining their daily lives by going to work and sending their children to private cram schools.



A 37-year-old father of a first grader of an elementary school in Seoul, who wished to be identified only by his surname Ku, said "There is no room for improvement in the current remote classes, and I really want to send her to school every day. It's a problem with taking care of a child when they are not going to school, so our daily routine becomes a mess."



In response to Cho's suggestion, the education ministry said the government will judge the situation after carefully observing the spread of the virus after the Chuseok Holiday.



"We respect the SMOE's proposal, but we will have to see the situation as the Chuseok holiday will pass before a decision can be made," said Park Baeg-beom, vice minister of education, in a press briefing Thursday.



All students in the metropolitan area have been having online classes since Aug. 26, due to a resurgence in virus cases. Earlier this month the measure, originally scheduled to end Sept. 11, was extended until Sept. 20 to contain the spread of the coronavirus.



Schools around the nation are required to operate quarantine measures. Attendance is capped at one-third of capacity in elementary and middle schools and two-thirds in high schools to guarantee social distancing.


Halkbank on Friday urged a judge to dismiss a United States indictment accusing the state-owned Turkish lender of helping Iran evade American sanctions, even as it seeks the judges recusal for alleged bias.

At a hearing in Manhattan federal court, a lawyer for Halkbank said its status as a Turkish instrumentality shielded it from prosecution because of sovereign immunity.

The US Department of Justice charged Halkbank last October with using money servicers and front companies in Iran, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates to evade sanctions, enable revenue from oil and gas sales to be spent on gold, and facilitate sham food and medicine purchases.

Halkbank has pleaded not guilty to bank fraud, money laundering and conspiracy charges, including over its alleged transfer of $20bn of otherwise restricted Iranian funds.

Simon Latcovich, a lawyer for Halkbank, told US District Judge Richard Berman its alleged conduct had only incidental US ties, and did not qualify for an exception to sovereign immunity governing the commercial activity.

Were talking about processing Iranian oil and natural gas transactions, Latcovich said. By definition, this is the type of activity that cannot be exercised by private citizens, making it sovereign, and not commercial.

Prosecutor Sidhardha Kamaraju said it was enough that some restricted funds moved through US banks for Halkbank to face criminal liability.

It is the routing of $1bn of Iranian oil proceeds, through the US financial system, that violates US sanctions laws, Kamaraju said.

The hearing followed a Thursday evening refusal by the federal appeals court in Manhattan to let Halkbank delay the case while it appeals Bermans refusal to recuse himself.

Berman has rejected bias claims, writing last week that Halkbank had astonishingly and falsely claimed he supported an alleged terrorist group bent on gaining control of Turkeys government.

The judge did not rule on Halkbanks dismissal request. A trial remains scheduled for March 1, 2021.

The case is US v Halkbank, US District Court, Southern District of New York, No 15-cr-00867.
A new community safety partnership being considered for Longford has been given the backing of Fine Gael Senator Micheal Carrigy has said.

Senator Micheal Carrigy said the partnership would bring together local residents, community representatives - including youth, new communities and the voluntary sector, business and education representatives, public services in the area - including HSE, Tusla, AGS, the local authority and local councillors.

Senator Carrigy said: As part of efforts to develop the Policing and Community Safety Bill, which will give effect to changes proposed by the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland, my Fine Gael colleague, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has begun work on a new Community Safety Policy.

This policy proposes new Community Safety Partnerships at local authority level and these will be piloted in a number of locations first, including here in Longford.

It is envisaged that these partnerships be responsible for developing a tailored and prioritised local community safety plan in conjunction with both community and public services.

This will help the community to understand where public services are concentrated and highlight issues of concern.

As residents are central to identifying problems and solutions for their community, the partnerships will have a 51/49 per cent split in favour of local residents and community representatives on the committee.

The partnership will be supported by a dedicated community safety team, employed by the local authority, working on community safety throughout the year and supporting the work of the Safety Partnership.

Senator Carrigy continued: Longford County Council is under consideration as one of only three areas to be included in the initial pilot scheme, although a final decision has not yet been made.

A final decision is expected to be made by Minister McEntee in the coming months and I will be in constant contact with the Minister on the issue.

The pilot projects have been selected following an assessment of reported crime rates and deprivation rates.

The three pilots will be broken down on the basis of one high population area, one intermediate population area and one low population area. Longford is recommended by Department of Justice officials to be the trial low population area, Senator Carrigy concluded.
President Donald Trump has bestowed a top U.S. honor on Kuwait's ruling emir, who has played a central role in resolving a yearslong four-nation boycott of Qatar and is now ill and receiving treatment in the U.S., the White House said Friday.

Trump awarded the Legion of Merit to Kuwaits Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, who, along with Oman, has sought dialog to end the dispute that has torn apart the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have been part of the boycott thats targeted fellow GCC member Qatar since June 2017. Egypt also joined the boycott, which saw nations close their airspace and borders to Qatar.

A leader in the Middle East for decades, the emir has been a truly unwavering friend and partner to the United States, the White House said in a statement. The emir is also an unparalleled diplomat, having served as his nations foreign minister for 40 years. His tireless mediation of disputes in the Middle East has bridged divides under the most challenging circumstances.

The Legion of Merit is a rarely awarded decoration that can only be bestowed by the president, typically to chiefs of state or heads of government of other countries. The honor was last awarded in 1991.

The emirs eldest son, Sheikh Nasser bin Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah of the State of Kuwait, was to accept the award on behalf of the emir in a private ceremony.

In July, Sheikh Sabah flew across the world in a U.S. Air Force C-17 flying hospital, just days after undergoing an unspecified surgery at home. The dramatic airlift to the Mayo Clinic reflected the close ties between the two nations but also raised concerns over the rulers medical condition. The clinic declined to discuss his condition on Friday.
The family drama "Blackbird" with, from left, Sam Neill, Bex Taylor-Klaus, Rainn Wilson, Kate Winslet, Lindsay Duncan, Susan Sarandon, Mia Wasikowska and Anson Boon. (Parisa Taghizadeh / Screen Media)

The Times is committed to reviewing theatrical film releases during the COVID-19 pandemic . Because moviegoing carries risks during this time, we remind readers to follow health and safety guidelines as outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health officials .

You just show up and give life your best shot. Thats the only pearl of wisdom that Lily (Susan Sarandon) wants to impart to her grandson, Jonathan (Anson Boon), along with stressing the importance of hand-written thank you cards and punctuality. What other advice is there, really, when steeling oneself for the imminent end of your life? Questions about life and how to do it right, or at least well, wrestle at the center of Roger Michells Blackbird, an exceedingly tender and intelligent film about the beauty and grace to be found in death.

Blackbird is a remake of the 2014 Danish film Silent Heart, and that films screenwriter, Christian Torpe, has written the screenplay for this version as well. Lily is the matriarch of a close-knit family gathered at her seaside home for what she and her husband, Paul (Sam Neill), have decided is her final weekend. She suffers from an unnamed degenerative terminal illness (like ALS) and has decided to peacefully end her life, before her condition deteriorates further, at the end of cozy and contented time with family.

But as anyone who has ever gathered with family knows, rarely are such events contented, especially when the stakes are this high. Though all Lily wants is to drift away on a chemical cloud of good love, good food, good wine, and good drugs, combining siblings and in-laws and old friends in one house can be volatile, especially with the ticking clock of Lilys suicide drawing closer.

The wild card proves to be Anna (Mia Wasikowska), Lilys flighty and fragile younger daughter, who instantly clashes with her uptight, fretful older sister Jennifer (Kate Winslet). While the family strives to create the perfect weekend for Lily, complete with Christmas dinner, the truth must always come out, and Lilys death adds a layer of urgency to every secret.

Story continues

Michell, known for Notting Hill, Morning Glory and, most recently, My Cousin Rachel, among many others, is a skilled and versatile director, able to genre jump while always putting character first. Hes a sort of master at dinner scenes, and the one that anchors Blackbird is breathtaking. Lily, bathed in candlelight, swathed in red velvet, is the radiant focal point of this meal that runs a full emotional spectrum as revelations surface. Cinematographer Mike Eley, a frequent Michell collaborator, captures close-ups with a light-touch hand-held camera, utilizing focus to layer characters as they navigate the tricky waters of the truth. The entire film is beautifully shot, utilizing practical lighting and the gorgeous natural setting efficiently.

Intimate moments, both delicate and bruising, are captured with an honesty and plausibility that prevents the film from ever becoming too treacly or maudlin, with a cooler tone that trends toward the logical and the existential, rather than the sentimental. That allows Lily to use aphorisms that border on cliche, like, love is all there is, which feels different when declared in the middle of a family feud hours before her assisted suicide.

The core truth at the center of Blackbird is Lilys agency in all of this, every choice her own. Sarandon is perfect in her embodiment of this fierce yet vulnerable woman whose spirit never wavers, even as her body does. Shes supported by the performances around her, including Lindsay Duncan, as her lifelong best friend, who gets one powerful monologue, as is required by law (or should be), while Neills presence bathes the atmosphere with an aura of calm decency. Blackbird is a simple tale, well-told, but its also the tale of all tales, of life, death and everything in between.

Katie Walsh is a Tribune News Service film critic.
President Kovind accepts resignation of Harsimrat Kaur Badal

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Sep 18: President of India, Ram Nath Kovind on the advise of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has accepted the resignation of Harsimrat Kaur Badal.

Harsimrat submitted her resignation as Union minister to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), principal advisor to Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal said on Thursday.

Harcharan Bains, the principal advisor, said Kaur submitted her resignation soon after the party chief announced in Lok Sabha that she would quit the Union Cabinet in protest against the three farm bills, tabled in Parliament by the Centre for passage.

Harsimrat Kaur Badal's resignation a gimmick to fool farmers: Punjab CM Amarinder Singh

Kaur, the Union Minister of Food Processing Industries, is the only SAD representative in the Modi government.

"I want to make an announcement that our Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal will resign from Cabinet," Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal said in Lok Sabha during his concluding remarks.

Harsimrat Kaur Badal quits PM's cabinet over farm bills, why is SAD upset with BJP | Oneindia News

He also refuted suggestions that his party initially supported three ordinances, which these bills seek to replace, and asserted that Harsimrat Kaur Badal had expressed her concerns in the Cabinet meeting and also wrote to Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, highlighting "flaws" in the proposed legislations.

Hitting out at the Congress, which has sought to corner the SAD over these bills, he accused the party of "double speak" on the issue and noted that the abolition of the APMC Act was part of its manifesto in both the 2019 Lok Sabha election and the 2017 Assembly polls in Punjab. The Shiromani Akali Dal is the BJP's oldest ally and has stood by the saffron party through thick and thin.

The SAD president said the three bills, including the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, which has been passed by Lok Sabha, are going to affect 20 lakh farmers and 15-20 lakh farm labourers in Punjab alone.

The state with 2.5 per cent of the country's landmass produces nearly 50 per cent of food grains for the country, he added. Punjab's mandi system is the best in the world with a network of 1,900 setups across 12,000 villages, he said.

Earlier during the discussion, Ravneet Singh 'Bittu' of the Congress, who is from Punjab, took a swipe at the SAD, demanding proof that Harsimrat Kaur Badal, the Cabinet Minister of Food Processing Industries, had opposed the three farm sector ordinances.

He said if she does not resign to protest the bills, Badals would find it difficult to return to Punjab. Harsimrat is the wife of Sukhbir Singh Badal.
Former victim jailed for trafficking six Vietnamese to China for prostitution

Vo Thi Quyen stands trial in Ca Mau Province for trafficking six women to China for prostitution, September 17, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Trung Dung.

A court in Ca Mau Province on Thursday sentenced a local woman to six years in jail for bringing six people to China where they were forced into prostitution.

Vo Thi Quyen, 34, a resident of Song Doc Town in the Mekong Delta province of Ca Mau was charged with trafficking women.

In 2002, Quyen herself was tricked and sold by a neighbor to China's Yunnan. A Vietnamese man bought her and forced her to work in prostitution. A year later, he sent her to Vietnam to trick more women into the ring.

All victims were told they would be involved in trade activities once in China, though each was forced into prostitution on arrival.

Quyen managed to traffick six women to China and got paid VND9 million ($387.84), the indictment said.

Police stepped in to probe the incident following reports from the victims' families; however, Quyen escaped. In 2019, she was arrested in central Vietnam.

Vietnam reported 60 human trafficking cases in the first half of 2020, with 90 victims, mainly women and children, sold to foreign countries.

Traffickers typically trick their victims with promises of a better life with high-income jobs, instead subjecting them to forced labor and/or prostitution, according to a report by Vietnam Women's Union released last July.
Andhra Pradesh: Centre vows support to 8 fishing harbours in State

September 18,2020 | Source: The Hans India

The Central government assured that it would support the eight fishing harbours proposed to be built in the state, according to industries minister Mekapati Goutham Reddy. Addressing a press conference at Mangalagiri on Thursday, Goutham Reddy said Union minister for industries Piyush Goyal had assured that the Centre would either invest directly or support indirectly for the development of these fishing harbours.



He said that during his recent visit to New Delhi, he met Goyal and requested the Centre's support for the development of these harbours. Apart from constructing fishing harbours, the government also prepared plans for developing infrastructure for connectivity. The state government is expecting support from the Central government on connectivity too.



He said tenders would be called for construction of two ports on December 15, 2020 and the Detailed Project Reports were completed for them. Apart from that, another proposal for construction of a third port is in progress, he added. Goutham Reddy said that the Union government was planning to establish two petro-chemical corridors and AP has the advantage to get them.



He said a bulk drug park proposed by the Union government is likely to come up at East Godavari district. The state government has experience in handling the pharma industries, and the manufacturing companies have also been evincing interest on AP, he added. The minister said NITI Aayog vice-chairman Rajiv Kumar would visit the state to see himself development of school infrastructure under the Naadu Nedu programme in October. "He expressed interest on the programme after knowing about it. He will visit at least one school in Visakhapatnam district," he said. The minister, who also holds IT portfolio, said the government was planning to develop Vizag as the world's cloud computing centre.
The Customs Department on Friday registered two separate cases regarding consignments of Quran and dates allegedly received by the Kerala government from the UAE Consulate in violation of norms. The development comes after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) questioned state Higher Education Minister KT Jaleel in connection with the gold smuggling case.

The department said that a duty exemption certificate can be granted by Customs only in cases of personal use, however, in this case, the state government gave the certificate and goods were handed over to it.

Sources in the investigation agency said, The state government will have to answer why duty exemption was given. We will question all officials and people involved in giving clearances and exemptions.

Jaleel was questioned by the NIA for over eight hours on Thursday. During questioning, the minister was asked why the Consulate approached him for distribution of Ramzan kits.

Prima facie it is a customs fraud and they are trying to ascertain who is involved. The probe is looking into the alleged violation of FCRA, Customs Act (Duty Evasion), said sources, adding that if it was for distribution then they should have approached the Centre for diplomatic channel.

The Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinnarayi Vijayan, had earlier said that there is nothing wrong in receiving a consignment as the state government had not asked for it. He has also voiced his support for his colleague, asking him not to resign from ministry.

Jaleel was contacted because he is the Minister for Welfare of Minorities and the Quran was brought directly through the airport. It was received by someone and then they said that they want to distribute it here, Vijayan said.

Meanwhile, Jaleel, in his Facebook post, said, I have conviction that I havent done anything wrong. I am not bothered about anyone because I have nothing to hide. I dont have any gold or own a vehicle, then who should I be afraid of other than the almighty. My opponents may kill me, but they can never defeat me.

His name first emerged in the controversy when accused Swapna Sureshs call records were leaked. It showed calls between Suresh and Jaleel, who explained that he got in touch with her because the UAE Consulate wanted to distribute food packets as part of Ramzan and said that she will be co-ordinating.

Jaleel also claimed that the Consulate had given the Quran for distributing it as part of Ramzan.

The opposition, meanwhile, has alleged that there is FCRA violation and UDF Convenor and Congress MP Benny Behanan had written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking an enquiry into it.
BEIJING - With the U.S. election approaching and President Donald Trump's prospects hanging in the balance, China is increasingly worried that its adversary in the White House will try to provoke a confrontation - perhaps through military action - to boost his chances of reelection.

Trump's hostility toward China, which began over trade but now encompasses technology, science, journalism and the novel coronavirus, has proved popular with his base.

Influential academics in Beijing fear he will turbocharge his attacks to generate support and distract from domestic problems, such as unemployment and the devastating coronavirus death toll that has highlighted Trump's slow response to the pandemic.

"These guys are crazy. There's nothing they won't do to hurt China, to try to destroy China, even when it comes at a cost that previous administrations believed unacceptable to the U.S.," said Jia Qingguo, a professor of international studies at Peking University who advises the Chinese government.

"As the chances of him getting reelected diminish, we worry he will try to provoke a crisis with China."

When Trump took office, many here thought that he was looking for a tweetable victory in his trade war with Beijing. Some quietly cheered him on, hoping that he might inject momentum into market-oriented reforms that Chinese leader Xi Jinping had promised but not delivered.

Now, advisers to the ruling Communist Party concede they may have been wrong to think there would be limits to what Trump would do against China.

The administration has expanded its campaign against Huawei Technologies to include Chinese-owned social media apps WeChat and TikTok - the latter hugely popular with young Americans - and Chinese students in the United States, a major source of revenue for American universities.

This has come as U.S. coronavirus deaths near 200,000 and after Trump acknowledged that he played down the risks to avoid panicking people. Fatalities in mainland China, where the virus started late last year but was contained through widespread lockdowns, stand at 4,634.

Trump has sought to deflect criticism of his pandemic response, repeatedly blaming China for what he has termed the "Wuhan virus" and the offensive "kung flu."

"The strategic rivalry and the reversal of globalization were already happening, but covid-19 has intensified and accelerated" these shifts, said Shi Yinhong, an international relations professor at Tsinghua University and a doyen of Beijing's academic establishment.

"Trump is a very special guy. It's difficult to find any rationale or intellectual background for what he has done," Shi said.

Just as concern about China's rise has become a bipartisan issue in Washington, so too has it spread among the American public. The latest Pew Research Center survey of Americans' views of China found 73% of respondents had an unfavorable view of the country, up 26 percentage points since 2018.

With Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden enjoying a consistent lead in polls, analysts in China say Trump could resort to fomenting nationalist outrage.

Indeed, the president recently has taken up human rights issues, such as China's abuses in the Xinjiang region and its crackdown in Hong Kong, with a vigor unseen previously. This is prompting predictions that Beijing's actions toward Taiwan and in the South China Sea will be next on his target list.

Beijing views Taiwan as a breakaway province that should be "reunited" with it - though Taiwan has never been a part of the People's Republic of China, which was founded in 1949. China's current leader, Xi, has made increasingly assertive noises about seizing control of the democratic, self-ruled island, portraying it as an existential issue as young Taiwanese feel ever more distant from China.

Xi has also overseen an aggressive military expansion in the South China Sea, reclaiming land in disputed waters to build artificial islands, then constructing military and industrial installations on them.

Given the intensity of Trump's anti-China approach, the possibility of a limited American attack on reclaimed islands in the South China Sea or the prospect of the Trump administration forging official diplomatic relations with Taiwan suddenly seem plausible.

"It's still not likely but before, the possibility was unimaginable. Now it's imaginable," said Shi.

The United States has long recognized that Beijing has a "One China" policy that asserts that it is the only legitimate Chinese state. Instead of a full embassy and ambassador, the United States has an "American Institute" and a "director" in Taiwan.

But the Trump administration has been testing the boundaries of that arrangement, selling increasing amounts of military equipment to Taiwan and recently sending Health Secretary Alex Azar there, making him the highest-ranking U.S. official to meet Taiwan's president in four decades. This week, Undersecretary of State Keith Krach also visited Taiwan, prompting China to conduct combat drills nearby.

Meanwhile, China has been holding military drills involving long-range bombers and other aircraft in the South China Sea, and its ships have confronted American naval vessels that have been conducting freedom-of-navigation operations.

Increased U.S. Navy activity around the islands - intended to demonstrate American commitment to regional allies and stability - has increased the chances of confrontation, either deliberate or accidental.

"People are saying that they may try to destroy some of the islands China controls in the South China Sea or that they may restore diplomatic relations with Taiwan," Jia said. "In these circumstances, China has to fight back. Their policy is based on politics and xenophobia rather than interests and values."

The concerns about a dramatic escalation before Nov. 3 have altered China's calculus. Beijing usually prefers for presidents to be reelected because it means stability and dealing with a known quantity, said Jingzhou Tao, a Beijing lawyer and astute observer of Chinese politics.

In the current situation, the opposite is true.

"If Trump is reelected, then a Cold War becomes more likely and a hot war becomes possible," Tao said.

It's not that Biden would be softer on China - his line appears almost as tough, although his tone differs starkly - but that Trump seems to be set on a kind of regime change.

National security adviser Robert O'Brien last month called Beijing's territorial claims in the South China Sea "ridiculous" and said Washington was "not going to back down from its long-held principles that the world's oceanways and international waters should be free for navigation, and the same with space and with air rights in international airspace."

In a speech at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library in July, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared U.S. engagement with China a dismal failure and called on the free world to "induce" change in China.

While a Biden administration would be more likely to try to pressure Beijing to return to the relative openness of the Deng Xiaoping era, Shi said the Trump administration wants to eliminate Communist Party rule.

For the party, this makes this U.S. election feel like an almost existential threat.

In a recent column in the nationalist Global Times, the well-connected editor Hu Xijin wrote that "the risk of the Chinese mainland being forced into a war has risen sharply."

"China must be a country that dares to fight. And this should be based on both strength and morality," he wrote. "We have the power in our hands, we are reasonable, and we stand up to guard our bottom line without fear. In this way, whether China is engaged in a war or not, it will accumulate the respect of the world."
Health Minister Steven Miles made the recommendation live on air last month

A radio host was told to get tested for COVID-19 by health authorities because he had a 'croaky throat'.

Queensland Health Minister Steven Miles gave the advice to 97.3FM host Terry Hansen live on air last month.

Mr Miles was responding to a question from Hansen's co-host Robin Bailey around whether her colleague should even be at work.

He was exhibiting no other symptoms.

'We'd really love if he would, we'd love if he'd go and get a test and then go home, even though it's probably not COVID,' Mr Miles said.

'Even if it isn't, it really helps us keep our testing rates up and it's those testing rates that can help us make sure that there isn't other symptomatic COVID out there that we don't know about.'

But when the state's Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk experienced similar symptoms she waited two days before getting a test done.

97.3FM host Terry Hansen (pictured left with co-hosts Robin Bailey and Bob Gallagher) was told to get tested because of a 'croaky throat'

Queensland Health Minister Steven Miles gave the advice to Terry Hansen (pictured) live on air last month.

Palaszczuk apologised for losing her voice during an online forum on Monday night, reported the Courier Mail.

At the time she insisted she was suffering from voice strain due to last week's parliamentary sitting.

On Tuesday she went to the funeral of Mackay MP Tim Mulherin's.

The following day she attended events across regional Queensland then visited a doctor after arriving in Brisbane on Wednesday night.

Her COVID-19 test came back negative on Thursday.

Queensland Deputy Premier and Health Minister Steven Miles (pictured) had told a radio host to go home and get tested after he experienced a croaky throat

Ms Palaszczuk has since said it was very clear she had just lost her voice.

But when the state's Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk (pictured) experienced similar symptoms she waited two days before getting a test done

Treasurer Cameron Dick told reporters the premier's results had come back negative.

'The premier lost her voice ... she had a COVID test that came back negative, so she's done the right thing, she's listened to the health advice, she's obeyed the science and the science that informs the health advice and that's the appropriate thing for Queenslanders to do,' Mr Dick said.

LNP health spokeswoman Ros Bates accused the premier of being reckless and not taking her own health advice.

'I'm glad to hear the Premier tested negative to COVID, but it raises many questions,' Ms Bates said.

'The official advice is that if people are feeling unwell they should get tested.

'It appears the Premier has done neither and contradicted her own advice after being tested on Wednesday night  two days after having symptoms.'

Meanwhile Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young confirmed on Friday a croaky throat doesn't warrant a COVID-19 test.

'She was ultra-cautious, and that is what I ask of every Queenslander,' she said.

'Although there was no need for her to do it she went and got herself tested.'

She said residents need to look at their own personal circumstances when considering whether or not they should get a health check.

'But I would encourage them to as the Premier did, that if you've got a symptom it's a good idea to go and get tested rather than think through, 'Is it COVID, isn't it COVID?', just get yourself tested,' she said.
Workers are taking their hammers to a controversial fish statue in Morocco that has sparked outrage and mockery from social media users.

The statue, which shows two peach-coloured fish jumping into the air, is located on a roundabout in the coastal town of Mehdia.

Demolition began on Thursday following a barrage of complaints, disdain and amusement from locals.

One user called the phallic-looking fish 'pornographic', while others bemoaned the local government's decision to erect the statues instead of spending money elsewhere.

A statue of two peach-coloured fish has been called 'pornographic' by Moroccan social media users after going viral. The mockery and outrage was so intense that local authorities in the coastal town of Mehdia began demolishing the statues on Thursday

'People in Kenitra and Mehdia told authorities they want reforms in the city. And authorities bring them these statutes,' one social media quoted by Morocco World News said.

'Pornographic fish. People in Kenitra asked for reforms, authorities [brought them this],' another posted.

Mehdia, where the statues are located, is in Kenitra province but is not part of the city of Kenitra.

Kenitra city officials were keen to point this out, posting a statement on local government's Facebook page to distance themselves from the uproar.

'In response to the many complaints from citizens asking for the demolition of the sculpture representing two fish and located on one of the roundabouts in the town of Mehdia.

'We inform the public opinion of Kenitra, that the town of Kenitra has no relation with this subject, and that the sculpture in question is not located on its territory,' the City of Kenitra wrote on Facebook.

Some social media users in Morocco questioned why local authorities in Mehdia town spent money on two phallic-looking statues of fish instead of reforms residents had been calling for. Meanwhile, officials in nearby city, Kenitra, went as far as issuing a statement to distance the city from the fray after some people mistook the statues' location

Some Mehdia residents think the statues may have been the brainchild of the recently-elected municipal council president Abderrahim Bouras of the Istiqlal Party.

Bouras was elected in August 2019.

Despite the notoriety surrounding the phallic-looking fish, the name of the sculptor remains unknown.
Harris County Sheriffs Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal was killed in the line of duty last year. In 2015, he became the first Sikh Indian American in Texas to receive a policy accommodation to serve while wearing his articles of faith, including his turban and beard. (Harris County Sheriffs Office file photo)
Claude Puel's only needed a draw last night at the Velodrome. His team did more than that as Saint-Etienne easily subdued their depleted hosts with a brace of goals from Romain Hamouma and Denis Bouanga.

It was not so much a victory as a route, as Puel celebrated his 600th Ligue 1 game against Marseille, who must have been the favorites after they beat bitter rivals Paris Saint-Germain last weekend.

It was a serious blow for Andre Villas-Boas' team. The PSG clash took its toll, as forward Dario Benedetto and left-back Jordan Amavi were suspended after being sent off in a brawl at the end of the bad-tempered match in the capital.

Defender Alvaro Gonzalez, at the centre of allegations that he racially abused PSG's Neymar on Sunday, did start however.

Only around 1,000 spectators were present at the Stade Velodrome due to coronavirus restrictions.

Les Verts now move to the top of the table with the three points as Claude Puel's men remain unbeaten this season.

Veteran winger Hamouma broke the deadlock after six minutes, sidefooting home from Yvann Macon's low cross.

The home side's best chances to score fell 10 minutes into the second half as 19-year-old Nathan Ake hit the crossbar and midfielder Morgan Sanson dribbled his effort past the post less than 60 seconds later.

Gabon international left-winger Bouanga doubled his side's lead to end the 41-year wait by firing past Steve Mandanda with 11 minutes to play.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 17, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bolt Metals Corp. (CSE: BOLT) (FRANKFURT: NXFE) (OTCQB: PCRCF) (the Company or "Bolt") announces the signing of a letter of intent (the LOI) for the acquisition of 1261799 BC Ltd. (the Target) which will provide Bolt with an option to earn 100% ownership of the Cherry Creek Property, Nevada USA (the Proposed Transaction). Concurrent with the Proposed Transaction Bolt will complete a 6.5 old for 1 new share consolidation.



Cherry Creek Property

The Cherry Creek Property consists of 24 contiguous patented mineral claims in White Pine County, Nevada and hosts the prior producing Mary Ann, base metal and silver-gold mine (the Property). The Property is situated in the Pequop mining district of northeastern Nevada which hosts the Long Canyon and West Pequop gold deposits.

The Property claims are accessible by 1.5 kilometres of gravel service road from interstate paved highway and lie approximately 80 kilometres north of the city of Ely, Nevada

Gold, silver and base metals were discovered in the Cherry Creek District as early as 1861 and associated deposits of scheelite (an ore of tungsten), were discovered and mined between about 1915 and 1958. The Mary Ann Mine was principally a silver, lead, zinc, and gold producer.

Acquisition Terms

Pursuant to the Proposed Transaction, the holders of the issued and outstanding common shares of the Target will exchange such shares in consideration for 10,000,000 post-Consolidation common shares of the Company. The precise exchange ratio (the Exchange Ratio) will be determined by the parties following receipt of financial advice and a review of the parties respective capital structures, provided, however, that such Exchange Ratio will be determined based on an anticipated 1:1 basis.

The Target currently has the right to earn a 100% interest in and to the Property pursuant to an option agreement by (i) making aggregate total cash payments to the Property optionor of $200,000 and by issuing a total of 1,050,000 shares of the Target to the optionor over a five year period, and (ii) by making a final exercise payment to the Property optionor of $2,000,000 on or before August 31, 2030. On completion of the Proposed Transaction, the Company will assume these obligations. The Target is at arms length to the Company.

The Proposed Transaction is subject to a number of conditions precedent, including: completion of confirmatory due diligence by the Company and receipt of all applicable regulatory, shareholder and third-party approvals.

In connection with the Proposed Transaction, the Company will pay a 10% finders fee to an arms length third party in consideration of such party introducing the Company to the Target and assisting in due diligence and negotiations necessary to complete the Proposed Transaction.

Indonesia Update  Cyclops nickel-cobalt project

The Cyclops nickel-cobalt project is a 100% controlled, 5,000 hectare mineral project located in Papua Province, Indonesia. Cyclops features strong near surface nickel and cobalt mineralization, environmental and mining permits, and comprehensive infrastructure including year-round sealed road access.

Ranjeet Sundher, President & CEO, comments, Nickel has shown strong resiliency in the face of the ongoing health crisis, rising from approximately $5/lb in March to $6.80/lb today. The Companys Cyclops project has produced robust drilling results (see press release dated Sept. 24, 2019), and we continue to optimize exploration data while preparing for the development for a pilot process test plant in Canada.

The Company remains in dialogue with key industry players in China, Indonesia and Korea with a focus on securing supply contracts with downstream users and commodity suppliers to the international energy storage and electric vehicle battery space, and will provide updates in due course.

Consolidation

The Company's Board of Directors has made the determination to consolidate the Companys issued share capital on a ratio of one (1) new post-consolidated common share for every six and one-half (6.5) old pre-consolidated common shares (the "Consolidation"). The Company currently has 79,467,726 issued and outstanding common shares and on completion of the Consolidation there is expected to be 12,225,804 issued and outstanding common shares. The Company does not intend to change its name at this time. Shareholder approval of the Consolidation is neither required under the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange nor under the Articles of the Company.

The Board of Directors determined the Consolidation was necessary in order for the Company to raise additional capital and seek new business opportunities.

Qualified Person

The technical content of this news release as been reviewed and approved by Mr. Garry Clark, PGeo, independent director of Bolt and Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

About Bolt Metals

Bolt Metals is a Canadianbased exploration company focused on the acquisition and development of production grade nickel and cobalt deposits, key raw material inputs for the growing lithiumion battery industry. Visit https://boltmetals.com/ to find out more.

Bolt Metals Corp.

Ranjeet Sundher  President and CEO

(604) 922-8272

rsundher@boltmetals.com

Steve Vanry  CFO & Director

(604) 922-8272

steve@vanrycap.com

Sean Bromley  Director & Investor Contact

(778) 985-8934

sean@theparmargroup.com

Reader Advisory

Statements in this press release which are not historical facts are forward looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, such as the completion of the Proposed Transaction and Consolidation. Such information can generally be identified by the use of forwarding-looking wording such as may, expect, estimate, anticipate, intend, believe and continue or the negative thereof or similar variations. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature, they involve inherent risks and uncertainties such as the risk that the closing may not occur for any reason. Actual results in each case could differ materially from those currently anticipated in forward-looking statements due to factors such as: (i) the decision to not close the Proposed Transaction or Consolidation for any reason, including adverse due diligence results and regulatory refusal of the Proposed Transaction; (ii) adverse market conditions; and/or (iii) the need for additional financing. Except as required by law, the Company does not intend to update any changes to such statements.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Indian authorities are exploring the option of allowing the movement of onion supplies already contracted for by Bangladeshi importers after Dhaka formally complained about the impact of New Delhis ban on exports of the commodity.

Scores of trucks carrying onions destined for Bangladesh have been stopped at border crossings in West Bengal after the Directorate General of Foreign Trade banned all exports of the item on Monday following a shortage and sudden increase in prices in the domestic market.

As prices spiked in Bangladesh after the ban, the foreign ministry in Dhaka formally complained to the Indian high commission through a note verbale or unsigned diplomatic correspondence on Tuesday, people familiar with developments said. The matter was also raised by the Bangladeshi mission in New Delhi, the people said on condition of anonymity.

Foreign secretary Harsh Shringla, who made a previously unannounced visit to Bangladesh on August 18 to put bilateral ties back on track after they were hit by a string of irritants, has taken personal interest in the issue and is involved in efforts to find a solution, the people said. This had also been the first visit abroad amid the Covid-19 pandemic by Shringla, who was Indias envoy to Dhaka during 2016-19.

One option in the pipeline is allowing the shipment of all onion supplies that were contracted for by Bangladeshi importers before the ban came into effect. A solution is expected soon, one of the people cited above said.

This is the second time in less than a year that an Indian ban on onion exports has had an impact on Bangladesh and triggered a formal reaction from Dhaka. Bangladesh Prime Minister Shiekh Hasina formally raised the earlier ban during a visit to New Delhi last October and had jokingly told a public gathering that she had asked her cook to prepare her food without onions. She had also said the Indian side should give advance notice of such bans.

The note verbale from Bangladeshs foreign ministry expressed deep concern at the Indian ban as it directly impacts the supply of essential food items in the Bangladesh market. It noted that at a meeting of the commerce secretaries of the two sides during January 15-16, the Bangladesh side requested the Indian side to consider not imposing export restriction on essential food items required by Bangladesh, and in case of any event necessitating such a restriction, it was requested that Bangladesh side be informed ahead of time.

The latest ban, the note verbale said, undermines the discussions that took place in 2019 and 2020 between the two friendly countries on the matter and understanding shared. Bangladesh called on India to resume onion exports in view of the excellent ties of friendship and understanding enjoyed by the two countries.

The Bangladeshi side is concerned as the sudden ban triggered panic buying by the public and hoarding by unscrupulous traders, who bought available onion stocks and then artificially drove up prices, the people said. They pointed out the matter had caused embarrassment for the Sheikh Hasina government, with its opponents raising questions about the benefits derived from better ties with India.

Bangladesh is largely able to meet its annual requirement of about 2.5 million tonnes of onions from domestic production but imports from India make up almost 90% of the shortfall. As it did last year, Bangladesh may turn to Turkey and Egypt to make up for the deficit in supplies.

Foreign policy commentator Maya Mirchandani, who closely tracks the neighbourhood, said there could be domestic compulsions such as a shortage for the ban on onion exports but such moves need to done in a more calibrated manner.

While restricting exports, we should at least meet existing export commitments and then take care of future exports on a need-based approach. If we pride ourselves on a neighbourhood first policy, we should ensure there are no ruffled feathers with crucial neighbours such as Bangladesh, she said.
A driver was saved from being nearly strangled by the seat belt after his SUV crashed and rolled into a ditch.

Its all thanks to a quick-thinking soldier of the Oklahoma Army National Guard who came to his aid. Despite having no specialized medical training, the soldier saved the victim with his timely action and a level head.

The dramatic rescue started when Spc. Clinton Fauss saw a flurry of activity while he was returning to the Broken Arrow Armed Forces Reserve Center in Oklahoma after lunch on Aug. 12. Suspicious over the developing mayhem, the soldier pulled over.

Spc. Clinton Fauss (R) pictured with Lee Harkin after Harkins recovery from his vehicle rollover outside Tulsa, Okla., on Aug. 12, 2020. (Photo By: Courtesy)

I did not see the accident happen, Fauss told the National Guard. I just saw people running towards vehicles and a woman trying to get out of her car.

Drawing upon Basic Life Support, his only medical vocational training, Fauss approached the first of two cars and confirmed that its passengers were unharmed. He then headed toward the second vehicle, an SUV that had rolled off the road and landed sidewards in a ditchleaving the passenger side of the vehicle prone to the ground.

The SUV driver, Lee Harkin, was suspended by his seat belt, according to the report by National Guard.

Initially, Fauss was concerned that the vehicle was sinking or that there were children inside. But looking through the windshield, he saw that Harkin was the only occupant.

[H]e looked pretty nervous, Fauss recalled. I tried to stay realistic with what my capabilities are  I just took it one step at a time.

Soon after Fauss clocked Harkins condition, the local law enforcement reported at the scene. Harkin complained of pain in his neck, and that he was struggling to breathe, owing to the pressure of the seat belt around his neck.

The soldier and the police officers teamed up to rescue the trapped driver.

Fauss assessed that he would need to support the weight of Harkins body to help lessen the pressure of the seat belt. So, Fauss crawled through the back of the vehicle and pushed himself against the passenger seat to support Harkins body weight in an attempt to loosen up the grip of the seat belt; meanwhile, a police officer released the seat belt from above.

EMT and firefighters then arrived on-site to extract Harkin from the car onto a stretcher. At the hospital, doctors speculated that Harkins internal injuries would have been more severe without Fausss intervention.

The National Guard reported that later on, Harkins daughter, Sonya Bennett, contacted the soldier personally to say thank you.

I decided to take ownership to get a job done and handle what needed to be handled, Fauss said.

Even if there was nothing I could actually do, he added, I thought I could be there to let him know help was on the way.

Harkin, upon his release from the hospital, invited Fauss to visit him at home, where the pair regaled stories from their respective military backgrounds.

Harkins father was a colonel in the U.S. Air Force who logged over 8,000 flying hours before the end of his career; Harkin had wanted to serve in the defense forces but was waylaid by poor health.

Fauss serves as a soldier with the Armys 120th Engineer Battalion at Broken Arrow.

I decided to serve because I didnt want what others did before me to go in vain, Fauss said. As a whole, everything I have learned in the Army I use every day.

We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.nyc
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 22:08:01|Editor: huaxia

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MOGADISHU, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The UN migration agency said on Friday a new Migration Response Centre (MRC) to cater for the needs of vulnerable migrants returning to Somalia is due to open its doors in Mogadishu.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said it has handed over the facility to the Banadir Regional Administration.

The IOM said in a statement issued in Mogadishu that the MRC is part of its efforts to expand its migrant protection, assistance and community engagement activities across the country.

"It will provide migrants with direct assistance, information, counseling, and referrals, as well as play a key role in promoting the sustainable reintegration of Somali returnees provided with Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR)," said Isaac Munyae, a program manager with IOM Somalia.

The city represents a hub for returning migrants both through IOM programs of voluntary return as well as for migrants forcibly returned.

The new MRC is the eighth of its kind in the Horn of Africa and complements the services provided by the two MRCs located in Bossaso and Hargeisa.

According to IOM, the facilities serve as one-stop centers for stranded migrants and returnees, including victims of trafficking as well as for unaccompanied and separated children in need of information and protection related services.

IOM said returning migrants often lack access to basic services such as medical, psychosocial and legal assistance and are in need of support in sustainably reintegrating into their communities of origin.

"There is no question that once they come back, many of these young Somali migrants need support, and the right support on their return will really contribute to the rebuilding of Somalia," said IOM Somalia Chief of Mission Richard Danziger.

The UN agency said the center will contribute to IOM's objective towards strengthening the humane management of mixed migration flows in Somalia.

The country presents a complex and diverse migration profile as a source, transit and destination location at the center of multiple migration routes.

Omar Mohamed Mohamud, mayor of Mogadishu within the Banadir Regional Administration, stressed the importance of boosting efforts to protect the rights of migrants and returnees.

"This is a special MRC because it is the first in southern Somalia that will provide services to vulnerable Somali returning migrants," Mohamud said. Enditem
Alabamas largest statewide news organization has partnered with an arm of the states flagship university to shine light on a neglected region of the state and to examine what could be done to improve life there for many people.

Black Belt 2020 is a project aimed to raise awareness of the data behind the unique challenges across a swath of the state referenced widely as Alabamas Black Belt region  one of the poorest areas in the United States. And as AL.com continues to report on the trends in the region, an area that was once the most powerful in the state, affiliated professors from the Education Policy Center at the University of Alabama continue to search for solutions.

Dr. Stephen Katsinas, head of the Education Policy Center at UA, first reached out to AL.com to explore a partnership.

The series will have eight initial entries, and is tackling population loss, education, unemployment and other issues that disproportionately affect the region. It also is attempting to firm up which Alabama counties are part of the Black Belt, as there is no absolute accepted definition.

AL.com has taken on the role of data analysis and visualization for the project  thoroughly examining data collected by the Education Policy Center and creating original maps, charts and stories based on that data also being published in the Birmingham News, the Huntsville Times and the Mobile Press-Register.

The Education Policy Center is collecting the data and has invited experts, stakeholders and members of the media to discuss each issue in a weekly online panel.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader, Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Thursday resigned from the Union Council of Ministers. President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday accepted her resignation, as advised by the Prime Minister of India. Her husband and SAD leader Sukhbir Badal had told reports that SAD leaders will meet and decide their next course of action.

President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday accepted the resignation of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who resigned from the Union Council of Ministers last evening. Furthermore, the President has directed Narendra Singh Tomar to take the additional charge of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries. On Thursday, Harsimrat had resigned from the Union Cabinet, displaying her opposition to the three agriculture-related bills.

Hours after Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigned from Cabinet over anti-farmer legislation,  Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal said on Thursday that the party will decide about its next course of action.

According to a release from Rashtrapati Bhavan, the President of India, as advised by the Prime Minister, had accepted the resignation of Harsimrat Kaur Badal from the Union Council of Ministers, with immediate effect, under clause (2) of Article 75 of the Constitution.

It said, further, as advised by the Prime Minister, The President had directed that Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Cabinet Minister, be assigned the charge of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, in addition to his existing portfolios.

Also read: India China standoff: Indian Navy tracks Chinese research vessel in Indian Ocean

Also read: Rajnath Singh parliament speech: Made it clear, no change in status quo

Earlier, Harsimrats husband and SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal said that his wife will resign over the three farmers bills brought in the Parliament by the government. The bills are aimed at replacing the ordinances.

Sukhbir Singh Badal told reporters that they had just taken a decision to resign from Cabinet and she had already resigned, the next course of action would be decided by their party. He added that partys core committee would be meeting shortly, they would discuss every issue.

He was asked if the party will quit the ruling National Democratic Alliance. He said that they tried to make the central government aware of the sentiments of farmers, when the Centre did not clear the apprehensions of farmers and came to Parliament with the bills, they decided to oppose it. We are with the farmers, he said.

Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who is the wife of Sukhbir Singh Badal, resigned from Union Cabinet in protest against anti-farmer ordinances and legislation. The resignation came soon after Sukhbir Singh Badal opposed the two farmer-related bills in the Lok Sabha.

The Lower House later passed the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion And Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and the Farmers (Empowerment And Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020. The bills seek to replace two ordinances brought by the government earlier this year.

Also read: Hopeful coronavirus vaccine will be available in India next year: Harsh Vardhan
Ukraine might lose the visa-free travel privilege for its citizens over the situation around the appointment of a new head of the Special Anti-corruption Prosecutor's Office, earlier reports claimed.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal says there is no threat of Ukrainians being stripped of visa-free travel across the European Union.

The comment came during a traditional Q&A session in the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, on September 18, as PM was answering a question from MP Oleksiy Honcharenko (European Solidarity) on the appointment of a EU-criticized commission to select the chief of the Specialized Anti-corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO).

"Visa-free travel is not being canceled," Shmyhal said.

The prime minister noted that Ukraine's partners from the European Union and the U.S. openly state the need for a transparent competition for the SAPO chief's post.

Read alsoEU, U.S. take note of Ukrainian Rada's decision on commission to select SAPO chiefToday, Shmyhal assures, all the procedures prescribed by Ukrainian legislation are being observed, and "then it is about the openness and transparency of the competition."

"Let's see, together with the society and parliament, how the competition will be held. I am sure that everything will be done absolutely in keeping with the current legislation," PM added.

Replacing top anti-corruption prosecutor: recent developments

On August 21, Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova signed an order to dismiss Deputy Prosecutor General and SAPO chief Nazar Kholodnytsky, approving his resignation.

On September 17, the Verkhovna Rada appointed parliamentary members to the commission to select the new SAPO chief: Olena Busol, Andriy Hudzhal, Oleksiy Drozd, Kateryna Koval, Bohdan Romaniuk, Viacheslav Navrotsky, and Yevhen Sobol.

The European Parliament's Rapporteur for Ukraine, Michael Gahler, and Vice-Chair of Delegation to the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Association Committee Viola von Cramon-Taubadel expressed concern over the Verkhovna Rada's move.

"While international community is occupied with Belarus, Ukraine government is hastily pushing candidates lacking experience and integrity to select SAPO head. This will not fly. Ukraine's Government is jeopardizing visa-free with the EU and further trance of EUR1.5 billion assistance," Viola von Cramon-Taubadel wrote on Twitter on September 17, 2020.

The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv also commented on the developments. "The U.S. and the EU take note of the Rada decision to appoint members to the commission to choose the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor. The commission needs to embark on a transparent process with candidates' integrity and merits at its core. Our further support will depend upon it," the Embassy wrote on Facebook on September 17.
(JNS) This weeks Torah portion is Deuteronomy 29:20-30:9, which calls upon Israel to be faithful to the covenant in the land God has given them. God promises that even if Israel is scattered among the nations and the land lies desolate, He will restore Israel from captivity, gathering the Jewish people even from the ends of the earth back to their land.

In the 72 years since Israels rebirth as a modern nation, we have seen this promise fulfilled. The haftarah portion accompanying this weeks Torah portion is Isaiah 61:10-63:9, an exuberant declaration of the glorious future awaiting...
Some school staff say having uniformed police officers stationed in Winnipeg schools deters racialized students from attending class. Others report being disturbed by what they call victim-blaming presentations on sexting and gang involvement. In one specific critique, a teacher reported witnessing a student in crisis be unnecessarily physically accosted and put in handcuffs.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 17/9/2020 (491 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Some school staff say having uniformed police officers stationed in Winnipeg schools deters racialized students from attending class. Others report being disturbed by what they call victim-blaming presentations on sexting and gang involvement. In one specific critique, a teacher reported witnessing a student in crisis be unnecessarily "physically accosted and put in handcuffs."

Under the Police-Free Schools Winnipeg banner, more than a dozen school staff, parents and community members are calling on schools to revisit their relationships with police.

The campaign is the latest in Canada to question the police presence in public schools; in recent months, critics in Hamilton, Vancouver and Edmonton have mobilized against such programs.

We see the school resource officer program as an example of police overreach and a tool by which to, I think, further infiltrate and profile overpoliced communities.  Cam Scott, organizer with Police-Free Schools Winnipeg

"We see the school resource officer program as an example of police overreach and a tool by which to, I think, further infiltrate and profile overpoliced communities," said Cam Scott, an organizer with Police-Free Schools Winnipeg.

A countrywide policing initiative, the program was introduced to Winnipeg in 2002.

It has since grown to include 19 police officers who work in six city divisions: nine in Winnipeg 1; three in Seven Oaks; two in St. James Assiniboia; two in Pembina Trails; two in River East Transcona and one in Louis Riel.

Police in school programs become Canadian issue Click to Expand A Toronto police officer in front of Central Technical School in Toronto in 2010. In 2017 the Toronto District School Board voted to axe its decade-old, onsite police program. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette Posted: 6:48 PM Sep. 17, 2020 The movement to remove police from schools has reached Winnipeg after sweeping across the nation in recent years, beginning with a historic decision by Canadas largest school division. In November 2017, after nearly a decade of action from students, parents and community members, the Toronto District School Board voted to axe its decade-old, onsite police program. Read Full Story

The officers typically visit various elementary, middle and high schools. They are equipped with the same uniforms and weapons as on-call officers with the Winnipeg Police Service.

The program is funded by the provincial government, school divisions and the police service. Last year, it cost $2.4 million.

According to Winnipeg police codes obtained by the Free Press, the officers' duties include giving presentations on everything from bullying to drugs, student and parent consultations, truancy check-ins, restorative justice work and "participation in a threat assessment."

Local police and community supporters have long touted the program as one that aims to build trust and understanding between marginalized students, parents and police.

Two teachers, who spoke to the Free Press on the condition of anonymity, argue it does the opposite. They say it contributes to the school-to-prison pipeline, a phenomenon in which Black, Indigenous and students of colour are disproportionately penalized at school and leads to more encounters with police in the community.

Both said the program serves as a public relations branch of the police service.

One teacher said his views have largely been shaped by an incident he witnessed in which an officer used force and handcuffs to deal with a student in a crisis situation. He said the officer got involved after the situation had de-escalated.

"It not only does harm to students who are Black, Indigenous and students of colour  like is often talked about, for good reason, but it also kind of creates these really difficult-to-shake labels amongst students who have had experiences with police," he said.

It not only does harm to students who are Black, Indigenous and students of colour  like is often talked about, for good reason, but it also kind of creates these really difficult-to-shake labels amongst students who have had experiences with police.  Anonymous Winnipeg teacher

Another teacher said his conversations with teachers and students of colour about their negative experiences with officers have convinced him police have no place in schools.

He pointed to the Justice 4 Black Lives Winnipeg demands, which include a call on Manitoba Education to cut ties with police. The petition has garnered more than 115,000 signatures in three months.

"The question shouldnt be 'Should we have cops'? The question should be what supports are more meaningful and dont have negative impacts on students," said the second teacher.

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While the province, divisions and police service have endorsed the upcoming three-year program agreement, city council is expected to vote on a motion to approve the contract at the end of the month.

Police-Free Schools Winnipeg wants the program put on pause and the money redirected to breakfast programs and guidance counsellors.

Scott said its not lost on the organizers that other jurisdictions are reimagining their programs while Winnipeg is expanding its by an additional officer.

JESSE BOILY / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Winnipeg Police School Resource Officers Program Inspector Bonnie Emerson.

In an interview Thursday, Coun. Markus Chambers, who is chairman of the Winnipeg Police Board, said he supports the program's goal of relationship-building. Chambers added he has committed to increasing community outreach, dialogue and consultation about policing in the city.

When asked about the campaigns concerns, Winnipeg police Insp. Bonnie Emerson told reporters she has only ever heard positive things about the program from schools, community members and reviews.

"The (officers) are involved in this program because they care about the kids and that we are really supportive of this program because we believe in positive outcomes," Emerson said.

A 2014 evaluation of the program in Winnipeg School Division indicated overwhelming support for the program. The survey did not break down respondents racial identities.

The (officers) are involved in this program because they care about the kids and that we are really supportive of this program because we believe in positive outcomes."  Winnipeg police Insp. Bonnie Emerson

Betty Edel, chairwoman of the WSD board, has been a proponent since she got involved in advocating for it in the early 2000s. "Our only relationship in the community with police was coming to arrest one of our family members or friends and that, so we were trying to get away from an us and them," said Edel, who is Metis.

If the program is not operating as it was intended, Edel said she is open to hearing from community members. Emerson echoed those sentiments.

The first teacher who spoke to the Free Press said teachers are increasingly talking about being actively anti-racist through professional development and the introduction of more diverse texts into classrooms.

"These are all wonderful things and education is absolutely key," he said, "but to actually practise anti-racism, we need to call into question ourselves and the systems we represent."

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @macintoshmaggie

Julia-Simone Rutgers

Reporter Julia-Simone Rutgers is a general-assignment reporter. Read full biography
Shop traders along Derry's Buncrana Road claim that up 300 jobs could be at risk because of current development plans for the area.

The Department of Infrastructure has put forward major plans to upgrade the road system in the area.

However, shopowners along Buncrana Road say the plans are not adequate in relation to access to their businesses.

Retail NI, which represents many of the shopowners, today warned that 300 jobs are at risk from local businesses unless changes are made to the proposed redevelopment plan to facilitate customers getting access to local small retailers and businesses.

Traders fear current upgrade plans to the road will restrict passing trade to local businesses.

To avoid this, Retail NI submitted a number of changes to the redevelopment plan - all of which, the lobby organisation claimed, were rejected by Department for Infrastructure officials.

Retail NI is today meeting with Colum Eastwood MP, Martina Anderson MLA, Gary Middleton MLA and the President of Londonderry Chamber of Commerce to outline their concerns.

Buncrana Road Trader and Retail NI Board member David Barber said: We have submitted sensible and practical changes to the proposed redevelopment plan to facilitate our customers and passing trade being able to access the shops on Buncrana Road. Sadly, all were rejected by the Department for Infrastructure.

If customers cant gain easy access to our stores, then we will lose this trade which will sadly result in store closures, up to 300 job losses and a net loss of 2million to the local economy.

We urge the Infrastructure Minister to intervene and ensure changes are made to the redevelopment plan to avoid these job losses."

Retail NI Chief Executive Glyn Roberts said: With the huge hit to the economy with Covid-19, every job is vital, and we urge the Minister to listen to our concerns and make the necessary changes to this plan and protect these livelihoods and small businesses.

Retail NI supports the overall plan to upgrade the Buncrana Road as it is a vital investment in the infrastructure of Derry, the North West and the Derry-Strabane City Deal. However, no business should have to close, nor jobs lost as a result of this redevelopment.

Redmond McFadden, President of Londonderry Chamber of Commerce said it was 'crucial' to sort out the issues at Buncrana Road.

"The prospect of the loss of so many jobs and businesses in our city has to avoided at all costs and we hope that the Minister will act accordingly," he said.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- As uncertainty continues to swirl around the return to schools in New York City, both students and school staff members have been encouraged to get tested for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), with the city ramping up capacities to offer quicker turnaround on test results.

As of Wednesday, at least 56 schools throughout the New York City system had at least one staff member test positive for the coronavirus, including six schools on Staten Island, according to the city Department of Education (DOE).

The six sites are:

PS 78, Stapleton

PS 58, New Springville

New Dorp High School

Tottenville High School

PS 62, Rossville

PS 13, Rosebank

To ensure a safe return to live instruction, Mayor Bill de Blasio urged students and school staff earlier this week to get tested using one of the citys priority or express testing sites before returning to their school buildings.

Now, we do want parents to get their children tested. And this week there is priority testing available for students as well as school staff at our centers. Again, it is fast, it is free, it is convenient, and you get your result quickly, de Blasio said Monday.

The mayor encouraged members of the public school community to make use of the 22 priority testing sites run by the citys Health and Hospitals system.

These walk-in sites, located throughout the five boroughs, provide free COVID-19 testing for all DOE students and staff members, as well as employees of city-contracted early child care centers and Learning Bridges programs, with results promised within 48 hours.

Employees are asked to bring ID, as well as proof of DOE employment, with students not required to provide any proof of enrollment.

All you have to do is say you work for the public schools or youre a public school student, and you get priority results coming back within 48 hours, de Blasio said.

On Staten Island, theres only one priority testing site, located at Gotham Health at 165 Vanderbilt Ave. The site is open seven days a week, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

All New Yorkers, regardless of whether theyre returning to schools soon, are eligible for free, rapid testing through the citys COVID Express testing sites.

The COVID Express testing sites, which do not take walk-ins and require an online appointment, promise test results within 24 hours.

Residents can make an appointment at a COVID Express testing site using the citys website.

Unfortunately, there are currently just nine COVID Express testing sites located throughout the city, none of which can be found on Staten Island.

PANDEMIC RESPONSE LAB

To help speed up test result turnarounds, de Blasio announced Thursday that the city has launched a new Pandemic Response Lab, dedicated solely to processing COVID-19 test results from NYC Health + Hospital sites within 24 to 48 hours.

By November, the Pandemic Response Lab is expected to have the capacity to handle up to 20,000 COVID-19 tests per day, greatly increasing the citys current capacity and resulting in quicker result turnarounds.

At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, we committed to leveraging every possible opportunity to expand the Citys testing capacity as a part of our ongoing response, said Kenra Ford, vice president of clinical operations, NYC Health + Hospitals.

The Pandemic Response Lab allows us to increase the number of tests we can process daily, to decrease citywide turnaround times, and to immediately ensure expanded access to testing," Ford added.
Delingpole has engaged in climate change denial and campaign

Veterans Minister Johnny Mercer then hit back calling him a 'selfish c***'

In a post on twitter the Breitbart writer remarked 'How did we win Waterloo?'

Tory MP Johnny Mercer has been criticised for using the C-word in a foul-mouthed exchange about Covid-19 masks.

The Veterans Minister hit back at writer James Delingpole after he criticised commuters on his train for wearing face-coverings.

But others - including comedian Dom Joly - praised Mr Mercer for blasting the journalist, 65, despite his choice of words.

Veterans Minister Johnny Mercer hit back at writer James Delingpole after he criticised commuters on his train for wearing face-coverings

Mr Delingpole - who is opposed to mandatory wearing of masks during the pandemic - tweeted: 'Everyone on the train in a mask. Everyone.

'How did we win Waterloo?'

Former Army officer Mr Mercer, MP for Plymouth, Devon - replied: 'Without people like you.

'Stop being a selfish c**t, and put on a mask.'

Paul Stonehous replied: 'You have let your party and yourself down by resorting to this type of language.'

Another added: 'You don't have to use the word to be one.'

Standup comic Lee Hurst joked: 'Hi Johnny. I'm a selfish c**t too.'

But Mr Mercer was backed by Dom Joly who said: 'Bravo.'

James Delingpole is known for his controversial views on several topics, including climate change denial and campaigning against wind farms.

He is currently the executive editor of alt-right news site Breitbart London, a UK-focused version of Breitbart News in the US, which has been involved in several conspiracy theories and became a rallying spot for Donald Trump supporters in 2016.

Describing coronavirus as an 'alleged crisis' in a recent interview, Delingpole said: 'The British people are more scared of coronavirus than any other nation on Earth.'

He added that 'no sane or informed person' would wear a mask in a supermarket, and would 'totally' encourage his children to break laws relating to the pandemic because 'I don't want my children growing up to be the compliant gimps of a fascist state'.

Delingpole is known for his controversial views on several topics, including climate change denial and campaigning against wind farms

Others reacting to the twitter exchange mocked Mr Delingpole for his lack of history knowledge.

Ian Harris said: 'My history of the battle of Waterloo is rusty, but I'm fairly sure it wasn't an airborne contagious virus.

'However, they did wear armour to protect themselves from artillery.'

Chris Parker said: 'Mostly by the Prussians turning up in the nick of time, from memory.

'A cavalry charge isn't going to do much against Covid-19, sadly.

'Just wear a mask, the sooner we stop the spread of the virus, the sooner we won't have to wear the damn things.'

Peter Mitchell added: 'S**t take. Disease prevention is crucial for the military.

'Always has been. So, the napoleonic wars you mention.

'Limes prevented scurvy in the Royal Navy.

'Gave them an edge due to more fit men. Disease prevention helped win the wars concluded at Waterloo.'

Both Johnny Mercer and James Delingpole have been contacted for comment.
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As a teenager in the 1990s, Melissa Blake was interested in fashion.

Unfortunately, fashion wasnt much interested in her.

Blake, who has a genetic bone and muscle disorder and stands a little under four feet tall, couldnt find jeans or dresses in her size. Paging through Glamour and Cosmopolitan magazines, she didnt see a single person who looked like her.

That would have been a game-changer for me, said Blake, a freelance writer and disability activist who lives in DeKalb, Ill.

When youre a teenager  disabled or not  you deal with issues of self-confidence and self-esteem. If I had seen someone who looked like me, I would have felt really seen.

Now, Blake, 39, is a fashion role model herself.

This week shes appearing in the annual Runway of Dreams fashion show featuring clothes designed for people with disabilities. The show, while virtual this year, is part of the glitz and glamour of New York Fashion Week, and includes appearances by designer Tommy Hilfiger, Paralympics gold medallist snowboarder Brenna Huckaby, Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen and YouTubers Shane and Hannah Burcaw.

Blake was among 24 people worldwide who were chosen to model in Mondays show, which can be seen on YouTube.

What I love so much about Melissa is that she is just a force to be reckoned with and is unapologetic about what the world should look like, said Runway of Dreams founder and CEO Mindy Scheier.

Being able to put Melissa in arguably the biggest fashion event of the year just hit home how important it is to expand who consumers are in the fashion industry, or who should be on runways, or what were really representing in the word model, Scheier said.

Blake, who has Freeman-Sheldon syndrome, had 26 surgeries before age 17. She can walk short distances with difficulty, and uses an electric scooter.

She has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, as well as her teen favourites, Glamour and Cosmopolitan. Shes also known for a viral post on Twitter last year, in which she responded to trolls who criticized her appearance.

Blake, who describes herself as a down-home Carrie Bradshaw, met the insults with cheerful defiance, posting multiple selfies.

One of her posts got more than 300,000 likes, with fans calling Blake a goddess, a bad (expletive) and a powerful woman. One issued a new super-hero alert, and another offered six (emoji) trophies with a fiery Work it girl! YOU IZ FAB.

Blake responded similarly earlier this month, when parents on TikTok posted videos in which they pranked their kids by displaying images of disabled people and saying this is your new teacher. Blake was among the disabled people mocked in the videos, according to the Boston NPR news station WBUR-FM.

I feel like every time, you know, I post a selfie or I share something about my life as a disabled woman, I feel like that is representation that is going to really combat this ableism, Blake told WBUR.

The Runway of Dreams show is virtual this year, so Blakes sister filmed her riding her scooter on a quiet street, dressed in a graphic T-shirt, capris and an oversize maroon vest with a fluffy fur collar, all by Zappos Adaptive.

It was a little scary, but they were really good to work with, Blake said of the Runway of Dreams team. They walked me through every step.

Blake said she has always been interested in fashion and it was a thrill to be in the show.

Often, when we think of access for disabled people, we think of buildings and employment, she said. But its also important to have access to whats fun and enjoyable.

Fashion isnt going to solve all the worlds problems, Blake said. But I think when disabled people are included, it sends a message that we deserve a seat at the table in all aspects of life, frivolous or not.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- After the months of lockdown, as the cases of COVID-19 pandemic flattens, many organizations and businesses are starting summoning their employees back to the Office. It is a challenging situation for the companies as well for employees. Firms must take ample measures to maintain a healthy working environment and motivate their workforce to drive towards their work with full enthusiasm.

Most of the businesses worldwide supported their Employees working amidst the Coronavirus pandemic to work from home to follow the social distancing and other precautions for everyone's safety. The companies have stood with their employees like a strong pillar for their workforce during the COVID-19.

Even today, when it's time to restart the businesses and help the employees join the Office, they are taking the assistance of Best HR Companies to build their ideal, balanced workforce and successfully meet the business goals.

But after the lockdown, there are multiple reasons employees are feeling anxious to start joining the Office like fear of getting sick, getting exposed to contaminated areas, lack of social distancing, traveling through the public transport, and much more.

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On the Zugspitze, KIT researchers monitor CO2 concentration and other parameters of the atmosphere. (Photo: Markus Rettinger, KIT)

Based on current data measured in the energy, industry, and mobility sectors, restrictions of social life during the corona pandemic can be predicted to lead to a reduction of worldwide carbon dioxide emissions by up to eight percent in 2020. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), cumulative reductions of about this magnitude would be required every year to reach the goals of the Paris Agreement by 2030. Recent measurements by researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) revealed that concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere has not yet changed due to the estimated emission reductions. The results are reported in Remote Sensing (DOI: 10.3390/rs12152387).

The corona pandemic has changed both our working and our private lives. People increasingly work from home, have video conferences instead of business trips, and spend their holidays in their home country. The lower traffic volume also reduces CO2 emissions. Reductions of up to eight percent are estimated for 2020. In spite of the reduced emissions, our measurements show that CO2 concentration in the atmosphere has not yet decreased, says Ralf Sussmann from the Atmospheric Environmental Research Division of KITs Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research (IMK-IFU), KITs Campus Alpine, in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. To reduce CO2 concentration in the atmosphere in the long run, restrictions imposed during the corona pandemic would have to be continued for decades. But even this would be far from being sufficient.

To prove this, researchers additionally studied a long-term scenario that can be controlled well with atmospheric measurements: The goal of the Paris Climate Agreement to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius can only be reached by an immediate significant reduction of CO2 emissions and a further decrease down to zero by 2055. The restrictions imposed during the corona crisis, however, are far from being sufficient. They have just resulted in a one-time reduction by eight percent. To reach zero emissions in the coming decades, cumulative reductions of the same magnitude would be required every year, i.e. 16 percent in 2021, 24 percent in 2022, and so on. For this, political measures have to be taken to directly initiate fundamental technological changes in the energy and transport sectors, Sussmann says.

For the study, the team used data from the Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON). It measured the concentrations in different layers of the atmosphere above Garmisch-Partenkirchen and at other places around the globe. High-tech infrared spectrometers are applied, which use the sun as a light source. The measurement method is highly precise, uncertainties are in the range of a few thousandths, Sussmann adds.

Long Life of CO2 Prevents Early Detection

According to the researchers, the long life of CO2 and the high background concentrations that have accumulated since the start of industrialization prevent the changes in the atmosphere from being detected. But also natural impacts make early detection difficult: Anthropogenic emissions, the main cause of the long-term increase in atmospheric CO2, are superposed by annual fluctuations of the growth rate due to natural climate variabilities of ocean sinks and land vegetation, Sussmann says. Successful emission reduction, hence, is hard to detect by atmosphere measurements.

For their study, the researchers compared the TCCON measurements with the prognoses of the atmospheric growth rate for 2020  with and without corona restrictions. Precision analysis of atmosphere measurements revealed that the impacts of COVID-19 measures on the atmosphere might be measured after little more than six months, if the reference state without COVID-19 would be predicted precisely, the climate researcher explains. In any case, we would be able to find out within presumably two and half years, whether global political and social measures will help us find viable alternatives of fossil fuels and reach the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement.

Original Publication:

Sussmann, R., and Rettinger, M.: Can We Measure a COVID-19-Related Slowdown in Atmospheric CO2 Growth? Sensitivity of Total Carbon Column Observations, Remote Sens., 12, 2387, 2020. doi:10.3390/rs12152387

More about the KIT Climate and Environment Center: http://www.klima-umwelt.kit.edu/english

Being The Research University in the Helmholtz Association, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 9,600 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 23,300 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence.
A Belarusian student who was severely beaten during protests in Minsk has told Current Time about his ordeal at the hands of the security forces. Alyaksey Kurachou, 20, who is now receiving treatment in Poland after sustaining head injuries and fractures, says he was beaten during his arrest and then in a police vehicle he calls a "torture truck."
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 14

Trend:

Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 32 times, Trend reports referring to Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.

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.
Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Friday said that 5.5 metre width of the Char Dham road project wont work from a strategic and security point of view in the sensitive bordering areas of the state.

Rawat, while addressing a query about the Char Dham road project during a press conference in Dehradun on the completion of three and a half years of his government, said 5.5 metre road width se kaam nahi chalega. (5.5 m road width wont work).

Stressing upon the need to have a wider road in the strategically important border areas, Rawat said he will urge the Central government to look into this matter.

When we take border security aspect into consideration, widening of the Char Dham road is required, he said.

The all-weather road project aims to connect the four shrines of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri through an 826km long road.

Darshan Singh Rawat, media coordinator for CM Rawat, said the chief minister will be soon writing to the Centre on the necessity for a wider Char Dham road from a strategic point of view and for improving connectivity in areas bordering China in the state.

The official, however, added that the state government cant file a special leave petition in the Supreme Court on the matter since the Central government and the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) are directly dealing with the matter.

On September 8, 2020, the Supreme Court had ordered that the ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) circular of 2018 is to be followed for Char Dham road construction. The MoRTH circular says that the roads in the hilly and mountain terrains are to be of 5.5 m width (18 ft) with two-lane structures (23 ft).

Also Read: On China, India is making a mistake | Opinion

The apex court had upheld the views of Ravi Chopra, chairman of the Supreme Court (SC) appointed high powered committee (HPC) on Char Dham road project which recommended 5.5 m intermediate road width against the view in support of 12 m total road width-- submitted by the majority group of the HPC-- in tune with the 2012 circular of the MoRTH.

In August last year, the Supreme Court had ordered the formation of an 11-member high-powered committee to consider the cumulative and independent impact of the Char Dham project on the entire Himalayan valleys

Also Watch: Indias Island Gambit against China? Analysis with Vikram Chandra

The foundation stone for the Char Dham project was laid on December 27, 2016. In March 2018, the deadline for the project was extended from March 2019 to March 2020, but work is still continuing in the state. A review meeting with the union road and transport minister was held on July 17 this year on the progress of the road project costing Rs 12,072 crore.

It was then informed that over 350 km of the road network has been constructed so far as part of the project.
MoneyTV with Donald Baillargeon television program, Copyright MMXX, all rights reserved. MoneyTV does not provide an analysis of companies' financial positions and is not soliciting to purchase or sell securities of the companies, nor are we offering a recommendation of featured companies or their stocks. Information discussed herein has been provided by the companies and should be verified independently with the companies and a securities analyst. MoneyTV provides companies a 3 to 4-month corporate profile with multiple appearances for a cash fee of $6,950.00 to $11,995.00, does not accept company stock as payment for services, does not hold any positions, options, or warrants in featured companies. The information herein is not an endorsement by Donald Baillargeon, the producer, publisher, or parent company of MoneyTV.

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.
One month on since Navalny fell ill, the Kremlin critic is out of a coma amid a growing rift between Europe and Russia.

What happened on the day Navalny fell ill?

On August 20, a Thursday, Alexey Navalny, Russias leading Kremlin critic, had finished up campaigning for opposition politicians in Siberia for local elections, which were taking place from September 11 to 13.

He left Xander Hotel and headed for the Tomsk Bogashevo airport. There, he drank a cup of tea. He was on the way to Moscow.

In the first half-hour of the flight, he fell ill and witnesses said he screamed in pain. He was later in a coma.

He was airlifted to Germanys capital, a six-hour flight, to the Berlin Charite hospital.The plane made an emergency landing at Omsk. He received treatment in the Russian city, where doctors said he was too unwell to be moved, but two days later on August 22, a Saturday, they said his life was not in danger.

Was he poisoned?

Navalnys team believes he was poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent, a claim several European countries support.

A laboratory in Germany said it had confirmation on September 2, followed by laboratories in France and Sweden on September 14.

Samples from Navalny have also been sent to the Organization for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague for testing.

Russia says there is no evidence to prove Navalny was poisoned, while its ally Belarus has also doubted the claim. The doctors in Omsk said they had not detected poisonous substances in Navalnys body.

US President Donald Trump has been criticised for towing Russias line, saying on September 4  two days after Germanys claim to have unequivocal evidence  that we have not had any proof yet.

How is Navalnys condition now?

On September 7, more than two weeks after falling ill on the plane, Navalnys doctors in Germany said he was out of a coma and that his condition was improving. His spokeswoman said, Gradually, he will be switched off from a ventilator.

On September 15, Navalny posted on Instagram that he was breathing alone. He has said he plans to return to Russia.

If he was poisoned, who may have poisoned him and where?

Navalnys team believes he was poisoned at the orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin  a claim the Kremlin has strongly denied.

Navalnys spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh had initially said she believed Navalnys tea at the airport was poisoned, but on September 17, his team said the nerve agent was detected on an empty water bottle from his hotel room in the Tomsk, suggesting he was poisoned there and not at the airport.

What effect has the alleged poisoning had?

The alleged attack has widened a rift between Europe and Russia, with Germany and France leading calls for a full investigation but stopping short of outrightly blaming the Russian government.

MEPs have called for sanctions against Russia, saying on September 17, The poison used, belonging to the Novichok group, can only be developed in state-owned military laboratories and cannot be acquired by private individuals, which strongly implies that Russian authorities were behind the attack.

Russias Foreign Ministry has summoned Germanys ambassador to Moscow, while the United Kingdom has summoned the Russian envoy over the incident.

For its part, Moscow rejects what it called the politicisation of the issue.

Significantly, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is under pressure to halt the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, which transfers Russian gas to Germany. Once again, the Kremlin has warned not to involve the Navalny case in any discussion about the pipeline, with Dmitry Peskov saying on September 16, It should stop being mentioned in the context of any politicisation.

A timeline of events surrounding the alleged poisoning attack on Navalny:

August 20  Navalny falls ill on flight; plane makes emergency landing in Omsk; his spokeswoman says he was poisoned, perhaps by the tea he drank at the airport

August 22  Navalny airlifted to Berlin Charite hospital

September 2  Germany says it has unequivocal evidence Navalny was poisoned, Russia responds by saying the claim is not backed by evidence

September 4  US President Donald Trump says we do not have any proof yet

September 6  Heiko Maas, German foreign minister, threatens action over gas pipeline project, saying, I hope the Russians dont force us to change our position on Nord Stream 2

September 7  German doctors say Navalny is out of an artificial coma

September 11-13  Russia holds local elections; Navalnys allies make gains in Siberian cities

September 15  Navalny posts on Instagram that he is breathing alone

September 16  Kremlin spokesman warns against politicising Navalny issue in discussions over the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project with Germany

September 17  Navalnys team now suspects he was poisoned in his hotel room, not the airport, citing traces of nerve agent on an empty water bottle

September 17  MEPs call for sanctions against Russia
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 05:42:20|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai delivers a speech during the 40th anniversary of China-U.S. student exchange in Washington D.C., the United States, Nov. 21, 2019. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

"The national security concerns, generally speaking, are legitimate concerns for all countries. But we have to be careful not to be misled, not to be blinded, certainly not to be trapped by groundless fear, suspicion and even hatred," Chinese Ambassador Cui Tiankai said.



WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- The United States and China should not be misled by groundless national security concerns in dealing with the world's most important bilateral relations between the two countries, Chinese Ambassador Cui Tiankai has said.

"The national security concerns, generally speaking, are legitimate concerns for all countries. But we have to be careful not to be misled, not to be blinded, certainly not to be trapped by groundless fear, suspicion and even hatred," said Cui in a recent interview with former U.S. Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson during the podcast program "Straight Talk with Hank Paulson."

"I don't think that will make anybody safe. That will make everybody less secure. This is just against the need for national security," he said.

"Look at the history of the past 40 years or 50 years. Both China and the United States took good care of national security while we developed mutual ties, deepened and widened our relations," he said. "I don't think the national security of either China or United States was hurt in the process. Actually, it was helped."

"If you have more interaction with each other, you know better the other side. You know how the guys on the other side think, their mindset, their strengths and weaknesses, and you know much better how to deal with them, how to avoid the risks, how to promote mutually beneficial cooperation. This is the experience we have learned over the last 40 or 50 years. Why should we change it?" the ambassador said. 
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 12:18:36|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- As global COVID-19 cases surpassed 30 million on Thursday, United Nations (UN) officials again urged the international community to strengthen solidarity and cooperation.

The global case count reached 30,003,378, with a total of 942,989 deaths worldwide as of 6:22 p.m. local time (2222 GMT), according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.

The United States remained the worst-hit country in the world, with 6,669,322 infections and 197,554 deaths. India recorded 5,118,253 cases, ranking second worldwide in terms of total confirmed cases. Brazil followed India with 4,419,083 cases, and has registered the world's second biggest death toll of 134,106.

Countries with more than 650,000 cases also include Russia, Peru, Colombia, Mexico and South Africa, while other countries with over 35,000 deaths include India, Mexico, Britain and Italy, according to the CSSE.

Global cases topped 10 million on June 28, and rose to 20 million 43 days later. Then it took only 38 days for the number to grow from 20 million to 30 million.

On Thursday, Mexico's Foreign Affairs Ministry said Mexico and the United States will continue to ban non-essential border crossings until Oct. 21.

On the same day, Governor of Texas Greg Abbott nevertheless announced that COVID-19 restrictions will be loosened in most areas of the state from Monday.

The Brazilian city of Sao Paulo, the largest city in South America and one of the hardest hit cities by the pandemic, has also authorized the restart of in-person classes at universities from Oct. 7.

Amid an ever-ballooning global caseload, Deputy UN Secretary-General Amina Mohammed on Thursday urged the world's major countries to work together to contain the pandemic.

"The most important (way) is to keep the dialogue going. What has happened with major powers and these tensions is in fact to miss the opportunity of being able to face this pandemic head-on with everyone on board," Mohammed told reporters, adding, "that really has taken us a few steps back."

"So what happens in the global arena, we must continue to close the gap between what is an unfortunate reality and what needs to be for our powers to come together to get the job done," she said.

Also on Thursday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the COVID-19 pandemic is expanding risks to peace everywhere.

"It poses an enormous threat to people caught up in conflict, which is why I made an immediate appeal for a global ceasefire," he said at the UN peace bell ceremony on the occasion of the 39th anniversary of the International Day of Peace, which is observed around the world each year on Sept. 21. Enditem
The State Council, China's cabinet, on Thursday decided to further streamline government administration and improve services.

It also specified measures to support the country's state-owned and private firms, according to a statement issued after a State Council executive meeting, chaired by Premier Li Keqiang.

The country will facilitate the inter-provincial handling of frequently-processed administrative items, such as the registration of market entities and applications for social security cards, according to the statement.

The meeting also decided to simplify the procedures for residents and small companies to get electricity.

The country will support the development of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) as well as private companies. SOEs will be relieved the burden of offering social services and encouraged to strengthen major innovations, while more areas will be open to private companies, the statement said.
A statement provided to The Post earlier this month by another DeJoy spokesman, Monty Hagler, said the former New Breed chief executive was not aware that any employees had felt pressured to make donations. After repeatedly being asked, Hagler did not directly address the assertions that DeJoy reimbursed workers for making contributions, pointing to a statement in which he said DeJoy believes that he has always followed campaign fundraising laws and regulations.
Fibre is often the best choice for South Africans when it comes to home broadband, but it is not available everywhere.

Areas without fibre coverage have to settle for less reliable and relatively expensive connectivity options such as ADSL or fixed-LTE.

Recent developments have led to these alternatives becoming significantly more attractive, however, with the launch of naked ADSL and fixed-5G products offering great value.

After Openserves launch of Pure Connect, a wholesale DSL product which excludes the cost of a copper line from Telkom Retail, many ISPs were able to offer uncapped DSL products that were significantly cheaper.

Vodacom and Rain now also offer fixed-5G products with high download speeds and an expanding coverage area.

Fixed-LTE is also becoming less expensive over time, and the coverage of fixed-LTE networks is far greater than that of 5G.

Another option for users without fibre is to sign up for a Wireless Internet service provider (WISP), which offer their own wireless connectivity solutions in specific areas.

Users can find a WISP with coverage in their area via a sign-up page on the Wireless Access Providers Association (WAPA) website.

We have detailed the major available broadband alternatives to fibre in South Africa, comparing the prices and capabilities of DSL, fixed-LTE, and 5G solutions.

Fixed-LTE, 5G, and DSL

5G, fixed-LTE, and DSL each have their own strengths and weaknesses, and the best option for you will depend on how you use your connection.

If you are lucky enough to be within a 5G coverage area, you will be able to sign up for a high-speed wireless broadband solution, although your data usage may be capped depending on your provider.

Rain offers uncapped data on both its Unlimited Home 5G Standard and Premium products. The Standard product is limited to 30Mbps and high-definition (720p) video streaming, while the Premium product offers up to 200Mbps and unlimited streaming resolution.

Vodacoms 5G products are all capped and are only available on 24- or 36-month contracts.

DSL coverage is widespread in South Africa, but buyers should note that if they are in an area covered by Openserve fibre they will need to sign up for fibre instead, as DSL in these areas is being discontinued.

Copper infrastructure is also prone to theft and outages, which means you may see more service interruptions depending on the state of the infrastructure in your area.

Fixed-LTE is available in many areas across South Africa and is offered through a number ISPs by MTN and Telkom.

Rain offers its own uncapped 4G product, as well as pay-as-you-use services which are priced at R50 per GB.

Product comparison

We compared the price, data allocations, and connection speeds of the major fibre alternatives in South Africa below.

ADSL / VDSL ISP Network Data Download Speed Upload Speed Price per month Telkom Openserve Uncapped 4Mbps 512Kbps R329 Vox Openserve Uncapped 4Mbps 512Kbps R375 Axxess Openserve Uncapped 4Mbps 512Kbps R395 Afrihost Openserve Uncapped 4Mbps 512Kbps R447 RSAWEB Openserve Uncapped 4Mbps 512Kbps R494 Vox Openserve Uncapped 10Mbps 1Mbps R575 Axxess Openserve Uncapped 10Mbps 1Mbps R595 Telkom Openserve Uncapped 10Mbps 1Mbps R599 Afrihost Openserve Uncapped 10Mbps 1Mbps R697 RSAWEB Openserve Uncapped 10Mbps 1Mbps R724 Vox Openserve Uncapped 20Mbps 1.5Mbps R675 Telkom Openserve Uncapped 20Mbps 1.5Mbps R699 Axxess Openserve Uncapped 20Mbps 1.5Mbps R745 Afrihost Openserve Uncapped 20Mbps 1.5Mbps R797 RSAWEB Openserve Uncapped 20Mbps 1.5Mbps R1,054 Vox Openserve Uncapped 40Mbps 10Mbps R875 Telkom Openserve Uncapped 40Mbps 10Mbps R899 Axxess Openserve Uncapped 40Mbps 10Mbps R945 Afrihost Openserve Uncapped 40Mbps 10Mbps R997 RSAWEB Openserve Uncapped 40Mbps 10Mbps R1,534 Fixed-LTE / Home 4G (SIM-Only) ISP Network Data Download Speed Upload Speed Price per month Afrihost MTN 30GB + 30GB 10-150Mbps 10-150Mbps R199 Telkom Telkom 20GB + 20GB 10-150Mbps 10-150Mbps R199 Axxess Telkom 30GB + 30GB 10-150Mbps 10-150Mbps R199 RSAWEB MTN 25GB + 25GB 10-150Mbps 10-150Mbps R195 Supersonic MTN 30GB + 30GB 10-150Mbps 10-150Mbps R249 Vox Telkom 20GB + 20GB 10-150Mbps 10-150Mbps R199 Afrihost MTN 60GB + 60GB 10-150Mbps 10-150Mbps R349 Telkom Telkom 60GB + 60GB 10-150Mbps 10-150Mbps R399 Axxess Telkom 70GB + 70GB 10-150Mbps 10-150Mbps R399 RSAWEB MTN 50GB + 50GB 10-150Mbps 10-150Mbps R345 Supersonic MTN 60GB + 60GB 10-150Mbps 10-150Mbps R399 Vox Telkom 40GB + 40GB 10-150Mbps 10-150Mbps R299 Afrihost MTN 150GB + 150GB 10-150Mbps 10-150Mbps R749 Telkom Telkom 120GB + 120GB 10-150Mbps 10-150Mbps R699 Axxess Telkom 120GB + 120GB 10-150Mbps 10-150Mbps R699 RSAWEB MTN 100GB + 100GB 10-150Mbps 10-150Mbps R545 Supersonic MTN 150GB + 150GB 10-150Mbps 10-150Mbps R799 Vox Telkom 120GB + 120GB 10-150Mbps 10-150Mbps R699 Afrihost MTN 200GB + 200GB 10-150Mbps 10-150Mbps R949 Telkom Telkom 220GB + 220GB 10-150Mbps 10-150Mbps R999 Axxess Telkom 220GB + 220GB 10-150Mbps 10-150Mbps R999 RSAWEB MTN 250GB + 250GB 10-150Mbps 10-150Mbps R1,495 Supersonic MTN 200GB + 200GB 10-150Mbps 10-150Mbps R999 Vox Telkom 220GB + 220GB 10-150Mbps 10-150Mbps R999 Telkom Telkom 1TB 10-150Mbps 10-150Mbps R999 Rain Rain Uncapped 10Mbps 10Mbps R479 Afrihost MTN Uncapped 10-150Mbps 10-150Mbps R2,949 5G (Router included) ISP Network Data Download Speed Upload Speed Price per month Vodacom Vodacom 100GB + 100GB 150-200Mbps 15Mbps R1,199 x 24 Vodacom Vodacom 200GB + 200GB 150-200Mbps 15Mbps R1,499 x 24 Vodacom Vodacom 300GB + 300GB 150-200Mbps 15Mbps R1,599 x 24 Vodacom Vodacom 400GB + 400GB 150-200Mbps 15Mbps R1,799 x 24 Rain Rain Uncapped 30Mbps 30Mbps R699 Rain Rain Uncapped 200Mbps+ 50Mbps+ R999

Now read: New Telkom LTE packages and free data upgrades from Axxess
A lot of thought and calculation has gone into the Narendra Modi governments push for one nation, one market. Sources say that the protests by farmers were being noticed by the government but it was convinced that the agitation didnt have enough popular support. The farm bills passed by the Lok Sabha on Thursday had their first political fallout with the BJPs oldest ally, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), walking out of the Union Cabinet. The President didnt take long to accept Harsimrat Kaur Badals resignation .

But the BJP is confident it wont have much of a meltdown in Punjab and Haryana, the two states where farmers are protesting. The party has hit out at the Congress for hypocrisy", citing evidence of the 2009 and 2014 manifestos of the Congress that mentioned repeal of the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) Act.

The para 7, subclause 11 of the manifesto said, Congress will repeal the Agricultural Produce Market Committees Act and make trade in agriculture produce-including export and inter-state trade-free from all restrictions. Subclause 12 said, We will establish farmers markets with adequate infrastructure and support in large villages and small towns to enable the farmer to bring his/her produce and freely market the same."

In Pics - All Congress ruled states will delist fruits and vegetables from APMC Act to lower prices #INC_CMWithRG pic.twitter.com/S2QrWs109G Congress (@INCIndia) December 27, 2013

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala, however, accuses the BJP of distorting facts. He told News18.com, We didnt think one APMC would help as India is a vast land. Our plan was to have many small markets or outlets where farmers could choose to sell their produce. The present bill doesnt give the farmers this choice."

But whats awkward for the Congress is a 2009 note of Raghuram Rajan, which Congress ministers incorporated in their proposal similar to the bills passed by the Modi government. He wrote:

In UPA 2, many ministers like P Chidambaram and Jairam Ramesh were open to the idea of a free market. The Congress says given the Covid-19 crisis, the bills are ill-timed and will only add to the woes of the farmers. The party hopes to seize the pro-farmer narrative once again and show the BJP as anti-farmer, especially ahead of the Bihar and Bengal polls. The only thing is, the past seems to have caught up with the Congress.
Dr. Anthony Fauci replied in the affirmative on Thursday when asked by MSNBC's Chris Hayes whether he would "take the heat" for any problems with a vaccine.

This week, CDC Director Robert Redfield and President Donald Trump clashed over the timing of a vaccine.

Redfield projected that a vaccine wouldn't be widely available until the new year  a sentiment largely echoed by health experts  but Trump argued one could come sooner.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the leading US infectious-disease expert, has pledged to "take the heat" for any problems with a vaccine for COVID-19.

Related video: How Fauci became the nations top disease expert

"Do you assure all of us that if the corners have been cut, if there is something sideways or wrong with the process, that you will tell us and take the heat for that?" MSNBC's Chris Hayes asked Fauci during an interview Thursday.

He responded: "The answer, Chris, is yes."

All In with Chris Hayes (@allinwithchris) September 18, 2020

Fauci's comments come amid concern that President Donald Trump is politicizing public-health departments and may seek to rush through a vaccine in time for November's presidential election.

In an interview published Thursday with Business Insider's Hilary Brueck, Fauci said he was confident there would be a "safe and effective vaccine" available by the end of 2020.

He told Brueck: "I said November, December -- others say October. I think it's unlikely in October, but maybe, you never know. But let's say a safe bet will be the end of this calendar year."

The timeline is more cautious than the preelection forecasts given by Trump. Fauci also noted that it would take until sometime in 2021 for most people to actually receive a vaccine even if some doses were ready earlier.

But, in common with his MSNBC interview, Fauci has emphasized that any vaccine rolled out will be safe.

Not everyone is so confident. A former top official on the White House coronavirus task force, Olivia Troye, this week told The Washington Post that she would not trust a vaccine rolled out before the election.

Story continues

"I would not tell anyone I care about to take a vaccine that launches prior to the election," she said. "I would listen to the experts and the unity in pharma. And I would wait to make sure that this vaccine is safe and not a prop tied to an election."

Trump has suggested, including in a Fox News interview this week, that a vaccine will be widely available ahead of November 3.

He has signaled a fast vaccine despite statements to the contrary from his own administration's top public-health officials.

In testimony to Congress this week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's director, Robert Redfield, said a vaccine would not be able to usher in a return to "regular life" in the US before late 2021.

"If you're asking me when is it going to be generally available to the American public, so we can begin to take advantage of vaccine to get back to our regular life, I think we're probably looking at third, late second quarter, third quarter 2021," Redfield told the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday.

Trump rejected Redfield's claims at a White House press briefing, claiming that Redfield was "confused" and that the vaccine would be made widely available sooner.

In an interview with the Washington, DC, outlet WTOP on Thursday, Fauci refused to take a side in the dispute, telling the network "in many respects, they were both right."

His subsequent comments to the network, however, were more closely aligned with Redfield's projection.

Read the original article on Business Insider
After falling in love and winning the second season of Love Island Australia last year, Josh Packham and Anna McEvoy moved into together in June.

And on Friday, the couple offered insight into how they have been coping throughout Victoria's strict lockdown in their Melbourne apartment.

Speaking in a fan Q&A in a YouTube video, the reality stars revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic as put a strain on their relationship.

Lovebirds: After falling in love, and winning, the second season of Love Island Australia last year, Josh Packham and Anna McEvoy (both pictured) moved into together in June

One interested fan asked: 'How has your relationship with Josh been?'

'Its been good,' Anna said, before admitting: 'It's been testing during COVID'.

Josh added: 'We've definitely stepped on each others toes too much being stuck in an apartment, trapped.'

Revelations: On Friday, the couple offered insight into how they have been coping throughout lockdown in their Melbourne apartment

'I'm sure heaps of people feel the same way. Sometimes in a relationship you need a bit of space from one another for it to be healthy, but Covid lockdown does not allow for that.'

Back in June, the genetically blessed influencers decided to move in together after only six months of dating.

In a YouTube video Anna admitted that the move may have been a little quick given how short their relationship is, but said she's happy nonetheless.

Tough times: Speaking in a fan Q&A in a YouTube video, the reality stars revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic as put a strain on their relationship

'We've only been going out for six months so it's actually pretty quick,' she said.

'What we decided is that we need to live a normal life where we can live together but also just do our own thing.'

Josh added: 'It's different for me because obviously I miss living in Sydney. It's a big change  the weather is freezing here.'
A 36-year-old woman accused of shooting and killing her boyfriend over photos she found on his phone was arrested Wednesday and charged with murder, an affidavit said.

Police said Mary Diaz shot her boyfriend, 58-year-old Christopher Jones, in the back earlier this year and left his body decomposing in the home.

According to the affidavit, police conducted a welfare check on Jones at his home Feb. 18 in the 400 block of Susanwood on the East Side after family said they hadn't heard from him in nearly a month.

When officers arrived, they smelled a strong odor and saw flies in the window, the affidavit said. Police said they forced entry to find Jones' decomposing body with a gunshot wound.

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Neighbors told police they saw Diaz, who was pregnant at the time, driving his vehicle a week before he was found, the affidavit said.

Police discovered Diaz had been arrested for unrelated charges on Jan. 29, four days after Jones' family last heard from him.

In her possession at the time of the first arrest, she had Jones' credit cards, wallet, car keys and cellphone and told police she was trying to sell music equipment and a firearm belonging to her boyfriend because she believed he had run off to California or Ohio, according to the affidavit.

However, Diaz was robbed at gunpoint by a group of men who took the gun and equipment.

When police questioned her about Jones' death, Diaz maintained that she thought Jones had run off despite having his personal property, the affidavit said.

In March, police tracked down the men who allegedly robbed Diaz and recovered the gun. Analysis showed that the gun in her possession was the same one used to kill Jones, according to the affidavit.

More than a month after Jones' death, a witness told police Diaz had admitted to shooting Jones after finding photos on his phone that she "didn't approve of," the affidavit said. The affidavit did not describe what the photos were.

The witness told police Diaz came to her house on the day of the incident, crying and smelling of intoxicants, the affidavit said.

Diaz told the witness she called 911, but police records indicated otherwise, according to the affidavit.

Diaz is being held in the Bexar County Jail and her bail was set at $250,000.

Taylor Pettaway is a breaking news and general assignment reporter for MySA.com | taylor.pettaway@express-news.net | @TaylorPettaway
Dubai-based carrier Emirates will reach 15 destinations in Africa by next month, the airline said Thursday, as it gradually rebuilds a flight network crippled by the coronavirus pandemic.

Flights to Luanda, Angola, will operate once a week on Thursdays beginning Oct. 1, a statement from Emirates said. Last week, the air carrier restarted passenger services to Moscow and announced it would be resuming flights to Casablanca on Sept. 18.

After suspending all flights in March, Emirates slowly began to rebuild its flight network in May, with flights to nine destinations in North America, Europe and Australia. The airline is now serving more than 85 cities.

Tourists as well as citizens and residents of the United Arab Emirates who arrive in Dubai or are making a connection in the city must have obtained a negative COVID-19 test no more than 96 hours before departure, according to the airline.

In Abu Dhabi, state-owned Etihad Airways announced on Thursday that passengers from abroad arriving in the capital city must wear a medically approved wristband to track their movements during their required 14-day self-quarantine. Travelers will receive the devices from authorities after they clear immigration.

This month, the Gulf country recorded its highest daily number of new infections since May. Emirati health officials have so far announced a total of 82,568 infections and 402 deaths from COVID-19.

This week, the UAE approved emergency usage of a Chinese-developed COVID-19 vaccine after testing 31,000 volunteers in clinical trials. Access to the vaccine will go first to frontline workers, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hend al-Otaiba said on Twitter.

In other airline news, Saudi Arabia announced it will allow certain categories of travelers to resume flying in and out of the country, including diplomats and their families, students on scholarships and patients seeking medical treatment outside of the kingdom. Saudi Arabia resumed domestic flights in late May.
Martin had been staying with family members for about a week, and they became curious after he asked them on at least two occasions to purchase clothing for him despite having arrived in Chicago toting the bags, Taylor said.
By Ayya Lmahamad

Azerbaijan is among the top 10 global improvers in progress made on health and education, according to World Banks Human Capital Index (HCI) 2020, which measures pre-pandemic human capital outcomes around the world.

According to the report, Azerbaijan has increased human capital index by 0.08, from 0.50 to 0.58, while there were almost no change in the countrys GDP per capita. The value of 0.58 means that a child born today in Azerbaijan can expect to achieve 58 percent productivity of a fully educated and optimally healthy person in adulthood. It should be noted that this is slightly above the average for upper-middle income countries, and Azerbaijan still has opportunities to improve the productivity of its citizens.

Young people in Azerbaijan, as well as in other countries of Europe and Central Asia, get the opportunities necessary to grow up productive adults through continuous investment in health and education.

A recent study Survive, Learn, Thrive: Strategic Human Capital Investments to Accelerate Azerbaijans Growth, conducted by the World Bank and the government of Azerbaijan, revealed progress and challenges in building and activating human capital in Azerbaijan. In addition, over the past 10 years child mortality rates and child stunting rates in Azerbaijan have decreased significantly. However, despite an increase in the number of years of schooling, there is a growing disparity in learning outcomes.

Moreover, it was stated in the repport that in order to meet the current challenges of human capital development in education, Azerbaijan needs to increase access to early education programs and make higher education more relevant. Thus, in the health system, the systems response to chronic diseases must be improved and financial resources must be used more effectively to ensure more efficient delivery of health care. In addition, in the area of social protection and employment, the country needs to increase investment in social assistance to support the most vulnerable segments of the population and expand the scope and coverage of active labor market programs.

"Azerbaijans population, its human capital, is the most precious resource in the country and the World Bank is committed to supporting opportunities to further enhance the well-being and productivity of the population  across ages and genders and regions," said Sarah Michael, World Bank Country Manager for Azerbaijan.

The World Bank has started economic cooperation with Azerbaijan in 2001 with the aim of increasing institutional capacity of the country and building efficient management of oil reserves.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
The coronavirus is spreading from urban to rural areas of Missouri, with over 109,000 recorded infections and 1,838 deaths in the state as of this writing. All 114 counties and the independent city of St. Louis have recorded coronavirus infections, with the number of confirmed cases rising sharply since Missouri reopened in mid-June.

Three of the four days seeing the highest number of hospitalizations have occurred over the past week, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. More than 1,020 were in hospitals with confirmed or presumed COVID-19 infections last Saturday, the second-highest day on record.

A recent White House Red Zone report indicates more than 60 percent of Missouri counties have moderate or high levels of community transmission with the remaining counties all having high levels of community transmission last week, according to the report. The report also recommended Missouri bars close.

This week, visitors began to arrive at Lake of the Ozarks for an annual motorcycle event, BikeFest, which local media report could see 100,000 participants. For the Sturgis bike event earlier this year, experts put a 90 percent chance that event created 100,000 new COVID-19 infections, making it a superspreader event.

Columbia and Jefferson City were both included on the reports list of Missouri cities in the red zone. The report said both Mid-Missouri cities confirmed 100 or more new coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents and the positivity rate was higher than 10 percent.

Infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci warned residents of Missouri and six other states to be on guard for a surge in cases after the Labor Day holiday weekend. During an interview with Bloomberg, Dr. Fauci said, There are several states that are at risk for surging, namely North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Arkansas, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois. Those states are starting to see an increase in the percent positive of their testing; that is generally predictive that theres going to be a problem.

The rise of cases has been blamed on people not following mask-wearing and social distancing guidelines, especially young people. While there are individuals who choose to forego distancing recommendations, blame for the rise of cases and deaths in Missouri lies mainly with state and county governments. Mandated lockdowns imposed in March were lifted in a bid to get profits pumping to the ruling elite by forcing people back to work. Many counties, especially ones in rural areas, are resuming in-person instruction in schools.

Rural counties of southeastern Missouri, bordering Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee, remain the states hotspots. According to a New York Times graph of coronavirus spread in Missouri, McDonald County has 1 out of every 22 residents infected with the virus. Cole County set a record for new cases September 4, and Howard County recorded its first coronavirus-related death the same day.

As of September 16, Howell County, with a population of 40,000 people, has 438 confirmed cases, a rate that has been on the rise for weeks. The West Plains R-VII School District had gone for in-person instruction until a countywide increase in cases forced the district to adopt a hybrid model for grades 712. Quote from the district website: COVID-19 exposure levels and positive cases continue to rise in Howell County and in our community. The district is experiencing an increase in student absences as well as students and staff on quarantine. As a result of the feedback from our community and staff, we are changing to a hybrid learning model for grades 712.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has been unable to accurately record state death totals. Eighty-nine previously unaccounted for deaths were added last week to the tally after the DHSS blamed technical difficulties for the oversight. In a September 5 tweet, the DHSS explained, Through continuing efforts to ensure data transparency and quality, DHSS analysts discovered an inconsistency in death certificate diagnosis codes when compared to case information contained in DHSS disease surveillance systems. After thorough analysis and evaluation, these additional COVID-19-associated deaths were identified.

The major metropolitan areas of the state are seeing increasing rates of infection. The Kansas City metropolitan area has over 33,000 confirmed infections. Jefferson County, a rural portion of the St. Louis metro area, has been declared a red zone in terms of increased COVID-19 diagnoses. St. Louis County has over 20,000 cases, while Boone County, which encompasses the city of Columbia, has more than 3,500 cases. Greene and Christian counties which form the metro area of Springfield have nearly 5,000 cases.

In August, a student at Fort Zumwalt South High School in the city of OFallon posted an image on social media of crowded staircases in the school building.

Neighboring Illinois, whose southwestern counties are part of the St. Louis, Missouri metropolitan area, is seeing a surge in cases with current totals at over 240,000 and more than 8,100 deaths. As with Missouri, all counties have recorded cases.

With schools reopening in districts across the state, it is inevitable that students will have to deal with the trauma of losing teachers, parents and fellow students. On September 6, 34-year-old Ashlee DeMarinis, 34, special education teacher at John Evans Middle School in Potosi (Washington County), died after three-week battle with coronavirus.

The pandemic is also being used as an opportunity for the state government to slash social spending. Missouri Governor Mike Parson cut nearly $450 million from the state budget in June, mostly from K-12 schools, colleges and universities. While cutting funds from education, Parson inked a no-bid contract with the McChrystal Group that has paid out over $829,000 in federal coronavirus relief funds to the consulting firm, reportedly to help coordinate Missouris pandemic response.

The fight to save thousands of lives requires a conscious struggle by the working class against capitalism and for socialism. The first step is to form rank-and-file committees in workplaces nationwide to coordinate a national general strike. The WSWS will do all it can to assist the forming of such local committees.
by Fady Noun

The central bank governor has suggested the end of subsidies for basic necessities, including medicines. Frightened citizens have emptied shelves in an unprecedented rush on pharmacies. For experts, the cuts to an already impoverished population could have "catastrophic" effects. The "In aid of devastated Beirut" campaign.

Beirut (AsiaNews) - Like everything else, this story too has developed in a brutal, empirical way, without warning and without the slightest source of communication with those concerned. With a few short lines entrusted to the press, the governor of the Bank of Lebanon, Riad Salame, announced that the policy of subsidizing wheat, fuels and medicines cannot continue beyond the next three months. Of course, the fact that he sounded the alarm bell is positive, as is having announced that the strategic reserve threshold of 17.5 billion dollars is about to be reached.

However, could the modalities of this announcement to public opinion not have been better managed perhaps? The announcement by the Central Bank has in fact sown a wave of panic among patients and an unprecedented, frantic rush to pharmacies, some of which were emptied in a short time. About a month has passed since then, but the race to buy continues today. Pharmacies continue to be besieged by customers who fear both a shortage of stocks and a surge in prices if subsidies run out.

And the race happens every day. In a well-known pharmacy in the Metn district, yesterday a man insisted that the expiration date of the medicines he was buying "be far off", so that they will still be usable once stocks are exhausted. "It is not uncommon, in fact, to observe in these moments patients buy drugs for a requirement of at least 10, if not 12 months", reports to L'Orient-Le Jour Karim Gebara, president of the drug importers union, taken by surprise as all from the decision.

Other buyers, mostly women, are rightly worried on this hot September morning about the prolonged disappearance of some medicines and the risk of seeing their prices rise excessively when they return to the shelves and counters. Every day the phrase "we have no trust" resounds, underlines a pharmacist on duty, who tries - in vain - to reassure his customers.

Consultations between importers, pharmacists and doctors

This urgent situation prompted the president of the doctors association Charaf Abou Charaf, his counterpart of the pharmacists Ghassan el-Amine and the president of the importers union to meet. The three parties have reached an agreement to calm the frenetic sale of medicines, so as to ensure patients' needs for at least a month. This rationing in distribution, they agree, operates on two levels: distribution in pharmacies, calculated according to need, and retail sale.

However, having been decided overnight, this rationing caused a panic among customers. Left to fend for themselves and having lost faith in the state, they have developed a habit of bypassing rationing by turning four or five pharmacies to accumulate personal supplies. The drugs targeted are mainly those used for chronic diseases: heart, diabetes, nervous system, says Gebara. These drugs are currently out of stock, knowing that delivery times, after new orders and approval by the Lebanese Central Bank, can take up to a month.

Certainly - he adds - at a microeconomic level the system put into practice cannot be fair and imposes constraints on pharmacists, who cannot predict in advance the quantities of drugs they sell, because they fluctuate. They also don't necessarily need to know their customers. On the macroeconomic level, however, it rationalizes the distribution system and establishes a certain equity between the regions. This gives us time to place new orders. It's just inventory management ".

So the announcement of the decline in the reserves of the Bdl was a mistake? I can't put myself in the governor's shoes, - admits Gebara - but I know it was already too late to react. "The monthly supply of medicines distributed to pharmacies ran out in ten days" after the announcement by Riad Salame. The president of the order of pharmacists, for his part, protested against the incident, saying that "greater coordination between the governor of the Bdl and the government" was needed before this announcement. "Unfortunately - complains Ghassan el-Amine - this coordination was lacking and the population paid the price".

Confusion and phobia of a hole in the stocks

In direct contact with the population, unlike importers, pharmacists are more sensitive to the confusion of their customers, confirms the president of the Order. "The phobia of a lack of supplies in patients suffering from chronic diseases is very common" underlines Charaf Abou Charaf. These are very vulnerable people, for whom continuity in the availability of their medicine is vital. This can give rise to situations of great anxiety. "Whatever we do - Gebara continues - is badly seen, and this is also normal, especially when people live in a state of anxiety". He is also keen to defend his colleagues from those accusing them of responsibility in fuelling black market smuggling or selling subsidized medicines abroad.

The figures are there to prove the contrary. The sale of medicines between January and June 2020 decreased by 10% compared to the same period in 2019, proof of the fact that the medicines are sold only in Lebanon.

Doubts in the long run

While defending the position of the importers, the manager shows concern for the long term. We are gaining time - he admits - but in the long run we have to find a solution. We cannot last from eight months to a year without a new government, a stimulus package and the entry of new capital ".

"The end of the drug subsidy policy - warns the importer - would be fatal for the entire health system". He shows his appreciation for the choice of the Bdl governor and observes that 65% of the total of medicines in a year - equal to one billion dollars - is paid for by third parties (social security, public employee cooperatives, army and security forces) and 35% from private individuals. Given the percentage of the population living below the poverty line today, withdrawing support would be catastrophic.

In order to help the people of Beirut and Lebanon, as well as Caritas Lebanon, AsiaNews is launching a campaign to Help devastated Beirut. Those who want to contribute can make a donation to:

PIME Foundation:

- International Bank Account Number (IBAN): IT78C0306909606100000169898

- Bank Identifier Code (BIC): BCITITMM

- Reason for transfer: AN04  HELP DEVASTATED BEIRUT
Dr Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said Olivia Troye, the former lead aide on Vice President Mike Pence's coronavirus task force who said she'd be voting for Democratic candidate Joe Biden in the 2020 US election, was "important to the team" and a "good person."

During an appearance on Chris Hayes' MSNBC program, Dr Fauci praised the former aide for her work on the coronavirus response team, but declined to further comment on her political stances.

"I interacted with Olivia, I liked her, she was a good person. she was important to the team as a staff person," Dr Fauci said. "But I don't know what to make of what's just come out recently."

The Washington Post reported that Ms Troye formerly worked as homeland security, counteterrorism and cornavirus adviser to Mr Pence. She claimed that during her two years in the position, she came to believe that Donald Trump's response to the coronavirus pandemic resulted cost American lives.

Nearly 200,000 Americans have died due to the coronavirus. US coronavirus deaths account for nearly 25 per cent of the world's virus-related death count, despite the US only representing four per cent of the world's population.

As a result, she said she will be voting for Mr Biden this November.

The presidents rhetoric and his own attacks against people in his administration trying to do the work, as well as the promulgation of false narratives and incorrect information of the virus have made this ongoing response a failure, she said in an interview.

Ms Troye also said she would not take any coronavirus vaccination that emerges prior to the election.

"I would not tell anyone I care about to take a vaccine that launches prior to the election, she said. I would listen to the experts and the unity in pharma. And I would wait to make sure that this vaccine is safe and not a prop tied to an election.

She had described herself as a lifelong Republican who voted on party lines prior to 2016. She claimed she did not vote for Mr Trump because she disliked his rhetoric. Despite her feelings for Mr Trump, Ms Troye said she still respects Mr Pence.

I still have a lot of respect for the vice president, she said. I worked very loyally for him to do everything I could for him. I dont want this to become a speaking-out-against-him thing.

Ms Troye is the latest former official to speak out against Mr Trump's leadership, joining the likes of former national security advisor John Bolton and former defence secretary Jim Mattis in condemning the president.

The White House dismissed Ms Troye's criticism. Retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellog, Mr Pence's national security adviser, issued a statement attempting to paint Ms Troye as a "disgruntled" ex-employee.

"Ms. Troye is a former detailee and a career Department of Homeland Security staff member, who is disgruntled that her detail was cut short because she was no longer capable of keeping up with her day-to-day duties, Mr Kellog said. Ms. Troye directly reported to me, and never once during her detail did she ever express any concern regarding the Administrations response to the Coronavirus to anyone in her chain of command. By not expressing her concerns, she demonstrated an incredible lack of moral courage.

Likewise, the deputy White House press secretary Judd Deere dismissed Ms Troye's claims as "flat-out inaccurate."

Mr Pence, when asked about Ms Troye's criticism, similarly dismissed them as the rantings of a spurned ex-employee.

"I haven't read her comments in any detail. But it reads to me like one more disgruntled employee that has decided to play politics during an election year," he said.

Mr Trump's response was, predictably, to claim he had no idea who she was.
(Natural News) The Department of Justice has indicted five Chinese nationals, as well as two Malaysians, on charges relating to a massive hacking campaign to steal sensitive information and trade secrets from more than 100 companies and entities around the world.

The five Chinese nationals are part of a hacker group known as Advanced Persistent Threat 41 (APT41). The group has reportedly stolen source code, consumer data and business information from victims both in the United States and abroad. Their victims come from across a wide range of sectors including universities, tech companies, foreign governments and even pro-democracy proponents in Hong Kong.

On Wednesday, U.S. cybersecurity firm FireEye stated that APT41 was currently the most prolific Chinese hacking group it tracked.

The two Malaysians, on the other hand, were businessmen who got involved with two of the Chinese hackers. The latter compromised the networks of video game companies to steal in-game resources and got the help of the former to sell these on the black market. The two were arrested in Malaysia on Sunday on an extradition request by the U.S. and are now facing extradition proceedings.

Chinese hackers still at large

The charges, which were laid out in three separate indictments, build on several other cases that the Trump administration has brought against accused Chinese hackers. Beijings cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property has been labeled as a grave national and economic threat by the administration. (Related: Trump admin orders Chinese embassy closed immediately amid charges of privacy violations and theft of intellectual property.)

U.S. law-enforcement agencies, however, rarely succeed in arresting foreign hackers. The five Chinese nationals, Zhang Haoran, 35; Tan Dailin, 35; Jiang Lizhi, 35; Qian Chuan, 39; and Fu Qiang, 37, remain at-large in China.

The Department of Justice has used every tool available to disrupt the illegal computer intrusions and cyber attacks by these Chinese citizens, Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen said. Regrettably, the Chinese Communist Party has chosen a different path of making China safe for cyber criminals so long as they attack computers outside China and steal intellectual property helpful to China.

With this in mind, officials are calling the arrests in Malaysia a victory for international cooperation.

For its part, the Chinese Embassy in Washington has not responded to any requests for comment. China, however, has denied U.S. accusations of being involved in malicious cyber activity.

The indictment, however, states that one of the defendants, Jiang, had discussed with an unidentified associate how his working relationship with Chinas Ministry of State Security provided him with protection.

Hackers targeted several high-value targets

According to prosecutors, APT41 deployed sophisticated techniques to hack into their victims networks. One such method, known as a supply chain attack, saw the hacker group targeting software providers around the world to install backdoors into their software. This then allowed the group to hack customers that installed said software.

FireEye detected a surge in cyber spying by APT41 back in late January of this year, around the same time the Wuhan coronavirus began to spread beyond China. The firm said that more than 75 percent of its customers were targeted by the group. These included manufacturers, media companies, healthcare companies and even nonprofits.

Prior to this, in November 2019, FireEye already warned that APT41 hacked several major telecom firms to obtain text messages and call records of several high-value targets, including politicians, political movements and intelligence organizations who were at odds with China. This included government networks of neighbors India and Vietnam  both countries with territorial disputes with China. The U.K. governments network was also targeted, according to the indictment, but was not breached.

Through the aid of seizure warrants, federal authorities were able to block the hackers from accessing online tools used for their campaigns. In addition, authorities also worked with tech companies such as Microsoft, Facebook, Google and Verizon. These and other companies assisted in the investigation and helped neutralize some of the infrastructure used by the Chinese hackers, which aided in the protections of some victims.

According to a Microsoft spokeswoman, the company developed and implemented technical measures to block this threat actor from accessing victims computer systems.

The Justice Department, however, declined to say whether or not these companies were among those targeted by the group; neither did Microsofts spokeswoman.

Follow CyberWar.news for more on how China is using hackers to steal ideas and technology from the free world.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

WSJ.com

NPR.org
Makeup being sent to space?

Sure, why not? It's not even the weirdest thing about 2020 by far.

WAKE UP, NO MAKEUP: Dress up for what? After months of quarantining, I've forgotten all my beauty skills

Estee Lauder is getting creative with their latest marketing campagign and sending their Advanced Night Repair serum into space.

NASA astronauts are expected to film the items in the microgravity environment of the ISS and the company will use that footage in ad campaigns or other promotional material, according to CNN's Jackie Wattles.

According to Business Wire, Estee Lauder is the first-ever beauty brand to participate in NASAs efforts to enable business opportunities on the International Space Station.

Apparently, the makeup brand chose the night serum specifically due to its historical significance. In 1982, it was the first nighttime repair serum in the beauty industry and the first-ever beauty product to use hyaluronic acid, as reported by Business Wire.

The mission is set for takeoff on September 29 and will arrive at the International Space Station on October 3.
Back on track with the Metro? The resumption of Metro services brings back a sense of normalcy for students and office-goers

Since the resumption of full services on 12 September, the Delhi Metro has seen a steady increase in the number of commuters. Nearly 250,000 people used the system on 14 September, and it rose almost threefold the next day. (Hindustan Times)

The moment Rashmi S. saw him on Platform No.3 of Delhis Rajiv Chowk Metro station, she ran to hug him. The college sweethearts were meeting after six months of seeing each other only on WhatsApp video calls. It was weird, like good weirdgoing beyond the colony after so long, laughs Rashmi, who doesnt wish to share her surname since she had told the family she was stepping out at 8.30am on 13 September to meet her tutor.

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For the 20-something couple, the Metro station in central Delhi was always the preferred meeting spot, whether they were on way to college or on a date, as they live at opposite ends of the Yellow Line. It was also the last place they had held hands before the pandemic locked us inside our homes, forcing governments across the country to put the brakes on their Metro services towards the end of March to contain the covid-19 outbreak.

On Sunday, when the two met after some 170 days and sat physically distanced, following the Delhi Metros rules, fear was the last thing on their minds. There was so much checking, everything was sanitized. It felt very safe inside, says Rashmi. They spent the date riding the Yellow Line, between Samaypur Badli in Delhi and Gurugrams Huda City centre, clicking pictures of each other and of Delhi buildings standing tall against a clear blue sky, while the five-odd fellow commuters smiled at them from behind face shields. Being on the Metro felt like things were back to normal. Like Delhi was alive again, says Rashmi.

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Hindustan Times





At a time when India is struggling with the worlds second highest number of novel coronavirus cases, the recent phased and guarded reopening of Metro services across cities, including Lucknow, Chennai, Bengaluru and the Capital, brings back a sense of normalcy after months of uncertainty.

Cabs and autorickshaws emerged from the shutdown a few months ago but they dont evoke the same joy, ease or economy of travel that the Metro does. Its not just about getting from point to point: The Metro is also about familiarity of routes and faces, chance encounters and people-watching, even catching up on sleep and waking up just in time to hop out. Most Metro services bring everythingfriends, family, offices, hospitals, malls, marketscloser for well under 100 for the longest ride. While millions of Indians still choose to stay away from public transport for fear of contagion, thousands of others are back on the Metro out of necessity or choice.

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The economy cannot revive without the reopening of the Metro. It has become our backbone, our lifeline, says public mobility expert Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director (research and advocacy) of the Delhi-based non-profit Centre for Science and Environment. Though she is glad the trains are running, she is concerned about people following the safety protocols. This whole exercise can only be a success if we strictly follow the safety precautions. One small slip and everything falls apart, explains Roychowdhury, citing the examples of cities like Hong Kong and London, which continued to provide Metro services through lockdowns by adopting strict measures for physical distancing.

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A moving window

Indias rapid transit systems may no longer be the technological marvel they were when the first one started in the 1980s in Kolkata, but they perform a magic trick every day: bringing together people from rich and poor households, offering a peek into city cultures.

Sumit Kumar has travelled on the Lucknow Metro train so often since it started three years ago that he can spot a tourist instantly. If someone enters from Hazratganj in the evening, bags of chikankari in hand, you know they are visitors, laughs Kumar, 28, a photographer. When he took the Metro for the first time after it restarted, on the afternoon of 7 September from Hazratganj to Munshi Pulia and back, he was nervous as well as excited to see his city running again. I was a little anxious about whether it was safe but once I was inside, it felt so familiar and normal that I forgot all my worries.

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Thats the comfort of Metro, points out sociologist Santosh Desai, who terms the public transport mode the surrogate of the city. In the pre-covid era, the Metro was that unremarkable daily part of our lives that simply dropped us at our destinations. Now, when we are all craving a normal life with a fixed routine, the train becomes very important, giving a clear direction to our day, an idea of a routine.

Both Usha Rao and Harsha Shah had been craving this kind of routine for six months. Rao, 32, a fitness expert, was tired of hosting online spinning classes from her Indiranagar home in Bengaluru. On the morning of 10 September, she took the Purple Line to Mysore Road to meet office colleagues who had discouraged her from taking the Metro. People are very sceptical but Metro is the best way to beat traffic, and given the precautions the authorities had taken, I felt safer, says Rao.

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Shah, 29, a public bank employee in west Delhi, too believes the Metro is better. She was going to work through the lockdown, spending an hour daily to find an autorickshaw or book a cab, paying close to 500 for a 7km ride, only to reach office late. Almost 3 hours of my life every day were spent on the commutefirst finding a taxi and then being stuck in traffic (post lockdown). The past months just went by, running between office and home, she says. This reopening is an answer to my prayers, adds Shah, who started using the Delhi Metros Blue Line from 9 September. It cuts her travel time by 70% and leaves her with enough time to keep her Instagram food page, @mummassecretchefofficial, updated.

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That same evening, Aakriti Bhardwaj, a college student, took the Blue Line from her home in Vaishali, adjoining Delhi, to meet her friends in Connaught Place. Like many on the train, it was Bhardwajs first outing since the lockdown. I was shocked by the emptiness of the station, she says. When Bhardwaj first arrived in the Capital in 2017, after finishing schooling from her home-town Lucknow, she took the Metro from the railway station to Vaishali, where she now stays. It was the first time I was seeing a Metro. I was at the Rajiv Chowk Metro station, carrying my luggage and waiting for the train. As soon as it reached, a wave of people pushed me inside. I didnt have to do a thing. And the same way, I was pushed out at the other end, says Bhardwaj, bursting into laughter.

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Her favourite part about Metro travel, and the thing she missed most, is observing peoples clothes. I have got so many ideas about matching outfits just from the ladies compartment. Its a window to the latest street fashion, says Bhardwaj, who is planning to take the Metro trip on Sunday to the Sarojini Nagar market.

A city has arrived

Digging tunnels and constructing elevated corridors to build hundreds of kilometres of track shooting out in every direction is a mad feat of engineering meant to deliver on the promise of a better quality of life. While Indias largest and busiest Delhi Metro system, built at a cost of 70,000 crore, with a network of over 250 stations connecting Delhi to several satellite cities, might not have helped reduce pollution or discourage people from buying personal vehicles, it did seamlessly become part of our lives, giving the Capital an international feel.

Chennais Sri Krishna A., who describes himself as a Metro enthusiast, cant forget the day he first saw the Delhi Metro during a family vacation years ago. It was like I was in an international city, the kind I had seen only in Hollywood films, recalls Krishna, 25, who works in an IT company.

Krishna is such a big fan of the Metro that he was among the first commuters during the opening of every phase of the Chennai Metro. And when his citys Metro reopened on 7 September, he was there in the morning to enjoy the first ride. I was a little anxious about safety but there werent many people and there were enough sanitizers around the stations and in the train, he says.

Theres enough research to show that public transport can be risky during the pandemic. A recent study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, says the covid-19 virus can spread readily in a closed setting like public transport. Yet, in France, Japan and the UK, where public transport is fully functional, the transit systems havent been the super-spreader sites one would expect. Why? Passengers are paying attention to safety guidelines. They are wearing masks, commuting in silence (speaking is an effective disperser of virus-infected aerosol), distancing and sanitizing, explains Roychowdhury.

She reiterates the need to follow safety rules to remove the fear associated with public transport. Theres going to be a spike in personal vehicles, given the current situation, which means more pollution. This pandemic has given us the perfect chance to rethink public transport.

Rashmi, meanwhile, has decided to meet her boyfriend at the station after a 10-day gap. It will help us to know whether either of us has been infected. We have to be responsible; I have no desire to sit at home for another six months.
Anirudh Krishnan By

Media trials relating to sensational cases have come to periodically dominate prime-time television news recently. The race for TRPs and the influence of political parties over the media are often blamed as causes. The negative impact of these media trials raises the question as to whether it is time to impose stricter restrictions regulating them. To answer this question, an understanding of the constitutional framework and existing legislative framework is paramount.

Legal framework and balancing of rights: Balancing of fundamental rights, on most occasions, involves tight-rope walking. On the present topic, multiple fundamental rights need to be balancedthe right to freedom of expression of the media, enshrined in Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution, on the one hand with the right to privacy of the accused, witnesses and victims (which has been read into Article 21) and the right to free and fair trial of the accused, which is guaranteed by a conjoint reading of Articles 20-22, on the other. The former is subject to some reasonable restrictions including restrictions in relation to contempt of court. Such restrictions will have to be imposed only by legislative law.

The restrictions currently in force are a combination of self-regulation, in the form of Guidelines issued by the Press Council of India and some provisions under the Contempt of Courts Act (CCA) that implicitly deem a publication which interferes with or tends to interfere with, or obstructs or tends to obstruct, the course of justice in connection with a pending civil or criminal proceeding contemptuous. A criminal proceeding is pending in so far as the accused is concerned when the charge sheet or challan is filed or when a court issues a summons or a warrant; and in relation to any other person, when the court takes cognisance of the matter to which the proceedings relate.

Analysing the various fundamental rights and the provisions of the CCA, the Supreme Court, in the Media Guidelines case, has declared that excessive prejudicial publicity leading to usurpation of functions of the court would interfere with the administration of justice. The Supreme Court has also upheld the right of an affected person to file a writ petition seeking a postponement order, postponing the publication/broadcast in cases where there is real and substantial risk of prejudice to the trial process.

Shortcoming of the existing framework and suggested solution: The restrictions imposed by the CCA apply only to pending proceedings. This statutory provision was enacted without considering a prior finding of the Supreme Court in A K Gopalan v Noordeen (A K Gopalan) that the trigger point should be the arrest of an individual in relation to the case. The standard in England is similar to the test set out in A K Gopalan. The Law Commission of India, in its 200th Report, has suggested legislative amendments to bring the CCA in tune with the A K Gopalan test. This report, however, has not been acted upon.

The A K Gopalan trigger, though far preferable to the existing standard, is still inadequate considering the recent downward spiral in reporting standards on television. Perhaps a more appropriate test to adopt is the test of imminent legal proceedings that is applied in Australia and New Zealand. Such a standard would mean that media coverage would come under the scanner right from the time legal proceedings are imminent.

Such a standard is necessary because a media trial can impede the administration of justice in many ways. While the most popular argument against a media trial is the fact that it could have a psychological impact on the judge hearing the case, a possibly even more important facet is the impact on the investigation process itself. In many investigations, the truth comes out when hard questions are put to the witnesses/accused for the first time during the investigation.

However, where the witnesses/accused have a trial run before a news channel or are given an opportunity to analyse the various permutations and combinations and viewpoints provided by rival television channels, the person gets an idea about the trajectory of the investigation and prepares himself/herself accordingly. At the end of the day, justice suffers. The imminent legal proceedings standard would cover the entire investigation process, including investigation prior to arrest, whereas neither the present standard nor the A K Gopalan standard would cover it.

An equally important factor is the presumption of innocence until proven guilty and the courts duty to protect this presumption. This role of the court can be best performed if the imminent legal proceeding standard is adopted. This would also provide legal recourse to a person whose right to privacy is trampled upon by the media prior to the commencement of legal proceedings. Conclusion: Restrictions placed on fundamental rights cannot be static and need to change with developments in society. The standard currently in place is reflective of society and the media in 1971, when the CCA was enacted.

The abject failure of television media to regulate itself has necessitated greater stringency in the restrictions on the freedom of the press. Continuance of legislative status quo on the issue of media trials will itself result in trampling of the rights of accused, witnesses and victims. (Anirudh Krishnan is co-author of Law of Reservation and Anti-Discrimination and chief editor of Justice R S Bachawats Law of Arbitration and Conciliation)

Anirudh Krishnan

Advocate, Madras High Court

(anirudh@aklawchambers.com)
A notorious thief, John Nyarko, who visited some ministries and made away with four laptop computers, has been sentenced to six years imprisonment by an Accra Circuit Court.

Nyarko, an ex-convict, is said to have stolen the laptops from the Ghana Health Service, Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), Ministry of Communications and the Bank of Ghana.

Charged with conspiracy and stealing, Nyarko, alias John Boye or Foster Nyarko, pleaded guilty on all the charges.

The Court convicted him on his own plea and deferred sentence to today, Friday, September 18.

His accomplice, Gerald Otoo, who is said to have dishonestly received the items, denied the offence.

He has since been granted bail of GH80,000 with three sureties, one to be justified with a landed property.

Otoo is expected to reappear before the Court, presided over by Ellen Ofei Ayeh, on October 20, for case management conference.

Prosecuting, Superintendent Alex Odonkor, told the Court that the complainants; Franklina Fia, Kwasi Owusu Ansah Amadi, Gabriel Sackey and Alex Kassim were employees of the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Communications, SSNIT and Bank of Ghana.

He said Nyarko is an ex-convict and unemployed, whilst Otoo is a computer technician, who formatted the computers and sold them.

Prosecution said in June and July this year, the Ministries Police recorded laptop computer thefts from the various Ministries and Departments, adding that police visited the affected institutions and obtained the Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) footages of the incident to assist in investigations.

He said the footages captured Nyarko stealing the laptop computers.

Investigations revealed that Nyarko occasionally visited various offices located within the Ministries enclave under the guise of seeing the human resource managers for employment and took advantage to steal the laptops, which he sold to Otoo at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, prosecution said.

He said Nyarko, with the same modus operandi, stole one HP I3 laptop, valued at GHC2,500, belonging to Fia of the Ministry of Health, and an HP Intel I Core 7 laptop, valued at GHC3,500, belonging to the Ministry of Communications.

Prosecution said he also stole HP notebook laptop valued at GH5,395.35 belonging to SSNIT and one HP Specter laptop computer, valued at USD 1,300, belonging to one Kafui Yao Giritsi of the Bank of Ghana, Head Office, which he sold to Otoo.

On August 28, this year, at about 3:30pm, Nyarko gained access to the Bank of Ghana Head Office with the same modus operandi but was identified, apprehended and handed over to the police by the security personnel.

Prosecution said during investigations, Nyarko admitted stealing the computers and confessed that he sold them to Otoo and led the police to the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, where Otoo was also arrested.

He said one of the four laptops was retrieved and Otoo admitted selling the remaining three to unidentified customers.

GNA
The government may not slash Goods and Services Tax (GST) on automobiles as auto manufacturers are already enjoying the lowest corporate tax in the country and some of them are sending over 10,000 crore annual royalties to their parent companies abroad, two finance ministry officials said.

Automobile companies have been building undue pressure on the government to reduce GST rates on vehicles, they said requesting anonymity.

Instead of demanding tax reduction, automobile companies should work to become cost efficient and reduce royalty payments, one official with direct knowledge of the matter said on Thursday.

The automobile industry in general has started demanding a reduction in GST rate after finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on August 25 said the government could consider bringing down GST on two-wheelers from the highest slab of 28% as they are neither luxury nor sin goods. Responding to an industry suggestion on the need for lowering the GST rate on two-wheelers at a close-door meeting of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) through video conference, she had said this was indeed a good suggestion as this category is neither a luxury nor a sin good and hence merits a rate revision.

A second official said the finance minister was commenting on merit of two-wheelers only and not for the entire automobile sector, which already enjoys a low corporate tax regime. To boost investments, the government in September 20, 2019 gave a 1.45 lakh crore bonanza to the industry by drastically reducing corporate tax rates. Accordingly, existing firms had an option for a lower corporate tax rate of 22% (15% for newly incorporated companies) provided they forgo exemptions. Those interested to continue enjoying exemptions could pay the tax at 30% (25% for new firms).

The most established players of the auto sector have been in India for quite some time and are used to the regulatory and taxation environment and have flourished in this regime. It is evident from the huge payouts between Rs 10,000-15,000 crore and more in the form of royalty made by these auto companies to their parent companies located abroad, the first official said. The GST rates on automobiles are less than what was prevailing under the erstwhile value-added tax (VAT) and excise duty regime, he said. India introduced a uniform GST tax regime on July 1, 2017.

All of a sudden, dissent in some quarter on tax rates on automobile is surprising. In fact these companies should cut down their costs of manufacturing by cutting down the royalty payments to their parent companies abroad instead of asking the government to reduce GST, the second official said.

Officials said tax regimes in other country are even tougher. Japan currently has three types of taxes on automobilesonce on purchase, then an annual automobile tax based on engine size and finally a weight tax at inspections required once every two years. Over and above this, there is GST at the highest of the applicable rates, the first official said. The UK charges vehicle excise duties which varies with car emission norms and has 14 rate annual slabs ranging up to 2,175 with surcharge of 325 in the first year and 150 for expensive vehicles. Besides, there are road usage charges. Further, high parking charges are common across the globe.

Given this, it would be unfair to claim that the GST rates in India are astounding or a demand dampener, he said.

With the introduction of GST, multitude of taxes in the form of excise duty, special excise duties, cesses, VAT, CST [central sales tax] etc., gave way to uniform GST. Vehicles, based on their high pre-GST incidence were placed in 28% slab. Passenger vehicles also attract compensation cess ranging from 1% to 22%. However, with compensation cess the taxes have not gone beyond pre-GST incidences except may be in few that were enjoying certain duty concessions, the second official said. There are many companies which have launched small cars at affordable price ranges are able to sell their cars. If the regulatory environment was not conducive, it would be hard to imagine new players investing heavily into manufacturing facilities, such as Jeep, Kia Motors and MG to name a few, he added.

Green shoots are visible in the auto sector, he said referring to an industry data. For the first time in many months now, sales of passenger vehicles and two wheelers have surged last month. According to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, passenger vehicles sales in August 2020 rose to 2,15,916 units from 1,89,129 units a year ago, while two-wheeler sales rose to 15,59,665 units from 15,14,196 units a year ago.
The Ghaziabad district administration in Uttar Pradesh (UP) said late at night on Thursday that it has scrapped the proposal to convert the hostel earmarked for the Scheduled Caste (SC)/Scheduled Tribe (ST) students into the states first detention centre for illegal foreigners.

The government officials said that a hunt is for a new place for the proposed detention facility.

The hostel was constructed in 2010-11 when Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)-led government was in power.

The hostel is located adjacent to Raj Nagar Extension Master Plan road and is a part of the Nandgram locality.

On Thursday, BSP chief and former UP chief minister Mayawati tweeted that it was unfortunate that the multi-storeyed Dr Ambedkar SC/ST Hostel would be converted into UPs first detention centre for illegal foreigners. She described the decision as painful and condemned the Yogi Adityanath-led governments move.

Also Read: No exclusive detention centres, government tells Parliament

Ajay Shankar Pandey, district magistrate (DM), Ghaziabad, announced late at night on Thursday that he has scrapped the bid to convert the hostel into a detention centre for illegal foreigners.

The building will continue to be used as a hostel for SC/ST students. It was proposed to convert the building into a detention centre for foreigners, who are living illegally in the state without valid visas etc. We will find a new suitable place for the proposed centre, the DM said.

Initially, students from western UP and other districts in the state were staying at the hostel, but of late it has been lying vacant.

Officials said the decision to convert the facility into a detention centre was taken by the Ghaziabad district authorities in 2017.

Later, the state social welfare department had issued a notification to this effect following which the polices housing development unit started the preparations to turn it into a detention centre.

Earlier in June, the hostel students had also submitted representations to the district administration when the facility was proposed to be converted into a coronavirus disease (Covid-19) care centre (CCC) because of a spike in the viral outbreak cases in Ghaziabad.

However, the bid to convert the hostel into a CCC was rolled back later.

The hostel has 250 beds and SC/ST students, who are pursuing college education in the district, are allowed to stay at the facility for free.
KGS/GO/ADM/25/II/XXX

16 September 2020

The Ambassador Of The United States of America

Embassy of The United States of America

1075 Diplomatic Drive

Central Business District

Abuja, NIGERIA

Your Excellency,

RE: VISA RESTRICTIONS ON INDIVIDUALS AND INCLUSION OF THE 2019 KOGI STATE GUBERNATORIAL ELECTIONS IN US STATE DEPARTMENT LIST OF ALLEGEDLY COMPROMISED ELECTIONS  A LETTER OF PROTEST

1. I have been so directed by His Excellency, Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State and I hereby make and forward this Letter of Protest to you in respect of the matters contained in it.

2. The Kogi State Government became aware of a United States Government list of individuals who received US visa restrictions for alleged electoral malpractices via a Press Statement to that effect posted on your Embassy website at https://bit.ly/32vD96M. In your own words, the still unnamed individuals are cited as guilty of acts of violence, intimidation, or corruption that harmed Nigerians and undermined the democratic process. They are also alleged to have operated with impunity at the expense of the Nigerian people and undermined democratic principles and human rights.

3. You also noted in the Statement that the sanctions are derived from unspecified misconducts by the said individuals which extend from the February/March 2019 General Elections in Nigeria through the off-cycle November 2019 gubernatorial elections in Kogi and Bayelsa to the as yet unheld governorship contests in Edo and Ondo States. Please note that for the purposes of this protest letter we are only interested in the citations to the extent that they are referable to Kogi State and her citizens.

4. For the most part, we concede that elections in Nigeria are complex affairs which will continue to require improvements for the foreseeable future. The 2019 Kogi State Gubernatorial Election was also not without its challenges. However, it is also crystal clear from critical and composite analyses of the records (official, media, observers, etc) of the November 16, 2020 polls that regrettable incidents were limited to a few polling units, while the overwhelmingly larger portions of the ballot were free, fair and credible.

5. Further, and in line with Nigerian law, the few political parties and individuals who alleged widespread electoral malpractices had free rein to contest the outcome in court. They vigorously litigated their claims over a grueling 9-month period, through a 3-step hierarchy of courts, to the inescapable conclusion at the Supreme Court of Nigeria that the said elections satisfactorily complied with the Nigerian Constitution and the Electoral Act.

6. Our concern right now is not the prerogative of the United States of America to impose entry restrictions on anyone, for any or no reason at all, which prerogative remains unfettered, but the room for atrocious misinformation which the timing of your Press Statement and the mention of the Kogi elections therein has created in our state.

7. For the February and March 2019 General elections, your advisory came out in July 2019, long before the Supreme Court delivered her judgments in the petitions against those elections, including challenges to President Muhammadu Buharis reelection. The presumption is that in spite of your intervention, the Supreme Court still discovered no merit in the petitions and dismissed them accordingly.

8. In our case, ie, Kogi State, you made the tactical decision to release the update shortly after the Supreme Court delivered judgments in the 4 petitions which made it before her. Amongst a plethora of well-reasoned pronouncements the Apex Court dismissed the said petitions for failing to prove their allegations and for having no scintilla of merit. The inference from your timing is that the judgment is somehow tainted and did not meet the justice of the case, thereby casting aspersions, not only on the Nigerian Judiciary, but on the second term mandate freely bestowed on His Excellency, Governor Yahaya Bello by the good people of Kogi State.

9. We find this unacceptable, and we protest your presumption. The least you could have done, if indeed this is about democracy and human rights as claimed, is create room, no matter how slim, for fair hearing. As it is now, partisan speculation as to who is indicted, who is not and for what, has become cudgels, furiously swung in the media space by all comers. Your action has therefore added abundant grist to the rumour mills and electrified the merchants of fake news.

10. For instance, a United States based blog, saharareporters.com, has made inflammatory publications in which they named His Excellency, Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, among others, as a definite recipient of your visa restriction. Though you have named no names, accuracy is of no moment to them, just base political expediency, and they quote unnamed US State Department sources to give credibility to what is otherwise unproven.

11. Also, other players in the Kogi political space, including candidates and officials of opposition political parties which lost the elections and could not prove their allegations in court as aforesaid have now latched onto this action, holding media conferences and making press releases, claiming that the United States has justified their wild allegations and conspiracy theories where the courts and the administrative quarters failed. This is utterly regrettable.

12. Let it be noted that we are not challenging your visa bans in any way, whoever they may affect and for how long, but we do register the strongest protest possible as a State to the collateral and unwarranted interference in our political and social processes which it represents. You have reignited already dying embers of discord around the February/March General Elections and the November 16 Kogi State Gubernatorial Elections of 2019. This has invariably made our usual post-election duty of reconciliation with fair-minded political opponents all the more harder. We are hurt and disappointed.

13. Digressing a little beyond Kogi State to our contiguous states of Edo and Ondo, we wish to advice generally that by so preemptively interfering in their elections, both of which are yet to hold, events on ground since your publication indicate that the United States has foisted on our political process, not the expected caution or good behaviour by politicians which may have been your intent, but further calcification of hardened attitudes, more violent polemics, and increased sabre-rattling.

14. Even now every camp is trying to spin your action as evidence of US support for themselves and hostility to their opponents. Everyone involved in those elections is now stoked with an aura of invincibility and hellbent on displaying all manners of outrageousness on election day to prove their opponents the aggressors. After all, with sanctions looming over everyone like the Sword of Damocles, every stakeholder, including the security agencies are on tenterhooks and less likely to be lively. We fear you may have done our democracy more harm than good with this action, and we consider it most unfortunate indeed.

15. In conclusion, we believe that if the United States of America, despite her commanding heights and much longer experience as the acclaimed Bastion of Democracy in the world, is still locked in a fight to defend the integrity of her own electoral processes to this very day, then she ought to accord greater empathy, more civility and much less disruption, to nascent democracies.

16. Please be assured of our high regards always.

MRS FOLASHADE ARIKE AYOADE, Ph.D

Secretary to the Government of Kogi State
Some say notorious prohibition-era gangster John T. "Legs" Diamond got his nickname from his ability to outrun trouble.

Trouble did eventually catch up with him in 1931, when he was gunned down in a boarding house in Albany. But for all his notorietyall the movies and popular culture surrounding him, he had very little in the way of a paper trail.
16 health workers in Kenya have lost their lives to the coronavirus since the country reported its first case in March.

The Health Ministrys Chief Administrative Secretary Dr. Mercy Mwangangi on Thursday said the 16 are among more than 900 health workers who have tested positive for the virus.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, a total of 945 health care workers have been infected with the virus, whereas 16 of these have succumbed to the virus across 35 counties in the country, Mwangangi said.

She added: The MoH continues to value the role that our healthcare workers play in executing patient safety and particularly in these times of COVID-19, without their invaluable support of our frontline healthcare workers, we would not have managed to deal with the virus in the manner we have done so far.

At the same time, Dr. Mwangangi reported 183 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the countrys tally of positive cases to 36,576.

As of Thursday, 82 more people had recovered from the disease bringing the total number of recoveries to 23,611.

The country also lost five more patients raising Kenyas death toll to 642.
Ukraine and Bulgaria plan to hold a business forum, intensify political contacts and create a format for interaction in tourism.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said this at a joint press conference with Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zakharieva in Kyiv on September 17, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"We agreed to hold a business forum in Bulgaria, which will bring together Ukrainian and Bulgarian businessmen. We agreed to intensify political contacts between our countries at all levels," Kuleba said.

The parties signed a plan of consultations between the Foreign Ministries and agreed to create a format for interaction in the field of tourism, because more and more Ukrainian tourists visit Bulgaria, and Ukraine would like to develop this format.

Kuleba stressed that Bulgaria is a reliable friend and partner of Ukraine on its way to EU and NATO membership.

He recalled that Bulgaria supports Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty. "For us, this is an important manifestation of solidarity against the background of Russias aggression against our country," the Ukrainian minister noted.

Bulgaria's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zakharieva made a working visit to Ukraine on September 17.

ish
Congress is in its last days before members head home for their final campaign sprints. High on the agenda is agreeing on a new coronavirus response package, with the National Milk Producers Federation urging lawmakers to reach agreement on an overall package that will provide further support to dairy farmers. But where does dairy stand in how it could be helped by a future COVID-19 aid bill?

Another round of coronavirus assistance has been in the works since the House of Representatives, led by Democrats, passed its HEROES Act in May. Senate Republicans put forward their own proposal in August, referred to as the HEALS Act, followed by additional, narrower proposals. Republicans and Democrats have yet to find agreement on a relief package that could become law, with negotiations stalled over issues including coronavirus-specific unemployment benefits and state and local aid.

In agreement about agriculture

Even so, and with no imminent deal, the plans have some similarities in how they treat agriculture and dairy, which hasnt been a source of major controversy. The HEROES Act gives USDA specific directives in its additional funding for USDA, including more direct payments based on second-quarter losses without limits to those payments: $500 million for a new direct dairy donation program; $500 million for a new recourse loan program for dairy processors; and enhancements related to the Dairy Margin Coverage program.

Each Senate proposal provides an additional $20 billion to USDA to support producers, but with less direction as to how the money should be spent. Bipartisan support for additional assistance for farmers in any future COVID response package is clear; the differences are mainly in the details.

The chambers disagree more in other food policy areas, most notably over nutrition assistance, though even on that front there is reason to hope for agreement. The HEROES Act would temporarily raise benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps, to help food insecure families obtain food during the pandemic. It spends more than $14 billion for nutrition programs. Several key Senate Republicans have joined Democrats in advocating for additional COVID-specific nutrition program funding, which may make nutrition easier to resolve in a COVID bill than it has been in recent farm bills when intense disagreements ensued.

Wait and see

NMPF is hopeful that Congress will be able to reach a final agreement. The dairy economy is still reeling from COVID-related disruptions despite valuable support to dairy farmers through USDAs Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) and government dairy product purchases. Stable markets and U.S. food security is crucial for producers, their communities, and the nation.

NMPF is advocating for emergency disaster assistance for dairy farmers that reflects losses regardless of an operations size or structure; its also pushing for additional direct dairy product purchases for distribution to those in need, which supports communities and stabilizes prices. NMPF is also working with members of Congress who are championing a dairy donation program designed to maximize access to wholesome dairy products for individuals and families facing food insecurity.

There is no guarantee Congress will pass another broad coronavirus response package, especially as election dynamics make any agreement less certain. Still, Congress is consistently supporting farmers in its proposals; that should be reflected in any relief bill that becomes law.

To comment, email your remarks to intel@hoards.com.

(c) Hoard's Dairyman Intel 2020

September 17, 2020
Geneva, Switzerland (PANA) - UN-appointed investigators have issued fresh warnings about ongoing rights violations and impunity in Burundi, since the death of former President Pierre Nkurunziza, who ran for a third term in 2015, in a move deemed by opposition to be unconstitutional
WASHINGTON  The Pentagon is deploying a small number of U.S. troops to Syria after a series of escalating encounters between the U.S. and Russian militaries, according to three U.S. defense officials.

The troops and vehicles will serve as a show of presence to discourage the Russian military from crossing into the eastern security area where U.S., coalition, and Syrian Democratic Forces operate, the officials said.

The additional troops will include six Bradley Fighting Vehicles and fewer than 100 soldiers operating in northeast Syria on a 90-day deployment.

A U.S. official said, "These actions and reinforcements are a clear signal to Russia to adhere to mutual de-confliction processes and for Russia and other parties to avoid unprofessional, unsafe and provocative actions in northeast Syria."

While U.S. military and Russian forces have come in contact at checkpoints and along highway M4 in Syria throughout 2020, on Aug. 17 U.S. and Syrian Democratic Forces came under small arms fire after passing through a checkpoint near Tal al-Zahab, Syria. The U.S. and SDF had permission from the pro-Syrian regime forces manning the checkpoint, but then began to take fire from unidentified forces nearby. The U.S. and SDF returned fire and did not suffer any casualties. U.S. officials said the small arms fire likely came from Syrian and Russian forces.

Related: The reduced footprint allows the U.S. to continue to assist Iraqi partners in rooting out the final remnants of ISIS, said Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie.

The most serious incident this year occurred several days later, when seven U.S. soldiers were injured when Russia military vehicles sideswiped a U.S. military vehicle in northeast Syria. Three U.S. officials said the Russian vehicles intentionally collided with the Americans and then several Russian helicopters flew low and fast over the scene, which one official said was extremely provocative. The Russian vehicles were outside of their agreed-upon operating area without notice, the officials said.

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U.S. Central Command spokesperson Capt. Bill Urban characterized their actions as deliberately provocative and aggressive.

In an exclusive interview with NBC News, the commander of U.S. Central Command decried the Russian misbehavior and lack of professionalism on the ground, saying it got us into a dangerous situation where a Russian ground patrol actually came into the eastern Syria security area, an area they were not authorized to be in.

Image: SYRIA-CONFLICT-US (Delil Souleiman / AFP - Getty Images)

Were very lucky that our guys on the ground were able to keep that from turning into a larger incident," said Gen. Frank McKenzie. "That was a concerning moment. And had it gone another way, we might have been in trouble there and they might have been in trouble, too."

The encounter was the most provocative between the U.S. and Russia in Syria since February 2018, when hundreds of heavily-armed Russian private military contractors, equipped with tanks and artillery, attacked joint an area where both U.S. and Syrian Democratic Forces were operating. The U.S. flew in AC-130 gunships and other attack aircraft to stop the assault, killing as many as 300 of the Russian mercenaries, all believed to be working for the Wagner Group, a private Russian military contractor.

McKenzie said the U.S. continues to conduct security patrols with the SDF but the Syrian partners are actually carrying out the majority of the tactical operations and actual fighting. Those patrols are always conducted with our SDF partners. Youll never see a U.S. element out there moving alone, it will always have SDF affiliated with it when they move.

The op tempo is pretty high up there and theyre pretty active, he said.

The decision to add more troops to Syria comes after the Trump administration announced it would withdraw nearly half of the troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan in the coming weeks. The U.S. will drawdown from about 5,200 in Iraq to about 3,000 by the end of September, and from 8,600 in Afghanistan to about 4,500 by the November election.

We constantly evaluate and re-evaluate the tactical position and we make adjustments to posture designed to give the troops on the ground what they need to be better protected as they carry out their mission, McKenzie said. Therefore, our forces in Syria, we believe that we give them what they need to execute the missions that theyve got and we pay keen attention to force protection as they do that.
Bay Village, Ohio

Drunken driving, Cahoon Road

On Sept. 8 officers stopped a driver for multiple moving violations. While speaking with the driver, a 59-year-old Florida resident, she appeared to be under the influence of alcohol. The driver failed field sobriety tests and was arrested. At the police station, she also submitted urine for drug testing. She may face additional charges pending the results of the drug test.

Bay Village Police

Theft, Red Oak Lane

On Sept. 12 a resident reported items missing from his car. The homeowner reported that he had Ring video footage of the incident. In addition, two other residents reported similar instances that were also caught on video. Bay residents are encouraged to monitor any external cameras they may have for any suspicious activities in the overnight hours.

Drunken driving, Lake Road

On Sept. 13 officers stopped a driver for a moving violation. Officers spoke with the driver, a 38-year-old Lakewood resident, who appeared to be under the influence of alcohol. The driver failed field sobriety tests and was arrested. Her passenger, a 44- year-old Lakewood man was also under the influence and was arrested. He was later released to a sober adult with no charge.

Theft

Over the past few weeks, the Bay Village Police Department has received numerous calls of people stealing and moving presidential political signs. Signs from both political parties have been targeted. Residents are encouraged to call police when this happens and to report suspicious circumstances.

Read more news from the West Shore Sun.
President Donald Trump and ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos arrive for a town hall at the National Constitution Center, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020, in Philadelphia. Read more

When the Rev. Carl Day posed a question to President Donald Trump during a town hall meeting at the National Constitution Center this week, the North Philly pastor zeroed in on something that African Americans have been asking since we first heard Trump say the words Make America Great Again.

If you missed it, heres how Day phrased it: "When has America been great for Black people in the ghettos of America? Are you aware of how tone-deaf that comes off in the African American community?

Can the church say amen?

 READ MORE: Trump rewrites the history of his coronavirus response in Philly town hall

Thats the million-dollar question that Ive waited four long years to hear Trump address.

Im so glad that Day  a.k.a. the Pastor of the Hood  brought it up, because when youre talking about the good ol days in America, theres no such thing for African Americans. The suggestion that there even ever was is offensive.

Think about it. When has America been great for people who look like me? America wasnt great during my parents' lifetime. Because of their skin color, they were forced to attend racially segregated and underfunded schools, and denied all kinds of employment and other opportunities.

Nor was this country great during my grandparents' lifetimes or during the lifetimes of my great-grandparents, some of whom were enslaved in the Carolinas and treated like animals. Nor was it great for our ancestors who were dragged here from West Africa. Blacks have been and continue to be discriminated against in practically every facet of American life.

The wealth gap between white and Black Americans continues to be staggering. Tremendous health disparities caused by systemic racism persist, which is why Black people have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. I could go on, but suffice it to say that there has been no great period for African Americans in the United States, including this one.

When questioned on the subject, Trump did what Trump does. He turned the conversation back to his favorite topic  himself and his poll numbers. The president talked about how well he was doing with African Americans and Hispanics and how good things were before the coronavirus pandemic. He said, If you go back and you want to look over many years, you could just go back six or seven months from now, that was the best single moment in the history of the African American people in this country, I think  I would say.

Day  who describes himself as an undecided voter who voted for Green Party candidate Jill Stein in 2016  didnt back down, and alluded to the staggering wealth gap between Blacks and whites. The 35-year-old pastor of Culture Changing Christians Worship Center, at 22nd and Allegheny, told Trump, Your statement is, though, make it great again," and brought up redlining and systemic racism.

Trump responded by saying, I hope theres not a race problem," as if he slept through the countrys turmoil since George Floyds death in Minneapolis.

I can tell you, theres none with me," he said, "because I have great respect for all races, for everybody. This country is great because of it.

In true Trumpian fashion, the president went on to throw some proverbial shade, saying, But if you look under President Obama and Biden the income inequality was phenomenal. It was  it was record-setting.

Since addressing Trump, Day has been enjoying a bit of a moment, doing TV appearances on CNN and MSNBC. Most of the response has been positive, but hes gotten hate emails, too.

Ive heard that tagline many times, Make America Great Again. Our question is, when was it great for us?" Day told me on Thursday. We havent experienced such greatness.

I told myself theres no greater question to ask than this one right here, Day added. That tagline isnt meant for people of color.

Hes right. MAGA isnt about us.
(Newser)  It's an unusual year for colleges, but a new ranking by the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education has a familiar theme: Ivy League schools dominate, thanks largely to their deep pockets. The rankings take into account a number of factors, including graduates' salaries and debt, how much the school spends on teaching, and diversity of students and staff. In the latest assessment, Harvard leads the way overall for the fourth straight year. Among public schools, the University of Michigan's Ann Arbor campus ranked highest at No. 23. Read on for the top 10:

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Harvard University Massachusetts Institute of Technology Yale University Stanford University Brown University Duke University California Institute of Technology Princeton University Cornell University Northwestern University

See the full rankings here , which include breakdowns of various categories. (Read more colleges and universities stories.)
Ahmed Hussen knows all about the need for a roof over your head.

Canadas minister of families, children and social development lived in public housing when he grew up in Torontos Regent Park neighbourhood.

It wasnt the best environment, he told the Star during an interview on Friday, but just having that roof over my head enabled me to go to university and finish my undergrad and get a job.

For thousands of Canadians staggering through the COVID-19 pandemic, that struggle is all too real, and advocates see next weeks throne speech from the federal government as a platform for Ottawa to put forward a housing strategy to address homelessness.

Earlier this month, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities asked for about $4 billion from Ottawa to help non-profits buy up 22,000 housing units in hotels and apartment complexes across the country.

Hussen said hes received the FCM proposal and that hes seriously looking at it but will need to see if that fits into our fiscal abilities.

Our track record shows that weve always respected municipalities, worked closely with them, and allowed them to build more housing, he said.

During a recent interview with The Canadian Press, Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson said the federal government should help secure these properties and get people off the street before they endure another winter and a pandemic, which is just a morally unacceptable option  to leave people out in the cold in a public health emergency.

Hussen was noncommittal about the FCM plan when speaking to the Star and wouldnt provide a timeline for when a decision on it might come.

However, the rapid housing concept appears to be getting looked at closely in Ottawa. Liberal MP Adam Vaughan, Hussens parliamentary secretary, told the Stars Victoria Gibson this week that Ottawa is working on a fairly sizable proposition around allowing municipalities to buy up vacant properties.

Vaughan didnt provide specific details about the proposal, but Hussen said he would look at everything with an open mind, when asked about Vaughans comments.

The minister did have some thoughts about wraparound supportive services in housing strategies generally and what Ottawas role should be.

Hussen said the federal government can provide capital to allow municipalities and non-profits to buy up property, but when it comes to services, the provinces must be on-board with a plan for proper supports to be maintained.

If they deliver those supportive services for a segment of the chronically homeless individuals, we will deliver the capital dollars for the housing  make no mistake about that, he said.

But, he cautioned, Its not as simple as just building homes.

Hussen said hes been looking at what funding was available for the $4-billion proposal from the FCM. The federal government previously announced a 10-year, $55-billion funding stream for housing under the National Housing Strategy, which has a goal of creating 100,000 new housing units.

I have to see whether, as a minister, that is something that we can deliver through the National Housing Strategy, he said.

If all of it cannot be delivered through the National Housing Strategy, what other resources can I seek from my government?

In Toronto on Friday, Hussen also announced that the government, in partnership with the United Church of Canada, would work to get 5,000 new affordable housing units built across the country over 15 years. A $20-million line of credit for that project will come from a $200-million government fund that was already earmarked for affordable housing initiatives.

Canada sees about 35,000 homeless people on any given night, and around 235,000 people experience homelessness every year.

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A federal judge says Berkeley cannot require cell phone retailers to warn customers about possible radiation dangers from holding phones close to their bodies, a ruling based on the Federal Communications Commissions assessment that the warnings are unneeded and would hurt business.

Courts had previously rejected arguments that the Berkeley ordinance, which took effect in 2016, violated cell phone companies freedom of speech by requiring them to post a message with which they disagreed. But the outcome changed after the FCC, whose members were appointed by President Trump, filed arguments supporting the industrys challenge to the ordinance.

In a ruling Thursday, U.S. District Judge Edward Chen of San Francisco deferred to the commissions conclusion that Berkeleys law would harm the public by promoting unwarranted fears about cell phone radiation.

The FCC is tasked with balancing the competing objectives of ensuring public health and safety and promoting the development and growth of the telecommunications network and related services, Chen said. He said the commission could properly conclude that the ordinance over warns consumers, and that Berkeley was interfering with federal oversight of the industry.

The citys ordinance requires dealers to notify their customers that the FCC sets radiation standards for cell phones and that exposure may exceed the federal guidelines if users carry their phone in a pants or shirt pocket or tucked into a bra while they are connected to a wireless network.

Retailers must display the warning on a poster or in a handout flyer, attributed to the city of Berkeley.

In rejecting an industry groups claim that the requirement violated freedom of speech, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals noted last year that the notices required by the city were the same warning that the FCC requires retailers to include in the manual of every cell phone they sell. The Supreme Court denied review of the groups appeal.

But in a filing with Chens court this June, the FCC, which had not previously opposed the ordinance, said the information in its manuals was enough to inform consumers about potential radiation risks from cell phones. Further warnings required at the time of sale may create an erroneous perception that (radio-frequency) emissions from FCC-certified phones are unsafe, the commission said..

Chen said Berkeley officials have acknowledged that cell phones certified by the FCC are safe. He said it was the commissions task to balance potential health risks from radiation emissions against the need for a robust and efficient, nationwide, wireless communication system.

In response to the ruling, Tom Power, attorney for the industry group CTIA  the Wireless Association, said, The consensus of the experts  and the FCC agrees  is that there are no known health risks from the use of FCC-regulated mobile phones. We appreciate the courts conclusion that the City of Berkeley cannot force our members to repeat its erroneous opinion about the safety of wireless devices.

Assistant City Attorney Christopher Jensen said Berkeley officials are reviewing the ruling, which they could appeal.

Devra Davis, president of the nonprofit Environmental Health Trust, said, With this ruling denying the right to know about cell phone radiation, the court has tipped the scales in favor of expanding telecommunications over public health.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko
A lawyer for federal officers argued Thursday that a lower court had no legal basis to exempt self-identified journalists and legal observers from lawful dispersal orders during Portlands social justice protests.

A preliminary injunction restricting federal officers from threatening, assaulting or arresting journalists and legal observers during riots or unlawful assemblies is too broad, vague and unworkable, said attorney Sopan Joshi, representing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Marshals Service.

It has provided cover for violent opportunists posing as journalists to attack federal officers, Joshi said.

Theres no First Amendment right of journalists to disobey dispersal orders that everyone has to follow, he said.

Joshi urged a three-member panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to either maintain its emergency hold on the injunction as the federal government further appeals the case or throw out the injunction entirely.

Attorney Matthew Borden, arguing for the journalists and legal observers who won the injunction last month, countered that the injunction protects the critical right of the press to report on these protests. Theres no basis to challenge it, he said.

Allowing the government to control the news is the hallmark of a dictatorship, and that is exactly what the district courts order prevents, he said.

The nearly 45 minutes of oral arguments were heard via video conference and phone, connecting judges and lawyers from Portland, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Anchorage and Washington, D.C.

Judges on the panel were Diarmuid F. OScannlain, nominated by President Ronald Reagan; Morgan Christen, nominated by President Barack Obama; and Johnie B. Rawlinson, nominated by President Bill Clinton.

Oregons U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon granted the injunction on Aug. 20 after the ACLU submitted 34 separate statements from journalists, photojournalists and legal observers who said they suffered shots to the back, neck and legs from impact munitions fired by federal officers outside the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse in downtown since early July.

The three-judge panel included Senior Circuit Judge Diarmuid F. OScannlain, nominated by President Ronald Reagan, Circuit Judge Morgan Christen (on bottom), nominated by President Barack Obama, and Circuit Judge Johnie B. Rawlinson, nominated by President Bill Clinton.

Seven days after Simon issued the injunction, the 9th Circuit temporarily halted it, finding it lacked an adequate legal basis. A different three-judge panel, in a 2-1 split ruling, concluded then that the government showed the order would cause irreparable harm to law enforcement efforts and personnel. The temporary ruling came from Circuit Judges Eric Miller and Daniel Bress, with Judge M. Margaret McKeown dissenting.

During arguments Thursday, Rawlinson asked whether the fact that federal officers have largely retreated from city streets outside the federal courthouse renders this case moot?

Joshi said it does not. The injunction hangs over the heads of federal officers every time they step out of a federal building and they risk being held in contempt, he responded.

Christen pointed out that a clause in Simons injunction ensures that federal officers wouldnt be held liable for violating it if a journalist or legal observer were incidentally exposed to an officers use of force or threats or remained intermingled with protesters after they were ordered to disperse.

OScannlain pressed, What is the status of those federal agents today?

Joshi didnt answer directly, saying its his understanding that city and state officers have largely taken over responsibility for the streets outside federal buildings in Portland since the end of July.

Federal officers emerged last month from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Southwest Portland after protesters assembled outside, with some banging on the glass windows or setting fires in the streets. Demonstrators have now largely turned their attention to police buildings around the city, including the police union office in North Portland, the city and county sheriffs building on East Burnside and North and East precincts.

Borden pointed out that Portland police face the same injunction and he maintained that its been workable for them.

Joshi retorted: The fact that the city of Portland is willing to tolerate conditions on their law enforcement doesnt bind the federal government."

OScannlain asked Borden if any case law suggests journalists are constitutionally exempt from legal orders to disperse. The judge also said he couldnt find any legal authority that puts legal observers into a constitutionally protected First Amendment class of people.

Borden said hes not arguing that theyre exempt, but that the press and legal observers are exercising a well-established right to observe and record what the government is doing.

While Christen noted well-established case law from the 9th Circuit and elsewhere recognizes the First Amendment right to record police activity in public, Rawlinson said those cases dont entail the right of the press when it conflicts with a lawful police order to disperse.

We have to look at how that right is balanced against the right of the police to maintain order, Rawlinson said.

-- Maxine Bernstein

Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com; 503-221-8212

Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian

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NEW DELHI: In yet another setback for China, the Government of India has made the random sampling of all imported light-emitting diodes (LED) and control gears for LED products mandatory. According to a new notification issued by the Director-General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), now all LED products being imported from other countries will be subjected to stringent quality tests.

The government wants to discourage imports from China and the latest move is being seen as a step in that direction.

Samples will be picked up for the specified items on a random basis from randomly selected consignments and will be sent to Bureau of Indian Standards-recognized laboratories for testing of defined safety parameters", under the Electronics and Information Technology Goods (Requirement of Compulsory Registration) Order, 2012, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a notification.

The Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS), which comes under the Ministry of Commerce, has ordered an inquiry into the LED products being imported from the country's major ports like Kandla, Paradip, Kochi, Mumbai.

The notification issued by the DGFT in this regard says 

-Any sample from the consignment or goods being imported will be selected in a random or irregular manner.

-Such samples will be sent to the Bureau of India Standards (BIS) Labs for testing, the investigation will be completed in 7 days

-It will be tested whether these LED products meet safety standards.

-Only the consignments of the samples which meet the criteria will get clearance from the Customs

-If the selected samples do not meet the criteria, they will be sent back or destroyed.

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The governments latest move will make things difficult for China because rejection of its poor LED products will come as a big financial loss since India is a big market for electronic goods in Asia.

Modi Governments 'Commercial Strike' on China

1. To promote local manufacturing, in July, India banned the colour television being imported from China.

2. Sugar companies were also banned from participating in government procurement in view of national security concerns.

3. In April, India also changed the rules regarding its foreign direct investment (FDI)

4. The limits of India, which will require government approval before FDI investment.

5. India banned many Chinese apps including TikTok and PUBG

India is the second-largest LED market globally by value, according to EESL, and the UJALA scheme may help avoid peak electricity demand of 9,428 mega watts.
Global professional services company Accenture on Thursday announced the 'Accenture Cloud First' group with a $3 billion investment over three years to help clients accelerate their digital transformation.

Karthik Narain, who served as the lead for Accenture Technology in North America, will lead the new venture and join the Global Management Committee from October 1.

"Accenture Cloud First and our substantial investment demonstrate our commitment to delivering greater value to our clients when they need it most. Digital transformation requires cloud at scale, and post-Covid leadership requires that every business become a 'cloud first' business," said Julie Sweet, CEO, Accenture.

An industry veteran based in Silicon Valley, Narain helped guide 'Global 2000' brands in using the power of the cloud and other technologies to transform their businesses.

Over his 20-year career, he has led many innovative technology programs for clients across a variety of industry sectors, including Software & Platforms, Financial Services and High Tech.

'Accenture Cloud First' is a new multi-service group of 70,000 Cloud professionals.

It will bring together the company's industry and technology capabilities, ecosystem partnerships, and deep commitment to learning and upskilling clients' employees and to responsible business, with the focus on enabling organisations to move to the cloud with greater speed and achieve greater value for all their stakeholders at this critical time, the company said in a statement.

The $3 billion investment, the company said, will be used to continue advancing industry roadmaps, data models and solutions; cloud AI data and AI architectures; integrated full-stack infrastructure and applications capabilities; cloud tools, assets and automation to drive lower unit cost and innovation; and research and development in edge computing and related cloud technologies.

With most businesses currently at only about 20 per cent in the Cloud, moving to 80 per cent or more rapidly and cost effectively is a massive change that requires a bold new model.

"Accenture Cloud First, along with our $3 billion investment and our market-leading Software as a Service capabilities in Intelligent Platform Services, ensures that we provide our clients with value, speed and innovation in every part of their Cloud journey," said Paul Daugherty, group chief executive, Accenture Technology.

With nearly $11 billion in Cloud revenue in its fiscal year 2019, Accenture said its leadership spans from Software as a Service (SaaS) to its migration, infrastructure and application cloud services.
The trade union representing most staff at Ulster Bank have sought an urgent meeting with Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe over news that NatWest, bank UK parent, is considering pulling out of Ireland.

Financial Services Union (FSU) General Secretary John OConnell said in the letter that no healthy banking culture can accommodate proposals of this kind being made without any reference to the needs of customers here.

Earlier, Ulster Banks CEO Jane Howard wrote to the banks 2,500 staff telling them that the position with regard to its future has not changed and claimed reports that parent NatWest is considering winding down or selling the Irish bank were speculative.

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However she also quoted earlier comments from NatWest CEO Alison Rose that it will continue to consider all strategic options in relation to its Ulster Bank subsidiary and stopped well short of denying a wind down is on the cards.

Its important to emphasis to your colleagues and to customers that we have seen commentary like this before and this, like previous stories, is also speculative. I know that it can be distracting but I would ask that you please stay focused on serving our customers well, the letter to staff said.

The FSU told Minister Donohoe that Ulster Bank plays an important role as a lender to farmers, and the SME sector and a vital role in economic and social life.
The winner of the $1 million (845,000) prize, arguably the world's top accolade, will be announced in Oslo on October 9th from a field of 318 candidates. The prize can be split up to three ways.

The Swedish 17-year-old was nominated by three Norwegian lawmakers and two Swedish parliamentarians and if she wins, she would receive it at the same age as Pakistan's Malala Yousafzai, the youngest Nobel laureate thus far.

Asle Sveen, a historian and author of several books about the prize, said Thunberg would be a strong candidate for this year's award, her second nomination in as many years, with the U.S. West Coast wildfires and rising temperatures in the Arctic "leaving people in no doubt" about global warming.

Not a single person has done more to get the world to focus on climate change than her

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"Not a single person has done more to get the world to focus on climate change than her," Sveen told Reuters.

The committee has given the prize to environmentalists before, starting with Kenya's Wangari Maathai in 2004 for her campaign to plant 30 million trees across Africa, and in 2007 to Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

In the era of the coronavirus crisis, the committee could also choose to highlight the threat of pandemics to peace and security, said Dan Smith, the director of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

"There is a relationship between environmental damage and our increasing problem with pandemics and I wonder whether the Nobel Peace Prize Committee might want to highlight that," he told Reuters.

If the committee wanted to highlight this trend, he said, "there is obviously the temptation of Greta Thunberg".

School strike

The Fridays for Future movement started in 2018 when Thunberg began a school strike in Sweden to push for action on climate. It has since become a global protest.

Thunberg and her father Svante, who sometimes handles media queries for her, did not reply to requests for comment.

Many were sceptical when Greta, as she is often referred to, became the bookmaker's favourite to win last year's Nobel Peace Prize, especially with regards to her age, but her second nomination could strengthen her chances.

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Betting agency Paddy Power has the World Health Organization (WHO) as its favourite at odds of 5/2, followed by Thunberg at 3/1 and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at 5/1.

"Greta is re-nominated, which was the case for Malala. I said Malala was young when she was nominated the first time and I said Greta was young the first time she was nominated," Sveen said.

Yousafzai won in 2014.

Not Trump

Other known candidates included the "people of Hong Kong", NATO, Julian Assange, Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden and jailed Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul.

Other possible choices are Reporters Without Borders, Angela Merkel and the WHO, experts said, though it is unclear whether they are nominated.

Nominations are secret for 50 years but those who nominate can choose to publicise their choices. Thousands of people are eligible to nominate, including members of parliaments and governments, university professors and past laureates.

It is not known whether Donald Trump is nominated for this year's prize, though he is up for next year's award after a Norwegian lawmaker named the US President for helping broker a deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

He is unlikely to win, Sveen and Smith agreed, not least for his dismantling of the international treaties to limit the proliferation of nuclear weapons, a cause dear to Nobel committees.

"He is divisive and seems to not take a clear stance against the violence the right-wing perpetrates in the U.S.," said Smith. - Reuters
They were arrested on Thursday for investigation on charges of exploiting their child to gain money

Egypts public prosecution on Friday ordered the release of a husband and wife who have attained fame on YouTube via videos about their lives, after they were arrested the day before on child endangerment charges.

They were arrested on Thursday by her prosecutors for investigation on charges of exploiting their child to gain money through the platform.

The video on which the charges were based shows the couple filming their daughters reaction to seeing her mother, Zeinap, after she had applied brown paint to her face as a prank.

The toddler bursts into tears and her mother laughs in the video, which sparked outrage on social media.

According to the prosecutors office, Prosecutor-General Hamada El-Sawy ordered the release of the couple, known on YouTube as Ahmed and Zeinap, on a posted bail of EGP 40,000.

The couple have pledged to provide care for their daughter and not to repeat the incident in the future, according to the statement.

El-Sawy also mandated specialists at the National Council For Childhood and Motherhood to continue following up on the couples child, parents and other family members, to avoid any exploitation or endangerment of her.

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The secret to beautiful home design isnt a secret at all  its about thorough planning and understanding principles of scale and proportion, color and light.

Of course, thats easily stated but much harder to execute, at least in the way longtime friends  they met as sorority sisters in college  business partners and interior designers Sandra Lucas and Sarah Eilers do it.

Founders of Lucas/Eilers Design Associates in Houston, the two women have made homes all over the metropolitan area  actually, all over the country  more beautiful with their classic take on design. Theyve documented some of their favorite projects, as well as their own homes, in their new book, Expressive Interiors: Designing an Inviting Home (Rizzoli, 240 pages, $45).

Earlier in her career when Lucas was a young mother, she taught classes at the Art Institute of Houston and imagined that someday she would write a textbook for students and others wanting a more professional take on the topic of home design.

Book signing What: Access Design, during Fall Design Week When: 11 a.m. Oct. 9 Where: James Craig Furnishings showroom, Houston Design Center, 7026 Old Katy Road Tickets: $10 (books, $45, will also be available for purchase); fallaccessdesign.eventbrite.com; seating is limited See More Collapse

Eilers, too, had been contemplating a book, considering concepts and ideas for at least a decade, she said.

Many years later, both Lucas and Eilers became acquainted with a friends literary agent, who encouraged them to write a book that would appeal to a broader audience. The result is Expressive Interiors, which imparts lessons on design through nearly 20 of their favorite projects.

The two are taking turns working from their office in Decorative Center Houston, and the day an advanced copy of their book arrived, Eilers opened it and screamed out loud. Through a Zoom call in which they pivoted their laptop back and forth between socially distanced chairs, the two women answered questions as if every answer belonged to them both.

Sarah and I are so passionate about design. Its what we eat, breathe, sleep. Design runs through our veins, Lucas said. We love sharing it with our clients and with anyone who will listen, basically.

Both are women of good taste and unfailing instincts, but their style is based in classical training in the principles and elements of design, which shows in the fact that one of the featured projects dates back 18 years. (Good luck spotting which one it is.)

Lucas and Eilers made lists of favorite projects and gathered photos, noting the lessons that would be told with every image. Some made the cut, and others didnt. Some were photographed again, with most of the photography by Dallas-based Stephen Karlisch, though a good deal is by Houston-based Julie Soefer.

The women  Houston natives who graduated from the University of Texas  divided their book into three parts. First, they teach the fundamentals of design and their own process, from scale and proportion to the importance of art and collecting, and show how each works through images from a number of their own projects.

One thing that is so important to me and to Sarah is that each of our projects really just portrays the person who lives there. It may not be our favorite color or style of furniture or things that I like, Lucas said. It is a pure reflection of our client. Our projects are all different because our clients are so different.

One wide photo tells a lesson of scale. The very large living room was added in a remodel of a 1970s home, and because of its size, the furniture needed to be large as well. A pair of sofas, each more than 100 inches long, are grouped with an oversized console that holds a hidden large-screen TV.

Several rooms from a historical home in Houstons Shadow Lawn neighborhood are included, and one is the kitchen  part of an addition designed by Dillon Kyle  with a ceiling covered in V-groove planks and cabinets painted a handsome sage green. The mix here is of old and new since the new space had to be in sync with the rest, which was built more than 90 years ago.

If you want to have an interesting conversation with the two women, mention large-screen TVs. Lucas works hard to persuade every client to conceal them. Their glossy black screens arent artwork and simply bring a big dark void to a wall, she believes.

When clients turned a guest bedroom into a sitting room for their primary bedroom, a wallpaper mural was installed to serve as a focal point as well as art for the TV cabinet doors that would simply be opened.

For a home in the mountains of South Carolina, context and suitability meant using regional craftsmen and artists, allowing windows to let in the beautiful view. Scale and proportion can mean raising the back of chairs or a settee in even a small niche when the ceilings are extra tall.

Color and light are important to every designer, and Lucas and Eilers embrace both. Youll see plenty of neutral tones, but theyre not afraid to paint cabinets green or blue or to add bold colors to furnishings or art. Sometimes softer colors are called for, though, as in bedrooms where a more restful or serene mood is desired.

In the middle are The Houses, five specific projects that include a new home in Houston; a vacation home in Park City, Utah, decorated with a Western flair that reflects its mountainous setting; and a Galveston beach house that taps into sun, sand, sea and sky.

The ending is their Design Laboratory, a visual narrative of their personal homes with insight into their own family lives and their taste in art and collectibles. Both are avid collectors, but Eilers got a head start on her friend and has a variety of collections, some of which include things handed down from parents and grandparents.

Lucas and her husband live in a 1970s-era home designed by architect Lucian T. Hood Jr. They opened up space on the first floor to eliminate bottlenecks and doorways. Her practical to a fault side is shown in her decision to keep a brick floor even though she didnt like it. The bricks were once in a home owned by Houston wildcatter Glenn McCarthy, so their sense of local history outweighed her dislike for them. Her compromise was to alter their color to a softer gray with lime washes.

Her living room is a collection of beautiful things, including antiques she holds dear: a Persian Malayer, a pair of 19th-century armchairs and a coffee table made from antique balcony railing.

In Eilers home, youll see her great-grandparents Eastlake parlor set, ceramic Palissy plates, lots of fine china and even some of the tramp art she started collecting as a teenager. Like Lucas, Eilers has gone through phases of needing things to be durable for young children, then accommodate the wear of pets and finally, getting things the way she always wanted them.

Eilers shared one last story about the photo shoot of her own home. Her living room (pages 232-33) needed to be photographed and, knowing how much her dear friend hated to see TVs in photos, Eilers enlisted someone to take a painting off of one wall and then hold it over the TV to obscure it for the photo. From the photo, youd never know it wasnt always that picture perfect.

A visual treat, Expressive Interiors will likely prompt you to look around your own home and think about what your surroundings say about you.

diane.cowen@chron.com
Big Tech Firms Facing Antitrust Cases Might Benefit From Biden-Harris Administration, Experts Say

At a time when Big Tech is facing historic scrutiny under the Trump administration, with antitrust probes by the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission, experts say a Biden-Harris administration could signal a return to the friendly stance held during the Obama era toward Silicon Valley.

This change could affect ongoing federal investigations, experts told The Epoch Times, with some saying it could even end the probes. They note the pair have made little mention of antitrust or other concerns plaguing the tech industry.

Dozens of state attorneys general are probing the practices of Facebook and Google in separate cases amid broad concerns about the effects the companies have on competition and consumers. The four Big Tech companies, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google, are also facing scrutiny by the House Judiciary Committee over potential anti-competitive behavior.

While neither Biden nor Harris have made antitrust issues a key policy issue, they have leveled some criticism against monopoly power, while stopping short of calling for an outright breakup of Big Tech. The Biden campaign didnt immediately respond to a request from The Epoch Times for comment.

When Biden was vice president, President Barack Obama reportedly cultivated deep relationships with the likes of Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and others in Silicon Valley.

A number of Obama alumni, meanwhile, have taken high-ranking positions in Silicon Valley. A 2016 CCN headline is titled, Obamas staff is taking over Silicon Valley.

Scott Watnik, litigation partner at law firm Wilk Auslander and co-chairman of the firms cybersecurity practice, noted that when Harris served as Californias attorney general, she didnt bring a single case against a Silicon Valley executive during a period when the industry grew at a historic pace.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg at the Paley Center for Media in New York City, on Oct. 25, 2019. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Harris is perceived to be a good friend of Silicon Valley, Watnik told The Epoch Times. As an assistant attorney general in San Francisco and attorney general of California, Harris far and away has more close ties to Big Tech than any other candidate who ran in the 2020 presidential election primaries.

Watnik said Harris has ducked the issue of antitrust and has abstained from taking any real position on the topic, while noting she has grilled many Big Tech executives on Capitol Hill on issues such as misinformation, hate speech, and foreign nation election meddling on online platforms, including Facebook and Twitter.

But despite her tough talk, I wouldnt count on Harris to take on Big Tech, based on her track record and deep ties to Silicon Valley, Watnik said. Big Tech must agree.

Harris has received scrutiny from her close relationships with tech leaders such as Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, who publicly hailed her nomination for vice president. Sandberg supported Harris over former Facebook Chief Privacy Officer Chris Kelly in the race for California AG in 2010 and her 2016 Senate run, while Harris promoted Sandbergs 2013 book Lean In, MarketWatch reported.

Former top Google lawyer David Drummond, as well as a myriad of other tech elite, have donated to Harris in her previous positions. Harris herself expressed enthusiasm for working with the tech industry in 2010 at Googles Silicon Valley campus.

Ive been wanting to come because I want these relationships and I want to cultivate them, she said at the time.

Ray Walsh, digital privacy expert at ProPrivacy, said a Biden presidency with Harris at his side could potentially have a direct effect on any ongoing, outstanding, or future antitrust cases brought against Big Tech in the United States.

Harris as VP is a dream for Big Tech because the California senator is widely considered a Silicon Valley sweetheart, Walsh told The Epoch Times.

In recent weeks, both Harris and Biden have made notable slip-ups, referring to their pairing as a Harris-Biden ticket rather than a Biden-Harris one, Walsh noted, adding that it seems justified to have some suspicions about the kind of power and influence that Harris would command; power that Silicon Valley is going to welcome with open arms.

Some experts say a Biden-Harris ticket would have little impact, if at all, on ongoing probes against Big Tech, or on other policies surrounding technology companies.

Those suggesting that Harriss ties to Silicon Valley will have a major impact on antitrust policy in a Biden-Harris administration are overstating Harriss influence, John E. Lopatka, antitrust scholar and a distinguished professor of law at Pennsylvania State Universitys Dickinson School of Law, told The Epoch Times.

Democratic presidential candidates former Vice President Joe Biden (L) and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) take the stage at the Democratic Presidential Debate at the Fox Theatre in Detroit, Mich., on July 31, 2019. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Lopatka noted that an aggressive, or interventionist, antitrust enforcement policy is fully consistent with Democratic political ideology, and so any Democratic administration would be inclined to adopt it.

The fact that Biden hasnt expressed strong views on antitrust in the tech sector, doesnt mean he will necessarily turn to his vice president. At most, Lopatka said, Harris will have a marginal effect on antitrust appointments and policies. I doubt her influence will be dramatic.

Doug Melamed, a Stanford University law professor with expertise in antitrust law, told The Epoch Times he believes a Biden administration will pursue enlightened education and immigration polities to attract and retain in the U.S. skilled workers. He believes they would enforce antitrust laws against tech firms where appropriate.

Melamed said it was perfectly appropriate for Harris to learn and understand the tech industry when she was serving as attorney general of California, noting that the industry had made huge contributions to the well-being of California and the nation. He said her relationship with Silicon Valley wouldnt impede sound antitrust enforcement.

Mark Grabowski, an associate professor specializing in cyber law and digital ethics at Adelphi University, told The Epoch Times that a Biden-Harris administration could produce a number of different policies when it comes to Big Tech, including an effort to restore President Obamas network neutrality policies, a possible push to eliminate Section 230 protections for the internet, a retreat from the tech war with China, and pressure on Silicon Valley tech companies to hire more women and minorities.

Some of these things could help, but others could be really disastrous, Grabowski said.

The Trump campaign piled on to the concerns about a Biden-Harris ticket, in particular emphasizing the reported anti-conservative bias in Silicon Valley.

Big Tech has proven time and again its willingness to censor conservatives while turning a blind eye to Democrats, said Samantha Zager, deputy national press secretary for Trumps reelection campaign.

Its no secret that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have Big Tech in their pockets, Zager told The Epoch Times on Sept. 17.

Across social media platforms, the arbitrary rules these companies create do not apply equally to every account and instead are used to silence any views in opposition to those held by the liberal coastal elites in Silicon Valley, she added.

Trump, in his second term, would continue to advocate for an internet that embraces free speech over censorship, Zager said. Biden, she said, would enable the toxic cancel culture weve come to see online and allow Big Tech to silence free speech for millions of Americans.

While the Biden campaign didnt respond to The Epoch Times, spokesman Matt Hill suggested to The Wall Street Journal that Biden would be tough when it comes to market power. Hill declined to comment on the prospect of settling antitrust cases.

Joe Biden has long said one of the greatest sins is the abuse of power, Hill told the WSJ. Many technology giants and their executives have not only abused their power, but misled the American people, damaged our democracy, and evaded any form of responsibility. That ends with a President Biden.
Three men were apprehended Thursday after a barrage of gunfire injured a person near a Brockton shopping plaza, police said.

Officers apprehended two men Thursday night after a man in a black SUV allegedly fired 19 rounds of bullets at a small light-colored sedan in the area of 675 Crescent St. near the Crescent Plaza shopping center, the Brockton Police Department said in a statement.

Two men were taken into custody. Police seized illegal drugs from them and said that charges related to firing guns may be pending, according to the statement.

The dark SUV sped off eastbound on Crescent Street toward Whitman, Brockton police said.

Massachusetts State Police and local officers chased the car through several towns until it crashed in Taunton, according The Boston Globe reported.

One of the men is being detained as the investigation is ongoing, Brockton police told the Globe.

The person who was injured by the barrage of bullets refused to be driven by an ambulance to the hospital, according to authorities.
A Connecticut man convicted on drug trafficking and gun charges was sentenced to serve nearly six years in prison, according to federal authorities.

Maurice Tucker, also known as Mo, 37, of Hartford was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to a total of 70 months in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release, for narcotics trafficking and firearm possession offenses, according to a release from the office of Connecticut U.S. Attorney John H. Durham.

The case began in 2018 when the FBIs Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force began investigating Ricardo Reyes, also known as Rick the Ruler, a member of the Los Solidos street gang who was distributing fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and crack in Hartford, according to the release, which cited court documents and statements made in court.

Law enforcement conducted multiple controlled purchases of narcotics from Reyes and court-authorized wiretaps confirmed that Reyes was distributing narcotics to numerous customers, and identified individuals who supplied drugs to Reyes and associates who sold drugs on his behalf, federal authorities said in the release. Intercepted communications also revealed Reyes was acquiring and trafficking firearms.

Further, investigators identified Tucker as a narcotics distributor and in May 2019, federal authorities said, a court-authorized search of Tuckers residence revealed three loaded semiautomatic pistols, including one that had been reported stolen in 2011; assorted ammunition; approximately 22 grams of fentanyl packaged in 900 bags; approximately 59 grams of crack cocaine; approximately 15 grams of cocaine; items used to process and package narcotics for street sale, and $43,810 in cash.

Tucker was arrested on state charges in May 2019; he has been detained since his federal arrest on June 17, 2019, according to federal authorities.

Also in June 2019, a grand jury returned a 32-count indictment charging Reyes, Tucker and 13 associates with various narcotics trafficking and firearm possession offenses, according to federal authorities.

Tucker pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, cocaine base and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon on March 16, 2020, federal authorities said in the release.

Reyes also pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing, according to federal authorities.
New York, Sep 18 : With the US government pushing out a total ban on popular Chinese app TikTok till November 12, Wall Street analysts are interpreting the latest developments as a sign that the more hawkish voices on the Trump administration side are likely beginning to warm towards inking a TikTok-US partnership deal and that the US government wants to give the negotiating sides time to hammer out an agreement.A The US Commerce Department announced on Friday that it will ban the download of Chinese apps TikTok and WeChat on Sunday, including a complete ban on the use of the latter, citing national security and data privacy concerns. For TikTok, though, a total ban will kick in only on November 12.

Chinese company ByteDance, which owns TikTok, is hoping to clinch a deal with the White House that would allow it to continue functioning in the US, where it has 100 million users, mostly posting goofy videos that capture the zeitgeist.

Earlier this week, Oracle had confirmed that it was the winning bidder for TikTok and chose to go with the description of TikTok's "trusted technology provider" rather than sale or acquisition. Oracle was among the pool of bidders, including Microsoft and Walmart, to buy TikTok's American operations. Details remain sketchy at this point in time.

Until Thursday evening, Trump continued to say that his administration had spoken to Walmart and Oracle Corp and that Microsoft "is still involved". Microsoft on September 13 had announced that its bid was rejected by ByteDance.

Overall, there's just a lot more "idiosyncratic risk", Sean Darby, Jeffries Global Equity strategist, told Bloomberg Business in the context of the simmering US-China tensions across trade, 5G and now TikTok.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, during his remarks on Fox Business Network, left the door open to the prospect of a TikTok deal, saying that access to the app may be possible if safeguards are put into place.

The Commerce Department lists four broad categories of transactions that are "prohibited" for WeChat as of September 20 and and as of November 12 for TikTok: "Any provision of internet hosting services enabling the functioning or optimisation of the mobile application in the US; any provision of content delivery network services enabling the functioning or optimization of the mobile application in the US; any provision directly contracted or arranged internet transit or peering services enabling the function or optimization of the mobile application within the US; any utilisation of the mobile application's constituent code, functions, or services in the functioning of software or services developed and/or accessible within the US." Earlier this week, Trump said he was stunned that the US Treasury could not get payment for signing off on the deal.

"Amazingly, I find that you're not allowed to do that. If they're willing to make big payments to the government they're not allowed because... There's no legal path to doing that... How foolish can we be," Trump said.

Security experts have raised red flags that TikTok, even if it snags a US partner, would have information on 100 million TikTok users in the US, and therefore remains a risky player.

Trump said this week that he is opposed to ByteDance retaining a majority stake in TikTok.
A milk tooth belonging to one of Italy's last Neanderthal children has been found near Venice.

The canine tooth belonged to a pre-teen, likely 11 or 12 years old, and dates back 45,000 years.

Neanderthals went extinct around 40,000 years ago after being out-competed for food and shelter by the more intelligent Homo sapiens.

An upper canine milk-tooth (pictured) that belonged to a Neanderthal child, aged 11 or 12, that lived between 48,000 and 45,000 years ago was found in Northern Italy

Neanderthals (pictured, artist's impression) went extinct around 40,000 years ago after millenia of struggling to compete with the superior intelligence of Homo sapiens which had recently arrived in Europe

The tooth would have been in the upper row of teeth on the right hand side of the child's mouth.

It was discovered in a rock shelter at an archaeological site called 'Riparo del Broion' on the Berici Hills in the Veneto region, near Venice.

The tooth is the first ever human remain to be found at the site.

Genetic analysis of mitochondrial DNA preserved inside the tooth, as well as analysis of the enamel and shape, reveal it is from a Neanderthal and not a Homo sapien.

Matteo Romandini, lead author of the study at the University of Bologna says: 'High-resolution prehistoric field-archaeology allowed us to find the tooth, then we employed virtual approaches to the analyses of its shape, genome, taphonomy and of its radiometric profile.

'Following this process, we could identify this tooth as belonging to a child that was one of the last Neanderthals in Italy.'

Mitochondrial DNA is similar to normal DNA, except it is smaller and stored in the mitochondria, the powerhouses of human cells, not the nucleus.

The milk tooth was discovered in a rock shelter at an archaeological site called 'Riparo del Broion' on the Berici Hills in the Veneto region, near Venice. The tooth is the first ever human remain to be found at the site

Homo sapiens WERE to blame for Neanderthal extinction A supercomputer may have finally ended the debate over what caused the extinction of Neanderthals. Mathematicians used the enormous processing power of the IBS supercomputer Aleph to simulate what happened throughout Eurasia around 40,000 years ago. It revealed that the most likely explanation for Neanderthal extinction is that Homo sapiens, who migrated into Europe around the time of the extinction of Neanderthals, were better hunters and out-competed them for food. Humans and Neanderthals are known to have overlapped, and even mated, but the superior brain power of Homo sapiens eventually wiped out their distant cousins. Experts have long quarrelled over whether it was tumultuous climate patterns, competition for food with Homo sapiens or the interbreeding with this new species that ultimately led to the demise of Neanderthals. Advertisement

It is also inherited only from the mother and therefore paints a picture of maternal heredity.

The owner of this tooth had a mother who was descended from Neanderthals that had lived in Belgium, the DNA revealed.

'This small tooth is extremely important', says Stefano Benazzi, professor at the University of Bologna and research coordinator.

'This is even more relevant if we consider that, when this child who lived in Veneto lost their tooth, Homo Sapiens communities were already present a thousand kilometres away in Bulgaria'.

The early findings are published in the Journal of Human Evolution and researchers are still delving through the other findings the archaeological site has revealed.

For example, there are many signs of hunting and that the site was used to butcher large animals.

'The manufacturing of tools, mainly made of flint, shows Neanderthals' great adaptability and their systematic and specialized exploitation of the raw materials available in this area', adds Marco Peresanti, a professor of the University of Ferrara who contributed to the study.

Neanderthals first arrived in Europe around 350,000 years ago and lived without rivals until around 45,000 years ago, when Homo sapiens first ventured into Eurasia.

When Homo sapiens  modern humans  moved into Europe they hunted the same animals and sought the same plants to survive a Neanderthals.

This proximity led to mingling and even interbreeding, Neanderthal DNA can be found in modern-day humans to this day.

It is believed the two species managed to co-exist for around 8,000 years, but the competition over limited resources led Neanderthals to extinction at some point between 43 to 38 thousand years ago.

A map showing the relative dates at which humans arrived in the different Continents, including Europe 45,000 years ago.Humans and Neanderthals co-existed for about 8,000 years before Neanderthals went extinct
New Delhi, Sep 19 : Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharman on Friday said that the majority of the additional resources in the first batch of the Supplementary Demands for Grants would be spent on people-centric schemes amid the coronavirus pandemic.

In her reply to the debate on the Supplementary Demands for Grants for 2020-21 and the Demands for Excess Grants for 2016-17 in the Lok Sabha, she said it is probably for the first time that the government has sought such a huge amount in the first batch of the Supplementary Demands for Grants.

Late on Friday evening, the Lok Sabha approved the supplementary demands for additional spending of Rs 2.35 lakh crore, including a cash outgo of Rs 1.66 lakh crore.

The Centre has sought Rs 40,000 crore for providing grants for the creation of capital assets under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and for the transfer of funds to the National Employment Guarantee Fund.

It has sought an additional expenditure of Rs 30,956.98 crore for providing Grants-in-Aid General for Direct Benefit Transfer to Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana's women bank account holders.

Further, to meet the expenditure towards recapitalisation of the Public Sector Banks through the issue of government securities, it has sought an approval for the expenditure of Rs 20,000 crore.

Approval for expenditure of Rs 4,000 crore has been sought for meeting an additional expenditure towards Grants-in-Aid General to National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Ltd (NCGTC) for the Guarantee Emergency Credit Line (GECL) facility to eligible MSME borrowers.

The first batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants for financial year 2020-21, among other things, included a sum of Rs 46,602.43 crore required for providing additional allocations under the Post-Devolution Revenue Deficit Grant (Rs 44,340 crore) and Grants-in-Aid General for States Disaster Response Fund (Rs 2,262.43 crore) as per the accepted recommendations for the 15th Finance Commission.

The government expenses have increased of late and are likely to increase further due to the coronavirus pandemic and the eventual economic slowdown.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Under a relevant bill passed by the National Assembly, any single expenditure exceeding 2 million drams ($4,100) must be declared to the Commission on Prevention of Corruption. That includes money spent on leisure, debt repayment or the purchase of real estate, cars or other expensive items.

The state commission has until now scrutinized only income and asset declarations filed by senior government officials, parliamentarians, judges as well as their family members. It can ask law-enforcement bodies to prosecute individuals suspected of making false disclosures. It can also conduct its own inquiries into possible conflicts of interest.

The bill will extend the asset declaration requirement to local government officials and members of the municipal councils of Yerevan and most other urban communities. In addition, it requires the officials in question to also disclose properties and cars which they use but do not formally own.

Presenting the bill to lawmakers on Thursday, Justice Minister Rustam Badasian described the tougher financial disclosure rules as an additional safeguard against corruption in Armenia.

The bill was approved by 101 votes to 17. Voting against it were deputies from the opposition Bright Armenia Party (LHK).

The Armenpress news agency quoted one of them, Taron Simonian, as saying that the LHK supports the measure in principle and will back its passage in the second reading if the government accepts amendments drafted by his party.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has repeatedly claimed to have eliminated systemic corruption after coming to power in the 2018 Velvet Revolution. The number of corruption cases brought by Armenian law-enforcement authorities has risen sharply since the dramatic change of government. The most high-profile cases have involved former top government officials and individuals linked to them.

Nevertheless, Pashinian said in February that he is not satisfied with the results of the corruption investigations. He said law-enforcement bodies must do more to recover funds stolen from the state.

In April, Pashinians government pushed through the parliament a controversial bill that allows prosecutors to investigate individuals suspected of having assets the market value of which exceeds their legal incomes by at least 50 million drams ($103,000). The prosecutors can ask courts to nationalize those assets if they find such discrepancies.

Earlier this month, the Office of the Prosecutor-General set up a special division tasked with handling possible asset seizures.
Turkey appears increasingly pressed to downscale its goals in the conflict in Libya, which has become closely intertwined with its gas exploration rows in the eastern Mediterranean. The course of developments in the region dictates a more realistic attitude from Ankara, including acceptance of Egypts role in Libya, provided that certain Turkish expectations are met, and even laying the ground for normalizing ties with Cairo.

With settlement efforts gaining pace, Egypt has proved capable of mediating between the opposing sides in Libya, though it had thrown its weight behind the eastern forces fighting the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) and its Misratan allies, which Turkey has backed with military, intelligence and militia support. Ankaras rigid attitude in the conflict has reduced its clout to influence over only its allies. And the infighting in the GNA presents a further risk to Turkish interests in the upcoming settlement process.

In other words, Turkey has failed to preserve the advantage it gained through its scale-tipping military intervention since the rival parties called for a cease-fire last month, opening the door to negotiations. The arm-wrestling between GNA head Fayez al-Sarraj and his interior minister, Fathi Bashagha, has made Ankara realize that it cannot control everything in Tripoli by deploying soldiers and militia. Certainly, those setbacks do not mean that Turkey will bow out and let others run the show.

The parties in Libya were forced into talks by a stalemate on the battlefield after Egypt drew a red line at the strategically significant Sirte and al-Jufra and Russia reinforced the region in response to Turkeys military intervention, which had set Sirte, al-Jufra and the Oil Crescent as its next targets after securing Tripoli. An Egyptian-sponsored cease-fire proposal by the eastern forces  represented by Khalifa Hifter, commander of the Libyan National Army, and Aguila Saleh, head of the Tobruk-based House of Representatives  in early June was followed by simultaneous cease-fire calls from Saleh and Sarraj on Aug. 21.

Ensuing street protests across Libya over economic grievances further pushed the parties toward negotiations as the rivalry between Sarraj and Bashagha boiled over in late August. Sarraj suspended Bashagha who, many believed, was eyeing the premiers post with Turkeys support, and replaced other key officials in Tripoli. In the east, the popular anger forced the resignation of the government allied with the House of Representatives.

Amid the fast-moving events, Turkey focused on keeping the GNA from unraveling. As a result, Bashagha, whose influence draws on the Misratan forces, was reinstated. Yet Sarraj irritated Ankara by moving to diversify his foreign ties, while reinforcing his position at home. Having already replaced the chief of general staff, Sarraj sought to tighten his grip over security, intelligence and media bodies, promoting figures who irked the Muslim Brotherhood and Misratan groups and even triggered calls for civil disobedience.

Since the Sarraj-Bashagha showdown, many have tended to see an anti-Turkish move in any step Sarraj takes. He seemed to back off from a meeting in Paris, to which Saleh and Hifter were invited as well, after his apparent willingness to attend sparked questioning of his loyalty to Ankara. But Bashagha, too, has been courting France and Egypt, despite leaning on Turkey.

Either way, both actors remain in need of Turkeys support at present, as evidenced by Sarrajs Sept. 6 visit to Ankara, shortly after Bashaghas trip to Turkey that had coincided with his suspension. Sarraj was the one to sign the maritime demarcation deal with Ankara in November 2019, reportedly under Turkish pressure and fears of Tripoli falling to Hifter. The accord, which became a mainstay of Turkeys gas exploration claims in the eastern Mediterranean, remains without a parliamentary ratification and its survival depends on the survival of the GNA.

On top of all those controversies, Sarraj announced Sept. 16 a desire to hand over [his] duties to the next executive authority no later than the end of October. Referring to the settlement efforts, he expressed hope that the dialogue committee will complete its work and choose a new presidential council and prime minister.

By speaking of stepping down while trying to consolidate power, Sarraj is believed to be trying to get rid of pressures ahead of prospective peace talks in Geneva. For Ankara, his announcement resonates as a warning: If Im gone, the maritime accord is gone as well. The move, however, might stoke the infighting in Tripoli.

In sum, the balance among its Libyan allies is too fragile to allow Ankara to steer them as it wishes. This, in turn, makes it all the more difficult for Ankara to steer the dialogue between its allies and their eastern opponents.

Delegations from the House of Representatives and Tripolis High State Council held five-day talks in Morocco last week, reaching some understandings on power-sharing. The talks sparked objections from several dozen members of both bodies, who complained about the composition of their respective delegations. Khaled Mishri, head of the High State Council who is close to Turkey, said the talks were of consultative nature and not binding for the council.

Also last week, representatives of Sarraj and Saleh held talks in Cairo, agreeing to set a date for elections no later than October 2021, restructure the GNAs Presidential Council on the basis of a 3+1 formula  one president and two deputies and an independent prime minister  and address economic issues such as wealth management and equitable distribution of resources.

The Cairo meeting followed Sarrajs latest visit to Ankara, where the mood was far from upbeat. Cairos emergence as a platform for reconciliation is not something that Ankara prefers, but also not something that it is seeking to prevent. Turkeys flexibility can be attributed to several reasons. Above all, Ankara realizes that Libyas main oil fields have gone beyond its reach after the Russian buildup in Sirte and al-Jufra and that it will now remain stuck in the Tripoli-Misrata enclave. And with the fragile coalition in Tripoli creaking, Ankara has no option but to give way to negotiations.

In return for acquiescing to Egypts role, Turkey hopes to make certain gains, namely the sidelining of Hifter as a solution partner and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) exclusion from the settlement process.

The talks in Cairo were limited to representatives of Saleh and Sarraj, thus meeting Ankaras reservation on Hifter. And if Egypts mediation would push back the role of the UAE, the chief sponsor of the 14-month siege on Tripoli, that would be a lesser evil for Ankara, which sees Emirate interference in its areas of interest as more dangerous.

Another factor compelling Turkey to acquiesce to Egypts role is Russias influential posture on the ground. It was Russias delicate engineering that raised Salehs profile on the eastern camp at the expense of Hifter. Hence, Russia is Turkeys only channel to exert influence on the eastern forces.

Last but not least, breaking the ice with Egypt in Libya might give Turkey room to maneuver to pull Egypt away from Greece, its chief adversary in the eastern Mediterranean. Last month, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan revealed ongoing contacts with Egypt on the level of intelligence officials amid growing calls in Turkey, led by influential retired generals, to mend fences with Egypt and Israel to break Turkeys isolation in the eastern Mediterranean. While Ankaras support for the Muslim Brotherhood  Cairos archenemy  remains a fundamental stumbling block, Turkeys allies in Libya, too, acknowledge that Egypt is a crucial neighbor and has legitimate security concerns.
One year into NABU's war against Bakhmatyuk, his company has lost more than the value of assets abandoned in the occupied Crimea and Donbas as a result of the Russian aggression. Over this period, 9,000 Ukrainians have lost their jobs, taxes paid by the company have dropped by 50% and the national economy has lost 0.3% of GDP.

In his column on Ukrayinska Pravda, Oleg Bakhmatyuk discusses the fallout for the economy from war waged by NABU against his companies, Ukrlanddfarming and Avangard.

September 18, 2020, marks one year since the case against Oleg Bakhmatyuk was reopened despite having been previously investigated and closed for lack of evidence of a criminal offence. According to him, the year has exposed the drawbacks of the decision-making framework of the anticorruption authorities and how the poor decision-making is harming the state and business companies. "We are witnessing a very interesting tendency: over the past couple of years, public trust in NABU and Sytnyk has hit bottom. As few as 1.1% of the respondents are fully satisfied with Sytnyks performance in his post. NABU has record-low performance ratings, while the degree of public distrust in the fight against corruption declared by the government serves as a clear performance evaluation of the bureau and its director," concludes Bakhmatyuk.

"Im not claiming it is that particular case has opened peoples eyes to the value Sytnyk adds in his post, which is reflected unambiguously in NABUs performance evaluation by the Ukrainian public. But the Pysaruk/Bakhmatyuk case serves as a spectacular example, an acid test showing that the anticorruption framework is not working, that it is only creating an illusion of activity by certain officials and serves as a weapon against personal or political enemies."

Bakhmatyuk reveals that before NABU started attacking him as part of the case against VAB Bank, the Ukrlandfarming/Avangard Group had created 30 thousand jobs and paid UAH 7.7 billion over the past three years, generating 1% of GDP.

"We are talking about thousands of community projects in social work, infrastructure and culture, we have supported local arts and sports. This is a company that I have been building since 1991. It was around the time when one of the founders of the Anticorruption Centre NGO aka ANTAC was serving 10 years in prison for theft, while I was actively rehabilitating 1,800 assets in 20 regions of Ukraine."

Now ANTAC claims that the case against me is not affecting my company in any way.

"I can see through their motives: they are people who have never worked in the real economy, they have no idea how pressure being put on the company owner is limiting the companys access to credit and other financing opportunities for its projects, how partners reduce business with the company being pressurised by law enforcement to mitigate risk," explains Bakhmatyuk.

The businessman sums up the consequences for the economy and state budget from the attacks against him by Artem Sytnyk: 9,000 jobs lost; some 20 egg farms and animal feed mills closed; taxes paid down by 50%; output down by 30%; community project support substantially reduced.

"In the whole world, a business that generates real GDP is supported by the government, not the other way around. We do not expect support but we expect top officials to hear us and evaluate the consequences. Those consequences are not only affecting Bakhmatyuk and his company, those are consequences for the economy of Ukraine as a whole. Agriholding Avangard lost 30% of its assets to the Russian aggression. Sytnyks personal war against me has cost the company 50% of its capacity," concludes Bakhmatyuk.

Just as a reminder, the case against Pysaruk and Bakhmatyuk was opened on allegations of misappropriation of proceeds of refinancing extended by the NBU to VAB Bank in 2014. Expert opinions by the Deposit Guarantee Fund confirm that the proceeds were used according to their designated purpose, they were paid out to depositors. Furthermore, Bakhmatyuk has made a personal pledge promising to repay UAH 8 billion to the state, he has not had any response from the NBU however.
President Donald Trump's promise to deliver a safe vaccine this year, or maybe even sooner, has become central to his reelection campaign. - AFP

Only half of Americans are now willing to take a vaccine for Covid-19, a significant drop due to growing concerns the approvals process will be rushed.

Fifty one per cent of people would be happy to take a vaccine if it was available today, according to a new poll by the Pew Research Group, which found 77 per cent were worried it will be distributed before its safety and effectiveness are fully understood.

Intent to get a Covid-19 vaccine has fallen from 72 per cent in May, a stunning 21 percentage point drop.

A decline was seen among people of all political persuasions, however, Democrats and those who lean to the Democratic Party are 14 percentage points more likely than Republicans to say they would probably or definitely get a vaccine: 58 per cent to 44 per cent.

The poll surveyed 10,093 American adults between September 8 and 13, around the time British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca announced it was temporarily halting trials after a participant suffered a neurological side effect.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr Robert Redfield attends at a hearing of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee reviewing coronavirus response efforts - Getty

Among the roughly half of Americans who say they would not get a vaccine, 76 per cent said concern about side effects is a major reason why they would definitely or probably not get it.

It also came after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it could use its emergency use approval for a Covid-19 vaccine before the final trial phase was complete.

Researchers are still not sure how effective a Covid-19 vaccine will ultimately be. The FDA has said it would authorise a vaccine if it was safe and at least 50 per cent effective in preventing the disease or decreasing the severity of infections, although Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has said scientists are hoping for a vaccine that is at least 75 per cent effective.

Donald Trump has publicly contradicted and undermined leading members of the science community, then asked the public to trust him to deliver a safe and effective vaccine.

Story continues

Earlier this week, he poured scorn on Dr Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), for saying a coronavirus vaccine would not be widely available before the middle of next year.

Florida supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump, with few of them wearing masks because of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, - Reuters

Dr Redfield also rankled Mr Trump by saying face masks are more guaranteed to protect me against Covid than when I take a Covid vaccine.

"I think he made a mistake when he said that. It's just incorrect information," Mr Trump responded on Wednesday in a press briefing. "I believe he was confused. I think he just misunderstood the question, probably."

The presidents promise to deliver a safe vaccine this year, or maybe even sooner, has become central to his reelection campaign.

Health and science experts say that Mr Trumps repeated swipes at government scientists have, however, undermined public trust and reduced confidence in an eventual vaccine.

Approval ratings on his handling of the coronavirus outbreak plummeted. Joe Biden, Democratic presidential nominee, is now leading on the issue in almost all national polls.

At least 194,000 people have died of the novel coronavirus in the US since February. More than 6.6 million cases have been reported in the country, while the global case count surpassed 30 million on Thursday, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
18.09.2020 LISTEN

I was appalled to hear a Chinese national has been installed as a Chinese (King) in one of the villages in the Kwahu area of the Eastern Region of Ghana.

I don't know the motivation of the people in the area who decided to bestow the honour to the Chinese citizen. I know that such practices have been common in the countries where multiple villages have enstooled "Chiefs" from Europe and America in their villages, in most cases as pretext for development help.

As Christian's, l believe all human beings are created in the image of God and we are all better off living in peace and harmony.

That said, China's human rights record is legendary and known worldwide. The CCP's (Chinese Communist Party) treatment of Uighurs, the Rohingya and Falun Gong minorities among others, has drawn international condemnation.

Ghanaians with the many ethnic groups have worked to coexist peacefully through intermarriage and boarding school systems that have brought all ethnic groups together, a practice that has literally erased violent animosities toward each other.

As Ghana and, for that matter, African navigate the complex relationships with the new economic juggernaut, China,it is important that our leaders identify and preserve some of our cherished and eschew discriminatory practices that Chinese national might bring along with their investments.

Fissures have already begun to appear as the unequal economic partnerships between China and Africa are brought into sharp relief. Rumours abound that certain museums in China have been depicting Africans as less than human and are therefore incapable of governing themselves.

During the recent pandemic that began in Wuhan, many Africans were allegedly evicted from apartments and their belongings thrown into the streets ostensibly being black.

Pregnant African women in some provinces in China are reported to have been denied natal care services. Within Ghana itself, it is alleged that certain restaurants have denied access to Ghanaian patrons. Such insensitive is true, are bound to hurt the emerging relationships between China and her African counterparts.

On the economic front, there is a growing concern among many Africans with weak and corrupt governments that China is taking us for a ride. Hungry, uniformed bureaucrats are rumoured to sign bogus contracts written in Chinese that seriously compromise the future well being of Africans. Because of bogus, unvetted loans, large deaths of state enterprises have been allegedly mortgaged to the Chinese y our unwitting and corrupt public officials. As of writing, it is rumoured that certain lucrative entry ports have taken over by China as collateral for unpaid loans.

Clearly, Ghana and Africa relationship with have an unequal relationship with China. Most countries have been compromised by large infrastructure loans that on the positive side of the ledger, benefit the larger masses of the people. On the other side, such loans tend to weaken and compromise national identities and pride.

If Ghana and Africa are to develop and learn from the Chinese experience, serious attention must be paid to real development, meaning, manufacturing the basics that we so easily import from China and elsewhere. In the case of Ghana, the Akufo Addo government should tighten its control on illegal mining, galamsey, mostly financed by the Chinese Nationals, a practice that had polluted our major bodies of water and ravaged the environments where innocent Ghanaians live.

As for the Chinese Nana recently installed in Kwahu, the people in the area ought to determine what the purpose is, and what benefits they derive from such an enrollment?

By Thomas A. Djan

California. USA
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine is working on the Military Security Strategy, based on the current doctrinal foundations of the National Security Strategy, put into effect by President of the country Volodymyr Zelenky on September 14, 2020, Defense Minister Andriy Taran has said.

"The newest National Security Strategy, adopted by the Supreme Commander, contains an unambiguous imperative to receive an invitation and join the Action Plan for NATO membership. The stated goal is full membership in the Alliance. We proceed from this in organizing our work on the draft Military Security Strategy," the ministry's press service quoted Taran as saying on Friday.

He also noted that the Ministry of Defense took an active part in the development of the National Security Strategy of Ukraine.

Now, a working group headed by First Deputy Defense Minister Ivan Rusnak has been created to process the drafts of the Ukrainian Military Security Strategy and the Strategic Defense Bulletin of Ukraine. In addition to specialists from the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, it includes representatives of the President's Office, the National Security and Defense Council, the Cabinet Secretariat, the National Institute for Strategic Studies that make up the defense forces, as well as the Council for Assisting the Implementation of Reforms of the Ministry of Defense and the Public Council under the Ministry of Defense.

"The outstripping pace of rapprochement with the Alliance, as evidenced by the granting of the status of a partner with expanded capabilities to Ukraine back in June, makes it possible to speak of the achievability of the implementation of such an ambitious goal as full membership in NATO. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry has already begun systematic work to accelerate defense reform in line with NATO norms, principles and standards. This found practical and concrete content in the form of projects introduced in ten priority areas," Taran emphasized.
By Azernews





By Akbar Mammadov

Azerbaijans delegation to NATO Parliamentary Assembly has said that Armenias military provocations against Azerbaijan threatens the energy security of the Black Sea region.

Member of Azerbaijans delegation Malahat Ibrahimgizi made the remarks during the online meeting of the Committee on Economy and Security of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly held on September 16.

Malahatqizi said that Armenias military provocation in July on Azerbaijans Tovuz border region, which is only 15 km from the countrys energy lines, shows that there is a threat in the region.

I call on the NATO PA to take serious steps to prevent such steps. This is very important for ensuring the energy security of the Black Sea region, she said.

It is even sadder that Armenia resorted to such provocations at a time when the whole world is struggling with COVID-19. The fact that Anna Hakopyan, the wife of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan came to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and participated in military exercises with women, further ignites the existing tension, Ibrahimgizi said.

During the meeting, the Azerbaijani MP also spoke about the recent escalation of tensions between Turkey and Greece.

We believe that Turkey's activities in the eastern part of the Mediterranean within the principles of international law will serve peace and development in the region as a whole, the MP said.

She further said that the Azerbaijani public appreciates the role and efforts of NATO in reducing the growing tension between Turkey and Greece. She suggested that the NATO PA be more active on this issue.

The event was attended by representatives of NATO PA member and associate countries.

Addressing the meeting, the Latvian chairman of the committee, Ivan Klementiev, commended Azerbaijan's contribution to Europe's energy security.

The agenda included draft reports and organizational issues on the Gulf Crisis and Global Energy Markets by Jean-Marie Bockel (France), the Black Sea Region: Economic and Geopolitical Tensions by Ausrine Armonaite (Lithuania).




















Miserable Melburnians are enduring hours trapped in traffic jams as Victoria Police enforce Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews' 'Ring of Steel' around the city.

Highways leading out of Melbourne on Friday have been clogged with cars as ordinary citizens attempt to travel out of the metropolitan area to work.

Traffic headed into Geelong, southwest of Melbourne, stretched back for 13 kilometres all the way from Little River to past Werribee as police performed identity checks on motorists.

The ring of steel will tighten around Metropolitan Melbourne's city borders with increased police checks (police checkpoint pictured) as regional Victoria lifts coronavirus lockdown

Police continue to cause Melburnians pain at checkpoints around the city

Traffic on the freeway leading to Geelong out of Melbourne on Friday stretched back for 13 kilometres

Under the regional travel crackdown under COVOD-19 restrictions, Victorian who leave a restricted area without a lawful excuse will be handed a $4957 fine.

The new law came into effect at midnight on Wednesday, with drivers warned to expect long delays.

On the other side of town, motorists attempting to travel along Sydney Road towards the Hume Highway were also trapped.

Similar scenes were taking place near Ballarat on the Western Highway - west of Melbourne.

A day earlier, motorists in country Victoria reported equally frustrating delays as traffic near Nar Nar Goon came to a stand still.

Police have said they will attempt to stop every vehicle at the seven permanent checkpoints and at a new mobile stop along the Mornington Peninsula, which remains in Stage Four lockdown despite being on the other side of Port Phillip Bay among farms and vineyards.

Social media was awash with comments from angry motorists, whom have enjoyed near empty highways now for weeks during Stage Four lockdown.

Many motorists entering the areas carry work permits allowing them access into the COVID-free regional areas.

On Friday, Mr Andrews remained unapologetic about the checkpoints and declared it was 'the only way' to stop Melburnians' seeding regional areas with COVID-19.

Mr Andrews said police were stopping up to 80 per cent of motorists during the peak hours and as much as 100 per cent at other times.

At his media briefing this afternoon, Mr Andrews refused to discuss proposed changes to the permit system, such as allowing permitted motorists to display some kind of notice on the windscreen which might help them pass through checkpoints faster.

Melbourne remains under draconian Stage Four lockdown, which limits movement to within five kilometres of a resident's home without a work permit.

Police are also patrolling country backroads after crafty Melburnians were caught bypassing their initial roadblocks earlier this year.

Officers are also checking buses and country V-Line trains as well as using number plate recognition software.

A Melburnian's view on Friday as he attempted to travel from Melbourne into Geelong for work

On Thursday, police were scared off by a bit of rain and let traffic into Geelong flow freely

Melburnians are being subjected to a 'ring of steel' around the city keeping them locked in

Melburnians lucky enough to still have a job continue to suffer through police check points

Those caught by police will also be turned around and sent back to Melbourne in addition to copping a fine.

They love to have visitors - but they love to be virus-free, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said on Wednesday.

Permitted workers, including some truck drivers, will be allowed to pass through the checkpoints, but will not be exempt from the wait times.

Deputy Commissioner of Regional Operations Rick Nugent said more vehicles would be stopped at border checkpoints including all vehicles towing campervans, boats, jetskis, fishing gear or swags.

'There will be delays at these checkpoints and for that I am sorry but we have to do all we can to ensure people from metropolitan Melbourne dont travel to these areas,' he said.

'They love to have visitors - but they love to be virus-free,' Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said on Wednesday.

On Thursday, photographs showed how a part of Melbourne's ring of steel was left unattended by police because of heavy rain.

The image showed the Little River checkpoint on the Princes Freeway near Geelong unmanned due to wet weather.

It was captured about 8.30am, while cars continued to travel past the dreary and unchecked barrier.

On Friday, it had some Melburnians stuck in traffic praying for rain.

Traffic chaos greeted Melburnians travelling to work in Geelong on Friday

Social media has lit up with complaints from angry motorists
The US Commerce Department will ban TikTok and WeChat from the US starting this Sunday. At first, TikTok will be mostly unaffected  if you have the app installed, it will continue to function, but you wont receive any updates for it (and you wont find it in the store for a fresh install).

WeChat faces harsher restrictions  the new rules make it illegal to transfer internet traffic from WeChat or using any code or services from the app, including transferring funds and processing payments.

These rules will be applied to TikTok on November 12 as well if owner ByteDance hasnt reach an agreement to sell the US operations to an American company. This seems to be a grace period to not hamper negotiations, but it may be in vain.

Oracle edged out Microsoft in the sales talks, but a few days ago CGTN (an English-language TV station owned by China) reported that ByteDance will not sell to a US company. Now insiders from the White House claim that President Trump has refused the terms of the Oracle/ByteDance deal and plans to block it.

Note that the bans only affect TikTok and WeChat operations within the US. This shouldnt have an effect on either app elsewhere in the world as even American companies are allowed to deal with ByteDance outside of the US. Otherwise Google and Apple may have been forced to remove the apps from their stores globally.

Todays actions prove once again that President Trump will do everything in his power to guarantee our national security and protect Americans from the threats of the Chinese Communist Party, said U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. At the Presidents direction, we have taken significant action to combat Chinas malicious collection of American citizens personal data, while promoting our national values, democratic rules-based norms, and aggressive enforcement of U.S. laws and regulations.

Source 1 | Source 2 | Source 3
Coronavirus Update: Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Thursday said that the Covid-19 tally of Inidia crossed the 52-lakh mark with a spike of 96,424 new cases and 1,132 deaths in the last 24 hours.

Indias COVID-19 case tally crossed 52-lakh mark with a spike of 96,424 new cases and 1,174 deaths in the last 24 hours, said Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare on Friday. The total case tally in the country stands at 52,14,678 including 10,17,754 active cases, 41,12,552 cured/discharged/migrated and 84,372 deaths.

Among the States, Maharashtra has 3,02,135 active COVID-19 cases, Karnataka 1,03,650, Andhra Pradesh 88,197, Uttar Pradesh 68,235, and Delhi 31,721. Meanwhile, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 6,15,72,343 samples have been tested for COVID-19 up to 17th September. Of these, 10,06,615 samples were tested yesterday.

Andhra Pradesh reported 8,702 new COVID-19 cases and 72 deaths reported in Andhra Pradesh in the last 24 hours. Total cases in the state rose to 6,01,462, including 5,08,088 recovered and 5,177 deceased. Active cases stand at 88,197, said Andhra Pradesh Health Department on Thursday.

Also read: Hopeful coronavirus vaccine will be available in India next year: Harsh Vardhan

Also read: Rajnath Singh parliament speech: Made it clear, no change in status quo

Karnataka reported 9,366 new COVID-19 cases, 7,268 discharges and 93 deaths on Thursday, taking the total number of cases to 4,94,356 including 1,03,631 active cases, 3,83,077 discharges, and 7,629 deaths, according to State Health Department.

Delhi on Thursday reported 4,432 new cases taking the total number of coronavirus cases in the national capital to 2,34,701. As per the health department bulletin, the death toll due to the virus stands at 4,877 after 38 succumbed to COVID-19 today.

As many as 4,531 new COVID-19 cases and 10 deaths reported in the state on Thursday. The number of active cases now at 34,314, said Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

A total of 1,192 new COVID-19 cases reported in Uttarakhand on Thursday. The total number of cases in the state is now 37,139 including 24,810 recoveries, 11,714 active cases, and 460 deaths, said State Government.

Punjab reported 2,896 new COVID1-9 cases and 57 deaths on Thursday, climbing the total number of cases to 90,032 including 65,818 recoveries, 21,568 active cases, and 2,646 deaths, said State Health Department.

As many as 1,467 new COVID-19 cases reported in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday 785 from Jammu division and 682 from Kashmir division. The total number of cases now at 59,711 including 20,239 active cases, 38,521 recoveries, and 951 deaths, the government of Jammu and Kashmir said.

Manipur reported 110 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total to 8,430, including 1,840 active cases. A total of 51 deaths reported in the state, according to the state health department on Thursday.

As many as 10 more COVID-19 patients discharged from the hospital till 5 pm on Thursday in Mizoram. COVID-19 tally in the state rose to 1506, including 949 discharges. Active cases stand at 557, said Department of Information and Public Relations, Government of Mizoram.

COVID-19 tally in Puducherry rose to 21,428, including 16,253 recoveries and 431 deaths. Active cases stand at 4,744, the government of Puducherry said on Thursday.

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Thursday said that he is hopeful that by the early next year, the vaccine will be available in India and added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has handled Covid-19 meticulously.

History will remember Prime Minister Narendra Modi for meticulously monitoring the entire situation himself. India is making efforts just like other countries. Under Prime Ministers guidance, an expert group is looking at it and we have advanced planning in place. We are hopeful that by the start of next year, the vaccine will be available in India, he said in the Rajya Sabha.

Responding to Congress MP Anand Sharmas query in the Rajya Sabha, Vardhan said that six scientific agencies gave scientific data on the basis of which it was stated between 14-29 lakh cases were prevented by the coronavirus lockdown.

Also read: India China standoff: Indian Navy tracks Chinese research vessel in Indian Ocean
A rare type of Linux malware that targets VoIP telephony switches to steal metadata from call details has been discovered. ESET, a cybersecurity firm from Slovakia, said the CDRThief malware is designed to target two softswitches produced in China, the Linknat VOS2009 and VOS3000.

CDRThief works by querying internal MySQL databases used by the softswitches to gain an understanding of the VoIP platform architecture. The malware then exfiltrates private data from the switch, including call detail records (CDRs), which contain information about caller and recipient IP addresses, call duration, fee and starting time of the call.

"Based on the described functionality, we can say that the malwares primary focus is on collecting data from the database," wrote Anton Cherepanov, senior malware researcher at ESET. "The malware can be deployed to any location on the disk under any file name."

"At the time of writing we do not know how the malware is deployed onto compromised devices," he added. "We speculate that attackers might obtain access to the device using a brute-force attack or by exploiting a vulnerability. Such vulnerabilities in VOS2009/VOS3000 have been reported publicly in the past."

ESET said it's difficult to determine the ultimate goal of attackers using CDRThief. They conclude that since the malware is designed to steal sensitive information like call metadata, it is most likely being used for cyberespionage or VoIP fraud.

And since attackers focus on stealing information on VoIP softswitch and gateway activity, the data may be used to perform International Revenue Share Fraud (IRSF). That scheme involves premium phone numbers, which are typically used to support automatic, phone-based purchases. Those numbers are offered by International Premium Rate Number (IPRN) providers, which charge telephone companies a high fee to relay calls on those numbers. Those costs are passed down to customers through monthly invoices or real-time phone crediting systems. Companies renting the premium numbers also get a cut of the profits for driving callers to that number.

Many unscrupulous IPRNs have realized they can drive more traffic, and profits, by enabling spammers and criminal groups to abuse their networks. The result is IRSF schemes, which have become increasingly popular and are difficult to detect. Malware is one of the most common gateways to this type of scheme.

Edited by Maurice Nagle
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-19 03:41:02|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- UN special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen on Friday called for a nationwide ceasefire in the country, on the basis of relative calm situation on the ground.

"While Syria is calmer than before, worrying incidents continue that could destabilize that calm," Pedersen said at the Security Council.

"I appeal to all relevant actors to contain these violent and destabilizing incidents, build on the relative calm that exists and, as Resolution 2254 calls for, establish a nationwide ceasefire to protect civilians, maintain international peace and security, and support a political process," he said.

Security Council Resolution 2254 was unanimously adopted on Dec. 18, 2015, calling for a ceasefire and political settlement in Syria.

Pedersen also called on Russia and the United States to advance their dialogue toward a political settlement in Syria.

"I encourage Russia and the United States to advance their dialogue and for them and other key players, including the Astana Guarantors (Russia, Turkey and Iran) and those who meet in the Small Group (the Foreign Ministers of the Small Group on Syria), and the members of this Council, to work with me toward our common goal in Syria: a political settlement in line with Resolution 2254," he added.

Russia, however, urged the West to move to halt Israeli strikes on Syria.

"We also see Israeli strikes in Syria. In this regard, we are calling on our Western colleagues to ... exert their influence on those who really continue to wage war in Syria," Russia's UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said. Enditem
In the U.S., WeChat is largely used by the Chinese diaspora. And its quite probable that a small segment of those users oppose the U.S., its democratic system of government and maybe even communicate their plans over chat. In truth, an even bigger risk to the freedoms for which the U.S. stands is that Chinese dissidents in America might use the app and Beijing most likely tracks them. A third concern is that the Communist Partys increasingly heightened censorship regime is being deployed on WeChat at the expense of American citizens (largely of Chinese ethnicity) entirely within U.S. borders.
Tom Lichtenheld was a star art director at a Chicago ad agency, doing childrens books as a side gig, when his creative director mentioned knowing someone from a stint at another ad agency who wrote childrens books, too and offered to make introductions. Lichtenheld and Amy Krouse Rosenthal were instantly simpatico: 10 books, several awards, and a full-time book writing career for Lichtenheld followed. Little did [the creative director] know that he was setting me up to quit my job, Lichtenheld said with a laugh. The duos final book, Moo-Moo, I Love You! was finished by Lichtenheld after Rosenthal died of ovarian cancer in 2017; it arrives this month. Amy and I had a wonderful collaborative relationship, he said.

Can you tell us about that first meeting?

We met in Millennium Park. It was a hot summer day, we took off our shoes, and had our feet in the fountain. Amy said, I have an idea for a book. She got out her pen, drew OK on the palm of her hand, and said, When you turn it sideways it looks like a stick figure, a person. I think theres a book idea in that. And I said, Id like to work on that book with you. [The OK Book was published in 2007.]

We got contracts for a couple more books, and with Amys prompting I [eventually] left my advertising job and we continued to work together. I was not real secure about quitting my job [at first]. I was used to a regular paycheck my whole career, and publishing is never a sure thingI tell people I never know how much Im going to make and I only get paid twice a year.

What was the collaborative process with Amy like?

It was never traditional. She never sent me a manuscript and said, Illustrate this book. We both had worked in advertising, and in that business, two people sit in a room and come up with ideas together. You cant take it personally, youre just riffing, you have to be fast, and ultimately, theres no sense of who drew what and who wrote whatyoure in it 50-50.

Wed get together every six or nine months, maybe meeting in a coffee shop, and throw all our scraps on the tablehalf-baked ideas or half-baked notions. Id see something and shed expand on it or vice versa.

It really felt good when I had a good idea that was only 75% there, and Id show it to Amy, or the other way around. Shed been working on Exclamation Mark (2013) for a while, and she couldnt get past the pivotal turning point in the book, and I said, What if we did this? I was working on I Wish You More (2015) and while Id sold it to a publisher, they said its not fully baked yet. I asked Amy to help me, and between the publisher and Amy they figured out what to do with it.

We didnt always agree. Our tastes were probably different in some ways. She was great at telling me when she didnt think my drawings were good enough. She made one tiny little comment about the detail in a girls foot, and I realized the whole drawing stunk and I had to do it over again.

How did Moo Moo take shape?

Amy called me one day and said she had an idea based on moo puns. I was in New York when she called me, and Id had a terrible day. She said, I want to do this book thats just a bunch of moo puns, and I said, Thats a terrible idea and I love it. I started working on it right at LaGuardia, and it just lifted my spirits. She wanted to do it as a novelty book, a gesture from one adult to another. That became Holy Cow, I Sure Do Love You (2017).

Abrams had always said theres a childrens book in Holy Cow. But we kept putting it aside and then Amy got sick. She passed away in 2017, and a year later the publisher asked if I would finish the childrens version [which became Moo-Moo]. Amys husband Jason was all for it. I said let me try it and see how it feels and it felt goodit felt like I was reconnected to her. And I know its something she would have wanted and appreciated.

The beginning is hers: I love you no matter your moo-d. Good moo-dBad moo-dWorried moo-dShy moo-dSad moo-dSilly moo-d. I had worked with her enough that I could channel her voice and write the rest of italthough its tough to come up with enough content based on one phonetic sound. You come up with the first eight really fast. Then I got to the part where I had to take a walk and let the words come to me instead of trying so hard.

Your books together deal with some big topics like emotional resilience, being brave, and self-esteem. Theyre ideas that have tripped up many picture book authorshow did you find a way to handle them without being sentimental or preachy?

Kids dont like preachy books. They can sniff them out a mile away. You have to come at them through a story rather than a message. Its like a parable: good parables are good stories first and foremost. Sometimes, people tell you what the message is. There are times when Ill release a book and a teacher will tell me, Thats a good book for identifying emotions. Well, I had no idea I was creating a book about identifying emotions.

Amy got there the same way through story or through a device. She saw an ATM machine and made stickers that read, Always Trust Magic. Like any artist, Amy saw ordinary things apart from their prescribed context then shared them in a new context, making them extraordinary. She paid attention to things most of us ignore, and she was always paying attention. In a 2013 tweet, Amy turned this trait into advice about how to liveor changeyour life. Pay attention to what you pay attention to. Thats pretty much all the information you need. Amy was profoundly aware that, while we may not have much control over the amount of time we get to spend experiencing the world and the people around us, we do have control over how meaningful that time will be.

Moo-Moo, I Love You! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld, illus. by Tom Lichtenheld. Abrams, $17.99, Sept. 22 ISBN 978-1-4197-4706-9
SEATTLE>> A U.S. judge on Thursday blocked controversial Postal Service changes that have slowed mail nationwide, calling them a politically motivated attack on the efficiency of the Postal Service before the November election.

Judge Stanley Bastian in Yakima, Washington, said he was issuing a nationwide preliminary injunction sought by 14 states that sued the Trump administration and the U.S. Postal Service.

The states challenged the Postal Services so-called leave behind policy, where trucks have been leaving postal facilities on time regardless of whether there is more mail to load. They also sought to force the Postal Service to treat election mail as First Class mail.

The judge noted after a hearing that Trump had repeatedly attacked voting by mail by making unfounded claims that it is rife with fraud. Many more voters are expected to vote by mail this November because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the states have expressed concern that delays might result in voters not receiving ballots or registration forms in time.

The states have demonstrated the defendants are involved in a politically motivated attack on the efficiency of the Postal Service, Bastian said.

He also said the changes created a substantial possibility many voters will be disenfranchised.

Bastian, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, said he planned to issue a written order by Friday, but that it would be substantially the same as the injunction sought by the states.

Postal Service spokesman Dave Partenheimer said in a statement the organization is reviewing its legal options, but that there should be no doubt that the Postal Service is ready and committed to handle whatever volume of election mail it receives.

Lee Moak, a member of the USPS Board of Governors, called the notion any changes were politically motivated completely and utterly without merit.

Following a national uproar, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a major donor to President Donald Trump and the GOP, announced he was suspending some changes  including the removal of iconic blue mailboxes in many cities and the decommissioning of mail processing machines.

But other changes remained in place, and the states  including the battlegrounds of Michigan, Wisconsin and Nevada  asked the court to block them. The states sought to have the leave behind policy revoked; election mail treated as First Class mail rather than as slower-moving categories; the reinstallation of any mail processing machines needed to ensure the prompt handling of election mail; and that the court hold DeJoy to his promise to suspend other changes.

Led by Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, the states said the Postal Service made the changes without first bringing them to the Postal Regulatory Commission for public comment and an advisory opinion, as required by federal law. They also said the changes interfered with their constitutional authority to administer their elections.

At the hearing, Justice Department attorney Joseph Borson sought to assure the judge that the Postal Service would handle election mail promptly, noting that a surge of ballots in the mail would pale in comparison to increases from, say, holiday cards.

He also said slow-downs caused by the leave behind policy had gotten better since it was first implemented, and that the Postal Service in reality had made no changes with regard to how it classifies and processes election mail. DeJoy has repeatedly insisted that processing election mail remains the organizations top priority.

Theres been a lot of confusion in the briefing and in the press about what the Postal Service has done, Borson said. The states are accusing us of making changes we have not in fact made.

Voters who are worried about their ballots being counted can simply promptly drop their ballots in the mail, he said, and states can help by mailing registration form or absentee ballots early.

Borson also insisted that the states also were required to bring their challenge not in court, but before the Postal Regulatory Commission itself  even though by law the commission has 90 days to respond. Bastian rejected that notion, saying there was no time for that with the election just seven weeks away.

The states conceded that mail delays have eased since the service cuts first created a national uproar in July, but they said on-time deliveries remain well below their prior levels, meaning millions of pieces of mail that would otherwise arrive on-time no longer are.

They also noted some of the effects the changes had already wrought: Michigan spent $2 million earlier this year on envelopes that met election mail standards  only to learn that the Postal Service wouldnt treat them as first class mail. In Madison, Wisconsin, the number of ballots that werent counted because they arrived late for the August primary doubled from the August 2018 primary.

Further, they cited research from information technology consultant Mynor Urizar-Hunter, who helped start a website tracking the USPS changes, noting that 78% of the machines slated for removal were in counties won by Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016.

The states suing are Washington, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia  all led by Democratic attorneys general.

Pennsylvania is leading a separate multistate lawsuit over the changes, and New York and Montana have filed their own challenges.
Morigaon:

A junior engineer in Assam's Nagaon district was allegedly made to apologise by touching the feet of a BJP MLA for removing the legislator's car blocking the road to the office, a BDO official said.



The action recorded in camera of a TV news channels and in front of eyewitnesses showed Jayanta Das, of Kothiatoli Development Block touching Raha constituency MLA Dimbeswar Das' feet in the Block Development Office (BDO), the official said.



The MLA had gone on a sudden inspection of the office on Thursday and the JE, on duty, finding Das' car blocking the road to the office, got it removed from there, sources said.



This angered Das' supporters and they reported the matter to him, they said.



The BJP MLA was seen in the video-clip scolding the engineer, who then touched Das' feet in apology. Das, however, denied before the media later that the JE touched his feet in apology.

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Burma Myanmars COVID-19 Cases Approach 4,000 in Month

Myanmars government says it is conducting up to 5,000 COVID-19 tests per day. / Htet Wai

Yangon  Myanmars COVID-19 cases have exceeded 4,000 after around 1,000 cases were reported in four days, according to the Ministry of Health and Sports.

On Friday morning, Myanmar reported 4,299 COVID-19 cases, including 61 deaths and 944 recoveries.

Myanmar has been facing a surge of COVID-19 cases since Aug. 16, when the countrys first domestic transmission in a month was detected in the Rakhine capital, Sittwe.

Myanmars COVID-19 cases hit 2,000 on Sept. 10, a week after hitting 1,000 on Sept. 3.

The numbers of cases were reported at 3,000 on Sept. 14 with up to 300 cases being added per day.

According to the health ministry, COVID-19 cases have been reported in 151 townships across the country with only Kayah State reporting no coronavirus cases.

In the 34 days since Aug. 16, Myanmar reported 3,925 COVID-19 cases, compared to 374 cases between March and Aug. 16.

Myanmar now has the fifth-highest number of reported COVID-19 cases in Asean.

Myanmar reported only six COVID-19-related deaths by Sept. 4 but 55 fatalities have been reported in the two weeks since.

Initially, Myanmar reported only 374 cases in the five months since March 23, when the countrys first case was reported.

Thursday was Myanmars most deadly day with 20 deaths, overtaking the 12 COVID-19 deaths on Sept. 14.

On Thursday, Yangon, the worst affected region, reported 2,279 cases since Aug. 16, followed by Rakhine State with 886 cases.

This week Yangons three COVID-19 hospitals have been reaching capacity, leading the regional government to build temporary hospitals for mild and asymptomatic patients.

Despite the surge in cases, Professor Zaw Wai Soe, the vice-chairman of Yangons coordinating COVID-19 prevention, control and treatment committee, told the media on Thursday that the treatment system was working well because of sufficient medical staff, hospital beds and medicines.

He said the health ministry is running a containment strategy, treating all patients and putting everyone thought to be a coronavirus risk in quarantine.

The results will be clear in two weeks if we can maintain the containment procedures, said Professor Zaw Wai Soe.

He said the reported cases were stabilizing, suggesting the spread of the virus is under control because of the publics cooperation.

I thank people and beg everyone to follow the preventative guidelines. We have the virus under control, with transmissions being kept to the hundreds, due to public cooperation. The daily cases will rise to several thousand without the publics cooperation, Professor Zaw Wai Soe said.

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Islamabad, Sep 18 : Pakistan on Friday categorically rejected any possibility of allowing a Queen's Counsel by India to represent Kulbhushan Jadhav, who is currently on death-row in a Pakistan jail.

During a weekly press briefing, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said that allowing a Queen's Counsel to Jadhav was out of the question.

"Allowing a Queen's Counsel for Jadhav is out of the question as only a lawyer with licence to practice in Pakistan can appear before the court," he said.

Queen's Counsel is a barrister appointed as Counsel to the UK's crown on the recommendation of the Lord Chancellor.

Jadhav's case is currently being heard in the Islamabad High Court (IHC), which gave India another chance to appoint and represent Jadhav during the last hearing.

However, India's latest demand has been rejected by Islamabad, stating that it has already provided consular access to Jadhav besides giving an open call to India to appoint a lawyer to represent him in the court.

"Pakistan had already given uninterrupted and unimpeded consular access to Jadhav and is ready to extend the same in future as well," said Chaudri.

Pakistan maintained that it is abiding by the judgment of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and blamed India for opting for delaying tactics in the case.

The IHC is hearing the review and reconsideration case of Jadhav following the verdict of the ICJ. India has called for the appointment of a Queen's Counsel or an Indian lawyer in the case of Jadhav. However, Pakistan has maintained that only practicing lawyers in Pakistan will be available.

Pakistan claims to have arrested Jadhav in Balochistan province in 2016. He was later handed a death sentence after going through trial in Pakistani military courts. The decision was later brushed aside by the ICJ after India took up the matter at the highest level.

Pakistan claims that Jadhav has confessed to his crimes and that he was involved in terror activities, espionage and spying with an aim to spread unrest and claim the lives of Pakistani people.

"India is consistently making efforts to evade the Jadhav case," the Pakistan foreign office spokesperson said.

After the ICJ verdict, Pakistan gave consular access to Jadhav. However, India has said that the consular meetings were interrupted and recorded with the presence of Pakistani security officials in the room.
Justice Sikiru Oyinloye of the Kwara state High Court has sentenced 29-year-old Usman Muhammed, pictured above, to six months imprisonment for posing as a lady and using nude photos of some women to dupe innocent men.

Muhammed was dragged before the court by the Ilorin zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a one-count charge of impersonation.

Adenike Ayoku, an operative of the EFCC told the court that Muhammed who was arrested in his residence in Abeokuta in Ogun State is an internet fraudster who pretended to be female and used female nude photographs sourced online to fraudulently obtain money from unsuspecting internet users as evidenced in his Facebook and WhatsApp accounts.

The charge against Muhammed read

That you, Usman Muhammed (a.k.a Adepeju Omolara and Guns Omolara Valle), sometime in February, 2020 or thereabout at Ilorin, Kwara State, within the jurisdiction of his honourable court, attempted to commit an offence of cheating by impersonation by pretending and representing yourself to be a woman called Omolara Adepeju and Guns Omolara Valle, to unsuspected men on social media as it contained in both your Facebook and WhatsApp conversations on your phone and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 95 of the Penal Code Laws of Northern Nigeria.

Muhammed pleaded guilty to the charge when it was read to him.

While delivering his judgement, the presiding judge said the prosecution team proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and that the prosecutions evidence was neither challenged nor contradicted by the defendant.

He ordered the convict to pay a fine of N50,000 (Fifty Thousand Naira only ) within 24 hours, or be remanded in prison for six months. The judge also ordered that Muhammeds two phones which were used to perpetuate the crime should be forfeited to the Federal Government.
With two new Humble ISD elementary schools on the way, families near Fall Creek and Humble may soon send their children to a different place.

The official attendance zones for Elementary School No. 30 and Lakeland Elementary were approved at the Humble ISD school board meeting on Sept. 8. Trustees voted for the B zoning selection for Elementary 30 and option C for Lakeland Elementary.

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Located in the Fall Creek neighborhood, the attendance zone at Elementary 30 is not rigid and will offer the option of a flex zone, covering planning units 3F and 3G, just to the west of the new campus. Neighborhoods in this zone include Stonegrove Fall Creek, Woods Edge, Forest Glade, Water Crest, Deer Creek and Hunters Crossing.

In this case, if a parent or guardian in the flex zone area chooses for their child to attend Fall Creek Elementary School, the transfer is automatically accepted but they are responsible for transportation, according to Deputy Superintendent Roger Brown.

The number of students residing in the flex zone is stable and is not expected to grow or decline over the next few years, Brown said in an email statement. Therefore, the building capacity at Fall Creek Elementary and Elementary 30 should accommodate choices that parents in the flex zone make for their children regarding which school to attend.

Students can choose to remain at their current school through fifth grade, and while they attend, their siblings will be automatically granted into the same school so families can stay together.

More Information Elementary 30 attendance zone neighborhoods Falls at Eagle Creek Standard on the Creek Lake Point Autumn Falls Water Oak Magnolia Falls Heather Glen Stonegrove Fall Creek (flex zone) Woods Edge (flex zone) Forest Gladen(flex zone) Water Crest (flex zone) Deer Creek (flex zone) Hunters Crossing (flex zone) Sunset Ridge West (excluding section 5 and 7 which are part of 12F, see map) Advenir at Eagle Creek Arla at Ralston Reserve at Parks Lake Park Lakes East Lakeland Elementary School attendance zone neighborhoods Laurel Place Harmony Cove Meadow Brook Carriage Trailer Park Ferguson Place River Apartments Carolyn Court Colony of Humble Countryside Villages Intercontinental Villages Houston Ave Duplexes Barrington Court Condos Memorial Glen Parkside Esperanza at Wilson Rd Wilson Apts Wilson Rd Duplexes Tour 18 Estates Rustic Pines River Pines Elementary attendance zone neighborhoods Woodland Pines I Woodland Pines II Cypress Creek Atascocita Atascocita Heights Blackstone Creek Atascocita Acres Atascocita Trace Jack Fields Elementary attendance zone neighborhoods North Lake Manor Benders Creek Timberwood J.L. Ranchland Cedar Pond Rankin Rd Quads Rankin Country North Hollow Estates Audubon Park I Atascocita Village Atascocita Pines Audubon Park II Classic Pines Estates Atascocita Springs See More Collapse

For Lakeland Elementary, which will relocate from Montgomery Lane to Rustic Timbers Drive in Humble, there will not be a flex zone. With the decision for attendance zone option C, some neighborhoods will be zoned to River Pines and Jack Fields elementary schools.

The options provided to trustees were provided by the School Attendance Area Committee, Brown. Both campuses were funded by the 2018 voter-approved bond.

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Paul Edwards will serve as the principal at Elementary School No. 30 following his previous job as principal at Emerson Elementary School in Everett, Washington. He served as an associate principal at Summer Creek High School from 2011 to 2013.

I will be focused on doing whatever it takes to create a school environment that is supportive of all and guides students to achieve at a high level, Edwards said in a press release.

savannah.mehrtens@chron.com
A Democratic lawmaker wants the Pentagon to buy American when it comes to its Military Working Dog program.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut included an amendment in the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act that would require the U.S. Air Force, which oversees the Pentagon's program, to conduct a business case study on what it would take to purchase dogs from U.S. breeders instead of European sources.

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"I was surprised to learn from the Air Force that the vast majority of our working dogs are actually born and bred in Europe, which raises costs and puts us in competition with other countries," Blumenthal said in a statement to Military.com on Wednesday. Bloomberg News was first to report the story.

"I wanted to do what I could to help establish a strong program to breed working dogs here at home, where we already have an expert training program. Our provision in this year's NDAA takes the first step toward that goal by assessing what resources are necessary for the Department of Defense to meet increasing demands for military working dogs by supporting American breeders," he said.

The Air Force budgets roughly $5 million annually for the program, buying about 450 dogs each year, according to service spokeswoman Laura McAndrews. The dogs are trained at the 341st Training Squadron, an extension of the 37th Training Wing at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. The 341st, which trains and cares for working dogs in the DoD and other government agencies, has a separate operational budget of about $8 million, she said in an email.

It costs about $5,500 to buy a dog from Europe, according to statistics provided by the Air Force. The service pays about $9,000 per dog in the U.S.

The domestic market has slimmed in recent years, McAndrews said, especially for the type of dogs the Pentagon wants, including the Belgian Malinois and German Shepherd breeds.

"There simply is no market value to a vendor in operating a breeding program to the capacity needed to meet the demands of the DoD," she said, adding that these breeds are readily available in Europe because of "an almost century-old tradition of breeding, training, selling and competing with trained police-style working dogs in almost every country of Western and European Europe."

It was not immediately clear whether there are additional costs to move the dogs across the Atlantic; McAndrews could not provide that information by press time.

"Regardless of procurement location, the cost to train is approximately $60,000 per dog," she said.

The Pentagon bought 427 working dogs last year -- 214 from domestic vendors and 213 from overseas. But of the 214 dogs procured domestically, 194 were born in Europe, the service said.

Turning to American breeders may become a necessity in the near term, Blumenthal said, solely due to demand for the dogs.

Blumenthal noted dogs are no longer considered just "military equipment" and are instrumental in augmenting troops on the battlefield.

"We've made huge strides to protect and support these heroic animals ... expanding their access to medical care and making adoption easier," he said. "I also included language in NDAA to require a new Comptroller General report on the welfare and health of working dogs across the federal government."

Some military working dogs have even become famous over the years. For example, President Donald Trump last year awarded an achievement medal to Conan, the Belgian Malinois who chased Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi into a tunnel before the man detonated a suicide vest.

Similarly, Cairo, also a Belgian Malinois, in 2011 helped secure the perimeter and sniff out bombs around the house where a Navy SEAL team took out Osama bin Laden, the terror leader behind the 9/11 attacks.

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.

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Jo Malone has said she feels 'humiliated,' after the perfume brand she founded made the 'despicable and disgusting,' move to cut John Boyega from a Chinese advert.

The Star Wars actor has stepped down from his role as a global ambassador for Jo Malone London after the company cut the black actor from the Chinese version of an aftershave advert he helped create.

Jo Malone today distanced herself from the brand, which is now owned by Estee Lauder, saying she sold it in 1999 and left the brand altogether in 2006.

The 56-year-old said she has been left 'to deal with the mess,' following the huge criticism that came with Boyega's removal.

Speaking on ITV's Lorraine today, she said: 'It's been done in my name, but also people think it's me. The brand that I started at that kitchen sink bears none of my spirit and personality and today I would say has nothing to do with me at all.'

The entrepreneur and cancer survivor explained how the backlash had impacted her, saying: 'I didn't sell my dreams and aspirations and I didn't fight for my life to sit here and live in this way

'I will fight, I have fought many times in my life, for my life, and I'm going to fight for it back, for my reputation and everything that I believe in.

'I feel totally alone, first of all, I've reached out to no more than three people, I feel so humiliated.'

Jo Malone London has apologised to John Boyega, pictured at a BLM protest in London in June, for cutting him out of an advert when it was remade for the Chinese market

Boyega, 28, said the fragrance firm's decision was 'wrong,' writing on Twitter that while he accepted companies use different representatives around the world, 'dismissively trading out one's culture this way is not something I can condone'.

Jo Malone London had earlier apologised after removing Boyega, best known for playing Finn in the Star Wars films, from the advert, which has since been removed.

In a statement announcing he was stepping down from his ambassadorial role, Boyega said: 'Their decision to replace my campaign in China by using my concepts and substituting a local brand ambassador for me, without either my consent or prior notice, was wrong. The film celebrated my personal story- showcasing my hometown, including my friends and featuring my family.

'While many brands understandably use a variety of global and local ambassadors , dismissively trading out one's culture this way is not something I can condone.'

The British star came up with the idea for the original advert, which shows him enjoying time with his friends and family where he grew up in Peckham, south London.

Jo Malone has distanced herself from the brand she founded, saying she was 'humiliated,' by its decision to cut John Boyega from a Chinese advert

The Star Wars actor, 28, said the fragrance firm's decision was 'wrong,' writing on Twitter that while he accepted companies use different representatives around the world, 'dismissively trading out one's culture this way is not something I can condone'

Mr Boyega also directed the advert, based around his personal experiences, for the scented candle brand, titled London Gent.

But in China the advert was recast without any black actors.

Instead it features Chinese actor Liu Hoaran in Mr Boyega's starring role.

Boyega, who has also starred in Detroit and Attack the Block, only discovered about his removal on social media, something Jo Malone herself said was 'utterly despicable and disgusting'.

She added: 'I know apologies have been issued, but I'm sorryx, this is someone's life.

'This is my life, this is his life.

'Don't sit behind an apology, no one's being human about this. Jo Malone London, Estee Lauder corporation, this is your mess clear it up.'

Jo Malone London has apologised to Mr Boyega, saying it was a 'mistake' to try and replicate his personal experiences using a different actor.

The company said in a statement: 'We deeply apologise for what on our end was a mistake in the local execution of the John Boyega campaign.

'John is a tremendous artist with great personal vision and direction. The concept for the film was based on John's personal experiences and should not have been replicated.'

Boyega in his Jo Malone London advert. In the Chinese version he was replaced by actor Liu Hoaran

Boyega's advert, which he directed and appeared in, featured him riding a white horse

The company said that while it 'immediately took action' and removed the local version of the campaign, 'we recognise that this was painful and that offence was caused'.

It added: 'We respect John, and support our partners and fans globally. We are taking this misstep very seriously and we are working together as a brand to do better moving forward.'

Mr Boyega, who is a global ambassador for Jo Malone, did not know about the recasting of the Chinese advert and only found out about it on Twitter, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

The actor has previously said of the advert: 'There are several people in this video that have either given me a place to stay in LA while I haven't had one or just have been consistent in our friendship for years.

'It's about breaking free of the concept of 'going back or returning to your roots', but more about the roots existing with this new side of my life.'

All the black cast members were replaced when the advert was recast and remade for the Chinese audience

Liu Hoaran gazing at a bottle of perfume in the Chinese version of the advert John Boyega originally conceived for the brand

Mr Boyega, 28, also directed the advert, based around his personal experiences, for the scented candle brand, titled London Gent

He has been minimised in Chinese marketing material before. In 2015, the Chinese poster for the new Star Wars film featured a much smaller version of his character Finn compared with the original.

The actor has recently spoken out about the racism he experienced after taking the Star Wars role.

Referring to a social media campaign to boycott the films because of his casting, he said: 'I'm the only cast member who had their own unique experience of that franchise based on their race... it makes you angry with a process like that.'
YSRCP MP V. Vijayasai Reddy speaks in Rajya Sabha during the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament, amid the coronavirus pandemic, in New Delhi.  PTI photo

In an unprecedented manner, the executive and judiciary in Andhra Pradesh are on a collision path, openly targeting each other. An uneasy calm that prevailed for months has ended and the ruling YSR Congress on Thursday launched a direct attack against the AP High Court.

Apparently following instructions of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, the ruling party floor leaders in both Houses of Parliament, P. Mithun Reddy and V. Vijayasai Reddy, sought to draw the highest law-making bodys attention to what they described as injustice meted out in the hands of judiciary.

The AP judiciary is not impartial and it has to be stopped, said Vijayasai Reddy in the Rajya Sabha. Though he was taking part in a debate on Covid, the YSRC Parliamentary party leader went on to describe the onslaught of judiciary on his partys government.

Party MPs also staged a dharna in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue on Parliament premises, demanding a CBI probe into the Amaravati scam, a plea that had been rejected outright by the High Court. It is unfortunate that courts are hindering the investigation into scams. As lawmakers, we have the right to raise the issue in Parliament and speak about the functioning of the judiciary in AP, he told reporters.

Back in Vijayawada, senior YSRC leader and municipal minister Botsa Satyanarayana termed the gag order of the High Court as unfair and wondered how courts could announce that incumbent governments have no right to probe the policy decisions their predecessors particularly when the people in power had got pecuniary benefits out of those decisions.

AP High Court unhappy with YSRCs criticism

The ruling party outbursts came a day after the High Court stalled the probe into the alleged Amaravati land scam in which some influential people, allegedly privy to confidential information, had acquired lands in proposed capital region for a cheaper price.

The AP High Court was unhappy over the ruling party leaders criticising its judgments and even its sympathisers hurling abuses against judges. At one stage, the Registrar General highlighted in her affidavit in a case that the state government was not happy with the judgments. Later, she amended the affidavit replacing the word government with some ruling party leaders.
By Agencies

NEW DELHI: Lauding the passage of three agriculture reform Bills in the Lok Sabha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said it will help farmers and the farm sector to get rid of middlemen and other bottlenecks.

The Prime Minister also slammed the Opposition for allegedly misleading the farmers and assured the farming community that minimum support price (MSP) and government procurement of their produce will continue along with several other options for them.

"I congratulate the farmers of the country for agrarian reform Bills that have been passed in the Lok Sabha. These will help farmers to get rid of the middlemen who take large prices of their produce while delivering it to the customers. These Bills will act as a shield for the farmers," he said while addressing an inaugural programme of "Kosi Rail Mahasetu" in poll-bound Bihar today.

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"There are people who had ruled the country but are now attempting to confuse the farmers on this subject. They are spreading lies about these Bills. They are propagating that the benefit of MSP will not be given to the farmers by the government. It is also being said by them that the government will not buy paddy-wheat etc from farmers. This is a lie. Farmers of the country have to be careful of these people. They should be wary of those who ruled the country for decades and are now lying to them," the Prime Minister said.

"Our government is committed to providing fair prices to farmers through MSP. We have been doing this in the past and will continue to do so in the future. Also, the government procurement will continue just like before," the Prime Minister assured.

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Opposition parties such as Congress, Trinamool Congress, Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) have opposed these bills claiming it to be "anti-farmers." Moreover, Union Minister of Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal had on Thursday resigned over the passage of these Bills.

Notably, the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill 2020, Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 and Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill have been passed in Lok Sabha yesterday. These Bills will now be tabled in the Upper House.

Farmers have been given new independence in agriculture. They'll now have more options & opportunities to sell their produce. I congratulate them on passage of Bills. It was necessary to bring these to protect them from middlemen. These are farmers' shields: PM. #AgricultureBill pic.twitter.com/c2MIJwAxK3  ANI (@ANI) September 18, 2020

(Inputs from ANI)
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, learns about progress in consolidating poverty eradication at a villager's home in the village of Shazhou, Rucheng county, Central China's Hunan province, Sept 16, 2020. [Photo/Xinhua]

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, underlined the people-oriented nature of the Party and highlighted the importance of support from the people during an inspection tour of Chenzhou, Hunan province.

Xi, who is also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks on Wednesday as he visited the home of a descendant of Xu Jiexiu, an impoverished woman who offered shelter in November 1934 in Shazhou, a village in Rucheng county, to three female soldiers during the Long March of the Red Army.

The three Red Army soldiers, upon their departure, cut their only quilt in half, leaving one part with Xu in a gesture of kindness.

Over eight decades later, Zhu Xiaohong, Xu's grandson, has managed to shake off poverty, with his family now running catering and restaurant services in the village while he works as a guide at a scenic spot.

"It was with the support of the people that our Party attained its glorious history and achievements. The change in your family also told a story that the Party sticks to its people-oriented nature and honors its words," Xi said while talking with Zhu.

The Party has always remained true to its original aspirations, and the people also see the Party as their own, he said.

As a Party member and a leading Party official, Xi said he also keeps receiving education and getting inspiration to perform his duties well andtogether with the 1.4 billion Chinese people and over 90 million Party membersmake the country more developed and the people even happier.

While inspecting the village service center, Xi stressed the need to make grassroots-level public services more targeted and better cater to the people's needs.

He also called for better training of grassroots service staff to enhance their awareness and capacity to serve the people.

On Wednesday, the president also visited a primary school in Rucheng county, where fourth-graders shared stories with him they have learned about the Long March.

He told the students that the revolutionary cause must be passed down from one generation to the next, and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation can be realized by today's younger generation.

He compared the students to saplings, saying that they should grow into towering trees of the nation.

Xi said he expected the students to study hard, make progress every day, and be well-prepared to join the socialist cause.
A man in Wisconsin made a disturbing discovery while searching for sea glass along Lake Michigan.

James Senda said he was taking a walk along a beach at Myers Park in Racine Tuesday morning when he noticed something wrapped in aluminum foil, WDJT reported.

Senda stopped and picked it up.

Curiosity got to me, so I popped it open and it looked like a chicken breast  kind of. It took a little bit for it to really (register) what was going on, he told WITI.

Senda said the object appeared to be a brain, according to the outlet.

Warning: the photos below are graphic.

The brain was wrapped in the foil with a flower and what appeared to be foreign currency, WDJT reported.

Police responded to the beach just before 9 a.m., The Journal Times reported.

Officials opened an investigation and sent a sample of the object to the medical examiners office for testing, according to the newspaper.

Police said the medical examiner determined the brain is not human, WDJT reported. It has not been reported what animal the brain came from.

Racine is about 25 miles south of Milwaukee along Lake Michigan.
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Designer Christian Siriano closed out a scaled back New York Fashion Week on Thursday with a splash.

To be more accurate, it was Canadian model Coco Rocha who made the splash at his behest as he hosted a runway show in the grounds of his Connecticut estate complete with wooden runways over his swimming pool.

As the finale to the socially-distanced event which featured catwalk models in masks, Rocha, who's pregnant with her third child, waded into the water in her elaborate red gown and matching wide-brimmed hat.

Lady in red: Coco Rocha headlined Christian Sirano's NYFW show on Thursday which was held at the designer's Connecticut estate with runways over the swimming pool

Got her feet wet: The Canadian model, 32, made quite a splash when she closed out the event by wading into the pool as guests looked on

No stopping her: Rocha didn't blink as she got deeper into the water trailing her elaborate red gown behind her

She's in: Soon only her head with its wide-brimmed red hat popped up above the pool coping as the material from her dress floated out around her

Before getting wet, Rocha, 32, had looked stunning in the designer's long-sleeve dress that had a dramatic high-low ruffled hemline.

The outfit was paired with matching color hat and heels as well as a cloth face mask in the same shade of red.

After her dip, the dark-haired beauty had to be helped from the pool by an assistant due to the weight of the water-logged gown.

Poise: Before getting wet, Rocha, who's pregnant with her third child, had looked stunning in the long-sleeve gown with a dramatic high-low ruffled hemline

Needed rescuing: After her dip, the dark-haired beauty had to be helped from the pool by an assistant due to the weight of the water-logged gown

The fashion show had 80 attendees who sat socially distanced on lawn chairs on the grass with picnics, according to WWD.

Siriano, 34, told the outlet that it was the most expensive fashion show he's ever produced and revealed that Sex And The City star-turned-footwear designer Sarah Jessica Parker had supplied the shoes for the show.

The designer purchased his Westport, Connecticut estate in January and his 6,000-square-foot mansion sits surrounded by lush woodsy grounds.

He explained to WWD that he had been inspired to hold his runway show at his home by the 1991 Christina Applegate movie Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead.

'At the end, they have this fashion show at her home and they do a bridge over the pool,' Siriano said. 'I just love that movie. It made me want to be a fashion designer. I had never seen a movie about a designer before.'

Opulent lifestyle: Siriano, 34, purchased the Westport, Connecticut mansion with its woodsy grounds in January and decided to hold his show there with COVID-19 protections in place

Outdoor viewing: The fashion show had 80 attendees who sat socially distanced on lawn chairs on the grass with picnics, according to WWD

Eclectic: Siriano told WWD it was the most expensive fashion show he's ever produced and revealed that Sex And The City star Sarah Jessica Parker had supplied the shoes for the show

Done before: Siriano was inspired by the 1991 Christina Applegate movie Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead, explaining: 'At the end, they have this fashion show at her home and they do a bridge over the pool'

Pose star and fashion icon Billy Porter was also on hand to take in the looks and naturally put on quite a show himself.

The actor, 50, was dressed in a silver chainmail suit with tailored jacket and flared trousers.

He added a matching wide brimmed hat set at a jaunty angle on his head and chunky platform black boots.

His black cloth face mask matched his black shirt.

Eye-catching: Pose star and fashion icon Billy Porter was on hand and put on quite a show himself. The actor, 50, wore a silver chainmail suit with tailored jacket and flared trousers

Coordinated look: He added a matching wide brimmed hat set at a jaunty angle on his head and chunky platform black boots

Pandemic fashion: Models, guests and staff all wore face masks

Earlier, before proceedings got underway, Rocha had posed for photos in her regular street clothes, proudly showing off her baby bump.

The Toronto native, who is married to British interior designer James Conran, is already mom to daughter Ioni, five, and son Iver, two.

She told People in late July that she and her husband are expecting another girl who is due before the end of this year.

Pregnant: Earlier, before proceedings got underway, Rocha had posed for photos in her regular street clothes, proudly showing off her baby bump
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The global structural adhesives market size is expected to reach USD 29.32 billion by 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. expanding at a CAGR of 6.4% over the forecast period. Increasing production of vehicles and aircraft are anticipated to boost the growth of the market.

Replacement of fasteners with advanced adhesives is anticipated to open new market opportunities for vendors over the coming years. Fabricators in aerospace, automotive, wind energy, marine, and other industrial sectors are likely to shift to bonding products in the future. Moreover, the use of these products in industrial applications is also beneficial in the reduction of cost and fast cycle time.

Sustainability is another major driving force in the global structural adhesives market. Adhesives are increasingly being used to create lightweight cars to reduce fuel emissions and to construct energy efficient buildings, which are expected to boost demand for bio-based polymers extracted from renewable resources.

International organizations such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Food & Drug Association (FDA) have laid down specific regulations and guidelines for structural adhesive production. OTC RACT Rule in North America regulates common pollutants that negatively impact the ozone layer, environment, and human health; it is also increasingly targeting VOC emission limits on a range of final products.

Specific products for marine, industrial, and wind blade applications are now being developed by many companies. For instance, UK based Gurit is focused on the production of adhesives, which are primarily used for infusion and hand layup processes for epoxy-based composites. Yacht building is another niche segment application where positive demand for products has been observed in recent years.

Increasing development of new products is driving market growth. Manufacturers are focused to overcome formulating and technical challenges. This has pushed the use of new designs and materials in industrial manufacturing. Increased demand for bonding with the requirement of flexibility and strength is gaining prominence in the automotive industry. There is also a requirement to reduce the vibrations and noise in the automobiles, which can further boost the products demand in the sector. Large assemblies in buses and commercial trucks are also projected to contribute to industry growth.

To request a sample copy or view summary of this report, click the link below:

https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/structural-adhesives-market

Further key findings from the report suggest:

In terms of revenue, urethanes held highest market share of 58.8% in 2018. The growth in this segment is attributed to increasing demand of plastics in automotive and other industrial sectors

In terms of volume, cyanoacrylic segment is projected to grow at CAGR of 9.0% during forecast period. High industrial output from end-use industries is fueling the demand for this segment

In terms of volume, water based adhesive accounted for 55.8% of share in 2018. Growing need to reduce the VOC emissions has boosted the demand for water based products

Asia Pacific was leading region with volume share of 48.4% in 2018. The growth of the region is attributed to expansion of end-use industries in India and China

In terms of revenue, Europe is projected to grow at a CAGR of 4.0% from 2019 to 2025 on account demand from aerospace and automotive industries

Some of the key players present in the structural adhesives market are 3M Company, DOW, Sika AG, Henkel AG & Co and Ashland Inc. Many players are into development of new products for niche categories. Increasing R&D expenditure to further boost the demand for competition in the industry

Grand View Research has segmented the global structural adhesives market report on the basis of product, technology and application, and region:

Structural Adhesives Product Outlook (Volume, Kilotons; Revenue, USD Million; 2014 - 2025)

Urethanes

Epoxy

Acrylic

Cyanoacrylic

Others

Structural Adhesives Technology Outlook (Volume, Kilotons; Revenue, USD Million; 2014 - 2025)

Water Based

Solvent Based

Others

Structural Adhesives Application Outlook (Volume, Kilotons; Revenue, USD Million; 2014 - 2025)

Transportation

Construction

Consumer Appliances

Furniture

Others (Industrial Machinery, Medical Devices, Packaging)

Structural Adhesives Regional Outlook (Volume, Kilotons; Revenue, USD Million; 2014 - 2025)

North America US. Canada Mexico

Europe Germany UK France

Asia Pacific China India Japan Korea

Central and South America Brazil

Middle East & Africa

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.
A couple claim an attempted break-in at their home is to blame after their dog escaped their property and mauled a little girl.

Dog owner Hayley-Jay Hounslow and her partner Jaime Proietti fronted Brisbane Magistrates Court on Friday following the incident in April 2019.

Hounslow's American Staffy, named Hudson, had escaped the couple's Mount Gravatt East home before setting upon a little girl, the Courier Mail reported.

She was left with injuries that required surgery and a partial amputation of her ear while the dog was later euthanised.

Dog owner Hayley-Jay Hounslow and her partner Jaime Proietti fronted Brisbane Magistrates Court on Friday following the incident in April 2019

Hounslow's American Staffy, named Hudson, had escaped the couple's Mount Gravatt East home before setting upon a little girl

Hounslow and Proietti were both away from home but returned following the attack and were questioned by council investigators.

The court heard in an interview Hounslow claimed her dog did not jump over or dig under the 120cm wire mesh enclosure that housed the American Staffy.

She claimed her partner found the mesh cut and scratches around the window as well as a smudge on the glass pane.

Council's Zoe Sinclair said in the interview there was a lack of witnesses to back up claims of a break-in.

'Nobody heard anything, saw anything suspicious  can you see how this looks?' she said.

Prosecutor Mark Thomas said the outcome of the case hinged on whether or not the pair had taken adequate steps to keep the dog on the property.

Hounslow has pleaded guilty to failing to register the dog with Brisbane City Council.

She has pleaded not guilty to failing to take reasonable steps to ensure the dog did not attack a person and failing to ensure it did not wander.

Proietti has pleaded not guilty to all three charges.
with light to moderate intensity rain would occur over parts of Rajasthan during the next two hours, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) informed on Friday.

with light to moderate intensity rain are likely to occur over Nagar, Deeg, Jhunjunu, Mehandipur Balaji, Bayana, and Bharatpur here.

"Thunderstorm with light to moderate intensity rain would occur over and adjoining areas of Nagar, Deeg, Jhunjunu, Mehandipur Balaji, Bayana & Bharatpur in Rajasthan during the next 2 hours," wrote on Twitter.

(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.)
Unisex fashion label Telfar and furry boot afficionados Ugg are set to collaborate in a new collection set to launch in 2021.

The new project was announced via a teaser video clip shared on the official Telfar Instagram page on Thursday.

At just five seconds in length, the video shows a man turning to face the camera in a black, skin-tight, crew-neck t-shirt with a hybrid design of the Ugg and Telfar logos reimagined in rhinestones.

The clip was followed by a second video showing the brands founder and designer, Telfar Clemens, wearing a number of pieces that may be from the new collaboration, including the brands signature boots, a fur hat, shearling-lined vest and neutral sweater.

If something feels good and doesn't look right, that's when I know I'm on to something, he says in the clip.

When you make clothes at the end of the day, you're touching people, you're all over people's bodies.

And if I'm going to touch people, I want them to feel good, he says.

Clemens admiration for the California lifestyle brand goes back to 2010, when he created his own take on the iconic boot, a move he replicated in 2014.

In a statement, he said: I find UGG really sexya soft kind of rugged.

"I have made unofficial, unauthorised UGG boots in two shows already dating back to 2010.

So, Ive always been obsessed [with] a certain kind of ubiquity and when something really unique ends up on everybody."

Recommended Kim Jones to succeed Karl Lagerfeld as creative director at Fendi

Clemens added that he wants to get down to the DNA of UGG and see what genes we have in common.

Andrea ODonnell, president of fashion lifestyle for Deckers Brands, of which Ugg is a sub-division, said: "Telfar is exceptional; a true pioneer and visionary and one of the first designers to believe that being unapologetically yourself is sexy.

At UGG, we believe in the same thing, and that fashion can be real, democratic and aspirational all at the same time.

This collection will be the perfect expression of our shared beliefs.

Telfar is the first creative in Ugg's Feel You line-up, with two further London-based designers set to be announced later this month.
Prominent human rights lawyer Amal Clooney on September 18 resigned her post as a UK envoy for media freedom, in protest at the government's "lamentable" decision to breach its EU divorce treaty.

Clooney became the third lawyer to part ways with Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government, after it introduced legislation that would rewrite its post-Brexit obligations to the European Union over Northern Ireland.

Undermining the rule of law "threatens to embolden autocratic regimes that violate international law with devastating consequences all over the world", she wrote in a letter to Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and seen by AFP.

"Although the government has suggested that the violation of international law would be 'specific and limited', it is lamentable for the UK to be speaking of its intention to violate an international treaty signed by the prime minister less than a year ago."

On her appointment to the UK role in April 2019, Clooney had said she welcomed the opportunity to build on her legal defence of persecuted journalists by working with the government to champion a free press around the world.

"I accepted the role because I believe in the importance of the cause, and appreciate the significant role that the UK has played and can continue to play in promoting the international legal order," she wrote.

"However, very sadly, it has now become untenable for me, as special envoy, to urge other states to respect and enforce international obligations while the UK declares that it does not intend to do so itself."

Territorial integrity

While conceding the UK internal market bill violates the EU Withdrawal Agreement, the government argues it is needed to protect the country's territorial integrity in case the EU seeks to unfairly impede trade with Northern Ireland.

The argument has failed to persuade two other jurists who have quit their government roles recently including its most senior law officer for Scotland, Richard Keen.

He said in his resignation letter to Johnson he had "found it increasingly difficult to reconcile what I consider to be my obligations as a law officer with your policy intentions with respect to the UKIM bill".

After quelling one backbench revolt over the legislation and under pressure to make its intent clearer, the government on Thursday issued a document spelling out various scenarios in which the bill's provisions would be executed.

But in an apparent olive branch to Brussels, the document said the government would also seek to resolve post-Brexit disputes with the EU in "appropriate formal dispute settlement mechanisms", not unilaterally.

The document was released as the chief negotiators for EU-UK trade talks met in Brussels, to try again to avoid a potentially ruinous breakdown when a post-Brexit transition period expires at the end of this year.
By October or November, Moderna will, on the basis of an ongoing study of tens of thousands of people, decide whether its vaccine is safe and effective  with the only thing holding it back at this time being the fewer infections the US is seeing (the study is comparing rates of infection in vaccinated and unvaccinated people). The companys chief executive Stephane Bancel, who said this in an interview to The Wall Street Journal, added that if the results are positive, Moderna could seek emergency authorisation for its vaccine from the FDA. Interestingly, Bancels estimate seems aggressive, even when compared to details in the 135 page-long protocol his company released on Thursday on the clinical testing of its vaccine. The protocol also contained a timeline, which differed from Bancels own estimates; it expects initial data to become available for analysis only in December, and the final study (not the Year 2 study) to be ready only by the middle of next year.

Pfizer, which is developing a vaccine with BioNTech, is also testing it on tens of thousands of people, and it too expects initial data to come in by late October. In an interview to The Washington Post, Pfizers CEO Albert Bourla dramatically said that in October the truth will be revealed. On Thursday, Pfizer too released a detailed note on the protocol being followed in its clinical tests.

Click here for complete coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic

The world is pinning its hopes on a vaccine. Sure, cases are down in the US and Brazil, two of the top three countries in terms of case count (both have seen a slight spike upwards in the past week, though), but they continue to rise in India (which is #2 in terms of cases). Worse, Europe is seeing a roaring second wave. Frances current seven-day average of new daily cases, at around 8,800 according to the New York Times database, is twice that seen in the peak of its first wave (in early April). Things arent as bad in the UK, although they are still worse than they were through much of the past three months. Daily new cases, at a seven-day average of around 3,400 cases, are at levels not seen since mid-May. The situation in Spain is as bad as in France, though  a seven-day average of almost 10,000 new cases a day, around 2,000 more than the peak of the first wave (in early April). Germany and Italy are better off, although both are seeing a second wave (Germany is where it was in late April; Italy, early May).

Hardly any country, not the US, not France, and not even India, is talking about lockdowns though. Its almost as if they were one-time-use-only weapons (and the jury is out on whether the timing of their use was right). Now everyone is talking about living with the virus  something thats possible with strict adherence to the wearing of masks and social distancing. Its probably the main reason cases are continuing to rise in India. If everyone wore masks outside their homes, and practised strict social distancing and hand hygiene, the number of daily cases in the country would drop drastically in perhaps the next four to five weeks. By how much? My guess (and it is that, not a scientific assessment; but remember, this is Dispatch 162) is to between a fifth and a tenth of the current number of daily new cases.

And, of course, a vaccine is the perfect solution.

Indias health minister Harsh Vardhan told Parliament on Thursday that a vaccine may be available by early next year, although he caveated that one may not be available in large-enough quantities immediately, and that people should continue to wear masks, follow social distancing rules, and wash their hands often. His estimate on vaccine availability is similar to the one offered by Robert R Redfield, the head of the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, who said this week that he expects a vaccine to be widely available only by the middle of 2021. In late July, White House coronavirus adviser Dr Anthony Fauci offered a similar timeline  that a vaccine wont be widely available till several months into 2021.

Also read: India talking to Russia for possible advancement of Sputnik V here, says health ministry

It has always been clear that a vaccine for Covid-19 will be found. Dispatch 111 on July 22 cited research, and indulged in a bit of extrapolation, to arrive at a 50% probability that a vaccine candidate in Phase 2/3 trials will be found efficacious and safe. There are now 18 candidates in Phase 2 trials; six in Phase 3; and five approved for emergency or limited use (according to HTs vaccine tracker).

The challenge has always been wide availability. And it could take till late 2021, perhaps early 2022, for at least half of Indias population to be vaccinated.

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NSW has recorded fewer than six cases of local transmission of COVID-19 a day for more than a week, but interstate borders remain shut.

Queensland announced on Friday it would reopen to the ACT but not NSW, as NSW recorded just one case of local transmission.

NSW reported six new cases on Friday. The government is targeting The Rocks and Darling Harbour first in trying to loosen up outdoor hospitality regulations. Credit:Edwina Pickles

It comes as NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said 70 per cent of jobs lost in the pandemic had been restored, but Sydney had been hit hardest by restrictions.

"Trade is down in certain areas by around 90 per cent," he told 2GB on Friday morning.
The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a petition filed by the State Bank of India (SBI) seeking to lift a stay on initiating personal bankruptcy proceedings against Anil Ambani , chairman of Reliance Group.

An apex court bench headed by Justice L. Nageswara Rao asked the Delhi High Court, which had granted the stay, to consider the issue on 6 October. The bench, also comprising Justices Hemant Gupta and S. Ravindra Bhat, gave liberty to SBI to seek a modification of the stay order passed by the high court.

Why dont you go back to the high court to argue the case?" asked the top court bench.

A high court division bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rajnish Bhatnagar had on 27 August passed an interim order staying the Mumbai bankruptcy tribunals order permitting part of bankruptcy proceedings.

The bench said proceedings against corporate debtors will continue and issued a notice to the Centre, SBI and others. The bench also restrained Ambani from selling or transferring any of his personal assets.

SBI told the apex court last week that the high court did not grant the bank an opportunity to file a counter-affidavit and was not justified in passing an interim order staying insolvency proceedings against Ambani who owes the bank public money to the tune of 1,707 crore".

SBI also argued that the high court was not justified in entertaining the writ petition when the territorial jurisdiction was in Mumbai as the demand notices were issued by the bank in Mumbai, insolvency proceedings were filed before the National Company Law Tribunals (NCLT) Mumbai bench, the writ petitioner (Ambani) resides in Mumbai, and the petitioner bank (SBI) has its headquarters and corporate office in Mumbai.

In March, SBI had filed a petition in the NCLT under section 95 of the Insolvency Bankruptcy Code (IBC) for personal bankruptcy based on guarantees issued by Ambani. NCLT had appointed Jitender Kothari as resolution professional. On 26 August, Ambani had moved Delhi High Court against the appointment.

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Ask Dr. Land: Why do so many young Americans hate their country's heritage?

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Question: Why are so many of Americas young people apparently beguiled into despising Americas founding and heritage?

I have had scores of Americans ask me that question in the last few months. My inquisitors have been baffled and perplexed as to why so many of our twenty and thirty- something citizens seem to so readily jettison what my questioners cherish as rich, meaningful, and critically important  an American heritage that has fostered and promoted individual human dignity (All men are created equal) with divinely imparted inherent rights (and endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights including life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness).

This priceless heritage, coupled with the Puritan ideal of being a city on a hill, lighting the way for the Old World to have a fresh, new birth of freedom, has been cherished and passed on from generation to generation for two and a half centuries, even as that ideal has been secularized down through the years, from Lincolns last, best hope of mankind, Wilsons war to end all wars and League of Nations ideals, and FDRs arsenal of democracy and Four Freedoms. And, of course, this American exceptionalism suffused JFKs inaugural address:

. . . the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God. . . . We are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans  born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage, and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world. Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty. This much we pledge  and more.

Many Americans, including myself, consider those words perhaps the most eloquent summary of Americas exceptionalism ever uttered. It is a doctrine not of rights and privileges, but rather sacrifice and service. To whom much is given, much is required (Luke 12:48).

It was this exceptionalism that caused a famous immigrant citizen  a voluntary American, Henry Kissenger  to explain that America was a country like any other, with interests and spheres of influence, but that it was also a cause, and the cause was freedom. When people yearn and strive for freedom, America is obligated to help them the same way the French helped us win our War of Independence.

A majority of Americans have believed this in the past, and at least a plurality of Americans still does. This is why older Americans, and many young ones as well, have been aghast at scores of rioters tearing down statues, not just of Confederate leaders, but of Washington and Jefferson and others.

As I was writing this column, I was reminded of a deeply moving experience I had while I was speaking at a conference on Freedom in Romania, just after they had overthrown the horrifically brutal Communist dictator Ceausescu in 1989. The conference was on how Romania could now install a free and democratically self-governing society with deep respect for human rights  a government of the people, by the people, for the people.

I was in a private, one-to-one meeting with the Romanian equivalent of the U.S. Attorney General. He pulled a book off the shelf in his office, opened it up, and started reading in English, When in the course of human events . . .  the American Declaration of Independence. After he had read the part, All men are created equal, he looked up with tears in his eyes and said, We want what you have.

I realized at that moment that I had been guilty of the sin of familiarity. We have all heard the shibboleth familiarity breeds contempt. I believe far more often it just breeds familiarity. We become familiar, blase if you will, about truly monumental things and fail to sufficiently appreciate just how extraordinary some things really are.

Shame on us as Americans for far too often treating the timeless truths embodied in the Declaration of Independence familiarly when they are indeed priceless and the Revolution those truths ignited in 1776 has deeply impacted people and ignited the fire of liberty in their hearts both here and around the globe. Those founding principles are what inspired Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to call for his fellow citizens to live up to the ideals spelled out in our founding documents  a call we continue to seek to fulfill for ever greater numbers of our people yet still today.

So why are so many of our young adults rejecting this widely held view which is a truly glorious heritage? Of all men and women, we are most blessed to be heirs of this inspiring legacy. Well, there are two reasons, one nefarious and the other merely scandalous.

The first reason is that for a generation now, too many radicals who reject Americas heritage on ideological and dogmatic grounds, have worked their way into public education, and they have undermined and distorted our heritage. Perhaps the most odious and infamous current example is the New York Times 1619 Project  a destructive attempt to completely re-write American history by declaring that America was founded in 1619.

The 1619 project has been eviscerated by serious historian from coast to coast and across generations. My extremely distinguished old Princeton history professor, James McPherson, was devastating in his critique.

Why would people try to foist this historical fiction and such an obviously inaccurate and unhinged from reality interpretation of Americas history on American students?

These people know that in order to dismantle the American constitutional order and replace it with a socialist and/or Marxist society, you must first discredit Americas origins as illegitimate and fatally tainted by racism from the beginning.

In actual fact, the first slaves may have landed on the North American continent in 1619, but the first Puritans didnt arrive until a year later. The Puritan ideal had far more to do with shaping the American character than slavery. G. K. Chesterton observed in the early 20th century that America was a nation with the soul of a church.

People who lose or are denied their history are ripe for revolution. This is more true for America than any other country because America is the only country in the world not based on blood and soil, but upon a set of ideas and ideals embodied in the Declaration of Independence (1776) and codified and implemented in the U.S. Constitution (1787). If we as a people lose our allegiance to these ideals, then centrifugal forces will rend us asunder and America will be Balkanized into several competing conglomerations of states seeking to impersonate nation-states.

The second reason our young adults have increased numbers of their cohort who reject our heritage is that they dont know a lot. They have been significantly undereducated in our public schools, and they are quite simply mind-numbingly ignorant.

E. D. Hirsch, in a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal (Bad Teaching Is Tearing America Apart") explains the serious unraveling of American public education at the elementary school level. Hirsch is author of the best-selling book Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know (1987). This book makes an impassioned plea for American children being taught tens of thousands of specific facts mainly about Western Civilization  thus opening Mr. Hirsch to charges of elitism?

In this interview he reveals that there has been a grievous decline in American education  particularly at the elementary level. After the 1950s American childrens verbal scores began to drop drastically. In the 1950s American children were number 1 in the world. We had dropped to 5th on the International Adult Literacy Survey in the 1970s and 14th in the 1990s. In the 21st century Americas children have dropped from 15th to 24th in reading on International Student assessments.

Mr. Hirsch describes himself as practically a socialist, but in his new book How to Educate a Citizen, he updates his earlier volume and indicts American public education for abject failure. Mr. Hirsch argues vigorously for elementary schools as culture makers and that America desperately need to create an American ethnicity and that elementary schools should exist to make children into good citizens.

American educators have either brainwashed or seriously under-served a whole generation of American young adults.

I can think of no better way to honor and celebrate Constitution Day (September 17) than for Americans to rededicate themselves to restoring our unique and invaluable heritage of liberty and freedom to the common experience and cognition of every American citizen.
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Linkedin Alya Nurbaiti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, September 18, 2020 09:59 491 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c4598872 1 National COVID-19,coronavirus,virus-korona-indonesia,virus-corona,Nadiem-Makarim,Education-and-Culture-Ministry,education-in-Indonesia,education-inequality,technology,long-distance,online-learning Free

While it has taken a toll on students and their learning outcomes, the COVID-19 pandemic has presented opportunities for educational reform thanks to the acceleration on technology use, Education and Culture Minister Nadiem Makarim has said.

Speaking at the Yidan Prize Asia Pacific Conference held by Chinese education foundation Yidan Prize on Wednesday, the minister said the health crisis had caused some positive transformations, including parents increased participation in their childrens education.

We have never seen such a level of forced adaptation as when parents and teachers stumbled across learning how to use the technology. Weve also never seen the number of parents who realize what a curriculum is, what homework is or how difficult it is to teach your children, said Nadiem.

He added that the pandemic had forced policymakers to work harder to address inequality gaps. During the pandemic, students living in rural areas and those from low-income families have struggled to access and afford the hardware and internet access necessary to participate in online classes.

A survey launched by SMERU in July showed that teachers in villages, especially outside Java, needed to visit their students homes to give and collect homework because of a lack of internet access.

Read also: Teachers go extra mile to teach students as schools remain close

The agenda of digitalizing schools to level the playing field in areas that may not have access has now been accelerated, as well as the redistribution of good teachers and the adoption of technology as a tool to enhance the capability of teachers, parents and students, the minister said.

McKinsey & Co. Education Practice chief Li-Kai Chen said it was important to harness technology to scale up access and redefine teachers roles. She said that teachers should be integrated with technology to enhance access and quality.

[It shouldnt be] one device for every child but low-cost solutions to support group learning. Teachers must also be learning navigators to help students adapt to remote learning, Chen said.

Nadiem acknowledged that remote learning could have negative impacts on younger students if it was not addressed properly, such as a lack of emotional and empathetic connection with teachers and fellow students.

The minister reasserted his commitment to improving the quality of teachers in the coming years amid the challenges of COVID-19.

If you put great people in the right position in the education system, learning outcomes will improve. Its also important to have educational leaders in schools. A principal must be a pedagogical leader instead of the administrator of the educational system.

Technology, Nadiem added, could be used to lighten the burden of administrative matters on teachers so that they could dedicate more time and energy to teaching and selecting the most suitable curriculum.

The minister said peer-to-peer mentoring and training for teachers was an important method to build teachers capacity.

Read also: Government to revamp student assessment to improve PISA scores

Chen said the intervention necessary in countries with poor educational performance was the improvement of basic literacy and numeracy, rather than promoting peer-to-peer learning for teachers.

Indonesias educational performance is categorized as poor according to the triennial 2018 OECD Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), which measures the ability of 15-year-olds in science, reading and mathematics.

Out of 79 countries, Indonesia ranked 73rd in mathematics, 74th in reading and 71st in science, far below other ASEAN member states, including Singapore, which scored second-highest after China in all three subjects.

Chen said such performance could be improved by providing motivation and skill scaffolding for low-skilled teachers, improving schools infrastructure and raising students attendance.
Four Democratic House committee chairs on Friday asked the Justice Department's inspector general to launch an "emergency investigation" into whether Attorney General Bill Barr and U.S. Attorney John Durham, his appointee, are taking actions that could "improperly influence the upcoming presidential election."

Catch up quick: Last year, Barr tapped Durham to conduct a sweeping investigation into the origins of the FBI's 2016 Russia probe, after he and President Trump claimed that it was unjustified and a "hoax."

Although Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz found "serious performance failures" by some FBI officials, he ultimately concluded that the FBI's investigation was not tainted by political bias.

Nora Dannehy, a senior prosecutor who worked with Durham on his investigation, abruptly resigned from the DOJ last week.

The DOJ did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

What they're saying: The committee chairs are concerned that Barr could make "public disclosures" or "issue reports" before the election about the Durham investigation in ways that "appear intended to benefit President Trump politically."

"Few actions would prove more damaging to public confidence in the integrity of the DOJ and our democratic process than the perception that federal prosecutorial power can be used to prejudice a pending investigation or influence an upcoming election," the committee chairs wrote to Horowitz.

The big picture: Congressional Democrats have ramped up accusations that Barr is working to benefit Trump's re-election, and in May went so far as to allege that he is doing the president's "political bidding" by interfering in ongoing criminal cases  including dropping the agency's prosecution of former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Read the letter.
With final-year exams slated to begin on October 1, city colleges are going the extra mile to ensure that students with limited or no access to smart devices and internet connectivity are also able to take the tests.

As directed by the University of Mumbai (MU), most colleges have completed a survey of students to find out if they have the means to take exams online. Principals said that while a majority of students had access to devices and/ or internet connection, some reported they had neither.

As a solution, many city colleges are opting for customised software that is compatible on all devices, browsers and connectivity.

Kishore Peshori, principal of Mithibai Motiram Kundnani College of Commerce and Economics (MMK college), Bandra, said, While most of our students said they have a smart device, a few who have gone to remote places [at their hometowns], have said they do not have proper internet connectivity. So we have zeroed in on an exam software that does not require a high-speed internet connection and can run on 2G.

Nirmala Memorial Foundation College of Commerce and Science, Kandivli, too, has opted for a customised software that can run on low bandwidth.

After the survey, we have called students who expressed inaccessibility to make them comfortable with online exams and check if they can borrow a device from parents or neighbour, said principal Swiddle DCunha. For students, who may not be able to manage taking an online exam at all, the college will make arrangements for a physical exam.

The software will also help proctor the exams and enable students to take the exams offline.

Meanwhile, we have formed a taskforce with IT (Information Technology) personnel and teachers. Students can call the taskforce and get their doubts clarified on subjects as well as technology, added DCunha.

MMK College, too, has a similar helpline. We are also planning to ask some parents to donate their old devices so they can be distributed among students who need them, said Peshori.

We will soon send out a list of dos and donts to our students so that they are careful while taking the exam. For example, if they do not turn their notifications off, the software may log them out, even if it is a genuine notification about connectivity, said Madhav Rajwade, principal, Sathaye College in Vile Parle.

At Ruparel College in Matunga, only one student does not have access to internet connectivity.

We are trying to arrange for an internet connection for the student, said principal Tushar Desai. Those students, who have opted for answering questions in Marathi, will be also able to do so online, he said.

Dhobi Talaos St Xaviers College, too, is trying to provide connectivity to few students, who do not have accessibility, at a nearest institution.

We are trying to reach their nearest institution  either college or school  which can help us. If not, we will find other solutions, said principal Rajendra Shinde.
Credit: Shutterstock

Developments in gene editing are often met with moral panic. Every new announcement raises outrage over the audacity of scientists "playing God." The existence of mutant mosquitoes and designer babies are often framed as threatsevidence that science fiction has crossed over into real life.

There are clear dangers when the language of fear and scandal hijack public conversations on complex matters. But this doesn't mean we should leave the discussion on genome editingthe process of altering an organism's genetic sequence to produce favorable characteristics or remove unwanted onessolely to scientists.

That danger was sharply underscored in 2018, when a young Chinese researcher announced he had engineered the birth of what may very well be the first genetically modified humans. "I feel proud," he told the public, a year before he was jailed for forgery.

And so we reach an impasse. As global leaders face pressure to regulate genome editing, questions about who drives these ethical debates persist. Should leaders listen to scientists, who may be vulnerable to moral blindness, or to the public, some of whom may be convinced their last Whopper contained a Frankenfood patty because an Instagram influencer told them so?

The impasse doesn't have to be permanent

In recent years, ordinary citizens have become more empowered to collectively learn, deliberate, reflect, and put forward recommendations on divisive and technical policy issues. The OECD calls this the "deliberative wave". Processes like citizen juries or online town halls have been used to provide public input not only on topical issues such as e-health or waste management, but also on issues that affect future generations, like mitochondiral donation.

Citizens' assemblies are forums in which a randomly selected, demographically diverse group of laypeople come together, typically for several days at a time, to deliberate over a policy issue. This allows them to learn more about the issue, scrutinize expert information, engage the arguments of advocates representing different sides, and deliberate with their fellow participants about possible ways forward.

These assemblies can be viewed as a counterbalance to the growing prevalence of public conversations shaped by disinformation, clickbait culture, hyper-partisanship, and distrust of experts.

A citizens' assembly is a fitting approach to clarify controversies on genome editing, particularly around its ethics.

A groundbreaking global experiment

We are among 25 experts on deliberative democracy and genome editing who have published an article today in the journal Science, making a case for a Global Citizens' Assembly on Genome Editing

We envisage a process that would convene at least 100 people from all over the world, none of whom can claim expertise or a history of advocacy on this issue. After learning about the issue from a national perspective, they would gather for five days to deliberate over whether there should be a set of global principles for the regulation of genome editing technologies. The challenge of getting a representative sample of the world is not lost on us, although we are committed to ensuring a broad spread of participants representing different nationalities, ages, religions, levels of education, genders and cultures.

This would be a groundbreaking global experiment. It would be the first example of a global citizens' assembly, and it remains to be seen whether national governments and institutions such as the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization would seriously consider its recommendations.

But there are good reasons to think our global citizens' assembly would be a meaningful undertaking.

Evolving evidence

A decade ago, the idea of citizens' assemblies may have been dismissed by skeptics as pie in the sky. Here in Australia, the idea of a citizens' assembly may have been tarnished by its identification with a partisan agenda, such as when former prime minister Julia Gillard called for a citizens' assembly on climate change. But today, citizens' assemblies have begun to establish a credible track record.

Last year, French President Emmanuel Macron invited 150 randomly selected citizens to consider ways to reduce the country's carbon emissions by at least 40% within a decade. Over nine months, the assembly listened to more than 100 climate experts, with communications experts also on hand to help answer technical questions.

An assembly that included a 16-year-old student, a bus driver and a former fireman engaged in rigorous deliberation on the complex issues involved in ecological transition, even as a pandemic was unfolding. In the end, among other recommendations, the assembly endorsed making ecocide a criminal act. Macron promised to put this recommendation to a national referendum.

There are many other examples of citizens' assemblies that have contributed to enriching public conversations and policy-making. The Canadian province of British Columbia set up a Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform that successfully preceded a referendum. And the Irish Citizens' Assembly on abortion and same-sex marriage informed a divisive debate about constitutional reform.

The stakes are high in the Global Citizens' Assembly on Genome Editing. On the line are the legitimacy of policies and regulations based on the extent to which they reflect the values of ordinary citizens whose lives will potentially be affected by these technologies.

Beyond its impact on regulation, however, this democratic experiment can show the way on how citizens, scientists, and policymakers can talk about a fast-moving technology with more care, better information, and democratic deliberation.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
The Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Lucknow, has launched off-campus post graduate diploma program in digital marketing. The duration of the programme, set to begin next month, is one year comprising two terms. The last date for applying for the course is September 20.

Amid the Covid-19 pandemic when the need of the hour is to stay at home and yet be able to learn and work, this program will fulfil all needs of ambitious and enthusiastic learners, said director, IIIT Lucknow, Prof Arun Mohan Sherry.

In this course, students will learn about the concepts of social media and social media analyticswhich are considered the current buzz in the business world. Social media is now an essential part of any marketing strategy, he said.

Additionally, viral marketing and online reputation management would enhance the students profile thus making them competent in the world of digital marketing, he said.

Prof Sherry further said, For the first time, a technical institute of national importance is offering a program in digital marketing. This program is suitable for both full-time students who wish to build a strong foundation in this area and the working executives looking forward to upgrading their existing skills.

A student with a Bachelors degree in any discipline is eligible for the course. Final year undergraduate students can also apply. The selection process comprises screening and an interview.

Screening would be based on the applications sent and the shortlisted candidates would be intimated for the personal interview by email. The evaluation will be based on the candidates communication skills, analytical and problem-solving skills, general awareness and domain knowledge, he said.

As an extra edge, the simulation-based pedagogy will provide meaningful learning in a diverse context, he added.

This program will keep the students updated with the ever-changing technologies in the digital marketing domain by helping them in formulating e-strategies.
Kim Klacik, who is vying to represent Maryland's 7th Congressional District, told "The View" on Friday that she finds President Donald Trump's leadership to be "the opposite of racism."

"I find that President Trump has shown nothing but the opposite of racism. Each year, HBCUs had to go to Congress to ask for money. You know who made that permanent so they don't have to ask each year? That would be President Trump. Do you know who tackled prison reform and criminal justice, The First Step Act? That would be President Trump. Do you know who is investing $75 billion in opportunity zones in cities that were neglected by Democrats? That would be President Trump," Klacik said.

MORE: Black GOP congressional candidate encourages party to compete in inner cities

She drew national attention after posting a fiery general election campaign ad, which was retweeted by the president. Trump later endorsed her, and she spoke in a video featured at the Republican National Convention in August.

Klacik, a Republican, is running against former NAACP President Kweisi Mfume, who is now representing the seat for a second time after the death of Rep. Elijah Cummings last year. Klacik and Mfume ran against each other during the special election to fill the 7th district seat, and Mfume won handily with 73.8% of the vote.

PHOTO: President Donald Trump speaks during the White House Conference on American History at the National Archives in Washington, DC., Sept. 17, 2020. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

"Elijah Cummings did a lot for the city and the residents, but for the last 20 years, you've seen the city deteriorate. He was sick in the end, and we have to get somebody in there ready to roll up their sleeves and get the work done," Klacik said. "I would never speak badly about Congressman Cummings. On the internet, I have pictures with him. At the same time though, we've got to get the work done."

One of the cornerstones of her pitch to voters is that the Democratic party has taken Black voters across the country for granted, especially in Baltimore.

MORE: Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings, aka the 'Mahogany Marylander,' honored in rare ceremony at US Capitol

Story continues

"If he cared about the black community, why hasn't he done anything for all that time?" she asked of former vice president and current Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

"President Trump, like I said earlier, has done many things with only three-and-a-half years, so to me, it doesn't even jive. I believe liberals do put us in a box, and that's why they're always talking about different communities and the way they do it is actually divisive," she said.

PHOTO: In this Jan. 12, 2017, file photo, Rep. Elijah Cummings speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP, FILE)

Klacik said throughout her campaign that while she believes that Black lives matter, she is not a supporter of the movement -- or the violence in some of the protests across the country, which ensued over interactions with Black Americans and law enforcement.

"There was a lot of peaceful protesters that were involved in it, but at some point, it was hijacked. Now we have people coming into cities and they're outsiders. If you look at the arrest records, they're outsiders coming into cities, coming in, burning down businesses and a lot of them minority-owned businesses in the name of I don't know what," she said.

MORE: Former NAACP President Kweisi Mfume to run for seat formerly held by Cummings

"I don't know what their list of demands are. They say they want to defund the police, and take a look at that. It doesn't make any sense. If you want police to have more training and be better equipped for their job, you would add funding. Do I believe there are right-wing instigators? Yeah. There are instigators from all types of groups. You can't say Democrat or Republican. It's on both sides for sure," she said.

Mfume, her opponent in the race, told the Baltimore Sun that Klacik's message to Republican voters in the heavily blue district was "about 50 years too late."

"Donald Trump and his party don't give a damn about inner cities, which is why they never win there. People can see what's going on," he told the paper Monday.

Trump's leadership is 'opposite of racism': Kim Klacik on 'The View' originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Members of Congress are pushing the administration for further inquiries after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced this week it is investigating the claims of abuses on immigrant women.

These abuses include unnecessary gynecological surgeries, which include full hysterectomies without immigrant women's consent. Immigration lawyers said they would be interviewing detainees this week to determine how big the issue might be.

Some immigrants claimed that parts of their Fallopian tubes and their ovaries had been removed while in custody.

Over 170 Democratic members of Congress issued a letter on Tuesday to DHS's Inspector General, encouraging the office to open "an immediate investigation."

The immigrants' abuse allegation came from a complaint filed by Project South, which is an Atlanta-based advocacy group. Georgia Detention Watch, Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights, and South Georgia Immigrant Support Network also filed a similar complaint.

The complaint lists Dawn Wooten, a former nurse at the Irwin County Detention Center, as a whistleblower.

Wooten details medical neglect, such as refusal to test detainees for COVID-19 and an alarming practice of allegedly subjected female immigrants to hysterectomies without their full understanding and consent.

The said private prison company LaSalle Corrections runs the detention center and overseen by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Aside from the unconsented hysterectomies, allegations of sexual assault and harassment at an El Paso immigrant center also prompted the investigation.

A 35-year-old woman has been held in the facility, overseen by ICE, for about a year. She told lawyers the "pattern and practice" of abuse there, including guards assaulting her and other detainees in areas not seen to security cameras.

Many guards forcibly kissed her, according to the complainant. At least one touched her private parts several times as she walked back from the medical unit to her barrack.

"If she behaved," she said one guard told her, "he would help her be released."

The inspector general requested that ICE not to deport the woman. Her lawyers said the FBI interviewed her extensively.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas and the El Paso County District Attorney's Office also received a copy of the woman's complaint. The said government agencies did not immediately respond to request to comment.

Jeanette Harper, a spokeswoman for the FBI's El Paso office, said the agency's policy prohibits it from commenting on an ongoing investigation.

Harper said the lead agency into the woman's claims is now the Justice Department's Inspector General, responsible for accusations of civil rights abuses.

Her lawyers filed a habeas petition in federal court last Friday, asking that the woman be freed on supervised release.

Three days after her habeas filing, the DHS' inspector general reversed its previous move and told ICE that the agency could deport the woman.

According to her lawyers, investigators would further interview the complainant through telephone from Mexico if needed. She had been set back within hours even though she says she fears persecution from drug cartels there.

A high-ranking cartel member sexually assaulted him and threatened her after reporting the attack to police, as stated under the statement she gave to the U.S. government.

Check these out:

New ICE Rules on Foreign Students Receive Backlash from Politician, Academics

Hysterectomies Performed on Immigrant Women in US Without Consent, Whistleblower Says
Sarah McBride Is Set To Become The First Transgender State Senator

On Tuesday, Delaware Democrats nominated Sarah McBride, a politician and activist for LGBTQ rights, for a seat in the State Senate after her win in a primary challenger. McBride, now expected to win Novembers general elections, would be the first openly trans senator to serve.

This victory would mark a new milestone for the trans community, with McBride amplifying the voices of those who have formerly been overshadowed. In an interview, as per the New York Times, McBride stated, My hope is that this result can help reinforce for a young kid trying to find their place in this world, here in Delaware or anywhere else in this country, that this democracy is big enough for them, too.

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My hope is that this result can help reinforce for a young kid trying to find their place in this world, here in Delaware or anywhere else in this country, that this democracy is big enough for them, too.

This is far from the beginning of McBrides political career. In 2012, she worked in the White House as an intern during Obamas Administration, as well as lobbied for the 2013 transgender rights bill. Currently, she works as national press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign.

While using her position to fight for equal rights and representation, McBride explains that in conversations with voters, my identity and the symbolic ramifications of my elections doesnt come up as much as the need for creative and courageous leadership that will meet this moment with meaningful action for peoples lives.

During these unprecedented times, McBride wants to set forth a new normal. Hopefully, this anticipatory win is only the beginning.

Top Image: Screenshot from PBS NewsHour

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Olivia Simonds is a graduate of Clark University with a bachelors degree in Sociology and a minor in English literature and creative writing. Much of her work is inspired by long subway rides, her friendships, and the perpetual pulse of New York City, where she grew up and still lives today.

You can follow her on Instagram @oliviasimonds or on Twitter @livsimondss
A compilation of surveillance footage images showing people causing damage to the Foley Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, in Las Vegas, on May 30, 2020. (Department of Justice)

Five People Charged for Damaging Courthouse Amid Las Vegas Protests

Five people have been charged with various crimes in connection with an incident in May in which a federal courthouse in Las Vegas was damaged amid protests.

The U.S. Attorneys Office, District of Nevada, said in a Sept. 17 statement that five individuals face federal charges for causing damage to the Foley Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse on May 30. The damage to the building has been estimated at over $71,000.

Agitators at the May 30 protest in downtown Las Vegas allegedly damaged a federal courthouse and threatened to attack a law enforcement officer, said U.S. Attorney Trutanich in a statement. These cases should reinforce that our office will protect lawful First Amendment activitywhile also upholding the rule of law by prosecuting those who would incite and escalate violence, vandalism, and destruction.

Court documents allege that, on the evening of May 30, a protest was held in front of the federal building in downtown Las Vegas in the wake of the police-custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The demonstration, at one point, became boisterous, the documents say.

Fireworks were set off, walls were spray painted with obscenities and graffiti, and small bushes were lit on fire, the attorneys office said.

Several people then allegedly attacked the courthouse, throwing paint on windows and using objects and kicks to strike the windows.

According to an off-duty Federal Protective Service Protection Security Officer who was stationed inside the FFB that night, the crowd could see him inside the building and he could hear persons saying, Get him! and Get the cop! the attorneys office stated.

After additional police were dispatched to the scene, the crowd was dispersed.

The attorneys office said that Alejandro Avalos, Alexander Kostan, Reginald Lewis, Kelton K. Simon, and Jeanette R. Wallace each face charges of depredation against property of the United States.

The five suspects have all been arraigned in federal court and, if found guilty, each could face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The FBIs mission is to uphold the Constitution, which includes freedom of speech and the right to assemble, said Special Agent in Charge Rouse, in a statement. A line was crossed in what was intended to be a peaceful protest in Las Vegas and federal property was destroyed as a result of the alleged actions of these subjects. We will continue working with our federal, state and local partners to ensure that those that destroy parts of our city are held accountable.

U.S. Marshal Gary Schofield said in a statement that the arrests ensure that the community continues to have unfettered access to Justice.

The move to bring charges against those allegedly involved in damaging the courthouse come amid a broader push by the Trump administration to hold those who engage in engage in violent behavior amid protests accountable.

The tough-on-crime approach has already led to over 300 arrests on federal crimes in the protests since the death of George Floyd.
A lawyer for Julian Assange told a London court on Friday that she was present when an ally of US President Donald Trump offered to arrange a pardon for the WikiLeaks founder in return for information that would benefit President Trump politically.

Australian-born Assange, 49, is fighting to avoid 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.

His lawyer, Jennifer Robinson, said in a witness statement to the court that she observed a meeting at the Ecuadorian embassy in London in 2017 between Assange and Republican then-US Representative Dana Rohrabacher.

She said Rohrabacher and an assistant offered to arrange a pardon for Assange in return for information about the hacking of Democratic emails before the 2016 US presidential election.

They stated that President Trump was aware of and had approved of them coming to meet with Mr Assange to discuss a proposal  and that they would have an audience with the President to discuss the matter on their return to Washington DC, she said.

The proposal put forward by Congressman Rohrabacher was that Mr. Assange identify the source for the 2016 election publications in return for some form of pardon, assurance or agreement, which would both benefit President Trump politically and prevent US indictment and extradition, Robinson said.

Assanges legal team first said at hearings in February that Rohrabacher had conveyed a pardon offer to Assange. At the time, the White House called the assertion that Trump had tried to reach a deal with Assange a complete fabrication and a total lie.

Rohrabacher said he had never spoken with the president about Assange, denied being sent on Trumps behalf and said he was acting on his own when he offered to ask Trump for a pardon for Assange.

Robinson said Rohrabachers offer was presented to Assange as a win-win solution that would allow Assange to get on with his life and in return would also politically benefit Trump.

During the 2016 US presidential campaign, WikiLeaks published a series of Democratic National Committee emails damaging to candidate Hillary Clinton. US investigators have concluded that the emails were hacked by Russia as part of an effort to influence the election.

The 2016 election leaks are not directly a part of the US criminal case against Assange, which covers secret military and diplomatic documents published by WikiLeaks several years earlier.

Russia has denied meddling in the 2016 election and Trump has denied that his campaign colluded with Moscow.

Assange is fighting the US extradition request, arguing that the Trump administration has brought charges against him for political reasons.

In 2012, Assange took refuge in Ecuadors London embassy to avoid extradition to Sweden where he was accused of sex crimes, which he denied and which were later dropped. After seven years, he was dragged from the embassy by British police in 2019. (Reporting by Andrew MacAskill Editing by Guy Faulconbridge, William Maclean and Peter Graff)
New Delhi, Sep 18 : China has flagged Iran and Saudi Arabia as its bridgeheads for expanding its influence in the Middle East, taking advantage of Tehrans international isolation and Riyadhs focus on nuclear energy.

Faced with renewed pressure from the United States, which has attempted to disrupt Iran's economic lifelines, including critically important oil and gas exports, and much more, Iran has reached out to China for support.

China, in turn, has grabbed the strategic opening, keeping in mind, its larger ambition of drawing the Middle East in its orbit of influence.

In June, Iran approved a quarter century blue print of strategic collaboration with China, with bold economic and security dimensions, worth around $600 billion. Under the pact, energy hungry China will buy Iranian oil, Tehran's primary export, for 25 years, at highly concessional rates. In return for assured energy supplies, China will revive Iran's moribund economy, which would be integrated in a China-centred ecosystem, covering trade, finance, investments, and market access. China would also cyber-network Iran, piloted by the telecom giant Huawei, especially in the 5G domain.

Specific infrastructure projects, the foundations of Iran's new economy, would include airports, high-speed railways and subways. China would also develop free-trade zones in Maku, in north western Iran; in Abadan, where the Shatt al-Arab river flows into the Persian Gulf, and on the gulf island Qeshm, the New York Times reported.

China plans to establish a joint commission for developing weapons and tap Iranian talent for scientific research, including cyberwarfare. This initiative is expected to anchor China's military presence in the Middle East, bolstered by an unprecedented ability to gather intelligence in the region. In going ahead with the deal, China, for the first time, would become a frontline player seated in the Middle East cockpit, empowered to seriously influence the region, which includes Israel, Iran's arch-foe.

China's military ambitions in the Middle East also stood out with its participation in 2019, in a trilateral naval exercise in the Indian Ocean, with Iran and Russia as partners.

China's massive outreach to Iran, fully recognizes Tehran as a geopolitical pivot -- a country whose importance is derived by its sensitive geographical location. Iran sits on the doorstep of South Asia, Central Asia and Europe. Its external orientation has a major spill over impact, across a large geographical space, across contiguous regions.

China views Iran as a launch pad for spreading the Beijing centred Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a massive transcontinental connectivity project, meant to launch China's rise as an unrivalled great power.

China wants to extend the $62 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a part of BRI in more than one direction. In the north, it has already announced its intent to stretch CPEC to resource rich Afghanistan, which has massive reserves of lithium, the feedstock for the electric car revolution that China wants to lead. Already, the Afghan Taliban are in deep conversation with the Chinese for projects that can be kick-started after a new government takes over in Kabul, following the ongoing US brokered reconciliation talks between Taliban and the Afghan government.

In case Iran agrees, CPEC can also be extended westwards from Pakistan's contiguous Baluchistan province through which a large section of the corridor passes. In case that happens, Tehran will inch closer to being co-opted in the rapidly expanding Chinese political orbit.

China has also gate-crashed into the inner core of Iran's rival-in-chief, Saudi Arabia, by agreeing to partner with Riyadh in the nuclear arena -- a zone where most countries are reluctant to enter. Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince, Mohamed bin Salman has been quoted as saying in 2018 that in case Iran develops a nuclear bomb, Riyadh will also follow suit.

Blinded by its ambition to bulldoze into the Middle East, China is reported to have shared technology to enrich uranium -- the feedstock for a bomb. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with China's help , has built a facility for the extraction of uranium yellowcake, a potential precursor to fuel a nuclear reactor. The plant is located near the remote desert city of Al Ula, the daily reported. The presence of the site, which has not been publicly acknowledged has raised serious concerns that Saudi Arabia, engaged in a seething and violent geopolitical rivalry with Iran, in several regional theatres including Yemen, Lebanon and Syria, may be engaging in the nuclear weapons programme with the support of China.

Uranium when lowly enriched is used in electricity generation, but when refined to purity above 90 per cent, it can be used to making the core of an atomic bomb.

The Saudi Energy Ministry has "categorically" denied to the Wall Street Journal that the Kingdom has built a uranium ore milling facility. But he acknowledged that Chinese companies have been contracted for the exploration of uranium within Saudi Arabia.

The recent interaction between China and Saudi Arabia can be traced to a 2012 agreement for the peaceful development of atomic energy. Subsequently, Riyadh has signed agreements with China National Nuclear Corp and China Nuclear Engineering Group Corp.

China and Saudi Arabia have been partners in beneath- the- radar covert collaboration in the past. In 1988, Saudi Arabia bought Chinese DF-3 Silkworm ballistic missiles, which have been reportedly embedded with the Kingdom's Strategic Rocket Forces (SRF).

Two years ago, the Washington Post had reported, based on analysis of satellite pictures, that Saudi Arabia was making a missile factory near the central Saudi town of Al-Watah.

(This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- There is "a clear need" to enhance global governance as no international crisis, including the COVID-19 pandemic, could be solved with "the traditional toolbox of great-power competition," Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai has said.

"These are all global challenges, global issues. But none of them could be solved with the traditional toolbox of great-power competition. All of them have reminded us we have to enhance global governance for better international cooperation," Cui said in a recent interview with former U.S. Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson on the podcast program "Straight Talk with Hank Paulson."

"There is a clear need to enhance global governance in all these areas. You see, in the first two decades of the 21st century, we have had at least three major international crises, the 9/11 terrorist attack, the financial crisis, and now the pandemic," Cui said.

"So China is ready to support and contribute to the joint efforts to make global governance more responsive, more effective, and help all of us to deal with not only the current challenges, but also upcoming challenges in the years to come," he said.

The ambassador noted a better global governance system will certainly require the participation and contribution of all countries, particularly major countries like China and the United States.

"It's our shared responsibility to the world to take the lead in cooperating with each other in initiating, supporting and contributing to international cooperation to deal with all these challenges," he said. "Of course this governance system has to take into account the needs and aspirations of all the members."

"I really hope that we could do a much better job in handling the current pandemic. And we should really work together. As you said, looking to the future, what would the post-pandemic world be like? What would it need from us and from our cooperation? We have to look to the future and plan ahead. We have to work with each other instead of against each other," he said.
When close to half the companies in the United States have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") below 18x, you may consider Lennox International Inc. (NYSE:LII) as a stock to avoid entirely with its 30.9x P/E ratio. Nonetheless, we'd need to dig a little deeper to determine if there is a rational basis for the highly elevated P/E.

The recently shrinking earnings for Lennox International have been in line with the market. It might be that many expect the company's earnings to strengthen positively despite the tough market conditions, which has kept the P/E from falling. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.

Check out our latest analysis for Lennox International

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Want the full picture on analyst estimates for the company? Then our free report on Lennox International will help you uncover what's on the horizon.

Is There Enough Growth For Lennox International?

There's an inherent assumption that a company should far outperform the market for P/E ratios like Lennox International's to be considered reasonable.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered a frustrating 2.9% decrease to the company's bottom line. That put a dampener on the good run it was having over the longer-term as its three-year EPS growth is still a noteworthy 26% in total. Although it's been a bumpy ride, it's still fair to say the earnings growth recently has been mostly respectable for the company.

Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 10.0% each year during the coming three years according to the analysts following the company. With the market predicted to deliver 13% growth per annum, the company is positioned for a weaker earnings result.

With this information, we find it concerning that Lennox International is trading at a P/E higher than the market. It seems most investors are hoping for a turnaround in the company's business prospects, but the analyst cohort is not so confident this will happen. Only the boldest would assume these prices are sustainable as this level of earnings growth is likely to weigh heavily on the share price eventually.

Story continues

What We Can Learn From Lennox International's P/E?

Typically, we'd caution against reading too much into price-to-earnings ratios when settling on investment decisions, though it can reveal plenty about what other market participants think about the company.

Our examination of Lennox International's analyst forecasts revealed that its inferior earnings outlook isn't impacting its high P/E anywhere near as much as we would have predicted. Right now we are increasingly uncomfortable with the high P/E as the predicted future earnings aren't likely to support such positive sentiment for long. Unless these conditions improve markedly, it's very challenging to accept these prices as being reasonable.

It's always necessary to consider the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 2 warning signs with Lennox International, and understanding these should be part of your investment process.

You might be able to find a better investment than Lennox International. 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.
When Andy Austin first spotted a black dot halfway between Cromwell and Wild Horse islands on Flathead Lake, he thought it might be a duck.

Then, I kept looking at it, and I could see a wake behind it, said Austin, on the lake with clients at the time. Ducks dont typically leave wakes.

It wasn't a dog either, and soon, he figured out the swimmer was a black bear. Austin works as a full time freelance photographer, but he occasionally guides trips for his family's travel business. He said the clients from Texas were pleased enough to see the animal, which swam at least a third of a mile on the lake.

"I think I was actually more excited because I know how rare it is," said Austin, based in Bozeman. "I've heard urban legends about that happening, and I've never actually seen it."

Around the same time Monday morning, Harmonee Johnson had been sitting on the porch watching the water after breakfast on Wild Horse Island. "It was as smooth as glass, as it had been for the past couple days, and (I) noticed something rippling in the water," Johnson wrote in an email. "The object looked larger than geese or other birds, so I grabbed the binoculars to get a better look.

"I still couldn't quite make out what the object was, so then I grabbed the telescope. Then, I could clearly see that it was indeed a bear. I had that thought in the back of my head since I have seen them swim across the channel before."

Her mom, Kathe Johnson, has a home on the island, and she and her family have been spending time there over the last 30 years, listening to coyotes howl, watching deer swim the waters, and even seeing a badger staring through a window into the house. But Harmonee's boyfriend hadn't seen anything like a swimming bear before, so the three hopped in a boat with Wampus, their older cat, to get a closer look.

"Its definitely something that not a lot of people ever get to witness, and Ive been fortunate enough to see this phenomenon a couple times now," Harmonee Johnson wrote in the email. "They are so graceful when they are in the water, completely opposite of how most people perceive bears."

Kathe Johnson described the sight too: "I don't know if you've ever seen a bear in the water before. They're very buoyant, and they swim really nonchalantly, and they bob along the top of the water."

Both parties on the lake captured video of the bear. It looked larger than a cub to Harmonee Johnson, but not fully grown.

Thursday at noon, some three days after the sighting and 48 hours after Austin's friend, Dalon Pobran, posted one clip on his Facebook account, @exploreflatheadlake, he said the number of views had exploded to 719,736 and kept climbing.

Pobran, who has loved Flathead Lake since he was a boy, said said he was sad he missed sight of the bear, but it's hard for him to be disappointed on the lake. He guides boat tours and trips to Wild Horse Island.

"I'm out there all the time," said Pobran. "I had a writer for Men's Journal Magazine on my boat, and literally missed that (by 20 minutes). That's the way it is.

"I'm thankful my friend Andy was there to catch it because we're friends, and it's a pretty good video. I see so much wildlife, and every day is a unique experience on that lake, so I don't feel like I've missed out. I just feel with that video, it just confirms what a unique place it is."

Austin, whose family runs a global travel company called Austin Adventures, guides one or two trips a year for the family business. In a typical summer, he'll visit Flathead Lake a couple of times, and he imagines he'll return come fall once the larches turn.

In that lake, the largest body of fresh water west of the Mississippi in the lower 48, he's seen wild horses and bighorn sheep, and boats and fishermen, but nothing quite as exciting as the bear on the lake. He saw the bear panting and could see it slowing down some in the water, so he gave it a wide berth.

"I didn't want to spook it. It was already pretty tired, and I didn't want it to change its course," Austin said.

Pobran, who runs Explore Flathead Lake, said he had an unexpected record-breaking season, and he's been telling his clients stories about wildlife on the water for years. "It is known that bears do swim across the lake to various islands, spend some time, and then they swim some more. Most of my clients are quite shocked to hear that news," he said. They're happy to see the evidence on his social media posts. "'You've told me these stories before, but now I actually can see it.'"

A friend of his once saw a moose swimming in Polson Bay. "It's a part of Montana life," said Pobran.

In 2010, FWP biologists tracked a collared grizzly bear swimming the lake, visiting one island, then another. The sow grizzly swam one seven-mile stretch of at least eight hours, possibly closer to 12, and spent time on Wild Horse Island, some 2,100 acres, according to FWP.

A couple of years ago, Pobran saw a couple of bear cubs running across the ridge line on Wild Horse Island. He's talked to experts who surmise one possible scenario for the little ones: "The consensus was that mama bear had swam to the island in the fall and denned up," he said. Then, she gave birth to the cubs on the island. "By the end of that summer, we weren't hearing of any more sightings. We assumed mama and the two bear cubs had matured enough to swim off the island."

Kathe and Harmonee Johnson have seen toads, snakes, wild horses, "big-ass slugs," frogs, deer, raccoons, and other creatures on Wild Horse Island. Years ago, a bear came out from hibernation from under the cabin, and once it got to shore, they "escorted" the sleeper to Cromwell Island, Kathe Johnson said.

Monday, they had just eaten breakfast when Harmonee spotted the ripples on the calm water. They'd fried bacon for breakfast, and Kathe hoped the bear would head away from the house.

Sure enough.

"He stood up, and he shook, and he looked out towards us and turned around and headed up into the forest."

Kathe Johnson and her two dogs and two cats were going to go on a walk that morning, but they decided it was better to avoid the shoreline. (Yes, the cats participate in the island walks, and Wampus, 16, has been visiting Wild Horse Island since he was born, she said.) She appreciated seeing the way Austin gave the bear space on the water too.

"It's always kind of exciting to see," Kathe Johnson said of the swimming bear. "You don't see them do that real often, but they do. There's an old orchard in the back, out back behind our cabin (with apples and pears). And it seems like in the fall, that's when you find bears that come across. I think they've got really good smell from a long ways away to come over in the fall."

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If you suspected that General Hospital character Marcus Taggert wasnt actually deadyou were right! Taggert is quite literally back from the dead and actor Real Andrews opened about the turn of events in a recent interview.

Real Andrews | J. P. Aussenard/WireImage

Viewers were perplexed when Taggert was killed off from the show

After being off the show for almost two decades, Andrews returned to the show as Taggert, a police officer whose most notable storyline revolves around his feud with Sonny Corinthos. Aside from this, the character other big moments include his relationship with Dara Jensen, his rivalry with Justus Ward, and his relationship with his sister, Gia Campbell. Andrews played 1996-1997 and then again from 1998-2003. He was also the General Hospital spinoff, Port Charles.

The character returned to the show through a once-unknown connection that he has with Jordan Ashford. However, it is revealed that that criminal Cyrus Renault has a vendetta against Ashford and Taggert, who took him down years ago. Soon, Trina Robinson is revealed to be the daughter of Taggert. The reunion is a short-lived one because he is shot after by one of Cyruss henchmen after saving Trina and Cameron Webber when they were kidnapped. He died from a blood clot following the shooting. The death wasnt on-screen, which lead many to believe he may not be dead. A lot of fans also believed Sonny could have helped him fake his death.

RELATED: General Hospital: Are Luke and Laura Actors Anthony Geary and Genie Francis Friends?

For Taggerts recent return, it was revealed that someone helped him fake his death, but it was actually Jordan. They did it so he could protect Trina and now, he and Sonny are going to work to take down Cyrus.

Andrews dishes all about his return

Talking about what he calls his third chance on the show, Taggert says that he couldnt wait to come back again.

He told Soap Opera Digest, It had been a daily dream of mine for 17 years to come back and when I saw his [General Hospital] casting director Mark Teschner] name, I dropped to my knees and started crying in gratitude and joy because I knew he wasnt calling me to say hi. I called him back and he said, We would love you to come back, are you interested? And I said, Interested? I would be honored! When do I start?'

RELATED: General Hospital: How Much Does the Cast Make and Who Earns the Most?

His statements also confirmed that at the time of Taggerts on-screen death, it wasnt entirely mapped out that he would actually still be alive. He was excited to come back when he found out the character would be returning.

When I found out I was getting killed off, I would be lying if I said wasnt devastated, he added. So when I got a third chance, I was like, Unbelievable! Boom. Lets go!'

One the upcoming storyline with Sonny, he said, That is so, so cool. Me and Maurice [Benard] have always had such great chemistry and loved working together, but the old Taggert was really just one note. We never really had a chance to explore our characters and color our performance with depth. But now, thanks to the amazing writing crew, were are both so excited about the potential and where this can go.

General Hospital airs weekdays on ABC.
President Trump sought on Thursday night to keep Wisconsin from slipping away from him in the fall election as he held a nighttime airport rally and contended that Joseph R. Biden Jr. was neglecting the key battleground state just as Hillary Clinton had four years ago.

Mr. Biden visited Wisconsin two weeks ago after the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, as did Mr. Trump.

The family is all over the place, all over the country, Mr. Trump told supporters gathered in Mosinee, referring to his children who were out campaigning for him. Unlike Joe, who lets you down when he never came back to Milwaukee to apologize or pay respects. I came to Wisconsin and I have been here a lot since we started.

Mr. Trump was trying to capitalize on Mr. Bidens decision to cancel the full-scale Democratic National Convention that was initially set to be held in Milwaukee and hold it online instead. But if Mr. Biden should apologize to Wisconsin for canceling his convention there, Mr. Trump did not explain why he should not apologize to Florida for canceling his own convention in that state.
More than one million students are returning to Higher Education (HE) campuses across the UK, including hundreds of thousands from abroad. This migration is occurring under conditions where the COVID-19 virus is resurgent, following the forced return to workplaces and schools under the governments herd immunity policy.

The return to campus will accelerate the R (reproduction) value, which last week rose to between 1.0 and 1.2. In major cities and conurbations such as London, Greater Manchester and Liverpool, the R rate rose to between 1.1 and 1.3, higher than other UK regions. These last two urban areas alone are home to eight universities with a combined student population exceeding 120,000.

Campuses have been closed since March and the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) said earlier this month that the mass return of students posed a significant risk and could amplify local and national transmission. It is highly likely that there will be significant outbreaks associated with higher education, and asymptomatic transmission may make these harder to detect, their report added.

COVID-19 is now spreading amongst the younger population. Leading epidemiologist Dame Anne Johnson, of University College London (UCL), warned of a critical moment in the pandemic, stating We are now seeing the highest number of infections or at least detected infections in younger people aged 20 to 29 and also going up to 45-year-olds.

Dr Mike Tildesley, an associate professor at the University of Warwick and expert in infection modelling, told BBC Breakfast that the UK was mostly dealing with really local outbreaks, but the movement of students across the country could cause a wave of infection, especially at holidays and Christmas.

Students now face a limit on socialising under the governments arbitrary limiting of gatherings to six, yet can go to work and to campuses. Government guidance states that universities should only switch to full online learning as a very last resort in a local coronavirus outbreak. Department for Education (DfE) guidance also maintains that universities should use a blend of face-to-face and online learning, stating that there is no evidence face-to-face teaching is unsafe, so long as pandemic precautions are maintained.

These cannot be maintained, however, as the government is aware, not only under conditions of a mass migration of students across the country, and their subsequent coalescing in campuses. The ban on groups of more than six does not apply to face-to-face seminar teaching nor on shared student accommodation. In some purpose-built student accommodation this can mean sharing facilities with hundreds of others.

Universities claim they are minimising the risk by moving small face-to-face group teaching to large lecture theatres, but many HE establishments do not have the facilities.

The real reason for pushing students and educators into unsafe conditions is the same as in workplaces and schools: profitability. The so-called free market in HE means that universities are dependent on enormous tuition and accommodation fees. Every city centre in the country is also largely reliant on the so-called student economy for survival.

In addition, should an HE institution decide of its own accord not to provide face-to-face teaching, it could face action from the Office for Students for failing to deliver product to consumers, meaning having to return tuition fees in full or part.

Dr Eric Lybeck, University of Manchester, explained, I dont think anyone would have chosen [blended] learning if it wasnt necessary to get funding via student fees.

If the [online only] Open University charges 6,000 for their course, you cant really charge 9,000. Universities were offering face-to-face teaching, he said, to legitimise their high student fees. Consequently, universities are having to handle a surge in undergraduate applicants due to rising unemployment and job insecurity, while saying they will maintain safety. Some universities are facing up to a 200 percent increase in new student numbers.

Writing anonymously on Open Democracy, a university staff member described how they were recently in a meeting in which a member of Senior Management at my institution stated explicitly that the university would be in serious financial trouble if the students did not return. Incredibly, this person also admitted that it was inevitable that there would be an outbreak of Covid-19 as a result of campus reopening. It was made clear in the meeting that this information was confidential and should not be shared with the public. The position of universities is publicly to claim that they are safe, but privately to acknowledge that this is impossible.

Perversely, if a university is forced to close due to a local lockdown, it will not have to reimburse funds. And, if students are locked down after they have returned to campus, they will at least have to pay for their accommodation. In other words, financialisation means it is better for the HE sector if COVID-19 does spread.

In the face of these reckless actions, the University and College Union (UCU) has made only mealy-mouthed statements decrying the health risks, while doing nothing to mobilise its sizable membership in opposition. Indeed, the UCU utilised the pandemic to sell out opposition by HE staff to its rotten deal on pay and pensions. Up to 50,000 lecturers, technicians, librarians and other academic and support staff at more than 70 universities took 14 days of strike action, staggered through February and March, ending just before lockdown. The priority for the UCU is to prevent a resumption of this fight.

The UCU said a statement issued Wednesday, The evidence suggests that colleges and universities will be hit with further Covid outbreaks, but offered no more than to name and shame colleges or universities that were not doing enough to keep staff, students and the wider community safe. Responsibility for this would be down to individual members, with union leader Jo Grady declaring, We will be monitoring what comes in from members and will name and shame institutions that are not up to scratch. No mobilization of the unions 120,000 members to fight the unsafe return to campus is proposed. Instead it declares if our members are concerned with how their college or university is behaving we will back them if they vote to move into dispute, which could result in ballots for industrial action. [emphasis added].

Labours shadow universities minister, Emma Hardy, has requested only that her government counterpart Michelle Donelan explore the possibility of introducing mass testing on campus to build confidence in universities and their communities that students are able to return safely. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has been Boris Johnsons main supporter in insisting on the reopening of schools. While he warns that the governments track-and-trace system is collapsing, he is a willing partner in the charade that schools and HE are COVID-safe.

The fight against this reckless endangerment of lives requires uniting and mobilising workers, students and educators. New forms of working class resistance must be established, including rank-and-file safety committees, to stop the sacrificing of public health to private profit. This requires a conscious political fight against the Johnson government, the Labour Party and the pro-capitalist trade unions.

To take this fight forward, the Socialist Equality Party calls on all educators, teachers and students to attend the next meeting of the Educators Rank-and-File Committee on Saturday, September 19, 24 p.m.

To attend please register here.
A Tous les Jours bakery shop; and Gyeonggi Governor Lee Jae-myung / Korea Times files



PEFs face obstacles in buying bakery chain from CJ



By Park Jae-hyuk



Affirma Capital and JKL Partners are facing bigger difficulties in their bids to buy Tous les Jours from CJ Foodville after the Gyeonggi Provincial Government began supporting the bakery chain's franchisees who oppose the sale.



The provincial government said Friday it will investigate conflicts between franchisers and franchisees and the damage franchisees have suffered in the aftermath of the acquisition of food and beverage franchises by private equity firms (PEFs).



The announcement came after provincial government officials met Tous les Jours franchisees, Sept. 11.



The franchisees have protested CJ's attempt to sell its bakery chain, saying it was a unilateral decision.



After it was reported that only the two buyout firms took part in the preliminary bidding, the franchisees have urged the conglomerate to stop the sale unless it sells the brand to another conglomerate as large as CJ.



The Gyeonggi Province government plans to refer franchisers to the Fair Trade Commission if it discovers any unfair practices.



"If franchisers continue to sell their brands unilaterally, the status of franchisees and the quality and prices of products will be unstable," said Kim Ji-ye, the head of the fair consumer division at the provincial government.



"This could lead to damage to consumers who trust the brands. Through this investigation, we will inspect the current situation and problems thoroughly, and will reform relevant regulations."



Governor Lee Jae-myung seems to be behind the province's recent decision because he organized the fair consumer division.



He has recently been active in expressing opinions about issues in the financial sector, including short-selling, lending rates and local currencies.



The governor also criticized IGIS Asset Management for its previous purchase of an entire apartment building in the affluent district of Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul, using a private equity fund it manages.



Meanwhile, the investigation by the province may contract the market for food franchise M&As here, most of which involve domestic and foreign buyout firms.



Over the past few years, PEFs have participated in several deals involving food and beverage brands, such as Gong Cha, A Twosome Place, Nolboo, Outback Steakhouse Korea, BHC, Mom's Touch and Mr. Pizza.



TGI Friday's and Popeyes, which are expected to be put on the market soon, are also expected to be sold to PEFs.



This is because conglomerates are getting out of the restaurant business amid rising minimum wages and tightened regulations. The spread of the coronavirus has accelerated this trend.


IOWA CITY, Iowa - A high school teacher in Iowa has been placed on leave for assigning students to pretend you are a black slave.

The Iowa City Press-Citizen reported that the assignment for an Iowa City school district online learning program for students assigned to different schools asked students to write four sentences about what they would do if they were a slave who was freed.

Think very, very carefully about what your life would be like as a slave in 1865, the assignment reads. You cant read or write and you have never been off the plantation you work on. What would you do when you hear the news you are free? What factors would play into the decision you make?

The teacher, whose name was not released, was placed on administrative leave and the assignment was removed, Iowa City Community School District spokeswoman Kristin Pedersen said. A statement from the district called the assignment inappropriate and said it does not support and will not tolerate this type of instruction.

Dibny Gamez said her 14-year-old daughter, Ayesha, could not complete the assignment because it made her feel uncomfortable. Ayesha is among a small number of Black students in the class.

She just starts tearing up, Gamez said. And I was, like, No, listen, you dont have to be ashamed of who you are. I said, You are beautiful for who you are. Dont let not one soul make you uncomfortable for who you are.

Assignments asking students to role-play enslaved people or slave owners trivialize or distort the actual events of slavery, said Justin Grinage, a professor of curriculum and instruction at the University of Minnesota who focuses his research on race and education.

The best-case scenario with lessons like this is that students come away with a fabricated lie about history. So, best-case scenario, they dont really learn anything, or they learn the wrong thing, Grinage said. Worst-case scenario is that its a deeply traumatic experience for students of colour, particularly Black students.

___

This story has been corrected to note the assignment was made in an online learning program, not a specific school.
STORY LINK Near 2-Month-Worst for GBP to ZAR Exchange Rate after BoE and SARB Decisions

GBP Exchange Rates Struggle as UK Retail Outlook Remains Filled with Concerns

These words by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have given Sterling another boost. The Pound was already on an upward path after PM Boris Johnson compromised with members of his Conservative Party after they expressed concerns about a controversial piece of legislation.

Consumers may adopt a cautious approach to major discretionary purchases given the uncertain economic environment and heightened job insecurity. Consumer confidence currently remains at a relatively low level despite coming off recent long-term lows. Additionally, spikes in Coivd-19 cases over the coming months could magnify consumer caution and weigh on shopper footfall.

ZAR Exchange Rates Benefit from South African Reserve Banks (SARB) Stance

Sarbs reactive nature is encouraging for the SA economy. This bodes well for the Rand through Q4 and 2021,



Coupled with an increase in global risk appetite and possible vaccine hopes, I believe therell be a steady appreciation of the Rand.

GBP/ZAR Exchange Rate Forecast: Coronavirus Developments Remain in Focus

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Despite a lack of strong South African data lately, the South African Rand has been one of the best performing major currencies in recent weeks and the British Pound to South African Rand (GBP/ZAR) exchange rate has been trending lower. Sterling has been attempting to rebound on Brexit hopes, but the pairs movement has been dominated by the Rands own rebound attempts as investors digest the latest coronavirus hopes and central bank news.While the Pound has regained some ground against many major rival currencies, GBP/ZAR has continued to tumble. Since opening this week at the level of 21.43, GBP/ZAR has trended with a downside bias.At the time of writing on Friday, GBP/ZAR is trending near a low of 20.90. This is the worst level for GBP/ZAR in almost two months, since July. It follows last weeks movement, when GBP/ZAR fell from the level of 22.03. Overall, GBP/ZAR has lost well over a Rand this month so far.Against many major currencies, the Pound has seen a rebound from its worst levels over the past week. Investors have been buying the Pound on hopes that the UK and EU will still be able to reach an agreement on a post-Brexit trade relationship.This was partially due to comments from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. According to Yohay Elam, Analyst at FXStreet:However, Sterlings gains are still limited. There has been no solid optimistic Brexit news.On top of this, the latest UK retail sales results were mixed. The data was better than some expected, but markets remain anxious about how sales will be impacted by the coronavirus pandemic in the coming months.Concerns are especially highs as a second wave of infections hits Britain.Howard Archer, Chief Economic Advisor at the EY ITEM Club, said:The South African Rand has been one of the best performing major currencies in recent weeks. This week has seen the Rand only furthering its gains.Investors have been piling into the Rand so much that the currency is trending near its best levels since before the coronavirus pandemic against some other major rivals, like the weak US Dollar.Yesterdays South African Reserve Bank (SARB) policy decision only further boosted the Rands appeal. The bank left policy unchanged, rather than looking to loosen policy further like many other central banks across the globe had been doing.According to a trader at IG Group:The Rand also benefitted slightly from news that South Africas lockdown would continue to ease.Next weeks economic calendar will be much quieter, with only a few noteworthy ecostats due for publication.UK PMI projections for September will be published on Wednesday. These will give investors a better idea of how Britains economy is weathering the coronavirus pandemic this month and could be fairly influential for the Pound outlook.However, the weeks only notable South African stats will be business confidence figures due on Tuesday.With South African data unlikely to be that influential, the South African Rand will continue to be driven by developments in domestic and global coronavirus situations.If South Africas coronavirus situation continues to improve, the Rand may be in for continued gains.Coronavirus developments will remain a focus for the Pound as well. For example, if Britains infection rate continues to worsen, lockdown speculation may rise which could hurt the Pound.Of course, any surprising developments in UK-EU Brexit negotiations could also influence the Pound to South African Rand exchange rate.

International Money Transfer? Ask our resident FX expert a money transfer question or try John's new, free, no-obligation personal service! ,where he helps every step of the way, ensuring you get the best exchange rates on your currency requirements.

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Its defining feature can be summed by a phrase in it: nothing about us without us

: Protesters throw stones on security personnel after an encounter with militants, at Batamaloo in Srinagar. PTI Photo

On August 5, 2019, the Narendra Modi government embarked on a dangerous and destabilising course by tearing up the delicate arrangement Free India entered into with Maharaja Hari Singh on the morrow of Independence.

The compact, in the shape of Article 370 of the Constitution, gave Kashmir considerable autonomy (as is now being negotiated with the Nagas). On August 22 this year, just 12 months after constitutional havoc was wreaked, accompanied by unremitting repression, Kashmir announced its riposte.

The riposte was resoundingly peaceful. It was contained in a document that its authors called Gupkar Declaration II.

The manifesto, which holds the promise of a fightback by ordinary people in Kashmir, relying only on constitutional means, if the parties that are signatory to it can hold their nerve in the face of both repression and allure, the twin instruments that go with the orchestration of tyranny.

Not to put too fine a point on it, the basis of the promise of Gupkar II is, as of now, no more than a piece of sophisticated political imagination.

Its defining feature can be summed by a phrase in it: nothing about us without us, which seems to constitute a direct challenge to the militaristic, semi-fascistic, style of governance in Kashmir.

On the practical side, Gupkar II underscores that all political activities to be undertaken by the six signatory parties will be subservient to the restoration of Kashmirs autonomy as captured in Article 370.

At this stage, there is nothing specific about public participation in taking the Gupkar II message forward.

The fundamental reason for this is the disdain for mainstream parties that has developed among ordinary people since the August 5, 2019 crackdown.

These parties are now held guilty of having sided all these years with New Delhi which trifled with Kashmirs dignity -- indeed, even putting mainline politicians themselves in jail in the same manner as the separatists and the extremists, as if to the BJP rulers they were all the same.

It is the irony of the situation that is sought to be underlined, and it is an irony which, subtly conveyed by interested actors, transmutes into disgust for New Delhi, which gets easily transferred to those who are seen as having represented it in the Valley.

For all that, however, a very negative mood against the BJP sweeps the Valley, and it is this that is likely to sway peoples behavior when Assembly elections are held -- whenever they are held, and especially if the authorities perversely go on delaying it.

The BJP was once a welcome name in Kashmir due to former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayees solicitousness toward it.

The goodwill was transferred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi until his partys true colours were revealed, ending in the stripping of J&Ks autonomy and Kashmirs downright derogation and false depiction -- for communal motives -- as a land of Pakistan-inspired terrorists.

In the past three decades, Kashmir has seen extremist and terrorist violence, principally an aspect of Pakistans covert and overt war against India, but also lately developing an indigenous component.

But now, if Gupkar II can take off, New Delhi could face two very separate battlefields in Kashmir -- one constituting the extremist-terrorist-separatist variety and, in addition, the newly created second front comprising mainstream political parties.

The latter campaigning for the restoration of Article 370, and not only J&Ks statehood, are likely to get to be quite a handful unless, in the coming weeks and months, they are forcibly prevented from campaigning.

So there could be greater repression, helping the extremist cause psychologically and politically, and, indirectly, Pakistan, in the process infusing greater strategic uncertainty into a region already beset with hostile Chinese military activity.

Should this materialise, few will miss locating its origins in the ideology-laden hubris which has been the hallmark of Modi, Shah & Associates, a partnership that has been so blind as not to see that the mainstream parties of Kashmir have been made victims of terrorist violence because they were seen as accomplices of Indian democracy, which has shown up in Kashmir in badly faded colours.

Gupkar II was preceded by the original Gupkar Declaration of August 4, 2019, enunciated just a day before the constitutional stripping of J&K. Leaders of the mainline Valley parties, who intuitively knew that the omens were all bad, had assembled at the Gupkar Road residence of National Conference chairman Farooq Abdullah, although they were regional rivals of the NC.

They resolved, just before being imprisoned, that they would remain united to preserve Kashmirs constitutional status.

Gupkar II is a reaffirmation and a resolve for further action.

But its distinguishing feature is that in addition to the regional parties that had met in 2019, two national parties -- Congress and CPI(M) -- also joined them at Dr Abdullahs residence on August 22 this year.

A few days later, the CPI in Kashmir extended unqualified support. This makes Gupkar II not only a document of Kashmir but a document for the nation. This makes it unique in Kashmirs annals.

It is instructive that its arch opponents are the BJP and the Narendra Modi government, the suave professionals who spread the Jamaat-e-Islami narrative in the Kashmir Valley, and Pakistans military establishment if the signals are read right.

This is an impressive array of foes for a group that espouses peaceful and constitutional means to return to the old normal.

Can history be re-injected? It is hard to say. But it is worth remembering that the official move to break Kashmirs spirit constitutionally was stoutly opposed in Parliament in August 2019 by the Congress leadership, the Left parties, the DMK, RJD, and Trinamul Congress.

The BJPs important Bihar ally, the JD(U), also opposed it. Another BJP ally, Akali Dal, spoke against the bill but was obliged to vote with the government.

This is an impressive number of parties standing up with Kashmir in Parliament. In addition, the principal sections of the mainline media too disapproved of the governments action.

The Forum for Human Rights in Kashmir, comprising a retired Supreme Court judge, several retired high court judges, a retired home secretary, a retired foreign secretary, and retired military officers published a sharply critical report on the ending of Kashmirs autonomy and the governments subsequent actions in Kashmir.

And yet, regrettably, there seems a concerted effort in some quarters in the Valley to spread the disinformation that India slept soundly through the process of Kashmirs belittling by the Modi government.
It's the Air Force's 73rd birthday. To celebrate, top officials and government agencies have posted photos commemorating ... the U.S. Navy.

The State Department on Friday posted a tweet to honor the Air Force, but used a photo of the Blue Angels, the Navy's elite demonstration team.

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"Today, the Department celebrates @USAirForce's 73rd birthday," the official account states. "We join the rest of our nation in honoring the service and dedication of the U.S. Air Force's Airmen and women, past and present. #USAF73."

The department, which did not respond to Military.com's request for comment, eventually deleted the tweet -- but it wasn't alone in the error.

"Happy 73rd Birthday to the @usairforce! We are grateful for all men and women of the U.S. Air Force who have boldly fought for and defended the security of our great nation," Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., tweeted, also with an accompanying a photo of the Blue Angels. He was quick to delete it minutes later.

Separately, Rep. John Carter, a Republican from Texas, used a photo of an F-35 Joint Strike Fighter -- except below the Lightning II were once again F/A-18 Hornets from the Blue Angels demonstration team, which is currently transitioning from the legacy aircraft to F/A-18E/F Super Hornets.

The Internet was swift in its response, with many pointing out the gaffe. Others mockingly posted well wishes to the Air Force, using images of sailors and aircraft carriers.

Even the official Navy Chief of Information's office weighed in on the mistake, posting the State Department's message with its own in jest: "Happy birthday @usairforce, but we're not giving you the @BlueAngels. Aircraft carriers are also only @USNavy."

The mistake follows others involving military aircraft committed this week by two election campaigns.

Politico's Dave Brown pointed out that Amy McGrath, a Senate candidate from Kentucky, issued an ad in which she talks about her military experience over stock footage of an F-15 Eagle. McGrath is a former F-18 pilot.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump's re-election campaign pushed out a fundraising ad asking voters to "Support Our Troops" -- just not American ones.

The ad featured a stock image of Russian soldiers being buzzed by a MiG-29 twin-engine jet. It quickly went viral. The description on the Shutterstock photo site says, "Military silhouettes of soldiers and airforce [sic] against the backdrop of sunset sky."

Responding to the now-viral ad, Arthur Zakirov, the Russian photographer who created the image, told Politico that he thought the error was "pretty funny."

"Today, you hear about the Kremlin's hand in U.S. politics. Tomorrow, you are this hand," Zakirov said.

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.

Related: The Trump Campaign Asks You to Support Our (Russian) Troops
A pandemic that has threatened to extinct humanity provides an ample opportunity to envision possible futures and explore post-human permutations. This is because, amidst the gloom and despair, fears, and anxieties over human survival, it is compelling that humans reimagine and re-conceive the human. Speculations about the future must engage and move beyond human vulnerabilities and imperfect abilities holding out some hope and optimism about the future and humanity.

A post-human take on the coronavirus pandemic is quite pertinent especially for the African continent, a region that has been predicted would be most affected by COVID19. Although the surge in the infection rate that many predicated has not materialized, the region is no less vulnerable to epidemics and pandemics that could threaten human existence and survival in the region. Thus any speculation about redesigning or technologically augmenting the human is both cogent and promising and laden with opportunities and possibilities worthy of a reflection.

Pandemic Rattles Africa

The outbreak of COVID 19 caused so much panic and anxiety across Africa and the world. Drastic and unprecedented measures have been put in place to contain the spread of the virus- social distancing, a ban on international and domestic flights, and prohibition of public gathering in parks, churches, and schools. The pandemic has posed a serious challenge to African politics, economies, and health care sectors. According to the WHO, the first reported case of COVID 19 in Africa was on February 14 and since then 52 countries have reported cases. African countries still lag behind the rest of the world in testing and monitoring of the disease. In my country Nigeria, the number of confirmed cases has continued to rise . Very few tests have been conducted due to the limited number of testing equipment and personnel in the country. Like the Ebola virus, COVID 19 has revealed the fragile and weak health care capacities in African countries especially the technological deficit in the management of diseases. The UN Economic Commission on Africa [ii] has projected that between 300 thousand and 3 million Africans will lose their lives as a result of COVID 19. However, it noted that this projected impact could be affected by the intervention measures from the various countries.

These grim prospects for the region are predicated on so many factors including overcrowding and poorly serviced slum dwellings in urban areas, limited access to handwashing facilities, informal workforce, undernourishment, underlying health conditions such as tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, and extreme poverty. Besides, there is a challenge posed by snake oil sellers who take advantage of people. Lack of a cure for the disease has provided an opportunity for quacks and other con artists to peddle fake therapies for the coronavirus, at very exorbitant prices. In Ghana [iii] and Nigeria, there have been reports of traditional healers, operators of herbal clinics, and pastors market spurious remedies and questionable cures for COVID19.

As earlier noted, COVID19 poses a serious challenge to African countries in the area of testing for the virus. As of June 29 Nigeria, a country of over 200 million persons has carried out a little over 130 000 tests [iv] . Let us assume that Nigeria can carry out a million tests at the end of the year, how long will it take to test half of the population of the country? The same situation applies to Zambia. Zambia reported its first two cases of COVID19 in March. In May, this country of about 17 million people has conducted only 20,000 tests. Whilst in Kenya, the number of tests was 45,000 and 537,713 tests were required to cover one percent of the population [v] .

As Belinda Herring [vi] has noted there is a lack of necessary infrastructure to tackle covid19. African countries lack the equipment and trained human resources, and also the reagents that are needed to do the tests.

To carry out these tests, African countries depend on other countries to send or sell the resources to them. They rely on the WHO to make available the testing materials, training as well as tracking facilities. Even with the existing support from other countries and the WHO, African countries need a technological leap to contain the coronavirus pandemic. Various technologies need to converge and combine in ways that could signal hope, enhance the health care capacity, and accelerate testing as well as treatment processes.

As it stands, the COVID 19 management status quo in African countries is anything but smart and capable of getting countries to defeat the pandemic. Some countries have trained human resources but there arent enough testing kits. They may possess testing kits but lack enough personnel to use them. Some countries have laboratories for the tests but not enough reagents or protective devices for the scientists and health workers.

Thus the effective management of covid19 is predicated on revamping the health infrastructure in African countries and making available cutting edge health technologies for testing, monitoring, and treatment of the disease. For instance, in Nigeria, the technology for testing and management of COVID 19 should be available and accessible to the countrys 200 million people, not just less than a million at currently the case. So with the current infrastructure, it is evident that African countries are incapable of meeting the targets of combating and containing covid19 and other life and human threatening epidemics and pandemics.

African countries need to transition into more technology-mediated societies that can harness scientific and technological innovations, emerging technologies including robotics, nanotechnology, gene therapy, stem cell therapy, and artificial intelligence in combating the disease. To rattle the COVID19 management status quo in the region, a convergence of technologies and blurring of the line between is required to scale up efficient and effective management of the pandemic.

https://www.afro.who.int/news/covid-19-cases-top-10-000-africa#:~:text=Reaching%20the%20continent%20through%20travellers,countries%20have%20reported%20cases.

[ii] https://www.uneca.org/publications/covid-19-africa-protecting-lives-and-economies

[iii] https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-africa-53199190/coronavirus-ghana-quack-doctors-selling-cure

[iv] https://covid19.ncdc.gov.ng/

[v] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-52702838

[vi] Testing for CORONAVIRUS (covid19) in the African region https://www.afro.who.int/node/12354
But Im not so sure about that. Trump has given us every indication that hell do whatever it takes to stay in power, the law and the Constitution be damned. Why are we so confident that the system can withstand his repeated blows, when hes successfully manipulated the system to stay in power thus far?

This is, after all, a president who has already indicated he may not accept the election results, telling Fox, I have to see.

And in the latest effort to save himself in case of Bidens victory, he has asked the Department of Justice to take over a defamation lawsuit filed against him by E. Jean Carroll, a woman who claims Trump raped her in a dressing room in the mid-1990s, in hopes that Barrs involvement will be more favorable for him.

From undermining the Russia investigation to his quid pro quo offer in Ukraine, resulting in his impeachment, Trump has proven over and over again that there is no out-of-bounds when it comes to his own self-preservation.

You dont even have to buy former fixer Michael Cohens theory  that Trump will resign so that Vice President Mike Pence can become president to pardon him  to believe that Trump will not participate in a peaceful transition of power in November if he loses.
Elizabeth Conley, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

As Texas continues to seeing rising numbers of domestic violence, advocates say sexual assault is also happening more frequently during the pandemic.

Part of that is due to the fact that people are sheltering in place with family members, and statistically, sexual assault is usually committed by someone you know, said Victoria Smith, a project director at Lone Star Legal Aid.
Caribbean

Rich Europeans and Americans are flocking to the Caribbean, but not for the usual winter sun. More and more wealthy individuals are moving for longer periods than usual.



Citizenship advisers, government agencies and real estate developers say they have seen a rapid increase in business over the past few months. Even luxury hotels say they are booking in guests for long-term stays.



The increase in American arrivals has been most stark, they say. Mohammed Asaria, whose Range Developments is working on a new Six Senses resort, says U.S. citizens are coming to "hide it out.



"You've got the election coming. That's number one. You've had Covid and certain places in the U.S. have been challenged through that, and more working remotely."



U.S. inquiries for residential villas at Secret Bay in Dominica have jumped 66%. "Its the first time the U.S. has gone through a period like this and it's not just the Covid-19 situation," says Gregor Nassief, its proprietor. "It is the fear of what an extreme outcome on the left or right may look like after the presidential election."



Others are keen to escape with new-found working from home freedoms. "Digital nomad is not a new thing," says Petra Roach, head of Global Markets for Visit Barbados. "Before we didn't really think about it."



But then in July Barbados launched a new 12 month "Welcome Stamp" designed to attract remote workers to the country. Since its launch there have been around 1,100 applications, 42% of which are from the U.S. British and Canadians are the next largest nationalities to apply.



Hotels Run Out Of Rooms



Barbados's new temporary residents are checking into Airbnbs while real estate agents rush to find rental properties. Hotels are even offering long stays. Both the Hilton and Marriott in Barbados have announced month-long packages.



But the wealthier clients want something more than just a hotel room. Many want actual citizenship of the islands where they are staying. Barbados does not offer this but Grenada, Dominica and other Caribbean nations do.

"Citizenship By Investment," or CBI as it is known, first started in St Kitts and Nevis in 1984. Traditionally it attracts Chinese and Middle Easterners who want a passport with more travel freedoms.



But in the past few months it too has seen an increase in U.S. inquiries. "We have seen an uptick in applications from the U.S. for people who want an alternative passport," says Les Khan, chief executive of the St Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Investment Unit.



Normally the two-island nation hands out passports to investors who never visit their country. This year is different: Its new citizens actually want to come to the islands. Some want to stay.



This is putting a strain on the supply of government approved real estate projects that qualify for citizenship. A minimum of $200,000 must be spent on real estate to access citizenship, but currently only approved developments count and most of these are linked to hotels.



"We're looking at alternatives outside of our hotels," says Khan. "Individuals are looking for opportunities outside of those hotels and get access to our citizenship through private homes. Its something that we're exploring."



This is largely due to a change of lifestyle, he says: "Individuals who are from the U.S. apply for St Kitts passport are doing so to want to come and change their lifestyles and live on the island."



Grenada is also having to come up with more room. Range Developments Six Senses resort will include a branded residential component in Grenada. "People want a second or third home in a place where they're not going to be affected by any of this should a second or third wave come," says Asaria.



More Americans Renounce Citizenship



Real estate is not the only path to Caribbean citizenship. St Kitts and Nevis, Dominica and Grenada allow a contribution to a sovereign fund as an cheaper route. Citizenship advisers tout Caribbean passports for their visa-free travel freedoms, or, in Nassief's words, "A useful insurance policy" should things at home go awry.



However, more and more duel national Americans are renouncing their U.S. citizenship. A total of 5,816 Americans gave up their citizenship in the first half of this year, a 1,210% jump on the previous six months and more than double 2019's total says Bambridge Accountants.



"The huge increase in U.S. expats renouncing from our experience is that the current pandemic has allowed individuals the time to review their ties to the U.S. and decide that the current political climate and annual US tax reporting is just too much to bear," says Alistair Bambridge, partner at Bambridge Accountants New York.



Tax reporting plays a large part in this: The U.S. is unique in requiring its citizens to pay tax wherever they are domiciled. Most of those renouncing are likely to have moved abroad several years previously. However, some now armed with a Caribbean passport and the power to work from wherever they want may have decided to take the leap.






Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-19 01:05:14|Editor: huaxia

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BRUSSELS, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The latest China-Germany-EU leaders' meeting provided new political impetus to the China-EU strategic cooperation, Zhang Ming, head of the Chinese Mission to the EU, has said, according to the updates of the mission's website on Friday.

"That gave another opportunity of strategic communication between Chinese and EU leaders after three months, lending new political impetus to the China-EU strategic cooperation," Zhang made the remarks while delivering a keynote speech at a webinar organized by the European Policy Center (EPC) three days after the summit held on Monday via video link.

According to Zhang, the summit sent a positive message of China and the EU strengthening cooperation and forging a comprehensive strategic partnership with greater global significance in the post-COVID-19 era.

Addressing the online session themed "Prospects and Challenges of China-EU Relations," Zhang gave an all-round introduction to the results of the video summit.

Firstly, China and the EU have made it clear that they both stand for engagement and dialogue on the basis of mutual respect and equality, for openness and cooperation, and for multilateralism, and that they both stand against isolation, decoupling and unilateralism. The two sides agreed to keep the momentum of high-level exchanges, and stay in communication regarding a 27+1 leaders' meeting, he elaborated.

Secondly, the summit helped deepen mutually beneficial cooperation. The two sides announced the signing of the China-EU Agreement on Geographical Indications (GI), and reaffirmed commitment to speeding up the investment agreement negotiations and concluding the agreement by the end of this year. It was also agreed that a High-level Environment and Climate Dialogue and a High-level Digital Cooperation Dialogue would be established.

Thirdly, the summit charted the way forward and set priorities for the development of China-EU relations, said Zhang, naming several fields where China and EU need to work together, including the fight against the pandemic, the push for economic recovery and safeguarding the international order and free trade.

The two sides agreed to continue to discuss the Strategic Agenda for Cooperation 2025, in order to set out a framework for China-EU cooperation for the next five years, according to Zhang. Enditem
By PTI

NEW DELHI: A group of doctors and scientists have expressed grave concern over foreign national resident doctors enrolled in post graduation and super specialty courses at AIIMS here not getting any stipend, even as their counterparts in other central institutions like PGIMER in Chandigarh and JIPMER in Puducherry getting paid.

The group has urged the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Health to intervene in the matter at the earliest.

The group of doctors and scientists under the banner of 'Progressive Medicos and Scientists Forum' (PMSF), in a statement, said during the COVID-19 pandemic, these resident doctors have been working day and night and saving the lives of people here "without any discrimination".

"So it is a gross violation of the basic legal right of 'equal work, equal pay' and the basic democratic right of being paid for their work," it said.

While their contemporary Indian resident doctors are getting paid for the same services, these foreign national residents are not getting paid just because they do not have Indian citizenship, PMSF said.

"To add to their woes, these foreign national resident doctors are forced to pay even for their treatment in their own hospital if they get sick due to dengue, malaria or any other hospital acquired infection. What would be more painful than this?" the statement said.

The Resident Doctors' Association (RDA) of AIIMS had also written to the institute director over the matter on a number of occasions in the past.

In a recent letter, the AIIMS RDA had requested the administration to consider providing free Employee Health Scheme (EHS) to such residents, reiterating that they are not sponsored/nominated by the Ministry of External Affairs and hence, are not paid any stipend from any Indian or their parent country organisation.

The PMSF said all the resident doctors should be treated free-of-cost through health card scheme rather than employee health scheme which is meant for employees.

"The PMSF also expresses its disapproval of the manner in which AIIMS Administration is equating these foreign national resident doctors with sponsored candidates who get paid by the organisations sponsoring them. But these foreign national resident doctors are not getting any payment at all."

"We urge the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Health to intervene at the earliest to end this agony as soon as possible," the statement added.
Michael Holston's evolution from just another guy passionate about handling animals to a social media superstar has been a fast rise to the top. Even just a couple of years ago, Michael Holston, aka The Real Tarzann, never thought that he would be hanging out with celebrities and collecting millions of fans online for his work.

With a new type of fame, Holston understands that he has turned into one of the internet's faces for animal handling, but also education and conservation. He does not take this power for granted, as Holston has wasted no time using his global reach to make improvements much more significant than him.

Engaging education

Holston's following is primarily due to providing stunning content rarely found anywhere. He has the opportunity to interact with some of the most exotic animals in the world, and he does so fearlessly. Only a few people in the world have the same type of access to so many different animals around the globe.

He also is hugely engaging with his audience. From the passion he talks about animals to his infectious smile, his followers love what he brings to the table. It is a unique way to engage with an audience and share a passion without going overboard. His excitement level in certain situations is reminiscent of a child, which keeps people interested in everything he has to say and do.

Helping and animal abuse

The ugly side of Holston's travels includes witnessing different forms of animal abuse. As a true lover of all animals, it is something that infuriates Holston every time he sees it first hand or even hears about it. That is why he has focused on making sure that his platform is about fighting against animal abuse. With a fan base that is very much behind the causes as well, Holston shares information on non-profit organizations helping fight for animal rights and against abuse all the time.

One simple share of a non-profit organization can help raise awareness and money right away. Only a small fraction of those following will take action, but it is enough to make a change just the same. Awareness takes time to build, and Holston encourages people to speak out if they see anything as well.

The most recent example of animal abuse brought to Holston's attention came during his visit to Mexico. For those unaware, Mexico has antiquated animal abuse legislation that is heavily criticized by other countries. Only recently have restrictions started to hit both bullfighting and dogfighting, and animals are still used frequently to test toxic products.

Holston has been making frequent visits to Mexico to help put together grassroots campaigns to raise awareness and protect the most at-risk animals. He has posted pictures and videos of his time in Mexico, allowing people to see the area he is so passionate about protecting. He never gets too graphic with anything, but it visualizes the struggles many animal rights advocates face in Mexico currently.

Beach cleanups

Holston fell in love with animals in South Florida, and he still calls the area home. One of the first instances where he truly understood his powerful online presence started with a cleanup on Miami Beach.

A 2019 cleanup started by a teenager exploded into a much bigger effort thanks to Holston's sharing of the information online. Not only did locals and visitors on spring break help out, but celebrities joined in with the cause as well.

This has inspired Holston to make this a tradition that can be beneficial not only to South Florida but also to other parts of the world. One person chipping in to clean up the beach will not make that much of an impact, but a group effort sets the tone for a cleaner and healthier environment.

The beach cleanups are fun activities and a way to give back locally, which helps drive home habits that will last. People who might not usually care about the environment and the impact a dirty beach can have on native animals can now see the difference. If that stops additional pollution down the road, there will be less of a need for others to chip in and clean up messes.

Going global

Michael Holston, aka The Real Tarzann, is now large enough that he is filming in different locations worldwide. His working budget is more extensive than ever, and he has connections that allow him to get unprecedented access. With more viewers comes more scrutiny, and Holston has increased his education before jumping into any crazy scenarios out there.

Every new adventure is exciting for social media, but it comes with a level of risk that Holston understands. Dealing with animals in their natural habitat can get messy in a hurry, but his team stresses safety for him and the animals involved. If there is a situation where the animals are likely to feel threatened, scared, or attacked, they will look to set up somewhere else.

With visits to places worldwide, it is no surprise that the real Tarzan has become a hit virtually everywhere. People around the globe view his videos and comments litter them on where he should head next. Having a global reach comes with a certain level of responsibility, and Holston is figuring that all out while also putting together his goals.

Plans for the future

Right now, Holston's plans seem relatively simple on paper. To start, he wants to continue to grow the channel and educate people on different animals in a fun and exciting way. He believes that using online resources, even if they are coming from social media, is a new way to learn in today's world. People are more engaged when they can see an animal and the person interacting is providing non-scientific, easy to understand words.

There are a lot of people doing the right things at the grassroots level. Bigger organizations have made changes for the better as well. Holston knows that with his platform, there are ways to make a significant impact with effort. There are people online who interact with animals that border on abuse and profit; Michael Holston hopes to put an end to that as well.

It was a fast rise to the top for Holston, and now he is building his brand to hold one of those top spots online for years to come. People have compared other animal handlers in the past, but Holston believes that he is doing something slightly different in this new era.

If he can make the impact he talks about with his goals, there is an excellent chance of him being remembered for a very long time in the industry. That is something that not many social media influencers can even dream about at this point. Not everyone has goals much bigger than the brand they are building for themselves. Holston has a broader view in his mind as he grows as a content creator.
Local authorities in Indonesia ordered eight people who broke the countrys face mask laws to dig graves for Covid-19 victims, according to a report.

The province of East Java punished the mask violators with the manual labor at a local cemetery in hopes of deterring others from disregarding the nationwide face-covering mandate.

There are only three available gravediggers at the moment, so I thought I might as well put these people to work with them, politician Suyono told local media, according to the paper.

Hopefully this can create a deterrent effect against violations, he added.

None of the rulebreakers were forced to handle the corpses, only local health officials wearing full-body protective equipment are allowed to do so to limit the risk of exposure.

Indonesia has seen infections on the rise with more than 221,000 cases, including at least 8,841 deaths, according to the latest figures from Johns Hopkins University.

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Y es! When Brent won the title of London Borough of Culture 2020 two years ago, it was a celebratory moment. One of the citys most multi-multi-culti boroughs, it was still short on cultural provision, with only one Arts Council national portfolio organisation, the Kiln theatre, to its name. This would mean more attention, more investment, more recognition of the areas cultural impact (did you know about its rich reggae heritage? Alright fine, well, I didnt).

So it was a cruel blow when, after an ecstatic opening event in which hundreds of locals sang and danced their way down Olympic Way at Wembley Park, and just as the programme was due to launch in earnest, everything went pffsh, Brent Borough of Culture artistic director Lois Stonock says. After the inevitable Oh-Christ moment, they went back to the drawing board. We started again.

This week, as the six-person-only-unless-youre-a-kid-or-a-grouse rule kicks in, a new festival event is launched, the Brent Biennial. Twenty-three new art commissions and projects inspired by the cultures, people and places of Brent, made by artists who have grown up or live there, go on display in public spaces and libraries across the borough. Walking tours are available and routes can be downloaded.

Luckily for Stonock, all of Brent 2020s funders and partners have been totally flexible. The Art Fund originally planned to support the loan and display of works from the government art collection on the theme of care (there are a bunch of fascinating care histories in Brent focused around migrant groups  it was home to the first Sickle Cell Centre), but the charity switched without fuss to supporting new commissions instead. The Culture Fund, a grant scheme set up to support local applicants in creating their own cultural projects, has fed into the Biennial too.

The variety is dizzying. Rasheed Araeens interactive installation at the library at Willesden Green takes the form of a huge pile of 36 colourful lattice cubes designed to be played with by children, while two artists are creating large-scale murals  Pio Abads will depict a mass of objects taken from the Brent Museum Archives, items of personal significance shared by local people and things photographed by Abad on the High Road in a sort of contemporary vanitas painting. On Kingsbury Road, Dawn Mellors, on the other hand, is a montage of portraits of Brent lad George Michael, who went to Kingsbury High. Stonock puts her hand up  Every young person that you speak to in Brent that went to Kingsbury High is like dont tell me about George Michael. Its been drummed into them.

Brent Biennal 2020 - In pictures 1 /22 Brent Biennal 2020 - In pictures PA

Design duo Electronic Sheep are making The Kilburn Tapestries, based on the untold stories of the areas Irish community, while Abbas Zahedis Soul Refresher (Mountain Rose Soda) will be literally an acquired taste  he has created a limited edition of 3,000 bottles of a new drink. Available to buy at places including Ariana II (an Afghan restaurant in Kilburn) and the Paradise Bar in Kensal Green, but also distributed throughout the borough by Sufra Food Bank, the work is intended to inspire conversations about our social, political and emotional connections to food, drink and care. Im reliably informed it tastes of rose water.

Whats exciting, says Stonock, is that by streamlining their original visual art projects into one set of commissions, the Biennial has become truly democratic, a universal platform. Some of the younger or emerging artists that have come through the Culture Fund that youre not going to see in West or East End galleries  theyre on the same platform as Rasheed Araeen.

Dawn Mellor's George Michael Mural on Kingsbury Road

Some of the works inevitably reference Covid-19. Brent was the area of the UK hardest hit by the illness, with the highest overall Covid-related mortality rate at the pandemics peak. Ruth Beales commission, Library as Memorial, is a heart-rending tribute to those lost, with 491 book plates inserted into books in Kilburn Library, one for each Coronavirus victim in the borough up to September 2020. Visitors are invited to visit and add a dedication, or email requests for names to be added. The books, taken from libraries across the borough, will later be redistributed across Brent, and loaned across London as part of the London Library Consortium in a lasting, far-reaching, quietly dignified honouring.

The Biennial is an impressive project, even without considering how much work has had to be abandoned or postponed. A mile-long street party planned for the Kilburn High Road obviously wont happen, and some of the landmark events such as the premiere at the Kiln of local girl Zadie Smiths first play The Wife of Willesden has been shifted to, they hope, 2021. The Bass Weekender, paying tribute to that reggae heritage, will go ahead on the first weekend of October, but it will be a virtual event. In fact, theres a ton of stuff online  you can fall down a fascinating hole of local stories and theyve even created a brilliant and hugely successful podcast in association with Vice called Vent, which among other things has been tackling the Covid-conspiracy theories that have been circulating among young people.

Stonock remains optimistic. The whole year has been this massive exercise in trying to showcase local culture  our programme was always a grassroots approach, she says. I see the Borough of Culture [events] as being the first year, kicking off a really long term plan for culture in Brent. Maybe by then well actually be able to enjoy it within six feet of each other. Imagine.

The Brent Biennial opens on Saturday 19 September and runs to 13 December
A friend texted me a cryptic message: Im heartsick over this thing that haunts America. But America loves this sewage.

It was paradoxical. It was short, without fanfare, a digital beacon blinking in the darkness. All the senseless killings of unarmed Americans had taken a toll on him. Deep down, I intuited his feelings because he was an empathetic soul who understood the agonies and sufferings of people.

Has America lost its way?

Weve become a nation of strangers, divided between us and them, between mask-wearers in public and those who see anyone with them as losers or suckers. Perhaps its always been that way, but no one wants to admit it.

What exactly was this sewage he alluded to? He didnt explain, except to say, Drop it. I was talking nonsense. But I couldnt. It haunted me. His grandparents had suffered. Their Eastern European roots claimed decades of suffering, their uneasiness of seeing scowls in peoples eyes or muttered slurs his ancestors had warned him about in the demagoguery of fascist regimes.

2020 Voter Guide: A roadmap of the races, candidates and issues on the ballot

America is losing something so basic. The unfulfilled promise of a better life, in pursuit of happiness  even though happiness is an abstract, relative term.

America has been haunted by historic guilt since the early days when the Liberty Bell cracked during its first toll in Philadelphia. The crack was a foretelling fault line symbolizing what was never fully realized: Freedom was meant so all could pursue happiness, not just a select few.

America wears its invisible crack on its sleeve closest to the heart, like the old image of Uncle Sam, whose aging countenance is showing in our countrys infrastructure, like the worry lines of all Americans slouching toward retirement.

Our visible fault lines reveal Americas collective guilt. The unkept promises to Native Americans, who lost much of their lands and were ruthlessly relegated to isolated reservations. Or displaced Mexican citizens after 1848, who ceded the lands of California, Nevada, Utah, most of Arizona, a great part of Colorado and the southwestern corner of Wyoming  not to mention Texas, which Mexico lost in 1836. Or worse, the broken promises to freed slaves, whose 40 acres and a mule were granted by Special Field Orders No. 15  approved by President Abraham Lincoln, yet rescinded by President Andrew Johnson  returning lands to its Confederate owners. The list continues with the Japanese Americans, Chinese railroad workers, Puerto Ricans, native Hawaiians and, lest I forget, the suffering Irish Americans who faced discrimination and retribution.

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Americas fault lines can be repaired through public works programs, an honest portrayal of historical events, and the restoration of trust and faith in a federal government. As such, Americans have always been a people of forgiveness.

Perhaps the coming decade will be brighter, and we will awake from this foggy nightmare of endless rioting, protest marches and needless killings. We must demand new normalcy. We must fulfill our human potential of placing reverence for what unites us with the wisdom to know what matters most in our hearts.

My friend texted again: Im sorry if I upset you. But I had to tell someone. I visualized his turmoil and responded, Ill always be here, my friend.

Rafael Castillo teaches writing and humanities at Palo Alto College.
New South Wales has recorded six new coronavirus cases overnight.

Five cases were returned travellers in hotel quarantine while one has been linked to the Liverpool Hospital cluster, in western Sydney.

Twenty-one cases have now been linked to the hospital.

New South Wales Health warned the low numbers were no excuse for people to become complacent with the virus.

Five cases were returned travellers in hotel quarantine while one has been linked to the Liverpool Hospital cluster (pictured), in western Sydney

New South Wales has recorded six new coronavirus cases overnight (pictured, health care workers at a pop-up COVID-19 testing clinic in Sydney)

'While the number of locally acquired cases recorded in the past 24 hours is low, the virus is likely circulating among people in the community with mild symptoms,' the department said.

'As such, the risk of outbreaks and a resurgence of cases remains.

'Its vital that everyone who does have the virus is tested and diagnosed, in order to stop further spread to others.'

Four people are currently being treated in the intensive care unit with two of them placed on ventilators.

'NSW Health is again urging anyone feeling unwell  even with the mildest of symptoms such as a runny nose or scratchy throat  to come forward and get tested, so cases in the community are identified as quickly as possible,' the department warned.

Five cases of COVID-19 were recorded in the state on Thursday.

One of the cases had attended the Eastern Suburbs Legion Club in Waverley in Sydney's eastern suburbs.

Diners who attended a Thai restaurant in Casula in Sydney's south-west were also urged to get tested immediately.

Consistently low COVID-19 cases over the past few weeks has encouraged the state government to make a number of rollbacks on restrictions.

State premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced stadium capacity in the state would increase to 50 per cent.

New South Wales Health warned the low numbers were no excuse for people to become complacent with the virus (pictured, commuters waiting at the Sydney light rail)

Consistently low COVID-19 cases over the past days has encouraged the state government to make a number of rollbacks on restrictions (pictured, two women wear face masks while strolling around Sydney Harbour)

Currently major venues are limited to 25 per cent capacity with a maximum of 10,000 guests.

Patrons will still have to adhere to the four square metre rule and will be required to wear a mask while moving to their seats.

NSW will also move to relax restrictions around its border with Victoria.

The NSW border region will now be expanded to Pleasant Hills, Lockhart, Benalla, Bright and Mount Beauty.

Anyone in the areas with existing border region permits will be able to move freely.
Elantas Beck India rose 1.11% to Rs 2619 after the company signed a pact for acquiring a land near Pune for setting up a new manufacturing facility.

Elantas Beck India on Thursday said that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Talegaon Industrial Parks for acquisition of land at Navlakhumbre in Pune, Maharashtra. The deal is for setting up a new greenfield manufacturing facility, which will provide additional capacity to cater to the market demand.

The company has advanced a sum of Rs 5.27 crore, amounting to 10% of the total consideration. The company will enter into a sale deed after securing all applicable clearances and certifications, it said.

Elantas Beck India manufactures a wide range of speciality chemicals in the electrical insulation and construction industries.

The company's net profit slumped 63% to Rs 4.75 crore on a 56.8% fall in net sales to Rs 46.21 crore in Q2 June 2020 over Q2 June 2019.

On a year-to-date (YTD) basis, the stock has gained 5.60% while the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex declined 5.13% during the same period.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
On the Frontline Against China, the US Coast Guard Is Taking on Missions the US Navy Can't Do

Competition with China has drawn more Pentagon resources to the Pacific, but the most visible U.S. military presence there...
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 18)  The Philippine government will not budge on its policy of shelving its arbitral victory in the maritime dispute against China, even as major European powers have brought the issue to the United Nations.

In an online media briefing on Friday, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the Philippines acknowledged France, Germany, and the United Kingdom for backing Manilas arbitration win, but said there was no need for it.

Nagpapasalamat po tayo sa suporta pero (We are grateful for the support but) the arbitral award is binding on the parties thereto, said Roque, a professor of international law.

The three countries recently filed a joint note verbale stressing that Beijing's historical claims to almost the entire South China Sea violate international law, as ruled by an international tribunal in the case filed by the Philippines. The landmark ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration recognized Manilas sovereign rights to areas within its exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea, invalidating China's sweeping claim.

The Philippines and China maintain they agree to disagree on the decision to make way for cooperation. Manila lodged several diplomatic protests over China's incursions in the West Philippine Sea, but experts have called on the government to take the fight to the United Nations to compel the East Asian giant to recognize the arbitral ruling.

READ: Latest diplomatic protest wont affect PH-China ties  Malacanang

Administration officials have repeatedly rejected these calls. Roque said the government is just being realistic, insisting that the Philippines could not get majority support in the 193-member UN.

Sa international law po unfortunately wala tayong pulis na mapupuntahan para mapatupad yang desisyon, Roque said. Black propaganda po yan na meron pa tayong ibang dapat gawin.

[Translation: In international law, unfortunately, theres no police we can go to in order to enforce the decision. Its black propaganda that we can still do something else.]

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Teddy Boy Locsin, Jr. also said he believes the backing of three countries is not enough to win what he perceives as a numbers game in the U.N.

Imagine if I had brought the matter up in the U.N. General Assembly where numbers talk and not right as suggested by idiots, he said in a tweet.

President Rodrigo Dutertes policy stays  the country will set disputes aside and pursue trade and other forms of cooperation with China, Roque said.

Roque refuted criticisms on the President's soft stance on the dispute, saying the government had completed the act of being assertive when it filed an arbitration case against China during the previous administration.

Former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario in a statement said it is both incomprehensible and disappointing that the government refuses to invoke the arbitral ruling despite "clear international and domestic support."

Del Rosario, along with former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales filed a complaint against Chinese officials at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for illegal actions in the South China Sea.

The ICC said this may be outside its jurisction, but a response has been filed to push the case forward, with retired Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio joining the fight.
Maynooth University has become the latest university to move the majority of its classes online, following in the footsteps of Dublin universities today.

The Kildare institution in a statement this evening said that given the universitys proximity to Dublin, it was escalating protective measures against the spread of Covid-19 on campus.

On-site teaching in the university will be limited to laboratory, practical and skills instruction, and will limit classes and tutorials to up to 30 persons.

Larger classes will all be held online.

Read More

The statement reads: The key aim of the University is to protect our students, staff and in the wider community, from the spread of Covid-19.

We look forward to holding Welcome Week for First Years on 21 September, with the bulk of the weeks activities held online. The University will re-open for all students on 28 September, in accordance with our new protective measures.

In a tweet, Professor Philip Nolan, who is the President of Maynooth University said the measures were taken to assure the safety of students, staff and the community.

He confirmed the policy will be reviewed in three weeks time.
There is absolutely nothing static about IT security and the management of cybersecurity. Just as soon as a cybersecurity professional feels that they have a grasp on an existing issue, a new challenge rears its ugly head. Since business has become so reliant on technology and every component of technology brings with it its own potential risks, its challenging to keep track of everything that can put a business at risk.

This challenge has taken on a new dynamic in 2020. The coronavirus pandemic turned the world on its head. The business sector needed to respond quickly to provide people with the products and services they needed to keep living a normal life. This meant that many industries needed to adapt to technologies they were planning on implementing. And cyber criminals were there looking for weaknesses to take advantage of.

Even without considering the effect that the coronavirus had, 2020 was already shaping up to be a year that was going to present unique cybersecurity challenges. Targeted phishing scams were on the rise. Hackers had become more creative with the creation of malware and the ability to steal user credentials. The Internet of things is taking on a larger role in peoples professional and personal life. And this brought with it many new cybersecurity challenges.

Unfortunately, there are more cyber threats than they are cybersecurity experts. The cybersecurity industry has been trying to triage the situation, identifying the biggest threats and trying to focus on those first and then addressing those that are considered of lesser danger.

How the Internet of Things Is Putting Businesses at Risk

According to NETSCOUTs Threat Intelligence Report the average amount of time that it takes for an IoT device to be attacked once connected to the Internet is 5 minutes. Keeping in mind that IoT devices are one of primary targets for DDoS, MITM attacks, or general snooping, every organization practically must secure all IoT devices in order to avoid cyberattacks that could cost a fortune to recover from.

There are simple steps that organizations and individuals can take to protect themselves from some more common forms of cyber crime. Strong passwords, keeping devices locked, and having devices timeout if they are not being used for a set amount of time are all helpful. Using a VPN solution that offers strong encryption could potentially minimize the risk of IoT devices being hacked as well, because once the device is connected to a VPN, all of its traffic is encrypted therefore it makes it difficult for hackers to launch a targeted attack, or track user activity.

However, most employees and business owners have yet to grasp the role that the Internet of things plays in creating vulnerabilities in a businesss security infrastructure.

For example, an employee works remotely and has Internet of things appliances in their home. What if the Internet of things devices are not secure? A hacker can take control of one of these devices in the employees home. Since their work laptop is connected to the same network, now the organization they work for is at risk. Therefore, businesses should train their employees about the need to be aware of cybersecurity measures, even with the smart appliances they have in their home.

Fileless Malware

As if 2020 did not already give us enough new threats to be concerned about, fileless malware is rearing its ugly head. This is a unique software that differs completely from other malware threats we are accustomed to. If phishing scams that are able to infect your devices with malware are bad enough (especially the ones that flooded inboxes of many since the pandemic started), this type of malware is even worse.

Hackers are relentless in their desire to inject malicious files into a users system. However, fileless malware attacks from a different direction. It has been designed to be untraceable because it works behind authorized applications. It can perform dangerous activity while the legitimate application or legitimate process is running. It can stay hid because it is memory-based. The only protection against memory-based cyber-attacks and threats is to get rid of macros on endpoint systems.

Poor Data Encryption

In light of COVID-19, many organizations are trying to create or improve their encryption policy. The encryption policies they are coming up with work great for data that is in transit. However, what many organizations fail to realize is that those same encryption protocols do not provide security for information in data storage.

If data encryption is not secure, an organization and its information are at risk. Something that has to change going forward is storing encryption keys on the same device as the data and access that employees use within the organization. If encryption is going to work, they must store encryption keys on a separate system as opposed to being on the same system that holds the data.

Operational Technology and the Internet of Medical Things

Many organizations are adding connected technologies to their manufacturing process. Examples of these include industrial control systems, distributed control systems, and supervisory control and data acquisition systems. In a manufacturing environment, you will see several devices on an assembly line, ranging from pressure sensors to robots to temperature systems. These devices are interconnected and create a unique security risk that can put a critical infrastructure in danger of being compromised.

A report was released in 2019 showing a 2,000 percent increase in operational technology cybersecurity attacks. These numbers have only risen in 2020. As more companies take advantage of innovation and connectivity, nefarious individuals are taking notice and looking for ways to carry out security attacks. Therefore, many organizations have seen the benefit of adopting operational technology security strategies.

The Internet of medical things has become especially important in 2020 as the worlds medical community works together to fight the coronavirus. There are several medical devices and software applications that work together and are connected to the Internet. These range from blood infusion pumps to patient trackers. The information that is gathered by these devices helps healthcare providers make informed decisions. Any cybersecurity attack that affects the Internet of medical things has the potential to interfere with healthcare and physically hurt people. The healthcare industry is in the top 10 targeted industry for cybersecurity attacks.

If 2020 has taught us anything, it is that new technology and changes in the business landscape require organizations to adapt and integrate threat management. This is a new challenge for organizational security. For example, an Internet of things attack needs to be evaluated from all sides with the goal of determining the IT asset the attacker is actually after. The Internet of things or the operational technology device might be used as an attack vector with the goal of gaining access to more secure information.

From 2020 moving forward, an integrated approach to threat management must be carried out. This means that organizations will need to identify, detect, protect, and recover systems and data.
A US production company announced a new reality television show competition where one winner receives a prize that is out of this world  a trip to space.

Called 'Space Hero', the show's champion will launch aboard a rocket to the International Space Station (ISS) for a 10-day stay with the crew, as reported by Deadline.

The number of contestants has yet to be revealed, but those up for the challenge will undergo rigorous training and grueling tests that push them mentally, physically and emotionally.

The series is set to be shown live around the world, allowing viewers to vote for their favorite contestant to send into orbit.

The production company, also called Space Hero, has secured a seat on the 2023 mission to the ISS for the person who has the right stuff.

Scroll down for video

Space Hero's champion will launch aboard a rocket to the International Space Station (ISS) for a 10-day stay with the crew

Space Hero is being produced by Propagate, which is run by Ben Silverman and Howard T. Owens, who were involved with 'The Office' and 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,' CNBC reports.

Aerospace firm Axiom has also joined the venture, which will train the contestants and oversee the mission.

'The series will search the entire globe for an everyday citizen with a deep love for space exploration,' the company shared in a new release.

'Space Hero will provide an opportunity for anyone from any background to become the first globally-elected space explorer to take part in a mission to the International Space Station.'

The number of contestants has yet to be revealed, but those up for the challenge will undergo rigorous training and grueling tests that push them mentally, physically and emotionally. However, the Space Hero website only shows a countdown clock and no other information about the show

Deadline initially reported that the winner will take a seat on a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule for the voyage to the ISS, but Axiom told CNBC that the launcher has yet to be determined.

However, the aerospace company is currently working on other projects with SpaceX, including a 2021 Crew Dragon mission that will send three paying customers and one Axiom commander to the ISS.

A US production company announced a new reality television show competition where one winner receives a prize that is out of this world  a trip to space

Axiom told The Verge that SpaceX is not out of the running for the show, but could go against Boeing's CST-100 Starliner.

The production company has yet to reveal details about cost, but SpaceX sell its seats for about $50 million whereas Boeing offers its for roughly $90 million.

DailyMail.com has contacted Axiom and Space Hero for more details and has yet to receive a response.

Space Hero is not the first production with its eyes on space, as NASA confirmed in May it is set to film a movie aboard the ISS starting Tom Cruise, who will blast off on a SpaceX rocket.

If it gets the go-ahead, the production would be the first action adventure feature film to be filmed in outer space.

NASA's Jim Bridenstine shared on Twitter in May: 'We're excited to work with Tom Cruise on a film aboard the International Space Station.'

Deadline initially reported that the winner will take a seat on a SpaceX Crew Dragon (pictured) capsule for the voyage to the ISS, but Axiom told CNBC that the launcher has yet to be determined

Axiom told The Verge that SpaceX is not out of the running for the show, but could go against Boeing's CST-100 Starliner (pictured)

'We need popular media to inspire a new generation of engineers and scientists to make NASA's ambitious plans a reality.'

There is still much be discussed before liftoff is finally approved with no studio currently said to be involved in the title, according to Deadline.

Estee Lauder also announced it is sending bottles of its new skincare serum to the massive orbiting laboratory later this month and astronauts on-board will shoot footage of the product in microgravity.

Estee Lauder president Stephane de la Faverie announced the plan last month during an online panel at the the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics's virtual Ascend Summit.

'I'm a risk taker, and that tends to basically come with ideas that are a little bit, you know, outside of the normal, traditional ways of doing marketing,' Faverie said.

'We're constantly pushing the boundaries of how to showcase our products.'
The Young Patriots group of Ejisu constituency have expressed gratitude to President Akufo Addo, for his efforts to bringing back Boankra Inland port into operation.

The port when completed will provide jobs and development to the youth in the Ejisu Municipal Assembly.

The youth of Ejisu and particularly Boankra where the project is sited were full of praise for the President and are looking forward to seeing the project impact the community.

The youth received the announcement with joy when the parliamentary candidate for the New Patriotic Party in Ejisu, Lawyer John Kumah disclosed to them government efforts at revamping the Boankra Inland Port which was abandoned by the previous NDC government.

It is expected that the Government in the coming months will cut sod for reconstruction works to begin on the Port.

The Boankra Inland Port will link the ports of Tema and Takoradi to the inner parts of Ghana while also enabling trade for Ghanas neighbouring countries like Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast.
AGAWAM  A state environmental agency says two recent incidents during construction of the Tennessee Gas pipeline extension project were relatively minor and cleaned up  a view that drew sharp criticism from opponents of the project.

The two events were relatively minor and quickly addressed, said Edmund Coletta, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.

The Columbia Gas Resistance Coalition, which opposes the Agawam pipeline project, said one incident in August involved Tennessee Gas being cited for driving trucks through a wetland area, and the second incident this month involved clay mud seeping up from the drilling operation.

'Relatively minor' is in the eye of the beholder, said Susan Grossberg of Columbia Gas Resistance Coalition. Its hard to imagine that if the first violation was so minor, why then did it rise to the level of requiring a Notice of Noncompliance to have been issued?

The first incident was self-reported on Aug. 10, when the trucks went through a very small portion of a wetland, which involved a total impacted area of 91 square feet, Coletta said. It was during an extended drought so the damage was not significant, he said.

MassDEP issued a notice of non-compliance for violation in the vernal pool wetland area.

Restoration work included revegetation, raking of any ruts, and seeding, Coletta said.

The second incident, occurred Sept. 1, and was also self-reported, involving an inadvertent return (of mud) during a horizontal direction drilling at the site, Coletta said.

An inadvertent return is the unintended transfer of drilling mud to the surface during boring machine operations by way of fractures or fissures that occur naturally, rather than as a result of boring operations, Coletta said.

The issue is not unusual during horizontal drilling and a frac out plan" typically solves the event, he said. The remediation involves steps to prevent any spread, and clean-up with a vacumn truck under federal guidelines, he said.

Grossberg said the self reporting only occurred because the Agawam Conservation Commission had the foresight to require environmental monitors paid by Tennessee Gas.

Grossberg said the damage to the vernal pool will not be known until next spring.

The installation of the pipeline is a huge environmental impact for the people of Agawam, Grossberg said.
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San Francisco, 18 Sep 2020: The Report Workplace Stress Management Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis By Service (Stress Assessment, Yoga & Meditation), By Delivery Mode, By End Use, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2019 - 2026

The global workplace stress management market size is expected to reach USD 13.38 billion by 2026, expanding at a CAGR of 8.4% during the forecast period, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Rising promotion of employee health and wellbeing is augmenting the market growth. Many enterprises in different industry verticals implement employee health programs boosting market demand for workplace stress management services.

According to the American Psychological Association, 58% of the country's population claims workplace as a significant source of stress. Occupational stress resulted in a loss of USD 300 billion due to employee illness, absenteeism, and productivity.

In 2018, a survey conducted by Cigna TTK Health Insurance observed that around 89% of the Indian population suffer from stress as compared to the global average of 86%. Work and finances are the major cause of stress. However, over half of the respondents claimed to receive support and involvement in workplace wellness programs.

Workplace stress management can be set up as a brief meeting with HR personnel. The nature of the meeting should be confidential, non-threatening, and open, providing an opportunity to discuss and identify support to help the employee cope with stress. Employers conduct workplace stress management at an organizational level to incorporate a strong working culture, ensure employee retention and gain transparency in everyday business.

Access Research Report of Workplace Stress Management Market @ https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/workplace-stress-management-market

Recent Developments in Workplace Stress Management Market

In August 2020, Fitbit announced the launch of a new smartwatch named Fitbit Sense, which is being hailed as Fitbits most advanced health smartwatch  because it can help with stress management, heart rate monitoring, and even skin temperature changes. One of the things that makes it so advanced is an electrodermal activity (EDA) sensor, which is able to help manage stress by detecting electrical changes in the skins sweat levels. Users just place their palm over the Senses device face and the sensor does the work. This is a new trend that has been initiated by fitbit, now the watch will help the user assess stress levels and take steps to lower it down. This makes it a new tool to manage workplace stress management as well.

One of the things that makes it so advanced is an electrodermal activity (EDA) sensor, which is able to help manage stress by detecting electrical changes in the skins sweat levels. Users just place their palm over the Senses device face and the sensor does the work. This is a new trend that has been initiated by fitbit, now the watch will help the user assess stress levels and take steps to lower it down. This makes it a new tool to manage workplace stress management as well. In April 2020, a recent poll by Kaiser Family Foundation showed that more than half of US adults surveyed reported that worry or stress related to the COVID-19 outbreak has led to at least one negative mental health effect. Also, transitioning back to the workplace is likely to further contribute to this stress. This poll shows the real picture and necessitates the requirement of workplace stress management initiatives by the companies and industries to help its employees go through this tough phase strongly.

Also, transitioning back to the workplace is likely to further contribute to this stress. This poll shows the real picture and necessitates the requirement of workplace stress management initiatives by the companies and industries to help its employees go through this tough phase strongly. In June 2020, Fitbit launched new Ready for Work program to help organizations and employees with the unprecedented challenge of returning to the workplace during the COVID-19 health crisis. The program combines key health biometrics from Fitbit devices along with symptom and temperature tracking into an easy-to-use daily check-in that provides employees with a recommendation on whether to go to work or stay home and seek medical care. This initiative is a step in the right direction to help people and organization as a whole manage stress and get accustomed to the workplace environment in these times of pandemic.

The program combines key health biometrics from Fitbit devices along with symptom and temperature tracking into an easy-to-use daily check-in that provides employees with a recommendation on whether to go to work or stay home and seek medical care. This initiative is a step in the right direction to help people and organization as a whole manage stress and get accustomed to the workplace environment in these times of pandemic. In October 2019, according to StressPulseSM Survey by ComPsych, 36 percent of employees say people issues cause them the most heartburn at work. In addition, 20 percent of employees say stress is causing them to miss six or more days per year. It highlights some of the never said issues causing stress at workplace which leads to reduced efficiency at work. This survey is beneficial to assess the issues at workplace which triggers stress and take active measure to address them.

It highlights some of the never said issues causing stress at workplace which leads to reduced efficiency at work. This survey is beneficial to assess the issues at workplace which triggers stress and take active measure to address them. In April 2020, PayU has partnered with ComPsych to give their employees access to professional counselling services and resources when they need it during COVID-19 through an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). The services include confidential counselling, legal support and financial information, with resources available to them 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The EAP is designed to provide short-term counselling services for employees and their dependents to help them handle concerns constructively before they become major issues. These measures go a long way in maintaining healthy workforce and keeping their efficiency at peak.

The services include confidential counselling, legal support and financial information, with resources available to them 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The EAP is designed to provide short-term counselling services for employees and their dependents to help them handle concerns constructively before they become major issues. These measures go a long way in maintaining healthy workforce and keeping their efficiency at peak. In April 2020, Sun Life Asia Service Centres (ASC) Employee Assistance Program (EAP) launched a campaign on mental health and physical well-being for employees to manage issues and stress related to Coronavirus. Sun Life ASCI has partnered with ComPsych and is offering a digital toolkit which includes a series of webinars that guide & share best practices to help employees navigate through unique personal situations at home and in professional lives due to the lockdown.

Access Press Release of Workplace Stress Management Market @ https://www.grandviewresearch.com/press-release/global-workplace-stress-management-market
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP)  Romanias armed forces received their first shipment of U.S. Patriot surface-to-air missiles on Thursday, part of efforts to upgrade the countrys military capabilities.

The missiles made by defense contractor Raytheon, as well as recent purchases of F-16 fighter jets, are also part of Romanias pledge to gradually increase military spending to 2% of GDP by 2024, the minimum level demanded for NATO members. In 2018, U.S. President Donald Trump called on NATO members to increase defense spending to 4% of GDP.

Romanias prime minister said the missiles made the country safer.

The strategic partnership between the U.S. and Romania is further materialized in a military and economic relationship that is beneficial to Romania, Ludovic Orban said.

Since 2016, Romania has hosted a U.S. ballistic missile system at the Deveselu military base, in the countrys south.

Russia has criticized the deployment of the defense system but Washington says it is needed to ensure the safety of NATO members from potential attacks by Iran.
JERUSALEM (AP)  Eating apples dipped in honey on Rosh Hashana is a Jewish tradition to symbolize a sweet start of the New Year. But in Israel, bitterness prevails on the eve of the holiday as the country faces a second nationwide lockdown to stem a raging coronavirus outbreak.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus government has imposed a three-week lockdown, beginning on Friday afternoon  just hours before Rosh Hashana starts. Israels first lockdown, in March and April, put a damper on Passover, the Jewish spring holiday marking the deliverance of the ancient Hebrews from slavery in Egypt.

Now, the Jewish High Holidays look to be similarly subdued.

See also: What is Rosh Hashana?

Israel has seen new daily cases of COVID-19 skyrocket in recent weeks, climbing to more than 5,000 on Wednesday  one of the highest per capita infection rates in the world. Since the pandemic began this year, it has recorded more than 169,000 cases, including 1,163 deaths, as of Wednesday, according to Health Ministry figures.

Religious and secular Israelis alike mark Rosh Hashana with festive holiday feasts with family and friends. They pack synagogues, often spending hours in prayer, especially during the fast of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, which falls later this month.

Jerusalem's great synagogue is seen Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020. A raging coronavirus outbreak is casting a shadow over the normally festive Jewish New Year. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)AP

But this year, traditional family gatherings will be muted, synagogue prayers will be limited to small groups and travel restrictions will leave many roads deserted. Some of the liberal streams of Judaism, particularly in the United States, are turning to technology to help connect people.

In Israel, movement during the lockdown will be restricted to within 500 meters of ones home. Gatherings are limited to 10 people indoors, and 20 outside, restricting the number of faithful who can attend synagogue services. Bars, restaurants, and cultural venues will be shut, but many ritual baths and other religious facilities will remain open.

Israelis have been frustrated since the gains made with the first lockdown  when the virus seemed to have been brought under control  were erased within weeks, with authorities unable to stem the spike that followed. Weekly protests have drawn thousands to Netanyahus Jerusalem residence, with demonstrators demanding his resignation over his handling of the virus, the pandemics fallout and his corruption trials.

The lockdown rules have also deepened the rift between secular and religious Jews in Israel. A proposal to lock down only on communities with high outbreaks  mainly ultra-Orthodox areas where initial restrictions were ignored, allowing infections to surge  was scrapped, apparently following pressure from ultra-Orthodox leaders, before Netanyahu announced the nationwide lockdown.

Many Jewish worshipers elsewhere in the world will have to forgo synagogue services due to social distancing rules, hold prayers and hear the traditional sounding of the shofar  a ceremonial rams horn  on street corners or at home.

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men pray ahead of the Jewish new year at the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray in Jerusalem's old city, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)AP

The Chabad-Lubavitch movement of Hasidic Judaism has recruited thousands of volunteers to blow the shofar at public squares and street corners worldwide.

The unique circumstances that leave millions outside the synagogue doors this year contain also the silver lining of helping them rediscover, reintegrate and celebrate the holiness of the true center of Jewish life  the Jewish home, said Rabbi Zalman Shmotkin, spokesman for Chabad-Lubavitch.

An Israeli online application is helping pair shofar blowers with those who want to hear the horn in their neighborhoods.

In the U.S., more liberal Jewish streams have produced alternatives for congregants who use Zoom, Facebook and other digital platforms during the High Holidays.

The Union for Reform Judaism, North Americas biggest Jewish group, created the Reflection Project, a virtual experience designed to help people connect with spirituality through a series of activities.

For non-Orthodox Jews, we have incredible opportunities through virtual prayer, gathering, learning and spiritual practice to be with others, and to learn and draw strength from being together, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, told The Associated Press in New York.

Israeli police are sending out thousands of officers in a bid to enforce the regulations, with lockdown violators facing hundreds of dollars in fines. Still, officials are concerned many Israelis  skeptical of the governments erratic and confusing regulations  may defy the lockdown.

By ILAN BEN ZION, The Associated Press

More:

Bahrain becomes latest Arab nation to recognize Israel

Vigil held to reject hate, encourage love after Harrisburgs Kesher Israel synagogue is vandalized
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 19:55:25|Editor: huaxia

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JAKARTA, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Customs and Excises Office at the Soekarno-Hatta international airport in Indonesia's province of Banten has thwarted an exporter's attempt to smuggle 1.2 million baby lobsters to Vietnam, an official said.

The event occurred on Tuesday evening when the commodity was about to be loaded to aircraft, the office's public service head Finari Manan told journalists on Friday.

The official pointed out that the office, local police and a quarantine center found a manipulation of data on the number of the baby lobsters which were about to be exported.

By foiling the smuggling effort, the office managed to avoid a state loss of 1.2 billion rupiahs (some 81,239 U.S. dollars), the official said, adding that the baby lobsters are now still under treatment by the Indonesian Lobster Entrepreneurs Association. Enditem
As the net widens in the sandalwood drug racket, the Central Crime Branch (CCB) has summoned two more Kannada television actors and an ex-corporator for questioning at its headquarters at 10 am on Saturday.

The two actors summoned are ex-Big Boss contestant Santosh Kumar and reality TV host Akul Balaji. Former Congerss MLA RV Devrajs Son Yuvuraj RV is the third person summoned. Yuvuraj was the sitting BBMP corporator from Sudhamanagar, however, the term of the council just expired on September 10.

During the ongoing investigation, certain information was gathered and it was felt necessary to enquire these persons. Notice has been issued to them to appear before CCB at 10am," read a press statement from Sandeep Patil, the CCB Chief.

Responding to summons, actor Akul Balaji stated that he was in Hyderabad and had received the summon via WhatsApp. He said he would co-operate with the investigation. Similar was the response from Yuvaraj RV.

Speaking to News 18 Kannada, Balaji said, I will fully co-operate with the investigation. I dont know why my name came up in this case. I dont know any of the accused personally.

These developments come at the back of another popular Sandalwood couple Diganth and Aindrita Ray receiving summons. They appeared in front of the investigating officials on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, actors Ragini Dwivedi and Sanjanna Galrani continue to remain in judicial custody and are lodged at the Parapanna Agrahar central jail. Ragini Dwivedis bail plea, along with others, will be heard on September 19.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 11:20:35|Editor: huaxia

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by Peter Mertz

DENVER, the United States, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- "Hazy conditions across Colorado are due to the ongoing blaze (Middle Fork Fire), along with the wildfires burning along the nation's West Coast," the InciWeb, a national incident information system run by the U.S. government, reported Thursday.

"It was a surreal dawn this morning," Linda Scherner told Xinhua on the same day. "The sun was choked off by a sky filled with haze -- it was like a red circle trying to be seen."

Scherner is a longtime resident of Leadville, Colorado, a small town located at an elevation of over 3,000 meters.

The historic fires along America's West Coast are not only blanketing Colorado, but also being seen thousands of kilometers away in Europe, as far away as the Netherlands and Germany.

"The fact that these fires are emitting so much pollution into the atmosphere that we can still see thick smoke over 8,000 km away reflects just how devastating they have been in their magnitude and duration," scientist Mark Parrington said in a statement Wednesday.

Parrington, a senior scientist at the European Union's Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), was tracking atmospheric currents and getting the tailwind of smoky skies generated by record wildfires scorching America's West Coast.

Moreover, according to CAMS' forecasts, smoke from the fires scorching California and the Pacific Northwest "is starting to cross the Atlantic again and will reach northern Europe later this week, as it did at the end of last week."

"From north to south, America's West Coast is on fire. The present fires all over the west are the worst with highest temperatures and the worst air quality in history," Californian businessman from the environment industry Glenn Nemhauser told Xinhua Thursday, referring to America's almost 3,000-km-long Pacific coast.

In just the past month, drought and high temperature conditions ignited some 3 million acres (about 12,000 square kilometers) in California and another 1.6 million acres (6,500 square kilometers) in Oregon and Washington states, leveling several small towns, destroying thousands of homes, and claiming at least 34 lives, according to media reports.

On Wednesday, Oregon Governor Kate Brown made a federal disaster declaration, allowing 1.2 billion U.S. dollars of relief from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Oregon has seen a million acres (about 4,000 square kilometers) of land torched since 2020 began, "nearly double the 10-year average of approximately 557,811 acres (2,257 square kilometers)," Oregon Department of Forestry said Thursday, noting that some 6,500 firefighters were battling the blazes.

In California, authorities said 17,000 firefighters were battling 25 major fires on Wednesday, with 25 killed, while hundreds of thousands of people had been evacuated, and almost 8,000 homes and structures incinerated by fires in all three states.

Nearly 4,000 evacuees remained displaced, according to the American Red Cross.

In Colorado, about 1,600 km to the east from California, on the inferno region's eastern edge, Pine Gulch Fire, the biggest wildfire in state history, was 95 percent contained Thursday with 139,007 acres (563 square kilometers) burned.

Last week's rain in the Rocky Mountains states gave firefighters a breather, but the sprinkling did little to slow Cameron Peak Fire, which was only 8 percent contained Thursday with 102,596 acres (415 square kilometers) consumed, another possible record-breaking blaze.

Just 10 days ago, another big blaze, Middle Fork Fire, erupted in western Colorado near ski resorts at Steamboat Springs, which was at 5,445 acres (22 square kilometers) with zero containment, according to the InciWeb.

"I have lived in California for 33 years and I have personally witnessed the continuous decline in rainfall and the increase in forest fires," said Nemhauser, also a part-time college teacher.

"This is clearly global climate change caused by man-made air pollution from coal and oil combustion," he added.

However, U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday visited California and some of the devastation, and "refused to acknowledge the effects the climate crisis is having on the state's forest fires," CNN reported.

California just recorded the hottest August in state history, according to the National Weather Service.

Former California Governor Jerry Brown and incumbent California Governor Gavin Newsom "have stated these fires are proof of global warming, and that this is now the new normal," Nemhauser said.

"It's unlikely the president will ever see the light," he added. Enditem
Amid escalating India China tensions, top political and military brass are likely to meet today to discuss the border situation. The meeting is scheduled to happen against the backdrop of multiple firing incidents on the Line of Actual Control.

Against the backdrop of multiple firing incidents on the Line of Actual Control in Eastern Ladakh, top political and national security brass are likely to meet on Friday to discuss the way forward on the ongoing conflict with China on the border. The top political and national security brass including military leaders are scheduled to meet today to discuss the situation all along the China border from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh, government sources told ANI.

The participants would include senior ministers dealing with the situation along with the senior military leadership, they said. The leadership is likely to discuss the Chinese military activities in Doklam and other areas on Bhutanese soil along with the Indian preparations to deal with the situation.

The meeting will also discuss the delay in the Corps Commander level talks which was agreed upon in the diplomatic talks between both sides in Russia.

Also Read: Amid India-China border conflict, Indian army prepares Bofors guns for operations

The Chinese and Indian corps commanders were supposed to restart their parleys after a long gap. The first five rounds of talks had failed to gain any significant results for disengagement at friction points as the Chinese continue to not only sit at Finger 4 but have also fortified their presence there.

The Chinese response to the strong Indian stance on the Chinese aggression in Eastern Ladakh is also likely to come up for discussion by the leadership. The leaders had discussed the situation on the Chinese buildup in Bhutan recently where the Peoples Liberation Army has amassed troops and weaponry for quite some time now.

India and China have been engaged in a territorial conflict since April-May timeframe as the Chinese Army transgressed into multiple areas from the Galwan valley to the Finger area along the Pangong lake. India has also now taken a hard military stance and deployed around 45,000 troops along with elements of armoured divisions. (ANI)

Read also: India China standoff: Indian Navy tracks Chinese research vessel in Indian Ocean
TATA TEA Chakra Gold, a premium tea from TATA Consumer Products, and a prominent brand in Tamil Nadu, announces its association as the official Tea Partner of Chennai Super Kings for the 13th edition of Indian Premier League.

CSK is an emotion that is deeply rooted in the fabric of Tamil Nadu. Led by talismanic MS Dhoni, it is a team that has the right spirit and determination and embodies the true spirit of its local fans. TATA TEA Chakra Gold, a blend crafted specially for Tamil Nadu, celebrates the same emotion and pride of the people of the state in its tea.

Driven by the quest for perfection, Tamilians take great pride in their methodical approach to all things in life with an eye for great detail. The Chakra Gold campaign for Tamil Nadu is a celebration of this very uniquely Tamilian code of life that is evident even in day-to-day situations.

The association of Chakra Gold with Chennai Super Kings is an extension of the celebration of Tamil pride, bringing together two brands that are so intrinsically linked to the state of Tamil Nadu.

Talking about the association, CSK CEO KS Viswanathan said: We are happy to have Chakra Gold tea, which is made especially for Tamil Nadu, as our official Tea Partner for IPL 2020. As brands, we share a common passion for the people and the state of Tamil Nadu.

Speaking about the association, Puneet Das, Vice President - Marketing, Beverages India, TATA Consumer Products, said, Tata Tea Chakra Gold is a blend specially crafted for Tamilians and celebrates the Tamil way of life. With the IPL season kick-starting, Chennai Super Kings, one of the biggest symbols of pride of Tamil Nadu, brings with it an emotion which binds different people from the state, rejoicing and celebrating together. Taking this as a wonderful opportunity, we are pleased to associate with this much-loved team as Official Tea Partner. We hope that this association, will resonate with the emotions of the people in Tamil Nadu who can enjoy the IPL season while sipping a strong cup of Chakra Gold.
The organizational structure of an intelligence agency shall be defined by the president of Ukraine.

The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, has adopted a bill on intelligence.

Bill No. 2412-d was backed by 258 lawmakers in the repeat second reading on September 17, an UNIAN correspondent reported.

Read alsoZelensky orders to develop new National Intelligence Program

What agencies are engaged in intelligence activity

The bill determines the Foreign Intelligence Service, the Defense Ministry's intelligence agency, as well as an intelligence department of the central executive agency that implements state policy in the field of protecting the national border are intelligence agencies in Ukraine.

At the same time, the bill stipulates that counterintelligence units of the SBU Security Service of Ukraine may also be engaged in intelligence activities to obtain information in the interests of counterintelligence. The list of such units is determined by the president of Ukraine.

The president also defines the organizational structure of an intelligence agency, while the total number of personnel of the Foreign Intelligence Service shall be determined by law. The relevant service carries out intelligence activities in the foreign policy, economic, military-technical, scientific-technical, information, environmental, and cybersecurity fields.

According to the bill, the intelligence agencies are headed by officials who are appointed and dismissed by the president of Ukraine.

The bill provides that prior to appointment to a position in an intelligence agency, an appointee and, in certain cases, an employee shall undergo psychophysiological assessment with the use of equipment that records a person's emotion and attention reactions.

What is more, the bill ensures state protection for intelligence officers and their family members.

What intelligence agencies are allowed to do

Among other things, the bill allows intelligence agencies to use accounts in national and foreign currencies in banks and other financial institutions, relocate persons or objects across the state border under operational control, as well as engaging undercover officers.

An undercover agent network can be created both inside Ukraine and abroad, and documents of such organizations may completely or partially contain false information about events, phenomena, and facts.

In accordance with certain basic tasks, the Ukrainian intelligence services should provide information to stakeholders on time, contribute to the fulfillment of Ukraine's national interests, and counteract external threats to Ukraine's national security.

SZR's statement

The SZR foreign intelligence service in a statement said the new law "is another important step in developing capabilities to effectively counteract the hybrid aggression against Ukraine and multidimensional external threats to national security of our state."

More related news reports:
China in Focus (Sept. 17): US Envoy Arrives in Taiwan for 2nd High-Level Visit Despite Threats From China

The United States seems to care less and less how the Chinese Communist Party feels. Another high-level U.S. envoy has visited Taiwan, despite threats from Beijing.

Dr. Yan Limeng claims that the CCP-virus was made in a lab.

Chinas e-commerce giant Alibabas financial affiliate Ant Group is set to go public in Hong Kong. A D.C.-based advocacy group is warning that the companys ties with the Chinese regime could make it a potential target of U.S. sanctions, bringing risks to investors.

And 70 pounds of gold bars, $1 million in cash, over 20 luxury cars were all received by one low-level party official in China within just 5 years through bribery.

Subscribe to our Youtube channel for more first-hand news from China.

For more news and videos, please visit our website and Twitter.
iPad Air. Apple

Apple didn't announce the iPhone 12 during its September event.

But it did unveil a revamped iPad Air, which comes with the new processor and design we're expecting to see from the next iPhone.

The iPad Air runs on Apple's A14 Bionic chip and comes with a fresh design that features flat stainless steel edges.

Reports from Bloomberg and others have suggested that these same features might appear in the iPhone 12.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Apple's anticipated iPhone 12 was noticeably absent from the company's typical fall product bonanza on Tuesday. While Apple didn't make any mention of what's next for its iPhone lineup, it may have provided a clue through its newly revealed iPad Air.

Apple unveiled a completely redesigned iPad Air that comes with a new edge-to-edge screen  much like the iPad Pro  new color options, and other upgrades. Perhaps most importantly, Apple revealed that the new iPad Air would run on its new A14 Bionic chip, the processor we're likely to see in the next iPhone. The new tablet will be launching next month starting at $600.

Given what we might know about the next iPhone based on reports  and Apple's history of putting its latest A-series chip in its new iPhones in the past  it may be fair to say that the iPad Air has provided an early look at what could be coming in the iPhone 12.

The A14 Bionic chip

Apple

Apple has been putting its custom A-series chips in the iPhone ever since it introduced the A4 back in 2010. That chip debuted in the iPad before making its way to the iPhone 4. It's perhaps only fitting then that 10 years later in 2020, Apple is unveiling its latest A-series chip in the iPad Air ahead of its expected iPhone unveil next month.

If Apple's history isn't evidence enough, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman  who has a spotless track record of reporting on unreleased Apple products  also reported that the iPhone 12 will be powered by the A14 chip.

Story continues

The A14 Bionic uses 5-nanometer process technology, Apple's first chip to do so, enabling it to pack nearly 40% more transistors than its 7-nanometer A13 chip from last year. What this means in plain English, according to Apple, is better performance and more power efficiency.

The iPad Air's new design and colors

Apple

If you've been following the reports and rumors that have emerged about the iPhone 12, you probably know that it's expected to get a design overhaul. The next iPhone is said to get flat, stainless steel edges and rounded corners much like the iPad Pro, according to Bloomberg.

The iPad Air got a similar makeover. You'll notice that it has same level, smooth edges found on the iPad Pro and older iPhones like the iPhone 5. It's a notable departure from the curved edges found on the current iPhone 11 lineup. That leaves the question of whether the iPad Air's refreshed design can be seen as a precursor to the iPhone 12's expected new look.

There's another big physical change coming to the updated iPad Air: new color options. In addition to more traditional colors like silver, space gray, and rose gold, the iPad Air also comes in green and sky blue. That echoes the bright, pastel-like colors Apple has used for the iPhone 11 lineup.

We have no idea what color options Apple will offer for the iPhone 12. The only clue we've heard so far are reports from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and leaker Max Weinbach suggesting one model might come in navy blue.

Still, seeing the new iPad Air with its flat steel edges in bright new hues similar to those of the iPhone 11 provides some hint at what a colorful new iPhone could look should the rumors turn out to be true. Just take a look at these concept renderings from Swedish tech site svetapple.sk, and you'll probably notice some resemblance to the new iPad Air.

Other iPad features that are rumored to come to the iPhone 12

Apple

These aren't the only characteristics we may see in the iPhone 12 that have already debuted on the iPad. Apple's next iPhone is expected to get ProMotion  the feature that boosts the screen's refresh rate up to 120Hz for smoother scrolling  which the iPad Pro already has. That's according to the YouTube channel Everything Apple Pro.

The iPad Pro's Lidar sensor, which should enable better performance in augmented reality apps, is also said to be coming to the "Pro" version of the iPhone 12, according to Bloomberg's Gurman.

We'll likely have to wait until October to know for sure, which is when Apple is expected to debut its iPhone 12 lineup.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Company has since rowed back on the claim as it still has to do a clinical trial

Hopes for a 20-second Covid-19 test that could save the airline industry have been hit back after the firm behind the it rowed back on their claim of a succesful initial trial.

British startup iAbra were said to have developed a saliva test that used machine learning to detect the virus in only 20 seconds.

Heathrow airport agreed to run a trial of the Virolens test with passengers over three weeks, which the company said had been 'successful' and would lead to clinical trials.

The share price of TT Electronics, who manufacture the device, shot up 40 per cent after performance data was released, valuing it at about 440 million.

Hopes for a 20-second Covid-19 test that could save the airline industry have been hit back after the firm behind the it rowed back on their claim of a succesful initial trial. Pictured from left: Greg Compton, Shane Tingey, Justin Phillimore and Richard Tyson with their testing device

However, scientists at Bristol said they were not involved with designing the study and had only supplied Iabra with harmless inactivated samples of the coronavirus that causes Covid-19.

A spokesman for Iabra said the original statement had been released by mistake.

'Virolens is a new application of AI technology that has been developed collaboratively over the past ten years,' they told The Times.

'It has the potential to make a significant difference to Covid testing, but it is currently embarking on functional and clinical trials and it wouldn't be appropriate to comment further until the results of those are known. We are poised to roll out once we receive the requisite approval.'

The new Virolens test, which is said to provide results in 20 seconds, was given a three-week trial at Heathrow Airport which the company said was 'successful'

However, Bristol virologist David Matthews said it was still possible that the technology could work.

'If it does, they're going to be billionaires overnight but they have to hand over the device, leave the room and let it be tested,' he said.

iAbra previously said that 'the Virolens system has a 99.8 per cent sensitivity and 96.7 per cent specificity, based on the results of an internal in-vitro validation study, designed by the University of Bristol, demonstrating an exciting proof of concept'.

The test uses a sophisticated form of microscopy, analysed by AI, to detect virus particles in saliva samples.

The development comes as a blow for Heathrow boss John Holland-Kaye, who had urged the Government to fast track the Covid-19 test to help the airline industry

The company, which has only four employees said the test does not need to be administered by healthcare professionals and is repeatable, with each screening device capable of carrying out hundreds of tests per day.

If successful, the Virolens test could replace the current gold standard polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests that are conducted in labs use swabs and need to be processed at different temperatures, meaning it takes longer to get results.

The development comes as a blow for Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye, who said last week that iAbra's technology was 'potentially more accurate' than standard tests used to detect the virus.

He had also encouraged the government to 'fast-track this technology'.

A spokesman for Heathrow said: 'Our research into testing solutions continues and Heathrow has not placed an order with Iabra for any further pilots at this stage.'

Greg Compton, 33, Iabra's chief executive, told the Financial Times that any mistakes in the original press release had not been 'done with any malice'.

It comes after Boris Johnson pledged to increase testing capacity to 500,000 tests a day by the end of October at the Downing Street press conference last week.

Outlining the 'ambitious' plans, he said: 'We think, we hope, we believe that new types of tests which are simple, quick and scaleable will become available and they use swabs, or saliva, and can turn around, results in 90, or even 20 minutes.

'Crucially, it should be possible to deploy these tests on a far bigger scale than any country has yet achieved, literally millions of tests, being processed every single day.'
In consultations with Amb. Walker, Amb. Dacio Castillo of Honduras and Amb. Harald Aspelund of Iceland, WTO members indicated that the five candidates who should advance are Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of Nigeria, Yoo Myung-hee of the Republic of Korea, Amina C. Mohamed of Kenya, Mohammad Maziad Al-Tuwaijri of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Liam Fox of the United Kingdom.

Throughout the six days of consultations it was clear to us that the entire membership is both committed to and fully engaged in this process, said Amb. Walker, who expressed his gratitude to all the candidates, including those who will not advance further.

Members consider all (the candidates) highly qualified and respected individuals. I would also like to pay tribute to the dignified manner in which they, their delegations, and their Governments have conducted themselves in this process. Their willingness to engage, especially at these challenging times, has been greatly appreciated, and the Organization is in their debt. Their expertise and high professional and personal qualities are highly valued and respected by all Members. I am sure I speak on behalf of all of you in wishing them well in their future endeavours, he said.

During the confidential consultations Amb. Walker of New Zealand, Amb. Castillo, chair of the Dispute Settlement Body, and Amb. Aspelund, chair of the Trade Policy Review Body, posed to each delegation a single question: What are your preferences? Members then submitted four preferences to the troika of ambassadors.

Amb. Walker said the second phase of consultations will begin on 24 September and run until 6 October. During this time, members will be asked in the confidential consultations to express two preferences to the facilitators with an eye to bringing the number of candidates from five to two. Following this process, Amb. Walker will call another Heads of Delegations meeting at which the results will be announced to the WTO membership. The timetable for the third and final round of consultations will be announced at that time. Amb. Walker's full statement is available here.

The ultimate objective of this measured and clearly defined process is to secure a consensus decision by members on the next Director-General.

The General Council agreed on 31 July that there would be three stages of consultations held over a two-month period commencing 7 September. During these two months the number of candidates would be reduced from eight to five and then two before a consensus is reached on which of the candidates becomes the WTO's 7th Director-General. In trimming the roster of candidates from eight to five, WTO members have concluded the first of these consultative stages.

The consultation process taken by facilitators has been set by guidelines established by the General Council in a 2002 decision. According to these guidelines, the key consideration in determining which candidate is best poised to achieve consensus is the breadth of support each candidate receives from the members.

During the DG selection processes of 2005 and 2013, breadth of support was defined as the distribution of preferences across geographic regions and among the categories of Members generally recognized in WTO provisions: that is (Least developed countries), developing countries and developed countries. The Chair said he and his colleagues were guided by the practices established in these General Council proceedings and he further explained that the decisions made clear that breadth of support means the larger membership.

The process for selecting a new Director-General was triggered on 14 May when former Director-General Roberto Azevedo informed WTO members he would be stepping down from his post one year before the expiry of his mandate. He subsequently left office on 31 August.

Amb. Walker immediately proceeded with the procedures for the appointment of the Director-General that were agreed under the 2002 guidelines. These guidelines require the General Council Chair to begin consultations with members on DG selection as soon as possible and may establish expedited deadlines as necessary in consultation in Members.

During the one-month nomination period from 7 June to 7 July a total of eight candidates* were put forward by their home countries.
A U.S. judge on Thursday blocked controversial Postal Service changes that have slowed mail nationwide, calling them 'a politically motivated attack on the efficiency of the Postal Service' before the November election.

Judge Stanley Bastian in Yakima, Washington, said he was issuing a nationwide preliminary injunction sought by 14 states that sued the Trump administration and the U.S. Postal Service.

The states challenged the Postal Service's so-called 'leave behind' policy, where trucks have been leaving postal facilities on time regardless of whether there is more mail to load. They also sought to force the Postal Service to treat election mail as first class mail.

The judge noted after a hearing that Trump had repeatedly attacked voting by mail by making unfounded claims that it is rife with fraud. Many more voters are expected to vote by mail this November because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the states have expressed concern that delays might result in voters not receiving ballots or registration forms in time.

'The states have demonstrated the defendants are involved in a politically motivated attack on the efficiency of the Postal Service,' Bastian said.

He also said the changes created 'a substantial possibility many voters will be disenfranchised.'

Legal defeat: Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's new USPS cuts are blocked by a federal judge who gave 14 states led by Washington a nationwide injunction against them

Cuts: DeJoy ordered sorting machines removed, increased the pace of mailbox renewals and a new policy of mail trucks leaving depots on time even if mail was left behind- which the judge blocked from continuing

FILE - In this July 31, 2020, file photo, letter carriers load mail trucks for deliveries at a U.S. Postal Service facility in McLean, Va. A U.S. judge on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020, blocked controversial Postal Service changes that have slowed mail nationwide. The judge called them 'a politically motivated attack on the efficiency of the Postal Service' before the November election. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Bastian, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, issued a written order later Thursday that closely tracked the relief sought by the states. It ordered the Postal Service to stop implementing the 'leave behind' policy, to treat all election mail as first class mail rather than as slower-moving categories, to reinstall any mail processing machines needed to ensure the prompt handling of election mail, and to inform its employees about the requirements of his injunction.

Postal Service spokesman Dave Partenheimer said the organization is reviewing its legal options, but 'there should be no doubt that the Postal Service is ready and committed to handle whatever volume of election mail it receives.'

Lee Moak, a member of the USPS Board of Governors, called the notion any changes were politically motivated 'completely and utterly without merit.'

Following a national uproar, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a major donor to President Donald Trump and the GOP, announced he was suspending some changes - including the removal of iconic blue mailboxes in many cities and the decommissioning of mail processing machines.

But other changes remained in place, and the states - including the battlegrounds of Michigan, Wisconsin and Nevada - asked the court to block them. Led by Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, the states said the Postal Service made the changes without first bringing them to the Postal Regulatory Commission for public comment and an advisory opinion, as required by federal law. They also said the changes interfered with their constitutional authority to administer their elections.

At the hearing, Justice Department attorney Joseph Borson sought to assure the judge that the Postal Service would handle election mail promptly, noting that a surge of ballots in the mail would pale in comparison to increases from, say, holiday cards.

He also said slow-downs caused by the 'leave behind' policy had gotten better since it was first implemented, and that the Postal Service in reality had made no changes with regard to how it classifies and processes election mail. DeJoy has repeatedly insisted that processing election mail remains the organization's top priority.

'There's been a lot of confusion in the briefing and in the press about what the Postal Service has done,' Borson said. 'The states are accusing us of making changes we have not in fact made.'

Voters who are worried about their ballots being counted 'can simply promptly drop their ballots in the mail,' he said, and states can help by mailing registration form or absentee ballots early.

Borson also insisted that the states were required to bring their challenge not in court, but before the Postal Regulatory Commission itself - even though by law the commission has 90 days to respond. Bastian rejected that notion, saying there was no time for that with the election just seven weeks away.

Ready for mail-in election surge: New York and other states have bought drop boxes for ballots to offer an alternative to the mail

Get ready: A person drops applications for mail-in-ballots into a mail box in Omaha, Nebraska. Now a federal judge has ordered that all election mail is treated as first class

The states conceded that mail delays have eased since the service cuts first created a national uproar in July, but they said on-time deliveries remain well below their prior levels, meaning millions of pieces of mail that would otherwise arrive on-time no longer are.

They also noted some of the effects the changes had already wrought: Michigan spent $2 million earlier this year on envelopes that met election mail standards - only to learn that the Postal Service wouldnt treat them as first class mail. In Madison, Wisconsin, the number of ballots that werent counted because they arrived late for the August primary doubled from the August 2018 primary.

Further, they cited research from information technology consultant Mynor Urizar-Hunter, who helped start a website tracking the USPS changes, noting that 78% of the machines slated for removal were in counties won by Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016.

The states suing are Washington, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia - all led by Democratic attorneys general.

Pennsylvania is leading a separate multistate lawsuit over the changes, and New York and Montana have filed their own challenges.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 06:01:47|Editor: huaxia

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BRUSSELS, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Europe must lead the way to a green recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic and it must get it right, Frans Timmermans, European Commission Executive Vice President in charge of climate action, said on Thursday.

As chief of the European Union (EU) responsible for the Green Deal and the first European Climate Law, Timmermans said the new EU target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 percent by 2030 was "doable" and "achievable" if everyone put in their fair share of effort to reach the target.

Presenting the Climate Target Plan at a press conference, he said this level of ambition will put the EU on the right path to reaching climate neutrality by 2050.

The new plan unveils the path towards the ambitious target, with carbon pricing and stronger CO2 standards for transport at the core, according to Timmermans.

Boasting the EU Emissions Trading System as a "proven, effective tool to bring down emissions," Timmermans said the Commission will look at expanding the mechanism to road transport and buildings.

Timmermans replied to media questions that he understood those who expected the target to be even more ambitious but insisted that the impact assessment showed that the EU was on the right track with its proposal.

Stressing that the proposed 55 percent target was set following a thorough assessment of the social, economic and environmental impacts, he said the target is realistic and feasible.

He said Europeans will have to rebuild the economies in the aftermath of the pandemic but at the same time continue to fight climate change.

Timmermans said the Commission has tabled an amendment to the proposed European Climate Law, to include the 2030 emissions reduction target. It also sets out the legislative proposals to be presented by June 2021 to implement the new target. Enditem
In a bit of chutzpah worthy of Hillary Clinton, Kamala Harris told Americans during a roundtable to be ready for "a Harris administration, together with Joe Biden as the president of the United States." She quickly corrected herself, but by then, Humpty-Dumpty had crashed to the ground.

A day later, talking about jobs and educational programs for military members and their families, Biden said this:

For example, making it easy to carry your professional credentials with you from one state to another when your spouse moves. Harris-Biden administration is going to relaunch that effort and keep pushing further to make it easier for military spouses and veterans to find meaningful careers[.]

What's going on here? Here are some scenarios. Take your pick.

Biden and Harris are both addle-brained; it's just a matter of degree.

Joe is scared of Harris and the left generally and didn't dare correct her.

Joe's wife wears the pants in the family, so he's used to being second.

Joe was just reading from a script as usual, doing as he's told.

Joe was afraid of being accused of sexism and/or racism if he corrected Harris.

Harris thinks she's already in charge and doesn't need to clear anything with the Biden people.

Harris was admitting what everyone knows: Biden is senile and won't be making decisions in their administration.

Joe is often confused. He doesn't know where he is, which day it is, whether it's about Iraq or Iran, and so on.

Joe was predicting who'll be running the show.

Biden sees Harris as a female Obama and obediently put himself second, which is where he was for eight years. Old habits die hard.

Though you didn't see this admitted on CNN or the rest of them, one key reason Hillary Clinton lost the election is that millions of Americans perceived Clinton, correctly, as an ambitious, heartless, corrupt, arrogant harpy. These attributes are also present in Harris, who is an AA/EOE "twofer" to boot: female and "person of color." The latter is why she got the V.P. spot, despite dropping out after a disastrous campaign for the top position.

Americans absolutely detest arrogant politicians. A "Harris-Biden" or "Biden-Harris" administration is delusional. Forget about polls and other propaganda nonsense on the news, including Fox, claiming that the election will be close. It will be a blowout, because it's about sheer survival. The choice is simple: the rule of law or anarchy. Without blue lives, whom Republicans love and Democrats hate, we are at the mercy of the "mostly peaceful protesters" coddled by the Democrat press. We can't afford the security details Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer have, paid for by taxpayers.

Democrats have done absolutely nothing to disavow the rioting and the looting. On the contrary, there is a widespread and correct perception that they encouraged the mayhem, calculating that it would help elect them. This should boomerang and result in the removal of Nancy Pelosi as House speaker. President Trump will be able to work even more miracles with full congressional support during his second term.

Image: Mobilus In Mobili via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Three increasingly tetchy family members forced to spend time together while resisting the temptation to kill each other might sound like many of our lockdown experiences.

And, according to the cast of the BBC's poignant new comedy-drama Us, it is  only this one has the backdrop of some of the most beautiful places in Europe.

Based on David Nicholls's bestselling 2014 novel and adapted by him for television, Us is about a couple struggling to reconnect on a Continental holiday, their teenage son who's irritated at the idea of doing anything educational, and an annoying girl who latches onto the family.

It opens with Connie, played by Saskia Reeves, waking her husband one morning to say, 'I think our marriage may be over.'

The BBC's poignant new comedy-drama Us is based on David Nicholls's bestselling 2014 novel and adapted by him for television. It stars Tom Hollander as Douglas, the scientist husband of Connie, who is played by Saskia Reeves, and their son Albie (Tom Taylor)

She put her career as an artist on hold to raise their son with scientist husband Douglas, played by Tom Hollander, but now realises she wants her own life.

After years with a man who thinks spontaneity is letting out a whoop when their train crosses the border into Belgium, she's ready for a change.

'Connie wakes up in the middle of the night and announces, "I can't bear it any more", and I think we all had moments of that during lockdown,' says Tom, best known for Rev and The Night Manager.

'Some relationships have probably proved themselves and others have fallen apart.'

After dropping her bombshell, Connie agrees to continue with a three-week tour of Europe by train they'd been planning with their phone-obsessed son Albie (Tom Taylor) before he goes off to art college.

Douglas pledges to win Connie back on the trip. But how? He's increasingly desperate to change himself, while the divisions within the family grow ever deeper.

Wallow in the glorious art on show Art is one of the few things the family enjoy in the series as they move from Paris to Amsterdam, Barcelona and Venice. 'We filmed in the Louvre when it was closed for the day, as well as the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and the Joan Miro gallery in Barcelona,' says Saskia Reeves, who plays Connie. 'We had this incredibly privileged experience of being near these paintings you'd normally have to wait to see. It was incredible to film in these galleries.' Tom Taylor, who appears as Albie, says the experience for him was exactly the same as it was for his young character. 'I've never actually been to any of those places before, so just as Albie is exploring this grand tour, so was I. 'After every shoot the local crew would tell us about the area and show us different sights, so it was a massive learning experience. 'A lot of the time I'm not actually acting because I was taking it all in, just as Albie would have.' Advertisement

The four-part BBC1 series is sometimes heartbreakingly poignant as Douglas struggles to connect not only with the wife he still loves, but also his adored teenage son who's so different from him.

The lightness comes when typical family situations become occasionally farcical as the tension rises.

Parts of the story are told in flashback, as we see how Connie and Douglas first fell in love and the deep sadness they encountered with the death of their first child.

The novel, which was long-listed for the Booker Prize, is a follow-up to Nicholls' hugely successful One Day, which sold five million copies.

'What's good about Us is that it feels very true,' says Tom. 'Lots of people live long enough these days to want their lives to have other chapters.

'There's no scandalous betrayal or terrible moment where one person lets another down. It's not melodramatic. It's worse because it's so ordinary.

'Through the flashbacks you see the journey these two people have been on, and how the things that were once right for them aren't right for them now.

'What Connie is doing is courageous. She doesn't want to be thinking, "What if?" She isn't happy with a satisfactory existence, she wants more.

'I'd say it's a story of hope. Just because something is ending doesn't mean it's the end of everything. It's an honest depiction of how things go.

'It'll be recognisable to lots of people.'

Saskia, who recently appeared as devious lady's maid Ellis in Belgravia, adds, 'Through the flashbacks you see how, at first, Douglas is a port in a storm for her.

'She lacks confidence, but the irony is the support and love he gives her during their marriage makes her stronger, to the point where she feels she can leave him.

'They weren't all that suitable from the start, but they're good people who've been joined together by some tough stuff.

'It's difficult for her to leave Douglas as she genuinely loves him, but she wants to try to express herself before it's too late. She's looking for the next thrill.

'I think she's a bit selfish. Douglas puts her on a pedestal but there are things about her that aren't so cool.

'She could have tried couples therapy first. What's amazing about her relationship with Douglas is that he's funny, they laugh a lot and get on really well.

'If you lose a child you change forever, and they have that in common; it's kept them together for a very long time.

Us is about a couple struggling to reconnect on a Continental holiday, their teenage son who's irritated at the idea of doing anything educational, and an annoying girl who latches onto the family. Pictured, Hollander, Reeves and Taylor in the drama-comedy

'Douglas has organised this brilliant itinerary for them to go around Europe but it can also be really annoying because there's no room for spontaneity.

'The story has humour, desperate humour, but it's also really sad.'

Their break-up is played out in some of the most romantic cities in the world.

The family travels first to Paris where Albie meets a Scottish busker called Kat (Thaddea Graham), who gatecrashes the family holiday and throws Douglas's plans up in the air, such as when she insists they cancel a visit to Anne Frank's house in Amsterdam to go to a coffee shop.

'Albie's not keen on this trip from the start,' says Tom Taylor, who played Suranne Jones's character's son in Doctor Foster.

'Throughout the journey you see this difficult relationship with his father. Douglas says, 'You don't really want to be an artist?' and Albie says, 'Yes I do.'

Then Kat enters the picture and she has this brilliant energy, which is addictive for Albie.

She sparks this idea in him that there are better ways of doing things than the way his dad does them.

But he has a great relationship with his mother.

A lot of those generational relationships were tested with lockdown, and everyone will relate to the show because of that.'

Saskia, who has an 18-year-old son, advised Tom Hollander, who has no children, on what being the parent of a truculent teenager can be like.

'Things got a bit sticky at home over lockdown,' she admits.

'So when you see the clashes between Douglas and Albie  and the disdain on Albie's face  they definitely resonated.'

As they travel, relations deteriorate. 'Halfway through episode two the holiday has fallen apart,' says Tom.

'Albie can't take it any more and disappears, so then it becomes about trying to find him. For quite a long time it's a holiday from hell.

'But I think it'll be fun for people who haven't been on holiday this summer to go on a virtual holiday; they may not regret the staycation quite so much after watching this.'

Us starts tomorrow at 9pm on BBC1.
Kuleba emphasized the importance of monitoring Belarus developments.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has warned the Russian Federation against steps that could undermine political sovereignty of the neighboring country and destabilize the region in general.

"We warn the Russian Federation against steps that may lead to undermining the political sovereignty of Belarus and further destabilization of the situation in the region as a whole," he said during an urgent debate on the situation in Belarus within the framework of the 45th session of the UN Human Rights Council, as reported on the ministry's website.

Kuleba noted Ukraine's position regarding absolute inadmissibility of interference in the internal affairs of Belarus, separately drawing attention to Russia's actions.

He also emphasized the importance of monitoring the developments in Belarus with the involvement of international human rights mechanisms and called on the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and Special Procedures of the UN Human Rights Council to comprehensively and in a timely manner continue such monitoring, as well as called on the official Minsk to constructively interact with the above institutions.

Read also"Go drink some water and calm down": Avakov ridicules Lukashenko's allegations of Ukraine meddlingThe foreign minister said the striving of the Belarusian society is connected exclusively with the implementation of fundamental democratic freedoms, while the violent reaction of the country's authorities to this peaceful request does not correspond to the universal obligations member states have undertaken to protect human rights.

"The Belarusian society sets a single goal  to protect its choice and right to free expression of will. This is a basic and inalienable aspiration stemming from the value of human dignity, being the fundamental pillar of any democratic society," Kuleba said.

He reiterated the countries of the Lublin Triangle (Ukraine, Lithuania and Poland) were among the first to call on the Belarus government for restraint and dialogue, while hearing in response "baseless accusations."

It is expected the debates will endorse the UN Human Rights Council Resolution on the situation of human rights in Belarus related to the 2020 presidential elections, initiated by the EU and co-sponsored by Ukraine. Taking into account the world's rejection of massive human rights violations targeting participants in post-election protests in Belarus, the document provides for the introduction of a mechanism for monitoring the situation by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Belarus protests: background
Chennai, Sep 18 : Pointing out the success of the India BPO Promotion Scheme in the state, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K.Palaniswami has urged the Central government to allot 10,000 more seats under the scheme.

Palaniswami in a letter to Union Minister for Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad on Friday congratulated the latter for launching the scheme to incentivise business process outsourcing (BPO) and information technology enabled services (ITES) units to set up their operations in tier-II and III cities.

Palaniswami expressed his happiness on the scheme's success in Tamil Nadu which resulted in providing 7,705 seats (STPI -- 7,605 seats in Tamil Nadu and 100 seats in Puducherry) in Software Technology Parks of India, Chennai.

This has resulted in creating direct employment for 8,387 people and indirect employment for 16,774 people, Palaniswami said.

"The success rate of this scheme in Tamil Nadu in terms of commencement of operation is more than 93 per cent.

This scheme has resulted in setting up of 51 India Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Promotion Scheme (IBPS) units in 13 Tier-II and Tier-III cities of Tamil Nadu," Palaniswami said.

"In view of the tremendous success of this scheme in the state of Tamil Nadu, I request you to allot 10,000 seats under the 'India BPO Promotion scheme' to Tamil Nadu," he added.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Auckland University, New Zealands largest, has reversed its plan to get students on campus next Monday for the final two weeks of Semester 2. The U-turn follows mass opposition by students to a decision to operate classes of up to 300 people while the city remains under COVID-19 restrictions.

In an email to staff on Thursday, Vice-Chancellor Dawn Freshwater said learning will now remain online until October 2, regardless of alert levels. She declared the decision was taken after Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield told reporters that lectures and classes involving more than 10 students were not permitted under current settings. Freshwater claimed Bloomfields comments had created a degree of confusion among staff and students, adding to anxiety levels.

In fact, students had flooded the vice chancellor with messages and some 10,000 signed petitions calling on the university to maintain online learning until it can safely uphold social distancing requirements. The university had blandly responded that safety remained its priority and mask-wearing was strongly encouraged where physical distancing is not possible.

One Auckland University student tested positive for COVID-19 in August. Another student anonymously told the New Zealand Herald that the university was actively ignoring concerns and students were being forced back to campus with no support. They described the universitys response as lacklustre at best, negligent at worst.

Others echoed the concerns, saying that while there is a limit of 10 on social gatherings and no more than 50 at a funeral, it was okay to put 300 in a lecture hall with no mandatory masks. More than 100 contacted the media, saying they were appalled, stressed out, and thought the decision was insane, ridiculous and unsafe.

Students had also expressed outrage about a fee of $30$50 to apply for compassionate consideration for those unable to attend exams due to sickness. A student told Newshub that some were likely to turn up sick as they would not be able to afford the fees or feared failing: Its really, really concerning. Were being forced to choose between an education, and our wellbeing.

The student protests are part of an international wave of opposition to the reopening of universities, which is subordinating the safety of students and staff to the demands of big business.

In the US, graduate student instructors at the University of Michigan struck for two weeks in defiance of threats by administrators. They were demanding remote-only learning and other protections. The reopening of New York University is encountering growing opposition among faculty and students.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern last Monday extended New Zealands current level of COVID-19 restrictions for another week. Level 2.5 restrictions on Aucklandwhich include a 10-person limit on social gatheringsare in place until September 21, while the rest of the country has Level 2 restrictions.

Aucklands Level 3 lockdown was originally imposed after a resurgence of community transmission of the virus in August. The source of the outbreak remains unknown. As of Thursday there were 53 active cases in the community, plus 33 among people who have returned from overseas. The Auckland clusters were still seeing daily increases until Tuesday, and resulted in two recent deaths. Some 89 users of an Auckland gym visited by someone infected with COVID-19 are currently being sought for testing.

With an election scheduled for October 17after being postponed by four weeksthe Labour Party-led government is following its counterparts internationally, including in Australia, Europe and the US, which have carried out back to work and back to school campaigns despite opposition from medical experts and the working class.

Auckland University modelling expert Shaun Hendy has warned of COVID-19 spreading to other regions from Auckland. If the decision is made to drop to alert level 1, removing social distancing requirements, masks should continue to be mandatory and testing numbers must stay consistently high, he said.

Testing plummeted after New Zealand was declared free from community transmission and a lockdown was lifted in Mayonly for a new outbreak to be discovered in August.

The attempted move to open Auckland University followed the forced return of primary and secondary schools. Education and Health Minister Chris Hipkins urged Auckland parents to send their children back to school, telling Radio NZ: There is no good reason not to be sending your kids back to school. He branded reports to the contrary as misinformation.

Many parents resisted the ministers call, which was fully endorsed by the teacher unions, and thousands of children were kept at home. Schools in contact with the Auckland cluster reported positive cases among their students and briefly closed for cleaning. These included Mt Albert Grammar School, Mt Albert Primary, Glamorgan Primary School, Southern Cross Campus, Sunnyvale School, St Dominics College and Chapel Downs School.

New Zealand has so far recorded 1,451 COVID-19 cases and 25 deaths. Three people are in hospital, with two of them in intensive care. There are 96 people with the coronavirus at present, with 39 of them imported cases, all quarantined in government-managed isolation facilities.

Ardern claimed on Monday that New Zealand had followed a plan that has worked, referring to her governments early lockdown of the country in March. This has both saved lives, but also meant our economy has been able to be more open in a more sustained way than nearly any other country in the world, she declared. In fact, as in April and May, when nationwide restrictions were lifted, the decision to lower Aucklands alert level from 3 to 2.5 at the beginning of September was taken against the advice of healthcare experts.

Facing the collapse of their foreign student businesses, universities have been at the forefront of demands by the ruling elite to re-open the borders while launching vicious attacks on jobs and staff conditions, along with the rights of students.

International education is one of New Zealands most important industries, attracting more than 100,000 students a year. It is worth more than $NZ5 billion ($US3 billion) to the economy. The universities unsuccessfully pitched a quarantine system to the government in March when travel restrictions were preventing thousands of students from travelling to New Zealand.

At Wellingtons Victoria University the usual number of 3,300 fee-paying students has dropped to 2,200, with another reduction of 1,000 expected if the borders remain closed. Despite overwhelming staff opposition to restructuring proposals, the university is warning that up to 300 job cuts remain on the agenda. A loss of $33 million is forecast for 2021, on top of the $19 million deficit for 2020. Schools are also preparing to lay off extra teachers they have been paying with fees from foreign students.

Meanwhile, Labour announced this week that it will break a major promise it had made at the 2017 election to extend its fees free policy beyond the first year, to two years of academic study in 2021 and three by 2024. This has now been put on ice indefinitely, along with another pledge to reinstate a postgraduate student allowance. Instead, Hipkins declared: We will be targeting our additional tertiary education spending in areas that are critical for the countrys economic recovery in the post-COVID environment.

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Will Waldron/Times Union

CATSKILL  A worker was hurt Friday afternoon when the wooden framework of a Stewarts Shop under construction collapsed in Catskill.

Gary Dake, the president of Stewart's Shop, said in an email that the worker, a framing subcontractor for the construction company, "was injured when some trusses let go. His leg was caught and another crew on the site cut him out."
Pranab Mondal By

Express News Service

KOLKATA: Chhatradhar Mahato, the poster boy of Maoists over a decade ago and now a Trinamool inductee, has been asked to lead the partys class battle. As a member of the Trinamool state committee, he is tasked to consolidate the OBC vote bank in Jangalmahal.

Mahato belongs to the Kurmi community whose 35% vote share could be a decisive factor in Jhargram, West Midnapore, Purulia and parts of Bankura district in the Assembly polls due early next year.

The Trinamool leader has hit the ground running in Lalgarh. In at least 20 Assembly constituencies, the Kurmi vote is crucial. By giving Chhatradhar a berth in the partys state committee, Mamata Banerjee has sent a message as to how important the community is, said a senior TMC leader.

Trinamools internal assessment after the massive jolt the party received in Jangalmahal in the 2019 general election revealed a change in Kurmis political alignment. In 2019, the TMC lost all five Lok Sabha seats in Jangalmahal.

TMC sources said Mahatos prime responsibility would be to bring back the votes of his own community that shifted to the BJP. We have repaired the damage in tribal vote bank. If we regain the Kurmis confidence, regaining strength in Jangalmahal wont be a tough task, said another TMC leader.

I am visiting remote pockets of the entire region, interacting with common people and assessing what had led them to change their political allegiance, Mahato said.
Plot

Kaajal (Bhumi Pednekar) who hails from Bihar, moves to Noida to live with her cousin Dolly (Konkona Sen Sharma) and her family. When Dolly's husband Amit (Aamir Bashir) tries to make sexual advances towards Kaajal, the latter tries to confide in Dolly, who laughs it off and blames it on her hormones instead. An uncomfortable Kaajal soon, moves out of their house and takes up a job at Red Rose Romance, an app that provides companionship' to men.

Kaajal adopts the persona of Kitty for her job of being a virtual companion to lonely men over the phone. Soon, Kaajal meets Shazia (Kubra Sait), a girl who loves to live her life on the edge and her DJ boyfriend (Karan Kundrra), and gets hooked to her new 'freedom'. She also falls in love with one of her Red Rose Romance client Pradeep (Vikrant Massey) who seems to be a perfect boyfriend material.

On the other hand, Dolly, who is worried about her non-existent sex life with her husband and her son's attraction to dolls, finds herself drawn towards a younger Osman (Amol Parashar), a student who delivers take-away orders.

Things take a bold turn when Kaajal discovers a secret about Dolly, and the two women discover that they have lot more in common than they thought.

Direction

After the path-breaking 2017 film Lipstick Under My Burkha, Alankrita Shrivastava once again delivers a film which breaks the shackles of patriarchal narratives. Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare is a fun, breezy watch. The director lends a humourous, satirical touch to an otherwise heavyweight theme. Alankrita takes up topics which are gently brushed off the carpet and weaves an engaging story around it. From casual sex, infidelity to kids struggling with their sexual identity, she deals everything with a sensitive gaze.

On the flip side, some melodrama and a set of coincidences in the second half dilutes the overall impact of the film. Also, Dolly's complex equation with her mother could have been explored a little more.

Performances

Konkona Sen Sharma deserves many stars for her top-notch act. Her portrayal of Dolly takes you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions, and leaves you mighty impressed. Bhumi Pednekar delivers a sensational performance as Kitty. She deserves a pat on her back for this one! Further, Dolly and Kitty's camaraderie leaves you smiling, cheering and even reaching for a tissue in a scene or two. Kubbra Sait is a firecracker like she always is on screen. Neelima Azeem leaves you moved in a small, yet effective role.

Coming to the men, Vikrant Massey, Amol Parashar, Aamir Bashir and Karan Kundrra make the most of their roles. One of Alankrita Shrivastava's plus points is that the characters in her films are relatable, and Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare is no different.

Technical Aspects

John Jacob Payyapalli's candyfloss cinematography goes well with the theme of the film. Minus any frills, the production value of the film stays true to the narrative. Aarti Bajaj's editing is crisp.

Music

When it comes to music, Alankrita Shrivastava's Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare doesn't have anything new to offer. Most of the songs are a part of the narrative, and thankfully, don't disrupt the story-telling process.

Verdict

Alankrita Shrivastava's storytelling in Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare is as free-spirited as the two lead protagonists of her film. Her unapologetic take on female sexuality and women empowerment makes this film a 'chamakta sitara' on screen.

In one of the scenes when Dolly asks Osman if they have taken the wrong route, the latter tells her, "Raaste galat nahin, alag hain." Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare dares you to take up a different route when it comes to matters of heart and life!
<! Mr Muhammad Nami, chairman of FIRS: requests for the self certification >

By Abankula

The Buhari government came under heavy criticism on Thursday, following a notice, enjoining Nigerians with bank accounts to do self certification.

According to the notice, which came from Federal Inland Revenue Service  all account holders in Financial Institutions (Banks, Insurance Companies, etc) are required to obtain, complete and submit Self  Certification Forms to their respective Financial Institutions.

Persons holding accounts in different financial institutions is required to complete & submit the form to each one of the institutions. The forms are required by the relevant financial institutions to carry out due diligence procedures in line with the Income Tax Regulations 2019.

The self-certification form is in 3 categories:

 Form for Entity

 For Controlling Person (Individuals having controlling interest in a legal person, trustee, etc)

 Form for individual

Failure to comply with the requirement to administer or execute this form attracts sanctions which may include monetary penalty or inability to operate the account. For more enquiries visit

@firsNigeria website (http://firs.gov.ng) for more details.

The notice triggered many angry reactions from Nigerians.

Many wondered why government, which already has their data in various forms, in BVN, National ID Card, Voters Card and Drivers Licence, wants to subject them to stress, by queueing for self certification at banks.

Here are some of the reactions:

What was all the stress for BVN, if you cant connect needed information from BVN?

Duplicity is a sign of ineptitude, inefficiency, wastage(time and funds). Please fold shop, if you want to take us on merry-go-round again.#Enough of duplicity and wastage  Helen Francis (@HellenaFr72) September 17, 2020

This is to avoid stories like the account is not mine or someone opened it on my behalf earing my name. By filling it, it can be used in court based on the person owns declaration. Its just like an asset declaration. You declare it and later it will be check and reconcile.  Auwal Musa (@auwal_musam) September 17, 2020

Shey na fight? Sometimes you honestly cant help but agree with those who say this govt dont have mercy & consideration for the poor, how much i dey get that youre threatening me with sanction over tax im already paying thru my nose for corrupt officials to embezzle..       (@MallamRaji) September 17, 2020

What stops banks from sending their customers links through their mails or mobile number to complete the forms? This is Nigeria, everything must reflect the brutish and nasty life the govt subjects the people to.  Ikechukwu (@egwunte) September 17, 2020

One commenter tagged the WHO, drawing attention to the implication of conforming with the FIRS directive:

Hello you have to see this, @WHO See what the Nigeria government is doing, asking all bank account holders to go fill forms manually in the banks, when there is already a Bank Verification System in place!!! And this, in a PANDEMIC!!!!!!! IS @NGRPresident AWARE???  Dem ?? (@CrowdedLagos) September 17, 2020

The person got a response~:

Youve not been told to go and queue anywhere. Its left for the Banks to device ways of doing it. Such forms could be made available online.  Olaide Kayode E. (@emmakyng) September 17, 2020

You people are clueless and very insensitive.

We should go crowd up the banks in this Covid era.

Its like the masses are too tolerant and peaceful for you, so you just keep pushing us here and there.

When you push the masses to the wall, be ready for what comes.  BEREMI (@Adebayor86) September 17, 2020

It seems to me as if these people have lost the initial data we gave them , and indirectly asking us to repeat the whole process again National ID | BVN https://t.co/eObXSfKMce  Your BFF (@Banks039) September 17, 2020

JJ Omojuwa: If there was something called Bank Verification Number that would have totally made this whole procedure unnecessary. But since BVN is alien to human civilisation, lets do something that looks almost like it. To be frank, this is such an innovative and extraordinary government.

Na you do National ID card, na you do SIM registration, you even did Bank Verification Number to align accounts but you are here again talking Self-Certification. Even if you are confused about running government, can you at least pretend not to be confused?  JJ. Omojuwa (@Omojuwa) September 17, 2020

Do they even understand the number of years wasted in working hours when they set up these things? Like, does anyone even bother about Nigerias productivity when they raise these ISLAGIATT Ideas that repeatedly send Nigerians spending their lives queuing for the same things?  JJ. Omojuwa (@Omojuwa) September 17, 2020

Taiwo Oyedele @taiwooyedele explains what the self-certification is all about:

In case youre wondering what FG is saying, this is in connection with the commencement of automatic exchange of taxpayers information between Nigeria with other countries.

The information required is to enable reporting financial institutions determine the tax residency of their customers to know which countries to share your information with.

In the case of corporate accounts, the exercise is required to determine the beneficial ownership and control also for reporting purposes.

The FIRS has earlier shared communications with taxpayers regarding the commencement of exchange of information with other countries. The communication reads as follows:

We are delighted to inform you that the AEOI-CRS (Automatic Exchange of Information  Common Reporting Standards) System Portal has gone Live!

All Reporting Financial Institutions are expected to file reports on or before 30th September 2020.

.

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In contrast, the majority rejected this designation. They preferred to see Hispanics as a group integrating into the American mainstream, one not overly bound by racial constraints but instead able to get ahead through hard work.

The minority of Latinos who saw the group as people of color were more liberal in their views regarding government and the economy, and strongly preferred Democratic messages to the dog-whistle message. For the majority of Latinos, however, the standard Democratic frames tied or lost to the racial fear message. In other words, Mr. Trumps competitiveness among Latinos is real.

But our research also suggests good news. Theres a winning message Mr. Biden and his party can deliver that resonates with most Hispanics no matter how they conceptualize the groups racial identity.

The key is to link racism and class conflict. The pivot we recommend was also the most convincing message we tested among whites and African-Americans.

Democrats should call for Americans to unite against the strategic racism of powerful elites who stoke division and then run the country for their own benefit. This is not to deny the reality of pervasive societal racism. But it does direct attention away from whites in general and toward the powerful elites who benefit from divide-and-conquer politics.

This is the race-class approach that one of us helped pioneer. It fuses issues of racial division and class inequality, and by doing so shifts the basic us versus them story  the staple of most political messaging  away from whites versus people of color to us all against the powerful elites pushing division.

Heres what this looks like:

We had come so far, but now Covid-19 threatens our families  for instance with health risks, record unemployment and losing the businesses we worked hard to build. To overcome these challenges, we need to pull together no matter our race or ethnicity. But instead of uniting us, certain politicians make divisions worse, insulting and blaming different groups. When they divide us, they can more easily rig our government and the economy for their wealthy campaign donors. When we come together by rejecting racism against anyone, we can elect new leaders who support proven solutions that help all working families.

This message was more convincing than the dog-whistle message among Hispanics no matter how they saw the groups racial identity. It also beat the dog-whistle message among African-Americans and whites.
During a visit last weekend to areas of eastern Washington that had been scorched by wildfires, Gov. Jay Inslee brought a personal gift: honeycrisp apples grown at the Governors Mansion in Olympia.

Unfortunately, the apples brought something with them as well: a pest known as apple maggots that Washington agriculture officials have worked relentlessly to keep from spreading.

A maggot outbreak could destroy orchards, shut down warehouses and ruin confidence in the states staple crop. Washingtons apple industry generates about $2.19 billion every year and accounts for about 70 percent of the nations total apple production.

When a local pest control expert discovered that there were maggots burrowed within the governors apples, he immediately began a desperate search for the forbidden fruit.
The Nigerian government has directed account holders in financial institutions across the country to complete a new self-certification form.

The Nigerian government made this known Thursday via its verified handle, @NigeriaGov.

In a series of tweets, the government said the new forms must be obtained, completed, and submitted by all account holders in financial institutions, including banks and insurance companies.

The form must be completed in order to enable financial institutions in Nigeria carry out due diligence in line with extant tax regulations, the government said.

This is to notify the general public that all account holders in financial institutions (banks, insurance companies, etc) are required to obtain, complete and submit self-certification forms to their respective financial institutions, the tweet said.

Persons holding accounts in different financial institutions is (sic) required to complete & submit the form to each one of the institutions. The forms are required by the relevant financial institutions to carry out due diligence procedures in line with the income tax regulations.

The self-certification form is in 3 categories:  Form for Entity  For Controlling Person (Individuals having controlling interest in a legal person, trustee, etc)  Form for individual.

The government added that failure to comply with the requirement to administer or execute this form attracts sanctions which may include monetary penalty or inability to operate the account.

The government thereafter directed enquiries to the Federal Inland Revenue Service.

Outrage

The announcement was however greeted with outrage on Twitter Thursday evening.

Many Nigerians who commented on the issue expressed worry over the duplication of such efforts across different departments and agencies of government.

Others wondered why the nation was fixated on such analogue and laborious means of generating data from its citizens.

A columnist and social commentator, Olusegun Adeniyi, wrote, BVN. Drivers license. National ID card. INEC registration. International passport. Biometrics were taken in all these places. So, what is the meaning of this?

Another commentator, Debo Akintoye, complained of the challenge associated with such an idea. He wrote: This is 21st century for goodness sake. What joy do this administration derive from stressing the populace. This administration is truly the worst. Youre so bent on making life miserable for us.

A commentator, @Black_witch, wondered why the BVN could not serve the same purpose. So what was the aim of doing BVN?? she asked.

Tweeting via the handle @Nsi_Me99, another commentator described the development as absurd.

This is so absurd! Use an online platform for this, he wrote.
New Delhi: Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut is known for her bold and controversial statements, nowadays more so on social media. In a breather of sorts, the Punjab and Haryana High Court gave a clean chit to the actress in a beef row which landed her in trouble.

The matter is related to an alleged old tweet of the actress about beef-eating, after which a Ludhiana-based Navneet Gopi filed a petition in Punjab and Haryana High Court against Kangana for hurting the religious sentiments.

The petitioner stated that Kangana is promoting beef-eating through her statements which has hurt the religious sentiments. Navneet has also filed a complaint against Kangana Ranaut at a police station in Ludhiana, but no action has been taken so far.

The petitioner has sought that an FIR be registered against the actress under Section 8 of the Punjab Prohibition of Cow Slaughter Act, 1995, Sections 66 and 67 of Information Technology Act, 2000 and Section 295 the Indian penal code, 1860.

However, Justice Manoj Bajaj dismissed the petition as 'vague' and 'misconceived'. The court said that it is not clear in any of the posts that Kangana is promoting beef-eating but her post is instead of telling that she has become a vegetarian herself. In the second post, Kangana is discussing food differences in India and abroad.

Adding more, the court stated that the post which has gone viral on social media these it nowhere shows that it was posted on the social media by the actor. Thus, the facts and circumstances do not indicate the commission of any cognizable offence by the respondent.

After the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, Kangana has been vocal about several things such as nepotism, drugs mafia etc in the movie industry through her tweets.

The Ludhiana resident Navneet Gopi also sought protection stating that he is getting threats after complaint against the actress. However, the court rejected his plea saying that the petitioner has not named any organization or person who is threatening him, in such a situation that he cannot be protected.
San Bernardino, California: A firefighter died battling a wildfire in California that officials said was sparked by a device used to reveal a baby's gender.

The death occurred on Thursday, local time, in the San Bernardino National Forest as crews battled the El Dorado Fire, the US Forest Service said in a statement.

A firefighter puts out a hotspot north-west of Forrest Falls in California as the El Dorado Fire continues to burn. Credit:AP

The fire erupted earlier this month from a smoke-generating pyrotechnic device used by a couple to reveal their babys gender, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, said.

The name of the firefighter was being withheld until family members were notified. The cause of the death was under investigation.
(The Jewish Advocate)  The relentless, previously failed attempts of extremist groups J Street and New Israel Fund to demonize, silence, and cancel strong defenders of Israel and the Jewish people, is now being repeated by JCRC (JCRC pushed to oust ZOA, The Jewish Advocate, Sept. 4, 2020), who always prided itself on dialogue and having a  big tent. Yet I was never contacted about these false allegations.

Shamefully, J Street, NIF, Women of Reform Judaism, The Workers Circle  previously Workmens Circle  etc. filed a baseless, ludicrous, false petition allegin...
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 22:27:56|Editor: huaxia

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RAMALLAH, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- A Palestinian dentist died on Friday during clashes between Palestinian demonstrators and Israeli soldiers in the northern West Bank city of Jenin, medics and official Palestinian media said.

The official Palestinian Television reported that doctor Nidal Jabarin, a Palestinian dentist in his early fifties, died of a shock after Israeli soldiers threw stun grenades at Palestinian demonstrators in the city on Friday.

Wisam Baker, director of Jenin Government Hospital, told Xinhua that Jabarin died of a sudden heart attack in the hospital due to a sudden shock. Eyewitnesses affirmed that as soon as the soldiers threw stun grenades, Jabarin fell and was taken to the hospital.

There had been no immediate Israeli army response to the incident of the Palestinian dentist's death.

Meanwhile, medical sources said that dozens of Palestinians suffered suffocation after Israeli soldiers threw tear gas at demonstrators near Nablus in northern West Bank.

Ghassan Daghlas, the Palestinian Authority official who monitors settlement activities in the northern West Bank, told Xinhua that the Israeli army forces opened fire at dozens of Palestinian demonstrators near Nablus.

He added the clashes broke out in the area after Israeli army forces prevented the residents of a village south of Nablus from reaching their lands and farms in fear of getting confiscated by the settlers. Enditem
One week after fire razed Europe's largest migrant camp on the Greek island of Lesbos, few countries have offered to take in the 12,500 people who became homeless.

Although the Greek government has put up a makeshift tent camp, migrants and aid workers fear it will fall into the same squalid conditions that have symbolised the continent's handling of the migrant crisis.

The new camp sits on a converted military practice range, consisting of hundreds of white tents, arranged in rows in the dirt. People moving in must submit to an immediate coronavirus lockdown.

"Your temporary accommodation centre is ready. Kindly proceed immediately," Greek officials wrote in a letter distributed to the migrants who have been sleeping on the side of roads or in supermarket parking spaces since the fire on September 9.

Fatima Rezaie (15), from Afghanistan, said her family decided to register at the new camp after seven days outdoors with little food. By the end of that period, she found worms crawling through her hair and told her father, crying, she was ready for anything but homelessness.

She said the new camp is "better" than its predecessor, known as Moria, in part because few people have moved in yet. But the toilets, she said, were already dirty. Because there was no running water - Greek officials say they are trying to pipe it in within days - she had not showered since the fire.

Authorities say a small number of residents who were protesting coronavirus restrictions set the fire at Moria. The camp had been under a mass quarantine since 35 migrants tested positive for the virus. Four people have been charged with arson.

In the meantime, authorities have lost track of some of those with confirmed cases of the virus. And of the first 1,000 people screened to enter the new tent camp, 39 tested positive, according to Panagiotis Arkoumaneas, head of the board of directors of Greece's health service.

All migrants who arrive at the new camp are being screened for Covid-19, in contrast with Moria, where health authorities had only tested some of the population.

So far, 1,200 people have agreed to move in. Greek officials have warned that asylum seekers must register at the camp to continue with their hearings for legal status.

Migration minister Notis Mitarachi said on Tuesday in a TV interview "police will have to be used" if people do not go to the new camp willingly.

Greek officials say the tents are an interim solution and have drawn up plans for a permanent indoor facility on the island.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said there was "absolute certainty" a new, permanent facility would be built. "I want to send this message in all directions," he said.

However, locals are already protesting. Five years ago, at the height of the migrant crisis, many on Lesbos responded warmly to the surge of people arriving by boat.

They have come to resent authorities in Athens and Europe who let the migrant population on their island mushroom, and are fiercely opposed to the construction of a long-term facility.

Aid workers say migrants fear, among other things, that Greece will struggle to build a permanent facility and that the tent camp will become a long-term solution with the same sanitary problems.

One migrant, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the new camp would be "like a prison".

 Washington Post
Mulvaney arrives for statement on Trump acquittal in Senate impeachment trial at the White House in Washington

(Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy to Northern Ireland, Mick Mulvaney, has warned against creating a "hard border by accident" on the island, the Financial Times reported on Friday.

British Prime Minister Prime Minister Boris Johnson is proposing new legislation that would break the Northern Ireland protocol of the Brexit divorce treaty that seeks to avoid a physical customs border between British-ruled Northern Ireland and EU-member Ireland.

"The Trump administration, State Department and the U.S. Congress would all be aligned in the desire to see the Good Friday Agreement preserved to see the lack of a border maintained," Mulvaney said in an interview with the newspaper, referring to a peace accord signed by London, Dublin and Northern Ireland political leaders in 1998. https://on.ft.com/3myZhoP

His remark comes two days after U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden warned Britain that it must honour the 1998 agreement as it withdraws from the European Union or there would be no separate U.S. trade deal.

(Reporting by Rama Venkat in Bengaluru; Editing by Robert Birsel)
Just days after a nurse at an ICE detention center came forward with allegations of mass hysterectomies performed on immigrants detained at the Irwin County Detention Center (ICDC) in Georgia, new details have emerged about the whistleblower. Several people who were detained at Irwin while Dawn Wooten, the whistleblower, was employed there as a licensed practical nurse have come forward with allegations that she was complicit in the abuses they experienced at the detention center.

A spokesperson for an organization that represents migrants held at the detention center told Prism that multiple clients remembered Wooten making jokes at their expense. At least one other person said Wooten knew what the facility was doing to migrant women and did nothing to stop it. She added that Wooten made fun of the people detained at Irwin.

These allegations were brought to light after Wooten came forward on Monday with her own allegations of medical malpractices against migrants detained at ICDC, claiming that the facility has ignored COVID-19 safety protocols and is performing mass hysterectomies on people detained there. A failure to test symptomatic detained immigrants, and to quarantine those who had been in close contact with confirmed or suspected COVID cases, were among the complaints.

In an official complaint, Wooten went on to state that ICDC was performing hysterectomies on people without their informed consent, referring to the doctor who allegedly performed them, a Georgia gynecologist, Dr. Mahendra Amin, as the uterus collector.

For years, advocates in Georgia have raised red flags about the human rights violations occurring inside the Irwin County Detention Center, Project South Staff Attorney Priyanka Bhatt, said in an emailed press statement. Ms. Wootens whistleblowing disclosures confirm what detained immigrants have been reporting for years: gross disregard for health and safety standards, lack of medical care, and unsanitary living conditions at Irwin.

Story continues

Immigrants who were detained at the facility during the time Wooten worked there said the nurse participated in their mistreatment and trauma. In response to the allegations, Dana Gold, Wootens legal representative at the Government Accountability Project, told Prism, Dawn witnessed systemic abuses at ICDC. When she raised concerns about the operating procedures to her superiors, they demoted her. Gold continued, She came forward to expose and validate grave mistreatment of detained immigrants at Irwin because she believes in the need for systematic change and accountability from the top down.

People are now demanding further answers and justice for detained migrants facing gross medical malpractice. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is asking for the allegations to be investigated by the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General.

Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?

A Nurse Reveals ICE Is Performing Hysterectomies

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The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) says it is verifying the beneficiaries on its scholarship scheme. Some beneficiaries o...

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) says it is verifying the beneficiaries on its scholarship scheme.

Some beneficiaries of the scheme on Wednesday staged a protest at the Nigerian high commission in London over the alleged non-payment of their fees and allowances by the commission.

In August, President Muhammadu Buhari asked the commission to ensure that the students get their entitlements after they staged a protest.

Reacting to the recent protest, the NDDC, in a statement by Charles Odili, its director of corporate affairs, said it had spent $5.9 million to offset outstanding entitlements owed the students.





The agency said it wonders why an additional demand of $3 million is being made to settle the fees of some students said to not have been captured in its verification exercise.

The commission said it is being blackmailed to make these additional payments without verification.

Recall that recently, the NDDC Interim Management Committee, IMC, released $5,910,000 million through the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to offset all the verified outstanding foreign scholarship obligations, despite the non-passage of NDDC 2020 budget by the National Assembly, the statement read.





Curiously, after this payment, a demand for an additional payment of $3million (Three Million Dollars) surfaced, with the claim that some students were not captured. This inexplicable increase made it imperative to verify and authenticate the real beneficiaries of the scholarship programme which started in 2010.

We call attention to the fact that since the establishment of the IMC, no scholarship has been awarded. So why are we being blackmailed to make these additional payments, without verification?

The NDDC accused the protesting scholars of mischief.

It asked why the students did not approach Cairo Ojougboh, NDDC acting director of projects, whom it said was in London for the verification exercise of the legitimate students on the scholarship scheme.

We observe that the students were driven by mischief, otherwise they had the opportunity to present their case to the NDDC Acting Executive Director Projects, EDP, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, who was in London on Thursday, September 17, 2020, with relevant officers of the Commission, to carry out physical verification of legitimate students on the scholarship programme, it said.

The NDDC is committed to the Post Graduate Foreign scholarship Scheme, recognizing that it represents the future manpower and professionals that we are building to help transform the Niger Delta region.

We have always said that beyond physical infrastructure, the NDDC, as an interventionist agency, has a duty to also develop the human capital that will ensure sustainable livelihoods to the people of the Niger Delta region.

We, therefore, urge our scholars not to allow themselves to be used as tools by those sponsoring devious campaigns to discredit the on-going forensic audit ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari.

As should be expected, the verification of NDDC projects and programmes will not leave out the Foreign Postgraduate Scholarship.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 10:28:54|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Over the past five years, China has provided 20 training programs to over 1,500 peacekeepers from more than 60 countries, says a white paper released by the State Council Information Office Friday.

These programs covered civilian protection and courses for senior mission officials, trainers, military professionals, and female officers, according to the white paper titled "China's Armed Forces: 30 Years of UN Peacekeeping Operations." Enditem
Sarah Jessica Parker is among the more than 170 New York business leaders who are urging Bill de Blasio and Andrew Cuomo to fix New York City and urgently boost their COVID-19 recovery response.

The Sex in the City star and 176 other NYC business leaders sent a letter on Friday to de Blasio and Cuomo warning that up to a third of the city's small businesses may permanently close if a plan isn't put in place.

Parker runs her SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker Collection - a shoe and accessories business - from New York and is known to frequently greet customers in her flagship Manhattan store.

The 55-year-old paid a visit to the Midtown store as recently as Thursday.

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Sarah Jessica Parker and 176 other New York City business leaders sent a letter on Friday to Bill de Blasio and Andrew Cuomo. She is pictured above at her Midtown store Thursday

'As the first place in America to be struck hard by the coronavirus and the first to successfully manage its containment, New York should step up to chart the course for recovery of urban centers everywhere,' the letter sent by the Partnership for New York City said.

'We urge you to convene a multi-sector leadership initiative, which can call upon the broadest possible range of resources and expertise to develop plans, policies and implementation strategies for how cities will overcome the challenges created by the pandemic and re-emerge stronger, fairer and more resilient than ever.

'We are fully prepared to support this effort and believe it is critical to ensuring a vibrant future for New York and the nation.'

Dozens of other top business leaders signed the letter, including Goldman Sachs boss David Solomon, Lyft co-founder Josh Zimmer, Macy's CEO Jeff Gennette, Con Edison CEO John McAvoy and Mastercard boss Ajay Banga.

'By all measures, New York City was at the peak of its economic powers on March 1, 2020, when the first coronavirus case was diagnosed. A report issued in July by the Partnership for New York City calculates that, in less than five months, the metropolitan region lost a million jobs and that up to a third of the city's small businesses may permanently close,' the letter read.

'The region's affordable housing deficit is projected to increase by at least 150,000 units. Economic losses, like health impacts, will be most profoundly felt by low wage workers and in communities of color.

Sarah Jessica Parker is among the more than 170 New York business leaders who are urging Bill de Blasio and Andrew Cuomo to fix New York City and urgently boost their COVID-19 recovery response

The Sex in the City star and 176 other NYC business leaders sent a letter on Friday to de Blasio and Cuomo warning that up to a third of the city's small businesses may permanently close if a plan isn't put in place

'The report argues that the city will need to offer a new value proposition to residents and businesses that focuses on affordability, opportunity and innovation.'

It comes after the group sent a similar letter to de Blasio last week demanding that he address public safety and fix 'quality of life issues' that have left the Big Apple struggling to recover from one of the harshest lockdowns in the country.

De Blasio appeared to brush off their letter when he tweeted: 'Let's be clear: To restore city services and save jobs, we need long term borrowing and a federal stimulus - we need these leaders to join the fight to move the City forward.'

The letter comes as fewer than 10 per cent of New York City's office employees have returned to public workplaces, jeopardizing the city's financial health as office buildings account for almost 10 per cent of total annual revenue.

Optimists hoped that the city's one million office workers would return to skyscrapers as the pandemic progressed, but reports show that is simply not the case.

The 'Return to Office Survey' released by Partnership for New York City found that just eight per cent of staffers have returned to the office as of mid-August.

Employers have lowered their expectations since May by 33 per cent, with only 26 per cent of surveyed employees scheduled to return by the year's end.

That number jumps just over half - or 54 per cent - for a July 2021 return date.

The 55-year-old paid a visit to the Midtown store as recently as Thursday
LVMH got cold feet and wants to ditch its proposed marriage to Tiffany. But legal experts say the French luxury goods giant will have a hard time trying to walk away from its $16 billion deal.

The iconic American jeweler sued LVMH last week after the maker of Louis Vuitton handbags said it could not complete the acquisition.

A judge in the top U.S. business court will weigh in on the matter for the first time Monday when the Delaware Court of Chancery hears Tiffanys request to fast-track the case.

LVMH pointed the finger at a French government request to delay the close and Tiffanys deteriorating business outlook due to the pandemic.

On Wednesday it accused Tiffany of mismanaging the financial fallout. It contends the material adverse effect that triggered nullifies their deal.

But legal experts say most mergers that end up in court wind up being renegotiated rather than dissolved. Delawares courts have set a high bar for buyers to back away from deals. Two decades ago, the Court ruled meat processor Tyson Foods had to complete its deal to buy rival IBP.

Tiffany declined to comment. LVMH said in a statement, Tiffany clearly fears a serene and fair rendering of justice.

Tiffany wants a ruling before the November deadline for completing the deal.
Democratic U.S. presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden takes part in an outdoor town hall meeting in Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S. September 17, 2020.

WASHINGTON  Joe Biden embraced his blue-collar roots and his political centrism during a town hall hosted by CNN in his hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania.

On question after question Thursday night, Biden replied with answers aimed directly at potential "Trump-Biden voters," whose defection from the Democratic Party in 2016 helped deliver narrow victories to Donald Trump in key battleground states.

"I view this as a campaign between Scranton and Park Avenue," said Biden, drawing a contrast between his industrial hometown and Trump's lavish Manhattan lifestyle.

"All that President Trump could see from Park Avenue is Wall Street. All he thinks about is the stock market," said Biden. "How many of you all own stock in Scranton? Not a whole lot of people own stock."

As president, Trump has often used equity markets as a barometer for the nation's overall economic health.

He argues that millions of Americans own stocks through their 401(k)s or pensions, even if they don't necessarily consider themselves investors in the stock market.

Following the town hall, the Trump campaign claimed in a statement that "virtually every question for Joe Biden was an invitation for him to attack President Trump." And it accused CNN of "giving Biden a total pass on his lies and misrepresentations."

Over the course of more than an hour on Thursday, Biden repeatedly painted Trump as an elite Manhattan mogul, detached and uninterested in the challenges facing everyday Pennsylvanians. It's a tactic Trump himself used to great effect in his 2016 campaign, to undermine Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Biden also noticeably moved away from a number of issues that animate the left wing of the Democratic Party, most notably the Black Lives Matter movement and the Green New Deal.

Biden defended and sympathized with law enforcement officers, saying "the vast majority of police are decent, honorable people" who don't embrace brutality. He also called for a "much more transparent means by which we provide for accountability within police departments."

But Biden did not use the kind of impassioned language about systemic racism in policing that many on the left might have wanted to hear. And when host Anderson Cooper asked him whether he had personally benefited from "White privilege," Biden said he had but quickly pivoted away from race to talking about privilege as a class issue.

"Growing up in Scranton, we were used to guys who looked down their noses at us. Look at us and think we're not equivalent to them. If you don't have a college degree, you must be stupid. If, in fact, you didn't go to an Ivy League school," Biden said in response to the question about privilege.

The former vice president said he was bothered by journalists noting that he could be the first president in decades without an Ivy League degree. Trump has a degree from the University of Pennsylvania. "What the hell makes you think I need an Ivy League degree to be president? Guys like me, the first in my family to go to college  we are as good as anybody else," he said.

"And guys like President Trump, who inherited everything and squandered what they inherited, are the people I've always had a problem with. Not the people who are busting their necks."

Biden also broke with the left flank of his party on the question of fracking, a key source of jobs in northern and western Pennsylvania.

"There is no rationale right now to eliminate fracking," he said, adding that his proposal on climate change aims to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, and it includes a full plan to retrain drillers and miners to work in clean energy fields.

Instead of denying global warming, said Biden, he would approach it as an opportunity to embrace new industries.

"When Trump hears global warming, he thinks, 'Hoax!' When I hear global warming, I think, 'Jobs,'" he said.

If it weren't clear enough from his answer about fracking, when the next participant asked him point blank whether he supported the Green New Deal, Biden did not say yes. Instead, he said "I've got my own deal."

Overall, Biden sought to downplay the divide between the parties that Trump foments with his constant attacks on "the radical left."

"I'm running as a Democrat, but I'm going to be everyone's president," he said. "I'm not going to be a Democratic president. I'm going to be America's president."

Expect to hear more of Biden's pitch to the Trump-Biden voters on Friday, when the former vice president travels to Duluth, Minnesota, to tour a union training center and give a speech. Duluth is a former industrial city that has branched out into new industries, but remains a key shipping hub for the products mined in Minnesota's Iron Range.

Trump will also be traveling to Minnesota on Friday, a reflection of the state's outsized significance in a race that both candidates believe will be won or lost in the upper Midwest.

Clinton won Minnesota by fewer than 2 points in 2016, and his campaign has zeroed in on the state as a potential buttress against an electoral college defeat in the event that the president loses states he won four years ago.

Biden leads Trump in polls in Minnesota by a comfortable margin. Any hopes the president has of winning the state would require a big surge in support for Trump from the same blue-collar voters Biden will be targeting Friday.
India's third Covid wave likely to peak on Jan 23, daily cases to stay below 4 lakh: IIT Kanpur scientist

India logs over 3.17 lakh new Covid cases in last 24 hours; daily positivity rate up at 16.41 per cent

India-China tensions: Corps Commander-level talks to be held in next 2-3 days

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Sep 18: India & China to hold Corps Commander level talks in next 2-3 days amid the rising tension at the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

The agenda & issues to be raised by the Indian side in the meeting were discussed & finalised during a high-level meeting attended by NSA Ajit Doval & Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat: Top Govt sources

India is likely to press for simultaneous disengagement and de-escalation by the Chinese side in the Eastern Ladakh sector during the meeting of two Corps Commanders: Top Government sources.

Boxer Rebellion in China and the role Indian soldiers played in crushing it

Indian Army indicts troops involved in J&K encounter | Oneindia News

Indian and Chinese Brigade Commander and Commanding Officers interacted on Thursday for 3 hours from 11 am to 2 pm and the status quo continues.

Earlier, Singh, as well as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar have held talks with their respective Chinese counterparts in Moscow, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.
The Telangana State PGECET will be held from 21 to 24 September. Around about 21,758 candidates will apppear for the exam in two shifts per day

The Osmania University, Hyderabad has released the hall tickets for Telangana State Post Graduate Engineering Common Entrance Test (TS PGECET) 2020 on Thursday.

Osmania University will be conducting the entrance exam on behalf of the Telangana State Council of Higher Education (TSCHE). Candidates who have applied for the PGECET 2020 can download their admit cards by visiting the official site at pgecet.tsche.ac.in.

The Telangana State PGECET for engineering is going to be held from 21 to 24 September.

The board has mentioned that examinees need to download the new admit cards as the old ones released in June will not be considered to be valid. This is because the exam centres have changed, reported Hindustan Times.

Steps to download TS PGECET 2020 admit card:

Step 1: Visit the official site at - pgecet.tsche.ac.in

Step 2: Scroll down to the application section and find the link that says 'Download Hall ticket'

Step 3: Clicking on the link will take you to a separate webpage

Step 4: Enter the details asked which includes your registration number, date of birth and exam paper for entrance exam

Step 5: Clicking on 'Submit' will take you to the online admit card for the engineering entrance test

Step 6: Download the file and take a print out of the important document

Here is the direct link to seek access to your TS PGECET hall ticket: https://pgecet.tsche.ac.in/TSPGECET/PGECET_HomePage.aspx

The hall ticket will be crucial for every applicant as it carries TS PGECET the exam dates, slot allotted, time and exam centre details.

Candidate details like their name, roll number the exact TS PGECET paper they are appearing for is also written in the admit card. It will also have the applicant's photograph and signature, Careers360 reported.

The report added that about 21,758 candidates will be appearing for the TS PGECET in two shifts every day.
Sir Richard Branson has proposed a so-called special purpose acquisition vehicle - or 'spac'

Sir Richard Branson has revealed plans for a 300million 'blank cheque' company to help expand his Virgin empire.

The British tycoon has proposed a so-called special purpose acquisition vehicle - or 'spac' - that would hunt for attractive businesses that can be bought for bargain prices in the wake of the pandemic.

The venture will look at firms in sectors Virgin already operates in, such as travel, leisure, financial services and fitness, according to regulatory filings.

Spacs, which have gained popularity in recent months, are billed as a way for companies to list on the stock market without having to go through the usual regulatory process.

They act as listed shell companies which private companies are then reversed into.

Branson's firm, named VG Acquisition, is registered in the Cayman Islands and would aim to raise 309million ($400million) from investors.

It would have two years to spend the money or return it.
New Delhi:

In a major blow to the Samajwadi Party, senior leader and MLC Ambika Chaudhary Ambika Chaudhary joined the rival BSP on Saturday in presence of Mayawati.

While addressing a press conference in Lucknow, Chaudhary cited infighting for his decision to part ways with the ruling party.

Chaudhary said he was saddened by the way the SP patriarch was treated by his son and chief minister Akhilesh Yadav.

"I have resigned from SP and all positions related to the party and have dedicated myself completely to BSP now," news agency ANI quoted Chaudhary as saying.

Chaudhary also accused the SP of putting aside the core issues related to the state.

Chaudhary, who joined the BSP in the presence of party chief Mayawati, has been promised a party ticket from his traditional Phephna seat in Ballia which he had lost in the 2012 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. He later became a member of the Legislative Council.

"I have taken him in the party and he will be given full respect in the BSP at all levels, much more than he was getting in the SP. The party will field him from his old seat in Ballia in the assembly polls," Mayawati said.



Chaudhary said he has resigned from all posts in the Samajwadi Party.



Referring to the infighting in Mulayam Singh Yadav's clan, he said, "It was not merely an internal matter of a particular party at the time of elections. This political party is in power and has the responsibility to check BJP from coming to power." But, he said, "the manner in which these developments came to an end... before the Election Commission on January 16 only proved that the intention of the tussle was something other than shielding the secular movement and the downtrodden".

(With inputs from PTI)

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Kiki Morris is not crying over her failed relationship with her Bachelor In Paradise co-star, Ciarran Stott.

In fact, she is happy showing him what he is missing.

The reality star bombshell turned up the heat on Thursday as she posed in racy see-through lingerie.

Racy in lace! Bachelor In Paradise star Kiki Morris left nothing to the imagination as she posed in saucy see-through lingerie on Thursday

The 33-year-old showed off her ample cleavage in the matching set - a plunging black bra and criss-cross style knickers.

Kiki's two piece also accentuated her golden tan and a cosmetic procedure she was spruiking, a 'non-surgical Brazillian butt lift' from Beautylicious By Sophie.

The socialite has made no secret of the extensive cosmetic procedures she's undergone to achieve her glamorous appearance.

The bombshell regularly undergoes radio frequency cavitation to firm the skin around her buttocks.

This procedure is more commonly known as a 'non-surgical Brazilian butt lift'.

Tweaks: The socialite has made no secret of the extensive cosmetic procedures she's undergone to achieve her glamorous appearance

She has admitted to having a breast enlargement as well as various non-surgical skin treatments over the years.

In 2016, when she was a contestant on Richie Strahan's season of The Bachelor, Kiki told OK! she'd had a boob job after being bullied for her 'flat chest' in high school.

'I used to get teased for being so flat-chested,' she said. '[Having surgery] definitely made me feel less self-conscious.'

In addition to going under the knife, Kiki is also a fan of cosmetic injectables.

In 2017, she underwent Botox injections to reshape her jawline and relax the muscles around her jaw, which had become tight over time.

She said that one reason for getting the procedure was to relieve the severe headaches caused by jaw pressure.

Butt lift: The bombshell regularly undergoes radio frequency cavitation to firm the skin around her buttocks

'I'm a notorious jaw clencher in my sleep so much so I wake up with migraines and from that it's contributed to my strong jawline,' she said.

She added that the procedure helped her 'achieve a slimmer jaw while correcting my jaw clenching habits'.

There has been speculation that Kiki may also have had dermal lip filler, as she often displays a plump pout in photos, but this has never been confirmed.

Meanwhile, Kiki keeps her skin looking smooth with regular laser treatments.

'I get SGA laser treatment on my skin, which helps me with my breakouts and really keeps my skin looking healthy,' she told OK! magazine in 2017.

Kiki's recent post comes about eight months after she had her heart broken by womaniser Ciarran.

The pair had started dating on the third season of Bachelor in Paradise, which was filmed in Fiji late last year.

Boob job: In 2016, when she was a contestant on Richie Strahan's season of The Bachelor, Kiki told OK! she'd had a boob job after being bullied for her 'flat chest' in high school

Right before the finale, Ciarran told Kiki he was in love with her and wanted them to leave the show together without going through the formality of a rose ceremony.

Unfortunately, the couple split just a few weeks after returning to Australia.

Ciarran, who rose to fame on Angie Kent's season of The Bachelorette, apparently 'ghosted' Kiki and moved from Sydney to Melbourne.
Free Webinar: September 24th at 2 PM ET (11 AM PT) Since Lipscomb went remote, Rapid Insight has been the data glue that kept everything together from an information perspective.

When Lipscomb University made a sudden shift to remote work during the initial impact of COVID-19, a data-sharing structure and automated reporting system equipped their teams to stay connected, helping them achieve record-high enrollment and retention in the Fall semester. Their success will be highlighted in a webinar taking place on Thursday, September 24th at 2 PM ET (11 AM PT).

The webinar will detail how Matt Rehbein, Lipscombs Director of Institutional Research, established the schools cloud-based data sharing system over the course of two years, and how it proved its full efficacy in the wake of COVID-19. The webinar will also feature Johnathan Akin, Lipscombs Assistant Vice President of Undergraduate Admissions, and James Cousins, Analyst Manager at Rapid Insight.

In addition to an overview of how Lipscomb established its data access system, the webinar will include specific examples of reports and dashboards Lipscomb uses to keep its staff up to date, an audience question and answer session, and a brief demonstration of Bridge, the data-sharing software Lipscomb implemented.

Since Lipscomb went remote, Rapid Insight has been the data glue that kept everything together from an information perspective, said Matt Rehbein, Lipscomb Universitys Director of Institutional Research. It enabled over one hundred users from all areas of the institution to take action by delivering the information they need when they need it.

Democratized access to reliable data is critical to informed decision-making, especially for dispersed teams, said Mike Laracy, President and Founder of Rapid Insight. Were happy our software played a role in Lipscombs highly successful enrollment effort during a challenging time for higher education.

This webinar focuses on a topic that is timely and urgent. Colleges and universities nationwide are evaluating remote work procedures and planning for a new educational landscape during the impact of COVID-19. This webinar will offer insight into methods of ensuring that every member of an institutions staff has access to the information they need to make informed decisions.

To learn more about this webinar and to register, click here.

About Rapid Insight:

Rapid Insight is a leading provider of business intelligence and automated predictive analytics software. With a specialty in higher education and a focus on ease of use and efficiency, Rapid Insight products enable users to turn their raw data into actionable information. The companys analytic software simplifies the extraction and analysis of data, enabling institutions with student populations of all sizes to fully utilize their information for data-informed decision making. For more information, visit http://www.rapidinsight.com.

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Tropical storms were breaking out like wildfire in the Atlantic on Friday, and the National Hurricane Center is officially out of names.

The hurricane center named Tropical Storm Wilfred, the last name on the 2020 storm list, on Friday morning.

But just hours later they added a new storm to the party and had to use the Greek alphabet to name it.

Tropical Storm Alpha formed off the coast of Portugal on Friday and made landfall hours later with 50 mph winds.

Alpha was ruled a post-tropical storm late Friday, and the hurricane center issued its last advisory on it.

Then there came Tropical Storm Beta, which formed in the Gulf of Mexico on Friday afternoon.

Beta could become a hurricane and is forecast to move very close to the Texas coast over the next few days.

Tropical Storm Beta formed today and could become a hurricane over the weekend. Its path is uncertain, forecasters said.

Could forecasters have to dig deeper into the Greek alphabet?

Possibly. Hurricane season runs through Nov. 30.

By the way, the next names in the alphabet are Gamma, Delta, Epsilon and Zeta.

Here are the Greek names for the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season for reference. pic.twitter.com/YsrpliN9fF  National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) September 18, 2020

TROPICAL STORM WILFRED

Tropical Storm Wilfred is forecast to weaken over the weekend. It is no threat to land.

Then theres Tropical Storm Wilfred, which got attention briefly for being the last name on the 2020 storm list before Alpha came along and stole the spotlight.

Tropical Storm Wilfred formed on Friday morning in the eastern Atlantic (not in the Gulf as had been expected) and is the very last name on the 2020 storm list.

Tropical Storm #Wilfred Advisory 1: Wilfred Forms in the Eastern Tropical Atlantic. Get Out the Greek Alphabet For the Rest of 2020. https://t.co/VqHn0u1vgc  National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) September 18, 2020

The 2020 hurricane season has worked through that list in record time with Wilfred the last name on the list and the earliest 21st named storm on record.

#Wilfred has formed in the eastern tropical Atlantic - the 21st named storm of the 2020 Atlantic #hurricane season to date and earliest 21st Atlantic named storm on record. Prior record for earliest 21st named storm was October 8, 2005. pic.twitter.com/t8kGhASX13  Philip Klotzbach (@philklotzbach) September 18, 2020

Wilfred is in the eastern Atlantic, far from land, and it isnt expected to threaten land, either. It had 40 mph winds on Friday night and could get a bit stronger on Saturday. However it should weaken later in the weekend.

The hurricane center is also tracking Category 4 Hurricane Teddy, which is headed toward Bermuda, and two other tropical waves.
Two dozen award-winning computer scientists, in a rebuke of President Trumps immigration policies, said on Friday that they were endorsing Joseph R. Biden Jr. in Novembers presidential election.

The scientists, including John Hennessy, the executive chairman of Googles parent company, Alphabet, are all winners of the Turing Award, which is often called the Nobel Prize of computing.

In a group interview, four of the scientists said the Trump administrations restrictive immigration rules were a threat to computer research in the United States and could do long-term damage to the tech industry, which for decades has been one of the countrys economic engines.

The most brilliant people in the world want to come here and be grad students, but now they are being discouraged from coming here, and many are going elsewhere, said one of the scientists who organized the endorsement, David Patterson, a Google distinguished engineer and former professor at the University of California, Berkeley.
At his Ghost Rider reunion, the Airmen Eustice reconnected with informed him that the Vietnam Helicopter Association keeps a listing of all helicopters by number. After some further research through this database, Eustice discovered a familiar tail number66-16171. The retired military officer knew what he had to do. Come the spring of 2020; he would pack up his RV, leave his Florida home, and hit the road for a small National Guard museum in Wisconsin. A great adventure for the spring of 2020.

The grass would have been green when Eustice arrived at Volk Field sometime in May 2020. Only a few steps from the Wisconsin National Guard Museum itself, he would find the weathered rotor blades of the aircraft he once knew, Huey 171. His feet fixed firmly next to the landing skids that he once stood upon, he would hoist himself (with approval) into the cockpit and look out over the prairie before himone side of the glass witnessing the presentthe other remembering the past. It would be a bittersweet moment. Machine and man connected yet again as the years melted away, and an Airman recollected another chapter of his life. But this vision for Eustice would not come to pass, as 2020 became the year of the virus, of COVID-19.
You see, when Robert Pattinson got his big break, it was as a teen star. He was on the cover of Tiger Beat alongside Zac Efron and Justin Bieber, but the public personality he's cultivated post- Twilight hasn't been that of a former teen heartthrob. It's more like a man slowly descending into eldritch madness. For instance ...

We don't want stars that are too perfect anymore. They need to seem human, attainable, just a little flawed. So, is that why Robert Pattinson once told Jimmy Kimmel is likes to be spit on in "kind of an erotic way?"

6 The Time Robert Pattinson Lied About Seeing A Clown Explode

While promoting the movie Water For Elephants, Robert was interviewed by Matt Lauer on The Today Show. Lauer opens the interview with a softball question about how kids dream of running away to join the circus. "Did you have any of those dreams as a kid?" he asks Pattinson.

"Uh no," Pattinson respond immediately. "The first time I went to the circus somebody died ... one of the clowns died."

"Alright, I'm not letting that go. How did the clown die?" Lauer asks, rightfully skeptical.

"His little car exploded, everyone ran out it was terrifying," Pattinson immediately shoots back

Matt Lauer, a professional who's only distracted when a twenty-year-old intern is around to harass, glosses over the whole thing and just keeps asking him questions about the movie. Of course, no one was going to let a story that bizarre go.

When a reporter brought up the story at the film's premiere in Germany, Pattinson admitted he made the whole thing up. "It's coming back to haunt me. I said it on some show. It was really early in the morning the day after the New York premiere. Someone asked me what my experience with the circus was, and I was like, I have nothing interesting to say. I don't know why I said that!"
. . . are you reading now?

Galore, a novel by Canadian author Michael Crummey.

He's boundlessly inventive in his creation of wholly distinctive worlds for his characters  in this case, the remoter parts of the island of Newfoundland, among characters whose lives are dominated by the folkloric tales they live within and pass along.

Among other things, it's very funny.

Sue Miller is currently reading Galore, a novel by Canadian Michael Crummey

. . . would you take to a desert island?

It would have to be a book I'd read before  imagine launching yourself into the one that had to last you for perhaps the rest of your life then discovering you hated it.

I'd also need multiple plotlines and rich worlds to explore. War And Peace? Why not?

. . . first gave you the reading bug?

Jane Eyre when I was 12. I took it down from my parents' bookshelf at random. From the first sentence, I was lost in it.

Charlotte Bronte has much to answer for by proposing the outwardly cruel, inwardly sensitive and passionate model of what a man should be.

But Jane's slow making of a self out of the most unlikely materials is wonderful.

. . . left you cold?

Wuthering Heights. Emily Bronte is considered by some to be a truer poet than Charlotte; but somehow the book seems nearly parodic in its intensity.

Like a grotesque version of her sister's work. Unfair, no doubt.

Monogamy by Sue Miller is out now (Bloomsbury, 16.99).
Masterson is charged with three counts of rape by force or fear. Prosecutors allege that he raped a 23-year-old woman sometime in 2001, a 28-year-old woman in April of 2003, and a 23-year-old woman between October and December of 2003. Prosecutors said all of the alleged attacks happened in his home.
Subtropical Storm Alpha has formed near the coast of Portugal, becoming the first named storm using the Greek Alphabet list, now that the annual list of names is exhausted. NASA's Aqua satellite obtained visible imagery of the new storm.

NASA Satellite View

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer or MODIS instrument that flies aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured a visible image of Subtropical Storm Alpha on Sept. 18 at 8:30 a.m. EDT (1:30 p.m. local time) near Portugal. The image showed a better-organized small low-pressure area that has been rotating around a larger extratropical low pressure area. Satellite imagery shows that moderate-to-deep convection has persisted near the center creating thunderstorms since last night. Meanwhile scatterometer data shows a closed 40-knot low-pressure area, and the National Hurricane Center noted that radar images from Portugal show a definite organized convective pattern.

Although Alpha is "likely neutral- or cold-core, it has developed enough tropical characteristics to be considered a subtropical storm," said Eric Blake, senior hurricane specialist at NOAA's National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami, Fla.

Satellite imagery was created using NASA's Worldview product at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

Alpha's Status

At 12:30 p.m. EDT (1630 UTC), NOAA's National Hurricane Center (NHC) noted the center of Subtropical Storm Alpha was located near latitude 39.9 degrees north and longitude 9.3 degrees west. That is just 75 miles (125 km) north of Lisbon, Portugal. The storm is moving toward the northeast near 17 mph (28 kph), and this general motion is expected during the next day or so before dissipation. Maximum sustained winds are near 50 mph (85 kph) with higher gusts. The estimated minimum central pressure is 999 millibars.

Alpha's Impacts

Alpha should move across the coast of west-central Portugal during the next couple of days. Little change in strength is expected before landfall, with rapid weakening over land through the weekend.

NHC said Alpha is expected to produce 1 to 2 inches (25 to 50 mm) of rainfall, with isolated amounts of 3 inches (75 mm) over the northern portion of Portugal and into west-central Spain through Saturday morning.

Information on wind hazards from Alpha can be found in products from the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere at http://www.ipma.pt.

Global models show the small low pressure area moving northeastward for the next 24 hours before dissipating over northern Spain or the Bay of Biscay.

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About NASA's Worldview and Aqua Satellite

NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) Worldview application provides the capability to interactively browse over 700 global, full-resolution satellite imagery layers and then download the underlying data. Many of the available imagery layers are updated within three hours of observation, essentially showing the entire Earth as it looks "right now."

NASA's Aqua satellite is one in a fleet of NASA satellites that provide data for hurricane research.

Tropical cyclones/hurricanes are the most powerful weather events on Earth. NASA's expertise in space and scientific exploration contributes to essential services provided to the American people by other federal agencies, such as hurricane weather forecasting.

For updated forecasts, visit: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov

By Rob Gutro

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
The fallout of bombshell accusations that University of Torontos Faculty of Law gave in to external pressure on a key hiring continues to grow after a new email from the dean raises fresh contradictions and questions.

On Thursday the Star reported on allegations that the law school rescinded a job offer to respected scholar Valentina Azarova after a sitting judge  and major donor to the faculty expressed concerns over her academic work on Israeli settlements on Palestinian territories.

The job was for the position of director of the law facultys prestigious International Human Rights Program (IHRP). Azarova, who is based in Germany, declined to speak to the Star. The Star attempted to contact the judges court Friday but did not get a response.

The university told the Star Friday it was standing by the Deans email to staff. The hiring process for the IHRP director, which is a managerial staff position  not a faculty one  was confidential, and the university is continuing to do its best to maintain confidentiality, notwithstanding insinuations and the selective disclosure of information, including emails, that have been published out of context, said Kelly Hannah-Moffat, vice-resident of human resources and equity.

The entire faculty advisory board has resigned over the hiring decision and on Thursday, a member of the hiring committee quit his job at U of T. Official complaints have been filed with the Canadian Judicial Council, which has the authority to investigate and discipline judicial misconduct if necessary.

After the story broke Thursday, Dean Edward Iacobucci sent an email, obtained by the Star, to all the law professors at 6:34 p.m: Let me say at the outset that assertions that outside influence affected the outcome of that search are untrue and objectionable, he wrote. University leadership and I would never allow outside pressure to be a factor in a hiring decision.

But he did not mention if an outside judge attempted to influence the decision. Nor did the university in its response to the Stars specific questions on this.

Queens University law professor Leslie Green sought precise clarification in his complaint to the judicial council: Did a judge know who were the shortlisted candidates? And if so, how? Did a judge speak with the dean or others in the faculty about the merits of any candidate? Did a judge attempt to influence the outcome?

These are not complicated questions, he told the Star.

The university said while exploratory discussions occurred with one candidate, it backed the assertion by Iacobucci in his email that, No offer of employment was made because of legal constraints on cross-border hiring that meant that a candidate could not meet the Facultys timing needs.

However, this statement contradicts internal emails between the three hiring committee members that show they unanimously backed Azarova as the best candidate. Vincent Wong, who was on that committee, shared the emails with the Star.

One email from assistant dean Alexis Archbold on Aug. 21 to Audrey Macklin and Wong says in part: Spoke to the UT employment lawyers today and they confirmed that we can hire Valentina as an independent contractor and roll her into the permanent position when she has her permit in hand. Valentina is happy with this.

As for the facultys timing needs, another email from Archbold to Macklin and Wong on Aug. 20 says, In a nutshell, we are hoping to work out a way for Valentina to start work for us before she has a Cdn work permit in hand  Valentina is willing to start working remotely immediately. She plans to move to Canada by December.

In his resignation letter, Wong said, The director search process has not been handled with objectivity, fairness, and transparency. The withdrawal of Valentinas offer raises serious concerns about the abuse of process, improper external influence, and academic freedom  If I am to be completely honest, I feel like trust has been irrevocably broken.

Wong told the Star on Thursday that Everything was sunshine and rainbows  and suddenly it was, were going to revoke. If the main issue was, she couldnt come in time  were all working remotely anyway.

Samer Muscati, IHRPs most recent permanent director, told the Star it was not as if someone without those cross-border constraints could have begun teaching right away. The semester started Sept. 8 and we never offer the clinic course mid-semester, he said. The next session for anyone to start teaching was in January. While working remotely, Azarova could have worked on developing the curriculum, done outreach with students and worked on partnerships for the legal clinic, Muscati said.

U of T law professor Mohammad Fadel blasted the deans email as self-serving in a note to colleagues Friday.

Given that the search committee was authorized from the beginning to consider international candidates, and that the Dean knew that the top two candidates on the short-list were non-Canadians, it is hard to believe that we were suddenly blindsided by immigration law at the last second, he wrote.

Iacobucci said in the email to law professors that, Even the most basic of the conjectures that are circulating in public, that an offer was made and rescinded, is false.

However, an email, seen by the Star, from assistant dean Archbold to Macklin and Wong on Sunday Aug. 9 said: I have a meeting booked with Robyn tomorrow to discuss our offer to Valentina. I plan to get in touch with Valentina first thing Tuesday morning.

Sources tell the Star the university made an oral offer to Azarova on Aug. 11, which she accepted.

Muscati says whether or not an offer was made is immaterial. Even if no offer was made yet, it would still be unacceptable to have a judge intervene in the process. This is the scandal.

Shree Paradkar is a Toronto-based columnist covering issues around race and gender for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @ShreeParadkar

Read more about:
The student and his parents knew he tested positive, but he went to school anyway.

A parent in Massachusetts willfully put other kids at risk of catching the coronavirus just by sending her son to school.

According to CNN the mayor and superintendent at Attleboro Public Schools say a mother whose identity they have chosen to conceal let her son go to school knowing hed tested positive for COVID-19.

Read More: White House staffer tests positive for COVID-19: report

The parents knew he should have not done that, he knew he should have not done that, we are six months into the pandemic, says mayor Paul Heroux.

Now 28 students who came in contact with the student are required to stay home and quarantine for 14 days.

Seniors at a Brooklyn High School wait in line to return books and get their schedules for the year on September 14, 2020 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. While New Yorks infection rate is currently below one percent, the U.S. as a whole stands at more than 6.7 million confirmed cases and nearly 200,000 deaths attributed to COVID-19, making it the world leader in both. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

The teenager who tested positive came to school on Monday but failed to tell the school their test results until the next day. The students mother said she thought it was OK for the student to attend classes because the test results came in on Friday, September 11, so they figured the weekend would be enough days to quarantine.

But Heroux did not agree with the familys strategy.

The parents used very poor judgment, its very frustrating, Heroux said. The school department did everything they were supposed to do.

Read More: 2 HBCU presidents join COVID-19 vaccine trial, want students to follow

When the high school superintendent, David Sawyer learned of the positive test results, he sent a letter to families Tuesday night informing them of the situation. He believes the district is doing all they can to stop the spread of the virus but says its almost impossible to stop it completely.

A student at the school, Iza King told WCVB News, I think that is very frightening because he put everybodys health in danger and put everybody at risk.

Heroux asks that parents keep their children home if they have tested positive or are waiting results.

Have you subscribed to theGrios podcast Dear Culture? Download our newest episodes now!

The post Parents knowingly send child to school after he tests positive for COVID-19 appeared first on TheGrio.
Election 2020 Carter Center Launches Election Monitoring Mission in Myanmar

An election official holds a ballot paper during the 2018 by-election in Tamwe Township in Yangon Region. / The Irrawaddy

YANGONThe Carter Center, formed by the former US president Jimmy Carter, has launched its observation mission for Myanmars general election, although its specialist staff are currently based outside the country because of COVID-19 restrictions.

The organization said its mission began when it received accreditation from the Union Election Commission (UEC). On Nov. 8, Myanmar is set to hold its third general election  where the results are recognized  in nearly six decades.

It said the monitoring operation will include a core team of six specialists and 24 long-term observers.

Because of the exceptional circumstances created by COVID-19 travel restrictions, several core team experts are currently working remotely and Myanmar nationals will serve as long-term observers, the Carter Center said.

The monitoring and reporting by the long-term observers will be overseen and managed by the international specialists, according to the center.

It said the mission will observe the electoral preparations and environment, including the election administration, campaigning, openness of the political space, participation of women and ethnic minorities, social media and impact of COVID-19 on the electoral process.

The center also plans to dispatch a delegation of short-term observers who will help assess the voting, counting and tabulation processes if travel and security permits are granted.

In early September, the UEC approved 8,120 domestic observers from eight civil society groups and two international NGOs to observe the November election.

The UEC said it certified the Peoples Alliance for Credible Elections, Phan Tee Eain (Creative Home), New Myanmar Foundation, Rainmaker, Bago Observer group, Hornbill Organization, Kadu Youth Development Association, Election Education and Observation Partners. The international observers are from the Carter Center and Asian Network for Free Elections.

Some organizations reduced their election observers due to COVID-19. During the 2015 election, more than 11,400 domestic observers from 53 organizations and 764 international observers from six groups monitored the process.

The election campaign began on Sept. 8 but political parties are currently banned from campaigning where COVID-19 stay-at-home orders have been enforced. The UEC has approved nearly 7,000 candidates.

During the 2015 election, the Carter Center said it deployed three teams of long-term observers who visited 245 polling stations across the nation.

You may also like these stories:

Myanmars Main Opposition Party Accuses NLD of COVID-19 Rules Breach During Campaign

Myanmars Election 2020: A Look Into the Crystal Ball

Rakhine COVID-19 Hospital Reports High Recovery Rate
Weeks after Niche.com crowned Rice University the best college in Texas, the Houston university has landed a pair of top rankings on the U.S. News & World Report's "2021 Best Colleges" list.

This year, Rice University clinched the No. 16 spot among U.S. universities on U.S. News & World's list, as well as the distinction of best Texas college, as first reported by CultureMap.

"Were pleased that Rice continues to be recognized not only as providing one of the best college educations in the United States, but also as one of the best values," President of Rice University, David Leebron, told Chron.com. "Particularly gratifying is the high recognition of our outstanding professors, and departments in every school as among the top ten in the country.

TOP MARKS: Houston university gets high marks as best in Texas, No. 7 in nation

The report analyzed 1,452 bachelor's degree-granting institutions across 17 measures of academic quality. The ranking factors include graduation and retention, social mobility, graduation rate performance, undergraduate academic reputation, faculty resources for 2019-2020 academic year, student selectivity for the fall 2019 class, financial resources per student, average alumni giving rate, and graduate indebtedness.

For a bigger picture of the university's rankings, here's a breakdown of how Rice University got high marks:

No. 6 in best undergraduate teaching

No. 8 in best value schools

No. 18 in most innovative schools

No. 224 in top performers on social mobility

No. 18 in best undergraduate engineering programs

The other Texas schools which grace the 2021 Best Colleges list include the University of Texas at Austin, which ranked as No. 42. Texas A&M University and Southern Methodist University tied at No. 66. Baylor University ranked at No. 76 and Texas Christian took No. 80 spot on the list.

The top 5 universities in the nation were: Princeton University, No. 1; Harvard University, No. 2; Columbia University, No. 3 and Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Yale University, which tied for the No. 4 ranking.
A decade ago, Httpool, the largest international partner of global media platforms, entered the APAC region, opening their first office in India. After partnering with IMS-Sony in 2017, the company now has a presence in over 45 countries in Europe, Asia, and Latin America and exclusively represents over 20 of the worlds biggest digital platforms.

The company's business model is to partner with global media platforms, such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Snapchat and others, to provide access to local markets, both emerging and developed. They offer local businesses access to global media platforms and offer them service, support, best practices, and methodology to utilize those platforms to the fullest.

Today, Httpool represents the top 20 media platforms is most of their markets, including Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Spotify, and LinkedIn. In conversation with Adgully, Sunny Nagpal, Co-founder, and Regional Managing Director, Httpool APAC charts the decade long journey in the APAC region, Covid-19 impact on digital advertising growth opportunities unlocked via the IMS-Sony acquisition.

You've been present in the APAC region for a decade. While initially, you may have seen a tremendous growth rate, what's the growth rate now that the market is relatively mature?

We continue to grow exponentially across the globe. Since 2017, we've grown 15-20 times compared to three years ago. The strategic acquisition by IMS-Sony has led to significant growth. The global partnerships, improvements in infrastructure, and economies of scale allowed us to scale significantly. We saw double-digit growth last year. This year due to COVID, we're not growing exponentially, but we still see YoY growth even though the economy is contracting, and advertising has shrunk.

What has been the journey in India? How have you adapted to the dynamic digital environment?

When we launched in 2009-10, digital advertising was still nascent, and we had established as an ad network back then. Eventually, technology became a commodity, and between 2010 and 2012, we saw many ad networks come up. With technology becoming readily available, even the agency started buying through trading desks and DSPs to access the long tail supply. The model of the ad network started diluting. We kept pace with the market and started evolving our business model.

We always believed that by establishing a solid presence in emerging markets, we will be able to acquire representations of global media networks. In 2014, we moved into the representation model. Soon, we became an exclusive/authorised sales partner of these players, getting pseudo ownership of the inventory and direct access to these large platforms. Since then, we've been firmly positioning ourselves as go to ad sales partners to these players, as we still continue to focus on building technology, the industry and business's backbone.

We've been developing proprietary tools, utilizing supply chain systems to further lend value to these partnerships that deliver efficiency and effectiveness for large campaigns and small campaigns alike through advertising on these platforms. We recently launched our proprietary technology Wise. Blue and this innovative tool have been recognized as the No. 1 tool when it comes to performance advertising on Twitter. We even received an official Twitter API partner badge for it.

Where does India stand within the APAC region? Is it your biggest growth market?

India is the largest market; however, earlier this year, we were awarded with Facebook authorised sales partnerships in four countries in the region. In future, we're anticipating that some of the Indo-China (Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos) markets along with Bangladesh could be the largest markets for us in Asia. While we have local country management in these markets, we continue to provide management support out of india offices. We're seeing a lot of talent development happening from India as India acts as a regional office being a significant talent hub.

According to reports, digital is now 30% of the AdEx. As someone who's been in the India market for a decade working closely with media platforms, how did clients view digital integration?

Digital has to take upon the mandate of convergence of all media because of the platform's dual nature in terms of interactivity and consumer feedback that you can generate instantly. This is what we see now. For traditional media, moving towards digital is only acting as a convergence point for them. Earlier, the thinking process itself was very linear. Brands were thinking about all channels independently, and even digital was approached via different channels. Social media, mobile, search, and video were all considered separately. The consolidation of the approach and all the tracks has been driven by digital because of this platform's nature, measurable, accountable, and data interpretation in a quantitative form. Most other media formats are more qualitative than quantitative. This is a platform that will enable you to have quantitative metrics, and you can build more qualitative understanding and analytics to have a more integrated understanding of the consumer mindset. If consumption is happening on platforms enabled by digital architecture or the infrastructure becomes digitized, you can serve ads in real-time and allow the reverse mechanism of getting information from the user.

Where do you see the next opportunity for growth coming from in India?

We're looking at further consolidating our position, adding more markets to the region, and at the same time, we're looking at adding the segment of SMBs. We are developing AI-driven technology that simplifies everything for SMBs and allows them to advertise more seamlessly. It would be intuitive in the sense that the platform would send them recommendations on where they should be looking, what they should be looking at. We are hoping to launch by the end of this year or early next. The platform will help you define your business objectives, marketing objectives, campaign objectives, and recommend platforms and channels. Then it will monitor the campaigns through AI and optimize the campaigns using our technology. In the end, it will report the metrics that are relevant to you rather than a data dump on the 20 different things you can track on the platforms. The SMBs don't care about so many metrics; for them, is calculation the RoI of the campaign. The mom and pop stores will be able to relate to the advertising dollars spent on the business and weight it in real-time.

The Lockdown led to a surge in consumption of digital and traditional media. Did you see advertising dollars follow on digital platforms?

Most large media platforms allow advertisers to bid for their inventory. Bidding is a function of both demand and supply. Typically, while there is a floor price on most platforms where the price doesn't go below those levels, it drives the price up when the demand is more. In the COVID period, some industries were shut entirely. Even if brands wanted to advertise, they didn't have products to advertise because they could not deliver. They wanted to take a thoughtful, careful approach and wait and watch before they advertise. That led to relatively lower demand. The ad industry contracted severely in April-May according to many reports you may have read. So, demand was low, and we saw people stay at home and consume digital platforms, so supply shot up. This disrupted the demand-supply equilibrium, and the prices came down on most of the platforms, on most of the keywords and relevant targeting in the last few months.

Although the unit prices came down, most of the brands shifted budgets from traditional media to digital media, so the spending increased, which means that some of the platforms did make more money during Lockdown. The movement of budgets from traditional to digital made up for the unit prices falling.

How has partnering with IMS-Sony helped you expand your operations?

In 2017, Sony Pictures Networks backed IMS represented large global platforms in Latin America and Western Europe, and we had a complementary position in Europe and Asia. When such strategic mergers occur, there is a lot of consolidation of strengths, positions, and best practices. Imagine a Silicon Valley company that wants to expand across 35-40 markets across the globe, and we can offer them a single contract to execute that. That created a geo expansion leverage across a diversity of markets. There were a lot of emerging and developed markets in Latin America and Europe. We could apply the learnings from the developed markets that helped us plot growth curves and use them in emerging markets to jump ahead of the curve.

The amazing news is, however, that a bit over a year ago, the IMS-Httpool partnership could afford to buy back our majority stake from Sony. Now, we are independent in our decisions with an amazing track record and demonstrated interest in our business by the biggest players on global markets. We are extremely proud of this. We have done great and big things in the past decade in APAC and two decades in the world. And we are on a way to even greater things.
Power Minister R K Singh on Thursday inaugurated basic of Rs 6.99 crore in Bhojpur district of Bihar, an official release said on Friday.

The main objective of the projects is to improve and provide basic infrastructure and developmental facilities in the villages of Barhara block in Bhojpur district.

The minister inaugurated the CSR projects undertaken by REC Ltd in Barhara through video conferencing on Thursday, the release said.

REC Limited is a Navratna NBFC focusing on power sector financing and development across India. It provides financial assistance across the power-sector value chain and is also the nodal agency for flagship schemes in the power sector like Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY), Saubhagya, etc.

(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.)
H.E. Calvin Ho (centre) hands over the keys to the motorcycles to CoP Colin John (left), in the presence of Superintendent Kenneth John, head of the RSVGPF Traffic Branch.

The Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (RSVGPF) Traffic Branch now has two (2) additional motorcycles to patrol the roads of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.





On Thursday September 10, 2020, Resident Taiwanese Ambassador, His Excellency Calvin C.H. Ho, handed over the two (2) new, white Yamaha (900CC) motorcycles to Commissioner of Police Colin John at Police Headquarter.





The motorcycles were manufactured in 2020.





This donation dovetails the fleet of motor vehicles which the Republic of China (Taiwan) donated to the RSVGPF on July 16, 2020, during the official visit to SVG by President of Taiwan, Her Excellency Tsai Ing-wen

Also present at last week Thursdays handing over ceremony were: Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr. Frankie Joseph, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mr. Richard Browne, Head of the Traffic Branch, Superintendent of Police, Mr. Kenneth John, other senior officers and ranks of the RSVGPF.





Commissioner of Police John expressed profound thanks to the government and people of the Republic of China (On Taiwan) for their generous donation.




TVS Motor Company announced their new distribution partnership with Autotecnica Colombiana SAS (Auteco SAS), a leading motorcycle assembler in Colombia.

Autotecnica Colombiana SAS will operate 50 dealerships exclusive to TVS Motor Company and create dedicated space for the brand in over 600 retail outlets. They will support TVS Motor with dedicated sales, service, spares and customer relationship management (CRM).

Autotecnica Colombiana SAS will also provide the brand with an assembly set-up in Cartagena along with a dedicated training centre.

As a part of this association, TVS Motor Company will be introducing new segments among two-wheelers ranging from moped, scooters, motorcycles to premium motorcycles along with three-wheelers. The company will focus on creating customised as well as a wide portfolio of mobility solutions for the Colombian market.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As anybody who has turned to The Great British Baking Show for comfort viewing during these challenging months, there are only so many times you can watch reruns. So it comes as especially tasty news to learn that a brand-new season of The Great British Baking Show begins streaming Sept. 25 on Netflix.

Its true that the show -- in the U.K., its called The Great British Bake Off -- hasnt been quite as delectable since former judge Mary Berry and hosts Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc departed. Berry, Perkins and Giedroyc all left after the show moved from the BBC to Channel 4. In a statement, Perkins and Giedroyc said, Weve had the most amazing time on Bake Off, and have loved seeing it rise and rise like a pair of yeasted Latvian baps, adding, Were not going with the dough. We wish all the future bakers every success.

Judge Paul Hollywood stayed, and he was joined by new judge Prue Leith, and new hosts Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig when Season 8 premiered in the U.K in 2017. And more changes have come along since then: In January, Toksvig announced that she was leaving, after three years.

Toksvig wrote, When stepping down from a job it is quite common for people to say they are doing so in order to spend more time with their family. Unusually I am departing from the great British Bake Off so I can spend more time with my other work. As my waistline will testify, Bake Off is an all consuming show.

That means the new season will find Fielding, a comic actor known as a member of The Mighty Boosh comedy troupe, joined by new co-host Matt Lucas, another comic actor and writer, best known for the sketch comedy series, Little Britain.

The tent is back open for business!



On September 25, an all-new season of The Great British Baking Show will start rolling out on Netflix in The US  new episodes will be available every Friday (three days after they premiere in The UK) pic.twitter.com/CQdzQbTiJ6  Netflix (@netflix) September 15, 2020

Fielding is a bit of an acquired taste (who I havent quite acquired), so the news that the down-to-earth Toksvig is gone is a bit like finding your fresh-baked pie has a soggy bottom. Ill also be wondering if the new season contestants are as varied and likable as those from earlier editions. Recent seasons have included a few too many bakers who seemed to be cast because they were good-looking, and/or had busy social media accounts.

But even with those caveats, the idea of watching a new batch of would-be baking wizards compete in the most cozy, least cutthroat competition show ever, sounds as satisfying as a fresh-from-the-oven Angel Food cake.

More of our coverage:

Feel-good TV: 10 shows to watch to help take your mind off coronavirus anxiety

Portland teacher cooks her way to 'star baker status on 'The Great American Baking Show: Holiday Edition

Subscribe to our What to Watch newsletter. Email:



-- Kristi Turnquist

kturnquist@oregonian.com 503-221-8227 @Kristiturnquist
The Indian Army has observed Chinese medical teams evacuate a few soldiers of the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) on stretchers from heights in the Finger Area on the northern bank of Pangong Tso to a nearby field hospital, officials familiar with the developments said on Friday, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Some Chinese troops have been evacuated from the Finger 4 heights to a field medical facility ahead of Finger 6 during the last two to three days due to health complications linked to high altitude, the officials said, with the development turning the spotlight on the challenges of high-altitude warfare.

The Finger Area, a set of eight cliffs jutting out of the Sirijap range overlooking the Pangong lake, is among the friction points in the eastern Ladakh theatre, where both armies have deployed almost 100,000 soldiers and weaponry in their forward and depth areas. Indian soldiers are barely a few hundred metres from Chinese troops who are holding positions on the Finger 4 ridgeline.

As a harsh winter draws closer in eastern Ladakh, where Indian and Chinese soldiers are holding towering heights and already exposed to sub-zero temperatures, both armies will face the challenge of ensuring that casualties related to high-altitude illnesses are kept at their lowest, the officials said.

Extreme weather at those heights of 16,000 to 17,000 feet is bound to create health complications for soldiers --- both Indian and Chinese. And the harsh winter is yet to set in. The conditions will only get worse in the coming weeks and months, said one of the officials cited above.

Also read: No power can stop Indian forces from patrolling Ladakh areas, asserts Rajnath Singh

Indian soldiers occupying positions in the eastern Ladakh sector have undergone the necessary acclimatisation to be deployed at high altitudes and adequate forward medical facilities are available to cater for any emergency, said a second official.

Indian soldiers have held positions at even higher heights on the Siachen glacier. But high-altitude warfare comes with its own unique challenges, the official said.

Prepared for the long haul in the Ladakh theatre, India has made arrangements to provide logistics support, including medical facilities, to its soldiers deployed in forward areas -- more than 50,000 Indian troops are likely to remain stationed in the theatre through the winter months to deal any provocation by the Chinese forces.

It will be best for soldiers to lie low at those heights and avoid any unnecessary manoeuvres or activities that could trigger severe health complications. Troops from both sides will face the same set of challenges as far as weather goes, said Lt General BK Chopra (retd), a former director general of armed forces medical services.

Chopra said high-altitude cerebral oedema (Haco) and high-altitude pulmonary oedema (Hapo) are among the serious illnesses that soldiers can develop at those heights.

Around 1,000 soldiers have died guarding Siachen since the army took control of the inhospitable glacier in April 1984, almost twice the number of lives lost in the Kargil war. Almost a fifth of the casualties were linked to enemy fire before the November 2003 ceasefire between India and Pakistan kicked in. The remaining deaths were because of natures fury, accidents and medical reasons.

Advancements made in high-altitude medicine, better gear, best possible training, in-house innovations, and following proper drills have helped the Indian Army keep the casualty rates low in high-altitude areas, experts previously told HT.

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BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - German stocks were little changed on Friday as hopes of further stimulus offset investor concerns about the second wave of coronavirus infections in the region. Surging coronavirus figures across Europe should serve as 'a wake-up call', Dr. Hans Kluge, regional director of The World Health Organization in Europe, said on Thursday. The number of new cases had doubled in more than half of European member states in the past two weeks and we have a very serious situation unfolding before us, he added. The benchmark DAX was marginally higher at 13,216 after declining 0.4 percent on Thursday. Shares of Covestro surged nearly 7 percent after Bloomberg reported that buyout firm Apollo Global Management Inc. is exploring a takeover of the specialty chemicals company. A worsening second wave of coronavirus cases in the region weighed on the travel sector. Lufthansa tumbled 3.3 percent and Fraport slumped 4.8 percent. In economic releases, German producer prices declined at the slowest pace in five months in August, preliminary data from the Federal Statistical Office showed. Producer prices declined 1.2 percent year-on-year following a 1.7 percent fall in July. Economists had expected a 1.4 percent decrease. The pace of decline was the weakest since March, when prices fell 0.8 percent. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
The statue of 17th century merchant Edward Colston falls into the water after protesters pulled it down during a protest following the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in Bristol, England, on June 7, 2020. (Keir Gravil via Reuters)

Black Lives Matter Protesters Who Tore Down Statue Referred to Britains Crown Prosecution Service

Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters who tore down a statue in Bristol, South West England, on June 7 have been referred to the countrys Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the regions chief of police said on Thursday.

In an interview on Radio Bristol, Chief Constable of Avon and Somerset Police Andy Marsh gave an update on the ongoing investigation into the pulling down and throwing into Bristol harbor of the statue of 17th-century merchant Edward Colston.

Protesters tear down a statue of Edward Colston in Bristol, Britain, on June 7, 2020. (Mohiudin Malik/via Reuters)

Marsh said the removal of the statue from its plinth in central Bristol was an act of criminal damage that took place during an event that carried a significant amount of risk for Bristol and for the community.

Police had acted robustly to pursue an investigation following the incident in which the law was broken, he said.

Restorative Justice

Avon and Somerset Police said in a statement on Sept. 18 that a 25-year-old man was arrested following the incident in June and that eight people were asked to voluntarily attend a police station for questioning.

After reviewing the evidence, the files of four of these nine peoplethree men aged 32, 25, and 21, and a woman aged 29were sent to the CPS for a charging decision.

The police said they have written to the remaining five people, all men aged between 18 and 47, offering them a conditional caution for criminal damage, and giving them a week to decide whether to accept it.

Three conditions are attached to the caution being offered by the police: the completion of a Bristol City Council History Commission questionnaire to which they can add their reasons for their actions, a 100-pound ($130) fine to be donated to a local Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) charity, and two hours of community service.

If they do not accept the restorative justice offer, their files will also be sent to the CPS for a charging decision, police said.

There were no arrests of protesters at the time of the incident, the chair of the Avon and Somerset Police Federation, Andrew Roebuck, later told The Epoch Times in an email, because it is evident that at the time of the statue being toppled, any direct police intervention would have resulted in serious disorder and numerous injuries to our members.

A command decision was made which was not to step in, but to protect other properties and symbols within the area, he added.

Mob Rule

The tearing down of the Edward Colston statue in June was met with a clear admonition from Home Secretary Priti Patel, who addressed Parliament on public order the next day.

What we witnessed yesterday was mob rule, which is completely out of kilter with the rule of law and unacceptable, Patel said.

The Bristol BLM protest was one of hundreds that took place across a weekend of intense protests in the UK in which at least 35 police officers were injured in London alone, Patel said.

The BLM protests followed the killing of a black man, George Floyd, while being arrested by police in the United States on May 25.

Britains Home Secretary, Priti Patel, speaks to the media in Reading, Britain on June 22, 2020. (Peter Nicholls/Reuters)

Patel agreed with the likely motives of peaceful protesters but spoke against aggression towards the UK police.

Black lives matter, but police brutality in the United States is no excuse for the violence against our brave police officers at home, she said.

Edward Colston was an English merchant, philanthropist, and member of parliament. He was born in 1636 and involved in the Atlantic slave trade.

Following the June incident, his statue was retrieved from the harbor water by Bristol City Council.

It has been assessed as having sustained 3,750 pounds ($4,850) worth of damage and is currently in the care of the Bristol museum.

This report was updated on Sept. 30 with comments from Avon and Somerset Police Federation.
A series of streets and laneways in Sydney's CBD will be closed to traffic while main streets will have roadside parking spaces converted into al fresco dining spots under a plan to save the city's hospitality industry.

The City of Sydney has prepared a pilot to help bring bars and restaurants outdoors, including onto the street along thoroughfares such as Crown St in Surry Hills and Pitt St in the city, as local and state government and leaders of industry rally to resuscitate the city's economy.

Customers having coffee in a former loading zone outside Soho Espresso on Pitt St in the Sydney CBD. Credit:Wolter Peeters

A section of Barrack Street, off George Street, would be closed, while hospitality businesses would be able to sprawl into Tankstream Way and Wilmot Lane to enable them to accommodate more customers than presently allowed under COVID-19 restrictions.

Sydney lord mayor Clover Moore said the city had spent the last decade installing high-quality street paving, supporting small bars and creating a pedestrian spine up George Street.
Just before Donald Trump was sworn in as our 45th president, outgoing president Barack Obama told him his biggest problem would be North Korea. Obama was wrong! North Korea, though problematic, proved less troublesome than expected, due to President Trumps skillful handling of its volatile leader, Kim Jung Un.

President Trumps biggest problem, more than Russian collusion investigations and the Democrats impeachment effort, all intended to destroy his presidency, was instead a virus from China for which our Centers for Disease Control and Health and Human Services were unprepared...
Bloodshed was foreseen by the people of Northumberland even before the Viking raiders came ashore on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne in AD 793.

An ancient manuscript recalls how amazing sheets of lightning and whirlwinds and fiery dragons were seen flying in the sky, but no omen could have prepared them for the barbarity that followed.

Leaping from their longboats, Viking invaders stormed the abbey and massacred priests, nuns and monks  even as they prayed at the altar.

They miserably ravaged and pillaged everything; they trod the holy things under their polluted feet, they plundered all the treasures of the church, claimed one chronicler of the time.

Some of the brethren they slew, some they carried off with them in chains

In the monastery on neighbouring Iona, one defiant abbot was cut in pieces with severed limbs. But even then his assailant was not satisfied, hacking at his entrails in a frenzy of blood-lust.

Viking invaders stormed the abbey and massacred priests, nuns and monks  even as they prayed at the altar

So began a reign of terror that saw the Vikings slaughter their way across England, Scotland and Ireland  as well as large swathes of North-West Europe  for more than a century.

With names like Erik Bloodaxe and Thorfinn the Skull-Splitter, these warlords showed no mercy  which makes it all the more peculiar that recent historians seem determined to paint them in a rather different light.

While not quite suggesting that they should be renamed Erik the Ever-so-Polite and Thorfinn the Touchy-Feely, research published this week suggests we should take a more nuanced view of Viking marauding.

The report in the journal Nature involved genetic analysis of more than 400 Viking skeletons from burial sites across Europe. Among the most striking findings is that Scandinavian Vikings inherited genes from both Southern Europe and Asia so, far from being the blonde brutes we imagine, they were as likely to have had brown hair.

Fascinating stuff, but more controversial are the conclusions we are expected to draw from the bodies of two males buried in Orkney. While their grave contained swords and other Viking artefacts, these men were actually Picts  Celtic-speaking people who lived in Scotland at the time of the invasions. And yet they appear to have been respected as Vikings.

According to the studys lead author Dr Daniel Lawson of the University of Bristol, this suggests a different side of the cultural relationship from Viking raiding and pillaging.

The implication is that far from being the murderous types we imagine, the Vikings mixed willingly with other cultures who accepted their way of life. But as the Vikings own accounts make clear, anyone who did collaborate with them was likely forced into doing so rather than persuaded.

Great numbers of English flee before our swords, boasted one Viking poem.

Forewarned of a raid, the men and women of Fife were said to have dragged themselves off to the woods and wastes with weeping and wailing. On return they would have faced famine as the Vikings would have smashed their farm tools before plundering and torching their granaries.

Women were raped and prisoners were sold into slavery, often into Asia and the Middle East where the preference for eunuchs saw them castrated upon capture.

Vikings had names like Erik Bloodaxe and Thorfinn the Skull-Splitter and terrorised across England, Scotland and Ireland for more than a century

But even those poor souls might have been considered lucky not to have been dispatched straight away  for the Viking cult of the warrior valued killing for its own sake. Doing so quickly and efficiently was an art learned from childhood by the sons of noblemen and their weapon of choice was the sword  often handed down from father to son and given such telling names as Brainbiter.

Apprentice combatants learned how to twist and turn wearing heavy mail tunics and iron helmets, and to wield swords, spears and axes while protecting themselves with shields.

The training for hand-to-hand combat required great stamina and strength and warriors were taught to disable their foes by slicing into the thigh or arm before delivering the fatal strike to the head  with such force the skeletons of their victims reveal blows that smashed through helmets and skulls to pulverise the brain.

Among the Viking ranks were berserkers (Norse for bear-like), legendary warriors who are believed to have gone into battle without armour, protected merely by the rage they worked themselves into.

One troop on the eve of battle were described as mad as dogs. Others donned the skins of wolves, somehow imagining they could absorb their ferocity as they bear bloodstained swords to battle.

Intimidation was just one psychological tactic deployed by the Vikings. Another was the element of surprise  these accomplished shipwrights and navigators could launch their amphibious assaults in tides and weather conditions that were daunting to their enemies.

Their longboats were described by one Viking poet as wave stallions and they painted ravens on the sails, joking grimly that these flesh-devouring birds were brothers-in-arms who followed them into combat to feast on the dead.

The raids were triggered by overpopulation and food shortages in their Scandinavian homelands, and the knowledge that Britain and Ireland had inadequate defences. But although the treasures in churches and monasteries could be easily plundered, still the Vikings fought among themselves when dividing the spoils.

The losers in these feuds suffered ritual and unimaginably cruel deaths. Torf-Einar, the one-eyed Viking ruler of Orkney, ordered his men to carve the outline of an eagle on a prisoners back, slice the ribs from the backbone and then pull out the mans lungs as an offering to the god, Odin.

For Vikings, killing quickly and efficiently was a form of art, that had to be taught since childhood

Such appalling, ritualised deaths were also meted out to Anglo-Saxon leaders as the Vikings colonised land from Scotland to East Anglia  an area that became known as Danelaw. Being a superstitious people who understood the concept of an afterlife, they were impressed by the Christian beliefs of those they conquered.

Viking rulers such as King Olaf Tryggvason of Norway realised the advantage of embracing a religion which suggested that those who followed their monarch were also following the will of God. However, the Viking version of Christianity was characteristically violent.

It is my will that you shall be baptised and all the folk that serve you, Tryggvason informed Earl Sigurd of Orkney. Else you shall die here at once, and I will ravage all the isles with fire and sword.

Only in 10th-century England did they meet their match, losing to Anglo-Saxon king Alfred the Great, whose peasant army fought alongside professional soldiers  proving the Vikings were not invincible.

Finally defeated, they were allowed to settle in Danelaw as subjects of Alfred and his descendants  bu the Vikings had not done with thoughts of conquest yet.

In 1066, Harald Hardrada, the last great Viking leader, was defeated in

his attempts to conquer England. Killed at the Battle of Stamford Bridge, he left the English throne to be fought over by the Anglo-Saxon King Harold, and William, leader of the Normans  descendants of the Vikings who had settled in northern France. Clearly the Viking warrior spirit lived on in William the Conquerer and his men, combined with the latest continental combat techniques.

Armed with deadly lances, Norman knights fought on horseback, charging through their opponents hacking at them from above, backed by missiles from bows and crossbows.

As history records, William was ultimately the victor at the Battle of Hastings but, although Harold was killed there, it has been suggested he is not the warrior pulling an arrow from his eye as famously shown in the Bayeux tapestry. Some historians believe that his death came instead from a blow to his thigh from a mounted Norman swordsman, delivered with such force that archaeologists believe it would have driven through the chainmail to his flesh and bone.

Either way, it was a killing of which Williams Viking ancestors would no doubt have been proud. Their hair colour may not have been what weve long imagined but, whether brown-haired or blond, there is no question their colourful combat skills made them unbelievably brutal warriors.
Mumbai: Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh, has finally resumed work, and was recently spotted at Yash Raj Films (YRF) studio. Reportedly, he dubbed for his upcoming venture 'Jayeshbhai Jordaar'.

Ranveer is starting to dub for the film and thats why he was at YRF. His work schedule is back to normal and he is absolutely fine to shoot and work in the pandemic because it is the new normal now. He realizes that the industry has to restart for business to be back as usual and as a superstar he will be extremely proactive to contribute towards normalizing the industry that has been hit hard by the pandemic, informs a source.

The source adds, Jayeshbhai Jordaar is going to release in theatres, no doubt about that. So, the makers are keeping the film ready to release. They will assess the best time to release the film, given the pandemic and make further plans to market and release this really special film. Ranveer will wrap his entire dubbing work on Jayeshbhai now.

This YRF entertainer with a social message has been hailed as a miracle script by Ranveer. Producer Maneesh Sharma is super confident that the film will win hearts of audiences.

Ranveer has given his two hundred percent for the film and it will show when people see the movie. I will stick my neck out to say that Ranveer has delivered his career best performance with Jayeshbhai Jordaar, Maneesh, who had introduced Ranveer to Bollywood with his acclaimed directorial Band Baaja Baarat, had said earlier.

Directed by debutant writer-director Divyang, Jayeshbhai Jordaar is a humourous entertainer set in Gujarat and Ranveer will be seen playing the role of a Gujarati man. In the first look that was released by YRF which broke the internet, the superstar was seen to have visibly transformed himself again, shedding many kilos and looked unrecognisable as a Gujarati man. Ranveer as Jayeshbhai is the unlikely hero who will be seen championing the cause of women empowerment in the most entertaining way of story-telling.
Watching clothing stores across the country shutter amid COVID-19, Joshua Akom scratched his head in wonder: What happens to fashion and its consumers when the world still needs to shop?

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 17/9/2020 (491 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Watching clothing stores across the country shutter amid COVID-19, Joshua Akom scratched his head in wonder: "What happens to fashion and its consumers when the world still needs to shop?"

But the answer, he says, has become quickly obvious  a return to the local thrift shop experience, just not in brick and mortar  "something that exists in the four walls of the internet."

"In a weird way," Akom told the Free Press Thursday, "this pandemics strangely been a blessing in disguise for fashion consumers to confront important realities about the most sustainable way in getting their clothes."

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Thriftsome co-founders Oghosa Ogiemwonyi (left) and Joshua Akom.

And born out of that "blessing," is the Winnipeggers new online-only outlet called Thriftsome, delivering curated and vintage second-hand clothing at affordable prices to doorsteps from coast to coast.

From custom-made windbreakers and bomber jackets to suede shoes and unique plaid pants, a laundry list of gently worn clothing is available at the website  with a special discount for Manitobans and free delivery in Winnipeg.

"We definitely knew that now is the right time to be opening something like this," said Akom. "When people either can't go to stores or feel hesitant to do so, they need the right place that makes them feel welcome without hurting their pockets."

He added that a major focus in the outlet's inventory has been placed on millennial buyers, who would otherwise form a bulk of the majority that quickly grabs something from a retail store at a mall. But so far, he said, its mostly older buyers building traction at his business.

In a weird way, this pandemics strangely been a blessing in disguise for fashion consumers to confront important realities about the most sustainable way in getting their clothes.  Joshua Akom

"The dream is, of course, to get younger people to consume something ethical and environment-friendly," said Akom. "It's just hard when they're used to a certain way and don't exactly know how they can do better."

And that's why "more than being able to turn a profit," he said, his business is focused in creating a space for ethical buyers in the province.

The Ghanaian-Canadian came to Winnipeg to study civil engineering at the University of Manitoba in 2015. While he always knew fashion was his calling, he said he was hesitant to join the industry because of the adverse environmental impacts it created.

"I just didnt want to add to something that's already doing so much harm to our world," he said.

But Akom's store isn't the only Canadian business that's found the coronavirus pandemic has pushed them to go greener and online.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The online shop sells gently worn clothing, with a special discount for Manitobans and free delivery in Winnipeg.

Professor Diane-Laure Arjalies, a leading expert in sustainable finance at Western University, said eco-friendly businesses like Akom's "are definitely the future."

"If there's one thing the pandemic did, it definitely pushed our markets to go online out of sheer necessity or willingness," said Arjalies. "And being online is inherently something that produces less carbon emissions, which for the fashion industry has only ever been high historically."

A survey by HSBC Bank from August found more than four out of five Canadian businesses believe their review of operations due to COVID-19 will enable them to rebuild their organization on firmer environmental foundations.

"...If we want to see a future where we can exist, it needs to be sustainable like our business is."  Joshua Akom

And a poll by RBC this week shows Canadians consumers are the ones driving that demand for increased digital solutions to engage with firms they frequent, with 86 per cent customers saying businesses will need to offer an end-to-end digital presence to be successful.

About 90 per cent business owners say moving online should be considered less a "nice-to-do, but rather a key priority for forward-thinking businesses," according to the RBC survey.

"At the end of the day, I'm not naive to think that I or anyone who supports a business like ours can change everything completely that's wrong with the clothing industry," said Akom.

"But I know that if we want to see a future where we can exist, it needs to be sustainable like our business is."

Twitter: @temurdur

Temur.Durrani@freepress.mb.ca
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-17 22:31:14|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- China will hold a summit on digital transformation in October to showcase its achievements in the field and build platforms for industry exchanges and cooperation, the organizers said Thursday.

The 3rd Digital China Summit will be held in the city of Fuzhou in southeast China's Fujian Province from Oct. 12 to 14, Yang Xiaowei, deputy head of the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), said at a press conference.

The summit, jointly organized by the CAC, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the provincial government of Fujian, will be held both online and offline, and will consist of seven sections, including a main forum, an exhibition and 12 sub-forums.

The exhibition will showcase China's achievements in digital transformation through virtual reality and artificial intelligence (AI), said Zhao Long, vice governor of Fujian.

Various activities will be held on the development and application of digital technologies, including AI, big data and blockchain, according to Zhao.

Tech giants such as Huawei, Alibaba and Tencent will also exhibit their cutting-edge products during the summit. Enditem
Beginning in 2013, China has significantly increased its drive to put a stamp of ownership onto most of the numerous uninhabited islands, shoals, and submerged features in the South China Sea.

Beijing has pursued environmentally destructive land reclamation and militarization of disputed outposts. This has done irreparable damage to coral reefs, said a high-level State Department official during a telephone press conference in late August.

China has used these artificial platforms to expand the reach of its maritime militia and civilian law enforcement vessels, often backed by the Chinese military, to intimidate and bully Southeast Asian claimants to most of the waters in the South China Sea. This, despite the fact that in 2016, an arbitral tribunal constituted under Annex VII of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea ruled that there was "no legal basis for China to assert maritime claims beyond those specifically provided for in the Convention.

The United States aligned itself strongly with this decision, said the State Department official. We are deeply concerned over the increasingly brazen manner in which Beijing has deployed coercive tactics to inhibit other claimants access to offshore marine resources.

One thing is clear--Beijings state-owned enterprises have played a key role in building and militarizing these outposts. For that reason, the U.S. Stated Department is imposing visa restrictions on Chinese nationals who are deeply involved Beijings destablizing efforts in the South China Sea.

At the same time, the U.S. Commerce Department has added 24 of Beijings state-owned enterprises to its Entity List for their role in these activities. This means that any item that is to be exported, re-exported, or even transferred within the country to a party on the Entity List, will need a specific license.

Other countries can consider similar measures, and we think that that would be appropriate. The kind of concerns that we have about the South China Sea and other [PRC] malign activity are very widely shared and increasingly widely shared, and we know that other countries obviously are looking at scrutinizing their policies with respect to their diverse relationships with China in terms of business, academic exchange, visa, and much else, said the State Department official.

We are taking actions to make clear that further militarization and further coercion is unacceptable and entirely contrary to the interests of Chinas neighbors and the United States and the world.
US President Donald Trump will not travel to New York on Tuesday for his speech to the United Nations General Assembly, but will deliver the address from the White House, his chief of staff, Mark Meadows, said on Thursday.

"He's not going," Meadows told reporters as Trump flew to Wisconsin for a campaign rally.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres suggested in May that leaders send video statements to the annual high-level gathering instead of traveling due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The United States is traditionally the second country after Brazil to address the General Assembly, due to start this year on Sept. 22.

This year's event will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the world body.
CHAMPAGNOLE, France - Having ridden nearly 3,200 kilometres (almost 2,000 miles), over four mountain ranges, Tour de France rider Lukas Postlberger was forced by a bee sting to the mouth to abandon Friday with the finish in Paris just two days away.

The Austrian rider, who has devoted his Tour to helping team leader Peter Sagan in his quest for the races green jersey, suffered an allergic reaction to the sting. He was taken to the hospital but quickly recovered and is already feeling better again, his Bora-Hansgrohe team said.

Our team doc had him just on the phone and we can confirm nobody has to worry anymore. But thank you for all our support! the team said.

The Tour was only a few minutes into the 166-kilometre (103-mile) Stage 19, from Bourg-en-Bresse to Champagnole in eastern France, when the insect struck. Bora said it was a bee. Race organizers said it was a wasp.

His withdrawal left the Tour with 146 riders, 30 fewer than when it started nearly three weeks ago. It also dealt a blow to Sagan in his fight with Irish rider Sam Bennett for the green jersey.

It is awarded to riders who vacuum up the most points in sprints during and at the end of stages. Bennett wants to keep the jersey all the way to Paris, while Sagan wants to win it at the finish for an eighth time. The Slovakian rider was trailing Bennett by 52 points at the start of Fridays stage.

The 28-year-old Postlberger was riding his third Tour. He also abandoned last year, on Stage 18.

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Attorney General William Barr has become one of Donald Trump's most potent sources of campaign ammunition and political cover less than 50 days before the president faces voters, a most unconventional role for the nation's top law enforcement officer.

Adding to concern that he's cast aside any notion of Justice Department independence, Barr has hurled himself and his agency into the middle of the most controversial issues that Trump and his campaign see as vital to winning re-election on Nov. 3.

In recent days, Barr has belittled the career prosecutors he leads, told U.S. attorneys to consider charging violent protesters under a sedition law that makes it a crime to interfere with law enforcement or plot a coup, compared coronavirus lockdowns to slavery and intervened in a case involving a rape accusation against Trump that was being been handled by the president's personal lawyers.

Barr has given no indication that he plans to back down as the election nears, as polls consistently show Trump lagging Democrat Joe Biden. Instead, the two-time attorney general is maintaining a high profile as he presses ahead with efforts to amplify Trump's message about "law and order."

And Barr insists he can reveal findings of a criminal investigation into the origins of the 2016 probe into Russian interference right up to the election, even though critics say doing so would break internal department rules about releasing politically damaging information shortly before voters cast their ballots.

After J. Edgar Hoover's five-decade rule of the FBI came to an end in the 1970s, a consensus emerged that the Justice Department should maintain some political distance from the White House, even though the attorney general is nominated by the president and serves in the Cabinet. Critics say that this aspiration for independence is crumbling under Barr.

"It looks like he just gets up in the morning and wants to throw red meat to Donald Trump's base," said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. "He sort of reconfigured the whole role of the job into being Donald Trump's personal lawyer."

In Barr's view, law enforcement should be independent, but the people carrying it out shouldn't be.

"The attorney general, senior Justice Department officials and U.S. attorneys are indeed political," he said in a speech Wednesday. "But they are political in a good and necessary sense."

He added: "The Justice Department is not a Praetorian guard that watches over society impervious to the ebbs and flows of politics. Government power completely divorced from political accountability is tyranny."

Critics argue that political accountability has been undermined by Barr's decisions favoring Trump.

That includes moves to order a reduced sentencing recommendation for longtime Trump confidant Roger Stone, convicted of lying to Congress about his activities during Trump's 2016 campaign; to press for charges to be dropped against former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn; and to fire the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, who had been leading investigations into Trump.

Alarmed by what they saw happening since Barr took office in 2019, almost 2,000 former Justice Department officials wrote an open letter in May calling the attorney general's actions "unprecedented" and saying he had "assaulted the rule of law."

Trump and his supporters have fought back, with the president saying Barr could go down as the greatest attorney general in American history. Other Republicans who had pilloried the Obama administration over what they called a cozy relationship between the Justice Department and the Oval Office have gone silent, or reversed course.

House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy said he "didn't know anything" about Barr's comparison of virus restrictions to slavery. Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said he was untroubled by the comments.

"I think he's done a superb job," Kennedy said. "He exercised power intelligently and not emotionally."

Barr is sure to spark fresh controversy if he delivers on his announced intention to make public some of the findings of the probe by U.S. Attorney John Durham of Connecticut into what the attorney general, like the president, has called "spying" on Trump's 2016 campaign.

Nora Dannehy, a top prosecutor working on that investigation, resigned last week, with the Hartford Courant reporting that she quit partly over concern about political pressure to produce a report before the investigative work is done.

The 10 Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee sent a letter Thursday asking the Justice Department's inspector general to look into whether Durham's investigation complies with Justice Department policies, including those "that protect criminal investigations from political influence."

Barr has defended his actions, saying he's restoring integrity to the Justice Department. He has also espoused his long-held belief that the president has enormous powers, having been elected by the people.

In his comments on Wednesday, Barr ridiculed those who questioned his right to override decisions by line prosecutors, something he's repeatedly done in politically sensitive cases involving Trump allies such as Stone and Flynn.

"Letting the most junior members set the agenda might be a good philosophy for a Montessori preschool, but it is no way to run a federal agency," Barr said. "Individual prosecutors can sometimes become headhunters. Subjecting their decisions to review by detached supervisors ensures the involvement of dispassionate decision-makers."

For good measure, he asserted his authority over the Federal Bureau of Investigation. "As I say to FBI agents, 'Whose agent do you think you are?'" Barr said.

Perhaps on no other issue has Barr been more public or vocal than supporting Trump's effort to brand himself as the "law and order" candidate. Like Trump, Barr has asserted that violence during protests against police abuse has been caused largely by left-wing anarchists, even though right-wing extremists have been involved as well and most protests have been peaceful.

On Wednesday, Barr said the Black Lives Matter movement doesn't care about Black lives but instead wants to use African Americans who were killed at the hands of police as "props" to advance its political agenda.

Barr's efforts to bolster Trump have stretched credulity at times, refuting work done by his own department, outside experts and U.S. intelligence agencies on topics such as mail-in ballots.

The attorney general advanced the theory of a foreign adversary mass-producing U.S. ballots at a House Judiciary Committee hearing and in television interviews this month.

Those who know vote-by-mail best say that counterfeiting ballots on a scale that could affect a presidential election would be logistically impossible given safeguards already in place as well as how vote-by-mail works.

But Barr, asked for the evidence behind his view, has offered none. Instead, he told CNN that he was "basing that on logic."

That's put Barr in line with the president, who has warned that main-in ballots are the greatest danger to American democracy and signaled that anything short of victory in November means the election was rigged against him. Democrats are acutely aware that if the president contests the election results, he will lean on Barr to help him stay in office.

The president is "abetted in his assault on the rule of law by the most partisan and derelict attorney general we've ever had -- who sees his role not as upholding the constitution but as hijacking taxpayer resources in order to erode it," Biden campaign spokesman Andrew Bates said.

Barr is unlikely to be deterred by the criticism. He joked on Wednesday that while many of his predecessors had gone on to be Supreme Court justices, he was one of two attorneys general who went on to become attorney general again, a reference to his earlier service in President George H.W. Bush's administration. Kennedy, the Republican senator, said that should change.

"He has great experience and he understands the role of the Department of Justice in American government," Kennedy said. "I've suggested that when the president came out with his list of potential nominees for the Supreme Court, I suggested that he put Bill Barr on it."
The family of a 21-year-old man chased to his death on Tuesday by police officers attached to Osun Joint Task Force in Osogbo has denied the report that he was an internet fraudster.

When our reporter visited their residence at Ofatedo in Egbedore Local Government Area of Osun State on Thursday, the family members said the victim, Idris Ajibola, was an apprentice in aluminium fabrication.

He was chased to his death by police officers while returning from Osun Mall in Osogbo where he had gone to buy bread with his three friends, they said.

The car police saw with them belongs to the father of one of the friends. The police simply tagged them internet fraudster because of the car seen with them. My son just came back from Sagamu in Ogun State last week where he was learning aluminium fabrication, the deceaseds father, who simply gave his name as Mr Ajibola, cried.

Damilare Opadotun, an uncle to the late Idris, said Idris went to Osun Mall with his friends. On their way back, they noticed JTF chasing them. But as young boys, out of fear, they could not wait, until they swerved off the road.

Rukayat Ajibola, an elder sister to Idris, called on the Inspector-General of Police, Muhammad Adamu, and the Osun State Government to investigate the death of her brother.

I urge the government and IGP to investigate my brothers death. The government should do something about the killing of youth in the country.

Protests

Following the incident on Tuesday, some youth stormed the streets in protest. They vandalised vehicles and dumped the body of Idris at Government House in Oke-Fia in Osogbo.

On Wednesday, the youth continued the protest by burning tyres on major roads in Osogbo.

While the police teargassed the protesters in Ofatedo, many officers were also attacked by the angry youth.

The spokesperson of the police in Osun, Yemisi Opalola, said three officers sustained injuries and were treated at the police hospital in Osogbo.

Mrs Opalola also said the police had set up an investigative panel on the matter as ordered by Governor Gboyega Oyetola.

PREMIUM TIMES quoted Mr Oyetola expressing sadness over the incident, saying all lives matter and nobody has a right under our laws to take a life summarily.

While we appreciate the great job our law enforcement agencies are doing to keep Osun safe, the confusion and disruption to our peaceful state capital on Tuesday needs to be investigated.

Mr Oyetola also urged the families of the deceased and the injured not to take matters into their hands by hurting more people or destroying properties.

Rep threatens to sue police

Meanwhile, the lawmaker representing Ede North/Ede South/Egbedore/ Ejigbo federal constituency of Osun state in the House of Representatives, Bamidele Salam, has threatened to sue the police on behalf of the family of the deceased.

He made this known in a statement to PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday evening after a visit to the bereaved family.

Mr Salam called on the Inspector-General of Police to immediately apprehend the officers whose conduct led to the auto crash that killed the 21-year old apprentice.

It is unfortunate that many Nigerian youths are being humiliated and wasted by law enforcement agents on a frivolous pretext of fighting cybercrime. It is shocking that 48 hours after the incident, no arrest has been made of the officers involved thus fuelling speculation that the matter would be swept under the carpet like similar ones which happened in the past.

If the police authorities fail to do justice to the family of the victim, I would have no choice than to seek justice in a court of law and ask for appropriate compensation for the family, he said.

This incident in Osogbo happened a day after PREMIUM TIMES reported how a 20-year-old man was killed in the same state over N50 bribe by a police officer.

Nigerians on social media have continued to call for the reform of the police following incessant brutality of citizens.
(This story has been updated with comment from the Michigan Education Association.)

FENTON, MI  A candidate for state House of Representatives from Fenton is acknowledging a criminal past with convictions for robbery, possession of cocaine and retail fraud.
A rendering of one of the "courtyard" gallery spaces for the Peter Zumthor-designed building at LACMA. (Atelier Peter Zumthor & Partner / The Boundary)

At last. After months of demurring, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art has made public a floor plan for its new building, designed by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor. The release includes half a dozen new renderings that offer some answers to what form the galleries will take in his blob-shaped building that will bridge Wilshire Boulevard.

The topline: Other than necessary mechanical systems and bathrooms, the building's entire second story will be devoted to galleries, a total of 110,000 square feet of exhibition space. The galleries are composed of two dozen rectilinear spaces  basically, boxes  arranged in clusters and surrounded by interstitial spaces that will also display art.

Other services, among them the museum's education department, shop and three restaurants (including a new wine bar), will be at ground level. As will a 300-seat theater in the section of the building on the southern side of Wilshire.

It is a porous, flexible design, says LACMA Director Michael Govan. "The visitor chooses the path," he says, instead of "the museum leading you by the nose."

A floor plan shows the distribution of LACMA gallery spaces in Peter Zumthor's design. (LACMA)

The release of the plans comes after months of delays.

In February, Govan said the plans would be ready in March. In April, the museum pushed the release to early summer. Only now, as LACMA demolishes the last of its older buildings  all that remains of the 1960s structures by William L. Pereira & Associates is a fragment of the four-story Ahmanson Gallery  and begins excavation for the section of the building on the southern side of Wilshire, do we have some idea of how the largest museum in the western United States plans to showcase its art.

Like everything else about the building, it will not be traditional. "I did ask for and got something that would be very different," says Govan. "I think it's going to be absolutely sublime, but that's for the public to see."





The galleries

There have been countless unknowns surrounding LACMA's vast rebuilding project: the nature of the landscaping, whether the underside of the massive concrete structure would feel like a pleasant, shady spot or an oppressive freeway underpass, where the museum's playful Alexander Calder fountain sculpture might go.

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The biggest question mark has hovered over the form and nature of the galleries  a troubling mystery given that the museum's core mission is the care and display of art. This has been made more urgent because the layout not only will break with the traditional regional and chronological display of encyclopedic museums but it also has to inhabit a highly unusual form.

The newly released schematics reveal that the galleries will come in one of three forms: "core," "courtyard" and "terrace."

A rendering of a "core" gallery  an internal space where the light can be fully controlled to protect fragile works. (Atelier Peter Zumthor & Partner / The Boundary)

Twenty-six core galleries will offer the most controlled viewing experience. Arranged in four broad clusters around the new building, each is designed in the form of a square or a rectangle at various scales to accommodate everything from a large-scale exhibition to a single master work.

A single, combined entrance and exit is meant to provide a focused curatorial experience. Each will be sheltered from daylight, with controlled lighting systems to allow the display of fragile works, such as photographs, textiles and paper.

In between these clusters are the courtyard galleries.

These spaces, at the juncture of different paths through the building, will also serve as display sites. The courtyards will receive some visible daylight  sidelight  and will showcase three-dimensional installations as well as works that don't require highly controlled lighting conditions.

Around the building's perimeter are winding terrace galleries, which will have direct sunlight and views of the city and Hancock Park. These will accommodate more durable objects that can be displayed in broad daylight, such as Roman sculptures, temple statuary from Asia and other works designed to weather the elements.

A rendering shows a courtyard gallery in the foreground with a terrace gallery along the windows. (Atelier Peter Zumthor & Partner / The Boundary)

Govan likens each cluster to "a European village"  like a medieval Italian town, where myriad roads might lead to a small plaza.

"You might come to a [courtyard] gallery through any number of paths," he says. "Once you are inside a core gallery ... then you are 360 degrees controlled by the curatorial proposition."

The format, he adds, will allow for a more considered display of different types of works from like-minded collections. In the old Ahmanson building, Southeast Asian art was displayed in a darkened, light-controlled gallery whether it was paper or more durable sculpture.

"They had to put everything in the dark: paper and sculptures made for temples," he says. "Now you can put the paper [in a core gallery] and the sculpture [in a courtyard or terrace gallery]  like a temple with light."

Some of the spaces are big enough for other uses.

"We do talks, we have done concerts in galleries, we do readings in galleries," Govan says. "So we have sized some of these spaces very generously, so we can have them in galleries."





What it will look like

While the renderings and floor plan provide some vision for the LACMA of the future, key details are still outstanding.

The renderings depict solemn (too solemn?) gray interiors with black terrazzo floors, although the exact nature of these materials is still being finalized.

Architect Michael Mann, a managing director at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the international architecture firm collaborating with Zumthor on the building's design, engineering and construction, says the team has been working on getting the wall's color and texture just right.

"You can't imagine the energy that has been spent getting the right concrete mix," he says. But the plan is for the color scheme to be gray and the surfaces smooth.

A rendering shows Peter Zumthor's design for the "terrace" galleries, which line the perimeter of the building. (Atelier Peter Zumthor & Partner / The Boundary)

The bigger question is the floor. Mann says they've exploring two options: polished, poured concrete, as well as a softer-on-the-knees asphalt terrazzo, a type of material currently used in Europe.

"Peter has it in his studio in Haldenstein," Mann says. "It's really quite beautiful. It's not like you would think."

While beautiful, there is also the question of how these materials will read at a scale of 110,000 square feet. That's a whole lot of asphalt and concrete.

Mann says his team has also worked on a lingering question related to all that concrete: namely, how the museum will manage the installation and deinstallation of works on such a hard surface. (Boring into poured concrete is more complicated than hammering a nail into drywall.)

Mann, who has studied Zumthor's buildings in Europe  including two museums, the Kunsthaus Bregenz in Austria and the Kolumba Museum in Germany, which feature vast areas of poured concrete  says that has been worked out. Works are hung using anchors instead of regular nails. And there are methods for patching up concrete after art has been moved.

"We've been working with Peter  he worked with the curators at Bregenz about how to patch," Mann says. "There is a precedent that we will bring to LACMA."

Zoe Kahr, LACMA's deputy director for curatorial and planning, notes that working with concrete is "a different methodology, and it will take some practice to perfect it. But our team  preparation and installation and our exhibition design team  have been involved in every facet of analyzing concrete samples."





On the ground

At ground level, the floor plan puts other details into focus.

The underside of the structure  as well as the ceiling in the exhibition spaces  will not be flat concrete, like an overpass, but will bear a rhombus pattern drawn from the building's structure. It will also be illuminated.

On the southern side of Wilshire, on what has long been a parking lot at Spaulding Avenue, the 300-seat theater will occupy the ground floor of the elevated building's southernmost leg.

The yet-to-be named theater replaces LACMA's 600-seat Bing Theater. But Govan says the museum will also have access to the two theaters at the neighboring Academy Museum of Motion Pictures when that institution opens in spring.

A floor plan shows the ground floor at LACMA. The dark gray boxes are the bases of each pier supporting the elevated building and house different museum functions, including a theater, the education department and a street-level gallery. (LACMA)

The southern side of Wilshire, site of a new wine bar, is where Govan hopes to relocate Calder's colorful 1962 mobile "Three Quintains (Hello Girls)," which is activated by sprays of water.

The museum is in discussions with the Calder estate about the move. "Originally, it was in an angular pool," says Govan. "Then it was in a circular pool. There has to be some testing done."

On the northern side of Wilshire, at the base of the building's various piers, will be loading docks, a restaurant, a cafe and the museum shop. Ticketing will remain at the Smidt Welcome Plaza, next to Chris Burden's "Urban Light." The education department will be based at the foot of one of the piers. This will include an art gallery visible from Wilshire.

An architectural rendering shows a courtyard gallery in the foreground. A rhombus pattern, evocative of the building's structure, will mark the ceiling. (Atelier Peter Zumthor & Partner / The Boundary)

"Education will program that gallery with art works, but a program that makes sense for it," says Govan. "This street-engaging art storefront  that, we have never had before."

Also on the northern side will be outdoor spaces for events, including screenings, talks and live music.

"When we have our galas or events, we have to close the plaza," says Govan. "So this is prewired for setting up a dinner for 500."





The curatorial piece

Part of Govan's plan for the new building is to re-conceive the encyclopedic museum. To move away from the regional and chronological model of showing art  that linear Western march that leads museum-goers from ancient Greece and Rome to medieval European art to everything Renaissance, with side galleries devoted to the rest of the world.

The building's design, with multiple points of approach and fluid paths, is designed so that no story is given primacy over another, Govan says. "We looked at an overall structure that would be nonhierarchical. No obvious front or back."

And if the goal is to show more work by women and non-Western artists, he notes, installation needs to be rethought: "If you only have women in the last 10 minutes of a collection, you need a new way to organize the museum."

That might mean a cross-departmental exhibition that mixes works from various regions or a thematic show that looks at a certain topic  say, landscape painting  over time.

How exactly this will play out in real life, however, remains to be seen. (Times art critic Christopher Knight was no fan of one such show, "To Rome and Back: Individualism and Authority in Art, 1500-1800," which he described as "bland and ineffectual.")

Govan and Kahr are reviewing more than 200 proposals submitted by LACMA curators for how the Zumthor building might be installed.

"The proposals range widely from single-focus, single-artist presentations to looking at a single medium, to looking at a theme, to looking at a place across time or time across a place," says Kahr. "They speak to all of the different approaches you can take to art history in a museum, and that's an amazing opportunity the museum has."

The architecture, she says, will help support some of the curatorial fluidity. Interstitial spaces such as the courtyard galleries and terrace galleries can provide "adjacencies" between cultures  say, the links between Latin American and Asia  rather than having everyone boxed off in their own worlds.

An architectural rendering shows one of the courtyard gallery spaces at LACMA. (Atelier Peter Zumthor & Partner/The Boundary)

Some installations will remain fixed because of stipulations that they remain on display as a condition of their donation. This includes the Carter Collection of Dutch paintings, which will occupy a permanent space in the new building, and the Lazarof Collection of Modern and Impressionist art, which will be installed at the Broad Contemporary Art Museum, the Renzo Piano-designed building on the western edge of LACMA's campus.





Where construction stands

Currently, the tab for construction stands at $750 million. Govan says he has received $655 million in pledges toward the project and, of that, $300 million has been paid. (This includes $125 million from Los Angeles County taxpayers.)

An older rendering shows the view west on Wilshire Boulevard. The area on the north side of Wilshire will feature a street-side gallery. (Atelier Peter Zumthor / The Boundary)

Will the building adhere to that budget? Big construction projects have a way of climbing in price as construction progresses. Just ask the Academy Museum next door, which is $100 million over budget.

But Govan says that so far, the budget remains on track: "Ninety-six percent of the trade and contracts have been bid out, so the risk level on cost has plummeted. There is very little risk now."

Of course, that is betting on not turning up any mammoth remains during construction. The La Brea Tar Pits, after all, are right next door.

Govan estimates that the building will be completed by 2023, with move-in scheduled for 2024  an ambitious timeline.

But Mann says that so far, there hasn't been a single missed deadline  even with the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I tell you," he says. "If this team can't do it, nobody can."
MINSK -- A district court in Minsk sentenced RFE/RL photojournalist Uladz Hrydzin and freelance photographer Alyaksandr Vasyukovich to 11 days in jail on September 16 for "participating in an unauthorized rally."

Hrydzin, an award-winning photographer who had recently been stripped of foreign-media accreditation while working as an RFE/RL correspondent in Minsk, and Vasyukovich were found guilty of violating Belarus's law on mass gatherings on September 16.

The two photographers and another journalist were detained in a Minsk bar by a group of people wearing balaclavas on September 13, the day when tens of thousands rallied in the Belarusian capital to protest against official results from an August 9 presidential election that handed a landslide victory to the incumbent, Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
" " In 1960, Republican Vice President Richard Nixon (left) and Democratic Sen. John F. Kennedy took part in the first presidential debate ever televised. Hulton Archive/Getty Images

This was a big mistake.

For the first time in history, the two party-nominated candidates for president of the United States were about to debate with television cameras trained on them. And President Richard Nixon was beginning to regret agreeing to it.

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In the studios of a CBS affiliate in Chicago on Sept. 26, 1960, he felt like death warmed over. The month earlier, he'd slammed his knee into a car door, an injury that developed into a staph infection. He'd just spent two weeks in the hospital, and now, with the cameras about to roll, he was sweating, 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms) underweight and feeling terrible. Some guy had painted the backdrop almost the precise shade of gray as Nixon's suit, and he was fading into it. As if things couldn't possibly get worse, his opponent, Sen. John F. Kennedy, had spent the past month taking it easy on the campaign trail in sunny California. He looked tan, rested and as fit as Nixon had ever seen him.

That first debate was a groundbreaking event. More than 66 million people watched it on television [source: The Commission on Presidential Debates]. Historians would capitalize the "d" in debate and place the word "Great" in front of it. And Nixon looked seriously ill throughout.

Before the first debate, Nixon had been in the lead. The next day, polls showed Kennedy slightly ahead. Later polls found more than half of voters said the televised series of four debates had shaped how they cast their ballots (Nixon was judged to have won two of the later debates by voters). Six percent said they voted specifically according to their impression of the debates [source: History]. In November, Kennedy won the presidential election.

No longer was politics only about the issues and whatever a campaign could plant in the papers; they were also about aesthetics now. No longer were debates for the benefit of the few people in a room. They were now about the tens of millions who tuned in not only to listen to the candidates but also to watch them as well.

It's often said that radio listeners thought Nixon had one that first debate while TV viewers gave Kennedy the edge. But in reality, this wasn't true. A survey was taken of 2,100 people, and only 282 of them listened to the debate on the radio. The vast majority watched it on TV and there is no evidence to support the fact that the medium influenced a person's opinion of who won the debate [source: Morelli].

Another question was whether Kennedy's performance on that first debate won him the election. Some say it did, others say it didn't [source: Morelli]. But since Kennedy's win over Nixon was very narrow, it's safe to assume that Kennedy's good performance must have swung a few folks over to his side and helped him to victory.

Nixon refused to debate in subsequent presidential runs, but later candidates have all taken a turn at the podium and the presidential debate has become part of the decision-making process of Election Day in the U.S. So how did the presidential debates get started and how do they work?
The Ministry of Health is implementing a remote medical examination and treatment project for 2020-2025 to ensure the sustainable development of the health sector.

Remote medical examination and treatment has been deployed in many hospitals such as Hanoi Medical University Hospital, National Children's Hospital, Hanoi Heart Hospital, etc. to connect to dozens of hospitals in provinces across the country.

The system has been deployed in many hospitals such as Hanoi Medical University Hospital, National Pediatric Hospital, Hanoi Heart Hospital and K (Cancer) Hospital. It is estimated that when implemented nationwide, it will save the health sector tens of thousands of billions of dong each year.

Professor Luong Ngoc Khue - Director of the Medical Examination and Treatment Department under the Ministry of Health, talked about the project

Could you tell us about the aims of the project?

The remote medical examination and treatment project is one of the focuses of the Ministry of Health at this time to build an unlimited medical network between all levels of health care facilities nationwide.

Counselling and support for the grassroots levels is one of the tasks of training and direction of central and upper-level hospitals. This is an activity that has been implemented in a number of medical examination and treatment facilities. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic and amid emerging diseases, there are new risks, requiring the health sector to take drastic measures to meet both epidemic prevention and socio-economical development goals.

The project is built to help strengthen the professional capacity of the lower level hospitals, to help them achieve higher quality of treatment.

The projects goals are that all people will be consulted, examined, treated, and professionally supported by doctors from the communal to the central level; and that people can use higher-quality health care services at lower-level medical establishments. Staff of medical facilities will receive regular and irregular professional support from higher-level hospitals based on information technology. This will contribute to disease prevention, reducing hospital overcrowding at higher levels, as well as improving the quality, efficiency and results of medical examination and treatment.

Could you tell us more about remote medical consultation and treatment?

During the COVID-19 pandemic prevention period, the Ministry of Health has applied information technology solutions to implement remote treatment counselling and treatment. The National Steering Committee has established a centre for management and administration to support professional diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 patients.

The centre regularly organises online conferences and invites leading professors across the country to consult on serious cases, discuss optimal treatment methods for patients and share treatment and care experiences. Information technology has helped bring together the team of leading experts and hospitals closer together and there is almost no geographic distance between regions and between the upper and lower levels.

The establishment of such a management and administration centre marked the development of the medical examination and treatment system in the trend of applying advanced scientific and technological achievements in disease treatment, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic.

This further confirmed the effectiveness of information technology in implementing remote treatment and counselling activities. The case of the British pilot, patient 91, is a typical example. Leading experts regularly held online conferences to find the best solutions for treatment and thanks to that, the patient made a miraculous recovery.

The management centre for diagnosis and treatment of patients COVID-19 was built and developed in the first days when the outbreak began and had been recognised as one of seven works that were honoured in the Golden Book of Vietnamese Creativity by the Central Committee of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front.

According to the project, the first phase of the remote medical examination and treatment project will set up 1,000 points connecting health professionals. How will this work?

The COVID-19 professional support management and management centre for patient diagnosis and treatment is a testament to the success of remote consultation and is the model that will be multiplied across the country. To maintain and keep it efficient, it requires a series of legal corridors and policies.

Specifically, we need strict management from information security, transmission lines, technical lists for health insurance billing and regulations to make the consultation opinions at the upper level become a legal basis and necessary for the lower level to implement.

The Department of Medical Examination and Treatment was assigned as the focal point to co-ordinate with the departments of the Ministry of Health and the Departments of Information Technology under the Ministry of Information and Communication. Viettel will implement many solutions to ensure the legality of a remote consultation meeting as well as ensuring the technical elements for remote consultation and treatment are effective.

Currently, there are nearly 20 central hospitals able to conduct remote examination and treatment, of which Bach Mai Hospital has connected with 300 points, Viet Duc Hospital connected with nearly 130 points and Medical University Hospital connected with nearly 200 points.

A total of 1,000 points is the number that the project aims for. Currently there are 40 central hospitals nationwide; 492 provincial hospitals; 645 district hospitals; 72 hospitals of each sectors in the society; 275 private hospitals; 32,000 private clinics; and 11,000 medical stations. With such a foundation, this number of 1,000 points for remote medical examination and treatment is completely feasible. 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.
FAIRFIELD  Fairfield University officials reported a spike Friday of more than two-dozen new coronavirus infections over the past week.

The schools public dashboard shows 35 more students tested positive between Sept. 10 and Wednesday, the most recent data available.

University officials previously reported seven cases, all among students.

The school updates its COVID-19 database twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays.

As todays dashboard update demonstrates, we did see an increase in the incidence of positive diagnostic tests among students this week, as well as an increase in the number of these students direct contacts who are now under surveillance by the University, said Jennifer Anderson, a spokeswoman for the university.

She noted the schools overall infection rate is still below state averages.

The majority of these cases are from known sources and not the result of an event, Anderson said.

Of the new cases reported Friday, 17 were found through on-campus testing. The other 18 were reported to the school from off-campus testing sites. Two of the on-campus cases were found through surveillance testing.

Most colleges and universities required students to be tested either before they returned to campus or upon arrival. After those tests are completed, the schools have conducted weekly surveillance testing of a random sample of the school community.

Fairfield University has raised its status level to yellow, which could come with restrictions barring students from visiting one anothers rooms, dining will move to grab-and-go, and capacity restrictions.

Twenty-six students are currently in isolation for COVID-19 at Fairfield University, and 15 are under surveillance for direct contact with an infected person, the schools database shows.

The new cases at Fairfield University come as officials at Sacred Heart University expanded their quarantine of of an entire residency hall this week after multiple students tested positive for the virus.

SHU officials said a student living at Merton Hall had a positive test last week that was mislabeled by the lab.

The student was placed in isolation after the error was discovered Tuesday.

As of Friday, nine people there have tested positive for the disease.

We have begun to get the results of the testing from the two floors with positive cases and we have three new asymptomatic positive cases on those floors, university officials said Friday in a letter to the community. We expect to receive the remaining results over the weekend and will review them and decide about lifting the quarantine.

On Thursday, the school reported 45 other cases among students living off-campus in Bridgeports North End.

Fairfield First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick said town officials are aware of the rise in cases and are in regular communication with both universities.

While the universities are providing separate isolation and quarantine facilities, many students are electing to return home, she said in her newsletter to residents Friday.

SHU students who decide to go home before they are tested by the school will need to submit a negative test before they can return the school said. If theyre coming from a state on Connecticuts travel advisory list, they will also have to provide a negative test, university officials said Friday.

Several other colleges and universities around the state continue to report cases.

Quinnipiac University in Hamden reported its first case of the virus Friday. That student lives at home and is isolating with their family, the school said.

Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic reported three new cases among off-campus students Friday, up from six reported days before.

Central Connecticut State University in New Britain reported one new case among residential students Thursday.

Wesleyan University in Middletown reported three new cases this week. The school currently has two active cases among students and four cases among employees.

The University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford reported three new cases  two among students, one among employees - this week.

The University of Hartford reported five new cases Friday, up from eight days before, all among students.

The University of Bridgeport reports one case among commuter students as of Tuesday  the most recent data available.
Oil prices drifted lower on Friday, pausing after three days of gains, as producers prepared to resume operations in the Gulf of Mexico and data showed Saudi Arabian exports rose from record lows.

Brent crude was down 6 cents at $43.24 a barrel by 0112 GMT, while U.S. oil futures dropped 6 cents to $40.91 a barrel. Both contracts have risen sharply this week as Hurricane Sally cut U.S. production and are on track for a weekly gain of around 9%, the first in three weeks.

U.S. offshore drillers and exporters began a clearup on Thursday after Hurricane Sally weakened to a depression and started rebooting idle Gulf of Mexico rigs after closing the down for five days.

Crews were flown back to at least 30 offshore oil and gas platforms. Equinor and Chevron Corp began returning staff to platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, following Murphy Oil Corp's restart this week.

"Now the storm has passed, we should start to see this production coming back online," ING Research said in a note.

In Saudi Arabia exports rose in July to 5.73 million barrels per day (bpd) from a record low the previous month, official data showed on Thursday.

Supporting prices, OPEC and its allies said on Thursday the group will take action on members that are not complying with deep output cuts to support the market following a coronavirus-led slump in fuel demand.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and other producers such as Russia, making up the so-called OPEC+ group, are cutting 7.7 million barrels a day of output to support prices.
The announcement quells fears among some telcos that Chinese players might be banned from participating in 5G trials and roll outs.

Photograph: Rafael Marchante / Reuters.

In a new twist to the saga over whether Chinese companies Huawei Technologies and ZTE can supply telecom gear, Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Sanjay Dhotre said the government had no plan to exclude them from 5G network infrastructure contracts.

Dhotre was giving a written reply to MPs queries in Parliament on Wednesday.

The announcement quells fears among some telcos that Chinese players might be banned from participating in 5G trials and roll outs.

The department of telecommunications (DoT), while deposing before the IT parliamentary committee, had said a final decision on their fate would be taken by the home ministry.

As a result, leading Indian telcos, taking their cue from the DoT, put in additional applications for collaboration with OEMs in cities where they had already given applications based on tie-ups either with Huawei or ZTE for 5G trials.

The telcos put in additional applications against the backdrop of growing escalation in border tensions between India and China, accompanied by a strong movement to ban Chinese products.

Even before the border skirmishes started, India had been under pressure from the US, which is campaigning across the world to ban the use of Chinese 5G gear on the grounds that it is allegedly used for spying.

However, despite banning various popular Chinese apps, neither the DoT nor any other government department clarified its stand on Chinese telecom equipment companies.

Telcos say they had been willing to withdraw the applications they had made with the Chinese companies if the government had communicated its intention clearly but with no clear signal, they decided to put in additional applications.

So, for example, according to sources, Huawei had tied up with Airtel and Reliance Jio in Bengaluru and with Vodafone Idea in Delhi. ZTE had tied up with Airtel for Kolkata.

But in July, the telcos felt compelled to give fresh applications in most of these cities, this time with Nokia, Ericsson or Samsung. For instance, Airtel gave an application with Ericsson in Bengaluru and with Nokia in Kolkata.

Reliance Jio, which had tied the knot with Huawei in Bengaluru, gave an additional application that it would do trials based on its own 5G technology, something it is already doing in Mumbai (where it also has an application with Samsung).

Many of the telcos have given additional applications, but the original applications have not been withdrawn. So we are still hopeful that it is not the end, said the executive of a leading Chinese gear maker.

Despite Communications Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad promising in June 2019 that the government will give 5G spectrum for trial runs in 100 days, telcos say they are still waiting for the green signal.

In the same month, the Wireless Planning & Coordination Cell (WPC) released a memorandum defining the scope of 5G technology trials with the aim of regulating licences. In line with this, the WPC was readying to allocate spectrum to telcos which had made requests in the 850 MHz, 3500 MHz and 26 GHz bands for the 5G trial runs.

However, the DoT raised concerns about the need to get security clearances before a telco could conduct 5G trials. Many telcos submitted applications for security clearances but heard nothing for a while.

In December, the DoT had a meeting with telcos and asked them to file applications by 15 January 2020. Later, the telcos were called, along with their OEM partners, for a presentation in the DoT on 20 January.

Meanwhile, apart from the new additional applications, Reliance Jio announced that it had developed its own 5G technology in July.

Two days after the announcement, it asked the DoT for trial spectrum to test its technology in the 3500 MHz and the millimeter band for two years in Delhi and Mumbai.

In its earlier application, it has made a request to test its own technology only in Mumbai.
As Golden Gate Park celebrates its 150th birthday this year, its hard to imagine how bleak its original terrain was.

Three-quarters of its 1,019 acres consisted of sand dunes, some covered with scrub brush, some completely barren. With the exception of a few squatters, it was unoccupied.

William Hammond Hall submitted the winning bid to carry out the first survey of the park, as related in the previous Portals. He described one of its few homesteads, occupied by a man who lived on a little hill near the intersection of present-day John F. Kennedy Drive and Middle Drive.

There was a ramshackle, tumble-down little house, where an old, heavily-whiskered hermit-like man lived, with several dogs for companions, Hall wrote. Chickens and ducks which he raised there, and large frogs which he caught in the ponds out towards the beach and sold to the French restaurants, yielded him a livelihood. ... A few jackrabbits, cottontails and quail found refuge on the scrub-covered hills, and sustenance among the sparse herbage of the hillocks; and coyotes, from the San Miguel hills, visited the neighborhood of the chicken ranch nightly and with sufficient persistence to keep the old hermit and his dogs busy scaring them away.

As Raymond H. Clary writes in The Making of Golden Gate Park: The Early Years 1865-1906: Had someone had the temerity to suggest at that time that within fifteen years Golden Gate Park would become famous, he or she would have been rushed off to an insane asylum.

Even if this Great Sand Waste could somehow be transformed into an oasis of grass and trees, it was so remote that it was questionable whether anyone would ever visit it. As Clary notes, for more than 10 years after work on the park started in 1870, public transportation to the new park was nonexistent.

The Geary Street Cable Road stopped at Central Avenue (now Presidio). From there, it was a long, dreary plod through sand dunes to the corner of D Street (now Fulton) and Stanyan. The only other public transportation was a horse-car line that went out Eddy to Pierce, after which it was a 10-block walk down unpaved streets to the Panhandle at Oak and Baker streets.

According to Clary, this remote area was inhabited by unsavory characters who had been evicted from San Francisco by vigilantes more than 15 years earlier.

A walk through the area was sure to subject any lady to cheers, jeers and insults, so it is understandable why the sand dunes were an unpopular choice for a park, Clary writes. Indeed, the area was so disreputable that the sheriff authorized early park workers to carry guns on their way to and from the new park.

After he conducted his survey in early 1871, Hall was named park superintendent. He now faced the Herculean task of transforming this desert into a California version of Central Park or the Bois de Boulogne.

The biggest problem he faced was the dunes. It was impossible to grow trees and grass on them, and San Franciscos prevailing westerly winds constantly blew the sand to the eastern end of the park site, where the drifts threatened to overwhelm the 270 acres of developable land. That acreage included the only native trees in what became the park  the beautiful live oaks that still stand near the horseshoe pits.

The only way to stabilize the dunes, it was widely believed, was to build a massive seawall at the ocean end of the park, which would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars  far more than the city could afford.

But Hall had a different and much cheaper solution in mind. As Terence Young notes in Building San Franciscos Parks 1850-1930, Hall had learned of successful and inexpensive European efforts to stabilize sand dunes when he worked as a coastal engineer. French engineers had been able to control spreading sand at the mouths of rivers by planting grasses on the dunes closest to the ocean. The grasses powerful roots held the sand in place, while their blades blocked the flying grains.

Europeans had also been able to stop inland dunes from drifting and established vegetation on them, by planting shrubs and trees simultaneously. The shrubs grew first, and the trees took root.

Hall and his team tried the combination used by the French engineers, maritime pines and yellow broom, but the mixture failed to hold the sands. So they turned to local plants.

Noticing that native lupines were holding the sands farther inland, they planted a mixture of the imported broom and maritime pine, plus lupine seeds. This combination worked better, but still failed: As Hall later wrote, The tiny pines died as seedlings, and the broom was being choked by the lupine when the advance of the sand drift completely covered the little plantation during the second winter after sowing.

Trivia time Who ordered anyone using the word "Frisco" to pay a fine of $25? Answer: Emperor Norton. This week's trivia question: What is Tennessee Valley Beach named after? Editor's note Every corner in San Francisco has an astonishing story to tell. Gary Kamiya's Portals of the Past tells those lost stories, using a specific location to illuminate San Francisco's extraordinary history - from the days when giant mammoths wandered through what is now North Beach to the Gold Rush delirium, the dot-com madness and beyond. His column appears every other Saturday. Dig deep into Chronicle Vault Like what you're reading? Subscribe to the Chronicle Vault newsletter and get classic archive stories in your inbox twice a week. Read hundreds of historical stories, see thousands of archive photos and sort through 153 years of classic Chronicle front pages at SFChronicle.com/vault. See More Collapse

A lucky accident provided the solution to the problem. While Hall and his workers were camping out on the dunes for a month, one of their horses was corralled on a patch of sand. Its feed consisted of whole soaked barley seeds. One day, the horse spilled its feed on the sand.

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

As luck would have it, the rains soon came. When Hall happened by the spot a week later, the barley seeds had sprouted and clothed several yards of loose sand with a vigorous green growth, he wrote.

This gave Hall an idea. He conjectured that the quick-sprouting barley would hold the sands through the winter and spring. This would give time for the lupine to establish itself, further stabilizing the dunes through the summer and following winter. By then, larger plants like broom would have put down roots.

In late 1872 and early 1873, Hall and his associates carried out a trial, scattering a mixture of barley, lupine, maritime pine and albizia distachya seeds over a 100-acre area. After the experiment succeeded, Halls team began using the technique, with some refinements, on all the shifting dunes.

In the next two years, they stabilized almost all 700 acres of drift sands in the park. Hall had solved the riddle of the dunes for just $30,000.

As Elizabeth McClintock writes in The Trees of Golden Gate Park and San Francisco, In only five years, Hall achieved what is, perhaps, the most remarkable landscape transformation anyone has ever seen.

Hall would face other challenges in the five years he headed Golden Gate Park. But the greatest obstacle had been overcome. Thanks to a horses spilled nosebag, the seeds of what would become one of the worlds great urban parks had taken root.

Gary Kamiya is the author of the best-selling book Cool Gray City of Love: 49 Views of San Francisco, awarded the Northern California Book Award in creative nonfiction. All the material in Portals of the Past is original for The San Francisco Chronicle. To read earlier Portals of the Past, go to sfchronicle.com/portals. For more features from 150 years of The Chronicles archives, go to sfchronicle.com/vault. Email:metro@sfchronicle.com
Missoula County Public Schools could have all students back in classrooms, five days a week, as early as Nov. 9, according to a new preliminary schedule released Wednesday.

In a message sent to parents and posted to the districts website, Superintendent Rob Watson laid out a preliminary schedule for a ramp-up to Phase 2, which calls for all students to return to in-person learning, Monday through Friday, by Nov. 9, not including students attending Missoula Online Academy.

The plan adds an interim phase before reaching Phase 2 called Hybrid Plus, which has students learning from home on Mondays like they currently are, and brings all students back to in-person learning Tuesday through Friday.

Currently, students are learning under the Hybrid model, with remote learning Mondays, students with last names starting with A-K in person Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and students with last names starting with L-Z in person Thursdays and Fridays.

Under the preliminary schedule, K-5 and 6th-8th grade schools would enter the added Hybrid Plus model starting Oct. 12, which is a short week due to parent-teacher conferences. High schools would remain in the current Hybrid model before moving to Phase 2 on Nov. 9.

We are recommending a transition to Phase 2 on Nov. 9 because our (middle and high school) students will be restarting their schedule rotation in quarter 2 and it will be beneficial for instruction to have all students when we restart that rotation, Watson said in the message.

The district is recommending Willard Alternative High School move to the Hybrid Plus model on Oct. 5, when it starts a new grading period. Seeley-Swan High School has been operating in Phase 2 since the start of school due to low student numbers.

Regardless of phase, students will remain on the shortened school day schedules through Jan. 22.

Under Phase 2, classroom sizes would inevitably increase, with K-5 class size averages ranging from 16-20 students, grades 6-8 ranging from 21-22 students and high schools ranging from 16-17 students per class at the large schools and 12 at Willard.

Because of the increased class sizes, Watson said social distancing will not be possible under Phase 2.

With increased student numbers, it will not be possible to maintain 6-ft of physical distancing in our classrooms, so it will be important to follow our other protocols, like wearing face coverings, frequent handwashing and sanitation, and keeping students in cohort groups, he said.

The transition would also stretch school staffing, which is already experiencing a shortage. MCPS has pulled current staff from several buildings to teach for the Online Academy, and according to the district, due to lack of applicants, in some cases it has been unable to backfill those positions in the schools.

In addition, because the district had to also hire new staff for the Online Academy, substitute teachers and applicants who would normally be applying for jobs within the schools are few and far between.

Under the Hybrid model, with only half the students in schools on any given day, we have been able to manage our staff shortages. However, moving to an everyday model would stretch our staff, Watson said, adding the district will continue to advertise for and hire staff to fill vacancies within schools.

Prior to the first day of school, parents, teachers and staff expressed concern that MCPS was moving too quickly by returning to in-person learning, even under the Hybrid model, due to case counts still increasing in Missoula County. Thursday saw a record increase of 217 COVID-19 cases in Montana, and the positive count has been increasing in Missoula County this week.

As staff members, were experts in education. We are advocating for a slow, steady, sustainable approach to this return to school, said KaCee Ballou, president of the Missoula Education Association, at the Aug. 20 special school board meeting.

Paxson Elementary fifth-grade teacher Tamra Reschke asked the school board to move slowly as they move from Phase 1 to Phase 2.

Give us time to do a really good job on safety protocols under Phase 1, she said at the meeting.

Watsons message notes since the start of school on Aug. 26, the district has seen three cases of COVID-19, all at the high school level.

I want to honor the request I have heard from many regarding the need to be cautious and consistent in our schedule before making any big changes, Watson said.

The transition to any new phase is contingent on approval with the Missoula City-County Health Department. Missoula County reported nine new cases Thursday, with 78 total active cases.

The MCPS Board of Trustees will discuss the preliminary schedule at their next meeting on Sept. 22. The schedule will need to be approved by trustees before it becomes official.

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Realeza

Victoria Federica sigue los pasos de su primo Pablo Urdangarin y cambia su actitud con la prensa
'You are the worst pest for agriculture': BJP slams Cong' opposition to Centre's farming bill

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Sep 18: The BJP has rejected the allegations of the Congress against the Union government over three agriculture sector bills as "complete lies" and alleged that the opposition party was the "worst pest".

The Congress had earlier said that the farm sector legislations brought in by the government defeat the purpose of the Green Revolution and will be "a death knell for the future of farming" as it alleged that the Modi dispensation, akin to the coronavirus pandemic, was attacking lives and livelihood of farmers.

After Akali Dal now JJP's Dushyant Chautala under pressure over farm bills row | Oneindia News

Hitting back, BJP spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao said, "All Congress allegations on the agricultural marketing bill are complete lies. Congress is the worst 'pest' that has damaged Indian agriculture. Our soldiers and farmers make us proud and safe. Congress always makes cynical statements to lower the morale of the soldiers & farmers."
Dr. Reddy's Laboratories along with its subsidiaries announced the settlement of their litigation with Celgene, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bristol Myers Squibb, relating to patents for REVLIMID (lenalidomide) Capsules.

Hindalco Industries and Hindustan Copper signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the long-term purchase and sale of copper concentrate produced by Hindustan Copper.

TVS Motor Company announced their new distribution partnership with Autotecnica Colombiana SAS (Auteco SAS), a leading motorcycle assembler in Colombia. Autotecnica Colombiana SAS will operate 50 dealerships exclusive to TVS Motor Company and create dedicated space for the brand in over 600 retail outlets.

Sterling and Wilson Solar announced that it has signed an order of 106.71 MW worth USD 62.6 million (~INR 462 crores) in Chile. The order has been received from a global independent power producer (IPP), work for which is expected to begin in Q4 FY 2021.

Elantas Beck India said that the company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Talegaon Industrial Parks Private Limited for acquisition of land situated at Navlakhumbre, Tal. Maval, Pune, Maharashtra for setting up a new green field manufacturing facility. The facility will provide additional capacity to cater to the market demand.

Arrow Greentech said that in view of the issue of revocation order by Gujarat Pollution Control Board, the production operations will be recommenced at the Ankleshwar Plant.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Faced with a bureaucratic logjam above him and a spiraling coronavirus outbreak aboard his aircraft carrier, Navy Capt. Brett Crozier told investigators he knew sending up a red flare would jeopardize his military career, but he did it to avoid catastrophe.

My intent in sending the email ... was to bring a sense of urgency to a rapidly deteriorating and potentially deadly situation onboard the (Theodore Roosevelt) and avoid a larger catastrophe and loss of life, Crozier said in a witness statement obtained exclusively by The Chronicle on Thursday.

Although my method may have been imperfect, I reached out to those in my Chain of Command whom I believed were in the best position to provide immediate assistance to expedite the necessary decision and action, he said. Despite possible long term repercussions to my career, I acted in what I believed was in the best interest of the Sailors aboard TR.

The Santa Rosa natives 26-page witness statement, recorded during the Navys investigation into the handling of the outbreak aboard the nuclear aircraft carrier, provides the first glimpse into Croziers thought process before he sent the letter that shook the Navy and military world to its core.

The 50-year-old captain, subsequently stripped of his position and found unfit to command a Navy unit, discussed his decision-making process from an early March port visit in Vietnam to his final discussions with Thomas Modly, then-acting Navy secretary. Modly later resigned over the incident.

In addition to Croziers statement, The Chronicle reviewed thousands of pages of investigatory records and witness statements that showed that much of Croziers crew was fiercely loyal to the captain and suspicious of his firing. Some crew members questioned whether Navy brass did the bidding of President Trump, who had criticized Crozier early on.

I feel (Crozier) was willing to fall on his sword to show that appropriate actions were not being taken. ... I think that he was relieved because of a political decision by Modly or possibly at the OSD/POTUS level, said Roosevelt Executive Officer Capt. Daniel Keeler in his witness statement.

He likened Croziers dismissal to dropping a nuclear bomb in the middle of an ongoing crisis.

However, many of Croziers bosses were critical of his actions, saying his email was unnecessary because action was already under way to evacuate the crowded and infected warship. When asked how much trust he had in Crozier commanding a ship, Vice Adm. William Merz, commander of the 7h Fleet, was frank: Zero.

Based on the regular and timely feed of information to him and his team, either he wasnt listening, could not comprehend, or maliciously undermined the response, Merz told investigators. When he did act, he did so in a way arguably the most inappropriate possible and in spite of all other avenues being available. All fatal flaws  not fit for command.

The Roosevelt saga began in March at the infancy of the pandemic and with few outbreaks among the military. On March 30, as dozens of sailors tested positive after the carrier docked in Guam, a frustrated Crozier wrote a letter saying more needed to be done to remove his 5,000 sailors from the ship or lives would be lost. He complained that pier-side accommodations didnt have proper social distancing, lacked individual bathroom facilities and had poor ventilation.

Over 1,200 sailors  more than 1 in 5  would test positive for the virus, including Crozier, who spent a month in Guam isolation before he tested negative and returned home to San Diego. Several would be hospitalized and one would die from COVID-19 complications. Days after The Chronicle exclusively reported on Croziers explosive email, he was relieved of his command, receiving a heros send-off from his crew.

In April, Navy officials initially recommended Croziers reinstatement, but a deeper investigation led to a June decision to not bring Crozier back to helm the Roosevelt. Naval officials said only that Crozier would be reassigned and be ineligible for future command posts. Crozier has kept a low profile and not spoken publicly since the ordeal, but has been showered with international accolades.

Crozier gave his statement to investigators on May 8.

In mid-March, when the first three positive cases were found aboard the warship, Crozier described how he instituted Bleachapalooza  twice daily scrubbing with all hands  along with shutting down gyms, a barbershop and other operations. Infected sailors and those with close contacts were isolated in the aft of the ship. Crozier would later be criticized for prematurely releasing sailors from that quarantine zone, possibly spreading the virus among the rest of the ship.

However, his second-in-command, Keeler, called the aft berthing plan a failure, and said the spread was already taking hold in the rest of the ship.

We had some true human suffering in aft berthing. Conditions were poor, Keeler told investigators. Family members were complaining about sailors stuck in close quarters with sick colleagues, a lack of food and bleak conditions. I regret attempting it and would not do it again.

As more men and women got sick, conditions deteriorated and Crozier and his officers worked to get the bulk of the crew offloaded and isolated, with a limited number of sailors staying onboard. Testing capabilities were limited, Senior Medical Officer Capt. John York said, with the ship limited to 40 diagnostic tests a day.

handout / Courtesy US Navy

As Crozier began discussions with Navy higher-ups, he pushed for individual hotel rooms on Guam for isolation and told investigators he was concerned that the Navy was pushing unrealistic plans to fly sailors to Okinawa or house the sailors pier-side.

Meanwhile, sailors were infecting one another in the gym and not getting enough to eat, leading some to order pizza from a base restaurant to eat, Crozier said. And the Roosevelt medical staff painted a dire picture based on studies of cruise ships with outbreaks. The carrier had tighter conditions and more communal berthing and bathrooms than stricken cruise ships. Crozier said even though his crew was younger and healthier than the average cruise passenger, he felt if nothing was done, five to six sailors from the crew could die in the near future.

On March 28, Crozier said he was told to expect a call from Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday, but the call was canceled.

The phone call might have provided a more thorough understanding of wider Navy efforts to combat the virus onboard and with our crew, allowed me to communicate our desire to get Sailors into effective isolation quarters ashore, and instilled confidence that the situation was being rapidly addressed at the appropriate levels, Crozier told investigators.

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.

By March 30, Crozier was fed up. Navy heads were stuck debating inconsequential details, such as whether to put Social Security numbers on testing kits, he said.

I believe everyone involved was well intentioned, but some up the chain of command were proceeding more slowly than I would have liked and getting unnecessarily wrapped up in the status quo of (plan) development, Crozier told investigators. From my perspective, even just one more week of routine planning would have resulted in another week of exponential growth in positive cases and greater risk to more Sailors. We wanted to stop the administrative bureaucracy ... so I sent up a red flare.

After his dismissal, Navy officials insisted that Crozier was not being punished for sending an email asking for assistance, but for needlessly breaking the sacrosanct chain of command and for poorly managing the unfolding outbreak on his ship. The captain said he left Merz, commander of the 7th Fleet, off his email because he wanted to send it to flag officers in his chain of command that I know.

(Merzs) staff was still trying to bound the problem, and information flow there suggested they might see the email as a hindrance to normal staff work (versus) see it as a red flare, Crozier told investigators. In hindsight, there was no good reason for not including (Merz) and I suspect that he would have been as responsive as everyone else was.

Crozier said he sent the email through unclassified channels because speed was of the essence and quicker to read than on a government smartphone. Top Navy officers have said this led to the memo being leaked and jeopardized sensitive plans with the Guam government to house sailors in hotel rooms.

In hindsight, there was higher risk that the letter would end up in the open press by sending it on an unclassified network, but that was not my intent, Crozier told investigators.

His crew overwhelmingly agreed with his decision to send the email, as his operations officer told investigators in his statement.

After Capt. Crozier sent the email, we suddenly had an ability to get hotel rooms. All of a sudden we have progress, he said. I think 100% it had to do with the letter because magically, we had rooms available.

Crozier was dismissed from command April 3 in Guam after an angry phone call from Modly, who was upset Crozier hadnt reached out to him personally about my continuing concerns, Crozier said. On April 6, the captain said, Modly visited him in quarantine in Guam and said he relieved him of duty because he lost trust and confidence in me.

However, based on incorrect comments he made to the press and onboard the (Roosevelt) to the crew earlier that day, where he said I sent the email to 20 to 30 people, and that I panicked as a leader and raised alarm bells unnecessarily, Crozier said, I think his decision was premature.

Matthias Gafni is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: matthias.gafni@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @mgafni
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday took on critics of his governments farm-liberalisation plan, a day after the Lower House passed two of the three farm bills, accusing detractors of spreading misinformation and lies, while reassuring farmers the reforms were in their best interests.

Modi called the reforms a protective shield around farmers, which would bring more options and opportunities. His comments, made in a video address dedicating a railway bridge in Bihar and also on microblogging site Twitter, came after Lok Sabha passed by a majority voice vote the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020. On Tuesday, the Lower House passed a third legislation, the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill 2020.

Modi addressed concerns about prices and the countrys procurement system, under which the government buys farm produce at federally-fixed minimum support prices (MSP) from farmers. Theres disinformation that the government would withdraw benefits of support prices, he said. The Prime Minister said the countrys procurement system will continue to run as usual.

People who ruled this country for decades and were in power such people are trying to mislead farmers. They are telling lies to farmers, Modi said.

Disinformation is also being spread that wheat and rice, etc, will not be procured by the government from farmers. This is an absolute lie, completely wrong and an attempt to cheat farmers, the Prime Minister said.

Modi said the government is committed to give farmers appropriate prices through the support-price mechanism. I want to give farmers a message. Dont fall for lies.

The main opposition Congress and a clutch of smaller parties are opposed to the reforms. A key opposition to the bills on Thursday came from the Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) ally, the Shiromani Akali Dal, whose minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigned from the Union Cabinet, exposing a crucial rift between the two parties over efforts to unshackle the farm sector.

Indias agricultural trade still requires licenced traders who must operate out of notified markets allotted to them. The bills aim to sidestep this system, called agricultural produce market committees (APMC), free up market restrictions, enable farmers and agribusinesses to engage more confidently under a new contract farming law and help to create modern supply chains. Critics argue the new system will lack adequate oversight in its current form.

The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, allows buyers of farm produce to trade outside the mandi system or wholesale markets run by states under APMCs, which have become cartelised over time.

The reforms will give new freedom to farmers. They will bring more options and opportunities for farmers to sell their produce, Modi said.

Also read| Failed to convince govt about farmers grouse: Harsimrat Kaur Badal

Congratulating farmers of the country over passage of this bills in the Lower House, Modi said the reforms would protect farmers from middlemen. Middlemen stand between farmers and their customers; these middlemen take a big chunk of a farmers income. These reforms have come as a protective shield for farmers.

APMC laws require farmers to only sell to licensed middlemen in notified markets, usually in the same area where the farmers reside, rather than in open markets, which economists say scuttles price discovery, hurting farm profits.

The bill enables farmers and buyers of their produce to trade outside these markets without any taxes and will therefore open up APMCs to competitions.

The agriculture sector will benefit from modern technology and our farmers will also be empowered, the Prime Minister said.

Modi made a veiled but sharp attack on the Congress for opposing the reforms. These people who would make big promises to farmers during election time, would do it in writing, and in their manifestoes, forget these promises after elections, he said.

Now when the BJP-NDA (the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-National Democratic Alliance) government is implementing those promises, which others have mentioned in their manifestoes, these people are wantonly spreading misinformation.

The Congresss 2019 manifesto promised to liberalise agricultural markets.

Modi said people who were opposing the reforms had promised them in their partys election manifestoes. The same APMC Act over which they are doing politics and opposing changes to provisions of agriculture marketingthese people mentioned these changes in their own manifestoes, but have now come down to spreading lies.

Major farmer organisations, such as the Bharatiya Kisan Union and the umbrella All-India All-India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee, a front for nearly 200 farmers groups, have opposed the bills.

Modi said people trying to mislead farmers didnt know how aware farmers of the country were. They are watching; they know who is standing with middlemen.

Producers of items such as clothing, utensils and shoes, etc, have the freedom to sell where they want, Modi said, adding: Only farmers were deprived of this freedom. Now they will have the freedom to sell wherever they want in the world.

Referring to Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, who was present on the occasion, Modi said Kumar knew the problems of farmers. That is why he had reformed agriculture to remove the APMC law when he first came to power.

Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said the government itself was spreading lies. Tell me which farmer is happy? Look at the state of farmers in states like Bihar which have junked the APMC system and compare them with farmers of Punjab and see the difference.

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The future looked bleak for Texas last remaining county education department in early 2019.

After years of state-level efforts to abolish the Harris County Department of Education, a new majority of trustees signaled they would take a more critical look at the agencys inner workings and whether it still served the core function of supporting local school districts.

Less than a year later, the entire makeup of the board has changed. Now a 5-2 majority of HCDE supporters oversee the department and its $128 million annual budget, a majority that could grow after the November election.

The two board seats on this years ballot  two of the three at-large positions  are held by Republicans Don Sumners and Michael Wolfe, the remaining trustees who have been critical of the department in the past. Sumners is seeking re-election, and although Wolfe is not running for his old seat, his father, Bob Wolfe, is.

Sumners Democratic opponent is David Brown, an educator who works for Change Happens, a Third Ward-based nonprofit that provides mentoring, drug prevention and other services to low-income youth. Democrat Erica Davis, chief of staff for Precinct 1 Constable Alan Rosen, is running against Wolfe. If Brown and Davis capture the two at-large positions, board president Eric Dick  who has opposed efforts to shut down the department  would be the lone remaining Republican trustee.

Still, state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a northwest Harris County Republican who has spearheaded efforts to shut down HCDE in recent legislative sessions, said the outcome of the election will not have much effect on the tenor of the board.

There wont be any way for Republicans to recover the majority because of the mistakes of the former (board) president, Bettencourt said. All they can do is hold the seats they already have.

The department has operated differently than any traditional school district since it was founded in 1889. The departments function has been to provide support and resources to the 25 school districts that lie within Harris Countys borders, a large part of which comes from a purchasing co-op that helps districts buy supplies at lower prices.

It also offers educational programs, operating 15 federally funded Head Start early childhood programs, runs four specialty schools and provides adult education courses at 65 locations. Additionally, it employs special education therapists who travel around the county to help schools provide services to students with disabilities.

Its tax rate is minuscule, and the bulk of its budget is comprised of state and federal grants, as well as fees districts pay for specialized services.

In recent decades, the department has been the subject of frequent criticism of some state and local conservatives who call it an unnecessary bureaucracy that would better serve districts if it were dissolved and its assets were given to local schools.

Republicans who shared that belief gained control of the board after the 2018 midterm elections and were quick to exercise their new role. Former trustee Josh Flynn was named board president during his first meeting in January 2019. Minutes later, the board voted to scrap a contract with a lobbying firm that represented HCDE interests in Austin.

Melissa Phillip, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

They voted the following month to change the composition of an ancillary board that issues bonds and oversees construction contracts. They asked the board attorney to investigate the departments Education Foundation, then put an item on two meeting agendas to replace the same attorney with a representative from Republican state Rep. Briscoe Cains law firm, an ally of the Republican trustees. The board ultimately kept its original lawyer after the item to remove her was tabled.

Tempers flared between the new majority and those who supported the agency. Trustee Eric Dick, the sole Republican on the board who supported HCDE, frequently exchanged terse words with the new majority, especially former President Flynn and Trustee Michael Wolfe. The tension came to a head after Dick reported that Wolfe had made sexual advances on a woman who had applied to become the boards secretary, and allegedly attempted to blacklist her among Houston Republican groups after she turned down his advances.

After reviewing a third-party report on the allegations commissioned by the board, trustees voted to censure Wolfe in April 2019, and Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan launched an investigation into the allegations. Wolfe has denied the allegations, and the county attorney has yet to release any findings.

Ultimately, the boards Republican majority was short-lived. Former Trustee George Moore resigned after moving out of Harris County in May 2019, and the board later appointed Democrat Amy Hinojosa to replace him. Flynn resigned in December that same year after his eligibility to run for the Texas House was questioned due to his position on the board. The board appointed Democrat Andrea Duhon to take Flynns place, firmly shifting the board majority.

2020 Candidates for the Harris County Department of Education Board of Trustees Position 7 at-large Republican Don Sumners, incumbent and former county tax assessor v Democrat David Brown, educator at nonprofit Change Happens Position 5 at-large Republican Bob Wolfe, lawyer v Democrat Erica Davis, chief of staff for Precinct 1 Constable Alan Rosen See More Collapse

I have to tell you, it seems like its working like a well-oiled machine, Duhon said. Its been fabulous not having to worry about someone coming in and trying to tear it all apart.

Sumners, Bettencourt and other Republicans have blamed Flynn for the shift in power. Though Republicans outnumbered Democrats for most of 2019, Dick sided with the Democrats amid an ongoing feud with the Republican trustees, resulting in a 3-3 deadlock that left the board unable to appoint Moores replacement. Moore was barred from voting.

In December, however, Flynn skipped a meeting where trustees were set to appoint his and Moores replacements. That allowed Dick and the two Democrats to appoint Hinojosa and Duhon.

Thus, the coup was complete, Sumners wrote in a blog post on the conservative site Big Jolly Times. The Democrats were in complete control and the two Republicans  are left totally ineffective. And, the Republican defeat was totally self inflicted by the irresponsible self indulgent actions of its own board members.

Democrats believe Harris Countys shift to the left in recent elections leaves them poised to capture the remaining at-large seats. Trustee Richard Cantu, a Democrat, was elected to the other at-large position with about 57 percent of the vote in 2018.

Republicans, however, are hoping the lack of straight-ticket voting will help them retain the at-large seats even if Democrats win races at the top of the ballot. Bob Wolfe, a former member of the Lone Star College System Board of Trustees, said he is not concerned about serving in the minority.

Wolfe also said he has yet to decide whether he agrees with his son that the board should be abolished.

We're so far down the ballot, I'm not really actively campaigning, Bob Wolfe said. But if I get the job, I'd do the best job possible.

shelby.webb@chron.com

jasper.scherer@chron.com
The couple are the first to admit that they feel lucky just to still be in business after six months of the coronavirus pandemic. We are very, very fortunate that we are still open, says Tran. Which isnt to say the two have had an easy time. Tran explains that it was very hard in the beginning, mostly because it wasnt clear to them how to follow all the new regulations.
A Canadian man has been charged with dangerous driving after being caught asleep at the wheel of a Tesla car on autopilot that was going at 150kmh (93mph).

Police in Alberta were called following reports of 2019 Tesla Model S speeding on a highway near the town of Ponoka.

Nobody could be seen in the front seats, which were both reclined, officers said.

Alberta Police said: "We received a complaint of a car speeding on Highway 2 near Ponoka. "The car appeared to be self-driving, travelling over 140 kmh with both front seats completely reclined and occupants appeared to be asleep.

"The driver received a dangerous driving charge and summons for court."

Although the cars autopilot function is able to steer, accelerate and brake for the car, Tesla underlines on its website that this does not make the vehicle autonomous, and still requires motorists to pay attention, asking they keep their hands on the wheel.

The car sped up from 140kmh to 150kmh when the police turned on their emergency lights in pursuit.

The driver, aged 20 and from British Columbia, had his licence suspended for 24 hours for fatigue, as well as being charged with speeding.

He was later charged with dangerous driving and has had his court date set for December.

"Although manufacturers of new vehicles have built-in safeguards to prevent drivers from taking advantage of the new safety systems in vehicles, those systems are just that -supplemental safety systems," RCMP traffic services Superintendent Gary Graham said in a statement.

"They are not self-driving systems, they still come with the responsibility of driving."

The 20-year-old is not the first motorist to fall asleep behind the wheel of a Tesla, with a similar incident taking place in California in August 2019.
HOUSTON - (Sept. 18, 2020) - Points matter when designing nanoparticles that drive important chemical reactions using the power of light.

Researchers at Rice University's Laboratory for Nanophotonics (LANP) have long known that a nanoparticle's shape affects how it interacts with light, and their latest study shows how shape affects a particle's ability to use light to catalyze important chemical reactions.

In a comparative study, LANP graduate students Lin Yuan and Minhan Lou and their colleagues studied aluminum nanoparticles with identical optical properties but different shapes. The most rounded had 14 sides and 24 blunt points. Another was cube-shaped, with six sides and eight 90-degree corners. The third, which the team dubbed "octopod," also had six sides, but each of its eight corners ended in a pointed tip.

All three varieties have the ability to capture energy from light and release it periodically in the form of super-energetic hot electrons that can speed up catalytic reactions. Yuan, a chemist in the research group of LANP director Naomi Halas, conducted experiments to see how well each of the particles performed as photocatalysts for hydrogen dissociation reaction. The tests showed octopods had a 10 times higher reaction rate than the 14-sided nanocrystals and five times higher than the nanocubes. Octopods also had a lower apparent activation energy, about 45% lower than nanocubes and 49% lower than nanocrystals.

"The experiments demonstrated that sharper corners increased efficiencies," said Yuan, co-lead author of the study, which is published in the American Chemical Society journal ACS Nano. "For the octopods, the angle of the corners is about 60 degrees, compared to 90 degrees for the cubes and more rounded points on the nanocrystals. So the smaller the angle, the greater the increase in reaction efficiencies. But how small the angle can be is limited by chemical synthesis. These are single crystals that prefer certain structures. You cannot make infinitely more sharpness."

Lou, a physicist and study co-lead author in the research group of LANP's Peter Nordlander, verified the results of the catalytic experiments by developing a theoretical model of the hot electron energy transfer process between the light-activated aluminum nanoparticles and hydrogen molecules.

"We input the wavelength of light and particle shape," Lou said. "Using these two aspects, we can accurately predict which shape will produce the best catalyst."

The research builds on LANP's efforts to develop methods of chemically synthesizing aluminum nanoparticles of varying shapes and sizes.

The work is part of an ongoing green chemistry effort by LANP to develop commercially viable light-activated nanocatalysts that can insert energy into chemical reactions with surgical precision. LANP has previously demonstrated catalysts for ethylene and syngas production, the splitting of ammonia to produce hydrogen fuel and for breaking apart "forever chemicals."

"This study shows that photocatalyst shape is another design element engineers can use to create photocatalysts with the higher reaction rates and lower activation barriers," said Halas, Rice's Stanley C. Moore Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, director of Rice's Smalley-Curl Institute and a professor of chemistry, bioengineering, physics and astronomy, and materials science and nanoengineering.

###

Nordlander is the Wiess Chair and Professor of Physics and Astronomy, and professor of electrical and computer engineering, and materials science and nanoengineering.

Additional study co-authors include Benjamin Clark, Minghe Lou, Linan Zhou, Shu Tian and Christian Jacobson, all of Rice. The research was supported by the Welch Foundation (C-1220, C-1222), the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (FA9550-15-1-0022), the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (HDTRA 1-16-1-0042) and the Department of Defense National Defense Science & Engineering Graduate Fellowship Program.

Links and resources:

The DOI of the ACS Nano paper is: 10.1021/acsnano.0c05383

A copy of the paper is available at: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.0c05383

High-resolution IMAGES are available for download at:

https://news-network.rice.edu/news/files/2020/09/0914_OCTOPOD-main-lg.jpg

CAPTION: A study of aluminum nanocatalysts by Rice University's Laboratory for Nanophotonics found that octopods (left), six-sided particles with sharply pointed corners, had a reaction rate five times higher than nanocubes (center) and 10 times higher than 14-sided nanocrystals. (Image courtesy of Lin Yuan/Rice University)

https://news-network.rice.edu/news/files/2020/09/0914_OCTOPOD-lyml71-lg.jpg

CAPTION: Research by graduate students Minhan Lou (left) and Lin Yuan of Rice University's Laboratory for Nanophotonics found that a nanocatalyst's shape affects its ability to photocatalyze important chemical reactions. (Photo by Jeff Fitlow/Rice University)

https://news-network.rice.edu/news/files/2020/01/0108_SYNGAS-nh30-lg.jpg

CAPTION: Rice University's Naomi Halas is an engineer, chemist and pioneer in the field of light-activated nanomaterials. (Photo by Jeff Fitlow/Rice University)

This release can be found online at news.rice.edu.

Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter @RiceUNews.

Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,978 undergraduates and 3,192 graduate students, Rice's undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for lots of race/class interaction and No. 1 for quality of life by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplinger's Personal Finance.
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According to a new study published by Polaris Market, the global Electronic Contract Manufacturing Services market is anticipated to reach USD 554.2 billion by 2026. With the rising competition in the electronics industry, increasing cost reduction pressure on OEMs, complexity of electronic products, and decreased product lifecycles, the demand Electronic Contract Manufacturing Services market has boosted globally.

For attaining this, OEMs are seeking support from electronic contract manufacturing companies. These OEMs (hirer) subcontract electronic manufacturing contract companies to take advantage from their design expertise, supply chain management, and manufacturing capabilities. This helps the OEMs to leverage resources, reduce costs, access prominent manufacturing technologies, as well as reduce fixed capital investments and fulfil the Electronic Contract Manufacturing Services market demand.

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The major players operating in the electronic contract manufacturing services market include Flextronics International Ltd, Hon Hai Precision Industry (Foxconn), Universal Scientific Industrial Co Ltd, Shenzhen Kaifa Technology, Beyonics Technology, New Kinpo Group, Benchmark Electronics, Sanmina-SCI, Zollner Elektronik, Celestica, Jabil, Inc., and Elcoteq SE among others.

In addition to this, electronic contract manufacturing also helps in retaining in-house activities and control responsibilities including, quality assurance, product cost management, network solutions integration, customer service, order management, customer interactions, and introduction of new products. These factors are highly responsible for propelling the Electronic Contract Manufacturing Services market growth for electronic contract manufacturing services during the forecast period.

The design & engineering segment is expected to notice a high growth during the projected period attributed to increasing preference of OEMs for subcontracting their design requirements. Also, the global market is observing an increase in growth, with the surging demand for electronic circuit boards attributed to its rising significance in several electronic devices including, smart phones and tablets. Several OEMs are subcontracting their circuit assembly requirements to contract manufacturers, resulting in significant increase in their profit margins.

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The market operates in a highly competitive environment particularly, the players located in Taiwan and China are providing very economical subcontracted services for manufacturing. The current major focus of these vendors is to support and promote green technologies in their manufacturing processes. Another trend noticed in the current market scenario is increase in acquisitions, mergers and partnership activities. Moreover, the Electronic Contract Manufacturing Services market growth in the North American region is propelled by automotive as well as medical industries. Several R&D centers as well as healthcare institutes in North America are focused on the development of innovative diagnostic products that they plan to outsourcing from contract manufacturers. Such factors are expected to boost the market in the region.

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WASHINGTON  A close election in 2016, shifting allegiances in a Democratic stronghold and competing appeals to middle-class voters will throw the spotlight on Minnesota Friday as President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden will each campaign in the Gopher State.

The campaign visits coincide with the first day of Minnesota's early voting period  either in person or absentee  for the Nov. 3 election. Trump is vying to win a state Democrats have carried reliably since 1972 and therefore isn't routinely mentioned among crucial swing states like neighboring Wisconsin, Michigan or Florida.

"Its nice that Minnesota is getting attention," said Vin Weber, a Republican political strategist who represented the state in the U.S. House and is now a partner at Mercury Public Affairs. I do appreciate that the candidates are not just visiting the Twin Cities."

The 2016 election changed the calculus for both Republicans and Democrats. Trump lost Minnesota by just 44,593 votes, or a margin of less than 2% of the vote, and vowed to try to flip the state in this election.

President Donald Trump speaks to a crowd of supporters at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport on Aug. 17, 2020, in Minneapolis.

"We came this close to winning the state of Minnesota," he said during a rally in Duluth in 2018. This time, "it's going to be pretty easy, I think."

Polls suggest otherwise. Biden leads Trump in Minnesota by an average of 8.8 percentage points through Sept. 17, according to tracking site FiveThirtyEight.com.

A Washington Post-ABC News poll released Wednesday gave Biden a 16-point margin over Trump among likely voters, who expressed greater faith in Biden than Trump to handle issues of racial equality, crime and violence at political protests.

But a Morning Consult poll released Tuesday called the race a dead heat, with 643 likely Minnesota voters favoring Biden over Trump 48% to 44%  within the four percentage point margin of error.

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Trump's campaign says its internal polling shows the race is close.

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We are confident that our numbers are right," said Nick Trainer, the campaign's director of battleground strategy. "And we wouldn't be investing time and money in a state if we didn't think that they were right.

Forging alliances in the Iron Range

During previous visits to Minnesota, Trump promoted his tariffs on Chinese steel to bolster local mining, his renegotiation of the trade deal with Canada for dairy farmers and funding for the Soo Locks shipping channel that is critical to trade on the Great Lakes. Biden has focused on his support among steelworkers and other unions, with a proposal to spur domestic manufacturing through federal spending.

Trump will hold an airport rally on Friday in Bemidji in the northern part of the state, birthplace of the fictional Paul Bunyon. Bemidji is in Beltrami County, which Trump managed to flip in 2016, making him the first Republican to carry the county since George W. Bush in 2000. Biden will be in Duluth.

Both Trump and Biden have been targeting the state's northern Iron Range, known for mining and manufacturing.

Trump will likely do well there and in other rural parts of the state where his "us vs. them" message resonates with voters who feel like those areas don't get the same respect as the state's urban centers, said Cynthia Rugeley, associate professor of political science at the University of Minnesota Duluth.

Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden listens during a campaign event with steelworkers in the backyard of a home in Detroit, on Sept. 9, 2020.

When Vice President Mike Pence campaigned in Duluth on Aug. 28, six mayors from traditional Democratic strongholds endorsed the GOP ticket, saying "lifelong politicians like Joe Biden are out of touch with the working class, out of touch with what the country needs, and out of touch with those of us here on the Iron Range and in small towns like ours across our nation."

This isn't the Democrat Party that used to fight for places like the Iron Range, just like this isn't the Democrat Party that used to fight for places like western Pennsylvania or southeastern Ohio  and these people have woken up to that," Trainer said.

Biden released a statement Wednesday supporting the Iron Range and promoting endorsements by unions including the United Steelworkers and AFL-CIO.He said steel shipments were down 25% last year under Trump's administration, idling mining operations and putting thousands of people out of work, while China produced the largest monthly volume of crude steel on record in July.

Biden said his economic recovery plan would create millions of union jobs in manufacturing and make historic procurement for domestic products.

"Iron Rangers and other American workers will mine and manufacture the materials  including steel  to power that effort," Biden said in his statement. "Together, with real authentic leadership, we will put the U.S. on a path to lead the worlds economy, and we will build back better."

The focus on the Iron Range is part of a historic shift in favor of Republicans overtaking a former Democratic stronghold. The northeast region of the state was long Democratic because of unions for mining, steelworkers and shipping.

Weber, the former House member, tried unsuccessfully to swing the culturally conservative region filled with Catholics, hunters and fishermen to former President George W. Bush. But Weber predicted Trump could win the region with 60% of the vote.

Trump has now swung it  big time," said Weber, speaking from his home in Walker, about 40 miles from where Trump will appear in Bemidji.

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden speaks Sept. 9, 2020, during a campaign event on manufacturing and buying American-made products at UAW Region 1 headquarters in Warren, Mich.

The challenge for Trump is that urban areas of the state traditionally favoring Democrats have grown substantially in recent years, leaving northern Minnesota with just one-fourth of the statewide vote, Weber said.

Not everything else has held even, Weber said. If he doesnt make inroads into cities and suburbs, I dont see how he can pull off Minnesota.

Stark contrast in tax policies

Tax policy offers a stark contrast between the two campaigns.

The Trump-led tax cut in 2017 reduced individual and corporate rates, in an effort to spur the economy and return companies from overseas. He vowed to continue reducing taxes and regulations. But Biden has campaigned on the need to spend trillions  by raising taxes on the wealthy and on corporations  to pay for roads and bridges, encourage domestic manufacturing and provide job training.

Weber said Trump could make progress in the Twin Cities, host to a number of corporate headquarters, by promoting the reduction in the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%. The departure of Medtronic, a medical-device manufacturer founded in Minneapolis, roiled the city when it moved its headquarters to Dublin about five years ago.

If it were properly articulated, that would be an argument in suburban Minneapolis," Weber said. "A tax message would matter."

Biden has argued that Trumps tax cut hasnt brought back jobs from abroad and hasnt prevented more from leaving. Biden proposed to raise the corporate tax rate to 28%. He would create a 10% surcharge on top of that rate to penalize companies that move jobs aboard, for a combined rate of 30.8% on profits from those actions. And he proposed a 10% Made in America tax credit for companies that relocate or create jobs in the U.S.

The Trump theory here just doesnt pan out, Biden campaign policy director Stef Feldman told reporters Thursday. He has no patience for people who say that we do not have the capacity to make sure that the super wealthy and corporations pay their fair share in order to make the investments we need in working families."

Bernie Perryman, a registered Republican in St. Cloud, said she has voted for candidates of both parties in the past. As a business owner of Batteries + Bulbs, Perryman said she wants to hear plans for reopening after COVID-19 while respecting everybodys feelings."

Public health is not a political volleyball game and decisions must be based on fact, she said. Theyre both guilty of being kind of mean, she said.

Emily Esch, chair of state Senate District 14 for the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, wants to hear Bidens plan for dealing with the pandemic and economic recovery.

This has gone on for six months or so, and it looks like were unlikely to have this under control in January or February, said Esch, speaking for herself and not the party.

Impact uncertain from racial justice protests

Minnesota has been the epicenter of nationwide racial justice protests, after the death May 25 of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody.

Trump has called himself the law-and-order candidate, supporting police amid concerns about public safety. But Biden has accused Trump of stoking racial division rather than seeking to heal wounds from protests ranging from Portland, Oregon, to Atlanta, Georgia.

Malik Stewart, a volunteer for the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party in Minnesota, said he hopes Trump doesnt stir up anti-Somali sentiment while in the state. But he hopes Biden addresses racial tensions.

I think it would be good to hear a positive vision for the future, specific policies to address the racial tensions in particular, Stewart said.

Anthony Neis, vice chair Benton County Republican Party, said he would like to hear how Trump is cracking down on violent protesters, but also how the president will unify the country.

Were one America, Neis said. He needs to push it a little harder, or people need to listen.

Rugeley, the political science associate professor, said she sees no evidence that Floyd's death or the protests are shifting the presidential race in Minnesota.

"Im not sure it has changed any minds," she said. "It does seem to have hardened peoples opinions on the issues.

Weber, who owns a condominium in Minneapolis, said he is frightened of the protests making the city a lawless place. But he said that Trump's campaign for law and order might not resonate in presidential voting as much as for mayor and city council.

I havent seen evidence yet that the suburban voters have been moved by that message," Weber said.

Gopher State gets national spotlight

Trump's campaign had just one staff member in Minnesota when he narrowly lost to Democrat Hillary Clinton four years ago. This time, the campaign has 80 full-time staffers across the state and has been advertising heavily. In this week alone, the campaign is spending seven figures on television ads in Minnesota.

The Trump campaign announced an ad Thursday running on cable and local broadcast stations focused on the economy. The ad targeting Minnesota and other battleground states features voters discussing their distrust of Biden and their confidence that Trumps policies are right for the country.

The Biden campaign announced advertising Thursday on digital platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube that highlight the importance of manufacturing and unions.

The ad targeted at Minnesota and a handful of other battleground states features a Pennsylvania voter who says he made a mistake voting for Trump in 2016 and won't again in 2020. The voter named Rick, a third-generation farmer, calls Trump "totally negligent" for failing to control coronavirus and help the economy, and says Biden has a plan to turn it around.

Biden's running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris of California, held a virtual fundraiser Monday with Walter Mondale, the former vice president and senator from Minnesota. Jill Biden, the candidate's wife and a teacher, campaigned Sept. 9 at an elementary school in Prior Lake about a half-hour south of the Twin Cities.

Pence will campaign in Minneapolis on Sept. 24.

Im happy that people are actually paying attention to this state and wanting to come here, said Neis, the Benton County GOP vice chair.

Despite the Trump campaign's push, Rugeley doesn't see him turning Minnesota red in November.

"Anything could happen this year," she said, "but I think right now it's probably Joe Biden's to lose."

Biden probably realizes that, too, Rugeley said, which is why he's returning to the state on Friday. He wants to make sure "that he doesn't lose it," she said.

Contributing: Nora Hertel and Sarah Kocher, St. Cloud Times

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: President Trump and Democrat Joe Biden to campaign in Minn. on jobs
When Arbuckle arrived, she hammered out a silver dollar to flatten it. After dressing the wound, she placed the silver plate into where the fracture was located and sewed the skin over it.

Beebe was a young man at the time of the accident and still carried the silver plate in his head when he turned 80.

That visit alone earned Arbuckle the title of The Silver Dollar Doctor.

Smallpox was a dreaded disease during Arbuckles early years of practice. There was good reason because smallpox was more often fatal than not.

A young man who was living alone near Winters Creek Draw contracted it and died. With no one to attend to the burial, Arbuckle and her friend Millard Cluck took the task upon themselves.

Millard dug the grave and built a coffin. That night, the two of them buried the friendless young man and Arbuckle repeated some prayers at the grave site.

There were other occasions when Arbuckle was called upon to perform the final service for those who had died. When she wasnt treating the sick, she served as a Sunday school teacher.
On the 19th anniversary of 9/11, I stumbled upon Jeff Greenfields masterpiece 43. He recounts the events of that fateful day in 2001 in this way, at 5 p.m. on September 11, 2001, an ashen-faced but composed President Al Gore stepped into the East Room of the White House to deliver a televised address to the nation. With him were former presidents Clinton and Bush, as well as Texas governor George W. Bush  flown to Washington from Dallas on a military jet, his first visit back to the capital after the close race that lost him the presidency just months before. That's not how you remember it?

Greenfields 43 revisits an alternate history of what if a President Gore, instead of a President Bush, had taken the Oval Office. Would 9/11 have taken place, the way it did? If not, ergo no protracted wars in Afghanistan, no invasion of Iraq, and, perhaps, no economic quagmire in 2008/09? In a nutshell, a brilliant work of fiction in real world politics.

The reason that we had a President Bush, and not a President Gore, came down to one state: Florida, one system: the Electoral College, one debacle: hanging chads (incorrectly stamped voting ballots). The Supreme Court weighed in and Gore weighed out of national politics.

Its brazen to make a political punt on the outlook of the 2020 elections, given the unprecedented nature of the 2016 elections. However, there is a political maelstrom brewing around mail-in-ballots, and that could complicate matters as hanging chads did two decades ago.

Its hard to think of an election that wasnt very contentious or didnt have issues riding at stake. However, this election has another conundrum  COVID-19. As a tiny microbe wreaks havoc around the globe, and as events get cancelled or go virtual, such as even the Republican and Democrat conventions, its hard to entertain the thought of cancelling or postponing the most significant election in the geopolitical landscape.

As the death count in the United States escalates, the dichotomy brews between a call for civic duty, while maintaining adequate social distancing guidelines.

Enter mail-in-ballots. The process of voting through mail-in-ballots has existed for a while and under the circumstances, voters in every state can request a mail-in-ballot, as long as theyre registered to vote in that state, and, of course, is a citizen.

Mail-in ballots have existed since the US Civil War and some states such as Utah have relied on it for a while. This process has existed in the past, in a pre-pandemic world as absentee ballots. US President Donald Trump has made acerbic remarks on the process of mail-in-voting (alluding to fraud votes being cast), but ironically endorsed it in some ways, by casting his mail-in-vote from Florida in August.

In lieu of in-person voting means that the elections have come early as almost every state has a mail-in ballot application deadline in October.

States such as North Carolina have already kicked-off the process by sending hundreds of thousands of mail-in ballots to voters. Along with North Carolina, 24 other states (half of the US to be precise) have allowed anyone registered to vote, to request for mail-in-ballot for any reason whatsoever.

However, seven additional states, from the solid red state of Texas and the flamingly liberal New York are among the two of the seven that have stricter rules. Some of the prerequisites include, being over the age of 65, unavailable on voting day and submitting adequate proof of being ill in order to be eligible for mail-in-voting. Unfortunately concerns about the pandemic do not make the criteria. The other five states are the southern states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, South Carolina and Midwest Indiana.

Nine other states have been pre-emptively mailing applications for ballots. These are mostly West Coast and Southwest states of California, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and New Jersey and Vermont.

In a federal polity, there is also a sense of state inconsistencies, with some states wanting ballots to be postmarked by election day, whereas others want it to be received by election day.

Trumps remarks aside, there are genuine concerns on the efficacy of the postal service, given the slow service, delivery delays and voter procrastination that could lead to inadvertent delays on election night, with several votes left to be counted, and an encore of the 2000 elections, where the eventual winner isnt revealed until much later, making this a November saga. Some states could be too close to call, some states still in counting, and the Electoral College outcome hangs in the balance.

Of course, if Trumps comments on mail-in-voting serve as a harbinger, the likelihood of him accepting the results at face value seem unlikely as Trump and his supporters have sought to cast doubts on the legitimacy of the mail-in-voting.

The United States Postal Service says it can handle the election surge and is up for the task and can deliver the results effectively. However, there is a reason why the phrase lost in the mail has been codified across all countries.

Akshobh Giridharadas is a Washington DC-based former journalist. Views are personal.
Under conditions of a dangerous increase in coronavirus infections in Germany and Europe, and the unrestricted opening of schools and childcare facilities in routine operation, the Network of Action Committees for Safe Education held its first online meeting on Monday.

The meetings moderator, Katerina Selin, a member of the Socialist Equality Party (SGP) and its youth organisation, the International Youth and Students for Social Equality, opened the meeting by saying, Opposition to these government policies is growing worldwide. We called this meeting to discuss the strategy and initiatives required to fight the dangerous reopening of schools amid the pandemic.

Selin said that the meeting gives conscious political expression to the widespread opposition among students, teachers, parents, and workers, and aims to create a platform to share experiences at schools and begin the construction of action committees. This and subsequent meetings will assist, she continued, in connecting and coordinating action committees in Germany and internationally. Students, education workers, and leading SGP members participated in the meeting.

Christoph Vandreier, deputy leader of the SGP, stated in his opening report:

Although infections are on the rise, all measures to contain the pandemic are being eased or abolished. At the beginning of the school year, all measures developed in the schools by teachers and pedagogues were abandoned. Even the requirements to wear masks and maintain social distancing have been lifted in classrooms.

Vandreier continued, Under these conditions, the rapid spread of the pandemic is not only probable, but inevitable. Infections have already been reported at over 1,000 schools and 300 childcare facilities.

The same politicians now shedding crocodile tears about the consequences of school closures have actually spent recent decades cutting education budgets to the bone and are responsible for the growth of poverty and inequality in education. They have done virtually nothing to protect working-class families in any way from the pandemic. The hopeless social situation these politicians have themselves produced is now being exploited to place their very lives at risk. The reality is that the main concern in reopening schools is the protection of the profits of big business.

Christoph Vandreier speaks at the meeting

Referring to the imminent layoffs in the industrial and retail sectors, Vandreier added, We are experiencing a general assault by the ruling elite on working people. The pandemic has exposed the fact that even the most basic interests of the workers are irreconcilable with the capitalist profit system. Workers must oppose this general assault, Vandreier stressed, with a general strike. It is critical for workers in Germany, Europe, and internationally to organise independent action committees in order to fight for their demands, said the speaker.

Philipp Frisch, an SGP member and a teacher in North Rhine-Westphalia, spoke on the historic evolution of the trade unions and the specific role played by the Education and Science Union (GEW):

The more the resistance among teachers, students, and parents grows, the stronger become the efforts of the trade unions to sabotage it. The GEW cooperates closely in this with the state governments. Many of their officials are members of the government parties and sit as deputies in the state parliaments and federal parliament. The trade union supports the reopening of schools and is enforcing this on the ground. And in the current round of collective bargaining, the trade unions have not raised a single coronavirus-related demand.

In reality, Frisch continued, the unions are drafting plans for mass layoffs with the government and big business in industry, and real wage cuts in social and health care services.

The GEW treats teachers, students and parents who belong to a risk group with particular cynicism. They inform those concerned about the duty of care borne by the authorities, even though it is now crystal clear that public authorities and service providers are disregarding this across the board, added Frisch.

The third speaker was Gregor Link, a member of the IYSSE and reporter for the World Socialist Web Site, who detailed the development of the pandemic globally and the mounting resistance among teachers, students and parents to the reopening of schools.

Gregor Link speaks at the meeting

While the number of new infections in schools across Germany is rising, said Link, colleges and universities in the United States are emerging as epicentres of the pandemic.

At the University of Michigan, over 1,000 graduate students voted overwhelmingly by 80 percent after a four-day strike to continue the strike for a further week. They are receiving support from university employees, autoworkers, and even lecturers, and many people have joined the picket lines.

Link referred to action committees recently formed by teachers and students in Dortmund, Britain, and the United States. He quoted the statement of the American Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee:

Once again, it is up to the working class to take emergency action. The Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee is fighting to unite all workerseducators, school bus drivers, janitors, maintenance workers and other support staff, with manufacturing, health care, logistics, grocery and food processing, retail and restaurant workersto carry out a nationwide general strike to prevent the reopening of schools and save lives.

Joshua, a student from Nuremberg, agreed with this: I think the statement calling for the building of action committees is very important, because neither the trade unions nor the parliamentary parties represent the interests of students and teachers. They just serve the interests of big business so that the labour power of parents is available once again, he said in the discussion that followed the reports.

Public transportation is extremely overcrowded. In a bus or subway car intended for 30 people, up to 100 students are crammed in, he added. While disinfectant is no longer available in public places, the hygiene situation in schools is no less catastrophic, he continued. The toilets are not cleaned and disinfected as required. This is extremely dangerous!

It has been well known for months that the classrooms are far too small, continued Joshua. Today, we had a natural science class for the first time, and although we are a relatively small class with about 20 people, additional tables had to be brought in. Under these conditions, its just not possible to maintain social distancing. Most windows cannot be opened to ventilate the classrooms, he added, and soon there will no longer be a requirement to wear a mask in class.

The treatment of the risk groups is an outrage, dangerous, and bordering on physical assault. My father belongs to a risk group as he suffers from high blood pressure and reduced lung capacity. But because this allegedly only slightly increases his risk of severe symptoms, I cant be freed from the obligation to attend in-person classes. One of my classmates is in a similar situation. We all confront the same problems, he concluded.

Jasmin, a teacher from Berlin who also belongs to a risk group, spoke next.

I believe that there are many unreported instances of teachers in risk groups who fear filing a claim because they face so much pressure from the media and the authorities, she said. They are morally blackmailed and bullied into going to work. This has been my experience in my school.

I am the only one in my school who registered and obtained a doctors note. In the process, I had to fight the dissatisfaction of the schools director and a section of my co-workers, which was a tremendous burden. But when I look around at my colleagues, I see several who had major surgery or were seriously ill over recent years and are thus at high risk.

The so-called career changers, to which I also belong, face similar problems, added Jasmin. In my case, I will supposedly be expelled from the study programme I do in tandem with my job, because I cant participate in in-person teaching and have thus breached my contract. And this is in spite of the fact that Im not sitting around for hours on end watching Netflix, but working from home with two children. The children, Jasmin added, also face bullying that one doesnt like to think about.

For us, the absurd situation began in April, when the childcare facilities were operating on an emergency service, said Martin, a childcare worker from Dresden. Instead of allowing the childcare workers to isolate at home as a safety measure, all personnel were ordered into the institutions to carry out largely unnecessary work, even though there were far fewer children to look after. We were also supposed to accumulate overtime and take our holidays.

The reopening of businesses and childcare facilities is being accompanied by a dishonest media campaign that makes childcare workers responsible for the children allegedly feeling isolated or bored at home, stated Martin. Suddenly, more concern is being shown for the children in problem families than during the last decade as a whole.

Then, under conditions of the lockdown, an absurd and pseudo-scientific study on infection rates among children was carried out and sweeping generalisations were made: childcare facilities and schools do not greatly contribute to the spread of the virus. This made major headlines and was immediately seized upon by the national newspapers and the government.

Martin added that the problems with ventilation and hygiene are at least as bad as in schools. Even before the pandemic, the personnel ratios were disastrous. According to research, 70 percent of children were not appropriately cared for, he added. For this reason, Martin said he wholeheartedly supports the formation of committees in schools, childcare facilities, and businesses.

Towards the end of the meeting, a mother from Wolfsburg stated her support for the demands raised by the committees. However, she said that she took another position on the larger political issues. Vandreier responded by stressing once again the importance of the political analysis, before emphasising that all workers could participate in the committees if they wanted to fight against the routine operation of schools on the basis of the statement.

In conclusion, Vandreier drew attention to the rapid strengthening of far-right forces and the fate of refugees following the fire at the Moria camp in Greece. As with the coronavirus pandemic, these events show just as clearly how the ruling elite is prepared to trample over corpses to defend their interests. We are witnessing the sharpening of class tensions at every level of society, he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 15:51:40|Editor: huaxia

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NEW DELHI, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Indian media report related to Shenzhen Zhenhua Data Information Technology Co., Ltd. is "groundless," a spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in India said Thursday.

"Relevant report makes groundless accusations on the 'presumption of guilt', purely trying to find excuses aiming to blame others," Ji Rong, counselor and spokesperson of the embassy, said in response to untrue report on the tech company.

Local media has reported that Shenzhen Zhenhua Data, with links to the Chinese government, is monitoring over 10,000 Indian individuals and entities including Indian politicians in its global database.

The spokesperson noted that on this question, the relevant company has already made a public response, making clear that the media report about their company is untrue at all.

"What I want to stress is that Zhenhua is a private company and has no links to the Chinese government," Ji said. "There are many foreign companies engaged in such similar business."

Reiterating that China has always been a staunch defender of cyber security, Ji said its cyber security law "stipulates that network operators carrying out business and service activities must follow laws and administrative regulations, respect social morality, abide by commercial ethics, be honest and credible, perform obligations to protect cyber security."

"Network operators collecting and using personal information shall abide by the principles of legality, propriety, and necessity. Individuals or organizations must not steal or use other illegal methods to acquire personal information," she added.

"Some forces with ulterior motives hype up the so-called 'China watching and manipulating data', which is a part of planned and premeditated strategy to suppress, contain and smear China," she said.

Noting that China has proposed the Global Initiative on Data Security, the spokesperson called on all parties to work with China to make tangible efforts to truly safeguard global data security and build a peaceful, secure, open and cooperative cyber space.

Regarding some Indian media's intensive coverage of untrue information on Shenzhen Zhenhua Data in recent days, Ji said China and India have maintained communication on this issue.

"China is willing to work with Indian side to enhance cooperation to jointly maintain cyber security and create good atmosphere for the development of bilateral relations," she said. Enditem
Last week I bought two T-bone steaks and some lamb chops. The purchase got me thinking about the many hands it had taken to get these pieces of meat to me; the farmer, the marts, the butcher and the unseen and hidden hand of the migrant meat factory worker.

As I stood there looking at the steaks and chops, my mind was cast back to February of this year and my fact-finding mission into the lives of migrant farmworkers in the US, and how the echoes of migrant workers everywhere were the same.

My tour in the US was organised by a grass roots organisation called the Rural Coalition and brought me from El Paso in Texas to the deserts of California and Arizona and finally the tropical fruit fields of Southern Florida.

As a farmer, I had long heard of the great food-producing states of the US and as a journalist I had long known of the plight of the men and women who work them.

Migration has been a theme of my work as a journalist for nearly a decade now, working first with refugees in Australia and later Canada. I suppose in some way as part of the global Irish and a former migrant myself, albeit an economic one, I had always felt a great link with these people.

However, in going to the US just a few short months ago I saw a world that was at once completely alien and yet strangely familiar.

The majority of migrant farmworkers in the US are Hispanic peoples coming from Mexico or further south from central America. Many are agricultural people who know and respect the land and, for many, their major hope is to one day own and farm their own land.

The majority of migrant workers I met all worked in the fields picking fruits and vegetable areas where many hands were still required. They toiled from sun up to sun down in the fields, at times in scorching heat with little water or shade.

In Immokalee in southern Florida, I attended a hiring fair in the early morning outside a supermarket.

Hundreds of people gathered in the early morning from 4am in the hope to get hired for the day. The workers ranged in age from 10 years old, right up to one man in his 80s.

I remember this old man the best, for he epitomised the plight of migrant workers and the uncertain labour market they find themselves in.

His name was Alejandro Velasco and he had worked as a 'campesino', or farmworker, since he was nine years of age.

He had followed the harvest seasons throughout the US all his working life, going north in the late summer to pick apples in Michigan and then returning slowly south as the crops matured and ripened.

He had been doing this modern migration for decades, but he had built up no pension or social supports and was undocumented.

I asked him then on that cold dark Florida morning if he could stop working and he replied simply: "No, I must work forever."

I asked him had he any dreams, to which he replied that none of them ever became reality.

My translator, a 6ft tall Mexican named Terso, told me a story then as we walked away from the old man.

"At a conference some years ago a big old farmer said something that has stuck with me," Terso said.

"What was that?" I asked.

"Once we used to own the slaves, now we just rent them," he said.

I've been thinking about that statement a lot in the last few weeks as the news of Covid outbreaks in our own meat factories happen again and again.

Our meat factory workers are not so unlike those American migrant workers I met at the start of the year.

They are working in a foreign land, with alien rules in a system that the wider part of society knows little about.

Of the 15,338 workers in our meat plants, more than 58pc are migrants. They come from as far away as the Philippines and Brazil to the likes of small towns in the midlands and south.

In a press release in early August, the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland director Edel McGinley called for additional support for factory workers and pointed out that workers needed to be paid additional money for the work they have been doing during the pandemic.

The biggest issues for the workers has been their fear of getting sick and what would happen if they did fall ill with Covid. Due to low wages, many workers live together in shared houses, which has only helped in the spread of Covid among the workers.

Irish journalist Ella McSweeney has done tremendous work in highlighting the issues faced by our migrant meat factory workers in recent months, but in a way it has taken a pandemic to expose a hidden section of Irish life.

Our fellow human beings and neighbours really need our help, not our indifference.

A week ago I touched base with the rural coalition to find out what life was now like for the migrant workers in the US.

The news was sobering.

There had been many deaths and countless people whom I had met and interviewed in the migrant community had contracted the virus.

For the workers, food trucks were now being provided as they could no longer work and pay for their food and accommodation. Sadly for many, they still had no other choice but to keep returning to the hiring fairs in the early mornings. They couldn't afford not to.

It's the same here. Let's remember that the next time we tuck into our beef steak.
Moderna Could Know If Vaccine Is Effective by End of October: CEO

Moderna could know whether its CCP virus vaccine candidate is effective by the end of October, chief executive officer Stephane Bancel said Thursday.

Bancel said that the timing of the results of a large, pivotal study on the companys CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus vaccine was dependent on the rates of infection in the areas where trials are being carried out in the United States. He said this is because the study is comparing the number symptomatic virus cases between unvaccinated individuals and those who have received a shot.

If the infection rate in the country were to slow down in the next weeks, it could potentially be pushed out in a worst-case scenario in December, he told CNBC in an interview.

Besides Massachusetts-based biotechnology company Moderna, American pharmaceutical company Pfizer and AstraZeneca are also conducting large-scale final-stage trials in the United States for potential COVID-19 vaccines.

Both Moderna and Pfizer have recruited roughly two-thirds of the needed participants. Moderna said this week that roughly 28 percent of its participants were from diverse communities.

Like Pfizer, Modernas experimental vaccine, mRNA-1273, is a messenger RNA, meaning that it relies on segments of genetic material delivered into cells to help stimulate an immune response.

While the technology can be used to fast-track a vaccines development over other methods, a setback of mRNA vaccines includes needing to store and distribute them at cold temperatures to prevent them from degrading.

According to Biopharmadive, Pfizers mRNA vaccine needs to be transported at -94 degrees Fahrenheit, while Moderna has an edge, but still requiring conditions at -4 degree Fahrenheit for transport.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials previously told the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) that these requirements will make it very difficult for community clinics and local pharmacies to store and administer.

On the other hand, AstraZenecas vaccine based on an adenoviral vector requires only refrigeration.

Bancel said in a statement Thursday, The Moderna team has made significant progress since our last R&D Day 12 months ago. The pipeline has matured with our COVID-19 vaccine in a Phase 3 study and four candidates in Phase 2 studies. We are actively preparing for a potential commercial launch of mRNA-1273, our COVID-19 vaccine, and we continue to expand the breadth of Modernas platform.

A subject receives a shot in the first-stage safety study clinical trial of a potential vaccine by Moderna for COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP virus, at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle, March 16, 2020. (Ted S. Warren/AP Photo)

President Donald Trump has pumped roughly $10 billion in taxpayer money into vaccine development as well as therapeutics options under project Operation Warp Speed. He has instructed the military to prepare for the delivery of 150 million to 200 million vaccine doses.

The administration hopes a vaccine will be deemed safe by the Data and Safety Monitoring Board, which is independent of the FDA, by the end of the year, but possibly as soon as October for everyone that wants to get it, Trump says.

Not everybodys going to want to get it.

The Trump administration reached a deal last month to secure 100 million doses of Modernas vaccine candidate.

The government will pay the company $1.525 billion.

The price per dose comes to around $30.50 for a two-dose regimen.

The number of Americans who have died with COVID-19 stands at almost 198,000, as of Sept. 18, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The CDC reported that in 94 percent of the fatal cases, the individuals suffered from an average of 2.6 additional health conditions, while 80 percent of deaths have occurred among adults 65 years and older.

Zachary Stieber and Charlotte Cuthbertson contributed to this report.
Providence College issued a stay-at-home order and moved to total remote learning after more than 80 students at the Rhode Island school tested positive for the coronavirus in a two-day period.

Rev. Kenneth Sicard, president of the college, told the campus community in a message Thursday that a large concentration of the dozens of students who tested positive for COVID-19 were living off campus.

After meeting with the Rhode Island Department of Health, school officials made the decision to switch over to remote-only instruction beginning Friday and lasting until at least Sept. 26.

Under the schools new stay-at-home order, all students living on campus will be tested and may not leave the college grounds, according to Sicard.

Indoor and outdoor gatherings of any kind are not allowed either, and there must be no travel to bars, restaurants or other local businesses, the college president added.

Anyone who violates the orders will be suspended. College staff as well as Providence police and private security will be monitoring the schools off-campus houses on a 24/7 basis," according to officials.

We recognize how serious and difficult these directives are, but this is our last chance to remain together in person for the fall semester, Sicard said. Between these actions and the serious steps we already have taken - especially in the past few days - we have used virtually every tool at our disposal. We are out of options.

If the college is not successful in its efforts to quell the outbreak on campus, school officials will have no alternative other than to shut down campus for the rest of the fall semester, according to Sicard.

This also will likely affect our ability to reopen for the spring semester, the college president said in his statement.

In addition to the stay-at-home order issued for on-campus students, those living off campus who test positive for the coronavirus or who have come into close contact with people who tested positive must be relocated, school officials said.

Those who are able to return home should do so, Sicard said. All others will be relocated to either a campus facility or hotel room.

Sicard pointed out that the strategies at staving off the spread of the virus that Providence College is employing have worked at other higher-education institutions, so the school has a fighting chance.

But it will take commitment and discipline on the part of everyone in our community, he said. I have confidence that we can summon the collective will to regain our footing, and I pray that each of you will join me in doing all we can to get back to the point where we can resume communal campus life."

As of Thursday, Rhode Island had reported a total of 23,488 COVID-19 cases and 1,085 fatalities linked to the virus.

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Website serves to address that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a work-life balance shift in nearly everyones lives.

With many University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) employees teleworking until at least Jan. 4 and the school year starting virtually for many children, the stress of juggling work and parenting during the COVID-19 pandemic may seem overwhelming.

To help address this, UMBs Human Resource Services (HRS) has set up a website full of useful tools and guidance for parents and those who are caring for the elderly.

The Support, Caregiving, and Work-Life Resources During COVID-19 tools include reading, math, music, and exercise activities; information for new parents; and resources for caregivers of the elderly.

Advice includes information from the Maryland Department of Budget and Management on Teleworking with Kids. The tips advise giving your children attention first, doing your most focused work when the kids are sleeping, and switching between kids and work in time blocks.

The HRS website says it serves to address that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a work-life balance shift in nearly everyones lives.

UMB Interim President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, has emphasized a family-first approach in his communications to the campus about teleworking and caregiving. In a letter to the campus July 28, he wrote, With the recent announcement that many local school systems will either be entirely or partially online this fall, I understand that many will be juggling child care and their current job responsibilities. I believe in a family-first approach and want parents and caregivers to know that UMB supports you, and we continue to examine possible ways in which we can assist you.

The University has asked supervisors to be flexible with faculty and staff work schedules and the University System of Maryland has updated its leave policies. The HRS website also includes information on how benefits would be affected if an employee decides to reduce or modify their employment.

Find the Support, Caregiving, and Work-Life Resources During COVID-19 tools here.

In addition, Intercultural Leadership and Engagement has a similar set of resources available for student parents and caregivers. The website includes information on meal sites, financial needs, and child care resources to help students. The website and its resources can be found here.

Resources will be added to both websites as they become available, so check them frequently for updates.
Sion Hill Bay has been suggested as a possible location of a water park.

Despite the criticism by some, Dwight Fitzgerald Fitz Bramble, the New Democratic Partys East Kingstown candidate in the upcoming General Elections, has again pitched his idea for the establishment of a water park here.





He did so while speaking at the NDPs virtual meeting on September 10, when he referred to existing water parks in St Lucia and Jamaica as example of successful economic and social initiatives.





"In St Lucia, they have a water park known as Splash Island Water Park; in Jamaica, and I have been to this one, there is also a water park called Kool Runnings Water Park in Negril.





"So wha happen to St Vincent, we are de wuss (worse)? Why cant we have a water park in the same way? he questioned.





According to Bramble, the park can be set up in the area of Sion Hill Bay which, he said, was under ongoing threat by erosion caused by natural wave movement and other factors related to climate change.





The water park was a good way of mitigating the erosion issue, Bramble insisted.





"I am not the technical expert, I am not the environmentalist  I am the economist, and Im telling you that water park will create 150 jobs to construct the facility and 60 jobs to operate and maintain it, he said.





Bramble first broached the idea of a water park on August 26, when he also described the facility as having spinoff opportunities for business people to open stores, restaurants and bars.
NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro will take a month of mental health leave after a torrid week in which the Nationals threatened to destroy the Coalition.

His deputy, Paul Toole, will be acting Deputy Premier. Mr Barilaro's decision to take leave means he will miss a crucial cabinet meeting on October 6.

The contested koala planning policy, which sparked the bitter civil war in the Coalition, is expected to be debated at that meeting, with the Nationals demanding a raft of changes.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian released a statement acknowledging Mr Barilaro's decision to take leave and offering him whatever support he may need.
The US will ban TikTok and WeChat from Sunday over concerns that they pose a national security threat, and put technical restrictions on the Chinese-owned apps that would effectively shut them down in the country.

The move comes close on the heels of Indias ban of the two apps along with 57 others following border clashes with China; 118 more have since been added to Indias ban list.

The commerce department said US businesses will be prohibited in a staggered manner from conducting financial transactions relating to the companies.

TikTok, a widely popular video sharing platform owned by ByteDance; and WeChat, a messaging, social media and mobile payment app developed by Tencent, will not be available for downloads or upgrades from Google and Apple stores from Sunday night.

The bans affect only new downloads and updates and are less sweeping than expected, particularly for TikTok, giving ByteDance some breathing space to clinch an agreement over the fate of its US operations. Oracle Corporation is in talks to buy a 20% minority stake in TikTok.

WeChat faces more severe restrictions from Sunday. Existing TikTok users, on the other hand, will see little change until November 12 when a ban on some technical transactions will kick in, affecting its functionality.

At the Presidents direction, we have taken significant action to combat Chinas malicious collection of American citizens personal data, while promoting our national values, democratic rules-based norms, and aggressive enforcement of US laws and regulations, said commerce secretary Wilbur Ross, announcing the new orders in a statement on Friday.

The order prohibits any provision of service to distribute or maintain these apps in the US from Sunday. It also bans financial transactions on WeChat from Sunday in the US. The app is widely used by American companies for marketing in China, which does not allow outside social media companies there such as Facebook. US companies will also not be allowed to provide internet hosting and cloud services for the app.

The US targeted these Chinese apps in August through two presidential executive orders, saying they posed a threat to its national security. It had earlier welcomed the ban on TikTok and other Chinese apps by India.

President Donald Trumps executive order had given TikTok 45 days to find an American buyer for its US operation or face closure. Microsoft had emerged as a top bidder but it has since backed out, leaving the field to Oracle, in partnership with Walmart.
Michael Forest Reinoehl pointed a handgun at officers when he was shot and killed near Lacey, Washington, by members of a federal task force who moved in to arrest him on a murder warrant in a fatal shooting of a Patriot Prayer supporter in Portland, authorities said Thursday.

Detectives found Reinoehl was armed with a .380-caliber handgun when he was killed Sept. 3, according to the Thurston County Sheriffs Office.

Officers at the scene told investigators they saw Reinoehl point the gun at them, Thurston County Lt. Ray Brady said.

A spent shell casing of that caliber was found in Reinoehls station wagon and an AR-15-style .22-caliber rifle was located in the front seat, according to the Sheriffs Office. The serial number on the rifle had been removed. The Sheriffs Office declined to say where the handgun was recovered.

Ballistics tests are being conducted to determine if the .380-caliber handgun that Reinoehl had with him was the same gun used in the Aug. 29 fatal shooting of Aaron Jay Danielson, 39, on Southwest Third Avenue in downtown Portland.

Reinoehl died at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds to the head and upper torso, according to the county coroner.

Four officers from several Washington law enforcement agencies assigned to the U.S. Marshals Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force were serving the arrest warrant when they shot and killed Reinoehl. The officers are from the Pierce County Sheriffs Office, Lakewood Police Department and the Washington Department of Corrections.

The Thurston County Sherifs Office is the lead agency investigating the shooting as part of Washingtons Region 3 Critical Incident Investigation Team, Brady said.

Reinoehl, a self-described anti-fascist who said he provided security for Black Lives Matter protests, was wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of Danielson shortly after a pro-Trump caravan drove through downtown Portland. Patriot Prayer is a loosely organized right-wing group based in Vancouver that has often come to Portland to clash with left-wing, antifa opponents. A .380-caliber gun was used in Danielsons fatal shooting, police said.

The night Reinoehl was killed, the U.S. Marshals Service issued a statement that said, Initial reports indicate the suspect produced a firearm, threatening the lives of law enforcement officers. Task force members responded to the threat and struck the suspect who was pronounced dead at the scene.

Officers first fired at Reinoehl as he was leaving an apartment complex in the 7600 block of Third Way Southeast. According to the investigators, Reinoehl ran to a station wagon and couldnt drive off because he was boxed in by other vehicles and then attempted to run off and was fired upon by officers a second time.

Nathaniel Dingess, 39, who lives in the apartment complex where Reinoehl was found hiding, issued a statement days later through a lawyer, saying officers yelled no warnings or commands before firing at Reinoehl.

Dingess said Reinoehl was walking toward his car holding a cellphone when officers drove up outside. Dingess said he never saw a handgun on Reinoehl or saw him reach for anything, and said Reinoehl also never got into his car, but had ducked behind it for cover.

Investigators dont have video of the actual shooting, only a video capturing moments after the shooting, according to Brady.

Anyone with additional information or video is encouraged to contact detectives at Thurston County Sheriffs detectives at 360-786-5500.

-- Maxine Bernstein

Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com; 503-221-8212

Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian

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The Sicilian town of Corleone, made famous by the fictional Mafia clan in The Godfather, has ordered schools closed and a limited lockdown after a spate of coronavirus infections were tied to a big wedding there last week.

The city administration told all 250 guests at the Sept. 12 wedding and anyone who lives with them to self-isolate and inform their doctors and city health authorities while awaiting virus tests. In a Facebook post, Mayor Nicolo Nicolosi said he expected maximum cooperation to overcome the current crisis.

The town, which is part of the province of Palermo, has reported at least seven positive cases in recent days. Nicolosi said Friday that schools in Corleone and nearby towns were ordered closed because 30 of the wedding guests were students. Italian schools reopened for the first time since March on Monday.

Nicolosi urged the town's 10,000 residents to wear protective masks, keep their distance and wash hands while stressing that Corleone isn't a red zone," or a designated quarantine area where no one enters or leaves.

Palermo and Sicily in general were spared the first big wave of COVID-19, which hit harder in Italys north. But like the rest of southern Italy, Sicily has seen a new spate of infections since August, with more than 500 of Sicily's 5,500 cases overall registered in the past three weeks.

The Corleone administration ordered schools closed and put a 10 p.m. curfew on bars and an 8 p.m. closing time on gyms. It suspended conferences, museum openings, the weekly market and any other public gatherings.

Corleone was the homeland and last name of the fictional crime clan of The Godfather fame. But it was also the real-life stronghold of the late convicted mobster and reputed chieftain, Bernardo Provenzano. In 2016, the Italian government dissolved the municipal government after determining the mob had infiltrated it.
Avaline co-founders Cameron Diaz and Katherine Power announced on Friday the early arrival of Avaline Red, which was originally scheduled for fall.

This release will soon join their portfolio of vegan wines - the have a white and a rose - made with organic grapes and without unnecessary additives.

And Avaline shared a new image of the Charlie's Angels actress exclusively with DailyMail.com where she was sipping wine with Katherine in front of a plate of cheese and fruit.

Another one: Avaline co-founders Cameron Diaz and Katherine Power announced on Friday the early arrival of Avaline Red, originally scheduled for fall. Avaline shared this new image exclusively with DailyMail.com

Inspired by the enthusiasm for their first two wines, Power and Diaz accelerated the Red launch.

Avaline Red will be available from select retailers in early October with additional distribution to come.

Since the launch of the White and Rose in July, over 120,000 bottles of wine have been sold.

In July Diaz said: 'I enjoyed wine for many-a-year and never questioned it... but I had no idea of the process... We soon learned it wasn't what you added, it's what you didn't add.'

Clean living: This release will soon join their portfolio of clean, vegan wines made with organic grapes and without unnecessary additives

The star met Katherine through her sister in law Nicole Richie and the friendship blossomed.

In April 2018 they began studying the wine world and questioned what went into their favorite beverage.

'I actually figured it was the most responsible alcohol choice because it was made with fermented grapes. But I had no idea of the process. One of the first conversations Katherine and I had about making a cleaner wine was "what are we doing to add in?" we soon learned it wasn't what you added, it's what you didn't add,' said Diaz.

HIT: Inspired by the support and enthusiasm, Power and Diaz accelerated the Red launch

'Launching with a white and rose, the wines are clean, delicious, vegan-friendly, made with organic grapes and free of unnecessary additives. With ingredient transparency on each label, Avaline aims to set a new standard for the wine industry,' boasts the press release.

Avaline White and Rose (SRP $24) are available for purchase at select retailers in 43 states plus the District of Columbia and on drinkavaline.com.

Avaline White is a dry wine with a crisp, fresh finish and comes from Spain.

Avaline Rose offers a light and fresh mouthfeel with notes of melon and zest and comes from France.

The first two: Avaline White is a dry wine with a crisp, fresh finish and comes from Spain. Avaline Rose offers a light and fresh mouthfeel with notes of melon and zest and comes from France

On Friday Michael Osborn, Founder & Executive Vice President of Wine.com shared: 'Avaline is performing very well with the Wine.com audience, specifically attracting the quintessential millennial consumer. To have nearly 4,000 of our customers purchase this item in an eight-week period is a rarity.'

Avaline White and Rose have also received recognition from top reviewers such as Anthony Dias Blue of The Tasting Panel who rated the wines 91 and 90 respectively.

'We believe in bringing cleaner options to our shelves so Avaline is a perfect fit,' says Kevin McCarthy, Category Manager: Adult Beverage at Fresh Thyme Market.

Plugging her stuff: The siren is seen here talking up her rose earlier this summer

'We displayed it prominently in our stores throughout the summer, selling almost 2,000 units since it went chainwide. By attracting a balanced consumer, Avaline has the potential to disrupt the market with its clean, simple label.'

Diaz has given us some memorable roles over the years with films like The Mask and The Sweetest Thing.

But the four-time Golden Globe nominee and new mom has taken a break from acting getting married - The Bad Teacher star has since welcomed her first child, a daughter named Raddix, in December with husband Benji Madden, whom she married in 2015.

Back on TV: Also this week she was part of the Charlie's Angels reunion for Drew Barrymore's show

Socially distanced: On set was Drew, left, Lucy Liu, middle, and Cameron, right

While she might be ready to grace the big screen once again in the near future, Diaz is being very particular about how she makes her return to acting.

The star 'is enjoying her time away from the action, and spending it with her husband and baby Raddix,' a source told ET .

The insider added: 'Cameron worked consistently for almost 20 years and needed a break.

'Cameron loves being a mother and that is her main focus now. Cameron plans to be selective in any projects she considers for the future, but for now its all about family.'

She last starred alongside Jamie Foxx and Rose Byrne in the 2014 feature adaptation of Annie.
When Sony gave the world the WH-1000XM3 headphones back in 2018, they really took the noise-cancelling headphones benchmark and reset it. The Bose QuietComfort 35 were left far behind. Fast forward to 2020, a year that not many will remember fondly. And we have the successor the Sony WH-1000XM3. The Sony WH-1000XM4 have landed. What Sony must have gone through here is similar to what their Bravia OLED TV boffins must go through every few months. How do you improve a product and experience that is already flawless? The WH-1000XM3 was quite flawless all that time ago. By far the best headphones when noise cancellation was the most important buying factor. Time flies. What can the Sony WH-1000XM4 really do? It has a tough job. Following up on excellence is never easy.

While a lot may seem similar between the Sony WH-1000XM4 and the WH-1000XM3 from 2018, there is also a lot that is different. As in new. At this time, the Sony WH-1000XM4 is priced at Rs 29,990 which means it isnt any more expensive in terms of the price point than its predecessor. Two years hasnt made a difference there, and that is great news. This also means the WH-1000XM4 competes against the Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless. I had really liked these Sennheiser headphones when I had the chance to review them earlier this year, and these retail for around Rs 34,990. The battle royale for noise cancelling headphones has well and truly resumed.

The More Things Change, The More They Remain The Same

At first glance, the Sony WH-1000XM4 doesnt look entirely different from its predecessor. The illustrious predecessor. The design, the footprint, the finish and the materials all look very similar. In fact, the Sony WH-1000XM4 will, just like the WH-1000XM3, will also be available in the silver and black colour options. Personally, I like the darker black finish, which is nicely dressed in matte. I have also come to terms with the plastic finish that Sony has still carried forward, which is taking a different approach to the mix of steel and leather which adorns the Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless headphones. But look closely, and youll notice that the earcups on the WH-1000XM4 are just a bit larger than the predecessor, giving your ears more room and which means they will most certainly be more comfortable to wear for long stretches of time. As and when it resumes again, which one hopes would be in the life cycle of the Sony WH-1000XM4, these headphones will be great to wear on long flights. The material now used for the earpads is foamed urethane which is comparatively softer than what the predecessor offered. There are changes to how the headband padding has been deployed, but no major tweaks on that front.

To be honest, the slight alterations made to enhance comfort have worked. I had noted in the WH-1000XM3 review in 2018 that The synthetic leather feels good up against the skin, but do remember, this will not be best tuned for ventilation. The ears, as we realized, can get a bit warm after a couple of hours of wearing these inside an air-conditioned environment. The Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones, with design and material changes, offers just that little additional comfort over long durations. While retaining the charm and the aura that only full-fledged earphones can truly claim to have. And it remains very easy to pack them toothe swivel foldable structure means that one of the earcups can be folded inwards and the compact carry case which is bundled can hold them safely in your backpack, your study table drawer or on your bedside table.

Even the button placement remains the same as before, but the Noise Cancellation button now gets the more flexible Custom branding. From the companion Sony Headphones Connect app, you can customize this to continue to manage the noise cancellation or transparency mode duties or set them to invoke the virtual assistant from the phone. Long pressing this key takes the WH-1000XM4 into a calibration mode that tries to understand the contours of your head, how you wear the headphones and so on, to try and make the sound even better for you. Im not exactly a fan of these optimizations because they do sometimes make changes to the sound that I dont really likenot to say that Sonys algorithms would have done the same too, but not in the mood for any gambles.

Oh, and Sony have managed to shave off a complete gramthe Sony WH-1000XM4 weighs 253 grams while the WH-1000XM3 tipped the scales at 254 grams. And there is a slightly different colour shade for the Sony logo where the headband joins the earcups.

Really, Why Are These Things Still Missing in 2020?

What remains missing is that there is no water resistance or water proofing on the Sony WH-1000XM4. If you are out and about and get caught in a surprise shower, youd better fold these up and slide them into your backpack.

It is also a bit perplexing that the USB-C port has not been enabled for audio, and remains just for charging. It may have made a lot of sense to use the USB-C port and a USB-C to USB-C cable with many Android phones instead of using the 3.5mm headphone cable at either endand in the case of some smartphones, an adapter at one end.

It is also perplexing that Sony has dropped support for the Qualcomm aptX and aptX HD audio codecs, which the Sony WH-1000XM3 did support. It may not make much difference to you, particularly if you are an iPhone user, but purists might complain endlessly about it.

Changes Under The Hood Are Great News For Sound

Things have been tweaked a bit here as well. While the Sony WH-1000XM4 continuous to use the HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1, just like its predecessor and also the absolutely brilliant Sony WF-1000XM3 wireless earbuds, there is a change on the Bluetooth front. The WH-1000XM4 uses a new Bluetooth Audio SoC that has more processing power and uses the updated algorithms for noise cancellationSony says this makes calculation as many as 700 times per second for digital signal processing and understanding the ambient noise. At the same time, the Sony WH-1000XM4 uses the same powerful 40mm audio drivers in each ear. There seem to be very subtle changes to the tuning, and this is the most neutral sounding Sony cans I have heard in a long time. That is great news for versatility, for the soundstage and for the detailing.

That simply means the sound that you get is nothing short of what can be defined as absolutely fantastic. Factor in the further improvements the new Bluetooth SoC potentially brings, the new algorithms that the HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1 brings and the wider gamut of noise cancellation features, and your audio experience will be nothing short of pristine. As you slide into Over Now by Calvin Harris and The Weeknd, youll understand how the Sony WH-1000XM4 has really upped the sound game, even over its predecessor, which sometimes struggled to detail very few frequencies. Switch over to trance music, the genre I really listen to, and it is absolutely delightful how the Sony WH-1000XM4 immerse you. Belief Without Sight by Dennis Kenzo and Sarah Lynn or Born To Love by Alexander Popov have never sounded this good. That being said, the Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless do get incredibly close in terms of the sound quality, with the very familiar neutral Sennheiser sound signature as the foundation to build on.

Switch gears to some Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Quibi streaming, and the delivery of dialogues isnt at all hampered by the fact that the Sony WH-1000XM4 are tuned brilliantly for music. It turns out, they are tuned just as well for something that involves a lot of spoken word too. You wouldnt want to trade the Sony WH-1000XM4 for any other headphones, and rightly so too.

A lot of the brilliance must be attributed to the Sony HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1ethis chip handles the digital noise cancellation algorithms, the 24bit audio signal processing and the digital to analogue conversion with amplification duties. The Sony WH-1000XM4 also supports the Digital Sound Enhancement Engine HX (DSEE HX) feature which uses the prowess of this hardware chip to upscale audio files to improve their resolution and bring them closer to the High-Resolution Audio without the content being originally High Res ready. This option is turned off by default in the Sony Headphones Connect app (free for Android and iOS) but I would recommend you turn this on, because it genuinely makes a very audible difference, for the better, with pretty much every music service you may be using. Including Apple Music as well as Spotify.

The new Bluetooth SoC also means that the Sony WH-1000XM4 solves its predecessors one limitationthis can now pair with two devices at the same time.

Noise cancellation in the Sony WH-1000XM4 really has taken the next step, not just in terms of how well it isolates you but also the feature set around it. You can tweak noise cancellation according to your preference, Ambient Sound Control and Atmospheric-Pressure Optimization. In the Sony Headphone Connect app, you will notice a noise cancellation slider which lets you change the intensity of isolation depending on how noisy your environment is. These detailed options are part of the new Sense Engine, something we experienced with the WF-1000XM3 wireless earbuds as well. For instance, there is the Adaptive Sound Control, which based on what you are doing at the time and your location, changes the sound mode of the earphonestraveling, walking etc. When you switch on the Sony WH-1000XM4, you will hear a beep after a few secondsthat is the headphone notifying you that its identified your movement status (it is mostly sitting in my case!) and altered the noise cancellation accordingly. There is the Quick Attention mode which lets you hear someone who may have come to have a chat with you or pay attention to any announcements around you, for instance.

You Really Wont Need To Worry About The Charger With This One

The Sony WH-1000XM4 are just the headphones that you probably want, in case you absolutely dislike plugging in gadgets and accessories with bad battery life again and again for charging. With noise cancellation active and depending on the intensity of NC you have set in the app, the WH-1000XM4 will last you around 30 hours on a single charge. There is the quick charge option as well, where a 10-minute splash and dash of the battery is good for 5 hours of music playback.

The Last Word: An Incremental Update That Resets The Benchmarks

To be honest, I wouldnt have wanted to be in the shoes of Sonys engineers and product developers, as they set about trying to improve on the already excellent Sony WH-1000XM3. One shouldnt begrudge the two years it took for the Sony WH-1000XM4 to come along, purely because following up on brilliance with even more brilliance, takes time. The WH-1000XM4 is an incremental step up from the predecessor, and in all honesty, that is just what it needed to be. More powerful and versatile noise cancellation, robust battery life, even improved sound and tweaks to make the build more comfortable are all changes that again reset the benchmarks for the rivals.

As for the Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless, it does match the Sony WH-1000XM4 every bit of the way as far as the brilliance of the sound is concerned. For most users, that is what will matter through and throughand itll be a tough decision to pick between the two purely based on sound. It also has a very likeable personality, and feels great with the mix of leather and metal interacting with your hand every time you touch it. That being said, Sony has pushed the envelope as far as location based features and the versatile noise cancellation is concerned. And Sony also has the advantage with the WH-1000XM4s battery life of around 30 hours, which is significantly higher than the Momentum 3 Wireless 17 hour mark.

If the last 24 months or so are anything to go by, the Sony WH-1000XM4 may very well remain unchallenged, for a while at least.

Have You Also Read?

Sennheiser Momentum 3 Wireless Review: The Premium Headphones Rich Folks Would Love to Buy

Sony WF-1000XM3 Review: You Will Not Find Better Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds
Testimony: Dr Robert Redfield told a US Senate committee that wearing a mask could be just as effective as a vaccine. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Pool via REUTERS

US President Donald Trump took exception to comments from the director of the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), who said a vaccine for the coronavirus could be broadly rolled out in mid-2021 but that masks might be even more effective.

Robert Redfield, in testimony to a congressional committee, said the general availability of a vaccine could come by "late second quarter, third quarter 2021".

Mr Trump, at a news conference, said he believed a vaccine will be rolled out much sooner. He said he called Mr Redfield after his testimony to question him about it, and that Mr Redfield appeared to have been confused by the question.

"I think he made a mistake when he said that," Mr Trump said of the testimony.

"I don't think he means that. When he said it, I believe he was confused."

Mr Trump said a vaccine may be available in a matter of weeks and that there was a plan to begin distributing it widely soon after the Food and Drug Administration approves it. Mr Trump is eager to have progress on a vaccine ahead of the November 3 presidential election.

Several companies are in late-stage trials of a vaccine and have expressed optimism, but none of the vaccines are yet proven to be effective and safe.

Mr Trump also criticised Mr Redfield for saying wearing a mask can be just as effective as a vaccine. Mr Trump was initially reluctant to urge Americans to wear masks but has since been more willing to do so. Still, he has held a number of packed events where many participants have not covered their mouth and nose.

"Number one, it's not more effective than a vaccine and I called him about that," Mr Trump said.

On Twitter Mr Redfield said he believed "100pc" in the importance of a vaccine. "A Covid-19 vaccine is the thing that will get Americans back to normal everyday life," he said.

Despite quibbling with Mr Redfield, Mr Trump said he retained confidence in his performance at the CDC.

Mr Redfield, who is a member of Mr Trump's coronavirus task force, did say that a vaccine could be ready as soon as this November or December, and that limited first doses could go to those who were most vulnerable, but that it might take until mid-2021 for it to be widely available.

However, "in order to have enough of us immunised to have immunity, I think it's going to take six-to-nine months," he added. The federal government will allocate vaccines for each state based on the critical populations recommended first for vaccination by the US CDC.

Meanwhile, the Austrian government has spoken up to correct Mr Trump's claim that people in its country live in "forest cities".

Mr Trump recently cited Austria and other European countries as models of good forest management that US states like California, which has seen devastating wildfires lately, should learn from.

Mr Trump said: "You look at countries [like] Austria, you look at so many countries. They live in the forest, they're considered forest cities. So many of them. And they don't have fires like this. And they have more explosive trees."

In an article for The Independent in London, Austria's agriculture minister sought to set the record straight.

"There have been both serious and humorous conversations on social media about the 'exploding trees' mentioned, as well as the fact that he claimed we live within 'forest cities' which never catch fire," Elisabeth Koestinger wrote.

"As Austrians, fortunately blessed with a healthy sense of humour, we normally take such cliches about our country in our stride. However, the gravity of current events make Trump's words much more worrying - after all, right at this moment, thousands of people are fighting horrendous wildfires in life-or-death situations.

"In reality, Austria is a country situated in the heart of Europe, where people do not live in the forest, but rather with the forest and in a close, sustainable relationship with the natural environment," Koestinger wrote.
Islamabad : Pakistan on Friday rejected India's demand that an Indian lawyer or a Queen's counsel should be appointed for death-row prisoner Kulbhushan Jadhav to ensure a free and fair trial in this country.

Foreign Office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri, replying to a question during a media briefing, said India has been consistently making the "unrealistic demand" of allowing a lawyer from outside Pakistan to represent Jadhav, sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court for alleged spying.

We have informed India that only those lawyers are allowed to appear in Pakistani courts who have a license to practice law in Pakistan. This is in line with international legal practice. There can be no change in this position," he said.

Queen's Counsel is a barrister or advocate, appointed Counsel to the UK Crown on the recommendation of the Lord Chancellor.

Earlier this month, the Islamabad High Court in Pakistan directed the federal government to give India another chance to appoint a lawyer to represent Jadhav and adjourned hearing for a month.

Pakistan's Parliament on Tuesday extended for four months an ordinance that allowed Jadhav to file an appeal against his conviction in a high court as required by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said the government of Pakistan has not been able to fulfil its obligations on implementation of the ICJ judgment in letter and spirit.

"It has not yet addressed the core issues, which include provision of all documents related to the case, providing unconditional and unimpeded consular access to Kulbhusan Jadhav and appointment of an Indian lawyer or a Queen's counsel to ensure a free and fair trial," he said at an online media briefing on Thursday.

In 2017, India approached the ICJ against Pakistan for denial of consular access to Jadhav and challenging the death sentence handed to him by a military court.

The Hague-based ICJ ruled in July 2019 that Pakistan must undertake an "effective review and reconsideration" of the conviction and sentence of Jadhav and also to grant consular access to India without further delay.

India has slammed Pakistan for adopting a "farcical" approach in denying available legal remedies to Jadhav against his death sentence in contravention of the ICJ order.

Fifty-year-old retired Indian Navy officer Jadhav was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and terrorism in April 2017.

To a question about elevating Gilgit-Baltistan's status to that of a full-fledged province, the Foreign Office spokesperson said that reforms in GB were an ongoing process that include political, administrative and economic reforms.

It (granting status of a province) has been a long-standing demand of the people of Giligit Baltistan.

These reforms will continue in line with the needs of the people of Gilgit Baltistan," he said.

India has clearly conveyed to Pakistan that the entire union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, including the areas of Gilgit and Baltistan, are an integral part of the country by virtue of its fully legal and irrevocable accession.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.

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The Government is to pay an allowance to troops to compensate them for having to quarantine for two weeks in army camps prior to departing on overseas peacekeeping missions.

The move had been called for by both military representative associations  RACO for officers and PDForra for enlisted personnel  who said this added up to an extension of their missions and they should therefore be paid the Armed Peace Support Allowance (APSA).

Covid-19 has resulted in many countries enforcing strict quarantine regulations on those entering their territories, including soldiers on peacekeeping missions.

Last July, both representative organisations sought financial compensation for troops who are forced to leave their families two weeks prematurely to go into compulsory quarantine prior to deploying on overseas missions.

PDForra told the Department of Defence that the complete prohibition of personnel from seeing their families, a requirement to live in "Spartan conditions" within the training centres for prolonged periods, and the extension of the training environment "renders the grant of an allowance reasonable under the circumstances".

RACO said that not only are troops obliged to go into pre-deployment quarantine, but they also have to self-isolate for a further two weeks when they return home and therefore can't go out during that period to celebrate their reunion with their families.

At the time the first contingent of troops to undergo quarantine had just left for Lebanon and both representative associations want them to get the allowance retrospectively.

Read More Wheelchair user pushed to the ground and robbed in Cork city

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence Simon Coveney subsequently told the Irish Examiner that he was sympathetic to their situation.

It's understood Mr Coveney told troops on a visit to Aitken Barracks, Dundalk, last Monday that they would be paid the APSA.

Around 130 of them will be flying out to Syria shortly. A further 336 troops are preparing for deployment in Lebanon in mid-November.

The APSA equates to around 100 a day, depending on rank.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Defence confirmed Mr Coveney has secured agreement from Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Michael McGrath for the overseas allowances which are normally paid to members of the Defence Forces serving in overseas military operations on the direction of government, to be paid from the start of the period of quarantine".

Soldiers coming back from peacekeeping missions also have to self-isolate for two weeks on their return, but can do so with their families.

However, those who may have 'vulnerable' family members will be allowed to self-isolate in military barracks.

Ireland is the only country in the world which has had a continuous peacekeeping role with the UN since 1958, mainly in the Middle East.

They are also deployed in the Western Sahara  situated on the north-west African coast, between Morocco, Algeria and Mauritania  and in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in Mali, Kosovo and Bosnia.
Western Uttar Pradesh, from where several farm protests originated, is relatively silent on the three controversial farm bills that have angered farmers in Punjab and Haryana.

The reason farm leaders gave was that unlike Punjab and Haryana, the network of fruit and vegetable markets is not so strong in western Uttar Pradesh and impact of the farm reform laws would be much less in a primarily sugarcane growing region of the country.

Most of the crops in western UP are bought by mills and therefore, the role of markets is limited. Therefore, farmers here, unlike Punjab and Haryana, are much affected by the changes being made in the farm laws, said Naresh Takait, vice-president of Bharatiya Kisan Union.

The Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Acts regulates the fruit and vegetable markets in the country.

Most farmers here grow sugarcane, the regions cash crop. Paddy and wheat is also grown in some areas. Entire sugarcane crop is sold directly to the mills. The cane prices are controlled by the government. Paddy is also bought mostly by the private players, he said.

Another BKU leader, Rakesh Takait, said, The farmers agitation against the three agriculture laws is largely confined to Punjab and Haryana so far. This is because commission agents and markets have a strong network in the two states and they feel abolition of the market system will affect them the most, he said.

Farmers in Haryana and Punjab are up in arms against the three ordinances promulgated by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government on June 5 to reform the agriculture sector. On Thursday, Shiromani Akali Dals Harsimrat Kaur, minister of food processing industries, resigned from the Union cabinet in support of agitating farmers.

The BKU, which is heading the protest in Punjab, is not against the laws but wants certain amendments to secure farmers interests.

First, there should be a provision binding private traders not to buy farmers produce below the minimum support price (MSP) fixed by the government. Second, a maximum storage limit of food grains by traders must be fixed and third the mandi tax should be abolished for farmers, Rakesh said, adding that farmers were earlier also allowed to sell produce outside mandis.

To express solidarity with farmers in Punjab and Haryana, farmers would soon hit roads.

But we are starting the agitation in UP as well with protests at all the district headquarters in the state on September 23, Rakesh said.

The opposition parties are also opposing the law.

The Samajwadi Party (SP), the principal opposition party in the state, has not made up its mind on protests on the issue.

We have been opposed to the ordinances since day one because these laws, we feel, are anti-farmer and pro-corporate, SP spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary said. When asked if the party had any plan for protests, he said, Our leader Akhilesh Yadav will take a call on the issue of agitation.

RLD general secretary Anil Dubey said the bills were anti-farmer and demanded the government withdraw them, though he said there was no plan as of now for statewide protests.The party has organised some demonstrations in western UP, he said.

Experts had been advocating agriculture market reforms for years together and the new agriculture laws in this regard are a welcome step. Their positive impact will be visible after two years or so, said AK Singh, an economist and former director of Giri Institute of Developmental Studies.

Ordinances challenged

The Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court, in the meantime, has issued a notice to the Centre and the UP government asking them to file an affidavit to a writ petition filed challenging the Constitutional validity of The Farmers Produce and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020.

The two-member bench comprising Justice Pankaj Kumar Jaiswal and Justice Dinesh Kumar, in an order passed on August 26, gave six weeks time to file the affidavit.

In their writ, filed through counsel Madhav Chaturvedi, petitioners Ashok Kumar and Satyanarayan Tripathi, both residents of Etawah, pleaded that the said ordinance was unconstitutional and hence urged the court to quash the same.

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District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan began receiving hundreds of calls, emails and letters in May after he refused to go along with the Justice Departments unusual request to immediately drop the prosecution of Trumps former national security adviser, Michael Flynn. The vast majority of the messages, according to another official who also spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the threats, were hostile. Many were laced with race-based profanity toward the judge, who is Black.
Dear Readers: With so much time spent indoors over the past few months and with lovely fall weather coming, many people will be tempted to get out and take a day hike in nature. AARP has some suggestions that we should follow to make certain were safe. Before leaving for your trip, be sure to tell someone when you plan to start and return, where youll be and which trails or where in the park you plan to explore. They should also know the names of anyone else who will be joining you. Be sure to have enough food and water and the necessary gear for your hike.
Washington:

US President Donald Trump has given a makeover to the Oval Office withing hours of moving into the White House.

The 45th US President reinstalled a bust of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and introduced some other changes. The bust was removed to outside the Treaty Room in the private residence of the White House from the Oval Office in 2009 under Trump's predecessor Barack Obama.

The move had sparked conservative ire early in Obama's administration. Trump, however, has retained the bust of Martin LutherKing Jr, brought to the Oval Office by Obama. This was one of the most notable changes as a group of White House pool reporters entered the Oval Office for Trump to make his first few signatures on documents and an executive order.

New White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer tweeted a picture of the bust of Martin Luther King Jr after some media reports and a White House pool report incorrectly mentioned that it has been removed. The report was quickly corrected. "(This is) a reminder of the media danger of tweet first check facts later," Spicer tweeted.

Inside the Oval Office, Trump is also using the famous Resolute desk, an 1,880 gift from Queen Victoria and first used in the Oval by John F Kennedy.

It is now being used by its Seventh President. According to a White House pool report, the drapes in the Oval Office have been replaced. This morning they were crimson. Now they are gold. Additionally, a bust of Teddy Roosevelt is in one of the bookshelves.

Some of the artwork have also been swapped. According to a CNN report, some paintings have also been replaced by Trump, including two by the door by Edward Hopper. Trump has held onto "The Avenue in the Rain," by the American impressionist Childe Hassam, from Obama's OvalOffice, and the back wall still hangs a painting of George Washington above the fire place.

The Swedish Ivy on the mantlepiece is also retained, the news channel said. Notably, there was a lot of flak for Obama when here placed bust of Churchill with that of Martin Luther King Jr.

"There are only so many tables where you can put busts -otherwise it starts looking a little cluttered," Obama had said at London news conference last April. "And I thought it was appropriate, and I suspect most people here in the United Kingdom might agree, that as the first African American President, it might be appropriate to have a bust of Dr Martin Luther King in my office to remind me of all the hard work of a lot of people who would somehow allow me to have the privilege of holding this office," he had said then.

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* MSCI AxJ +0.4% to hit middle of its month-long range

* Yen, yuan shine as pressure returns to USD

* Oil jumps on output outlook

* Asian stock markets: https://tmsnrt.rs/2zpUAr4

By Tom Westbrook

SINGAPORE, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Asian stocks inched up on Friday but lingering disappointment that central banks merely affirmed their monetary support this week, while not promising new stimulus, kept a lid on gains.

Oil rose after OPEC flagged a crackdown on members that did not cut output, and the dollar was back to the bottom of its recent range following its brief journey higher after Wednesday's Federal Reserve meeting.

The Fed promised to keep rates low for a long time, but gave no new hints about any further monetary support.

Hints did come from the Bank of England and the Bank of Japan on Thursday, but action was not forthcoming either.

U.S. stock futures wobbled either side of steady through the Asia session and S&P 500 futures were last up 0.04% while Nasdaq 100 futures were up 0.5%. EuroSTOXX 50 futures were down 0.1% and FTSE Futures fell 0.2%.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.4% to head for its first weekly gain in three weeks.

Japan's Nikkei ended Friday down 0.2% for the week, while markets in South Korea and Australia scraped small weekly gains.

The Shanghai Composite was the only market to make noteworthy gains, with financials leading a 1.8% rise.

"The bigger picture issue is that markets, particularly growth and tech stocks, have run very hard into the end of August, which has left them somewhat vulnerable," said AMP Capital chief economist Shane Oliver.

"There's uncertainty ahead of the U.S. elections...China-U.S. tensions keep creeping in and on top of that there's now uncertainty about how the recovery will proceed from here, in the absence of more stimulus in the U.S."

Data on Thursday showed the recovery in the U.S. labour market is stalling. Consumer confidence data is due later on Friday.

Story continues

"Directionless trading in most asset classes suggests fatigue in the risk rally," said strategist Terence Wu of Singapore's OCBC Bank.

"The market will be craving for the next round of stimulus injection to sustain the feel-good, risk-on factor...the question is when and under what circumstances will the next injection arrive?"

YUAN, YEN STAND OUT

The currency market's standout movers this week have been the yuan and yen, notwithstanding volatile trade in sterling as it has been buffeted by Brexit turmoil and the Bank of England saying it would consider negative interest rates.

In afternoon trade in Asia, the yuan was up 1.2% for the week at 6.7514 per dollar and on track for its longest weekly winning streak since early 2018 as bond inflows into China's capital-controlled economy buoy the currency.

"We see no signals from the (People's Bank of China's) daily yuan fixing that suggest authorities are concerned about recent trends," said Nomura analysts in a note.

"We remain short USD/CNH through both cash and options."

The yen was also solidly bought leading into a long weekend in Japan. Shrugging off a dovish-sounding Bank of Japan it is set for its best week since January with a 1.3% gain and last sat just shy of a seven-week high at 104.81 per dollar.

In commodity markets, oil held sharp gains after OPEC and its allies said the group will take action on members that are not complying with deep output cuts.

Brent crude futures were last 0.6% firmer at $43.55 a barrel and U.S. crude futures rose 0.5% to $41.19 a barrel.

U.S. Treasuries picked up where they left off, with yields on 10-year U.S. government debt at 0.6822% after concerns about possible inflation rises in the future helped reverse a bond rally in overnight trade.

Later on Friday, U.S. consumer confidence data is due and Fed board member James Bullard is to make a speech on the challenges of the COVID-19 recovery, both at 1400 GMT. (Reporting by Tom Westbrook in Singapore. Additional reporting by John McCrank in New York; Editing by Sam Holmes and Christian Schmollinger)
Niagaras French community will come together for Franco-Ontarian Day on Sept. 25.

Outside FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in St. Catharines, there will be two live performances from musical group LG5.

The event is presented by French public school board Conseil scolaire Viamonde, Maison de la Culture Francophone du Niagara, and a number of other Francophone organizations based in the region.

Maison de la Culture Francophone du Niagara will announce a new project starting in January 2021 funded by Ontario Trillium Foundation, said a release from the school board.

The show takes place Friday from 5:15 to 7:30 p.m. at the Mann Raceway outdoor venue at the performing arts centre.

Admission is free with limited seating, but the music can still be enjoyed online at www.mcfniagara.com.

Those who attend are asked to wear green and white for the occasion.

The Maison de la culture francophone du Niagara is a catalyst organization dedicated to increasing and promoting the visibility of the socio-cultural actions of all Francophone stakeholders in the region, says the organizations website.

Sept. 25 was officially named Franco-Ontarian Day in 2010, says the provinces website.

Based on what language is spoken in homes, Welland's francophone population is 11 to 15 per cent of the more than 50,000 people who live in the city.

Welland has the third-largest French-speaking population per capita in Ontario next to Ottawa and Sudbury. There is also a neighbourhood in the city known as French Town.

The community hosts a bi-annual Francophone film festival at Seaway Mall.

There are many French organizations in Welland, including Auberge Richelieu, Centre de Sante Communitaire, Auberge Richelieu and La Maison de la Culture Francophone du Niagara.

The City of Welland will hold a flag-raising Friday at 11:30 at civic square.

There are more than 622,000 Francophones and 1.5 million Ontarians who can speak French, making Ontario Canadas largest Francophone community outside of Quebec.

The Franco-Ontario flag flew for the first time in 1975 at the University of Sudbury. It was created by history professor Gaetan Gervais and political science student Michel Dupuis, says the province.

The flag became the symbol of the Franco-Ontarian community and was officially recognized in 2001.
United States, India, Australia and Japan are in conversation to decide the venue and date of QUAD security dialogue next month, which will be followed by the 2 plus 2 dialogue between India and US here. As of now, Japan is an option for the QUAD dialogue or both QUAD and 2 plus 2 dialogues could be held back to back in New Delhi late next month.

The QUAD dialogue is an informal tie-up between democratic countries that share military logistics support, inter-operability through exercises and information and are committed to keep the Indo-Pacific sea lanes of communication free from artificial constructs and constraints. The QUAD dialogue will be held in person between US secretary of state Mike Pompeo, Indian external affairs minister S Jaishankar, Japanese foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Australian foreign minister Marise Payne. The ministers are guided by the leadership of the four countries who share personal rapport and global visions for peace. The delay in the date and venue is due to the change of government in Japan with prime minister Yoshihide Suga taking over from ailing Shinzo Abe.

For the two plus two dialogue, defence minister Rajnath Singh will join with US secretary of defence Mark Esper in New Delhi.

Although the QUAD is not targeted at any particular country, the informal group is closely watching the rise of wolf warriors in Communist China and its impact on security of Indo-Pacific and Indian Ocean with Beijing opening fronts against all four QUAD members---from land disputes to exports to data extraction. The rise of QUAD is a direct consequence of China claiming the entire South China Sea through artificial nine dash line which has been rejected by the global body tribunal.

QUAD is expected to be further strengthened as India has 2 plus 2 dialogue with US and Japan at ministerial level and with Australia at the foreign secretary level. All the four nations time and again conduct military exercises and the chances of QUAD navies participating under the rubric of Malabar exercises is very high though the decision is still to be taken.

The QUAD will be followed by the two plus two in Delhi, with US and India to initial the long pending foundational basic exchange and cooperation agreement for sharing geospatial data. While the US is ready to supply top of the line military hardware to India including armed drones, it has been left to the latter to work out what it requires to deal with a rising global power next door.

Given the fact that the Peoples Liberation Army is dragging its feet on total disengagement from Ladakh sector, it is quite obvious that the Chinese aggression in western sector in May 2020 will be a hot topic of discussion for both QUAD dialogue and 2 plus 2.

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New Delhi, Sep 18 : The Air India Express operations to Dubai has been temporarily suspended for 15 days starting Friday.

According to the airline, Air India Express has received "Notice of Suspension" from Dubai Civil Aviation Authority on Thursday.

"The notice has been issued on account of erroneous acceptance of one Covid positive passenger by the Airline's ground handling agents at Delhi and Jaipur on Air India Express flights to Dubai on 28th August and 4th September, respectively," the statement said.

"As per information gathered, passengers who were seated in close proximity to the Covid positive passenger on each flight had undergone Covid test or quarantined as determined by the Dubai Health authority." On its part, the airline disclosed that the concerned ground handling agencies has taken appropriate punitive action against their employees who have been held accountable for the lapse at Delhi and Jaipur.

"Prior to the receipt of the Notice, the Airline had submitted a letter to the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority expressing the Airline's profuse apologies and detailing the various actions taken by the Airline in association with the concerned ground handling agents to guard against such lapse in the future." In addition, the airline said that in order to mitigate the inconvenience that may be caused to passengers booked to fly to Dubai, it has introduced additional flights to Sharjah to accommodate the affected passengers.

"The affected passengers who have booked to fly to Dubai are also being given the option to rebook to a future date," the airline said in a statement.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
ARCHIVED - Covid cases in Spain rise by 14,389 in the last 24 hours, with 90 deaths



633 people have been hospitalised in the last 24 hours

Daily coronavirus data published by the Ministry of Health on Friday afternoon continues to affirm the upward trend of covid cases in Spain.



On Thursday the Ministry reported the total number of cases in Spain as 625,651, and by Friday this total had risen to 640,040, an increase of 14,389 in the last 24 hours.



4,697 of these have been diagnosed in the last 24 hours, the remaining increase in the figures accounted for by the system used by the Ministry in which data reported in previous days by the 17 regional health authorities is checked and then entered, the data sometimes taking several days to work through the system, hence the Ministry always playing catch-up with the figures.



Fatalities:

The total number of fatalities has now increased to 30,495, with 90 fatalities in the last 24 hours, or 432 in the last 7 day period. Although this figure is rising, it is still a long way from the peak of the pandemic in the spring between the 19th March and 15th April when deaths were consistently above 500 a day, peaking around 900 at the end of March.



Hospitalisations:

The number of people admitted to hospitals with covid in Spain is 10,143, 140 more than on Thursday.

1,345 are in intensive care units (14 more than yesterday).

The occupancy of beds by patients with coronavirus is 8.7%.

Yesterday there were 1299 hospital admissions and 1091discharges.



With the new increase in infections, the incidence of cases per 100,000 inhabitants across the last 14 days rises 8 points to 267.8 across the whole of Spain.



PCR testing:

Between September 8th and 14th, a total of 650,402 PCR tests were carried out across Spain, with a positivity rate of 13.2%. However, the positivity varies between autonomous communities; Madrid records 22.5 percent on its tests, but in other areas the percentage of positives is much lower; Asturias for example, is only reporting 2.9 percent positives amongst the tests taken in this region. The Region of Murcia reported a rate of 15.9%.

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WASHINGTON - It would be months before Louis DeJoy took the reins of the nation's mail system, and the U.S. Postal Service already was mired in crisis.

Mail carriers were revolting, fearful they had few protections against the newly emerging coronavirus. The Trump administration was bearing down on its finances, sending USPS officials scrambling over what they saw as a potential illegal takeover of agency operations. And then there was a looming standoff with Amazon, which privately signaled it could take some of its lucrative delivery business elsewhere.

The tensions surfaced at an April 9 meeting, when Amazon executives "stated their concerns" about the Postal Service's economic plight amid the pandemic and questioned its "viability to them as a continued shipping partner," according to a once-secret memo circulated within the agency, which described the situation as an "inflection point." (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)

The wide-ranging headaches that so troubled the USPS in April ultimately foreshadowed a summer of upheaval, thrusting the once-venerated mail service into a political maelstrom months before a presidential election. Newly disclosed details of these struggles are laid bare in nearly 10,000 pages of emails, legal memos, presentations and other documents obtained by The Washington Post from American Oversight, a watchdog group that requested them under the Freedom of Information Act.

The documents, which mostly span March and April, depict an agency in distress, as its deteriorating finances collided with a public-health emergency and a looming election that would be heavily reliant on absentee ballots. During that period, the USPS occasionally relied on the legal counsel of well-connected Republicans, including Stefan C. Passantino, who once served as a top White House lawyer under President Donald Trump. Passantino, whose role has not been previously reported, is also part of a new pro-Trump legal coalition preparing for the possibility of a contested election, a relationship that has raised new ethical flags among the administration's critics.

The records also offer fresh detail about the Postal Service's precarious position in the White House's early pandemic response. At one point in April, USPS leaders drafted a news release announcing plans to distribute 650 million masks nationwide, enough to offer five face coverings to every American household. The document, which includes quotations from top USPS officials and other specifics, was never sent. But it suggests that the government's initial interest in tapping the Postal Service as part of its campaign to combat the coronavirus may have been far more advanced than initially reported this spring.

The Postal Service declined to discuss its specific dealings with the White House, Treasury Department or Amazon about its plans to distribute masks or its finances. David Partenheimer, a USPS spokesman, stressed in a statement that the mail agency is "firmly committed to being a source of constancy and reliability in every community." The Postal Service later demanded in a letter that American Oversight remove some of the documents it had shared publicly online, citing the fact some of them had been improperly released.

"Our more than 630,000 employees are working to make sure our customers can depend on us," Partenheimer said. "We're on the front lines - delivering needed medicines, supplies, benefit checks, financial statements and the important correspondence every family counts on."

But the emails and other records obtained by The Post offer fresh insight about the Postal Service, its philosophical shifts and the little-known board of governors overseeing its operations and finances. Lawmakers already have trained their attention on board leader Robert M. Duncan, a top Republican financier, for his political ties. The board later picked DeJoy, whose support for Trump, history of GOP fundraising and controversial USPS cost-cutting moves have stoked widespread criticism.

"I see President Trump's fingerprints all over," said Austin Evers, the executive director of American Oversight. "It's clear from the president's public comments, and the actions of his administration, he has a major agenda for the post office - and we see a lot of it in black and white here."

- - -

The frantic emails began reaching the Postal Service leadership in March, mere weeks after the coronavirus is believed to have arrived in the United States. Mail carriers and, in some cases, their spouses practically pleaded with then-Postmaster General Megan Brennan and her top aides for help in protecting themselves on the front lines.

At the time, New York City was emerging as the U.S. epicenter of the pandemic. Yet postal employees continued delivering letters and packages even as broad swaths of the state had started to shut down. A local union leader, whose name is redacted in email records shared with The Post, urged Brennan to follow suit and temporarily cease operations in the city.

"I literally was on the phone today with many of my members screaming at me to do something [and] I don't want to die," the unnamed union official wrote, noting they had 12 confirmed coronavirus cases among the ranks by March 25. "You cannot expect the unions to convince the employees that if they come to work they have nothing to worry about."

Roughly a week later, USPS publicly pledged to stock up on personal protective equipment and allow employees to more easily take leave as soon as they felt sick. But angry notes continued to flood Brennan's inbox, as postal workers and their families expressed fears for the public health crisis to come.

"WHY IN GOD'S NAME ARE THEY DELIVERING UNESSENTIAL MAIL to EVERY HOUSE in a HIGHLY INFECTED AREA!!!!" wrote an unidentified woman who described herself as the spouse of a mail carrier in Pennsylvania. "Do you want them to get the coronavirus! . . . You as post master seem to be the ONLY ONE who can do something about the situation . . . so DO SOMETHING, before the virus does it for you!"

Brennan did not respond to a request for comment. Partenheimer, the USPS spokesman, said in a statement that "supply chain issues" had affected the mail agency just as it had other businesses and institutions in the early stages of the pandemic. "However, those issues have long since been addressed and we are ensuring millions of masks, gloves and cleaning and sanitizing product are available and distributed to more than 30,000 locations every day through our Postal Service supply chain," he added.

Inside the agency, though, leaders at the time appeared to be scrambling to keep operations running smoothly. The Trump administration had deemed postal workers essential, with the critical task of delivering medicine, supplies and other goods to a nation upended by the pandemic and largely staying at home. Unlike other elements of the economy, the U.S. Postal Service simply could not shut down.

Some top administration officials even hoped to tap the mail service's vast network - and its unrivaled ability to reach every U.S. Zip code - to help Americans obtain personal protective equipment. The idea originated out of the Department of Health and Human Services, which suggested a pack of five reusable masks be sent to every residential address in the country, with the first shipments going to the hardest-hit areas.

At the time, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had been working on coronavirus guidance that recommended face coverings, a reversal of its previous position, in the face of mounting evidence that people could spread the coronavirus without experiencing symptoms. The Postal Service prepared for the possibility it might be deputized in the effort, drawing up a news release touting that it was "uniquely suited" to help. The service specifically identified Orleans and Jefferson parishes in Louisiana as the first areas to receive face coverings, with deliveries shortly thereafter to King County, Wash.; Wayne County, Mich.; and New York, according to the newly unearthed document, which is labeled a draft.

Before the news release was sent, however, the White House nixed the plan, according to senior administration officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share internal deliberations. Instead, HHS created Project America Strong, a $675 million effort to distribute "reusable cotton face masks to critical infrastructure sectors, companies, healthcare facilities, and faith-based and community organizations across the country." About 600 million of the 650 million masks ordered have been distributed, according to an HHS spokesperson, including 125 million set aside for schools.

"There was concern from some in the White House Domestic Policy Council and the office of the vice president that households receiving masks might create concern or panic," one administration official said in response to the scrapped mask plan.

- - -

The Postal Service, meanwhile, faced a panic of its own. And it soon would try to turn to some of Trump's closest political allies for help.

For years, the agency had been operating in the red. Its mandate to deliver to every U.S. Zip code had come at great cost, and it struggled to meet its workers' sky-high retirement obligations - leaving it $160.9 billion in debt. The pandemic only exacerbated its financial standing, with agency officials in April predicting a $23 billion loss over the next 18 months and expressing fears the mail service could run out of money by October.

To bridge the gap, the Democratically controlled House proposed setting aside $25 billion for the USPS as part of the March debate over coronavirus relief legislation. But the Republican-led Senate whittled that down to $13 billion, and Trump soon after threatened to veto any bill that included direct aid to the agency. Ultimately, Congress replaced the funding with a $10 billion loan in the package that became known as the Cares Act, a pot of money the Treasury Department was tasked with administering.

The approach appeared to spook the USPS, agency email records show. The money seemed insufficient, the law itself presented serious legal challenges, and some mail service leaders questioned the Trump administration's involvement, according to its emails and other records, prompting them to go on the offensive.

To boost its legal and political standing, the USPS turned to Passantino, a partner at the law firm Michael Best & Friedrich and a former deputy White House counsel for Trump. He departed the administration in fall 2018, but he never fully severed his ties to Trump's orbit. Passantino has since helped the Trump Organization handle investigations led by House Democrats, for example, and he has consulted for a firm assisting his reelection campaign.

Duncan, the USPS board chairman, brought in Passantino and his law firm in part to help ease the agency's financial stress, according to emails and people involved with high-level USPS deliberations, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide a frank assessment of the agency. The board also retained Republican consultant Rick Hohlt and others to address lingering policy and budget issues in Washington, the records reveal.

An April 1 memo also shows the USPS considered tapping one of Passantino's colleagues - Reince Priebus, the former White House chief of staff and Republican National Committee chairman - believing he could help break a Washington logjam over the need for additional stimulus aid. People familiar with the matter said Priebus never made those calls, and Priebus is barred by executive order from lobbying the White House until 2022.

Priebus and Hohlt declined to comment. Passantino and his law firm did not respond to requests for comment. The Postal Service did not answer detailed questions about their work, including the extent to which Passantino or Hohlt worked on matters related to the election, but it confirmed the hires came at a time when the board of governors was understaffed.

Ethics watchdogs raised concerns about new evidence showing additional overlap between the Postal Service, which will deliver ballots this fall, and the Republican Party.

"Why did the Postal Service need the services of Stefan Passantino when his primary claim to fame, the primary reason you hire him, is to carry out Donald Trump's personal and political defense work?" asked Evers, the head of American Oversight, who called him the "fox in the hen house."

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

The document trove also includes three separate email chains referencing calls with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and other agency officials over nine days in early April. Two people familiar with the matter say Treasury drove a hard line, demanding operating control over the agency in exchange for the $10 billion congressionally approved loan. Such a demand was unprecedented, postal experts said, and appeared to lead the USPS to hire another law firm in the spring to study the legality of the issue. That firm, Mayer Brown, concluded that Treasury's request was illegal.

"Any agreement by the Postal Service to surrender its authority to the Secretary of the Treasury or to the [Federal Financing Bank] therefore would be illegal," lawyers concluded in an unreleased April 24 memo, referring to a federal borrowing entity.

The Treasury Department ultimately backed away from the idea of assuming control of USPS operations, amid swelling opposition from congressional Democrats and Postal Service leaders. During an April 9 meeting between Kip Kranbuhl, a Treasury assistant secretary; Gary Grippo, a career Treasury official; and Postal Service executives, Grippo said Treasury would not seek to take operating control as part of the terms, according to notes from the meeting. But the agency continued to press the idea for weeks, insisting that any loan to the USPS should result in it assuming operational control of the mail agency, three people familiar with the talks said.

Asked about the proposed arrangement, Monica Crowley, a Treasury spokeswoman, said in a statement that the USPS had been losing money - so the Trump administration sought to "protect" billions of dollars in loans ultimately authorized for the mail service.

"As in any arms-length negotiation, some of these proposals were rejected by USPS, while other reforms, such as enhanced monthly and quarterly financial reports, were agreed upon as part of the recent $10 billion loan that Treasury and USPS agreed to terms on last month," she said. "Treasury's proposed financing conditions have at all times been commercially reasonable and consistent with law. It is absurd to describe commonsense conditions on continued taxpayer funding as a 'takeover.' "

But the revelations still troubled some White House critics on Capitol Hill. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., faulted the administration in a statement for being "hell-bent on sabotaging the USPS," adding, "Congress must protect the USPS from attacks by Trump and his cronies - tens of millions of Americans across the country are counting on us to act."

- - -

Amazon would prove to be a bigger headache, according to USPS email records, which reveal new details about the e-commerce giant's financial ties to the U.S. mail system.

Trump for years has alleged without evidence that the Postal Service is undercharging companies, particularly Amazon, that rely on it to deliver to addresses the company itself can't reach - or, in industry parlance, the "last mile." In April, the president even called on the agency to "raise the price of a package by approximately four times," marking the latest in a long line of attacks against the company.

But the documents unearthed by American Oversight suggest Amazon is a lucrative client for the mail service. Amazon drove roughly $3.9 billion in revenue, and $1.6 billion in profit, for the USPS in fiscal 2019, according to multiple emails and financial statements obtained via open records laws. The Postal Service delivered 1.54 billion packages on Amazon's behalf last year, about 30% of the company's total volume in 2019, and deliveries and revenue increased this year, the documents also indicate.

Amazon declined to answer questions about its relationship with the USPS. "For more than two decades, Amazon has partnered closely with the United States Postal Service to invent and deliver for our customers, which has resulted in significant revenue for the USPS and thousands of American jobs," company spokeswoman Rena Lunak said in a statement. "USPS continues to be a great partner in serving Amazon customers."

White House spokesman Brian Morgenstern said in a statement that the agency "has been losing billions of dollars for more than a decade and is projected to lose tens of billions more in the next decade."

The tensions came to head in April as Amazon and the USPS attempted to negotiate a new contract to determine the cost at which the country's mail service will deliver packages on Amazon's behalf. The relationship is a crucial one for the USPS, which warned throughout the spring that it stood to "cede" control to its competitors if it raised rates on Amazon too high, according to emails and memos obtained by The Post.

In response to the president's attacks, the agency appeared to circulate a memo internally that appeared to fact-check his statements. Trump, for example, had claimed during a meeting of his coronavirus task force in late March that the agency "lose[s] money every time they deliver a package" for Amazon. USPS, however, countered that "unfunded government mandates," such as its retirement obligations, are driving its budget woes - not Amazon.

"Amazon made it very clear that the USPS is alone, globally, among their partners in having this pricing uncertainty," indicated the document. It is not clear who drafted it, or to whom it was sent.

The documents do not indicate the status of the Postal Service's talks with Amazon, but they do presciently list some of the e-commerce giant's lingering questions about the agency amid a roiling pandemic that had thrust it and its finances into doubt: "What does the USPS look like in the new few weeks, the next few months and the next several years?"

- - -

The Washington Post's Jay Greene contributed to this report.
No force in the world can stop the Indian Army from patrolling borders, defence minister Rajnath Singh told lawmakers in Parliament on Thursday, signalling a resolve to regain access to several areas that are now difficult to reach due to actions by the Chinese army along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

In tensions that began in early May, Indian and Chinese troops have come face-to-face at multiple points along the de-factor border, known as the LAC. In some of these areas, particularly the Finger Area and Depsang in Ladakh, Indian forces have been cut off from reaching areas they could previously patrol.

Singhs remark came in response to comments by former defence minister AK Anthony, who was reacting to the statement by the incumbent made earlier in Rajya Sabha. The former defence minister has said that China is stopping us from patrolling. I want to make it clear that is the reason for our fight with China. These were patrolling points that were traditional and are well-defined, he said.

Singh added: ...No force in the world can stop Indian jawans from patrolling. If our soldiers have made sacrifices, it is for this reason that they have laid down their lives.

Antony also said that the ongoing talks with China should result in India being able to restore how things were till mid-April in the eastern Ladakh theatre and the outcome should allow that forces are able to patrol right up to Indias perception of its border.

In the statement earlier, Singh gave a detailed assessment of the Ladakh situation. It is easy to start wars but there is no control over how they end, the minister said, underscoring the important of restraint.

While the rest of the statement was similar to that delivered in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, the defence minister took some questions from members in the Upper House. He is also due to separately hold a closed-door meeting with opposition leaders on the sensitive issue.

It is reassuring to hear the defence minister say that the army will patrol to its traditional areas in eastern Ladakh. However, this will only happen if there is an agreement on disengagement and a return to previous protocols, said former Northern Army commander Lieutenant General DS Hooda (retd).

The Chinese Peoples Liberation Armys (PLA) aggressive forward deployments in the eastern Ladakh theatre have hindered the Indian Armys patrolling patterns in Depsang, Finger Area on the northern bank of Pangong Tso, Gogra and Kongka La, officials familiar with the developments said on Thursday, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

While Depsang was not among the friction points on the LAC that Singh mentioned in his statement, the officials said the PLAs deployments in forward areas in Depsang have hindered access of Indian soldiers to routes including the ones leading to Patrolling Points (PP) 10, 11, 11-A, 12 and 13.

Also read: China not honouring customary alignment of boundary with India: Rajnath Singh

The Depsang plains lie south of Daulat Beg Oldie in a strategic area that the military calls Sub-Sector North (SSN).

Before the current standoff began, the Indian Army patrolled right up to Indias perception of the LAC marked either by geographical features or so-called PPs (in the absence of natural features) dotting the LAC.

In his statement, Singh said China has mobilised a large number of troops and weapons systems along the LAC and the eastern Ladakh theatre, and there are several friction areas, including Gogra, Kongka La and north and south banks of the Pangong Lake.

The Indian Army took control of key heights overlooking the PLAs deployments on the Finger 4 ridgeline in the first week of September, shortly after it moved and occupied strategic heights on the southern bank to prevent the PLA from grabbing Indian territory, in a stealthy midnight move on August 29.

Before the PLA grabbed positions on Finger 4, the army would patrol right up to Finger 8 that New Delhi considers within Indian territory. Fingers 4 and 8 are eight kilometre apart. The Indian claim line in this sector extends to Finger 8, while the Chinese claim is up to Finger 4.

In the Rajya Sabha, Antony flagged concerns about the PLAs forward deployments restricting the scope of Indian patrolling activity in the Finger Area, a set of eight cliffs jutting out of the Sirijap range overlooking the Pangong lake.

The other areas where patrolling activity has been affected include Kongka La and Gogra. These areas have traditionally not been disputed as both sides had a somewhat common perception of the LAC. But Depsang and Finger Area are the main worry, the officials said.

In 2013, the PLA set up positions 19km into the Indian side of the LAC in the Depsang sector and triggered a face-off that took three weeks to resolve.

Prepared for the long haul in the Ladakh theatre, India has made arrangements to provide logistics support to its soldiers deployed in forward areas  more than 50,000 Indian troops are likely to remain stationed in the theatre through the winter months to deal with any provocation by the Chinese forces.

Separately on Thursday, the ministry of external affairs said China should sincerely work towards resolving issues. The Chinese side should sincerely work with the Indian side for complete disengagement at the earliest from all friction areas, including Pangong Lake, as well as de-escalation in border areas in accordance with the bilateral agreements and protocols on maintenance of peace and tranquility in border areas, said spokesperson Anurag Srivastava.

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Mumbai, Sep 18 : The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has extended, till October 29, the enforcement of regulatory measures aimed to contain market volatility amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The measures, first introduced in March, include limits on positions that can be taken up by investors in the futures and options (F&O) segment.

"On review of the Covid-19 pandemic-related situation, it has been decided that the regulatory measures introduced vide SEBI Press Release dated March 20, 2020 shall continue to be in force till October 29, 2020," the markets regulator said in a statement.

It added that the stock exchanges and clearing corporations will be issuing the necessary instructions to the market participants in this regard.

Last month, SEBI had announced the extension of the measures till September 24.

The March 20 circular said that for stocks in the F&O segment meeting the criterion of 'average daily price high low' variation percentage (during the last 5 trading days) at more than or equal to 15 per cent, the market wide position limit (MWPL) may be revised to 50 per cent of the existing levels.

Furthermore, the regulator also set certain conditions under which mutual funds or foreign investors can place bets on the index futures.

The market regulator also mandated that short positions in index derivatives shall not exceed the holding of stocks by mutual funds, FPIs, trading members or clients.

Similarly, long positions in index derivatives shall not exceed the holding of cash, government securities, T-Bills and similar instruments by mutual funds, and FPIs, as per the measures announced in March.
The most recent ruling arose from a challenge by Baltimores mayor and City Council contending that the rules would violate the right of physicians to communicate fully and honestly with patients, particularly when a patient indicates she intends to end her pregnancy. It was as a consequence of this prohibition on free speech that opponents termed it the gag rule. In their lawsuit, Baltimore health officials said that 1 in 3 women in Baltimore City relies on publicly funded health care for contraception. Although Title X, as noted, has never allowed federal funds to be used for abortions, contraceptives, cancer screenings and referrals to abortion providers for women who indicate that they intend to terminate a pregnancy have been permitted.
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Linkedin Jamie Freed and Chen Lin (Reuters) Sydney and Singapore  Fri, September 18, 2020 10:39 491 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c459f7cf 2 News Airlines,travel,flights-to-nowhere Free

Qantas Airways Ltd said a seven-hour scenic flight over Australia's Outback and Great Barrier Reef had sold out in 10 minutes, as it joined a growing trend in Asia offering "flights to nowhere" that take off and land at the same airport.

Tough border restrictions to keep the coronavirus under control have led to a 97.5 percent plunge in international travel in the region, according to the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines.

Many frequent flyers miss getting on planes and airlines including Taiwan's EVA Airways Corp and Japan's ANA Holdings Inc, desperate for revenue and to keep their pilots' licences current, have offered special sightseeing flights.

The Qantas flight, in a Boeing Co 787 typically used for long-haul international journeys, will fly at low levels over Uluru, the Great Barrier Reef and Sydney Harbor before landing back in Sydney.

Tickets cost between A$787 and A$3,787 (US$575 and $2,765) depending on the seating class and the 134 available seats were quickly snapped up, a Qantas spokeswoman said on Thursday.

"It's probably the fastest selling flight in Qantas history," she said. "People clearly miss travel and the experience of flying. If the demand is there, well definitely look at doing more of these scenic flights while we all wait for borders to open."

Taiwan's EVA used one of its iconic Hello Kitty livery planes for a special father's day flight last month, while ANA used an Airbus SE A380 that usually flies to Honolulu for a 90-minute flight with a Hawaiian experience on board.

Tickets costing $6,888 Taiwan dollars ($236) for a Tigerair Taiwan flight from Taipei that will circle over South Korea's Jeju Island reportedly sold out in four minutes. The price includes a one-year voucher for round-trip tickets from Taiwan to Korea, which can be used after COVID-19 travel bans are lifted.

Chen Shu Tze, 44, an engineer from Taipei, said she signed up for the flight because the voucher made it a good deal and she missed being able to travel - especially to South Korea, a favorite destination.

"The pandemic has a devastating impact on the tourism and airline industry, so I want to help boost the economy, and I miss flying," she told Reuters.

All of the countries where the flights are on offer have relatively low numbers of COVID-19 cases by global standards.

Among other airline stunts, Thai Airways International PCL this month opened a pop-up restaurant on the ground, offering in-flight meals served from airline seats to would-be travelers.

Climate concerns

Singapore Airlines Ltd is also eyeing scenic flights from next month, the country's Straits Times newspaper reported on Sunday, an idea that received widespread criticism from environmentalists and online commenters.

"First, it encourages carbon-intensive travel for no good reason and second, it is merely a stop-gap measure that distracts from the policy and value shifts necessary to mitigate the climate crisis," said awareness group SG Climate Rally.

Singapore Airlines said it is considering several initiatives but no final decision has been made on whether to offer sightseeing flights.

Qantas said it would pay to offset the carbon emissions on its scenic flight from Sydney, though online critics noted that would not actually reduce emissions.

The concept of scenic flights is not new. Antarctica Flights has chartered Qantas jets for scenic flights over Antarctica for 26 years. An Air New Zealand Ltd sightseeing flight over Antarctica in 1979 crashed into Mount Erebus, killing all 257 people on board.
Washington

Christopher Wray, director of the FBI, warned a House committee Thursday that Russia is actively pursuing a disinformation campaign against former Vice President Joe Biden and expressed alarm about violent extremist groups.

"Racially motivated violent extremism," mostly from white supremacists, has made up a majority of domestic terrorism threats, Wray told the House Homeland Security Committee. He also echoed an intelligence community assessment last month that Russia is conducting a "very active" campaign to spread disinformation and interfere in the presidential election, with Biden as the primary target.

"We certainly have seen very active  very active  efforts by the Russians to influence our election in 2020," Wray said, specifically "to both sow divisiveness and discord, and I think the intelligence community has assessed this publicly, primarily to denigrate Vice President Biden in what the Russians see as a kind of an anti-Russian establishment."

Wray's blunt comments were the latest example of a top national security official contradicting President Donald Trump's downplaying of Russian election interference. A homeland security official has accused the Trump administration of soft-pedaling both the Russian and white supremacist threats because they would make "the president look bad."

Wray's testimony also came a day after another top administration appointee, Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, undercut the president's dim view of wearing protective masks and said that a coronavirus vaccine was most likely several months away. The president later lashed out at Redfield, saying he "made a mistake" on the vaccine timeline.

The hearing was also notable for the absence of the acting secretary of homeland security, Chad Wolf, who was ordered to testify but skipped the appearance, defying a congressional subpoena.

He instead met with the Senate Homeland Security Committee to prepare for his upcoming confirmation hearing, a department official said. Kenneth Cuccinelli, the acting deputy secretary, criticized the committee on Twitter for not welcoming him in Wolf's place.

Wray condemned all acts of bloodshed but refrained from overemphasizing violence caused by far-left groups like antifa, the loose movement that purports to be against fascism, which Trump and Attorney General William Barr have repeatedly blamed for unrest in U.S. cities.

Barr described antifa this month as "the ramrod for the violence," and the president's re-election campaign has portrayed the group as a major threat to U.S. cities. While some claiming affiliation with antifa have committed violent acts, racist extremists have been the more lethal threat in recent years, Wray said.

A former career prosecutor, Wray has attracted little attention as FBI director, giving speeches focused on following rules and procedures. He has said he wants plowhorses, not showhorses, at the bureau.

Democrats pressed him on whether the administration was focusing enough on armed militias and white supremacists, while Republicans expressed similar concerns about antifa, which Wray described as an "ideology or movement" rather than an organization.

Wray said the FBI averaged roughly 1,000 domestic terrorism investigations annually and had recorded about 120 arrests on domestic terrorism suspicions this year. But he made it clear that white supremacist and anti-government groups were the primary threats.

In particular, neo-Nazi groups such as Atomwaffen Division and the Base have drawn the attention of the FBI, which has arrested violent members of those organizations. White supremacists have carried out the most lethal attacks on U.S. soil in recent years.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

Wray's descriptions of Russian interference and white supremacist efforts echoed a draft of a homeland security threat assessment that a whistleblower said department leaders had blocked.

The whistleblower, Brian Murphy, the former head of the Homeland Security Department's intelligence branch, filed a complaint with the House Intelligence Committee asserting that Wolf and Cuccinelli blocked the release of the annual assessment because of how portions on white supremacist extremism and Russian interference would reflect on Trump.

A draft of the report, dated Aug. 31, said white supremacist extremists "will remain the most persistent and lethal threat in the homeland through 2021."

It added that Russia will be "the primary covert foreign influence actor and purveyor of disinformation."

Murphy accused Homeland Security Department leaders of directing analysts to highlight threats posed by China and Iran. Those nations have targeted Trump but do not pose as much of an immediate threat to the United States as Russia, intelligence officials have said.

The complaint prompted the House committee to expand its inquiry into the department's intelligence gathering, but department leaders are resisting. Beth Spivey, an assistant secretary for homeland security, told the committee in a letter this week that witnesses from the department should not be expected to answer questions about Murphy's complaint.

The Homeland Security Department was also scrutinized last month after it emerged that the agency declined to publish a July 9 intelligence document warning of Russian attempts to denigrate Biden's mental health and of China's and Iran's efforts to target Trump.
A socially distant New York Fashion Week is like nothing we've experienced before, but Christian Siriano knew exactly how to make the most of it.

While some designers opted for virtual shows, Siriano opened up his backyard in Connecticut for the debut of his spring 2021 collection.

The dynamic show featured head-turning moments where models donned mesmerizing looks paired perfectly with matching masks.

Models wore everything from standout plaid designs to puffy sleeves and elongated ruffled skirts that were all accompanied by a mask.

PHOTO: A model walks the runway for the Christian Siriano Collection 37 2020 Fashion Show on Sept. 17, 2020, in Westport, Conn. (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Christian Siriano)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highly recommends wearing face masks to help stop the spread of COVID-19, and everyone from models to guests such as Billy Porter followed this guidance in the most stylish way during Siriano's extravaganza.

Siriano's inspiration from the show was drawn from films and moments he loved as a child. "I wanted this to be an escape for everybody -- fantasy, to have fun with fashion," the designer told "Vogue."

Another unforgettable moment was an appearance made by model Coco Rocha where she made a big splash ... literally.

The model, who is currently seven months pregnant wore a full head-to-toe ensemble she wore during the final walk at Siriano. After walking across a bridge as well as the grass, she decided to take a walk into the pool.

PHOTO: Coco Rocha swims in the pool at the runway for the Christian Siriano Collection 37 2020 Fashion Show on Sept. 17, 2020, in Westport, Conn. (Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Christian Siriano)

Since this was her only show this season during fashion week, Rocha explained in an Instagram post she wanted to change things up. "So, I decided to get in the pool. Christian said it was warm so why not?"

She posted that once she got her mask wet, she couldn't breathe as much and how she needed assistance to step back out of the pool because of the heaviness of the dress she wore.

MORE: Christian Siriano reveals his team has made nearly 1,000 masks amid COVID-19 crisis

PHOTO: A model walks the runway for the Christian Siriano Collection 37 2020 Fashion Show on Sept. 17, 2020, in Westport, Conn. (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Christian Siriano)

In addition to Rocha's dip in the pool, there was another big standout runway moment where one model wore a black gown and hat which both had "Vote" printed all over -- serving as a reminder to motivate people to get out and vote for the upcoming 2020 election.

In March, Siriano was one of the first designers who had his staff turn their efforts toward creating more protective masks after answering a plea from New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Christian Siriano shows stunning gowns with matching masks at backyard fashion week show originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com
ST. JOHNS, N.L.Newfoundland and Labrador is reporting one new case of COVID-19, bringing the provinces number of active cases to two.

The new case involves a man in the central region of Newfoundland who is between 20 and 39 years old and was travelling to the province from the U.S.

The Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Health said in a news release the man was asymptomatic while travelling and is now self-isolating while contact tracing takes place.

This is the first new case in the province in six days, and its brings the total since the pandemic began to 272, of which 267 have recovered.

There have been three deaths linked to the novel coronavirus.

On Thursday a provincial Supreme Court judge upheld the provinces travel ban, which had been challenged by the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and a Halifax woman who was denied entry.
In its effort toward reopening schools, the federal government said it has given state governments the consent to decide resumption dates in their states.

The Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, said this during the presidential briefing Thursday night.

Mr Nwajiuba said it is important for all governors to adhere to the safety guidelines for the reopening of schools.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the federal government in July released a guideline for the reopening of schools at every level in the country.

The report highlighted how the guidelines for the safe reopening of schools and learning facilities after the COVID-19 pandemic outlined actions, measures, and requirements needed for resumption across the country.

According to Mr Nwajiuba, It is no longer in our hands whether schools should open or not.

It is the local authority there that decided when they are ready. Children are already known for low mortality rate. We believe that they might not necessarily be able to handle mask-wearing very well at that age. Make sure you cover and protect them very well. The guardian should respect the schools new development, he said.

He said the federal government will continue to work with state government to ensure that the protocols recommended for them were followed strictly.

Resumption

The federal government in March, ordered the closure of all schools, to contain the spread of Coronavirus.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on March 11, 2020, declared COVID-19 a pandemic and since then, the spread has worsened and more deaths have occurred.

However, most state governments have started announcing their resumption since the federal has given guidelines for school reopening. States like Oyo, Benue, Ekiti, Lagos have also announced the date for resumption.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, directed the reopening of tertiary institutions owned by the state government on September 28.

Mr Makinde also approved a new academic calendar for primary and secondary schools in the state.

Also, PREMIUM TIMES reported how the Lagos State government said students in JS3 and SS2 in public schools are to resume classes from September 21, while students in other classes are to continue taking lessons online and other distance learning platforms.

The Lagos State government also said private primary and secondary schools in Lagos State are permitted to resume from Monday, September 21.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin had a telephonic conversation on Thursday during which the two leaders reiterated their strong commitment to further strengthen the 'Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership' between India and Russia.

New Delhi [India], September 18 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin had a telephonic conversation on Thursday during which the two leaders reiterated their strong commitment to further strengthen the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between India and Russia.



Putin conveyed his greetings on the occasion of Prime Ministers Modi 70th birthday. Prime Minister Modi expressed his warm appreciation for Putins gesture, according to a statement by Prime Ministers office. Prime Minister Modi thanked President Putin for his personal commitment to strengthening bilateral relations with India and said that he looked forward to welcoming President Putin in India for the next bilateral summit at a mutually convenient date.



Both leaders reiterated their strong commitment to further strengthen the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between India and Russia and expressed appreciation for the continued momentum in bilateral interactions despite the COVID-19 pandemic. In this context, they referred to the recent productive visits to Moscow by Raksha Mantri and External Affairs Minister, the statement read.



Also read: Amid opposition, PM backs Farmers bill says bill will rid farmers from all obstacles

Also read: PM Modi urges people to maintain Do Gaj Ki Doori as his birthday gift

PM Modi thanked President Putin for the successful Russian Chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and BRICS this year. He conveyed his eagerness to participate in the forthcoming SCO and BRICS Summit later this year, as well as the Council of SCO Heads of Government to be hosted by India, the statement read.



Prime Minister Modi thanked President Putin for his personal commitment to strengthening bilateral relations with India, and said that he looked forward to welcoming President Putin in India for the next bilateral summit at a mutually convenient date, it added (ANI)

Also read: As Prez accepts Harsimrat Badals resignation, SAD set to review ties with BJP
Islamabad, Sep 18 : The all important general debate of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) will be commencing from September 22 in a virtual session with zero in-person participation from anyone from outside.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will take part in the General Assembly in New York and will be addressing it on September 25, as detailed by Pakistan foreign office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri during a weekly press briefing on Friday.

"The Foreign Minister will participate virtually in the high level meeting of the General Assembly to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the United Nations," he said.

As per diplomatic sources, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is gearing up to use the platform of the UN to rank up the India-Pakistan conflict along the Line of Control (LoC) with prime focus on the pertaining issue of Kashmir, which has escalated tensions since August 5, 2019, when J&K's special staus was removed.

Sources also said that Imran Khan's address to the UNGA will be focused on what Islamabad calls Indian aggression along the LoC, India's ongoing oppression of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, the imposed lockdown situation in Jammu and Kashmir, targeting India Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his Hindu supremacist ideology, which is marginalising Muslims and other minorities.

Khan will be calling upon the Indian government to immediately restore internet services in J&K, release all prisoners, especially the civil society members and journalists, remove Armed Forces Special Powers Act, Public Safety Act and other laws, and allow independent media and international human rights observers to visit the region to independently observe the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, the source maintained.

Khan will be calling on UN member countries to pressure India over Kashmir and ask the member states to push New Delhi on table talks with Pakistan over the Kashmir dispute.

Khan will also talk about the initiation of the Afghan dialogue process, highlighting Islamabad's efforts to ensure that the dialogue for Aghan peace becomes a reality. The Pakistan premier is also expected to drag India in it as well, calling it a 'spoiler', which intends to destabilise the peace process.

Khan is also expected to reaffirm Pakistan's all out alliance and support to China over its dispute with India.
DETROIT -- The mother of a newborn who was dropped off to a stranger outside a Detroit hospital last week has been charged with assault with intent to murder, child abandonment and second-degree child abuse. According to Fox 2 Detroit, Jennifer Woodard, 23, was arrested and charged by Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy after the baby was dropped of a Sinai-Grace Hospital on Sept. 10.

Woodward, a Highland resident, allegedly gave birth to the baby at a friends house but threw the baby in a trash can. The friend eventually found the baby and took it to the hospital for treatment. Police reported the baby was given to someone who was walking into the hospital by a man who said he needed to park his car. However, the man never returned and the baby was given to staff for treatment.

Worthys office says the baby was cold to the touch when it arrived at the hospital and required a blood transfusion due to severe blood loss. The umbilical cord was not clamped off following the birth, which caused the blood loss.

After the baby was dropped off, police asked the public for help identifying the man who dropped the baby off or the mother, as they were concerned for the mothers well-being. However, police were able to identify the babys mother. Woodward was arrested Sunday and arraigned on charges Tuesday.

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Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for inaugurating the 'Kosi Rail Mahasetu' that will connect Mithila and Kosi regions of the state and end problems of people by cutting short their travel time substantially.

Kumar also hailed the Centre for starting several railway projects related to electrification and laying new rail tracks in the poll-bound state. The PM inaugurated the 1.9 kilometre-long bridge via video conference from Delhi, while Kumar, along with Bihar Governor Phagu Chauhan and Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, attended the programme from Patna.

The bridge is also of strategic importance along the India-Nepal border. Narendra Modi said that it was a "dream project" of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Kumar who was the railway minister then, but it did not progress as fast as it should due to the apathetic attitude of successive governments.

Vajpayee had laid the foundation stone of the Kosi rail mega bridge project on June 6, 2003. Kumar in his speech recalled that he had urged Vajpayee in that function to include Maithali language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, which he agreed and made an announcement to this effect the same day.

The chief minister also requested the Centre to restart functioning of the century-old Indian Railways Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering (IRIMEE) at Jamalpur in Bihar's Munger district. The issue of shifting of IRIMEE from its present location to Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh had surfaced in May, following which Kumar had urged Railway Minister Piyush Goyal to revoke the decision.

Goyal had said that there is no plan to shift the institute and described reports in this regard as "incorrect and misleading". Subsequently, the Railways issued a statement saying that it has planned to widen the activities of IRIMEE by including programmes in transportation technology and management.

The Bihar chief minister also appreciated the Railways for transporting over 23 lakh migrant workers to their homes in various places in the state during the lockdown.

He, however, expressed reservation over the use of the term 'migrant' for those working outside their states, saying that they are also citizens of this country.

(Image Credits:PTI)
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The global Aquaponics Market is anticipated to reach $1,019 million by 2026 according to a new research published by Polaris Market Research. In 2018, the Deep Water Culture segment accounted for the highest Aquaponics market share in terms of revenue. North America is expected to be the leading contributor to the global Aquaponics market revenue in 2018.

The increase in the population worldwide and growth in global food demand majorly drives the aquaponics market growth. Aquaponics is increasingly being used to meet the high-demand for food crops. The ability to produce high quality crops throughout the year, lesser use of water for crop cultivation, and lower dependency on weather conditions boost the aquaponics market growth. Growing demand for organic and chemical free crops, and rising urban population accelerate the growth of the aquaponics market. New emerging markets, and reduced environmental pollution by aquaponics would provide growth opportunities in the aquaponics market in the coming years.

Request for a sample of this research report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/aquaponics-market/request-for-sample

North America generated the highest aquaponics market share in terms of revenue in 2018. The growing urbanization, and rising population has accelerated the aquaponics market growth in the region. A significant rise in the demand for organic and chemical free food products supports the growth of the aquaponics market in the region. The technological advancements in farming methods, and increasing awareness among consumers improves the aquaponics market growth rate. Asia-Pacific is expected to grow at the highest rate during the forecast period. This is owing to significant growth of population in the region. Lack of fertile land, and strong technical expertise in agricultural practices in the region promotes the adoption of aquaponics in the region. Technological advancements and established R&D institutes in China and Japan further supplements the aquaponics market growth.

The well-known companies profiled in the aquaponics market report include Ultrasonics Canada Corporation, UrbanFarmers AG, Backyard Aquaponics Pty Ltd., ECF Farmsystems GmbH, My Aquaponics, Aqua Allotments, Nelson & Pade Inc., Colorado Aquaponic, Greenlife Aquaponics, Aquaponic Lynx LLC, and The Aquaponic Source 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/aquaponics-market

Leading players in the aquaponics market partner and collaborate with other players in the market to enhance their offerings in the market and expand their customer base. For instance, Aerofarms has partnered with Dell Technologies to expand its technological requirements of machine learning and network systems. Fluence Bioengineering, offers lighting solutions for Aquaponics to its consumers. The companys Fluence RAZR Series is developed for various Aquaponics applications such as full-cycle cultivation of leafy greens, young plant propagation of vegetable, ornamental and cannabis crops.

Aquaponics Market Size and Forecast, 2018-2026 by Product Fish Herbs Fruits Vegetables Others

Aquaponics Market Size and Forecast, 2018-2026 by Component Bio Filter Rearing tanks Settling Basins Hydroponics Subsystem Others

Aquaponics Market Size and Forecast, 2018-2026 by Method Deep Water Culture Nutrition Film Technique Media-Filled Beds Ebb and Flow Drip Irrigation Others

Aquaponics Market Size and Forecast, 2018-2026 by End-User Commercial Home Production Community Agriculture and Farming Education and Research Others

Aquaponics Market Size and Forecast, 2018-2026 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



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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.

Contact us-

Polaris Market Research

Phone: 1-646-568-9980

Email: sales@polarismarketresearch.com

Web: www.polarismarketresearch.com
Iranian hackers, most likely employees or affiliates of the government, have been running a vast cyberespionage operation equipped with surveillance tools that can outsmart encrypted messaging systems  a capability Iran was not previously known to possess, according to two digital security reports released Friday.

The operation not only targets domestic dissidents, religious and ethnic minorities and antigovernment activists abroad, but can also be used to spy on the general public inside Iran, said the reports by Check Point Software Technologies, a cybersecurity technology firm, and the Miaan Group, a human rights organization that focuses on digital security in the Middle East.

The reports, which were reviewed by The New York Times in advance of their release, say that the hackers have successfully infiltrated what were thought to be secure mobile phones and computers belonging to the targets, overcoming obstacles created by encrypted applications such as Telegram and, according to Miaan, even gaining access to information on WhatsApp. Both are popular messaging tools in Iran. The hackers also have created malware disguised as Android applications, the reports said.

A spokesman for Telegram said that the company was unaware of the Iranian hacker operation, but that no service can prevent being imitated in phishing attacks when someone convinces users to enter their credentials on a malicious website. WhatsApp declined to comment.
'Peace and stability': US army servicemen attend the opening of the Rapid Trident exercises in Ukraine. Photo: Handout via REUTERS

Ukraine and the United States launched joint military exercises yesterday, two days after Russia began joint military drills with forces in neighbouring Belarus.

The US embassy in Kiev said the US army-led Rapid Trident exercises, taking place near Yavoriv in western Ukraine, would involve about 4,000 servicemen from 10 countries. It said the exercises show the strength of the US-Ukraine strategic partnership while increasing "the strong relationships that are necessary for peace and stability".

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a speech at the opening of the exercises that a modern, equipped and capable Ukrainian army was his priority, and this army must be the guarantor of the free development of Ukraine.

Russian and Belarusian forces began drills in the Brest region near Belarus's border with Poland on Tuesday. The Interfax news agency quoted Russia's defence ministry as saying the drills were for counter-terrorism purposes.

Kiev's relations with Moscow deteriorated in 2014 after Russia annexed the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine and backed pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine's Donbass region.

Meanwhile, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko should no longer be recognised as president from November when his term expires, the European Parliament said, calling for EU economic sanctions to be imposed on him. In a show of support for pro-democracy protesters in Belarus, the EU assembly voted 574 to 37, with 82 abstentions, to reject the official results of an August 9 election.

While the European Parliament's vote is not legally binding, it carries political weight and can influence how the EU invests in Belarus or grants support.
The biggest threat to the revolutionary government, formed in an atmosphere of widespread sympathy and affection, is a drive to be right, Pashinian said in lengthy Facebook post on Friday.

A government that created the substance of the revolution must take only strategic steps without being afraid of mistakes and by sometimes consciously committing them in cases where expectations of right decisions do not allow it to move forward and ultimately to lead to paralysis and inability to make decisions, he wrote.

We must give up our penchant for being in the comfort zone of popular love because we did not come to power to stay here. We came to power to form a new mental plane for our state and our people and to elevate Armenia to that plane  There is no greater mistake than marking time, he added.

Pashinian said this was the main thrust of his address to leading members of his Civil Contract party and senior government officials delivered late on Thursday. He did not divulge other details of the meeting or specify unpopular government measures which he believes are necessary for the country.

The meeting came amid the ruling political teams acrimonious disputes with the parliamentary opposition and a number of civic organizations that supported Pashinian until recently.

The latter accuse Pashinian of betraying the goals of the 2018 revolution that brought him to power. They are particularly upset with the choice of three new members of the Constitutional Court appointed by the Armenian parliament earlier this week.

The prime minister lambasted the Western-funded civic activists when he spoke in the National Assembly on Wednesday. He charged that they are primarily concerned with their own parochial interests, rather than the rule of law.

Pashinian is also facing growing opposition calls to sack Arayik Harutiunian, his education minister and longtime associate. Lawmakers representing Civil Contract stood by the embattled minister during a heated parliament debate this week.

The debate triggered a renewed war of words between the Pashinian administration and the opposition Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK). The premier joined Harutiunian in launching scathing personal attacks on BHK leader Gagik Tsarukian. Tsarukian responded in kind.

Pashinian stressed on Friday that he and his loyalists have repeatedly proved critics wrong since setting up Civil Contract in 2013. He noted, in particular, that his party was ridiculed by other opposition forces when it launched in March 2018 a campaign to scuttle then President Serzh Sarkisians plans to extend his decade-long rule.

You all know what happened next, Pashinian said, referring to subsequent nationwide protests that toppled Sarkisian.
TAIPEI, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In view of the continuing impact that COVID-19 is exerting on world trade and on international trade shows, the Taiwan Smart Manufacturing Pavilion Online Exhibition recently opened. One of the event's goals is to safely connect machinery manufacturers from Taiwan who cannot meet with professional buyers from Poland at ITM 2020 in person. The virtual expo focuses on showcasing the capabilities of Taiwanese machine tool industry in helping Polish industry leaders transform their supply chains with metal processing equipment and visual management interface solutions.

The Corporate Synergy Development Center (CSD) organized the Taiwan Smart Manufacturing Pavilion Online Exhibition (www.twmtinpl.com) in response to the epidemic with the aim of strengthening trade relations between the Taiwanese and Polish smart machinery industries. The virtual event provided participants a 360-degree panoramic view of exhibits displayed at the WebVR pavilion in anticipation of demonstrating the Taiwanese machine tool industry's commitment to helping Poland quickly revive its manufacturing competitiveness with smart processing and management solutions.

Taiwan's smart machinery industry has built a complete value chain ecosystem encompassing R&D, design, component processing and manufacturing, assembly, testing, marketing and after-sales services. Taiwan is the world's 7th largest manufacturer of machine tools, making up 5-6% of the global market with 80% of the machine tools produced locally being sold to overseas markets. In 2019, Taiwan was the world's 5th largest exporter of machine tools (behind Germany, Japan, mainland China and Italy), with the value of exports totaling US$3.064 billion. Taiwan's smart machinery industry has established a good reputation for its capabilities in providing highly customized services while continuing to promote its products worldwide.

During the event that is scheduled to run through December 2020, the organizer will offer Amazon coupons to survey respondents in a move to boost engagement among professional buyers. The event aims to overcome obstacles created by the global epidemic via the building of an innovative business match-making platform connecting Taiwanese smart manufacturing companies with professional buyers from Poland.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1276804/CSD.jpg
RS chairman Venkaiah Naidu breaks down over oppn ruckus, equates it to 'sacrilege'

Om Birla says it pained him that Lok Sabha did not run smoothly during Monsoon session

Monsoon Session Day 5: Both houses adjourned till tomorrow

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Sep 18: Opposition MPs are creating a ruckus in the House as Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is introducing the Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation and Amendment of Certain Provisions) Bill tabled in Lok Sabha.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has adjourned the House for 30 minutes ruckus over Anurag Thakur's 'unparliamentary remark'.

Monsoon Session Day 5: Highlights

The Lok Sabha was adjourned for 3 pm on Saturday after the session ended at 10.45 pm on Friday.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said that bulk of the additional spending sought in the first batch of the supplementary demands for grants would be spend on people-centric schemes to help them amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi on Friday in the Lok Sabha said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had "predicted the economic tsunami".

Lok Sabha sitting extended till 10 pm

The Lok Sabha session has been adjourned till 5.30 pm.

After Lok Sabha resumes, Opposition demanded Anurag Thakur's apology for his remarks on Gandhi family. Lok Sabha was adjourned till 5 pm.

The session has been adjourned for half an hour by Speaker Om Birla.

Opposing PM Cares Fund, just for the sake of it, is like they opposed EVMs & then lost many elections. They subsequently termed Jan Dhan, demonetization, Triple Talaq & GST as bad. They find defect in everything, truth is their intention is defected: MoS Finance Anurag Thakur.

Since the PM CARES Fund has the name of the institution of the Prime Minister attached to it, wouldn't it have been more appropriate if this fund would have been created through legislation rather than as a public trust: Congress leader Manish Tewari in Lok Sabha.

TMC Member Sougata Roy objects to introduction of the Bill, particularly the provision related to PM Cares Fund.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor opposes the bill.



Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman introduces The Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation and Amendment of Certain Provisions) Bill, 2020, in Lok Sabha.

LS passes Supplementary Demand Bill, Appropriation Bill

The Lok Sabha on Friday passed the Appropriation Bill, 2020 which authorises Supplementary Demand for Grants for 2020-21 along with the Appropriation Bill, 2020 which authorises Demand for Excess Grants for 2016-17.

Nirmala Sitharaman replies to arguments against supplementary grants demand



Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Lok Sabha responded to the MPs' concerns regarding the demand for supplementary grants 2020-21.

Salaries and Allowances of Ministers (Amendment) Bill passed

The Salaries and Allowances of Ministers (Amendment) Bill, 2020 and Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2020 were passed by voice vote today.

Rajya Sabha passes Homeopathy Central Council (Amendment) Bill, 2020.

A member of the House called the reform and regulation of the Indian systems of medicine being undertaken through the bills, as promoting 'quackery'. I am pained by the use of this word: Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan in Rajya Sabha.

This is one more attempt of this government to strike at roots of federalism. From the day they assumed office, most Bills passed have taken away powers of state governments: DMK MP T Siva in RS, on Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment) Bill and Indian Medicine Central Council (Amendment) Bill.

Speaking in favor of the bill, MP Dr Sudhanshu Trivedi of BJP says, interdisciplinary is established under the Homeopathy Central Council (Amendment) Bill, 2020 to give a push to scientific research in Homeopathy.

Opposing the bill, MP Ripun Bora of Congress says that it will take autonomy of the Homeopathy council.

Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan moves the motion to take up Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment) Bill, 2020.

AIADMK MP from Tamil Nadu M Thambidurai requests Centre to release pending CMR subsidy amount of Rs 5,435 crore for Tamil Nadu.



BJD leader from Odisha Muzibulla Khan raises Census issue in the Rajya Sabha and requests for a fresh Census for the state of Odisha.

Congress MP Manickam Tagore has gives adjournment notice in Lok Sabha 'to discuss about the need to initiate probe over Facebook's alleged interference in the country's electoral democracy.'



Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu paid his tributes to Karnataka MP Ashok Gasti who passed away late on Thursday. "The country has lost a dedicated Parliamentarian and social worker," Naidu said. In view of this, the House was adjourned till 9.35 am.

The Rajya Sabha session today began at 9 am.
Brian Austin Green was a sizzling sensation in a clinging black T-shirt as he stepped out in Los Angeles this Thursday.

The 47-year-old showed off his toned arms and sprawl of tattoos as he picked up a couple of boxes of takeaway.

He made sure to take the precaution of wearing a camouflage face covering as he emerged from lockdown amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Off he goes: Brian Austin Green was a sizzling sensation in a clinging black T-shirt as he stepped out in Los Angeles this Thursday

Brian, who shot to fame on Beverly Hills 90210, slipped into a charcoal pair of cutoff sweats and blue shoes for his latest outing.

The smoldering estranged husband of Megan Fox warded off the California rays with a pair of sleek sunglasses whilst out and about.

That very same day the Hollywood heartthrob fired up his Instagram page to upload a selfie of himself with his chickens.

'Moved them in through the door,' he captioned the selfie in which he gave his roughly 470,000 Instagram followers a thumbs up. 'Almost done !!!'

Careful: He made sure to take the precaution of wearing a camouflage face covering as he emerged from lockdown amid the COVID-19 pandemic

On May 18 amid rumors of her fling with Machine Gun Kelly, Brian emotionally revealed on his podcast ...With Brian Austin Green that Megan had left him.

Since the split went public Brian has been glimpsed out on dates with Maxim model Tina Louise and former 'child bride' Courtney Stodden.

Brian has four sons - Noah, seven, Bodhi, six, Journey, four, by Megan as well as Kassius, 18, by his ex-fiancee Vanessa Marcil.

Vanessa has publicly weighed in on Brian's marital collapse, writing on Instagram: 'Megan finally living her life for herself is in itself a gift to her children.'

'Almost done': That very same day the Hollywood heartthrob fired up his Instagram page to upload a selfie of himself with his chickens

Brian got the Instagram comment: 'You know whats worse than going through a very public break up.the last baby momma chiming in to bring up old sh*t to add more fire to a very public break up. 17 years ago you broke upmaybe she needs to move onI mean she never loved you anyways??? !!' to which he replied: 'agree.'

The TV beefcake has also posted a Tupac Shakur quote to Instagram in what was widely perceived as a veiled message to an ex.

'Just because you lost me as a friend doesn't mean you gained me as an enemy. I am bigger than that. I still wanna see u eat, just not at my table,' read the quote.

Legs for days: Since his split from his wife Megan Fox, Brian has been spotted on dates with blonde Maxim model Tina Louise (pictured)

Megan and Machine Gun Kelly met early this year while shooting the movie Midnight In The Switchgrass in Puerto Rico.

The movie had its productions suspended in March over the coronavirus lockdowns but resumed in July, with both Megan and the slender rapper back on set.

However this week TMZ reported that the production has had to stop again on account of two crew members contracting COVID-19.




In this photo released by the Taiwan Ministry of National Defense, a Chinese People's Liberation Army H-6 bomber is seen flying near the Taiwan air defense identification zone, ADIZ, near Taiwan on Sept. 18. AP
Multi-storey: One of the high-rises in Rathcoole

Residents of the Housing Executive's multi-storey blocks in the Rathcoole estate last night spoke to the Belfast Telegraph about their fears for the future of the landmark flats.

One of the four towers has been emptied and secured, ready for demolition, which could take place as early as next year.

Des Baker, who leads the residents' association in the towers, has lived there for almost 40 years.

"These are amazing flats to live in," he said.

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"They're warm, they're quiet, they're spacious, and there's a great concierge team. I'm very content, as are most of the residents here."

Mr Baker said it was estimated that each block would cost 1m to demolish, but 1.5m to renovate.

So, for the extra 500,000, he reckons around 60 apartments could be provided to help meet local housing need.

"It just doesn't make sense to knock them down," he added.

"Our fear is that the Executive are determined to push ahead with their agenda to knock these multi-storey flats down.

"We're absolutely livid at the way we have been treated by the Housing Executive.

"It's going to be a fight - and we won't be throwing in the towel."

Young mum Lindsay Wilson, who owns her own flat in one of the towers, said: "We just want answers.

"Are they going to keep them up for four years or are they going to knock them down?

"The Housing Executive haven't told us anything.

"If we knew for definite they were being demolished in four years, we could rent our flat out and move elsewhere with the baby.

"But at the minute we're just stuck."

One the longest-established residents is Renee Black, who turns 90 at the weekend.

She's lived in her three-bedroom home for half-a-century.

"My son bought this flat for me and I live here rent-free," she said.

"I was really annoyed when I heard about the plans to knock the multis down.

"I thought: 'That's just my luck!'"

She said the sixth-floor flat "suited her down to the ground".

"I've got so used to the layout, and the concierge service they've put in is brilliant.

"I'll be sad to see the flats go. I'm 50 years here. I hope they change their minds."
If you want to know who really controls Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPW), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. Institutions will often hold stock in bigger companies, and we expect to see insiders owning a noticeable percentage of the smaller ones. Companies that used to be publicly owned tend to have lower insider ownership.

Medical Properties Trust has a market capitalization of US$9.6b, so it's too big to fly under the radar. We'd expect to see both institutions and retail investors owning a portion of the company. Our analysis of the ownership of the company, below, shows that institutional investors have bought into the company. We can zoom in on the different ownership groups, to learn more about Medical Properties Trust.

Check out our latest analysis for Medical Properties Trust

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Medical Properties Trust?

Institutional investors commonly compare their own returns to the returns of a commonly followed index. So they generally do consider buying larger companies that are included in the relevant benchmark index.

As you can see, institutional investors have a fair amount of stake in Medical Properties Trust. This suggests some credibility amongst professional investors. But we can't rely on that fact alone since institutions make bad investments sometimes, just like everyone does. If multiple institutions change their view on a stock at the same time, you could see the share price drop fast. It's therefore worth looking at Medical Properties Trust's earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters.

Institutional investors own over 50% of the company, so together than can probably strongly influence board decisions. Hedge funds don't have many shares in Medical Properties Trust. The Vanguard Group, Inc. is currently the largest shareholder, with 14% of shares outstanding. With 12% and 7.8% of the shares outstanding respectively, BlackRock, Inc. and Cohen & Steers Capital Management, Inc. are the second and third largest shareholders. Additionally, the company's CEO Edward Aldag directly holds 0.6% of the total shares outstanding.

Story continues

We also observed that the top 10 shareholders account for more than half of the share register, with a few smaller shareholders to balance the interests of the larger ones to a certain extent.

While it makes sense to study institutional ownership data for a company, it also makes sense to study analyst sentiments to know which way the wind is blowing. There are a reasonable number of analysts covering the stock, so it might be useful to find out their aggregate view on the future.

Insider Ownership Of Medical Properties Trust

While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it.

Most consider insider ownership a positive because it can indicate the board is well aligned with other shareholders. However, on some occasions too much power is concentrated within this group.

We can see that insiders own shares in Medical Properties Trust, Inc.. It is a very large company, and board members collectively own US$116m worth of shares (at current prices). I sometimes take an interest in whether they have been buying or selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public, with a 12% stake in the company, will not easily be ignored. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies.

Next Steps:

It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Medical Properties Trust better, we need to consider many other factors. To that end, you should learn about the 4 warning signs we've spotted with Medical Properties Trust (including 1 which is is significant) .

If you would prefer discover what analysts are predicting in terms of future growth, do not miss this free report on analyst forecasts.

NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.



Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
The Green Tribunal has slammed the government over failure to take "meaningful action" and serious dereliction of duties on solid

The green panel said no coercive measures have been adopted as expected from the state pollution control board (SPCB) as a regulator.

It said the local bodies as well as the Urban Development Department have failed to take effective steps to manage waste and control pollution at Bharampuram Solid Waste Processing Plant on the outskirts of Kochi city in which is affecting environment and public health.

There was no proper segregation of waste and there was a huge gap in waste collection and transfer for processing, it added.

A bench headed by Chairperson Justice A K Goel directed the Chief Secretary to take the matter seriously and take remedial action by constituting a 3-member team of Secretary, Urban Development Department; Chairman, State PCB and concerned Municipal Commissioner.

It should not be difficult, if there is willingness, to tackle the problem. Failure of the State Authorities in this regard is at the cost of public health of the citizens which a welfare State can ill afford, the bench said.

The Chief Secretary, Kerala may personally monitor the compliance of these directions at least on monthly basis and record the proceedings, it said.

The Chief Secretary may further direct that if the targeted actions are not taken, the erring officers will not be entitled to draw their salaries from a specified date till compliance, the tribunal said while directing him to file his personal affidavit on the issue.

The recorded its disapproval for the lack of sincerity and sensitivity of the authorities to the health of the citizens on flimsy grounds.

There is non compliance of orders of this Tribunal. Not even compensation has been recovered, as directed nor action taken against erring officers by way of entry in their ACRs, the bench said.

It is unfortunate that the State and its senior officers should not obey the law of the land, the said.

Earlier, a report was received from Justice A V Ramakrishna Pillai, former judge of the Kerala High Court, that unscientific dumping of waste in violation of Solid Rules, 2016, causing huge pollution, was taking place at Bharampuram solid waste processing plant on the outskirts of Kochi city and a fire broke out there.

The tribunal's direction came while hearing a case seeking direction to take effective steps for infrastructure development for collection, storage, segregation and disposal of municipal solid waste in the state.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The toppling of a statue of a Spanish conqueror by indigenous people in Colombia this week has opened up debate over how the historic arrival and rule by Western Europeans and the suffering of native people should be remembered.

Members of the Misak indigenous tribe, taking a cue from protestors in the United States and elsewhere, tore down the equestrian statue of 16th-century conquistador Sebastian de Belalcazar in the southwestern city of Popayan.

It marked the first time indigenous people in the South American country have publicly dismantled such a statue, and Colombians in favour took to social media to call it indigenous resistance, an emancipating act and an act of liberation.

Around the world, statues linked to colonialism and slavery have been brought down or defaced in the months of anti-racism protests since George Floyd, a Black man, died in U.S. police custody in May.

For most native people in Latin America and the Caribbean, the 15th-century Spanish arrival brought pillage, slavery and rape, said Maria Violet Medina, a human rights leader from Colombias Nasa indigenous tribe.

The conquerors brought illness, both physical and spiritual, to indigenous people. It was a genocide, Medina told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in an interview.

That history isnt told, she said. The statue of Belalcazar represents pain, revictimization and causes resentment.

Although police stood by as the protestors took down the statue, Popayan Mayor Juan Carlos Lopez on local radio called the incident an act of violence and vowed to restore the figure.

Colombias culture minister, Carmen Vasquez, also condemned the incident as a violent act and said monuments were part of a cultural heritage to be protected and conserved.

Public monuments are an open museum, which belong to the whole community and are works of art to which we all have free access, she said in a video posted on Twitter.

Colombia and other countries in Latin America that were conquered by Spanish forces are filled with statues of conquistadors, typically armed and astride a horse overlooking a town square or park.

Mercedes Tunubala, a member of the Misak people and the mayor of Silvia, a municipality about 36 miles northeast of Popayan, said knocking down the statue was a call by indigenous people for their voices and history to be heard.

We have only learnt about one kind of history, through people like Belalcazar, and not the real history, Tunubala said.

We need to come together to decide how to commemorate that part of history, our indigenous history, she said.

In the United States, protesters and officials as well have taken down statues honouring historical figures linked to slave ownership or to racist views, while in the British port of Bristol a statue of a slave trader was thrown into the harbour in June.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)

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China sent 18 fighter jets and bombers into the Taiwan Strait on Friday in a robust show of force that a military official in Beijing said was a warning to Taiwan and the United States about their increasing political and military cooperation.

Those who play with fire are bound to get burned, Senior Col. Ren Guoqiang, a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense, said at a briefing in Beijing, warning the United States and Taiwan against what he called collusion.

The aerial drill came as a senior US diplomat held a series of meetings in Taiwan before a formal memorial service Saturday for former President Lee Teng-hui, who led the islands transition from military rule to democracy.

Taiwan, the self-governing democracy that Beijing claims as part of a unified China, has become an increasingly tense issue in the deteriorating relations between China and the United States. Both sides have stepped up military operations around Taiwan while accusing the other of risking a potentially dangerous clash.

Previous flights probing Taiwans air defence zones have generally involved pairs of aircraft, not so many at once approaching from multiple directions. That suggested Fridays flights were intended as an escalatory warning.

The Chinese aircraft, including two H-6 strategic bombers, crossed the median line between the mainland and Taiwan in the strait from four directions, according to officials and news reports from both sides.

The planes crossed into Taiwans southwestern air identification zone before returning to the mainland, according to the Ministry of National Defense in Taiwan, which said that it had scrambled fighter jets and activated its air-defence missile systems to track the Chinese aircraft.

China had already dispatched two military aircraft toward Taiwan on Wednesday, the day the US diplomat, Keith Krach, the undersecretary of state for economic, energy and environmental affairs, arrived. Krachs visit followed another in July by Alex Azar, the secretary of health and human services, who became the highest-level US Cabinet member to visit Taiwan since 1979.

Krach met with Taiwans president, Tsai Ing-wen, at a dinner Friday night.

Drew Thompson, a former Pentagon official overseeing China policy who is now a professor of public policy at the National University of Singapore, said that the latest flights were provocative, intended to send a political message before Lees memorial service and to test Taiwans ability to simultaneously track multiple sorties.

Chinese officials have become increasingly alarmed by US efforts to bolster Taiwans political standing and its defences. The Trump administration is pushing a sale of seven more packages of weapons, including drones, artillery batteries, sea mines and missiles able to strike ships or targets deep inside Chinese territory.

The heightened military action around Taiwan has fueled a divisive debate over Taiwans defence policy. Supporters of Tsais Democratic Progressive Party have called for efforts to bolster the islands ability to defend itself, while others have warned that such moves could serve only to provoke the Chinese.

Its move today is a protest and a warning to the United States and to Tsai, Lin Yu-fang, a former legislator who is now a member of the National Policy Foundation, a think tank affiliated with Taiwans opposition party, the Kuomintang, said of the Chinese actions.

The Eastern Theater Command of the Peoples Liberation Army of China said in a statement Friday that the air and naval drills were intended to test the readiness of the military to defend national unification and territorial sovereignty. It was not clear how long the exercises would continue, although Ren, the spokesman, suggested that they would be held over some days.

Global Times, a hawkish newspaper controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, cited military experts as warning that the Peoples Liberation Army could turn the exercises into real action any time if Taiwan secessionists insist on their obduracy.
Customers who visit Boucher Nissan of Waukesha this September are able to purchase select pre-owned vehicles at discounted prices with the September Used Vehicle Specials. The September Used Vehicle Specials include four pre-owned Nissan models and a number of other excellent vehicle brands. Some of the other vehicle brands featured in the September Used Vehicle Specials at Boucher Nissan of Waukesha include Ford, Hyundai and Jeep among several others as well!

The four pre-owned Nissan models that are currently part of the September Used Vehicle Specials include a 2017 Nissan Rogue SV and 2017 Nissan Rogue Sport SL, a 2018 Nissan 370Z Base and a 2019 Nissan Rogue SV. The 2017 Nissan Rogue SV features a Boucher Discount $4,600 which lowers its sale price to $17,395. The 2017 Nissan Rogue Sport SL is currently available for $22,738 which includes a $2,357 Boucher Discount. Additionally, the 2018 Nissan 370Z Base and the 2019 Nissan Rogue SV feature Boucher Discounts of $3,010 and $6,860 respectively. These discounts reduce the price of these models to $29,985 for the 2018 370Z Base and $26,925 for the 2019 Rogue SV.

Three other vehicles featured in the September Used Vehicle Specials at Boucher Nissan of Waukesha include a 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0L Turbo, a 2019 Ford Explorer XLT and a 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk. The 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0L Turbo features a $2,470 Boucher Discount which lowers the price to $15,525. Meanwhile, the 2019 Ford Explorer XLT and the 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk also offer Boucher Discounts of $2,682 and $3,014 respectively. With these discounts, the prices for the 2019 Explorer and the 2020 Grand Cherokee Trailhawk are reduced to $32,313 and $43,981.

To learn more about the Boucher Nissan of Waukesha September Used Vehicle Specials, customers should contact the dealership directly. Customers can contact the dealership by phone at 800-504-6619, online at http://www.waukeshanissan.com or in person at 1451 East Moreland Boulevard in Waukesha, Wisconsin.


Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 22:32:58|Editor: huaxia

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KATHMANDU, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Nepal has planned to resume passenger railway service after suspending seven years as two sets of rails that Nepal purchased from India have arrived in the southeastern Janakpur city on Friday.

"The Diesel-Electric Multiple Unit rail sets arrived at Janakpur at around 1:40 p.m. (local time) on Friday," Balram Mishra, director general at the Department of Railway told Xinhua on Friday.

The railway department said that it would take at least one and half months to start the service as currently it is working to recruit necessary human resources.

It will be the country's first ever broad-gauge passenger railway service.

The service will start from Kurtha, an area close to Nepal's southeastern Janakpur town to Jayanagar, a town bordering India, and the distance is around 35 km, according to the department.

There was an operation of Janakpur-Jaynagar railway service in the past but on a narrow gauge line, and the service completely halted seven years ago after renovation and upgrading works began.

In order to resume railway service, the railway department planned to recruit over 200 staff gradually. "Initially, we will resume service with the help of Indian technical staff," said Mishra. "We are hiring 26 Indian staff mostly from technical backgrounds in the areas of driving, maintenance, signaling and track engineering to start the service."

He said that the Indian workforce would gradually be replaced once Nepali human resources are trained properly and adequately.

According to the department, each rail set can accommodate around 1,300 passengers with maximum speed of 110 km per hour, and it can be operated from both sides. "It is appropriate for operating inter-city services and for middle distance," said Mishra.

Besides this railway, the Nepali government is also planning to develop a number of railways that would link the country from all four directions. The railway track is being laid to operate east-west electric railway service.

Nepal has signed an agreement with both China and India to link the capital city Kathmandu with both countries' borders. Enditem
New Delhi, Sep 18 : Karnataka Chief Minister B. S. Yediyurappa on Friday appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to expedite approvals and clearances for irrigation and drinking water projects including Mekedatu and Kalasa Banduri Nala to utilise the water resources allocated to the state.

Karnataka has been seeking approval for the Mekedatu and Kalasa Banduri Nala projects as these projects have been resisted strongly by neighbouring states Tamil Nadu and Goa.

Yediyurappa called on PM Modi in New Delhi on Friday and discussed various developmental issues pertaining to the state.

He requested the Prime Minister to take necessary action for early release of funds from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).

In a meeting that lasted about 15 minutes, Yediyurappa also urged Modi to revise the norms of assistance from the state disaster response fund or the national disaster response fund (NDRF) from the current year itself to ensure timely and adequate financial assistance to the states.

The CM demanded that the union government declare the Upper Krishna Project Stage-III and the Upper Bhadra Project as national projects.

Yediyurappa invited Modi to inaugurate the Bengaluru Tech Summit on November 19 in virtual mode.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
- Rogers Yongqing Luo, B.M., MBA, President of Brii Bio and General Manager for Greater China, will lead acceleration of Brii Bios China strategy and expand the companys capabilities in access and partnerships

- Ankang Li, Ph.D., J.D., CFA, Brii Bios Chief Financial Officer, will lead all financial and corporate development functions

Brii Biosciences (Brii Bio), a multi-national company developing innovative therapies for diseases with significant unmet medical needs and large public health burden, announced today the appointments of Rogers Yongqing Luo, B.M., MBA, as President of the company and General Manager for greater China, and Ankang Li, Ph.D., J.D., CFA, as Chief Financial Officer of the company. Both executives are based in Shanghai.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200917005819/en/

Rogers Yongqing Luo, B.M., MBA (Photo: Business Wire)

Dr. Luo will play a central role in running Brii Bios business in China while supporting companys growth in the United States. He will also lead the partnership with Tsinghua University and Shenzhen 3rd Peoples Hospital to develop, manufacture and commercialize COVID-19 antibody therapies in China. Dr. Li is responsible for corporate finance & transactions, financial reporting and accounting, and internal control & audit.

The appointments of Dr. Luo and Dr. Li mark a pivotal step for Brii Biosciences, as we advance clinical research, accelerate growth and prepare for the new and evolving healthcare marketplace in China and around the globe, said Zhi Hong, Ph.D., CEO of Brii Bio. Dr. Luo has extraordinary knowledge of the science, proven leadership track record, and commercial expertise in patient access. Dr. Lis broad financial credentials, supported by scientific and legal qualifications, also are a significant addition to our already strong capabilities. I am delighted that they have brought their expertise and energy to Brii Bio at this critical time of growth.

I am excited to join a company with Brii Bios deep commitment to meeting the most urgent healthcare needs in China and to supporting global public health, said Dr. Luo. The environment is changing rapidly in China, with a need for companies to anticipate and respond with deep insight, disruptive access technologies, novel purchasing and healthcare delivery strategies  at the national, regional and local level. Doing well as a business while doing good for the health and well-being of people and society is core to my decision to join Brii Bio.

Dr. Luo has more than 25 years of experience in healthcare industry. He joined Brii Bio from Gilead Sciences, where he was a global vice president and general manager of China. In four years with Gilead, as an early employee in China, he has built Gileads presence in China from beginning. Dr. Luo led the development, regulatory review and launch of eight innovative products, gaining rapid access across China. He led the team and established a unique business model encompassing science, commercialization and patient access. Prior to Gilead, he was Vice President of Roche China, pioneering novel strategies for patient access to oncology therapies. Before joining Roche, he was the General Manager of Novartis North China and Associate Marketing Director in Novartis global headquarter in Switzerland. Dr. Luo received his medical education from Xiangya School of Medicine, Central-South University, and served for three years as a surgeon at St. Lukes Hospital, Shanghai. He also holds an EMBA from China Europe International Business School.

Dr. Li commented: I am impressed by Brii Bios infectious disease pipeline and commitment to addressing the tremendous health challenges worldwide. Having worked with many multi-national research-based companies, I am inspired by Brii Bios focus on breakthrough innovation and insight with an entrepreneurial esprit de corps. I am honored to be a member of this remarkable team and looking forward to leading the companys finance organization to accelerate the growth of Brii Bio.

Dr. Li brings more than 10 years of experience in investment banking, business development, legal transaction and biomedical research. He joined Brii from Terns Biopharmaceuticals, where he was CFO, developing and deploying financial and corporate strategies and budget. Prior to Terns, Dr. Li was the Executive Director of the Corporate Finance department division at Goldman Sachs, where he was responsible for investment banking in Asia outside Japan. Dr. Li also worked in Merck Asia Pacific Innovation Hub, overseeing business development and licensing transactions in the region. Before that Dr. Li worked at two prominent law firms, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP and Ropes & Gray LLP as attorney, advising clients on capital markets and M&A transactions. His working career started in the Salk Institute as a biomedical researcher. Dr. Li received a Juris Doctor degree from The University of Chicago Law School, a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from The Baylor College of Medicine, a Master of Science degree from The National University of Singapore, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from The Fudan University. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).

About Brii Biosciences

Brii Biosciences (Brii Bio) is a multi-national company committed to serving patients' needs and improving public health by accelerating the development and delivery of breakthrough medicines through partnerships, best-in-class research and development, and the disruptive application of digital and data insight. With operations in the People's Republic of China and the United States, the company is poised to serve as a bridge to carry transformative medicines to patients, help create significant growth for our partners and establish an innovation engine to help improve the public health and wellbeing of patients around the world. The company is developing treatments for illnesses with significant public health burdens, including infectious diseases, central nervous system diseases, and other prevalent illnesses. For more information, visit www.briibio.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200917005819/en/
Stuart Clunie, 34, threatened to 'kick-off' unless officers gave him vodka after they served him with a notice of prosecution while attending a call out to his Edinburgh flat

Two police officers who gave a man vodka before he died in the back of a police van have been cleared of any wrongdoing by a sheriff.

Stuart Clunie, 34, was given a notice of prosecution by PCs Thomas Croall and Ross Norsworthy after they had been called out to an incident in his flat involving his partner Nicola McElhone.

But Clunie, who was known to be violent, threatened to 'kick-off' unless officers gave him vodka, which they did in a bid to defuse the situation.

He was given a 25ml measure and then taken out to the police van.

Clunie, of Edinburgh, who had severe drink and drug problems, lay down on the van floor and was slurring his words.

When they arrived at St Leonard's police station in the capital, he was found unresponsive and paramedics were called but Clunie could not be saved.

A fatal accident inquiry held at Edinburgh Sheriff Court ruled the cause of his death in June 2018 to be drug and alcohol intoxication and an alcohol related liver disease.

Sheriff Robert Fife said the decision to give him vodka to de-escalate a potentially volatile situation was not 'inappropriate' and said there were no defects in working practices.

He also ruled there had been no accident leading to Clunie's death and no precautions could 'reasonably' have been made to prevent his passing.

But when he arrived at St Leonard's police station in central Edinburgh he was found unresponsive and later died

A doctor told the FAI that in the two months leading up to his death, Clunie was 'very dependent' on alcohol and was drinking excessively.

It was also revealed he was more than seven times the Scottish blood alcohol drink-drive limit when he died.

He had a reading of 352mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood in his system while the legal limit is 50mg per 100ml.

Clunie had been attacked with a sword and an axe two weeks earlier.

His family insisted he should have been taken to hospital rather than a police station as the facial wounds he suffered in the axe attack had become infected.

But in a written ruling, Sheriff Fife said: 'Essentially, the police officers made a risk assessment at the time, at Mr Clunie's demands for vodka.

'They were considering the safest approach to remove Mr Clunie to a police van and detain him at St Leonards Police Station.

'Generally, it would not be appropriate for the police to give an arrested person any alcohol. In the unusual circumstances of the present case, giving Mr Clunie a small quantity of vodka, around 25mL, to de-escalate the probability of Mr Clunie being violent towards the officers and Miss McElhone was not inappropriate.

'As stated by the forensic pathologist in the post-mortem report, the central factor in Stuart Clunie's death was acute alcohol intoxication, but the other drugs detected may have further compromised his breathing and increased the risk of a sudden heart attack, and his sudden death.'
Former Chief Minister of Karnataka on Thursday urged the Centre to include Kannada and other regional languages in the administration.

The Centre has said 'No' to a question on whether it proposes to amend the constitution to give primacy to Kannada and other regional languages on par with Hindi.

"This is an indication of the rejection of a language. Kannada, like Hindi, is also an official and recognized language. The Centre should include Kannada and other regional languages in the administration," a statement from Kumaraswamy said.

He also stated that Articles 343, 344, and 345 in the Constitution encouraged the promotion of Hindi.

"Let BJP leaders, who talk about changing the Constitution, make an effort to amend the law to give equal primacy to regional languages at par with Hindi. The Centre, which is refusing to give equal primacy to regional languages, must remember that they have formed the government with the support of the non-Hindi speaking Parliamentarians. It is duty-bound to include all official languages in the administration," the former Chief minister said.

He further stated that the Supreme Court had recently directed the Centre that all government orders and publications should be in all the recognized and official languages.

"Besides, the Centre must keep in mind that all languages are equal in a federal system in India," he added.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Jerry Falwell Jr, the former head of Liberty University who resigned earlier this summer after a series of scandals, appears to have suffered an injury while intoxicated shortly after news reports of an alleged sexual relationship between himself, his wife and a pool boy was published.

HuffPost obtained 911 audio and records suggesting Mr Falwell Jr suffered an injury on the night of 30 August, five days after he resigned.

His wife, Becki Falwell, called 911 because her husband was hurt and claimed there was "a lot of blood right now."

She said Mr Falwell Jr called her around 11pm and said he'd fallen down the stairs of their church and he was bleeding. Because the doors to the church were locked, Ms Falwell had to break in using a chair. She called 911 around 2:30am.

The 911 dispatcher asked Ms Falwell if he husband had been drinking, to which she replied "yes." When the dispatcher asked if he had been drinking heavily, she said "I'm not going to answer that question."

The dispatcher tried to push Ms Falwell, explaining that excessive alcohol use can thin blood and account for excess bleeding, but she continued to resist giving further information.

The more I tell you the name, the more youre going to understand why were not talking to you right now, Ms Falwell said.

Dispatch logs, obtained by HuffPost, said that He wont let her take him to the hospital as he is stubborn. Caller was not forthcoming.

Medics arrived at the couple's home later in the night. A first responder noted that Mr Falwell Jr had cuts on his face, including under his left eye, across the bridge of his nose, and above both of his eyes.

According to first responder reports, Mr Falwell Jr said he hit his head on a trash can. The report indicated that there was "blood in the area he indicated" as well as "empty alcohol containers." The report also said that Mr Falwell Jr's "had slurred and slowed speech and would repeat things already asked."

Mr Falwell Jr resigned after a Reuters report detailed a sexual relationship he, his wife and Giancarlo Granda, a Miami man who knows the couple, had over the course of several years.

In the report, Mr Granda claimed that the Falwells lived a "lavish lifestyle," that "consisted of heavy drinking and going to nightclubs, which is strictly prohibited by the honor code that they expect everyone else to follow."

Liberty University, where Mr Falwell Jr served as president, has strict rules against sexual relationships between students and strict guidelines against alcohol use.

A Wall Street Journal report spoke with former Liberty administrators, staff and donors that he "showed up to campus appearing drunk or smelling of alcohol."

Mr Falwell Jr denied the allegations but said alcohol was not banned for faculty.

Shortly before his resignation, Mr Falwell Jr posted a photo that showed him standing with his arm around a woman who was not his wife with his pants unzipped while he held a glass with a dark liquid.

On 31 Aug, Liberty University's board of trustees announced it would launch a comprehensive investigation by an outside firm of Mr Falwell Jr's time as president.

Mr Falwell Jr claimed the glass contained "black water" and was a "prop" as part of a Trailer Park Boys costume.

The Independent has reached out to Mr Falwell Jrs attorney for comment.
Soon after Iraq's top Shiite cleric denounced the corruption rampant in the country, Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi moved forward in replacing several top officials and ordering an arrest warrant against a number of high-ranking officials.

Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, special representative of the UN secretary-general for Iraq, said Sept. 13 following a meeting with top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in Najaf that Sistani wants major corruption files to be opened and those involved held accountable.

Some political forces were quick to welcome her announcement, although there are figures accused of corruption among their ranks. What's more, the protesters who took to the streets in October 2019 have accused these forces of pocketing public money.

Speaking to Al-Monitor, a close associate of Kadhimi confirmed that serious steps are taken to hold accountable those involved in corruption cases. The source said, The investigation committee that Kadhimi set up Aug. 27 led to security forces arresting Sept. 15 seven senior corrupt persons  who will be named later  including the former director of the pension authority.

A day after the special representatives remarks, Kadhimi imposed changes to a number of government positions. The changes include appointing former Defense Minister Khalid al-Obeidi as head of the operations section in the Iraqi Intelligence Service that Kadhimi himself is still heading.

Yet political forces, including the Sairoon-Fatah alliance, lashed out at this measure, viewing that such a measure could reach the point of overthrowing the Kadhimi government.

The Sunni forces have also lashed out at the new appointments, while the State of Law Coalition perceived that the administrative appointments have expanded the quotas.

Commenting on such reactions, the source noted, The political parties are mired in the sharing of quotas that they openly do and refuse that their privileges be touched. They cannot deceive the Iraqi people by saying that they refuse [such practices]. The appointments involve professional figures and do not consist of radical changes. The names were selected from within the institutions themselves, given that the legal work deadlines have passed, while taking into account their integrity, experience and the national balance.

The political forces are obviously wary and fear the street and are trying to enhance their image in any way possible. That has prompted Fatah Alliance leader Hadi al-Amiri to release a statement Sept. 14 indicating that he did not know about the appointment of Sami al-Masoudi as head of the Hajj and Umrah Authority. That would mean that Kadhimi did not consult with the political parties about the appointments and did not opt for quota-sharing.

Alia Nassif, a member of parliament for the State of Law Coalition, told Al-Monitor, Combating corruption is among the most significant challenges facing the Kadhimi government. The government is yet to get to the level of the serious challenge that the state faces in fighting corruption and illicit arms.

She said that she believes that so far, the changes in the positions that Kadhimi made continue to be part of the blocs desires for quotas, which is worrisome for the Iraqis who pin great hopes on Kadhimi as a person in founding a new path in the state administration away from quota-sharing of positions.

Nassif added, The citizens despair stems from the fact that they did not see any corrupt individuals appear before the judiciary under the previous governments, and they are hopeful that this will happen under the Kadhimi government.

On June 20, Kadhimi pledged to move forward with financial and economic reforms, while some political forces fear that combating corruption affects them. The first steps were made June 29, by tasking the Counter-Terrorism Service with managing the border crossings and appointing new heads for the civil aviation authority and Shiite endowments.

Iraq's former Communications Minister Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi  who was nominated to form a government before Kadhimi, but failed to win the parliaments vote of confidence  told Al-Monitor, An important factor in combating corruption is to hold early and fair elections, which Sistani reiterated three times in his meeting with Hennis-Plasschaert. Thus, Kadhimi is at a crossroad  either fair elections or failure. This is because fair elections would end the ongoing corruption.

Allawi warned against seeing the public unconvinced with the elections results, because this would deepen the country's problems and pose a threat to the unity and the future of the people.

Yet member of parliament Falah al-Khafaji told Al-Monitor, Ending corruption and enforcing the law ought to take place before early elections are held  otherwise there are no fair elections.

Shorooq al-Obeiji, secretary-general of the National Civil Movement, told Al-Monitor, Outlawed forces outside of the state are in control of the states key positions. Iraqis do not feel that they are citizens of a state serving them through its institutions. She denounced that the political class-linked forces have exploited the countrys wealth to their advantage.

Obeiji added, All of this defect did not speed up steps to achieve reforms, which should have been very clear by now. Also, a clear methodology to achieve reforms is still absent even though corruption prevails. She called for a strategy based on legal mechanisms and a mass mobilization so as to implement such a strategy, before [the people] start to feel that the government is weak in the face of the corrupt forces. The prime minister needs to be aware of that and refrain from holding the stick in the middle.

The editor-in-chief of Al-Sabah newspaper, Abbas Abboud, told Al-Monitor, Kadhimi has more than one quality required for success, given that he is an honest person whom the majority of parties at home and abroad accept. Yet he needs to back up words with actions and to be open to the people. The reforms will not roll out before the elections, because it is neither the right time nor the right circumstances.

In a speech to the UN General Assembly in September 2019, President Barham Salih stressed the challenge of corruption, which he labeled the political economy of conflict."

The dominant forces are expected to desperately prevent any measures from being taken against corruption symbols within their ranks. Yet that will necessarily reactivate the protest movement, particularly since Sistani announced a supportive position.
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A race row broke out among New York City Hall staffers last month, 11 minutes before Mayor Bill de Blasio was set to give his daily coronavirus briefing and include a nod to the 100th anniversary of woman's suffrage.

City Hall emails obtained by the New York Post show that the argument exploded over the wording of talking points prepared for the mayor after they were sent to staffers ahead of his briefing on August 26.

The talking points included a commemoration of the centennial of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, while also noting that 'not all women could exercise that right' and adding 'women of color excluded.'

An email debate then erupted after one staffer demanded that the talking point explicitly single out white women as only gaining the right to vote, and argued that it was problematic to say 'women of color' instead of 'black women.'

That drew a sharp response from the white woman who authored the notes, who said she was 'being negged for something that happened 100 years ago.'

Insiders say the dispute is emblematic of the dysfunction in City Hall, and it follows a series of high-profile staff departures and heavy criticism of the mayor over the city's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, homelessness, soaring crime and a budget crisis.

A race row broke out among New York City mayor Bill de Blasio's staff ahead of his coronavirus briefing on August 26 (pictured), during which he was set to pay tribute to the 100th anniversary of the passing of the 19th amendment to the U.S. constitution

City hall social media manager Ashley Ross-Teel (left) demanded to know why the mayor's talking points didn't explicitly call out white women as benefiting from the 19th Amendment. Speechwriter Marjorie Sweeney (right) responded 'Because as a white woman, I find being negged for something that happened 100 years ago unnecessarily confrontational'

The email imbroglio began on August 26 at 9.49am, just 11 minutes before de Blasio's briefing was scheduled to begin.

The mayor's talking points were sent out to his staff, including one noting the 19th Amendment, which prohibited states and the federal government from denying citizens the right to vote based on sex.

What is 'negging'? 'Negging' is a slang term referring to subtle disparagement or passive-aggressive insults. It's a shortening of the phrase 'negative comments.' The term first appeared in the pick-up artist community, where it referred to demeaning a woman with backhanded compliments as a strategy for seducing her. 'Neither a compliment nor an insult, a neg holds two purposes: to momentarily lower a woman's self-esteem and to suggest an intriguing disinterest,' wrote former pick-up artist Neil Strauss, who has since reformed, in a 2004 New York Times essay. Strauss offered the example neg: 'Nice nails. Are they real? No? Oh, they look nice anyway.' 'Neg' can be used as either a noun (e.g. 'nice neg!') or a verb (e.g. 'stop negging me'). Advertisement

Among the bullet points on the suffrage topic were 'not all women could exercise that right' and 'Women of color excluded  fought for decades for equal access.'

City Hall's social media manager Ashley Ross-Teel replied to the email, demanding that the mayor explicitly acknowledge it was only white women who were given access to voting booths with the amendment's passing.

She also criticized the talking point for saying women of color were discriminated against, and for not singling out African American women.

'Sorry, but why wasn't white women added when it was flagged by [women of color],' she wrote, according to The Post. 'Also there is a growing negativity around incorporating Black women into WOC. Everyone's struggles are not the same.'

Three minutes later at 9.52am, now just 8 minutes from the scheduled briefing, the author of the bullet points - speechwriter Marjorie Sweeney - fired back at Ross-Teel.

'Because as a white woman, I find being negged for something that happened 100 years ago unnecessarily confrontational in this context,' she wrote. 'We're trying to bring people together here, not trying to score points off each other.'

'Negging' is a slang term referring to subtle disparagement or passive-aggressive insults.

The Post reported that at least two other high-ranking de Blasio aides were pulled into the row, offering further last minute suggestions that were then signed off by Peter Kauffmann - de Blasio's recently hired $17,000-a-month special adviser - at 10.03am, now three minutes after the briefing was due to start.

The dispute comes as de Blasio faces heavy criticism over the city's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, homelessness, soaring crime and a budget crisis

In the briefing, the mayor did specifically reference white women in his remarks about the 100th anniversary, but he kept the initially proposed description of 'women of color'.

'Not all women' could vote, he said, referencing the notes. 'Only white women  women of color excluded and they had to fight for many decades more.'

What is the 19th Amendment and how is race related? The 19th Amendment's adoption was certified on August 26, 1920. It states: 'The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.' Legally, African American men had gained the right to vote in 1870 with the 15th Amendment, but as a practical matter most were excluded from the polls by loopholes in state constitutions. Following the passage of the 19th Amendment, black, Asian, Hispanic and Native American women continued to struggle for decades to exercise the right to vote. Poll taxes, literacy tests, and other convoluted requirements disenfranchised most black citizens, as well as many poor whites, for years. Poll taxes persisted in some states until the passage of the 24th Amendment in 1964, which banned them. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 specifically banned racial discrimination at the polls, and came with tough enforcement measures. Advertisement

But the row continued afterwards, with Chief of Staff Emma Wolfe chastising the staffers for the argument.

'This should never have been a debate, not the least of which over email,' Wolfe wrote, telling the staff to find a 'more professional process' when dealing with such conflicts.

Critics say that the row is an illustration of wider problems in New York's City Hall and de Blasio's mercurial leadership, a result of which a number of experienced top aids have left the mayor's office.

This exodus, sources say, has resulted in City Hall being run by people who are not experienced enough, while the Post has reported that sources have called de Blasio's management style 'emotionally, mentally and physically taxing'.

'It is amateur hour. It's a bunch of people who have no idea how City Hall works running the show because everyone else has left,' one former staffer said to the news outlet.

'There are a lot of sharp elbows, it's very vicious and very personal  and it gets in the way of focusing on the work at hand.'

Speaking about the mayor himself, another ex-staffer said: 'He will just blow everything up on a whim and it's a domino effect. It leads to avoidable last-minute scrambles on everything  from key policy decisions to the briefing notes.'

The work that goes into putting together the binder for de Blasio's briefings should - in theory - be completed by the morning, but insiders told The Post that the mayor often asks for re-writes at the last minute, leaving staffers stressed.

Sources say that the problem is particularly noticeable in the press and communications departments of the mayor's office.

The heads of both - former Press Secretary Freddi Goldstein and former Communications Director Wiley Norvell - quit on the same day in July, with only Goldstein being replaced so far.

When asked to comment by the New York Post, de Blasio's press secretary Bill Neidhardt responded, saying 'Debating talking points is a basic function of all communications offices. That's what you're seeing here.

'In the end, the Mayor makes the call and he acknowledged our country's painful history of denying women of color the right to vote.'

The latest controversy follows months of accusations of mismanagement and incompetence at City Hall as the city has struggled through the pandemic and a shocking crime wave.

The sun sets behind Manhattan on Tuesday. The latest controversy follows months of accusations of mismanagement and incompetence at City Hall

A man sleeps near Penn Station by Madison Square Gardens on Thursday. De Blasio's handling of the homeless crisis in the city has also come under fire

De Blasio on Thursday delayed the reopening plan for the nation's largest school district for the second time since it was announced in July, citing a shortage of staff and supplies.

The city's economy has also been hammered by the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent harsh government lockdown orders.

A report this week from directory site Yelp revealed that at least 7,100 small businesses in the city have permanently closed since March.

The economic devastation has led to a budget crisis, with de Blasio pleading for billions in federal bailout dollars to plug the gap as local tax revenue evaporates.

As well, New York City has seen a shocking rise in violent crime over the summer.

In August, there was a 166 percent increase in the number of shooting incidents across the city compared to the same month last year, according to NYPD data.

The number of people murdered citywide increased by 47 percent for the month, while burglaries jumped 22 percent.

De Blasio has also faced criticism over the city's handling of a homeless crisis, after moving thousands of homeless men from shelters into hotels across the city in a bid to slow the spread of the virus.

On Tuesday, the city reversed its decision to move homeless people out of The Lucerne, a luxury hotel on the Upper West Side, after protesters marched to Gracie Mansion demanding that the men stop being shuffled from one place to another.
NEW YORK, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- THE COALESCENCE WEBSITE has issued a challenge to college students, urging them to become activists in helping shape the future they will inherit.

Just as students find themselves undergoing a transition from academia and into the real world, society-at-large is also experiencing a transformational moment, with the outcome in both instances largely unknown. Adding to the uncertainty is the historically unique confluence of several troubling worldwide developments: climate change, a collapsing financial system, a deadly pandemic, social unrest, and political upheaval.

To put things in perspective, The Coalescence website has released a 3,500-word document (available in 19 languages) entitled "Moneyism  The Cancer Ravaging Earth and How to Defeat It." It offers a road map into the future in terms of a transition from moneyism to humanism. It also offers the opportunity to participate in shaping that future by way of the Whole Earth Design Project (WEDP).

Inspired by the great futurist R. Buckminster Fuller, the objective of the WEDP is to design, in cyberspace, an ecologically and environmentally sustainable economic system capable of providing every individual on the planet with all of life's essentials as a template for transforming the economic system in the real world. This will be a massive expert-guided and data-driven research and design project requiring a worldwide army of volunteers.

For students, especially those under quarantine during the pandemic, this offers a chance to provide their input. Accordingly, they are urged to study the Moneyism document and then join in a collaborative effort to transform the world in a way that works for the benefit of all humanity. That would be the most promising, fulfilling, and satisfying thing for a student to do. Those students who agree are invited to click on the link below and begin shaping their journey into the future.

Moneyism - The Cancer Ravaging Earth

The Coalescence Website

The Whole Earth Design Project

Meet R. Buckminster Fuller

The Book: The Coming Global Coalescence

Visit The Coalescence Instagram

Share

For information, contact us

Walter Szykitka

917-716-5104

[email protected]

SOURCE THE COALESCENCE WEBSITE
New Delhi: In the dunes of northern Saudi Arabia, human footprints scattered across a patch of dry ground have been discovered. The discovery of human footprints, if confirmed, would mark the oldest trace of our species yet found in the Arabian Peninsula, which sits at the gateway to early humans spread around the world, according to a National Geographic report.

Citing a new study published in Science Advances, it reported about the frozen footfalls that preserve a striking snapshot of time some 115,000 years ago. Animals and humans congregated near a shallow lake, perhaps with a shared purpose of slaking thirst and sating hunger.

A team of scientists surveying the region almost ignored them in 2017, but upon further examination, they realized that the depressions were left by an array of ancient animals, and among them were traces of our own species, Homo sapiens, the report said.

Notably, the Arabian Peninsula has vast and arid deserts that did not provide a favourable environment to early people and animals. The studies conducted in the last 10 years have shown that this was not always the scenario, and the place was much greener and humid.

"At certain times in the past, the deserts that dominate the interior of the peninsula transformed into expansive grasslands with permanent freshwater lakes and rivers," said study co-author Richard Clark-Wilson of Royal Holloway, as quoted by news agency AFP.

Mathew Stewart, of the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Germany, the first author, said the footprints were found on this PhD fieldwork in 2017 after the erosion of overlying sediments at an ancient lake known as 'Alathar' ("the truce" in Arabic). "Footprints are a unique form of fossil evidence in that they provide snapshots in time, typically representing a few hours or days, a resolution we tend not to get from other records," Stewart is quoted as saying.

"A closer look revealed the elongated prongs of camels, and perhaps faint traces from giant buffalo and ancient horse relatives. As the team was packing up for the day, they spotted what became the most exciting find: Seven imprints likely left by members of our own species," the National Geographic report said.

The footprints arent the oldest evidence of humans outside of Africa, but the vignette inscribed in mud reportedly provides a peek into the once lush landscape and creatures that may have greeted humans during their early forays.

The research in Saudi Arabia is part of a more than decade-long effort led by Michael Petraglia, a human evolution researcher at the Max Planck Institute, who led the team, to unearth hominin history in the Arabian Peninsula. The study is related to understand our species first steps out of Africa.

Most non-African people reportedly trace their genetic roots to a wave of Homo sapiens that ventured from the continent roughly 60,000 years ago, but they werent the first to leave.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 22:09:25|Editor: huaxia

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CAPE TOWN, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The South African government reaffirmed on Friday that it will not liquidate embattled South African Airways (SAA).

Instead, the government will reprioritize funds to finalize the restructuring of the SAA and the implementation of the airline's business rescue plan, the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) said in a statement.

An announcement to this effect will be announced in the Adjustments Appropriation Bill, which will be introduced in Parliament soon, the department said.

The DPE, the sole shareholder of the SAA, issued the statement after failing to acquire urgent funding for the state-owned airline's business rescue process, thus putting the SAA in danger of being liquidated.

The DPE missed the Sept. 17 deadline to provide at least 10.5 billion rand (about 636 million U.S. dollars) for the airline to be restructured.

The department requested lending institutions to finance the restructuring process and honor commitments for voluntary severance packages and retrenchments because the restructuring process should be brought closer to finalization in the next few weeks.

The DPE will continue to assess the 20 unsolicited expressions of interests from private-sector funders, private equity investors and partners for a future restructured SAA, the statement said.

The department is sympathetic to the plight of SAA employees while continuing to work with other government departments, including the National Treasury, to make sure that the airline's restructuring plan will be successfully implemented, the statement said.

The key to solving the difficulties facing the SAA is the finalization and implementation of the business rescue process, the DPE said.

This should be followed by the start of a restructured airline, appointment of new non-executive directors and leadership team, and the securing of a credible strategic equity partner who can introduce the required technical, financial, and operational expertise into the business, the statement said.

The SAA went into business rescue in December last year due to heavy financial losses.

The airline has relied on government bailouts for continued operation. Over the past 13 years, the airline has incurred over 28 billion rand (about 1.7 billion dollars) in cumulative losses.

The government has allocated about 30 billion rand (1.8 billion dollars) to bail out the airline over the past decade. Enditem
The U.S. Army and the Republic of Estonias Ministry of Defence signed an agreement today that will enable the two countries to conduct future collaborative science and technology efforts in cyber defense. Edric Thompson, CCDC C5ISR Center Public Affairs, reports.

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1st Lt. Winters the fire direction officer for Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion, 6th Field Artillery Regiment talks with Estonian soldiers during Rail Gunner Rush live fire exercise in Tapa, Estonia Sept. 5, 2020 (Picture sorce: U.S. Army/Maj. Joe Bush)

The U.S. Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) Center  a component of Army Futures Commands Combat Capabilities Development Command  and the Estonian Ministry of Defence will establish a multi-domain operations, cyber domain working group to identify opportunities for interoperability experimentation and demonstrations.

The working group will provide a forum to exchange information on the research of defensive cyber capabilities for multi-domain operations and improved coalition interoperability. Specific collaborative activities identified by the working group may be carried out under future agreements involving projects, equipment and material, and information exchanges. "This historic agreement provides the opportunity for two nations with substantial defensive cyber capabilities to leverage their respective cyber experience to drive new research and development to reduce cyber threats across the spectrum of conflict, said Director of the C5ISR Center Patrick J. ONeill.

The effort  which falls under a 2016 U.S. Department of Defense Research, Development, Test and Evaluation memorandum of understanding  is the first of its kind between the U.S. Army and the Estonian Ministry of Defence. It supports a Vision for Security Cooperation document between the countries to develop capabilities that will deter and defend against malicious cyber intrusions and attacks.

The Estonian Ministry of Defence is very pleased to establish formal cooperation with the U.S. Armys C5ISR Center, adding another partner with increased knowledge and capabilities. Our countries are close NATO allies who share fundamental values. Our collaboration in the cyber domain will advance our common security, said Director of the Estonian Ministry of Defences Cyber Policy Department Andri Rebane. We hope that the knowledge generated from this bilateral relationship will not only be useful for the U.S. and Estonia but also our other allies. With that, I am pleased to sign the terms of reference to begin this important work, said Rebane.

Prior to the event, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Defense Exports and Cooperation Elizabeth Wilson noted her office played an integral role in bringing together key personnel from U.S. Army headquarters, the C5ISR Center and counterparts at the Estonian Embassy to reach this milestone event. Exchanging information and optimizing our research and development efforts to modernize our militaries will help deter great power competitors and regional state adversaries. The U.S. Army is proud to partner with our Estonian counterparts in this unique opportunity," said Wilson.

The complementary research will explore tactical and strategic challenges to enable standardization, rationalization and interoperability while improving the mutual defenses of both countries, said Robert Kimball, the C5ISR Centers senior research scientist for cyber security. Estonia is a cyber country of excellence with a robust cyber defensive system in terms of technology and people. Given their deep expertise, I believe they will have substantial lessons to share, which will be enormously helpful in finding efficiencies in our science and technology efforts while understanding how best to defend against cyber warfare, said Kimball, who noted Estonia is home to the NATO Cyber Defense Center and Cyber Range.

The agreement is slated to last until Sept. 30, 2023, at which point it may be extended.
Donald Trump hinted he might fire FBI director Chris Wray Friday after he publicly split from the president on 'antifa' and warned Russia has a 'very active' effort to discredit Joe Biden.

Wray testified under oath to Congress Thursday that antifa was 'a movement' and not 'an organization,' contradicting Trump's demand that it be designated a domestic terrorist organization.

As he left the White House Friday to head for a campaign rally in Minnesota, Trump was asked if he was considering firing Wray.

He replied: 'We're looking at a lot of different things. I did not like his answer the other day.'

'I disagreed with him on those very important points,' he said.

'China is the top of the list. The big problem is China and why he doesn't want to say that, that certainly bothers me.

'Antifa is a bad group, they are criminals and anarchists and they are looters and rioters and everything else. I wonder why he is not saying that.'

Trump removed his first FBI director, James Comey, in May 2017, an action which set off the Robert Mueller probe. Only one other FBI director had been fired before, when Bill Clinton removed William Sessions in 1993.

In a White House briefing just before he boarded Marine One, Trump had been asked about both Wray and Dr. Robert Redfield, the CDC director he slapped down on Thursday for saying vaccines will not be available until late next spring at the earliest, forcing the medical expert into a walkback.

Will he? Trump removed his first FBI director, James Comey, in May 2017, an action which set off the Robert Mueller probe. Only one other FBI director had been fired before, when Bill Clinton removed William Sessions in 1993

Off to a rally: Donald Trump spoke before boarding Marine One on the White House South Lawn to head to Minnesota for another rally

Antifa: Trump claims that what Chris Wray called a 'movement or ideology' is in fact an 'organization' and wants it declared a domestic terror threat. Wray did not agree

'How is it that you don't trust your own experts? Do you think you know better than they do?' Trump was asked.

'Yeah, in many cases I do,' he replied.

Trump added: 'I think we have a bigger problem with China than we have with Russia.

'I think China's a far bigger problem and I said, well that's OK if you want to think about Russia, but what about China? I think that's appropriate. I thought that the definition of antifa was an absolutely incorrect definition, so I speak up.'

In tweets on Thursday Trump also linked Wray - his own appointee - to two of his favorite targets: James Comey and Robert Mueller, the current director's predecessors calling the bureau 'Comey/Mueller inspired.'

However firing an FBI director over Russia and antifa would present Trump with a new crisis just before the election, with Wray free to speak his mind, the need to install an acting director and the possibility of an ugly Senate confirmation hearing.

The possibility of Wray being fired came after stark testimony less than two months before Election Day in which Wray said Russia was pumping out a steady steam of misinformation aimed at Biden as well as sapping Americans' confidence in the election process.

The threat, Wray said, is ongoing. 'The intelligence community consensus is that Russia continues to try to influence our elections,' he said  nearly four years after an ominous intelligence community warning about Russian measures in 2016.

Moscow is also attempting to undercut what it sees as an anti-Russian U.S. establishment, the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation head told the Democratic-led House of Representatives' Homeland Security committee.

He said his biggest concern is a 'steady drumbeat of misinformation' that he said he feared could undermine confidence in the result of the 2020 election.

FBI Director Chris Wray said Russia and its proxies seek to sow 'divisiveness and discord' and 'primarily to denigrate Vice President Biden'

Wray was also pressed repeatedly by Republicans on antifa, which Trump has repeatedly claimed is an organization behind violence.

Wray did not dispute that antifa activists were a serious concern, saying that antifa was a 'real thing' and that the FBI had undertaken 'any number of properly predicated investigations into what we would describe as violent anarchist extremists,' including into individuals who identify with antifa.

But, he said, 'It's not a group or an organization. It's a movement or an ideology.'

That characterization contradicts the depiction from Trump, who in June singled out antifa - short for 'anti-fascists' and an umbrella term for far-left-leaning militant groups - as responsible for the violence that followed George Floyd's death.

The testimony comes four years after U.S. intelligence warned Vladimir Putin's intelligence agencies were interfering in the elections

Trump tweeted then that the U.S. would be designating antifa as a terrorist organization, even though such designations are historically reserved for foreign groups and antifa lacks the hierarchical structure of formal organizations.

Wray's testimony follows an Aug. 7 warning by the director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center that Russia, China and Iran were all trying to interfere in the Nov. 3 election.

Wray said Russia and its proxies seek to sow 'divisiveness and discord' and 'primarily to denigrate Vice President Biden and what the Russians see as kind of an anti-Russian establishment.'

Wray was confirmed to fill his post after President Trump fired FBI Director James Comey, who played a key role in authorizing probes of the Trump 2016 campaign as well as the Hillary Clinton email probe.

Wray's testimony made clear that Russia's actions were not a thing of the past  ever after the Obama administration imposed sanctions in 2017, and the Trump administration and Congress continued to apply economic pressure.

'We certainly have seen very active efforts by the Russians to influence our elections in 2020,' Wray testified.

Multiple reviews by U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia acted to boost now-President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign and undermine his rival Hillary Clinton.

Trump has long bristled at that finding, which Russia denies. The president, meanwhile, has leveled scathing attacks on the U.S. election system, including mail-in balloting in particular. He also has launched blistering attacks on Joe Biden's mental health  a line of attack that the Homeland Security Department has warned in memos Russia also is promoting.

Trump himself has repeatedly and without evidence questioned the increased use of mail-in ballots, a long established method of voting in the United States which are expected to see a surge in use due to the coronavirus.

On Thursday Trump said on Twitter that without evidence that they could make it impossible to know the election's true outcome.

The hearing before the House Homeland Security Committee - established after the Sept. 11 attacks to confront the threat of international terrorism - focused almost entirely on domestic matters, including violence by white supremacists as well as anti-government extremists.

The topics underscored the shift of attention by law enforcement at a time of intense divisions and polarization inside the country.

Not an organization: Chris Wray, Donald Trump's FBI director, said that antifa is a movement or ideology - putting him directly at odds with the president

Antifa: Self-declared anti-fascist activist Michael Reinoehl, who was shot and killed by US Marshals in Washington State on September 3, 2020, was photographed in protests in Oregon. He was being investigated over the shooting death of a Trump supporter when he was killed

Pictured: self-proclaimed 'antifa' activist Michael Reinoehl

But one area where foreign threats were addressed was in the presidential election and Russia's attempts to interfere in the campaign.

Wray sought to make clear the scope of the threats the country faces while resisting lawmakers' attempts to steer him into politically charged statements. When asked whether extremists on the left or the right posed the bigger threat, he pivoted instead to an answer about how solo actors, or so-called 'lone wolves,' with easy access to weapons were a primary concern.

'We don't really think of threats in terms of left, right, at the FBI. We're focused on the violence, not the ideology,' he said later.

The FBI director said racially motivated violent extremists, such as white supremacists, have been responsible for the most lethal attacks in the U.S. in recent years.

But this year the most lethal violence has come from anti-government activists, such as anarchists and militia-types, Wray said.

Wray also affirmed the intelligence community's assessment of Russian interference in the November election, which he said was taking the form of foreign influence campaigns aimed at sowing discord and swaying public opinion as well as efforts to denigrate Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.

He said that the U.S. had not yet seen targeting of election infrastructure like in 2016, but efforts to sow doubt about the election's integrity are a serious concern, he said.

'What concerns me the most is the steady drumbeat of misinformation and sort of amplification of smaller cyber intrusions,' Wray said. 'I worry that they will contribute over time to a lack of confidence of American voters and citizens in the validity of their vote.'

'I think that would be a perception,' Wray added, 'not a reality. I think Americans can and should have confidence in our election system and certainly in our democracy. But I worry that people will take on a feeling of futility because of all of the noise and confusion that's generated.'

Trump has resisted the idea of Russian interference aimed at benefiting his campaign and has been eager, along with other administration officials, to talk about intelligence officials' assessment that China prefers that Trump lose to Biden.

Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Chad Wolf had been scheduled to appear at the House hearing on worldwide threats but did not testify because of his nomination to be secretary, according to the agency.

The agency said in a statement ahead of the hearing that it would be 'contrary to standard practice' to have him testify while his nomination was pending before the Senate.

Acting Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli said in a statement that he was prepared to appear in place of Wolf but that was rejected by the Democratic-controlled committee.

Rep. Bennie Thompson, the committee chairman, began the hearing by noting there is no law prohibiting the testimony of someone facing a confirmation hearing and that Wolf has given multiple media interviews since the president announced his nomination.

The Department of Homeland Security ignored a committee subpoena issued Friday for Wolf's appearance, which the Mississippi Democrat said should 'appall' any member of the committee.
Nigerias former Minister of Finance and Foreign Affairs, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, is one of five candidates left in the race for the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

A report by Bloomberg on Friday said members of the global trade body decided to select Mrs Okonjo-Iweala, former Managing Director of the World Bank, along with four other candidates they considered the best fit for the next DG of the organisation as the race moves closer to the final phase in the coming weeks.

The report said three of the initial candidates cleared for the race were compelled to drop from the race after failing to muster sufficient support during the first of three rounds of voting for the eight candidates confirmed to contest the election.

The three candidates, who dropped out, included Jesus Seade of Mexico; Hamid Mamdouh of Egypt, and Tudor Ulianovschi of Moldova.

Their expertise and high professional and personal qualities are highly valued and respected by all members, the WTO General Council Chairman, David Walker, was quoted to have said of Mrs Okonjo-Iweala and her other opponents in a statement on Friday.

The group said the second phase of consultations scheduled to begin on September 24 will continue till October 6, with the WTO billed to announce the two final candidates after.

The new DG of the organisation is expected to emerge by November 7.

The new DG would succeed the former occupant of the position, Roberto Azevedo of Brazil, who offered to step down from office at the end of August, a year before his term was due to end.

The remaining contenders who are all either current or former ministers in their respective countries include Mohammad Maziad Al-Tuwaijri who is Saudi Arabias former minister of economy and planning; Liam Fox, the UKs former secretary of state for international trade; Yoo Myung-hee, South Koreas trade minister; Nigerias Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and Amina Jibril, Kenyas former international trade minister.
A moderately prosperous society, or xiaokang, has more implications than just the increase of people's incomes. It also means people in such a society have access to more facilities and products that can make their lives happier and more convenient, officials said. Ling Yun, mayor of Hefei, capital of Anhui province, said development of the high-tech industry will be increasingly important in efforts to improve society there. As many resources have been put into the industry, Hefei is gradually becoming a hub for emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence. Hefei is home to iFlytek, the country's leading AI company that is best known for its voice recognition technology. To date, its open-access platform has served more than 1.42 million entrepreneurs and third-party developers who use the AI and speech recognition technologies to do business, according to the company. The firm is a big creator that can spur on smaller creators. Since 2013, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Anhui provincial government have been developing China Speech Valley, a high-tech industrial park, into a major hub for the AI industry. Living up to its name, in the valley, the human voice bears new technological fruit that can be consumed in people's daily lives. The products span from robots used for different purposes and computer mouses with convenient speech input functionfor Mandarin, English and even some Chinese dialectsto various smart, wearable devices. "Intelligent voice interaction only comprises a small part of AI, but it can play a key role in displaying the achievement of scientific research for the public," said Mao Yuanyuan, vice-president of China Speech Valley. In 2017, the provincial and municipal governments set up a fund with over 5 billion yuan ($732 million) for Hefei's long-term development. From 2017 to this year, the Hefei government has annually allocated 600 million yuan to further develop the park. By June, 910 enterprises were operating in the valley. The total output value of the park last year reached 80 billion yuan, according to Mao, who is also the administrator of the valley. "We've formed a dynamic model to incubate and encourage the growth of enterprises, going through the whole process from the birth of an idea to the manufacturing of products," Mao said."The University of Science and Technology of China and some institutes of the Chinese Academy of Sciences based in Hefei have offered fruitful achievements for our creativity." Thanks to developed online channels, despite the impact from COVID-19, the total output value of the valley in the first six months of this year reached 45 billion yuan, and Mao said she expected the total value to surpass 100 billion by the end of the year, with over 1,000 enterprises stationed there. Huami, a leading tech company that is based in the park and develops wearable devices, serves as an example. Despite initial setbacks earlier this year, shipments made by the company, which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, quickly rebounded in the second quarter of this year. Over 8.9 million devices were shippedabout half domestically and the other half abroadin the second quarter, a 7.2 percent increase from the same period last year. In addition, its revenue in the second quarter was nearly 1.14 billion yuan, up 9.5 percent compared with the same period in 2019. As the coronavirus pandemic continues, China Speech Valley is not only surviving, it is thriving and contributing to the fight against the disease. Infervision, a company that develops medical-related AI technology in the park, created an auxiliary diagnosis system and equipped dozens of hospitals nationwide with it to aid the fight against COVID-19. It later exported the system to multiple countries, helping medical workers to confirm over 300,000 cases. "Speaking of a prosperous life, it must give people a sense of gain, and these products can make people directly feel that life is getting better," Mao said.


Fixably, an Espoo, Finland-based provider of a software platform allowing repair shops and technicians to manage their workflow efficiently to get hardware fixed, secured $2M in funding.

The round was led by Icebreaker.vc  the early stage venture capital fund operating in Finland, Estonia and Sweden.

The company intends to use the funds to accelerate their US expansion whilst increasing European and APAC presence.

Launched in 2019 by Joel Mansnerus, CEO, Fixably provides a service management system specifically designed and developed for Apple Authorized Service Providers. It integrates all tools needed to perform and follow-up repairs, handle internal resources and workflows, monetary transactions, logistics, customer communication, Apple requirements and more. The software is configurable and scales for all types and sizes of businesses, providing support for business proven processes.

Fixably, boasts rapid growth through customers in three different continents, creating a gross transactional value of more than $100M. With over 1 million repairs completed so far in 2020, the company expects to increase this amount to 3 million repairs by the end of 2021. Beyond this, the goal is to extend the life of one billion devices.

FinSMEs

18/09/2020
(JNS) - Jessica Krug, a Jewish professor at George Washington University who falsely identified as a black person, has resigned, announced the Washington, D.C.-based university on Wednesday.

The university tweeted that "Dr. Krug has resigned her position, effective immediately. Her classes for this semester will be taught by other faculty members, and students in those courses will receive additional information this week."

Update regarding Jessica Krug: Dr. Krug has resigned her position, effective immediately. Her classes for this semester will be taught by other faculty members, and st...
The FTSE 100 closed down 42.87 points at 6007.05 and the pound was at $1.30 against the dollar.

Worries about a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic and a meagre economic recovery continue to unnerve investors.

British retail sales rose for their fourth consecutive month in August. The sector expanded by 0.8 per cent compared to July. Trade was also 2.8 per cent higher than in the same month last year and 4 per cent above its pre-lockdown levels in February.

The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has urged the Government to extend the business rates holiday for another year over fears thousands of jobs could be lost in London and across the country.

The London Stock Exchange said it has entered exclusive talks with France's Euronext after weighing up several offers for its Borsa Italiana business.

Budget airline EasyJet has appointed Tui executive Kenton Jarvis to be its next chief of finance. Both firms has been severely affected by travel restrictions imposed to contain the spread of the coronavirus
New Delhi, Sep 18 : The Central government has barred companies from countries, which do not allow Indian companies to participate in their government procurement, from participating in any government procurement tenders in India.

In a statement on Friday, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said that the Centre amended the Public Procurement (Preference to Make in India) Order, 2017 on September 16, enabling nodal ministries, departments to notify higher minimum local content requirement for Class-I and Class-II local suppliers which was earlier fixed at 50 per cent and 20 per cent, respectively.

"As per the Order, entities of countries which do not allow Indian companies to participate in their Government procurement for any item, shall not be allowed to participate in Government procurement in India for all items related to that nodal Ministry/Department, except for the list of items published by the Ministry/Department permitting their participation," it said.

Further, specifying foreign certifications, unreasonable technical specifications, brands or models in the bid document is a restrictive and discriminatory practice against local suppliers, it said. Foreign certification, if required, will be stipulated only with the approval of the Secretary of the department concerned.

It noted that all administrative ministries and departments whose procurement exceeds Rs 1,000 crore per annum shall notify their procurement projections for the next 5 years on their respective website.

An upper threshold value of procurement beyond which foreign companies shall enter into a joint venture with an Indian company to participate in government tenders shall be notified.
Maharastra: Mumbai Port Trust Will Take Steps To Upgrade Oil Spill Contingency Plans For Mumbai And JNPT

September 18,2020 | Source: Mumbai Live

Authorities from the Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) are said to be working on upgrading its oil spill contingency plans in the wake of the disastrous oil spill off the coast of Mauritius in August, considered the countrys worst ecological disaster. Officials in the city want to be prepared for any such eventuality as the world has seen multiple oil spills over the past few years causing great damage to the local ecosystem. The MbPT has sent out tenders to hire an agency that can create a Tier-1 oil spill response facility in the city as well as the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) harbour.



As per details on the tender accessed by Hindustan Times, the consultant will be tasked with conducting a quality risk assessment of oil spills in the region while also evaluating the likely trajectory of the spill in a worst-case scenario. Further, the consultants will also have to map out regions that are considered likely to be affected in the event of an oil spil. We have a plan in place in case of an oil spill for the past five years. As the contract is ending, we are looking for a new agency. We are looking to upgrade it [the plan] and looking at new technology. A ready plan will aid us to control the situation in case of an emergency, Deputy Conservator, Head of Marine Department at MbPT, Captain Bhabatosh Chand said.



Mumbais marine life is currently under threat from infrastructure plans such as the Coastal Road project. Keeping this in mind, an oil spill is a disaster that the metropolitan region can ill afford. Among the first steps taken by the Indian Government at the time was to ask Indian Oil (Mauritius) Limited (IOML) to extend all possible support to the Mauritian authorities
The Dubai Civil Aviation Authority has suspended Air India Express flights till October 2 for flying COVID-19 positive passengers to the country. As per the officials, despite having COVID-19 positive certificate, AI Express carried two passengers during the last couple of weeks. The recent incident was recorded on September 4 when the budget-arm of Indias national air carrier Air India flew a passenger who was tested covid positive on September 2.

As per the UAE government rules, each passenger travelling from India need to bring original COVID-negative certificate from RT-PCR test done 96 hours prior to the journey.

Read all about latest quarantine and on-arrival RT-PCR facility here

A passenger, who had a COVID-positive certificate dated September 2, travelled on Air India Express Jaipur-Dubai flight on September 4. A similar incident had happened with a passenger on one of the airlines other Dubai flights previously," said one of the officials. Therefore, the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority has suspended Air India Express flights from September 18 to October 2, the officials stated.

The said passenger flew on the AI Express Jaipur-Dubai flight IX 1135. Air India Express said it is focusing on reducing the hardship of the passengers and it plans to operate its four Dubai flights, scheduled to operate from India on Friday, to Sharjah instead.

The AI Express flights will be barred from entering the country from September 18 till October 2 midnight and will operate from Sharjah to continue transporting passengers bound for Dubai.

You are aware of the previous intimation made to you by our letter dated September 2, for boarding a passenger with a COVID-19 positive result, who endangered the other passengers on board and also caused a serious health risk," the letter to the regional manager of Air India Express said.

The letter also added that boarding a passenger with the infection, for the second time, is contrary to and is in violation of the laid down procedurein the Emirate of Dubai, during the coronavirus SARS Cov. 2 pandemic."

Currently Air India Express is operating flights to Dubai under the Air Bubble pact and Dubai is among the busiest destinations for passengers from India. Also, the IPL 2020 is scheduled from September 19 and Dubai is allowing tourists to fly into the country.

With Inputs from PTI.
Opinion I A muscatel from the land of CTC A 122-year-old estate in Assam offers a muscatel to shine the spotlight on Brahmaputra valleys loose leaf teas

When I began writing this column last year, I chose the Darjeeling muscatel, a tea thats special for many reasons, to begin with. Todays column is the 50th in the series. Serendipitously, I came across another muscatel, the unusual sounding Assam muscatel, and it seemed fitting that I write about it. Unusual, because the muscatel is a Darjeeling summer speciality tea. And because Darjeeling and Assam are very different terroirs, it seemed like an improbable combination. But it was also exciting because it meant someone was trying something new.

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This tea is made and sold by Rujani Tea, the speciality brand from the 122-year-old Aideobarie estate. The dry leaves looked and smelt like an Assam loose leaf black tea but when I steeped it, the wet leaves gave off a familiar aroma, that muscatel fruitiness. Its colours are a touch darker than a Darjeeling muscatel but lighter than an Assam black. The tea smelt like a classic Assam but carried very different flavours. Where the former is brisk, strong and malty, this muscatel is milder but bright and fruity. My first thoughts were that here is a cup of Assam perfect for those who prefer it plain; theres a lovely lightness to it.

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The maker of this innovative tea is Amarnath Jha, manager at Aideobarie. After 23 years as a planter in Darjeeling, he arrived in Assam in 2018 to work at Aideobarie. Assam is quite the land of CTC tea,while Darjeeling is about orthodox teas. Assam has humid, river-soaked valleys, while Darjeeling is all about cooler, high mountains. The Assamica tea bushes have bigger leaves that make stronger cups. The tea varietal that grows in Darjeeling, Camellia sinensis var.sinensis, is small-leaved, with the flavours being their most prized attribute.

Jha, steeped in the tradition of making whole-leaf orthodox tea, decided to introduce the same tea-making styles to Assam. And one of his experiments was with the muscatel.

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The Darjeeling muscatel comes with a story of the green jassids, tiny insects that arrive in summer and identify tea leaves that hold higher-than-usual moisture content. They dont harm the leaves. Instead, they suck out the moisture and that, it is said, leads to a concentration of flavours. The jassids set off natural oxidation in the leaves, producing the unique flavours that make them especially suited for the muscatel.

At Aideobarie, the task of identifying the right leaves fell on Jha. Sections had been planted with old Assamica plants, alongside high-yielding, pest-resistant clonal tea bushes. Jha chose the clonal bushes that have origins in the china variety. Without giving away everything about what goes into its making, he says the leaves are plucked only in April and May, on a rain-free day, early in the morning, before it gets too warm.

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The Rujani muscatel, available on Rujanitea.com, offers another great way to enjoy the flavourful Assam tea, shining the spotlight on Assams wonderful whole-leaf teas.

Tea Nanny is a weekly series steeped in the world of tea. Aravinda Anantharaman is a Bengaluru-based tea blogger and writer who reports on the tea industry.
NEW YORK, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Construction & Building Materials Market Research Report by Material (Aggregates, Bricks, Cement, Ceramic Facing & Floor Tiles, and Composites), by Building Type (Commercial Building Construction, Industrial Construction, Infrastructure & Heavy Civil Construction, and Residential Building Construction) - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19







Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05968834/?utm_source=PRN







The Global Construction & Building Materials Market is expected to grow from USD 916.31 Billion in 2019 to USD 1,282.56 Billion by the end of 2025 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 5.76%.



Market Segmentation & Coverage:

This research report categorizes the Construction & Building Materials to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets:



"The Precast Concrete is projected to witness the highest growth during the forecast period"



Based on Material, the Construction & Building Materials Market studied across Aggregates, Bricks, Cement, Ceramic Facing & Floor Tiles, Composites, Glass, Metal, Precast Concrete, Sealants, Adhesives & Waterproofing Compounds, and Wood. The Cement commanded the largest size in the Construction & Building Materials Market in 2019. On the other hand, the Precast Concrete is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period.



"The Residential Building Construction is projected to witness the highest growth during the forecast period"



Based on Building Type, the Construction & Building Materials Market studied across Commercial Building Construction, Industrial Construction, Infrastructure & Heavy Civil Construction, and Residential Building Construction. The Residential Building Construction further studied across Multi-Family Housing and Single-Family Housing. The Commercial Building Construction commanded the largest size in the Construction & Building Materials Market in 2019. On the other hand, the Residential Building Construction is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period.



"The Asia-Pacific is projected to witness the highest growth during the forecast period"



Based on Geography, the Construction & Building Materials Market studied across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas region surveyed across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The Asia-Pacific region surveyed across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand. The Europe, Middle East & Africa region surveyed across France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom. The Europe, Middle East & Africa commanded the largest size in the Construction & Building Materials Market in 2019. On the other hand, the Asia-Pacific is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period.



Company Usability Profiles:

The report deeply explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Construction & Building Materials Market including Ambuja Cements Ltd., Anhui Conch Cement Co., Ltd., Asia Cement Public Company Ltd., Athabasca Minerals Inc., Atlas Concrete, BBMG Corporation Ltd., Boral Limited, CEMEX S.A.B. de C.V., China National Building Material Co., Ltd., Compagnie de Saint-Gobain S.A., CRH PLC, Ferguson PLC, Grasim Industries Limited, HeidelbergCement AG, Jaypee Group, LafargeHolcim Ltd., Lixil Group Corporation, and UltraTech Cement Ltd.



FPNV Positioning Matrix:

The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Construction & Building Materials Market on the basis of Business Strategy (Business Growth, Industry Coverage, Financial Viability, and Channel Support) and Product Satisfaction (Value for Money, Ease of Use, Product Features, and Customer Support) that aids businesses in better decision making and understanding the competitive landscape.



Competitive Strategic Window:

The Competitive Strategic Window analyses the competitive landscape in terms of markets, applications, and geographies. The Competitive Strategic Window helps the vendor define an alignment or fit between their capabilities and opportunities for future growth prospects. During a forecast period, it defines the optimal or favorable fit for the vendors to adopt successive merger and acquisition strategies, geography expansion, research & development, and new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth.



Cumulative Impact of COVID-19:

COVID-19 is an incomparable global public health emergency that has affected almost every industry, so for and, the long-term effects projected to impact the industry growth during the forecast period. Our ongoing research amplifies our research framework to ensure the inclusion of underlaying COVID-19 issues and potential paths forward. The report is delivering insights on COVID-19 considering the changes in consumer behavior and demand, purchasing patterns, re-routing of the supply chain, dynamics of current market forces, and the significant interventions of governments. The updated study provides insights, analysis, estimations, and forecast, considering the COVID-19 impact on the market.



The report provides insights on the following pointers:

1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on the market offered by the key players

2. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyzes the markets

3. Market Diversification: Provides detailed information about new product launches, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments

4. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: Provides an exhaustive assessment of market shares, strategies, products, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players

5. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and new product developments



The report answers questions such as:

1. What is the market size and forecast of the Global Construction & Building Materials Market?

2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Construction & Building Materials Market during the forecast period?

3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Construction & Building Materials Market?

4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Construction & Building Materials Market?

5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Construction & Building Materials Market?

6. What are the modes and strategic moves considered suitable for entering the Global Construction & Building Materials Market?



Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05968834/?utm_source=PRN



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ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



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The 57-year-old Gao Eryun's home is located in Guanjing village, Dalad Banner county of Ordos city, north China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region. This small village is surrounded by the Kubuqi Desert, the seventh-largest desert in China.



Following his father's steps to plant drought-resistant trees, Gao Eryun has witnessed the changes in Guanjing village over the past 30 years: local people's efforts have turned the once-barren land into a lush oasis, tree by tree, patch by patch.

In the 1980s, the village was plagued by desertification, with 22,000 hectares of severely degraded land.

"When I was a teenager, the shifting sands almost encroached on my home and farm. Despite my family putting in much effort into growing crops, we could only harvest 10 to 15 kilograms of poor-quality glutinous millet each year," Gao Eryun recalled.

"There was no electricity and it was hard to extract water from our deep-water well. Many of the 1,000 villagers gradually moved elsewhere due to the difficult living conditions," Gao Eryun said. "We had a tough time then."

While Gao Eryun's sisters left the village, he and his father Gao Linshu chose to stay put.

Gao Linshu was known for helping the first tree planted in the village survive, though just for a few years. The name Linshu, translated as "trees and forests" in Chinese, embodies the previous generations' yearning for green pastures.

In 1980, a meeting was convened by the Ordos government to reiterate the importance of afforestation. A year later, the government introduced policies to encourage the planting of grass and trees, promising that those who successfully irrigated the barren land and planted trees would own everything that they grew.

While other villagers were reticent, Gao Linshu quickly got to work and became the first to contract over 50 hectares of the waste, sandy land to plant trees.

After trading two sheep for a cart of drought-resistant salix saplings, Gao Linshu led the family to busy themselves planting the young trees.

"When the strong wind blew the saplings out of the ground, we gathered them up and planted them back again and again. The efforts seemed to be in vain until the fourth year, when we finally saw some green," Gao Eryun said.
MOSCOW - The Kremlin accused colleagues of opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Friday of hampering a Russian investigation by taking items from his hotel room out of the country, including a water bottle the colleagues claimed had traces of the Soviet nerve agent that German authorities said was used to poison Navalny.

Navalnys colleagues revealed Thursday that they removed the bottle and other items from the hotel room in Siberia and brought them to Germany as potential evidence. because they didnt trust Russian authorities to conduct a proper probe after the Krmlins arch foe became critically ill on a flight to Moscow.

Regrettably, what could have been evidence of poisoning was taken away, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Navalny, the most visible opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin, fell ill on the domestic flight on Aug. 20 and was transferred to Germany for treatment at his wifes request two days later. A German military lab later determined that Navalny was poisoned with Novichok, the same class of Soviet-era agent that Britain said was used on a former Russian spy and his daughter in England, in 2018.

Members of the Navalny team said they searched his hotel room in the city of Tomsk upon learning that he collapsed on the flight home. They said they packed half-empty plastic water bottles and other items and sent them on to Germany for further inspection to help investigate what they suspected to be his poisoning.

Navalnys colleagues said Thursday that a German laboratory subsequently found a trace of Novichok on a bottle from his hotel room. Top associate Georgy Alburov noted that the German experts concluded that the bottle did not contain the Novichok that Navalny consumed, saying he likely transferred a tiny trace of the toxic substance behind when he drank from the container after having already been poisoned.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has said the German lab conducted tests on various samples from Mr. Navalny, but neither she nor other German officials havent given details of what samples were tested. The German government had no comment Friday on the Navalny teams statement that Novichok was found on the water bottle taken from Russia.

Germany has said that independent tests by labs in France and Sweden backed up the military labs findings.

The Hague-based Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons also is having samples from Navalny tested. German Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Adebahr said those tests were ongoing and Germany had not received any results.

The Kremlin reiterated that before Navalnys transfer to Charite Hospital in Berlin, Russian labs and a hospital in the Siberian city of Omsk found no sign of a poisoning. Moscow has called for Germany to provide its evidence and bristled at the urging from Merkel and other Western leaders to answer questions about what happened to the politician.

There is too much absurdity in this case to take anyone at their word, Peskov said Friday.

The kremlin spokesman charged that Germany and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons have pointed to the other when Russia demanded access to the analyses and samples that allegedly demonstrated his poisoning.

The OPCWs technical secretariat tells us, We dont know anything, turn to the Germans, and the Germans tell us, We dont know anything, turn to the OPCW, he said.

Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of the Russian parliaments lower house, suggested Friday without offering any evidence that Western spy agencies could have poisoned Navalny to pave way for new sanctions against Russia.

Asked if the Kremlin agreed with Volodins theory, Peskov replied, We can neither agree nor disagree with the claim. The only way to shed light on this incident is to share information, biomaterials and evidence and to work together in analyzing the situation, he said.

Merkels spokesman, Steffen Seibert told reporters Friday that Germany was in contact with its European partners regarding the consequences Russia might face.

We have urgently asked Russia to explain itself on this matter, and this demand continues to stand, he said.

___

Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.

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Hindalco Industries rose 2.39% to Rs 180 after the company on Thursday signed an agreement to procure copper concentrate from state-owned Hindustan Copper.

Shares of Hindustan Copper (HCL) were up 0.27% at Rs 37.35.

HCL is the only producer of copper concentrate in India. Under this MoU, Hindalco will use about 60% of copper concentrate produced by Hindustan Copper. This partnership is a major step towards import substitution and reducing the nation's dependence on imported copper concentrate.

Hindalco is India's largest custom copper producer, currently contributing to over 50% of India's domestic refined copper requirements. Hindalco's copper products are used in India's core infrastructural sectors, including power, construction, automobiles, railways, etc. Hindalco operates Asia's biggest single-location custom Copper Smelter at Dahej in Gujarat.

Shares of Hindalco have soared 111.64% from its 52-week low of Rs 85.05 hit on 23 March 2020.

On a consolidated basis, Hindalco Industries reported net loss of Rs 709 crore in Q1 June 2020 compared with net profit of Rs 1,063 crore in Q1 June 2019. Net sales tumbled 15.6% to Rs 25,283 crore in Q1 June 2020 over Q1 June 2019.

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A one-time Sydney floor trader with a gambling problem who would drink with clients over lunch and then rob banks in the afternoon has been jailed for his crimes, more than 40 years later.

Ross McCarty was earning a salary equivalent to $180,000 in his late 20s when he robbed eight banks between May 1977 and March 1978, using the money to pay off illegal gambling debts. His signature move was to don a new hat and walk into the bank carrying a bag, show the teller a handwritten note saying there's a gun in his bag, and demanding cash  or else.

Ross McCarty arrives at Downing Centre courts ahead of his sentencing on Friday. Credit:Rhett Wyman

On the first occasion, McCarty walked into the ANZ bank on George Street wearing a felt hat and moustache, and carrying a zippered bag containing what appeared to be a gun. It was in fact a water pistol.

Approaching the teller, he said nothing, but handed her his withdrawal slip which read: "hold up gun in bag three hundred dollars".
The Alabama Public Charter School Commission yet again denied the application of what would be the states first charter school focused on LGBTQ students.

Four commissioners voted yes, three commissioners voted no, and one abstained, effectively denying the charter for the Magic City Acceptance Academy.

School supporters mounted an email campaign but were disappointed in the vote. Some were concerned that the denial was based on something other than the merits of the application, which was scored by the state in a way that ranked it ahead of some other applications that were approved.

I dont think they read past the letters LGBTQ in the application, Magic City Acceptance Academy Principal Michael Wilson said after the meeting Thursday night.

I think its a bias. I think maybe its a religious bias, supporter Jennifer Sumner, an MCAA board member, said after the meeting.

These commissioners are charged with a job, Sumner said, and they let whatever personal opinion or bias that they have interfere with their job.

This was the third time the state rejected the application.

Sumner said she moved her child, now a senior in high school, to a private school after her child was bullied by administrators, teachers and students in public schools. Thursdays vote was a statement to LGBTQ youth by the Commission, she said. We dont care enough about you to vote for something that could change your life.

The Commission first rejected the school in May. The Commission again on Sept. 10 voted on the charter, but that time four commissioners abstained, three voted yes, and one voted no. The application did not pass due to the abstentions. It was the first time since the commission was created in 2015 where more than one commissioner had abstained during a vote on a charter application.

The state committee revisited the application a third time on Thursday, where it lost after the abstention was added to the three no votes, effectively equaling the four yes votes and killing the applications approval.

Commissioner Marla Green, who cast the sole no vote on Sept. 10, explained her objection to the charter during the meeting this week.

Green compared the schools focus on LGBTQ students to a school that was focused only on students of color or on atheists. When you go there, Green said, to me, thats segregation. Were a public charter school commission. Were supposed to be melting in a pot.

You can choose to be segregated, Green said, but that means private.

Wilson responded, saying that the school will not only serve LGBTQ students. We are committed to serve students, whoever they are, equally and with equity and fairness, be they LGBTQ, be they children of color, be they not children of color, whoever walks through our doors.

Alabamas charter law, passed in 2015, does not allow charter schools to discriminate or otherwise choose which students attend. If more students enroll than the school has seats, students are chosen by random lottery.

Acknowledging the focus on LGBTQ students, Wilson made an offer. So if those five letters are the point that does not get us approved, Wilson said, we are willing to remove those five letters and talk about students who need trauma-informed instruction.

Commission Chair Henry Nelson said he didnt think the group should remove those letters. To have to be someone youre not, in order to be accepted or approved, Nelson said, I think thats inappropriate. I hate to see you in that position.

Nelson warned commissioners that they must have a clear reason to deny the application, which he could not see. Objectively, he said, there was no reason to deny the application.

Ive been on the Commission 5  years, he said, Ive seen dozens of applicationsMagic Citys application is the strongest application Ive seen in 5  years.

But Commissioner Paul Morin, who abstained from voting on the application all three times it has been in front of the commission, at one point told the chair: I would like for you to stop lobbying, for or against, and serve as the President of the Commission, rather than trying to coerce, manipulate and strong-arm your fellow commissioners, which you did last week.

It was all over the press, Morin continued, which you did without knowing us or knowing our lives or what we have done or what weve been through, calling us biased. Thats why I called you yesterday. Because you made false assumptions regarding my life and I do not appreciate it, sir.

Commissioner David Marshall, who voted yes, said MCAAs application showed strength in all of the areas needed: financial, leadership, community support, and educational philosophy.

Those comments by Nelson and Marshall, and the score on the external evaluation181 points out of 211, 50 points higher than Ivy Classical charter school which the Commission approved last weekpoint to some kind of bias at play, Wilson said.

For them to say its one of the best applications theyve ever had, its kind of hard not to draw that conclusion, Wilson said after the meeting.

The group backing MCAA is not giving up. Were going to keep fighting for these kids, Sumner said. I wish that message could get out there. Were going to keep offering all the safe spaces we can.

Ill be working on a new application on Monday, Wilson said.
Actor Pooja Banerjee has finished shooting for the last episode of her popular show Kasautii Zindagii Kay 2. The entire crew wrapped up the shoot on Friday. The show, which also features Parth Samthaan, Aamna Sharif, Erica Fernandes, Sahil Anand and Shubhaavi Choksey, will soon go off air, with the last episode going on air on October 3. While most actors from the show posted pictures from the sets, and some were seen with cakes in those images, Pooja has said that they could not party, because of the ongoing pandemic.

Erica shared pictures from the sets where cakes could be seen, for the entire team. One cake was dedicated to Parth completing two years of playing the popular character of Anurag Basu. Pooja also shared pictures from the sets where the crew can be seen eating the cake.

Sahil posted a group picture from the sets and wrote an elaborate note: Not sure when well have an opportunity to come together for another project and have mad fun on the set! But yes, off-screen madness has just begun!! Thanku @ektarkapoor @chloejferns @shivangisinghchauhaan @shreya_nehal @tanusridgupta @muktadhond @aakanshashukla0803 @varunthebabbar @shadabpeshimam @muzzudesai @khwaja_mughal13 for making me part of the show And of course big thank you to all my fans who gave me and my on-screen character, Anupam so much love and affection! Cant wait to treat you guys with more great characters, but of course, Anupam will always hold a special place in my heart! #KZK2Fam #kasautiizindagiikay2 #kasautiizindagiikay #anupam.

Sharing a picture of herself, Pooja wrote, Alvida Nivedita Basu. She essays the role of Nivedita Basu in the show. Pooja told Times of India that they had originally planned a wrap-up party but cancelled it, We have shot a balanced ending. Not too sad or happy. We decided yesterday to party. We are having discussions also but this Covid ya! We dont know if it will be good or bad to party. Because of Covid-19, we cant have a wrap up party. Even at someones house, we dont know which building has restrictions. We dont want to risk it. We decided everything on the group and cancelled it.

Of course I am going to miss my cast and crew. The people, who used to get me ready. They would really go out of their way to get me the perfect jewellery, sari and everything. They really did a lot for me. They took care of me like a family member. And of course I am going to miss the 5 of us (Erica, Parth, Shubhaavi, Sahil, Aamna), Pooja further told the daily.

Also read: Milind Soman, Ankita Konwar share pics as they take first flight in 6 months: Things have changed so much, trying to adjust

Pooja feels that this is the best phase of her career and told Hindustan Times earlier this month, I wouldnt have had it any other way. Reaching here was never easy as I had to struggle to make a name. I remember after doing quite a few projects, I was not getting the kind of work I wanted and so it was leading nowhere. I was ready to pack my bags and leave. I had promised my parents that if acting did not work out Id quit and leave Mumbai. It was on my husband, Sandeep Sejwals insistence, that I decided to try my hand at playing an antagonist for the first time and since then there has been no looking back.

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New York City police arrested a group of protesters on Thursday evening during a demonstration against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement over the allegation that doctors have performed unwanted hysterectomies at the borders.

Eight protesters were arrested as a group of 50 to 60 made their way from Foley Square to World Trade Center, the New York Post reported, though an officer on the scene told the paper a whole bunch of people were arrested.

Protestors kettled. Some are arrested and marched to an NYPD van on the corner of Liberty and Greenwich St by the World Trade Center. pic.twitter.com/M4AfhTP7Bc  NYC Protest Updates 2020 (@protest_nyc) September 17, 2020

Videos of the protest on Twitter show a large number of police, including cops on bikes who created a barricade to keep protesters off the street.

One protester had allegedly pushed a police officer, while most were arrested for blocking the roadway.

Of demonstrators taken into custody for blocking the street, one was found to be in possession of a metal expandable baton and was charged for criminal possession of a weapon.

Protesters were responding to allegations from a nurse at the Irwin County Detention Center in Georgia that women detained by ICE at the center were sent to a doctor outside the facility who performed involuntary hysterectomies on them.

In a recent interview with National Review, deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Ken Cuccinelli, said he had asked the Office of Inspector General to expedite its existing review of the allegation. He will also send three DHS staff members to conduct their own parallel investigation this week, he said.

Particularly on the medical side, if any of the allegations were true, wed be very concerned to correct them as quickly as possible, Cuccinelli said. I want to be clear that we dont assume that a complaint is either accurate or inaccurate right out of the box, so we immediately started checking based on the allegations.

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In a letter to Princetons president Christopher Eisgruber, the U.S. Department of Education has asked Princeton to explain how Eisgrubers admissions of systemic, embedded, and damaging racism at the university can be reconciled with the universitys duty under federal law not to discriminate, and with its many past statements to the government and others that it doesnt discriminate. I wrote about this development here.

Yesterday, Princeton issued a statement about the Department of Educations letter. Princeton stated:

The letter was the Departments reaction to President Eisgrubers update to the University community outlining the steps we are taking to address systemic racism at Princeton and beyond. Princeton has long been committed to creating and maintaining a community where all can thrive, and stands by its representations to the Department and the public that it complies with all laws and regulations governing equal opportunity, non-discrimination and harassment. This work is core to the Universitys teaching and research mission, and we are vigilant in our pursuit of equity in every aspect of our programs and operations. The University also stands by our statements about the prevalence of systemic racism and our commitment to reckon with its continued effects, including the racial injustice and race-based inequities that persist throughout American society. Attracting talent from every sector of society is crucial to our academic mission, and we will continue to lead on these issues. The University will respond to the Department of Educations letter in due course. It is unfortunate that the Department appears to believe that grappling honestly with the nations history and the current effects of systemic racism runs afoul of existing law. The University disagrees and looks forward to furthering our educational mission by explaining why our statements and actions are consistent not only with the law, but also with the highest ideals and aspirations of this country.

(Emphasis added)

In effect, Princetons response amounts to asking: Whats a poor university president to do? Princeton is trapped in a systemically racist country. If it does nothing to combat the manifestations of this problem at Princeton, students will suffer. If it faces up to the problem, the Education Department will harass it.

Here is one thing poor president Eisgruber could have done. If racism really is embedded at Princeton, he could have undertaken the initiative hes announcing now back in 2013 when he took charge of the university. In other words, he could have engaged in his honest grappling with racism at Princeton seven years ago, instead of waiting for protests to reach a fever pitch.

Heres another. Instead of repeatedly telling the government and others that Princeton doesnt discriminate  nothing to see here  he could have said, as he did his recent letter, that racism is embedded at Princeton and is causing damage there. He could then have enumerated the measures (if any) that Princeton was taking in response. This would have enabled the government to decide, based on Princetons honest (presumably) assessment of the situation, whether the university was, in fact, meeting its legal obligations.

Eisgruber did neither of these things.

As I said yesterday, Princeton will have to thread the needle between Eisgrubers admissions of systemic, embedded, and damaging racism at the university on the one hand, and its legal obligation not to discriminate on the other. The Universitys statement is not a promising beginning.

Ill have more to say about this subject soon.
The Queen owns properties on Londons Regent Street and St Jamess as well as malls and retail parks across the UK. Photo: Chris Jackson/AFP via Getty

The coronavirus pandemic has forced a 552.5m ($717m) write-down of the Queens regional property portfolio across the UK.

In annual results published on Friday, the Crown Estate  which manages property held by the monarch  revealed that it had downgraded the value of its portfolio to 13.4bn, a fall of 1.2%.

The properties generated 345m  up from 343.5m the previous year  of net income for the year to 31 March, an increase of 0.4% on the previous year. It was driven by disposals and lease negotiations in central London, as well as by growth in offshore wind operations on the seabed owned by The Crown Estate around England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

All of the registered companys profits go to the UK Treasury, which passes on 25% of profits  with a two-year time lag  to the Queen through the sovereign grant.

The economic shock from the COVID-19 crisis prompted the company to make staggered payments to the Treasury, paying 87m in July with more payments to follow as trading conditions develop. The company announced it took unprecedented steps to ensure it had enough revenue saved up to combat the drop in rental income. The sovereign grant payment was not impacted by this decision, the Treasury said.

The Crown Estates CEO, Dan Labbad, said: The West End is slowly filling up again. Weve seen most of our retail and food and beverage come back and want to open where they are still trading. There have been a number of CVAs and administrations.

Labbad, hailed the governments Eat Out to Help Out scheme  that ended last month  saying it helped the companys food and beverage tenants.

READ MORE: UK retail sales rebound continues in August with fourth month of growth

So far, the company has collected 52% of rents from its retail tenants in central London, while rental take outside the capital was 53%, it also collected 88% of rents from offices in central London.

In the year to date, profits were reduced by a 12.9m bad debt provision as it expects a rise in the number of retailers falling into administration or adopting a company voluntary arrangement (CVA)  a procedure that allows a company to settle debts by paying only a proportion of the amount that it owes to creditors.

Story continues

Previously, the Centre for Retail Research, which tracks the impact of CVAs, said 313 shops were closed in 2019 using CVAs, costing over 26,000 jobs. It found CVA usage increased by 30% between 2015 and 2019.

READ MORE: Coronavirus: London mayor Sadiq Khan resurrects plans to freeze rents

Coronavirus lockdown measures has caused retailers and office tenants to struggle to make payments, due to working from home guidance, with retailers warning of more store closures and job losses if Brits dont get back to the office.

In early September, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium (BRC), Helen Dickinson OBE, said: Unless businesses and government can successfully persuade office workers back into city and town centres, some high street retailers will be unable to afford their fixed costs.

Government will need to act fast or September will see more shops close and more job losses realised.

In the last few months major companies sold office spaces to accommodate changing work patterns, with BP (BP.L) announcing in late August that it was planning to sell its headquarters.

But despite the devaluation of its property, value of its energy, minerals and infrastructure was up by 8% to almost 2bn as offshore wind-generating capacity increased by 1.6 gigawatts to a total of 9.3GW. With the Crown Estate saying plans for a 20.7GW of potential projects were in the pipeline.

The Queen owns properties on Londons Regent Street and St Jamess as well as malls and retail parks across the UK, as well as rights to seabeds around the British Isles.
About one in 10 young adults in America think Jewish people caused the Holocaust, a survey finds.

And 10% of people in that age group say they don't believe that the Holocaust happened or aren't sure that it took place, the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany said in results published Wednesday. The conference calls the new survey results "shocking."

The findings come as almost half of millennials and people in Generation Z reported seeing "Holocaust denial or distortion posts on social media" or elsewhere online, results from the organization show. The Holocaust occurred around the time of World War II, when the German Nazis killed millions of people who were Jewish and from other backgrounds.

In the United States, "there is a clear lack of awareness of key historical facts; 63 percent of all national survey respondents do not know that six million Jews were murdered and 36 percent thought that 'two million or fewer Jews' were killed during the Holocaust," the Claims Conference said.

When young adults were asked about their views, the survey found "23 percent of respondents believe the Holocaust happened, but the number of Jews who died has been greatly exaggerated, is a myth and did not happen, or are unsure."

Some social media users reacted to the survey outcomes.

"Disturbing. Disappointing. Wholly unsettling. Almost two-thirds of young Americans don't know that 6 million Jews were killed in the Holocaust," said Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League.

"What ARE they teaching in History?," another Twitter user wrote. "How do you skip WW2?"

To conduct the survey, the Claims Conference says it worked with Schoen Cooperman Research to analyze "1,000 interviews nationwide and 200 interviews in each state" conducted between Feb. 26 and March 28. Phone and online responses were gathered from people ages 18 to 39, results show.

What's left of Auschwitz death camp, in 18 haunting images

Associated Press photographer Markus Schreiber visited Auschwitz and documented the site using a panoramic camera.

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The bank manager was reasonably friendly but just a little aloof. First names were not used. He was Mr Jones. I was Mr Humphrys.

We sat either side of his highly polished mahogany desk on which there were two very small glasses of dry sherry  one for him and one for me. I was there to open an account. He asked me a few questions about my financial situation and then delivered a short lecture on the potential perils of debt and the wisdom of financial probity.

As you may have guessed by now, this happened a very long time ago. I had just turned 18 and it was my first bank account.

It all came back to me yesterday when an old friend forwarded me an email from his own bank that illustrated dramatically how much has changed in the world of banking. The essence of it was that his bank is no longer a bank. It is a Store. Thats their capital letter, not mine.

My friend was outraged: I joined the Yorkshire and Clydesdale Bank in 1976. They had bags with a big blue Y that I used to carry my books at university. First the bags went. Then the direct phone line went, so I couldnt contact my local branch directly but was hoovered away to a call centre. Then the branch went. Then the bank became Virgin Money. And now? The horror . . . the horror!

I read the email and understood his anguish. Martin! they told him in garish bright red and blue, Weve got some exciting news for you! But first he had to Get ready for a life more Virgin.

Lets remind ourselves that this is a bank we are talking about. Not a website flogging trendy trainers to gullible youngsters. A bank. Society can survive without trainers. It cannot survive without banks. And banks are not and never will be about smiles

There followed the usual vacuous, teeth-grindingly patronising guff that passes for communication in the digital age and at the heart of it was this promise: Service that is about smiles not sales!

Thats more than vacuous. It is disingenuous to the point of dishonesty.

Lets remind ourselves that this is a bank we are talking about. Not a website flogging trendy trainers to gullible youngsters. A bank. Society can survive without trainers. It cannot survive without banks. And banks are not and never will be about smiles. They are about providing us with a service and making a profit from us, their customers. To suggest otherwise is a lie.

Banks have been regarded with deep suspicion throughout history. Thomas Jefferson, the greatest of American presidents and seldom prone to understatement, got it about right when he said: I sincerely believe that banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies.

Not that I regarded Mr Jones across his mahogany desk in the early 1960s as dangerous. On the contrary. I trusted him. But in the decades that have passed since our meeting, the banks have changed almost beyond recognition and squandered that trust.

Its not that in the 1960s they did their customers any great favours. If you went into the red by splurging money you did not have, then you paid for it. But if you had savings you got a decent return, and if you had a problem you could talk to a human being. They played fair.

Pretty much all of that has gone.

Of course the digital revolution has changed the way we do business. Cheques are dying if not dead  replaced by a few clicks of a mouse. It has saved customers some hassle and saved the banks a fortune. But the endless queues outside every branch in the early days of lockdown showed how many people still need their local bank and how few have survived.

In the past five years a third of all bank branches have been closed, often leaving their customers with nowhere else to go.

Its a similar story with cashpoints. Hundreds of thousands of the poorest people find themselves in cash deserts.

Returns on savings are derisory: a virtually worthless 0.06 per cent was the average last month. But the interest you pay on an overdraft is stratospheric.

A few months ago the Financial Conduct Authority ordered the banks to simplify their immensely complicated overdraft structure. They did. And then promptly hiked the cost of an overdraft to eye-watering levels. Anything from 35 to 39 per cent for the big boys. Nice work if you can get it.

That may be morally dubious, but at least its legal. Unlike the massive PPI scandal that continues to rumble on. Like so many other great banking scams, it appeared to offer a service many of us could benefit from.

If you bought payment protection insurance when you took out a loan, and then fell ill or lost your job, your repayments would be covered.

No fewer than 64 million policies were sold. But millions were mis-sold to people who did not want or need them, and who would not have been covered by them anyway.

At first the banks protested their innocence, but the evidence of dodgy dealing was overwhelming. An astonishing total of 36 billion has been paid out in compensation. The cost to the banks reputation has been even greater.

Now another scandal may be about to surface  this one unearthed by the impressive Thames Valley police and crime commissioner Anthony Stansfeld.

He has accused some of the UKs major High Street banks of perpetrating serious organised crime against their customers, potentially causing billions of pounds of losses over at least a decade by forging signatures to win court cases and repossess homes.

When I spoke to Mr Stansfeld this week he told me: Lives have been destroyed, families evicted, people have been bankrupted.

Mr Stansfeld said he had reviewed evidence of signature forgeries which was provided to Lynne Owens, the director general of the National Crime Agency (NCA) in September last year.

He has given evidence to the Treasury Select Committee in which he said that the evidence of criminal activity was clear and compelling. The committee wants the NCA, which investigates organised crime, to conduct an investigation.

The Conservative MP Steve Baker, a member of the committee, told me he is deeply alarmed that the NCA has not yet done so and added: Ive seen evidence which could prove people have been put out of their homes on a false premise.

So I called the NCA to try to find out what they are doing.

They told me they are making a thorough assessment to determine whether there are grounds for a criminal or regulatory investigation.

You might wonder how long it takes to make an assessment.

There are many who share Mr Bakers view that the banks are tempted into activities that are dubious, if not downright illegal, because they can no longer make enough profit from doing the sort of thing Mr Jones was doing all those years ago.

There are also many who will share the view of the Nobel Prize-winning economist Professor Joseph Stiglitz: Rather than justice for all, we are evolving into a system of justice for those who can afford it. We have banks that are not only too big to fail, but too big to be held accountable.
Trocaire has thanked the people of Offaly for their essential support, which helped the charity assist 2.5 million people in 27 of the poorest countries across the world last year.

The figures were released this week in Trocaires Annual Report, which showed that the scale of the aid agencys work in 2019/20, prior to the global outbreak of Covid-19.

Launching the report, Trocaire warned of the long-term impact of Covid-19 in the developing world, where the poorest people have been plunged into further poverty due to the social and economic implications of the pandemic.

The financial year 2019/20 saw the Irish public donate 23m to Trocaire  donations that change the lives of some of the poorest people in the world. Trocaires 2019 Lenten Appeal saw a 10 per cent increase in donations, resulting in 8.3m being contributed to the charity.

The charity supported people in 27 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. In terms of number of people supported, Trocaires largest programmes last year were in Ethiopia, Sudan and DR Congo.

The report also details how last year saw the charity respond to natural disasters and climatic shocks. Working through their partners, Trocaire provided shelter, food and other vital equipment to 39,000 people across Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe after the devastating impact of Cyclone Idai.

Of the 2.5 million people the organisation supported last year, 1.8 million people received humanitarian support, while an additional 700,000 people were supported through Trocaires long-term development work. This work includes agricultural support, womens empowerment projects and support for human rights defenders.

Advocacy campaign progress included Trocaires call on the Irish and UK Governments to support a UN Binding Treaty on Business and Human Rights, while the agencys continued support for the Occupied Territories Bill has kept the issue to the fore of Irish political debate.

Additionally, Trocaire-funded legal support resulted in the release last year of indigenous Human Rights Defender Abelino Chub Caal, who spent two years wrongfully imprisoned in Guatemala.

Commenting on the newly released annual report, Trocaire CEO Caoimhe de Barra, said:

Wed like to thank the people of Laois for their generous support. Our annual report details of the positive impact our work has had in support of 2.5 million people and that figure is a testament to the commitment of the Irish public to the work of Trocaire.

This support, as well as our ongoing partnership with Irish Aid, allows us to work with local partners in an effort to tackle poverty and injustice in some of the worlds poorest regions. Our programmes around the world brought support and relief to communities in 27 countries, including humanitarian support for nearly 1.8 million people.

However, the Covid crisis has profoundly changed Trocaires work. Over recent months, our programmes have rapidly shifted to helping to stop the spread of the virus in countries that lack the most basic medical infrastructure to deal with an outbreak.

Trocaire and our partners are providing support in the communities where we work. As well as providing public health messaging and hand-washing facilities, we are also supporting people in quarantine and providing medical support, including isolation facilities.

Covid-19 is an immediate threat to us all, but the threat is heightened in places like refugee camps where people are unable to socially distance or regularly wash their hands. The social and economic implications of this pandemic have plunged already desperately poor people into further poverty. While our immediate response will continue for many months ahead, we are also expecting an increase in hunger in the months ahead.

We are also concerned about the human rights impact of Covid-19. This crisis may provide authoritarian governments with an opportunity to clamp down on human rights, target human rights defenders and push ahead with projects that violate the rights of communities. Women and girls are also at increased risk of violence due to lockdown measures. Addressing both the drivers and impact of that violence is a priority for Trocaire.

"The lasting impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic will only become clear in the months ahead. Trocaires loyal supporters in Co. Laois and throughout Ireland will continue to play a vital role in the lives of the poorest and most vulnerable.
A Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) official was critically injured after he was shot by gold smugglers in Jodhpur on Friday morning, officials said.

The federal agency recovered 5.5 kg gold worth Rs 2.75 crore from the car that the smugglers were travelling in and later 200 kg of unaccounted silver from the premises of a Jodhpur-based financier.

In a statement issued on Friday evening, DRI said that acting on specific intelligence, the officers of DRI Jodhpur intercepted a vehicle at Kharia Meethapur on the Jaipur-Jodhpur highway (near Balari), suspected to be carrying smuggled gold of foreign origin, in the early hours of September 18.

On being apprehended by the DRI team, one of the three occupants of the intercepted Innova SUV, opened fire without any provocation in which one of the team members was critically injured and had to be rushed to the hospital, the agency said.

The rummaging of the intercepted vehicle led to the recovery of about 5.5 kgs of smuggled foreign-origin gold having market value of approximately Rs 2.75 crore. The smuggled gold was found concealed in a specially made cavity under the passengers seats and was being transported from Jaipur to Jodhpur, the DRI said.

The agency added that In the follow up search at the residence of the Jodhpur-based key financer of the smuggled gold, around 200 kg of unaccounted for silver bars were also recovered.

The agency refused to share further details.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 20:05:57|Editor: huaxia

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GENEVA, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The list of candidates running to become the next director-general of the World Trade Organization (WTO) was narrowed to five after 164 members completed the first round of consultations, the WTO said on Friday.

They are Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala from Nigeria, Yoo Myung-hee from the Republic of Korea, Amina Mohamed from Kenya, Mohammad Maziad Al-Tuwaijri from Saudi Arabia, and Liam Fox from Britain.

The three candidates out of further competitions are Jesus Seade Kuri from Mexico, Tudor Ulianovschi from Moldova, and Abdel-Hamid Mamdouh from Egypt.

"The process has gone smoothly," WTO spokesman Keith Rockwell told journalists, adding that the result of the first round was accepted by "the three delegations whose candidates are not progressing."

Rockwell explained that "the breadth of support" across regions, among others, was put into consideration in the first-round consultation.

The spokesman announced that the second round will begin on Sept. 24 and continue through Oct. 6. WTO members are requested to express two preferences, who will enter the final round.

The process for selecting a new chief was triggered on May 14, when former Director-General Roberto Azevedo informed WTO members he would step down one year before the official end of his term. He subsequently left office on Aug. 31.

During the one-month nomination period starting June 7, a total of eight candidates were officially nominated.

In theory, Azevedo's successor should be selected by Nov. 7 under an agreed elimination process that is based on consensus. Enditem
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: Central Crime Branch (CCB) police arrested three drug peddlers and seized 90kg of ganja. The accused are Azam Pasha (25), Mastan Ali (25), both residents of Belathur in Kadugodi, and Mohammed Abbas (27), a resident of AR Extension in Hoskote.

Police said that the Anti-Narcotics Wing recieved information that Pasha had stocked narcotics in a flat in Vindhyagiri BDA Apartment in Doddabanahalli, Kadugodi. Acting on a tip-off, police raided the flat and seized the contraband. Pasha was arrested, and after questioning, two of his associates were also arrested.

Investigations revealed that the accused went to Vishakapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and purchased ganja from one Praveen. They brought the ganja on goods vehicles to the city, and stocked it in the flat. Through other small-time peddlers, they sold the ganja to students and others in Bengaluru City, Bengaluru Rural and other parts of Karnataka. They led a lavish life using the drug money, police said.

Police seized 90kg of ganja, three mobile phones, an SUV and a weighing machine from the accused, all amounting to about Rs 50 lakh. They are currently on the lookout for another accused Appu, a resident of HAL, who is absconding. A case has been registered at Kadugodi police station and further investigations are on.

In another drug bust, City Market police arrested one Vikram Khileri (25), a resident of Girinagar, who had hidden brown sugar (impure heroin) in his bike helmet. The accused was trying to sell the contraband in Patnoolpet. To avoid getting caught, he had packed brown sugar in sachets and had hidden them in his helmet. Investigations revealed that he used to send brown sugar to other districts via unsuspecting bus drivers. He told the drivers that it was prasadam. The drivers, who were paid Rs 100 for the job, would deliver the packages to customers, police said, adding that 90 grams of brown sugar have been seized from the accused.
Maveric Systems partners with LEAPWORK to support the adoption of LEAPWORKs no-code test automation platform within Maverics customer base.

The partnership demonstrates Maverics expertise and commitment to offer continuous quality engineering services through effective integration of technology with LEAPWORKs no-code test automation and RPA software, helping customers improve efficiency and lower risk.

Ramesh Vasamsetti, Director of Quality Engineering (QE) Services at Maveric Systems, said, We are glad to be a part of LEAPWORKs partner ecosystem. As banking businesses are working towards becoming more lean and agile with the digital revolution, quality is getting examined early with speed at a supreme scale. Intelligent test automation, made for both business users and tech. specialists, is what customers need and LEAPWORKs partnership strengthens our 95% QE automation promise for guaranteeing continuous quality.

Maveric Systems and LEAPWORK will work together to help businesses accelerate the implementation of new technology. Maverics tech-focus and deep-domain competencies in the banking and fintech industries combined with LEAPWORKs automation platform solution will help shorten test implementation duration and release cycles and increase system test coverage, overall enhancing the business digital transformation on a larger scale.

Andreas Lund, Partner Director at LEAPWORK, said, We look forward to the joint collaboration with Maveric Systems, which will support customers throughout their digital transformation and automation journeys, from initial system analysis to enablement and support. Maverics expertise in automation combined with LEAPWORKs no-code solution will ensure that our customers reach their desired business outcomes very fast.
Baldwinsville, NY  Durgee Junior High School in the Baldwinsville district has canceled in-person instruction starting Friday and continuing until Sept. 28. The decision comes after two students there tested positive for Covid-19.

All students will switch to remote instruction for that time, said Superintendent Matthew McDonald. The decision was made today with the Onondaga County Health Department.

The district found out today two students at Durgee tested positive, and a third tested positive at Van Buren Elementary on Saturday.

As a result of todays positive cases, 62 Durgee students, 10 Durgee teachers and nine Baker High School students must quarantine for 14 days, the district said.

McDonald said the decision was made in part because nine teachers are quarantined and out of caution.

The two students who tested positive had switched classes going to five different rooms, which is why more students have to quarantine, McDonald said.

The nine high school students rode on the bus with the two junior high students, which is why they are quarantined.

McDonald said the process with the health department was smooth, and he hopes this is just a hiccup along the way.

The other schools in the district will remain open.

Elizabeth Doran covers education, suburban government and development, breaking news and more. Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact her anytime at 315-470-3012 or email edoran@syracuse.com
Kroger faces lawsuit after it fires employees for refusing to wear pro-LGBT aprons

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A major supermarket chain is facing a lawsuit after firing two employees over their refusal to wear a rainbow emblem that violates their religious beliefs as part of their work uniform.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a lawsuit against the Kroger Company Monday in response to action taken by Kroger Store No. 625 in Conway, Arkansas, against two employees. The employees were terminated after they refused to abide by the new dress code, which required them to wear an apron depicting a rainbow-colored heart emblem.

The women contended that wearing the apron would amount to an endorsement of the LGBTQ movement, which contradicts their religious beliefs. According to the EEOC, one woman offered to wear the apron with the emblem covered and the other offered to wear a different apron without the emblem, but the company made no attempt to accommodate their requests.

The EEOC alleged that when the women continued to refuse to wear the apron with the emblem visible, Kroger retaliated against them by disciplining and ultimately discharging them.

Krogers actions violated Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, argued the EEOC, which is working to secure monetary relief in the form of back pay and compensatory damages for the two women as well as an injunction against future discrimination.

Companies have an obligation under Title VII to consider requests for religious accommodations, and it is illegal to terminate employees for requesting an accommodation for their religious beliefs, said Delner-Franklin Thomas, district director of the EEOCs Memphis office, which has jurisdiction over the case. The EEOC protects the rights of the LGBTQ community, but it also protects the rights of religious people.

The EEOC complaint comes more than a year after both women were fired from the supermarket chain. According to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, one of the women, Brenda Lawson, worked in the deli department at the store from 2011 until her termination on June 1, 2019. The other woman, Trudy Rickerd, worked as a cashier and file maintenance clerk from 2006 until her termination on May 29, 2019.

The complaint cited a letter written by Rickerd explaining her objection to wearing the apron. I have a sincerely held religious belief that I cannot wear a symbol that promotes or endorses something that is in violation of my religious faith  I am happy to buy another apron to ensure there is no financial hardship on Kroger, she said.

This is not the first time that Kroger has found itself subject to a lawsuit from the EEOC. Last year, Kroger had to pay $40,000 to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit that was filed after it fired a visually impaired new employee who requested an accommodation for a portion of the new employee orientation.

The Christian Post reached out to Kroger for comment. A representative from the supermarket chain said, We cannot comment on pending litigation.

Kroger is not the only supermarket chain to face scrutiny about its dress code policy. Two weeks ago, former Food Lion employee and Air Force veteran Gary Dean detailed how he left the company because he was told that he could not wear a face mask emblazoned with the American flag on the job.

After thousands of Americans had viewed Deans Facebook post, Food Lion contacted Dean and told him that it was changing its mask policy to permit employees to wear American flag masks.
Newsfrom Japan

Tokyo, Sept. 17 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Justice Minister Yoko Kamikawa asked an advisory panel Thursday to study a law revision to change part of procedures for arbitrating international disputes between businesses in order to make the system more convenient.

The Legislative Council, which advises the minister, will consider introducing a mechanism to prevent firms involved in disputes from disposing of assets contested unilaterally.

Japan is looking to encourage firms to use the arbitration scheme by expanding its usability through the law revision.

"The usefulness of arbitration as a method of resolving international disputes is rising, but the number of cases being handled by our country remains low, so there's a need to promote the use of arbitrations," Kamikawa said at the start of the day's meeting of the panel.

According to the Justice Ministry, there are only some 10 arbitration cases involving Japanese firms annually in recent years. Arbitration is a dispute resolution method under the arbitration law that does not involve courts, in which both sides select arbiters to negotiate a settlement.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
The candidate must also thread a narrow diplomatic needle by displeasing neither the U.S. nor China, whose bitter conflict over a growing array of issues including technology and the pandemic is testing their fragile economic truce. The administration of President Donald Trump has actively sought to undermine the WTOs ability to function, saying it has infringed on American sovereignty and enabled China to become a big economic player globally at the expense of U.S. jobs and manufacturing. Adding to the unpredictability factor, Trump -- who has called the WTO the worst trade deal the U.S. has ever signed -- is up for re-election in November, so Americas tolerance for a candidate who looks too favorably on China might be tested. Meanwhile, China has engaged in a multi-year campaign to expand its diplomatic influence by installing key personnel at the top levels of international decision-making bodies.
THE Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) has descended on Bulawayo City Council (BCC) to investigate alleged corruption in the municipality.

A team of ZACC investigators are said to have arrived in Bulawayo on Wednesday where they met various organisations who had raised a red flag over suspected graft at the local authority.

The investigators also met Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) leadership and other civil society organisations, which have been voicing concern over alleged unprocedural parceling of land in the local authority.

Sources said the ZACC investigators are expected to interview town clerk Mr Christopher Dubes contract renewal and a plot offered to mayor Councillor Solomon Mguni today.

BPRA last week wrote to councils land committee querying the town clerks contract renewal and a plot allocated to Cllr Mguni in Rangemore.

ZACC spokesperson Commissioner John Makamure said although a team of investigators had been deployed, he cannot comment on the assignment.

I can confirm that we are investigating Bulawayo City Council (BCC) among other local authorities. I cant say more but matters are under investigation. I cant say what exactly is being investigated because we dont want to jeopardise any investigation. But our team is on the ground as we speak, said Comm Makamure.

Mr Dube said ZACC officials notified council of the investigation they were conducting.

Yes, they had an entrance meeting with me yesterday (Wednesday) and they are going ahead with their mission. We also have communication from the Ministry (of Local Government and Public Works) notifying the council of the same, said Mr Dube.

Cllr Mguni said council has been notified about ZACC officials who will be investigating alleged corruption in BCC.

He said he could not comment further on investigations since he has not met the investigating team. BPRA coordinator Mr Emmanuel Ndlovu confirmed meeting ZACC investigators.

We met with ZACC investigators yesterday and supplied them with information that they required regarding the mayors land and the town clerks proposed conditions of service. Remember we wrote letters regarding the two matters and copied ZACC. Their visit looks into issues that we raised, he said.

Concerns have been raised over alleged corruption in local authorities. Last week, police arrested Harare town clerk Engineer Josiah Chisango for alleged fraud, bribery and abuse of office. He was granted $50 000 bail and told not to interfere with investigations.

On Friday, Nkayi Rural District Council chief executive officer Mr Zimbabwe Ndlovu was suspended without any benefits and salary pending finalisation of abuse of office charges.

Addressing a Zanu-PF Midlands Provincial Coordinating Committee (PCC) meeting on Saturday, President Mnangagwa bemoaned rampant corruption in most urban local authorities, which he said Government will weed out.- Chronicle
The FBI is increasingly worried about potential violent clashes between extremist groups on the right and the left ahead of the November election, Director Chris Wray said

The FBI is increasingly worried about possible violent clashes between ideologically-motivated extremist groups before the November election, director Chris Wray said Thursday.

Wray said the Federal Bureau of Investigation is keeping a close eye on groups who have faced off in protests in various cities such as Portland, Oregon, and Kenosha, Wisconsin.

In those places, anti-racism and anti-police groups have squared off with right-wing and white nationalist activists who are often armed.

Wray told a Congressional hearing that the FBI was deeply concerned about the growing tension on US streets, and groups that are "hijacking" protests to incite violence.

"Now you've got an additional level of combustible violence," he said, citing "violent extremist groups or individuals committing violence."

"Now you have both groups from the opposite sides adding to the combustibility and danger of the situation," Wray told the House Homeland Security Committee.

"We have certainly seen that in a number of cities. That's a force multiplier, in a bad way, that I'm concerned about."

Several people have been killed in those situations.

In August, a 17-year-old with ties to arch-conservative groups was charged with shooting dead two people protesting against police mistreatment of blacks in Kenosha.

And at the end of August in Portland, an activist aligned with the leftist Antifa movement shot dead a supporter of a far-right Patriot Prayer group during a protest.

The Antifa shooter, Michael Reinoehl, was killed by police days later.

Wray told lawmakers that, aside from "lone wolf" attackers inspired by foreign jihadist groups like Islamic State, white supremacists remain the biggest domestic terror threat.

"Within the domestic terrorism bucket as a whole, racially motivated violent extremism is, I think, the biggest bucket within that larger group," he told the committee.

Story continues

"Within the racially motivated violent extremist bucket, people subscribing to some kind of white supremacist ideology is certainly the biggest chunk."

Wray did point out that while white supremacists have been responsible for most of the lethal terror attacks inside the United States in recent years, there has been a noteworthy shift this year, with attacks by "anti-government, anti-authority" actors.

That includes the May murder of two policemen in California by a follower of the extreme right, often heavily armed "Boogaloo Bois" movement.

In the same hearing, National Counterterrorism Center Director Christopher Miller confirmed that white nationalists were a particular focus of their concerns.

He said that some of the US extremists have loose ties with similar groups in Germany and Russia, including the Russian Imperial Movement that Washington formally designated a terror group in April.

But the links between US white supremacist and the foreign groups are so far relatively loose and informal, Miller said.

Although some Americans have traveled to Russia to train with the Imperial Movement, the cross-border ties between groups are "nothing monolith... we are not picking up anything of a routine, systemic connection," he said.

It is "More ad hoc, because they are all sitting on line together, chatting."

pmh/st
ALBANY  The former director of facilities at SUNY Empire State College was arrested on felony charges this week for allegedly spending more than $31,000 in taxpayer funds on 171 unauthorized purchases.

Erik Reimann of Saratoga Springs was arraigned Friday in Saratoga Springs City Court on 44 counts of criminal possession of a forged instrument, 40 counts of offering a false instrument for filing and grand larceny, all felonies.

New York State Inspector General Letizia Tagliafierro announced the arrest of Reiman, 51, who had been the director of facilities at Empire State since 2010. He allegedly used a taxpayer-funded SUNY Empire credit card to fraudulently charge $31,685 for unauthorized and personal items between 2016 and 2019. To conceal the illegal purchases, Reimann allegedly forged or altered receipts and statements to make it appear as if they were for legitimate projects at the college.

The case is being prosecuted by Saratoga County District Attorney Karen Heggen. State Police made the arrest.

According to Tagliafierros office, the 171 unauthorized purchases included $2,550 for a high-end air purifier and filter. Other purchases included guitar amplifier parts, truck and Jeep parts, grilling accessories, power tools, Seiko watches, ski gloves, camping supplies, all-season tires and multiple electrical parts, tools and kitchen appliances and accessories.

Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years.

The investigation found that Reimann was able to continue undetected due to insufficient oversight from Reimanns direct supervisor, who allegedly failed to adequately monitor his actions. The inspector general credited the administration of former SUNY Empire President Jim Malatras, who took over that college in July 2019, for discovering the misconduct as part of an operational review. Malatras' administration referred the matter to the inspector generals office. Malatras was recently appointed SUNY chancellor.

Reimann, his former supervisor and others were terminated from Empire State College.

This individual abused his position and the publics trust when he devised a ploy to purchase thousands of dollars worth of personal items with a state-issued credit card and then took steps to conceal his crime, Tagliafierro said. Our investigation found that he was able to continue his scheme unabated for so long due to absent supervision and lax controls. I applaud Empire State Colleges leadership for identifying the systemic problem, quickly making necessary personnel changes and implementing important safeguards to keep this gross abuse of taxpayer dollars from happening again.
Be the Business, a not-for-profit movement helping every firm in the country improve their performance, is partnering with Facebook to host an event in the North West providing free advice, training and inspiration to micro and small businesses in the wake of COVID-19.

The event took place on 16th September. The event will feature leading firms from the region, including: Carrs Pasties, Dunsters Farm, Cheshire's Children's Market and The Rug Seller. Attendees will also receive training from Be the Business and Facebook on using Instagram for business, business finances and innovating your business model.

Crucially, the event aims to help businesses boost their digital skills, provide access to essential resources and get ongoing support to recover and grow.

The impact of the Coronavirus is being felt by businesses around the world. However, Be the Business has uncovered some optimism on the horizon, showing that small firms have adopted technology at unprecedented rates to meet COVID-19 related business challenges, including operating virtual businesses and powering remote workforces. Indeed, Be the Business finds that 11% of firms in the North West have changed their approach to technology since March, adopting new technologies or intending to 'soon.

Recent Facebook research showed the pivotal role digital channels are playing in the recovery of small businesses, with 55% of UK small businesses surveyed now making more than a quarter of their sales online.

This event is an integral part of a year-long partnership between Be the Business and Facebook which also includes a messenger bot that guides businesses to bespoke advice and a new national peer group on Facebook where business owners can exchange ideas and advice.

Sir Charlie Mayfield, Chairman, Be the Business said: 'Its a tragedy that its taken a global pandemic to do it, but we are seeing a huge drive for efficiency, interest in technology and innovation from UK businesses. Our event in the North West will capitalise on that ambition, providing guidance and resources to the firms who need it most. Small businesses will be at the heart of the UKs economic recovery, and Be the Business, alongside our partner Facebook, is committed to helping them succeed.

Steve Hatch, VP for Northern Europe at Facebook, said: Were committed to doing everything we can to help small businesses in these challenging times. Our tools can help smaller companies trade online and effectively reach new customers around the world so they can create and sustain jobs in the North West. Were delighted to be partnering with Be the Business to offer a programme of tailored advice and training that will help small businesses get the most value from our platforms.

For more information, and to listen to a recording of the event, visit: https://www.facebook.com/business/boost/uk-boost-online.
More than half of the roughly 2,100 bars and eateries in greater Beirut, including the Ghattas Bakery, were damaged in the blast, according to a survey carried out by the Syndicate of Owners of Restaurants, Cafes, Nightclubs and Pastries in Lebanon. The damage to such establishments is estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars  an enormous sum of money in a country where the local currency has lost 80 percent of its value in the past year.
EDWARDSVILLE  Madison County is opening up phone lines for one day next month to take applicants names for the Rental Housing Support Program (RHSP) waiting list.

Community Development Administrator Trudy Bodenbach said that from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Oct. 10, phone lines will be open for applicants to call in for the RHSP waiting list.

This event is the only way for applicants be placed on the list, Bodenbach said.

She explained that due to a technical glitch, those who called on Sept. 5 were unable to leave a message.

Because of the glitch, we will be reopening the line, she said.

The phone number to call is (618) 296-5757. Applicants will be required to leave their name, address and phone number.

The purpose of the RHSP is to help address the need for decent, affordable, permanent rental housing for low-income families. It is a unit-based rent subsidy program funded through the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) and is targeted to low-income individuals and families at or below 30 percent of Area Median Income (AMI).

Their maximum annual income limits vary based on the household size.

The program subsidy is tied to the rental unit, not the tenant, throughout the duration of the program. Landlords will have an IHDA-approved Tenant Selection Plan that will guide leasing and occupancy practices. Madison County Community Development (MCCD) and all participating landlords are required to follow Fair Housing and other applicable local, state and federal laws.

MCCD pays the subsidy directly to the landlord based on the difference between the approved contract rent and the tenant-paid contribution. The income of the prospective tenant determines the amount of rent they pay according to the IHDA Tenant Contribution Schedule.
Scores of Bharatiya Janata Party leaders in Andhra Pradesh were placed under house arrest and hundreds of activists were taken into preventive custody on Friday in a bid to thwart their attempts to hold Chalo Amalapuram and Chalo Antarvedi rallies in protest against the recent attacks on temples in the state.

State BJP president Somu Veerraju, former president Kanna Lakshminarayana, former Union minister Daggubati Purandeshwari, party general secretary P Vishnuvardhan Reddy and former state minister Ravela Kishore Babu were kept under house arrest in their respective residences since Thursday night.

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police in Eluru of West Godavari district, K V Mohan Rao told the media that no permission was sought for holding the protest rallies.

Some political leaders were kept under house arrest as they were trying to disturb peace in the Konaseema region. In those areas, Section 144 (prevention of Unlawful assembly) of the Criminal Procedural Code (CrPC) is already in place, he said.

Tension prevailed in Amalapuram area, as hundreds of BJP activists courted arrest after raising slogans against the government for not protecting the properties of temples and hurting the sentiments of the Hindus. The police made massive security arrangements in the region to prevent any untoward incidents.

Speaking to the media, the state BJP president said the party would take up the issue of attacks on temples to all parts of the country. The police are trying to suppress a democratic and peaceful agitation, Veerraju alleged.

Meanwhile, BJP Rajya Sabha MP and national spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao wrote a letter to Union home minister Amit Shah requesting that strict instructions be given to the state government to prevent attacks on Hindu religious institutions.

The Jagan government is resorting to undemocratic means and is hurting the sentiments of the Hindus. We requested the home minister to intervene and rein in the government, he said.

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Washington :

A 58-year-old Indian national has pleaded guilty to federal charges in connection with a wire fraud scheme involving the hiring of Indian nationals to teach in the US.

George Mariadas Kurusu, a Fort Stockton Independent School District (FSISD) teacher, pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud; one count of fraud in foreign labour contracting; one count of tampering with a witness, victim or an informant; and, one count of making a false statement on a visa application.

Kurusu admitted that from December, 2012 to May, 2016, he defrauded several teachers out of USD 50,000 for a "visa package" to get and maintain jobs and H1-B visas in Texas from abroad, according to prosecutors.

Several school districts across the US hire from abroad for subjects in which there are not enough qualifiedAmericans and bring them on H1-B visas meant for professionals.

Also Raed: Manipur government celebrates 45th Statehood Day at old Secretariat hall

The prosecutor's office said in a statement that he setup a company, Samaritan Educational Services (SES), andadvertised jobs in FISD in newspapers and when people applied, he made it appear that they had to apply for the jobs throughhim, according to a statement by US Department of Justice.

He charged large fees and gave them the impression thatthey were for the paperwork and not for him while paying onlythe nominal fees, the statement said. He used their personal information to create a buffer sothat all communications to and from the FSID and the visa application process went through him, according to the statement.

And when the teachers arrived in the US he had them setup bank accounts with electronic transfer of funds provisionsthat sent 15 per cent of their salaries to the account of SESclaiming it was for consultation and for what he claimed wasensuring they had their jobs and visa, the statement said.

When investigations into his scheme began, he told hisvictims not to cooperate with official and threatened themthat all H1-B teachers would lose their jobs, the prosecutorssaid.

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The DNC has nabbed over 11,000 donations in the same amount of the founding year of Alpha Kappa Alpha. Kamala Harris is a sister.

The campaign to elect former vice president Joe Biden and his running mate, Kamala Harris, has attracted support from what Harris has called her secret weapon: the women of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Clayton Cox, the finance director for the Democratic National Committee, said while he had never seen such specific donations, he knew why.

The effort to elect Joe Biden to the White House is getting gifts from what his running mate, Kamala Harris, calls her secret weapon: the women of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Cox told RollCall.com that the donations are from members of AKA, as well as other Black Greek letter organizations. The week after Harris nomination was announced, Cox said that he was getting notifications about the $19.08 donations every 15 minutes.

According to Roll Call, the DNC has received more than 11,000 donations of $19.08, which is the year Alpha Kappa Alpha, the nations oldest African American sorority, was founded.

Harris pledged AKA at Howard University as a senior in the 1980s.

Read More: Kamala Harris Timberland boots generate social media reaction

Kamala made it her business to get to know all of us, Benita Stephens, one of Harris line sisters, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Kamala is the standout because she is running for vice president, but we were all special.

Of the 38 women on Harris line, at least a dozen are attorneys, and another handful are doctors.

Nationwide, members of the sorority have shown their support for Harris greeting her at campaign stops dressed in pink and green. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. boasts over 300,000 members.

An Amazon search for Kamala Harris AKA, results in a dozen t-shirts dedicated to the potential first African American and first South Asian vice president of the United States.

Read More: Yandy Smith-Harris talks voting, activism on Students for Bidens On The Yard series

Family is my beloved Alpha Kappa Alpha, our Divine 9 and my HBCU [historically Black colleges and universities] brothers and sisters, Harris said while accepting the vice-presidential nomination at this years virtual Democratic National Convention.

Story continues

While the sorority does not endorse candidates, individual members across the country have launched plans to raise funds for the Biden-Harris campaign and to mobilize voters.

The $19.08 donations have amounted to more than $200,000.

Have you subscribed to theGrios Dear Culture podcast? Download our newest episodes now!

The post DNC receives thousands of $19.08 donations in honor of AKA appeared first on TheGrio.
Be cautious against those trying to mislead you by creating doubts, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi to farmers on Friday, a day after BJPs oldest ally Shiromani Akali Dal pulled out its only minister from the union cabinet over the farm bills. The PM, without naming anyone, said some are bent upon spreading lies.

The farmers produce trade and commerce (promotion and facilitation) bill, 2020 and the farmers (empowerment and protection) agreement on price assurance and farm services bill 2020, were passed by the Lok Sabha on Thursday that led to opposition by the Congress and resignation of Union minister Harsimar Kaur Badal of the Akali Dal.

Those who did nothing for decades when they were in power are today opposing the bills for agriculture reforms aimed at deregulating the farm sector to give farmers better options and opportunities. The bills are aimed at unshackling the farmers and protecting them from middlemen. They can now sell their produce anywhere, anytime on their own terms, the PM said.

Modi was speaking at the launch of 12 railways projects, including the long-awaited Kosi Rail Mahasetu connecting Kosi and Mithila regions, in Bihar through video conferencing.

Aware of the opposition to the farm bills, especially by the Congress and also from SAD, Modi congratulated the farmers for the bills that he said would usher in greater freedom and returns for their produce and work as a protective cover for them.

Some people are bent upon spreading lies and siding with middlemen despite having done nothing for farmers for decades when they had the opportunity. They also talked about it, mentioned it in their manifestoes before elections and conveniently forgot about it later, but when the NDA government has done it, they have problems. They have developed a tendency of opposing for the sake of opposing, he added.

Modi said the farmers of the country need to be cautious against those trying to mislead them by creating doubts. They are spreading rumours that the government will not procure foodgrains at the minimum support price (MSP). Let me tell you, it is wrong. The government is committed to ensuring MSP to farmers. The government procurement will also continue as it is today, he added.

Referring to CM Nitish Kumar, Modi said Bihar understood the problems of farmers due to agriculture produce market committee (APMC) Act quite early and now the Centre was following the Bihar model. Bihar had dissolved all agriculture marketing committees and marketing boards in the state in 2006 after repealing the state governments then APMC Act.

Modi said that the NDA government had done so much for the farmers in the last six years that was never done earlier. We have looked into each problem the farmers have to face. To prevent farmers from falling into loan trap, the PM Kisan Kalyan Yojana was launched and so far over 10-crore farmers have benefited from it, wherein over Rs 1-lakh crore has been directly deposited into their bank accounts without any middleman, he added.

Modi said that aware of the irrigation problems, Rs 1-lakh crore is also being spent on the Kisan Sinchai Yojana. The first Kisan rain also ran from Bihar to Maharashtra. A lot has been done and a lot more will be done for the welfare of the farmers. They need to guard against those who dont want betterment of farmers. We want to unshackle farmers so that they could have multiple options and opportunities to increase their income, he added.

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A United States citizen who allegedly declined to follow quarantine protocols and instead went on a pub crawl in Germany ignited a COVID-19 outbreak. She has been named as a 26-year-old Florida woman.

10 Years of Imprisonment

The American woman could be imprisoned for 10 years after allegedly spreading the novel coronavirus during the bar crawl.

59 People Infected

The 26-year-old woman faces charges that she was responsible for infecting 59 people following her visit to multiple pubs and bars through the Bavarian town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. She was exhibiting coronavirus symptoms.

According to local authorities, they were still unsure of what punishment should the 26-year-old face. City spokesman Stephan Schar stated that the incident should be investigated, reported The Local.

On Tuesday, Southern German authorities reported three additional COVID-19 cases associated with the American woman suspected of spreading the virus in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Twenty-five staff members at a resort where the woman worked in Bavaria, Germany were included to be infected, reported The Hill.

Yasmin Adli, who works at a United States forces hotel stationed in Germany, was awaiting test results following a Greece trip when she partied in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. She already had a sore throat which is a symptom of COVID-19.

Adli supposedly texted numerous co-workers who had partied with her for many nights prior to her testing positive to COVID-19. She posted a screenshot of a message in which she expressed gratitude for them for their presence at her "rona party."

The Munich public prosecutor has initiated the probing.

The woman who supposedly caused the COVID-19 outbreak in Germany works at the Edelweiss Lodge and Resort owned by the Defense Department.

Also Read: China Shows Off COVID-19 Vaccines for the First Time, Expected to Hit the Market by Year-End

She claimed that she was not aware that she had COVID-19 when they went out.

According to her former co-employee, Adli remained working at the Edelweiss Lodge and Resort before she had a COVID-19 positive result. This set forth a conference for the United States military top brass regarding the prevention of the prevalence of COVID-19.

Kissed Multiple Co-Workers

The United States military vacation lodge employee also reportedly kissed numerous co-workers on the German bar crawl at the same time that she told her employer that she was not feeling well to go to work.

She reportedly partied for many nights at the start of September. Seven hundred ten people were exposed.

According to her group text message, "I'd like to take the time now to thank everyone for coming to my rona party and to apologize for the current circumstances, I did not know I had the rona when we went out Tuesday but I take full responsibility in not self isolating whilst having a cold," reported Daily Beast.

New Regulations in Garmisch-Partenkirchen

New measures were implemented in Garmisch-Partenkirchen due to the outbreak including the prohibition of all public gatherings of over five people and a 10 PM curfew on bars and restaurants.

According to Andrea Mayer on Tuesday, a spokeswoman for Munich prosecutors, her office had opened an investigation into the woman on who allegedly caused bodily harm and prompted the COVID-19 outbreak in Germany.

Related Article: Masks With Valves, Face Shields Allow Spread of Virus, According to Study

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
China faces a major test in its vaccine diplomacy, with a deadline fast approaching on whether it will officially join a World Health Organization-backed effort to ensure everyone across the globe is inoculated against Covid-19.

Friday is the final day for governments to decide whether to take part in Covax, an $18 billion initiative that aspires to give lower-income countries the same access to vaccines as wealthier nations. Beijing has said it supports Covax without clearly saying if its putting any money into the project. The confirmed list of participants will be published on Monday, Sept. 21, according to the WHO.

Signing up would help to repair Chinas image around the world over how it handled the initial outbreak in Wuhan, particularly since the Trump administration has refused to join Covax. So far, Beijing has focused on cutting one-on-one deals for vaccine doses with friendly governments as the US urges nations to shun Chinese companies for 5G networks, computer chips and big infrastructure projects.

Beijing is battling criticism from the West over the origin of Covid-19 in Wuhan and Chinas transparency around the early days of the virus spread, said Kelsey Broderick, an analyst at Eurasia Group. Joining a popular initiative like Covax would certainly help shift the perception that China is a bad actor.

President Xi Jinping in May promised that vaccines developed by China will be a global public good that can be shared by all. Still, China hasnt clarified if it will sign up, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying only saying this month that Chinas actions are in essence the same with Covax.

Covax, which is also led by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and the vaccine alliance Gavi, is designed to give governments an opportunity to hedge the risk of backing unsuccessful vaccine candidates and give less developed countries access to shots that would be otherwise unaffordable. It currently has nine vaccines in development and nine under evaluation in its portfolio. The goal is to secure 2 billion doses by 2021.

China Expects Virus Vaccine to Be Ready in November, Expert Says

Self-financing countries can pay up front for vaccine doses that would cover as much as 50% of their populations, though shots would be proportionally distributed among poor and rich countries alike as they become available. Governments that sign up are free to reach bilateral deals to secure supplies separately. Having China on board would be a big deal for Covax, which had some 172 countries in discussion to participate as of Aug. 24. The possibility of providing doses to even a fraction of Chinas 1.4 billion people would boost critical mass, enhancing the alliances negotiating power.For China, Covax could act as a kind of insurance policy that allows it access to any successfully developed vaccine. While being a member doesnt necessarily mean Chinese vaccines will be included in Covaxs portfolio, its probable thatll be the case. China could also provide manufacturing support for a successful vaccine, regardless of which country develops it.Participation could mean that Chinese vaccine manufacturers play a significant role in the global roll-out. And if a Chinese-developed vaccine were selected their brands would benefit from WHO certification, according to Xiaoqing Lu Boynton, a consultant at Albright Stonebridge Group who focuses on health care and life sciences.

China Made an Epic Dash for PPE That Left World Short on MasksIt would be a big boost for Beijing both from the industry perspective as well as politically, she said.

Diplomatic Angle

China doesnt have much experience in manufacturing and distributing a vaccine for global consumption. The industrys reputation took a hit in 2018 when two Chinese vaccine-makers were found to have cut corners in production, undermining confidence both at home and abroad.Still, China has been a front-runner in developing vaccines against the coronavirus. Nine of Chinas vaccine candidates have entered clinical trials, and four of them got approval for final stage Phase III clinical trials in foreign countries.

Biden Embraces Vaccines, Science: I Dont Trust Donald TrumpTianjin-based CanSino was the first in the world to reach the crucial final stage of human testing for a vaccine it co-developed with the Chinese military. CanSino Biologics, Sinovac Biotech Ltd. and China National Biotec Group have kicked off testing in countries including Brazil, Russia, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Peru, Chile and Morocco.

The vaccine could help Beijing make up lost diplomatic ground as China comes under fire for threats to Taiwan as well as human-rights abuses in Hong Kong and Xinjiang. China has promised to prioritize providing doses for at least 62 countries, including governments that have received infrastructure loans under Xis Belt and Road Initiative. Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Morocco have formal agreements with Chinas major vaccine manufacturers, and Egypt is close to signing one.

Both the Chinese government and state-owned enterprises would much like to protect their own infrastructure projects as well as personnel on the ground, said Yu Jie, senior research fellow on China at think tank Chatham House. If the epidemiological situation improves across those countries, it would help China too.

Latin American and Caribbean countries have been promised a $1 billion loan to purchase a Chinese designed vaccine. Currently, Mexico, Chile, Brazil, and Argentina have all made commitments to testing a Chinese vaccine. The region remains the hardest hit, with Brazil, Mexico and Peru among the worlds top 10 countries by total Covid-related deaths.

Trusting China

Sill, a global lack of trust in China due to Xis more aggressive foreign policy makes the international community doubtful of Chinas behavior and intentions, said Yoshikazu Kato, an adjunct professor at the Asia Global Institute at the University of Hong Kong who specializes in Chinese diplomacy.Under these circumstances, how can countries trust China? he said.

Trump-Xi Rift Plays Out With Some 100 Canceled Exchanges, Talks

An incident involving CanSino and Canada underscored concerns that China could use its vaccine for political purposes. The Chinese company was supposed to send its vaccine candidate so that clinical trials could begin in Canada, but Chinese customs hasnt approved the shipments, according to the National Research Council Canada.Malaysia is in talks with many parties, including China. We have more questions than answers at the moment, said Noor Hisham Abdullah, the Southeast Asian nations Director General of Health. Vietnam, which has sparred with Beijing over territorial disputes in the South China Sea, last month agreed to purchase millions of doses of Russias vaccine, and its developing a national one expected to be ready late next year.

Not everyone is concerned. The Philippines, which has expressed a willingness to accept a vaccine from the U.S., Russia, and China, rejected any notion that China may be using the vaccine to curry diplomatic favors. No such concern about Chinas vaccine at all, said Teodoro Locsin, the Philippine foreign affairs secretary.I think that its in Chinas interest to join, said Wang Huiyao, an adviser to Chinas cabinet and founder of the Center for China and Globalization, referring to Covax. If the world is still in the pandemic, China will not be in good shape either.
The Cort Martin Memorial Scholarship has been awarded to a 2020 Oak Ridge High School graduate.

The scholarship, managed through the Montgomery County Community Foundation, was given to Ciah Eliana McCandless for her dedicated work to the community. It will help McCandless pay for her first semester at Lone Star College-Montgomery.

Martin was a junior at The Woodlands High School when he was killed in 2000 when his car was struck by a train on FM 1488. His parents created a scholarship in his name to help keep his memory alive and to give back to the community he was a part of.

(Martins parents) wanted to leave a legacy, said Julie Martineau, president and CEO of the Montgomery County Community Foundation. They wanted something for Cort to be remembered by in Montgomery County because he was very active in the community.

The scholarship is specifically for Conroe ISD graduates in financial need, who attend LSC-Montgomery full-time. McCandless is attending LSC to study nursing and has always known she wanted to find a career in the medical field.

It means the world to me to be able to receive such a scholarship that was so important to (Cort Martins parents), McCandless said. It was such a feeling of honor.

Winners of the scholarship are chosen by a committee from Lone Star College. Because the funding for the scholarship comes from the earnings of the community fund, the amount the winners get has been able to grow over the years. McCandless received around $1,200 as the scholarship recipient.

She chose to stay close to home because she is excited and confident about the program at LSC-Montgomery, and because it was a more affordable option. Although she explored other options, the financial aid she received from other institutions wasnt enough.

I really hope that eventually community colleges get de-stigmatized because youre receiving such a good education for way less cost, and they help a lot more with financial aid, she said. Im so glad I chose it. The professors have been wonderful and kind.

Even as a kid she had an interest in the medical field, and would play doctor with her friends using her toy stethoscope. As she grew up, her passion for medicine only grew. She has taken a special interest in psychiatry, endlessly curious about how the brain works.

While a student at Oak Ridge High School, McCandless served the Air Force Junior ROTC as a group commander and she worked with local students as part of her community service. The Cort Martin Scholarship is awarded to community members who demonstrate how theyve given back. While applying, McCandless had to create a spreadsheet of her volunteer and community service hours to make sure it was all accounted for.

Post-college, shes considering joining the military, but for now, McCandless is just taking things as they come and focusing on her education.

jamie.swinnerton@chron.com
A cyber tip led Manor Township investigators this summer to a 51-year-old man who had multiple child pornographic images downloaded to his computer, police said.

Paul A. McMillan, of the 1000 block of Williamsburg Road, admitted to searching phrases like young women and first time on his laptop. A search of McMillans home and belongings Aug. 13 turned up three photos of nude children, as well as three others of children having indecent contact, according to police.

Police said they found McMillan through the IP address from which one of the images was uploaded in March to Google.

McMillan is charged with three counts of sexual abuse of children and two counts of criminal use of a communication facility.

The 51-year-old was arraigned Sept. 9 and bail and bail was set at $150,000. He is required to meet with bail administration on a weekly basis, police said.

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Despite clarifications by the government the controversy is not dying. It calls for analysis of the NEP 2020 from the perspective of the status of Urdu

The Union Cabinet approved the new National Education Policy 2020 (hereafter NEP 2020) on 29 July, which proposes drastic changes in the Indian education system.

While there are several changes, reforms and policies that are being widely appreciated there are many ambiguities, gaps and contradictions that are creating apprehensions in the minds of many in general and linguistic and religious minorities in particular.

NEP 2020 has given birth to apprehensions in the minds of Urdu lovers due to its unique status. It should be borne in mind that Urdu is a pan-Indian language but it lacks the patronage of any state as official language.

Strangely, Urdu has not been mentioned anywhere in the 66 pages NEP 2020 released by the Union government. This conspicuous absence of Urdu drew widespread criticism across the country.

The government tried to alley the apprehensions of Urdu-lovers and Secretary of Higher Education is reported to have said: Para 4.12, 22.6 and 22.18 of NEP 2020 talk of all languages mentioned in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, which includes Urdu.

Incidentally, what is being deliberately and mischievously suppressed is that these paras do not talk of Hindi also, rather all languages of the Eighth Schedule are mentioned.

Despite clarifications by the government the controversy is not dying. It calls for analysis of the NEP 2020 from the perspective of the status of Urdu.

NEP 2020 declares that wherever possible, the medium of instructions until at least Grade 5, but preferably till Grade 8 and beyond, will be home language/mother tongue/local language/regional language. (para 4.11, p.13)

This emphasis on the mother tongue arouses hopes that many languages of India facing the challenge of survival due to deliberate design of the colonial masters and later on the apathy of the successive governments may be saved from extinction.

Under the sub-heading, Multilingualism and the Power of Language, the government recognises the fact that young children learn and grasp nontrivial concepts more quickly in their home language/mother tongue.

While emphasis on primary education in mother tongue is praiseworthy the determination of home/local language will be problematic because the NEP 2020 does not mention what will be the unit of determination of local or home language.

For example, what is the home language of the people living in cities like Lucknow, Delhi, Moradabad, Meerut or states like UP, Bihar, Telangana, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and so on is indeed very difficult to determine.

Under these circumstances, the role of the central and state governments will become crucial in implementation of the three-language formula and Urdu in the absence of patronage and lacking job opportunities will certainly be marginalised.

Another important dimension of the language policy under NEP 2020 is the promise that there will be a greater flexibility in the three-language formula, and no language will be imposed on any state.

The three languages learned by children will be the choices of states, regions, and of course the students themselves, so long as at least two of the three languages are native to India.(para 4.13, p. 14)

However, determination of a region for the purpose of the implementation of the three-language formula needs clarification. Besides, three entities  states, regions and students  are created for exercising the freedom of choice in selection of three languages to be taught.

The question is what will happen if there is a clash in choice between states and students. For instance, a group of Urdu speaking students want to study Urdu while state emphasizes on Hindi, Sanskrit, Bangla, Odia, etc.

The apprehensions of Urdu-lovers are not unfounded because NEP 2020 besides especially promoting Sanskrit makes reference to other classical languages like Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, Pali, Persian and Prakrit but Urdu is not mentioned as a classical language as it seems that only ancient and not the medieval language/languages are recognized as classical under NEP 2020.

While the allegation of deliberate exclusion of Urdu is doing the rounds the government decided to introduce the Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Bill 2020 in Parliament under which Urdu is set to lose its status of the sole official language of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

The anxiety can also be understood from the fact that according to Census of India 2011 Urdu is showing a steady decline as mother tongue since 1981(5.25), 1991(5.18), 2001 (5.01), and 2011(4.19).

Unlike other languages of the Schedule 8 of Indian Constitution whose speakers enjoy strong regional or state backing, people who speak Urdu are spread all over the country and therefore, it needs special consideration by the government for its survival and promotion.
A staff member of the Meteorological Service of Donghai County in Lianyungang City, East China's Jiangsu Province, explains meteorological measuring instrument to pupils from an experimental primary school on September 15. [CNSPHOTO/Zhang Zhengyou]

Some pupils from an experimental primary school in Donghai County, Lianyungang City, East China's Jiangsu Province, were organized to visit a local meteorological service to learn about meteorological knowledge during a science popularization activity on September 15, ahead of the National Science Day which will fall on September 19 this year.

The activity was expected to help pupils better acquaint with weather variations through observation, and improve their understanding of nature. The children got an up-close look at the meteorological instruments and equipment, and experienced the process of weather monitoring and forecasting under the guidance of the meteorological service's staff members.

The National Science Day was initiated by the China Association for Science and Technology in 2003, and this year marks its 17th anniversary.

A staff member of the Meteorological Service of Donghai County in Lianyungang City, East China's Jiangsu Province, explains how the meteorological measuring instrument works to pupils from an experimental primary school on September 15. [CNSPHOTO/Zhang Zhengyou]

A staff member of the Meteorological Service of Donghai County in Lianyungang City, East China's Jiangsu Province, explains how the meteorological measuring instrument works to pupils from an experimental primary school on September 15. [CNSPHOTO/Zhang Zhengyou]

A staff member of the Meteorological Service of Donghai County in Lianyungang City, East China's Jiangsu Province, explains how the meteorological measuring instrument works to pupils from an experimental primary school on September 15. [CNSPHOTO/Zhang Zhengyou]

A staff member of the Meteorological Service of Donghai County in Lianyungang City, East China's Jiangsu Province, explains how to view meteorological nephogram to the pupils from an experimental primary school on September 15. [CNSPHOTO/Zhang Zhengyou]

(Source: CNSPHOTO/Translated and edited by Women of China)
Youve heard of boy bands. This is a ghost band  and its being led by a 16-year-old actress from Pa. who landed the starring role in the new Netflix series Julie and the Phantoms.

The actress is Madison Reyes, a resident of Allentown, Pa.

But as WFMZ 69 News reports, on screen she is Julie, a teenage girl who finds her passion for music and life with the help of a high-concept band of teen boys who have been dead for 25 years, according to this series preview.

With Julies help, the Phantoms become the band they were never able to be in life.

Its a series  and an acting break -- that could change the life of Reyes, who was born in Brooklyn but moved to the Lehigh Valley six years ago, WFMZ reports, adding:

The 16-year-old said it wasnt until she moved to Pennsylvania that she started to take acting and music seriously. She says landing the role of Julie has been a dream come true.

To be part of this community now and be another voice for the Latin community is so amazing because I know how it is to grow up without that representation and that lack of diversity in teenage films, Reyes told WFMZ.

Julie and the Phantoms premiered last week on Netflix, along with the release of its soundtrack. Reyes sings in both and she tells WFMZ shed like to tour in support of the new album.

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President Donald Trump speaks to reporters at the White House during a coronavirus task force briefing on April 23.

A former White House staffer this week slammed the Trump administration's novel coronavirus response as a "failure" and said she would be voting for Joe Biden  arguing President Donald Trump has displayed a "flat out disregard for human life."

In response, the White House dismissed Olivia Troye as "disgruntled" and her assessment as "baseless."

Troye  who worked as an aide for Vice President Mike Pence and who was on the coronavirus task force  spoke to The Washington Post in an article published Thursday.

Her striking comments come as nearly 200,000 people have died in the U.S. from the respiratory illness. At least 6.6 million Americans have contracted the virus so far, according to a New York Times tracker.

Troye worked for the Trump administration for the last two years and left in August. She told the Post that the president's main concern was the economy and his reelection."

She said his response has cost lives.

The presidents rhetoric and his own attacks against people in his administration trying to do the work, as well as the promulgation of false narratives and incorrect information of the virus have made this ongoing response a failure, she told the paper.

The White House quickly responded with pre-written statements about Troye's time working for the administration.

White House spokesman Judd Deere said Troye was a "disgruntled former detailee" and "her assertions have no basis in reality and are flat out inaccurate."

Troye, 43, told a different story to the Post, saying she helped organize "every single meeting" that the coronavirus task force had, helped advise Vice President Pence, 61, on the coronavirus throughout the pandemic and had gone so far as to help his senior aides write a mid-June editorial in the Wall Street Journal that defended the administration's response to the virus.

Story continues

It was ludicrous, she said of the op-ed, which hailed the Trump administration's pandemic response as a success.

Troye described herself to the Post as a "lifelong Republican," though she said she did not vote for Trump in 2016.

She is not Trump's only coronavirus critic: The president's handling of the pandemic has been scrutinized going back to the spring, including for problems with testing and for sending conflicting messages about the importance of wearing masks and practicing social distancing.

In the summer, he infamously mused aloud if injecting disinfectant could be a successful treatment.

Audio released by journalist Bob Woodward shows Trump , 74, admitting that he knowingly downplayed the virus' true threat  which he publicly said was similar to the flu  because he wanted to avoid "panic."

The president has also contradicted his own health experts on a number of matters, such as the timeline of a coronavirus vaccine.

RELATED: CDC Director Says to Wear Masks as COVID-19 Vaccine Wont Be Ready Until 2021, Clashing with Trump

Vice President Mike Pence (left) and President Donald Trump during a Coronavirus Task Force briefing in April Vice President Mike Pence looks on as President Donald Trump speaks to the media on April 6 at the White House

Troye told the Post that Trump would rarely attend the task force's meetings and when he did, he would often get off subject  once complaining for 45 minutes about negative media coverage from Fox News.

He spent more time about who was going to call Fox and yell at them to set them straight than he did on the virus, Troye said, adding that he would upset other senior task force members when he would repeatedly "blindside" them with tweets and other public comments that were in opposition to what they had discussed in the meetings.

Health officials on the task force repeatedly begged the president to publicly embrace wearing masks, she said.

The mask issue was a critical one," Troye told the Post. "If we would have gotten ahead on that and stressed the importance of it, we could have slowed the spread significantly. It was detrimental that it became a politicized issue. It still lingers today.

Upon announcing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendation that people wear protective cloth face masks during the task force's April 3 press briefing, Trump immediately said: Its voluntary, so you dont have to do it," adding, I dont think Im going to be doing it.

The president avoided wearing a mask in public for months afterward and continues to waffle on their use.

RELATED: Find Out Which Presidential Candidate These Celebrities Are Supporting

Troye told the paper that she worked for the administration after previously believing Trump could let go of his incendiary campaign rhetoric and embrace the role of a leader once in the Oval Office.

Troye, who says she'll vote for Democratic nominee Joe Biden in November, said she still has respect for other senior officials within the administration, including the vice president.

The former Pence staffer said that she also has concerns Trump might turn a vaccine into a "prop tied to an election," given his zeal to have vaccinations before November.

While health officials have said vaccine development is very promising, CDC Director Robert Redfield told Congress on Wednesday that "we're probably looking at third, late second quarter, third quarter 2021" for a vaccine to be widely available to the public.
(CNN)  Australia is synonymous with venomous spiders and snakes -- but scientists have discovered new toxins in what they label a "truly venomous" plant.

A team of researchers from the University of Queensland have discovered a previously unidentified neurotoxin that is similar to the venom found in spiders and cone snails.

Unlike its American and European counterparts, being stung by a dendrocnide tree -- which means "stinging tree" -- can cause pain that lasts for days -- or even weeks.

Researchers hope the study, published Wednesday in the Science Advances journal, will help provide new information as to how pain-sensing nerves function, and help in developing painkillers.

"The Australian stinging tree species are particularly notorious for producing [an] excruciatingly painful sting," said Irina Vetter, associate professor at the University of Queensland's Institute for Molecular Bioscience, in a statement.

The dendrocnide plant, commonly referred to by its indigenous name the "Gympie-Gympie" tree, is a rainforest nettle that can be found in eastern parts of Australia.

Like other nettle plants, the trees are covered in fine, needle-like hairs and are known to cause extreme, long-lasting pain.

The fine appendages "look like fine hairs, but actually act like hypodermic needles that inject toxins when they make contact with skin," Vetter said.

Until recently, scientists were unable to figure out which molecules inside the plant caused such severe pain.

Similar plants normally contain small molecules such as histamine, acetylcholine and formic acid, but none of these cause the severe pain elicited by Gympie-Gympie trees, which suggested to researchers that there was an unidentified neurotoxin to be found.

The team discovered a new type of neurotoxin, coined as "gympietides" -- which they named after the plant.

"Gympietides are similar to spider and cone snail toxins in the way they fold into their 3D molecular structures and target the same pain receptors," said Vetter. "This arguably makes the Gympie-Gympie tree a truly 'venomous' plant."

Vetter said that the long-term pain caused by the trees may be explained by the gympietides permanently changing the sodium channels in a person's sensory neurons, as opposed to the plants' fine hairs getting stuck in skin.

"By understanding how this toxin works, we hope to provide better treatment to those who have been stung by the plant, to ease or eliminate the pain," added Vetter.

This story was first published on CNN.com Spider-like venom found in Australian stinging trees -- and the pain can last for weeks
The Obeid family was working overtime on a secret deal to have associates purchase two neighbouring properties in the Bylong Valley before it was made public that the area had been selected for the creation of a coalmining tenement, a trial has heard.

Contemporaneous file notes written by the Obeid familys then solicitor Chris Rumore, from Colin Biggers & Paisley, reveal the lengths the Obeids went to secure the neighbouring properties.

Chris Rumore, a former senior partner at Colin Biggers & Paisley, had Gerard, Moses and Paul Obeid as his clients in 2008. Credit:Kate Geraghty

The court was shown one contract for sale in which the Obeids first choice of purchaser had been crossed out and their second choice inserted.

Mr Rumore said that Justin Kennedy Lewis, a friend of Moses Obeid, was introduced to him in November 2008 as the person the Obeids had found to buy one of the properties in question, Coggan Creek.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has dismissed as baseless reports of a rift between the African National Congress of South Africa and Zanu PF, claiming that there is not political crisis in Zimbabwe.

According to the state-controlled Herald newspaper, Mnangagwa made these remarks Friday while addressing the 113 Ordinary Session of Zanu PFs Central Committee.

He is quoted as saying the alleged rift between the two former liberation movement and crisis in Zimbabwe is being peddled by opponents of the government on social media platforms.

The ANC recently sent some senior party members, led by secretary general Ace Magashule, to unlock the political jam in Zimbabwe but went back home vowing to come back to discuss some challenges with other stakeholders after tabling several issues with Zanu PF officials.

The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum and several other organizations are claiming that the government is brutalizing local people, especially its opponents, who wanted to stage an anti-corruption protest on July 31 this year.

Some of the people, including Tawanda Muchehiwa, were allegedly abducted by suspected state security agents and tortured for distributing anti-Zanu PF paraphernalia. Muchehiwas uncle, Mduduzi Mathuthu, is currently in hiding while some Zimbabweans have fled to other countries for openly opposing the government. Mathuthu is the editor of ZimLive.
If you really want to honour him, implement his inclusive ideology: SC Bose's grandnephew

US President Trump extends birthday greetings, calls PM Modi great leader, loyal friend

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Sep 18: The wishes continued to pour in for Prime Minister, Narendra Modi on his 70th birthday. President of the United States, Donald Trump extended his greetings to PM Modi and called him a great leader and loyal friend.

I would like to extend best wishes and a very happy 70th birthday to the Prime Minister of India, @narendramodi. Many happy returns to a GREAT LEADER and loyal friend, Trump said in a tweet while also sharing a picture of himself with the PM at the Namaste Trump event held in Gujarat earlier this year.

The PM too thanked everyone and said, "these greetings give me strength to serve and work towards improving the lives of my fellow citizens." PM Modi celebrated his 70th birthday on September 17.

Narendra Modi turns 70: A look at India's humble prime minister's childhood

PM Modi birthday: Friendships India has cultivated globally | Oneindia News

"People from all over India, from all over the world have shared their kind wishes. I am grateful to each and every person who has greeted me. These greetings give me strength to serve and work towards improving the lives of my fellow citizens," PM Modi also wrote.

"PM Modi has devoted each moment of his life towards making India strong, safe and self-reliant. I am lucky to serve the nation under his leadership. I along with all countrymen wish for PM's healthy and long life," Union Home Minister, Amit Shah said in a tweet.

Rahul Gandhi in a tweet said, 'wishing PM Narendra Modi ji a happy birthday.'

"Greetings and warm wishes to PM Narendra Modi on his birthday. India has benefited tremendously from his astute leadership, firm conviction and decisive action. He has been working assiduously towards empowering the poor & marginalised. Praying for his good health and long life," Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh said in a tweet.

"Warm greetings to Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji on the auspicious occasion of your birthday. I wish you good health and happiness. We will continue working closely together to further strengthen relations between our two countries," Nepal's Prime Minister, K P Sharma Oli said in a tweet. PM Modi was born on September 17 1950.

The people and government of Bhutan convey prayers for your success and well being on Your Excellency's 70th birth anniversary. Under your leadership, we are confident that India will continue to achieve even greater transformation, Bhutan's PM, Lotay Tshering said in a tweet.

Russian President, Vladimir Putin congratulated PM Modi and said that he wished him good health, happiness, well being and every success from the bottom of his heart.

PM Modi is devoted to the service of nation and welfare of poor: Amit Shah

The BJP launched Seva Saptah to mark the PM's birthday. During this programme various activities such as planting of saplings, distribution of fruits in COVID-19 hospitals, donation of artificial limbs and other equipment would be undertaken.
Photo: (Photo : Screenshot from Instagram)

An 11-year-old Tennessee girl is helping kids who are in need. She is sewing face masks for them to use during the coronavirus pandemic.

The 11-year-old Tennessee girl, Lucy Blaylock, has been devoting a lot of her time to help kids who are in need. Before sewing face masks for kids, she has been spending her free time sewing blankets for kids.

Her Instagram page, Lucy's Love Blankets, shows her adventures of helping the kids who are in need.

READ ALSO: High school girls from Afghanistan create a cheaper ventilator





Sewing face masks for kids who are in need

Experts say that wearing face masks is an excellent way to limit the continuous spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

That is why when the coronavirus pandemic struck the world, Lucy was one of those kids who got out of their comfort zones just to help. Although it was not a very drastic change for Lucy, her initiative was the young Tennessee girl's way of making other people safe.

In one of her Instagram posts, Lucy shared, "Making a difference...one little mask at a time."

The young Tennessee girl also acknowledged the help that she has been receiving from her community to support her small cause.

READ ALSO: Teenagers in Texas Dress as Superheroes to Spread Joy While Gathering Donations

Aside from providing face masks for kids who are in need, Lucy's Love Blankets is also providing face masks to medical front liners.





Before masks were blankets

Lucy's heart has been dedicated to helping kids. Years ago, Lucy learned how to sew, and this led to her initiative to help other kids. Lucy's Love Blankets began when the young Tennessee girl posted on social media that she wanted to give away a blanket to a kid who would need it.

READ ALSO: Six-Year-Old Girl Raises Money to Help and Feed the Homeless in Missouri





The 11-year-old girl got 16 responses, but instead of choosing just one kid, she decided to give one to all of them. Since then, the young Tennessee girl has not stopped. Although it takes a lot of time for one blanket to get done, Lucy patiently does this to continue making all the kids feel loved.

According to reports, more than 500 Lucy's Love Blankets have already been shipped all over the world.

In an interview with Good Morning America, the young Tennessee girl said that she keeps doing what she is doing because it matters, "Kindness does matter, it always will."

Aside from receiving applaud from people on the Internet, Lucy has already been recognized for her volunteer work. She already won a service award from the President and the Prudential Spirit of Community Award.

READ ALSO: 6-year-old girl wants to save the world from plastic [by litter-picking]
The opposition on Friday sought a special session of the Assembly to discuss the impact and ramifications of three farm-related Bills passed by the Lok Sabha.

Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said his party will move a resolution against the legislations when the assembly session is convened.

Led by Hooda, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, a delegation of MLAs submitted a memorandum to Satyadev Narayan Arya in this regard.

We request you to recommend to the Union government not to pursue the Bills recently passed in the Lok Sabha as these are against the interest of millions of small and marginal farmers, the said in the memorandum.

We request you to convene a special session to discuss the impact and ramifications of these legislations, the party added.

The Congress said any move to disturb the present procurement system may deepen social unrest" amongst of the state.

We urge upon the government to review and reconsider these measures as these are unlikely to deliver on the promises made to them. Agri-marketing should be left to the states as envisaged in the Constitution," the party said.

Talking to reporters later, Hooda said are facing an existential crisis due to the three black laws, which will take away the protection provided to them.

It is important that all parties raise their voice in the interest of the state's farmers, he said, adding that they will not allow the implementation of the legislations in Haryana.

A resolution should be passed in the assembly as agriculture and related market systems are in the jurisdiction of the state and the assembly has the legal and moral right to discuss these and ensure the will of people, the former CM stressed.

Laws that dismantle the existing market system and take away MSP guarantees are not acceptable to people and of the state. Also, a bill should be brought in the assembly, in which farmers should be guaranteed MSP, Hooda said.

If a private agency buys a crop from farmer for less than the MSP, then it should be made a punishable offence, he added, stressing that the price of produce should be calculated on the C-2 formula covering the labour, operational, capital, storage, transport and other charges as per the Swaminathan Commission.

The Congress leader also lashed out at the JJP, the alliance partner of the BJP in the state, saying if the party was farmer friendly, they should have parted ways by now.

It is clear that they are more interested in staying in power than fighting for the rights of farmers, he alleged.

Hooda said his party had given adjournment and calling attention proposals to discuss three anti-farmer" ordinances promulgated earlier in the monsoon session of the assembly last month but the government denied discussion, citing that the chief minister, speaker and several MLAs tested positive for coronavirus.

He said the ordinances promulgated earlier were direct encroachment upon the functions of the state and against the spirit of cooperative federalism.

The Congress said leaving millions of small and marginal farmers at the mercy of traders, increases the threat of harmful practices by traders.

The easing of regulations on foodgrains under the Essential Commodities Act allows exporters, processors or traders to hold large stocks of farm produce without limits," the party said.

Here again, private players will prefer to buy the produce in the harvesting season when prices are generally low and will release it later when prices come up, read the memorandum.

(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.)
KITCHENER  Over a nine-month period, a Kitchener teen arranged through online ads to buy cellphones from five people. He met them in parking lots, pepper-sprayed three of them in the face and stole all five phones.

The accused, 16 at the time, pleaded guilty to three counts of robbery and was sentenced on Friday to six months of custody and three months of community supervision.

Justice Melanie Sopinka noted the teen used an extremely noxious weapon that had a profound psychological impact on the victims.

Its been severe  its ongoing for them, Crown prosecutor Lauren Lindsay told the court.

A man who was pepper-sprayed said he feels anxious whenever hes outside.

It was the most terrifying thing that has ever happened to me, a woman who had her phone stolen but was not pepper-sprayed told Sopinka.

For months Ive been plagued with extreme anxiety, insomnia, restlessness, fear and panic, said a woman who was waiting in the car when her husband was pepper-sprayed.

Lindsay noted the teen arranged the crimes through Kijiji and letgo  online marketplaces that many people use.

Offences like this make everyone who hears about them more distrustful of other people and in general contribute to a more guarded and anti-social society, she said. And I think thats aggravating.

The teen met the five sellers between February and November of 2019 in parking lots in Kitchener and Cambridge.

He was arrested a few days after pepper-spraying a man and stealing his iPhone XR. The owner had taken note of the phones serial number.

A police detective obtained the chat histories and IP address the teen used on the online sites. The IP address belonged to the teens sister, who paid his internet bills.

After stealing the XR, he posted it for sale. An undercover officer contacted him and they set up a meeting for the transaction.

The teen, who matched the description given by the victims, was arrested after the transaction was completed.

The Crown sought eight months in custody followed by four months of community supervision. Defence lawyer Cooper Lord asked for four months custody and two months supervision.

The teen has no prior record. Lord said his clients actions were out of character. He was hanging around with people who had a bad influence on him.

After pretrial custody is deducted, the teen has another five months of custody to serve. He was ordered to give a DNA sample and make restitution for the phones he stole. He cant possess weapons for three years and will be on probation for one year. He must take any counselling ordered by his probation officer.

The judge gave the teen credit for pleading guilty and showing remorse.

Im very sorry for what I did, he told Sopinka. I would never do it again.
New Delhi/Beijing, Sep 18 : Justifying its internment camps for Uyghur Muslims, the Chinese Communist Party regime has admitted that it has subjected, on an average around 1.3 million people to re-education since 2014.

The Xi Jinping government issued a 'white paper' titled 'Employment and Labour Rights in Xinjiang' published by its State Council Information Office.

Though the paper used euphemisms like "vocational training centers" for concentration camps and "education and employment training" for coercive mind rewiring practices and human rights abuse, it blamed Islamist radicalism for its policies. The CCP regime argued that concentration camps for Uyghurs were necessary because Muslim extremists in Xinjiang believe that their religion is superior to the laws of the state.

"For historical and a range of natural reasons, Xinjiang has long lagged behind other parts of the country in development, and there is a large impoverished population. The four prefectures in southern Xinjiang, namely, Hotan, Kashgar, Aksu and Kizilsu Kirgiz, in particular have a poor eco-environment, weak economic foundations, and a serious shortfall in employment carrying capacity. They are identified as areas of extreme poverty," the government paper said while contextualizing the need for concentration camps.

"In addition, terrorists, separatists and religious extremists have long preached that 'the afterlife is fated' and that 'religious teachings are superior to state laws', inciting the public to resist learning the standard spoken and written Chinese language, reject modern science, and refuse to improve their vocational skills, economic conditions, and the ability to better their own lives." "As a result, some local people have outdated ideas; they suffer from poor education and employability, low employment rates and incomes, and have fallen into long-term poverty. Through vocational training, Xinjiang has built a large knowledge-based, skilled and innovative workforce that meets the requirements of the new era," the CCP said in its paper.

The CCP admitted that every year from 2014 to 2019 Xinjiang "provided training sessions" to an average of 1.29 million urban and rural workers, of which 4,51,400 were in southern Xinjiang. "The trainees mastered at least one skill with employment potential, and the vast majority of them obtained vocational qualifications, skill level certificates, or specialized skill certificates, allowing them to go on to find stable employment," the government claimed.

From 2014 to 2019, the total number of people employed in Xinjiang rose from 11.35 million to 13.3 million, an increase of 17.2 per cent, the paper said adding that the average annual increase in urban employment was more than 4,71,200 people (1,48,000 in southern Xinjiang, accounting for 31.4 per cent); and the average annual relocation of surplus rural labour was more than 2.76 million people, of whom nearly 1.68 million, or over 60 percent, were in southern Xinjiang.

The international community has widely condemned China for mass internment of minorities in the Xinjiang region, regularly pointing out how its 'education and employment' program was essentially religious and cultural cleansing of Uyghurs by banning their practices, beliefs and subjecting them to surveillance and forced sterilisation of women.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Operation Fanacht, which will see a high level of visibility of gardai throughout Dublin city and county, is set to recommence from midnight tonight.

New measures announced for the capital this evening to curb the spread of Covid-19 include restrictions on travel outside the region and on gatherings of more than two households.

Operation Fanacht will see a high level of visibility of An Garda Siochana members in Dublin City and County on foot, in car and on bike, to support the public health guidelines, particularly in relation to social distancing and gathering in large groups at amenities and open spaces," An Garda Siochana said.

Targeted Garda Checkpoints will be established throughout the county. An Garda Siochana wants to remind everyone that people are being encouraged not to travel out of or into Dublin county unless absolutely necessary.

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An Garda Siochana said its activity in Dublin would be supplemented by Garda personnel from the surrounding counties.

It said it will continue to adopt, a graduated policing response based on its tradition of policing by consent which sees gardai engage, educate, encourage and, as a last resort, enforce.

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Operation Navigation, which sees gardai ensure pubs are not serving alcohol without food in breach of current Covid-19 regulations, is also set to continue around the country with gardai enforcing penal regulations.

Deputy Commissioner of Policing and Security John Twomey said, "As a community we all need to come together to once again protect ourselves and our most vulnerable.

If you are feeling isolated or need help with shopping, collecting your prescription or anything else similar, please contact your local Garda station.

"Local gardai are here to support individuals and local communities, in particular the most vulnerable in our society during this time. If you are feeling isolated or need help with shopping, collecting your prescription or anything else similar, please contact your local Garda station.

Mr Twomey also said gardai would support those impacted by the restrictions who are unsafe in their homes: "An Garda Siochana is fully aware of the impact increased restrictions may have on those who are subject to domestic abuse and do not feel safe in their homes.

An Garda Siochana takes domestic abuse very seriously. If you are in danger call 999 at any time.

"If you feel you are not in immediate danger and you require advice and assistance, you can visit or call your local Garda Station and ask to speak with a Garda in private. If you know of someone who cannot speak for themselves please contact your local Garda station.
The Trump era has brought its own unique vocabulary: Never Trump, anti-anti-Trump, Deep State, QAnon, The Resistance, Podbros, Trump Derangement Syndrome, and of course, MAGA, to name just a few. But by far the most useless phrase to emerge over the last few years is Orange Man Bad.

If you follow political Twitter at all, you know just how ferocious the battles over this silly little term can be. If you dont, heres what it typically looks like: Blue Check A quote tweets a criticism of the president  it may or may not be legitimate  and captions it Orange Man Bad. Blue Check B takes offense, deems Blue Check A a member of the anti-anti-Trump contingent, and from there its off to the races. In different instances, I have found myself more convinced of As or Bs arguments than the others. In every instance, I have found little of worth to glean from such conversations. Indeed, among the iron rules of the Internet is that no argument that has begun this way has ever produced anything of worth. Thats because to different people, Orange Man Bad means completely different things.

For certain conservative commentators, the phrase represents an easy, punchy way to describe the mental gymnastics done by those who reflexively disregard any success had by the Trump administration. A glaring example of this phenomenon is Jeffrey Goldbergs reaction to the recognition agreements brokered by the Trump administration between Israel, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates. The winners of the historic Abraham Accords, per The Atlantics editor-in-chief, were authoritarian leaders, and authoritarian-curious leaders while the losers were Iran and the Palestinians. Of course, Iran is itself an authoritarian theocracy that tortures and massacres its own people and calls for the annihilation of both the United States and Israel. The last Palestinian elections, meanwhile, were held in January 2006 and put the radical Islamic terror group Hamas in power. The United States and Israel, on the other hand, are led by men duly elected to their positions. But Goldberg is no fan of Trump or Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, so they must be derided as authoritarian-curious and the accords must be downplayed as not even . . . a peace treaty. Rest assured, were the previous administration to have brokered the agreement, there would have been no lack of effusive praise for it in pages of The Atlantic. It would be appropriate, then, to label his piece as an example of Orange Man Bad punditry.

Story continues

For more doctrinaire opponents of the Trump administration, Orange Man Bad appears to be a way to launder support for the president through opposition to his opponents and a simple way to dismiss criticism of the president as superficial. This kind of argument became particularly popular among the presidents defenders at the end of last year as House Democrats considered initiating impeachment proceedings against Trump. People of good faith can and did disagree over whether he should have been removed from office for his solicitation of information from Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky that would have been harmful to Joe Bidens presidential campaign. But for those unable to accept that Trump acted improperly, the entire affair had to be castigated as a sham. In an article entitled Derp State Staffer to Testify Today that ORANGE MAN BAD, Liz Shield of American Greatness, reacting to the then-forthcoming testimony of Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, wrote, We have the transcript and Trump did not manipulate Ukraine policy to discredit his political rival, former vice president Joe Biden, is unethical and damaging to U.S. national security. And yet, Trump did request on the call that Zelensky investigate Hunter Biden and did withhold congressionally authorized funding meant for Ukraine. Shield was not interested in arguing over the merits of what happened and its implications. Instead, using the phrase Orange Man Bad was her way of bullying readers into believing that the presidents opponents were blinded by their hatred.

Both camps are right, then. Sometimes, Orange Man Bad is in fact the only possible justification for opposition to the genuinely impressive accomplishments of the Trump administration. Jeffrey Goldberg wrote an idiotic column panning the Abraham Accords because he believes Donald Trump to be a bad man and bad president. He takes less pride in delivering thoughtful analysis than he does in harming Trumps reelection chances. Sometimes, bad actors such as Liz Shield use the term as a cudgel against those who rightly critique the presidents manifest and manifold character flaws. She takes less pride in telling the truth than she does in helping Trumps reelection chances.

We should retire Orange Man Bad altogether. It has meanings too divergent to different groups to be helpful as a term. Its only utility is to help pundits dunk on each other on Twitter. No one has ever been persuaded by its use, as it automatically either entices or repulses readers depending on their predispositions toward the president.

Cleansing our vocabulary of this term will be especially important for those of us on the right. If the conservative movement is going to remain a viable political force moving forward, it will need to address its divisions honestly and fully. The lazy deployment of pseudo-arguments such as Orange Man Bad will only impede those efforts.

More from National Review
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 07:25:19|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock on Thursday asked the Security Council and UN member states to take immediate action to tackle food insecurity and to boost humanitarian aid.

The COVID-19 pandemic is dramatically increasing wider humanitarian need, he told the Security Council in a briefing on conflict-induced hunger.

"Things are going to get worse. I don't think we have seen the peak of the pandemic yet. But the indirect impact is already deepening poverty, destroying livelihoods, undermining education, disrupting immunization, and exacerbating food insecurity, fragility and violence," he said.

The humanitarian agencies are in danger of being overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the needs, and that will get worse in the absence of a lot more financial help, he said. So there are concrete measures the Security Council and UN member states more widely can take: first, press for peaceful and negotiated political solutions to bring armed conflicts to an end; second, ensure the parties to conflict respect international humanitarian law; third, mitigate the economic impact of armed conflict and related violence, including by mobilizing international financial institutions.

Most important of all, he said, is to scale up support for humanitarian operations and take bigger and more ambitious steps to support the economies of countries facing severe, large-scale hunger.

Lowcock voiced particular concern about food insecurity in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), northeast Nigeria and the Sahel region.

In the DRC, nearly 22 million people are acutely food insecure, the highest number in the world, as a result of COVID-19 compounding the impact of decades of conflict. In northeast Nigeria, violence by extremist non-state armed groups is largely responsible for driving up humanitarian needs. In the Sahel, an upsurge in violence and armed group attacks has forcibly displaced more than 1 million people, most of whom are dependent on agriculture. In total, some 14 million people are experiencing crisis or emergency levels of food insecurity, the highest figures for a decade, he said. Enditem
The entrance to JPMorgan Chase's international headquarters on Park Avenue is seen in New York Reuters

With JPMorgan bringing its employees back to the office on September 21, the bank is no longer compensating junior employees for their use of Ubers to get to work, a program that had been in place since March.

This news comes a day after a reported COVID-19 case at the bank's New York office led to employees being sent home.

The change could lead employees who had relied on the reimbursements to opt for alternative transit into the office, including potentially more crowded modes of transportation, like subways or buses.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

As JPMorgan prepares to have sales and trading employees return to the office on September 21, the bank has ended reimbursements to junior employees for Uber trips to and from work, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday. The program was put in place toward the beginning of the pandemic to offer an alternative commuting option that wasn't as crowded as public transit, according to the report.

Anyone below managing senior director, specifically junior traders at the company, were able to take part in the program, according to Bloomberg.

The end of the perk was messaged to employees last week, according to the report.

A spokesperson for JPMorgan declined to comment.

JPMorgan's push push to return to work is because the bank has seen a decline in productivity, "particularly on Mondays and Fridays," while traders were at home, CEO Jamie Dimon previously told an analyst. Dimon mentioned that there had also been a drop in productivity among younger employees working remotely.

Recently, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced an executive order stating that anyone who doesn't wear a mask while riding public transit will be fined $50.

The end of JPMorgan's Uber reimbursements comes just one day after a confirmed positive COVID-19 case in the office forced the company to send some employees home. The positive case is from the bank's equities trading division, according to Bloomberg News.

Read the original article on Business Insider
The states five racetrack casinos are asking Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to allow them to reopen at 50% capacity while complying with COVID-19 protocols.

The racinos  casinos that operate in tandem with horse racing tracks  have been closed under the states public health order issued in March. The states tribal casinos closed voluntarily in March, but some have now reopened.

We respectfully implore you to consider allowing New Mexicos commercial racetrack casinos to reopen our doors in a limited capacity, the letter from the general managers of the racinos in Albuquerque, Farmington, Ruidoso, Sunland Park and Hobbs said.

They said 889 gaming facilities are open in 43 states, including Colorado, New York, Nevada and New Jersey.

The governors press secretary, Nora Meyers Sackett, said in response to a Journal inquiry that, The situation remains that public health conditions will determine when it is safe to move forward with a limited reopening of those entities.

Meyers Sackett said the administration has been in regular contact with the non-tribal casinos.

As far as tribal casinos reopening, she said, they have the autonomy to open, but that doesnt necessarily make opening a safe decision at this time.

In the Albuquerque area, tribal casinos Isleta and Route 66 are back in operation with safety measures, such as mask requirements and plexiglass barriers to ensure social distancing, while Santa Ana and Sandia remain closed.

The racetrack general managers in their letter said the racetrack casinos are significant contributors to the states economy in paying gaming taxes, gross receipts taxes and as employers. The letter says the combined economic impact of tribal casinos and racetrack casinos is $2.2 billion and 17,400 jobs.

The racetrack casinos first proposed detailed safety protocols to the governor in late May.

Among them:

 Limiting occupancy to 50%, including employees.

 Requiring patrons and employees to wear masks.

 Providing masks to employees and patrons, while maintaining physical distancing and/or plexiglass dividers to separate patrons at slot machines.

Patrons and employees would have their temperatures taken on arrival, and employees would use separate entrances from patrons. Anyone (guests or employees) with a temperature above 100.4 degrees would be turned away with instructions to see their doctor.

The letter said patrons could use player cards and or swipe identification cards when entering to enhance contact tracing, and it provided detailed protocols for food service areas.

The tone of the letter to the governor was conciliatory.

We continue to applaud your ongoing effort to address the consequences of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the citizens and state of New Mexico, the letter states. Your leadership is critical to not only save lives, but also preserve the livelihood of hundreds of thousands of New Mexicans across our great state.

While horse racing has been conducted over the summer at Ruidoso Downs and the Downs at Albuquerque, there have been no bettors in the stands.

Twenty percent of the net win (money taken in from gamblers minus their winnings) at the racetrack casinos is dedicated to the purses for horseracing. An additional 26% is paid to the state. Other expenses, such as salaries, come out of whats left.
NOVAYA HUTA, Belarus -- Hundreds of followers of the Breslov Hasidic movement, who were trying to reach the central Ukrainian city of Uman to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, have begun leaving neutral territory along the Belarusian-Ukrainian border after they were refused entry to Ukraine over measures banning foreigners from entering the country to slow the spread of the coronavirus.



The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine said on September 18 that, of about 1,000 pilgrims who were waiting to cross into the country, only some 600 remain, the rest having left the area after Kyiv upheld the ban on entering the country amid a spike in coronavirus cases.

Tens of thousands of followers of the Breslov Hasidic movement come to Uman every year to mark the Jewish New Year by praying at the grave of the movement's founder, Reb Nachman, who died there in 1810.



They began to gather on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border around September 14, trying to get to Ukraine and go to Uman, in the Cherkasy region, to celebrate the holiday that runs from September 18 to September 20.



Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said last week that, due to the coronavirus restrictions, only about 3,000 pilgrims will come to Uman this year.



The number of pilgrims traveling to Uman for Rosh Hashanah has increased dramatically since Ukraine gained independence after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.
The mother of a 19-year-old Texas college cheerleader who was allegedly murdered by her boyfriend in 2017 said when she first saw her daughter at the hospital, her battered body looked as if she had fallen out of a plane.

Cayley Mandadi, a sophomore at Trinity University, died of head trauma on Halloween 2017 after falling unconscious in a car traveling between San Antonio and Houston.

Her boyfriend, Mark Phillip Howerton, 22, was charged with murder, aggravated sexual assault and criminal mischief, but his trial ended in a hung jury last December.

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Cayley Mandadi, 19, a sophomore at Trinity University, died of head trauma on Halloween 2017. Her boyfriend, Mark Howerton, 22, was tried for her murder last year but the jury failed to reach a verdict, resulting in a mistrial

Mandadi's story is the subject of an upcoming episode of CBS' 48, in which her mother describes her daughter's shocking injuries

Mandadi was described as being covered in bruises and scratches from head to toe

Mandadi's story is now the subject of the latest installment of CBS' 48 Hours, which is scheduled to air at 10pm Eastern Time on Saturday.

The program features interviews with Mandadi's parents and friends, as well as with Howerton's defense attorney who continues to maintain that his client is innocent.

In the episode, Steele recounts the moment she entered a room in a rural hospital in Kyle, Texas, and saw her daughter.

'Did she fall out of an airplane? Was she thrown off a bridge?' Steele remembered thinking to herself. 'I saw my daughter's body smashed almost beyond recognition.'

According to court documents, Mandadi and Howerton had spent the weekend leading up to her death partying, drinking alcohol and taking ecstasy at the Mala Luna music festival.

On the second day of the festival, the couple argued over Mandadi's ex-boyfriend and left.

Prosecutors and Mandadi's family believe that Howerton beat the 19-year-old to death because she wanted to break up with him. Mandadi's sorority sister told officials that Howerton had once destroyed the cheerleader's dormitory room and blamed it on steroids

Alison Steele, Mandadi's mother, recounted how she walked into her daughter's hospital room and saw her battered body, leading to wonder if she had fallen from a plane

After the festival on October 29, the couple again discussed the argument in their car, authorities said.

Mandadi then agreed to go to Houston with Howerton.

When the couple started their drive to Houston, they stopped at a Valero gas station just outside San Antonio to have sex in the car.

Howerton told investigators the sex included hair pulling, light choking and scratching.

Mandadi reportedly said she wasn't feeling well soon afterwards and began sleeping in the front seat without her clothes on.

Howerton drove on to Houston, according to the affidavit, and as he entered Luling, he noticed his girlfriend wasn't breathing, so he started performing CPR before detouring to the hospital in Kyle.

A diagram shows the numerous injuries to Cayley Mandadi's face and body

Emergency room physician Dr. Stanley Handshy told 48 Hours' Peter Van Sant that he and his team made no fewer than seven attempts to revive Mandadi, but to no avail.

Mandadi was declared brain dead on October 30 and taken off life support the next day.

During an interview with police, Howerton claimed that Mandadi fell asleep in the car after their rough make-up sex, but a medical exam showed her numerous injuries were not consistent with the boyfriend's version of events, according to the affidavit.

Mandadi was covered 'from head to toe' with red marks, bruises and scratches, according to the affidavit, and both of her eyelids were swollen and bruised.

'The only areas of [Mandadi] with no evidence of injury were her back and the back of her legs,' the affidavit says.

Such injuries did not line up with Howerton's claim of 'rough sex,' noted the arrest affidavit, but instead line up with 'physical and violent sexual assault'.

The cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma to the head.

In February 2018, Howerton was charged with murder in Mandadi's death.

During the trial, prosecutors argued that Howerton beat Mandadi to death, but the boyfriend's lawyers claimed there was no evidence that he was at fault.

A medical expert testifying for the defense told the court Mandadi's injuries were consistent with a fall, followed by intense and prolonged resuscitation efforts by medics.

Howerton's defense attorney John Hunter (left) described his client as an angry 'jerk,' but insisted that it does not make him a murderer

'Mark was possessive, angry, he was a jerk,' his defense lawyer John Hunter told 48 Hours. 'That doesn't make him a murderer. This is a case where there is more than meets the eye and things aren't always as they seem.'

Records have shown that Howerton had a history of violence prior to his arrest for Mandadi's killing.

Mandadi's sorority sister told officials that Howerton had once destroyed the cheerleader's dormitory room and threatened to throw her off the balcony.

The sorority sister said she believed Howerton used steroids because he used 'roid rage' as his excuse for destroying the dorm room.

Mandadi's mother is still convinced that Howerton killed her daughter after she rejected him.

'He knew that Cayley would be an easy mark, and so he fixated on her, and when it didn't go the way he wanted, he snapped,' she said.

Last December, a Bexar County judge declared a mistrial in Howerton's case after the jury failed to reach a verdict, reported MySanAntonio.com.

Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales said at the time he was disappointed by the outcome of the trial and said he would retry Howerton and 'bring justice to Cayley Mandadi.'
The term southern gothic is thrown around with gay abandon, but its promise of steamy horror, old time religion, guignol hicks and impossibly twangy accents is seldom lived up to. Take a bow then, The Devil All The Time, because Antonio Campos' sweeping chiller blends a diffuse plot and all of the above ingredients with aplomb.

It's based on a 2011 novel by Donald Ray Pollock, and the author himself provides a knowing narration.

At first, the film seems to focus on Willard Russell (Bill Skarsgard), a lean young man from Coal Creek, West Virginia, who's on his way home from World War II when he stops for a rest in the town of Meade, Ohio. There he meets Charlotte (Haley Bennett), a sad-eyed waitress who charms him with her quiet humour. He marries her and they settle down in a draughty wooden house on a hill above the town, where she gives birth to a boy, Arvin.

But malice lurks in the shadows: the people of Meade regard Willard as an outsider, and Arvin is mercilessly bullied at school. Willard's remedy for this is extreme, but in fairness, he is haunted by his experiences in the Pacific, and in particular the sight of a US soldier who'd been tortured for days by the Japanese and crucified on a cross. It is an image Willard cannot escape, and he erects a rough cross behind the house and forces his boy to pray with him at it.

Arvin (played as an adult by Tom Holland) will end up an orphan, raised by his kindly West Virginian grandparents, who are also looking after Arvin's half sister Lenora (Eliza Scanlen), a simple girl steeped in fundamental Christianity. Arvin has inherited his father's quick fists, and he'll need them because the town of Coal Creek is full of villains, chief among them Preston Teagardin (Robert Pattinson), a dandyish preacher who has designs on Lenora. He's a mean-spirited fellow, hiding behind the Bible like a thousand other southern scoundrels, knowing the people's simple faith makes them uniquely vulnerable to charlatans like him, who claim to hear the voice of God.

He's a monster, but The Devil All The Time is full of such creatures. Nihilistic grotesques one and all, but what ails them? In various ways, The Devil All The Time argues they've been driven mad by their fundamentalist upbringing, by their belief in Christ or lack of it. And their tinged and rotten lives cannot be escaped: evil follows them across the generations.

The obsession with God and what he might be thinking is a curse from which no one can escape - even in death. After a tragic suicide among the community, Arvin reflects bitterly, "that preacher ain't said no words for her, not for people that kill themselves".

That summary sounds grim, and excessively Old Testament, but Antonio Campos' film is lifted with husk-dry wit and some very big performances, not least Pattinson's eye-rolling preacher, a sneering, preening villain. In a post-Marvel role, Tom Holland brings heft and grit to his portrayal of a young man laden down by parental legacy, Riley Keough is excellent as a woman trapped in a waking nightmare, and Skarsgard, who scared the Jesus out of us all in IT, is very good as the tormented Willard.

Music, folk song mostly, is used to haunting effect, and the dichotomy between the bobby-sox wholesomeness of post-war America and its ugly underbelly is constantly underlined.

The plot is driven by a massive circular coincidence of Dickensian proportions, but in a tale so well told, I'm not really sure that matters so much. It's a dark film, but a rich one, full of God-obsessed villains and the lambs who will become their victims.

Video of the Day

Rating: four stars
An alligator inhaling helium is the kind of stunt one might expect to hear about at some niche Las Vegas attraction, quickly followed by a raid from animal welfare authorities.

In fact, such an experiment was created by scientists who have just won an international prize honouring research that makes academics both think and laugh.

Cognitive zoologist Stephan Reber led a team which gave the animal the gas  harmless, it should be said  in a bid to understand how crocodilians communicate.

Specifically, the group were attempting to prove a theory that reptiles signal their size to others through different vocal noises, just as mammals and birds do.

By giving the alligator the helium mixed with oxygen, they could analyse the different sound frequency of its bellows.

Now, the research has been awarded an Ig Nobel Prize, a series of annual awards handed out to serious but somehow comedic scientific investigations.

Ten of the gongs were given out on Thursday by the science humour magazine Annals of Improbable Research, which created the accolades 30 years ago to draw attention to research which, while tackling genuine real-world problems, has a quirky aspect.

Other 2020 winners included a team that devised a method to identify narcissists by examining their eyebrow and a group who created knives from frozen faeces.

Dr Reber himself  a Swiss who is based at Lund University in Sweden  said he was honoured to receive the Ig.

"The resonances in your vocal tract sound lower overall if you're larger because it's a larger space in which the air can vibrate, he told the BBC. We didn't know if reptiles actually had resonances. Frogs, amphibians, don't for example. So we needed a proof of concept that crocodilians actually have resonances.

The Ig Nobels are normally celebrated in a ceremony at Harvard University in the US, with winners handed their gongs by real Nobel Prize winners but this years event was held online due to the coronavirus crisis.

Read more

Man wakes up to find 4ft-snake slithering on bedside table in Leeds
The Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) has suspended Air India Express flights between India and Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) biggest city, from Friday until October 2.

The flights have been temporarily barred because a passenger on a recent Jaipur-Dubai flight operated by Air India Express, the low-cost airline of the national carrier Air India, was found to be coronavirus disease (Covid-19) positive by the DCAA authorities. This was the second time the airline flew an infected passenger.

The DCAA has sent a notice to Air India Express. The notice stated that the flight IX1135 operated by the airline from Jaipur to Dubai International Airport (DIA), had a passenger on board, who had contracted SARS-CoV-2 that causes Covid-19.

The notice is in HTs possession.

Also Read: Covid-19: Airlines offer schemes to boost passenger confidence

You are aware of our previous intimation made to you by our letter dated September 2 for boarding a passenger with a Covid-19 positive test result, who endangered the other passengers on board and also caused a serious health risk.

Boarding a passenger with Covid-19 positive test result for the second time is contrary to and is in violation of the laid-down procedures and protocols relating to air travel to and from airports in the Emirate of Dubai during the pandemic, stated the notice.

The notice has led to the temporary suspension of all Air India Express flights to Dubai for the next 15 days.

Also Read: Parliament monsoon session: Aircraft (Amendment) Bill passed by Rajya Sabha

This (suspension) has been effective from 00:00 hours on Friday, September 18, until 23:59 hours of October 2, the notice added.

Air India Express has received the Notice of Suspension from Dubai Civil Aviation Authority on September 17, 2020, as per which the airlines operations to Dubai airport are temporarily suspended for a duration of 15 days w.e.f September 18, 2020.The Notice has been issued on account of the erroneous acceptance of one Covid-19 positive passenger by the airlines ground handling agents at Delhi and Jaipur on Air India Express flights to Dubai on August 28 and September 4 respectively, said an airline spokesperson.

Passengers who were seated in close proximity to the Covid-19 positive passenger on each flight have undergone a Covid-19 test / been quarantined as determined by the Dubai health authority. The airline has reiterated the instructions to handling agencies in India to strictly adhere to regulations/ SOP and has advised them to implement a three-tier checking mechanism to avoid any such lapse in the future, he added.

Airline officials said that the ground handling agencies concerned have taken appropriate punitive action against their employees who have been held accountable for the lapse at Delhi and Jaipur.

An airline official said, Prior to the receipt of the notice, the airline submitted a letter to the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority expressing our apologies and detailing the various actions taken by us in association with the ground handling agents concerned to guard against such a lapse in the future. In order to decrease the inconvenience that may be caused to passengers booked to fly to Dubai, the airline has introduced additional flights to Sharjah to accommodate the affected passengers. The affected passengers who have booked to fly to Dubai are also being given the option to re-book to a future date.
Biden and Trump are heading for a contested election, barring a landslide. Photo: Getty Images

As frequently discussed by many alert political observers (including yours truly), the president has clearly been laying the foundation for contesting any 2020 loss to Joe Biden on grounds that mail ballots disproportionately cast by Democrats (thanks to Trumps own demonization of that extremely familiar voting method) are largely or substantially fraudulent. The most plausible specific course of action whereby Trump might execute such an outrageous plan is the red mirage scenario explained by the digital data company Hawkfish, whereby Trump claims victory on Election Night because his supporters heavily in-person votes will be counted first, giving him a lead doomed to reversal as mail ballots are processed and counted.

As awareness of this scenario spreads in liberal and media circles, pro-Trump voices are beginning to do something very dangerous: legitimize a preemptive Trump coup on the grounds that its the only way to stop a Democratic coup to deny the president a legitimate reelection. Check out this argument from William Jacobson at the conservative legal site Legal Insurrection:

The Red Mirage theory, that Trump will have a significant lead on Election Night, but will lose when mail-in ballots are counted, is the excuse for Democrats to spend weeks trying to count ballots in Democrat areas that arrive late or that dont comply with the rules, and to disqualify valid ballots in Republican areas.

In fact, Hawkfish estimates that the partisan split in voting methods may be so enormous that it wont take a single bit of rule-bending to turn a significant Trump lead on Election Night into a massive Biden landslide when all the votes are counted. But conspiracy-minded Trump fans like Michael Anton, author of the infamous Flight 93 Election essay justifying any measures necessary to defeat Hillary Clinton in 2016, think its all part of a Democratic plan to reject any Trump win:

[P]art of the plan is either to produce enough harvested ballotslawfully or notto tip close states, or else dispute the results in close states and insist, no matter what the tally says, that Biden won them. The worst-case scenario (for the country, but not for the ruling class) would be results in a handful of states that are so ambiguous and hotly disputed that no one can rightly say who won. Of course, that will not stop the Democrats from insisting that they won.

The public preparation for that has also already begun: streams of stories and social media posts explaining how, while on election night it might look as if Trump won, close states will tip to Biden as all the mail-in ballots are counted.

Note that there is no effort here to rebut the factual basis of the red mirage hypothesis, particularly the extensive polling showing that Trump has talked his followers into voting in person, even as he suggests without a shred of evidence that voting by mail is mostly fraudulent. So whats the basis for alleging a conspiracy?

For Anton, Jacobson, and quite a few other Republican scribblers, the smoking gun is a once-obscure set of simulations done in June by a group called the Transition Integrity Project, a collection of academics and former campaign operatives from both parties who conducted political war games to see what might happen to produce and/or resolve a contested election. As organizer Rosa Brooks explained to NPR, the odds of postElection Day dysfunction look pretty high based on these alternative scenarios:

We had about 70 or 80 people. We put them on two teams. We had a Team Trump  a Trump campaign team, a Team Biden. We had GOP and Democratic elected official teams. We had a media team and teams representing sort of career civil servants. And we essentially did a number of exercises where we gave them each a scenario. One of our scenarios was a decisive Biden win. One was a decisive Trump win. One was a narrow Biden win. One was a period of extended uncertainty as in the election of 2000.

In each of our exercises, the Trump campaign team came right out of the gate, tried to stop the counting of mail-in ballots, tried to assert that they were fraudulent, in one case closed the post office to prevent additional ballots from reaching the ballot counters, in another case seized and tried to sequester the ballots to prevent additional counting.

So how did this simulation come to reinforce conservative claims that the Democrats would actually try to steal an election? It was via this highly influential Byron York analysis of the Transition Integrity Project findings in the Washington Examiner, published last month:

In the clear Trump victory scenario, Trump lost the popular vote (as he did in 2016) but won the Electoral College. Biden at first conceded but then withdrew his concession as Democratic anger grew over another election in which the popular vote winner did not win the White House. The Biden campaign pressured Democratic governors of states Trump won to reject Trump electors and send Biden electors to Washington. The Democratic House refused to recognize Trumps victory. Biden made wild demands in exchange for conceding, like DC and Puerto Rico statehood and the creation of more senators from California. Inauguration day arrived and the standoff remained unresolved. The report noted: It was unclear what the military would do in this situation.

In only one of the scenarios did a candidate win a clear victory and the opposing candidate refuse to accept the result. And the loser who refused to accept the result was Joe Biden  not Donald Trump. That is precisely the opposite of the Trump-wont-accept-results speculation that has dominated the media in recent weeks.

Needless to say, Trump fans like the National Reviews David Harsanyi assume this simulation reflects holy gospel for every single Democrat and Bidens presumed media allies:

This scenario is what a real-life coup might resemble. It is, needless to say, utterly insane that Democrats would destroy the nations long-standing and peaceful transition because they refuse to accept the mandated process of electing the president. All of which is to say the proactive  and retroactive  delegitimization of the Trump presidency has been a successful four-year project. It permeates the entire Democratic Partys information complex.

If the Transition Integrity Projects findings dont convince you of that, say some Trump fans, get a load of this:

Hillary Clinton has some advice for Joe Biden: Dont concede in a close race.



The 2016 nominee sits down with @jmpalmieri and @sho_thecircus to urge Dems to pay close attention to GOP strategy. pic.twitter.com/REwfLf1QjS  The Recount (@therecount) August 24, 2020

If you really, really believe that Democrats wont concede no mater what, and you favor Trumps reelection, why not go along with a preemptive Trump victory declaration on Election Night? Democrats wouldnt accept a Trump win in the ultimate count, so why wait? An awful lot of terrible consequences could flow from the belief that nothing short of a Trump popular-vote win (which has never been the object of Trumps own strategy) will produce an uncontested Trump victory.

When York wrote his take on the Transition Integrity Project war games, I expressed deep skepticism about the idea of Biden and his entire party rejecting a Trump Electoral College win out of hand:

[A]ngry Democrats might use any Trump Electoral College winslashpopular vote loss to develop and promote an agenda for not letting it happen again, and perhaps make its enactment a big 2022 midterm election issue  an election which, as Trumps second midterm, would very likely produce Democratic gains far larger than those in 2018 and create a far more comprehensive and progressive mandate for fundamental change than might come out of a contested presidential election. By 2024 Democrats might well be in a position to nominate someone younger and more reform-minded than Biden and put Trumpism behind the country once and for all.

That all seems a lot more plausible than a Biden-led effort to trigger a contested election and a constitutional crisis whose outcome could depend on what the military would do in this situation.

But if conservative opinion leaders convince each other and a big segment of Trump voters that Biden wont accept a constitutionally legitimate loss, thats all it may take to rob the 2020 presidential election of legitimacy almost no matter what happens (short of a Biden landslide that makes the red mirage scenario implausible, or a Trump popular-vote win). Itll be steal or be robbed, and all hell really could break loose.

Arguably Joe Biden could stop this toxic cycle of conspiracy theories justifying conspiracies by clearly announcing he will accept a clear Trump Electoral College win. If that offends Democrats, he could couch it as a proposal that Trump, in exchange, disavow any intention of claiming victory with a majority of the countrys mail ballots still uncounted. Trump might refuse, and might lie about his intentions as well, but if so, it will make it pretty clear that there is just one presidential candidate unwilling to accept defeat.
The firms filed the lawsuit Tuesday as a counterclaim to one filed in August by the Maryland Transit Administration. The state is seeking more than $75 million in damages related to what it says is the firms illegal notice that they will leave the rail project over unpaid cost overruns.
The United Nations Human Rights Council has adopted a resolution submitted by the European Union to launch closer monitoring of alleged rights violations in Belarus amid a crackdown on protesters calling for President Alyaksandr Lukashenka to resign.

The move came despite efforts by Russia, which has deepened its support to prop up Lukashenka, to water down the resolution that was adopted on September 18.

The council agreed to give the office of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet a mandate to closely monitor the situation in Belarus and submit an oral report with recommendations by the end of the year.

The Belarusian Foreign Ministry said the UNs move set a "dangerous precedent," and accused the council of meddling in its internal affairs.

The EU resolution was adopted after 23 countries voted in favor, two against, and 22 abstained at the 47-member state Geneva forum.

Russia, which does not have a vote as an observer, submitted 17 amendments to the resolution, but all were rejected.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Lukashenka's main ally, agreed to loan Minsk $1.5 billion at a summit on September 14, and the two countries are conducting joint military training exercises in Belarus.

The UN's move came after Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya demanded Minsk allow an international mission to document possible crimes committed by Lukashenka and his government in a crackdown on protesters and media following a disputed election.

Her remarks came as the UN warned of the possibility of "another iron curtain" descending in Europe.

Speaking at a special urgent session of the UN Human Rights Committee in Geneva on September 18, Tsikhanouskaya, who joined in via video from Lithuania where she is in self-exile, called for an end to violence against the protesters by the Belarus authorities and a new free and fair presidential election.



"I once again emphasize our willingness to talk with the authorities and look for a peaceful solution to the crisis that has affected our nation," she said.

The session comes a day after the European Parliament overwhelmingly passed a resolution refusing to recognize Lukashenka as president of Belarus once his current term expires in November, rejecting the results of an August 9 election that the opposition and the West have said was rigged.

'Catastrophic' Situation



Thousands of people have been detained and beaten by police while nearly all of the opposition's key leaders have been forced to leave the country or been arrested in a widening crackdown by Lukashenka, who has refused to negotiate with the opposition.



"Let's not allow another iron curtain to descend on the European continent," Anais Marin, UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Belarus, told the debate, calling the current situation in Belarus "catastrophic."

Marin, who said some 10,000 arrests have been made during the crackdown, was interrupted during her speech several times by delegations from Belarus, its ally Russia, and others.



The Belarusian ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Yury Ambrazevich, said it was not acceptable to use the body to interfere in a country's election.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, and Interfax
SABA:---The Public Entity Saba, in close collaboration with telecommunications company SATEL and the Saba Comprehensive School (SCS), set up a Study Center in the Windwardside for Saba students who had to remain on the island due to the COVID-19 crisis and could not return to their university in the United States or the Netherlands.

In August this year, a parent approached Commissioner of Education Bruce Zagers to ask about the possibility of a study space for the affected students. Commissioner Zagers acted immediately as he saw a great opportunity to assist the students. He reached out to SATEL to assist with finding a space.

SATELs building in the Windwardside that houses the companys telecommunication equipment had space available to accommodate the students. SATEL technician Steve Hughes started immediately by preparing the location for the students. SCS assisted with lending desks and chairs for the students to use. With the help of the Facility Management team of the Public Entity Saba, the study space was set up within a short time.

When I was studying, it was difficult to study from home and I preferred to study in a different space. I felt this was a great opportunity to offer a study space away from home for the students, said Zagers.

SATELs Managing Director Jennifer Zagers said that she was happy that the Public Entity Saba reached out to collaborate to making the study space a reality for the students. She said she also understood how difficult it was to study during this pandemic and that she would like to see the students excel despite it all.

The idea is for students to make use of this study space during their online class sessions as well as for study periods. It is also a place that they can still gather as college friends and not be isolated at home, said Education Policy Advisor Rosa Johnson.

SATEL technician Hughes explained that internet speed should work faster for the students because they are directly connected to the main circuit. Managing Director Zagers clarified that for regular households there are limitations with the internet due to distances from the main circuit, while the curvy routes to the households also cause disruptions with the quality of service.

Three students from Lipscomb University and one student from Flagler College and The Hague University each were present for the soft opening earlier this week. Some of the majors they are studying include: Computer Science and Math, Software Engineering, Account and Finance, and International Business.

The students expressed their gratitude. Thank you for the possibility to have a different study environment and I will definitely make use of it. I have already visited the study space, said Jessye Muller. I study in the Netherlands and with time difference my classes begin very early in the morning, but I am happy to have a study space where I can come and see friends as well as study, said Kloe Hassell. College students who have not reached out as yet about the facility can contact Rosa Johnson at the building of the Community Development Department.
Captain Amarinder Singh

Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday slammed the farm legislations being forced on to the nation by the central government as part of the `Destroy Farmers, Destroy Punjab (Kisan maaru, Punjab maaru) conspiracy of the BJP-led NDA, of which the Akalis continue shamelessly to be a part at the cost of their own state and its people.

I dont know what enmity the BJP and the Akalis have with Punjab and why they are out to destroy us, said the Chief Minister while launching the Virual Kisan Mela of the Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana.

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Capt Amarinder SinghThe launch was held with virtual connectivity at 100 locations and participated by farmers, farmer representatives and other stakeholders, including ministers, MLAs and PPCC chief Sunil Jakhar.

Warning again that the legislations will lead to growing angst among the people in the border state, thus giving Pakistan the opportunity to stoke more fires, Captain Amarinder said the anti-farmer move will spoil the `abo hawa (environment) of Punjab.

Delhi has to rethink on this issue, he stressed, adding that the legislations would undo the sacrifices made by Punjab and its farmers over 65 years to make India self-sufficient in food.

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Capt Amarinder Singh

Accusing the Akalis of playing their own political games in this entire affair, Captain Amariner asked the Badals why the SAD had failed to stand with the Punjab government on these Bills and even on the critical water issue.

Did you not think even once what will happen to Punjab without agriculture and without water? he asked the Akalis, pointing out that with the SYL issue hanging over the state, the situation was perilous and the SAD had only contributed to the crisis by supporting the farm ordinances.

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The Chief Minister said notwithstanding the Centres denials these new laws will eventually pave the way for the elimination of the MSP regime and end of the FCI, leaving the farmers at the mercy of big corporates, as recommended by the Shanta Kumar committee.

Strongly opposing the legislations, the Chief Minister also trashed the Centres guarantee of MSP not being tampered with, saying it was a Constitutional guarantee given by Parliament, which, in fact, the incumbent government at the Centre was trying to destroy with their brute majority.

Punjab government Even the MSP already announced on items like Maize is not being given to the farmers, he noted, questioning the sincerity of the Government of India.

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Categorically rejecting BJP and SAD claims that Punjab was on board with the farm ordinances, the Chief Minister made it clear that the issue of any such ordinances or new laws on agriculture was never discussed at any of the meetings in which his government was represented at the high-powered committee set up by the Centre on agricultural reforms.

Politicians should not lie on such grave issues with serious implications for our future generations, said Captain Amarinder, in an obvious reference to the false and misleading claims of Union Minister Raosaheb Patil Danve and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal. Politics aside, this is an issue concerning the future of our children, he added.

With only 13 seats in Lok Sabha, the Congress was browbeaten and the dangerous and vicious Bills were passed by the Centre with brute majority, he pointed out, adding that Indias future generations will not forgive the damage being inflicted on the nation by the NDA and its allies.

Congress

The high-powered committee was clearly an eyewash, the Chief Minister said, waving the draft report shared with Punjab, which made no mention whatsoever of the ordinances. His governments response to the draft report had, in fact, clearly listed its stand on any reforms, he added.

It was shameful that despite knowing these facts as part of the ruling coalition, the Akalis continued to side with the central government and did not oppose the ordinances during the all-party meeting convened by him and did not even come to the Assembly to vote for the resolution against them, Captain Amarinder said.

Taking a dig at Harsimrat Badals remarks of standing with her `farmer brethren by resigning from the Union Cabinet, Captain Amarinder asked why she forgot that the farmers were her brothers when the Centre brought in the ordinances.

Had SAD stood with his government from the outset and put pressure on their ally, the BJP, the current situation may not have arisen, he added.

Pointing out that it was Punjab and its farmers, who toiled with blood and sweat to make the nation food surplus after being a beggar of food for years, Captain Amarinder said despite being a small state, Punjab saved the nation from going hungry through the years.

Capt AmarinderEven during the Covid pandemic, all the food grain distributed to the poor around the country came from Punjabs godowns, he noted.

The Chief Minister lauded the role of PAU in making India self-sufficient in food grains and said while the Kisan Mela was being held virtually for the first time in its history, on account of the prevailing pandemic, the research universitys support to the farmers amid the pandemic was appreciable.

Earlier, Jakhar congratulated the Chief Minister for ensuring smooth procurement of wheat despite the pandemic, and the excellent management of the Kharif season.

Describing the new legislations as dark clouds looming on the farm sector, Jakhar said there can be no food or nutritional security till farmers have financial security, which the central government was destroying with these new laws.
Amal Clooney has become the highest profile lawyer to quit an official job over her opposition to the British government's suggestion that it could break international law in the event it fails to agree a trade deal with the European Union.

In a letter Friday to British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, the human rights lawyer said she is quitting her role as the U.K.s special envoy on media freedom over the governments lamentable suggestion.

She said she was dismayed to learn that the government intends to pass legislation that would effectively override sections of the Brexit withdrawal agreement that Prime Minister Boris Johnson had himself negotiated.

Although the government has suggested that the violation of international law would be specific and limited, it is lamentable for the U.K. to be speaking of its intention to violate an international treaty signed by the Prime Minister less than a year ago," she said in her letter.

The Internal Market Bill, which is currently being debated by British lawmakers, has led to a furious outcry within the EU as it would diminish the blocs previously agreed oversight of trade between mainland Britain and Northern Ireland if a U.K.-EU trade agreement isnt secured.

Clooney, who married movie star George Clooney in 2014, becomes the latest lawyer to resign over the planned legislation. Richard Keen, the British governments law officer for Scotland, and the head of its legal department, Jonathan Jones, have also quit in the past couple of weeks.

The British government has admitted that the legislation could potentially break international law, but argues that its an insurance policy for that potential no-deal scenario. Johnson has said the legislation is needed to end EU threats to impose a blockade in the Irish Sea that the prime minister asserted could carve up our country.

One major element of the Brexit withdrawal agreement is the section related to ensuring an open border on the island of Ireland to protect the peace process in Northern Ireland. The EU wanted assurances the border would not be used as a back route for unlicensed goods arriving in Ireland from the rest of the U.K.  England, Scotland and Wales. As a result, the two sides agreed there would be some kind of regulatory border between mainland Britain and Northern Ireland, an agreement that the planned legislation could breach.

Clooney said she had accepted the role in April 2019 because she believed in the importance of the cause, and appreciate the significant role that the U.K. has played and can continue to play in promoting the international legal order.

Clooney said she had spoken to Raab about her concerns but that she had received no assurance that any change of position is imminent.

As a result, she said she had no alternative but to resign.

___

Follow APs full coverage of Brexit and British politics at https://www.apnews.com/Brexit
KINROSS, MI  A dog was shot in the upper right front leg in the Upper Peninsula on Thursday, according to police.

The Michigan State Police Sault Ste. Marie Post is investigating possible animal cruelty charges related to the incident that occurred around 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 17, in Kinross, Upper Michigans Source reports.

The person who called police reported a dog had been shot near a residence on West M-80 in Kinross, the report said. They heard five or six gunshots from what may have been a .22 caliber handgun. The dog is being treated for its injuries at Kinross Veterinary Center.

Anyone with information about this incident can contact MSP at 906-632-2217. Anonymous tips can be submitted via the MSP mobile app or Crime Stoppers at 855-906-8477.

READ MORE:

Man arrested for arson in Northern Michigan bar fire

Man, 35, charged with sex crimes, HIV exposure in relation to 12-year-old he met on Snapchat

Michigan man seeking fraudulent $9.8M state tax return charged with multiple felonies

19 businesses penalized over $50K for serious COVID-19 safety violations
The adventures (and mysteries) of Sheriff Walt Longmire continue in the newest novel by Craig Johnson. And Johnson himself, along with actor Lou Diamond Phillips, will be coming to a virtual event at Mechanicsburg Mystery Bookstore on Sept. 24 to get fans excited.

Next to Last Stand is the latest in the Longmire mystery series and is inspired by the Custers Last Fight painting, a historical piece of art that was supposedly destroyed in a fire. But the novel wonders if that was what happened. Sheriff Longmire is on the case.

Lou Diamond Phillips played Henry Standing Bear in the series Longmire when it aired on A&E and on Netflix. Henry is a key character in the show, who often gives Longmire (played by Robert Taylor) advice on how to work the nearby Indian reservation.

Phillips and Johnson will be part of a virtual event at Mechanicsburg Mystery Bookstore at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 24 as part of the book promotion tour. The event is free to attend and will be held on Zoom. Reservations are required. You can reserve your spot by gong to mysterybooksonline.com/craig-johnson-virtual-event. You can purchase the Next to Last Stand book from the store for $23.80 with free shipping before Sept. 26 (provided you use the code LastStand20 at checkout).

The Mechanicsburg store isnt the only Pennsylvania bookstore hosting a virtual event with Johnson. The author will also be appearing for a virtual event at Reads and Company Bookstore in Phoenixville at 7 p.m. Sept. 23, alon with Longmire actors A. Martinez (who plays Jacob Nighthorse) and John Bishop (who plays Bob Barnes). You can learn more abut that event at crowdcast.io.
The test, dubbed CovidNudge, has been shown to have over 94% sensitivity (the ability to correctly identify positive cases) and 100% specificity (the ability to correctly identify negative cases).

It was designed by DnaNudge, an Imperial College London spinout company, and can be performed by the patients bedside, without requiring the use of a laboratory.

The process involves collecting nasal and throat swabs from patients and placing them on to a cartridge which goes into a shoebox-sized machine known as NudgeBox for analysis.

The device then looks for traces of genetic material belonging to the coronavirus.

Last month, the UK government placed a 161 million order for 5.8 million cartridges and 5,000 NudgeBox machines.

Re-cap of our big announcement:



 UK roll-out for rapid, lab-free COVID Nudge tests

 Highly accurate - trials indicating 94.4% sensitivity and 100% specificity

 Authorised by MHRA

 CE-marked for use in care homes and non-clinical settings pic.twitter.com/UK0BwfOLJN Advertisement  DnaNudge (@dnanudge) August 7, 2020

Each machine has the ability to process up to 15 tests on the spot each day.

Graham Cooke, professor of infectious diseases at Imperial College London, evaluated the results of the tests performed on 386 NHS staff and patients using CovidNudge.

The findings have been published in the journal Lancet Microbe.

He described the CovidNudge testing kit as a useful part of the whole puzzle for diagnostics.

He said: This [the test] is particularly well suited for clinical settings when you are trying to make a rapid decision for a patient.

For example, we had a patient from last week who had a new diagnosis of Covid.



Getting accurate results back to clinicians and their patients as quickly as possible makes a huge difference to how we safely manage clinical pathways and we are very much looking forward to rolling this out more widely

We were able to get the diagnosis confirmed within two hours of arriving and start remdesivir and dexamethadone [drugs used to treat severe Covid-19] on that basis  much quicker than we would have been able to with confidence without that.

The test is being used across eight London hospitals and is expected to be rolled out at a national level.

The researchers are also making modifications to the device so the test can simultaneously assess other respiratory diseases alongside Covid-19, such as flu and respiratory syntactical virus.

Dr Bob Klaber, director of strategy, research and innovation at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, said: As an organisation we are focused on using research and innovation to continuously drive improvements to care.

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He added: Getting accurate results back to clinicians and their patients as quickly as possible makes a huge difference to how we safely manage clinical pathways and we are very much looking forward to rolling this out more widely.

Meanwhile, Regius Professor Chris Toumazou, chief executive and co-founder of DnaNudge and founder of the Institute of Biomedical Engineering at Imperial, said that while the test offers very significant potential in terms of mass testing for Covid-19, further studied are needed to demonstrate real-world effectiveness in non-clinical settings.

He said: The platform is well suited to testing in primary care and community settings with potential for use in non-healthcare settings such as care homes, schools, transport hubs, offices, and, to help bring the arts back, in theatres and venues.

While experts have described CovidNudge as promising development, one of the limitations is only a single sample can be analysed at a time  and may not be the answer to mass testing.

Paul Hunter, professor in medicine at University of East Anglia  who was not involved in the study, added: Whether this new technology would be of value on the UK governments Moonshot testing strategy is uncertain.

The big worry is with use of any testing in asymptomatic individuals, a reported feature of this strategy.

Any testing of asymptomatic individuals is likely to yield very low numbers of true positives, probably less than one in 10,000 tests.

When the true incidence is so low then even a small number of false positives from a test could mean that the majority of positive results are false.

We would need to see much larger evaluation studies to get a better understanding of the real specificity.
Stumped? Ask us. The FYI column is designed to let readers email (to news@lufkindailynews.com ) or call in (to 632-6637) questions you want answered, whether about road construction, how-to tips, trivia or other information. You do not have to leave your name. You also can use that email address or phone number to give us a news tip  anonymously, if youd like.
During a visit to the Arab Republic of Egypt, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan gave an interview to Al-Akhbar newspaper and answered questions related to Armenian-Egyptian relations, the Artsakh-Azerbaijan conflict, the role of Turkey in the conflict and other issues.

Question: What is your evaluation of the progress of bilateral relations between Egypt and Armenia?

Answer: Armenian-Egyptian evolving bilateral relations have always been based on mutual respect and sincere friendship. You know Egypt was the first Arabic country to recognize the independence of Armenia and the first Arabic state to host the Armenian Embassy. Since the independence of Armenia, we have managed to achieve a broad range of relations with our Egyptian colleagues. The mere mention of the fact that Armenia and Egypt signed more than 50 agreements in different fields of cooperation. Joint Armenian-Egyptian intergovernmental commission is an effective platform to discuss issues related to our multidimensional cooperation and outline the perspectives of its further expansion and enhancement.

We are encouraged by the recently gained positive dynamics of our political dialogue. Meantime we have been able to outline perspectives of development for our economic and trade affairs: IT, pharmaceutics, creative education, agriculture, etc. The discussion and combining of the positions on regional processes and challenges hold a special place on our agenda.

Our interstate cooperation has been successful and together we achieved important results. However, we feel that our cooperation needs a fresh start to adjust to new global and regional realities, particularly in the situation when we are facing similar if not same challenges in regional security. Today as never before we see that the security between seemingly different regions of Eastern Mediterranean, Middle East, North Africa and even South Caucasus are interrelated.

Question: How can Armenia support Egypt in signing a free trade agreement with the Eurasian Union?

Answer: Armenia expressed its full support to the intention of Egypt to join the free trade zone with the Eurasian Union. And yesterday during the joint press conference with my good friend, Foreign Minister of Egypt Sameh Shoukry I reiterated that support.

In January 2019, when the first round of negotiations kicked off, Mr. Mher Grigoryan, Deputy Prime-Minister of Armenia, expressed our determination to assist and support friendly Egypt to join free trade agreement. We believe that all sides will benefit from deeper partnership within the framework of the above-mentioned agreement. That's why we strive for the soonest conclusion of all the procedures for signing the agreement.

Question: What role do Armenian Egyptians play in promoting relations between Egypt and Armenia?

Answer: Settling in Egypt in different historical periods, Armenians have made their significant contribution to the development and prosperity of the country.

In the very difficult part of our history when the survival of the Armenian people was at stake, Egypt along with other Arab countries received thousands of Armenians fleeing from the horrors of the Genocide in the Ottoman Empire. We will never forget the hospitality that the survivors of Genocide found in Egypt.

Today, the generations of those Armenians continue to live and create in Egypt, they made a significant contribution to the establishment and development of the state institutions of Egypt and we take great pride in that. Being devoted citizens of Egypt, they are at the same time endowed with all the necessary means to preserve their identity, language and traditions. Of course, we are deeply grateful to the Government and the people of Egypt for these efforts and the protection of our people.

The Armenian-Egyptian community, which has about ten thousand members, is an important bridge between the two friendly countries. The existence of the Armenian-Egyptian community became a fertile ground for the development of inter-state relations between the two countries.

Question: What are the reasons for the recent clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan?

Answer: There are many reasons, but the underlying reason is that this is a renewed attempt by Azerbaijan to impose unilateral concessions on Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh through use of force and threat of force. But what is more important in this regard, is that it was a miscalculation by Azerbaijani side which showed that their current capacities do not match with their well-known intentions.

It was an attempt by Azerbaijani side to show a military advantage over Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, which indeed was a failed one. The July battles demonstrated Armenias capacities to defend itself, its population and its borders. Moreover, the July battles vividly demonstrated that there can be no military solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Question: What is the Turkish role in fueling the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan?

Answer: We have been witnessing Turkeys destabilizing role not only in our region but in all other neighboring regions. The projection of power, intrusion and interference in the South Caucasian region do not contribute in any way to the peaceful resolution of the conflict and to regional peace, security and stability.

During the battles in July, Turkey has been the only country that was taking a one-sided supporting and fueling the maximalist approaches of Azerbaijan. That support was accompanied by a very aggressive approach toward Armenia and the Armenian people:

First, Turkey publically encourages Azerbaijan to take a harder stance against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh by openly communicating its support, including in military matters.

Second, Turkey came up with military posturing against Armenia by initiating large scale military exercises in the vicinity of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh with very provocative moves.

Third, there is ongoing Turkish military build-up in Azerbaijan, which is strengthening and expanding their presence thereon.

Fourth, there are reports of recruitment of foreign terrorist fighters in Syria with aim to be transferred to Azerbaijan.

We saw the outcome of similar behavior of Turkey in other regions which inflicted immense suffering on the people living in those regions. Thus, we have to be very vigilant in maintaining and strengthening regional peace and security.

Question: Do you consider Turkey's statements in response to recognition of the Armenian Genocide from several countries, including the US Congress, the French Senate and others?

Answer: What we consider and what should be considered is the fact that Turkeys policy of denial of the Armenian Genocide has failed particularly in recent times. The new wave of recognition of the Armenian Genocide has been marked by both continuity and change on the perception of this issue.

This struggle for truth, historic justice and human rights has been ongoing for several decades in all continents. However, there is new emerging important dimension in recognition of the Armenian Genocide and that is the security threats posed by Turkey to its neighboring regions and peoples. Nobody wants history to repeat itself again and again and we need to acknowledge not merely the past but to prevent recurrences of new atrocities today and in future. A state and its leadership who justifies Genocide and supports terrorist groups engaged in identity based atrocities is threat which needs to be clearly defined as such.

Question: Azerbaijan accused Russia of arming Armenia. What is your comment?

Answer: Armenia and Russia are allies and our relations are developing based on the logic of allied relationship. Russia is a main supplier of military equipment and armaments to Azerbaijan as well and thus these accusations neither justified nor sincere.

Question: This is your first official visit to the Middle East. What are your main priorities in the region?

Answer: Throughout the years Armenia has developed excellent relations with many countries in the region to which it is connected culturally and historically including via presence of the Armenian communities.

Economic, educational and cultural cooperation remain an important area which brings our people together in sharing values, generating knowledge and wealth.

Throughout these years, Armenia has established a strong tradition of humanitarian cooperation in the region. We expressed our readiness to build a secure environment by carrying out peacekeeping and humanitarian missions in the region.

Last but not least, security between the Middle East and the South Caucasus is interrelated. Therefore, we need stronger cooperation in this field including in countering transnational threats.
U.S. Customs officers stand beside a sign saying that the US border is closed at the US-Canada border in Lansdowne, Ontario, on March 22, 2020. (Lars Hagberg/AFP via Getty Images)

US-Canada-Mexico Border Restriction Extended for Another Month: DHS

The United States will keep its borders with Canada and Mexico closed for non-essential travel until at least Oct. 21, said the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Friday.

We continue to work with our Canadian and Mexican partners to slow the spread of #COVID19. Accordingly, we have agreed to extend the limitation of non-essential travel at our shared land ports of entry through October 21, acting Secretary Chad Wolf wrote.

The border has been closed for six months because of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic.

The U.S.-Canada land border serves as an economic engine that supports over $1.7 billion (USD) dollars in daily cross-border trade. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States and Canada are temporarily restricting all non-essential travel across its borders. In each of our countries, we are encouraging people to exercise caution by avoiding unnecessary contact with others. This collaborative and reciprocal measure is an extension of that prudent approach, said the DHS in a news release in August.

Non-essential travel includes transportation for tourism or recreation.

The news release said that the United States and Canada both recognize it is critical we preserve supply chains between both countries.

These supply chains ensure that food, fuel, and life-saving medicines reach people on both sides of the border. Supply chains, including trucking, will not be impacted by this new measure. Americans and Canadians also cross the land border every day to do essential work or for other urgent or essential reasons, and that travel will not be impacted, according to the DHS.

The continuation of the travel ban does not cover trade or travel by air. It was first imposed in March and has been rolled over several times. The current range of restrictions runs out on Sept. 21 before it was extended Friday.

Statistics Canada said last week that U.S. visits to Canada by automobile had plummeted by more than 95 percent in August compared to August 2019. Canadas tourism industry says it faces disaster unless Ottawa steps in to help.

Last week, the United States recorded about 37,000 new cases of the CCP virus, also known as the novel coronavirus, per day in the last week. Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New Jersey, South Carolina, Kentucky, West Virginia, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, Wyoming, and Washington have reported increases in cases in recent days, officials said.

But Europe has seen a significant uptick in CCP virus cases in recent weeks. World Health Organization (WHO) regional director Dr. Hans Kluge said that the regions tally exceeded 300,000 patients.

More than half of European countries have reported a greater than 10 percent increase in cases in the past two weeks. Of those, seven countries have seen newly reported cases increase more than two-fold in the same period, he said this week.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Going to a nearby nature destination has become, in 2020s cultural parlance, the sourdough starter kit of vacations. The trend is evident on Airbnb, where U.S. travelers this past Labor Day weekend booked cabins at more than double the rate of last year, while its apartment rentals fell by half. Meanwhile more than half of all bookings made in May were for rentals within 200 miles of a guests origin (a round trip generally doable on one tank of gas), compared with a third of all bookings before the pandemic in February.
Ive got a public health expert team that are advising me when its appropriate to extend testing beyond those that are immediately symptomatic, Michael Arthur, the president and provost at UCL. So I think were reasonably confident if we do have an outbreak  and Im sure we will have, were just playing with statistics  that we can move in and contain it very rapidly.
US Under Secretary of State Keith Krach exits a plane upon arrival at the air force base airport in Taipei (Pool Photo via AP Photo)

Chinas military sent 18 planes including fighter jets over the Taiwan Strait in an unusually large show of force on Friday as a US envoy held a day of closed-door meetings on the self-governing island claimed by China.

Under Secretary of State Keith Krach, who handles the economic growth, energy and the environment portfolio, held talks with Taiwans minister of economic affairs and vice premier.

He also met with business leaders over lunch and was to dine with President Tsai Ing-wen later on Friday.

In response to Mr Krachs visit, the Eastern Theatre Command of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army held combat exercises near the Taiwan Strait, in at least the second round of war games this month aimed at intimidating supporters of the islands independent identity.

Expand Close US Under Secretary of State Keith Krach upon arrival at an airforce base in Taipei, Taiwan (Pool Photo via AP) / Facebook

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Taiwans defence ministry said two bombers and 16 fighter jets from China crossed into Taiwans air defence identification zone. It said it scrambled jets in response and monitored the movements of the Chinese planes.

Chinese defence ministry spokesperson Ren Guoqiang called the drills a legitimate and necessary action taken in response to the current situation across the Taiwan Straits to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Recently, the US and (Taiwans ruling) Democratic Progressive Party authorities have stepped up their collusion and frequently stir up troubles, Mr Ren told reporters on Friday morning.

Whether it is using Taiwan to contain China or relying on foreign powers to threaten others, it is wishful thinking and is destined to be a dead end.

In a brief message on its microblog, the Eastern Theatre Command said the exercises involved naval and air force units in the Taiwan Strait aimed at gauging their ability to carry out joint operations.

Expand Close Keith Krach is due to meet President Tsai Ing-wen and other senior officials (Taiwan Presidential Office via AP) / Facebook

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Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs also defended the move.

Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said China has the firm will, full confidence and sufficient ability to thwart all external interference and separatist actions by Taiwan independence forces.

Beijing views Taiwan as part of its own territory and strongly opposes any type of formal interaction between other countries and the self-ruled island democracy.

Mr Krachs trip follows a visit in August by US health secretary Alex Azar, the highest-level US Cabinet official to visit since the US switched formal relations from Taiwan to China in 1979.

It is one of a series of moves by the Trump administration to strengthen relations with Taiwan, including stepped-up arms sales and support for the islands participation in international forums.

Before Mr Krachs arrival, the US ambassador to the United Nations, Kelly Craft, had lunch on Wednesday with Taiwans top official in New York, in a meeting she called historic.

On Saturday, the last day of his visit, Mr Krach will also attend a memorial service for former President Lee Teng-hui, who led the islands transition to democracy and died at age 97 in July.

Analysts say the Chinese military response is a clear message to the US to stop what it is doing, since the Chinese side took similar actions when the US health secretary visited in August.

I think the Chinese are using this tool to try and stop the kind-of diplomatic relationship between the US and Taiwan. Its very clear from them, said Alfred Wu, associate professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore.

Tensions between Washington and Beijing have already reached high levels as the governments spar over the coronavirus pandemic, trade, technology, Hong Kong and the South China Sea.

Taiwan said Chinese warplanes entered its airspace over two days last week during large-scale war games that it called a serious provocation to Taiwan and a grave threat to regional peace and stability.

Such actions by the Chinese military threaten the entire region, it said, calling on the international community to respond.

Despite the frequency of the exercises, analysts said it does not mean imminent war.

The signal from Beijing is very, very clear, but does that mean a prelude to war? No, far from it, said Chong-Pin Lin, a former deputy defence minister in Taiwan.

China cut contacts with Taiwans government following Ms Tsais 2016 election. She was reelected by a large margin this year and her Democratic Progressive Party maintained its majority in the legislature.
A Nigerian who allegedly committed robberies and rape with three other accomplices in Ghana and absconded has been put before an Accra Circuit Court.



Asuquo Mbuotidem Edem, a.k.a Faith, a businessman, was arrested from his hideout in Nigeria with the assistance of International Police (INTERPOL) and escorted to Ghana to answer to his robberies and rape cases.



Edem, together with Damascus Israel Nana Akyene, a driver while Daniel Akpan a.k.a Danny and Bassey Okon, both businessmen were alleged to have robbed an estate developer and his family at Westlands.



Following the arrest of Edem, the Prosecution further amended the charge sheet and the accused persons were retaken before the Court presided over by Mrs. Afua Owusua Appiah.



The accused persons have been charged with nine counts of conspiracy to commit crime to wit robbery, robbery, conspiracy to commit crime to wit unlawful entry and possession of firearms, possessing instruments intended for unlawful entry, unlawful entry and possession of firearms without authority.



They pleaded not guilty. The Court remanded them into Police custody to reappear on October 1.



Prosecuting Chief Inspector Simon Apiosormu narrated that the complainants (names withheld) were an estate developer, his wife and sister-in-law. They all reside in the same house.



Chief Inspector Apiosornu said Akyene resided at Kakraba while the rest of the accused persons resided at Kwashieman in Accra.



On February 22 last year, at about 1230am, accused persons proceeded to Westlands, Accra. They armed themselves with pistols and other implements including an industrial cutter, a metal bar, a cutlass and entered complainants house by scaling the wall.



The accused persons ordered the complainants to surrender their valuable items including money, jewellery, wrist watches, camera and other personal effects or else they would shoot them.



Prosecution said for fear of their lives, the complainants obliged. Afterwards, they marched the estate developer at gun point and ransacked the various cars.



In the process, they took away the estate developers Heckler pistol, GH3,000.00 and USD 600 from the complainants Mercedes Benz.



The accused persons took turns to rape one of the victims in the house. Afterwards, the accused persons bolted and the complainants reported the issue to the Police at Westlands.



Prosecution said on March 9 last year, the Criminal Investigations Department headquarters was conducting investigations into the arrest of Akyene, who was said to have been involved in another robbery and rape of six British Nationals at Kokrobite.



After Akyenes arrest, he admitted the offence and led the Police to the house of Akpon and Okon and they were arrested.



Akpon led the Police to Edems house but he was not available. During Police interrogations, they confessed to the robberies and various rape incidents including that of the estate developers case.



Accused persons also led the Police to the various houses of their victims including that of the complainants.



Prosecution said the complainants were therefore invited to the Anti Armed Robbery Unit of the CID Headquarters.



During investigations, the accused persons revealed that they kept the various implements and weapons used in committing the robberies in a refuse dump in Haatso.



The accused persons led the Police to the said refuse dump in a bush along the Agbogba-Haatso road where three pistols including that of the complainants and the implements they used in committing the various robberies were retrieved.



Prosecution said on March 15 last year, an identification parade was conducted at the CID Headquarters and Akyene was identified.



On August 21 this year, Prosecution said Edem who was at large was arrested from his hideout in Nigeria with the assistance of INTERPOL and escorted to Ghana.

Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The three bills will now be tabled in Rajya Sabha and become laws after the Upper House also passes them

Hisar: Farmers stage a protest over their various demands, in front of Mini Secretariat in Hisar district, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020. (PTI)

The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill. It has already passed Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill.

The three bills will now be tabled in Rajya Sabha and become laws after the Upper House also passes them. They will replace ordinances promulgated by the Union government.

The two bills were passed by voice vote in Lok Sabha earlier in the evening amid protests by Opposition parties, with Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal also vehemently opposing them, calling these measures as anti-farmers. The SAD's lone member in the Union Cabinet, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, also quit the government, accusing it of not taking farmers on board.

Hailing the passage of three farm sector bills in Lok Sabha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi described these proposed legislations as historic and asserted that they will rid farmers and the farm sector of middlemen and other bottlenecks.

In a subtle dig at the Opposition, Modi claimed that many forces were trying to "mislead" farmers and assured the farming community that minimum support price (MSP) and government procurement of their produce will continue along with a lot of new opportunities for them.

It is to be noted that farmers in Haryana and Punjab, two of India's biggest agriculture hubs, have been opposing the Bill, claiming that the latest amendments will encourage hoarding by big farmers but marginalise smaller players.

Farmers protesting against the newly-passed Bills have also noted that they are only likely to enhance the corporatisation of the agriculture sector, leading to reduction of farmers' bargaining power and crippling them financially.
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The World Health Organization is holding a briefing Friday on the coronavirus pandemic, which has infected more than 30.2 million people worldwide and killed at least 946,800 people, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Parts of Europe are reporting worrying resurgences of the virus that have seen France and Spain both hit record highs of new coronavirus cases. Hospitalizations and deaths are rising in those countries as well, but slowly, as the virus is now spreading among more younger people.

"There are some worrying trends that we're starting to see," Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, head of the WHO's emerging diseases and zoonosis unit, said Wednesday. "What is really worrying I think for us is that we're not only seeing an increase in the case numbers, but we're seeing an increase in the hospitalizations. We're seeing increases in ICUs."

Israel on Friday entered a second nationwide lockdown, shuttering restaurants, hotels, gyms and more, amid soaring new cases and as the Jewish High Holiday season begins. WHO's regional director for Europe, Dr. Hans Kluge, on Thursday called the rise in cases across the continent "a very serious situation."

"More than half of European countries have reported a greater-than-10% increase in cases in the past two weeks. Of those countries, seven have seen newly reported cases increase more than twofold in the same period," he said.

Read CNBC's live updates to see the latest news on the Covid -19 outbreak.
To the Times:

Consistent in its failure to report events objectively, the mainstream media has long since lost all credibility. It has become the propaganda arm of the Democratic Party and will not report anything that might adversely affect that partys chances in November.

Rampaging mobs are ruining our cities. They loot, burn, destroy property, attack police and anyone else who gets in their way while the elected officials, sworn to maintain law and order, fail to perform their duties.

The Democratic Party leadership must also be held accountable for these excesses, as evidenced by its failure to condemn such activities. Indeed, their vice presidential nominee, Kamala Harris, has spoken out in support of them, having stated, These demonstrations are part of an important movement and should continue, even after the election. Its hard to imagine that anyone in her position would say something so irresponsible.

We are facing another another ominous threat by radical leftists who want to totally transform America and take down our most cherished institutions. They arent happy living here in the country with the greatest system of government ever devised, and still the place where many of the worlds people would choose to live, given the opportunity.

But those who hate the way our country is structured are determined to change it so theyre proposing some wonderful things: The Green New Deal, open borders, free health care and voting rights for illegals, defunding the police, and revamping the criminal justice system. Those are just for starters. There are many more horrendous ideas in the pipeline.
Regulatory News:

Not for release, publication or distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States, Canada, Australia or Japan. This press release is not intended as an offer and is for informational purpose only

Sensorion (Paris:ALSEN) (FR0012596468 ALSEN the "Company") a pioneering clinical-stage biotechnology company which specializes in the development of novel therapies to restore, treat and prevent within the field of hearing loss disorders announces today the success of its previously announced capital increase. The Company has placed 18,236,000 new ordinary shares with a nominal value of 0.10 each (the "New Shares"), for total gross proceeds of approximately 31 million by means of an accelerated bookbuild offering to the benefit of categories of persons (the "Reserved Offering

The issue price of the New Shares is 1.70 per share, representing a 3.5% discount to the weighted average share price on the day preceding the date on which the issuance price is set, which was 1.76, in accordance with the 12th resolution of the extraordinary general meeting of shareholders of the Company held on May 20, 2020. The Reserved Offering is expected to close on or about September 22, 2020.

The Reserved Offering was conducted by Jefferies International Limited ("Jefferies"), as Sole Global Coordinator and Joint Bookrunner, and Bryan, Garnier Co and Kempen Co, as Joint Bookrunners (together with Jefferies, the "Placing Agents"). Chardan is acting as Lead Manager. Namsen Capital is acting as equity capital markets advisor.

The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Reserved Offering to develop its current gene therapy programs (OTOF and USHER), potentially broaden its gene therapy pipeline, support its pharmacology, clinical studies for the phase 3 development of SENS-401 and for working capital as well as general corporate purposes.

Following the issuance of the New Shares, the Company's total share capital will be 7,679,905.20 euros equal to 76,799,052 shares, each with a par value of 0.10. Based on its forecasted expenses, the cash at December 31, 2019 and the net proceeds from the present offering the Company believes it will be able to fund its operations into end of Q3 2022.

On an illustrative basis, a shareholder holding 1% of the Company's share capital before the Reserved Offering and who did not participate in the Reserved Offering will now hold 0.8% of the Company's share capital after the Reserved Offering. To the Company's knowledge, the shareholding structure, on a non-diluted base, before and after the Reserved Offering breaks down as follows:

Shareholders Number of shares before the Reserved Offering (1) % of the share capital before the Reserved Offering % of voting rights before the Reserved Offering Number of shares after the Reserved Offering (1) % of share capital after the Reserved Offering % of voting rights after the Reserved Offering Subscription (in ) Inserm Transfert Inititiative 982,911 1.68% 1.68% 982,911 1.28% 1.28% Innobio (Bpifrance) 3,499,874 5.98% 5.98% 3,499,874 4.56% 4.56% Management, employees and directors 160,000 0.27% 0.27% 160,000 0.21% 0.21% Cochlear 533,755 0.91% 0.91% 533,755 0.70 0.70% Invus Public Equities LP 20,608,063 35.19% 35.19% 26,490,415 34.49% 34.49% 9,999,998 Sofinnova Partners 11,822,258 20.19% 20.19% 15,469,458 20.14% 20.14% 6,200,240 WuXi AppTec 4,055,150 6.92% 6.92% 5,249,608 6.84% 6.84% 2,030,579 3SBio 4,055,150 6.92% 6.92% 4,055,150 5.28% 5.28% Free Float 12,845,891 21.94% 21.94% 20,357,881 26.51% 26.51% Total 58,563,052 100% 100% 76,799,052 100% 100% 18,230,817

(1)To the Company's knowledge and based on the last analysis from August 2020.

Invus Public Equities LP, and Sofinnova Partners subscribed to the capital increase, for a total amount of 16.2 million, which represents 9,529,552 new shares or 52% of the total number of new shares issued as part of this capital increase.

The New Shares will be admitted to trading on the non-regulated market of Euronext Growth in Paris upon their settlement and delivery, which is expected to occur on or about September 22, 2020. They will be listed under the same code as the Company's existing ordinary shares (ISIN FR0012596468), carry dividend rights as from their issue date and be immediately fungible in all respects with the Company's existing shares.

The Reserved Offering was not subject to a prospectus to be approved by the French financial markets authority (Autorite des marches financiers the "AMF

In connection with the Reserved Offering, the Company has entered into a lock-up agreement restricting the issuance of additional ordinary shares for a period ending 90 days after the execution of the placement and underwriting agreement entered into between the Company and the Placing Agents (the "Placement Agreement"), subject to customary exceptions. The Company's management, Board members and shareholders represented on the Board of Directors, who hold ordinary shares of the Company, are also subject to a lock-up for a period of 90 days after the execution of the Placement Agreement, subject to customary exceptions.

Pursuant to the placement and underwriting agreement entered between the Company and the Placing Agents, the settlement and delivery of the part of the Reserved Offering placed with investors outside of the U.S. is guaranteed by the Placing Agents.

Risk Factors

The Company draws the public's attention to the risk factors related to the Company and its activities presented in section I.3 of the Rapport financier annuel for the year ended December 31, 2019, which is available free of charge on the website of the Company (www.sensorion-pharma.com).

In addition, investors are invited to consider the following risks: (i) the market price for the Company's shares may fluctuate and fall below the subscription price of the shares issued pursuant to the Reserved Offering, (ii) the volatility and liquidity of the Company's shares may fluctuate significantly, (iii) sales of the Company's shares may occur on the market and have a negative impact on the market price of the shares, and (iv) the Company's shareholders could undergo a potentially material dilution resulting from any future capital increases that are needed to finance the Company.

About Sensorion

Sensorion is a pioneering clinical-stage biotech company, which specializes in the development of novel therapies to restore, treat and prevent within the field of hearing loss disorders. Its clinical-stage portfolio includes one Phase 2 product: SENS- 401 (Arazasetron) for sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). Sensorion has built a unique R&D technology platform to expand its understanding of the pathophysiology and etiology of inner ear related diseases enabling it to select the best targets and modalities for drug candidates. The Company is also working on the identification of biomarkers to improve diagnosis of these underserved illnesses. In the second half of 2019, Sensorion launched two preclinical gene therapy programs aiming at correcting hereditary monogenic forms of deafness including Usher Type 1 and deafness caused by a mutation of the gene encoding for Otoferlin. The Company is uniquely placed, through its platforms and pipeline of potential therapeutics, to make a lasting positive impact on hundreds of thousands of people with inner ear related disorders, a significant global unmet medical need.

http://www.sensorion-pharma.com

Label: SENSORION

ISIN: FR0012596468

Mnemonic: ALSEN

Disclaimer

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy ordinary shares of the Company, and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of that jurisdiction.

This announcement is an advertisement and not a prospectus within the meaning of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2017, as amended (the "Prospectus Regulation

In France, the Reserved Offering described above took place solely as a placement to a category of institutional investors, in accordance with Article L. 225-138 of the "Code de commerce" and applicable regulations.

With respect to Member States of the European Economic Area (including France), no action has been taken or will be taken to permit a public offering of the securities referred to in this press release which would require the publication of a prospectus (pursuant to article 3 of the Prospectus Regulation) in any Member State.

This press release and the information it contains is not an offer to sell, nor the solicitation of an offer to subscribe for or buy, New Shares in the United States or any other jurisdiction where restrictions may apply including notably Canada, Australia or Japan. Securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration under the Securities Act or an exemption from registration thereunder. Sensorion does not intend to register the New Shares under the Securities Act or conduct a public offering of the New Shares in France, the United States, or in any other jurisdiction.

This communication is being distributed only to, and is directed only at (a) persons outside the United Kingdom, (b) persons who have professional experience in matters relating to investments falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the "Order"), and (c) high net worth entities, and other persons to whom it may otherwise lawfully be communicated, falling within Article 49(2) 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 should not act or rely on this communication or any of its contents.

Solely for the purposes of each manufacturer's product approval process, the target market assessment in respect of the New Shares has led to the conclusion in relation to the type of clients criteria only that: (i) the type of clients to whom the New Shares are targeted is eligible counterparties, professional clients and retail clients, each as defined in Directive 2014/65/EU, as amended ("MiFID II"); and (ii) all channels for distribution of the New Shares to eligible counterparties, professional clients and retail clients are appropriate. Any person subsequently offering, selling or recommending the New Shares (a "distributor") should take into consideration the manufacturers' type of clients assessment; however, a distributor subject to MiFID II is responsible for undertaking its own target market assessment in respect of the New Shares (by either adopting or refining the manufacturers' type of clients assessment) and determining appropriate distribution channels. For the avoidance of doubt, even if the target market includes retail clients, the Placing Agents have decided they will only procure investors for the New Shares who meet the criteria of eligible counterparties and professional clients.

This distribution of this press release may be subject to legal or regulatory restrictions in certain jurisdictions. Any person who comes into possession of this press release must inform him or herself of and comply with any such restrictions.

This press release has not been independently verified and no representation or warranty, express or implied, is made or given by or on behalf of any of the Placing Agents or any of their parent or subsidiary undertakings, or the subsidiary undertakings of any such parent undertakings, or any of such person's respective directors, officers, employees, agents, affiliates or advisers, as to, and no reliance should be placed on, the accuracy, completeness or fairness of the information or opinions contained in this press release and no responsibility or liability is assumed by any such persons for any such information or opinions or for any errors or omissions. All information presented or contained in this press release is subject to verification, correction, completion and change without notice.

The Placing Agents are acting exclusively for the Company and no one else in connection with the Reserved Offering and will not regard any other person (whether or not a recipient of this press release) as their client in relation to the Reserved Offering and will not be responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to their client nor for providing advice in relation to the proposed Reserved Offering. Jefferies is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200917006064/en/

Contacts:

Sophie Baumont

LifeSci Advisors

sophie@lifesciadvisors.com

+33 6 27 74 74 49
Nicola Sturgeon is to consider new restrictions over the weekend - Getty Images Europe

Nicola Sturgeon has warned Scots to prepare for a swathe of new nationwide lockdown restrictions next week as a "circuit break" to stop the resurgence of coronavirus.

The First Minister said "hard but necessary" decisions may be needed in the coming days to prevent a second full lockdown and the country is at "probably the most critical point" since the first one was imposed in late March.

She said she would decide the next steps for Scotland over the weekend and disclosed she had asked the Prime Minister to convene a Cobra meeting for a UK-wide discussion.

Both Ms Sturgeon and Boris Johnson are considering a 'circuit breaker' plan, which would see curfews and restrictions on activities for at least a fortnight and probably longer.

Although not as draconian as a full lockdown, it is hoped the move would have a sharp impact on breaking the chain of transmission and stopping the recent surge in cases.

Pubs and restaurants could be ordered to close altogether or have their hours severely restricted but schools would remain open. Shops and non-essential workplaces may also not be forced to close again.

This from @devisridhar is important. If we need to tighten restrictions, it will be in the interests of trying to keep the virus under control while avoiding another full scale lockdown - and crucially keeping children in education https://t.co/OAyqUj9Mdp  Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) September 18, 2020

Speaking at her daily briefing, Ms Sturgeon said that "whether you call it a circuit breaker or a fire breaker...that is the kind of thing that I think were all thinking about just now."

She said that all four home nations were facing "broadly the same challenge" and argued the key question was "how do we act quickly, early, decisively to stop a deteriorating situation getting worse and instead really push it back, or to the right track again?"

Story continues

The First Minister also urged Scots not to cross the border to visit the North East of England, where major curbs have already been introduced, and for people from those areas to stay out of Scotland.

Her warning came as she disclosed 203 more Scottish cases had been recorded in the preceding 24 hours and another death.

Ms Sturgeon said the proportion of tests coming back positive had risen to 4.4 per cent - just below the World Health Organisation's five per cent threshold for the virus no longer being under control.

The R number - the average number of people each carrier infects - is estimated to be above one and as high as 1.4 in Scotland. This compared to between one and 1.2 across the UK.

While relatively few "older, more vulnerable people" have contracted the virus in recent weeks, the First Minister warned "that picture is also beginning to change."

In late June Ms Sturgeon said Scotland was "not far away" from eliminating Covid-19 but the number of cases has since surged to the highest level since the start of May.

She said Scotland is now "broadly" four weeks behind France and urgent action must be taken so "we don't end up where they are now", with around 10,000 cases a day and hundreds of people in intensive care.

This is a very serious moment. Coronavirus is accelerating. We will do what it takes to keep people safe. pic.twitter.com/rTiDax1FA6  Matt Hancock (@MattHancock) September 18, 2020

More than 1.75 million people in the west of Scotland are already barred from visiting other households following a spike in cases linked to indoor family gatherings and house parties.

But cases have continued to increase nationally despite Ms Sturgeon issuing a new edict limiting all gatherings to six people, excluding the under-12s, and two households.

The First Minister said: "First and foremost, we need to act to interrupt that exponential growth. No one wants to see another full-scale lockdown."

She added: "So, I am today giving the nation advance notice, that the coming days are likely to see some hard but necessary decisions."

Ms Sturgeon warned "doing nothing almost certainly isnt an option" and the good news is "we do still have time to prevent" a second full lockdown.

Warning this weekend will be "critical", she said: "Do we need to have more national restrictions? These are the decisions that we will be pondering and trying to come to conclusions on over the next few days."

Asked how long any 'circuit break' measures would have to last, she added: "It can take a period of weeks to know whether something you start doing today has an effect."

Jason Leitch, Scotland's national clinical director, also warned that nationwide restrictions must be considered to stop the virus as "now we are beginning to see it everywhere - the fires are beginning to light."

A sign is put up at the new walk-through testing centre at Glasgow Caledonian University - Getty Images Europe

Around two million people in the North East of England up to the Scottish border, including Newcastle, County Durham and Northumberland, were banned on Thursday from meeting people from outside their households. Restaurants and pubs in the area must shut at 10pm.

Ms Sturgeon said Scots should not travel to areas that are under restrictions and people in the North East of England "shouldn't come to other parts of the UK."

Mark Woolhouse, professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh, said an "optimistic" aim of 'circuit break' restrictions could be to drive down the R number and reduce the incidence of new infections by half for a short period.

After two weeks the rate of new cases would be expected to increase again, he warned, but it would take time to return to the level seen before measures were introduced.

He said: "The expectation is that all this will buy several weeks of time which could be used, for example, to improve the performance of the test, trace and isolate system."
Armenian News - NEWS.am presents a daily digest of Armenia-related top news as of 18.09.2020:

As of 11 am on Friday, 239 new cases of the coronavirus were confirmed in Armenia, and the total number of these cases has reached 46,910.

Also, one more death from COVID-19 was registered, making the respective total 926 cases.

The number of people who have recovered over the past one day is 138, the total respective number so far is 42,369, and the number of people currently being treated is 3,330.

A total of 255,927 COVID-19 tests have been performed to date.

Another shooting took place on the Azerbaijan-Iran border, leaving one dead.

Citing the State Border Guard Service, APA reported that border guards noticed two trespassers. After gunshots fired by border guards at the trespassers who failed to obey the command, one of the contrabands was killed, and the other managed to hide. During the inspection, the border guards found two bags of nearly 15 kg of a narcotic drug, as well as a rifle.

Through the undertaken measures, resident of Beylagan region Mamedov Adish Javadoglu was arrested, and border guards found and seized 10 bottles of alcohol.

The Board of Trustees of the St. Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church of San Francisco, California, announced on Thursday that around 4 a.m. the building adjacent to the church was set ablaze by arsonists, Asbarez reported.

The building housed Vasbouragan Hall, as well as offices for St. Gregory Armenian Church and various organizations. The San Francisco Fire Department responded immediately, however, the building has suffered a great loss, said the church board of trustees.

A 17-year-old female resident of Yerevan was transferred to a hospital with the diagnosis of complete blindness after receiving the Gardasil vaccine, Pastinfo Armenian newspaper reported.

A Pastinfos insiders affirm that the girl was transferred to the hospital with neurological issues, but after undergoing a checkup, there were no neurological issues.

According to the information transmitted to Pastinfo, the girl was blinded right after receiving the Gardasil vaccine at the polyclinic of Armenia Medical Center in Yerevan.

Seda, a 30-year-old new mother, has died at a Yerevan hospital.

Her relatives told Armenian News-NEWS.am that Sedas pregnancy had passed without any issues, she herself had gone to the hospital Thursday morning, but hours later, they could not contact her.

The new mothers family still does not know what caused her death. Seda's first newborn is a girl, and she is doing fine.

In a conversation with Armenian News-NEWS.am, the said hospitals staff confirmed the reports of her death, adding that they will issue a respective statement.

A group of Armenias entrepreneurs who are importing and selling clothes and shoes is staging a protest in front of the main building of the government.

They complain about the recent changes made in the Customs Code, as a result of which they have to clear their imported goods from customs in Armenia at a higher duty.

The demonstrators noted that in this case, they will have to sell their products at prices that are six times more expensive, whereas the buyers cannot afford them.

President of the Court of Cassation of Armenia, Yervand Khundkaryan, has issued a statement.

The statement notes, in particular, that on Tuesday, Khundkaryan was elected a judge of the Constitutional Court by the National Assembly, and therefore he is hereby resigning as President of the Court of Cassation and as a judge of the Civil and Administrative Chamber of the Court; terminating his membership in the Union of Judges of Armenia, at the same time resigning from the post of the Chairman of the Union; and is resigns from his position as Chairman and Member of the Governing Board of the Academy of Justice of Armenia.
San Francisco, Sep 18 : In an effort to help researchers find useful health data to fight new coronavirus, Google has added its Search Trends symptoms dataset, which aggregates anonymised search trends for over 400 symptoms, to its Covid-19 Open Data repository.

This will help researchers better understand the spread of Covid-19 and its potential secondary health impacts.

Lack of access to useful high-quality data has posed a significant challenge, and much of the publicly available data is scattered, incomplete, or compiled in many different formats.

"To help researchers spend more of their time understanding the disease instead of wrangling data, we've developed a set of tools and processes to make it simpler for researchers to discover and work with normalized high-quality public datasets," Katherine Chou, Director of Product Management, Google Health said on Thursday.

The Covid-19 Open Data repository is a comprehensive, open-source resource of epidemiological data and related variables like economic indicators or population statistics from over 50 countries.

Each data source contains information on its origin, and how it's processed so that researchers can confirm its validity and reliability.

The Covid-19 models need to account for uncertainty in order for their predictions to be reliable and useful.

"To help address this challenge, we're providing researchers examples of how to implement bespoke epidemiological models using TensorFlow Probability (TFP), a library for building probabilistic models that can measure confidence in their own predictions," Google informed.

With TFP, researchers can use a range of data sources with different granularities, properties, or confidence levels, and factor that uncertainty into the overall prediction models.

This could be particularly useful in fine-tuning the increasingly complex models that epidemiologists are using to understand the spread of Covid-19, particularly in gaining city or county-level insights when only state or national-level datasets exist.

Google researchers have also developed an open-source agent-based simulator that utilises real-world data to simulate populations to help public health organisations fine tune their exposure notification parameters.

The Covid-19 Open Data repository also includes two Google datasets developed to help researchers study the impact of the disease in a privacy-preserving manner.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
A Deputy Minister of Health, Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye, has commended health workers for their dedication to duty, especially in the management of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.



He said even though their effort had led to a decline in the rate of infections, the pandemic had unveiled the challenges and risks health workers faced globally, including the contraction of infections, violence, stigma and psychological and emotional trauma.



The minister, who made the commendation at this years World Patient Safety Day celebration in Kumasi yesterday, expressed concern over the way many health workers worldwide had contracted the disease, with some losing their lives in the line of duty.



The theme for the celebration was: Health worker safety: A priority for patient safety.



Dr. Okoe Boye also said the pandemic had exerted unprecedented pressure on health workers and created a stressful environment which made them prone to errors, sometimes in the management of cases.



Notwithstanding the pressures, he said, the pandemic had helped Ghana to increase its polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing capacity from 1,200 to 600,000 a day.



Objective



The minister said the objective of the global celebration was to raise awareness of the importance of health workers and patients safety.



It was also to engage multiple stakeholders and adopt multi-modal strategies to improve the safety of health workers and patients, he said.



It was also to create an avenue for the implementation of urgent and sustainable actions which recognised and invested in the safety of health workers as a corrective approach for patient safety, he added.



Patients safety



The Medical Director of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Prof. Baffour Kofi Opoku, defined patient safety as the prevention of harm to patients or freedom from accidental or preventable injuries produced by medical care.



In ensuring patients safety, he said, emphasis must be placed on the system of care that prevents errors, learns from the errors that unfortunately do occur and utilises the lessons learnt to improve on the system.



He said KATH, in 2003, had established a quality assurance unit, headed by a deputy director, to receive complaints, address problems and also ensure the usage of standard operating procedures and guidelines in the management of patients.



Pharmaceutical Society



In a statement to commemorate the day, the President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana (PSGH), Mr. Benjamin Kwame Botwe, said the pharmacist-to-population ratio in Ghana, which is about 1:15,000, was far below the WHO recommendation of 1:2,000.



He said pharmacists equally faced workplace hazards, which were amplified during this period of the COVID-19 pandemic.



He, therefore, called on stakeholders in the health sector to ensure safe working procedures and environment and improved working conditions for health professionals.



We believe that implementing system changes and practices are crucial to the improvement of safety at all levels of health care. Specialised occupational health services and insurance coverage against occupational injuries and diseases should also be made available to all health professionals, including pharmacists in all sectors, Mr. Botwe added.



Background



All 194 World Health Organisation member states, at the 72nd World Health Assembly in May 2019, endorsed the establishment of World Patient Safety Day (Resolution WHA72.6), to be marked annually on September 17.



The objectives of the event are to increase public awareness and engagement, enhance global understanding and spur global solidarity and action to promote patient safety.









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
As Germany again takes up aggressive great power politics, German universities are once more serving the needs of war and dictatorship, just as they did before the First and Second World Wars. While history is being re-written at Humboldt University in Berlin to whitewash the past crimes of German imperialism and prepare the ground for new ones, the technical universities are again being transformed into the armouries of German imperialism.

A major centre of German weapons research is the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), in Baden-Wurttemberg. There, leading professors are to develop the upcoming European aerial defence project Future Combat Air System (FCAS) and the new French-German battle tank, the Main Ground Combat System (MGCS). With an annual budget of 881 million and more than 9,000 employees, KIT is the largest research institution in Germany.

Weapons systems for the Third World War

Dozens of KIT professors are involved with the institutes of the Fraunhofer Group for Defence and Security (VVS) that by its own admission is committed to the Federal Ministry of Defence and has established itself as a driving force across the entire defence and security area. At a European level, according to the homepage of the VVS, the group is also a central player. The institutes of the VVS together command an annual budget of around 415 million and 3,600 employees.

The chairman of this nationwide military research group is KIT Professor Jurgen Beyerer, chair of the research group for Interactive Real Time Systems in the Department of Informatics. With the Fraunhofer Institute of Optronics, System Technologies and Image Exploitation (IOSB) under his auspices, Beyerer also heads the largest member institute of the VVS. Created in 2010 on the initiative of the Defence Ministry from the merger of several military research centres, the IOSB has locations in the cities of Ettlingen, Karlsruhe, Lemgo and Ilmenau, as well as outposts in Gorlitz and Peking.

At the 10th anniversary of the VVS, Professor Beyerer told the press: When I look ahead, I see the big, long-term projects in the Ministry of Defence, Future Combat Air System, FCAS and the Main Ground Combat System, MGCS, for which I consider our breadth as institute to be extremely beneficial.

A model of the FCAS fighter jet NGF at the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget (JohnNewton8 / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

MGCS and FCAS are networked, semi-autonomous weapon systems centred on armoured vehicles and sixth-generation fighter jets. An integrated system is envisaged linking drones, satellites, and fighter and reconnaissance aircraft, potentially to be armed with energy weapons and having its own nuclear component.

The total costs for the projects are gigantic and are estimated at 100 billion for the MGCS and up to 500 billion for the FCAS. Their rapid development is to be driven forward at KIT. I expect us to make visible and substantial contributions to the aforementioned projects, said Beyerer.

The IOSB, led by Beyerer, addresses the entire spectrum of optical weaponry and calls [r]apid transfer of our research results in order to enhance the ability of the armed forces and to protect our soldiers its prime objective. This includes target acquisition systems, warning sensor systems, night vision devices and camouflage technologies as well as projects for laser-based drone defence systems, smart video surveillance and satellite-based early warning systems for rocket defence. The IOSB also develops information systems for strategic and tactical operations management and advanced military training simulations.

In all, four professors make up the directorate of the IOSB. Four further professors are members of the IOSBs board of trustees. Two of the four professors of each group lead research chairs at the KIT. The current biannual report of the IOSB lists 22 further professors as scientific advisers to the institute, 12 of whom are from the KIT. The IOSB lists a total of 54 teaching positions in German universities held by its members for 2018-2019.

These professors are misusing their civil appointments for research on weaponisable technology and for recruitment of new weapons researchers. The KIT websites of Beyerer and Professor Marc Eichhorn (Optronics) each state: The Fraunhofer IOSB and the research group collaborate closely in terms of content. In this way, synergistic effects between the fundamental research approach in the research group and the applications orientation of the IOSB can be optimally integrated and first-class young scientists can be won over for the Fraunhofer IOSB.

The second largest VVS member institute is tightly affiliated with the KIT as well. The Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology (ICT) commands an annual budget of 43 million and arose out of an institute of the University of Karlsruhe 60 years ago. Even at its founding, the research of the Fraunhofer ICT was essentially characterised by defence research, according to its website.

Today, the facility mainly researches and develops rocket and gun propellants, explosives and other military effector systems that are tested on the universitys own rocket testing facility, in its explosives testing bunker or on its firing range. According to the official institute homepage, the most important applications of current research include propellants to increase the range of gun munitions as well as underwater explosives and high-performance, low-noise composite propellants for underwater propulsiona clear reference to torpedoes.

Further research focuses on propellants to increase the impact energy and penetration capacity of rockets and gun-launched projectiles and pyrotechnic flares with spectral emissions that spectrally resolving seekers cannot distinguish from those of real engines.

The institute depicts the advantages and applications of gel propellants developed at the ICT to be missiles that fly over a battlefield slowly to identify the target, steer towards it and then destroy it with an amplified thrust phase on approach.

Finally, the range of services provided by the ICT includes non-lethal weapons based on kinetic, acoustic, chemical or mechanical effects and the search for REACh-compliant substances. (REACh is a European Union regulation addressing the registration, authorisation and restriction of chemicals dating from 2006.)

The institute is moreover involved in making materials that could be used in false-flag terrorist operations. Under the heading Core competence explosives technology, it is stated: At Fraunhofer ICT, so-called terrorist explosives are fabricated, evaluated with regard to their handling properties and detectability, and made available to the security authorities for testing purposes.

The website states explicitly that the Fraunhofer ICT has a close working relationship with numerous universities and colleges, especially with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. The ICT is led by professors Peter Elsner, chair for polymer technology, and Frank Henning, head of the research group for lightweight construction at the Institute for Vehicle Systems Technology. Two further KIT professors are on the board of trustees. In 2018-2019, the institute listed 44 members teaching at universities in Germany, the Czech Republic and Canada.

In January 2019, Professor Elsner publicly called the increased defence budget in Germany a stable environment for his institute and boasted over 500 bilateral research and development projectswith our industrial customers. In fact, apart from the professors, the board of trustees of the Fraunhofer Institutes is primarily composed of arms manufacturers and representatives of the German armed forces.

In the case of the IOSB, these include representatives of Diehl BGT Defence (munitions and warheads), Hensoldt Sensors (military sensors), MBDA (guided missiles and cruise missiles), Rheinmetall Electronics (fire control systems), and Airbus Defence & Space, as well as representatives of ABB, Siemens, Daimler and the space technology company OHB. Representing the Ministry of Defence are Assistant Secretary Norbert Weber and German armed forces Colonel Peter Webert.

The board of trustees of the ICT is composed of representatives of Premium Aerotech (military aircraft structures), Daimler, BASF, and the German Aerospace Centre, as well as Weber and state and federal government officials, and former attorney general Kay Nehm. Dynamit Nobel Defence GmbH has been prominently represented at the ICT for yearsa corporation infamously associated with the crimes of German imperialism. Its forerunner, Dynamit Nobel AG, was one of the largest ammunitions and explosives producers during the First and Second World Wars. Todays company specialises in the manufacture of recoilless shoulder weapons, including various grenade weapons and bazookas.

Artificial intelligence for war and the police state

The ICT and the IOSB are currently collaborating with the KIT to build a 15 million on-campus research factory that, with the help of artificial intelligence (AI), is supposed to make immature production processes ready for series production at a new speed. The press release accompanying the start of construction on December 20, 2018, states that in future the project will enable small and mid-sized companies with new products to be present in their target markets much earlier than was possible until now. This is an obvious nod to, among others, the military partner companies of the participating institutes.

The Research Factory Karlsruhe is the first benchmark project for the AI Strategy of the Federal Government. The strategy paper, published in 2018, leaves no doubt that the German federal government intends to use AI (artificial intelligence) primarily for domestic police state measures and modern warfare abroad.

In the section Using AI for danger mitigation and internal and external security, it is stated: The future deployment of AI-based technologies and systems will have significant effects on the armed forces and as such is an important topic for future development of the Bundeswehr.

In the security sector, the paper continues, the use of AI-based systems is an important building block for the digital sovereignty of Germany and a contribution to maintaining the securityof Germany as a business location. The deployment of AI is said to enable a significant increase in efficiency compared to conventional methods of analysis and serve as an instrument contributing information for decision-making that cannot be obtained in an adequate time frame without AI.

The applications of AI, according to the paper, include the recognition of persons in the context of large data sets and directing the deployment of police forces, as well as social media forensics and predictive policing in the framework of law enforcement/danger mitigation.

As reported by the World Socialist Web Site, a one-of-a-kind in Europe pilot system for intelligent video surveillance was deployed in 2018 in the city of Mannheim that served just this purpose. It was developed by the IOSB and, based on newly instituted police laws, will increasingly become the standard deployed in German cities.

The Karlsruhe Research Factory, due to start work at the end of 2020, is part of an entire network of centres and institutes that ultimately serve the purposes of modern warfare and police-state armament.

In June 2019, Beyerer and KIT President Holger Hanselka, along with Karlsruhe Mayor Frank Mentrup (SPD), officially inaugurated a Competence Centre for robot systems in hostile environments in which KIT and IOSB are equal partners. What was initially presented as a contribution to the safe dismantling of nuclear power plants and the automated operation of chemically contaminated waste disposal sites reveals itself in Professor Beyerers annual IOSB report to be another part of the weapons development programme.

Under the heading Key capabilities for tomorrows battlefieldsResearch into future battle tank systems and digitalised military operations one reads:

The battlefield is changing. ... With weapon systems being transformed by digitalisation and automation, the emphasis is now on alliances of highly networked and partly manned/partly unmanned units.  These considerations play a key role in, for example, the advance discussions on the development of a new European battle tank system.

For many years now, we have been developing systems to help evaluate sensor data and other information or fully automate these processes. When it comes to creating these unmanned units, we have extensive experience with autonomous systems in hostile environments.

Nuclear research, war policy and the Nazi foundations of the KIT

The traditions continued by the military research in Karlsruhe are revealed by a glance at history. The KIT was created in 2009 through the merger of the University of Karlsruhe with the Karlsruhe Nuclear Research Centre (KfK), a hub of the German nuclear programme that was founded in 1955 by then-Atomic Minister Franz Josef Strauss (CSU) and officially ran until 1976. The four co-founders and long-time managing directors of the KfK were all figures who had played an important role in the Third Reich and the war and extermination policies of the Nazis.

Gerhard Ritter during Expo 67 in Montreal (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Gerhard Ritter, a father of the nerve gas Sarin, was a leading poison gas chemist at the IG Farben conglomerate and the most important employee of the company leader and war criminal Carl Krauch. As leader of Vermittlungsstelle W (Agency W) starting in 1935, Ritter was responsible for making war-relevant developments available to the Wehrmacht (the contemporary German armed forces). The historian Bernd-A. Rusinek of the Heinrich-Heine-University in Dusseldorf describes Ritter as the top poison gas manager in the Third Reich. Ritter left the KfK in 1959 and took over the leadership of the EURATOM research centre in the Italian city of Ispra, which is today part of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission.

The lawyer Rudolf Greifeld, an avowed Nazi and ardent anti-Semite from 1933 onward, was Kriegsverwaltungsrat (war administrator) of the Wehrmacht in Paris between 1940 and 1941 and was responsible for the armys contact with the city administration of the French collaborationist government. In this function, he supervised military requisitions, launched anti-Semitic measures against the population and actively promoted the anti-Jewish policy of the occupying Nazis. Greifeld is still listed as an honorary senator of the University on the official KIT websiteas is the Zyklon-B manufacturer Carl Wurster.

Josef Brandl, also a lawyer, held a similar position in occupied Poland during the Second World War. Between 1939 and 1945, he led the Economic Department of the districts of Krakow and then Galicia, where he, according to the German Wikipedia site, acted at the interface between the politics of extermination and exploitation and was a central figure in the plundering of Jews and Poles. Brandl was comprehensively informed about the Holocaust and regularly negotiated with the SS about the use of Jewish workers.

One of the direct beneficiaries of this occupation policy was Walter Schnurr, a chemical manufacturer for the German explosives cartel Dynamit AG. From 1942 to 1944, he led the largest explosives and munitions factory of the Nazi regime in Christianstadt, (today Krzystkowice, part of Nowogrod Bobrzanski, Poland). Thousands of forced labourersincluding Jewish women from the concentration camp Gross-Rosenproduced 1,600 tons of hexogen and nitroguanidin explosives per month. The plant also processed TNT and produced fuel components for Hitlers Vergeltungswaffen-rockets, V1 and V2.

After the war, Schnurr, like many Nazis, resettled in Argentina, where he played a significant role in initiating the atomic programme of the Peron government. In 1955, Schnurr was recalled by Strauss to Germany to take over responsibility for the German nuclear programme as ministerial director. Against the backdrop of West German rearmament, Ritter, Greifeld, Brandl and Schnurr founded what would later become the KfK the following year on the initiative of Strauss.

The establishment of the KfK was closely related to the plans of the federal government to equip the newly formed West German armed forces with nuclear weapons. As federal archival documents show, Chancellor Konrad Adenauer had announced internally in October 1956 that he wanted via EURATOM and as quickly as possible the ability to fabricate nuclear weapons. In a cabinet meeting on December 19 of the same year, he added that this should be done in the Federal Republic.

Adenauers decision to have the first German nuclear reactor built in Karlsruhe represented a sharp departure from the prevailing idea of bundling atomic research in Munich under the direction of Werner Heisenberg. The nuclear physicist and Nobel Laureate, as signatory of the declaration of the so-called Gottingen 18, was known to have expressed his discomfiture with the German atomic weapons programme.

The declaration signed by Heisenberg was a response to a press conference in 1957 in which Adenauer described tactical atomic weapons as merely the continued development of artillery and declared that Germany naturallycannot do without these bombs.

Heisenberg later wrote expressing concern as to whether the new centre to be built in Karlsruhe  would escape the grasp of those who would rather use such significant resources for [military] purposes. For the executives of the KfK, he wrote, the boundaries between peaceful nuclear technology and atomic weapons technology are as fluidas between nuclear technology and fundamental nuclear research.

With the 2009 merger of the KfK and the University of Karlsruhe, which is not limited to civilian research, military research was intensified.

Today, the KIT houses on its campus the Joint Research Centre Karlsruhe (JRC), the most important atomic research centre in the European Union. According to its official website, its mission is the implementation of the JRC Euratom Research and Training Programme, the maintenance and dissemination of nuclear competences in Europe, to serve both nuclear and non-nuclear member states.

The strictly controlled research facility north of the universitys halls is officially holding hundreds of kilograms of highly radioactive substances such as plutonium, uranium and thorium. It is reported that around 150 kilograms of fissionable material accrue annually. This quantity would be sufficient to build seven gun-type bombs like the one dropped over Hiroshima, a frightening scenario given the aggressive media campaign in recent years for German nuclear weapons.

Science, not war propaganda

Like the transformation of Humboldt University in Berlin into a centre for far-right ideology (Prof. Jorg Baberowski: Hitler was not vicious), the growing militarisation of the KIT and other technical universities is part and parcel with the return of German militarism. Significantly, the role of the universities as centres for militarism and applied weapons research was described as far back as fall 2013 in a paper from the think tank Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP) New Power  New Responsibility, which called for Germanys return to aggressive world power politics.

In the document, the writing of which involved not only influential journalists, military representatives, economic functionaries and veterans of all establishment political parties, but also many academics, it is stated:

A more complex environment with shortened response times also requires better cognitive skills. Knowledge, perception, understanding, judgment and strategic foresight: all these skills can be taught and trained. But that requires investmentson the part of the state, but also on the part of universities, research institutions, foundations, and foreign policy institutions. The goal must be to establish an intellectual environment that not only enables and nurtures political creativity but is also able to develop policy options quickly and in formats that can be operationalised.

The weapons research at the KIT and the institutes located there make clear what this means. Behind the formulations of the SWP paper lie the demands of the ruling classin close cooperation with politicians, the military and the arms industryto quickly develop the most modern weapons of war and destruction to pursue the interests of German imperialism throughout the world.

The IYSSE, as youth organisation of the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (Socialist Equality Party) and the Fourth International in Germany, are fighting to keep universities as centres of science and learning and to prevent them from becoming cadre schools for right-wing and militarist ideologies, as they did before the First and Second World Wars. We work to combine the enormous opposition among student against militarism and war with the growing struggles of the international working class. Only a socialist movement against capitalism and the rise of far-right and militarist forces, within the universities and beyond them, can counter the danger of a Third World War.
Icons for the smartphone apps TikTok and WeChat are seen on a smartphone screen in Beijing, on Aug. 7, 2020. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP Photo)

Trump Administration to Ban Access to Chinese Apps WeChat and TikTok on Sunday

President Donald Trumps administration will block Americans from accessing China-based applications WeChat and TikTok from Sunday midnight, citing national security concerns.

App stores will be banned from carrying TikTok and WeChat on Sunday. However, existing TikTok users will still be able to use the app until Nov. 12, but will not be able to access updates from midnight Sunday, according to new rules issued by the U.S. Commerce Department.

WeChat, a Chinese messaging app, however, will be completely banned in the United States on Sunday.

The basic TikTok will stay intact until Nov. 12, Ross told Fox Business on Friday. If theres not a deal by Nov. 12 under the provisions of the old order, then TikTok would also be, for all practical purposes, shut down, he added, referring to an executive order requiring TikToks Chinese parent company to divest its U.S. assets by Nov. 12.

The new restrictions will be separate from the ongoing review on TikToks proposed solution to address the national security concerns, according to Ross.

ByteDance, TikToks Beijing-based owner, has proposed a deal with California-based tech company Oracle. The deal is currently under review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), an interagency committee that oversees transactions involving foreign investment. The proposal will also need approval from Trump, who told reporters on Sept. 17 that they will make a decision soon.

A number of U.S. officials have called for CFIUS to reject the deal, noting that it looks more like a partnership rather than a full U.S. ownership that Trump had demanded. Walmart is reportedly vying for an ownership stake if the Oracle agreement goes through.

Starting from Sunday, app stores will no longer be allowed to distribute apps nor issue updates for them, the department said. Transactions on WeChat to transfer funds or process payments within the United States will also be prohibited.

Additionally, it would be illegal to provide or host internet traffic, content delivery networks, internet transit or peering services associated with WeChat as of Sunday. The rules mean that WeChat will for all practical purposes be shut down in the United States by midnight on Sunday, Department of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told Fox Business on Friday.

For TikTok, these additional restrictions will take effect on Nov. 12.

Ross said the WeChat ban will not affect American companies using the app or its payment functions in China or elsewhere abroad.

The Commerce Department said it could impose additional bans related to the apps [s]hould the U.S. Government determine that WeChats or TikToks illicit behavior is being replicated by another app somehow outside the scope of these executive orders.

Trump on Aug. 6 issued an executive order saying the spread of apps developed and owned by companies in China continues to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States and said the information gathered from American TikTok users could allow the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to access Americans personal and proprietary information.

The new prohibitions are in response to the order.

Both WeChat and TikTok collect vast swaths of data from users and are active participants in Chinas civil-military fusion and is subject to mandatory cooperation with the intelligence services of the CCP, according to the department.

A nonprofit and several WeChat users sued the Trump administration, arguing the ban would violate Americans freedom of speech, free exercise of religion, and other constitutional rights.

Zachary Stieber Reporter Follow Zachary Stieber covers U.S. news and stories relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. He is based in Maryland.
This is the shocking moment an angry taxi driver threw his passenger to the ground by speeding away as he climbed out of the cab after a row over face masks.

Jay Henry, who lives in Hackney, east London, had ordered a Bolt taxi to drive him to his mother's house in Stanford Hill, north London, at around 11am on September 4.

But the 36-year-old, who works as a painter and decorator, claims he was left unable to work for weeks after suffering an injured back and foot as a result of the impact.

In the CCTV footage, the blue Toyota Pruis can be seen cruising down a residential road before swerving toward the pavement and coming to an abrupt stop.

The passenger in the back seat begins to open his door as the driver appears to turn around and speak to him.

Mr Henry continues to clamber out and places just one foot on the ground before suddenly the driver of the car speeds away.

He falls to the floor before looking over his shoulder in exasperation.

He manages to get back to his feet and walks steadily down the street in the same direction that the car drove off in.

Mr Henry then takes a moment to compose himself and rearranges his satchel before making a call.

Jay Henry, who lives in Hackney, east London, had ordered a Bolt taxi to drive him to his mother's house at around 11am on September 4 when the dispute occurred

Mr Henry said that the the driver had become upset when he arrived because he had forgotten his face mask and had to run back inside to collect it.

He claims that after setting off the driver became more erratic, dangerously overtaking a learner driver and jumping red lights.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed they are investigating an allegation of assault against the cab driver who was working for the Bolt ride-hailing app at the time.

Speaking after the incident, Mr Henry said: 'I ordered a cab, but I forgot my mask and had to go back upstairs to get it. I ran back down, put it on and he [the driver] started saying "you think I'm your slave".

'I said "just drive, I've got my mask now, let's go". Then he said "you think you're my boss".

Mr Henry continues to clamber out and places just one foot on the ground before suddenly the driver of the car speeds away

The 36-year-old, who works as a painter and decorator, claims he was left unable to work for weeks after suffering an injured back and foot as a result of the impact

'I said "please just drive the car, we're going to be late, I didn't say anything like that".

'When he started driving he was going like an absolute madman, he jumped two red lights. He overtook a learner doing a test or a lesson. The way he overtook them was ridiculous.

'I said to him "you don't like your job, maybe get a new one". And I said "maybe clean your car, you might feel better". This Bolt was filthy.'

He added: 'I opened the door to get out and I heard him mumble the word "slave" again. As I opened the door to climb out, I had one foot half out and he sped off with me hanging out the car.

'The door was still open as he flew off, I fell heavily on my back and my foot bent under me. My trainer ripped in half from falling to the floor.

'My back is still playing up, my big toe is still bad. I've not been back to work since because it hurts too much.

'I should have gone to hospital at the time but I didn't think I should, I didn't want to waste their time, and because of coronavirus.'

Scotland Yard said officers are investigating an allegation of assault and that so far no arrests have been made.

A spokesman for the police said: 'The safety and wellbeing of our passengers and drivers is our utmost priority at Bolt.

'An incident which took place on 4th September was reported to us by one of our drivers and we are co-operating with the police on their inquiries; as such, we cannot comment further at this stage.'

Bolt have been contacted for a comment.
Chandigarh: Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Friday said it was very unfortunate that the BJP-led government did not take farmers on board on the three agriculture-related bills, asserting that his party had brought their apprehensions to its notice. Badal also slammed the Congress for not voting against the bills in Parliament, a reference to the walkout from the House by the opposition party before the voting took place in Lok Sabha.

The bills seek to deregulate the sale of agricultural produce to ensure better prices for the farmers. But many farm organisations and opposition parties say they are a step towards dismantling the minimum support price (MSP) regime. Badals wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigned from the Narendra Modi government on Thursday, saying it had not paid heed to the concerns over the bills.

It was very unfortunate," Badal told PTI over the phone.

In her four-page resignation letter, Harsimrat Kaur Badal wrote that she kept trying to persuade the Union Cabinet to take farmers on board and deal with their concerns over the farm ordinances, which preceded the bills. All this while, I was given the impression that since an ordinance is only a temporary arrangement, my concerns and pleas would be addressed while legislating on the issue in Parliament, she wrote.

The SAD voted against the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill in Lok Sabha.

SAD chief and Ferozepur MP Sukhbir Badal said he had tried to bring farmers" concerns to the notice of the government for two months. I met every farmer union and farm leaders. Our effort was that whatever feelings they have should be incorporated in the bills, he said.

But they did not agree to it, he said, referring to the government. The party then tried to make the government send the bills to a select committee, he added. Then in the end, we had no choice, Badal said, referring to Harsimrat Kaurs resignation. If you draft a bill for somebody and he is unhappy then what is the use of such a bill? he asked, stressing on the need of consulting the farmers.

Asked if the Akali Dal would support the farmers call for a Punjab Bandh" on September 25, Badal said his party is with the farmers, for the farmers and will fight for them.

On the still continuing alliance with the BJP, he said the party leadership will soon meet and take a final decision. Hitting out at the Congress, the SAD chief said its members did not vote against the bills in Parliament.

He added that the Congress in its manifesto for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls had promised to repeal the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) Act and allow free inter-state trade without any restrictions.

Accusing Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh of playing a double game, Badal claimed that the Congress leader was part of a high-powered committee on agriculture and his government had participated in framing the ordinances.
As per the UAE government rules, each passenger travelling from India needs to bring an original COVID-19 negative certificate from the RT-PCR test done 96 hours prior to the journey

New Delhi: The Dubai Civil Aviation Authority has suspended Air India Express flights till 2 October for bringing passengers with COVID-19 positive certificates twice during the last couple of weeks, senior government officials said on Friday.

As per the UAE government rules, each passenger travelling from India needs to bring an original COVID-19 negative certificate from the RT-PCR test done 96 hours prior to the journey.

"A passenger, who had a COVID-positive certificate dated 2 September, travelled on Air India Express' Jaipur-Dubai flight on 4 September. A similar incident had happened with a passenger on one of the airline's other Dubai flights previously," said one of the officials.

Therefore, the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) has suspended Air India Express flights from 18 September to 2 October, the officials stated.

Both the incidents of passengers flying with COVID-19 positive certificates to Dubai from India on Air India Express flights happened during the last couple of weeks, the officials noted.

In a statement later during the day, Air India Express confirmed it had received a "notice of suspension" from the DCAA on 17 September to suspend its Dubai flights from 18 September to 2 October.

"The notice has been issued on account of erroneous acceptance of one COVID positive passenger by the airline's ground handling agents at Delhi and Jaipur on Air India Express flights to Dubai on 28th Aug and 4th Sept, respectively," the airline noted.

It said the ground handling agencies have taken appropriate punitive action against their employees who have been held accountable for the lapses at Delhi and Jaipur.

Air India Express' ground handling in India is done by Air India Air Transport Services Limited (AIATSL), which is a subsidiary of the national carrier Air India. Air India Express is also a subsidiary of Air India.

"As per information gathered, passengers who were seated in close proximity to the COVID positive passenger on each flight had undergone COVID test/quarantined as determined by the Dubai Health authority," Air India Express said in its statement.

The airline stated it has again told its "handling agencies in India" to strictly adhere to the regulations when it comes to "acceptance" of passengers on flights.

As an "abundant precaution", the carrier said it has advised its handling agents to implement a "three-tier checking mechanism" to avoid any such lapse in future.

The airline said it has introduced additional flights to Sharjah to accommodate the passengers affected by the suspension of its Dubai flights.

"The affected passengers who have booked to fly to Dubai are also being given the option to rebook to a future date," the carrier mentioned.

Scheduled international flights have been suspended in India since 23 March due to the coronavirus-triggered lockdown.

However, special international passenger flights have been operating in India under Vande Bharat Mission since May and under bilateral air bubble arrangements formed between India and other countries since July.

The United Arab Emirates is one of the 10 countries with which India has established a bilateral air bubble pact. In such a pact, airlines of both the countries can operate international passenger flights with certain restrictions.
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Friday asked the Maharashtra government to furnish details about number of farmers who had so far benefited from Mahatma Jyotirao Phule farm loan waiver scheme, which was announced in 2019. A bench led by Justice K K Tated also asked the state to explain why the scheme had not been implemented in its entirety to cover all 35 lakh potential beneficiary farmers, as alleged by MLA Ashish Shelar in a public interest litigation (PIL).

In the PIL, Shelar claimed that around 35 lakh farmers, who had loan liabilities of up to Rs 2 lakh, were eligible to seek benefits of the above scheme. However, so far, the state had extended the benefits of the scheme to only 15 lakh farmers, it was stated.

As per the scheme announced by the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government, farmers who had taken bank loans of up to Rs 2 lakh between April 1, 2015 and March 31, 2019, and had not repaid these loans till September 30, 2019, are eligible for a waiver on the entire amount. In his plea, Shelar wished to know why all eligible farmers had not got the benefit of the scheme and said he had raised the question in the state Assembly on numerous occasions".

However, as he did not get a satisfactory answer, he approached the high court," Shelars counsel Rajendra Pai told the court on Friday. The states counsel Geeta Shastri, however, argued that Shelar could have filed an RTI application to seek the above information and alleged that the plea was based solely on media reports.

The bench told advocate Pai that he should have done some research of his own", but noted that the state must provide the required information. The bench said that the state must also inform the court of why only some farmers" had been given the benefit and directed the state to file its reply in three weeks. PTI AYA ARU ARU 09181634 NNNN.

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
adamkaz/iStockBy DEENA ZARU and ARIELLE MITROPOULOS, ABC News



(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden are heading to Minnesota on Friday, as the Midwestern state becomes among the first to begin early in-person voting in the 2020 general election.



It has been nearly half a century since Minnesota voted for a Republican presidential candidate, but it is seen as a potential swing state following Trump's narrow loss in 2016 to Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.



Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the North Star State has also been at the forefront of the national debate on race and racism in America following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May, which sparked a massive civil rights movement in the U.S.



Trump is set to hold an event in Bemidji in Beltrami County, which is split between the 7th and 8th congressional districts. Trump won the county in 2016, with 50.6% of the vote. The 7th Congressional District had historically voted Democrat in the past, but in 2016 Trump carried the district by a 15-point margin.



Meanwhile, Biden will host an event in Duluth in the 8th Congressional District at a union training center. Duluth, which casts almost a quarter of the rural north's total vote, swung for the Democratic ticket by 37 points in 2012 and by 29 points in 2016.



Ahead of Biden and Trump's visits, Gov. Tim Walz urged both campaigns to comply with Minnesota's COVID-19 safety guidelines.



Trump has consistently cast himself as the "law and order" president; however, his campaign has consistently flouted health guidelines amid the pandemic, holding large rallies across the country where thousands gathered in close quarters, often without masks.



Why Trump is in a 'jam' in Minnesota



Minnesota is increasingly seen as a potential swing state in the presidential election, given Trump's near victory against Clinton in 2016. Trump lost the Midwestern state's 10 electoral votes by a slim margin to the former secretary of state, who won by about 44,500 votes or 1.5%.



The president has repeatedly voiced his conviction that he would have flipped the state in 2016 if he had made one more appearance prior to the election.



"One more speech, I would have won," Trump told his supporters during a campaign event on Aug. 17, at the Mankato Regional Airport.

Since the last presidential election, there has been an uptick in Republican support. Two House seats, in the 1st and 8th congressional districts, previously held by Democrats, flipped in 2018.



But according to a new ABC News/Washington Post poll released Wednesday, women, suburban residents and independents are among the groups lifting Biden to a substantial lead in Minnesota, where he holds a clear advantage, 57% to 41%.



Political scientist Larry Jacobs, the founder of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the University of Minnesota, told ABC News that "deep disapproval" in the president's handling of the pandemic is central to why he is in a "jam" in Minnesota.



"I think it's a sense that the country is in the wrong direction. I think he's continued to deeply offend women and so there's a tremendous gender gap," he said, adding that "the problems you've seen in other states, they exist in Minnesota. The president is losing among women and the coronavirus is hurting him."



The new ABC News poll results show that views on the economy and the coronavirus pandemic are defining the 2020 race.



Biden leads Trump by 22 points in trust to handle the coronavirus, as well as 24 points on equal treatment of racial groups, 17 points on handling health care, 14 points on discouraging violence at political protests and 11 points on crime and safety. But when it comes to who can best handle the economy, it is a dead heat.



Why 'turnout' is key for Biden



For decades, Minnesota has had an unbroken Democratic streak, voting for Democratic presidential candidates as far back as Jimmy Carter in 1976. Since 1932, it has voted Republican only once -- for Richard Nixon in 1972. But according to Jacobs, dynamics in the state have shifted in recent decades and this is reflected in the 2020 landscape.



Describing the state as "polka-dotted," Jacobs said that rural areas are red, urban areas are blue and the suburbs are purple.



Democratic support grows the closer you get to the more highly populated "urban core" -- the Twin Cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, where Trump "has large deficits," Jacobs explained. Meanwhile, Trump's support is "coming from mostly rural areas," he added, "particularly the northern part of the state, which was once a Democratic stronghold," as well as southern Minnesota.



The rural north, known as the Iron Range, was an industrial base known for mining and the production of iron ore and there, Democrats like Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale were victorious, but that has since "collapsed" and become a Republican stronghold, Jacobs said.



In a campaign press release on Wednesday, Biden staked claim to the Iron Range, saying he was proud to be endorsed by labor, including the United Steelworkers, who backed him after six Iron Range mayors pledged their support for Trump in August.



"I think one of the big issues is going to be turnout in Minneapolis and St. Paul. It there's a large turnout, that's going to be good news for Democrats," Jacobs said. "If there's a huge turnout in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Trump's gonna have a very difficult time, and I think the suburbs will probably signal where the state's gonna go If it's closer."



According to the new ABC News poll, Biden has a 16-point lead in the Minnesota suburbs, a 21-point lead with independents and a vast lead with women, leading Trump 67% to 31% in the state and with a 40-point lead among suburban women.



Trump pitches 'law and order' as Biden leads in trust



Streets throughout the U.S. have been rocked by protests in response to the police killings of unarmed Black men and women across the country -- an issue that has become central to both the Trump and Biden campaigns.



And in Minnesota, where Floyd was killed, the energy is high and tensions are palpable.



Leslie Redmond, president of the NAACP's Minneapolis chapter, told ABC News that even before the coronavirus plagued the nation, Black people in Minnesota "were already in a state of emergency," facing "some of the worst racial disparities" economically and socially.



"COVID-19 really shut the world down and George Floyd and his murder really kind of opened the world back up," Redmond said. "Before George Floyd was murdered, people weren't even really coming outside like that, and then you have people willing to risk their own health to protest in the state. The thing that's really killing us is white supremacy. And I think that that's really powerful. And I think that that has ignited a number of people, and I'm hoping that the protests can lead over to the voting as well."



According to the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, views on the protests and the president's response are also impacting the choices of voters.



Non-whites make up small shares of likely voters in Minnesota, at 13%, and about two-thirds support Biden.



The president, who is casting himself as a "law and order" candidate, has blasted the protests and repeatedly criticized the leadership of Democratic officials, including Walz, blaming them for the ongoing violence, looting and riots that have erupted amid the unrest.



Last month, Trump held an event in Manakota, where he spoke to a crowd of supporters, and voiced his support for the local police department and those impacted by some of the destruction of local businesses that ensued following the protests.



Biden has criticized the violence but has been steadfast in his support for protesters. He also met with Floyd's family in June ahead of the funeral in Minneapolis and vowed to focus on police reform and battling systemic racism if elected.



People who back recent protests over police treatment of Black people back Biden by 86% to 12% in Minnesota, while about three-quarters of those who opposed them support Trump. Meanwhile, registered voters support such protests by 55% to 40% in Minnesota and trust Biden over Trump to handle equal treatment of racial groups by 24 points and Biden in handling crime and safety by 11 points over Trump.



Absentee ballot requests rise as early voting begins



Minnesotans will be among the first Americans to cast their ballots at a voting booth this fall, when they head to the polls on Friday for the state's first day of in-person voting.



Meanwhile, mail-in voting is becoming an increasingly popular option for those hoping to avoid gatherings amid the pandemic. As of Sept. 11, 863,052 absentee ballots for the November general election had already been requested.



In last month's primary, six in 10 voters in the state voted by absentee ballot. In past elections, the number of absentee voters has hovered around 24%.



Voters in Minnesota have until Oct. 13 to request a mail-in or absentee ballot. In addition, the state extended the deadline for absentee ballots to be received -- by 8 p.m., within one week of Election Day. The previous rule was that ballots had to be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day.



In order to make it easier for voters to cast their ballots by mail, Minnesota agreed to drop the witness requirement from its mail-in voting process for both the 2020 primary and the general elections.



Minnesota often leads the nation in voter turnout, and by beginning the early voting process on Sept.18, the state law is giving Minnesotans 46 days to cast their votes.



Grace Wachlarowicz, assistant city clerk and director of Elections & Voter Services in Minneapolis, told ABC News that 114,891 mail ballots will be sent out to voters on Friday.



The state has also implemented a number of safety measures, which Wachlarowicz says will be followed "stringently," including sanitization, appropriate spaces, and curbside voters for voters who choose to cast their ballots in-person. Additionally, the governor's July 25 executive order requires that masks be worn in public places, including polling places, though no voter will be denied the right to vote if he or she refuses to wear a mask.

Copyright  2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 18 : Kerala's new Covid cases crossed 4,000 for the second consecutive day on Friday, officials said.

On Friday, the state recorded 4,167, while the number of infections on Thursday was 4,351.

In a statement issued here on Friday by the State Health Minister K.K.Shailaja, "2744 people were cured of the disease." "At present there are 35,724 active Covid cases, while 90,089 people have so far been cured. In the past 24 hours 47,723 samples was tested," said Shailaja.

Thiruvananthapuram district continue to record the maximum number of cases with 926 new cases.

In the state there are 2,16,262 people under observation at various places which includes 24,634 people in hospitals.

The state presently has 614 hotspots.

With Covid cases spiking, the Kerala High Court on Friday came down heavily on the numerous protests going on across the state, with no Covid protocols being followed, despite the court giving strict orders to the police to see that there should be no violation of Covid guidelines.

The court directed the police to see that violators to their orders should be strictly dealt with according to the provisions of the Disaster Management Act.

Kerala has been witnessing massive protests all across the state with the leading opposition parties demanding the resignation of State Higher Education Minister K.T Jaleel after he was questioned in the controversial gold smuggling case by the Enforcement Directorate and the NIA.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Investigations have been launched following the death of a 47-year-old prisoner at Maghaberry Prison.

The Northern Ireland Prison Service said the prisoner died on Friday morning and the death is not being treated as Covid-related. His next of kin have been informed.

As with standard procedure, the PSNI, Coroner and Prisoner Ombudsman have launched investigations into the death.

Ronnie Armour, Director General of the Northern Ireland Prison Service, said: "I would like to extend my sympathy, and that of the Northern Ireland Prison Service, to the family of the prisoner. My thoughts are with them at this difficult time."
Published on 2020/09/17 | Source

Actors Kim Myung-min, Ryu Hye-young, Kim Beom and Lee Jung-eun are starring in "Law School".

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The new JTBC drama "Law School" announced the casting of Kim Myung-min, Ryu Hye-young, Kim Beom and Lee Jung-eun.

"Law School" is a work that depicts the struggles of law school students who grow and realize law and justice through the fiercest passion and challenge that man can show, through the most desperate conflicts and anguish.

Kim Myung-min plays Yang Jong-hoon, a prosecutor-turned-professor of criminal law who took an elite course. Yang Jong-hoon is a professor who students try to avoid most with his direct speech method, which is mostly based on biting remarks. Ryu Hye-young will play Kang Sol, a first-year student who entered law school as a special admission for the next-highest class after overcoming her unfortunate childhood.

Kim Beom, who dominates viewers with his acting skills that combine softness and charisma, plays Han Joon-hwi, a first-year law school student at Korea National University. Kim Eun-sook, a judge-turned-professor of civil law and head of the Legal Clinic Center, a free legal advisory body for law schools, will be played by Lee Jung-eun.

"Law School" is expected to broadcast early next year.
Citygroup has put an employee on paid leave after discovering he was the operator behind a website linked to QAnon, which was earning $3,000 a month through crowd funding.

Jason Gelinas, 48, from Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, was revealed to be behind QMap, which collected and organised posts made by QAnon's mysterious founder and leader, known as Q.

Gelinas is a senior vice president in the technology group at Citigroup, according to Bloomberg which found his now-defunct LinkedIn account.

The domain Qmap.pub - which received over 10 million visitors in July - was quickly shut down after fact checking website logically.ai identified Gelinas last week.

It was one of the most popular aggregate archives of the QAnon conspiracy's figurehead, who many of its followers believe to be a member of the Trump administration.

The QAnon conspiracy theory claims Trump is waging a secret war against a 'deep state' shadowy cabal of Democratic pedophiles.

Citigroup (pictured, file photo) has placed one of its employees on paid leave after it was discovered he was behind a popular QAnon website called QMap, which collects posts made online by the conspiracy theory's anonymous leader

Citigroup said that Gelinas was put on paid leave pending an internal investigation for violating Megabank's guidelines for employees.

Bloomberg News reported that Gelinas - under the name 'QAppAnon' - was earning over $3,000 a month from his followers through crowdfunding website Patreon to cover the operating costs.

The news outlet also found that in March, QAppAnon announced via Patreon an upcoming app called 'Armor of God', a social network for QAnon followers.

The QAnon conspiracy theory claims Trump is waging a secret war against a 'deep state' shadowy cabal of Democratic pedophiles. Jason Gelinas - a 48-year-old resident of Berkeley Heights, New Jersey - was revealed last week to be the person operating the website QMap. Pictured: A supporter of president Trump waves a flag with a reference to QAnon

The app's Google Play Store profile describes itself as being 'designed for patriots worldwide to create and share content including prayers, news, memes and posts.'

In a statement on Thursday, Citi said: 'As outlined in our Code of Conduct, employees are required to disclose and obtain approvals for outside business activities.'

In its investigation, Logically also learned that Gelinas was a Wall Street IT expert who joined Citigroup in 2003 after a spell at Credit Suisse.

The number of followers of QAnon has been growing. The website QMap received 10 million views in July alone. Pictured: An attendee wears a QAnon shirt before a campaign rally for U.S. President Donald Trump in North Carolina, September 8

Gelinas, who appears to be a major figure among the conspiracy theory's followers, was reached by Bloomberg News outside his home last week.

'I'm not going to comment on any of that,' he said when asked if he was behind the website. 'I'm not going to get involved. I want to stay out of it.' He did, however, call QAnon a 'patriotic movement to save the country.'

Last week, the bank's CEO was hastened into an early retirement after it was revealed that federal regulators are preparing a formal reprimand for the company for failing to upgrade the bank's outdated security technology systems.

Michael Corbat, who will leave in February 2021, will be replaced by Jane Fraser, becoming the first woman to hold the CEO role at a top-four U.S. bank.

The New York post speculated that Gelinas's senior role could mean he played a part in Corbat's exit, but a source told the outlet that the outgoing CEO's resignation and Gelinas's situation 'have nothing to do with each other.'

The QAnon narrative 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.

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.'

Meanwhile, Vice President Mike Pence told CBS last month, 'I don't know anything about QAnon, and I dismiss it out of hand.'
Hundreds of thousands of New Jersey families will receive $500 tax rebates next year under a state budget deal announced Thursday.

That deal breaks a years-long impasse over the millionaires tax and introduces a new rebate program. Some details were hard to come by Thursday. Legislation underpinning the proposal has not yet been introduced, leaving some unanswered questions, such as whether non-resident taxpayers are eligible or if rebates can be garnished for back taxes and child support.
US President Donald Trump said he has spoken with the leadership team of Walmart and Oracle as part of his decision-making process on TikTok, the Chinese video-sharing social networking service.

Because of national security concerns, Trump last month issued an executive order to close TikTok, which is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, to change its ownership to an American company or else it would be shut down. Initially Microsoft was involved in the talks, now both Walmart and Oracle are in negotiations with ByteDance.

Also read: Trump says there is no legal path for TikTok to pay the American government

We're making a decision. We spoke today to Walmart, Oracle -- I guess, Microsoft is still involved. We'll make a decision. But nothing much has changed. We'll make a decision soon, Trump told reporters at the White House.

Meanwhile Senator Ted Cruz, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Judiciary Committees, in a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin expressed concerns that the Oracle-TikTok deal could leave the American people exposed to undue influence by the Chinese Communist Party and undermine US national security interests.

As opposed to a sale that could, with the right conditions, remove the CCP root and branch from TikTok, this planned partnership raises serious national security concerns, he said.

Also read: Trump unhappy with TikTok-Oracle deal; questions ByteDance ties

Indeed, reports indicate that other companies interested in purchasing ByteDance felt they were unable to address national security concerns under the conditions imposed by the Chinese government. It is hard to see how such a proposal can satisfy the spirit of the executive orders, and harder still to see how such an arrangement serves American interests, Cruz said.

Senators Marco Rubio, Thom Tillis, Roger Wicker, Rick Scott, Dan Sullivan and John Cornyn also sent a letter to Trump outlining significant concerns regarding reports that Oracle Corp. confirmed a deal with ByteDance to become a trusted technology provider for TikTok's US operations, including that the arrangement could violate the requirements set about in the August 6, 2020, executive order on addressing the threat posed by TikTok and would do little to satisfy the range of concerns expressed in that order.

Any deal between an American company and ByteDance must ensure that TikTok's US operations, data, and algorithms are entirely outside the control of ByteDance or any Chinese-state directed actors, including any entity that can be compelled by Chinese law to turn over or access US consumer data, the senators wrote.

Also read: Will Tiktok's deal with Oracle avert India ban?

As reported, the proposed partnership agreement between Oracle and TikTok leaves significant unresolved national security issues, and we expect the Administration to keep Congress fully informed as you evaluate this potential agreement, they said.

Also read: China will have to approve TikTok-Oracle deal: ByteDance
Gripping the steering with his right, Sunday, a taxi driver, thumped his hand in the air with his left, shouting Ize-Iyamu, as the traffic leading to ring road, Benin, Edo State, snailed.

Another driver, Samuel, driving on the opposite lane, gave him a scornful look, and said no.

Smiling, Samuel began to tell passengers in the cab how he hopes the September 19 election would swing.

He said he is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, but had always liked the style of (the incumbent) Obaseki, and would have voted him if he had not decamped from the All Progressives Congress. So Mr Obasekis decamping to the PDP was an icing for him, he said.

Elsewhere, as another bus moved along Akpakpava road, two passengers flagged it down, mounted their positions in the bus, sloganeering about the election in the state.

As the two sat down, they bickered with the driver of the bus, Oshodin Sunday, who is rooting for another candidate, all through the half hour journey.

Excitement

Such is the mood in Edo, Nigerias South-south state that lies between savannah west and mangrove south, where residents brace up for the September 19 gubernatorial election.

Though there are 14 candidates for the election, the quest for the top job in the state has been dubbed a two-horse race, between the incumbent Godwin Obaseki and his opponent four years ago, Osagie Ize-Iyamu.

Both men have swapped parties and are now respective flag-bearers of the parties they opposed in the last governorship election  Mr Obaseki now hoists the umbrella of the PDP while Mr Ize-Iyamu now swings the broom of the APC.

Emmaigba, loosely translated as two terms must be completed, was observed to be a catchphrase sloganeered by potential voters belonging to the former camp.

Along Jettu road in Auchi, the sight of a PDP campaign train chanting the catchphrase excited Omoh Kadiri, an okada rider from Owan East local government.

Did you hear what they said? he asked as he explained the meaning. We just want him (Obaseki) to complete his eight years. Obaseki is a good man, Mr Kadiri, a graduate of accounting from Federal Polytechnic, Auchi, said.

However, some of those on the other flank said they will vote Mr Ize-Iyamu because of the support of Adams Oshiomhole, the states two-term former governor and APC former chairman, whose unending battle with Mr Obaseki culminated to his sack as the party head and the former decamping to the opposition.

He has done so much for Edo State, Itohan, a nurse and a graduate of Edo State Polytechnic, Usen, said of Mr Oshiomhole, recalling how her sanity was restored in her school after months of turmoil.

Like her, Ehimen Friday, a driver of a cab hailing company in Edo from Oredo local government, shares this sentiment.

As he drove these reporters along GRA in Benin-city, he, at intervals, pointed at structures that dot the landscape, saying, this was done by Oshiomhole.

He, however, will not vote because he fears that there would be violence, and nothing would convince him to believe otherwise, because apart from that, votes dont count.

Morbid expectation

But the fear of violence excites Itohan, the nurse. She said she would make brisk business by hiking medical charges for potential casualties.

Let no one fight or cause violence. If they do, the stitches which we ordinarily charge N5,000 for will go for N50,00. Lets not even talk about admission on bed.

Largely so, over a dozen of residents spoken to said they are in high spirits ahead of polls, but they nurse the hope of seeing their votes count  an assurance Nigerias electoral umpire, INEC, and security agencies have given.

We are not praying for violence here, all we want is peace. We pray that whoever wins will put us first, not someone that will win and suffer we masses, Richard Eze, who sells automobile spare parts along Iyamho road, said.

I have my PVC. We are prepared to vote for candidates of our choice come Saturday, he noted, adding that he is not asking for more than meeting the daily bread of me (himself) and family.

These last four years, I wont lie to you, has not been too good for me. Business and finance have been muddled up. I am not saying this person is good or another is bad, all I am saying is that God (should) give us whoever will do us better in the next four years.

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Heightened security

This newspaper observed on Thursday that police officers posted to Auchi Area Command that covers some wards in Edo North Senatorial district await deployment to their respective polling unit.

We are here on special duty, and as you can see, there are many commands here for the election, Lucy Italoye, a police officer, said, We are waiting to be deployed to our various local governments

My job here is simply to protect the electorate and ensure there is no fight or quarrel. People should feel free to vote for anyone they want to vote for.

They have not given us food, no accommodation, no allowance, a colleague of Ms Italoye quickly chipped in, declining to give her name.

Another police officer, Aminu Dandare, deployed from Kano Command, also said that they are yet to be deployed to their specific duty posts.

Reacting to the development, the states police spokesperson, Chidi Nwabuzor, said over 31,000 officers have been deployed, but all that is left is movement.

The inspector-general of police had earlier said three police officers would mount each polling unit.

I can confirm to you that those officers have been deployed to the three senatorial districts which are made up of 18 local government areas, Mr Nwabuzor said. What they are waiting for is movement distribution.

He, nonetheless, downplayed the claim that the officers have got no allowance or accommodation, saying those were not necessities.

(In) operations of this magnitude, you dont need accommodation, because we are to police the area from day 1 to the end of the election. You dont need accommodation. It is a serious task, he said.

He declined further comments on the state of security ahead of the election, saying he has no jurisdiction nor authority to speak since we have senior officers on ground.
On the first day of London Fashion Week SS21, Paul Costelloe declares this is the perfect collection to fly a kite with and dream.

His 25-piece collection was shown at a Salon Atelier he created in a hotel on Londons Strand and had everything from bales of fabric to his new garments hanging on rails.

Staff moved around in white jackets, just like petites mains (tiny hands) seamstresses used to wear in the couture houses of old.

The only thing he was missing was the natural flax he had wanted at the event in order to bring the story full circle and show the natural fibre that linen is made from.

The Dubliner started working with Irish linen back in the 1970s. He dressed Princess Diana in it and for his Spring Summer 21 collection, 40pc of the pieces are made with the fabric.

For next season, Paul has created long tailored jackets and they come in both soft Irish linens from Stephen Conway in Emblem Weavers in Wexford and also printed Italian linens. His idea is to wear the long jackets with slouchy trousers and a hoody beneath.

His silk dresses were modelled today with short cropped jackets and, for a pop of interest, styled with metallic backpacks.

The collection is very big on creams and Pauls artists eye kicks in big time. His palette includes all the colours he loves to use when he is painting in Italy, such as burnt umbers and Mediterranean blues. Also in the mix, theres are indigo ferns and taupe stripes

This collection really displays the DNA of the Costelloe brand and it is very considered, soft, romantic and kind, said Paul.

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Kicking lockdown negativity to touch, the rugby-playing designer drilled down to find a spirit of optimism and new beginnings for this collection.

Fabrics included an organza with raised florals in green and lemon. There was a striking shadow check in a light aqua and one of his favourite pieces, he said, was a shirt dress in a daffodil print.

Easy to wear, comfortable, functional, generous pockets. Im all about keeping it simple and having a dress that you can wear anywhere, Paul said.

He shared his SS21 vision in a seven-minute film which was shot in the Sunbeam Studio in London and was screened today in the Atelier as groups of five people at a time entered to meet the designer.

The collection runs the full gamut of ages, from the sporty linen romper suits for girls to the elegant dress and quirky jacket their mother, or grandmother might want.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that the agriculture bill reforms will free farmers from middleman and many other obstacles that the farmers face. He assured farmers that with the passage of these bills in the Lok Sabha the farmers will be able to sell their produce and earn more profits.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that the passage of agrarian reform bills in the Lok Sabha will truly free the farmers from the middlemen and all other obstacles, further it will also provide new opportunities to the farmers to sell their produce which will increase their profits.

PM Modi tweeted that the passing of historic agrarian reform bills in the Lok Sabha was an important moment for the countrys farmers and the agricultural sector. He added that those bills would truly free the farmers from middlemen and all obstacles.

He added that the agrarian reform would provide new opportunities for farmers to sell their produce, which would increase their profits. He further added that with that, the agriculture sector would get the benefit of modern technology, whereas the farmers would be empowered. The Prime Minister further stated a lot of powers are engaged in confusing the farmers.

Also read: Rajnath Singh parliament speech: Made it clear, no change in status quo

Also read: Hopeful coronavirus vaccine will be available in India next year: Harsh Vardhan

PM Modi tweeted that he assured his farmer brothers and sisters that the system of MSP and government procurement would remain, those bills were really going to empower the farmers by giving them many more options. He added that he requests the farmers and all those associated with the agriculture sector to listen to the speech given by the Agriculture Minister, Narendra Singh Tomar, during the discussion on the agricultural reform bills in the Lok Sabha.

Lok Sabha on Thursday passed two bills related to reforms in agriculture marketing after a debate with Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar stating that the legislations will end licence raj and farmers will be free to sell their agricultural produce according to their choice.

BJPs ally Shiromani Akali Dal opposed the two bills. Several opposition parties including the Congress also strongly opposed the bills. The House passed the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion And Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and the Farmers (Empowerment And Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020.

The bills seek to replace two ordinances brought by the government earlier this year. Tomar in his reply sought to allay apprehension of members opposing the bill. Both these acts will empower the agricultural economy, he said.

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Thursday said that bills related to agriculture will bring revolutionary changes in the lives of farmers and strengthen agriculture economy.

The minister was replying to the debate in Lok Sabha which later passed the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion And Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 by voice vote. Tomar said that the interests of farmers are protected under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He said that under Prime Minister Narendra Modis leadership, interests of farmers were protected, both those bills would bring revolutionary changes in farmers lives. He said the legislations will end license raj and farmers will be free to sell their agricultural produce from one state to another. Both these acts will empower the agricultural economy, he added.

Tomar said the government has announced 10,000 new Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) with a view to making farmers prosperous and organised and Rs 6,850 crores will be spent to make these organisations self-reliant. He said Rs one lakh crore package was announced for agriculture under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.

Hitting out at the Congress, the Agriculture Minister said Congress government intended to take steps similar to those in the bill but lacked courage.

He referred to a speech by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and said it mentioned that time has come to make the country a common market for agricultural produce.

He said Congress manifesto stated that the party will amend the Agriculture Produce Markets Act so that restrictions on exports and interstate trade are removed. He said the budget of Agriculture Ministry has seen a steep rise under Modi government.

He said that the PM KISAN scheme was started and Rs 92,000 crores had been deposited in bank accounts of farmers. The Lok Sabha had earlier passed a bill to amend the Essential Commodities Act. Opposing the bills, Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that three ordinances are a toxic triangle.

He said Harsimrat Kaur, who resigned from the union cabinet over the bills, has displayed guts by opposing this draconian legislation.

Also read: India China standoff: Indian Navy tracks Chinese research vessel in Indian Ocean
In a major blow to China, Thailand has claimed that many countries including India, US, as well as Australia, have shown interest in building in strategically proposed Kra Canal in the Southern part of the country.

China had been eyeing to construct a 120-kilometre mega canal cutting through the isthmus of Kra in Thailand. It would have helped Beijing in solving the 'Malacca Dilemma' as it had opened the South China Sea to the Indian Ocean, bypassing the Strait of Malacca.

Thai Nation Power Party MP Songklod Thipparat, who chairs the parliament's group that studies the project's feasibility, said that countries such as India, Australia, the US, and of course China are willing to support Thailand on the project, Khaosod English, a Thai newspaper, reported.

"They want to sign a memorandum of understanding with us," Songklod said in an interview. "Foreign embassies have contacted us to get the latest status on the project."

He added, "More than 30 foreign firms have shown an interest in investing or supplying us with financial and technical support to build the canal."

The Strait of Malacca is a major bottleneck in China's global ambitions. 80 per cent of China's oil supplies pass through the Malacca Strait, apart from forming its trade routes to the Middle East and Europe. But India's geographical position is such that it can easily block the Western side of the Strait of Malacca.

If Thailand chooses one of three quad members interested in the project, it will be a heavy blow to China's ambitions to dominate the region.

In recent time, Thailand is acting cautiously in dealing with China. Recently it was reported that Thailand, which once was the strongest ally of China in the South China Sea region, had decided to not only postpone the procurement of two submarines from China but has also put on hold the Chinese proposal for building a canal in the Bay of Bengal and replaced it with its own project.

(ANI)
The man who allegedly put a Curve Lake First Nation woman in a coma has been released from the Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay.

Jordan Morin appeared in the Ontario Court of Justice in Peterborough by video on Thursday for a bail hearing and was then released to a surety on several conditions.

The 23-year-old is charged with aggravated assault and assault cause bodily harm in connection to an incident that left 22-year-old Cileana Taylor in hospital with a life-threatening brain injury.

Peterborough Police say officers were called to a home at about 1:45 a.m. on Sept. 3 in response to a woman in medical distress. Paramedics took the woman to hospital where family say she has remained in a coma.

Following Taylors injury, family friend Nahanni Shingoose set up a GoFundMe campaign with intentions to help cover expenses on the young womans long road to recovery. The online campaign has raised nearly $17,000 to date.

A prayer vigil will be held Friday at 4 p.m. at McBride Island, near the Riverview Park and Zoo at 1300 Water St.

Morin returns to court on Oct. 7.
Friday, 18 September, is International Equal Pay Day, the most ludicrous day on the global calendar. How can it be that in the year 2020 some people continue to earn more because of their gender or race?

Onyi Nwaneri, CEO, Afrika Tikkun Services

Women often outperform their male counterparts

Multitude of glass ceilings

Biased recruitment processes

According to the most recent Stats SA data, which was released in November last year, White South Africans earned on average R24,646 per month between 2011 and 2015, three times the wages of Black South African employees (R6,899). Whilst Coloured and Indian South Africans are better off, their salaries remain considerably lower, nevertheless, at R9,339 and R14,235 per month.Besides the wide and persistent racial wage gap, we have a substantial gender wage gap too, with women earning on average 30% less than their male counterparts. This means that to take home her male colleagues salary, the average South African woman needs to spend 2.5 hours per day longer at her place of work. She will need to put in even more hours if she is Black, Coloured, or Indian and measuring herself up against White male co-workers.This alone should be enough to make us toyi-toyi in the streets, organise sit-ins at parliament, and shun companies who contribute most to this problem.This above situation is not because South African women are less experienced, educated, capable, and qualified. On the contrary. They, in fact, often outperform their male counterparts, something which already starts at a young age. A 2017 study titled "The Martha Effect" by the Department of Economics and the Bureau for Economic Research at the Stellenbosch University has, for instance, found that Grade 4 girls are often a full year of learning ahead of their male peers in reading. In Grade 5, about 40% of girls are a year of learning ahead of boys in mathematics.This is not where it stops. According to the Department of Basic Education, 57,579 more girls wrote their matric exams last year than boys. Besides, female matriculants accounted for two-thirds (63.8%) of all A-distinctions, 55% of bachelor, 53% of diploma, and 57% of higher certificate passes. This trend continues in university: Last year, six of UCTs 11 civil engineering first-class honours students were women.Despite their academic excellence, South African women earn less than men, especially in male-dominated fields. The first reason is a multitude of glass ceilings which are preventing them from reaching higher placed and better-paid positions. To give you an idea, only 3.3% of CEOs, 12.8% of CFOs, and 9% of executive directors on the JSE are female, of whom a minuscule percentage are Black, Coloured, or Indian.Various gender-biased myths are at the root of this. Women are often seen as not analytical and ambitious enough to be in leadership, and too emotional, of course. This is nonsense. We have the same level of leadership aspirations and skills as men, and we are just as willing to accept the associated organisational challenges of managerial and executive positions.The real issue is that working in male-dominated environments doesnt always appeal, particularly at executive level. Being the lone woman in an all-men boardroom is lonely and difficult, especially for women of colour. Many, therefore, decline the offer, often long before it arises, which comes at a price.What doesnt help is that women are less likely to negotiate their salaries. According to global staffing firm Robert Half, 45% of female workers globally negotiated their wages in 2018 as opposed to 68% of men.Then there is the myth that suitable women (of colour) are hard to find for executive and managerial positions, especially in traditionally male environments such as engineering, finance, and even technology and science. In my personal and professional opinion, this is the result of fundamentally flawed and biased recruitment processes and poorly reviewed succession plans. South Africa has plenty of incredibly capable, qualified, experienced, and skilled women across all sectors. I know so because at Afrika Tikkun Services, we spend our days helping companies identify and recruit talented women from multiple backgrounds, successfully assisting them to become more diverse and representative of our nation - from the top down.Our success is rooted in a strategy that actively involves both genders; men because they, as illustrated above, still tend to hold decision-making powers within their organixations and women because they are the ones affected. But there is more. Women play a huge role as mentors to inspire girls and young women to aspire to more. Up and coming generations of female leaders need established and relevant role models to tell, show, and teach them that they can be whatever they want to be and earn what they are worth, so we can finally scrap International Equal Pay Day off our calendar.
She displayed her enviable wardrobe of showstopper bikinis during the 2020 series of Love Island.

And Molly Smith looked sensational as she slipped back into a two-tone string two-piece and posed up a storm during a photoshoot on Thursday.

The reality starlet, 26, showcased her washboard abs and incredible figure in the vibrant pink and yellow ensemble on Instagram.

Wow! Love Island's Molly Smith looked sensational as she slipped into a two-tone bikini and posed up a storm during a photoshoot shared on Instagram on Thursday

She sported a bubblegum pink and lemon coloured bikini top with matching bottoms.

Molly styled her signature blonde tresses in a glamorous loose wave, and enhanced her delicate facial features with a flawless makeup look.

The Love Island star was bronzed to perfection as she leant her arm on the wall and gave a delicate smile to the camera.

Blonde beauty: The reality starlet, 26, showcased her washboard abs and incredible figure in the vibrant two tone ensemble

She recently returned from a romantic trip to Crete in Greece with her beau, Callum Jones, where she displayed her flawless sun-kissed tan and abs once more.

Molly looked every bit the Greek goddess with her long golden hair swept over her shoulder in soft curls.

Always on trend, the TV star exuded confidence in a leopard print bikini, paired with some lavender tinted sunglasses and simple gold necklaces.

Greek goddess: She recently returned from a romantic trip to Greece with her beau Callum Jones where she displayed her flawless sun-kissed tan and abs once more

Beach babe: The Love Islander exuded confidence in a leopard print bikini paired with some lavender tinted sunglasses and simple gold pendants

With a white shirt draped over her shoulders as a cover up, the influencer had been keeping fans engaged with a series of snaps from their romantic getaway.

Molly and Callum, 24, have been an item ever since they met on the 2020 winter series of Love Island.

However the iconic summer show has since been cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic, with questions raised as to whether it will be safe to return in January for another series.

To recover from the drought of a Love Island-less summer, ITV2 have been airing the Australian version of the hit series, and the USA rendition hit the small screen on September 7.
EDWARDSVILLE  The Southern Illinois University Board of Trustees today approved an alternate tuition program for Department of Defense (DoD) civilian personnel, who are SIUE undergraduate or graduate students and are eligible for the DoD Tuition Assistance program.

During spring 2019, the board approved an alternate tuition program for SIUE active duty military students. This applied to undergraduate and graduate students who are active duty military members or serving in a reserve unit or National Guard component. The alternate tuition rate paid per credit hour is equal to the maximum allowable benefit provided to those students by the DoDs Military Tuition Assistance Program.
Police prevent Sean Feucht and team from setting up for worship night in Chicago

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Police in Chicago prevented popular California worship leader Sean Feucht and the Let Us Worship movement from setting up musical equipment for a riots to revival worship protest to be attended by hundreds at a park in the citys South Side Wednesday, the evangelist said.

Feucht, who's led several worship events in cities impacted by riots in recent weeks, said on Facebook that Chicago police threatened to take action if the group began to set up musical equipment for a worship event at Washington Park that they did not have a permit for.

Feucht, the founder of the Let Us Worship movement who is known for his work with Bethel Music, charged that Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot shut us down and said that police threatened to arrest him and others if they began to set up the gear.

We are here in the South Side of Chicago, Feucht says in one Facebook video.

We got a lot of local pastors out here. We are setting up to worship peacefully over this city, a very diverse group. And the police show up. Over 30 of them are here to shut us down. They wont let us take our equipment out. Meanwhile, people are destroying this city with free reign. They are targeting Christians.

In another video, Feucht said that the mayor alerted police to show up and shut us down.

Right now, we have all of these officers and a whole line of police over there and over there, he said. They told us if we set up right now that they would take all of our gear and bring us into prison. But Christians are rising up. This is our new day for the Church. This is our 26th city and we are not about to stop now.

The prayer event comes as Chicago has been victimized by looting in recent weeks and months amid the social unrest that has gripped the nation since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Memorial Day.

According to a co-organizer of the Chicago event who spoke with The Christian Post, organizers did not have a permit but were prepared to hold the worship event as a form of peaceful protest like they have done in other cities.

Officers told organizers that while they could continue to protest peacefully in the street, they were not allowed to erect any type of sound system or tent structure.

Videos posted later in the night showed a large crowd marching along in worship through the streets of Chicago using only acoustic instruments and a bull horn.

The Christian Post reached out to the Chicago Police Department and the mayors office for a response.

While a response is pending from the mayors office, the police department said in a statement that CPD officers were on-site at this gathering to safeguard those in attendance.

"The Chicago Police Department is committed to ensuring First Amendment rights are safely facilitated, while also protecting the safety of the participants, the departments statement added.

The events in Chicago come after Feucht and company held a rally attended by over 200 in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Tuesday, the city where African American Jacob Blake was shot by police when he attempted to grab a knife after resisting arrest in August. Blake was trespassing on the property of a woman (presumably his girlfriend) who called police to report that he had stolen her car keys. Court records show that Blake had previously been arrested at that same property on July 6 and charged with one felony count of third-degree sexual assault, trespassing, and disorderly conduct related to domestic abuse. He also had an outstanding felony warrant for his arrest.

The officer's shooting of Blake, who is now paralyzed due to his injuries, led to weeks of protests, riots, vandalism and arson attacks on local businesses.

Previously, the Let Us Worship movement has held rallies in Minneapolis, Portland and Seattle. Many more are planned.

The Let Us Worship events have gained criticism from some who fear they could spread COVID-19. They have even led to a backlash from some local officials, such as in Seattle, where officials shut a local park to prevent them from hosting a worship rally on Labor Day.

In Minnesota, retroactive action is being considered because the group did not have the required government approval.

Pastor Charles Karuku, president of the Unity Revival Movement, who has worked with Feucht since June and has himself led a revival movement in Minneapolis, told CP that they came into Chicago intending to have a Let Us Worship night.

We were supposed to be at Washington Park and when we arrived to set up, that is when I was told by the park security that they would not allow us to gather there because we dont have a permit, he explained.

In every city we've gathered, we've gathered either with a permit or out of protest where we dont need a permit and the event goes on with no problem either way. Last night, they said, Yes you can gather as a protest because that is constitutionally allowed, but you cannot use or set up any equipment.

According to Karuku, police threatened to confiscate the equipment and hand out tickets if they set up.

It looked like the mayor of Chicago was giving orders to make sure there is no worship event in Chicago with Sean, he charged. These people were completely under the instructions of someone calling shots in the high places. It was ordered coming from above.

For us, we were exercising our First Amendment, the right to assemble and do what we need to do peacefully, the pastor added. Our team was talking to whos who in the city except for the mayor. And I can tell you, everyone that we talked to were for what we were doing and wanted it to be done.

At one point, Karuku said the deputy chief of police brought a bullhorn to the organizers so that they could address the crowd. Karuku said there were hundreds in attendance.

That was so kind of her, to see her trying to balance obeying the orders from above and helping us do something she considered very innocent, he said.

Karuku said that he was ready to get the ticket. But the consensus was they didnt want any confrontation between the crowd and police.

He added that the people who showed up for the rally spanned across racial lines, calling it a spectrum of people who came to pray for peace and unity.

Karuku said the night lasted from 6 p.m. until about 8:30 p.m., featuring baptisms, over an hour-plus of worship, a 30-minute worship march, and dancing. Karuku said that with a conservative estimate, about 30 people were baptized in the street.

We didnt even have a place to set up a baptismal, he said. We had to load it on the back of a truck and back it up. So people were baptized from a baptismal loaded on the back of a truck. That is the length we had to go through to be able to have an event in America.

The pastor assured that no arrests were made during their worship protest.

We rented on our own dime port-a-potties so that we dont have to [relieve ourselves] around the park, he said, adding that it cost thousands of dollars to put on an event like that.

On Thursday, the Let Us Worship movement hosted a worship event in Cleveland, Ohio. Organizers of the event in Cleveland were reportedly given a citation for not having a permit.

We have built incredible relationships with local churches, he said, noting that Feucht has hosted Zoom meeting with local faith leaders in cities he hosts events in to ensure they are part of the planning.

Karuku admitted, however, that some churches have rejected the movement.

The good thing is few have said no and more have said yes, he said. We have incredible support on the ground. Many churches are closed right now and some of these people in these cities are starving spiritually. When they see something is coming to their city, they come out.

While Feucht, who ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2020, has been described as a political activist, Karuku assured that there are no politics at Let Us Worship events.

If you watch one of those live videos, you will not hear any political statement being made, he added. We dont have time for that right now. What we have time for is to tell people these riots are turning into revival and to tell people that Jesus is coming soon and we better get ready. The focus of these events is worship.

You will not see anything like what you are reading online when you come to the event and experience the presence of God, he said. The results speak for themselves with sometimes thousands of people that are coming and the worship experiences they are having; people are getting saved and healed and baptized. I dont think that happens at a Trump rally.

On Oct. 25, a Let Us Worship event will be held in the nations capital two weeks before the Nov. 3 election.

That is when we want to see all these people in cities that we have been to come together at the National Mall on Oct. 25, Karuku concluded. We will be there the whole day and we want to see America experience a national revival. This is the beginning of the new Jesus people movement.
PIKEVILLE, Ky., Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Abdulla A. Attum, MD, FACS, is being recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Lifetime Achiever in the field of Medicine for his distinguished role as a Cardiothoracic Surgeon with Pikeville Medical Center.

Abdulla A. Attum, MD, FACS

Board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr. Attum has led an impressive career, having accrued many years of professional experience in his field. He specializes in open-heart procedures, off-pump bypass, valve surgery, lung and chest wall resections, and complex cardiac procedures. In his current capacity, Dr. Attum is a surgeon at Pikeville Medical Center in Pikeville Kentucky demonstrating the highest level of professionalism and integrity. He takes pride in maintaining the lowest complication rates, nationally, and treats all patients as if they were his family.



Dr. Attum's acclaimed career began after obtaining his Medical Degree with honors from Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt. Upon relocating to the United States, he subsequently completed a General Surgical Residency at the Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse and Johnson City, NY, and a Residency in Cardiothoracic Surgery and Research at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. He is Board Certified by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery and by the American Board of Wound Management.



A Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, Dr. Attum remains abreast of the latest developments and innovations in his field. He maintains active affiliations and memberships with professional medical organizations including the Society of Thoracic Surgeons.



Dr. Attum is happily married to his wife, Mrs. Mervat Attum since November 8, 1971. They have four children and eight grandchildren. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family.



This honorable recognition is dedicated to Joseph McLoughlin, MD, Chief of Cardiac Surgery at the University of Maryland and his colleague, Alan Lansing, MD from Louisville, KY. He also dedicates this to his wife, Mervat for coping with his call schedule and long working hours.



For further information, please visit https://www.pikevillehospital.org/providers/abdulla-attum-m-d/.

Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634, [email protected]

SOURCE Continental Who's Who

Related Links

http://www.continentalwhoswho.com






The ruling Democratic Party (DP) decided Friday to expel the third son of the late former President Kim Dae-jung, over allegations of underreporting his wealth and ownership of multiple homes.







This follows the party's ethics committee launching investigations earlier in the week into allegations of wrongdoing raised against some of its lawmakers, including Rep. Kim Hong-gul.







"The party decided to deprive Rep. Kim of his party membership as he appears to have not sincerely cooperated with the committee in its inspection probe," Rep. Choi In-ho, a party spokesman, said in a briefing at the National Assembly.







Kim is facing criticism for failing to fully disclose his wealth during his mandatory assets filing with the National Election Commission in the run-up to the general election held April 15. He omitted his ownership of the purchase rights for an apartment when he reported to the election watchdog that he owned three homes.







His father, Kim Dae-jung, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2000 for holding first-ever inter-Korean summit with then North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. (Yonhap)


Cancun Hotel Zone drug cell removed from streets

Cancun, Q.R.  The Secretary of Public Security of Quintana Roo reported the capture of 10 people in an operation carried out Wednesday at Kilometer Zero of Kukulcan Boulevard. Cancun police made the capture after responding to a report of several gathered subjects, one of which, was armed with a gun.

During a review it emerged that the nine men and one woman had a loaded revolver-type pistol and 111 bags of various drugs which included marijuana, crack and crystal meth. The detained are believed to be part of a drug cell that operated in the Cancun Hotel Zone.

Taken into police custody were Jose N, Ruben N, Norvey N, Franco N, Jose N, Abdias N, Ramon N, Juan Carlos N, Ramon Gustavo N and Katrey N. Officers involved in their arrests also seized their drugs, weapon, several personal effects, an undisclosed amount of cash in both Mexican peso and USD and three vehicles.
This year has seen a re-awakening of causes for social and racial injustice. With the murders of individuals such as George Floyd and Breonna Taylor sparking massive demonstrations across the country, the Black Lives Matter movement and the fight for racial injustice have gained more traction than ever. However, a recent research study by Barna and Dynata seeking to clarify American opinions on the matter, has found that not all Americans' perceptions have been affected by current events in the same way.

This July, Barna conducted a survey amongst Americans to gauge their concern for racial injustice in the country, and compared the results to that of a similar survey conducted a year prior. The survey results seemed to indicate that American Christians, and specifically white Christians, were willing to acknowledge racial oppression of the past, but not the present, nor did they have the motivation to address current racial tensions.

Data from last summer indicated that 46 percent of Christians believed the U.S. "definitely" had a race problem, however, from the recent July 2020 study, that number decreased to 43 percent. Additionally, practicing Christians also saw an increase in the percentage (11% in 2019 to 19%) of those who believe that racial issues are "not at all" a problem. Along with these findings, the data also demonstrated that white Christians are also increasingly unmotivated to talk about or address racial injustice.

From 2019 to 2020, the percentages of self-identifying and practicing Christians who were "unmotivated" to address racial injustices increased from 19 percent to 30 percent and 17 percent to 30 percent respectively. In addition to an increasingly "unmotivated" population, Barna's surveys also show that the amount of white self-identified Christians that were "somewhat motivated" to address racial injustice issues has declined from 35 percent to 29 percent. These numbers seemed to indicate that white Christians are rather averse to being involved in the country's racial issues, and that some of those who were on the fence about becoming involved ultimately decided they were firmly opposed to it.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Ohio Department of Health strongly recommends Halloween hayrides and haunted houses be canceled to protect people from the coronavirus.

Gov. Mike DeWine on Thursday said trick-or-treating was up to individual communities and parents.

The state on Friday suggested drive-through or drive-in trick-or-treating events, with people socially distanced, wearing face coverings. Putting treats in neighbors' or friends' mailboxes was also suggested.

See the state guidelines here.

Hale Farm & Village acting director Catherine Sterle said the farm had already taken out hayrides and pumpkin painting ahead of its annual Harvest Festival, which has been renamed Harvest Days this year. The festivities will take place Oct. 3 and 4 as well as the 10th and 11th days of the month. The activities will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.

Presale tickets are required, and they will be bought for a certain time to make sure large groups of people are not present at any one time. Activities such as apple butter churning, a fall nature hunt and trade demonstrations such as glassblowing. Tickets can be bought at halefarm.org.

At fall favorite Mapleside Farms in Medina County, a variety of safety measures are in place, including plexiglass dividers on hayrides, capacity limits, hand sanitizer stations and more.

At Cedar Point, there will be no Zombie High School to attend, no Eerie Estate to tour. The parks popular HalloWeekends is being replaced this year with Tricks and Treats Fall Fest, a daytime outdoor street festival.

Most Northeast Ohio cities have adopted a wait and see attitude toward trick-or-treating, though some leaders plan to still go forward with the event during the coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, others are taking a more creative approach to making sure kids in their community still experience the Halloween fun -- and the candy -- with limited exposure to the coronavirus.

The state guidelines are preliminary and could change closer to Oct. 31, which this year falls on a Saturday, the last day before the fall-back time change.

As the virus evolves, we will continue to update that if it is in fact appropriate, DeWine said Thursday. Again, in making these decisions as parents, you make that decision based on all the information that you can get.
What a wonderful world: Satchmos trumpet

An inscribed Selmer trumpet, used by jazz legend Louis Armstrong at the height of his powers in the early 1950s, is offered in The Exceptional Sale on 14 October

Born in 1901, Louis Armstrong blazed a path through mainstream American music in the early 1920s, transforming the improvised hot jazz of his impoverished New Orleans childhood into a thrilling new idiom that changed music forever. With his unmistakeable gravelly voice, phenomenal lung power (he was famous for being able to hit 200 high Cs) and virtuosic swing, Armstrong took jazz performance to new heights. The poet Langston Hughes dubbed him almost the whole story of orchestral jazz in America. Other fellow musicians called him Satchel Mouth later shortened to Satchmo  because of his huge grin, which he used to great effect, mesmerising the rowdy audiences of his early years as a rising star in Chicago and New York.

Louis Armstrong with neighbourhood children on the front steps of his home in Queens, New York, circa 1970. Archival image courtesy of the Louis Armstrong House Museum. Photo: Chris Barham

By the 1930s he had performed with swing bands, appeared in feature films and become a huge star. Then in the 1950s he returned to his roots with the New Orleans sextet Louis Armstrong and His All Stars, touring the world and bringing jazz into more peoples lives in more countries than any musician before him. In 1965 he even crossed the Iron Curtain to play in communist East Germany, earning him the nickname Ambassador Satch.

It is likely the trumpet was used on The California Concerts, a live album recorded in 1951 at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium

Armstrong bought his first cornet aged 15, a battered $10 affair all bent up, holes knocked in the bell, as he later recalled, but in Armstrongs hands, it proved good enough for the riverboat circuit on the Mississippi. The trumpets that followed were not much better, until the late-1920s, when Armstrong was so successful that he could commission trumpets to his own specifications. In the early 1930s he discovered the trumpets made by Henri Selmer Paris, a distinguished French brass and woodwind company established in 1880. Henri Selmer (1858-1941) had studied at the Conservatoire de Paris in the late-19th century and was incredibly innovative when it came to brass and woodwind instruments, explains Becky MacGuire, a senior specialist at Christies. The company developed the balanced action trumpet model in 1933 and Louis Armstrong was one of the first musicians to play it. Today, these instruments are often known as Armstrong trumpets.

A Selmer model 19 Balanced Action Medium Bore Trumpet, Henri Selmer, Paris, 1948. Brass with worn gold plating. Inscribed DUKE DONIN/from LOUIS SATCHMO ARMSTRONG/7/10/53. With modern case. Offered together with a cotton handkerchief inscribed in Louis Armstrongs characteristic green ink, To Joella/Louis Armstrong/Satchmo. Estimate: $60,000-80,000. Offered in The Exceptional Sale on 14 October 2020 at Christies in New York

According to MacGuire, Armstrong would play his instruments for about five years, then give them away as presents. The trumpet offered in The Exceptional Sale in New York on 14 October was given to Duke, the son of Abe and Frances Donin, two jazz aficionados whom Armstrong and his wife Lucille had met in Los Angeles in the 1930s. The Donins probably first heard Armstrong at Culver Citys Cotton Club in the 1930s, says MacGuire. Louis had gone to California to play the clubs and to try to break into Hollywood movies. They became great friends: the Donins can even be heard joking on Armstrongs reel-to-reel tapes. They were also guests at his 70th-birthday tribute celebrations at the Shrine Auditorium.

A photograph of Abe Donin, the father of Duke Donin, and Louis Armstrong inscribed by Armstrong with the words: This is a sharp picture. To Abe from Satch

The trumpet is engraved with the words Duke Donin/from Louis Satchmo Armstrong/7/10/53, which adds to its rarity  only a handful of Armstrong trumpets were ever inscribed. A similar model from 1946 is held at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. It is likely that the Donin trumpet was used by Armstrong on The California Concerts, a live album recorded in 1951 at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. This was a time in his life when he was totally in control, says MacGuire. His distinctive scat singing in that fabulous gravelly voice, his soaring and confident trumpet solos, the fluidity with which he swung in and out of his ensemble: this was the Louis Armstrong that made American jazz.

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Air Canada and WestJet are offering international travellers free COVID-19-related travel insurance on select flights, a decision some critics are calling an incentive to travel at a time when the government is asking people not to.

Air Canada is offering free coverage on new international round-trip purchases to any country, including the United States, made from Sept. 17 until Oct. 31, 2020, for trips up until April 12, 2021. It covers Canadian customers for up to 21 days, including for medical costs and emergency travel up to $200,000 per person, as well as additional coverage for quarantine costs.

Meanwhile, WestJet is offering free coverage through TuGo for customers travelling to Europe, the U.K., Mexico and the Caribbean (excluding the U.S. and U.S. territories), and visitors to Canada from these destinations, until August 31, 2021, for up to 21 days. The coverage includes emergency medical and hospital costs up to $100,000 per person, as well as emergency transportation costs up to $100,000 and some coverage for mandatory quarantines.

Manulife Financial Corp. is rolling out its COVID-19 travel insurance in October, meant to provide emergency health coverage up to $200,000 related to the virus and other conditions, as well as some trip cancellations or interruptions caused by quarantine.

The coverage includes trips to regions subject to a level-three travel advisory from the Canadian government (avoid non-essential travel), though the insurer warns against non-essential travel; in an emailed statement, a Manulife spokesperson said it strongly encourages travellers to follow the recommendations of the government and medical professionals.

They are the first major provider to offer such insurance, though smaller providers including the Canadian Association of Blue Cross in Ontario and Quebec now have similar plans.

Marty Firestone, president of Toronto-based travel insurance company Travel Secure Inc., said he thinks its mind-boggling that companies are offering COVID-19-related travel insurance, which he sees as encouraging people to travel.

Everything about it is wrong, he said. Its incentivizing travel at a time when our own country does not necessarily want you to leave Canada.

The Canadian government is currently advising against any non-essential travel outside Canada.

Firestone said he also doesnt think the coverage amounts are enough to cover all the potential costs of contracting COVID-19 abroad, and that travellers may not realize this.

Its not well thought out, he said.

Firestone said international travel poses a risk not just for travellers but for those they come home to. Hes concerned that amid the already-rising cases in Canada, travellers could bring more cases of COVID-19 home with them.

A WestJet spokesperson said in an email that the companys research shows a lack of COVID insurance is a barrier to many people for travelling.

Air travel is required to keep people and goods moving safely and efficiently and until a vaccine has been produced our airline is working to balance the economic necessity that airlines are to our country with responsibly living with the virus for the foreseeable future. We do not believe our airline should dictate the essential reasons for travel and we will continue to operate to ensure Canadians have access to affordable air service when they need it the most.

An Air Canada spokesperson said in an email that the decision to offer free coverage reflects the airlines ongoing response to the pandemic, which has consisted of continually adding layers of protection and assurance so people can safely and confidently begin travelling again.

In an emailed statement, a TuGo spokesperson said the company hopes the coverage will provide support to travellers who have family or business obligations requiring them to travel.

With this ever-evolving global situation, we continue to assess how our coverage can meet the needs of travellers.

Tim Sly, an epidemiologist and professor emeritus at Ryerson Universitys School of Public Health, said he understands the airlines are hurting financially due to the pandemic, and feels they may be grasping at straws to help customers feel safer about air travel. But he thinks that more could be done in terms of precautions, such as requiring travellers to take rapid COVID-19 testing before flying, or offering a discount to those who do.

Airlines are in a position to do that, he said.

Air Canada has said it is exploring rapid COVID-19 testing with multiple companies. It is also part of a pilot project at Torontos Pearson Airport testing arriving international travellers; and WestJet and Vancouver International Airport are running a similar pilot project, testing passengers on some departing flights beginning this fall.

For those who dont have a choice but to travel, Sly said insurance is always a good idea, but extra precautions should be taken: he recommends donning a mask and face shield while on board, sitting next to the window and not eating or drinking anything.

And if you dont need to travel? Ideally, dont, he said.

With files from Canadian Press

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The Miami Herald is investigating how it published a paid insert with what it called racist and anti-Semitic commentary and distributed to readers of its Spanish-language sister paper.

The Florida dailys publisher Aminda Marques Gonzalez earlier this week said it will no longer publish or distribute the content of the weekly supplement LIBRE.

Marques Gonzalez and the managing editor of El Nuevo Herald Nancy San Martin apologized to readers in a letter saying they had not previously read the advertising insert until a column was widely shared on social media with commentary berating Jews for supporting the Black Lives Matter movement while comparing violent demonstrators to Nazis.

The fact that no one in leadership, beginning with us, had previously read this advertising insert until this issue was surfaced by a reader is distressing, Marques Gonzalez said, adding that the paper did not have a process in place to review the content for that and other similar supplements.

LIBRE accused the newspaper of censorship in an online statement posted on its website Wednesday while saying it provided advance copies and right to revoke content.

The column that was flagged was written by Cuban exile Roberto Luque Escalona, who arrived in the U.S. in 1992. While still in Havana, he was once profiled in The New York Times and said to be Cubas only declared leader of an opposition party active in the country.

In his column, Luque Escalona was reacting to a full-page ad published by The New York Times in late August signed by hundreds of Jewish groups backing the Black Lives Matter movement.

Also read: Teenager in Wisconsin shootings charged with six criminal counts

What kind of people are these Jews? Theyre always talking about the Holocaust, but have they already forgotten about Kristallnacht, when Nazi thugs destroyed Jewish businesses across Germany? So do the BLM and Antifa, only the Nazis didnt steal; they only destroyed, he wrote in the column published last Friday.

An Associated Press account of the Kristallnacht pogrom of 1938 said Jewish stores were looted.

The Miami Herald has not said how long it has been publishing and distributing LIBRE to subscribers of El Nuevo Herald. Marques said the company was investigating the business relationship with LIBRE.

After reviewing past issues of LIBRE, Marques Gonzalez wrote the company was appalled to discover multiple instances of anti-Semitic and racist commentary since January, the letter to readers said.

Luque Escalona wrote in June about speculations that former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who was President Donald Trumps first U.N. ambassador, could replace Mike Pence as Vice President.

Daughter of immigrants from India, a country that has nothing to do with ours, her original name is Nimrata Randawa. Just hearing it puts me off, he wrote in Spanish.

LIBRE was founded in 1966. The owner is Demetrio Perez Jr., a Cuban-born owner of a private school chain who has served as city commissioner and school board member. In 2001, he pleaded guilty to fraud for overbilling tenants while pocketing rent-subsidy money.

In response to the Miami Herald pulling the weekly supplement, LIBRE said it disagreed with the columnist but defended his right to express his views. It also said Luque Escalona was a columnist for El Nuevo Herald for more than a decade.

At a moment in our nations history when every journalist should be demanding a free and unfettered exchange of ideas and full expression of them, El Nuevo Heralds leadership has chosen to try to silence a vital community newspaper, said the statement posted on its website.

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TORRINGTON  While the coronavirus has changed how many nonprofits are raising funds, at least one charity is not letting COVID -19 slow it down.

The United Way of Northwest Connecticut is staying the course and plans again this year to raise at least $500,000 to help fund our Community Partners during its annual campaign, said executive director Owen Quinn in a statement. Our community needs every penny, and we believe in the generosity of our community, pandemic aside.

The annual campaign has traditionally kicked off with a Celebrity Waiters breakfast at the Torrington County Club, but social distancing protocols have precluded social gatherings like the breakfast. Instead, the United Way is kicking off the campaign by asking donors to safely run their early bird campaigns, asking people to donate, and again set an example to the community of starting and concluding their work place campaign by the first week of October, according to the statement.

This has been a difficult year for so many in our community, but were entering this campaign with renewed hope and great enthusiasm, said Jeff Geddes, United Way board chairman and Senior Vice President of Torrington Savings Bank, in a statement. In times of hardship, our community rises to the occasion and emerges stronger.

According to Quinn and Geddes, the United Way Board of Directors is confident it can run a 2020 campaign, despite the added difficulties COVID-19 has posed.

United Way board chairman Brendan McDonald said, The fact that there are a number of nonprofits that have been financially affected by the pandemic is an even better reason to donate to the larger campaign this year.

Nonprofits have suffered significant funding losses; they have been working nonstop since the pandemic started; none of the nonprofits have been able to take any time off, McDonald said. So, the support now through the end of the years 2020 campaign, which helps fund them year long, is more important now than ever.

Normally, the United Way would hold different events, in which residents can donate to the campaign. However, COVID -19 put a stop to that. Its going to be a month-to-month campaign, given the pandemic circumstances we find ourselves in; so were just going to kind of see how it goes, Quinn said. Our plans for a virtual safe campaign are evolving, because we are not sure what kind of campaign that will ultimately look like. But we are hoping to maybe still have a few in-person events, just smaller and more intimate. This presents an opportunity to come up with new ways to do fundraising for the United Way campaign.

An early theme for this years campaign is Stronger Together, which from the idea that it will take everyone to get through the pandemic to the other side, and that type of cooperation of will be necessary to make this years campaign a success, Quinn said.

No one alone can make this happen, Quinn said. And so we are going to have to be calling on the resources of the past but looking for new people and new ideas as we transition into a different future than we anticipated prior to the pandemic.

The fundraising campaign has been extended to Dec. 31. The good news in todays 2020 campaign, as in past campaigns, is the fact that every penny counts, and all the money stays right here in Northwest Connecticut, Quinn said.

For information on supporting the annual campaign, contact Owen Quinn at 860-489-4131 or owen@northwestunitedway.org. Or visit northwestunitedway.org
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 18

By Klavdiya Romakayeva - Trend:

According to the decision of the Republican Special Commission of Uzbekistan, all restrictions on international tourism will be canceled from October 1, Trend reports referring to the press service of the Republican Special Commission of Uzbekistan.

The Commission allowed the free movement of personal vehicles, local air, and railway travel, the operation of catering facilities (restaurants, cafes, canteens, tea houses), sanatoriums, boarding houses, camps, hotels, guest houses, beaches, hostels, rental cottages, and other recreation areas, operate museums and restore the movement of vehicles between all regions of the republic.

Travel agencies inviting tourist groups (at least five people and no more than 15 people with full insurance against coronavirus) to Uzbekistan must arrange for tourists to undergo tests for COVID-19.

If the result of the test is negative, tourists will not be quarantined for 14 days.

If a tourist is found to have symptoms of coronavirus at a border point, he will have to pass a COVID-19 test at his own expense.

If the result of the test is positive, the tourist is placed in a quarantine center in Uzbekistan at his own expense or returns to his country.

Also, guests of Uzbekistan must strictly adhere to quarantine and sanitary and hygienic rules.

Travel agencies will be responsible for ensuring that tourists comply with the rules.

--

Follow the author on Twitter: @romakayeva
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reversed its coronavirus testing guidance after it sparked backlash among prominent health experts.

Last month, the CDC altered its testing guidelines to state that people didnt need to get tested if they came in contact with someone with Covid-19 if they were not displaying symptoms.

The move quickly sparked backlash among health experts because they thought it would discourage people from getting tested. About 40 percent of coronavirus patients are asymptomatic, according to the CDC.

Now the new guidance says that people without symptoms who have been in close contact with an infected person need a test.

Please consult with your healthcare provider or public health official. Testing is recommended for all close contacts of persons with SARS-CoV-2 infection, the new guidance says. Because of the potential for asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic transmission, it is important that contacts of individuals with SARS-CoV-2 infection be quickly identified and tested.

In a statement, the agency called the changes a clarification that was needed due to the significance of asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic transmission", according to the Associated Press.

Public health experts came out against the guidance last month due to the number of asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic carriers that can spread Covid-19 unknowingly through their communities.

Officials with the World Health Organisation (WHO) have encouraged countries to test people even if they dont have symptoms to help find asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic carriers.

The reversal from the CDC on Friday comes one day after The New York Times reported that the testing guidance was placed on the agencys website last month despite objections from agency scientists.

Officials told the publication that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) did the rewriting of the guidance and then dropped it onto the CDCs website, ignoring the agencys strict scientific review process.

That was a doc that came from the top down, from the HHSand the task force, a federal official, who wished to remain anonymous, told the publication. That policy does not reflect what many people at the CDC feel should be the policy.

CDC Director Robert Redfield defended the altered guidance when it first happened in August. He then repeated his defence of the changes during a Senate hearing on Wednesday, saying the controversy was a misinterpretation of the guidance.

But the testing guidance has since been reversed back to its previous recommendation for anyone to receive a test if in contact with someone with coronavirus.

The Independent has contacted the CDC and HHS for a comment.
Dawn Beatrice Griffin was excited the evening she put a sign in the front yard of her Atlanta home that said: Kamala Harris Is My Sorority Sister. When she opened her blinds the next morning, there were little Black girls in her yard taking pictures.

Griffin realized those girls saw possibilities she had not imagined when she was their age.

Some of those kids have seen a Black president  and now they see Kamala, said Griffin, a scientist, referring to Harris, the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants who is the first Black American to run for vice president on a major party ticket.

Those little girls will not see limitations, Griffin said. As a young girl, I dont think I was ever told I could be president  or vice president.

Harris has a lot of firsts attached to her name: Aside from her historic campaign with Joe Biden, she is also the first graduate of a historically Black college or university (HBCU) and first member of a Black sorority to be nominated to a major partys ticket for the White House. Griffin, like Harris, is a member of the oldest Black Greek letter sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA), founded in 1908 at Howard University.

But the organization is a member of an even larger family of Black sororities and fraternities known as the Divine Nine, whose nearly 2 million members are community leaders, civic activists and philanthropists adept at raising money.

Griffin watched Biden announce his running mate on television in August.

I squealed. But then I started texting to raise money, she said. Then I immediately made hotel reservations to be in Washington for the inauguration.

Though sororities and fraternities are apolitical organizations that do not endorse candidates, members are expected to follow missions that include being active in civic and community efforts. Harris, a U.S. senator and former California attorney general, who pledged AKA in 1986 at Howard, may depend on the personal support of the sisters of her sorority, which has some 300,000 members. But she will probably also garner the energy and financial power of most of the members of the nine historically Black Greek letter sororities and fraternities.

Story continues

Theres excitement among all the Greeks, said Laura Brown Morse, an Atlanta psychotherapist and member of Delta Sigma Theta. Her addition to the Democratic ticket made people get excited about a VP pick when sometimes that position just seems more like an unnoticed formality. Mobilization efforts started immediately.

We are all sisters, we just wear different colors, said Mae Frances Frazier, chaplain of the D.C. National Pan-Hellenic Council  which has members for each of the Greek letter fraternities and sororities  and a member of Sigma Gamma Rho. The brothers in our fraternities are saying the same thing.

The Divine Nine organizations are used to launching major campaigns, setting financial goals  and meeting them. For instance, under AKA President Glenda Baskin Glover  who is also the president of Tennessee State University  the sorority set a goal of raising $10 million in four years to provide badly needed financial support for HBCUs.

Black women are one of the most reliable Democratic voting blocs. Without Black women President Barack Obama would not have been re-elected in 2012, when they delivered key battleground states, according to a 2017 AFL-CIO report on Black female voters.These women are expected to play a vital role again in the 2020 presidential race, and the network of Black sororities and fraternities can play a significant role in persuading that voting block to turn out again.

Harris often shows up in public wearing her ivy leaf AKA pin, seats her sorors at the front of her events and maintains her friendships with her line sisters from her days at Howard. Black Greek organizations differ from predominantly white fraternities and sororities in that members are encouraged to remain active for life and collectively involved in social activism.

Gayle Danley, an artist and poet in Bethesda, Maryland, was one of the 38 women on the AKA initiation line with Harris at Howard University.

Danley said Harris keeps in touch with her line sisters, calling when they are sick or need encouragement.

As her inner circle, I see my line sisters roles are  to keep her encouraged, strong and nurtured. Its going to be a fight, Danley said.

The sorors will rally around Kamala much like we did when on line, said Lorri L. Saddler Rice, associate vice president and dean of undergraduate admission at Clark Atlanta University. Whatever challenge was put before us as initiates we worked together to accomplish the task. Were leveraging the same gifts we had in 1986 to support her.

Last year when Harris announced she was running for president, her sorority sisters from Howard University held an event for her in Washington that netted more than $100,000.

Kamala Harris with AKA sorority sisters at the 2019 Essence Festival. (Courtesy Lorri Saddler)

We took that model and duplicated it in the local market, said Saddler, who hosted an event in Atlanta that raised more than $70,000.

Michelle Arrington, an Atlanta attorney and AKA soror, is excited about seeing someone like me on the Democratic ticket. Arrington, 43, who also graduated from Howard, noted Harriss recent introduction of legislation to support uterine fibroid research and education.

I had to get fibroids removed, so this was personal for me, said Arrington.

Announcing the bill, Harris said in statement, Black women develop uterine fibroids earlier, have larger and a greater number of fibroids and are three times more likely than white women to be hospitalized for them.

Meanwhile, Harriss public acknowledgement of her sorority and the Divine Nine may also offer a history lesson to millions of Americans.

AKA member Thyrsa M. Gravely said, Im finding a lot of people  particularly white people  are just learning about the Divine Nine.

Gravely recalled working at a Boston consulting firm right after college in the 1990s when a co-worker asked her about seeing men in what Gravely recognized was fraternity gear.

He asked: What are they? Are these gangs? When I see them on one side of the street, I cross over because Im afraid, she recalled him saying.

Its a brotherhood, a fraternity and you dont have to be careful of them, Gravely responded.

Valerie Robinson, a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority who serves as chaplain on the National Pan-Hellenic Council Executive Board, had a similar experience recently.

My neighbor two doors down she saw me with my sorority stuff on the other day. Shes seen me in it for years. But now she said, Are you a part of that organization that Kamala Harris is a part of? I said, Yes.

Robinson emailed the neighbor a YouTube documentary on the Divine Nine.

When I saw her, she said, You all have been around a long time. And she told me she shared the video with other people.
Convicted of sexually assaulting six of his female patients, a Winnipeg doctor was taken out of court in handcuffs Friday morning, after being sentenced to seven years in prison.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/9/2020 (490 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Convicted of sexually assaulting six of his female patients, a Winnipeg doctor was taken out of court in handcuffs Friday morning, after being sentenced to seven years in prison.

Dr. Amir Ravesh, 54, subjected the women to "objectification and humiliation" during examinations that served no medical purpose but his own sexual gratification, Court of Queens Bench Justice Ken Champagne said.

Ravesh (full name Amir Houshang Mazhariravesh) stood trial last year, accused of sexual assault under the guise of medical exams at his Elmwood walk-in clinic.

The Crown had recommended Champagne sentence Ravesh to 12 years in prison. Defence lawyer Richard Wolson urged a sentence of three years, arguing it was on par for offenders convicted of similar crimes.

Police arrested Ravesh in October 2017, after a 19-year-old woman visited Health Sciences Centre for treatment and reported she had been sexually assaulted a day earlier. News coverage that followed resulted in other victims stepping forward, alleging sexual misconduct dating back as far as 2013.

Ravesh was removed from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitobas list of practising physicians the day police publicized his arrest in October 2017.

He had been licensed in Manitoba since July 2010, according to the college.

The woman whose complaint prompted Raveshs initial arrest testified at trial he digitally penetrated her vagina and anus at the same time, moving his fingers at increasing speed, saying: "This might help your sex drive."

Ravesh, the woman told court, grabbed her breast, put her hand on his erect penis, and told her she had "a nice ass, you should use it."

Another victim, a sex-trade worker, testified Ravesh asked her if she had anal sex with clients, and told her he frequented escorts. The woman told court Ravesh said if she wasnt comfortable with anal sex "there was probably something wrong down there," and proceeded to digitally penetrate her anus for several minutes.

"This case demonstrates the power imbalance that exists" between doctor and patient, Champagne said, noting how quickly Ravesh was able to pressure the woman into submitting to an invasive examination.

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Another victim said she started seeing Ravesh on the recommendation of her then-fiance. She said she had no complaints about Ravesh until her marriage broke down and Ravesh told her he had feelings for her. Ravesh, she said, told her he was only in his marriage for his children and promised to make her "more sexually happy" than her partner.

Ravesh asked her to feel his heart, and when she refused, he put his hand under her shirt and over a breast.

The woman said she felt pressured by her ex-husband to continue taking their children to Ravesh. She testified Ravesh offered to pay $40 for medical records she required in her divorce proceedings, telling her: "Im doing a favour for you, Id like you to do a favour for me and see me on a weekly basis." The woman said she interpreted the comment as sexual.

Champagne imposed consecutive sentences for each offence, initially arriving at a total sentence of 12 years. He reduced the sentence after considering the "totality principle," which recognizes sentences must not be disproportionate and must reflect the degree of responsibility of the offender.

Champagne said he also took into consideration mitigating factors, including Raveshs prior good character, strong prospects of rehabilitation and the impact of media coverage while he was free on bail.

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca
A team of scientists from China suggests that people who wear eyeglasses for more than 8 hours a day may be less susceptible to infection by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The study is published recently in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology.

SARS-CoV-2, a highly infectious and deadly virus responsible for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is known to spread from person to person via respiratory droplets. The major routes of viral transmission include nose, mouth, and eye.

In China, more than 80% of the population has myopia, which is a vision disorder making distant objects blurry. As a therapeutic intervention to correct the vision, the majority of Chinese people wear eyeglasses. However, since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in China, it has been noted that the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 positive patients in hospitals is very low.

This observation encouraged the current study scientists to analyze if there was any association between wearing eyeglasses and COVID-19 risk.

Current study design

The study involved a total of 276 COVID-19 patients who were admitted to Suizhou Zengdu Hospital, China, between January 27 and March 13, 2020. The average age of the study participants was 51 years (age range: 41  58 years), and about 56.2% of them were male. About 5.1% of the patients had a severe form of COVID-19.

To fully document eyeglasses wearing habits, patients were asked about the reason for wearing eyeglasses, daily duration of wearing eyeglasses, and information about wearing contact lenses or having refractive surgery. The patients who wore eyeglasses for >8 hours daily were considered long-term wearers. The scientists considered that these people wear eyeglasses when staying outdoor and socializing with people.

To estimate the prevalence of myopia in the general population, the scientists collected the data from the Research on Chinese Student Physique and Health Study, which includes information about the health status of Chinese students in 1985.

Important observations

The current study findings revealed that about 10.9% of COVID-19 patients wore eyeglasses; of them, 5.8% had myopia, and 5.1% had presbyopia (age-related weakening of near vision). The patients who had myopia (5.8%) were found to be the wearers of eyeglasses for more than 8 hours daily (average age: 33 years). None of the patients reported wearing contact lenses or having refractive surgery.

Regarding population statistics, a previous study published in 1987 has shown that about 31.5% of Chinese students aged 7  22 years had myopia. In the current study, the scientists estimated that by 2010, these students were in the age range of 42  57 years, which is similar to the age range of current study participants.

These observations indicate that in Suizhou, China (the study region), the prevalence of myopia in the general population (31.5%) is much higher than that in COVID-19 patients enrolled in the study (5.8%), suggesting that people who wear eyeglasses may be less likely to acquire SARS-CoV-2 infection.

How may eyeglasses provide protection?

Evidence shows that people who do not wear eyeglasses involuntarily touch their eyes around ten times per hour. Wearing eyeglasses prevent people from frequently touching their eyes, thereby reducing the chance of hand-to-eye transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

According to the published literature, about 1  12% of COVID-19 patients display ocular characteristics, such as the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in tears or the conjunctival sacs. Mechanistically, SARS-CoV-2 can enter the human body by binding to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which is highly abundant on the ocular surface. Therefore, it is likely that wearing eyeglasses may have a protective effect by reducing the chance of viral entry through the eyes.

The current study findings highlight the fact that to effectively contain the spread of SARS-CoV-2, people should practice all the recommended control measures such as frequently washing hands and avoiding touching eyes with hands, in addition to wearing masks, maintaining social distancing, and following home isolation rules.

Daily wearers of eyeglasses may be less susceptible to COVID-19.

I recommend that every endoscopist wears goggles during any endoscopy https://t.co/AerljU6LUf  Klaus Monkemuller, MD, PhD (@KMonkemuller) September 16, 2020

Association of Daily Wear of Eyeglasses With #COVID19 Inf https://t.co/oLKzy6u4QJ @JAMAOphth the proportion of inpatients with COVID-19 who wore glasses for extended daily periods was  than the general population, suggesting eyeglass wearers may be less susceptible to COVID-19.  Carlos del Rio (@CarlosdelRio7) September 16, 2020
The material includes a very disturbing note of a meeting this week at which the woman told her guardian and a Child and Family Agency officer she believes, if released, she will respond in a way that will drive her towards murdering her mother or perhaps some other vulnerable women, Ms Justice Mary Irvine noted.

The material also includes a summary of the views of four psychiatrists which added weight to the risks identified in relation to the woman, she said.

She was satisfied the material should be disclosed to gardai and rejected arguments on behalf of the woman it should not.

'Imminent risk'

Some of it is already in the public domain but gardai should not have to get information from the media in order to protect human life and to take any steps they consider necessary concerning any bail application for the woman, she observed.

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The woman, who has a personality and medical disorder, is currently on bail from the District Court in relation to assault charges. A condition of that bail is that she remains in the childrens unit but her detention there is on foot of High Court orders in wardship proceedings the CFA has now withdrawn.

The judge disagreed the material was confidential, noting it did not involve actual medical or psychiatric reports. If she was wrong about that, the right of life of the mother and other vulnerable women who may be at risk outweighed any right to confidentiality, she said.

Where the CFA, a State agency, has credible evidence that the woman poses an imminent risk to the life of her mother and other women, including contemporaneous evidence the woman has considered how she might actually perpetrate these crimes, that information must be released, the judge said.

Addressing arguments by John J. Fitzgerald SC, for the woman, that disclosure of the material might affect the womans rights against self-incrimination and a fair trial in any possible future criminal proceedings, the judge said any such issues could be addressed by a trial judge.

Wardship

The CFA had initiated wardship proceedings for the woman last December as she was about to turn 18 and she has remained detained in the childrens unit pending an inquiry into whether she should be taken into wardship.

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She had opposed wardship and, in light of recent psychiatric reports she has capacity to make decisions about her person and finances, with the effect she does not meet the criteria for wardship, the CFA confirmed on Monday it was withdrawing the wardship proceedings and it applied to have the detention orders lifted. It had arranged a bespoke onward placement for the woman but that was dependent on her voluntary participation, Barry ODonnell SC, instructed by solicitor Conor Fottrell, for the CFA, said.

The womans position had fluctuated in recent days and Mr Fitzgerald told the judge on Friday she feared the possible consequences for her and others of her being released into the community and wanted to be in a secure place to protect herself and the community. He accepted his instructions have changed radically but what is abundantly clear is, if she is freed, a highly traumatised and dangerous 18 year old will be released onto the streets, presenting significant risks to herself, her mother and others, he said..

He would be seeking to argue, possibly in new proceedings, the courts wardship jurisdiction could be expanded to include a person with a personality disorder.

He agreed the woman, who paid a brief visit to the onward placement this week, had said she did not wish to go there.

The judge expressed reservations whether an argument for an expanded wardship jurisdiction was stateable but said that was not before her on Friday.

When Mr Fitzgerald queried what steps the HSE has taken to address the situation as the woman became an adult last December, the judge said that was not a matter before her and note the CFA had approached between 36-38 care units about placing the woman without success.

Michael Lynn SC, for the womans mother, said she was neutral on the information disclosure application as she recognised there were issues of her own and the publics safety as well as her daughters confidentiality. The court previously heard the mother recently moved out of her council home because of her daughters threats.

The case will return before the judge on Monday to deal with the CFAs application to lift the detention orders. The CFA says the registration of the childrens unit with HIQA is in jeopardy while the woman remains there.
"Good Morning Britain" host Piers Morgan has initiated a fresh attack on "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" star Kim Kardashian. Piers prompted Kardashian to permanently be inactive from social media after she participated in the social media freeze advent and released a message about the "spreading of hate, propaganda and misinformation."

Kim Kardashian's Social Media Freeze Post

The reality television star spearheaded the social media freeze movement by writing to her followers, "I love that I can connect directly with you through Instagram and Facebook but I can't sit by and stay silent while these platforms continue to allow the spreading of hate, propaganda and misinformation - created by groups to sow division and split America apart - only to take steps after people are killed," reported Daily Mail.

Kardashian basically announced that she will be taking a break from Instagram and Facebook in honor of the campaign #StopHateForProfit. Fans lauded Kanye West's wife's stance but Piers was not convinced.

Piers Morgan Retaliates

Piers Morgan addressed Kim Kardashian to be inactive at social media for good after the social media freeze but said she would not because she makes "too much money." Thus, the 55-year-old TV host reignited the feud between him and Kardashian, reported The Sun.

Also Read: 'Keeping Up With The Kardashians' Ending Due to Their Demand For More Money?

In accordance with the prevalent campaign, the KKW Beauty founder persuaded her 188 million followers to join the movement. She froze her Facebook and Instagram handles for a day to underscore the issue. The mother of four announced her action on the two social networking platforms.

Kardashian is also currently studying to become a lawyer.

Piers Morgan's Twitter Post

The outspoken British presenter responded to the beauty mogul's post and took to Twitter to challenge her to quit social media permanently. "Quit permanently if you care that much, but you won't because they make you too much money," he tweeted.

The website of Mirror has reached out to Kardashian's representatives for a comment.

Not the First Time

Piers has previously targeted Kardashian, dubbing her "selfish and reckless" for her response to husband West's bipolar disorder.

The long-running feud also involved Morgan describing her as a "talentless half-wit" after she was embarrassed on stage at the Grammys.

Kardashian revealed in 2018 a list of enemies she will be sending new bottles of her fragrance to. Morgan was the only man on the list.

The #StopHateForProfit Campaign's Supporters

The movement was quickly embraced by other famous names. One of them involved comedian Sarah Silverman who is also very adamant to #StopHateForProfit. Social media boycotters also included Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Lawrence, Leonardo DiCaprio, Katy Perry, Mark Ruffalo, and Kerry Washington.

Kardashian, 39, boasts 188 million Instagram followers.

Pierce Morgan's 2 Cents

According to Piers Morgan regarding Kim Kardashian's social media freeze, "Some of the people shouting the loudest about hate speech... turn a blind eye when it comes closer to home," reported Enstars.

Related Article: Kim Kardashian Reveals How She Feels About Kanye West's Bipolar Disorder



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The breakneck pace of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season claimed another record on Friday after three tropical storms formed within a 24-hour period, hitting fast-forward on the National Hurricane Centers adoption of the Greek alphabet for storm names.

By Saturday morning, there were five systems to monitor in the Atlantic waters.

First came Tropical Storm Wilfred in the Atlantic around 11 a.m. Friday, then Subtropical Storm Alpha near Portugal at 12:30 p.m. Alpha dissipated by Saturday night. Tropical Storm Beta, in the Gulf of Mexico, broke the record around 5 p.m. Friday.

For just the second time, tropical storms and hurricanes will be named after Greek letters, a backup list that the National Hurricane Center first turned to when it exhausted its alphabetical list in 2005.

NOAAs midseason prediction called for 19 to 25 named storms this season, and Beta is number 23. The record for most storms in one season, 27, is held by 2005.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic, Hurricane Teddy, a powerful Category 4 storm, continued to move toward Bermuda on Saturday. Also on forecasters radar: Post-tropical cyclone Paulette might reform in the faraway Atlantic, and a new tropical wave could move off the west coast of Africa later Saturday.

Five systems in the Atlantic on Sept. 19, 2020.

One name is left on the hurricane list, and its only September. Why so many storms?

Tropical Storm Wilfred forms, Alpha a low

Tropical Storm Wilfrid at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020, advisory.

At the 11 p.m. Saturday update, woeful Wilfred was pointed in the general direction of the Bahamas and the East Coast of the U.S. and about 1,105 miles west of the Cabo Verde islands and 1,390 miles east of the Lesser Antilles. Forecasters dubbed it woeful because the prediction is that it would diminish to a depression as soon as Monday and then dissipate.

At a steady 16 mph and holding at 40 mph winds, Wilfred continued west-northwestward with no change in strength. Tropical storm-force winds shrunk to 45 miles from the center.

The hurricane center said Wilfred could strengthen a bit in the next few days, but then a large upper-level trough would set in and break it apart with increased wind shear, likely turning Wilfred into a remnant low.

Story continues

Subtropical Storm Alpha formed just after noon Friday, but by the 11 p.m. update had become a remnant low over the District Of Viseu, Portugal. The hurricane center is no longer issuing advisories for Alpha.

Tropical Storm #Wilfred Advisory 6: Tiny Wilfred Moving West-Northwestward. https://t.co/VqHn0u1vgc  National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) September 19, 2020

Tropical Storm Beta breaks record

Tropical Storm Beta formed Friday afternoon hours after Wilfred and Alpha, marking the first time three named storms formed within a 24-hour period. The previous record was three storms forming within a 30-hour period, in August 1993, when Humberto, Iris and Jerry formed, tweeted Tomer Burg, an atmospheric science Ph.D. student at the University of Oklahoma.

As of 11 p.m. Saturday, Beta had held on to 60 mph winds with higher gusts while crawling at 2 mph north-northeast over the Gulf for the past few hours. Forecasters say Beta is expected to slowly strengthen in the next few days as Beta could be near hurricane strength as it approaches the Texas coast.

Beta is about 235 miles southeast of Galveston and 325 miles east of Corpus Christi and 245 miles. Data from Hurricane Hunter flights show that Betas center has drifted toward the northeast during the day. Beta is expected to drift back westward Saturday night, followed by a slow motion toward the west-northwest that should continue through late Monday.

A storm surge warning was exted from east of High Island, Texas to Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana.

A tropical storm warning was issued at 11 a.m. for Port Aransas, Texas to Intracoastal City, Louisiana. A Storm Surge Watch is in effect from Baffin Bay, Texas to Port Aransas, Texas and from High Island, Texas to Cameron, Louisiana.

A slow westward motion is expected to begin late Saturday, with a slow northwestward motion forecast to begin late Sunday and continue through late Monday, forecasters said. On the forecast track, the center of Beta will slowly approach the Texas coast into early next week.

Beta is expected to become a Category 1 hurricane Sunday night or Monday, but the forecast calls for the storm to weaken back to a tropical storm before scraping along the Texas coast for a few days.

Tropical Storm Beta at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020.

The hurricane center cautioned that it was too soon to tell what impact the storm could have, considering its curvy path.

Forecasters say its also too early to tell which areas could see direct wind, storm surge and rainfall from this system, though they are expecting swells to increase and reach the coast of Texas and along the Gulf coast of Mexico over the weekend, possibly causing life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.

A hurricane watch is in effect for Port Aransas, Texas, to High Island, Texas.

The Tropical Storm Watch for east of Intracoastal City, Louisiana to Morgan City, Louisiana has been upgraded to a Tropical Storm Warning.

How strong will Hurricane Teddy be when it nears Bermuda?

Hurricane Teddy at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020.

Bermuda issued a tropical storm watch Friday evening as Hurricane Teddy, now weakened to a Category 3 storm, continued its path toward the island at 13 mph.

As of the 11 p.m. Saturday update, it held its maximum sustained winds of 115 mph, with higher gusts. Teddy was about 405 miles south-southeast of Bermuda and is expected to continue moving northwest into early Sunday.

Teddy is predicted to take a turn toward the north or north-northeast by Sunday evening, then speed up toward the north early next week. Teddy will approach Bermuda on Sunday with tropical storm-force conditions as the center passes just east of the island Monday morning.

Hurricane-force winds currently extend outward up to 60 miles from the center and tropical storm-force winds extend outward up to 255 miles.

However, Teddy was also expected to slowly weaken to a Category 2 by the time it approaches Bermuda, according to the hurricane center, but its wind field is forecast to increase substantially at the same time.

After 24 hours, the hurricane is forecast to cross cooler waters churned up by Paulette last week. This should cause a slow weakening trend to begin, forecasters said.

From Bermuda, it could head toward Nova Scotia as a powerful extra-tropical cyclone.

Hurricane #Teddy Advisory 30: Teddy Expected to Grow in Size Early Next Week. Large Swells That Can Cause Rip Currents Will Affect Most Western Atlantic Coasts Through the Weekend. https://t.co/VqHn0u1vgc  National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) September 19, 2020

The return of Paulette?

Paulette, which struck Bermuda as a Category 2 hurricane last week before rocketing off to colder waters, might make a comeback. As of the 2 p.m. Saturday update, forecasters said the post-tropical cyclone, now a few hundred miles southwest of the Azores, has seen increased shower activity. The system is due to move quickly southward for the next few days and then stall over marginally warmer waters.

The cyclone could redevelop tropical characteristics late this weekend or early next week while it moves little, forecasters said.

The hurricane center gave Paulette an increased 50% chance of reforming in the next two days and 60% in the next five.

Another tropical wave

The hurricane center is also watching another tropical wave that has yet to roll off the coast of Africa. On Saturday afternoon, forecasters said it had no longer had a chance of developing.
The following press statement issued by the Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt in Colombo

Minister of Foreign Relations Hon. Dinesh Gunawardena received H.E. Hussein El Saharty, Ambassador of Egypt, on 16 September for a cordial discussion on matters of mutual interest to both countries. Ambassador El Saharty congratulated Hon. Gunawardena on assuming his position and handed over the original greeting letter addressed to him by Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry. He also praised the positions and efforts exerted by the new Sri Lankan leadership and government, especially in controlling the spread of COVID-19 and in asserting Sri Lankas national independence and sovereignty.

Discussion focused on reviving and enhancing the historic relations between Sri Lanka and Egypt in all aspects, noting that Egypt was the first African and Arab country to establish diplomatic relations with Sri Lanka in 1957. It has been highlighted that bilateral relations have gained a remarkable momentum since President Gotabaya Rajapaksa assumed office in November 2019, as the first round of bilateral political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of both countries was held in Cairo in December 2019. During the COVID-19 crisis, both countries showed keen interest in maintaining and even increasing the flow of bilateral trade with significant success. EgyptAir Cargo landed in Colombo for the first time in August 2020 opening up immense opportunities for enhancing bilateral trade.

Hon. Gunawardena and Ambassador El Saharty agreed that as both countries are currently facing the same set of threats and challenges in terms of extremism, economic hardships post COVID-19 closures, attempts to revive tourism, climate change, drug and human trafficking, illegal migration and all forms of transnational organized crimes, closer cooperation and coordination is needed at this critical juncture. Ambassador El Saharty also briefed Hon. Gunawardena on Egypts stance towards regional developments in Africa and the Middle East.
U.S. Central Command has directed the deployment of Bradley Fighting Vehicles, advanced Sentinel radar systems and other assets to northeastern Syria to protect the remaining few hundred U.S. troops against Islamic State attack, CENTCOM said in a statement Friday.

The nature of the new threat posed by ISIS that triggered this U.S. response was not described, but U.S fighter patrols have also been increased over the region, said Navy Capt. Bill Urban, a CENTCOM spokesman.

Read Next: No More Drill Sergeant 'Shark Attack:' Army Moves Toward Kinder Basic Training Start

The M2A2 Bradleys generally carry a 25mm Bushmaster chain gun and TOW anti-tank missiles, while the Sentinel system can be used for counter-battery target acquisition and air defense.

"These actions are a clear demonstration of U.S. resolve to defend Coalition forces in the [Eastern Syria Security Area], and to ensure that they are able to continue their defeat-ISIS mission without interference," Urban said of the buildup.

Earlier, Army Col. Wayne Marotto, the new spokesman for Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve in Iran and Syria, said in a Twitter post that the deployment of the Bradleys and other assets were intended to counter the diminished but still potent threat posed by ISIS.

"Despite the territorial defeat of ISIS, the degradation of its leadership and the widespread refutation of its ideology, this violent Islamist extremist group still poses a threat," Marotto said. "Unless pressure on Daesh [ISIS] is maintained, its re-emergency remains a very real possibility."

Marine Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, the CENTCOM commander, other U.S. military leaders, and Iraqi national security officials have also repeatedly warned that ISIS remained a threat in northeastern Syria and western and central Iraq, although President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that ISIS was "100% destroyed."

At a White House news conference Friday mostly focused on the response to COVID-19, mail ballots and efforts to revive the economy, Trump again highlighted his plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Trump noted recent peace deals between Israel, and Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, and said "the Middle East is straightening out with all that's happening. We've brought a lot of our troops back, a lot of them are coming back in the very near future."

An estimated 200-500 U.S. troops remain in Syria.

"We have troops guarding the oil, other than that we're out of Syria," Trump said.

Although CENTCOM and CJTF-OIR said the latest actions were focused against ISIS, the deployments, particularly of the Sentinel counter-battery radar and the heightened air cover, could also be seen as a warning to Russia.

There have been several road rage incidents in northeastern Syria in recent months involving U.S. and Russian convoys.

On Aug. 25, a Russian vehicle allegedly rammed a U.S. Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle in northeastern Syria, injuring at least four U.S. troops, according to CJTF-OIR. The U.S. and Russia have traded blame for causing the incident.

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.

Related: Helicopter Makes Emergency Landing in Syria, No Injuries, US Says
Source: Xinhua| 2020-09-18 14:35:56|Editor: huaxia

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TASHKENT, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Uzbekistan will lift all entry and exit restrictions on air, rail and road transport due to the COVID-19 pandemic from Oct. 1, the country's special commission on coronavirus said Friday.

The Central Asian nation has updated its list of countries which were earlier marked red, yellow and green according to their epidemic situations.

Visitors from green countries, including China, Thailand, Malaysia, South Korea, Georgia, Hungary, Finland, Latvia, Austria and Japan, are allowed to enter Uzbekistan without restrictions, the commission said.

Inbound passengers from yellow countries, such as Azerbaijan, Belarus, the United Arab Emirates and EU countries (except Spain), as well as from red countries, are required to provide negative COVID-19 test results and be put under a 14-day quarantine, it added.

Uzbekistan had eased COVID-19 lockdown measures earlier this month, allowing theaters, cinema halls, restaurants and cafes to reopen with strict sanitary rules.

The country has so far registered 49,627 cases, with 413 deaths and 45,970 recoveries. Enditem
US TikTok users prepare for a possible exit from platform The United States government has ordered a ban on downloads of popular video app TikTok

American TikTok users reacted with a collective shrug Friday to the US move to ban new downloads of the video-sharing app -- but many are already planning an exit to other platforms should the clampdown lead to an outright ban.

"Oh my God! Ok! It's happening! Everybody stay calm!" TikToker Nick Foster told his 577,000 followers, dubbing a video of himself with audio of actor Steve Carell's character on the series "The Office" panicking during a fire alarm.

Although young users on the platform, who make up its primary base, don't seem to have paid much attention to the government's announcement, the older ones have reacted.

"Thank you for the fun times," posted The Buyin King, a 22-year-old investor with 438,000 followers.

Some users were pragmatic, pointing out that for those who already had the app little would change between Sunday, when the government ban on downloads will go into effect, and November 12, the cutoff date set by President Donald Trump's administration.

The administration has targeted TikTok, owned by Chinese tech giant Bytedance, over national security, escalating a fight with Beijing over the digital technology. The November 12 deadline potentially allows for a tie-up between TikTok and a US company to safeguard data to allay Washington's security concerns.

"This is posturing," said Jeff Couret, a consultant with 376,000 TikTok followers. "For Trump it's a way of showing TikTok that he means business but without hurting them too much."

However, most of those who have built a following on TikTok are getting ready to pack their bags, regardless of the ultimate outcome.

For people who make a living off of their presence on the social network -- such as star Addison Rae, who boasts 60.9 million followers and earned $5 million between June 2019 and June 2020, according to Forbes magazine -- the financial stakes are high.

For weeks now, many TikTok users have been sharing their Instagram and YouTube accounts on their profiles, preparing their fans for a jump to greener pastures.

Story continues

- Competitors lying in wait -

Even TikTok's gold standard, Charli D'Amelio -- who, with 87.5 million followers at just 16 years old, is the platform's most popular creator -- announced Tuesday a non-exclusive partnership with Triller, a similar platform, where she already has 1.1 million subscribers.

Bryce Hall, Nessa Barrett and Chase Hudson -- largely unknown among the over-20-year-olds but with more than 10 million TikTok followers each -- have also started Triller accounts.

In a sign of the times, Trump himself, who never dipped his toe into TikTok's waters, has made his debut on Triller, where he already has 953,000 followers.

In August, Triller announced it had been downloaded 250 million times since it was created, a figure that was disputed by analytics firm Apptopia, which put the number of downloads closer to 52 million.

The app is not the only one positioning itself to rise from the ashes of titan TikTok, which has been downloaded two billion times worldwide and has 100 million users in the US alone.

Also lying in wait are Byte (no relation to TikTok's parent company ByteDance), which was launched in January, as well as Likee -- which Apptopia says was downloaded 7.2 million times in the US between February and August -- and Dubsmash.

Not to mention Instagram and YouTube, which have extended their tentacles with Reels and YouTube Shorts, respectively, the test versions of which launched opportunely in the past few months.

The winner "will be the one that the loyal TikTok users perceive as being the 'cool' place to be," said James Mourey, a marketing professor at DePaul University.

In its time, TikTok itself had benefited from the January 2017 disappearance of Vine, a video-sharing app that had 200 million active users at its peak.

In the current context, "startups like Byte may have the edge, as we know established brands in tech lose their 'cool factor' the older they get," said Mourey, pointing to younger generations' migration from Facebook to Instagram.

But even weakened and suspended, TikTok isn't dead yet, Mourey warned.

A lot can still happen before November 12, "and don't forget: TikTok is not banned outside of the US, so as long as TikTok continues to be the dominant player globally, it will continue to innovate and maintain a strong customer base," he said.

tu/to/st
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People from Dege County perform during a celebration in Kangding City, Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Sept. 17, 2020. A festive ceremony was held in Kangding on Thursday to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. [Xinhua/Liu Kun]

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People watch a performance during a celebration in Kangding City, Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Sept. 17, 2020. A festive ceremony was held in Kangding on Thursday to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. [Xinhua/Liu Kun]

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People from Xinlong County perform during a celebration in Kangding City, Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Sept. 17, 2020. A festive ceremony was held in Kangding on Thursday to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. [Xinhua/Liu Kun]

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People perform during a celebration in Kangding City, Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Sept. 17, 2020. A festive ceremony was held in Kangding on Thursday to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. [Xinhua/Liu Kun]

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People from Derong County perform during a celebration in Kangding City, Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Sept. 17, 2020. A festive ceremony was held in Kangding on Thursday to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. [Xinhua/Liu Kun]

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People perform during a celebration in Kangding City, Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Sept. 17, 2020. A festive ceremony was held in Kangding on Thursday to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. [Xinhua/Liu Kun]

(Source: Xinhua)
Press Release

Nicox Announces Senior Management Change





September 18, 2020 - release at 7:30 am

Sophia Antipolis, France







Nicox SA (Euronext Paris: FR0013018124, COX), an international ophthalmology company, today announced a change in Nicox management. Dr. Tomas Navratil, PhD, Executive Vice President & Head of Research & Development of the Nicox Group and General Manager of Nicox Ophthalmics, Inc. will be leaving Nicox on October 16, 2020 to pursue other opportunities. The Company has initiated a search for a successor. In the interim, Dr. Jose Boyer, the current Vice President and Head, Clinical Development, will be appointed as Interim Head of R&D, effective October 16, 2020.







Michele Garufi, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Nicox, said: "We are very appreciative of Dr. Navratil's contributions to Nicox and the excellent R&D progress achieved across all programs in Nicox's pipeline during his tenure and we wish him great success in his future endeavours. I am confident that under Dr. Boyer's leadership the R&D team will continue to successfully deliver on key milestones in the NCX 470 trials and the forthcoming NCX 4251 trial."





About Nicox

Nicox S.A. is an ophthalmology company developing innovative solutions to help maintain vision and improve ocular health. Nicox's lead program in clinical development is NCX 470, a novel, second-generation nitric oxide-donating bimatoprost analog, for lowering intraocular pressure in patients with glaucoma. The company is also developing NCX 4251, a proprietary formulation of fluticasone, for acute exacerbations of blepharitis. Nicox generates revenue from VYZULTA in glaucoma, licensed exclusively worldwide to Bausch & Lomb, and ZERVIATE in allergic conjunctivitis, licensed in multiple geographies, including to Eyevance Pharmaceuticals, LLC, in the U.S. and Ocumension Therapeutics in the Chinese and Southeast Asian markets.



Nicox is headquartered in Sophia Antipolis, France, is listed on Euronext Paris (Compartment B: Mid Caps; Ticker symbol: COX) and is part of the CAC Healthcare, CAC Pharma & Bio and Next 150 indexes.



For more information on Nicox, its products or pipeline, please visit: www.nicox.com (http://www.nicox.com) .

Analyst coverage





Bryan, Garnier & Co Victor Floc'h Paris, France

Cantor Fitzgerald Louise Chen New York, U.S.

H.C. Wainwright & Co Yi Chen New York, U.S.

Oppenheimer & Co Hartaj Singh New York, U.S.

The views expressed by analysts in their coverage of Nicox are those of the author and do not reflect the views of Nicox. Additionally, the information contained in their reports may not be correct or current. Nicox disavows any obligation to correct or to update the information contained in analyst reports.

Contacts

Nicox

Gavin Spencer

Executive Vice President, Chief Business Officer

& Head of Corporate Development

T +33 (0)4 97 24 53 00

communications@nicox.com (mailto:communications@nicox.com)

Investors & Media

United States & Europe

LifeSci Advisors, LLC

Mary-Ann Chang

T +44 7483 284 853

mchang@lifesciadvisors.com (https://sharepoint.nicox.com/docs/fr/france/Corporate%20Development/Ongoing%20news,%20projects/Departure%20TN%20PR%20September%202020/mchang@lifesciadvisors.com) Media

France

LifeSci Advisors, LLC

Sophie Baumont

M +33 (0)6 27 74 74 49

sophie@lifesciadvisors.com (mailto:sophie@lifesciadvisors.com)

Forward-Looking Statements

The information contained in this document may be modified without prior notice. This information includes forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. These statements are based on current expectations or beliefs of the management of Nicox S.A. and are subject to a number of factors and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. Nicox S.A. and its affiliates, directors, officers, employees, advisers or agents, do not undertake, nor do they have any obligation, to provide updates or to revise any forward-looking statements.



Risks factors which are likely to have a material effect on Nicox's business are presented in the 3rd chapter of the 'Document d'enregistrement universel, rapport financier annuel et rapport de gestion 2019' filed with the French Autorite des Marches Financiers (AMF) on March 6, 2020 which are available on Nicox's website ( www.nicox.com (http://www.nicox.com)).
The Apostle John begins Revelation by describing the way he received it; God was the source who disclosed it to an angel serving as the messenger to John. The Apostle wrote down everything and sent it to the seven churches in the province of Asia Minor (present-day Turkey). The Revelation (Gr. Apocalypse) has been preserved for us as the last Book of the Bible. It is filled with symbolism both simple to understand (such as 1:20) and some more difficult. However, notice the blessing promised to everyone who reads the words of this prophecy  who hear it and take to heart what is written in it (1:3). Do you want a blessing? To claim all you need do is read Revelation and truly receive its message.

Notice the word of encouragement, the time is near. These things must soon take place. How do we understand this as 1,900 years have already passed? It is soon in contract with eternity. The Church is to be in expectation  especially those of us who are living in the last of the last days!

The Apostle John followed the standard form for writing a letter by first identifying himself and then noting to whom he was writing. He then adds words of greeting and a doxology (see 1:4-5). The references to the past, present and future underscore the eternalness of God. Jesus Christ is called a faithful witness (of Gods message). He is also the first in the resurrection and the power behind all earthly rulers.

Next, John burst forth in words of praise (see 1:6-7). Johns doxology reminds us of other verses of spontaneous praise by other biblical writers. The Lord truly loves us releasing us from our sins and washing us clean through his blood shed on the cross. Additionally, he makes us members of his kingdom when we yield our hearts to his reign. We are said to be priests meaning we have access to God and that we can go to the Lord on the behalf of others.

Notice the conclusion from Rev. 1:8 and 22:13. In both passages you find the phrase alpha and omega representing the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. What is said about God the Father is also used for Jesus. Jesus and God are one and the same.

John identified himself as, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus. Observe that he chose to call himself a brother and companion rather than the Apostle John. He identified with them and their Christian experience. He wrote to the churches while in exile on the small rocky island of Patmos. He states that he was there because of the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus. He further points out the occasion for the letter, On the Lords Day (v.10).

When John turned around to see the voice speaking he saw seven golden lampstands (churches, see v. 20) and among the lampstands was someone like a Son of man. In verses 13-15, John uses descriptive language illustrating his vision of the glorified Lord Jesus. Observe the references to his body (feet, chest, head, hair, eyes, hand, mouth and face).

Johns response was to fall at his feet as though dead. Then Christ placed his hand on him and said, Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and of Hades (v. 17-18). This means we need not fear life, death or eternity.

The Rev. Kenneth Fellenbaum is pastor of Wildermere Beach Congregational Church in Milford. Write to him in care of the Register, 100 Gando Drive, New Haven 06513. Email FellenbaumLK@gmail.com.
Why cant our leaders just repair relations with China? If only Canberra toned down its rhetoric, restored a dialogue and rebuilt trust with Beijing, all would be well. Instead, the federal government needlessly provokes our largest trade partner by implementing foreign interference laws, rejecting the Huawei 5G network bid, and calling for an inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus.

Security trumps prosperity in international politics. Credit:Matt Davidson

Many Australian academics, business leaders and former diplomats are deeply invested in this perspective. They believe China can rise peacefully and, when there is trouble, it is invariably the fault of either Washingtons hawkish policies or inept Australian diplomacy.

This line of thinking is unsurprising since so many of us came of age in what the prominent American columnist Charles Krauthammer called in 1990 the unipolar moment. The dangerous bipolar world of the Cold War had been replaced by a unipolar world in which the US had no serious rivals. Thus, Washington was ideally situated to help shape a rules-based liberal international order.

Indeed, a year earlier, in 1989, political scientist Francis Fukuyama had declared the end of history, which meant the world had entered a liberal and democratic epoch, which was likely to bring peace and prosperity all across the planet.